Log View

Source	Contents
Chorus	It is the night after the battle for Iron Simhata, the hours between evening and midnight. While victory celebrations in the living city might be coming to an end soon, the Unfinished City has only just begun really getting into the groove. After the Envoy's safe return, the lockdown on the Bleak Tower was swiftly lifted, allowing living mourners and the ghosts of the fallen to intermingle during the festivities by granting them access to the shadowland. When Divya approaches the Tower from the Underworld side, she finds the ghostly guards standing at easy, waving her inside. The Memorial Gardens are full with people, living and dead alike, walking about, softly speaking to each other, holding each other while they still can. Nobody stands in the Sidereal's way when she begins walking up the staircase either. Ghostly servants mill about between the storage rooms, lounge, and kitchen. That they are preparing food and setting up decorations is obvious enough. Further upstairs, the frantic activity ceases. Only after Divya walks up a few more floors, past the art gallery, guest quarters and library, does she hit the first obstacle: Shredded Promises. The warrior-poet is leaning against the wall, reading a book. Unfortunately, they also block the staircase with their crimson-robed body. Unless Divya has taken measures to not be noticed, they will certainly hear and see her coming.
Mahendru Divya	Divya's well aware of Shredded Promises' habitual presence. While she's (mostly) overcome her nerves around the ghost, they once sincerely frightened a woman who doesn't frighten easily and confrontation is the last thing she wants to do with the profoundly suspicious spirit. So, in a discrete corner, the Sidereal simply becomes a raiton. As a raiton, her black feathered form blends into the Bleak Tower's shadowy aesthetics. Flight is noisy in a place -this- quiet so she confines herself to the slow and steady approach of hopping from step to step, timing riskier ascents with the turn of the page or a look of particular concentration on the ghost's part. Her tiny form is virtually soundless anyway, her mass already so light and small that a well trained Sidereal operative needs very little actual skill to sneak past the most wary of sentries. And so she aims to steal herself past the ghost.
Chorus	While she slinks past the ghost, too close for comfort, Divya notes that Shredded Promises is less immersed in their book than they make it seem. Certainly a tactic to bait potential troublemakers into letting down their guard. Luckily, the Maidens smile on their Chosen and obscure her from those watchful green eyes. After her last, rather unpleasant encounter with Chorus' favorite bodyguard, Divya can now tell that this ornate ivory death-mask doesn't just hide their face - it ~is~ their face. A few daring hops later, she is past the danger and climbs the rest of the way, until the door to the Master's Quarters lies before her, seemingly unguarded. Trying to open it as a raiton might be... difficult. However Divya decides to enter, she finds the door closed, but unlocked. Inside, the macabre furniture remains unchanged. In the office, the Sidereal's eyes immediately note a packed duffel bag leaning against the wall, close to the door, and several long cases next to it - the kind people commonly use to safely store and transport maps, or other large scrolls. What few personal items the Envoy used to have lying around are gone. And yet, the Quarters are obviously not empty. Through the bedroom door, standing just slightly ajar, soft humming reaches the Sidereal's ears. She recognizes both the voice and the tune: It's the Ballad of the Impotentate, and the person humming it can only be her deathknight. Close to that door, the air feels slightly damp and smells of lime and jasmine - the nameless woman's favorite bathing soap.
Mahendru Divya	Once the raiton arrives at the door, raiton work is done and so the ration's a woman once more. One who knows how to open and close a door as silently as possible. Upon entering, Divya pauses and looks about the room. Drinking in the detail of this relatively rare and very securely guarded location. It's not that the decorating is particularly to her liking but there's a certain sentimentality in being here. Perhaps being here for the very last time. She smiles a bit in fond memory. "Bitiya, have a look, won't you?" Divya whispers into the still air of the Master's Quarters. As her steps take her towards the bedroom, a palm-sized emerald pattern spider slips out of the sleeve of her Guild Merchant robes and flicks over to and through those personal possessions. Trusting that tiny piece of her soul will return in her own good time, the Sidereal simply proceeds directly to the door. She breathes in the scents, a favorite because it's her lover's favorite. Then she presses her hands to the bedroom door and steps inside. She's not making much noise, that's habit, but neither is she trying to ambush her girlfriend. Divya merely pauses inside the bedroom to see what there is to see before proceeding further.
