2017-06-05: Fiends and Assassins
- Log: 2017-06-05 Fiends and Assassins
- Cast: Rose, Jean, Hiro
- Where: Silver Coast
- Date: 2017-06-05
- Summary: The leader of the Scattered Bones pushes her investigation of Lucia forward, finding Jean and Hiro watching over her.
================================<* Silver Coast *>================================ The Silver Coast is the name given to the northeastern coastline of Ignas. The origins of the name are lost to history, but residents of the area tend to assume it reflects either the famous white-sand beaches northeast of Lacour, or the region's distance from the desertification slowly spreading out from the continent's heart. The Coast and its surrounding territories are claimed by the Kingdom of Lacour, and contain a wide assortment of biomes, from plains to rocky hills and mountains to rolling beaches. Major roads between Lacour and its next two largest settlements - the Port City of Hilton and the Academy City of Linga - are heavily patrolled by the kingdom's soldiers, and are generally safe. The hinterlands, however, are plagued by monsters of all types; researchers in Linga can find a variety of uses for the body parts of monsters, and do a brisk trade with Adventurers seeking to protect the population and make a little coin to boot. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYbFnoRSW6M
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
A week now since the attack. A week since Lucia was injured, a week since the Shepherd confronted the Vile Fiends, a week since an assassin stepped inbetween the two and reluctantly escorted them both out of the city. A week since Rose had been meaning to follow-up and get some answers. Why did Jean sound like she knew a thing or five about killing? Why was she so invested in pacifism, like Sorey? Why were Lucia's friends traveling with her, who was Lucia, was she really some wandering calamity, and so on.
Sunset was a hour ago now. There's only starlight and the silver moon to provide much light, aside campfires and torches - which, admittedly, surround Adlehyde in large quantities given the large number of refugee camps still waiting to move back into the city. But off to the side and well away from random encounters is a camp only for terrible Fiends of the Vile variety. It hadn't been easy finding it. Perhaps one of Lucia's escorts was seen collecting food and health wares in camp and followed, or someone opened their mouth for some silver. The end result is that someone is approaching, slowly.
Her movements still aren't fully recovered. She can still feel a bit of pain at her side, an ache from the Trial Knight's attack. The assassin leader would still fool most people and not be noticed, but her sub-optimal state puts one of Lucia's guardians at a significant advantage over her.
A branch that snaps where it shouldn't, a few bushes that rustle one too many times to just be wildlife. Blue eyes look towards the camp from behind a steel mask and hood, the leader of the Scattered Bones drawing closer. Knives sheathed, hands empty, at least she isn't armed yet, but it probably won't do much to reassure the Fiends' own assassin.
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.
A week since the attack. A week since Jean helped the others escape from the castle and then from the city as best she could, injured and hurt separately. The bloodloss of that day renders some of the events on the way outside the city fuzzy... But not all. She was able to make it here, stitch up her leg...
There are questions about Jean, sure, but she hasn't handed out a lot of answers to her friends, either.
With sunset an hour ago, Jean is stoking up the fire again, checking over little bottles beside her as she always does around this time. She already has cleaned rabbit ready to cook, already dry-rubbed in spices. Soon there will be pleasant smells.
Jean has been quiet; she's been outright silent, dressed in gray and salmon pants and long belted tunic, her hair up in her usual side-tail and a couple of bracelets at her wrists. Her feet are bare. And the sounds of the camp outside...
Jean doesn't have to tell herself to be vigilant; years of training make it so. A branch snapping is one thing. The rustle of bushes, another. Without any obvious movement, without stopping her work to all acounts, she lets her gaze tilt left to Rose.
Short sleeves, red-and-white fringes. They're not rolled up her shoulders.
Her expression is entirely pleasant... except for her eyes. "Hi there!" she greets pleasantly, much more loudly than is necessary, to no one apparently for those who look at her. "Why don't you come out and join me at the fire? I'm about to cook dinner!"
But she's staring at blue eyes sharply, disapprovingly.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
The assassin freezes when spotted. It's not surprising. Depending on her intent, this is where she'd either lunge, or flee. By indicating she knew she was there Jean not only established she was as if not more skilled than the intruder but that she was confident enough in her ability to protect the camp to not only give her a chance to act first, but outright invite her closer.
Under the mask, Rose grins. That's exciting.
She lifts her arms, no knives in them, palms towards Jean. Her voice is intentionally lowered, just enough that someone couldn't identify her. "I'm not here to fight. I came with and seeking answers to the questions we were both too busy to ask that day. Maybe we can have that debate about killing, too."
They were, at the time, too concerned with leaving Adlehyde and getting Lucia to safety to have at it, but it was obvious Jean had Things she wanted to tell the assassin, and the assassin still had questions of her own.
She steps closer, towards the light of the fire. Even though her hands are up, it's obvious from her posture she's wary. The Fiends have a reputation after all! She's here to hear their side, but she won't discount the possibility the Guard is right about them.
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
Every two hours- there was something Hiro had to do at that horse cart.
Grandpa Gwyn had taught him that if a body stays in one place too long it wasn't good for them. A body has to keep moving. Whether it's a stiff old one, or a young one. If someone is still for too long, they're done for.
