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Mutanitarianism [Night]

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Mutanitarianism
23 Vhalar, Arc 717


Experienced fingers brought a sigh to the lips of Ministress Jillian Terris, as she crumpled her head back to allow her neck muscles to embrace the massage. The sigh became a soft moan as her shoulders joined in the celebration.

The fingers gave a suggestive hesitation midway down her arms to indicate a new goal. A devilish smile graced those same lips as she crossed her arms "protectively" over her chest.


"No, no. Not now, Berry." she chastised playfully. But her mood dipped considerably as she looked back on the stacks of reports before her. "Fates Fangs! What am I going to do about this? These are all just about mutants!" She started rifling through the stacks, "Frightening children, Malicious Stalking, Attempted Infection, Theft, Vandalism, Assault...Murder!"

The sheets ruffled as her hand gestures fanned the stacks. She quickly flattened them to avoid a mess. "Berry" came around from behind her. Black Guard Captain Berrit Segrille sighed, half in sympathy, half in annoyance. "Yeah, I know what you're going to say; half those murder charges are being levied against my men for their brutal tactics subduing them. It's real easy for them to criticize when they've never been one of a two-man crew, investigating a 'disturbance', to find themselves being charged by something halfway between a iron lion and a battering ram. And then find their escape cut off by three guys with horns and tentacles."

It was becoming an old argument; one for which there was no clear solution, no obvious "right" and "wrong". Those that had ever believed they had reason for a grudge against even a single guardsmen were quick to assume the worst about them. Those that had ever had a family member killed by some mutated monster were naturally inclined to want less tolerance. What had brought the subject to its current sensitivity was that the last time a mutant had been killed in plain sight, it had morphed into the size and shape of a little girl when it died.

There had been an outrage, regardless of the fact that this "little girl" had been covered with venomous spikes, was nine-feet tall, built like a bull and could run as fast a jungle cat while she lived. All Segrille heard though, was an outpouring of grief for the "poor little girl". And while he fully understood the sentiment, it infuriated him that there was not one word spoken for the families of the three guardsmen the beast had killed as they tried to subdue it.

Ministress Terris nodded sadly as he finished his usual rebuttal with remarks about "...those poor little children, now fatherless, with an unemployed mother. What about them?" Capt. Segrille looked at his Lady, his boss and dropped his gaze a notch. "I'm sorry, Terri. You know all this. You don't need to hear it again." He brightened somewhat with a new tack, "Besides, I've got someone who claims to have a possible solution."

Lady Terris rolled her eyes, anticipating a half-dozen new pages of reports about to be added to the stack. "Who is it this time?" she half groaned.

Capt. Segrille chuckled, "Now now, have some faith, Babe. Several of my mean swear by this girl. She's an avriel...No no, let me finish. I know I thought the same thing. She's an avriel, probably been treated like shit from day one. Gonna come in like shock troops demanding genocide. But I'll tell you what, this may surprise you, but the fact that I don't think she likes me gives me hope."

Lady Terris' brow raised briefly, then perched at a puzzled half-mast as she rolled her hands to suggest he continue. "When I killed Lewis Perrin, I told you it was some force that jammed my sword arm forward. I hadn't meant to kill him, but everyone heaped praise on me for my quick thinking and resolution of the problem. But she was in my face for my...what was it...barbarism or something. Anyway, I simply mean she is not one of the screeching maniacs like that one at the auction. Oh yeah, in fact, she was the one he attacked. And she beat him. Her name is Nightshade Eld. Or, that's what she calls herself anyway."

Lady Terris nodded slowly, her eyes viewing memories, "Yeah..I think I know who you're talking about." She looked Segrille in the eye, "So you think she's here to offer a solution? Not just another rant? Okay, send her in." She briefly considered clearing her desk; but decided it was better to have this guest see the 'size' of the problem.
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Over the seasons, the mutant problem had progressively gotten worse and worse. It was too hectic at this point to really make heads or tails of the situation. At the end of the day, it came down to what it always came down to. People killing people. Lots of people. But, wasn't that just what animals did when they found creatures that were different from themselves? It was just the kind of world the Immortals had managed to craft and damn the ones who couldn't give two shets about all the people that suffered for it. On that topic, damn whatever immortal had allowed Padfoot's Freakshow to come about. It seemed like every trial the situation in Etzos got worse and worse, and it wasn't just because of the mutants either. It was disheartening, and it almost wasn't worth waking up and facing the new trial each morning. Nightshade being Nightshade had an idea or two on how to deal with the situation, but not really the proper person to speak the ideas to. In all her time in Etzos she'd made the effort to befriend people and earning trust, but she had never done any proper political 'networking', something she was greatly starting to regret as further progress towards her goal would require it.

