tip

         tip

about:

          name: tip           status: unseelie princess, daughter of queen of opal and king dain           species: unseelie fae           alliance: in full support of opal’s reign

+++ EXCITABLE, CHARMING & LOYAL /// SKITTISH, NAIVE & INSECURE

It wasn’t often that Obsidian was caught off guard, but these days she found herself lost in her mind more moments than not. The sound of her little sister’s voice snapped her back into focus, instead of watching the lights. A high pitched squeal reverberated in her chest as Sid instinctually threw her arms around Tip, spinning them a bit before regaining her balance. “Tables of snacks are just past that sea of creatures, you have to try everything. I need to bear witness.”

~

Tip would recognise Sid’s squeals anywhere, but that was not to say that it didn’t catch her off guard. Amongst the booming music excited singing and chatter from party goers, it cut right through, just as her sister grabbed her and spun her around. The little blonde looked shell shocked for a moment after her feet were finally back on the ground.

“That doesn’t sound very encouraging,” Tip laughed. “Have you tried it all?”

Mia found herself alone trying to fix her mood. She hadn’t wanted to bother her friends anymore and was making her way to get a drink when the princess slipped past her questioning the existence of a snack table. “Princess?” Knowing the blonde was heading in the wrong direction she followed after her. “Princess wait!” She didn’t want to grab her. Heavens forbid one of the guards get the wrong idea. 

“The tables with food are on the other end of the gardens.” Mia told her, finally catching up. “I can show you if you like.”

~

It took Tip a moment to register that someone was calling out to her. The music was loud, it was difficult to hear, and it was easy enough to assume that someone might be calling out for one of her sisters instead. But finally it clicked, an embarrassingly long while too late. Tip stopped dead and pivoted, right on time for Mia to catch up.

“Well, that explains why I couldn’t find them then,” she replied, laughing gently. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate it.”

All the worry about her appearance aside, Tip was positively vibrating at the prospect of attending a ball above ground. (Even if it was sensory overload turned up to the max.) At present, she was slaloming her way through the crowds, in desperate search of snacks. “There must be a snack table somewhere, right?” She had heard awful things about candy corn and was curious to try it.

(( continued from here ))

“Oh. Sorry,” Ivy said, feeling a bit embarrassed now. She shook it off. She’d been trying to help, there was nothing wrong with that. “I guess you just appeared lost, kind of like you were wandering … are you looking for a particular building or just out for a walk …?”

(( @tipthefae​ ))

~

Tip felt completely out of her depth, but missed any obvious signs that Ivy might have been embarrassed by Tip’s response. “I was just going for a walk,” she explained, hoping that would ease the apparent lost vibes she was apparently projecting. “It’s just that every time I turn a corner, the next building is even uglier than the last.”

“I don’t wanna hide who I am and I ain’t never figured out how anyway. My fae dad didn’t stick around.” Harper looked puzzled, they hadn’t known how to hide the tail or ears. Why would they want to hide what they were?

“My mama was sick and probably, Likely dead. I don’t want to think about that none.” Harper started crying at the thought of not being there for their mom.

~

Tip chewed the inside of her gum. This was certainly an experience she hadn’t counted on. Was everyone up here this emotional? Or was Tip just naively walking into conversations she wasn’t entirely equipped for?

“I suppose you... shouldn’t really have to hide it any more anyway,” Tip replied thoughtfully, not sure if it would help at all. At the very least, she thought all Fae should now be able to walk around as freely as everyone else up here. Wasn’t that all part of the plan? “I’m sorry about your mama.”

Though a lot of time Etienne might look like he was wandering aimlessly, he was usually doing so with a purpose, having learned to throw off people tailing him or to confuse potential marks a long, long time ago. He also had learned to spot when others were doing the same or whether they were truly lost, the latter always being a good target to steal from–but only if they seemed like they either deserved it or could spare to lose a few things. This lady seemed like she was in that second category, but only in the being lost part. He had no desire to steal from her. So instead, he approached and politely inquired, “Pardon cherie, I ain’t tryin’ t’ be nosy, but you look like you might be jus’ a li'l lost?”

~

Tip was doing her darnedest not to become overwhelmed with everything topside. It was loud, and crowded, there were all sorts of new feelings that could only become normal with time. Part of getting used to that was trying not flinch any time someone so much as passed by, so she was trying to ignore anyone approaching. It didn’t last long, when someone spoke.

