LOCKED TO MERIDIAN

[leicesters]

[Claude's communion prescence has always been like a summer breeze; warm, easygoing, albeit difficult to read before it moves on. Now it has more of a brittle, bitter quality, like a looming dust-cloud he has to hold at a distance. There's no going back from this point when he knows things will only escalate from here, and so now seems like an important time to address his fellow Meri.]

The fight for the next Oracle will be on us soon. The Tribune may have been slain, but he entrusted the future of the worlds to us. Though he won't be able to help us see this through, we can still fight for him, and all the others we've lost along the way. We can fight for Springstar... and we can fight for Quetzalcoatl.

[There's a brief pause on this point. Her death deserves respect and acknowledgement, and she may not be the last to meet such a fate before the fighting is over.]

...We'll fight for your homes, too. After all, our worlds aren't that different, right? They might be flawed in their own ways, and there might even be some of you who would rather stay here when this is done. But every world and the life on it is precious, and it beats whatever phony world Yima and her followers come up with.

Speaking of Yima: I've discussed this with a few people already, but I suspect she's still alive. When the Blight almost destroyed Kenos, somehow she was still around. When I asked her about it, she said she wasn't bound by time like a normal person is. She can exist in different times and different places simultaneously; I don't know how it works, but maybe she even foresaw this attempt on her life before it even happened.

That said, it's just speculation, so we might as well play dumb and behave towards Zenith as if we're convinced she's dead for now. It'll be easier for us that way.

[Others have probably arrived at a similar conclusion, perhaps people among Zenith's ranks too, but it bears saying, particularly for those newly arrived to the conflict.]

Anyway, enough about her -- how about we use this opportunity for a little strategy get-together? We have a few new faces around, so feel free to introduce yourself and your capabilities.

For those of us who have been around longer, feel free to toss in an introduction too. More importantly, share what you know about Zenith and its current capabilities, in combat or otherwise. Any insight into their current thinking would be useful right now, too. What's their morale like? We know by now that some of them really hate our guts, and I wonder how much their desire for revenge is going to play into the next battle...

[He sounds casual, almost flippant, but there's a serious point in there he's sure he doesn't need to overstate: the more loyal Zenites are going to have some serious motivation in the next battle to get back at them, whether they believe Yima is gone or not.]

Let's not let our own judgement be clouded by revenge, even if we've sustained losses. We need to go into this with a clear head, looking toward the future.

Oh-- on that note, Hayame wants to speak with some of you about some further strategising either before or after the Oracle. Sorry that's a little vague, but I'm sure she'll talk to you about it properly when the time comes. For now, let's just focus on one thing at a time.

Comments

[wolfish]

I could only speak to what I've been involved in. Usually recon or retrieval.

[dreamflowers]

Well, if you have any work that might require discretion again, I'm pretty well-suited for that shit.

[Despite her size, she's pretty stealthy.]

Now that I've got my magic, I can even use some spells to make myself invisible and silent.

[wolfish]

Seems like everyone's got an invisibility trick, I'm almost jealous.

[ The thought comes with a measure of humor though. They only benefit from people having that at their disposal. ]

Going forward, I've no doubt we'll have need of it. Given recent events, chances are people like us will have work to do.

[dreamflowers]

It's pretty handy, I gotta say. Wish I had it sooner.

[Her original stowaway situation probably would have turned out a lot differently if she was already magically gifted with such feats.]

Figured as much. I think I'm still new enough that folks might not recognize me right away, so I thought I'd offer. Not to be presumptuous, but who knows how long my incognito status will last.

[wolfish]

I'd wager invisibility will get you further than newness now. The way I hear it, people in both cities aren't trusting of the unharmonized...and seeing as you've picked a camp, anyone sympathetic to Zenith is bound to notice sooner or later.

[ Yuri got by for a good while on ambiguity until Hayame purposefully limited a message to only Meridian. ]

People are much more vigilant now than they used to be.

