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Post by Gavin Graves on Jun 13, 2021 21:12:54 GMT -8
Gavin got into the car with Eis. He'd insisted he not drive right now and mentioned he needed to talk to her before they got to the Gardens. It probably wasn't a good idea to be rolling around in a Bugatti while working anyway, and the gas mileage was atrocious. He chipped in for gas, stuffing a tenner in the ashtray.
Once they were moving for a bit Gavin broke the silence, "So now that we're away from the others, I have quite a bit to say. Please hear me out." Once Eis gave him a look he continued, "I need to mention a concern that I'm pretty sure they're not concerned about and really should be. We're doing the thing that will save lives and be the moral high ground. That's great. I'm not for feeding innocents to the Wyrd to fill some gas-tank either. I think they might be mad that I was thinking about some other concern than just saving those lives--there was a bit of a closed off feeling I got when we started this whole thing." He let that sit a moment to make sure it registered while Eis was driving.
"That presents another problem though. Assuming we manage to cure them, catch the Spring ritualist, and clear up Autumn's reputation, and relieve tensions. Assuming all that, an important Spring Rite is about to go bust. We're running headlong here to save the people, but we're not doing anything to try and prevent the fallout of the soon to be ruined ritual. That's got to change. We're not going to save this ritual. That's a given. Sacrificing a bunch of Human Traffickers might satisfy the ritual, but it would put us back on the wrong track. That's probably not the only way Spring could be satisfied though. We need to do another ritual to fill the gap. I'm going to make a push to get some assistance and guidance to catch it before it all crashes down without an answer. I'm sure you know that Autumn generally overpays its taxes to the Wyrd. I expect that is to give us more leeway in case someone disrupts one of our things like is happening here for Spring. That practice alone tells me it's possible. We just have to figure out what can be done and get the parts in place."
Gavin was quite serious in his demeanor, "I have zero idea whether or not she's already involved with the original problem, but I'm going to get Chunhua involved in the solution--whatever the ramifications. I think it's our only shot with the time we have left to not have a dent put in something important for the Freehold. I think your little trick in cooking up a plan might be instrumental."
"Save the people. Save the ritual requirement. Spring's happy. Summer's Happy. Autumn's Happy. Lucas hates me," he tagged the last bit with a chuckle to bring down the tension and perhaps test her read on the cold shoulder treatment. "It's all good."
"Whatcha think? I want make sure you're in before I start offering your involvement."
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Eis
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Post by Eis on Jun 16, 2021 3:12:49 GMT -8
Eis purses her lips. They'd all had quite a bit to say during this whole ordeal. Nothing would surprise her at this point. But she'll humor him. Focusing on the road, but listening earnestly, she lets him say his piece. Everything sounds agreeable. Something needed to take the ritual's place if they didn't want to jeopardize the relative safety the Freehold has enjoyed. Eis remembers all too well how Samedi had expressed his concerns about people poking their noses into practices they ought not to. And, after a sense, their little investigation is doing just that. But Gavin is offering a chance to smooth things over without reaving the Wyrd and Vegas alike. The last bit about Lucas causes her to shoot him a brief, appraising look. Lucas is perfectly agreeable, in her book. What had she missed between the two of them? She'd ask later, she decides. If there's time.
"Yes... I agree. I imagine situations like this are the reason for Samedi's warning about disturbing rituals and secrets. The ritual may have undesirable elements, but it serves a purpose. We can't just leave that purpose unfulfilled. Who knows what might happen if we did?" She clicks her tongue against her teeth. How does she put the next bit delicately? Oh... right. She doesn't particularly care if she does.
