Announcements: Cutting Costs (2024) » January 2024 Copyfraud Attack » Finding Universes to Join (and making yours more visible!) » Guide To Universes On RPG » Member Shoutout Thread » Starter Locations & Prompts for Newcomers » RPG Chat β€” the official app » Frequently Asked Questions » Suggestions & Requests: THE MASTER THREAD »

Latest Discussions: Adapa Adapa's for adapa » To the Rich Men North of Richmond » Shake Senora » Good Morning RPG! » Ramblings of a Madman: American History Unkempt » Site Revitalization » Map Making Resources » Lost Poetry » Wishes » Ring of Invisibility » Seeking Roleplayer for Rumple/Mr. Gold from Once Upon a Time » Some political parody for these trying times » What dinosaur are you? » So, I have an Etsy » Train Poetry I » Joker » D&D Alignment Chart: How To Get A Theorem Named After You » Dungeon23 : Creative Challenge » Returning User - Is it dead? » Twelve Days of Christmas »

Players Wanted: Serious Anime Crossover Roleplay (semi-literate) » Looking for a long term partner! » JoJo or Mha roleplay » Seeking long-term rp partners for MxM » [MxF] Ruining Beauty / Beauty x Bastard » Minecraft Rp Help Wanted » CALL FOR WITNESSES: The Public v Zosimos » Social Immortal: A Vampire Only Soiree [The Multiverse] » XENOMORPH EDM TOUR Feat. Synthe Gridd: Get Your Tickets! » Aishna: Tower of Desire » Looking for fellow RPGers/Characters » looking for a RP partner (ABO/BL) » Looking for a long term roleplay partner » Explore the World of Boruto with Our Roleplaying Group on FB » More Jedi, Sith, and Imperials needed! » Role-player's Wanted » OSR Armchair Warrior looking for Kin » Friday the 13th Fun, Anyone? » Writers Wanted! » Long term partner to play an older male wanted »

0
followers
follow

Petunia Griffin

If suddenly you forget me, do not look for me; for I shall already have forgotten you.

0 · 1,081 views · located in Fae Realm

a character in “Aes SΓ­dhe”, as played by blondehaired

Description

ImageT U N I Axxxxxxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
β—’
β—’β—’ n a m e : xxxpetunia griffin

β—’β—’ a l i a s : xxfille fantΓ΄mexxbelladonnaxxshpion

β—’β—’ h u m a nxxn a m e : xxxjane johnson

β—’β—’ a g e : xxxeight-hundred sixty-four

β—’β—’ s e x u a l i t y : xxxheterosexual

β—’β—’ c o u r t : xxxsummer

β—’β—’ r o l e : xxxseekerxxxscout

β—’β—’ o c c u p a t i o n : xxxsummer court spy

β—’β—’ p r i m a r yxxp o w e r : xxxshapeshifting

β—’β—’ s e c o n d a r yxxp o w e r : xxxinvisibility

β—’β—’ t h o u g h txxc o l o u r : xxx#9dac60

β—’β—’ d i a l o g u exxc o l o u r : xxx#8d9a68

x


x
xxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx


β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━We K I S S outside.


Imagexxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
β—’β—’ a p p e a r a n c e

L I T T L E xxx bean stalk child did not bloom with captivating white roses like her father. Travelling vines lit up like fireflies but did not sprout the meandering sunflowers her mother wore. Their final flower child was no blossom in late spring; her sisters grew like gardens and she was burdened with ghost flowers just beneath the surface that should have sprung by now. Lamb horns, without the daintiness of a petal, curled about her ears with the same ivy that plagued her glowing skin. She was nothing her family would call beautiful, struck with downy feathers that would never grow into wings no matter how much she wished for it.

P E T A L xxx gowns and crowns of petunia engulfed their ugly duckling, waiting for the one day that the roots would latch. But Tunia's face was burdened by frowns and the constant reminder that "people might find you prettier if you smiled." She always tried to be someone prettier, but the flowers she tied to her horns would always fall off eventually.

