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< Red Robes | Red Ice Logs | Seeing Ghosts >

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• Mendhari is glaring at Anstice. "Good plan. Now my perfect skin is all scared."

Anstice: "Only for a week. And as you're not in the belly of a demon, count it as a victory."

• Kinqueduran steps in through the front door, looking like a prince by comparison - red armor polished, spear and shield slung on his back, no blood or ichor spattered over him and his clothing.
• Anstice would wave, but his hands are busy finishing the bandage.
• Kinqueduran 's expression quickly shifts from a distant smile to a dark frown as he approaches the two Sidereals. "I take it the negotiations didn't go as well as possible?"

Mendhari: "Ask the Magnificent Anstice."

• Kinqueduran looks expectantly at Anstice.

Anstice: "We got torn up. There is bad news to be had. Not only are the Algorans not bothering to hide the fact they've gone in with the Yozis, the demons don't falter when you kill their handlers."

Mendhari: "Demons.... Demons... Hey, Kinqueduran, aren't YOU a Demon hunter?"

• Kinqueduran shoots a killing glare at Mendhari, then returns to Anstice. "Interesting. What sort of demons did they use?"

Anstice: "Sevsimtali. Six. Only three mortal handlers. Hear that? Mortal."

Kinqueduran: "I doubt those were handlers, then. Did the demons actually attack you, or did you pick a fight?"

Mendhari: "They attacked me."

Kinqueduran: "I didn't ask you."

Anstice: "The handler sent the demon forth to toy with Mendhari before I attacked. Since it followed her commands then, it seemed safe to assume there was a connection. Unfortunately, it seems only the ranking members of the cult are people. The other seemed more like puppets."

Kinqueduran: "Curious, that."

Anstice: "The ranking member there called himself a friar. Seemed normal enough, if crazy. The current man in charge of the armies is the primate-general. I'm guessing he's not a monkey, so it's the religious nomenclature."

Kinqueduran: "I don't suppose you met the ape?"

Anstice: "Afraid not. Death threats were made, we killed and ran."

Kinqueduran: "The traditional method, I see."

• Kinqueduran looks at Mendhari, his demeanor shifting to one of kind concern; though, lacking social talent, it might very well come across as fake.

Mendhari: "Traditional would not be the correct word here.... OW! Be careful!" She smacks Anstice's hand.

Kinqueduran: "How serious is it? And the other - Iron Horse - where is he?"

• Mendhari shrugs. "Iron Horse will be fine. He's sleeping."

Anstice: "Hers isn't horrible. Iron Horse took a shot that would offed any normal man, but.. he's Iron Horse, not a random farm boy."

Mendhari: "Yeah. His head absorbed most of the blow. There are CASTLES that wish they had that kind of armor."

Kinqueduran: "Ah, good. Nothing important harmed, then."

• Anstice extracts the bit of bone from where it was lodged in Mendhari's arm and flicks it aside. "On a side note, we're screwed."

Kinqueduran: "I thought that was a given. But which way are we screwed this time?"

Anstice: "The lacking a good way to disrupt the demon commanding. Nice as it might be, we can't just set out and kill everybody in red robes who looks crazy."

Kinqueduran: "We can work on a method to break their command."

Anstice: "It's not practical to stab all the demons either with the Algoran army rather happy to march alongside."

Kinqueduran: "Stabbing is always an appropriate component in anti-demon projects."

Mendhari: "There are likely too many for us to handle."

• Anstice shrugs. "Oh, it gets worse."

Kinqueduran: "I was waiting for the worse. Deathlords? The Yozis escaping into the world? Xansha's fire elemental lover visiting?"

Mendhari: "... fire elemental lover?"

Kinqueduran: "Did you never meet that guy?"

• Anstice idly kisses Mendhari's wrist in a fleeting gesture of Del'zahn nobility, setting it aside. "Oh, he was interesting. But you hit it the first time."

Kinqueduran: "Deathlords or *a* Deathlord?"

• Mendhari stares at Anstice. What the HELL is he up to?

Anstice: "I think plural."

Mendhari: "Whoa whoa. Deathlords? Not good..."

Kinqueduran: "What leads you to believe there is involvement from the Deathlords?"

Anstice: "I think one's going to be on their side, and one is going to be nominally on our side."

Kinqueduran: "Not so much on our side as not on their side."

