God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

Zephyr holds up Semiramis' heart grace, feeling the faintest twinge of remorse... before mentally slapping himself. She... it was a Raksha, for cripe's sake - a super raksha! one of the greatest enemies of creation, no matter how charmingly eccentric some of her shards seemed - and no doubt they would have happily eaten the souls of any of them - and indeed, Jubal did his best, even killing three of their friends! He had nothing to feel guilty about. Nothing at all.

He looked at his friends, shuddering a little "Are we ready to return home? Even I am beginning to long for the feel of real, solid Creation beneath my feet again."

He turned to Ivory Eyes, holding out the Heart Grace of Semiramis to her "I have no idea what I'd do with this... and there's none I'd trust more with it than you."

[GryffonDurime]

Ivory takes the acorn with sad, wistful eyes and turns from Zephyr to the singularity. "There you go again, thinking you're just a warrior. You know exactly what to do with it, if you'd stop and think for a moment, Zephyr Scales-of-War," she says, and her rasp croaks a bit towards the end. "It is the core of a being. You hold it's heart and it's will. And right now, it doesn't look to be anything." She raises it up almost to her lips and whispers to it, clearly so everyone can hear: "By your Heart, be well Semiramis. Thrive. Return to the depths of the Wyld until we call upon you, and do good among your kind. Choose your stories to spread Virtue among your kind, however you may understand it. Cultivate within yourself a glorious tale of Compassion and protection."

Ivory looks to the singularity expectantly and then back to the acorn. She offers it to Zephyr, making it clear that she will not accept refusal. "Too much of Semiramis is a warrior to rightfully be mine. Consider it an investment in a story that may one day be worth telling," she says, offering him a small smile.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

Zephyr takes the tiny thing in his hand, looking at Ivory Eyes with a strangely unreadable expression on a face that normally shows his every thought. At last, he nods, taking it and tucking it away in a pouch that forms at his belt - a pouch that holds the acorn safely somewhere beyond everywhere and everything before disappearing once again. "A remembrance, then." He says at last, a smile forming on his face. "A promissory of tales yet untold and stories undreamed - A glimpse of the horizon's horizon and a seed from beyond the fields we know. "

He turns, looking over his companions as he sets his face homeward. "Shall we?"

[The Demented One]

As Ivory Eyes commands, the singularity of chaos unfolds, expanding once more into its full glory. You see all five of its Emanations, bidding you a farewell. Dead Nhogg is stony still, unresponsive even to the agony he has just been subjected to, while not-quite-dead Jubal, escaped from his grave disguise, looks at you with pure murder in his eyes. Honeyed Words Speaker glances sadly at Yomiko, and then away, whether from the torment inflicted upon her or else the pain of losing her newly beloved. She leans against a sphere of the newly-freed Shaper, whose alien expression cannot be read at all. Semiramis herself still remains invisible, only a voice on the wind as the Unshaped vanishes once more into the depths of the Wyld, fleeing to heed Ivory Eyes' mandates.

"Oh I obey the baying hound me to the end of the song sing fling throng of gleaming opel gel hell is this my hell I don't know no no no we will not let you go away why wilt withering to rule them all?"

And then she is gone.

[Ellas Aramond]

Watcher

"Yes, we should be going." Watcher says, picking up the glowing green lantern. "Although, as odd as I find this statement, I do not completely regret this mission."

He wants to laugh. He looks at the lantern and smiles. Here he was, holding the refined soul of one from hell, about to start the next big step towards his ultimate goal. The funny part, at least to him, is that he wouldn't be able to go it alone any more. "Ivory, you seem to be the expert on all things magical." He hooks the lantern to his belt. "I believe I will need your help the most for this."

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Yomiko felt sorrow tugging at her yet again. For every iota of affection that was felt for her, she could not help but feel in turn. There were other things to tend to beside heartbroken, enraged, dead and joyous raksha. Yomiko took the small velvet box from one of the invisible folds in her armor and opened it with on hand, revealing the Ring of Being Astra had wished for earlier that day. She approached the Lunar with a smile and leaned in to whisper something in her ear, showing the ring to her.

