Ariana's log, Chapter 126

"Resentful wives chop you up and hang you in a meat locker."

Tuesday, February 13, 0

Gavin seems oogier now that he's back from Chaos. It is announced that there will be a ball on February 15 to celebrate Nicholas' return.

Ariana asks Tamaryn over for tea. They catch up on each other's families and what happened in Amber while Nicholas was gone. Ariana asks Tamaryn if she's ever heard of Angelique. No. Ariana fills her in on the current situation. Tamaryn warns that anyone trying to change the profession of the House will be destroyed, one way or another. Especially with Lucien's daughters there, since they would never allow it. Then why do they want Lucien back, given that they despise him? Because he could bring the house back to its former glory. Prestige is all in Chaos. Tamaryn guesses Ariana doesn't understand the Courts very well. Ariana points out that she didn't spend much time there, and even when she was living there, Lucien shielded her from much of it. Tamaryn guesses he thought it would ruin her. No doubt. Well, this would explain why Ariana is in Middlecourt. Yes. Tamaryn doesn't think she should avoid Amber completely, because letting Angelique drive her from her home would cause her to lose ground. Good point.

Lucien tells Ariana that she needn't hide herself in Middlecourt any longer. Why? Angelique gave her word as a Sawall that she wouldn't harm Ariana or her children. He didn't feel he could ask this for himself, however. Ariana frowns upon hearing this. Neither of them are inclined to move the children back to Amber, of course. She mentions that she spoke to Tamaryn, who concurred that she should spend some time in Amber. She also relates Tamaryn's opinion on what would happen to someone who tried to change the House. He agrees that would be the case, if it was done quickly. Ariana doesn't like the idea of him going back to Chaos. Neither, supposedly, does Angelique, who thinks they need more time. Ariana agrees.

Ariana goes to Amber to talk to Whimsy, but she's not there. Elaine says she left on vacation. Ariana Trumps Whimsy, who says she's in Chaos, so Ariana won't go through. She says she's concerned about what Whimsy might do to Edwin. Whimsy says she merely wants to chat with him, but he's left. She'll wait for a while, but if he doesn't come back, she may start burning his house down. Ariana is unable to convince her that this might be a bad idea. She ends the contact and Trumps Ishmael, who complains that she's being loud. She whispers, which is better, and explains the situation. Ishmael doesn't know anyone in Jesby who could be contacted, but suggests Nicholas might. Ariana thanks him and writes Nicholas a note explaining the Whimsy situation, then goes into town to work on the hospital.

While in town, Ariana is approached by Angelique. Angelique suggests that they not go to Chaos for a while. Ariana is fine with this. Angelique likes Amber because she feels safe there, and her daughter is safe. She mentions that when Nicholas' army invaded Chaos, many people who were thought assassinated were mysteriously released. Angelique asks after Vincent. He's recovering. How is Anne-Marie doing? Quite well. Angelique would like Anne-Marie to meet her siblings. And how does she suggest they explain Anne-Marie's relation to them? They will simply say that Anne-Marie is the daughter of one of Lucien's former wives. Ariana says she'll talk with Lucien about it. Angelique asks what a lady does in Amber. Ariana suggests talking to Flora. Angelique has no interest in spending time in court. It would be too high profile. Does Ariana do any charitable projects? Ariana explains about the hospital. Angelique offers her assistance. Ariana thanks her, but says that mostly all that's going on at the moment is the building renovation and training the staff. Angelique suggests bringing instructors in from Shadow. Ariana asks what Angelique likes to do. Operatic singing, riding and dancing. She spent a lot of time taking care of Angelique. Ariana asks how it is that Anne-Marie is only eight years old, when so much more time has passed. Angelique kept her in an enchanted sleep. The spell wore off every century or so, and Angelique would take her someplace pleasant for around a year. Angelique also has a hobby of bookmaking. She claims she never got into politics. She spent quite a lot of time hunting Vetch, but she couldn't get across the Chasm. She tried going through Faerie, but Auberon wouldn't allow it. Ariana mentions the Abyssal demon approach. Angelique wishes she'd thought of that. She invites Ariana to have dinner with her the next night. Ariana accepts.

