MaternalMeetingIndex SB: Aura: Maternal Meeting Aura nods to the assemblage. "Good evening, and safe journeys." She then turns and follows Lorius out of the room. Lorius' steps carry him, and Aura away from Fiona's laboratory and into the main run of the Castle. Lorius stops at the staircase and licks his right pinky finger and holds it up in the air. "Her quarters, I think, at this hour." he says and starts walking again. Lorius does not immediately volunteer any conversation**, but he does, at the bottom of the staircase, take to air walking again a few inches above the level of the floor. Deirdre's quarters on the second floor of the Castle, prove to confirm Lorius' suspicion as to where Deirdre is. He steps aside for Aura to knock herself. "Come in, Aura." Aura's mother's voice is heard from inside the door. "Whether my nephew does or not is entirely up to you." Aura looks back at Lorius and gestures him inside. "I think he might have information to add to what I have discovered." "Very well" Deirdre says. Lorius, face serious, follows right behind Aura into Deirdre's quarters, landing on his feet smoothly before he crosses the threshold. Deirdre was sitting in a chair, but rises at Aura's entrance. She moves further into the room and immediately hugs her mother. "I know now why they are so intent on harming you - or your children. But they have gone too far by bringing their attack dogs into Amber." "I learned most of the details from my brother, and Nick. Who said something about wanting to investigate the kitchens in more detail." Mother shakes her head. :"What did you find out about their reasons?" Deirdre says seriously to Aura. She then switches her gaze to look both at Aura and Lorius. "Do sit down. You, especially, Lorius, you shouldn't float around like a djinn or stand stock still like a stork." Lorius nods, and sits down on a tall metal backed chair. Aura snorts at the remark to Lorius, but she is busy pulling one of the strands of pearls over her head to say anything. The strand shimmers silver as she unfastens it to pull one off. Wrapping her hand around it, she focuses on the relevant memory of the battlefield, followed by the memories of the Galla involving Atlantis. She opens her hand to Deidre. "It is better, I think, for you to see for yourself. It also gives us a permanent record." "The more law-mad Judges in the Courts will appreciate such a record." Deirdre says, accepting the pearl from Aura into her palm and begins studying it. Deirdre gives it a good minute or so of staring, at least from the perspective of Aura and Lorius. The latter, from his perch, watches Deirdre carefully throughout her immersion. Finally, Deirdre looks up, nods, and offers the pearl back to Aura. "Some of my memory of events at Patternfall were a bit jumbled." Deirdre says, apologetically. "Gerard says its because of a combination of events--the fall into the Abyss, what Brand did, and my exposure to that icy and unpleasant world for so long. Memories are coming back as are my skills. Both." Deirdre's voice takes a tone of unhappiness "are not returning as quickly as I would like." "I only partially remember most of the combats and battles of the war. There were many, so many." Deirdre says. "Very well" Deirdre says. Lorius, face serious, follows right behind Aura into Deirdre's quarters, landing on his feet smoothly before he crosses the threshold. Deirdre was sitting in a chair, but rises at Aura's entrance. She moves further into the room and immediately hugs her mother. "I know now why they are so intent on harming you - or your children. But they have gone too far by bringing their attack dogs into Amber." "I learned most of the details from my brother, and Nick. Who said something about wanting to investigate the kitchens in more detail." Mother shakes her head. :"What did you find out about their reasons?" Deirdre says seriously to Aura. She then switches her gaze to look both at Aura and Lorius. "Do sit down. You, especially, Lorius, you shouldn't float around like a djinn or stand stock still like a stork." Lorius nods, and sits down on a tall metal backed chair. Aura snorts at the remark to Lorius, but she is busy pulling one of the strands of pearls over her head to say anything. The strand shimmers silver as she unfastens it to pull one off. Wrapping her hand around it, she focuses on the relevant memory of the battlefield, followed by the memories of the Galla involving Atlantis. She opens her hand to Deidre. "It is better, I think, for you to see for yourself. It also gives us a permanent record." "The more law-mad Judges in the Courts will appreciate such a record." Deirdre says, accepting the pearl from Aura into her palm and begins studying it. Deirdre gives it a good minute or so of staring, at least from the perspective of Aura and Lorius. The latter, from his perch, watches Deirdre carefully throughout her immersion. Finally, Deirdre looks up, nods, and offers the pearl back to Aura. Aura takes it back and tucks it into one of the inside pockets of her cloak. "Some of my memory of events at Patternfall were a bit jumbled." Deirdre says, apologetically. "Gerard says its because of a combination of events--the fall into the Abyss, what Brand did, and my exposure to that icy and unpleasant world for so long. Memories are coming back as are my skills. Both." Deirdre's voice takes a tone of unhappiness "are not returning as quickly as I would like." "I only partially remember most of the combats and battles of the war. There were many, so many." Deirdre says. Her daughter nods solemnly. "I imagine there were. But I cannot help but feel that what they feel was a grievous offense is so much fluff and foam. It was a fight they started and they're