Yawning Abyss, Soaring Shrike [Exalted]
- Thread starter VagueZ
- Start date
- Location
- not here any more
[X] You're not happy with him.
[X] You're going to take a walk on the surface, and happen to keep talking with Ari.
Can't let small things distract from vengeance against the Waif.
[X] You're going to take a walk on the surface, and happen to keep talking with Ari.
Can't let small things distract from vengeance against the Waif.
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[x] You're not happy with him.
[x] You're going to take a walk on the surface, and happen to keep talking with Ari.
[x] You're going to take a walk on the surface, and happen to keep talking with Ari.
This is, sadly, a general hazard of hanging out in tenuous alliance with multiple Lunars. It's like, one of their things. Ari probably should have asked though, which is obviously the biggest actual sticking point with Vessel beyond weird Immaculate hangups about being reminded he was sleeping with a literal Face Stealer.
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
Yeah it's a thing Lunars do. It is also a massive violation and betrayal of trust.
- Location
- Bed
Yup! The question is, is now the point Vessel starts caring about betrayals of trust? Or, perhaps more accurately - is now the point Vessel starts caring about betrayals of trust directed at him?
[x] You're not happy with him.
[x] You're going to take a walk on the surface, and happen to keep talking with Ari.
[x] You're going to take a walk on the surface, and happen to keep talking with Ari.
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
So, Lunars gonna Lunar aside...
The thing with Ari doing that is that he is really the first person in a long while where Vessel extended that sort of trust to and was vulnerable around for a bit. And Ari rewarded him for that by, from Vessel's point of view, taking advantage of that trust in a way which can never be taken back. Obviously, this is a thing which Vessel finds viscerally upsetting. He very obviously cares even if he might forgive Ari for this. It's more a matter of whether Vessel cares that Ari obviously didn't understand that doing that would be upsetting and actually seems sorry about it.
- Location
- Seattle
[X] You're not happy with him.
[X] You're going to take a walk on the surface, and happen to keep talking with Ari.
As hilarious as "this is unforgivable, let's walk and talk" would be I like this option the best because I like seeing ari/vessel interaction as much as possible
[X] You're going to take a walk on the surface, and happen to keep talking with Ari.
As hilarious as "this is unforgivable, let's walk and talk" would be I like this option the best because I like seeing ari/vessel interaction as much as possible
[x] You're not happy with him.
[X] You're going to take a walk on the surface, and happen to keep talking with Ari.
[X] You're going to take a walk on the surface, and happen to keep talking with Ari.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Yes, Vessel is absolutely one to hold a grudge.
His faux-cordiality with Waif is the means for him to kill her, or the next best thing he could hope to manage. It is his entire goal in life, at least until he finds himself a better one.
Is he one to hold a grudge over something like religious doctrine? Perhaps, but it's unlikely to compare to the one he already has.
I don't even particularly like Ari, but calling it irreconcilable is just too petty.
[x] You're not happy with him.
[x] You go home alone.
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- Location
- Bed
See, I would argue that his grudge towards the Waif is still born of pettiness - sure, it's on the level of "I will dedicate specific resources to hunting down and killing you", but ultimately it's founded on perceived slights and leaps of opportunism.
With what Ari did, it's something serious and weighty, in a way that doesn't usually come up in petty grudges. If this is going to be irreconcilable, it will be because this is a genuine "you hurt me and I won't get over that" grudge. That, I'm not sure Vessel is equipped to do.
With what Ari did, it's something serious and weighty, in a way that doesn't usually come up in petty grudges. If this is going to be irreconcilable, it will be because this is a genuine "you hurt me and I won't get over that" grudge. That, I'm not sure Vessel is equipped to do.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
...it's not religious doctrine. He already gave up his name as part of becoming an Abyssal and lost family ties when he broke with the Realm. His face is literally one of the last pieces of identity he has and it was stolen by the first person he extended trust and vulnerability towards. This is a big fucking deal.
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
yeah, agreed on the why here. Vessel reflexively falls back on "Face Stealer", but what comes out of his mouth next is literally "you didn't ask." The vote options reference this directly, not Ari being Anathema.
- Location
- Bed
I hadn't considered the past identity angle. My read of Vessel was that he wasn't really all that attached to that in general, but I suppose it is a rather significant severing, and that step in it is still of note. I stand by my position that it's not at all irreconcilable, but still.
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Vessel seeming more religious than he did in the previous thread is, I'm pretty sure, literally a function of his having lost every part of his identity that mattered. The Immaculate Philosophy is something comforting he can fall back on despite everything else.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Okay. This might be my "copying is not stealing" way of thinking, but even then I think the issue is not that clear cut.
Ari just did the thing they tell stories about to scare children into staying in bed, the one that gives Anathema their name. The act of Face Stealing is a taboo, one of the very features they talk up to draw the line between a human and a monster, and yes, the possibility of someone wearing your skin to sneak close to everyone you know and do harm to them is what gives people nightmares. But that part is not particularly relevant to Vessel. Everyone he cares about is dead safe for his vague loyalty to the Realms and their ways, and Ari can't really harm those by wearing a face of a disowned and exiled Trumvir.