And so he's in the middle of adjusting some quilts used for cushioning under the other side of Lucia, shifting them out from one side of her back to the other.
He brushes impossibly long hair away from her face, trying not to so much as touch her cheek.
And that's all. Save for two words, "I'm sorry." It felt like he'd said then a million times since Siegfried's attack and it hadn't been enough.
Hiro totally misses the signs that they're being crept up on.
Which is bad because right now he's just in his tunic and trousers. His sword belt, boomerang, cape- they're all leaning outside of his tent. The fire crackles and Jean-
"Be there in a minute Jean. Promise I'm not going to stick around here mop-" He looks over his shoulder, "-ing." And follows Jean's gaze in a direction that seemingly looks out into nothing he can see. "Oh... you weren't talking to me." A few seconds pass and he suddenly starts- "Wait who are you talking to!?"
Which is when masked Rose comes out of the bushes. And Hiro takes a step towards his tent, until he sees her arms. Empty hands. And her words.
"Huh. Well..." "You've got a lot of nerve creeping up on us- then claiming you're just here to talk!" That's Ruby. Rose probably marked her on the way in. Even in the dark pink fur tends to stand out on a high tree branch. She's flying down low, near her, hands on whatever counts for her cat like hips. Hiro rubs his neck, this is kind of an awkward moment. She's an assassin of justice? Of some kind?? Who sometimes is with the Shepherd???
He clears his throat then walks towards the fire, without his sword belt. That's kind of a strange move, "Well I'm okay with talking, but only if Jean is. And since she invited you to dinner I guess she is. Uh. The name's Hiro. Is there something I can call you?"
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.
Jean waits for Rose to act, one way or another, after she speaks to her. She doesn't look tensed up, but that's its own sort of lesson, its own tool of the trade. So when Rose lifts her arms...
Maybe Jean is just that confident. The truth regardless is that at the moment she is not very patient, aside from with Hiro over with Lucia.
"Not here to fight," Jean repets, skeptically, and her pleasant words are done with in favor of a serious, appraising look.
The fact that this woman leads a band makes her worthy of care too, but it's better to maintain the appearance of superiority if she can. After all... Jean is still injured. She knows how to bluff.
Accordingly she doesn't stand and make the difficulty with her leg obvious. Instead she shrugs. "That's who I'm talking to," she says to Hiro. "Ruby, you've got a point, but she's going to be our guest now."
...Besides, she's just perverse enough to use social pressure like that.
"...You're outnumbered," Jean points out, "And you don't know my capabilities. There's no point attacking. You can stay on guard, but you might be more comfortable sitting down."
Jean's voie is low, sharp--in general she doesn't sound like she usually does to Hiro.
"But sure, we can debate. First though I'm interested in your questions. I might have some for you after that." A beat, "And it would be polite if I could call you something other than assassin." This time she does smile.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"Sorry," Rose answers Ruby, honestly. "You guys don't have the best reputation. I wasn't just going to walk up to people who, according to rumors, might kill me just to sow some disorder." She makes no hostile movements, looking at Hiro as he approaches. "I don't usually have to worry about what people who see me call me. There's usually not a chance to. I lead the Scattered Bones, so if you want to just call me that, that's fine."
She'd never really thought of a name or alias. Actually, none of the Bones had. It was unusual for one of their targets to live, so names never mattered.
At the veiled threat and invitation to sit down, Rose complies. "I know. I thought you'd be more open to talking if I didn't come with ten henchmen, even though that exposed me to all of you." She's still somewhat guarded, but as the conversation advances that'll start receding.
And since she's been asked to deliver her questions first, Rose complies with that too. "Before you ask, I'm not with the Shepherd. Like I said that day I'd have attacked him if he'd put his ill-defined mission as Shepherd over the life of someone seemingly benevolent and wounded, just because of some tingly evil feeling about her and a grand title like Lord of Calamity." Mistress of Calamity? Lady of Calamity? Eeehn, that doesn't work as well. Lord it is.
"I wanted to ask about her, in fact. I wanted your side of the story. How you met her. What she's done since then. Who cursed her. Who might have interest in making her fight the Shepherd and vice versa. Because I don't buy the Guard's version of the story, it's too... clean, convenient. It makes her a scapegoat."
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Ugh... fine Jean." Ruby mutters as she flaps her little wings and flies close to Jean, settling down on the log beside her so she can see the master at work before turning her eyes back on Rose. "I guess that's true. And you did help us escort those people out anyhow..."
Jean isn't speaking the same way that he's used to hearing. There's something different about it, commanding. Authoritative. He gets the sense that he's in her realm right now and that he's a little kid in comparison to the two of them.
Not really inaccurate either.
"Scattered Bones huh?" "Spooky name..." "Kind of a weird thing to call you but alright uh... nice to meet you sort of properly miss scattered bones..." "I kind of prefer assassin of justice..."
Jean says they can debate, and Rose says again that she's not with the Shepherd- that she's going to decide for herself.
"Appreciate that..."
But asking for her story?
