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]

[ Sigh. Please read the following in a AS PER MY LAST EMAIL voice: ]

Like I've said, even if I can narrow it down to a single option, there will be no guarantee that it will work until we put it to the test. It is unprecedented as far as I know, and even if it has happened in the past, we can't be sure it would work a second time. Too much in this world is unstable.

So, our only certainty is that there will always be a risk. Whether it's only to your [ ew ] bonds or your life, I can't say, but if the latter is so direly nonnegotiable to you, I won't force your hand. It would be a shame, though.

[ Because using his Meridian connections to get closer to their Oracles would very likely come in handy. But he's wise enough not to say as much out loud. ]

I would like to have the same faith in you as Florence-san does. Was that unwarranted?

[bakedapple]

I'm not asking you to remove all risk. I'm asking you to come up with a plan a little more reliable than a "hypothesis" where I'm the one assuming all the risk.

[ At the mention of Florence, Link sighs. If Florence has faith in him, it'd come as a surprise. He doesn't know why she would. For all the time Link has spent in Kenos, he's only ever been a completely useless waste of oxygen. Just like I was in Hyrule, he thinks bitterly to himself. ]

Florence asked me to find out which Meris might be swayed to our side, which will be compliant when we win, and which will continue to cause trouble when we win.

I can't do that if none of the Meris trust me or want to talk to me anymore.

[corvidant]

I wasn't planning on taking any action without severely narrowing down my options, so we are in agreement there. Though it is quite bold of you to assume you would be the only one handling all the risk.

[ Risky investigation process aside, there's no way Akechi would sit back and let someone else take the spotlight when the time for the actual heist came around. But he can conveniently leave that aside. ]

In any case, aren't you assuming the worst of your former Meridian allies? With how often they spew their self-righteous bullshit, I wouldn't be surprised if they found it in them to forgive even a traitor.

[ He does happen to know one idiot who did forgive his betrayal, after all. An absolute Meridian, if the guy ever dropped in Kenos. ]