S O M E O N E xxx had to accept the way she looked, and if no one else was going to, she would find her own beauty in other forms. A songbird to sit amongst the nobility of the summer court without their knowing. A black kitten to capture the attention of the dark court Lady. Even vile creatures, uglier than her and far more cruel than her. No one looked at her the same, if they saw her at all. Sometimes it was better to disappear. The shadows welcomed her, swallowed her ugliness and made her into a myth without a true form.

T H E xxx glamour of humanity was the only solace she found in a skin that resembled her. Though the glow of sunshine faded to a normal shade of skin, there were no flowers to ask for, and her body felt light without the weight of horns or softy downy feathers. Human bodies were beautiful without the need of a fae's jeweled forms. She wanted to make herself one with women of Earth who she swore were faes, glowing cheeks and beautiful eye. Eyes that seemed to think she was beautiful too?


β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━You walk off, arm and arm with our D E M O N .


Imagexxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
xxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
β—’β—’ p e r s o n a l i t y

N O xxx child starts out hateful. There is emptiness, each cry asking for the pretty traits of a personality. Tunia was a brightly hopeful child, a shining summer's day. No one looked at the sun, but they always appreciated its warmth. Even in the coldest hours, the blinding optimism brought everyone out from the shade.

T H E xxx empty soil of her skin did not account for the greenhouse of her heart. Flowers of all kinds, petals of loyalty and petals of kindness, ones that her family couldn't appreciate. It was a beauty they were not aware of, so they couldn't nurture it properly. Petals plucked with the intention of finding them outside instead.

T U N I A xxx would not embrace their pity for destroying her garden. She would lash back with all the vines they found dreadful, protecting the last few blossoms left. She would decide who deserved to see them, a flicker of softness as quick as fireflies for the girl with a tongue as sharp as thorns. Sharp and quick witted, she became uncomfortably aware of who she was becoming and did nothing to tame the harsh overgrowth. They could call her foul if they wanted to, but their unkind hearts turned her to this. No amount of hatred could match the drought of self love.

B E I N G xxx someone else was her only way of acceptance. A flicker of deviance to hide all the securities she held like a lover. An object of desire, a jewel just whispering across the fingertips of nobles. Flowers could only do so much, a vine knew how to seduce its way into everything you own. She found a way to be wanted, to be beautiful, and it didn't matter that the face that stared back at her was not her own. It felt better than to be a prize bought by the highest bidder, knowingly fooled into being a pet for those who owned her. If they thought she was fooled, they wouldn't see her slip from around their finger, onto someone who wanted her more. Every root of affection snatched away by her own claws so no one else could make her believe it was real.

B E C A U S E xxx they could buy her body, buy her mind, her goddamn soul, but no one could buy her love.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━I've come through the ordeal of L O V I N G you once again.


ImageImagexx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
xx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
β—’β—’ l i k e s

long dresses with high slits xxx watching people xxx shapeshifting xxx lots of jewels xxx ballroom dancing xxx flirting xxx little desserts xxx trees xxx a clear summer sky xxx spying xxx sunlight xxx physical training xxx animals, especially horses xxx braiding hair xxx intimacy xxx summer nobles xxx art xxx pretty girls xxx voluntary honesty xxx cotton candy sunsets xxx cold rivers xxx easily persuaded people xxx cacti xxx parrots xxx

β—’β—’ d i s l i k e s

feathers xxx horns xxx wings xxx flowers xxx most faes xxx her sisters xxx having nothing to do xxx big dresses xxx "I love you" xxx expectations xxx emotions xxx coersion xxx weak will xxx honey xxx large animals xxx naivety xxx being undesired xxx her natural appearance xxx mirrors xxx petunias especially xxx the dark court xxx bugs xxx feeling like prey xxx cheating xxx


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━I see in Y O U R eyes.


Imagexxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
xxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

β—’β—’ s t r e n g t h s

S E D U C T I V E . xxx Desire is a game she's mastered, a dance where she always leads.

I N T E L L E C T . xxx A mind as quick as her tongue, she put her beauty into her mind when her beauty outside wasn't enough. Plenty of books from all the courts as souvenirs from missions, she has created a library of knowledge from the minds of other faes to strengthen her own. Plus, when one gets to a certain age, experience alone can become wisdom.

