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Tepet Makara	Somewhere near the lake of Greyfalls and a river flowing through it. There is a casino and resort named the Azure Vein. The establishment is situated in a Greyfalls tributary town where it's the main source of income besides fishing. Although the resort is not owned by actual dynasts, it adopted images of the Immaculate Dragons Danaad and Sextis Jylis. It is also a place where most dynasts can celebrate as it faces the lake's scenery and the nature around it. However it seems the resort is quiet busy as most of the cheaper guesthouses are rented for there is a celebration here. After a wing lead by a valiant scion of House Tepet slew the a bandit leader and his forces that extorted and threatened to plunder merchants and small communities that border the far eastern routes. Despite the dynast being unusually violent in putting down the bandits once and for all, he decides to celebrate the occasion alongside his men to reward them of their efforts in removing such scourges. "There is also another unexpected guest, for the dynast's sifu and Immaculate monk going by Enriching Rainfall unexpectedly arrived. "Eugh lord Tepet, are you sure you want to miss out on celebrations just because your teacher is here to nag at you?" One of the legionnaires close to him complains that their enjoyment of their winglord was disrupted by the monk. "Don't worry Keles, it's quick and not a 4 hour meeting or something. After that, maybe we can enjoy stuff together if you know what I mean but I guess a glass of Vneef made wine wouldn't hurt before meeting him" He winks at one of his men flirtatiously
The Mournful Chorus	Many of the guests who attend the celebration of Tepet Makara's decisive victory are merchant princes and other rich tradespeople, whose considerable fortune depends on fast and secure travel along the Golden Road. Several of them hail from the Far East, welcoming the opportunity to expand their network of contacts (and curry favor with Makara, or other dynasts). One of the foreign merchants has already made a few rounds, slowly walking from group to group, making light conversation - occasionally flirting with whoever catches her eye. She wears her dark, curly hair long, adorned with purple ribbons. Her silken coat is of a vibrant teal color, decorated with wax-printed floral ornaments, and the white silk shirt she wears underneath is adorned with ruffles on her neck and wrists. Every single part of her outfit looks extremely expensive. The stranger's style matches the current fashion in Amaryllis, a fabled city on the Golden Road far east of here. Chorus has disguised herself so well that it would take a supernaturally sharp eye to recognize her as the same woman Makara came to know as Ravi Voice-of-Longing. But she has no trouble recognizing him as the dynast from the Immaculate temple in Great Forks. Once she spots him, she grabs a glass of fine white wine from a servant's plate and makes a beeline into his direction. "Pray excuse me", she says to one of Makara's soldiers, looking flustered and exited, "would it be possible to speak with your lord Tepet, or do I need an appointment first?"
Tepet Makara	The one that Chorus has approached is the same one Makara was talking to who he mentioned as "Keles" before he left. "Oh you have heard this celebration is because of lord Makara's victory? He usually doesn't show up in the spotlight when it comes to other princes of the earth, so this party is a surprise for us. Lord Makara is not exactly as well known as other dragons in Greyfalls" Even Keles wonders why he is not as influential as other princes of the earth despite his status. "I guess it's because we barely see any action here besides the confrontation? I don't blame him....since I notice he's uh bloodthirsty when I battled alongside him for the first time" Despite him caring for his winglord, the unexpected savagery of a prince of the earth gives him shivers. "He's currently in the resorts more private guesthouses since he rented one sort of far from here but it's a quick walk. My winglord also uh doesn't like people peering into his business without his approval"
The Mournful Chorus	"Bloodthirsty, you say?", echoes the merchant, gasping with shock. She throws a nervous glance over to the guesthouse indicated by Keles. "Infamy is certainly a possible way to fame. Maybe he decided it was time to become a real celebrity. How did he dispatch the bandits?" With an exasperated sigh, she pulls a folded fan from her belt and snaps it open. Although the sun has sunken low, the day's heat still radiates out from the resort's pavement. "Do you happen to know how long this... private meeting of the mighty Prince of the Earth is going to take? Maybe I could catch him later?"
