[Venice] Capulet Manor

[Avie]

"I shall join you with a glad heart and a light spirit - as should be, when there's a revel afoot." She stands and takes his arm.  Her clothing becomes much less severe, shifting from black to entirely green, in all the shades you'd find in a midsummer meadow.

[cattana423]

He accepts her hand on his arm and as she changes effortlessly in to her green colors his eyes portray  both a fondness and a deep sorrow or loss"You know I am really going to miss that."He escorts her through his private room, currently looking more like a very clean feild hospital, and out into the main hall. There to mingle with the guests and notables of the city already gathering in the hall as opposed  enjoying the open air festivities in the streets.

[B.D.C.]

When they arrive at the entrance to the Hall, Bishop is standing there to greet them. She is in her normal half-cat form, wearing a satin Delphi Blue dress, trimmed in black lace, black velvet gloves on her hands and a green leather collar about her neck. Her black tail swishes around her legs, showing a matching blue ribbon tied round the middle of it. She smiles brightly as the two enter the room.

"Father! You look much better. I see Antonio has done a brilliant job both in mending and dressing you." She grins, then turns her attention to Green, still smiling.

"Green. It is wonderful to see you. I have missed you. Thank you so much for the wonderful job you have all done in keeping Venice in our absence." She frowns slightly, "I know everyone has probably asked you a thousand times, but I haven't yet... what can I do to help find my sister? You don't need to answer just yet, as I am sure the party about to arrive will be asking you and Father similar questions. For now, let's just pray she is safe wherever she is, and mourn her absence for but a moment. I am sure that she would not want us carrying on like children when there is much celebrating and business to get to."

She smiles again, her blue eyes twinkling, the slight twitch in her ears the only thing to give away her false happiness to those who know her well. She steps to the side and raises her hand in a sweeping gesture over the Hall, inviting them in.

[LucasJamison]

(OOC: Working from fairly distant memories regarding Venice's local rules - please correct if I've got something wrong)

"Always with the fucking clothes," grumbles a now-present Lucas Jamison. He stands about six feet behind Bishop, relative to others present, or as near to that as local walls and furnishing allow, in a space not otherwise occupied, looking quite uncomfortable with the vaguely-renaissance-era-Venitian outfit he is now wearing.

[cattana423]

Tybalt sweeps a bow to bishop and lifts his arm still in its elegant sling ."Master Antonio has shown his usual skill .Though your old man is still an old man " He looks on with a very odd smile as bishop address's  green ."Tonight is not a night for business it is to welcome home The lost . Toniight we will make such merry that no matter where Cody may be she will know she is loved and missed and more then welcome home . Its to welcome home freinds and family from days gone by like Mr Jamison standing there   behind you " Tybalt nods his head towards lucas in a way that can only be taken for genuine  respect .

[Avie]

When they arrive at the entrance to the Hall, Bishop is standing there to greet them. She is in her normal half-cat form, wearing a satin Delphi Blue dress, trimmed in black lace, black velvet gloves on her hands and a green leather collar about her neck. Her black tail swishes around her legs, showing a matching blue ribbon tied round the middle of it. She smiles brightly as the two enter the room.

"Father! You look much better. I see Antonio has done a brilliant job both in mending and dressing you." She grins, then turns her attention to Green, still smiling.

"Green. It is wonderful to see you. I have missed you. Thank you so much for the wonderful job you have all done in keeping Venice in our absence." She frowns slightly, "I know everyone has probably asked you a thousand times, but I haven't yet... what can I do to help find my sister? You don't need to answer just yet, as I am sure the party about to arrive will be asking you and Father similar questions. For now, let's just pray she is safe wherever she is, and mourn her absence for but a moment. I am sure that she would not want us carrying on like children when there is much celebrating and business to get to."

She smiles again, her blue eyes twinkling, the slight twitch in her ears the only thing to give away her false happiness to those who know her well. She steps to the side and raises her hand in a sweeping gesture over the Hall, inviting them in.

