Indirectly direct
Summary: Okyno and Amanita have tea. The fact that Okyno intends to take over the Ovon is never once mentioned, even obliquely, though there are veiled hints of certain plans for the palace's ruler. Some editing has been done to unfold lengthy poses.
Okyno has been reported seen again: bold and visible as can be, stalking into the Ovon's courtyard with all the assurance of any queen, ghosted by several massive insectile guards. Or so says a breathless page diffidently but urgently interrupting Amanita's repose...
Amanita grits her teeth as she peers at a visual of the courtyard. "Just now?" she asks, and rises from her seat. "Clean him up," she murmurs absent-mindedly to the trio from her harem who are providing her evening's entertainment, and stalks out, her face determined. Moments later, she emerges into the courtyard, accompanied by her own considerable entourage.
okyno rises from her seat before the central pond to greet you with a bow - a precisely measured one. combined with her chittering pronoun-modifier choices, she grants you almost some status of true respect. “fair greetings to you, keeper of the ovon. we hope this evening finds you well.”
okyno's antennae sway in eerie synchronicity with the gentle breeze that stirs the foliage.
Amanita bows in turn, her face mildly amused. "It does. And likewise to you, madam," she says, the Serpent's processing modulating her voice into the proper range and timbres. "I am honoured to meet one of the venerable clan at last." Her tone and language is duly respectful, her practiced poise almost as elegant as a Chitin's.
okyno scent-puffs a hint of amusement at the careful mimicking of her clan's ways. “and we are pleased to see how well you have kept our home,” she says. “would you share the pleasure of your company with us for a time? there are matters that we should discuss.” a lift of a pair of hands, one snapping chitin on chitin with a soft click, the other gesturing slowly... and from an archway appears a familiar pair of faces, carrying the makings of tea. two long-kept servants, some of the first in your memory to choose to restore the palace beneath your command, looking subtly... distant.
A table, an elegant filigree of biowire and polished wood, is unfolded. It's beautiful, a perfect example of the kind of craft that drew Amanita to study the old vanished Neke... and in the condition of something made yesterday.
Amanita smiles. "But of course," she says, with a wave of her hand. "The pleasure would be mine." Her ears cant slightly at the sight of the tea-servants, but she gives no other hint of alarm or surprise. She steps closer. Her guards have arranged themselves around the courtyard like chess pieces, in a delicate balance with yours, but she pays them almost no mind.
okyno kneels on the ground beside the low table, dress spreading out like a flower's blossom about her. lower hands fold delicately in the lady's lap as uppers busy themselves with the tea, pouring thick jelly into the water-filled pot, stroking the underside into biofurnace heat, slowly warming it. “sit with us, lady nde,” she says, with obscure respect-harmonics. “how long have you anticipated this meeting? since news of our awakening reached you? earlier?” she flicks lids over compound eyes. “let us chat over jelly-tea.”
okyno's tea-servitors sit behind her, kneeling in postures far more precisely respectful than they ever assumed for you.
Amanita sits, with a little sweep of her cape. "I thank you for your hospitality," she says with a bow, following the prescribed motions - not perfectly, but surprisingly well for a tciux - an outsider. Inwardly, she thanks whatever peculiar powers may be here that she thought to prime her Serpent with the nuances of etiquette in addition to the Neke language. "Indeed, I have been looking forward to this since I heard the shapers of the Ovon were stirring - and even before that, I had hope..."
okyno is sending confusing messages: though her subtle resonances of speech imply toy/servant/pretty-thing, she is brewing royal jelly tea, a rare grace - made from the same stuff fed to infant queens, somewhat denatured by the brewing, still a slight hallucinogen and a very rare delicacy. Where the jelly comes from is a mystery.
Amanita's eyes drift over the exquisitely sculpted pot and cups, her mind turning over at a dizzying rate. Only a slight twitch of her ear and brow betrays her trepidation.
okyno watches your motions with what must be faint amusement. “and we thank you for yours,” she replies. “all these lovely felines do add something to the garden; have you considered using some as ch'llpx [drug-slowed 'sculptures', tasked to watch and remember]?”
