Scene #4823: Schism of the Waning Moon-2

Owner	Pose
Priscilla	As before, the sensible thing to do is to meet under the cover of night. A few more days and the moon has waned into the barest rim of light in the sky, though however the celestial mechanics work here, the New Moon looks more like a faint, silvery and pretty solar eclipse rather than total darkness. It does something for the way the stones of Anor Londo otherwise seem to glow under the moonlight almost as much as the direct illumination of the sun, making for muted and 'realistic' tones rather than the maze of ethereal light and shadow that is navigating the citadel by night. The sounds and lights of last time were no illusion however. Just as before, at least the inner half of the city looks to be fully populated, boasting enough occupation to lead to something approaching a night life, before the sprinkled sea of little lanterns, candles and magical lights abruptly dies off well before reaching the outer walls, leaving a wide circle of the metropolis as cold and silent as the Union had first found it. The Cathedral Gallery is still not seeing visitors. Something something restoration is more or less the excuse, though a few people should know by now that it's pure nonsense. Some of the eccentric, solo residents of the outer ghost city that Reiji and Tomoe had flagged down last time have also abandoned their comfortable choice of hidey holes, perhaps having been transient to begin with, perhaps not wanting to stay after finding out how much abandoned religious iconography was disturbed last time.
Lezard Valeth	Amidst the people in the Gallery is a cat. It's a black cat. It looks like it's snoozing in the moonlight, its eyes watching over the area, cracked open slightly as it rolls back and forth, apparently not able to decide if the window looking out over Anor Londo or the area inside the cathedral is more to its liking.
Kushiko	For what it was worth, the Tenno in the case of Kushiko was willing at least to help, or send one of her Warframes to assist Reiji and Tomoe in their canvassing of the area surrounding the Cathedral itself, though she herself would focus most of her attention on the occupant of the Cathedral Gallery in question. And in this, Valkyr was her chosen surrogate, accompanied once more by Kiras who provided for some useful cloaking at times, and once more, she found access through it's high windows. "..." The presence of the cat is... peculiar, and though Kiras doesn't seem to like it, she simply motions silently to her companion merely to keep an eye on it--for now. The milky-eyed Kubrow and her cloaked companion do not yet descend the many stories and into the Cathedral Gallery yet however, instead looking for and awaiting the presence of others who may have also chosen a certain path here--to say nothing of further discussion. Besides, the Painting had her attention from the way it read on her active scanner the last time she was here, so she was silently and without presence going to conduct a somewhat more... focused study. At least until the others finished arriving.
Tomoe	Tomoe was on edge this was a world to never take lightly and if people seemed to be skitish of here? That was cause to be wary so she is. She knows as ever she's not safe here, then again she's not really safe like she thought she was. Tomoe is ready to get flying again and scouting if it calls for it and she looks to the Tenno for a moment nodding a bit at them. Though the cat? The /cat/ was new to her and she gave it an quizzical look over for a moment but otherwise she seems ready. The Inner City however seems to be a bit different and populated more, for some reason that makes her feel better even if there might be more trouble for them. "So where do we go from here? We have the map and what Reiji was poking at last time...."
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki returns to the nighttime place of Anor Lodo's cathedral, hesitance the previous time giving way to purposeful, if measured strides. She knew where she was going, and what she was doing, this time. Mostly. She thought. Pushing open those blasted doors took a while, but at least she knew how they worked this time. BY BEING HEAVY. Whoops she's now in an Off Limits area, how rude!!! Instead of being a dumb useless berk this time, she heads for one of the front pews to sit down in. Because that's how stuff worked this time. Yuuki is An Shojo with pattern matching!
Mel Brock	Much as before, Mel Brock is here, and fully willing to get the door for Yuuki. It helps that she can do so without touching it. Of course, if Yuuki /wants/ to get a few of them herself, the marshal will probably just stand back and look quietly amused. She herself doesn't seem to mind being in an off-limits area either, though she does walk along in silence, at least until they get to the pews and she can take a seat.
Reiji Arisu	Having sent his LOYAL MINIONS/fellow field agents out to poke around in his stead, Reiji has elected instead to join the others in the cathedral. At the very least, this way he can be around and on call to negotiate with Velka, should the Goddess of Sin make her appearance again tonight. The exorcist waits amidst the rafters, taking advantage of a superior vantage point to watch for any irregularities down below. "I'm in position," he says into his communicator. "All green so far."
