A Dream of Quiet (IC)

[Tavar]

Or something else is at work. Once is coincidence, twice is a pattern. Seven times? That's a conspiracy. And destroy itself is easy enough, but the context is...more complicated. Do you mean destroy as in raze it to the ground, or more figurative, as in destorying it's power, so it can be conquered, or something else entirely?

In the beginning, Wing seems carefree, almost as if just joking with old friends. But when he addresses this new player, he becomes much more hostile. Almost snarling the last part.

[Recaiden]

<"Thank you ... Amelia. It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm afraid I have not found any others at all, in fact. Regrettable that I cannot be of more help to you."> Laurel looks truly chagrined, and gives a helpless shrug before adjusting the flowing sleeves of her shirt.

<"Perhaps we could speak more later, Orchid. It would be good to get to know each other, as fellows."> Her tone implies much doubt in the 'perhaps', but her look is playful and un-serious.

<"By destroy, I mean at least break the peace over. Ideally, it would then be remade, new in aspect, and more useful to me. Destroyed figuratively, ending it as a place of greed and bickering factions."> And as a bastion of peace, but that can remain unsaid. Her voice with Wing remains light and happy; she bears him no ill will for anything yet done.

[aetherialDawn]

"<How odd that none of us have; at least, I have not either. Perhaps that, too, is a pattern I should investigate, though the correlation between Exaltations and Earth-memories is more immediate.>" Orchid is a little rigid in his relaxed pose. With Wing's additional tension, his relief isn't gone, but it has tightened again - not difficult, as it was always based on a powderkeg not exploding, and there are now sparks... But at least it's not gone, right? Right?
His skills of self-deception are hollow.

"<Indeed, that would be good. If we meet again - and we surely will, even in so large a city - we can perhaps arrange an appropriate time and place.>"

He doesn't respond to her final words. There is nothing he can think to say that does not turn to foolishness as he starts to say it and holds his tongue. He simply, resignedly, updates Melodies on what has been said thus far. The absolute best thing, the most wonderful, that he can imagine is for Laurel to simply walk away of her own volition.

[Leliel]

Oh crap. Scourge, maybe Slayer. Keep calm, keep calm...

"<Actually, my mission was to convert Gem, not destroy it. Why they chose me for the job when I can't speak a lick of Flametongue is any guess...>

"<Any case, Raziel, Chosen of Cecelyne, Favored of Kimbery, at your service. Just don't expect any help with demolitions. I suck at fighting.>"

Yeah, that's it, emphasize you are not a threat...

[Rhyvurg]

Pyrus observes silently, wishing he'd grabbed his lance off his bike before coming in here. But, it was right outside if he should need it.

[Drascin]

As for Drake, he's still observing, having noted the gaze lingering on him - not a good sign. The Ophidian's words are a matter of thought, though... it really doesn't fit. The only way the Ebon Dragon would enjoy "ending it as a place of greed and bickering factions" is by turning it into an open conflict zone. He loves misery more than victory, from everything Drake has read.

In any case, Drake has some ideas on the Exaltation/Earthling correspondence thing, but he'll wait until this woman is a good hundred meters away before saying anything.

[Recaiden]

Laurel raises her eyebrows in mock curiosity. <"Pleased to meet you Raziel. They probably mean to teach you some lesson about a message transcending barriers or perseverance or something.">

Wing gets an encouraging smile, urging him (daring him?) to answer as she stands up from the table, intending to leave.

[Tavar]

I'll keep that in mind. If you're leaving, well, I'm sure that we'll run into you again. In the mean time, may the gods look upon your works.

There's a bit of narrowness to his eyes, but otherwise he manages to sounds somewhat playful.

[aetherialDawn]

"<Do have a nice evening, Laurel. Keep in touch, I'm sure I wouldn't want to lose track of you. After all, there are so few of us Earthlings - or, so I thought. We might as well stick together.>"
Orchid's glare is nonexistent, but he's starting to be fairly sure that it's the same Laurel from his welcoming. Certainly just as quietly hateful, though she's being friendly this time, so there's no need to be rude back.


(Internal Dialogue)

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I feel that I ought to inform you, in a sort of calm and collected way, that I have renewed my semi-secret hatred for Laurel.

Funny, she doesn't bother me that much.

You are safely inside my head, and so probably haven't had to deal with the stress of worrying about a probably-more-extreme-than-I Scourge who has a high chance of being soulbound by her Urge to ruin the city I wish to use even as you watched her with appropriate paranoia.

So find another city. Earthlings or not, I'm not sure you can trust an agent of Yu-Shan, and working with a Dragonblood will bring you little except opportunities for Torment. And as you ought to know, the best way to deal with Adorjan and her favored is to stay out of their way.

I was assigned to-

Assignments can be changed. If you're so worried about change, I'm sure that Raziel wouldn't mind coming with you. And Amelia. Melodies has a slightly uncertain tone on the last two mental words, as he always has when discussing Amelia.

I'm afraid that, even admitting my previous argument flawed, Gem is still supremely useful as a base. Adopting your rather distant view, it is rich, it has a great variety of magical materials, and in fact the infrastructure for Orichalcum on top of that, and it allows rapid societal movement without upturning and thus weakening the ordered society that I plan to use.

