A Dream of Quiet (IC)

[Leliel]

"Um, yeah, he has blue stars in his eyes too. That's important."

[LauWren]

Amelia nods. "All of that seems reasonable to me, Orchid." I'm more defensive anyway.

"And yes, let's try to keep surprises to a minimum, especially when one of our clauses is 'barring new information.' And I agree; Pyrus should be our representation."

[Leliel]

"<Okay then?

Anyone else remember anything about Drake I should tell Beheris?>

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*nudge*Resplendent Destiny*nudge*

[Drascin]

Nazri nods grimly. "It is only the law of heaven. Small, in the scheme of things, and often just something to be navigated. Another threat among many. I doubt very much Drake that this will be over anytime in the forseeable future. We've been trying to deal with the Solars for over a millenium, and we've gone a few steps back."

Drake nods. "Yes. But to be honest, I make myself no illusions that my part in it all will be that long before I get processed for all this"

He then looks up, smiling grimly and resignedly. "Hell, if nothing else, I am a field agent in the middle of an extremely dangerous situation. I'd be surprised if I lasted more than a few years tops. I mean, I'm still gonna try, I like breathing, and being processed is a lot better than being dead. Just trying to keep an objective eye about my chances"

I hope he isn't expecting Nazri to give an inch instead. He is, despite everything, a highly placed Sidereal. Sympathy is not among the reasonable responses to a threat like this in his book.
"The key part is that it will be necessary in some cases. Resign yourself to doing hard things to protect Creation, Drake. You should have learned that long ago."
"Even if they aren't loyal, they are highly dangerous, especially to Fate's plans, and not to be trusted I am sure."

"I have resigned myself to doing really, really nasty things as last resort if they're needed to protect Creation, sir. You should know that already" Drake is stubborn as a mule, has to be given to him. "But to entirely too many people in this Bureau, "last resort" means "the moment something looks not-perfect. Or for ****s and giggles because, hey, it's not like they count". I'm not denying that this whole thing is going to bring a lot of unpleasant decisions, and that I will hate myself by the time it's over. But I intend to make those decisions, not go with the standard Bureau politic of "chesspiece everyone for my personal goals and we'll see later" and feel perfectly justified in it, is all I'm saying. I'm always going to look for the other option first unless I deem it impossible - and if I deem it impossible, I will execute things quickly and without pleasure. But you probably already had an inkling of this when you recruited me, I imagine - I seem to have made myself quite the little reputation as a silly git in the Bureau after the business with me refusing bribes" Drake grins, winking ironically.

Nazri does look fairly shocked at the information, and for a while he is speechless, staring at Drake as though the idea will vanish if he does.
"I will call you gullible. That would absolutely explain a great deal. The end of the first age, and...other discrepancies.
If it is true, we may well be doomed. We ourselves could become as mad as the Solars were said to be. The Five-Score Fellowship would lose the little credibility and respect if retained if this became widely believed in Yu-Shan. The 'gold faction' would be destroyed by this news. If this curse really did cause the disasters that led to the Usurpation, how could we possibly help the world with our powers? And how could we have a chance without Exalted power?"

Nazri looks down, despairing just to think of it.
"Even if the curse can be broken, the knowledge, the rumour of its existence would be a disaster. No one else can know of this. I will look into this such as I can. I do not want to believe it - the Ebon Dragon and his pawns would know just as well that this idea explains much, and could send Creation's greatest defenders into a tangle of doubt. The very fact that I have not heard this as truth or a planted rumour is the strongest argument for its truth. Perhaps you are not so gullible; you see the possibilities as well."

Drake nods. "Yes. I do see them. But I see it another way. Honestly, it's really huge for popular perceptions, and should indeed be kept under wraps, but... just how much do you really think this changes towards the bad? Honestly?"

Drake does a sweeping motion with his arm. "I mean, come on, sir. Think of Creation's history. There has not been a single moment in the last two thousand years where most Exalts haven't been utterly ****ing things up. I'd despaired of anything I could do ever having any kind of good long-lasting impact before another idiot came along. I had already thought that using the Exaltation's power too much simply ended up melting your brain and turning you into a caricature of yourself as years went past - and I refuse to believe there is not a big contingent of people who wonder the same, many gods were there for the whole damn trajectory and they're not stupid. Exalts just seemed to be doomed to congenital retardation from where I was standing, and I've had nightmares about what it would be like if it ended up happening to me too - my mind is the only thing I really have. Basically, before this curse thing came to light, if you had asked me, I'd have wondered if, were it not for Fae and Deathlords and Yozis waiting to pounce on all sides, it might be better for Creation if no Exalts existed" Drake says, with an absent, melancholic expression fixed at some point in the wall.

