[Exalted, ?] Most High
- Thread starter Rihaku
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Rihaku
The Internet
I didn't say it was going to be easy, that's why I asked for more arguments!
Emerald Oracle
Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force
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What was Zao's relationship with the Scarlet Empress again? I can't remember.
He was her teacher; beyond that, he refuses to elaborate.
There is one possible last minute argument against prove it. Mainlainly the brain washing might come with a failsafe that should ivory ever remember pearl, the hidden trap charm will activate and drive her insane.
We are just hoping at this point that ambition will be enough for her to fight it off.
We are just hoping at this point that ambition will be enough for her to fight it off.
I'd like to push Anys Syn into the stairs from the top of the highest tower of the Academy.
But I don't think that's feasible.
Usernames
Merc gonna merc ya
Reminder her that Odyssial always finds a way.
She got to pay for what she did to pearl.
Rihaku
The Internet
That wouldn't do anything at all!
There is indeed feasting and stuff. Mostly orgies, and drug-fueled rampages through Seacrown.
Remind who, Ivory herself?
Vanathor
Games Questers Play
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- SB Exodite
But it would be very emotionally satisfying!
It would be worth a good laugh, until she ran up the tower to murder Uly's ass.
Benny Hill's theme might be involved.
Then we must rebuild the stairs to be tougher and deadlier! If anyone can do it, it's Odyssial!
Little beyond what's already been mentioned in the stunts/omakes comes to mind. A combination of asserting that Pearl wasn't a monster (or that whatever she did was justified), and an attempt at connecting her present self to Pearl (probably through memories common to both Odyssial and Pearl). We have to convince her that they aren't so different after all. Her fondness for Ulyssian is key here, I think.
Emerald Oracle
Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force
- Location
- The Else
Have an Omake of Shogun Feng's reaction to the latest mess his Stupid Disciple has gotten himself into
Lung Fen Zao was old. Old and tired. He had spent his youth, his spirit, and his life like water to protect Creation from the thousand-thousand foes that constantly assailed it. He had fought these foes wherever they hid, put down rebel Solars in the Threshold, ended Fair Folk threats at the edge of reality itself, and fought against all the armies of those who sought to destroy civilization. He had almost nothing left to give. Everyone he had ever loved or cared for was long dead, save for his only child, a blessing he had never hoped to receive. That was little comfort though, as she didn't even know that they were related, and he dared not tell her the truth for fear his horde of enemies would use their connection against the both of them.
When he had watched that upstart Fire Aspect Resolute Flame move to strike her down he had nearly thrown away everything he had worked for to save her. Empty Moon was the only thing he had left of any worth in the world, the only remaining legacy or joy of a long and often bitter life spent in Creation's service. And then, unasked for, if not unhoped for, the impossible had finally happened. Sesus Ulyssian had exalted as a Solar. The most dangerous mortal the last Shogun had ever met now had the theoretical potential to do the impossible.
Zao had seen the capacities of the Solar Exalted, and knew how well they outstripped those of most Dragonblooded. He had hoped, prayed, for this outcome, if not in quite this manner, for Creation was in such dire straits that only the powers of the celestial exalted would be great enough to throw back the growing storm of dissolution that threatened to dissolve the entirety of Creation back into the chaos from which it spawned.
Zao was privy to the secret schemes of the Star Chosen, and the manifold plans and conspiracies they wove to try to protect Creation. He could see how they would fail. The Dragonblooded had served the cause of Creation well for millenia, but the times had grown too desperate for them to best. The end of all things approached, and it was unlikely that the world he had spent his life for would survive longer than the few years left to his natural span. He had pinned the last of his hopes upon this one mortal, who had fought so hard that he could stand amongst the Children of the Dragons. If only the fool had chosen a more fitting time to finally develop supernatural powers!
Though Zao was grateful to Ulyssian for saving his daughter's life, he had done so in a manner that was perhaps one of the most unfortunate ways possible. Rare was the solar who could survive revelation surrounded by a horde of powerful elder Dragonblooded, let alone at the beginning of his life as an Exalt. The only way this could be worse was if Anys Syn herself and all her coterie were in attendance! Even as he watched though, he could see Ulyssian altering the form of his Anima banner, disguising himself.
