[PRP] Pie Any Means Necessary (Horace/The Fabrics)

[The Semblance of Unity]

Finding his way into other Ashdown had been surprising easy this time. Which was excellent, as he was transporting two pies in a tiered carrier: a berry crumble and lemon meringue. Personally, Horace didn't care too much for lemon-flavored things, but he thought people with withered tongues might appreciate stronger flavors. Maybe. It was a just in logic, but he took it. Plus, making meringue was fun. He also had a letter, although he didn't know the exact contents of it - in this, he was a messenger.

He kept the idea that he needed to go to the court in the forefront of his mind, hoping that the magic would feel benevolent. And it seemed as though it was. He stepped inside some truly grand hallway slash lobby thing and looked around.

"H-hello? If someone could direct me to the Lady's quarters?" Horace didn't want to wander around and ******** up someone's privacy.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"The Lady isn't here right now," said Felt from behind Horace. His weird high-low voice was recognizable enough, even if Felt himself wasn't. "How else can I direct you?" Without his heavy robes and mask, Felt was tiny, diminutive even. Like all of the Spinel Lady's fetches, he wore straight black; what could be seen of his skin was covered heavily in blue ink. The tattoos were perfectly preserved, though the rest of him seemed oddly waterlogged. One expected him to leave puddled footprints as he crossed the warm red hardwood floors.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace jumped a little, but only a little (because he had pies and pies do not jump well), and turned around. "s**t, Felt - is that Felt? You gave me a heart attack." He let out a great whooshing exhale, then smiled. Felt seemed kind of squishy, really, but they were still cool.

"I was actually looking for, um, not the Lady. But maybe Silk and... you."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Felt raised his eyebrows, a silent huh. Like he hadn't expected that. "Yeah," he said. "It's Felt." He didn't leave any puddles behind him as he approached Horace. "I can show you to the suite. Do you want me to carry that?"

He held out his hands for the pie carrier thing.

"Why are you looking for me? Us?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Oh nah, I've got it." Felt was tiny and he wasn't about to pass heavy pies onto the tiny fetch until it was time to actually divvy everything up. "I actually have a letter for Silk and I... uh.... wanted to apologize to you both." Horace looked a little sheepish.

"You... you guys can eat, right?" Oh ********, what if they couldn't?

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Felt frowned. "Apologize to us? Why?" He tucked his hands into his sleeves. "Of course we can eat, if we want. We're not vampires."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"For the conference thing... I wasn't aware my keychain would be considered a weapon, but I caused trouble to you." Horace shrugged. "I'm glad you can eat; I wasn't sure... so.... you can pick the first one, if you want." He gestured with his pie-carrier.

"One is a berry crumble, and the other is lemon meringue. Or, if Silk wants to share, I'm sure you can split them. I only made the two, though, sorry."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"That's very kind of you," said Felt, who sounded surprised to have been remembered at all. "I'll show you to the Lady's suite, then." He started off down the long whitewashed hallway. There were several half-moon accent tables spaced throughout the long hall; each of them had a white porcelain vase with golden cracks and soft pink peonies. It was incredibly samey, and incredibly tasteful.

He stopped outside a door flanked by two hulking fetches. "This is Noel, and this is Noah," said Felt. "Pardon us." And they passed through the door into... another hallway. This one was much shorter. Felt knocked on the first door to their right.

Silk answered it. "Felt," she said. "And... Horace Nokoni. The warg." She arched her eyebrows. "Good evening."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace waved at both Noel and Noah. "Hello." And then he continued to follow Felt. Maybe if he ever ******** up badly enough with magic, he'd asked to join their ranks as a Nokoni. N names for days.

"Hello, Silk, I brought some things for you and Felt - as an apology of sorts. Do you like pie?" A beat. "I also have a letter for you."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Silk arched her brows. She did that a lot. "What kind of pie? Cherry pie is disgusting."

"Cherry pie is delicious," muttered Felt darkly.

