2020-10-14: Not As Planned

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<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    THE FAHRENHEIT - BEFORE THE RESCUE PLAN

     They're battered, and they're bruised... but at long last, the distraction team has been able to meet at the designated rendezvous point. More time has passed than first anticipated for the operation, and the false flag operation was intercepted before a clean withdrawal could be performed... but it is only now that something resembling answers are starting to come together as to how things have went, as the sun sets on Spira. (It's a beautiful sunset, depending on how much dread one has when they see pyreflies flitting about over a battlefield's sky. There's no small amount of them.)
     There's a fair bit of chattering on the deck, almost all of it in Al Bhed and almost none of it calm. (Brother is still screaming in frustration every time someone interrupts him, he seems really focused. On screaming in frustration every time someone interrupts him. That takes a lot of focus!) There is a noted lack of relieved voices and hugs and other signs of things having gone well - in fact, even though they are already well over what may have been the intended capacity for the aircraft...
     It seems all the emptier for it.
     Ethius, torso wrapped in bandages from wounds sustained taking some of Hilda's best with a shawl making up the rest of whatever he has to hide himself from the waist up, is standing near a corner with a hand up to his forehead as if in thought.
     It is not proving to be an evening that can be filed under 'restful.' 

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

Xiumei, at present, looks every bit the clerk and not the armored warrior. She sits on a chair in one of the Fahrenheit's rooms, looking down at the table. Her nose wrinkles for a moment, as she thinks of it -- and then she looks up. Her eyes peer at Ethius, and then she flinches a little to hear Brother yelling. She doesn't really understand...

...but she has a good idea of what he is yelling about. "I wonder what we'll do," she says, with a glance at her side. At Eleanor; she remembers what Marivel said. Eleanor is second-in-command, now.

"A lot of ARMS that made it to this side went in, right?" she asks. "And a lot of others. And Lady Yuna... it's clear that something went terribly wrong."

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Layna had not been a member of the primary distraction force, but she had been present. She might have gotten a good fight in, but things hadn't gone completely according to plan. And with not sign of the infiltration team... it was back to the drawing board.

The 'drawing board', in Layna's case, means sharing a drink with some of the crew. But, now feels like a good time for some fresh air. And so she decides to leave Dahlia to that, stepping out onto the deck.

Her eyes are drawn to the sun for a moment, her arms folded in thought and an unusually-pensive frown on her face as she considers the situation.

Nearby, Xiumei comments on the situation. Layna sends a glance in her direction. ...So ARMS was in trouble too, huh...? 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor Klein did not go on the original mission into Bevelle proper. It boils down to the idea that in her current position, one of them had to stay behind--and Eleanor is the one now. She sits on another chair at the same table as Xiumei, dressed in Spiran-style clothes again, since her suit by now is thoroughly battle-ruined. Well, not only because of that. She looks over Ethius again, considering his injuries--but back to Xiumei.

"Something clearly went wrong," ELeanor agrees. "But they've been out of bad situations before--we should trust them, too."

Pause. "...But, also we should be looking for ways into the city; I couldn't break through the gates with the siege, though we got close," she says, and Ethius was even there, "So we'll need to find another route. There's no call to give up hope yet--but... We should prepare to back them up." 

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    There had been a cloud of pyreflies, visible over Bevelle. It did not at all bode well.

    Citan Uzuki, simple country doctor, has yet to share such concerns with any of the others -- perhaps least of all Fei and Emeralda. Quiet for quite some time, he has stood to one side, clearly lost in thought.

    "...I believe," he says at last, "that it is likely that the rescue team has failed." He glances at the others, as if to take them all in. "...You are correct, Miss Klein. An direct assault would be unwise. Even Althena's Guard, which has mustered more than our number, has failed. Either we must work out another way in, or..."

    He lapses into silence again, creasing his brow. 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    "Most of the Caravan Kinship elected to be part of the extraction operation." Ethius weighs in, hand never moving from his head - at this point, establishing a headcount of who's missing is just as important. It brings to mind what resources are no longer on the table among the assembled. They can't leverage Jay's contacts in which to obtain information, for one - an advantage easy to overlook until that's gone.
     ARMS is composed of some of the absolute cream of the crop among the Drifter community, elites among elites - he couldn't begin to list off the expertise lost to them. He half-expects Marivel to just fade back in from a cloud of bats, make a pithy comment or two, and recommence going about business as though part of a greater master plan. She did come back from full-on disintegration, after all.
     So far she has not.
     The strange Symbologist ruminates in quiet for a while as much as anyone else here. It's a dreadful scenario. They don't know if the captured are still alive. Let alone what they might have taken off of them. 

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

"There must be ways into the city," Xiumei agrees with Eleanor. "I wonder what, exactly. They must have supply routes. A city that big... it wouldn't just be able to be cut off the world."

