The Lotus Blossoms!

[pfm1995]

If they were going to be talking in another language, at least they were talking politics. Tuoni had spent enough time with the circle to realize all of that was important, but the subject was still both enigma and anathema to him. Dancing the dance of threatening without upsetting, or leading without following... it made his head hurt. More than that, it made him miss his wife - she'd always been the one to speak, to know what to say and how to say it. Gentle? Not so much, but being out here in the world instead of sequestered away in a village was giving him a whole new appreciation for her skills.

He sighed. He really did need to send a letter, before they left. He'd meant to in Champoor, but events had overtaken him and he'd never finished it. Never even started it, really. How in Creation to explain what had happened since he'd left? And what would they think?

Thoughts like that kept him awake at night.

[Ascension]

Brown Leaf:

Brown Leaf's distraction interrupts Jasara before she gives her impressions of Faka Kun... and of the dearly departed Kidale... but on some unconscious level she's grateful for the diversion.

"Yes, you've given me an excellent base to work from, and sorcery should be capable of finalizing the repairs. Thank you. As to Nasir..."

She screws up her face in thought.

"He wanted us out there, acting, not... cowering in my tower or hiding amidst Faka Kun's circus, ever afraid of the Wyld Hunt. He told us that it's the Realm's time to fall, and our time to rise. He made us feel strong, made us feel like our dreams were just within our reach..."

She reaches out and affectionately caresses the spine of an ancient book.

"Maybe that's why I wasn't so eager to hear what he had to say. I already have the stuff of dreams right here. But the others needed more, in one way or another."

For a moment, an awful sadness surfaces on Jasara's face.

"If you do find them... my friends, I mean, not Nasir, tell them..."

She looks directly into Brown Leaf's eyes.

"Tell them that what we had before Nasir, tell them that was enough. Tell them... I just want my family back."

Slang:

"That Dereth who was hanging around them? I didn't like the look of him; I'm not surprised someone's hunting a man like that. But unless you're about to tell me he's a demon cultist, that doesn't have anything to do with my work."

She looks past Slang, her mind already moving on from them.

"So if you can get out of Chiaroscuro without doing any more damage than you've already done, I won't stand in your way."

Wic and Tuoni:

There is genuine fear in Drogath's eyes by the time Wic finishes.

"Fine, fine... you're not wrong, it's a delicate situation. But it's not irrecoverable, is it?"

The question has a note of pleading, but within a moment the wheels in the Dynast's mind are turning.

"We might even profit from it, if the Delzahn's fears and the new Tri-Khan's weakness could be leveraged to bring them closer to us. A satrap's authority might be just what the city needs to bring order, eh?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Sorry to have moved this beyond Tuoni's linguistic comprehension, pfm, but for what it's worth I did really enjoy hearing about his homesickness. We'll try to wrap this up or move it back into Old Realm shortly.

[Sticks]

Brown Leaf met Jasara's gaze, and in that moment felt the spark of a kindred spirit.

"Don't worry none, I'll send 'em back to ya, an give Nasir the beatin' he's got comin'."

Realizing she'd interrupted before, Leaf went back to sorting the books for an appropriately long pause, then spoke up.

"I had a family once. Lots'a brothers an' sisters. One dad, well, kinda. He left when I was 'bout fourteen, dunno why. We was here, actually, when he got the message that he had t' go. He never said he'd be gone forever, jes that he was needed on the Isle. After that, started losin' folks. Fightin' spirits, bandits, stuff like that. Kinda got used to sayin' the prayers an' sayin' goodbye...You mentioned them before, Faka Kun and Kidale. I know Kidale is gone, an I hate t' press you if'n you're not ready...but if there's anything you kin' tell me about 'em that'd make findin' Nasir simpler, I'd be much obliged." She finished with a sad smile. She wanted to help this young woman, who's grief was so raw. What else was a monk to do?

[Malozing]

Slang shook their head.

"So you gripe about people dealing with trouble, but you won't help unless it's demon related?"

"Well, I can't promise we won't cause any more trouble before we leave. I have no more control over my friends than you do over me, but I can try to have everyone keep a lower profile."

The Captain chuckled and looked in the direction of the villa.

"Though, everyone seems to be a good job of that today. Well, I best be off. I do have some work to do. Nice meeting you, Harmonious Jade."

The Tya gave the other Solar a cocky salute as they meandered back towards the stall that might take an interest in the butterflies.

[Inspector Valin]

Wirric isn't here to reassure Drogath. Neither is Forivas. The stranger's gaze is steely as he shakes his head, speaking with the candor of a distant observer theorizing through his play. "That's not a gamble I'd care to take. I'd be happy to avoid a revolt and keep our old agreements intact. Give the man a few little victories, the appearance of strength. Let the Delzhan think of themselves as our allies, and the everyday people won't care about just how much tribute the Tri Khan pays us."

He glances at Tuoni with a frown. They should leave it there. Wic coughs before slipping back into Old Realm, "But I'm not here to offer political advice, cos. I... have a request, if you'll humor me." With a flourish, Wic withdraws a weighty looking block of red jade from his case, placing it reverently down upon the table before Drogath. The blond haired sorcerer looks up at his Cathak friend. They both can recognize an Auspicious Secret Seal, and what use it can be put to. It's a way to keep correspondance truly secret, one used habitually by courtiers.

Forivas coughs, actually looking reserved as the conversation grows delicate. "Tuoni and I will soon be off on the hunt once again. If anything else... unusual occurs while I'm gone, would you mind sending word my way? I'll endeavor to do likewise, if our investigations turn up evidence the Anathema are heading back to Chairoscuro." Wic leans back in his chair, breathing out slowly. His gaze turns to the seal for a second before turning back to Drogath with a smile, "In times like these, good friends are worth more than jade, if you ask me."

Spoiler

Show

Forestalling the obvious issue, Wic will send word to Drogath off-screen once we've decided where we're going. Persuade Action to convince Drogath to become Wic's informant: an Inconvenient task that the new Major Intimacy should justify
(17d10)[3][9][2][7][8][1][8][8][2][2][2][1][1][7][3][10][4](78) +1 sux: Presence + Charisma + Stunt + TDS + HPM + IDT 2m with Never Be Afraid to Meddle for 3 extra dice and an autosux

[pfm1995]

Tuoni's chin jerks up in surprise as Wic takes out the heavy jade paperweight. He wanted to keep in touch with this... monkey? He burned half of his last teammates alive!