Basically, if this were nWoD instead of Exalt, and Ari were a vampire instead of a Lunar, I would expect the same "you didn't ask" reaction if Vessel discovered Ari fed on him. No identity crises involved, but a breach of trust and a reminder that the person who got close to you has very different ideas about what is and isn't acceptable. He wouldn't miss the blood, but would resent being treated as a free snack.
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
Yeah I don't think you quite understand this. Ari didn't just take his face - at any point from now to forever Ari can systematically destroy any and all relationships and reputation Vessel manages to gain. Ari has power over Vessel, over anything and everything Vessel ever seeks to build or maintain. Allowing Ari to gain such a bond could have been a major point of growth in their relationship maybe a few decades down the road. But Ari took it. When I describe this as a violation I mean it in the most vulgar and obscene sense.
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I think this is broadly true as well. Ari even makes it clear that he didn't view what happened as actually taking something from Vessel -- which is a bit of a thoughtless way of thinking of things, obviously, but probably true enough. He could have just taken it and not said anything, but instead he took it and then actually wore it on the spot while still in bed with Vessel, kind of in the same manner as pulling on a lover's shirt after sex.
At the same time, yeah, this does give Ari pretty unique and irrevocable leverage over Vessel which is going to particularly matter to someone who is as in control and slow to trust as Vessel is. I definitely wouldn't characterise it as an unforgivable violation, but it is something that landed worse with him, perhaps, than it did with Ari's previous lovers. Unless it's just the Bond making him get stupid and pushing things too far too fast.
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Unexpected message from afar
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[] You're not happy with him.
[] You're going to take a walk on the surface, and happen to keep talking with Ari.
Ari isn't moving very quickly. You catch up to him without difficulty. He moves slightly to give you room to walk abreast with him.
He doesn't reach out and touch you. You don't reach for him. There is a moment of silence.
You climb up steps together, the night sky suddenly in full display. It's a Gem sky, though, with dirt and mining by-products smearing out most of the stars save the very brightest. The moon is a wan crescent that casts enough light for the two of you. You are a creature of dark places, after all, and Ari's eyes shine in the low lighting, as any cat's would. His Tell, that mark of the Anathema that brands him, extends to that as much as his caracal ears and tail.
"I'm sorry," he says, his first words to you today, and not the first time he's said it. It's still something of a surprise, the noise breaking the local silence. It's Gem, though: there's always equipment moving and the sound of voices in the distance. "I almost just ran away without saying anything to you, but you deserve more than that. I should give you an actual explanation. How much do you know about the Lunar-Solar bond? Or what it means for a Lunar to take on a face?"
"As much as any Dynast raised in the Immaculate Philosophy does, I suppose," you respond, dryly. Under the Immaculate Philosophy, Lunars and other Anathema are cursed creatures, driven mad by their power, a danger to themselves and anyone else around them that can only be settled by death. You're less dogmatic about that since you joined the ranks of Anathema yourself.
It earns you a quick smile before Ari jumps on a nearby boulder. It's just a piece of mining debris: too useless to be worth anything, too hard to be convenient to pulverize, too large to leave in the way. The miners just dragged it up to the surface and ramshackle buildings built up around it. On the boulder, he's able to crouch on all fours like a cat sitting up, while also being on about eye level with you. You lean against the boulder, and let Ari get comfortable, so he can start his story where he feels like he should. "So, I know I mentioned earlier, when we were first getting to know each other, that certain Solars and Lunars have a pair bond?" You nod, and he continues. "Lunars always seem to feel it on sight. Solars... not always. Dunno why it's different. Maybe deathknights never feel it. Who knows? Anyway, it's not something that forces anything. I get a recognition of what you are, and I can't just ignore you. It can be curiosity, camaraderie, competition, fear, lust, revulsion, an urge to fight to the death. Anything but 'meh'." He sticks out his tongue and flattens his ears, crossing his eyes to complete the effect before sobering again.
"When we take someone's face, that's a similar thing. There's going to be some actual connection, some feeling on my side, too." Too. Ari doesn't say it in so many words, but that confirms something you'd been half-dreading. It isn't just the acts involved, fun as they were, that gave Ari the chance. You lowered your guard. "The people in the desert that know and welcome Lunars like myself and Nine Leagues Strides, they know this, too. We can hate someone, but that shows, believe me. So if someone gives me their face, they have at least some confidence that I'm not going to misuse it, or at least they know."
You nod, taking this in. "You knew I wasn't from that world, though."
"You weren't in the Lap any more, either. I--no. There's not really a good excuse. I didn't think at all. It just seemed like there was a chance that..." Ari breaks off. "I'm something of an idiot when I, er..."
Rather than let Ari flounder as he tries to figure out how to confess attraction with whatever level of qualifiers he feels he does or doesn't need, you just grin at him. Any smile that shows your blood-drinking fangs isn't going to be mistaken for a nice smile. "Nine Leagues Strides mentioned that about you a couple of times, yes."
