Ch.3: "Silver Tide" / Nyse Lagoon

[Legendary Sidekick]

Our heroines remain underground for the day until Midori calls from her perch in the great tree, announcing that the sun has set. Kell and Leto have the supplies they need. They waste no time and move out.

The van Donk sisters have already gone ahead with Aphrodite. Vin Cobbler remained in the Hearthland and spent most of the day with Buck, though of course he sat with Kell during his lunch break and the whole group dined together during sunset. Vin's plan is to accompany Kell in Nyse, but he will head out on "a mission" with Buck when the women decide to travel to Sardis.

Helix is standing by with Vin's horse, Valkyrie. Not much of a conversationalist, Helix says of the mare.

With two horses and three riders, it seems Kell will not ride alone. She and Vin can each ride their own steeds, with Kell and Leto together on Helix, or Kell can hop on Valkyrie's back while Leto rides Helix. Hey! Helix thinks, We could take Vin while Leto rides his horse. So yes, Helix, there are three plausible options…

Once everyone sorts out how they'll ride, they head west. By the time they reach the lagoon, the moon is up, lighting the ripples with its silver light. Some nymphs swim over to greet the party. As they rise from the water, Leto and Vin can't help but feel the effect.

The nymphs looks at each other and giggle, but compose themselves before saying, "Welcome to Nyse Lagoon!"

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto's sleep during the day is dream-riddled and far from restful. She sees herself and her friend Brynhild walking a path and eating roasted boar shins; Brynhild asks if Leto remembers everything she told Leto, to which Leto says no. Brynhild assures Leto that she will remember.

Brynhild and Leto walk on, wearing identical cloaks decorated with swan feathers. More feathers fall from the sky, blocking out all else like a blizzard. When they recede, they leave behind a black sky sprinkled with stars and a crescent moon.

Leto stares up at the moon through a haze of smoke. The ground around her is littered with the burning wreckage of a village, and bodies both whole and in pieces. The stink makes her gag as she pulls herself to her feet. A bite in her side throbs with pain; she clamps a hand over it and stumbles away from the wreckage. She doesn't know where she's going, only that here is not safe.

And she can't shake the feeling that she's being watched. Two golden lights flicker in the dark from the corners of her eyes, only to vanish when she turns to look.

Leto wakes up tired and out of sorts -- not much of a change from the evening before. She's disappointed to find the van Donk sisters have already gone; she would have liked the chance to talk to them about her dream. Maybe in Nyse.

She is quiet throughout the ride to the lagoon, and smiles half-heartedly at the nymphs who greet her and her friends.

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell waves to the nymphs, suddenly uneasy given her dream earlier in the day of nymphs throwing themselves at Vin. While Vin successfully stood against them in the dream, Niobe always said that flesh and blood has its limits. Will Vin reach his limit here and give in to the temptation they offer? Why didn't I think to warn him of how they can be?

She takes Vin's arm and whispers to him, "Put your arm around me. The average nymphs is very flirtatious with single people of whatever gender they prefer, but most of them will tone it down if it's clear you're with someone else AND you don't encourage them. I'm sorry, I should have warned you about this earlier."

Remembering Aphrodite's instructions to look up Vivian when they arrive, she tells the nymphs, "I'm Kell Silvertide. I grew up here, so I know my way around, but we're looking for a nymph named Vivian. She's apparently has burn scars. And makes things, like this purse." And she taps her Orange Phoenix purse in illustration. "Do you know where we might find her?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Oh, hi Kell! Welcome back. Who's the lucky guy?" asks a nymph.

Another says to Leto, "And who are you? The lucky girl? You can be if you want to be."

A third nymph approaches wearing nothing but flowers around her neck. "Oh, don't mind them." She removes a lei from her neck and places it over Vin's head. His eyes fall to her body, then awkwardly at Kell. He's not sure where to look. "I am Antheia." She gives Kell a lei. "My happy friend who thinks your man is lucky is Eudaemonia. And she's right." Antheia removes the third lei and gives it to Leto. "My playful friend Paidia thinks you're cute. And she's right. But if you wish to swim in the lagoon, we will not bother you unless you want us to. All you need to do is ask. If you need some grapes, some wine, anything… just ask."

