Scene #7506: What's Going On-2

Owner	Pose
Ben d'Tarkanan	D'TARKANAN ESTATE SKYWAY, CITY OF SHARN One of House Cannith's newest inventions sits on a table just a few feet away from Ben d'Tarkanan, in his estate high above the city of Sharn. Resting upon an ornate end table, adjacent to a high-backed hair, it is a box-shaped console with a delicately made blue crystal cone on its face, and another, similar cone at the end of a cable. The faces of octagonally arrayed, depressable runestones are faintly glowing. Ben crosses one leg over the other. One hand is on the receiver of the "It did," he says, frowning thoughtfully. "But... I would be happy to discuss it with you, since you were kind enough to ask in private." He rises from the chair, gently setting the receiver down, and closes the door to the study. Seated once more, receiver in hand, he sits up. "I was given away." There's a pause; d'Tarkanan swallows. "Yes." He blinks, listening to the other person's accounting. Something about it seems to have surprised him. But, still, there's a tension. A need to understand something. "My Lady..." He begins, leaning forward. "What do people want?" They've asked him to clarify. It takes him a moment, but only just. "I suppose I'm asking about the latter. Take one, single person, from any world." His brow furrows, gazing firmly at the floor. "Pluck them from their surroundings and get a nice, long look at them. What do they want, generally speaking?" PHONE: Yuuki Kuran says, "Oh, usually some combination of stability and feeling valid. 'The world works more or less like you think it works, plus or minus a few things, and they're not wrong to feel whatever they're feeling'." "I've never felt valid."
Ben d'Tarkanan	THE BLACK ARCH SHARN WATCH GARRISON DISTRICT TAVICK'S LANDING, CITY OF SHARN Lilian Rook has had a hell of a time getting an actual useful response to the issue of the goblin trafficker Rezzik. It's taken about a day and a half of work. The Sharn Watch is famously lax the lower down the city one goes, to the point that they don't even maintain any garrison districts below the Landing, where the warpgate and other means of travel lie. She learned, just following the trail to get here, from whoever she may have asked that wasn't completely drinking the city's kool-aid, that they're also commonly held to be corrupt. The only reason there's any traction at all is likely because he held no allegiance to any of the city's several crime families. It's slow, until... "Look at it this way, says a familiar voice," after the crunch of a fruit purchased from a stall in the Landing. Ben d'Tarkanan. "If what she says is true," he motions to Aria with the fruit. "Then at the very least, this Rezzik is making himself a nuisance, interfering in Baron d'Cannith's social call." "/Social call?/" Aria's red optics flare angrily. "Surely that's worth something," says d'Tarkanan, ignoring Aria for the moment. "Alright," says the guard captain, a stocky dwarf man with a thick black beard. "I get it. The longer I hold this up, the more of you Skywall types are gonna show up. Fine. We'll get him processed." 'Skywall types' seems to refer to Lilian and Tamamo, as much as Ben. "Dame Rook," he says, with a bow. "Your Grace," he offers to Tamamo. As he rises, "And you must be Goodlady Aria, if my friends inform me correctly." Yep. Corrupt as hell, this Watch. "I shall inform Baron d'Cannith politely that you are indisposed, and shall be, for the foreseeable future. A much better option than placing your life in the hands of a callous soul like this Rezzik, to be sure." He beams at her. Is this the same guy who sent that letter? "That said... how else may I help?" "You can help me by leaving, sir," says the guard captain. "Lunch, then?" says Ben, undaunted, making the offering and looking between the three of them. In the time Lilian has spent interrogating Aria, she's learned a few things. The warforged kept her cards to her chest, when it came to dealing with the Watch, leaving certain details out. So there are a few things Lilian and perhaps Tamamo know, that Ben likely won't... Whether he suspects that or not, he's evidently adamant about getting himself involved.
Tamamo	"'What is all this about,' is, I suppose, a question for another place," Tamamo says, "sir d'Tarkanan." As to Aria, she's not sure what to make of that one, and as for the Watch, she's since concluded that they're not going to be particularly helpful, for whatever combination of 'can't' and 'won't.' No mind-reading is necessary for that particular judgement. The former isn't easy to fix, and the latter would require a stronger reason to push her nose into the city's business. "I have yet to have such chance as to enjoy the foods here offered. Do you have some recommendation? I do appreciate new experiences."
Ben d'Tarkanan	Ben smiles at Tamamo, evidently amused by 'what is this all about'--but not, it should be said, in a rakish way. "Indeed, Your Grace," he intones warmly. "As for food... yes, well, there happens to be a Karrnathi place, in the Menthis Plateau. I've never been, but I'd be delighted to share a new experience with all of you. It's... actually been some time, since I thought of home."
