username: lady of the willow tree | audio

[aprescoup]

( Did you miss this shrieking voice as much as it missed you? ) You took dead. Of course you took dead. Why are you so... do you not have friends? You want friends this badly? No one loves you? Mother does not love you? Father does not love you? You had to find dead who love you?

( She stops. Breathes. Reconsiders: ) There is no time to waste. There never was. In the city, they say none of Unhalad’s people returned. You are half safe. Unhalad won’t know of you, at least until, those things you brought back... become as he means them to be. Speak to them before that. Find out what turned them. ( Quieter: ) They were good men once. At least, less fools than you.

But Anurr knows of you. He must. After all, you — ...you never did ask, did you? Well, go around and ask! Why do the people run from your little farm in the frozen prairie? You think, they do not like big, sturdy land, with a house on it? I heard it was Haltham who put you up here, and now he hides from me. Ha! Good. Not every open house is for the taking. And maybe ask yourselves, why do you have a body in your water, eh? You think it’s good, to swim with the dead? That’s how they raise you, where you are from? Find out who it is, at least you know his name, before you get naked with him, no?

And ask your little forest friend, why are they back? They had good life in their woods. No one bothered them. Did I bother them? No. Did you? Well, you bother everyone. But not them particularly, no?

( Huffing, puffing, easing. ) Actually... some of you, maybe you are friends now. You drank the brew, ah? What they gave you, Anurr’s little sons? How smart and brave they are, now he is back. But before? Months ago, no one spoke of Anurr. No one spoke against Unhalad. Nooooooooo, they bowed our heads then, Yes, sir, no, sir, not my son, sir, do what you want, but spare my family.

If you drank that thing... do not do it again. He owned you for a few hours. But next time, he owns you for days. For weeks. For months. Until he doesn’t let go. But you’ve already done the foolishness, maybe those idiots trust you enough to say what Anurr wants. He can’t keep the citadel closed with the storms forever.

The rest of you, focus on better things. On coin. You need coin. You always need coin.

( ooc: check out the IC results of the latest vote here, along with quest sign-ups! Feel free to talk among each other/threadjack, though Karsa will only answer very sparingly at this time. )

Comments

un: blushing beads of heft and beauty | audio

[paperbutterflies]

Lady, does everyone ask first how much their friends love them, and care less about those who have been taken from their friends last? Not all decisions are because we miss or need something, I don't think...

And the one in the lake, he feels very similar to how the mirror on the ship did, and the mirror was difficult to resist. Though I care little to repeat either experience...

Either way... do only those who are getting turned know what turns them?

[aprescoup]

Well, I don't know. Do you know? Should I send you to another village to ask what happens in this one?

[paperbutterflies]

... you have been here for a little longer than we have, have you not? It would stand to reason that you would know a little more about this place than we do.

[aprescoup]

I gave you counsel. What do you want more? I take you by hand?

[scrapgege]

I don't think I want to drink it again, anyway. It wasn't fun the first time.

.... I don't think I paid my fine. Does that mean they'll arrest me if I go back to town?

[aprescoup]

Well... only if they find you?

[scrapgege]

Oh. Good point. I'll just have to make sure they don't, then.

[They probably will with his luck, but at least he runs fast and he can jump onto roofs and stuff.]

voice ; un: knelt lady of swallow and song

[sankta]

Good men deserve good deaths.

[aprescoup]

...eh. I wouldn't go that far.

[sankta]

Considering how much convincing it took to get anyone to do anything, I don't think many of you would.

No one deserves what's happening to them. I don't regret giving them the chance to die on their terms.

un: tender core of the waiting spring blossom | audio.

[corvis]

Who the hell is swimming in this weather, anyway? [ names, he wants them. ]

Are you telling me this group doesn't know how to mind its own business?

[ worst luck ever. ]

[aprescoup]

Have you met them?

[corvis]

I'm trying to avoid it.

un: first blush of tender youth | audio

[somebadnews]

[ It's impressive how quickly she gets her information. Granted, he's busy, but there are times when it's worth a bit of his attention and she manages to fill in what he was missing.

But he's still rolling his eyes. They definitely should have listened to him. ]

Timely advice, as always.

[aprescoup]

Of course it is timely. I only speak to you when you are bigger fools than usual.

[somebadnews]

[ He's starting to think she knows perfectly well what they're planning and just likes to have something to complain about. ]

If that makes it more fun for you. [ Whoops he said it out loud. ] You could have shared some of your connections beforehand. It's so hard to keep up with local politics.

un: xianxian of yunmeng jiang

[weifinder]

( using the one he named to appease jiang cheng might have been on purpose, but hey )

Coin's in process, and has been. The Merchant arranging things said to keep hold on it, which has been done, and I suspect our dear Five has done the same, with an eye toward funding our leaving this region—is there a reliable means to get in contact with him again for an update on timeline, because if we're needing to move again before we're moving out, I want to handle that as soon as we can.

[aprescoup]

You... want to speak to him? The master?

It can be done, can be done. He is not always as polite as me, but...

[weifinder]

He can hardly point out anything we can't stand to hear and learn from, but yes. Knowing what we're waiting on and when the funds needed can be handed to him may help keep us focussed and on track--and less trouble.

voice ; un: not bad, cod do better

[quia]

I think you're too hard on Haltham. He seemed like a nice guy.

[aprescoup]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Did he. Bet he let you pet his goat. Goat petter.

[quia]

Too bad he didn't let me eat it.

It was very soft, though.

un: wide open-winged queen of butterflies | audio

[binghua]

[Such a pleasant, shrieking voice in his ears...]

I have no intention of drinking their concoction a second time. If I am honest, I fear it still manages to have some sort of hold on me. But I also wonder if it would be beneficial in any way to make myself known to Anurr's followers again. They seemed to trust me last time.

If I may ask, does anyone know why Anurr only chose recently to rear his head? Does it have anything at all to do with our appearance here?

[aprescoup]

Ask your friend, the man Lee Chang, who released Anurr from the jailhouse.



( SPOILER: IT WAS LEE CHANG. )

[binghua]

[Xingchen doesn't know Lee Chang, but that's not important right now.]

...He was a prisoner, too.

[As one usually is in a jailhouse.]

Of Unhalad, yes?

[That would make sense.]