[F27 - PP] The Ronbaru Roundtable

[Shin Kagami 0]

A mix of emotions swirled within Kagami, but their smile persisted. They made sure of it by using their Disguise skill. A smile was definitely not appropriate given that Tiberius had just publicly condemned Ronbaru and Ordsea, but it was definitely better than the annoyed look that Kagami wore underneath the skill. They turned to face Oji and spoke softly so only the man could hear. “Hey Oji, mind if I ask for a quick favor? Hold me back if I start moving towards the stage in a few minutes, kay?” Kagami turned back to the stage and the representatives with their everlasting, artificial smile.

Kagami wasn’t really surprised with how the representatives were acting. If anything, it should have been like this from the beginning. Actual confrontation of legitimate concerns instead of fancy words. Kagami just hated how shortsighted everyone seemed to be. It was good that the representatives were no longer trying to piece together the clues on who was the culprit. It was overshadowed by how the entire summit had devolved into accusations and halfway alliances. It was extremely disappointing to Kagami. They only saw their desired end slip further and further away.

Kagami felt as if every single representative was too focused on their next action and not enough on the consequences of it. Refugees, smuggling, legitimate war between territories. If whatever Tiberius was planning actually happened, the 27th floor will be as lively as it was deadly for the people who lived here. All of this over a set of incidents where no culprit could probably be identified. Because of that, Kagami had to hold themselves back from speaking a cruel truth that could potentially destroy the floor. No territory, not even Srona or Dagan, would likely ever be exempt from suspicion of being involved with the culprits. The incidents sparked a fire that can only be extinguished by forward movement since the only thing awaiting them at the end without banding together as a whole was misery. Kagami clicked their tongue and muttered under their breath. “Idiots.”

Kagami had a lot of respect for Tiberius. A man of strength and a leader for his people. Stoic, unwavering. But the Farmer’s Guild's leader’s head was stuck in the weeds because of those exact same traits. Kagami wracked their brain on how to approach Tiberius and try to mediate the present conflict. How could they convey that Brienne may be innocent and that Ordsea and Ronbaru was as important as any other territory? That each and every single one of them was important. A farming analogy? They knew none. Brutal honesty? Could work but could deteriorate the little communication they have going on already.

Zero good answers showed up. So, Kagami just decided to blindly shoot into the dark, changed their Disguise skill to have a solemn expression, and spoke up to the representatives. “Two things. First, who is specialized with logistics and planning? Before we begin deciding that people should starve to death, die without medicine, or provide zero military aid, we should figure out if there’s a way to ration off the available resources in a way that everyone can survive.” Kagami looked at Brienne for a moment, hoping to indicate that if Ordsea and Ronbaru brought anything to the table, it had to be now.

“Second, if this was truly an attack, as Frudal mentioned, it was meant to weaken you all. It wouldn’t make any lick of sense for any leader here to do such a thing.” Kagami lied as easily as they breathed. Merchants could want scarcity so that they could sell food and medicine at higher profits. Soldiers wishing justification of security proliferation. Leaders with some sick power trip. Even someone wanting this exact summit to be held. There were countless reasons why a leader of a territory would aid in doing exactly such a thing. Kagami just hoped the representatives’ shortsightedness helped in just this one instance. Kagami stared down the leaders. “You’re all here to solve problems for your territories altogether. That’s why we’re all here. Whether you like it or not, what happens in any territory will impact the others. Probably more than any one of you could imagine… As long as there are people around you, it is your responsibility to lead them. You may be divided into five territories, but the fates of your territories is sure as hell united as one.”

Edited August 22, 2023 by Kataware
Final draft at 2am

[Raidou 1]

At first this entire display appeared the part of an act, where a number of different actors upon a stage broadcasted their displeasure as a form of entertainment. It was unrealistic in its nature but such was the folly of a such work. The rather plain man sat in stillness and a silent judging of the play, ears ringing under the strain of the pure selfishness and distrust that had bled its way across a similar people. This brought a boil to the stomach of a man who had endured infighting, injustice, turmoil and decay. Irritated at the prospect that this fallacy was in fact the real deal.

Raising from his slumber, a stuck beast that bled not from a knife but from a heart. Despite his distraction, his ideals remained. It seemed his passivity and his rest would go disturbed. To a simple pair of black pants, a pair of earnest round lenses, unfolded and placed upon a bridge of his nose. The glare of pyre that held to walls that quickly danced across the stage, and with it a smile that teetered on the edge of sinister.

*clap clap clap*

A chain of applause, after all a good tragedy deserved nothing less. A string of beliefs that were so fake they were fiction. Such a jolly good show. At the top of his voice, from the back of the chamber it carried. The nomad in red waned with his taste soured.

"Sound trumpets! let our bloody colors wave!
And either victory, or else a grave?"

The phrase of hamlet, and yet it was spoken as if a question. Raidou had wished to enjoy the first rendition of theatre, and was met with only this sorry display. "It reeked of lamp oil? and this decrees arson? So what of your suspects? And your people?" The wanderer paused as in a moment of silence. " It seems your stance has been taken then. You've chosen your part as all imbeciles? At first I took a stance of silence, expecting nothing more then this charade to end in a semblance of unity. But it seems as though you men are petty and enjoy your squabbles."

I must be cruel only to be kind; Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind. The phrase fired through his head, hamlet even still served him well.

Steps down an earnest beat of red carpet, sways of a red flag clung to his back. A banner hope but an omen of destruction. "Kuzunoha, Raidou. The Red wanderer, Firm Anima's Guild Master. I have a military at my beck and call whose number can easily match your best men 100 to 1. Moreover the frontlines acts on my behalf. Not a single one of your nations could stand against us..." Hopping up on stage making it no secret that he feared none of their military, and even more so none of their counsel of squawking birds. All of it need not be the whole truth, but ambiguity was potent.

"Percival of Srona, you will end this witch hunt. Your people are her people." The man gestures to Brienne. "There is no divider among you in my eyes, and if you resist you will need more then a wheelchair. But, should you accept I will see to it your stock refilled and your Arson investigated to the extent that you can not possibly fathom." Taking a seat at their table, and removing a set of lenses he begins to clean them on his sleeve.

"Fudral of Braso, your responsibility now befalls on Brienne. If in your peoples negligence an attack was orchestrated then it is up to you to set it right. Your armory, your fault. Listen." His eyes cast blankly toward the militaristic man with out an ounce of concern. He'd faced kings, armies and titans. A small man in some sheets of tinfoil hardly compared.

"Tiberus of Dagan, I rather enjoy the theater." He leans in close to the man, watching sweat find his brow. "If you have nothing helpful to add, keep that tongue of yours in check. Else I will have it removed from your mouth. Accident or not without any evidence you are casting blame and sowing distress with no grounds. Unwise for anyone without an army at their back." The implication was heavy.

"Food, Medicine, Clothing, All of it I can offer with a simple snap of my fingers. Or I can offer chaos. Your choice." The nomad stood, and slid out a chair with a smile offering it to @Shin Kagami as he looked to the others in the crowd as if to beckon them to the stage.

"Now, there quite a number of events here all too close to be considered acts of god. Assuming coincidence would be idiotic. Tell me more, and I want the truth."

