15[20:14] <VoxPVoxD> After days at sea on a ramshackle raft, surviving on the fruit of the sea, a thin water ration, and their own common will, the survivors of the Defiance find paradise. Even the cloudy mood of the Commodore doesn't keep them, mortal and Chosen alike, from whooping, cheering, or just slumping over with relief as the beautiful bunny-eared (residents? servants? slaves?) of this golden 
15[20:14] <VoxPVoxD> saucer fan out with blankets and medicine at the ready, and that huge bronze-skinned old man spreads his arms as if he could take them all in one great embrace.
[20:15] <Crion> 14Ugh. Fuck. Rowing.
[20:16] <Crion> 14How many of Lao's men survived?
[20:16] <Crion> 14Piu talked a big game about the garden wall between her and them, and still believes that, but shipwreck changes the calculus a bit.
[20:17] <trenchfoot> 6How many didn't? Zhangyu would be very interested in that.
[20:17] <trenchfoot> 6The bastards.
[20:17] <Crion> 14Rude.
[20:18] <trenchfoot> 6Look,
[20:20] <cbass> 10For his part, Daizo is about ready to cry tears of joy, although he'll be damned if he lets anyone else see that right now. 
15[20:21] <VoxPVoxD> Half of Lao's men survived, so three, which puts them at better than the crew average. Roughly 2 sailors in 3 are back in the Gyre, where the Defiance lay.
[20:21] <Crion> 14Well. It's not what you'd like.
15[20:23] <VoxPVoxD> The ship glides into place and some strapping bunnymen tie the raft in place with all the care they would offer a real vessel. The crew behind Ratel begin to swarm up on deck, but the Commodore holds them back with a stiff halting arm. "On what terms?" she says carefully, looking up at the white-haired giant with something between resignation and ruefulness.
15[20:24] <VoxPVoxD> The big man chuckles. "As honored guests! On the hospitality of the House! I assure you, dear lady, our motives are as straight as our games are fair."
15[20:24] <VoxPVoxD> Ratel scowls.
[20:25] <cbass> 10We've made a desperate play and staved off a loss, for the time being. And, critically, Furia's ace in the hole is now known.
[20:27] <cbass> 10He's at Ratel's side shortly after. "It is I who sent the message, so I will bear responsibility for any obligations incurred in the course of our stay."
[20:28] <Crion> 14Piu narrows her eyes at that last sentence.
[20:28] <cbass> "Tepet Daizo, apprentice sorcerer, at your service, sir…"
15[20:30] <VoxPVoxD> The big man clasps Daizo by the shoulders. "Tepet Daizo! The undefeated! The terror of terrapins! We are so happy to finally meet you."
15[20:30] <VoxPVoxD> "We have awaited your approach with great interest!"
[20:32] <Crion> "Whew!" 4Game face time! "WOW! This place! And me, without showering. V'neef Piu! I'd bow but I'd just about fall out of this shirt, tee hee."
15[20:32] <VoxPVoxD> "Welcome to Virumanda's Golden Saucer! I, Virumanda, am its architect and founder, and I personally invite you to partake of our hospitality, and our hospitalers."
15[20:32] <VoxPVoxD> Virumanda's eyes light up. "The V'neef Piu? Calibration's hero??"
[20:34] <Crion> 4Piu: "Well, I never gave me that name...but the very same!"
[20:34] <cbass> 10Daizo lets out an awkward chuckle. "Whoever your informers are, it sounds like they may have exaggerated my exploits a bit."
15[20:35] <VoxPVoxD> Ratel, meanwhile, finally relents, and the sailors stream past the Fangs, and Saucerine nurses hup stretchers onto the raft for the survivors whose injuries are too severe to move under their own power, or who continue to drift in and out of consciousness - some of the sailors have broken limbs, and Seiri's been touch and go with that head wound. Caxi's finally up, at least, and she 
15[20:35] <VoxPVoxD> leans on Daizo.
15[20:36] <VoxPVoxD> Virumanda: "Oh! Oh what a joy! What fortune blesses this house! Come, please. Rest, respite, and redress await! Do enjoy yourselves. And never you mind about the dress code, young lady, and young man."
[20:36] <cbass> 10Quietly: "Hey. I was worried you weren't going to come out of that one."
[20:37] <Crion> 4This guy seems nice! Piu will wait until they're somewhere more private before asking Ratel why, and what that means.
15[20:37] <VoxPVoxD> The young lady he's speaking to is obvious, but Ito Pan is straight-up shirtless... and Garnet has a new, slightly holey shawl.
[20:38] <Crion> 4We'll need to do something about that, too.
15[20:38] <VoxPVoxD> Caxi smiles gently and rests her head on his shoulder for just a beat. "We're not out of it yet," she mutters. "Do you want to lay odds?"
[20:39] <cbass> 10Daizo: "A little on the nose, don't you think?"
[20:40] <cbass> "Place like this, I'm sure they've just opened a hundred and eight new books on us."
15[20:40] <VoxPVoxD> Caxi: "Could be a real opportunity..."
15[20:41] <VoxPVoxD> The survivors are whisked into a dazzling, many-chandeliered foyer, filled with soft carpets, music, and chatter. There are a fair number of gawpers and looky-loos among the (wildly varied, generally obscenely wealthy-looking) clientele, but even the staff working them stay discreet and professional as they freshen up drinks or flirt people's attention back to various attractions.
[20:44] <Crion> 4In better times, she'd spent a season just savagely making her way through these bunny-men. Ah, the student life...
15[20:44] <VoxPVoxD> What looks like a ballroom has been converted into a surgery-cum-buffet. At one end, clean white cots. At the other, clean white tables laden with food and fresh water.
[20:45] <cbass> 10Virumanda's certainly got an eye for "talent".
15[20:46] <VoxPVoxD> Despite being battered and starved, the men and women of the Defiance are able to adhere to something like galley discipline as they line up for hot food and cold water. The most severely injured settle (or are settled) directly on the cots.
[20:48] <Crion> 4Excuse me a-- oh, surgery. Well, one supposes that'd be too much to hope for anyway. They proved the pineapple myth a lie at the Stairs.
15[20:48] <VoxPVoxD> Virumanda: "Please! Take your time. We'll be here to talk whenever you are ready. Feel free to partake of our complimentary diversions, and if you wish to game you need only speak to the Cage!"
15[20:49] <VoxPVoxD> "Your suites are being prepared."
[20:49] <cbass> 10It turns out that even when you've been suppressing hunger and thirst with the force of your will for days on end, the first bite of whatever you *do* eat afterwards is godly ambrosia, even if it's just a banana. 
