IC RADIO CONTACT

[starseedling]

✆CHANNEL FREQUENCY: 123.78383
DESCRIPTION: Steven will be fairly quick to answer, on average, but it's also entirely possible that he'll forget his radio or get distracted from answering.

✉MAIL BOX LOCATION: Mailbox on Door
DESCRIPTION: It's wooden and a little crooked but Steven is gradually covering it in sequins and jewels.

Comments

S2, D3

[whattaprick]

[ Here, perhaps, is a voice Steven isn't going to expect. ]

Hey, Steven. I want to ask you something.

[ And then, reluctantly: ]

It's about the Rose Queen.

[starseedling]

[He's a bit show to respond. When he does, there is obvious trepidation.]

Um... Sure.

[whattaprick]

[ Oh boy. Exactly not the tone he was hoping for. Nonetheless, he's gotten this far, so he may as well go on. ]

Did she ever talk about herself? Where she came from, or other fae?

[starseedling]

[He has to pause again to think about that. Memories of Portland get patchy past a certain point, chronologically.]

She... talked about the other fae in Portland, and about the Summer Queen and the rest of her court, sometimes.

What kind of stuff do you mean?

[whattaprick]

[ Lambert considers how to word the next question, frowning. Syrlya said the Rose and the Queen might have their origins in common. Alike in more than name. That could mean anything, and he has no idea what would be useful. ]

Something she was afraid of, or that you thought she was afraid of. [ He says slowly. ] Or ... anything that seemed important to her.

[starseedling]

She... didn't like to go outside. [Steven sounds uneasy but distant, like he's in another place when he talks about it.] Anywhere outside of her gardens... she got other people to do that for her. She was worried about being tricked... that someone would try to hurt her if she left the places she had the most power. Or that someone would take her territory if it wasn't protected all the time.

I guess... she seemed afraid that people would take things from her. She... was really angry the times I tried to leave.

[whattaprick]

[ Now they're getting somewhere. ]

That seems kind of strange, doesn't it? She was one of Portland's most powerful fae -- you'd think she could keep anything she wanted.

Was something taken from her before?

[starseedling]

Well... she couldn't keep me...

[He trails off.]

[whattaprick]

That's true. All the roses around Portland -- was that her looking for you?

[starseedling]

I think so... it started right after I left.

When the roses got into the Sanctuary they almost caught me. The only reason I escaped again is because my dad found me and pulled me out before it was too late.

[whattaprick]

Sounds like you caught a lucky break.

You can't think of anything else? She never mentioned any reason she thought someone would specifically go after her?

[starseedling]

...No?

[He's starting to sound more unsure.]

Why are you asking about this?

[whattaprick]

[ Well, if nobody's told Steven, he will. His voice is frank and straightforward. ]

Childermass got a message from the fae he made a deal with to hide you and Strange from the Rose Queen. It made it sound like there was a connection between her and the Blue Rose ... but she didn't say what.

[ Because that would be too easy. ]

We're trying to figure out what it is so we aren't caught off guard this time.

[starseedling]

[Steven grips his radio nervously. It's a few moments before he musters a reply.]

...Is it because it's a rose?

[whattaprick]

I don't know. The Rose isn't really a rose. It's just magic made to look like one.

'These flowers are alike in more than Name.' That's all we know. That's why I thought maybe ... if something was after the Rose Queen, maybe it's after the Blue Rose too.

[starseedling]

It's not?

[Okay now he's confused. As far as he knew, it was like a magic rose? Isn't that the same thing?]

[whattaprick]

[ Reflexively, he scowls, though he manages not to sound like he's scowling. ]

I'm just saying I don't think it's just because it's a rose, literal or shaped like one.

Assuming all fae roses are related to one fae is kind of speciest, isn't it? [ Then again, Steven might know better. ] Maybe she's not the only one who can make roses. Maybe there's a Rose King. A Rose Prince ... ss. [ He trails off. ]

[starseedling]

[Steven has no idea where he stands on that idea.]

I dunno... but... isn't that just kind of guessing, too?

[whattaprick]

We wouldn't have to guess if anyone could give us a straight warning, but apparently that's too much to ask for.

'Consider the rose, and consider a time when you have tasted its thorns before. These flowers are alike in more than Name.' That's the whole thing. As far as I remember, the only time I saw him scratched up was just before we went into the Rose Queen's place, but maybe it's just a fancy way of saying while he was her servant.

[starseedling]

[Steven freezes for a moment, his heart pounding. Scratched up before they went into the Rose Queen's place...]

Th-That... was because of me...

[He sounds ashamed and a bit scared.]

When he was scratched up... Childermass came to find me, and I was scared, so I... I grabbed him with my thorns, even though I knew it was hurting him...

[whattaprick]

[ Lambert digests that for a moment. Does that mean Steven is connected to the Rose, somehow? Or is that just a fancy way of saying 'the Rose Queen wants the Blue Rose AND Steven'? Fuck if he knows.

He realizes he's maybe paused a bit too long. ]

Well, he obviously didn't hold it against you.

[ Yeah that's stating the obvious, but it's true! ]

[starseedling]

[It doesn't stick out so much, because Steven has fallen quiet, too.]

Lambert... do you think...

[He swallows his words and tries again.]

Do you think regular Childermass would have done the same things he did in Portland?

[whattaprick]

[ There's a pause. Even for Lambert, Steven's tone of voice tells him the 'things Childermass did in Portland' that each of them remembers is wildly different. ]

Would you have? [ He counters, instead, to stall for time. ] Childermass did a lot of things in Portland. We all did. What are you really asking me?

[starseedling]

[It's so hard to find the words, to feel like he isn't being unfair.]

He... really hurt me.

[He knows he needs to qualify that. He's not being fair. This isn't kind of him.]

And I want to stop being scared. But I don't know how.

[whattaprick]

[ And suddenly, Lambert wonders if the spell that Childermass paid for wasn't an act of generosity, but an attempt to apologize. And he's annoyed at Childermass all over again, because he realizes the damn magician probably didn't explain jack shit to Steven, or at least not enough. And he's content to let his reputation lie in tatters, but Lambert isn't. ]

He gave up one of the only things he cares about to protect you. Doesn't that say enough? [ Is there anything worse than being in the position of defending the honor of someone you're still kind of mad at? Nonetheless, the bristly defensiveness can't help but assert itself-- ]

If you're looking for him to say sorry or tell you everything's all right and he'll never do it again, give it up. But he's not a bad man. Hell, he's probably a better one than I am. So stop worrying about it.