A Dream of Quiet (IC)

[aetherialDawn]

Orchid speaks quickly, doing his best not to glare at Pyrus.
"Don't make threats unless you plan to follow through. We could have gotten an answer, appeared weak, or appeared violent and stupid. We know enough to find out more, and obtaining every scrap of knowledge she personally has was not expedient."
Orchid lets out the rest of his breath, and then takes another. He speaks quietly for the next part, in English.
"<If we need to use any means to get information, then I won't get in your way if that happens. But if Laurel tries to exploit the appearance of divisions which we don't allow to form, then she'll just overplay her hand, and while we have the strength together to counteract the appearance of weakness, we cannot turn back time if someone decides we can't be trusted.>"

"I'm not saying I made the best possible choice. But we've needed too many lucky breaks today already. It's not us versus them yet unless we or they make it so. <When there's a more private moment I will tell you of the doubts I got from that conversation.>"

[Tavar]

Wing

Seeing that the other two have finally left, Wing heads over, just in time to hear Pyrus's comment.
Hey, calm down. It's a mistake, but for now it's not a life-threatening one. Anyways, I think we should try and go elsewhere. Maybe plan our next move. Share what info we've got, the like.

[Rhyvurg]

"<We need a place we can talk privately, and it's clear my place isn't secure.>"

[Tavar]

I know of a place, but it's pretty far. Anyone know of one inside the city?

[aetherialDawn]

"<Mine might be private still. If Laurel found it, then she could probably find any place we have in Gem, though she also might have more reason to find mine...>"

[Leliel]

"<Actually, there's a problem.>"

"<We didn't have the time to fetch him, but Lord Szoreny gave me a secretary. He's where those pamphlets of mine come from. Fact of the matter is, he's also kept me sane for a long time.>"

"<We'll have to stop by the manor and pick him up.>"

[Recaiden]

After a slight frown upon seeing the Sidereal's blazing Caste mark, Portus nods curtly to Drake. "You are known to us. Let me see...the Chairman is very busy...but you have been expected. If you would wait here for a short while, I should be able to arrange for you to see him without great delay."
He arranges and sets down a stack of papers, gives Drake what might be a smile, and motions to a tiny birdlike messenger-being to go and set these things to happening.

Outside, the taxi is long gone, the pilot sighing inwardly that it has to deal with the Exalted.

Silence hangs over the fabulous space of the entryway, with only the occasional shuffling of paper or writing from behind the desk to disturb the air.

[Tavar]

Wait, just wait. Maybe we're going about this wrong. You're house wasn't secure when we weren't there. That's given. But if we're there, and aware what's going on, then it might not be so bad. Plus, if she was really that worried she would be staking the place out, so we'd have been followed. Going somewhere else now is just asking for her to follow us. I can't seem to track her, so she'll decide when and where we fight, if we're going to. I think forting up in the Pyrus's house might not be the worst thing we can do, under the circumstances.

[LauWren]

"<Yeah, it could be safe,>" Amelia says, summarizing in context for Raziel's sake. "<And if you happen to have anyone who might cook something and servants you want to keep alive, you might want to warn of possible poison before next meal.>"

[Drascin]

You have been...?

Hm.

Drake sits down to wait. If there are no chairs or benches or such, he'll find the nearest closest thing (stair step, border of a plant's pot, whatever) and sit on it, thinking. He's ran the whole way to the gate on sand, and before that he almost had an adrenaline shock at the thought of fighting with an older infernal Exalted. He's really kind of out of breath, and looking dignified is not exactly what you'd call top of his priority list right now. Besides, Chosen of Serenity are known for being a bit odd and careless, might as well take advantage of the reputation.

As he waits, he's humming, and thinking. So I'm "expected", hm? What do you know, Nazri? Might need to be careful...

[Leliel]

"<Yeah, it could be safe,>" Amelia says, summarizing in context for Raziel's sake. "<And if you happen to have anyone who might cook something and servants you want to keep alive, you might want to warn of possible poison before next meal.>"

"<Probably. But in other news, that's a risk everywhere else if we get tracked. We can always make our own meals.>"

[LauWren]

Amelia opens and closes her mouth for a moment as the amount of watching to actually be certain something had not been poisoned at any point runs through her head, then gives up.

