[Fin] Let's Dance [Jenn]

[Kari Muffin]

Ichigo was surprised. He would have assumed that she was from a family of pure Highlanders. She carried herself like it, and she did have a Highlander surname. But the fact that she had originally come from Tulgey was amazing and fantastic.

He had heard plenty of rumors about the Wood, but could it have been that bad if someone like her had come from it? He wasn't about to run out and test the theory, of course, but he would keep it in mind if he ever met anyone from the Wood.

"That's amazing," Ichigo said, his tone actually supporting his statement. "I've never met anyone who has been in the Woods, let alone someone who has actually lived there. It must have put an interesting perspective on the Highlands."

A dark and creepy wood to the wide rolling hills of the Highlands must have been culture shock. Kind of like going from a small mid-range town to the city. "Though... I'm sure you get that quite a lot." The mouse said as he realized that it might be a rather boring topic for the Highlander.

[The Jenn]

"Interesting perspective. Oh yes. That's certainly one way to put it," Thyme agreed dryly, a grin creeping onto her muzzle. "Certainly a cultural quirk. The, ah. The neighbors are a bit different. You really don't want to live in the Wood if you aren't wearing the realm. Trust me. Even if your mother's a Tulgey Queen, they give you... looks. When I went back, that was the real kicker. For... many reasons. But the neighbors look at you very differently. Please don't ever visit unescorted. Don't visit at all, if you can help it. The place is ridiculously dangerous."

If she could count on her birth realm for nothing else, it was a great conversation piece. It really was. "People always have questions if they find out," she agreed with a small shrug and a flick of her tail. Only a light one - no need to aggravate her fronds. "Far too 'mysterious' a realm not to garner interest, and all of that. The only mystery is why people would want to continue to live there with other options available to them."

[Kari Muffin]

It was a good thing that he had no intention of going to the Wood. His gray coat would hardly fit in with the pure white. And if they had a problem with a Highlander they would have a problem with him. "I'll keep that in mind. Though I have no intention of traveling to the Woods. I've heard plenty of rumors about the place and I would have to research every single one before stepping a single step in the place."

He gave her a rather bright smile. "I'm glad you decided to leave. The world is a better place with someone as skilled and intelligent as you around. It makes me wonder what other people could be hiding there." The mouse had only seen the Tulgey Queen of Spades who resided in the court once or twice. Most of the time he avoided the higher ups anyway. Since his incident with THE Queen he felt like hiding from any noble.

"Have you ever been to the Mid-Range?"

[The Jenn]

That... wha...? Was he flirting with her?

Thyme had to take a step back from the conversation in her head, doing so over the course of a few seconds and wondering. That wasn't necessarily the kind of thing that you would just come out and say to someone unless you were... looking for something. Or 'interested'.

Was it?

Rose would have been laughing at her right about then. She just knew it. With a very faint flush, she put it out of her head until she had more evidence one way or another. No sense in being stupid. He could very well just be leading up to asking for a favor or something. This was the Court. These things happened. Just not usually with someone she had an actual conversation with.

"No, actually, I haven't," she returned with a small shake of her head. "I've read several texts from the realm, but never actually visited in that area. Do you miss it?"

[Kari Muffin]

Yes. Ichigo was flirting. He wanted to test the waters to see how far he could get without feeling like an idiot. He was only a ten of Spades and she was a titled King of the Courts, but it was worth a shot. And from her reaction he should probably tread a bit lighter.

Rosemary would have been laughing hysterically.

Considering the realm was so close to the Court of Clubs Ichigo was mildly surprised by the response. He supposed that she didn't have time to go there with all the courtly matters to attend to. "Yes, I do miss it. I think I might have to make a detour on my trip to the Court of Spades if I have time." He smiled, "I find that writing doesn't seem to do it justice. Though the altitude tends to make new comers a bit uncomfortable for a little while."

Weren't they supposed to have tea? "You should at least visit once for the view. The scenery is quite breathtaking."

[The Jenn]

"The highest altitude I've ever visited was one of the deeper Highland foothills, so I'm sure that I would be light-headed for a good bit," Thyme agreed thoughtfully. She'd never actually considered that aspect of visiting the mountains. It would probably be the same for Sorgaire or Solandria, wouldn't it? She should really take the time to venture north someday. It would likely be worth the visit.

There was a knock at the door a moment later as a servant bowed herself in, delivering a tea tray full of small goodies and a warm pot. She expertly maneuvered the heavy thing in her quadrupedal form, the paws of a rat making the task far less difficult. With a few murmured phrases of polite custom, she withdrew and left them with their goodies.

The King poured the tea herself, preferring to do so. Then she raised it to her lips and took the smallest sip. Still quite hot.