She pushes her glasses up -- glances from Eleanor to Citan -- and then she bobs her head once. "So we'll have to sneak in. That'll mean we have our work cut out for us," she admits.

She glances at Ethius, then, and she frowns -- makes a face -- and then she glances downward. "All of them, too? That's bad..."

Xiumei sighs a little, and pushes her glasses up. "It sounds like we all know people who were," she admits.

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

"Aye - we'll have to look into a course of action." Layna comments, breaking her silence. She turns to look toward the others. To Eleanor, she nods. "I agree - never been one to sit around when there's something to be doing, myself."

She looks toward Xiumei, then.

"Supply routes, aye...? Now that's a thought..." Layna says considerably. "We'll have to do some scouting - see if we can't find out if and how people are transporting goods outside the city. And once we do..."

She trails off, glancing toward Ethius as he speaks. The Caravan Kinship... she can't say she knows too much about them, only the occasional run-in with one of their members. 

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia Seren loves hanging out with the Al Bhed so she didn't participate in the assault largely because she was too busy watching the Al Bhed and their engineering work. It should be noted that Lydia Seren's style of engineering is, coincidentally, not unlike the Al Bhed's. But eventually she makes over to the gathering on the Farenheit. She honestly probably looks similar in form to Xiumei when she armors up, but it's clear her gear is just 'her body' judging from the visible joints you can see. But of course, Xiumei just looks like a cool nerd to Lydia, not a killer robot warrior!--so Lydia doesn't get all over her.

Instead she adds, "Oh hey it's hot elf eleanor again. Sup." She looks to Xiumei. "So are you guys... going to bust back in to save everyone? IT'd be kind of wild especially since it feels like they'd just also capture you guys." 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor is apparently thinking along similar lines to Citan, though she doesn't explore his 'or'. Maybe she can guess what he's thinking; maybe not. But what she does do is nod to Ethus as he mentions the Caravan Kinship, considering those who went. Naturally, Eleanor has kept track of who was there and who didn't go, not just of ARMS but of others.

"Waterways, maybe. At least that would be worth a try." Their work will be cut out for them, but...

"Those of us who are good at subtlety might be best to explore those options," she says to Layna, and then Lydia walks in.

Eleanor smiles. "Hello," she greets back, and then shakes her head. "Not exactly. An outright assault has the same problem you mention. We're thinking of stealthier means."

"Of course, if we can secure an exit..." 

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    "There must be supply routes."

    Perhaps there's no need for Eleanor to speculate long on the content of that 'or', because in a fashion, Citan speaks to it. "A city that large cannot feed itself," says the doctor, glancing up towards the ceiling for a moment. "However... without sufficient forces I do not think we could impact those in any meaningful way." He pauses again, as if thinking. "...And I will admit that I do not like our chances of sneaking inside alongside incoming goods. No doubt, they will be expecting it. If the mission has failed, they will be on high alert."

    He folds his arms over his chest and frowns. "If there were a secret way in..."

    But here Lydia enters, and here Citan trails off to glance over her way. "Oh, hello there," he says, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.

    "...Whatever we do, we must be certain to secure an exit. There will be no 'rescuing the rescuers'... as it were," he finishes, shaking his head. 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    "What supply lines they have, I would presume to be strained to the limit," Ethius remarks somewhere around the time Layna gives him a glance. "To my understanding, Althena's Guard has continued to make significant military gains in our absence."
     The visibility in which specific individuals have acted in multiple theaters... there is something about that which does not settle right with me. Why is that?
     Lydia comes by and suggests the most direct, wild, cool, and awesome thing and immediately highlights why that might be a bad idea, as Eleanor and Citan concur. Bevelle would be on high alert for any other attempts of that ilk, after all.
     "...Althena's Guard, at the very least... is an independent actor. I do not foresee a ceasefire being called between them, for lack of a greater enemy to mobilize against." He still hasn't taken the hand away from his forehead. "I believe our best window of opportunity would be to have it coincide with another attack, but I am uncertain as to how much of a force they would be willing to commit to what appears a protracted stalemate." 

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

"Did you just call her--" Xiumei makes such a face at Lydia, then she shakes her head once. "No, it's as you say. They'd just capture us." Even if the robots in her mind would like to bust right in there, but she knows better on that front.

She looks sideways, at Citan, and tilts her head as she considers him for a moment. "You're right. Maybe we should focus on a way in, and one that's not... ah... right in Bevelle's firing line. Or, um, in the Guard's."

She glances sideways at Ethius, then nods. "I'm not sure either. But... um... Miss Manydays may be right. Scouting might be the best way."

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

'Those who are best at subtlety', huh...? Layna can't help but chuckle, at that.

"Well, that rules me right out. But then again, we might not have a lot of choice. I'll try to cooperate." Layna says with a shrug. Subtlety... was not her strong suit. She was more of the 'bust right in and cause some problems' type."

