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Bloody Revelations     Open summons aren't *that* unusual as far as 'some big thing is going down and someone is taking any help they can get' out in the Multiverse, but it's historically uncommon for somewhere as notoriously insular, self-contained, and steeped in weird and exclusive problems as Creation: the nonsense fantasyland bubble world floating in a sea of primordial chaos, primarily known for annoying, complicated, and useless trivia like 'there being a god of literally everything'. Few explanations ever come out of that place, little help is sought or tolerated, and few Multiversal prospects are deemed worthwhile.

    This is a pretty big change. Not only is it sourced from Creation, but it's sourced by someone very important within it, and the nature of it is extremely confidential. It doesn't take a local lore expert to know that anyone addressed as an 'Agent of Heaven' is a big deal, and that a top chair in something called the 'Bureau of Destiny' is very important. It's no local king or warlord waving money in people's faces to go perform a task, but someone in charge who is seriously concerned about the future, and willing to reel in anyone they can.

    Where they've chosen to hash things out is far from a normal place, though it is at least clearly remote and private. While it's obviously on the coast, as the ocean shore visible to the north testifies, the sheer heat slowly dissipating at the gradual setting of the sun makes for no guesses as to the kind of climate that lies further inland, much like the narrow livable band around the Australian coast. Part of the heat is just due to what the sun must have been up to all day, but part of it is because the cityscape all around has been soaking it up during daylight and releasing it at night, due to the fact that it seems like most of the location is a city mostly made of glass.

    Being clear, most of the actual city, comprised of countless artistic skyscrapers of stained glass shifting in every colour of the rainbow, is quite a distance away. All of its gaps are filled in by newer, more ordinary, feudal era desert construction, in which all the signs of actual habitation exist. All of that is across across miles of broken down wastes, wherein the former artistic cityscape seems to have been subjected to a truly apocalyptic wartime shelling, resulting in a barren, lifeless band of scorched earth and twisted beams, littered with acres of broken glass, mostly lit by the occasional belches of flame from the ground. A few structures still stand relatively intact, with the chosen place being one of them; a fifteen storey tall pinnacle of silver steel and vermilion crystal, with the ceiling/floor of each storey being a perfect prism that captures the exact image of the stars just coming out.

    It's the very top, specifically. Open to the sky. It has a great view of the glowing glass city miles to the south, the diminishing greenery and growing desert beyond it, and the ocean to the north, wrapped in a warm, humid breeze that carries both the smell of ocean salt and baked sand, as well as more than a little smoke. Oddly, for being the open-air apex of an abandoned skyscraper, it is incredibly well appointed. Cushions, rugs, low tables, bowls, chairs, drapes, and all the other trappings of a lavish, vaguely Arabian lifestyle have been chosen as furnishings. Five equidistant braziers, each with an astrological symbol, have been lit with blazing silver flames that give a clear, white light to the floor, revealing that quite a quantity of the space involves full wine jugs, trays and bowls of food, frankly more than a couple of hookahs and pipes, and a great big map stretched across the middle. Staring through the transparent floor, one can see a great big silver bonfire at the middle point, lighting the floor from underneath, so it glows like a rich person's balcony swimming pool at a night party.
Bloody Revelations     The host appears to be a strong-looking less-than-middle-aged man of jet black skin, bald head, and deep purple eyes, wearing a finely embroidered silk caftan and biretta in reds and yellows. He has a deep voice and a strong accent that is difficult to place. "Welcome, welcome, you are welcome." he says, stretching his arms out wide and gesturing at the huge, cushy seats all over around the perimeter. "I am glad that I was able to find enough of you on such short notice. My gratitude for your putting time aside for this. You may call me Nazri, esteemed friends, and it is a name you would be wise to share infrequently. I have to speak to you today as the Chair of the newly formed Convention of Multiverse Operations, within the Bureau of Destiny."

    "All of destiny, you see. That is, I represent the organization that has the responsibility of overseeing the correct functioning and protection of Creation and her future. I believe now --and many of us agree-- that after seeing your kind in action, cooperating with fresh blood --with agents from outside-- may be our best hope at dealing with our current state of disaster after disaster, hopelessly undermanned as we are. People who can get things done are rare, you see, and especially those who will get them done for reasons other than an agenda, impossible to balance. Will you hear me out? If you will, then I will hear you too. I will hear out any of your questions or concerns, for I ask much of you, and there is much to know."
Ryouma Sakamoto     "Can Oryou just eat them?" asks the woman floating by Ryouma.
    "N-No, please, even if they represent the heavens, don't..." he tries to say."
    "But the gods hurt Oryou and Oryou is still kind of mad," she twirls around him.
    "Ah, but these aren't our gods, see?" Ryouma reasons.
    "Hm." Oryou strokes her chin, mimicking the typical thinking pose in mid-air. "Okay. Oryou will kindly hold back for now, but if the gods seem like they want to put Oryou in a mountain, she'll eat them, alright?" she offers.
    "I... think that's the fairest I can ask for," Ryouma beams.

    Whether that all happened in the literal face of their host or not is up to your imagination.

    Ryouma, finally, addresses said host, taking his hat off in greeting. "Ah, of course, please go ahead. I'm always willing to help people in need. And so's Oryou," he says, as Oryou whirls around him from his left to his right.
    "Sure," Oryou says, convincingly.
Gawain An invitation straight from the top is something Gawain would refuse to pass up. He is deeply invested in Creation, and working directly with Heaven is a boon. The knight is dressed in his best formal outfit, the black fur cloak over his armor, as he stands on the roof and listens to Nazri once they're there. He bows briefly to their host, before listening.

"I am Sir Gawain, Knight of the Sun, Warden of the Paladins, Immaculate Adversary. I am most grateful to have been chosen for this, and certainly am willing to hear you out." The knight looks over their allies, giving a nod to his fellow Paladins Ryouma and Oryou, and then moves to start.

"I have few questions, beyond the most broad and important. Where do we start?" Gawain trusts Nazri implicitly. He's from Heaven, it's fine!
Corona Arclite --- Earlier ---

    Corona had been quietly working on some new gadgetry in her workshop, only to nearly fall off her stool as Miss C's younger sister Sabelle burst into the room like a hurricane. "Corona! Oppritunity! Now!" the canine managed to pant between breaths after literally running across the Depot.
    "What happened to oppritunity knocking?", the vixen teased as she sat back up, but the humor was quickly dissipitated when Sabelle waved something in her face. "What the--" Corona grabbed the missive with one hand while lifting her welding goggles from her eyes with the other. "--It's a bit late for April Fool's, Sabby."
    "It's.. not a joke." Sabelle slumped against the wall, panting as dogs tend to do. "It's really.. a request for assistance. From -Creation-. Uncharted territory, so to speak. New potential!"
    "Mmm." Corona was a little suspicious... yet at the same time, her curiousity was stronger than her paranoia. Just getting into Creation without being harassed about it, much less -asked- to, really was an oppritunity hard to pass up. She stuffed the missive in a pocket as she got up, walked over to grab her holster belts, then her brass brimmed stetson and tipped it onto her head. "Tarnation girl, calm down b'fore ya hyperventilate. Ah'll go check it out, an' let ya know if it's really the big oppritunity ya think it is." The machinist strolled out of the shop as she was buckling on the gunslinger belts.

--- Now ---

    "Ah swear, fanciest buildin Ah've seen in a coon's age." She was more an engineer than she was an architect but Corona could still appreciate the awe of the structure as she made her way up to the very, VERY top of opulant locations for the meeting place. "Swell digs, but gotta be helluva expensive in upkeep." She leaves the self-commentary at that, not wanting to make a rude first impression. She maybe can find someone to nitpick over how they keep such a big fancy place running smoothly later.
    Besides, the host was making introductions already. As a proper response she grabbed her hat with one hand and give it a tilt towards Nazri with a nod of her head. "Corona Arclite, engineer an' gunslinger, at yer service." She wastes no time in ambling over to a cushioned seat and floping down in it, stretching out in the same way one would a hammock or other comfortably reclining apparatice, her tail draping off over to one side. Her hat is returned to her head, and despite her casual demeanor the fennec's ears were focused on the Man From Destiny. Yup, that's what she's going to call him now, at least in her own thoughts. "Let's hear what y'all got, mate."
Note     Summoning Note isn't too difficult. It's weird enough that anyone would want her to be helping them with anything, but calling themselves an 'Agent of Heaven' is just strange enough that she has deployed with all due haste.

