Queen of Lies was older now, with a child's upper body and a grub-like lower one, though this time she actually had working legs. She wasn't quite a bee yet, and was still stingerless and wingless, but she wasn't a foot long grub anymore either, nearly four feet tall now, and growing every day.

She wandered Polaris idly, Redwood somewhere nearby, Matthieu probably with him or napping somewhere, and Marshmallow, as always, napping. Rain would be elsewhere too, but everyone was in Polaris, and gathered, and it was odd to see what was basically a child wandering around all by herself.

But she wasn't just anyone. If anything messed with her, she'd soon find use for their carcass, either as jewelry or some other thing. Most likely sacrifice.

"Take my eyes, take them aside,
Take my face, and desecra-ate~,
My arms and legs, they get in the way,
And take my hands! They'll understand!
Take my heart, tear it apa-art,
Take the nose, go and dispose oh won't you go dispose, just go dispose...
Cause I feel tired of this body, a cumbersome and heavy body..."

Morbid, but beautiful, her voice like an angel or a siren's. She fiddled with something in her hands, fiddling and fiddling, a rock in one hand and something white in the other.

@Tahi-shei

Ah, Polaris -- the source of his magic, and a wonderful place to go in order to clear his head. He hadn't slowed down since Vargas had given him his monumental task -- it was crucial that he did well. He'd had recruitment buzzing in his ears the whole way, really, especially as he caught sight of an insectoid creature who looked similar to the strange mantis child he'd met the other day. He inclined his head -- was this one of the faeries that the other one referenced? It had been so vague.

"That's an interesting rhyme," Tahi-shei mused, drawing nearer to the strange child standing before him but still keeping a safe distance. He wanted to be able to defend himself, if push came to shove.



@arwen

Queen of Lies tilted her head and turned her face, her mask hiding her true features from view, but you got the impression she was smiling anyway, "Interesting? I suppose. It's not about me, if you were wondering."

She turned and strung whatever was in her hand around her neck, revealing the object as a necklace made of what seemed to be ivory or bone. Each piece was carved into a different shape, not very detailed, but it had to have taken hours. One was a feather, one seemed to be a bug, one was a droplet, and one was a bat wing.

"You are interesting," she noted, "And loud. Your feet makes the stone sing."

The Queen cooed and fiddled with her necklace, "I am Queen of Lies. Though the only lie I've told you thus far is my name. Will you tell me yours?"

Names were a powerful thing.

@Tahi-shei

Well, this one was curious, wasn't she? He squinted at her necklace. He couldn't really see it, but the shapes looked pretty carefully carved. (Perhaps he might have noticed how strange it was, that he was struggling to make out the fine details, but the brain is a tricky thing.) He glanced at his hooves. "Hm, I suppose they do." He thonked a hoof against the ground. "Want to see what else I can make the stone do?" He smiled, and whitecaps sprung up around him.

"Queen of Lies," he mused, looking her over. That was an interesting alias. Reminiscent of the other one's, Walks Like Rain. He considered her question, how she had lied about her name. It wasn't exactly like his wasn't public knowledge -- he'd probably introduced himself to everyone in the caves by now -- but why give her a courtesy she didn't give to him? Instead, he dipped his head slightly and replied, "No, I will not. But some have called me the Fungal Prince."


@arwen

Queen of Lies cocked her head and watched the fungus spring up, cooing in interest, "You... are like my friend. He can grow plants like that. But you grow fungus. A different kind of organism."

Something in her eyes flashed as Tahi-shei spoke next, and there was the impression that she was truly smiling under her mask, "Fungal Prince... you have my respect. A name can be trodden on, used to spread rumors, used to frame. You are smart. I like that."

She clasped her hands together and laughed gently, "You have my attention. You wish to speak with me, don't you? If you only wish for casual conversation, then fine, but I suspect such a thing isn't on your agenda."

The Queen turned and started to walk, "Come, I don't like standing still. We can talk as we walk."

@Tahi-shei

He trailed after her, still keeping a somewhat safe distance between them. This one was clever, then -- wily, and a little bit cruel. He could get behind that, when he was trying to destroy an infection. "Have you ever heard of an infection called Mother?" he asked, hooves clicking calmly against stone. "It is a white thing -- it takes root in our bodies, our minds, and steals us, shares our thoughts with everyone else infected, and pulls us into Order. It is fungal, I suppose, although I find it offense -- a poisoning of my magic, if you will."

