text; un: archon

[onlythans]

well now, isn't THIS a dubious surprise
"THE CITY THANKS YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE"
i wonder what manner of service they think i've performed, precisely?

well
if this is some sort of token of appreciation for my contribution to our recent "smash or pass" activities
then i suppose all i have to say is: YOU'RE WELCOME
glad you liked it, so on and so forth

all the same, knowing the sort of tricks this place gets up to, i rather think i'd better see about employing the services of a decent mechanic before i trust the reliability of this...gift of theirs

just to be certain it's not about to mysteriously glue me to the driver's seat
or explode
or compel me to confess my earliest childhood memory or some bollocks like that

i don't suppose there's anyone about who'd be willing to perform a look-over on one of these?

ATT: skyslipper.jpg

Comments

[onlythans]

i'd hardly regret being rid of it

[Though at the same time, it does feel a little as though he ought to keep it under wraps. Why? Superstition, mayhap. The thought of relinquishing an Ascian trinket to an Ascian at all is...something.]

well then
are you coming to me, or am i coming to you?

[recreator]

You know, I'm not in the habit of being invited to meet with another without even being granted the courtesy of their name.

Given the circumstances, I would therefore suggest that we go about this in the most pleasant and nonhostile manner possible.

[onlythans]

gods you're loathsome sometimes

[This seems random and unnecessarily hostile until you really think about it, and realize that he didn't have to tack on that qualifier of "sometimes".]

thancred waters
pick a neutral meeting place and i'll be there at the specified time

with reasonable accommodation for travel of course

[recreator]

I shall have to take your word for it, then. Thancred Waters.

[Rather uncalled for if you ask him, but Emet-Selch (as much as he'd care to deny it) isn't completely oblivious to the suffering his future self has purportedly caused. And truly, if the claims are not mere fictions and fancies, then he has little place to try and change the minds of his victims. All he can do in this case is continue to carry out his duties to the best of his ability - given the rather limiting circumstances.]



The city's parks have served me well enough.
I've included a map.

Are you available in an hour? Elsewise we'll have to set up another time to meet. I will also go ahead and assume that you'll be joining me on foot rather than teleporting to our designated location, as seems to be the fashion.

map.jpg

[onlythans]

fashion or not i couldn't use an aetheryte even if i wanted to
tragic really
but as i've not seen any about the point is frankly moot

if i can get the skyslipper working before a bell's time is up i'll be bringing it
otherwise aye
i'll be there on foot

[recreator]

[He meant teleportation, but frankly, he's almost willing to let it slide if it means he'll be subject to a bit less of the other man's incessant sarcasm.]

[Funny isn't it? How being on the receiving end changes one's perception of things.]

I rather doubt that, but feel free to prove me wrong if you wish.
In an hour, then. Or sooner, if you're feeling charitable. I pride myself on punctuality - although knowing you, you're already aware of that fact.

[He'll be leaving as soon as he's gathered a few necessary things, in all honesty. Those being his device, his mage's rod (useless as it is), and a book to pass the time - a journal, actually, for he's been keeping detailed, handwritten notes pertaining to all he's learned - just in case he happens to find himself in a situation of forced forgetfulness like the Kairos incident he's heard about.]

[Thancred will find him waiting for him in the park - assuming the skyslipper doesn't come through first.]

[onlythans]

[All things considered, he likely would've arrived on foot either way. It's more his element to infiltrate on foot rather than with the help of a vehicle, and besides, there's no cover like suggesting you'll be doing one thing and then actually doing another.

But arriving on foot also means that Emet-Selch is likely to beat him there, which on one hand and coming from just about anyone else would make him suspicious of a possible trap set, but on the other — that's not this particular Ascian's style. Lahabrea had been the one to snivel and skulk in the dark; Emet-Selch had been almost refreshingly notorious about drawing attention to everything he was doing, at all times, whether one wanted to attend to it or not.

The white hair is still strange. It's not the face he tends to pair with the man in his mind's eye. Of course he'd seen a fleeting glimpse of it for a short span of time at the end of the universe, but as he'd said himself: that was an encore, and an ephemeral one at that.]

I'm surprised I've not found you napping.

[So he says, as he finally puts in his appearance, with a casual affect that suggests this is any other chance encounter, when in fact it's anything but.]

[recreator]

[Indeed. The hair and face may not match with Thancred's usual impression of Emet-Selch, and perhaps the fact that his mouth twitches into a frown of annoyance rather than a sly, performed grin will seem a bit odd, but this is indeed the same man - right down to the sharp glint in his now glowing yellow eyes.]

And risk being caught in the midst of slumber when I've so eagerly awaited this meeting? I think not.

You must be Thancred.

