Good. The mission... well, it was a better resolution than the previous ones, but I hope that warding wasn't too draining. [It had been necessary to keep those without magic of their own from being drained by the orb, but that didn't mean such magic wasn't exhausting.]
Meet me in the mess hall whenever you like. I purchased a very useful tea set in the mission before the last one- would you like black or green tea?
๏ผ the idea of asking viveca to bring him anything that is a want rather than a need is a particular sort of mortification he'd sooner not face, thank you, so that thoughtful suggestion is discarded outright. maybe in another life.
instead of replying, he simply goes to the mess hall to await her, selecting a table near the wall, quiet and out of the way. they aren't likely to be underfoot should any of the other residents of the ximilia choose to pursue leisure time here as well. he's without his forehead protector, and his hair is pulled into a messy bun — this may possibly be what passes for ninja casual where he's concerned, though the all-black attire remains. the burns are mostly healed on his right arm, the skin shiny and red with the newness of the skin, and he's thumbing through a book taken from the community stockpile, one of only three he found to be in japanese.
he senses more than sees her — having grown accustomed to the particular signature of her energy — and looks up. he nods, and indicates she should join him with a gesture of one hand. ๏ผ
[Sabriel arrives carefully balancing a tray with a teapot full of hot water, two teacups and saucers, and some digestive biscuits taken from the pantry, along with the tea. She's dressed in the dark, fairly utilitarian clothes she's adopted for day-to day life on the station.]
Itachi. Thank you for coming.
[There's real warmth in Sabriel's voice as she spoons dry leaves into the teapot's steeping basket, watching- or rather, feeling- as whatever odd enchantments the teapot's maker placed in it start to come alive, ensuring that the tea is brewed perfectly.
An unusual application of magic, but far more practical than some spells Sabriel's heard of, she things as she sits opposite Itachi.]
Edited (Whoops, HTML screwup) 2021-12-04 01:26 (UTC)
๏ผ itachi's weakness is absolutely sweet things, those biscuits get a considering look as she sets the tray down. ๏ผ
Of course. I appreciate the invitation.
๏ผ as much as he's content to waste away in his solitary room, he recognizes that when fostering alliances one must make these concessions. he does not... dislike sabriel's company, exactly.
the teapot gets an odd look. he can feel the heat, in that particular way that any with an affinity for fire tend to, but there is no visible source of it. he has acclimated to technology with the need of one pressganged — necessity driving the majority of his careful progress — but this does not seem to be any form of it he's encountered thus far. which means... ๏ผ
Magic?
๏ผ he tilts his head, leaning his cheek against his forearm as he studies it. his elbow is propped on the table, hand in loose repose at the nape of his neck. he looks tired and wan — but his eyes, at least, are sharp and cinnabar red. ๏ผ
[Sabriel's own posture is straight without being stiff, a habit drilled into her by etiquette teachers that she's yet to discard from her schoolgirl days.]
Yes- a purchase of mine in Braccia- the mission before Kilnan. The teapot is enchanted to brew a perfect cup of tea each time, and the cups are self-stirring, in case of preparations that involve milk and sugar.
[A skillfull application of magic- and applied to a minor, but entirely practical end. Had people made things like this in the Old Kingdom, before Kerrigor's rise?
Itachi was, Sabriel realizes, not entirely honest about how draining the warding was, with how he looks. Admittedly, it's also slightly hypocritical for her to criticize such a thing, given her actions on previous missions... but still, it's concerning.
Once the tea is ready, she pours for both of them, serving Itachi first, and placing the biscuits in easy reach if he wants some.]
We won't have another mission for at least two weeks- possibly more, if Viveca ends up giving us a break. Time to train- but also to recuperate.
I would prefer to stir my own, if possible. Can one override the enchantment?
๏ผ habit. even accepting tea someone else has brewed is... difficult for him here. it was easier when his reputation preceded him, when he was experienced enough with most poisons to discern their presence, and had undergone vigorous training to resist them. here, he has no such guarantee his skills will be as sharp, nor the poisons as obvious.
she has the advantage of him. despite the fact he does not expect her to try poisoning him — it would be foolish of her, for one — that old suspicion is difficult to allay, and is buried so deeply in his bones that it is second nature to fall victim to it.
one fine-boned hard reaches for the cup, curls around it and tugs it close despite his concerns. there are worse and more violent ends than poison is what he tells himself to quiet the suspicion. ๏ผ
I imagine many will welcome the opportunity.