It seemed that the newest Solar was not without guile. As he heard Ulyssian speak to Resolute Flame and catigate him he was amazed, impressed, and irritated in equal measure. Amazed that the young idiot had managed to find a way to survive almost impossible odds, impressed that he had managed to gain the power of a Solar in an incredibly obvious manner without immediately invalidating his powerful dynastic connections, and irritated because the fool wasn't going to be able to manage this on his own. Already he could hear Resolute Flame attempting to decry him and name Ulyssian anathema. This would not do.
Zao leaped onto the stage. Utilizing his superlative mastery of essence he enhanced and encouraged Ulyssian's charade. The newborn Solar could not perfectly counterfeit the Hesiesh's power, so Zao just had to help him do so. With not entirely feigned irritation he began to castigate his pupil. He could only hope that Professor Ivory would not call his bluff, and do what was best for her Bronze Faction masters. He might be thankful for the life of his daughter, but they weren't out of the woods yet.
Word Count 720
Lung Fen Zao was old. Old and tired. He had spent his youth, his spirit, and his life like water to protect Creation from the thousand-thousand foes that constantly assailed it. He had fought these foes wherever they hid, put down rebel Solars in the Threshold, ended Fair Folk threats at the edge of reality itself, and fought against all the armies of those who sought to destroy civilization. He had almost nothing left to give. Everyone he had ever loved or cared for was long dead, save for his only child, a blessing he had never hoped to receive. That was little comfort though, as she didn't even know that they were related, and he dared not tell her the truth for fear his horde of enemies would use their connection against the both of them.
When he had watched that upstart Fire Aspect Resolute Flame move to strike her down he had nearly thrown away everything he had worked for to save her. Empty Moon was the only thing he had left of any worth in the world, the only remaining legacy or joy of a long and often bitter life spent in Creation's service. And then, unasked for, if not unhoped for, the impossible had finally happened. Sesus Ulyssian had exalted as a Solar. The most dangerous mortal the last Shogun had ever met now had the theoretical potential to do the impossible.
Zao had seen the capacities of the Solar Exalted, and knew how well they outstripped those of most Dragonblooded. He had hoped, prayed, for this outcome, if not in quite this manner, for Creation was in such dire straits that only the powers of the celestial exalted would be great enough to throw back the growing storm of dissolution that threatened to dissolve the entirety of Creation back into the chaos from which it spawned.
Zao was privy to the secret schemes of the Star Chosen, and the manifold plans and conspiracies they wove to try to protect Creation. He could see how they would fail. The Dragonblooded had served the cause of Creation well for millenia, but the times had grown too desperate for them to best. The end of all things approached, and it was unlikely that the world he had spent his life for would survive longer than the few years left to his natural span. He had pinned the last of his hopes upon this one mortal, who had fought so hard that he could stand amongst the Children of the Dragons. If only the fool had chosen a more fitting time to finally develop supernatural powers!
Though Zao was grateful to Ulyssian for saving his daughter's life, he had done so in a manner that was perhaps one of the most unfortunate ways possible. Rare was the solar who could survive revelation surrounded by a horde of powerful elder Dragonblooded, let alone at the beginning of his life as an Exalt. The only way this could be worse was if Anys Syn herself and all her coterie were in attendance! Even as he watched though, he could see Ulyssian altering the form of his Anima banner, disguising himself.
It seemed that the newest Solar was not without guile. As he heard Ulyssian speak to Resolute Flame and catigate him he was amazed, impressed, and irritated in equal measure. Amazed that the young idiot had managed to find a way to survive almost impossible odds, impressed that he had managed to gain the power of a Solar in an incredibly obvious manner without immediately invalidating his powerful dynastic connections, and irritated because the fool wasn't going to be able to manage this on his own. Already he could hear Resolute Flame attempting to decry him and name Ulyssian anathema. This would not do.
