Scene #9720: Z-Targeting

Owner	Pose
Timekeeper	The meeting of the Elites with Madam Z to tackle the turmoil of Vertin's coma and the aftermath of the Storm of 1929 is only just formal enough to feel politically capable. Madam Z, it seems, isn't one to stand on aesthetic and ceremony, and the group of those involved is so small that it would feel alien to not keep it personal. Her office is near the top floors of the central tower of the Foundation campus, where even the administrative sections are made of cold marble and concrete, but here it's blunted by rugs and a surprising lack of bureaucratic hostility. Madam Z is more than willing to make herself easy to reach out to, once the efforts are made. Her schedule is packed, seemingly, but she's careful to avoid the tonal implication that she might be resentful of her time being taken up by offworlders-- especially not ones who went through the Storm of 1929 with Vertin. Once the time is scheduled, arriving there is like spectating the tunnels of an anthill, a lobby, then a hallway, then the elevator, then a receptionist, then more hallways, while dozens of other people swarm to hundreds of other rooms lining the transit there. The meeting room is presumably for her personal use, attached to her office, which has a plaque on the door describing her as Dr. Zhang Zhizhi, Chief of Staff. The meeting room could comfortably fit twice as many people as are coming today, but not a huge amount more than that. More stark black and white checkboard tiles the floor, with concrete walls and corporate grey furniture, so drained that the brown upholstery and cabinets are an 'accent color'. There's an honest to god TRS-80 computer sitting on one of the desks, and a typewriter elsewhere, corkboards, calendars, papers, and a couple of houseplants. Madam Z is at one of the stiff little armchairs around a marble-topped table, with four bowls of roasted soybeans on top of it. She's a below average height woman, the shortest in the room by a noticeable margin, with a coyly intelligent air around her. Fully bedecked in Foundation-styled gear, her grey and white trenchcoat has a diamond pattern on the inner lining, a Foundation pin at her throat, with half-rimmed glasses and elbow-length vinyl gloves. She stands up to give Tamamo and Bond handshakes, since she hasn't met either before, and to Lilian, a nod. "Welcome, and thank you for coming." Matching her appearance, she's got a heavy Chinese accent to her voice, but it's perfectly controlled and clipped tightly to be comprehensible to English ears without a second thought. "I am Z, Chief of Staff to the Vice President, Joint Council memeber, and supervisor to the Timekeeper, to whom we all share some connection. I'd like to talk about the state of the Storm Reformation bill, and the ways we can assist each other. I'm sure you have questions for me as well."
James Bond	Bond is familiar with anthills, having once worked in one of the largest and most well-secured in the western world. He arrives on time, in a smoke blue sharkskin suit with shoulders and lapels characteristic of the late 80s. A gold-burgundy medallion-pattern silk necktie over an ecru dress shirt conspires with the suit's color and material to land 'striking' without venturing into 'ostentatious' and landing far from disrespectful thanks to the immaculate cut of the suit. Pewter-lapis cufflinks sporting his initials in silver complete the outfit. His handshake is as firm and confident as his reply is congenial. "Madame Z. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is James Bond, and I'd like to thank you for agreeing to meet with us, especially under the circumstances." He nods, at the mention of questions. "I do," he admits. "But I'm more than happy to hold them until after you've shared your thoughts on the bill, and my colleagues here have had the chance to do the same. In my line of work, it pays to be deliberate." Tamamo and Lilian are each afforded a pleasantly professional nod.
Tamamo	The outfit Tamamo's chosen for today is surely the most office-like anyone has seen her wear, but someone she's just meeting need not know that. It was chosen for today to be deliberately underwhelming while still markedly distinct, knowing that 'being other than human' was going to overwhelm a few people, no matter her aims. She hasn't the transformation skill to do otherwise, despite what's thought of fox spirits. Black high heels, black stockings, a black dress with a pencil skirt that reaches to her neck in a halter top, the exact lines of back and sleeves made unclear by the wearing of a baggy jacket over it. The material, though also black on the outside, is light-catching and thin -- for rain, rather than the autumn that has yet to come. Her accents are at cuffs and the jacket's inner material, a murky seafoam green, and in the earrings, pin, and buttons that could very well be gold. Her ears, of course, are as tall as ever. Her tails are semi-visible swirls of dense, golden mana. She gives James a small, plausibly office-appropriate smile on the way up, patiently experiencing halls and elevators. Any conversation not meant to be overheard would need to not occur in these passages, and they've already spoken, besides. "To take the time to meet with us, thank you. As I am sure is true of everyone here, I wish a greater understanding of the present circumstances, and to overcome all sources of confusion and unclarity. I am in no pressing hurry to speak before another, so long as all questions find their answers." Her handshake is less firm, for having spent little time around people who are concerned with firm handshakes, though the motion is perfectly customary, now.
