The wind on the sea

[Christine Daye]

A hot, midsummer night, when mortals lie in their beds, breathless for want of air.

Christine walks down to the river's edge, a wicker basket held in the crook of her elbow. She stops, right at the edge, as close to the top of the weir as she can get.

"Cousins," she calls softly. "I entreat you. Spirits of air and water... I beg you... I bring soft petals and sweet perfume... prayers and song... hear my prayers. Oh, mighty Avon, carry these gifts to the sea... entreat Mannann Mac Lir and fair Clíona of the Waves... let our voyage be safe and sure... carry us in your arms... let us come back to praise you... out of blood and bone... in kinship and friendship... for the love of all the old gods and new... look favourably on our quest..."

She dips on hand into the basket, comes out with a fistful of flower petals. She casts them into the air, watches them fly, fall into the water below.

"Accept this my humble offering..."

Then she starts to sing, casting the petals as she does so.

"I am the wind that breathes on the sea
I am the wave, wave on the ocean
I am the ray, the eye of the sun
I am the tomb, cold in the darkness

Who but I can cast light upon the meeting of the mountains?
Who but I will find the place where hides away the sun?

I am a star, the tear of the sun
I am a wonder, a wonder in flower
I am the spear as it cries out for blood
The word of great power
I am the wind that breathes on the sea

Who but I can cast light upon the meeting of the mountains?
Who but I will cry aloud the changes in the moon?
Who but I will find the place where hides away the sun?

I am the depths of a great pool
I am the song of the blackbird
I am wind that breathes on the sea....

[Regulus Grey]

The large white wolf (but surly not a wolf, it must just be a very large wolfhound of some description!) softly padded up alongside Christine. Amber eyes looked out over the weir, vigilant for threats. A coller encloses its throat, the green leather stark against the white fur.

When the singing starts, the wolf lays down and rests it's great head on its front paws. A soft warning growl rumbles out when a young gentleman gets too close and looks like he was about to interrupt. The gentleman scarpers and the wolf returns to its vigilance.

[Christine Daye]

Song finished and all the flower petals cast upon the waters, Christine takes a moment to watch them float away downstream. Her face is flushed, eyes bright.

She dips into a deep curtsey to the river, holding it for several long moments. Then, as she rises, she smiles.

"...well then... I have done what I can... given the time available..."

She looks at the beast at her feet.

"...come then, Cú... I think a walk by the river will be nice... it's cooler here... and the theatre is so breathless in the heat... I feel sorry for you... to wear such a furry coat in this weather!"

She giggles.

[Regulus Grey]

The White wolf rises to its feet, yawning hugely and showing off a great many long sharp teeth he shakes himself vigourousily for a moment before following Christine. At all times he stays close by her side, eyes watching any who stray close to his charge.

When she mentions the thick coat, the wolf makes a passable imitation of a shrug and blinks slowly up at her.

[Christine Daye]

The sound of the river fills her senses, and she hums a meandering tune to go with it, beat taken from the click of wolf nails on the cobbles.

"...I am away for quite a while now Cú... but I shall be back for the ball in Bristol.... I am looking forward to that... though I do hope that I shall have the time to find a few pieces where I'm going... for there's no time to arrange a costume now... Will you be attending the ball? Have you a theme in mind? I find myself dithering something terrible... and I have music to choose as well... hmmm.... I think Maestra will sing with me... I'd very much like that.... I shall introduce you to Maestra... but you must promise to behave yourself! You must be polite... she is Primogen..."

She looks down at the wolf by her side.

"...you can change you know... otherwise this will be a very one-sided conversation..."

[Regulus Grey]

Stopping in its tracks, the wolf looks up and down the street. Seeing the area was clear its back arches and a faint growl rumbles out as the fur slowly retracts into the body and the paws lengthen and widen. Fingers form and skin takes on the lightly tanned tone of Regulus Grey.

In a few moment ps the Gangrel is left crouched, clothed once more in his plain travelling clothing. Clambering to his feet he takes a pair of glasses from one pocket of his waistcoat and pushes them up his nose. He sketches a bow to Christine.

"I do indeed intend to attend the ball Ms Melody...as for the theme. Well, I was thinking of attending as a Lord of the Wild Hunt. It's quite a fable and is appropriate considering what we are."

