15[20:12] While most of the old Defiance goes to lick their wounds and drown their sorrows, the Four Fangs continue to hustle. Maybe that's why they're the de facto leaders of... whatever this is now. Zhangyu has a task, Daizo has an interlocutor, and Piu has some options. [20:12] 4They've always said that about her. 15[20:14] Tepet Daizo is backing out of a place he isn't supposed to be, hearing things he wasn't supposed to hear, when he almost bumps into Virumanda, the resort's nominal proprietor. "What a pleasure!" he repeats. "Enjoying yourself?" 15[20:17] Meanwhile, Piu can join Zhangyu and Ratel on their mission to scout for viable replacements for the Defiance, or she can follow with what one of her other hearth- or crewmates are up to, or she can pursue some of the Golden Saucer's many attractions and amenities herself. [20:19] 10Daizo takes a second to compose himself before turning to face the damnable man. "Still finding my bearings, Master Virumanda, still finding my bearings." 10He produces the ostensible map of the Golden Saucer's corridors. "I believe I took a wrong turn at the hair salon." [20:19] 4She trusts Zhangyu and Ratel to handle boat business...unless Dryas or, mmm, Rinca are heading to the tables right now, she's gonna see what she can see for herself. [20:21] 4If either of them is, though, she's ready to be the perfect disruptive eye-candy. [20:22] 4She's a bit worried about Rinca wandering off unsupervised anyway. 15[20:24] Dryas is having dinner, Piu understands, at that place fancy place at the cap of the saucer where the cook grills the meat right in front of you and you can see the ocean. 15[20:24] Rinca seems to have wandered off unsupervised. [20:24] 4Well! [20:25] 4She was under the impression the prizefighting pits wanted to see her about perhaps setting up a bout; maybe she'll run into him there. 15[20:27] Virumanda: "Oh yes, you must have — your hair looks terrible! Consider a visit with the aesthetician! I think I saw some of your crew in there." He takes in a big breath, and his chest expands preposterously. "How are you finding the place?" 15[20:30] Ratel's talking to Zhangyu as she looks for the exit, which is surprisingly hard to find once you're all the way in. "We don't want anything too huge, but fast and maneuverable and with some kind of play in dangerous water. I wish I had my spyglass..." She turns to size her subordinate up. "Okay. Show me your mean face." [20:31] 10Hmph. Well, let it pass. "I have let it grow a bit unruly while we've been out at sea, haven't I? But to answer your question… I find myself both amazed and intrigued, Virumanda. That a place like this exists is wondrous enough—but more to the point, how do you keep it all going?" [20:33] 6He rolls his shoulders, waits a beat, then just glares at Ratel. Been a while since she's probably seen that from him. [20:34] 10Daizo: "I did a fair bit of research about the Wavecrest Archipelago and its environs, and spent some time in ports, but there's no record of vessels such as this pulling into port, and only one man even let slip that this place exists." 15[20:35] Piu's got to go (up? away? north? her sense of direction is going to pot fast in here) to the Golden Saucer's arena, which takes up a wing's worth of rooms and chambers around an amphitheatre fighting pit that hugs an arc of the saucer's outer rim. There's no fights ongoing, but there *are* crowds, people milling around, buying souvenirs, admiring the banners of legendary old bouts 15[20:35] and the current top fighters. 15[20:35] Ratel's hackles go up and her face sets hard... but then she regains her senses and grins. "Beautiful. Stunning. Now give me a happy face." [20:36] 4First thing to find is the pay window. Once you find the pay window, next to that should be the old codger openly imagining how she or he would fuck you given half the chance, and that's the one who books the fights. [20:36] 4Fuck you over, fuck you fuck you, both. They're generally not nice people! [20:38] 6Zhangyu: "That good, huh? All right, let's try this." 6He breaks into a full on grin that... actually still kind of looks a bit menacing, but that's mostly because he does. Genuinely does seem pretty thrilled with whatever scenario he's imagined to get into character, though! [20:38] 4Are the top fighters anyone she knows? [20:41] 4A place as pretty as this, you'd hope. But Creation is really big. 15[20:43] Virumanda chortles. "This is no mere vessel, my learned friend! And it is known... to those in the know! We keep our distance from the world's great troubles, so you really have to seek us out to get here! But many do. Many do, and it is their spirit, courage, and largesse that keeps our House afloat." 