Prepare for the #LodanRespawn2024 Existing characters may choose to be displace from/have memories of different timelines, thereby allowing returning members the option to retcon their whole character. These changes are the result of the "Unnatural Fog" plot device that is running between now and the Respawn. The plot is simple: no matter where your character is, that place is shrouded in a thick fog that suspends time, but not thoughts or memories, so even if they're repeating the same day over and over again, they continue to remember, so each time feels like a new day. For those retconning OCs; this is where new versions of themselves have the opportunity to replace the old versions. Official lore and tree updates will be announced asap
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Dec 1, 2016 7:46:57 GMT
“Of course you do,” he responded to the request of giving his word. His word was something he valued and knew she would respect as well. And then he fell quiet, waiting and listening for her explanation, as he expected it to be a long one. Only, it wasn’t.
“Are you one of them? Leading and participating can be different.” He was more focused on processing the information received rather than reacting to it or reacting to the way she sat. Resting his head into his hands, he stared into the distance, thinking about the fact and how it made sense, yet there was still more to figure about it; more questions to be answered. Already he was stocking piling the list in his head, but hopefully he wouldn’t need to ask more than a couple.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Dec 1, 2016 18:21:13 GMT
Why elongate something that didn't need to be long? That was merely 'avoiding the unavoidable', so to say. There was no worth or meaning in it, and Edelweiss would rather be done with her part in this deal as soon as possible, which means speaking clearly and simply, not try to sugarcoat her way around with a rain of excuses. Yes, her guild bore assassins in its ranks, and yes, their connection to her is that she leaded them. No ammount of silver tongued wording was going to change that.
"CAEsAL was originated from the merging of the old Entertainers Guild and the remaining members of the Assassins Guild. All assassins know of the entertainers, but the inverse does not apply." Though her heart did sink when Lasair asked if she was one of them. On the bright angle, that was slightly less of guild information and more of personal information - therefore slightly easier to talk about. But on the other side, it made her feel akin to confessing to not be the person he thought she was at all, but something undeniably darker and dirtier. He was held by his word to show her the wards to protect her guild, but in exchange she might as well be losing him and any semblance of personal affection there was. His eyes seemed to be dissecting her like a medicine student does to a dead body, and she couldn't really blame him for it. "And I've been one since before my guild's foundation."
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Dec 5, 2016 7:43:09 GMT
His emotions were quiet; a surprising but welcomed fact as he internalized what she said, nodding in response. “Thank you,” he spoke at last, dismissing the additional questions he held. Not much else was required of her now that he had finally found the answers he wanted to know. “I swear upon both my guild and my life that I will never willingly share your secrets. As I expect you will also do once my bit is revealed.” He blinked a few times, doing his best to keep the chaos in his mind somewhat legible.
Clearing his throat, he sat up straighter and spoke in a low tone. “I mentioned before that my guild houses a library. I’m sure you’ve deduced by now that the library is located within the forest. I do not personally know if the information you seek is housed in the library, but if it is anywhere in the city, that is where it would be. And while I could attempt to search for the information myself, I’m not sure how far I’d be able to get while working alone. You’ll understand why that is when you see the place, which bring me to the next bit. I’m willing to let you see.” A pause as he swallowed, cementing his resolve as he forced himself to continue speaking. “You will have to be knocked out whenever you enter or leave, as the location is secret, and while you are there, you will only be allowed to be within the library itself. You may stay there, researching with me, for as long as you like. And you may come and go as often as you like, until the spell is uncovered at least. Just remember the requirements for coming and going. Also,” it occurred to him that there was a bit more he should add in. “Nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, in my guild, your guild, or anywhere else in the city, may know that this exchange is happening. This is the one and only time I’m willing to allow someone who isn’t a member to enter the halls. I don’t want anyone else thinking they have a chance to follow behind you.” There was probably more he was going to add, but for the moment, that felt like as complete of an agreement as he could make.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Dec 5, 2016 7:46:35 GMT
Detached. At least that was what that response sounded to her right now. Everything discussed was purely professional at that point - as well as the requiriments he was making. Ways to make sure she'd not know the path to his guild. And also make sure she'd be 'innofensive' on the way, perhaps? Now it was a matter or weighing priorities, and seeing to it that the if not the means then at least the ends were going to be benefitial. Who cared if she's safe or not, as long as her guild is. Maybe that thought was enough.
