2023-11-03: Enemy of My Enemy...?
- Log: Enemy of My Enemy...?
- Cast: Xantia, Lily Keil, Elhaym van Houten, Citan Uzuki
- Where: Sielje Icy Sea
- Date: November 03, 2023
- Summary: Xantia has been having strange experiences and she's keen on telling the rest of the Wolves about it and getting their aid.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Present and seated before anyone else in the Karlsefni's designated meeting room is Xantia, uncharacteristicly early for a meeting. A meeting that she called. Wait, Xantia called a meeting? How can this be?
Whatever the case may be, the... circumstances that she had found herself in will be known to the Wolves. Not long after returning to Filgaia with Citan, the mysterious affliction that had plagued her in Spira faded away... as did Xantia's presence. It's nothing new for her to be off acting on her own, most commonly seeking out leads regarding the persisting mysteries surrounding her past. Prone to losing track of time, not hearing anything from her for a while isn't anything to be immediately concerned about.
When she disappeared for months, however, Lily took the initiative to track her down, eventually finding her in a state of confusion regarding where she'd been and what she'd been doing. Those memories soon returned: in some sort of fugue state, she'd been constantly on the trail of the Watchful Eye, the shadowy organization involved with Xenia's backers, chasing them all over Aquvy. Yet all she had to show for it in the end was an unknown dead man and a cracked mask, not unlike a theatre mask, decorated with a large, single eyeball.
Ever since then, Xantia has never been very far removed from Lily. For obvious reasons, she didn't trust herself to be alone. Eager to make up for the trouble, she volunteered to help with Lily's projects, mostly in the area of errands and heavy lifting. She's managed to follow what it's all about though, sometimes coming out of left field with an unexpected piece of insight.
And then out of nowhere, she sent around a Memory Cube message asking to meet back at the Karlsefni. Clearly there's something in particular that she has to discuss, but she didn't mention any details. But those who enter the meeting room will have an easy clue of what it relates to: there's a face-down envelope in front of Xantia, who has one arm on the table, resting her head on that hand. It doesn't take an empath to tell that she's annoyed, but only Lily will be able to easily tell just how livid she actually is.
Not livid enough that she can't force a smile for the rest of the Wolves though, greeting each with a short wave. Circumstances aside, she is still happy to see everyone.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily Keil has had a lot of research to do of late. Research into what she learned in Guild Galad, from Asgard; research into types of magic that she's trying to puzzle out how to do with Ether. Hints for where Colonel Keil has gone...
Lily can 'feel' the anger in Xantia, even before she comes into the room and sees it. But walk in she does; she steps around, and doesn't mention that Xantia may have helped her crack one of those puzzles after all.
Instead, she moves around and takes a seat. "Hey," Lily greets Xantia, and then the others.
She's on the Karlsefni, which means for once she isn't armored; her circuit markings are obvious at her collar, on her hands, still present despite the lack of active casting, for now. Perhaps she's just done a lot of it lately.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Elly arrives, same as she always has been... perhaps a little older, but she's still under 25, so it's more of a matter of degrees. She puts on moisturizing cream after standing in sea wind all day to go fishing! Which she has been doing a lot of, slowly increasing the Karlsefni's stock of old rotten boots and fish-related Gella.
She cannot 'feel' Xantia directly, but she can, perhaps, smell it. "Good to see you, Xantia," Elly says softly, filing in after Lily and ending up seated next to her. After a couple of minutes, she unfastens and shrugs off the naval coat she'd had on, letting it sprawl over the back of her chair.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
It's rare, in the peace that has decended upon Filgaia in the months of late, for Citan Uzuki to be this long away from Shevat. As the world rights itself and decides upon its next steps, there is much to do and more to consider--
But a turn of events in Guild Galad had altered the calculus, in his estimation. So he is once again away from 'home', assisting Lily with the next steps as the Wolves prepare for that upcoming expedition to Shae Ving while... also quite possibly keeping an eye on her.
And others.