15[20:44] Ratel nods approvingly. "Do I want to know what you had to think about to look that happy?" [20:45] "No." 15[20:45] Ratel pats him on the chest. "Then let's never speak of it again. Onward!" 15[20:45] ... it is *so* terribly hard to find the exit, though. 15[20:48] But the Commodore is able to backtrack to the exit eventually. It's well after dark, and the weather is grim. The sky is overcast, the wind is up, the waters are choppy... there are the flashes of a storm far to the east. But the docks are ringed with lanterns that bob and weave in the wind; they should be fine for a stroll. 15[20:49] Zhangyu knows what Ratel is looking for. What is *he* looking for? What's the sort of thing he might be inclined to point out? [20:49] 10Well, it's obvious he's being fed a line here, but he's just met the man. "Which makes your decision to take in we storm-tossed drifters that much more generous. Or is it more of an investment?" 15[20:53] Piu sees a lot of names she recognizes. One of the more unsung tragedies of the last few years is that a wave of minor federations and tournaments folded up, either because their sponsors picked up stakes or the fighters got pulled apart by war or circumstance or the faithful wandering scribes that compile these distant reports just stopped being able to get in. [20:57] 4They've got a pit arena...should mean no ringouts. That means if this is a reputable venue, they're going to technical knockout or forfeit, meaning either surrender or stoppage. Some places don't do house stoppages, though. Either way she's not looking to maim or kill anyone. 15[21:00] There's Beautiful Tav, the vainglorious heavy who was just getting good when the Sand and Foam Federation blew away like so much — you get it. There's King Shenmi, the devious acrobat who's been banned from sport fighting in two Directions. The reigning champion she doesn't recognize: a square-jawed woman who fights under the numeral 3. [21:03] 6Ratel did say she was looking for a spyglass. Well, her spyglass, not sure if there was anything special in particular about it. Zhangyu, for himself, would gravitate towards anything that sold to fighters - new gear is always good. [21:04] 4Bad form to come in and demand to fight the champion right off. The optics of fighting Beautiful Tav are great but you kind of want to let him build heat a bit more. King Shenmi seems like a great way to make a statement; maybe he's less willing to go low given that he's stuck out here and loses his meal ticket if he gets banned here, too. [21:04] 4Of course, it's not really up to her, is it? It's up to the local book. [21:04] 4Who should be around here somewhere. 15[21:09] It takes Piu a second to spot the book, or rather the spot where the book should be, because there's a huge fat guy in the way arguing with him. His suit is fine, light, and breatheable, yet he sweats profusely. Maybe that huge, bristly moustache and booming voice are raising his temperature, or maybe it's the gentle lick of a fire anima that rises in time with his shouting. "I'm well 15[21:09] aware of your requirements, but a small consideration--" How close is Piu getting? [21:09] 4Close, but not so close that the smell might overwhelm. [21:09] 10Daizo meets Virumanda's gaze, then there's a long moment where they regard each other. But if there's any ulterior motives here, Daizo gets the sense that Virumanda isn't the one who's got them. 15[21:10] After a lengthy silence: "This is quite awkward!" 15[21:10] Virumanda judges that to be the best thing to say. 15[21:11] Atop the Golden Saucer, Dryas dines with its mistress. She's been given to contemplate the question as the food is served -- what did she order? this is a meathouse; everything on the menu had a mother -- what is her heart's desire? Does she know? Would she say? [21:11] 10Daizo: "Pardon my suspicion, Master Virumanda. It has been… difficult to know who can be trusted, recently." 15[21:11] Kiriglace, with her cool, keen gaze, seems like she expects Dryas to say something. [21:13] "So! Instead of being a gloomy fellow dragging down the mood for everyone, I'll accept your hospitality in the spirit in which it's offered!" [21:13] 4For her part, Piu smells fresh and warm, an alluring bevy of spices swirling around her as she somehow becomes even more beautiful. 15[21:15] Ratel taps Zhangyu's shoulder. "What do you think of that?" She's gesturing at a wooden ship with a distressingly iconic figurehead: the face of a lion, maned with the sun. It's a bit smaller than the Defiance, but it's the same rough build of ship. These are called 'brigantines'. 15[21:15] "Looks sturdy, fast enough..." 