Patchwork Universe

Jack Frost · Posted: Mon May 10, 2004 8:52 am Post subject:

Leaving the procession to gavanne lithely towards Miss Mercury and the gathering of adults came the strange blue-skinned gentleman. Frost came out of his pirouette neatly in front of the austere headmistress, ending in an elegant and extravagant bow.

"Jack Frost, Duke of Icicles, at your service." he said, oblivious to the stares.

Miss Mercury · Posted: Thu May 13, 2004 8:41 am Post subject:

[OOC Sorry for the delay - I went into hospital on Monday for what was supposed to be day surgery, but I didn't react well to the anaesthetic, and had to stay in. I'm home now, but my brain isn't quite functioning properly yet. I haven't forgotten it, and will continue as soon as I can form fictional sentences.]

Miss Mercury · Posted: Sun May 16, 2004 6:05 pm Post subject:

"Jack Fro- Oh! You're from one of the performing groups, I presume? So pleased you could make it. Miss Ganymede has the full list, and she'll be able to check you in and give you a better briefing than I can. Is the rest of your troupe here?"

Miss Mercury looked around, and caught the eye of one of the older students nearby. "Max, would you help for a few minutes, please? Mr Frost, this is Maxwell Tanner, one of our prefects. He'll help you to find Miss Ganymede, and, if you wish, get you and your colleagues some refreshments."

Jack Frost · Posted: Mon May 17, 2004 4:22 pm Post subject:

Jack didn't know what a "performing group", a "prefect" or even a "briefing" was, but he recognised a few words and clung on to them.

"Troupe? Well, my good lady, there is Rose Briar-- quite simply the most delightful lady you will ever meet-- and Lilac, a splendid fellow. I believe they're just round the corner..." Frost cupped his hands to his mouth. "Co-eee! Lilac! Rose?"

Lord Doomshadow · Posted: Mon May 17, 2004 10:50 pm Post subject:

"My name is Li-li-li Lord Doomshadow the Third, and I come in pea-pe hatred and contempt for all you stand for."

Doomshadow felt his pseudo hearts spasming in shock. What was happening to him? He had tried to introduce himself to Jack Frost's new acquaintance - how tiresomely predictable, that the man's first priority was to find a woman to seduce - but it was as if he no longer had control over his own speech. He seemed to have no choice but to tell the truth...

"I am here to entertain... enter... scour your lands free of any hint of the vile contaminations that men call 'purity' and 'nobility'"

Doomshadow clamped his mouth parts shut. What nightmare was this? Wherever he went in this universe of stories, his mind was not his own. First he had been forced to feel affection for that simpering gigolo Frost, and now he could not even control his own speech cilia.

It seemed he had become a plaything for whatever malignant gods ruled this place. Surely, these worlds must belong to the Enemy.

Rose Briar · Posted: Thu May 20, 2004 1:35 am Post subject:

The rose maiden danced up to her companions, followed by the elegant shape of Karkadann, the unicorn.
"It's all so beautiful," she exclaimed, smiling at Miss Mercury. "The music, the dancing... this is a place of much joy."

She reached out to hug her companions and asked:
"How shall we join the caeli? With music? Or dance? Or poetry? What would your people like best?"

Jack Frost · Posted: Sat May 22, 2004 5:06 pm Post subject:

Jack looked taken aback. He flinched and crouched, staring at Doomshadow and ready to flee.

"Lilac, dear chap? What are you saying? What's gotten hold of you all of a sudden? You can't simply march in and declare war on this woman!"

Lord Doomshadow · Posted: Sun May 23, 2004 11:19 pm Post subject:

Doomshadow thought frantically. Clearly, he had been cursed by the gods, but he could not imagine them deigning to tamper with the mind of a mere servant. He could only hope that the servant's wits proved adequate...

"Ivor! Tell them... tell them what they want to hear."

Ivor looked up. He still felt ill, but he had been listening carefully. He always listened when his lord was speaking.

"Master... Master only wants to do what's best."

There was a pause.

"He won't kill anyone unless he wants to. I mean, he hates everyone, but he won't kill anybody as long as you always do what he tells you."

"He doesn't even enjoy hurting people, really. Unless they've made him angry or something like that."

Doomshadow could feel a bout of tooth grinding coming on...

Rose Briar · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 3:52 pm Post subject:

The Rose Maiden's eyes brimmed with sorrow as she said: "Oh....Lilac."
Turning to Jack and Miss Mercury she said: "You must forgive him. In the rose garden he breathed deeply of the flowers and it has confused his mind."

Reaching out to the prefect she took his hands in hers and gave him a melting look of appeal.
"Perhaps you would take us to fnd refreshment, Maxwell? I think good Lilac might like a galss of cool water or a honey cake to revive him."

Miss Mercury · Posted: Thu May 27, 2004 9:32 am Post subject:

A snatch of music is heard from the building...