Spoiler

Raidou, The Truth
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 95
HP: 1020/1020
EN: 140/140

Stats:
Damage: 12
Mitigation: 44
Evasion: 4
Accuracy: 2
Battle Healing: 56
Loot Dice: 6
BLGT: 32
REC: 8
TAUNT
V.D.: 112
V.O.: 168

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Ebon Star - Vanguard Revenant [T4/Demonic/Straight Sword]: V.O 2, Taunt, Blight 1
Armor: Red Wanderer's Resolve - Sympathy [T1/Demonic/Cloth] 2 Evasion, 2 Vampiric Defensive
Misc: Vision of Wisdom - Whisper [T4/Demonic/Trinket] Evasion 1, Recovery 2, Accuracy 1

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Straight Sword R5
Cloth Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Howl
Searching R5
Fighting Spirit
Energist
Charge
Quick Change

Active Mods:
Detect
Athletics
Vengeful Riposte
Tracking
Justified Riposte

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Nimble
Ferocity
Precision
Focused Howl
Stamina
Reveal

Active Extra Skills:
Parry
Survival
Forgotten King’s Authority
Concentration

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal x2
Resonance of the Grave [T1/Perfect (Instant)/Debuff/Incarceration] [184322] x1
Misperception Masterpiece/Instant (4): [178761] [200882][200893][200896] x4
Hypnosis 2 Masterpiece/Instant: 186609 x
Lullaby 2 Masterpiece/Instant: 190648 x

Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor []: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Kumatetsu Statue: +1 Base Damage for a thread

Wedding Ring:

 

[Demian 0]

bistro... had sent him a dossier. and a note, saying something along the lines of we have to make sure the boss fight goes smoothly! so this job's on you. no overtime pay.

so demian told her not to get her hopes up.

he was still present, however, when it came down to it – cardinal's antics had always been something to watch out for. call it personal interest to listen in on the overseer whose machinations ruled their day to day lives; demian figured he was being practical by attending, on behalf of others than of not. things seemed to be progressing well in the dialogue – the audience had made sure the leaders were getting somewhere with regards to their discussion – but out of nowhere, things just seemed to get a little... hazy.

accusations, threats; the likes, the works.

demian shifted his eyes, uneasy, between the stage, the players approaching the stage... and his notes.

the most recent speaker was also the most prominent one. his colleagues didn't like him – and now, he thought he could see why. but he set aside whatever biases they had and walked over to the front. hunched over, slow paces, hands shoved in pockets and his signature fur coat to broaden his silhouette. emmett would kill him for this, he thought, for getting involved in a scene such as this on behalf of their family name.

he sidelined the podium as raidou spoke. the threats he made – demian knew – weren't empty.

that was what was so important to consider. cardinal had the ability to kill them right then and there.

demian exhaled once, before speaking. "it's good and all for us outsiders to be threatening important leaders who didn't trust initially, don't you think?" the question was rhetorical – and demian wasn't going to let anyone else take away the microphone from him once he'd started. "and all this bloodshed sounds incredibly promising, but it won't get us to where we need to go."

"the key message is right, however – there's no point in declaring a free-for-all unless you'd wanted chaos in the first place." he glared at tiberius, wrathful. "is that you outing yourself now? for having orchestrated the attacks? in lieu of the absence of ronbaru's representative – are you mad, tiberius?" demian gestured to brienne, still peeved. "at least she gets to go back to ordsea and tell everyone how she won their vote against hugh – the outcome of which means they get to fend for themselves while the other territories starve them to death." he nodded to kagami. "it won't be pretty. and it is only going to be exacerbated given that destin, somehow, isn't here – ronbaru gets no head start."

"so why isn't he?"

demian let his words hang in the air for a moment, looking to hugh, expectant, as he contemplated his next questions. he shifted on the spot, trying to keep calm. he'd never known such agitation could make him jitter this much.

"i hope i'm not speaking out of line by saying this. the point of this roundtable is to quell the unrest that has existed between territories that has persisted since history. the invitation to others to participate is likely to obtain a neutral stance while settling this discussion, on the chance that the leaders' perspective may be biased."

a beat passed.

"i say we go back to basics, because this might be bigger than all of us."

"your regions are segregated by crystals, where only the ones at dagan, if i recall, can't be moved." demian was hoping tiberius would confirm this for him, before moving on to his next question. "can all the others? what do each of them do? ... and, dare i may be so bold, is there a possibility that there is a crystal we haven't found yet that's of all the colours we've seen thus far?"

 

Lv. 11 | Demian | HP: 200/200 | EN: 38/38 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 12 | REGEN: 4  notes: edit: exp not botched no more. Spoiler equipped Torres Special DMG III Enduring Stand MIT (12), REGEN (4) bauble. ACC II, EVA I br-inventory Teleport Crystal (1) Fruit Juice (5) | [23/10/20] +10% HP RECOVERY Fruit Juice (5) | [23/10/20] +10% HP RECOVERY Fruit Juice (5) | [23/10/20] +10% HP RECOVERY Fruit Juice (5) | [24/10/20]  +10% HP RECOVERY skills Spoiler mods: 0/5 STRAIGHT SWORD R5 stamina, precision, ferocity COMBAT MASTERY DMG R3 data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== buffs Spoiler   data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== sword arts Spoiler ST | x12 -> x15 | x20 AOE | x11 -> x14 TECH-A | x12 | STUN | 13EN TECH-B | x12 | DELAY TECH-F | x8 | AOE STUN  data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

[Oji 0]

As Oji was thinking of something to say from the most recent bickering, he heard a loud fanfare and ruckus come from the entrance to the great hall, and a man who claimed himself as Raidou entered and spoke with authority, and his words rang true, albeit they were said in such a harsh tone that Oji himself felt the backlash. Another stood and agreed with Raidou, and Oji only felt more discomfort in this situation. He had tried the same tactic and almost caused one of the council to leave, so he felt this would only be bad, if not worse than what had happened.

He slunk back from the pulpit quietly, feeling a tang of defeat as he felt he had failed to help this time. So many times his words have rung true and made people think, evaluate how they felt. Why not this time? What had he done wrong? He was out of his league, and quietly hung his head to himself. This time, Oji had to admit defeat in communication, his years did not help here, nor did his experience as they were vastly different. He hated this feeling, and no amount of Sake would get rid of the taste.

[Shin Kagami 0]

Kagami blinked slowly and hoped they weren’t staring at a reflection of themselves. They shook her head. It couldn’t be. Maybe they shared the same love for dramatic flair, but there had to be some differences. Kagami refused to be like Raidou. Especially with how inviting that Raidou was.

For one, Kagami was still rooting for the representatives. Even if Kagami thought they were idiots and shortsighted, that wasn’t their fault. All of them were blinded by the disasters that they were trying to avoid for their own territories, and Kagami couldn’t blame them for being concerned about their own territories first. They were idiots, no denying that. Kagami let out a long sigh. They just weren’t past the point of no redemption.