demanding honor? They were lucky the House was not eradicated as far as I am concerned. They may yet be because of this." Deirdre nods. Lorius, from his chair, nods even more seriously than Deirdre does. "That //woman// came into Amber with the Chaos delegation and brought two Galla with her!" the normally cheerful Atlantean is suddenly all fire and thunder. "They tried to abduct me in the middle of the dock market! The only reason I had what little warning I did was because of the magic lanterns sold in the shop I was visiting! And I am still highly annoyed that they dared lay a hand on Nick!" "What does Random plan to do about this?" "Do you want the official answer, or the sub rosa one?" Deirdre says. "Is there a difference?" Lorius interjects. "Aura has cause, here, for a serious response." Deirdre stares at Lorius and then looks at her daughter. "Officially, Random is going to do something dull and boring about the situation by sending one of your cousins to the Courts and going through the ancient procedure of Petitioning ." Deirdre's attempt to avoid rolling her eyes is only partially successful. In near perfect sychronization, Aura also rolls her eyes. "Veils and tridents," she mutters. Based on what she had heard of the Courts, she can only imagine that this is a long and drawn out endeavor. She then recovers from the eye roll. She puts her hands on Aura's shoulders "Unofficially, unless you dissuade Random otherwise, in retribution for what this House has attempted to do to me, and to you, is to reduce the number of Houses in Chaos by one." Aura blinks and gives Deirdre a raised eyebrow and a tilt of her head. "Why would I do that?" "I am not saying that you would." Deirdre says. "I am not even saying that you *should*" she adds with a strong emphasis on the final word. "It is only an option, should you wish to take it. Taking a bite out of the flank of Chaos is a serious business. Even, and especially if its completely and utterly justfied, as it is in the case of House Ledaal." "It may produce long term enemies, for you, for me, for Amber." Deirdre continues "Ones more clever than Ledaal, and definitely more careful in the future. We may be setting ourselves up for a larger helping of trouble down the road. That, though, would be the reason to dissuade Random, if you wished to take it, daughter." "Salt the ground where their House stands." Lorius comments. "We know Ledaal is a threat, today." he says, and regards Aura. Aura's face screwed up in thought. After a long moment, she considers Lorius, then her mother. "I shall give the situation a more complete consideration. As soon as I can put my righteous indignation aside. Either way, I will want to set some more .... lethal protections on Atlantis. I will need to warn Kovikin and Father. Even if I decide to ask Random to hold our vengeance, I fear they have something planned for Atlantis if they cannot get to me any other way. I cannot stand back and allow it to happen. If they were to succeed, I swear I would lead another war on Chaos myself." "Its unfortunately a possible move on their part." Deirdre says. "If you cannot strike at a target easily, you pick a target allied or dear to them. They've already proved that they would strike at you, since you are mine and dear to me, in order to injure me. In order to strike at you, they might strike at what you hold dear..." Deirdre frowns, but it is brief and she composes herself again. "I know." Lorius says, looking at Aura "you are rather proprietary in who you let near your shadow. Since I've already been there a few times..." he grins "if you want me to help you with the shadow work, I'd gladly teach. If that's too close to the bone, I could always show you what I've done with *my* shadow to give you ideas." And then there is a knocking on the door. Soft and subtle, and decidedly low on the door. Deirdre looks at Lorius pointedly, who gets up and opens the door. Once it is open, Nick scurries in, and makes a diving jump to land next to Aura. "Miss me?" he asks. "Yes, and no," she answered gravely while reaching down for him to climb her arm. "It is probably best that you were not there. You would have antagonized it worse than I did. Though it was easily handled." "I have every confidence in you to manage sometimes without me." Nick says, settling on Aura's shoulder and looking about curiously. Deirdre watches Nick's antics for a moment and looks at Lorius, who strolls back toward his seat. Her gaze shifts to her cousin. "While you have been a thorn in various people's sides when you visit, I would rather have your help than anyone else's in building the protections to my homeland." Deirdre gives Lorius a serious look once Aura is finished. Lorius looks at Deirdre, nods with an equally serious look on his face, and then regards Aura and Nick "Then it shall be done, Aura." Lorius says. "I shall help you improve your shadow's defenses, and even better, teach you how to improve Atlantis' defenses so that you don't always have to call me as your super to upgrade or change them. Not that I'd necessarily mind, of course. I'd know, though, if Ledaal, Tepet, Islesi, Linowan, or any of the other minor Houses of Chaos, or a major one for that matter, were messing in my shadow and sending assassins, kidnappers and the like into it, I'd want to amp up the defenses. So I will help you." "Thank you," Aura nods. Lorius bows his head. "He scares me a bit when he gets all serious." Nick says quietly to Aura. Aura snorts softly. It was an unusual look for him. "I know you prefer a practical approach to teaching and I readily concur." Lorius says once he finishes the head bow. "but I will see about getting a copy or two of a couple of Mom's books on the subject for