[dreamflowers]

Makes sense. People tend to get on edge after a good massacre. But it's a good thing I have options -- and if any of those fail, I'll improvise.

[If she can't fight or talk her way out of a bind, she can always zip out pretty fast.]

Are there any areas of interest I should keep in mind? I was planning to get more familiar with Kowloon since I'm used to places like that, but I understand that it's a pretty big area to cover.

[wolfish]

A few of us have been looking into the Kowloon situation, actually, and I wouldn't complain about more hands. We've got our work cut out for us when it comes to that place.

[ Jade's got a good head on her shoulders, and he sees no reason not to work with her on this when she's got relevant skills. Ironically most of the people on this particular project are of the same aspect. ]

Zenith's influence down there led to all these monster attacks and contributed to that massacre, so it's not something we have the luxury of ignoring.

[dreamflowers]

Definitely doesn't seem like a one-man operation, no.

[Hence why she's offering. She might not have as good a head on her shoulders as Yuri thinks, but she's survived in places like that before.]

I won't pretend I understand anything going on there, but I can easily get started.

What's this about Zenith and monsters, now?

[wolfish]

[ His standards for a good head are essentially just being capable of and inclined toward survival... But he does come from a nation known to be populated by people who tend to choose hills to die on. ]

So there's this district known as Ryad down there, yeah? Monsters, human or otherwise, could hunt and kill with impunity there. Trouble is, some from Zenith eliminated the Meridian-aligned gang down there and applied pressure to Ryad's overseer. One of the main men behind all that being a druglord named Silco.

Monsters started coming topside and hunting Springstar's citizens in the streets. During that massacre, drug-addled folk joined the fray as well.

[dreamflowers]

Ah, is that who they were? That's just... peachy.

[Jade couldn't tell who was who during that mess, so she just chose to lay low until the chaos died down. Not the most noble thing to do, but that was just those survival instincts kicking in.

[She mutters, more to herself:] What is it with underground thugs using people's addictions for their own fucked up agenda? [And then, more to Yuri:] But, well, I'll help however I can. After listening in on the other talk here, I understand Silco probably isn't someone I can just sneak in and stab in the neck.

[Her magic is powerful, but it also makes her far from invincible.]

[wolfish]

Would that it were so easy. [ The impression of a resigned sigh punctuates the words. ] Unfortunately he's got a formidable demon in his employ, among other things.

[ If they could neutralize those threats, life would be so much easier for them all. But as with most things in life, they don't have it all that easy. ]

Messy business, the lot of it, but that just means we have to play the hand we've been dealt carefully.

[dreamflowers]

Yeah, assholes like that have a tendency to keep friends in low places.

[Both figuratively and literally, it would seem.]

Agreed. That's why the more I know, the better equipped I'll be when I go back down there -- or anywhere within enemy territory, really. I've had a lot to catch up on. [grumble grumble]

[wolfish]

Better to be informed than not, certainly. [ He can only agree on that note. ] I'd suggest asking Set and Liem for their insights as well — their presence precedes mine and they both have informed perspectives on the place.

[ And he believes they'd have things to tell her that he couldn't, or at least not as well as them (seeing as he learned from them too). The more information Jade is armed with, the better. ]

A few others like myself have been poking around, but those two were familiar with the place prior to those efforts.

[dreamflowers]

[She chuckles quietly.] Yeah, you're not the first one to suggest I speak to Liem.

[Then a pause.]

He was the first I met when I ended up here. Helped me get to Springstar. I was... definitely not at my best.

[But there's already some rapport established there, even if he had met her when she was a half-crying, half-laughing hysterical mess.]

...I'll keep that in mind, though.

[wolfish]

He's a good man, so I can't say I'm surprised he helped you out.

[ And it's a good thing he was there when Jade needed it. There's a certain cruel irony that they suddenly had a relatively large influx of people arriving just before a massacre. ]

It's difficult to be all that put together when all hell's breaking loose in your own world. Add to that all of this, and...well. Lot to take in.