He glances up, still watchful as they continue to stroll.

"I have indeed met Primogen Leroux already, I do hope she will have discovered something if a matter I asked her to look into at the last Elysium. Yet I shall be glad to be reintroduced."

He smiles, then reaches up and deftly unbuckled the coller. Removing it he slips it into one of the pockets of his waistcoat.

"If you do not mind my asking, where is it you intend to travel to?"

[Christine Daye]

"I am always impressed by how you do that... and to take things in your pockets too! Do you need the glasses, or are they just an affectation? A wolf wearing glasses... oh... now that would be sight!"

She giggles, high pitched and not entirely there.

As they continue their walk, she idly swings the empty basket by her side.

"Lord of the Wild Hunt... how dashing! I wonder what Maestra has in mind... I do like it when we coordinate... last time we went as Autumn and Spring... it was delightful! Though there was that terrible business with Miroslav... and poor Rebekka..."

She looks sad for a moment, humming.

Lacrimosa dies illa
Qua resurget ex favilla
Judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus:
Pie Jesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem. Amen.

Then, brightly.

"Oh, Maestra will want to speak to you more closely now, I am sure... not that you have appointed yourself my protector.... she will want to make sure that the parameters of the... understanding are made clear... it would be terrible to have another misunderstanding... best to be clear of boundaries and the like... hmmm... yes...

"...where am I going? ...well... I thought to travel early to Bristol to prepare for the ball... but something else has come up... Maestra and I are to Egypt... which is all terribly exciting! The furthest south I have been is Athens... so it will be a whole new experience... I do hope we will have the time to listen to the music... I have heard that it is quite, quite different to our classical tradition..."

[Regulus Grey]

Regulus chuckles as well, leaning his head back and breathing in the muggy night air.

"It's a truly Facinating thing...but then again so are all the powers we exhibit. Although the changing of matter and seeming creation from nothing...well...I'm not even trying to work out the how any more."

Pushing his glasses further up his nose, he smiles.

"I do need the glasses, without them I'm afraid most of the world is just blurry outlines. Luckily my other senses make up for the deficiency to some degree. In fact, I did try at one point to wear my glasses in wolf form...but the results were disappointing. They would not stay on when I went at anything more than a slow walk."

His smile fades a little, registering her tone.

"I guess this is more of Aque Sulis's past events? This city seems to have seen an awful lot of...unpleasentness."

His eyebrows raise.

"Egypt? Quite a journey it will take you to get there. Who else is travelling with you?"

[Christine Daye]

"...it's magic... isn't it?"

She sounds confused.

"...how can you figure out how how magic works? Will that not break it? ... already my cousins are fading... retreating further and further into the Otherworld... "

She sighs.

"...but I have faith... they will return... and we will ride in glory..."

She shakes her head ruefully.

"...Bath... has had her share of problems... four Princes in the year since I arrived... we are a laughing stock in the region... and that is without the train thing... and the looming threat of the Sword of Caine... "

She looks at him seriously.

"...perhaps it is not the safest place to stay... but I do find myself liking it here... though maybe it is the people... "

A quiet hum.

"...yes... Egypt is a long way away.... have you ever been there?"

[Regulus Grey]

Regulus pauses, looking at Christine with a slight frown.

"From what my Sire and Grand Sire have told me..what we do is not magic. It's certainly not science either...but they were both very insistant that I do not use the word magic to describe what we do..."

He shrugs, lips curling up into a smile once more.

"Let the other cities laugh. Whilst they are distracted laughing is when Bath may pull out a few hidden surprises...and it's also when those cities are most vulnerable. Although perhaps four Princes is a bit excessive..."

He blinks and the eyes behind his glasses change to the amber eyes of a wolf once more as he scans the darkness for threats. Seeming satisfied he blinks again and his eyes return to light blue.

"I don't think anywhere in this world is safe for our kind...and better the devil you know. Certainly the people are...an interesting group...I intend to stay at least a few years and my wanderlust has been sated for the time being."

He shakes his head sadly.

"Nay, I chose cold over heat whenever I had the chance. Egypt has already been plundered...I was interested in a new frontier and with so much of that landscape unexplored...Siberia was the place to go."

He looks at her quizzically.

"Will you be staying long? Or is it a quick hop there and back again?"