[Tavar]

There's another factor, too. Drake. He needs to be able to find us.

[aetherialDawn]

"That's true. So we can't just hide forever, obviously. Well... I don't have any place close and private enough, then. Why don't we just go find a nice place out of the way in the lava tubes, and keep careful watch?"

[Leliel]

"That's true. So we can't just hide forever, obviously. Well... I don't have any place close and private enough, then. Why don't we just go find a nice place out of the way in the lava tubes, and keep careful watch?"

Raziel grins.

"I know just the place."

"Come. I think it's time you met my flock."

[Recaiden]

You have been...?

Hm.

Drake sits down to wait. If there are no chairs or benches or such, he'll find the nearest closest thing (stair step, border of a plant's pot, whatever) and sit on it, thinking. He's ran the whole way to the gate on sand, and before that he almost had an adrenaline shock at the thought of fighting with an older infernal Exalted. He's really kind of out of breath, and looking dignified is not exactly what you'd call top of his priority list right now. Besides, Chosen of Serenity are known for being a bit odd and careless, might as well take advantage of the reputation.

As he waits, he's humming, and thinking. So I'm "expected", hm? What do you know, Nazri? Might need to be careful...

There is a single stone chair, though is he wants to sit by the potted cacti, that option is always available to him. Portus spares him only a glance as he takes a seat.
After a few moments the messenger returns, and several minutes later Portus will motion to Drake. Time enough to recover a shred or two of dignity, if he desires.
"The chairman will see you now. Do you need direction to meet him? He's..." the secretary goes to give the location of Nazri's office within the building, which waits behind a (relatively) bland door.

[Drascin]

Drake waits until motioned towards, and then approaches the receptionist god, nodding at the indications. Truth be told, he does know where the office is - he was called there when he got the Gem assignment) but it's just a couple more seconds and it's no problem just being polite and letting the other man (squid, whatever) talk without interrupting. Gods tend to take it so badly when you interrupt them. Then he nods again, thanking Portus, before heading away with his quick pace, flattening his clothes a bit. It's not like he's gonna look stunning, and to be honest he doesn't care much about his appearance, but might as well at least tuck his shirt back into its place and such.

When he reaches the door, he breathes deep and knocks. If he's told to come in, he does so, closing the door behind himself...

[Recaiden]

"Come in."
Nazri is seated behind a splendiforous desk, expression torn between a smile and a frown. A small round hat is perched on his head, but he seems perfectly composed.
"I imagine you have something important, but not your mission's goal. Speak." This is Drake's moment to take the conversation; he will tell everything eventually, and it will be bad news, he knows. It's exactly what bad news, and perhaps there will be some rubies of hope mixed in.

[Rhyvurg]

Raziel grins.

"I know just the place."

"Come. I think it's time you met my flock."

"That makes me suspicious and paranoid. I'm in."

[Tavar]

Same here.

[Drascin]

As he approaches the desk, Drake gives Nazri a small nod of respect. He's not really the kind to be too deferent to authority figures (and Nazri probably knows this, really), but the Chairman of Fire has proven his commitment to Creation time and time again since before the younger sidereal was born, and that merits respect in Drake's books.

"Well, I get the feeling that somehow you already have an inkling of what I came to tell you. But yes, pretty much. I assume this place is warded against eavesdropping? This is not the kind of stuff that should become known by anyone else before its time. And... I need your word by Jupiter that you will hear me out fairly and will take everything, and not just the first part, into account. I have... personal and moral stakes in this, as you'll soon see, I guess..."

Assuming an affirmative, Drake will take a deep breath, trying to find a way to put it decently. There is none, however, so he gives up and simply starts speaking.

