Trying to be Ordinary [Xenon] [Ez's Queen Quest]

[Kari Muffin]

The sparrow wasn't happy. He wanted to curl up in a ball and cry over his family falling apart. However, he didn't really have time for that sort of thing. Life wanted to move on, so he had to oblige, and he had to help his own Court. He could only focus on his family nightmare for so long before he had to handle other things.

Hopefully he wasn't too early. What time was it anyway? He hadn't bothered to properly check before telling the girls that he needed to head off and do something important. Hopefully they were behaving for the babysitter.

He readjusted his corset as he stared at the office door. He had scheduled a formal appointment, considering he couldn't exactly hide his rank at this point. Things needed to be handled, and he couldn't put it off for much longer. He lightly knocked on the door, "Your Majesty?"

[carcinoGeneticist]

Sadie was still reeling.

How could she not be? She had woken in a rather compromising position with a woman she did not recognize. That on its own was only slightly alarming - the smell of rot and blood was much worse. Soon after coming back to her own mind, she had been forced to deal with the death of a great majority of the Kings in her Court as well as one of her Queens. That alone had been rather upsetting.

But that was far from the end of it.

What had happened at her own Court, beneath her Suits-be-damned nose, was only a small fraction of the madness that had gripped the land. She was aware, now, that she had been poisoned and made to sleep throughout it. But that was no comfort to the woman. Things needed to happen. There had been a war that had completely wiped out an entire region, and some kind of magical poisoning that had destroyed the Selkies genetically. It was a small miracle that her King was still alive. More than that, the woman responsible was rumored to still be on the run. Sadie didn't know what just yet, but her mind was hard at work.

It did not come as a surprise to her, really, when Ezekiel had requested a meeting. Sure, the Sparrow was dealing with a terrible situation. She had half expected him to be coming here to hand in his resignation, and had that been the case, she would not have blamed him one bit. But that was clearly not the man's intent. There was an empty position in the Court in need of filling.

Ez wasn't the sort to just sit aside and do nothing. That was why she liked him, after all.

The knock at her door was such a familiar sound, almost soothing in the aftermath of the chaos she had been dealing with, and Sadie forced her expression into something more... Court-appropriate. Though she would look calm when he stepped in, there were dark circles ringing her eyes. "Your Highness,[/b]" she responded, gesturing to a chair for him to sit in. "How are you holding up?[/b]"

There was no trace of the ability that normally laced her words when she spoke. Instead, there was only genuine concern there.

[Kari Muffin]

He gave the woman a small bow as he entered. Her voice didn't sound like it normally did--and it actually caught him off guard. "Ha well..." he said as the door clicked shut and he turned to face the woman. "I'm doing as well as I can possibly manage. The children are trying as hard as they can to be helpful on top of everything. And..."

He pulled his corset down slightly to properly expose his rank. "I've come to speak to you about a proper change, your Majesty. I seem to have gone up in rank and my old title doesn't exactly fit." The sparrow smiled sheepishly as he took a seat. Hopefully the Queen wouldn't be too upset, she did have a lot on her plate to begin with.

Maybe his little quest would help with the chaos? A small drop in the pond really considering his entire realm was almost gone. Zane was gone. Ceren was gone. A good chunk of people he had known in his childhood were up and gone. Biting back the horrible thoughts he focused on the task at hand. "Hopefully I can help the Courts, Your Majesty."

[carcinoGeneticist]

The children. That was a disaster all on its own, Sadie was well aware. Two of his brother's were now orphans, and then there was the matter of the one that had been born as a result of... something that had happened. She knew only that a man named Yarrast had been partially responsible for some of this, and that piece of news had come directly from the mouth of the child who had killed Ceren with her - its - birth. Sadie had heard that the child and Ceren's surviving girl, Kaiesha, were both doing their best to help out, but...

It was a sticky situation.

"I'm glad to hear it. If there's anything I can do to make things easier, please let me know. The Court is in need of your time, and I'm sure I could pull some strings and find you a full-time caretaker, if you think it would help.[/b]" They weren't the Hearts, and as such, they were not nearly as well prepared for the sudden appearance of a hoard of children suddenly flooding the halls. It wouldn't take much to at least help alleviate the strain of it all, however, if Ez needed it.

Her eyes fell to the marking on his breast, and she was unable to fully contain her surprise. She was expecting that he would want to change his rank, it was true. But to see that it had already happened was slightly different.

