Return of the Scarlet Empress II - Nothing on My Back...

[Maugan Ra]

Zhou just stares at the winged Lunar for a long moment, before sighing. "One of these days, I'll have a mission where none of my subordinates or team-mates are hiding any strange or world-changing revelations. And when that day comes, I will likely die from the shock."

He shakes his head, glancing between Versi and Braga. "When this is over, we will need to have a serious talk. For now, though, good to meet you, Steward."

That said, he turns his attention back to the injured scout, occasionally glancing at the horizon to check for reinforcements. He's glad the man appears to be alive, though his own medical knowledge tells him he will likely not emerge from this experience unscarred. Better than death, though.

[Ifni]

"Admit it, love, you enjoy being kept on your toes," Ireva grins up at Zhou. Oops, that wasn't very military... oh well, the Gochei still seems a little in shock herself, staring at the injured man. Something to deal with, in a moment - but she nods at Isa's words, as the other woman's gaze turns inward, to some silent meditation.

"Warm, dry, out of the mud. All right -" She turns back to the scout, reaching down to get an arm under him, carefully avoiding his broken hand, "- if you can manage to move just a little way, we can get you onto drier ground. I'll help you."

She more or less has to carry him, but that's not so hard; it's only a few yards to a slight grassy rise. She tries to brush off the worst of the still-dripping water from his clothes and then eases him down onto the blanket, wrapping it around him. He's silent now, no longer screaming, and seems to be making the effort to breathe more slowly between the coughing spasms, to accept the pain rather than tensing against it.

Part of her still wonders who it is she's helping. But he's alive and human, and without the marks of the Thornguard, and he didn't attack. That's enough, for now. With the dim gray blur of the shadowland in the corner of her eye, it's all too easy to remember who the real enemy is.

"Zhou, if you could stay close to him, that might help with the warmth?" Not too close, of course - but her husband knows far more about first aid than she does, they established that back on the training grounds of Nexus. A smile quirks the little Solar's lips as she looks up at the Fire Aspect. "Would your anima boil water? It seems a little sacrilegious, but if a hot drink would help, well. If there's anything else that should be done, tell me and I'll do my best, although I know I don't have your medical training."

Ireva stands up after getting the scout arranged in a hopefully somewhat more comfortable and medically-approved position. With Zhou keeping an eye on the man - and given that she missed the fact that he wasn't dead, eyes with more expertise than hers in the healing arts are probably a very good thing - she takes the opportunity to step over to Shimoko.

"Gochei Maheka," she offers softly. "Are you all right?"

Maheka is traditionalist and Immaculate, Zhou and their briefing had said, and she is very aware of the brilliant white-gold radiance of her anima, and the blazing double circle on her brow. But the Gochei has been silent for too long - awaiting judgement? Lost for words? - and perhaps a voice that doesn't carry Lookshyan authority will provide an avenue for her to speak up.

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Trying to offer a hook for Lix to post, should she wish. If not, no worries.

[industrious]

Isa

She sits and meditates, a mere point against the vastness that is Fate. All that is and could be flows around her; Essence allows Isa to see and sift through these visions, searching for a bright future.

They come. One of the party steps forward. Words.

They could flee, or run, or fight, or lie. But they shouldn't.

[Inspector Valin]

Versi looked on as Xet and Ireva attended to the fallen scout, smiling all the while. They'd arrived too late for the villagers, but this man, they'd at least been able to save. Without charms, or Sorcery, just by being here and being attentive, as Braga'd said. And now, there was one less life lost today. A little mercy, but still mighty in its way. Still important.

Zhou's words brought the young Lunar back to reality with a jolt. There was no way to keep her identity secret from the Chuzei now. Or from Gochei Shimoko. She was completely, unequivocally revealed now. Versi blanched a little, gazing between the two Terrestrials. Ireva probably would've told Zhou anyway. And there wasn't a lie that'd have convinced Shimoko. It doesn't matter. Just one more thing to remember when making choices in the future.

The young girl coughed, not sure exactly what to say. "If... if none of you need me, I'll take to the skies. I'm not exactly used to this." She runs her hand down the tips of her wings with a smile, feeling the ruffling of her feathers with a grin. This was strange, impossible... but it was still amazing, and flying had been exhilarating. Versi winked to Braga. "I probably need to practice flying if I'm going to use this more. And I can keep watch too."

If the others had no objection, the little Lunar coughed, looking upwards, a little unsure how to begin. Eventually, she started to run towards the Frostwing, taking a handful of steps before jumping as high as she could... and the crimson wings beat in time, holding her above as Versi begun to rise higher into the air, Skycutter now in hand. The sound of her laughter rang out across the village; incoming foes forgotten in the moment. They'd saved a life, and she'd learned to fly. As far as Versi was concerned, the world was good for the moment. And that was what mattered.

[Aevylmar]

Skandi turns from the body to see Versino.

Hybrid form, he thinks first. Then he realizes, no. This is Versino with wings. Something much simpler than a full hybrid form.

He wished he could do that, for a moment. Then he grinned widely, as she took off, he nodded, as soberly as he could manage, which was not at all.

"Impressive, Versino. Just be careful not to overdo it."

It should've had sober, sensible mentorness, to convince her, well, not to overdo it. Instead it was, in a rare honest moment for the Wolf, entirely congratulatory. He remembered the first time he flew, but even more the first time he smelled the world as it was, scents that made the world into a painting and a symphony and all the time...

He could see the joy in Versino's heart, and he wished her the best.

[The_Snark]

There.