Amanita chuckles. "A few have been used for similar ends," she says with a nod.
A faint whistle from the teapot heralds the graceful turning-about of the pot, pointing to the five compass directions, and then the pouring into the two glasses, side-by-side, waiting for Amanita to choose an ivy-patterned crystal glass. As the gloved hand hand moves to one, okyno interrupts the moment: “where is your prize pet, lady nde? we had hoped (she) would be here for this as well.”
Amanita gives a bow and reaches for a glass - and flinches at mention of Twin, her other hand darting instinctively to her neck. Her collar has been curiously inert, the singularity-mind behind it evidently occupied elsewhere for the past day or two.
A dark insect guard shifts slightly, a rare moment of fidget, antennae vibrating supersonic for an instant.
okyno looks into your eyes, a myriad shinies reflected in the dark-glass facets.
Amanita gazes back at you, trying to sense any hidden meanings in your question... and in the end, she simply smiles. "(She) has been experiencing. The motives of her star-self are quite complex to explain," she says, lifting one of the glasses before her face. She opens her mouth again, as if to drink, then hastily adds, "Please pardon this one for taking tea before you." Her ears pinken ever so slightly as she bows. Late.
(Twin has not been seen about the Ovon the past couple of days: there are rumors that (she) is flirting with Strange again.)
okyno gestures dismissively, wiping the slight aside, or perhaps relegating you to your uncultured place - the difference in sign is a quick flutter of fingers, hard to catch. “you may sip as you please, nde. we are pleased by your manners, for one working them out from the little data left uncloaked when we began the dormancy.” she touches the tips of her lower fingers together and lifts her tea, hiding a hint of smile on her dainty lips. “a pity. we have heard almost as much about twin-[pet/consort/wild beast] as we have of you, and of the way you play with [mock/abuse?] custom and manners.” the insect sips the warm, thick drink, watching you over the glass's rim.
Amanita chuckles, a trifle anxiously, and sips delicately. The flavor and thick texture make her muzzle twitch, but she bravely tastes and swallows. "We have perhaps been... less than true to the time-honoured customs. But we have done our best, from what records we have found. The Venerable Clan have been - rightly - secretive about their ways..." Her eyes are watering slightly.
A tiger lashes her tail, moving a half-step closer to her mistress, worried at the reactions to the... rich... drink.
okyno nods. “the rituals are the sweeter for their mystery,” she murmurs. daintily sipping the heavy tea, hiding a smirk as its scent and taste slithers through your brain, little chemical keys in... what locks? does it open doors, or find walls where it expects passages? something... slight vertigo, almost like the presence of twin, but wholly from inside, something mysterious and unexpected. something settling deep into a brain shaped slightly by the sights and scents of the ovon's gene-tweaked gardens. “we may honor you with some of them, in the near future. your care of our home suggests you may be worthy of such [experiences/transformations/submissions].”
Amanita winces, unable to stop the tiny involuntary spasms in her face, and sways lightly. "I am honoured already to be taking tea with a mistress of the mysterious and ancient Palace, let alone the high jelly-tea," she says, laying on the flowery language rather thick. More worried glances come her way from her arrayed guards. She takes another sip, inwardly cursing her own headstrong nature for getting her into this, far-off memories ringing in her head of drugged wine...
okyno brushes your cheek with a feather-light touch, a surprising physical intimacy from a reserved, mannered lady. “your humility is becoming in one rumored to be so bold, nde-[ambiguous honorific the tea's effects have you too fuddled to put firm translation to: did she just call you her slave? an ill-mannered soft-skin? should you protest this, let it slide?]. you have potential.” glass finished, she watches you for a silent moment, the only motion a faint buzz of wings now and then.