Zao leaped onto the stage. Utilizing his superlative mastery of essence he enhanced and encouraged Ulyssian's charade. The newborn Solar could not perfectly counterfeit the Hesiesh's power, so Zao just had to help him do so. With not entirely feigned irritation he began to castigate his pupil. He could only hope that Professor Ivory would not call his bluff, and do what was best for her Bronze Faction masters. He might be thankful for the life of his daughter, but they weren't out of the woods yet.
Word Count 720
Guile
Having a really great time right now
Then I think we need an update where everybody wants Uly for some reason. All he wants is to train and/or wait by Moon's bedside, but they're insistent.
Mountain Hero: "Hey Uly, so I won the tournament, and now I think I might be married? Could you look over this contract?"
Zang: "Ulyssian, would you care to join this orgy? Exalted vigor really does make it an interesting new experience-"
Nilul: "Uly, you NEED to introduce me to your family. Right now."
Saery: "Uly, there's like 200 dragon blooded students that got high, drunk and/or horny and started pushing around the mortals of Seacrown! There's at least seven buildings on fire!"
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Rihaku
The Internet
Only seven! Admirable restraint, really.
Man, she'd just warp reality to teleport agent-style into one of the mortals hanging around. She knows kung fucking fu!
Hm. Update in twenty.
If the stairs were properly made by Odyssial, they won't stop because of a trifling matter like that.
Too bad about the collateral damage though.
I don't like the sound of that 'Hm'. Guile's snippet already includes her attacking us (to hilarious results), and I can hardly think of anything worse.
...Which means I've missed something? Does she try to go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge, aiming to kill Anys Syn immediately? Does she try to erase our memories? Does she try to erase her own memories?
PARANOIA INTENSIFIES
What? But I'm still not done with my stunt for Prove it!
Rushes to finsh.
Moon and Stars
Rihaku
The Internet
Moon and Stars
"Alright." Ulyssian held up a hand. He wasn't adept at these sorts of situations, but for Pearl he would try. And if Ivory decided she wanted no part of Pearl regardless, he would leave her to her peace.
Ivory stopped, breathing heavily. She wiped a sweaty hand across her brow. "I'm sorry, Uly. Er, Ulyssian. I've... my teachers showed me things, what she had done, so that I wouldn't repeat the mistakes of the past. The Solars were heroes at first, and so was Pearl. But they became monsters, monsters almost too powerful to be slain."
"I may have been a monster," said Odyssial calmly. "I was many things, most of which I do not remember. But I do remember Sepulchral Pearl, and the Pearl I remember was a hero until the very end. Professor Ivory, only you can decide who you are or are not. But it should be you that decides, not Odyssial, not Zao, and not your other teachers either."
Ivory sighed. "All right. It's true that I've heard of Pearl only from her enemies. But I have her memories, especially of her mortal life, and she... she wasn't a happy person, Ody. The hate she held for the Primordials, the bitterness, it consumed her for the entire war. I remember times with you, when we, I mean she, could be distracted from that. But for the entire Age of Dreams, she left sorrow and death in her wake. Creation's enemies, yes, but also our fellow Exalts, even mortals. Hundreds, thousands, millions! And then the Usurpation, and I betrayed our fellow Sidereals, fighting for Odyssial. How many more died in those days, by our sword, and my curses? Billions?"
The Bronze Faction was capable. They had managed to vilify Pearl even in the heart of her reincarnated self, who had years of her memories. Her happy years, they'd glossed over. Her assassin's role, they'd emphasized. Yet Ivory still identified with her past memories, to the point where she couldn't coherently speak of them without referring to Pearl as herself, even when she tried to stop it. How much guilt and misery had she suffered, tortured by those twisted memories?
"During the Age of Dreams, no Chosen of Endings cared for the mortals as much as Sepulchral Pearlescence," Ulyssian said gently. "That was why it hurt her so much to slay them. She was an assassin, yes. It was what she was good at. But can you say your own role is different? You are a Chosen of Endings. I cannot imagine the Bronze Faction has a nonviolent position for you."
