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Elora sits at the kitchen table with an extra-big mug of coffee in front of her. She has huge bags under her eyes and her hair is even more mussed than normal. She takes a sip and waits patiently for her Spheremates to join her.
Bishop enters the kitchen without the slightest bit of pomp and ceremony. Even more unusual, he's not wearing officious robes or gleaming armor, and more peculiar yet is the subdued mumbled greeting he offers.
Elora opens one dark, bloodshot eye and looks at the Bishop. "Is... everything... okay?"
UNPC enters somewhat after Bishop, the beads in her hair making soft music though her footfalls are quiet as always. She pours herself a coffee and sits apart from the others.
Bishop flops into a chair adjacent to Elora, shrugs and smiles lazily. "Long day."
Elora nods. "Long night."
jade{A} does not look particularly haggard or underdressed.
Elora looks over the Solar for just a second, but doesn't say anything... just drinks more coffee.
Bishop "So. What have I missed?"
Elora "We're fucked."
Bishop "I said 'missed'."
Elora "We're REALLY fucked."
Bishop "...go on?
Elora "Wait until everyone gets here." She finishes her coffee and reaches for the press to pour another large mug.
jade{A} helpfully passes it to her
Bishop idly jingles Jade's beads. "How long do you think they'll be?"
Elora "Who knows? No one ever comes when I call a meeting."
jade{A} jerks for a second, startled, and looks up at him through her hair, then sits back. jumpy.
Bishop continues to jingle Jade, then stops. "Very inconvenient, don't you think?"
Elora "Yes. Yes I do."
Bishop "How long should we wait?"
Elora "Oh." She sips her coffee again. "Until the rats devour the entire world, probably."
jade{A} sips her coffee. "The party was nice."
Bishop "Hmm." He decides to jingle a different set of Jade's beads. "Waiting that long seems more a liability than a courtesy." He pauses jingling just long enough to catch Jade's remark, then resumes. "Party?"
Elora "We had a party. We found out that Yu-Shan is parallel to Creation. Autumn ruined some people's relationships."
jade{A} scoots slightly away from Bishop.
Bishop tightens his grip on Jade's beads when she scoots and tugs her slightly. "Fascinating. Well, the first two are fascinating. The third is ... predictable?"
Elora nods.
jade{A} "Ow."
Bishop "Don't scoot away. I need entertainment."
jade{A} "Can't you play with Elora's hair instead?"
Bishop "Yours is more interesting. Besides, she looks grumpy."
Elora actually just looks depressed!
Bishop "Maybe she needs a hug. Jade, why don't you give Elora a hug?"
jade{A} "Uh."
Bishop "I would, but I don't hug. It's against my religion."
Elora looks at the Bishop over her mug.
Bishop shrugs.
jade{A} shrugs. "Okay. But if she hits me, I'm going to be mad."
jade{A} gets up and hugs Elora, then sits down, now much further away from Bishop.
Bishop scoots down to stay within reach of Jade's jingle-beads.
Bishop Which he then resumes jingling.
jade{A} sulks.
Elora hugs back weakly.
Elora finishes her second mug of coffee, and, suddenly, looks at the Bishop inquisitively. "Bishop."
jade{A} smiles at Elora then resumes her attempts at not twitching and/or attempting to maim the bishop
Bishop turns from Jade to look Elora in the eye, still jingling Jade's beads. "Elora."
Elora "Who were you before?"
Bishop "I was nothing but blood and fire, like all mortal men."
Elora blinks.
Elora "No no. The... other half."
Bishop "I am not sure. I believe that I have always been the Bishop of Strife, but the Bishops in the past were different."
Bishop "Once, I was the Abbess of Strife."
jade{A} "You were a girl?"
Bishop "Probably."
Bishop "I mean, yes. Yes, I was. Thousands of years ago."
jade{A} eyes him.
Bishop smiles like the fox in the henhouse.
Elora thinks about it for a second. "Dear tiny little viridian spider," she whispers to a newly-conjured friend, "who was my previous incarnation?"