Chorus	The humming continues. Even before she enters, Divya can already tell it's not coming from the bathroom - that would be to the left. Instead, it pinpoints the nameless woman's location at a point straight across the bedroom. When the door swings open, the Sidereal can see her girlfriend, sitting at a dressing table, wearing nothing but a bright pink towel - and that discreet artifact necklace Fully made for her. Naturally, because it's a dressing table in the Bleak Tower, it has to keep up the overarching interior design theme of bleached bones and black iron. Their eyes meet across the room, and the Sidereal realizes that the nameless woman already heard her coming before she set foot into the room. The stool she sits on can rotate, so all that was needed to turn around was a little shove with her feet. Slowly, she lets the humming fade away. Her left hand holds a hairbrush, slightly angled towards Divya now. Her right hand, however, isn't visible. She has shoved it under her cloak, which lies draped across the dressing table. By the looks of it, ~something~ must be hidden there, under that incandescent fabric. Probably gripped tight in her hand. And given that she's turned her left shoulder towards Divya... this is very much a position for aiming and throwing ~something~ at a would-be intruder. The nameless woman blinks, eying the Sidereal, and says in a carefully neutral tone: "Why, hello there. What song did I sing for the Star? Please answer swiftly." One corner of her mouth rises up. Not necessarily the beginning of a smile.
Mahendru Divya	Divya pauses and smiles despite herself, despite the tension in the other woman, because her lover is -wearing a bright PINK towel-! If her green star-filled eyes could make heart-shapes, they would. There is no mistaking the fact that Divya thinks this is just the most adorable, cutest thing ever and it's the kind of reaction a century old Sidereal probably hasn't had in literally years. Radiant with joy at the sight, Divya smiles irrepressibly and acknowledges the serious identity issue by saying "Where Elephants Reign" before she hums a few bars of the harmony she sang to supplement her Deathknight's magnificent performance. Relentless training mixes with present joy to add warmth and vibrancy to a voice that's otherwise only adequate at singing. Divya finishes stepping into the bedroom but stays at the door, and makes no move to close it. Waiting to approach until invited. Her smile softens and unmistakable fondness radiates from her expression. Into the space between them, she speaks, echoing the words of the woman she loves: "Hello there."
Chorus	Again, the nameless woman blinks, a few times in a row, without lowering her gaze at all. Pink looks good on her - not a big surprise to anyone who has already seen her in much more colorful clothing, such as Ravi's. The bath must have been quite recent; her face is entirely free of paint and make-up, her hair still damp and freshly combed, black streaks glistening in the light of the slightly dimmed ceiling crystals. Divya might also take note of the tousled sheets on the bed. Slowly, she draws her right hand out from under the cloak. It comes up empty. A true smile tugs at her lips now, blossoming into full adorable radiance a moment later, filled by both relief and joy, as her posture visually relaxes. She slides off the chair (like most seats in this building, it's a little too big and too high for her), and beckons to Divya, taking a few steps towards her. "It really ~is~ you", she says, sounding truly amazed to discover the actual Sidereal standing there, not an imposter. "I thought you had already left." Her smile falters just a little. "With the others."
Mahendru Divya	That unconcealed face is a rare sight for Divya's eyes. Perhaps a sight she's never quite seen at all. The Sidereal's eyes drink up every sight of her lover, admiration and affection and appreciation all perfectly evident in her expression. For a pair of actors, they're both unguarded in vanishingly rare ways. For Divya's part, she still wears the guise of Cynae Kintera, the Guild Merchant from Nexus. There's no trace of dirt or damage to the plain day-use robes of tan linen whose impeccable craftsmanship belies their seemingly ordinary appearance. Her complexion is a bit lighter, her makeup accents a bit sharper, and her thick wavy black hair is bound back in one of the buns common to Nexus fashions. No weapons in sight. Nothing remarkable about her whatsoever. Except for a face that silently speaks her love. "It really is," she says, leaving the door at her Deathknight's invitation and joining her from the door. Divya's hands take her lover's hands and she squeezes them both tightly, just once. Her smile doesn't falter as she says, "You mean too much to me for me to leave without saying goodbye." Then she chuckles and adds, "Actually I have a -few- business affairs in Iron Simhata to wrap up. In fact, you may be on the road before I am." That last sentence comes out a little differently, each word slower than the one before it as her gaze searches her lover's expression for the truth of what the Master's Quarters already made obvious; her Deathknight is packed and nearly ready to depart. She lets the moment linger between them, solemn now, until a wry smile rises on her lips. "I...can't decide what I want to say next." One of her hands cups her girlfriend's cheek, tender and gentle. She smiles fully then and finally says, "Thank you."
