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Guest Madeline     The call went out, as did invitations for some specific people. Madeline had made no particular secret of her intent to start 'something big' in her own world. It can't be a campaign of conquering things, because she'd never made a secret of that. It was something that she was apparently thinking that help might be useful for doing swiftly, as she was entirely willing to even allow the Union to meet with her for this explanation.

    It was not, however, in the heart of her territory. Recently, Madeline and her companions had conquered a small island which was a wonderful staging ground against the mainland. That is where she has offered to meet with people. The walled city has been repaired, and the fortress in the center is where the meeting is taking place. Visitors have been encouraged, but not required, to leave their weapons with the staff, but are required to make them not obviously hostile. She expects good behavior, at least while guests are still guests.

    In return, she has made the place rather nice. The great hall of the fortress is decorated and has several tables. Staff flit about, along with a few apparently important people from her own Empire. The tables are currently set out with snacks of various qualities, and there is something even greater here: an open bar.

    For those more intent on the task coming up rather than socializing, the room is dominated by a large map of Creation. Madeline's Creation, obviously, which means the map is made up of two large, shallow bowls with a holographic portrayal of the terrain, representing the sphere of this Creation. Prominently displayed is of course the Blessed Isle and it's massive mountain in the middle of the bottom half of the sphere.

    Madeline herself will quietly greet everyone arriving, but is currently encouraging others to mingle while she prepares to make her 'request' for help.
Shin Tokuyama     Shin's here. He's not here because he cares about geopolitics, or the mysteries of the exalted, or mostly about this world at all. He's here because Madeline Vance offered him money and a cool new fighting style if he showed up and helped her, and so here he is.

    He thankfully doesn't have the paddleball from the Anne Blakely scene today. Instead, he's got a Rubik's Cube in his hands and is playing with it as he goes through the process of boredly solving the puzzle with rapid clicking noises and rotations as he walks into the room.

    "Vanceosaurus Rex. What's the hizzy-haps?" He inquires, not looking up from the puzzle in his hands and he fiddles with it, "I'm here to exchange kung-fu asswhippings in exchange for kung-fu teachings." He notes, eventually looking up and giving her a grin.
Nasrin     Nasrin wasn't exactly on the invite list -- but she wasn't exactly uninvited.

    She slipped in and out among the other guests, smiling and shaking hands with others, but not really introducing herself -- she was content to let others do the talking. She was wearing a smart gray skirt with practical flats, a light jacket, her hair ornately set with a few flowers and a long hairpin.

    Mostly to satisfy her own curiosity, the young woman glances around the gathering, letting her eyes fall on the other guests in turn to try and get a feel for the field; she's not not advertising which side she's on, mostly being quiet and a bit of a wallflower.
Laer     Socializing and dinner and plans and no actual violence or work was one of Laer's specialities, so of course she's turned up, in one of the dark dresses she favors when doing something more formal. She'd handed over her sword without much fuss, but still had a pouch at her side that could carry all sorts of deadly weapons. It has a flute in it.

    Before getting directly to the task, she'll gravitate towards that free food and drink, and by the time she wonders over towards the map to make her greetings there's high quality food and low quality booze in hand. Her taste in alcohol is poor.

    She won't speak up at first, taking a long look at the map and waiting to be spoken to. This is because she's stuck something particularly chewy in her mouth, and is trying to look thoughtful rather than undignified.
Stygian Mirror     It's probable when Madeline hired an Abyssal she expected an Abyssal. When Mirror appears through the doorway, the ruler of the island first sees the Lunar Tells on her person-- the fox ears, the lizardy black sclera'd eyes and the cat tail. That's because they seem to be automatically botching their psychic attacks to be ignored. Functionally it has the opposite effect, it makes them stick out. And so Madeline might wonder why a Lunar responded.

    Fortunately, the white-haired young woman is dressed in bone and Soulsteel, black and white clothes composed of a tunic, gauntlets and thigh-high boots. And there's a Soulsteel sword on her waist, which she wouldn't part with. That ought to clear the confusion up.

    She makes her way to Madeline immediatly, professionally, but not without a lot of looking around. The map of Creation in particular seems to keep catching her interest, and one could tell she really wants to go stand by it more than she wants to greet people.

    "Hey. Madeline Vance, right? Mirror. We talked a bit."
Winnowill Winnowill is not present in her Winnowill identity... since she so rarely uses that in public. As usual, she is present as Lady Venevol, a known Confederate ally but simply the advisor of a primitive kingdom that is barely entering the age of gunpowder. As such, she is hovering about and smiling, attempting to look friendly instead of smug and dangerous, while holding a goblet of wine.

Nearby is the ruler of said kingdom, the huge and brutish man called Gromul Djun. His entourage hovers nearby while he helps himself to a massive cut of meat, chewing on it while the bearded face assesses everyone... including Madeline. He grunts, "This place stinks of sorcery even more than most you drag me to, witch." The latter is addressed to Winnowill with a scowl. Obviously he is not the sort of ruler who actually does the politics thing, is he? Unless it's all an act...

Winnowill smiles and sips her wine. "You never seem to complain when their power aids you, my lord Djun." She too is watching the people who arrive... probably also measuring them.
Kutsuuko Shiratori     Union? What Union? Kutsuuko is a totally legitimate, unaffiliated party coming here because Madeline had proven to be moderately trustworthy after accepting her request to 'discuss' something about this particular Creation, and had apparently followed up on a loose promise to help out with . . . this.

    In fact, 90% of that is actually true.

    Leaving the God Arc behind is a bit of a chore. Kutsuuko had been getting antsy without the excuse to connect with it for a little while. For reasons she hope Madeline will accept however, she hasn't come /completely/ unarmed. The same standard sidearm and knife is on her military belt as before, dressed essentially the same as that meeting in the cafĂ©, but that's still an order of magnitude of a step down than if she'd planned to commence hostilities, so that just leaves the choice between the giant holomap and the open bar. Tough call, honestly.

    Okay not really. There aren't too many chances to get non-hydroponically grown liquor in her day to day, and so she's currently vigilantly defending one of the stools, having been old enough to drink as of last year. In all fairness, she's hardly getting smashed, recognizing the value of not being inebriated when absorbing strategy plans, but it does make for a certain kind of casual distraction. This makes people blending into the crowd slip right past her notice, only really turning around over her drink to look askance at the woman showing up in the edgiest armour ever seen, and then someone unironically using the word 'hizzy-haps'.
Nozomi Houken     Nozomi has had little contact with Madeline and her world. She is not unknown to the Confederacy in general, however, and there are probably even certain people aware of TIGER's capabilities and partnership with Nozomi. Perhaps not the tiny details, but the basics at least. And as someone who wants to get out more of her own volition - without being coaxed by someone like Psyber - she has decided, just this once, to make the effort to be here.