"The other matter. The 'plan'. I can't argue with results. But it is a costly endeavor. The Wyrd demands much of me to accomplish such a thing." Her brow furrows. She shoots him one more glance to make sure she's got his attention. "It may not matter to any of you," she starts, apparently lumping him in now with the rest of their group, "or you may not have even been paying attention - which is perfectly fine - but my inner hopes and fears are my own. I don't need people poking, prodding, or even asking me about anything I've mentioned while invoking the Contract's power. And trusting others in good faith on the matter isn't good enough. I need to hear you swear that you won't bring up anything personal I've mentioned for this purpose, unless I invite you to, before I agree to do it again. I fully intend to hold you to it."
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Post by Gavin Graves on Jun 16, 2021 11:09:49 GMT -8
Recalling back to when the personal secrets Eis had spoken aloud the last time was a bit of a chore. The Plan had almost thoroughly paved over those facts with the whirlwind blur of action that had happened since. Eis had Streisand-effected herself into digging it up for him again. He didn't mind her not wanting her business out there loose to spread to all corners. No one would want that. He was also cautious in how much he would limit himself. Loose pledges sink lives. He thought on the wording some.
"Until you decide to make the secrets broadly known, I won't talk to others about the secrets you revealed around me when you did up the plan last time nor those you will reveal the next time you do up the plan."
This way his words wouldn't bind her up such that he couldn't talk with her about what she said, in case she decided to talk about it later and own it, else she may start on this personal subject and be met with a polite smile and silence. He also narrowed the promise to exactly what was intended, this time and the last. Infinite open-ended secret keeping of all instances into the future were just a mess that usually ended in people never talking to each other again for sake of not breaking the pledge. It was best to be particular, Gavin thought. He had enough knowledge to keep it on the tracks, but he was no Pledgesmith.
"Yeah, I'm hoping Chunhua knows enough to know the consequences or at least magnitude and might be able to guide us in backfilling the pitfall the Freehold is about to stumble into. We might even get to see a bit behind the curtain in the process, especially if your contract is instrumental in a solution even being possible with the time we have. If we're being real, those kinds of secrets are the ones we need to be learning at every opportunity."
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Eis
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Post by Eis on Jun 16, 2021 13:07:16 GMT -8
"Good." Eis trusts the Wyrd to sort him out if he doesn't hold his end.
With her personal fears assuaged, she focuses on the task ahead. She'd likely have little trouble with convincing Callahan, which leaves the other goal on Gavin. "Maybe that's what we need help with. The part with fixing the ritual. Or, well, it's 'requirement', as you so succinctly pointed out. I'll handle Callahan alone. Give him assurances and do my best to salvage this political nightmare. But you..." she says, trailing off. She wags a single finger at him, clearly brainstorming and latching on to what's going through her head. "You can deal with Chunhua. Fixing the ritual is a given - I think she will see that. The both of you will need to be able to find a way to fulfill the requirements." She snaps her fingers. That's it.
Eis slows and looks for a place to stop. She can't do this with her attention divided. Once parked, she nods to herself and begins. Bleeding away more of her 'reserves' to the Wyrd, Eis begins in earnest, her words carrying first the tune of a confession, then gravitating towards a speech. "You know what I hope for most? To see my daughter again. To watch her grow up. But she's gone. And my own worst fears are realized; I'm powerless to change that. Three lives hang in the balance, and if we don't act swiftly their own families will experience what I've gone through. Because we can't allow the old ways to continue. So we stand at the edge of a precipice - a familiar, flawed field behind us and a terrible, dark unknown below. We can't throw ourselves from the cliff and just assume everything will be alright. Nor can we go back. Not now that we understand where it is we came from. We have to build a bridge forward, across the gap to the field ahead. Much like the one behind us. But better. Our way forward - our bridge - is to fulfill the requirements of the Spring ritual without the need for human sacrifices. The esoteric knowledge exists... but Gavin and Chunhua need to be able to dig it up to appease the Wyrd."
