Over Hot Cocoa and Tea

          The TarRaCe, afternoon

The TarRaCe is doing a brisk afternoon business, with many people opting to escape the increasingly harsh chill of winter here. The noise level is less than the usual, but it'll probably pick up around evening meal.

Not far from the doors to the bathhouse, a familiar face can be seen, swathed in a fluffy white bathrobe as he sits at a booth. Telamon looks tired, though it's more the physical kind and not some form of emotional wear and tear. A talltankard sits at his elbow, along with some gathered papers and a book, but for now he seems content to rest, his eyes half closed, shaggy platinum hair still damp from the baths and raked back from his face.

The doors open to admit a chill breeze, and a small being wrapped in a fur-lined, leather cloak. They shove the door closed with a grunt, and turns to glance around the TarRaCe. They head over to Telamon's booth, where they shed their cloak and gloves, revealing Simony. She hangs her cloak up on the side of hte booth, before slipping in across from Telamon, gazing at the dozing man with a cheeky grin. A little toe prods at Tel's shin.

Telamon's eyes open at the prod, and he looks up in confusion before his face splits into a smile. "Simony!" He opens his arms for a hug, as he says, "It's good to see you! I'm just taking it easy here before I head home -- bit of a workout today." He looks wry. "But at least it was productive. Hope you're staying warm out there. I bet we'll have snow before long."

She giggles at his momentary confusion, and grins brightly. "Sleepy-head. How're you? It's good to see you again, too!" The Goblin glances at his attire more closely and nods, "Came here for a good soaking, did you? It looks like it was relaxing." Her head cants slightly, "What was it that you were working on, if it's not nosy to ask?"

Simony glances up at the server as they arrive at the booth, who inquires if the two wish anything. "Hot cocoa and ham and cheese sandwiches, please! Quartered up with no crusts." Nodding, the serving woman looks to Telamon.

Telamon nods. "It was relaxing!" As Simony takes an order and a seat, Telamon takes a drink from his tankard. "Tea," he says by way of explanation. "But as to what I was doing... I went down to the Colosseum. Which, yes, I don't have a whole lot of business there. But in the wake of recent events, I decided to knock the rust off some more... martial talents. Staff-fighting, mostly."

Tel stretches, and groans a bit. "So of -course- I ran into Aryia down there, and she put me through my paces -- I'll never be the fighter she is, but that wasn't the point. The point is to have yet another tool in the bag if needed."

The server nods to the man, and steps away.

"Oh, Aryia is quite good at hitting the places you're not looking or defending." She giggles lightly, rubbing at her reddened cheeks. "Brrr, I'd be surprised if we didn't have snow by tonight or tomorrow, to be honest, it's got that smell in the air. Uhm, while I am no Aryia, I'd be happy to spar with you too. If you wish to hone your skills further with less bruising."

Her expression falls a little. "So uhm.. about the other day. That imposter pretending to be you. I uhm hope you don't think any less of me for my eagerness to teach him a lesson. I just.. know how things have been lately and that idiot was just stressful more than anything else, right? I think a few lumps and bruises might have taught him not to do that again, more earnestly than sitting in a cell."

"She was kind. I think she was pleased that she got to punch through something new. I laid down that telekinetic sphere of mine, and it took her a minute, but she shattered it." Telamon's expression is a mix of awe and humility. "I am proud to be her friend -- I am also going to be careful never to annoy her!"

At Simony's contrition, he shakes his head. "Simony... I was very near to taking that fellow and throwing him into the Tornmawr for his idiocy. Not only was he committing an offense against me, using my name -- he was putting himself and any friends or family he might have at risk. Damned fool," he scowls. "No, if Dolan hadn't been there I would've been inclined to let you bruise him up. Unfortunately he can be a bit of a stickler for rules, so... no informal justice that day. And no offense taken."

"Well, she does have a sense of fairness, I don't think she'd hit friends or allies too hard." Her eyebrows rise up. "Oh, she did? Uhm... think I could try that some day?" The Goblin's grin is broad and toothy. "Oh yes, annoying her is a bad idea, I think. But to face her real wrath, you'd have to really make her angry."