Tepet Makara	"It all started normal at first, him leading us like how a honorable commander blessed by the dragons should lead his troops. Besides putting an end to the bandit lord plaguing one of the important trade routes, there were scouts that went missing" Keles recalls what he knows on what lead to this sudden primal wrath of his winglord. "While we were in battle, the bandit lord then revealed he kept the scouts prisoner....and ordered their execution as he yells at his men in the building to spite us and we didn't have the chance to save them as we were still outside their makeshift fortress" "And that's when he becamd really pissed and I heard him growl in irritation. While we were dealing with the bandits protecting the building, he stormed off inside and with his black jade claws, the bandits protecting the door were mere ribbons of crimson flesh and spattered blood in seconds. His fighting stance is Water Dragon yet when he fought with such primal anger, he was like a dreadful wargod Immaculate monks condemn. The wooden fortress became a labyrinth of gore and sinew while only the bandit lord and his elite guard remained" "He and his guards tried to fight him but they were nothing to him. Only the bandit lord was spared as he ran but it was only a lie, as lord Makara decapitated his limbs one by one as punishment and then he ripped him apart into two with such strength that I wonder if he is actually an Earth aspect. After that, he ordered us to take the body of the scouts for proper burial while the makeshift fortress is to be burned to the ground alongside the corpses of the bandits." Keles has a worried expression in his face just by recounting the story. "I can't believe a once noble man I know acted like that. I still love hi-I mean like him though"
The Mournful Chorus	Chorus continues to feign shock at this horrific tale, eyes going wider and wider while vigoriously fanning herself. "Bless your ardent loyality, good soldier", she tells Keles after he has awkwardly corrected his phrasing, patting him on the shoulder. "I've heard tales of his commanding presence on the battlefield.. You are fortunate to serve such a man. Yet, as a Prince of the Earth, he is certainly a force of nature, his ire easily roused." Lowering the fan, she smiles encouragingly at him. "I, for one, cannot thank him enough for dispatching those ruthless bandits. The scourge of the Golden Road, and he made short work of them. But I certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of his outbursts. I will be rejoining the celebration and wait for him to emerge from his meeting. Thank you, this has been most enlightening!" With a nod and a flourishing bow, she leaves the soldier, takes a swig from her glass, and mingles with the other guests again. ...only she doesn't stay there for long. After she is well out of Keles' sight, Chorus strolls over to one of the tall cedar trees at the edge of the resort, pretending to admire the carefully arranged flowerbeds here. After a soft whistle from her, the silver-furred langur serving as her familiar swings down from the branches. He isn't the only monkey in those trees - the others are of a different species, but most guests certainly won't notice or care. The Abyssal cradles Tabi in her arms and whispers to him: "See that small house over there?" Indicating the one where Makara is supposed to be now. "Go quickly and quietly. Find a place where you can hear them, without being seen." Tabi chitters in acknowledgement and hops from tree to tree to carry out her command. Chorus follows after him, keeping some distance. Once he's found a good spot, she would only have to stand somewhere in the vicinity, where nobody would suspect her, and share his senses...
