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Bright Journey	For someone who has been an Eclipse caste Solar Exalt for as long as she has, Bright Journey has spent remarkably little time even looking into what constitutes the rare techniques other creatures know, that only the Eclipse can learn. She's read about the theory in books for years, of course, but there was always something else she wanted to learn, another direction she wanted to go in. Technically, that's still completely true. She -does- still have plenty to learn, and if anything her focus in the past few weeks has increased, not relaxed. She's as driven and focused as when she first came to Great Forks, if not moreso. And yet, tonight is a bit of a detour, a side journey for fun and quite possibly profit. "Thank you so much for agreeing to join me on this, Silk," Bright says as the pair of them move through the city. She brushes off a nonexistent piece of lint from her dazzling evening gown, an icon of un-ostentatious wealth and timeless taste. It should fit right in a high class gambling parlor, if Bright is correct, a stately swathe of black silk with green trim. Her hair is upswept and must have taken a squad of boutique warriors to put together.
Silk Moon Lotus	Having listened to Bright ramble on about some gambling spirit for weeks on end, Silk told Bright about a gambling tournement she is hosting at one of the nicest parlors she owns. Silk has dressed for the role of owner tonight wearing her Silken Armor openly. The black silk with Orichalchum lacing the battle robes causing them to shimmer in the light. Her hair is done up into a simple bun with a pair of white pearl hair pins holding it in place. Silk walks next to her friend as they head for the Parlor, Jade Luck. She turns to Bright "I hope one of these spirits shows up tonight for you. The number of times this location has a lucky player is well above average. It sounded like the place you were telling me about." They turn the final corner and a modest sized freestanding building appears before them. Torches of green fire stand next to the double doored entrance. A pair of doormen in Green Jade looking armor flank the doors. The building itself is three stories tall with many windows looking out over the rest of the city. The stonework looks like jade as well though to an expert in magical materials, it is clearly a lesser stone dressed to play the part. Silk pretends to whisper to Bright "The armor is made from the same material as the walls. The armorer's promise met my expectations.
Bright Journey	"Frankly, my dear, I'm just as grateful even if one doesn't manage to show up. I've been quite busy lately, as have you, and it's nice to get together with you again and simply do something fun on one evening or another. And we dress up so rarely! You look lovely, by the way." She gives Silk a grin. "If I happen to run into one of Plentimon's Ladybugs along the way, so much the better. I understand that casinos generally wish they would stay away--and I can understand why!--but perhaps we'll...shall we say, get lucky." Bright offers a brilliant smile as they turn the corner and get a good look at the building itself. Bright pauses a moment to look the edifice over and smiles, nodding. "Very lovely! Obviously neither of us could have sprung for it all to be real jade, but I would just as soon the Realm not come and try to knock your building down, anyway." She chuckles and gestures forward. "Shall we?"
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk chuckles, "I'm glad that you like the look, I did pay some people good money to tell me what would be the best options for the appearance. Let's head inside." Silk walks up to the enterance and hands over an invitation and gestures Bright to follow inside. The inside of the building decorated with more green flame torches that appear to generate no smoke. There are several dozen gaming tables that is in use with many members of high society playing verious games of chance. Towards the back of the gaming area are a set of six table that have a much larger crowd without a lot of noise until there is a loud cheer from the spectators at one of the tables. Silk heads over to the bar and nods to a felinoid Beastwoman. "The usual Ches." Teh bartender nods her head and starts making a drink.
Bright Journey	Bright sits down gracefully, all smiles, but Silk won't have any trouble telling that Bright isn't letting her guard down. The young woman is looking around, taking in all the sights, looking at people as they walk by, and in general seems to be thoroughly familiarizing herself with the place. As Silk gets the bartender's attention, Bright interjects just as Silk finishes and adds, "A hot mulled wine for me if you have it, my dear, or just a nice fragrant red if you don't. Thank you." She looks around thoughtfully at the general ambience. "Hmm. Well, finding something small and green in this color scheme may be...interesting. Still, if anyone can, it's surely the pair of us. We can relax and enjoy ourselves, though, no need to rush."