Priscilla	Kushiko entering the Cathedral Gallery through one of its extremely high windows meets the same receiving party in the rafters as before; the metaphorical ghosts of faceless people in white vestments, looking as if they're ready to drop ten stories and break someone's neck at any time. It begs the question of when they actually leave, or if they have some sneaky way of doing it, since they all look identical. Either that, or they're some kind of very convincing golem. The cat has a visitor too. A few hours into the rare animal's leisurely lounging far outside of anyone's home, a sizable crow lands on the same ledge fluttering its wings noisily before settling down. It looks over the black feline with what appear to be knowing eyes, only to make a loud, blase crow noise and sit on top of its feet. There is no elaborate game of Familiar chess going on; it's just a messenger bird, albeit a bird big enough not to be scared of a cat. Albeit, if Velka has familiars, they have most likely noticed the agents of Shinra moving around over the past few days, at least once or twice. Well-trained as they no doubt are, one would assume a native goddess would know where their destinations are scattered around. That being the case would, in of itself, be implicit approval of pulling the threads Reiji seems to want to fix on, since if anyone should be slapping people on the wrist for bothering old shrines, one would think it would be her. It's unclear if she's bending the rules, or else rules of deference for old and irrelevant deities aren't ones of her making, and thus not ones she cares for. It seems a sizable number of people have gathered to see the old/young crone again however, and that is reason enough for her to reappear. Emerging from one of the gallery halls, the goddess is wearing the look of one who is moderately, but pleasantly surprised to find their first option seems to be workable; at least when she drops the hood. As before, she takes a seat across the others. "My, I seen you've brought a fair few of your friends this time too. Did something I have to say strike a chord? Here I had been expecting only a small minority would consider it in the first place. It certainly seems like at least someone has their own plans. Not that I mind people with initiative, of course."
Yuuki Kuran	At Velka's (re)-appearance, Yuuki smiles, the shady friends she had been dimly aware of flitting around before all gathered for discussions. "I explained myself before, but we said that we would need a little time. In fact, Marshall Brooks did too!" She places her hands in her lap, sitting on the cathedral pew. "After coming to understand Covenants - and your history - a little better, I think we can help each other out... Though I do have a selfish request, because I am not from this world." "Could you explain, exactly, how this special covenant would work?" She beams. "I am sure everyone else would like an explanation too."
Kushiko	That was an utterly familiar look that Valkyr witnessed--more accurately Kushiko--when it came to those figures. Still, she knew better--at least asd much as she knew--the energy readings and sense of similarity between the Void and the way /they/ felt... No. She couldn't dwell on it the way she would have preferred to. And upon the arrival of Yuuki, Mel below, not to mention Reiji and Tomoe beyond--to say nothing of Velka's revelation below--was when the Tenno decided to move. Into the commband, she addresses Reiji directly, though the message is for all. <"We are descending as well. My aspect of Mesa is about the Inner City as needed."> Without a word further, Valkyr /leapt/, her body spiralling elegantly, a burst of void energy coursing through her body, breaking the cloak as she did so and descended. Past the rafters above her and her ribboned syandana flowing elegantly behind her, the technorganic frame seemed to plummet faster and faster but mere feet above the ground, her momentum arrested, and the figure landed noiselessly and without... /any/ notion of physics really behaving. <"Friends is a relative term for us."> Kushiko speaks, projecting her voice, the diodes along her frame pulsing with her words, though other lines of energy seem constant along her helmet and arms, not to mention the scar-like sigil upon her chest. The feline-like Warframe does not sit yet--it's... an odd thing for her to want to sit when she's already 'sitting' elsewhere. <"But yes. It does appear to be that more have come since our meeting since."> Her head canted slightly upwards towards the cat--and now raven--occupied window ledge. Kiras /rawrfs/! upon her own landing, the massive hound having taken her own path to rejoin her Mistress. Into her hand does the Kubrow's muzzle slide under, clawed fingertips of Valkyr lightly threading along fur between armor plating. <"We have considered the weight of what you offer and wish truly to know the exact terms--we have our suspicons of it, from what we know of Covenants here. We wonder if, under Covenant sworn that others may attempt to exploit this in return, as they have exploited other loopholes and laws to do as they have done themselves."> The Tenno has her suspicions as well, and she nods once at Yuuki's initiative regarding the request for full explanation.