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Post by Krakenbox on Jun 17, 2021 10:43:27 GMT -8
The ethereal scratching quill pauses, before furiously writing out The Plan. Both of the Fall Courtiers feel a sense of elation as they see some instructions begin to appear A deep scratch crosses out step 2, tapping step 1 before darting down the page
A deep scratch almost tears the paper, jumping to step 2 and writing over it as the pair frowned. The paper was becoming overrun with ink, shredding under the weight and pressure of twisting and competing fates and Eis' voice catches in her throat, shifting to garbled nonsense. The Plan evaporated, dropping a bag of silver coins and a pistol on Eis' lap instead. Chunhua operates a garden off of Serene bordering Henderson. The gate was open to the public as they rolled into the parking lot...and Gavin spies a familiar vehicle that informs him that his tail may be currently enjoying the park. The entrance proper was just a quick jaunt.
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Post by Gavin Graves on Jun 17, 2021 16:26:49 GMT -8
Gavin attempted to sort out the scribblings as they formed and when they started to become strange he popped out his phone to record the remainder of the incident. What was on the paper, even briefly was illuminating. It showed terms he thought unrelated. Possible relationships that might be functional in supporting changes that surround Spring's activities. The hidden message within the plan as it exploded with ink on the pages starkly imprinted on Gavin's mind: FIND LAMASSU AND SOLVE THE HUNGER. What were the threads that bound the winding ways of the Wyrd behind its demands. Were there other commonalities he could pull meaning from? What was the hidden meaning behind its dark request?
"Right, so I'm thinking the Wyrd is taking the piss. Get fucked, yeah!" he let out what was an amalgam of chuckle and grimace toward the universe, venting briefly before settling back down into problem solving mode. There were things to be learned, and things to be done. "I'm feeling like this isn't going to be our solution to the ritual problem, but who knows. It might be useful in fending off those scum traffickers over there. Looks like we're either where they wanted to be out of unbelievably unlucky coincidence or they've mapped me out again, but that's the backup plan. I could only hope that the Wyrd would be sated with the blood of their type, but my luck isn't that good." He was vaguely gesturing toward the ominously appearing weapon in Eis' lap, and the bag of coins.
"Let's get moving, seems time is of the essence if there are other things that might change this stuff into something useful. Thanks for trying it. It was always a stretch. Gonna go stealth mode to keep these guys from following me to more of us."
Gavin offered to carry the unexpected things, including the inky paper, to the meeting with Chunhua.
Under the protection of the Wyrd's invisibility Gavin moves through the place toward meeting with Chunhua. He hangs back just long enough to note if the guys picked up on his transit with Eis, hoping he didn't end up tarring her with his problem.
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Eis
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Post by Eis on Jun 18, 2021 12:01:51 GMT -8
The ordeal over, Eis gasps. What on Earth? The briefly glimpsed elements of the Wyrd's insane plan swirl around in the Fairest's head - dying, Charon, Samedi, Lamassu, payment... the Skien. Then a gun and silver? To what... kill herself, cross the river Styx and make a bargain? Nonsense! She had no idea what it was the Wyrd wanted of her, but she had to try to make sense of it.
What little she can piece together - from the conflicting and changing plans - isn't comforting. The animated parchment seemed first to encourage her to enter a realm connecting dreams to either fight something or find Lamassu. A title taken from a Sumerian Goddess... or a mythic beast? But that whole concept seemed to have been scrapped for something dire and entirely reckless. Namely entering a Motley with Samedi, quite literally killing herself, and making a deal with the god of Death. She gets lost for a moment, in her own little world, wondering if the Wyrd would 'lie' to her or if this was truly the answer.
Noticing Gavin's gesture, she scoops the gun and silver - safely - and puts them on the floor behind her seat. Then she shifts into gear again and drives to the drop off point. While Gavin may have quite a bit to say on the experience, Eis keeps it close to heart, only offering a small grunt of assent to his comment on 'luck'. She parks the car again to let Gavin out. It won't do to share her revelations on this with him now. At least one of them has to be thinking rationally, so she'd rather not include him in this impossible train of thought.