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk smiles at Bright "Of course we have mulled wine. Now where does one look for small green bugs?" Silk's eyes flash golden for the briefest of moments as she starts to scan the room very slowly. She picks up her drink and starts to walk towards the back tables. Her eyes are constantly scanning the room looking for the Ladybug. In a real whisper to Bright, "I think I see something green over on the table behind the the crowd. Do you see it?"
Bright Journey	Bright doesn't get up immediately, instead waiting until her mulled wine arrives. It's important to know our priorities. That said, once she does stand up, goblet in one upturned palm, stem between two fingers, Bright focuses on the room in much the same way Silk did. To be clear, it is not quite as successful, as she squints and looks in the direction Silk is looking to no immediate avail. Part of that might be Silk's far greater familiarity with the place, part may be the simple fact that people notice when a person like Bright Journey is there. Silk is noticeable too, but she's hardly new. Bright is someone new to everyone here, she arrived alongside the owner, and to be blunt the supernatural good looks do not hurt either. The upshot is when Silk moves about and looks at things, that's what is expected of her. No one notices. When Bright does the exact same thing she ends up on everyone's radar. Stealth is, as ever, not her strength. Bright isn't the center of attention yet, of course, but when she stops by and has a quiet chat with the casino owner there's more than a few people keeping one eye out. She ignores them for the time being, though, sips her wine, and looks where Silk is looking. She squints again, but this time she hmm's to herself as well. "Now that I have this angle, I think I see. Right rear corner of the middle rear table, next to that heiress-looking woman at the dice?" She pauses thoughtfully. "...With the big pile of chips?"
Tiziri	Tiziri has dressed up a bit! Wearing a nice qi-pao style dress in blue with silver clouds and orange moon designs upon it. As such, she can make herself look appropriate for a fancy place it seems! No weapons on her, just her somewhat enigmatic, impish looking smile almost plastered on her face as she starts to wander through the establishment, looking like she's trying to decide what has caught her interest, if nothing else. Also, she is looking for any refreshments.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk nods her head in agreement. "That is indeed the heiress of one of the more prosperous silk dealers here is Great Folks. I heard she was coming tonight. I was hoping she would leave without so much money. I would guess that your little green friend is responsible for that. Maybe you can go talk to it before anyone else notices it and causes a problem? I guess it's the heiress's lucky night." Silk looks around the hall to see if anyone else has noticed the spirit. Her eyes land on someone she is pleasantly suprised to see, Tiziri. "Excuse me Bright, I'm going to go mingle while you conduct your business."
Bright Journey	Bright Journey's eyebrows raise as she follows Silk's gaze to the new entrant in the room. "Well, well," Bright murmurs, though not without a small, knowing smile. "Tiziri is here. Isn't that interesting? I have a thing or two I need to discuss with her anyway, and before you go, you may wish to consider whether she should get an invite to your place sometime." Bright gives Silk a meaningful look as she pitches her voice low. "She's at least as qualified as the big guy, or the alchemist's main squeeze." With that, Bright gives Silk another quick grin before sipping her wine again and making her graceful way down behind the tables, towards the heiress, but not too close. Not yet. First, she waits until the girl's round is done and the croupier is helping another gambler. In a low, casual voice, she leans over and murmurs to the heiress. "Just relax and listen to me carefully, my dear. You're not in danger, but tell me...did you know you might be accidentally cheating? Don't make a scene, and I won't let the bouncers know."
Tiziri	Tiziri has found a drink, a jar of good wine. So now she ends up looking around some more and there, low and behold, is a familiar sight. Perhaps she already noticed but was on a mission, but now she definitely notices. Her smile grows a little warmer as she moves towards Silk, holding her free hand up in a wave, then taking a deep sip from the jar. "Hello." She says once the distance is close enough to not be rudely loud.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk smiles to Tiziri. "I'm glad to see that you are here Tiziri. Did you like to gamble or just looking for somewhere to relax?" Silk gestures to an empty table and sits down.
