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

[Aevylmar]

He tosses his head. "I've seen places like that. Those places aren't freedom. Places like Thorns are under the rule of tyranny in its rawest form; a tyranny I see most often in a city being sacked - normally by the Realm or the Raksha. But true freedom doesn't come from a 'strong government'. Your strong, impersonal government will inflict destruction on anyone who opposes it, even if it supposedly protects them. True freedom is following a leader who is worth following, a leader who will look out for his pack and who can look after his pack - and what true freedom really is is the ability to choose a new leader. A free society does not have a 'top' or a 'bottom', only free men and outsiders."

[Ifni]

Zhou and Orchid

"I'll look forward to it," Orchid murmurs, smiling in return, and leans back in for a second kiss, eyes soft and shining with elation. Zhou's hands and lips seem to trail lines of fire across her skin, and for a long moment she can forget the world outside, and simply take joy.

But eventually she runs out of breath, and sits close to Zhou, nestled into the curve of his arm. If she could stay like this forever - but the misgivings are creeping back, as her head clears a little.

"Zhou..." She hesitates, trying to think of how to say this. "I... maybe this is the wrong time. But I think it'll only get harder the longer we wait..."

"Maybe we should think about where we go from here. At least a little. I... do not want to cause trouble between you and your family."

She rests her head on his shoulder. "Relatedly - you asked what name I preferred. From you - Orchid. Please. Or Ireva, if you'd like, when it's safe. Eris means discord, and while it's a name I earned, that's... not what I want to be, to you."

[Maugan Ra]

"Orchid, then." he says, satisfied, holding her close. "And you're right, certain members of my family are going to disapprove. But I accepted long ago that you can't please everyone, and some things are worth making enemies over. This, I think, this right here is worth annoying every last Dragon-Blooded in the East."

A slight chuckle. "Frankly, I'm more worried right now about your family. I have the oddest feeling that if Firada decides I'm just taking advantage of you then I won't see another dawn."

[Ifni]

Zhou and Orchid

Worth annoying every last Dragon-Blooded in the East... At that, Orchid's embrace tightens slightly, and she blinks back a suspicious prickling in her eyes. Because it's likely to be more than 'annoyed', if Lookshy is anything like the Realm in this regard -

But he's made his choice very clear, and after the way her confession to Zhou and Firada went earlier, she suspects trying to argue would be unproductive. And the thought that Zhou wants her that much, values her that much - it's something to cherish, quietly.

"Mmm, yes. Firi wants me to be happy, though, she always has. I think... she'll understand." For a moment Orchid's expression is a little pensive, but then she chuckles softly. "As for the rest of my House, well, I suppose it's one advantage of being a Solar; even if they knew I was alive, they couldn't exactly disown me for falling in love with a Lookshyan at this point."

"Will you tell me about your family? I know you're close to your father. And I remember..." She hesitates, and strokes Zhou's shoulder. "You told Sar that you had brothers, once. If it's too painful to speak of them, don't - I'd just like to know more about you, and the people you come from."

[Maugan Ra]

"Sworn brothers. A sister, too. We graduated together from the Academy, formed a brotherhood, went into active service." Zhou says softly. "They died fighting a Raksha raiding party. And I got sent on detached duty around the Scavenger Lands, working on my own until I felt I was ready to form new bonds, with a new unit. It's an old wound by now... uncomfortable, but no fresh pain."

He shakes himself out of the momentary melancholy. "As for the rest of my family, oh, where do I even start..."

[The_Snark]

"Glad to hear."

Isa herself fights with a minimalist style drawn mostly from Throne Shadow. She concentrates largely on defending herself, using the least effort possible to evade blows or turn them into glancing hits; her few attacks are fast and perfectly timed to take advantage of some planned opening. It is not a thing of beauty, as her sifu makes it; it is merely economy of motion.

"You don't need to use my clan name, you know. It isn't properly mine anymore."