15[21:19] The big man wheels to face her and his face splits into a huge, greasy grin. "Boy howdy," he breathes, and immediately doffs his hat. "It cannot — I say, it simply cannot — be. Do my very eyes deceive me??" [21:20] 4Piu, almost purring: "I doubt it very much." 15[21:21] All Zhangyu can tell for sure is what's painted on the side of the ship - the Old Realm ideogram for 'sunlit' or 'noontime', and the word for 'gang', 'horde', 'small army', or 'one thousand'. 15[21:22] Virumanda: "Excellent! Tell me, what strikes your fancy?" [21:23] 6Zhangyu: "Seems all right... Hrn. On the side, there's --" 6and he describes it to Ratel. "Not sure if that's important or not." 15[21:25] The man smiles slyly and turns around. "Radavan, I implore you, throw your shitty book away. The game has changed. This ravishing athlete--" and here he sweeps to one side with a surprisingly graceful, flourishing slide "--is the finest fighter to ever set foot in this backwater dice den." 15[21:26] A thin, bloodless man balancing a ledger in his lap peers at Piu through the cage at the book with suspicious, sunken eyes. "Sorry?" [21:26] 4Piu makes a genuflecting motion as she smiles in response to that -- one that indicates it's a nice and perhaps too forward thing of him to say...but she's not going to dispute it. [21:28] "V'Neef Piu, champion of the Five Day Fight, one of the Four Fangs," 4says Piu to the thin man. "I'm enquiring about the possibility of a match." 15[21:29] Ratel nods. "Alright, I'll make a note. We'll come back." The two of them go along, past useless little pleasure yachts and too-large tradeships... "How are you holding up?" she asks Zhangyu. [21:30] 10Daizo: "Tell me a little about the games on offer here. Aside from the prizefighting, that is—I'm sure there's no shortage of challengers who'd await there. Oh, and let's get out of these dreadful hallways—I could do with some decent tea for the first time in a week." [21:32] 07Dryas has ordered the lamb roasted with fresh herbs - perhaps a sensible thing to favor after such a time at sea, and even longer in the red-meat-deprived West. She considers Kiriglace's question carefully. "My heart's desire? Not an easy question for one as insatiable as I." [21:34] 6Zhangyu shrugs. "Been through worse." 6Which is not really an answer, and he realizes that after a moment. "I'm doing all right, considering. Be better once we get a new ship." 6He shifts uncomfortably. "And yourself?" [21:37] 07She leans back slightly in the chair, then leans in, conspiratorially - "When I was very young, I wanted a doll belonging to one of the patrician girls who came in to help the tutor. And not long afterwards, I got it. I wanted a seat at the Spiral Academy, got it. I wanted the Second Breath. I got that, too." 15[21:37] Virumanda: "Every game you can imagine! Dice poker, in the classic and modern styles. Fan-tan, mah-jongg, gateway, tarok... and for our most daring and august personages, we devise bespoke amusements!" Virumanda seems to know exactly where to walk despite never looking away from Daizo, and soon they're in a cozy teahouse all tiled and fixtured in ceramics. It smells lovely in here. 15[21:39] The book's nostrils flare... and then he turns to glare at the big man. "You fat fuck! You set me up! This was a work! You think you can get away with that here just because you're a Dynast? Clear the book, you said. Five to one on Tav over Trinity. Now you're getting the card wiped with a ringer! I'm going to take this upstairs." 15[21:40] Kiriglace nods understandingly. "You are a Princess of the Earth. It exists to flesh your will." [21:40] 07Dryas leans back, swirls her wine in the crystal goblet. "It was after that, of course, as a member of the House of Cynis, that I began my education in desire." [21:42] 4Piu grins. "Please do. But before you boys get to arguing, please know I have no intention of sweeping in here and fighting the champion straight-about. It's poor form. If I want to clear your card, you'll know...when it's been made worth my while." 15[21:43] Ratel: "You know, I've been better. But... the work goes on, you know? The work... just keeps going. Oh, look at that." She's pointing to a sleek little caravel flying piratical colors, with Southern-style brass cannons peeking out impishly from snug little gunports. This vessel is branded Red Fraction. [21:44] 07Maybe this isn't something Dryas gets to talk about with someone who knows exactly what she's talking about without, literally, knowing everything she's talking about: "Men, an -exceptional- woman, wine, song, all the pleasures of earth, as you say. Perhaps in another century I'll be truly jaded and bored with all of it. But desire, the way it works... Even great holy monks can never overcome it, for they desire to become [21:44] yet more pious." [21:44] 4Who 'Trinity' is seems obvious. [21:47] 10Ah, the smell of civilization. "Inventing