    She's regretting it already.

    Naturally, TIGER will not be staying with staff. He is quite insistent, in his own catlike way (which is to say, 'staring at the requestor incessantly until they give up'), that he be by his user's side at all times. This is probably a very good thing, because with all the strangers here - at least a few of which she's absolutely certain are Confederate, given where they are - the mousy girl has found herself a far corner of the Great Hall to hunker down in, claiming a chair and parking staunchly in it. She's not even brave enough to head for the snack table she keeps staring at. Too many strangers.
Serenity     It has been a little while since Serenity was out 'in the field' as it were... and some might argue this isn't in the field either. Her response would be that visiting the stronghold of a known Confederate was dangerous enough to warrant it, and that is also why she has kept her Shockblade at her side... though in a fancy and more decorative scabbard than the usual. In fact, the petite Maedra is rather nicely-dressed, in a formal-looking dress that looks like a cross between a evening gown and a military uniform somehow. It's an unusual mishmash of military presence and politically polite dressup.

    Surprisingly, Serenity herself is soft-spoken tonight, and attempts to make smalltalk with some. She keeps wandering over to the map, though. Of course, she makes sure to bow to Madeline first, if a little stiffly. "Good evening, Empress. Thank you for the invitation." Though she doesn't linger long, since there are quite a few to take in.
Starless Night     Starless Night isn't here. All the Elites have been covered, almost!

    "Would you like another drink, sir?" one of the waitstaff offers, the slender woman holding a tray out toward Shin. Just a normal serving girl, nothing special here.
Kyra Hyral To say Kyra was uncomfortable with this is a bit of an understatement. Go out to a private Confederate island? To provide Union 'help'? It smells like a trap to Kyra, and Kyra knows a thing or two about being lured into stupid traps. Though this one did not seem to be targeted at anyone specific and for a long time the Confederacy has really had no reason /to/ target her...it seemed reasonable enough to the white mage to attend.

    Kyra will not part with her guns but she will 'peace lock' them on request. Her guns aren't visible, either way, hidden beneath her moogle hoodie in holsters. Today she only has two of her guns on her anyway.

    Though not the first time she's been to Creation, this is the first she's been to any bit of Madeline's territory. The teenager doesn't seem too intimidated by the surroundings-no, she reserves that for the other confederate agents here. Before attempting any sort of socialization, though, she does help herself to the open bar, grabbing on to some kind of white wine-looking deal. Technically she's not 'legal' for alcohol in her world. But this isn't her world.

    "Hi Shin." she greets with a wave.
Lin Karal Rei Lin has not ditched her weapon. It remains peacefully sheathed at her side as it usually is, and there it will remain save for a true emergency.

    She's currently quiet amongst the guests, but none of the arrivals go unoticed. She casts an exasperated look Shin's way upon noticing him, treats many others with neutral curiosity...

    ... When Stygian Mirror makes their way to the group though, her eyes go WIDE. Wide as they can go. That... and her breath stops. She's STARING alright. Staring in a highly accusing, critical, rather concerned manner.

    It may be that her rational thought's doing loop-de-loops, too.
Shin Tokuyama     Shin looks up from his Rubik's Cube and looks at the waitress. He inspects the tray, "Not thanks. Not unless you come in a glass~." He notes chipperly, before immediately looking back down at his Rubik's Cube as if he hadn't used a pickup line 10 seconds ago. Sometimes protagonists do that, just say something and forget they said it. He then asks, after about a fifteen second pause, "Hey. Do you want to play a game of Lucky Hit?"

    He looks over towards Kyra a moment later and waves back, "Yo Kyra. How've you been? Looks like we've got a crazy crowd of people around here. Seems like stuff is really kicking off in this world now."

    He looks to Stygian, "Your armor is WICKED, by the way. Totally dig the edgy feel of it. Definite antagonist vibe through and through."
Guest Madeline     While she's dressed up rather nicely, Madeline is being somewhat informal right now. She gives Shin a little fistbump, in fact. "After this meeting, we can go into the practice hall and exchange a few moves. Don't drink too much though. Dark Messiah takes some focus the first few times."
    Mirror is, after the initial confusion, easy to spot. The Lunar tells are confusing, that's for sure. "Stygian Mirror. You aren't quite what I expected. Welcome to the Radiant Empire. If you do end up working with me long term, I have a small Shadowland on one of the islands that will doubtless be more comfortable for you to stay long term."

    To the others, like Serenity and Mirror, she's noticing the interest in the map. "Please, relax and have a drink. I see that some of you are already doing so." She glances at Kyra and Shiratori, mentally using the latter's last name because she can never remember where the extra 'u' goes. She's also ignoring Gromul Djun's less than pleasant table manners.

    Karal's reaction to Mirror gets a tsk. "Stygian Mirror here is my guest... as are you, young one. Please remember this. I would prefer that neither of you start anything in my territory, or I will have to toss you both out." She's pretty sure she can take Karal, at least. Mirror's a bit of an unknown, but it's not like she doesn't have a few trump cards here.

    The wallflowers and quiet ones - mainly Nasrin and Nozomi - are going to need to get closer. She gestures to Nozomi especially, raising her voice so that the others can hear her. "If you are going to be participating, you'll want to take a seat near the map. Ask for a chair if you like, we have plenty." Her eyes do linger on the mechanical marvel near Nozomi for a moment, though.

    Nasrin is, as noted, noticed but not particularly noted. Assassins are kind of good at that.
Nozomi Houken     All eyes in the room briefly turn to Nozomi. Or at least most of them. Nozomi would say it was all of them, if asked later.

    Madeline is rewarded with a girl who looks like a deer caught in headlights.

    "A-ah..." The overture almost seems to have had the opposite effect at first. Being put on the spot in a room full of people is a good way to freeze her in place. But a little nudge from TIGER gets her to move, at least. After a brief jolt of surprise. "-aa!" Well, now she's on her feet. And walking towards the table. And beet red. At least Taiga's right there with her, and once she's close enough she DOES take a seat. And immediately tries to condense into an unnoticeable ball.

    She's watching the map, though, at least! That's something.
Winnowill 'Lady Venevol' shows some pity as she glides right on over to where Nozomi is curling up on the seat, lightly resting her fingers on the back of the chair as she leans over. "You look nervous. No one is forcing you to be here, you know. Would you like a... 'soda pop?'" It's more than a little condescending... though of greater concern is how TIGER is probably now able to sense the magical power that is all around the disguised elf.

Gromul Djun snorts, but he does thud down into a seat to stare at the map. "What territory are you offering? Or is it gold?"
Stygian Mirror     "I... wh... thank... you?" Mirror stutters, half-stunned by Shin's reply. She has not met many Raksha, and so that sort of behavior is still relatively unknown to her. She will avoid answering, with the basic social grace she has, with 'oh, it's people'. Experience has taught her complete honesty about her sword and armor doesn't work and just upsets people.

