2020-06-21: Neither True Believers
- Log: Neither True Believers
- Cast: Loren Voss, Yue Rohay
- Where: Great Sea
- Date: June 24, 2020
- Summary: At an Odessa encampment, two whose alliances rest elsewhere cross paths. Yue gets to bully someone for a chance. Loren learns something unpleasant.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Ink marks paper. The young man sitting by the docks would be just any other, making use of the already fading light to jot down a few words more before the sun dips below the horizon.
Except for the fact that this small island in particular is an Odessa-controlled waypoint for their forces.
Except for the fact that the young man wears the uniform of an Odessa grunt.
Loren Voss -- or Ben Lyon, as his cover name goes -- has spent weeks embedded (without Odessa's knowledge) in the lower ranks of their forces.
It's been like starting out in Aveh all over again, and this time without any of the perks.
This time, too, knowing that something is very wrong with his mind.
...He can't write down everything. Someone could swipe his notebook. Putting it in Solarian would also be a poor move.
But he has to start writing something down. Just in case.
He frowns at a particular line.
Too much?
Uncapping a heavy black pen with his teeth, he moves to black it out.
Better be safe than sorry.
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
There's a dark figure approaching from-- uh, the direction of the ocean, actually.
On its own, this would be noteworthy enough; save the fact that the sounds of galloping hooves clatter nonsensically against the water, and Loren -- Ben -- can witness an enormous black mechanical horse marching up towards the docks.
Its rider is a figure clad in dark armour, though the mask is off at the moment -- and Yue's rather uncomfortable face can be seen at the moment.
She's not having a really good day.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
A rider on horseback approaches.
Loren's gaze lifts from the paper.
...By sea.
He just... squints at the sight, frowning. It would have normally been the weirdest thing he'd seen in the last while.
Except, he saw a woman break her neck (among other injuries) and essentially shrug it off.
It occurs to him after a moment more that this might be something he has to attend to.
At least, as long as he's playing the part.
He rises to his feet hastily and almost loses his pen's cap in the process.
Particularly when she gets close enough that he recognizes her face. His heart nearly leaps into his chest. She was that women around when he'd fallen into that--
He hasn't forgotten Linaweyul, at least.
"Hey! Hey, who are you?!" he shouts, playing the part of the soldier and hoping she won't recognize him in turn, waving his hand. His free hand, that is and not the one holding the notebook.
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
The rider stops, and the steed pulls up to the docks and draws down and stares towards Loren. At this close of a distance, it's plain to see the woman is injured; there's an enormous pit where the armour has failed her shoulder, from a blast of what might look like a concentrated blast of Ether.
Loren probably knows a little about having concentrated blasts of Ether aimed at him.
"... ... I am an Odessan agent, Fjolnir," Yue answers, looking towards him. Peering towards him -- amongst the Veruni, she's not the tallest figure, for somewhat obvious reasons if you're in the know. "Rendezvous point A-86, assigned by Operative Caina."
There is a tilt of her head. "You look familiar..."
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
...What in the world happened to her armor?
Why is she in armor?
Why is she here, come to think of it.
And perhaps even more importantly: who is she, anyway. No, not just her name --
But really, functionally, who (or what) she is.
Caina? For a moment he bears a questioning look before recollection hits home. Right -- that little twerp with the alleged demon summoning (nobody tell him!) business. "So you're one of..."
A long pause follows.
"...Never seen you before in my life," replies Loren stiffly. If this were anime he would already be sweating nervously.
"And it's Ben. Ben Lyon. New... ish recruit."
A long pause.
"With... Lefanu."
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
Of a lot of things that she is, facial recognition is one of those skills that Yue has had to become really good at, with her first major role as a double agent and a spy amongst the Radical and Moderate forces of the Veruni, long ago.
"I see. Ben," Yue speaks with that kind of tired tone that doesn't sound like she entirely buys it, but... lets it slide.
"Neither of us seem the kind who are true believers, if I may be so bold to say."
Lefanu. Her eyes narrow a bit.
"I see. The Nosferatu..." There is a wince at the memory there. Mostly involving getting kicked.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Unfortunately, Loren has done little except do away with his glasses and dye his hair. It's enough for working with these Lambs, particularly once he's in full combat gear. But...
...against a well-honed eye---
Shit. She recognizes me, he thinks, because while Loren Voss is, in many regards, an unrelenting dumbass... he's not stupid. If she so chose, she could ruin his gambit entirely--
And maybe she still will.
He looks away from her sharply. "I... I don't know what you're talking about," he says, his gaze off towards the neighboring pier.
A long pause follows.
"...Nosferatu?"
what, did no one tell him
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
Yue blinks a few times and looks a bit closer to Ben -- to Loren -- and shrugs quietly, murmuring, "I see."
There is a very tired chuckle as she approaches a bit closer, sitting down next to him; she has to actually manifest a sharp, twisted metal staff to help herself down to a seated position.
"I do not have a reason to question why you are here, so I shall leave that one be."
A longer pause, as the more interesting conversation topic comes up. "... you do not know? Of the pact Lefanu entered into, on that day in Sunset Bluffs."
