The Fete at the Observatory

[desertbloomed]

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."

Comments

[umslay]

"Brilliant plan, never would have thought of it," Ales says from a seat behind Kaiji. "The problem is that they know you're a Hero and have no reason to trust you. And you'll need to feed them accurate information for a long time before they stop being suspicious of you."

He shakes his head. "Double-crossing is a bit difficult when the other party doesn't even know you."

[iknowtheconsequences]

"Yes, thank you, I know how to do my job. Do you have anything helpful to add, or can I go back to my conversation now?"

[umslay]

"I'd like to hear more details of your plan, yes."

[iknowtheconsequences]

"Plan? What plan?" Kaji rolls his eyes. "I was simply discussing what a shame it was that we have no information on the other side. No plans here." He smiles and holds out his hands. "If you have an idea on how to infiltrate the Empire, though, I'd love to hear it."

[umslay]

"Offer other services besides information. Research, tech development, material goods. The Empire seems very invested in studying the crystals for their own purposes."

He takes out a mechanical bearing from his pocket and rolls it around his hand. "I heard they are the leaders in airship development. Hypothetically, wouldn't it make sense for a selfish engineer to put the other Heroes in danger in exchange for a decent workshop?"

He shrugs, a look of concentration replacing his earlier smile. "But then there's always the issue of secure communication."

[iknowtheconsequences]

"Sounds good for someone who is an engineer. I don't have that option, but if you do follow through on your idea, if there did happen to be another agent working with the Empire, I suppose it would be good for everyone to know who his side everyone is really on."

Kaji Will remain noncommittal, but he won't be talked out of this course of action. "It's a good plan," Kaji elaborates. "And having multiple points of entry would allow anyone working for the Lady Ashe to diffuse the information that they get more widely."

[umslay]

"I agree. There's plenty of areas I won't be able to access on my own, but I'm not too sure where else would be good. A soldier, maybe? Another researcher in a different field?"

He plays with the rim of his hat. "And we can't have too many agents, too suspicious."

[iknowtheconsequences]

Kaji smiles again. "Well, I wish you luck with that." But if this is Ales' plan, Kaji and he are both safer if Kaji knows less about what he's doing. With that, he'll turn back to Ashe, and discuss the possibilities with her.