Having friends in high places though was a good way to start, having friends among the guards was even better. Somewhere along the way she'd managed to get the chance to speak with Lady Terris on the situation. It made the situation easier, but it didn't do much good for her nerves. On top of not really having any political allies or friends, the half-breed didn't really know much about politics in general besides the fact she distrusted most of the people on top, case and point being the leader of the Black Guard who she was a little bitter towards. It was wrong to cast judgment so early, but so far none of her experiences with the man had been anything short of unpleasant and disheartening. What happened with Parren still ruffled her feathers. To treat life so carelessly, he didn't even try to find some other way to deal with the situation. It left a sour almost rotten flavor resting on the tip of her tongue, a flavor that usually drenched her words when speaking of the man, even if her facial expression was ever passive.

"You may enter now," a guard told the woman who had patiently been waiting to enter the office of the lady. She could still feel unrest fluttering in the pit of her stomach, it swelled and flew around like Icarus' birds making her sick and dizzy. There were two fears that were the most pressing in the back of her mind. The first of which was that this woman might not be the best to turn to. Though the citizens sang her praises, Nightshade herself had nothing to go off of. Whether she was a ball python or a viper had yet to be decided, but even for a bearer of Taithir, not all snakes were meant to be friends. The second idea that shook her was the idea that perhaps this woman would be a good person to turn to, but Night would mess it up. Just being an Avriel already stacked the odds against her no matter how much praise she managed to earn. On top of that Night, even though she had been raised by a merchant who acted like royalty, wasn't the best with words or people. She knew her weaknesses! She wasn't a fool enough to ignore them like her kindred pure of their breeding. And that scared her because she was caught in the middle of human stupidy and crass avriel pride, one word wrong or one emotion she let slip could spell the end.

She took a deep breath and forced the thoughts into the back of her mind, trying to ignore the painful churning in her gut as she entered the room. Ah, and of course, who would she find? The find Lady with none other than the leader of the Black Guard. That didn't shock her as much as it just started stepping all over her hopes. She knew that Lady Terris and Capt. Segrille were close, but she still did not like the captain! She gave a respectful nod to both of them as she entered the room, as Night was not the kind of person to smile upon greetings. Smiling was usually reserved for young children, distressed adult, and Noth, usually in that order as Noth tended to both upset children and distress adults. Though as she nodded to the captain, her eyes lingered a little bit longer. Her expression, ever passive, but her eyes practically flaring. Not so much with hate, as much as spite. The look in them wasn't completely bitter and resentful as much as the kind of look one might have while they were proudly boasting 'I'll prove you wrong' when you tell them that no, it's not possible to ride a Carowa off a waterfall and still live but have it be dead because immortals know your friend sure as hell doesn't have the skill with a sword to kill one of those hardy feks.

"Lady Terris... and Capt. Segrille," she said in a gentle yet authoritative tone. To those who were familiar with Avriel, Night's vocalization while average in respect by human standard was greatly respectful in regard to the prideful bird beasts. Of course, it was still strong, the woman had learned to have a little confidence in her own ability and wasn't the meek mewling creature she was the first time she'd set foot in the city. But she wasn't a pompous horse hopping cranberry feknut of a bird who couldn't manage to pull their head out of their arse for long enough to be a productive member of society for 10 immortal damned trills. Nightshade was officially sick of dealing with her own kind, but as humanity was the lesser of two evils, she'd do her best to drag them out of their damnation bound nosedive.