Green shakes her head, making a decision after a silent internal struggle. "I don't have the heart for this.  I don't have the heart for classic Capulet hubris, I don't have the heart for endless questions from masses who don't wish to hear the answer."  She moves forward and cups Chance's face in a maternal gesture.  Her hand drops just as quickly. "Welcome home, my heart.  I have missed you.  You embarrass yourself and your house by demanding that they serve you the respect due a duchess of Venice, having never served the role or walked the path.  There is no civilized society in which a Lord or Duchess who does not serve her people receives the respect of her peers.  Please, little one, learn the concept of noblesse oblige.  Please prove to me that your time away has been spent productively, and that you simply lost your head in your grief - and the shock that your world changed when you weren't looking."

She turns and drops a deep, insanely formal curtsey to Tybalt. "My son, my Delphi, my prophet. I can't sit on the vague allusions to us being on opposite sides of a coming conflict.  I can't sit on your ridiculous statement that as God, I am static, and I pray that when you've come out from underneath the effects of Antonio's herbs, you will find me and tell me that a madman raved in your place.  You know better, and if you are my son, you will remember that.  Forgive me, but dining and reveling at your side tonight would be a lie.  A full-fledged, uncouched lie.  In all of my time as a Manifestation, I've always been honest to the best of my ability."

"The time has clearly come.  I no longer have the heart for the game, for the farce, for the spinning and the weaving and the endless parade of lost souls who do not wish to be found."  When she rises, tears glisten in her eyes.  She turns to include Lucas in her next statement.

"I have no desire to be what I am.  There is no ego, there is no burning passion to serve or to even be Here.  I do believe that I shall be taking my leave.  If you wish my company, you can find me, but I suspect that tonight will be my last night serving as a Manifestation.  I no longer want to speak for the Greater Will - it has brought me nothing but heartache and grief.  The final insult being the declaration that after all that you - the Avatars - have done to change ... everything... that We are static.  I believe that when I leave here, I shall ask Voice to discharge me.  And if I am not to be released, I shall simply step into the shadows."

[LucasJamison]

I believe that when I leave here, I shall ask Voice to discharge me.  And if I am not to be released, I shall simply step into the shadows."

"Well... huh."

[cattana423]

tybalt sweeps a deep bow his face filled with something approaching sad regret"So we are going to take turns with emotional outbursts as well as questions ehh? You are misunderstanding my use of the word static , a use for which I have already recounted and apologized for . The herbs have not made a madman of me anymore then  the ghostdust is effecting your emotional stability . The chance of you and I being on opposite ends of a conflict are fairly probable  no dire  or mysterious predictions there." looking sincerely into her eyes"However if you wanted to step down here among us mere mortals you might find it educational and you might do more good then you could imagine ." His voice is quiet  and even and does not carry far .He drops to a knee and speaks up as he attempts to take her hand. His voice pitched to carry" I thank you for all you have done on behalf of my family and this city and its people. You are owed a Great deal of gratitude  and I owe you a heavy debt .A Debt we would be honored to repay by granting you shelter and home in your retirement .and if you choose not to Retire then I shall have to find you another way to thank you ."

"But we will have plenty of time to discuss this later and a night meant to celebrate reunions both present and future is a poor time for important decisions instead let us forget such troubles and simple enjoy life " He signals wine brought out for everyone . fortified wine at that .



(OOC- congrats way to leave even me momentarily speechless. Didnt think i could be taken by surpirse like that anymore . thank you )

[B.D.C.]

Bishop opens her mouth to say something just as Tybalt begins to speak. She looks from Green to her father and draws a slow breath. She bites her tongue, literally, and her ears twitch. She accepts the wine with a quiet "Thank you," and regains her composure, her face as still as a porcelain mask once more.

[LucasJamison]

"You are either one callous motherfucker," Lucas' directs to Tybalt, "or crazier than I ever thought. I guess it doesn't matter which."

