21:30 <banana> Ah, there she is. One of the women Bob's been looking for. 21:32 <banana> The green and red of the great spreading tree is always there when you look around, captured in any broad overview of the party. As the night draws closer to its end, Manchester's light pollution has faded and the mound is lit mostly by rented floodlights and the firepits. The broad play of the electric lighting across the turf and tables interacts oddly with the red/green shadows. 21:34 <banana> The glamered wolf has been hunted down himself, tonight, again; pursued by maggots and devils as well as his own past. But finally he's caught sight of Dr. Samantha Blackfin. 21:35 <banana> Aster's... dance partner... is just coming away from the high table, carrying a notebook, leaving behind some sort of young child and a dude like a stick insect. She doesn't look occupied anymore. 21:35 <tom> Bob, the wolf: "Ma'am." 21:36 <tom> She'll likely recognize the transformation as she enters his awareness, and his slouch evens out and he pushes off from whatever he's supporting himself on to straighten out the creases in his posture. 21:36 <tom> Classic military. They never change. 21:37 <banana> The detective from Pennsylvania by way of London nods. "Corporal, was it? Thank you for your service." 21:37 <tom> "Thank you for your taxes." 21:38 <banana> Blackfin: "I do still pay them. Did you know we're the only country in the world that claims income tax from citizens living overseas?" 21:38 <tom> Bob's cradling a water bottle. A good sign, maybe? "Don't I know it. Thankfully I'm on the Sovereign Citizen tip these days so I'm exempt." 21:39 <banana> In the background, the band of monkeys strikes up one last tune. It's lively, but muted if you're not on the dance floor. Under the shadow of the tree, sound behaves oddly, and there are private spaces among crowds. 21:39 <tom> "I think some guys stormed a castle just north of here a little while back... something about the Magna Carta?" 21:39 <tom> "Every country has nutjobs it seems." 21:39 <tom> "Can I have a moment of your time?" 21:40 <banana> Samantha blinks, then relaxes at the confirmation that Bob's joking. "Oh, yes. They've got fewer guns here, is the thing..." 21:40 <banana> She looks around for Aaron, notices he's visited the facilities building. "You can indeed." 21:41 <tom> "...If you don't trust me that's chill too. I get it. I just wanted to ask about uh, some stuff I've come across in my work that I don't have the tools to answer. That Aster's too outta the loop to get info on." 21:43 <tom> The wolf tips the water bottle into the little hole between its rubber fangs. Well, they were rubber, now they gleam with the appearance of hard ivory- fangs. 21:43 <banana> Samantha examines Bob in the partylight, which puts odd highlights in her hair; he thinks he sees her lips moving for a moment, soundless words. "Alright, I'll help you if I can. As long as it's something I actually know about, not involving active Yard investigations, and so on." 21:45 <tom> "Of course," the wolf chuckles, kinda awkwardly. "I hope you're enjoying the party, really... I think it's important to them, they don't get to show off very often." 21:46 <tom> He gulps, breathes, tries not to think about Aaron Aster standing in the far side of the gathering, ready to initiate the Talon Module if her expression sours. 21:46 <tom> "What do you know about the Cheiron Group?" 21:47 <banana> The velvet-skinned woman (literal, not poetry) nods again. "Yes, these are people who believe they're necessarily at one remove from society. I was talking to- ah." 21:47 <banana> "Now, that does involve an active investigation. Several, really." 21:47 <banana> "...but that's been the case for many years. What do you want to know about LGC?" 21:48 <tom> He winces. "I was afraid of that. It's okay. Then you don't have to say anything, if you don't want. Instead, I can talk." 21:48 <tom> "Kismetech." 21:48 <tom> "Kismetech Ltd, to be specific. Little Biotech startup outta Boston, got snapped up by L.G.C. in 2017." 21:48 <tom> "They had an office in Bay Village. Near the Children's Hospital." 21:49 <banana> Dr. Blackfin points at invisible boxes in the air, drawing lines between them. "Kismet. Fate and whimsy. Elves and fantasy." She ends up pointing at the trunk of the immense yew. 21:50 <tom> "The complex had, and I know this sounds like made-up trash, like I'm some nutjob who shoots up a pizza restaurant. But it had a secret basement." 