The woman allowed her eyes to linger on the stack of papers for a moment, a small sigh heaving her shoulders. "Well. It wouldn't be a lie to say I expected more," the half-breed said with the tiniest hint of a smirk, the bitter wit glinting in her midnight blues. "Though that isn't to say the situation is exactly preferable either. Now, I'm sure you've heard the situation rehashed over and over with 'solution' after 'solution'," the sarcasm was particularly strong as she allowed her voice to drawl on the word solution, "so I'll try and cut to the quick and short. If you take a look at both halves of the argument, neither side is really free of blame. And while I'm sure you've heard it said plenty of times that the mutants should just be gotten rid of and it might very well be easier than some options, that isn't necessarily fair to them. Similarly, it isn't fair to the guards and farmers who have lost their lives to the ones who are running amok and having a grand old time eating everyone they come across. While I'd like to be optimistic the only real option we have, if we don't want mass casualty, is to try and separate humans and mutants. I purpose that a scouting party looks for an area where we could set up a town specifically for the mutants. It would be the easiest way to protect them from harassment and scorn in a way that's more long-term and leads to the least amount of orphans on both sides of the argument.

"At the very least we'll be able to make sure that everyone is safe. If we handle the situation correctly and find a good spot to set up the town, we've got a super-powered guard of monster people who could fend off potential enemies since you know well enough we're surrounded by them," she said letting the implication of the various immortal run cities, as well as the monstrous plains to the west, hang in the air. She made sure not to say 'Immortals know' as she wasn't sure on the pair's stance against them. In addition to that, she allowed her wings to curl around her slight, just enough to hide her arms and the marks that sat on either one. "Thanks to my lines of work I have experience with both combat as well as scouting, cartography isn't something entirely foreign and I know what to look for geographically, so I'd be more than happy to help. I'd be more than happy to help even if you don't approve of my plan, as long as the plan you do choose protects the most innocent lives as possible," she said. It sounded so idealistic to say, and coming out of someone else's mouth it might have sounded a little off, but there was a strong conviction in Nightshade's eyes that matched the words. She waited quietly to see what the responses might be, her only prayer being that she wouldn't be laughed or yelled out of the office.
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Lady Terris leaned back as her guest spoke, her expression maintaining a look of pleasant surprise. First was the unexpectedly courteous demeanor of the winged woman before her, at odds with the normal perception of her race. But even as that would have waned back into the normal political facade of indifference, she found a new angle being presented by the visitor that was entirely new in her experience.

She looked up at Berrit with raised eyebrows, and was answered with a grinning nod that silently stated that he had told her so. She looked back at Night with a relieved sigh.
"Well, miss Eld?...Is that how I should call you?...I must say, this is truly the first time that the subject of what is to become of these people after they are removed has ever been broached in this office. Those that even bother to come to us first, even the ones that truly do mean well, and are not proposing a policy of extermination...anyway, they always fail to consider what comes after we drive them out."

Berrit piped in enthusiastically, "That's what I was talking about! This girl sees both sides of the problem! Those that have come to me saying they know where we can 'dump them', don't have any idea how to get them out, short of a running battle through a gauntlet of armed citizens; And those that think they could slip them out, don't know what to do with them from there. They seem to think they'll just fade into the countryside or something."

He turned now with a pleading but hopeful look, "Miss Night, I know you have your doubts about me. And sure, I'll fess right up that I do not see any of our written laws as some guarantee of perfect justice for every problem that falls under it. There are times that it even makes things worse. It takes an in-depth, case-by-case examination of each incident to even have a chance of that. But we don't have a tenth of the man-power for that. We do the best we can, and we often fall short. But I have always held the safety of our citizenry as my top priority." He winked, "Even the ones I don't like."

"Oh Captain Segrille, for Fates' Sakes, she's going to think you mean you don't like her!" She leaned across her desk towards the visitor, "In fact, Miss Eld, he was speaking quite highly of you just before I asked you in. It is actually his belief that you don't much care for him. But that is unimportant right now. You're absolutely right, Miss Eld. How we get them out, and what we do with them from there, are the two aspects of the same problem."

She sat back again, her hands steepled in concentration. "Now it's my understanding that you've been tasked to map out quite a range of the outer wildlands as part of your job; even beyond the farmlands, and stretching north and south as well. With the current project of outlying towns being erected, it will be hard to find a place they will be left alone. And if, as you say, we can ever hope they might fight, as a 'super-powered guard of monster people', on Etzos' behalf at some later date, this will be essential."

