Fantasy Come Winter's Light

[FeMChara]

Bran grins and laughs at Morena's comment. "Some taken! It's funny, though because we're all pretty much assholes."


Jiji made a choked sound. "How can I have forgotten?" He mutters in a low voice. "How did I forget their hubris? It may be possible-it may not-but consider these two facts: one. They have similar abilities and the same level of power-it will be difficult for the less imbecilic one. Two: their essence is utterly incompatible with Creation. Why she bit you is that is likely how she replenishes her essence. A third consideration is that this Deathlord may have means of control that we aren't aware of yet."

 

[Flowing Ink Words]

Mizu puts a hand to her forehead. "Can I make a suggestion that we stick to slightly more near-term goals for the time being?" Mizu floats the idea, semi-desperately, infront of the crowd. "Not saying setting high goals for the future is bad, but saying we -might- want to be mildly more realistic about our 'soon to be past due' first." She looks to Old Man and smiles, thinly.


"Though, seriously, if anyone -else- knows any more Exalted, or suspects they do, it'd be a good time to let the rest of us know before it bites one of us in the tail. Otherwise, brainstorming for more immediate solutions to the pair in the basement is on the table."

 

[FeMChara]

"My mom, my dad and my aunt and her husband are all Dragonblooded. My young cousin, Rachel looks like she might be a fire aspect. She still loves bears, for some reason. That girl loves to shop and be girly but damn, she's good at fighting for fourteen years old." Kosche sighs. "That girl would be a bully herself if she wasn't apt to beat them up."


She looks around the table. "Excuse me a moment." She leaves the room and the group, going up the stairs. She comes back down. "Where did Singhit go?"


She went faster down the stairs and came back up calmly. "The gruesome twosome are still there... but no sign of our scientist."

 

[Flowing Ink Words]

"... With our luck, he just went to try to raid St. Cellia's Merry Widow Drawer." Mizu sighs and facepalms. "Alriight, ideas, anyone? I -don't- have his number last I checked." Mizu frowns.

 

[Mei]

"I don't have anyone's number." Morena responds with a long sigh. "Well this is just great."

 

[Esbilon]

"I can probably get his number," Sohia says, whipping out her tablet again. "He mentioned being faculty at a university down South," she muses as she starts looking for his online footprints, and in particular his cell number.

 

[FeMChara]

She was able to find two numbers, one for his department in the university in Varangia, one personal number-though it's unlabled as to if it's his cell or home phone number. A quick call would play a message that states that he is going home-apologies to anyone who had been expecting him in Meruvia-something had called him home unexpectedly. He did not think he would be returning to Meruvia anytime soon. Many apologies to new friends.


Beeeep.


The mailbox you are trying to reach has been disabled. Please try again later.

 

[Epiphany]

"Sweet Ceila, okay guys, let's focus."


Anne chuckles, shakes her head and sets her coffee cup down. "I don't know what to do about Singhit but we need to pick our priorities. For now, if there's an easy way to turn up where he's gone, great. If nothing else, he knows our names and faces and could turn our lives upside down if he's caught. But he's no Kip, no offense to you," she adds, gesturing towards the drug dealer on the couch. "He's not likely to shoot his mouth off on his own. If anything, I suspect he's fleeing the country and...well, frankly he may be the smartest one out of this group for doing it."


"In the meantime, we need to figure out what's going on with those prisoners. Either we turn them, shoot them or figure out some safe way of containing them for the long-term. Personally, I'm willing to try the first and if it doesn't work go for the second but I'm open to other approaches if you've got them people."


"From there, we need to pick our next strategic direction. So Morena's got this awesome gift from the Sun, great. What's it mean for our next step? Should we see if we can turn up some local Gods who might help us out?"


Glancing around, Anne frowns and says "Hey, where's the cute artist? Anyone have her number? Let's call her up and get her down here, she should have a say too." Snapping out her own smart phone, Anne glances through her Contacts and smacks herself on the forehead. "Oh, right, I got it from her last night. Give me a sec."


She dials the artistic Twilight of the group and, whether voice mail or answered, says "Hey, it's Anne from the Festival. I don't know where you are but we're talking shop. So come on back to the house as soon as you can get a chance so we can include you, okay?"

 

[Arynne]

The phone rings several times before picking up--when it does, Trina's voice sounds somewhat...distracted.


"Yeah?"


"Uh...talking shop?"


Somewhere in the background, a female voice suddenly purrs, "Don't stop, dearest! Keep going!"

 

[Epiphany]

"Yeah, talking s-"


Anne cuts off when she hears the woman's voice. Then she gets the biggest grin that Trina of course can't see. "Finish up what you're doing and get your butt over here. We still need to figure out what to do about our two guests and what's next on our agenda. Take your time. We'll wait."


She'll hang up at that point if Trina's so inclined. "She might be a little late," she explains to the rest of the group.

 

[Esbilon]

"Yes, that much was obvious by now," Sophia says deadpan. "Regarding our guests, I am against killing people on principle, but we do not have time, skill or inclination to keep them prisoner, so unless Jiji here wants to, that leaves us with turning them and killing them," she frowns thoughtfully at that prospect.

 

[Mei]

"If she's late, she'll miss out." Morena says in a rather displeased tone. "I honestly don't care for tardiness. And we have pressing matters to discuss and I'm not going to sit around."


Morena stands straight up, taking her medallion and placing it back around her neck. "We aren't just going to kill them. That would make us just as messed up as them."