"...I guess there really is no soft way to say this. So I'll get straight to the point. Infernal Deathknights. Up and beyond mere Akuma in power and with considerably more latitude and free will, under the service of the Yozis" he tosses the blow directly and without softening. They don't have time for sophisms. But it gets worse. "But, this is not the worst part. The worst part is where they come from"

He leans on the table and stares straight at his superior as he speaks, gravely. "Everyone knows the Jade Prison somehow broke and the Solars are back. But what nobody knows is who the hell broke it, right? Well, now I have a theory. We know there are missing Solar Exaltations. But what I know is that the reason these Solars are missing is because the Yozi have some of them. They have twisted them into these new Infernal Knights, which call themselves Green Sun Princes - all the might of Solars, but tapping on the Yozis' abilities instead of Sol's powers, backed with all the infrastructure in Malfeas, and completely beyond the designs of Fate to findor touch"

There it was. The bomb is dropped, and it is brutal. To most people in Heaven, this would be call for instant panic. Which is why Drake wanted to only tell one person, and one of the most willful in the Bureau of Destiny at that. He keeps his eyes on Nazri, trying to gauge his reaction. Did he already suspect this? Is he horrified, surprised, already theorizing?

He then sighs, and smiles weakly. "You're probably wondering how I found out all this. I mean, I'm just a rookie. Well, long story short... I know because I've talked to several of them. I met two of them while I was looking for Yozi worshippers, and perhaps thanks to Samsara's design, they were two that I happen to share a certain background from before Exaltation with. So they were amenable to talk to me... even after they found I was a Sidereal. Which they did - as a note, they can see through Resplendents like demons can, so we need to keep that in mind in our investigations" by now, Drake's slipping into dissertation mode, as he usually does when there is a lot of points to cover, counting with his fingers as he moves through points. "So I could talk to them about it all. And I've found out that these "Infernals", unlike Akuma, seem to keep their free will. They can be turned away from their masters, I really think they can. Hell, one of them is still a more compassionate man than most of the people I work with on a daily basis despite being forced to serve Kimbery." Drake's voice goes forceful as he says this - conviction clearly shining through. This is not something he's lying about. "They're loyal, yes. Because from what I gather, the Yozis have wised up to cult tactics and they operate smartly. Make sure to pick up their knights right after they fail at something important to them - then offer them safety, and belonging, and the power to never fail again, and respect, just as long as they're loyal to their main Yozi patron. Bet you a siu that was the Ebon Dragon's idea. But I think I've wised at least one of them up to the whole shebang. They seem mostly in possession of their faculties, and can be reasoned with. I'm sure you understand the sheer potential ramifications of that better than I do, especially in a moment where we already have a big enough list of threats to Creation to wallpaper this building two times over"

By now, Drake notices he's leaned all over the table in his worry, having slammed his hands on it, and that he's talking so forcefully to someone who could probably bury him so deep in audits for it that he'd not even need to be fined - he'd drown in the paperwork already. So he leans back into the chair, still tense, though. "So now you see why I couldn't exactly go through normal Bureau channels for this, sir. The Bronze Faction would have a conniption about the idea of Yozi-tainted Solars, and the Gold Faction would probably try to recruit them into their own brainwashing camps without paying attention to the bit that most of these people have been fed lies by the goddamn Cosmic Principle of Being a Lying Bastard for years and would need truth to be shaken up into waking up, not more lies. We need to think of this focusing on the good of Creation, not on the stupid feud between "Solars Yay!" and "Solars Nay!", and, with all due respect to them, I have a spot of trouble believing elders Kejak and Ura would be able to keep that kind of distance" Drake adds, serious.

Then he sighs again, relaxing a little, but nailing two inquisitive eyes into Nazri's own. "There's a lot more that's important. One of those things might be even more important, but I'm not sure of its truthfulness. However, now, I'd really like your first opinion on this, sir, before I start rambling more" There's an unspoken demand there - Drake's not going to say more until he knows where Nazri stands, whether he believes him, and what he thinks should be done. He's done his duty telling the basics of Infernals (Solar-level Yozi power, free will, loyalty to different Yozis, immune to Fate) to someone who can help investigation parties be ready for them. Now, however, it has to be seen if it's a good idea to say more (about Raziel's Curse warnings, in particular) or not. It's a bit of a risk on Drake's end to be so straight and non-fawning with someone so high in rank, yes, but Nazri has reputation of being fair and straight-dealing on pretty much anything that doesn't involve Fae, and checking if he's the kind of idiot to get worried about "gettin' no respect" when such big news are around is as good a check as anything.

[Recaiden]

Nazri gives the slightest nod in return.

"You should not need to ask; the room is of course secure." His face loses any trace of a smile when Drake asks for secret consideration, but he gives an assenting nod.

