15[20:03] He's not the quarry, she said. He's the bait. 15[20:03] What did she mean by that? Only Cynis Dryas can say. 15[20:05] The kinship, half a day old, gathers over bar food in a relatively unsmoky back room. Beyond the door granting them privacy, the West's most prestigious fighters, among them - they have good reason to believe - a godslayer. 15[20:07] They have agreed (tentatively) to work alongside the paranoiac Imperial Governor and her attache from the Empress's secret police. [20:12] 14We'll see how long that lasts. [20:12] 14Piu has business with at least one of them. [20:18] "Yes, the bait - not the quarry," 07Dryas reiterates. [20:20] 6Zhangyu: "Explain." [20:21] 10Daizo studies his beer glass; he's barely touched it. "Yes, I'm afraid I don't follow." [20:22] 07Dryas: "Firstly: we can't go around murdering - or facilitating the murder - of Imperial officers while Skullstone has a plot to overthrow the Satrapy and institute some hellish necromantic puppet like Thorns or the more salacious rumors from Nexus." [20:22] Dryas, continuing: "Ted is one of three leads we have on Skullstone's operations here. But I believe he is the tastiest morsel, the surest to reveal the rest of their operations - if we apply just the right pressure. Yes, three leads." [20:22] 07Dryas, continuing: "Ted is one of three leads we have on Skullstone's operations here. But I believe he is the tastiest morsel, the surest to reveal the rest of their operations - if we apply just the right pressure. Yes, three leads." [20:23] 14Sadly, hearth-sister, on that point we'll have to disagree. [20:23] 14The murdering point. [20:24] 10Daizo: "Three? Who are the other two?" [20:24] 6I agree, mysterious voice that sounds kind of like Piu. [20:25] 07Dryas: "The first is the cursèd idol of Carmine Road, which I am certain has some sort of role in all this, thanks to its connection to the Keystone and its own cursed pirate captain." [20:28] 07Dryas: "The second is Nn Tloc, the Guild factor who lives in the haunted house and who we petitioned to hold an unsanctioned Hinokuni exhibition match." [20:30] 6Zhangy grunts in acknowledgement. [20:31] 6Zhangyu* [20:31] 07Dryas: "In any case, to use Ted to destroy Hedrin would be premature and sever our most promising lead on Skullstone's plans. That, in turn, not only risks a tide of benighted horror descending upon the West, dogs and cats living together, and so forth - but it also entails either losing our port of operations, having Hedrin replaced by someone less predictable, or being thrown into a dungeon for treason against the Realm." [20:31] 10Daizo: "Ah, I think I understand now. Assuming it was forged in the West, and assuming that information Caxi gave me about 'depleted soulsteel' was true… you would need both a shadowland and skilled craftsmen to produce soulsteel in any quantity." [20:32] "We should investigate other potential shadowlands, but Skullstone is certainly the closest." [20:33] 14Piu: "Hedrin is not a 'lead' on Skullstone's plans. Ted, who is actually connected to Skullstone, is a lead on Skullstone's plans. Nn Tloc, who almost certainly has dealings with them, is the same. She's a dog of the secret police and if she does have reliable information, almost certainly won't be sharing it with us." [20:35] 07Dryas: "And how many prominent deaths on this island will be connected - true or not - with the crew and passengers of Dana'ads Defiance? It will not take Hedrin, or her replacement, or even Kou, long to start putting the pieces together." [20:35] 14Aggravating. She misjudged Dryas; there ARE times when her love of stability overwhelms her ambition. Lesson learned: ask forgiveness rather than permission. [20:37] 07The fastest way to silence a growling dog is with a bone. [20:37] 14Piu: "I would put forth that interfering with the rites of the island volcano god in public has already done far more in