"Don't remind me." Ari cringes back from the thought you might, hamming it up. Still, he relaxes a bit. He's said what he needs to say, and while you've not said anything about it, he understands you need time, and then you two can see where you stand. "Anyway, I was going north for now. Join us when you can. Try not to get caught by that white deathknight."
"No need to worry about that," you say, examining your fingernails in a totally collected manner that indicates how far above this you are. "She's done for."
"She's what." The flat disbelief in Ari's voice is no affectation. He bounds from the boulder and straightens up right in front of you, considering your face from close enough that you fight back the urge to lean away from him. "I've been Exalted for fifteen years longer than you. She almost gouged out my eye. What did you do?"
"Killed her."
"Merciful Luna. You're serious." Ari shakes his head ruefully. "I suppose I got lucky that you just threw a shoe at me instead of a mountain." He seems about ready to leave.
There's one other point you feel a need to mention before he goes, mainly because you're rather expecting Ari will hear it somehow if not from you. Maybe from Ephrei directly, not that that makes much sense as a theory. "One other thing. I met a Sidereal. She had been trying to track me down, looking for a plan to try to attack the Waif. I didn't tell her anything, or even hint there was something--I remember all you'd said about the dangers of attracting too much Sidereal attention, and I didn't want her to think there was something that I might be keeping from her just so I could check in with you and Nine Leagues Strides first."
Ari's look goes somewhat blank. "I can't take my eyes off you for ten minutes without you upending common sense somehow or another." He sighs. It's a somewhat fond sound, at the least. "Stay safe, regardless."
There's not much more to the good-byes before Ari takes his bird form and wings away. You watch until even your eyes cannot track him any longer.
"You're not Danaa'd."
"You are correct."
"...Why am I here?"
"Why? Ah, that is a good question, is it not? I think you may have information you want to give me, before you go to... Danaa'd."
"What sort of information?"
"Contracted out?" You are a little surprised at this. Sure, it was in the deal you signed with the Despot, but it hadn't come up before now.
The Despot controls Gem's water. That is inarguable and enforced by the military power he directs and the wealth he commands. Your contracts as water-summmoning sorcerers underline this. He buys water, he sells water.
Tehli shrugs from behind her desk. "Sometimes those with enough money like to be able to say that the water is so fresh it hasn't been transferred from container to container."
You accept that easily enough. You know the value of ostentatious displays of wealth. It commands a power itself, to flagrantly throw away money as part of impressing someone. So, that's what this is: get the sorcerer to come out there, call fresh water right on-site. Pay the Despot through the nose for the privilege.
Tehli gives you a sheet of paper with an address and some rough directions on it. Something about the address seems familiar, but you haven't been out to that part of Gem before. "Technically," she continues, distracting you from your thoughts, "You should have a guard for this, but... our department is trying to save a few coins. Can you handle it yourself?" There's a slight pleading edge to it.
Of course there is, though. Little corruptions like this are how people gild their nest egg, smooth over difficulties that 'by the book' instructions don't cover, and get through the day without pulling their hair out. "I'll try not to get assassinated out there," you say, with a quick wink.
She smiles. You've achieved that much over your time working here: you've made it clear what gets you to gum up the works and what you'll accept and keep discreet. A good balance of those two gets you a certain latitude in your work and the ability to bargain for favors of your own, which is to everyone's benefit.
After you take your leave, you follow a surface route to your destination. It's still early enough in the morning that Gem is in shadow from a nearby mountain, so it's not uncomfortable out yet. You, of course, have an aura of cold air around you anyway from the Stone of Chilled Breath you wear on a necklace. This makes you a popular person to hang out around when it is the hottest part of the day and means that people are quick to think of you as an Air Aspect.
Your destination is one of Gem's sprawling homes for its nouveau rich. Such buildings have more interesting external architecture than they do external windows. Glowstones are just much better for lighting than windows, as far as not sweating to death.
You head to the servant's entrance. This is still a little novel to you. Back in the Realm, while your overly-delayed Exaltation made you more than a little bit the subject of pity, but you were still definitely a Dynast, part of House Peleps and the Realm's upper crust. Here, you're a sorcerer. The man who answers your knock is a tall, thin man with equally thinning hair at the upper end of middle age, who carries himself like he's the head of whatever staff they have. He considers you and your paperwork with the dignity of one who does get to interact with whoever's house this is and their guests, and not just be part of The Help. It takes a couple minutes longer than it has any right to.
It's novel, but it's not pleasant.
Once he's made his 'superiority' clear, he leads you inside. "The lady of the house has expressed a desire to have the 'swimming pool' filled," he states, wending quickly through the narrow corridors of this part of the place to come out through a discreet door in the parts that are more open and decorated, and from here it's only one vast hallway to the indoor basin that serves as the pool--or, more likely, has been recently deemed a pool by the house's current owner. There's been no dust anywhere, even on the servants' side, which suggests to you that things have only recently been set up here, so presumably the owner is new in town. "Wait here," he commands. "The lady wishes to observe your sorcery in action. I will let her know you are here."