    "I like your... erm... relaxed half-formal look?" There we go, all is right, she has answered like proper social etiquette demands.

    Madeline gets a nod, the young woman refocusing. "That'd be appreciated. The trappings of death ease the discomfort a bit but nothing beats a Shadowland to wind down." She only notices Lin when Madeline addresses her, looking a bit confused. "Sorry? I'm not sure who she is. I didn't come here to start anything unless you want me to, though. Employer's privilege and all that."
Shin Tokuyama     DAP! Shin bumps fists with Madeline and then grins at her, "I don't really drink! Except sometimes when I do," He explains to her, clearly not having any alcohol tonight. He nods his head a few times and then gives her a thumbs up, "I look forward to the lessons! Wanna learn me some sick new styles."

    He meanders over to the map, looking up and back at the Abyssal AGAIN as Madeline gives her name and it clicks with Shin, "Holy shit, your name is Stygian Mirror?! That is so hard core. Like... that's what I'd call a hair metal band if I ever made one. I'm Shin Tokuyama, Combat Vagrant and Hero of Fists!" He introduces himself to her before looking down at the map (at his Rubik's Cube, while pretending to look at the map).

    After fanboying over Stygian, he mostly calms down and fidgets with the cube while waiting for the mission to be explained.
Kutsuuko Shiratori     "She's a teenager. Please excuse her gangly awkwardness." Kutsuuko immediately interrupts from the bar as Stygian Mirror gives Karal that look, though still eclipsed by the magnitude of the look she's already gotten. She's heard all about this one and Karal's pathological terror and revulsion of her kind, though to be honest, the animal ears are kind of cute, and even with the metal as hell getup, she seems nice, in a wandering sociopath sort of way.

    Not like she can criticize people for who they work with though.

    "You're a friend of Madeline, right? Relax a little! Nobody's gonna bite! And if they did, there's a fifty percent chance I'd have to hit them in the face anyways." She toasts the air in her general direction. "The other teenager is okay though. He's only weird and awkward ironically. It's a few layers deep but you'll eventually get it."
Serenity     Serenity narrows her eyes. At least she is studiously ignoring the Last Chancer in the room, or rather pretending to not be familiar with her. Either that or she really HASN'T been around and doesn't know that Shiratori is Union. She's going to slide up next to Nozomi though, to give some support to the younger girl while also providing some attention on her, so Nasrin can roam the room more easily.

    "I have to admit that I'm curious why you've gathered us all here," Serenity notes to Madeline. "You don't seem to be the sort to ask for help with ruling or conquering Creation... especially when you already have powerful allies you can call upon who are more than eager to help." She gives Laer a quick look, though Winnowill is less known to her. Or at least, less of a well-known threat.
Nasrin     Assassins are good at a lot of things. Flashing a winning smile as she slips among the other guests, Nasrin draws closer, pausing to pick up a plate of food -- and as she travels, the food slowly disappears.

    Sneaky. She draws closer to get a better ear for Madeline's speech, drawing up nearby Serenity, leaning back on her heels a moment.
Stygian Mirror     "Well, my full name is Reflection in a Stygian Mirror. I usually go by Mirror. It's a name, in the sense it's what I go by. I didn't choose it. My lord has pretty strict regulations about his Deathknights bearing names that strike fear in Creation. I'd prefer to do that through actions, but..." Mirror shakes her head, not continuing on that side-track. She glances down at the map, idly.

    It's so different. So this is Creation, too? Is it bigger, or just designed more oddly? She thinks she prefers the flat square map, at least sizing areas up isn't hard with that.

    Without looking back at Shin, which might be impolite, she answers: "It's nice to meet you then, Shin. Vagrant? Hero of Fists? Which do you use as your name?" Well, that's Exalted for you. Sometimes you just have to ask which part of a very long name people prefer to go by.

    Kutsuuko gets a look; Mirror isn't a people person, not because she doesn't want to be but because she's gotten increasingly fewer chances to be over time. "Friend? Employee, for now. It's erm... appreciated, though. And you are?"
Starless Night     Hitting on the waitstaff gets a smile... and then, as the girl wanders close again, she leans in and whispers in Shin's ear, quietly, "I have tomorrow off, if you'd like to make good on that after your lessons. I can make all of those aches go away, but I'll need your full attention."

    As she eases away to wander off again, she adds, "Distracted me... bug me."
Lin "I'm just going to have to trust you with that one." Lin exclaims, finding it hard to NOT keep some wary attention on the Deathknight amongst them. At least her BOGGLE DEATHGLARE mostly recedes?

    There's just no way someone like Stygian Mirror can walk around here and not get attention though, no matter how one looks at it. The animal features alone...

    The explanation behind her name gets a disgusted, exasperated sigh though. She's... no longer so sure of this operation she's here for.

    Nevertheless...

    "Pardon me f'r being WARY of champions of death itself." She mutters sarcastically, but... she hasn't gone for her sword or even looked like she was going to get hostile. Just... that kind of soul-boring creepy stare...

    "So what's this operation you want so much help with, Madeline?"
Laer     Laer manages to finish chewing and swallow, looking over the map further. "...I don't really know what this is about, but I do look forward to finding out. Your amenities have improved lately." No strings at all attached there. The elf will resist a sudden urge to stick her tongue out at Serenity, instead offering a smile that direction.

    She'll finish her drink at some point in this, and begin watching the people who have gathered while waiting for Madeline to begin to speak. They were rather interesting, after all, quite the mix.
Kutsuuko Shiratori     "Kutsuuko Shiratori; God Eater under Fenrir, though right now I'm half-assedly going by 'God Eating Scarlet Symphony' as my Exalted cover name." Kutsuuko replies back to Stygian, seemingly about as at ease talking her as Shin is, though out of experience rather than just being a laid back dude who doesn't judge much. "So in the same way, you can just use Kutsuuko, or Shiratori if you want to be a little more formal. Either way, Madeline likes you, so that's good enough for me."

    She rolls her eyes on purpose at Karal, maybe trying to play down what fact should make her familiar with Deathknights. "Like I said, don't mind the kid either. She's just kinda like that. Do you drink?" she asks suddenly, tilting her head towards a bar seat. "I'd invite Shin too but I think he's underage in Japan."
Shin Tokuyama     "That's even MORE metal than before! 'Reflection in a Stygian Mirror', the new black metal band releasing their first album 'Strike Fear In Creation'! Holy shit." Shin seems fairly exuberant, at least. It might be strange for someone to simply, you know, not care that Stygian is ostensibly a murder monster. Shin sure doesn't, though. Then again, he's hung out with a lot of weird people, "Oh uh. Just Shin is fine! Most people call me that!"