Tahi-shei glanced at Arwen. She was very young, but spreading word about Vargas's aid and about the dangers of Mother... well, that was always a good thing.


@arwen

Queen of Lies turned to face the Fungal Prince, her eyes fixed upon him. He'd grabbed her attention, but now she was interested. Mother? An infection?

"I dabble in infections, Prince. Bacterium, viruses, parasites," she said, "If such a thing does that, I suppose it's a poisoning of both of our magicks. Taking the mind away from someone is... is something not even I would do. Why would anyone wish to bow to one side or the other, anyway? A little bit of both has much more benefit."

She waved a hand and rubbed them together, cleaning them and her face off with the mandibles under her mask, "But continue. I don't know of Mother, but now that I do, I'm concerned for my fellow fae. But why are you telling me?"

@Tahi-shei

Ah, one like Aran, then. That was a dangerous but subtle magic -- suitable to a... faerie, then. That's what Rain had called herself, too, now that he thought about it. He cleared his throat to answer her question. "For that very reason. Everyone ought to know of potential enemies to their fellows, especially if they might have a means of protecting against it." Not that he really wanted children fighting his war, but warning her... well, that wasn't a bad thing. "Fortunately, there is a mounting effort to destroy it -- not your game, as you've said already, but you will not have to be fearful of it in your friends. Having skill with a bit of Fungal magic, however -- the sort I showed you before -- can allow you to remove it from yourself or others, if one of you becomes infected."

He glanced to Arwen and raised an eyebrow as her hands -- no, mandibles? And-- wait-- I thought that was her face, he thought, eyes widening. He shook his head and drew in a breath -- it was rude to stare. "I plan to teach those who wish to join this army how to see fungus, and remove it from themselves -- or create it, as I just did. You do not have to join our effort to come to this training, however." He glanced to her again. "All I ask is that you act as a guest in another's home if you choose to attend."

@arwen

She swayed back and forth, back and forth, thinking.

"Hm... perhaps I can help," she said, "I wish to learn of this fungal magic, but I don't think I or my party can help you, if you are to fight. We are not fighters."

Queen of Lies chittered in thought, rubbing her hands together and finally looking back at Tahi, despite not really looking away. Her eyes simply... unfocused.

"But... I know of a way to assist in a different way," she said, and hummed, "If I were to perhaps make a bacteria, one that only activates once it enters a second host, then I could hide it in a vessel and it can be thrown. But then comes the risk of it spreading to you all. Unless I make many vessels. Biological warfare can come if you fail."

She laughed merrily and clasped her hands together, "Ah, but I have faith in you, Fungal Prince~! I will learn of your element and perhaps I can instead concoct a bacteria that targets fungus-infected hosts instead. Yes... yes that could work."

She smiled under her mask and held out her hand, "But... I require only one thing from you. A tooth."

She pointed then to her necklace and chittered, her grub-like body wiggling, "For my necklace, of course! You are an ally of the fair folk, now. Offering a spell. But I do not require a tooth from you, oh no, a lesser's will do. Your own tooth will, however, show your allegiance better."

The Queen cocked her head and clasped her hands together, smiling again.

"A fair trade. My services for your teachings and a tooth," she said, "If you're really nice, I can try to invite my fellows along too."

@Tahi-shei

Tahi-shei inclined his head to her. "Every little bit helps, Queen of Lies. If you wish it, I will be teaching all those who wish to learn how to use my magic in Orion, in a few weeks's time. The Room of Stars." He looked at her outstretched hand and paused, giving her a strange look at her request.

Is she being serious? he wondered. "What power would that give you over me?" he mused, eyeing the faerie curiously. "I do not make a habit of giving away my body parts." His baby teeth had fallen out a long time ago now -- his second cycle, if he recalled correctly. Still, he didn't imagine he needed all of them. If it wouldn't negatively impact him beyond some pain, maybe he could give her one of them. Otherwise, he'd just go find one that a Lesser had dropped in Fornax or something -- they seemed to wash up on the beach there every once in a while.

@arwen