You wait. It's a stupid power move, but you're paid a good salary for easy enough work, so you'll endure it. The pool is clearly getting remodeled, above and beyond the fact that you're here to fill it. There's a handful of fixtures around it, the sorts of things people would use to climb into or out of the pool. Some of them have been installed, others haven't. The most curious element is the mirrors: someone has put high mirrors around the pool, angled down, most likely so people in the pool can admire other people in the pool. Sneaking a peek at people exercising in abbreviated outfits is a popular passtime Creation-wide, after all.
Where you've seen this address before comes to you half a heartbeat before Twine sweeps through the door. You think her eyes are on you, but it's hard to be sure through the collection of lenses and associated superstructure that cover her eyes. Behind her, still in his gladiator outfit and with four chewed up cleavers on his belt, is Crowson. Crowson still has his arms crossed, but you've previously seen him fight like that, so that's not a safe posture. The blood-tentacles, or whatever they were, are at least not in evidence.
You don't have much of a chance to take him in, though, because Twine is on you in a moment, her heavy, many-pocketed dress jangling with all the things placed in it. She snaps different lenses in place in front of her eyes and considers you. "You," she says, jabbing a finger towards your chest. It's clear now that the water was only a pretext. "I almost overlooked it, but that had to be you. No one else was even asking the right questions, never mind equipped to find the answers!"
"What do you mean?" You ask it calmly enough, with the right air of puzzled uncertainty, for all that your mind is racing furiously. How much does she know? What does she suspect? What is Crowson doing here, exactly?
"I was so excited to see the Shrike hover in place and shoot its weapon again that I almost forgot to ask why it did that. But there was only one person in all of Gem who was in the right place to do that except for me, and that man was trying to track down what it was hunting!" Her accusatory finger keeps jabbing at you, hard, but she doesn't quite touch you. "You figured out its targeting criteria and did a public test run to ensure you had it right!"
She's not quite right, which is... probably heartening. She doesn't know why you used the Shrike, and she's not yet tumbled onto the fact of the Original Fox's existence. What is disheartening is that you're finding that you don't know enough of her situation to stay on top of it. She's clearly more insightful than you had anticipated, but you probably should have assumed that: she is an Exalt, too, and one sent here specifically to catch the Shrike. Of course she sifts out plenty of detail from seemingly few clues; if she couldn't, she wouldn't be here. What's more concerning is Crowson. You don't know his deal. Why is he here? Is he with the Waif? Is he with the Lion? Is the story more complex than that?
"It's much more muddled than that," you say, holding up your hands in a defensive-placating gesture. "I don't think I really know what the Shrike is going for." Technically true, from a certain point of view: what in the Dragons' name is the Original Fox? You're pretty sure that any more vociferous denial would let her smell the lie, so you stick to that, plus deflection. "And why is a Volcano circuit gladiator with you?"
Twine grins, momentarily distracted from you. She practically prances back to Crowson, and wraps her arms around his neck. "Why shouldn't I have him with me?" There's a definite possessive element to her body language.
He clears his throat. "I am Son of Crows, for all my woes," and manages a bow, despite her interference.
"And he has become my knight," Twine adds.
That's... more confusing. The name change is an incredibly flimsy disguise if someone ever heard both versions of Son of Crows' name, and the 'become' is just baffling. If Son of Crows is with the Waif, then why is he only recently getting assigned to her? If he isn't, then is he with the Lion? If so, why is he not engaging you? Is he some third faction's deathknight? Some sort of independent one? Is there even such a thing as an independent deathknight?
"You've certainly got the strength to back up that knighthood," you say, mind still racing as you try to keep up with the changing situation. "I saw your match against Syzygy."
Son of Crows smiles, revealing needle-like teeth. "A foe of some skill, but no match for my will."
Twine disentangles herself from her 'knight'. She jabs another finger, this one at the empty basin. "I want a pool," she declares.
There's not many options beyond conjuring water or running for your life. She probably legitimately does want the pool--it's much more common in the East than out here in the deserts of the South. It's also a declaration. Negotiations will begin here. You stand on the edge, and call the shaping fires of the world to the shape that means water flows here.
Once the torrent is going, Twine steps up next to you, a respectful distance away, both of you watching the pool begin to fill. "I offered you a deal, before," she says, less assertively than before, more conversationally. "It still stands; maybe you were just getting ready to see me, after all? It would save time for me to quickly get a more complete understanding of the Shrike's operations. The world is changing around us; play smart, and you can earn more than you'd believe is possible. If not..."
She turns to face you, a face more than half-obscured by eyewear. You turn to face her as well. "I will still get what I want. In fact--" She stiffens, looking past you, and up. Suddenly, you are the last thing on her mind. Whatever threat or promise she's about to make dies stillborn. She continues in a distracted tone. "...One more cast. I need the pool completely filled. And don't you turn around, do you hear me? Don't you dare."
She walks past you, eyes still fixed well above the ground. You obey. You do not turn your head an iota, merely hold out your left hand to command the waters again. You do, however, kneel down, and let your fingers trail in this second jet of water.
You are a sorcerer. Your control spell allows you to disturb large bodies of water you touch. With the precise right twist in its flows... you have a functional reflection, one you can see out of the corner of your eye. One that reflects one of the pool's high mirrors.
Blood-red letters in a familiar hand are there, spelling out Old Realm characters.