[Ascension]

Wic and Tuoni:

Drogath certainly knows what an Auspicious Secret Seal is, but this is the first time anyone has trusted him with one. He reaches out to take it.

"I mayest send thee word through sorcery, as well," he assures Forivas, once again employing his stilted Old Realm. "Art thou familiar with that art? Messages fly most swiftly that way, and are delivered without fail. But either way, I wilt remain in thy confidence, friend."

Brown Leaf (Part 1):

"Faka Kun and the other Djala headed into the desert to the south. She didn't tell me where they were going, exactly. For their protection. They've suffered so much at the hands of humanity. But I wouldn't be surprised if Nasir knows... if you could get it out of him. Kidale..."

Jasara sighs, and bitterly concludes, "Kidale's memory is just the chain binding Demetheus to Nasir's side, now."

She pulls a mallet and woodcarving chisel from her tool belt and turns to the fine detailing on the bookcases.

"Your friends should be getting back soon, though, and we want to get as much done as we can before you see your... Kelam again, don't we?"

With a faintly teasing smile, she turns back to the work, and she's said all she's ready to say about her circle at this time.

Slang (Part 1):

The city-dwelling Delzahn have developed a lively haggling culture, and it has spread to their subject peoples, so Slang's remaining business transactions are a somewhat trying experience, but they come through it well enough to set Brown Leaf's plan in motion.

Brown Leaf and Slang:

Since the makers of tiles and nails cannot be trusted with the location of Jasara's crystal tower, Brown Leaf ends up with an inconvenient amount of hauling to do as the day wears on, but Kelam maintains a faint smile throughout as she watches her... yes, girlfriend... at her labors.

The afternoon is sliding toward evening by the time the repairs are... well, if not done, at least as done as they'll be before Jasara provides the finishing touches, but it isn't quite time for the Circle to reassemble at the Remora yet.

As Leaf steps outside the tower, Kelam is waiting for her, and, for the first time since Leaf met her, she's not wearing her armor. She is clothed instead in a white kimono, after the style used in Shogunate-era funerals, tied with an obi in her usual midnight blue, the Mourning Blade still standing sentinel at her side.

"The woman who made this knew you, I think. She gave me a good price."

She glances away to hide an embarrassed smile.

"I told her the deceased was about my height."

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Okay, it looks like we're wrapping up? Sticks and I are going to try to run Kelam and Brown Leaf's 'date' in text chat and post that a little later, but other than that, we're basically down to the nighttime debrief (which we're all planning to run in Discord). And then, onward!

[Ascension]

Brown Leaf and Kelam's Date Night Evening:

Spoiler

Show

Brown Leaf gaped. She couldn't help it. Damn, that old tailor knew what she was doing with complimenting shades of blue. "You look...wow...I..."

She became very self-conscious of her own sweat-stains, as well as the sash she had left back on the ship.

"You look great."

A blush already colored Kelam's cheeks, just from her first sight of Leaf, but at that, she reddened further.

"Thank you. Slang said we ought to, ah... treat ourselves."

She fidgeted awkwardly with the hilt of her sword. She hadn't really succeeded at putting together much of a plan past 'try dressing nicely for once.'

Internally, Brown Leaf made a note to add 'generous' to the captain's list of merits.

"Right, well, um..."

Brown Leaf pulled slightly at the back-band of her top, mentally tracing the arc of a bead of sweat freed by her fidgeting. It worked its way down the small of her back, and was absorbed by the fine black cloth of her leggings. The seconds ticked by.

"Wanna get some food!?"

She blurted it out louder than she had intended, but it was all she could think to say.

"Food!" Kelam exclaimed in agreement, also over-loud. "Right! That's a thing... people do. And we've been mostly on fish and rations lately, yes. Good. Food."

"Right, yea, um...let's go more inta th' city. I 'spect they got stuff in there, an all. I don't reckon this area's got much fer a...a...fer us walkin' around here like we are."

For some reason, certain words eluded Leaf's tongue.

"Hmm..." Kelam furrowed her brow, taking Brown Leaf's phrasing too seriously. "For walking around, I'm not sure how many street food stalls will still be open at this hour, but we might be able to find something. Although I wouldn't count on a decent pork bun."

"I like pork buns! Er, I guess, I probably will, if you do." Leaf quickly crossed the courtyard and took Kelam's hand, the one opposite from her sword-hilt. "I mean, look at us, yer jes...jes beautiful an...well, I kin clean up. Should we find someplace where I kin do that? Yea, let's look fer somethin' like that...an' a pork bun!"

She began walking with patently false surety.

Kelam gave a little "Oh!" of surprise as Leaf took her hand, but after a moment she relaxed into the monk's grip, relishing the feel of the work-hardened calluses she'd come to identify with the feeling of... Brown Leaf. She glanced sidelong at Leaf as they walked, and after a moment, she said, "You're, ah... you're beautiful too you know."

She looked away, flushed even more crimson than before, but went on, "Just like this, I mean. It... it suits you."

It was Chiaroscuro in the evening, the sun was still shedding soft orange light over the rooftops of the city. The clouds that scudded lazily over the inland sea were awash with pinks and blues as light and shadow danced in the heat that rose from the shore. It was hot, plain and simple, but in that moment, Brown Leaf was sure that Heiesh himself had sent a column of fire from the heavens especially for her. Her face flushed dark, and with all her might she willed her palms to not sweat.

"Heh, you know...thanks chéri." She stopped in the shadow of a closed market stall, clapped a hand to her face and laughed. "Dragons, look at me. I'm scared outta my mind an' I couldn't even tell ya why!"

She gave Kelam a full smile, and found she couldn't stop.

"Yer right. Okay, I think I really could use some food. I dunno nothin' about what makes a decent pork-bun. I grew up eatin' millet an' greens. You gotta teach me what makes good food y' eat with yer lady out on the town."

"Don't be scared!" Kelam urged, her own eyes wide and a little wild. "B-but pork buns, yes. I... haven't had one that tasted right since I left Wu-Jian, honestly."