Waving away the drink service, he focuses on GiG, "I'm still a little short on words, but I wanted to say thanks, before you go, if you do. As a person, I've either liked, respected, or been amused by You, depending on who ya were at the time. It's not who you are, it's what you are that I've got beef with, and I know that as far as your whatness goes, if we have to have something like that, we could've done a lot worse than you. Faint praise, maybe, but it's what I've got. If you do go, then I hope you can find a way out from under it all, maybe get to a headspace where things are good and feel right. MUD knows how impossible that's been for me, but I figure you've got a lot more... whatness, to throw at the problem."

[Avie]

Green lets Tybalt take her hand, against her better judgment. 

"One: I'm in no mood for a party.  I'm happy that you will be having one.  I am glad for the people of Venice to have music and cheer.  I can't, though.  My stomach is heaving at the thought.  And for a woman whose last solid meal was months ago, that's a feat."

"Two, I have a home.  Thank you for the offer, but I do indeed have a place to lay my bones." A wry smile. "Things have changed in ways you may never see, my joy."

"Three, callous and insane.  Possibly in equal measures."  She shakes her head, acknowledging, but rejecting, the wine.  "I've never doubted that my respect and fondness for you was returned, Lucas.  Thank you; faint though it may be, it does make my heart less weary." Gently, she tugs her hand out of Tybalt's.  "My  headspace is good. I am well. And sane. And balanced.  But I can't be "human", I can't think and yearn and grow and plan like a person and serve as Manifestation.  I can't honor my agreement with Hyran without betraying the core of my whateverness; I can't serve while thinking and caring and loving and ..."  She shrugs, the thought trailing off.  Her eyes are bright - with tears, with passion, with the depth of her conflict.  "Loving all of you... ok, most of you and violently hating the tiny, tiny remaining population - makes it impossible not to be torn asunder.  And both of you, the Furies, the ... All of you... gave me back a sense of self enough not to be able to set me aside to do that.  I'm too sane to be here, to be Her."

[cattana423]

He acknowledges lucas' comment and responds " I assure you I am as sane if not more sane then most but it would have been impossible for me to see what I have seen or do what needed to be done without being callous sometimes  and please don't confuse callous with honest and practical "
As lucas address's GIG tyablt smiles and looks back and forth between them " That is the nicest and most complementary thing I have ever heard you say lucas . carefull lest you make the lady blush "

He both takes her hand and releases it with ease and a smile "it was those very limits imposed by the level of manifestation that I was referring to by the use of the term static . You Deserve all the happiness you can gather  . I view you in Much the same light as lucas and wish you all the best and hope that we can still associate as mortals . " tybalt lifts his glass high" May we all live the life we choose or at least choose the life we live ,May our problems only be out measure by our pleasures , May the universe go one with out us and may we all get a peacefull rest when our day is done " he awaits the rest to join him in the toast

[Avie]

The urge to grab the Venetian by his collar, shake him until his teeth chatter out of his head and yell "You aren't mortal, ya git!!!"  telegraphs itself across Green's face.  Her composure is slow to return, and for a long moment, she simply stands, watching the scene around her in near-hysterical amusement. 

[B.D.C.]

Bishop raises her glass to join in the toast.

[Brother Seneca Shakran]

From the entrance to the hall, Seneca quietly walks in.  He takes in the assembly, with his eyes coming to rest on Green.  He moves towards her, stopping a respectful distance from her.  His eyes look down to the floor for a moment, and then move back to lock with hers.  His manner is solemn, and a little more stoic than usual.

"Madam, I owe you an apology for insulting, and challenging you.  I lost my control of my passions, fell from my center, and ceased being mindful of my words and actions.  I do not wish to claim excuse or mitigation.  I only wish to put myself at your mercy, and to offer you the extra shoulder to lean on, that I have denied you foolishly.  Please forgive me, and let me try and help to make your load, and spirit, lighter."

Finishing, he drops his head downward.