"It's... kind of a long story. Sure you want me to just go into it?" Rubbing his chin, he debates, "I'll just tell you the short version. There's this sealed tower near where I used to live called the Blue Spire. Which was sealed- and well one day Leo and Althena's Guard show up wanting to know a way inside. Well Grandpa and me- we saw this blue light descending from the sky to the tower and we decided to check it out. At the top of the Spire- Lucia appeared. She said she came from the Blue Star... Uh..."
He gestures around, "...Filgaia... and that our world was in danger, and she needed to speak to Althena immediately as the Destroyer is coming. And well... let's just say she was incredibly powerful. Like there was nothing that could stand up to her and the power she displayed until-"
He lowers his eyes, "-something did. I couldn't see it, but it called itself Zophar. The two fought but- it was over quickly. It cackled about how it had sealed the power of the Four Dragons away so she couldn't draw upon them- then cast a curse on her. Left her on death's doorstep... and stripped her of most of her power."
His eyes shift over to the woman in the mask, "That curse is the source of all that malevolence. I'm sure of it. And I think... this Zophar is using her as a distraction away from whatever he's doing. Throughout Lunar's history, there was a cult known as the Sons of Zophar causing upheaval... but noone knew what it meant, who they were- what Zophar was."
His foot scuffs the ground, knocking a stick over towards the fire, "Guess we do now." He shakes his head, and his eyes return to Rose in the mask, "Thing is- her powers are recovering slowly. And I believe they're needed for what's coming. So if the Shepherd purifies her and- it ruins that? What happens to our world?"
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.
Not the best reputation; Jean doesn't blink at it, taking the opportunity to stuy Rose's face as she looks over at Hiro... And to find another drop in her brooding pool. "Fine," Jean answers after a few moments, and the delay is probably clue enough that she's unhappy about it. She wonders whether this assassin would've bothered revealing herself if she hadn't been spotted.
The more paranoid part of her wonders if she meant to be spotted in order to secure a better opening or more information on her target.
"There's no such thing as an asssasin of justice," Jean says to Ruby, and talking to Ruby her voice is gentler.
But Ros answers her and sits down, though Jean is no longer working on the meal she was preparing; her ingredients stay about her, her injured leg extended to make it more comfortable. "Good thinking," Jean says to her, not any less stern but at least admitting something positive.
She might've asked otherwise. Rose beats her to that. Rose, and then Hiro who explains a story she knows well; accordingly... The truth is that Jean doesn't listen too much. She watches Rose, and finds herself annoyed at the fact that she's wearing a mask. Eventually, though...
"As for me, they helped me with something important. She was already with Hiro when I met the both of them. I already know from experience that the Guard lie, though; they've been persecuting my family for years. My crime against them before I took up with Hiro and the others was that I'm a dancer." She's not in the dance outfit now, but she was before, and she has the grace for it.
"You're welcome to ask more. ...But I have a question, too. How did you become an assassin?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
She sure did help you escort those people out! So be nice, Ruby! Well, Rose doesn't say that out loud, but she's probably thinking it. Sheesh, the gratitude some people have. Spooky, though? "I guess it's spooky. That was kind of the point. We stand for the bones of all those hurt and killed without remorse, but also to scatter those of evildoers. Something like that." She needs to touch up on that presentation a bit. But again, assassins. Don't usually have the chance or need to discuss their name and purpose much.
Then Hiro drops the whole story. Rose nods, following along. It seems so straightforward. Except a few small details. "So how'd she go from someone heralding a Destroyer is on its way to being thought of as the Destroyer? Did no one but you see this Zophar? Was the Guard that unwilling to let Lucia explain why she came to Lunar?" Well, not that it mattered now. Evidently, she had been sucked back to Filgaia like so many other people. Talk about bad luck.
"Still, if this Zophar can curse someone to emit Malevolence to such a degree the Shepherd has to pursue them... you might be right that this is all a big distraction. It pits two of Lunar's most powerful beings up against each other instead of letting them ally."
Is Zophar the Destroyer? Is the Destroyer another being outright? Does that mean Lunar has two enemies to worry instead of one? A lot of this went over Rose's head in scale and scope.
Hiro adds in how she came to join the party. It's certainly a less fated encounter there, but it reinforces Rose's concern the Guard is... well, not so noble. Jean shoots a question back at her. Rose answers honestly, because she has nothing to say that could incriminate her.
She takes a knife out, but mostly to show it. "These knives belonged to a man who saved me from bandits when I was a child. He raised me, trained me. Then he was betrayed by Rolance nobility." So the assassins are from Lunar too, if Jean, Hiro and Ruby can identify Glenwood regions by name. "A prince whose idea of using power is to get what he wants and eliminate witnesses. To collect the people's riches to expand his own, spending it only for his benefit. That's when I," she says, resolute, and yet not entirely certain on the use of the word I, "Decided that we'd avenge him by taking out of the picture those who try to make the world a worse place. It's a twisted form of justice, but it's justice. Not everyone can fight for themselves. Not every problem can be fixed by just giving the authorities enough proof to arrest a man. There are those who are untouchable and can only be put down by a knife. That's where we come in."
