Reivyn's eyes flashed gold for a moment, and his nose twitched,
"Excuse,it's  been nice seeing you all, but I need some fresh air."
Reivyn stalked out with a heavy foot, about twenty feet away from the bar, and
rested against the wall, ~~  Sire,
that was the semi-formal affectionate tone he used with Ellesandir.
 
       Zoey moved silently to Puck's side, his 5'2 form passing easily
among the taller mortals or otherwise.  Ignoring the creature perched on his
shoulder for the moment, his jaden eyes lifting to study the others. He
remained silent as was his nature, quiet and withdrawn around those he
was unfamiliar with.  With Puck at his side, he at least felt comfortable.
      The trickster was well known for being one of the worst people to encounter
in a bad sitaution... which in the Dark Bard's eyes, this could turn into all too
 easily. Glancing up to Puck,he questioned silently, ~~
          Somehow, he knew his questions would either go unanswered or
 ignored. Protesting or refusal would end him up spitting flower petals everytime 
he tried to speak or something of the like.  Remaining silent for the moment, his 
attention fell first on Reivyn, stepping back a pace from the tall and powerful 
looking man as he stalked away from the group.
    Shifting it onto Crysalis and Ellessandir, he nodded softly to the stream of 
chatter from the spriggan as it pointed accusingly at the latter. Evidentally, it 
wasn't too pleased with the attention that the fae had given it earlier, especially
when Ellesandir had been about to swat it with the broom. Trying to remain 
serious at the variety of insults being heaped upon the other fae by the creature, 
Zoey's too pretty features finally fell into a fleeting smile.
 
           Puck smiled and went into a deep formal bow to Kione, so out
 of place in the smokey gloom.  "My lady does remember Lord Aergol mac
 Ciarda's bastard son Kieran after all the hubub of a crowded Faire?  I am
 impressed. I didn't think that I hung around long enough to get pinned for
 anything I did."  He chuckled slightly at himself and shook his head.  "But
 seriously, have you heard the latest?  Admin is thinking of putting together a new
 stage show.  Something about The Fair Folk."
          ~~  He then turned to Zoey
 with a mental sigh.  ~~
 
          Had someone been privy to the conversation going on between
 Puck and Zoey, they probably would have had to burst into giggles at the
 expression of complete disbelief on The Dark Bard's face at Puck's revelation. All
 he could do for a moment or two was blink as his brain slowly asorbed that
 information.  Giving Puck on of those 'I Can't Believe I'm Paired With
 You' looks, Zoey slapped a hand over his forehead. He could already feel the
 headache trying to form.  What had the King and Queen been thinking
 when they put him with the Trickster? This had to be one of the cruel
 ironies of life to be stuck with the one person in all of Avalon that was his
 complete opposite.  ~~ was all that Zoey could comment dryly.
         Briefly, he studied Ellessandir, a small smile of appreciation flicking 
over his rose shaded lips.  Handsome to say the least.  Pity he was
 against them.  Ah well, at least he wasn't that hulking brute. Running
 a slim fingered hand through his sun and fire coloured locks of hair, the
dark fae turned his attention from pleasure back to business.
         Speaking in soft tones, his voice carried a musical quality to
it, lilting with tones of flutes and windchimes stirred by a soft breeze,
 "The Fair Folk?  Should be interesting to see their show, especially if they
portray Robin Goodfellow.  Then again, I always liked the title of Peri
versus Fair Folk.  A name taken from the word 'peril' seemed more
 fitting after some of the legends I've read."
 
         ~~ Puck replied mockenly.~ The King and Queen were very
 explicit about it too. I thought you knew that.~
         "I'm not sure if they're going that far, cousin.  I heard
 they're just going to have a couple of dancing circles and then do a show
 featuring some sort of fight between humans and Faerie.  I'm not sure though."
 
