She nodded. Well, if Rren didn't want to play around in the castle for the castle's own sake... and agreed that finding the fae would be wise... then that meant it would be all the more reasonable to make it easier to recognize them, didn't it?
"Any of us would welcome another friend," she said. "If my castle isn't standing, find my people anyway."
And with another small gesture, she indicated the grand hall again.
Sia stepped aside to let them through more obviously, though he hadn't exactly been blocking the doorway, big as it was. Past him, the room was no longer unoccupied; the impression of more people was unmistakable. Their shapes, their voices, bits of conversations in the elves' language... It wasn't all clear yet, but they would come into focus as Mallia stepped closer, glancing to make sure Rren was interested in following.
She only had so much attention span, to maintain it all at once, but in a dream, that was easier. In a dream, it didn't require quite as much deliberate effort.
It looked, at a glance, as though they were all elves. A few of them seemed to notice Rren and Mallia, and gave a little smile and a wave or a nod, a few simply holding up their glasses a little to them in what was clearly an equivalent of a wave hello. If Rren were listening, there would be more of the language to pick up -- talk from a parent, about how they'd had to sew their child's dress for the umpteenth time, and the next time he ripped it, they'd make him fix it. A few of them exchanging recipes as they chatted with a little plate of food in one hand. A baby fussing quietly, and their mother taking the tiny one back to feed them. Someone talking about the economy of somewhere, and how they figured it might be well worth it to take some glamour-coins to the neighboring king's treasurers, to exchange for smaller currency to spend in the former place... Someone else barely keeping in their laughter as they told about this one night their sister was trying to be on guard against wolves, and ended up scaring them witless instead....
A few of them stood out, and not just for having been more detailed and solid-seeming, as they were closer, perhaps people from her memories more than her imagination. A very few wore well-tailored leather outfits, despite no one else at all wearing any such thing. In fact, other than those few, leather and bone were basically nowhere to be found, even on their boots and shoes and belts. Those few who wore it seemed to move almost a little differently... something about the way they glanced before so much as turning their head, their ready stances... it seemed almost reminiscent of a predator's mannerisms. And yet, the people around them, that they were spending time with, seemed perfectly relaxed, unthreatened. And, when one was caught eyeing Rren, they gave a hint of a smile and a subtle, respectful little nod in acknowledgement as well. Those, despite sharing the same apparently species-wide features as the rest... they weren't quite like the others. And yet, there was no sense of them not being perfectly welcome here....
Similarly, though for the opposite reasons, were a few more that seemed different somehow. It wasn't how they dressed, like how those other few stood out for wearing leather. Perhaps it was their comparative seeming shyness? It was more than a simple reluctance to be social, for they were mingling with the others. It was a subtle state of being on edge, even though they might've seen largely relaxed. Something about their stances, the way one of them inhaled a little before realizing that it was the person beside them simply putting an arm around them, and then happily relaxing into that casually protective sort of embrace. One of them actually had some sort of spiral-twisted thing hanging from their beltstrings, almost lost in their clothing's folds of fabric. It did look to maybe be bone, but what sort of bone was so evenly wound and pointed like that, a thick wand of some kind? Perhaps it was like Sia's staff? ...But it had no gem.... And these few, like those that wore leather, were part of the party, happy here despite their more skittish nature.... In fact, one of them seemed to be shyly flirting with one of those few leather-clad individuals, sharing some wine with them, cheeks quite pink already.
That part of one's nature, then, was not an impediment to inclusion among Mallia's people. There were more similarities than differences, in at least apparent species, besides: with nearly everyone either being an elf, or looking like one, their ears all had similarly small points to them, their eyes all had irises larger than the average. They otherwise seemed fairly humanlike, though with hair colors ranging from snow white, to colors outside the usual human spectrum. Perhaps they were dyed? Or maybe not dye, but it could have been illusion-magic making that one's hair such a cherry red, even including the details like their eyebrows. Or that other's, a gray that was more blue than not. Assuming they weren't using their magic to disguise themselves as human, there were going to be tells as to what they were, physically. But even still, the language was surely going to be the easiest one....
But... only nearly everyone there appeared, superficially, to be an elf, or perhaps wholly one. There were a few that surely stood out for even more blatant differences than mannerisms and general demeanor.
