15[20:10] He looks to be about thirty, shaved nearly bald. Soaked through with rain, pushed into mud, and spattered with blood - some of which is his own, now. 15[20:11] He sits on a stool surrounded by the kinship that forced him to yield, hands bound by a strong and snug strap of notched black leather. Only the gently swirling violet starfields of his irises give any impression of movement. 15[20:11] He has given his name, inexplicably, as 66 Night Marks the Hunter. 15[20:11] Now what? [20:12] 14Piu: "I'm still not clear on where the margin was for you in taking credit for my kill." [20:16] 10Daizo folds his arms and unconsciously pulls in the wings a little. He's begun to think along an altogether unsettling line: what, exactly, has Heaven's killer done to directly harm any of them, bar Sadako and Seiri? Shit. Wait. Just Sadako.  [20:16] He's been extremely useful, if not particularly helpful. If that [20:16] 14He's been extremely useful, if not particularly helpful. If that makes sense. 15[20:17] 66: "I needed an alibi for the attack on your living dead girl. And to reveal some of the truth is to convince many, if not most that you have revealed the truth entire. It would have held longer if you hadn't grown so thick and fast with these others." 15[20:17] "I judged that, were I to admit I was a killer, almost everyone would take my word at for whom, and you would be unable to contradict me." [20:18] 14Piu wonders idly how much he really knows about her. That second sentence was a bit too knowingly smug. [20:19] 14Piu: "Fair enough. Your actual kill of Ted -- much less utility-based. Was that the mission, or was he in the way?" [20:19] "You were extracting information when we arrived, after all." 15[20:20] 66: "Is 'Ted' what he told you his name was?" [20:23] 14Piu: "Yes. But it's also just more wieldy than the six word long one." 15[20:24] 66: "And even that name is a mask. To be Chosen of Death is to have your true name ripped away. There's barely any less of him left now than there was yesterday." 15[20:25] "But none of this answers your question. I'd identified two potential targets for elimination, and I had reason to believe that your Ted would have leads on my mission." [20:26] 6Zhangyu: "And then we made a house call." 15[20:27] "I lingered too long at the site. We upbraid operatives far more junior than I am for mistakes like that. You humbled me." [20:27] 14Piu: "Well, I can't say our relationship was purely professional or that I won't hold it against you. But I understand how the business works." [20:27] "Did he have leads?" 15[20:28] 66 nods. [20:29] 14It's unlikely to get an answer, but it should be asked directly: "Who are your targets?" [20:30] 6Worth a shot, really. 15[20:30] Piu guessed right. "That's classified." [20:31] 14She nods. "I'm guessing this is one of those even-io-death-I-serve things with you, so I don't really see the efficacy in threatening torture." [20:31] *even-in 15[20:33] 66: "Truthfully, I've never found torture to be very effective to begin with. People will talk, eventually, but the fear of pain opens people up. Pain simply drives them mad." [20:33] 14Piu: "On that we agree." [20:33] 14Of course, sometimes driving them mad is the job. But that probably also doesn't need to be said out loud. [20:34] 10Poor Zhangyu. Now he'll never get to try out that "constable killer" he was so eager to show off. [20:34] 14Oh, he'll get his chances. [20:34] 14Just maybe not with this guy. [20:35] 6(sighing dreamily) [20:35] 14To 66: "Something I keep getting from you whenever we talk about this stuff, like what you said about Ted there, and what you'd said about Sadako before -- there's a personal aspect to this. Or some dimension of moral judgment." [20:37] 07Dryas shakes her head as if waking for a moment, sending an orchid petal floating through the still air of the brig. [20:37] 10Speaking of fear, 66 certainly doesn't appear to be showing any.  [20:39] 14He's got the self-assurance of a fanatic. 15[20:39] 66: "For most assassins, an earned kill is rare. I'm blessed in that I am only asked to kill people I would kill for free." [20:39] 14I suppose he would say 'true believer.' [20:40] 14Piu: "Up until now we've had mutual antagonism, but also mutual utility." 