Scene #4934:

Owner	Pose
Ainsley	Ainsley has decided to pay a visit to Ravnica. She picked a nice spot outside the spires for Rhapsody to come meet her and speak with her, if she so chooses. Ainsley is in what might be considered a modern police uniform. She has a pair of white gloves and white boots, and a long coat over her uniform, but she doesn't have any of her policing gear with her. She did bring her sword, but that is purely out of habit. Her ribbons are even white. She has a thermos held in both hands in front of her, the cap connected to the thermos by a chain and hanging to one side. She sips out of the thermos every once in a while, an idle action while she watches people walk by with a good-natured patience.
Rhapsody	With everything that has happened in the last 3 months, a little time to not have to worry about work, war, and whatever else was a welcomed event. After receiving the invitation, the Guildmaster was quick to catch an elevator down, slip out of Nivix, and head toward the place Ainsley had given. Currently, the guildmaster is in her typical garb, her long coat, light shirt, jeans, fingerless gloves, and a significant change. If Ainsley hadn't seen Rhapsody since the end of the Mana Nexus incident, the row of scales atop her head and down her back are a crimson red color rather than blue.
Ainsley	Ainsley looked suitably surprised by the change in scale color. She had been busy with other matters and chose to stay out of the Mana Nexus incident as a whole. "You changed," she observed, eyes trained on the red scales on top of Rhapsody's head. Then she lowers the thermos down to her side and says, "Hey there. I hope you've been doing alright since the multiversal upheaval, or at least since I last checked. I've been absolutely swamped with work so it's been hard to keep track of the people I know." For some added levity, she says, "I had to make sure a demon showed up to a court date recently," her eyes widened a minute. "I never imagined being in this situation three years ago."
Rhapsody	"I did?" For a moment, Rhapsody actually looks a little confused about the sudden statement. It's the upward gaze that causes her to remember, "OH! Ah haha, yeah. That... was a thing that happened," Cryptic much? "It's a long story but.. well.. Yunomi found my father and he sent back a gift, and even saved Yunomi's life, so I can't really complain!" She'd refer to the Union report but.. well... that's not so easily accessed anymore. "Sounds like... beuracratic work.." the dragon states before shivering a little, "I'm sure you probably don't mind that kinda work, Ainsley, but things like that just aren't in mh wheelhouse. Thianel does most of the required paperwork around the Izzet," a shrug, "But, as long as you like your job on some level, that's what matters. Hopefully it won't stay so busy forever. The whole inversion event has gotten a lot of worlds buzzing frantically about what to do about the end of the war, the loss of the factions, and all that."
Ainsley	"The Union evaporated and I just found that the reason I joined didn't go away just because the Union wasn't there to facilitate it anymore. The War was never something I was invested in, it was just the atmosphere I stepped into when I unified," Ainsley says, following the topic of what people had been doing, and then she goes on to say, "I wouldn't wish this job on the Izzet. You all would chafe at half the things I can see us ending up doing. You're all too chaotic, too spontaneous. Anyways... the League, right?" She smiles knowingly at Rhapsody, evidently inquiring into where she ended up.
Rhapsody	"Eh? What about the Iz- OH!" Right right. The -League-. "Guh. I swear the only person that's confusing for is me. You're guess is right, though. The Azorius -love- the concept of the Paladins, but if I was going to take the Izzet in there, I think they'd disown me or Niv would come back and ask what I'm doing," she says, likely confirming her alliance in there somewhere while at the same time taking a pretty good guess at where Ainsley ended up. "There are a lot of -really- good minds there. A ... few ... that I'm VERY nervous about, but, I've had those in the Izzet before. Hopefully being around some brighter minds, and less savage ones, may cause the few I'm really worried about to, you know, not release untold horrors into the world."
Ainsley	Ainsley smiles through the confusing reply, the dragon's thoughts and feelings on the League getting a slow nod out of her. "Roughly how Staren looks at it, too," she remarks, "Yeah, I'm a Paladin. I run a division now. A division that might have me working in Ravnica, if, say, the Azorius want the law to be followed but don't have the manpower to enforce it themselves." She makes this face like she is quite aware of how worrying that is. "That being said, we are not obligated to respond to requests if we believe the legality or ethical foundation to be questionable at best." "I hope you and Staren provide a good contrast to some of the people I have run into. Jekyll is not a kind man to people who get in his way."
Rhapsody	"Mm.. He's very much about his research with absolutley nothing allowed to be in his way. To be fair, my father was like that with Ravnica from time to time, pushing progress forward despite what the Azorius Senate may have thought. That whole thing about breaking eggs, you know? That aside, i'm sure you'll be doing good work with them, Ainsley. I can't say i'm running a whole division but my focus has always been on the Izzet and how to have them make Ravnica a better place. I just offer up the labs to the League the same way my father and I did for the Union. I'll admit, though, I've probably been working along side them a liiittle more than the Union. There were just so man people that I honestly didn't feel all that important. The League has a different feel to it.."
Ainsley	Ainsley sipped from her thermos as Rhapsody spoke. She tilted her head at the part about not feeling important among the Union's number... the lizard woman says, gently, "The trick is finding that importance for yourself. You have the Izzet, you have your friends and allies. You still do, and the Union's absence doesn't change that. You have me, you have whatever I can do to help you, you have others that know you. You have your own skills when all else fails. Your value isn't lost until you fail to utilize it, and that's about the root of it." "At least... that's how I look at it," she murmurs.
