how many of us are on the cusp, on the verge?

Sunjata’s warning had Wessex pop over to Torchline for a look at what was going on - no dock made, just as he’d said - but a coupled of exchanges on the Notice Board made her frown before disappearing again. After a day of thinking, she sends a note to Cameron, asking if they wouldn’t mind stopping by Theskyra House at their earliest convenience. In it, she assures them that nothing is wrong, she simply has a favor to ask - but stop short of mentioning said favor. Unsure of how they might react to something like this, Wessex has a couple of other ideas in place, but is sure that this is the first (and best) option, and hey, it involves delegating. When Cameron arrives, Daphne, her housekeeper, will open the door for them, direct them to a smaller, cozy room with a fireplace, and then let Wessex know they’ve arrived. Luckily the house isn’t big and Wessex arrives very shortly after, with a smile for them and an eye on the fireplace (cause she definitely forgot about the sudden urge to be near it until now, and that is not great for Ascended). WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here

Receiving a summons from the Queen was intimidating, no matter how down-to-earth Wessex had seemed when Cam first met her. Daphne was nice, which put them a little bit at ease, but this still felt more like a doctor's appointment -- receptionist and all -- than a meeting between friends or equals. It didn't help that since the whole moth thing, Cam had found themselves drawn to bright lights -- like the fireplace. When Wessex entered, they were staring into the flames, and they had trouble dragging their eyes away even to say hello. Only a feeling of oh-no-I've-been-rude allowed them to turn to Wessex with a nervous smile. 'Hi. You wanted to see me?"

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

“Yes,” she answers, gesturing towards a chair, in case they’d like to sit. “I have a favor to ask of you. You don’t have to say yes, but if you don’t I hope that you can keep the request private.” A sufficiently cryptic introduction if there ever was one. Her gaze drifts again to the fire before shaking off the pull and trying to refocus on Cameron. “This might take a bit of explaining, so please, feel free to sit. There’s a man in Torchline, Ronin, who’s recruiting soldiers to join a group called the Dragoons. The Dragoons are the soldiers of Stormbreak, and allied with another group called the Order. Now, the Order’s mission is to kill all the Ascended and get rid of the Voice, so you can imagine that the Grounds is rather… wary of them. And right before you came to Caido, we started the process of trying to protect the Grounds to keep the Order out. Nothing violent, just a barrier around the perimeter so they can’t enter.” It would keep the Grounds and anyone in it safe from their wrath - no small victory, and Wessex pauses here so that they might be able to think through what she’s just told them. “But in order to do that, we need a Grounder to see an Order member’s compass or ring in use. Which is difficult, because we don’t know who they are. Ronin, however… if he’s recruiting for the Dragoons, there’s a very good chance he might be in the Order now, and if he isn’t, then at least we might learn something. Because the thing about the Dragoons is… he’s looking specifically for those who are Accepted…” The conclusion to this short (but definitely still complicated) story should be obvious, but the Queen will say it anyway. “And you’re the only Accepted who lives in the Grounds. So I wa hoping you might be willing to pretend to be interested in joining the Dragoons, as a way to if not see a compass or ring, then get more information.” After dropping that bomb, Wessex stills and waits for the inevitable questions, of which she's sure there will be many. WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here

Cam sat, willingly, and listened attentively to Wessex's words. They did, indeed, have many questions -- so many that they didn't know what to ask first. They rubbed a hand across the knee of their pants as they tried to process this.

"OK," they said -- not agreeing to the proposition, but just as a way of gathering their thoughts. "So, obviously it's bad that the Order wants to eliminate you, but can I ask why? What do they have against you?"

They paused, then, and added, "Though that's not really the most relevant question, I guess. What does joining the Dragoons entail -- would they even take me? I'm not exactly a soldier. And, uh, if I do this ... what's the exit plan, when I have the information we -- you -- need? What happens if I get found out?"

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

“Of course. It goes back to this war between the Old Gods and the Voice, that started around three hundred years ago. We’re abominations to them. Unnatural. Worse, even, because we made the choice to change ourselves and follow the Voice instead of Rae, Mort, Vi, and their heralds,” She pauses briefly, tilting her head slightly to one side. “and therefore less than human.” And while they may no longer be human, less than is pure and utter horseshit. As for their next question, Wessex is visibly confused until she realizes that she’s been misunderstood. “Oh. Oh Gods, no. I’m sorry, I wasn’t clear. I’m not asking you to actually join the Dragoons. I’m asking you to feign interest. Pretend you’re an Outlander living in Torchline who saw the Notice and are curious about all of it. You heard rumors about the Order… something like that. No need to commit. No, I wouldn't ask something that big of you.” Hopefully that would put them more at ease. WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here

Cam's lips pressed into a thin line as Wessex described the conflict around the Ascended -- and it wasn't in disapproval of Wessex and her people. "So they hate you for religious reasons -- because you won't follow their gods. That's ... a lot of religions at home were like that. Kind of sucks that you have that issue here too, but I'm not surprised."