Tepet Makara	Meanwhile as the langur reaches the trees and observes from a window. They can see Makara, wearing a collared dress shirt although unbuttoned as his scarred yet muscled chest is revealed and pants suited for swimming. He still has some trinkets suited for a dynast such as jade rings of various colors with symbols of the dragons and his house. Makara is seen serving two glasses of expensive Realm wine, one for him and the other for an old monk whose footsteps sound like someone stepping on a wet pavement while raining. "My student, it's been a long time since I meet you again. I have been busy in the North working with Moonless River when it comes to sabotaging Ragara affairs" He takes the wine glass while Makara looks outside the window and notices a monkey but doesn't mind it at all "I hope my student has become more subtle overtime but I doubt that. Even if you have the heritage of a dynast, it seems you got carried away by your "true power" in dealing with those bandits with what I have heard. To think you despise the Sesus for their brutality and dishonor as your house upholds Shogunate tradition.....yet how you dealt with the bandits is as bloody as thousand razors piercing through flesh. I do not mind such methods though. Claiming righteousness while being no better than other houses is what irks me though" His sifu says with amusement regarding his hypocrisy in claiming to be more noble than Sesus brutes. "They captured scouts from the Greyfalls legion and killed them when they were losing. Those scum do not deserve anything honorable for what they did." The monkey can see his monstrous snarl when mentioning them. "Even with your noble facade of being a dragon, you are still a beast within. I know you continue to play dragon and it's sad to watch since it's like a monster playing puppets with a dead corpse. Your current state the monster while your past self of being a Immaculate devoted legionnaire before your second breath is the corpse" Makara seethe with sorrow and irritation. "I know but my family and my house need me since we are on the verge of extinction. I do not want my house to befall the same fate as Akiyo....or yours"
The Mournful Chorus	The Amaryllian merchant has found a cushioned seat in sufficient distance to the guest house, and pretends to look bored while sipping her drink. In truth, she is focused almost entirely on maintaining the mystical link to her familiar, peering through his eyes, listening with his sharp ears. She flinches a bit when the Tepet clearly looks in Tabi's direction. Luckily, the resort is teeming with tame monkeys, and Chorus breathes a sigh of relief as she watches Makara turn away again, oblivious to being eavesdropped on. Involuntarily, she frowns. This is all extremely interesting! Dynastic politics mean nothing to her - she never cared much for the Dragon-Blooded's internal squabbles to begin with - but this talk about Makara only playing Dragon, a monster passing himself off as a devout dynast... that sounds very different from the usual games of backstabbing and intrigue. As long as Tabi doesn't raise suspicion, she will have to learn more.
Tepet Makara	"I understand you want to help your house...including that of mine, House Iselsi so we can be ascendant once again despite my kin's sole obsession with the Vendetta. But you pretending to be a prince of the earth everytime has taken a toll on your psyche and its not even funny this time." The monk says in a more serious tone albeit with concern like a father looking over his child. "Your family is important to you but they will turn on you once they find out what you really are. A silver anathema born from the blood and ashes of Futile Blood. I may have helped you return to Realm society but I admittedly regret it" Enriching Rainfall says to the false dragon as he confronts him with his problems. "I know it's difficult but there may be a chance in convincing my house in allying with your Iselsi brethren and make them accept the help of an anathema. As the Civil War in the Realm comes closer and closer everyday, they may be desperate in accepting it!" Enriching Rainfall sighs at Makara's attempts in convincing him. "Even if they accept the alliance, they may dispose of you once the war is done. An anathema with the Tepet name is as much a stain to their reputation like Futile Blood. Do you think helping them is still worth in even if they may turn on you and what will you do if they find out through some complication?" Makara cannot deny it now and is at a loss for words. "I don't know....I don't know. If that happens before they agree with your alliance, then I have no purpose and will wander Creation as a driveless beast again." He then looks outside to see his legionnaires enjoying the celebration. "But even if I have the chance to leave this guise of mine, I already made bonds with others through this face. I cannot imagine what will happen if my men turn on me of they find out I'm anathema. Including Keles my beloved. Their loyalty lies with Cynis rather than me after all....plus me being a Lunar in disguise all along is me betraying them already"
The Mournful Chorus	The intense focus on Tabi's senses is slowly beginning to take its toll now. Following such an enlightening conversation may be all well and good, but Chorus can already feel a headache manifesting in her skull. Even worse, something else is now worming its way into her subconscious. Dark, twisted images flicker momentarily before her eyes. This isn't new; the Moonshadow has been haunted by strange premonitions and even stranger nightmares since the fight against Vitiating Whispers. Why now...? She bites back a frustrated snarl, feels her concentration falter. The view of the quiet cabin with the two men is replaced by the sight of revelers dancing, laughing and gossipping. Belately, she notices a servant girl trying to offer her small bowls with artfully arranged raw fish bites. How long has the girl even been standing there? The Abyssal smiles at the child - so young, and already enslaved! - takes one of the bowls, and absentmindedly chews on a piece of butterfish without really tasting it. It felt as if the conversation was almost over, so she rises, swallows the last of her wine, and makes her way back to the guest house. Makara should hopefully come out soon...
