This was Hybern's moment - two High Lords in his hands, the famed inner circle of the Night Court helpless, struggling to save the Archeron sisters, the Cauldron working perfectly. The hideous smile on his face widened as the wildcat sister was tipped out and-
"Would you mind?"
Appearing out of thin air, a young man appeared.
He had straight, raven hair, cut in a stylish haircut, with pale skin and a lean figure. Fae, and yet...he had no scent. No smell, no magical presence. No nothing.
And his clothes...they were strange. His shirt was an obnoxious bright horror, with a pattern of pink and orange flowers against a lime green background, and he wore bright blue pants that only reached his knees, with a pair of shoes that were made of tattered canvas and coloured a fluorescent purple. His eyes were covered by glasses, the lenses darkened and shaped in crude twin stars.
"I don't abhor having hot ladies put in my waters, but if they don't want too, I don't want to be involved in that kind off thing, you know? I mean I did do it, but it was with reluctance, and now she's stolen a bit of me!" He pointed an accusatory finger at Nesta.
The shock rippled throughout the room, from King, to High Lord, to lowly guard. Who was this boy? Why was he only seen and heard, and nothing else? And what, in the name of the mother, was he talking about?
"Yeah, and on that road, cheers for reattaching my legs! Missed those babies, and now I miss my vacation! Hawaii is a'calling, and I am stuck here with ladies being dunked into me! It's invasive to my personal space!"
Finally, Hybern seemed to locate his words. In a choked voice, skin white with anger, he asked "Who are you?"
"Well. I. Never. You don't recognise me? I'm literally right in the centre of the room, hint hint. You know, you usually stand next to me at night, when you're drunk, rambling about what you want to do? Kind of annoying? Me - all powerful, made of metal."
Hybern was mad, the insolence of this boy...except, he was right. Hybern stood next to the..."Impossible."
"Possible! I'm the Cauldron!"
The silence was deafening, the utter disbelief - the world of the fae was filled with many a terrifying and strange thing...this was...pretty much the bottom line.
"Awkward silence!" The Cauldron sung, in a weird, up-and-down fashion. Then he shifted his feet. Then he asked "Nobody got anything to say?"
Nope. It was just a young man, in a Hawaiian shirt, with Bermuda shorts and canvas sneakers who just happened to be a Cauldron that held world-ending power. Dabbing as he disappeared in a swirl of dark, metallic grey smoke and the Cauldron went back to being a dark, threatening presence.
Not a hippy.