Very well. But always remember that while you might be able to beat my reasoning *in debate*, that doesn't make your reasoning *right*. Consider it.

Of course. How could I refuse my shoulder demon?

Please don't call me that.

Fine, I'll stop for now.

[Leliel]

Surprisingly, neither Nuitan nor Corona particularly urge Raziel to respond, and he takes their prerogative.

OK, not that surprising that they actually can guess this is not a woman you want to talk back to, but that they agree on something.

[Rhyvurg]

Pyrus doesn't look up at her as she gets ready to leave, keeping his voice low but carrying an air of authority. "<Sit down.>"

[Recaiden]

"Whatever for, dear? The conversation is nice but I do have place to be, you know?" She turns to look at Pyrus before speaking. Even he deserves a little respect. Or rather, doesn't, but gets it anyway.

[LauWren]

Amelia sighs and takes another slice of the pizza, hoping to get in a little more food before someone starts a fight. As she chews, she wonders about trying to find any significant difference in how foreign Earth languages sound versus the ones from here. Granted, Japanese and Chinese might be a loss at this point unless someone starts discussing one of the three animes she'd recognize, but French or German should be easy enough to locate if she's listening for them...

[Rhyvurg]

"<Our position in this world is...tenuous, we do not know enough about our circumstances and situation. So, for the time being, you and yours will leave us alone, or bad things will happen to you. I know as a Dragonblood I'm supposedly not equal to whatever the rest of you are, but back home I was not a person to be trifled with. Staff Sergeant Alexander, United States Marine Corps, retired. Gem is ours, you will stay out. Or I'll give you a war like you won't believe.>"

[Recaiden]

Laurel looks at Pyrus just long enough for the silence to get a bit awkward before bursting into sudden peals of laughter.
"That's funny. Tell me your name, Dragonblood."
She sits back down and reaches to take a slice of Pyrus's pizza.
"Believe me, I don't intend to trifle."

[Rhyvurg]

"Chathak Pyrus. Remember what I told you, just leave us in peace, and we'll all get along just fine."

[Recaiden]

"I came in peace, and I was threatened. All that follows is on your head."
With her pizza in hand, she stands a second time and begins walking away.

[Tavar]

You came in peace? No, you did not. You told us your goal is to destroy this place, a place we are going to protect. Moreover, you spied on us. Not too successfully, but you did. Hardly an inoffensive action.

[Recaiden]

<"Yes. The place is to fall peacefully, and sight is no attack. Offense, I do apologize for, but it was needed."> She gives the group a wave goodbye.

[Tavar]

Wing opens his mouth to reply, but stops, thinking for a second before replying.Then I accept your apology, at least as it applies to me, and offer one myself. I have been hasty in my judgement.

[aetherialDawn]

"<I'm glad that everything worked out.>"
In truth, Orchid isn't certain he believes that. But at least there's real disengagement, which is absolutely wonderful from his point of view.
"<Have a good day, Laurel. Do try to warn us next time you want to drop in, now that we know each other a bit, alright?>"

[Recaiden]

"Thank you, Wing." Laurel smiles and turns away.
<"Perhaps, Orchid. The best people are as free and unfettered as the wind.">
Then she is heading out the door, wondering how to find one Chathak Pyrus when she needs to.

[Drascin]

Drake waits until she is well out of earshot before saying anything.

He then sighs.

"<Well, that could have gone better>"

[Tavar]

Wing lightly pats Drake on the back.
Cheer up. It could have gone much, much worse. But I guess the operative question is, now what?

[Leliel]

<"...Request that we are transferred and never look back?">

<"No...actually, that would leave the cult behind...">

[Tavar]

Just because someone else is at cross purposes to you, doesn't mean you have to let them walk all over you. Just means you should account for them in any plan you make.

[aetherialDawn]

Go ahead...

What?

Laurel just left a wide open silence. Fill it, or else your plans are going to waste away already!

"<Laurel is probably not lying that she prefers being free as the wind, but I'm fairly certain she's Ophidian - so she takes indirect orders from the Ebon Dragon. She probably won't focus on us - or on anything in particular - but I can try to keep her pointed away from us, so we shouldn't let her stop whatever we decide. I think that we probably have some more to discuss, after that, but this place apparently isn't private enough.>"

[Rhyvurg]

"<I don't care what she is. If she tries to make good on her threats, I'll make good on mine. On the Isle, they teach us about the Perfected Lotus. How us Dragonbloods can learn to move from the root to the bulb of the metaphorical flower, the level of skill of you Celestials. And that's just what I did. We might really be weaker in Essence, but celestial martial arts can level that playing field.>"

[LauWren]

Amelia says to Orchid, "<To solve that, someone's going to have to define 'enough'.>" She checks around, realizes there are people everywhere and gives up, then adds a little more quietly, "<Also, unless Laurel ducked back into the kitchen, for some baffling reason--a possibility--someone else probably speaks English, and was close enough when we ordered to relay and describe. And if it is our waiter, then either the guy doesn't want anyone to know that he speaks English, or took the excuse not to play spy on us.>"

[aetherialDawn]

"<I could check everyone here for Essence if you want to look for an Exalted... Or someone could poke their head in the kitchen and ask. The latter should probably go first, actually, and I'm inclined to think that the former isn't going to turn up much... I don't think I can detect 'Earth Essence' if there is a difference.>"