San Antonio, Here We Come (Milada, Mara, ST)

Page 1
Pisha

Nov 08, 2014#1

Milada leads her back to the Freehold Hollow, ducking into her own room long enough to grab a few things (and for Mara to clean up if she wants to - Milada will offer her shower and a change of clothes, but won't push if she's reticent or in a hurry), then out through the door into, as promised, a local library. "We call ourselves Changelings," she explains to the woman as they walk back, "those of us who were taken and escaped. It's not a perfect match to how the word was used in the old stories, but it's close enough. We are changed from what we were before - I'm sure you've noticed. We have abilities we didn't have, we can do certain kinds of magic." She glances over at the woman. "And we - most of us - don't look human anymore. Ash was a tree over there, for instance, and he still sort of looks like a tree."

She smiles. "The good news is, in the real world, people - regular people, I mean - can't see that. We can see each other, but to them we'll just look like normal folks. It's... like an illusion." She shrugs. "And that's a good thing. Some people react just fine to learning about - well, what we know. And others... don't." She doesn't elaborate on this. "So anyway. That's why you - and that branch you're lugging around - may not actually get the strange looks you'd expect."

And indeed, the Mask of a leather carrying case doesn't excite any alarm once they emerge from the Hollow into the library. Milada smiles a hello to the librarians and a couple of the patrons; there's the sense that she's been through here on a regular basis.

And then they're outside - Mara is in the real world, seeing the real sky, for the first time in however long.

Depending on her reaction, Milada will give her a minute - for a lot of Changelings, this is the moment when it actually sinks in that they're really free. Eventually she will gently ask, "Now. Do you mind riding on the back of a scooter for a few miles? Or should I get the car and come back?"

itokro

Nov 09, 2014#2

Mara accepts the offer of a shower & clean clothes, although she's clearly still impatient to be going (if Ash or someone else offers to sort out the logistics necessary to let Mara drive while she & Milada are getting ready, this offer will be gratefully accepted). She tries not to loiter in the shower, not even to savour a long-overdue reacquaintance with hot running water, but still spends a while trying to scrub the blood and dirt from her body before realising that some of it just isn't coming off. Ever. [OOC: because it's her Mien, although I'm not sure whether Mara would realise/understand this yet]

Once Mara has changed, she offers the battered leather armour she'd previously been wearing to Milada. "I know this isn't much", she says, "but it's more or less the only payment I can offer you right now. If you have any use for this, please take it, with my thanks." If Milada refuses, Mara will press her to accept the armour a couple of times, but will eventually drop the matter should Milada's refusal hold firm.

As they emerge from the library, Mara takes several deep breaths, savouring the smells of the world. "I made it", she murmurs to herself. "Home." Then she seems to reign herself in. Face studiously calm, she turns to Milada and asks in a matter-of-fact tone, "So, where next?"

"No, I don't mind riding on a scooter. Let's go."

Pisha

Nov 09, 2014#3

(Ooc: I am not sure what arrangements Ana's npcs have in place, but I doubt there's a way to get a fake driver's license made in the space of an hour. However, Milada seems ODDLY UNCONCERNED about this, and seems perfectly ok with Mara switching off driving anyway.)

Under no circumstances will Milada accept her armor, though she is very polite about refusing.

When she agrees to go on the bike, her face splits into a full and playful grin. "Excellent."

She leads Mara to a large scooter and starts it up; they head across town, ending at a car rental company. Again, it is clear that the people there know her; she rents a pretty red car, and soon they're on the road again.

"This one is my favorite," she says happily as they head out. "I don't go out of town that often, but I always come to these guys when I do, and they give me this one when she's free."

She's quiet for a minute, then says, "So. I can start into a spiel, but I'm guessing you might have some specific questions first?"

itokro

Nov 09, 2014#4

"These copies of us - the fetches?" Mara asks. "You implied back there that they can be dangerous, but didn't really give any details. If there is one of me in San Antonio, I need to know what I'm heading toward. What's it likely to do?"

Pisha

Nov 09, 2014#5

She's quiet for a long moment and doesn't answer. Finally, she takes a deep breath. "Hard to say," she says. "Fetches are - they're people, actual people. They have conscious thought, they have free will, they have their own desires and fears and memories. But they were created by the - by Them. Their memories, at least some of them, are false, and so are their personalities - copied from yours."