you. Reference material." "I will not scoff at anything Fiona deems good enough to have in her library," Aura smiles. "Now we just have to see if Random will give me some time before I have to go to Rebma in order to take care of this." "There is always the Fait Accompli, of course." Deirdre says. "Go and do it. Besides, I am sure that Lorius can get you to modify the time flow temporarily at least to make it manageable." "Of course I can." Lorius says. "We can get you food, Aura, and then head to Atlantis and fix up the place, and get back here before Random can say calamari." "Calamari for dinner?" Nick pipes up. Aura pulls a face at her familiar. No matter how long she lived on an island, things with tentacles would never be appetizing. "As for I." Deirdre says "I am going to have to excuse the three of you now My Doctor's orders about getting rest." "Uncle Gerard?" Lorius asks. "Yes" Deirdre says. "And if I am going to recover from what the red haired bast*rd did to me, I am going to not be stubborn like my brother, and actually listen." Aura turns to her mother to give her a tight hug. "You do that. Lorius and I will deal with Atlantis and I will probably see you tomorrow. If it takes longer, I will call." "Do that." Deirdre says, once the hug is complete. The slight tears in Deirdre's eyes are certainly not from the tightness of the embrace. "I am so very glad that you are here in Amber, even if its only for a little while." "I am glad to be here," Aura smiled. "For you." She still wasn't so impressed with Amber. But to see her mother again after all this time meant the world to her. Lorius holds up a hand as Deirdre looks at her. "You don't have to say it, Aunt Deirdre. Consider it said. Consider it as if *my* mother said it." Deirdre nods. "Good." "Time for a late night steak and chips." Lorius then says as he slides to the door and grasps the doorknob. He looks back at Aura and then focuses on Nick. "*Maybe* Surf and Turf, if Aura says so." Aura wrinkles her nose as she follows Lorius. "I suppose. Nick can have the Surf portion of mine." "You're a pretty good goink." Nick says. "No matter what Aura says about you." Lorius shakes his head and closes the door behind Aura. He walks down to a junction before stopping and facing Aura and Nick. "All right. Best place to feed the need is down in the city. While cousin William or Pollux might take one of the carriages, I prefer other methods. Follow me, and I'll have us in the city quickly. You'll learn something, too." "Assuming you don't simply want to get your food in suite?" Lorius says to Aura. "That *would* be slightly faster, especially since Michael's cracking the whip already tonight." "I don't know that I want to annoy Michael," Aura muses while adjusting her cloak. "On the other hand, I apparently need to meet him. I don't suppose he'd just let us eat in the kitchen, would he? Like we do in the middle of the night at the palace?" Lorius shakes his head. "*You* might be able to sell him on such a plan. Especially if you had something to offer him to sweeten the offer. Maybe bring some Atlantean Sea Salt or such sometime. But he has a control streak that was only matched by Oberon." "He has been called." Lorius continues "the second King in Castle Amber." "There's only one King." Nick declares. "Baby." Aura narrows her eyes and points a finger at Lorius. "This is your fault. It was your bright idea to take him to Vegas." "I'm not sure if I prefer him doing Sinatra or Elvis." Lorius comments. Nick blinks his eyes and tries, and fails, to look innocent. She sniffs and looks around to get her bearings. "I do actually have a basket of Atlantean herbs and seasonings. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find their equivalent here. But after hearing so much about the scary chef, it might not be a bad idea to tell him I brought him a gift of new things for him to experiment with." "Then that's what we do." Lorius changes direction at the next intersection. "We go to the kitchen, you introduce yourself, charm him, offer him some seasonings, and we get some steak and fries. And shrimp for Nick." "Heck, if you charm him well enough, I might actually get to eat in the kitchen with you, rather than the 'Nook." Lorius adds. Aura glides along beside him with her feet on the ground. "What is the Nook, and why are you exiled there?" "The Nook is the Breakfast Nook." Lorius explains smoothly. "We turn here." Lorius turns a corner and heads down yet another passage, a short one, that leads to a small staircase that leads down. "Lots of the family eats there informally when they want something from the kitchen but don't want it en suite or in one of the formal dining rooms. This is especially common at Breakfast, by the way. I'd say that you could think of the Nook as sort of a Breakfast Bar, but you haven't been to one of those yet, either." "Anyway." Lorius says, briefly stopping at the bottom of the staircase "since Michael won't likely let me eat in the kitchen...and its NOT my fault, that's where I will likely have to eat." "What was the grift?" Nick asks. "Why are you on the lam from the Man with the spam?" "Just don't ask about the kitchen cat." Lorius says. "I don't even want to know," she mumbles. Aura stops and looks around with a frown. "Where are we? I thought we were going by my rooms?" "Taking a back way" Lorius says with a mischievous look on his face."Few enough of the family even think of taking the servants passages and the like, and miss out on a lot of information that way. Overhearing what servants say, and seeing what they do when out of the eye of the public is quite interesting. Mind you, Aura,I usually use arcane means of traversing these back ways..." She rolls her eyes. Of