I will arrive in your location the day after tomorrow.
The blood words blur and streak and begin to trickle down the mirror. Like usual, they will clean themselves up. You stand again, the pool now very nearly filled.
You strain your ears, overhearing Twine's and Son of Crows' conversation even over the roar of water, though they doubtless expect you can't. "She's coming here? Now? I told her I'm not ready!"
"She seeks her prize. No large surprise."
"The prize isn't ready! I told her that! Never mind the--you know."
"That she cannot have learned. Perhaps some other reason burns?"
"Like what? Apart from this, she's mostly been licking her wounds and trying to move ahead on the Mount Metagalapa mission. And squashing figures in the Underworld who have 'betrayed' her, like always. None of that makes any sense for her to be coming here!"
"Ready what you may. Then, see what she has to say."
"Yeah... yeah, that's probably best." Twine comes up beside you, and now her voice is no low whisper. "You can look, now. And you've done your contract. Here." Twine thrusts signed paperwork back at you, showing that she is satisfied with the completion of the contract. She still sounds distracted. "Tomorrow, okay? Tomorrow, you tell me what price the information you have is. Then I pay it. No, don't." She cuts you off as you open your mouth. "Not... I'm busy today. Just name the price. And don't make me hunt you down again."
Less than a minute later, you're outside. The sun is high and bright, now. Still, you shiver.
The Lonely Waif of Cooling Embers is coming. In two days, she will be in Gem.
You have one more thought than Twine does as to why she might be coming. You're not ready to face here, here. Ari and Nine Leagues Strides and Soot Column Ascending and Solace have all headed back north. The yasal crystal left with some of them.
You feel very alone.
You're going to have to think about how you're going to approach this. This isn't the end of the world. It is out of your plans, but it's not unsalvageable. If the Waif is, indeed, here to chase you down, that is something you can work with. You can lure her, and take her to where you need her to be to let Nine Leagues Strides strike at her.
The challenge is going to be doing this without her killing you, leaving a swathe of destruction, or just... leaving. She could absolutely ruin your plans by just deciding not to keep chasing you and to retire back into the Underworld.
So what plan do you come to?
[] You're going to give Twine something horribly misleading, to throw her and the Waif off your trail.
Twine is clearly getting distracted, now. You're well-suited to hand her something that she won't be able to devote her full attention to, which when she tries to unravel it will only waste more time. That will give you time to arrange something else.
[] You're going to throw a wrench into the works, then go to ground here.
Gem does not tolerate known agents of the Deathlords or Anathema, at least openly. The last thing the Despot wants is the Lion to show up. If word were to happen to get around that a different Deathlord were appearing, the Despot would have to take drastic action.
[] Start planning an immediate escape. Leave town before she can pin you here.
It's not that you aren't going to make make things frustrating for the Waif, but you're going to leave her at least something of a trail to follow to ensure that she neither loses the trail nor makes too much of a mess here in Gem. Then, you just have to outrun her.
[] Write-in
You have some other plan that bubbles up, given this latest surprise. Potentially subject to approval.
[] You're going to take a walk on the surface, and happen to keep talking with Ari.
Ari isn't moving very quickly. You catch up to him without difficulty. He moves slightly to give you room to walk abreast with him.
He doesn't reach out and touch you. You don't reach for him. There is a moment of silence.
You climb up steps together, the night sky suddenly in full display. It's a Gem sky, though, with dirt and mining by-products smearing out most of the stars save the very brightest. The moon is a wan crescent that casts enough light for the two of you. You are a creature of dark places, after all, and Ari's eyes shine in the low lighting, as any cat's would. His Tell, that mark of the Anathema that brands him, extends to that as much as his caracal ears and tail.
"I'm sorry," he says, his first words to you today, and not the first time he's said it. It's still something of a surprise, the noise breaking the local silence. It's Gem, though: there's always equipment moving and the sound of voices in the distance. "I almost just ran away without saying anything to you, but you deserve more than that. I should give you an actual explanation. How much do you know about the Lunar-Solar bond? Or what it means for a Lunar to take on a face?"
"As much as any Dynast raised in the Immaculate Philosophy does, I suppose," you respond, dryly. Under the Immaculate Philosophy, Lunars and other Anathema are cursed creatures, driven mad by their power, a danger to themselves and anyone else around them that can only be settled by death. You're less dogmatic about that since you joined the ranks of Anathema yourself.
It earns you a quick smile before Ari jumps on a nearby boulder. It's just a piece of mining debris: too useless to be worth anything, too hard to be convenient to pulverize, too large to leave in the way. The miners just dragged it up to the surface and ramshackle buildings built up around it. On the boulder, he's able to crouch on all fours like a cat sitting up, while also being on about eye level with you. You lean against the boulder, and let Ari get comfortable, so he can start his story where he feels like he should. "So, I know I mentioned earlier, when we were first getting to know each other, that certain Solars and Lunars have a pair bond?" You nod, and he continues. "Lunars always seem to feel it on sight. Solars... not always. Dunno why it's different. Maybe deathknights never feel it. Who knows? Anyway, it's not something that forces anything. I get a recognition of what you are, and I can't just ignore you. It can be curiosity, camaraderie, competition, fear, lust, revulsion, an urge to fight to the death. Anything but 'meh'." He sticks out his tongue and flattens his ears, crossing his eyes to complete the effect before sobering again.