[Lix Lorn]

Emerald
"Wouldn't say that. She brought those slaves to freedom. Evaded the Guild and the Realm both."

Emerald takes out another cigar, offers it to Lauren.

"That's true." she agrees readily. "I owe my existence to her. But even if you wouldn't say it, she would. That's why I'm here. She tried to make me so that I could act on the things she couldn't. She didn't think it had worked."

[Ifni]

Zhou and Orchid, Conversation One (Conclusion)

"I'm sorry," Orchid says quietly. She pauses, and then adds, "Firi... is also the sole survivor of her brotherhood, from what Shadow said. I don't know if she'd want to talk about them to anyone, or if you'd feel up to it, but if you know what it's like... you might be able to help more than I can."

She shifts slightly in Zhou's arms, leaning back against his chest and settling down comfortably to listen, as the conversation turns to his living family. "Start wherever you like. With the amusing bits, if you need a prompt." She grins up at him. "Do you have siblings by blood? Cousins you were close to?" A little wistfulness hides behind the warmth and happiness of her smile, but only a little.

She laughs at the funny stories, and smiles at the sweet ones, and listens intently to all of them - until the conversation wanders off along other directions, some involving more kisses than words. Part of her is still a little disbelieving, sure that this seems too good to be true. It seems so strange that Zhou, whose kindness and heroism make her feel ashamed of her own choices and compromises, would fall in love with her.

She's hardly going to complain, though. And if there are troubles in the future... He wants this. He thinks you're worth it. When problems come up - be they the invasion of Lookshy or obstructive relatives - we'll deal with them.

She finds herself relaxing, tensions fading away that have been there for as long as she can remember, so long she barely noticed them until they were gone. How long has it been since she wasn't wary or afraid, on some level?

She doesn't know the answer, but it doesn't matter very much, anymore. Here, with Zhou, there's peace, and warm contentment, and joy unshadowed by past or future fears.

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I assumed from OOC discussion that Maugan didn't actually want to detail the discussion of Zhou's family, so wrote this as a wrap-up post (because I am a terrible procrastinator). Orchid would probably eventually disentangle herself from Zhou and get back to work / charms training / talking to people, but it might take a while, unless Zhou does so first.

(Maugan, I know you mentioned you wanted them to have a practice-duel; do you want that to be an actual scene or just something that happened and is known to have happened? I have what's probably a one-off post for Orchid telling Firada her sword's name; if you wanted to write a narrative post for a practice-duel, or write a scene there, we could fit it in after that.)

Also, going to go update that Intimacy now, just have to decide exactly what to.

[industrious]

Black Ice Shadow

"But we do not know each other well. So is it not only polite to use a formal name?"

The two fight on, and Black Ice Shadow comments on her motions; not rudely, not condescendingly, but far too honestly for anyone other than her sifu.

"You are showing me your moves before you make them. Flourishes use more energy, but distract me from what you are about to do."

Emerald

"Interesting way of putting it. Mind telling me what that means, exactly?"

He lights a cigar for himself, exhales a cloud of thick smoke.

"I mean, you're a killer, and a damn good one, too. No offense, mind. But Sierra's nice. she's kind, even if she's a bit shy. Better woman than I can reasonably hope for."

His voice goes wistful at the last sentence.

Black Ice Shadow and Eris (Sometime after the Conversation with Zhou)

"Eris Orchid."

Black Ice Shadow appears from nowhere, fading into the foreground. He looks...haggard. Worried. Nervous.

"I would speak with you on a matter of some urgency. It concerns your sister."

There is a fine line of sweat running down his brow.

Firada

She snorts.

"And I know the sort of leadership you're talking about. I was the White Rose of Thorns, the one who brought hope to the downtrodden and fear and outrage to the oppressors. I looked after...Orchid, after those under my protection, risked my own neck to save as many as I could. They followed me because I was Exalted, because I could lead them, because I represented their dream of a free Thorns."