Lezard Valeth	One could only imagine what the cat must think when it's sitting there being looked at by a Space Ninja Dog and a large crow. "Mrrrrr." It mutters, eloquently, and flops over, looking down upon the gathering in the Gallery with Velka. It doesn't bother looking back at the other animals. The cat is /better/ than that. So yeah, it's being a cat at the problem. Anyone surprised?
Mel Brock	"I'll be frank," Mel says in response to Velka, "I prefer to work within the law where I can. In fact, I'm pretty uncomfortable working outside of it. So your offer's... it's pretty tempting from that side of things. Plus, word is you don't think anyone should be above the law. I like that." She crosses her legs, leaning back on the pew. Yuuki's asked one of the important questions, so she floats another one. "I'm willing. On the conditions you offered before, plus one." She holds up her index finger. One. "Is there anything important you're not telling us about the situation here? Anything you're leaving out because it might make us think twice about taking the offer? If I find out there is now, I'll still think about it. If I find out there is later, I'm backing out. That's my condition." She turns to look at Kiras briefly. "...that dog is /still/ really damn big."
Tomoe	Tomoe would get moving on herself and she moves to get into a spot herself the rather tall Salmander may not be the best choice for sneaking around given her quite large frame but she's going to try to keep to the higher parts herself between her avatar's power and her actually knowing Parkour she would be able to get up into the rafters her self to wait and watch hopefully She would have to wiat and be paitent much like Reiji was doing. Hopefully they wouldn't need to wait too long, right?. <<I'm now in position now as well if you end up needing backup? You have it I'm near by Reiji.>>
Reiji Arisu	There's their person of interest. A shadow descends from the rafters above and alights almost soundlessly amidst the pews. It's not a painting guardian, so by default it must be a certain exorcist. "Lady Velka. I apologize for not meeting you the last time you graced us with your presence, but as I am sure you are aware, we have had... quite a lot of ground to cover." Reiji lifts the nightvision goggles from over his face and dips into a respectful bow. He straightens soon thereafter, however. "I had a question about these Darkmoon Blades, myself. You mentioned that being under the protection of a god is sufficient to indict these agents. I assume carrying Darkdrift isn't sufficient?" He asks, canting his head slightly. "Though I have no issue with the stipulations of this contract, myself. It is, after all, part of what I do." Making contracts with spirits IS sort of part and parcel with being an onmyoji. "And without the protection of Indictment, we ourselves would be unable to permanently eliminate or capture these Blades, correct?"
Staren	The Darkmoon Blades are out and attacking elites? This has to stop, of course, but Staren is no longer taking chances in Lordran. Heavy, metal footsteps stride through the building to meet with the group assembled before Velka. He may or may not scan as a robot, or not alive, or what have you; who knows what sort of senses goddesses have? In response to her comment, Staren replies: "Allies are valuable. And I've never been one for... the sort of social planning needed to hunt down and catch a group like this. I just make sure that once we catch them, our weapons allow no escape."
Priscilla	"Hmmm? And where did you hear all of that from, I wonder?" Velka asks, seemingly rhetorically, as her weird, corvian eyes seem to indicate that she has one or two ideas, and is offended by neither, but interested in both. "I do strive to be anything but boring, so I hope it wasn't out of a book. Most the texts you'll find around here are tomes of epic tales about things that happened hundreds of years ago, since it seems nobody is quite done patting themselves on the back yet." Mel's questioning draws something of a smirk from her, whereupon the goddess laces her fingers beneath her chin, elbows on the arm rests. "You're an uncommonly principled officer of the law, but you're not much of a diplomat, are you? If I were afraid of offending your moral compass gravely enough to lose your cooperation, I would logically be compelled to make excuses in advance, for anything that I anticipated would shake your faith. If there is something I would need to outright hide, obviously I have already contrived ways to do so, and do not believe there is any reasonable risk of you finding out; so, what sense would there be in divulging it?" Still though, she does have to explain the basic mechanic to Yuuki. "It is a rather ordinary Covenant, simply under exceptional terms. You, hypothetically, would offer assent to an oath of service, the contract would appear on the rosters of the faithful, and you would be privileged to the same benefits as the lowest ranks of my Pardoners. The understanding here is that you have no desire to advance as a faithful adherent, and so rather than struggle to retain your unwilling service, or else require the traditional tithe of dissolution, I will simply annul the contract myself, and remove your name from the roster personally. Such is my power, and much reason for my 'popularity'. Of course, you have little but my own word to go off of, but then I ask you what goddess would be charged with the domain of sin, retribution, and absolution, if she herself were a liar, a fraud, and an oathbreaker? A Covenant is a pact, after all. If I renege on my own terms, I am essentially just as culpable." Valkyr's appearance would be much more startling if Velka hadn't already seen similar from last time. In fact, she seems to be thinking much along the same lines about her dog being unreasonably big. "If you are worried for the machinations of others, you will find you are in a very unique position. As outsiders to our world, there is very little that can be gained from you that is of any worth to anyone here; short of killing you, of course. I'm sure if you were worried about /that/, you wouldn't have come here in the first place, now would you?" Oh she knows. She has that tone. It seems Velka hadn't completely fled the continent when it was a hellish death trap like most of the others.