service of that danger than a bureaucrat jackboot biting off more Anathema than she could chew." [20:37] 6That's gross. You aren't wrong, I just want to point that out. [20:39] 6Zhangyu: "We can handle a fight." [20:40] 07Dryas bares her teeth in a grimacing smile. "I also recall, Hearth-Brother Zhangyu, you had some wise words about taking rash actions right after that happened." [20:40] 6He grimaces. [20:41] 10Daizo drains his glass to avoid having to say an ything. Wheat beer with… pineapple? What under Heaven is up with these islanders? [20:42] 14Piu: "We can table the matter of Hedrin for now. But that raises the question of what we give Ted instead of the Eye spy coming after him. I'm not about to wed the man." [20:42] 07Dryas looks for a compromise: "It's obvious that Hedrin knows more than she's letting on. If we can't buy her - and who knows, maybe we can't - then we can frame her. Once she's compromised, she's ours to do with as we please." [20:45] "Allow me," 07Dryas sighs "To explain some of my reasoning. I have a secret to tell you all. It must not leave this room." [20:45] 6Zhangyu nods. [20:45] 10Daizo: "Of course." [20:46] 14Piu: "...If you're certain we're not being listened in on." [20:46] 6...are we? [20:48] 10Daizo: "I don't think Dryas would be offering a secret up to us unless she were sure." [20:50] 07Dryas: "Nn Tloc is smuggling Anathema, other Exalts, and other things besides out of Abalone and, I believe, into Skullstone. Anathema who would otherwise be bound for the Nail are redirected out into the West. I know all this because he recruited me to assist him, and I agreed to do so." [20:50] 07Dryas: "Nn Tloc is smuggling Anathema, Exalts, and other things besides out of Abalone and, I believe, into Skullstone. Anathema who would otherwise be bound for the Nail are redirected out into the West. I know all this because he recruited me to assist him, and I agreed to do so." [20:50] 14...Only Dryas could turn a dread personal secret into bragging about a big new contract. [20:52] 6Zhangyu: "Hrnh. You agreed to this? Or just - were sought out for this?" [20:52] 07Dryas: "I agreed to do it, first for the riches. But also because his arrogance annoyed me. It is my aim to topple him, turn his smuggler network to dust, and enrich myself in the process. But I was stymied at how to do so. Until I learned about Ted." [20:52] 10Daizo: "You agreed?" [20:52] 14Piu: "So...your big personal secret is that after like, two weeks in town, you secured the most lucrative slaving contract in the region?" [20:52] "Congrats." [20:53] "And we were gone for like, a week in the middle there." [20:53] 6All of that is true. [20:54] 6Un-fucking-believable. [20:54] 14This isn't a backhanded compliment or anything; Piu seems genuinely impressed. [20:54] "Well. I felt terribly conflicted about it, but maybe I should not have, apparently. It's been eating me up for the last two weeks," 07she replies. [20:55] 10Daizo: "Have you already aided any Anathema?" 10We agreed that Sadako wasn't one, but… [20:55] 14Piu, slightly incredulous: "Why? You love slavery." [20:55] "Ohhh, right. The whole Skullstone thing." [20:57] "So, basically, it seems like our next real stop is Nn Tloc." [20:57] 6Zhangyu: "As it should have. Empress almighty." [20:57] "Meaning I should play that stuff up with Ted as much as possible?" [20:57] 6He's not going to bring up the slavery thing. [20:58] "No," 07she replies to Daizo. "But I expect it will come up when we next leave port. I have been wracking my brain to come up with a plan to displace Tloc, make the money, and dismantle the network before Skullstone can overthrow the Satrapy. I think Ted is the key to that, but I can't quite decide how to do it. I think the Hinokuni exhibition could play a role..." [21:02] 14Piu: "Technically we're past the exhibitions; after the-- oh. You meant in general, not as a matter of tournament