15[20:08] A foul wind howls, and the Defiance lurches on the waves. The crew can hold the ship's heading, but with the lack of current and the hostile winds (even Caxi can broker only an uneasy truce with the storm), it seems as if the trip to Old Mionzi will take more time than someone might guess by drawing a straight line on a map. Up to now, with fair winds, skilled navigators, and constant 15[20:08] sorcery the vastness and power of the sea has seemed remote, manageable. Few aboard would say so now. [20:09] 4Well, can't turn around now! [20:09] 6It's. A thing. 15[20:10] As the sky darkens three hours past noon, and the markless gray ocean roils and seethes around them, the Defiance and its people seem part of a larger, darker, more dangerous world. [20:12] 4Piu's lost whatever meager privacy she had to begin with now that she's more or less bunked down with the crew, so she'll be sort of roaming the ship. It's especially annoying that it's not really safe to be on deck unless you're a hand at station. [20:13] 6And whose fault is that? [20:14] 6(Hers. It's her fault.) [20:15] 4Piu doesn't control the weather! It would solve a lot of problems if she did. Zhangyu is just being a typically grumpy gus. 15[20:15] Daizo's shut up in his room, immersed in prayer or meditation or study or just a long, stress-dissolving sleep. [20:15] 6Look. He is... stop it. He's fine. [20:16] 07Dryas, veiled and wrapped in slick brown seal-leather, is on deck with Earned Nemesis. An empty water barrel bobs on a line behind the vessel, bobbing up and down in the waves and intermittently visible through the waves, spray, rain, and wind. 15[20:19] With no fresh air and no port, the sailors who aren't on call are prone to all the usual pastimes of gambling, story-swapping, boasting, drinking, and gossip. On this last count the hottest topic by leaps and bounds is their mysterious veiled passenger. In turns and at various points each of the Four Fangs are probed and questioned about the lady Garnet - her origin, her nature, why 15[20:19] she's in a cabin instead of the brig, etc. How do they field these inquiries? [20:20] 6She's from a far away place and refuses to answer questions. [20:22] 6What, is he gonna disagree? 15[20:22] We travel the world and the seven seas; everybody's looking for something. [20:22] 4Piu mostly just vamps, telling different stories to different sailors, not really bothering to keep them consistent at all. 14Flood the space with information, kill any context. If anyone starts a rumor of her looking like the Empress, it'll fit right in. [20:23] 13She DOES though. Also her name is -- ANYWAYS [20:26] 13Somewhere else, a different Xia Lan is extremely mad. 15[20:26] Dryas, in her comparative solitude up on deck, has found the best way to avoid these questions. What's she doing up there? [20:26] 07Anyone speaking to Dryas is likely to come out of the conversation feeling indulged at first after a long and pleasant tête-à-tête but also realize, belatedly (if at all), that they haven't learned a thing about Garnet. [20:27] 07She's filling the empty water barrel with arrows, of course, while chewing on a bit of dried meat, a fruit rind or the odd heel of cheese. 15[20:31] Meanwhile, there is still work to do - particularly for Zhangyu, who continues to train Sadako and Seiri. An odd change has occurred: while at first, Seiri was very keen to practice and Sadako had to struggle to keep up, as the training has developed Sadako has taken to the principles of Mantis more and more while Seiri's resolve seems to be flagging. [20:32] 6She's got to - it's important!! [20:33] 6No seriously it's super important. 15[20:34] The only place that's open enough for a proper training space when you can't go abovedeck is down in the hold, which thanks to the ship's dwindling supplies has a lot of room to move around. Piu may find herself down there as well, if she's bored and there's no one else she wants to see. [20:34] 6Come on down, kid. Or... not kid? Zhangyu is not super clear on her age. [20:34] 4She'll pop her head in once she's done spreading cute little lies. 15[20:36] Seiri is in her late teens. Sadako's age is more ambiguous but she doesn't look especially older or younger than that. 15[20:36] (Neither of them actually knows their age more precisely than that.) [20:36] 6It is very not clear. [20:38] 6...she was like, super dead, right? Like that was a thing that happened? 