"I killed, yes," Ivory said, voice small. "It is what I am good at. Fellow Exalts. Fellow Sidereals, even. And yes, mortals. I have no compunction against taking lives; I wouldn't be a Chosen of Endings otherwise. We both fought for what we believed to be necessary. By the fact is, I could kill for the rest of my life and not do a tenth of the damage she did to Creation with her betrayal. And it's astronomically unlikely that I would have the same soul, the same consciousness, as Pearl!"
"You told me that you betrayed your faction just now, when you helped me and Zao," Ulyssian said. "Did it feel wrong to do so? Did you think you were hurting Creation by doing that? Pearl did not think of it as betrayal, when she fought the Vision of Bronze. She was conflicted, but in the instant of need, she acted without hesitation."
Ivory smiled wryly. "So basically, if Pearl was a monster, then I am no less of one? I suppose that's true enough, now."
"And no more of one. But if you are so convinced, then I am still Odyssial, one of the most heartless kings of the Old Realm," Ulyssian replied. "If it makes you feel any better, we can be monsters together."
"Just like old times, huh?" Her voice was wistful. "But I truly don't think that I'm her, Uly. How can you prove something like that? Souls don't have any identifiers besides their characteristics."
"Our sword," Ulyssian said. "You spoke of it earlier. Do you remember it?"
"Ambition," she nodded. "I, she used it many times."
"Then you know it cannot be fooled. If I deny a wielder my permission, they will simply be unable to use it. Unless they are one of four people, one of which was Pearl." Ulyssian reached into the well of power inside, straining past the limits of his newly Exalted form, and with a colossal upwelling of will, managed to draw forth the blade of his anima.
Light given sharpness, Odyssial had thought, when he'd slain Larsyifex of the Contingent of Valour. That ideal, he'd crystallized into the argent blade Ulyssian now held.
"Forged in the pyre of a thousand Creation-leveling threats," he murmured. "Pearl helped to build it as much as I did."
Ivory's eyes were wide. She was silent, on the precipice of anxiety and terror, knowing what was to come.
"I do not," Odyssial said aloud, watching as the runes etched themselves into the blade with golden fire, "give the woman before me permission to wield you. No matter her identity. Not if she is Sepulchral Pearl herself."
He presented the blade to her, hilt-first. Ivory hesitated, trembling for a moment, but squared her shoulders, recovering some of her usual composure.
"Gee, thanks," she grinned, as she adjusted her stance, and nonchalantly closed her slender fingers around the hilt.
Odyssial let go, and Ivory prepared to fall, unable to lift the blade.
She didn't fall. Ambition shined as brilliantly in her hands as it originally had, so many millennia ago.
She stood like that, in silence, for a time.
"Alright," she said, a soft, sad smile creasing her face. "I can't argue against that. Let's... let's be monsters together."
Time and the Bronze Faction had done much harm to their bond. Worn down, ravaged, twisted and frayed, nonetheless it had survived his long absence. They would both have to make up for lost time. He only hoped that Ivory would remember more of the times when Pearl had been truly happy.
"Well," he said offhandedly, turning his head to the side. "If you insist, I guess. But there'll be no standing on my shoulders this time, I don't think my frame could take it."
"What?" She gasped, leveling the blade at his torso. "Uly, are you calling me fat?"
"I'm saying you've gained weight, yes," he replied dryly, without blinking. "I am, after all, a monster."
"You dare!" She huffed, drawing herself up. "Well, if you're going to present conditions, then I will too. I'm still your professor, you know! You will respect my position as your teacher. There's a lot you have to know about the Second Age."
"Pearl," he shook his head, "you've saved my life on thirty-six thousand, five hundred and twenty-three occasions. But I would sooner die, than respect your authority."
She pouted. "We'll see what Zao has to say about that!"
And so they went to see Lung Feng Zao.
"You're finished? Good." Zao was standing besides Moon's bed, weariness stamped heavily on his features. He nodded towards Moon. "She's doing fine. Let's go somewhere secure."
