supervisor channel; backdated to s2:d1

[atouts]

[ So after this, promptly followed by a visit to the Ringmaster, Childermass will be turning his radio back on and, unshockingly, delivering a vague and potentially unsettling request. ]

This is Childermass. [ Like anyone doesn't recognize an English accent that's been gargling gravel by now. ] I would like all of us to keep an eye out for Summer Court activity in our upcoming stops. The letter I received from the Summerlands makes me think they might make a play for the Blue Rose.

Comments

[whattaprick]

[ Great. Fucking terrific. Absolutely the best start to his day. ]

Any chance of being a little more specific than that?

[atouts]

It was from the Starlight, so it was more poetic than it was informational.

[whattaprick]

Look who's talking. You're not exactly informational yourself.

[ But it's obviously a fae name. And Alyss had said they came from the Summerlands. Assuming Childermass would be keen on dealing with multiple fae after the mess of Portland is a stretch, so -- ]

Is that who you made a deal with? To hide Strange and Steven from the Summer Court?

[ Yeah, yeah, it's not a private channel, whatever. ]

[atouts]

[ Well, it's not like he can deny that. He keeps things to himself, it's true, but that doesn't mean he won't roll his eyes off-screen. ]

Yes, her. [ He could point out that the spell wasn't for the entire Court, too, but he won't. Not a private channel, after all, but it's also not that delicate of information unless any of the supervisors are planning to betray them. ] The Ringmaster didn't seem to want to take what she wrote all that seriously.

[whattaprick]

You know better by now.

What did the Starlight say, exactly?

[periphrasing]

I'm sorry, he did WHAT?

[atouts]

[ Oh god, he doesn't need to explain this on top of everything else. Worse, if he tells her to go talk to Steven about it, she'll probably tell him about this as well.

Thanks, Lambert. ]

[whattaprick]

I'll let him explain it.

[ Also, he never got a real explanation himself and it hadn't seemed the most pressing thing at the time, so he can admit he's curious himself. Though Childermass is like to kick him for derailing this so badly off topic from what he meant to say in the first place. ]

[periphrasing]

[Peridot sounds extremely agitated when she responds:]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the whole point of getting our hands on that stupid thing to PROTECT US from the likes of the Summer Court!?

[atouts]

That would be the plan and while it's a sound one, I do not doubt it will be tested.

[periphrasing]

[So the weapon they got to protect themselves might also be the same thing that winds up drawing the Rose Queen's forces towards them. Fantastic. Logically, Peridot knows their situation would be even worse without the blue rose, but she's still extremely displeased about the irony.

She takes a deep breath. That's... all she really has to say about that. Just a deep, uncomfortable inhale. Pretty much sums up her feelings on the whole situation.]

And what was Lambert talking about just now? You made some sort of deal? For Steven?

[atouts]

[ Childermass sighs, audibly, but he supposes answering can't be helped now. ]

I needed to ensure that the Summer Court fae we met in Portland could not easily track Mr. Strange. Including Steven in that deal only made sense, that's all.

[periphrasing]

[There's just a pause, and then she just sounds exasperated:]

You know... As one of Steven's best friends, and a friend of Mister Strange, knowing that they had some sort of extra layer of protection against enemy fae would have done a WHOLE LOT for my stress levels over the last few weeks! So do you mind elaborating on what that entails, exactly?

[fortuneglass]

Summer Court activity..?

[There is. A Pause.] Ahhhhh....maybe I should have asked Moss about those things while I could have...

[Instead she just blushed and gushed over coffee!! Curses!!]

Do we know of anyone specifically that might be after it or is it just...any Court Fae other than the ones we know are 'nice' though...

[atouts]

My first thought are the fae from Portland but the warning was fairly vague. This is mostly just my best guess, I admit.

[insidescoop]

Portland is where the ones already after us are from after all, so....that makes sense.... [Those ones are kinda already hot on their tail, after all.]

W-well! Eyes open and ears wide, in that case..!! If we're thinking about Portland though, I guess we need to look for 'extra roses' then, right?

[...........................]

..........I didn't really run into a lot of fae while we were there, but there was also another plant-one wasn't there..? Oh!!

And fire-! 'Ignatius' right? [That guy was kinda loud and very on fire and um. There. He was very There, so it's hard to forget him.]

[atouts]

Plants you don't normally see around the carnival grounds. [ Including roses, but you know. ] As for the fae of Portland, there were three Summer Court fae. The second plant-based one worked for the first. The third was definitely on fire.

[osteothropy]

[Sans has been listening in enough to have heard some of the previous elaboration - including Lambert running at the mouth. It's a curiosity, that's for sure.]

Noted. What level of disclosure you want me to take with this information? This is the kind of thing I'd like to share with the security team.

[atouts]

[ No, Sans, just ignore Lambert. It's what Childermass is planning to do. ]

I think that should be up to your own discretion, Sans, but do ask them to keep an eye out for suspicious plantlife. I admit my knowledge of Summer Court fae beyond the Summerlands and Portland is lacking, but that one seemed like their most obvious calling card.

[osteothropy]

I think that's pretty much everybody, man. There hasn't been anywhere else we could learn about them. Can you believe that in all three years I've been here, Portland is the only place I even knew they were a big deal?

I got bone-napped by that Nightshade character, so at least I've already got a feel for her brand of magic. The real question is if we'd be dealing with the same fae as before.

[atouts]

It's a good question. I believe the letter implies that we may, though whether or not Nightshade will be a part of that is anyone's guess. The last I checked, she was having a bad time wherever she went after Portland.

[scientificist]

I have no idea what is going on. Is any of this relevant to my position?

[atouts]

Perhaps less so. You aren't in a position to recognize an enemy we encountered before your time but we made several of the Summer faerie court at one of our stops, before your time, and seeing how we just took one of their long lost relics from where it's been hidden for God knows how long...

[ Well, there might be trouble brewing. Who knows for sure? ]

In any case, unless someone with plants for brains staggers into the medical tent, all I can really ask if for you to watch for unusual behavior. [ Yes, there's a pause, then, ] More unusual than usual.

[scientificist]

Once I determine what "usual" means I'll be sure to do that. How do I tell the difference between a member of that, Court or a species like Syrlya?

[atouts]

It's simple enough. They should look more put together than a changeling and will likely start monologuing at you. Chances of you being referred to as a pathetic mortal are high.

[ Is he being serious? It's hard to tell. His tone of voice rarely ever changes from bored deadpan. ]