Bright Journey	It's not easy to hear all that Bright's telling the young woman, but the poor heiress is going through an almost comical series of expressions. Annoyance to disgust to disbelief to concern, and right at the end, somehow, she ends right up at somewhere between flustered and beaming happy, something she wasn't managing before Bright approached her. The whole exchange takes just a few minutes and all the while, Bright's friendly, conspiratorial smile never once falters. It does take a few minutes, though, so whatever the heck that girl is doing, she's not able to make it back to Silk and Tiziri quite yet.
Tiziri	"Mostly the latter." Tiziri admits. "This sort of place makes for such wonderful people watching. It's so great to see the various fashions and everything. Not to mention the food is usually pretty good too." Her grin grows, a bit toothy at that admission. "How about you? Guessing it must be something similar?" She inquires, complete with a slight tilt of her head to go with a quizzical raise of brow.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk smiles broadly. "I won the business about a year ago from someone who didn't appreciate Plentimon as much as I do. I refreshed the exterior and the decor inside a little to make sure that the cliente knew they were coming to a high end establishment." Silk takes a drink from her glass. "Bright wanted to come since there was a card tournement today and see if she could find a green ladybug spirit that makes people lucky. I think we found one over by where she's at. The young lady has had an extremely lucky night and as luck would have it, she's leaving without us taking her winnings due to magical manipulation." Silk chuckles at her own joke. "Hopefully Bright will not be too long, I was hoping to tell her about my trip East to a Shogunate era garrison."
Bright Journey	Sure enough, a few minutes later, Bright starts to come back to the table Tiziri and Silk are sitting at. She's positively beaming, and aside from a half a glass of mulled wine, she's holding out her left hand just a bit, to keep it flat. Her hands are partly covered, and as she has a seat, she gently holds her hand on the table and allows a small green bug with white spots to shuffle onto the table. "Good evening, Tiziri. I have to admit, I didn't expect to see you here, but meeting you is far from unwelcome, I assure you. You look lovely tonight. I'd say us meeting here was a matter of luck...and, well, it -was-, but maybe not happenstance, if that makes any sense." She has a fond smile as she looks up at the bartender. "A plate of sweetmeats would be perfect right now, my dear, and I suspect we could all do with a second drink in a few." She smiles and looks at the bug for a moment, before pushing up the sleeve of her opera glove a but and looking at Silk and Tiziri. There's a tiny mark on her arm, red like a bug bite...but with five pips like a gambling die, rather than recognizable teeth. "He and I didn't get off on the right foot, I'm afraid, but once I convinced him this was for the best for both of us, he was onboard, so to speak. Regardless,m this means I'll be terribly lucky for a while, so I will have to stay away from the gambling tables tonight. But that's fine, because these fine fellows have another remarkable trick." She grins and looks at Tiziri in particular. "You see, if you're looking for someone? Plentimon's Ladybugs can absolutely help find them. It's not instant, but it's reliable and it's something I can actually learn from them. And seeing as how I wanted to chat with you, Tiziri, I have to wonder if Plentimon Himself didn't have a hand in tonight's proceedings. I feel quite lucky, after all, that we're here to chat."
Tiziri	Tiziri giggles a bit at the story of what the two are doing, covering her mouth as she does. But it is the rest of what is said that truly gets a reaction from her. Tiziri's eyes go quite wide, and her interest is more than obvious even before she starts to speak. "Oh, now that does sound fascinating!" She exclaims. Not loudly, but still an exclamation. "I'm going to have to be patient it seems, because if you're willing, I want to hear about that too. I love seeing things like that." As Bright Journey approaches and begins to talk, Tiziri holds up her drink in greetings as well, bowing her head. "Greetings." Again, she sounds mirthful at least! Her eyes do fall down to that bite too, seemingly with interest, the way she keeps smiling in that weirdly impish way only makes her look more interested. "Of course it's lucky. You have me here." She giggles to go with the grin.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk nods her head. "I'm glad to see you found your little friend and have come to an accord. I hear that your luck is going to afford you free drinks tonight Bright." Silk smiles and chuckles a bit. "I was just about to tell Tiziri about my trip into the deeper forest to the east. I had heard about some mysterious lights out there that were keeping the locals from investigating it as no one came back that went to look. I went out there with a treasure hunter named Elena."
