Summary:After the meeting, some of the Solars discuss the implications.
XP:L1, S1, V1, Z1
Tags:< Looking In The Mirror | Sol Invictus Logs | Our Answer Has Flown Away >
Spring leads the other Solars back to the War Room before he really notices he's doing it, then cracks a mirthless smile.
Spring "Now."
Spring "What did we learn about the Abyssals, that we can use when war against the Lion breaks out, as it inevitably will?"
Varanim "So what's with your finger? I could see it wasn't exactly the same as my arm."
Varanim makes a face as the talk turns to boring business like war instead.
Spring "Oh."
Spring "It is...bigger than the arm."
zahara shrugs. "I don't know, I think we should just all be friends. Don't you?"
Spring "And I have placed it under control, while your arm, sad to say, is being unrestrainedly devoured."
Varanim "Wait, still? That's not sad, it's cool. What's the terminal stage when there's no personal Essence pattern to eat?"
Spring says nothing in response to Zahara, drily.
Lucent "Beyond is cut from his Circle, but he is a true believer. If we can shift that from the Lion to the Void, or even another Deathlord, we might remove him as a possible threat." Lucent considers. "Jester is all bravado. I believe I can challenge him over his prowess and have him play into our hand. Or even convert."
Varanim "If it's relevant," she says, getting on topic with an obvious aggrieved air, "I might be able to find out who Beyond used to be. Apparently we shared a room pre-Monstrance."
Lucent "Formless is calm, honor, meditation, and all other things assossiated with Temperance. If we manage to show him the Lion lacks what is assossiated with that we might be able to sway him away from Rosada as well. And maybe even another conversion." He nods. "I will need more time to... order what I got from them."
Lucent "It is all wrapped in vitriol."
Lucent "That is incredibly relevant, Varanim!" He nods. "I can pull that from you, and we ask Imrama."
Spring "I fear the war will not be long in coming."
Spring "We must prepare."
Spring paces so aggressively he occasionally walks on the wall.
Lucent "That is, if you are not going to be TOO BUSY later." He glares
Spring "Presumably the same thing that happens to sufferers of Creeping Black Sun Sickness, Varanim -- corruption, enormous power, and eventual death."
Spring "Humans were not made as vessels for the power of Primordials."
Varanim "Of course I'm busy later, some of us work around here. But it won't take long to pull that, and then you social kids can run and play with it."
Spring "In any case, curing the disease in your arm, or the disease of the Sun, should not be difficult, once we have acquired Essence from the form of a living Primordial."
Spring "Do you think it would be wise to visit Atomnos again, Zahara, or should we perhaps investigate the imprisoned ones?"
zahara "Do demons count?"
Varanim "Right," she switches tracks back to Spring with no sign of disorientation, "but why hasn't it died yet? Will it someday turn into a neat zombie arm?"
Lucent "Do you care? You are happier hanging about with necromantic accountrements."
Varanim rolls her eyes. "On second thought, let's stick to talking war."
Spring "If by neat you mean full of Malfean Essence, and by zombie you mean...let us say, Infernal, then yes."
Spring "Why are you two fighting again?"
zahara "I'm fairly certain that Atomnos is not pleased with us, however."
Varanim "I've lost count," she answers Spring first, then looks thoughtful. "Is Pluto 'alive,' for this use?"
Spring "No, I do not believe demons count, even quite dangerous ones."
Spring **delete nim's last line!
Spring "I have a suspicion that none of the Primordials are going to be particularly interested in helping us cure the Unconquered Sun."
Spring "You have not really lost count."
Spring "Be direct for once."
zahara "Alas."
Varanim "No, I really don't know this time. If I had to guess, he's back to me being a necromancer, because that's apparently news again." She shrugs with exasperation to Spring, as if Lucent wasn't standing in the room.
Lucent "The meeting with our mirrors just made me see a few things CLEARLY." He scoffs.
Spring "Such as?"
Lucent "We are not FIGHTING."
Lucent "What, do I have to SAY it? Did it not stand perfectly clear to everyone on this room?"
zahara "Yes, we are merely raising our voices aggressively."
Spring "Assume for the moment that I was very, very busy working on an extremely important and delicate project."
Varanim "Hmm. By the way," she sidetracks in memory without a hitch, "the place we met had bad geomancy for ghosts. I'll ask Verbles about how hard that is to set up, might be useful later."
Spring "Bad? As in, it actively drove them away?"
