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| Nine Roads Alani | Nestled in a row of storefronts, the Galloping Steeds Courier Service looks to be pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. It's a three-story wooden storefront with the placard above the large double sized barn doors, with a normal door to one side. The construction, of blonde wood, is plain but well-made, and not standing out too much from the other storefronts in the area, despite being one of the larger ones.
Inside is clearly a place custom built to some odd specifications. The first two floors are one giant open space, with pillars here and there for support and a dirt floor with a great deal of hay, a trough, a collection of nice equipment suitable for mainttaining horses, etc. There's enough room for at least five stalls, but it's all open and there's only two mares inside. A staircase leads up along the left side, in front of the smaller door, to the third floor. Alani is leaning against one of the sturdy pillars, her hood brushed back and blonde hair spilling out. She's got a bit of a grin on her face as the door opens... |
| Scarlet Onyx Sunada | Scarlet followed Alani's instructions to her store. The exterior is exactly as described. She pushes open the door and steps in to see her friend waiting expectantly with that easy grin on her face as usual.
Scar has changed out of the monk's attire for something would pass casual glance as a city guardsman's uniform. It is not though as she doesn't have any of the insignias or trappings that would mark her as a guard. Whispering Thunder is no more. In her place is Dawn Fox, a mercenary for hire. "Sorry I'm late, I got stopped three times by people looking for the guards. Guess it's a little too close to accurate." |
| Nine Roads Alani | "Hah! I suppose so!" Alani levers herself up from the pillar, and gestures towards the stairs. "Thanks for coming. I've been inviting a few of our friends here now and again, and I'm glad to show you as well. Hopefully this'll be a place where we can talk quietly if we need to."
She steps to the door long enough to hang the 'Closed' sign and lock the door, then as the pair head upstairs, Alani chuckles. "Just so long as the guards don't take offense. Not saying there's a ton of pride in the uniform, mind, but don't want 'em thinking you're trying to pull rank or whatnot. "Anyway, just as an aside, I tried this out with Serene Herald a week or two ago, but we had a good spar downstairs in here. Hard to avoid making some noise, but I think I have enough muffling in the walls that it's not too bad. And with the horses out of the way there's enough room to move about. Might still need to head back for any really serious stuff, mind you, but for here, it works. Come on upstairs, and I'll get you some tea and we can talk." |
| Scarlet Onyx Sunada | Scarlet chuckles "You and Serene sparring and I missed it. I guess that's for the best. It took a while to recover from that thrashing I took in the arena." Scarlet follow Alani up the stairs to the third floor. "I really should learn a another style that's useful against anyone." |
| Nine Roads Alani | Alani just nods in rueful understanding as the pair of them make their way to the third floor. The lock on the door at the top of the stairs is a good deal more complicated than the one downstairs, though both are nicer than they look. She opens it and steps through the threshold, leading to a cozy, simply-appointed room with a table and a few chairs on one side, and a conversational grouping of stuffed chairs and a nice stuffed couch on the other.
"Go on and have a seat anywhere you like." She grins cheekily. "Careful with that couch, though. You'll never want to get back up again. Yu-Shan has much nicer, sure, but there's this place in the Temple District I found where no one makes them more comfortable. Give me a moment and I'll have some tea for us. I want to talk about styles too in a moment, but I'm parched." |
| Scarlet Onyx Sunada | Scarlet looks at the furniture and picks one of the chairs and settles into the chair. "This is a pretty comfortable chair. The tea sounds wonderful." |
| Nine Roads Alani | It's not long before Alani is back, tea in hand. It's not bad, but it's clearly the kind you get for caffeine, not delicate Yu-Shan quality. She sets everything down, has a long, savored pull of her own cup, winces at the heat, and leans back on one side of the couch, half-lazing against the arm.
"Now. Styles. I'm glad you brought it up, because I've actually been thinking. I actually just mastered Falcon Style not very long ago, and started my study of...shall we say, something a good deal more esoteric." She grins wickedly. "That's neither here nor there, though. If there's one thing about Falcon...or, well, -two- things, it's that it's at its best only if you can get the circumstances exactly right, and it's utter shite at dealing with more than one opponent. Not super defensive, either, to be honest, but I have ways of hedging against that. If you can't get above your opponent, or you're dealing with a lot of them, it's not got a lot of answers. I'm still thinking of what I might use to complement it, beyond thrown weapons." |
| Scarlet Onyx Sunada | Scarlet nods her head. "I've found that Golden Jannisary is great for dealing with creatures of darkness. Not so much when dealing with a human. I only did as well as I did because I was fighting defensively. She's an excellent swordswoman. I have considered looking into White Reaper Style. It does rely more on fighting groups. I'm going to end up learning six styles I just know it. I do feel I need to finish Golden Jannisary first though. What about Mantis Style for you? Doesn't that favor holds and such?