21:50 <tom> "Maybe it was built into the foundations of an old department store that they never fully collapsed. Brickwork looked old. Torture dungeon old. SAW old." 21:51 <banana> She shrugs. "I've seen enough of them... more often in a single-family home than a corporate office." 21:52 <tom> "Anyway, I only know about the basement because we didn't have to find it. Was open when we got there." 21:52 <tom> "Pretty standard sterilization protocol. Loose ENE's, assume hostile, full sweep." 21:53 <tom> "They were kidnapping, uh, they were kidnapping them, and experimenting." 21:53 <tom> Bob rubs the back of his neck. "It was not a rescue mission, of course." 21:54 <tom> "It's all gone now, I'm sure. They probably filled it in with cement..." 21:54 <banana> Samantha: "How horrible. I'd hope the task force was at least detailed to stop Cheiron-Kismetech, rather than to take over their program." 21:54 <tom> "But I'm wondering, is there any reason you can think of a medical firm would drain their blood?" 21:55 <banana> "Yes." 21:55 <tom> "Like I said ma'am, sterilization protocol." 21:55 <tom> "Why?" 21:55 <banana> She frowns. "Aren't you the one working for hemophages?" 21:56 <tom> "No ma'am, that's uh," the wolf's eyes bulge kind of stupidly. Softly: "...Aaron didn't tell you?" 21:57 <banana> "There are also alternative explanations. None totally innocent, but it could simply be research. The properties of 'ENE' blood are frequently unusual, likely valuable - as long as you're a CFO or other sociopath." 21:57 <banana> "What is it that I have not been told?" 21:58 <tom> "Aster's been the one working them for contacts. He's spent more time with them than almost anyone." 21:58 <tom> "Oh man, you shoulda seen him the first time they busted out the 'we're not equals'." 21:58 <tom> "I thought he was about to put his Talon through a real stress test." 21:59 <tom> "...I'm qualified to talk about it. I got the test adminstered and everything." 22:00 <tom> "But no, I'm not talking about vampires. There weren't any there." 22:00 <tom> "Truth is, I didn't know what they were at first. Mostly because I got there late and they were just finishing up the last couple cells." 22:00 <tom> "Flamethrower. Awful work. Hate it." 22:01 <banana> Oh, Bob knows this look. She's looking at him like she thinks he's dumb, like he's dumb for thinking she's dumb. 22:02 <tom> That's a common feel. 22:02 <tom> That's the most feel in the world. 22:02 <banana> Samantha hasn't said anything, though. She'd rather get the full story than interrupt. 22:03 <banana> At some point there's got to be a less stupid question than 'why would the lab guys at cheiron, or their secret vampire bosses, be interested in magic blood'. 22:03 <tom> "So I get there and they're like, you know... Corporal Goreman, we're out of fuel. Take your M1A and clean up the last cell." 22:06 <tom> "Uhhhhhh.." He scratches his chin. "So I left with the only survivor. But she didn't know anything either." 22:07 <banana> Samantha: ".........yeah, well, those assholes probably aren't going to tell their victims much. They view it as something like animal product testing." 22:08 <tom> "I wanna know, like, you're a doctor, right? Patients have, uh, rights, don't they?" He seems lost. 22:08 <banana> "If you're asking whether LGC's experiments were both unethical and illegal, I'd say yes." 22:08 <tom> "If you knew about that stuff going on, you'd stop it, right?" 22:09 <banana> Samantha: "I'd do what I could. My work is... similar to Aaron's. Less kinetic." 22:09 <tom> "You said you had several ongoing investigations that touched on the Group." 22:09 <tom> "I want to make an anonymous tip." 22:11 <tom> "During the Super Blood Moon, Cheiron had a Retrieval team out in the boonies, not too far from here. They were trying to pick up an Idigam, which is some wizard thing I guess I know fuck-all about." 22:11 <tom> "My superiors aren't answering my emails. I've been told I should stop bothering." 22:11 <banana> Now she's looking at him with some sympathy. It still feels a little off. More eerie than he expected of a normal person at Samhain, or colder. "Anything you have to say, I'll keep your name out of it." Which is easy since he's not registered with the authorities here... is he? 22:12 <tom> Nope. 22:12 <tom> "...But if I find anything, anything that you can use, I'll give it to you, okay?" 22:13 <tom> "That shit with the manacles and the bloodletting needs to stop right quick so I can go back to sleeping well at night." 