Lucent "Well, then you would see where Varanim would RATHER be. It is a wonder she walked back with us."
zahara raises a brow
Lucent "And I was RIGHT, at that."
zahara "Are you angry that she doesn't hate the Abyssals?"
Spring "Zahara, can you help me with this situation? It is surprising how much more difficult this is than winning a war."
Lucent "No, I am angry that she loves them." He points at Varanim, without deigning to look at her.
zahara "Oh. Well I suppose she's entitled to her own harem."
Varanim "Right," she says to Spring. "I'll check it out."
Varanim "So that's... what?"
Spring is removing an object from his mouth when he hears Zahara's line and sputters, choking for a few moments before he manages to swallow again and stand, breathing deeply.
Lucent flares in anger. His Anima, that is. "NO SHE IS NOT."
Spring ::(to zahara) Do you think the Abyssals have strategic meetings that go like this?::
zahara raises a brow. "My mistake. Is it only a boy thing then?"
zahara ::S:: You know, theirs are probably full of politeness and joy. ::
Spring ::(Z) sigh::
Lucent freezes. "... what. Now, wait a minute here..."
zahara "Maybe we should focus on the diseases hmm?"
Varanim "Because repeating myself is one of my favorite things, as we all know, I'll mention again that there's a gulf--imperceptible to the naked eye, maybe, but real--between keeping touch with my circle and hopping into bed with them, swearing vows, or whatever other fantasy is playing out in your in-head theater."
Lucent "Oh, so you admit THEY are your Circle. Not us."
zahara "Much like Kai."
Lucent "Who followed Rosada's lead like Markuran followed Kiriath's. Quen was one, too."
Varanim "I... don't correspond with many of you about necromancy, right," she says with a slightly boggled look on her face, then she casts an appealing look at Spring. "You were talking war, or maybe stealing Primordial Essence? Either of those sound exciting."
Spring "Kai was never a reincarnation of Rosada," Spring says quietly.
Spring "You know this."
zahara "So...what you're saying is Varanim should just go darken her shard and get it over with, so you won't have to worry about waiting for it?"
Spring "Rosada stole Ularis's shard."
Spring "He was an aberration."
Varanim "Oh," she blinks, "I see. I forgot you lot had abandonment issues with that last Abyssal, no wonder he's being so touchy."
Spring turns his head towards Varanim.
Lucent "We are bringing her back. We WILL. I promised to save you. Just like I will save her."
Spring seems about to say something, then sighs, and drops his eyes.
Spring "Listen."
Spring "Do you remember what Innocence said when we asked her about Kai?"
zahara "Hell, why don't we all go over and pledge ourselves to the Malfaens."
zahara "Get THAt over with."
Lucent "She is NOT going to. I am not letting her. But with the way she rubs herself over the Doctor, it is clear she WANTS to."
Spring "Lucent, it is not your responsibility nor your privilege to attempt to control Varanim's actons."
Spring *actions
zahara "For being such a social creature, it is mind-boggling that you cannot tell the difference between friendliness, lust and love."
Varanim "Huh, Innocence said she'd gone underground. That's interes..." She trails off to look at Lucent with a sort of fascination, as if trying to figure out what could have possessed him to say a thing like that.
Lucent "For being such a social creature, it is mind-boggling you did not notice her smile."
Spring "Yes. Underground."
Spring "What if Kai is attempting to infiltrate the Abyssals?"
zahara "What if she was tortured into selling her soul?"
Lucent looks sullen at Varanim before blinking at Spring's suggestion. "... hmmm."
Lucent "I could infiltrate the Lion's organization and attempt to make contact with her."
Lucent "Find that out, if I can."
Spring "Hm."
Spring "A good idea, but dangerous."
Spring "You will have to be very careful not to endanger her."
Spring "It is possible, Zahara, but in that case, there is little we can do."
Lucent "Hmmm." He considers. "I suppose I could attempt to impersonate Beyond or Jester."
Spring "What does it matter if Varanim smiles?"
Spring "Surely you have noticed by now that she has an idiosyncratic approach to traditional social interaction."
Lucent looks at Spring as if he had just exploded and been replaced by the long-forgotten Primordial who had impersonated him all along "... you are BLIND, Spring. You are from Wassirru. You... you have no idea! No idea what it is like to... to see a maiden's sweet smile, to a man from Meru."
Varanim mouths maiden?, then shakes her head and forges on with her selected thread of conversation. "How are you going to sneak into the Thousand? You have a glowing problem."
