As Hannah enters the office, she notices that it looks like it's been scoured clean, physically. There's nothing left in the room other than the bare structures: no furniture, no drapery, no rugs. Bleys is standing by the mantel, apparently talking to thin air.

Robin is leaning against a wall near windows that have obviously been blown outward.  She has her arms crossed over her midriff and a ferocious scowl lining her face.  Her eyes are crackling with hostility but she is holding herself very still.
            The girl’s short blonde hair is wildly untamed and bits of twigs, beads, feathers and the occasional bone peek out of the mess.  Robin seems completely unaware of (or unconcerned by) the smear of dirt across her cheek or the soot and slightly singed hair near one ear.  The gauntlets tucked into her belt also show a fine mix of mud, plant stains and ash.  The rest of her garb is in pretty much the same condition; she’s definitely been playing with dirt, green things and fire in the recent past.  (OOC – High water types might also notice that’s she’s a little tuckered.)
            She responds to Corwin’s look with, “Two booms.  One big and far away.  One smaller, local and Trumpy.” She shrugs a shoulder at Bleys and adds, "Jerod."

Hannah smiles at Bleys, and politely waits for him to finish his trump call.

Which he does with a flourish.

Robin sends a wary nod Hannah’s way.  A glimmer of... something shimmers in her eyes briefly, but she’s way too on guard to give in to it just now.

"Good day, my brother.  I'd offer you wine, but the stock in here was inconveniently destroyed.  Are you aware of the current state of Amber?  The Castle staff, and of course Lady Robin, are understandably agitated that someone could and has taken Caine bodily from the castle against his will.  I'm sure he's fine, apparently he has both my daughter and Deirdre's to watch his back.  What news do you have of the family?"
            He walks to the outer chamber and moves to the secretary's desk, inspecting it but not sitting.

Corwin says, "Caine made it out of whatever fix he was in and so did Brita and Ossian and Signy. And," he lets Bleys hang for a moment before adding, "Paige. I expect him to be back here a glass or so behind me, if that long.  Hannah, have you been introduced to your Uncle Bleys, or your cousin Robin?"

Bleys steps forward to take Hannah's hand.

"Bleys and I have had a few conversations now," Hannah offers him her hand, and the smile that remains curious at all his elementism.

She tilts her head to look past him though.  "Robin, I don't know if you remember, but we met at your brother's funeral.  And Solange was just talking to me not long ago about your adventures in the Isles, together.  I would love to hear more about that, from your perspective, when we can make time."

"I remember." Robin nods,  "And yep, we should talk."  The glance she darts to Corwin and Bleys says as plainly as day 'but not around these two bastards.'

Bleys bows over Hannah's hand and relinquishes it, giving her a smile of merry good humour. If he's aware of the dirty look Robin is giving him, he's more amused by it than offended or hurt.

Corwin, by contrast, seems oblivious.

"We should consult with the Marquess about how he should handle matters the next time the Regent, whoever he may be, goes missing," Bleys suggests to Corwin.

Robin's eyes narrow as Bleys the tease so conveniently does...whatever he's doing.  When talking to Jerod, he made it sound like Amber was in danger of imminent... danger.  And now, he wants a consult.  Bah!  Bleys!  Pfui!
            Putting her uncle's behavior aside, Robin raise a eyebrow to Hannah and invites her into the scoured office with a tip of her head.

Hannah leads the way, looking around unhappily.  She takes a position from where she can still spot Corwin from the door with a turn of her head.  But she looks thoughtfully at Robin.  "Have you been hunting?" she asks.

Robin is definitely of the same mind, she makes sure she can keep on eye on Bleys from where she stands.  At Hannah's question, she cocks her head for a moment.  Then looks down at herself.  With a grim chuckle, Robin responds,  "Oh, yeah.  Flowers.  Flaming flowers."

"Ah," Hannah nods.  She bites her lip on a smile, and then quietly says, "Solange told me about the two of you talking to Ysabeau. Trusting the word of a blood-cursed ghost is a bit beyond me, but I have other reasons to believe she didn't name my father falsely."