Rose glances around the camp, putting the knife back into its sheath idly. "At least, that was all true until we discovered Malevolence. It's a bit more confusing now, but I don't think the principle's changed. Not everyone can be rehabilitated, redeemed or imprisoned. Not everyone will use their second chance wisely. Some people are better dead than left to warp the world in their image."
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
Ruby just looks at Jean for a moment, maybe she hears the softness in her voice during that moment, but she doesn't argue the point. Instead she just nods sullenly. Hiro on the other hand just sort of quietly mulls it over.
He's not looking at Rose when Jean tells her side of the story, just bobbing his head. Ruby offers her own opinion, Dumbest kind of crime I'd ever heard of. Trying to stop you from dancing would be the real injustice to the world."
Rose asks how that happened and Hiro sort of clears his throat awkwardly because he knows how this will wound, "Apparently Althena herself said... Lucia the Destroyer must die." But then he says with sudden fervor, "But... it doesn't make any sense! The only thing I can think of of is she's mistaken- or this Zophar is deceiving her- or something. All I know is- she's wrong."
He nods towards her theory of turning them against each other, he guessed the same, "Yeah, and thing is- I really do see Sorey's side. Malevolence is dangerous. So I can see why he wants to purify her- why it's dangerous not to but... if he does. What happens? In the short term everyone might be better off... but what if we lose everything as a result?"
But Jean asks a really interesting question- not exactly the question he expected her to ask, and Hiro's eyes follow back over to Rose, Ruby's too. For a moment all eyes in the camp are on Rose other than Lucia's- which are closed and her own.
As Rose slips out a knife he kind of sits up a little straighter, though he relaxes once she begins and shows the knife is part of the story. "Rolance?" Hiro looks Ruby's way, then back at Rose. The two had heard of the region of course, they'd just never been there.
But he's quiet otherwise, listening to the tale of how her mentor was betrayed- how they're avenging him, trying to make the world a better place from those who make it worse. He leans back, onto both of his palms, quiet as he considers this.
"When you put it that way I can kind of understand why you do what you do. Everything that's going on on Lunar... with the Guard... with the nations of the world. The seeds of justice only seem to blossom when good people plant them- and nurture them. Otherwise they wither and die..."
He looks Rose's way, "Problem I have I guess is that doing what you do- you can plant different sides of seeds too. Those grow into weeds of hatred and fear- which can choke them before they fully bloom." He shakes his head, "Your way isn't my way. Even if I can understand why you feel that way I still feel like one should try their best not to kill. Heh-"
He has this rueful smile, "-easy for me to say though when I haven't lived what you have. I'm not some guy who's had to deal with political intrigue like that... if my Grandpa was caught in the same situation- if I lost him because of some power hungry noble. I dunno what I'd do. Maybe I'd be more like you. Maybe not. But right now for all the injustice that I see in Althena's Guard, with their Chosen- I mostly see lots of good people who just are just blinded by zealotry. Maybe what they're doing isn't justice..."
His palms come up, he dusts them off as he lifts them up and down in a shrug, "...but I don't want them dead. We're going to talk to Althena. We're going to tell her everything. Everything. We're not going to forget a single injustice- everything we've seen or experienced. And once this Destroyer is dealt with... I'm hoping she'll bring about real change so that there aren't more girls with stories like yours."
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.
Maybe Jean should be nicer given that Rose did help before. She's not, though; her friendly demeanor doesn't come back except at the edges as she sits with Rose and Hiro now, occasionally letting her eyes flicker over to where Lucia is resting. She'd rather be look in the fire.
Not at Ruby, though. Not for the moment.
Instead, there's Rose's question, and this one she can only answer secondhand anyway. There's something Hiro says that troubles Jean though, that hits her in the heart. "...That's..." Althena herself. He's said it before, but this time she hears it. Her shoulders sink a little; for some reason, she turns her head to focus on Rose again, rather than on all that.
"I don't know anything but what Hiro's said about Zophar," Jean admits. But she gave her own story, and asked her own question. The knife comes out, and Jean doesn't move.
She lets outa quiet breath when it's not used for harming the others, though. And this explanation... She, a longtime traveller, can identify the name Rolance. "..."
She's not the first to respond. She's very quiet, watching Rose again, her face warmed by the fire's proximity, the flame's colors ripplng and crackling.
"...Justice," she repeats. "...Maybe stories like that can't be stopped, Hiro. Maybe they'll just keep happening. I wonder about that."
"Look..." Jean puts out a hand, shakes her head, "I'm not going to pretend I'm sorry that guy is dead. I am sorry for your loss. But there are some things that just make you worse. There are some things that you can't do without carving off little pieces of your soul. Your work is like that. Maybe you're fine now... But you don't have the right to decide who lives and dies. If you take that into your own hands..."
Jean speaks conversationally, but not kindly; she's distant.
Jean shakes her head. "I understand your perspective. Some people deserve to die. But that doesn't mean you should be the one to kill them."
"...Any questions for me? I said I wasn't going to start that debate. Guess I did anyway."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"You mistake our intentions. We don't target the good people blinded by zealotry towards a cause they don't fully understand. We target the ones who manipulate the cause to begin with - or the ones who don't even need a cause to manipulate to harm others. If strings are being pulled there's no point killing the puppets," Rose corrects Hiro, though she then nods. "You're still right. Our actions can cause problems. That's why we don't act impulsively." Most of the time.