scoring." [21:02] "Right." [21:02] 10Daizo looks relieved. Things are bad, but they're not as bad as they could be. [21:06] 6Zhangyu: "I had... hoped, that my fighting could contribute. To that. I was clearly mistaken." [21:07] 4Piu: "Whattaya mean? Aren't you in?" [21:07] "I am. It still exists." [21:07] 6He shrugs. [21:08] 10Daizo: "I'm going to need a new alias. Hah." [21:12] 07Dryas: "I suppose we still need more information? Maybe we can get it during the Hinokuni. We need to find out the extent of Nn Tloc's network - and its weak spots. He has a bevy of utterly terrified mortal staff. We also need to find out how Ted fits in. And who the sorcerer is. Then we can make a call on what to do about Ted and Hedrin." [21:13] 10Daizo: "Will they even be holding the Hinokuni until the city settles down a bit?" [21:13] 14Piu: "Either way, I've got Ted on the hook. I will be walking out of here over to his table, and then developing that relationship further." [21:14] 6Zhangyu:: "...we can ask." [21:14] "You're right, they probably won't," 07Dryas concedes. "We'll need to act now, then." 07To Piu: "Are you sure he doesn't know we're on to him?" [21:14] 6Piu. Please be slightly less horny. [21:15] 14Piu: "If he does know, he's content to play the game, given that we're still alive." [21:15] 14Piu: "He needs options in this city as much as we do -- if not more." [21:16] 6It is concerning that he's still in town. [21:16] "Besides, if I make eyes at him, go into the backroom, and then come out and ignore him, he'll know something's up." [21:17] 07Dryas: "You're right, we can't let on that we suspect something." [21:17] 10Daizo: "If I were Ted, or his accomplices, I'd be thrilled to have word that several mysterious Dynasts were seen atop Hamoji when the deed wes done." [21:17] 4Zhangyu. No. [21:17] "He may even spread rumors to that effect." [21:18] 14Piu: "There was a full military response. We fought The Feathered One. He won't have to help that news along in the slightest, I don't think." [21:19] 07Dryas: "So what else can we do to unravel these conspiracies? Before turning them to our own ends?" [21:20] 14Piu: "We have to manage and protect Ratel through all of this." [21:20] "Yes, Ratel has to be insulated." [21:21] "Kou's already accused us of treason multiple times and will clearly be working against us. There's no guarantee that Hedrin won't use that for her own convenience. Kou's annoying, but the fact that the Eye is letting her maintain such an active role means that while she'll bitch and moan, in the end she'll do as she's told." [21:21] 6I'm just saying. We could kill him. [21:21] 6We shouldn't. But we could. [21:22] 14If we kill him then you need to find Piu a better hookup. [21:22] 07He's the bait. [21:22] 10Daizo: "I've been meaning to study the idol we recovered from Carmine Road's island. I still intend to do so." [21:22] "Perhaps Carmine Road itself could be used as a form of leverage." [21:22] 14Piu: "Nice." [21:23] 6think about it we could do it [21:23] 6Sorry, what? Ha ha yeah just ignore me. [21:23] "Nn Tloc knows we have it, if he's not a fool. A hint here and there could give us a string to tug on." [21:26] 10Daizo: "Perhaps. I was thinking of a more proactive kind of leverage." [21:26] "I want to see if it can be controlled." [21:27] 14Piu: "Sounds dangerous. I like it." [21:27] 10As soon as the words escape Daizo's lips,a pang strikes him. Isn't this hubris? Arrogance? Against the proper order of things? [21:28] 6Cousin. Relax. [21:28] 10So is Ted. So is Skullstone. So is whatever captivated Peleps Furia so.  [21:29] 07Dryas nods. "That's our leads. We're still looking for a sorcerer, and whoever had all those people tailing us during the pilgrimage. Keep an eye out for mangy yellow dogs. " [21:29] 14Piu: "Understood." [21:29] "I'll leave first. Distract the bar. The rest of you can slip out." [21:29] "I'll be back late." [21:31] 6Handsomely: "I can do that." 6:D [21:31] "Stay frosty," 07Dryas suggests. [21:31] 10Daizo: "Be careful." [21:32] 4Piu: "Please, Dryas. I'm no ice queen." [21:32] 4Fully in character, she heads back to the floor. 