15[20:04] <@VoxPVoxD> "Quite a pedigree," old Selin agrees as he sips his tea with Xia Lan and Xu Sim, the former of whom seeks to learn the mystery of her new starmetal swords. "Why do you ask?" 15[20:07] <@VoxPVoxD> Elsewhere, Stranger thunders on the temple doors, sending birds flying into the twilight from nearby rooftops and clotheslines. He must surely have the attention of anyone and everyone inside, but still the doors do not yield. A minute later, however, a tall, thin man with wispy hair and a grey smock shuffles out from a side entrance to meet Stranger and Bubo on the steps. "Sir?" [20:11] 14Stranger: "If he's home, tell him that either I'm coming in or he's coming out. If he's not home, tell him where I can find him. If he thinks this is a threat, a bluff, or a down-home ego blow-up, tell him that half the damn city has burned down out here and we're still not through the fire. I am Stranger-Visits-Heaven and I am an Emissary of Nexus." [20:11] *tell me where [20:11] 13Xia Lan takes a sip before replying, watching old Selin carefully. "...I'm worried about the war," 13she admits. "Anything I can do, no matter how big or small, to get an advantage... so, I'm trying to figure out how to make full use these swords before next week." [20:14] 14Bubo can be wherever he wants to be, dressed however he wants to dress for this. It's time to throw around earned civic weight. [20:15] 5Xu Sim strokes the Twice-Refined Princess behind the ears. 15[20:15] <@VoxPVoxD> Bubo is behind Stranger, looking exceptionally short even for himself, huddling in a hood and cloak. Stranger can't see his face. 15[20:16] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin: "You want to study the Crane style like your friend?" 15[20:17] <@VoxPVoxD> The doorkeeper's face sets against Stranger's pronouncement, but his posture wilts. "...of course. Around this way, please." [20:17] 14Stranger flourishes his sleeve. It's something of a sign for Bubo to follow. [20:18] 14He doesn't bring in the broken lamppost; just his walking stick. 15[20:28] <@VoxPVoxD> The doorkeeper leads Stranger through the side entrance and into the cold, darkened temple. There is the sound of distant footsteps and indecipherable speech; monks still occupy their cloisters even as the rest of the temple is empty. There's a great altar at the back of the temple, behind a large, deep, and flawless pool of water, so clear you can see the marble brickwork through the bottom even in the dimming light. [20:30] 14As Stranger walks, he taps his walking stick. He goes from pretending to use it to sweep back and forth to screen his path to just snapping it against the ground as they approach the great altar. [20:30] 5Xu Sim twists in his seat slightly, reaching for a small wooden box. He opens it, retrieves a vial from the box, and, inserting it into his steambreather, takes a drag. [20:32] 13...that honestly hadn't crossed her mind. She's about to object, correct him, but she did say anything she could do. "I was speaking about bringing out the magical capabilities of Before and After, whatever they are, but now that you mention, yes. That's - perfect, actually, for what's ahead!" [20:33] 13She glances over to Xu Sim, 'vaporing' or whatever it is he calls it. There are worse habits. 15[20:33] <@VoxPVoxD> This cartridge is pleasantly stimulating and tastes like the sweet tobaccos used in hookahs in the near Eastern threshold. [20:37] 5Excellent. Xu Sim rifles around for some rice paper, thread, and his bags of powders and reagents as the other two converse. 15[20:43] <@VoxPVoxD> There's something peculiar about this place, an otherworldly sense Stranger can't quite place. One thing is certain, though: the pool is where the Grey holds court, and it's empty. [20:44] 14That's fine. Stranger: "Same rules apply in here as they did outside, Lord of the River. Come out, or I dive in." [20:47] 14He's waved a hand to dismiss the doorkeeper, if the doorkeeper was still around. Bubo is free to do whatever he feels. 15[20:49] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin: "You have to forge your own connection to the blade. It's a shared story. Hearing someone else's won't help you." 15[20:50] <@VoxPVoxD> The doorkeeper reaches instead for a stick to hit the gong behind the altar. Slowly, three more similarly-robed men emerge, and all four of them take positions along the square sides of the pool. In unison they kneel down as if to pray, and immerse their heads in the water. [20:51] 14Dunked. [20:52] 14Outwardly, Stranger stands respectfully with his walking stick in both hands, apprehending this pooled throne. 