Entry 406; Day 532

[misterblackbird]

Yesterday, I saw a man sitting the cafe for the whole of the afternoon, putting milk into his tea over and over and over. The cup never overflowed, and he never stopped adding the milk. He was hardly the first person I saw doing something over and over, unceasing--and not in any sort of peculiar way, the way I've know some people to check the locks at their doors far too many times. It was rather like seeing something in a recording on the Network being played over and over again. It must have been maddening for the people caught in those cycles, and I'll count myself fortunate not to have been one of them. It was eerie enough to see them--on the Network, of course, but moreso in person.

Yes, it was a curse, but it suggests something that we've already suspected: the 'deities' seem quite content and quite able to control time and our actions in it. I remember Merry coming into the City from an 'earlier' time--there's no better way to put it--than Riff and I. I know others have seen the same thing happen. Of course it would make sense that the 'deities' could snatch us from any time in our lives that they pleased--which means we'll never really be free of this place, even if we don't remember it in between the times that we spend here.

But to be able to set us on a circuit like that, to force us into repeating useless motions over and over until it drove us mad--that proves something more, I daresay.

Is it reason to fear them? I say no, but then I'm the one who refuses to even call them gods, because I say there's an explanation for it all, if it can be found. But they've some ability or skill to make these things happen, even maddening nightmares like that: to be putting milk into one's tea forever.

It's rather like it always being teatime, isn't it? Isn't that how it followed, that mad tea party? It was always teatime, forever, ever since the clock had stopped.

And, yes, I do see the strains of irony in all that. I won't give them credit or power over time. But it is interesting.

That hardly seems to matter now, though, since there seemed to be far more interesting things going on last night, and no sooner than the curse had ended.

What happened last night? I'm quite aware that there was something like a declaration of war--that's hardly the first time I've seen such a thing thrown on the Network. I suppose that proves the one responsible, and he hardly seems to care.

Another one, I suppose, who hates humans and would kill himself if it meant destroying us as well.

I certainly heard a great deal going on in the streets, and saw a few flashes of light--a few, since it seemed like the lights went out in that part of the City shortly thereafter. What the fight was, I couldn't see, though I tried for it. And nothing turned up on the Network thereafter either. I suppose the police found out about it soon enough.

I suppose the first question is whether anyone is hurt. The second question is what happened?

Can anyone answer me that?

[Private to Megumi || Unhackable]
Of course I felt some of what was going on. Are you all right? I know you were there somewhere--and I know it was nearby the hospital. What was going on?
[//end private filter]

Miss Reinette, I have not forgotten my promise to you, but this hardly seems like the time to discuss plans in that regard.

Rosella, I hope you're still bearing up as well as possible.

~C.

[ooc: Geeze--haven't posted in an age. Yeah, Alice-y types, he's referencing your mad tea party--it's basically canon that he knows it. lol, I'd wanted this to be a short post. Fail. Also, let's talk war~]

Comments

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

I think we would have seen far more of it if it hadn't been seen by someone. Obviously, someone stopped whatever it was that was going on.

I dislike how many unknowns are in that statement.

[Private || Unhackable]
If you're staying that late at the library, I should think you must be keeping quite busy.

Well, I only thought I should ask.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

If you're right that the same person who issued that...well, declaration of war, as you put it, is the one behind whatever happened last night...then I might have a few guesses. I've spoken with him before.

[Private || Unhackable]
I really never meant to stay so late. I just lost track of the time and before I knew it, it was the middle of the night.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

I can't think of anything else to call it besides a declaration of war, really.

Have you spoken to him? Does it seem likely that he's behind this?

[Private || Unhackable]
All the same, I'm glad you're all right and were out of the fighting.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

I suppose it's possible, though it's difficult to say without knowing exactly what happened. I know he's an elf who very much dislikes humans, though. It seems several magical creatures have been attacked recently, and he felt that people who didn't know about it or couldn't stop it were just as responsible as the people who committed the attacks themselves.

[Private || Unhackable]
I do appreciate the concern, thank you. I'm managing as best I can.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

I certainly know of his dislike for humans. And, yes, I knew there had been some attacks recently, but I hadn't known the ones attacked were magical--for lack of a better term. So he wasn't responsible for those attacks himself, then? There's more to this than I thought.

[Private || Unhackable]
I'm very glad to hear it.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

As strongly as he feels about that sort of thing, I can't see him attacking other magical creatures himself. He's too adamant about defending them, I think. I know a unicorn was killed and had its horn cut off, and I spoke with someone else who said an acquaintance of his was caught up in it, too, but that's all.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

There was a young woman with very peculiar eyes who was shot in the back and tossed into a tank of water. And the word 'Fae' was written on the wall behind her--obviously, she's another victim.

So, really, for all that he might be fighting us, he's after the people guilty of those crimes.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

That's three, then. ...Though, come to think of it, Yvaine was the one who found the unicorn, and I seem to recall Tristan saying she disappeared for a day after she went out to bury it. He was very worried about her, as I recall. And she's magical in her own right-- Are you acquainted with her?

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

No, I'm not, unfortunately. Who is she?

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

An acquaintance of mine, whom I've known for some time now. She's a star.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

She's a star? Do you mean that quite literally?

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

I do. As I understand it, in the world she comes from, stars are...well, rather like people themselves, just ones who live in the sky rather than on the ground. She's very nice, really.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine such a world, but it's a wonder she wasn't the target of one of these attacks, then.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

It is, very much so. But she doesn't seem to have been harmed at all after she went missing that day, and I've still seen her on the Network recently, so I suppose that whatever might've happened, she came out of it all right. And goodness knows I'm glad for that. Finding the unicorn must have been horrible enough as it was, without anything else on top of it.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

Of course, the question still remains as to who kill the unicorn and who is behind these attacks that Nuada is now avenging?

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Whoever it is...it's not an easy thing, to kill a unicorn. It'd take some sort of monster to do it, I imagine. Not that thinking so makes any difference, or even helps at all, but...

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

But it does suggest that there's someone or something else that might be behind this--someone or something quite against anything and everything 'magic'.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Or, perhaps, simply someone who wanted to make Prince Nuada very angry.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

I suppose that could be the reason for these attack, yes. I hadn't considered that.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

He's certainly never bothered to hide the fact that he hates humans--I think, in the world he comes from, there must've been some sort of terrible trouble between the elves and the people. It'd be an easy enough thing to take advantage of, I think, knowing how strongly he feels about it.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

Yes, but who would want to take advantage of that? They might have a grudge against him, or they might see him as a useful tool to be turned on the City at large.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

I'm sure he must have no shortage of enemies...but I can't imagine many that would resort to killing innocent creatures just for the sake of angering him.

You did say the girl in the water was shot, didn't you?

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

I don't know enough of his enemies to say so either way. Perhaps that's the place to start.

She seemed to be, yes. There was a wound in her back like from a bullet, and a gun on the ground nearby her. It's a rather mundane way to try to kill someone, isn't it?

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Extremely so. And it's certainly not a way I would expect an elf to choose, either. It's too modern.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

So clearly it's someone not at all magical, then.