summoned

[mute_pen]

Etty is awoken not by her transformation, but by her summons, a few minutes after dark. In her sleep, she drifted to shore; she's lying in human form - arm intact - half in and half out of the water when she feels it.

It's very insistent.

She cannot bring herself to move. She tries - she does; intellectually she knows it's the smart thing to do - but - she can't. Cannot get up and go to him.

Comments

[mute_pen]

Etty waits for sunset.

[pythbox]

Sunset comes, and the summons with it.

[mute_pen]

Etty transforms, and finds that the roof is - is really very high, when she can't fly.

She's not going to be able to jump.

"I'm -" she squeaks. And then louder. "I'm up here."

[pythbox]

The summons continues.

[mute_pen]

Etty sits on the roof.

After a moment she starts looking for a way down that doesn't call for wings.

[pythbox]

The roof is generally lacking in those. There are a few ways to climb down, but none of them look promising.

[mute_pen]

She will inevitably fall if she tries one.

She peers at some of the pokier stones in the wall below her, dubiously, and shivers.

[pythbox]

A large owl takes off from one of the nearby towers and flies directly to her.

The Baron stands on the roof and folds his arms.

[mute_pen]

"I couldn't get down," she whispers.

[pythbox]

"And if I take you down, will you come to dinner?"

[mute_pen]

She's -

Starving, actually.

"Yes."

[pythbox]

The owl flies her down to just outside the front gate; the Baron leads her inside. The table fills itself.

[mute_pen]

Etty eats.

[pythbox]

The Baron also eats.

And when he is finished, the table clears itself, and he gets up and puts his hand on her shoulder.

[mute_pen]

She -

Looks at his hand.

She desperately needs to get at that scroll and process. She is going to fall apart if she doesn't, just completely fall to bits.

She's not going to have any chance if he beats her like he did last night.

She swallows.

And waits for an order.

[pythbox]

"Run along, my swan."

[mute_pen]

Run -

Run along?

She gets up out of her chair slowly, keeping an eye on him.

[pythbox]

He lets go of her shoulder and turns away, apparently expecting her not to follow.

[mute_pen]

Etty edges towards the door.

[pythbox]

The Baron ignores her.

[mute_pen]

She lets herself out, and heads for the orchard.

[pythbox]

There is no one there.

[mute_pen]

Right now, that is the way Etty needs it to be.

She uncovers the scroll and the writing supplies, and finds a moonbeam to sit in, and puts the flat rock on her lap, and she writes.

She deliberately affects terrible handwriting - it's not hard; her hand trembles now and it's dark - in lieu of any sophisticated cipher. She doesn't want her thoughts read.

[pythbox]

She is left alone until morning.

[mute_pen]

Well before sunrise, she's tucked her implements away and put the rock back, and filled up on fruit. In the likely event that the just-dinner invitation will not be consistently repeated, she'd like to not approach a summons too hungry to think straight.

She changes.