    That ALSO means absolutely no attention paid to discretion. Indeed, a golden meteor sparkles through the skies coming from the nearest warp gate, like a stray sunbeam the daystar let loose to wander on its own. Of course, something glowing like that can seem a lot like some other things native to the region...

    As the glowing streak swoops into the open air meeting place though, it's obviously a she. A considerably young she. With a tail. Note is dressed in her usual battle attire, wreathed in the golden blaze of life energy that is her Super Saiyan state.

    As she comes in for a landing though, the golden power flicks off and her aura cuts out, brilliant golden-yellow spiky hair darkening quickly to black and losing whatever force kept it arrayed into spikes.

    Her tail lashes this way and that freely as she takes a few steps forward, then circles about to look at the surroundings... and focuses on the one who would seemingly have summoned her.

    ANd what a heck of an opening state the gang's host has to stay. Note blinks at the one called Nazri as if he's some kind of alien. Then her brow furrows.

    She's clearly 'just a kid' so perhaps the huge and flowery speech isn't really her thing.

    "Uh... I'll hear you out, sure!" Yep. The big flowery formality has her too gobsmacked to think of anything ELSE to say yet. So instead she takes a moment to look about at who ELSE has shown up for this...

    And her gaze settles on Gawain. "Ah. Hey! Gawain. You're just all over the place, huh?"
Empty Tidings "Heaven certainly hasn't lost that extravagant touch, has it?"

Empty Tidings steps out onto the rooftop. She's dressed in silks the color of fresh blood, embroidered with lotus blossoms rendered in black and gold. Despite doing the next best thing to walking into the enemy camp uninvited, she seems perfect at-ease, evidently all smiles and friendliness -- even if she tends to speak to the servants of Heaven with an edge of mockery to her otherwise diplomatic tones. She gravitates towards a cushioned seating arrangement in the midst of everything, rather intent on settling in.

"I like it. Your best foot forward, as it were. Or... second-best. The finest silver is of course reserved for more momentous occasions than speaking of something as tedious as the business of fate."

Tidings smiles at their host, committing the name Nazri to memory, for what good it will do. Then, she offers up something to him: a bottle of spiralling glass, nominally clear but artistically frosted, full of what looks like cloudy water. A label on the upraised side bears the Old Realm characters for 'catharsis.'

"A small gift for our gracious host." Tidings bows fractionally over it. No need to be /actually/ rude, right?
All-Seeing Eye      All-Seeing Eye has arrived, dressed both for the occasion and for the heat. A beautiful, breathable black gown with an iridescent trim made from small, lightweight, pressed metal squares complements baggy white trousers tucked into riding boots apparently made from some sort of synthetic hide. His raven hair is let down, traveling down to his lower back and blowing freely in the breeze.

     The Alchemical steps off of his hoverbike, the device's engines whining as jets of purple essence hold it aloft. The engines power down, and the entire vehicle folds impossibly into itself, then into his outstretched palms, in a series of precise, mechanical motions which almost give the spectacle some sense of legitimacy. His gown and his hair alike flow behind him as he makes his ascent to the very top of the glimmering spire, but his soft, beautiful face is today without even the usual veneer of warmth. It's more like a cold sort of annoyance.

     Stepping into the furnishings, it's clear his wardrobe was expertly chosen, but then, this is usually the case. He looks like a prince visiting from a neighboring kingdom, albeit a shade lighter than most from this part of Creation. Compared to their host, his skin is a warm taupe brown, his eyes a champagne gold. To Nazri's eyes, however flawless Eye's appearance may seem, his place within Fate is an affront; the Alchemical belongs to Autochthon's Design, and not the Loom of Fate.

     "It's about time," says Eye with an irritated flick of his wrist, sending a lock of his hair flitting behind his ear. "All-Seeing Eye, Chosen of Autochthon, Warden of the Paladins." He helps himself to a glass of wine, scrutinizing it with an appraising eye without letting his gaze rest upon their host. With an air of vague disinterest, he continues. "Forgive my curtness, Nazri, darling, but your Bureau had given my countrymen, and my compatriots, here, believing that you didn't much care for the fate of your charge." There is a gesture to the expanse of Creation, made with his free hand.

     "I suppose I can hear you out," he says, finally deigning to rest his eyes upon their host. "But I /do/ have some notes." He finally takes a seat besides Empty Tidings, and lets his hand rest gingerly upon hers.
Tomoe Tomoe had not expected a summons again due to maybe just her own view of herself after what she considered her failure at Lookshy, helping to take down the Lintha likely had been noticed sure. No one from Creation powers that be had been. An Agent of Heaven? She should see what they want so she would transform and set off to the meeting point. It was easy enough for her to fly in too and take in the city if there was one thing Creation never failed to do? WAs to have thing Tomoe had never really seen the likes of before such as the place they were meeting. AS she reaches the top it clearly seems to be what it says on the tin she will take a moment to look over their host and she'll bow slightly to them. She doesn't know all the details of protocol here but it is clear she's making an effort to be polite.

"Greeting Nazri I am Tomoe the Iron Lily."

She pauses for a moment to think.

"Creation does have a lot going on, it's true and if you're asking for help and willing to give me a chance I'm more than willing to take it. However I do have a question or two, I'd like to know more about this new organization as I have been to the Divine city before and seen enough to wonder what has shaken up the powers that be so much? Other than that I'm ready to get started."

She'll Look to Gawain whom she is very glad to see same for Ryouma and Oryou.

She had not expected Corona to show up but seeing the Fox mechanic does get a grin as she looks to her.

"Hey, good to see you didn't think I'd see you in this neck of the woods."

She'll turn back to her host now and also add. She seems pretty set and ready at this point and now simply is going to listen for the moment as some of her questions are likely to be answered and there may be things brought up which will make her want to ask new ones. She will take a seat just at the point Empty Tidings and All-Seeing Eye arrive.
Xion A terrible, fel and dark portal into a realm with only a swirling chaos of dark blues, purples, and tumbling and bumbling creatures with creepy yellow eyes.

And Xion! She front-tumbles through the portal, slashing 'through' the edges of the portal with a wide sweep of her arm and knife-hand, landing in a crouch all dramatically.

She's not in cultist clothes today! Instead, it's a white tank top with black accents, a matching black skirt and black hoodie both with purple accents and black-and-whitee checkerbox linings and trimmings. A belt and matching shoes round out things.

drawing back her hoodie's hood, she presents the face of a very nice smartphone - you know, the kind with the screen that swipes over the edges! Apparently, Xion ahd recieved the summons of a Flawless Not Terribly Relevant Scene Hook Method (or, entirely mundane Email). "I read there was going to be catering! Also, adulation?"

Much less dramatically she goes to the fried eggrolls and starts sliding them, whole, into her mouth, loudly chewing.

"'m fee-on." She mumbles through both cheeks full of partially chewed fried goodies.
Runa     The Priestess steps up to the edge and looks out at the city of glass. She leans forward, moving a hand to hold her hair in the wind as she takes in the view with wide eyes. With wonder in her voice she says, "How incredible! I could have not even imagined such a marvelous sight existed." The vista alone was worth accepting the request that had been passed to her by a certain group. How they came to learn of this meeting she could not guess. But Runa is thankful, nonetheless.

    It's unfortunate that the sightseeing must end for now as their host begins. Runa turns around and walks back to listen. She seems a little confused by some of what's said, not yet having much experience with the Multiverse at large. But she tries to take in everything she can as she listens. Not only to Nazri, but also the others who have shown up. She doesn't recognise most of them, but gives them her pleasant smile regardless.

    As the series of introductions goes around, it comes to Runa. Clutching her somewhat large book to her chest she bows, saying, "I am Runa. A Priest of the Church of Odin, from the kingdom of Rune-Midgarts. Thank you for such wonderful hospitality. It is my duty to help those who are in need. As such I am happy to listen to yours and provide assistance where I can."

    Runa proceeds to sit and listen. She has many questions, not know this world or its people. But for now she simply pays close attention to everything that is said.
Bloody Revelations     At the general acceptance, Nazri claps rubs his hands together for a moment, lacing his fingers into a single fist. "Excellent! I see you have serious intent. I can tell just from your demeanor that you are no amateurs or half-hearted lookers-in. That will make things better --and easier." Yes, even Xion and/or Note. He takes the wine quite warmly, seeming to feel that Tidings' allegiance, and even moreso All-Seeing Eye's generalized scorn, are completely beneath the need to fixate on. He looks 30. He *exudes* having gone past 'too old for this shit' and into a state of cheerful 'no fucks to give' when it comes to these details. Just from that, he somehow feels much, much older than either of them.