Her voice grows proud and sad at once, reflecting her time in the Underground. Her time trying to, and succeeding at unifying the small Resistance cells.

"One person can't do it. There is a strength in unity, in collective action, that a single woman can never accomplish on her own. Even a leader needs lieutenants, aides, adjuncts to handle things that she either doesn't have time for or to advise her on the hardest decisions. Even if the decision rests on her, she needs them."

[Ifni]

Black Ice Shadow and Orchid

Orchid's initial smile at the Chosen of Saturn - she'd been meaning to talk with him - fades rapidly on seeing his expression, and then vanishes entirely at his words. She nods in quick acquiescence. "Of course. Cargo hold? They seem to be the best place for private conversations on this boat."

Once they're in private, she closes the door behind her, leans on it, and gives the Sidereal her full attention.

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Firing Sagacious Reading of Intent from Personal, just in case.

[industrious]

Black Ice Shadow

"Thank you."

Once they are in an empty cargo hold, Black Ice Shadow quickly searches the room to ensure that they are empty, and looks very strongly at one of the crates labeled "Tobacco," debating whether or not he should push it in front of the door.

"You might have noticed," he begins, tugging absently at his collar. "That I have not yet greeted your sister since her recovery. There are very good reasons for that...ah...you see. It is not that I am unhappy with her being conscious-I regard her as a very good and capable individual...ah...but...you see...umm..."

Black Ice Shadow is refusing to look at the Solar.

"...I have reason to believe that your sister might possibly be harboring some sort of romantic affection for me."

He looks at her like a cow waiting to be slaughtered; helpless, confused, worried, and more than a little panicked.

"...help?"

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SRI: Oh Maidens, I need your help.

[Ifni]

Black Ice Shadow and Orchid

She tries not to smile. She really does.

This attempt is not very successful.

"Well, I can see how that might happen. You did save her from a fate worse than death, after all." Orchid looks up at the Sidereal, and her tone becomes more serious, despite the smile still tugging at her lips. "For which I owe you a debt I doubt I'll ever be able to fully repay, although I'll try. Not sure I made that clear in Nexus, but I am very grateful. And I know I wasn't very pleasant to you at some points that night - you have my apologies, for whatever they're worth."

"But returning to the point at hand - do you want to sit down? You look a little shaky."

She pulls over one of the smaller crates and sits down herself, still leaning against the door. "I can talk to Firi, certainly. But... shall I take it, then, that you don't return this hypothesized affection?" She's not sure Black Ice Shadow has read her sister correctly; he's obviously perceptive, but perhaps not so much when it comes to emotions. Firi has her vows to the Order -

- which you are perfectly well aware are a means to an end for her. She does what she believes to be right.

She smiles reassuringly at the Chosen of Endings, and tries to make her voice soothing. "Anything you say to me won't go beyond this room without your permission, my word on it. And I'll help as best I can. But what kind of help are you looking for, exactly?"

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Firing Judge's Ear Technique Fear my Solar Investigation charms: if you try to hedge and tell half-truths about your feelings, I shall know! Mwahaha!

Orchid really likes Black Ice Shadow. And adores Firada. And is still walking on air thanks to Zhou, and probably has a bit of a tendency to try to infect others with the same happiness, right now.

And while Firi does have a Dynastic family who would explode if they knew, while she's a monk I think she's not in the marriage pool anyway (am I right there?), and just by human nature there's probably a long history of discreet Sidereal/Dynast relationships.

[Maugan Ra]

Zhou and Firada (Again, some time later)

He's wandering freely around the ship when he spots her, trying his best to avoid looking quite so ridiculously happy as he feels (and probably failing, at least in the eyes of anyone who has any skill at reading people).

Well, may as well get this over with. Can hardly be more scary than admitting it to Orchid.

