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[bestofall]

You have reached Festival, king of entertainers and entertainer of kings. I'm fairly certain this device will allow you to leave a message. Best of luck with that.


Art by switalia

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[bestofall]

I...did not want to control myself, either.

[But he's pretty sure he knows why that is.]

You changed, yes. I--you--you were an incubus. I've heard the stories; I know--I know how these things work.

[sleight_of_fate]

[Rhys lets out his breath slowly, because that word haunts him. Even back in the day, when he was young and first discovering his powers, it hovered over him, mocking his attempts to cling to his humanity.

Monster. Demon. Everything he doesn't want to be.]

Yeah. Incubus.

[He's a little grateful that Festival can't see the way his eyes squeeze shut.]

I think it was something about the house, the rooms. I've never changed like that before. I just know I was hungry, and...you were there.

I know, that's not an excuse, but...trying to understand what happened.

[He sounds very tired.]

[bestofall]

[He lets out a long, shaky breath. For once the words don't come easily. Quietly, he says:]

You were violated as much as I was.

[He says it as much to bring it forefront in his own mind as to reassure Rhys, not thinking that violated might be a harsh word taken the wrong way--his concern is for the sanctity of the mind over the body, but he's hardly made that clear.]

[sleight_of_fate]

[Oh, how much Rhys wants to believe that. Guilt still twists in his mind, though it settles a bit at hearing those words from his victim's lips.

He wasn't lying when he said that he didn't do that sort of thing. Normally he was so painfully careful about consent, so intent on not taking from people. There had been a time in his life when he'd been less careful, but he regretted that time with a deep and abiding ache.]

Thank you. It might take me some time to believe that, but...thank you.

[He lets his breath out in a low sigh.]

How are you feeling? Are you taking care of yourself? You, uh. Should start to feel better in a few days.

[bestofall]

[Having seen what happened to Tim, Festival is under the illusion that none of the transformations had anything to do with who or what the transformed are in their normal lives--and he's rather too thick to have put the dots together when it comes to Rhys.

He sighs back. He knows what it is to carry guilt.]

I'm tired. Sore. Magic does not obey me as well as I wish it. But I don't believe I'm hurt, really.

[sleight_of_fate]

[Rhys feels bad about everything he's leaving out, his mixed bloodline and the real source of his magical abilities, but he's also coping with the fallout of having his biggest secret pulled out of him. He needs time before he can come clean.]

That's what Incubi do. They steal life force. You can heal it back, but it takes a lot of care. Good food, plenty of sleep, some fresh air and sunshine if you're up to it. Mostly being gentle with yourself so your spirit can replenish itself.

[bestofall]

[With some of his old humor back in his voice:] Sleeping through the day and eating well I can manage, but fresh air and sunshine is too much to ask, sir.

What of yourself? It looked...painful, when you changed. Are you recovering as well?

[sleight_of_fate]

[He meets that bit of humor with a chuckle.]

Two out of three isn't bad, at least. As long as you're taking care of yourself, you should start to feel better soon.

[He considers the bard's other question thoughtfully for a moment, before he answers.]

I think I'm okay. A lot of it is fuzzy in my mind, though I remember the pain.

I know I changed back a little while after...after. I woke up in a hallway, back to myself.

Then not too long after that the house actually let us go, so I went home and slept.

[bestofall]

I'm sorry you woke up alone. Someone found me--Matt Murdock. Do you know him? Terribly helpful.

[He says it as much because he thinks it might make Rhys feel better to know he was looked after to some extent than because it really matters.]

I'm glad it hasn't lingered.

[sleight_of_fate]

No, I don't know him but glad that someone was there to help you.

Seems like we've only got each other for helping out, here. Which sucks, but...at least we know there's some good people here.

[It does make Rhys feel a bit better, that Festival didn't awaken sick and alone. He's done that too often himself: he knows how horrible it feels.]

[bestofall]

More good than bad that I've met among our company thus far. Though the bad ones do their utmost to make up for it.

I ought to have known better than to go exploring. Things ended rather badly the last time something unusual happened and I took it upon myself to go on a search as well.

