15[20:13] The remainder of the night passes in something like peace. Dawn awaits, and with it the treatment of Lena's ghost. From there, much remains to do - the taking of Lena's body and effects, preparation for the imminent arrival of the Keystone, the questioning of Peleps Deled. And they are all - perhaps unaccountably - still invited to the wedding in two days' time. 15[20:14] What's the plan? [20:17] 10Daizo needs to get his story straight for Deled. And he's probably going to need to lean on Dryas for a little help keeping the temple doctors and nurses quiet.  [20:17] 14Piu has some preparation to do with the other members of House Iselsi, but with Ratel hopefully onside now -- she managed to get out of the Commodore's room without actually revealing the existence of Peleps Deled to her, meaning that even if Ratel is going to freak out about that they've still got awhile until she does -- planning for the hearth should go a bit more smoothly and [20:17] 14with a bit fewer weirdly barbed accusations. Except where Daizo and Caxi are concerned. Piu's bullshit won't make that better. [20:17] 10By which Daizo means cash. A big donation to the temple administration. [20:18] 07Dryas's plans are: a funeral for Lena and settling any outstanding affairs or otherwise executing her estate in accordance with her, the needs of the mission, the garden, and House Cynis. Meetings with the local dignitaries to ascertain the situation on the island and with the Lords of Azure. Dispatching messages to Catela and others. Observing the arrival of 07Keystone07. [20:24] 10But before the dirty business of bribery and lying his ass off, there's a solemn duty to see to.  15[20:25] Dryas is able, upon waking, to secure Lena's body, and from there it's up to her and Daizo to decide what's appropriate. The other hearthmembers are there - unless they're somewhere else - but beyond them only Caxi's in attendance. [20:25] 07No-one from here? [20:25] 6Zhangyu spends most of his time with Sadako or Seiri or both. He didn't see it, he has no idea how Lena died, et cetera. 15[20:26] Did Dryas put the word out at all? [20:26] 14Does Dryas actually want Piu at the funeral? Piu assumed the polite thing to do would be not to attned. [20:26] *14attend [20:27] 6It would be sort of suspect if the rest of the Hearth was there and she wasn't, right? [20:28] 14Presumably she's still resting and recovering from how traumatic the poisoning was. And even the official story has reason for her to feel guilty. [20:28] 07Not much time for anything. But she'll ensure the Captain puts out something approximating an honor guard, and puts in a request to Ten Eels to serve up something to get some sort of crowd of mourners, even if they're only there for a hot meal of ratings rations. She won't sway Piu one way or another. 15[20:31] Dryas can tell that Lena's body's been handled, though it's hard to tell the intent from the extent. The most unsightly injuries have been cleaned up and the broken bones set and she looks like something approaching presentable. It's not a patch on what the Imperial embalmers are capable of, of course... but someone paid at least a little attention. [20:32] 10Daizo's changed into a white-and-red-trimmed robe for the occasion. He didn't sleep last night but doesn't show any signs of looking bleary-eyed or worn down. He's with Dryas as she inspects the corpse. "I would say it's rather unlikely that we'll have time to do it ourselves, but we can put the wheels in motion for a larger, public memorial. After the wedding." [20:34] 14In the absense of guidance from Dryas one way or the other, Piu will pass on the funeral, begging off for reasons of health if anyone from city administration or the temple cares to ask. [20:35] 14Instead she'll do some early morning reconnoitering and meet up with Tephen to review any business that can be handled in summary and without narrative focus. [20:35] 07Dryas: "You are the authority on such things. We will have to repatriate her remains to Pangu prefecture eventually." 