15[19:32] <@VoxPVoxD> It feels like they made this date a lifetime ago. Now, with everything that's happened and everything yet to come, something like dinner out with Tsuka feels so frivolous and so precious. An oasis in a singed land. 15[19:32] <@VoxPVoxD> What's on Xia Lan's mind as she gets ready? [19:38] 13Nothing from the rest of today, that's to be sure. She can't let herself focus on her failures ALL the time. In fact, all that's on her mind now is... what should she wear? It's their first date that they're actually calling a date, they've gone out before, and frankly she could make a potato sack look amazing, but it's nice to have something to fret over that isn't world-crushingly consequential. [19:38] 13Okay that's not true she's also thinking about what Tsuka's going to wear and hoping she won't miss high. 15[19:42] <@VoxPVoxD> There's a gentle scratching at Xia Lan's door. [19:43] 13She cracks the door, half-dressed, to peer at the mysterious scratcher. 15[19:45] <@VoxPVoxD> It's the cat! Mhaka. "Boy at the door for you. Shall I stall?" [19:47] 13Xia Lan: "Tell him just a moment, I'll be right out." 13...is that what Mhaka just, does? Huh. She shuts the door and puts the finishing touches on the outfit. 15[19:50] <@VoxPVoxD> Xia Lan can hear the sound of a door opening on the other side of the -- hideout is such a weird word, isn't it? She's a sitting Councilor now! But calling it a 'hideout' at least makes it easier to explain why she shares it with so many unsavory old men. (Though depending on what he's been bathing in, Xu Sim is often highly savory). [19:52] 14"The residence" is what Stranger has been calling it to forestall the obvious questions that come with "hideout." [19:53] 5 It's a fine way to smell, according to the worst-smelling, best-smelling member of the Circle, the Twice-Refined Princess. [19:54] 13Perhaps it's time we upgrade this to a hideaway. In any case, she hurriedly buckles an utterly pointless belt - fashion, what a crock - and steps out to meet Tsuka... hopefully it's Tsuka, it'd be pretty awkward if it wasn't. If it is him, he's seen her in this outfit before - the leather dress, low cut but stylish in the extreme, a cloak or cape about the shoulders, et cetera. https://i.imgur.com/O5HExMU.png 15[19:57] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka - for it is he! - stands immediately when Xia Lan enters the room. He's getting better at the turnaround - Xia Lan barely noticed how startled he was before his face settled into a pleased oh-this-happens-all-the-time sort of expression. "Hey. You look great." 15[19:58] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka is wearing, again, his One Nice Outfit - a simple but well-made tailored suit of red and black with gold trim. [20:03] 13...she'll have to work with him on that one. Maybe that can be a future - anyway! She's delighted to see him anyway. "You, too! You're getting better at the not getting startled thing, too." 13She smiles warmly, making it very clear she's joking. Where's the cat? 15[20:04] <@VoxPVoxD> The cat's sharpening its claws on the leg of the chair Tsuka was just sitting in. 15[20:05] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "I don't want to make it too easy for you." [20:06] 13Xia Lan: "I've still got that other outfit, you know." 15[20:06] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "If you need more time to change--" [20:09] 13She laughs, quick and sharp. "I'm ready, I'm ready. Try not to be disappointed." 15[20:12] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "Have you ever been to this seafood place before?" 15[20:12] <@VoxPVoxD> At this point he's making conversation on the way there, unless Xia Lan wants to hold up a second. [20:15] 13Xia Lan: "Few times. First time I pretty much stumbled in by accident, but I kept coming back." 13She's keeping pace with him as they walk, despite some rather unwieldy heels. "Plus the staff pretended they didn't recognize me, which was nice." [20:16] 13It's unclear whether she's joking, being conceited, or being honest about that last part. 15[20:22] <@VoxPVoxD> As they walk, people turn heads and stare. "Not much chance of that tonight," mutters Tsuka. 15[20:25] <@VoxPVoxD> How does Xia Lan react to, eg, pleas for autographs and people crying "WE LOVE YOU!!"? [20:26] 13At first, polite denials and refusals, with quick pitches for upcoming shows; if this continues, less polite denials and pitches for shows; past that... how's Tsuka looking through this? 15[20:29] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka looks increasingly irritated at the intrusion but also increasingly stubbornly committed to not making a scene. 15[20:37] <@VoxPVoxD> Still, Xia Lan is able to spin these would-be botherers back on their axes, leaving them dazed and grateful to have been in the presence of the voice of Nexus. Tsuka now looks impressed as well as grumpy. [20:38] 13That's... Sun bless him for trying. She's holding it together better than he is, but not by much, and increasingly pointed references to being "on the way to a lovely dinner" start making their way into the responses to the fanbase. And! Success. Sort of. "Sorry about that," 13she says. "...next time I'll... I don't know. Wear a disguise until we get there, maybe." 15[20:38] <@VoxPVoxD> "We could beat them up," Tsuka offers. [20:39] 13Xia Lan: "Regrettably, not really an option." 13She sighs. "If only." 15[20:46] <@VoxPVoxD> The sun's coming down over the Yanaze, a gorgeous view you can see from every table at Mari, the restaurant the pair of them now arrive at. From inside there's the sound of gentle music, conversation, and laughter. The host does a double take at the couple when he sees them walk in. "Good evening madam, sir. We were- we were sorry to miss you the other night, but of course, it's no trouble. No trouble at all. Table for two?" [20:47] 13Xia Lan: "Yes, thank you." 13Ah, yes... probably should have... well, he says it's no trouble! 15[20:49] <@VoxPVoxD> "Right this way." The host leads them past tables where conversations halt and heads crane to follow. A tide of murmurs flows in to fill the silence as Xia Lan and Tsuka come out to an open air balcony, a small table directly overlooking the river and the sunset. There are candles, unlit, and menus on the table. "Someone will be by in just a moment." [20:54] 13Xia Lan pulls out a chair for Tsuka, then places her cloak on the back of her own before settling in. "Ahhhh." 15[20:55] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka sits. "This place is beautiful." [20:57] "It is, isn't it?" 13She's watching the sunset - never been here for this. Not at this table. 15[20:59] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka, who can't read the narration: "Have you been here before?" [21:01] 13Xia Lan: "Not at sunset. It's gorgeous." [21:03] "Pity about the candles... would really complete the mood." 15[21:03] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka reaches out and grabs the wick of each candle between thumb and forefinger, rubbing it gently for a moment until it ignites. "How's that?" [21:05] 13Xia Lan practically swoons. "...you're amazing." 15[21:07] <@VoxPVoxD> At this, the last candle goes up like a flare. Tsuka, in a panic, clasps his fist over the entire top of the candle and only tries again once it's been reduced to smoke. 15[21:07] <@VoxPVoxD> "...thanks." [21:07] 13how is he so cute 15[21:08] <@VoxPVoxD> A server arrives, her eyes following the tiny fireball up into the air where it dissipates before greeting the table. "Good evening, Madam Emissary. Sir. My name is Miska. Can I take drink orders? Maybe a small plate to share?" [21:09] 13She hides her smile with a serious look up towards Miska. "Sorry, I haven't looked at the wine list -- Tsuka?" 15[21:10] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka looks up from his menu which he has only just now opened. "Can we have a minute, please?" 15[21:10] <@VoxPVoxD> Miska: "Sure!" [21:13] 13Xia Lan looks through the wine list. Anything... southern? Fruity, rich, etc? 15[21:13] <@VoxPVoxD> After she's gone, Tsuka mutters: "I... don't remember what kind of wine goes with fish. We did a whole week on this--" [21:18] 13Xia Lan: "Does that matter? Drink what you'd like." 13She pauses. "...lighter wine with lighter food, if it's important to you. But seriously, don't worry about it." [21:19] "I don't know why I even remember that." 15[21:19] <@VoxPVoxD> The wines - and of course they're not limited to the wines - are first-rate. Plenty of bombastic Southern wines on offer, including a syrah she's pretty sure she's personally stolen and fenced cases of back in the day. 15[21:20] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "We'll get a better deal if we share bottles. What are you going to order?" [21:23] 13...hard not to go for the classic. Memories. But still... "We can afford anything. Except maybe whatever fancy gold-dusted things they have for jerks. But if you're set..." 13she points out that fenced syrah. 15[21:24] <@VoxPVoxD> "That sounds good," says Tsuka, with the blithe confidence who has no idea what to expect. 15[21:24] <@VoxPVoxD> *of someone who [21:26] 13Xia Lan: "I'm serious. Order what you like." 13This boy. This disaster. "Frankly I don't even remember if I liked this. Couldn't inflict this on an unsuspecting soul." 15[21:26] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "I don't really drink wine... I don't know what's good." [21:34] 13Xia Lan: "...well, anywhere's a good place to start. Pick something that looks interesting, we can figure out which one you like more." 15[21:35] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka scans the menu one more time. "Okay. Do you know what you want?" [21:39] 13What's the spiciest thing on the menu? She already picked that. 15[21:39] <@VoxPVoxD> That would, funnily enough, be the syrah. [21:40] 13Oh, sorry, I thought he was talking about the food. But yes, she's already picked that too. [21:42] 13Xia Lan: "Yep. They'll probably by a second after we put the menus down." [21:42] 13She sets hers down, as if to test this. 15[21:42] <@VoxPVoxD> The spiciest food on the menu is probably the hot pot, though Xia Lan hasn't tried everything. 