Lydia shows up, then. She raises an eyebrow at her comment, but doesn't comment on it herself.

"Lydia." Layna greets with a nod. "Aye, that's what we're discussin' now. Bustin' right in... probably ain't the best idea - as much as that usually what I'm good at."

Citan says he doesn't like the chances of sneaking in, and Layna nods.

"Aye, there's the rub - and I wager the same goes for any other prospective entrance." She agrees. It's that they'll need to secure an exit, too - they were the backup, and chances were slim that there'd be another group waiting to help them. She looks toward Ethius, then.

"By 'independent actor', you mean they're stubborn as hell and will just keep doin' what they want until either they or Bevelle breaks, right?" She comments. "You're right, though - maybe we can use that. ...Again." 

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

"I'm an honest woman who sometimes speaks before she thinks!!" Lydia says.

Lydia also knows better. And also kind of doesn't want to. Last time she broke into a temple Krelian showed up. She'd prefer to avoid a situation like that.

Lydia throws a wave over to Citan. "Hey dude." She kind of shows off her profile because she's gone from body shy to pretty confident in her body image so long as nobody actually calls her out on it or makes her doubt herself even slightly at which point it will all fall over like a house of cards.

"I'm about as subtle as a sledgehammer. BUt I can make usre the Fereshte is primed to get the heck out of here at least on short notice." 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor smiles at Xiumei and at Lydia. That is it for now. It's all fine.

"We could take advantage of that expectation--a feint, to draw their attention where they already expect it to go." Eleanor thinks it out as she speaks. "But we'd need to find that 'secret way' for the real operation..."

"That's good--escaping quickly will put us out of range of counterattack ideally, though I expect we'll need some of that directness," she answers, looking to Layna. "If we can take advantage of an extent attack as Mister Hesiod suggests then that would be ideal."

"Sure, we did it last time, but it remains a good plan. Even if they expect more trouble, they can't defend everywhere at once. I think... Yes, scouting has to be our next step."

She pauses, hesitates, nd then looks to Xiumei. "If I could see clearly..." She stops, and shakes her head. "Ah, nevermind. But I'm certain there's a way. And..."

She taps her cheek thoughtfully. "Hmm... But would they know how to trap her...?" She starts talking to herself without thinking about it. She does this sometimes, stares into space a little while after. 

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    "Indeed, that may be our ideal window of opportunity, should it coincide with our own attempt. It is a pity, but we cannot involve Althena's Guard direction. Indeed, after our, ah... operation, I do not believe that the Guard will be at all inclined kindly towards us," Citan says, apologetic smile and all. "Therefore, we should rely on the allies we do have. Perhaps the Al Bhed know something that we do not. ...And if not, we can search, ourselves."

    He glances up at the ceiling again. "I am no scholar of Spiran history... but as I understand it, Bevelle is an extremely old city. The odds are in our favor; it may well have ancient pathways that the current residents have long forgotten."

    He pauses as if to consider Lydia's offer. "...Yes, we may well need that escape route. I do not know the full capacity of their ability to pursue. Speed may be of the essence." 

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

"Well... that does sound like them, from everything I've seen regarding the Guard," Xiumei says to Layne, with a sigh. When she does, she blows some purple hair up and out of her eyes. Her nose wrinkles, for a moment. Then, she looks at Lydia, and tilts her head -- but her eyes meet Eleanor's gold ones. Then, she bobs her head, once.

"We should have the airships ready to help people," she says. "There could be wounded. We don't know what they're like. And those pyreflies..."

There could be dead. Or, worse; the dead on Spira do not always stay dead. She knows that well enough, after the reports about Maester Seymour's return came out. She looks at Eleanor, then -- Xiumei blinks, before she reaches over and pats her on the shoulder.

She looks at Citan, then, and she blinks. "I see what you mean... they're likely to shoot us," she says. "But... tunnels under the city would be perfect!"

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    "It is true that my suggested timing window would be out of our hands." Still, Ethius thinks, he could see a way to exploit this and get closer - but there is mention about Bevelle's age as a city. "It is true..."
     Ethius' voice starts to trail off, as if suggesting he had more to say but decides not to. (He also hasn't moved his hand at all. It is possible in this entire scene they forgot to animate him at all.)
     ...If I had a better read of how the architecture of Spira came together over the years... perhaps I would have already identified it prior to the two-pronged operation. There is a sudden pause, and whoop, looks like he's been animated at all, hand away from his face. ...Should... I already have known that... before? Before... He mulls over the thought in his mind. Before... what? Doing something? How would he know before? That doesn't make sense. He has never been here prior.
     His thoughts drift to Guadosalam. He felt more at peace there, and yet...
     ...
          ...
               ...
     "...I do not believe we have a means to deal with pyrefly clusters pre-emptively," he latches onto the first subject he can find, gaze trailing Lydia but otherwise not saying much to her. (Their relationship has been, uh, strained. Wait, no, that may be a four-h uh. Like... uhhhh, strained.) 