A glance towards Jean, as she vocalizes what Rose was about to. "I don't think you can change the world like that and stop all sadness from happening. It's funny, the Shepherd said the same thing as you." It's offered towards Hiro, as a sort of statement about how maybe the Shepherd and the Fiends are closer than they think. That they should think twice before fighting when they seem to share the same worldview.
Then the assassin's mask turns back towards Jean, and Rose shakes her head. "If we don't do it, no one will. It isn't a task we take lightly and we don't enjoy it, but we accept it. We know Malevolence is born from inner conflict and self doubt. You won't find any of that in the Scattered Bones." Except for that one guy but who cares about that one guy. "You can't entrust the fate of nobility to nobility. Money speaks louder than words and actions in some circles. I have a feeling I don't need to recount how often I've seen someone bribe their way out of their sentence. Not to you."
Questions. That leads into it. "My question to you, then, is what background you come from to speak of this in such an experienced tone. You don't just have an opinion. You've lived it. Did you hold knives in the past too?" Metaphorical knives. Maybe lieral ones too? Who knows.
Rose doesn't go back to the topic of Lucia yet, but she still has a couple of questions for Hiro later.
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"I'd like to believe they can be Jean." Hiro says gently, but he doesn't say much more there.
Rubbing the back of his neck as Rose corrects him, he has this sort of sheepish look, "Thing is I figure even the best judges can still make mistakes." Still, he doesn't argue the point anymore. He doesn't know Rose's methods, and she acknowledges they have problems.
He starts a little as Rose compares her to the Shepherd. But then he thinks about it, "Heh. Sorey is the kind of guy who would say something like that." He looks down at the fire, "I feel like if he wasn't the Shepherd- or if I'd never met Lucia, we could have been good friends." "Ugh. Who would want that? It'd mean we'd have to hang out with Corset all the time..." The flames crackle within those ruminations.
Rose speaks further on the matter, on nobility and corruption and bribes and this isn't Hiro's world. He doesn't understand that sort of thing other than it's existence. He sort of just idly shakes his head at the thought of people like that.
But then Rose asks a question, and he starts, looking away from the fire, then back at Jean and... he offers slowly, "Jean if you want me to go take a walk for a while... I don't mind." "What!? But Hiro... what about the camp? Guarding it?"
His eyes flicker over to Rose, "Eh. I don't think she's going to try anything- and we wouldn't go far."
Lucia's safety matters. But Jean's privacy matters too.
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.
Jean doesn't blink at Rose's intentions; they seem clear to her by now, clearer still with that explanation. Whether that's enough has yet to be seen. Certainly, she thinks it through...
Hiro might have a bit more hope that Jean has at the moment; her stores of it are low. But the Shepherd said the same thing? "...I guess he's got some sense now and then after all," Jean comments. Her hands curl and uncurl idly, flexing, as she listens. "You could be friends with almost anyone, Hiro. It's a talent of yours." Malevolence...
"Heh." She doesn't explain her laugh, though it's at the matter of where Malevolence comes from. What she says makes sense in another way it may not be Hiro's world, but Jean looks up in understanding. "...You don't have to explain," she agrees.
The question... Jean could have expected it but it surprises her nonetheless, her eyes slightened widened and her breath short. "..." She purses her lips until Hiro speaks up to her, and her attention flickers his way, and Ruby's. "Hiro..." She trails off, and dips her head. "Yeah. I'd appreciate that, Hiro." A pause before she adds for Ruby, "If something happens, I'll handle it. I promise."
She waits. "Just give us a few minutes. That should be enough." ...And then she waits for Hiro to go. Only after that does she let out another breath watching the masked assassin before her.
"To answer your question..." Jean laughs again, faintly, weakly. "...Yes. But I didn't use knives. I had other weapons. ...I was a weapon. I practice a martial art that can best be described as the karate of death. I learned it from childhood."
"I was a member of what's called the Shadow Dragon Cult, an organization feared for its brutal tactics and utter lack of mercy. There were no noble ideals like the ones you aspire to; we killed who and when our Master instructed. And our highest goal was strength. Strength, above everything."
"...I escaped. I almost died in the process. When I was done going in and out of consciousness... I swore I would never use those arts again." She swallows.
"That's where I come from. That's why I believe as I do."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
Another nod from the assassin towards Hiro. It seems she's well aware even the best judges make mistakes. It doesn't seem to change her mind about killing, but at least Hiro can rest assured these are mindful, thoughtful assassins. Or very good liars? For that little it might be worth.
It seems like further questions for him will have to wait until he returns from his walk, sadly, but that's alright. Rose focuses on Jean instead as she begins telling her own tale, for what few minutes of privacy they have.
"I've heard that name before. Shadow Dragon Cult. Whispers and rumors only. They sound like the kind of people we'd target if we could, on the surface. I'd very much like to hear more, even if, with Lunar currently out of reach, it wouldn't do us much good, unless they've come here too." Which... they might have. They very well might have. Something to consider, given the diverse crowd that's made it to the Blue Star from the Silver Star.
