Fair or Foul? {Minerva}

[vamp]

Faeries.

Sophia had suspected their existence long before her first encounter with one. After all, she'd been born a Greek, a people who's myths linked directly with their lives. Even in the age of Christianity, it was not unusual for people, especially Greeks, to fall back on old superstitions, to wonder about old magicks.

And Sophia had met Faeries. Hard not to, when you were deeply embroiled in the supernatural world and its workings. Most of the vampiress's dealing with the Fair People hadn't gone as well as she would have hoped.

Which entered her mind now, as she approached the Queen's lands. The vampiress send a message ahead, mentally, to the Queen's closest. They would then inform her majesty of a guest. A powerful guest, who would be heard.

Sophia showed no emotion as she walked through the halls. Some of the Fair Folk found her disturbing, and many didn't bother to hide it. There was something disquieting about Sophia, after all. Besides, most faeries could tell a vampire when one was near.

The ancient vampiress paused, waiting for someone to come and meet her. To lead her to the Queen. Clearly she would not be moved for any other reason, and one would have to pity the faerie that tried. No, the dark vampiress simply waited.

[Minerva Corrigan]

A small fae girl skipped up to the Vampiress. "Hello" She chirped, the small blonde child fluttered her wings and she was eye level with the vampiress. It was apparent she wasn't afraid. Oh what a brave girl for her age. her blue eyes sparkled and gleamed as if she held a secret. Indeed the child held a secret. Quite a big secret. "I can take you..." She offered "I know what your looking for and indeed I can take you...but you have to answer a riddle" She smiled in a giddy mood. She giggled and landed on the ground again, her bare feet unaffected by the cold. The blonde girl's face just continued to smile as she waited for a response.

For a minute she waited and finally she began to speak. "If you can guess my name, I'll take you to the queen. The queen is hidden. You won't be able to find her, but I know where she is" And the words of the girl were true.

Minerva was hidden.

Minerva after hearing about the arrival of a guest, decided to put the guest to a test. If she was really as powerful as she claimed, then the guest would be able to pass with flying colors.

The blonde little fae just looked to Sophia waiting for an answer. "But" She continued "If you guess wrong then you will not be allowed to see the Queen. And if you go looking for her then surely you will die. The last queen had the joint rigged." She giggled using a word Cal would probably say. 'Joint' that was Cal worthy after all.

"So" The blonde asked. "Are you going to guess" She asked serious now.

[vamp]

Why did every powerful being want to play games with Sophia? Perhaps it was because powerful beings didn't want every fool in existence to come and harass them, she supposed.

Just looking at the girl, Sophia had little idea who she was. A daring little creature who simply walked up to a vampiress. Someone quite bold, to bother someone so clearly intimidating. That alone stalled Sophia's hand, and she resisted her initial urges to simply kill or mentally decimate the child.

The vampiress reached out tentatively with her mental skills, feeling toward the child's mind. Her eyebrows raised as she realized something: there was no mind to read.

"You're not real," murmured the vampiress, studying the child closer now. The appearance didn't immediately ring familiar. In fact, the only person alive that Sophia knew who bore a similar countenance was Angela. And the vampiress highly doubted that the Queen had met Kennedy's lover.

Yes, this would have to be someone that both the Queen and Sophia knew. The vampiress knew several people, but didn't immediately think of someone who would be an obvious acquaintance of both herself and the queen. Frowning she studied the girl a few moments.

"I should not guess," she replied, arching her brows, "this is almost insulting. If it were not that I see the purpose in this, I would simply dismiss you and see the Queen. As it is, I suppose I shall play along."

Again, Sophia paused, studying the girl. "You must be someone that both the Queen and I know. In that, I believe there are few people that are of that nature. Add on that you are quite a brazen girl, which leads me to believe that you either feel entitled to behave so, or you are naturally that way. I do not know of any living Fair Folk that acts that way, so I would guess you to be entitled to behave in this manner to a royal guest.