"Your father, huhn?  Soooo, we're sisters."  Robin cocks an eye toward Hannah.  "Well met.  I'd hug you if I wasn't so paranoid and pissed right now."  Her lips cock in  a wry, rueful smile.
            "I've got a couple of warnings and a present for you, if the boys don't get all frisky and try to take over Amber in the next minute or so."

"You're giving them too much credit today.  What I was told was Corwin already had his shot and if Bleys was so smart why'd he end up ass over feet off Kolvir, or something like that," Hannah grins.  "Is my present a good present, or a bad present?"

The aforementioned Princes are conferring with the Marquess and the midshipmen. Bleys looks vaguely annoyed and Corwin indifferent to whatever is transpiring.

“If at first you don’t succeed...” Robin quotes gloomily.  Then she perks up.  “Good present, I think.”
            Reaching into an inner vest pocket, she withdraws a leather pouch, well-worn and covered with decorative beads in the shape of a stylized bird.              “Last time I was in the Isles, Vere’s Mom gave me this.  She said it was...” She pauses with a furrow in her brow.  “Actually she didn’t say anything, just handed me this.”
            Robin shrugs herself onward.  “Anyway, I gather this was Mom’s so I figured to split it among her daughters.  I offered some to Solange,” Robin busies herself with removing a Trump deck from the pouch, “but she said she already had some.”
            “I... uh, I kind of already gave one to Vere.  So I figure you should choose first.  And in all fairness I should mention that I’m particular to the pouch myself.”  She ends with a rueful nose wrinkle.
            The Trumps she fans out include a full deck minus Corwin and the Castle but including a half-completed card.  (Of Huon, if Hannah would recognize him.)

Hannah's eyes linger on the pouch, ignoring the cards.  "That is a thunder bird.  There was a great council with many peoples to decide rules of war and hunting so that we might keep peace between us. While it went on, a young man found a tree that the thunder birds came and went from.  They left paths of blue fire as they flew in the direction of the four winds.  When the young man went back again, the tree was surrounded by the blue fire of the Thunderbirds, yet it did not burn, and the fire could only be seen at night.  This is the sacred tree of our people, the Old Man."
            Hannah looks up at Robin.  "This is not the sacred telling, more of a summary.  The thunder bird is a powerful spirit.  Honor it and it will protect you, or at least the cards," Hannah smiles.  She reaches out to take the stack from Robin, flipping through them and considering what she needs.

"Oh."  Robin says in a small voice.
            "Thunderbiiirrrddd...." she says, rolling the word around in her mouth and her mind.  She finishes with a quirky grin and eyes sparking merrily green.  "I like it."
            "Did... did you know her, Hannah?  Do you remember our mother?" Robin's voice gets small again.

Hannah looks back up.  "No," she breathes, shaking her head.  "I think I was her for part of my journey on the Pattern.  Gerard has told me some stories about her that make me glad she left me with my father, Robin.  I do not regret my upbringing, nor do I miss a woman I never knew.  I can only try to respect her."
            "Gerard, definitely," Hannah says, handing Robin that card while she continues studying the others.

Robin nods as she takes the card.  "Good choice."
            Keeping her voice low, she continues, "I'm so... different from Dad that I always kind of figured I resembled my mother.  If that's the case," a wry laugh escapes her, "than, yep, I'm eternally grateful she gave me to Julian to raise."  Though sarcastic, the sentiment is very sincere.
            "Though Mom's ghost wouldn't tell me and Solange who our sires were.  So there's probably still surprises lurking there..."

"Or a guilty ghost.  How important is it to you to know?" Hannah asks.

"Personally?  Not at all."  Robin shrugs off-handedly.  "Something unpleasant turning up claiming kinship?  Or I start sprouting horns or turning green?  Some advance warning might be nice."

Hannah snorts.

"You should have Julian, don't you think?  How do you feel about Random?  Do you talk to him much?"