15[20:36] The Leaf's crew serves as a capable enough honor guard, and since they didn't take a detour through doldrums and ruins they're much better stocked for food. It's not quite up to last night's banquet but what Ten Eels serves up is better than the crew and staff of the Defiance have been eating for a bit. [20:38] 10Daizo nods. "Well. It's irregular, but it's not unheard of. But all of this is irregular, isn't it? The priority is seeing Lena off to her next life, and a pyre will be the quickest way to accomplish that—and we can arrange for the urn and her possessions to be sent to Pangu. If Falen objects, we merely direct her attention to the undead swarming around the Skullstone delegation." [20:39] "…we're just lucky Sadako got to the ghost before the Abbot did." 15[20:39] Tephen's got some stuff on his docket, though Piu's a hard fit for most of it, since it involves making sure the right authorities are in place for the arrest and judgment of the culprit. Piu will probably be called upon to confirm that the guy they got is, in fact, the guy. And from there, at some point Piu suggested she wanted to get Tephen's apprentice folded into the waitstaff for 15[20:39] the wedding, and perhaps get a feel for her skills besides. [20:39] 6How is Sadako handling this? [20:40] 6Zhangyu really can't help with anything involving the investigation, so. 15[20:40] Sadako is probably not awake yet, unless Zhangyu came and got her. She and Seiri were up quite late. That said, as her sifu, he's well within his rights to go and get her. Kids shouldn't be lazy, should they? [20:41] 14Sounds correct. She'll do a clandestine pass of the patsy just to get a good look at his or her face so she can't fuck up the ID, and set a meet with Tephen's protege. [20:41] 6...she gets another hour of sleep. He is trying very hard to not be Grandmaster Mushi. [20:45] 10Daizo: "Would you like to say a few words?" 15[20:46] Piu's given a chance to see the guy, a local dockworker who moonlights in stealing and flipping small amounts of cargo. There's a dozen guys like this in any port of size in Creation, and now she won't mistake him for any of them. Piu will have to wait to meet Tephen's apprentice until Tephen himself is free - she doesn't like new people, apparently. [20:47] 14Smart. [20:54] "Very well." 07Dryas, in a simple gown, gives a few remarks, bearing in mind the public and foreign setting: "Lena, I did not get to know you well until we were both grown and had taken our second breaths. You were two years ahead of me at the Academy, and I guess it would be fair to say I followed in your footsteps there. Some part of us, we always understood each other." [20:54] 14From there it's back to the room to make a show of ordering breakfast in to establish she's still bedridden to some degree, then likely popping back out before it arrives -- whoever the sailors are that Caedus has assigned as her token guard get a free meal on her, so long as they pretend like they're bringing it in to her. [20:55] 14Recovering Dynasts have a voracious appetite, after all. Why, Piu could eat for [as many sailors are posted to her door]. [20:55] 07Dryas: "Now you're gone, there you go. The day you slipped away was the day I found it won't be the same. I miss you." 07She takes a step back. Unlike last night, tears well in her eyes but she keeps a stiff upper lip. [20:56] 14Obviously this isn't going to fool the Abbot, but one hopes he appreciates the commitment to the bit. [20:57] 10While attention is on Dryas, Daizo unscrews the lid of the cocktail shaker, neatly concealed behind the podium.  15[20:58] Caxi places a hand on Dryas's shoulder. The honor guard stands at attention. The hungry sailors lured by the smell of food seem to appreciate the gravity of the moment, despite their estrangement from it. [20:58] 6After giving her some more time to sleep, Zhangyu will actually knock on Sadako's door. Bright and slightly-less-early. 15[20:59] Piu may never know if the bit appreciated, but obviously it goes off without a hitch, and the two sailors looking out for Piu eat like sick kings. 15[21:01] Zhangyu hears a groan from within, and then nothing. The air grows chill and the dull plaster white of the door becomes transfixing -- he finds himself observing every smudge and brushstroke in the paint, growing sharper and shaper in his view, seeming to draw him in with their detail until the door swings open and Sadako's squinting at him through messy hair. "Huh?" [21:02] "…and when you walk under the sun again, may you receive blessings tenfold the misfortune that befell you, for now and in all your lives to come. Faram."10 Daizo touches the torch to the pyre—it catches in an instant, and the scent of burning pitch is soon lost beneath a melange fo aromatic wood. [21:03] 6Zhangyu: "Time to wake up. It's important to keep a strict schedule." 