hexarchate_rpg | Chapter 3.2: Old and new friends, old and new enemies

Sasha has distributed flutes of sparkling water and small glasses filled with a clear liquor. She finds a clear place to stand near the edge of the party--Jedao and Alaric are to her left, the cluster of people around the mothlings falls at about 3π/8--and signals the grid to adjust the light so that she is highlighted and the other partygoers are very slightly in shadow. She asks the grid for a ringing sound and waits for people to quiet. Her voice slightly amplified by the grid, she says, "Welcome, everyone. We have a unique combination of expertise, on the Cantata. I'm glad that you are here." (It's a formal situation, so she uses the plural 'you'.) "While we are gathered, let us toast to the success of the rebellion."

Sasha waits for an answering murmur, then raises her own glass and knocks it back. The liquor tastes like snow and homesickness; but these are her people now. A slight gesture of her left hand makes illumination linger on Jedao for a moment, before the room lights return to normal.

Sasha sees Remi trying to explain that shot glasses are not for mothlings, and grins in genuine amusement.

[We have some really fascinating conversations running in the previous move. I don't want to cut them off, but please put new threads here!

Also, an out-of-character public service announcement: Remi is a youthful, apparently non-sociopathic version of Kujen, plucked from an earlier timeline. He has not yet interacted with Jedao.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[sounds like a plan!]

Aw, hells. Deyna smiles back, bites the inside of her cheek to keep herself grounded, starts heading over. When she's close enough, she offers a handshake, tilting her chin up slightly to meet their gaze. "Hi," she says, not nearly drunk enough. "Deyna. You?"

Eddox takes Deyna’s hand easily, noticing her concealed discomfort at the touch. Eddox files that fact away.

“Andan Eddox, or Umul Eddox. Whichever you prefer. A pleasure to meet you, Deyna.” They smile again and then let their gaze drop to the mothlings for a moment. They make a quick assessment and take Deyna to be the capable type. “Not to be threatening in the least, but do you happen to be armed, Deyna?” Eddox asks, charmingly lithe.

"Bwuh," Deyna says. "Yes?" Her hand goes instinctively to her hip, where her multitool usually hangs at her belt. Of course, the dress over her bibs is hardly usual, so it's not immediately accessible. "Yes," she repeats, more sure this time, as her fingers close around the folding knife. "Why do you ask?"

Eddox makes an exaggerated “hmmpf” noise and then says, “You were supposed to say, ‘No.’ And I was supposed to say, ‘Would you like to be?’ And then I was going to hold out my arm, suggesting you should take it.” They wave their hand and make their expression read pleasantly amused. “But no matter, you get bonus points for honesty.”

Like Seyli, Eddox had assumed Deyna was armed, and they are glad to confirm it. It wasn’t that they meant ill, but because Eddox was completely useless in a real fight, they made a habit of sticking close to people who were battle ready and would likely not use them as a meat shield in the event. It had saved them on more than one occasion.

Not that Eddox expected a firefight any time too soon, but at least now, with the talk of evacuation, and the presence of Jedao, it was far more likely.

It's right about now that Deyna starts to realize how incredibly, utterly out of her depth she is. "I'll take your arm anyway," she offers. "Are you looking for protection, or threat assessment?"

She looks Eddox up and down, this time with an eye for any weapons. She doesn't see any, but she's also not a fighter by trade -- even if her day job means that she's physically capable, she doesn't have the experience to really know what to look for. Eddox, on the other hand, looks willowy in a way that speaks to cosmetics rather than physical strength, but Deyna has learnt the hard way that appearances can be deceiving. "I don't have one to give you, either way," she clarifies.

Eddox laughs, a genuine one that comes off more throaty than calculated for charm. They offer their arm to Deyna and say, “No that’s all right. I was mostly joking, but it doesn’t hurt to know how many people are armed in a room full of strangers.” They glance at Deyna again, unsure if she’s lying but not truly concerned if she is. “I admit, I haven’t been able to ascertain much about our mission or our hmm, co-workers, since I’ve arrived, but then again, I’m not one to seek out extra work for myself.” They pause, and then ask Deyna, “What about you?” They leave the question impossibly vague, just to see how Deyna responds.

Deyna takes Eddox's arm, feeling intensely awkward about it. "I doubt I'm the only one with a knife on me," she says. "With the work this organization does, you know."

Her brow furrows slightly before she smiles at them again. "I'm pretty new," she says, deflecting as best as she can. "This is the first time I'm meeting most of these people. Our coworkers."

Eddox clicks their tongue once, seems to think a thought they do not share, and says, “It is a rather odd way to conduct business, wouldn’t you say? Putting aside the time travel, which is a very big aside granted but still, putting that aside, you think there would be more organization or forthrightness.” This is an absurd statement and Eddox knows it. “But then again, maybe they just hired me to talk to the aliens. Hmm. What a waste.”

They tug Deyna forward gently so that they walk about the room, much like they did with Seyli. They find motion helps order their thoughts. “Have you heard of the plans for evacuation? Have you seen anything that could be suspect?”

Deyna matches Eddox's pace easily, changing her stride to copy theirs. "Is that what you're here for then? Face work?" She bites back the urge to laugh at the absurdity of that statement. Face work. Like this is a drama about spies.

"People don't tell me much," Deyna says, gently evasive. "I haven't been here enough to know what's normal, so everything could be suspect to me. But I haven't seen any obvious signs, no."

[if you want to move any further stuff to 3.3 that's cool with me!]

Chapter 3.2: Old and new friends, old and new enemies

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