14She taps the back of her hand where the new mark is. "Has this changed that equation?"{ 15[20:41] 66: "Not my department." [20:41] "Mmmm." [20:41] "What is your department? You work for something called the Bureau of Destiny?" 07Dryas chips in. 15[20:43] 66: "Yes. Within the Bureau there are five divisions, and within each division there as many ministries as our mandate demands. The oldest ministry in my division is Hollow Crown. Our remit is political equilibrium." [20:45] 10Daizo: "The gods in heaven have their own All-Seeing Eye, then. That's… rather disappointing." 15[20:46] 66: "I don't think the Cloister will have much use for a man disappointed to learn that gods and men don't always get along." [20:49] 14Piu is absolutely certain if they hand this man over to Kou he will be gone by morning, unless he finds it useful to remain. So the question will be: do they risk the governor's further ire to execute him now? ...A question best left for after all the other questions have been asked, maybe. [20:50] 10Daizo snorts. "And that makes you the intercessors? Do you get to skim a little off the top when it's the Maidens' days on the calendar?" 15[20:51] "I'm salaried. Commissions are for contractors." 15[20:52] "But as it happens, yes, we are paid in prayer-stuff." 15[20:52] "Yu-Shan has little use for what Dynasts consider their talents." [20:54] "I can already tell you're not fond of us." 10Damn it, why did they have to wind up like this? There's a hundred, five hundred things he'd want to ask the man. [20:54] 10There's someone else Daizo can ask, though. [20:55] 14Piu: "Fond doesn't really enter into it. He's a professional, and right now he thinks he needs to keep us talking with him to live. Which is a reasonable deduction, I'd say." 15[20:56] 66: "I have more respect for you than I do your kin. But I've seen enough of you rise and fall to come to the opinion that you don't add up to much." 15[20:56] "But I'm not omniscient. Perhaps you'll humble me again." [20:56] 14On that, Iselsi would agree. [20:57] 6Here's hoping. [20:58] 14Piu: "Your ability to change your face -- and to be forgotten -- would be quite useful, but I assume it is a gift from your own brand rather than something a sifu can teach a student without one." 15[20:59] "I wish it were a gift. There's a lot of paperwork involved." [21:02] 10Daizo: "Even a carp may jump over the gate and become a dragon. Don't count us out." 15[21:03] 66: "Very true. But the only thing a dragon can become is a dead dragon." [21:05] 10Ughhh. Why does he have these comebacks you can't answer to? It's infuriating. [21:06] 14There's probably classes. 15[21:08] 66: "May I ask you all a question?" [21:08] "Fine." 15[21:08] "What would you consider success or failure on this mission?" [21:10] "The glory is in the chase, not the catch," 07did Dryas stutter on the "k" there? 15[21:11] 66: "We have a similar expression in the Bureau. 'Trust the process.'" [21:11] 14The real answer here is 'drawing it out long enough to achieve all of my and our real goals,' but he doesn't get that for free. "A successful line drawn through Peleps Furia's name in the ledger, without too-burdensome oversight." [21:11] 10Daizo: "Success? A definitive answer of what happened to Furia's fleet. An epochal success if it turned out she was on the right trail after all." [21:12] "Failure, we die or sink or get eaten by s sea monster or just find… nothing at all." [21:13] "Failure generally looks the same everywhere, yes." [21:14] 6Zhangyu: "An answer and then a new posting. Same as ever." 15[21:18] 66: "Thank you. I'm satisfied. Are you?" [21:19] 14Piu: "No one has any use for a satisfied Dynast." 15[21:19] "Which is a pity, considering how many nations live and die to satisfy them." [21:20] "But if you mean just with regards to this conversation...well, we can be honest with each other. Either we kill you here, or we hand you over to the governor, which is tantamount to giving you your release. To what extent do you envision our paths crossing again, if we do that?" [21:21] "This guy has got an answer for everything," 07Dryas notes quietly, and irritatedly. [21:21] 14Piu is not about to get into a rejoinder-off with the smug bureaucrat who has been doing this forever. Eyes on the prize. 