She stepped back, allowing them into the office. It was... weirdly normal. No torture racks or anything. The desk was a warm red wood, and when Silk leaned on it, the wood warmed and left handprints. "It's called heartwood," she said, tracing her name on the lacquered surface. A dark red-violet followed her fingertip, reacting to its warmth. "Isn't it interesting? The sap moves to react to warmth."

She crossed her arms. "A letter?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He debated covering his smile with his hand, but instead beamed at Silk. "One lemon meringue and one berry crumble." Pie wars. "You can split them as you see fit, of course. I wasn't sure what kinds to make, though if you've never had a peanut butter pie, I'll make one next time. It's... transcendent." He wrinkled his nose. Peanut butter pie done correctly was the best thing in the world. Maybe he should make it for Oliver and Elliot.

Horace peered around her office, trying not to look too nosy (probably failing). "Is that a tree native to here? I don't think we have anything like it on the other side." He wanted to touch it. Then he looked up, blinked, and fumbled in his pocket.

"Yes, a letter. One of the other visitors asked me to deliver it to you." He handed it over. 'Silk' was written on the front in a very delicate, swooping penmanship. "Where should I set the pies?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"Yes," said Silk, "I believe it once existed on your side too, but it--along with so many other things--was pulled to this side when all the magic was removed from your world."

She gestured. "Where-ever there's room on the desk, or the sideboard will do." Felt jerked a thumb at the sideboard behind Horace; it was set against the back wall of the office. She eyed the letter with some suspicion, and then with a shrug held out a hand to take it. "Would you like to have a seat, or have you further errands to run?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace held the pie carrier delicately as he handed over the letter. "I wonder how many things were lost in the divide," he murmured, then moved to set the pies along the sideboard. "Thanks, Felt."

Once deposited, he turned back to the fetches. "I've nowhere in particular to be, if I'm not imposing too much."

shibrogane

show spoilerhide spoiler

the letter is written on thick water color paper, obviously ripped unevenly from a sketchbook. The handwriting is surprisingly neat and everything is spelled correctly. In the top left corner is a small, but strangely realistic drawing of Silk on the night of the conference. Beneath that is a sort of cartoonish-looking Preacher waving.

Silk,

Please accept my apologies in regard to the night of our conference.

It wasn't my intention to create such an awkward and embarrassing situation for you by assuming my natural form. I put my comfort above others and I regret this decision. If there was any good that came out of this unfortunate experience, it is that I have grown and now learned alternative approaches to these situations. For my future frame of reference, is being in animal form overall considered rude or just in some situations?

Please feel free to let me know of your thoughts and lingering concerns over this matter. You can reach me by yelling across the night sky - I will hear you - or by sending any letter through this visitor. Also, if you would allow it, I would like to visit the court again for art purposes.

Do not judge the messenger harshly; I strong-armed them into taking this to you.

Sincerely,
Preacher M.
(the mink)

 

[shibrogane]

Silk scanned the letter. Felt took over as she was reading. "Many things were lost," said Felt. "To you all. To the visitors, and to the otherworld. But most of them have been preserved here, timeless and perfect. I wasn't one of the fetches from before the Court. Silk and Odal are all that's left. But they tell stories about what the otherworld was like before, you know? And all the wondrous things there still are."

Silk was considering the letter, chewing on a pen with her slightly-crooked teeth.

"Silk's special. So's Odal. They have family still incarnating in the cycles." Felt seemed proud of this. "So they get to protect them, as best they can."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"So did the charter change the otherworld's environmental make-up, too? I kind of just thought it... added the court, really." He eyed Silk a bit, hoping the letter didn't contain anything weird.

Then he looked back at Felt. "Oh, do they have, uh, visitors in their families? It must... be difficult. Are fetches outside of the cycles like nobles are?" Repeat, repeat, rinse, repeat. Horace remembered how Shiloh had spoken of the cycles and his fear that he'd remember Jamie and Jamie not him.

shibrogane