The Shattered City: Chapter Four

[Nathan of the FoS]

"You are not a prisoner here, mademoiselle. Come and go as you please. But if you intend to leave the city, where will you go?" Mercator asks, concerned. "I can well understand that you fear your former employer and would prefer to be gone after, as he would see it, betraying him. But I was not exaggerating when I told Dior how much it would cost to treat your arm, nor how potentially serious your injury is. If left untreated for any length of time, you must have it amputated or die."

Mercator spreads his hands wide in apology. "These difficulties might not be insuperable, but I hope you can see why I, for one, am reluctant to endorse so irresponsible a course of action as handing you a few solars and bidding you adieu."

Diplomacy 23, using a re-roll. Mercator is not so much trying to persuade her to talk as he is trying to get her to think about the consequences of trying to disappear once she tells her tale.

[Nerit]

Nerit returned Perrine's gaze, her eyes sharp and intent. For a moment it seemed her expression shifted from the obliging nun (or whatever it is that people saw) to a woman of great determination, of intensity checked behind a thin veil.

"Naturellement, the Doctor knows best. But let me add, cheri, that this Monsieur Noir, whatever he is, may not leave you be, however far you get. Now I know the extent of his treachery, even for those who perform duties faithfully. N'est-ce pas?

"It is your life, Perrine. And so none of us will keep you; it is you who must decide your fate."

Her face, no less intent, softened to reveal a kind of empathy, or understanding, that was unexpected.


No Diplomacy. It is straight talk.
French--"Naturally," "dear," "Mister Black," "Is it not so?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"And of course, if you stay," Lia says with a shrug, "chances are more than good that you will share in all the protections we can provide. We may not look like it, but we can be startlingly competent when the need arises.

But if you do decide to leave when you have told us all, I promise not to stand in your way."

Lia at least has enough tact not to mention the fact that Perrine's mystery employer will more than likely already know about the purchase, considering he was in contact with the Midnight Market's slave-trader.

[NeoTiamat]

Chateau Malchance, Quartier-Marchand, Early Morning of April 25th, 770
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"I can well understand that you fear your former employer and would prefer to be gone after, as he would see it, betraying him. But I was not exaggerating when I told Dior how much it would cost to treat your arm, nor how potentially serious your injury is. If left untreated for any length of time, you must have it amputated or die....These difficulties might not be insuperable, but I hope you can see why I, for one, am reluctant to endorse so irresponsible a course of action as handing you a few solars and bidding you adieu."

“Couldn't you... is there any other doctor you could ask, in Chateaufaux or someplace?” Perrine said, her voice small. She curled her body protectively around her wounded arm. For the blood poisoning to spread was as good as a death sentence to the girl, even if she kept her life but lost her arm. A life of begging, at best. “Anything...?”

"Naturellement, the Doctor knows best. But let me add, cheri, that this Monsieur Noir, whatever he is, may not leave you be, however far you get. Now I know the extent of his treachery, even for those who perform duties faithfully. N'est-ce pas?

"It is your life, Perrine. And so none of us will keep you; it is you who must decide your fate."

"And of course, if you stay," Lia says with a shrug, "chances are more than good that you will share in all the protections we can provide. We may not look like it, but we can be startlingly competent when the need arises.

Perrine's shoulders slumped, and for the moment she looked very small and very vulnerable. She wasn't that young, in truth. Probably older than some of you. But poor nutrition had rendered her small, and now these words rendered her broken. She glanced at Lia, not overwhelmingly encouraged.

"You are not a prisoner here, mademoiselle."

“Oh... I am. You're just not the one keeping me here.” Perrine said, sighing. “I'm stuck good and proper, ain't I?”

“Fine. May as well get the damn cat back. It was a cat that hired me, would you believe?” Perrine said, looking up, daring you to doubt her. “Like out of a fairy-tale. He had a sack of gold solars, and I mean a sack full. More than I'd ever seen in my life. He needed me to steal something from the Museum up at the Uni.”

“Four old things from a display case. A scroll, a sword, a mirror, and a ring.” Perrine said, her eyes cast down. “I don't know why, he wouldn't tell me. Kept talking about a celebration, though, some party where a lot of nobles were going to be. And... I don't think Amitiés was working alone.”

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia's eyes go very wide behind the veil. "That kshauhit cat!" she snarls. It is probably best that not everyone in the room undertands Draconic, since the expletive Lia just used is not really meant for mixed company -- not even among Dragons, who are frequently less than delicate.

"You need not worry about us believing you," she tells Perrine. "I hope that the next time I get a chance to blast that wretch, it sticks."

[yalenusveler]

"I don't doubt you're telling the truth, but I don't think that the cat and our friend are one and the same" Kerrian said from a corner where he had hunched down, pondering the situation at hand. "Because if this is the diabolical scheme of a magical cat...well...yeah." He shrugged.