Lilian Rook	It's Foundation business, so Lilian wears her self-appointed Foundation 'uniform'. One day, she might add a badge next to where the Paladins one sits on her chest, only easily mistaken at a glance for its colour. That 'one day' isn't for certain, though. And it isn't today. So the klein blue ribbon it is. Though, as the first time, she leaves her weapon unloaded, for however little that means. After opening the door for Tamamo (a matter of habit), Lilian introduces herself with "The office this time? My my, aren't I moving up in the world." and a quick look around, but it's a quaint triviality. She nods back in Madam Z's direction, and says "I'm glad to see you again. First impressions count for a lot, but they're all in service to there being a second, no?" Given a couple of days to process that first impression, Lilian has firmly decided that she likes the woman. Z herself may or may not know, but her little tour may as well have been inviting a vampire in; having been in all those places once 'gives her permission' to be there again, in her mind. Mostly, she looks to see Marian anywhere around the chapel-- non-strictly speaking-- from time to time, spectates a presentation or two through glass, subtly peoplewatches around the delegations wing for an hour two when her experiments are all running on their own at Laplace, and repeatedly considers trying something from the Foundation's cafeteria, so as to compare it to Laplace's food. Matilda didn't have a high opinion of the SPM's, though, and she isn't certain her LSCC ID gets her anything there, so it's a bridge uncrossed as of yet. It'd be hard to tell any of those are true by the perverse fascination with which she fixes the marble table on the marble floor, though. 'I'd like to talk about the state of the Storm Reformation bill, and the ways we can assist each other.' "Oh yes. My brand new friend. How is he? The Storm Reformation: Manpower and Discipline Bill of nineteen-ninety-nine plus thirteen?" Lilian says, smirking at five percent power because she gets to flex a tiny and inconsequential piece of bureaucratic knowledge, and thus look cool in front of the others. "I admit that I still feel leery of the people we're ostensibly hoping to convince, so I'm grateful for onboarding the people you could." Lilian says, transparently gravitating right back to her wife's side. The fact that these are the only people she could possibly get is left unsaid. The fact that Bond is secretly playing the Rebellion's side too is, hopefully, left unknown. Him being in the room changes a lot, before he even does anything. He's the only one of the three who hadn't willingly spent time at the side of Manus Vindictae by the end. And, more importantly, he's a human through and through. Lilian just looks to Z for a moment of implicit confirmation as she starts pulling out a seat for Tamamo.