15[20:55] <@VoxPVoxD> A light shines in the center of the pool and it bubbles and froths like it's been put on to boil, though it gives off no heat. The commotion continues for a moment, monks prostrate at the cardinals, until the water settles, glass-smooth, with the impression of an aged man's face complicating the surface of the water. [20:55] 13Xia Lan tries her best not to look disappointed. "I see." 13She takes a sip to clear her mind, but can't shake her thoughts on Before and After. Stories, stories, stories... what stories have they told? No, no. What stories will they tell? That's what she needs to focus on. She closes her eyes. [20:56] 14Ah. [20:58] 14Stranger will wait for him to speak. It is his house; he is the host. [20:58] 5Xu Sim gently loads one powder after another into the pouch he's made of the rice paper. He draws a thin piece of twine around the mouth of the bag and draws it tight. [21:02] 5He alternates between working on this small device, petting his dog, and taking puffs on the steambreather. 15[21:05] <@VoxPVoxD> After a long silence the Grey speaks, with a dour old man's voice. "Who comes?" [21:06] 14Stranger: "An Emissary of Nexus." [21:06] "Note the article." [21:06] 13There's an understanding in her eyes when she opens them again. "Thank you," 13she says to old Selin. 15[21:07] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin: "Don't thank me. Thank Venus." [21:08] 13She closes her eyes again, briefly. Thank you. Then: "...from before. Was that an offer to teach me Crane?" 15[21:10] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin: "My policy is that prospective students need to find a current student to vouch for them." [21:11] 13She looks over to Xu Sim, likely lost in his work. 15[21:13] <@VoxPVoxD> The lower half of the Grey's face ripples, as if chopped by the heavy sigh coming through his nose. "I have nothing to say to city officials." [21:14] 14Stranger:"Then I will do the talking." [21:14] 14Stranger: "Then I will do the talking." [21:15] "The previous Emissary was Balor." [21:15] "I can either take it as understood that you know what that means, even if you did not know it until now, or I can explain what it means." [21:16] 14Stranger will give the old god thirty seconds before continuing. 15[21:16] <@VoxPVoxD> Silence. But the Grey hasn't left. [21:18] 14Stranger: "His death has left a great red star in the sky. A beacon for what he left behind. The end of a promise, or a contract. Four armies march on this city from the Wyld. The first of them will arrive early. It isn't even here yet, and we were forced to resort to thistledown to burn its infestation off the city streets." [21:20] "Outside these walls stand four Chosen of the Unconquered Sun, a full dragon army from Lookshy, and some twisted things from Thorns that frankly I don't trust, but so far, they're committed to the work." [21:22] 14Stranger: "I know you don't particularly like this city and I know you don't like me. I don't think you'd grow to like me even if you got to know me. That's utterly less than unimportant. I need you, the Yellow, and the Yanaze to figure out what you're doing here." 15[21:23] <@VoxPVoxD> "Marching to the sea." [21:23] "Because if you're hiding and we lose, you're getting torn to beautiful shreads. And if you're hiding and we win, you're not getting tribute in this city ever again." [21:23] 14Stranger laughs. [21:24] "And what do you think will meet you there?" [21:24] "The Immaculates?" 15[21:25] <@VoxPVoxD> "The sea. As she always has. As she always will." 15[21:25] <@VoxPVoxD> "We were here when the old armies came and the old city fell. And we will remain after you and your threats are gone." [21:29] 14Stranger: "You want to bet?" [21:30] 14There is no flippancy in his voice. 15[21:31] <@VoxPVoxD> Grey: "That's two bets. The first is whatever you're about to suggest, and the second is a bet that you'll live to pay up." [21:31] 14Stranger: "The first bet is your duty. The second is mine." 15[21:32] <@VoxPVoxD> Derisively: "Duty." [21:36] 13Before she moves to get Xu Sim's attention, she'll ask Old Selin: "How is he, as a student?" 13'I hope getting his recommendation isn't actually an insult,' is unspoken. She knows how he can come off at times. 