    "I will be more specific." he then says at the obvious question to start with. "The organization I represent, the Bureau of Destiny, is one of many bureaus, courts, and departments that make up Yu-Shan --the Heavenly City and residence of the Celestial Gods. The Celestial Gods are those that have portfolios concerned with broad domains of existence. Gods of life, death, secrets, luck, health, nature, war, the four directions; these gods all work together, or at least are all supposed to work together, in the Celestial Bureaucracy to make sure that Creation itself functions. These systems and bureaus exist so that the gods coordinate, and so the seasons change, the rain falls, wars are fought, babies are born, souls reincarnate, and up stays up and down stays down. "

    "The Bureau of Destiny is special. Rather than the millions of gods, the Bureau of Destiny is run by humans: the Fivescore Fellowship of the Sidereal Exalted. That is, one hundred people like me, who were chosen by one of the highest gods of Heaven, to serve the purpose of watching and protecting fate itself. We look to the future to see what may be, and to the present to see what may disturb it. We monitor Creation as a whole, and deal with threats to its future, as well as to its fabric of reality, which is something all-too frequently threatened by the irresponsible or misguided use of power. Are you with me so far?" He pauses briefly to let it generally sink in and catch up.

    "I will speak plainly. One hundred men and women is not enough. We cannot possibly monitor and tackle everything, even through the most perfect webs of delegation and planning. We are in a time of chaos and upheaval. Once, the mighty nation of the Realm held together all of Creation under a single Empress, with the military power to defend it from anything. Under the careful guidance and advice of the Bureau of Destiny, of course. You may have called this Empress, and the Realm, a close ally."

    "Since she has disappeared, however, the superpower of Creation is crumbling before our eyes, dividing up into houses preparing for a civil war, and no longer protecting Creation's people or her interests. There are enemies everywhere. Disasters. Anomalies. Powerful foes gathering strength, catastrophes waiting to happen, fate starting to come apart at the seams. We need aid, and those available to us are either not strong enough to make a difference, or powerful enough to be unwilling to take instructions."
Bloody Revelations     "Everything that happens in Creation is recorded in the Loom of Fate, which our Bureau monitors. We have seen what the right people from other worlds can do, and after much debate, the others have accepted that you may be a viable alternative to the agents we do not have. Because we regularly know what is going on in Creation, we can predict much of the future, we have large information networks, many informants and accomplices, rapid and secret passage across the world, and many contingencies and plans, all we lack to create an effective force in resolving these conflicts and disasters before they endanger Creation, is enough trained and courageous bodies to use these tools."

    "This is why I, along with some others, have had the Convention on Multiversal Operations formed; it is an administrative body for informing you of goings-on, providing directions, information, support, and materials, so that she may be protected by someone, *anyone*." he adds with some emphatic frustration.

    "I will be honest. Consulting the Loom of Fate, we have seen ominous things. Many fear that a time of reckoning will rapidly be upon us. Something that concerns the entire world. It is clear that if Creation continues to fall apart like it is now, with the Realm that once held it together crumbling, its enemies gathering power, powerful items falling into the wrong hands, the land itself dying or being swallowed up, demons and the dead running amok, when the time comes, everyone will perish, divided and weak. We must do what we can to snuff out threats, tie up loose ends, seal away disastrous powers, defeat great enemies, regain use of past powers, and reunite the great houses, if Creation is to remain stable and strong enough to weather the storm."

    "I am going to ask you to do a great many dangerous things. Many will end with death. Many may expose you to dark things. Many will test your courage and your strength of character. Some may not resolve in the way you like, for that is the inescapable nature of things. Do you wish to try anyways? For the sake of the millions that still live here, and can do nothing to protect themselves? If that is the case, then I have lined up a number of small assignments which we do not have enough agents to handle --one for each of the cardinal directions. If you prove capable of them, I will see that your efforts are rewarded, and that we may begin bigger things."
Corona Arclite Corona Arclite folds her hands behind her head as she reclines in the cushion. "Ya don't get that one set of odds in yer favor by not bein' willin' playin' the rest of the numbers." A very simple answer for a very complicated explaination of 'why we need your help' and 'it's dangerous as hell'. "Reckon most the folks here ain't unfamiliar with dealin' with terrible risks for a few important payoffs, anyhoo."
Gawain As a few people greet him, Gawain nods to them. "Ah, hello!" And then, the speech starts.

Gawain listens intently to the explanation. He rubs his hand against in his chin in a thinking motion briefly during it, but when it all ends, it's clear he's already made up his mind. The knight just smiles, nods, and looks up to the setting sun in the distance, and then back to Nazri. "I have done many dangerous things in an attempt to save Creation already. Some I regret. Others I don't. But I would not change my actions, nor would I turn down the chance to do more good for these people. I will partake in these missions gladly, and pledge my sword to you and yours."

Gawain then does take a moment to make sure everyone who he doesn't already know seems to be willing to accept, before continuing. "I do have one request, though. I have been doing research into the means to slay something that is immortal, in order to be able to stop the Deathlords permanently. My efforts have brought me little usable information, however...but I would like to work with any committee or group working on that, if possible! It's my primary goal at this time - finding us a true, valuable weapon."
Graceful Hands "Nazri, you knew that I was busy! I have had everyone on me for all sorts of gods damned trivial tasks, because for some reason, in spite of *everything* going on, making my life a living hell that the Yozi would be proud to call a sibling is something everyone can find time for!"

A lady dressed in a rather deep shade of purple appeared in the room from a nearby door that may or may not have been there just now, having quite loudly slammed it open as she strode into the place, sighing as she rubbed either sleep or perhaps a hangover from her eyes.

"Honestly, sometimes you'd think some of the others would rather Creation just blow up again instead of, you know, actually *existing* if it meant that the asshole in the office down the road would be displeased. Anyway, I skimmed the paperwork but I haven't gone through all of it, what're you planning to do with this new con...ven..."

The woman's eyes opened after several rubs, revealing eyes a deep, bright shade of purple. Perhaps if someone looked further, they might noticed they sparkled like stars, in spite of their owners' current surly demeanor.

"...oh. Hi. This is what you meant by...the thing that I got. I think some of us have met. I'm just going to..."

She scooted in sheepishly, making an awkward wave at everyone before taking a place next to Nazri, before whispering something that sounded vaguely like "You know people are going to be pissseeed..."
Empty Tidings Tidings settles in again, gift delivered. Psychadelic rain carrying a very specific emotion is rare and expensive, even in the place it's made; it must be almost unheard-of in Heaven. She thinks any Sidereal will appreciate catharsis in a bottle.

She turns her hand, squeezing Eye's, smiling warmly at him. "I thought I might see you here," she murmurs. "What do you think?" She glances at Nazri and the whole of the rooftop gathering, eyes sweeping around and then returning to his, brow quirked. "Certainly not as neat and orderly as your own bureaucracy, I presume."

Tidings deliberately makes no mention of Hell's equivalent for comparison.

"I have a thought on that subject," she asides to Gawain, "but it will require as dangerous a sort of fact-finding mission as you can imagine. You won't find anything quite so singular that can simply fell one of them, but with the right knowledge of our enemies..." She trails off. Tidings acquires a little bowl of grapes and helps herself in the meantime.

She doesn't leave when broadly asked if she's interested in helping. She wouldn't have come in the first place if she wasn't. Sitting in on boring meetings when you don't get anything tangible out of it? That's what minions are for, and August is nowhere to be found.
Ryouma Sakamoto     A priest?
    Oryou turns to look at Runa, still hovering.
    "Ryouma, can Oryou at least eat a priest?" she asks.
    "P-Please no! No. No!" Ryouma says.
    Oryou whirls back to him, huffing. "What CAN Oryou eat today?"
    "We'll... find something on the way," he answers, laughing.

    He listens, best he can, to the explanations given by Nazri (after waving to Gawain! gotta stay polite). A hundred cool people to watch an entire world, and their biggest ally just up and disappeared. That's bad.

    They can predict the future, that's handy.

    When Nazri is done talking, Ryouma nods. "That's all quite fine. Taking risks is my everyday life, and if it means helping the world, I guess I have a contractual obligation to do that."

    This isn't his world, but it doesn't really matter. It's not like he can just say 'wow I sure don't care what happens'. He does! He always does.

    Someone has to make up for how little Oryou cares.

