T - Jenn, Nako, Xenon, Bee, Lucca

[The Jenn]

Twenty minutes wasn't such a terribly long time to be in a carriage, especially not after the prolonged journey of the past two days. Still, Donnie wished she could have just been there. She was tired of sitting on her ass while the world moved in a blur beside her. Running along in animal form would have almost been preferable, except then she wouldn't have been fit for an official function upon arrival.

She made idle conversation with the Mayor's representative in the vehicle, asking him in a roundabout sort of way what type of service visitors could have usually expected from the inn. Better than what they got, apparently. How disappointing. There were any number of possible reasons for the lack of star-quality service, none of which she particularly cared about. The chatter turned away from their departure point and towards their destination, which was fast approaching. She learned about one or two paintings of note within the halls of the Mayor's home before they arrived, which interested her and doubtless Mikael as well.

Stepping out of the carriage, she surreptitiously stretched her arms and legs, trying not to be obvious about cracking her back as well. She had taken two steps towards the house when a sound behind her like snapping wood and rustling leaves caused her to freeze and turn.

And stare.

"What in all the hells, girl?!" she exclaimed, shocked by the sudden appearance of foliage on the otherwise quite normal and unassuming child. Had she known this was going to happen? Was she a were-tree, or something of the sort? The possibility aggravated her more than it probably should have and she had to refrain it from progressing further. Something about the girl's reaction told her that this was not, in fact, normal.

[carcinoGeneticist]

As nice as the Inn had been, it was too quiet, and Sophie was rather glad to be leaving it. In addition, travel meant she'd have a bit of a respite from her duties - her toes were still colored oddly by the bits of paint she'd gotten on herself while working to clean her uncle's brushes, and there were more waiting for her attentions when next they stopped.

Sophie sat out the trip in relative silence, occasionally chattering at Lyr or her uncle, the restless night leaving her tired and not particularly talkative. When they arrived she helped her new friend down, then stopped.

And stared.

And gasped.

There were no words. There was, however, a tree growing out of Lyr's back. Sophie rushed to the other girl's side, deaf to her mother's exclamation. This was - this had to be! - her fault. It was that mask. She should have known better, magical items were never any good at all, her sister was proof of that, but she'd given her the gift anyway... "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" she gibbered, stumbling over the words. Now Lyr would hate her, she just knew it!

[Lucca]

Graeme passed the carriage ride in brief conversation, but mostly silence. At least the tea had made him more awake, poor as its quality had been, but the lack of sleep was still a bit wearing on him. It was all he could do to keep from snapping at the representative about the poor service again, but he held his tongue and barely reigned in his temper. He was, after all, sitting not to far away from the Queen of Spades. He glanced briefly at the children during the trip, noting their names, but neither of them seemed interested in talking to him, which was just as well.

He was, at best, awkward around children. At worst, they frustrated him. Graeme never wanted any of his own. They were little black holes for money, time, and sanity. As he was waiting to step off the carriage, he saw a wonderful example of that. Children never knew to stay away from magical items. At least, the Duck could only assume that was what had brought about the sudden change. "What-what is...by the Hills!" he swore quietly, staring at the child who seemed to have spontaneously been merged with a tree. "Does it hurt, lass?" Standing up, the Duck crossed over to the little girl, though didn't get too close. After all, she was part Yarrow and might not want a man fussing over her. But Graeme was very curious at the bizarre mutation he was looking at.

[Nako]

Aw, what a -cute- dolly! Baw… In the privacy of his own room, he'd actually hug the thing. How damned sweet it looked. Who'd left it behind? Maybe the toy was kind of… lonely. Heh. He probably sounded a bit insane in his own mind at that point and time. But, perhaps the owner would feel better knowing such a doll found a loving home? He even had a spot on his shelf at home for such a thing. Was… that a tingle of magic he felt in the doll? Hm.

It had been a hell of a drive. The one girl had felt sick the entire way, and Mikael had actually been -worried-. Finally though, they reached their destination. Mikael had stepped out of the carriage to help the girls out with a bright smile and a wag of his tail. "There now! We're finally here; maybe we can get you a nice tea or something to settle your-'

Fwoof!. That was as good of a sound effect for someone suddenly sprouting a tree out of their back as any!