Rhapsody	"Well, inheriting the Izzet has been a learning experience from day one," Rhapsody begins to reply. "There's no real manual for this, or for life in general. I've had to try and learn the ropes without having anything in the way of a real instructor. Thianel is wonderful, and I will never discredit him for all that he's done, but he's not Niv-Mizzet and he didn't help build Ravnica. I have some -very- large shoes to fill and i'm taking it one day at a time." Now, however, she smiles, "And I have the support of the best allies I have ever known. Regardless of where everyone ends up, if you have the Izzet Radio frequency? You're still an ally to me, and if you call, I will come and help, and I will even bring help if I'm able to do so." And that is a fact. At this point she wonders, something, "Did you still want access to the underlibrary? It's been quiet down there, thanks to you, you know."
Ainsley	"Oh yes. The underlibrary is an old friend of mine, too," Ainsley says, flashing a big grin at Rhapsody. "They mustn't think I've abandoned them since joining the Paladins. That would just make them grumpy all over again, mmh? Though I guess you're all reading the books anyways..." She rubs at one side of her face, while she ponders the idea of goblins trying to keep the books from getting all ruffled up and lonely. "Thank you for keeping your options open. It's good to know what I did here was worth something even now."
Rhapsody	"The end of the maze resulted in a day I won't forget, but it doesn't mean I can't try to move forward. To be fair, Thianel and Sidonia go down there more than I do, but I still visit on occasion. There's a particular painting I enjoy looking at down there," she muses, smile still bright. "As for options, the more you have, the more you can adapt. The more you can flow with change. I'm the head of a guild that embraces change rather than a guild that attempts to prevent it. Options are a commodity that, I feel, are more valuable then gold. Friends, however, are the most valuable thing to have in this entire multiverse."
Ainsley	Ainsley seems quite happy with Rhapsody's attitude and says, "Yeah..." Her head turns. "Nothing to worry about here." She looks back to Rhapsody and digs into her coat, holding out a bag of cookies, it seems like, to the dragon. "Anything you want to talk about?" she wonders, her voice as soft as her random generosity. They just appear to be holiday-themed sugar cookies.
Rhapsody	The sudden offer of NOMS gets a curious look from Rhapsody, then it dawns on her, "... Oh dear stars the solstice!" With -everything- going on, she clearly forgot about holidays. All of them. "Ah.... Thank you Ainsley, this is very kind of you..." it's clear from her tone she's suddenly feeling bad that she forgot the holiday. All her allies, all friends that were in the Union. "I'm going to have to send out mine belatedly," she muses, taking hold of the bag before having a peek inside, then back to Ainsley. "Besides the Paladins, how are you doing? The inversion has been rough for everyone, after all."
Ainsley	Ainsley shines a little smile at Rhapsody, amused in that apologetic kind of way while the dragon experiences that startled emotion. The reptile woman doesn't address it directly, nodding at the musing. The question about how she's doing gets her to say, "As well as I can be doing. It's been hard to cope with the idea that the one constant in my life since unification, the Union, is just gone. I need to track down my mother again, and I can't put off looking into my world's problems anymore. It's like the road ahead suddenly got a whole lot rockier." "But I still have Faruja and I have a stable place to stand even now, so I'm doing better than I could've been."
Rhapsody	"I think the road was anihilated and we were forced to take a detour," Rhapsody comments. "Still, while the road started pretty rocky, it smoothes out pretty well, depending on the exit you took.. Faction. Before I go too deep on the metaphor," smile, the bag is held out to Ainsley, but in an offering way. Just because she gave the gift doesn't mean Rhapsody can't share it in thanks. "Oh, good! I hadn't heard from Faruja so I'm glad you two were able to find each other. Let him know he's as welcome on the Izzet band as you are."
Ainsley	"Technically, he's my subordinate now, at least when it comes to our specific division," Ainsley remarks, in a thoughtful sort of way, as she retrieves a cookie for munching purposes. Crunch crunch~ "I hadn't realized responsibility would be this harrowing, you know. You must have a very stressful life, Rhapsody. I feel like I can empathize with your position a little better now."
Rhapsody	The dragon plucks a cookie out of the bag before closing it back up, "Mm. It is certainly an adventure, I will never say otherwise. Tip for you, Ainsley? Just be sure you keep up with your people, make sure you know them and the know you. Build trust however you can. The more they trust you, the more they will do for you. It's how I have run the Izzet League. I would much rather they trust me than fear me. In the same way, I really hope I can prove myself to the League in the same way.
Ainsley	"I told them... that, as division leader, I was there for them until the day someone else would have to take over. I'm not the cold CEO or the strict boss lady, I want to work with them so they can succeed," Ainsley says, and then gives an emphatic shrug. "It's been going smoothly so far, so maybe I'm doing it right. No one's brought up any complaints. I've made a new friend or two already."
Rhapsody	"Good! Sounds good to me, Ainsley. Keep it up, then. I can't say I've done a lot within the League just yet but I'm ... being pretty selective with what I do there. I don't particularly want to help Xiang create some new biomonster... especially when biology is not the Izzet's strong suit."
Ainsley	"I hope you, and all the others in the League, can do something magnificent with the power to all put together," Ainsley says, with no small amount of hopeful attitude, "Even Xiang may have been the way he was simply out of a need to terrify his enemies. He never struck me as the type to perform an evil act simply for the sake of cruelty, even from the stories that went around about him."
Rhapsody	The dragon gives a nod, "He's rather well known for being especially... upset with people that would go after children. So, there's that, at least," Rhapsody points out. "I'm sure the Paladins will be a wonderful force once everything settles. Just... as I said earlier, not the method I would enjoy being a part of."