15[21:37] <@VoxPVoxD> "Earnest. Enthusiastic." [21:43] "Both qualities shared by the Unfettered," 5notes Xu Sim as he wraps up his little project with a bow. [21:46] "Who I would unreservedly recommend for your tutelage, Sifu," 5he continues, patting the little package down next to him and taking another steamy breath. [21:47] "I know, I know. We tell the gods of duty's wonders, and they never listen. The first bet is this: that when Nexus falls, the middlemarch that these Fair Folk blast forth from Firewander will create such a perfect nonsense realm in your rivers that you, yourself, will be split by it; you, the Yellow, and the Yanaze will tremble with the Wyld's waters and be brought by degrees to thunder [21:47] the Wyld's waves. The second bet is that I will survive, because Nexus will survive. And you're saying to yourself, this guy's an asshole. I'll be glad to see Nexus gone in the arms of thorned lovers; I'll be glad to see him lose two bets and be shamed by it; but what you need to understand about the current Emissaries of Nexus, in contradiction to our predecessor, is that we serve the [21:47] Sun and we plan to win or we plan to die. We actually care about Nexus; no one even bribed us for it. And even if you don't take up a bet with me, the next thing to walk through that door won't even want to talk with you. It'll just laugh." [21:48] "So let me know right now, river god, if it's even worth talking to you anymore." [21:52] 14Stranger's forehead explodes with a golden light. "I have greater gods to serve." 15[21:55] <@VoxPVoxD> The water churns for a time, and then, at last: "You have my attention." [21:56] 13Xia Lan leans back in her chair, sipping her tea, satisfied with what she's hearing. [22:01] 14Stranger: "The Council -- including the Emissaries -- do not wish you to fade from public life. We do not wish you gone; we do not envy your tribute. We want you more active. We want you a vibrant part of this community. You might think this is bullshit. It would have been, before this crisis and all of the necessary changes it has laid at our feet. And I get the sense that you [22:01] don't like the idea of this, starting from first principles." [22:01] "I wanted to ask about another matter, while you are here. Perhaps I could assist you with your work in the sewers?" 5Xu Sim strokes the dog again. There's something compelling about being able to sit back, take a drag of the steambreather, and stroke an unusual looking animal. 15[22:02] <@VoxPVoxD> Someone shuffles up behind Stranger to wheeze, "You have obligations." [22:02] "I get the sense that you think this city is a dump, a clot in your bloodstream, giving you heart attacks everytime you move. I can respect that. I thought similar things when I came here originally." [22:02] 14Oh? [22:04] 14Stranger, to the wheezing monk: "Do I?" 15[22:05] <@VoxPVoxD> It's easy to see why Bubo wheezes when Stranger gets a look at him. His porcelain mask has only one tiny hole for air at its mouth, and two narrowed slits for eyes. Its only adornment is a nearly continuous series of black brushstrokes creating the impression of eyebrows, cheeks, and a thin smile. "Yes. But so does he. And if he doesn't meet them, it won't be the river that carries him away." 15[22:05] <@VoxPVoxD> The lake roils again. Recognition? [22:07] 14Stranger flourishes his sleeve about again. "And can he meet them from inside these walls? [22:07] " 15[22:08] <@VoxPVoxD> "If he won't stand up, then there's no need for the temple to." [22:08] 14Stranger: "Isn't that always the way." 15[22:10] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin: "What do you have in mind?" [22:10] 5Xu Sim: "I answer with a question. What do you have in mind?" [22:11] 5Xu Sim: "I answer with a question. What do you have in mind?" 15[22:14] <@VoxPVoxD> Bubo: "And without those walls, what will protect you?" Wheeze. "Certainly not us." 15[22:15] <@VoxPVoxD> He turns to shuffle away again. "You know where the Directorate stands on the unreliable." 15[22:15] <@VoxPVoxD> Wheeze. "...far away..." [22:15] 14Stranger: "River goes where the water flows." 15[22:18] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin: "With a few days to spare? Water purification. The canals of old Hollow filtered the river water, made it clean and safe to drink. Those filters don't work anymore, obviously, but we can rig up replacements in a few key areas that will last a little while. Long enough, hopefully." [22:22] "And what, in the long term, is the plan?" 5he asks. [22:22] 13Xia Lan: "That sounds --" 13...did we have a way to get water to the Undercity before this? Clean drinking water? We talked about food... [22:24] 14Stranger turns back to the water. "I don't need you to like me, though it would be nice. But I can tell you that when the armies recede from these walls, Nexus isn't going to look like the Nexus you knew. If you want to talk cowards, the Guild fled. We have an agreement to preserve whatever they've got left in the city, but they followed the river to the sea and they're feeling [22:24] pretty good about their investment right about now. Thing is, we haven't forgotten what they've done to this city. We won't forget what they wanted to do. And when this is done -- when we win -- they're going to try to come back and find an inhospitable market for their slaver service." 