She hesitates choosing her words. "That doesn't mean they're bad. Some aren't. Eric, my - a friend of mine, he's actually friends with his Fetch. They have dinner together and everything. But because they're not human, they have a... hmm. A higher than average tendency to be... not good?" She gives Mara a helpless look. "Not all of them! But some of them are just slightly off, and... every now and then, one just turns... bad."

She shakes her head. "And even those who are perfectly fine... you have to understand, if you have a Fetch? She thinks she's you. I mean, now that you're back she's probably realized she's not human, and that probably wasn't a fun realization - but even knowing her memories are false, they still feel real. If you show up for your family, she may fight to keep them, every bit as hard as you would - because to her, they're going to feel like her family."

She sighs. "As for what your Fetch can do, well. She'll have all the skills you had when you were taken, plus whatever she's picked up since then. And she may have magic - most Fetches pick up at least a trick or two, though it's hard to predict what. As for what will she do?" She shrugs again. "That's up to her."

itokro

Nov 09, 2014#6

Mara is silent for a while, taking this in. Finally, she says, "So, that raises several questions. I'll start with the most important: my family feel like hers? She's not going to hurt them?"

Pisha

Nov 09, 2014#7

She hesitates, and again, there's the sense that she's trying to be completely honest. "Almost certainly? Again. It is possible for a Fetch to turn really bad, and when that happens they can be... unpredictable." She shrugs. "But then, that can happen to humans too. And it's really rare. The vast majority of Fetches, even if they hate their Changeling, they love their family."

itokro

Nov 09, 2014#8

"As rare as it is in humans?" Mara asks. "Or is there something inherently unstable about the Fetches? Is there any way of telling which ones will go bad? I... it doesn't really matter if my Fetch hates me, as long as my family are safe. If there's a chance that they're not safe... I suppose you should tell me how best to fight it. I mean, her. In case I need to. You say she might have magic - the same sort that I have from Arcadia, or something else? And... you say she'll have realised she's not human, now that I'm back. You made that sound like she's realised it already, even before seeing me. When and how would she have realised that, and would that... would that realisation have made her more likely to turn bad?"

Pisha

Nov 09, 2014#9

She sighs, though it's clear that it's not Mara she's frustrated with - more that she wishes she had better answers to these very good questions. "I don't know," she says. "Those of us who study things like this say that it's... slightly more likely than it is with humans? And some believe that it depends on how well the Fetch was made in the first place. But I'm not an expert." She shakes her head. "And usually - not always - they can feel it when their Changeling comes back into the world. It wakes up their memories."

She frowns. "If it helps... from everything I've seen, if they ARE going to go bad, it's usually right then. So we'll get there quickly, and if she seems fine then you know everything's probably okay." It doesn't address any danger in the meantime, but there's nothing to be done about that besides what they're already doing, so she doesn't say anything about it.

She gives Mara a quick glance, and smiles. "Again, though. Even though it's more common than with humans, I cannot stress enough that it is very, very rare. It's not something that's usually considered something to worry about. But if you DO have to fight her... hmm. Well, you can't sneak up on her - she can always sense you coming. Beyond that... Fetches don't have the same magic as us, and different Fetches can have very different abilities. That's what makes Fetches dangerous when we do have to fight them, they're unpredictable."

itokro

Nov 09, 2014#10

"So we don't know her powers, and we don't know her intentions, but they're probably benign? Got it," Mara replies. "I think I'd like a word with her, at least. And if she does seem to be a threat... I can deal with it." Her hand unconsciously strays to the thorn club at her side. "But if it does come to that, you should probably stay out of it. Just take the car and go. You don't have a stake in this, and I promised Ash I wouldn't let you get hurt."

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Pisha

Nov 09, 2014#11

Milada nods - not necessarily in a sense that implies agreement, just "heard and understood." "Well, we'll see how it goes," she says cheerfully. "Most likely you'll talk to her and the two of you'll work something out - that's usually what happens. And like you said, you may not even have a Fetch. They may not have made one, or she might have gotten killed, in which case you'll be in for a very joyful homecoming. We just have to wait and see."

