THE WARDEN AND NIGHTRIDER ARE HERE (D170)

[osteothropy]

[Sans is blue.]
[Lambert is dark red.]

[ Supervisor’s Channel ]

All right. [ Lambert’s voice is brisk and business-like, for once, though it still has that familiar edge of sarcasm to it. ]

Okay. [Sans is here, too.]

I’ll get to the point. You know the next stop’s not like our usual. [ To say the least. A beat, before he continues: ] Keep an eye on your people. Make sure they’re actually following the rules, not freaking out and getting us all into shit.

[ That feels like a tall order, though, under the circumstances. ]

That goes for you, too. Keep your head on straight. Any problems or troublemakers you can’t handle on your own, let me or Sans know. This isn’t a performance stop -- if anyone who works for you is assigned to patrol or the nightrunners, they answer to us first.

Speaking of ‘keeping your head on straight’... some of you might remember a certain stop we had a ways back where a few certain someones almost got the guillotine for failing to abide by a similar set up of stuffy royal standards. Let’s not have a repeat of that, cause from the sounds of it the RM might not be able to save you this time.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, this is your opportunity to remain blissfully ignorant.



[ Public Channel ]

[ Lambert’s voice is terse, and irritable: ]

Our next stop’s called Heartstone Manor. We’re going to go over some ground rules to make everyone's life, especially mine, a lot easier.

[Sans is also here.]

The RM has already covered a lot of this in her announcement, but it is officially our jobs to make sure that it sinks in. Dealt with True Fae before? Then you know this isn’t a joke. Yes, your fashion sense and table etiquette are now a matter of life and death. This is me, Sans, telling you to take this seriously. Hopefully that means something to you.

To summarize the gist of what was said, here are some basic RULES. The Nightrider and I will be watching. So, even if the Prince doesn’t catch you, we will.

[Sans recites “The Rules” like he’s just whipped out a pair of reading glasses and is quoting them from an official document:]

DO:

• Follow the daily schedule
• Follow dress code
• Be polite to The Prince and his servants
• Keep your radio on you

DON’T:

• Whine about everything
• Seed rebellion or talk about rules breaking on the network
• Make any deals or promises to other fae servants
• Lay any hard disses on The Prince, ever, under any circumstances
• Don’t sweat the small stuff: this is gunna grate on a lot of us, so just focus on the end goal… which is not dying

Don’t mess it up.

That, too.

Comments

[mylastchance]

[Fucking Rude!]

...Nana taught me.

[wild_magic]

[Well he was going to keep going but it's hard to make fun of Lauren when their parents come up. Instead he pauses a moment before continuing.]

I just think that maybe we need to know, in case it's different from home.

[mylastchance]

[Well, that did sound like a good idea.]

I hope we don't have to remember which forks to use...

[Or like, make small talk. That would be bad.]

[wild_magic]

That's what "table etiquette" is.

[mylastchance]

[He's fucked.]

It's fine as long as don't do something gross while we're eating, isn't it?

[wild_magic]

[Susan is definitely making a face right now, like he can't believe his brother, but of course no one except for said brother can even see it.]

No, you have to do all the right things! Like, use the right silverware, and put it in the right place when you're done with it, and not put your elbows on the table, and not eat with your hands or talk with your mouth full. [You know, terrible and boring things.]

off radio

[mylastchance]

[Don't make a face at him like that!]

Maybe I can just copy someone else.

[wild_magic]

Just, don't talk at meals, and do what I do. That's probably best... [He's better at picking up on all those unspoken social rules, so if Lauren can just do what he does... Hopefully that will be good enough.]

[mylastchance]

[He nods.]

It won't be rude if I don't talk?

[wild_magic]

[Honestly with Lauren, it could easily be ruder if he did talk; Susan is the one people get mad at most of the time, but his brother is the one who's really terrible at talking to people.]

It might actually be rude if you do talk? Like, if you're not talked to first... Although I guess you're not a kid any more.

[mylastchance]

What's that do to do with it?

[wild_magic]

[Wow, his brother really is hopeless, isn't he?]

Kids aren't supposed to really talk, most of the time. You're not a kid though, so... You probably still shouldn't talk much, but I don't know if you could if you wanted? [He's a little shaky on all the rules of being an adult, since unfortunately one of the problems with acting like you're fitting in is that kids are obviously treated differently.]

[mylastchance]

[Too bad they couldn't just like trade ages for this. It'd be easier to get away with stuff if he was a "supposed to stay quiet" kid.]

I don't want to.

[wild_magic]

I know you don't... I'm just, not sure if it's okay to totally not talk to people, if you're an adult. But as long as you're not rude when people talk to you first... You're probably okay.

[kingsroads]

I imagine that some aspects are different from your home. Likewise, I imagine that some of them are also different from my home. But the rules are apparently similar to the ones I know--and if I can help, then I'm going to.

[wild_magic]

Well, if it's close to what you know, then that's at least a start! I don't even know what London is.

...It sounds like this is a fancy thing though. With lots of rules. [Which just adds to his displeasure about this whole trip, honestly, and he was already not happy.]

[kingsroads]

The impression that I've gotten is that this is a fancy thing with lots of rules, such as your points about not putting elbows on the table or eating with your hands.

If all the rules worry you, then just think of it as a game. [ a life or death game, oh man this is gonna suck. ]

[wild_magic]

No... It's okay, I've gone to fancy things before. They just suck.

Does that mean we have to wear fancy clothes, too? D'you think I could just put my cloak over it and still look fancy?

[kingsroads]

Since there's a dress code, I suspect we will have to wear fancy clothes. But don't worry. I think Carly and I could find a way to make your cloak fit the occasion!

[ Susan wouldn't mind if they just quickly tacked some trim on the cloak, right? maybe? ]

[wild_magic]

That would be good... I don't like wearing fancy clothes, they're uncomfortable. My tunic's better.

[A pause as he thinks of something else.]

I probably have to brush my hair too, don't I? This sucks...

[kingsroads]

[ IT REALLY DOES SUCK, so Strange is pretty sympathetic. ]

At least this trip shouldn't last too long. We'll go back to our shaggy-headed ways before we know it.

[wild_magic]

Yeah, that's good.

[He's quiet a minute before continuing a little more hesitantly than usual.]

Are manners where you're from something where... Kids are supposed to be quiet, and stuff? [Because he's assuming that it is, and that's honestly the part that bothers him the most about formal things.]

[kingsroads]

[ Well then. That does explain some things. As someone who also enjoys talking, Strange just picks up on Susan's hesitancy pretty quick. ]

Normally? I'm afraid so. But though Heartstone's manners might be similar to London manners, they aren't the exact same.

More important than your age is the fact that you're a guest. The Prince might not pay any attention to us, but some of the servants might have questions for the Ringmaster's new guests. After all, we come from all sorts of different worlds and have seen all sorts of miraculous things. People would naturally be curious as to what we've done.

And don't worry: some households have servants around your age. The Prince might have a few, and I'm certain you'd rather talk with them than a bunch of stuffy grown-ups anyway.

[wild_magic]

That's... A little better, than just everyone talking over you and stuff. [Which is what he was expecting; even as an adventurer, he was used to people trying to talk to the others in the party instead of him, most of the time, even when he was the one who knew what he was doing. It was actually really frustrating.]

I think adults are more interesting to talk to, though, most of the time. Unless they treat me like a kid.

[kingsroads]

[ uh yeah, about that whole talking over thing.... ]

I'm afraid there might be points where we are talked over. I suspect we would be at the bottom of the social class here. Don't be offended if you're with a supervisor and someone addressed the supervisor but ignores you.