Bright Journey	As Bright finishes off her mulled wine, she leans back and smiles warmly. "We did, indeed! The process isn't instant, but I think I have some insight into how it works, and I should have a better grasp of it by the time the night is over. I think. We'll see. Free drinks, though, sounds like an amazing start!" She laughs lifts her goblet for just a moment, a toast of sorts to Silk. She listens to Silk's story thoughtfully. "Hm. I don't believe I know anyone named Elena. If it were anyone else I'd be concerned for their safety, but you're you. I know you'll be fine."
Tiziri	"I am not one to complain about free libations." Tiziri says with a quick toast and finishing off her jar in a long draught. Then she prepares to pass it off. "But yes, I'm very curious about this place you mention. Especially being out in that direction. I should really consider being a bit more active in my explorations there if I missed it." She purses her lips. then shrugs. "Of course it's big out there." Then she nods to Bright Journey. "I can't say I know an Elena that I recall either. Well, ok, I'm pretty sure I've met at least one or two, but I can't place a face a the moment." She gets her next drink and joins in the toast.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk nods her head in understanding. "I may know why you know know her. I know some more things about her and I don't think it is my place to discuss them in public." Silk looks around the room meaningfully and looks back at both of her companions. "We found that some Shogunite sorcerer had created some magical ritual that instead of blocking out wyld energy, it trapped it. Everything that was within the garrison was warped by the wyld energy. They had also enchanted some of the building to resist the effects of the wyld."
Bright Journey	Well, that's certainly one way to intrigue Bright Journey. She raises an eyebrow. "Huh. Now I really can't wait to find out what her deal is. But I guess that can wait. You say they -trapped- the Wyld rather than pushing it away? Was that on purpose, like a Raksha did it? Sounds clever...I didn't know you could do that, though it stands to reason. Sounds like they got more than they bargained for, either way."
Tiziri	Tiziri's eyes widen at that, and her grin of interest becomes far more obvious then. "That's impressive indeed. I don't suppose you had some sort of... something about how it happened? The rituals? Or books?" She sounds almost hungry for this. But then catches herself and smiles sheepishly. "Oh, given the implications here, you can both be assured you both know that secret Silk implies." She assures. Subtle enough for those who might overhear to not have a clue at least? "But anyways, I think every word you said makes that place sound even more interessting."
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk shakes her head. "No, I believe they were trying to keep the wyld energy out. I'm guessing they were trying to protect themselves from the Fae invasion right after the contagion. I do have some of the notes from the sorcerer that created the ritual. They had built it on top of a set of dragon lines. I'm not sure what happened to cause it to invert the effect." Silk smiles at her friends. "We can discuss the details at the manor if you want to continue that conversation. You can have a copy of the notes as well Tiziri"
Bright Journey	Bright grins as the bartender stops by with another round of drinks, and her sweetmeat tray. "I won't deny that I'm interested in the application of sorcery to Wyld protection, myself. I can think of all kinds of useful things we could do with -that-, given time and the right places. But perhaps you're right, the mansion may be the best place for that. "For right now," Bright continues, "perhaps we should just relax and enjoy ourselves. We've had a great deal of luck today, and I'm loathe to just leave right at the beginning of our evening. Time a-plenty for the private, secret-soaked juicy conversations later. For right now, this is a lovely evening so far and I intend to enjoy it."
Tiziri	Tiziri nods to that. "I think you're right about the place. Talk of that matter can draw a lot of attention in a place like this, and many ears you'd rather not hear, perhaps." She looks to Bright Journey, sips her drink, then says, "Luck or not."