6Also I wanted to check on you. 15[21:04] Sadako draws in a breath that seems to go on forever. "Okay. What's next?" [21:05] 14For reasons that should be obvious, the Fangs should hold their summit somewhere other than Piu's room, or frankly any of the chambers that could be easily observed by their weird boneheaded hosts. 15[21:05] The body goes up. It burns as clean as bodies do. [21:05] 14Onboard the Defiance would give them a view on any ships coming in. [21:06] 6Zhangyu: "First thing: you doing okay?" 15[21:07] Sadako looks at him blankly for a moment. "I don't know?" [21:09] 6Zhangyu: "That's fair. But, uh, the ghost thing..." 6He grimaces. "Didn't look fun." 15[21:10] The Defiance is easy enough to meet on, and they're well secured -- the Watch seems to have set up a checkpoint on their pier, though the soldiers there trouble the four fangs not at all as they get on board. [21:10] 14Could also hold the summit about the Leaf. [21:10] 14Up to Dryas. 15[21:11] The Leaf is even easier, as there's no checkpoint. They could all peep the bird, if they want. [21:11] 14It would also let Piu give Catela a heads up about her mom. [21:11] 14Specifically, her mom knowing what she does for a living now. [21:12] 07Let's meet aboard the 07Leaf07, then. We need to finalize this scam in a hurry. [21:12] 10Daizo hasn't been aboard the Leaf before. Might be interesting.  15[21:12] Sadako: "I guess. I also got attacked by my sifu, and then Piu got poisoned, and then Seiri bought pinups from a fat guy. It was a long night." 15[21:13] "I don't know. You don't seem to let any of this stuff bother you. So I don't either." [21:14] 6He grimaces. "I'm not a good example of dealing with things well. And -- that was an awful thing for me to try." 15[21:15] The Leaf is smaller than the Defiance, but it's also designed for a significantly smaller crew so it feels less cramped, particularly belowdecks. Captain Catela is in the hold, having clearly woken up at dawn to see to her business, and is now sitting on a stool with a ledger balanced in her lap, inventorying supplies as she listens to the bird sing in her cage. [21:15] 14As someone whose training involved many violent, painful abuses by people she trusted, Piu would agree with that assessment of "pop quiz" style martial arts testing. [21:15] 07Dryas particularly wants Daizo to see what's in the hold. Perhaps sabotage could work. She leads the party aboard and gives an instruction to the Captain to send soldiers to reconnoiter the harbor, town, and environs of the palace. 15[21:16] She's faster to attention this morning than she was the evening before. "My Lady!" Catela salutes. [21:16] 6It could be worse. Zhangyu's pop quiz martial arts involved breaking limbs. 15[21:16] Sadako: "I dunno, it made sense for a second. Like a surprise to catch me off guard. Then that other guy attacked you and everybody got confused." [21:17] 14Piu will arrive first but won't board the Leaf until her commander arrives. She'll nod to Dryas, maybe wish her a good morning, but she imagines her hearthsister isn't in the mood for condolences or small talk about the funeral coming from her. [21:18] 14When she's inside with at least Dryas and Catela: "I have good news and bad news about Ratel. In my opinion, the good far outweighs the bad, but I'm trying out this transparency thing, so you get to decide." [21:18] 6Zhangyu: "I really did not expect Hayabusa. But that was how I was taught, and I've come to learn that Grandmaster Mushi's methods are not a good way to train people." 15[21:19] Catela looks to Dryas for a response. [21:19] 07Dryas: "Alright, transparency. What have you got?" [21:19] 10Daizo arrived with Dryas. He has the air of someone who's just finished something unpleasant and is about to embark on something even less pleasant. 