"Who do we know who would benefit from interfering with the fey? Specifically death? I mean, yes..it could be an anarchist plot to mess with the nobility writ grand, but selling someone into slavery? That's low, even if you accept half the things the nobility says about the anarchists. I don't believe that Dr.Poincare's cult was a primary player...they were opportunists who sensed an opening, and used means they already had available to try and pull off a larger victory. Plus...considering what they were utilizing, if I was working some master scheme to place the power of death in my hands, they're exactly who I wouldn't invite to the table. Too potentially unstable, and too likely to try and pull off their own victory." That Kerrian managed to get this out without pausing for breath but once was mildly disturbing, especially since he took but a moment to continue.

"Ultimately, it's likely that they intended to "win" at the party at the gallery. Our presence and investigation probably prevented them from achieving what they had hoped to there, and we had to wait. The disturbances were simply side effects, and they hoped to go to ground and try and achieve their goal after we had forgotten about them. And then we ran into Dr.Poincare's group, and stopped them from stealing the chance. The intrusion of our unfriendly friend and his cat at the market was an attempt to get us to do their work for them again, much like we probably had done when it came to Dr.Poincare." Finally, a pause for sweet sweet air.

"After all, why waste resources when you can potentially get two separate groups of enemies to dispose of each other? Of course, there's the matter of the icon of Ezra. Although it's possible it was part of the origional scheme, it's also equally likely that it was part of Dr.Poincare's plan and hers only. There was already a massive ritual that had been worked using items of national sympathy. By using an item of religious sympathy, she may have been planning to not just make herself an incarnation of death as fae, but an incarnation of death as divinity. But with her being dead...well, unless someone's willing to dabble in the blackest of arts, we're not likely to get much out of her." Another pause, because even Kerrian couldn't keep talking indefinitely.

Or...he could. "Thierri incarnating was of course, another setback. He'd have different motivations and ideals, and Thanatos...likely not the sort to negotiate terms. If I had become death, shatterer of worlds, I wouldn't be anyone's lackey. Getting us to do it, again..play into their hands. If we achieve it...they have a chance to snatch things away. And if we don't...well, hopefully we'd put things in a state where they could. "

Kerrian rose to his feet, going to retrieve a glass of water, taking a sip before continuing.

"But ultimately...who are they? Anyone have theories, or should I present mine?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Why did the cat interfere with us when we were on the train, though?" Lia asks. "That could have ruined our efforts to bring Thierri back down to humanity. Do you think it was just a feint? But to what good purpose? The miserable creature also attacked during the talks with the Phoenix -- unless it has an extremely high confidence in our abilities, its actions were very seriously aimed at our deaths, indeed.

Also, do not discount the cat as an enemy. Just because it looks like a mangy alley-cat does not mean it really is one."

[Nerit]

The nun gave Kerrian her full attention, following his movements back and forth with her gaze.

"What in the Lady's holy name are you talking about?" Nerit said with an ever-heightening brow. "And pray, what exactly gives you the impression that the cat is separate from Sodal- Amitiés?"

[yalenusveler]

"I'm not discounting the cat as an enemy. I just don't think it's actually a cat. Shapeshifting, familiars...it could be anything. And I'm thinking out loud, Sister." Kerrian said, turning its gaze to Nerit. "As for the attempts on our life...I don't doubt it could have collected the breath or the phoenix bit without us...a possibility of removing trouble. It's hard to say. Either way, I think it's been trying to use us as pawns. If it's Friend or not..."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Whatever it is, we need to see it dead," Lia says. "It and whatever allies it has. On a sidenote, as I have offered what protections we may provide to M'selle Perrine, perhaps it is time to tally what protections we actually have, here at the house. I am capable of adding some wards, if that should become necessary."

[Nathan of the FoS]

"You are not a prisoner here, mademoiselle."

“Oh... I am. You're just not the one keeping me here.” Perrine said, sighing. “I'm stuck good and proper, ain't I?”

"H'm. Well put," Mercator says, smiling very slightly. "Do you have any idea who Amitiés might have been working with, mademoiselle? If so, it might serve to throw a new light on M. Mauganson's theorizing."

[NeoTiamat]

Chateau Malchance, Quartier-Marchand, Early Morning of April 25th, 770
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"Whatever it is, we need to see it dead," Lia says. "It and whatever allies it has. On a sidenote, as I have offered what protections we may provide to M'selle Perrine, perhaps it is time to tally what protections we actually have, here at the house. I am capable of adding some wards, if that should become necessary."

“I can arrange for a few additions as well.” Prof. Lessard added quietly. He simply stood in the back of the room, holding the Box with all the spirits within it under one arm, not letting it out of his sight. Remy didn't offer much. He simply watched and listened and waited.

"H'm. Well put," Mercator says, smiling very slightly. "Do you have any idea who Amitiés might have been working with, mademoiselle? If so, it might serve to throw a new light on M. Mauganson's theorizing."

“No.” Perrine said, shivering faintly. She frowned, casting her memory back. “But... I don't think Amitiés always agreed with his partner. He'd complain sometimes, in a sort of sly way. He called his partner 'pedestrian' once. I think he wanted to do things but his partner didn't let him. Amitiés was in a bad mood for a while after that.”