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Aster invites the Knight Commander Luthien to discuss what's going on with her visions. Luthien is fairly straight with her, knowing much about the Beast and the Key, but missing several crucial details. It is also revealed Luthien really does not want to do what he must do, but feels the world's safety comes before his legacy.

8/15/2016 5:00 PM
Maison de Vernais San Francisco



Maison de Vernais - First Floor[]

The lights are on, illuminating the area.

Upon entering the foyer of Maison de Vernais, one may be struck by its grandeur. Parquet hard wood floors are polished to an almost mirror finish, so dark as to be nearly black, while the ceiling is vaulted, a skylight dominating the space. The dark wood continues up the walls to just above waist height with ornately trimmed wainscoting panels. Period accurate pieces furnish the room, including several low, overstuffed benches and side tables bearing ornate lamps. On either side of the room, doors are partially open, leading to the Study and the Dining Room.

The Foyer gives way to two grand staircases sweeping down from the second floor, which frame a medallion design of a white swan in profile, wings extended. The medallion is all in different tones of wood, expertly laid and sealed. To the left of the staircase, double doors lead to the Ballroom, while behind and to the right of the stairs, a single door leads to the kitchens and the servants' stairs.

Outside, it's fair and very warm with a few clouds in the sky.



Having called ahead, rather graciously, at the appointed time, there's a knock on the door. Luthien is always eager to get more information on what he seeks, and if it can be found among the Fae...well, he's just gotta be careful about what he accepts, really. Though if it leads him straight to the Key he might even be willing to take a favor, dangerous as they are.



It takes a few moments, but the young Roma girl from the Faire comes to the door herself. She's dressed more simply, her long curls bound back in a high ponytail, and a lovely dress with modest black leggings. Just a normal, average girl, for all appearances. She smiles, perhaps a bit more shyly than at the Faire. "Enter freely, and unafraid. No harm will come to you within my domain." It's a simple statement, but one she means, fully.



Luthien's Buzz reminds him what he's dealing with, but he accepts the offer graciously enough. "It is kind of you to invite me to your home, particularly to discuss such matters of great importance. How do you fare this day?" Even out of the Faire, his English is ever so slightly...archaic.



The girl shrugs ever so slightly. Her aunt would have a fit if she'd seen the gesture, because Ladies Do Not Shrug. But her aunt hasn't been around in over a year now, has she? Aster leads the way toward the Study, where a silver tea service is already sitting, with two settings. "Unfortunately, all I can see is the vision I had when I saw your armor, last night, in every reflective surface." She gestures toward the seats, then slips into her own, smoothing her skirts as she does. "Please, join me for tea..." A pause, while she pours the tea, her movements naturally graceful and uncalculated. "I know you're not just a Renfaire. I don't know the details, and I don't know what exactly you /are/... But my visions show me that you're hunting for something, and if it isn't found the world as we know it may end."



Luthien nods once. "Quite perceptive. Yes, we're hunting for something called a Key. It can be used by the Beast which must not be named to destroy the world. The Beast is already active...we're here because we saw the insanity cases in Beacon Hills, and we know very well what that means. The Key must be nearby, somewhere."



"What is this Key?" Aster asks, after listening intently to Luthien. "And what causes these cases of insanity?" She tilts her head slightly to look at the man, before picking up her cup and taking a small sip. It's the perfect temperature, and smells like a home blend. Either Aster is very much a homebody, or, more likely, there are other Fae that live with her that are far more domestic than the girl. "I saw... energy. It was almost beautiful... but destructive."



"The Key is the energy you saw. Beautiful and destructive, a good phrase. Keys open doors, but the one holding the Key determines which door is opened. In this case, however, this Key will not open any doors to anywhere good. It would be far safer for the world if it did not exist at all." Luthien continues to contemplate his mission. "The insanity is caused by the Beast's feeding. Every time it feeds, another victim is left in its wake."



The girl nods, seemingly wise beyond her apparent years... Though something in the way she dresses, in the way she interacts, seems to tell of genuine youth, rather than just the appearance of it. "Is... there anything that can be done for the victims, beyond making sure there are no more?" Most Fae wouldn't bother to worry about humans, but Aster definitely isn't most Fae.



Luthien frowns. "Yes and no. Sufficiently powerful magic could rip the food out of the Beast...but I know none capable of casting such magic. It would undoubtedly weaken the Beast if it could be done."



The girl smiles once more, a hint of confidence in it. "I'd need to do research, but... if I wasn't powerful enough, alone, I know where to find back up... And what one cannot accomplish alone, a coven of witches being lent Fae magics might." Well isn't she a helpful little thing. Another sip of tea, and she sets down her cup and looks up at Luthien. "How can the Key be destroyed... wouldn't such energies just... backlash and kill the person doing so?"