Chorus	There's no doubt that Divya's body language speaks the truth about her feelings - one facet of the truth, at least. But as Chorus leans her cheek into the touch, making deep eye contact and sighing softly, she can't help but notice how the Sidereal also uses that genuine display of affection to neatly evade the unspoken question, or rather, the subtle hint at her having been part of a group of "others" who recently left. Which is also an answer, in a way. She raises a hand, too, gently brushing over the back of Divya's on her own cheek, before finally reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair behind her lover's ear. Careful to not smudge her makeup. Silence can be many things: Uncomfortable. Bothersome. Oppressive. Dreadful, even deafening, and much more. The silence now filling the space between them, slowly stretching into the future, is comforting. Perhaps not hopeful, perhaps not kind, but for what little time it lasts, it shields them from the things yet to come. The secrets yet to be revealed. Then, the nameless woman's fathomless eyes narrow ever so slightly. Her smile, however, doesn't falter - it only shifts a little. "It was masterfully done, really. Nobody saw it coming. Not even the Mountain - although he was clearly in on the plan. Well, in part at least. That, I truly didn't anticipate."
Mahendru Divya	Like her Deathknight, Divya lingers in the moment. Enjoys it fully. And then releases it, when it's done. "The Lunar Exalted are a wild card, when it comes to plans. Literally wild. The Argent Madonna made them that way, Chose them that way, and they make themselves so. Iron Simhata's lucky for his aid." Her own smile shifts slightly. "And it's lucky for yours. The city might not be here now, if not for the valiant defense of the coalition you put together. And all those ghosts we freed from Nefer-Bel-Gevil's afterlife will continue to prosper, with the prayers of the living still going to them. All the more prayer, actually, given the dead saved them." With those words offered up, Divya draws back just a little, just to get a better look at her lover. Her expression's equal parts serious and fond now. "I'd like to ask you the most ridiculous question I could ever possibly ask of you. If you'll entertain it." Another half-smile of amusement follows but the rest of her expression and the seriousness of her eyes suggest she means the question sincerely. "Can I trust you?"
Chorus	From behind her mask of reciprocated love, Chorus carefully scrutinizes Divya's face. A thoughtful expression pushes her smile aside. She doesn't worry too much about taking a little longer with her answer. If anything, her lover probably would appreciate a knee-jerk response less than a carefully considered one. It feels... weird, being asked that question. People who have no clue about her true nature usually are quick to just assume that, yes, ~of course~ they can trust someone as likeable as her. After all, she knows exactly how to appear as someone they would instinctively trust, whoever they are. As for the others... those who know what she is, and understand what that means? Well... They don't usually ask either, because why would they? And of course, the Moonshadow knows that some beings - other Exalted, too, probably - can sniff out a lie in the spoken word, or otherwise. Can the Chosen of the Stars? She has absolutely no clue. But that doesn't seem to be what Divya is up to here. Much as in the case of the Dragon Boat Problem that the Sidereal posed to her, there really is no right answer - and no wrong one either. Before the space between question and answer stretches too thin to justify, the nameless woman gives a nod in understanding, and says: "I don't think it's a ridiculous question." Smiling slightly, now. "A tricky beast, that one. Trust." She bites down on her lower lip, and finally puts the hairbrush away before continuing. "Can you trust me now, here, in this moment? The answer is, of course, 'yes'. Just as I can trust you, or else I wouldn't have allowed you to cross that threshold. There's an understanding between us, a truce. You know this." A firm nod. Again, she picks up her lover's gaze and holds it tight. "But you also know that trust is an illusion, don't you. It only exists through belief and wishful thinking." Her voice is gentle yet wistful, like her smile. "You know, that problem you posed me on the way to the Sentinel Star's corpse... I've been thinking about it a lot recently. And I've slowly come to realize how fundamentally flawed it is."
Mahendru Divya	Divya resigns herself to the possibility, perhaps probability, that her girlfriend is a better actor than she is. And yet, she judges that the other woman's reply is the result of actual thought rather than a reflexive statement. She appreciates that feeling. As she appreciates the woman she once thought of as Ravi calling it like it is. An understanding. A truce. They don't usually speak so directly. ...Not that this is especially direct, but direct -for them-. And then her Deathknight does it. Divya sighs in fond exasperation, more aware than ever that her lover is only getting better at knowing what levers to pull. "The Dragon Boat problem. You perceive a flaw then? Tell me."