Lily had told him about Xantia, and what had come of her in those months after they had departed from Lunar in the wake of Sin's defeat -- after Xantia's illness had abated. Since that time that Lily had retrieved her, Xantia had largely been about as they worked, her wanderings seemingly at an end.
But today, Xantia has called for a meeting.
"Xantia..." he starts, entering into the meeting room. He looks at her for a long moment, frowning faintly. "...Is something the matter?"
She's upset, yes. He just has let to realize how upset.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia has seen plenty of Lily and Citan in recent days, which has helped to put her at ease - they would surely be the first ones to notice any signs of a burgeoning problematic condition. Plenty of evidence to suggest that she may not realize this without aid. Thankfully nothing that's particularly unusual for her has occured since she was retrieved.
As a result of it not having been that long, her greeting of them is kept to the smile and wave. It's been longer since she's seen Elly, prompting a wider smile. "Elly! Good to see you, too!" A short moment where her spirits are lifted, before the thunderclouds gather once again. This was short notice, everyone has their own things to worry about, and she lacks patience, so the others can hear about this late, it's fine. Right now, she just really needs to get this off her chest. As soon as Citan prompts her, she places her hands on the table in front of her.
"So, I spent the night at an inn in Sielje City, right? I found this on the bedside table when I woke up this morning."
With that, Xantia picks up the envelope, taking out the letter inside, before placing both items down to be passed around the table. The envelope only has one thing on it: a wax seal that Xantia's already broken, sporting the same eyeball design that was on the mask she'd retrieved. The letter, rather than writing, is made up out of letters that look like they were individually cut out of various publications. It states:
DO NOT PURSUE US FURTHER. WE ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY. RATHER, WE SHARE A COMMON FOE. IN LIGHT OF THIS, WE HAVE A PROPOSITION FOR THE BLACK WOLVES. MORE INFORMATION WILL FOLLOW SOON.
Rather than a signature, there is only a stamp of that eyeball symbol, once again. The paper itself is perfectly ordinary, nothing of note there except a slight crumpling, which one can assuming happened when Xantia originally read it.
The source of her anger is likely clear by this point, but Xantia supplies the reason anyway: "They were right there, in my room, and I didn't even notice." She leaves it at that, looking to the others in turn for their impressions and opinions.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
It's nice to see Elly, too; Lily actually smiles at her briefly. Just briefly, though; she's focused. She rather imagines Citan is keeping an eye on her... but it doesn't occur to her that it's in anything other than his capacity as a voice of reason among the Wolves. She shared what information she could. And now, with Xantia prompted--
"No handwriting to analyze," Lily notices first, as she regards the paper and the envelope. Xantia is angry, of course. She would be. But Lily is thoughtful.
"Solaris?" she wonders. "Our 'common enemy', that is. I wonder if they think they can use us?"
On the other hand... they need all the help they get get against Solaris; Lily watches Citan for a moment as she remembers a conversation they had. About power.
Then she looks to Xantia, "That's a fair thing to be angry about. But we don't know that that means any more than that they were particularly good at sneaking. Even we're not perfectly vigilant."
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Elly smiles back to Lily. She smiles at Citan as well. But Xantia is getting a smile as well as a sympathetic look when she reveals...
The cut-up note.
"Oh my goodness," she says. "This must have been so tedious for them to create. Why didn't they just print--"
Silence for several seconds. Elly's face reddens slightly.
"That symbol..." She glances over at Xantia. "That's terrifying. I don't blame you for being afraid. Maybe they used some sort of magic to teleport it through the window... but that wouldn't be much better, I suppose."
"It does seem to be the same group," Elly muses. At the topic of helping against Solaris... Elly's lips thin. She seems to have no verbalized opinion, but she hasn't exactly been speaking in favor of Solaris at any point in the last several years, either.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
It's been a short while since he and Elly have chanced to meet, let alone speak -- perhaps a week or so with their remove to the Sielje region. He smiles back.