Simony laughs, "Into the Tornmawr?! That would have served him right. Brrr, I can imagine that it's freezing by now." She frowns then and nods. "I knew he wasn't you. Almost had me going for a moment, but I knew. He might be a thespian, but he knows nothing about you. How you speak to people, how you behave, tch.. doesn't even know your good friends enough to recognize them. Had a dumb idea, but couldn't even be bothered to properly research things!" She flashes a toothy smile. "If there is a next time, I'm just going to slug them to start with."

Telamon nods. "She's more likely to just brush you off or ignore you. For all her foibles, Aryia is a very focused person with a lot more discipline than you'd think." Tel rubs his jaw. "Which is not to say she won't toss you around if you don't take things seriously."

His eyebrows rise at Simony's challenge. "If you think you're up for it. But I'll warn you, force-walls are not fragile. Deceptively delicate -- until you try to push through, and then it's like trying to push through a stone wall." He pats Simony's shoulder playfully. "We'll have to let you take a crack at it though."

"But yes. I find a sharp, short shock to be a great way to get someone's attention -- and the Tornmawr seemed like just the thing. It is -quite- cold, too -- I don't recommend swimming in it, unless you have some resistance to that sort of thing." He pauses, and smiles a bit. "Well, to be honest I was waiting for him to -say- he was me -- I didn't expect you to be there, or Archmage Mikilos, or Slixvah... and it was just a dumb scam. The sort of thing someone might try if they're short on coin and sense."

"Yes, she gets irritated when people are distracted and she's trying to instruct. I know from personal experience. I'm happy to be a cleric." A plate filled with small triangles of sandwich is placed down before the Goblin, and her train of thought is derailed. "OH, thank you!" One by one the little triangles filled with bread, cheese and ham meet their doom in the Gobbo's mouth. The waitress chuckles, setting down a large mug of tea and a mug of hot cocoa down on the table. "Enjoy! Let me know if there's anything else." Offering a polite nod, and a flash of smile, she walks away.

Simony blows on the hot cocoa a little. "Hmm, well, I am not sure I could punch through it. But I'll try. Just as a challenge, you know?" She shivers at the thought of the river in winter, "I do have spells for that, but I do not relish the thought of swimming there right now. The baths here are much more appropriate for a nice soaking."

The Gobbo sips daintily at her cocoa. "Mmmh. It was nice to run into you there, and I am actually glad you were. I was really concerned it was see-eee, and I was trying to come up with a plan to protect people, to try and force him away somehow. You obviously understood whom I thought it was, and once you dispelled that notion, I was all for knuckle sandwiches."

Telamon smiles at Simony, watching as the sandwiches vanish one by one. "Well... yes, I figured that out. But he is -much- better at disguises. Fortunately, he's so fixated on Lana and myself that I don't think he'll branch out much -- though Leirune has a bone to pick with him as well."

His expression is dour for a moment, before lightening again. "But! The sun shall still rise tomorrow, we will continue the good fight, and there's no need to go swimming in the river today." He mock-shivers. "I may not feel the cold much any more, but it's still wet, and it'll be hells on my clothing."

The plate is offered up to the man, with a small selection of sandwich quarters left. "Would you like a few?", she offers. "I suppose his disguises would be better than a wig and gussied up costume, wouldn't they?" She giggles lightly and sighs. "Oh, Rune's mad at him also? Oooh, hmm, if I recall, he did say a few things to her, back when we ran into him in a cave, I can't remember what the mission was even about any more. Only his eyes... Oh, and the blue butterfly lady. Both kin, I am told, to Grandfather in some way. Might be that Rune's part of the family, even."

Another laugh, and another sip of cocoa is had. "Yes, it is hard on clothing, not to mention, it becomes heavy and it clings to you. That's the worst."

He chuckles, and takes one of the sandwiches, munching on it contemplatively. "Indeed." Telamon considers. "Yes, his disguises are going to be more sophisticated, and his acting is -very- good. If you ever start to wonder, try to make a deliberate error in the conversation -- like, ask me if I plan to grow watermelons in the garden again." His eyes twinkle. "He's not omniscient. He can be fooled, and outwitted."