Kelam was entirely oblivious to the fact that that was because Wu-Jian pork buns were considered legendarily awful by essentially everyone who hadn't grown up eating them.

"We'll find something good, though," she assured both Brown Leaf and herself. "It's a big city, and they have to eat."

Leaf looked around as they entered the busier streets. Here there were lit oil-lamps, their wicks shedding bright light and tiny columns of black smoke, illuminating the people passing below. She noticed a few stares and, experiencing self-conciousness for practically the first time in her life, wanted very much to be somewhere more private.

"What about this place?" She pointed at a well-lit storefront with a wide awning. Most customers seemed to be gathered at the counter, but she could see a few interior tables between people's elbows. With an upward glance at Kelam, she guessed that her partner could see over most of the street-patrons.

"The sign's in Flametongue... I hope someone speaks Low Realm. But..." Kelam went up on her toes to get high enough to see what everyone was eating. "The noodles look good, though."

"I kin read it an' translate if'n y' need. Noodles sound great!" At the mention of a specific and familiar food-item, Brown Leaf realized how hungry she was. She had been working on manse-repair continuously since mid-morning.

"Oh, right, I forgot you're closer to home here."

Kelam looked wistful for a moment at that, but brushed past it quickly. She stepped toward the counter, unintentionally clearing a space amidst the crowd through her uncanny presence. The cooking fires flared restlessly, and for a moment the shop seemed to smell more of incense than spice. The proprietor proved quite willing to move his strange guests to a table, comfortably away from the rest of his customers.

Completely unperturbed, Leaf sat, legs folded beneath her. This place smelled nice!

"Yea, though I get funny looks from city-folk mosta the time. T'aint my fault they done grew up different from me."

She smiled as a pot of tea was placed between them, along with two cups. Say what you would about the Realm, but the dissemination of matcha across creation was Sextes Jylis's greatest working. She poured Kelam's cup first, barely having to remember the old lessons on stillness and perfect poise. Thousand Grains had always liked his tea strong and hot, a trait he had passed to her.

"Would you like t' travel back there? Go out west? I've always wanted t' sea the great western ocean."

Kelam smiled at the thought, but then that smile froze on her lips and the joy drained out of her eyes. Yes, her home was out West, but so was the Bodhisattva. She carefully sipped her tea, relishing the distraction of its heat.

"It might not be the best idea," she said, delicately. "Ah, what about you? Do you miss your home?"

Brown Leaf had been pouring her own cup, but noted the subdued tone in Kelam's voice. Still, if she was not prepared to talk about her past, that was okay. They had time.

"Oh, all the time. Even with the temple empty, I knew everybody in the si...the five villages." She glanced out to the street where the sunlight was just vanishing. "Right now it's the right season fer lentils. We'd go out an' help 'em prepare the fields. Sifu made it inta trainin'. We'd have t' plow the fields with our bare hands, no more'n three of us t' an acre. By the time I was twelve, we could plow a whole village's land in a day. Sifu didn't like us makin' a competition outa it, but we did anyway."

She smiled over the lip of her cup, relishing the nostalgia.

"Think I lost two fingernails that year, Creek-Fall village had a lot of stones in their fields. After we finished the chief's wife brought us cold tea with honey, first time I tried it. They liked us in them villages. I ain't been back in two years, not since the stranger...damn...what was his name? Or her?"

Kelam winced slightly as Leaf described losing fingernails... and again as she recalled how she herself was nearly responsible for Leaf losing fingers... but on the whole Leaf's rural childhood sounds quaintly idyllic to a woman who grew up in one of Creation's most densly populated cities.
Leaf's forgetfulness made her frown, though.

"Curses... Ayesha told us we'd start forgetting. When we get back to the Remora, we should look at those prayer strips she enchanted to help us remember..." Kelam found herself struggling to recall the name, simply concluding, "...that man."

But before thoughts of their mission could intrude overmuch into the conversation, the laghman thankfully arrived, pulled noodles in a kind of soup with lamb and vegetables.

Brown Leaf's eyes widened. "I know we're 'sposed t' enjoy ourselves but...can we afford all this meat?"

Kelam double-checked the dwindling contents of the purse Slang left with her, and frowned. "This, yes, but not much else."

She picked at the sleeve of her kimono.

"Maybe I shouldn't have spent so much on this..."

"Hey, don't feel bad. You deserve somethin' nice. We both do. I guess..." she picked up a spoon and pressed at the juicy chunks of lamb "...I guess I'm jes a lil' intimidated. Meat was scarce an we couldn't have it anyway back home. Lotsa folk I met since can't afford it..."

She lifted a thick slice of meat dripping with sauce with her spoon. "But I guess meat ain't so 'spensive here in the metropole. So...let's enjoy!"

She proffered her spoon to Kelam, touched the utensils briefly in a mock-toast, and then took her first bite of cooked red meat.

"Do you like it?" Kelam asked a moment later, more concerned with Leaf's enjoyment than her own. She hoped it wasn't all too much for the formerly ascetic monk.

"It's...um...wow. It's a lot better cooked! Still chewy though..." Leaf was having to work hard, and wished she had taken a smaller bite, but enjoyed the experience nonetheless.

Kelam laughed at Leaf's description.

"I'm sorry, I'm not making fun!" she apologized. "That was just... cute."

Blushing again, she looked away, turning her attention to her own food.

Leaf found herself blushing as well, and so accepted a moment of uncharacteristic silence as they both enjoyed the meal. When the dishes were cleared away, she had an idea. "Say, if there's a chance we might be on the Remora for a while again, I wanna get somethin'. Think we kin find a book-binder or somethin' 'round here?"

"A book binder?" Kelam was surprised by the request, but she thought back to the time she spent in the marketplace earlier in the day. "Probably, yes. The markets have all sorts of things, and I think I know more or less where we should start looking."

She looked at Leaf more closely, curious. "What do you have in mind?"