15[21:23] 66: "As I said at the house, your mission and mine intersect ultimately. If you and I are both able to walk the path Fate has ordained, we will meet then. Beyond that... is not my decision, nor yours. We all have our masters." [21:25] 10Daizo: "I can only speak for myself, of course, but if you stay out of our way, I will be quite happy to stay out of yours." [21:26] 6Hrm. [21:26] 14Piu shrugs. "Fair enough. But next time...we go until we're satisfied." 15[21:26] "I would find that very agreeable." He looks at both Daizo and Piu as he says this. [21:26] "And you won't have much use for how that turns out." [21:27] 14She looks around at her hearthmates. "If there's nothing else, we should turn him over to Kou." [21:28] 6Grudgingly: "That would be for the best. We did our part." [21:28] "Mochi points with the governor," 07Dryas mutters. "There are others we could hand him over to. If there's a next time, maybe we should do that." [21:30] 14Evenly, with no trace of aggression or ill-will: "No. Next time we kill him." [21:30] 14She'll step out to get the guard. 15[21:33] Perhaps more concerning than it would be to hear Kou and Ratel screaming at each other, Piu doesn't hear anything at all. Two sailors stand outside the door, hands resting on saber hilts, looking to Piu for new orders. [21:33] 4Piu: "Hey! We're all done in here. Prisoner's ready to be handed over to the governor! [21:34] " [21:34] 14That is concerning. 15[21:34] Sailor one: "I'll go let them know, Lady Piu!" 15[21:34] Sailor B: "Do you need any help getting him out?" [21:34] 4Piu: "Nope! He should come along quietly." 15[21:35] "Aye aye!" [21:35] "Or we'll kick his ass again!" 15[21:35] Back in the room, 66 smiles for what must be the first time in your experience. 15[21:37] The kinship and their prisoner emerge on deck to an air thick with tension and humidity. The storm has broken, but the air sits hot and heavy in their lungs. Sailors, including the Cathak twins and Samperson, are backing up Ratel as she stares down the Governor, backed by her soldiers, who is very theatrically staring at a large hour glass someone has produced for her. 15[21:37] Everyone turns to look at the newcomers, including the muddied and bloodied Mnemon Salim. 15[21:38] Kou: "Well! 20 seconds to spare. How does it feel to follow an order for once in your life?" [21:38] 07As he walks past, Dryas gives a derisive - but revealing (to her) - sniff. [21:38] 14...Neat trick. [21:39] 4Piu will ignore the bitchy comment while saluting respectfully, then lean to whisper in Ratel's ear that they're satisfied with what they got. 15[21:39] Beneath the mud and the blood, Saturn's killer smells of dry and burnt things. [21:39] 07File that one away for a rainy day. 15[21:39] The Commodore stops grinding her teeth long enough to say, "I think we can all be proud of what we've done for the Realm today." [21:40] 6Zhangyu will just raise an eyebrow. 15[21:40] Kou waddles up to give Salim a once-over. "So this man killed Hedrin and an Anathema? He doesn't look like much." [21:42] "Maybe he isn't," 07Dryas observes. [21:42] 4Piu: "The element of surprise is a crucial and decisive aspect of warfare!" [21:43] 6Zhangyu: "Appearances are deceiving." 15[21:43] Salim tries to speak, but it comes out in a rasp. 15[21:43] Kou: "Wha? What was that?" 15[21:44] Salim hoarsely mouths words again. 15[21:44] Kou stands on tiptoe. "Don't fuck around with me." [21:44] 4Lady... 15[21:44] Salim leans just close enough to whisper in her ear, and her face goes white. 15[21:45] It's just a second. 15[21:45] The Governor backs away a step, eyes darting from member to member of the Defiance's senior staff. 