Tepet Makara	"Even if possible, admittedly such effort in convincing your wing to be loyal to you might as well be impossible" Enriching Rainfall says to his stubborn student and then he gives him a dossier regarding an assignment. "I also have other things for you but you will know of it once you read it when you have the time. You will eventually have to make a choice, Makara. Whether you still choose the path in deluding yourself that you are a dragonblood or leave this life entirely. Even if you will do the latter, you can still help your house covertly. I do hope you become a better liar...." Enriching Rainfall leaves while Makara returns to the celebration As Makara finally arrives, he is approached by Keles. "Phew thank the dragons that was not long. Were you two talking about martial arts stuff?" The legionnaire says unaware of the true topic. "Yeah....that" Then he mentions a certain someone here. "There was this merchant looking for you, I wonder where is she"
The Mournful Chorus	Behind Makara and Keles, the langur yawns and climbs on top of the guest house, then reaches for a low-hanging branch and disappears into the trees. As if summoned by Keles' words, the merchant in Amaryllian clothing approaches the two (she has finished her snack and discarded the bowl somewhere before proceeding towards Makara). With a deep bow, she picks up Keles' words: "Right here, Lord Makara." While rising slowly from her bow, she winks subtly at Keles. Hopefully Makara's lover is going to take the hint and find something else to do. Still speaking to the "Dragon-Blooded" and maintaining a demure, if not meek demeanor, she continues: "Please forgive me for approaching you without prior notice. My name is Teles Yaruti, aspiring merchant prince. I was wondering if you might have your ear for a moment...?" While her smile remains cordial and respectful, Chorus cannot prevent her eyes from stealing a quick glance at Makara's bare, muscular chest. She snaps her fan open again.
Tepet Makara	"Ah a merchant, the lifeblood of the trade going in Greyfalls" Although he is no businessman, he views such jobs as important for they are important to a nation's economy. "Greetings Teles Yaruti, I am Tepet Makara, winglord of the Greyfalls legion. Thankfully the bandits threatening one of the routes has been dealt with" Makara says with a High Realm accent and the tone of a noble knight in shining armor....well shining armor covered in blood from what Chorus heard. Keles meanwhile attends other matters such as helping create cocktails alongside a fellow legionnaire. "Hmm which nation or organization are you from? I guess some Far Eastern nation or the Guild"
The Mournful Chorus	"You honor this humble trader of silk, hemp, and intoxicants with your words, o mighty Prince of the Earth." Teles bows again, even more deeply, tucking her fan neatly behind her back with a flourish. Her definitely-not-a-wig locks bob with the motion. "Your most astute senses do not deceive you - I hail from Amaryllis. Maybe you have heard of our fair city? As of yet, I am not a member of the Guild... but my application is already underway. Soon, my star will rise." Rising again, she smiles, focusing on Makara's face and eyes. "I wanted to thank you personally for ridding us all of those cursed bandits. Those mercenaries I had to hire in bulk to escort my wares were demanding such steep prices that ferrying goods along this part of the Golden Road was starting to become unprofitable." She smiles humbly, watching the Lunar's reaction. It doesn't seem like he has been able to see through her disquise... at least, not yet.
Tepet Makara	"Amaryllis? I heard of that city from stories of traders who saw a Wyld imbued city. I lack a few details since I wish I can explore more of the Far East but my duty bounds me to Greyfalls" Makara curiously looks at the merchant from a strange city deep in Sextis Jylis's elemental pole. "You came here just to thank me for dealing with the bandits. I'm a bit surprised by this but considering this particular bandit group did some nasty things, I understand why" He gets a glass of gin and drinks it. After hearing of the mentions they have to hire mercenaries just to escort them. "Mercenaries can be costly and vary in quality after all. Many people think merchants are all rich even if some of them are merely making a living by selling products from their region. That route should be safe for now but I may do some patrols later on. Wish the rest of the legion was more active in curbing threats to the region, but I understand their fears in provoking Lookshy and other rivals in the East"
The Mournful Chorus	The merchant nods along eagerly. "Yes yes, of course you are right about the mercenarious, my lord. I am eternally grateful that one of the Princes of the Earth has seen fit to rid the trade routes of those filthy vagabonds." After fanning herself, she humbly lowers her gaze and mutters: "You are most perceptive, my lord... I didn't came all this way ~just~ to thank you. This celebration is an excellent opportunity for me to expand my network of potential clients... Maybe we could talk a bit more about Greyfalls, and the current state of its economy..."