"But, this information, if it's true, tells me two things. One, a big part - doubt it's all of it, some people are just self-centered asses everywhere - of it is due to a curse screwing it all up. And second, that the curse can be lifted, if it's true these Infernals had it lifted. It means that there's a way, even if horribly hard and unlikely, to actually set things... perhaps not right, because people are still people, but at least on their way to going better. This is the first spot of hope I've seen since I started learning history, sir. It's a muddied hope hidden beyond a million traps and pitfalls, and it's a million billions to one chance, but I want to think it's not a doom, but a blink of hope"

"Because, well, sir, if I can be brutally honest for a moment... a blink of hope... that's more than I thought we had before, at least" he concludes, with a certain sadness. It's probably very illuminating about Drake's character to think about he just said compared with his hugely selfless and duty-bound actions during his time in the Bureau. Some people are willing to toil against the wind if it will help for one more day, and Drake's one of them.

It passes quickly, though, and he catches himself and returns to a nondescript focused frown. Probably annoyed that he let so much of himself out. He waves a hand, tryng to dismiss all that stuff he said, as if hoping that ignoring it would make it go away. "Anyway! I think you're right that this should be kept under wraps, though. If we fix it, it should be the beggar's fixing, which nobody notices. Though... well, as you said, this story, with the wrong spin and spread in rumors, could end us all. It's what makes me doubt if trying to hint at all this with our own spin wouldn't work better. I'm not very good at all these Kejakian planning things" (note: Machiavelli doesn't exist in Creation, but Chejop Kejak has deservedly managed to become its equivalent in Heaven parlance) "but I know people. If the rumor gets out, denying it only will make people believe it all the harder... oh, ****ing ****" Drake curses, irritated, as his brain maps projectionsof the hundred ways that could go - more than half of which end badly. "It's damned if we do, damned if we don't. Yay. I just love Catch-22s"

"Ah, you mentioned protecting Gem. Elaborate."

Drake nods. "Well, sir, from what I deduced, there aren't many of these Infernals. From how the two I met talked of it, I doubt there's more than three or four dozens of them, tops. And yet there are not one, not two, but three of them, at least, one of them apparently rather more powerful than average, that got sent to Gem, one of them with the explicit mission of converting as many people as possible to the Yozi's cause. If you ask me, something's got to be brewing there, sir, and the Yozis want to make sure there's heavy reinforcements handy when it happens. Gem is going to need some help in the future, bet you an obol. And I'm just one man, a non-combat-trained newbie on his first Bureau mission ever at that - hell, I still get dizzy when I cut my hands cooking. I can't deal with all this alone. I'm going to need help, resources, contacts, manpower, I dunno, something" Drake's voice is half willful and half pleading by this point. "And some way to contact you quickly, too. I'm getting the feeling we're gong to have to play this by the seat of our pants a lot, sir, and having some way to contact each other quickly as situations either down there or up here develop, without depending on the inconvenience of Loom messaging, is going to be necessary"

[Leliel]

Raziel waits for a couple minutes for an answer.

"Okay, apparently not. Beheris, if you would..."

"Your wish, my command, master."

The aalu makes for the door, beginning to dematerialize, before suddenly going about-face.

"Um, how am I supposed to tell him I'm friendly? In case you haven't noticed, I'm a demon, he's a Celestial who doesn't know who I am..."

"Oh...um, how about a placard? You can smell Sidereals well enough, and I doubt there will be another."

"Okay, and one more thing, because none of you seem to remember..."

A note of utter sarcasm crept into his voice.

"I'm blind."

[Tavar]

I think I can recognize the problem with this plan, then.

Well, there's a way around that. I'll change shape, and hang around Pyrus's place. That's probably were Sparrow will end up, and so I can lead him here.

[Leliel]

After literally beating himself up (he had a habit of punching himself in the temple as a hyper-facepalm), Raziel turned to Tavar.

"Better-why don't you and Beheris go together, and he can lead you to the enclave?

Not staying out in the open after all."

[Tavar]

Sure. Beheris, you might want to dematerialize, to avoid attracting attention.