 

[Esbilon]

"No," Sophia says flatly. "We're not kidnappers, murderers or torturers. If we can't turn them executing them is, as far as I can see, the most expedient way to deal with them. Barring more tricks up Jiji's or anyone else's sleeves that is."

 

[Epiphany]

"Well, they're not working with the Infernals, right? I mean, they're not part of whatever organization is ruling the world and trying to turn us. If anything, they seem against those people too. What would happen if we let them go? Anyone's guess on relative risk?"

 

[Mei]

Morena nods in agreement with Anne."I'm much better having enemies of my enemies around than killings two women."

 

[Esbilon]

"Them being your enemy's enemy does not make them your friend. It does not mean that they can be trusted, and right now they are in a far better position to hurt us, than to hurt our enemies."

 

[Mei]

"You seem under the impression that those two can actually harm the lot of us. They'd have trouble taking me by myself. Add in the extra bodies we have here, they never stood a chance." Morena points out rather bluntly. "I'm not afraid of them. They might be messed up in the head, but they are the least of my concern."

 

[Flowing Ink Words]

"There are ways to hurt other than the physical, Morena." Mizu offers in a soft tone. "And she'll be here when she's here. For now, we have a lot to think on... And I believe I have interviews lined up for at least three of you today for some work in the area, that likely still needs to be kept up. Letting our normal lives completely go will get attention we do not want, I would believe..."


She grins a little. "Let's assume those two are horribly incompetent examples, maybe they are as new as we are. From what Old Man said, they can be every bit as powerful as any one of us, in their own way. It does not behoove any of us to get full of ourselves just yet, lest we walk into a trap of our own making."

 

[Esbilon]

"They can tell our enemies who can hurt us where we are, who we are and how new we are at this. Like most people, their ability to punch us in the face is the least of threat they pose." Even if there are some very pretty faces around the table, one might add. "There is also their Deathlord mistress whom we know nothing about, but who does not sound like good company."

 

[FeMChara]

Bran looked thoughtful. "They have plans and it might be useful to find out what those are-if by turning them over to their boss. Even if their plans don't match up with yours-well, we'll have a better clue-but those manacles Old Man has on them? They sap essence and stop one of the Chosen from regaining it-not that they can, but it might be something to consider."


Perhaps a few saw stars in the eyeholes of Jiji's mask as he nodded slowly. "They do work like that and it may be that they had been recently beaten in the head with a shovel and pushed into a monstrance to live or die. Shovelheads or not-information is the gate to power-but the manacles and no-room should hold them until the decision is made."

 

[Epiphany]

"That's why I want to talk about the options on the table for dealing with them," Anne says, taking up her coffee once more and drinking it.


"Hold them. Pros: No icky ethical debate. Cons: They could escape and expose us or come after us. Keeping them from escaping could tie up resource we badly need to put elsewhere."


"Shoot them. Pros: Solves pretty much all our problems. Cons: Might cost us an ally in the fight. Oh, and it's wrong or something."


"Recruit them. Pros: We gain allies, no icky ethical debate, everyone wins. Cons: It's not a sure thing. And if it doesn't work, there's not an easy way to know it didn't work. And if Pretty's as stupid as she is pretty, we're fucked if she gets captured."


"Let them go. Pros: Yay it's the righteous thing to do! Plus we might gain an ally. Cons: We might gain an enemy. They could expose us or kill us or whatever."


Anne finishes her coffee and sets it aside. "Okay, it sounds like the manacles even the playing field a bit. But we still need to decide on a direction."


[dice]1138[/dice]

 

[Esbilon]

"Hold them for how long?" Sophia asks pointedly. "Is there an end game in that option, or do we just plan on watching over them for the remainder of their probably considerable lives?"

 

[Arynne]

Trina puts the phone down, and returns to applying light, tender brushtrokes to the cartoon drawn on the freshly laid plaster.

"I think I'll have to go when this is done," she says sadly to the air.

 

[FeMChara]

The funerary manse did not move-but a voice spoke. "A shame, but you will have work to do, dearest." It seemed to come from everywhere.


=============================================>


Bran clearly didn't feel comfortable suggesting something and Jiji... was Jiji. "Is the information we'd get worth it? Would the risk of keeping them here worth it? I dunno. They feel like they're already dead to me." Kosche spoke in low tones. "-but that's kind of crazy. I mean. You heard the dummy talk about eating people. You sure you want that around?"

 

[Flowing Ink Words]

"having seen what they've done to get Kip, which involved killing someone whom the Infernals are going to take notice of, given... and I don't mean this offensively at all, the Dragonblooded are, at this point, the biggest science experiment that they got their fingers in that I know of..." She pauses to think a moment or two.


"Okay, I have a few things I'd like to know..." Mizu finally states as she gets her thoughts in order.


"One, Bran, how do you know so much about these various artifacts? I mean, you knew what that huge sword was, and what those cuffs were."


"Two, Old Man, while I'm not -surprised- per se at you knowing, you sure know a -lot- about Abyssals."


"Three, And this is an open question, what ethical concerns do we have about ending someone who both admits they should already be dead, if in a very pitiable way, who is now harming others, likely before their allotted time?"


At this point, Mizu's face gets less stern and more impish. "Four, if any of you know of some kind of magical coffee, I'd -really- appreciate it, because I have a feeling I'm not going to be getting much sleep keeping up with all this." This bit she said with a sense of humor.