    And then Starless actually hits on Shin back. And Shin only really has one reaction to make to her. He reaches into his suit coat, "Sure. Lemme just take down your num-" And as he takes out the pen, a ziplock bag of spaghetti falls out and hits the ground, "OH NO. MY SPAGHETTI. OH GOD." He cries.

    Shin looks up at Kutsuuko when she talks about his age, immediately forgetting his gimmick from about 15 seconds ago, "Oh. I dunno how old I am. My passport lists my age as 20. So it's somewhere around there. I can drink in Japan."
Kyra Hyral "Yeah, I guess it is! Me...eh, I've been alright. Mostly studying for finals. Pretty boring, actually. Haven't had all that much time for Union stuff. Everyone's so...busy these days." She takes a sip of her wine, a grin overcoming her as she enjoys the taste. It was bitter and /interesting/. She's halfway through another sip when she doubletakes at Stygian Mirror.

    "A..ah, it's you." Kyra's eyes widen, "Erm. No hard feelings about the flash grenade....?"
Stygian Mirror     "Oh. You know about us. The staring makes sense then. Well, if it makes you feel better, I'm not here as a Chosen of Oblivion, I'm here as a mercenary. You don't have anything to worry about unless miss Vance tells me to do unsavory things."

    It turns out Abyssals are people too!
    Just, err, well, SOME of them, anyway.

    Kutsuuko's 'Exalted alias' sounds real enough she doesn't question it. Depending on how you read the name, it could really belong to anyone. A Dragon-Blooded walking in the Empress' footsteps, a Solar who's very honest about what he does for a living, maybe even an Abyssal if you read Scarlet as meaning blood.

    "Sometimes, but not while working," she answers, RE: drinking.

    Shin's enthusiasm continues to be confusing. It's easier for Mirror to roll with it than try to understand it, something you naturally learn to do in Creation anyway. "Shin it is, then." Then spaghetti. Why did he have a bag of pasta in his pockets? No time to question it, Kyra's here.

    "Huh...? Oh! Well, I shot you, so it was pretty fair. If you want to apologize to my ears I'll apologize to whatever part of you that bullet hit though."
Kyra Hyral "In the sanity." Kyra says dryly, "The bullet hit me in the sanity. So since you're here too, I guess you're in the Confederacy? I've never seen you around before. But...well I guess they have a lot of people I would know, would they? Hi, I'm Kyra and I'm a white mage. Normally I'm a healer but sometimes I have to fight back."

    The 'sometimes' happens a lot more often than Kyra would admit. "Nice to...meet you?" she says awkwardly, though not nearly as awkward as spilled spaghetti.
Guest Madeline     As people settle in, Madeline gets to work on... well, explaining things. She's eying Mirror for a long moment, trying to figure out this Abyssal's game... but it's not really important right this second.

    "All right," she begins, gesturing to the map. "This is Creation. We're the red dot over there in the islands, on the edge of the bottom half of the map. This represents the manse, a concentration of magical energy in layman's terms." She gestures again, and numerous white points of light appear all through the map. "These are not precise locations, just representing that there are numerous other manses throughout Creation."

    Madeline steps around behind the map so everyone can see. As she does this, a web of lines appears, connecting every manse to one another, with several serving as linkages to others. "These manses are connected by ancient First Age powers, forming a sort of network... which, as you can see, feeds into this central point."

    She gestures to the mountain, and then further explains, "This is the Sword of Creation, the ultimate weapon of Creation. You are correct that I have not called you here to conquer. The Sword of Creation is a massive weapon that can destroy... well, quite a lot. But for centuries it has been left unattended, unable to perform its purpose because of how it is linked to the central Imperial Manse. Unless I were to seize the Imperial Manse in the middle of the most well-defended place in Creation - well, one of them - it is useless as a superweapon or even a deterrant to war, only causing war. All these manses - though fortunately not all manses in Creation - are linked to it, feeding it you might say."

    Finally she moves her hand down, pointing to the single red dot where the island is. "All except this one."
Nozomi Houken     Oh hey there's a person. A person leaning over her chair. Oh god that's too clo... wait. Blink blink. "...a... soda... oh." It takes poor Nozomi a second to actually process what's being said, and if there's condescension there it comes in completely under the girl's radar. "...that... I-I wouldn't mind that. I'm just... not really used to people."

    Of greater note, however, is probably Taiga. Seated beside Nozomi's chair, he has generally been looking around the room, sweeping it regularly with his sensors (which looks a lot like a cat swiveling its ears this way and that), taking in the general magical layout and giving each person a brief scan out of curiosity. Now, however, he is staring straight at Lady Venevol, without wavering. His ears are perked up, pointed right at her (and giving her a rather in-depth scan), and he is staring. Staring. Staaaaaaring.

    "Hello," he greets, in his deep voice.

    Staaaaare.

    But Serenity is rather more familiar, at least by voice. That alone is enough to relax Nozomi a bit.

    Which is good, because it actually enables her to pay attention to Madeline's briefing, and that's... a lot to follow. She doesn't understand most of it, but the explanation is just good enough that she can get the gist - which, to her, is a feat. She usually doesn't grasp these things at all. "So... it's... it's a powerful weapon..." And they're the only place unconnected to it. "...is this island special, somehow?"
Stygian Mirror     "Oh... right, it was one of those. Sorry," Mirror answers Kyra, before shaking her head. "No, to your question. I'm a mercenary for now. My lord wants information on as many other worlds as possible; if you can provide that, I'll work for you, as long as it doesn't interfere with other contracts."

    That, to Madeline, should mean a great deal. A Deathlord who's sending his agents out to collect mountains of information on other worlds. That Mirror is working for it means a couple of things! That her Deathlord is unusually lax, having one of his servants work for others for things he could order her to take by force instead. That Mirror probably isn't putting up a facade, because this sort of freedom means she's unlikely to be very unhappy in the position she's in. Among others.

    Her eyes focus on the map as Madeline begins explaining. She doesn't know much about the Imperial Manse-- or the Sword of Creation, or the Blessed Isle, or even if there's such a network of Manses in her Creation.

    "I take it you'd like us to seize this Manse so you can investigate the connection?"
Lin Upon seeing the map and the specific geomancy patterns... well, different world or not, it doesn't take Lin long to put two and two together. The wide-eyed stare returns, this time one of astoundment.

    "You're... going after something pretty big here." Understatement of the year, but what else is there to say about it? The color's drained from her face a bit. "So how come it isn't linked into the geomancy? Seems... ... seems unusual for one of the old, OLD manses. Ancient things last forever!"
Nasrin     Nasrin has halted her social butterflying, and is paying rapt attention, peering up at the map and listening to the words. She raises a hand, drawing a little of her dark hair out of her eyes as she scans the room again, taking into account how many others are familiar with Creation -- her own familiarity lacking. She slides her arms one atop the other, her hazel eyes returning to Madeline, her mouth set in a thin line. Her left hand gives a little twitch, and she braces herself a little against a table, glancing behind her quickly to make sure she's not in anyone's way.