Bishop "Oh, do me. Do me next."
jade{A} snorts.
Elora "I already planned to."
pigeon "Queen Perpetual."
Elora "Hmmmm. And the Bishop?" She sends another helpful helper away.
jade{A} gets up, grabs the coffee press, and walks over to the counter, to make more coffee.
Bishop Jade's sudden movement leaves the Bishop holding one loose bead. He frowns a little.
pigeon "Captain Tragic Hero."
Elora stifles a huge laugh.
Bishop "Well, at least it wasn't something just over-the-top silly, like 'Harmonious Jade', or some other silly thing."
jade{A} coughs.
Elora "And Serpent?"
jade{A} "Why are you trying to make me angry, Bishop?"
Bishop "Jade, what is my full title?"
jade{A} "Captain Tragic Hero."
Bishop "The other one."
jade{A} sighs, irritated. "Bishop of Strife. I get it."
pigeon "Velantia the Sun-Eater."
Bishop beams. "That's right! Who's the smartest Solar in Elora's kitchen? Who's the smartest Solar in Elora's kitchen?"
jade{A} puts her hand on her forehead. "That better be me."
Bishop "Yes you are! Yes you are!"
Bishop stands and strides quickly to Jade's side, though, to murmur something in her ear.
jade{A} glares at him balefully.
Bishop smiles serenely, cups her cheek, then returns to his seat.
Elora "And, penultimately, Den Bao?"
Autumn{j} "I leave you all for a bit... and you are the same! Heartening. Not-popes and Shadows and Mommies, hi!" Autumn strides in, dressed in black with fallen dragons embroided in gold on it, and a dragon's mask on the upper part of his face! "I gather I didn't miss much?"
pigeon "The Dust and Iron Historian."
jade{A} "Autumn." She smiles. "No, not much. We found out who their past incarnations are."
Elora "Excellent! Now." Elora says, ignoring Autumn's entry. She pours a little bit of whiskey into the dregs of her coffee, swills it around briefly, sucks it down, and asks her final question.
jade{A} "And Bishop is trying to make me hit him."
Autumn{j} "Mine's cooler!" He grins, sitting close to Jade, and pushing her to him. "What's so excellent, mommy?"
Elora "Of Every Fifth Dove, Dust and Iron Historian, Velantia, Captain Tragic Hero, and Queen Perpetual, which were associated with each other during their lives and careers?"
Autumn{j} grins to Jade, "Like I said, same old, same old."
Autumn{j} "..."
Autumn{j} laughs histerically, "Who's CAPTAIN TRAGIC HERO?"
pigeon "All."
jade{A} points at bishop
Bishop "Autumn, I will tear your limbs from your body, drown you in your own blood, and the moment before your eyes close in death, you will see all that you love come crashing down in rot and ruin. Do I make myself clear?"
Autumn{j} puts his feet on the table. "You're welcome to try, just remember your legend is a tragedy, captain hero!"
Elora "I fucking goddamn knew it!" She slams her hand down on the table, sending glasses of water and yesterday's breakfast dishes flying.
jade{A} offers Autumn some coffee, dodging the flying crockery
Bishop "Bear in mind, Autumn, that I did not include the words 'if' or 'then' in my statement."
Elora "Where the fucking dogshit are Serpent and Den Bao?"
Autumn{j} picks a glass of water from the air, drinks. "I know. Hence why I said you are welcome to try. It would be awfully rude of me if I did not welcome you to your failture, wouldn't I?"
Bishop looks at Jade.
jade{A} is obviously too busy with her coffee to look back at Bishop
Bishop is across the table in the blink of an eye, to bring great pain to Autumn
Den Bao quite suddenly appears behind Elora, smacking her on the ass.
jade{A} draws her bow, arrow nocked and ready without even thinking about it. The coffee press clatters to the counter. "Leave him alone."
Elora "Don't fight, boys." Elora doesn't even seem interested in stopping them, really.