For two, Kagami wouldn’t dare threaten the representatives by any amount. Not out of fear, but out of the same respect that was why Kagami refused to give up on the leaders. Kagami just wanted to present the harsh facts that everyone’s livelihood depended on what was decided here at this summit. “… if you resist you will need more than a wheelchair… I will have it removed from your mouth…” Unthinkable. A witch hunt it may be, but not one without cause or without reason. The only issue Kagami had with the investigation was the timing. It wasn’t necessary right now, especially because the prime suspect hadn’t arrived yet. Destin and Hughes both had to be here.

As Oji stepped away from the stage and another man took his place, Kagami listened intently to his words. The more he spoke, the more Kagami was sure that he knew more than any other person who had spoken thus far. More importantly, if Kagami was right, they were on the same path of thinking.

Kagami offered a handshake and an inviting smile to the man with rusty hair. “Kagami.” Even if Demian never took the handshake, Kagami was more than content to speak to the empty space between them. Not loud enough for the representatives to overhear though, of course. It wasn’t yet time for them to consider it. “So you also think it was Destin. That this may be all one elaborate plan for this very meeting. I don’t have a single clue on who this Destin is or what their goals are, but I do know that I trust Destin and Hughes less than that guy over there.” Kagami pointed at Raidou. “And you seem to know more than anyone here. So why don’t you spill the beans between at least the two of us. I’m not like others. I don’t mind a couple spoilers.” Kagami’s smile continued to curve upwards. A cheshire smile.

“One last thing.” Kagami wanted to tack on one final question before the representatives took over. “If you bring a crystal from one territory to another, is there any point where they can no longer be moved or they change?”

[Pinball 1]

Things were heating up now. Despite the tactless way that Tiberius put things, Pinball could at least appreciate that the man spoke plainly. Although he felt a bit out of his element in such a bureaucratic discussion, he could tell that Tiberius was just looking out for his own. For a brief moment, he thought about intervening. There was no point in being here if the NPCs just got at each other's throats. Watching that happen could hardly be the point of an event so close in relation to the boss fight. 

But new faces on the scene were quick to interpose themselves between the bickering officials, and so Pinball again kept his mouth shut. He was surprised that he even had the desire to speak, though. 

He caught Mishiro coming back up the aisle, meeting her halfway. 

"Did you know that they have a refreshments table?" If she'd let him, he'd turn her attention to the snacks and drinks set out for the attendees. He pointed out Raidou, who was speaking now in blatant threats. "That guy needs an ego check bad. And cocktail weenies." And to go back to the frontlines, if he was so powerful and important. Another entitled frontline gas bag. Quoting Shakespeare, too, as if that made him sound cool and not like an out of touch dork. What an asshole, actually. Pinball's mood was soured, but he didn't want Mishiro to see it. He'd lead her to the refreshments, if she'd let him, feigning a smile as best he could, trying to ignore the fact that she could probably see straight through him if she wanted to. Trying to ignore the fact that adrenaline was already being pumped through his veins like an icy river. 

[Plot Master 0]

"I find it apt," came a voice from stage left, "that you might quote the Shakespearean work with the longest soliloquy." A bearded man in robes of a deep cobalt blue regarded Raidou, making no effort to hide the charged annoyance that sizzled along every curve and line of his body. "I suspect that you have a fondness for soliloquies. Must you speak aloud to organize your own thoughts? Or do you simply take pleasure in listening to yourself talk?"

Striding forward, Destin of Ronbaru entered the fray. The thud of his soft-soled shoes on the wooden stage seemed impossibly loud, as if the theater itself hoped to announce his arrival. He came to a stop beside the Red Wanderer, peering down his nose at the Player. Though he had only a few inches of height on him, it might as well have been a few feet. "Now," Destin began, "I'll remind you that you are a guest in my house. You are also a guest to this event. Your threats, your condescension, and your showboating have no place in a gathering of good, civilized people. To be quite frank, I don't believe it has a place anywhere, but that is a discussion for another day."

A small, humorless smile cracked his weathered face. "I do not care about your military, your guild, or your 'frontlines,' whatever those are. I have complete faith that the brave men and women of Braso will not hesitate to meet any true threat, aided by the farmers of Dagan, the tradesmen of Srona, and the brilliant political minds of Ordsea." He paused to slant a glance at the gathered representatives, who watched him in silent bewilderment. "You are not the main character in this production, outsider," he continued. "I'm not convinced that you even have a role at all. But should you decide to make a move against us, we will put you down, and the bards of Ronbaru will sing of it for years to come."

"With that out of the way," Destin concluded, smoothing his robes as if to brush away crumbs, "I'll ask you to leave my chair, and find yourself another." With a dismissive flick of his wrist, he motioned to the audience. "There are oh so many to choose from."

Finally seating himself at the roundtable, the elderly man flashed his first genuine smile. "I apologize for the tardiness. President Hugh assured me that my presence was neither wanted, nor needed, at this assembly."

As all five gazes swung in unison toward Hugh, the man vehemently shook his head. "I meant no disrespect," he replied, to Destin, but also to everyone in attendance. "I simply thought that it might be awkward, given that nothing has happened to Ronbaru. I wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable."

"Be that as it may," Destin went on, "I believe that my being here can still help in some way. President Brienne apparently does too, given as she sent for me." Hugh opened his mouth to speak again, but Destin closed the door on him. "Shall we return to the questions, then?"

Tiberius, though still a bit shell-shocked by both Raidou and Destin, managed a quick disagreement. "I still think Brienne is hiding something. You too, Destin, since Ronbaru wasn't affected at all."

"Perhaps she is," was his simple answer. "Perhaps I am, too. Do you not think it best to answer these fine peoples' questions, and let the truth come to the surface all on its own?"

The farmer frowned, but still gave a curt nod and sat back in his seat.

"Excellent." With a crisp clap of his hands, Destin looked to the crowd. "Logistics and planning are largely handled by each territory's own leadership. However, Ordsea often supplies delegations when asked to do so, usually to handle disputes, disasters, and otherwise tricky business. Is that a fair assessment?" Tiberius, Percival, Brienne, and Fudral all nodded. "As for your second question, I believe history would disagree with you. Leaders often do tremendously heinous things in the spirit of 'caring for their people.' My library is filled with examples of it." He turned to quickly scan the men and women on stage, starting with Tiberius, and ending with Hugh. "Whether anyone here would do such a thing remains to be seen."

Turning next to Demian, Destin began, "Now that I'm here, I will be glad to stand for Ronbaru. However, I feel these questions might be better answered by others."

Tiberius heaved one of his trademark sighs, then shifted forward to prop his arms on the table. "I don't want chaos," he corrected. "I want what's best for Dagan. They're my people, and I gotta stand for them before anyone else." He scrunched up his face, as if he'd smelled something rotten. "I don't much like everyone else," he admitted finally. "But do I really have to to do my job? I don't figure every leader in our history liked everyone else, but there was trust. There's none of that now."

Brienne, surprisingly, nodded her agreement with the man who'd been accusing her only moments before. "He's right," she confessed. "This is a trust issue. How do I trust the territories that send armed men who try to kill me?" Beside her, Fudral shifted uncomfortably. Brienne smiled wryly. "If I go back to Ordsea and tell them that they're at the mercy of the other territories, I suspect I'll be drawn and quartered. I stood on a platform of unity, after all."