๏ผ he's not among them. he is not impatient — the exacting circumstances of his life would have bloodlet that from him even if he had ever been so inclined — but he prefers to direct his energy towards tangible tasks. holding patterns often incite introspection in him in a way that is more like putting weight on a badly healed broken bone. ๏ผ
I'll have to check the owner's manual, but it should be possible. I'm just not sure how.
[Itachi's paranoia is something Sabriel would have difficulty even conceiving of. That enemies might wish her harm is something she understands- even now, she prefers to sleep with her sword within easy reach- but given the shared mission of everyone on the station, and the lack of Dead and Free magic adepts among them, the crew of the Ximilia has her trust- not blind faith, but a general trust that none of them are out to do her harm, even if they might disagree on how to achieve their goals.]
There's talk of a midwinter party- although honestly, it feels like someone finds an excuse to throw a party every time we finish a mission.
[And there's a fond smile at the thought, even if Sabriel's not really the sort to enjoy parties that much. It keeps people's spirits up, at least, and it's a way to release some of the tension that can build up during missions.
Sabriel takes a sip of her tea. It is, in fact, perfectly brewed.]
I'm sure people want to celebrate a mission not ending in an enormous fight for once, and managing to end Remi's bargain without anyone dying, even if some of us exhausted ourselves in the process. Do people celebrate on the solstice, where you're from?
๏ผ well, in the interest of not accidentally breaking her teapot, he refrains from any additions. he supposes it's human nature to wish to celebrate one's victory, even if he does not share the unfettered enthusiasm. he remembers the way people celebrated, after the armistice was reached. yet, the blood from his first kill had barely cooled on his hands, and he knew at that tender age that the fragile peace they'd brokered would not linger. it will be the same here — but if others find solace in it, he has no heart to deny them. what can it hurt? ๏ผ
It's customary to bathe with a yuzu on Toji.๏ผ that word stays stubbornly japanese, but means, in essence, 'winter solstice'. ๏ผ And in my village we make dishes with winter squash, if it's available.
To scent the bathwater? [Even if Sabriel isn't... entirely sure what a 'yuzu' is. She can alway ask, she supposes.] Or is it a kind of sponge?
In Ancelstierre- and the Old Kingdom- Midwinter is something communal. My school would hold an entire festival, with students putting on plays, scientific demonstrations, and the music classes would put on performances to. Towns and villages have festivals and bonfires, with stalls selling mulled wine and winter sweets.
[She should see if someone here knows how to make gingerbread, now that she thinks on it.]
๏ผ he makes a gesture to indicate its approximate size — perhaps a little smaller than a lemon.
ancelstierre is a word that gives him pause, and he has to carefully piece it apart into syllables in his mind and reconstruct it before he's confident in his ability to say it aloud. ๏ผ
That sounds very ๏ผ hm. ๏ผ festive. Do you miss it?
My time at school in Ancelstierre has passed, so... Not particularly. And I'll probably be too busy with my work as Abhorsen to attend many Old Kingdom celebrations- the Dead are generally more active in the winter, when days are shorter and some smaller streams are frozen solid.
[Sunlight and running water were the two greatest defenses those without magic had against the Dead, with fire running a distant third.]
But... I think I might miss it a little. The light and warmth against all the cold and darkness.
๏ผ he gets the feeling she would not appreciate his true assessment — he is trained to see things in a different way than most, after all, and a shinobi's job is to weigh acceptable loss against preferable outcome and make decisions where the two intersect.
there is no such thing as a war without casualty. ๏ผ
By and large, they acted adequately. The methods used are not my preference, but I recognize that is a product of my world and life.
Many here prefer negotiation to violence. Given the nature of the orbs, and the rules they seem to operate by, I think it's effective... most of the time.
[But some people weren't interested in negotiating, or would demand a price that was too high.
In that case, what would the crew do in response? Violence might not be anyone's first resort, but few here were absolute pacifists. But if given a high price... one with a greater cost than mere exhaustion, what would they do? Would they try to pay it, or seek out some kind of loophole?
All things have their price, and Sabriel suspects that some here do not fully grasp the orbs lack of benevolence, or somehow expect them to adhere to human concepts like fairness.]