"Yes, Time. Of course. It was... 'worth a shot'." The idea turns into a terrible pun when her mind returns to the gun. "Be careful." She adds, offering him the gun and silver. She won't - well, she sincerely hopes she won't - need either of them to bring Callahan on board.
Which leaves her with her next destination. Time does appear to be of the essence. Whatever the cryptic folderol actually meant, she has somewhere to be. Moments later, the garden entrance is in her rear view.
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Post by Krakenbox on Jun 19, 2021 22:28:27 GMT -8
Eis enters normally, with Gavin close behind under a bent reality. The place felt like she was stepping outside of Las Vegas, with a surprising amount of well-kept greenery and a koi pond at the center. She passed through a courtyard that doubled as a tourist café that was currently quite busy, despite the rain. The office itself was tucked away down one of the quaint paths that the Snowskin was tempted to take her time with. Stephen Callahan looked a little out of place as one of those hipster bohemians Eis saw in coffee shops and campuses, though this one had an almost sickly like pallor to how pale he was, with calla lilies blooming from his hair and splits in his skin. His eyes has a sort of grey sheen to them, as if he were a beautified corpse. Lively and charming, however, grinning brilliantly as he recognized one of his Court. "Eis, right? I think I've seen you at a few gatherings now. Nice to see you participating in more of the rites," he said, almost musically. There was a willowy presence to him as he stood, which made it hard to place whether he were one of the Fairest or a Darkling. The floorboards creaked and snapped as peering eyes and fingers retreated from her periphery, hair standing on end as if she had disturbed a grave.
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Post by Gavin Graves on Jun 22, 2021 15:38:03 GMT -8
After confirming that the unfortunate additions to his entourage had been lost in the parking lot and had not mapped onto Eis, Gavin followed her into the office. He didn't waste any time before dropping the Light Shy he had only very recently started. His sudden appearance near Callahan's desk, not near the door, combined with Gavin's dangerous armature startled the Flowering from the midst of his greetings. The 'from thin air' appearance stole the show initially from what would have been Eis' gentle knock at the door. The room suddenly felt like the ceiling was a bit higher which subtly took away whatever usual feeling of comfort in familiar surroundings Stephen had.
"Right, uh, sorry to give you a jump there. Had a few unfriendly Black Dragon gentlemen in the parking lot stalking me. Thought it'd be a good idea to give them the slip rather than point them at others such as yourself," he looked back outside confirming that the gang members hadn't crept up since he last looked.
"I'm sure you know Eis here. I think she's here to speak with you. I myself am looking to have a conversation with the Dame on a time sensitive matter that fits in her areas of interest. If she's about, yeah?" Gavin remained nervous in demeanor, worried his Ginger complexion would be easily recognized should his stalkers begin asking around.