Priscilla	"I do wish you would stop dropping from the ceiling however." She intones towards Reiji without really looking, finally joining the group. "I keep thinking one of you might have offended the painting guardians. I commend your efforts over the last few days. I appreciate an agent who can use their head. As much as I want your trust, blind faith is worthless, and if something should go wrong, well, you're already on the right track to finishing the job yourself, aren't you?" "To answer your question though, no, the sword is not sufficient badge. The First of the Dead is one of the four original Lords, to be sure, but whilst he is certainly worthy of respect, he neither observes, nor is observed, by the laws of Anor Londo. Everything about the gods descends from the wisdom of the Great Lord Gwyn, and from successive interpretations after his departure. As Lord Nito rules and decides the dead, so do we with the living, and the two do not intersect. Or, do you consider it likely that he will come all the way up to the surface to personally punish someone for attacking you?" Velka sounds like she already knows the answer. At the tail end of a /very/ long list of questions, Staren gets the following: "The new Dark Sun may have all the powers attributed to the late Gwyndolin, but he does not appear to have actual right to the moon itself. As it waxes and wanes, so does the strength of their connection, I believe. I urge haste now, as at its lowest point, the protection of their concord will be weak, and thus their true selves most vulnerable through their phantom bodies, and those who are vanquished and survive, who wish to sortie again, will be forced to collect a rather substantial number of souls anew, which can only easily be done by recovering the remains of their destroyed phantom."
Staren	Staren sighs. "So what, exactly, are these 'benefits' we'd be priveledged to? Do any of these covenents actually /do/ anything or is it a bunch of bookkeeping that matters to the heads of gods and not to mortals who can, you know, just /kill/ eachother?" He scratches his helmet. "Okay. They're using phantoms as remote bodies. That's a useful piece of knowledge, but it doesn't explain why any of this covenent stuff matters."
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki nods at the explanation. A bunch of assholes trying to hunt her would be a TERRIBLE THING THAT SHE NEVER HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH IN HER LIFE EVER BEFORE but she could just go far away, and if this is some short-term special deal, that's fine. She weighs the considerations, but it seemed like the best solution - and it would be her own fault for not considering other options rather than taking the first offered deal. Also, it may be insulting to 'shop around' with Gods, as it were. "Very well. I accept. ... How do I accept? Do I just say I do?"
Kushiko	At being addressed slightly by Mel, the batdog tilts her head slightly towards her, the black and purple furred Huras Kubrow, long ears flicking slightly. And then she may be /grinning/ as hounds and canines are wont to do when addressed and asked who's the bestest boy or girl in the world. But there's a spark of intelligence there that is /way/ more than the standard dog, that's for sure. Or batdog. Them some hella-long ears after all. But back to the topics at hand. Valkyr listens--well, Kushiko listens. The Warframe is merely her conduit, her surrogate form to which she traverses the world between worlds to make it hers. <"No, that is not something we are concerned about."> If anything, if Valkyr did 'die', she'd simply rebuild, recover, and send another Warframe in. She cannot truly be /harmed/ long term by the 'death' of her frames at present. Truth is, they were looking for a good /fight/ as much as they were inclined towards a cause. And as more questions are made and otherwise answered, Valkyr nods once. <"It is as we suspected and pondered. Matters of Sin and Absolution and Retribution. Given the task that must be accomplished, it does seem appropriate. We too, accept, though we are concerned with the breadth of the Covenant. May we assume it will be to our being and not simply our Warframes?"> Kiras pads forward, seemingly content for now by things being 'safe', and curls up away from the pews so her massively furred bulk isn't really in the way anymore. That is a gods be damned big doge. Which promptly disappears. Creepy--even if it could be 'felt' by those with advanced detection methods. <"I should explain somewhat. This is not the only form I may take."> Kushiko offers with her resonantly projected voice--at some point, people would undoubtedly realize the voice doesn't have... any notion of coming from a speaker or helmet-housed voice. Totally not odd at all.