"Tepet Firada. I'd like to speak with you, if you have a moment. It concerns your sister." he says easily, completely relaxed - he doesn't want to convey the wrong impression here, after all.

[industrious]

Black Ice Shadow

"It was a stressful night, and I have been treated worse. There is no need to apologize for such words that were said."

He lets out a nervous chuckle, the expression at odds with his dark, sinister attire and usually expression.

"And you are correct. She is a good human being, and very kind to me, but I possess no feelings for her beyond that. The...thought of her and I, to be truthful, is more than a little unsettling...Not that she is unsettling, but...ah...there are other reasons why even if I returned those feelings, I would not act upon then. Liasons between the Celestial and Terrestrial rarely end well, for a number of reasons."

For all his poise and quiet confidence when facing down deathknights or the Underworld, Black Ice Shadow is terrible talking with the living.

Firada

She looks at him. Inhales. Exhales.

"Yes."

She gestures to an empty cabin, waves a hand towards it with all the fluid grace of an Immaculate martial artist.

"Let's talk."

[Maugan Ra]

Zhou follows her into the cabin, suppressing the vague stirring of unease at he reminder of just how dangerous the woman in front of him likely was. Well, no use in delaying things too much.

"I'm in love with Orchid." he says simply, once they are behind closed doors and he feels free to speak. "I told her earlier today, and was very happy to discover that she returns my feelings."

He crosses his arms and looks at the Immaculate levelly. "I figured you should probably be told, rather than leaving it until you discovered it through a third party or something. Less room for unfortunate misunderstandings."

Now, I wonder what her reaction will be. Death threats from an older sibling are often traditional...

[The_Snark]

"I suppose." Isa falls silent, not really caring to correct him any further.

She shouldn't take offense at his criticism, however blunt. For one thing, he's right: Throne Shadow isn't really meant to be used like this. Distraction, surprise, teamwork; these are the lynchpins of the style. Working alone against a forewarned opponent, it lacks strength. And he is more experienced than she, if only by a decade or two.

Nonetheless. Isa finds herself a little raw this morning, less able to shrug off small irritations. She does her best to lose herself in the ebb and flow of sparring, abandoning some of her usual caution in favor of more reckless attacks.

[Ifni]

Black Ice Shadow and Orchid

"That you've been treated worse isn't an excuse for me to do it. I'm sorry."

The Eclipse breathes out, slowly, at the Sidereal's words. No, reading people is not your forte, is it, Shadow? But the flash of annoyance fades quickly: some people just aren't very socially adept. That's clearly been a problem for Shadow in the past - and that he's coming to her for help, rather than risk hurting Firada, suggests that maybe he knows it.

You know, and Zhou knows, that there are going to be problems.

But we'll make it work.

Her voice is gentle. "Sit down, Shadow. Calm down. Firada's not going to make a scene. Even if you're right about her feelings, everyone understands that sometimes interest isn't returned."

"Why do you say unsettling? And... what kind of reasons? With the long-standing ties between the Bureau and the Realm, I would have thought such relationships would be relatively common, if discreet."

Maybe if she steers the conversation away from the immediate personal issue, he'll grow less panicky. And she has to confess an interest in his answers.

[industrious]

Firada

"I see."

She stares at him levelly, as if she could measure his worth with her eyes. Which, of course, she was. His confidence. His attitude.

"Well, you're brave enough, for coming to me before anyone else. And you're of the Dragons. And you did give me...whatever that was that healed me. I can see things going well between the two of you."

"...If you cause her harm, I will harm you in turn. If you break her heart, I will put an arrow through yours when you are most vulnerable. She is my sister, and this is her first time having these feelings. If you make her regret this, I will not be happy. But she'll probably get the first blows in."

She means those words, Zhou knows. Immaculate monk, White Rose of Thorns. Firada smiles then, and that, too, is genuine

"Other than that, I am happy for the two of you. Any questions? Are bloodlines important in Lookshy?"