15[21:38] A night passes. People settle into the beds they want to settle in. 15[21:39] The air is still bad the next morning, but the wind has settled. People go about their business in Abalone, many holding cloth to their faces or wearing veils to keep the ash out of their noses and throats. [21:39] 4mmmm [21:41] 07It's an early morning, then. Dryas makes her rounds - the stables, to check on Diamond Weapon, breakfast at the hostel to converse with Pale Moke and check in on Sadako, polite conversation with any of the other sailors and passengers of the Defiance, and then she's looking for her hearthmates. 15[21:41] When the kinship arrives at Nn Tloc's manor, his guards are wearing full silver masks, eyes and snarling mouths covered by thin, tight screens. Who addresses them? [21:41] 4Piu returned sometime in the early morning, napped lazily, and then got straight to her exercises before bathing and preparing for the meeting with Nn Tloc. [21:42] 4She's wearing her favorite necklace. [21:43] "Gentlemen!" 07Dryas exclaims brightly, drawing aside her Delzahn-style veil. [21:43] 10Sleep takes its time coming for Daizo. It turns out to be difficult ro find a comfortable position, and when he eventually does drift off, magma, ashes, and many less comprehehensible things fill his dreamscape. [21:44] "Hee hee!" 4Piu's back to being something of an ornament. Short-cut robes today, no combat wraps. [21:45] 6Zhangyu will bow politely and shake hands -- he's a good lad. And not a weirdo. Formal robes, blue and white. 15[21:49] The guards open the doors at once, though the hearth has to push through a heavy beaded curtain to get inside. The four of them are asked to wait by a permanently quailing young man in servant's clothes. "The Factor is seeing someone just now and will be with you shortly. Would any of you like anything to eat or drink or smoke while you wait?" [21:49] 10He's looking a little bleary-eyed when they arrive at Nn Tloc's place. And he's far outshone by the others in terms of fashion—the cape Zhangyu lent him clashes with a green-and-golden kataginu. [21:49] 4Piu: "I'll have a drink! Something fruity and strong!" 15[21:50] How well does the cape obscure Daizo's wings? [21:50] 6Zhangyu shakes his head. Do not trust anything from here. [21:50] 6His cape was VERY large, for the record. [21:50] 4Piu's opinion remains that Daizo should split the cape down the middle and hang each trailing half in the crook of each wing, to create trailing streamers. 15[21:51] Piu is brought something in a wide, flared glass that tastes of rum, citrus, and raw sugar. [21:51] 14Piu doesn't trust the drink, but she's a connoisseur of poisons and it's time to scout. [21:51] 07Dryas looks at the little man, evaluating him for a moment. [21:51] 6Sweetheart, no... [21:53] 10They stick out a little bit to the sides, when folded. It's not entirely clear that they're wings, but any observer looking at Daizo will see that something is protruding from his back, 15[21:55] Piu is very confident that this drink is not poisoned. Even a poisoner of surpassing skill, working with the most delicate substance, would've left some trace... and the combination of acidic citrus and alcoholic rum renders almost all conventional poisons inert. 15[21:56] Dryas only needs to look briefly at the boy to know that he is terrified for his life, and would do virtually anything to the person who could get him out and guarantee his safety. 