    WHen you're amongst Champions of Death and other strangely powered individuals, you can't be too careful.
Shin Tokuyama     "Or maybe she wants to connect that manse and then blow it up to try to damage the Sword of Creation using the magical backlash," Shin replies to Stygian with a remarkable amount of insight, rubbing the underside of his Shin with a hand and then looking over towards Madeline. He trusts her general motivation to be good, and because of that he says.

    "So this thing existing is bad for your world, yeah? The Sword of Creation, I mean," Shin muses, thinking it over. He seems to come to a decision, slapping one palm into his hand and saying, "Decision seems easy, then. Better smash em all."

    He gives a fierce grin.
Kutsuuko Shiratori     All chatter, and spirits, aside, Kutsuuko did come here to hear Madeline out, and so as the center of the room starts to experience activity, she swivels her stool around to look, the slip of her expression reflecting close attention and sharp concentration.

    "Kind of an unimaginative name. Why is it unattended if it's sitting in a heavily populated and defended area? That implies someone owns it right? And why are they defending it if it really is useless?" She gets the idea of how the geological magic lines funnel into it. It's plain as day looking at the arrangement as if one would at a strategic map of supply lines and transit routes. It looks deliberately set up, more than coincidental. "What's special about this one then? I think I can see where this is going, but still."
Serenity     Serenity doesn't speak, largely because others are chattering about it. She's now paying a lot more attention though... because this is a superweapon, being discussed by a Confederate warlord. That's something of concern.

    She too is looking at the lines connecting everything. Very deliberate... and obviously leading somewhere. She finally speaks, "And what is your intention concerning this weapon, if not to seize it?"
Kyra Hyral "Uhhhh...haven't really hired mercenaries before..." That's untrue, actually. Kyra, as Rabbit, as her rebellion leader persona, HAS hired mercenaries. Her results have been mixed. "But if I ever need one, I will keep you in mind. Er, what's your name?"

    Her attention is stolen away by Madeline lining up the presentation and appeal for help. Kyra pulls out her phone and activates the camera, recording the presentation from here on out. It'll help her come to a decision later, after all.

    She has no questions. She just listens.
Laer     Laer will simply watch for now, because the questions she'd ask would give up the game if the answers were yes. She'd rather like to have such a weapon available, of course, even through one of her allies.

    Those questions can wait, though, and for now the elf will simply stay back and watch, glancing at the unconnected manse. She's not entirely certain just what the plan is, and is more than slightly curious to find out. And to watch the reactions of the others, equally importantly.
Stygian Mirror     "It has its uses," Mirror tells Shin. "In my Creation, the Dragon-Blooded were in the midst of a civil war for a century due to the disappearance of the only person who could operate the Sword. The Realm crumbled under its own weight, eventually, as fights for ownership of the Imperial Manse reached a climax. It was a powerful weapon, but with nobody to use it, all it really did for the enemies of the Realm is distract its owners." She recalls the lessons of her lord, vague as they were. Basic recent history, at least, she knows about.

    "Maybe the situation is different here though... how unified is your Realm that you're concerned the weapon exists?" she asks Madeline.
Guest Madeline     "It has other names," Madeline replies to Kutsuuko. "Not really important right now, though. It remains unused because the internal defenses are difficult to penetrate, and operating it is an art unto itself." She looks to Mirror, nodding as if confirming something to herself. "And our 'Realm' does not exist. The weapon was fired once, during a Fair Folk invasion, and whomever did so died or took no credit. The Terrestrials have been fighting over it ever since."

    The others have some pretty straightforward questions that she can answer all at once. "No need to capture this manse... that's been taken care of. It is off the grid because I disconnected it. That was my purpose in taking it, to perform that experiment and refine the method to remove a manse from the network."

    Madeline then gestures to the map again. Several more key dots turn red... and the lines connecting them go dark, instead connecting to other red ones, forming a second network that is less centralized. These key points cut off most of the threads to the Sword, causing it to go dark on the display. "You are right, I have no intent to take this weapon. But as long as it exists in someone else's hands, whether they use it or not, it is a threat to peace and prosperity more than it is a guardian against the enemies of Creation. I intend to disable it."
Shin Tokuyama     "Plus," Shin points out cheerily to Madeline, "If you can take it offline, no one can blast you if you start taking over stuff! You can expand your Kingdom!" He gives her a big smile, realizing that disconnecting the sword benefits Madeline's own kingdom directly as much as it benefits all of Creation.

    "So I mean, it seems like a win-win to do this," He considers, rocking back and forth on his feet. Internally, he suspects Madeline to have some ulterior motive at play, because he's not actually as dumb as he acts most of the time. And his eyes flick across the screen as he watches the manse.

    "Hey so like..." He points at the second network that she's forming on her hypothetical map, "What's that new setup going to be for?"
Kyra Hyral "Yeah, like what he said..." Kyra gestures at Shin, "You're going to disable the weapon, right? Why are you keeping it connected to another network though? Can't it be disconnected completely?" Kyra asks this question innoccently-or as innocent as Kyra Hyral can sound (which isn't all that much, actually).
Stygian Mirror     "No Realm...?" Right, the... something something Crusade. The first time the Scarlet Empress appeared, saved Creation, and unified the Blessed Isle. So that didn't happen here? Mirror muses, and hopes that her payment comes in the form of history books. Her Deathlord isn't a bookworm per se, but she knows his right hand is the one processing all the information she finds, and if he could marry a book, he probably would.

    "So... we're disconnecting the Sword of Creation. What happens to the Terrestrials once the weapon is robbed from under them like that? Aren't you worried they'll form a single spearpoint and aim at you?"
Lin "That puts your world maybe some years ahead of mine," Lin actually speaks to Mirror without the previous wariness. "... on the principle of not being hypocritical regarding the Anathema label I'll trust you so long as you don't give me reason otherwise." The redhead announces, though she's clearly got an internal struggle going on to force that out.

    It's hard to fight your gut reactions sometimes.

    "So you're looking to capture all of the other great Manses, huh.... you might have a point, from what I've heard of that weapon. If it's like the one I've heard of... but it did save the world once, so I wonder... what if it's needed again?"
Kutsuuko Shiratori     "Got it. So whoever set it up flipped the 'fuck you' switch on the way out so either he could have it or nobody could." In all fairness, Kutsuuko would probably do the same. "Well I'm glad you've got a plan in mind that doesn't involve having people trying to assault ever single manse in this whole kingdom's . . . a bunch of kingdom's territories; even if I could totally pull it off." She facetiously reassures. "What happens if there's another invasion from the 'Fair Folk' though? If nobody can use it, how are you going to bail everyone out?"