15[21:43] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka and Xia Lan put their menus down. A second later Miska returns. Tsuka orders xinomavro and oysters in butter and garlic. [21:47] 13Syrah and hot pot for Xia Lan. Important to grab at least one thing she knows she'll like. 15[21:48] <@VoxPVoxD> Miska comes back almost immediately with the wines before disappearing again. 15[21:48] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "What made you pick this place?" [21:50] 13Xia Lan takes a sip before she answers: "Great food, on the river, and they're... fairly discrete, about me being here. It's nice." 15[21:53] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "Yeah, nobody's bothered us at all." [21:55] 13Xia Lan: "Don't jinx it," 13she sighs. "But yeah. I'm still sorry about the journey here." 15[21:56] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "You handled it a lot better than I would have." [21:57] 13Shrug. "I've gotten used to it. It's new to you, it makes sense." 15[21:59] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "Yeah... oh, that reminds me. Have you finished planning your next concert yet?" [22:00] 13Xia Lan: "...still working on the opener. I kinda want to play twice?" 15[22:02] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "Twice?" [22:05] 13Xia Lan: "I'm main eventing, obviously. But what if I opened too? ...not as me, people'd get mad." 15[22:05] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka just looks confused, but it's hard to ask for clarification with a wineglass in your face. [22:07] 13Xia Lan: "I'll show you..." 13Not later, don't kill the mood. "Another day. Whole list of songs that I just can't play, what with the fanbase I've built and all. Expectations." 15[22:08] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "What kind of songs?" [22:11] 13Xia Lan: "Simpler. Guitar and voice. Heck, maybe just guitar. And... hey, actually you already heard one of 'em. I got bodyswapped? Which stunk, you know, but it was nice to have an outlet. [22:11] " 15[22:13] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka nods, as if understanding. [22:13] 13She hums a few bars of the song she's referencing. "The Master's Call" [22:14] 13...it sounds wrong, coming from her considerably higher pitched voice, and also you know. The image she's set for herself. 15[22:14] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "You could sing that in your voice. You think people wouldn't like it from you?" [22:15] 13Xia Lan: "...I don't know that I want them to know it's from me." 15[22:15] <@VoxPVoxD> The food arrives, Xia Lan's in a large earthenware bowl and Tsuka's laid out on a long white platter. [22:15] "Wow, that's a wreck of a sentence." [22:15] 13She thanks the waiter - waitress? before digging in. 15[22:18] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka eats in silence. [22:20] 13Partway through her meal: "So how is it? And the wine, too?" 13Technically, this is rude. Technically can go fuck itself. 15[22:22] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka chews and swallows carefully. "It's really good. The wine is very... interesting." [22:24] 13Xia Lan: "Not a fan, huh." 13About the wine, not the food. 15[22:25] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "No it's good! It's just weird." 15[22:25] <@VoxPVoxD> "It doesn't really taste like grapes." 15[22:25] <@VoxPVoxD> "Here, try it." [22:29] 13Xia Lan will take a sip, and then offer him a sip of hers. What's his taste like? 15[22:30] <@VoxPVoxD> Sort of tomatoey, almost. There's very little fruit to it. Tsuka's eyebrows go up when he tries Xia Lan's wine. "Wow." [22:30] 13Not her style, but nice to try. "Closer to what you expected?" 15[22:31] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "No, but that's really good." 15[22:31] <@VoxPVoxD> "I'll have to get that next time." 15[22:32] <@VoxPVoxD> As if on cue, Miska returns and Tsuka hastily finishes the entire rest of his wineglass and asks her to bring around a bottle of the syrah. [22:33] 13Xia Lan: "It was wasted on the buyer," 13she grumbles, when out of earshot. 15[22:34] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "What do you mean?" [22:35] 13...it really is great, though. "You want a bite?" 13She holds out a fork - set of chopsticks? Whatever's standard for the hotpot - to Tsuka. [22:35] 13Xia Lan: "...ancient history." 13Not in public, is the mouthed followup. 15[22:37] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka takes a bite, and then takes another sip of the wine. "Oh, wow. That's really spicy." 15[22:37] <@VoxPVoxD> "Mine's not anything like that." He still offers her a bite, though. [22:38] 13She'll take one happily. Sweet? Spicy? What's up with Tsuka's order? 15[22:39] <@VoxPVoxD> It's fresh oysters roasted in garlic and butter. Very rich. [22:41] 13Delicious, but... she sips her wine. "Really isn't. Sorry about not warning you, by the way..." 13Not that he's freaking out or even perturbed, but that was really impolite. [22:41] 13Xia Lan: "Still delicious. I love this place." 15[22:42] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "If you keep coming here they're going to name a dish after you." [22:43] 13She groans. "Don't tempt them, please." 15[22:48] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "Maybe you can get them to call it 'the Emissary'. Then it could be anyone." [22:49] 13Xia Lan: "People would want to know. They always do," 13she says, darkly. She switches gears abruptly: "How've your days been? Everything's been so crazy with me that I just..." 13she trails off. 15[22:53] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "Fine. Keldar has me helping with the training. Since he got promoted I'm supposed to start working with the Dawn Guard directly too. Working with civilian conscripts is weird. A lot of them already know how to fight, or think they do, but don't know how to work together or cover for people or support their unit." [22:56] 13Xia Lan: "Do you want an assistant?" 13She does NOT waggle her eyebrows. "My day-to-day is pretty light..." 15[22:56] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "Really? I'd have thought with being on the Council you had a tonze to do." [22:57] 13Xia Lan: "Stranger's been taking most of those. We sort of switch in and out..." 13Maybe she SHOULD be more involved... [22:58] "...I feel like I don't know enough to, you know, be effective. I do what I can but... there should be more?" [23:00] 13She's doing it again. She's turning a question around to be about herself. "...where'd the civilians learn to fight, anyway?" 13she tries. 15[23:02] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "Some of them used to be bandits or bouncers and they retired to the docks. Some of them learned to fight in bars or, you know. Wherever. Some people just have a knack for it." 15[23:03] <@VoxPVoxD> He opens his mouth, closes it again, and returns to his wine. [23:06] 13Xia Lan: "Makes sense. Are they disciplined? Keeping up with the regimen, working for the defense?" 13This is both a deflection and also a legitimate concern - she needs to know this for her position as Emissary, but also she's genuinely interested in Tsuka's work. [23:07] 13She takes a sip, too, ignoring Tsuka's display. 15[23:07] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "Sometimes they're disciplined. They listen to Keldar. They really like him." [23:07] 13She makes a face. "Do they." [23:08] 13Another bite. Still delicious, still extremely spicy. Perfection. 15[23:08] <@VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "He's good with the soldiers." [23:11] 13Xia Lan: "I believe it." 13She still doesn't sound thrilled, but is less cold than before. "And you?" 15[23:13] Tsuka: "I like him. He's a good commander. Doesn't play politics, doesn't bullshit people, doesn't play games with pay or leave. You know where you stand with him, and that's the most important thing for a soldier." [23:16] 13Xia Lan, casually: "Doesn't break out the yell often, then." 13She waves that away to take another sip of wine. "How are the trainees treating you? Not too self-absorbed?" 15[23:22] Tsuka: "Not with my squads. But I don't work with the mercenaries. Mercenaries are like that. Jumped-up bandits." [23:23] 13Xia Lan: "...okay, for real. Bring me in next time. I'll take them." 15[23:24] Tsuka: "If my promotion goes through I'll probably have my first squad of mercenaries in a couple of days. I'll ask Captain Luot if it's okay. I bet he'll be fine with it." [23:27] 13Xia Lan: "If they're jumped-up mercenaries, they'll learn what's up." 13Something terrifying glimmers in her eyes as she digs in to her meal, threateningly. 15[23:29] Tsuka: "Not a fan of bandits?" [23:30] 13Xia Lan: "Experience." 13She doesn't elaborate. 15[23:36] Tsuka: "I'm really looking forward to this all of a sudden." [23:36] 13Xia Lan: "Hm?" 13Another bite - not much left, now. 15[23:37] Tsuka: "Whatever you've got planned for the mercenaries." 15[23:37] Tsuka finishes his meal. "Maybe we could sell tickets." [23:39] 13Xia Lan: "...I don't know if that's what I want to sell." 13She's clearly thinking about it. [23:41] 13She finishes her meal with a final swig of wine. Spicy counters spicy, somehow. 15[23:41] Miska comes around with the bill. Wow that's a lot. [23:42] 13Can the Centered Circle afford it? ...they can also bill it to the city, but that seems EXTREMELY rude. 15[23:44] Definitely. Fringe benefit of living in a condemned hole in the ground: no rent. Leaves a lot for discretionary spending. [23:47] 13Then Xia Lan doesn't even flinch as she signs away whatever she needs to pay this off. "...what a beautiful night." 