Lilian Rook	"Well, what else would you like to call it?" Lilian replies to Aria's bout of synthetic anger, with less schmooze and more annoyed dispassion, given how uncooperative her contacts --who did not ask to be contacts at all, but may have been lightly threatened-- have been so far. "Of course, it doesn't particularly strike me as one. You're obviously afraid of the man finding out you intend to decline to visit him. You're also obviously expecting something untoward from the magic he plans to do." "Yet at the same time, you've given me nothing particularly concrete to expect, so for all I know, this could very well just be what rich nutcases do for fun here, and you are, in fact, a lucky poor . . . I apologize, is it 'woman' or do you have a separate thing?" She waits only briefly for an answer there, waving her hand vaguely a moment later. "Well, in either case, maybe it'd save you some trouble if I just escorted you there. You don't have anywhere else to be, do you? Especially since you don't have the authorization to go much of elsewhere." It's a half-baked threat, in the sense that it doesn't sound like she intends it to be her primary recourse, but she also sounds like she'd absolutely do it if not given anything better to do. She rolls her eyes when Ben shows up and begins his Ben-esque showboating. Thankfully the back of her head is towards him. "Am I to understand that the whole Guard knows about Razzik anyways? You certainly bear this one less ill-will than I'd think, for-- well no, Kessler doesn't like you anyways, does he? Well fine. But I expect this to be an excuse to tell me about d'Cannith, and not an excuse to stuff your face with an audience. I'm already being overly generous spending our time on something like this."
Tamamo	"Ah, from your homeland? This city does have a great variety of peoples. It should follow, perhaps, that it has such a variety of styles, brought from elsewhere. Perhaps it is like Mr. Stark's homeland in this respect, would you say, Lilian? Ah, though I have only visited there the once or twice, as well. Very good, sir d'Tarkanan. Please guide us on our way." Tamamo looks between the two of them as she speaks, acquiring a 'particular look' when Lilian mentions 'untoward' advances from a man of high standing, but wiping that away before taking Lilian's arm in hers. "Oh, now, you are only following the desire to be thorough, no? To leave matters ill or half-done, even should one favor be properly granted and debt outstanding, would weigh upon. Is this not so? And here we find ourselves in yet another city, far from home, a trip of sights to see, together. Is that not of value, in itself?" The trace of irony in her words in including the Sharn Watch and all the dirt they stand for within 'city' and 'sights' is only enough to acknowledge the subject matter.
Ben d'Tarkanan	"Yeah," says Aria, seeing fit to leave it at that. For now, anyways. Lilian: Agree, if Ben Spills about d'Cannith Tamamo: Lead the Way "I'd be glad to," says Ben, seizing on the opportunity after having listened with a smile. "That is, if Goodlady Aria doesn't object to our choice." "What?" her optics flicker briefly. "I don't care. She's right--I don't have anywhere else to be." "Perfect," says Ben. "Then let's be off!" THE CRIMSON ARMS KARRNATHI CUISINE MENTHIS PLATEAU, CITY OF SHARN The Menthis Plateau is home to Morgrave University, which draws scholars from across this world. It's as diverse as Khyber's Gate was, for sure, but the spread is also quite different. Everything here is also much more expensive, because the college kids here happen to be adventurers. The Crimson Arms rests in an open-air plaza with several other restaurants, all of them boasting a view of the neighborhood's towers, the majestic arches of the Sharn Opera House, and even the city's lower reaches--where they aren't concealed by tactical placements of sculpture, art or greenery. Karrnathi food presents a certain picture of life there: the vegetables are those that are hardy enough to survive long winters. The meats are often cured or preserved in some way, as are the vegetables often pickled. "Sharn isn't just those parts, I feel I should mention," he begins, glancing towards Tamamo. He's sat himself last, so that everyone else could arrange how they'd like. "I'm well familiar with them, mind you..." He's patiently cutting up a sausage to mix into a bed of some chopped pickled greens. "But I've come to understand that the world does not work the way I thought it does. That's 'what this is all about,' Your Grace." "You said you'd tell her about d'Cannith," chimes Aria. "I did, and I shall," says Ben. "Frankly, I'm surprised you find the man so threatening." "He doesn't take no for an answer. And because this place isn't kind to... 'those parts,' to use your expression." Aria's optics dim slightly. "I'm aware," says d'Tarkanan, taking a sip of something effervescent. "In any case, Merrix d'Cannith quite loves warforged. He fairly pays the ones who work for him, treats them as equals, encourages his men to do the same. He encourages the warforged to invest in themselves..." "So you don't believe me, either," she concludes. "I wouldn't go that far," says Ben. "I believe that he has the resources to be... insistent. I believe he sent servants to make invitations... But why? There are plenty of warforged in the Cogs whose lives could just as easily benefit from his patronage." Aria shifts uncomfortably in her seats. "Because... apparently, he's also obsessed with Cyre." Lilian and Tamamo both remember the way that Kessler uttered that word. The way that Ben has before. It's almost the kind of thing one doesn't utter too loudly, in public. She certainly is careful about it. "The first time they came... I did talk a little. I was curious. Who wouldn't be? Someone from a Great House suddenly taking an interest in you..." "What did they say?" This time, she opens up more fully--it's part of what Lilian's already been told, partly details she left out, but which don't seem to conflict. "...they showed me schematics. Useless, without a working creation forge, and those were all destroyed by order of the treaty. But it was me. I knew it was me. And they told me... that I was stationed in Cyre when it was destroyed. He wants to restore my memories, but..." "...I can't. I'm lucky enough not to have any memories of that war. I'm fine not knowing why that is, because I have my music now. And my music... I can be happy with that whether I'm here or in the Gate."