22:13 <banana> "It's outside of my department, and I don't want to give you false hope... but I'll pass it on." 22:13 <banana> Samantha: "Was Mariam the one you found in Boston?" 22:13 <tom> "Yeah." 22:14 <tom> "I love her so much it hurts. If anything happens to her I will kickflip off this gay ass earth on top of a mountain of bodies." 22:15 <tom> "Thank you for your time, Doctor." 22:15 <banana> Blackfin raises a hand, waves to someone. It's literally Mari, just over there, and now on her way over here! 22:15 <banana> "That explains some things. I think she did well to process the experience, turn it into some useful goals. For what it's worth, I've seen people in these situations and I can tell when someone's on the right track." 22:15 <tom> "...That's worth a lot, actually." 22:16 <banana> Samantha: "Good to hear. Hello again, Mari." 22:16 <banana> Mari smiles at her, and at Bob, tentatively. It feels like hours since he's seen her. 22:16 <tom> "Baby! I was looking for you all over..." 22:16 <tom> "I did some very stupid shit while you were gone, wow." 22:17 <banana> Blackfin: "I'll let you catch up- you've got my number." She walks away... backwards at first, watching them for a moment. 22:18 <banana> Mari: "Nooo.. dance with me and tell me about it?" 22:19 <tom> Her tentativeness is matched and raised by his caution. Where do we stand... 22:20 <tom> His tension evaporates as quickly as it came on. He takes her in his shoulder. "Sure, that sounds good. One last dance before I'm in. But uh, first, what's wrong, kid? You look wound up." 22:21 <banana> Mari has her hood up. She tugs on it a little to cover her face as they move together, in sync, to the dance floor. 22:22 <banana> "Have you been having a nice night? Apart from whatever you did.. or hopefully the dumb stuff was fun, too?" 22:22 <tom> "I wouldn't do it otherwise." 22:22 <banana> Mari: "What, are you a hedonist now?" 22:22 <banana> "Should we change the household roster to use the felific calculus?" 22:23 <tom> He tugs on her robe and embraces her. Into the back of her hood: "I love it when you use words I don't understand." 22:24 <tom> "Hedonist... no, just going with the flow. Danced with a Court Counciler, the vampire. She's neat. Hit me with the bugvision for a bit." 22:25 <banana> "It's utilitarianism for libertines," Mari mumbles. "An algorithm for how much you enjoy things, so that you can avoid doing anything that's unpleasant on average." She's clutching Bob tightly enough to make it difficult to dance. 22:25 <banana> "That's the Barrowsmith? She won't really hurt you. One of the few vampires who's like... a good person." 22:25 <tom> "Sounds like an experiment to see how many people they can give obsessive-compulsive disorder." 22:26 <tom> "Good to know I'm a good judge of character." 22:26 <banana> Mari: "Yep. One of the best, actually." 22:27 <tom> He envelops her in his arms, then settles in for a slow-dance. He moves his hands to her hips. 22:28 <tom> "You seem really tense..." 22:28 <banana> After a few steps' silence: "That was a factor for the others. The way you pick up on who's worth defending and for whom you jump to... defend against." 22:30 <tom> "You're worried I'm gonna get smeared all over the sidewalk by a jacked-up leprechaun with a shillelagh." 22:31 <banana> Mari: "Nope. I mean, yes, but not any time soon. ...be careful with the vampire job, though." 22:31 <banana> "Aaargh." 22:31 <tom> "Aaargh." 22:32 <banana> Mari: "I don't understand why emotional honesty is the most difficult thing in the world?" 22:33 <banana> "Lensburg and Kyocera are always talking about it. Just open up, be known and seen, that makes everything better rather than being impossible and painful somehow." 22:33 <tom> "Oh that's an easy one, hun." Bob crooks his arm around her, leads for a bit: "You just have to reach the point where you don't care anymore." 22:33 <tom> "It's partly a growing up thing, right? The more times you've been through the wringer, the easier it gets." 22:34 <tom> "It's not just like being... defeated, it's also realizing we might not have to, you know, face the tough issues. But they don't go away if we aren't honest, either." 