Timekeeper	There's no way Madam Z hasn't already familiarized herself with your files long before you entered the building, in as far as the Foundation or the Paladins have them easily accessed. Certainly, she's pored over the reports from 1929, and judging by her job title, the ones from 1966 as well. She's likely even in direct correspondence with the Commonwealth regularly as a moderately prominent administrative staff member in the Foundation. One can imagine all of these things to be true, but still, the result is that she treats you all perfectly politely. This is not a place, like the courts Tamamo would be familiar with, that recoils from expressions of inhumanity, and it's even the place in all the world where people are least likely to gawk and openly gossip. If she's especially sensitive, she might notice a bit of eye-rolling impatience when asked to confirm her name, a glance of attention to the ears and tail that indicate her clear intention in broadcasting her identity without saying it, but under the banner of having been invited here, she's welcomed like anyone else. Bond, of course, is a white British man in a suit. If he shot someone in the hallway, the witnesses would ask what the victim did to deserve it. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bond, Mrs. Tamamo." She's not a handshake gripper, and definitely not a grader, but Bond can tell just from the touch of Z's hand that her shakes are practiced, and tuned just a little tighter than they might naturally be. Unlike Tamamo, she is a woman extremely used to an office workspace and adapted to it, resentfully or not. At Lilian, she waves to the chairs, settling back into her own once she's indicated for the others to do the same. "Yes, please feel free and sit. We have quite a lot to go through today." "The Storm Reformation: Manpower and Discipline Bill of nineteen-ninety-nine plus thirteen?" "That's right." Wasting no time, Z folds her legs over each other, looking dead on at the other three. Leaning forwards to the table, she spreads out a stack of dozens of pages of densely lettered paper, flattening them under her palms. "That is the name for the proposal I drafted to the House of Integratus to resolve this conflict such that the arcanists the Timekeeper has attracted the attention of can both be within the Foundation's affiliation, and overseen only by the Timekeeper rather than official Foundation regulations." She shuffles the papers around to about a third of the way through. "This 'Team Timekeeper' will legitimize the Timekeeper's Suitcase as an independent affiliate base of the St. Pavlov Foundation, and the arcanists within it as contracted assets responsible to her. To get every part of my proposal, she would have the ability to negotiate funding for her team, freedom to recruit first and apply for associate registration later, and allowance to permanently house the arcanists who wish to not ally with the Foundation directly." "In return, the Team Timekeeper will split a proportion of the workload of the Field Agent Administration as well as being assigned special designation missions meant for arcanist corps. On-field decisionmaking will be left to the Timekeeper to an extent, but the actions her associates take in the name of the Foundation will be reported and judged as part of the Timekeeper's own conduct." She breathes out, offering the dense legalese papers out to Bond if he wants to read them. "As multiversal allies who have accompanied the Timekeeper in the field before, do you have any preliminary comments or additions?"
Tamamo	"Thank you, dear," practically on the same sort of automatic, Tamamo is seated before Lilian, crossing her legs and leaning slightly forward as she focuses on Madam Z, fingers loosely clasped. She hasn't glanced at the snacks. 'Oh yes. My brand new friend.' '...do you have any preliminary comments or additions?' "Based upon my own experience, I foresee few objections that the Timekeeper would have with these terms, though the same may not be said for all those involved in 'the rebellion.' The most immediate concern is the Timekeeper's release, no? And the obstacle this was... what was it, again?" Tamamo glances toward Lilian, "The reasoning for her long treatment without the resumption of consciousness has been kept rather vague." She knows it was 'instability' and that the presumed, actual reason was Manus Vindictae contact. "Preparing such with the Timekeeper present would be far easier, no? And, the terms you have outlined seem to deal with those arcanists affiliated, only." As opposed to Vertin -- in regard to the amnesty and freedom from future regulation offered. "Might you know what would alleviate my confusion on this?" Fingers moving from clasped to steepled, and moving on from the topic regardless of the answer, "In particular, I expect there to be no objection, from that end, to 'taking responsibility for those recovered,' but am less than certain as to the meanings of 'Field Agent Administration' and how the missions mentioned may be special in new ways. Are there any 'ordinary' missions to which the Timekeeper is assigned? Perhaps my own experience has been atypically exciting, these last two Storms."