Amanita's eyes widen a little at that touch, and she gives a soft gasp, licking her lips. "It is... flattering, madam, of you to say so," she manages - barely keeping her hold on grammar through the haze of lights and sensations. "Bold but one does one's best." She regards her tea, one eyebrow raised, and lets out a sigh before finishing off the rest of it - it would not do to leave it unfinished, after all. Her hands tremble as she sets the glass back down, and she bows once more. "Thank you for the delicious tea," she says. At least her accent is still impeccable, thanks to the Serpent. Drawing in a breath, she eyes you, her suspicion less well-masked now. She hears the mocking tone and can almost smell the double entendres, but she holds her tongue for fear that she's misheard.
okyno moves her hands through a few elegant curves in the air as she rises, looking down at you. gossamer wings waft a hint of pheremone your way, a dark spice that tingles at the edge of a sneeze. what the intended effect, the desired communication may be, is hard to say. especially with that tea. “we will talk again soon, [caretaker? novitiate? larva? damn that fourth-order trill structure.] nde. there are other matters of our return that we must attend to. we are honored to have finally met you, and hope to meet yourself and your pet-consort soon.” a splaying of antennae, polite amusement/anticipation.
Amanita rises, doing her best to keep herself steady, and gives a gracious bow. "Likewise, madam. It was the greatest of pleasures. I look forward to our next meeting with great anticipation." The literal meaning of that last word - something like 'quivering of the antennae' - is perhaps a little ironic. Her head throbbing, she takes a step back, unwittingly coming within an inch of tumbling over into the flower bed behind her - and there's a soft hiss from around the courtyard, a collective indrawn breath among her elite guard.
okyno bows, a skitter of motion from the feet beneath her wide gown of dark chitin. “the honor was mine, mme. nde.” a flexing of fingers against each other, a hint of concern? “we hope we have not kept you awake too late; our cycles are still adjusting to the current day-lengths. we wish you instructive dreams, if that is the case.” a twitch of the corner of her mouth may be a smile supressed, as the lady turns, her insect servants sweeping out of the courtyard behind her, towards the less-travelled parts of the palace. the old friends who bore the tea clean up the remnants in silence.
Amanita nods. "Not at all. A good day to you," she says, and watches you slip out. Moments pass; her hands are balled into fists, her mouth trembling. And then, with barely a backward glance, she strides up the stairs to her rooms, seals the door behind her, and falls on her bed, clutching the sheets and howling in frustration.
Okyno has been reported seen again: bold and visible as can be, stalking into the Ovon's courtyard with all the assurance of any queen, ghosted by several massive insectile guards. Or so says a breathless page diffidently but urgently interrupting Amanita's repose...
Amanita grits her teeth as she peers at a visual of the courtyard. "Just now?" she asks, and rises from her seat. "Clean him up," she murmurs absent-mindedly to the trio from her harem who are providing her evening's entertainment, and stalks out, her face determined. Moments later, she emerges into the courtyard, accompanied by her own considerable entourage.
okyno rises from her seat before the central pond to greet you with a bow - a precisely measured one. combined with her chittering pronoun-modifier choices, she grants you almost some status of true respect. “fair greetings to you, keeper of the ovon. we hope this evening finds you well.”
okyno's antennae sway in eerie synchronicity with the gentle breeze that stirs the foliage.
Amanita bows in turn, her face mildly amused. "It does. And likewise to you, madam," she says, the Serpent's processing modulating her voice into the proper range and timbres. "I am honoured to meet one of the venerable clan at last." Her tone and language is duly respectful, her practiced poise almost as elegant as a Chitin's.
okyno scent-puffs a hint of amusement at the careful mimicking of her clan's ways. “and we are pleased to see how well you have kept our home,” she says. “would you share the pleasure of your company with us for a time? there are matters that we should discuss.” a lift of a pair of hands, one snapping chitin on chitin with a soft click, the other gesturing slowly... and from an archway appears a familiar pair of faces, carrying the makings of tea. two long-kept servants, some of the first in your memory to choose to restore the palace beneath your command, looking subtly... distant.
A table, an elegant filigree of biowire and polished wood, is unfolded. It's beautiful, a perfect example of the kind of craft that drew Amanita to study the old vanished Neke... and in the condition of something made yesterday.