15[22:26] <@VoxPVoxD> The Undercity is full of water, and managing disease was a priority. So the focus was on containing and treating cholera and the like rather than trying to scrub Nexus's waterways. 15[22:26] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin: "In the long term, who knows. You could try to repair all the original filters, or replace them if you can source the right materials. If you're feeling feisty you could try to revive the dams." [22:27] "Feisty? I can be feisty. Right, Xia Lan?" 5looking for some support here. [22:28] 13Xia Lan, diplomatically: "I believe I've said that before, yes." [22:29] "Anyway. Maybe we could go take a look, now? I haven't actually been down there yet. And we do need to take a look around the Undercity, too." 15[22:30] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin raises an eyebrow. "You want a tour?" [22:32] "Why not?" [22:33] "The thistledown is working ahead of schedule, might as well get a jump on the next big thing." [22:34] 13Xia Lan: "There's... a lot of 'next big things,'" 13carefully, "but we do need to sweep the Undercity. Thorns has been down there with no oversight." 15[22:36] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin: "Do you want to go now?" [22:37] 13Xia Lan's plans for the evening involved fretting over her upcoming rally or hypothetically training with Selin, so this question's up to Xu Sim entirely. [22:38] "Why not?" 15[22:38] <@VoxPVoxD> The Grey: "I take your point." [22:38] "Can the Princess join us? It's not particularly unsafe?" [22:42] 14Stranger: "Which brings us to the nature of the Emissary. I'm informed you've had poor experiences with this office in the past, and I can't blame you. Before I held it, I had poor experiences as well. And I was an ass when I barged in here because it was necessary for me to be an ass and barge in here. I don't apologize for that necessity, but I do hope it doesn't define our [22:42] relationship. Because -- and I think this is important, given the way things have been in this city up until now -- this is a relationship. I don't intend to walk out of here and never see you again. I intend to work with you. I intend to know at least half of the people in this temple by their first names, and I intend for that to be true with the Yellow, and with the Yanaze. I intend [22:42] to build something here." [22:42] "We intend to build something here." [22:43] "Creation is not all clay. Creation is water, against a rock." 15[22:43] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin: "She's smart enough not to be in much trouble, I expect." He finishes his tea. "I'm ready when you are." [22:48] "Let's go!" 5the doctor exclaims. [22:48] 13Xia Lan will go change to something she's more willing to get dirty before tagging along - a simple jacket, a plain shirt exposing the midriff, and some long pants that are still easy to move around in. She's still got her armor on under all this, after all - just in case. No sense in limiting her movements. [22:51] 5Xu Sim changes nothing. Perhaps he'll ask Xia Lan to help him with a new outfit sometime soon. [22:51] 13She does make her own costumes for the stage, in addition to knowing where to shop. [22:56] 14Sensing his opening, Stranger lays it on: "We haven't become Emissaries thanks to the logic of the Wyld, like Balor did; we haven't signed up because we like to be bothered in the street, or because we enjoy having targets on our backs. We took this office because it was necessary, and more importantly, we took it because this was a place we wanted to build something. A bridge over [22:56] a river. A thin boat that runs with the current, not against it. You might hate what this city is; I freely admit that sometimes, I do to. But I need you to know we're not here to build a dam from it. We're here to let this flow." [22:57] 5The dog is coming this time. No more being left behind - though Xu Sim makes sure to set out a saucer of excellent cream for the clockwork cat. 15[22:59] <@VoxPVoxD> The river burbles. "As you say." [23:00] 14Stranger nods. "So where do we go from here? Do I have to bother the Yellow and the Yanaze?" 