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

[nodreamsorhonor]

"So then, what we need to do is find a way to use it for us, not against us."

Genesis looked over at Sephiroth, knowing that he at least was far better at planning then Genesis was. The dream and the hints inside the dream had to be useful somehow, but he wasn't sure how. Maybe Sephiroth had an idea, or maybe they can work something out together.

"If they have information about us, then they know how to defeat us, but if we are able to work against what they might be assuming... They could be probably led to giving us openings if they think they can herd us and we let them think that."

[whereishe]

"How do we do that?" Yuna had been standing quietly to the side listening to those around her speak. She didn't have much to contribute except the burning need to help save her family from the Empire.

Her eyes looked up at Genesis curiously wondering if he was merely making a suggestion or if he actually has an idea in mind. "Besides the trouble of getting in, how do we find them? Or know where they are?"

[not_most_days]

"There's only so much we can do from here." Kidd took another pull from the bottle of wine she'd gotten ahold of. "And even if we try to gather information now things may change by the time we begin. Worse, we may be given bad information.

"Getting intel as close to the time of the operation as possible will help prevent them from making any changes afterwards. From there, we just need to be able to adapt as we go."

[shinrasfinest]

"Now you're thinking." Sephiroth nodded towards Kidd; what an improvement from that first comment he'd overheard. The silver haired man on the crutches spent a long moment scanning those gathered nearby, resting on Genesis for a moment after which he made a 'hmph' of agreement.

"How do we know, for example, that it wasn't intended for us to dream that dream? For all we know, rushing right in to action without properly surveying the options could be just walking into a trap."

"We need a set of eyes in there, not only to verify what we think we may have been lucky enough to glean but also to ascertain that which we don't know." Again, Sephiroth slipped into quiet as his thoughts again were drawn to a certain moogle. Would he? If given the correct leverage, perhaps?

Sorry Kaji!

[woman_of_strife]

"All very good points, for sure.. But how many of us are willing to attempt such a thing? I'll freely admit, and open the floor to judgment, that I'm more than willing to put myself on the line if it comes to it. I've my fair share of experience at diving into situations like this, but obviously the more eyes we have the better."

She scratches the side of her head, catching Cloud in the corner of her eye. No. There's no way you could ask him to come along. But-.. Tifa lifts her eyes to look back at Genesis and Kaji. "How many encounters have you had with the military here in this world? I don't want to rule him out, but Sephiroth here is pretty unmistakable. I know Kaji and myself should be very easy to blend in. We're rather unassuming, I'd say. Is there anyone else here plain enough that could keep up the guise?"

[whereishe]

Yuna took a half step forward raising her hand.

"I volunteer." Yuna didn't know much about what to do once they were inside but she knew about people. It wouldn't be so hard for her to blend in. She would have reason to be in the Empire anyway so it seems like a fitting move.

She didn't know if Genesis or Sephiroth would be the type to blend in to a crowd considering they see over most crowds.

[nodreamsorhonor]

"I'm afraid that I was in the midst of battle against them the past month, and I cannot say that my appearance is one designed for blending into a crowd."

Most Scholars would have stayed hidden or used their skills from behind the lines. Genesis had gone straight to the heart of the battle, using his boosts on those fighters that looked promising and clearing paths for other fighters to give them room. He had also backed up Sephiroth for as long as he was able, but the forces had separated them in the end. He doubted that there was not a description of a Scholar that fought with sword and book in the middle of battle circulating among the Empire.

"However, that does not mean that we are not able to help. Sephiroth has led armies and my skills have been bent towards using information. If there is a way to send either of us information, we will be able to put together a solid working plan."

[not_most_days]

Kidd nodded at Yuna and then to Tifa. "As I said, I have some experience with infiltration back home. Even if I've had to reteach my body some of my skills since I got here, I still have the knowledge. I'd be willing to run drills with anyone else who is interested." She had noticed a few people in this motley crew of heroes who would make for good Assassins, but right now she just needed them to be prepared.

[shinrasfinest]

Speak for yourself Genesis. He'd hardly agreed to team up and work with his ex-comrade -he reminded himself of the 'ex' part- on anything at all especially given a certain dump of information he's recently buried Sephiroth in. That said, Genesis' logic was sound and for that reason Sephiroth held back the urge to protest right away. How ironic that they ended up having to put differences aside and work together again; no matter how it left an uncomfortable knot in Sephiroth's stomach. Not to mention, Genesis had betrayed him before, and that fact was like a stubborn stain which refused to shift.

Besides, despite the fact he was pretty damn recognizable, Sephiroth wouldn't be going anywhere for at least a few more weeks while his leg was mending. Though he yearned to be involved, Sephiroth was starting to wonder where his role even could be if not at the front somewhere leading a charge. He had a settling feeling of dread already starting to form; if anything happened to any of them and he'd not been there to prevent it, or been unable to spot an issue in the field-

So for now, he quietened up and let the others in the group discuss while he tried to think about what use he -could- be rather than what he clearly was unable to do. From the look on his face at least, a frown that kept slipping down his brow and then being dismissed on several occasions, he didn't much like whatever he were coming up with on his own.

[woman_of_strife]

She was getting used to keeping quiet in thought as of late, putting a finger to her own lips as she goes over the different contributors over the course of the conversation.

"We need to have a small, concise number of us at the ready to do this. I don't want to rule out any one or say that I'm the one in charge of organizing everything, considering it WAS Mister Kaji's idea, after all." She turns to face Kaji, giving him a wink and a thumbs up before continuing. "But we've got a lot of interested people. I'm used to working with small, desperate numbers, so this is a nice change of pace.

"Everyone needs to know the real risks here. This isn't some heroic deed or a plight in proving yourself. Death, more than ever, is a very real danger. I think Kaji can agree with me here that once we go in, there is no coming back. We have to go into this as if we're saying our "goodbyes" to the others here, and we need to be settled on that fact while looking forward at all times. Or, am I wrong in thinking any of this?"

[whereishe]

"Well, I was thinking of going into the city with the Blitzball team during the parade. Maybe there is a way we can communicate once we are inside that is safe? That way I can be set up to assist, as well as anyone else who gets invited within the walls?" It was an idea but that way Yuna wouldn't be in the way and she would still be in a potion to help.

Getting in didn't seem as hard with this parade coming up. She wondered just how they would get out once they have four people with them and what state would they find them in? Could they really get out with so few people?

There was so much to think about and plan.