As the President fell silent, Destin spoke again. "As far as I know, no one has tried to move the crystals. They're just a part of the landscape, though they do change color to signify what region a person is in." He scratched at his short beard. "I suppose there could be others out there, though I'm not sure what significance that might hold." Turning to Kagami, he added, "I have no knowledge of crystals being moved, and I haven't come across any literature pertaining to it."

The scholar rolled his shoulders, then asked, "Are there any further questions?"

Spoiler

This round ends at 11:59 PM EDT on August 25th.
Countdown Timer

Current Participants: @Oji@Pinball@Mishiro @Shin Kagami @Raidou @Van @Demian

Strike Warnings: @Sennohas been removed for inactivity. Van has one strike remaining.

 

[Raidou 1]

Another player had approached but it appeared as most did not claim the invitation. The boy he recognized from a small campsite from the outskirts of floor 3, he was silent then but now he spoke with a voice of reason. Despite obvious objections which the nomad expected. "A fair point, but the point stands." His gaze shifts as he scans the others within their seats. "If such threats were true, would you be able to defend against them in your current state?" His tone still adamant but clearly lacked vitriol. The shock tactic had bought silence, and finally facts were starting to find themselves free instead of baseless and biased claims. As Demian took to the stage, Raidou took care to give him the room to speak.

The red wanderer for once knew little of their plight.

Allowing him to finish his full outline, finding his knowledge and explanation valuable. "The representatives of their respective nations appear clearly biased, and better yet disorganized and prone to violence." Eyes dance to the leaders of their segregated nation. "I could feed you but not indefinitely, it would be hardly a solution." Placing the glasses back on his nose, he'd ask: "These crystals, what purpose do they serve? and What is the result if they can be moved?" lapping at the heel of what Demian was sharing, eagerly seeking an answer he'd continue:

"This individual I've heard referred to on more then one occasion? The leader of Ronbaru's people, this Destin is?"

A much older voice rung across the stage as if on queue. His part in the play finally coming to his timely entrance, finding the ears of the nomad held fast to a seat. A spray of insults finds the Vanguard captain a smile, as another voice of reason took to the group. A patient stand, he'd offer the old man his seat out of respect. The simple fact was, the way he referred to these nations as unified meant so.

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks"

Finding a seat his own next to Tiberius, leaving space to his side for other players to find a seat. "I assure you, that my threats were threats alone. It proved to purchase silence for but a brief moment and proved that divided these nations would fall." A gentle explanation as he began to add samples to the table.

"I can assist in your efforts to rebuild, and stem the tide of your nations hunger. But it wont be permanent, and it wont solve the underlying issue. What is important..." His eyes dance to Brienne "Is unity, especially in trying times. Expecting outside help or holing yourself up does nothing but starves you out. Supply is not indefinite. I have seen this before." A handful of potions, a couple sacks of foodstuff. Firm Anima could provide, but it would not build their supply lines. Supporting a small village such as Charko was already hard enough for him.

"Now, When and Where did this cave in begin? Your primary supply line?" A sharp question to Tiberius, knowing he finally had a true ear.

"The assault on your manor, the day you found this string of bandits? Was their any moniker to who they served?" To Brienne, given this attack surely had a reason.

"If this was an attempt to sabotage Srona, doesn't it seem odd that the event was not limited only to Srona?" To Percival, finding the point.

"These events seem orchestrated, and the benefactor seems to be the one most likely to benefit from your discontent and infighting? A question to all of you, which of your nations would stand to gain and has not had such an issue?"

Eyes lock to Fudral "Perhaps one with a military, with forces that might not be equaled should there be a divide?" But the statement was meant to plug, Raidou was not convinced. What he was convinced upon: "Curiously, most of your disasters were a much more broad target, affected the population. Save one"

His eyes lock to Hugh.

"Someone did not like the idea of unity, nor the leadership in Ordsea. The attack was deliberately focused on removing Brienne from her seat. Who was her replacement should she expire?"

[Demian 0]

several things occurred at once. destin arrived on the scene, and his questions – err, half-accusations – were answered. demian would get to them in time. in his immediate perspective was one of the others who'd spoken on to the leaders before. they extended a hand – and he'd take it.

"Kagami."

"demian."

"So you also think it was Destin."

demian raised a brow. he was mostly concerned about his image now, and curious as to how kagami came to that conclusion. overall, he was certainly amused. "i imagined nothing of the sort," he spoke, slow. "elaborate this meeting may be, i can only acknowledge that it is intentional – by cardinal, more than by other means or forces. but, following your line of thinking, if there's any one soul to place blame on for having orchestrated this roundtable..."

he threw a sideward glance over to hugh. "'simply thought that it might be awkward', when addressing matters of the nations, indeed."

"You seem to know more than anyone here," kagami had said. it pulled his perspective on bistro's intel into question and called upon a dawning unease in his given notes. the first of their kind? demian thought it unlikely. but, if amongst all others present, he was the only one to have known anything, perhaps it made a little more sense to believe it than not.

he pulled the dossier from his coat, summoning them midway through from thin air. silently, he handed them to kagami. demian kept a watch out, making sure he wouldn't get caught.

"broker intel," he clarified, voice low. "had a player go through that questline on this floor right before the boss fight. a cave in, a fire – things you've heard before that got mentioned, likely. and a little bit more information about the floor from wandering about it for a while."

as kagami looked through the papers, demian was quick to point out the different sections pertaining to each individual incident prior before. and though the pages seemed confidential, at least his voice wasn't; he was audible within earshot. "they had a meeting the other day. about the floor boss, and the labyrinth guardian before it. latter was a golem, with a crystal core that had a myriad of colours in it. besides that, destin was the rumormonger for the questline itself, so it did originate with him."

he allowed them to sift through the documents a little more, watching raidou speak as they did. "... i've got a mind to ask more about the crystals themselves. might need a different strategy of attack before i drop it – destin just contradicted the information i was given. that, and the culprits percival saw at the fire, or if srona's got guards on loan from braso about the grove guardian. ... then there's ordsea, and the importance of the documents hidden across the estate – what for, too? talk about secrecy and obfuscation for some high level of security... but hiding them all over the place is a bit much."

"there's that death of the bandit, and the question of where the others went upon the quest conclusion, or fudral's apparent nonchalance at the disappearance of some of his men. either that, or the fact that he was guarded about that information to be told to the player. a good judge of character, or he's hiding something. it could go both ways."

demian folded his arms, now, having gestured about as he was explaining his thought process to kagami. if others were taking the stage, then he wouldn't bother just yet.

"well. kagami, what are you thinking?"

[Shin Kagami 0]

“Both of them are pretty suspicious to me. Destin being absent even though this is his home territory and also helping arrange the use of this theater,” Kagami admitted while flipping through the notes. It helped that this wasn’t their first time reading a dossier or memos. All Kagami wanted was the big picture of what had led to all of this and the floor in general. Hopefully it was enough to understand what was going on in this floor. “And now, being the one to conveniently place whoever it was at the heart of each incident. All while being obsessed with how the territories were divided in the first place. More of an enigma than I’d like to be honest.”