          Kione laughed a little at the bow. "How could I forget?"she
 asked with a raised eyebrow. *About the Fair Folk, hm? Wouldn't that be a
 appropiate...* "No, I haven't heard anything like that. I'm not as involved
 with the Faire group as I used to be. Sounds like an interesting summer,
 though." Something the black haired man had said occurred to her. She
 looked from the sprightly silver tongued man in the leather to his pretty, but
 almost terminally quiet companion. "You two are cousins?" Kione asked
 skeptically.  It didn't seem possible...
          Kione irritably looked over to the bartender, who had been
 steadily ignoring her for almost half an hour. That was it; she was tired of
 waiting for the bastard to come over so she could confront him.
          "Excuse me," she asked the small group politely. "Hey Richard,
 would you mind finding Colette? I think we're going to leave in a bit. Nice
 meeting you both," she said, nodding to the other two.
 
           Rich nodded. "Sure. I think she's over there," he said, pointing to
 the corner. "Hey Alan, nice to run into you. See you in class." He walked
 over to where he'd thought he'd seen Colette graviate to, and  managed
 to locate her in a few minutes. "There you are. Kione wants to  head
 somewhere else for tonight. I think she's pissed off at the bartender or
 something."
 
           "Bye bye," Puck said with a wave of his hand. Giving Kione a
 gentle grin, he said. "Oh yes we are. I'm a Mergrae and Zoey's a Knight, the
 son of my tiny Aunt Morgan. The Knights take after the Scot side of the clan
 while the Mergrae's take after the Norse. It has been a pleasure. Maybe we
 can talk again when you're not so busy."
           Nodding in farewell, he led his 'cousin from the bar to the
 back of the building in the deep shadows. ~~
 
           ~~ Ellessandir's head lifted as
 he received the warning from Puck. He gave a wry grin. ~~
 He self-conciously raised a hand to the slight shadowings of a bruise
 on his left cheek. A fluke...nothing more.
            Ellessandir collared the owner, Peter, and notified him
 of his departure. He quickly grabbed bag and coat, and hurried out the
 door.
            "Just a second," he said, stopping beside Reivy. He leaned
 back into the shadows created by the building.
 
           "Had I not seen you, I would have smelled you.  You wish to
 speak to me?" Reivyn shifted against the wall, "The moon is full tonight...
 and I didn't plan on attacking any of them.  The smell of magic was too great
 in there and I needed air."  ReivynWulf cracked his knuckles, "The
 trickster, how did he know who and what I was?  And what is this I hear of the
 humans having witches protected this realm?"
 
            It took Crysalis a several moments for her anger to be held in check as 
she watched each of them forget about her so quickly.  *Oh, who cares?* she told 
herself in resignation as she hurried along to follow quickly, fairly racing out the 
door when she reached it.  She relaxed, her anger cooling at the night air, and looked
around for the two she saw leave. When she saw them, her eyes brightened a moment before
 she rebelliously remembered what they had done.
            Crysalis sighed briefly, shaking her head.  As much as she wanted to leave them, 
she couldn't; a meeting with the others was progress and she didn't know where the park 
was herself.  But she couldn't help overhear a part of what Reivyn said as she slipped 
closer on silent steps.
             To her dismay, she blurted, "Witches?  What witches?"
 
             ~~ Reivyn explained.
 
              Wrapping his fingers around Puck's, his grip loose and gentle still. Bracing 
himself for the cold grasp of teleportation, he found himself wishing that they had 
chosen a graveyard instead of some park.  At least then he'd feel more comfortable. 
As they reappeared, Zoey debated momentarily before offering Puck a wry grin.  "Are 
we going natural or is this still a masquerade ball?" he asked gesturing to his too pretty
 face that illusions made up to cover the nightmarish appearance underneath.
 
              "They aren't witches," Ellessandir said sharply. "Witches, like the one back
in the bar, tend to have less destructive magic. Or at least more subtle. These warriors 
were of a different sort, that I've never felt or witnessed before." He turned to Reivy and
Crysalis,"Which is why we're meeting the Unseleighe. They may have a better idea of 
what we're up against."
 