S T E A L T H xxx Spying among the other courts, where her natural form would look unnatural in the open, requires a comfort in the shadows- or, in the shadow of another form.


xxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
xxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
β—’β—’ w e a k n e s s e s

V I X E N . xxx The desire to prove everyone wrong bout her, to spite those her called her ugly and didn't want her, is a powerful force that guides her.

C H I L D R E N . xxx Big bug eyes waiting to be loved and wnted, hands outstretched to tug on her leg, there is no cruelty her in heart for a child. Her weak spot for children led her to spend many months in the dark courts with a young fae, protecting him from nightmares and padding alongside him as his cat.

S E L F - E S T E E M . xxx Though her flirtatious and confident nature may suggest otherwise, she's never looked at herself fondly, and does not believe that she is worth more than what she can do for others.


xxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
β—’β—’ m a g i cxx&xxequipment

S H A P E S H I F T I N G . xxx A chance to be beautiful in a stolen form. Her commonly used forms were mice and cats, two things that would not be out of place in any court. Most of the forms she preferred were small and could easily maneuver for the information she desired. There aren't many animals she can't turn into; if she doesn't know of the animal, or it is too large, she cannot take their shape. It was once a childhood trick, but she found a rush in being the the same room as important people without them ever having a clue.

I N V I S I B I L I T Y . xxx When even another form would not make her happy, for a short time, she can be nothing at all. A skin of nothingness she gladly embraces when she needs it. Tunia relies on the shadows for cover, but sometimes even a shadow isn't enough.

G O L D E N xxx chain she always wears around her neck, made from pure sunlight. It was a gift from Eleodoro, as a reminder when the dizziness of love creeps into her heartless clarity.


β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Certainty that we must C O L L I D E from time to time.


Imagexxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
xxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
β—’β—’ h i s t o r y

P R E T T I E S T xxx of all the sunflowers danced in front of a crowd of suitors, daring each one to come forward and take her hand, if they dared. Out came the strongest of the roses, a gentleman with perfect tailored white petals. They shared a dance and suddenly no one would be worthy of her sun like rosed Hawthorne Griffin. He picked a bonquet of sunflowers, one that would fade eventually but looked so pretty in the moment.

T H E R E xxx were more prettier moments to be had. Delphine, tall and elegant as the blue blossoms that wind down her spine. Amaryllis, red petals of might and radiating with the knowingness of beauty across her chest like a warrior's chestplate. Marigold, as passionate and she was cruel, even with the deception of golden flower tiara gracing her forehead. Lavender, the delicacy of the bunch with the purple tangled in her hair. Then their little Petunia, a final pretty moment grown in a new garden. The two little petunias that graced her little head would never grow, replaced by a different form of beauty. Lamb horns curled in ribbons of ivy.

G A R D E N I A xxxwould not let her weed grow, a reminder that her roots would always hit the bottom of the wase. Petunia would never be seen without her long flower dresses, a pretty petaled smile, and a big crown of petunias. Their "special flower", one that needed proper care to bloom properly.

L O V E xxx was an easy bloom. The boy with petunias in his hair stepped away from the crowd sent for Delphine, her alluring dance just the wrong shade of petal to be his. The centerpiece of his garden would not be a flower that no other men could attain, but a girl who no one else wanted. It would feel good to love the unlovable. When he planted the ideas of love into her head, it was easy to give herself away to wilt in a vase too small for her roots to latch onto. The perfume of being wanted made her too dizzy to find the bottom. Roots curled same as nimble fingers that caressed her horns just like petals. She could fade away into nothing more than a loved woman before she would ever let go of the boy who trailed kisses down the glowing vines on her arms. Eleodoro was her only thought.

I T xxx was not easy to love a weed. But because he could love a girl with daises, and a girl with violets, the girl with lilies too, he could love a weed. There was no pity from the glowing girl that stole his glowing kisses, but a look, as if to say, well, what were you expecting?

W A N T xxx still burned bright in her chest, but she would not fool herself any longer that anyone would do more than want her.

B E L L A D O N N A . xxx A new form, not a flower but the deception of one. A shadow that never held one form, her gifts were more than anyone could afford. And yet, some were graced by her company, the silky secrets of another cast from her lips if they wanted them enough. Desire was her new price, and many could pay but only for so long. Their affections were neglected if she felt too rooted in their gardens, and the thorns of being unwanted grew in her place.