"She's called Glasina," Tel adds, at the comment about the butterfly lady. "She was... a former paramour of Grandfather, and is still fond of him. I think Grandfather is a bit embarrassed by her, but I can understand that. Fey relationships are strange, and this web is so tangled. Cor'lana's family, Leirune's mother... then my own bloodline, going back to one of the children of the Firstborn, Tel -- hence why many of the men in the family have names that start with 'Tel'."

"Oh, that's cheeky, I like it!", she says, "I'll ask how Tinkerbell and Snow White are doing... does he know of the little fairies that live on the grounds, Tel?" Simony giggles. "Watermelons... would they grow here, do you think?"

She quickly inhales a few more triangles of sandwich, leaving only a few left, and the plate is set down on the table. Wrapping her hands around the mug, she enjoys a deeper swallow of the cocoa. "Mmmh. Hard to imagine the colder months now without hot cocoa and tea. Hmm, Glasina is a pretty name. Why is Grandfather embarrassed? She's very pretty, and smart too. Seems like a good fey to have as a paramour, doesn't she? Though I can't even begin to imagine a fey relationship at all."

She sets her chin on her hand, peering up at Telamon. "Such a very tangled web of family you have, Telamon. How do you keep track?"

Telamon smiles. "See! You just have to think a little twisty. You don't -always- have to -- I certainly don't -- but sometimes you have to try something unexpected."

He hmms. "I didn't ask, to be honest. I think Glasina likes to tease Grandfather a bit, but never with cruelty. And perhaps she still carries a torch for him, still cares about him. Even mortals do that, why not fey?" He steeples his fingers before him, leaning forward. "The fey are after all much closer to mortals than, say, celestials or fiends."

At the question, he grins. "Practice! And taking notes. But... one of the things I wanted to give Lana was a family, after all. The bigger the better. And that doesn't just mean children. Here..." He considers for a moment, then makes a cupping motion with his hands. A flicker of light, as he murmurs, "Emegar gete."

At first, it's just Telamon, and Lana, small images but clearly defined. Then Pothy. Grandfather. An older couple, and a half-elf that looks a bit like Cor'lana. Then Telamon's parents, along with a shaggy looking druid with a strong resemblance, and a dark haired elf. Other family members. Verna, Auranar. Simony herself, Rune, Harkashan... then Dolan and Andelena, and more. At this point there's a veritable crowd of people in Tel's cupped hands.

"Family is more than blood, you see. It's about standing together."

The little notebook, well worn and weathered, is pull out of her belt pouch, followed by a pencil. "A little twisty.", she comments, jotting it down to save for future reference. "Solid advice.", Simony says with a smile. She giggles and awws, "It sounds like he may still care for her, too. He's an interesting man, I will say. Is he a very powerful fey? He seems so, to me, and in how people easily and readily defer to him, you know? Was he a king, at some point? A ruler of fey?" She nods at the mention of fey being closer to mortals. "And only slightly less difficult to fathom, hmm?"

"Take notes...", she says, unironically writing that down. "Also good advice."

At the flicker of light, she gets up onto her knees on the bench, leaning forward to peer at the flicker of light. Her eyes flick back and forth, absorbing the details within the images of light. Her ears perk up at viewing herself among the others, her eyes wide. "Really, am I standing among these others?"

"I think at one time he was a noble in the Unseelie Courts, but he grew tired of their... predilections, and absented himself. Now... he is happy to have found Lana again, and discovered a new world watching our marriage." Telamon rolls his eyes. "Though he persists in hinting how happy he will be when our children are born."

He looks surprised. "Of course you are. Do you think I would leave you out? After all, one day the girls will meet 'Aunt Simony'." Suddenly there are three smaller images crowded next to Tel and Lana: three little half-elf girls, one blonde, one redheaded, and one with hair as dark as Cor'lana's. "This is what Lana and I dream about, after all."

"How terrible do you have to be for a fey to grow /tired/ of your shenanigans?", the Goblin wonders. She grins and nods. "I hope he is enjoying seeing this world, and visiting. And I am sure he will be happy, what grandfather wouldn't be?"