One of the children was getting some sort of cookies from a table of foods off to the side of the party there, a rag doll of nearly their own size hugged up to their side. It was dressed in similar clothes to the child, actually... and as the kid stretched up onto their tiptoes to try reaching something closer to the middle of the table, they took their hand away from the doll. It not only didn't fall, but it actually took a step on its own, turning to better see the table too, and then found something a few dishes down to reach up to take from.
One of the adults had a bird on their shoulder... and this bird was likewise a construct, wings' feathers made of some sort of thin, stiff material that had been painted, its head and neck and torso done in solid segments that overlaid one another just so, a lovely sort of shell for any robot, one that looked to allow it almost a similar range of movement as a biological bird. It moved to keep its balance as its person did, absently, tilting its head and shifting a little bit from one foot to the other, and then turned to nuzzle into their elf's cheek, interrupting the conversation and getting petted for doing so. Whether or not it was fully sapient, it was a lovely example of someone's workmanship indeed, for a body like that.
There would probably be a few more examples, if Rren wanted to explore around... and of course, one of them would be a certain wooden-looking figure standing quietly off to the side, engaged in quiet conversation with one of those more nervous-seeming people and another elf....
Actual poppets, perhaps? Mallia had doubtless told Rren more about the practice among her people, but it was different, to see them there, interacting with the others, and generally just... being. Being treated like anyone else, being so wildly different in materials and craftsmanship, being from what seemed like a time far too early to have been created with any sort of computers' involvement.... It was surely no wonder, then, that Mallia was so quick to accept Rren's explanation of their own nature, and equate it to this in some way? The rag doll was clearly another child, and a good friend or more to their playmate. The tree-looking one was blatantly holding his own in speaking with the ones around him, an equal and treated as such. The bird... well, it was clearly very much treasured, and those nearby that it wasn't sitting on the shoulder of seemed to appreciate it, one of them reaching over as its person turned a little to let them pet it as well.
She wanted Rren to know what her people were like, that they might find them more easily... well, this was absolutely one way to familiarize someone with them.
"I'll do my best," she said quietly, giving them a smile. Time to puppeteer a crowd, or at least the portion of it that Rren turned their attention toward....
no subject
"Any of us would welcome another friend," she said. "If my castle isn't standing, find my people anyway."
And with another small gesture, she indicated the grand hall again.
Sia stepped aside to let them through more obviously, though he hadn't exactly been blocking the doorway, big as it was. Past him, the room was no longer unoccupied; the impression of more people was unmistakable. Their shapes, their voices, bits of conversations in the elves' language... It wasn't all clear yet, but they would come into focus as Mallia stepped closer, glancing to make sure Rren was interested in following.
She only had so much attention span, to maintain it all at once, but in a dream, that was easier. In a dream, it didn't require quite as much deliberate effort.
It looked, at a glance, as though they were all elves. A few of them seemed to notice Rren and Mallia, and gave a little smile and a wave or a nod, a few simply holding up their glasses a little to them in what was clearly an equivalent of a wave hello. If Rren were listening, there would be more of the language to pick up -- talk from a parent, about how they'd had to sew their child's dress for the umpteenth time, and the next time he ripped it, they'd make him fix it. A few of them exchanging recipes as they chatted with a little plate of food in one hand. A baby fussing quietly, and their mother taking the tiny one back to feed them. Someone talking about the economy of somewhere, and how they figured it might be well worth it to take some glamour-coins to the neighboring king's treasurers, to exchange for smaller currency to spend in the former place... Someone else barely keeping in their laughter as they told about this one night their sister was trying to be on guard against wolves, and ended up scaring them witless instead....
A few of them stood out, and not just for having been more detailed and solid-seeming, as they were closer, perhaps people from her memories more than her imagination. A very few wore well-tailored leather outfits, despite no one else at all wearing any such thing. In fact, other than those few, leather and bone were basically nowhere to be found, even on their boots and shoes and belts. Those few who wore it seemed to move almost a little differently... something about the way they glanced before so much as turning their head, their ready stances... it seemed almost reminiscent of a predator's mannerisms. And yet, the people around them, that they were spending time with, seemed perfectly relaxed, unthreatened. And, when one was caught eyeing Rren, they gave a hint of a smile and a subtle, respectful little nod in acknowledgement as well. Those, despite sharing the same apparently species-wide features as the rest... they weren't quite like the others. And yet, there was no sense of them not being perfectly welcome here....
