CLOSED TO ZENITH | PHANTOM THIEF OF ORACLES

[corvidant]

[ Though the familiar red of his presence shines bright as ever, the heat of anger that usually follows is down to a low simmer, almost pleasant if one has an inclination for a continuous undercurrent of chaos. Fellow Iconoclasts might be able to feel it like a fever, just barely high enough to keep you restless through the night, a heartbeat too impatient and eager for relief, but on the outside, this is perhaps as close to calm as Akechi ever gets. ]

Something has been on my mind since our communion with Florence-san. Something of a high stakes gambit.

[ And it goes without saying that it should be high risk, as well, but he's fine with that. His entire past life was all about playing a rigged game with the odds stacked against him; whatever new world they create going forward would be meaningless without a fair fighting chance. ]

So, I'll be blunt: I'm not willing to sit pretty and simply wait for the enemy to make a move on us. Zenith continues to bleed, and since so many of you-- [ are so SPINELESS as to refuse to KILL ENEMIES IN A WAR-- okay, deep breaths, Iconoclasts please disregard these careless whispers ] --have qualms about trimming Meridian's numbers, I should hope that taking direct action to bolster our forces would be more... palatable.

As it stands, our best alternative would be focusing on the Oracles, though I don't intend to wait for trials, either.

[ Should he mention his experience with big heists and forcibly changing cognition? Maybe, when the moment is opportune. For now: ]

Whether it is creating a new world from scratch or [ scoff, big eye roll ] a deluded promise of restoration, the fact remains that neither side will accomplish their goals with only a portion of the Oracles in their hands. We have barely managed to scrape a win and even our numbers last time, and assuming we can claim the remaining two, at the end of the day it would all be futile effort without the six of them. If I work on the premise that Oracles are persuaded to joining a side just like Shardbearers, then it becomes logical that, like Shardbearers, so too can they shift allegiances. 

Well, that's only my working hypothesis, anyway. It would be easier to figure out a potential pattern had I been present for past successes and failures, so this is why I reach out to you today: for details regarding past trials. With few leads to follow, even hearsay and rumors about the nature of Oracles would be appreciated.

[ A beat, and as he hesitates, his constant simmering rises to a near boil: ]  Unless anyone else would be interested in coming along to investigate?

[ What is this? Teamwork?! UGH. The things he does for Zenith...!! ]

Comments

[corvidant]

"Sneaking into enemy territory" is precisely what I used to do back home, though.

[ Granted, he isn't just about to go sharing his Methods with someone he's just (telepathically) met, so: ]

Admittedly, even in my line of work, I have never had to face an enemy so heavily guarded-- not on my own, at least. That is the part I need [ UGH ] assistance with-- people who have connections to Meridian and could walk among their ranks more easily.

[ He's. He's not great at the bonding part, you see. ]

[diegeticmusic]

Really? Were you, like, a soldier, or something?

[He sounds kind of young to be a soldier, though. Not that Grace is that much older, but she's out of high school, at least!]

I don't know if I can help there, though... I only know a few people from Meridian, and I don't think I want to burn any bridges. [A thought.] But those of us who are still low rank might have an easier time.

[corvidant]

A detective, actually.

[ And also: child soldier, personal hit man, part-time Phantom Thief, full-time student doing cram school. A pretty extensive list!! ]

And while I do agree lower ranking Zenites may have a better chance, we would likely still need assistance from a Meri, to either accompany or vouch for us. As it stands, my only connection to their side has disappeared, so this isn't something I can undertake on my own.

[ I mean. He could go out there and try to make friends but. Lol. Lol lmao. ]

[diegeticmusic]

You can't try to make some new friends?

[It's just a suggestion...!]

But I guess I could, too... Nothing stopping any of us from getting friendly. Other than, well, the war.

[Admittedly, a pretty big thing!]