15[20:50] <VoxPVoxD> Outside the ballroom, there's a young girl's whelp, an adult man's frustrated groan, and a smattering of screams.
[20:51] <Crion> 4Piu will check in with Caedus when she has a chance, but her main goal first is to slip into something more comfortable and less 'realm daughter shipwrecked among the ancient tribes' roleplay.
15[20:52] <VoxPVoxD> Caedus is stuck with the fracas outside, which entails the last few sailors off the Defiance limping to succor, except that a large, fit, dripping wet man is crouched on the floor between them. The body language Piu observes leads her to conclude he appeared quite suddenly. She can see Caedus's hand drifting casually to where she knows he keeps his knife.
15[20:53] <VoxPVoxD> Virumanda folds his arms and leans down imperiously. "A stowaway?"
[20:53] <Crion> 4How are his pupils?
15[20:53] <VoxPVoxD> A solid, nicked black.
[20:54] <Crion> 4Piu: "He's with me!"
[20:54] <Crion> 4Piu: "He simply has circumstances."
15[20:54] <VoxPVoxD> The man looks up, then Caedus, then Virumanda. Their faces betray relief, wariness, and surprise.
15[20:54] <VoxPVoxD> Caedus: "That's right."
[20:55] <cbass> 10Well. I guess that explains what happened to the cat that was unceremoniously barfed up by a serpent. 
15[20:56] <VoxPVoxD> He belatedly offers the dripping man a hand up, which is refused as the man levers himself up on his own thighs. Standing in full he's a bit shorter and a bit more muscular than Caedus.
15[20:57] <VoxPVoxD> "That's right," says Rinca. "Sorry to surprise you. I'm gonna go get some food."
[20:58] <Crion> 4Piu will toss him a towel for modesty.She has the discipline not to let her eyes wander; not out of similar modesty, but merely not to give him the satisfaction. He's a shapeshifter. Whatever's going on down there, she's confident he has it well-handled.
15[20:58] <VoxPVoxD> Rinca's thanks comes in the form of a face-first grunt directly into the towel as he dries his face and head and then throws it over his shoulders to walk into the ballroom.
[20:59] <Crion> 4Hah.
15[21:00] <VoxPVoxD> Caxi's busied herself with all of the jade spoils the senior staff managed to recover from the Defiance before it sank, but she looks up and watches Rinca's movement after he's passed her.
[21:01] <cbass> 10Hrmm.
15[21:05] <VoxPVoxD> Once everyone's squared away, Caedus takes Piu aside somewhere private-seeming. "What's your read?"
[21:05] <Crion> 4To Caedus, once that extremely fine ass has sauntered off: "That would be...well, you can probably guess who he is."
[21:05] <Crion> "His tell is his eyes. Pupils specifically."
[21:07] <Crion> "As for this place...I'd have gone absolutely wild here as a teen. Legendarily. But sadly, we're on business. My read is, we need a ship, and not just any ship, but a ship that will let Ratel be Commodore Ratel again. She's strong, but the combination of losing her sister, losing her crew, losing her ship...she's not in a great place right now."
15[21:07] <VoxPVoxD> Dryas feels the space wash over her in a sensory onslaught. The people around her, friend and stranger alike, blur into color and movement.
15[21:07] <VoxPVoxD> Kiriglace's Golden Saucer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QteAnOmbSfI - ♫♪♬♪♩
[21:08] <cbass> 10Dauzi fills Caxi in similarly. "Silver Anathema, probably. Must have gotten on back at Brightwork. No idea what his play is—but we're in no position to throw down. I guess Piu set up a truce.."
15[21:09] <VoxPVoxD> Her reverie in interrupted. "My lady? My dear lady?" That pompadoured giant is looking down at her between the cleft in his pecs, with concern and, with an audience of one, something at the corners of his eyes that betrays the faintest touch of melancholy.
15[21:09] <VoxPVoxD> Virumanda the Elder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULwUeG-CTGg - The gods may throw a dice — their minds as cold as ice — and someone way down here loses someone dear...
15[21:11] <VoxPVoxD> Caedus: "Okay. I don't know what that's going to entail, but we can work that out. We've got a more immediate problem."
[21:11] <mattbaby> 07Dryas blinks a few times, snapping out of it. It's been quite a few days. "Yes?"
[21:12] <Crion> 4Piu: "What's that?"
15[21:13] <VoxPVoxD> Caxi: "I can imagine." She pauses, eyes unfocused. Perhaps she is imagining it right now. Then: "You cracked the Messenger then? Excellent work. And under such duress!"
15[21:13] <VoxPVoxD> Caedus: "Garnet's no longer practically containable."
15[21:14] <VoxPVoxD> Virumanda: "Are you well, madam? Do you need assistance to reach your comrades?"
[21:14] <Crion> 4Piu: "Probably, but consider the context. Wild rumors coming out of a casino? We'll have some cover, for awhile."
15[21:16] <VoxPVoxD> Caedus: "If we don't run into anyone who knows her, or us, yeah. We've got a little time, maybe. But we need to be prepared to move immediately. We need to bring Lao in, or we need to do something about his men. And you need to make sure the senior staff are all on one line about how we handle this intra-house."
[21:17] <mattbaby> 07Dryas takes a sweeping look of the place. "I think I will be alright. What is this place? Who are you?"
[21:17] <Crion> 14Piu turns colder: "The only consideration worth caring about is this: Do you think Lao will order her dead?"
15[21:18] <VoxPVoxD> Virumanda: "This is the Golden Saucer! A haven for the cleverest, the most daring, where peerless application of will and skill are rewarded by and with Fortune!"
15[21:19] <VoxPVoxD> "I am Virumanda. I built this House."
15[21:24] <VoxPVoxD> Caedus: "I think... it depends. On how we handle it from here."
15[21:25] <VoxPVoxD> "We have to be prepared to convince him that the benefits are worth the risks."
[21:25] <Crion> 14Piu: "If bringing him in will win his forbearance on the issue, we bring him in. If not...then what happens next won't involve you."
15[21:26] <VoxPVoxD> Caedus: "..................yeah."
15[21:26] <VoxPVoxD> "Anything else? You need to eat and clean up, and so do I."
[21:27] <mattbaby> 07Dryas is quite satisfied with this. "There are few better places we could have ended up, I see. Are you a friend to Plentimon?"
15[21:30] <VoxPVoxD> Virumanda: "He and I are well-acquainted. But you are his friend too! The Southron Tamer, Dryas the Younger! Truly, can you say that you have not earned Fortune's affection?"
[21:31] <Crion> 4Piu, relaxing: "Nope. I'm gonna keep working Rinca, which might get kinda lewd, seeing as he's a Lunar and all. So fair warning there."