Assuming the demon does so and there are no other objections, Wing seems to flow, shrinking into the form of a somewhat small bird of prey. After he's done, he flies off to Pyrus's house, to wait for Sparrow.

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Spend 3 amount to change into a Red Tailed Hawk. I should have enough personal essence to for that.

[aetherialDawn]

"<Hang on a moment, before you go. I didn't ask you to agree to all those things without wanting to give back something as well. It means that I can be fairly sure that, whatever happens, our goals are similar and we ourselves are all reasonable enough to work together in Gem, for a long time.>"

"<I am an Infernal. I'm not a crazy one, I think - there are those out there much worse than Laurel is, and less willing to listen to reason of any sort. But it's still my job to someday bring the Primordials into Creation - I just think that, if I can heal the Yozis before doing that, it will be a good thing. I'm in it because I think it's best that I help them, not because I just blindly want to bring their current, tortured selves into Creation - that wouldn't help even them, I suspect. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Drake, just because I think our conversation is going to get... involved when it happens. But I think you deserved to hear that part while we're all still here.>"

[Leliel]

Raziel looks at Orchid strangely, then gives a genuine grin.

"Good to see you're honest enough to admit it."

"As for me...I'm not yet sure what I want to do. But if we're going to become the puppetmasters of Gem...

...Can I be an envoy to the West? There's something there I wanted to do for a long time."

The Aalu nods at Wing's suggestion, and dematerializes.

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Raziel...

Yes. That was a bit of a lie. A bit. I only seek to free one.

You already know my objections to him, but they'll fall on deaf ears. I'll just sit here in your medulla, wondering at what a mess you've made...

There she goes. Guilting you into doing what she wants, as per usual. What is with that woman and her passive-aggressive moralism, anyway? She should just be aggressive about it, rather than this cowardly wish-wash!

[Tavar]

Okay, I won't tell.

And with that, Onyx transforms and leaves.

[LauWren]

Amelia nods firmly. "<Yeah, I'll let you tell him first.>"

After a brief pause, she adds, "<If you could give me some warning before you two have that conversation, that'd be nice.>"

[Recaiden]

Nazri can't help but laugh. "Oh, Drake. Even if you managed to stay out of things like this, you would never do well here, politicking in the Bureau."

Then he waits through Drake's own analysis of what will happen because of the curse.

"It's damned if we do, damned if we don't. Yay. I just love Catch-22s"
"Exactly. Damned almost whichever way we go. I'll see about the Kejakian manoeuvrings that we'll need here; let us hope you have enough time to grow experienced in them."

Drake nods. "Well, sir, from what I deduced, there aren't many of these Infernals. From how the two I met talked of it, I doubt there's more than three or four dozens of them, tops. And yet there are not one, not two, but three of them, at least, one of them apparently rather more powerful than average, that got sent to Gem, one of them with the explicit mission of converting as many people as possible to the Yozi's cause. If you ask me, something's got to be brewing there, sir, and the Yozis want to make sure there's heavy reinforcements handy when it happens. Gem is going to need some help in the future, bet you an obol. And I'm just one man, a non-combat-trained newbie on his first Bureau mission ever at that - hell, I still get dizzy when I cut my hands cooking. I can't deal with all this alone. I'm going to need help, resources, contacts, manpower, I dunno, something" Drake's voice is half willful and half pleading by this point. "And some way to contact you quickly, too. I'm getting the feeling we're gong to have to play this by the seat of our pants a lot, sir, and having some way to contact each other quickly as situations either down there or up here develop, without depending on the inconvenience of Loom messaging, is going to be necessary"

"Of course. You will have an uphill battle on your hands, I think, but you won't be completely alone." Nazri motions for Drake to wait a moment and opens a drawer of his desk, withdrawing a portfolio and a small box.
"These should contain the information you need, with a few exceptions."
Several minutes of paging through papers in the drawers of the desk follows, and he slips them into the portfolio.
"Lists of our contacts, how to access the local equipment caches, various Gem-destruction scenarios - you might be surprised how often that appears as a possibility in scrying the future - reports on the irrationality of the Exalted and the more critical intelligence on Hell. The box has a sign of my authorization and a Twined Communication Scarab - sound heard by one is emitted by the other the other when activated, and a fair bit of currency, as well as a slightly bizarre variety of things you're going to need. Oh, and a trinket that's supposed to activate the lost Yu-Shan gate of Gem, should it, despite a fair deal of evidence to the contrary, be down there somewhere. I'll be those heavenly reinforcements who can be trusted with the issue or trusted with no information along after you depart. Don't make yourself too hard to find, and keep me appraised of the situation."