15[23:01] <@VoxPVoxD> There are entrances to the Undercity all over Nexus; the nearest is where Stranger and Xu Sim met Vladok what feels like eons ago, at City Sluice 17. The paths below are lit green by bioluminescent mushrooms. [23:01] 5Those are new, right? 15[23:02] <@VoxPVoxD> They are. 15[23:02] <@VoxPVoxD> The Grey: "Yanaze will not lie idle." [23:03] 14Stranger: "Then I should go speak to them?" [23:03] 5Xu Sim plucks one and deposits it in the folds of his robe for later. 15[23:04] <@VoxPVoxD> The Grey: "No need. I will." 15[23:04] <@VoxPVoxD> "She would take your intervention poorly." [23:04] 14Stranger bows his head. "Thank you." [23:04] 14Stranger: "Fair enough." [23:05] 14He straightens. "But there is still a bet. It's just for all of us, now." 15[23:05] <@VoxPVoxD> There's one facet of the Governor's plan that's more apparent down in the Undercity than was in the brief: the cats. The tunnels of the Undercity run with cats, cats chasing rats, cats eating rats, cats napping and grooming and prowling with eyes that shine in the dark. [23:08] "Cats?" 5Xu Sim notes this with puzzlement. 15[23:08] <@VoxPVoxD> "A plague control. Keeps the rat population in check," Selin observes. [23:08] 13Xia Lan: "Besides, who doesn't like cats?" [23:09] "...other than the rats, of course." [23:10] "I suppose," 5Xu Sim notes. [23:10] 14Stranger: "And here's my wager: I believe that we will win." 15[23:11] <@VoxPVoxD> Xia Lan can feel eyes on her neck. They're being shadowed as they venture deeper. The City Sluices have direct routes to the heart of the Undercity, affably nicknamed Brighttown because of the many sources of artificial light - torches, lanterns, lamps, ancient glowing pictograms of old Hollow, and now glowing mushrooms. Here is where the delegates from Thorns have made their headquarters, and here is where they see the dead doing dull work - sweeping, mending, standing guard, carrying crates of mushrooms. [23:12] "I hope they haven't inconvenienced you, Selin," 5notes Xu Sim. 15[23:13] <@VoxPVoxD> The Grey: "I suppose it's only fair. They threatened me once before. I have our collective reputation to protect. What will people think if it gets out that you can cross the same river twice?" [23:14] 13Xia Lan: "More than just the cats are watching us down here," 13she mutters to Xu Sim. [23:14] 14Stranger's mouth quirks upward at one corner. "They'll think you care for them, old man river." 15[23:15] <@VoxPVoxD> The Grey's parting word is a scoff. The face dissolves. 15[23:15] <@VoxPVoxD> Four monks spring back from the water, gasping for breath. [23:15] 14Stranger chuckles, and steadies the nearest monk if he needs it. [23:15] 14He's smiling the whole way out. 15[23:16] <@VoxPVoxD> Bubo, no longer wheezing or cloaked, keeps pace with Stranger once they're out of the temple. "Ah! What fun!" [23:16] 14To Bubo: "I've known him my entire life, you know. But neither he nor I knew it." 15[23:17] <@VoxPVoxD> "Did he meet your expectations?" [23:18] 5Xu Sim nods at Xia Lan's statement. That's in keeping with Mhaka's message. [23:18] "Yes. Blustery, hurt, and hoping for something better. I was firm for the office in there, and for the moment. But I think I understand a little bit of his miscomprehension, and how that can turn to pain." 15[23:18] <@VoxPVoxD> "Xu Sim!" Seven emerges from some kind of yurt made of garbage, sleeves rolled up, hands and forearms limned with white fire. She's about to go in for a hug when she sees the others and then remembers she's on fire, holding her arms up apologetically. "What brings you down here? The Governor's just stepped out." [23:19] "He, and the Yellow, and the Yanaze, never asked for any of this. Nexus is a confusing, bullshit town." 15[23:19] <@VoxPVoxD> Bubo: "Truer even than many believe, as you've come to discover in your time here." [23:19] 14Stranger grimaces. "And it will take more than one staunch defense to change that." [23:20] 13Xia Lan nods politely, letting Xu Sim speak here, still looking out for watching eyes. Stages she can handle; stalkers are more difficult. [23:21] "We're getting a tour from Old Selin here," 5he says with a gesture and a broad smile. "We thought we'd take a look at the water filters." 