Reiji Arisu	"Ah, I apologize," Reiji says, sounding just a bit sheepish, "I've always been... predisposed to high places. I'm afraid it might be a family trait." Does that mean Shougo used to jump from buildings, too? Are the Arisus secretly cats!? "I'll try to avoid such things in the future, as much as possible. No, I believe we've a bit of an accord with the painting guardians. At the very least, I'm sure we're providing them some kind of entertainment." Velka soon, then, answers Reiji's question, however. He shrugs. "That would depend on whether he appreciates the sugar skulls we've been sending down periodically, I would presume. Though I believe that the First of the Dead has more pressing business to attend to than the goings-on of mortal men." "Well, making contracts with gods is ostensibly a facet of my job description," he says, then. "Tell me, though, before we commit irrecovably, several of us here are ostensibly viewed as agents of Priscilla herself. What might happen to her position if we were known to swear fealty you you, Lady Velka? I recognize that your reputation is largely... undeserved in many ways, however we must consider her as well, no? It would not do for us to build a political movement against her by accident."
Mel Brock	Mel snorts. "I don't care to mince words, no. But I'm a little more keen than I let on sometimes, and I can't help but notice you're speaking only to my moral compass. I'm more concerned with whether there's any hidden catches to being part of a Covenant with you, or any hitches to this plan that might have been conveniently left out. Any ancient feuds we'd be pulled into, that kind of thing. But it sounds like there's not really a lot more to it than you've already mentioned, and unlike Arisu, I don't have a horse in this race already, so..." The Marshal shrugs, and then... stands up, assuming her full height. She's not a short woman, either. And this feels like something she should be standing up for. "I'm with Kuran. I'll take it."
Tomoe	Tomoe is quick to join Reiji in dropping in from the rafters without too much fuss, she does look very sheepish however and understand the nature of the situation. Or she thinks she has some idea on it and honestly she feels like an idiot but there's not much she can do about that she howver looks to bow as bes she can and be at least respectful to Velka. She knows not to disrespect things higher on the food chain in life to her. There's no need to not be polite? It costs nothing after all. A pact was no small master after all and she wan't sure about. "So your saying they have found another means to power then? This is torubling." She doesn't seem comfortable about making a pact but she's listening and thinking about this mess. Still the plan that is on the table seem to be a very good one, still she's not going to give up on trying to find these guy's lair.
Staren	Staren has things explained to him. "Alright. So, question... is it possible to be your follower /only/ for the purposes of interaction with the Darkmoons' own covenant? Also, does it restrict us from connections of any sort to gods not of this world?"
Priscilla	Velka tilts her head at Staren. Normally this would be a mildly endearing gesture on any youngish, prettyish looking woman, but her more alien features make it echo the inquisitive appraisal of an intelligent, predatory bird. "You are oddly impatient, for having such an unusually pragmatic attitude. You seem like a smart boy. Most likely literate too. In future, I would suggest finding some reading done in the last century; no earlier" Mel seems pretty insistent about what the entire terms of the Covenant entail however, and so Velka sighs, and settles down to explain it in full to the both of them. "For now, I will lay this out in full detail, so as to be very clear. The benefits are what can be provided by the Covenant owner in question. The power of the Dark Sun's covenant allows his followers to simply browse the roster of sinners, choose a name, and appear before them as vengeful spirits whenever they enter Darkmoon Blade territory. As long as they are performing their duties as agents of so-called justice, the Dark Sun's power shields them against the consequences of their phantom's death, much as how Lady Priscilla worked tirelessly to gather the necessary souls to ablate your own casualties." "Meanwhile, part of what my Covenant offers is the right to Accuse. The Darkmoon Blades were given far too much power within my domain, but the Book of the Guilty was originally mine alone. Those who belong to my Covenant, or those who purchase temporary rites from one of my Pardoners, may indict one who has transgressed against them, and their crimes are recorded by divine machination. Once recorded, many sister Covenants are empowered to prosecute by any means they see fit, and so, naturally, the guilty must come to my Pardoners to repent for their sins and request absolution if they wish for their name to be removed." "The price is quite steep, so it is near impossible to casually erase one's crimes, but the alternative is severe, and so the vast majority of the repentant turn themselves in of their own volition, to pay compensation and make amends, whilst the mad and wicked may be hunted and executed with prejudice." "I sincerely doubt any of these rogue knights will pray for forgiveness in attempting to kill you, and thus should I be able to add their names ot the Book of the Guilty, they will become easy marks to find, in the same way they find you now. Holy indictment does not work upon past crimes, or crimes only witnessed, however. It can only be done whilst the accuser both possesses the rite, and is the target of the transgression. Thus, I require one or more of you to make the pact, and perform the rite when you are next assaulted. The Book will record these saboteurs, and hunting them down becomes exponentially easier."