Lilian Rook	Whether or not Tamamo is sensitive, Lilian is. Even if she still feels tentative about stepping foot into the Foundation's Walled Garden (sterile and overbearing), she can still time for petty scorn at anyone rolling their eyes. This is a great thing to be doing right now. It shows who's boss. She still gets a teeny tiny giddy little thrill at hearing 'Mrs. Tamamo'. Lilian pulls her own chair out second, seats herself in the predictable place, stares misgivingly at the marble tabletop for two and a half seconds, then firmly places her elbows on it on purpose. Despite knowing that (well, allegedly) Vertin's name doesn't appear 'until the twenty-first page', the stack of papers being fanned out like a deck of cards in front of her still takes her by surprise. She's hardly a stranger to filling out paperwork herself, and she's complained a hundred times about the Foundation's appalling bureaucratic speed, but she wouldn't have been shocked if the stack made a thump like a cinderblock when it touched the table. 'That is the name for the proposal I drafted to the House of Integratus' "You're quite the typist." Lilian says, purposefully converting unease into chirpy bullshit. "Ordinarily, this sort of thing takes an entire special interest group to hire a score of ghost writers." Backhanded approval is just approval if the back of her hand is aimed at the people the writing is for. Her eyes slide along with the papers that go towards Bond, but her expression doesn't change. 'As multiversal allies who have accompanied the Timekeeper in the field before, do you have any preliminary comments or additions?' "You have the gist of mine already" says Lilian, continuing on anyways. "Establishing the Suitcase as an affiliate base is the topic I see as moderately complex. If doing so were to establish total primacy over the Watch's tendency to squat inside nice buildings and call them Watchtowers, I'd adore it, but to consider that there'd be a conflict of interest in officially designating the Suitcase as an independent affiliate's sovereign territory wouldn't be out of pocket." she says. "However, it's not plausible to gain anyone's trust at all if the Foundation is within their rights to enter or reposess the Suitcase at any time. So I suppose we'll be the ones on the hook to assure that there won't be 'seditious activites' taking places in terms of potentially harbouring Watchmen with intent to oppose Paladins and Commonwealth interests." Lilian sighs. "These sorts of people tend to mistake good behaviour for ineffectuality and incompetence for frightful unpredictability." Her Watch feelings right now are at a low point, after . . . everything. Lilian waves airly. "Funding, paperwork, registration; that sort of thing, I'm certain, she's amply capable of. If they fuss about her duties elsewhere, I know Sonetto should be able to handle some of the load as well; and they like her." says Lilian. "Housing is non-negotiable, and I should hope they aren't too keen on finding space for a dozen new arcanists a year to suit us. You'll also hear no complaint from me that those people benefiting from the Foundation's resources should have to do a little work as well." Lilian scoffs quietly. "I don't intend to bend over backwards so that Regulus can avoid getting a job."
Lilian Rook	"If I have anything to add, it's that I'd insist on a grading and qualification process for those missions. Otherwise, we end up in a situation where it's politically convenient to assign 'undesirable' assets under Vertin to suicide work." She says that like it's normal. She says that like that isn't psychotic levels of murderous cloak and dagger politicking. "I've already prepared a body of evidence from my own mission reports and private recordings to back the assertion that Vertin's arcanists are excruciatingly invested in not causing trouble for her; more than not causing it for themselves. I intend to convince the council that giving them that much rope and letting the axe hang over Vertin instead is far more effective than hoping to crack down on them individually." 'The reasoning for her long treatment without the resumption of consciousness has been kept rather vague.' "Oh I'm certain it's all very technical." Lilian says, gently rolling her eyes at the door. "Her treatment, I'm certain, would have progressed more quickly if the arcanists, deprived of their sponsor, had quietly accepted newly assigned places for them in a department of the Foundation's choosing." 'Preparing such with the Timekeeper present would be far easier, no?' "In certain ways." Lilian says, uncomfortably. "But given a significant portion of the upper echelon seems to recoil from anything Vertin touches, it may be for the best if there's no possibility that this could be 'Vertin's idea'." For Tamamo's benefit, she says, "Outside of the faction that supports Madam Z on the topic, there are, roughly, two others that have snapped up potential votes. One of them believes that the Foundation can only combat Manus Vindictae by giving arcanists less, not more, independence, and the other simply believes that Vertin cannot be the one trusted with this." It's a deeply unflattering summary, but Z is the one who can say anything nice about either group. "Which brings me to ask you . . . Is it just 'Z'?" Lilian letting herself get sidetracked is brief, but sincere. "Why do you intend to court the crackdown faction for votes?"