15[21:20] Sadako: "It's fine, I can take it." [21:20] "I'm listening." [21:20] 6Zhangyu: "So could I, but neither of us should have to." [21:21] "You're really okay, though? Not just, ready for another training session, but actually okay?" 15[21:21] Sadako: "What happens instead?" [21:22] "I'm still figuring that out." 15[21:22] Sadako: "I don't know! I just said." [21:22] 14Piu: "Ratel wanted in. So, to a limited extent, I brought her in -- confirming what she already knew or suspected about us. The Garden, specifically. So she knows you, Catela, are a smuggler. Which might come up the next time you two talk, so heads up, but if she hasn't stomped down here to yell, I think she's taking it pretty well. In fact, she's completely onside, and we're not [21:22] going to have anymore weird, aggro situations with her like the one yesterday so long as we continue to be minimally honest with her." [21:22] "I did not tell her about the guest we have at the temple, but I did tell her there would be developments on the Furia front soon." 15[21:22] Sadako: "What's the difference between being okay in a weird situation and not being okay?" [21:23] 14Piu: "The fact that I was ordered to kill her before the mission began and didn't, and also didn't hang that over her head until now, bought us a lot of credibility." 15[21:24] Catela's eyes widen in shock, but she keeps a lid on it. [21:25] 10Daizo: "…Huh. All right. And she's okay with that." [21:25] 6Zhangyu: "I'll let you know if I find the answer." [21:25] 14Piu: "She's going to want to do her own version of this speech, but basically, yes. Shouldn't be anymore incidents like the one in your quarters, Dryas." [21:26] 07Dryas: "That seems like good news, if we survive the next week or so." [21:28] 10Daizo: "I'll trust in your instincts. Although, if I might ask—why didn't you? If it was V'Neef's will." [21:30] "Er. My apologies, Captain Catela. Perhaps this is the wrong venue for this conversation." [21:30] 14Piu: "Two reasons, both of which together were necessary. First, I thought she was actually the best woman for the job, both from the perspective of getting the job done and the perspective of giving us the lead we need to operate independently. Secondly, we were sleeping together and I was -- and still am -- very fond of her." [21:30] 14Yeah, well. Welcome to the big show. 15[21:31] You have to imagine this would be awkwarder if Catela liked Ratel at all. 15[21:31] As it stands - still pretty awkward. [21:31] "There's no point to being incredibly good at your job if it doesn't buy you the discretion to correct your superiors' mistakes in judgment from time to time. You just can't make a habit of it." [21:32] "Anyway, that's all Blessed Isle politics that don't matter anymore out here." 15[21:32] Sadako: "How are you doing?" [21:33] 14One assumes Catela doesn't want her mother literally dead, or else the Leaf and the Defiance wouldn't be in the same port. One also assumes this is not the first time -- or the first hundredth time -- she's heard about her mother's sleeping arrangements. [21:33] 6Zhangyu: "Fine." 6Remembering that he's trying to encourage Sadako to open up: "Not great. But I'll be better." [21:34] 10Daizo: "…well, I can't argue with that logic. And I can't say she hasn't taken a lot of shit for us that we wouldn't have had to take ourselves otherwise." [21:34] Dryas: "Well. There is one other piece of business we need to discuss." 07She draws back the velvet cloth from the songbird's cage. "This is what Nn Tloc has asked me to deliver to Moray. We need a plan to see that it- that she - doesn't arrive at Skullstone. That said, I'd like to collect my payment, would like to keep our comrades on Abalone alive, and would really, really prefer to keep my head." [21:35] 14Piu: "Are you thinking we deliver it, then steal it back?" [21:35] 14If Dryas is, Piu's can already tell who the thief is gonna be. [21:35] "Her, sorry." [21:36] 6Somewhere, Tatsuya the Golden Hand is weeping at the lack of opportunity to do this himself. 15[21:36] Sadako: "Okay. I know it's dumb, but if you get... I don't know, lonely, you can always come see us. Come arm-wrestle Garnet or something." [21:37] 10There's an entire heterodox school of historians that holds that instead of economic, military, or supernatural forces, the entire history of mankind has primarily been the history of who's fucking whom.  [21:37] 6Zhangyu: "...thanks." [21:37] "Seems to me the easiest way to do that is for our thief to sneak aboard the Keystone while the deal is being done, then once the ship's away, steal back our friend here and drop off into the ocean. Or at least free her, then both of us escape." [21:37] 07Dryas: "Stealing her back could keep many of our options open moving forward. Another option might be sabotage - after all, if she escapes on her own after coming into Moray's custody, it's no skin off my back. Daizo, can you examine the cage?" 15[21:38] The bird flutters in the cage, indigo-feathered and orange-eyed. Its head cocks to each of them in turn, peering through the dull gray metal of its bars. 15[21:39] Daizo's almost certain that's "soulsteel", the properly-made version of the stuff the broken heart they freed Catela from is made of. [21:39] 10Daizo: "Certainly. Light another lamp for me, would you?" 10He'll pick the cage up and peer at it.  [21:39] 14Piu will. [21:39] 14Fire aspect and all. [21:40] 07Dryas: "Are you thinking we could pull it off during the wedding ceremony or something? That's when everyone would be busiest, right?" [21:42] 14Who's that directed towards? [21:43] 10It feels cold to the touch, and a foul taste fills his mouth when he attempts to circulate a tiny bit of Essence through it. Any markings visible to the naked eye? "Soulsteel. Wrought in a shadowland, likely." 15[21:45] Judging from the subtle way air moves within the cage - and the way the songbird seems to labor to breathe - Daizo surmises that the Anathema within - assuming that's what this bird is - cannot draw on any of its maddening power while trapped inside. [21:47] 14If it's directed to Piu: "I can probably beg off the wedding just on general awkwardness and that'd be an excellent time to sneak aboard and do what needs to be done." [21:47] 10Daizo: "It's said that soulsteel exerts a certain spiritual stasis. If this is a Silver Anathema inside, it would make sense… it's cut off from living Essence." 15[21:49] The cage is quite plain, incidentally, without marking or embellishment. [21:50] 07Dryas, to Daizo: "That would explain why she's been here the whole time." 07To Piu: "You may recall that we walked out of Nn Tloc's with a few bottles of unusual vintage. Perhaps one of those would help us with two related problems involving the upcoming wedding." [21:51] 10What Daizo does next might startle the others. He'll pull up another chair, and place the cage on it. Then he starts speaking in a language none of them have ever heard before: {Is that what you are? One of the Moon-Touched?} 10It sounds just like he's started chirping. [21:53] 07Dryas gives Daizo an increasingly concerned look as he starts chirping, warbling, and tweeting, quite authentically. Then she shrugs and looks to Piu: "The first involves what to do about the bride. After all, if they see her - for instance - leaving with us, it will be no end of problems, not just for us. The second might very well be how to get back aboard the Keystone. Of course, it would be fantastically dangerous." 15[21:54] The songbird puffs up a bit. [21:54] 10Daizo: "Trust me here, I haven't gone mad yet." [21:55] 6Zhangyu: "Cousin, you're talking with a bird. I think that counts." [21:55] 6How a man as large as him becomes a silent presence is a question for the ages. [21:55] 14Piu: "Well, we can certainly shift her shape with someone else's. But that requires a willing participant to be bound in marriage with the Knight of Ghosts and Shadows. And all that explicitly entails." [21:58] "That gives us what. Two days to find that shithead a bride?" [21:59] 6Zhangyu: "That's not the only option." [21:59] 14Piu thinks, but doesn't say out loud, that maybe it's a good thing she killed Lena. Otherwise Lena would be the top target for an extremely cruel joke. [22:01] 07Dryas: "Zhangyu?" [22:01] "What? I'm just saying." [22:02] 14Piu: "Usually when someone says 'that's not the only option' they have a-- nevermind." [22:03] 6Zhangyu: "I can't be the only person who thought about it." [22:04] "The liquor is mine to disperse and I flatly forbid anyone in this hearth from marrying a skeleton man." [22:05] "At least under false pretenses." [22:05] 10Daizo looks up. "We still haven't finished enumerating our options." 10He returns his attention to the cage.  15[22:07] The bird warbles intently. [22:08] 10Daizo: [22:09] 10Daizo: "The bird's asking me if I'm a member of an obscure demon cult." [22:10] "And to be set free." [22:10] 07Dryas: "Well? Are you?" [22:11] 10Daizo's not going to dignify that with a response.  