"Honestly? I jes' reckon that we were at sea, or whatever y' call Ayesha had us sail through, fer a long time. I had my work with th' tree, we could chat with folks, we...heh, stole a quiet moment here or there..." Leaf's blush returned, but she soldiered on. "Anyway, I figure if we're in fer more of the same at some point, I'd like somethin' t' read. I ain't been able t' get lost in a scroll or a play since I left the temple library, an I knew mosta that by heart anyway. If you find somethin' you like in flametongue I'd..."

The blush deepened.

"I'd like t' read it t'you. Jes...spend more time t'gether. Y'know?"

Kelam's eyes widened a fraction, and she looked at Leaf with new appreciation. She loved the ex-monk's rustic charm and simple goodness, but this was a reminder that simple doesn't equate to simplistic.

"Th-that sounds really nice," she stammered.

It took some doing, but Leaf and Kelam found a book-seller that was willing to stay open for two last-minute customers. After extensive browsing and an impromptu lesson in basic Flametongue, Leaf found a lengthy scroll of poetry by a renowned Tepet scribe of the early Realm. Kelam quickly selected a short historical work in Low Realm, and a flametongue play the proprietor recommended. The sun was long-past set when they set out hand-in-hand for the Remora.

Kelam stopped short right before the couple would've cleared the last alleyway before the waterfront, bringing Leaf to a halt just out of sight of the Remora. It wouldn't be accurate to call the street 'private,' but it was their last chance at something like solitude before entering close shipboard quarters again, and before being caught up in the serious business of the hunt for the Hortatum again. It was their last chance of the evening to just be together, and nothing more.

Kelam hugged Leaf tightly to her, kissing the shorter woman's scalp and relishing the heady scent of her hard-won sweat.

"Thank you," she said, wholeheartedly, filling the words to bursting with her affection. "You don't know how much this... how much you... mean to me. Thank you so much for..."

She thought back to Leaf's words earlier in the day, and she clung to them, affirmed them herself.

"...for being my girlfriend."

"You...aw, c'mere." Brown Leaf pulled Kelam down for a kiss and held her there for a long while. When it ended, she stared into Kelam's eyes with a passion that was new to her, but exceedingly welcome. "Thank you, for acceptin' me. An...an fer bein' my girlfriend. I love you Kelam. An' I ain't loved nobody like this 'afore."

Her heart pounded, she was sure Kelam could feel it, close as they were.

Kelam's own racing pulse mirrored Leaf's excitement.

"I love you too, Leaf. Always."

[Ascension]

The Planning Session:

Night falls outside, but the mess of the Remora is bright with lamp-light. The ship's circle of Exalts... strangely diminished, still, with Ivory Knife gone... gathers around the long table.

Kelam hangs back from the group, standing by the doorway like a sentinel, her cheeks still faintly flushed from the recent memory of her evening spent with Brown Leaf.

Wirric looks absent, tapping his ring and forefinger upon the table. He's left a pen by his side, and a piece of paper on the table before him, but makes no move to use either for the moment.

Tuoni sits in the corner again, feet up on the porthole and a sheet of papyrus, covered in crossed-out words and scribbles, balanced on his leg. He has a pen as well, ink dripping from the nib onto the floor as he tries haltingly to put thought to paper.

Brown Leaf is lounging on one of the uneven stools. She makes a mental note to even out the legs of her perch when she has time, wishing she and Kelam had arrived early enough to snag a bench together...but still glad of the time spent together in the shadows. A flush crosses her face as she remembers those recent moments, but she puts it out of her mind.

Slang gives Brown Leaf and Kelam a knowing grin, before leaning close to Wic.

"You know you still owe Jasara an apology even. Sending us over to help patch up the tower isn't really one," they whispered.

Wic's shoulders tense and his face reddens. He looks like he wants to say something to Slang, but no words come to the sorcerer.

"It's a good start though."

That seems to be enough to allow Wic to breath again. He takes a second before nodding to the good Captain. "Th-thank you. And yes, I know I need to do more."

Brown Leaf cast a glance at the sorcerer and the captain. Gonna need to thank both of them later, for various opportunities undertaken today. For now though...

He sighs, looking across the table at the candleflames. The Whitewallers chuckles "For once I manage to do something positive, and it still hurts an innocent. I still have a way to go if I'm going to prove worthy of the Sun."

Tuoni grunts non-committedly

"Then let's start with what we kin' do 'bout our current mission, right?"

"Quite!" Wic knocks his hand upon the table, glancing across the circle before beginning to speak
"The Hortatum is somewhere in the South. Our foe has a month's lead on us, and the cooperation of the rest of Jasara's circle. What else do we know?"

Brown Leaf leans forward and puts a hand on the table. "We got a rough picture'a where they all gone. Jasara tol' me one, Wind went back east t' Harborhead. We also know her friend Faka Kun went inta th' desert wit' her folk, lotta escaped Djala slaves."

"I don't know that we even know that much." Tuoni says, setting aside his letter for the moment. "Are we assuming that this Nasir is the Hortatum? Because, as I mentioned earlier, I feel that is almost too exact a match."

"That's why I'm thinkin' we should follow up wit' Wind or Faka Kun firs'. They might be able t' tell us more."

Slang adds, "Another Chosen that I met, knew of Nasir, but didn't have much to say. Didn't like the look of them."

Wic's gaze is on Tuoni, "What do you mean by that?"

"Y' met ANOTHER 'nathema in the city!?" Brown Leaf's incredulity was stimied by the conversation between Wic and Tuoni.

"Nasir was the figure manipulating the circle that Ayesha described as the Hortatum's likely target. He 'foretold' the death of the Tri-khan. If he is not the Hortatum, what is he?"

"Another chosen?" Tuoni asks sharply. "This city is full of them."

He turns to Wic. "We're asked to seek one of the Maiden's chosen, who may apparently take shapes like I would tell stories, and find a Varangian astronomer skilled in the martial arts and manipulating a Circle to his own ends and the harm of the realm. So why, if this is meant to be so difficult that his fellow Sidereals need help, does it seem so obvious?"

Slang nodded, "She apparently doesn't like others making too much noise around here. She gave me the same warning she gave to Jasara's circle."

"An' that was?" Leaf directed the question to the Captain.

"I don't know. But... do you remember the writings Ayesha gave us?" Tuoni asked Wirric

Wic nods to Tuoni, glancing between him, Slang and Leaf.