Elora She jumps up with startlement as Den Bao enters. "You FUCKER keep your goddamn hands OFF OF ME!"
Den Bao "... I just wanted to see how that felt. Hrm. Not bad." Den shrugs. He even has coffee in his free hand. "So, we're connected. A pity."
Elora looks around to see who assaulted her.
Bishop Elora's startled yelp at Den Bao's entrance is more effective at disinteresting the Bishop in breaking Autumn's arms than Jade's menacing posture.
Autumn{j} There is a scarf between the Bishop and Autumn. Autumn did not move. "El, El, you're going to burst something if you keep that up..."
Elora "Don't touch me. ESPECIALLY TO EXPERIMENT."
Den Bao "Fine, fine. Dust and Iron Historian. What a... dull name." Den sips more coffee, looks pretty calm, all told.
Elora gestures with one thumb towards the nearest veranda. "Den Bao, can I talk to you for a minute about something important?"
Den Bao "Am I dead?"
Den Bao sips more coffee, all too calmly.
jade{A} releases the tension on the bowstring, seeing that Bishop is distracted. Her fingers twitch with the thought of shooting him anyway.
Elora "Assuming you are going to do what I ask? No, not particularly." She smiles slightly, but her eyes still look brutally sleep-deprived.
Elora walks out onto the porch, and closes the glass doors behind Den Bao.
Den Bao smiles mirthlessly, sipping away. "What is so important that you'd slay me for non-compliance?"
Den Bao "Outside of whole revelation of our past and all."
Elora "So. We have a problem."
Den Bao "Indeed." Sip. Pause. Sip. "I imagine you already have some ideas?"
Elora "Well. I don't... I don't know what exactly is going on, but... I have some things that I'd like you to turn... whatever bureaucracy of secret-delving you might have towards discovering the nature of."
Den Bao "I see. How possible is it that my queries will get me censured?"
Elora "Uh... I have no idea?"
Den Bao "It doesn't really matter, but I'll just prepare in case of that event. Now." Den frowns, and calmly makes the Sign of Jupiter, just in case. "Lay it on me."
Elora "Oh. Well. So. There are a few things I want you to look into:"
Elora "A person in imperial robes, locked in conflict with Tepet Ejava. A Solar pirate with an eyepatch, in conflict with the Abyssal who crashed our party. And..." Elora trails off, and shivers.
Elora "The... rats... in the foundations." Unexpectedly enough, Elora looks... terrified.
Den Bao "Rats in the foundations." Sip, pause... sip. "I see. What is my timeframe?"
Elora "As soon as you can." Den Bao "Very well. I might have to postpone some paperwork, but I'll see about it." Yet another pause. "What about rats unsettles you?"
Elora looks back and forth.
Elora "So you've seen this manse, right? Been all around it? It has no basement."
Elora "Imagine if one day, you woke up and you found out that there'd been a basement all along."
Elora leans in closer, and starts talking less loudly to match.
Elora "And you went down into it."
Elora "And under the walls, crushed and bleeding... there they were..."
Elora 's bloodshot eyes are redder than even before.
Elora "And alive or dead, they all stare at you...."
Elora shudders again.
Elora "I don't know what they are, Den Bao, but... we need to stop them."
Den Bao "... awesome. I mean..."
Elora "....yes?"
Den Bao pauses to sip, but his cup's out of coffee. "It may be an irrevocable part of the Manse, but... we will see."
Elora "And... There's one last thing."
Den Bao "Hm?"
Elora "Our predecessors. The previous 'us'es. We... we worked with Chejop Kejak, and... I think we PUT them there."
Den Bao drops his cup, even though his expression does not change.
Den Bao "The statues."
Elora nods slowly.
Elora "I'm glad you understand the import here."
Den Bao "My, this explains much. Well, in any event, it seems that we're unraveling the mystery we created. That is... a challenge I wouldn't mind accepting."