She's quiet for a moment. Then, "Whatever happens, though, you'll have to know a little more about what you're getting into with us. There's a whole Changeling society out there - it's not just Dallas/Fort Worth. There'll most likely be a Freehold in San Antonio - that's what it's called, when a bunch of us get together with a formal structure - and while you don't necessarily have to join, you will need to at least let them know you're in town, so they don't think you're a threat. And there are advantages to being part of a Freehold."

itokro

Nov 09, 2014#12

"Why don't you tell me more about these Freeholds - and why you think I should be part of one," Mara invites.

Pisha

Nov 09, 2014#13

She grins. "Thought you'd never ask. Okay. So. A Freehold is - well, it's kind of like a city. A very small city - the Dallas-Fort Worth Freehold is about 600 people, but I've seen them with less than 50. And it's all Changelings. We build a home for ourselves for a lot of reasons - a lot of us don't have homes when we come out, and a lot of people may end up in the wrong part of the world or decades - or more - later than they remember, and have a hard time adjusting. We form groups to help each other. And also just because... well, we went through hell." She shrugs sympathetically. "Some people have mental or emotional issues after coming back - most people, honestly. And it's not like you can really talk to anyone else about it, anyone who isn't a Changeling. So we try to help each other that way too, or at least give people some structure. Freeholds give us a way to pool our knowledge and our resources, to learn more and better magic, they give us a social group of people who know who and what we really are..."

She takes a deep breath. "And... and they help protect us. Because Them - the Gentry, the Fair Folk? The True Fae. They're still out there. They try to take new people, and sometimes they try to take us back, and we... stop them. There's strength in numbers and in organization. Some of our more occult-minded people think there's also a mystical protection from being part of a Freehold, something that makes it harder for them to find you and target you, and they might be right. For whatever reason, people who don't join or at least ally with a Freehold tend to be a lot more vulnerable. That could be due to magic, or it could just be because they don't have anyone who has their back, they don't have other eyes and ears looking for danger, they don't have access to the same books and libraries and training grounds to hone their new skills." She shrugs. "So yes. I do recommend joining a Freehold, even if it's not ours."

Hesitantly, she adds, "One thing that people sometimes find it hard to get used to, at least at first... Freeholds are monarchies. There's a King or a Queen - more than one, actually, because the title moves to a new person each season. Some of them have laws and structures in place to keep monarchs from abusing their power, and in most places, the monarchs see their position as a responsibility to keep people safe, not as a privilege. But that's... that's not universal, so it's often a good idea to check out the Freehold ahead of time, find out what the laws are, etc., see what people think of the monarchs, before swearing any oaths."

She pauses. "Oh, that's another thing. Don't make promises lightly. Our magic is fae magic, at least a diluted form of it, and fae magic works on agreements. The magical force that our abilities come from - we call it the Wyrd - it doesn't like broken promises, and it will hold you to your word." She grins. "So, like. When you promised to keep me safe? The Wyrd could have chosen to hold you to that - which could be bad, because then even if I slipped on the sidewalk and sprained my ankle, the universe might find a way to punish you for not preventing that somehow. On the flip side, though, as long as you DO keep your word, the universe tends to reward you - things come easier to you, people are nicer, you can do things better, that sort of thing."

She shakes her head. "But I'm getting sidetracked. Freeholds. Monarchs. Yes! Okay. So when the seasons change, the crown passes to a new person. And it's based on..." She pauses, wondering how to explain this concept. "Did you ever... are you familiar with the old fairy tales? Stories about the faerie courts - Seelie and Unseelie, Summer fairies and Winter fairies?"

itokro

Nov 09, 2014#14

Mara says nothing for a while, simply listens intently. After Milada explains how the Freeholds defend against the Fae, though, her fists clench. "I thought Ash said it was safe here," she says. "He said I didn't have to fight any more."

She seems unfazed by the idea of monarchs, although when Milada mentions the laws that sometimes exist to keep monarchs' power from being abused, she asks, "does Dallas have those laws?"

"I don't like broken promises either," she states. "If I make one, I intend to uphold it". As Milada continues, though, she asks, "how would I know if the Wyrd had chosen to hold me to that promise? And how would it punish me if I 'broke' it according to those rules? I mean, I do fully intend to keep you safe, but there are some harms I can't prevent, and it sounds like the Wyrd might not make the distinction."

"No, I don't know those fairy tales. I could never stand fairies. Even before meeting the real ones," she adds grimly.