James Bond	This is not the side of the political apparatus that Bond is used to interfacing with. It's very rare, if not unheard of, that he's ever gotten to stick around after applying force to then participate in the decisions that stem from results of his actions. Rather than be discouraged, he seizes on the opportunity, smiling courteously at Madam Z. Reaching into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, he procures a pair of reading glasses. Tamamo and Lilian have never known him to need reading glasses, but putting them on is as natural to him as breathing. It's because they aren't reading glasses--not in the traditional sense. No one but Bond can see the digital overlay on the lenses, highlighting key phrases, breaking down jargon, simplifying run-on sentences. The most compelling reason either of the two would have to suspect that the glasses are not what they appear--apart from having known Bond for years, that is--would certainly be the speed at which he gets through the onerous stack of papers. Not superhuman, but certainly enough to make any of the three other people here wonder if he has a law degree he didn't include on his resume. Content to let the conversation go on around him while he works, Bond nods once he's finished, removes the glasses and puts them away, showing all the same lack of fanfare with which they were donned. Why should there be fanfare? They're just a middle-aged man's pair of reading glasses, with a smart and sensible brown frame. His eyes meet Lilian's--the movement of her own wasn't missed, earlier. 'Good news and bad news,' can be inferred from his own, when they meet hers for just a moment. Might you know what would alleviate my confusion on this? "If I may," says Bond, after a relatively long silence. "I believe I can. There's a lot in this bill which has to do with how Vertin and her 'contractors' will be handled. Some provisions about emergency deployments. Everything that Madam Z mentioned is in here, and there aren't any riders attached." "The language isn't as tight as it could be, but that's because Madam Z can't speak for the entire house. Those clauses aren't snares waiting to close around Vertin--" He shifts his gaze towards Madam Z, now. "They're bargaining chips you've laid out for yourself to deal with those in the house that might have concerns." "If I've grasped the intent," asks Bond of Madam Z, "And I believe I have--who do you imagine being the most... outspoken with their reservations?"
Timekeeper	"Ordinarily, this sort of thing takes an entire special interest group to hire a score of ghost writers." Possibly unsure of why Lilian is making the comment the way she does, Madam Z gives her a thinly appreciative smile. "I could not do without my own sources of assistance." One source of assistance, Lilian knows, was Vertin herself. She never saw the degree to which Vertin prepared for this return to the Foundation, but where Madam Z presents it as a proposal entirely of her own based on Vertin's interests, Lilian knows that Vertin stayed up that entire night to write a draft of this among other things. "The reasoning for her long treatment without the resumption of consciousness has been kept rather vague." "I am not privy to patient details from the LRC," Madam Z begins excessively diplomatically, but the purse of her lips tells her true feelings, or at least some of them. "But Dr. Rook is correct. In part, Vertin's current condition is being drawn out in order to apply pressure to the arcanists that have nowhere else to go. Either the suppression or integration of the rebellion would be the quickest path to their recovery, but the initial cause was...." Z points to a list of personnel buried in the proposal document, bullet points so tightly packed among the language that only intense familiarity with the contents would let her finger land on it without a second thought like that. "Miss Druvis Weyerhauser III. Vertin's time around the Manus Vindictae, along with you, Dr. Rook, and Druvis, followed by the latter's introduction directly onto the Foundation campus, caused a considerable amount of alarm among those who already know her as a troublemaker. Had Miss Druvis accepted the Vice President's offer to join, Vertin likely would have been awake the next day, regardless of the others. As is, her caretakers in the LRC are attempting to confirm that this is not a saboteur's plot to use the Timekeeper as a means onto the grounds." Bond actually taking the papers and reading through them is gratifying to Z, rather than grating. There's a sense, from the way she settles in her chair while he reads and Lilian and Tamamo talk, that this is the setting she's used to: surrounded by a small group of like-minded and savvy underdogs, cooking up plans and scouring papers in a private room to tackle an insurmountable problem. One can imagine that the Chief of Staff of the Foundation would not find herself in that position often, except where it concerns Vertin. "Establishing the Suitcase as an affiliate base is the topic I see as moderately complex." "Yes..." Z trails off, murmuring something in Chinese to herself that sounds a little bit like a quiet curse. "When it comes to negotiations with the status of the Watch in the Suitcase, this is what Vertin's presence would be most helpful in navigating." "I don't know the structure of the Watch, or the details of Vertin's position within it. Without the Timekeeper as an intermediary, I also do not have a way of communicating with whatever structure they do have. Sonetto would do her best to assist me if asked, but I do not wish to put her in a position where she becomes 'persona non grata' with the Watch while the Timekeeper is unavailable."