Tepet Makara	"Hmm you want to know more about Greyfalls? There is some information such as the defenses that are too sensitive to tell to others, but I can tell you the current affairs" Even with his secret, he cannot tell certain information about Greyfall's defenses even to mere strangers. "As you can see, it's currently withheld by House Cynis but it wasn't the case in the past. For the control over this satrapy is in a rotation between which great house will protect it for now. I was wondering which house will be charged with this satrapy once the Cynis are done with their turn....but well you know what happened to her." Even the disappearance of the Empress is a mystery to him. He takes a sip of his alcoholic drink while looking at the lake's horizon. "It seems her absence has resulted in the Cynis overstaying their welcome but at least it's not the Sesus. Our satrap is how do you say this....busy with "personal" matters that fits her bloodline if you know what I mean." Makara sighs as he wishes his satrap is active in Greyfall's bureaucracy. "Since the Realm's presence in the Scavenger Lands is weak, we have been threatened many times and we do not have great relations with Lookshy save for the military exercise and our unification against the vile anathema that prowl the lands. The only other thing I will tell is that the legion assigned here has been extremely worried especially as one of the few satrapies here....Thorns has been conquered. Many view it as a blow to Realm presence in the East" His tone whenever he mentions the vile anathema is like a noble knight opposing a monstrous creature....which only makes things ironic
The Mournful Chorus	Another servant approaches, offering various mixed fruit juices, and Teles Yaruti snatches a glass from his tray. While listening, she tastes it in slow, measured sips. When Makara has finished talking, she lowers her fan and nods, musing: "Oh, of course. Realm politics are in so much turmoil right these days, yes? And the sacking of Thorns dealt a heavy blow to the lands south of here. Trade has been slower than usual." With a snap, she closes her fan and waves in Makara's general direction. "But since you mentioned Anathema... A hero like you, who is in charge of keeping the roads around Greyfalls free of miscreants, surely knows more about that than I." Teles pauses for a moment, looking as if she was pondering something. When she begins talking again, leaning in and lowering her voice, as if worried about being overheard, she watches Makara closely for his reaction: "How safe is trade in and around the Hundred Kingdoms these days, really? I've heard worrying rumors, about sightings of most dreadful monsters. A Lunar, even! Can you imagine?"
Tepet Makara	"Yes, politics in the Blessed Isle right now is in turmoil. Maybe being in the Threshold here is a blessing in disguise but I do miss my home back in Lord's Crossing since I commissioned something for my comrades that died in Futile Blood, but I do not have the chance to do so since I am very busy with my work as a winglord of the Cynis legion and I support my house through monetary donations" Another servant arrives as well but has brought him some sort of cucumber cocktail drink mixed with lemons. "Ah, the Song-Of-Jylis. The name would be offensive if this drink was ever in the Blessed Isle...but the Cynis here are too apathetic in caring." He says with mild amusement as this drink is named after one of the five dragons. As the topic shifts to anathema and the safety of the routes, he expresses some interest. "Safe....for now. As the Empress is gone and the throne still empty, some members of the Confederation Of Rivers halted some mercantile ships going in. The Realm had a pact with that alliance to allow Realm traders in, but now they violated it. As for Anathema, I've heard of a so called Queen Of Fangs deep within the Far East. Rumor has it she somehow has sorceries that is equal to that of a Sun Anathema but I cannot confirm it. One of the worst case scenarios is her horde coming here. I've also heard of individual Anathema in the hundred kingdoms, especially the fact some have dominions over their own. There is also something he has yet to spit out as if the words are unbelievable. "There is also one type of Anathema that have sightings besides these new chosen of death. Many Immaculates do not care for the distinction between those touched by the sun and oblivion.....but I saw a viridian anathema of hell once"
The Mournful Chorus	Whatever Yaruti has read in his response - aside from the parts he actually said aloud - she keeps her reaction to that hidden and feigns a very convincing expression of anxiety, frowning deeply. "This is... worrysome, to put it mildy. I'm not concerned about the Queen of Fangs, mind you, with her lair being so far away from my trade routes. But I've been planning to expand into the Hundred Kingdoms, and now you're telling me there are not one, but several of these terrible demons about...?" She lowers her voice even more, shuddering. "I didn't even know they were crawling out of Hell now, too! I presume the Princes of the Earth in this part of the world, yourself included, are already preparing a Wyld Hunt to deal with the problem?"