an entirely new game from scratch? That must be quite the procedure. Although I suppose the power of a Chosen must do a lot fo smooth it out." 10Daizo looks thoughtful. "It's been a while since I had a good game of Gateway, I can tell you that much." [21:48] "And longer since I had one in person. I had to suspend all my correspondence games when I set out with the Commodore." [21:50] 07Dryas drinks deeply as she pontificates: "Desire can be a pit, that swallows people up when they chase the one thing they can't have, and they change themselves this way and that way until they're just wretched and as far away as ever. The things we can't have are what define us. My heart's desire... pleasing my mother? Ha!" 15[21:52] Kiriglace: "Such is not unheard of." 15[21:53] Virumanda: "The finest Gateway player in Creation is among us. Not just in Creation— anywhere! Perhaps you'd like to test your mettle." 15[21:54] Zhangyu judges that this is an excellent raiding vessel, likely the fastest pure ship they'll find out here. Those guns are mean, and it's so fast and sleek you could probably jump from ship to ship with a well-timed jump without needing to hold still for a counterattack. [21:56] 4And Piu certainly isn't going to fight her until she's at least had a look at how she fights. She's not over-protective of her reputation as a fighter -- she lost her last bout rather decisively -- but she's here to make money. [21:58] 07Dryas: "There may be some peasant satisfied with a savory, spicy sauce into which he can dip his chicken. But it's how we respond to that impossible desire that defines us. Do we stand with principle and say, we hunt in a sportsmanlike way? Or do we slink about, cutting deals this way and that to try to get a little bit more, biding our time until betrayal in the name of - more!?" [21:59] 14And thus did Cynis Dryas explain to Cynis Dryas why Cynis Leda died screaming. 15[22:00] The book (Bhagavan?) looks back to her, and says, "Okay. Well Trin and Tav are booked, so you'll fight King Shenmi, if you can convince him to get off his ass for a stranger. You got a sponsor? Do you even know this guy?" [22:00] 10Daizo: "And they'd accept a challenge from a seventh-amateur-rank nobody? Or would I be working my way up to a challenge?" 10Seventh amateur is actually quite strong for a player as young as Daizo, considering there are two-century Dynasts who can't break out of the pack at fifth rank. [22:00] 4Piu: "Absolutely not! But after a fashion, he'll do." [22:01] 6He rubs his chin. Well, if Ratel says she's fine, then she is. "Pretty fast thing. Best for raiding, and pretty damned good at it, too." 6And now he's thinking about the Fangs leaping from the ship to board another... He's got that smile again. [22:02] 4Piu, to the large man: "You'll get half-standard management fees, but you'll have full licensing to brag about it on your banners and portfolio." 15[22:02] Virumanda: "I have never seen them turn away a challenger!" 15[22:04] Ratel: "Yeah, I'm going to note this one down too. It's a mean little ship. Not nearly as comfortable as that first one, though. Did you see the set up they had? An aquarium! A library! Practically a floating palace, but in a manageable frame." [22:04] 10Daizo: "Would you, then, do me the kindness of introducing me to this master of masters?" [22:05] 07Dryas finishes the glass, then the bottle, before turning her attention to the lamb, which is surely arriving imminently. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'll let you carry the conversation for a moment. I haven't eaten more than crumbs in, well--" 15[22:06] Virumanda: "Come along!" 15[22:08] The large man: "I will forego managing fees entirely if you will consent to some promotional work on my behalf." [22:10] 4Piu smiles: "I know what promotional work men like you want from women like me. I will consent to consider it, and if I find it too lewd or otherwise unpracticable, we will default to the half-standard fee." [22:10] 10Daizo finishes the remainder of his tea in a single draught. "My pleasure." [22:11] 4To the book: "Point me in King's direction?" 15[22:14] Kiriglace is happy to let Dryas eat. "Quite an expansive view of desire, as I'd expect from so worldly a woman. It has served you well, and as you say, it will continue to do so... for a time. But there comes a time in every ambitious woman's life where it is not enough to taste widely the prizes of the world. Novelty fades. Wonder dims. But the hunger... sharpens. We come to drink 15[22:14] deeply. To seek to possess something entirely." 15[22:14] "And in those moments, what serves us best? I would claim: focus, and clarity." 