15[21:32] <VoxPVoxD> Caedus: "I had a hunch. Nice pull, by the way. That guy falling out of a mouse? Getting lucky thrice over. You should place some bets, you're on a hot streak."
[21:33] <Crion> 4She gives him a kiss. It's not chaste, but it is quick, because they're both absolutely filthy. "Let's hope it lasts."
[21:34] <mattbaby> 07Dryas smiles. "Not without lying. Or bluffing, perhaps."
15[21:38] <VoxPVoxD> Virumanda: "Your family is well-regarded here, so if you care to try your hand at the tables you needn't even open a new account! But if you wish to live and die on your own name, the Cage is just that way."
15[21:40] <VoxPVoxD> Zhangyu's in the ballroom when Sadako brings him some kind of meat on a stick. "You gotta eat."
[21:40] <trenchfoot> 6...What kind of meat? He'll take it regardless.
[21:41] <trenchfoot> "I-- yes."
15[21:42] <VoxPVoxD> Piu feels a lingering sense of eyes on her and looks around. She doesn't see anyone looking straight at her (nor does she see any windows or time pieces, or any indication of what's going on in the world outside. But she does notice, embedded at regular intervals in the ceiling, between the chandeliers, a series hemispherical mirrors that give you a discreet fisheye view of huge swaths 
15[21:42] <VoxPVoxD> of the gaming areas.
[21:43] <Crion> 4Ah, ever more clever ways for men to stare discreetly at her ass.
[21:43] <Crion> 4Not discretely though, unfortunately. She can't pinpoint anyone specifically.
15[21:43] <VoxPVoxD> The meat smells like beef. "This place doesn't breathe," Sadako says. "It's creepy."
15[21:43] <VoxPVoxD> Tastes like beef, too.
[21:43] <mattbaby> 07Dryas considers Virumanda's offer. "I think I will visit the Cage, in that case. Enough drawing on the family accounts..."
[21:44] <cbass> 10Daizo: "Your Emerald Principles text was just about the only book in my possession that survived. Whenever I wasn't rowing or distilling fresh water, I was reading it—if we hadn't gotten a message out, we'd have been through."
15[21:44] <VoxPVoxD> Dryas notices the same thing, except she does see people using them — but quite a few. It seems like the entire staff is trained in their use, and in particular their use in lieu of eye contact.
[21:45] <mattbaby> 07The bunnyfolk?
[21:45] <cbass> "Although I could have tried my luck with more elementals, if it'd come to it. If we hadn't at least had Current…" 
15[21:45] <VoxPVoxD> That's right. The bunnyfolk, the dealers, croupiers, and dicemasters, even the harpist.
15[21:45] <VoxPVoxD> Everyone who looks like they work here.
[21:46] <trenchfoot> 6That's... disconcerting? At least the food is good. "Is this the first place you've felt that?"
15[21:47] <VoxPVoxD> Caxi: "I suppose that makes you *quite* the hero. We should go tell the busty proprietor. Your roll of deeds wasn't nearly long enough."
15[21:48] <VoxPVoxD> Sadako: "The dojo."
[21:48] <trenchfoot> 6Hm.
15[21:48] <VoxPVoxD> Zhangyu's dojo, he'll recall, is in the remains of an ancient savages' burial ground.
[21:49] <trenchfoot> 6Hmmmmm.
15[21:49] <VoxPVoxD> Virumanda: "Good fortune, my lady!"
[21:49] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "I won't detain you longer, Virumanda of the Golden Saucer, but I thank you for your hospitality."
[21:50] <cbass> 10Daizo: "He may not even need us to provide the information. He knew about the turtle. I didn't think that story'd gotten off the Isle, aside from the Defiance… much less to a casino in the middle off the great sea."
15[21:50] <VoxPVoxD> The cage is easy to find, gilded as it is and found in the center of the main gaming area, down some stairs from where they came in. Apart from the gold bars, a whole tangle of glass tubes run in and out of it and up into the ceiling and down into the floor, and the six-armed spider-man stoically taking messages, sending messages, changing chips for cash and notes and vice versa, seems 
15[21:50] <VoxPVoxD> to be operating in a kind of yogic trance.
15[21:51] <VoxPVoxD> "What'll it be, ma'am? Purse, promise, or parallel?"
[21:52] <Crion> 4Anyway, not much else to do but bathe and change into the absolute sexiest dress available.
15[21:53] <VoxPVoxD> Caxi: "He does seem suspiciously well-informed for such an oaf."
15[21:53] <VoxPVoxD> "Do you think it's a put-on?"
[21:54] <trenchfoot> 6Zhangyu's got to find the rest of the crew. And let them know Sadako got bad vibes - specific bad vibes.
15[21:54] <VoxPVoxD> All eight of his rolling eyes focus for just a moment on Dryas, and he sighs.
15[21:54] <VoxPVoxD> Babka Po: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr6k3mvZRQA - ...but the day that I stop counting, that's the day my world will end.
15[21:57] <VoxPVoxD> Piu finds the baths to be quite luxurious - perhaps even the equal of what you can find back home! And when she's out of the baths, their suites are ready, and there's fresh clothes that fit perfectly in whatever style she wants.
[21:57] <mattbaby> 07Dryas puts on that matrician smile they teach in school to talk to other peoples' important servants. "Collateral...? Is there a..." 07she scans the room. Is there a suitably sized piece of wood? Are there potted plants in here?
[21:58] <cbass> 10Daizo: "Don't know enough to judge yet, but if there's a hook attached to all this hospitality, I'm sure we'll find out before long."
15[21:58] <VoxPVoxD> There's lots of wood, but nothing resembling plant life. Except for the garnishes in the cocktails.
[22:00] <mattbaby> 07Dryas sighs. "Credit." 07She's the roseblack of crime, she can run up a small tab.
15[22:00] <VoxPVoxD> "Name?"
[22:00] <mattbaby> 07Cynis Dryas: "Cynis Dryas."
15[22:01] <VoxPVoxD> Zhangyu can find Daizo easily enough, near Caxi. Ratel is in a huddle with Caedus, the Cathaks, and Garnet.
[22:01] <mattbaby> "Ah - the Younger."
15[22:01] <VoxPVoxD> There's also this damp naked guy eating shrimp in the back.
[22:02] <Crion> 4Once she's properly dressed, Piu will find the naked man eating shrimp on her tab. Surprisingly not a euphemism for a sex act!
[22:02] <trenchfoot> 6Is he h- not the time. To Daizo: "Do you have a moment?"