Luthien is resolute. "I am difficult to kill. But even if the energies manage to slay me anyway, it is a sacrifice I am willing to make. I have been meaning to do this thing for a long time. I will not waver in the completion of my task, even if it does in fact mean my life." The idea of a coven backed up by Fae, "Such an alliance might well work."



"Such things have in the past..." Aster murmurs, looking down at the tea in the cup, then wincing and looking up and away quickly, to meet Luthien's gaze. Sometimes, seeing the future isn't fun. Especially when it's the same thing, again and again. "Beacon Hills... it has its own protectors, doesn't it?"



Luthien now takes on a most grim aspect. "There is having protectors, and then there's having protectors up to the task. Many heroes have fallen before the Beast...that is why it is still there and they are not."



The Fae looks down into her tea once more, one slim finger dipping into it, swirling the water. "And you are up to the task, Sir Luthien?" She looks up from beneath her lashes, one eyebrow raising ever so slightly.



Luthien bows his head. "No. Not alone. That is why I seek the Key. I cannot slay the Beast in single combat, much as I would love to duel the fiend. But if I can destroy the Key...a relatively easier target by far, the damage the Beast can do will be forever limited in scope."



"If the Key is energy, what form is it currently in? I am not the most powerful when it comes to scrying, but if I know its form, its location should be easier to find..." Aster leans across the table to briefly place her hand over Luthien's, smiling. "You can achieve this."



"This...is why destroying the Key is easier, yet harder. The key was put in human form, and so can be slain like any human thing. However, it was also sent by those idiot monks to great heroes to protect it. We think the heroes have been mind controlled into believing this person to be someone they know." Luthien doesn't seem eager to engage other heroes. In fact, this seems to be the worst part of his job.



"... I see." She doesn't withdraw her hand immediately, because doing so would seem like an instant rejection of the idea... A moment passes, and then she looks into her tea again, and winces, bringing a hand to her head. "Well... The identity is well protected magically, I think... Or I'm just not meant to know through my powers. Is there a ritual to undo The Key's humanity, or... is it stuck in a mortal form?"



"We are fairly certain it's stuck that way, and will remain so till slain. I'm...going to have to spill blood to save the world. I'm not looking forward to it. It was all much more simple, ethically, when it was just a glowing energy ball. But now it is human, and loved. People will surely mourn its passing now. The monks are quite thorough, even if it is just mind control and false memories, the grief will be very real...the anger and loss, all of it." Luthien really seems unhappy about this, but there's no better path.



"Could it not just be put somewhere The Beast couldn't reach it? Hide the Key within the Nevernever? It might destabilize politics there as factions fight for control of it, but... no blood need be shed?" Aster's trying to find a way around it... but... sometimes the only way is to spill blood, and she knows that.



Luthien shakes his head, "I cannot imagine destablizing the realms you come from is healthy for them. There is a delicate balance, and the Key in human form would be too easily manipulated by those in charge. No. Far better it be...dealt with, however unfortunate that's going to be for certain people."



"I'm protecting the realm I come from by offering up that suggestion, Sir. I was raised among mortals, among Faire folk, actually. Assuming not everyone in your troop is aligned with your cause, my parents and sister may have been at the Faire last night." Aster smiles, a bit sadly. "The Nevernever has never been my home... I've actually only been once."



Luthien says, "Unlikely, in this case. I would've noticed Fae among my Order. Our Order of Knights is very old, goes back over a millenia. For all that time, our purpose has been to destroy the Beast, or failing that, the Key. The Failing That part is why we must do something that...is so unpalatable. It is a great tragedy that we must die heroes, or live long enough to see ourselves become the villain. It is that second fate that yawns before me now, and I wish it would not. None will thank me for what I must do. And yet I must do it anyway."



The girl's smile turns wicked, briefly. "You assume my family is Fae, Sir Knight. My father is as human as any man. My mother, though... Now she is a force to be reckoned with. My father married shortly after their tryst, and nine months later, there I was on the doorstep of their vardo, a squalling, hideous little baby." She laughs, but swiftly falls serious again. "I... will thank you. And I will help you, if I can. If it requires spilling the blood of one innocent to save the lives of countless others... I would."



A halfbreed? Luthien hadnt seen that. He smiles, though. "So I see. It seems that practice still exists, even after all this time. Mortal lovers among the Fae are still common. I have loved Fae myself before and even a vampire not ruled by bloodlust. But I am still here and they are not." Which is all he has to say about that. "Thank you. When I discover who, exactly, the Key is, I will call upon your aid. There were many supernatural beings at the Faire last night...more then I ever might've expected to feel. The supernatural is strong in this city. But I did not feel the Key itself."

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