"I'll be watching you for signs of the Yozi's corruption. Good luck, Drake."
With a wave, you are dismissed.

[hr]

The flight to Pyrus's house goes swiftly (although a hawk is not exactly the sort of creature one expects to see within the residential tunnels) and the two frequently get the sense that they are being watched or followed. An inept tail, it would seem.

[Leliel]

Amelia nods firmly. "<Yeah, I'll let you tell him first.>"

After a brief pause, she adds, "<If you could give me some warning before you two have that conversation, that'd be nice.>"

"<Believe me, I knew, I would tell you.>"

"<I think it's rather sudden as well. Normally I think people leave that for when they aren't trying to shake a possibly psychotic tracker.">

"<Anyway, to the hideout?>"

[aetherialDawn]

Orchid shrugs. "<If Laurel decides to destroy us, then talking to each other is unlikely to make her job easier. Harder, maybe.>"

"<Besides. I, not Laurel, will be the one making my choices, regardless of whether she is friendly, hostile, or anything else. A hideout, however, seems good for now.>"

He considers for a moment more and adds, for Raziel, "<Also, I think that I can have the talk with our Heavenly friend without you... But as I see it, you have as much stake in how this information is presented as I do. So you kind of have a right to join that discussion, or rant, or whatever happens.>"

[Leliel]

<"I actually meant that we should hear his opinion and objections first. But since you suggested it, sure.>"

[aetherialDawn]

"<Oh. That is also fine.>"

[Tavar]

Diving down into an alley way, Onyx quickly finds some rubbish to hide in, as well as to mask changing his shape to that of an ordinary house cat. There, he waits, appearing to be taking a cat nap, but keeping a weather eye out for his follower.

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How many hours has it been since I first transformed? I regain a base of 6 motes per hour due to my hearthstone. Not sure about any other mote regeneration, as that depends on if we're relaxed or not.

Personnel motes: 0/18
Peripheral motes: 32/36

Perception:(9d10)[3][8][8][8][7][6][1][7][1](49)+1 success from Second Excellency
Stealth: (10d10)[3][8][8][5][8][7][3][10][6][7](65)(1 die from first excellency)

[Recaiden]

Two hours have passed, I would say.
The cat finds itself safely concealed in a pile of scrap, trash, and broken bits of fired clay.

He has a perfect view as a pair of mercenary guardsman patrol by, looking all around them (though an inconspicuous, well-hidden cat never draws their eyes).

There's also a man pushing an elaborate vegetable cart the opposite direction, a group of teenagers (one of whom has a familiar attention grabbing hat) loitering at the street corner ahead, and a little girl chasing a large mechanoid brass lobster past the alleyway.

After a few moments, Wing may well get the feeling that he's safe. Other than a glance, no one has looked near his place of hiding, and though people do pass by, none (that he can see) are searching for him.

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Assuming there was actually anyone following, their discreet pursuit was better than your perception, but your stealth was better than their ability to follow.

[Leliel]

"<Oh. That is also fine.>"

"<Okay then. Pyrus, Amelia...?>

"<BACK TO ADVENTURE!...Okay, lame reference. Still, the world runs on tropes, so I think we need a catchphrase.>

"<...Which is not to be decided on now. To the lava tubes, everyone!>".

In this case, it wasn't a very long way. Just a couple miles.

...Well, not long for Raziel, who was a Transendent Desert Creature and thus, didn't sweat in the relative heat. As a result, he soon found himself wondering why the other three didn't seem to be as happy with his relatively long stride.

Soon though, they found themelves an entrace to the lava tubes on the western border of the city, at which point he turned around.

"<Um, can I ask you to wear a blindfold? I have a couple of them in my pocket, and my flock doesn't trust new faces very much.>"

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Just an interesting factoid-if I put effort into walking, I get ahead of everyone else without trying.

[aetherialDawn]

"<BACK TO ADVENTURE!...Okay, lame reference. Still, the world runs on tropes, so I think we need a catchphrase.>

That pries a smile from Orchid, who chuckles and says,
"<I... Okay, if what Sparrow said is true about tropes, we should pick something from a main character for our catchphrase, I think. Or just make our own of course - I'm sure we can come up with a few ideas.>"

As the journey continues, Orchid becomes a little weary of it; all Exalted are tough... But even as the chill of night continues to move through the city, the daytime heat is often trapped near the lava tubes, and he's not fond of it.