Scarlet takes a sip of her tea. "I nice flavor profile. I like it. It's a good thinking tea." |
| Nine Roads Alani | Alani smiles warmly, with a dash of impious humor. "Don't tell my sifu this, but I'm not entirely sure I know what a flavor profile is. All I know is it tastes pretty good and keeps me awake, and some days, that's all a country bumpkin like me needs. I -am- very glad you like it, though."
She pauses, thinking. "It does, of course, and if I remember correctly, Mantis has a few good defensive techniques. Not something I ever intend to skimp on, especially since Falcon definitely favors the offense. In truth, I -have- just started learning the Prismatic Arrangement of Creation. I've only just mastered the very basics, mind you, I have a long, long way to go. But once I have -that- solved I'll be able to put everything together...thrown weapons, Falcon, and...something for groups, perhaps." She grins wickedly. "Once I figure out what will complement my style." |
| Serene Herald | There is an unexpected, or perhaps a long-expected knock at the door, and soon Serene Herald comes in the door. "Hello," he says, speaking Old Realm. "Good to see you both. I hope I have not come in at an inauspicious time!" A smile, "I did check the constellations, so it's unlikely." |
| Scarlet Onyx Sunada | Scarlet smiles at Serene Herald. "Always an auspicious moment for friends to arrive. Alani and I were discussing fighting styles and tea." She takes another sip of the tea. "Just because you didn't have to learn one hundred different teas by taste doesn't mean you sifu would be dissapointed. Mine thought that the way to understand the body and battle was through tea."
"So, you have started down the path of one of the greater styles. Those are always challenging, I wish you luck in mastering it. I need to master my first style before moving on to something so challenging." |
| Nine Roads Alani | "Ah! Glad you could make it, Herald. Please, come and sit. Have some tea. You've definitely got some insights into styles we don't, training with Misa." Alani pauses and looks thoughtful. "Actually, let me come out and say it. I'm very glad you came, Herald, because I need to ask you something." She pauses, sipping, and gathering her thoughts.
"I've fought Misa twice now, and it was rough going, no question. I gave a good accounting of myself then, but never really beat her--and I'll be blunt, after seeing her in the Arena? I think she'd stomp me now. Herald, you know her better than I, and I think she might be Exalted. Do you know if she is?" |
| Serene Herald | "I don't know if she is or not," Herlad says, after musing a while. "But she commands essence beyond what I can, and is easily mastering Violet Bier to go along with Single Point and what else she knows. The time she didn't hold back agianst me, I got laid out and she broke a training sword--I think she thinks I have armor of silk, and she's run into it before. So if she isn't Exalted, she's at least traded blows with those who have artifacts, and is not phased at all by the possibility," Herald finally says. "I would grade it as 'very likely' she is /someone's/ Chosen." |
| Scarlet Onyx Sunada | "My fight with her in the arena makes me agree that she is almost certainly someone's chosen. I did not see any caste marks on her when we did battle so she's very good at controlling her essence probably more powerful than any one of us. She is one that we should watch for sure. Make a note of each person that visits her dojo." |
| Nine Roads Alani | "Yeah," Alani says, leaning back into the couch. "We need to be writing this stuff down, actually, and sharing every now and then. I saw a couple people there, of course, including you, Herald." She grins. "But knowing who visits her could be really useful. Also, with her in the Arena, maybe we can use that to see who visits her there." She drums her fingers on the armrest. "Y'know, I already mentioned that I met someone named Silk who went on a little adventure with me, right? I...think she might know something about me, to be honest, but -that- feeling is mutual. She introduced me to a few others at the Arena, too, including that HUGE guy. You all know who I mean. Fudou, I think. And a lion-headed man whose name escapes me a bit. I don't know about the latter, but if it's safe enough, maybe keeping an eye on Fudou isn't a terrible idea. Not like he's hard to spot." |
| Serene Herald | "Lions shouldn't be hard to spot either," Herals replies. "And I have yet to meet silk." He ponders a bit. "I should try to branch out from being a philosopher-astrologer. I just need to figure out another role to meet and get into people's plots with..." |
| Scarlet Onyx Sunada | "I'm taking up the role of a mercenary for hire. Perhaps I can get hired as a bodyguard or hired as a soldier by someone looking to do something. Have we made any progress on who's behind the arena and the reason we were formed into a circle? I've gotten nothing so far myself."