Eudaemonia and Paidia don silk robes and walk over to the horses. Antheia wears a similar robe with a floral design.

"My friends will see to your steeds. If you wish to see Vivian, please come this way."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell pauses a moment to think. I'm not sure what Vivian will think about guests descending on her at this hour. On the other hand, if Leto needs to stay out of the sunlight, maybe Vivian can direct us to someplace we can stay during daylight hours if we don't stay too long. And I don't want Vin getting too friendly with any of these nymphs. In comparison to other nymphs' physical appearance, I'm actually not that attractive because I'm not consumed with every aspect of my appearance the way too many of them are. Niobe always talked about Neleos' wandering eye when it came to the nymphs!

She tells Antheia, "My friends are Vin and Leto, and they're not really used to how the nymphs around here are. For now, please take us to Vivian." She doesn't know what Antheia will conclude Kell is trying to say about herself based on that statement, but Kell doesn't want to explain that she's different if she can keep from it. If she ends up spending much time around Antheia, that will become clear enough.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Antheia smiles pleasantly at Kell. "Oh, I see what you mean. He has never been to Nyse. You are showing him where you're from. I think that's sweet. You should show him how to guide you by the arm as they taught us in the workshop."

Kell knows the workshop refers to classes attended by men. She avoided those sessions.

"If you missed this class, I don't blame you. It was boring. We could only touch arms. If your friend Leto does not mind, I can demonstrate the technique. Or perhaps you and I can, and I will play the man's part. If Vin guides you in this way, the other nymphs will understand you two are together."

She stifles a giggle as she glances at Vin's arm draped across Kell's shoulders. "They way he holds you now, the message is clear. It's just… too protective. You look like jealous lovers protecting a fragile relationship. There are some who will prey on this. Not my friends, I assure you, and certainly not Vivian. She is… well, I guess you know her, so I don't need to tell you."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell sighs. I hate Nyse, with all of its silly little rules. She tells Antheia, "Yeah, I skipped that class. And Vin's and my relationship is fairly new. I suppose you can demonstate on me."

She adds, "We work with the people who helped Vivian when she got burned. I don't know her personally so much as I know of her - I sent her a letter of introduction here a few days back, so she knows of us, though not that we are making this trip. We were instructed to look her up when we got here."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Oh, I see. Well, she's inspiring. The men who come here don't appreciate her, so she's lucky too."

Antheia takes Kell's arm, entwining elbows in a serpentine manner too elegant to appear masculine. But the way she walk arm-in-arm with Kell looks like something Vin can handle. When Vin tries the hold, Antheia says, "Wrong way, unless you are playing the part of the woman." He gets it right the second time.

Turning to Leto, Antheia says, "If you let Vin take the other arm, no one will get in the way of either of you." She smiles, but notices a subtle involuntary reaction from Leto. "It is just an idea, an unnecessary precaution I'm sure."

She leads the trio to a small workshop at the end of a dock. The little house is floating—it's a house boat.

"This is Vivian's place. I would join you, but it would get crowded. We would all stand in close quarters, get sweaty. It might be fun." A whimsical grim dimples Antheia's cheeks… until she notices the humorless expressions on Kell, Vin and Leto. "Or it might not be."

Antheia knocks on Vivian's door. "Put on a robe, Vivi. You have some guests."

"I'm not in bed, Annie," Vivian calls through the door. "I'm working."

"Then allow me to get the door." Antheia opens the door and says, "Right this way, please. Enjoy your visit."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell smiles at Antheia. "Thank you for bringing us here. I appreciate the guidance."

Stepping through the door, Kell peers around, looking for Vivian. When she finds her, she says, "Hello, Vivian. I'm Kell Silvertide, and I wrote you a letter a few days ago. I'm sorry for the lack of notice about our visit, but when we decided to come here yesterday, Aphrodite herself asked us to look you up. We have need to travel at night."

Then she points to Leto and Vin. "There are my companions, Leto and Vin. I mentioned Leto in my letter. Akantha left us not long after I sent you my letter, but Vin here joined us in Arcadia and he will be hunting bounties with us. He is also my..." and she glances at him with a tender smile, "boyfriend." The word gives her a thrill.