15[21:46] Finally she says, in a subdued voice, "We'll take it from here." 15[21:46] Any final words or deeds before the Fangs release this man to the Governor's custody? [21:46] 07Hands on hips, pursed lips, Dryas is in a full-on pout. [21:46] 6Zhangyu cracks his neck. [21:48] 4Piu grins, 14but if Salim's eyes catch hers, the smile doesn't reach it. [21:48] 10Daizo: "Good luck, Governor. This one's a tough nut to crack." 15[21:50] Two strong women hoist the Governor up onto their shoulders and carry her off, the prisoner allowed to walk unmolested between more guards, as they descend the gangplank and return to the city. 15[21:50] Ratel: "...so what did we learn?" [21:51] 4Piu: "He's an Anathema-killer on a mission from Heaven. Won't reveal what it is but really, doesn't much matter. Ted was the Chosen of some kinda dead gods or something? Really freaky evil shit. So he wasn't really an accessory to Hamoji's death, just cleaning up a mess." 15[21:52] To Dryas in particular, she asks, "Did he get to you?" [21:52] "What?" 07she replies. 15[21:53] Ratel: "You seem put off. Did he upset you?" [21:55] 10Daizo: "Talking with the man is like wrestling with a hedgehog." [21:56] 4Piu: "I think he's really straightforward! He's just an asshole!" [21:56] 6Zhangyu: "Pain in the ass," 6he concurs. [21:56] "He was too... relatable," 07Dryas replies. [21:56] 6With Piu, not with Daizo, because that would be wrestling VERY wrong. 15[21:57] Ratel: "Heaven, huh? He must be after the Empress." 15[21:57] "Is he still a threat to us?" [21:57] "Ironically, I think I had a better conversation with him when I thought he was just a Black Lotus assassin." [21:58] "We came to an agreement not to get in his way if he doesn't get in ours." [21:58] "I don't think we will see him again anytime soon." [21:59] "But we will see him again. [21:59] " 15[21:59] Ratel: "Then he doesn't matter anymore. Take the evening. We're back to work tomorrow." [21:59] 4Piu: "Yes ma'am!" [21:59] 07Dryas: "Is the port going to reopen?" [22:00] 4Piu makes a mental note to do something with Ratel soon. Date night or something. Maybe with Caxi. Make her think it's her idea. Both to maintenance the relationship for work, and because she seems stressed. 15[22:00] Ratel: "Yes, they'll be reopening the port over the next couple of hours." [22:02] "Wonderful." 07Dreadful. 15[22:03] Then she's gone below decks. Samperson gets the sailors back to work. Things are... mostly back to normal? 15[22:03] But the air's still so heavy. [22:03] 14Piu will pull Samperson aside for a status update disguised as something seedier. Then she'll be ready for real work. 15[22:04] The sky is red with sunset, and Hamoji's making it stick, staining an ugly, wounded color from horizon to horizon. [22:04] 4Too bad about that guy. Oh well! 15[22:04] Caedus takes the report in stride. How does Piu respond to his asking after her well-being as Ratel did Dryas? [22:04] "I have to speak with Catela. But then I have an unpleasant appointment," 07Dryas explains to the Tepets once Piu disappears. [22:05] 14With evenness, but she doesn't resent the question. [22:05] 14She's fine. Dealing with a rival from Heaven can be stressful. [22:05] 14But the situation is improving. [22:05] 10Daizo mumbles "…and malms to go before I sleep…" 15[22:06] That seems to satisfy Caedus, who lingers in the parting kiss before letting her go. [22:06] 14Mmmmm. [22:06] 4Back on deck, to Dryas: "So! This is good for crime, right?" [22:07] "The port reopening and whatever." [22:08] 07Dryas: "It's too soon. Too soon and I still don't have a plan. I've barely even begun collecting a team!" [22:10] 07Dryas: "But I'm supposed to pick up a delivery tonight. I'll have to speak with Catela to make sure she doesn't get too curious. Maybe we can play for time on the handoff? Or... steal the package back afterwards??" [22:10] 4Piu: "I do have a history of dressing up in costumes and hurting people anonymously!" [22:11] 4Gotta make talking about contract killing sound like talking about sex work in public. [22:12] "You know how the Guild operates. They'll go to ground and we'll lose our chance," 07she retorts. [22:13] 10An ever-lengthening scroll begins to unfurl in Daizo's mind's eye as he watches the sunset. If he dropped everything and went to the temple library, he could probably spend an entire week in there researching all of the things he's learned today. What are these True Runes? Where did the Chosen of Death come from? Are there any records of these Heavenly meddlers? And so on, and so on, and so on…  [22:15] 10He forces the scroll to roll up and ties a ribbon around it.  [22:16] 14More seriously: "Your other option is to seriously engage in slave trading, so." [22:17] 10Daizo: "Piu. Sorry to butt in here. There's someone else who needs to know about Ted." [22:18] 14Piu: "Hmm?" [22:19] "His sorcerer friend. The Witch of the Far Side provided me with a method that should allow us to contact her." [22:20] 6Zhangyu's sticking around for a bit unless someone desperately needs muscle for some sort of collective goal, but he's already got dreams of future spars in his head... [22:21] 14Piu sighs. "...Right, yes. Probably a good idea." [22:21] "Otherwise they'll come looking." [22:23] 10Daizo: "Also, you know how Salim introduced himself as 'sixty-six"? When I was listening in to the house I distinctly heard him say 'forty-nine'. And he said it like someone's name." [22:23] "I think that's our sorcerer." [22:23] "He wasn't pleased at all, either." [22:25] 07Dryas: "We can deal with that. But as far as the slave business goes, I see we have two - no, three - options. Other than going through with the deal as arranged. One is, I go to the harbormaster's office and make a mess of the reopening, and we strike Nn Tloc tomorrow." [22:26] "Two is, we accept the package but use some degree of fraud, trickery, and real and feigned incompetence to flub the delivery. We have an Anathema in the hold of the Leaf for a few weeks while we sort it out, then we strike Nn Tloc when we're more prepared." [22:26] 10Daizo: "You, uh. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to. But I thought I'd let you know I plan to make the attempt." [22:27] "Third is, we accept the delivery, make the handoff, and then in a daring escapade, steal it back from the pirates. Hopefully without revealing ourselves prematurely." [22:27] 07Dryas: "And Daizo, I'd like to be there. But I need to finish formulating this plan." [22:27] 14Piu's being pulled a couple different ways here. [22:27] 6Zhangyu: "Do you want me there? I can't imagine Hinokuni is doing anything tonight other than gossip." 15[22:27] Gossip and grieve. [22:28] 14...But the hearth is making it easier. [22:28] 6Yes, thank you. [22:28] 6...maybe he should be there for that, actually? [22:30] 10Daizo: "Got it. Er… let me know if there's any way for me to assist you in your own plan." [22:30] 10He has no instincts for this crime thing at all, despite all that talk about the only way out being through and what-have-you. [22:30] 4Piu: "Before any of that, I could use an hour or two to recuperate. It's been a busy day." [22:39] 07After a brief conversation with the Harbormaster, Dryas is able to avail on him the importance of following the proper procedures - and then letting the real lubberly, pig-handling, slow and unwieldy ships are the first to make their way past the reefs out of port. It should keep faster ships like the Leaf and the Defiance at anchor for quite some time. 15[22:42] Dryas has no trouble finding Catela where the Leaf is moored - she's up on deck, talking to two of Dryas's privateers. Everyone looks shipshape and ready to embark on a journey. [22:44] "Commander!" 07Dryas exclaims in a friendly tone as she surveys the situation. [22:44] 10Daizo's going to rustle up Seiri and find out where you can buy flowers at twilight in Abalone. Or, failing that, where there's a particularly nice garden that isn't closely watched. 15[22:46] Seiri's happy to tell him, and even come along if he likes. What are they for? [22:47] 14Piu heads back to her cabin and immediately crashes. For real this time, no extracurriculars with Caedus. The three hour nap does her a world of good. 15[22:49] Catela salutes. "My lady. The Drifting Leaf is ready to sail at your command." [22:49] "Somebody that I don't know very well yet, but hope to soon." 15[22:49] Seiri's eyes go wide. 15[22:49] "Gosh!" 15[22:50] "What's their name??" [22:50] "It's a secret." [22:50] 10His reputation is going to be ruined after this. [22:50] 6Zhangyu retreats to his quarters to contemplate the events of the day so far. [22:51] 6Not what he would have wanted, frankly. But also nothing to be done at this point. [22:51] "The port's been reopened, although who knows what that daft harbormaster has done. We need to talk about the next stage of the voyage." 