    "What kinds of rewards?" Oryou asks Nazri, finally.
    Ryouma laughs nervously. "I think that's a bit rude to ask before even hearing the assignments, Oryou," he says.
    "Okay. Tell Oryou the assignments, then the rewards," she corrects herself. Ryouma resigns himself to 'good enough'.
Bloody Revelations     "Ah, there you are!" Nazri exclaims with another jovial clap at the other Sidereal's entrance. "This is Graceful Hands. She had nothing better to do, so she has been moved to the Convention on Multiversal Operations as a handler and liason. If you have questions about oddities in the field, of course she will be delighted to answer." He gives her a meaningful look. "After all, I'm sure it will be much more interesting than the last subcommittee she was on." Hint hint.

    He steels his look when Gawain brings up the Deathlord word though, regaining a more serious tone. "I am aware that some among your numbers have previously crossed paths with the self-proclaimed Deathlords. Trust me, that all of Yu-Shan is aware of them, and the threat they pose to Creation. The Bureau of Heaven has, in fact, a Convention on Deathlords, dedicated to gathering what intelligence we can about those abnormally powerful and wicked ghosts, and their designs. It is a slow process, and they guard their hands jealously, even if only meant to be from each other."

    "You may not like to hear this, but I recommend putting them from your mind for now. Though you have done Creation a great service by destroying two of their number, the regrettable fact is that their schemes run far too deep, and their arrogance and hubris far too high. It is to our advantage, for the time being, that the forces of Death fight against themselves for the ridiculous 'privilege' of being the sole destroyer left. If they were to all coordinate against us at the same time, we would be hard-pressed to stop them."

    "The best, and likely last, opportunity there was to choose a least evil from their number was sadly doomed to fail. You would find that not one of them would ever do anything without hedging it with plans to betray and dispose of anyone once they are no longer needed, and while their individual arrogance means that they are unlikely to take the current threat to their empires seriously enough, powerful threats against them on two fronts may motivate them into action --at worst, cooperating together. If the powers of the Underworld are content to devour one another, do you not think that is for the best?"

    He twists his lips for a moment, before slowly doling out his next words. "You are right, though, that there are many enemies of Creation that are not easily put to rest. Powerful demons. Dead things. Forbidden and forgotten gods. There is no convenient way to be rid of them, else they would not be so commonly sealed and locked away. There are special martial and occult techniques for doing so, as a heavy-handed measure of resort, but you should ask yourself why you would want such a thing. Is it revenge? Guilt? What use do you have for it?"
Note     Note's gaze sharpens as words like fate and and disasters are thrown around. Like a switch being flipped, she's instantly paying her full attention on the matter at hand. "I...."

    She takes a few uncertain steps forwards, then folds her arms. "I THINk I get it." The tension relaxes, her arms falling slack again-- but then with Graceful Hands making a rather noisy entrance, Note spins about so quickly her ponytail goes flapping about.

    Graceful Hands is fixed with a very noticeable stare for a few seconds. Then Note shakes her head to clear it and focuses back on Nazri!

    "I'm just looking for challenges to improve my skills and learn some things! ... but the more that involves helping out with big problems, the better. Okay then! Let's hear these four tests. How about the nearest one first?"

    With the crazy antics happening around her, Note glances at some of the people... and just bunches her shoulders up in mild frustration..

    The girl's tail continues to idly swing about this way and that as she glances around... and spots a giant cushion. "Ooooooooooh!" Without asking if it's okay, she simply LEAPS over onto it with a whoop, and BOUNCES on impact, settling into it!

    It just looked too enticing.
All-Seeing Eye      Eye listens politely, for the most part, but his annoyance remains. When Nazri mentions the prospect of having to prove themselves, Eye gives the Sidereal a look. His brow raises, his lips pulled into a sly, mocking smirk. The look could best be summed up in two words.

     'Really, bitch?'

     "Darling, /no,/" he says with a shake of his head, his tone exactly as condescending as the words would imply. Despite Nazri clearly being the elder of the two, he speaks to the Sidereal as if speaking to a child. "This is precisely my problem with your methodology, and precisely the reason an otherwise pristine world is so fraught with... disorder. Do you think the Yozis, the Deathlords, and all the rest of your unfinished business will just wait for you to get your lives together?" He laughs mirthlessly, taking a sip of wine. "Tragic."

     His eyes drift to the possibly hungover Sidereal. "And speaking of tragedy..." He tsk-tsks.

     Tidings asks his opinion, which he gives, without bothering to lower his voice for the two Sidereals' sake. "Perhaps as neat or neater, but only for its obsession with decadence and the appearance of the immaculate. So far," he says, taking another sip of wine. "I find ours to be more efficient--and if Nazri's depiction is accurate, far better at excising corruption. Really," he says, turning to pointedly address Grace and Nazri, "You don't need a god for every little thing when honest mortal labor could do the same without a dozen tons of paperwork and a monument to excess called an office. I can't /imagine/ the king's ransom you must pay the god of breathable air around here!" He rolls his eyes.

     "But," he says, scooting closer to Tidings and wrapping his free arm around her, and slightly holding out the fingers his wine-hand towards Nazri. "Don't listen to me, I'm just from a society that's enjoyed First Age levels of technology for the past three thousand years. I'll take care of whatever little errand needs running in the East, since it'll technically be housekeeping, and let's hope my friends finish their chores before the dissidents decide to pull the chair out from under you."
Xion Xion, who has moved from fried eggrolls to two fistfuls of kebabs on skewers, holding four kebab spikes per hand as she works through the last few off one hand's offerings. She moves to playing with the fistful of metal sticks, quietly impersonating someone who sounds like a vaguey Stabby Bitchy Older Sister before tuning back in. "So are you guys, like... Organization A Hundred? And you protect the world by looking after a big textile? That's cool."

"I live in a big castle under a giant heart shaped moon. Do you have any big keys? Or keys in general?"r

Oryou expresses the PAIN OF NOT EATING, and, feeling this tremendous pain, Xion slides over and raises her fist of 4 kebab spears. "You can eat these? They're on the catering table. They're pretty good!"
Tomoe Tomoe looks over to Runa as she sees someone knew showing up the towering Salamander then grins at Runa for a moment and looks her over for a moment longer.

"It's pretty amazing isn't it? I haven't seen you about before I'm Tomoe as I said it's good to meet you Runa and the Church of Odin huh? I'll have to ask more I think I know someone who might be very interested to hear more too."

She'll turn her attention back to their host and will listenGraceful Hands to Nazri as he gives them the rundown, while she tries some of the offered food.

The breakdown on how things work is informative, the political situation is telling too.

"So you have the support but not the full-on manpower to deal with it. Information is quite good, and I'm seeing if we do work together we can get the thing done."

She thinks for a moment as about what they were said.

"If it was not for outsider giving a damn for me and others during a Death Game I was trapped din I and a lot of other people would be dead so I'm in."

Then someone who she has not seen in a very long time pops in, that being Graceful Hands. She looks to them for a moment.

"I take risks just by stepping through the warp gate on my world, heck it's just waking up there and getting out of bed is a risk there. So I'm game. Just what do you need?"

Gawain's comments get a frown from her but she knows it needed to be brought up.

"You have been busy I see Sir Gawain."

She seems to be on board with Gawain's idea. She also looks to Eye for a moment

"It could be a fetch quest but it needs to get done right? All-Seeing Eye. Think of it as a chance to get more people to see your Radiance in action. As for Sir Gawain quest we're going to need something like that if we want to put an end to the Death Lords."
Bloody Revelations     "You come from a society that has hidden away in private for three thousand years." Nazri suddenly says with cutting flatness towards All-Seeing Eye. "A place small and predictable, unknown to most. You have not been left with the excesses of the mad god-tyrants of the First Age. You were not struck by the great plague that nearly killed the world, and threw Heaven into disarray. You are not beset by the ancient and malevolent creators of the universe itself, both dead and imprisoned. Little cares for your realm."

    "Blame the design of Heaven for our current problems if you must; I certainly won't defend the dereliction and corruption that has set into it, but we have made the best of the poor hand we were left all those centuries ago, and we have made it this far through disasters and against enemies you can scarcely comprehend, by hard work and great sacrifices made by countless generations of those who performed their duty admirably. I will not hear you dismiss those men and women who struggled for thousands of years to carry Creation this far, with no choice about the hard and unforgiving circumstances they were dealt."