15[20:39] That was Zhangyu's recollection. But it feels like the Leaden Queen was a hundred years ago at this point. [20:39] 6So super dead, got it. [20:40] 6One hundred thousand percent absolutely fucking dead. 15[20:40] Piu pops into the hold just as Seiri pops out of one, tapping out of another sparring lock, panting, sweating and flushed. "I need a break," she insists. 15[20:40] Sadako: "You just had one!" 15[20:40] Seiri: "Well I need another!" 15[20:42] She slumps against one of the huge clay jugs of fresh water, and sighs as it slowly begins to cool her down. [20:42] 4Whew. "Practice going well?" [20:42] 6Idts fine "One supposes." 15[20:43] Sadako: "We're working on triangle locks." [20:43] 6Oh, Jesus. [20:43] 6Those are hard. [20:44] 4Piu grins at some private dirty joke. [20:44] 6Shush, you. [20:44] 6...Zhangyu is very gay. 15[20:44] Judging from the expression of weary defeat on Seiri's face, she seems to agree with Zhangyu's inner monologue. 15[20:45] Sadako: "Is it still raining?" [20:45] 4So are those two! [20:45] 6Look. [20:45] 6I mean it! Look. [20:45] 4Certainly! But not too conspicuously. [20:46] "Wonder what we'll find at Old Mionzi..." 15[20:46] Up on deck, Dryas's concentration is absolute as she sinks shot after shot into the bobbing barrel, landing a few even when it dips invisibly beneath the waves. [20:46] 6Zhangyu: "Bad things." [20:46] "When does a place get 'old' smacked on it, anyway? Like, four decades of abandonment? Five?" [20:46] "Just. No good." 15[20:48] Sadako is pulling the lid off the jar Seiri is resting under - no mean feat! those things are heavy, and shifting them is classically a two-man job - and reaching with a ladle on a hook to pour out some water for Seiri. Sadako's girlfriend only notices this when Sadako kneels down to hand it to her. She responds with a weak smile and a whispered "Thank you." 15[20:48] Then Sadako looks up. "What are you hoping to find? What's... why are we going?" [20:49] 6Zhangyu: "I was... I need to talk to you." 15[20:49] Who is Zhangyu talking to? [20:49] 6Sadako. 15[20:50] Sadako is immediately defensive. "What? Caxi said I could." [20:50] 6She's impurr - important. 15[20:50] Zhangyu may or may not realize she assumes he's chastizing her about the water. [20:51] 6Zhangyu: "I know. But -- it's a Thing. Sorry." [20:51] "A really important thing. Very seriously important." [20:51] 4Incredible bedside manner, this one. 15[20:51] Sadako: "What does that mean? What's a thing?" [20:52] 6Look, he's trying, okay? [20:52] 6Zhangyu: "I need to talk to you. And that's what is important." 15[20:53] Sadako gives him a look like, 'well, go on'. [20:53] 6He gives her a look like, "I don't like this more than you do." [20:54] 6It's so very bad. 15[20:55] Sadako: "What!! What do you want!!" 15[20:55] Seiri nudges Sadako's thigh with her elbow. "Easy." [20:55] 6Zhangyu: "I need to take you in. It's - a problem." 15[20:55] Sadako: "Take me in what?" [20:56] "Sorry. But I literally need to." 15[20:56] Sadako looks to Piu. Does this make any more sense to her? [20:57] 4Piu: "I think what he's trying to say is there might be a better fit for you than Mantis Style." [20:57] "Difficult to tell when he gets like this, though." [20:58] 6He grimaces. "It's. Difficult." 15[20:58] Sadako: "I was just getting good though!" 15[20:58] "It's Seiri who can't hack it." [20:58] 4Piu: "Maybe that's what he's trying to say instead? Zhangyu do you want to like, whisper it to me so I can tell them?" [20:58] "You are. And you're amazing at it." [20:59] 6Zhangyu: "Absolutely not. She's - magnificent." 15[21:02] Seiri gets back on her feet. "I don't know. This isn't... quite what I thought it would be. But that's my fault for not understanding." [21:03] 6Zhangyu: "I didn't expect this either." 15[21:03] "May I ask you a question, Master Zhangyu?" [21:03] "You may." 15[21:04] Seiri: "What is the spiritual dimension of Mantis Style?" [21:04] 4Hrrhnk. Hehe. [21:04] "It is -- the destroying force." [21:05] "I do not care for it. But it is." Just. Like that." [21:05] 07Fwip. Fwip. Fwip. It's not as good as chasing down boar or deer, but the storm feels more than miserable enough to put a good edge on some hot rice wine later. 15[21:07] Seiri: "But a force to destroy what?" [21:08] 4Piu, to Sadako: "If you want to get a few more reps in, I'm your smuckleberry. Or whatever that expression is." [21:08] 6Zhangyu: "Bad." 15[21:09] Sadako squares up immediately. [21:10] 4Yeah! Time for some exercise. 15[21:13] Above from the wind and waves and the roared reports of the sailors, the sound that predominates on the deck is Caxi's voice; she stands at the very edge of the bow, near to falling in, singing wordlessly to placate the sea. It doesn't seem to be much use, but then, who knows how bad it'd be if she wasn't up there? 