Pisha

Nov 09, 2014#15

Milada looks unhappy. "Ash wasn't wrong," she says gently. "You are safe. But safety is relative." She sighs. "You're not their prisoner anymore. You're not in the realm where they have absolute power, where they can hurt you on a whim. You're among people who won't hurt you or force you to do anything you don't want, who are familiar with the Gentry and their tricks, and who WILL do whatever they can to protect you. You are safe. But just like being safe in your home doesn't mean a burglar can never break in and shoot you, being safe in the real world and safe among friends doesn't mean there's never going to be danger again. The True Fae do still exist, and sometimes we - we as a whole, the Freehold or Changelings in general - do have to fight."

She's quiet for a moment; tentatively, she reaches over to touch the other woman's hand lightly. "But that doesn't mean you, personally, have to," she says gently. "There IS a group that actively chooses to fight - that's the Summer Court. They train, they spar, they specialize in physical prowess and combat magic - and they're angry." She glances again at her, carefully. "Given your appearance, I'm guessing you saw some combat over there. The Summer Court would probably love to recruit you... but you wouldn't have to. Not everyone wants that life. Summer exists so the rest of us don't HAVE to fight, at least not unless something goes cataclysmically wrong." She gives Mara a small smile. "And that's another benefit of Freeholds. You have the freedom to do what you want. You don't have to fill every role just to protect yourself."

itokro

Nov 09, 2014#16

"If there's danger, I feel I should stand against it," Mara replies. "It's what I've always done. I'd rather seek to protect than seek to be protected... but you're right, I did see combat in Arcadia, enough to last several lifetimes. It would be a relief to let someone else do the fighting for a while."

"This Summer Court... are they strong?" If Milada has reasonable levels of Empathy, she may hear the question Mara isn't quite asking aloud: "are they strong enough that they don't need me?"

"I don't want to be a burden," Mara states, "But if there are other ways I can help... I know a little medicine. Enough to help a wounded comrade on the battlefield. I'm no doctor, but if there's a Freehold that could benefit from a first aider, perhaps I could be useful there."

Pisha

Nov 09, 2014#17

(OOC: hah, yes, Milada does indeed have reasonable levels of Empathy.)

"They're strong in our freehold," she says promptly. "Or, rather, freeholds - Dallas and Fort Worth are actually two separate freeholds, but we live and work together. Don't ask," she says, waving a hand. "The reasons are lost to history; the short version is that we just sort of grew into each other." She grins. "But. Yes. Queen Rivah of Fort Worth is terrifying and brilliant, and Queen Aisha of Dallas is just ridiculously deadly." There is just the slightest hint of hero-worship on her face as she speaks of Aisha. "And together they've built a very formidable force. Of course, I can't speak for any other freehold. But I mean - it's really only Summer who takes on the responsibility to fight, but in a pinch anyone is welcome to join them. So if you wanted to leave your options open you could join the court that speaks to you, and then only fight if you felt it was important enough."

She grins. "And actually, if you're considering the healing path, you might want to consider my court."

itokro

Nov 10, 2014#18

Mara looks relieved to hear of the Summer Court's strength. "That's good," she says. "I'm glad you have strong fighters, although I pray you rarely need them".

"I just want to help. How do your court - and the others - do that?"

Pisha

Nov 10, 2014#19

She smiles. "Well. The courts are... sort of a cross between a political party and a philosophy? And they're all based around two things: an emotion, and a way of approaching our new lives. So the Summer Court, for instance, is of course the fighters, and their emotion is wrath. They're angry at what's been done to them, and they're ready to fight back."

She takes a deep breath. "Coming up in a few months, of course, is Autumn - the court of fear." She makes a face. "I don't know. I like individual Autumn Courtiers, but I don't really get the court as a whole. Half of them seem like they're trying to deal with their own fear, and the other half try to scare the pants off everyone else." She shakes her head, but her expression is fond. "Anyway. They can be the boogeyman, but they're also the scholars and occultists. Arcane secrets, hidden magics, riddles and enigmas - you need information, you go to the Autumn Court. In a way, they're fighters just as much as Summer - they just use different tools. We have two Autumn Kings, Liam and Onawa - I like them both, but like their court, I don't really get them."