"Well then. I suppose congratulations are in order.[/b]" She sat a little straighter in her chair, extending a hand for him to shake. "And I'm sure that you'll be able to help much more than the Courts in this.[/b]"

She opened one of the drawers of her desk, rummaging within and finally producing a stack of papers. At the top was what appeared to be a personal letter, the ink of the writing smeared in places as if written hurriedly. "This is a plea that has come to me from a Benyan woman by the name of Jordan Pike. She claims that she has been mistaken by many people as the woman who was responsible for the poisoning of the Lakes.[/b]" Sadie paused, glancing up at Ez to better gauge his reaction to this. "She is adamant that she is an innocent in what has happened. I am not sure if I believe her, as my ability does not work for writing, but I would very much like to talk to her and see if she is telling the truth. If she is, it will be important that she not be forced to take the blame in something of such... severity. I will be relying on your own assessment of her as an idea of what I should potentially be expecting.[/b]"

Genocide. Even the thought of the word felt heavy in her mind. It was hard to believe that it had happened twice in so short a time, but... Being stunned by it was a waste of time. "I understand that this issue is one that hits close to home for you, Ez. But I have faith in you. I know you can do this. To tell you the truth, I want to hear that this woman is innocent, but if she is not...[/b]" She hesitated a moment, then sighed. "If she is not, I would feel safer with her in my custody than out in the world. Steps will need to be taken. I trust that my meaning is clear?[/b]"

[Kari Muffin]

Help with the children? Perhaps a nanny would be a good idea. It was better than children helping children, but he wasn't particularly fond of the idea. He should be part of their lives, his brother would have thrown a fit at the situation. "I might take you up on that offer, your Majesty."

He did his best to try and smile. At least she had taken the news of his rank change well, he gave her a firm shake before returning to the comfort of his seat.

He listened intently to what the Queen had to say. A flicker of surprise on his face when she started talking about a Benyan woman. The one who was supposedly responsible for the death of his entire realm. He visibly tensed at the thought.

And apparently the woman was claiming to be innocent. Of course if she had been guilty she probably would have been parading around in her own region to the people who approved of this horrible slaughter. Then again, he wasn't an expert when it came to matters like this.

So... he was to collect this accused woman and return her to the Courts. "Very well, Your Majesty. You make yourself as clear as crystal. I assume that I will have a chance to read this letter before meeting Miss Jordan so I know what to expect? I wouldn't want to walk into this unprepared, considering the circumstances."

[carcinoGeneticist]

Sadie had known, walking into this, that it wasn't going to be easy. In fact, some might have thought it was downright cruel for her to ask one of the remaining Lakelanders to confront someone who had been accused of slaying his entire home realm. But she was adamant about her innocence in the matter, and that was what really interested the Queen. Beyond that, she needed to know that Ez could handle a situation like this with the utmost care and diplomacy. She had her own doubts about the Benyan woman's guilt, but that could not be proven either way until after this had been settled.

She gave the Sparrow a small nod, and handed him the letter. In a hurried scrawl, it read:

Your Majesty Sadie,

I'm not one of your Suit, and I'm not any kind of nobility or anyone of any real importance but I am begging you for your help. I know the woman who killed the Lakes. I met her, and I thought I was looking into a mirror when I did, but I am not her. She died. She was killed by her own sick experiments, and I was left behind and someone who'd seen her before pointed the finger of blame on me. Your Majesty, I can't live like this, terrified all of the time. I didn't do this. I would never do this. I know that Diamonds have strong skills when it comes to telling if lies are lies and truth is truth, and that's why I'm writing to you instead of any of the other Queens.

I'm desperate. I need help. My own gran was taken by this horrible curse, rest her sweet soul. If I'd had the slightest idea of what that Suvius had been planning, I'd have taken her out myself. I swear it. Please, help me. There were others who were there with me when she confessed her crimes, and they can speak to my innocence. One of them is the daughter of the Queen of Spades, even!

Thank you all for your time, especially considering the circumstances.