15[21:14] Just then a huge wave hits the ship head on, causing everyone in the hold to pitch backward and almost lose their balance. Water spills onto the deck, and Caxi is bowled over, tumbling backward until she smacks into the forward mast with some force. [21:15] 4!!! [21:17] 07Dryas steadies herself in a heartbeat before leaping down from the topdeck, racing towards her cousin. "Caxi!" 15[21:19] Caxi is up again almost immediately, her body twisting in space as if a gust of wind bore her back to her feet. She wipes wet hair from her eyes and finds a trickle of blood leaking from the crown of her head. The bloodied hand shrinks into a tight and trembling fist. [21:21] 4Piu will easily slip out of whatever jointlock practice she and Sadako are doing so that no one inadvertantly breaks anything. 15[21:22] Seiri: "My understanding was that what distinguishes the martial arts from the martial sciences is that they're holistic disciplines. That it isn't just about learning holds and stances. It's about... a way of seeing the world. Of seeing yourself in it. I don't think, with the Mantis, I understand that side of it. When I go through the forms it feels... hollow." 15[21:25] Piu finds Sadako's grip astonishingly strong and, when she tries to break free, feels Sadako's limbs bend completely backwards to try and maintain the grip. In the shudder of the hold and the strange conversation happening nearby, only Piu notices, and because Sadako's still a novice Piu can still easily escape. But... [21:25] "Caxi?" 07Dryas asks as she approaches. "How can I help?" [21:27] 14She is going to be an elite practitioner of Mantis. She might eventually be able to beat Piu and Zhangyu for control of the dojo, even. Well, Piu isn't really going to be trying so hard to keep that job. 15[21:27] Caxi ignores her, striding back to the front of the ship to begin singing again. The register of her voice is lower now, coming from deeper in her throat. [21:27] 14But a body that works in this way is very special. What the Immaculates hate about it only intrigues Piu further. [21:28] 4Out loud, though: "Whew! You're getting better." 15[21:30] Sadako: "Maybe soon you'll let me go on one of the fun jobs where you fight monsters or whatever." [21:30] 4Piu thinks about it. "You want in on Old Mionzi?" 15[21:31] Sadako: "Fuck yes I do." [21:31] 4Piu: "No promises, but lemme talk to the gals." 15[21:33] Seiri: "Wait, what?" [21:35] 4Piu: "We're planning on landing in a port city time forgot. We're gonna need people on the beaches, and I don't want to like, shove pikes into the hands of crew. You kids are real close to getting a call-up." 15[21:37] Seiri blinks. "Oh, wow." 15[21:37] "Well... I'll help in any way I can, of course." 15[21:41] As Dryas tries in vain to reach out to her cousin, Caxi's voice grows deeper and louder, sinking into a growl that sounds like it's tearing up her throat. The sky darkens; the shadows lengthen and deepen to the point that they seem almost to be holes or furrows. Dryas feels an involuntary spin of vertigo as she stands on the precipice of the mast's shadow, which now appears bottomless. [21:42] 07Dryas frowns at the sight of the Storm Mothers. Nasty pieces of work. "I guess we don't hwhooooah--!" 15[21:44] The crew are getting alarmed, too -- one falls from the rigging, though thankfully just onto some lower rigging instead of flat onto the deck or, heavens forbid, into the churning sea. Others are bracing for a call to battle stations; one has gone to get the Commodore. [21:44] 4Piu: "Yup! And let's start by getting above deck." 15[21:44] Just then, the ship lurches harder. 15[21:44] Sadako, excitedly: "Do you think it's a sea monster?" [21:45] "Don't fuck with us! We have gingers on board!" 07Dryas shouts, hoarsely, into the air. 15[21:45] Seiri looks queasy, which is odd, since she doesn't usually get seasick. [21:45] 4Piu: "It's a something-monster." 15[21:48] If they hustle, the three of them can hustle abovedecks just behind Ratel, and just in time to see the sky and sea turn black as pitch, catching the cold blue light of Caxi's anima and offering none of it back. Sky and sea are indistinguishable now -- the sun, the clouds, the lighting, all gone. It is only the increasingly dramatic heaving of the Defiance that reminds them they are 15[21:48] at sea at all, rather than suspended in the void. 15[21:52] Ratel is weapons free, and barks orders to the crew that get swallowed by the screaming wind lashing sails, whipping rigging, and impelling every sailor on deck to brace for impact. The wind carries an immense, unnatural pressure - to approach the bow feels less like marching into the wind and more like pushing off with a yeddim. [21:53] 14Well fuck. [21:53] 14Where does the commodore need the new arrivals? 