"Thank you."  Robin acknowledges her sister's wisdom with a quiet nod as she takes the Julian Trump into her other hand.  "The King?  No, I try to avoid talking to him unless it's a real crisis."  She shrugs again.

"I'm always bothering him; I consider it something of a duty -  so I suppose I'll take him."  Hannah's lips thin as she considers the remainder.  "Floramel would be nice since she's in Corwin's Kingdom, and Caine would be nice since he's here, but neither of them might much like me using them as a door.  It really is sad how many of these people are dead.  Who else do you want?"

"Weeeelll," Robin thinks about it, "if mobility is a concern for you, why don't you take the Flora, the Caine and the Llewella.  That'd get you at least a whine-in to all the major places.  That'd  leave me the Bleys, the Benedict, and the Fiona.  Oh, and the Huon thingie.  Either you or I could keep ahold of the dead guys and if anyone reappears on the map, we revisit the situation?"  Robin looks over to Hannah to see if she understands her sister's path well enough.

"That sounds very reasonable.  So that's Huon?"  Hannah wonders.

“Yeah,” Robin growls.  “He’s another uncle who needs a good maiming.  Me and Vere ran into him in Danu.  Arrogant bastard made some... remarks about my brother.  The ensuing discussion didn’t really go well for either side.”

Hannah nods.  "Gerard and I were in Tyrell City then - horrible place - and I think it was Folly who told us Huon was in the Isles.  It really seems like the whole family is just avoiding dealing with that situation," she sighs.  "If he needs to be re-exiled, then it needs to happen.  Otherwise, bring him back into the fold.  The whole thing wears me out, just thinking about it, which is probably why no one is doing anything."
            "So, no delicate way to ask this but I am a scientist and these little puzzles make me insane.  How old are you?  I'm around 32."

“Scientist, huh?”  Robin chuckles, “You enjoy to talking with Solange, then?  She’s got that kind of mind, too.”

"As time passes it becomes more and more apparent to me Solange and I are definitely sisters.  I'm more of a doctor that... a neo-technologist." Hannah clarifies.

Robin blows a soft breath out.  It's clear that she doesn't really ken the term but is willing to let it slide.

Paying perhaps a bit more attention than is needed, Robin puts her chosen cards away in her pouch.  “Listen, why don’t you hold on to the dead guys for now?  Seeing as it sounds like you’ll be in more contact with the family than me and I already have the pouch and all.”
            After a moment, Robin stops puttering and closes her eyes with a pained expression.  When she looks back at Hannah, her eyes are oddly unfocused.  With an effort, the girl pulls her attention back to the here and now.
            “Sorry, Hannah.  I... that’s a question I’m not...  ready to think about just now.  Best answer I can give you is older than 32.”  Her eyes wander off again.  “Yep.  Definitely older than 32.”  She nods in confirmation to herself.
            “Why?”  Robin cocks her head to Hannah, focused once more.

Hannah reaches out to take Robin's hand.  "I'm sorry.  I just think birth order matters.  Some.  Not all, but some.  And if you are the oldest of us 3, well, lucky you and I feel for you all at the same time.  If there are only 3 of us, which is unproven."

Robin shakes her head a little.  "Hannah, when Shadow gets involved, age isn't necessarily tied to birth order.  Though I'll admit that in this case, it seems likely.  At least for now."
            "You know, a couple of months ago I was kid sister to two older brothers.  Now I'm a big sister to two younger sisters.... I swear, this family is shifting under my wings so much, I'm having trouble finding a draft."  She chuckles ruefully.

Hannah snorts again.  "I think all three of us are in that boat."

Hannah turns Robin's hand over, palm up, and holds her own beside it. "I miss being dirty, sometimes," she whispers.  "I saw our mother's picture, and I don't see myself there.  I hope I can find her in you and Solange, without all the selfishness, you know?"

Robin meets Hannah's eyes questioningly.  "Selfishness?  Why do you think Mom was selfish?"

