[ARPC] Remembering the Court!

[Elizabeth]

There were fleeting moments when Elizabeth had genuine amusement spark within her, or more so prankster moments. Tonight, was one of these nights. Perhaps it was sparked by the current postings on the Crownet, or because she was bored. It was not certain, but what was certain was that it had been a while since the city had some good, fun. No, the Crow had abandoned them and left them to their own devices and the city had seemed to hold a negative tide to it.

Inspiration struck her. It was not often the Telepath forgot things, perhaps a blessing and a curse for those on her path; the truth path of a Telepath, lost within memories as time went on, but these memories were memories she was fond of. When the woman and a fair amount of the city had fun upon the Crownet when it was secure and when there were fleeting moments of fun and laughable things typed up on it.

The woman sat at the glass vanity table in the bedroom and combed her hair, until her thrall came in and finished putting the woman's hair in a braided bun, Elizabeth giving the woman an ever appreciative smile as she stood and linked her mind to the computer system she possessed within her home. She went to her email application and typed out an email for everyone that wanted a piece of the action; a piece of the amusement almost a year ago. Her Court.

Dear Lords and Ladies of The Tulipranny Court,

It has come to your sovereign leader's attention that you have neglected to fulfill your duties. This is most displeasing. I have received no taxes for the betterment of the city, or for the betterment of your districts, and as such you are commanded to present yourself with your deeds to your lands, to your majesties court, in an attempt to keep your claims once you confess to your crimes of neglect and pay your sovereign leader with your undying affections and attentions. Immediately. She can be found at The Lounge, awaiting your presence.

Your ever loving queen,

Elizabeth

P.S. Weapons must be properly stored away upon your persons once entering The Lounge.

P.P.S. Lord Swansdale and Lady Wicksbridge, just because you are, or may be currently absence from this realm does not excuse your vast amount of neglect. I expect to see your company there as well this evening.

While Alexandrea's thoughts on some matters may have been different to Elizabeth's, the blonde haired telepath did not hold that against the allurist. She was a charming woman, who cared for those she considered her friends and her family, which impressed Elizabeth greatly. So much Elizabeth had adopted Alexandrea in to her family in hopes of keeping that aspect alive in the woman and of aiding her when she could. Teaching her even. If and when the woman came back was not certain, Elizabeth knowing the Fade could be a place where one remained to heal completely, or to return, eager to see those they had not seen for days, or weeks. So if Alexandrea was back, Elizabeth could not say without prying in to the woman's thoughts and mind, something she rarely did for those she considered family, offering them privacy as she offered her.

Elizabeth thought the word 'send' with her mind and off the email went, before she changed her attire in to a something more suitable for the evening. Once she was changed, Elizabeth passed through a fadeportal, caught the train to the other side of town and arrived at the location where she claimed a booth and many others for a few hundred dollars and the promise of a great tip for the evening if her group of people were left alone (minus the attention needed for ordering drinks, if they could drink) and waited.

[Zodiac]

"Is she STILL on about this stuff?"

A rare full fledged grin crossed the mystic's face as she read the 'royal summons' to 'court'. "Royalty must be on hard times if court is held in a bar." she laughed. She decided even if she wasn't a 'Lady' of the court technically, she would have to appear. It was her job actually. As she began to prowl through her closet, Zodiac composed a reply in her thoughts and sent it along.

To Her Royal Majesty
Elizabeth the First and Only.
Empress and Defender of the Queendom of Tulipranny
Grand Pooh Bah for Unlife
etc.

Dearest Lady, I foresaw your summoning and will join you all as soon as I prepare myself to be worthy of you royal presence.

Sincerely and in humility

Mistress Zodiac
The Royal Soothsayer

"The best part of my 'job' is no fancy dress is required," She smirked as she slipped into one of her more traditional outfits. One of her better ones. All silks with gaudy trims and bells sewn into the hems so she jingled when she walked. Her raven and violet tresses hanging free save for a bandana on top of her head. She sat in front of the computer and use the cam to see herself as she applied one of her more fanciful designs about her eyes and checked her colors while finishing with a fresh coat of Purple Passion to her lips. "Too good for modern civilization," she decided. Various earrings and bangles about her neck, wrists, ankles and hands and she then appraised the total effect.

"Cripes! I need a life again,"

Next she went to find the unofficial member of the royal court and began to brush out her fur. "Yes, I know," she soothed her familiar as she worked. "I just don't have the heart to tell Elizabeth that it's really you who runs this town, darling." Ginny meowed in reply as she too was prepared for the event. A jeweled collar standing out about the cat's throat as the final touch.

"No weapons? Oh please!" She slipped a few discreet weapons into place among her silks. She had no intentions of being bare handed in the middle of a fight if one happened, and 'royal court' or not-vampires were vampires.

Walking staff in hand and her bag over her shoulder, she clicked her tongue to get Ginny's attention and headed out to present herself to the 'queen'.

[Robert Pratt]

Robert was languishing in the realm of shadows, unable to return because of Muga's hold upon him. Each time he came here it seemed to get stronger and stronger on him. He could feel the dark tendrils of his influence wrapping around him, trying to invade every orifice of his mind to take control. He knew the city wanted him to go dark. He knew that Muga wanted him to go dark. There was so much temptation out there in the city, it would be so easy just to give in, let go and become what was expected of him. A monster. However, his belief in Lux, and all that was good, was strong - and he refused to give in to temptation wherever possible. Of course, he was still human, so he still had his moments and lapses in judgement - but he always felt terrible afterwards, so guilty, and he had to meditate for days as well as paying a penance before he was absolved and forgiven for his sins.