"So what made you leave? What was the event that made you realize it wasn't your place? Had you been bidding your time waiting for an opening to leave, or was there a great act you couldn't stand for?"
It's an important question. Why is so much more important than where. Where Jean is now is nothing without the why, and it would reveal more about her than any story she can tell.
"And are you worried they'll come for you?"
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.
There are things Jean isn't willing to discuss yet with her friends. ...Things it's different to talk about with someone like the masked assassin sitting with her here. Jean hasn't forgotten her own casual threats earlier, still has a certain unseen tension... But is still talking now, and more easily than at first.
"You'd have every reason to target them," Jean answers. There's more she could say, but she waits to hear that rest of what Rose has to say at first... And grimace at the thought of the Cult making it to Filgaia. She can't say it's impossible; she did, after all.
But what made her leave? Is she worried they'll come for her?
"...I could tell you more, but I doubt you'll find them. The masked man--my old Master--is incredible at hiding himself. He called me his best student, but I wasn't prepared for him."
Jean stops, looks down into the fire. "...I'm not as patient as all that. Keep in mind... I trained with them since I was a little girl. I believed in their ideals as much as anyone; more, even. I sought strength harder than most of my peers could. So there was no one incident, no long time. It was a slow building until I couldn't ignore it any longer. Death, pain, terror... They were all I really had."
"I confronted my Master, and refused to fight him. So he struck me with his own power, and the last thing I remember is tumbling off that cliff towards the water. There are two reasons I'm not worried that they'll come for me. The first is that they believe I'm dead, though that may change after all this. The second..."
Jean cracks her neck, antsy.
"I'm coming for them first. ...They steal children to fill out their ranks. I'm going to find my old Master and ensure the cult never steals another childhood. Then I can be done."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
That makes them sound dangerous. Rose isn't so overconfident as to think the Scattered Bones can handle anyone. People like the Shepherd, even most Drifters, they're trouble. Assassins work best against the untrained, the vulnerable. Not the superpowered. But that doesn't mean she wouldn't help.
"If you want an extra pair of hands and eyes to take care of it, it's the least I can offer to show you I'm sincere. Those kinds of people cause more damage the longer they're around. I'd be happy to help resolve that even a bit faster."
It was also the safe option. Rose wasn't sure she wanted to get the Bones into some sort of assassin rivalry with this Cult, for they might be outmatched. If they're helping Jean, though? That gives them inside info and a plan.
"I understand your stance on killing now. It makes a lot more sense. If I was in your position I probably wouldn't want to kill anymore, either. Maybe one day I'll retire and won't be able to stand the sight of blood too. Until then I can't just stop though."
That was likely going to be as far as that discussion went, unless Jean wanted to push something. Now it was just a matter of Hiro returning so Rose could ask her final few questions before leaving. There's still so much to learn about Lucia and the Fiends' story. Were they lying to her? Were the Guard being played by someone pretending to be Althena? COULD you really just... talk to the goddess like that? Why would she brand Lucia the Destroyer? A million questions! And likely, few answers to be had.
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.
Jean intends for them to sound dangerous; they are. She believes that for sure, though she has a certain confidence in her own abilities to deal with them as well. It isn't only the familiarity.
"...I appreciate that offer. I'm not sure yet how I'm going to do it; I may end up accepting your help, if it comes down to it. ...But this is something I have to do, either way."
It's a good plan; Jean has her curiousities about the others of the Shattered Bones by this point, though her comfort level with other assassins hasn't increased over the course of this conversation.
"Heh," Jean answers another comment, "I'm used to blood, though I don't like it. I've probably shed more of it training than most in combat in their lives. ...Though I guess I shed it in combat, too. You saw me on our way out of the city; I was covered in it. I'm lucky after all of that that I still have both legs."
She pauses, "...But I don't. I say from experience... When you take enough lives, it takes something away from you. I don't know how experienced you are, or if you've felt it, but it's true. It's not just my hands that are stained. If it hasn't happened yet, it'll happen to you too."
"But I don't even know how old you are. You..." She trails off, and looks down into the fire, growing a different kind of serious. "...Please don't share anything I've told you. My friends don't know, and I don't want them to know."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"..."
A pause, at the reveal her friends don't know.
Rose sighs. Being nice will get the better of her one of those days.
A gloved hand reaches up, and she pulls the mask away from her face for a moment. "Well, here. If I go and tell anyone, you have something to tell people too. And this way you know where to find me when you figure out how you want to deal with the Cult."
Even if Jean had never really interacted with Rose, as Rose, she'd surely caught a glimpse of the Sparrowfeathers and their actions post-city burning, if not their various travels as merchants, so the face shouldn't be completely unknown.
The mask goes back to her face, and Rose relaxes significantly. "I don't know that I can keep the Shepherd from pursuing Lucia. It might be we're going to have to fight a few times just to keep appearances up. But honestly? I want this to resolve better than either your friend killing mine or my friend purifying yours and somehow messing something up by doing that. I'm new to this big supernatural threat thing but something's going on here that's probably bigger than either of us. Maybe... bigger than the Shepherd and the Lord of Calamity. I don't know. It's kind of scary, to be honest with you." Even pulling the mask off for just that moment seems to have changed Rose's tone entirely. Maybe it's the fact she's not pretending to be strong right now.