Hannah bites her lip, but decides on honesty with a sigh.  "Gerard mentioned that she made blood sacrifices.  That she killed people to either get or keep her power.  It isn't like we don't have enough to start with, so I consider that selfish.  It may be giving us all up was the most unselfish thing she ever did."

Robin's green eyes drop to their palms and she shrugs.  "It ain't a clean universe, Hannah.  Someone's gotta get dirty.  Luckily, I'm prone to it anyway."  Her smile, while rueful, is genuine.

This makes Hannah smile.  "I know.  And I've had 'keeping presentable' beaten into me because we could never give anyone an excuse to call us barbarians.  When each and every person walking is.  Except maybe Folly and Solace.  Maybe."

"Yeah, while I never met the man, I suspect Grandfather had a real ironical sense of humor."  Robin responds.  Then her brow crinkles, "Hey, Hannah.  Did Gerard say whether Mom was killing Family or people?"

"I got the impression it was people, likely men, in the Isles.  While I suppose that doesn't rule out family, that wouldn't have been easy."  Hannah shrugs.  "Did you see something there that made you think it might be family?"

"Nyaw.  It was just... I misunderstood you."
            "But it does kind of lead into the first warning.  While I was in Danu, I, uh... kind of ran into Danu.  She was acting as the local Goddess there.  And she..."
            Robin bites her lip and decides for honesty too.  "She made me an offer, Hannah.  A... hard, hard offer.  I'm still not really ready to talk about it, but.. I'm going to be carrying the scars for saying no for the rest of my life."  The girl's voice drops to a whisper and she looks anywhere but at people.  "If she gets a shot at you or Solange... she might try the same thing.  Don't give her that shot."
            Robin's eyes spark green with venom.
            And then soften, "Something Mom's ghost said.  About fighting the influence of the Goddess... it made me think that Mom might have gotten herself backed into a corner from which there was no good way out."

The grim look on Hannah's face shows she's listening.  "Right.  What would Solange do for Gerard to be healed?  Damn," she breathes. "Better to avoid the Isles altogether then.  Have you told Solange this?"

"Exactly." Robin gives a sharp grim nod to Hannah's assessment.
            "I tried.  I'm not sure how well I suceeded.  I think I might have come off all cryptic and old."  Robin wrinkles her nose and sticks out her tongue.

Hannah laughs at Robin's expression.  "That's what comes of not being plain.  We need to sit her down.  We also need to compare notes on the consequences of child-bearing for our line.  I've got... well, first, I've got to do this thing with Corwin.  Then I really really need to get out into shadow and spirit walk when I'm away from the center. Then will probably be Cambina's funeral.  After that, we need to have a sit down.  All three of us."

"I suppose."  Robin doesn't sound eager, but she is amenable to the idea.
            "And the consequences of child-bearing is warning number two.  Uhhhh..." the girl rolls her eyes but doesn't see any way out of the approaching sentence, "my father is an expert on breeding.  And he says I shouldn't.  And that if I *do* happen to find myself pregnant, I should come to him immediately.  I doubt he'd... ever say such a thing to you or Solange.  But I'm sure the offer and the aid would still be there."
            Robin winces at that one.  It didn't come out at all right.

"I'd love to talk to your father about what brought him to the conclusion that it is dangerous.  Gerard's answer to that was less than satisfactory to me.  Until we can wring all the available information out of them, I agree we all need to be cautious, but I'm not ready yet to write off ever being a mother because they think our line is cursed in some way," Hannah growls.  "As to the rest, I'm a doctor, Robin.  I know how to end a pregnancy without killing a woman."

There's a quick -- and shaded -- flash of green from the female Ranger's eyes.  Hannah may not be alone in that skill

Hannah fans and squares the cards in her hands in annoyance a few times.  "At the moment, this is something you and Solange need to worry about more than me.  Have you talked to Vere about this?"

"Yeahhhhh..." Robin sighs.  Then her face lights up and a little wriggle of happiness goes through the girl.  "He's... amazing!"  For a second, she is somewhere else and somewhere else is dang near paradise.

Hannah smiles.