Thus far, the missions have succeeded without major casualties. However, this opens us to overconfidence when approaching the ones that follow. We must be vigilant against our own complacency.
No. But there are enough soldiers and warriors among us that I do not think we will be completely unequipped when our luck turns.
[But it will be hard on them, Sabriel thinks, especially those unused to death.]
The first two missions were close enough that I think most people were grateful just to survive, and left all of us aware of our shortcomings. This one... I worry, a little if it might make some overconfident when it comes to trying to bargain with the orb.
As for casualties... [Sabriel sighs, thinking of Jacinth and her rabbit, and suddenly very, very grateful no one knows the full extent of her necromantic abilities, and will probably not ask her to try to resurrect a human.
She's not even sure if it would work or not, she's just fairly certain that even if she could, she shouldn't.]
Everyone and everything has a time to die. And most here have had some significant experience with death and loss, tied to our regrets or not.
๏ผ he makes a soft noise of confirmation, to be taken however she wishes it. he will neither confirm nor deny his experience with significant death and loss, thank u. ๏ผ
What do you imagine failing one of these missions might look like?
Any of the crew dying would be a large blow to morale, particularly the first time it happened.
[After that... People can get used to death, to some extent. Although given how crewmembers come and go, it seems likely that there will always be someone that kind of loss is new to.]
Another issue would be encountering a situation where the orb cannot be recovered without an innocent dying- not put at risk- dying for sure. Or where striking a bargain with an orb involves acts too vile for anyone to fulfill, or even if one was willing, for the rest of the crew to allow them to do so.
๏ผ it is as he suspected, then. he takes another sip of his tea, then curls his hand around the cup. his nailpolish is chipped and cracked, an odd contrast to the quality of the good china. ๏ผ
I concur.
๏ผ he has a few other scenarios that play out poorly in his mind, but he would rather not give her the added insight as to how his mind functions, and so keeps them to himself. ๏ผ
People here are eager to bond amongst themselves. It is both strength and weakness in these situations.
[Sabriel notices the chips, and wonders, faintly, if she should requisition more nail polish from Viveca. She'd never thought to inquire about if cosmetics came with the supply drops, lacking any interest in such things herself.]
We need trust and cooperation in order to succeed in our mission. Caring about each other... it's natural for that to follow as we learn to trust each other and work together. But that also means loss will hit all the harder.
[And if that trust is misplaced... Sabriel shoves that thought aside. Even if people didn't always agree, their shared mission meant their ultimate goal was the same, and cooperation was in everyone's best interest.]
๏ผ nothing she says is untrue — it is the way of the world. even he, for whom emotions were difficult, still woke the sharingan with tenma's death. he is not... immune, to caring about his comrades.
he had little regard for the rest of the akatsuki, but even kisame — ๏ผ
Is that why you have chosen to teach them magic?
๏ผ even if he could teach others ninjutsu — he does not think he would. ๏ผ
Part of it, yes. I want people to be able to defend themselves against the supernatural, given how every mission so far has involved it to some extent, and having more magic users will improve our chances of success, but also- many of the most powerful spells are most easily cast by a group of Charter mages, so if they prove necessary...
[Sabriel takes another sip of her tea, and grabs a biscuit.]
We'll be in a better situation if there's more of us.
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Meet me in the mess hall whenever you like. I purchased a very useful tea set in the mission before the last one- would you like black or green tea?
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( it isn't exactly a lie — it's more that his idea of too draining is rather more self destructive than most. )
Green, please. Sencha, if it's available. If not, any manner of green is fine.
voice->action?
[Unfortunately, Sabriel can't find any sencha, but she does find a batch of green tea, and gets to work.]
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instead of replying, he simply goes to the mess hall to await her, selecting a table near the wall, quiet and out of the way. they aren't likely to be underfoot should any of the other residents of the ximilia choose to pursue leisure time here as well. he's without his forehead protector, and his hair is pulled into a messy bun — this may possibly be what passes for ninja casual where he's concerned, though the all-black attire remains. the burns are mostly healed on his right arm, the skin shiny and red with the newness of the skin, and he's thumbing through a book taken from the community stockpile, one of only three he found to be in japanese.
he senses more than sees her — having grown accustomed to the particular signature of her energy — and looks up. he nods, and indicates she should join him with a gesture of one hand. ๏ผ
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Itachi. Thank you for coming.