Chorus	The nameless woman shifts on her bare feet and scratches her nose, smirking good-naturedly at Divya's reaction. "Yes. Look... As you know, I'm no scholar. I rarely read books. Well, probably a little more in recent times." She gives a sniff, as if that development was slightly disdainful, but grudgingly tolerated. "In other words: I don't claim to have found a hitherto undiscovered flaw in that problem. Nor could I hold a philosophical speech about it." She shrugs. "I can just tell you what I make of it." Whether consciously or not, she starts pacing back and forth a little as she explains: "At first, the posed problem seemed obvious enough: What's the value of a life? How do you value one life against several, or several against many? ~Should~ you even?" The nameless woman waves a hand, dismissively, and continues walking back and forth in front of Divya. "So I thought to myself: 'Who even ~are~ those people?' I know there's a gondolier on each of those branches. I know one boat contains a family of five. And the caravel... probably whatever. It doesn't really matter, because none of that tells me anything about them. Why would they be worth saving? Why should they be left alive? Why am I supposed to make that decision, even?" Having stepped close to the Sidereal again, she stops, and cocks her head. Eying Divya. "Which leads me to the next question: What kind of dick-brained idiot even designed that river junction? Who decided it was a good idea to have traffic flow that way, with only one lane, and no space to evade oncoming ships?" She clucks her tongue and shrugs. "Also, whoever did this built a convenient lever system to switch the junction, and put it somewhere so far away from the ships that any poor idiot tasked with operating that lever can see the drama happening from a front-row seat, but has absolutely no way of warning anyone. Truly the work of an insidious mastermind!" All of a sudden, a grin splits her face. She takes another step towards Divya, leans forward playfully, balancing on only one foot with her hands clasped at her back, and proclaims: "For me, after careful consideration, there truly is only one solution to this problem, and it's none of the three you offered me along with it." A mischievous gleam creeps into her eyes. "I'd break the lever. No, break the entire mechanism. Break it so thoroughly that nobody is ever going to be able to operate it ever again."
Mahendru Divya	Divya watches her lover pace with growing affection. Not just because she looked cute but because of her seemingly genuine engagement with the problem. No, had to be genuine engagement, there was no way to fake thinking through a problem unless one handed the problem to someone else and watched -them- think out loud with it so one could copy the performance... That wasn't what was going on here, was it? ...No, surely not. The answer is brilliantly delivered, theatrical and amusing to offset the grim immediate implications while still engaging with the issue of moral responsibility. Divya nods slowly. And just as slowly, the humor bleeds from her expression and a look of intensity replaces it. As it all falls into place. "Imagine yourself standing at the junction, where one river parts and becomes two." The words, the exact intonation is exactly as it was on the boat of their trip to the Sentinel Star. But then the words change. "Up the first branch, the river flows up." And Divya's left hand rises, palm upward, seemingly signalling the sky...or what metaphysically lies beyond it. "Down the second branch, the river flows down." And this time her hand, still palm up, waves in a circular fashion all around, encompassing the Underworld they find themselves in. "A fleet of ships flows, back and forth, up the one river. Another fleet flows, back and forth, down the other river. And where they meet at the junction, where two rivers become one, war." Her open-palmed hand closes into a fist. "Conflict. Ships sinking, on both sides." "But the banks on the river aren't too high to climb, this time. This time, there's a woman standing at the junction. In front of a lever. And she has her hand out. Because there's room for two, to control the conflict between both fleets." Divya smiles then and the love is back. The affection is back. Added to both, there's now hope. "Time for the other most ridiculous question I could ever possibly ask of you." "Can you trust me?"
Chorus	The pink-wrapped deathknight listens, grin receding, a look of thoughtful concentration on her face. Fixation, even. Again, if she only feigns interest, she does it exceptionally well. Her eyes track the movements of Divya's hands, the shifts in her expression, with a cat's restless intensity. Once it becomes clear where this is going - and Divya's deathknight isn't dense; she notices soon enough - a lopsided smile appears on the nameless woman's lips. Even then, she continues to listen without interrupting, pressing her tongue against a canine. It's one of those small mannerisms that seem to persist across her various disguises and roles, a circumstance she seems to be well aware of, keeping her from doing it more often, in front of others. Again, she gives the reverse of the Sidereal's prior question due consideration, letting her smile fade once more. Looking Divya over from head to toe, stopping at her face, with a look of profound fondness... tinged by regret. Finally, she says: "You said it yourself before, when you arrived in Iron Simhata, and now you're saying it again, just in a different way: 'We don't have to be enemies.'" A slow blink. Again, evoking the cat. "But we could be. Perhaps we must be, one night." She licks her lips, steps closer, and cups Divya's chin in her hand, answering in a whisper: "I would love to trust you, Starry Eyes... but please answer me this: What's Bitiya up to in the other room?"
