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Post by Beak on Jul 6, 2024 9:46:36 GMT -5
"I thank you for your kindness and understanding of my... situation, friend. ... Taki." A polite bow of her head will hopefully serve in lieu of not being able to make facial expressions without much in the way of a face. "My name is... a story, but you may call me Beak." There's a happiness in the "tone" of her mental projection there, her "voice" seeming more chipper for a moment, before the seriousness returns.
"Though.. if it is quite all right with you, I would like to remain a part of... whatever this was, at least for now. It's not every day I attack what appear to be royal guards, after all; surely it wouldn't do for me to leave it at that without at least sticking around long enough to hear who these men are and why I just fought them on your behalf, yes?"
She does return to the now-vacant square from which the citizens had been evacuated to fetch the pieces of her disguise she'd discarded when she had to run, though. Once again the agile martial artist becomes a feeble old bog witch as she puts on the robe, boots, tail wrappings, and once again hunches over and leans on her far-too-short walking stick as if she actually needed to. She's too involved at this point to let it go now, but it is in this form she can remain with Taki during the debriefing and hopefully attract at least slightly less attention from the other soldiers.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 8, 2024 7:17:11 GMT -5
There was an amount of sense in the reply Taki understood, and Beak deserved at least an explanation of the situation. Once she'd had her discussion with the captain of the guard, the pair wandered through the streets.
'You'll have to forgive me for such a hasty and messy encounter, and yes, those were the Crown's soldiers. As to the why of their attempted riot, or inciting of previous ones around the Treasury office... I could only guess. Two other cities have experienced similar disturbances, though those were orchestrated by different groups. Right now, Grand Chancellor Lao, leader of this region, is trying to stop it and find evidence of those responsible. I've been to the other two cities already, done what I could there. Sunset Pass was experiencing 'spiritual' disturbances, so an adventurer named Rena assisted me in uncovering those responsible. In Hano, another aviankin who goes by Fish uncovered a plot to destroy vital warehouses for the port. Three different groups, in three cities, taking advantage of the aftermath of the Drakolt Incident and a situation where everyone's manpower is stretched thin.'
Taki's ability to blend into the crowd was uncanny, as if she were forgotten the moment she was out of view. With things quieting down again, rumors raced in complex patterns through the town as to what had happened. There was the slightest of smirks as the stories changed details with each telling, obscuring what actually had gone down from the public eye. While there was a general unrest from the disturbance, it was far from the unleashed chaos that would have been a bustling audience witnessing the Crown's insurgents getting pummeled by an odd duo. She did not wish to be the cause of a state incident, and hoped that the explanation was at least a start in satisfying Beak's questions and curiosity.
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Post by Beak on Jul 8, 2024 13:13:45 GMT -5
(OOC Note: The personal timelines of Shitakibo and Beak diverge with regard to the Eclipse the Sun quests. To Taki, this is indeed the third one she's done, and what she's said about drawing the pattern from them makes perfect sense for her timeline. For Beak, this is her first EtS quest; she will be exploring the other events in later threads. Therefore, the events that Taki mentioned that have already happened on her end have not yet happened on Beak's end. This post attempts to resolve the difference by allowing the timelines to diverge; for those following Taki's adventures, everything she just said is exactly as presented. For those following Beak's adventures, pretend Taki simply didn't say the part about the other two cities, except in some vague unspecified manner of having investigated some unspecified, unrelated events with the other parties mentioned.)
"Agents of the crown... provoking a crowd to riot just so they could clamp down on it? That's... troubling." Beak pondered as she wandered, walking... well, a lot faster than she was the first time they'd met; now that Taki knew of Beak's actual speed, the skeleton doubted the serpent had the patience for the "slow, feeble old granny" act. She was still disguised, though, and walking about as slowly as she could get away with while still keeping up with her newfound company. "That stinks of the crown wanting to make some sort of move... to give themselves a reason to interfere with the isles' affairs. Almost like a prelude to an invasion... or at the very least, an attempt to keep the isles from getting too independent."
And all of that is... bad, right? This is still Beak's first foray into caring about factional intrigue since she was alive--a few hours ago, she didn't even know who the crown was. She's approaching the situation much like a child, not knowing any of the players in this game and attempting to boil complex schemes down into "which ones are the bad guys." It's probably not that simple, and she knows that, which is why she's going to keep investigating rather than declaring that she's seen enough and heading off to join the nearest anti-crown militia group right this instant. This... needs unraveling. Still, the initial findings are troubling, indeed.
Still, for all of the complex scenarios and counter-scenarios running through her mind, she chooses one particular question to fixate on.
"Wait... you know Rena?"
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 15, 2024 20:21:50 GMT -5
"Likely, they are trying to give the Crown excuses to make larger moves. Things like bringing in a regiment of Blackguard, enforcing curfews and martial law, anything to sieze power from the people."
While it wasn't easy to tell what Beak was thinking about as she spoke, she could tell there was plenty reeling through their mind. This was a lot for anyone to be aware of, let alone to learn about for the first time. Taki had been working both behind the scenes and on the front lines over the last year, and experienced a lot of the smaller hints and larger clues things like this would be springing up. Expecting others to have that same kind of insight was foolhardy at best, so she gave her new companion time to process it all. After a brief pause, Beak replied again.
