video — un: starburst.

[valeas]

( Wei Wuxian and Emilia are perched up on a tall building.

Two dragons act as their wind buffers — recent arrivals from Serthica, for those who remember the fissured citadel. The narration feels compelled to stress that despite the buffering in question, the hair of these characters billows fabulously behind them, even as they look a bit rundown.

Emilia's anger has smoldered away somewhat, a low murmur in the background. )

Yesterday, a soldier of the Hand requested Wei Wuxian and I demonstrate hand-to-hand combat for the new recruits of the army. These recruits were ferocious, unpredictable, and ... eerily good at mimicry.

Their handlers were frightened of them.

After this session concluded, we were offered a 'booster' to replenish our strength. We refused, as we learned it was essentially diluted black water. The same black waters that resurrected the dead in the arena today.

Comments

un: yiling laozu

[weifinder]

( here he waves, with a sunny smile. it makes him seem less tired for the moment. )

Quite possibly, and furthermore, very little about the hand is living. It is, I'd say, built upon the dead.

Now if it's the Hand or those who stirred the hand may be worth questioning, because those creatures we saw, they weren't making decisions. Neither were the soldiers of more usual means. And they've been supplying black water to everyone within the revived army under this Caybus fellow ( Caius, but he doesn't particularly care ) since they discovered its bounty under their land.

( He taps his temple, head canted to the side. )

Those memories I saw before, the guilt? From the dead man when he still lived. What they pulled out of those farming fields, what must have happened in those granaries, the Brotherhood's tendrils have been here for a lot longer than we may have thought.

[mustact]

[ The Brotherhood ... That black water made him think of them, too, thanks to those very memories. There are so many different parts to this puzzle, and it's starting to feel like they're misstepping by trying to blend in like this. Shouldn't they just have been left as background? Why place them in such important positions? What's the actual play, here? ]

In that case, Ephes may not have much choice but to join forces with Messalina.

[weifinder]

I don't know. Anurr was not a better option so much as one which didn't appreciate his territory impinged on by the Brotherhood. Messalina does not offer a good option, any more so than Ephes itself does in empire building thoughts.

There is no good deal made with the dead. Only degrees of what acceptability you'll face.

[mustact]

[ There's a pause. No good deal made with the ... ]

Is that so?

[weifinder]

With the dead of this world? The ones who're in control? Yes.

[mustact]

It seems to me there is no good deal to be made anywhere, here.

[ Because if they turn Messalina down, what then? Will she turn on Ephes? She already has plenty of deaths to answer to because of Alir, and from what she herself says, her and her people are logical creatures. Which means they could choose to turn their bid elsewhere in understanding of why they were refused.

Or they will turn on Ephes, and receive their army another way. ]