15[22:03] <VoxPVoxD> The spider-man: "Allllllright my lady then I'm opening a Red Jade Deliberator Account for you. Lines and limits are outlined here, here, and here. Stick your signet or thumb on this wax seal, please."
15[22:04] <VoxPVoxD> He's not pretty, but he works out and he's got a certain rugged charm. Kind of a dadbod hardboy vibe.
15[22:05] <VoxPVoxD> *dadbod hardbody
[22:05] <trenchfoot> 6Thank you for the clarification.
[22:05] <Crion> 4I assure you, he is hot.
[22:06] <trenchfoot> 6Does he listen to boy in red?
[22:08] <cbass> 10Daizo: "Yeah. What's up, Cousin, have you found something out?"
[22:08] <Crion> 4She gets the vibe that he doesn't really care as long he tops.
[22:09] <trenchfoot> 6Zhangyu: "Sadako got... ugh, 'vibes' isn't strong enough. Let's talk to her?"
[22:10] <trenchfoot> "She was concerned. I'm concerned. Is what it is."
[22:10] <mattbaby> 07Dryas scans it, not too carefully. She's seen this sort of thing a dozen times before. "Red jade deliberator? Let's go one higher. I'll have you know that I've got an excellent opportunity developing in Abalone." 07Clink, clink, clink...
15[22:10] <VoxPVoxD> Sadako is perched like a gargoyle on the edge of Seiri's cot. She's awake now, and propped up with pillows while a pretty bunny-girl feeds her broth with a ceramic spoon.
[22:12] <cbass> 10Oh dear. That's not going to improve Sadako's mood any.
15[22:12] <VoxPVoxD> Babka's eyes blink in an eerie cascade, one pair at a time descending. "Iiiii think we can arrange that my lady. Allow me to upgrade you to our White Mountain Matriarch package."
15[22:13] <VoxPVoxD> Process is the same as before.
[22:13] <cbass> 10Daizo clears his throat. "I'm sorry, but we need to speak to the patient. In confidence."
15[22:17] <VoxPVoxD> This contract Dryas looks at more closely, as it seems to demand it. Even the paper is finer. It has the same basic structure as the other one, with higher numbers and more perks (you can commission an in-house minstrel to compose a song about you! consorts are buy-one-get-one!) but as she reads closely she realizes the penalty structure is a bit odd. Ordinarily the consequences for 
15[22:17] <VoxPVoxD> nonpayment or delinquency are heavy penalties, punitive interest, etc. But this has a sort of binding arbitration clause, like "a Trial of Skill shall be convened between the Delinquent and the House to determine appropriate recompense."
15[22:17] <VoxPVoxD> The nurse frowns, but nods floppily before sashaying away. Seiri watches her go and then smiles wanly at Daizo. "Quite a place."
[22:18] <mattbaby> 07Dryas, her thumb hanging over the unpressed mark: "What's this about trials of skill? What's the typical trial?"
[22:18] <cbass> "It's impressive, that much is sure. But Zhangyu says you're feeling something off about it, Sadako?"
15[22:18] <VoxPVoxD> Babka: "Your favorite game."
[22:19] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "That's it? Not an ironic death sentence or something?"
15[22:20] <VoxPVoxD> "All other terms are subject to negotiation between the Delinquent and the House."
[22:21] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "Ah. Well. It isn't as though I've never done worse," 07she presses her thumb into the contract. "What's your name?"
15[22:21] <VoxPVoxD> Zhangyu sees the mirrors, and Daizo feels the eyes. The nurse is watching them, and so are a couple of the servers.
[22:22] <trenchfoot> 6Not time to talk about what Sadako felt, then.
15[22:22] <VoxPVoxD> "Babka Po, ma'am." Once the thumb is pressed, a small fanfare plays and a pair of clockwork songbirds bear a small mantle of laurels to drape over Dryas's shoulders. Babka applauds gamely and so do the other nearby workers.
[22:24] <Crion> 4Sliding into a seat next to Rinca in a dress that's red and blue on the front and back and sheer on the sides: "Can't say that ended how I thought it would! I suppose we did, however, technically, eventually, deliver you to a port."
[22:25] <cbass> 10No, there's a way. He leans in and whispers to Caxi: "Are you up to that trick? The speaking without words? Or if you have another way to guarantee some privacy…"
15[22:25] <VoxPVoxD> Rinca turns to look at Piu and, belatedly, her face. "Guess we're square then."
15[22:26] <VoxPVoxD> Caxi gives an uncertain, seesawing gesture, which Daizo immediately takes to be sarcasric. Of course, darling. Shall we let all three of the kids in?
[22:26] <cbass> Please, let's.
[22:27] <Crion> 4Now Piu glances down. "Some of us more of a rectangle. But I'm fairly certain we'll have the first boat off this golden rock, assuming you don't want to swim back."
15[22:27] <VoxPVoxD> She swirls her hand a bit and her hair flutters. Now we can all understand each other without words. Discretion is of the utmost importance. Yes? Agreed?
15[22:27] <VoxPVoxD> Sadako shrugs.
15[22:27] <VoxPVoxD> Seiri opens her mouth before her eyes widen and she clamps it shut. Then she starts to nod, and then judges that too obvious as well. She affects a sort of lidded, indifferent Yeah, totally.
[22:28] <trenchfoot> 6This is very weird, even though I knew it was coming.
[22:29] <cbass> 10Daizo takes a seat and leans back, pleased. Oh, you'll be naturals at this in no time.
15[22:30] <VoxPVoxD> Rinca: "That could work. Long as I'm not gonna have that big jade piece aiming low for sticking around."
15[22:30] <VoxPVoxD> Mouth full: "Shrimp?"
15[22:32] <VoxPVoxD> Dryas judges that this man is trusted but not especially listened to. He's got a vital, high-security job, but she readily gets the sense he doesn't do much else. He's not a decision-maker. He's just very reliable, and relied-upon.
[22:32] <cbass> 10Anyway, Daizo will make verbal small talk with Seiri about the events of the past few days while the10 actual 10conversation proceeds in nods and gestures. 
15[22:32] <VoxPVoxD> Sadako: This place is fucked up.
[22:33] <mattbaby> 07Dryas, wearing the garlands about her rags and salt-strewn hair, makes her way back towards where the rest of the Defiance have ended up.
15[22:34] <VoxPVoxD> Seiri: "The nurse said I hit my head pretty hard, and told me to watch for any strange dizzy spells." What happened? The last thing I remember was the flash of lightning.
[22:34] <Crion> 4She could continue the innuendo but he doesn't seem the type to appreciate it and frankly she's found men who do kind of lame. Caedus no-selling stuff with a double meaning was crucial to their early relationship. Anyway: "Yeah, why not." 4She'll take a shrimp. "Ratel won't shoot your dick off; she's got bigger problems." 4Okay, maybe some innuendo.