22:36 <banana> Mari: "What if they do, baby? What if you never say something and then the chance just passes forever and now everything is worse than it would have been, forever." 22:36 <tom> "We really don't have a say in whether things get worse or not, baby." 22:36 <tom> "So we just gotta let it go." 22:38 <tom> "Being completely shameless really helps." 22:39 <banana> Mari: "I'd be ashamed of not saying this." She takes a deep breath. 22:39 <tom> He braces himself. 22:41 <banana> Mari: "This is your last chance, like. To back out, to leave, to... be normal, or whatever kind of normal they issue with a court-martial." 22:41 <tom> "Hahaha." 22:41 <banana> "You've had a few hours to be here, to see us at our best, because I'm not gonna- I'm not going to show off the worst, that would just be a bad move." 22:42 <tom> He nestles his nose in her hood. "Oh nononono baby, that day came and went a ways back..." 22:42 <banana> "Don't laugh. You maybe know what you're getting into? But do you actually? And do you really want it? I-" 22:43 <tom> He's just kinda swaying her back and forth for the moment: "This is how I get home. Really." 22:43 <tom> "A really awful dude once said," 22:43 <tom> "When you're going through hell," 22:43 <tom> "Keep going." 22:45 <banana> Mari frowns for a moment, then dredges it up. "You're right. He was bloody awful." 22:45 <tom> "Doesn't make a dude wrong, or you should throw out most of what I'm sayin', haha." 22:47 <tom> "Anyway you couldn't scare me off if you tried. I know, because you did, at first." 22:48 <banana> Mari: "Can we really get home together? Are you ok with a binding to Winter, becoming part of the story, just so you and I can be awful at right-angles?" 22:48 <banana> "I mean it's not just me, the others want to be friends, but- I'm selfish." 22:48 <tom> "Isn't that how it's supposed to go, anyway?" 22:48 <tom> "A mortal with a magic sword..." 22:49 <tom> Give me Caliburn Crucis, damn it. 22:50 <banana> Mari: "That's how it looks from where you're standing. I see myself, a desert spirit, summoning cold winds to suck out half a soul and fit myself into that warm body." 22:50 <banana> "I love you enough to draw you to the attention of the Fae." 22:50 <tom> He's loosening up even as she's hanging on. "Oh no, kid, you'll be lucky to find a quarter of a soul in this husk. A tenth." 22:50 <tom> His eyes twinkle with realization. 22:51 <tom> "I wanna see you for real..." 22:53 <banana> Mari's shakes her head to loosen her hair, which throws her hood back a little. The dance floor's getting sparse and the monkeys are going on break. 22:53 <banana> "And if that doesn't happen? If all you get is a system of oaths, some petty secrets, and the ability for us to be- to be honest with each other, if we can bear it?" 22:53 <tom> "...Are you threatening me with things going well?" 22:54 <banana> She's quiet, but not unhappy. 22:54 <tom> "Miss Medwar, I think the reason I'm the perfect person to keep all your secrets is that I don't give a shit about your magic, I don't wanna cash out." 22:54 <tom> "I'm not here to run a game on anybody." 22:55 <tom> "I'm here because you are, and that means we stan." 22:55 <banana> Mari: "That's so not true. You love spooky magic and trying to guess how my mouth works and being turned invisible by working girls." 22:56 <tom> "I didn't say I don't enjoy that too. Within reason!" 22:56 <tom> "...I'm this close to figuring it out, I just need a little more research..." 22:56 <banana> "I'm not saying I don't see where you're coming from." 22:57 <banana> Mari sighs. "Thanks for putting up with my insecurities. Your turn next whenever you're into it?" 23:01 <tom> Bob's mouth feels really dry, so he swallows, works his tongue. He took a breath mint earlier, yeah? Yeah. "You don't get kicked outta the Sadness Club if you go to therapy, do you?" 23:03 <banana> Mari: "No, you don't. That's who Lensburg and Misaki are. They'll work with anyone who can deal with them, or help you find someone else if not." 23:03 <banana> "Sumi... hates them both, but this is maybe the sole thing she's wrong about." 23:03 <tom> "She's from circumstances. I get it." 23:04 <banana> "So many circumstances." 23:04 <tom> "Now... help me figure out how your mouth works." 