"When we take someone's face, that's a similar thing. There's going to be some actual connection, some feeling on my side, too." Too. Ari doesn't say it in so many words, but that confirms something you'd been half-dreading. It isn't just the acts involved, fun as they were, that gave Ari the chance. You lowered your guard. "The people in the desert that know and welcome Lunars like myself and Nine Leagues Strides, they know this, too. We can hate someone, but that shows, believe me. So if someone gives me their face, they have at least some confidence that I'm not going to misuse it, or at least they know."
You nod, taking this in. "You knew I wasn't from that world, though."
"You weren't in the Lap any more, either. I--no. There's not really a good excuse. I didn't think at all. It just seemed like there was a chance that..." Ari breaks off. "I'm something of an idiot when I, er..."
Rather than let Ari flounder as he tries to figure out how to confess attraction with whatever level of qualifiers he feels he does or doesn't need, you just grin at him. Any smile that shows your blood-drinking fangs isn't going to be mistaken for a nice smile. "Nine Leagues Strides mentioned that about you a couple of times, yes."
"Don't remind me." Ari cringes back from the thought you might, hamming it up. Still, he relaxes a bit. He's said what he needs to say, and while you've not said anything about it, he understands you need time, and then you two can see where you stand. "Anyway, I was going north for now. Join us when you can. Try not to get caught by that white deathknight."
"No need to worry about that," you say, examining your fingernails in a totally collected manner that indicates how far above this you are. "She's done for."
"She's what." The flat disbelief in Ari's voice is no affectation. He bounds from the boulder and straightens up right in front of you, considering your face from close enough that you fight back the urge to lean away from him. "I've been Exalted for fifteen years longer than you. She almost gouged out my eye. What did you do?"
"Killed her."
"Merciful Luna. You're serious." Ari shakes his head ruefully. "I suppose I got lucky that you just threw a shoe at me instead of a mountain." He seems about ready to leave.
There's one other point you feel a need to mention before he goes, mainly because you're rather expecting Ari will hear it somehow if not from you. Maybe from Ephrei directly, not that that makes much sense as a theory. "One other thing. I met a Sidereal. She had been trying to track me down, looking for a plan to try to attack the Waif. I didn't tell her anything, or even hint there was something--I remember all you'd said about the dangers of attracting too much Sidereal attention, and I didn't want her to think there was something that I might be keeping from her just so I could check in with you and Nine Leagues Strides first."
Ari's look goes somewhat blank. "I can't take my eyes off you for ten minutes without you upending common sense somehow or another." He sighs. It's a somewhat fond sound, at the least. "Stay safe, regardless."
There's not much more to the good-byes before Ari takes his bird form and wings away. You watch until even your eyes cannot track him any longer.
* * *
"You're not Danaa'd."
"You are correct."
"...Why am I here?"
"Why? Ah, that is a good question, is it not? I think you may have information you want to give me, before you go to... Danaa'd."
"What sort of information?"
* * *
"Contracted out?" You are a little surprised at this. Sure, it was in the deal you signed with the Despot, but it hadn't come up before now.
The Despot controls Gem's water. That is inarguable and enforced by the military power he directs and the wealth he commands. Your contracts as water-summmoning sorcerers underline this. He buys water, he sells water.
Tehli shrugs from behind her desk. "Sometimes those with enough money like to be able to say that the water is so fresh it hasn't been transferred from container to container."
You accept that easily enough. You know the value of ostentatious displays of wealth. It commands a power itself, to flagrantly throw away money as part of impressing someone. So, that's what this is: get the sorcerer to come out there, call fresh water right on-site. Pay the Despot through the nose for the privilege.
Tehli gives you a sheet of paper with an address and some rough directions on it. Something about the address seems familiar, but you haven't been out to that part of Gem before. "Technically," she continues, distracting you from your thoughts, "You should have a guard for this, but... our department is trying to save a few coins. Can you handle it yourself?" There's a slight pleading edge to it.
Of course there is, though. Little corruptions like this are how people gild their nest egg, smooth over difficulties that 'by the book' instructions don't cover, and get through the day without pulling their hair out. "I'll try not to get assassinated out there," you say, with a quick wink.
She smiles. You've achieved that much over your time working here: you've made it clear what gets you to gum up the works and what you'll accept and keep discreet. A good balance of those two gets you a certain latitude in your work and the ability to bargain for favors of your own, which is to everyone's benefit.
After you take your leave, you follow a surface route to your destination. It's still early enough in the morning that Gem is in shadow from a nearby mountain, so it's not uncomfortable out yet. You, of course, have an aura of cold air around you anyway from the Stone of Chilled Breath you wear on a necklace. This makes you a popular person to hang out around when it is the hottest part of the day and means that people are quick to think of you as an Air Aspect.