Lilian Rook	Lilian, initially, takes one look around the dirty streets, the industrial smog, the unwashed poors milling about beneath the glittering skyscrapers far above, and replies to Tamamo "Indeed. You might be right. It does remind me of New York." She essentially takes Tamamo's meaning otherwise, and begrudgingly continues with the affair for a little while longer, more formally walking Tamamo in Ben's wake instead of essentially being a hovering orbital ready to breaks the legs of any crafty street urchins making funny looks. Granted, the change of location they eventually arrive at is a vast improvement. Lilian should expect as much, given that Ben is supposed to be a man of noble standing, albeit a sketchy one, of dubious tastes. She offhandedly says something to the effect of 'Something fresher would have been welcome, but I suppose there won't be any complaining about nutrition later.' to Tamamo, before deciding to load up on all those good vitamins and proteins and make it her health food meal. It's more useful to listen to what goes on between Ben and Aria for the short term. "If he really wants to know, couldn't he just ask any other veteran?" Lilian chimes in. "Identifying you from schematics is impressive, I suppose, but if they don't know anything else about where you were and what you were doing, doesn't it seem like an unnecessary, if not perhaps even frivolous, longshot? How do you lose those memories in the first place anyways?"
Tamamo	Tamamo seems perfectly pleased to be seeing even those meaner sights, or at least to the level of regally satisfied, with a more relaxed and quietly enthused demeanor when they reach a part of the city that makes attempts to keep clean and cover up the rest with carefully placed art pieces. She gestures toward the opera house along the way, to ask, "And that...?" Given the option to try anything on the menu, Tamamo's inclination leans heavily in the direction of trying a little of everything. Thus does she end up with something as close as possible to a mixed salad further mixed with meat, and significantly more food than she looks like she could eat, or seems inclined to eat, in bowls surrounding it. Sharn isn't just those parts... "Oh, of course. Few have just the one," Tamamo responds to Ben, "and there must be a new face for every passing age. I have heard the history of this city is quite long, and much remains of it. That much is not so common, perhaps. In some places, the past is not merely buried." There's a question lingering, but she doesn't ask it yet. They're moving on to a different question, of d'Cannith. I'm fine not knowing why that is... "Memories missing, of a past wished forgotten, for they might... what might they? Would the knowing overshadow the present? Would it take from you your music?" Tamamo steeples her fingers, utensils set neatly aside. "I suspect some would argue for the sake of 'wholeness,' that one should not be without any part of one's past being. Being as I am, I eschew wholeness by nature, but that is a facet of my own circumstance. For others, and in other cases, I would expect a differing perspective, for transformation need not be the destruction of that which is. Was my impression mistaken?" ...couldn't he just ask any other veteran? "These schematics, they are particular for each individual, is it? And they are used at these 'creation forges.' Are the schematics necessary to complete some work as would restore the lost memory, perhaps? Another may not suffice, then."