23:04 <tom> He takes his shot. 23:04 <banana> Just for a moment. Then: "I mean, I liked it. Do you want to come and join the Winter Hill now?" 23:06 <tom> "I'm ready to rip." 23:07 <banana> It's nowhere near as involved as Bob was imagining, and doesn't involve being thrown into the Hedge. 23:08 <banana> The message goes around, people spend a couple of minutes extricating themselves, and then they gather at the base of the yew tree, which he's told is the Tatterdam. Ancient compass-pacts made many-souled wood. 23:09 <tom> He'd argue that he's ready to go fuck up a goblin in the backstage but not at loud, at the ritual. 23:09 <tom> out* 23:12 <tom> He's visibly shedding his nervousness as he steps up to the plate. Little wisps of vapor form at the holes in the wolf's muzzle. 23:13 <banana> They're behind the high table, away from the lights and the scattered remnants of dance. Mari leads Bob there by the hand, solemnly; Riann is already there, with Sumi visible behind him initially as a pair of arms hugging from behind. She steps out and beams: "You made it, Bob. Bobberino. Sir William Wynter." 23:13 <banana> Joanna's here, thin and entirely unfluffy by the yew's trunk. Bob hadn't seen Premson all night, but he's making his way down the trunk, climbing out of the Tatterdam's branches. In the shadows behind the table, all their glamour is gone, leaving only the mostly-human beings he knows. 23:14 <banana> Paul Z, the armourer, isn't present; there is however a woman Bob hasn't met, elderly, in a wheelchair. It's being pushed by Hatch Starling, his beard miraculously never getting caught in the wheels. 23:15 <tom> In order, then: "Sumi. Coetzee. Mr. Lal Yadav. Mr. Starling, and uh, I don't think we've met...?" 23:15 <banana> The Seelie Count of Winter has a kind of halo about him which Bob is learning to recognise. The air within twinkles with frost, growing thicker as the night ends, and there are icicles in that beard - just as he thought there should be the first time he saw it. 23:17 <banana> The old woman looks up at Bob, smiling weakly with dentures. "Young man. Condolences on.. your arrival. My name is Kylie." 23:17 <banana> Mari, very quietly: "She doesn't quite understand who you are, but she'll pick it up." 23:18 <banana> Riaan: "Welcome, mate." 23:19 <banana> Joanna: "It's nice to have you with us." 23:19 <banana> Premson bows from the waist, elegant. He was elegant even in the tree. "You treated the Hound very kindly, in the circumstances." 23:20 <tom> "...You can regrow his ear, right?" 23:20 <tom> He smiles at Kylie, will shake her hand carefully if she looks amiable to it. 23:20 <tom> "I don't have your skillset so I kinda have to go hard on things. But I know how to be reasonable." 23:20 <banana> She takes it graciously, and her grip is a bit stronger than her legs. 23:21 <banana> Premson: "At the moment, he's treating it as a treasured hunting-scar, having apparently lost very little hearing capacity. We'll keep bringing it up." 23:25 <tom> "Good to meet you, Kylie," he beams. "Joanna, hey. I hope you guys are all having a good time tonight." 23:25 <banana> Hatch usually looks a bit vague, if not so vague as Kylie, between moments of clarity. He's standing straight now, though; straighter than Bob has seen him in the past. The old man has his back to the table where the King of Autumn is sitting, so all you can really make out of his face is the beaked nose. 23:26 <banana> Sumi: "It's been a good night. The best is yet to come.. and I don't mean this little rite, but that's good too." 23:27 <banana> Starling: "You needn't be so mistrustful of Plape. Hard to blame you after the last time, but I have a good feeling about the boy's progress." 23:27 <tom> "...The other clubs aren't going to look down on you guys for giving the dog an honorary degree, yeah." 23:28 <tom> "I'm not talking about the Hound," he clarifies. 23:28 <banana> Starling: "The Tor is sovereign. We accept you, subject to one final condition, and that's that." 23:28 <banana> Mari: "What." 23:28 <tom> "Sure thing, Ice King." 23:28 <banana> Mari: "What condition?" 23:29 <banana> Starling: "You gave me the idea, young Mari. It's nothing onerous." He grins at Bob with teeth slightly sharper than you'd expect of an old man. 23:29 <tom> Now we're cooking with gas. 23:30 <banana> Starling: "Your song-spinning device. May we hear my Wyrd-assigned tune? I'd like to know whether an MP3 can take the place of palmistry." 