And so they walked all the back to the Headmaster's office.
"Now," he said, setting into his chair with a brief look of pain, "Onwards to other matters. We must consider your path of advancement. With your new power, we can accelerate your curriculum easily. I could teach you personally, and Professor Ivory could step in when I'm not busy."
Behind Zao, Ivory smirked, Pearl's trademark vulpine grin on her face.
"You'd be a captain, either a Privateer with a letter of marque, or at the helm of a major warship, Imperial or Sesus. I can have you fast-tracked for the Admiralty within four years, two if I resign my position here and assume my old position there. You'd get half a year here, to grow your powers in relative safety, and though my power in the Navy is not unquestionable, not even the elders of Ivory's faction can stop me. We could direct your mission assignments so that you're directed against actual threats to Creation, or Anathema that you can negotiate with. The Realm has enough enemies that we could get away with that, as long as it's not a Peleps fleet, and as long as it's under the table. Of course, you'd have to keep your true nature a secret from everyone but Nilul. That includes my-"
He paused for a moment. "That includes my other students, especially Moon."
That wasn't what he was originally going to say. But Ulyssian was much more concerned about what he did say.
"Nilul is an Anathema, so I understand that part. Sfor, I don't trust. Hero would not understand. But you're forbidding me from telling Moon?"
"Categorically," Zao said.
That would be disastrous. Ulyssian thought back to his first few conversations with Moon. She'd told him, with true earnestness, that though he was not Exalted, he deserved to be. That she admired him for being a mortal and yet trying so hard.
If she thought, now, that he had been hiding his Exaltation this whole time, that he had been faking his mediocre ability to lie, then everything they'd done together, all the concern she'd shown him when they sparred, all the times she'd exposed herself to Immaculate censure by protecting him - it would all be tainted by that inference. That one false fact. She would feel like she'd been lied to, when she was at her most trusting. She would feel like a fool.
Ulyssian drew on Odyssial that was.
"I refuse," he said, "categorically."
Zao put on hand on his forehead, leaning into his desk. "I know it will be hard for you, boy. Do you think I'm stupid? Because I know you're not. Look at the consequences if she knows. First. Moon is exceptionally skilled for her age, but she has no talent for deception. A determined and powerful Sidereal could get the truth out of her. As could most Dynastic elders. At the very least, they would infer that she is hiding something, that something is not as it seems when she talks about you."
"Second. You will be subject to numerous assassination attempts now that I have declared you my heir. Not just from the Immaculate Order, or rival dynasts. The Lunar Exalted, and their Solar mates. The Abyssal Exalted. The Infernal Exalted. They will come in force, at any time of the day, whether you are alone or not. You can protect yourself. She is not ready."
"Third. You are under suspicion for being Anathema. We discredited Flame thoroughly, but if proof ever comes out, all your acquaintances are also suspect. The more people who know, the more opportunities for evidence to emerge. Moon is your closest friend. Flame tried to kill her for that reason only. Defending a mortal? That can be eccentricity. Defending an Anathema that infiltrated the highest strata of Imperial society? That is treason and blasphemy against the Dragons. She will be a pariah. She could well be executed. Would you have her drop everything, sacrifice all that she has gained here, the Realm she's read her whole life about, just to safely be your friend?"
He sighed. "It is best if that story ends where it is. You know it is not expedient to marry a Lost Egg in any rate, no matter how talented. You are young. Do not let the fate of nations hang by the thread of a teenager's drama."
---
[ ] Somehow - Zao has good points. But he can't stop you. It will damage his trust in you, but you cannot accept this. You will find a way around all the vulnerabilities he described. Somehow. [+50,000 XP]
[ ] He's Right - He is right. There... can be no future between the two of you, not if you are to maintain this role. Unless you were to take Moon from here into the Threshold, it's simply too dangerous for her. As the person you're closest to, she would become a target for countless assassins, a point of leverage for foe and rival alike. You know Moon is strong enough to defend herself, but the power of Flame drove home well that she is not yet among Creation's titans, not even close.