Slang's hand slipped into a pouch and pulled out the slips of paper Ayesha gave them for safe-keeping.

"She said... if I am remembering right, she said that they were necessary to help us remember." Tuoni's voice is almost limping, as he tries to sort things out in his head. "That, without them, we'd soon forget the her, the Hortatum, and our mission. So why is it that everyone we have spoken to remembers Nasir with perfect clarity?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Would that even matter? Are they remembered when they are not themselves? I don't know. But this feels like a victory we haven't earned."

"Jade said we should leave before we cause any more damage."

"Heh, before we break anythin' anybody would notice, y'mean."

Tuoni looks askance at Kelam. "It may be a little late for that."

Wic raises an eyebrow at Slang's recounting of Jade's warning. "You and I stopped an Abyssal attack. This 'Jade' seems less than a gracious host."

Leaf sighs "Still, I reckon she's right. Chiaroscuro ain't holdin' what we're lookin' for, but it's got enemies aplenty."

Kelam's brows knit in response to Tuoni's implication, but she does raise her voice to address the other topic under discussion.
"Some see it as an advantage to leave a calling card; to let their pursuers know who they're dealing with. A warning, or a threat."

Slang shrugged, "It seems like she doesn't want too much attention so she can hunt in peace. I don't like her leaving so much untouched here."

To Kelam's point, they added, "Also if he wants to try and call on them again, it would be more time consuming to remind them of everything he needs them to remember."

Wic hums, nodding to Kelam and Slang before looking back to Tuoni. "In terms of investigation, we have been lucky in that we were able to interview members of the Circle. If Kidale's ghost had moved on, or Jasara had left the city, we would be entirely out of leads."

"Not entirely." Leaf looks to the others. "Tenepeshu showed up outta nowhere. I 'spect she's connected."

Tuoni lets out a startled cough at that. "What?"

"Tenepeshu was here?" Kelam asks. She glances toward Tuoni, eyes questioning.

Wic is silent and looks pale.

Slang tensed.

"Yea, she dropped by the Villa las' night while Knife an' I were there. She threatened Cinnamon. Dunno why. Considerin' she had t' lie like an antelope whats seen the business end'a a lion's paw after Wic an' me went a round with her, she didn't seem too interested in us. Jes' Cinnamon. Called her out on bein' a 'nathema. Was bendin' over backwards t' not start nothin' with Knife. I reckon that's why Knife's stayin'. We got dirt on her, but she 'kin make life hell fer us if'n she wants to. Guess Knife figures if she's 'round 't keep the ol' worm guessin, we won't have t' keep lookin o'er our shoulders."

Slang tilted their head to the side in confusion. "Why target just Cinnamon? She knows who we are, and could have the Hunt on us in no time with us separated at the time."

"...oh." The shaman said softly. Absentmindedly, he reached up to scratch the back of his head and reflexively, childishly, looked around the room trying to find something else to focus on. Damn you, Gythuum.

"Did she hurt anyone?"

"No, but not fer lack'a tryin. She wanted t' get Cinnamon killed on the spot, but Knife finagled some kinda long drawn-out procedural Wyld Hunt crap an' slowed that t' nothin'. After that, Tenepeshu's priorities changed."

"Where is Cinnamon now?" Tuoni asked.

Wirric is breathing deeply. At the confirmation Cinnamon wasn't hurt, the sorcerer sighs in relief. He glances towards the window, muttering half to himself "I gave her money to get out of here. The Sept didn't deserve that."

"With Knife. She's still gotta be tried or somethin', but seein' as she ain't a 'nathema, she'll be released 'ventually. Until then, she's under Knife's care."

"No." Tuoni snapped. "They deserved everything they had and more."

Wirric doesn't turn around.

"....What's goin' on here?"

"Tuoni is pronouncing judgement. As before."

Slang bites their tongue, waiting for more information before jumping to conclusions.

"As I should be." Tuoni's voice grated, and he spoke directly to Wirric. "The rest of them, they weren't there in Champoor. They didn't see the results of her work! Men and women being choked to death by their own prayers vomiting black out of their mouths, while I sat and watched!" He was half standing now, surging out of his chair. "She is an assassin, a devotee of a god more vile than almost any I've ever met, and she deserves to be where she is now. She deserves worse. And if it weren't for that dragon's insufferable pride..." and here he quiets, and pales around the neck.

Kelam closes her eyes, takes a breath, steeling herself.

"I probably have more blood on my hands than any of them," she says, voice quiet but hard. "And more than anyone else in this room. You know that, right?"

"Don't matter none!" Brown Leaf is on her feet now. "I shed my share'a blood an' then some, before the Sun chose me an' after. What matters is what yer doin' now."

She looked at Tuoni and wished she could meet his eyes behind that mask.

"She was a tool, an' tools don't get t' choose what they're used on. Since she left, she's had a chance t' be a person again."

"I know what I see. From you I've seen life, and regret. From her I saw death. Again and again and again, with both Gythuum and I left helpless by their side." He's not being perfectly factual here - he was there, but Gythuum... helpless or uncaring, it was hard to tell. For Tuoni, though, it was unthinkable that gods would leave their followers in the lurch so. In the North, they relied on each other, lived and thrived together where each would die apart. It was their way.

"And do you see better from me?"

"Had she done anything to make you think she had turned a new leaf? Or was there just a new hand holding the knife?" Tuoni remembered his fight with Ivory Knife, and the poison that had coursed through his veins and the sudden sourness of his memories atop the Remora's mast

"On occasion." He relented unhappily. "Even if your reasoning makes no sense."

"I could almost say the same." Wirric sighs, finally turning around to meet Tuoni's gaze. "There's a strange quality to this."

The sorcerer takes a breath.

"For the tenday or so Tenepeshu's contest ran, I was at my worst. I can not recall being at quite such an emotional pitch ever before. I was acting on instinct and feeling rather than logic and reflection, and it showed."

The sorcerer hangs his head for a second, recalling the look of contempt on the Fire Aspect's face. The cry when he'd... begun his work, damn his wretched soul to the void.

"The contest was a mistake. The deaths were a mistake. People died who didn't need to, and the responsibility for that falls to me.

"And yet."