    No matter the answer, she gets the idea. She wants to have an idea at Madeline's plans, if not her motivations, because past work or no, Kutsuuko does have a policy of looking out for 'humanity first', having developed more strongly over time. "Looks like those lines are disrupting the power flow to me. Destructive interference or whatever. I don't think it's supposed to be hooked up." She offers to Kyra and Shin. "And I second the cute foxgirl's question."
Winnowill Winnowill gets the soda herself, because GRomul Djun is not competent enough to pour a soda without the fizz bubbling over. She hands it over to Nozomi as she settles in again, flashing Serenity a smirk before she eases into her chair. TIGER's stare is of course noticed, but she isn't surprised. Eventually someone would feel the magic she has.

Despite her cruel nature though, she really is more interested in this situation than tormenting some random wallflower.

Gromul Djun grunts, "Why not take it for yourself? With the armies here and the powers I've seen, surely you could take it and cow the other lords into submission just by the threat!" He is not a very subtle man. It's probably an effort for him to even make that suggestion rather than try himself. Only his wariness of ancient sorceries is keeping him from suggesting that.
Serenity     "A second network..." Serenity murmurs. She's noticed it, as well. She's also keeping a close eye on Winnowill while the woman is hovering over Nozomi. A very close eye, and anyone who knows of the maedra's strange vision might guess why.

    "That's a very good point, though," she admits. "I can appreciate the disarmament, but what about defending Creation?" She is less concerned about Madeline being overrun.
Nasrin     Nasrin's eyebrows rise up, her lips pursing slightly as she straightens up, paying attention very, very closely to the questions, her brows knitting together as a roguh idea of what's to happen gets fleshed out. Her attention draws between each speaker, gaze moving slowly around the room. Her left hand gives a soft squeeze to her right elbow, and her head draws down a little, her gaze dropping to the floor before she slowly blinks. Her fingers tap lightly as a pensive look crosses her face.
Laer     Laer will drum fingers at the side of her leg, considering the plan as presented. "...Will it be something you could eventually reenable, if you needed to?" Laer will ask. Ancient superweapons that you have to reassemble are, after all, more useful than ancient superweapons that are rubble. Still, it isn't exactly in a useful state for her as it stands, and maybe they'll learn something that would be useful.

    But Laer doesn't actually care about creation, beyond her ally here.
Nozomi Houken     Nozomi has a soda! And the Lady gets a grateful look. "...thanks." The other questions she might ask - specifically, 'what's that network' and 'what happens if the weapon is needed again' - have already been asked by others, so for the moment, she remains quiet, unaware of any goings-on between the nice soda lady, Serenity, and Taiga. She is, however, paying quite careful attention. She was onboard for 'dismantle superweapon', even if it posed invasion risks... but that different network has her quietly worried. Maybe the people she hangs around are rubbing off on her.

    The TIGER unit takes this chance to stand up, walk around to Nozomi's front, and curl up at her feet. He does so in such a way that, rather conveniently, he can keep one eye on Lady Venevol at all times, and one ear for that matter. It looks very casual and nonchalant... rather like a cat feigning disinterest in a new person while keeping a very close watch on them, really.
Guest Madeline     Some very good questions! Madeline can answer them directly though. "The answer to many of these questions is straightforward, and I have no reason to hide it." She taps the Sword. "As long as it physically exists, it could be reenabled. When I eventually take the Manse, I will be... replacing it, though. That is some time off yet, and I haven't even set up a plan for assaulting the Imperial Manse. One step at a time, as they say, and this step is disabling the weapon... and creating a suitable replacement."

    She lets the secondary grid light up more strongly, and slowly it begins spreading over the rest of Creation. "The Sword is a very powerful deterrant, but it is a destructive one, focused on eliminating the threat through brute force. Against a distributed threat the collateral damage would be catastrophic if it had to be used many times. The best hope is that firing it would discourage any distributed force."

    The network of red begins to shift and flash, becoming active in transmitting pulses of light and energy. "So, to answer your questions, I am going to use this second network to create a more flexible system. Individually weaker, but more capable of reacting, automated to defend Creation from external threats. Of course, as my own lands would be the only ones gaining the full protection, it would make surrendering to me peacefully more attractive. I'm not yet ready to complete this defensive network, but work on it is underway. I'm tentatively titling it the Shield of Creation."
Shin Tokuyama     "That sure is a lot of stuff you just said," Shin says with a tone of officiality, crossing his arms and setting the solved Rubik's Cube down on the display in front of him, "I mean... it's gonna make your world better?" He asks her seriously, considering it and weighing his options.

    "Shield of Creation sounds lame, though. You wanna publicize it with a much cooler name," Shin scolds Madeline, tapping his foot, "Like Creation's Vanguard or the Bulwark of Creation." He nods, snapping his fingers a few times, "It's much snappier."

    "Anyway, what the hell," He shrugs, "Count me in."
Nozomi Houken     "..."

    There it is. There's the catch. She's creating her own replacement network, and only her territory will gain the full benefits. Nozomi sits there and mulls it over; something in her immediately realizes it seems off to her, but it doesn't really start to register on her until she actually thinks about it. "...I..." There's good intentions underlying this. Take the Sword out of the hands of people who might abuse it, set up a new network that's more flexible and able to respond to threats safely. But making it exclusive to her own kingdom...

    "...I don't like it," Nozomi mumbles. "It's... it's like bullying. Like you're trying to... to force people, to join you." It's a wonder she's speaking up at all, on some level... but then again, the rare times she's ever stood up to anyone about anything, it's been out of protectiveness. "...what about all the people it leaves defenseless? Can't... can't you extend it further? All the people who... who won't be protected anymore, just because their... their king is stubborn, or whatever... it's not fair to them."
Starless Night     The waitstaff snags the empty glasses in passing. Nothing going on here!

    In reality, Starless is keeping a careful eye on who is talking to who... and who isn't speaking to others, or who is not paying attention versus who is. It's kind of her job, since she isn't here asking questions. Good thing others are mostly asking the questions for her... even if she'd much rather have the superweapon, personally.
Serenity     Serenity has another concern atop Nozomi's own. She rubs her chin while her eyes look about, and she declines to comment on anything she sees. Sadly, it isn't nearly as much as people assume... but the assumption is a weapon in and of itself. but more to the point...

    "What sort of functions will this new network have that the old does not?" In other words, what sort of weapon would she be handing over to Madeline should she choose to help? There is something that causes her to hesitate in condemning the decision quickly, though.
Lin "That's... CRAZY!" Blurts Lin, jaw dropping. Crazy, but... she turns the ideas over in her head. ".... I'm in, unless something happens that makes me regret that decision." She decides, suddenly sprouting a rather mischevious-looking and eager grin. A slightly disconcerting grin that's showed up once before, but more natural this time!