"I hadn't realized I'd made an impact. You certainly have in my life, I hadn't expected to do the same." The blush fills her cheeks and ears with a deep red colour, and she covers her cheeks, peering at the images of three little half-elven children. "Aunt Simony?" She sniffles. "It's too much..."

Telamon shrugs lightly. "I've never asked. And honestly, I don't think I want to know. He's happy now, able to see Lana when he wants -- or when she wants to visit him -- and in time there will be children to dote over. And life will continue, no matter what the world throws at us."

His eyes soften as he looks at Simony, and he reaches over to pat her hand. "We all influence each other, Simony. And you've been a good friend and neighbor to Lana and myself. My children will have no shortage of aunts or uncles, true -- but you'll be among them." He pauses, then smirks. "Though watching Andelena try to control her language around them will be a sight to see."

Simony nods gently, "I suppose that's a topic one broaches very gently, and probably best left alone. But I am curious, though. Maybe one day I can gently poke him, and see if he won't speak of it." A little note is added to her notebook, before she closes it.

The Goblin sniffles again and nods. "Still, it feels unexpected. But I would be proud to be an auntie, Telamon. And it is amazing, that little light you showed me... those girls, you pulled their likeness from your dreams... is that what your children will look like, for certain?"

"Indeed. If you must broach it, do so with utmost care. Grandfather does not like many of his fellow fey -- indeed, he is suspicious of -any- fey that approaches Lana or myself." He shakes his head. "I think he's afraid someone will try and steal Lana away from him, though any fool -- mortal or fey -- that tries that will have -far- more trouble than they bargained for."

Telamon closes his hands over the image finally, before bringing his hands back to his heart. As if storing the little dream there. "Nothing is certain. It's... what Lana and I dream of. I mean, it might two, or three, boys or girls. It doesn't matter. They will be loved and cherished and taught and sent out into the world to do the best they can."

The Goblin grins. "It is nice to have such a figure watching out for you two. Wise to their ways. I'll be careful in how I approach it." She snorts then. "Uhm, IF some fool can steal Lana away, they will not enjoy the experience or the ending of such, I expect. I'm probably lowest in stature but even I know how to hurt fey, and mortals most definitely. Someone of Lana's power will be more taxing.." Simony glances at Telamon, grinning toothily, "Not to mention yours, and all those others in the images you showed me, with Grandfather too?"

She sits back a little, mug in hand. "That'd be some fool indeed, or a very dangerous opponent. And I'd still wager the odds are definitely in Lana's favour."

"I was curious about that, though. The future is uncertain, that much is true. But... are dreams? They can be made real, can they not? They can be realized. That said, you've dreamed up some very adorable girls."

Telamon takes a sip from his tankard. "Indeed. Well... I'm not going to dwell on the thought. We've gone through enough scrapes that we don't need to imagine new ones. Better to consider what might be, and what we dream about."

"But yes. Sometimes possibility has its own... weight, I guess. And I think the images come from both Lana and myself. Our dreaming minds, wondering what might be." He stops to think a moment. "I guess it's like ... how the Watcher once told me that just because something isn't real doesn't mean it's not dangerous. This is kind of the same. Just because it's a dream doesn't necessarily make it not real. It's... potential. Waiting. Until it becomes, like a seed growing until it breaks through the soil for the first time."

"Well, don't dream for too long. Make those girls a reality within my lifetime, Tel. I'd like to be able to run around with them, not chase after them with a walker." Simony eyes Telamon before bursting out laughing. She indulges in a good, long giggle before sighing, and gulping at her cocoa.

"Mentioning the Watcher has me wondering about those little hatchlings. I hope they are prospering. I could feel them in there, you know? When I was touching that egg. Hungry, inquisitive minds, eager to explore the new world about to open up to them. Frighteningly smart already, not yet even born they were smarter than that fellow with the silly wig pretending to be you."

Telamon laughs. "Not you too! Mother is pestering us, Grandfather is pestering us, now you? Alright, alright..." He waves his hand. "Let's... just table it. It will happen, and you will be an auntie."

He nods thoughtfully. "I know. I felt it too. I believe they're all right, but... they won't be ready for the surface for at -least- another four months and probably closer to six. At least that was what the Watcher explained." He sighs. "I hope they are doing all right. So many dangers here on Aeryth, and such a gamble taken by the Watcher and his kind. Where does one find such hope, such belief? I don't know if I could do it."