"Which means you're royal yourself. The Queen does not have children, though she does have a sister, and has adopted some urchin. However, her sister is much older than you," Sophia frowned. she'd talked long enough, more then she normally would, unless she was analyzing a person. It was time to simply present her guess.

"I suppose you to be a younger incarnation of her royal majesty, Queen Minerva, I believe."

[Minerva Corrigan]

The blonde little girl just smiled. "Follow me" She said, and with that shrugged and then paused and turned to Sophia. "Twas such a shame I was a blonde...I don't see where the genes came from. Wretched really." She said and smiled staying in character and started skipping along Sophia, guiding her, away from the crowd and up towards the castle, though she wouldn't take Sophia into the castle. Of course not. Why would she show a stranger her home? Her protection? Her inner sanctum? What would posses Minerva to want to do that?

No.

She would take Sophia to the castle garden's but that was as far as 'into the castle' she would get. The girl skipped along humming to herself, and finally when they reached the castle, Minerva smiled at the guards, glamoring once more, and revealing herself, her lips not smiling nor pursed, just...there. A grim expression.

"So how might I be of use to you..." She asked once they were in the gardens. Minerva turned around and looked Sophia over for the first time, studying here. She was neither friend nor foe. Minerva was keeping the fae kingdom neutral. If and when it came time to take sides for anything, then that would be the day pigs fly because, the last queen had royally screwed them over, and they were in no position to takes sides, though considering they were handling themselves quite well on their own, what would make her want to take sides? To enter war? To see her people get hurt? Her home invaded? Possibly ruined? She didn't think so.

Minerva placed her hands on her hips, keeping her eyes now locked on Sophia's. She had studied the girl, she had looked her over, and now it was time to get down to business. Why was she here?

[vamp]

The Fae were neutral.

Sophia realized that before she'd come here. This information wasn't exactly a secret, and Calcus Corrigan himself had more or less announced it to Academy officials last year. In fact, the roguish Fae had even bargained with the forces of evil that had taken over the Academy. Clearly they took their neutrality seriously.

How to sway such people?

By working their minds, of course.

While smiling, Sophia extended her consciousness, gently pulling at Minerva's thoughts. Faeries were generally sensitive to magic and supernatural incidents. But mental manipulation? Generally that was beneath their notice, something that Sophia was counting on.

"It is an honor to meet you, oh Queen of the Fair Folk," the words dripped with honey as they left Sophia's mouth. She attempted a courtesy, lowering her head and eyes until told otherwise. Hopefully such visible obedience would most likely distract from the mental pickings.

"Your realm is quite beautiful, and your people quite lovely," Sophia kept up the flattery, "truly, the legends of this place are true. And your cunning, such wonderful manipulations."

Mental tug. Tug...

[Minerva Corrigan]

Minerva kept her eyes on Sophia. She didn't buy it. Not for a minute. "What do you want." She said. Minerva let herself fall into a chair and looked to Sophia. "I don't know what you want, but I don't think...by the way my people wouldn't go near you it's good. I'm going to tell you right now, before we get any further into this conversation, and before you may 'accidentally' waste my time, the fae kingdom will stay, forever neutral..."Minerva trailed off mildly bored.

Yes. She was bored. She has had multiple parties coming to her, trying to get her to make alliances with them, to side with them, sure the fae were powerful, sure they could glamor, control most natural aspects of the world, sure. Minerva wasn't willing to have another incident like last time though.

"So..." Minerva said sitting up a bit straighter after a minute. "If that is what you were coming to me about, you might as well leave." Minerva explained. Oh how lovely it was Cal wasn't here, and for him not being here she would have to reward him later...some how. She had a few idea's, but that was growing rather boring, she'd have to get creative. A different reward, a different surprise. This is what her mind was currently thinking about as she sat with Sophia. Yes. Even the queen thought of small, personal things such as this on her brain. She was after all a fae too, the only thing that separated her from most was her stubborn additude and the title 'queen' in front of her name.