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

"Aye, that's smart. Good thinkin', lass." Layna says with a nod as Lydia says she'll make sure the Fereshte will be ready, and then grins. "We're gonna owe you Wayside folks a lot once this is all over with, I wager. But I appreciate it, really."

"Frankly, they're hard-headed enough that I'm sure they would've caused trouble even without that." Layna says with a shrug toward Citan's comment. "But you're right - they definitely won't now."

Tunnels, though - Layna nods.

"Aye, tunnels are good - even if we gotta dig our own. Or blow some out." She agrees, then looks toward Ethius. Pyreflies clusters...

"Sure would be nice if we had a Summoner of our own on hand to deal with that... but, uh, I guess we wouldn't be in this situation if we did." She admits. 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

"Hm?" Eleanor blinks a moment as Xiumei taps her shoulder, and looks over, vision clearing. "Oh! Ah, sorry. I was thinking about Marivel..." She tries to place everything in proper context again. Ethius had mentioned the timing...

"Bevelle is rather old, I've heard that as well. It's worth a try."

"I have to agree," Eleanor admits to Layna about the Guard causing trouble. But then--hmm.

"We don't," Eleanor agrees with Ethius, "Though Bevelle may try to deal with those itself--I assume they have other Summoners capable of a Sending."

"No I was only thinking... I do believe there's still a chance to help them. I'll do what I can to make sure our supplies are in order, too." 

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    He cannot help but smile at Layna's remark, it seems. "I do not doubt it. ...Nevertheless, they were, ah, displeased by the ruse, you could say."

    This is a noted understatement.

    "...Yes," Citan says, glancing away from Xiumei. "We cannot be certain... what has precisely happened."

    If Elly is dead...

    But he shakes his head. "We cannot get ourselves trapped in speculating, can we? As they say, 'we cannot know until we know'!" 

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

"Mm, I know," Xiumei says, with a sigh. "A Summoner could help handle those. But... as is, we'll just have to handle them the old fashioned way."

She smiles at Eleanor, and then she shakes her head. "I'm sure Marivel's fine... she's the one I'm worried about the least." She sighs, then she looks down. She glances sideways at Citan.

"You're right, of course, Doctor Uzuki. It's easy to fall into the trap."

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    There's a lot of planning that needs to be done, and so many prospective gaps that they're used to having filled that... aren't. It could well be that the words and ideas spoken and shared in this room, right now, may be the only thread of hope there is in getting those trapped inside Bevelle out. Citan highlights the core of it - they cannot know until they know.
     "...It is true that we will not have much time to speculate." Ethius concedes that much - at some point they'll need to commit to a plan and ensure Cid and the rest here know what's going on. He straightens out from where he's currently standing, pulling the shawl tighter around himself. It's not as bad as the time he first got on the Fahrenheit after receiving care on the Fereshte, where he was all but hiding himself in it - for whatever reason.
     "...I will attempt another survey of the ground situation near Bevelle." Ethius remarks. This is probably code for 'about to borrow military equipment the original owners have quietly volunteered out of no longer requiring in the foreseeable future, or really ever again.' "I will inform the moment a novel opportunity arises as a result." 

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Layna leans back, considering everything put on the figurative table. It sounds like they're all pretty much in agreement on what they need to do from here... and then, Citan says something that makes her grin.

'We cannot know until we know', huh...? She laughs good-naturedly.

"Aye, I'll drink to that! That's more my style, anyway." She says with a nod. She'd literally drink to it, too, if there were anyone else here who would. 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor nods to Citan at their anger, a little wry herself about it. But, so it is. "We don't," she agrees with Ethius, and then smiles and shakes her head at Xiumei. "Exactly what I was thinking. Except I was getting a little morbid about it," she admits. "The others too, though."

Soon, they will need to commit. But first...

"Thank you, Ethius. I think that will work well." Then she pases, and grins at Lydia. "Xiu is pretty smart," she says, nudging her friend, and then Layna and Citan have their exchange, and--

"Something to drink to, all right. If I didn't have more work to do..."

She might too. 

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    "Sometimes," Citan concedes to Lydia, with a smile that doesn't really meet his eyes. "Then sometimes, not so much! ...Well then, we shall make do with the resources we have, and see what it is we are able to do! Though," he adds, glancing at the others, "First we should speak with Cid. I would like him to confirm that the situation is as dire as it seems..."

    Given the way the Al Bhed have been acting, the signs from the city, and the failure of the the rescue team to return, he believes that it is. But as they say, when you assume...

    "Hmm, perhaps I will leave you all to it, then?"

    Perhaps he'll go and speak to Cid -- or Leon -- shortly.

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