15[21:56] *for the person [21:57] 07The corner of Dryas' mouth twitches slightly. [21:58] 4Bottoms up, then! As they say. [21:59] 6Wait, who says that. 15[21:59] The office doors fly open, and a boisterous, honking laugh emerges, followed by Nn Tloc's own cold, clipped chuckle. [22:00] 10Daizo looks like he's listening for something, a faraway voice perhaps. Nn Tloc's mansion had the reputation of being haunted, but it doesn't appear to be so far.  15[22:00] "Great, absolutely perfect. We're going to be rich, you know." This from a man much taller than Nn Tloc, whose puffy face has stretched into a mirthful smile so wide it pinched his eyes shut. [22:00] 6No seriously who says that 15[22:00] Nn Tloc meets awful smile with awful smile. "Of course, we already are." 15[22:01] The other man laughs again. 15[22:04] Then they both look at the hearth. The tall man speaks first. "Oooh, what beautiful people you consort with, Lock. Nothing like as glamourous as the Isle, of course -- you simply must let us bring you out." He looks at them expectantly, as if waiting for them to recognize him. 15[22:06] Daizo does. This is Ragara Takoye, the famous inventor and magnate! A true wunderkind, they say - designed an essence glider a patrician can fly, frictionless wagons that don't stall out in dusty mines... people of means are always rushing to fund his next great idea. 15[22:06] Ragara Takoye: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE7e4MkZGXY - I swear, my mind blows my mind! [22:07] 6This is a hard no. 15[22:09] Piu also knows him as a relentless social climber who, along with his wife, one of the Dynasty's pre-eminent musicians, have been cutting a swath through both high society and the labor market. [22:09] 10Daizo: "Your reputation precedes you, Ragara Takoye. Are you working with Nn Tloc to civilize the West?" [22:09] 4She giggles. "Hi there Takky~!" [22:09] 14Does that get a rise? [22:10] 07Dryas smiles widely - though she still isn't sure who it might be, she knows what kind of person he is: and offers a businesslike bow. "Cynis Dryas," 07she introduces herself. 15[22:11] Takoye smiles, somehow, even wider. His accent is peculiar; Takoye is a Lost Egg, a satrap's son who took the second breath overseeing his father's emerald mine. "Lovely to meet you all." [22:11] 6Zhangyu knows that name. Holy shit. "Takoyaki," 6he settles upon. Rude! But fair. [22:12] 6No seriously. He earned that. Fucking asshole. [22:13] 6Zhangyu knows what happened to his kids. 15[22:14] Takoye cranes his neck up to meet Daizo in the eyes. "My friend, we are on a mission to save the world." [22:15] "From what?" 07Dryas asks, surprised. [22:15] 10Another misfit. Daizo can sympathize with that. "Who isn't, these days? Ahaha." 15[22:18] Takoye honk-laughs again. "Well, I'll let you get in to see the Factor. Maybe we'll see each other again!" [22:20] "Of course!" 07Dryas chirps. [22:20] 14... 15[22:21] Takoye strides out into the smog. 15[22:21] Nn Tloc: "..............good morning! Come on in." [22:21] 10Daizo half-bows. The wings twitch but don't unfurl. [22:22] 6Good job, cousin. 15[22:23] Nn Tloc pours himself a double of rum and gestures for people to help themselves at the bar. Then he thinks better of it and makes it a triple. "Very... very high-energy guy." 15[22:23] He sits behind his desk. "What can I do for you?" [22:24] Zhangyu does not drink. [22:24] 6Zhangyu does not drink. [22:24] 07Did he remember that enormous ledger? Certainly Dryas wasn't going to lug it around. [22:25] 6Look: shut up. [22:26] 07Dryas: "Good morning, my dear. We've come on behalf of Commodore Peleps Ratel, who had a variety of questions concerning this ledger we discovered among the Siaka Archipelago, which we had previously, privately discussed to some extent." 15[22:27] Long pull from the glass; Tloc doesn't blink. "Do go on." [22:27] 6No, for real. Do. [22:27] 10Daizo produces the item in question, showing it off before Tloc. Good thing someone here's reliable. [22:28] 6Two someones. Cousin. [22:30] 10And which one of us had to go back to the hostelry and get it?  [22:30] 10That's right. [22:32] "I will relay her questions and concerns. She noted a number of trades of molasses for rum. Here, here, here," 07says Dryas, pointing to specific entries. "She had indicated her intention to come here herself to ask for an explanation, given the lack of distilleries, sugar fields, and so forth on the islands in question..." [22:32] 4Piu finishes her drink. "Uwaaaa! Bartender! Another!" 15[22:32] Piu is promptly supplied with another drink. [22:33] 07Dryas: "However, after speaking with her myself, we agreed it was more efficient for her to delegate this task to myself. And my colleagues." 15[22:33] Nn Tloc is very still and silent for a long moment. [22:34] 07Dryas smiles widely. "I believe there is a straightforward explanation, however," 07she breaks the silence. 15[22:34] The factor perks up immediately. "I'd be interested to hear it." [22:37] "Why, spoilage, of course. Now I know, both rum and molasses are preservatives. Of course! That's why they're offloaded from time to time to make room for other cargo - that does spoil. Like the bananas, which I believe grew in some numbers on the islet in question," 07Dryas states. 15[22:39] Nn Tloc: "That would make sense. I've never been to the island in question, and I understand our man there has been, ah, depopulated." 15[22:39] "So that ledger is really the only evidence of what happened there." [22:39] 4Chipperly: "Testimony is evidence!" [22:40] 10Bananas. Right. Although there's been worse excuses offered to magistrates. 15[22:41] Nn Tloc taps his fingers on the table. Somewhere outside the office there's the sound of a door slamming one, two, three times. [22:43] "You're right, Piu, testimony is evidence! How - unfortunate - then, that the sole survivor doesn't remember a thing!" 07Dryas replies. 15[22:44] Nn Tloc watches, his face expressionless, waiting. [22:44] 6His name is Colt, right? Like. Come on. [22:45] "Are people usually slamming doors in this building?" 10Daizo leans over to Piu and whispers. [22:45] 6Tloc. Come the heck on. [22:45] 14Piu: "No. Be prepared." [22:46] 6Always. [22:46] 10Well, that's concerning.  [22:49] "Well, I think given the reasonable explanation we've discovered together, we can have a clean report for the Commodore," 07Dryas continues. 15[22:52] "That's true. That's very true. In that spirit of partnership, I wonder if there's something I can do for you?" [22:58] 07Dryas: "I would love if you could get me the name and whereabouts of every sorcerer here on Abalone with experience in demon summoning. And, perhaps, a bottle to take back to the Commodore," 07she replies. 15[22:59] Nn Tloc: "Mnemon Dusk was a sorcerer. Though I assume you mean alive." [22:59] 4Innocently: "Can she summon demons when she's dead?" 15[23:00] "I sure hope not. This isn't Skullstone." 15[23:00] "Oh! That reminds me." 15[23:01] "The, ah, what's his name. The pretty boy who fights in the ring. He introduced me to his friend, they were here to pay for contacts." 15[23:01] "Todd?" 15[23:02] "No..." [23:03] 4Chirping: "Ted!" [23:03] 14He already knows. And he definitely doesn't think his name is 'Todd.' 15[23:04] "Right! Ted. Sharp kid. His friend, you should ask for her. Her name was..." [23:04] 10Poker face. P-p-p-poker face.  [23:04] 6Wait. I'm the pretty boy who fights in-- 15[23:04] Nn Tloc furrows his brow. "It's slipping my mind. Let me check my appointment book." [23:05] 10Zhangyu's just gonna have to get prettier. [23:05] 6He is literally as pretty as he can be. [23:06] 07Zhangyu is gorgeous. Not pretty. [23:06] 6That's fair. 15[23:07] Nn Tloc flips through a ledger the size of the one Daizo lugged around, clucking his tongue. "Right, yeah, here's the date. Here's Tad, no, Ted - sorry, my handwriting's not great - and... huh. I must've forgotten to write it down." [23:07] 4Piu giggles. 