"Nineteen, by the way, and I don't intend to let it destroy me. My soul is a beacon of shining light, thank you very much! I intend to keep it like that. Maybe some of it can rub off on you if you think you're that bad off."
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.
Maybe it's Rose's brief unmasking; maybe it's that Jean let something slip about her friends. Regardless the surprise she feels is visible when the mask comes away, and there's a lot of it. She expects a few things from sighs, but not that. And a somewhat familiar face, at that; Jean spent a lot of time camping outside the city rather than within its limits, but she was still a rather social member of the Fiends.
...That, and they don't have much alcohol in the wilderness.
"...Heh," Jean says, and smiles faintly. "You're all right. That's better for people like us anyway, isn't it? Your secret's safe with me."
She has a plan with the Cult... but it doesn't go all that far yet, just one component. And she can't do it from here.
"...If we're being honest, I didn't entirely believe Hiro and Lucia when I first met them. It's a wild story. But all I have to do is keep them alive while we're travelling together." A pause, "...If we have to fight, then so be it. I hate fighting people, but..." A shake of her head.
Rose at least now knows why, probably.
But the age? "So pretty young," Jean says thoughtfully, though she glances down and shakes her head after a moment. "A beacon of shining light, huh...? You're at least really confident, I guess. I hope you're right." She looks back up, "But mine is. And I'm already travelling with some great people. I just know I can help them, and that maybe one day I can stop the Cult."
A beat, "...I'm about... 22? I don't actually know how old I am for sure. Older than you, in any case!" Jean smiles. "If you ever decide to give up the assassin's trade, I'd be happy to teach you to dance."
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
After circling the camp about five times in a wide circle. Counting backwards from a thousand- he starts his way back. They might hear the crunch of twigs and the beating of wings when...
"A beacon of shining light? Hiro she's so totally full of herself..." "Ruby... maybe try to get along with her a little? Please?" "Okay- okay."
Now closer, Hiro waves, "Hey how'd the girl talk go?" Though his eyes drift up, "Though uh... maybe I should rethink my word choice there."
Discussing one's dark past doesn't seem like girl talk to him, other than the fact that both of them were girls.
Ruby groans and goes to settle back down by Jean. Hiro settles back down on the log and looks between the two.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"Probably," Rose answers to the idea it's better for people like that. "Without some sort of honor code, you couldn't have a lot of assassins around. You'd have a lot of bodies around, probably!" Judging by her tone, she's joking. But it's also pretty true. "Dancing, though? I wouldn't mind learning sometime. It's certainly a better hobby than killing people." But then, what isn't?
Hiro and Ruby finally return, and with that Rose regains some manner of composure, though she definitely seems more relaxed than before even so, especially considering she immediatly jokes: "Oh, it was fine, we talked about makeup and whether the Shepherd or the White Knight is the hottest of the two." It's a legitimate question people need to ask themselves. The White Knight or the Shepherd? Option 3 is Zed, so choose wisely.
"So, was that all you know about Lucia, Althena, the Destroyer and Zophar? How did the Guard even speak to the goddess to obtain the kill order on Lucia? For that matter how is Lucia planning to speak to the goddess?"
It might be the limit of what she can find out.
But it was very informative nonetheless.
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.
"An honor code or someone powerful enough pulling the strings--you need something," Jean agrees, though she's not thrilled about it. She's... not so much joking, though. "Bodies, probably." A beat, "Great! I learned to dance when the caravan found me--after a while, anyway--and I really love it! There's just nothing like it. Let me know, all right?" A beat, "It's a better job than killing people, too." ...But then, again, what isn't?
Hiro's not there without warning, of course; Jean hears him approach. She doesn't move to do anything until he talks though, and then she waves. ...Rose beats her to the joke, and Jean immediately nods twice. "It's a question with a lot of nuance. Personally though, I pick the Shepherd. He's got this sort of innocent quality to him that says that when you got him alone he'd be asking you to show him how it all works. It's cute."
She doesn't even keep a totally straight face. But it might be straight enough. "Not that he's my type."
It fades a moment after though as Rose asks the questions. "I'll let you cover that one, Hiro." Jean starts to get back to cooking, in fact. "You're still welcome to stay for dinner, you know."
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
Hiro doesn't seem to understand it's a joke, almost falling backwards off his log, "Wait what?! Really!?"
Hiro just stares at Jean, gawking, "W-Well Sorey is kind of... I mean he's the kind of guy I could see girls falling..." Blink, blink. "Not your type? Why would you two talk about him and Leo if neither are your ty-"
Ruby flies up straight to his face, almost touching his forehead, as she shouts, "Because they're messing with you moron!"
Hiro opens his mouth, closes it, then sort of gets this sheepish look, "Girls really do seem to enjoy making a guy squirm..." He takes it well in stride though, as Ruby shakes her head and returns to her log.