[ ] Persuasion - Try to convince Zao to let you tell Moon with logical or emotional arguments. Ulyssian currently doesn't have any, having been blindsided with this, but a stunt could change that. However, do you really want to endanger Moon by telling her the truth? If you try to persuade Zao and fail, Ulyssian will likely go along with his wishes. At the very least, it would damage Zao's trust even more than in Somehow, were you to tell her.
"Alright." Ulyssian held up a hand. He wasn't adept at these sorts of situations, but for Pearl he would try. And if Ivory decided she wanted no part of Pearl regardless, he would leave her to her peace.
Ivory stopped, breathing heavily. She wiped a sweaty hand across her brow. "I'm sorry, Uly. Er, Ulyssian. I've... my teachers showed me things, what she had done, so that I wouldn't repeat the mistakes of the past. The Solars were heroes at first, and so was Pearl. But they became monsters, monsters almost too powerful to be slain."
"I may have been a monster," said Odyssial calmly. "I was many things, most of which I do not remember. But I do remember Sepulchral Pearl, and the Pearl I remember was a hero until the very end. Professor Ivory, only you can decide who you are or are not. But it should be you that decides, not Odyssial, not Zao, and not your other teachers either."
Ivory sighed. "All right. It's true that I've heard of Pearl only from her enemies. But I have her memories, especially of her mortal life, and she... she wasn't a happy person, Ody. The hate she held for the Primordials, the bitterness, it consumed her for the entire war. I remember times with you, when we, I mean she, could be distracted from that. But for the entire Age of Dreams, she left sorrow and death in her wake. Creation's enemies, yes, but also our fellow Exalts, even mortals. Hundreds, thousands, millions! And then the Usurpation, and I betrayed our fellow Sidereals, fighting for Odyssial. How many more died in those days, by our sword, and my curses? Billions?"
The Bronze Faction was capable. They had managed to vilify Pearl even in the heart of her reincarnated self, who had years of her memories. Her happy years, they'd glossed over. Her assassin's role, they'd emphasized. Yet Ivory still identified with her past memories, to the point where she couldn't coherently speak of them without referring to Pearl as herself, even when she tried to stop it. How much guilt and misery had she suffered, tortured by those twisted memories?
"During the Age of Dreams, no Chosen of Endings cared for the mortals as much as Sepulchral Pearlescence," Ulyssian said gently. "That was why it hurt her so much to slay them. She was an assassin, yes. It was what she was good at. But can you say your own role is different? You are a Chosen of Endings. I cannot imagine the Bronze Faction has a nonviolent position for you."
"I killed, yes," Ivory said, voice small. "It is what I am good at. Fellow Exalts. Fellow Sidereals, even. And yes, mortals. I have no compunction against taking lives; I wouldn't be a Chosen of Endings otherwise. We both fought for what we believed to be necessary. By the fact is, I could kill for the rest of my life and not do a tenth of the damage she did to Creation with her betrayal. And it's astronomically unlikely that I would have the same soul, the same consciousness, as Pearl!"
"You told me that you betrayed your faction just now, when you helped me and Zao," Ulyssian said. "Did it feel wrong to do so? Did you think you were hurting Creation by doing that? Pearl did not think of it as betrayal, when she fought the Vision of Bronze. She was conflicted, but in the instant of need, she acted without hesitation."
Ivory smiled wryly. "So basically, if Pearl was a monster, then I am no less of one? I suppose that's true enough, now."
"And no more of one. But if you are so convinced, then I am still Odyssial, one of the most heartless kings of the Old Realm," Ulyssian replied. "If it makes you feel any better, we can be monsters together."
"Just like old times, huh?" Her voice was wistful. "But I truly don't think that I'm her, Uly. How can you prove something like that? Souls don't have any identifiers besides their characteristics."
"Our sword," Ulyssian said. "You spoke of it earlier. Do you remember it?"
"Ambition," she nodded. "I, she used it many times."