[There's real warmth in Sabriel's voice as she spoons dry leaves into the teapot's steeping basket, watching- or rather, feeling- as whatever odd enchantments the teapot's maker placed in it start to come alive, ensuring that the tea is brewed perfectly.
An unusual application of magic, but far more practical than some spells Sabriel's heard of, she things as she sits opposite Itachi.]
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Of course. I appreciate the invitation.
๏ผ as much as he's content to waste away in his solitary room, he recognizes that when fostering alliances one must make these concessions. he does not... dislike sabriel's company, exactly.
the teapot gets an odd look. he can feel the heat, in that particular way that any with an affinity for fire tend to, but there is no visible source of it. he has acclimated to technology with the need of one pressganged — necessity driving the majority of his careful progress — but this does not seem to be any form of it he's encountered thus far. which means... ๏ผ
Magic?
๏ผ he tilts his head, leaning his cheek against his forearm as he studies it. his elbow is propped on the table, hand in loose repose at the nape of his neck. he looks tired and wan — but his eyes, at least, are sharp and cinnabar red. ๏ผ
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[Sabriel's own posture is straight without being stiff, a habit drilled into her by etiquette teachers that she's yet to discard from her schoolgirl days.]
Yes- a purchase of mine in Braccia- the mission before Kilnan. The teapot is enchanted to brew a perfect cup of tea each time, and the cups are self-stirring, in case of preparations that involve milk and sugar.
[A skillfull application of magic- and applied to a minor, but entirely practical end. Had people made things like this in the Old Kingdom, before Kerrigor's rise?
Itachi was, Sabriel realizes, not entirely honest about how draining the warding was, with how he looks. Admittedly, it's also slightly hypocritical for her to criticize such a thing, given her actions on previous missions... but still, it's concerning.
Once the tea is ready, she pours for both of them, serving Itachi first, and placing the biscuits in easy reach if he wants some.]
We won't have another mission for at least two weeks- possibly more, if Viveca ends up giving us a break. Time to train- but also to recuperate.
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I would prefer to stir my own, if possible. Can one override the enchantment?
๏ผ habit. even accepting tea someone else has brewed is... difficult for him here. it was easier when his reputation preceded him, when he was experienced enough with most poisons to discern their presence, and had undergone vigorous training to resist them. here, he has no such guarantee his skills will be as sharp, nor the poisons as obvious.
she has the advantage of him. despite the fact he does not expect her to try poisoning him — it would be foolish of her, for one — that old suspicion is difficult to allay, and is buried so deeply in his bones that it is second nature to fall victim to it.
one fine-boned hard reaches for the cup, curls around it and tugs it close despite his concerns. there are worse and more violent ends than poison is what he tells himself to quiet the suspicion. ๏ผ
I imagine many will welcome the opportunity.
๏ผ he's not among them. he is not impatient — the exacting circumstances of his life would have bloodlet that from him even if he had ever been so inclined — but he prefers to direct his energy towards tangible tasks. holding patterns often incite introspection in him in a way that is more like putting weight on a badly healed broken bone. ๏ผ
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[Itachi's paranoia is something Sabriel would have difficulty even conceiving of. That enemies might wish her harm is something she understands- even now, she prefers to sleep with her sword within easy reach- but given the shared mission of everyone on the station, and the lack of Dead and Free magic adepts among them, the crew of the Ximilia has her trust- not blind faith, but a general trust that none of them are out to do her harm, even if they might disagree on how to achieve their goals.]
There's talk of a midwinter party- although honestly, it feels like someone finds an excuse to throw a party every time we finish a mission.
[And there's a fond smile at the thought, even if Sabriel's not really the sort to enjoy parties that much. It keeps people's spirits up, at least, and it's a way to release some of the tension that can build up during missions.
Sabriel takes a sip of her tea. It is, in fact, perfectly brewed.]
I'm sure people want to celebrate a mission not ending in an enormous fight for once, and managing to end Remi's bargain without anyone dying, even if some of us exhausted ourselves in the process. Do people celebrate on the solstice, where you're from?
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It's customary to bathe with a yuzu on Toji. ๏ผ that word stays stubbornly japanese, but means, in essence, 'winter solstice'. ๏ผ And in my village we make dishes with winter squash, if it's available.
