video; un: eraserhead

[eyedrop]

[ Aizawa's lolling against some tree somewhere. Terrible, slumped posture; hair wild about his face. His expression is neutral, bordering on irritable, and his voice is an exhausted monotone. He sits with one leg folded over the other, idly tossing a cat figurine from hand to hand. ]

Hey. Myself and a few others did some looking around. Apparently, both the sea clan and the mountain clan have their allies--but they're not within easy reach. In the case of the sea clan, the empress's brother is married to some far-off queen. The mountain clan's allies aren't too nearby, either.

[ He shifts minutely. His eyes flutter briefly shut, and he sighs. ]

Point being, war between these two would be irrational. The old man we spoke with said no one really wants to start anything, but I don't know how true that is. I haven't tried to approach the nobles.

[ He really doesn't look or act the part, and he knows it. Nor does he have an escort. ]

If you've spoken to any of them, what's the mood? What do they want?

[ He cards a hand through his hair, frowning slightly. ]

They're the key to this, I think. Certainly the key to actually meeting that empress of theirs. So if you've got info, or if you've made any connections, spill it.

Comments

video; un: fiona

[cachemoney]

[Fiona is out in the Flowerlands, as evidenced by the beautiful terraced rice paddies behind her. She looks a bit like she's tired of all the fresh air.]

The guy I spoke to is -- was -- planning to skip town. He's probably long gone by now; he wanted to get out before anyone else had the same idea.

I think they just want to not get murdered.

video; un: lodge

[refashioned]

Any idea where he'd be going?

[cachemoney]

[She shrugs.] He just said out of the mountains. Maybe to whatever allies they have, but that's just a guess.

[refashioned]

It'd make sense. He can lie low somewhere safe and not seem like a traitor to his people.

[cachemoney]

[Dubiously:] Uh. Is leaving... treason?

[refashioned]

Okay, fair. Probably not.

But it might be seen as cowardly.

[cachemoney]

[She legitimately didn't know, it's not like nations exist to be treasonous of on Pandora.]

Well, the guy wasn't exactly buff. Fighting a war probably isn't in his wheelhouse. [Why is she defending a skinny, nervous coward..... oh, yeah.]

Anyway. He made it sound like he expected other people to follow suit.

[refashioned]

Just to double check: he was a noble? [A few wheels are turning in her head now.]

[cachemoney]

Yeah. Extremely.

[refashioned]

So—hypothetically—let's say the nobles are more interested in saving themselves than ushering in a civil war. Encouraging them to leave would only be the next natural step. Without someone to appease, the Empress will feel much less inclined to act. Like she is already.

voice | un: Thrawn;

[mitthrawnaruto]

['Skip town'. It's a phrase that despite being translated, doesn't necessarily make any literal sense to his mind. Part of the problem with being from the farthest reaches of known space.

Still, the rest seems uniquely relevant via context clues, if nothing else: someone had been attempting to leave the kingdom in a rush to avoid being killed. Perhaps it is nothing, but perhaps...]

Forgive the interruption, but I feel I must ask: was this before the attack, or after?

[cachemoney]

[Wow, so polite.]

Oh -- after. The day after.

[mitthrawnaruto]

Not too unusual given the timeframe, then.

[One could hardly blame a citizen of the Empire for giving in to the instinctive urges of self-preservation. That said:]

What was your impression of him? In general— not solely in regards to the situation he'd found himself in.

[cachemoney]

Um... devoted to his wife. [This isn't what he's asking, she's aware, but it's the first thing that comes to mind. She obviously wore the... hakama... in the relationship.] I think she was the one making all the escape plans.

[She pauses a second, thinking back.]

He didn't want us to know they were leaving. Really nervous about it.

[mitthrawnaruto]

Was this in the commoner's district?

[cachemoney]

No, he's a noble.

[mitthrawnaruto]

Interesting.

[Said with all due sincerity, Thrawn doesn't lay any sarcasm on the table for a subject like this one.

That, and she seems like an entirely helpful creature, considering the information she's freely given; there's no reason to sully such open generosity.]

I thank you for addressing my questions. Success in your hunt, Fiona.

[cachemoney]

[Oh, my god, she likes this guy. Everyone else in the guild is either an asshole or obnoxious (or both), so it's nice to be... thanked? Acknowledged?? Whatever it is, he just made a new best friend.]

Haha, well. You're welcome. [She pauses, glancing at the username, and takes an educated stab in the dark.] Thrawn.

[eyedrop]

Huh. Seems a little odds with the other reports. I wonder if there's anything to that.

[ Like something making him especially nervous, etc. ]

[cachemoney]

Maybe age? They could have been newlyweds; they both looked pretty young. [People just starting a life together are less likely to throw it all away on war, she suspects.]

[eyedrop]

Did you get anything specific out of'em? Or were they too jittery.

[cachemoney]

Just that they were leaving ASAP. Oh, and he mentioned that this definitely is going to get worse, and that we should all go home. [AS IF THEY HAVE THE LUXURY...]

[eyedrop]

I guess I can't blame them for being afraid. That's what we're here to help correct, though.

[cachemoney]

Well, I guess there can't be a civil war if everyone leaves, right? On the plus side.

[eyedrop]

[ Heh. That gets a little grin out of him. ]

Technically correct.

[ The best kind of correct. ]

But not the ideal outcome.