She hesitated a moment, looking to the Black Guard Captain, who nodded and began humming, his volume increasing with the sensitivity of Lady Terris' question. She took a deep breath, gave an instinctive look around the room and lowered her voice, "I happen to know that your efforts have been as instrumental as anyone's in the decisions regarding placement of these towns. So, I am wondering if there is any possibly...that you've come across any spots that you've uh...let's say, not quite gotten around to filling in completely, or accurately on your charts?"
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The woman nodded quietly as the lady spoke. It made sense that no one would have any consideration for the aftermath. It took quite a bit of consideration to think of the future, consideration short-sighted people tended to lack even if their intentions were kind enough. The thing about birds was they were always looking farther than their beak. She nodded quietly as her words were considered when suddenly Berrit spoke up, his voice rather enthused. It was a little startling given everything the woman knew about him. She could feel a slight flush of red coming to her face. It was true that she saw both sides of the argument, but that was only because she'd been taught how to. Her father always told her there were two sides to every story, there was no story without one side and each one had its reasons for progressing the story at all. Such things generally weren't taught to the people of Etzos. Pick a side and defend it with your life, that was pretty much the Etzori ways. Of course, Etzos was a city founded in bloodshed and war. It made sense why people acted the way they did. If you had a cause you needed to be willing to die for it, not linger long enough to let the enemy get in the first strike. That's why she tried not to think when she was dealing with bandits. If she thought about how many of them were just trying to feed their families... her sword always felt a little heavier. That's why she tried to save those she could.

He then turned to her, she met his eyes and recognized the look all too well. She'd seen it on her own face as well as the faces of others. For a moment she felt something crack. She'd have to reconsider her opinion of this man because that look of hope was enough for her to see the spark of humanity that she did her best to defend. That little, pathetic spark of mortal kindness that made the races of Idalos what they were. Intelligent, strong, compassionate. It was what she fought for. She felt both sympathy and fire churn in her chest, her dedication to the cause of protecting the mutants strengthening even more so. His words also struck a chord with her. Perfect justice in written word was something that could never be obtained, she knew that better than anyone. There would always be those who broke and exploited the rules, those who skirted around them, those who worked for their own gains, even those who took the rules to an unhealthy and unbending extreme. Some rules in some situations were better off broken. If anyone in the city knew that, it would without a doubt be her! His words, they spoke volumes and she could see the honesty in his expression. He truly meant what he said about doing his best to protect everyone. Maybe Etzos didn't have the strength now, maybe corruption was a little more rampant than anyone in that room would have liked, but the thing all three occupants seemed to hold in common was the desire to defend those they considered their citizens. She nodded quietly as he spoke.

She turned back to Lady Terris who seemed to think Night would get the wrong impression from the Captain's words. The opposite was actually true. The way he spoke, his conviction combined with his expression, something had clicked and she felt as though she understood the man slightly better. There was something there under the surface level that said far more than Lady Terris saw. It was almost something that could only be seen by those willing to defend lives with their own blood. Or perhaps it was just Night's mind playing tricks on her, there was no telling. She felt another slight blush rush to her cheeks when Lady Terris brought up the praises the Captain had said in her name. That was shocking, to say the least. She'd never really had her ear to the ground, so she didn't know the full details of who spoke of her and what they said. All she knew is that she was far better liked among the poor and the guards of the city for various reasons. Including a man whose name started with M and would no longer be spoken of considering he caused this mess and didn't even come to visit her.

The woman smiled to herself as the Lady continued. When it came to scouting, she was usually to go to for many as her wings gave her a certain degree of mobility others couldn't dream of. She was grudgingly given high paying contracts and praise as she was the only one with any hopes of reaching some locations, not to mention she could skirt around dangerous that other scouts would be forced to flee from. That wasn't even bringing up the fact her combat skills had allowed her to get rid of some of those threats for other scouts. Over her last arc of living in Etzos, she'd come to know the surrounding area like few others ever could. "Well, I thought long and hard about what we could possibly do with this situation. So hard in fact that I forgot to turn in the results from my last trip out. Oops," she said with a sly grin. Gingerly placing a map before Lady Terris. Upon spreading it out there were a couple locations circles. Obviously, the map was older as some of the circled locations had already been made into towns, but one was circled a bit more vehemently than the others with ink that obviously judging by the color was a little fresher. Scattered around the circle were a couple notes about the latitude, longitude, and various factors like the soil quality or the general climate. It was a wonder how she'd come to learn how to judge these things, but it was better not to question the exact details on everything Icarus had taught her in her late teen years.