Her gaze softens. "Winter is the season of sorrow. The Winter Court is all about taking time to heal, to feel your sorrow - and hopefully move past it. A lot of people stay there permanently, but it's not uncommon to join Winter for a short period of healing before moving to another court. It's also the court most involved with secrets - finding them and keeping them - and subtlety. Most Winter Courtiers think the best way to deal with the Gentry is to stay hidden from them." She smiles softly. "Ash is actually Fort Worth's Winter King. He's very good at comforting and giving people a chance to rest and stay hidden, to work through their sorrows and come to terms with them. Dallas's monarch is Queen Wynne." She doesn't volunteer any information about the queen - which is odd, for Milada.

She grins. "And then there's my court - Spring. The court of Desire." She gives Mara a glance. "Yes, yes, most people hear desire and think sex, and they're not necessarily wrong - our King Eric, for instance, does in fact have a lot of sex, and I... well." She blushes. "If we're going to be friends, I should probably warn you: you might here rumors about me. I assure you, only the good ones are true."

She winks - playfully, not really flirtatiously - but quickly turns serious again. "But Spring is about so much more than that. It IS about embracing your desires - in some cases, embracing the fact that you're ALLOWED to have desires of your own, because so many of us weren't over there. It's about giving a big 'fuck you' to the Gentry - they expect us to be broken, hiding things, but we're not their victims anymore, and we're not going to act like we are."

She's quiet for a moment; then, in a low voice, "It's about taking the things they tried to steal from us and destroy, and saying no. These are mine, I will find joy in them, and you can't take that away. It's about living your life, on your own terms, and refusing to let them break you or make you into someone you're not. It's about believing that what you want matters, and making your own choices."

She falls quiet again. A moment later she snaps out of it, and gives Mara another teasing grin. "But, yes, the sexy parts are nice too."

Laughing, she continues. "Anyway. The reason I say Spring is good for healers is that each court has its own magic. Some of ours... it can be used for a lot of things, like helping plants grow... but it can also heal wounds magically. I used a couple of those on you earlier, I don't know if you remember." She smiles. "I can teach you a low level version, if you like - heck, I could teach you on the ride up. It takes away exhaustion, hunger, and thirst, and gives someone energy - won't close a wound, but useful after a fight or on a long journey. But for anything more, you have to actually be part of the court or get in really good with us." She smiles, with a sideways glance. "The courts work together, but we do guard our secrets."

itokro

Nov 10, 2014#20

[OOC: yesss, this is perfect! I had Mara take Eternal Spring 1 at character creation, and you've just served her the perfect in-story opportunity to learn it]

"I remember," Mara nods. "And I'd love to learn that magic for myself, if you're willing to teach me. I would like to be a friend to your court, at the very least. As for actually being part of it... I'm not sure I'd fit your approach. Fulfilling desires is nice, but I'd rather not make it my main focus. Like I said, I want to help, and a lot of the time being an effective helper means putting your own desires aside."

She glances at Milada, trying to judge whether she's caused any offence. If Milada does seem offended, Mara will apologise and state that she doesn't believe that Spring Courtiers are uniformly selfish or unhelpful, but that she would find it difficult to be part of the Spring Court without worrying that she, personally, was being selfish in doing so. Either way, after she's checked in with Milada, she'll continue to ask about the courts:

"You say Spring has healing magic... what about Winter? You made it sound like they're pretty focused on healing, too. And as for staying hidden... I think that's wise of them. A younger me might have disagreed - back when I joined the army, I thought that defence was all about physical barriers. The strength of your base, your vehicle, your armour. That was... a misconception, soon corrected. The best defence against a dangerous situation is to not be there in the first place. That's why we have UAVs and bomb disposal robots. It's why I want you to take the car and go if my Fetch does turn out to be trouble. But sometimes not being there isn't an option - and it sounds like the Fae are a threat everywhere, so clearly it isn't an option here - and in that case, the second-best defence is to not let your opponent realise you're there. Camouflage will always be important." She casts a quick eye over Milada's mienless features. "As I'm sure you're aware."

"Actually, that's a point. How well-hidden are the freeholds? Done wrong, it sounds like a freehold could just be a massive target - are people really safer there?"

