A Night Out 2, and more!

[unforth]

A few days after Beltaine, Dino finally decided that he needed to have a long, long talk with Kathryn. He told her a lot about a lot of different people in Muses (for example, warning her against Count Sergei, because Kathryn had gone to talk to Ardala, who had been staying with the Count, about learning more about the nature of love in the hopes that it would help her with item creation - due to her conversation with Ardala at the White Court about Samhain, Kathryn knew that Ardala knew about the power aphrodesia and how to manipulate such feelings.) Kathryn tried to keep track of all the different people who were either dangerous or not dangerous and for what reason, though it was a little overwhelming for little ole Kathryn, who was always inclined to think the best of people. They talked about Stark, Thraxx, the Brother's Grimm, and lots of other folk.

He also told her a long version of the grail quest, and she learned a lot more about it than she had known before; about who he had quested with, the places that he went, how he came to be with Armand, how he defeated the White Architect, and how, ultimately, they were able to find the grail and save Kaye. It was a great story, and Kathryn was very impressed.

However, the crux of the matter soon came out: Dino wanted to know if Kathryn was really alright with Armand. Kathryn was incredibly reluctant to say that it wasn't alright, but she hated to keep secrets from Dino (she offered to tell him about SMART and her small number of other secrets, but he refused, insisting that he respected her privacy...) and so she hedged her bets a bit, trying to avoid answering with a straight answer. Dino would hear none of it, though, and eventually forced her to admit that it made her sad, but she insisted that she didn't mind, and it would be terribly unfair for Armand to be limited just because she felt a little jealous. After all, she tried to explain, jealousy was a fault in her, not in him - Armand was just being Armand, it wasn't like it was he's the same person as Dino, not exactly...it just made her a little sad to see someone who looked like Dino out doing the things that Armand did, but she knew on an intellectual level that she was being silly.

Dino grew increasingly frustrated with this chain of reasoning, since he clearly felt that it was a big deal and he didn't want to do anything that would upset her. She was resolute, though, and finally he grew frustrated enough that he cut off all further conversation with a kiss.


A week after Beltaine, Kathryn and Petra went to Prague so that Petra could visit her husband Laslow. They had many adventures there which have never been fully elucidated, going with Argent and the lions and no one else. It was a lot of fun, and they returned safe and sound about a week later.

Not long after that, Jain, a knight of Highground who Kathryn had healed on Samhain, came to Kathryn and asked her if she might be able to make armor for him that would reflect the true nature of an enemy, thus enabling them to be defeated more easily. It sounded very complex and difficult, but Kathryn said that she would try; she started studying optics and a bit of psychology.

Also around then, folks started trying to learn more about what had happened to the White. Not that many people had witnessed Rasputin's death, so when Careg sent a grogan asking for help, Kathryn sent him back a long reply with everything she could remember about Rasputin's death. Meanwhile, the Countess wanted to know more about the hunters and about the white, so Kathryn told her about Rasputin's death, and also about what happened to Lexander Lugnut and the hunter's that night.


A few days later, Kathryn had a long conversation with Careg. He was trying to gather information about the White fomori and what people knew of them, so Kathryn went to him and, after securing a promise to keep what she said in confidence, she told Careg what little she knew about the white, including her feelings on them and such. This mostly involved relating bits and pieces of what happened to her at the White court to him; he listened attentively and asked intelligent questions. After some internal debate, she also decided to tell him something she'd told no one else: that she rather liked Frost, and couldn't help but feel like he was trust worthy. She knew it was silly, that he was a white and therefore a liar and all that jazz, and yet she felt that way anyway. Careg was very curious about this, but didn't press her for more, which was good, because she couldn't really explain further.