"That letter?" Citan says, gesturing towards the paper on the table. Then he sights the wax seal -- broken or not he can make out the familiar shape of the eye -- and puts two and two together. "--With that seal! So it is 'them'," he says, folding his arms across his chest, gazing pensively at the envelope and its contents. "...Well, then. What did they have to say?"
He takes his own look at the missive once it passes his way, beetling his brow at their choice of 'lettering' and the contents of the message. "..."
They had been right there, in her room. But rather than take her by force or another means, they had instead opted to leave a message.
"It must be," he says, when Lily decides who the common enemy of which the letter's writer speaks could be. "I can think of no other. So they propose an alliance..." His gaze settles on Elly, of all people.
But then, they do share a common heritage, alone of the people in this room.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Don't worry Elly, that was pretty much Xantia's reaction too. She sure had no idea of the possible reason until Lily mentioned it just now. Handwriting might have identified somebody. "...So they didn't do that just to be all creepy and mysterious." She's still not entirely convinced that wasn't part of it, who'd wear masks like that if that's not what they were trying to do?
"Wh-- I'm not afraid, not, not really," she protests that assessment, even though it pretty obviously unnerved her. But it's something else that she felt more strongly. The reasons offered why she may not have noticed the letter being placed, sneaking, magic... it prompts a noise of dissatisfaction from her. It may well be herself she's most upset at, for failing to notice it. She's a light sleeper and rarely misses magic being used in her vicinity, always ready for trouble at a moment's notice. And yet.
"Were they trying to prove a point or something? Hmph." Even if their aim hadn't been to cause injury, they've certainly managed to injure her pride.
The consensus appears to be that it's Solaris being talked about. She studies the faces of everyone present, lingering on that of Citan, who looks to Elly in return. Neither seems eager to state an opinion on this. So she decides to state her own.
"I don't really care whether or not we agree to whatever 'proposition' they have, I'm fine with doing whatever everyone else thinks is best. But I do want to hear what they have to say. These people... they've been working with Xenia. Or, I guess they used to, maybe not anymore." After they tried to blow her up that one time, one can imagine that partnership may have soured a bit. Point is, "They could know things about me... answers that I've been looking for. I don't trust them at all, but..."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily does not comment on printing. It's for the best.
Lily recognizes wounded pride when she sees it, though, and she knows she'd feel the same way, so she doesn't particularly dwell on it. Instead, she looks to Citan as he considers the matter of alliance--and looks to Elly.
And then....
Lily says, "They may have been trying to prove that they can get to you--or they may just have not wanted the inevitable fight if you'd caught them." A pause. "But I agree. While I might change my mind depending on what they ask, I think that we should go along enough that we can understand what it is they want--learn what we can from them."
"That may be our best path."
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
"I suppose the good news," Elly says, "is that we can be reasonably sure it's authentic... and the bad news... well..." She purses her lips and smiles faintly at what Lily says about avoiding a fight. Looking up towards Xantia.
"I think avoiding the fight is more likely," Elly says then, though she keeps her voice soft. "I'm willing to go, though. I know you've been chasing this for so long, Xantia... if there's anything that I can do to help, I'd be glad to."
"... Of course I have no idea how they intend to follow up that message, either," Elly continues, frowning. She glances around. "Have any of you gotten any strange messages recently...?"
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"I have heard of such techniques before, yes," Citan agrees. "A person's handwriting can tell tales of the sender. And even printed text can be traced, or so I have heard." So it goes without saying that their mysterious organization might have opted to avoid any trace of detection.
Were they trying to prove something? Citan can but shake his head. "It is possible. There are other ways they could have sent a message. Or, perhaps, Elly is correct and they had wished to avoid a confrontation."
Xantia presents her opinion on the matter, and Lily presents then her own.