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Post by Krakenbox on Jun 22, 2021 23:03:21 GMT -8
Stephen's eyes flicker with what Gavin assumes is a Contract about to strike the Fear of God into his lizard brain and cause a freeze, before the Squire registers who it is and settles. Well, leaning back as it were as he blinked and caught his breath, but the Beast would take his wins where he could get it. At the mention of the gangsters his smile falters and he mentions them arriving some time ago and getting lunch. Obviously he was minding his own business and didn't care much if one a pile of gangsters decided to take a break at the gardens, but with Eis' vehicle parked with them it was a good thing Gavin was invisible rather than arriving with her. He didn't get nosey about the details as to why he was being 'stalked', assuming if Graves wanted the help he would ask and likely knew better. "Oh, yes she is usually in the Echo Chamber," he mentioned. Those outside their court didn't know the details, and those outside the Entitlement only knew it was a sort of massive archive that the Witness would add to as a chronicler. It was a highly treasured resource for the Leaden Mirror, but the other Seasons would likely frown upon the idea in their paranoia or lack of interest in the grander story. He set up Eis with some tea while he showed Gavin to a rather innocent looking path, handing him a special candle and match to light to unlock the Gate. As the Beast wades through the Thorns, he beholds a massive World Tree. The grooves of the wood, upon inspection, have almost undetectable script along the ridges and veins. Countless stories, great events, train of thought, and threads of fate flicker and pulse. The entrance within the ancient roots, is hollowed far into the pits of the forest, as tower in their own right with spiralling ridges to trek below. Under the Tree is pitch black, motes of bright pollen barely lighting the floor save for his candle that flickered and guided. As Gavin descended, the flame coughed, creating alarming snapshots with his silhouette of a great unfamiliar predator. The tree eventually begins shifting into a library, though it is not organized. The books are hoarded, floating in time between reality. Chunhua sits at the center at a simple writing desk in the middle of a black lake, embroidering an elaborate piece with leaves creating a fractal design. As Gavin approaches, the surface ices over with frost. There isn’t any formal seating, just stone formations. The Knight of Webs slowly looks up from her task, the hiss of the wind, squeezing through the space of an unseen thicket. The ancient dryad didn't bear a friendly soft, green tinged face or locks of mossy hair curling with flowers and leaves like Greek legend or fantasy art. Rather, she was severe and regal in a motionless, carved flesh with sprouting branches from her crown. "Good afternoon," she said mildly. Voices laced her flat affect—too quiet to hear their words, but undeniable creak and quake with the ancient boughs, heavy and saturated with secrets.
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Post by Gavin Graves on Jun 24, 2021 0:37:00 GMT -8
Gavin was grateful Callahan wasn't as instinctual as he was. It would not have been surprising for the man to have fired off whatever contract he'd lined up for the purpose of fending off a surprise guest. The likelihood of such a contract overwhelming Gavin with dread was much higher when running up against those of the Leaden Mirror. Such things have a penchant for seeping deep into the souls of Beasts, pinning the fight or flight instincts dichotomy heavily in favour of flight.
It wasn't long before that gratitude faded.
Sighting the horror of his own cast shadows on the trip down, the silhouette left him unsettled. The shapes didn't spook him as one might expect of someone walking alone in the relative dark in a space of such haunted splendor. They instead dredged up a primal attitude. His posture had shifted toward the predatory and his gaze cast into the dark. It was not out of concern for what was out there, but for a hint of what might linger out there available to catch.
Travelling further into the depths of the great tree where the books began to fill the space and break the evenness of surfaces, the shadow play gradually lost its hold on his psyche. The grasp of it slipped entirely once he was halfway across the the freezing lake.
Approaching the Knight in her space as it was he felt a bit like an unexpected guest coming for someone who generally doesn't like guests. As large as this space was, somehow there weren't accommodations for the presence of others. This place was suited to her alone. Even the usual pressure from Gavin's mantle seemed lost with the chill wind.
"Good afternoon," he replied in kind with a slightly more pleasant affect.
When Chunhua simply replied with a glance that said 'care to explain why you are here' before returning to her stitching, Gavin cleared his throat nervously. The torrent was about to begin.
"Right, sorry to disturb you, yeah. The situation we're trying to handle has a high probability of some lasting consequences for The Freehold." He settled pages of 'The Plan' along with the Wyrd's judgement on helpful items onto the raised stone surface nearest the Knight for her to peruse as he continue his explanation.
"The short of it is Summer asked for some help finding who and what caused a human to explode like she was somehow becoming a variety of plants and fungus. After a bit of investigating I determined it was caused by an engineered Goblin Fruit that opened a conduit to the Hedge in support of someone performing a ritual meant to fulfill a Spring obligation to the Sentinels. The Ritual clearly required human sacrifice in contravention of the Antler Crown's dictates. Whoever was doing the sacrifice botched the job bad. It was corrupted by death somehow and it failed to fulfill the ritual."
