[IC] Tributary Continuations

[bitterblossoms]

[♥]

Comments

[dendarii]

Well - yes, obviously a fairy court but - that does seem like a place where manipulation would be necessary. God knows I have enough trouble with the counts.

[bitterblossoms]

Yeah . . .

Ah. I didn't . . . I didn't love it. It felt—

[he shivers a little]

[dendarii]

You've already grown past that version of yourself.

[bitterblossoms]

. . .

Now it feels like a ghost living in the back of my head.

[dendarii]

Shades of our former selves, eh?

... What were you doing at the court?

[bitterblossoms]

. . . nothing of consequence, honestly. I was—just growing up there. An idle lordling. I was old enough to start getting—attention, but nothing I particularly wanted. I was—the worst kind of people pleaser, though.

[dendarii]

Ah. That sort of manipulation.

[ a faint nose wrinkle, but it's sympathetic. miles never was a people pleaser. ]

Were you the heir, or were your siblings further up?

[bitterblossoms]

On the younger side of the scale. I don't think I was the very youngest, but . . .

[dendarii]

Ah, but not in a position to inherit much, unless the rules are different.

[bitterblossoms]

No. And I know a few years later was when the Duchess sent me away to—do something with my life. Anything? It was a kindness, I think.

[dendarii]

Casting you out, or letting you grow?

[bitterblossoms]

It—felt like more of the latter. I can't imagine I was actually causing enough trouble or impact to bother casting out.

[dendarii]

[ a small nod. ]

What - er - what does a fairy court look like, anyway? I'm picturing ... plants, and flowers, and that sort of thing.

[bitterblossoms]

. . .

What—do you know about . . . the fae? Do you know what Seelie and Unseelie are?

[dendarii]

The light and dark courts, yes? Summer and winter?

[bitterblossoms]

Well, that makes them sound more . . . evenly balanced than they are. They aren't clean reflections. The Seelie Court is the more powerful of the two—I suppose you could say a little more "good" aligned in the sense that they are respected as the rulers of the fae. The Fair Folk, the High Court. Beautiful, powerful, often—protectors, helpers, or just neutral entities, though they can also be capricious, mischievous, and cruel in their own ways. The Summer Court is very much—I guess what you'd imagine if you're thinking of a fae civilization, part natural and part architecture, golden and green, the world beyond the veil.

The Unseelie Court is made of . . . well, a much wider and wilder variety. The host, the sluagh, the Gloaming Court. They do have a Court of their own, rulers, hierarchies, but their dominion is in the shadows. More scattered. I'd say a greater percentage of the Unseelie don't really associate with the Courts at all. A lot of solitary fae. The Wild Hunts. And—plenty of creatures that the Seelie and the world at large would consider more monstrous than fae. Dullahans and changelings, hags and redcaps.

[dendarii]

[ Miles nods, fascinated. of course a vor lord is all about courtly hierarchies. ]

Which do you belong to?

[bitterblossoms]

[. . . tilts his head very slightly]

. . .

What do you think?

[dendarii]

To be clear. I'm delighted by either possibility.

But given you've mentioned more structure, I assume Seelie.

[bitterblossoms]

[sfdlkjhg laughs]

You'd be delighted if I were an evil fairy, Miles?

[dendarii]

Well, yes.

[ no hesitation ]

The bad fairies give the best christening gifts.

[bitterblossoms]

[laughing helplessly again]

You read too many stories.

I am of the Unseelie Court, though.

[dendarii]

Ah, good. I should have known, given the swamp memory.

[ hot hot hot hot hot ]

[bitterblossoms]

. . .



[stares at him for a long moment]

[. . . . . . . ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥]

[dendarii]

[ lustfully picturing Azalea murdering someone,

Anyway. ]

Well. Barrayarans. If we were a fae court, we would certainly belong to the Unseelie as well. At least by galactic standards.