15[22:11] The bird: [22:12] 10Daizo:  15[22:14] The bird: [22:15] 10Daizo:  15[22:16] [22:20] 10Daizo:  10indicating Dryas— 15[22:20] Chirp chirp. [22:21] 6That's messed up. [22:21] 07Dryas puffs up a bit as Daizo gestures in her direction, unsure of what he has just said but assuming it's best to look... "Dynastic" [22:22] 10Daizo comes up for air and relays the conversation to Catela and the Hearth. [22:22] 6That's also messed up. [22:23] 14Piu: "I'm for freeing her. If we want to demand favors on top, that's fine by me. But my position on trafficking slaves is what it is." [22:24] 6Zhangyu: "No favors. Freedom doesn't require a price." [22:27] 14Piu: "Not true, in my experience. But I'm fine with that." [22:27] 10Daizo: "I'm not opposed either—although there are one or two conditions I would set. Not onerous ones. We just have to do it so that it doesn't incur the wrath of Moray. Which is easier said than done." [22:28] "Shouldn't, if you prefer." [22:35] 07Dryas: "I would never dream of asking for tribute from a silver anathema. That's a quick way to get killed for nothing. Her freedom is free, once we arrange for it. But she must never again trouble the Realm, any of its satrapies, or any of us; assuming she values her life in addition to her freedom." [22:37] 14Piu: "Sounds good. So how do we want to do it? The stowaway plan would work better if we had a ship to act as a catspaw and attack the Keystone -- if she got free in the commotion, then Moray wouldn't be so quick to point the finger at us." [22:37] "But we don't want to use one of our own ships." [22:42] 07Dryas: "I am not sure we could even catch the Keystone at sea. Moray is an exceptional sailor, his crew tireless. Could we weaken the cage, or prepare a facsimile?" [22:55] 10Daizo: "You wouldn't be able to create a facsimile of soulsteel any more than you could orichalcum or jade." [22:56] 07Dryas: "Can we fake the bird? I mean, Moon-touched anathema are supposed to be indistinguishable from the real article, right?" [22:58] 14Piu: "We could...though that just gets us a reputation for delivering shoddy goods. You're trying to make a good first impression; Moray isn't." 15[22:59] Catela: "This all seems frightfully complicated. What if we just leave?" [23:00] 14Piu: "Like Dryas said...the Keystone can overtake us at sea." [23:01] 6Zhangyu: "Ships sink all the time." [23:02] 07Dryas: "Has Bruiser Kang ever lost a match?" [23:02] 10Daizo: "…I mean… Catela has a point. Now that Lena's put to rest, the only thing that's holding us here is our own desire to meddle with things." [23:03] "We could just leave. Take the Leaf and sail to Awu ourselves." [23:03] 14Piu: "There's the issue of the man in the temple." 15[23:03] Catela looks up from the cage. [23:04] 10Daizo: "He's cured. From his perspective, unless we tell him about it, it happened miraculously." [23:05] "…well, he does have the information we need." [23:06] 14Piu's unstated reasoning, left so because of both Catela and Dryas's presence for varying reasons, is that leaving now means she killed Lena for little to no tangible benefit for Dryas. Which was a main reason she killed Lena. 15[23:08] Catela: "Perhaps you can keep him in port? I don't know... there must be something. All these tricky little switch-arounds and setups... so much can go wrong." [23:09] "Keeping him in port's just another one of those. A deal's been made here and it has to be paid off, one way or another." [23:10] "Unless we want to go dead-heat to Awu and see if we can beat the Keystone there in a boat-race. And THEN hope whoever's in Awu will help us against Moray." [23:11] 07Dryas: "We have to confront him or trick him. We can gain time here or there. But the problem remains. If we keep him off-balance enough he might overlook something." 15[23:11] Catela: "I fear that trickery leads to a confrontation anyway, but one we won't be able to predict." 15[23:11] "I... forget I said anything. I'm not good at sch- at planning." [23:12] 07Dryas steeples her fingers. That's a fair point. [23:13] "There's always the direct option, which is that the four of us just try to kill him on the dock." [23:13] "As Zhangyu notes." [23:14] 6He nods. Seems pretty safe, all things considered. [23:14] 10Daizo's brow is furrowed. "Don't be hard on yourself. I don't like plotting like this either. I think that's why I was just so taken with the option of leaving this mess behind—aside from D- the man in the temple and Moray, it's not our mess." [23:24] 10Daizo: "So! Let's put the issue of Moray aside for a few moments, loop back around to it later. I'm sorry, Captain, but we'll need privacy to discuss this. And take the cage with you, if you would." 