Only a few days later, the Bear came to Kathryn while she was asleep the forge, and, waking her up, scared the bejesus out of her. She couldn't get away from him, and couldn't figure out what to do. However, he shocked her, asking for her help in finding Azriphael, who he wanted to fight. She lied, telling him that she wasn't sure where Azriphael was, and couldn't help him. He wouldn't be put off, though, and, finally, she was forced to lead him out, away from Willowgrove. She was terrified, but all she could think to do was take him somewhere - anywhere - that wasn't near any fae that she knew of. Fortunately, before she could get them to a destination - she had chosen Bryan Park - the bear had to leave ... though it promised to come again. Afraid, Kathryn went home, but she didn't tell anyone what had happened.

Dino wasn't put of that easily, though - he'd noticed that the board said she was gone for a while, and would later come and ask her why...but not yet.

That evening was the batchelorette party for the Baroness Eleanor Elise, who was marrying Azriphael. Kathryn went to Highground to enjoy the party, talking with BEE a great deal about love, romantic attachment, and current events. Not long after, Triza and V, redcap's extraordinaire, joined them, and conversation, remaining on the topic of love and attachment, turned distinctly strange. Growing increasingly uncomfortable, Kathryn finally decided to go and join the dancing that was going on, which she did for a while. She was very nervous in general - Kaye was still having problems with the Count, and Kathryn was very worried that things would not go well, that Kaye would be bound by her oaths in some terrible fashion, or the Count would get angry and do something foolish...she danced for a bit, and then Diezel came and Kathryn asked her to dance - Diezel established first that she wasn't a lesbian, and then agreed to dance with her.

They were still dancing when Dino arrived. Kathryn went over to say hi to him, while Miki and a few others joked in the background about Armand doing a strip dance (Kathryn blushing a great deal at that...) and then Miki made his clothes disappear! Distressed, Kathryn placed herself between Dino and the rest of the room, aided by BEE, until Dino was able to reestablish his degree of being clothed. Kathryn was acting funny, because of the bear and because she was worried about Kaye, and Dino kept asking if she was okay, and she kept saying she was.

Somewhere in the midst of the party, Kathryn and Diezel had a long talk, in the course of which she told Diezel a bit about what had happened with Lexander Lugnut on Samhain; meanwhile, she found out from Diezel that all that stuff about Amelie (from way back in February) had been a lie. Kathryn was sad, but startled Diezel by telling her that she still trusted her. This seemed a little behind Diezel's scope of understanding, but Kathryn was pleased about it.

BEE had something to show Dino, and so Dino and Kathryn ended up exploring Highground fairly extensively. they were just returning to the party when Dino's cell phone rang. It was Kaye! She was completely fine, and was no longer oathbound at all! Shocked and pleased, all in attendence decided to move the party to Willowgrove to celebrate Kaye's new-found freedom.

On the drive there, Dino and Kathryn spoke a bit. Kathryn was still a bit shaken, and Dino spent some effort in comforting her (and still trying to find out what was wrong!). He held her hand, reassuring her that everything would be okay...and finally she told him about the bear. Dino was, understandably, seriously pissed, and went to find out how it would have been possible for the bear to come to Willowgrove without anyone knowing it. He spoke to Johnny Doe, who had set up protections such that it shouldn't have been possible for anyone who intended harm to enter the grounds...which could only mean that the bear didn't intend Kathryn any harm. Perplexed, but at least temporarily assuaged, Kathryn promised that if the bear came anywhere near her again, she'd not try to keep it a secret, and the rest of the evening passed in celebration of BEE's upcoming nuptials and Kaye's freedom from being Oathbound.