"As a general rule, people are more willing to defend you if you treat them like an actual person. Loyalty is won through respect and consideration. No matter what kind of magical plague is about, a good amount of these mutants are still people," she said with a small hum "I personally have always believed that you should treat others with respect regardless of what you'll get in return. That's obviously why I came here. The super-powered monster guard is a sales pitch you can use if we can't keep this under certain noses," she hesitantly said, still not completely sure of how much trust to place in this pair. Their response to this comment might very well be a good indicator.
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Berrit nodded slightly as their guest spoke, his eyes growing bright with intrigue. He shared a few moments of map-scanning with his Lady, the both of them making eye contact to confirm the same noteworthy item. As the avriel finished the reference to her 'sales pitch', he straightened with a last nod,
"The only noses this will be kept under are our own...Plus 4 workmen and four of my men."

He held a hand up to forestall any protest from their guest as he secured The Ministress' permission to elaborate, "Okay, let me fill you in. My Lady and I have seen this coming, and have made arrangements to do some 'map-fudging' of our own. But we are limited to city charts, or rather Underground charts. You see, with the rebuild effort after last arc's explosion, I've had opportunities to...well...bribe a foursome of the workmen. They have arranged to leave a point in the new wall improperly mortared - which is to say not mortared at all - as well as leaving the load-bearing side of this particular panel of stonework cleverly mounted on a concealed hinge."

He made an ultimately failing effort to keep the self-satisfaction from his voice and posture as he continued, "I have also arranged for a like number of my men to suffer "reprimands" that will demote them to "UG Duty"..."Underground", if you hadn't figured. So they will be on hand to give plausibility to whatever bullshit story we devise to keep non-mutants away from the area when we need. You may even know them. Our only problem had been the same as so many others...what to do with them when we get them out. So...Jill? Your question?""

Lady Terris leaned across her desk towards the visitor, sliding and spinning the map of the wilds to accommodate her question. She pointed out several sites that had clearly been chosen already as locations for the new outlying towns. She noted a couple others that had been discarded as choices in favor of the others, But she did so in manner that guided her own hands to the marked point on the inner shore of a body of water that could have been either a lake very close to shore, or an inlet off the Orm'Del Sea that was nearly closed off by a pinching land formation.

"I'm wondering about this spot, Miss Eld. It seems an ideal spot for a town, yet it was ultimately turned down. Fresh water would be a huge boon to any such effort. You notice that many of the other towns are built right on the river there. OR...if it is sea water, then we are looking at a spot that seems like a natural harbor. Is this a land formation that you have mapped, yet kept secret? So your boss believes it to be just a grassy cliff shore with no particularly redeeming features? Or is it known, but has some wild and fearsome rumors around it that gave our city administrators cause to avoid it?"

She sat back, waiting for the reply and casting a smile to both Night and the Captain, who shared a look with his Lady that showed they had no objection to whichever explanation was closer to the truth.
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The captain had no need to hold up his hand as the half-avriel remained completely silent, simply watching the pair. She moved ever so slightly, seeming to constantly be shifting whatever weight she had. There was a certain incapability to stay truly still, but it wasn't like there was any fear in her gaze. To the contrary, it glinted with curiosity and something just a little hopeful. A smirk quietly began to crease her features as he spoke. So the man did actually give a damn, and he'd prepared far enough ahead to get them out should the right plan actually crop up somewhere. That certain won more of her praises than some of the heinous acts of the blackguard had lost. Of course, she wouldn't be alive today if she didn't exercise a healthy boat load of caution within any encourage with another living being.

The self-satisfaction in his tone was easy enough to ignore. It didn't border to heavily on pride, at least not the unhealthy kind, so it didn't bother her the way someone singing their own praises might. Nightshade nodded along quietly as she listened before the Captain handed it off to Lady Terris. She watched as the Lady's hands eventually guided themselves to a certain spot, a familiar spot and the half-breed sighed quietly looking at the location. She had to lie to hide it from the rest of the Smarter Charts. She had to lie, so, so, so very hard. And it was hard considering the half-avriel had very little (if any) capacity for false truths. She knew how, but her lips would always quirk up at the corners as they tried to smile and her eyes would swim and her wings would fluff themselves up as if she was in danger and trying to make herself look bigger, and in a way she was. Her breath would catch in her throat and she'd have to force out the words. Lying was so much easier as a child, and she had to quietly ask herself what in the name of the immortals happened that made it so hard? Oh, right, Ethelynda happened.