course... He turns another corner, and now the corridor the three stand in is familiar. "And here we are." By legerdemain of some sort, and a route that Aura might not be able to easily replicate, she Lorius, and Nick are in front of her door. "I might suggest you getting a red hood to go with your basket, but Michael is not of the Weir." Lorius grins. She blinks at him. "You know what? Never mind." Aura opens the door and steps inside to retrieve her basket. She takes a few things out and sets them aside before she's ready. Then she pauses a moment at the door and gives her attire a look. A moment later, the midriff is again bare, the cleavage lowered, and the skirt hangs from her hips. "Now I'm ready." "You definitely are!" Nick pipes up enthusiastically "Better than a red hood." Lorius says, leaning against the wall at the height of about six inches from the floor."Much better than a red hood." he adds with a grin. He settles down to near ground level. "I guess you don't want the back ways to the kitchen, huh? Straight and narrow." "Straight forward," she grins. "Never straight and narrow." Lorius chuckles. "Fair enough." Without much further ado, Lorius leads Aura, and Nick (who hops back on Aura's shoulder in short order) down more familiar corridors and a staircase. This journey, through corridors far more populated and wide, is relatively short, and completely uneventful. Finally, Lorius leads Aura into a relatively small room with a long side board, a pair of small tables with two chairs apiece, and a long counter with several more chairs. The sounds, smells, and ambience of a kitchen are visible through a second doorway Through the doorway, Aura can spot a redhaired man with a pony tail dressed in kitchen white...and orange shoes. His back to the doorway, talking in a loud voice. "The man himself. Michael." Lorius says, pointing at the figure. Aura gave the large man a once over before tossing her cloak one handed to Lorius. "Be a dear and hold that, would you?" "Betcha no one thought you had a nice rack." Nick says to Lorius laughing, and jumping to the table next to him. She then gave him a wink, set the basket resting on her hip and held by one arm, before she sashayed up behind the man. "Pardon? You are Chef Michael?" "Robert, stop playing with the grill and get to chopping the vegetables." Michael says, and then he turns around, and sees Aura. "Bella. Enchante. I am certain that we are not acquainted. I am sure I would have remembered." He briefly looks past Aura and bores his gaze firmly at Lorius. His interest in Lorius is at best momentary, and he turns back to reappraise Aura, from head to toe. Michael smiles a 100 watt smile at Aura. "Now, if you don't tell me your name, beautiful lady, I can't possibly create something for you. That IS why you are here, si?" "I am Aura." She gives him the luminescent smile that had started more than one fight for her attentions. "Si. Well, partially at least. I have brought you a gift from my homeland." She shifts her hip just slightly to draw the eye to the basket and her shapely hip briefly before she presents the intricately woven container to him. "Atlantean herbs and spices for your kitchen." "Atlantean herbs and spices. Let's see what you have here." Michael's attention, improbably, has transferred entirely from looking at Aura, to looking at and looking through the basket that Aura has brought. Aura is hardly surprised. Chefs everywhere are the same. Even Atlantean ones. She simply clasps her hands behind her back and watches him with interest. "Let's see what we have here..." Michael spends the next two minutes handling, sniffing, and examining the herbs in the basket. "Mmm...a variety of basil, not quite the one we have...hmm, this one looks promising, too, interesting scent. Ah, now this looks like a variety of piper nigrum...Oh, and a salt. Sea salt." The last he actually tastes a pinch. "Your donation to the spice rack in Castle Amber is acceptable." Michael finally gives up pouring over the spices and resumes pouring over Aura. "Now, if I judge correctly, you could use. He regards Aura. "Let me see. The sea salt and the other spices indicates Atlantis is a seafood and fish culture. My suspicion is that competing in that arena is perhaps not the best tactic." "Judging from your guide" Michael continues. "I suspect you are looking for something different from me. Bagna cŕuda, perhaps, if you are not too hungry. A Cassoulet, maybe." He regards Aura again. "Or perhaps something as simple as a grilled steak?" She perks up visibly. "Oh, I could adore you forever if you fix me a steak," she says fervently. "I love my home, but centuries of seafood, it is too much! And I have been asked to go to Rebma, where there is even more seafood. Fish everywhere! A steak, Michael. I will trade you pearls - almost anything- for a steak." Aura gestures towards Nick and sighs. "My familiar, however, would like lobster if possible." She leans forward and whispers. "He is ever so spoiled." Michael chuckles. "What IS he, anyway, Aura? I've seen all manner of creatures as friends of the royal family, and their guests. He reminds me of a Skink." "I do?" Nick says. "You do." Michael says. He returns to regarding Aura. "Steak for you. Potato...pomme frites, I should think. And lobster for your companion...I know just the recipe. Something you couldn't get in Atlantis." Michael rubs his hands together. "There. That should suit a late evening meal, si?" "And I suppose that his highness the Prince is asking for food as well." Michael adds, gesturing toward Lorius. "No matter, he can get such a favor on the credit, Bella Aura, of your charm and politeness.
