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

[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?