Elora "Good. I'm sure you'll do a... great job." She looks back and forth over the heavenly city. "Shall we rejoin the others?"
Den Bao "Actually, I was considering bending you over the railing and..." He pauses, waiting for the reaction... and then turns to go rejoin the others with a sly little grin. Anything to get her mind off the rats.
Elora watches Den Bao walk back in and makes a mental note to make Den Bao pay for this, then walks back in after him.
Autumn{j} The scarfs almost seem to grin at the Bishop. In that way only scarves can grin, that you cannot even understand if you haven't seen a scarf grin before. "Did they ask yours', vee?"
jade{A} shrugs, "No."
Autumn{j} "The bastards. What's with this horrible anti-Solar sentiment, just because we are kinda supposed to deceive, lead on and kill your kind on the spot? It is just not fair to cute little killers like you." He nods. "Let's bug El when she comes back!"
Autumn{j} begins to arrange the food on the table into a message to Elora
jade{A} "You know, deceiving people is easier when they don't know you're doing it."
Bishop "I don't agree."
Autumn{j} "I never said I was trying to deceive you, did I?"
Autumn{j} "But then again, not that I intend to school an Iron Wolf about deceit. You did nearly fool us all, after all."
jade{A} "No, it's true you haven't tried to kill me either."
Bishop "He's biding his time. We all are."
jade{A} "Luckily it's nearly impossible to get you to all do the same thing at the same time, so I should be okay."
Bishop smiles cheerfully. "As long as we're all fighting over who gets to kill you, we're not busy killing you."
jade{A} "Yeah, so let me know if you reach consensus on that or anything."
Bishop "I'll keep you apprised."
jade{A} "You're too kind."
Bishop "I prefer the word 'sweet', personally. I only warn victims I like."
Autumn{j} "Of course, you'd learn that after you were already bound, drained of essence and will, but still. Well, least if we do it. Maybe the Bishop prefers a fair fight or something. But that just makes people run."
jade{A} "You make it sound so exciting."
Bishop "Oh, it will be! There will be animas and blood and howling and tearing. Ripping good laugh, really."
Bishop "I'm sure Autumn would be more than willing to help you rehearse."
jade{A} "The fair fight, or the unfair fight?"
Bishop "What fight?"
jade{A} "Autumn suggested you prefer a fair fight."
Autumn{j} "I thought you liked strife. Isn't it heresy for your church to do it without a fight?"
Bishop "Fighting is sport. Killing is necessity."
jade{A} "You know, it really irritates me that I haven't done anything against you, and you're determined to kill me eventually. In fact I've actively been helping you."
Bishop shrugs and smiles a there's-something-I'm-not-saying smile.
Autumn{j} lifts a finger in a lecture tone, "Theoretically, you irritate the Five-Score Fellowship by existing."
jade{A} waves her bow away and picks up the coffee press again, dumping out the half-made batch in favor of making a new one. "Well that's not my fault."
Bishop "To be just as technical ... it is, actually. No fault of yours, per se, but due to misbehaviors by once-you."
jade{A} "What exactly did I do?"
Bishop "Things even I wouldn't do."
jade{A} "I can't imagine things that you wouldn't do."
Autumn{j} watches the Bishop curiously, "You mean, becoming a balanced person?"
Bishop casually ignores Autumn's remark. "That's in part because once-you unmade the words to describe what once-you did."
jade{A} "I what? That's not even possible."
Bishop "In fairness, 'impossible' just means 'rather difficult'."
jade{A} opens her mouth to say something then just turns, and presses the coffee.
jade{A} turns and smiles brighly at Elora and Den Bao. "Coffee?"
Elora "Please."
jade{A} pours Elora a mug.
Elora pours whiskey into it and takes a sip.
Autumn{j} In front of Elora, the whole table is arranged in the form of Old Realm reading 'Spider Jade's Former Incarnation, Damnit!!!' the exclamation points are perfectly made by bums and silverware
Elora takes a bun and takes a big bite. "Spider, if you would, there is a curious question on the table."
pigeon "Please frame your requests in the form of questions."
jade{A} looks for something to eat.