The Goblin grins, and shrugs her shoulders. "The difference, Telamon, is that I don't have the same amount of time as Grandfather.. erm. I've never asked before, and I've always thought it was a touchy subject, but I don't know which of your parents were Elven." Her grin fades. "One of life's most unfair compromise is using lifespan to balance all of our gifts."

Simony sighs, leaning her chin on her hand once more. But her expression brightens once more. "Only four months? Goodness, that is much sooner than I expected! Will they come looking for you, do you think? Will they recognize you? Or me?" The Gobbo giggles. "I wonder what they will have to say... I hope I know enough languages to be able to communicate with them!"

Telamon nods. "True, but I think you will live longer than you believe." At the mention of his parents, he takes another sip from his tankard. "My father is elven, mother is human. It was... a rather intense case of mutual attraction." He chuckles. "But amusing. One time I had to help some friends -- long story, but I was still getting used to teleportation, and I thought of 'home' -- but we landed in front of the Atlon family home rather than outside Alexandria. And mother's reaction was like I'd dropped in unannounced with some of my friends for lunch." He smiles at the memory.

He nods. "I am running off scraps of lore and whatever the Watcher told me -- plus a few odds and ends. But as I understand it the aquatic environment is actually -safer- for them than on land, and once they've matured enough, they can handle minor threats by simply flying away."

"I hope what you say comes true, Telamon, but I try to stay realistic. History is full of people who reached for a longer lifespan, and it usually never ends well. I am mortal, and I will not forget such, I would not dare risk the wrath of the gods." Telamon's story has her giggling. "Did she serve you lunch and mother you in front of your friends?"

"You know, it does strike me as interesting, their aquatic nature, and the ability to fly. Were they sea creatures who gained the ability to fly, or flying beings who decided the water was better for their hatchlings? I'll remember that for you when you next get a chance to talk to the Watcher, remind you to inquire, as a matter of pure curiosity. And uhm.. I have more questions for the Watcher. An entire notebook's worth."

"The gods grant us a span of years, but so long as we remember that, it's enough." Telamon's expression is thoughtful. "Father and mother and I all sat down once to talk about it, because father will outlive mother -- but the alternative, to not pursue love at all, is even worse. And he does love her, and she loves him." He smiles. "And that, in the end, is the important thing, the only thing."

Shifting to the matter of the Watcher's children, Telamon muses, "Well... it sounds absurd, but I wonder if it's the former? They resemble the strange creatures called jellyfish or what the arvek call 'men-of-war'. Perhaps they were sea creatures who moved to land, and then to air, but could not wholly dissociate themselves from the water." He grins at Simony. "I'm sure you do. I think all of us would love to hear what he might say."

"That's wonderful, Tel. To hear love in that situation is strongest of all makes me hopeful. Of a better world to come." The Gobbo lets out a little sigh. "It's like a fairytale, hearing about your family. I can certainly see why all those girls and ladies pine after you." There's a wink and a giggle. She offers up her mug. "To love and family, the only things that matter."

Her head shakes. "It is certainly not absurd., despite the sounds of it. Those creatures, the Watcher's race, I can't help but think they have larger brains than the rest of us. I am not surprised at all by their capabilities, nor would I be of hearing their origins were of watery depths." Her eyebrows rise up, "Do you think he would listen to me? Would he entertain my asking of questions? Has he been willing to answer all of yours, Tel? Were there some he was unwilling to answer?

"To love and family," Telamon returns the toast, before drinking deep and gesturing the server over for a refill. "People sometimes embrace cynicism and ... I think they stop believing in anything, really. That's a shame, too, because if you don't believe in dreams, how else can you make them real?"

He hmms. "Well, there may be something to that. But I'm too polite to ask the Watcher for an anatomical diagram." The question makes him raise an eyebrow. "I think he'd listen. I know there have been some questions I've asked that he didn't answer, because he didn't think I'd understand it. Which... is odd, but... when I dreamed of him and he told me about the egg, I asked how long it had been traveling, how far, and he said the numbers wouldn't mean anything to me."