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
He's naturally the suspicious sort, and a statement like that does little to quell whatever currently-rising suspicions he might have.
He's not stupid, whatever his failings. Indeed, his position in Solaris' society -- and the social navigation that becomes increasingly necessary among the elite -- pay dividends here. He can read a between the lines.
Great. So she's also up to something. At least this means that if she rats him out, he can try and ruin her plans, but...
He still doesn't like this. He still doesn't like any of this.
He settles down on the dock, dropping the notebook beside him.
There were rumors about Lefanu. That she slept through the day. That the sun burned her flesh. But only hushed whispers, as if even then they were afraid someone might hear.
"...No, I don't. What pact?"
The kind of thing that lets people walk down walls? Lift a full-grown man one-handedly?
Fix their own broken neck?
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
Yue can't help it. Some instincts are just so learned that you can't undo them, even if the kind of double agent she was before is no longer her now. She peeks an eye to him, then smirks to say, "Unfortunately, my arrangement is a known one to Vinsfeld and the other leadership, unlike yours."
She can't help but poke. It's kind of fun.
When she's bleeding out like this, perhaps it's something to keep her going.
"The details elude me. 'tis an old story, of those who sought to usurp the power of the Crimson Nobles for their own, creating lab-bred super soldiers. She had managed to tap into that very same power..."
A pause. "She delivers a very mean kick, I must say."
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
He pauses, in the way that in another medium there might be the sound effect of a record scratch.
Wait, so they know? Or, is she just pulling his leg? Or--
He needs to run the gambit as soon as he can, he decides, in the silence that follows after.
That much is absolutely clear.
He's likely running out of time anyway. The longer this goes on, the more of his mind is going to crumble away.
Again, he shakes his head, as if defiant to the last. "I don't know what you mean," he repeats, glancing away from her.
Crimson Nobles.
He's silent for a long moment.
"...What's a Crimson Noble?"
REALLY, Loren??
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
Ah, I'm such a bad person, Yue thinks with an inner smile creeping up inside of her. It's like the time playing and flirting with Acacia was a fun game of cat and mouse until it got very real and reminded her that she's not that sort of person anymore, but...
"Mm-hmm," Yue answers. Then pauses, looking agog. "You are... speaking in jest, yes?"
Her eyebrows raise further. "They were a race of vampires, if the term is clearer to you. They avoid the sun, and drain blood from folk in the night."
A tilt of her head. "Please do not tell me you are so innocent you have been spending time around a super-powered blood-sucker without knowing it?"
THIS IS TOO FUN
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Loren, it should be noted, is a native of Etrenank's upper class.
Loren, it should also be noted, has never really cared for certain genres of fiction. Certain genres which, it should be also noted, perhaps don't register quite as firmly in the public consciousness as they do in other cultures. After all, Crimson Nobles are popular for one singular reason--
This is the case even when it comes to Lamb fiction.
So he wears a blank look for a good long moment.
As Yue explains.
Loren's expression remains blank.
Internally, he is screaming.
"ok," he manages, at a great distance.
He continues eventually: "Then I won't tell you."
How in the world has he even--
Emperor, I'm an idiot, he settles for at last. It's some small mercy she hasn't decided to eat him yet.
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
Yue's face droops as she realises, wow, there's a sum balance of having too much fun and possibly doing the right thing here. She lowers her head for a longer moment, trying to not have too hard of a chuckle.
"... if you wish to re-evaluate your life choices, I can help find an out for you," she offers, perhaps as an olive branch.
A smirk. "Or perhaps you would find yourself dinner at some point?"
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
At that offer, he bristles, much like a cat who has been rubbed the wrong way, and he shakes his head. "No thanks. I've got it managed."
Does he?
Perhaps he ought to escalate his plan timeschedule before he runs into a sort of trouble he didn't quite anticipate.
"And I told you, I don't know what you're talking about."
As if repeating himself will make it any more true.
But he also can't really contain that shudder that follows. Thinking about someone drinking his blood and eating his flesh...
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
"... very well," Yue answers as she finally rises again. The only thing working against her at the moment, to be quite honest, is how much injury she's sustained and how much she's bleeding out under that armour of hers. Then again, the armour rather enjoys that...
Loren can see, as she turns -- a large red module at the back of her neck, forming part of the armour's collar. It flashes red for a moment, possessing an unsettling aura for a moment.
"Perhaps we will meet again, if you live that long," Yue remarks, as she climbs aboard her steed and proceeds further inwards.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"...?"
Something's off about the way she rises to her feet. Loren tilts his head, his brow crinkling. Is she...
...hurt?
"Hey," he starts to say...
Only to shake his head. "...Forget it," he mutters, glancing over at the notebook and seizing onto it suddenly, as if it were something important and precious and rare.
He has enough problems as it is. He doesn't need more.
She climbs about her 'horse' in the meanwhile. He scrambles to his feet himself, watching her for the moment.
"...Worry about yourself," are his parting words, as she passes him where he stands on the docks, his gaze towards the east.
Night is coming.