"As you are well aware, the Smarter Charts led many of the efforts in mapping where the new towns would be placed. Our boss decided just looking at our current renditions of the maps where the best locations would be. Many of the farther out places like what is now Darrington or Fordwell were assigned to me because I could reach them the quickest," she shuffled her wings slightly to emphasise her point, "I told him that though the water was cut off from the sea there would be no good place to build a town. The terrain was rocky and many of what surrounded the lack were cliff faces. The water was toxic and some very powerful monsters lived there. It was... tough to sell since my boss had taken a habit of not believing me if I say a fight is 'tough'. A knife has never hurt so much until I was carving my own flesh," she shivered slightly as her right hand wrapped around the upper bit of her left arm, almost light she clutching at the memory of an old pain.

"What needed to be done needed to be done. In the truth of the matter, it's the perfect place to build a town. The land around the lake itself is flat, the water is fresh, and it's got plenty of natural defenses. What animals are there are dangerous, but they're also just animals. There's no sign of dangerous monsters or even anything particularly toxic, and that includes the plants. When I saw it, it looked like the perfect location and the perfect place to hide something, which is why I knew what needed to be done," her grip around her arm tightened for a split trill before she allowed the hand to release it's grip and drop. "All I want, is for innocent people who don't deserve the lot in life they've been give, to finally have a little safety. That's why I took the occupation I did. Given how I was raises, there are a plethora of things I could have been doing right now. But my priority is the safety of others and if it requires every once of strength in my mortal body..." She trailed off quietly her eyes fogging slightly. "My appologise. I got a little distracted," she turned to silence.
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The two exchanged looks as the avriel woman explained what she'd said to her boss to take focus away from the site they hoped to designate for the remaining Padfoot mutants. Nods and smiles punctuated the looks they traded. Lady Terris pulled her gaze away from her companion and smoothed her expression back to business.
"Very good. That sounds like it should do the trick as far as getting the location off the books. I can definitely lose the records in a clutter of files somewhere."

She looked back to Capt. Segrille, "But how do we ensure that these four workers and your four men don't spill the beans about it?" She winced, thinking she might have offended her man with her doubts about his subordinates and the men they'd hired. But they were a loose end, and the question needed to be asked.

The Captain was already shaking his head with an assuring smile by the time she finished. "No, No, Jill, uhh....Lady Terris." he stammered in feigned propriety, as if there was anyone in the room that might still be ignorant of their relationship. "No, in fact, there is truly no problem with them. The four workmen are all part of the same family, and one of Padfoot's surviving victims is one of their sons or nephews or something."

This was an obvious relief to the Lady, but left the issue of the soldiers. Captain Segrille anticipated this of course, As for my men..." his look became strangely troubled as he paused. But he continued,"It's difficult to give anything in mere words that can truly be a guarantee. I can only say that they only know about the door that allowed the mutants to get out. They don't know about the town site at all." The troubled look returned briefly, but he suppressed it, "And well...they've all been recruited from the Market Walk."

Lady Terris' face registered immediate understanding. She now mirrored his troubled look and turned to their visitor. "That refers to a division of the guard that was assigned to the Open Market last season. They were there when a family was brutally murdered by citizens who only thought they were mutants. They apparently had some trend of birth defects in their family. It was viciously done, sadistic and actually..." she fought for words, "...celebrated...as if it was some kind of party, the victims hoisted and beaten...burned..."

Her voice cracked and she looked down to at the top of her desk, "...and worse...It was savage, and the lies and justifications they threw around when they discovered their mistake was almost as disgusting. They went on mad witch hunt to find a few actual mutants to add to their party to try to make it legitimate somehow. This was one of the first episodes of such reaction, and the guards who arrived on the scene were sickened, even those that had suffered run-ins with truly dangerous and feral mutants before."

Capt. Segrille came around behind her to give her a comforting shoulder rub, kissing the top of her head. "The guards wanted to arrest them, but no one at the scene would come forward, and they had no specific proof against any one of them. They all stood up for each other. The animosity has escalated just a bit since then, with guardsmen being just a wee bit less inclined to render assistance to vendors in that area of the Market. They figure that they had to have seen something."

