melodiesoflife | The Fete at the Observatory

Characters: All (hopefully) uncaptured Heroes of Light
Where/When: At the Heroes' Observatory, the evening of February 10th
Summary: Ashelia has called a meeting - under the guise of a party - to discuss the next steps forward for the Heroes following the revelations revealed in the shared dream.
Warnings: N/A
Note: Each part of Ashelia's speech is centred around a different topic. Feel free to indicate what in particular your character is responding to in the headline for your top level! Alternately, if your character is bringing up something on their own, or not in direct reply to something Ashelia has mentioned, feel free to out the subject in the Subject line! There's a lot going on and a lot of ground to cover, so let's keep it organized so things are easy to find later!

"I would like your attention, please." With her experience as an accomplished politician, Ashelia's voice cut through the din of the gathered Heroes. The high ceiling of the meeting room lent itself well to the sorts of echoes that could easily cause headaches, unfortunately. The Queen planned to bring in some fabrics to soften the effects, but there had been little time for decorating, and it seemed there wouldn't be anytime soon.

The Lady Ashelia stood at the head of the incredibly large wooden table that dominated a good chunk of the room. Wooden chairs lined the edges of the tables, straight-backed and unfortunately not cushioned. It was clear that the Queen of Dalmasca didn't want anyone getting too comfortable in this particular room. There were papers in front of her, books and file folders and ledgers, all organized into neat piles. She picked up one of the papers, clearing her throat quietly before continuing. "If as many of you as possible could take a seat, I can call this meeting to order - and yes, I would like to apologize.

"As you may have guessed, this is not a fete. It is important for everyone to know..." Ashelia paused, waiting for the last straggling voices to quiet down before continuing, "that Mognet has been compromised. There is no longer such a thing as private correspondence, if ever there was. Keep this in mind in the coming months. The war has begun."

Ashelia paused for questions and comments before continuing.

"As many of us have realized, and Markus observed earlier over Mognet, the usual appearance of new Heroes of Light at the Crystal of Fire around the fifth of each month did not occur. This disturbance of the established cycle may seem abrupt, but upon further examination, 'tis not so." The Queen took a sip of water. "The cycle has been disturbed previously, though not in such a drastic manner. Last month, crystal statues appeared and disappeared within the hour. Heroes awakened from the crystal stasis were unceremoniously dropped from the sky. So you see, this disturbance has simply progressed. I welcome your thoughts on this."

Ashelia paused for questions and comments before continuing.

"Next on my agenda is the true motivation behind my calling this gathering. The night of February 5th, I had a dream." She stopped, shaking her head. "No, a vision. It did not take me long to realize I was not the only one to experience this. I've written the contents here." Ashelia held up a file folder. "However, if I am correct, many of you need only read it to refresh your memory." She stopped for a moment, putting the folder back on the table. "The ramifications of this new information are clear. The Empire holds four of our number captive, as well as countless other displaced Heroes in crystal stasis. It is my belief we must act on this information. We must save them."

Ashelia paused for questions and comments before continuing.

"The last subject I would like to cover is this." She held up a small, worn notebook. "This is the diary of the Lady Kalki, one of the Empire's Triumvirate. This woman, more than any other, has made clear her intentions are in opposition to us as a group. I encourage everyone to read through this document." Ashelia put the notebook down on the table and held up another file folder. "I have written a transcription myself, as the original is quite delicate." She put the file folder down. "This document provides invaluable insight into whom we can only assume is our enemy. It , unfortunately, poses more questions than it answers, but it does make clear that it is she who holds the answers that we need."

Ashelia took another sip of water, looking around at the gathered Heroes. "I once again open the floor to questions and comments. I believe it will take all of us to rescue our comrades; however, I also believe that if we do work together as one, we shall not fail."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Your job, huh?"

And there's this guy, bangs covering his eyes, who had yet to say anything in the meeting. With his hands folded behind his head and sitting against a wall, it was probably easy to assume he'd been asleep the entire time. But Shigure was listening.