"That sounds marvelous." She smiles brilliantly. "He has been terribly helpful," Aura confessed. "He is also the one who brought me here. Although I find it a bit chilly for my tastes. Still, it is where my mother is, so I cannot complain too much." Not that she won't complain anyway. Amber was *cold*. "So, you see, I would appreciate it ever so much if you did feed him tonight as well." "Then for your sake." Michael says. "Lorius can enjoy the bounty of my kitchen as well." "Can we eat in the kitchen?" she asks brightly. "I do that a lot at home. It's always so much more fun than some stuffy dining room." She smiles a slow, coy smile. Her left leg shifted just slightly; enough to expose the side slit in her skirt and an impressive length of well turned leg. "And I would like to watch you work, if that's alright." t Michael's head does not move, but his eyes trail down the side slit. The gesture is brief but burning in its intensity. "Since you have been so polite, and charming, Bella, there is a table for my best customers." Michael steps backward, enough that Aura can see a small round table with three chairs. It is in a corner, but commands a good view of the kitchen and its workers. "Even Princess Fiona's son may eat here." he adds. "As long as you are not...too distracting." Michael says. "You may watch myself and my staff work." "I'll be good," she promised with a luminescent smile, with just enough vagueness to leave one wondering what the woman would be good *at*. Aura looked at Lorius and Nick over her shoulder and gave them a wink. "Coming?" "You bet, doll." Nick saunters into the kitchen as if he, and not Michael, ruled the roost. He hops up on the table that the chef indicated and looks around with wide eyes. After a moment, slowly, Lorius follows. He doesn't meet Michael's eyes, but bobs his head in his direction, and he does the same. Once Nick and Lorius are inside the kitchen, Michael, and his sous-chefs, with Aura as witness, set to work. Several stations fire up as if on cue, and begin to prepare, in concert, the several portions of the meal. On the first station, one of the sous chefs starts cutting up potatoes, seasoning them with salt and pepper before setting oil to fry them in. At the second station, the cooks are rubbing and preparing two beautifully cut portions of beef for a grill already being heated. The third station, two live lobsters are being prepared for a boiling pot of water. Seawater, Aura can tell, from the smell. Michael watches over the first two, and leads the third, the lobster station, himself. While the potatoes and steak are relatively direct and simple in their execution, it is the lobsters that require the most work, and Michael's special care. The lobsters are boiled, removed from the water, declawed, opened, and the meat is mixed with a mushroom sauce being prepared nearby. This sauce-laden lobster meat is then spooned artfully (as is everything Michael does) into the lobsters, topped with bread crumbs and a cheese of some sort, and then baked. And, in a testament to the timing of his kitchen, by the time the lobsters are done, so are the potatoes, and most especially from the point of view of Aura, the steaks. Three plates are set, two human sized and a smaller one for Nick, with a portion of all three foods for each. A bottle of what turns out to be sparkling white grape juice sits in the center of the table, along with three glasses. "Enjoy." Michael says, with an air of satisfaction. She smiled up at him - perhaps a touch suggestively. "Oh, I am sure I won't be able to help myself..." The head chef of Amber smiles back, attentively. With a lingering look, Aura turns her attention to the masterpiece in front of her. After placing her napkin over her lap, she cuts into the steak, watching the juices run gleefully for a moment before taking her first bite. Nick is already attacking his lobster with a disturbing lack of decorum. Lorius has eschewed eating for a moment, watching Aura as intently as Michael is. "Oh... Michael," she moans. "That's ... wondrous." "The secret, besides avoiding cooking it to shoe leather consistency..." he gives a look at Lorius "is in the spice rub. Steak simply isn't a proper steak without the proper...rubbing and preparation beforehand. As you no doubt saw." One of the sous-chefs comes up to Michael and whispers something in his ear, and hands him a small note. Michael looks at the note, and then back at Aura, Lorius and Nick. "I will leave the three of you to your meal, then." he says. "I've already been told that you are not the only late night diners tonight. If you will excuse me, Prince. Princess." Michael is soon engaged in yet another culinary creation, this one apparently involving a pork roast. Aura watches him work his own brand of magic a moment more before she turns and raises an eyebrow at Lorius. "Quoi?" "Nick," she scolds quietly. "Stop eating like you were raised in a back garden. Savor your food." "Awww, baby, life is too short, and the food is so good." Nick says, looking up in mock shock at Aura's words. When he does return to eating, he does eat with more decorum, and somewhat more slowly. "Me?" Lorius says, with a bemused look. "I just wanted to make sure you liked all of it, before indulging myself." He takes a forkful of lobster meat and closes his eyes before eating it. He then follows this with one of the fried potatoes. "You have Aunt Flora to thank for the recipe for the lobster. As far as the steak, I am not sure where Michael got that recipe, but it IS what I promised, isn't it?" "That and more," she says agreeably. She tries the potatoes tentatively at first; they didn't quite look like what she was used to, and so little of Atlantis' food was prepared this way. So of course she is pleased to discover she likes them. "To much