15[22:16] The big man: "Allow me to show her the way." If Piu walks along with him, he finally introduces himself. "My dear lady, I have been terribly rude to date. Please forgive me. Ragara Galad." [22:17] "Faithful servants, focus and clarity-" 07Dryas manages to get out between bites. [22:18] 4Piu: "If you know the stories about me, Ragara Galad, you know I don't stand on ceremony. Besides, you've been busy watching a long play turn right around into a sure thing, through no fault of your own." [22:18] 4Piu: "So we're all good! As long as I'm clear in creating the impression that I stand in no debt to you." 15[22:20] Virumanda leads Daizo down onto the gaming floor, through a set of guard-flanked curtains, into a much quieter, much more richly-appointed space. It's quiet in here. People are smoking, drinks are being served, but the gaming tables are racked with intense concentration. People regard Gateway boards, stacks of dominoes, and trays of dice like they were staring a lion in the mouth. 15[22:23] Kiriglace: "Things that are often lacking when we are awash in circumstance. Tasting widely of desire... subject to the great tides of fate... survivors of a terrible tragedy." [22:24] 4As stern as she's being, Piu still keeps close to the big man -- closer than others might, perhaps -- remaining alluring, attentive, and literally in reach. 15[22:26] Ratel lets out a low whistle. "You see that?" It's a huge ship, with brightly-colored, battened sails, in the style of the Cinder Isles. "It looks too big but that's all storage and ballast. Those ships crew light and they're almost unsinkable." 15[22:27] The figure packing up the Gateway box is hairless and young. Their expression is inscrutable, and they don't acknowledge the intrusion immediately. [22:27] 10This is the kind of intensity you normally only get during exam time. Daizo pulls his wings in to avoid disturbing the other players. It occurs to him that all the players and gamblers here are more than likely offering their own prayers to Plentimon in an extremely theologically dubious fashion—the person he was when he set out might have tried to overturn some of these tables.  [22:31] 07Dryas: "Things for mothers and grandmothers to concern themselves with, or so they might have said, in years past, on the Blessed Isle." 15[22:33] Zhangyu confirms what Ratel is saying. If Zhangyu was a ship, he would be this one. If they'd had this out at the Gyre, maybe they'd have had a chance... but the Petrel, as it's called, has the telltale signs of present occupation. People are living in the ship even though it's docked at the resort. So stealing it would likely involve some kind of fight, which would almost certainly 15[22:33] damage the ship. Not a dealbreaker, but part of the deal. 15[22:33] Virumanda whispers, "Ludo!" [22:35] 10Daizo peers down at the kid. You hear about the prodigies, but this Ludo—could he really be that good? [22:35] 6Zhangyu: "People are living in it, we aren't getting it out undamaged. Up to you if that's still worth it." 15[22:39] Ratel: "...It's an option." 15[22:41] Daizo finds Ludo's presence subtly unnerving. It's not just being hairless and blank-eyed, he realizes; this kid isn't breathing, and has no heartbeat. 15[22:44] ...then his eyes drift to the box. Where did he read about this? At the Cloister? From one of Caxi's books? The tales of the indulgent greater demon who tempts all comers into games of skill and chance, and claims their souls as the ultimate prize. The Player of Games is remorseless, rapacious, and relentlessly fair. But if you lose this kind of game... you don't get a rematch. 15[22:45] Galad: "I take your meaning, though I do find some value in ceremony... ah, he'll be in here. I won't step on your introduction." He gestures in the direction of the locker room. [22:46] 4She'll step daringly inside, then. She's not completely rude -- if there's a door to knock on rather than just a curtain of beads or tassels, she'll do that. 15[22:47] Kiriglace: "Yes, but these are dangerous and difficult times, no? The turning-over the age. In such times of tumult, we must all keep a keen eye for opportunity. Even in the midst of a crisis. I was sorry to hear that you lost your vessel. Was it a terrible setback?" [22:48] 10Daizo's eyes flick from the box to the boy, then to Virumanda. "Heh. Heh heh. All right. I nearly let my curiosity get the better of myself here." [22:49] "If the ante I'm expected to put up for this match is what I believe it might be, that's a wager that's a little too rich for my blood. Are all the games here this high-stakes?" 