"<A blindfold? Alright...>"


Internal Dialogue

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We'll be blindfolded soon. We should be entering the safehouse soon as well, but if you hear anything suspicious... The obvious.

Very well. I am currently busy trying to organize how I feel about everything you want to tell them... It is a great deal, Orchid.

If we want to move quickly, then we'll need allies, not puppets. That means there's things they need to know.

One, do they need to know all of this? You plan to give details, not just warnings. That's dangerous, that could reveal weaknesses. Two, do we need to move this quickly? The Reclamation should not wait, but you aren't mortal anymore. There is time to do it carefully.

As for one, since we may end up fighting Laurel, they need to know some of the nonlethal weaknesses of Infernals. I'll try and make sure they know how to subdue Laurel more than they know how to subdue me... And two, there isn't time. Gem is at peace, but the world is not, and I simply don't have the knowledge or the influence to ensure stability here. Gem is protected from assault, perhaps, but it is reliant on the Lap - and so on the Realm - for food. The faster that's fixed, the better.

I don't agree with you on the first point... But I can see why speed would be important. Why not just give them the general story, and details for Laurel? They don't need to know how or why it works, just that it does.

...That's a good point, actually. I'll need to make sure Raziel is okay with that kind of focus; he might not be, but it's too important a point to not present to him. Certainly, if Sparrow gets word of general weaknesses back to Yu-Shan, that would be a disaster.

Yes.

[Tavar]

Confident that whoever's looking for him won't look at a stray cat, Onyx gets up, stretching languidly as he does so. After doing a bit of personal grooming, he walks to the mouth of the alley, to get a better view. There he watches and waits.

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Are any rolls needed?

[Rhyvurg]

Pyrus looks doubtful, but dons the blindfold. He tightens his grip on his weapon though.

[Drascin]

Nazri can't help but laugh. "Oh, Drake. Even if you managed to stay out of things like this, you would never do well here, politicking in the Bureau."

"Heh. Well, I'm not saying I would last much before someone wanted me removed, but I like to think that I'd manage to make a bit of a splash before that" Drake grins sarcastically, winking. "I'm not the best at politics, but I'm trickier than I look, sir"

"Of course. You will have an uphill battle on your hands, I think, but you won't be completely alone." Nazri motions for Drake to wait a moment and opens a drawer of his desk, withdrawing a portfolio and a small box.
"These should contain the information you need, with a few exceptions."
Several minutes of paging through papers in the drawers of the desk follows, and he slips them into the portfolio.
"Lists of our contacts, how to access the local equipment caches, various Gem-destruction scenarios - you might be surprised how often that appears as a possibility in scrying the future - reports on the irrationality of the Exalted and the more critical intelligence on Hell. The box has a sign of my authorization and a Twined Communication Scarab - sound heard by one is emitted by the other the other when activated, and a fair bit of currency, as well as a slightly bizarre variety of things you're going to need. Oh, and a trinket that's supposed to activate the lost Yu-Shan gate of Gem, should it, despite a fair deal of evidence to the contrary, be down there somewhere. I'll be those heavenly reinforcements who can be trusted with the issue or trusted with no information along after you depart. Don't make yourself too hard to find, and keep me appraised of the situation."

"I'll be watching you for signs of the Yozi's corruption. Good luck, Drake."
With a wave, you are dismissed.

As Nazri speaks, Drake is flipping around the portfolio, analyzing what he's being given. "Thanks. I'll make sure to memorize all this and then stash it somewhere safe. If the Adorjani infernal hasn't been taken down, the chance she'd be stopped by pretty much any security measure I could do down there without being horribly conspicuous is slim. And we kind of really really really don't want this falling onto her hands, methinks" as he says so, he clips the scarab to the inside of his shirt, inconspicuously. "As for watching me - thanks. Keep an eye for this Curse as well - I don't want to start going loopy. I'll keep an eye on you if you want, too, for what it's worth. I wouldn't wish going insane and not knowing it on anybody" he says, serious. Then gets up, knowing he's been dismissed.

"Well, time to go back into the fray. Can't promise you how this will go, but I'll try my best. I'll keep you informed. See you, sir" he finishes, taking a couple fingers to the side of his forehead in his usual farewell gesture.