15[23:08] "She looked..." He traces a vague feminine shape in the air, while waving up and down slightly as if he can't decide what height to place his hand at. "It's completely slipping my mind, I'm sorry." [23:09] 6Zhangyu: "She?" 15[23:09] "I'm... yes, I'm sure she was a woman." [23:10] "Sorcerers," 07Dryas says sympathetically. [23:10] 6Xie? They sound similar. [23:10] 10So either Dryas needs to pay up again to improve Tloc's memory, or Piu needs to go find the Ted's Ex-Girlfriends Club. [23:10] 4We're not dating. [23:11] 6Condolences on your breakup. [23:11] 4Wow! We'll talk about this later. You little shit. 15[23:11] "I can give you the address of where he's staying, if you want." [23:11] 10The Piu's Ex-Fuckbuddies Club would have been crass. [23:12] 10Ted's. Whatever. Slip of the mind. [23:12] "That'll work," 07Dryas replies. "How about we make it three bottles though, for our time?" [23:12] 4It's far more respectable for a Dynast to casually fuck an Anathema than court him. 15[23:12] "Take your pick," he says as he scrawls down Ted's address, which Piu can confirm is accurate. [23:15] 4Piu won't visually confirm unless Dryas asks her to. No need to give so much away. [23:16] "Piu, why don't you make the selection?" 07Dryas asks in a low tone. It's excellent stuff, maybe something to lure out the kind of person Ted might keep around? [23:20] "Sure!" [23:21] 4The airheaded ditz flounces over and selects the three best bottles in the collection, representing a wide range of taste, flavor, and crafting methods; one popular hall of famer and two incredibly artsy, professional picks. [23:22] 6Good job. Also, good selections. 15[23:23] Piu peruses Nn Tloc's expansive liquor cabinet and comes up with three bottles. One of them is a large bottle of outrageously old Pneuman whiskey - you can identify them because the front label is just a series of musical notes and the back label is a quote from scripture. Ratel will like that. She also selects a tall, slender bottle full of clear liquid that changes colors as she 15[23:23] disturbs it. There's a famous story about this - the Fruits of Enigma, a drink that always reminds you of home. 15[23:25] She feels an urge to double take when she sees the last bottle. It's small - barely larger than a flask, and totally opaque glass. 15[23:26] What does the label say? [23:30] 14Peversely Perfect Mirror. [23:30] 14...This will do. 15[23:31] Nn Tloc: "Huh! Forgot I had that. Got it in Nexus years and years ago." 15[23:31] "You know what it is?" [23:32] 4Piu: "It's a mind-bender, baby!" 15[23:32] Nn Tloc: "Enjoy. Bottle's still unopened." [23:32] 6Zhangyu: "That's legal?" 15[23:33] At this, Nn Tloc cackles. [23:33] 14Nothing is legal. Everything is permitted. 15[23:33] "He asks if it's legal." 15[23:33] "You are a cut up." [23:33] 6Zhangyu: "That was a legitimate question..." [23:34] 14Piu's voice changes slightly. "As far as the Factor is concerned, 'legal' is a question of children and trade deals." [23:34] "Not liquor." [23:35] 14The bottles are firmly in her hand, and she's across the room. [23:35] 6You!! 15[23:35] Nn Tloc: "Pleasure doing business with you all." Nn Tloc looks up sharply and waggles his fingers. The doors to his office fly open with a bang, and the eavesdropping servants collapse to the floor, scrambling to their feet in a panic. The carpet seems to resist their purchase for a moment before they come, panting, to their feet. 15[23:35] Nn Tloc: "See my friends out, then come back and see me." 15[23:35] "You all have a lovely day." [23:35] 4Piu: "Let's go!" [23:36] 07Dryas gives Tloc a little wave on her way out the door. [23:37] 07Although - are either of these servants ones she's seen before? 15[23:37] One of them is. 15[23:37] The boy from earlier. [23:38] 14When they're far enough away: "I'm keeping the Mirror. For reasons." [23:38] "We're going to have to do something about that man if you want this to be sustainable, Dryas." [23:38] "May your obols never lose their luster." 