15[23:26] After looking to Dryas for confirmation, Catela nods. "My Lady." She covers the cage and carries it away. [23:26] 07Dryas: "Thank you, Captain." [23:29] 10Once Catela's gone: "Deled's liable to wake up any minute. We should be there when he is. There's a few things I haven't told you yet about how Caxi healed him, and he can never find out about this." [23:29] 14Hoo. [23:31] 10Daizo: "Do you remember the neomah Caxi took into her service, the one that assisted Sadako's father in creating her?" [23:31] "It grafted on flesh and reshaped it into human limbs." [23:32] 10There is no way in hell Daizo is going to tell them the full story of what really happened in that room. [23:32] 14Piu: "Yes, I can see how that might bother him." [23:35] 10Daizo: "Yeah. Deled… you've heard the stories, right? About how he was forced to graduate from the Cloistear early? Usually that's a euphemism for being kicked out. But in his case, he was too useful of a tool for the Order to throw away. So he was bound into service as a shikari for the remainder of his life." [23:36] "We were acquainted. He was brilliant, really. A martial arts genius. But broken, so badly broken." [23:36] 07Dryas: "Wow. So we should make a good impression. As long as he doens't find out about any of, all the other things we get up to." [23:36] "So is he going to wake up, march out, and immediately attack the Knight?" [23:36] "That could be a problem." [23:38] 10Daizo: "That's the second thing we need to hide from him, at least for a while. I don't know what he knows about the political situation in Brightwork, but he can't learn anything else about it." [23:39] 14Piu: "I'll follow your lead, but 'hello! You can't leave the room! Can't tell you why, or where you are!' doesn't sound likely to end well." [23:39] 10Daizo: "Crime doesn't bother him, Dryas. But if he knew we were considering releasing a Silver Anathema, he'd gladly skewer us on his spear like so many kebabs." [23:40] 10Daizo: "I know. That's… Piu, I need you to figure out a way to keep him bedridden." [23:41] "Poison." [23:42] 10Daizo: "For my part… I'm going to tell him that he's been cursed. Whatever Furia did to him, it only made him believe he'd been dismembered." [23:42] "And that I'm still trying to undo everything she did to him." [23:43] "The weakness, the pain, any bizarre sensations from his limbs—" [23:43] 10Daizo: "Can you help me sell it to him?" [23:46] 14Piu sighs. "I'm sure I have something. Or can make it." [23:47] 4There are other ways to keep a man bed-ridden. But maybe not this one. [23:48] 10Daizo: "And, uh, Dryas. I'm going to have to ask you to think of a way to buy off the temple administration so we can control his access to information. It's probably going to be a little more expensive than getting the keys to the Mnemon library." [23:48] 10Daizo: "And lastly, Cousin…" [23:49] "If everything goes south and he decides we're heretics that need to be cut down, I'm gonna ask you to snap his spine." [23:49] "I told you I don't like planning." [23:51] "...I'll head back to the Defiance and get to work on a poison." [23:53] 07Dryas: "Why don't we resolve several problems at once? Send Deled and his family-member, Catela, back to Mionxi or something to set it up as our base. Take the bird into our direct custody - acknowledged, this creates new problems." [23:54] "If we all head back to Mionzi and then force Moray to confront us there, we'll have an advantage." [23:54] "If we can outrun him." [23:55] 10Daizo: "Deled might not recognize us as having the authority to give him orders…" [23:56] "But what about Ratel?" [23:57] "There's one with us he'll acknowledge," 07Dryas smirks. [23:57] 10Daizo: "We'd have to construct an airtight legal case that Ratel is the highest-ranking Realm military—Shit." [23:57] "Fuck." [23:58] 07Dryas: "If he's really beyond, then we give him the gunzosha and let him loose at cocktail hour. Come on, let's get over there." [23:59] 10Daizo: "…Yeah. Day's not getting any longer." [00:03] 14Piu frowns at the idea of involving Garnet in this...but it might not be avoidable. [00:05] 10It's not ideal. But there's a certain simplicity in it that Daizo's overheated scheming mind hadn't even considered. Just as long as he doesn't try to talk to her about doctrine. 15[00:15] NEXT TIME: Dire, Dire Docks