Kagami continued to ramble on and think aloud. Some theories and conjecture. “Though Hughes is more suspicious to me now. Especially if the story is true that he purposefully excluded Destin from this summit. He helped to organize the event with Destin. He ran against Brienne who is pro-unity which could speak bounds on Hughes’ political position… It seems like Raidou agrees-” Kagami handed back the dossier to Demian, now satisfied and caught up with what they wanted to know. “The rest don’t strike me as suspicious, but I could be wrong. Maybe it’s stupid to rely on intuition, but I doubt that Brienne, Percival, Fudral, and Tiberius were complicit in any incidents.”

There weren’t many other thoughts for Kagami to share. If anything, it helped narrow down the questions. “What I do want to know is Hughes’ political platform and what happened in the election before the latest one. And how it came to be that Destin’s guidance led someone to bear witness to each incident that occurred. I doubt that it’s by chance. I can’t shake off the feeling that this entire thing was planned from the get-go.”

 

[Mishiro 0]

"--keep that tongue of yours in check. Else I will--"

"Did you know that they have a refreshments table?"

"Mn."

"--sowing distress with no grounds. Unwise for anyone without--"

"That guy needs an ego check bad. And cocktail weenies."

"I need a cocktail weenie," she said automatically.

And that was that. Pinball needed her somewhere so she was thoroughly rerouted. She didn't really know what cocktail weenies were – her immediate assumption was that they contained alcohol, which she was averse towards but not entirely unwilling to try on occasion – so when they arrived at the finger foods table, Pinball had to point her towards a plate of bite-sized sausages dressed in a brown sauce. It did not rouse her appetite as she had hoped, nor did the other offerings on the table, but she tried one to abide by her words.

Barbecue sauce… and something else she didn't like. Was that some type of wine? She certainly thought she caught the faintest whiff of it. Mishiro's expression did not convey her displeasure, but the verdict was implied from the way she lacked the enthusiasm towards grabbing anything else. She hadn't been eating anything in general, lately. Still, for want of a reason to keep them near the concessions, she filled half a paper cup with fruit juice and took a tiny sip.

She returned to Pinball and wrapped her free arm around his waist. She was behind him, part of her pressed into his back, and she'd have rested her chin on his shoulder if they were at the same level, but on account of his height, Mishiro had to resort to peering past his side instead.

(this was the dilemma. the stage had calmed down some since destin's arrival. even raidou was shut down, but the frontliner was the sort that got right back up when you kicked him and he had moved on to claiming a place at the roundtable. improper, but at least the entire lot of them wasn't thrown out for all that commotion. she was still hopelessly lost on a couple of vital things -- why were they now asking about crystals? -- but she had questions that could surely guide the discussion forward. this was where she'd walk back up to the stage.

…if she were alone and she weren't staring the other concern right in the face. if it hadn't sought her out.)

"Try the heavier stuff," she said, gently pulling him away from the appetizers as one would with a preoccupied cat. She'd ease up her hold when he goes, but she'd resume that same close proximity when they were both settled down some. Maybe they weren't going back to their seats; some other pair had probably taken them at this point. "You were not long after me. Did you have breakfast on the way here?"

//
refreshments table. preoccupied.

[Demian 0]

"sabotage," demian stated plainly as he collected his documents from kagami. "i wouldn't put it past the narrative. after all – what's a cross nation hearing without a little bit of political intrigue. think we've come to the conclusion, that, and in our current position, i'd bet on hugh the same as you."

"the trick," he breathed, looking towards the leaders on stage, "isn't to do so without evidence, even if we're so certain. that's the reason why we're asking these questions – throwing accusations around without proof is going to get people riled up again." still, he too had the same burning question that his ally did, so the man gestured to kagami. "tell you what – let's go with that plan. it'll look less targeted the more questions surrounding the nations we ask. and, better yet, in the case it isn't sabotage, we're not working completely from scratch. certain as we may be, i wouldn't put it past cardinal to feed us a red herring once in a while."

so he started to walk, giving them a brief wave. "see you once i get off the podium. and, at least, hopefully things go well this time."

raidou was likely done by now. demian hadn't seemed as though he was paying attention, but he knew the wanderer had likely hit on the button they were trying very hard not to press. he glanced to hugh, trying to read the man for any signs of agitation from that firm, yet unsubstantiated conspiracy theory. with some luck, maybe he wasn't going to shell up immediately.

he just needed to buy time for kagami to pose their question.

demian took his spot on the stand. "hear me out, if you will." he raised a hand to srona's leader, giving him a nod. "percival. i understand there is the presence of a grove guardian that's guarding the ushiame flowers, is there not? your people risk their lives to gather what they need – and ideally keep a stash of a little more on reserve, so that others wouldn't need to face danger to seek treatment."

at best, demian was familiar that there were outposts scattered about the floor. but whether or not they were competent, or merely acting as security performance, he did not know. "is there not a squad of braso's warriors posted nearby to assist your people in gathering them? or is there a condition for their aid?"

following that he too turned to brienne with a wave. "likewise, miss brienne. i understand that you had a bodyguard present at the time of the attack. you also seem to have looked to fudral for assistance throughout the duration of this discussion – they say ordsea's got the brains, after all, so i'm not surprised they'd partner with the brawn." demian folded his arms, hoping his words wouldn't cause a backlash due to stereotypes. "is he an envoy? your bodyguard, i mean. or was he a hired hand? were you able to personally select him, or did fudral simply send his best man for the job?"

"lastly, to fudral." demian leaned forward, resting on an arm as he pressed himself against the podium. "is all of this information correct? from percival and miss brienne. is there anything you'd like to add about your operations and your distribution of men? ... likewise, not to seem as though i'm leaving them out, are they able to help dagan much as part of their duties?"

once he was satisfied, demian left the podium empty – presumably for kagami to have followed up behind him.

[Oji 0]

Oji sat quietly with himself for a few moments, unsure of what to do. He saw Destin come in and spoke some good words, and in his eyes seemed the most level-headed in this entire situation, which would make sense since his people were not affected from these attacks, which was suspicious but maybe it had other reasons or implications that he didn't understand. He looked over and saw a small group of players next to a large table of refreshments, and he could do with some comfort food at this moment.

He scooted his way through, a few hushed "Excuse me" and "Passing through" passed through his lips to the NPC's and other players he had to walk in front of. He came over with a polite nod and grabbed a few of the cocktail weenies, and a small cup of a fruity punch. He heard them talking about the food and if they had breakfast, and he decided not to intervene and left them to their devices, while he heard another two nearby speaking about the whole situation and what they felt, and he was of similar thought. But he felt it was best for him to keep to himself until he understood more. That way he couldn't muck up things, and maybe the food would help to calm his nerves enough to return to the podium.

[Shin Kagami 0]

Kagami watched as Demian took the podium and asked a few general questions. They didn’t quite understand some of the questions like the one about Braso guards helping the Srona gatherers. If it was Demian’s intent to confuse, then they were succeeding. If it was because Demian had additional information that weren’t in the dossier, then Kagami needed to work around yet another incomplete testimony. It was hard enough already gathering information from the incomplete and biased testimonies of the representatives. Kagami just hoped that the truth could be gleaned from it all. At the end of the day, everyone was working off of testimonies and, in theory, it was completely possible for each incident to be written off as an unfortunate coincidence.