"I try to always make sure my Seconds-in-Command are aware of when I'm going to be absent and why, in case there's any emergency that they may need to step in to assume the guild. So I'll still have to inform them of when I'm out for research, but I'll refrain from telling them it's related to or within MI. Is that acceptable?"
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Dec 5, 2016 8:14:45 GMT
He nodded, eyes still unmoving from the point they were fixed on. “Yes. I know Elaine is aware of my guild, but it would be better if she didn’t ask excess questions; she is the curious type after all. Thank you for thinking of that.” He continued to nod for a moment after he stopped speaking, thinking through all the different options he had in mind. He couldn’t let her learn the path to the guild, thus the being knocked out. If she had been an assassin as long as she claimed, then she’d probably be able to keep her bearing even if blind folded, thus the extra measure being taken. He almost felt bad for it, but the safety of the guild needed to come first. “…Do you have any questions on the matter? Does the arrangement sound alright?” His eyes flickered towards her for a moment. They showed a shred of compassion in them, but were still mostly rooted in focused thinking.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Dec 5, 2016 18:27:22 GMT
Oh, that was right. Lasair knew about Elaine being a Second-in-Command, but he didn't know about Stephen still, even though in Danny's leadership time it had been the complete opposite. Edelweiss took note of it, just in case. Maybe it was better that way.
"May I request that my allowed stay be extended to a restroom as well besides the library..." She sighed. Assassin leader or not, the redhead woman is still a person, and as every person there were some awkward biological needs that could not be ignored for long. And it sounded really counterproductive for any purposes if she had to stop researching and get knocked out cold then carried in and out all the way home every and each time she feels the need to use the toilet.
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Dec 6, 2016 5:44:56 GMT
A light laugh slipped out of Lasair’s mouth for a short moment upon hearing her question. “Of course. I’m not heartless Edel.” Half of his mouth curled up into a small smile. It didn’t linger long however as he stretched his hands in front of him, giving his muscles the chance to move for a few moments now. “When would you like to start?” he asked then. Now probably wouldn’t be a good time, given that it was morning. But she could pick any time she wanted really, he just needed to check the HQ to make sure nobody was present at the moment. But that shouldn’t be difficult given how infrequent visits were.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Dec 6, 2016 5:50:09 GMT
"Hm... This evening, if possible." She responded after thinking for a moment. She'd also have work to do through the day, so 'right now' wasn't an affordable time to request for herself, even in the case that to Lasair it might be.
Also, while his sudden laughing undeniably caught her by surprise, she preferred to not comment anything back to the statement that he wasn't a heartless person. She had not meant to imply it before anyway, though had to ponder what about it had been funny. Or maybe there wasn't a point in pondering. Who knows. "Is that all?"
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Dec 7, 2016 4:55:32 GMT
The velvet leader let out a long breath, relaxing somewhat. “…Yeah, I think so. I hope we can find this ward, wherever it might be hidden. And thank you, Edel, for trusting me and being honest with me.” His hand went to the back of his neck, scratching at the base of his hair as he spoke. “I want this to go well, I just, well, it was a hard decision to make.” And he meant that, hoping his honesty would be communicated to her. He was beginning to realize that his probing questions had caused her to go on the defensive, retreating within her self so much so that an awkward laugh seemed to be a foreign concept. So, maybe this bit of sharing would help ease her out of that. It helped Lasair feel better, at least.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Dec 8, 2016 3:31:46 GMT
In all honesty, it was less that she trusted him and more that she didn't have a choice. Those had been the terms and conditions he imposed in exchange for unveiling a manner to keep her own guild members alive. A secret for a secret, if you may. That being said, though it's not that she distrusted Lasair and his word to start with, with so many lives at stake it was unavoidable to have felt coerced into speaking - and she may not have if they weren't alone in her apartment so that she could gauge his reactions afterwards. Speaking of it, his reactions were quite... inexistent, almost.
