on the wrong foot

raza

Whether or not the attack was intentional isn’t really something I care about, mostly because it didn’t happen in Torchline. Good intentions don’t always produce good deeds. You gotta look at the results. So I can only shrug again. “I don’t have informants in the Grounds. Or anywhere else.” Not yet, at least, I hadn’t been able to think that far ahead. It hadn’t even been an issue until last year, and the speed that things are a-changin’ is… hard for me to get behind. Sometimes I think if I ignore it, it’ll come to a halt. Never does, a’course, but that don’t stop me from tryin’.

Now I sit, turning the chair around so I’m leanin’ on its back. “I don’t know much about the Ascended. They were the stuff of stories until last year. So what do I need to know about recent developments an’ how much of it is religious shit like that box?” It’s an important distinction. I pay my lip service to the Gods at their festivals, but I ain’t a shrine-goer unless it serves me. My gods are the spirits a’ the sea and the land, the ones that bring the smugglers back safely, the ones that keep Apopo (mostly) quiet.

I’m just as inclined to live and let live, but I have a feelin’ this definitely ain’t up to me.

REMI

the alchemist

Walk me home in the dead of night,
'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind

Remi nods, not judging Raza's lack of whispering lips in the grounds nor expecting it from her. She's always surprised him with what she knows so it was worth an ask.

'Well...It's the Voice who has been bringing us here. The Outlanders. Originally to break through hte barrier in the HOllowed Grounds to let her out, but even though she is...still we seem to keep appearing." Remi holds up his hands in a light shrug, before letting them fall back to the desk. "There was the blight in the Greatwood that spread to the Grounds..a few died, most were just quite ill and out of their minds. It's how the portals were initially opened again, the first one being the Mathair in the Greatwood.

And now? I've never known any of the ascended to be involved in any sort of plot I considered wicked or nefarious. They seem to just want to live their lives. Having the portals open has been mostly good for everyone, but still they're all carrying the stigma around of what they are." Again Remi shrugs and falls silent.

"The forces that seem to want to stop them, in my mind, is greater than whatever forward momentum the ascended have been accused of." He adds. "But I'll speak to the other leaders about this, and warn the ascended we have here. I...do plan to speak with Ludo about it as well." This last bit us uttered in a far graver tone than the rest.

So say you'll stay with me tonight.
'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

raza

I’m listenin’ attentively, taking notes about the Voice, Outlanders arrivin’, the Blight (which I’d heard a little about and now explains the Fae presence in Torchline), and the Ascended he already knows. It’s simultaneously convoluted and fascinating, makin’ me quite happy I ain’t attached to a God and yearnin’ for the very recent past, when all’a this was beyond our imaginations.

Honestly, if I could go back and stop them from turnin’ the portal to Torchline on, I’d do it. Hands down. Easy decision.

“Fer all that I give ya shit, I gotta commend yer efforts to stay unbiased. I’ve always stood by actions, y’know, an’ we all got shitty pasts in one way or another.” No one’s slate is clean, no one’s intentions are a hundred percent pure. Anyone who says otherwise can’t be trusted. “An’ what if Ludo says y’gotta be against the Ascended?” I noticed his tone, of course. I just don't know where his devotion to Ludo an' his responsibilities to Torchers intersect. Or are at odds with each other.

REMI

the alchemist

Walk me home in the dead of night,
'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind

The Alchemist nods appreciatively at that. "And I commend your efforts to never let me get too complacent." He replied with an honest grin. It wasn't just Raza's connections that had earned her a place on the council. But her candour and bluntness.

As for the ascended?

"Well...I suppose I'd bring that to Torchline and let her decide. I think...having a god like Ludo onside is helpful." Not to mention that even as a baby demigod, he was powerful enough for some of that power to seep down like a protective bubble over their coastal paradise. "But if Torchline doesn't want to be involved, then I'll step down. I meant it when I said I wanted to do what's best for her, and if throwing her hat into this fight isn't what's best, then I'll hand over the reins."

So say you'll stay with me tonight.
'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

raza

Nodding noncommittally, I’m satisfied - for now - with his assurance. No doubt he knows Ill publically take him to task if that doesn’t end up bein’ the case. Personally, I can’t see a time when Torchline would jeopardize its lifeblood to get into the Gods’ fight again, but my bias is strong and I know there are others who would disagree.

An’ to have yer life complicated by the Gods? Ain’t life hard enough? It’s rarely just a blessin’, I’ve found - usually more of a two-sided thing.

“Aight.” Drumming my fingers on the back of the chair, my lips purse, but I can’t think’a much else to talk about. Seems like a lot depends on things beyond my, or even our, control. I don’t envy his position one bit. “Ye’ll let me know what the other leaders say?” An eyebrow raises a bit, loopin’ back to what I was originally upset about. Another jab, but only a slight one.

REMI

the alchemist

Walk me home in the dead of night,
'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind

"Absolutely." Remi replies instantly. If it's a jab in his direction, he lets it land without comment or retaliation. Maybe he's just being clever enough to know that because he needs Raza onside, she's owed a certain amount of impropriety. Or perhaps he really does feel bad for being such a selfish asshole. Honestly, with Remi, it's impossible to know. Having a track record of being a good guy affords certain types of expectations. In the same vein, it also helps hides some certain motives.

Unless there was anything else, Remi would make the perfunctory amount of small-talk (which Raza would likely see right through). "I'll make sure to reinforce the tunnel before the monsoons hit." He promises, before closing the door behind her.

Hopefully this is a promise he remembers to keep.

~FIN

So say you'll stay with me tonight.
'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!