Timekeeper	The first of many direct requests she'll have to make, Madam Z's briefing up until now has bolstered her familiarity with the three Paladins well enough that she doesn't have to brace for admitting insufficiency. "You are more familiar with the Watch than I am. My impulse would be to put the Timekeeper's association with the Watch out of mind, and push out whatever Watch connections may be in the Suitcase until Vertin herself returns to deal with the aftermath, but I would like to avoid any retribution from them if possible. There is no denying that, if any Foundation resources are to be sent to the Suitcase, there will need to be audits and inspections as to the state of housing in it, but...." Madam Z has actually only been inside the Suitcase once, many years ago. Lilian's brief opinion about the 'privacy' necessary for it is as much information as she's gotten on its internal culture at all, so she has to pause and reorient herself around that as if it's from Vertin's own mouth. "You are correct that we will have to be careful with the presence of Foundation oversight within the Suitcase, or else it will undermine the trust in their autonomous operation. Without the clear assignment of being Foundation locals, you will have an easier time monitoring Watch activity than we will." "Are there any 'ordinary' missions to which the Timekeeper is assigned?" Z adjusts her glasses, making a wry expression. "To some definition of 'normal', perhaps. But no, it may be more accurate to say that Team Timekeeper will be taking on typical field agent missions in addition to the Timekeeper's previous 'special' assignments." To elaborate, not assuming they already know, "The Field Agent Administration is a branch of the Foundation that acts independently or in coordination with Zeno for missions where combat is assumed likely. Reconnaissance, critter subdual, dangerous investigations, anything to do with the Manus Vindictae... Sonetto is still an investigator with the Field Agent Administration despite also being the Timekeeper's assistant. I believe she will be able to guide Vertin as to the appropriate threat response to any given assignment."
Timekeeper	"And I believe I have--who do you imagine being the most... outspoken with their reservations?" Z nods to Lilian, both for her brief explanation and for confirming that 'Z' is in fact fine, before answering Bond. If she thinks the summary is unfairly unflattering, then she's not in a rush to correct her, rather than just using the baseline information in the skeleton of Lilian's complaining as a jumping-off point. "Opposed to my own faction, those are the two. Chairman Pedra of the conservative Mankind Caucus represents the former, in the interest of stability and broad representative agreement; and Councilor Katz representing an alliance between the Arcanist Youth committee and the Justice Commission, who take issue with Vertin's personal loyalty and reliability." "The former," She explains with a bit of a proudly catlike expression, "I would like to target first, because of having a lead on his interests. Pedra has had complaints about the Chicago Branch Office's operations for some time now, believing that the administration of that region has become corrupt financially and politically. Sonetto's investigation on arcanist relations has led her to that same branch-- and Mr. Parsons of the Concord has volunteered his assistance and information to the Foundation as it pertains to the poor outcome of 1929's Chicago. By drawing these threads together, I believe we will be able to extract evidence against the Chicago office that will both improve Vertin's position as a field operative, and give us a bargaining chip in the dialogue with Chairman Pedra."
Tamamo	'Otherwise, we end up in a situation where it's politically convenient to assign 'undesirable' assets under Vertin to suicide work.' "Those who have certain outside experiences would be quick to worry over such possibilities. It is certainly best to avoid even the appearance of impropriety in all things, as ever." Tamamo says this like it's both normal and obvious, a matter of decorum, without actually suggesting that the Foundation ever would. '...it may be for the best if there's no possibility that this could be 'Vertin's idea'.' "...I suppose. Still, it will be for nought without the Timekeeper's agreement and support." She doesn't know Vertin was already involved, nor how long this draft has been sitting. 'One of them believes that the Foundation can only combat Manus Vindictae by giving arcanists less, not more, independence, and the other simply believes that Vertin cannot be the one trusted with this.' "Mm, I see." Tamamo's a bit too bright about it, given the subject, but that's probably just because it's Lilian talking. 'They're bargaining chips you've laid out for yourself to deal with those in the house that might have concerns.' "Ah, now, that much I do understand. However..." 'As is, her caretakers in the LRC are attempting to confirm that this is not a saboteur's plot to use the Timekeeper as a means onto the grounds.' "I can see the circuitous solution, but would not wish to presume." That is, presume it's the plan Z is relying on to achieve a critical goal. 'You are more familiar with the Watch than I am.' "There may be a few sources on whom I could rely, in the interest of trustworthy information." In large part, she means 'sensible enough to listen to her,' along with 'principled enough not to lie.' Unfortunately, they're not among those who were at Chicago -- except Sonetto -- which is why she just motions thinking about it instead of offering answers. 'But no, it may be more accurate to say that Team Timekeeper will be taking on typical field agent missions in addition to the Timekeeper's previous 'special' assignments.' 'Reconnaissance, critter subdual, dangerous investigations...' "Oh, I see. Yes, there is a bit of a shortage in capable field agents, I should imagine. At the least, one should assume there to be, if one is to prepare for such accelerated disasters as have just occurred." She doesn't think it necessary to mention that reducing either the number of willing arcanists or restricting their mobility would only make that worse. It's an obvious argument against people who aren't here. "Chairman Pedra of the Mankind Caucus and Councilor Katz, for both -- but not 'of both,' perhaps -- the Arcanist Youth committee and Justice Commission, is it? Might the second of these be related to the SPDM, or is that an entirely distinct matter? I have developed some interest in the <Alma Mater> of which Ms. Sonetto, among others, has spoken." 'Pedra has had complaints about the Chicago Branch Office's operations for some time now...' 'By drawing these threads together...' "Well, now, that is delightfully straightforward." Compared to what?