13She looks between the candles Tsuka lit and the by-now set sun. Moon's probably up, actually. 15[23:48] It is, high and waning in the sky. New moon won't be more than a few nights off by the look of it. Tsuka: "Yeah. Let's stick to the canal, take the long way back." [23:52] 13She kisses his neck before whispering in his ear: "Let's not take too long." 15[23:52] Hey what do you know it turns out it's not that long a walk after all. [23:55] 13~FIN~ 15[19:31] <@VoxPVoxD> Lately, the unsavory old men Xia Lan shares a hideout with are almost never around, both of them consumed by their ever-unfolding plans and ambitions. Stranger-Visits-Heaven has a mystery to solve and a Council to run. Xu Sim has a war machine to fashion, esoteric objects and martial techniques to master, and an appointment for tea. How do the two of them organize their time? What will they set their sights on next? [19:32] 14Stranger will set his sights on tea in the morning, as is proper and just. [19:32] 14After that, we'll see where the day takes us. [19:34] 14He'll put on a pot of Forest Blackleaf after waking and before bathing, and he's good enough at the timing now that it's perfectly ready by the time he steps out from his room fully dressed. [19:34] 14Is Xu Sim up yet? 15[19:36] <@VoxPVoxD> Stranger has cause to drop in on any member of the Council, particularly the August Thalevar and Midnight Queen Ephiselle. Besides getting a deeper sense of what makes them tick, he's also got one last empty seat at the table to fill. He's expecting an update from Bubo somewhere around midday, and Stranger's also promised his friend that he'd see to the Astrologer Kratz. [19:36] 14So Xu Sim's on something of a clock, here. [19:38] 14He'd like to meet Thalever and Ephiselle together, not merely to give them the impression of a social advantage but to see how they play together. But his priority is to drop in on Kratz mid-morning, and then take Bubo's...page...around mid-day. He'll send a runner from the Judiciary to ask Thalever and Ephiselle about their availability this afternoon. [19:46] 14After having a cup, getting breakfast for himself and returning, and then having another cup, Stranger will leave the rest of the pot on low warmth over coals and head off towards Kratz's residence. [19:46] 14He will bring the Lotus Blossom Kettle with him, of course. 15[19:46] <@VoxPVoxD> Stranger can easily secure meetings with either Ephiselle or Thalevar, but it's surprisingly difficult to get them together at the same time outside of formal Council meetings. They profess scheduling conflicts: the Midnight Queen works late, while Thalevar is well known to be working a barstool come sundown. [19:49] 14That's incredibly annoying. Can he tell the degree to which they're doing this to counter him, or is this actually a long running thing? 15[19:50] <@VoxPVoxD> He gets the sense that he's collateral damage in a pre-existing chilly professional relationship. [19:51] 14That should make him happy, since they're his political foes and he should be glad at any means by which to divide and conquer. But on the other hand: is this Council really THIS dysfunctional?!" [19:51] -14" 15[19:52] <@VoxPVoxD> They seem to get along perfectly fine at Council tiself, at least... the traditional seating of the Council of Entities has them next to each other day in, day out. 15[19:52] <@VoxPVoxD> *itself [19:52] 14If so, then fine. That means he can meet with Thalever first at his bar, and then Ephiselle later. He does at least appreciate both of them keeping their proper thematic hours. 15[19:54] <@VoxPVoxD> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DZnuyFpE7M [19:54] 14To Kratz's first. He did place her on a quasi-suicide watch awhile back -- hopefully that was mostly handled by encouraging Bubo to engage, but none of her servants reported her refusing multiple meals in a row or any other self-harm, did they? 15[19:55] <@VoxPVoxD> She's taken to drink, but she does that anyway. 15[19:55] <@VoxPVoxD> Something of a reputation. [19:55] 14Can't blame her, honestly. [19:56] 14Does he need to do more than announce himself at the door to her tower? 15[19:58] <@VoxPVoxD> No, Stranger's got no problem getting up to see her. The shades of her apartment are drawn and from the stale, smoky smell in the air he suspects the windows haven't been opened recently. Kratz waves him in, perched like a gargoyle on the edge of her bed, still in her nightclothes, laying cards out on a table by candlelight. There's a half-empty bottle of wine corked and propped up on a swaddle of blankets beside her. [19:58] 14Stranger: "Telling fortunes?" 15[19:59] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "Just thinking." 15[19:59] <@VoxPVoxD> "Wine?" [19:59] 14Stranger pauses for an almost invisible moment. Then: "Of course." [20:00] 14He examines the cards. Is this what he thought it was -- tarot, or some other predictive form of the art? 15[20:01] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz pours Stranger out a glass of her xinomavro, which he'll know is an oddly savory red grown principally in the rolling, temperate greens out beyond the Yanaze's flood plain. She is indeed reading tarot. [20:02] 14Stranger takes a deep sip of his wine. Mmm. "Can I ask a boon of you?" 15[20:03] <@VoxPVoxD> At this, Kratz looks up. Stranger can see by her eyes that she's slept poorly of late. Her attention is Stranger's answer. [20:03] 14He gestures at the cards. "Tell mine." 15[20:05] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "Do you feel lucky?" [20:05] 14Stranger: "No. But my request remains." 15[20:05] <@VoxPVoxD> She scoops and shuffles. 15[20:11] <@VoxPVoxD> Silently she lays cards out face up on the table, opposed pairs winding in a circle until there are 12 stations filled. Many of them - a full seven, by Stranger's count, feature people wielding, beset by, or maimed by swords. Then there's one of a man and a woman holding chalices up in a toast, one of a queen in finery on a golden throne, jeweled crown perched on her skull. One of five roses wound together around a muscled arm, their thorns piercing the flesh. One of a five-poled map of Creation. And one of a simple sigil, violet against black. 15[20:12] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "Mmm." 15[20:12] <@VoxPVoxD> Then she drains her glass. [20:13] 14Stranger: "Are swords a theme in your deck, or is it me?" [20:13] 14He'll snatch the bottle before she can, and pour himself another glass. 15[20:14] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "Swords are one suit of four. More than half of them are laid out here, including at all the cardinal positions. A life ruled by pain." She taps out cards as she speaks. "Pain dealt, pain witnessed, pain experienced, pain ignored." [20:15] 14He'll down half the glass. [20:15] "So it's me." 15[20:16] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "War is coming. This cardinality guides a lot of people. Bubo had a layout almost identical to this." [20:18] 14He closes his eyes, opens them, and nods. 15[20:18] <@VoxPVoxD> "Beyond that there's no special weight to the upper or lower half of the cycle. You'll try as much as you're tried." [20:18] 14Stranger: "Fair is fair." 15[20:19] <@VoxPVoxD> "Five of roses here says that something you hate will flourish and bring you great satisfaction." [20:19] 14He blinks, and then laughs. [20:19] "Well. Good to know." [20:20] "Sorry. I'm sorry. I just -- I couldn't tell you what that might be." [20:20] "I hate so many things, and so many of them will flourish." [20:20] 14He grimaces. "But then, that is a bit the point of this exercise, I suppose. My apologies. Please continue." 15[20:23] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz nods, as if this sort of reaction and running commentary is normal. "The World between two aggressive cardinal swords suggests a rebirth tempered by violence. Ruin into growth." [20:23] 14He sips the wine again. She is good at her job, no matter what Master Gen thinks. 15[20:24] <@VoxPVoxD> "Two of chalices opposite suggests that you won't meet calamity alone." 15[20:24] <@VoxPVoxD> "She'll be back." [20:25] 14He purses his lips and his brow furrow. It looks for a moment like this isn't good news for him. Then he nods. [20:25] *14furrows 15[20:26] <@VoxPVoxD> "The Empress, here, in a subordinate position. Someone you admire will be humbled in their moment of triumph." [20:27] 14He pauses. Then: "I suppose the question of whether I admire myself is a personal one." 15[20:27] <@VoxPVoxD> She touches the nearest sword, in which nine blades pierce an armored man from all sides on a starlit hill. "Very humbled." 15[20:29] <@VoxPVoxD> "And in the last intercardinal is the mark of Saturn, cardinals facing away. Death. Pure death. Change, irreversible, unfettered by fear or desire." [20:29] 14Stranger nods. "So it always goes with us." 15[20:29] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz sits back. "I've seen worse." [20:30] 14Stranger: "How long has it been since you've eaten?" 15[20:30] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "Lunch yesterday." 15[20:30] <@VoxPVoxD> "Why?" [20:31] 14Stranger: "Hand me the cards, then, and go send your head of household for scones. You're next. You'll tell me how to deal." 15[20:32] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz looks at Stranger for a moment, but she rings a bell on her nightstand to send for scones, and then scoops and shuffles when the chamberlain has departed. 15[20:32] <@VoxPVoxD> She'll lay the deck down in front of Stranger. [20:33] 14Stranger takes the deck, cuts it, shuffles it, deals it into five piles, reassembles it, cuts it and shuffles again. [20:34] 14He'll also pour himself more wine while she's distracted. [20:35] 14When she's settled: "Tell me what to do first." 