15[21:55] Ratel wants everyone linking arms, lashing ropes about their waists, etc - preparing to recover every sailor (and every corpse) from a tidal wave or a capsize. [21:55] 14Then that's what they're doing. 15[21:55] Seiri clings to Sadako, who clings back just as fiercely. [21:56] 14Piu will move up and down the lines with facility, making sure everyone's tied on. 15[21:58] Ratel has to communicate via gesture and sign. The only thing audible over the wind is Caxi's voice, which has lost all pretense of tone or melody and curdled into a jagged, throat-ripping scream of fury. 15[21:58] And then it stops. All of it stops. 15[21:59] The wind goes silent. The sea, bit by bit, steadies and calms. The sky lightens to a uniform iron grey, and there is no sign of the storm or its mothers. Only Caxi, on hands and knees at the bow, gasping for breath. [22:01] 14Piu immediately begins scanning overboard for anyone lost, exhorting the crew to call out if they see someone. [22:01] 07Dryas rushes to the bow and crouches a few paces behind Caxi. 15[22:03] From this close, even as Caxi naturally guards herself in her weak and woozy state, Dryas can see that the blood that had trickled from her cousin's brow began to run black. [22:04] 07Dryas stares for a moment. The strangeness of sorcerers? "Cousin, you're wounded. Badly...?" 15[22:05] "I'm fine," whispers Caxi hoarsely. "I just need rest. See to the others." 15[22:06] Which as Piu can report, are also mainly fine. Nobody got lost or pitched overboard, though there are a smattering of injuries - broken ribs, a couple of concussions - that'll keep Caxi busy for a fair bit. [22:07] 14That's good. She'd probably advise at least keeping the tethers close to hand just in case, but...4whew. [22:07] 4How's it looking out there? 15[22:08] The sea is calm and the storm is gone. But without the wind or the waves or Caxi filling the sails herself, the Defiance is almost dead in the water. It is still pointed in the right direction, at least. [22:08] 4Does the Defiance have oars? 15[22:10] Yes, but considering the injuries, a few too few oarsmen. [22:11] 4What if there was a Fang pitching in? 15[22:12] Couldn't hurt, though Ratel wants a full inventory and everyone hurt belowdecks before anyone thinks about trying to put oar to water. The mission is not more important than the crew. [22:14] 14Mmmm. [22:14] 4Well, Commodore's orders! 15[22:17] Once she knows Seiri is okay, Sadako goes out to kneel beside Caxi, who hastily wipes her brow with a dark sleeve as if clearing sweat away (through Dryas knows better) and then consents to let Sadako shoulder her back belowdecks. [22:17] 07Dryas gives Caxi a nod. Time to launch into one of the old sailing tunes she managed to pick up somewhere along the way. "My persuasion can build a nation! Endless power! With our love, we can devour! You'll do anything for me!! Who run the world?!" 15[22:21] Everyone on deck knows this song, and anyone whose ankles still work is at minimum tapping their foot. Many are singing along. Samperson is abovedecks now too with fresher sailors who are a few hours from their shifts to take over for the injured. A clean, cool wind washes over the deck, and the sails swell once more. A cheer goes up. 15[22:21] "Well done," says the Commodore when Dryas finishes her performance. [22:24] 4Piu joins in! [22:24] 07Dryas is gracious as ever. "I've picked up a thing or two, I suppose." 15[22:25] Ratel: "The two of you should check on our guest. Make sure she weathered the storm well." [22:27] 4Piu: "Yes, ma'am!" [22:27] "Right away," 07she replies, loosening her hood and veil now that the storm has let up. 15[22:31] When the two of them get down to the officers' cabins they immediately notice two things: one is that the door to the cabin that used to be Piu's and is now Xia Lan's is open. The other is that someone is sobbing in the Commodore's cabin. [22:31] 4To Dryas: "Check the commodore's cabin. I'll check Garnet." [22:32] "On it." 07Who's in there? 