[The Demented One]

"Bwuh." blurts Astra. "Yes!" She is a ball of hands and arms and elbows and knees as she assaults Yomiko, leaping on her in a Relentless Lunar Hug. Her gossamer dragon, still floating overhead with Joyous Provocation chained to its horns, dips and weaves through the air, mirroring her happiness. Astra blushes red, then emerald, then indigo as she squeezes Yomiko tightly, shapeshifting out of pure happiness. Elder Konoko gently assists the two to remain standing, smiling for her sister's happiness. She has been uncharacteristically silent, stricken dumb with awe at her own resurrection and return to her sister. Once Astra notices the rest of the God-Kings waiting, though, she slips off Yomiko, gently laughing. "Oh. Hey, everyone else."

And so you return to Lotus in triumph. Zephyr holds the Heart of Semiramis, a tiny token signifying control over the whole Unshaped, while Ivory Eyes carries the three books of sorcery, and the puissant Sword of Ice, her treasures threatening to spill out of her lap. Watcher carries his emerald lantern, its flames burning with raw primordial essence, the power to forge a mighty mortal Corps. And Yomiko holds in hand that of her new bride, the luminously smiling Astra. It is with sadness that some of you leave the Wyld, and with relief for others. But all of you can agree that Bearhive was awesome. You should invite him to live in Lotus.

As Ivory Eyes lunges for the small gossamer wasp clinging to the inside of Watcher's coat, silencing its buzzing praise of Bearhive with the tip of her newfound Sword, the Dragon Rail enters Lotus itself. Its doors slide open, and you once again set foot on the soil of your kingdom. Though it is still evening, the streets are lit by luminous staves set into the ground, carved from the luciferous wood of the wondrous trees shaped in Petal. Men and woman walk the streets in their finest attire, suits of immaculate tailoring and dresses of spectacular elegance. All hail you as you pass by, raising up a hand in worshipful praise. They speak a phrase of Old Realm, a language newly spoken in Lotus. "Ave, Principia Mundi!" Hail, Princes of Earth.

You are saluted many times over as you return to the caldera-manse that has become the heart of Lotus's governance, finding that all has been well with the city-empire in your absence. Jubilant Dawn happily notes that none of the ambassadors to Lotus have attempted any more drunken murders, and that he has been able to scale himself back to a mere eighteen-hour workday, with only a few cups of rice-espresso needed to stay awake. But not all of your greetings are so cheerful. Captain Transval approaches you, carrying a small cask of mahogany. "Principia. We have received word from Thorns."

He leads you into a small chamber, set in a niche of the caldera-manse. An attendant follows him, a young soldier in the livery of the Perfected Lotus Regiment, the elite martial artists trained under the Dragon-Blooded general. He closes the windows with a sweep of his hands, a convenience now common to Lotus, and sets the cask down on the rough-hewn stone table. "We received an envoy from Thorns, bearing this amulet. I had my sorcerer-engineers examine it. Darkness triggers it." He opens the jade latches of the cask, revealing a half-disc of anthracite, dark even amid the darkness.

An inky blackness billows out from within the crescent disc, spilling into the room. It shapes shadows into appearance and image, as the magic lanterns project images on light in the theaters. Amorphous shadow soon takes on the shape of a young, handsome man–or rather, one's ghost. He is attractive enough, his face kind and pleasant-seeming. "Greetings, God-Kings of Lotus. I regret that I could not make this meeting face to face with you, but I am told you have gone off on adventure. Oh, how I envy you! But let me be brief. I am the Mask of Winters, the Lord of Thorns. I come before you bearing a gift, and an offer."

"The first is knowledge. I have kept a close watch on the city of Lookshy, of course, fearing their grand army. But it seems I was not the one who should have feared. My intelligence reports that Lookshy has been staging field operations, training drills for war. War on the Blessed Isle. I have seen their scheduled deployments, and they plan to mount a full-scale assault on the Realm by the month of Ascending Wood. I have no intention of being caught up in the internecine strife of the Dragon-Blooded Host, but I suspect foreknowledge of this would be more valued by you. Consider it a token of cooperation."