Amanita smiles. "But of course," she says, with a wave of her hand. "The pleasure would be mine." Her ears cant slightly at the sight of the tea-servants, but she gives no other hint of alarm or surprise. She steps closer. Her guards have arranged themselves around the courtyard like chess pieces, in a delicate balance with yours, but she pays them almost no mind.
okyno kneels on the ground beside the low table, dress spreading out like a flower's blossom about her. lower hands fold delicately in the lady's lap as uppers busy themselves with the tea, pouring thick jelly into the water-filled pot, stroking the underside into biofurnace heat, slowly warming it. “sit with us, lady nde,” she says, with obscure respect-harmonics. “how long have you anticipated this meeting? since news of our awakening reached you? earlier?” she flicks lids over compound eyes. “let us chat over jelly-tea.”
okyno's tea-servitors sit behind her, kneeling in postures far more precisely respectful than they ever assumed for you.
Amanita sits, with a little sweep of her cape. "I thank you for your hospitality," she says with a bow, following the prescribed motions - not perfectly, but surprisingly well for a tciux - an outsider. Inwardly, she thanks whatever peculiar powers may be here that she thought to prime her Serpent with the nuances of etiquette in addition to the Neke language. "Indeed, I have been looking forward to this since I heard the shapers of the Ovon were stirring - and even before that, I had hope..."
okyno is sending confusing messages: though her subtle resonances of speech imply toy/servant/pretty-thing, she is brewing royal jelly tea, a rare grace - made from the same stuff fed to infant queens, somewhat denatured by the brewing, still a slight hallucinogen and a very rare delicacy. Where the jelly comes from is a mystery.
Amanita's eyes drift over the exquisitely sculpted pot and cups, her mind turning over at a dizzying rate. Only a slight twitch of her ear and brow betrays her trepidation.
okyno watches your motions with what must be faint amusement. “and we thank you for yours,” she replies. “all these lovely felines do add something to the garden; have you considered using some as ch'llpx [drug-slowed 'sculptures', tasked to watch and remember]?”
Amanita chuckles. "A few have been used for similar ends," she says with a nod.
A faint whistle from the teapot heralds the graceful turning-about of the pot, pointing to the five compass directions, and then the pouring into the two glasses, side-by-side, waiting for Amanita to choose an ivy-patterned crystal glass. As the gloved hand hand moves to one, okyno interrupts the moment: “where is your prize pet, lady nde? we had hoped (she) would be here for this as well.”
Amanita gives a bow and reaches for a glass - and flinches at mention of Twin, her other hand darting instinctively to her neck. Her collar has been curiously inert, the singularity-mind behind it evidently occupied elsewhere for the past day or two.
A dark insect guard shifts slightly, a rare moment of fidget, antennae vibrating supersonic for an instant.
okyno looks into your eyes, a myriad shinies reflected in the dark-glass facets.
Amanita gazes back at you, trying to sense any hidden meanings in your question... and in the end, she simply smiles. "(She) has been experiencing. The motives of her star-self are quite complex to explain," she says, lifting one of the glasses before her face. She opens her mouth again, as if to drink, then hastily adds, "Please pardon this one for taking tea before you." Her ears pinken ever so slightly as she bows. Late.
(Twin has not been seen about the Ovon the past couple of days: there are rumors that (she) is flirting with Strange again.)
okyno gestures dismissively, wiping the slight aside, or perhaps relegating you to your uncultured place - the difference in sign is a quick flutter of fingers, hard to catch. “you may sip as you please, nde. we are pleased by your manners, for one working them out from the little data left uncloaked when we began the dormancy.” she touches the tips of her lower fingers together and lifts her tea, hiding a hint of smile on her dainty lips. “a pity. we have heard almost as much about twin-[pet/consort/wild beast] as we have of you, and of the way you play with [mock/abuse?] custom and manners.” the insect sips the warm, thick drink, watching you over the glass's rim.
Amanita chuckles, a trifle anxiously, and sips delicately. The flavor and thick texture make her muzzle twitch, but she bravely tastes and swallows. "We have perhaps been... less than true to the time-honoured customs. But we have done our best, from what records we have found. The Venerable Clan have been - rightly - secretive about their ways..." Her eyes are watering slightly.