of this would go right to my hips," Aura notes ruefully. "It's true." Lorius says, between bites. "Indulging in the cuisine here without regard to consequences can lead to all sorts of trouble. It is fortunate, Aura, that we of the royal family manage to keep physically active, in one form or another. Even me." Lorius grins. "A good thing, too, or else Michael's cuisine would render us all more fit as rotund cannon shot than anything else." "That's a compliment, by the way." Lorius casts his voice in the direction of Michael, still absorbed in preparing the pork roast. Michael makes no sign of hearing Lorius. Nick doesn't quite burp but he pushes himself away from his plate, holding a tiny piece of steak in his claws.Her gives Aura a sated, satisfied smile. Aura runs a fingernail down Nick's back. "Hedonist," she teases. "Do that again...baybee!" She smiles at Lorius as she returns to her dinner. "Not really in his good graces, are you?" "I did say that it wasn't my fault." Lorius protests "Give a few months, though maybe five or six,and Michael will forget he was mad at me. The advantage of Michael being Michael is that he'll find something else to be upset about, and I will be loved and admired for the upstanding Prince that I am." "As is right and proper." Lorius grins. Aura snorts into her glass. "You, though" he points a finger at Aura "have started what might be a beautiful friendship. Sure, being friends with the Captain of the Guards, or Selene Typle, or even Lord Henden is a good thing. But sometimes, Aura, it pays to be friends with the person who makes your meals." She smirks. "Why do you think I like eating in the kitchen?" "I was uncertain." Lorius says after a forkful of steak. "I wasn't sure if you were actually going to try to seduce Michael, or just give him enough promise to wrap him around your..." Lorius grins and stops. "Her what?" Nick says. Aura smirks at her familiar. "Finger." Lorius adds, glancing to see that Michael is on the far side of the kitchen, working on a pan sauce of some kind for some vegetables. "So what Atlantean dishes are you going to add to Michael's oeuvre?" Lorius says. "A proud family tradition, after all. "I haven't decided yet," she answers while picking apart the lobster meat in order to save the last of her steak for the finale. "Most of my favorites are not available here. Like that fruit thing that Kovikin likes so much. I should bring him one so he can decide what he can substitute. Maybe a case of Fire Wine to go along. Although I'm sure he could do a pretty good job of replicating a lot of the seafood dishes." "Well, substitution and invention are any chef's chief weapons. Any dork can read a book on a recipe and cook it decently, no matter how complex." Lorius says. "By the unicorn, *I* can." "Invention, substitution and improvisation, on the other hand, are completely different skill sets. I can do all three, of course in sorcery, magic and the esoteric arts." Lorius grins. He then lowers his voice and changes his expression to one confessing a deep, dark secret. "In the realm of cooking, however, I cannot." "I'm shocked... SHOCKED!" she protests jokingly. "Something you cannot do. Whatever will Mikael's daughters think?" Lorius pauses a moment and then grins. "I have a plan about that, Aura. One day" he adds brightly "I'm going to have to cash in one of the favors Mandor owes me and get him to teach me some of his food conjuration skills." Lorius changes his mien to a more reflective one. "I think you might like Mandor, Aura, although I don't recommend taking him up on an offer to see his personal hells. He takes that as seriously as he does food." She looks at him as if he had suddenly sprouted a tail. "Why in the name of the Veils, would I want to see *anyone's* hell?" "A bad scene, baby!" Nick chimes in. "The weird rules of Chaosian guesting might mandate a very careful refusal of the inevitable offer to do so." Lorius says. "Mandor does takes pride in his work." Lorius says. "You think that Amber is alien to Atlantis in figuring out customs and what to wear and not shocking the locals? Or Rebma for that matter? Try a visit to one of the Chaosian Houses on for size. Or better, yet, don't." "Not yet, anyway." Lorius adds. "When things settle down...well, you might find it educational. I'd mention something about the odder aspects of the food there--the run of the mill cuisine, not Mandor's, but you managed to get me into the kitchen here tonight." He takes a last forkful of beef. "I don't want to screw that up." Leaning back with her glass cradled negligently in her hand, she smirks at him. "So. I am more than just a pretty face, oui? Still, it is good to practice my weapons on something besides difficult to impress Atlanteans; love them though I do." "You're going to love Rebma." Lorius says. "Or hate it. I don't think that there really is a middle ground. But a nation of strong women, lax taboos on clothing, and a generally sensual sort of environment...that is going to make quite a splash when they see you." "Sounds like my kind of place." Nick exclaims. "Except for that whole under water thing," Aura reminds her familiar. "I don't imagine there will be a whole lot of sunbeams for you to be napping in." Nick pouts. "All wet!" he exclaims. "I almost wish." Lorius says "to be there when you two do get down there. I suspect." Lorius says "that Mother is going to keep me busy. Especially after what we discovered tonight." "Speaking of busy," she says as before draining her glass. "We have places to be and things to do." "Atlantis!" Lorius says, with an enthusiastic tone. "Be it ever not-so-humble, there is no place like home. Although our cousins Click and Clack might say its Rome, but they were born