A lone oboe, a fleeting haunting melody...

Birds flutter to tree tops and raise their beaks skywards to sing...

The music gets louder, more coherent, perhaps joined by a quiet string chorus...

The children in front of the building are moving suspiciously rhythmically...

Miss Mercury begins to sing...

Welcome all!
How good to meet you.
Quite enthralled
I'm here to greet you.
To the Hall
And we will seat you,
Listen to our song!

[Endearingly cute children appear from round the edges of adults, and join in the chorus... was that a shudder from Lord Doomshadow, or merely a slight breeze?]

Sing it once and sing it twicely,
Sing it once and twice and thricely,
Sing it loud but sing it nicely,
Welcome to our school!

[A group of small girls spiral around Lord Doomshadow, a disturbingly urchin-like boy polkas with Jack Frost, and Rose Briar is surrounded by enchanting and enchanted children]

Come along
We do implore you
Join our song
And we assure you
Won't be long
At all before you
Love our merry throng!

[All three visitors are now dancing in choreographic serendipity with the children and adults by the building. Some more enthusiastically than others, perhaps...]

Sing it once and sing it twicely,
Sing it once and twice and thricely,
Sing it loud but sing it nicely,
Welcome to our school!

The music finishes suddenly, everyone breaks their groups and laughs happily, moving towards the building. As far as one might tell, Lord Doomshadow may be feeling a small amount of bewildered embarrassment.

Two girls grab the hands of Rose Briar and lead her into the Music Centre, Maxwell makes a small bow and shakes Jack's hand, before leading him away, looking at Jack and at his own hand. Miss Mercury herself places a hand on what she hopes is an appropriate part of Lord Doomshadow's back, and gently propels him towards the entrance.

The guests are led inside to the refreshments area.

Maxwell, with a sudden giggle, runs to the drinks table, picks up a cup of tea and brings it back to offer it to Jack. The tea is frozen.

Rose Briar · Posted: Thu May 27, 2004 12:48 pm Post subject:

Following the party the silvery form of the unicorn came afterwards, silver hoofs stepped lightly on the floorboards as he entered the building and came to join the rose maiden.

Happy again, now that the song of the children had soothed the doubts of her companions, Rose Briar looked up at him with a radiant smile.
"Karkadann," she murmured and reached to embrace the proud neck of the unicorn as he folded his legs beneath him and laid his head in her lap.

Lord Doomshadow · Posted: Sat May 29, 2004 8:35 am Post subject:

Lord Doomshadow was trapped in an evil dream. It was when he tried to run that he had come to understand the nature of his damnation. His feet seemed to conspire to hold him back, trudging slowly across the floor, as if he was wading through an invisible lake of daemonic ichor. Dragged back by the flocks of children hanging from every appendage, he realised that he had no choice but to surrender to his fate.

The children. Everywhere, the children.

He would have called out, but who knew what his mouth parts would take it upon themselves to say, if he dared open them?

(I am not a maypole, he thought desperately. You can do anything you want with my tentacles, but you can't do that!)

He was trapped, a pawn in some mad god's nightmare.

But am I a Dark Lord dreaming of being a slave, he wondered, or a slave who dreams that he is a Doomshadow?

Lord Doomshadow · Posted: Sat May 29, 2004 8:38 am Post subject:

Ivor danced into the hall, shaking his fur and yapping in time with the music. He felt as if all his spleens would burst with joy. He felt young and beautiful, the very model of a modern artificial man.

He reached out shyly to the children on either side, and took their hands in his.

He had never felt so happy.

Jack Frost · Posted: Sun May 30, 2004 9:13 pm Post subject:

Jack was perplexed, too. Still, maybe the dancing and singing were a custom in these parts. And at least Lilac had calmed down from whatever strange mania had grabbed him. The poor fellow-- probably overwrought.

Whatever the case, the frozen tea was awfully tempting. With a smile at Maxwell, he slid it out of the cup, and took a bite. The coldness of it was a relief. Recently, he'd been feeling disturbingly.... warm. And prickly. It wasn't anything he'd felt before, and he didn't like it.

If anyone were looking closely enough to notice, they would see that one of his pointed shoes was starting to melt at the tip.

Rose Briar · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 6:42 pm Post subject:

"We seem to have found a friendly place here," Rose Briar said, looking at Doomshadow and Jack and then around the group of children. "It seems to be a place of study for young people."

A slight frown creased her smooth forehead as she added. "But that tall lady who spoke before may have mistaken us for other visitors... she seemed to believe we were minstrels or bards of some kind."
With a questioning look at her companions she added:
"It seems a pity to disappoint them but Lilac hasn't been looking well and perhaps there's something here that affects unwary travellers, as the roses do in the garden. Maybe it would be best to travel onwards, now we have been refreshed. What do you think, Godcousin? Friend Jack?"