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Guest Sarah   Toran Castle
  Republic of Toran

  Far to the south of the Holy Kingdom of Harmonia, south and maybe a bit east of the Grasslands, there lies a modest republic that has already fought its war and stepped off the stage of world history. Deep in the heart of its territory, there is a lake; slouched over that lake is a crumbling and tower-like castle.

  Winter has come to Lake Toran, and the banks are dusted in modest snow. The sun has just sunk below the horizon, and in the dusky light that remains, mist hangs over the water's surface.

  One of the tower's occupants is on the roof, which affords a commanding view of the countryside. One can see the lake and its distant shores in all directions. Even a distant village, possibly Kaku, can be made out. Yet it isn't the view or the village that the sorceress seems interested in. It's the stars.

  The night is bitterly cold, but that also means the skies are breathtakingly clear. The pale woman has a cup of hot tea cradled in her hands, steam curling about her face, wrapped in a heavy robe over her layered dress. Her breath fogs in the cold, and her eyes are fixed on the skies -- in particular, she is turned toward the Silent Star; the Star of Destiny that she was born under.

  It's hard to say how she feels. She looks pretty calm, but then again, Sarah always looks 'pretty calm.' She seems to be at peace, though, simply enjoying a cup of hot tea with the contrast of a cold winter's night.

  ...She may or may not be abusing the True Water Rune to keep that tea hot.
Luc As of late, the Wind Mage called Luc had been foregoing horrid abuse of the True Wind Rune. He preferred to use it for convenience where possible but with it firmly in his mind to partially seal its power, he has become inclined to simply wean himself off of it. Accordingly, he's actually bothered to expand his wardrobe a little to accommodate Actual Winters. This hasn't involved much /visible/ difference, save that he's acquired thicker, well-lined clothing.

The clothing he wore in Harmonia and, in particular in the Grasslands, was very light and breathy for what it was. What he wears now is of an identical style, though typically more covering and warm. The coat in particular stands out, because it doesn't have the peculiar vestlike upper cut, and actually closes and buttons properly.

What he /doesn't/ bother foregoing is teleportation. It is from a green hole in space that Luc emerges on the roof, his heavy garments drawn tightly around him. His arms are crossed, and a vaguely curious expression lingers on his face. As muted as his expressions are, that he has one at all speaks volumes of his thoughts on Sarah being out here.

"It's the middle of the night in winter." He points out, somewhere between amused and annoyed. "Is there something of particular interest that's caught your eye, or are you just in the mood for freezing crosswinds?"

"You're no seer, so I can't imagine you're reading the stars. Or that you would even especially want to." Luc adds, glancing up into the clear night sky.
Guest Sarah   Although he seems to come from nowhere, Sarah has long since learned to read the subtle shifts in power that announce her companion's arrival. He's as familiar to her as the feel of the mists over the lake, so she doesn't startle when he arrives, merely turning her head to regard him.

  Her jewelled earrings clink softly as she does. It's the same pair that he had gotten for her before they'd travelled to Crystal Valley, all those years ago; though it had been a thoughtless gift, she has always cherished them.

  "I couldn't sleep," she explains simply. "I thought I might come out here and look at the stars. No, not to read them. Lady Leknaat told me I have no talent whatsoever for that." She pauses for a sip. "I also thought I might gauge how much mist there is over the lake. When I feel like I need to practise, I'll see about freezing the entirety of the lake solid. It's a useful exercise, and it does not harm the fish."
Luc "They don't say anything in particular at the moment. Or at least, nothing that anybody sensible would be especially interested to learn." Luc glances up for a couple of moments and adds, "The big stars aren't in any particular position to mean anything, and the rest of them just say the little things that housewives and the extremely superstitious worry about a little. Be cautious around open fires, don't go fishing next Friday. Silly little things like that where something of minor consequence might go a little bit awry, if one isn't especially careful with themselves."

He shrugs loosely.