[22:35] <Crion> "And when we've gotten her a new boat, she won't be thinking of much else."
15[22:37] <VoxPVoxD> Rinca nods, contemplating some inner thought or Piu's thighs. "I'll help how I can, but this place pulled me straight into my body. That's unreal magic. Mahalanka shit."
[22:37] <mattbaby> 07Dryas appears in the threshold, if she is not waylaid - "Gentlemen and ladies!"
15[22:38] <VoxPVoxD> Everyone looks up. Sailors, staff, Sadako, Seiri, Rinca.
[22:38] <cbass> "We're going to have to get you toughened up, once you've recovered and we're on our way again." Furia  made a pact with some kind of greater storm spirit. All it needed was to touch the Defiance and it split in twain.
[22:38] <Crion> 4Piu: "I was kinda confused by you just, showing up like that. So there's some real shit here...hrm. Are you blocked from changing at all?"
[22:38] <Crion> 4Put a pin in that.
[22:39] <Crion> 4Quietly: "Oh this should be good."
15[22:39] <VoxPVoxD> Rinca: "That's a good look for her."
[22:39] <cbass> 10Daizo's startled out of his story too. Oh shit, what's she done this time.
[22:40] <Crion> 4Piu: "You should tell her that to her face, since you're strong enough to survive her trying to kill you."
[22:40] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "You are looking at the newest White Mountain Matriarch signature rewards member!"
[22:40] <trenchfoot> 6Zhangyu: Oh, no.
[22:40] <Crion> 4Piu half-collapses holding in her laughter.
15[22:40] <VoxPVoxD> From the back of the room, Rinca offers Dryas an approving wolf-whistle.
[22:42] <cbass> 10Daizo shakes his head slowly. She's opened a credit account and now she thinks she's a satrap? 
[22:42] <mattbaby> 07Dryas doesn't quite see who did that but assumes it was Samperson. "Behave! Because I won't."
15[22:42] <VoxPVoxD> Sadako: "Uh."
15[22:42] <VoxPVoxD> "Are you hungry?"
15[22:42] <VoxPVoxD> Did she go crazy?
[22:43] <trenchfoot> 6Zhangyu: "I could leave." No, she's just like this.
15[22:43] <VoxPVoxD> Seiri just looks down at the blankets pooled in her lap.
[22:44] <Crion> 4Fondly, after a sigh: "I hope that dumb bitch hasn't just signed our entire lives away."
15[22:44] <VoxPVoxD> Rinca: "Yeah, sure would be a shame if we had to tear this place apart on the way out."
[22:44] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "Darling, I'm famished. But I'm going to pass on the..." 07she examines what they are eating in here. Even she can barely contain herself. "Fangs!" 07she twirls a hand in the air languidly.
15[22:45] <VoxPVoxD> Caxi: "That's your cue, darling."
[22:46] <Crion> 4Piu: "Well, that's my cue." 4She stands, tactically giving Rinca a view from the side. "I'm wondering how long it'll take for someone to ask you to put on pants."
15[22:47] <VoxPVoxD> Rinca shrugs. "Plenty of food in the meantime."
[22:47] <cbass> 10Daizo suddenly looks very, very Tired. "Right. I'm off to go be Dryas' backup dancer, then."
[22:48] <Crion> 4Simple man, simple tastes. She's been told Lunars love to play that up. She decides against a wink, instead just gives him a smirk, and doesn't exaggerate the sashay off.
[22:48] <trenchfoot> 6An also very tired Zhangyu: "Same."
15[22:48] <VoxPVoxD> Dryas is able to take the Fangs into her White Mountain Matriarch suite, done in Mnemonic architecture, with flawless imported marble, a powerful geomantic inclination towards serenity, and a huge, shuddering fountain dominating the main room.
[22:48] <Crion> 4When she reaches Dryas: "Sister, did you sign a contract before even bathing?"
[22:50] <cbass> 10Daizo: "Please tell me you have a plan for all this."
[22:50] <trenchfoot> 6Zhangyu: "If you didn't have one, just keep quiet."
[22:50] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "What was I supposed to bathe in? This comes with the spa upgrade."
[22:51] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "This is far from the most dangerous agreement I've made this month alone," 07she insists.
[22:52] <trenchfoot> 6What did I JUST say.
[22:52] <cbass> 10Daizo: "Ye-e-e-sss… but we had leverage back in Brightwork."
[22:53] <Crion> 4Piu: "That's probably true!"
[22:56] <Crion> 4To Daizo: "Well, if she doesn't have a plan, I do."
15[22:56] <VoxPVoxD> Dryas luxuriates in the space, the ripple of the water, the cool refreshing air, the same gentle harp music as outside... peculiar, isn't it, that that music carries so cleanly and so far. Her mind traces the sound to the veins of crystal that trace the ceiling with elemental ideograms, vibrating the tune with miraculous fidelity. If she focuses on the crystal she can see light, 
15[22:56] <VoxPVoxD> movement... and her eyes focus through it and see that the crystal is connected somehow to the mirrors outside, the ones the staff watch through.
[22:56] <Crion> "Or I'm working on one. Which this might make easier to start with, but harder on the back end."
15[22:57] <VoxPVoxD> She makes just the barest moment of eye contact with the harpist, a beautiful woman in a classic black dress with high-hung golden hair.
15[22:58] <VoxPVoxD> The harpist looks away quickly, but Dryas would swear that the corner of her lips turned up just the barest fraction of an ilm, the faintest ghost of a smile.
15[22:58] <VoxPVoxD> Kiriglace, Fortune's Favored: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG-4Uvhm4lI - Check this hand, 'cause I'm marvelous.
[23:00] <mattbaby> 07Dryas settles in to the most comfortable thing she's sat upon since turning down the whale leather sofas in Brightwork. "Everything here is watched. And of course, I don't need to remind anyone that the games here are held with the utmost integrity. Even we end up owing money to the house, it goes to your favorite game."
[23:03] <cbass> 10Daizo finds a lounge chair as well. "And what exactly does that mean?" 
[23:04] <mattbaby> 07Dryas, breezily: "I don't intend to find out."
[23:07] <Crion> 4Piu: "Are we being sent to the tables?"
[23:07] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "There are games of skill as well as chance. On a level field, we have the skills. And, despite the setback that set us here, who could possibly deny our good fortune?"
[23:08] <Crion> "If we are, I'm much better as a distraction than a player. Especially since we're not allowed to cheat."