Priscilla	Both she and Reiji have something more pertinent to say as well, which brings the ghost of a smile to her lips. "As it would stand, your ally was wise in establishing no Covenant of her own. She allows many of the former pacts to stand, but unlike the Great Lord Gwyn, there is no 'Covenant of Priscilla', thus it is impossible to formally show or betray allegiance to her. I assure you, becoming a Pardoner, even if only for a day, is a well respected profession. By all rights, these men and women are terrorists to begin with. Many will be glad to wield my name as a cudgel out of simple fear." Staren gets one last shrug. "A Covenant is a contract. Though there is old, powerful magic behind it, neither I nor anyone else owns any part of you that you do not explicitly give away. The magic serves to record your doings, empower your efforts to uphold its terms, and revokes what it has given you if you should betray them. The rest is a matter of convention." And finally, at last, someone has made a decision! The crow goddess looks all too happy to be done with catching the millions of questions being fired at her, running her fingers through her hair to push it back into place, and standing out of her seat, so that Yuuki is roughly at a 'kneeling' level. She offers one hand to the vampire, which then swirls with a nexus of foggy grey light; much the same as the ashen nothingness that many remember their phantoms coalescing from, without any tint of colour, and full of possibility. "Then if you should swear as to uphold the Covenant of the Lady of Sin, to follow our tenets to the spirit and letter, to act with intelligence and discretion, but regard all your fellow man with sympathy in your heart, and to offer your forgiveness to any man who truly repents, no matter his crimes, take my hand and affirm it so."
Staren	Staren is uncertain of exactly what the bird-goddess is trying to say about his taste in books. "What can I say? I'm young and impetuous. Maybe I'll see things differently when I'm older." "So. The divine covenant gives them infinite lives... I wonder if we can just nuke their base..." As someone makes the covenant, he comments, "That sounds /super/ ominous. Unless your tenets are solely those you just listed. Am I just unusually wary about swearing fealty to anything?"
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki looks up, then sort of half-bows-her-head-half looks up to Velka. "Ah... Yes, I do?" She asks with hesitation borne not out of fear but trepidation she was not 'doing this right'. She reaches up to take Velka's hand, though the terms give her a little smile. "Well... That's a relief. I was planning on doing most of that anyway. Perhaps you'll be able to help me not break your laws in the near future, for a resolution that this world can live with." When it's all over, Yuuki gives Staren a Look. "I understand it may not be something you want to do, but it is /pretty/ rude to speculate to the giver's face and the taker's back." She complains, a little poutily. "I feel like I made an informed decision! Do, or don't, but don't sit on the fence and speculate loudly."
Staren	Staren tilts his head. "Seems to me it's ruder to play along while speculating behind their back. She was upfront with admitting the possibility of hiding secrets and the pointlessness of asking her to divulge them, I think she gets it."
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki sighs. "I'm not speculating at all, but I didn't mean to her." She puffs out her cheeks a little. If you have ever read a shojo ever, you know exactly the expression. "I meant I felt it was rude to me to sit there speculating and acting like I'm jumping to things."
Staren	Staren looks at her like she just doesn't get it. "...I meant it wopuld be ruder for /me/ to make these comments behind her back."
Reiji Arisu	Xiaomu is many things in Reiji's life. Straight-man is very rarely one of them. But somehow, there's this niggling feeling at the very back of his head that she'd be unhappy with just... Going along with this. But it is indeed true that there ARE Pardoners about. At the very least, the other gods have some kind of understanding with regards to Velka's position. Moreover... Well. If some of them are attacked, and those individuals AREN'T members of this covenant, it'd do them no good. And since many here manifest in Lordran in their very own flesh and blood... "Alright," Reiji breathes a long exhale. "Statistically speaking, the more of us enter into this covenant, the better. I suppose I'm in as well." At the very least, the risk is minimal as long as they don't fuck up.