Lilian Rook	'Miss Druvis Weyerhauser III. Vertin's time around the Manus Vindictae, along with you, Dr. Rook, and Druvis, followed by the latter's introduction directly onto the Foundation campus, caused a considerable amount of alarm among those who already know her as a troublemaker.' Lilian sighs. That's the issue she likes least. It's the most salient and difficult to argue reservation that the Foundation has, the one she knows the least about, and the one she can't argue without lying; which she will anyways. The fact that she felt like she was finally amongst peers within hours of being introduced to Manus Vindictae, and was loath to go back to these concrete walls that reek of apathy and mistrust, is something she has to live with inhabiting the back of her mind through this entire process, even while telling no one else. If she could really have her way, she would walk across the table with her boots on and threaten to defect; and to take Vertin with her. But she can't. And she shouldn't anyways. And Vertin would never forgive her. So . . . [ansi(243, 'As is, her caretakers in the LRC are attempting to confirm that this is not a saboteur's plot to use the Timekeeper as a means onto the grounds.')] Lilian holds back 'that's fucking stupid', looks over to Tamamo, and says, "I'm prepared to testify, and to prove it." thoroughly glad that her habit of recording everything via bodycam has ben dead for years. "Regardless of what they think of Vertin, the fact remains that anyone can contact the Paladins for extensive documentation of my field experience in intelligence and emergency recovery work, to go along diplomacy and politics." she says, only not saying 'espionage' explicitly. "If they claim to respect the Commonwealth at all, which is to say, if they want to avoid the flak I can bring down on them if they don't, they'll have to contend with how absurdly unlikely it is that I, at least, have been compromised, and how even more absurd it is to doubt that the unaccounted-for time was utilized to gather intelligence on Manus Vindictae's previously completely unseen leadership. Which, of course, exonerates Vertin for following along." She will never, ever tell Madam Z that it was Vertin who dragged her back to the Foundation. Lilian fidgets with the ribbon instead. "And I'm not giving away for free. They can make some minor concessions if they want my full report. It's not unreasonable to refuse to offer operational intelligence to people whose objectivity and patience are in doubt." Of course, there's not very far she can actually push this in reality; but she can push it. Being the veteran 'commando operative' bravely resisting probable magical torture and interrogation and turning it around on the bad guys suits her mythos just fine. Even if it's a total fucking lie, the Foundation is on the hook to earn the Paladins' cooperation, and anyone who can read can tell what a big deal she is within the organization. It's only that the real blade she promises to wield is being the mature, responsible, principled one; loyal-to-a-fault to her code, even if she's 'an arcanist'. "If I deem the Foundation's attitude towards my testimony acceptable, I'm prepared to cooperate with their legal action towards Chevalier Asakura. We are early, even provisional allies for the time being, so I hope that I won't be disappointed." Madam Z certainly doesn't need to be told. If anything, this is a rehearsal for an editor.