So many people had asked her now if she was lost, that she was beginning to wonder if there was a big, shining beacon above her head. “I’m not lost,” she replied, with a frustrated sigh. “But the with the amount of people asking me that, I’m starting to wonder if I might be and just haven’t realised it yet.”

cont’d from here

“I meant to the city” Thalia clarified what she meant by saying the other was new there, before going onto clarify herself even further. “Oh no, did you come from underground or somewhere out in the feywild?” It was really the only two options these days. 

@tipthefae​

~

Tip was kicking herself mentally for the obvious lack of understanding following her fright. She felt so out of practice with all this. It couldn’t have been a good look. “I’m from underground, yes,” she clarified, nodding. “I take it you’re from up here, then? Or out there?”

Mattie took a step back as she noticed her jumping back, starting to curse herself to have actually shown herself instead of just tapping her on the shoulder. So she started kicking herself on the inside. “Perfectly not lost? I don’t think that I have ever heard of somebody being perfectly not lost. I’m sorry if I had scared you, I didn’t mean to, I just thought that you were lost and needed a hand.” She apologised before holding out one of her hands to her. “I’m Mattie Cline.”

~

Tip puffed her chest, obviously prickled by the ordeal and trying to hide it. It did not do her self-image any good to look like a startled bird all the time. It didn’t do any of her image good to come across that way. How was she supposed to get used to all this topside stuff if people just touched her without asking?

“I was going anywhere in particular,” Tip explained, brow furrowed slightly. “So I couldn’t have been lost. And I don’t need any hands.” She glanced at the hand offered, but didn’t take it. While it may have been impolite, she had had quite enough. “I’m Tip.”

Harper dropped their hand with purse of their lips, disappointed. Harper loved making friends now that they had been here for a year. It was the only thing that relieved the pain of helplessness they felt over their mother.

“Mama told me not to get too close to town. They never saw nobody with a tail and pointy ears. They knew mama was a witch too. Didn’t help them looks feel any less evil. They looked at me like I were dangerous, vermin that they needed to squish.” Harper wiped a single tear from their cheek. They hated feeling that way. Every single blow made them sad.

“They chased me on the mountain and next thing I know, I’m here. My mama was sick and I was tryna get some herbs to make her feel better. I feel like she’s gone now, but I can’t get back to check.”

~

The disappointment went over Tip’s head, who was already on edge from even having to consider shaking a hand. But she did listen, her curiosity piqued. Cautious though she may be, Tip was never very good at containing feelings of enthusiasm, and was eager to learn in spite of nerves (and how apparently harrowing the story seemed).

“A witch...?” Tip repeated, under her breath, as Harper continued to speak. She was listening, but she had to interject with a quick thought. “Can’t you just--” Here, Tip made a vague gesture, first to herself, already partly concealed with a glamour, and then to Harper. “--You know, hide them?”

Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to suggest such things after the fact. Tip caught the glint of a tear just before Harper wiped it away. “Sorry about your mama,” Tip replied. “Do you think she left the mountain?”

A smile danced on Cen’s lips, amused that she had startled the other woman so easily.  Normally it was the other way around.  Her nose scrunched as she looked up at the buildings before returning her focus to Tip.  “Unfortunately.  I hate it.”  Up here?  So she was one of the other fae.  The unseelie or whatever they were called.

~

“Whose idea was it?” Tip asked, knowing the question wasn’t the brightest thing she had ever asked. “And do they go around polishing all the exteriors just to make sure I’m blinded every time the sun shifts?”

Ivy saw the other wandering, looking lost, and she knew she should probably leave well enough alone. It was an Unseelie, and she was trying to keep a low profile, even more so now since the takeover. But she felt bad just watching the other stare blankly around, and besides, maybe not all Unseelie were a threat to her.

“Can I help you find something? You look a bit lost.”

~

To avoid complete sensory overload, Tip had largely been ignoring the strange and overbearing feelings that came with being in the presence of different creatures top side. There were so many of them, and they were all so new, that it would have been easy to enough to let her nerves get the better of her every time something or someone approached. There was already enough to take in as it is.

But the other’s presence did not go unnoticed. It was easier picking out fae from the sensation line up than all the other creatures. “I don’t need any help,” Tip replied, glancing over her shoulder. “And I’m not lost either. Though so many people have asked me that, I’m starting to wonder if it’s just my face.”