15[20:37] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "I read 12 Houses. Pairs at the clock positions, start at 12 and 6 and work down to 5 and 11. Pull them off the deck two at a time before you reveal them. This is an advanced technique, because if the cards stick you have to start over." [20:38] 14Stranger: "Well then. Here we go." [20:40] 14He places the first dozen cards as directed. 15[20:46] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "Eleven Great Houses - that's stations occupied by a high arcanum, a face card. Absence of swords, canes, and stars means a future unencumbered by struggle, suffering, and wisdom." 15[20:47] <@VoxPVoxD> "This is the future of someone who stays in one place because they're pulled in a hundred exactly opposed directions." [20:47] 14Stranger won't comment until the reading is through unless prompted. He will, however, continue to sip the wine. 15[20:50] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "First house is the Aeon, a passing and a homecoming. These gray figures are the dead, risen. To change irreversibly and become what you already are." 15[20:51] <@VoxPVoxD> "Second, subordinate, the Cenobite. A setting-apart." 15[20:51] <@VoxPVoxD> "Distance." 15[20:52] <@VoxPVoxD> "But not alone." 15[20:54] <@VoxPVoxD> "Subordinate to that is the Hermit. The Cenobite is isolated but not solitary. One of a few but not alone. To subordinate the Hermit is to set apart within this set-apartness. A first or last of an elect." 15[20:56] <@VoxPVoxD> "Second cardinal, the Madman. Pulled east, to the new, by the force that sets all in motion. This first cardinality feeding into the Madman... an unmoved mover sets the story in motion, but it's not their story." 15[20:58] <@VoxPVoxD> "Subordinate to the Madman is the Sun. Optimism, power, vigor, and joy. A heroic tale, one judged happy at its ending." 15[21:00] <@VoxPVoxD> "Subordinate to the Sun is the Demon King. A power temporal and seductive. Salvation in worldly things, judged wicked and incomplete." 15[21:02] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "...third cardinal, drawing from the lower chakras, the Lovers. Knowledge, kinship, a joining of hearts. This says I'm in love." [21:03] 14Stranger just sips the wine again. 15[21:05] <@VoxPVoxD> "Subordinate to the Lovers is Justice, the scales of gold and bronze. A decision taken seriously. Devoted, consistent, and fair." 15[21:05] <@VoxPVoxD> "Subordinate to Justice is the one of Chalices. A love broken, mourned, or forgotten." 15[21:06] <@VoxPVoxD> "A fair decision, but not a kind one." [21:06] 14Stranger reminds himself that prophecy isn't present perfect. 15[21:07] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz pauses a moment before continuing. The scones have arrived. [21:08] 14Stranger will politely divert himself from the wine with one. 15[21:10] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz picks a corner off of hers and eats it before finishing the reading. 15[21:11] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "The last Cardinal is the Wheel of Ways. Mercury's mark. An upset of status. What was low will be made high, and what was high will be brought low." 15[21:13] <@VoxPVoxD> "Subordinate to the Wheel is the Thunderbolt. The change will be sudden, fierce, illuminating." [21:16] 14Well, that's not the worst thing in Creation. 15[21:17] <@VoxPVoxD> "Subordinate to the Thunderbolt is the Gallows-Maid. Serene self-sacrifice. The fall will be sudden but voluntary." [21:17] 14So it goes. 15[21:18] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "This is a remarkably straightforward spread. The lack of lower suits means that many of the rules of intercardinality and linked opposites don't apply. A single unbroken cycle from the first House to the Last. This tells one story." [21:18] 14Stranger: "Do you think it tells your story? Our story?" 15[21:19] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "This is my fortune. It's the same one I see when I read myself." [21:22] 14Stranger: "I think I know some of the players. It might be hubris to guess at them, but it points to a larger picture. There was no cardinality for the Council itself. There was no cardinality for the wine." 14He finishes his glass. [21:23] "Bubo asked me to stop in. He cares very deeply about you." [21:23] "I don't need to tell you that out loud, but sometimes it feels good to hear it." 15[21:23] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "I saw that too. Where is he?" 15[21:23] <@VoxPVoxD> "He wouldn't tell me." [21:24] 14Stranger: "West. He's looking into the cabbage-vendor. I'm keeping him out of town as much as possible, given...well. You know." 15[21:26] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "Nessun Dorma came by to see me yesterday. If he'd arrived an hour earlier he'd have caught Bubo in the flesh." [21:27] 14Stranger: "You know Bubo. You know you should see that not as an unfortunate close shave, but him staying with you until the last possible moment." 15[21:30] <@VoxPVoxD> "It always looks so much kinder in retrospect than it seems at the time." [21:30] 5 It is later in the day that Xu Sim returns to the sanctum, brushing the detritus of an afternoon's magic from his sleeves, with the help of the joyous, slavering Princess-beast. [21:32] 14Stranger: "No it doesn't. Often the past looks meaner. When one's actions age well, it says good things." 14He finishes his wine. "The Ambassador sends her regards. She, too, will be gone from Nexus for the foreseeable future." 15[21:32] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz taps the table. "That depends on how far you can see." [21:32] 5 Xu Sim spent an hour at his clinic in the morning, which came after breakfast, which came after morning stretches and meditation on the lessons of Selin the Once-Crane. [21:34] 14Stranger smiles, the skin around his milky eyes crinkling: "You shouldn't put too much stock in sight, even if you have it when others think you do not." [21:35] 14Stranger: "I need to ask something of you, and it might not be easy or fair. But I need you to do it." [21:35] "And I will help you do it to the best of my ability." 15[21:35] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "What is it?" [21:36] 5 After the clinic, he had re-calibrated the great magic of the Tomb of Red-Hot Iron, carefully balancing the quintessence amid strange dripping brass from nowhere in the depths of the manse. [21:39] "I know you don't like the Council. So do the other Councilors; so, I assume, does every tapped-in courtier in the city." 14He takes the wine bottle and drains the rest of it. "But I need you to either dry yourself out or start coming to work wet. Whatever you need to do to fulfill the duty to which you've been assigned. This isn't about right or wrong, and it isn't about what you're [21:39] owed -- every single one of us has earned a vacation. If you need support, I can get you support. There won't be judgment here. But you need to start taking this seriously, and not just because others are using it as an excuse to quit their own offices. You need to take it seriously because it's not healthy to be in here all day, drinking wine from sunrise and not eating." [21:41] "If you don't do it for me, do it for Bubo. He needs you in your full capacity. He loves you too much to tell you this needs to stop. I don't." 15[21:46] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "Have I missed something, or is Gen just bitching again?" [21:49] 14Stranger: "He was going to quit the Council over your lack of interest in your role. I talked him out of it, not because I like the man but because I need people I know. And I can only handle people like Master Gen if I know people like you are taking the work seriously." [21:50] 5 After an afternoon of the peculiar soul-sweat of sorcery, Xu Sim has his device: A brass orb, not much larger than an apple, itself covered with small dimples, riddled with inky-black holes that occasionally glimmer with faint light, and bearing a few protruding crystals no larger than your eyeteeth. [21:51] "The question isn't whether you're doing the bare minimum to get by. The question is whether you're doing what needs to be done to protect this city. And everyone -- everyone -- can tell the difference between the two." 15[21:51] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "I still have half a mind to put in my resignation. Dawn Sergeant Keldar. Of all the things." [21:53] 14Stranger corks the wine bottle and puts it aside. "I don't think you do. You know he needs to countermanded and you know you're one of the best-suited to do so, because you can hide behind me." 14He makes sure to meet his gaze with his own, empty as it is. "But more importantly, I think you understand that this has been made larger than you, and you have a duty to fulfill, at [21:53] least until the cards play themselves out." [21:53] "If you want to resign from the Council after the city is safe, you should feel free to do so." [21:54] "Frankly, we might too." [21:54] *needs to be [21:55] "...And I can attest to the fact that Keldar cared deeply about Pellicia, in his own way." [21:55] 14He shrugs. "He's just a boor and an idiot." 15[21:56] <@VoxPVoxD> It works! Xu Sim's a genius! With your hands on these crystals here and here the tomb's furnaces will burn. But here and here and they'll go cold... it's almost flawless, except for the fact that the orb itself takes on the temperature of the Tomb, so if you want to leave it running for a while you're going to need something very stable and heatproof to keep it in. And probably keep a set of heavy gloves nearby. [21:57] 14Stranger: "And she didn't die trying to save him." [21:58] 5 Xu Sim will need to buy a cradle or something for it. Maybe they can use it to keep a fire going or something. 