She could have not known what to expect, but there he was still sitting on the couch and looking fairly relaxed if just slightly awkward. Did it truly not matter? "Well... I guess I can be glad I don't need to worry about strange things being done to my unconscious body." If anyone else had demanded to carry her around while knocked out, she'd have questioned that. But at least the redhead man didn't look like a creep.
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Dec 9, 2016 5:13:03 GMT
Edelweiss’ position was much like Lasair’s own, in the fact that he was somewhat forced into the deal-making as well. He had needed to come up with the terms and conditions right then, on the spot, because he trusted her and felt as though it was the right thing to do. That didn’t stop him from wishing there had been some way to avoid the difficulties though.
It wasn’t that it didn’t matter in Lasair’s mind that led him to being somewhat relaxed in that moment. But rather, it was the fact that he had finally obtained the answers he desired, and that fact alone was a relief in and of itself. “Of course, I would trust you in the same position. I only ask for you to be unconscious because, well, even with the senses blocked, motion can be remembered and potentially retraced. You understand, I have to be sure. And if you want, we can minimize the time by meeting in the clearing, the one where magic lessons are held. It shouldn’t be too long of a walk from there.” Emotions were lacing into his speech now as he expressed honest concern with the attempt to minimize this odd situation. He wanted to make this easier for her; it wasn’t an easy request after all. But if she were that determined then perhaps it would be worth it.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Dec 9, 2016 7:34:30 GMT
"Anywhere works." Honestly. Be it a trip starting at the magic lessons clearing or straight to her apartment, it made no difference to her. The lenght of time he'd be carrying her fainted dead weight around did very little to change the fact he'd be carrying her fainted dead weight around in the first place, so she realized it would be fruitless to fuss about it even if the concept still sounded unnerving in her mind. If it served as any solace to him though, despite not having told him her part of the ordeal out of complete free will, she only actually agreed to his full conditions because she still trusted he wouldn't do anything funny to her on the way. Had the deal been proposed by Danny - or almost anyone else - she'd probably have refused. "I'm heavier than I look though, you have been warned."
Maybe after a considerable amount of trips, when she gets more used to the place, she could suggest to Lasair for them to use Gating to get straight there with no awkward trips in-between. But that was a thought better held for the future.
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Dec 9, 2016 9:20:47 GMT
He nodded to her, taking a moment to try and gauge her weight. He knew better than to ask (his father had taught him that much) but she couldn’t be more than how much he weighed himself. “The clearing then, in case there is a chance I struggle with the trip.” He honestly didn’t think he would, but it was better to be safe about it. “Any time after sundown is fine. I’ll arrive as soon as I am ready.” With that sorted out, he felt like now would be an appropriate time to leave. Should he just get up and walk to the door? Offer to stay longer? Or something else perhaps? He really couldn’t be sure now, so instead he looked down at his hands a moment before glancing back to her, the indecision rising in him all over again.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Dec 12, 2016 0:08:36 GMT
It seemed they had reached one of those points when conversation grows stale, and there was nothing else to be said about the topic at hand. Had it been another day, Edelweiss would have just found something else to talk about - be it about their researches on magic, or about the kids, about music, about Lasair sounding like a dying squirrel while singing - anything really, and maybe offered a snack along the chat.
But right then the mood was stuck, like a kidney stone. And she wasn't sure how to feel right then, other than a tad dull, and dirty. "Is that... really alright?"
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Dec 12, 2016 9:14:32 GMT
Processing her question, he thought over it for a few moments before replying. “Yeah. I think so. If it’s not alright, we’ll figure that out tonight, right? We can see how it goes and get through it.” He was being optimistic about it. Knock her out, bring her to the building, wake her up. They do research for a while, then repeat the sleeping process over again.
"All you need is love." -John Lennon
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