Ariana gets a Trump call from Whimsy, who says that Edwin is in Amber. She asks Ariana to tell Edwin that if he doesn't return within three days, she's going to burn down his house and everyone in it. Ariana finds Edwin in the Hall of Mirrors, introduces herself, and passes along Whimsy's message. He notes that she's rather persistent, and says this will move up the time table of his meeting with the Emperor. Ariana tells him that Whimsy insists that she doesn't want to kill him, she just wants a divorce. Edwin comments that he didn't go through this much to lose her so easily. Ariana suggests he not piss her off if that's his goal.

Ariana returns to Middlecourt and tells Lucien of her conversation with Angelique. Is he OK with the children meeting? Yes. Where? Amber would probably be better. They decide to do this the next afternoon. Ariana makes arrangements with Angelique, then breaks the news to the children. Jalana is excited, the boys less so. Ariana tells them to be nice to Anne-Marie.

Wednesday, February 14, 0

Anne-Marie plays with the girls while the boys chase each other with squirt guns. Jalana likes her. Morgan squirts Anne-Marie, who runs crying to her mother. Ariana offers to give her a squirt gun, which causes Angelique to frown. Lucien explains that Anne-Marie's been raised as a proper child of the Courts. Lucien takes Morgan's gun away and makes him apologize. Ariana then gives the gun to Anne-Marie, who crushes it. Morgan gets drenched by his brothers. Despite all of this, Angelique makes arrangements to have the children spend time together again.

Ariana and Angelique have dinner. They mostly discuss their children and views on raising them. Ariana thinks children should be allowed to enjoy being children while they're young, rather than be forced to grow up too soon. Angelique feels it's best for them to learn proper behavior young, rather then be given freedom and then have it taken away. Ariana asks if Angelique has any concerns about letting their children play together. Angelique would prefer that Anne-Marie not be exposed to coarse or lewd language. Ariana assures her that her children don't behave in such a manner. Angelique inquires about Edwin and Whimsy, but Ariana says it's not her place to tell what passed between them. Ariana asks what Lucien's daughters in Chaos are like. The way Lucien used to be, without his pride or sense of honor. Angelique expresses an interest in meeting Tamaryn, since she's rumored to be so different from Lucien's other daughters. Ariana admits that she is, attributing that to the fact that Lucien was rather different when he was younger.

Ariana returns to Middlecourt and tells Lucien about her conversation with Angelique. Lucien teases that she's become good at being a pawn. She conjures a snow ball and hits him with it. He finds this disconcerting and takes Ariana's form. She thinks this is oogie. Lucien enjoys her reaction and decides to torment her this way for a bit. She teases him and asks if he wants to go work on the hospital. He frowns and says yes. But he can resist. Not if he's still her. He says that she really is worried about Vincent. Yes. She knows Sand won't kill her own flesh and blood, but that doesn't mean that she won't use him. They talk jokingly about her deficiencies, like her temper and the fact that she wears too much clothing. Gérard thought the opposite was true. Gérard needs to wear tighter pants. Ariana finds that thought amusing. Lucien says it must have been her influence. What other deficiencies does she have? She can't cook. Is she supposed to? All homemakers do. Ariana says she's been remiss, then, and should start cooking for him. She'll figure it out eventually. Lucien looks horrified. Ariana plays in to this. He tells her he'll only eat it if it smells edible. She says she can probably make it *smell* edible. He tickles her. She tickles "him." Jalana walks in, sees two Arianas, and thinks this is oogie, since the second Ariana is either a glamour or Dad. Lucien doesn't help by mimicking Ariana exactly, so Jalana can't tell who is who. She beats a hasty retreat. Ariana is amused by this, and says Jalana must get that prudish streak from Lucien. Lucien denies he's prudish. Then why was he so uncomfortable when they went to Rebma? He's not an exhibitionist. She teases him. He complains that there were some advantages to being a bachelor. Oh yes, like all of the wonderful women he slept with. He decides that's enough, shifts to have a better warfare, and tickles her mercilessly. She shrieks. Somewhere, Jalana shudders.