Then Wessex clarifies the nature of this mission, and Cam lets out a relieved little laugh. "Oh, OK. Well, if I don't actually have to join the Dragoons, I don't see any reason not to give it a try and see what I can find out. I should warn you, I'm not a very good liar, so I might not get too far. But I don't mind trying."

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

She nods slowly, sadly almost. “The Voice is controversial too, make no mistake. She’s done a thing or two I don’t agree with, but at at least she doesn’t want to murder a whole race. And I owe her my life. Twice over, so…” Shrugging, Wessex remembers that she did warn them that she’s biased. And besides, they aren’t here to hear about the Voice. So she waves away and refocuses on the issue at hand. “Well. I can help you with that, if you like. I don’t want to ask you help us without giving you everything you might need.” Of that, she is sure. Setting her allies and friends up for success is the least she can do, given the circumstances. Offering a knowing expression (and whether it’s comforting or not is anyone’s guess), she offers them the sage advice of, ”The key to being convincing is keeping it simple. And not volunteering too much information too quickly. Just gently steering the conversation until you finally come to what you really want to know.” WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here

"Yeah, murdering whole races is pretty much universally bad, whatever the history behind it," Cameron agreed. It kind of twists them up inside, to come to Caido and immediately be confronted by a potential genocide. Oh, they hadn't expected Caido to be conflict-free, but perhaps they'd hoped some problems could be left behind on Earth. "I don't have to like the Voice -- not that I dislike her, mind, I just don't know enough yet -- to know that people shouldn't be killed for worshiping the 'wrong' god."

Cam nodded at Wessex's advice, though an ironic smile crossed their face. "I don't know how good I'll be at gently steering the conversation, but I am a pretty decent roleplayer." It helped the reframe the attempt that way, as a sort of LARP rather than a lie. Cam could lose themself in the persona of someone who genuinely wanted to join the Dragoons. "I think I can probably not get caught -- and if I am, what's the worst that could happen?" That last bit came with a nervous chuckle, because Cam suspected that the worst that could happen might actually be pretty bad.

Thinking for a moment, they added, "Is there anything I should know about this man who's doing the recruiting, Ronin?"

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

She joins them in a light smile, a little more confident in them now that they’ve found a way to tie it into a strength. Roleplaying for her has always been sex-based, so she’s not entirely sure how they mean it in this context, but perhaps it’s another thing from their home world. There’s no point in questioning it. “I genuinely can’t imagine Ronin hurting you in public. And if he came here, he’d have to deal with me, so if you do get caught, come back as quickly as you can.” That’s what she’s counting on, at least - that the demigod’s objective is to recruit, not harm Stormbreak or his own reputation. In the event that she’s wrong, though… no, best to hide that concern and remain calm. “Nothing that I can think of. I think the easiest way to approach this might be to ask why he only asked for Accepted. And how he knows that the person who wants to join isn’t Attuned or Abandoned.” That might take care of the ring. And since they need TWO threads, no need to push their luck. “If you see a ring, you’re good. No need to force more from him - unless you’re on a roll and feeling good about it.” She offers another small, but hopefully encouraging smile and waits to see if they have any other questions for her. WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here

Cam nodded at the explanation that they were safe in public. "That's kind of what I figured. If anything seems off, I'll hightail it back here as quick as I can."

They'd keep the questions to ask in mind, too, and be sure to look for a ring. That shouldn't be too hard, should it? "I just have to see the ring on his finger? Not, uh, watch him use it or anything?"

Taking a deep breath, Cam started to stand up. "I think -- I think that's all I need to know. I'll be back as soon as I've spoken to Ronin."

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

She’s not being super clear on this - which makes Wessex grind some internal gears and wish it all weren’t so rushed. But then this was never going to be easy. “No, you’re right. Better see him use it just to be safe. I’m afraid I don’t know what that looks like, thought…” Grimacing as way of apology for not being better equipped, when Cameron stands up, there’s nothing to do but let them go and hope they’ve got enough information and can sink into roleplaying. “Whatever you want when you return - it’s yours. As a thank you. Successful or not.” Because the Wraith is aware of the magnitude of the thing she’s asked and of a virtual stranger, no less. “Good luck. And thank you, again.” She’ll walk them to the door if there are no other questions, already a little tense at the thought of waiting to see what will happen. {fin} WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here