Black Ice Shadow

"Better. You should learn more Violet Bier of Sorrows. More direct, and just as precise."

Black Ice Shadow dodges a roundhouse kick, and takes a right cross to the face.

"...Is something the matter?"

Black Ice Shadow

"Well, they certainly occur...but they are not relationships. The world...forgets us, Eris Orchid. We walk in Creation and those who we talk to, if they do not possess the will to do so, remember us as if we were a dream. For our duty, we are divorced from the common world, cut off from mundane life."

He hesitates again.

"I do not...this is the first time I believe someone has...I do not wish for her to be harmed by such a thing. I am not...ah...do not feel..."

He breaks off his musings.

"...When was our first meeting, Eris Orchid?"

[Maugan Ra]

"The drink came to me via Stormwrack, who appears to be playing his own sort of game. It's also apparently incredibly illegal for Terrestrials to have, so let's not mention it again."

He smiles at the threats, though he does take them seriously. "So noted. And bloodlines are important to us, though less so than in the Realm - the Gens still track breeding when arranging marriages, but the overall philosophy is that it is better to have half a dozen Dragon-Blooded of moderate breeding than a single one of impeccable blood. In so much as it matters, Orchid is probably safe from that angle of criticism, since you are proof that she evidently comes from a decent line."

He shrugs. "In truth, the fact that she's a Solar will probably generate far more problems than the fact that she's neither Lookshyan or Terrestrial. Still, I think I can pull it off - depends on how everything else turns out, including this business with Thorns. We'll see."

[Ifni]

Black Ice Shadow and Orchid

Well, that... explains a few things, if she's understanding him correctly. Another perk of working for Heaven, presumably (albeit a double-edged one); it certainly doesn't seem to apply to Solars and Lunars.

"... I would say, that night in Nexus. But you're telling me it wasn't?" Orchid thinks back, to the deathknights she saw in Thorns. She didn't recognize most of them by their faces, though; panoplies were just as distinctive, and visible from further away. But Shadow said meeting...

"I'm glad you don't want to hurt my sister." The Eclipse smiles briefly. When she speaks again her tone is sympathetic, but with a thread of iron certainty in it. "Make no mistake, though - strength of will she has in abundance. As you should know, if you've worked with her." Her voice softens. "I don't think she would forget you easily, whether she considers you a friend and ally, or something more."

[Aevylmar]

Firada

She snorts.

"And I know the sort of leadership you're talking about. I was the White Rose of Thorns, the one who brought hope to the downtrodden and fear and outrage to the oppressors. I looked after...Orchid, after those under my protection, risked my own neck to save as many as I could. They followed me because I was Exalted, because I could lead them, because I represented their dream of a free Thorns."

Her voice grows proud and sad at once, reflecting her time in the Underground. Her time trying to, and succeeding at unifying the small Resistance cells.

"One person can't do it. There is a strength in unity, in collective action, that a single woman can never accomplish on her own. Even a leader needs lieutenants, aides, adjuncts to handle things that she either doesn't have time for or to advise her on the hardest decisions. Even if the decision rests on her, she needs them."

Skandi shrugs. "I never denied that a leader might need lieutenants. But if those lieutenants step out of line, fail in their responsibilities, rule like tyrants, the leader must be able to punish them. The leader must be one who would punish them. The Realm is rotten at the top; the Empress, by all accounts, was a tyrant, and none of her would-be heirs have the strength of courage to keep their soldiers under control. And the Empress wished to unify the world, to make it so that it could never have the strength to resist her."

He meets her gaze. "If the Realm stopped conquering free men, and was ruled with justice and honor, and stopped trying to kill those favored by the Ever-Changing Moon and the Unconquered Sun, I would have no need to oppose it."

[industrious]

Firada

"He doesn't seem...ah...smart enough for that sort of thing. Are you quite sure?"