23:31 <tom> He goes to reassure Mari. He doesn't say anything, but he's there. Can he read her expression under that mask? 23:31 <tom> "Yes, sir." 23:31 <banana> Joanna cackles, then looks embarassed and manages to moderate it into a giggle. 23:31 <tom> Bob boots up his ODIN with a tap. Two more taps and the app's open, and back in the Greybox, machinery is whirring to life... 23:32 <tom> "It takes a second to compile. It's going to space and back." 23:32 <banana> Does he even have a phone with a speaker? 23:33 <banana> Coetzee: "I'm out of the loop on this one. MP3s, fine, but what's the device?" 23:33 <tom> He does. He'll just give Hatch Starling his burner. 23:33 <tom> "We don't know." 23:33 <banana> Mari: "It's a machine, doesn't feel like a token.. it seems to summarise people and assign them a theme, but like they were being stage-directed." 23:34 <tom> When he's done, he'll turn the ODIN back on himself... and turn on the trackcheck. "We haven't seen the music change. But the notes do." 23:34 <banana> Hatch is not very fluent with modern technology. He gets through the phone interface, but slowly, letting the song play out loud as he scans the text that's scrolling past in the app underneath its recording controls. 23:34 <tom> Starling will get his readout. He'll take his phone back before his own comes in. 23:35 <banana> You all hear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R82OM5tzcrk 23:35 <banana> Sumi: "What, really? What does it say?" 23:36 <banana> Riaan: "So who's programming these things? Great song, though." 23:36 <tom> "I couldn't say. Some things are just like that, for people like me. I can't pick up all the threads..." 23:36 <tom> "So why bother letting it eat me up?" 23:37 <banana> Hatch: "I've heard it somewhere. Impressive for modern music; lyrical and musical at once. Perhaps the thing seeks to flatter me." 23:37 <banana> Kylie: "As kings and queens bow and play for you..." 23:37 <tom> Hmmm. Has Starling's notes come in yet? The readout has the juiciest bits usually... 23:38 <banana> He hands back the phone, screen off and still playing. Bob sees it on his visor, though: “Repeat in each act — marks the continuity of the man — twice beaten, not defeated.” 23:38 <tom> Bob swells with pride. 23:39 <tom> "Yeah I think I'm on the right track." 23:39 <banana> Mari: "Yeah, but not because a psychic tripod with youtube says so." 23:40 <banana> Premson: "Is everyone ready?" 23:41 <tom> Bob glances around, nods. 23:41 <banana> Starling: "We do have limited time, but this is just an affirmation. Please form a circle, loose as you like." 23:41 <banana> Sumi: "Sir yessir." She's imitating Bob a little there. 23:41 <tom> He takes up his position next to Mari, adjusts his collar. 23:42 <tom> Sumi gets finger guns. 23:42 <tom> Nine millimeter. 23:42 <banana> She beams. 23:44 <banana> As Bob turns the music off, Hatch Starling glances at it again, shaking his head a little. "We're going to make some promises. Bob Goreman, the rest of us have been touched by Faerie, and have the ability to seal a pact that it shall not be unmade. You don't, as your own touch of the seelie - gentle, contingent, as we hope to keep it - is imminent. We will hold each other to our word on your 23:44 <banana> behalf.. and we will hold you to yours." 23:45 <banana> Mari squeezes Bob's arm once, then drops hers to her side. She looks around at the gathered few, smiling and carefree, and they nod back at her. 23:46 <tom> He's falling into a wider stance. He folds his hands behind his back, and the thinnest of smiles plays over his lips. "I'll never betray your trust." 23:47 <tom> "It's the only thing that matters to me now." 23:49 <banana> Starling: "Well said. We build ourselves a place where there is at least one thing that matters." The others are watching their leader with some interest, Bob notices. He doesn't always have this level of energy. 23:50 <banana> "The first promise is simple. You can use your own words: When one of us is attacked, we are all attacked, and we can call upon each others' aid. When one of us is hungry, we will all fight to feed him. When one of us is hurt, we will all fight to heal him. When one of us is sought, we will all fight to hide him." 23:51 <banana> He gestures to his left, where Joanna is standing, and she recites mostly the same words, changing 'him' to 'them'. 