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

[healstaffs]

[ What!!!! ]

Well they should! I wouldn't lie about that, and anyone who does lie should feel bad about themselves.

[boxedcrook]

Yeah right. Don't be stupid. They're not just going to take your word on it when they don't even know you! That's the first trick in the book someone would use to try to get in to see her.

[healstaffs]

[ Who are you calling stupid??????? But also her feelings are very hurt. ]

I'm not stupid! I'm just trying to help! I don't hear any better ideas from you.

[boxedcrook]

I already told everyone we should just bust in so she'll listen to us! Everyone wants to sit around and kiss their butts until they let us inside.

Try what you want, but they're not gonna buy it without any proof.

[healstaffs]

That won't help either! They'll just think we're trying to attack them and then attack us back and then everyone'll get hurt.

[eyedrop]

[ All these noisy kids in his post ... ]

Enough.

You're both giving me a headache.

[healstaffs]

[ You're not her REAL DAD. ]

Sorry...but he started it.

[ Missing the point entirely. ]

[eyedrop]

[ somebody's gotta do the fuckin job though ]

That's not relevant. You clearly aren't getting anywhere with him, either way.

[healstaffs]

What else am I supposed to do then? I don't think it's a good idea to just break into the castle...

[boxedcrook]

No one won't know but the Empress if you do it right! We want to talk to just her anyway! It's not like we can't tell her we're not there to kill her when we get in! One or two can go, and that way she'll have to answer our questions and tell us what the heck is going on!

[healstaffs]

How are you going to get in with only one or two people? There are TONS of guards outside.

[ Tons of them!!! ]

[boxedcrook]

So what? Go at night when it's hard for them to see. They're just humans. I can climb the castle easy, even carrying someone.

Or get someone else to do it. There's gotta be someone who can sneak in without being seen. We're wasting time!

If anyone convinces her to retaliate, all the people from here to the Sea Clan are going to be bird food. You think they won't make an example out of those women they captured?

voice; un: laphicet

[rhinostagros]

I... could try sneaking in.

[ He could wind up getting locked inside too... but gonna do it for the team... ]

Most humans are unable to see me, so it's possible I can't communicate to her. But what if we wrote a letter requesting an audience? I could deliver it to her.

[boxedcrook]

Huh? What're you waiting on then, if humans can't even see you! Why didn't you say something already! Geez!

[rhinostagros]

I have my reasons and I'm not telling you. And I said most humans, not all.

[ He doubts he'll care about his reasons anyway ]

I'll find someone who can write the letter for me.

voice | un: RHY5-W1NZ

[dbag]

You want to leave her a letter. By breaking in to her castle. And leaving our names. So she'll know who broke in. And then arrest us and never talk to us at all because we broke in to her castle.

Slow clap it out, everyone. We're all gonna die.

[rhinostagros]

Fine. I'll just leave my own name if you're so afraid.

[eyedrop]

Yeah, this guy's right.

[ Rhys? Rhys. SKINNY GUY. ]

That plan is not rational.

[healstaffs]

[ Gods above!!! But he......sort of has a point, she doesn't really want to think about what might happen to the captured women. ]

Do you really think they'll—hurt the women they captured?

[ It makes sense but also she's too soft for this. ]

[boxedcrook]

How am I supposed to know? But all those nobles wanted them to pay for what happened at the festival. I wouldn’t be surprised if they would.

[healstaffs]

[ :( ]

You make it sound like you know everything.

[ There's no heat behind her words though. ]

Maybe the nobles do, but what about the Empress? She can still disagree with them.

voice | un: RHY5-W1NZ

[dbag]

She's going to call her guards and have you executed the second she sees you. Especially when you tell her you're not going to kill her, because that's not sketchy.

Sneaking in is probably the worst idea I've ever heard, and I've heard a lot of bad ideas from the people here.

[boxedcrook]

Give me a break. You too? If you're so smart, what's your idea, huh? One that doesn't take a million years to get us in there to talk to her. We don't have that kind of time.

[dbag]

It's not like she's literally never going to leave the castle, especially now that morale is probably low. She has to come out eventually. Figure out when the Empress comes out for events, or something. Ask the nobles, they probably know. When she does, that's when we can find her and talk to her. Not when she's in a heavily guarded castle where we will most definitely die... or be arrested and then die.

[boxedcrook]

The guards said she hadn't left the castle for an entire day! And after what happened at the festival, even her brother was kept from going into the gardens at the noble's place.

She's an empress. Of course she's gonna stay in the castle!