"The second point, of course, is my bargain. I have heard rumor of your shaping-complex, your city on the Wyld. I would wish to negotiate the export of certain goods from Lotus, given your consent. Certain consumable goods and exotic substances, of course, but also artifacts for the general industry and luxury of my own kingdom. If you agree to this bargain, I would only naturally submit all schema and designs unto you for your approval, as is only polite. And in exchange for opening such trade, I would lend out to you the services of a circle of my own Exalted allies. In loyalty and skill both, I suspect you would appreciate them in the coming war. I await your response, ever amiable."

The ghost bows before you, and vanishes. Captain Transval commands the windows open once more, flooding the room with the evening violet. "The Lord of Thorns gave no indication to the date of the attack, but I suspect it will not come any later than the fifth day of Ascending Wood. The Immaculates hold that as the feasting day of Tachi-Kun, God of Warfare on the Blessed Isle, and the Seventh Legion would not allow the Realm to propitiate him before they begin their attack. That gives us three months before we can anticipate the first strike–assuming we aren't being deceived. I've taken the liberty of beginning a training regimen for the army of Lotus, drilling in them in anti-warstrider and anti-airship combat. I've also begun training them in combat against the undead. The Mask is telling the truth, as best as our analysts can tell, but I can't trust him, God-Kings."

The Dragon-Blood looks up at you, his face a mask of composure. "What would you have me do?"

[Ellas Aramond]

Watcher

"We should warn Roseblack." Watcher says, turning to the Circle. "If this Mask of Winters is right, she will want to know about something this major."

"More importantly, though, we need more intelligence regarding Lookshy. What their plans are, what specific resources they have. Give me enough time to get my Syndicate up to speed, and I can be on my way there before dusk."

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

Zephyr growls slightly, staring at the image as if he wishes he could reach through it and crush its source into a gooey paste between his hands. A Deathlord bearing gifts... I trust that about as far as I could throw the Imperial Mountain

He looks at his companions, his Resplendent clothing almost unconsciously shifting into a full, immaculate silver dress uniform, complete with designs appropriate to a Lunar general of the First Age. Squinting at the image, he addresses his companions Mmmm... I've no doubt the corpse-buggerer is telling the truth. The question is why now? Do they simply think the Realm weak? Or is Mask of Winters prodding at them from behind the scenes? No doubt that death-loving monster would just love to see slaughter on the scale that such a war will bring.

He rubs his temples. By Luna's blood, he can't even leave for a few days without half of Creation trying to tear itself apart! as if they didn't have enough enemies already.

"I think you did the right thing, Transaval - we need to ready ourselves. But I also say we dispatch diplomats to both the Realm and Lookshy - If this war goes forward, I have no doubt we'll have dozens of other powers looking to use it to their advantage to wreak all manner of havoc on creation."

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Yomiko was never the most practical or wise of her companions, but she was indeed rather imaginative. Imagination in unison with the power of Exaltation could cause her to jump to conclusions, but conclusions that many were likely to consider. She looks away from the shadowy figure as the lights spill back into the room. "Such a vile creature... he may be speaking the truth but a Deathlord's motives are always clear." She spits the title out like weeks-old meat. "...He wants to escalate a war between the two most powerful nations in Creation into a war between the most powerful three!" It is clear that the idea suddenly crept to the surface of her thoughts. "The three of us at war would surely break Creation apart entirely!"

[GryffonDurime]

"This is indeed vexing," Ivory Eyes says with a sigh, setting the Sword at her side. It's tip slides through the thick cobblestones as if they were nothing. "On your way there, Watcher, I would consider it a great help if you were to sabotage Lookshy Station with all the subterfuge you can manage. At the base of each gateway, there is a terminal. You can open it with your override password. Remove the gem you find furthest to the right. It's small, almost invisible. The Rail will fail to engage and there's not an Amalga among my ranks who I've taught to look for that particular failsafe. If they're to engage the Isle, they'll not be using our trade routes to do so," she says.

"I should return to Petal. The work continues on the Flower of the East, and it'll go a lot quicker if I'm there to finalize the installation of the engines. I'll just..." she says, reaching for the amulet and its box. "Might as well see what I can learn about what the Darklord wants."