Your destination is one of Gem's sprawling homes for its nouveau rich. Such buildings have more interesting external architecture than they do external windows. Glowstones are just much better for lighting than windows, as far as not sweating to death.
You head to the servant's entrance. This is still a little novel to you. Back in the Realm, while your overly-delayed Exaltation made you more than a little bit the subject of pity, but you were still definitely a Dynast, part of House Peleps and the Realm's upper crust. Here, you're a sorcerer. The man who answers your knock is a tall, thin man with equally thinning hair at the upper end of middle age, who carries himself like he's the head of whatever staff they have. He considers you and your paperwork with the dignity of one who does get to interact with whoever's house this is and their guests, and not just be part of The Help. It takes a couple minutes longer than it has any right to.
It's novel, but it's not pleasant.
Once he's made his 'superiority' clear, he leads you inside. "The lady of the house has expressed a desire to have the 'swimming pool' filled," he states, wending quickly through the narrow corridors of this part of the place to come out through a discreet door in the parts that are more open and decorated, and from here it's only one vast hallway to the indoor basin that serves as the pool--or, more likely, has been recently deemed a pool by the house's current owner. There's been no dust anywhere, even on the servants' side, which suggests to you that things have only recently been set up here, so presumably the owner is new in town. "Wait here," he commands. "The lady wishes to observe your sorcery in action. I will let her know you are here."
You wait. It's a stupid power move, but you're paid a good salary for easy enough work, so you'll endure it. The pool is clearly getting remodeled, above and beyond the fact that you're here to fill it. There's a handful of fixtures around it, the sorts of things people would use to climb into or out of the pool. Some of them have been installed, others haven't. The most curious element is the mirrors: someone has put high mirrors around the pool, angled down, most likely so people in the pool can admire other people in the pool. Sneaking a peek at people exercising in abbreviated outfits is a popular passtime Creation-wide, after all.
Where you've seen this address before comes to you half a heartbeat before Twine sweeps through the door. You think her eyes are on you, but it's hard to be sure through the collection of lenses and associated superstructure that cover her eyes. Behind her, still in his gladiator outfit and with four chewed up cleavers on his belt, is Crowson. Crowson still has his arms crossed, but you've previously seen him fight like that, so that's not a safe posture. The blood-tentacles, or whatever they were, are at least not in evidence.
You don't have much of a chance to take him in, though, because Twine is on you in a moment, her heavy, many-pocketed dress jangling with all the things placed in it. She snaps different lenses in place in front of her eyes and considers you. "You," she says, jabbing a finger towards your chest. It's clear now that the water was only a pretext. "I almost overlooked it, but that had to be you. No one else was even asking the right questions, never mind equipped to find the answers!"
"What do you mean?" You ask it calmly enough, with the right air of puzzled uncertainty, for all that your mind is racing furiously. How much does she know? What does she suspect? What is Crowson doing here, exactly?
"I was so excited to see the Shrike hover in place and shoot its weapon again that I almost forgot to ask why it did that. But there was only one person in all of Gem who was in the right place to do that except for me, and that man was trying to track down what it was hunting!" Her accusatory finger keeps jabbing at you, hard, but she doesn't quite touch you. "You figured out its targeting criteria and did a public test run to ensure you had it right!"
She's not quite right, which is... probably heartening. She doesn't know why you used the Shrike, and she's not yet tumbled onto the fact of the Original Fox's existence. What is disheartening is that you're finding that you don't know enough of her situation to stay on top of it. She's clearly more insightful than you had anticipated, but you probably should have assumed that: she is an Exalt, too, and one sent here specifically to catch the Shrike. Of course she sifts out plenty of detail from seemingly few clues; if she couldn't, she wouldn't be here. What's more concerning is Crowson. You don't know his deal. Why is he here? Is he with the Waif? Is he with the Lion? Is the story more complex than that?
"It's much more muddled than that," you say, holding up your hands in a defensive-placating gesture. "I don't think I really know what the Shrike is going for." Technically true, from a certain point of view: what in the Dragons' name is the Original Fox? You're pretty sure that any more vociferous denial would let her smell the lie, so you stick to that, plus deflection. "And why is a Volcano circuit gladiator with you?"
Twine grins, momentarily distracted from you. She practically prances back to Crowson, and wraps her arms around his neck. "Why shouldn't I have him with me?" There's a definite possessive element to her body language.
He clears his throat. "I am Son of Crows, for all my woes," and manages a bow, despite her interference.
"And he has become my knight," Twine adds.
That's... more confusing. The name change is an incredibly flimsy disguise if someone ever heard both versions of Son of Crows' name, and the 'become' is just baffling. If Son of Crows is with the Waif, then why is he only recently getting assigned to her? If he isn't, then is he with the Lion? If so, why is he not engaging you? Is he some third faction's deathknight? Some sort of independent one? Is there even such a thing as an independent deathknight?
"You've certainly got the strength to back up that knighthood," you say, mind still racing as you try to keep up with the changing situation. "I saw your match against Syzygy."
Son of Crows smiles, revealing needle-like teeth. "A foe of some skill, but no match for my will."
Twine disentangles herself from her 'knight'. She jabs another finger, this one at the empty basin. "I want a pool," she declares.