10Daizo turns to go. Tloc gets a good view of his back. [23:39] 6Zhangyu: "Hang on. What just happened." [23:39] "I don't know what happened but it's wrong." [23:39] "We met the stupidest, shittiest man in Creation, and then went into a meeting with a violent sociopath." [23:40] "Sorry if I was not clear last night," 07Dryas replies. "I want to gain leverage over him and his commercial empire, and then turn it into my commercial empire." [23:41] 14Piu: "You were clear. Just naive." [23:41] "That man will not permit leverage." [23:41] "You're going to have to kill him." [23:42] "Well." [23:42] "We are." [23:42] 07Dryas: "What do you mean, we just gained and used leverage over him a moment ago. Did you see him squirming?" [23:43] 6Zhangyu: "Define 'we', because I'm concerned." [23:43] "...What do you think is happening to his servants right now?" [23:43] 6!! [23:44] 6Zhangyu is about to sprint out of here and start wrecking people. For the record. [23:45] 10Daizo: "The only time I saw him look anything but impassive was when he was trying to describe the sorcerer." 10He sighs. "Those servants are at the very least getting the tar beaten out of them. Hopefully no more than that." [23:45] 14She turns to Zhangyu. "Don't you fucking do it." [23:46] "But what are we going to do right now? If we throw down with his guards we'll only be drawing more attention to ourselves." [23:46] "We're not ready for that fight." [23:46] 6Zhangyu freezes. [23:46] "And he's a sadist. They'll live." [23:47] 10Daizo: "It doesn't sit with me either, Cousin. It doesn't sit with me at all." [23:47] 6Zhangyu: "We just... let this happen?" [23:47] 14To Dryas: "You want to keep this man in place as, what, your functionary? You want to assimilate his empire, and leave him in charge of it?" [23:48] "I don't like to think that far ahead," 07she replies. [23:48] 6That's fair. [23:49] 14Piu: "That's the good thing about killing people. There's no long-term planning for the relationship." [23:50] 6They can't get mad at you afterwards. That's just the facts. [23:50] 14She offers the two mundane bottles. "Cheers." [23:51] 07Dryas: "The problem with the Guild is that if we leave the job half-finished, we might as well have not done a thing. If I just wanted to kill him, I'd drag him out of the mansion and ride him down on a pleasant afternoon with a bottle of wine, a quiver of arrows, and a pouch of blow." [23:51] 10Daizo: "We let it happen because adding more chaos to the city as it is now is like throwing pure distilled alcohol on a fire." [23:51] "When this is all over, though…" [23:52] 14Piu: "All that says to me is that you don't know shit about killing people, Dryas." [23:52] "For fuck's sake. He's not a peasant." [23:53] "He's not a Dynast," 07she points out. [23:53] 6Zhangyu: "We are doing that though. Right?" [23:54] 07Dryas: "We find the contours of his empire. Then strike once we have it all in place. If we do it right, we don't even have to do it ourselves. Some other Guild big fish, or someone like that absolutely dreadful Ragara fellow do it for us, and we just quietly step in and get rich before anyone notices." [23:54] 14Piu: "If I had to guess he's some kind of Anathema, so I doubt he gives a shit, and I doubt either of us could drag him out of anywhere on our own. If we're going to kill him, it won't be a holiday. It'll be a plan, and by the time he ever sees us, he'll be half dead. It'll be a real fox hunt." [23:55] 10Daizo: "When we act, we need to act decisively and with overwhelming force." [23:55] "Well, now you're speaking my language," 07Dryas practically purrs back at Piu and Daizo. [23:55] 6Zhangyu: "Not a problem." [23:55] 14...To be honest, she didn't expect this hearth to be so completely on the same page. [23:56] 6We're bad people. [23:56] 14She was afraid she'd regret the oath. She doesn't. 15[23:56] NEXT TIME: The fault in our stars