[Ellas Aramond]

Watcher

Watcher grins at the sorceress. He wasn't sure if Ivory had planned for this sort of event, but this was the sort of cunning he could appreciate. "A kill switch? It should not be a problem. I like to think that subterfuge is what I am good at, after all. It will take me longer to get back, but I am sure that Lookshy has some form of transport I can appropriate."

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

The Full-Moon glowered darkly. "There's no mystery in what he wants. The only question is how he'll get it. In the mean time, I'm going to put out the call for every Exalt within our walls to join up, and I'll start training them personally. A few extra of our brethren could well tip the tide - and hopefully help keep this from coming to war at all."

[GryffonDurime]

"Then we all have our matters to attend," Ivory says, balancing the amulet's box atop the Book of Three Circles. "Whatever game he is playing at, the Mask of Winters will be sorry that he ever tangled with the God-Kings of Lotus."

If there was a camera, it would have zoomed in, tight-focus on Ivory as she said that, and she raised an eyebrow, not sure where these dramatic notions or compunctions came from.

"I think I'm going to shower first, then I'm going to Petal. I need to get the Wyld off me. Lords of Creation, I do hate it."

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Another light bursts into being in Yomiko's head, she turns to Zephyr. "And not merely the Lunars that have come here!" She is smiling now, "We can meet with Ayesha and anyone else in the Gold Faction, and we can likely persuade them into finding more Solars for our cause! We will have a veritable army of Sun and Moon!"

Oh my, so dramatic! She continues to smile at Ivory, though she is wordless at her contempt for the Wyld. Stayed silent as thoughts of taking at least yearly ventures there for vacation.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

Zephyr nodded in agreement with Yomiko. "Yes - An army to stir the blood and set the soul aflame! with such a force at our side, we will stop this war before it even begins - and we shall give even the Mask of Winters and his rotting cohorts pause!"

He looked at Ivory with a sly grin, though his comment seemed directed at all of them. "As always, you know where I shall be if you require my assistance."

[Ellas Aramond]

Watcher

"I will have the Syndicate look into this evil that lies beneith the city. With any luck, we will be able to take care of it before there is any chance of this war breaking out. But I don't want to be attacked from inside the walls while we worry about both Lookshy and a Deathlord."

"Until I get back, good luck, all of you." With that, he leaps out the window as usual. Vanishing from sight.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

"I would like to take the duty of meeting with Tepet Ejava and warn her of this news. I'm certain she would like to know just as well what the Mask of Winters has to say... and that the Mask of Winters has to say it." Worry is still etched into her perfect face as she speaks. "If anyone desired to join me, I would appreciate the help."

[The Demented One]

"Lady Yomiko, with your permission, I would go with you." requests Transval. "The Shogun will require briefing on Lotus's exact military capacities, and she and I are both students of the Thousand Correct Actions. A unified battle plan will be key to the Realm's defense." he surmises, appropriating a map of the Blessed Isle from a file cabinet. "If you deem it prudent, I would also wish to station a regiment of Lotus-born soldiers on the Blessed Isle immediately. I suspect that Lookshy will find collaborators within one Great House or another, and our success cannot be lost to petty civil war."

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

She smiles at Transval as he speaks, "Your assistance is most welcome, Transval. I am also hoping... to make one additional stop while we are on the Island. One that I would like to make with my daughter and sister," She smiles a bit more, "and Astra.
"If there is no more to do, I would like to leave as soon as possible. I'm certain however that I am not the only one that could use a shower and a night's sleep. I expect leaving in the morning will be appropriate." She curtsies to all still in her company, "Good night, and Sol Bless." She is gone.

[The Demented One]

Dusk

Ivory Eyes looked left to right and then left again, placid as a fieldmouse.

"What did you call it?" she asked.

Elraza smiled. "Stardraught Anesthetic, Principa Mundi." She stands beside Ivory, a green-hued Amalgam, finest pharmacist of Petal.

"Ivory," she replied. "Just call me Ivory. This is wonderful," she adds with a shrug. "Just wonderful."