[23:08] <Crion> "And especially in this dress.;'
[23:08] <Crion> *"
[23:08] <trenchfoot> 6Appraisingly: "It is a good dress."
[23:09] <Crion> "Thanks!"
[23:09] <Crion> "I'm a bit concerned they had something that fit so well off the rack."
15[23:10] <VoxPVoxD> Also off the hips.
[23:10] <trenchfoot> "It... does fit though, right?"
[23:11] <Crion> 4Piu: "Rinca thought so."
[23:11] <cbass> 10Daizo: "Right, let's not let ourselves get too comfortable with all the glory-seeking. Something's a little fishy here and I don't mean the kelp in Dryas' hair."
15[23:11] <VoxPVoxD> Everyone who does or has checked the wardrobes in their suites finds their clothes similarly well-tailored, as if someone had sent ahead their measurements.
[23:12] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "We have been neck deep in it for months. We even accomplished the mission, so to speak. Who else should I put on the comp card, by the way?"
[23:13] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "Garnet, I suppose. Could be awkward. Will be awkward. Ratel?"
[23:14] <Crion> 4Piu: "The whole senior staff. We want them close and Ratel can make sure they don't splurge. Maybe classify the twins as children who need adult permission to use the expensive stuff."
[23:14] <cbass> "Wow."
[23:14] <cbass> "Fair, but wow."
[23:15] <Crion> 4After a thought: "No, yeah, you're right. I'm not putting that restriction on someone I've fucked."
[23:16] <cbass> 10Daizo snorts. 
[23:16] <mattbaby> 07Dryas gives Piu a look.
[23:17] <Crion> 4Is this a look because she fucked the Cathak boys or a look because she suggested adding like a dozen people to the comp tab?
[23:17] <cbass> "Ultimately, though, we need to keep our eyes on a goal: buy or win ourselves a vessel so we can get out of here under our own power and on our own terms."
[23:18] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "Which - actually, nevermind. It was probably both."
[23:19] <Crion> 4Ruefully: "Not at the same time, though."
[23:19] <Crion> "Yet."
[23:20] <Crion> 4Piu: "Does this place had a shipyards? Or a prize dock with ships to win?"
[23:20] <cbass> 10Okay, so the rest of us have our own goals as well.
[23:20] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "There were some plum choices berthed besides the Defiance's sorry remains."
15[23:21] <VoxPVoxD> There's an impound yard with ships lost as collateral, but it's also very heard-of to simply win someone's vessel and sail out with it.
15[23:21] <VoxPVoxD> Those are probably going to be nicer vessels on the whole.
[23:21] <trenchfoot> 6...can you fight for one?
[23:22] <Crion> 4Piu: "I think the best way to get Ratel out of her very understandable existential crisis, or at least to defer it, is to get her scouting a replacement."
[23:22] <Crion> "Should I suggest that to our Commodore?"
[23:22] <Crion> "I guess I should foreground this more: I want Ratel to remain in charge of whatever ship we get."
[23:23] <Crion> "It's the only way to tenuously keep us on mission, which means on charter, which means our houses not calling us back to this fucking civil war."
[23:25] <trenchfoot> 6Zhangyu: "Seems right."
[23:25] <cbass> 10Daizo: "I'm in favor as well."
[23:26] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "Seems a waste to settle for one ship. There's a fleet here."
[23:26] <Crion> 4Piu smirks. "Fine. But she gets the prize. Because we'll be sailing on that."
[23:27] <mattbaby> 07Dryas remains conspicuously quiet, perhaps choosing to fight this battle later.
[23:28] <Crion> 4The only real issue here is if Ratel and Dryas's particular choice for ships overlap.
[23:28] <Crion> 4So, we'll have this fight if it comes to that edge case.
[23:28] <Crion> 4Piu: "I'll go prod the Commodore to get started, unless there's something else?"
[23:29] <trenchfoot> 6Nothing comes to mind.
[23:30] <cbass> "Nothing for the moment. Let's just make sure to keep each other updated. If you see anything strange or out-of-place—pass it along."
[23:31] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "Such as our dear friend, the harpist."
[23:31] <Crion> 4Piu will do a shot of something strong from the open bar -- surely the comp means there's one around here somewhere -- and saunter off to find their Captain, O Captain.
[23:31] <Crion> 4Before that: "The harpist?"
[23:31] <Crion> "Is she a player?"
[23:32] <Crion> "It did seem weird. The house harpist. Background music, but her perch gives her a view of the whole room..."
[23:32] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "Not just that room," 07she gestures expansively.
[23:34] <Crion> 4Ruefully, again: "Mirrors. Friend and foe."
15[23:37] <VoxPVoxD> Ratel's easy enough to find; she's gathered the sailors in the ballroom all at one table, all around the table in their rags and distress, sharing wine and singing. Ratel is leading this one. "Sisters! Below, below..."
15[23:37] <VoxPVoxD> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EtOAaK19bA
[23:39] <Crion> 4This is a favorite...but not for us.
[23:45] <Crion> 4We can, and will, do better.
[23:45] <Crion> 4Must stress that this song is excellent, though. Piu will wait for them to finish before sidling up.
15[23:46] <VoxPVoxD> Someone else leads the next one. "Oh the year was 7-odd-58 -- How I wish I was in Brightwork now! --" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPrIXFFbsfI
15[23:47] <VoxPVoxD> Daizo finds the clothes that await him well-tailored not just for his frame but for his wings.
[23:47] <Crion> 4Now for this Piu will provide the whoop after 'now.'
[23:48] <cbass> 10There really aren't words for how nice it is to get crusted salt and grime and sweat off of you. Even a few parts of his skin wind up red and raw after scrubbing, although they begin to heal over just as quickly as the protective crust of guck is washed away. The clothes are unsettling but welcome nonetheless; on the raft he'd kept them folded in so much they were regularly cramping up. 
[23:48] <Crion> 4When they get a moment, Piu will say directly into Ratel's ear close enough to lick her, "A word?"
[23:48] <Crion> *4When they get a moment, Piu will say directly into Ratel's ear close enough to lick her, "A word, Commodore?"
[23:49] <cbass> 10That completed, he takes a look at the corridor map that's been thoughtfully left in the room and sets out to get plausibly "lost". 
15[23:51] <VoxPVoxD> Ratel looks up, and then her eyebrows keep going when she sees what Piu's in. "By all means."
15[23:51] <VoxPVoxD> The bath is luxurious. Rivals anything Dryas got in Pangu. Where's she go first after pampering?
[23:52] <Crion> 4When they're slightly away: "Berit's a good pull, because we've got a plan to walk away from this particular table flush."