15[22:50] Piu sees two half-naked men doing stretches: a short, dark-haired man pulling his calves taut on a long bench, and a tall, broad-shouldered man doing intense poses in front of a mirror. They both turn to look. 15[22:51] Virumanda: "Tests of skill alone do not tempt the world's great geniuses." [22:51] 07Dryas considers this carefully. "For me? It was, nearly, fatal. But, it wasn't. So it isn't. There are other ships upon which I can call." 15[22:52] Ratel and Zhangyu walk past a long, empty stretch of dock before she stops dead. "Hang on." [22:52] 6He hangs on. 15[22:53] She points out at the empty space. "Look at that." [22:53] 6That is definitely empty space, right? 15[22:53] After a moment, zhangyu sees it: the space isn't empty. It's hanging low in the water, but the upper deck and forecastle are visible in the distance. The reason it was hard to see is that the hull is solid black jade. [22:54] 6...huh. 15[22:56] What Zhangyu knows is that he's never really seen anything like this before. You see ships like this in stories, in legends, but the closest he's ever come to seeing something like this in the flesh is the horrible haunted ship he pulled Sadako from. 15[22:57] Ratel: "Holy shit. A jadeclad. A Demon-King jadeclad." [22:57] 4On a less results-focused outing, this might be the start of something very fun. Alas. "King Shenmi. My name is V'Neef Piu. I am not, sadly, the pre-match entertainment, as diverting as that might be for all three of us. I'm not an agent representative here on someone's behalf, either. Simply put, I want to make some money, and I think you might want to make some money too, fighting [22:57] the champion of the Five Day Fight." 15[22:57] She starts giggling. Then she starts cackling. [22:58] 10Daizo seems to be mulling something over. "Of course, it's foolish of me to say such a thing when we haven't even established what I would receive, were I to win." [22:59] 6Zhangyu's moderately concerned about the cackling, but honestly, he's still trying to process seeing one here. [23:01] 4He doesn't seem like a misogynist, which is her standard go-to prickly bit to tickle when trying to goad a man into a match. Some of these guys can develop quite the complex. Especially ones with histories as vicious as King Shenmi's. 15[23:04] Ratel: "If nothing else, I'm dying to know who owns this." [23:05] 10Daizo: "So tell me, Master Virumanda—if I risk it all and come out on top, what awaits me?" [23:06] 6Zhangyu: "Absolutely." [23:07] 6Hmm. He can probably ingratiate himself with sailors well enough to find out, if they even know. 15[23:07] Ludo looks up at Daizo and then down at the box, which they open gently producing a slow, low creaking sound that Daizo hears ripen into a hoarse yawn. Then a woman's voice, throaty and deep. "You know what *I* want. What would you consider a fair trade?" 15[23:08] Kiriglace: "Yes. In fact your people are scouting them out right now, I believe." 15[23:09] Shenmi regards her for a time with cold, dark eyes, and the expression she feels on her own face when she's gauging whether she can make a jump over a particularly wide alley or whether she'll fall to her doom. "Yeah? Sure, but you have to answer one question for me." 15[23:11] Ratel: "In fact I think that's the next step. We should find your hearthmates, get them to put in that particular legwork. Me, I'm hungry." 15[23:11] "Good eye tonight. Thanks for coming out." [23:12] 4Piu: "Alright." 15[23:13] Shenmi: "A lot of people died at last Calibration's Fight. Any idea how?" [23:13] 4Piu, simply: "Yes." [23:13] 07Dryas: "I hope so. We certainly aren't leaving on the one we came on. And it would be quite embarassing to need to send word to Abalone or Wu Jian." [23:13] 4He has his answer true. [23:16] 6Zhangyu: "Happy to help. I'll find 'em, we'll get started soon." 15[23:16] Shenmi: "I don't like dying... but I do like money. And you're hot, so I feel compelled to take you at your word." 15[23:16] "Yeah okay, set it up." [23:17] 4Piu: "Will do. And you're in no danger of death...so long as you don't pull a stunt like you did on Fairways Kollet." 15[23:18] Ratel and Zhangyu are walking back to the entrance when Ratel slows and stops. "Oh, fuck," she breathes. 15[23:18] "Find Dryas. Find Dryas now." [23:18] 10Daizo leans in and speaks directly to the demon in the box. "What do I want? I want to unravel this web of secrets I find myself trapped in. Can you grant me knowledge?" 