"I've only visited Spades briefly. I should make more of an effort - my brother is a noble there now. I'd imagine the Mid-Range would be quite an easy detour to make from the main road, though. Do they take well to visitors from outside the realm? I've heard, begging your pardon, that Mid-Rangers value their privacy and hold to a very insular society. Nothing quite so drastic as the Tulgey, and I'm sure I could manage just fine, but what is the general attitude towards 'tourists'?"

[Kari Muffin]

Ichigo was thankful when the tea arrived. Even if it wasn't drinkable right away, the smell was enough for him to feel the slightest bit more comfortable. He still felt a bit of tension. She was a noble and he was "just a Ten."

Oh so she had a brother in the Court of Spades? The mouse's ears perked. Who in the Suits could she be related to? He couldn't think of anyone who was a Highlander from Tulgey. He had heard a rumor that there was a squirrel who had come from Tulgey, but he was a pure Corvie. Could she be related to him?

He brushed the thought aside.

"Most Mid-Rangers are private, yes." He gave a small shrug, "Though most Mid-Rangers treat everyone with respect. The village where I come from is more friendly than most. We tend to take in stray travelers since there aren't many hotels on our little hillside. If you do decided to go it would probably be a good idea to take an experienced traveler with you so you know the best places to spend the nights."

Or she could take him, but that wasn't an offer he was willing to say out loud. Hopefully it was implied to a degree. "Icouldgive you a list of towns that would be good stopping places. Proper Mid-Range food is only made in the Mid-Range and you would have to try some."

[The Jenn]

"I have heard a great deal about 'true' Mid-Range cuisine, actually," Thyme agreed, followed by a nibble of honey biscuit. "The purest mountain lakes with a good variety of fish, isn't it? One of the servants absolutely swears by your raw fish, but I've never had occasion yet to try the stuff. I'd imagine it would have to be very fresh."

Oh, and she caught that subtle undertone, yes. It took a good deal of her Highland bearing to refrain from gawking a little as her mind scrambled to evaluate how serious he might have been. She knew layers of meaning in conversation well enough thanks to a combination of her aunt and the Court, and... well. Hmm.

"My last vacation was surprisingly stressful and distressing," she maneuvered carefully, trying to ignore the slight tightness in her chest as she said the words. "And also cut short by roughly two weeks. I should like to enjoy something a little less awful sometime soon, work permitting. The King is in poor health and this puts a bit more strain on the rest of us. My experiences in the Tulgey have given me reason to always travel with a guide, however, excepting the Capital."

[Kari Muffin]

"Oh? You have?" Ichigo looked terribly surprised. Most people brushed the Mid-Rangers off as boring. Which was... true a good deal of the time. Following the rules and remaining honorable were the top priorities, so he could understand why his realm was brushed off so often. "Yes! We have an amazing variety of fish to go along with the scenery. In my village we have a chief who has specialized in Sushi for a good fifty years. That's probably why we do tend to get the tourists when they manage to show up."

Ichigo was cheerful. This was actually a nice little candid chat, and he wasn't feeling like a complete and utter moron. He took a small sip his tea as the Highlander spoke.

"I'm sorry to hear that...." he said with a bow of his head. A short vacation and returning to trouble in the place were miserable things. His ears sagged slightly at the thought of returning to his job at the Court of Spades. A palace guard with a bum leg. Surely they were going to throw him out soon. "It's good to hear that their are still people who are cautious though. Is... Tulgey really that horrible?"

[The Jenn]

Thyme thought about all the ways she could answer his question. He had asked it sincerely, and almost hesitantly, as if he didn't want to bring anything horrible to the surface. Good of him. But he still wanted to know. After a moment had passed in silence...

"Yes," she answered bluntly, and then sipped at her tea. Another moment brought a grimace. "You know, it really is. I never want to go back there. Never. If you're not a Tulgey, the general populace either distrusts or downright dislikes you. Even if you are a Tulgey, if you're not important to them then you really don't matter much. People are hermits, and the ones who aren't have all left. The forest creatures are vicious, the Jubjubs are plentiful and I honestly think they grow larger in the deeper Wood. You get people coming in to hunt out Tulgies, and Tulgies going around killing Outsiders, and it's all one giant horror story in the making. If I were you, I would never visit. I don't think anyone should ever visit. Leave the reclusive assholes to stew in their own inbred backwater. They're of no concern to the outside world and they like it that way."

Her words were alternately flat, passionate, and brooding. After this last visit, finding her father dead as a random act of violence against Outsiders and her mother disappeared - probably kidnapped and tortured, no matter her rank - she just... if pressed? She would say that she hated the place. Hated it, and anyone who chose to stay there. Family excluded.