"Horoscopes. That's how all of this started you know, with McDohl. Came along looking for the year's horoscope. If they'd paid /it/ more mind, the Scarlet Moon Empire might not have needed to fall in the first place, and Windy could've been put in her place relatively bloodlessly. But no, old Barbarossa doesn't pay any mind to the warnings about strange women in his life."

He's probably joking.

Luc sidles up behind Sarah with a faint sigh, coiling his arms around her waist and resting his chin against her shoulder.

"Practice by plucking fish out of the water instead. Then freeze them for later eating. Or maybe freeze them in the water and then take the frozen block-fish out of the water." He suggests.

"What's keeping you awake?" Luc asks, faintly.
Guest Sarah   "I would like to imagine that most people hardly need the voices of the stars to tell them common sense." Sarah sips at her tea, pale eyes turning up to the heavens once more, starlight reflecting in them. That soft silver light seems to suit her better than the sun. One shoulder rises and falls in a faint shrug. "I suppose people are all a little foolish, though. Myself included. The light really means nothing to me, but I like to look at the stars, all the same."

  She chuckles as Luc complains about horoscopes and kings. "Would it have turned out so easily if they had paid it heed? The stars would have found another way, you know. Life is complicated in that manner. I suppose it doesn't matter."

  Sarah lets her eyes fall to half-mast when she feels an arm curl around her, leaning back a little and resting her head against his. The water mages heaves a contented sigh.

  "I've done that in the past. Frozen them, and then retrieve the frozen fish to cook at our leisure." Tilting her head, she presses a distracted kiss to his cheekbone; about the only part of him she can see or reach. "Mostly, freezing the entire lake is a case of maintaining the control to freeze it all at once, uniformly, without any fluctuations in temperature. It's an exercise in fine-tune control."

  She leans back against him, in part because it's comfortable, and in part because he's warm. "Mm. The same as any day. The Ashen Future. Annu. I suppose I did not drink enough wine. Well enough, though. I do not mind; it is a crisp, cold night, and I can feel the ice on the air. A good night to be alive."
Luc "You wouldn't think so, but most people don't have it themselves, and even when they do they're missing a bit of it." Luc replies quietly, more because he's right next to Sarah's ear than any real need to whisper. "But it's also a matter of certainty, and perhaps also a matter of responsibility. If they know what's going to happen then what will be, will be, and they've no cause to change it. It varies from person to person. I don't realy know why the Scarlet Moon Empire consulted Lady Leknaat the way that they did."

"Perhaps Barbarossa knew Leknaat. He was a rebel king once, too. If so, she never told me about it."

"As to that I can't say. A great deal of harm might well have been averted, and many great heroes were lost during that conflict. Barbarossa only went along with it because Lady Windy resembled his late wife you know, and he was the one who put a stop to her in the end, after a fashion. It was a passing strange experience."

As regards freezing the lake, the Wind Mage answers, "Just make certain that you don't do it when ships are passing through. It's along the major trade routes on the rivers and from the sea alike, so it can't be blocked off too permanently. Then there are the fishing vessels, but they're less of a concern... I suppose that motorized boat is still somewhere around here, for that matter."

"There's a little island with a shack on it. Feel free to freeze their water whenever you like." He adds, mischeviously.

Luc heaves a sigh of his own, but it's hardly contented. He says, "Your Rune's not fundamentally essential to your body's health. You would do well to seal it up, but there's little enough to be done about Annu."

"It's the first time in a while I've heard of that particular wound gnawing at you." He observes aloud, without directly questioning it.
Guest Sarah   "Mm. Who's to say? I'm sure there's a great deal we don't know about Mistress Leknaat. I wouldn't have been caught dead prying, either." Sarah got along with her adoptive mother-figure most of the time, but they were all three of them cut from the same cloth, and all intensely private people. "I imagine she knows much of any of the noteworthy figures of the world simply as a matter of course, being the keeper of the tablets."

  She leans back a little, head tilting to rest her face against his. "Mmm. Of course not. I would do it at a time comparable to now, when no one in their right mind wants to take a ship out over the water."