"Then you know it cannot be fooled. If I deny a wielder my permission, they will simply be unable to use it. Unless they are one of four people, one of which was Pearl." Ulyssian reached into the well of power inside, straining past the limits of his newly Exalted form, and with a colossal upwelling of will, managed to draw forth the blade of his anima.
Light given sharpness, Odyssial had thought, when he'd slain Larsyifex of the Contingent of Valour. That ideal, he'd crystallized into the argent blade Ulyssian now held.
"Forged in the pyre of a thousand Creation-leveling threats," he murmured. "Pearl helped to build it as much as I did."
Ivory's eyes were wide. She was silent, on the precipice of anxiety and terror, knowing what was to come.
"I do not," Odyssial said aloud, watching as the runes etched themselves into the blade with golden fire, "give the woman before me permission to wield you. No matter her identity. Not if she is Sepulchral Pearl herself."
He presented the blade to her, hilt-first. Ivory hesitated, trembling for a moment, but squared her shoulders, recovering some of her usual composure.
"Gee, thanks," she grinned, as she adjusted her stance, and nonchalantly closed her slender fingers around the hilt.
Odyssial let go, and Ivory prepared to fall, unable to lift the blade.
She didn't fall. Ambition shined as brilliantly in her hands as it originally had, so many millennia ago.
She stood like that, in silence, for a time.
"Alright," she said, a soft, sad smile creasing her face. "I can't argue against that. Let's... let's be monsters together."
Time and the Bronze Faction had done much harm to their bond. Worn down, ravaged, twisted and frayed, nonetheless it had survived his long absence. They would both have to make up for lost time. He only hoped that Ivory would remember more of the times when Pearl had been truly happy.
"Well," he said offhandedly, turning his head to the side. "If you insist, I guess. But there'll be no standing on my shoulders this time, I don't think my frame could take it."
"What?" She gasped, leveling the blade at his torso. "Uly, are you calling me fat?"
"I'm saying you've gained weight, yes," he replied dryly, without blinking. "I am, after all, a monster."
"You dare!" She huffed, drawing herself up. "Well, if you're going to present conditions, then I will too. I'm still your professor, you know! You will respect my position as your teacher. There's a lot you have to know about the Second Age."
"Pearl," he shook his head, "you've saved my life on thirty-six thousand, five hundred and twenty-three occasions. But I would sooner die, than respect your authority."
She pouted. "We'll see what Zao has to say about that!"
And so they went to see Lung Feng Zao.
"You're finished? Good." Zao was standing besides Moon's bed, weariness stamped heavily on his features. He nodded towards Moon. "She's doing fine. Let's go somewhere secure."
And so they walked all the back to the Headmaster's office.
"Now," he said, setting into his chair with a brief look of pain, "Onwards to other matters. We must consider your path of advancement. With your new power, we can accelerate your curriculum easily. I could teach you personally, and Professor Ivory could step in when I'm not busy."
Behind Zao, Ivory smirked, Pearl's trademark vulpine grin on her face.
"You'd be a captain, either a Privateer with a letter of marque, or at the helm of a major warship, Imperial or Sesus. I can have you fast-tracked for the Admiralty within four years, two if I resign my position here and assume my old position there. You'd get half a year here, to grow your powers in relative safety, and though my power in the Navy is not unquestionable, not even the elders of Ivory's faction can stop me. We could direct your mission assignments so that you're directed against actual threats to Creation, or Anathema that you can negotiate with. The Realm has enough enemies that we could get away with that, as long as it's not a Peleps fleet, and as long as it's under the table. Of course, you'd have to keep your true nature a secret from everyone but Nilul. That includes my-"
He paused for a moment. "That includes my other students, especially Moon."
That wasn't what he was originally going to say. But Ulyssian was much more concerned about what he did say.
"Nilul is an Anathema, so I understand that part. Sfor, I don't trust. Hero would not understand. But you're forbidding me from telling Moon?"
"Categorically," Zao said.
That would be disastrous. Ulyssian thought back to his first few conversations with Moon. She'd told him, with true earnestness, that though he was not Exalted, he deserved to be. That she admired him for being a mortal and yet trying so hard.