"Wait... you know Rena?"
"I do indeed, she and her family live not far from my own home. I met them a few months ago when they came over, curious about my own spiritual connections. We had a pleasant meal, and her little ones 'adopted' me later that evening... If you're ever at their home and see the big, starry skinned manta ray, Rena was kind enough to take her in when my situation... changed recently."
Taki seemed unsure at the end of her statement, as if she wasn't sure how to discuss it with others. In truth, thinking about that event was still a sore spot. She was grateful for all of the people who'd been helping her rebuild her life and find purpose again, and hopefully she could find ways to use those skills to help others. She could not directly help in as many situations, but indirectly she could do much more now. Whether that amounted to much, the Orochi had been constantly questioning over the several weeks.
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Post by Beak on Jul 16, 2024 17:50:24 GMT -5
Beak... had suspected as much. Why else would the Crown's agents stage a fake rebellion, besides to provide themselves an excuse to quash it? She just... she had hoped she was wrong about that, that she was jumping to conclusion, taking a perfectly innocuous and innocent faction as the bad guys in this whole affair. She does indeed take a fair amount of time to reel and to process all of this.
Though... upon second consideration, perhaps getting lost in thought won't help. She's not likely to crack some code and reveal the key to the whole plot just with her amateur brainstorming. Even the people who actually know these factions don't know more than that, yet, and her knowledge is far below theirs. All she's doing is giving herself a headache, which suggests that perhaps she should stick to the more familiar, easy-to-answer statements.
"Oho! Yes, the little ones... 'adopt' people rather quickly; I received much the same treatment when first we met." She chuckles, fondly recalling the memory. "I, ah... am in her house quite often these days, as well. We... live together, you see." The tone of her "voice" implies that she would be blushing rather strongly, were her skull capable of changing colors. "And I've definitely seen that manta... ridden it a few times, too. I don't think she told me the... tale of your situation... though I imagine that's because it's not her story to tell. Nor would I ask you for it unless you're comfortable sharing... though you're welcome to, if so."
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 23, 2024 18:34:57 GMT -5
"I've yet to tell Rena the whole story either, so it would be excellent if you'd be patient enough to wait for a chance for us all to sit down and discuss things. I'm glad you're able to find joy with them, and I hope that continues for everyone involved. It's time for me to take my leave, so I do hope you travel safely and until we meet again Beak, farewell."
Taki bowed politely, not wanting to seem rude but also wanting to make a few stops on the trip home. While it was important for her to have completed this job, there were other priorities that needed attending. A good rest and a long soak in a hot bath were also in order, along with a much needed break. It felt like it had been a year since the last time the Orochi really stopped to rest and reflect, though it was barely two months. Training had been hectic, but her Shisho recognized her ability to grasp new skills and movements. Six long weeks of spartan drilling, hammering the various principles of martial combat into her already instinctive style of fighting.
Just thinking about it made Taki feel like she was aching in places that didn't exist, finishing her moment to pause and allow Beak to ask any further questions that might remain and say their own farewell. Perhaps some day the pair could spar together, pit their speed, agility and fists against one another's. Each person approached combat a bit differently, and every friendly experience was a valuable lesson. It was something for her to keep in the back of her mind for after said dinner and story, but she hoped the Lizardfolk would be indulgent.
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Post by Beak on Jul 24, 2024 1:27:13 GMT -5
No one is ever under any obligation to tell her their secrets or personal matters. Taki could have said flatly that i t was none of Beak's business and left it that forever, and that would have been perfectly acceptable. That she would consider telling the story at all is something Beak considers a huge honor; the last thing in the realm she would do is put some sort of time limit on that.
"Very well, then. Thank you--it was lovely meeting you, and I do hope to meet again sometime. I look forward to our next encounter... until then, I have much to ponder, as well. Farewell, friend."
That's completely true, of course. Beak's first foray into matters larger than her own house since she was alive, and already she seems to have gotten herself caught up in some sort of power play between the Isles and the Crown. And--at least when it comes to today's troubles--it seems the Crown are the ones in the wrong, no less.
She should be slower to judge. She knows this. Even without paying the slightest bit of attention to the Crown, who the current king even is, if he's a good king or a bad king, and so on, she knows in broad strokes that the Crown has held the realm together through at least a few crises, and--arguably more importantly--she knows there are forces of good in their employ. That friend of Marion's, for example... it feels like ages ago that she rode on Everett's ship, but she does still remember him identifying himself as a Knight of Duros toward the end of their time together. The Knights of Duros are a fiercely loyalist faction, right? She thinks? She may have to look that up later, just to make sure.
And yet... what the Crown tried to do here today is despicable. That is beyond dispute. So where does that leave the others? False friends? Or true innocents uninvolved with this scheme? Is the Crown large enough to have a right hand truly unaware of what the left is doing?
This... is far more complicated than she ever had to know as a simple Ibekki warrior. Perhaps she needs to keep investigating, if only in hopes that the answers might quell her curiosity and confusion.
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