Scene #9258: Tenuous Steel

Owner	Pose
Father Berislav	Berislav has been busy today. On top of cleaning and taking inventory, the extra food from the potluck has all been migrated from temporary coolers to the fridge, and accordingly that's meant that the vegetables he'd had in there need to be moved to the freezer for space. So, he's spent an hour or so blanching those vegetables to keep them nutritious ahead of their freezing. When the last bit (a batch of carrots) has been done, he turns off the hot plate and wipes his brow with his forearm, uttering a satisfied sigh. That's one thing out of the way--but he hasn't forgotten what Rita said. Those 'distortions,' as Moses had called them, come for the City's most stressed. Running the Print as they have been, this coalition can mitigate the way the City tries to squeeze blood from its most vulnerable. In a way, Berislav himself 'distorted' already; but that still leaves the leadership of this coalition in a uniquely vulnerable position. Could Liza distort? Maybe. It seems hard to believe that she would, in a place like this. Battling abusive power structures, if anything, is stress relief for her, isn't it? He's never known her to be so calm as when she's putting gardeners of sin to the sword. Sonya he's spoken to. Berislav wouldn't describe him as 'utterly relaxed,' but it seems that the Saint has been around this particular block before. That just leaves Bamboo-Hatted Kim. The man is hard to read--talking to him at all means having an interpreter. Berislav pauses in his cleaning of the pot he'd used to blanch the veggies. "So be it," he decides, reaching into his jeans to send the samurai a message. He's asked Kim and Aeng-du for a sit-down. They'll find him waiting in the hostel's bar, wearing jeans, sneakers and a white floral print tee rather than his cassock.
Angela	Bamboo Hatted Kim is a guy who doesn't talk much and indeed, he frequently communicates through his lieutenant Aeng-Du. Maybe he's shy. He does typically keep that bamboo hat of his over his eyes. He certainly CAN talk directly to others, but this quirk doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. Neither of them know anything about 'Distortions' or 'Abnormalifications', but someone hard to read could be someone who is quite stressed indeed. Only one way to find out. A carrier pigeon with a message wrapped around its leg finds its way to Berislav. The letter indicates that Kim is agreeing to talk with him. And sure, soon enough, Kim and Aeng-du make their way back into the hostel. Kim sits near the heater. It's cold outside. Aeng-du removes his coat and wraps it around the chair behind him, leans in to listen to a murmur, before standing at attention. "Father Berislav, we received word you wished to consult with us. We are here as requested." She says. "Thanks to you, the Blade Lineage has been pulled back from the brink of demise. If there is anything we can do to help, you have our blades." ...He definitely didn't say all of that, his whisper was like a fifth as long.
Father Berislav	"I'm pleased to hear that," says Berislav, sat on a stool by the bar. "Would either of you like tea? Coffee?" The good thing about drinks like that is that you can make a lot of it without much leaves or beans. "I'll admit to feeling a little pride over having fixed the cistern," he says with a chuckle. "I finished disinfecting it this morning." He'll go fetch some water for a pot, if so. Either way, it doesn't take him long to get to the reason for the meeting. "We have a new member in the Watch--two, actually--and they're both quite eager to help our coalition here. A Detective Moses, and her..." What are they to each other? It's not as if he can just ask, and making presumptions has certainly bitten him before. How did Ezra describe it? "Trusty sidekick, Ezra, a Grade Three Fixer." He smiles. "Moses has a keen eye for detail and Ezra is an enthusiastic community leader. They're investigating these... abnormalizations, as White Dwarf called them. Moses calls them 'distortions.' I spoke with her in her office, a few days ago," he continues. "She was able to corroborate what Rita told Olivier, during the potluck--that these events seem to target the City's most stressed." "So..." he frowns. "What would most help me at the moment is to know how you're feeling. Both of you, since I have Aeng-du here as well."
Angela	Aeng-du doesn't even need to talk to Kim to know what he wants, "Tea, please." She says. The name Moses doesn't seem to ring any bells for Aeng-du while Kim remains difficult to read. He tilts his head up, slightly, to whisper to Aeng-du. When Berislav asks how they're feeling, there is a small pause before he whispers more to Aeng-du. This time she's getting like three haikus worth of whispering. "We have our concerns, but our stresses are not more than normal--if anything they are lesser. ... I am willing to admit that I sometimes have second thoughts about what we are doing here, but I remind myself that change is not always a bad thing, nor is giving up a position of safety for a position of meaning." She hesitates, though and admits, "...We are worried about Saya. She killed Sumi with your aid--she sought vengeance over a slain lover. But she cared for Sumi too, in her own way. She has performed her duties properly, but it is easy to see the... ''dark cloud'' that hangs over her."