A tiger lashes her tail, moving a half-step closer to her mistress, worried at the reactions to the... rich... drink.
okyno nods. “the rituals are the sweeter for their mystery,” she murmurs. daintily sipping the heavy tea, hiding a smirk as its scent and taste slithers through your brain, little chemical keys in... what locks? does it open doors, or find walls where it expects passages? something... slight vertigo, almost like the presence of twin, but wholly from inside, something mysterious and unexpected. something settling deep into a brain shaped slightly by the sights and scents of the ovon's gene-tweaked gardens. “we may honor you with some of them, in the near future. your care of our home suggests you may be worthy of such [experiences/transformations/submissions].”
Amanita winces, unable to stop the tiny involuntary spasms in her face, and sways lightly. "I am honoured already to be taking tea with a mistress of the mysterious and ancient Palace, let alone the high jelly-tea," she says, laying on the flowery language rather thick. More worried glances come her way from her arrayed guards. She takes another sip, inwardly cursing her own headstrong nature for getting her into this, far-off memories ringing in her head of drugged wine...
okyno brushes your cheek with a feather-light touch, a surprising physical intimacy from a reserved, mannered lady. “your humility is becoming in one rumored to be so bold, nde-[ambiguous honorific the tea's effects have you too fuddled to put firm translation to: did she just call you her slave? an ill-mannered soft-skin? should you protest this, let it slide?]. you have potential.” glass finished, she watches you for a silent moment, the only motion a faint buzz of wings now and then.
Amanita's eyes widen a little at that touch, and she gives a soft gasp, licking her lips. "It is... flattering, madam, of you to say so," she manages - barely keeping her hold on grammar through the haze of lights and sensations. "Bold but one does one's best." She regards her tea, one eyebrow raised, and lets out a sigh before finishing off the rest of it - it would not do to leave it unfinished, after all. Her hands tremble as she sets the glass back down, and she bows once more. "Thank you for the delicious tea," she says. At least her accent is still impeccable, thanks to the Serpent. Drawing in a breath, she eyes you, her suspicion less well-masked now. She hears the mocking tone and can almost smell the double entendres, but she holds her tongue for fear that she's misheard.
okyno moves her hands through a few elegant curves in the air as she rises, looking down at you. gossamer wings waft a hint of pheremone your way, a dark spice that tingles at the edge of a sneeze. what the intended effect, the desired communication may be, is hard to say. especially with that tea. “we will talk again soon, [caretaker? novitiate? larva? damn that fourth-order trill structure.] nde. there are other matters of our return that we must attend to. we are honored to have finally met you, and hope to meet yourself and your pet-consort soon.” a splaying of antennae, polite amusement/anticipation.
Amanita rises, doing her best to keep herself steady, and gives a gracious bow. "Likewise, madam. It was the greatest of pleasures. I look forward to our next meeting with great anticipation." The literal meaning of that last word - something like 'quivering of the antennae' - is perhaps a little ironic. Her head throbbing, she takes a step back, unwittingly coming within an inch of tumbling over into the flower bed behind her - and there's a soft hiss from around the courtyard, a collective indrawn breath among her elite guard.
okyno bows, a skitter of motion from the feet beneath her wide gown of dark chitin. “the honor was mine, mme. nde.” a flexing of fingers against each other, a hint of concern? “we hope we have not kept you awake too late; our cycles are still adjusting to the current day-lengths. we wish you instructive dreams, if that is the case.” a twitch of the corner of her mouth may be a smile supressed, as the lady turns, her insect servants sweeping out of the courtyard behind her, towards the less-travelled parts of the palace. the old friends who bore the tea clean up the remnants in silence.
Amanita nods. "Not at all. A good day to you," she says, and watches you slip out. Moments pass; her hands are balled into fists, her mouth trembling. And then, with barely a backward glance, she strides up the stairs to her rooms, seals the door behind her, and falls on her bed, clutching the sheets and howling in frustration.