Kushiko	Privately, Kushiko is somewhat... amused at Velka's assessment of Staren. She wanted to say as much over their 'radio' but elected not to. Would have been rude and in the context of what they were doing, wholly unnecessary. Maybe it was the twinned influences of Mesa and Valkyr being presently operated by the Tenno that kept her as she was now. Though she would stare if she had the eyes visible in her from time to time. Mercifully, Yuuki says what she's not inclined to remark on, so for now, Kushiko remains silent--after all, she volunteered as well to the Covenant, and merely presumes she need wait her turn. But she is terribly tempted...
Mel Brock	For the moment, Mel listens and qaits quietly. There is not much more to say here.
Tomoe	Tomoe Sees they have a plan and seems to understnd now with Yuuki making the deal they have things set up, she feels gladshe didn't have to be the one to do it. She knows she's not do well with such a deal for herself long term. she also muses she's going to push finding the enemy's lair as hard as she can. She will play her part even if she herself is still likely a target. "I am thankful for the help you are wolling to offer us Velka."
Priscilla	The effect of Yuuki taking Velka's hand is to pinch the light issuing from it between their closed palms, causing the fog around it to condense into a halo of greyish light, which swiftly turns a deep violet with a sound not unlike the trailing end of the toll of a bell. Nothing exceptionally dramatic happens after that deep and solemn noise, save an implicitly understood sense to all observers that it had been very important in some way. No marks or traces seem to linger on Yuuki in any way, as Velka lets slip her hand. "The tenets are likely to be of little concern to you. You will be sworn for a short period, and in deliberate secrecy, so I doubt anyone will actively seek you out to uphold your oath. Otherwise, you are simply sworn to impartiality; that is, against the pursuit of personal justice for unverified crimes, and against prejudice or bias in dealing with those who wish to atone. If a man begs of you your forgiveness in my name, and offers due compensation to prove his sincerity, you are obligated to forgive him, and let him be, unless something would clearly indicate duplicity on his part. You are also to make no exceptions and offer my absolution to others without due process, whether out of sympathy or convenience. Since I our understanding is that you wish not to wield my gifts for any other reason than bringing the Dark Sun's adherents to justice however, consider it a non-issue. Rather, the only way it can become an issue is for you to create one yourself." Following that, she begins offering the same process to the others who have expressed their assent, only after fully addressing their previous questions. To Mel, to Kushiko's Warframe by proxy, and to Reiji. Tomoe, she at least offers "Think little of it. I owe you much already for the eradication of the bulk of Gwyndolin's cult of personality." She doesn't so much hesitate at Staren as just kind of look very deeply into his eyes. "If somehow it need be said, please do not resort to employing weapons of mass destruction with Anor Londo in the crossfire. As much as the Arch Lord wants these dissidents dead, I trust you are intelligent enough to understand it would be well beyond my means to save you from her if you did. Once their new hideout has been located, you would be wise to do as little damage to it and its surroundings as possible."
Staren	Staren blinks at Velka. "...Why would Anor Londo be caught in it? Aren't they hiding out in some remote hard-to-find base harassing us with phantoms? Are you saying you think their base is /here/? Why would they /do/ that? Well, if they did, obviously I don't want to nuke the city, geeze!" He throws up his hands. "What, do I walk around with a neon sign over my head that says 'interpret everything this man says in the worst possible way?'" he looks up as if to check. Then he looks back at her, folding his arms. "For a god of forgiveness or whatever, you seem quick to assume the worst of someone."
Mel Brock	"Even if it's not something that'll ever come up," Mel says as she takes Velka's hand, "Knowing it makes things a little easier on me. And..." She shifts a little on her feet, awkward. "...well, best thing I can say is, you've got principles I approve of. You worry me a lot less than some of the big names around here." High praise, coming from her. But then, Velka's tenets jive fairly closely with the ones the psychic lives by herself. She might not always like it, but she believes in it. At this point, she turns to Staren, replying with a simple, "That's how it works in this business. Hope for the best, but assume the worst. That way all your surprises are pleasant."
Kushiko	<"Besides, there are some of us capable of mass warfare /without/ causing harm elsewhere."> Kushiko notes wryly as Valkyr takes the Lady of Sin's hand in hers, after nodding her own assent to the rules themsleves. <"We understand, Velka."> Though curiously, one might note she does not necessarily mean that 'we' in the context of the others. <"All the same, we are curious, but now is not the time for learning all of the tenets."> She frowns--far beyond and out of sight, mostly to the notion of having /felt/ it through the Somatic Link--she expected it, but it was a curious sensaiton all the same. <"I must also share my agreement with the Marshall here. Particularly as it comes to oaths and upholding one's word of honor."> Valkyr inclines her head respectfully as she steps away for others to do their own Covenant.