             ~~ Reivyn 'yelled', ~~ Reivyn took in a sharp
 breath, ~~
 
              Ellessandir gave a frustrated sigh, and felt like doing the mental equivalent of 
putting his hands over his ears. ~~ He turned to Crysalis. ~~
 
        ~~ Reivyn breathed deeply, ~I want to be a part of
 this... it's not that I'm repugnant to all of them,~ Reivyn stood and held out his arm to 
Crysalis, ~<...I've just had bad run-ins with them. Crysalis, care to join me?>~
 
             Crysalis stared at him in bewilderment a moment, her eyes growing
 wide at the sudden inclination to include her.  She was quite ready to openly refuse him; 
she didn't need to be treated in such a manner. *Live a little,* a little devil inside her told 
her, *better treatment than you recieved from the Court.  For now.*  Carefully, as if she 
were suddenly aware that he could turn it into a prank, she took hold of his arm
 gently and nodded.  ~~
 
            "Of course.  Thank you, Crysalis." Reivyn said softly, "Ellessandir, if you could 
lead the way?"
 
             Rolling his eyes, Ellessandir turned without a word, and began walking down 
the block. It wasn't exactly the most prestigious of neighborhoods, and although the
immediate area around Foxglove's was considered neutral ground, once you got about a
block away, the human trash and exiles of the city would consider you fair game, regardless 
of age,sex or color. Ellessandir supposed it was an equality of sorts. The only way
 you might get around the equal rights movement was if you looked big enough,
 or perhaps dangerous enough not to tangle with. And that was one area that the little 
trio was sadly lacking. Except for Reivyn maybe. But he seemed distracted with the 
pretty Papillion on his arm, and would have been at least partially vulnerable.
            Nonetheless, some remaining survival instinct of these people seemed to warn 
them off. Ellessandir, Crysalis and Reivyn reached the park unchallenged. Puck and 
the child at his side seemed to have cleared the small clearing of whatever residents
it might have held beforehand. At least, Ellessandir thought it was a child. There was a 
thin glamour super-imposed over the Unseleighe's form that left his true form
somewhat cloudy. The Seleighe bard watched him with interest, noting the flute
 case at his side.
           "Hello," he hailed the two, drawing closer,"What information should we decide 
to share?"
 
           Settling on the lip of the fountain, Zoey drew the spriggan off of his shoulder, 
soothing the creature's upset as best he could over the whole broom incident.  Even 
the Dark Bard could see that Ellessandir was going to be dealing with an influx of just 
about every annoying small member of the Unseleighe court that the spriggan could 
manage to talk into it.  He almost pitied the other man in a manner, considering that he 
knew just how annoying the pests could be when they put their full mind and energies 
into it.
          Had he known Ellessandir's thoughts on him being a child, he would
 have been grimly amused.  It seemed he was always being mistaken for
 someone younger given his scant height or a female when in his mortal seeming.
 For now, his emerald gaze moved up to meet the other fae's eyes with a calm
 serenity in their depths, overlaying the quick and at times vicious temper beneath 
them.  Quieting the spriggan as it hurled one last insult at the Seleighe bard, he 
placed the creature back on his shoulder, letting it clutch at his crimson gold locks.
     "I wish to know about these witches, the mortals that would seek to drag Atlantis
out of Faerie hands and see it in theirs," Zoey murmured, musical tones dancing through 
his windchime voice as if the words should have been sung instead of spoken.
           Shifting his attention off of Ellessandir, it settled on Crysalis and Reivyn.  A bitter
tinged smile touched his thin lips, considering the irony of the turns his life had taken to
end him up dealing with the people his King and Queen had sent him here to defeat
for Atlantis.   "Perhaps I should introduce myself," he began again, speaking to all three 
even as his sight occasionally flicked back to Ellessandir.  "I am called Zoey
 NightDragon, Dark Bard of the Court of Shadow Dragons of the Unseleighe.
 And yourselves?"
 
       "ReivynWulf." Reivyn bowed, "Self proclaimed warrior, and a bit 
 of a healer."  ~~,  Reivyn asked, he understood what it was like to be made fun
 of... so  his heart kinda went out to Papillion and her prediciment.
 