But Rose asks some questions which are good ones. "Uh for all that. Pretty much. Lucia doesn't talk about herself much. Zophar she mostly says is the Destroyer- and that everything is going to be destroyed if she doesn't speak to Althena. And you know, given that he cast a curse on her that's fooling everyone into believing she's the Lord of Calamity- I believe it. She seems to know Althena but doesn't really talk about how they know each other. Corwynt- one of Leo's top guys said he heard it from Althena's lips. Apparently this was important enough to say in person?"
That idea is disquieting. How far does Zophar's influence go? "I'm guessing that Zophar did something to the four dragons that messed with her- Goddess Vision?" Yes that's totally a thing he made up just now out of lack of a better term, "Or that one of her top people is in his thrall. Maybe she has advisors or something?" "Or an evil vizier with a wicked serpent staff!"
Remember. All Lunar 2 scenes are localized by Working Designs.
"Pentagulia's her holy city. I assume you can't just walk up and ring the chime if you want to talk to her but... I guess that if she showed up with news this earth shattering Althena would open up and talk to her."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
Jean: this is why Rose wears a mask. She doesn't have to keep a straight face through the talk of comparing Sorey and Leo. The mask remains perfectly still, cold metal and doesn't betray the goofy grin underneath. There are other excellent reasons to wear a mask but this is easily in the top five.
"No, it's alright. I should get going, I've bothered you both long enough," Rose says, declining the offer for food, as much as she kind of wants to take it. She's not leaving before hearing Hiro out though, absolutely not.
And unfortunately his answers are... well, they're straightforward, and they explain some things, but not all. It's expected. There wouldn't be such a mess going on if someone willing to talk had all the answers. "I see. Then, the answer must lie with Corwynt. Either he is lying, or he is being deceived. Getting to him will be the hard part." The man who spoke to Althena herself must be well guarded, and you don't become one of Leo's chosen few without being an excellent knight to begin with. It's problematic.
But maybe they can use Sorey's position to get close.
To get those answers.
"Thank you for humoring me. I hope your vigilance lets Lucia recover swiftly. I'd like to hear the tale of how she protected the royal family from her own lips, when she's awake. Actually, I'd like to talk to her at all, really. I believe you both, but some things you just have to determine face to face."
Rose gets up, finally, and she seems ready to head off. "Well, good luck with all this. If I find anything out that might be of use to you, I'll let you know. I don't want to see tragedy befall Lunar any more than you do; whether as a result of her curse, or of the Shepherd's zeal in fixing a problem."
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.
"Yep," Jean confirms after Ruby answers, "Totally messing with you." She grins at him. At his comment about squirming? "We sure do! It's a lot of fun." Jean has to fake some of the cheer still, but messing with Hiro is a real hobby of hers... and doing it with Rose makes the assassin seem less distant.
She's not entirely sure how she feels about that.
Rose answers through, and Jean looks up to her, nodding. "All right!" ...She doesn't try that hard to keep her around. But she can't say it was too bad..
"...Well, if you wanted to kill a powerful woman from another planet, you wouldn't want to leave it to chance, either. I don't like it, but it's not out of the question for them to believe. Especially if Althena and Lucia know each other."
She sighs. "I still can't believe the Goddess would be..." But a part of her can; the pessimistic part that wonders sometime whether she can do any of this.
"Get to him and get information and all, but if you kill one of the Guard's top people, we're the ones who are going to suffer the consequences--and the blame. Don't forget that."
They're thnked though. All of that... "Hey, whatever. I don't take offense at someone wanting to see with their own eyes. You know we're here, and you know we'll be watching, just in case."
She can't entirely trust Rose not to decide to go through with her possible plan before.
"...Take care of yourself," Jean says to Rose as she rises to go, and feels a little more aware of the throb in her leg. "...Next time you come see us, you can wave. My offer for a meal's still open."
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
Hiro scratches his chin when Rose says the answers lie with Corwynt, "I don't actually think he's lying. He doesn't seem like the type. He's the kind of guy where you'd admire his dedication... if he didn't allow it all to become this weird zealotry." He shakes his head, "Yeah and that's what makes him a total jerk. He totally trashed Jean and Lemina and he hasn't even met them!" Hiro nods his head, lips pressing together, "Yeah. And I'm not going to let it slide when people insult my friends like that."
Hiro slowly nods when Rose says that she'd like to talk to Lucia when she recovers. "Honestly... I think she'd want to talk to you. I dunno if she'll answer all the questions you'd have but..." He considers it for a while, "...well I bet if you met her face to face you'd know within minutes she's not this dark force of destruction." "Unless you're a hamburger apparently..."
Hiro takes a few moments to regard Rose and- "Good luck to you too. Not with the whole killing part I guess but... everything else. Heh." He rubs his opposite arm, "And any help you can offer- outside of killing!" He must be realizing that being positive and validating in a ubiquitous way with Rose might backfire, "We'd appreciate it. Like that's all we want. To save our world- to help people without good people getting hurt because they think we're villains." "Take care! And hey maybe don't kill anyone but if you wanna sneak up and play a prank on Leo sometime..." "Please- don't actually do that!" Like Jean said they'd suffer the consequences.
He starts waving as she leaves and after she's a short distance away, "Huh. I wonder what her day job is." Hiro looks Jean's way, "She seems too cheerful to be an assassin."