The Whitewaller looks up, meeting Tuoni's gaze. "Listening to you, any guilt in my heart fades away. All I can think about is the man you offered up to the Wyrm as a housewarming gift. The man that was in our custody! Under our protection! The man who is probably still rotting in some dark Champoori cell."

The shaman doesn't challenge Wirric's assumptions - it's what he's been thinking, even if he hasn't said it out loud. "The man who tried to kill us, and would have tried to kill us again given half the chance. You'd prefer I'd, what, have thrown him over the side?"

"The blind man!" Wirric almost screams at that, fist clenched as he rises from his seat

Brown Leaf crosses over to Wic and puts a firm hand on his shoulder.

Wic takes a deep breath after that, calming a little. He still glares at Tuoni. "When you take a life under your care, whoever it might be, you have a duty to protect them. To see them to safety."

"So, I am hearing Tuoni was blaming the easiest targets. That contest needs at least two willing parties. Either of you could have stopped it. Why didn't you stop it before the deaths, Tuoni? Wic wasn't in his best state of mind from his account. Did you really have something to prove in that contest?"

Kelam looks at Wic with an appraising eye. "Why did you save that Dragon-Blood?" she asks.

"I was not the first to accept." Tuoni muttered grimly, though in truth he had no good reason as to why. "Tenepeshu challenged, and I..." insulting me at every turn, embarrassing me before the court... "...I was not the first to accept. And I was not the first to kill."

"Still why accept? You still need two to gamble," Slang ground their teeth. Unsatisfied by the shaman's answer.

Brown Leaf squinted at Tuoni. Something was not adding up. Was he holding something back?

"Because he'd rather bring a dragonblooded, a fire aspect aboard this ship than kill him a minute after the battle was over? Because he'd rather risk my life, all our lives to salve his conscious?" He snorted. "Because he called me Haltan. That owed a response."

Wic can't muster a response to Kelam quickly, and the conversation with Tuoni diverts his attention back to the Linowan in short order

"As I recall, we had the Fire Aspect off the ship within minutes of him regaining consciousness. I had everything in hand for dealing with him safely and humanely"

"A blind, restrained prisoner who he took off the ship with you." Slang looked confused at the term. "I don't know what Haltan means..."

The sorcerer looks away as he recalls how things actually played out. To hell with him: why couldn't he have just followed that plan through?!

At Slang's words, Wic chimes in "Halta is the nation in the east that have been engaged in a blood war with Tuoni's people for time immemorial. I know little about them, but one story I heard repeated is that they offer captured prisoners as sacrifices to their fae allies."

The explanation given, Wic turns to Tuoni, though he refrains from further comment.

"...like what Harnapuul did?" Leaf looks inquisitively at Tuoni. She remembered his reaction to Ivory Knife's killing of the Solar King. How did that gel with those feelings he was trying to hide behind the mask?

"And what Tuoni did. As far as I'm concerned, anyway"

"Aw fer...!" Brown Leaf turns on Wic "Kin you not!? Seriously, you jes' keep fightin' like two badgers in a trap built fer one."

"Yes. And worse. And do not dare to compare me to them." His voice drips, and a weak heartbeat absent a chest echoes through the room. "An exchange of a prisoner, to an ally of the realm no less, is not the rape of mind that the fey do to their prisoners. Or the Guild, for that matter."

Wic does stop at Brown Leaf's prompt. But he gives her a side eye. "Is he seriously saying I should've trusted Tenepeshu's mercy?"

Tuoni whirled on Brown Leaf. "You ask where Tenepeshu came from? Cinnamon was owed an accounting, and Gythuum - our ally - was owed vengeance. That he chose to send Tenepeshu is..." He swallows. "Is not my fault."

It takes a second for that one to register with Wic.

"Paisap gimmie patience..." Brown Leaf released Wic's shoulder and strode to the end of the table, closer to Kelam and opposite Slang. "If'n you two are jes' gonna keep chewin' the same ol' cud, we might as well tear up Ayesha's papers now an' be done wit' it. I heard what y' said 'bout Kidale. That circle were torn apart by old fights an' raw wounds what they couldn't stop pickin' at. Gythuum weren't nobody's ally, Tuoni, he was a selfish prig out fer hisself, happy t' drown whoever fell inta his clutches. Same as all the gods in Champoor.

"Wait..."

When it does, the sorcerer turns and kicks the chair behind him, sending his firecane spinning to his hand

"You.... told them?"

He hasn't leveled Lusus at Tuoni. But he's glaring daggers at the shaman, and his caste mark is glowing gold upon his brow

"I sailed us out of there to get us to safety, and you told them where we set anchor?!" Slang exclaimed.

"I told Gythuum where he could find the assassin that killed his high priest, that killed the men I led and had escaped any kind of justice. I did not know he would tell Tenepeshu!"

Kelam steps forward, hand tense on the hilt of the Mourning Blade and eyes fixed on Wirric, who looks readier to strike.

Wirric breaths deeply. "You did not know that he would tell a senior divinity, that he had a long standing compact with, where her enemies could be found?"

Wic notices Kelam's motion. He raises an eyebrow, but offers no further comment. He has not moved since retrieving his weapon.

"Stop," the Abyssal implores, "both of you, stop and take a breath. You've wronged each other..."

She sends Tuoni a warning glance as well before saying, "You've wronged this circle. But it's past. By the grace of... the Sun, perhaps, or whatever gods yet favor us... we endure. But we won't make it any further if you decide now to finish the work of tearing us apart."

"She's right. Look what happens when folk like us let in thems with another agenda, like The Hortatum, or Tenepeshu. This stupid argument between the two'a ya'll has spiraled outta proportion."

Wic is silent, gaze turning between Kelam and Leaf as they speak, before finally settling upon Tuoni.

"Wic! Tuoni offended yer sensabilities when he turned over Fire, I get that. He offended mine too, at that. But what else was there t' do? Give him back t' his people? Then we'd be a known quantity to the Realm. Kill him? It's what I'da done, but you chose t' exercise mercy, an I kin respect that."

The sorcerer holds up a hand. "A second, Leaf?"