"You must push, Ivory," Somber Reed called from under the sheet. Ivory tries to feel his hands on her legs, the strain of the baby. Nothing

"I'm trying," Ivory said impatiently, "but it is very hard. This is very good anesthetic. Very."

"I will blame you if my grand-daughter is stuck like this from noon to nightfall," Reed said to the Amalgam as she peeks over the sheet.

"Grand-daughter? The baby has not even fully crowned yet."

Reed shrugged. "Ivory has seen her, or so she said. A daughter she will name First Flower, who will live to be over two-hundred."

"She looked like you," Ivory said to her mother, beaming joy as she strained just a little, trying to push when she couldn't even feel a thing.

Ivory looked to the far edge of the room. Zephyr stood, lone centurion and doorman. Outside, a line of sorcerers, amalga, mortal petitioners, and spirits of all rank snaked around the corriders of Bronzeheart, down his stairs, throughout his foyer, out his door and just down the block.

"Yes, Ivory, push. Two more big pushes. Almost, alright, push, push, push!" Somber Reed ordered.

Ivory played at a huff-puff, gave a laughing heave and suddenly felt some small measure of something that she suspected, under a lesser anesthetic, might have been pain.

Elraza peeked over the sheet, a curious look overtaking her normally practiced optimism. "That doesn't look like a girl."

"No," Reed said. "I don't suppose it does." She wiped the slick from the baby's crown and chest and limbs, bundling him in thick golden cloth from the finest looms of Petal. It was spun from glory, and hope, and a mother's ambition. Somber Reed offered the child to her daughter.

"You," Ivory said, managing to surprise herself with the measure of her tenderness. "You have caught me by surprise, haven't you? I've told all of them that you were going to be a girl. Told the Viziers that they needn't prophecize you because I'd already seen you. But that was the gift I asked of your father, wasn't it? That he could surprise me. At least, at first he could," Ivory added, painfully indifferent to Zephyr's presence, lost in the twin ethers of her daught and motherhood. "But you will need a name, and First Flower is certainly not fit for an imp such as yourself. But tell me," she asked, offering the boy her finger, which he took in both hands and brought to his mouth, "how do you feel about Smiling Dusk Dragon?"

"An excellent name." The woman was not there before, did not slip past Zephyr. She appears like an unexpected coin in a pocket, skipping to Ivory Eyes' bed to lean over the new mother. Red ringlets cascade down, and Dusk gives a perturbed frown to the countlessly snaking strands that tickle at his birth-slick face. "Be at peace, Ivory Eyes. I come only to visit your newborn son." Ivory Eyes knows her, despite the the soft fuzziness that fills her mind. Righteous Sage Bride.

She gently pokes Smiling Dusk Dragon, one fingertip placed against his brow. "And to give him a gift. Smiling Dusk Dragon, may your name always be true." A sudden glow fills the room, indigo illumination spilling out from the Sign of Venus as it appears on the child's forehead. He giggles, weakly lifting a hand to bat at the strange light. To his frustration, the glow dies down, subsiding into nothing more than a faint luminance traced out on his coffee skin.

But Righteous Sage Bride is not the only one there. Out from the shadows of Bronzeheart steps a dark woman, glistening in verdigrised robes. She is beautiful, but Ivory Eyes too knows her, hears the clack of hooves as she walks. Mara. "Be at peace Ivory Eyes. I come only to visit your newborn son." Righteous Sage Bride steps aside, and the she-demon takes her place at Ivory Eyes' bed. "And to give him a gift. Hello there, Smiling Dusk Dragon. I'm your Aunt Mara!" Ivory Eyes struggles against the weakness and weariness of birthing to banish the demon, but the Sage Bride gently places a hand on the sorceress's shoulder, nodding no. Zephyr does not even seem to hear.

"The Shadow of All Things welcomes your shadow into the world, and has sent me to witness your birth, little one. I bring you the gift of your birthright." She traces a sigil on the child's cheek with her long raven talons, so gentle as to never once draw blood. "I'll see you later, kid." Smiling Dusk Dragon whines as she steps away, and she leans down to blow him a kiss. Ivory Eyes can feel her gorge rising in the back of her throat.