15[21:58] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz raises a hand. "Don't." [21:59] 14He just nods. 15[21:59] <@VoxPVoxD> "I'll do what you say. I'll be where you need me. But I don't want to hear anymore about what Keldar is thinking or what Pellicia thought." [22:00] 14Stranger: "What Keldar is thinking is your business now. But I will not bring it up outside the Council chamber or your official offices, and only when it matters to the work." 15[22:00] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "Thank you." 15[22:02] <@VoxPVoxD> She lowers her eyes. "Thank you." [22:02] "...There won't be an official meeting for another day or two, I think. I would use it to get reacquainted with your staff and your office. The Judiciary would be ecstatic to have the Astrologer weighing in as an expert witness, but that's not something I can ask of you if you're not interested in doing it." [22:02] 14Stranger: "You hold one of my pages." 15[22:02] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "I do." [22:03] "So does Bubo." [22:03] "The thing about these pages is that if one page-holder calls to me, I can connect them with another page-holder." [22:03] "Then I can just put down the book, leave my hand upon it, and let the conversation fade away." 15[22:04] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "...prove it." [22:05] 14Stranger produces the Codex, places his hand on it, and reaches out to Bubo. 15[22:07] <@VoxPVoxD> Bubo's voice is muffled; he's talking with his mouth full. "Ahoy hoy?" [22:08] 14Stranger, out loud: "Kratz wishes to speak with you." [22:08] "Can you speak?" 15[22:08] <@VoxPVoxD> There's a pause and then Bubo speaks clearly. "Is everything alright?" [22:09] 14Stranger smiles slightly: "It is. We've been having scones and tarot." [22:09] "She just wants to know I'm not a scandalous liar." 15[22:09] <@VoxPVoxD> "Scones and tea?" Bubo asks hopefully. [22:10] 14Stranger: "I'm working on it." 15[22:10] <@VoxPVoxD> Bubo: "...understood. So how does this work?" [22:11] 14Stranger: "You hang on the line as so, and then I..." 14Stranger flips open the Codex. "...do this." 14He traces his finger on the table of contents from Bubo's page down to Kratz's page, then points at her -- she'll feel a tingling right at the base of her skull. 15[22:16] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz: "Hello?" 15[22:16] <@VoxPVoxD> Bubo: "Hello?" [22:16] 14Stranger: "Hello!" 15[22:17] <@VoxPVoxD> Kratz's face lights up. "Bubo, darling." [22:17] 14He closes the book. "Before you two continue, I am going to remove myself to the waiting room." [22:17] "Then I'm going to push this to the back of my mind, then past that, and I'll just be hearing a gentle buzz while you two converse." [22:18] 14To Kratz: "You can find me there when you're finished." 14Then he'll mouth: No more wine. [22:19] 5 Xu Sim, pleased with the bauble, then moves into a different chamber of the manse, where he has begun inscribing diagrams on the floor to plan the installation of the Iron Thistledown Pylon. Intricate chalk inscriptions in a rainbow of colors are splayed across the pristine marble floors and on the walls as high as Xu Sim can reach. Some are calculations, others indicate where [22:19] 5equipment and ingredients will be staged. [22:20] 14He finds a loveseat in a windowy nook where the sun is shining, and dozes off with the Codex gripped firmly in his hands until he's awakened. [22:20] 14Wine for breakfast is a hell of a thing. 15[22:32] <@VoxPVoxD> Stranger then busies himself at the Judiciary until the evening shift comes on, at which point it's time to cross town to Iron Market, to a pub a scant three blocks from that famous Nexus landmark, the Tomb of Red-Hot Iron. One lane of shops and bars separates the docks from the foundry district, and laborers of all kinds mingle here. Stranger has to push through the noise and the smoke to find Thalevar belly up to the bar, looking down thoughtfully as a big, rough-looking old man speaks in his ear. [22:33] 12Before he leaves Kratz's residence, he makes sure to impress upon her that this can be done all the time, from any distance, just by touching the page and calling him. The only constraint is her and Bubo's availability. [22:33] 14Before he leaves Kratz's residence, he makes sure to impress upon her that this can be done all the time, from any distance, just by touching the page and calling him. The only constraint is her and Bubo's availability. [22:34] 14Stranger, at the bar: "A whiskey and a wine." 15[22:36] <@VoxPVoxD> The old lady at the bar eyes him suspiciously. "Wine?" [22:37] 14Stranger narrows his eyes. "I suppose a whiskey and a whine will do." 15[22:37] <@VoxPVoxD> That gets a couple of laughs from the bar. 15[22:38] <@VoxPVoxD> Xu Sim, meanwhile, finds himself at the opposite end of the docks, where the cattle auctions and slaughterhouses are. The air in Night Market is never fully clear of the smell of blood. In fact, he finds to his dismay(?) that their appointed meeting-place is across the street from one of the city's largest abbatoirs, so there's the sound too to think about. For some reason this place doesn't do especially brisk business. [22:41] 5 Xu Sim takes a prodigious puff on his steambreather. Well, disgusting or not, this meeting holds the possibility of discovery. 15[22:43] <@VoxPVoxD> Xu Sim's tea partner is already seated, and rises to meet him when he arrives. The Scion of the Sevenfold has an ethereal, ageless quality about her belied by her pale and almost waxy expression. She looks like a beautiful woman on her deathbed. "The hero of Nexus in the flesh." [22:44] 14Stranger turns his back to the bar itself and faces the assembled drinking men and women. "The Emissary of Nexus is pleased to inform you that every working salt-of-the-earth lying about their paycheck, lying about their hours motherfucker in this establishment is entitled to one round on the house courtesy of the government back in the center of town." 15[22:45] <@VoxPVoxD> That gets a much bigger reaction from the bar. Cheers and cheerses abound. [22:46] 14He turns back to the bar and gestures to whoever is to his left and to his right. "And refill these drinks before you give that free round. I want some space, if you can afford it on this side of town." [22:47] 14Then he'll sip his whiskey. What's Thalever up to now? 15[22:49] <@VoxPVoxD> He's mumbling something in the big man's ear, and the big man walks out fifty pounds lighter. Luckily that frees up enough space at the bar for people to relocate, putting two open stools between the two Councilors. [22:50] 14Well that's just good luck, isn't it. [22:52] 14When the bartender comes back with the cost of the house round, Stranger pays it plus a generous amount to cover whatever else he drinks or comps here tonight. [22:52] 14The rest, well. He's sure they're used to cash going in and outl. [22:52] *14out [22:53] 5Xu Sim returns a cordial bow. "The Scion of the Sevenfold." 5 From the folds of his robe, he presents a small cylinder wrapped in parchment. "A bauble I put together for you, as a token of professional courtesy." 15[22:55] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar gives Stranger an upward half-nod. "That'll get you over." 15[22:58] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven accepts it gracefully. "You're too kind. I hope to do you a kindness in turn. What kind of tea do you take?" [22:58] 14Stranger: "Over's not as important as through." [22:58] 14Stranger: "You know why I'm here?" 15[22:59] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Could be five different things. I'm guessing it's at least three of 'em." [23:00] 14Stranger: "One of them's to drink. The other's to get drunk. The third's yours to guess." 14To the bar: "Another whiskey." [23:00] 5Xu Sim: "Oh, I'm not too picky about it. Oolong?" 15[23:01] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven gestures to the tea-lady. Then she sits and invites Xu Sim to do the same. "Tell me: is it true you've mastered the Tomb of Red-Hot Iron?" [23:02] 14To Thalever: "I'm pretty sure I've got Kratz back on the Council. Committed. Hopefully dry. I don't tell you this to brag and I sure as shit don't tell it to you so you can mock her with it in chambers. I'll be displeased if that's how you carry it." 15[23:03] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Like she's the only one who's ever turned up lit." 15[23:03] <@VoxPVoxD> "You got me all wrong." [23:04] 5 Xu Sim sits, chuckling. "Don't you mean the Tomb of Cold Iron?" [23:04] "Maybe. But I feel a certain protectiveness towards Kratz. Perhaps I feel it towards the lot of you." 15[23:06] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven laughs. "I do if you say I do." [23:06] 14Stranger: "I'll admit my bias, though. I feel it most acutely towards Kratz. Almost as much as I did towards Pellicia." 15[23:07] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "That jumped-up piece of shit. We shoulda seen him pulped." [23:07] 5Xu Sim: - "Suppose we split the difference - it's the Tomb of Iron, whose precise temperature from one moment to the next is, indeed, for us to decide." [23:08] 14Stranger: "That piece of shit's dead and he doesn't even know it. He's got a tab and he'll pay it the second he winks back into this world. We'll fucking find his ass." 15[23:10] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "That's not how you usually talk. You doing a bit now or are you doing a bit the rest of the time?" [23:11] 14Stranger: "Yes." [23:11] 14He finishes the whiskey: "I've also been drinking since before noon." [23:12] 14He orders another whiskey and pauses. "...They tell you what I was like, up in the palazzo, when Pellicia died?" 15[23:13] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "I heard some stories." [23:14] 14Stranger: "If they had me smiling they were probably true." [23:14] "That's the version of me you have to worry about, I think. You can write me down as playing you one way here or playing you another way every other time, but don't write that guy off." 15[23:15] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Kratz begged her not to stay, to leave her with the rest of us. We knew she wasn't gonna listen, but you gotta ask." [23:15] 14Stranger: "She was the best of us." 15[23:15] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Probably still is." [23:16] 14Stranger: "You're not wrong." [23:16] "She died protecting someone good, too. Whatever you think about me, it should cascade out to Xia Lan." [23:16] *shouldn't 15[23:17] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "I got nothing but respect for her. Not a lot of people come up like she does in this town, get so big, without being an asshole about it. Our foundries turn out Keldars." [23:17] 14Stranger: "Ha. Keldar's not so bad. He's not Pellicia, but no one is." [23:18] "He is an asshole." 