T H E R E xxx was one who set a different price. Kneeling at the throne of the dark court, no longer a prize but a intruding weed, there were promises of losing everything in the prisons of the dark court. But there were also promises of every fae's desire, to become a legend that no one would ever deny. She would never call herself a hero, but becoming the centerpiece of the realm's garden was more than beauty could ever afford her.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€β–€
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Y E S , I meant goodbye when I said it.


c h a r a c t e rxxs h e e txbyxxxlayla
f a c e c l a i mxxx alexa mareka
p l a y e dxxb yxxx the writer's voice

quotes provided from "Reunions with a Ghost", by Ai.

So begins...

Petunia Griffin's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amaya Kyotsuki Character Portrait: Lilith Averescu Character Portrait: Aurora Kinski Character Portrait: Alize MorleaΓΊ Character Portrait: Petunia Griffin Character Portrait: Orhien Naena
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Layla
Image

▁ β–‚ β–ƒxxxH I G Hxxxxxx ▁ β–‚ β–ƒxxx31/12/17 : 1100xxxxxx▁ β–‚ β–ƒxxxW H E R ExxxW O R L D SxxxC O L L I D E
xxxxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
xxxx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

xxxxxxThe moon released its cold, blue breath. Her sisters followed; speckles of starlight coming to life across the cold expanse overhead. And like a milky way on earth, the faelights that hovered untethered to mortal devices illuminated a path deep into the woods. Human passersby steered clear of the forest that emanated terror and demise, ushered away by a cleverly crafted glamour.
xxxxxxThose that dared venture into the sprawling canopies and distant shadows would find a mirageβ€”an illusion that broke like water when prodded. And through this unseen wallβ€”magic. For on the final night of every year, exiles and Fey without allegianceβ€”or "freefolk," as was polite to call themβ€”gathered in the fringes of New York City to celebrate the end of the earth's rotation.
xxxxxxThrough the veil were colours unseen by the human eye. Beads of light hung from the branches of ancient trees, their fingertips caressing the tips of faerie wings. A river snaked through the celebrations, spelled to bubble with a thick and cloying liquid of darkest gold.
xxxxxxFey danced to music that swelled like waves and descended in waterfalls. An alluring flute murmured its tune from the fingers of a sylph, urging lost humans to dance their worries away. Until their feet blistered, bled, and broke.
xxxxxxThe couples and groups twirling to the symphony were immune to such temptations, as they, too, had been forged of impossible things. A little blue boy giggled in his mother's arms as she twirled him 'round and 'round, her lips peeling back to reveal small, pointy teeth that could shatter human bones. Another girl blushed, her skin morphing into the emeralds and mahoganies of the trees behind her as if she could disappear into the belly of a trunk.
xxxxxx"Oi, watch it!" shouted a manβ€”who was also a goat. Thankfully, from the waist down. He glared over his shoulder at the rather ordinary looking fellow stumbling past him. The subject of his distaste grunted and waved his mug of honeyed tea, its contents sloshing over the sides and between his fingers.
xxxxxx"S'ry," he murmured, scrunching his nose. Suddenly, a sneeze erupted from him, the strength of it tossing him backward into a crate of candied apples and lifting the skirts of some wayward ladies. They squealed, sending of breath of frigid air that melded his hand to his mug.
xxxxxx"Oh, come on," he groaned, rolling onto his side and falling to the dirt. He blinked. And squeezed his eyes shut. Opened them. Closed. For surely, he must be mistaken. Or inebriated.
xxxxxxFor through the thicket of bushes and leaves, a set of ruby orbs peered into the revelry. But before the man could yell, the redcap scuttled away into darkness, leaving only a murky memory in its wake.