"Yes. The gods have their own magistrates, their own courts, their own justice that is above us - all of us." The shaman hasn't moved for his staff - in the corner, a world away - but his legs are tensed and his fists balled. "I am not so delusional as to think myself, or any of us, above all of that. That is why I told Gythuum, instead of simply acting. That, and the good captain asked me not to."

"Fine, fine. Quiet as a stone, cool as a stream. Quiet as a stone, cool as a stream." She muttered the old training mantra to herself.

"Thank you." Wic permits himself a small smile at Leaf's mantra, though it's gone from his face when he turns to Tuoni.

"Since Ivory Knife brought us together in the tea house, the one thing you've held over my head is that the Sept, on my orders, killed members of your smuggling crew as part of the contest between us. That those deaths were unnecessary, foul acts that needed to be avenged."

Leaf gulped. She had an awful feeling she knew where this was going.

"The Sept were misled into targeting Gywthuum's high priest by Seven Venoms Sea. They killed your crewmembers under my orders. Those crimes are Sea's, or mine. Not theirs. We have done exactly the same thing to one another, intentionally or not. Killed bystanders the other had come to care for."

Wic takes a step forward. And bows his head.

"Calling you a Haltan was a mistake on my part, born from anger. I apologize for that. And for the deaths. Regardless of my moral stance, those were needless and a thing I regret. Life lost in pursuit of a worthy goal is still life lost."

He stands, looking Tuoni in the mask. If the shaman has more to say, he'll let him say it before continuing

A ripple of tension shivered it's way up Tuoni's body, all the way from his feet to his fists to the crown of his head. "You are irrational, short sighted, and disrespectful of traditions that have stood the test of hundreds, even thousands of years.

"And this would be much easier if that was all you were." All that tension escapes him in a heavy sigh. "I admit I... erred... in contacting Gythuum. He was owed vengeance, but that was not the way. To see myself as an equal to the gods, to not actively seek to supplicate them... I apologize as well. To all of you. I am not the Solar I perhaps should be."

He looked around at the group, hands on weapons or hands as weapons all. "You can put those down. The Captain asked that there be no fighting on her ship, and I would not break my guest-oath."

Mela's breath, was this actually going to peter out? Brown Leaf straightened up. She had not even noticed her fists clench. She's not sure whom she had intended to punch, but the urge had certainly been there.

Slang relaxes their posture and nods.

Wic smiles. That... felt good. With a nod to Tuoni, he steps back, replacing Lusus against the table and returning to his seat.

Kelam also relaxes her guard, stepping back to her self-appointed station by the door.

Tuoni sighs again and steps backwards, muttering something to himself in Linowan that wouldn't be polite if he was all alone. "Where are we sailing this ship?"

"I am glad my request is respected." Slang glances at each circle member before continuing. "Erm. Harborhead or the desert are the choices? I don't think the modification on the Remora will get us far we choose the later."

"If we go inta the desert, will you part ways with us, Cap'n?"

"We have two other avenues." Wic taps his pen upon the inkpot before beginning

"The Hortatum and Demetheus' location is unknown, but Jasara believes their plan involves southern Geomancy. That might not be my field, but there are other sages we can turn to who might have more information. And both of our main options in such a light have further benefits."

"If'n I wanted Geomancy, I'd go to Paragon." Leaf chimed in.

"Why?" Tuoni asks.

Wic nods, smiling. "The City of Paragon is by all accounts a marvel of geomantic design: every street and house are built to better channel the dragon lines within its boundaries. "

"Jasara loaned me a book, 'parently Paragon is built on Geomancy what rivals the best of the Realm."

"Further, it is the origin point of the Wyld Hunt called against Jasara's circle. If we go there, we might be able to intercept their reports on the whereabouts of the other missing Solars," Wirric expands on Brown Leaf's point, "Varangia is impressive in its way, though less of a leading light and more the dusty old glory. Still, they have geomantic knowledge, and the Hortatum has an interest in them."

"'Cordin' to the Dynasts Knife spoke to last night, neither they nor the Delzhen have any idea where the rest'a that circle went. They only got the one confirmed dead Solar, but the others vanished, so far's they's concerned."

"We've dealt with one Wyld Hunt ourselves." Tuoni says, reluctantly, skittishly dancing around the issue that had almost brought them to blows. "Word may have reached the Hunt in Paragon about us."

"The army outside the gates? Brought here by astrological portent. Such a thing is almost certainly within the Hortatum's gift, and it succeeded in destabilizing Chairoscuro. If he's able to manipulate them like that..."

"I dunno 'bout that. We made fast time t' Champoor an' got t' Chiaroscuro faster'n any ship should've. The only survivor from that hunt were the monk, an' he's...well...not a factor no more. Only the...woman? what was fightin' with...somebody back at the island is the unknown factor."

"We didn't see the Earth Aspect die, either," Kelam reminds. "Not that he ought to have been able to swim far in all that armor."

"Heh, least we made sure that Water wouldn't make it."

Kelam smirks slightly in response. That was a death she could still take some pleasure in.

"Captain?" Tuoni looks to Slang, waiting for them to answer Brown Leaf's question

Slang startles a little. Tunoi's questioning tone pulling them out of their musing.

"I would have to do some arranging with Zalm and my crew, but if you need me in the desert, I could come with. At least to ensure you don't miss some obvious stairs or some such."

Slang smirks at Wic at the last statement.

"These leads are scattered all across the South," Kelam muses. "Did the Hortatum shatter Jasara's Circle just so they could cover more ground?"

"Or t' make us chase a false lead?"

"Or both."

Wic chuckles, fair play to the good captain for that one. At the suggestion, he hums. "A Circle of Solars are powerful pieces. You don't use one of us for a diversion."

"Well, we need a path," Tuoni interjects, "The Hunt sounds risky, but useful, as does trying to track another member of the Circle. I do not know what the Varangians would have to tell us - their army was pulled here by a prophecy, not by the Hortatum. All that is likely in Varang is a lack of an army."

Wic hums. "That could itself prove important."

"I ain't crazy 'bout Varang either. I'll be an oddity at best an' a public menace at worst, an' that's jes on account'a my looks."

"And I don't speak the language... For the moment then, Harbourhead or Paragon?"

"I would appreciate the chance to speak to another Solar." Tuoni said by way of a vote.