Lilian Rook	'You are more familiar with the Watch than I am.' "Seven years of experience, Ma'am." Lilian adds, warm despite the use of 'ma'am'. "I wouldn't bet on retribution, should any of the Paladins in this room have the opportunity to put in a good word from our side." Her fingers idly drift towards her pendant, fidgeting fondly with the black magnetite icon of the sword. "I'm available day and night if they try. These are emergency circumstances." 'Without the clear assignment of being Foundation locals, you will have an easier time monitoring Watch activity than we will.' Lilian nods. Somehow, Madam Z has gotten here slightly before her. "I think it prudent to privately disclose that Vertin has already offered Tamamo and myself a permanent residence within the Suitcase, currently rendered inaccessible only by the Rebellion. She has done so fully well knowing that I won't abide insurgent activity towards the Foundation and its allies. If the Foundation is willing to accredit me-- No, as a matter I am willing to concede, I will accept official security responsibilities as an ally of the Foundation. I'm prepared to sign legal guarantees of direct culpability on this matter." It all amounts to more responsibility to her. But each one is a bargaining chip, and each one is a precious line to Vertin that she not only keep, but strengthen. 'The Field Agent Administration is a branch of the Foundation that acts independently or in coordination with Zeno for missions where combat is assumed likely.' "Again, I want some guarantee they won't be sending Regulus off to fight fifty men in mortal combat." Lilian says, this time lightly enough to sound scoffingly amused by the prospect. Then she remembers Regulus snidely commenting about how 'good she is at fighting a crowd', and the smile falls right off her face along with the look of reminiscence. 'Pedra has had complaints about the Chicago Branch Office's operations for some time now, believing that the administration of that region has become corrupt financially and politically.' Ah. There it is. Lilian's eyes widen in one part understanding and two parts 'being impressed'. "It's a bold plan to go after the mankind caucus." She looks to Tamamo, taking on a lightly explanatory tone. "If the name isn't clear enough, they've been pissy about my appointment to Laplace since day one. They dislike how it 'skipped their review'. Pushing for one is a transparent ploy to kick me out. The LSCC has, of course, laughed them out of the room, which means I've earned no favours with them." 'I can see the circuitous solution, but would not wish to presume.' 'There may be a few sources on whom I could rely, in the interest of trustworthy information.' Lilian bats her eyes fondly at Tamamo. She has already assumed she's playing five-dimensional chess and is going to look so cool about it. 'Oh, I see. Yes, there is a bit of a shortage in capable field agents, I should imagine. At the least, one should assume there to be, if one is to prepare for such accelerated disasters as have just occurred.' "Critically so, if they're deploying them to protect financial backers and have none left over for raiding a known Manus Vindictae hideout." Lilian says, lightly, but razor sharp; testing another blade for later use. "They should be salivating at the prospect of that much of a manpower boost.
James Bond	"I've made my position clear, when it comes to Vertin's habit of bringing in enemy assets. That's been communicated to Vertin personally, and more formally in my after-action report. If it weren't for Lilian there may not have been a report at all." That was difficult to say. But necessary, to maintain the credibility he's painstakingly built up throughout this whole charade. What comes next isn't any easier. "I don't think the alarm is entirely unreasonable. A dangerous idea that works out in the end isn't any less dangerous before everything has settled. Still," he says, tilting his head slightly as he makes a convincing display of turning over the idea in his head. Really, he's just relieved to have gotten past that part of this role. "There might be a detail about Druvis we could emphasize to change how her being here is perceived. I'll do some digging." My impulse would be to put the Timekeeper's association with the Watch out of mind, and push out whatever Watch connections may be in the Suitcase until Vertin herself returns to deal with the aftermath, but I would like to avoid any retribution from them if possible. "Then you need to be prepared to offer them something in return. You could say that's exactly what this bill is, and you'd be right, but you need to be able to pose it to them in a way that makes them see what's actually being done. Stick to the bullet points you started this meeting with, and if they press for details, don't be shy about the wiggle room you left in the bill, because as sloppy as they can be, some of them are very resourceful and very persistent." "The other advice I have is to get Regulus on board with it. She's at the center of it, and the Watch isn't usually canny enough for that to be a smokescreen. I'd imagine behind the scenes they're looking to her, so they'll be for it if she is." Pedra has had complaints about the Chicago Branch Office's operations for some time now, believing that the administration of that region has become corrupt financially and politically. "Politically corrupt," Bond repeats. "In what way?" Idly, he wonders if it has anything to do with the 'defector,' but that's a card he doesn't want to play just yet. They should be salivating at the prospect of that much of a manpower boost. And Lilian has given it to him. "Especially with some of the reports I've been hearing. Something about defectors aiding the rebellion?"