Elora "You little fucking arachnid shit, what was Harmonious Jade's last incarnation called?"
Autumn{j} writes something. In his hand, there's a little notebook, with an intricate title in silver: 'The Most Inclusive Book of Elora's Ten Thousand Insults'
jade{A} finds an apple and paces back and forth.
pigeon "You don't have to be a prick about it."
pigeon "Rakiesh the Inevitable."
Elora chuckles.
jade{A} looks rather pleased with her name.
Elora "Now. What next?"
Bishop "Did Rakiesh know Every Fifth Dove and the others?"
Elora "Don't you have your OWN spider?"
Bishop "No, I traded it for the ability to communicate by punching."
Elora "Ask Den Bao to ask."
Autumn{j} "You got ripped."
Bishop "I disagree."
Den Bao has been... sipping. After getting a new cup and more coffee. Somehow. Weirdass Secrets. "So."
Elora "So, Bishop has a question for you."
Bishop talks through his own cup of coffee. "Something about past-Jade and knowing the evil sculptor, whatsisass. Dove."
Elora "Yeah, that one."
jade{A} bites her apple, shaking her head.
Den Bao "Clean up your question some so I don't waste the essence, please." Sip.
Elora "Did Rakiesh the Infinite know Every Fifth Dove or any of our other previous incarnations?"
Den Bao spits up a cuddly green spider and shares the tidbit with it. "Off you go."
pigeon "The information you have requested is either generally unknown or actively concealed."
Elora "Stupid Solars."
Den Bao "Clever, clever. Digging that up will be fun."
jade{A} "Before you ask, I don't know either."
Elora "So. We didn't just come together here by chance. We all worked together on those damned statues in our previous incarnations. But... why?"
jade{A} "Well, how did you all die?"
Elora "How would I know? I can't very well sit here and send the Spider out for every single question we come up with." She looks at the Secrets. "Den Bao, is there a repository in the Forbidding Manse somewhere that has this kind of info?"
Den Bao "Of course, silly Journeys. Everything is there."
Den Bao holds up a finger, though. "It's a matter of whether or not you can find what you seek."
Elora "Well then. I suggest we take a little trip to the Ivy house."
Den Bao "Hrm. That might be interesting... but I'll vouch for you all as much as I can."
Elora nods. "Let's go!"
pigeon The librarian-god at the entrance to the Biographicum is old and withered, but his eyes are still pale blue and alert, and he stops the Sidereals before they can enter, giving Den Bao a wary look.
pigeon "Hello, Den."
Den Bao "It's been a while, old... friend." Den smiles, slightly. "I am here on business."
jade{A} hangs out behind Autumn
pigeon "I'm sure you are. And your...friends?"
Elora waves and grins slightly.
Colapso "Pleasure."
Den Bao "Foul Mouth, Violent, Kinky, and Cute." Den smirks. "Do you actually need names? I can easily file the papers myself if you'd prefer."
pigeon "Now, Den, you know that only members of the Bureau of Secrets are allowed in the Biographicum without special authorization."
pigeon "I can't make any special exceptions for you. Not after you turned me in for it last time."
Autumn{j} "Truly, Den, you know how to make friends and influence people."
Den Bao "Are you going to hang that over my head? I gladly worked on getting you an exemption from the usual punishment. And besides, this is a special incident requiring a bit of bending."
pigeon The librarian god looks really uncomfortable.
Den Bao "Come, now. Even I can change my stripes, if only a little."
jade{A} shifts from one foot to the other impatiently
Autumn{j} touches their wrists with his scarves, and begins walking in, "Well, we are going in. You can later tell others how you let Every Fifth Dove's great reincarnation into the library, and how you saw a Solar. Up close. Really!" He pushes Vee sooo close to him... and then pulls her back and goes in.