"Hmm. We know that one of one of the Solars went in the direction of Harbourhead," Slang thought aloud. Leaf, you're from the area, right? We could have an easier time establishing contacts, but would they have any information of use? Paragon could give us a greater idea of the Hortatum's plans for geomancy."

"And I another sorcerer, such as the Perfect of Paragon." Wic winks at Tuoni

"One that won't tell me to get out of town, would be nice."

Slang chuckled at Wic's tease.

"Well, Jasara said Wind's also a former 'maculate, so there's that. An' it'd be nice t' see home again...There's manses an' stuff in Harborhead too. The Fane'a Upswept Horns in Khirigast is 'sposed t' be a sight t' see....I guess I'm leanin' Harborhead."

"Two for Harborhead, make that three... Would be easier for my crew to do business there while we get to work."

"And that's a majority," Kelam observes.

"Sorry Wic. Sorcery's gonna haveta wait." As she said it, Brown Leaf mentally put a pin in that thought. She had some reading to do, after all.

Kelam shuffles closer to Brown Leaf and lowers her voice. "If we visit your home, will... Would I make things difficult for you?"

She very nearly succeeds at keeping her worry out of her tone, but Brown Leaf can see it in her eyes.

"Naw chéri. Folk in Harborhead got other stuff t' worry 'bout than who's sharin' who's bunk. Gotta keep up with the village down the plain, gotta raid enough cattle t' appease Alhat. Honestly...I can't wait t' take my girlfriend home."

She smiled broadly, then let her smile falter a bit.

"Ain't like I got a family there t' pass judgement no more..."

She brightened.

"So I'm jes' gonna have t' show my new family 'round! Right?"

Kelam smiles and gives Leaf a shy one-armed hug. "That sounds like a plan."

"That sound's like a good plan." Slang joined in their conversation. "So how was the date? Like the outfit, by the way."

Tuoni looks up suddenly, a thought coming to him. "Harborhead... it isn't as hot as Chiaroscuro, is it?" He asks weakly.

"Parts of it, but closer t' the lakes it ain't so hot. Muggy as hell though...and there are a lot of lakes. Like, too many, if'n you ask me."

Wic chuckles at his fellow northerner's fear "Too late, I think"

"Oh. That's all right then. Muggy and lake..-ey I can deal with."

"Okay then, we're leavin' fer Harborhead in the mornin....y'know...once we're supplied an...amidships? Slang, you know how't do that. I'll leave it to ya."

The Captain chuckles and pat Brown Leaf on the shoulder. "Alright. I get it. I'll just do my job and not bother the two lovebirds."

Brown Leaf pointedly ignores Slang, and mentally takes back every nice thing she'd ever said about the Tya.

Kelam blushes anew, but mouths a quick 'thank you' to Slang.

Slang smiles and nods to Kelam before going to make sure the ship is ready.

[Ascension]

Slang and Kelam:

The next day is busy for Slang, with the captain naturally central to the work of getting their ship underway, bound for Harborhead, but the Tya crew is well-seasoned, and by mid-afternoon the hustle and bustle of the launch has already quieted to business as usual. Kelam approaches Slang in a moment of calm.

"Captain... may I ask you a question?"

Slang, leaning against the ship's railing, turns their head to face the swordswoman.

"Of course, Kelam."

"Wirric mentioned that you and he 'stopped an Abyssal attack' night before last. Can you tell me more about that?"

"Ah. We didn't know he was an Abyssal at first. He was disguised as a salt warden. We noticed him sabotaging the salt lines, so we confronted him. Wic ended up running around trying to find all the destroyed lines, while I kept an eye on him. That's when the Herald of Damnation decided to reveal himself. He had a similar style to Ivory Knife."

"'Herald of Damnation'" Kelam mutters to herself, furrowing her brow. "Not a title I'm familiar with, but... if he was sabotaging the salt lines, that explains something Tuoni and I encountered."

She pauses a moment, her frown deepening.

"He was caching desecrated corpses in shadowlands in the ruins. Like barracks for hungry ghosts."

"Good thing we finished him off then. Chiaroscuro shouldn't have to worry too much about the dead coming after its citizens for awhile with the Herald dead and whatever Wic did."

"Right... that's good..." Kelam murmurs, but she's distracted, lost in her own head. "But there are still so many unknowns. Who was this 'Herald's' Deathlord? What was the plan? Was he striking to kill, or just to wound?"

"Oh, his plan... was to have all of Chiaroscuro turn into a Shadowland."

Slang stops to think about Kelam's questions.

That raises Kelam's eyebrows. "Such a grand scheme, and they sent one deathknight?"

"He was the only one there. I mean there could have been more, but he flared his anima... Wouldn't others working with him come to help him then?"

"Probably, if he had support, and if his allies had been able. There is a sort of chivalry among... our kind. And any Exalted champion is a valuable resource. It's unlikely he would have simply been abandoned. So we may assume he was alone... but why?" Kelam chews her lip in thought. "Was his Deathlord unwilling to send a larger force? Unable?"

Kelam shakes her head. "I'm sorry to trouble you with such thoughts, captain. I know this is all tangential to our mission."

But the worry lingers in her eyes.

Slang placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's no trouble. If you're worried about it, maybe the rest of us should be too. The Herald's Deathlord may be a factor we need to consider during our mission." They offered Kelam a small smile. "Thanks for trusting me with your worries. We'll handle them together."

Kelam still looks somewhat distracted as she nods agreement, but then she looks Slang directly in the eye.

"Thank you, captain. I know it can't have been easy welcoming someone... like me onto your ship. But your support... everyone's support... it means so much."

She places her hand over Slang's and squeezes it briefly.

"You give me hope."

"Sorry that my crew and I haven't been as welcoming to you at first. You're more than... um... I don't know how to say it... " Slang coughed. "Anyway you're crew, family, to me now. I've got your back."

A teasing smile dances on Kelam's lips. "I'm more than an avatar of annhiliation empowered by the energies of death to plunge all of reality into the void of non-being?"

Slang laughs. "Yeah. That. You're more than that."

Kelam's smile grows a little more wistful. "You know what? I think I agree."

[Ascension]

The story continues in The Lotus Blossoms! - Volume II!