"You have experience with this kind of work?"

Kaji glances at the stranger sideways, and he puts on a tiny smile, and that tone that makes it hard to tell if he's joking or not. "I was speaking to the Lady Ashe, but, of course not. I am a Hero, after all."

"Did you want to help out, or why did you ask?"

Though Shigure's eyes can't be seen, Kaji will definitely be able to tell Shigure is looking straight at him. He doesn't say anything for a moment, nor does he really care who he was talking to at all.

"If you haven't done this kind of work before, you shouldn't bother trying. The kind of job you're talking about takes real experience. You'd just be causing more problems than you'd be fixing."

Kaji's smile only widens, and he holds out his hands placidly. "Well, then, are you volunteering yourself for such a job? We need some infiltration on the other side. We only have the information that we do thanks to pure luck. Or manipulation on their part."

"But, if the Lady Ashe can send someone more accomplished than myself, then, by all means."

Shigure reaches up and fiddles with the pipe in his mouth, thinking things over. A job like that is a real pain, there's no doubt about that, but he doesn't think this man is taking seriously enough.

"A job like that's a real pain, but it's the kind of work I've been doing all my life." He sighs, hating to reveal that much about himself. "Even if I didn't do it, sending in someone inexperienced would just cause more annoying problems than it fixes. It shouldn't be about having to send someone in, it should be about sending in someone qualified or no one at all."

Ah. Kaji's eyes brighten, when it becomes clear that this man is actually offering help, he just has to do it in his own way. "I'm still going, but I'd greatly welcome the help. It all depends on how you want to work this. We can sell anything, if you want to make it look like a group defection, or if you would rather work independently, simply making each of us aware of the other agent's presence."

Kaji's mind is already adapting, he hadn't expected to have any support. Once he's in the field he's usually one quick snap away from being in the wind. This is- different.

"Geez. You're not going to listen to anything I say, are you? It's gonna be a real pain when you end up being just another person we have to rescue." His words might be harsh, but Shigure absolutely believes them. He rubs the back of his neck and mumbles something under his breath. Working with people who are inexperienced is usually pretty annoying, but he remembers a certain Prince who seemed to hold his own okay. "Even if I did go, my help would be minimal. Communicating too often is the easiest way to be caught. If you disguise it as a group defection, you're only as strong as the weakest member...the entire idea is a pain, but we'd have to work mostly separately."

Kaji nods solemnly, and his whole attitude seems to shift at once, tone of voice dropping. "Fair enough. We approach separately. But if we encounter each other, we're both aware that the other one is also an agent. If you're sure about this, we don't communicate with each other. In fact, I won't even tell you my name. If you've done this before then you know that we're not just putting ourselves in danger, but every piece of information we give puts the other heroes in danger as well. I wouldn't be entering into this if I expected anyone to come after me to rescue me. You've got to have the strength of will to allow some pretty bad things to happen, before you get to your end goal."

He offers over a hand. "But if you're okay with all that, then welcome."

He has to think this over carefully, but, ultimately, he feels like he could be more useful somewhere else. He doesn't have the information that others who have been here for months have, so he shrugs. He's not going to shake that hand, but has he really done to suggest he's the handshaking type so far?

"Nah, I'm gonna pass. It sounds like it's going to be a lot of work. Since you're serious about it after all, it sounds like I won't have to do it myself."

Kaji frowns slightly, but lets his hand drop, and shrugs. "Fair enough, if you so choose. And, if you change your mind, and we come across each other again, I'd welcome the help. Or at least another one of us to share a drink with." The smirk is back on his face.

"I'll work out my details with the Lady Ashe. If you're looking for somewhere else to help out, I'd talk to her and the Lady Zelda," he nods towards the elf-eared girl. "They seem to be the best at keeping us in line."

The Fete at the Observatory

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