15[23:18] Ratel: "As quietly as you can." [23:18] 6Zhangyu doesn't question it. "Bring her somewhere, or just guard her?" [23:18] 4Piu will step back outside without making King Shenmi go through the motions of either denying or acknowledging that. [23:19] 4To Galad: "We're on." 15[23:19] Ratel points with her chin at the ornate, green-sailed vessel that's slowly drifting in, with tugs clearing a stately berth by force. "Tell her Falen's here." 15[23:23] Piu's followed briskly out by Beautiful Tav, who is *immediately caught in a violent explosion of splinters and muscle as some roiling inhuman creature billows up from seemingly nowhere in a torrent of rippling flesh to collide with the stategically damp-haired man with the force of a yeddim. He goes through two tables and collides with a marble sculpture suggesting roaring flames. It 15[23:23] cracks from root to tip with the impact. [23:24] 4Piu prances back two steps, the Chain appearing around her hand. [23:25] 14What the fuck is all of this, then. 15[23:26] Kiriglace: "I find myself growing invested in your venture. The intrigue, the drama, the mystery... the dramatis personae. I would like you to leave my House feeling as if you have developed a fruitful relationship with it." 15[23:27] After they skid to a stop, the assailant - some kind of black-furred beastman with huge, hungry ears and big mean hands - just starts laying into him. [23:27] 6A bit of concentration and Zhangyu's off towards Dryas, as inconspicuously as he possibly can be looking like he does. Commodore's orders. [23:28] 4...Can she get a look at the eyes. 15[23:28] If she ranges to her left a bit. Her suspicions are quickly confirmed. [23:29] 4She'll quickly go from a fighting pose to an arms-crossed, toe-tapping pose. 15[23:30] The box: "Oh yes. Knowledge beyond your wildest imagining. Do you wish to know forgotten memories of ancient history? The fates of history's greatest lost heroes? The secrets of the oldest, mightiest magic, the power that built the world from nothing?" [23:30] 07Dryas: "You have already done us a great favor, one that would not be easy to repay." 15[23:31] Kiriglace: "A fruitful relationship is not reckoned so meanly in debit and credit, but in the sense of common interest. I believe that the time will come when you are in position to do great things. I would like to help. We will both benefit richly by it." 15[23:32] Then she looks up. "Ah, your compatriot has come to visit." [23:32] 07Dryas: "I think you are not mista- Zhangyu?" 15[23:32] Zhangyu enters a place that smells like meat and smoke, and can immediately see Dryas framed by the fire. 15[23:34] The beastman's speaking in hoarse grunts. "Not so tough now, are you. Scared now, aren't you. Big man. Big man. Ahhh, I'm gonna rip you apart." 15[23:34] Kiriglace's attention seems suddenly elsewhere. Her brow creases, just a touch, in consternation. [23:35] 4To Rinca: "If you kill him it's going to go very badly for us. And they'll make you fight in his place. Actually I probably shouldn't have said that." [23:36] 10Daizo: "That sounds like a wonderful place to start." 15[23:36] Above Daizo, Zhangyu, Dryas, and Piu, all the gentle lanterns and chandeliers of the resort go blood red. [23:37] 6He strides over to Dryas. "Apologies for interrupting." 6He looks pretty uncomfortable here. "Falen is--" [23:39] 07Dryas looks back at him and mouths here? 15[23:39] The beastman slumps over, gasping for breath, body collapsing back into the belatedly-pantsed form of Rinca Bleeding-Brow. But it's not his brow that's bleeding; Tav's face is red mush... but there's the barest flash of gold beneath his lidded, swelling eyes. [23:39] 6He nods, looking at one of the blood-red flames. [23:39] 10Daizo almost doesn't notice, that's how intently his gaze was fixed on the demon box. But the glaring red light finally does penetrate his senses, and he snaps upright. "What's going on here?" [23:40] 6Quietly: "Ratel and I just watched her sail in." [23:40] 4Piu will drag him away from the Golden Anathema. 15[23:40] Virumanda: "...there must be a disciplinary issue! Someone unruly at the public tables. Fear not, it will be resolved shortly." [23:40] 4In his ear: "Babe, I swear on my mother if we're about to get tossed in the ocean over that big piece of shit--" [23:40] 07Dryas dabs at the edge of her mouth with a napkin. "I beg your indulgence, Kiriglace, for a family matter to which I must attend. Perhaps we can continue this conversation soon." 15[23:41] Piu can feel him gasping for breath. He's on the verge of blacking out before his lungs find purchase, which is timed with the gentle raising of the lights. 15[23:41] Bunny-eared nurses sprint into view to take Tav away. 15[23:41] Rinca just growls. [23:42] 4Muttering: "yeah yeah bet you'd like it" [23:42] 4Is there another locker room? Maybe one he didn't just ruin? 15[23:42] Kiriglace doesn't look up until the lights do. "Yes, of course. You need only speak my name." 15[23:42] He was set up to ambush just as you were all walking out, so the locker room is fine! [23:43] 10Daizo exhales deeply. "I'll return to discuss the terms of our wager, Ludo. I look forward to our next meeting." [23:43] 4Well, fair enough. Still not great to ruin that exit by dragging a man right back in. 15[23:43] The box groans in something between consternation and contentment. "Oh, you wound me. Surely you can speak to sweet Sigereth directly...?" [23:44] 07Dryas rises. "Take me to her," 07she asks her Hearth-Brother, quietly. 