23:52 <banana> By the time the promise gets round the circle to Bob it's become 'we will all fight to save him', but the spirit of the thing is the same. 23:52 <tom> Bob waits his turn. "When she's attacked, we are all attacked." He recites the lines. 23:54 <tom> "...When she's hungry, we'll fight to feed her. When she's hurt, we'll heal her. When she's sought, we'll all fight to save her." 23:56 <tom> Something uncoils deep in the pit of Bob's gut. 23:58 <banana> Each of the changelings makes a sign, a little pass, a movement. Premson speaks a word in a language you don't know, which Hatch reaches out to catch as it falls from his mouth, clapping hands about the visible sound. The pact is sealed. 23:59 <banana> Starling: "The second promise is the one we make to Winter." 23:59 <banana> "There is less room for personal sentiment here. The season of sorrow understands sentiment, and its risk, and the need to hide it away." 00:02 <tom> He's silent as Starling speaks. He checks the clock on his ODIN. How long until midnight? 00:02 <banana> "When we are shut away, we will be protected from harm. When we go in the dark between worlds of light, we will see what is done, and we will use that knowledge. When secrets endanger us, we will burn them to memories. When we are Lost, we will be mourned." 00:02 <banana> Joanna: "When we are shut away, we will be protected from harm. When we go in the dark between worlds of light, we will see what is done, and we will use that knowledge. When secrets endanger us, we will burn them to memories. When we are Lost, we will be mourned." 00:03 <banana> Premson: "When we are shut away, we will be protected from harm. When we go in the dark between worlds of light, we will see what is done, and we will use that knowledge. When secrets endanger us, we will burn them to memories. When we are Lost, we will be mourned." 00:03 <tom> Bob: "When we are shut away, we will be protected from harm. When we go in the dark between worlds of light, we will see what is done, and we will use that knowledge. When secrets endanger us, we will burn them to memories. When we are Lost, we will be mourned." 00:03 <banana> Kylie stumbles over the words a little. Premson and Riaan coach her through them, and everyone repeats the promise. 00:04 <tom> Bob knows exactly where he fits into this world, then. 00:04 <tom> It's right there in the third sentence. 00:04 <banana> This time Sumi's the last to speak. Everyone makes their gesture or their utterance, Mari turns to look into Bob's eyes, and Hatch Starling raises his hands a little above his shoulders, palms up and open. The pact is sealed. 00:05 <banana> It's months too early and impossible anyway with the tree above, but Starling's hands begin to fill with snow. It's also falling into Bob's face, covering his eyes. 00:05 <tom> Does it sting? 00:05 <tom> The cold. 00:06 <banana> Only as much as water. It melts quickly, and he has to blink a few times before he can see again. 00:06 <banana> The first thing he sees is a man with beady little eyes, a pointy yellow beak, and long, white, broken wings. 00:07 <banana> He's got snow in the palms of his hands. 00:07 <tom> He's already turning to Mari, with streaks down his cheeks. 00:08 <banana> Mari is there, looking just as Bob knows her, but she is also something else, making strange shapes under the robe, caressing his arm with two long and black-haired limbs. Everyone's a superimposition of their human forms and other stranger things - Sumi's silk figurehead, Joanna's coathanger skeleton - with the latter being visible as dim wavers lit by cold white. 00:11 <tom> He takes her wrist up in his hand, and closing his eyes, feels for the smooth joints he knows are there, where the plates of flexible chitin meet. 00:13 <tom> Every time he thinks it's too much, the mind-blowing weirdness is there to take him back off the ledge. 00:13 <banana> Mari: "I like the Mari in the mirror better, but this is also me." 00:14 <banana> Riaan: "Ah, so that's what has you all bliksem." 00:15 <tom> He doesn't let go, but instead takes her hand in his and squeezes. "You've got so many eyes and they're all so pretty." 00:15 <banana> Hatch: "It's nice to really meet you, and we'll have a lot to talk about; however, I need to return to high table. The tributes will be by soon." 00:16 <banana> Sumi: "You lovebugs want to be left alone for a bit, huh?" 00:16 <banana> Mari: "Maybe." 00:16 <tom> "Definitely."