She sat back, leaving the rest of the account to her Captain, "But we have to consider that these merchants have a legitimate fear of being the next victims of such hate if they speak up and name names." He sighed, "Anyway, the point is that none of these men are ever going to be a party to exposing these poor people to such hate again. That's why they all refused to LET themselves know anything about what became of the mutants after they got out. But we need someone to know, so we can render assistance to these people if they need it, without it becoming common knowledge."

Lady Terris' look spoke the question before she said it, "Miss Eld, you are a perfectly suited choice for this task. We are hoping you would be our...liaison to this site. You don't need to answer right now, but we hope you can get back to us in a few trials if not, so we can start another search."
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Nightshade watched the pair quietly for a moment after she explained herself. She listened to the lady speak and watched the wheels in the minds of both the pair start to turn. She also flinched when the lady asked if the chosen could be trusted. Of course, that was one of the more important questions. There was no telling who might squeal under the right pressure or even just squeal for what gain they themselves might be able to glean. There was always that worry to be had when one decided to work with another. There was always a knife pressed against your throat, no matter how much you trusted that other person. She refused to let her mind wander to the obvious comparison or analogy she could make, the one relationship in her own life that proved more dangerous than any she'd cultivated prior.

She almost smirked when the Captain called the Lady by the name of Jill and was so adorable quick to correct himself. Who was he putting the show on for? They had already acted disgustingly cute and coupleish like, enough to have some kind of assumption as to their relationship. Professionalism was still professionalism the half-breed supposed. She listened a little more carefully as he explained the relationship between the workers and padfoot's mutants, her curiosity peaking. She knew that many had family or friends who had fallen prey to the blight. Some wouldn't be privy to care depending on how conditioned they were, but there would be those willing to stand up for family and strange alike out of some kind of honor. She understood the feeling well.

"The Market Walk?" She wondered allowed when he moved on to his own men. By market, she guessed the pair was referring to the Open Market, but she wasn't necessarily sure what that could possibly mean. Most of her time was spent outside the city walls as both a cartographer and a mercenary, so she wasn't the most familiar with the current events of the city. If she had any hope of actually making it a better place she was most certainly going to have to change that, but one step at a time.

The half-breed went into total silence as the Lady Terris explained what had happened. The slaughtering of innocents who had done nothing wrong more than exist. Her fingers slightly grasped tighter as they turned into fists, her eyes narrowed and her posture became tenser as the story went on. By the end, her face was the picture of total disgust and the strong taste of bile lingered in the back of her mouth. "It's disgraceful on every level of the word. No one has the right to take a life unless they're legitimately fighting for that of others or their own! It's a lesson that seems to pass people by more often than not these days. And it's disgusting. I'm disappointed in the people, but most of all I'm disappointed that I couldn't do anything. Stopping things like this from happening is the exact reason I vowed to stay in this city as long as I could, and yet after I've been here for more than an arc I haven't so much as made a dent," her words turned to hushed whispers spoken in angry and bitter tones that were laced with a deep sorrowful pain almost like the loss in the story was personal.

She looked at the pair as Lady Terris offered her the deal. It was a simple one, act as a liaison, but it was one that came with high risks. If the wrong people found out it could easily lose whatever foothold she'd slowly been amassing in Etzos. There was even the risk that she could lose her life if she upset the wrong people. Yes, she was a strong woman who bordered unbeatable in a sword fight, but what would happen if she managed to piss off someone like Vuda? What defense could she possibly possess other than running to whatever political allies she might have? And even then, the danger it could cause for them along with herself.

All things considered, the answer to this question was a rather easy one. "My lady, you don't need to give me a bit in order to decide. I understand the weight of this question and the costs that could be associated with it, but honest and true? I think I'd be a disgrace to my name and reputation if the risks were something that could actually scare more. Wholeheartedly, my existence is one of service to those who lack the strength to serve themselves. I will happily do whatever is in my power to help, when it comes to keeping in contact with this new town, my wings are yours," she said without a trace of hesitation in her voice. There was a calm, resolute look to her eyes as she evenly met the gaze of the pair, her stance as relaxed and proud as it was regal. After all. It was in her blood to serve.
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The tension drained from Lady Terris' face, tears of relief starting in her eyes. Segrille, however, took a deep, obvious breath, keeping his comforting hands on his lady's shoulders, his eyebrows cocking in anticipation of the bad news.