Spring "We hum. It works very well, thank you."
Spring "Varanim, do you not think it would be more productive for you to at least attempt to address his comments?"
Spring "In any case, Zahara, I would be indebted to you if you asked Cerin to be watchful for anyone attempting to attack or kidnap Innocence."
Spring "I suspect the Abyssals will find it difficult to restrain themselves."
Lucent "I am going to disguise myself as one of their Abyssals. Maybe you will smile to me when I do."
zahara "I am sure he is already on the lookout, but I will pass that on to him when he reappears."
Varanim "Address them how? I'm not sure there's postal service from here to stupid."
Varanim holds up a hand, then.
Varanim "Lucent. Can we talk later about this?" She looks briefly and intensely frustrated, then says, "Please."
Lucent crosses his arms. "Sure. I did not even want to talk about this to begin with."
Spring "And yet you were talking about nothing else."
Lucent "Alright, alright, ALRIGHT. Also, I am sure humming is just as good. ANYWAY."
Lucent "Innocence. We could move her to a safe place. Somewhere no one would think of looking for her."
Spring "Oh, no."
Spring "I want them to come after her."
Spring "I would not have brought her otherwise."
zahara "I could lock her in the White Room," Zahara suggests cheerfully. "For her own safety of course."
Lucent "Oh. I see."
Spring "How else can we catch them, or their servants, in our home ground?"
Spring "They must come to us."
Lucent "Better to move her from the Cascade, however, so she is a more delicious target."
Lucent "I believe this trick has not gotten old yet."
Spring snickers.
Spring "It is perhaps about time for her to get a room of her own."
Spring "Which Primordial would be easiest for us to target?"
Varanim "You could stick her in the younger Solars' quarter, which is a plausible place to stay but an easier target."
Spring "Atomnos has the benefit of being easily located. The imprisoned Primordials are obviously quite difficult to reach."
Spring "That leaves Erevel."
Lucent "That is a great idea, Varanim. They have yet to depart, and thus it will NOT seem as if we are leaving her on an empty place... just a place that, by accident, happens to become empty."
zahara leans against the table, following her hand with her gaze. She sneers, and moves around to Kai's old seat, tracing out the line that she'd cut for so many other places at the table, and pressing her palm against it. The shape shivers for a second, then splinters, the pieces rattling down onto the floor.
zahara "Oh, sure, make the new school I built a target. Great."
Spring "Innocence is already staying in the Academy, as a matter of fact. I did not think it necessary to inform you all."
Lucent "An assassin's fight with Innocence and her bodyguards would not have the potential to level it."
Spring "However, we might move her to a less secure area within it. Or even to Solaria proper."
Spring "Although perhaps Solaria has suffered enough."
Lucent "No, the school is detached enough from the main building here that it will be a good target."
Lucent "We have to be wary of leaving TOO seductive a morsel, after all."
Spring "Indeed."
zahara "Were I them, I would expect her to be under more guard, than less, after meeting
Spring "They will be right to expect that."
Spring "We must strike a delicate balance...and trust in Cerin,"
Spring *.
Lucent "Rio."
Lucent nods. "The Sisters of the Empty Sand."
Lucent "Have both of them create false humans. A sacrificial guard."
Spring "Ah."
Spring "Clever."
Lucent "That way we will leave a guard, which can fight back and die to the assassins, but no life will be lost."
Spring "Very insightful."
Spring "Now."
Spring "Is there anything else we need to discuss?"
Spring "I...am tired."
Lucent "Yes." He looks at Varanim, "But not now."
Lucent looks at Spring and Zahara, "We need to figure out a way to get me into The Thousand."
Lucent "So think up ideas if you can."
Spring "I will see what I can do."
Lucent nods. "Oh, and Spring...?"
Spring "Yes?"
Lucent "Sorry."
Varanim "Right, time to go poke my favorite flower some more." She turns for the door. ::Thank you for the arm,:: she adds privately to Spring. ::It was important for me to see it again.::
Spring ::I am sorry I could not recover it for you. Perhaps we may seize it later.::
Spring "...You are, of course, forgiven, Lucent."
Spring "Thank you for the thought."
Lucent smiles and walks out, awkward for once.
Varanim ::Oh, it's all right--I got what I needed. Use it for medicine or fetch it as a neat paperweight, it's all the same now.::
Varanim She watches Lucent go with a troubled look, then shrugs and heads off to her own work.
Spring gives Zahara a long-suffering look, then nods to her, and sets off himself.
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