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Amethyst	A lone Dragon finds herself sitting at her desk in the midst of the sales floor of her shop, looking troubled and contemplative and idly spinning a single black jade dinar in her hand. She's sent letters to both Silk and Bright to have them join her here tonight. And it was clear from the letter that whatever's on her mind is weighing on her quite a bit. However, the letters were also unhelpfully vague.
Bright Journey	The night is calm, quiet. Business hours are over for most of the shops in this area, the din of people long gone as they head towards the Temple District for whatever random merrymaking is scheduled this particular night. The darkness is mostly peaceful, pierced only by twinkling stars above and the flicker of lamps here and there. There's a sharp rap at the young alchemist's door, the staccato sound piercing the quiet of the night air.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk dressed in her ususal streat attire of a gray silk kimono stands next to her friend and housemate Bright trying not to fidget as they wait for Ames to answer the door. Her curiousity has been roused by the vagueness of the letter.
Amethyst	The alchemist rises and answers the door, her own shop having closed an hour or two ago. She smiles and welcomes them, "Hey, you made it. How are you two doing?" And she starts leading them to the back area, the workshop usually filled with alchemical tools that would make one's head spin is instead covered with a small handful of books, and a lot of silver and jade. And one of the books really stands out, with its gilded cover and spine and it featuring the five elemental dragons quite prominently on the cover.
Bright Journey	Bright Journey walks in alongside Silk, with her cloak over her shoulders and the hood raised. She's seen the sales floor many times, of course, but this is the first time she's done more than glance at the back room. Still, her pink eyebrows raise when she sees what's waiting for them there. She doesn't say anything at first, giving Silk a curious glance, but eventually answers Amethyst. "We're well. It's been a bit of a boring week, though, at least for me. I admit I'm more than a little curious, and whatever's going on, I'm happy to help." Bright pauses, taking a more thorough look around the back room and especially the volume she has laid out on the table. "If you don't mind my saying so, Amethyst, you're not usually one for cloak and dagger." She gets a fond grin as she glances at Silk. "So just as well we have an expert consultant."
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk follows her friends into the office area of the shop taking note of the lack of odd trinkets and baubles that Amethyst normally has on display. She looks around at all the books and scratches her head. "I see you have been reading up on something Immaculate Order related." She smiles at Bright's comment and shrugs "I prefer to be mysterious. I'm not big on daggers but I do like a good cloak." Silk grabs a pair of chairs from the work tables and brings them closer to the desk. "Do tell what this is about. Bright's likely to burst from her curiousity."
Rishi	The shop door jingles as another person enters and soon you are all joined by Rishi, who wastes no time in resuming her gargoyle-like form. "Ah! We are all being here now! Please Ammy be telling us why you have called us here."
Amethyst	"Well," Amethyst starts, taking a seat herself and idly grabbing one of the coins of jade. "First's the money here. This is from my business, if you can believe it. I've secured enough contracts with enough of the temples and establishments in this city to amass quite a bit of wealth." "The second, well, is kinda weird." She rubs her head, her ears staying down as she contemplates. She grabs the side of her head, "So, I was born to a dream-hearted mother and a dynast, both sharing the name Yim, and allegedly the household my father came from would have taken me in, but we'd been struck from the ledger due to his uh." She looks away and ashamed, "Let's just say though I respect my father he's not an ideal man." And she turns back, her ears back like she's very cautious, "But I learned something about the household Peleps Yim. Not only was it not struck from the ledgers, I'm still technically part of it, known as Peleps Yim Ametis. And they've just been waiting for me all of this time." "I..." Ears go down, and she looks down, "I have no idea how to feel about it."
Bright Journey	Bright bounces lightly on the balls of her feet for a moment, grinning like a little schoolgirl just for a moment. "Horribly curious," she says. "I won't deny it." As Amethyst's serious tone remains, though, she visibly calms down, no doubt realizing now is not the time. She looks ready to speak when Rishi steps in as well, and offers the Lunar a nod of acknowledgment. Her presence is certainly no surprise. Living in Silk's mansion does get one used to the occasional sign of wealth, even though most of it isn't Bright's actual property. Still, she seems more impressed by the book than the money. All of her focus right now is on Amethyst herself, however, as the alchemist explains her situation and slowly nods. "Peleps Yim Ametis," Bright murmurs, her voice quiet and respectful. "I...wasn't born into wealth, you understand, but I had a mother who loved me, food on my plate, and clothes on my back. I only have a vague notion who my father is, and from what little I do know I'm probably not better off knowing more. I can't imagine what it's like to learn something like that. Does that mean they've known you're alive?"
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk smiles at the gargoyle sorceress "Good evening to you as well Rishi." She turns her attention back to Amethyst. "A branch of house Peleps, the Admiralcy would be excited to have a lost child returned to them. Do they know that you live?"