[23:52] <mattbaby> 07Dryas disappears into the spa area for some time. Unless something unusual happens there, she is next seen in the most upscale eating establishment she can access, in the bespoke finery that seems to have been made available.
15[23:53] <VoxPVoxD> Ratel: "You want to gamble?"
[23:54] <Crion> 4Piu: "Oh, I'm either going to be arm candy or pit fighting. Dryas wants to gamble. The good news is that she's Cynis, a House given to commerce, orgies, and games of chance. I'm just here to cause trouble."
15[23:54] <VoxPVoxD> Dryas is in a room as hot as a furnace, as meat is grilled in a flash before her eyes, and the eyes of all the other diners, by the cackling little man with coal-red eyes whose fat little arms are periodically awash in flame that he grazes over the cooking pits in the center of the restaurant.
[23:55] <cbass> 10What is the overall floor plan of this place, anyway? Mostly circular, or twisting corridors, or a neat grid system? 
15[23:55] <VoxPVoxD> Spirals.
[23:56] <cbass> 10Uhh.
[23:56] <Crion> "But what we'd request from you is that you take a walk along the docks and the impound lot and really, anywhere with a boat. And you pick our four or five or six that you'd love to captain with the same arrangement as before: us all as your senior staff, the crew as the crew, and we'll fill in the margins at your discretion for those lost. Perhaps put an engraved stone marker for them 
[23:56] <Crion> aft."
[23:56] <Crion> "And what the Fangs are going to do is get us one of those boats."
15[23:56] <VoxPVoxD> It's obscured a bit by how open most of the plan is, but both the architecture and the geomancy draw outward-in along neat, parallel curves that converge in loci. The suites converge on the hospitality desk, the thoroughfares through the tables converge on the Cage, and so forth.
[23:57] <cbass> 10When Daizo realizes this, he also resolves to put together a geomantic analysis of the place. One step at a time, though. 
15[23:57] <VoxPVoxD> A server comes up to ask Dryas for her order, when a particularly egregious gout of flame startles them and knocks the glass Dryas already had off the table.
15[23:58] <VoxPVoxD> It rotates a full 360 degrees in midair before clinking off the floor and bouncing back into a standing position, without a drop spilled.
15[23:58] <VoxPVoxD> The server looks up, eyes wide, and backs away.
15[23:58] <VoxPVoxD> "Would you mind if I joined you?" comes a genteel voice at Dryas's shoulder.
15[23:59] <VoxPVoxD> Ratel: "Hah."
15[23:59] <VoxPVoxD> "That's brassy."
[23:59] <Crion> 4Piu grins. "Would you expect less?"
15[23:59] <VoxPVoxD> "Just pick of the litter, huh?"
[23:59] <mattbaby> 07Dryas does not look up, but instead gestures to the empty seat before her. "By all means,"  07she invites.
15[23:59] <VoxPVoxD> "You always know exactly how to cheer a girl up."
15[00:00] <VoxPVoxD> "I'll go for a walk, then."
[00:00] <Crion> 4Piu: "I think Zhangyu wants to go with you. Just to make sure you're not bothered."
15[00:01] <VoxPVoxD> The harpist joins her, still in the dress she performed in. Her hair is, if anything, higher and tighter than it was on stage, a bun so merciless it seems to have surface tension. "How do you do? My name is Kiriglace, and this is my House. How are you finding the accomodations?"
[00:01] <Crion> 4She pauses before moving away. "Permission to speak freely, ma'am," 4she says mostly superfluously, but playing to Ratel's authority kink.
15[00:01] <VoxPVoxD> "I'll allow it," says Ratel, enjoying the indulgence.
15[00:03] <VoxPVoxD> Daizo decides the best way to find points of friction is to work against the current, so he starts tracing the spirals backwards. Walking the other way he can see more of the subtle surveillance woven into the structure of the place. Not just the mirrors but the high-traffic paths for the waitstaff all have great sightlines to the entire space, and the acoustics seem to cling to Daizo 
15[00:03] <VoxPVoxD> more readily.
[00:04] <Crion> 4Piu: "A noble death is virtuous, but the Four Fangs difference is we do this shit with the virtues that let you walk away from it. No suicide missions except the ones we can walk away from."
15[00:05] <VoxPVoxD> He ends up affably marauding against the current on the gaming floor, in the dining areas, passing the currently-empty prizefighter ring, and getting to areas behind velvet ropes but without visible guards.
15[00:06] <VoxPVoxD> Dare he cross them? It's a clear taboo!
[00:07] <cbass> 10What's the worst that could happen? He's not visibly armed or trying to make trouble. Just push 'em out of the way .
[00:07] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "They are quite delightful. Exquisite, even. And you redirected course to assist the likes of us. Your hospitality is truly beyond reproach, lady Kiriglace."
15[00:12] <VoxPVoxD> Daizo pushes past the ropes and the temperature starts to go up. Not because of searchlights or alarms or spontaneous combustion, but from steam. He's approaching a sauna, he realizes. He hears two voices speaking in Old Realm. One of them is young, a boy's. The other is familiar to him...
15[00:13] <VoxPVoxD> The boy: <So he really went down in one arrow?>
15[00:14] <VoxPVoxD> The familiar man: <Just one. Pzzzzt! Straight in his neck. The star-charts were right. Four fangs crack the shell and the snake swallowed it whole.>
15[00:14] <VoxPVoxD> The boy: <Of course the star-charts are right. The fuck you think we're doing here, kid?>
[00:14] <cbass> 10…
15[00:16] <VoxPVoxD> Ratel looks at Piu for a long time. Finally, simply: "I believe you."
08[00:17] <cbass> 10Well well. You certainly get around, Mockingbird. But this other punk kid's his senior?
15[00:17] <VoxPVoxD> Ratel: "I'll prepare a report. Anything you want me to keep an eye out for?"
[00:19] <Crion> 4Piu grins. "And eventually, you'll trust me. My only recommendation is that we have a lot of officer's berthing. In return, the officers might have to help out a little more on deck, but that's fine. I'd rather work the rigging more when we're at sea if it means fewer women and men being arbitrarily and immediately dead when we run into...what we ran into."
[00:19] <mattbaby>  07Dryas assesses the harpist while she sips on the wine. "This place is astonishing. Even as a Princess of Earth."
15[00:20] <VoxPVoxD> Kiriglace: "Oh, you flatter me. Still, one cultivates a reputation, yet we don't wish to rest on it. Rue the day when someone turns to us and says, 'you're getting laurel bum, darling'."