Den Bao smiles. It's a touch unnerving.
pigeon "Okay, okay, your other Startouched friends can go, but that girl -- is that a mortal, here in Yu-Shan? She'll have to stay out here. There's a day care around the corner."
Den Bao "Insulting a Sidereal's personal property is a Severity One."
pigeon The god interposes himself between Autumn and the door, expanding slightly.
Den Bao grins.
pigeon The god then blinks, putting two and two together.
pigeon "I'm sorry. Did you say she's a Solar?"
jade{A} smiles sweetly at the god.
Autumn{j} "Shine for him, pretty."
jade{A} considers for a moment, then lets her castemark glitter on her forehead. "I don't like day care."
pigeon The god shivers.
pigeon "I'll...need you to sign this, Den."
Den Bao produces a pen and happily signs, complete with shiteating grin.
pigeon The god nods and shuffles off. Very quickly.
Elora smiles. "That was easy!"
jade{A} "It was, wasn't it."
Den Bao proceeds along. "I have a reputation, and it seems you do merely by being golden."
jade{A} "I guess if I have to be feared by everyone, it might as well be useful."
Elora proceeds into the manse.
pigeon The Biographicum stretches out before them, a high-ceilinged room with demure black tiling. From every possible point and hook on the ceiling is hung a separate, intricately drawn scroll, each containing exactly one secret of someone's life, no matter how petty or irrelevant, forming a nearly unnavigable blizzard of white paper and black ink.
pigeon The documents are immaculately organized by randomly assigned internal reference number.
Elora reads the nearest scroll, selected arbitrarily.
jade{A} shrugs and reads one too
pigeon "Joanie loves Chachi."
pigeon "Elora is uncertain of her sexuality."
jade{A} rolls it back up and replaces it neatly.
jade{A} glances over at Elora, and picks up another scroll
pigeon The next scroll contains something dull and not funny.
jade{A} "Do you know how to find useful stuff in here, Den Bao?"
Den Bao "Yes."
Den Bao smiles, faintly. He's not looking for anything.
Elora "Let's see your stuff."
jade{A} "Well... find something then."
jade{A} reads another scroll while they go along.
Den Bao sits down... and sighs. "You are forgetting the nature of secrets."
Autumn{j} picks the first random scroll and reads
Den Bao "You don't find them. They find you."
Autumn{j} "They are good masks to hind behind?"
pigeon Jade's scroll AND Autumn's scroll booth contain personal information about completely random people in Creation. Jade's scroll is gross.
jade{A} "I didn't know you could even do that." she mutters and releases the scroll.
Elora "Oh. Well."
Elora "Get found then."
Autumn{j} peeks over Jade's shoulder, "What, what?"
Den Bao is still sitting. He finally just smacks his hand on the ground sharply and holds the other hand up. A scroll drops into it neatly.
jade{A} shows Autumn
Autumn{j} "... ew."
Den Bao "I think... I have something." Den calmly opens the scroll and reads.
jade{A} "Let's not try that."
Autumn{j} "... you don't have to ask. There's a line between kinky and gross. That... crosses it."
jade{A} looks very relieved.
jade{A} "That crossed it several times."
jade{A} points at a few places on the scroll
pigeon "Rakiesh was present at the forming of the Bronze Faction."
Elora "Aha!"
jade{A} "Aha what?"
Elora "We" -- Elora gestures widely to encompass alll her Spheremates -- "were the Bronze Faction."
Elora She pauses.
jade{A} "Bronze Faction of what?"
Elora "Us and Chejop Kejak. Den, any idea what happened to him?"
Den Bao "Well... shit."
Elora "The Bronze Faction of Sidereals. The ones who, um... didn't... like... the Solars."
Den Bao eyes Elora. "Do you want me to risk myself that much? Even getting close to information on Kejak is risky business."
jade{A} "What, you mean there are some that LIKE Solars? Why am I not hanging out with THEM?"
Den Bao "... which is where we're at, anyway."
Autumn{j} "'Cause we are cooler!"
Autumn{j} strikes a pose!
jade{A} stares at him for a minute, then laughs.