"Be at peace, Ivory Eyes. I come only to visit my son." His voice is just as it was in life, and Ivory Eyes can feel chill fingers of ice stroking at her spine as he speaks. A ragged hole is still torn in his breast where his death-wound was struck, and something black and eldritch squirms within, like an obsidian chain affixed to his heart. He lays one hand on his son, insubstantial fingers slipping through, and Ivory Eyes is awed to see her lover's withered, crippled arm. "And to give him a gift. Hey there, son. You aren't gonna remember me, but trust me. I'm gonna be watching out for you from down below. You ever wanna see me, all you gotta do is close your eyes and ask." She had not known that ghosts could weep.

"Heaven's interests in this matter are concluded." speaks the Righteous Sage Bride.

"Hell's interests in this matter are concluded." speaks the Shadow-Lover.

"Ivory Eyes, I...I have to leave now. Death's interests in this matter are concluded." speaks Iulus.

The three strangers fade away, and there is only silence. Smiling Dusk Dragon wags his fingers back and forth, waving goodbye.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The Sun again rises over Lotus, golden light glinting on towers of glass and Orichalcum. The Invincible Maiden walks across the Dragon-Rail docks in her aegis, the magical energies of the armor now making it colored white and lined with gold patterns, as a symbol she now bears proudly for her mate. And indeed her mate is at her side, as well as Yomiko's daughter and elder sister. The two young girls seemed wary or shy of one another, but have learned to become quick friends. Transval walks three steps behind the crowd of young women, surely as a gentleman and a guardian. They step upon the warm Dragon-Rail car from the cold morning air and are all greeted by the crew aboard. They come to Yomiko's personal car and sit in their comfortable silken couches that adorn it.
On the long trip to the Blessed Isle, Yomiko can keep those in this car and likely those bordering it entertained with her songs. She sings songs of life, of love, of losing and regaining, and her most beautiful hymns are those of a bright future. More than a few passengers wish that the ride had not ended.

An armed precession of Terrestrial Exalts meet the Maiden and her clutch of companions at the gate and bow deeply. Pert and friendly pleasantries are exchanged between the two groups. Yomiko asks any willing guardsmen to escort Astra, Konoko and Konoko to the shops of the Imperial City. Yomiko and Transval needed to meet with the Empress Tepet Ejava alone.
She smiles as she walks down the massive and elaborately decorated halls of the Imperial Palace. Some of the most powerful Terrestrials line the walls to dutifully protect the Wood-Aspected Empress. Yomiko smiles when she sees the familiar face of Tepet Ejava sitting on a throne of five Jade Dragons.
"Roseblack, it is so good to see you again!"

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

Zephyr had stood sentinel over Ivory for days after the birth - no one had asked him, and no one needed to. It was simply something he had to do. After a time, however, he finally ventured in, finding a moment when Ivory was miraculously left alone. He looked down at her and the child, a strange mixture of pain and love on his open, honest face. "You know that I'd raise him and love him as my own, don't you?" He asked in a strange, quiet voice.

[GryffonDurime]

"I know," Ivory says, setting Dusk in his cradle. "I didn't wish for his resurrection. Did you ever wonder why?" she asks as she brushes a hand against her son's cheek, the same cheek that Mara touched. "It wasn't love, Zephyr. That's terrible, isn't it?" She smiles bitterly. "Oh, Zephyr, I've done such things. My heart was already a strange thing, too big love anything in the singular. Except mother. Except Dusk. I have not revised what I once told you, Zephyr. That I did not feel what you feel. You are my family, all of you: you, Yomiko, and Watcher. But I gave my heart to Creation."

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

Zephyr smiled, then threw back his head and laughed, softly. "Ah, Luna, but Creation is a cruel mistress, is she not?" He looked at her and smiled, his eyes strange. "You are as you are. I am as I am. No matter what dreams may come, what may come between us... know that you'll always be the first in my heart, Ivory." Zephyr said, turning for the door.