15[23:19] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Yeah. The man is an asshole. But I'll say this for him: he likes Nexus. Couple a months ago I'd have told you that was a minority opinion on the Council. Now, who knows?" 15[23:19] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "How did you do it?" 15[23:19] <@VoxPVoxD> "You simply must tell me." [23:19] 14Stranger: "I hope to make it a majority opinion. I won't insult you by pretending you don't know I've been making the rounds." 15[23:20] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "You've been working it, yeah. Weird to have an Emissary who asks." [23:22] 14He sips another whiskey. "Xia Lan told me about that meeting. The one right before Nogare put her in a coma and killed Pellicia. She told it a certain way, one that made you all out to be the victims, and hell. You were the victims. But it was a certain way where, when I read between the lines, I came away thinking that it was just her standing up for your city against some fucking [23:22] Solar shithead from out of town. Now. Speaking as a Solar shithead from out of town: that concerns me." [23:23] 14Stranger: "What were you willing to give up for a little bit of security, huh? Are you still willing to give it up?" 15[23:26] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Before that night he didn't look too different from the rest of you. We talked this out down in Firewander. Pellicia was pushing for us to treat with all you Anathema in good faith. It wasn't like he came in baying for blood. He came in straight up with full pockets and a hand full of favors." 15[23:27] <@VoxPVoxD> "Turns out he's an animal. I'm not surprised. But if you did that tomorrow, who's to stop you? Not us, that's for sure." [23:27] 14Stranger: "Did he ask for half your sovereignty or not? Or do you want to quibble on fractions? One-third? One-fifth?" [23:27] 5Xu Sim: "Mastering it? Well, once we made our way to the center of the manse and subdued its sorcerous defenses, we had to repair a few areas that worn down over the years. But now, I am making it our own; adapting it to suit the war effort." 5Then, nonchalantly, "Can you tell me about where in the Underworld it was first built?" [23:27] 5Xu Sim: "Mastering it? Well, once we made our way to the center of the manse and subdued its sorcerous defenses, we had to repair a few areas that worn down over the years. But now, I am making it our own; adapting it to suit the war effort." 5Then, nonchalantly, "Can you tell me about where in the Underworld it was first built?" [23:27] "Do you think that's what me and Xia Lan and fucking Keldar, the guy who makes sure the only thing you know about him is that he loves the laws of Nexus, are about?" [23:28] 14Stranger: "We might not agree on a lot of things but come on now." 15[23:29] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "From where I sat he was using you to do it. It wasn't your idea to pack the Council with your friends, it was his. You think he fucked up? I'm not so sure." [23:30] 14Stranger: "As I recall, the Emissaries of Nexus serve at the pleasure of the Council. And we didn't exactly put our names forward for it." [23:31] "And if the Emissaries of Nexus DON'T serve at the pleasure of the Council, then. Well. You've got a real problem on your hands, don't you?"A 15[23:31] <@VoxPVoxD> "Right. He did. He seemed to think that was the first step to conquering the city." [23:32] 14Stranger: "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes." 15[23:32] <@VoxPVoxD> "Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. But for all the good you guys are doing, the jury's still out on that." 15[23:33] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "It was built in the Underworld, you say? How do you know?" [23:33] 14Stranger: "Either Mori Nogare is dead next time he steps foot in this town or me, Xia Lan, Keldar, and Xu Sim are. There isn't much variety to how that story ends." 15[23:34] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Supposing he sets foot in the city. Supposing his plan isn't just to break the Council's back so we need you, after the war's over." 15[23:36] <@VoxPVoxD> "You gotta see this how it looks from the outside." [23:37] 14Stranger: "And you can see how this looks from the outside?" [23:39] 14Sipping another whiskey: "Besides, while we do respect the position to which we've been appointed, we can hunt Mori Nogare anywhere he appears. And he's done more than just put our girl in a coma. He's slandered our patron." 15[23:39] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "If you give up your day jobs, you can." [23:39] 14Stranger: "That is the plan." [23:40] 5 Xu Sim: "There is a work log chiseled into the marble walls, explaining how it was constructed in the Underworld before being moved into Creation. A few decades into the first Shogunate, sometime near the Five-Dragon Crusade perhaps. It's not my field." [23:41] "I didn't convince Master Gen to stay on the Council because I really liked the guy. I'm not here with you because your whiskey is good, even though it is. I didn't spend the morning with the Astrologer because I love tarot, and I'm not going to visit Ephiselle after I'm done here because I love being out at midnight. And no, you're right, I won't talk to her the same particular way [23:41] I'm talking to you now, because that's why I couldn't get the two of you in the same room in the first place." [23:41] "Am I wrong?" 15[23:41] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Shit, everybody's got a plan. Brueghel had a plan. Ain't been no commitment to stepping down. Just building a power base, and packing the Council." 15[23:42] <@VoxPVoxD> "But you're not wrong. I'll say that much." [23:42] 14Stranger: "Well. If I can't be right, then I might as well not be wrong." [23:43] "Brueghel's dead and his plan was shit." [23:43] "We're going to have to replace him. If you, Master Gen, and Ephiselle can work together long enough, I presume you can come up with a name." 15[23:44] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "To construct a manse in the Underworld and transpose it into Creation would be a titanic undertaking. Well beyond my humble capacity. At least for now. Ha!" For just a second Xu Sim can hear a trace of the Governor's accent in her voice. "Few living or dead could even envision such a feat, much less accomplish it. Certainly not a hero of the Deliberative." 15[23:47] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Good, that's a start. You got a stick to go with that carrot?" [23:50] 14Stranger: "Of course. I'm not just your average asshole. I've got five votes to your three, so whoever you nominate will need a vote from my camp and an abstention to pass. I'm comfortable with that vote coming from the Emissary's chair. I'll let Hayle, Udelph, and Kratz figure out who gets to sit this out. If you're smart, you'll petition Keldar to try to get his vote and I'll give [23:50] it my blessing. So the only stick is conditional. And you know what condition would piss me off?" 15[23:51] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "What's that?" [23:51] "If you nominate some bought-and-paid-for Guild piece of shit who cares more about the Overfactor's margins than this city. I don't care if he or she is connected. I know how this work. I care where their heart is at." [23:52] "Brueghel was a clown, a coward, and a complete disaster who tried to resurrect your last Emissary and got turned into unpleasant bits of meat for his trouble, just to preserve a grip on the city he should have known was failing." [23:52] "Don't repeat that mistake." [23:53] 14Stranger finishes his whiskey. "And tell the Guild boys I said that." 15[23:56] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "You got the muscle to back that up? Cause if we buck the Guild it's not your ass on the line. Shit, it's not even mine." He gestures around. "You wanna know how I got this job?" [23:56] 14Stranger: "Sure." [23:57] 5 Xu Sim is silent for a moment. "For now, eh? To overcome - that is the fundamental task of the socerer." 5 He smiles a tight smile. "It certainly was an enormous task for whomever undertook it. I look forward to using the Tomb to help us overcome this faerie tide that's lapping at our door." 15[00:01] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Coralito had it in him to be a good man. Almost twenty years ago now, he bucks the Guild. Floats a proposal to double the number of work holidays. Syndic sends him a message, he says, that's not how friends do business. Coralito says to hell with you, I know who my friends are. They try to end-run him but Kratz has just taken the job, old Udelph hadn't gone soft yet. They couldn't manufacture a majority without overplaying their hand. So they float a counteroffer. Keep the docks open, but raise the wages half-again on the off days. Coralito could live with that. He won a concession from the Guild. You know what that makes you on this side of town? A god." [00:02] 14Stranger: "No it doesn't." [00:02] "Gods get worshipped in set hours in set places." [00:02] "It makes you something more." 15[00:02] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Heh." [00:02] 14Stranger: "Now, do you want to know how I got this job?" 15[00:02] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "I'm not finished." [00:03] 14Stranger gestures for him to continue. 