Ben d'Tarkanan	Tamamo: And that? "That, your Grace, is the Sharn Opera house. One of the four theaters in this part of the Plateau--really more of a place to be seen than a place to see." Sip. "That is, unless you've an interest in Brelish works. It's practically all they ever play." "Okay, well... we're in Breland," says Aria flatly. "Yes," says Ben, nodding. "It's very sad," he adds facetiously. He's making jokes now? Quite the dramatic change, from a few days back. >Would it take from you your music? "I... can't risk that it would," concludes Aria after a moment of searching for words. "Everything everyone says about the war is so... scary. Even the ones that didn't fight were living in anxiety that they would, at any moment. Because they knew a friend, or a family member, or a neighbor, who had, or they knew someone who had. And not everyone came back..." She sets the fork down. "If I was the reason someone didn't come back... I'd rather not know. I've gotten to decide who I am without those memories, and my music comes from who I am. It makes me feel whole now, and..." Her voice wavers slightly. "It was hard to get to this point. I want to pour myself into making something beautiful... not remember something ugly." Lilian: How do you lose those memories in the first place anyways? "That's the thing... Dame Rook, right?" She pauses, waiting for confirmation. The fingers on her right hand--more range of motion but oriented differently, two less in number than human hands--turn over a fork. "There's ways it can be done, and d'Cannith thinks it was... my commanding officer," she manages after forcing herself to say it. "For something as extensive as what was done to me, a wizard couldn't do it. It'd have to be..." "A psion," concludes Ben. "Very proud of their services," he adds. "And hard to find, on this continent. But Dame Rook does raise an interesting question..." >Can't he just ask any other veteran? Aria chuckles. "That's what I asked the first dozen times. I never get a straight answer, but I'm guessing that's because the real answer is 'no.' He can't." "And..." Her shoulders whirr as they actually tense. "If I were him, looking at the only thing that could get me what I want quickly circling the drain... I'd snatch it. Especially when the consequences for someone like him doing it," she says, pointing at Ben, "And someone like me doing it, aren't the same."
Tamamo	...not remember something ugly. Tamamo nods, satisfied with the answer. As to whether it will mean anything in the face of insistence by one with the means and drive, that's another matter. Should she do something about that? Would the transformation truly be to the musician's detriment? If I were him... I'd snatch it. It's not as if they're so different. It's not a matter of righteous victims and evil tyrants. And yet... 'consequences.' It's not as if they believe their way of life is correct, either. Is that self-acknowledgment reason enough to intrude? She wonders, while tamping down perfectly mundane plastic wrap over the tops of mostly-full bowls of those dishes she'd merely sampled. "If you have forgotten, can you do so again, to give up these memories for those who would wish them, and live separated from that past life? Did you ask him this, too?" There was one other thing. "Though it may be much to ask in this moment, sir d'Tarkanan, I shall admit, I am most curious, as to how you did believe the world to work."
Lilian Rook	Lilian nods slightly when Aria checks, but lets her continue. She takes a mental note of 'psion', but assumes it can only be related to the semi-familiar word of 'psionics', like from the 50s. "You you suspect he either knows you, or something about you." She pauses for a moment. "That, or he has ways of making you tell him things that he couldn't get from a human. I admit that's a possibility." She does think long and hard about the matter of Cyre though. For real; it isn't feigned. Entire minutes pass by in the dinner meeting, either quiet or sparsely occupied by Tamamo and Ben as Lilian sort of drops out to think. "I'm more than familiar with terrible wars that everyone seems to remember but you." she says. "But why do you think those people were frightened? That is to say, what if someone else is still waiting for you to come back?"
Ben d'Tarkanan	Tamamo: I am most curious, as to how you did believe the world to work. "I thought..." He strokes his chin. "I thought that the war was just a bad dream, and that when we all woke up from it, everything would be... fixed, for lack of a better word. Not immediately, but..." "But even Aria can't escape it, it seems." He places his fork down, having been aimlessly pushing the food around since the topic was brought up. "I thought that hard work, caring for your loved ones and self improvement would enrich one's life, but Kessler's had gradually gotten worse, until you both, and Master Majima, came around." "I suppose I also thought that happiness was simply a matter of... arranging the pieces in the right order," he says, glancing at Tamamo. "That if you weren't happy, it was because you made a mistake, and you were responsible for fixing it. No one else. It's... an empowering ideology, I suppose... but it gets very lonely." His mind flashes back to the cross-world conversation, a night prior. I said this to my other friend, but I feel like I should say this to everyone: To be loved, you can convince others to do so by loving yourself. Ben smiles wanly. "I've gotten a bit tired of living that way. So I'm trying something new." >Can you forget them again? Aria speaks up. "There's a chance it could be permanent. It's..." She gestures vaguely with three fingered hands. "It's like how it's harder and harder to shape a sword the more it's... messed with. Sorry. I don't know the smithing term. But..." Lilian: There might be someone out there looking for you. She glances to Lilian. Her optics pan towards, away. Down at the table. Metal-tipped fingers brush against each other in a fidgeting kind of way. "I... hadn't thought of that. I guess... I guess, if I have an escort, I could go and at least talk to him." "But I'd like it if you were all there. Just in case it really is a weird rich guy delusion murder fantasy... thing."