15[22:33] Caxi. Looks like she came down and immediately faceplanted into the bed. 15[22:35] Piu finds "Garnet" folded up on the bed, daiklave nearby, eyes warily tracking the movements of the two strange, rained-on young women who have besieged her. [22:36] 14The Chain is already in hand. Who are these? 15[22:36] Sadako leans out of Piu's way reflexively as she comes in through the doorway, while Seiri is patiently setting out what looks like a very fine jade tea service. [22:36] "That was incredible up there," 07Dryas points out. "I didn't know you could hit the low notes like that. You dominated them." [22:37] 14Well, shit. Is Garnet wearing her mask? [22:37] 4Face-covering, whatever. 15[22:38] She is, though, it'll be hard to keep up and drink tea with. [22:39] 14Piu kicks the door closed. Her voice has a seriousness the two girls probably haven't heard much of before. "What's going on here. Garnet?" 15[22:40] Caxi stops emoting the instant the door starts to creak open. She's entirely composed - though still bedraggled and red-eyed - when she pushes herself into a sitting position to acknowledge her cousin. "Did we lose anyone?" Her voice is shot. [22:41] "No-one," 07Dryas replies with pride. 15[22:43] Cups and saucers rattle a bit when Seiri looks up sharply at Piu's voice. "Lady Piu! Hello. Master Daizo asked me to visit with the Lady Garnet, keep her company. And meeting a new friend is the perfect time to break out my new tea set. Should I make you a cup?" 15[22:43] Garnet, slowly, cautiously: "You know these girls?" 15[22:44] Caxi coughs. "Fine. Was that you singing up there?" [22:44] 14Piu: "Yes, they're...wards of our hearth, let's say. They're friends. I was unaware Tepet Daizo did something so...indulgent as ask them to bring you tea, however."{ [22:45] 07Dryas: "It was." 15[22:46] Caxi: "Nice. I love that song." 15[22:47] Garnet: "As was I." 15[22:48] Seiri: "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, ma'am. I thought, with the storm and all-- would you like us to leave you be?" 15[22:48] "I... thought you were expecting me. I didn't realize Master Daizo hadn't discussed this with you." [22:48] 14She runs her hand over the Chain on her wrist and when her hand comes away...it's a straw. "Assuming our guest even wishes to indulge this -- in perhaps a more appropriate time and place -- this should be passed under the boiling water to clean it, and then handed to Garnet so she might drink her tea modestly." [22:50] 07Dryas: "I am glad to hear you enjoyed it. It's not quite the level of entertainment from where we come from, but we can make do in a pinch." 15[22:51] Garnet's eyes narrow as she stares at Seiri, who is now looking quite anxious... but whatever she sees mollifies her. "I think I would like some tea. Wouldst th- what is your name?" 15[22:54] There's quite a bit more length to the Chain than would ordinarily be practical to drink through, but the weapon's magic allows it to curl and coil back on itself again and again until the twisting, elaborate thing is the approximate size of a normal drinking straw. Seiri takes it delicately, turning it over in her hands, and gingerly props it up in the little basin that comes with 15[22:54] the tea set while the kettle gets hot sitting on its red jade heating element. 15[22:54] "Seiri, ma'am. Seiri Gansa." 15[22:54] From the back of the room: "I'm Sadako." 15[22:55] Caxi: "Did Piu send you after me?" [22:55] 14Yes, she is. Piu positions herself to keep an eye on both girls, but especially Sadako. 15[22:56] Garnet: "Say-eerie." 15[22:58] Seiri: "That's right. Is there another language you would be more comfortable speaking?" [22:58] "I do not believe she knew you were the one in here," 07Dryas replies. She's vaguely aware of some sort of relationship between them... 15[23:00] Garnet: "Tha eagal ort mar thràill. An urrainn dhut mo thuigsinn?" [23:01] 14Piu keeps her face carefully neutral. 15[23:01] Seiri wrinkles her brow. "I'm sorry, ma'am. That language is unfamilar to me. Where is it from?" [23:02] 14... 15[23:03] Even just from her eyes, Garnet looks crestfallen. "My home," she says after a pause, with some gravity. [23:05] "She is quite an interesting one," 07Dryas concedes after studying Caxi's body language for a moment. [23:06] 14...... 15[23:07] Seiri: "...I don't know what kind of tea you like, so I brought a mild one and a strong one. The mild one is a simple green. The strong one is darker and smokier." 15[23:09] Caxi: "I suppose you could find almost anyone in the Commodore's bed." [23:12] 14Piu: "I'd drink the latter. But I defer to our honored guest." 