"The Bodhisattvas were prepping a list of targeted humans by finding them or bringing them to rock bottom and then actualizing their potential for positive change before harvesting them somehow after feeding them one of those special Goblin Fruits. We identified the remainder of the potential sacrifices and Summer has people guarding them all. The ritualists have no access anymore and will not complete it." His expression betrayed that he wasn't too broken up by the lack of human sacrifice.
"Since Callahan is pretty much the only specialist capable of engineering the fruit involved--it didn't seem to matter that I didn't mention his name. He's being talked to right now by Eis. Supposedly Summer is going to give him a pass if he helps save the other humans that ate the fruits and names the ritualist."
"Those are the parts that are already in motion. The others courts didn't show any concern about the gap in the Spring Ritual schedule that was quickly becoming inevitable. So I sought Eis' help in finding a substitute using Mastermind's Gambit to guide our path with a plan," Gavin gestured toward the items on the stone platform. "I had assumed you'd be our best shot for help since we were already headed this way. It spazzed out in a way unlike anything else I've encountered."
"The Wyrd is rather unforgiving and offered a gun to give myself an 'early retirement.' So that isn't happening and no other option was given that could be done in the time we have left. The reason I am bothering you anyway is because you might have some calls to make to manage some things ahead of the consequences landing AND what I recorded The Plan writing out as possible solutions before it scratched them out." Gavin remembered that it was unwise to use technology in the Hedge right before he hit the button, and chuckled at the mistake he almost made. "I'll show you that later if you like."
"It said to immediately leave the Skein, venture deep into the dream and fight 'gibberish name here'--that is about 6 characters long and starts with 'S.' Then text wove itself between the lettering of the command to fight whatever: FIND LAMASSU AND SOLVE THE HUNGER."
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Post by Krakenbox on Jun 24, 2021 13:29:53 GMT -8
Maybe it was because she didn't expect a Razorhand to manifest and launch into a rant, but Gavin immediately noted that the dryad was a hard read. She listened silently to the details on the Summer investigation and conspiracy with the Spring Entitlement, with a slow blink as the younger Beast declared that the Rite would fail.
"A pass," she repeated, cool and void of any telltale emotion, nor did she offer an opinion on the other courtiers having a lack of concern in the Rite's fulfillment. Maybe she was used to such things?
Wheels were turning as her gaze swept to the destroyed note, the rest of her body not having moved since Gavin started talking. "The former Spring Monarch is deceased. You would be looking for a corpse, or an echo."
Blink.
"Do you have an autopsy and toxicology report for my squire to work with?"
Her attention roved back to Gavin, "Your diligence in this investigation is appreciated. It was good of you to bring this to attention." The compliment seemed earnest at least, reflecting inward like she was already preparing. He had provided time.
"Summer's Wards failing this year would spell disaster, according to the whispers. The Verdant court will have to manage the consequence of their Queen rejecting old agreements. The Vermillion Queen will either drop the precedent set by her ally, or take up an old Rite to course correct. If the former applies, the Ashen Hunt will have to make up for it. Thank you, Graves."
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Post by Gavin Graves on Jun 24, 2021 16:25:13 GMT -8
As he had been delivering his report, Gavin was paying attention. This material was bound to be of significance to Chunhua. A critical ritual failing. Her Squire was implicated. An apparent conspiracy between Spring and Autumn involving human sacrifice exposed. An alien plan from the Wyrd to fix the failings. None of those things were low impact.
As tough as this woman was to read at the best of times, Gavin was certain he'd got a bead on her this time. He trusted his instincts. She had just showed the emotional depth of a spider. Knight of Webs indeed.
Gavin made no effort to interpret the politics for her. Even if she wasn't the eminent expert on the subject within the court, very little Gavin could say would have helped. At best he might have guessed that perhaps Kai was simply fishing for what amounted to a confession from Callahan since all the direct evidence had been burned by Loki.