But he too, offered a sad smile at the hints of acknowledgement in their new ally's words. This avriel clearly understood that this was a not a position she could allow to become known. And it grieved him that her helpfulness - something so noteworthy in its contrast to the usual perception of her race - would need to remain unrecognized.


He tried to ease any extremes of obligation on her part, "Please, it would be no disgrace. I'm afraid you're absolutely right. There will be unending danger of discovery. But I think there is already some perception that you are favorably viewed by the bulk of the guard. That should help account for anything our rivals or enemies see you doing that might seem out of place for a cartographer."

He came around from behind the desk and stood before her, his look direct and honest in its appreciation. "Lots of folks know you'll do a favor for a guardsman now and then. More than most others, in fact. But that job is really about as perfect a cover as we could come up with for someone that will need to be taking trips out of town from time to time."

The Ministress now joined him, "Well we clearly can't have you coming to us with information, or be seen leaving this office after this. But we might need to give you a message just before you go out. So we need a contact, a go-between. If there's someone in the Guard that you trust, go to them and they can come to us."

She went back to her desk and searched briefly for something in one of the side drawers. She came back, gripping something in her hand, "Then we also need you to be able to show the citizens of...uhh...I guess you'll have to let us know what they decide to call it. Anyway, something to show them that you're from us."

She held out her hand, in the palm was a small plain white disk. "You should anticipate an unfriendly welcome the first time you arrive. But they won't actually hurt you, as long as you're from us. This will prove it. It isn't that you need to show it, though you can if you want; certainly if they ask to see it. It's an Empathy ward. My understanding is that they'll detain you at their entrance, hold you until a certain citizen arrives."

She hesitated a moment, worried that her next comments might give their new agent second thoughts, "He's a powerful empath and he'll use his power to make you do or say something specific, probably strange and embarrassing. The fact that he won't be able to will prove who sent you. You see, he provided it to us just for this purpose. It was made with his blood, so it works especially well against his efforts. It will work to some degree against any other empath as well"

She offered the ward with an open hand, waiting wth a look that suggested she could think of nothing further to say about it. "Well then, Miss Eld, if you're still on board, I wish you nothing but the best of luck, and my undying gratitude."
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“While it might not seem a disgrace in your eyes, by my standards there would be few greater. I not only hold on my shoulder my own honor but the lack of honor displayed by one of my races,” she paused for a moment, her wings shifting with the implication. “My entire life I have been held accountable for their actions, and so it would be my dishonor.” Words of prejudice still haunted her thoughts when the air was silent. She couldn’t help but shiver slightly. She wanted to do anything and everything she could for the mutants as she understood what their lives were like better than most. She’d been attacked by members of her own species for being perceived as different and lesser, as most half-avriels were to pure. Multiple times she had almost been killed because of it. As a child people had thrown stones at her, bricks, bottles, and had even gone as far as to chuck her in rivers or lakes. She empathized on a level most citizens couldn’t, that’s why this was as important to her as it was.

She nodded along quietly as the pair continued. A smile actually wreathed across her features when they told her they couldn’t speak with her directly and she would need a guard to act as a go-between. “I actually have the perfect man for the job,” she said her voice taking on a bit of a lighter tone. She knew exactly who to pick. A close and dear friend who had been an aid to her for longer than she’d know most people in her daily life. All because a cart got attacked.

She picked up the small disk inspecting it for a moment as Lady Terris handed it over. The word Empath instantly set her blood to boil and chill at the same time. She almost groaned as the conversation continued and it became obvious she’d have to speak with an Empath. The only thing of any consolation was that the little disk would block any efforts. She sighed slightly trying to keep her expression even. The hesitation, however, was obvious as it danced across her features. “Very well, what needs to be done needs to be done. I am not and never have been the fondest of Empaths. At the very least this eases my nerves,” the hesitance in her voice left slightly as she ran her thumb across the disk looking it over with a tilt of her head. It was plain and white and felt cold. She couldn’t really judge what material it was made of. Empath blood. She wondered for just a moment what she’d gotten herself into, but took a deep breath and shrugged the thought off.

“I will do my best to offer justice and honor to the citizens of this new town. You can rest assured I will do all that is within my power to make sure that they remain secret and safe from harm,” she said with a quick bow at the waist before excusing herself from the room
word count: 524
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