Tepet Makara	"Yes but they are elusive enough or far away that we cannot keep track on all of them. Even with this new class of hellish anathema, some may not believe me as most rumors about them are simply shrugged off or assumed to be simply infernalist exigents or lunars." Even the chosen of hell are an enigma to the false dragon of the moon. "But yes I am a prince of the earth and it is my duty to get rid of such scourges that plague Creation, sadly the Wyld Hunt is thinned and now weakened due to lack of support. If the Empress were here, they would have better funding" He sighs in disappointment but as the Abyssal knows his true nature, that's certainly relief for him. "Sadly not all princes of the earth do their duties. Some laze around while others fight each other to no end. When I was a child, I thought it was great being blessed with the blood of dragons....but I see we're no better than mortals bickering at each other. But I am still happy Danaa'd's essence awakened in my tribulations in the North"
The Mournful Chorus	The merchant nods again, looking displeased at Makara's answer, and devours the single slice of orange decorating her drink in small bites. "Is that so? I'm not exactly an expert on the topic myself... it's something I've overheard, gossip among caravan guards and teahouse rumors, you see, but... do you think there could be shapeshifting silver Anathema masquerading as Dragon-Blooded?" She immediately bows deeply several times, as if flustered by her own audacity. "P-please forgive me, Lord Tepet. I'm certain it is exactly as you said, and I'm reading too much into those vile rumors..."
Tepet Makara	There is only silence when the suggestion that an anathema can dare imitate the glory of the princes of the earth like the shape-shifting monsters they are. "That's absurd. The silver anathema cannot mimic our glory much less our elemental prowess. Where have you....heard about such preposterous rumor?" His tone is admittedly more hushed when the topic comes up. There is worry in his very eyes and thankfully his own legionnaires are busy with celebrations. He wonders why some random merchant knows about the very "absurd" concept of a silver anathema masquerading as one. "Eugh it's getting a bit loud in here. Maybe we can talk in my guesthouse down by the river?" Makara smiles as he invites Teles to his private guesthouse to continue this conversation.
The Mournful Chorus	Chorus lets Teles react to the "Dragon-Blooded's" discomfort in the only way a mortal merchant could - by bowing even deeper and apologizing profusely. "I beg your forgiveness a thousand thousand times, o mighty Dragon, and may the gods curse me with misfortune for my insolence!" With a subtle manipulation of Essence, she even manages to drain some of the blood from her face, lending her olive skin a grayish tint. In response to that invitation, promising a private place for talking about such a sensitive topic, she slowly rises from her last bow, avoiding Makara's eyes to keep up the ruse of a demure and frightened mortal. But she ~does~ observe the rest of his body language very closely. When that tells her that he doesn't intent to murder her in that cabin, she puts her glass away, nodding eagerly. "Y-yes, of course. I fully understand the sensitivity of this topic. Please lead the way, my Lord."