       Puck chuckled slightly, floating up into the air and crossing one
 leg over the other.  Playing a little with a lock of hair, his form took on
 the purple and green hues he loved dearly, becoming agan a slender fae form
 with Cold Iron earrings gleaming in his ears.  "No need to  introduce
 myself," he said with a graceful bob of his head.  "I am the  Puck, mortal
 interpeter and mischief maker."
 
       Reivyn popped his neck, "I apologize for my early actions, I had
 not known of the truce, and I am a bit under the influence of the weather."
 Reivyn turned his gaze to the Dark Bard, "Beutiful night out, eh?  I
 love the way the moon looks when full." Reivyn removed his Trench coat and
 placed it on the ground, there he sat, after offering a seat to Papillion,
 "Now my question is this trickster... if we give you our information... what do
 you give us?" Reivyn shruged his shoulders and half leaned back.  He raised
 an eyebrow when he saw the Spriggan, but decided not to say anything of
 it.
 
       "Truce?" Puck said with a grin and a raised eyebrow.  "Who said
 anything about truce?  We are for the moment discussing a possiblity of
 a truce."
 
          Back at FoxGlove, Rich waved in the direction of the bar.
 "Kione's over at the bar.  She's still having trouble with tonight's bartender, I
 think."  He led Colette back to the other member of their trio.  "So, where's next,
 Kione?"
 
            ~~ Crysalis replied coldly when she shook her head slightly 
to refuse a seat.  Slightly nervous in knowing that she was in the presence of two 
Bards, she didn't think she would be able to stand still, let alone sit still.  Finally, her 
eyes turning into a darker hue of  blue that matched the evening sky, she murmured 
cooly, "I am called Sorceress Papillion, the Mage of the Seleighe Court."
 
        Nodding softly to the Papillion, a brief smile touched his lips. "The
 butterfly... one as beautiful as their name.  My greetings, milady," he murmured.
         Turning his attention back up to Reivyn, the Dark Bard's form flickered,
 the deep green of his irises fading to a bright white with hints of green dancing 
through them.  Slender fingers curled, the formerly clear nails like a mortal's darkened, 
taking back on their deep onyx shades. Like Puck, he let go of his Glamour powered
Seeming rather than try to fight against Lir's curse.  Almond shaped eyes blinked as 
his flesh paled back out, hair now silken sheafs of ebony and ivory that curled about his
 face. Blackened lips parted in a weary sigh as his gaze tilted up to Puck. Leave it to 
the trickster to say exactly what was on his mind.  
      Offering Reivyn a smile that looked more like a rictus of pain with his needlelike teeth
 showing, Zoey's shoulders lifted in a shrug.  "I do prefer the night, although I miss my
home oddly enough.  I often find myself not knowing what to do with all these," he 
waved a thin hand upwards to the structures that loomed about the park like silent 
sentinals, disgust touching his tone."... buildings about.  I'm used to see the rows
upon rows of headstones of the Graveyard of Sorrows.  Open space, not being closed 
in like this."
         Nodding to Puck, he studied the entire group.  "Why should we fight each 
other?  I saw we move first for all of Avalon to keep the humans out of the race.  
Once the prize is secured, then... and only then... we can dispute each other for it."
 
         Ellessandir gaped at his son, marveling at how he could be so suspicious at 
one moment, yet so utterly trusting the next. Well, no use pointing it out now, when 
there were more important things to be concerned about. Such as the possibility of 
attack. Ellessandir looked up at Puck frankly, unsure of whether he would heed the 
bard. No matter how much he tried to hide it, there was always a telltale hint of his 
temporary humanity. It was no secret, his curse. Court gossip was the fastest and
 largest source of information he had ever see, and was easy enough to come
 by, if you weren't picky about how you got it. An 'anonymous' Unseleighe's
 plight had been on the tounges of the royal court for weeks afterward
         Ellessandir was sure that Puck could, if pressed, tear a sizeable chunk 
 from his hide before they finished, if it came down to that. He was no
 slouch at his magic, mortal or immortal, and if you cared to look beneath the
 laughing surface, very dangerous in his own right.
        But, as portrayed by the cold iron earrings Puck wore,(*Yeowch...*
 Ellessandir thought, picturing himself attempting the same and then wincing)
 other abilities came with humanity. And vulnerabilities to things neither
 Papillion or himself would have batted an eye at. Such as elf-shot Using
 elf-shot and bael fire against normal humans was like using hand grenades
 against rabbits. But if the trickster cared to attack them, Ellessandir would use 
them, regardless. Even using them, he had a feeling that such a battle wouldn't go 
down in his mental scrapbook of fond memories.
        Ellessandir walked up to Puck calmly. "I was under the impression
 that you were the one who asked us here. I'm not against pooling our
 information, considering how little we know about our enemy, but I didn't 
come here to fight for it." He grinned suddenly, and turned to the Unseleighe Bard,
 the spriggan sitting on it's shoulder like a lunatic's version of a parrot.
 "Ah,  how rude of me." Ellessandir made the low, sweeping bow now being used
 by the Court. "I'm Ellessandir Amberle of Ranai Misthold and the Royal
 Court. Do you use a specialized instrument, if I may ask?"
 