[His voice and inflection haven't changed either. And there's that note of apparent disdain Thancred was speaking of earlier - or perhaps it's merely sarcasm. Nevertheless, Emet-Selch's disposition shifts to something more akin to professionalism as he rises straight-backed to his feet.]

I trust you've no need of a formal introduction. Nevertheless, as the sole member of the Fourteen present in this place, it falls to me to verify the truth and legitimacy of your claims in relation to our supposed future conduct. Have you brought the crystal with you?

[onlythans]

[He's taller when he doesn't slouch, Thancred finds himself thinking idly as he makes his approach, surprisingly somewhat less guarded than he might otherwise have thought he'd be when confronting the most eminent Emet-Selch for the first time since Ultima Thule. He looks now as he did then, but the image that first leaps to mind when his office is mentioned is still and will always be that of Solus zos Galvus, hunched beneath the weight of centuries of grieving, or perhaps just the overly burdensome drape of his coat and epaulettes.]

Oh, good. There's little and less I enjoy more than a good interrogation.

[He comes to a pause a short distance away, close enough to speak without raising his voice, but not quite close enough to be within arm's length. A calculated distance that he makes look perfectly natural, and even unintentional.]

You mentioned you've heard a tale from a certain mutual friend of ours. You also know I wasn't present for any of it, and thus have no way of knowing anything they might have told you. So ask me anything you like, whatever verification you're after.

[He reaches into his pocket, retrieves Lahabrea's damned dark crystal, and tosses it across the short gap between them.]

You can start with this.

[recreator]

[Oh, so this is how they're doing things. A lot of fun this interrogation will be. Emet-Selch wasn't precisely expecting to have a crystal tossed in his direction, yet a flick of his index finger manages to slow its descent enough so that it lands safely in the palm of his hand.]

--tch. Do your people not simply hand objects over to one another in a civilized manner? Throwing seems like an awfully skillful way of breaking them.

[The man sighs, eyeing Thancred with a look of displeasure before he turns his attention to the stone gleaming darkly up at him. Even to Emet-Selch, it gives off a dangerous aura, something not to be trifled with - much like its creator on a particularly bad day, perhaps.]

...Not a memory crystal. Yet whatever its purpose, it has been steeped in pure darkness. Yes, I can sense Lahabrea's essence upon it quite keenly, though what he may have used it for is beyond my comprehension.

[A long pause.]

'Tis my understanding, courtesy of this mutual friend, that only three of us survive the Sundering unscathed. Lahabrea, Elidibus, and myself.

You claim yourself an "expert", so who are these other Ascians you've encountered? And why would you condemn the entirety of the Convocation based on the actions of a select few?

[onlythans]

Do yours lack hand-eye coordination —

[...he responds, automatically, even as Emet-Selch is magicking the crystal to slow and settle into his palm. But he goes broodingly quiet as the examination begins, not skilled enough in aetherology to really guess what the man might discover on it, yet good enough at putting two and two together to make a darkly reasoned guess anyway.]

Ah. You're referring to Igeyorhm, Nabriales, Mitron, Lohgrif, and Fandaniel?

[He pronounces each one with deliberate care, almost like he's counting on his fingers with words alone. At the end of the list, he shrugs.]

Plus Lahabrea, Elidibus, and Emet-Selch. That's eight of thirteen — a clear majority. And all but Fandaniel took their marching orders from the three of you; I'm given to understand he was rather waiting for you all to die out before putting his own mad plans into action.

[recreator]

Not generally.

[But, well, Thancred, you have his attention at last. Emet-Selch's frown deepens as each title is verbally ticked off, and by the time he reaches "Fandaniel", Lahabrea's trinket has been carefully tucked away inside his robes, and Emet-Selch stands facing him.]

So we found others to fill out the empty seats of the Convocation. Or rather, as I would predict, we sought out the shards of those who held them prior to the Sundering.

[The most logical course, for as he understands it, when the world was divided, all memories of the past were buried, existing only as mere fragments of inspiration. Either way, it places the three of them at the head of this organization, as those making the decisions... And those most responsible.]

[Fandaniel, however. No, the irony of that man's actions does not escape him now any more than it did when he first heard of them. If their time in Elpis had proceeded differently, would it have made any difference?]

...how decent of Fandaniel to wait until we were gone.

[There's no humor in those words; not really. Deep down he knows that what he heard was true, as fantastical as it all sounded at the time.]

Not that it particularly makes a difference considering my fate, but I would also be curious as to where you fit into all of this. Our "mutual friend" went into rather unnecessary detail about a certain encounter on one of the Reflections. The First, if I recall correctly. As far as I am aware, it is the only time that they and I crossed paths in your past.

Excuse the turn of phrase, but would you care to shed any light upon that?