Mahendru Divya	"We could be," Divya says, echoing her lover's words. "But we don't have to be. You're on one of those boats already, I know. So am I. The difference is, we can see the river bank. The difference is, we can choose the lever." "We can choose each other." Divya leans into the hand cupping her chin then, starry eyes closing at that last question. Then, eyes still shut, she lifts her right hand slightly and says "Bitiya." With a flash of green light, the miniature pattern spider zips in from the other room and stands on Divya's hand. Opening her eyes, Divya brings the hand over to her lover's ear and says, "Tell her what you learned." The tiny pattern spider waves her little pedipalps, which apparently have mittens on them, and hops onto the Deathknight's shoulder before whispering the answers into her ear. Once the spider finishes, she remains there on the nameless woman's shoulder as Divya says "If you know anything about me, know this. I find Secrets." "And I keep Secrets." For perhaps the (second?) time, the Caste Mark of Jupiter shines upon her forehead in certainly the clearest look Chorus has ever had of it. Divya's face beneath the Caste Mark is solemn, intent. "Including yours. Especially yours." She smiles then, a little ruefully. "You're my Secret, after all."
Chorus	At first, the nameless woman looks at the spider with astonishment, not quite certain what to make of this creature. But when Bitiya obediently starts whispering, she leans in close, and listens. Her face goes blank for a few seconds after the spider has finished, and remains so during Divya's following words (and Caste Mark display). Only when the Sidereal says "You're my Secret, after all", the deathknight can't hold it any longer: Her mouth starts to twitch, and she erupts in a burst of heartfelt laughter. It takes her a while to get her act together. When she can finally draw enough breath to speak again, she wheezes: "Oh, fuck! Sorry. I wasn't laughing about you. It's just... Well, I sure hope she doesn't tell you, because it was supposed to be a surprise for the next time we wanted to meet - in Nexus, you know?" She giggles, well aware of the absurdity of this situation. "You'll find out then, all without having your spider sift through my underwear." The Abyssal wipes tears from her eyes and gives the little spider a pat.
Mahendru Divya	Bitiya chitters merrily and snuggles the finger patting her. The pattern spider clearly likes the Deathknight a great deal. As for Divya, of all the reactions she might expect, the laughter is...not one that occurs to her. The explanation is...well. -Well then-. Clearing her throat, Divya smirks. Then she reaches into one pocket and produces a small, thin paper envelope labeled 'Property of Wicked Steel Works'. She offers it up to her girlfriend with an outstretched hand. "Speaking of Nexus, inside is an address to my mansion. Along with a key and a talisman that will identify you as my partner to my staff. You are welcome to make as much or as little use of it as you like. I don't have immediate plans to be back there just yet but I check in at least once a season and you'll find a Sorcerer available to message me if you get in town and would like to see me." Divya grins then and says "I know I'd like to see you again. When you can. Why let Bitiya have all the fun, after all." She winks and the pattern spider takes the mention of her name to hop back onto the Sidereal's shoulder, only to skitter beneath the collar of her robe and vanish. "And if you'd just like to talk, there's a certain spirit named Sunrise Imazada. I believe you two met once. If you offer a prayer to her at midnight, any night, everything you say to her, it will be as if you were," Divya's hands reach out and take her lover's hands and squeeze them once, for emphasis. "Speaking directly to me."
Chorus	Gracefully, the deathknight accepts that envelope, and places it on the dressing table, before turning around to promptly get her hands squeezed. She smiles, then, and with wistful sigh, the nameless woman embraces the Sidereal, leans her head against Divya's shoulder, and kisses the side of her girlfriend's neck. "So you came to say goodbye", she whispers. "I wish I could stay by your side longer... but midnight is drawing closer, and you're not the only one who wants to meet up with me before I embark on my journey back home." She draws just back a little, just enough to allow eye contact, a longing look at Divya's face. Taking it all in, regardless of her artfully applied disguise. "That means I've got guests coming to the Tower shortly - friends, and business partners, who might not trust you as much as I do." She nods once for emphasis, looking at Divya with a grave expression now. "It would be best if they don't find you here, as much as I wish it to be otherwise." Briefly, she looks away, preparing her parting words: "I will reach out to you when my duties permit me to return to Creation... and perhaps sooner, if I can. But before you go, take this with you." She draws Divya into a long, passionate kiss, the scent of lime and jasmine, of flowers and ash enveloping them both.