15[00:03] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Mmmm. To answer your question, it would almost have to have been built in a shadow of old Hollow itself. There's no way to make the math work otherwise." 15[00:04] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "You got two, three times as many gangs at the piers working the ships on those holidays than you did before. We all thought the Guild'd find some way to weasel out but it's worth a try, right? Nope. They pay out. Right away, no complaining." 15[00:05] <@VoxPVoxD> "Couple of months pass, couple more of these pay holidays. Suddenly the whole district is happy and flush." 15[00:05] <@VoxPVoxD> "Couple of weeks later the first opium ship hits the port." [00:05] 14Stranger: "Ah." 15[00:07] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Two years it took to turn this side of town upside down. People going broke, turning bandit. People dying like flies on and off the docks. It wasn't natural." 15[00:08] <@VoxPVoxD> "One night on the way out of his bar Coralito gets stopped in the street. Someone wants a handshake and a word. Coralito never turned down a chance to hear someone sing his praises. He got a knife hidden between his ribs and his pockets picked, right there in front of his bar." 15[00:08] <@VoxPVoxD> "That's how I got the job." 15[00:10] <@VoxPVoxD> "You ask us to court that, you're asking us to cut our own throats, without a commitment to holding the Guild down. That's the Emissary's job. That's the Dawn Sergeant's job. You give us that, and we can work together, I guarantee it." [00:11] 14Stranger nods. Then: "...You're the August Councilor of what, then?" 15[00:12] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "August Councilor of the Eclipse, is the title." [00:13] "A thing about the people I've become is that each of us has one of five...denominations. We're all named after phases the Sun finds Himself in." 14Stranger's forehead lights up golden and he looks over at Thalevar. "So what am I?" 15[00:14] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Eclipse." [00:14] 14Stranger: "And the thing about Eclipses is: we're all about the deals." [00:15] "Let's talk about the Guild. The Guild are a group of cowards and assassins. The Guild was fleeing this city up to two weeks ago. Roaches against the light." [00:16] "Interesting," 5 notes Xu Sim. "But if even a hero of the Deliberative can't have done it, you mean it would have been something even more powerful. Something like," 5He gestures noncommittally, as if it would be impolite to invoke the name of her lord. 15[00:16] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "I heard it was you and Keldar turned 'em round." [00:16] *someone 15[00:16] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "...ah." [00:16] "Just good business. You and your dockworkers and your families could all die; they could come back in and rebuild." [00:16] "We did. Funny thing: the Overfactor also loves deals. And oaths. The kind you can swear on." 15[00:17] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Well, I can assure you that my master would have no ambitions in that direction. To create something of such power and leave it behind? No. Far too sentimental." [00:17] "So he made one with Keldar, and I made one with him." 15[00:17] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Speaking of not natural." [00:18] "And to make a long story short we're not going to directly interfere with the Guild so long as the Guild operates in good faith towards us. That's why I wanted you to tell the Guildsmen who precisely is advocating against them owning a Council seat; because that's not direct interference. They don't own that. And I wouldn't be upholding my end of the bargain if they didn't know [00:18] precisely who this was coming from." [00:19] 14Stranger: "We will be here longer than this crisis. We would prefer to be here as something other than Council members." [00:19] "We've all heard stories about the style of your master, and I have to agree, sentimental is probably not the first word that comes to mind in those stories," 5 notes the sorcerer. 15[00:20] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "He... cultivates a certain reputation. I hope someday you get to judge him for yourself." [00:20] 14Stranger: "And once Nexus is safe again, I am personally willing to extend an oath to you and your people. To make sure that history does not repeat itself." 15[00:20] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Is he? Sniffly little double-dead piece of shit." [00:21] 5Xu Sim leans in close to look her in the eyes after she says that. Time to channel everything he can think of about how Stranger and Xia Lan operate. [00:23] 14Stranger: "Our oaths expire when the defense of Nexus is complete. At that point he has no leverage." [00:24] 14Stranger: "But I think we could make him swear." [00:27] 14He smiles. "Because at the end of the day he wants to do business. And while he'll take what he wants when times are good, when the going gets tough...he'll take what he can get." [00:28] "And if the Overfactor wants to send someone to stab me in an alley he knows where I live." [00:28] "If he wants to send someone to stab you in an alley, I know where he lives." 15[00:29] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Are you speaking for yourself here or do we have the other Emissaries and Keldar behind it too?" [00:34] 5 After a long pause, Xu Sim twitches his eyebrows and leans back again. He takes a sip of the tea - his first. "I'm sure it would be enlightening, to say the least. I have told you about our Tomb. Do you mind if I ask what you have been up to? Your plans for the war effort? Perhaps we have opportunities to collaborate? I have projects beyond the Tomb, after all." [00:38] 14Stranger: "I'm speaking for myself. I'm also noting, as a non-sequitor, that Xia Lan hates the Guild, Xu Sim wants to experiment on them for his research, and Keldar swore an oath with the Overfactor that he would uphold the Dogmas and protect the Guild's current holdings in the city -- that means no expansion, and it does not entitle the Guild to a Council seat." [00:39] 5 More baseless rumors. Xu Sim would experiment on Anyone for his research. [00:40] 14He shrugs. "I can run it by them, however. I expect you're not going to be making a decision on this before tomorrow afternoon anyway." [00:41] 14Stranger: "But please, again, let them all know: I will view it as a provocation if the Guild interferes in this matter. Apologize with it or be aggressive with it as you will, but an oath was sworn and I will have my due for it." 15[00:41] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Mmm. Well we've been looking for ways to deploy potential war assets within the confines of the agreement we laid out in our first war council. Particularly we're looking at ways of raising soldiers that won't bind them permanently, ways of deploying the spirits of the dead temporarily before releasing them to their natural or unnatural ends." 15[00:41] <@VoxPVoxD> "The Governor would see us gird for a siege but between you and me I think the city is quite indefensible. We'll win in the field or not at all." 15[00:43] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar thinks it over. "We'll talk it over. I'm sure you'll have no trouble swinging the rest of the Council." [00:43] 5Xu Sim: "I think you're right, though I'm not a military mind. What does the Governor think should be done, then?" [00:43] 5Xu Sim: "I think you're right, though I'm not a military mind. What does the Governor think should be done, then?" [00:44] 14Stranger: "That sounds like an accusation." 15[00:46] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "Naw, nothing like that. I just figure we're more predictable than you and your friends." [00:46] 14He orders one more whiskey. "Just kidding. You know what my philosophy is, when it comes to politics?" 15[00:47] <@VoxPVoxD> Thalevar: "What's that?" [00:48] 14He downs the last whiskey in one shot. "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke. Good night, August Councilor." 14He stands. "And one more round for the guys and gals who aren't going to work sober tomorrow morning!" 14He puts the remainder of his per diem on the bartop, nods to Thalevar, and walks out into the night. [00:48] 14...That all felt really good. [00:48] 14Gary would have loved that. 15[00:50] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Starvation and disease, he argues, will be the death of Nexus, and not invaders' blades. He would have us barricade the city, purify the canals to drinkability, and prepare the Undercity for harvest. I understand he's preparing an extensive proposal on the many varieties of edible mushrooms fit to be grown down there." 