15[23:13] Garnet: "A strong tea would be very fine. I'm ill-acquainted with the sea's tossing." [23:14] 07Dryas: "I do so hate to gossip... House policy, after all... but seeing as we're both Cynis it doesn't really count as gossip, does it? Did you know, Piu and I happened to catch her in flagrante delicto with Bruiser Kang? How impressive!" 15[23:15] Seiri: "It was touch and go for a bit there, but everyone's going to be okay. Lady Caxi and Lady Dryas righted the ship and protected the crew." [23:15] 14Piu: "They're really quite brave." [23:16] 6Blugh. 15[23:16] Caxi cackles and it makes her cough again. "How far had they gotten? Was his delicto in her flagrante?" [23:17] 6Zhangyu: "Do not." [23:18] 07Dryas: "Cousin, would I even bring it to your attention if it had not been so?" 15[23:19] Caxi shakes her head. "Amazing. Well, that's one to keep in the back pocket if you ever want to ruin her. A student body is one thing. An Anathema's is quite another." [23:22] 07Dryas: "Indeed. It takes... some kind of a strength of spirit, to do that. But when I said 'she' was interesting, I didn't mean the Commodore, although I suppose she is also quite interesting. I meant Piu." 15[23:23] Seiri's kettle whistles - a simple but sonorous five-note melody - and after she sterilizes the straw she pours out three cups of tea. "If you're not in the mood for visitors, often, I could lend you some of my books to read. Everyone's lonely sometimes, but nobody has to be bored." [23:24] 14Piu restrains herself from trying to police -- in either direction -- the works available. Garnet needs to read some histories, however. [23:25] 6Yes, it is uh. Important. 15[23:25] Garnet: "I would like that. Though I am not a gifted student. I learn better by doing things and talking to people." 15[23:26] Caxi leans back in bed, and asks, neutrally: "What do you make of her?" [23:28] 14Piu: "We'll do our best to arrange that." 15[23:28] Seiri: "Well, you're very fortunate the Defiance found you. Both Master Daizo and Lady Caxi are master savants. Lady Piu, Master Zhangyu, Masters Ito Pan and Ito Jun, the Commodore -- all of them are experts and great fun, too! And of course I'm just across the hall." 15[23:29] Sadako: "Not me, though. I'm stupid and surly." [23:29] 6Thank you for saying that Zhangyu is fun. He is, but still. [23:29] 14Piu: "She's merely surly twice over." [23:30] 6Surlord. [23:30] 14As Zhangyu would say, it's "a thing." 15[23:31] Garnet: "Ah! Sadako is your... I don't know the word. In my tongue we would say lannan." 15[23:31] *leannan [23:32] 07Dryas ponders. "Capable. Confident... I trusted her enough to swear a blood oath of sisterhood with her. She guards her heart fiercely, but swore the same to me all the same." [23:32] 6Lough Lannangh? [23:32] 14Getting closer to ghràdhaich. [23:34] 14Piu is realizing, though, minute by minute, just how much more facility with the Cant Garnet has than she does. 15[23:34] Seiri suddenly looks bashful. "I don't know that word either." [23:35] 14Piu sips her tea. 15[23:35] Garnet: "I think you do, Lady Seiri." 15[23:35] Now Seiri looks mortified. "Just Seiri, please, ma'am! I have no rank or station. I work for Master Daizo." 15[23:35] Garnet: "...work how?" [23:36] 6Oh no. [23:36] 14Piu: "Even he is uncertain. Tepet Daizo is many great and admirable things, which means he's not a taskmaster, nor a particularly demanding supervisor." 15[23:37] Seiri: "I'm on retainer. I do correspondence, research, translation and interpretation. But like Lady Piu says, Master Daizo is very kind and pays me very well for the work I do." 15[23:39] Garnet: "A scholar." [23:39] 14That's one of the first times, if not literally the first time, that someone being 'many great and admirable things' wasn't followed by 'but' or 'yet.' She remains very comfortable with the hearth she's chosen. 15[23:39] Seiri: "...a student, I'd say." [23:39] 14Piu: "I will say scholar." 15[23:39] Seiri: "Gosh!! Bunch of flatterers on this ship." [23:40] 14Piu: "To speak falsely is a sin. To do so in service of degrading another is a sin twice over. Sometimes we choose the first so we do not wander into the second." 15[23:40] Garnet: "Where art you from?" [23:40] "...If my memory of the Immaculates is right." 15[23:41] Seiri: "That's what I was taught, Lady Piu." 15[23:42] To Garnet: "I grew up in Abalone, at Yanagimori Temple." 15[23:42] Caxi: "That's my experience as well. She gives away more than she offers." 15[23:42] "Very proud. Very sad." 15[23:44] Garnet: "So not in the Realm?" 