07Dryas gives a Meaningful Look to her privateers. [22:52] 4When Piu emerges, she's wearing mourning colors but as part of a functional fighting outfit. Probably strikes the best balance between funereal and combat wear for Hinokuni. 15[22:52] Seiri, who is somehow even more excited now, mimes locking her lips with a tiny key. Then she mimes reversing it because she forgot to answer the question. "Bukari up the Shine Way should have some lovely peonies. No one will be out because of the rain. Good luck!!" Locked again, she dashes off. [22:53] 4Nerd!! 15[22:53] The privateers all find business elsewhere, giving Dryas and the Commander some privacy. [22:54] 10What a good kid.  15[22:55] Piu and Zhangyu find Hinokuni looks rather different. The ceiling lamps are guttered, and all the light is coming from high, hot braziers that ring the room, like downstairs on fight night. The mood is the usual brood and boister - though who is brooding and who is boisterous has changed dramatically. Bruiser Khang is besmocked in black, glowering into a fire. Son-of-Sabers is leading 15[22:55] a ring of audibly drunken fighters in song. [22:56] "Tomorrow, when we set sail, you'll be taking on a special cargo at a private Guild quay outside the harbor. I will explain in a few moments how you will recognize the cove and what signal to send. But I need you to understand: this is a delicate operation," 07she explains. 15[22:57] Catela: "Who are we worried about?" [22:58] 4If it's an appropriate mourning song, Piu will join in. If it's an inappropriate mourning song, she'll be twice as loud. But she'll keep her eyes open, too. Someone might hold a grudge that they didn't execute Salim on the spot. 15[22:59] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZIISfOm3dI [22:59] 07This was not exactly the question Dryas was expecting first, so her mouth works for a moment. "Everyone. Other than V'Neef Piu, Tepet Daizo, and Tepet Zhangyu, we are worried about everyone." 15[22:59] "The Commodore?" [23:00] 10Well, might as well play the part to the hilt in case he's being observed. A moderately-sized bouquet, not puny or overwhelmingly ostentatious, and then inquire to the nearest reputable apothecary. [23:01] "Is insulated, for her protection," 07Dryas replies. 15[23:01] Catela: "What are the requirements?" [23:01] 6Zhangyu blinks at the ruckus, looks over to Piu, looks back to the ruckus, shrugs, and will wander over to Son-of-Sabers and the lads. [23:04] 4Yeah, this is a good one. 15[23:04] Apothecaries are easier, because the people who run them here keep odd hours. In fact, if he's visited more than one of the handful in the city, he'd note that the owners look very similar - brothers, perhaps. But quicksilver is easily gotten at a reasonable price. 15[23:07] Son-of-Sabers, red-faced, looks up at the pair of them... and just makes room. [23:08] 07Dryas: "Once aboard? To be disturbed as little as possible, until the time of delivery arrives." 15[23:09] Catela: "Do you think that will be harder than it would otherwise be?" [23:09] 10Interesting. Could be useful to Dryas, maybe. 15[23:13] Past that, there's nothing to do but set up the ritual and wait. Where does Daizo wait? 15[23:13] Or, what does he do while he waits? [23:13] 6He'll be singing as best he can. Which is... at least he's pretty? Zhangyu didn't know Ted well, but he can respect this. [23:14] 4Piu's got a good, strong voice, and it carries. But she doesn't try to dominate the rendition. 15[23:19] When the song ends, Son-of-Sabers turns to Piu and Zhangyu. "Oi! More fighters. Good you're here. Drinking what?" [23:19] "If trouble comes for you, you won't be alone," 07she explains. "You will receive further instructions once we are underway. But it might be wise to prepare for the worst, regardless. There may be dark tides ahead." 