    Xion's question seems to catch him just a little bit by surprise, and he takes a second to get his thoughts in order before answering. "The Loom of Fate is something of a metaphor. Indeed, it is made of threads, but they are threads of potential futures and interactions; it is a mechanism by which the present is created by weaving together all the things that Might Be into the things That Are. It both writes the future, and is written-to by those of us living in the present."

    "Gazing upon it is like seeing all facets of reality laid out before you in real time, and so with a great deal of age, skill, and training, we can monitor all kinds of things. It is a privilege restricted to the Bureau of Destiny. We can look at the threads in advance of the tapestry to see the potential calamities woven into them, and we can see where the threads tangle and snarl when something that isn't meant to happen, happens, and we resolve them. We try to."

    "Speaking of which-" he then moves on. "I will elaborate on four serious issues within our attention right now, which we cannot delegate the manpower to, and which we think should provide opportunities to grasp the nature of the work. One in the west, one in the north, one in the south, one in the east."
Runa     Runa nods along politely as the explanation proceeds. But her eyes grow consistantly more confused as it continues. It's a lot of information to take in. Especially for someone still adapting to the whole idea of the Multiverse. Or someone whose origins are far less grand than those who guard destiny, if she understood it correctly.

    Runa says as much with a smile, "I am but a humble Priestess. I'm not sure if I can be the kind of person you seem to need." It sounds like this world needs heroes. In the true sense of the word. A rare occurance. "But, I will endeavour to do what I can to help, when I can. It would not do to turn a blind eye to those who are in need of protection."

    Graceful Hands is introduced. Runa gives her a smile, "Hello. A pleasure to meet you." Tomoe also introduces herself, "I would be happy to speak of the church another time, when more important matters aren't being discussed." Wait. Eat her? Runa blinks in confusion at Oryou. However, she does raise a good question, Runa once more returning to looking at Nazri, "Please do elaborate. I would like to here some examples of what we might be asked to do." Best to make
Graceful Hands "I only had nothing better to do because you *know* someone up there doesn't like giving me anything to do because..." The sidereal introduced as Graceful Hands made a noncommittal gesture to no one in particular, before retreating into incomprehensible mumbles, shooting Nazri a sideways look all the while.

At Eye's rather theatrical expression of his personal opinions, the woman gave a exasperated sigh, folding her arms. "Yes, good for you, unfortunately, I'm fairly sure you have a good idea of how things are strung together here, and unless you've got a spare loom of fate or something else up your alabaster arse that can enforce causality so that normal people don't wake up one day wondering why they've literally turned into the color blue, we're stuck with what we have." This was accompanied with a roll of her eyes, only for them to linger on Xion with a quizzical look.

"I..." Another sideways glance was given to Nazri, only this time it read "What are you thinking?!"

"The stuffy term preferred is the Fivescore Fellowship, but nobody really says that. The loom is...what Nazri said. But it is actually a literal loom that gets weaved and...so I guess we're just telling everyone about it. Okay, that's cool. And there's a lot of...locks in this world. And keys. Big and small. Just, some you never want open."
Empty Tidings "The powers of the Underworld are only devouring one another so that the biggest and fattest among them can swallow up everything else once they're done," Empty Tidings remarks sourly. She leans forward to get herself a glass of whatever All-Seeing Eye is having, and then settles in against his side, content to enjoy the company of one of the only people on the rooftop that she actually likes.

"It would be nice if the whole of the world were never plunged into this mess in the first place," she asides to Eye, "wouldn't it? But I suppose we'll have to settle for helping clean up the mess, one spill at a time, instead of wishing for a neater, cleaner present."

Tidings has strong opinions about Heaven, for some reason.

She casts a glance at Xion. "Are you good at... locks, and keys, and the dispositions of such things, then?"
Inga Freyjasdottir Inga is not late. She has been here the whole time, sitting somewhere out of the way, listening and observing the group that is gathered. There are only a couple of familiar faces in this crowd, namely Tomoe and Gawain, and now Xion.

All this talk about the loom of fate causes a small smile--she's well acquainted with that metaphor, as a Seer herself. In this case, it seems it is less metaphor and more literal.

She has already decided that she will help, but she hasn't spoken up just yet.
Ryouma Sakamoto     Oryou sniffs the food offered by Xion like a cat wary of an offering. It's definitely not frog meat, and she's rather picky about that. She turns to look at the catering table, then back to Xion.

    Experimentally, she nibbles on the tip of one piece of meat.
    Then chomps down an entire kebab, stick and all.
    Nomnomnom.

    "Oryou, what do we say?" Ryouma says.
    "Oryou is grateful," she says with her mouth full.
    "Ah, well. Thanks," Ryouma says to Xion. "I hadn't even noticed the food, ahah..." It's just not something on his mind!

    Really, though, he has nothing to say or ask while waiting for Nazri's elaboration, so he patiently waits for the Sidereal to keep going with the explanations.
Bloody Revelations     "Right now, you are in the southern direction of Creation. Far to the south, beyond where you can see, is the Elemental Pole of Fire. The further you travel towards it, the more the element of Fire dominates, and the more the land becomes desert and volcanic ranges. To tame this place and make it habitable, long ago, in the First Age, the god-kings of that time built a mechanism to control all of the elemental energy flowing through the earth for the whole region, so that they could avert storms and eruptions, and create favourable weather and harvests. When those god-kings went mad and were usurped long ago, knowledge of its existence and capability faded from memory."

    "In the present day, a city has been built on it for centuries. 'The Lap', they call it, for it is built in the lap of the five mile tall statue that houses the device. The mountain-sized artwork called 'The Penitent'. That is all anyone takes it for in this age. Art of a scale lost to time. The problem that has come to our attention is that certain parties have discovered partial knowledge of its function, and intend to climb the Penitent to access its controls, and have dominion over the south."

    "Unfortunately, they have no idea how to operate it, and may cause an environmental disaster for the whole land. Worse still, a number of different factions all have their eyes on it, and a move by the Bureau could trigger reactions from. Dynasts of the Realm who want the power it represents. The organization of elementals and spirits called the Court of Orderly Flame. The god of the south Ahlat. The great undead general, the First and Forsaken Lion. All of them would respond with armies. The Penitent is too much to let the other have."

    The east is where the Elemental Pole of Wood lies. As you would expect, it is impossibly dense jungle, where no true civilization exists, but thousands of strange tribes. There is the lost city of Rathess, once built by the prehistoric Dragon Kings, now abandoned and decrepit. Far out of anyone's sight, it has come to be known to us that a vile and wicked god, cast out from Heaven ages ago, has been dwelling there underground, building a twisted cult."

    "His name is Han-Tha, Eater of the Dead, and he has surrounded himself with abhorrent spirits, cursed and mutated tribesfolk, the savage barbarian descendents of the Dragon Kings, and other, lesser gods sealed underground for their unacceptable nature. He will pose a threat to great tracts of the east, if left unchecked, and without any strong, unified nation in that direction, and being so difficult for any true army to deploy to, he would likely have no resistance in devouring and subjugating the many tribes."
Bloody Revelations     The north is where the Elemental Pole of Air is, and Creation's highest peaks and coldest ranges. The most important power in the area is a city called Whitewall; it is a very old place with famous walls blessed to protect against all evil creatures, and an equally blessed road on which any traveler can cross the hostile north in safety. I will make no secret that it is ruled by three highly influential and important gods from Yu-Shan, that it is the true center of power, stability, and civilization in the north, that it is the military center that defends the northern border of Creation, and that it has suffered a great calamity as of very recently."

    "Whitewall is extremely close to a Shadowland --an area where the land bleeds into the Underworld and the dead may enter the world of the living freely-- called Marama's Fell. It is a massive area, normally filled with endlessly warring tribes of the dead, killing and re-killing each other over millennia old feuds without reason. Very recently, a ghost named Thrice-Dead Achiba has somehow taken control of these groups, and is worryingly close to uniting all of Marama's Fell, which would pose a dire threat to Whitewall."

    "To make matters worse, Whitewall is a mere 50 miles from a hold built by the Fair Folk --a different sort of repulsive creature, which come from outside of Creation to feed on souls. They dearly wish to see it destroyed, so they can raid and enslave and consume humans, and dissolve the north direction of reality into pure, formless chaos. Whitewall is the main bastion against them in the north, but with the heavy toll taken on its defenses, the Fair Folk are already plotting schemes to take it down from the inside."

    "The last is the western direction, the great ocean, where the Elemental Pole of Water resides past the furthest horizon. The west is the least troubled it has been in a long time, for now, as the previous efforts of some of you have finally put to rest the threat of the Lintha pirate clan, and minimized the destruction caused by the war against the Silver Prince. However, that means there is a vacuum of power for other evils to take."

