Move 22 (Chapter 1.22)

[yhlee]

[GM note: This is largely a maintenance move so that folks can continue threads from Move 21 without having to dig through a lot of comments.]

For easy reference:
- Move 21 recap (thanks to zuhrovet) [wiki]
- the escape plan [wiki]
- Station Moongray Timeline [wiki]

Year 361, Month Three, Day Seventeen (Monday), ~07:90

Confrontation with the baby fox
From this thread:

Sulen moves towards Mikodez, eyes gleaming the brassy color of clock gears. "I think it's time for some truth, Mikodez."

On the Wasp, Ashari (NPC) welcomes the arrival of Sulen, who threatens Mikodez with scrying after Mikodez is recalcitrant about answering Sasha's questions about why he didn't call for help for Istradez (NPC). Iawa is on standby in case Mikodez needs to be sedated again.

The disposition of a magistrate-thief
From this thread:

“‘Belong’ would be an overstatement,” Virmad says, concealing his amusement. “But yes, we did — I was just about to check on him [Gerae].”

He inclines his head to Sulen. “I’ll see you later; good luck with the foxling.”

Then, to Alaric: “Has Gerae had any food? I did tell him before I left that I’d make sure he got something to eat.”

"It looked like someone fed him, yes," Alaric replies, "although I don't know about Fluffy. Dragon snacks might make the conversation go smoother."

Alaric has just informed Virmad as to Gerae's status, and is about to hand Gerae over to Virmad's care. Meanwhile, Yehan (NPC) comes to talk to Alaric about mothling care: she reports that the station is having the remaining mothlings delivered to the Bumblebee and they are due any moment.

Comments

Re: Sasha fails her save against asking questions

[yhlee]

Ashari's eyebrows almost climb into their hairline. "Lying I can almost forgive," they say, "but mind-numbing incompetence is another matter." Their tone invites further explanation.

Re: Sasha fails her save against asking questions

[pengwern]

“Yes.” Mikodez adds, clarifying, “Then I yelled at him until he fell over.”

Re: Sasha fails her save against asking questions

[zuhrovet]

"He printed a 343-model pistol, and the ammunition was on the drone that got stuck on a slime mold outside the station," Sasha explains to Ashari. "When did Istradez tell you he was your brother, Mishka?"

Re: Sasha fails her save against asking questions

[venndaai]

"He's lying," Sulen says. "Didn't you learn in school not to lie to Rahal, Mikodez?"

Re: Sasha fails her save against asking questions

[yhlee]

Ashari gives a small nod of thanks to Sulen, then trims tiny shavings from one of their long fingernails. "Foxling," they say in their kindest, gentlest voice, which is never a good sign, "you have one more chance, because I am feeling extremely indulgent, before I enthrall the truth out of you. And some chores, while I'm at it."

[EDIT: pengwern, do you want Mikodez to be taken forcibly to the enthrallment place, assuming no one intervenes? Or...?]

Re: Sasha fails her save against asking questions

[pengwern]

"I'm great at arranging placemats." Mikodez relaxes into better posture and looks up at Ashari. They all appear to have swallowed his truth for lies, even with Sulen's scrying. He should be able to maintain it under enthrallment.

[To clarify, I mean for what he said up there to be 'barely technically within-sight-of-the-shoreline of truth'. And ENTHRALLMENT TIME I do have some questions about how it might work here! Tseya clearly intended for it to work on Jedao, so does it always work against heretics/foreigners who would not view Andan as legitimate social superiors? Though I'm fine with...Mikodez buckling like withered straw, since it would be entertaining for him to offer an alliance against grown up Hexarch Mikodez (as he's the only person Miki can really backstab right here and now).

Sasha observes quietly for at least twenty seconds

[zuhrovet]

Sasha doesn't like the idea of taking Mishka's mind apart, but they all need to know what sort of threat he poses. (She's lucky that those threats don't include special unarmed-combat training. Sasha would have made a fucking awful hostage.) She has the uneasy sense that Ashari has been comparatively restrained, with her. But then, for all their posturing, Ashari has very good control.

[enthrallment negotiations]

[yhlee]

[Enthrallment works to the extent that the Andan understands their target's psychology and can browbeat them status-wise. Ashari's understanding of Mikodez is "typical twisty baby Shuos trying to show off how very clever he is," at this point. Using that as a starting point, I suspect they'd be able to worm their way into a fairly browbeating, enthrallment-wise. Your thoughts?

And yes, enthrallment is tricky against heretics/foreigners--especially the latter.]