Rishi	Ammy has discussed this with Rishi, so she only nods. Her face is full of concern and worry, but all she says is "....I am being willing to back the decision you are making. And I can be an exotic pet or human assistant if you are deciding to go be meeting them, just in case this is being a trap of some kind. And I am sure Frosty is thinking the same."
Amethyst	"I haven't sent any letters out yet. I wanted to talk to the people who helped me get to be where I am now first." The young Dragon explains, giggling just a little. "Although I don't consider any of you Anathema, they'd definitely feel differently. I know that much." And she nods to Rishi, "Making sure my intel is good would be a good thing before setting off to the island. But again, the /worst/ that can happen to me is the same fate any outcaste would face. I'm not anathema myself, mutations and tattoos aside. But uh," And her tone turns dour again. "The reason my father believed we were stripped of our status is because of a Changing Moon caste, or as the Order knows them, a Face-Stealer. I don't know how or why, but they destroyed every single member of my household expect for me, my father, and uh. That's another thing, I have a brother who may or may not be my twin, but we're pretty close in age."
Bright Journey	It's at this point that Bright is starting to frown in thought. She brushes her hood back, letting her hair fall free, but her expression stays concerned. "I...don't know much of anything about what your family on the Blessed Isle might do. But obviously it would be insanely dangerous for any of us, and you might not want to hear this, but I can't help but think it would be pretty dangerous for you, too. Don't they take a dim view of mutations? Not to mention the company you keep." She chuckles quietly. "I know you're not going to tell them about any of us, but still, they're bound to get curious. Maybe even send people here to look for you. Also, 'the same fate any outcaste would face.' What exactly do they do to outcastes?" Bright sighs deeply, still thoughtful. "Still. A father, maybe a brother? I see why you're looking into the family."
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk closes her eyes for a moment to process all that Amethyst has told her. I cannot help but agree with Bright about the dangers of going to the Blessed Isle. Unless House Peleps had changed since my grandfathers stories, they will use you as a tool. The great houses are treacherous to say the least. The Imaculate Order will be your greatest danger there." Silk take a steadying breath. "They will not name you outcaste for associating with anethema, they could label you a traitor of the Empire and try to kill you." "As for your possible brother and maybe your father, that is a different conversation."
Rishi	Rishi clearly wants to offer Ammy a hug, but, especially after the mention of a Face Stealer, isn't quite sure if she *should*. "I am not being so sure that your Monks will be happy to be having you back if they are finding out that you are being together with some of the Silver Chosen." She smirks for a moment, glancing at Bright. "Even if you are having yet to do anything on the ceiling." She sobers quickly. "So, I am wanting to be accompanying you, for the just in case." Rishi starts to say something at the mention of a brother, but then closes her mouth and wraps her wings tightly around herself. Rishi nods in agreement with the others about the danger.
Amethyst	The alchemist is silent for a good few minutes as she processes the advice of her friends. "Heh, well," She finally speaks, "Those dragon-blooded who are not from a Patrician or Dynast family are given one of two choices: To become a monk, or to join the legions. The former is by far the safer choice for most candidates, as Pasiap's Stair, the military academy outcastes bound for the legions are sent to, is perhaps the most deadly of all of the August institutions. I'd honestly would rather just flee back here at either of those choices." "I might still have dedication to an Immacuate Philosphy, but I hate the Perfected Hierarchy and much prefer Lookshy's whole 'Honor and status is to be earned, not given by birth'." And she sighs, and looks at Silk, "Those who associate and work with Anathema are to be considered Anathema themselves." And she closes her eyes, "I'm sure even if I don't go back it's only a matter of time before they find out that I am, in fact, alive. And I can't imagine they'll be too picky about their scions once war comes. That's the other thing, there will be war, just no one can say when. Sheesh there's an absolute laundry list of reasons I shouldn't had even looked into my father's side of the family. Speaking of, he's still missing, and I don't know where he's at." Amethyst just deflates, "As for my brother, only my mother will know for sure if he's my twin, and I'm sure she knows more about my household and what might have caused anathema to try to kill us all." And she chuckles and puts a hand on her face, "You guys really help ome appreciate why it is that I really don't know how to feel about being recognized as a member of the dynasty. What in Creation should I even /do/?"
