Written Wonderland

The goddess scoffed, and Adrianna quickly buried a feeling of indignance beneath a well-practiced, long-honed curiosity. What was it about the fantasy Adrianna had offered that did not please the goddess? What was she missing? She allowed her curiosity--her hunger for understanding--to show plainly on the surface of her, hopeful that it would sufficiently obfuscate her less palatable feelings about the goddess’ response.

The goddess turned her attention to each of Adrianna’s companions, and Adrianna again--still--buried anxiety, a worry that things were slipping out of her control, a fear that another would be deemed more favored by the power she was attempting to court. She compressed those emotions into a dense marble deep in her core, rock solid and tiny beneath luscious, voluminous layers of serenity, calm, confidence, curiosity, and patience that was well-practiced at giving the impression that they could very well unfurl into infinity.

It would serve her companions just as well as the goddess, really; Adrianna caught Colleen glancing her direction, and she offered the fae a gentle, encouraging smile.

"And you, noble fae," the goddess said, speaking to Colleen, "which would you prefer, crafting portals or regular meetings with me?"

Surprised, Colleen brought a hand to her collarbone and took half a step back, inhaling slightly. She looked to Adrianna again, and again Adrianna re-upped her gentle encouragement with a slight nod. She didn’t necessarily know for certain where Colleen would land on that question, but she had a guess, and really, either way would serve their purpose here just as well.

"P-portals," Colleen said before looking down at the ground, briefly. "Many fae went missing after travel became complicated." After a moment, she hastily added, "Not that we don't enjoy your company, goddess." She curtsied then, her face reddening slightly. Adrianna had half a mind to find it cute. It wasn’t every day she witnessed Colleen seem earnest in quite that way, but, well, when better a time to reveal a genuine desire?

"I doubt any of you have any idea what you're asking for in making portals,” the goddess said, attention already back on Adrianna. In truth, it surprised her--she’d anticipated the goddess responding to Colleen’s reply--but, she was plenty buffeted by her fluffed serenity, and the surprise disappeared handily into the marble deep inside.

“None but me have been entrusted with the task in my knowledge. I'm not even fully certain it is possible for someone of the fae to even attempt it." The goddess took a step to the aside and brought one hand to her chin, perhaps in thought. "It could be dangerous," she added, a glint in her eye.

Adrianna made no attempt to hide her curiosity and interest. While the fantasy she had offered the goddess had been toward rebuilding relationship with her, she was also plainly intrigued by both the practical reality of accessing more portals, and by the tantalizing mystery of how they were made. Her serene expression happily sharpened slightly with a raised eyebrow and a slight curl of a grin. All the moreso when the goddess herself plainly looked Adrianna over, head tilted playfully. The goddess wasn’t so put off by specifically Adrianna’s presence in the fantasy she had presented, then; that was of some relief.

"If you send me someone each time the dark moon fills to half, I could make portals with them. The process would be safer in my presence. And, should there be any additional business to attend to, we can discuss it then."

Now, that was quite the ride the goddess took her on just then. Briefly, it felt like a called bluff, until, on her exhale, Adrianna more fully grokked the goddess’ comment about additional business. The goddess was offering them both requests? In a manner of speaking, anyhow. Just one person treating with the goddess each month would present its own challenges.

"I don't want to begin for three full moon cycles, however," the goddess said, looking again at Adrianna. "By my account, that is more than what you have asked for, except for the wine." Dehaljadrun allowed a sultry smile to cross her lips. "You would need to sweeten your side of the bargain for that."

Adrianna smiled, in some ways delighted for the excuse to play another card, though she kept an edge to her expression that at least played with chagrin. She and the goddess were building a more personal alliance this way, amidst the other threads they wove together in this meeting. If she went back with only the present agreement, she will have played her role well enough for the queen, but something would have been decidedly odd about it; it was in specifically Adrianna's best interests to ensure that she also secured the wine. It was a good thing, then, that she had been preparing for this.

Adrianna reached one hand gingerly across her torso, accessing a small pouch that dangled by her side, obscured beneath the gentle flow of her capelet. She drew out a small bottle, small enough to enclose in one hand, and she held it up for the goddess to see.

"I would trade you this," she said, her voice warm and silken. Memories of the creation of the bottles contents fluttered across Adrianna's mind--coy and, hopefully, tantalizing. Rope knotted gently around a throat. A knife tracing a line across skin. Tongue murmuring fantasies into a small cup of water, and then drinking--aware that some small backwash was inevitable, even with the delicate mindfulness with which lips welcomed the sip. An experiment, to be sure--a risk that Adrianna had wished she'd had more time to mitigate. And yet, there was a thrill in the uncertainty of it--in the need to go ahead and roll the dice, no more time for perfection. If it went awry, then, well, there would be some kind of reckoning. And if it went as she hoped... then surely she would be in the goddess' favor, indeed.

"An attempt to distill dreams, that they might be enjoyed at one's leisure."

Doubt flinched deep beneath Adrianna's armor only after she spoke, some concern rising that it had been in some way unwise to play quite that coy. The goddess had been Adrianna's purpose all along, even if she was skilled at finding other uses along the way. Still, her words were out now, and it seemed prudent to give the goddess a moment to weigh them, and to provide some indication as to whether she would like to know more before--hopefully--accepting.

Adrianna smiled, shifting her jaw slightly like she was preparing to go in for the kill. It was an exciting expression, full of desire, and the goddess felt worshipped. Or, she would have, were the expression not, in fact, turned on her.

Sure enough, Adrianna reached across her torso and dipped her hand into a small pouch the goddess hadn't yet noticed. The fae had done an impressively elegant job of keeping thoughts of it from her mind, even now as she brought the small bottle to the goddess' attention.

"I would trade you this," Adrianna said warmly, inviting. And, at last, like a pond finally spilling past its banks, Adrianna allowed the goddess to see into at least a substantial section of her thoughts, offering themselves like the first glimpse of a gift. The goddess closed her eyes to sink more deeply into them all--rope tied and decoratively knotted against a dark throat. A knife gently testing its own sharpness against skin. The promise of the memories' fullness, if only the goddess would drink.

"An attempt to distill dreams, that they might be enjoyed at one's leisure."

Not memories. Dreams.

A flicker of doubt in Adrianna's mental landscape brought Dehaljadrun back above water, and she opened her eyes. This was an experiment--Adrianna wasn't entirely sure it would go the way she expected. And yet, the goddess could feel the fae's earnestness. Adrianna was proud of the craft regardless. It wasn't a trick--that much felt plain.

Dehaljadrun couldn't help it--she began to think of memories of the last fae party she had attended, just before it had gotten out of control: the thorough intoxication as fae after fae fell asleep, their dreams vividly sensual, pulling the goddess in all her favorite directions. It was, before it had been used against her, a delicious tasting flight of desires.

To have such a potency at her leisure--without making her vulnerable to the dream as it happened--with at least the possibility that she herself wouldn't change the dream... the goddess' mouth salivated, and she swallowed, tipping her head back slightly.

Her eyes darkened, then, masking her pleasure. "Has it worked on others?" the goddess asked, suddenly suspicious that this process of distilling dreams had only ever been intended to affect her. And if that were true, then this required some forethought on Adrianna's part. The fae had been ready for this.