    "Few people know much about the races of aquatic beastmen that live deep in the ocean. Half-animal half-human pelagial creatures of savage bent. Even fewer know about their civilization, or that they have a capital city. It is an obscure place, at the bottom of a trench, known in their tongue as the City of Shining Reefs, and it is a culture corrupt and twisted, which worships the rotting corpses of their elders as gods, secretly puppeted by dark powers. Cracks in the ocean floor run all the way to places where terrible, profane beings sleep, and their whispers rise to the bottom of the ocean, where the pelagials hear them, become corrupted and mad, and obey their commands. With such major tyrants and villains defeated, we have seen stirrings of the City of Shining Reefs assembling the scattered pelagials into a singular force, and spreading death across the ocean, at the bidding of their masters."
Xion With a mild tinkling 'shwing!' of white light Xion calls to hand a large golden key, with a clockwork filagree and mechanical parts that trend towards the ostentatous in detail that she grips semi-awkwardly by a raised bar in the center and whose groovy bit resembles more a thick comb of golden tines. "Well I got this yesterday - it's the Key to the City! I think it was that specific city though. It opened up an.... evil clock? But I can do that other stuff, too." She explains to Empty Tidings, before shouldering the key to hold it easier. "Do you have any keys like this, Mister Nazri?"
Corona Arclite Corona Arclite rests her hands on the sides of her cushion to sit back up. "Welp, sounds like ya got no shortage of business fer us all to help out with." Her curiousity was perked at this talk of a great machine that can control volcanos and what not, but she's politely keeping it composed. For now.
Inga Freyjasdottir While Inga listens to the explaination, she removes a pouch from her belt. From inside she pulls a square of hand-woven black cloth, which she spreads on the floor in front of the pillow upon which she sits. Next, she pulls out another small bag which she cradles in the palm of her hand as she closes her eyes and whispers a prayer. The observant might hear the name 'Odin' in her prayer. Within the bag are runestones carved from finger bones, which she casts before her onto the cloth.

The wisewoman leans forward to study them for a few moments as she pulls her shawl closer around her shoulders, a furrow of concentration between her brow. An amused scoff escapes her lips as she shakes her head, gathering the runes back up into their pouch. "Fitting, I suppose," she says to herself.

"I will go north," she says, speaking up in a clear, confident voice. They likely need not all decide now, but perhaps her choice will make the choices of the others easier.
Ryouma Sakamoto     "Ah... walls that keep evil creatures out?"

    Ryouma peers over towards Oryou, who is now devouring innocent kebabs whole. He scratches the back of his neck.

    "That could be... problematic for me, if we're required to go in at all." He wouldn't want to leave Oryou alone outside. Not because she can't handle herself, but because that's just rude to her.

    "The western assignment seems quite interesting, though! Ah, I wonder what an underwater city looks like. It's gotta be quite pretty, even if they're using it for awful things!" One can always hope.
Gawain As the missions are described, while clearly wanting to do all four, Gawain immediately knows what he's focused on most of all. "Whitewall is important to me - I risked much to save it once before, and made a connection with the local goddess. To see it threatened is no good. I would like to personally prioritize stopping the threats that befoul it, though the other missions do sound important as well. The West is likely weakened enough for the pelagials with the recent war. But Han-Tha and the Penitent are important too...still, I know where my heart calls me to."

As he says such, Gawain moves to look at the younger people (and dragon) having food, before turning back. "While I would be unsurprised if you don't already know our abilities, I should explain my own in case it helps at all with the planning. I am blessed by the sun - which I know is a hard topic around here - granting me great durability and the ability to let loose flames from my holy sword, especially in a destructive ray. If either of these abilities is best suited for a specific task, please let me know."
Bloody Revelations     Nazri takes a look at the key and sounds off as if by habit "Yu-Shan has a god of keys, and a god of locks, lower gods of doors and chests and safes, and higher gods of opening, closing, sealed and hidden things. There is very little that Heaven doesn't have, and chances are you could make it out of the raw faith that flows into it."

    He raises his brows at Inga, wrinkling his forehead. "Decisive. Not a bad quality. I strongly urge you, however, not to try and tackle more than two of these issues at one time. Spreading thin has done us no favours, so I would advise you not do the same. I fear that even for you, a mere two or three agents may not cover enough knowledge and experience to prepare for everything they might face, and something may go terribly astray."

    "A matter of reward is difficult to discuss, for the fact that there is no form of wealth that Yu-Shan *doesn't* possess. Any of these concerns will benefit a great number of gods, and earn enough gratitude for the Bureau of Destiny to easily arrange for boons of whatever goods, training, assistance, or knowledge you could require."
Corona Arclite Corona Arclite pushes herself up from her cushion. "Welp, like Ah said, I'm a machinist. Might not be the same as yer magitech or whatever y'all call it 'round here, but a machine is a machine. Iffen there's a way to figger out how to make that thin' work without blowin' up the world -and- keep nefarious sorts from misusin' it," she reachs down to pat, not her gun holster, but one of the tool pouchs also slung from her belts, "Welp then, Ah'm yer fox."

Pause. A flick of one ear, and Corona shrugs. "Course, Ah'll help with the others too. But Ah'd be plum lyin' iffen Ah didn't admit to bein' curious to just see this primal energy world controllin' deus ex machina fer myself."
All-Seeing Eye      Eye runs a hand through his hair. "You say 'small' and 'predictable' as if they're dirty words," he notes with some distaste. "That our world remains so 'predictable' when landmasses move like migratory animals and borders change on a monthly basis is a point of pride for us all. That we have built lasting, extensive infrastructure upon land a fraction of Creation's size is a testament to our ingenuity. We are /not/ without our own ills."

     The Alchemical finishes his wine, frowning archly. "Clearly, our 'small and predictable' society must at /least/ have the interest of the Celestines, considering the influx of..." He nearly says 'inferior,' before realizing he's in the presence of Empty Tidings, who would be among those insulted by the word. "...unapproved Exaltations since our return to Creation."

     He brightens, leaning forward like a celebrity or politician in a PSA. "Thankfully, our society has a place for everyone, and my nation, at least, has no need to see this as an act of espionage. Those who find Exaltation outside of government-approved means may still excel, with the proper... guidance." Nazri can add 'paranoid' and 'nationalist' to his list of descriptors, as can anyone else here enjoying their first dose of Eye's world.

     Grace's brusque rebuttal has him mockingly clutching his pearls--yes, his hand really goes for his throatline in the classic 'my word' gesture, complete with the retreating crane of his neck. His expression is one of amused, faux shock. "Well, I know my glutes are impeccable, but there's no need to be so vulgar. There is /one/ thing that could enforce causality in the way you're thinking of, but it's inadvisable to use without first attaching it to its owner." He chuckles dryly. "Besides that, it's currently lost, and there is also a non-zero number of genocidal lunatics currently searching for it. But I thought I would mention it, since I'm in a helpful mood." He winks at her.

     "My nation is familiar with Rathess. Our surveillance measures picked up anomalies towards the outskirts, but we assumed it to be one of the cannibal tribes, or else one of the ambulatory species of flora." He says both of these like they're no big deal. "In the interest of cooperation, I am authorized to inform you that my nation has a large settlement equipped with the means to move troops in an emergency, located a few miles from the ruins. However," he says, pouring another glass of wine. "Moving such a force through the jungle would take several times longer, owing to the denseness of the foliage, which cannot be understated, as well as the expense of the necessary precautions against disease, flora, fauna, and the aforementioned cannibals."

     "Your intel is appreciated, Nazri." Eye makes his first respectful gesture of the evening, lifting his glass towards the elder Sidereal. "I'll handle it."

     Tidings' wishful thinking draws a thoughtful look. "It would be," admits Eye. "I'd prefer to soak up the spill at its source. It feels as though I've been wiping it up at the bottom of a stairwell, only for it to keep pooling every time I walk away. I'm not used to these... constraints." Or to being challenged. But that much, he doesn't say.
Runa     So much information! On the one hand, all the strange names cause Runa to feel a little lost. On the other, "These tasks quite remind me of events in my own world, though the details obviously differ..." She looks a little amused as she wonders loud, "That bringing me comfort is an odd thing."