She shrugs at Zhou's words, nods at his assessment...and drops her guard. Just for a moment, but the damage is done.

"Sometimes...I wish my sister wasn't a Solar. That she had been gifted by the Dragons, instead. Life would be so much easier. I try so hard to be proud of her, but..."

Firada looks at Zhou dead on, her face dawning in horror at her revelation.

"If you ever tell her that, if you breathe a word of what I just said..."

Black Ice Shadow

"I do not fear that she will forget me," Black Ice Shadow says, quietly.

"...Tell me if this scene sounds familiar. It is...early Descending Air. Cold. You are perhaps five years old. No older than seven. Your sister is off scavenging for food, but you are hungry now."

"You don't remember his name or what he looked like, but a stranger knelt at your feet, and gave you the crusts of fine bread, the leavings of what was clearly a great feats. You were afraid of what he wanted in return; you had heard stories, after all, of what sort of men could be found underground. But the man merely smiled, and gave you a skin of water, and you never saw him again."

A moment of silence.

"...I met Firada before she was a woman, though she did not remember. And even if I had not...I am not...women...men...anyone, living or dead...I simply...do not. Perhaps it is because I am Ghost-Blooded."

Firada

"The Empress isn't here anymore," she says quietly. "and my sister is so favored."

"We aren't all evil, Skandi Dragonbane. Don't be so quick to kill us all."

And with that, Firada departs.

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Next interlude conversation?

[Maugan Ra]

"I don't have to." Zhou says quietly. "She knows. From her perspective, her Exaltation destroyed everything the two of you had worked to build, and very nearly got you killed. She hates herself for it, to some degree, and there's no doubt that she would have much prefered to have exalted as a Terrestrial."

He sighs. "You know that when I first met her, and indeed for a long while afterwards, she pretended to be a Wood Aspect? She idolizes you. She wants to be you, far more than she wants to be herself. That's something I'm hoping to change... to convince her that she has worth on her own merits. I like to think it's working."

He meets Firada's gaze, and his own voice becomes hard. "I won't say anything about this to her - it deserves to be kept private. But if you ever tell her that, if you ever give her cause to hate herself or destroy what remains of her self-esteem, I will burn you to ash. Do we understand one another?"

[The_Snark]

Isa takes her time before answering, using the effort of the fight to cover the delay. Step, feint, block, counter. "Something besides the news from Thorns, you mean?" She retreats a pace, inviting attack, and lashes out with a vicious counter as soon as he moves to follow. "Besides what happened in Nexus yesterday?"

[Ifni]

Black Ice Shadow and Orchid

"... I remember."

She doesn't remember much from those early years. But this was a memory she held onto, if only because it was so strange and so powerful, at the time. She hasn't thought about it for... longer than ten years, definitely. But at his words it comes back, sharp and visceral: the cold, the helplessness, the hunger, and the smell of the bread like a dream of better days.

Firi had yelled at her, when she got back, and slapped the precious crusts from her hands. Are you crazy, taking food from a stranger, it could have been a trap, you should have run away... And then hugged her, and then, reluctantly, eaten some of the bread herself, once they'd brushed the dirt off. Her own foraging hadn't gone well.

The crusts had tasted wonderful. The water had been clean and cold.

She'd remembered that for the longest time, a little point of light in the darkness, a reminder that sometimes trust was a risk worth taking.

"It seems I owe you even more than I thought." She stops for a moment, and then says very quietly, "It made a difference, you know. It wasn't so hard to find food right after the invasion, but when you - that was after all the easy pickings were gone, but before we'd really adapted." Or so she thinks, reconstructing it in memory. Mostly she just remembers hunger, and darkness, and crying, and her sister trying to keep her quiet. A few stronger memories, like the one with the bread - but she was very young, and it's not a time she cares to look back on. "And you couldn't afford too many days where you didn't find anything, or that would be it, you wouldn't have the strength to keep searching, or to run when you had to -"

Orchid looks across at the Sidereal, blinking, trying to match his pale face to the old memory. After a moment she gives it up.