For the time that Demian was up at the podium, Kagami took note of the way the man walked, stood, talked, even shifting about in place to face the representative he questioned. Demian was very direct and faced things headstrong. There were no other ways to interpret his questions. There was nothing wrong with that, of course. Kagami felt like there was probably no correct approach to resolving the summit. Maybe even Raidou’s overtly disruptive methods were necessary in the long run. But being direct just wasn’t Kagami’s style. They much preferred to coax the answers out of others.

As Demian stepped down from the podium Kagami stepped up to ask a few burning questions. “I also have a few questions. Mainly for Ms. Brienne and Mr. Destin.” Kagami gave them each a warm smile. They cared to not lean over the podium and only shift their body ever so slightly to indicate to the two representatives. Kagami kept their hands to their side and made zero gestures. Even if there were some malice or suspicion in mind, it didn’t need to be brought forth. All that Kagami needed to convey at that moment was respect for the two leaders. “Ms. Brienne, I understand that you recently won against Mr. Hugh when he was running for re-election in Ordsea and are part of the United People’s Party that pushes for unity across the territories. Could you describe more about the political situation in Ordsea? Recent events, political views, whatever that comes to mind helps.” Kagami paused for a beat. “And Mr. Destin. There are some rumors that there was somebody present and bore witness to each of the incidents. The rumors particularly mentioned they met with you the day of. Could you describe what was discussed during the meeting and the intent behind such a meeting?” Kagami bowed before stepping away from the podium, always facing towards the stage.

[Pinball 1]

He stifled a chuckle as they both made a beeline for the cocktail weenies. The frontliner would dig his own grave or climb out of it, after all. There was no point in worrying too much, he reasoned -- though truthfully, the back of his mind was still preoccupied with his thoughts of the man's arrival. He absentmindedly popped weenie after weenie into his mouth as Mishiro wrapped her arms around his waist. 

As he listened, Pinball hummed thoughtfully. He ruffled her hair for a moment and then murmured in her direction, "What're your thoughts on all this? You gonna get back into the discussion?" It had seemed like she'd had some things to say, earlier. 

Mishiro would go on to tell him to try some of the heavier foods, asking if he'd eaten breakfast. Pinball exhaled, a gloomy smile on his face. "Oh, no, but I'm alright. I don't really have an appetite." He plucked one last weenie from the table as he was directed to the other foods, anyway. "Ah. Did you?" He couldn't help but notice she was only sipping on juice. "If you're hungry later, I could probably make us something..."

[Plot Master 0]

As Raidou dropped into another chair at the table, Destin’s already thin lips drew together. “Perhaps I didn’t make my earlier intentions clear enough,” he began tersely. “I will ask that you vacate the stage, and find a seat in the audience. This table is reserved for representatives, of which you are not one. If you are unable to do so, I’ll borrow one of Fudral’s burly men to help you.”

Tiberius scrubbed his calloused hands over his face, a gesture that betrayed his exhaustion, before he answered Raidou. “The cave-in happened last week. There wasn’t a ‘start,’ it just happened. We grow everywhere, but that spot had the best output of anywhere.”

Brienne leaned forward to answer her question. “The bandits wore the symbol of Braso, the same way the vast majority of soldiers there do.” To demonstrate, Fudral shoved back his sleeve, and showed the sword and shield tattoo on his forearm.

“I never suggested it was limited only to Srona,” Percival answered next. “I think it’s pretty clear from the fact they all happened on the same day that they weren’t. But my main priority in coming here was to prove that Srona was attacked, because there are those who refused to believe me.” Though his gaze flicked to Brienne, he said nothing more.

Fudral’s expression hardened at Raidou’s accusation, but he did not take the bait. Instead, he simply replied with a question of his own. “What good would soldiers be without food, medicine, weapons, tools, scholars, and strategists? We do not have access to these things without the other territories. It would be suicide to break our bonds with them.”

Hugh, the last to be addressed, gave a small shrug. “There would be an emergency election,” he stated. “A substitute would take her seat for a short while, but only until the votes were counted and a new President was sworn in.”

Demian approached the stand, and all gazes turned to him. 

Percival offered a slight nod. “We don’t take too much at once, as it upsets the Grove Guardian. But we do keep a healthy supply, in case of emergency.” He clenched his jaw, blew out a quick breath through his nose, then continued. “We’d have had plenty for the cave-in, and anyone injured in the bandit attack, had our storage building not been burned. As for soldiers from Braso, we’ve hired them on a few occasions, when the need was high or we didn’t have enough people on hand to collect. It was incredibly expensive, and not something that we could afford to do often.”

Brienne looked from Demian to Fudral, then back again. “Fudral and I have collaborated a great deal since I was elected. His men often escort delegations from my office, or other Ordsean officials. I’ve also used them to guard my public appearances.” She hesitated for a beat, then finished, “While my team does scan each man’s credentials before assigning them, Fudral’s recommendation carries the most weight. He personally selected my bodyguard.”

Fudral nodded as Demian posed his final line of questioning. “It is correct,” he stated. “Most of the work that my men engage in is tied to Ordsea, as they can pay for the services. The reality is that my men need to eat, and food is expensive.” Tiberius opened his mouth to interject, but Fudral quieted him with a raised hand. “I do not blame Dagan for this. They must equip their farmers with the necessary tools, and the resources in Srona are not infinite. So too must my men be given the equipment to train and protect, which requires money. We do send small detachments to help guard Dagan food transports, but there are rarely enough resources and bodies to send to Srona.” Though he looked momentarily pained by the confession, he went on. “It is unfortunate, but that is how our current system works.”

“I’d hoped to change that,” Brienne inserted, jumping onto Fudral’s train of thought. “That was my entire platform. Working together to be more efficient, as a united land, instead of five territories. If Dagan needs protection, and Braso needs food, why should money be the deciding factor? Why could they not work something out between them?” She shifted to face Kagami. “Though I did win the election, I would confidently say that the most outspoken people in Ordsea opposed me. There were many protests, even a fairly rowdy one at our debate.” She frowned. “It was something of a slander campaign, not on the part of Hugh himself, but those who did not want to see me win. It was…” Her voice trailed, and though her spine remained ramrod straight, her hands trembled as they slipped into her lap. “... frightening, at times.”

Destin, who had positioned himself beside Brienne, gave her shoulder a grandfatherly pat. Recognizing her discomfort, he changed the subject by taking on a question of his own. “Yes, I’ll admit, the timing was an odd coincidence. Two weeks or so back, I came across some fascinating literature referencing a time before the territories existed. It spoke of ‘words of power,’ or phrases that held the secret to a unified region. As I’ve always been intrigued by the history of our boundary lines, I asked an adventurer to speak with each territory about these words. I thought the whole thing innocent enough, and of course, I never would have sent them on this quest had I known what was happening to each of you.” His dark gaze swept across the gathered representatives, then moved to the gathered Players and NPCs in the audience. “I don’t believe that they are present today. In truth, I’d forgotten all about it, as I never heard back. Did any of you speak with an individual about these words?” When Tiberius, Percival, Brienne, and Fudral all nodded, Destin’s bushy eyebrows rose. “Well isn't that interesting.”
 