▁ β–‚ β–ƒ β–‚ ▁


xxxxxxAmaya peered through the lens of her microscope at the bronze watch on her worktop. Joji hummed overhead, the tremble and thump of his synth filling the old antique store with contemporary music. Amaya exhaled to his croon, and wiggled the burnisher into the bezel of the old watch.
xxxxxx"Hey grand- Shit!" A cacophony of tumbling wood and smashing metal followed his expletives, ending with the sharp punctuation of his pained wail. "Ow, ow, ow!"
xxxxxxAmaya did not look up from her work as she said, "That's $6,410 worth of priceless artifacts you just knocked over."
xxxxxx"My femur! My femur!"
xxxxxx"Is decidedly less valuable," she murmured, slipping the watch's crystal face over the dial. "What are you doing in my shop, Ishaan?"
xxxxxx"What most people do in shops? Buy things?" Ishaan emerged from behind a glass cabinet stuffed with various deadly instruments and one too many skulls. "Though I can't imagine how anyone finds anything in this place. When was the last time you organised?"
xxxxxx"It's organised."
xxxxxxIshaan looked around him at the various texts and materials littered throughout the store, all of which seemed to have been placed without reason. A cluster of feathered pens sat beside a fraying Jack-o'-lantern; a pile of rare manuscripts were poised precariously atop a sealed bottle of indiscernible liquid; a frightening puppet with only one eye hung beside a brilliant chandelier of molten gold.
xxxxxx"Right," said Ishaan.
xxxxxx"Well?" Amaya prodded. "Out with it."
xxxxxx"We need Pandora's Box for the New Year's celebrations."
xxxxxxAmaya lifted her head to pin Ishaan with her black stare. She raised a brow. "Do you?"
xxxxxx"Well, yes. Obviously. Because I just said-"
xxxxxx"It was a rhetorical question."
xxxxxx"Oh."
xxxxxxMoments passed, the silence interjected only by the soft ticking of the watch Amaya held in her hands.
xxxxxx"Soooo..." Ishaan began. "Can you do it?"
xxxxxx"Yes."
xxxxxx"Will you do it?" he clarified.
xxxxxx"What happened to the box I gave you last year?"
xxxxxx"Uh..." Ishaan smiled sheepishly. "We broke it."
xxxxxx"How?"
xxxxxx"Gertrude was gassy."
xxxxxx"That literally explains nothing."
xxxxxx"Gertrude is part orc."
xxxxxx"Oh. That explains everything." They shared a slow nod of understanding. Without warning, Amaya stood, wiping her hands on the cloth strewn over her chair. "Don't break anything or I'll sell your organs on the black market to make up my losses."
xxxxxxAmaya glided between the mountain of objects seemingly without care as Ishaan tiptoed behind her. She ducked, disappearing into a narrow passageway that opened up to reveal a marginally wider door. She twisted the handle and stepped in.
xxxxxx"You don't lock it?" Ishaan asked.
xxxxxx"Why? Would you steal from me?" she replied.
xxxxxx"N-no. Geez. Of course not. Please stop looking at me.”
xxxxxxA flood of cold air greeted them. Colder even than the Winter beyond the store's four walls. The room glowed with an eerie blue light. This was Amaya's real collection. The priceless Fey objects and relics beyond the innocuous storefront that declared this place the Home of Intangible Things.
xxxxxxPotions swirling with incandescent hues perched on shelves etched with ancient runes; a wiry potted plant emitted an eerie glow in a corner; a book whose cover shifted with every minute hovered within a glass dome. Yet Amaya ignored all these as she approached a box the size of her palm. She lifted it, peeling back the velvet cloth that encased it.
xxxxxx"Here," she said. "You'll owe me a favour for this."
xxxxxx"Yeah, yeah. I know the rules. But," he chewed his lip, "we were actually hoping for another favour from you. Could you, maybe, attend the celebrations and call upon the box yourself? Its sister was so unruly last year. We had no idea how to get it back in once we'd opened it."
xxxxxx"Put three objects of personal value into the box and call-"
xxxxxx"Yeah, we got your instructions last time. But those rascals inside are hard to wrestle."
xxxxxx"You'll have to pay extra."
xxxxxx"Already on it." Ishaan waved his arm. "My sister has a gem from one of the late king's crowns. So, deal?"
xxxxxxAmaya tilted her head, fixing him with her stare. "Deal."

