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Amaranth follows Jean along Amber's Pattern. Her blood seems reluctant to approach the sparks, and tends to concentrate in her head. Around the first curve, her book shifts into her hands. Her hands start shifting demonic, and the effect starts working up her arms.
She also notices that Jean is walking a lot more quickly than she.
Her arms are bulging and ripping her shirt. She starts pulling off her blazer and shirt. When she is done, she notices that she has lost her upper body sexual characteristics, but her neck is a lot more flexible than it was before.
Jean has reached the center of the Pattern. The thing following behind him doesn't look like Amaranth on any level.
Jean concentrates on feeding her power. His trump fish shows up to say hi, and flops around a bit. Jean throws the fish at her. It hits the edge of the Pattern, banks, and disappears. It ends up with another Jean, shaking. Jean comforts his fish.
First Veil.
Things that Amaranth did that she found distasteful are flashing through her mind as she walks. She can feel the people that she did the distasteful things for dying as she walks, and is pleased. The deaths seem to be tied to the sparks rising around her.
As the deaths occur, it becomes easier for her to walk. Jean can see energy pouring out of her. It is black and nasty-looking, like old dead dried blood.
Second Veil.
Amaranth receives all of the pain that she has suffered. She has aches and pains - uncomfortable verging on distasteful. Jean notices all of the dark energy pouring back on Amaranth.
She takes the last step, feels absolutely drained, and collapses next to Jean. Jean sees a yellowish large demon-thing collapse next to him.
Jean tries to feed power into Amaranth via a spell. Amaranth notices Jean casting a spell that will smite her with the wrath of god. She tries to absorb the power and use it to transform herself back. She shimmers a bit, but nothing else happens. Jean tries to touch her and feed power into her, but his hand hits a shield and can't reach her.
Amaranth is hungry. Jean decides that Amaranth just needs a lie down, leaves his trump next to her and has the Pattern send him to the Primal Pattern.
Jean walks the Primal Pattern. It's a better Pattern - much easier to walk. He's almost at the center of it when he gets a sinking feeling. He's not used to those. He thinks that Shiryu might have just left Jean. He's not sure if he packed up and left or exploded.
Amaranth thinks that she might be enough together to sit up. She notices Jean's trump, and concentrates on it. Jean has the annoying sensation that he is being pulled mentally in three directions at once. He concentrates on finishing. The trump contact fails.
Amaranth lies down for a nap. At one point, she thinks that there is a croaking frog poking her, but when she opens her eyes there is nothing there.
She feels better after the lie-down, but is still unexpectedly shaped. She draws lots of power from the thing she is lying on, but fails to return to her proper shape.
Jean finishes walking the Pattern, and tries asking it for his original bodyguards back. He has a nice monologue.
Amaranth trumps Jean, and demands help returning to her original shape.
Jean - "Cous? I think you look fine."
Amaranth - "I look terrible! ... I have
talons!"
Jean - "They're nice talons."
The Amberites have all arrived.
Princess Chandra beckons Cailin over to her.
A person leaves the second gallery and whispers to Flora, and then goes over to Celeste and complains to her about Caine's presence, and some possible "funny business" that was recently conducted.
Celeste asks the Etiquette Guild for assistance. After a bit of back and forth, she [... ?]
Jean pokes Flora. Flora backs away quickly, and insists that Jean drop all trump contacts. Amaranth does so, and feels very lonely.
Amaranth demands that the Pattern show her the frog. A frog appears in front of her in a surge of Pattern energy.
Amaranth demands that the Pattern put her back in her true shape. She feels her current form settle around her, becoming even more solid.
Amaranth demands that the Pattern return her to the state she was in before she walked the Pattern. She is now on the edge of the Pattern, still in the shape of a demon. Amaranth starts walking the Pattern again, concentrating very firmly on her desired appearance.
Jean tells Flora about Amaranth's current shape and her horror in it. Flora borrows the "Court Healer of Amber" from Celeste. Norton agrees to help fix her once he is done with Benedict.
Jean and Flora chat for a while, and then Jean asks the primal Pattern to take him to Amaranth.
Amaranth is wondering whether it is worthwhile for her to lift her foot or not, when Jean appears behind her - part-way along the Pattern - and says, "Didn't you finish this already?"