The shifting skeins of Fate collapse into a single possibility before fading from Isa's sight entirely. Memories drain away, leaving only flashes of detail and the vague shape of what she saw. So it always is; even with Sidereal magic, the Loom of Fate is too complex for mortal minds to fully comprehend. (Too complex for most immortal minds, at that; only the Maidens could claim to know all its secrets).

The omens are favorable. If honesty is the best path, that hints that they have some common ground with whoever is coming. (Or perhaps that escape and deception are futile and only invite retaliation, but if this is the case there's not much she can do about it.) She glances towards Bright Shard, finds that the not-actually-an-Air-Aspect has dropped her uncanny disguise. Good. Sensible, and it means she won't have to do much persuading or even nudging to make sure they take the right course. Not that it would take much nudging to convince Ireva and Zhou to gamble on honesty.

She moves to check on the soldier as Ireva walks off, cleaning his wounds as best she can. Chilled, but in these southern climes that isn't a terrible danger; pulse still fast but not dangerously so, and hearteningly steady. The wound on his head looks superficial, the skin ripped and bleeding but not deeply so. A blow to the head (from the fall or the gunzosha's anima) might have subtler and more deadly consequences, but there's nothing she can do about that. That leaves his wrist; she uses cupped hands to trickle water over it, washing mud away so she can get a good look. "This looks like a bad break," she murmurs to Zhou and anyone else nearby, turning it over (carefully, at the elbow, where it won't hurt so much). The wrist is swollen and purple beneath the mud, bent at an unpleasant angle. Multiple bones broken, almost certainly. "He'll likely lose use of the hand if he can't find a truly brilliant surgeon. Maybe lose the hand entirely. I don't think there's much we can do here, except splint it so he doesn't hurt himself more by moving."

She stands, scrubbing her hands together vigorously to try and get the dirt and drying blood off. "Mind watching him, Chuzei? I'd like to see if I can scrounge something like that up in the village before his friends arrive - assuming they do arrive. Earn a little goodwill, perhaps."

[DeafnotDumb]

It is difficult for Jade to drop the disguise and wash the protective sheen of Essence from her face: as difficult as going unarmoured into battle would be for Skandi the wolf or Zhou the commander, likely. Her true face is one of the few things she has that is constant across disguises, and the idea of baring it is... abhorrent, like slashing open your guts for everyone to see.

Thankfully, it is not a complete loss. Jade Lotus was a mortal before she was Bright Shard, and the skills from that time have stayed. With dyes and makeup and the simple ways of wearing your face, she has made herself look enough like her persona. Even so, she cannot help reaching into the dry well of her Essence for more, but even as her hands come back empty it's all fine, for just a moment -

- and then the conwoman has no disguise over her skin, no solid soldier or bright spy covering her panic, and she stumbles like she's on a ship in stormy seas. It takes effort to drag the mask of Shard the Spy back over her mind, but once she does the machinery clicks into motion and sets about adjusting for circumstance, ever-vigilant of the cheating ears of the Chuzei's wife.

"I hate meeting new people unmasked." She says honestly: hopefully it will be taken as a confession from the woman she is pretending to be rather than the woman she actually is. "Oh, well. I suppose honesty is a valid option when we're all glowing like a sky on fireworks night. And if it doesn't work..." She considers, and shrugs. "We can burn that bridge when we come to it."

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Rolling for mundane disguise with Manipulation + Larceny (9) (opposed with Perception + Awareness)
(9d10)[9][2][3][9][4][7][7][9][9](59)

[Lix Lorn]

Shimoko gives a small sigh, brushing the debris from herself, casting a troubled look towards Xet and the fallen man.

And... more talking.
Do the anathema have to talk to her? It makes everything so much more complicated.
"I... am annoyed." she said, which was certainly true. "Nothing ever seems to be simple."

[Ifni]

"Ah. Yes. Although there are worse things than a lack of simplicity." Ireva glances toward the shadowland, and the lingering plume of smoke. "I feel like complications have their compensations when deathknights are the alternative. But I'm glad you're all right."

"I don't think I introduced myself earlier? I'm Kharal Ireva." Her voice falters momentarily on the name Kharal - it still feels audacious to make that claim - but Shimoko already knows Zhou has been working willingly with Anathema. Knowledge of their marriage shouldn't make the situation worse.

[Lix Lorn]

"That's certainly true." she agrees, grimacing.
She blinks, at this. She's not a good enough liar to take that one with a straight face.
"Ah. Well. Well met, then... cousin." she says, a questioning note on the last word, curious but guarded.

[Ifni]

Oh. How does one word drive the breath from her so effectively? Even questioning, even guarded: cousin. And not offered sarcastically, either, or in ignorance of her nature -

Stop getting ahead of yourself. She's just being polite.

Still.

Ireva smiles up at the Earth Aspect, brighter than simple politeness requires, a hint of surprise in her green eyes. "Thank you... cousin. At your service." The corner of her lips tilts ruefully. "And well met indeed, even if I'm probably not going to be much help in keeping things simple."

The curiosity in Shimoko's searching gaze seems to demand a response. After a momentary pause she explains unasked, "I'm not Lookshyan, not yet - I was from Thorns, once - but Chuzei Kharal is my husband." Despite herself a warm note of pride sneaks into her voice at the last word, and she straightens almost imperceptibly.

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Ireva really needs to be less of a sucker for people pushing on that Family button But right at the moment it is a pretty big button.

[LibraryOgre]

The Mod Wonder: Closed for Length. Restart if you haven't already. I suggest copy/pasting this threads location for reference.