15[23:19] Catela nods. "We won't let you down." [23:20] 4Piu: "Something hard. But fruity!" [23:20] 10Well, as long as Daizo's on the grounds of the shrine, he might as well get some use out of his time. He'll let himself into the library, light a lamp, and see what he can turn up on the first entry on his checklist: what is this rune Ted passed on to Piu? Are there records of other runes and their bearers? [23:21] 6Zhangyu: "Rum." 6"Nothing" is the wrong answer, and he's been on enough ships that rum is... tolerable. 15[23:24] Saber waves his hand and the two of them are shortly brought rum - Zhangyu straight in a copper mug like Saber's and Piu in a tall glass with absinthe, syrup, and tropical juices. Apparently they call it a "cobra fang". [23:24] 07Dryas: "You are a fine officer, Commander. So... do you have everything you need here?" [23:24] 4Nice! [23:26] 6Zhangyu drinks. Hardly burns at all. [23:28] 10It's not long before he falls into an almost meditative state, piecing this and that fragment together. [23:31] 4Piu gets into the party, because she's not really here on business. This means she'll probably end up on someone's lap soon enough, on drink two or three. 15[23:31] Catela: "Everything we're aware we need, my Lady. We are supplied and staffed for the duration. If, for instance, we needed to feed and water animals or more than a couple of people, I would need to expand our stocks." 15[23:33] Saber: "Bruiser tells us you know the man that did it." [23:33] 6After a swallow: "We got there too late. I'm sorry." [23:33] 6Zhangyu: "Salim. We got him... after." [23:33] 4Piu: "He was a shipmate! And a traitor." [23:33] "Yeah. Governor's custody, now." [23:35] 07Dryas recalls the weakness she felt in her vision in the Witch House. "You should take some additional supplies aboard then. A few hairs above ordinary." 15[23:35] Catela: "...understood." 15[23:36] Saber: "Yeah, well. Guess he'll be strung up or he won't. Doesn't matter now. You can't kill a man back to life." [23:36] 4Piu will semi-awkwardly nod at that. [23:37] "I'll see you tomorrow, then," 07Dryas replies, and prepares to take her leave. [23:39] 6Zhangyu: "...yeah." 6Another drink of rum. "You have any Ted stories? I never got a chance to know him that well." 6An expert subject change by the conversational master. 15[23:42] Daizo has to study long and hard to find anything, even knowing exactly what to look for. This is *very* obscure, by the lights of the well-appointed but fairly small library here. Chiefly because the ancient histories, epic poems, and illuminated copies of long-rotted tapestries don't mark or call them runes, but rather something like 'pins' or 'nails'. And yes, that's plural - 15[23:42] twenty-seven nails pin Heaven to the sky. There are shapes and impressions that recur in art and text - passions, wills, notions, ideals. The moment of the storm. The mark of the beast. And, yes, the Final Nail of Life and Death: the Eater of Souls. 15[23:44] The Soul Eater runs in the deepest currents of the tide of blood that moves the wheel of history. Never far from great acts or great actors, it accumulates power among the dealers and witnessers of death, letting them linger long past their natural lifespans, rendered mortal only when a murderer's hand comes for them. 15[23:45] The timepiece hanging from a library wall chimes the hour. Daizo has to get going. 