15[00:20] <VoxPVoxD> The boy: <...but what about the other thing?>
15[00:21] <VoxPVoxD> Mockingbird: <Oh yeah. She was there too.>
15[00:21] <VoxPVoxD> The boy: <And you made sure she got the thing?>
15[00:21] <VoxPVoxD> Mockingbird: <Sure as sure can be.>
[00:22] <cbass> 10Daizo doesn't even breathe. The album? What's the significance of that?
15[00:22] <VoxPVoxD> The boy: <What a shitshow. In my day we had these kinds of things on lock. But now? This one calling that one, that one going there. Too many two-faced middlemen. Too many blind relays.>
15[00:23] <VoxPVoxD> Ratel: "Yes. I think... a smaller vessel would serve us well. A smaller crew. Better prepared for..." She doesn't finish the thought.
[00:24] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "They say a rolling stone gathers no moss. But I suppose I would rather someone else handle the moss-gathering on my behalf, in general."
[00:24] <Crion> 4Piu: "Dryas is assembling a fleet."
[00:24] <Crion> "Next time, we'll be prepared."
15[00:25] <VoxPVoxD> Kiriglace: "I am terribly sorry about your vessel. I understand it was quite a loyal and capable crew."
15[00:26] <VoxPVoxD> Mockingbird: <Wasn't it always like that? For you guys anyway.>
15[00:28] <VoxPVoxD> The boy: <Not like this. The Gate is the Gate; always has been, always will be. But he's got everyone wound as tight as him since swords-up. People are cracking. 84 in the Nail now. I hear things.>
15[00:28] <VoxPVoxD> Ratel: "Good." Somewhat wistfully: "I made your friend put on pants. He was distracting the crew."
[00:28] <cbass> 10Daizo decides at this point that discretion is the better part of valor, and begins to back away from the sauna entrance, although he does keep a hand pressed against the wall to pick up the voices.
[00:29] <trenchfoot> 6More than the crew.
[00:29] <Crion> 4Piu's grin remains wide. "I was wondering how long that would take."
15[00:29] <VoxPVoxD> Mockingird: <In the Nail??>
[00:29] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "You seem to have understood a great deal. Not that I am complaining; even Daizo's fit is perfect. You must have observed us very carefully from afar when we passed by, ten days past."
[00:29] <Crion> "Now he really is a pocket Lunar."
15[00:30] <VoxPVoxD> The boy: <Not the first time. Not to such a boring guy. 84's so straight he can't even crook his elbow. Gone.>
15[00:30] <VoxPVoxD> Mockingbird: <Wasn't he your partner? Didn't you do the Nexus thing together?>
15[00:31] <VoxPVoxD> The boy: <I don't have partners. I have reports. And he shouldn't have been there at all.>
[00:31] <trenchfoot> 6Nexus??
15[00:31] <VoxPVoxD> <The old man and his swan girl got him all wound up about that dingbat and he wouldn't stay away.>
[00:31] <trenchfoot> 13I am so fucking mad.
15[00:33] <VoxPVoxD> Mockingbird: <Aw man, that's love, right? That's a good thing.>
15[00:34] <VoxPVoxD> The boy: <Oh, stuff it, fatso. You don't know thing one about love or the job. Which makes you about as smart as 84 turned out to be. If you had the looks to land a girl you'd be right there with him, I bet.>
15[00:34] <VoxPVoxD> Mockingbird: <How are you so wound up? We've been in here for two hours!>
15[00:35] <VoxPVoxD> The boy: <I am in a spectacular mood.>
15[00:35] <VoxPVoxD> Ratel: "He seems well-disposed to the crew. I assume I can credit you for that?"
[00:36] <Crion> 4Piu: "As always, I'm an excellent influence."
15[00:37] <VoxPVoxD> Ratel's fingertips trace up Piu's exposed back. "Mmm... where can I find you when I've made my rounds?"
[00:37] <trenchfoot> 6Zhangyu, blandly: "She's quite good."
[00:38] <Crion> 4Piu: "Well, we've all been comped rooms on Dryas's tab...but the pretty pretty princess will be in yours, so you can find me in mine." 4She grins. "Unless you want us both."
[00:38] <cbass> 10By this time, Daizo's back to the velver rope. Plausibly deniable if some of Virumanda's arm candy sees him trespassing… he hopes. 
15[00:39] <VoxPVoxD> "TEPET DAIZO!" calls Virumanda, despite being like three fulms away. He was standing in the room as Daizo backed in. "What a pleasure to see you!"
[00:40] <cbass> 10Ah ha ha ha ha ha. Well. Ah. 
15[00:43] <VoxPVoxD> Kiriglace: "I am simply but quite actively curious. I ask around. I hear things. It invites more questions. You are fascinating women. And men."
15[00:47] <VoxPVoxD> "And your hearth-sister did us brisk business over the winter."
[00:48] <mattbaby> 07Dryas pauses. "Piu? You mean the tournament she won? That surely could not have been held here?"
15[00:49] <VoxPVoxD> Kiriglace: "Oh, no, of course not. But during Calibration the veil is very thin. We had quite a clear picture of the proceedings."
15[00:50] <VoxPVoxD> "Very capable woman."
[00:52] <Crion> 4Many have said this!
[00:54] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "Veil?"
[00:54] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "Pardon my ignorance, I basically skipped metaphysic."
15[00:55] <VoxPVoxD> Kiriglace: "The boundaries between earth and sky, living and dead, here and there. It's the time of great gates to Heaven, of crossing Directions in well-placed strides... and of crystal clear pay-per-view."
15[00:55] <VoxPVoxD> "But your hearth-sister, capable as she is, is of secondary interest to me."
15[00:55] <VoxPVoxD> "It is you I find most fascinating."
[00:56] <Crion> 4And thank the dragons for that; Piu's schedule is full.
[01:02] <mattbaby> 07Dryas: "I see it's your turn to flatter. We may have a thing or two in common."
15[01:04] <VoxPVoxD> Kiriglace: "Your compatriots, they want things, they need things. Perhaps they'll get them, perhaps they won't. But the first thing you did was walk into the Cage and demand the biggest blank check you could manage. You beckoned the crafty old djinn of the South and you wished for more wishes. That... is the person this establishment is for. The person whose want is so great that they 
15[01:04] <VoxPVoxD> can't even outline the shape of it. Who has no concept of enough or done."
15[01:05] <VoxPVoxD> "For these blessed few, Fortune opens the world like a book."
15[01:05] <VoxPVoxD> "It is no small part of my charge to serve those people, and that spirit."
15[01:05] <VoxPVoxD> "Tell me, Cynis Dryas the Younger: what is your heart's desire?"
15[01:05] <VoxPVoxD> NEXT TIME: The rowdy, the dowdy, and the "Howdy!"