And with that, he exits, with his brisk walking pace.

--------------

As he goes through the hall and then out of the building, Drake looks absent as he reads the pages he's been given intently, commiting everything to memory - not an odd sight, newbie Sidereals exiting their superiors' offices looking worried is a daily occurence. Hmhmmm. A lot of stuff to think about and do. They're basically juggling chainsaws here - one misstep, and things will get real ugly real fast.

Well, time to get ready to go down. I'm worried how they'll have managed. he thinks to himself. But the fight itself has certainly ended by now, so no point hurrying and messing everything up. He stops one of the silver boats that make the majority of Yu-Shan's transport with a gesture, and gives the cabbie instructions to reach his quarter, while he keeps memorizing everything inside the dossier with absolute concentration. It's only a few minutes to arrive to his stop, and a few more to reach his estate, a two-story townhouse with a tree garden. Really, he's always felt the whole place kind of excessive, but the whole house plus having servitors and stuff comes with the paycheck, and truth be told he likes laying on the garden's grass sometimes, especially while Luna's ahead. Hm. Must arrange so the gardener keeps coming for the following weeks, pay in advance and stuff.

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In any case, he gets in, closes the door, and ignoring the servitors for a moment (Servitors. Man, every time he sees them he gets reminded of just how weird he's up here in Yu-Shan. He feels so damn burgueois) falls into a chair for a minute. So much to do, so little time... makes one want to close his eyes and forget about it all. His head hurts already. But no. Can't do that. Groaning, he gets up, and telling everyone around him to not worry and give him and a moment, heads for the wardrobe. In there, he gets another bard suit and another hat. He allows himself a moment of posing in front of the mirror, twirling his hat theatrically and laughing at himself, before taking the small dossier and hiding it

When he goes down, he addresses the head majordomo, a blue six-armed, strange-looking, chitinous being by the name of Yivsarmangairaphutra (Yivs for short), with a nod. "Hey, Yivs?"

"What is your wish, sir?"

"Stop that. Anyway, I got roped into field work for longer than expected. Make sure to pay the gardener, but don't bother with refilling the pantry for a while. Don't have any wild parties while I'm not here, eh?" he grins, ironic. The creature doesn't so much as move a muscle, always so imperturbable - sometimes Drake gets the urge to try and tickle him. He's not going to do it, of course, but with the butler's stuffy and professional demeanour, it's just so tempting. On the other hand, he might just not feel the tickling. "And see if you can't get the tailor to make me a couple more backups of this suit, will you? I think this character is going to have to last a while"

"Very well, sir. I shall see to it presently. Also, milady Ishi-ko was here earlier, asking for you. She looked disquieted"

Drake closes his eyes. "...that bad, uh. I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"I couldn't say, sir"

"Yes you could. You just enjoy watching me squirm too much to tell me how screwed I am."

"That, I could say, sir"

"Heh. Have I told you you're a smartass, Yivs?"

"Fifteen times now, sir"

"Well, add the sixteenth to the tally. Anyway, should go now, she's gonna kill me if I keep her waiting"

"Farewell, sir. And please be careful, that world below is quite uncivilized" the slightest note of concern betrays the majordomo's professional tone. Drake understands. His last employer got killed in a rather... distressing fashion in Creation and the pieces found in a box, after all.

"Not unlike me, then" Drake replies, grinning sarcastically to himself. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. Later, Yivs. Keep well"

And with that, aligning his hat, he heads out, and into his personal rickshaw (managing to contain the urge to smack himself. Dammit, conscience, I'm just saving money by using the transport I already have, shut up), asking the pilot to head for the Forbidding Manse of Ivy.

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Drake goes through the dimly illuminated corridors of the Forbidding Manse with his quick steps, nodding quietly as he comes across people. There's more than a few chuckles at his getup, but they're hushed, as the atmosphere of the whole section near the entrance feels like the world's greatest library.

Which, on second though, is precisely what it is.

Still, Drake soon reaches the offices themselves, where movement is as continuous as in every other part of the Bureau of Destiny, and gets past the desks, greeting some of his acquaintances in the department. Not too effusively, of course, as the supervisors are around - the division of Secrets is much more tightly controlled than his own. The Lute is kind of... lax. The fact that the supervisors are usually high as a kite helps he thinks to himself, a tad despective. He arrives at Ishi-Ko's office and knocks.