  "I could seal it, but I have no particular need to. Dreams of the Ashen Future are few and far between. If it's trying to tell me something, I have no real indication of what it is. I would almost say it seems somehow content, of late." Reaching out, she sets her teacup on the crenellations at the top of the wall, before turning to slip her arms around him and rest her head on his shoulder.

  Her eyes close, and she murmurs almost into his neck. "It does on occasion. Most of the time I say nothing of it, but you asked." She shrugs. It's the kind of smartass answer both of them are inclined to give. "If periodic insomnia is one of the prices I must pay, so be it. It needed to be done, and knowing the consequences at the time would not have stayed my hand. Sometimes, though, I wonder what became of the survivors I was able to banish out of Annu."

  "I was a little out of sorts earlier, but I feel alright, now. Having you here helps." Sarah pauses to punctuate her statement with a kiss to the side of his neck, sighing against him. "It does gnaw at times, but that is its nature. I do not consider it any more unusual than the True Water Rune showing me visions of the Ashen Future. I suppose you're right, though. Sealing it would not be a bad idea, although it is a comfort to know I have that power in defense of our home and ourselves."
Luc "Lady Windy was her sister, you know. I still can't help but wonder what became of her half of the Gate Rune." Luc muses aloud, his thoughts meandering through the history of this particular segment of the conversation. "She wanted to punish Harmonia, you know-- for wiping out their tribe, I believe. That was why she wanted another True Rune, and I suppose it was why she wanted the Rune of Life and Death in particular. I don't think that it would have done her much good though, even if she was of the requisite competence needed to claim it."

"Soul Eater empowers itself by the deaths that happen around you, and usually it claims people who were close to you. I do not think that Windy had any such individuals left for it to claim, so it would have been profoundly useless to her."

Luc snorts at the mildness of Sarah's rune, loosening his grip on her as she turns and tightening it again as she faces him. He tilts his head forward against hers, shutting his eyes. He says, "It's only a matter of time. Even that foolish boy was feeling it by the time that we were done, and so was the first Flame Champion. The only man who ever seemed to endure it well was that mercenary fellow..."

"... And I think he was already dead inside."

His eyes drift open, drawn up towards the stars again.

"Most probably, they grew up. Eventually they'll die. That's how that story always goes, isn't it?"

Luc offers a vague shrug of his shoulders in answer to the matter of sealing the True Water Rune. He moves on, "You were speaking with that wizard the other day. Are you of a mind to conduct some project with him?"
Guest Sarah   "Mm. I suppose the half must be out there somewhere. I wonder if it attached itself to a new host, as True Runes sometimes do?" Sarah muses, quietly. "I have heard no rumours of strange runic activity anywhere, though, so I suppose it must be lying dormant somewhere. Or perhaps Lady Windy survived, and is lying low? I suppose we have no way to know."

  Sarah leans against him a little, comfortably, letting her eyes close when his do. "Mmm. It always raises a fuss, in the end, but I suppose I've gotten a little better at not allowing it to rule me. It was difficult, at first. I did not know what to do with what I was feeling, or even what it was, but the weight becomes easier to bear in time."

  "I suppose it's all about finding one's centre, and clutching at that sensation as a drowning man clutches a life raft." Her eyes half-open when Luc mentions the mercenary captain. "His name was Geddoe, and I would be willing to wager potch that even the records make no mention of when or how he acquired the True Lightning Rune. Ostensibly, it was in Harmonian custody, but I suppose it grew bored with sitting around waiting for something to happen. But perhaps he was. It would explain why the True Rune never seemed to bother him in particular."

  Harmonia seems to have that track record with True Runes. At least the True Lightning Rune wandering off wasn't a disaster like the Beast Rune was.

  "Hmmm. Perhaps. I was not thinking of it in such detached terms, but I suppose it would be better to." Sometimes she still wonders, but she tends to have more capacity to care about random strangers than Luc does. Even in the Grasslands, she had tried to warn some away from the bloodiest of the battling. They hadn't /listened/, of course, but her conscience had needed to make the effort.