"Wait." Robin comes back earth with a thump.  "Solange?"

[Post missing]

"Hunh." Robin blows out a breath.  "I... I'll mention it to Dad when I get the chance."  There's something veeerrrryyy reluctant in that.
            "But he didn't call it a curse.  He called it a weakness, a breeding-weakness.  And seemed to think it was tied to non-presence in the Isles of Danu.  The only curse I'm under that I'm aware of is *that* bastard's."  She darts a hate-filled glance to Corwin.

Hannah turns her head to look at which one of them Robin dislikes so much.

Shaking it off, she continues, "As far as immortality goes, I got a couple of people depending on me to stay alive.  Soooo... " Robin ends with a shrug.

"Well, I'm not going to be stupid," Hannah clarifies.  "How did you get cursed by Corwin?"

Robin lifts a Julianic eyebrow to Hannah.  Really?  She hasn't heard this story?
            "My father had his eyes put out with a red-hot poker in order to save his life.  He took it kind of personal and responded with a... rather indiscriminate Blood Curse."

For some reason this amuses Hannah.  "Well, wouldn't you?  Are you... are you saying you are being individually impacted by it?  Even now?"

"Weeeellll, my life's always been on the dramatic and violent side.  But these last few years.... " her lips press in a flat line, "yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm being individually impacted by it."
            "Spirit-walking?"  She adds, changing the subject.

"Letting the journey be the answer,"  Hannah replies.  "There has to be some way to cleanse a blood-curse, you know.  It is all just energy in the end."

"Ah, Gettin' Lost."  Robin nods in understanding.
            Then she smiles at Hannah's 'energy' statement.  "Neo-technologist."  She says with a teasing grin.

"Well, I'm also the medicine man.  I don't know how to do it though, and Gerard is on top of the list right now."  An unhappy look crosses Hannah's face.  "Indiscriminate. Right.  What does a blood-curse look like? If we can see magical energies, and some can...  Hm..."

"Don't worry about it right now.  I'm managing.  And the scope of the thing is pretty... formidable.  *And* I suspect the bastard would have to be involved and I ain't looking for anything to do with him anytime soon."
            "Besides, I'm really glad that *someone* is able to make Gerard top priority.  Me, Solange and Vere seem to be running around putting out so many fires that..."  Robin frowns sadly.

The conference in the outer office appears to come to a close, and Corwin moves to rejoin Hannah and Robin.

As Corwin moves into the room, Robin tenses up again, face tightens into a scowl and her lips lock shut.  The time for friendly sharing is over.  The time for watching out for blood-thirsty bastards is back.

A runner arrives from the gate announcing Prince Caine's arrival there. He seems out of breath, as if he's really hustled to beat Caine up to the office.

"I expect we'll be retiring to more comfortable quarters in a moment," Bleys says, for everyone's benefit.

At the announcement of Caine’s imminent arrival, a slight wave of relief ripples through Robin.  Followed closely by an ironic tick of her lips.

Hannah nods, squaring her new trumps one last time and slipping them into her pocket.  "This is a fine bit of musical chairs.  I don't expect Caine's going to be happy about whatever happened in here."

"Don't ask me. I just used to live here," says Corwin. Bleys shrugs and gives Hannah a lazy grin.

A few minutes later, Caine arrives with several midshipmen in tow. "I have returned. Whichever of you thinks he's in charge--" he looks at Bleys and Corwin "--can officially return the Regency to me."

Bleys bows and Corwin says, "All yours, brother. I have business of my own here."

Caine says, "Does that have anything to do with whatever happened to my office?"

Robin crosses her arms and hovers closer to the windowsill.

Hannah looks around the office once more, shaking her head.

"That's a long story that has to do with whatever you set off.  I suggest we discuss it over dinner. Meanwhile, I have to see to the guest I brought to Amber: the Lady Brij, mother to Lady Folly, and future mother-in-law to our prince. If you will excuse me," Bleys says.

Caine waves his hand to dismiss Bleys, and by extension, everyone else.