"Come in"

And Drake does so. The goddess in question, dressed in her usual red kimono, is sitting behind her desk, working on a form. When she sees Drake, she stops cold, though, and her odd gold eyes illuminate as she exclaims "You're alright!" as she gets up and gives him a tight hug... before letting go and smacking him upside the head hard enough to lower it a good foot. She has quite the punch for someone looking so delicate, as Drake already knows far too well.

He rubs his head, straightening up again with a wince. Thank you Exalted healing. That'd leave a bruise on someone lesser.

"...ow. Okay yeah, I probably deserved that"

""Hey, if I die make sure to pass this message along, alright? Okay, thanks, bye!" Do you have any idea how worried you had me?"

"Sorry! I just was in a bind and had to get it out somehow!"

As she speaks, though, she's moving to the door and closing it for privacy - still frowning, but calmed down now. This happens when you're friends with a Sidereal. "Tell me, what was all that about? I have never heard you sounding so desperate. You wouldn't be like that if it was just about you dying. That'd be far too reasonable" the goddess sounds a little exasperated at that last part.

"...well..." Drake doubts, as his refusal to lie to his best friend clashes with his certainty that this should be known by the least people possible.

"You can't tell me, then?"

They lock gazes for a moment, exchanging easily as much information as in al the previous words, then the goddess sighs, sitting down and pouring two cups of tea.

"...fine, then. I understand. I am just happy to see you in one piece"

"Not more than I am, believe me" he answers, smiling and blowing on his cup a bit.

Ishi-Ko turns her head again, looking back at him. She and Drake have been friends for a good couple years, now, and they know each other enough to pick up on the nonverbal cues - and that was one of his usual unfinished sentences. "But?"

Urk. "...buuuut I have to go back to the whole shebang. Since I already know about it and such, I'm assigned to it officially now. And it looks like it's going to take a while to put it mildly"

"There's a lot here you're not telling me" And you wouldn't get so serious if this was just a normal dumb Bureau affair the goddess's lifted eyebrow is plenty expressive enough that she doesn't actually need to say that. They both know he's too stubborn to implicate her in anything dangerous even if technically she could probably kick his ass, and they both know too many ways to listen on a conversation to say anything anyway. Especially in the Bureau of Secrets. There's a reason they usually go take tea outside of here and why she hates working in this department - this place always feels like someone is watching you, and it might not always be paranoia. Drake keeps feeling the need to punch the wall in case it says "ow", every time he's here. So they are very careful about not giving away too much.

"Yes. I'm sorry"

"So I'll not be seeing you for a while, then?"

"I dunno. I might be able to swing for a visit. Or not. No idea. I'm pretty sure the previous "pop back here once a week for reports" thing doesn't apply anymore. I might be here every couple days, or in six months. Seriously, Ichi, I'm playing this totally by ear. I'm just the accountant, you know?" Drake sounds a bit despairing. This is the crux of the matter "I'm not Kejak, or Nazri. They are good at doing what must be done. They know how to keep a stiff face under pressure and not blurt out the second there's too much hanging on them! Me, I'm-"

"Smarter than you give yourself credit for, and better at improvising than most of them. You'll be fine, Drake"

"That's a really nice way to put "You make bull**** up as you stumble blindly", Ichi. But, what the hell, I'll take it"

They join in a laugh.

"Still, you know, it's not all been bad things. It's been nice to get validation that I'm not completely useless and insane" he winks at her, in a conspiratorial manner.

To anyone else, this might have sounded like an idle comment. But Ishi-Ko knows about Drake's fear of actually being insane due to his other self's memories. She puts two and two together quickly and lifts an eyebrow again, incredulous. "Did you...?"

"E-yup. I really didn't imagine it. Or if I did, there's more people who imagined the exact same thing" he nods, grinning.

Ishi-Ko looks at him as if doubting whether to believe him. More interested and curious than incredulous, however. She is after all a goddess of discovery. "Well, now you really have to tell me more about this when you have time"

"You have my word on that, don't worry. Soon as I can actually speak, you're getting the full version". He then gives her a wink - probably will get the abridged version sooner if we can manage a safe place to speak.

In any case, he has to go. They get up, and he gives her a quick farewell hug.

"Good luck, Drake. Please be careful, and don't try to be a hero, okay? Though I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. You're always such a horrible pessimist it's hard to know when it's really that bad and when it's just you exaggerating" she says, taking his hat off and messing his hair.