[The Demented One]

"Greetings, God-King." says the Shogun Roseblack, rising from the Scarlet Throne to receive her. Imperial decorum is still an unfamiliar thing for her, and she looks glad at the excuse to rise. "By the mother, I've been so busy! Ruling over the Realm, it's like herding hearth-kittens." She laughs as she sweeps aside a pile of scrolls and parchments from her throne's arms, throwing them on the ground. "Oh! And General Transval, I had not meant to ignore you. Funny, meeting you again after all this!" The ruddy-skinned Dragon-Blood gives a curt bow. "Greetings, Shogun Tepet." is all he offers, ever-reserved.

"Wow, you've gotten serious. And that must be why you got the better job, you whore-blood!" laughs Roseblack, slapping Transval on the back. He is not amused. The Shogun takes a jade flask from within her overflowing dress, taking a brief sip from it before offering it to Yomiko and Transval. "I'd hoped to see all of you, but it must be Ivory Eyes's time, right? She and Zephyr are so right together, I'm sure they'll both be happy. I'll have to show you the present I got for their kid." The Empress in all but name seems exceedingly happy to return to her old soldier's gossip, as if she were still a schoolgirl in the military academy. "Go on, sit down! Didn't get all these sedans in the throne room for nothing. So, what news from Lotus? You've better've had an easier time of it than me."

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Yomiko beams at Roseblack, glad to see power hasn't turned her bitter or boring and sits when offered one of the grand chairs that stand about. "It has been nothing short of an astounding couple of days!" She takes the flask and just a tiny sip of the sweet liquor before passing it off to Transval. "First I'll tell you the good news, and after that we can get to business. Yes! Ivory had the baby just before we left, and Smiling Dusk Dragon is one the most adorable, healthy little babies I've seen since my own daughter was born." She is clearly beginning to swell with motherly affection. Immediately after though, her eyes widen, shocked at herself for not immediately recalling. "I'm getting married!" She can't help but laugh with joy upon saying this. "I'll bring her to meet you after this meeting, along with Konoko and... Konoko." She laughs again, this time awkward over the fact she needs to repeat the name.

[The Demented One]

"Oh, lucky Yomiko! I'm so happy for you!" calls Yomiko, her hug tightening to rib-cracking strength. But for all her happiness, she can't conceal the worry in her eyes. "You said that's the good news, though. What's happening? Surely you wouldn't have come here in person, come here with your general for a wedding announcement. Come, let us walk." She leads you out of the throne room, sliding aside a wall panel to reveal a small orchard within her palace. Cherry blossom trees burst with pinkness, their petals scattering over the small river that runs through the sorcerous garden. Ejava plops down on a nice-sized boulder, pulling a plum from a low-hanging bough for a munch. "We won't be overheard here. Tell me, Yomiko. What brought you here, truly?"

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

"Well..." She seems almost hesitant, marring a visit with bad news. "We've had a report that Lookshy has plans of attacking the Blessed Isle in early Ascending Wood." She is silent for just a moment. "On the second day of Ascending Wood, to be precise. Their primary focus will be on the Imperial City, from within and without..." She goes on, giving the details she received from her Circle-mates t the best of her ability. Beachheads, attack locations, strategies. Everything she can, she divulges to the Empress.
She pauses once again once all the information is delivered, letting it sink in for just a moment. The worst bit of news is something she is indeed not happy to give. "...But the means by which we learned of this attack are the most harrowing. When we returned from our venture into the Wyld, we had discovered a message sent to us with the news. Sent to us by the Mask of Winters." Just uttering the title puts a bad taste in her Exaltation Shard.

[The Demented One]

"The Seventh Legion. Bastards. I suppose I'm lucky they gave me this much time, though." she sighs, calmly taking another bite of her plum. "If we have three months, that's enough time to drill our legions, and post forces at the key battlegrounds. Your intelligence is first-rate, Yomiko. I'd kill to have had a spy like Watcher with me back in the Legion. But I don't know if it'll be enough. Lookshy outclasses us by more than I'd care to admit. Warstriders, sky-ships, essence weapons...the Realm soldier is better-bred, and we have our Immaculates, but they still have the overwhelming advantage with their war-tech. If we're to win this, if we're to survive, we'll need allies. Yomiko, will Lotus fight beside us?"