15[23:44] Seiri: "Oh, no, Abalone is very much part of the Realm. Moreso than most places in the West. We've had direct colonial rule for over fifty years!" [23:44] 6Ohhhhh dear. [23:45] 14Piu pours herself another cup of tea. [23:45] 14Unless ceremony demands Seiri do it. [23:45] 6Bit of extra there? [23:45] 6'Cause like. Oof. 15[23:46] It does, but Seiri is conducting herself fairly informally. After all, it's not like Garnet is a Dynast. [23:46] 6She's the Empr-- 15[23:47] Seiri: "The temple where I grew up, it's an Immaculate temple. I was raised by a daughter of the daughter of the Scarlet Empress. Sister Mnemon Dusk." [23:48] 6Oh my Gods she doesn't know she has kids. [23:48] 14And thank Heaven that Zhangyu is merely here in spirit, 15[23:48] Garnet leans forward. "She raised you well?" [23:48] 6Hush, you. [23:48] 07Dryas: "That's an effective way to put it. It must be to do with where she comes from, I suppose." [23:48] 14Piu again cultivates the lack of reaction. 15[23:49] Seiri's not so practiced nor so skilled as Piu at hiding her emotions, but something about the motions and mechanics of serving tea seems to steady her, so there's only a brief pause before she says, "It was a hard job. There were a lot of us, and she worked very hard. I like to think I turned out alright." 15[23:50] Caxi: "Where is that? Has she told you?" [23:52] 07Dryas pauses. "She has not. Some Threshold cadet family, I expect. Her manners are impeccable." 15[23:53] Caxi: "She's very cultured... but she seems of meaner origin." 15[23:53] "Have you seen the way she looks at Samperson?" 15[23:54] Garnet: "Do you miss her? Being at sea as you are?" [23:55] 14Piu: "Mnemon Dusk is dead, Garnet." 15[23:56] Garnet: "Oh. I am very sorry, I had no idea. Please forgive my rudeness and ignorance." [23:56] 14Her relationship with Seiri is complicated, but under no circumstances was she going to leave the girl twisting like that any further. [23:57] "She is more than fond of him," 07Dryas lets on. 15[23:57] Seiri is very focused on the tea, not being able to raise her eyes to look at any of the other women in the room. 15[23:58] Caxi: "Like a whipped dog! And he's barely more than a commoner. I have a healthy respect for his skills, but I'm sorry, no man is that good a lay." [23:58] 14Mmmm. [00:00] 07Dryas chortles. "It is fair to say, a man should know his place in a relationship." 15[00:00] "I think if you want to learn more about our dear Piu... he's the man to watch." 15[00:04] Finally, Seiri says: "It's fine. You had no reason to suspect. And she didn't have to die alone. That's more than a lot of us get." [00:05] 14Again, masterfully still. [00:06] 07Dryas: "You make a good point, cousin. It would be prudent..." 15[00:07] Caxi: "I'd offer to help, but I'm terribly lazy, as you know." [00:07] 4Not always. 15[00:08] Garnet finishes her tea and sets the cup down firmly in the saucer. "Before I was imprisoned, I had two children. A daughter and a son. My daughter was thirteen when she died. Xia Lao. My son didn't make it to his first nameday." [00:08] 07Dryas: "Ah yes, as our progress past the storm mothers demonstrates, you are indeed terribly lazy." [00:08] 14... 15[00:09] Seiri: "Oh, I'm terribly sorry." [00:11] 14Oh Mnemon is going to hate her. 15[00:11] Garnet: "They got sick. A lot of people did. But... it's in the past now. Bidh cuideam an t-saoghail a ’tuiteam air falbh le ùine." 15[00:11] Seiri dries her eyes. "I don't..." 15[00:12] Garnet: "The weight of the world falls away with time." [00:12] 14She had most of that. 15[00:12] Seiri: "That's a very pretty language." 15[00:12] Garnet: "I'm glad you think so." 15[00:13] Caxi: "Pfft. One hour's work and I'm bedridden. I'm not cut out for honest labor. That's why I went into medicine." 15[00:14] "For all the good it did." [00:15] 07Dryas barks a short, half-sincere laugh. "With Maman, yes. About the opposite of lazy, I think." 15[00:15] Caxi: "Medicine is easy. Umora just makes it look difficult." 15[00:16] Seiri: "Do you have other family?" 15[00:16] Garnet: "None that I know. Or who know me." 15[00:18] Seiri: "Perhaps you'll find some on this voyage." 15[00:18] Garnet: "...perhaps." [00:19] 14Piu: "The tea was excellent, Seiri. Sadako." 15[00:19] Seiri: "Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the tea. I should return to my own cabin. There's some work I need to finish." [00:19] 14Ah, smart girl. 15[00:19] Garnet: "Please come by any time. I very much enjoyed your company." [00:19] 07Dryas: "Your work on Ito Pan impressed Daizo, I think." 