15[23:47] Son-of-Sabers: "Yeah, I've got stories. But Ted never liked talking about himself. If he was here to hear us gossiping like maids at the market he'd pitch such a fit." [23:47] 10Fertile ground for further investigation now that he knows another name for them. The topic is heavy, but he leaves the library feeling buoyed up.  15[23:49] Does Dryas meet Daizo at the park? Does whoever's there stand out in the open or stake the location out? [23:49] 10Would Piu want to know that she's become—in theory—immortal? [23:49] 10Or perhaps she already knows. [23:50] 6Zhangyu snorts. "What would he want, then?" [23:50] 07Dryas approaches the park where she plans to meet Zhangyu with her incredible observational skills at work. 15[23:52] Son-of-Sabers: "Something fun. Go punch someone in the face. Get wasted. Tell someone you love them. Get naked. What do you even do for fun?" [23:53] 4Piu: "Basically all of that. Except the love part." [23:54] 10There's no point in Daizo lurking about in the shadows—it's his summons. There's no way that the sorceress is going to be dumb enough to show herself if no one's there. [23:56] 10The bouquet he purchased rests in a vase on a flat stone nearby the meeting place.  [23:57] 6Zhangyu: "Mostly it's a lot of inventing new holds to do. Punching people is good, but not as good." 6He considers. "I haven't been wasted since - well. Maybe it's time to try again, for Ted." 6Been a bit for the other two, and he's leaving out 'reads poetry for fun,' but for the Gods' sake, he has an image to protect here. 15[23:58] Even at this late hour the streets of Abalone are surprisingly active - the snarl at the harbormaster's office means people are working all night to clear it up, and the Governor keeps the streets safe enough that there is plenty of room for paupers and beggars to mill around after market hours. So it seems like there are a lot of eyes on the two of them... but strangely, Dryas doesn't 15[23:58] feel any of it. Not even by random chance or the occasional sweep of a drifting gaze. Everyone's attention seems to be diverted. 15[23:58] Except two. She can feel two pairs of eyes drilling into them, and she's able to mark their trajectory. 15[00:00] A stout woman, dressed like the sort of patrician bureaucrat you find working in the Customs Office, walking an improbably tiny dog on a leash. The dog is also watching. 15[00:00] To the untrained eye she's just another passerby. But Cynis Dryas's eye is not untrained. [00:04] 07Dryas doesn't let on she's made their unwanted guest, except that she quietly says: "I say, there are a lot of 'dog people' in Abalone, aren't there?" 15[00:04] She and the dog walk right past the two of them, as she peers into the booth and then, after a moment, lights her own offering. 15[00:05] She's also burning a flower: a tangled, red-gold chrysanthemum. [00:05] 10Daizo, in a similarly low voice: "That is one way you could put it." 15[00:06] "How did he die?" She speaks in a peasant's voice, the sort of provincial accent you find in the farmers of the Isle's inner prefectures. Only after speaking does she look at them. [00:08] 10Daizo: "Slain. Strung up in wires and sliced nearly to ribbons." [00:09] 07Dryas: "And then in the arms of someone who cared for him." [00:10] "Were you close?" 15[00:11] "Not close enough. What a waste. The world has grown so terribly ugly." [00:12] 10The accent is… comforting, reminding Daizo of his happiest childhood moments.  [00:13] "I cannot disagree, madam. Does the name '66 Night Marks the Hunter' mean anything to you? For that is the man who did the deed." 15[00:15] "And who are you, to bear this news to me?" [00:17] "The Four Fangs," 07Dryas says with a bit of verve. "Well, two of them." [00:17] "Tepet Daizo of the Four Fangs, madam. Our hearth-sister Piu is the one who held him as he perished." [00:18] "And as he perished, he passed along to her a gift. A Nail." [00:18] "Cynis Dryas. I am the one who took the fall for Hamoji," 07she explains. With how things turned out she barely feels like holding a grudge about it. 15[00:18] "He gave it to her? It wasn't taken from him?" [00:20] "Freely given. I don't believe Piu would have had the means to take it." 15[00:21] She releases the leash, and the dog runs behind her leg, disappearing after a moment and dragging the leash up behind it. What perches on her shoulder is not leashed, nor is it a dog, but an enormous shimmering spider whose crystalline carapace glints with starlight. 15[00:21] "Then we have much to discuss." 15[00:21] 49 Clear Eye Cleaves the Horizon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygx8S4b6NPo - Nothing can change us; no one can save us from ourselves. 15[00:21] NEXT TIME: The Cage