15[00:50] <@VoxPVoxD> "How like a general to be obsessed with winning the last war." [00:54] "Oh." 5Xu Sim contemplates the rather grim implications, even for a specimen like the Governor. "So, he was only added to your master's service in the last few years, then? Is it the same for you?" [00:54] 14Once he's out of the bar, very slightly buzzed, he'll, aheh, page Xu Sim. 15[00:55] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "How do you like your tea?" [00:56] 5 Xu Sim: "Lately, I've been taking it with a drop of honey. I'm - I'm very sorry, but can you please excuse me for just a moment?" [00:56] 5 Xu Sim: "Lately, I've been taking it with a drop of honey. I'm - I'm very sorry, but can you please excuse me for just a moment?" [00:57] 14Stranger, when he picks up the page: "Hullo, Xu Sim. What are you up to this evening. I've news." 15[00:59] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "By all means." [01:00] "I'm terribly sorry-" 5 Xu Sim stammers his way up from the table and then practically storms out the front of the tea house. "These things are annoying," 5 he says into the night air. [01:01] "Yes? ... news?" 5 he speaks through the connection. [01:01] 14Stranger: "Probably. I think I got the Astrologer mostly sober, and the August Councilor to agree to a new Evening Master with no Guild ties. Just need to clarify a few things." 15[01:01] <@VoxPVoxD> Xu Sim has to navigate a cloud of buzzing black flies out here. [01:01] "You're in favor of experimenting on Guild boys the same as anyone else, right?" [01:03] 5More insects! "What? I suppose so, yes. I don't know-" 5 he swats a hand through the cloud in front of his face. "I suppose? Are you alright? Is this urgent?" [01:04] 14Stranger's voice gets a bit sharper. "Yes. It is. I made a promise to the August Councilor that you're not aligned with the Guild and I need to verify that this is still true. Why?" [01:04] "Are you in the middle of something?" [01:04] "...You're not on a date, are you?" [01:05] "I'm not affiliated with the Guild. I'm very busy, you know that. I'm in a meeting of sorcerers." [01:05] 14Stranger: "...Is that a yes?" [01:06] "It's not a no." [01:10] "It's a meeting. I- have you been drinking? Don't answer, you have been. Listen, this is a terrible moment for catching up. I'm in the middle of a conversation here." [01:11] 14Stranger: "Then don't take the call next time. Obviously she was willing to let you outside to answer. ...You didn't answer right there in the booth, did you?" [01:12] "No, what kind of idiot do you think I am?" [01:13] 14Stranger: "Who is she?" [01:13] 14Xu Sim hasn't contradicted that yet. [01:14] 5Xu Sim sighs. "Sevenfold Scion." [01:14] 14Stranger stops on the street and moves out of the way of foot-traffic. "Ah." [01:15] "Is this an interview or a personal meeting? I'm sorry about the date jokes. I won't make them anymore." [01:17] 14He almost audibly pushes 'Unless that's what you're into.' back down into his diaphragm. [01:17] 5With lightning speed, Xu Sim snatches one of the small, buzzing black flies out of midair. "It's a meeting of sorcerers, as I explained. It's - a date? I didn't ask -" [01:21] 14Stranger: "Well. You know what they say if you have to ask." [01:23] "If it's just an interview, you can use me as your proxy. I'll ask the questions you don't want to ask. If it's a date, you should hang up on me right now." [01:23] "I don't know that! I don't know what they say! Listen. I'm at the teahouse down by the meat district at the end of the city docks. I gotta go." 5 He, somehow, severs the connection, takes a deep breath, and makes his way back in. [01:23] 14Stranger, to no one: "Iiiiiiit's a date." 15[01:24] <@VoxPVoxD> While Xu Sim was gone, Seven took a little roll off the table and started picking it to crumbs on her empty saucer. She sets it down when Xu Sim returns. "Hello." [01:28] 5 Xu Sim clears his throat. "I'm terribly sorry for that. It was rather inconsiderate." 5 He picks a napkin off a nearby table and carefully folds the fly up inside, as he speaks. 15[01:28] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "I gather it took you by surprise as well. Is anything wrong?" [01:31] "No. I meant, ah, asking you about your past like that. No, I was just getting a message from my colleague and he's - took by what surprise?" 15[01:31] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Your message. The question is forgiven." [01:34] "He's fine, was coming out of a meeting himself, in his cups I think." 5Xu Sim pauses for a moment. "And, ah, yes. Thank you. Can I ask a different question? Of all the places in the city, why did you suggest this one?" 15[01:37] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "If I tell you, will you promise to keep it secret?" [01:38] "Certainly," 5replies the sorcerer. 15[01:40] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Privacy. The Mask's Hunter shadows me everywhere, but he won't come near here. Some defect in his digestion, I suspect." [01:44] "Thanks for your candor," 5 he notes. Well, that's something to work with at least. 15[01:46] <@VoxPVoxD> "Now I ask you to reciprocate: what made you send me that letter?" [01:48] 5Xu Sim bites down on his tongue for a moment. "Great question." 5 He takes a sip of the tea. "Well," he clears his throat. [01:49] "The simple answer is that Dragonlord Dorma asked me to see what I could learn about you." 15[01:49] <@VoxPVoxD> "Oh." 15[01:49] <@VoxPVoxD> She laces her fingers together. "And what will you report?" [01:50] "I don't know. If I just wanted to pick your brain, I would have just asked Stranger to do it. The man could talk the scales off a snake, drunk or not." 15[01:51] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven laughs. 15[01:51] <@VoxPVoxD> "You're right. But you didn't send for him, and you could have." [01:51] 5Xu Sim nods. [01:53] "I won't lie about that either. You intrigue me." 15[01:54] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Oh. Well. Then you have some idea of why I responded." 15[01:54] <@VoxPVoxD> "You, of all people, working with Nessun Dorma? How many people in this city do you think could have guessed that?" [01:55] "I can think of one," 5he answers, more or less truthfully. 15[01:55] <@VoxPVoxD> "Oh?" [01:59] 5An entire dissertation of an answer runs through Xu Sim's brain. "Yeah. That old man, Selin. I don't think even Stranger-Visits-Heaven could have come up with it." 15[02:00] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "I don't know Selin. You'll have to introduce me some time." [02:01] "That could be productive. He wants to fix up the sewers around here, too." 15[02:02] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven leans back. "Then he and Father would get on." 15[02:02] <@VoxPVoxD> She freezes. 15[02:02] <@VoxPVoxD> "He and the Governor." 15[02:02] <@VoxPVoxD> "I misspoke. Forgive me." [02:04] 5Xu Sim clears his throat. "Ah. Hm. So, I don't suppose you noticed anything when Nogare escaped? I mean, any clues about what he did?" 15[02:05] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "You're a man of prodigious learning. In your studies have you ever come across something called the Wyld-Shaping Technique?" [02:06] "Only that it supposed to be a lost art," 5he replies. 15[02:07] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Mmm. Not since the Deliberative fell, and the old Solar Host pushed back the borders of Creation has anyone displayed the Technique." [02:08] "Until the other day, you mean?" 15[02:10] <@VoxPVoxD> "Exactly. The Emissary's issue is untrammeled Wyld, now, corrupting and disrupting everything he touches. But also... the very seed from which that old power grows. Nogare saw it. He was able to act decisively, to subvert the Emissary's destructive urge into something different. Something higher. The Beast of Highland is wherever his imagination took him." 15[02:10] <@VoxPVoxD> A pause. "I mean the former Emissary. I apologize again. I'm not usually this maladroit." [02:11] 5Xu Sim is all business now - he's impressed but it takes a backseat to more immediate concerns. "How did you figure that out?" 15[02:16] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Oh, I'm sure you could have done the same, had you not so bravely sacrificed yourself to spare the district. A simple observation of the star at its apex, and the effect its spoor had on the environment." [02:20] 5Xu Sim: "I- yes, thank you, but-" 5he pauses. "What else do you know about the Wyld-Shaping Technique?" 15[02:21] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Nothing but poetry. The ability to bid seas, mountains, nations, peoples from the raw Wyld like the ancient Creators themselves." 15[02:22] <@VoxPVoxD> "Hold your breath. Make a wish. Count to three." [02:30] "One - just one second." 5Xu Sim scribbles her words down. [02:34] "Let me ask you something, now," 5Xu Sim states, tapping his stylus on the fly-holding napkin, which now bears the first stanza of some ancient poem. 15[02:34] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "You'll have to tell me what you learn. I'm afraid I have to leave shortly. But this was most engaging. We simply must do it again. Maybe somewhere cleaner." 15[02:34] <@VoxPVoxD> "But go ahead, please." [02:34] 14She's a keeper. [02:34] "You know we're going to win, right?" 15[02:35] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Win what?" [02:36] "The battle. The war. The world." 15[02:37] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Who's 'we'? No. Better question. Who's 'they'? The raksha? The Guild? The Mask?" [02:41] "Today? Cethleanne of the Crooked Lance. Tomorrow?" 5Xu Sim shrugs, shakes his head. "How should I contact you?" [02:41] "Today? Cethleanne of the Crooked Lance. Tomorrow?" 5Xu Sim shrugs, shakes his head. "How should I contact you?" 15[02:42] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Do you keep flies?" [02:43] "Keep them? Mostly I just use the odd one for a dog treat, experimental subject, ingredient for this or that," 15[02:46] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Whisper my name to a fly. I'll hear you." [02:47] "Fascinating." 15[02:48] <@VoxPVoxD> "Maybe I'll show you the trick one day. But for now I really must be going." She tidies the crumbs and leaves money for the rolls and tea. "It was a pleasure." [02:51] "Yes," 5Xu Sim says, watching her leave. [02:54] 5Xu Sim taps a quick rythmn on the table before getting up to leave, himself. The spheres are in commotion, the elements in harmony...