Spoiler

This round ends at 11:59 PM EDT on August 31st.
Countdown Timer

Current Participants: @Oji@Pinball@Mishiro @Shin Kagami @Raidou @Demian

Strike Warnings: @Van has been removed for inactivity.

 

[Mishiro 0]

She nodded against his back. She chose not to elaborate further, intending it as a blanket affirmative.

At least he'd stuffed himself full of those sausages; she didn't think it likely that he'd make any more for the offered brunch. And besides that, she currently didn't have any preferences. She drew her arm back from Pinball's side and took a sip from her cup, using the pause to repackage her thoughts into words. 

"They lost me when they started arguing after that player asked about Ronbaru," she said honestly. She felt the need to clarify when, because when weren't they? Her focus shifting back where it was supposed to be, she unconsciously turned her head in the direction of the stage. This could be helpful to the both of them. "First I thought this was all just a prelude to the event proper. Then it became clear that we players were at least supposed to participate. I'm trying to be careful, given our position as foreigners and the stated purpose of this summit, but both player and game sides are acting in a way that perplexes me.

"So: it's not even a question that the same group that attempted to assassinate Ordsea's leader also perpetrated the other two incidents, disregarding the matter of whether there was some higher force puppeteering them or not. This is info a player learned from the floor's questline yet never communicated to the leaders themselves because the quest never provided for it. But they already hold all the pieces. I thought our job was to dig them out by asking questions. Get them to reach the same conclusion, and hopefully once they start talking each of them has something worthwhile to say about the incidents."

And then the loose ends of the questline are resolved. The leaders find a way to move forward. She did not say that out loud, because she was already skipping ahead. And then what? Her source had been silent since the early morning. She still didn't have the foggiest clue what was going on in that front – all they have been managing so far was averting more disaster, she suspected. 

If one accounted for time, she'd only made a few moment's pause. She continued seamlessly, her voice kept even as she approached the areas that troubled her. "I didn't expect it to be all smooth sailing, but I also didn't anticipate Dagan almost cutting off Ordsea and Ronbaru regardless. Half of what's been dug up so far are inter-territorial conflicts that have existed for years. And even for Cardinal, it's just a tall ask for players to broker peace between these regions in a single meeting, isn't it? Direct mediation, off-topic questions…

"These are things that should normally be off the table."

//
refreshments table pt. 2. using pinball's question as a springboard to sum up the rationale behind all of her (non-)actions so far. girl literally cannot fathom why they aren't cooperating.

Edited September 8, 2023 by Mishiro

[Demian 0]

strike one.

from the side of the podium, demian bit on the back of a finger. he still had pieces to move, though he too was examining kagami's answers as their lot. there was not much to go on, given hugh had not spoken directly on his campaign, and brienne was likely needing to keep up appearances to ensure her reputation. if it wasn't possible to know how the elections went, they might have to try another tactic.

but demian spoke to his ally under his breath. "only someone from ordsea could've been able to pay them off."

there were the pages he'd delved into, and mistakes he could yet have made. so he rectified them with another look over, before walking towards the podium, finding himself comfortable there just the same. his eyes went over the audience, to the players present.

demian was hoping he wasn't going to draw their attention after this.

he caught percival's eye, and gave him a nod. "about the fire the other day. you mentioned that it was caused by lamp oil. knowing that it's a dangerous substance that shouldn't have been near the ushiame flowers, do you know who might've had access to it, or brought it in? do you keep logs of who's able to obtain lantern oil in srona, or is it possible it may have been brought in elsewhere – and if so, where in abundance? ... likewise, i understand on that day that some of your people had found culprits fleeing the scene of the crime. were you able to obtain some testimonies investigating the situation?"

and there were the questions he'd wanted to pose to dagan's leader, too, so he looked to the man and gave him a deeper bow. demian hoped his genuine respect would show proper, despite his protest from earlier. "tiberius. i understand the cave in put your people in a dire situation. this happened in the mountains, yes? ... how extensive is the cave network? are there any tunnels that happen to reach braso?"

finally, demian sighed, righting himself before addressing fudral. he was tense, needing to test his hunch. "i'd also like to ask about the transactions that might take place in hiring braso warriors. would all requests go through you, or some sort of treasury department in your nation before service could be provided? is there a possibility that your men could have been paid off to defect from your command?"

the man shook his head once he was off the podium. a lot was on his mind, and one last bit of rumination spilled out of him in a low voice as he returned to kagami's side. "done at the same time in five days. must cost a hefty sum. if you truly think it might be hugh, he does have a strong, radical supporting base. if it came to a re-election, he might've been able to hold sway over the other candidates. brienne did say she did win, but not by much."

"though, surely, there has to be more evidence than this...?"

[Raidou 1]

Sliding up from his seat, clearly the game was limiting his involvement. The sheer gravity of the amount of damage this disturbance between territories could cause was his only primary concern. Even still, it was as though the cardinal was limiting his attempts to aid in their efforts. Not once had a leader bit, nor shown the interest in biting. Akin to fishing without any bait, they'd eye the hook as if it was only a weapon. Slowly pushing in the chair, then a different approach was in order.

"If that will make this easier, then I can manage."

The nomad would not struggle to face Fudral's men if it came down to tacks, but that was hardly his goal to start a fight in the middle of a theatre. After all this was damn near sacred ground to the man. Once his back was to the ambassadors of infighting nation, he'd mouth the words to @Demian hoping he'd be able to interpret it.

*Keep up the pressure, I may end up get thrown out.* followed by a hearty wink and a smirk.

Unsure if the method had been working, they've up until this point had been answering most of the questions asked save one. Perhaps due to the fact that all of their irritation was directed at him, or perhaps not. "So this cave in of yours, Tiberius" Raidou spoke over his shoulder before nonchalantly parking his ass into a nearby theatre chair, falling into it about as gracefully as a bull. "It hit a prime location. Was this the only real damage? Any casualties?" He'd look to Damien and @Shin Kagami, with the most obvious displeasure strapped to an irritated yet dead panned glance. An obvious charade to them maybe, but an NPC just might buy it.

"Surely the people of Srona aren't so incompetent that they don't control potentially hazardous substances?" Attempting to discern the source and absorb the brunt of the lightning off of the others backs. The others were pressing the attack quite well, hopefully he was playing his part within this act amicably. That sonar like sense of his picking up some chatter in the back: @Mishiro, giving him just a bit more ammunition and insight. Daggers shot at Tiberius nearly immediately "And you intended to selfishly pick up your wares and starve them out, did you ever stop to consider that is exactly what the person would want you to do?"

Leaning back in the chair, crossing his legs Raidou pushes the bridge of his glasses up his nose casting them into a blinding white shield.

"If it were me, People need 3 things to survive:"

Lifting one finger, just to further accent his point:

"Food."

