starseedling | IC RADIO CONTACT

[ look, gotta tell the kid who everybody was playing hot potato with that uh, we miiight still have to worry about the fae a little maybe. Strange's handwriting is legible, though there's a slight coffee stain on one of the letter's corners that Strange straight up didn't see before putting the letter in an envelope and dropping it in the mailbox ]

Dear Steven,

I cannot overstate how terribly sorry I am for my actions in Portland. Attempting to kidnap someone once is horrid, but twice is almost beyond the pale. My actions were rash and thoughtless and I shudder at the thought that I was even capable of such cruelty. Though I was not in my right mind during the attempt in the Count's castle, it still happened, so I must still apologize. If there is anything I can do to help make this up to you, then simply say so.

I wish we could put all this business with the fae behind us but unfortunately, that is not the case. During my unintentional stay with the Summer Court, I learned some information about the Portland fae that I feel you must know. I plan on telling the carnival as a whole, of course, but as one who suffered tremendously due to the fae's actions, you might appreciate hearing this information directly.

Though I confess, I don't know what would be the best way to relay this. In person? Over paper? This matter is entirely your decision and I await your reply. Likewise, I hope this letter finds you in good health.

Sincerely yours, Jonathan Strange

[ and hastily scribbled on the back of the envelope itself ]

I like your mailbox. Did you know half of the people I was trying to contact have taken theirs down in the first place? How silly of them!

-JS

[It doesn't take too long for Steven to make it back to his trailer, where he surprisingly finds a letter in the mailbox he almost didn't bother checking. He sees the message on the back of the envelope first, of course, and smiles in faint bemusement before investigating further.

He reads the letter, and it won't be too long until there is reply back in his mailbox, written in the kind of penmanship you'd expect from a gradeschool kid doing their best to be neat. There are a decent number of spelling mistakes that he's had to cross out and rewrite, since it's in pen.]

Dear Mr Strange

Thank you for your letter! I sincerely appreciate the effort you put into writing it and for you apologizing, though I don't feel like it was mostly your fault because of how weird everything was there and all the stuff that happened. I'm sorry about what happened to you in the castle that was really awful.

I hope that we can be friends here even if Portland was a bad experience. I trust that you are doing your best to make up for your other self's mistakes!

I can meet you in the Cook House if you want?? I hope you are also in good health.

Yours Truly
Steven Universe

PS. thank you for complimenting my mailbox!

Edited 2017-08-01 22:05 (UTC)

[ Well hot dang, this is really cute. Strange returns a letter later in the evening, on his way to supper. ]

Dear Steven,

What a coincidence! I'd like us to be friends as well. And you needn't worry, I'm certainly trying my hardest to make up for my other self's mistakes.

How does meeting at the cook house around lunchtime either tomorrow or the day after sound? I shall be there both days so there's no need to worry if you don't read this letter until tomorrow.

Sincerely yours,
Jonathan Strange

Steven figures its probably too late to confirm the meeting at the Cookhouse by letter, so instead he just plans to show up at the same time like Strange suggested. Sure enough, at lunchtime the next day Steven will arrive, back to his lion-like ears and tail but now with the same wings he had while in Portland.

It's something he has mixed feelings about, for obvious reasons.

Settling in after everything that happened has been hard. On the bright side, he feels way less in danger here than he did in Portland, even though the essence of the Summerlands is so similar to his mom's (?!) gardens that it makes him feel like he's going to throw up out of sheer anxiety. There are members of the carnival who have been here before, and it was fine then. He has to believe it will be fine now.

Not to mention, it's the first time he's been able to spend time with his dad without being constantly paranoid of being discovered. Making that connection again has been a huge relief, despite all the lingering fears.

Still, he finds himself a bit nervous as he approaches Strange at the table. While he is intellectually forgiving of everything that happened, his kneejerk instincts are less easy to manage. He really tries to offer a genuine smile when he arrives, tough.

"Hi!" he says, tentatively sitting down. "I got your letter... are you good to talk about, um... whatever it is you wanted to talk about?"

About fae.

Obviously Strange looks like the normal human that he looked like in Portland but, at the same time, there's obvious differences both in changes (mirrored eyes, a patch of scales on his neck and hands, and new mirror-coated scratch marks around his wrists) but also in his attire (despite the fact that he's been in the carnival for a few months, Strange still defaults to something vaguely 1810s.) He's at least gotten some sleep, though his limbs are still scratched up and his chest still worryingly sore.

Still, that's why people wore long-sleeves. Strange is peeling the shell off a hard-boiled egg when Steven sits down--said egg soon gets sat down on a nearby plate. He gives Steven a smile of his own as the boy approaches, one where Strange is just trying his hardest to seem gentle and kind.

"I am." And then he pauses for a moment because is this Steven just beating around the bush or Steven having forgotten entirely? "And what I wanted to talk about is the fae. Again, if you don't want to talk about this now, we can talk about it another time."

It's almost certainly just him beating around the bush, based on his total lack of surprise when Strange explains the subject of conversation again. It just feels helplessly foreboding to even say the words, right now. Like acknowledging what they're talking about is acknowledging everything that happened to him.

"It's... It's okay," Steven says, though he's obviously a little bit hesitant despite his own assurances. He's more nervous about this than he wants to admit. Whatever important information that Strange has to share with him is probably bad.

"I... should probably know about it." As reluctant as he sounds, he's sincere in that, at least.

"I don't know if this is good news or bad news, just...news." There's a pause, before Strange continues. "Back in Alola, the carnival was frozen over for a day or so. Well, that was the work of a faerie named Frost that I accidentally summoned. During our conversation, I learned that Frost knew of the Ringmaster. Well, when I was talking with Nightshade in Portland, she also told me that she knew of Frost and at least knew a little about the Ringmaster."

Granted, what Nightshade told him mostly boiled down to 'we know the Beast isn't from this world, you moron' but hey, still counts. There's a small frown on Strange's face as he talks because honestly, he's got no idea just what this information means. It isn't exactly a battle plan or anything that could be useful, but more of a statement of facts.

"I don't really know what to make of this, aside from the fact that all the fae we've encountered so far seemingly know each other. But, especially considering that they now have access to other realms, I wouldn't be surprised if we ran into the Portland fae again."

Steven isn't sure he understands. So... the fae know each other? What difference does that make, though? If they're all from the same place... how many fae are there, anyway?

He has to roll that around in his mind a little, unsure of what he's supposed to take away from it.

"Do... you mean you think that the fae we met there will follow us?" he asks, looking wary about that possibility.

"I don't know," Strange admits, with a frown. "But unlike other places we've stopped, it is a possibility. Especially since the Severing's gone and they'll be able to travel again."

He's only got scraps of the whole 'fae landing places to colonize the planet' sort of narrative, but even the scraps are worrying.

And truth be told, Strange isn't entirely sure what to take away from it either, just that the thought of potentially seeing the Portland fae again makes his stomach churn in ways he never thought possible.

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mailbox, right at the start of summerlands

the same day

also the same day

lunchtime at the cookhouse

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