He was trying to stay positive, stuck down here in the darkness with only his own light to keep him company. No-one but Myk had been in touch with him, and he couldn't deny that it hurt. He liked to think that Hunter and Emily perhaps missed him, and just didn't have the powers with which to express that to him. But then there was Oria and...... well, that was it really. It was a bit of a stark reality and a harsh truth. But he didn't think there was really anyone else who gave a damn about him. However, it was more than he'd had for most of his life - so he was very thankful for that. But still, it was quite the dissappointment. To try and cheer himself up, he thought he might as well try to break through the fade with his mind, to link to his computer and check his emails, and what he found made him smile.

Dear Lords and Ladies of The Tulipranny Court,

It has come to your sovereign leader's attention that you have neglected to fulfill your duties. This is most displeasing. I have received no taxes for the betterment of the city, or for the betterment of your districts, and as such you are commanded to present yourself with your deeds to your lands, to your majesties court, in an attempt to keep your claims once you confess to your crimes of neglect and pay your sovereign leader with your undying affections and attentions. Immediately. She can be found at The Lounge, awaiting your presence.

Your ever loving queen,

Elizabeth

P.S. Weapons must be properly stored away upon your persons once entering The Lounge.

P.P.S. Lord Swansdale and Lady Wicksbridge, just because you are, or may be currently absence from this realm does not excuse your vast amount of neglect. I expect to see your company there as well this evening.

Seemed that Liz was having another mental break from reality, but it would be a good distraction from the reality he was faced with. No harm in having a bit of a chuckle while he was lost and trapped down here. So pressing forwards, he tried to reply to her.

"Lizzie, you crazy old fruit bat...."

No, that wasn't what he wanted to say. That's what he thought, not what was to be typed. It seemed this techno thing was harder than it had first seemed. So focussing again, he deleted and tried again.

"Yo! Queenie

was a blonde and her age stood still.
And she danced twice a day in vaudeville.
Queenie was a blonde, and if looks could kill,
She would kill twice a day in vaudeville.
She had grey eyes,
Lips like coals aglow.
And her face was a tinted mask of snow.
With those shoulders,
What a back she had.
Her legs were built to drive men mad.

And she did.

"

****, no, that was song lyrics from a musical he'd been listening to before he'd died. However, when he tried to delete it, he hit send instead. And he had to watch as the little bits of code spun and twisted and did their thing. Oh well, Liz was loopy. She might find it flattering...... Maybe.

Only time would tell on that front.

[Elizabeth]

The responses came slow and were less than pleasing to Elizabeth. Perhaps they didn't understand her attempt at humour (so few did, due to her usual serious nature), or perhaps they were too busy. Such was the way of the city life. The woman didn't give up quite yet however. She remained seated in one of the booths after she had ordered some random fruity drink special of the bar that night and waited. Her time was never wasted, though it might have appeared it was being wasted as she sat there alone. Instead, her mind drifted to online websites; youtube, her email account, and anything else that popped in her mind while she waited.

As she was watching a video on cats through the youtube, an alert popped up indicating Elizabeth had a new email. She opened the account and saw the sender, and opened it. She smiled, laughed and shook her head, then replied to the email.

Dear Royal Soothsayer,

I look forward to your company. If you have anything to lift the spirits of the court, please bring it and I shall pay you handsomely for your unique and extraordinary potions.

Regards,

Your Queen

She wondered if Zodiac would get the double ended meaning of the word she took the time to highlight, indicating it stood out, then hit send as another alert popped up. Another email. From none other than Robert Pratt.

Elizabeth looked slightly surprised, mostly because she wasn't certain he, of everyone would reply. She opened the email, skimmed it and then smiled and shook her head for the second time that evening. The woman had never heard of what she assumed was a poem, so she opened a new tab with a thought of her mind, and typed in half the lyrics, hit send and waited to see who the author was. It lead her to a band called The Wild Party. She closed the tab down, reopened Youtube and gave it a listen. It certainly was a different type of music video. It appeared to be some musical.

Dearest Baron of Swansdale,

Thank you for the...tribute. It certainly was an interesting listen. However, this does not mean one can disregard their duty or the beckon call of their Queen. I look forward to your ever charming personality this evening.

Your Queen

The woman hit send, closed down the Youtube application, ordered another drink she wouldn't touch and waited patiently for Zodiac and Robert to make their grand appearance.

[Robert Pratt]

(( As Zo bowed out, I'm skipping. If Zo wants back in though - just shout and I'll delete and repost after her. :) ))

Robert had been watching his emails like a hawk, refreshing and refreshing every few seconds to see if he'd get a response. Then, there it was. A reply that broke through the boring monotony he was trapped in, and regardless of what it might say, he was thankful for it. Using his mind, he did his best to manipulate it and open it, running through the lines of code until he found the bit he was looking for, where Liz had typed. He really wasn't a hacker though, and this whole manipulation of code thing was stressful and complicated and he was, quite frankly, useless at it. After the last email had gone so wrong, he decided it probably wasn't wise to try that one again - because Lux only knew what he might put in it! So instead, he closed his eyes and let the code vanish from his mind and then let his consciousness go forth to search for Liz.

He had a bit of a headstart because he knew the vague area of the city she would be in and so was able to visualise The Lounge in his mind. With that done, he imagined Liz, sitting in a booth somewhere, her face, hair, clothing, personality - everything was imagined to the smallest of detail so that he might be able to invade her mind. With her face there, in his head, he gently pushed the words towards her temple as gently as possible to try and connect with her. However, trying to be polite, he started off with something simple, a way of introducing himself and his presence there in her mind. She had, afterall, asked for his presence - and this was the best he could do in the circumstances.

"Knock Knock?"

He said softly, his baritone echoing slightly within his own mind as he held the connection open so she might respond with ease should she wish. He had no idea if this was how others used Mind Speak, but it was the way he found it worked for him - and that was all that mattered.