and the white knight is talking backwards and the red queen's off with her head

[undealt]

WHO || Gold, Amara, and OPEN
WHAT || Gold has arrived back from dealing with refuges in Bermuda. And now he's making frands. And surely everyone wants to know who dat lady is.
WHERE || The castle library
WHEN || some indeterminate time in June
HOW || actionspaaaam
OTHER || You can also pull Gold and Amara aside for one-on-one conversations if you'd like. Just specify.

If you go into the library today, you will find an unusual sight- for one thing, Gold's back, but he must have snuck in like a ninja because it's not like he made any great announcement of it. Just swanned in, checked on his crocodile, and immediately tracked down a certain blonde homo magi. Suspicious!

Said homo magi is currently in the library with him. In fact, they're in the section with all the magic books, chatting animatedly about... something or other. (A listen check of 18 will catch what they're saying).

Comments

[undealt]

Never underestimate the power of a good negotiation, dearie.

[Ignore those... people who kinda got brainwashed for a second. ] Not all of us rely on our weapons.

[besmitten]

You lived because I allowed you to. They never would have agreed to let you go.

[undealt]

Well, in the end, I'd say it worked out in all of our favors. [Wink. Wink. Nudge. Nudge. YOU KNOW WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT?]

[besmitten]

That is yet to be seen. [ she sure do 8| way to assume that's a good thing in her book. LOVE IS PAIN, GOLD ]

[undealt]

Is Prince Charming not quite what you were expecting? [HE'S BEING IRONIC. Somewhere in his heart, he has no idea why calling David that is hilarious in more than one way.]

[besmitten]

David's barely spoken to me since our return here.

[undealt]

I'm afraid David has had difficulties in matters of the heart in the past. [Oh no. You invoked Dr. Love. Get ready for it, gurl.

Considering he no idea how do gurl, this will be hilarious.]

[besmitten]

You know his tale? [ SHARE ]

[undealt]

Some of it. The Veil was... less than kind to me when I arrived here. [And Emma didn't exactly go into lurid fanfic detail about her parents.]

But he was married once. It had a few difficulties, brought on by him falling in love with another woman- one who is sadly not here with us. Apparently, the Veil saw fit to take his memories of both women, though perhaps it couldn't sever the feelings entirely. Your curse is terrible, my dear, but imagine loving someone you don't even remember.

[besmitten]

It's not a curse, what I feel. And I don't know what you think you know about it.

[undealt]

Well, I don't remember anything specific. But I do remember enough to know that love is a terrible contradiction. It warms the heart as much as it freezes it cold. It destroys us and yet builds us up. When you have it, you hold everything and when you lose it, you might as well be nothing but dust.

[He looks wistful for a moment.] I don't know why, but I feel like I have a very strong attachment to the subject. And all the more reason I'd like to see this tale have a happy ending.

[besmitten]

[ she looks away, brow furrowed slightly, and runs a hand over a book cover ] ... If it's all the same to you, I think I might retire for tonight.

[undealt]

By all means, my dear. You need your rest. [He gives her a polite half-bow, half-nod.] Have a good night.

[untethered]

[ amara offers a courtly incline of her own head in response before turning to depart... and it's not until she walks past a stack that a certain little librarian emerges from behind it, watching her exit, before turning a shrewd, curious gaze back towards gold ]

I would never have thought matchmaking to be among your interests.

[undealt]

[Gold, normally poised, looks momentarily embarrassed.] Hey.

[OH WAIT. THAT'S... not a response. Hold on.] Well, the poor dear's in a bit of an awkward situation. It's the least I can for her.

[untethered]

She's the... magi, isn't she? [ she seems to realize that's not exactly common knowledge and offers a slightly sheepish explanation: ] You'd be amazed how much one overhears in a library.

[undealt]

I wouldn't expect anything to be kept a secret from anyone in the Hoard. Not for very long anyway. [aka he ain't bothered.] And considering the rest of the team's reaction to that mission, it's nice to have an outsider's perspective on the matter.

[And he looks so eager puppy to discuss it. BELLE, BELLE. I'M SO ALONE. NERD OUT WITH ME, BELLE.]

[untethered]

[ she will so bite ] The rest of the team? Meaning you had something of a different take on things than they did?

[undealt]

Well, Sir Francesca and I had more pragmatic goals than they did. Let's just say the entire situation could have gone much better.

[But he assumes they're all bitching about it, because Sindella died and Charming has a stalker, and all that shit. God people.] But it also could have gone much worse. Any day we don't accidentally cause a war is a good day.

[untethered]

A war. [ her expression falls a little, and she moves to hop up to a sitting position on a shorter nearby table, hands bracing the edge of it as she looks to him. ] Did it really come so close to one?

[undealt]

[He nods, smiling, as he leans back against the table, not quite perching on it, but close enough.]

It did, indeed. We were asked by one of the knights' freelancers to assist in finding her mother. It took us to a place in Bermuda, which turned out to be the secret base for the homo magi. Once there, we were faced with a choice- surrender Zatanna to the homo magi so she can take her mother's place as the keeper of the Medulla Jewel and thus continue to control the armies that protected them or... [He trails off.] Well, the choice seems obvious, but Zatanna's mother was dying. She used her last moments to destroy the jewel and eliminate the spell over the people trapped there, but the fact remains it was a mere fluke we survived long enough for her to manage that. Amara [he points to where the woman departed] made eye contact with one of the members of our party. Her calling the army off to protect him bought us a bit of time.

All together a complicated situation- one with no real happy ending. Some seem to consider that a loss.

[untethered]

[ a frown creases her forehead as he nears the abrupt end of the tale and she backtracks him a tic ] Eye contact. I-- I don't understand. [ she shakes her head, gaze narrowed slightly ] Why would that cause her to call off an army?

[undealt]

[Ah yes. He hoped she'd catch that. IT'S THE BEST PART OF THE STORY. OKAY.] It seems Amara's people have a very unique curse. If they make eye contact with a mortal, they're fated to fall in love, completely without question.

[Which he likes, but he is also really itched by, because IT FEELS AS IF IT GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING HE KNOWS OF MAGIC, even if he's never read that anywhere. SURELY MAGIC CANNOT MAKE YOU FALL IN LOVE... But it can.]

[untethered]

[ WAIT WAT ] You mean to say that happened to ... to Sir Charming? [ o right she was also eavesdropping on you. just then. in case you missed that implication. ] She thinks she's in love with him?

[undealt]

With all her heart. To the point where it doesn't even occur to her that it's a curse. [Which you also... overheard, but he's being nice here.] As far as she knows, she's in love and that's all there is to it.

[TRAGIC... yet profitable.]