Elora pauses. "Yes. I do."
Autumn{j} "Also, um, we are honest. The ones that 'like' Solars use you as puppets. We are honest in wanting you dead." He nods, then ponders. "Wait, is there anyone else? Or just us, plus Kejack?"
Elora "Otherwise we'll never find out what's going on here."
jade{A} "So you're not going to use me as a puppet huh."
Den Bao "No point in it, really."
jade{A} "Well that's a relief." she says drily. "I feel better now."
Autumn{j} begins poking El
Elora decides to attempt to resist the temptation to become very upset.
Elora resists so thoroughly that she slips into a meditative state and discovers new truths about the constant travails of life, as currently manifested in the annoying poking of Smiling Autumn.
Autumn{j} "Ellll, I asked a question! Is there anyone else?"
Den Bao hammers his hand again. "Very well, I'll check." Another scroll. "This... is for Kejak's fate, however dull or gruesome?"
Elora "Just the six of us. That's what it said on Den Bao's tree-note."
pigeon "Information regarding _Chejop Kajak_ is currently under the protection of the Maiden of Secrets."
pigeon "signed: Jupiter."
pigeon "countersigned: Jupiter."
Den Bao "... well, fuck me. Jupiter countersigned herself on this one. That's not good."
Elora thinks for a moment.
Elora "Den, can I see that scroll for a second."
jade{A} "I wonder what the hell I was doing at that meeting."
Den Bao hands it over with a frown.
Elora "Do you have a pen?"
Den Bao hands that over his treegift pen.
Den Bao "Be gentle with her. She has been good to me."
Elora writes in a reasonably pleasant hand (with a small tinge of mischevious messiness) the following message at the bottom of the scroll:
Elora "It would really help me do my job if you could maybe make a small, brief exception on that for the moment. Reverse-Signed, Elora. Reverse-Countersigned, Queen Perpetual aka ELORA"
Elora "There. Put it back, please?"
Elora hands back the pen, entirely undamaged.
pigeon There is a quiet rustle at the other end of the Biographicum.
Elora "Now try again."
Den Bao takes the pen, puts the scrolly back with a toss... and then one more hand-slam later, is holding another scroll.
Den Bao "This better not blow up in my face." And thus he reads.
pigeon Den Bao's scroll has but one thing printed on it -- an elaborately inscribed arrow, pointing towards the other end of the Biographicum.
jade{A} investigates the rustly noise
Elora , reading over Den's shoulder, claps once excitedly. "Let's go!"
Elora pads after the assassin.
pigeon Jade strikes off through the blizzard of paper, followed pretty closely by the Sidereals, but she somehow seems to lose track of the sound in the room, and finds herself hopelessly lost within tangles of papyrus.
Den Bao scowls, but nonetheless rises and gets a move on, idly adjusting his scarf, just in case something decides to kill him.
jade{A} stops, annoyed.
Elora "Maybe we have to follow Den's arrow."
jade{A} "Den has an arrow?"
jade{A} "You people never tell me anything"
pigeon xxx
pigeon (all that dumb stuff didn't happen)
jade{A} stops, annoyed. She grabs a random scroll.
pigeon The Starchosen, hot on her heels, step suddenly into a clearing empty of scrolls, in which a maiden in green robes is standing waiting for them with an exasperated look on her face.
Elora "Harmony?"
Maiden Jade is nowhere to be seen.
Elora stops short.
Den Bao "... oh, I'm fucked."
Elora waves sheepishly.
jade{A} tries to follow her bath back to the entrance
Maiden grabs the scroll from Den Bao, closes it, opens it again and hands it back.
Den Bao immediately bows most politely. "A lull in the Games---ah." He takes is and reads.
Maiden The scroll is covered with text, but somehow the words, though individually sensible, cannot be organized into sense in Den Bao's mind. It definitely mentions Chejop, and the former incarnations of the Sidereals, but it seems to suggest...no, wait, misread, it says...no, that's not right, it's...hmm.