       "But of course," Puck said, giving Ellessandir a wink. "But I think
 that you misunderstood what I was trying to say. We have a temporary
 truce right now to discuss whether or not we should work with each other. If
 so,  the temporary truce will become a more permanate one. If not, then we
 will leave this park as enemies. Sounds fair enough?
       "You Seleighe have faced the enemy and know more about them, is 
 it not so? My associate and myself have better information about how to locate
 the items and portals, as well as a better understanding into the human
 thought process. Together, we can clear the battlefield of mortals, then duke
 it out among ourselves for the isle."
 
       Reivyn looked around as he saw all of his companions, Dark and
 Light, reveal their true forms. "Trickster, you talk of taking this island
 from the humans... Can we not try to resolve this peacefully?" This was when he
 mentally said *Aw what the hell* and phased into his full wolf form,
 leaving his other form as a surprise. Black fur began to sprout all over his
 body, his mouth elongated and filled with equally sharp teeth.
       Reivyn's hands and legs changed and metamorphosed, making him 
 drop to the ground. His clothes ripped beyond belief. Lastly his wolf fur
 became a grainier texture, all most like feathers. As he finished Reivyn
 stretched, yawned and unfurled his four large black raven wings, "I say that if we
 try perhaps we can come to a compromise." Reivyn sat on his haunches.
 
       ~~ Puck replied silently to the were, 
flicking an imaginary speck of dust off his shoulder with a long finger. ~~
 
      Zoey's gaze flicked to the lupine as he changed, an ebony and 
 ivory brow lifting in faint surprise. Some things were heard of and just not fully
 believed until they were seen. Shifting his attention back to Ellessandir,
 he nodded slowly, painfully aware of how the slightest misdone gesture
 in his natural form could be misinterpreted as agression instead of his
 normal manner of being. The Dream Riders weren't ones seen outside of their
 own dark places.
       Folding one slender leg over the other, a painfully thin hand
 flicked open the case at his side. With a pass of a hand as smooth as any
 magician's, he produced a silver flute, the sheen of the metal that of
 highly polished silver that seemed to capture the moonlight within it.
 Greenish stones... zoisites... were set in the metal at various places,
 altering the tone of the musical note that could be played upon it,
 infusing it with his own abilities. Etched within the instrument's surface were
 designs of an odd flowing Celtic nature, wards most likely to prevent
 it being stolen or broken save from cold iron.
       "This is generally what I prefer, Ellessandir Amberle. A simple
 medium perhaps, but it suits my needs. I rather enjoy it. Most woodwinds
 produce a fine melody by themselves or when in conjunction with others," Zoey
 replied in his lilting, whisperish voice, wind raking across dead leaves in the
 tones. This alone probably accounted for why he was silent most times,
 it being hard to hear him unless one paid close attention.
       Letting his gaze roam over the other Bard, a twinge of loneliness
 flowed across his heart like iced water. Banishing that to the forgotten
 corners of his mind for the time, he focused himself on the conversations.
 There was time to miss companionship later.

       "Bards," Puck said, rolling his eyes skyward. "Get more than one in a room 
and they talk music." He pulled out a bone flute. "I play a flute too."

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