"Not sure if this hurts or helps, probably a mixed bag, but Loki cooked off a firestorm--the girl, she was somehow still alive as a Jackson Pollock and he wouldn't give me another five minutes. So there's no physical evidence or analysis of it to present or follow up on. There was only my best supposition of what was going on based on the minimal time I was allotted before they euthanized her, and the building. I could describe what I found to Callahan on demand. There was also what Lucas identified as a death energy layered in. That part seemed out of place to me. Perhaps that expertise would be available too."
When Chunhua began tracing the weight of this failed ritual and the potential path to follow, Gavin listened intently and did nothing to distract her from talking lest he might remind her of his presence and stop. This was useful information. When she thanked him, it had occurred to him that this revelation might have been a reward for showing diligent consideration of consequences. It was also possible she was trying to convince him to take up the cause of ensuring the Summer rites went off well. Knowing Autumn, they'd be picking up any slack the other seasons left behind in spectacular fashion. They were likely already going to be picking up after Spring as it is. It was a concerning equation when he added Summer's burden to it. Spring's bill was already three or four innocents. The scale of the addition and the probable carried interest on the debt were both concerning.
"Would solving this lingering Lamassu thing help with the ritual burden, or was that usefulness tied up with the season? Ah, or perhaps it might help with next year for Spring. They'd need a ritual the Queen could stomach in place of the old," he studied the Nymph's face hoping for a betrayed insight.
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Post by Chunhua on Jun 24, 2021 18:01:41 GMT -8
As he relayed that the Torrent had burnt any frame of reference for the scientist to work with, Chunhua clicked her tongue.
"Then I suppose mister Callahan will do what he can."
It may have been a little disappointing to witness a lack of frustration or alarm at the idea of her Squire being on the chopping block for assisting in undermining the ascended Queen's Law, but she didn't seem chuffed of the potential inconvenience.
"At this time, I would delay any diving into the Skein, mister Graves," she said plainly. The Freehold's Sovereigns hadn't given the green light on explaining as to why just yet, however...
As Chunhua stood, her mien became more distinct, limbs stretched and towering with her approach. "You seem quite devoted to ensuring the safety of your community, mister Graves. I would divulge to you as to why there is a delay if you Promise to keep it to yourself until Summer, with the understanding that the monarchy and their knighthood are creating a response plan that will not cause unnecessary deaths...like we saw with the Revenant Crisis."
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Post by Gavin Graves on Jun 24, 2021 19:13:57 GMT -8
He didn't like the implication of Callahan missing out on critical support that would have helped him to save the people the investigators were all trying to save. Even though it proved Gavin was right to try and get more from the initial site, he was struck with a feeling of failure. He should have tried harder to convince the others. He could have euthanized her himself in a manner that would have preserved the evidence. It had entered his mind to do so. He balked at what it might have woken within. It bloomed fear it would rattle his grip on reality. Now he could only try to help Callahan fix things now. With the new perspective, he felt the weight of impending tragedy. Keeping the turmoil to himself as best he could, he redirected his attention to Chunhua's guidance.
Gavin had been trying to position how the Lamassu journey might fit into the grander puzzle. It wasn't in his mind to go on a mad run into the dream of a dead monarch. At least not without learning some things first. It wasn't entirely off the table though if he was being completely honest with himself.
"Right, I can kick that can down the road a bit for the reason why. Seems fair." It was interesting to him that this wasn't the first portent for this task. He was also glad of the fact there was already machinery in motion to address it and the forming plan included avoiding unnecessary deaths.
"I Promise to keep the reasons you give for the Monarchs and Knights collectively delaying going after whatever remains of Lamassu to myself until this Summer." He had taken a moment to precisely paraphrase the particulars of what she was asking for in the form of a Promise. He'd had recent practice, so it didn't come out clumsy. It was formed of language that was more careful than his usual fare. He found shaping promises that way helped them to stand out in his mind. The Wyrd may remind with a buzzing sensation in the moment of walking too close to the promise's edge, but he wanted to remember when he was planning.
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