Ariana spends the rest of the evening with her family. After the children have gone to bed, she points out to Lucien that the war in Chaos seems to be over, and asks if he's changed his mind about having another child. If she still wants to, he has no objections. She still wants to, so long as it won't add to his worries. It won't. She asks if he'd mind having a boy this time. The idea grew on her while she was pregnant with Grayson, you see. He can easily arrange that. Despite Angelique's promise, he still wants Ariana to hide the pregnancy for as long as she can. Ariana admits that she's not ready to trust Angelique just yet, since her recent change in behavior could be just a ploy. At least it gives him the time he wanted. True. He comments that he thinks she enjoys being pregnant. She says she doesn't enjoy the labor, but admits that the end result is worth it. He tells her he will never be able to deny her something that makes her happy. She says she hopes she never asks something of him that doesn't make him happy too, and asks if he'd tell her if she did. He thinks so. Does he still likes the name Bryan as a name for the baby? Yes. She says she wishes she could be of more help to him, right now. He'll manage. She frets about not being useful, mentioning that Angelique asked her what a lady does in Amber and she realized that she had no idea. Lucien finds this very amusing, and after laughing long and hard about it, he comments that he doesn't think any amount of schooling would turn her into a proper lady. He doesn't seem bothered at all by this, however. Ariana suggests they take a walk in the garden, and is rather surprised when Lucien takes her there by simply picking her up and jumping off of the balcony. After they walk for a bit, Ariana suggests that they could start working on the baby now. Lucien is unwilling to risk getting caught doing such a thing in Mandor's gardens, which amuses Ariana greatly. She points out that for all he knows, Mandor has used the garden for such a purpose himself. Lucien says she'll kill the mood if she keeps up that line of thought, and takes her back to their bedroom.

Quotables:

"You guys are wimps. You should spend your points *before* you get them." -- George (AKA demon-bait) to the group

"I'll play Whimsy's child." -- Sean
"(Whimsy's) child is dead." -- Matthew R.
"So was (her) husband." -- Sean

"Who all has a high psyche in this game?" -- GM
<Ishmael raises his hand>
"Yeah, right." -- GM

"I build a hotel out of the crabs." -- Alexandra to GM

"I'm a shapeshifter, I don't sunburn if I don't want to." -- Alexandra to Jack

"Deirdre has excellent taste, as a woman or a man." -- GM to Ishmael

"Mom's dead, I get her stuff." -- Ishmael to the group

"You could not fill this house with children in Maddy's lifetime." -- GM
"Is that a challenge?" -- Ishmael

"For all I know, Jack filled the entire Shadow with mutant deer. Little elves, little pixies, mutant deer." -- Whimsy to the group

"No one messes with the daughter of my mother." -- Alexandra to Whimsy

"I don't want Jack's child, I'm not going to have Jack's child." -- Ariana
"And I don't want to have any child, least of all my own." -- Whimsy

"You said you needed a brain." -- Jack to Alexandra
"She still does, but not Whimsy's." -- Kris

"You'd better take (Whimsy) back, she's cranky." -- Alexandra to Jack
"I'm always cranky." -- Whimsy
"Maybe you should try doing something else with your husband (besides killing him)." -- Alexandra

"Resentful wives chop you up and hang you in a meat locker." -- Whimsy to Jack

"Outrageous Fortune"
Game Logs for Sessions 1-115 | Character Logs for Sessions 116+

Last modified on November 22, 1998 by Kris Fazzari.