Anstice: "Hard to tell, really. Might not be Deathlords. But I can tell you that some sort of undead are going to be involved, and they don't just randomly decide to eat demons."

Kinqueduran: "Demon-eating undead? This is stranger than the time I drank the glowing stuff."

Anstice: "Oh, maidens... don't remind me."

Kinqueduran: "...you didn't drink the glowing stuff, did you? I told you not to."

Anstice: "I'm inferring from my memories of the hangover the day after glowing stuff was involved."

Kinqueduran: "I guess that means you don't remember the three dragons. Err, dragonesses. Well, maybe dragons. It's hard to tell sometimes."

• Mendhari just continues to stare at Anstice. Oh, if there was a lamp here... Wait. There's a lamp. Should I slug him with it?

Anstice: "Who? There were lots of dragons around at that party... And a card game. I remember winning a card game."

• Kinqueduran can't help but smirk knowingly. "Never mind."
• Mendhari sighs. "Anstice, you're hopeless."
• Anstice shrugs. "Anyway, the source is not alcoholic. But given the unreliability, I'm waiting until I can pin things down to tell you."

Kinqueduran: "I was referring to the two or three she-dragons you ... ahem ... entertained. Right, back on topic."

• Anstice blinks and looks at K. "You're joking. That's a bad, bad joke."

Kinqueduran: "No, I'm not joking."

Anstice: "Oh my."

Kinqueduran: "Anyway, I suppose I should track down more information about The Wailing Daughter. I wouldn't be surprised if she was involved. Well, you seemed so delighted by the idea at the time that I just didn't have the heart to stop you."

Anstice: "Dammit, K, I was out of my skull! And probably charm addled to boot."

Kinqueduran: "Yeah, but you looked so happy."

Mendhari: ".... what in Malfeas are you two talking about?!" She's grabbed the LAMP!

Anstice: "We went to Yu-Shan. People are kidnapping demon-fighters and using them to send messages."

Kinqueduran: "One of the koi-gods invited us to a party."

Mendhari: "... without ME?!" Angry... girl with... LAMP!

Anstice: "Said people are the Algoran cultists, and they want us to show up at an evil temple in a week and some days."

• Kinqueduran very, very delicately reaches for the lamp. "Here...put the lamp down..."

Anstice: "K's girlfriend was very angry."

Kinqueduran: "I don't have a girlfriend."

Anstice: "You just think you don't have a girlfriend."

• Mendhari looks at Anstice. "K doesn't have a girlfriend." She looks at the lamp.

Anstice: "She's it."

Kinqueduran: "...oh hell."

Mendhari: "... who's K's girlfriend?" LAMP! LAMP!!!

Kinqueduran: "Wait, which she?"

• Anstice grins mysteriously.

Kinqueduran: "Mendhari, please, put the lamp down."

Anstice: "I can't tell you, K. Honor of the Maiden."

• Mendhari sighs, and puts the lamp down. "You'd still be idiots, even if I hit you both."
• Kinqueduran eyes Anstice for a moment. "...I think you're full of shit. You were drunk or otherwise out of your mind anyway."

Anstice: "Not until the party."

Kinqueduran: "...oh, dammit. No, no. That Seiche thing is...complicated."

• Anstice wags a finger. "Anyway, you weren't invited, and neither was Iron Horse, Mendhari."

Kinqueduran: "Complicated. Not girlfriend."

Anstice: "Jupiter only knows why they invited me. I don't even work there."

Mendhari: "Why wasn't I invited? So, she must be your wife."

Kinqueduran: "Not quite that complicated."

Anstice: "Fiancé, then. Whatever."

Kinqueduran: "...I'll admit that I don't know much about Yu-Shan marriage customs, but I don't think that's th- ...isn't there something more important than my marital status at stake here?"

• Mendhari nods. "How big is her ring?"

Anstice: "There was a party afterwards. I got a bit tipsy as an excuse to stop answering the insipid questions about being flesh, and apparently got jumped by lusty dragon-women. “Did we win anything good at the card game?"

Mendhari: "Well aren't you special?"

Kinqueduran: "You weren't tipsy, you were lit. You weren't jumped, it was a sort of collective jumping. And we didn't win much. I think I might have bought off a favor I owed someone, that's all."

• Anstice shrugs. "I felt pretty sober there for a while when we were cheating. Drank somebody under the table."
• Mendhari sights. "Those dragon ladies are insatiable. Wait a second... was it...? Wait, she told me not to say anything about that."
• Kinqueduran grins at the memory. "Yeah ... yeah, that was fun."