there, so for them, Rome is home." "Someone actually named their children Click and Clack?" Aura asks dubiously. She holds a hand out for Nick to climb up her arm and perch on her shoulder. Nick climbs up and peers around at the kitchen from the greater height offered. "No" Lorius says. "Just something I call the twins. Castor and Pollux." "You've met their father." Lorius winks. "Anyway, time for Atlantis." Lorius adds, rising. "If you were thinking an arcane cross-shadow teleport, we'll need to get outside the Castle walls first. Mom's defenses can screw up transport spells, in or out." "And it's rather rude to teleport from inside," she sniffs as she stands. "Though certain circumstances allow for it, this is not one of them." Aura turns to find Michael, though she approaches cautiously if he's busy. Michael is in fact, busy, working on whisking something, perhaps a sauce of some kind. He turns as Aura (with Nick) and Lorius approach. "Well, now." he says with a grin. "Unless you suddenly decided you were Gerard's girl, and not like the thin-as-a-reed one, you can't possibly be looking for more food." he adds, amused. Lorius stifles a laugh. "Oh, no," she smiles fully. "Not at the moment anyway. My appetite for steak is temporarily sated. I simply wished to thank you for such a marvelous feast on such short notice. We are heading for a quick errand to my home Shadow; is there anything you would like me to bring back for you? Native fruits? Interesting wines?" Michael scratches his chin for a moment as he regards Aura. "The problem of transporting fruit on a regular basis makes me somewhat less than interested in fruits, be they stone, citrus or otherwise." he says dubiously. "Potent potables on the other hand..." the chef of Castle Amber's eyes turn brilliant. "I can, bella principessa, create an entire ensemble of a meal for you and your familiar with such a gift. Something better than the poor offerings I gave you tonight." Aura can hear the soft rumble of Nick's stomach. She turns her head to give Nick a mild glare before she beams back up at Michael. "I shall bring some of the best Atlantis has to offer," she declares. "And just as a curiosity, I will bring you an example of one of our more ... interesting citrus fruits. I think the possibilities it offers will," her smile turns playfully sultry; "Entice you." Nick nearly bursts at this, stifling his mouth with a claw. Lorius, too, looks surprised and gasps slightly. Michael smiles to Aura, but turns his gaze on Lorius. "Something to tell me, perhaps, milord Prince?" Lorius looks at Aura and then back to Michael. "All I can say, Lord Michael, is that Aura has never offered me the delicacy she will bestow upon you." Aura merely smiles and valiantly manages to not roll her eyes. As often as Lorius was in Atlantis, she could not for a moment imagine he had not had the nation's most sought after citrus. Michael snorts and returns to looking at Aura, his charm returned. "I think we have a bargain, principessa." "Excellent!" she exclaims excitedly. "I will see you when we return. Thank you again for a most delightful repast. I look forward to many more." Michael bows his head. "The deal is made and the bargain is struck. Until your return, bella principessa." "Come, Lorius. Much work to do and we shan't do it under Michael's feet." Lorius chuckles. "You're too right. Time is wasting." He follows Aura out of the kitchen and into the hallway. "Anyway, let's get outside the walls and get beyond the protections so that we can transport ourselves to Atlantis." "Lead on," she says and then dons her cloak again with a flourish while Nick clung pecariously on her sleeve out of the way. She sidles up to Lorius and clicks her fingers for a privacy spell. But just in case, she leans in close. "We will need Kovikin when we get there." "Why?" Lorius asks. He doesn't break his stride waiting for Aura to answer. Instead, he briskly heads down a hallway, leads Aura (and Nick) down a couple of turns, and, by some sort of sleight-of-hand, Aura is at the front of the Castle. "We just do," she answers crypticlly. There are some places in Atlantis even Aura cannot access alone. Lorius, being of non-Atlantean blood, would be a tasty snack should he try it on his own. "It might have been even simpler to head out of the kitchen's entrance." Lorius says. "Although using such side entrances and exits have hazards of their own." "Where in Atlantis shall I bring us? Front of the Palace? I assume teeporting right inside would make certain parties nervous and unhappy." Lorius pauses a beat. "Not that it has precisely stopped me before" She responds with an arched brow. "The guards would be seriously put out," she reminds him. "Those blades they carry are not just because they look smashing with their uniforms. You will also remember that my father does not take kindly to you popping out of nowhere anywhere near the palace." "I was hoping your relationship with the Heir would ablate and alleviate such a reaction." Lorius counters. "Not likely!" Nick snorts. Aura shakes her head. "No. My gardens will do nicely. I can get us where we need to be from there." "Gardens of your home. Next to the big breadfruit tree." Lorius says, making a decision. "Please keep your seatbelts on and your seats in an upright position until the teleport spell has completed. Thank you for choosing Lorius Airlines, Limited." The world around Aura, Nick and Lorius begins to spin. She finds that the three of them are in the still center of a whirlwind, a whirlwind that never touches a hair on her head. After about a minute of spinning, the blurred image around the three of them changes from a blur of Amber to a blur of a more lush, warm and tropical place. As the