Citan, for his part, is silent a moment more. Then:
"I agree with Lily. Whether or not we can truly ally with them is another matter altogether. I am more interested in understanding who they are. Is it not said that to achieve victory one must know oneself and one's enemy?" He touches his fingers to his glasses, subtly fidgeting with them. "Ah, though... that is not to say they must only be our enemy." He spreads his hands, as if to thereby make his entreaty. "Nevertheless -- we have come into conflict with them before, and should that come to pass again... it is in our best interests to go along with their proposition for now. We are under no obligation to agree to their alliance, after all."
Of course, that leaves the elephant in the room, which is--
"Hmm," Citan muses, furrowing his brow as Elly wonders how they might send a message. "A valid question. ...I have not, no."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Ah. Xantia... probably would have kicked their ass if she'd noticed, huh. Punch first, ask questions when they're not in any condition to answer them anymore. She knows herself, really, she just didn't think of that, is all.
"Well they'd better not break into my room again," is her kneejerk response to how a follow-up message might happen, which should have clued her in to her likely response if that hadn't sunk in already. Crossing her arms, she considers everyone's words, then nods.
"Alright, so... if anyone does get another message, I guess we can meet up and discuss what to do about it then?" She pauses, then scratches her head. "I can't believe I'm actually suggesting to just wait and see, that isn't like me at all. But I don't know what else we can do about this." Which even she'd have to admit is for the best, given what happened last time she was actively chasing them. She absolutely can't do that again, not on her own.
At least it's an conclusion, for now. And talking about it helped clear her head. With a slight shrug, she wonders aloud, "I hope there'll be some more stuff I can help with in the mean time?" Keeping busy is as important as it ever was.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Strange messages? Lily looks to Elly thoughtfully. "I don't think what I've gotten is related. So far as we know, this organization is significantly younger than Zeboim." The message Lily got mostly being the one from Asgard.
"If they're wise, they'll consider someone else's," Lily reflects of the room. But Xantia makes a suggestion, and Lily nods. "It isn't terribly like you, but I still think it's 'you' doing the deciding. It's about all there is we can do for now."
A pause. "I need to get to Shae Ving, to confirm some things in my memories. And you can help me practice my new magic."
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
"That's true," Elly answers Citan. "But as they say, politeness is free -- we have no reason to refuse it, but perhaps we would need to take our own precautions..."
Elly then smiles towards Xantia as she speaks. She seems, at least, to brighten up. "We could likely tell them to do that," Elly offers, though, she realizes a little belatedly, that doesn't mean they WOULD. But, Elly thinks further, if they promised they wouldn't, and then did so anyway, that would put them in a poor bargaining position for the future, having already breached trust...
"They might have planned this," Elly says, "thinking you wouldn't wait, and you'd be easier to find alone," she concludes, looking up at Xantia. "I'm glad you're not falling for it, if that's their plan."
She then blinks a couple of times. "Shae Ving? That seems like a good use of time, at the very least," Elly concludes, leaning back in her seat, hands folding in her lap.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
He nods, when Elly answers him. "Indeed. It is one thing to go and hear what they have to say, and another to do it unprepared. I would not think they should take any refusals on our part quietly."
Or, for that matter, take the offer at face value. It hasn't escaped him that this could be a plot to lure them into a trap of their making. They have been given the perfect bait, after all...
But whatever tensions have existed in the past and whatever Xenia's superiors may be plotting, the Wolves will gain nothing by assuming the worst. Sometimes, risk is necessary.
"That... may be all that we can do. Unless, perhaps, we should prefer to leave a message where they might chance to find it." He cannot entirely keep the slight sly smile at bay. "Perhaps at Xantia's bedside table?"
He would, in all honesty, be surprised if they attempted it again. Xantia is a dangerous foe when she's been thwarted once.
"Not at all," he answers her, perhaps guessing as Lily does to some of the thoughts that may be under-girding it. "It is only natural to adjust and grow. I do not think it is strange for you -- indeed, it would be stranger yet to have continued to react as you typically had in the face of such an obstacle." He looks about the room, as if evaluating the lot of them.
Then, at last, Citan nods. "Well, then, it is settled. We shall continue preparing for our expedition, and then we shall see what comes of our would-be 'allies'."