SMART's last mission: heading out (writing the letter); meeting up; realizing the danger; the first trial: the king and the sleeping forest; the second trial: the queen and indecision; the third trial: the queen and the key in Liza's heart; fleeing the red fomori.
June game: The attack of the red fomori, why's Dino here??, Petros' death, sending Petra ahead, staying behind to heal folk, omg I'm not dead, return to Willowgrove, yelling at Pinnochio, looking for Kaye, finding Kaye (the death of Gawayne), trying to deal with the grief, meeting Liza, comforting Dino, the missing Thangobrind and Diezel, shock after shock
A Night Out 3, 4, 5: 3: Asking Chet about Kaye's attacker, 4: Tam's return to Willowgrove, Chet's appearance, discussing both parts of the SMART mission, Melchior's lies, Dame Sorcha's danger, Tam's escape, the Edge Mordent, talking about the White, the duplicity of the Varich??, Johnny Doe and the Hunter's, 5: warning Dino about the Irish fae, asking about the Hunter's, trying to convince him to tell me about stuff, you can read my mind?
Meanwhile: Talking to Petra
July Interlude: Petros' wake; folk drunk and stoned; "is this what it's like talking to me??"
August Interlude: tea with the Countess; discussing Conchordia, the arrival of the Demon Cat, trying to speak up and be heard, learning about the truth, Stark's visit.
Between: The Edge Psyche
August Game: Who's this guy? Not Dino...meeting Marta, Nadja's divorce, saying hi to folk, everyone seeing if she knows what's up with Dino and if she's okay, the arrival of the glittersprite, the death of Shae, talking with Raia and Kaye, the presence of big scary people, talking to not Dino, losing our memories, Petra and Dino's wedding, my husband the Demon Cat, saying hi to people and offering aid, kitty eating hearts, looking for meat with my cousin, the gypsy king, "if I'm Kathryn, you must be Dino," "what do you mean the world is ending? and who are Stark and Meilge?", birds at the window, Demon kitty under the table ("I love you!"), banality's grip and the return of the first memory, reunited? with Dino, learning of the sword that returns memories, in line for the sword (more memories return), the High Lord's attack on Stark, talking about what's going on, touching the sword, All Hail Cihuacoatl!, blood sacrifice to the goddess, loyal allies in the goddess's service, Dino's concern, Passion's mirror, the return of memory, escape from the battle, learning about the ritual to save the world and the attention that will draw to Muses, returning to withdraw the edge psyche, the "original" Dino, "Who speaks Greek? ANYONE?", trying to draw the sword, never been a fae memories, touching the sword again, awaking as Mary of Cortland.
BGA: Mary and Dino; Mary and the Countess; Kathryn as Privy Council? "If the president signs the order right before he leaves office...", trying to help Kaye, preparing for the battle.
September Interlude: Preparing for the battle. Meeting with the auditor specific about Dino's being a master artisan. Dino's arrival. "Do you need a sex bot?" Freaking out for a while. The naming of the Baron, the adoption of Diezel. Talking to Dino about not being together during the battle. Freaking out about Troy. Talking to Careg about armor. Dino trying to find out what's wrong (Kathryn's shame). Talking to Careg. Gabriel's memory (Kathryn's memory)
BGA: Planning for the battle to come. Talking to the grogans. Coordinating the healer's. Talking to Diezel about dross and shields. Writing letters.
September Game: The ritual with Dino - promising to live no matter what. Talking Kaye before the ritual. Gathering Dross, dividing dross. Kaye's death. Back to business - distributing dross. Everyone telling her to hurry up. Saying good bye to Dino. To the ritual. Making sure our bodies were guarding. Constructing the nightmare reality. The first wave - Samuel L. Jackson. The second wave - resucing Dale. Constructing the Amorica with Careg. The third wave - the bastet. The fourth wave - the horrible eldritch prime. Pinnochio and Dale's disappearance. The fifth wave - the sorcerer. Dance of Destiny. The breaking of the armor and oakenshield. Winning the fifth wave. Grabbed by Freddy. "Ilyena, where are you my love?" Dino's "death." Slashed across the face. Lara's attempted intervention. Finding Freddy. The sacrifice attempt, and failure. Claws to the throat. (delivering the letters) Dino's message. Talking to BEE the Valkyrie. "I broke my promise." "Dino's alive?" Delivered to death. Choose: oblivion or boat. Hearing Kaye and Nadja and Diezel. Deciding to board the boat. Moments of comfort. Departure to Arcadia.
BGA: The fading of the past. Talking to Nadja. Reflections on the boat.