    Runa perks up a little at the mention of Odin, though she otherwise misses the context. Still she looks at Inga for a moment interest, but says nothing. But she does nod in agreement, returning to looking at Nazri, "We of the church are well trained in combatting the undead. I suspect my efforts would be most useful in this Whitewall. But, I will of course try to provide help to all who require it." Runa does look particularly concerned about what she heard of the events in the north.
Tomoe Tomoe looks at Nazri has some serious things to say to All-Seeing Eye, and she also replies back.

"A good point Runa, we can speak later."

She enjoys some more of the food and then notes Inga the very lady she also wanted to introduce to Runa later coming on in and having a second healer on this team makes Tomoe a /very/ happy camper. Then come the meat and bones of what they need to get to be doing.

In the South there's an old terraforming system more or less than needs to be handled.

"Is there some way it can be turned back on without anyone being the wiser or is it best it stays dormant until things are more stable in the region?"

In the East is a God who got punted out of the heavens and has an old ruined city a veritable dungeon crawl if she ever heard one. She makes good note of this, and tills start planning as the North comes up she takes note.

"Yes, I have experience with Whitewall."

She pauses for a moment. She does seem keen to help Whitewall again from the look on her face though and finally, she listens and in the West, she takes note of the whole affair in the aftermath of the Lintha and the Silver Prince.

"So The Shing Reefs needs to be prevented from filling the void that's just been made in the west."

Every single target, in the end, is worthy of being taken care of."

It seems though the missions in the West and the North has Tomoe's attention through it's clear she'd help anyone else out on the others if she was able to.

"Given my experience, I'd be best suited to looking into the North and the West but I will aid any other venture if I'm able to."

She looks to Runa for a moment grinning. "I think we're going to work together well and Inga glad to have you in on this."
Note     Note has quickly moved from lounging on the cushion to gathering up some fruit and other simple edibles from bowls, and has been quickly scarfing through it. Quickly... but at least fairly politely. No talking with her mouth full or throwing apple cores in a corner or anything like that! But... but she is scarfing down an awful lot of the food at a steady pace while listening to the explanation.

    And all through the different explanations of the situation are teasing out growing excitement. An eager smile!

    After stuffing a whole piece of fruit in her mouth and chewing it quickly into oblivion and swallowing, Note speaks up! "The gross God sounds straightforward enough. Can you punch Gods? I don't think I've met one, but he sounds like he needs a few of those. The rest... uh. What are we supposed to DO about this Penitent? And how do we get into the deep ocean...? No matter how strong someone is, going deep underwater... doesn't work. And the last is... ghosts, huh... yuck." Her voice quivers and quiets a bit at the end there.

    Nomf. Munch.
Bloody Revelations     "I must sorrowly inform you it's much worse than that." Nazri baritones towards the Alchemical. "Han-Tha has even dug up the dreaded Leech Gods; the things even the utterly ancient Primordials thought too hideous and vile, sealed since long before any of us existed. The Dragon Kings no long reincarnate correctly."

    "I'm sure you're familiar with the fact that each time they are reborn, they begin as savage beasts, and attain intelligence and enlightenment through meditation and magic, but since their entire society decayed under Han-Tha's influence, there is no culture remaining to educate them. There are whispers of Dragon King ghosts, somewhere in the Underworld, but for Rathess itself, its original population is now made of savage, superhuman, Essence-wielding reptiles."

    He takes a long pause. "There is a Yu-Shan gate. Right in the middle of the city. It hasn't been used in an age, of course, but it could be."

    He slowly attains a big, brow-furrowing frown at Empty Tidings' matter, though not the Infernal herself. "We are aware. The Convention on Deathlords could hardly fail to notice three of them disappearing. Presumed dead, despite their supposedly superior breed of immortality. All orchestrated by the same person, using Multiversals to their ends. We have heard . . . disturbing rumours. Seen bad signs. It is quite possible, if they succeed, that the Neverborn may be that which strikes Creation first and most decisively."

    "Rather than continuing to chase after such a perfect storms of unknown unknowns, we believe it is prudent to first erase potential allies of the Underworld from Creation, to fortify the forces that would stand ready to defend it, and to fill in the cracks of unrest, decay, and war, which could be exploited. A united Underworld, even diminished, would be too much of a threat to a Creation embroiled in a million conflicts and disasters already. Yu-Shan's bureaus keep track of all items and events capable of causing catastrophic damage to Creation itself, and there are far too many to guard all at once, without any knowledge of which ones our enemy is aware of, and which ones they aren't."
Graceful Hands "My point is, we have more pressing issues, not to mention all the mess that comes with ripping out and replacing an entire...thing that makes the world work. *You'd* be okay, and I would, give or take a few...things, but unless you want to leave people to their fates, something like that is out of the question. Politics aside, the fact that you...and I mean all of you are even here means that you want to help, right? I mean, yeah, riches of Yu-shan and so on and so forth, plus I *happen* to know some of you have...personal reasons."

A glance was shot Empty Tidings' way, right as Grace just happened to crack her knuckles rather audibly.

"Like my colleague said, we're overworked, things are really not good, and we'd really appreciate the help. I've seen some of you work, and I know you can at least hold your own as well as smite whoever stands in your way, so, I'm pretty confident in your abilities. It's just a matter of hitting the right targets, at the right times."

As Note asked her possibly rhetorical question, the sidereal raised an eyebrow at her. "Of course you can punch a god. Why wouldn't you be able to? Well, you might not be able to if you were really slow or something, but grabbing one and sticking their head underwater until they finally start talking is...er, I mean, yes. There isn't a reason why you shouldn't just be able to go after them like that. The trick is getting an opportunity."
Bloody Revelations     Nazri leans back to add a little to people's questions about the major operations. "These are all critical situations, but none that will come to a head so immediately that there isn't time to reach each one, as long as you work quickly. It is important that you prioritize them, and come to some agreement, if you want to avoid spreading your efforts too thin, and squandering time and opportunity."

    "Yes, particular faiths are highly effective against the dead. Faith, prayer, sacrifices, and attachments all have great pull in the Underworld. Probably, there wouldn't be much occasion to enter Whitewall itself; I would hope that no such threat somehow gets beyond the walls once again, or else something has gone terribly wrong. The event that breached Whitewall, by all our accounts, shouldn't normally have been possible. We have recovered only very scarce and speculative information about how it was done."

    "Of course, we will be able to provide the means to get where you need to go, whether it be at the bottom of the ocean, at the peak of a mountain, or the middle of the desert. Our operatives are well-equipped. We will have missives, briefings, intelligence, and cover identities arranged for you where necessary."

    "Yes, you can punch a god. Powerful martial artists are always in demand, and that demand is never met. I can't say you will be able to punch away everything, but the finishing touches can be easily provided by the Bureau."

    "I would not recommend trying to use the Penitent. The Solar Exalted, rulers of the First Age, made sure that only a Solar could use it, in their paranoia. That is part of why we fear a disaster; the group that aims for it is composed of a Lunar Exalted, and a cohort of Terrestrial Exalted, neither capable of using it correctly. If they succeed in gaining entry, they might just blow up the south."
Corona Arclite "So less fixin' and more makin' sure it don't get broke farther and frag the whole realm." Corona shrugs. "Ah've worked with worse conditions."

This time she does draw her pistol, giving it a twirl in her hand. Don't worry, the safety is still on. She's being showy, not stupid. "In the meantime, Ah'll help the rest of y'all out as needed."
Empty Tidings "We'll simply have to climb the stairs and remove it at the source someday," Tidings replies to Eye, smiling in a way some might call mysterious and others might call genuinely worrisome. Graceful Hands gets a taste of that look, and a bit of teeth in the smile. She doesn't miss the knuckle-crack.

"I can confirm the rumors of their destruction," Empty Tidings tells their Sidereal host, turning back to him. "I was there. I don't disagree with your methods, though -- reducing the Underworld's potential allies in Creation would be a great boon to combat them while they are dragged together by the one behind all this. You'll unfortunately have to take me at my word when I say that I have no desire to see Creation shattered by the Dead. Still, it wouldn't be wise to just /ignore/ them, either. I suppose I'll have to look into it."

"And the West," she adds. "We didn't go through all that trouble excising the Lintha to leave the seas to fill with some other form of refuse." She sniffs derisively at the thought.
Gawain Nazri explains that they don't have to do them all at once, which Gawain accepts. As he considers, he turns to everyone else. "So! Should we come to a vote for the one we prioritize first, in order? I personally believe we should prioritize the North, followed by the West, due to both being very vulnerable. My personal connection to Whitewall aside, it's an important city that can serve as a bastion in the North."