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Pisha

Nov 11, 2014#21

She laughs easily, not sounding offended in the least. "Well, there are saints and sinners in every court. For every Spring hedonist selfishly using others to satisfy his own passions without a care for who it hurts, you'll find another working all hours in a charity hospital, using magics on the sly, because she genuinely desires to help those who need it most. And that can be said for all courts - there are many, many ways to walk each path. Bear in mind also, Spring is also about helping others fulfill their desires."

She smiles suddenly, stopping herself. "And it has many other sterling qualities as well, all of which I'd happily talk your ear off about if you let me. I get tired of the stereotype of my court consisting of party girls and playboys, just as I'm sure every Summer Court strategist is sick of being seen as dumb muscle. But that wasn't what you asked."

She frowns, picking her words with care. "Winter... can mean different things to different people, and in different freeholds. My current understanding of it is strongly influenced by Ash. He is, as you've seen, a kind and gentle man, and so the Winter Court in Fort Worth tends to be a kind and gentle court, focused on, not physical healing of the body, but healing from grief and other strong emotions."

She smiles then. "But you wouldn't know it from their magic. Winter magic comes in three flavors. One lets you physically manipulate cold and ice and snow - it's actually pretty cool. Like, did you see that movie..." She trails off, looking embarrassed. "No, of course you didn't see that movie. Sorry. You'll get caught up. Anyway. The second lets you manipulate other people's sorrow - and not, unfortunately, in super benevolent ways, at least not most of the time. And the third..." She hesitates. "The third is weird. It lets you tap into your own sorrow - to, arguably, an unhealthy extent - in order to resist things like fear and, um. Wounds. Don't ask me how it works."

She gives Mara a quick smile. "Our magics are much nicer. If you're serious about wanting to win Spring Court favor to learn them, I can put in a good word for you with the Spring Court where you're going, and also with Eric. By the way, no matter how he flirts, sleeping with him is not a requirement for gaining goodwill with our court." She grins. "Although you might want to anyway. He's good at what he does, and very sweet."

At the freehold question, she pauses. "The freeholds are safer than not belonging to one. That much we know, just through statistics. But whether that's due to any actual strategic concerns, like being well-hidden versus the chance of making a tempting target - I really don't know enough about it to give you a good answer. You'd probably want to ask an Autumn Courtier."

itokro

Nov 11, 2014#22

Mara looks thoughtful as Milada talks about the more charitable aspects of Spring. "That does sound... like a good thing to do," she admits. "But I'm sure there are others who come to your court for precisely the reasons you'd expect, if the stereotype was all you knew. Even you admit that Spring has its selfish hedonists. I'd want to meet more than one member of the Spring court before I made any decisions about joining it. In particular, I'd want to know what the local monarch was like. For any Court I might consider joining."

When Milada mentions the type of healing favoured by Winter, Mara nods in understanding. "Mental healing is so easily overlooked," she states. "I'm glad that's not the case in your freehold. Physical wounds might be easier to see, but that doesn't automatically make them more important."

"Ash sounds like a good man. I can see why you like him."

At Milada's suggestion that she sleep with Eric, Mara blurts out, "Milada! I'm a married woman!" Then she pauses as the situation hits her. "At least, I was," she says quietly. "You said I had catching up to do... how much? The war I fought in, how long ago did that end?"

Pisha

Nov 11, 2014#23

Milada smiles at her reaction, but the smile is sad. "You're very connected to your old life," she says quietly. "Not everyone even remembers who they were before Arcadia."

She smiles then. "Yes, we have hedonists, and Summer has angry bullies, and Autumn has creeps who get their kicks scaring small children, and Winter has emo boys who spend all their time crying in the dark instead of doing anything useful. And while in theory you join the court as a whole, in practice you're right - it's not a bad idea at all to check out the court you're actually going to have to live with before making a decision."

She glances at the woman. "As for how long it's been... it's 2014. You tell me."

itokro

Nov 11, 2014#24

Mara looks slightly relieved. "Right decade, at least", she says. "You had me worried it was going to be a lot worse. Anything major that I should know about happened in the last couple of years?"

[OOC: I think we've dealt with most of the exposition about fetches, magic, courts and so on - want to skip forward to arrival in San Antonio, or are there things Milada still wants to say to Mara?]

Pisha

Nov 11, 2014#25

[Let's skip forward, and assume that Milada fills her in on some, but by no means all, current events. As well as teaching her Eternal Spring 1!]

(Go back to Worth Hollow)