"I was reluctant to impose on you at this hour, but I thought you might at least be able to point us in the direction of someplace we can stay during the daylight hours, when we'll be sleeping. I lived at Aphrodite's villa when I was here, and the only person I was close enough to to feel comfortable asking for a place to stay is unfortunately dead."

"This houseboat is lovely. What all do you make here besides our Orange Phoenix purses?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

When Kell approaches, Vivian has her back to her and is facing slightly to the right. From this angle, she looks like most nymphs do.

When she turns to face our heroes, they see that the fires only burned her left side from head to toe. She is bald on the left side with no kid over her blind eye. On the hairless side of her head is the shriveled remains of an ear. Her flesh has an odd texture and a sunburn-pink tone. She is barefoot, possibly in part because it's not easy to find a shoe for a foot with no toes. Her left hand still has most of its fingers, however—all but the pinky.

The one feature on her left side that the fire couldn't take from her is her smile. Whatever horror happened to Vivian is in the past. This nymph is genuinely happy.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I don't know why you wish to be indoors all day. We're having such great weather lately. But I can help you find a place. As for my craft, I make a variety of bags, boots, and all sorts of things made of leather."

There is a mannequin wearing some sort of leather underwear that seems to be incomplete, missing material in the oddest places.

Vivian explains, "I take requests. My products suit my customers' tastes, not necessarily mine."

She takes a leather fedora and tosses it onto Vin's head. "Boyfriend? How fortunate. But I take it that your travels here are not a date. May I ask what brings you this way?" She glances at the purses and adds, "We are all in the same business, so you don't need to keep any secrets here."

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto smiles back at Vivian and says, "It's only me who has to stay out of the sun, but Kell and Vin are joining me out of solidarity. As for why we're here, Aphrodite promised us lessons in controlling our desires, as a means of protection."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell barely holds back a gasp of pity when she sees Vivian's scars. "I'm so sorry that happened to you, though you seem to be coping with it rather well. I hope our killing of Judge Xarris aids in your healing in some small way. Or if not you, then perhaps that of some of the other Orange Phoenixes."

She grins at Vin when Vivian places the fedora on his head. "It suits you," she tells him honestly. She thanks Vivian, then tells her, "He specializes in working with horses."

She smiles as Vivian talks about her work. "I quite understand. I myself just made a request of a friend of mine for a product she made me, and I would have been rather disappointed if I couldn't have gotten what I wanted."

At Leto's words, Kell gives a rueful grin. "I figure it will probably come in useful being around Vin as much as I'll need to be. I still have my egg, and having a child doesn't seem like a very smart move, not while I'm active in the business." She remembers talking about the war between the Immortals in front of Buck and the Hearthland fairies at Heph's mansion, but she's unsure how much they actually know about it. Demeter told only her and Leto about the war between the Immortals, and Demeter asked them to only talk about being bounty hunters. She's not certain just how freely she should be discussing that part of things, even with the Orange Phoenixes, so she decides to follow Leto's example of brevity and just not mention her nightmare of Zeus seducing her and possibly being a target of his. Her concerns about getting pregnant are true enough.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Vivian says, "Oh... that is a very special session. The Three Graces teach that. I assume the boyfriend will not attend." She laughs. "What am I saying? Of course he won't! The graces would never permit a man to..."

Vivian takes a deep breath. "Never mind. The class is ladies only, but we can see that Vin is sufficiently entertained while he waits." She assures Kell, "You will be with Aphrodite, and everyone will know Vin is with you. Even those who would want to tempt him know better."

Rising from her seat, Vivian says, "This house boat is a gift from Aphrodite's husband. I understand you had the good fortune to meet him. Well, I'm no sea captain, but I can get you around the lagoon in this thing. Shall we head to the villa?"

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell nods. "Yes, we did meet Heph. Did he hit you over the head with his hammer, too?" She giggles.

Out of curiosity, she asks, "How is it that the nymphs here will leave Vin alone? When I was at the villa, I don't really remember seeing them practice much in the way of restraint about who they approached, nor the young men who come around, either. It was one of several things that made me decide to leave here."

She gnaws her lower lip. I was really hoping to never return to the villa. But I guess I can, since this is to learn a valuable skill. "Yes, let's go to the villa."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Vivian replies, "There are very few who are allowed to have this special session with the Three Graces. Vin cannot go inside, but no nymph will go near him knowing he is with you, you being a nymph with the privilege of attending the Graces' session. If you wish, Vin can remain in a private room."