"I'm doing it again."
Jean is in a lot of pain. The Pattern is attacking him. He really wants Dworkin's attention right about now.
A Jean in the council chambers wakes Dworkin. Dworkin reaches over and does something to one of the boba-Jeans, who is now standing on the Pattern. Primal Jean is now standing next to Dworkin. The boba-Jean fuses onto the Pattern, and Jean has forgotten why he woke Dworkin.
Jean tells Dworkin that his half-sister Amaranth is walking the Pattern for the second time in a row and isn't doing so well. Dworkin says, "That's no good" and disappears. Dworkin appears in front of Amaranth, sweeps her off her feet, steps off the Pattern, then takes another step and is in the Council chambers, where he hands Amaranth off to Jean. Jean is radiating Pattern energy.
Norton and Amaranth leave the council chambers on barca-Jeans. Jean sets them up in his house.
Amaranth - "Change me back to the way I
was or kill me."
Norton - "I have a choice?"
Norton drains the Pattern energy off Amaranth into his Greyswandir.
Norton asks Amaranth about teaching her shapeshifting and pokes at her mind. Norton starts returning Amaranth to her normal shape, starting at the feet. Norton notices that, in the place in Amaranth's mind where there would normally be shapeshifting ability, there is the hint of a book. Norton shifts the book out of Amaranth and she returns to her Amberite form.
Jean leads the hungry, tired people into a fast food restaurant. They point at pictures on the wall. The clerk puts his hand out for money. Norton touches his hand. "Give us the food for free!" The clerk punches some buttons on the register, the drawer opens, and the drawer closes again. The clerk brings over the food.
["Will dominate for food"]
The walking dead, a model, and a five year old play with the natives.
Norton drains one of the natives. Jean buds into the body, and discovers that he can only do what Norton says.
"Are you budding into feed animals again?"
They take over a local ruler's house, and settle down for a rest.
Princess Chandra asks Cailin for the favor of accepting the shelter of her Guild during the upcoming war. She says that she has fully briefed her second. They discuss the matter briefly. It is decided that he should call her grandmother, and that he should give his oath to her directly.
A space develops around Princess Chandra and Cailin. Both Cailins in turn kneel in front of her, place his hands between hers, and repeat something in a language that they doesn't understand to her. Between the two oaths, the two Cailins feel somewhat cut off from each other. Afterwards, they seem to be receiving a running commentary on possible threats and the best ways to move to minimize them.
Princess Chandra shows Cailin the uniforms that he is now entitled to wear.
Amaranth and Norton awake. Norton finds that he cannot vibrate Amaranth, but that he can vibrate the book. Jean takes Norton and Amaranth back to Chaos.
Norton and Amaranth enter the council chambers.
Norton shifts into Brandt. Celeste is delighted, then chokes. Brandt looks at Celeste and says, "Where did the Spiral go?"
"You're back!"
"Where did Merlin go? He was right..."
"The Spiral blew up."
Celeste tries to explain Brandt's current situation to him. Norton in Celeste's head prompts Celeste.
Norton and Celeste wander off to a quiet alcove to discuss the situation. One of the Ilks trails afterwards.
Norton asks Ilk to take him and Celeste to his house. He takes Norton outside.
Jean introduces Amaranth to Dworkin. Dworkin gives Amaranth the "one true Dworkin" speech. Jean asks for a lift back to Amber so Amaranth can walk the Pattern again to find Mandor. Dworkin pulls out a fish and opens the mouth wide. Jean jumps through. Amaranth follows.
Jean starts walking the Pattern again. He tries to get to know the Pattern as he walks. Amaranth follows.
Jean reaches the fused boba-Jean armor and clambers over it. Amaranth, on the other hand, finds the obstacle much more challenging.
Both Jean and Amaranth reach the center of the Pattern, in their expected shapes. Amaranth asks the Pattern to take her to Mandor. She appears in a tower, next to a Mandor in chains. Jean asks the Pattern to take him to Amaranth, and appears near her. The walls are made out of a yellowish sandstone.
"Hi, Mandor. We're here to rescue you. Do
you have any advice?"
"Run for your lives."
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