    Essence Fever is a hell of a drug.

    "Bulwark of Creation, yeah!" She agrees heartily, only to then... snap her head Shin's way. "... Hey, you're not full of hot air after all. Looking forward to working with you, Shin!"

    That... was random.

    But she strolls over to Nozomi, then points out... "Nah, she's right in that this thing's almost never ever EVER used, and nobody really CAN use it the way things are. ... PRETTY sure she's right... lots of what I know of the Sword's just rumors and a few musty old scrolls."
Stygian Mirror     "So even if they did unify and attack you you'd be ready for it... that's good thinking. Well, the other details don't really bother me. It's your Creation, you can do whatever you want to it, and I'm not tied to its fate. As long as you're paying, just point me where you need me. If you know my kind prefers Shadowlands then I assume you already know what we're best at and what we can do." Hint: it's murder. Also drive people insane. Also drive them insane and make them gouge their own eyes out, which steps a little bit on the toes of murder.

    She's distracted, momentarily, when she realizes she just got called cute. She doesn't answer, but looks... no, that's not flustered. Sad? An unusual response. Maybe it was another one of the words Kutsuuko said, or a combination of them.

    She shakes her head, looking at the map again. She's about to ask what'll stop the Terrestrials from replicating her feat to disable her own version of the Sword, before Nozomi objects. Her eyes rise, looking at her.

    "Of course it is. The kinds of enemies that threaten Creation... any Creation, I bet... will just never step down with just words. You need to be ready to do what you have to to defend your world, or you'll lose it. Creation's history is a succession of people doing just that, creating safe havens from the rest of the world and using their power to impress why it's a good idea to join them. Divided, Creation falls."

    She looks towards Lin. "And us 'Anathema' make unifying such a hard and complex thing. If you need a superweapon to do it, then that's what it takes."

    She smiles, waving her hand dismissively in the air. She seems more confident when she isn't having to talk about herself. "Don't get me wrong, it advantages my lord if my Creation never gets its act together. But this isn't mine."
Kyra Hyral "Mmmm, I see, so that's why you want the other network." Kyra mentions neutrally, glancing over to Nozomi's rather pointed observantions regarding Madeline monopolizing the weapon for herself and her kingdom. A troubling thought, really, but Kyra's very careful about keeping her opinion on that to herself. "So, specifically, what kind of help are you looking for from the Union, Madeline?"

    She's still recording this with her phone. All of it, if only for the audio.
Winnowill Winnowill is staring right back at TIGER during most of the discussion, but she also points out, "I suppose it depends on if you think the fractured and infighting kingdoms are better off with or without her. It sounds like the Djun will choose to help her anyway, so my decision is made for me, regardless, isn't that right, my lord?"

Gromul Djun snorts, "Yes, you get no say in it, witch! I could use an ally like this to secure my own lands!"
Laer     Laer will stretch out, deciding that the plan is more or less established, and start back over towards the food. She's still listening, but she'd really like an extra bite while she does it. Picking that up, she'll decide that she'd rather like to be part of the restructuring of this network, even though her concern for Creation is nonexistant.

    A lot of the others seem quite involved with it, though, so that's something to take advantage of later. Possibly much later. Getting heroes to do some of the work was a stroke of genius that Laer appreciated from Madeline, though, because she's happy to do less of it.
Kutsuuko Shiratori     That does assuage some of Kutsuuko's concerns, though it raises a couple of others. Keeping the supposedly world saving weapon on the table is a net benefit, but in all honesty, she isn't really sure what kind of ruler Madeline is, and whether she wants so many people under her heel, though on another hand, she knows she sure as hell doesn't want the Vitriol Fanged Princess Who Hides Her Silver Tongue ruling, and she isn't sure if there's anyone /better/ than Madeline to do it. She's hardly a kingmaker. The purpose of lowering collateral damage is something she can always get behind though.

    "Conquering is kinda like that." she says blandly to Nozomi. "You wouldn't like the competition either. I can't say that I like the profession, but I'm not hideously picky about jobs as long as it feels like I'm not making the world an objectively worse place. These two seem to know more of the history than I, or you, do." She jerks her thumb towards Stygian Mirror and Karal Rei Lin. "Actually, what are we being paid anyways?"
Guest Madeline     "The name is negotiable," Madeline laughs. "And it really isn't forcing them. I'm going to eventually control all of Creation anyway, so I fully intend to protect everyone. It simply isn't practical to try to spread the net to areas that I don't control, because I wouldn't have the ability to secure all the pathways needed. It will be hard enough to handle the Great Manses..."

    Which brings her to the other question. "That's where all of you come in. Some of these are secured behind some very tough fortresses. I am sure that I could get them eventually, but rather than waiting out the centuries for something to possibly arise to interfere with the plan, I'd like your help to seize everything at once."

    Stygian made a comment earlier about the usefulness of Abyssals. She stares at her, then nods her head slightly, "I'm not familiar with... exactly your kind, but I think I know enough about Deathknights to know where the strengths lie."

    That should answer the outstanding questions from Kyra, Nozomi, and the others. Now for Serenity. "I'm not sure what the network will do yet! That's the exciting part! Nothing so bland as blasts of energy, at least not as its main manner. It will largely be a communications network... but with a guiding intelligence. I'm sure you're worried about that, but I intend to make it dedicated to defending the Empire and Creation... in theory, should I be killed, it would serve my successor loyally, though I'm thinking of putting in some usurpation protections. I'm still working on the details there, but it's kind of irrelevant. I am the only Solar currently making any headway in reclaiming our rightful role, so I will likely control the rest."

    Ahhh, payment. "Payment is negotiable. I can't pay you in territory or people, but I can provide resources. Gold, possibly magical materials." She glances at Mirror. "Knowledge or soulsteel. I still have an excess of Soulsteel from conquering Skullstone, and I rarely use it in my own constructions." She looks toward Gromul Djun as another example. "OR we can negotiate a favor. Military assistance in an endeavor... or magical assistance. I am one of the greatest sorceresses in this world."
Stygian Mirror     "Knowledge is fine. About your world, your kingdom, your plans. Stagger it out if you'd like, or pay in advance for every operation you'll need me for. My lord doesn't have a use for money, and while I'm sure he wouldn't say no to stockpiles of Soulsteel, he's more interested in knowledge these days," Mirror answers Madeline, before nodding to her about her earlier assessment.

    Perhaps she'd missed it until now, but she seems a bit surprised when Madeline openly calls herself a Solar. She's not sure what she'd pegged her as, exactly, but it does answer a few questions.

    It does remind her though...