"I did meet Fudou. I think, we should send a message upstairs to see if there is any paperwork on his exaltation and who his patron is. I want to make sure he's an exigant and not another one. Thorns isn't that far away, he could be a spy for them or a lunar maybe?" |
| Nine Roads Alani | Alani looks a bit chagrined. "Eh. Sorry I made things so serious all of a sudden, but we -did- need to discuss it. Anyway, frankly, I'm not sure where to begin. We might need to be a bit more...proactive. Which translates to 'risky', I know, but there's a definite time limit--when the tournament closes. We have to know by then, so it might be time for at least the three of us to start searching actively. At least the two of you were in it, that might help. If we had one of Jupiter's Chosen around, we might have an easier time finding knowledge." She sighs. "Ah, well, we'll have to make do.
"As for Fudou, I have no idea what he is, but we've all seen his power. I have someone in the stacks, though, and I could have him search for us while we're at work here. Or...Herald, was it you I saw with a spider?" |
| Serene Herald | "Yes, a Spider is with me, so...I could put in a request that way. Might have to offer some ambrosia to it, or the web," Herlad muses. "I can certainly put that request in. Have the powers that be reacted to chosen of the Neverborn around here?" He shrugs, "I was almost an Oracle...I'll see what I can find out." |
| Scarlet Onyx Sunada | "By risky are you saying that we need to gamble with the people we suspect and reveil who we are? Then see how they react and seek assistance from them or do we look for the mastermind behind it all? That's not really my thing. I hit things until they stop moving. I could start questioning people at the arena about odd goings on. They will probably not like me afterwards." |
| Nine Roads Alani | Alani looks aggrieved and holds both hands forward, palm out. "No, no! Not like that. I mean, instead of staying passive and watching we need to start...well, a couple things. Search the Arena. Intercept their missives. Follow their leaders. We already know about Tepet Makara and Higanbana for sure, and now Misa and possibly anyone she talks to. We've got leads. I'm just not sure we have time to let intel come to us anymore, you know? Not my forte, I guess, but that's something else I need to get better at. Sneaking around and following people.
"I'm not sure we should be interrogating people at this stage, but...well, it's because we're supposed to be gathering information, not dishing it out, and there has to be a way to do that. Have we found any Exalted actually -running- the tournament?" |
| Serene Herald | "Not that I know of. They seem to be like the Guild, so..." Herald frowns slightly. "The most direct way to get information is...to ask. But the most...legitimate way to do that would be to claim what we truly are, and that we have reason to suspect something is messing with fate. Now...I'm willing to do that with the Exigent who is the Healer, certainly. But I'm not sure about anyone else." |
| Scarlet Onyx Sunada | "That's a good idea. Perhaps you should check in with the healer. We need to become more proactive in the investigation. I should be able to move around in the arena and ask questions of the staff. Maybe ask who is sponsoring it as Wandering Thunder would like to thank them. |
| Nine Roads Alani | Alani looks rather thoughtful as she sips her tea again. "Exigent healer? Hm, not sure who he is. Or she. But that certainly sounds like someone who'd have seen everyone at some point, especially the actual warriors. Maybe they know something about the leadership there, who to talk to, who's suspicious. And I'm...hmm. I'll have to think about how best I can help out, from the outside. I -did- run into Misa once, come to think on it, as I was snooping around a bit. Maybe she told someone about me. But she wasn't really in a place the warriors would be, either. Maybe she knows something." |
| Serene Herald | Herald thinks a moment and stands. "All right. I will talk with the lady healer. Always nice to meet someone from close to home...if a quarter of the way across a Direction is close," he says with a wry smile. "I will also put in the request about Fudou's exigence, and see what information comes up with a quick, down-low search. And then upgrade to higher levels if need be." He yawns slightly, "For now, though, I should be slipping through the streets until home I am. Well I am wishing. Until again?" |
| Scarlet Onyx Sunada | "Serene, that sounds like an excellent plan of action. Thank you for investigating these things for us. I'll make a plan to stop at the Arena to see who I can talk to about who is running or sponsoring the tournement." |
| Nine Roads Alani | "Mmm," Alani murmurs. "Truth is, I don't know much about...what are they, the Nine Sheaves? They don't really have, like, a single obvious leader figure. Makes me wonder what they're trying to hide." She chuckles. "I might be best off trying to deal with the people I've already been introduced to, maybe try to get to know them better or something. I -do- have a pretty good poker face now, though I'm not so sure I can get them to spill the beans. But it's a start!"
She grins and finishes her tea. "Anyway, since Herald has apparently other things to do, it's up to you. I'd still love to chat more about the martial arts, but perhaps we're done with the more serious business tonight." |