Father Berislav	The teapot whistles before long. Berislav comes around for a pour with endearingly mismatched cups, saving his own for last. There are little sugar packets, too, just as mismatched. Some are from places around town, some he must have brought from a supermarket back home. He takes two for himself and stirs. It's a pretty bog standard black tea. Berislav is an American, after all. "I'm glad that you're able to keep that close to your heart, Kim. For what my own opinion is worth, I've proud of what we've been able to accomplish here. It would have broken my heart to see those Kurokumo dash our work on the rocks. But it swelled with gladness to see you, Aeng-du and the others protecting this community from them. More, when I see people inspired by you to take up the defense of their neighbors." He smiles warmly at the both of them, sips his tea, and sighs as Aeng-du delivers that second part. "Saya... I see, thank you. That must have been a very difficult day for her, then. I'm frankly surprised that she's been able to see to her duties. I'd like to find her before that dark cloud has a chance to pour any rain."
Angela	"Ah," Aeng-du says, embarrassed. "I am speaking for myself with regards to the ... ''second thoughts'', Father." A faint pink blush ripples across her cheeks. "But... yes. We... I am worried about Saya." ''I'd like to find her before that dark cloud has a chance to pour any rain.'' "Are you...sure that is wise, Father? You are the one who helped kill Sumi. She may lash out at you and her skill with the sword is not unbecoming of a member of Blade Lineage." Kim taps Aeng-du's arm and Aeng-du gives him a small nod before adding, "But we can tell you her route, if you'd like, so you can check in on her."
Father Berislav	"In fact, it's very unwise," nods Berislav, with a sad little smile. "I don't know for certain whether that will happen at all. If it does, I'd rather it be at a place of my choosing than hers. One where I can give her my full attention." "Then again," he says, "It wouldn't necessarily have to be me. I have my differences with her when it comes to second chances, who is allowed them and on whose behalf--but Hibiki might also be able to reach her." Hibiki Tachibana. There are so many people in this City who deserve your help more than she does. Those were Berislav's words to Odette, following Sumi's death. People who can see something in themselves and others more than 'predator' and 'prey.' You and Hibiki can resent me for that. When you get tired of taking chances on unrepentant abusers, you'll come to understand my position. ...I won't, she'd said back to him. But as long as people are in front of me, I'll keep trying to do it. "If you agree they might have some common ground," says Berislav, "Then I'll contact her and see if she feels able to help. Even if she isn't, I'm not afraid to take the worst of what Saya may have for me--it could very well be that her anger comes from the fact that there's been no opportunity to pay me back."
Angela	Kim nods his head. A warrior has to take responsibility for the lives they shape. He glances to Aeng-du when the name Hibiki comes up and then looks back to Berislav. "It may be wise." He says. "To not go alone. But no more than three or four. If she is on the verge of this... Distortion... then a team too large may be the last straw. And if she is anything like this Pianist, that would be a tragedy beyond compare. But alone is dangerous. I know... that strength of one pales in comparision to the strength of bonds, even if they be few in number." Aeng-du can't help but ask, "This detective... what exactly does she do? If she has a Grade 3 Fixer..." "The Detective may not be able to get here in time," Kim points out. "So we must do what we can on our own." Kim tips his hat over his eyes. "I know not Hibiki well, but perhaps a sympathetic hand can hold onto that which blades cannot. She may blame us or she may be ill inclined to share her troubles with her coworkers. As Outsiders, you may be more fortunate."
Father Berislav	"That was my thinking, too," says Berislav, with a gentle nod. As for what Moses does... "Detective Moses appears to have shifted her priority towards these Distortions. She wants to understand them, and solve them, where she can." He sets his cup on the bar behind him and folds his hands in his lap. "And she's... uniquely equipped to help us with that," he says. "Detective Moses can see the beginnings of these things in others, somehow. I wouldn't have believed her, if it weren't for the fact that she looked at me and saw..." His brow knits. "'Sharpened iron. A sword and a hammer.' The version of myself that I've become to force the world into the shape it ought to be. A shape unrecognizable to the Waters Berislav of many years ago. I've already 'distorted'--not by mutation, but by mutilation of the flesh, hardening of the bones and the spirit." He descends from the stool to take the cup behind the bar and wash it. "That's a story for a different day, I suppose. Moses happens to be a Fixer herself, so she and Ezra can certainly take care of themselves while they're about their business investigating. Having someone who can see and address these things proactively will be extremely helpful to our efforts here."