Bright Journey	Bright still looks quite pensive as Amethyst continues to explain the situation. She slowly nods as Amethyst explains the outcaste's options, scratching the back of her head and frowning again. "Join the monastery or the legions? Not just...join your house and go live with them? I guess they don't want you without having a chance to mold you. Those two options sound like something you'd offer...I don't know. A kid, or maybe a teenager. Not a grown woman who's an accomplished alchemist and sorceress and runs a shop. Even if you -wanted- either of those things they'd be a waste of your talents." Bright glances at Silk and back to Amethyst. "But I think you're right. If they find out you've been working with us--and I think they would eventually, if you spend much time with them--then your life wouldn't be worth a wax zeni. The family might take you in, if war is coming--would they even follow the rules?--but still. I don't know much about the Dynasts but if Silk says they'd manipulate you I believe it. I think there has to be a better way to contact your family off the record. Not officially, if at all. Bright offers Rishi a quick grin about the mention of the ceiling, but she doesn't take the bait--the conversation is too serious. Instead she turns back to Amethyst and nods. "Maybe if you know something about your mother, contacting her first would be safer? I'm not sure. Where is she?"
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk nods her head in agreement "The great houses are a giant spider web of posturing for position. As long as the throne is empty, a war will come. As much as I would like to see you joined with your family, you know what options they will present you with already." "As to the subject of your brother and mother, where are they? I'm going to guess you want to take a trip on the Wyld side?"
Rishi	Rishi is quiet before she says "...In my country, the Sorcerer-Kings are the great powers and all others are being slaves. I discovered my sorcery and was elevated amongst the nobility. I know their Empire is being as nothing to the great Realm, but ...I was having the opportunity to be feted and lionized, to be having power over others. But, I was having to be giving up myself to gain this luxury and ....that was being the one thing I could not be doing. The One who is Many was seeing this and she was Choosing me for it." Rishi reaches out and puts her hand on Ammy's shoulder. "Whatever you are deciding, please be making sure you are not losing yourself in the process. I know that family is being most important to the Dragon's Chosen, but...you are being important too. What you are wanting is being important. Never be forgetting that." Rishi headtilts at Bright's question. "Your mother and Fae clan are being in Champoor, yes? I admit, I am feeling much better about surviving in the Wyld than I am surviving your Monks of the great Realm."
Amethyst	To the question of her mother, Amethyst goes over, and grabs a scroll, hastily pushing some books aside to unfurl it. It's a map of the southeast, but curiously, the Dreaming Sea has a particular landmark drawn onto it, 'Elderloch'. Amethyst points at it. "This is where my mother is, at the bottom of the sea in this spot. These tattoos of mine are all we need to gain passage there. What happens next, only the heavens know. My mother had some great reasons for sending me away. It may have been to help my father, or it may have been for my own safety. I haven't heard from her since." "As for my brother? Peleps Ros Telatur, almost certainly in the Voice-for-tides prefacture on the western edge of the Blessed Isle, /somewhere/. All I know about my father is that he was hunting down some cult, and vanished." "As for me being me?" She takes a deep sigh, and pours her frustration into her voice, "I get the feeling my whole life everyone has wanted me to be what they wanted me to be. My mother wanted to follow in her footsteps and gain the powers and mutations of the wyld. My father wanted me to be great and powerful and to be an example so that one day we could become part of the Dynasty once more. I'm sure they would like me see made into an obedient little pawn in their games. And the Raksha? If I had to guess, they just want to eat my soul. I don't even know who or /what/ I want to be. I do know what I have claimed as my own though, the great and powerful alchemist-sorcereress, of Dragon and Fae Blood. It was only when the wyld dared to try to take the only thing that was truly mine that the blood in my veins finally woke up and /pushed/ /it/ /back/." "So what do I want? What do I do?" And all of her bravado evaporates in but a moment, "...I don't really know." It's a helpless little plea. "I just feel like I've had expectations from every side of me pushed onto me, so I never really had a chance to figure out what /I/ wanted, except maybe a family and to not feel like my birth was a mistake that cost my father everything he had left."
Bright Journey	Bright Journey has a fond, but slightly sad smile on her face as she watches Amethyst pour her heart out. It's full of sympathy and compassion, but not a shred of doubt. As Amethyst speaks, Bright looks more and more certain. "Amethyst," Bright replies, her voice quiet but firm. "Look around you, at the shop you built for yourself, at the friends and the love you have at your side. We are all formed by our childhoods, right? But you didn't let any of them dictate who you are, any more than any of us did. I'm not what my mother planned for me to be, but I don't doubt she'd still be proud of me were she still alive. I'm my own person and more importantly, so are you. You -did- push back." Bright smiles again. "My dear, you've spent your whole life being pulled in multiple directions, 'tis true. But like the center direction on a map, you took the parts of those you wanted to keep and forged your own path, did you not? You -already won-. You have but to see it the right way--you have not gone partly in this direction and partly in the other. You have gone -your- way. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk watches as Bright's words to what they always do when she applies a her will to something. She see's the light behind Amethyst's eyes change slightly and smiles. "I used to know some people on that part of the Isle but that was a lifetime ago before I took my second breath. I would not be welcome there as I am. Perhaps I could write some letters for you asking questions?" "If you truely want to go into the Wyld to speak with your mother, I will go. Bright would be the best to have with us if you wish to face the Rasha. Please think long and hard about what you want and we will help you as we can. Perhaps ask some of the other Dragons in the city if they can write home asking about your brother?"
