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

[zuhrovet]

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.]

Comments

Re: A Second Interview

[yhlee]

Remi looks like he's considering the benefits of getting drunk after this interview is over. "Do you plan," he asks, "on confronting this immortal Nirai?" And after a hesitation: "What will you do if the moths you free don't want to cooperate with the rebellion?"

Re: A Second Interview

[zuhrovet]

Sasha does not blame him.

"My goal is to free all of the moths, though I don't know when that will be possible. Given the stickiness of timelines, we might have to move late, as late as Reshad's timeline even, in order to effect permanent change. The moths do not need to like us; I doubt they will like the heptarchate, or hexarchate, any better. But my first priority must be survival. We know that Kujen--as he names himself--is interested in us. I do not wish to confront him directly, but I would like to have defenses against him."

Re: A Second Interview

[yhlee]

"In that much we are aligned, then," Remi says. "Are we done here? I want to get some more of the liquor before it's all gone."

Re: A Second Interview

[stormglass]

Xiulan thanks Remi for the information, as easy and level as if the conversation she had had with Sasha before the Nirai entered did not exist. She plans to follow up on the names as soon as opportunity presents itself, but, given why she’s here, she continues to refrain from reaching for her slate just yet. And it proves that listening closely reels in further interesting information.

It is at Sasha’s saying that they do not need the moths to like them that her head finally turns a little before stopping. A glance to Sasha, bouncing then to Reshad. Back to Remi, as he awaits a response to his own question.

Re: A Second Interview

[hoardingpearls]

It's been an interesting conversation, this between Remi and Sasha, with Sulen scrying; he clearly worries that his life will be taken, and she does little to counteract the issue. The Rahal (ex-Rahal, she can hope) confirms her suspicions, and Reshad forces herself to study the bronze eyes.

She has little enough to offer, in truth, but she does find a conversational gap and attempt to fill it.

"Confront him? It'd be foolhardy without more information."

"Are we done here? I want to get some more of the liquor before it's all gone."

Considering Sasha's focus on toasting, there's a nonzero chance of that sparking an intra-team explosion. It's the last thing any of them need. She glances at Sasha, catches Xiulan's eye - oh, and won't her read of this be interesting - back to Remi. "No doubt she's well enough supplied for this and more," she says, a rueful tone there to imply that Reshad herself will be helping to test the depth of that supply.

"There's nothing else urgent. I do apologize for interrupting you." She bows to Remi, and steps to the door.

Re: A Second Interview

[zuhrovet]

Sasha is stuck for a moment, trying to figure out why Remi insulted Ashari's hospitality, and whether she has to make him apologize in form. Reshad's comment, though--Sasha can recognize when staff is cuing her, when it's written on a banner with letters one meter high.

"Don't sleep too late," she tells Remi. "We have two moths to free tomorrow." She stands, but does not move toward the door; she ought, perhaps, to catch Ione.

Re: A Second Interview

[stormglass]

Xiulan stands as the others do, though she does not rush for the door. To Sasha, she murmurs, “That correspondence - something you can send along with the weapons specs?”

And then: “If you have the data for it, it’d be interesting to analyze potential associations between Crow, Vulture, and Quill.” With a sudden flash of humour, she adds, “Maybe they got their names out of the same hat draw.”

More seriously, they certainly sound like code names and a thematic link is not something to ignore. Just in case.

[If Sasha is going over to talk to Ione, Xiulan won’t hold her up, she just wanted to get these two bits out there.]

Re: A Second Interview

[zuhrovet]

[I started a new thread here, just to clean things up.]

[GM comment: birbs, birbs, everywhere]

[yhlee]

[Actually, the thematic names = the GM is ass at coming up with names. But we can come up with a more exciting reason if you like!]

Re: [GM comment: birbs, birbs, everywhere]

[stormglass]

[I've been there*g* I was helping GM a game online once which resulted in another co-GM asking me at one point if I had just named an NPC after a typo from a chat thread we were in. Because yes, yes, I had, because I couldn't think of anything else. It wasn't even a very interesting typo! ...I'd typoed 'kind of'.

For this, I'm fine either way:D Part of Xiulan's character is analyzing for potential patterns, but that doesn't mean either she (or I) expect that to always pan out to something material. Off the top of my head, I could easily see (a) Quill having a feather connotation just being a coincidence with Crow and Vulture, (b) Quill having had something to do with recruiting them and them taking 'inspired' handles because of it, (c) Coincidence by way of someone else randomly doling out handles from a list, (d) numerous other things I am too tired to think of. Whatever makes for the most fun.]