asmywitness | IC Inbox

Welp. It looks like we're now a freehold of three.

I don't know if you've heard about the screaming weirdo in his underwear yet, but guess who was on his way to turn in his quota when our newest coworker woke up in a strange place and immediately proceeded to panic?

Are you fucking serious? Oh my god.

[He's laughing don't worry.]

Isis heard people mention it in passing but I didn't care, oh my god. That poor bastard.

Serious as fuck, Steven assures him. His name is Jules, he's a Lurkglider— [he has to fingerspell that one] —and he was second-in-command of the Winter Court of the Houston Freehold. Somehow. He must have hidden depths.

Tyler looks disbelieving, but deeply amused when he picks up the call.

Maybe there's a working brain under all the screaming. You never know. Darklings are pretty clever, usually, so who knows. Not as much as Wizened, he adds with no small amount of smugness, but they're up there.

Hah. Hah. We out-number you two to one now, you know, Steven signs back. Even if you're technically in charge until late September.

All we need is a Spring courtier and we've got a whole personal Kingdom, he smirks. I reserve the right to throw a coup if all Jules does is scream, mind you. Just because I can't hear it doesn't mean I don't think it's annoying too. My reasoning is just different.

I'm definitely glad I switched over the weird weekend, Steven says, thoughtfully. I mean not only so Jules and I don't have to fight over the crown, but because it does feel more right to be in my proper season. It's funny. Despite them taking us in, of the group I escaped with, I think the only natural Winter was Kelly. Maybe Abner. I don't know. I think he could go either way, Autumn or Winter. I— should have asked my future friend more about how the others were doing in the future. I don't know why I didn't.

Edited 2020-07-28 05:25 (UTC)

His smile fades a little, but his face turns wistful rather than upset.

Mai was Spring. I thought she was pretty good at it, too. She probably would have gone for a court title someday, I think.

Polly--the one who'd picked me up and carried for the first hour, when I told them I didn't deserve to escape with them--she'd planned on pledging Spring next time we went to the freehold. I think Lycus was going to too. He probably wouldn't have gone for a title, though, even if Polly might. He wasn't the type. And Petra had already gone Summer before I left. She wanted to have it done with before the season turned.

What about you? Steven signs. Do you think you would have wanted a court title?

He waggles one hand. Not sign, just a general kind of 'eh' motion, coupled with a thoughtful look.

I don't think court drama's my thing. I was studying a masters of publishing at uni, I'd been hoping to become a fiction publisher.

Steven nods. So you'd have still tried to do that, only with help from the Freehold. His hands still for a moment before he says, I wasn't interested in most of Winter's titles. I mean, they were going to let me play DJ Oztal on Radio Free Fae before I left, despite having shit all for a Winter Mantle. But that's-- sort of a joint thing. There's no one Oztal because we're all Oztal. It's like a role in a play. I'm not sure how much it would have counted. Especially since it was on the strength of my voice work and not my dedication to winter.

I got-- not exactly into court drama in those two months between Arcadia and here, but I did hang around the freehold a lot. We were all doing day labor while we waited for Fantomas--that's the court name of the guy who did fake papers for the court, I don't know his real one--to get back from Louisiana. Because, you know, that was the only thing we could get without legal identities and I was-- hesitant to do what was necessary to take mine back. Because Winter frowns on killing your fetch and I was still kind of conflicted about doing that kind of shit.

But being someone's illegal gardener more taxing on your body than your mind and so a lot of the time if I had any spell slots whatsoever, I'd take my ass to the Freehold and just... sit around and absorb shit. I learned a lot of oneiromancy that way. Pledgecrafting too. And about the local court structure. And Contracts and--

Fuck. They were probably laying bets on when I'd finally go Autumn, weren't they?

That depends on how much you actually think an entire freehold cared about your specific existence in particular, when they've all got their own things going on. To most people you'd probably just be a low-tier courtier with no stakes and no life. If they did care enough to make bets, you'd think some of them would start actively pushing you to play the odds.

[You're not as special as you think you are, Steven, and he means that in the kindest way possible.]

Honestly, I don't know what I was doing after I got out. Everything I liked felt tainted, you know how it is. I still hadn't found something I wanted to get into that didn't feel like a sick joke against myself. Mai was trying but I was just. Tired.

[Steven can feel his face heat up.]

I meant my friends. And the Winter Courtiers who found us. Not. Not everyone. I know I'm an egotist but I'm not. I'm not that bad. [Jack-level, he'd call it, if he still wasn't self-conscious about how much he talked about his boyfriend.]

And-- it's not wrong, you know. That you didn't... I mean, of course you were tired. Why wouldn't you be?

He smirks at Steven's blush. And he knows that question's probably rhetorical, but he stil glances away anyway, carefully neutral.

I don't know. I'm just used to being more on top of shit like that. I'm used to being responsible, you know?

Yeah, Steven signs back, once Tyler looks back. I know.

Well. If you ever want to learn about pledgecraft, I can try and pass on the shit I learned. You'd probably be good at it. You've got a logical mind.

Yes, let's change the subject a little. It's for the best.

Yeah, but I don't want to. If I wanted to fuck with contracts for a living I would have studied law. And believe me, that was an option I got pushed towards as a kid.

I can believe that, actually, Steven says after a moment. It's one of those very respectable jobs that make people good money.

Good money to help support the family, he says, with a wry twist of his mouth above his hands. But only if you break into the field, and I'm already at a severe disadvantage that most people won't look past even with actual discrimination laws. At least with publishing I can make my own choices on who I have to work for, for the most part.

Well, yeah, Steven agrees. Plus, lawyers are supposed to talk all the time and most juries are not known for being full of people who know sign.

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Backdated to before any of the Hythlo bullshit

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Switched to video and in sign of course

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I didn't realise I switched styles, gomen

Re: I didn't realise I switched styles, gomen

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