Simony nods to the server for a refill as well, coins are pulled from her pouch and offered to the woman. "For his, too."

"That's a sad place to be, when you don't believe in anything, not even yourself." The Gobbo nods in agreement with Telamon. "Belief is what makes them reality."

"I don't see it as being impolite, and it would seem to me that the Watcher would not take offense. Likely, they would simply choose to not answer." She ponders the question which the Watcher did not directly answer. "Hmmph. I refuse to believe that it would be that incomprehensible to us. It could be difficult to understand fully, but I think at least you would get a sense of scale at least." Simony taps at her chin. "It would broaden our understanding in many ways. It could confirm so many things. I mean, the simple fact that I got to see him in person, on his home world... or at least, a world he was living on at the time, is proof that there /are/ other worlds not unlike ours out there. Perhaps a companion to ours, meaning they're in relatively close proximity.. close being relative also." She runs a hand through her hair.

"So if the world he was, or is, on was close enough for a failed spell to to be able to deposit us there, it can't be all that far away. Maybe outside of my lifespan to reach by some means, but quite possibly within yours, Telamon. So, if you assume that they have evolved on some world that is /not/ a companion of ours, some vast distance so great that a great mind would believe us incapable of understanding, then... there must be many more worlds. Out there." The Gobbo gestures upwards, to the sky. If ours is orbiting a star... then all those stars... possibly have worlds, with people and animals on them. That's one of the many questions I have, Telamon."

Telamon blinks, then smiles. "Thank you, Simony. Much appreciated." He nods at her assessment of people without dreams, before turning his mind to her deeper discussion.

"Might not be that simple, either. He mentioned fluxes -- distortions in space and time. I imagine such things might be like teleportation circles, or something of that nature. How far away is he, that we can dream of him?" He waves a hand. "I know, the failed spell deposited you there temporarily, and that idiot Periandr permanently. But magic is not exact. Oh, there are some loose rules, and the Convocations of Rune established some baselines. However... here's one good example: no two sorcerers cast spells the same way. So there is always an element of chaos, of uncertainty, in magic."

He grins at Simony. "I imagine you'd be asking next if you could visit all those new worlds. Gods, you're like Magpie. She wanted interviews with everyone involved, you know, when I turned that book over to her."

"I am happy to do so, Telamon. For you are much appreciated, by me. A tea is an incredibly small, but worthy, price to pay." The Goblin nods, "It is not strange. Oceans and rivers have currents, flows, tides and whirlpools, and they can pull and move you in unknown ways. Perhaps the Watcher used one of these distortions to come here? Maybe it allows dreams to pass vast distances? That might be the danger of which he spoke, beings seeking to travel here, perhaps through our dreams?"

Simony grins, and gestures with a hand, "I offer up to you that you may be wrong. Magic is exact. There are just factors which we do not yet understand. Things that may impede or improve the flow of magic, and were we to understand, to see, we would find magic to be more of a stable friend, hmm? As for sorcerers, of course, no two sorcerers cast the same way because no two sorcerers are the same. It comes from your blood as surely as mine comes from Navos. Your blood is different from Lana's, and all other sorcerers. The trick, which may not be possible, is to master chaos, but to do so would render order moot. No order without chaos, no evil without good, no Goblin without food. Er, fire, I mean fire."

Mony giggles, her eyes wide. "I mean, that's not a bad thing to want is it, to see and explore other worlds?"

"Hmm. There is an analogue there as well. The blue sea, and the void -- not to be confused with the Void Beyond All Things, that is something -very- different -- the void between worlds could be considered a kind of an ocean, too. What eddies and ripples exist out there in the deep black that we know nothing of?"

Telamon nods. "The Watcher spoke of wanting to protect Aeryth, not just from enemies here but from threats beyond our world. Hence sending their young -- much as a healer might administer antitoxin or antiplague to rally a patient's body." He pauses. "Still a daunting thought, to send one's children so far."

"Master chaos? My goodness, Simony, you really are ambitious. However... as we said, you can't make something real if you don't dream of it first. And you never know what might transpire yet." Tel hoists his tankard. "To exploring strange new worlds. Perhaps we'll get there one day."