There's not many options beyond conjuring water or running for your life. She probably legitimately does want the pool--it's much more common in the East than out here in the deserts of the South. It's also a declaration. Negotiations will begin here. You stand on the edge, and call the shaping fires of the world to the shape that means water flows here.
Once the torrent is going, Twine steps up next to you, a respectful distance away, both of you watching the pool begin to fill. "I offered you a deal, before," she says, less assertively than before, more conversationally. "It still stands; maybe you were just getting ready to see me, after all? It would save time for me to quickly get a more complete understanding of the Shrike's operations. The world is changing around us; play smart, and you can earn more than you'd believe is possible. If not..."
She turns to face you, a face more than half-obscured by eyewear. You turn to face her as well. "I will still get what I want. In fact--" She stiffens, looking past you, and up. Suddenly, you are the last thing on her mind. Whatever threat or promise she's about to make dies stillborn. She continues in a distracted tone. "...One more cast. I need the pool completely filled. And don't you turn around, do you hear me? Don't you dare."
She walks past you, eyes still fixed well above the ground. You obey. You do not turn your head an iota, merely hold out your left hand to command the waters again. You do, however, kneel down, and let your fingers trail in this second jet of water.
You are a sorcerer. Your control spell allows you to disturb large bodies of water you touch. With the precise right twist in its flows... you have a functional reflection, one you can see out of the corner of your eye. One that reflects one of the pool's high mirrors.
Blood-red letters in a familiar hand are there, spelling out Old Realm characters.
I will arrive in your location the day after tomorrow.
The blood words blur and streak and begin to trickle down the mirror. Like usual, they will clean themselves up. You stand again, the pool now very nearly filled.
You strain your ears, overhearing Twine's and Son of Crows' conversation even over the roar of water, though they doubtless expect you can't. "She's coming here? Now? I told her I'm not ready!"
"She seeks her prize. No large surprise."
"The prize isn't ready! I told her that! Never mind the--you know."
"That she cannot have learned. Perhaps some other reason burns?"
"Like what? Apart from this, she's mostly been licking her wounds and trying to move ahead on the Mount Metagalapa mission. And squashing figures in the Underworld who have 'betrayed' her, like always. None of that makes any sense for her to be coming here!"
"Ready what you may. Then, see what she has to say."
"Yeah... yeah, that's probably best." Twine comes up beside you, and now her voice is no low whisper. "You can look, now. And you've done your contract. Here." Twine thrusts signed paperwork back at you, showing that she is satisfied with the completion of the contract. She still sounds distracted. "Tomorrow, okay? Tomorrow, you tell me what price the information you have is. Then I pay it. No, don't." She cuts you off as you open your mouth. "Not... I'm busy today. Just name the price. And don't make me hunt you down again."
Less than a minute later, you're outside. The sun is high and bright, now. Still, you shiver.
The Lonely Waif of Cooling Embers is coming. In two days, she will be in Gem.
You have one more thought than Twine does as to why she might be coming. You're not ready to face here, here. Ari and Nine Leagues Strides and Soot Column Ascending and Solace have all headed back north. The yasal crystal left with some of them.
You feel very alone.
You're going to have to think about how you're going to approach this. This isn't the end of the world. It is out of your plans, but it's not unsalvageable. If the Waif is, indeed, here to chase you down, that is something you can work with. You can lure her, and take her to where you need her to be to let Nine Leagues Strides strike at her.
The challenge is going to be doing this without her killing you, leaving a swathe of destruction, or just... leaving. She could absolutely ruin your plans by just deciding not to keep chasing you and to retire back into the Underworld.
So what plan do you come to?
[] You're going to give Twine something horribly misleading, to throw her and the Waif off your trail.
Twine is clearly getting distracted, now. You're well-suited to hand her something that she won't be able to devote her full attention to, which when she tries to unravel it will only waste more time. That will give you time to arrange something else.
[] You're going to throw a wrench into the works, then go to ground here.
Gem does not tolerate known agents of the Deathlords or Anathema, at least openly. The last thing the Despot wants is the Lion to show up. If word were to happen to get around that a different Deathlord were appearing, the Despot would have to take drastic action.
[] Start planning an immediate escape. Leave town before she can pin you here.
It's not that you aren't going to make make things frustrating for the Waif, but you're going to leave her at least something of a trail to follow to ensure that she neither loses the trail nor makes too much of a mess here in Gem. Then, you just have to outrun her.
[] Write-in
You have some other plan that bubbles up, given this latest surprise. Potentially subject to approval.
- Location
- Singapore
[X] You're going to throw a wrench into the works, then go to ground here.
Gem does not tolerate known agents of the Deathlords or Anathema, at least openly. The last thing the Despot wants is the Lion to show up. If word were to happen to get around that a different Deathlord were appearing, the Despot would have to take drastic action.
Gem does not tolerate known agents of the Deathlords or Anathema, at least openly. The last thing the Despot wants is the Lion to show up. If word were to happen to get around that a different Deathlord were appearing, the Despot would have to take drastic action.
[X] You're going to throw a wrench into the works, then go to ground here.