Maiden gives a "See?" kind of shrug at Elora.
Elora tries to read the scroll.
Den Bao looks. And looks. And looks. After about a minute, a bit of blood trickles from his nose and he has to look away. "There is a certain level of unfairness in all of this, but I imagine this has been obsfucated for a reason."
Maiden It says...huh. What DOES it say? That's weird.
Autumn{j} rushes in, "Hey, I stop to read a scroll and everyon... e...."
Autumn{j} "Why, hello there."
Maiden nods politely to Autumn and reaches out to take the scroll.
jade{A} casts around for her trail for a minute or two before getting irritated and activating the Unshakeable Bloodhound Technique. As she looks around this time, the things that had been obscured catch her eye. A swaying scroll there, a bent edge, a scuffmark.
Elora "Waitwaitwait. Why can't we read it?"
Maiden makes the "gimme" gesture with her hand.
Den Bao "Either she's actively hiding it herself, or something's screwed up that moment's fate so badly that it's broken like the Mask."
Elora looks directly at the Maiden with a bit of an accusatory stare.
Den Bao hands it back, wiping his nose. He does not look happy.
Maiden gestures to Den Bao at his last statement, smiling knowingly.
Den Bao "... oh, hell."
Autumn{j} tries to read the scroll, a moment too late. "What is in that?"
Maiden closes the scroll, opens it again and begins drawing on it, speaking absentmindedly as she does so. Jade manages to run into the clearing at this moment and finds herself facing Autumn's back.
Den Bao "Everything that happened. It's otherwise completely incomprehensible."
Maiden "Once, there were shadows in the window...footsteps at the gates of life...whispering at the door."
Maiden "'Should I live or die? Am I living or dead?'"
jade{A} "Oh. Hi. Who's that?"
Maiden "'To know the world is to choose it,' says the Void."
Den Bao "Jupiter, the Maiden of Secrets. And that..."
Maiden She hands back the scroll, decorated now with a quick but decorative illustration of the constellation known as the Mask.
Autumn{j} tries to read it this time!
Den Bao "The Scripture of Absence."
Maiden It's otherwise blank.
Den Bao "... don't tell me we're going to have to fix the Mask to get some answers, Jupiter."
Maiden smiles, and waves the tips of her fingers, and turns around, heading back into the stacks, whistling.
jade{A} bows to Jupiter
Autumn{j} "Den, your maiden is a bitch."
Den Bao "She has to be."
Den Bao nonetheless scowls, looking at the scroll. "Absence."
Autumn{j} "See, this is the thing with secrets. When Venus speaks in riddles, it's innuendo you SHOULD get."
Elora "So the stars are actively hiding the information about Kejak?"
Den Bao "The events may be as broken as the Mask... or they may be connected to the Mask, and thus remain shattered until the constellation's repaired. But... how do you fix such a snarled mess?"
Den Bao "... I need a drink."
Autumn{j} "So, where do we start on fixing the Mask?"
jade{A} stares after Jupiter, awed, and basically ignoring everyone. Then she blinks and looks at her companions. "What broke the Mask?"
Autumn{j} "Us, trying to hide ourselves. It is why nobody remembers us. Why we do not show in any records."
Autumn{j} "... the other ninety-five are going to hate us, aren't they?"
Den Bao "Immensely. But it looks like we get to fix the mess we helped create."
Elora "They already hate us."
Maiden There is an enormous pounding at the doors, and a loud growl.
Elora looks at the door and makes the "door-opening" gesture while adopting a quizzical look.
jade{A} "You broke a conste... " she looks at the door. "That doesn't sound good."
Maiden "Solar! Come out at once and surrender yourself to the divine justice of Yu-Shan!"
Maiden The voice of a celestial lion is, as always, unmistakable.
Autumn{j} "... we need to hide you. Now."
Den Bao "... aw, shit."
jade{A} "Oh, divine justice. My favorite."
Elora "That's not good."
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