If she thought, now, that he had been hiding his Exaltation this whole time, that he had been faking his mediocre ability to lie, then everything they'd done together, all the concern she'd shown him when they sparred, all the times she'd exposed herself to Immaculate censure by protecting him - it would all be tainted by that inference. That one false fact. She would feel like she'd been lied to, when she was at her most trusting. She would feel like a fool.
Ulyssian drew on Odyssial that was.
"I refuse," he said, "categorically."
Zao put on hand on his forehead, leaning into his desk. "I know it will be hard for you, boy. Do you think I'm stupid? Because I know you're not. Look at the consequences if she knows. First. Moon is exceptionally skilled for her age, but she has no talent for deception. A determined and powerful Sidereal could get the truth out of her. As could most Dynastic elders. At the very least, they would infer that she is hiding something, that something is not as it seems when she talks about you."
"Second. You will be subject to numerous assassination attempts now that I have declared you my heir. Not just from the Immaculate Order, or rival dynasts. The Lunar Exalted, and their Solar mates. The Abyssal Exalted. The Infernal Exalted. They will come in force, at any time of the day, whether you are alone or not. You can protect yourself. She is not ready."
"Third. You are under suspicion for being Anathema. We discredited Flame thoroughly, but if proof ever comes out, all your acquaintances are also suspect. The more people who know, the more opportunities for evidence to emerge. Moon is your closest friend. Flame tried to kill her for that reason only. Defending a mortal? That can be eccentricity. Defending an Anathema that infiltrated the highest strata of Imperial society? That is treason and blasphemy against the Dragons. She will be a pariah. She could well be executed. Would you have her drop everything, sacrifice all that she has gained here, the Realm she's read her whole life about, just to safely be your friend?"
He sighed. "It is best if that story ends where it is. You know it is not expedient to marry a Lost Egg in any rate, no matter how talented. You are young. Do not let the fate of nations hang by the thread of a teenager's drama."
---
[ ] Somehow - Zao has good points. But he can't stop you. It will damage his trust in you, but you cannot accept this. You will find a way around all the vulnerabilities he described. Somehow. [+50,000 XP]
[ ] He's Right - He is right. There... can be no future between the two of you, not if you are to maintain this role. Unless you were to take Moon from here into the Threshold, it's simply too dangerous for her. As the person you're closest to, she would become a target for countless assassins, a point of leverage for foe and rival alike. You know Moon is strong enough to defend herself, but the power of Flame drove home well that she is not yet among Creation's titans, not even close.
[ ] Persuasion - Try to convince Zao to let you tell Moon with logical or emotional arguments. Ulyssian currently doesn't have any, having been blindsided with this, but a stunt could change that. However, do you really want to endanger Moon by telling her the truth? If you try to persuade Zao and fail, Ulyssian will likely go along with his wishes. At the very least, it would damage Zao's trust even more than in Somehow, were you to tell her.
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Ahaha! I think the Moon shippers might just explode.
Ahaha! I think the Moon shippers might just explode.
oh my....this wont end well.
inawarminister
I ♥ anime
[ ] Persuasion - Try to convince Zao to let you tell Moon with logical or emotional arguments. Ulyssian currently doesn't have any, having been blindsided with this, but a stunt could change that. However, do you really want to endanger Moon by telling her the truth? If you try to persuade Zao and fail, Ulyssian will likely go along with his wishes. At the very least, it would damage Zao's trust even more than in Somehow, were you to tell her.
OK, we need stunts now.
OK, we need stunts now.
Daniella_c2
Commie Ice fairy
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'm going to wait to vote until someone gives us an stunt to work off of.
Also Rihaku, from seeing how much the people of this thread care about both of these characters I have to say you are an mad, sadistic, evil genious for causing this choice for people...
...I like your style.
Also Rihaku, from seeing how much the people of this thread care about both of these characters I have to say you are an mad, sadistic, evil genious for causing this choice for people...
...I like your style.
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