"What is this? What is this??" His tone pitched up into a coyote wail.

But Sophie was babbling. Apologizing. What had she done?

"Sophie." Mikael said with a low, authoritative voice that surprised even himself. "What did you do?"


((And you know his voice lilted on that 'what did you do', you know.. the one parents use all the time where they put the emphasis on 'what' and 'do'. XD ))

[The Jenn]

Obviously her daughter had something to do with this, or at least thought she did, which sent Donnie's mind places she didn't like to admit to in polite company. At the same time, she could not have picked a less convenient time to spontaneously sprout a tree from her back.

Grimacing, the Queen looked at the girl, looked at Sophie, and then looked back. "If this is something you can handle, you can come with us to the meeting. If it isn't, I will have the Mayor summon you a doctor with all due haste. I'm sure there is somewhere that you can rest in his house. Sophie will of course stay by your side, whichever is necessary. Either way, I must continue with my business, unfortunately."

The girl was probably going to have to see a doctor regardless. And what was Donnie going to say to the woman's parents or guardian? Fucking hell. She hated having to be 'official' with a young girl. She simply didn't have time to give Lyr her full attention at present. This whole thing was reminding her uncomfortably of her other daughter's experience with mutations.

If the girl chose to rest, she would inform the representative that she required medical assistance and a quiet room for her accompanying party. If she didn't, she would continue on into the house for her meeting with the Mayor.

[Nathalia]

((Though their Hawk guide seemed to have been just as shocked as everyone else by the spontaneous mutation, he seemed to be trying his best not to let it show.
After waiting to see if the girl would recover, he led them hesitantly up to the mayor's large doors and left them with a bow and the promise of refreshment, taking care to ask each of them in turn what their favorites were as far as teas and biscuits went before disappearing down the hall.
Other servants bustled by now and then, all perfectly available to them should they need anything and happy to answer questions.
The place seems warm and relatively happy, especially compared to what they had just experienced at the inn.
The paintings all about the place are very nice and all have a different flare..obviously all done by different and rather incredible artists.
As they had been walking up, the Hawk had pulled Mikael aside and explained who had done a few of them. All of them featured the Mayor at the time, standing alongside some form or another of their greatest achievements while in office.
He explains that someone dropped the Mayor a hint about Mikael, son of Seth, who was quite the artist to the man and he wanted his greatest achievement to be painted by no other than Mikael to be hung on the walls here with all the others.

Lyr will cease feeling ill within 5 minutes of the tree growing and will, indeed, feel better than she has (physically) her entire life.
There is the sound of talk from inside the heavy doors and after about 7 or 8 minutes of waiting, they will open and a large well-bred looking Morganberry Feline/Canine King of Hearts stalks out, looking haughty and uninterested.
He gives a little nod to the Queen of Spades, not seeming to recognize her, merely out of politeness to her rank.
Stopping at McDuck, they appear to recognize one another.
"Ah, McDuck, good day, it's Judge Turpin. It's been a while, stopping in to see Dalphus? He'll be pleased to see you, I'm sure."
He trots out soon after, tail curled a bit at the tip and looking frosty, but pleased. He gave off a mildly slimy aura that the girls more than likely picked up on and shortly after a servant calls them into the empty main room and seats them.
The room is grand, with a high-vaulted ceiling and mahogany furniture. Beautiful Mid-Range carpets and lovely paintings from all Realms adorn every surface.
They are asked to sit and wait with refreshment while the Mayor collects himself.))

[Bee]

For a time she thought something she had consumed must have come back to haunt her; her body felt like it was staging a terrible rebellion. During the ride it was a struggle not to puke. She couldn't fall back asleep, and her small interludes with Sophie were her only temporary distractions. She shook terribly as she exited the carriage, and was for a time unable to move completely.

Then: a peculiar pain shooting from her back, small points all over her body, something erupting with a snap-crack like stepping on bracken. She was peripherally aware that people were talking to her, but she was too engaged in being terrified by what seemed to be happening to notice. She was staring at her legs, seeing--seeing branches. Oh dear.

Oh dear.

Words filtered in. A different kind of terror joined the body horror. She was going to cause an awful mess for these people, wasn't she? She was some kind of tree creature now. That was going to be a...a...massive...inconvenience...