As she is talking, Vivi pulls a lever. There is a strange whirring sound coming from under the floor. Vivian places her hands over a crystal ball. She can see where the houseboat is going, and she can rotate the ball to move the boat...

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto decides to settle back and enjoy the view of the lagoon as they breeze through it. Pretty nymphs, even prettier scenery... it's nice. And distracting, which is important right now.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

As Leto peers out the window, a few friendly nymphs wave to her—some innocently, some a little more seductively. They are skinny-dipping at night, so it's possible that their allure is just appearance without implying any intention.

The scenery itself is surreal under the moonlight. Palm trees are silhouetted by the starry sky, and sparkles of phosphorous gleam in the wake of Vivi's houseboat.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Soon the villa is in sight. When Kell and Leto disembark, Vivi assures them that Vin will be taken to a private room. "He will not not be attended by any nymph unless he is in need of service."

Vin says, "I think I won't need anything. I've eaten during the day and I didn't sleep much. Perhaps I'll just call it a night and you can wake me up when your class is over."

Kell is given a chance to respond to Vin. Once they say their goodbyes, hug or kiss if they wish, Vivi takes Vin in her houseboat and the boat leaves the dock.

The villa is on an island far into the lagoon surrounded by mist. If our heroines are looking to hunt monsters, it is unlikely they will be found here. There is something Leto finds oddly peaceful about this place. If she ever wondered what it's like for a fairy to snuggle deep inside a flower, this may be the closest humanly-possible simulation of that experience. The aroma is strange, in a good way.

For Kell, this is the same villa she left. There never was a threat of monsters here. Despite what she's seen in the past couple days, she doesn't expect anything horrible to happen this close to Aphrodite. If something does happen, one has to wonder what chance a mortal has if the immortals can't protect their own homes.

A few nymphs lean on the rails outside. Most are wearing silk robes. To Kell's surprise, one is wearing silk pajamas—bedclothes! Less surprising are those that smell of sex and those who wander in the nude still wet from bathing in the lagoon. There is a naked man facing away from our heroines, staring into the sea. A towel is wrapped around his waist and he is ushered into a room. One nymph sees our heroines and gives an apologetic grimace.

Our heroines are directed by several nymphs. They are well aware that the Three Graces are teaching their special sessions and seem eager to guide Kell and Leto to the Dojo—the ninth floor… Kell has never been there before. Even Aphrodite's room is on the seventh floor. Most nymphs never go beyond the fifth without an invitation.

The Dojo is the only room on the top level of the villa. The nymphs who guide our heroines there don't dare go beyond the steps to the eighth floor. (Kell has no idea what is on this floor.) After ascending the final stairs, the door to the Dojo slides open.

On the mat in the center are the Three Graces—Aglaia, Thalia, and Euphrosyne. They have strawberry blonde hair, skin like cream, and hands dreamily caressing each other. They don't seem to mind that Kell and Leto are seeing this. They don't seem to mind stopping.

"We were getting tired of waiting," says one.

Another says, "We're no good to you ladies if we're bored."

The third looks like she intends to speak, but instead heaves a sigh as a big smile crosses her face. Whatever pleasure she must be feeling, Kell wishes she were with Vin having that same feeling. Leto thinks these nymphs are even prettier than the ones in the lagoon.

The first grace giggles, "I think it's time for us to get dressed…"

She guides Kell through a sliding door on the left. The second grace guides Leto through a door on the right. The third moans in relief as our heroines are escorted from the room.

((LINKS TO BE PROVIDED SOON - PLEASE ONLY READ YOUR OWN CHARACTER'S ADVENTURE.))

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Links

FOR KELL'S EYES ONLY!

FOR LETO'S EYES ONLY!

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Kell is sleeping with her head in Aglaia's lap. Leto's head is in Thalia's. Euphrosyne is between our heroines holding Kell's left hand in hers, Leto's right hand in hers.

The Three Graces are wearing white togas and are on the roof of Aphrodite's chamber on the seventh floor of the villa. There is no ninth floor. If there's an eighth floor, it's this roof!