"... I understand, I think. And I don't know if it's because you're Ghost-Blooded or not, but either way there's no shame in it, Shadow."

"You asked for my help. Do you want me to see that Firi knows? I can do that. Or I can advise you on how to decline advances politely, or..." She shrugs. "Up to you. As a general rule, clarity tends to work better than dragging it out, but there's a difference between being honest and being harsh."

... how did I end up on a boat to Yu-Shan, giving relationship advice to a Sidereal, again?

"I imagine that even if you're not looking for romance, it's still good to have friends. I can't speak for Firi but I'm fairly certain she'll still like and respect you, however this goes. As do I."

[Aevylmar]

Skandi and Firada

He looks at her back as he departs, and sighs, and says, very quietly,

"A Realm ruled by Orchid might be worth serving."

Then he goes back to looking for something to eat. He's still hungry.

[Lix Lorn]

She shrugs slightly, not insulted. "She's nice, yes. And pretty good at talking, I suppose. But nice has a tendency of getting you stabbed in the back in some environments, and a gentle touch, while it may be more moral, is not going to save the world on its own. On some level, she knows that. And that's why I exist. I'm not so good at the gentle, but when there's a rabid dog, I can do my best to put it down and let those that may one day be redeemed get on with it."

[industrious]

Firada

She smiles at his words, and Zhou is struck by just how similar the two sisters are.

"Oh, I think we understand each other perfectly, Kharal Zhou."

She waves him off then.

"Now go. Romance my sister well. Make her happy. You have my blessing, since that's what you came here for. Remember that we'll be gossiping about you at night."


Black Ice Shadow

"Thorns is not your responsibility."

Black Ice Shadow presses his attack; Isa's counter is dodged, but only just. He refuses to let her build momentum, choosing to strike over striking well.

"And from what I was informed, the riots in Nexus were handled well, and the leader of the rebellion killed. Why would that be worrisome to you?"

Black Ice Shadow and Orchid

"...If you could speak to her on my behalf, I would appreciate it. I believe I would not tell her well. I do not foresee many other...advances in my future."

Black Ice Shadow pauses one last time.

"There is perhaps one favor you could do as well, if I might be so bold? I am a collector of poetry, and it was said that the greatest poets of the First Age were of the Eclipse Caste. If it is not too much to ask...if I am not overstepping my bounds..."

"...could I possess a poem by yourself?"

She shrugs slightly, not insulted. "She's nice, yes. And pretty good at talking, I suppose. But nice has a tendency of getting you stabbed in the back in some environments, and a gentle touch, while it may be more moral, is not going to save the world on its own. On some level, she knows that. And that's why I exist. I'm not so good at the gentle, but when there's a rabid dog, I can do my best to put it down and let those that may one day be redeemed get on with it."

Stormwrack and Lauren

"You're her protector."

Stormwrack nods at his own remark, and smacks his lips together.

"But I'm asking how she did it. To make you appear."

Stormwrack and Skandi

Stormwrack is on the deck, frying what appears to be more lutefisk.

"So!" he says cheerfully, waving Skandi over. "Got any fun information to pass onto your bloody elders?"

[Lix Lorn]

"Pretty much." she nods. "As for how... I'm not sure. It's a nocturnal thing. A... charm, I think they're called. She had the idea in some crazy nightmare, and I think she assumed she'd get to choose when it happened, and when she didn't, she just figured it hadn't worked. And then next... well, soon after that I woke up for the first time."

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Lauren's internal monologue: However much you feel you can trust him, telling him HOW you change back and forth may be foolish.

[Maugan Ra]

"Hmm. Gossip. Somehow, that's more terrifying than the death threats." Zhou says with a smile.

Still, an acceptable outcome, and with that thought in mind he vacates the room before he can ruin it by saying something foolish.