"I'm well," she said, blearily, quietly, still a little numb. "It's not your fault. I just--I need some water." She suddenly became conscious that she could move again, and was unaware of whether she had been paralyzed by the--the--or by fear. But with a tiny step, she felt better, and better, and suddenly--invigorated. "I can keep going, unless you think it would be...better." Would a mayor want to see her? Would anyone? She shrunk back a little closer to Sophie. Feeling good or not, she probably wasn't--fit, anymore. "It's not your fault," she said, again.

[Nako]

It was probably terrible that Mikael was so easily distracted, but as he walked down the hallways and silently compared the works that hung up on those walls to his own a certain excitement swelled within him. The theme of this collage was obvious, and what the Hawk affirmed made his mind practically buzz.

Funny, how the mayor was Morganberry. Then again it was a well known stereotype that the Selkies were somewhat lazy. it would make sense that a more proactive creature could come in and run the place. Eh… He shrugged mentally. It was no different than the Bog taking over the court of hearts.

"My goodness… this place looks amazing." Mikael gushed as they sat in waiting for the Mayor. He was.. actually rather oblivious to how the Morganberry's overall aura felt, though he took note of the lack of official greeting. Still, he wouldn't judge a man immediately off of that. He was likely busy with all of the preparation, and he was sure they wouldn't be kept long.

He ran a finger over the polished mahogany of his chair. Carpentry was something he'd never been able to do.. but goodness it was an impressive craft!

[Lucca]

After being sure the girl wasn't in pain, just terribly afraid (and who wouldn't be, after that?) McDuck nodded to her and tipped his hat before awkwardly following the servant who led them in. As soon as his webbed feet touched the richly carpeted floor and his ears caught the sounds of the busy servants, a wide smile spread of the Duck's bill. "Now THIS is more like it!" he said happily, planting his cane firmly on the floor and looking at the paintings with interest as they walked down the hall. Though he didn't recognize most of the men and women in them, it was clear what they were, and that they were painted by some quite amazing artists.

And apparently Mikael was to be the artist for this Mayor? How perfectly lovely, then! He had no idea. He made sure to talk to the Boggie about it a bit as they walked. When they came to the hall and the doors opened to reveal the Morganberry, Graeme turned. For a moment, he wore the same expression, and then his eyes flashed with recognition, and his smile twitched. "Why, the Honorable Judge Turpin! It has, indeed, been a long time," he said, expression and tone perfectly polite and formal. "Good day to you, then, sir." He blinked as the man walked off without even greeting the Queen of Spades properly. Whatever feelings Graeme may have towards the other man, he didn't let on about them, but he notably did not incline his head in a show of respect toward the Morganberry.

And as they entered the grand hall, the Duck was distracted by all the bustle and the new rows of fine paintings. He nodded to Mikael as he sat down, agreeing with him. This place was very nice, and quite cheerful after the lousy care at the Inn. He'd have to be sure to discreetly note to the Mayor not to use that Inn for his guests again, as it seemed to have undergone a drastic drop in recent quality and quantity of staff.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Sophie was shaking slightly when her Uncle approached her, speaking to her in a voice she'd never dreamed could come out of him. Her ears lowered, and she bit her lip, trying to keep back a sob. What was this feeling?! It was strange and unfamiliar, stronger than any guilt she'd felt before.

"A-a mask," she stuttered, finding the words to be even more difficult to speak when faced with a Mikael like this one. She shrank back, moving a little closer to the now-sprouting Lyr in the process and giving her a glance over one shoulder. "I found... a mask. I held it in my own paws, nothing happened, and I thought it would look so pretty on her... I just..." Her voice faded slightly, the girl choking on her own words. "...wanted to give her something nice..."

The stupidity of it was not lost on Sophie. She'd wanted to do something nice for the girl, and instead, she'd somehow grown a tree. Out of her back.

Stupid, stupid Sophie.

A quiet voice from behind her helped bring her out of her little bubble of self-loathing and she turned to face Lyr, eyes wide. She was okay? That was - that was good. Even if the rest of the situation sucked. She stepped towards the Canine, keeping close to her as they continued on. At least.... things were getting better, right? Though that man who was speaking to the Duck... Sophie didn't like him, not at all.