A second:

"Health"

And a third

"And Safety. If it were me, this would be what I would target if I intended to crush you. Or..." He pauses lowering his fingers, sliding open his menu and taking a scan of the room. The dramatic flare hoping to leave just a bit more tension and pressure. "I wanted to force you to comply, or ruin someone else's claims and credibility. So since this was overlooked, and the person I asked danced around the question." Raidou looks to Brienne.

"Would you kindly enlighten us? You are part of one party, and I assume that would mean that your oppositions viewpoints would differ from yours. And who would most likely to succeed this re-election?" Eyes dart to Destin and with nothing more then a silent nod. Maybe the man would get the meaning, as given the evidence was starting to mount up. This was only substantiated by whispers that the man could only faintly overhear due to proximity.

A smear campaign to discredit her ideals
An attempt on her life after that didn't succeed, after her election
A string of body guards that were bought using funds that most could not accrue.
An attack on food sources to further strain her attempts to do so
A fire which did the same
The emissaries which proved her ideals were struck down before they reached the various leaders.

It was straight up politics, and the offender would be her opposition.

[Shin Kagami 0]

Kagami's eyes were locked onto Brienne. They didn't have a problem with what the Ordsean president said, and they also didn't have a problem with the Ordsean president either. Her thoughts on the territories uniting and how to walk past these incidents fell too closely in line with Kagami's. The problem was with what was left unsaid. Too many things happened behind closed doors. Too many variables and too many possible red herrings to waste their time. They didn't know how long this summit would continue for, and it felt like a waste of time to try to hold an investigation committee right here and now for a truth that may never be found. But everyone else was so caught up in it. It felt like there was no other choice but to continue on.

Kagami had a rough idea of the series of events but there was a lot missing. On one end of things, Percival must have talked with Brienne after the incidents but Brienne refused to acknowledge that the Srona and Dagan incidents were attacks. That's why the alchemist decided to attend. So Brienne could be convinced that there was something amiss. On the other end, it seemed like internal conflict was abundant in Ordsea. Kagami wouldn't be surprised if politically-motivated attacks or assassination attempts were commonplace in Ordsea. This is why Kagami hated politics, which is also why Kagami liked Brienne. She wasn't a leader because she wanted to, she was a leader because Ordsea and everyone in the five territories needed her. Kagami had nothing but pity and an odd feeling of pride towards Brienne.

Kagami walked up to the podium almost automatically. They hadn’t even thought about what they wanted to ask. It just seemed like a given that something needed to be said, but Kagami didn’t want to ask anything. Kagami looked back towards Demian and Raidou. The two players had already asked everything that Kagami wanted to ask in a public setting. Kagami stood there in silence, staring at the two of them, and kept thinking and thinking of what could be said to progress everything that they worked towards. A few moments passed before Kagami began to smile at the two players. It seemed sincere. Apologetic almost. It fitted. There were things Kagami wanted to say, just not in a public setting. Kagami wasn’t only worried about the representative’s reactions to what they were going to ask and say, but it just felt wrong for this conversation to not take place behind closed doors. It might have been possible if the time and occasion was different. Kagami could do nothing but ask for forgiveness because they simply weren’t.

Kagami turned back towards the representatives. The first matter was to air out the laundry and figure out what occurred between the incidents and now. “Mr. Percival, it sounds like there were conversations between you and Ms. Brienne after the incidents and before this summit. I think it’s important for the audience here to be made aware of what has happened since the incidents occurred.” Kagami paused for a second. “And that doesn’t just apply to Mr. Percival and Ms. Brienne. That applies to everyone.” Kagami punctuated their final sentence by hitting the podium stand lightly with their first with every word.

But up next was the hard part. Kagami felt like it was almost a crime to try to talk about this publicly. The best president that Ordsean may ever see might lose their office before they accomplish everything. Kagami’s head swirled around, torn between their indiscriminate love for the NPCs and the responsibility they felt like they had. It would be simple to leave everything behind. Kagami had done that up to this point in their day-to-day life, but that wouldn’t solve anything. Everything that the representatives stood for, everything that the NPCs on this floor stood for, Kagami was worried that it could all crumble away if Kagami stepped away from the next few questions. Kagami steeled themselves, and hoped that they were not wrong about President Brienne. More importantly, Kagami hoped that the Ordsean president could eventually forgive them for the next few questions.

“I understand that during the attack on the Ordsean presidential estate that Ms. Brienne was concerned about the attackers stealing some secret documents. Can you share what those documents could be? Their contents may be helpful in finding who is behind the attacks.” Their voice was hollow, more than ever, as if Kagami was reading off a script and held hostage. “I- I… Give me one moment.”

Kagami looked down. Their emotional mask was falling apart. Everything was beginning to be laid bare for all to see. Kagami could feel the stares at the back of their head. Crazy. Emotional. Delusional. Whispers from the audience crept into their head.

“Doesn’t she know that at the end of the day, the NPCs are just that? NPCs?”

“That girl needs to go away. She hasn’t helped with anything since she first talked. Just acting like a drama queen.”

“I hope she knows what she’s doing.”

The world began to spin. Kagami’s thoughts were running wild. Yet, when Kagami looked up from the podium, their eyes were squarely locked onto President Brienne. There was no cordial smile, there was no solemn look. Kagami wasn’t using the Disguise skill, nor were they trying to act. It was just a simple look of pity and sorrow. “Ms. President Brienne. I- I know this isn’t a light topic, but I need to know. What the hell have you put up with since you started running for election? Whatever it is, it’s just wrong. I know just how painful it is to recount memories like those, let alone speak of it. I haven’t even spoken to you the first time I came up to this podium, but I know that you’re not a politician. I am almost certain of it. You’re simply someone who wants the best for everyone. Someone who stepped up to the plate; not for political gain or power, but simply because something needed to be done.” Kagami paused for a second to catch their breath. “You’re probably the best president to be in THAT seat right now. Whatever you’ve endured is not your fault. The only issue I could possibly see is maybe you’re too protective of people you should not claim your own. Look around you.” Kagami raised their hands to the audience. “These are your people. The way you and I feel about uniting the territories is too similar. I’d want nothing more than to walk away from these incidents and figure out the next plan of action, but that isn’t possible. Everyone is suffering because of the idea that these attacks occurred, not just from the results of it. Your people are the kind people in the five territories that desire no harm. Your people are everyone who’s trying to live their lives peacefully. And I hope that you can unite them along the way of your presidency. But your people aren’t the attackers. Your people aren’t ones that would attack you or the people around you, burn down medicine storages, or trap people in caves. I am not saying to persecute people who don’t want unity… just those who put evil thoughts into evil actions. Please, for the sake of everyone, even if it’s painful to speak to your memories, please speak. Your people are depending on you.”

Kagami slowly turned and stepped from the podium, wobbling a bit as the world still spun around and took the nearest theater seat which happened to be next to Raidou. Kagami hugged their knees. Even if those damned voices were still ridiculing them, Kagami decided to bear it. Kagami took it as an opportunity to see it as atonement. They wanted to understand and share whatever pain that Brienne was feeling. After all, Kagami couldn’t help but feel like they were a big cause of it.

Edited September 1, 2023 by Kataware
prevent google doc formatting