Video / un: of corpse not /day of the senate speech

[nothinglikefather]

[ Jacob is not used to these strange devices, the pocket-watch style communicator didn't come with a set of instructions and while he has used it once or twice, it always takes a few minutes of pressing the crown, turning it, and cursing at it before he realises its been recording for a few minutes. ]

This bloody thing's finally working?

Right. Right. Some of you people know me, those that don't- my name is Jacob Frye. I deal with... not very nice people who need dealing with.

I hope you've all had a chance to listen to that senate meeting. Something came up during all of that and it's got me thinking.

This arsehole- Silvanus- said we couldn't be sure that Justus might not even be in the temple. That no one could go in or out to check. So who could prove if he was praying or if he was dead?

Asked the other Speaker, Martellius, who tried to warn me off heading there.

So I'm going. Anyone want to come along?

Comments

Perma-audio

[nothinglikefather]

Hullo Lan.

[ Yes yes, it's Wangji but it's taking him a while to get used to that. ]

Depends what state he's in. If he's safe and well, then that's good. If not... we will need to work what to do based on what we find.

[downswing]

Wangji. ( A tentative pause. ) Best to have a plan.

[nothinglikefather]

[ Bless you. ]

Alright. If he's dead, we find out how. If he's been murdered, we find out who.
If he's not there, we find out if he's gone of his own accord or been taken. Again, we find out who. Where in either case.

Then we find out the why.

[downswing]

You are unaccustomed to strategy.

[nothinglikefather]

[ There's a change, tone no longer as friendly, no longer as easy and relaxed.]

That's a bloody strategy! What do you want, an essay?

[downswing]

Direction.

[nothinglikefather]

...right.

Alright. I know that... you don't lie easy. You fight well though.

I guess the question is- what do you think you can do?

[downswing]

Attend to opposition.

[nothinglikefather]

Alright then. You can help me attend to the opposition. If we find any.

[downswing]

You do not ask, expecting smooth path.

[nothinglikefather]

I know whatever we come across we can deal with. But alright, what would you ask?

[downswing]

If we encounter him. Alive. In health.

( Softer: ) What then?

[nothinglikefather]

That's easy enough. Apologise for disturbing him, if that's even what we do, tell him we had reason to fear for his health, and then we leave sharpish.

[downswing]

It may not prove so inconsequential.

[nothinglikefather]

I'll take annoying him over finding his corpse either way.

[downswing]

You depend on him alive?

[nothinglikefather]

Fuck no, but the power vacuum he would leave if he's dead? That's going to plunge Ephes into chaos, and that doesn't suit us.

[downswing]

Better we do not condemn them.

[nothinglikefather]

[ Jacob's voice gets a little softer, a little more friendly in reply to that comment. ]

Trust me Wangji, that's the last thing I want to do.

[downswing]

Toppled many cities?

[nothinglikefather]

Only the one so far.

[ Which is a little bit of an exaggeration. Hes only slightly fucked up London and only slightly screwed over the British economy. But that's better than most people he knows. ]

[downswing]

So far.

[nothinglikefather]

Give me a chance! These things take a little while.

[He's teasing, he knows that likely as not, Lan Wangji is probably horrified. It's just a pity that winding him up is so entertaining. ]

[downswing]

Not a goal.

[nothinglikefather]

To you maybe.