Angela	Aeng-du listens. "Solve them...? She asks. "Do you mean... Kill them? What is 'solving a Distortion?'" Kim cocks his head like he is also curious about this but it seems that his time being chatty himself has come to an end, but he soon is leaning forward, fingers pressing into his teacup. All the tension is manifesting in his fingertips as if they are always ready to snap into position like a snake. A glimpse of his lips show that he is frowning. Moses saw that Father Berislav is ... sharpened iron and a hammer? "...So you feel she can do this because she saw you in a way that you see yourself? She could just be ... lying. She could just be... mad." Kim remains silent, not even whispering to Aeng-du. "..I suppose the truth will out quickly if she is working with you, though it is hard to imagine you as anything quite like that pianist." "...I have concerns about Sonya as well. Not with regards to distorting, but with his intentions. He smiles but the sun does not reach his eyes. He helps, but at a distance--like a lizard ready to bolt." 5r"--And everybody could see the Pianist, but if she sees it in you are you safe? You are not even a citizen of The City." Aeng-du is troubled! "Did she say how she was able to 'see' them?"
Father Berislav	Berislav shakes his head. "Moses and I have strikingly similar opinions of the City and of the root causes of the suffering here," he says. "Because of that, I don't think she'd find killing people before they can Distort to be an acceptable solution at all." The priest steps around to take a seat closer to Kim, rather than on the barstool from before. It is cold out! "I think," he says, pulling up a chair, "She'd rather address the root causes. Untie the knot while there's still some slack." Berislav passes his hand over the table. An orange tear leaves a simple metal fork in its passage. He picks it up and holds it for Aeng-du to see. Then he crushes it into a nearly unrecognizable lump in his hand. "If you look closely," he says, "You can still see the tines in this crumpled mess. You can see that it was a fork, once. It would be much easier for you to prevent me from making it into this than it would be to make it a fork again. And to make it into something other than a fork, after it's been made into this, would take even more effort." "That's why I'm safe. Someone with the means to do it can see what I am, or what I was. But to make me into something other than what I am would take more force than what I twisted myself into to begin with--and I made myself this way specifically to prevent that." A sigh. "I'm not blind to Moses' connections to the City. She even made her wariness of Syndicates clear. But," he says, with a quiet, bright confidence, "What she also made clear is that she'd rather work with us than with the Trideag Association." "I'm not sure how exactly she 'sees' these distortions. I can say that when she looked at me, there was an intensity in her eyes that's very rare." Folding his hands on the table and leaning in, "The kind that's difficult for charlatans and snake oil merchants to fake. It was like I was being looked through, rather than at." "As for how like the pianist I am... you've seen my skill with my hands, and with my guns. Those are far from my limit. I don't kill indiscriminately, it's true. But no one who's seen me at my full exertion and lived to tell about it would find much comfort in that; they'd find it easier to compare what I leave behind to Merelisa Shaynore than to a samurai. Terrorists don't get to be heroes to the wider world, Aeng-du--sometimes, not even to the people they fight for." He lets that settle in silence. A weighty few moments pass. It seems almost like he didn't hear Kim, or perhaps doesn't want to address it. But, he looks directly at the hatted samurai. "He is ready to bolt. But we need to become used to that. What we're building here, now, is a very tenuous thing, as I'm sure you and Aeng-du both know." "I've spoken to him, and I know he has his reasons. He's been burned by this sort of thing before. For that reason, we need to make sure that we have his faith, and if we can't, we mustn't begrudge him for it. What he's afraid of is loss. With Odette, we can balm that fear, but we can never be fully rid of it until our work is done. He knows that. Unfortunately, the Adversary does too."
Angela	Aeng-du frowns at the fork. She doesn't seem to be getting it, but she politely nods anyway. "I am not sure I understand... But I will try." The Yurodiviyie and Blade Lineage are both Syndicates, but if this Detective trusts Father Berislav enough to communicate with him, then ... that is a good sign, but that doesn't mean much for Blade Lineage, does it? Loss is all the Blade Lineage has ever known. They cannot fear it because it has always walked with them. Kim dips his head once to answer it. If it is tenuous, it is tenuous. "That is the reality we must accept." He says. "We will see what it means to be a detective, what it means to be a 'Distortion'. And then we will act." It seems they are, at least, willing to table their concerns about both distortions and Sonya for the time being. "In time, tenuous steel may become the sharpest blade." He says.