Anstice: "anyway, you can come next time, Mendhari. When we report to K's boss about talking to the people at the evil temple."

• Kinqueduran glances at Mendhari suspiciously for a moment. “Yes, you can come along next time I report to Febrisa."

Anstice: "You know, she fancies you a bit too, K."

• Mendhari nods. "I would like to spend some time in Yu-Shan. It's nice there. People are refined... not idiots. Completely unlike you two."
• Kinqueduran looks at Anstice like he's a raving madman.

Anstice: "It's more motherly in general. But it's there."

Kinqueduran: "...liar."

Anstice: "Tell you what, K. I don't tell you how to fight demons. You don't tell me how to read the innermost secrets of the heart."

Kinqueduran: "Fair enough."

• Anstice sighs. "Are we done babbling now?"

Kinqueduran: "We can only hope so."

Anstice: "Good."

Mendhari: "There's one thing about hunting demons that I know... Being there when the demons are there... is... a... good... thing. Not making the lady want to beat you with a lamp... is a good thing, too... Anstice."

Kinqueduran: "Actually, when *hunting* demons, it's best to be where they aren't. When *killing* demons, being in their vicinity is generally helpful."

• Mendhari looks at Anstice. "Hand me the lamp. I'm gonna kill him."
• Kinqueduran hurriedly grabs the lamp.

Anstice: "No. His ghost would haunt you, and it'd be even worse."

Kinqueduran: "You think I'm intolerable now..."

Mendhari: "I could kill his ghost. Or sell it to a Deathlord."

Anstice: "And then his fiancé would be angry."

Mendhari: "Ah, true..."

• Kinqueduran seems wounded. "Truly, Mendhari, you are heartless."

Anstice: "Oh, she's got one. And a good pulse rate, too."

Mendhari: "When I almost get killed, I make exceptions."

Kinqueduran: "That wasn't my fault."

Anstice: "Mendhari? Get used to almost dying."

Mendhari: "I'd prefer to not. I suspect we're in for a few months of it."

Kinqueduran: "I have a feeling that this almost-dying bit is going to become as familiar to you three as it is to me."

Anstice: "We're babbling again."

Mendhari: "I am in the company of idiots."

Kinqueduran: "Not yet we're not, though we're getting close. Business. Any count on the army? Any detail you can muster about the friar? How did he die?"

Anstice: "Bled to death. Mendhari slit his throat. The detachment was three scouts and a hundred soldiers."

Mendhari: "Remind me to get that dress cleaned."

Anstice: "Three monks. Three demons. And the friar on the horse."

Kinqueduran: "How were the soldiers armed? When he bled, did he bleed as a human would, or differently? faster? slower? green or something?"

Anstice: "Like a human. Soldiers were mixed weaponry depending on the rank."

Kinqueduran: "Well, I vote that we retire to Xansha's citadel until time for that meeting."

Mendhari: "We should take Iron Horse's wounds into consideration."

Kinqueduran: "I am taking that into account. Xansha's is more defensible and better-stocked for our needs."

Anstice: "We go to Crystal. Or I do, anyway."

Kinqueduran: "Is that wise?"

Anstice: "I know a good geomancer there. If I can get the essence flows properly mapped out, we might figure out where all these demons are popping up."

Kinqueduran: "Very good, then. Do be cautious."

Mendhari: "... you ARE coming with us, Demon Misser?"

Kinqueduran: "That depends on who 'us' is."

Mendhari: "Let's see... YOUR CIRCLE."

Kinqueduran: "Do we have a secure place to regroup in Crystal?"

Anstice: "Yes. It also boasts its own army, as compared to four of us against all the Algorans they care to muster."

Kinqueduran: "Then I suppose we go to Crystal."

• Mendhari looks at both of you. "Good. Crystal. Wounded girl. Get out. Out out out out out out out."
• Anstice nods, and gives a courtly bow. He leaves moments afterwards.
• Mendhari stares at Anstice. Something's up with him.

Mendhari: "You too, Kinqueduran." She reaches for... another lamp!

• Kinqueduran starts to cast a sidelong glance at Mendhari, but that turns into a very short-lived smile before K turns and leaves

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< Red Robes | Red Ice Logs | Seeing Ghosts >