5The Twice-Refined Princess sniffs at a distance and yaps a few times. [23:21] 14He pauses and stops. "I want to thank you, Bubo, before the rest of this begins. You didn't have to stay, and you didn't have to do what you've done while staying." [23:21] "If it goes wrong, take Kratz and get out." 15[23:22] <@VoxPVoxD> Bubo just nods, seeming lost in thought. [23:22] "What are you working on? If you're in the middle of something, please, don't let us disturb you-" 15[23:23] <@VoxPVoxD> Xia Lan can see the barest movement in the shadows between lanterns behind Seven. A big, hat-shaped movement. [23:24] 14Stranger reaches into his robe and touches the Codex. Xia Lan and Xu Sim feel buzzes at the base of their necks. "This is Stranger. I've secured the blessings of the rivers." [23:24] "Might I join you?" [23:26] 5Xu Sim: "Stranger - we're in the Undercity, at the Thorns headquarters. Come on down, I guess." [23:26] 14Stranger: "On my way." 14Xu Sim's gone a-courting, a-courting. [23:28] 14After releasing Bubo to dinner with his woman, it takes Stranger precisely one detour down an alley into a rickety, almost forgotten chain-lift in the corner of old construction to descend into the Undercity. He reaches them within the quarter-hour, to find. [23:28] 5Despite what he said, Xu Sim does peer beyond Seven to get a glimpse of what it was she was up to in that yurt. [23:29] 14Well, a room with a ceiling, at least. [23:29] 13She watches the Hunter in Darkness more closely than is perhaps friendly. The artifact from Keldar's tomb has become almost second-nature to her at this point - watch someone, feel the beat they play to, learn. [23:37] 14Stranger finds them on...the outskirts?...of the underground complex of the dead. "Xia Lan! Xu Sim!" [23:37] 14He's somewhat pleased with himself, given things. [23:42] "Stranger..." 5Xu Sim trails off, tilting his head slightly as he looks at what the Sevenfold Scion is up to. "That's..." 5He's a little glassy-eyed for an instant, before shaking it off. "I'm looking forward to seeing it in action," 5he says to her, before addressing Stranger. "Glad you could join us. We were in the neighborhood to look after the water filters." [23:44] 14Stranger glances around, seeing nothing amiss. "Ah. Well, that's excellent." 14To Selin: "We should talk later. In private. About the rivers." [23:44] 13Xia Lan: "Hello! Welcome." 13If she can manage it, she'll inform him about their tails quietly, but if she can't, there's no point in causing a scene. [23:45] "It went well?" 13she asks. 15[23:45] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin nods. "Nice to see you in good spirits." [23:45] 14Stranger blinks, then smiles and leans in to give her a chaste hug, purely so they can whisper in each other's ears. Quietly: "We have the rivers." [23:48] 13Xia Lan, hugging back: "Excellent! Less excellent: spies on us. Nothing you don't want heard." 13Hopefully that was fast enough to not appear strange. [23:49] 14It works. Stranger pulls away. [23:53] "I, ah, also wanted to thank you again for your help before with the thistledown. That vial of spirits was impressive." 5he adds. 15[23:53] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Ah, well, I'm afraid the filters are shot. They're coral, or they used to be. The coral died ages ago. Poisoned to death, I fear. You won't find any like it in this Direction nowadays." 15[23:53] <@VoxPVoxD> "Oh, you're too kind." [23:54] "Oh, what a disappointment." 5Xu Sim takes her statement at face value. [00:00] "Also - poisoned? Do you mean, deliberately?" 15[00:00] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin: "Long-term replacements will be difficult to secure, but we can work out something temporary given the new capacity problems." [00:00] 14Stranger bows politely to the Scion. "Greetings. I'm not we've met outside of a formal setting. I am Stranger-Visits-Heaven." [00:00] 14They have, of course, but Xia Lan did mention spies. [00:00] *not sure 15[00:01] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Not deliberately, just... this is dirty water." She looks briefly bewildered at Stranger but either gets it or decides to play along. "A pleasure, Emissary. I am the Scion of the Sevenfold." [00:01] 14He straightens, still smiling. "But of course." [00:03] 13Xia Lan: "How quickly can something be done about it?" 13She's pretty far out of her element, asking about projects on this scale, but it's a major concern - or will be, at least. [00:05] "I want to take a look at it, up close. There's a few different approaches we could take, but we probably don't have enough time for real sorcery. But I might be able to work faster than sorcery." 15[00:07] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "The nearest filter will be just this way. Do you need--" 15[00:07] <@VoxPVoxD> Selin: "We can find it, but if you'd like to take a look we could use your expertise. And I'm sure you've earned a break." [00:11] 13Xia Lan certainly wouldn't object. 15[00:12] <@VoxPVoxD> Seven: "Well... alright. What's the worst that could happen?" 15[00:12] <@VoxPVoxD> NEXT TIME: The Rat King Hates You