Reiji Arisu	"I am fairly confident that these agents are operating out of Anor Londo, yes," Reiji says as he takes Velka's hand and POSSIBLY MAKES A TERRIBLE MISTAKE. "We've been scouring the city for evidence of suspicious activity, and have found a number of hidden rooms scattered all throughout the city. If I were setting up an operation like this one, I'd try to make myself look as much like Gwyndolin as possible, right down to living in a hidden chamber somewhere in Anor Londo." "It'd only make sense," he says with a slight sniff. "And as Mel said, these rules seem pretty much about what I end up doing from day-to-day regardless. So." NO LOSS RIGHT!?!?
Tomoe	Tomoe doesn't intend to fo collertal damage if she cna help it. She knows some targets might be given the option to change but some are going to need to go down. A chill run downs her spine, when did she start thinking like this? Tomoe wonders was it the Death Game? Or something after, she thinks more no it was the Death Game in the end she thought, no one turly ever got out of that castle in the end. With that bit of self relfection over she seems ready to move on, they have a trap to lay and a lair to find.
Priscilla	With the official business of swearing solemn oaths more or less concluded, Velka takes the time to crack up at Staren, politely covering her mouth in the way that he knows she's laughing anyways, even with the black bird eyes. "I should apologize then. I'm certain you've been given a justifiable impression that the gods and goddesses that live here are universally humourless and self-gratifying, so I imagine a little deadpan humour might be disconcerting. I know this is tense business, but do try to relax, yes? This is just about as informal as swearing a Covenant can be. Were I sincerely convinced you had intention of bombing the citadel, one would think I wouldn't have told you any of this." Velka coughs lightly, before pinching the edge of her hood, looking affirmingly to Reiji. "It would be odd for an order using 'Darkmoon' in its name to make their home in plain sight, but even more strange to leave the city of their master's birth and domain, and where their power is strongest. Squirelling themselves away within sites of residual faith is a likely tactic."
Yuuki Kuran	With all that concluded, and MYSTERIOUS POWER FORCE FROM A SHADY COVENANT has been obtained through the power of bumblefuck... Yuuki looks to herself quickly, patting her sides and inspecting her hand. "Well. I actually expected to feel different. Well, if it solves things peacefully I am more than happy to offer people your absolution." She beams. "This world is much simpler than mine in that respect."
Staren	"Oh." Staren blinks. "Sorry, whenever I've gotten that reaction in the past decade, people were totally serious. It's been... A problem." He holds out a hand. "Well, if it's permissible, I swear to allow my name to be put on your list for the purpose of fucking up the Dark Sun's plans, and I promise to do my best to offer forgiveness and redemption when practical to create a better future for all."
Staren	Staren blinks. "Wait. That was nebulously defined. For all /people/," he starts to pull his hand back, "Wait. shit, we have to define /that/, uh... Can I say people I percieve as people? Beings I perceive as people? Or is that too subjective? Failing that, those that have psychology and values similar to..." He dolds one arm and strokes his chin. "me. Well, that's what it boils down to, really. I can't pretend it doesn't. Although, how similar, there's a question..."
Reiji Arisu	Reiji stares at Staren. He reaches over. He slaps him upside the head. "You're overthinking again," Reiji says, crossing his arms pointedly across his chest. Then he looks to Velka and nods, firmly. "That was basically my line of thinking as well, yes. Moreover, if this figure wants to make a power-play, the best place to do so would be from here. If that's the case, I would assume that the one responsible is not an unknown figure in local politics. If not... Then we've got to do more digging, but it'll be less of a headache to deal with in the end, I think."
Kushiko	<"Not quite our sensation. We just want to cover all of our bases and avoid unnecessary risk."> Kushiko remarks, and gestures with a hand--from this, that massive Kubrow comes out of hiding, padding back over to Valkyr, nuzzling up against her chest and upper arm a little bit before coming to a stop next to her at the ready. Perfect time to observe a Gibbs-esqe dopeslap of Staren by Reiji. <"In any event, Reiji, we shall resume assisting you and uncovering what we can. Shall we?"> That being said, once Reiji affirms, she fires a Ripline upwards, and starts hurling herself towards the windows once more to head out into the City. Besides, she had her values pretty plainly defined and knew what she was going to do longterm. Hint: it probably involved dismemberment.