His expression is pure shock as the explanation begins, and he starts to say something before gathering composure and listening. Part of him is trying to come up with words to describe how bad this is.
"As though Akuma were not bad enough..."
"At some point, we will have to account for your association with the forces of Hell and revealing yourself to them as our agent. But in light of this information, that can be put aside."

Nazri smiles faintly, sarcastic or despairing or both. "The Jade Prison has already turned into a disaster. It should come as no surprise that things should get worse."

"They may be able to be turned; that's the risk of free agents. But this is still a terrible re-balancing. Any who might serve to uphold Creation can be turned as well. With Solar power in the hands of our enemies...why haven't they acted yet? The organization and power of Malfeas put all the Celestial Bureaucracy to shame."

Nazri sighs.
"For many of them, temptation away from the Yozis will not be possible. Let us not underestimate the ability of the Ebon Dragon above all to weave an unassailable web of lies and misinformation. Take someone at a critical failure in life and combine that with the shift of Exaltation - it is more of a change for the others than for we who are fated to be - and you could make them believe anything. Especially given the fanatical cult atmosphere that often surrounds the Yozis...it is grim outlook. Once someone believes the words of Hell in any measure, there is little hope of regaining clarity. A likelier tactic is to cause infighting among them. Did you not identify their primary loyalty as being to a single Yozi? That is an exploitable weakness in their structure. Still, I will pray that your hopes are not unfounded."

He had raised a hand to push Drake back into his chair, but lowers it as a grim expression settles over his face.

"You're right; I can see many implications, none of them good. But there are two that come most clearly to my mind: the Yozis are toying with us. Or these "Green Sun Princes" are just part of a master plan we haven't begun to imagine."

He sits back, one hand to his temple.
"You have done well not to go through official channels here. The disruption alone of the elders hearing this would send innumerable plans crashing. The Gold Faction's reaction might have some little merit, as does the Bronzes' predictable reaction of putting all their energy into destroying these abominations. But neither of those would be productive, and the elders are too entrenched in their ways to consider this clearly. Until that blessed day that we have time resources to spare, this must remain a highly covert matter.
I will see to it that the 'infernals' are accounted for as much as I can without starting a panic. The idea of Akuma will be a useful tool. Perhaps..."
He almost trails off into thought.

"But you said you had further information that might be important. Even doubtful, I must insist that anything more relevant than the appearance of Infernal Deathknights be told me immediately.
Drake is correct that protocol must be abandoned at times. The actions of the Primordials, Neverborn, and Yozis have led to this broken stage that is Creation. If they are taking a more active interest in the world again, that is a threat nearly rivaling the Fae.

[Leliel]

Same here.

"Okay, everyone in favor of my idea, myself abstaining..."

[aetherialDawn]

"Okay, everyone in favor of my idea, myself abstaining..."

Orchid simply shrugs.

Spoiler

Show

What do you think?

I think that a group of Yozi worshippers will need to have a place to hide from the authorities... The demense would be more secure thanks to distance, but they want to plan quickly and allow that Sidereal to find us again. Remember that in time Laurel can find cultists easily - but for the short term I say it's safe enough.

I agree, the demense is too far. At least for us it will be possible to find Laurel's cultists, once we know who serves Raziel.

"We have many things to do, and our first task is to get a safe enough place to plan out the rest. This seems as good a way as any, since we want a place nearby."
"I'm for it."

[Tavar]

Well, I think Pyrus and I are good to go. Lead on, fearless leader. Unless Amelia has some objection.

[Leliel]

Well, I think Pyrus and I are good to go. Lead on, fearless leader. Unless Amelia has some objection.

"All right then."

"But first, Beheris. He'll be able to find Drake for us while we're hiding."

[LauWren]

Amelia shrugs, lacking any particularly strong opinions. "<Sounds good to me.>"

[Tavar]

Okay. Let's go.

With that, Wing heads back to Pyrus's house, to pick up the minion.

[Leliel]

"All right then."

Raziel takes Wing's initiative.

"By the way, he's an aalu. Just a waring, because they look pretty freaky..

[Rhyvurg]

Pyrus keeps his bike with him, you never know when you might need to haul ass.