▁ β–‚ β–ƒ β–‚ ▁


xxxxxxThe box held within it collective memoriesβ€”whispers of another time before the courts had been forged and anarchy reigned. Four powerful faeries had gathered to forge an alliance, carving into a map the lines of their rule. The Courts embodied the balance of the natural world. The seasonal courtsβ€”Summer and Winterβ€”would share the earth's cycle, shifting their power to reflect changes in the climate. The courts of Dark and High would create chaos and maintain order, so that the world would not fall into excess. A High Lady or Lord would command each court, with their mates at their side.
xxxxxxAmaya stood at the centre of a clearing, where a crowd had gathered in anticipation of the night's ritual. The midnight hour neared.
xxxxxxA strand of alabaster hair fluttered into Amaya’s line of vision. She beat her papery wings and the small gust that followed lifted her hair from her face. Her off-the-shoulder dress swished around her ankles, their opal colours changing in the dim light that emanated from the faelights.
xxxxxxAmaya paid her audience no head as she twisted the box’s moving parts, spinning the sundial leftward untilβ€”like a setting sun that had met its endβ€”it was eclipsed by a silver moon. She spun both ends of the box until the flourishing green tress met its barren twin on the other side.
xxxxxxPandora’s box unlocked.
xxxxxxA burst of red light blinded the Fey, and when it retreated, a chorus of cheers rose from them. Scarlet figures of smoke and vapour danced above their heads, wielding small swords and spinning in skirts that left faint trails behind them. The musicians began their symphony.
xxxxxxAmaya tilted her head upwards to watch the memories unfurl, her eyelids fluttering shut against their brilliance. The glow of the figures bounced off the crescent moon on her forehead, the curved mark scattering the colours into a kaleidoscopic dance.
xxxxxxSuddenly, a small red dancer turned and screamed.
xxxxxxAmaya's eyes snapped open. She turned as the people forged of red smoke raced with a fervour, screeching as they fought to return to their box. Large figures of flesh and bone rose behind them, their forearms encased in metal, their faces cloaked in armour. They wore the uniforms of the High Court's royal guardβ€”a legion sworn to protect the faerie on the throneβ€”but their magic did not solely belong to the High Court. A faerie with a swarm of straw-blonde hair threw a column of flame into the throngs of Fey fleeing the woods.
xxxxxx"Give us the Halflings," called a woman in copper armour. "And we might consider granting you exiles and traitors a merciful death."
xxxxxxAmaya had stilled, enraptured by the woman's familiar form, and the emerald eyes that peered from the slit in her helmet. Airell. The girl had been her friend, once. Or as close to a friend as one could find when one was imprisoned in a tower.
xxxxxxThe luck fae had warned her of this. KazimΓ­r Ε Ε₯astnΓ½. He had told her of the late king's downfall and her role in his child's resurrection. He had said with some mirth that she owed him a debt. He had saved her life, he'd claimed. When he was just a child, and she the prisoner of the High Lady of the Dark Court. She had not wanted to believe him, but she did remember him. The small boy with smaller antlers who had come to her cell and offered her luck.
xxxxxx"Feykiller," Airell intoned. "I did not expect to see you. Today must be my lucky day."
xxxxxxAmaya turned and ran.
xxxxxx"Fleeing again, are we?" Airell called out. "Where is the Blood Moon our keepers worshipped?"
xxxxxxAmaya darted between the trees, whizzing left and right until Airell's flames vanished behind her.
xxxxxxA little blue girl collapsed to her knees. "Mama!" she wailed. "Mama!" But the Fey around her did not stop. They had become cruel in their haste to survive.
xxxxxx"Hold on to me," Amaya barked. She wrapped her arms around the small girl, who clung to her with a grip that was unexpected of such a small creature, and ran.
xxxxxx"This way!" she called out to the faeries fleeing aimlessly through the woods. "There's a path that leads out of the forest into a human Walmart and cave on the way should we need to hide. Follow the trees with the crawling vines and blue flowers until you near a small ravine. Quickly. Quietly."
xxxxxxThe Fey stumbled through the darkened woods, a petite Summer faerie emitting a tentative glow to illuminate their path. Amaya looked over her shoulder to see the faeries who had stayed behind to fight the invasion, and those who were sprawled on the ground. They were much too still.
xxxxxx"Found you."
xxxxxxAmaya twisted, flinging the small child forward and into the thicketβ€”better bruised than deadβ€”as Airell lobbed a dozen black arrows toward her with nothing but a thought.