15[23:45] Is she headed straight to the docks? 15[23:45] Rinca: "That smug fuck. Where's his barbed wire now?" [23:45] 10Daizo: "Sigereth? Very well then." 10Through the Hearth bond he senses that Dryas and Zhangyu have rendezvoused; he'll find them and clear his head. [23:46] 6Well. Here we go, back the way Zhangyu went to fetch Dryas. [23:46] 07Dryas: "Does Piu know?" 15[23:46] If so, Daizo can join with his cousin and hearth-sister on their way up the stairs separating the main gaming area from the cardinal antechamber. [23:46] 4Piu, now kind of hugging him from behind while making sure his breathing stabilizes. "Shhh, shhh. The people who run this place don't give a shit." 15[23:47] Rinca sounds combative, but his breathing is stabilizing. "Want to see if we can make 'em?" [23:48] 4She laughs. "Tempting. But they've got luck on their side. Like, literally speaking." [23:48] "Also if that's what this place can do to you, I don't fancy trying my hand at killing someone in here." 15[23:49] Rinca: "It was like a chest full of knives. Cold knives." [23:49] 4Without thinking Piu nuzzles him behind the ear with her nose, then slips out from behind him. "Whatever it is, if that guy gets back up, make sure HE'S the one getting a chest full of them next time." 15[23:50] Piu doesn't know, as far as Zhangyu knows, which is as far as anyone knows. 15[23:50] What's Dryas's plan? How does she go out? [23:50] 10Daizo falls in step behind the other Fangs. "Sister. Cousin. There's a few things I need to tell you later." 15[23:51] Rinca finally gets a solid, clear-eyed look at Piu and the breath catches in his throat again for just a moment. "You look good," he says after a beat. [23:52] 4She grins. "And maybe we can do something about that later...if we don't get thrown off the damn ship." [23:52] 6Zhangyu, to Daizo: "Once we get through this, we'll all need to talk. But first, Cynis Falen just sailed in." [23:52] 07Dryas doesn't speak as they walk to explain what's going on - although she has gone pale. It might be better if Piu isn't here at first? Is Piu already out here somewhere?? 15[23:52] Rinca: "Yeah, yeah, I got you. Just help me figure out whose ass I gotta kiss." [23:53] 4Piu: "I'm guessing with power like that, they're gonna find us. So I'll hang out. In case someone needs to do the talking." [23:54] 4She hasn't really paying Galad any mind since Rinca showed up; maybe he's run off. If so, hopefully he's suitably awed by who she's running with right now. [23:54] 07Dryas's plan isn't to cower away like a child or hide like an Anathema. She'll meet Falen on the quay and invite her up to her own suite if need be. 15[23:57] Dryas leads her Tepet hearthmates out to the docks, where an entourage of people disembark, jaded in face and panoply. She recognizes some of these people. One classmate and several teachers from the Spiral Academy, her aunt Cerise's other protege, a platoon of relentlessly faithful valets and courtesans, as well as all the tanners, furriers, and taxidermists any proper Cynis hunting 15[23:57] party needs to turn kills into trophies on the hoof. 15[23:58] At the center of it all is a slight, bony woman, her eyes wide and hungry, dark hair cropped so close it clings like a shadow to her pale scalp. 15[00:01] She stares calmly into Daizo's eyes, and then Zhangyu's, before finally alighting on Dryas. Only then does she smile. "Little Dryas. This really is our lucky night." 15[00:01] Cynis Falen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acoknuTpPOM - Don't act like you forgot. 15[00:04] Piu and Rinca are left alone - even the gawkers are cleared away - until that pretty blonde harpist strolls in. "Ah. My dear lady Piu." Then she looks on Piu's friend with rather less warmth. "And you as well." [00:04] 07Dryas matches her, stare for stare. [00:07] 4Piu: "Before--" 4she places her hand on Rinca's chest "--we get ourselves in trouble again I'd like to apologize for the exceptional breach of decorum. Tav has a very colorful history as a fighter. I wasn't aware there was an overlap here." [00:07] 4She is apologizing very explicitly only for herself here. [00:08] 4Piu isn't about to presume to speak for Rinca. Just hoping that he's not trying to get himself carted off half-dead. 15[00:09] Falen walks up to Dryas, her attendants parting like the seas before her, to give Dryas the Younger a kiss on the cheek. "We have got to catch up." 15[00:10] Kiriglace looks from Piu to Rinca and then gently, slowly, shuts the locker room door behind her. 15[00:10] NEXT TIME: Win, lose, or draw