Tepet Makara	For a brief moment, Makara's look of suspicion in his eyes appear feral. "I will forgive you once you explain yourself in where you heard about such impossible rumors" He leads the way while telling Keles on what he is doing. "May return to my guesthouse again Keles since I am conversing with a trader on mercantile manners in private" He says to his lover while he heads to the guesthouse. The guesthouse is made of the best lumber the resort can afford while it is filled with Immaculate iconography especially that of Sextes Jylis. Once he arrives, he lets Teles take a seat and making herself at home while getting two glasses and a bottle of wine. "Now let us discuss this "trade matter" in private, miss Teles. I am curious on where you heard about such nonsensical tale. Did you hear it from another prince of the earth, a monk, some gossipmonger or did you see one yourself?"
The Mournful Chorus	Teles follows meekly, regretting bringing up the topic at all - or so it seems. Before stepping into the guesthouse, she hesitates, putting her fan away and wringing her hands in agitation... as if she was afraid of being dismembered in a spray of gore and limbs, just like the bandits. When told to sit, she obeys and keeps quiet until Makara speaks. Instead of blurting out her lie at once, which could rouse his suspicion, Chorus presses her lips together, wrings her hands while staring at Makara's feet, and draws her shoulders up. The wine, she doesn't refuse, but she lets it just sit there without drinking. "I... My deepest apologies, my Lord Tepet. I must have had a bit too much to drink already, to even bring it up... But it seems you don't know? So maybe... maybe it's for the best that you hear it from me first." She embraces herself, as if shielding her body with her arms, and still doesn't look up. "These rumors... I have never truly believed them, or else I wouldn't have come here to thank you personally for dealing with the bandits... b-but... I fear they concern someone from your house." Here, she pauses and feigns having to swallow hard, before continuing in a hushed voice, speaking rapidly: "I... I didn't hear a particular n-n-name, just rumors... no, vile slander!... about a Lunar posing as a member of your esteemed House, my Lord. In Greyfalls. I don't know if they meant you... The caravan guards I overheard saying this came from a small city-state, in the Hundred Kingdoms. Orenzan, I think?" Another desperate swallow, and now she takes a gulp of wine, clearing her throat afterwards. "It's not a satrapy, of course, but... they said it was ruled by a member of House Sesus. A ruthless woman, or so they told me. She might have been spreading these rumors on purpose."
Tepet Makara	Once the word "Sesus" comes up, he is clearly infuriated yet at the same time has fear since a member of a rival house may have information on his true nature as a member of the Lunar Exalted. Even if he hates the Sesus, he knows they are as sneaky as his Iselsi master while being more brutish. "How dare they! The other Great Houses profited from our loss even if that loss extend to the Realm itself as the Bull Of The North still lives!" He says with clear venom in his tone regarding the ones that wronged his house. His formerly noble accent reduced to something more primal and bestial barely contained by his High Realm accent. "My house's pride and legions has been badly wounded enough. Rumors of an anathema member of my house will only be the cherry on top of it! Is the blood and lives we spilled in Futile Blood enough" Makara says distraught with fury at this news. However as his enemy is a member of House Sesus and the fact Orenzan is near Greyfalls, he must plan carefully with his revenge in shutting her up without making it look like a Lunar did it. "Thanks for your warning. I must deal with her insolence one way or another even if it doesn't result in her being dead. Even if I kill her, it will only further validate those fake stories. Do not tell this rumor to anyone at all especially in the ears of fellow dragons and Immaculates while this conversation never happened at all and it was just a chat about the economy" Unsure whether to let her go unscathed, he secretly channels his essence in binding the promise as it's violation shall alert him to this
The Mournful Chorus	As a Moonshadow, Chorus is naturally wary of giving promises or swearing oaths, fully aware how such vows can be weaponized. However, in this case... it would seem grossly out of character for a terrified mortal merchant to deny the Tepet his promise. Besides, he's a Lunar. What's the worst that could happen? And so she bows again, still sitting. "You are mercyful, my Lord, and I'm eternally grateful for that. It shall be as you say: No word to anyone. The lies that woman has dared spread about you, the hero of the Golden Road, won't pass my lips ever again."