Hopefully, this will lead to some direction.
All-Seeing Eye      The mention of the Lintha brings back memories of men screaming in agony and panic as their floating homes burned and sunk beneath the waves, of hallways of would-be defenders corralled into choke points and shot down, of explosions punctuating the air followed by distant shouts of alarm and fear. He smiles warmly and gently squeezes Tidings. "Ah, the Lintha. Good times," he says, momentarily resting his head upon hers. "My darling Tidings, you would have made it as a Scourge of Autochthon," remarks Eye proudly. "I'll remember razing that scum from the face of Creation with you for years to come."

     He remembers that he and Tidings aren't the only ones here, and ponders something Nazri had said a moment earlier.

     "Hmmm... you know... if the ghosts of these Dragon Kings could be found, and if their knowledge could be used to lay the foundation for a new generation... the subsequent budding society would be a drain on resources for a few years, but they could be a valuable asset, in my opinion. More importantly, we would gain the trust of the departed Dragon Kings, depriving the Underworld dissidents of a potential ally. Your thoughts?" He looks between Nazri and Grace.

     "You already know which direction I'm going to suggest, dear Gawain, owing to my national allegiance--but I /suppose/ in the interest of efficiency, Rathess can wait if you'd all rather handle the other directions first."
Note     "Always in demand?!" Note's attention has been SECURED by that. She sets down the mostly-eaten fruit bowl, steps away from the table... and makes a show of crossing her arms in front of her face... and bringing them down with a thunderous crack of outrushing energy. A subdued explosion of light heralds the return of the golden glow of swiftly rushing energy, hair rising into arrays of spikes and shifting to a radiant golden hue as it waves about in the half-contained winds of her energy.

    Even half-assed spiritual senses can probably pick this up, as she's TRYING to show off a little.

    "Then I'm gonna have a lot of fun in this world! Martial arts is what I'm all about! Thanks for having me, Nazri, Graceful Hands!"

    After a few moments, the aura dies down a few notches. But she's still standing there, grinning with childish eagerness.

    It's appropriate. She looks to be maybe thirteen? Fourteen?

    With Gawain calling for a vote though... "Uhhh... They all sound pretty bad. Maybe we should split up? I can go check out this god if someone gives me directions!" She makes a show of rotating her arm as if readying for a match. "North sounds okay to start with though, I guess. Just... yuck. Ghosts and dead things."
Xion "Nazri, I actually have a list of important words to ask you about, so if you could just tell me anything you know about:"

Xion produces a piece of paper that looks like a grocery list with tight, almost illegibly shorthanded scribbles on the face she reads. "Just, um, say whatever you know about: Light? Darkness? Souls? Hearts? ... Wait, why's Friendship on this list? Um, Keys, Kingdom Hearts, and..." She squints. "X... blade?" Her brow furrows deeper as she pulls the paper a little closer to her chest. "Weird-looking-X? Cross?"

After asking the quest NPC about all the PROPER NOUNS THAT MATTER, she flips out a notepad like she had been taking notes the whole time. "On the first one, how is someone 'thrice dead'? Is someone really really good at - or really REALLY bad at - Necromancy?"

"On the second one... if they eat souls why do they want to turn everything into formless chaos?"

She flips a page on her notepad, sucking on the end of a ballpoint pen as she reads.

"Why would you put your capital city be in a smelly place nobody knows about? That would be bad for tourism."
Tomoe Tomoe heeds Graceful Hand's words. "Overworked, underpaid and understaffed sounds like some things are a constant across all worlds."

She seems fairly sympathetic to being in a situation like that.

"I get it deal with what we can before they scoop up these problems into being allies in the future. It's a sensible tactic."

She pauses for a moment "Got it we don't have someone who can use it right then we should not touch it and leave it off."

Memories of an old pulp adventure movie pop into her head she watched with her parents. Where the bad guy opened a holy relic he wasn't supposed to and his face melted off.

"Right so we need to talk them down or stop them cold."
Corona Arclite "Ah'll tackle whatever problem ya point me at first." Corona gives the gun one more twirl before flicking it over and back into its holster. If only so her hand is free to facepalm at the last of Xion's questions. Though it may actually be to stifle some snickering as much as it is to express exasperation.
Bloody Revelations     Just about the second Note goes Super Saiyan, Nazri remarks with the dry cadence of a critical tutor "You're wasting a tremendous amount of Essence. I suspect you've only just learned how to channel it. Your form and control are lacking." as if it were ingrained to the point of an automatic critique he sees reason to give a lot.

    "I'd assume one becomes thrice dead by dying once, becoming a ghost, then dying two more times as a ghost and successfully coming back. It means their determination, and love for violence, shouldn't be underestimated." he says somewhat speculatively to Xion. "Rathess wasn't originally so far on the edge of Creation, and so hard to access. The fact is that the edge of Creation closed in around it, during a crusade where those selfsame Fair Folk conquered the rim, and dissolved the land. Creation is estimated to have diminished two thirds in size, due to that war, and we won't be rebuilding it any time soon. They abhor order, you see. Their natural realm is a state of constant, formless flux, and rigid reality upsets them. But, it also intrigues them, and so do humans. They will gladly feast on human emotions, memories, and souls, while waiting for their chance to return everything back to churning nothingness."

    He actually dignifies the silly list with a series of short answers. "Light and Darkness are perspectives, but you should assume Light is preferable to Darkness until proven otherwise. Souls are complicated, and make everything more complicated when they come out of people's bodies. Hearts are the seat of human feelings. Friendship is what you'll need if you hope to get through the dark days ahead of you. Keys are for locks, and I'd guess Kingdom Hearts is the name of some strange fiefdom."

    "You might be right. Might be." Nazri adds contemplatively to All-Seeing Eye. "It's an idea the Bureau has toyed with in past, especially with a member in our ranks capable of Necromancy. Ultimately, it never made the priority list. The Dragon Kings were great allies of humanity aeons ago, but now their only learned descendents may be forced to side with a Deathlord or another to preserve what remains of their culture, and ensure the return of their living civilization. We suspect that if it came down to protecting their remaining archives and institutions, they would make no other choice."

    Nazri claps his hands on his lap. "I think I've talked your ears off enough for now! I can answer any specific questions you are still curious about, but I think you have food for thought now. I greatly appreciate your willingness to join our cause. Even a dozen more agents in defense of Creation could tip the scales."
Graceful Hands "Oh gods, messing around with Dragon King ghosts...I don't like that sort of thing, but if you can actually get them on your side, more power to you I guess." Grace buried her face in her hands, before massaging her temples with some more muttering. She had opened her mouth to sound off on the list of words that Xion had mentioned, before Nazri beat her to it.

"I'll note that my expertise lies in the East, but we've got other things to worry about, and I'd rather we actually get to something as soon as possible; so whatever sounds good to you is the best obstacle to tackle first. Unfortunately, my *actual* expertise isn't likely to be of much use, but..." Vague gesticulations were made to no one in particular. "Good thing that it isn't. Medicine's always useful though."

As he spoke fondly of glorious battle, the alchemical received a gesture that was something akin to a slightly closed fist moving up and down, accompanied by a slightly disgusted rolling of the eyes.
All-Seeing Eye      Eye ejects the Personality Override Spike from his palm, rolling it across the back of his fingers like a toy. "I'm very convincing," he says with a coy smile, eyes briefly flashing upwards to meet Grace's. He tosses the Spike into the air, the receptacle in his palm opening to catch it perfectly. It slides back in with a crisp mechanical click, his skin closing as if it had never ejected the Spike in the first place.

     "I did see your little... gesture, by the way. It was hilarious! You should know-- I see everything, including the bags under your eyes." He smiles brightly. "Ta!" The Alchemical rises, steps courteously away from Tidings, and ejects an entire hoverbike from his palms, starting with the handlebars and having the whole thing assembled within a few seconds. The prop wash from the engines seems deliberately aimed to blow food towards Grace.

     She may be able to tell, and Nazri /definitely/ can tell, that he used targeting Charms to use the thrust of the bike as a weapon to blow the food towards her.
Tomoe Necromancy is something that makes Tomoe very nervous but she can also see why it might be needed in the whole Dragonkings situation. She's going to have to think on that for a while and she also takes serious note of the Fair Folk.

"There is much work to do but yes I agree I think it's time to take enjoyment of this meal." She goes to enjoy her food she watches as Grace and Eye goes at it, she pauses for a moment and pulls out her smartphone to record this.