Similarly, though for the opposite reasons, were a few more that seemed different somehow. It wasn't how they dressed, like how those other few stood out for wearing leather. Perhaps it was their comparative seeming shyness? It was more than a simple reluctance to be social, for they were mingling with the others. It was a subtle state of being on edge, even though they might've seen largely relaxed. Something about their stances, the way one of them inhaled a little before realizing that it was the person beside them simply putting an arm around them, and then happily relaxing into that casually protective sort of embrace. One of them actually had some sort of spiral-twisted thing hanging from their beltstrings, almost lost in their clothing's folds of fabric. It did look to maybe be bone, but what sort of bone was so evenly wound and pointed like that, a thick wand of some kind? Perhaps it was like Sia's staff? ...But it had no gem.... And these few, like those that wore leather, were part of the party, happy here despite their more skittish nature.... In fact, one of them seemed to be shyly flirting with one of those few leather-clad individuals, sharing some wine with them, cheeks quite pink already.
That part of one's nature, then, was not an impediment to inclusion among Mallia's people. There were more similarities than differences, in at least apparent species, besides: with nearly everyone either being an elf, or looking like one, their ears all had similarly small points to them, their eyes all had irises larger than the average. They otherwise seemed fairly humanlike, though with hair colors ranging from snow white, to colors outside the usual human spectrum. Perhaps they were dyed? Or maybe not dye, but it could have been illusion-magic making that one's hair such a cherry red, even including the details like their eyebrows. Or that other's, a gray that was more blue than not. Assuming they weren't using their magic to disguise themselves as human, there were going to be tells as to what they were, physically. But even still, the language was surely going to be the easiest one....
But... only nearly everyone there appeared, superficially, to be an elf, or perhaps wholly one. There were a few that surely stood out for even more blatant differences than mannerisms and general demeanor.
One of the children was getting some sort of cookies from a table of foods off to the side of the party there, a rag doll of nearly their own size hugged up to their side. It was dressed in similar clothes to the child, actually... and as the kid stretched up onto their tiptoes to try reaching something closer to the middle of the table, they took their hand away from the doll. It not only didn't fall, but it actually took a step on its own, turning to better see the table too, and then found something a few dishes down to reach up to take from.
One of the adults had a bird on their shoulder... and this bird was likewise a construct, wings' feathers made of some sort of thin, stiff material that had been painted, its head and neck and torso done in solid segments that overlaid one another just so, a lovely sort of shell for any robot, one that looked to allow it almost a similar range of movement as a biological bird. It moved to keep its balance as its person did, absently, tilting its head and shifting a little bit from one foot to the other, and then turned to nuzzle into their elf's cheek, interrupting the conversation and getting petted for doing so. Whether or not it was fully sapient, it was a lovely example of someone's workmanship indeed, for a body like that.
There would probably be a few more examples, if Rren wanted to explore around... and of course, one of them would be a certain wooden-looking figure standing quietly off to the side, engaged in quiet conversation with one of those more nervous-seeming people and another elf....
Actual poppets, perhaps? Mallia had doubtless told Rren more about the practice among her people, but it was different, to see them there, interacting with the others, and generally just... being. Being treated like anyone else, being so wildly different in materials and craftsmanship, being from what seemed like a time far too early to have been created with any sort of computers' involvement.... It was surely no wonder, then, that Mallia was so quick to accept Rren's explanation of their own nature, and equate it to this in some way? The rag doll was clearly another child, and a good friend or more to their playmate. The tree-looking one was blatantly holding his own in speaking with the ones around him, an equal and treated as such. The bird... well, it was clearly very much treasured, and those nearby that it wasn't sitting on the shoulder of seemed to appreciate it, one of them reaching over as its person turned a little to let them pet it as well.
She wanted Rren to know what her people were like, that they might find them more easily... well, this was absolutely one way to familiarize someone with them.
"I'll do my best," she said quietly, giving them a smile. Time to puppeteer a crowd, or at least the portion of it that Rren turned their attention toward....