Rishi	Rishi just reaches over and pulls Ammy into a hug, her wings and arms wrapping the DB into an embrace that is warm, safe, and loving. "I am here for you. Whatever you are needing. I am just wanted you to be happy." If anyone can see her face, it's fairly clear that what Rishi really wants is for Ammy to be happy *with her*, but ...Rishi has never been one for gilded cages. What Ammy wants, Ammy shall have.
Amethyst	Amethyst listens and considers Bright's words, and breaths in deep. She remember everything she's gone through, from the explosion of water essence that lead to her exaltation, heck, she's pretty sure most of the people who were there are here now. And she rememebers how she burned her own shop down to make a point and rebuilt it from scratch into what it is today. And so after she hugs Rishi, she goes over, and grabs not a coin, but an entire little bar of jade. And she holds it in her hands, it looks like about a pound of the stuff. "You know, I started from literally nothing. I had to convince people to give me loans to get my initial set of reagents. Though my childhood was in splendor, I had not a single dinar to my name after getting here. And from that, I've amassed enough jade to /hold/ a mina of it. The money I have here is about what the /average dynasty/ gets paid in stipend from their house. It's a truly staggering amount of money when I sit here and consider that it's just me here. No retinue, no fancy mansion, no one to help me manage or deal with it, just me and my friends." "I... don't know if I could ever truly call you all family, family is such a weird and important thing to us, but you are certainly something close to it." "As for what I want?" She looks around, and in a simple motion she grabs a notebook and flips to a few pages. "This is the start of what I will need to make Age-Staving Cordial, and the beginnings of creating a portal network across Creation using a nexus in the wyld. I want to be one of the best Dragon-Sorcerers to have ever lived. And the reagents and materials and contacts I will need will be much, much easier to come by if I were a member of the Dynasty. I just need someone skilled enough at negociations to ensure that, at the least, there's mutual manipulation." "And before I can do any of that, I must find my father and consult my mother, and meet my brother. And the start of that is going underneath the wyld ocean of the southeast."
Bright Journey	Bright looks on with beaming pride as Amethyst's resolve visibly crystallizes. She listens to Amethyst's explanation and her decisions made, and nods firmly. Her eyes widen a bit at the money explanation, though. Clearly, it hadn't really dawned on her just how much wealth is on that table. Good thing there's four Exalts guarding it! As Amethyst hugs Rishi, Bright smiles again, more fondly once more. "Family is, to some extent, what we make of it. I'm honored you feel that way, Amethyst, and I'd be happy to...help..." Bright trails off, her thoughts clearly going off in an oblong direction. "That...hm. I -do- want to join you in your quest, Amethyst, and not just because I want you to succeed, though I certainly do! But I...have something I must do myself. Something that has waited long enough. And making allies, even allies of convenience, among a Dragon-Blooded family...yes. I think that's a path I need to walk. And...a portal network? You don't think small, do you, Amethyst? I'd like to be of help there, too--I want to learn about things like teleportation."
Silk Moon Lotus	"Gransfather always told me that I would do great things. It seems to me that traveling to some visit sea dragons is pretty great." Silk sighs to herself "I guess I need to put in some time on those books again so I can help with this sorcery stuff. I still say that casting spells through dance is the way to go."
Rishi	Rishi rather obviously relaxes a bit, before she nods firmly. "Good. I'm glad that you have made your decision and I am being most glad to be helping with that. I have been preparing much to be traveling through the wyld and keeping safe the group and I think I am being ready." Rishi headtilts, looking at Bright and Silk. "If you are wanting to be joining us under the water, I can be granting you both the gills of the fish while we are being there. And removing them after, unless you are liking them?" She sounds slightly hopeful about that.
Amethyst	Amethyst stands now before her allies, with a light in her eye she hasn't had in ages. And it feels like a storm has settled around her too, her tattoos start to ebb and flow more slowly and calmly, almost deliberately as she relaxes her ears into a lazy perked position. "I went into the wyld, as a mortal, to claim my own power. And not only did I succeed, I came back unshaken and without serious mutation. I created a way to /transform/ on an obsessive whim. If I were to think small, I fear what I might do next. Best focus on some lofty end goal that will be hard for me acheive as to keep me out of trouble." She grins. "Maybe someday soon I'll start calling myself Peleps Yim Ametis. "And maybe, just maybe, I know what /I/ want to be and what to /do/."