15[00:20] Caxi: "Getting a big rock to cave his chest in? I think Daizo's standards are a bit higher than that." 15[00:20] Seiri smiles. "Thank you, Lady Garnet. I will." [00:20] 14Piu will see them out, then close the door. [00:20] 14Remaining inside. 15[00:20] Xia Lan: "Need you be so cold to her?" [00:21] 14Piu: "I killed Mnemon Dusk." [00:21] "Chan eil an cànan marbh. Ach tha e na chadal." [00:22] 14She frowns. "How to say." [00:22] "Is e seo fearann luchd-marbhadh." 15[00:23] "Chì mi sin a-nis." 15[00:23] "Cò th 'annad?" [00:23] 14Piu: "Tha mi nam mharbhaiche." 15[00:24] "Cò dha?" [00:25] "Mo theaghlach." *> 15[00:25] "Ach nach e mo theaghlach?" [00:26] "Rinn Dusk tràillean." [00:26] 14To her question: "Chan eil." 15[00:27] "Tha thu uile." 15[00:27] [00:29] 14Piu rounds on her. "Bi faiceallach dè a chanas tu rium, Impire." [00:30] "Whore. Slut. Trash." [00:30] 07Dryas gives her cousin a strange little look but it passes in an instant. So she simply reiterates. "Daizo was impressed. But that entire incident seems to have affected you... Was there more to it than the simple danger?" [00:30] "Tha sin uile gu math." [00:30] "Bi faiceallach leis an fhacal eile sin." 15[00:32] Caxi waves a hand. "It was just very startling and sudden. I don't have the temperament for stress. As you can see." [00:35] 07Dryas: "Is that why the troika sent you? Wait, is that why the matriarchs sent me?" 15[00:37] Caxi: "Grandmother Belar took me aside and told me that as long as I stayed close to the Commodore I was absolved of my obligations to the House. To my husband. Make of that what you will." 15[00:37] "About you, I have no idea. I've always assumed Wisel and Cerise cooked up something devious." 15[00:37] *Falen and Cerise 15[00:39] Xia Lan: "Chan urrainn dhut dad a dhèanamh dhòmhsa a tha nas miosa na na tha mi air a bhith beò mar-thà. No nas miosa na na rinn mi air an t-saoghal." 15[00:39] "Tha bagairtean gaoth fuar. Seall dhomh cò thu no cùm e falaichte e." [00:43] 14Piu shrugs. "Is mise na daoine a mharbh thu." [00:43] "Tha a h-uile càil eile a ’trèanadh." [00:44] "...Tha e coltach gu bheil sinn a ’farpais airson bròn." <...We seem to be competing for grief.> [00:44] 07Dryas: "Nevertheless: You performed admirably under the most intense pressure twice in the last three or four days now. Do you want me to get anything for you? Not that there's much of anything left..." 15[00:46] Caxi: "You're very kind. But there's nothing I couldn't ask for that I shouldn't try to get myself." 15[00:46] *nothing I could ask for 15[00:48] Xia Lan's expression is fierce and implacable, and for just a moment Piu can see a hint of the imperious visage in all those prints and tapestries. The one she remembers seeing in the sky as a girl. "I think it would be more useful for both of us if we conversed in your language rather than mine. I need fluency. And you need it of me even more." [00:48] 14Piu: "As you wish, Empress." 15[00:48] That gets a flinch. [00:49] 14It wasn't intended to; Piu doesn't follow up. 15[00:49] "You all agreed I need tutors, yes?" [00:50] 14Piu: "We did. Those two girls could use the same, coming from the other direction. Seiri in particular needs seasoning." [00:50] "It is my suggestion you should come up for some reason for not showing them your face. Seiri, at least, will know you immediately." 15[00:51] Xia Lan: "You can excuse anything by calling it a religious practice." [00:52] 14Piu, remorselessly: "Not anything." [00:52] 07zing. rip mnemon dusk [00:52] "But that's a good explanation. Better than most." 15[00:52] "But we agree then. Send her, as much as Master Daizo can spare her. Along with the very charming experts." [00:54] 14Piu bows. "I will do as you ask." 14She moves to go, then pauses. "The man I have been with. Who used to sleep here. He can be trusted. He is the only person outside the group of us who met in the commodore's office who knows." 15[00:54] "My name or the Cant?" [00:55] "He knows both." 15[00:55] "Does he know you?" [00:55] "If his men move without him, however, strike them down and yell for us." 15[00:55] "...does anyone?" [00:55] 14Piu: "He knows enough. Excuse me." 15[00:56] "Thank you for your time. And your effort." [00:56] 14Piu: "You're welcome, Empress. Oidhche mhath." [00:57] 14She takes a deep breath after leaving, and 4then she's fine. 15[00:57] "Cadal cho furasta ‘s a cheadaicheas an oidhche." 15[00:58] Caxi: "We should do this more often, you know. We're not hearth-sisters, but we're still family. And family is so terribly important." [00:59] "So terribly important," 07Dryas agrees. 15[00:59] NEXT TIME: The Long War