"Well, you know how I prefer to think of the worst that could happen and work to avoid it. Idealistic pessimism is what makes me tick. Still, hoping you're right. Take care, Ichi. Don't let the bureaucrats get to you too much"

And so, he leaves the Forbidding Manse, a bit happier and with more energy. Sometimes, he does need to be reminded of the good bits of the world he's toiling for - a good chat with a friend, and a promise to do so again seems so little, in the grand scheme of things, but it's those little details that keep him going.

Well, preparations complete. Now, to business.

He heads for the Loom and enters, giving his identification, then goes straight for the clump of threads that is Gem. Finding Pyrus there shold be easy - the more influential someone is, the easier finding his thread is, because the thread will be making more connections, and many bronzers have already marked most Cathak dragonblooded. It's just a matter of searching for intersections.

It doesn't take too long to find it, and touching it to give a general sense of where Pyrus is says he's walking through the desert and under no threat - probably heading to whatever place the Infernals use as base - and so, while they're on their way, right before they blindfold each other, a small pagoda-like box with a scroll in it appears near Pyrus.

If he takes it, there is a message written in Drake's really scrunched calligraphy:

To: Cathak Pyrus
From: "Sparrow" Drake

Okay, I think everything here has gone as well as could be expected. I will be heading back soon to tell you all about it.

Would appreciate summary of how things have gone in fight with you-know-who before heading there, though. Worried about everyone. Please also tell me a rendezvous point.

Please answer on the reverse of this scroll and put it back into the box. Nothing sensitive, this communication method is hard to tap but technically possible.

[Leliel]

Pyrus looks doubtful, but dons the blindfold. He tightens his grip on his weapon though.

"<Okay. Now that everyone has their blindfolds...>"

The path is, for lack of a better term, confusing. Indeed, a little too confusing-Raziel actually had to draw a map for some of the Cult members, and even he had to walk the entire way a few times to memorize it. This was part of the point-the actual discussion area was higher up, and the actual living chambers-for the homeless of the cult, other than him of course-were delibrately obscured to prevent accidental discovery.

Any good intention in the world didn't stop the whiplash effect though, as his companions discovered what it was like to have the blind leading the blind, being lead by the brisk walker.

Eventually, they came to the door, at which point Raziel knocked on the door three times, waited two beats, and knocked again five.

"Kendik? Kendik? Could you open the door please? We have refugees here!"

[Recaiden]

[Lava Tube Entrance]

An ornate box appears atop a rock just in front of Pyrus, waiting to be opened and read.

Meanwhile, the door is slowly swinging inward, creaking slightly.

"Of course, sir. Isn't that- ...well, do bring them inside." The cultist pulls the door fully open and steps to the side, motioning to the small entry room created by a small wider are in the tunnel.
"It is good to see you return, sir. I do hope our bard troubles are over?"

[Leliel]

"Thank you kindly, Kendik."

"Bard troubles have indeed been resolved, once I convinced him of the purity of our mission." A lie, but he had to give Drake some cover. Besides, he had done it before. "As it is, another person is leading him here, so he can more fully understand why 'demons' do not deserve the spite some give them."

"As it is, we have bigger troubles now, which is why these three have to hide for a bit-no, not a god, thank Yozis, but someone who won't give a second thought about killing us if I and they get in her way."

"Oh yeah, and you can take the blindfolds off, now."

[Rhyvurg]

Pyrus is doubtful. He was wearing jade armor and carrying an artifact weapon. Not to mention his expensive haircut, the fact he's recently bathed, and the red tint to his skin marking him as a highborn Dynast. And they were to believe he was a refugee?

[Leliel]

Pyrus is doubtful. He was wearing jade armor and carrying an artifact weapon. Not to mention his expensive haircut, the fact he's recently bathed, and the red tint to his skin marking him as a highborn Dynast. And they were to believe he was a refugee?

Apparently Raziel catches this.

"And uh, by "refugee", I mean "a person that may be trying to kill me might be trying to kill them to", Pyrus-I know it's an odd definition, but it happens depressingly often around Gem. More chance for converts, at the very least-hard not to listen to the guys who may have saved your life."

[Rhyvurg]

[Lava Tube Entrance]

An ornate box appears atop a rock just in front of Pyrus, waiting to be opened and read.

Curiosity getting the better of good sense, Pyrus picks up and opens the box.