Sincerely,

Jordan Pike[/b]

It wasn't a very well put together letter, but the emotions in it came through, especially considering the smears which must have occurred because of tears. Sadie watched Ez's expression closely as he read it, waiting until he had finished to provide additional information. "From what we know, Miss Jordan is a Benyan Pine Marten who is currently staying at a hotel in the Capital. Here is the address. We will arrange for your living accommodations while you are there, so you don't need to worry about that.[/b]" Her eyes searched his face for a moment, and then she sighed. "And I know I don't need to tell you this, but... I will anyway, for my own sanity. Be careful, Ez. If she is lying, she could be fairly dangerous. I trust that you will be able to defend yourself but don't be caught by surprise."

[Kari Muffin]

The sparrow quietly accepted the letter and read it over with the most neutral expression he could muster. The woman claimed she was innocent, but with what happened who knew if she was telling the truth? It could easily be a trap or some form of regret. Then again not many people regretted committing genocide against people they hated.

He didn't like any of it. His expression was mostly blank, though the line about Jordan's grandmother made his brow wrinkle.

"I can defend myself if things go wrong, Your Majesty. Though I hope that isn't the case. I will speak to Ms. Pike and bring her back to the Court of Diamonds. However, I would like to make my own accommodations while in the City. You'll have to excuse my paranoia but I would like to stay in a place that I absolutely know is safe, it would be better than staying at a hotel where staff members could easily be bribed."

The sparrow shifted slightly in his seat. "Is there anything else you would like to discuss, your Majesty? I would like to make preparations as soon as possible."

[carcinoGeneticist]

There was no lie in his words, which helped relax Sadie. If he genuinely felt that he could defend himself, that was more than good enough for her. The whole situation was simply awful, there was no getting around that.

"That is perfectly reasonable. Even so, you will be financed in full upon your return. After all, this is court business. As long as you have no additional questions, you are free to leave as soon as you feel you are ready. I don't imagine that Ms. Pike will have strayed far from her room - our preliminary reports indicate that she hasn't left the room in days." Which, to Sadie, didn't say much in favor of innocence or guilt. Just another part of the mystery which, hopefully, would become less clouded in the days to follow.

Sadie lightly drummed her fingers against her desk, letting out a quiet sigh and then glancing back at Ez. "...If you'd like to take a day or two to visit with your family... Feel free to do so." She knew that the Sparrow had a sister living in the city, at the very least. "The court would be happy to cover any expenses resulting from that as well, if you would like to use this opportunity."

[Kari Muffin]

"Thank you so much, your Majesty," Ez said with a smile, though it was a honestly weak one. "I might consider seeing my sister. I'm sure she's fairly worried about me."

Considering he was slightly worried for his future, and really he could still drop dead from the magical disease since no one really knew how to stop it. Or that much about it period. The sparrow brushed the thought off, thinking about it wouldn't make it better.

"I will start packing immediately, your Majesty. Good luck with the work you have ahead of you," he said as he offered her a hand to shake before departing. Hopefully things went smoothly for the Courts when he was gone, and when he came back he could help with more of the administrative duties.

It didn't take him long to pack, and he packed light. After making sure the girls were properly taken care of and no one was drowning or stuck in a tree he caught a carriage and headed to the city. He would stop by Mori's first for a brief visit just to let her know he was all right, and then he would go and speak with the young lady briefly before he made and definite plans. Achieving goals in the least painful way possible sounded like a fine plan.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Jordan Pike was so far beyond misery, it was almost pitiable.

She spent her days following the events of that fateful night locked in her room, stuck in an emotional state somewhere beyond anger at being made into a scapegoat, grief from the losses they had -all- experienced, and a deep depression that seemed to swallow her whole. She could have done something to stop the madwoman. She should have. But - as always - she had assumed the best, assumed that this was nothing more than a harmless prank. Now her gran was dead, along with so many others.

In some ways, she accepted the blame. But she wasn't going to be martyred for a crime she didn't commit, oh no. That was why she had written the Diamond Queen, begging audience and a chance to clear her name. When the reply had come back, it did nothing to assuage her fears. A public trial.

Oh, Max be good and protect her, for a public trial would surely see her dead - not from justice, no, but from those who had their own ideas what justice was.

So now she was stuck in a new sort of limbo, waiting for someone to come and gather her up to spirit her away to lands unknown. She closed her eyes, forced herself to take a deep breath. Soon, this would be over. One way or another. She waited for the Queen in a common room of the hotel, where a continental breakfast was served in the mornings and tea all day, staring at a rapidly-cooling mug of rosehip tea and wringing her paws. Judgment. She faced judgment.