    "Speaking of knowledge... how are the Deathlords doing, in your world? I'm not interested in talking to any of them, truth told mine is the only one I can see eye to eye with, but you mentioned your Creation had no Realm, so I'm a bit curious how that shaped future events like their appearance."
Guest Madeline     Mirror asks a question that gets an immediate answer. "The Lion is chained up and stewing, while the Mask of Winters is moving to gather his own territory. The Lover is also planning something, and I plan on taking care of her sooner rather than later. I killed The Bodhisattva Anointed by Dark Water some time ago. Those are the ones I know the immediate situation of, but there has been... infighting. Also, the Green Sun Princes are actively thwarting the Deathlords, and Solars have been appearing steadily for decades now. Apparently whatever event caused them to appear so recently in many incarnations of Creation happened earlier here."
Nozomi Houken     Madeline's answer briefly has a look of horror on Nozomi's face. Hearing answers like that, it's going to immediately make her wary. That sounds like a conqueror's answer, and all the talk of 'rightful place' doesn't help. It bothers her, and the look in her eyes probably makes that obvious. She doesn't have a poker face at all.

    But she knows at this point she can't actually stop it. Not unless everyone else in the Union agrees to help. Otherwise she'd just be fighting it on her own. So there's one important question.

    "What if it fails?"

    For once, Nozomi Houken manages to lift her head, to stare Madeline right in the eye. The effort alone costs her dearly. She's already starting to tremble a little. "What... what if you can't take over everything and finish it? What if you... what if you lose? And don't... don't say 'I won't'. That's... I won't accept that answer. What if you die, or... or if someone destroys one of those... those things, to spite you. What happens to everyone, if you can't finish this like you plan to...?"
Stygian Mirror     "You killed a Deathlord...?" This just got a million times more interesting. "How did you manage that? I've always heard that if you struck one down, it'd just come back. Is that just a scary story they tell people so that they don't try?"

    She suspects Madeline might not want to say, and with very good reason, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

    The rest... well, it sounds typical. The Lion is known to brood, the Mask of Winters' Animabook status is always set to 'PLOTTING MY NEXT MOVE MWAHAHA', and god knows what the Lover is thinking. Green Sun Princes and Solars, also par for the course.
Guest Madeline     Nozomi's accusation gets met with a level stare... but it's not without merit, Madeline decides. "Everything has risk. At the moment, there is a superweapon that no one except I can operate safely, anyway. They're really no worse off than they were before." She smiles. "You're worrying. Covering every option. But I'm making it as safe as I can. If you think it is too risky... well, I can't force you to help me, will I?"

    Mirror's comment gets a lifted brow. "Yes, I killed a Deathlord. I had help. A powerful Dawn Caste, several other Elites... Lady Venevol was one of them. I won't share how it happened, but I will admit it wasn't easy."
Nozomi Houken     Under that return stare, Nozomi buckles. She lowers her head. "...I'm worrying, because I'm... I'm used to being the one, everyone else makes decisions about. I know what it's like. So... I have to worry about the ones like me. I... I want to be sure you're thinking about them." By the end of the sentence, it's a quiet little mumble. But down on the ground, Taiga has edged himself just a bit closer, in such a way he's pressed up against her leg reassuringly.
Stygian Mirror     "Can't have been easy. You must have had someone along with quite the power over souls, or... something else. I won't blame you for keeping it under your hat, so to speak," Mirror answers, without pushing further into that matter.

    "However it is you did it it must have earned you a big fat reputation. It'll be interesting working for you, plans by people with so much vision are more fun to put into stories than your one-hundredth job to kill some bandits terrorizing a small farming community."
Guest Madeline     Nozomi wilts. This is not surprising to Madeline, who stares at her for a long moment before replying to the girl, "I am the only Solar willing to take up this mantle. Creation is faced with many threats... from Deathlords - no offense, Stygian Mirror - to the Yozi attempting to free themselves, to the Fair Folk, to the petty squabbles of the Terrestrials that usurped our rightful place as rulers of all Creation and left us in this miserable state with their incompetent rule. I was given a task by the Unconquered Sun himself to unite all of Creation."

    That doesn't sound good.

    "It is my /responsibility/ to look after my people, and if all of Creation is mine, then that is who I will look after. In the First Age this task was shared, but if no one else will step up to the task then it has to be me. Everything I do is to better the standing of Creation as a whole. I was once dying on the streets, neglected by the nobility and left to fade away. I cursed them for their callousness, and vowed to destroy them. The only difference now is that I will destroy them by being better than them rather than merely killing them."
Lin "You speak treachery against the very Mandate of Heaven! The designs of our nature!" Karal Rei Lin suddenly blurts, pointing a finger with terrific ferocity at Vance. "By what right do you believe yourself to be the only Chosen of the Sun capable of reclaiming what was lost? By what logic do you PRAY to hide behind when you're proven wrong? By what INSANITY do you think JUST ONE of you can manage when OVER A HUNDRED fell in the Usurpation?!" A deep, bellowing anger's coming from Lin, accompanied by a brief shift in tone, just barely noticeable. Clearer enunciation, if only slightly.

    "You can't do it alone and you shouldn't. We..." Her vehemence starts faltering. She lowers the finger, expression starting to turn a bit sheepish and deer in headlightsy. The faint tone of her shard's previous holder fades, but she finishes with a gruff, "We were made to work in teams. One ruler's not going to work. You need more of your own from this world... there ARE more, aren't there?"

    She suddenly starts scratching her head and looking mighty embarassed, probably perplexed by her own outburst.
Kutsuuko Shiratori     Knowing maybe a tenth of what there is to learn about Creation is good reason for Kutsuuko to listen through a large chunk of the natives talking amongst themselves. Hamlet had a certain spark of genius when he decided that people are more likely to say what they mean, and say it at length, when they figure nobody important is listening.

    At the point where Karal decides to butt into that exchange to share her incredibly well informed opinion though, Kutsuuko has to make good on what she'd promised the Abyssal. No sooner is she done ranting than an arm is around the Solar's waist and a gloved hand is clapping over her mouth, moving to physically drag the excitable and inexperienced teen before she makes an incident, already in the middle of advertising what she is after she'd begged the Union to keep her identity secret.

    "All right all right, that's enough out of you. I warned you already. You're obviously hungry and cranky, so let's go and sit down and you can have something to eat instead of standing around slack jawed and confused all day."
Guest Madeline     Dragging away Karal is a good idea, because Madeline's pride is now bristling. She starts to reply... then thinks better of it, closing her mouth and smoothing her dress. "Irrelevant at this time. Find me another Solar from my world who wishes to aid me and rules wisely and without abuse, and we can discuss it. The only one I can think of is the Phoenix, and he is in the Wyld right now. Also he hates me and wants to kill me so that makes working together difficult. If you want to know more about our world's history, ask him. If you can stand him."