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In Ancelstierre- and the Old Kingdom- Midwinter is something communal. My school would hold an entire festival, with students putting on plays, scientific demonstrations, and the music classes would put on performances to. Towns and villages have festivals and bonfires, with stalls selling mulled wine and winter sweets.
[She should see if someone here knows how to make gingerbread, now that she thinks on it.]
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๏ผ he makes a gesture to indicate its approximate size — perhaps a little smaller than a lemon.
ancelstierre is a word that gives him pause, and he has to carefully piece it apart into syllables in his mind and reconstruct it before he's confident in his ability to say it aloud. ๏ผ
That sounds very ๏ผ hm. ๏ผ festive. Do you miss it?
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[Sunlight and running water were the two greatest defenses those without magic had against the Dead, with fire running a distant third.]
But... I think I might miss it a little. The light and warmth against all the cold and darkness.
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he lifts the cup and samples the tea now that it's an appropriate temperature, nodding in approval of its taste. it's certainly exquisite. ๏ผ
There is nothing stopping you from proposing such a festival here. I'm sure you are not the only one experiencing such nostalgia.
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[In magic, on labor, and in cooking, if someone more skilled isn't interested.
Sabriel takes another sip of her tea, before changing the subject.]
So, you've seen one mission already- one completed in half the time the others took, by the way- what do you make of the crew?
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there is no such thing as a war without casualty. ๏ผ
By and large, they acted adequately. The methods used are not my preference, but I recognize that is a product of my world and life.
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[But some people weren't interested in negotiating, or would demand a price that was too high.
In that case, what would the crew do in response? Violence might not be anyone's first resort, but few here were absolute pacifists. But if given a high price... one with a greater cost than mere exhaustion, what would they do? Would they try to pay it, or seek out some kind of loophole?
All things have their price, and Sabriel suspects that some here do not fully grasp the orbs lack of benevolence, or somehow expect them to adhere to human concepts like fairness.]
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๏ผ after a moment: ๏ผ
Thus far, the missions have succeeded without major casualties. However, this opens us to overconfidence when approaching the ones that follow. We must be vigilant against our own complacency.
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[But it will be hard on them, Sabriel thinks, especially those unused to death.]
The first two missions were close enough that I think most people were grateful just to survive, and left all of us aware of our shortcomings. This one... I worry, a little if it might make some overconfident when it comes to trying to bargain with the orb.
As for casualties... [Sabriel sighs, thinking of Jacinth and her rabbit, and suddenly very, very grateful no one knows the full extent of her necromantic abilities, and will probably not ask her to try to resurrect a human.
She's not even sure if it would work or not, she's just fairly certain that even if she could, she shouldn't.]
Everyone and everything has a time to die. And most here have had some significant experience with death and loss, tied to our regrets or not.
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What do you imagine failing one of these missions might look like?
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[After that... People can get used to death, to some extent. Although given how crewmembers come and go, it seems likely that there will always be someone that kind of loss is new to.]
Another issue would be encountering a situation where the orb cannot be recovered without an innocent dying- not put at risk- dying for sure. Or where striking a bargain with an orb involves acts too vile for anyone to fulfill, or even if one was willing, for the rest of the crew to allow them to do so.
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I concur.
๏ผ he has a few other scenarios that play out poorly in his mind, but he would rather not give her the added insight as to how his mind functions, and so keeps them to himself. ๏ผ
People here are eager to bond amongst themselves. It is both strength and weakness in these situations.
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We need trust and cooperation in order to succeed in our mission. Caring about each other... it's natural for that to follow as we learn to trust each other and work together. But that also means loss will hit all the harder.
[And if that trust is misplaced... Sabriel shoves that thought aside. Even if people didn't always agree, their shared mission meant their ultimate goal was the same, and cooperation was in everyone's best interest.]
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๏ผ nothing she says is untrue — it is the way of the world. even he, for whom emotions were difficult, still woke the sharingan with tenma's death. he is not... immune, to caring about his comrades.
he had little regard for the rest of the akatsuki, but even kisame — ๏ผ
Is that why you have chosen to teach them magic?
๏ผ even if he could teach others ninjutsu — he does not think he would. ๏ผ
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[Sabriel takes another sip of her tea, and grabs a biscuit.]
We'll be in a better situation if there's more of us.
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excuse me dw I was not done
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