spin slows to a stop, the blur of location resolves to be the garden of Aura's primary home. The breadfruit tree is right behind Lorius when the world returns to normal. "I think I prefer your teleporting." Nick whispers to Aura. Swaying slightly until she gets her equilibrium back, Aura can't help but agree with her lizard. "Especially so soon after eating." Lorius seems blissfully unaware of the dizzying effects of his teleport, as he quickly goes to a position a few inches off the ground and looks around in satisfaction. With her equilbrium finally back, Aura notices its late in the afternoon, here. Aura tosses her cloak over one shoulder and gives Kovikin a mental knock. It's only polite - especially with the time differences. Goddess only knows how much time has passed for this place. Kovikin's response is quick, and pleased. "Aura!" he says. "I was worried I wouldn't hear from you for months. That floating cousin of yours has not embroiled you in trouble back in your family's homeland, has he?" She looks sidelong to Lorius. "Well... no." Aura focuses back on Kovikin. "But we need to talk. Something has come up. Step back." The mood of his tone turns quickly, like a typhoon's course changing suddenly, serious and all business. "All right" he says. Aura gestures and the arch of light and magic opens before her. "Lorius. Stop admiring my statuary and come on. We have places to be." "I was not!" Lorius says. It must be noted for an independent, objective viewer that he is standing next to Aura's statue depicting a half clothed pleiad looking around anxiously. She waits for her levitating relation and gives him a shove through the gate before moving through herself. Nick cheers as Lorius floats through, with coaxing, ahead of Aura. Aura, Lorius, and Nick have arrived at the Palace where Kovikin is standing. He is, in fact, standing in the glass-walled gardens that, while from a climatological point of view, is unnecessary, does provide a modicum of privacy. He is holding, in his hand, the somewhat infamous fruit that Aura has promised Chef Michael. Kovikin invitingly pats the marble bench that he is standing next. "We can, of course, speak with father if it is *that* serious." Kovikin says. Aura chews her lower lip thoughtfully. "I think we should. It has the potential to be exceedingly serious. In fact, we should take the meeting to the War Room and invoke the Privacy Protocols. My father will also need to be summoned in his official capacity. Might not hurt to summon the High Priestesses as well, but I will leave that decision to Ashram." "Then we will go and see him." Kovikin says. He turns all business, the fruit put down and the martial bearing of the Warlord of Atlantis taking its place. "Imminently." She turns to Lorius, pausing a moment before asking a question he could plainly see it pained her to has to ask such a question in the middle of Atlantis. "You know a spell to force a shape shifter into their true form?" "There are a few ways to do that" Lorius says. Nick rolls his eyes. Lorius seems to catch this gesture and he shakes his head. "Briefly, there are three arcane ways to force a shapeshifter into their true form. A cantrip, sometimes called a Power word. That works best for natural shifters. Chaosians and Weir. A dispel magic spell works best for shifters using some arcane power to do so. Faerie. Werewolves. Skintakers. What we want, if I read you correctly, Aura, is something a little wider range and more powerful. We want a Trueform spell, which will work on a wide range of targets." "You have one of these Trueform spells?" Kovikin interrupts. "Yes" Lorius says. "All I need is to adapt it to the ambient Atlantis arcane field, and I, Aura or any competent sorcerer could employ it." "It can be" he adds, with a touch of glee in his eyes "a rather painful forced reversion to true form, too." "Good," she smiles nastily. "It will be even more painful when they pass through the jaws of the kraken." "We will teach the spell to Kovikin," she declares. "And to Ashram, as well as whoever Thera feels can handle it from the Temple of Ashura." She narrows her eyes thoughtfully. "I wonder if it can be incorporated into a ward - filtering out the Atlantean shapeshifters so it does not harm them. Something to decipher." Lorius nods in agreement. "Shall we adjourn to the War Room?" "Yes" Kovikin says. "Once there we can get a hold of everyone we need and want." "Will there be food?" Nick says. "Doesn't matter. There's spellcraft to be done. And politics. There are always politics. Even in Paradise." "Atlantis" Kovikin corrects Lorius. Kovikin gestures for Aura to lead. Aura stalks through the mosaic lined hallways of the Atlantean Royal Palace as if she owns them. She knows the way blindfolded in the dark. In a way she feels she does own them. It has been her second home all her life, and the people in its walls more family to her heart than even Lorius (who she really was rather attached to). Now it was possibly threatened and she was not going to just flit about Rebma and let it happen. Kovikin walks by her side, on the side opposite the shoulder that Nick rides on. Behind them, flying more than floating, is Lorius. She sees no reason to wait until she arrives at the other end of the palace to summon Atlantis' Sword. Just as she had called Kovikin earlier, she now calls for her father. Lothian takes only a moment to answer, a speed faster than what Kovikin managed with his response. The look on his face is surprise, delight, and concern mixed into a paint for the features of his countenance. "Aura" he responds. The contact is not overwhelming, Aura can continue her progress through the marble beauty of the palace. "News from outside Atlantis?" Backlinks |