[sleight_of_fate]

That was my first event, so I went into it expecting...

Well, not what happened. I figured dinner and some blustery bullshit about the great City and its rulers, and then going home. But no, that would have been too easy.

And I've met quite a few decent people here so far, but then again, I've also heard about serial killers and vampires and all sorts of other things, so it's hard to say.

[bestofall]

I've seen surprisingly little trouble from the vampires, though perhaps I ought to be more concerned. It's the serial killer who's soon to be released back among us that concerns me. There's nothing at all stopping him from doing it again.

[sleight_of_fate]

Usually, vampires are one of those things you just leave alone, in my world. They're dangerous but they mostly keep to themselves.

[He lets his breath out slowly between his teeth.]

Yeah, I keep hearing about that. I can't believe he was only locked up for a couple of months? Even considering death doesn't stick here, that's...pretty horrifying.

At least he's identified as a killer now. People can watch themselves, and keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't get away with anything more.

[bestofall]

[Bitterly:] Resurrection doesn't erase the pain and fear of death. He'd be put to death himself if this were Boywold, and certainly not brought back from it.

New people arrive all the time. He's yet another thing to warn them about.

[sleight_of_fate]

He'd be put to death in a lot of places in my world, too. Or else locked up for the rest of his life where he can't hurt anyone else.

[He pauses, realizing he should clarify.]

In my world, people don't come back from death. Ghosts are a thing, but once you're dead, that's it, you're dead.

[bestofall]

They don't often come back in mine. It's...difficult magic, and the components are beyond most people's means. But I've...heard of it being done.

[sleight_of_fate]

Huh. That makes sense, any kind of magic that can cross boundaries like that is pretty intense stuff.

[He lets out a long breath.]

I'm not usually the guy cheering for eye for an eye, but sometimes there's monsters that have to be dealt with.

[Is he worried for himself? A little bit, even though he's got tricks up his sleeve.]

[bestofall]

Those who choose redemption can change. Others the world is better off without.

Let me put it this way: I believe in happiness and freedom. No one can be free to be happy when they fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

[sleight_of_fate]

That's fair, I can definitely agree with that.

Sometimes it's like a rabid animal. There's no coming back from that kind of atrocity, so the only choice you have is to make sure it can't hurt anyone else.

[There's a faint flicker of a smile, though weary. He's had to pass that judgment before. It's never easy, but sometimes it's the only thing that can be done.]

And those are good things to believe in.

[bestofall]

Sometimes.

[And sometimes...well, a few of the monsters he'd been saddled with had surprised him. But several had very much not. He brightens a little, though his smile is wistful.]

It's--I'm the only one of my faith here, as far as I know. But it's not so difficult a faith to follow. The Drunken Hero asks that we welcome those in need, that we make ourselves and others merry, that things be made...well, fair. I try to live by that.

[sleight_of_fate]

[Rhys has met humans who were every bit as much a monster as the werewolf or vampire down the street. He's also executed said humans. With some regret, but little hesitation when it was called for. It's what's in your soul, not your skin.]

I definitely like that.

My faith is pretty simple, too. I don't follow a god, more...a path. Be kind to others. Revere and respect nature. Appreciate the pleasures we've been given. Embrace love where you can, accept the end of things when they come.

[Why yes, Rhys is a druid with a little hedonism thrown in, why do you ask.]

[bestofall]

I like that...though I must confess I'm a man of the city and I'm not terribly good at accepting endings. But love and pleasures? They're what the mortal plane is for.

[Druid with a little hedonism, meet hedonist with a little holiness.]

[sleight_of_fate]

I'm a city boy, too, but the woods, the fields and rivers...it's peaceful for me, it's where I feel at home. Wherever there's sky and green, I feel a connection.

Of course, the city has its own pulse, too. All the living people that make up a city, the lives they lead and the imprints they leave, creates its own thing too.

[He chuckles.]

I've been around so many different places in my life, I've learned to find something in all of them.

[bestofall]

I'm not great traveler--the few times I left the city of Boywold I was in the retinue of the king and had duties to attend to. Not much chance for exploring under those circumstances.