The Cereal Box:Log/Session 35
Session 35
Hestia got quotes for her restaurant and was able to wheel and deal to bring things under price. Hestia asked Ernie to assist her in expediting the process, and he forwent the option to bring the hobs into it (which would have been considerable savings), and instead worked with changelings within the community (exceptional success).
Ernie got Jack, Jude, Donald, Celia, Orlando, Elissa and Blair to help; Jack was there to supervise, and everyone else was a newer member of the freehold looking for work. Alana came to keep people safe and April will absolutely not leave Ernie and Alana's side.
Nikolai contacted the Blackjack dealer from Firekeeper's and was told that he could find what he needs to learn about himself. They met for donuts and coffee, and April came along, delighted to get donuts and bring them back for the motley. He mentioned that he had met with both the Pumpkin King and Alexander Smith (which he believed to be an assumed name) and that there was a great neon turtle that spit coins that was the spirit of the casino that somehow factored into Smith's "master plan" (which April was interested in, but uncertain what she would trade for such a thing). He offered to tell Nikolai the name of all his Keepers in return for "his health," which took the form of eating 18 (!) donuts. Nikolai became hyperglycemic as a result of his decision.
He gave Nikolai the names, in order, Prince Kindhearted, Koschei the Lich, the Collector, the Baba Yaga (who was kind to him) and finally the Erlking.
The motley went to sleep. Nikolai recalled his time with Prince Kindhearted, learning that he and the Prince went to the Capital, where, knowing he had no Kingdom, Prince Nikolai presented himself to the King to marry his Beautiful Daughter. The Daughter agreed, but the King told him he needed to defeat the Great Army that had amassed against him and even now descended on the Capital. Servant Kindhearted called upon the Knight Invisible to help him slay the army, and together they did. Then Prince Nikolai presented the note, which sadly for him, actually declared that he was a liar who had tried to rob the Prince of his title. This was a Saturday May 1st
Hestia worked on the place. April, Nikolai, Ernie and Alana went on a run and April carried on about holidays. Sephie called Billy who, in a light coke rage, told her she should kill her fucking fetch so fucking dead - just burn her goddam house to the ground. They discussed transportation, and Sephie admitted that she thought that her van was known to the fetch and would be a risk to use. Billy suggested that she rent a car.
Sephie called the hospital and masqueraded as her daughter Cadence to get her fetch on the phone. After some back and forth, she baited her fetch into meeting her at the church for a "May Day Celebration" sometime between 7:00 and 9:00 PM. Billy was delighted and said that Smith will definitely want to be there because he LOVES revenge.
They prepped for the slaughter. Billy was, surprisingly, dressed in a conservative clerical vestment.
Ernie modified Billy's vestments into an attractive dress for Sephie. Sephie called into work for the night, saying there was a family issue she needed to resolve. Sephie fed the blood to the saplings, which responded splendidly. The motley prepared for bed and began.
Nikolai remembers being a tree in faerie, rooted in place, unable to move or see. Barely able to hear or speak.
In the middle of the night, there was a knock on the door. When Ernie answered the door, he found his sister Regina there, weeping and faded, her visage like a black and white photograph.