  "That was something of a gamble," she affords, with a sigh. "Thus far it seems to have worked." Then, as matter-of-factly as though she were discussing the weather, Sarah says, "I would like to kill Hikusaak, if there is anything of him left to kill."

  "I hardly expect you to have an interest or a desire to help, so by no means do I consider you obligated to. I believe it would be doing the world a favour, however, considering Harmonia's policies in matters over the past century or two, the further from Hikusaak's alleged disappearance one gets." She closes her eyes, leaning into him. "Of course, it means I would most likely be saddled with organising the mess afterward, but I suppose there are much worse choices, particularly from among Harmonian ranks."
Luc "As you say. Maybe she'll turn up eventually. I wish that her plan had been a little better though, if she'd been focused on dealing with Harmonia instead of gaining secondary weapons to deal with Harmonia, she might have gotten more traction. The only southerly ally that Harmonia had, after all, was Highland." Luc replies thoughtfully. Truthfully, Highland was also big enough to fight a multi-front war relatively successfully. That had much to do with the southerly areas being too divisive to decide how best to distribute their resources though.

If they'd united properly, things could've been different there too.

"I wonder," he says, "how far back the Ashen Future goes-- that is, when the elemental runes began to display it. As sinister attributes go this one is... muted. It isn't nearly so well-known as the side-effects of the other runes, and even the elemental runes have individual eccentricities that have survived as legend."

"The Flame Champion's very short life, and the violent reactions of the Rune to unnatural threats on his life, for instance." He twitched a finger on his rune hand. "Mine has no such legends that I know of, but I think that it slept for some time before it was given to me."

With regards to /how/ Geddoe got the True Lightning Rune, he remarks, "There's no telling. If Harmonia had it they most likely hid that it was lost, and if they didn't... well, they must have done, I think. Recovery of the True Fire Rune in particular was a high priority though..."

"It was stolen outright, you see." He adds.

He amends his thoughts on the people of Annu, "They'll grow up, which is more than can be said of many of their fellows. Their lives will go off in as many directions as lives can go off. Who knows what that will amount to, but it was a worthwhile thing... even if you won't witness much of it firsthand."

"... Regarding my template though, I believe that's a desire that /I've/ expressed before. Still... if I might make the suggestion, focus on his Rune and not on him." Luc shifts his hand to poke lightly at Sarah's own rune-bearing hand, "More likely than not he has simply succumbed to it. And trust me when I say that you don't want to get involved in steering a country in the aftermath of a war; especially one as absurdly organized as Harmonia."

"Find somebody else to do it." A pause, then a rather nasty smile, "Like Sasarai. He's adequately sane."
Guest Sarah   Sarah tilts her head, but she doesn't yield up much comment on the issue of Windy's campaign or Highland's situation. While it's true that she's done reading on it, book experience is no substitute for firsthand experience, and Luc was there.

  "I do not know. Perhaps they always have, or perhaps it is a recent development." She looks thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps I should have asked Geddoe when we were in a position to speak with him, although I expect he would not have given a satisfactory answer to me. Lightning and water are fundamentally incompatible. It would be no better than comparing wind and water. I do not always understand when you try to describe sensations of the True Wind Rune any more than I try to describe to you what I feel with the True Water Rune." The pale woman grimaces, chagrined. "Ah, well. I suppose some things simply cannot be expressed with words."

  Content to lean on him, she considers his words of the Flame Champion. It's true that the man had died somewhat young, and that he had wrought incredible damage through his Rune.

  "I suppose it makes as much sense as anything. Fire burns. It is all about combustive, volatile life energy, for flame seeks to leave its mark on the world more enthusiastically and ably than any of the other Five Elements. Water is mroe sedate, either imposing or aligning with qualities of self-control and serenity in its Runebearers. As I suppose," she says with a soft laugh, "you have no doubt noticed. Yes, though. Runes would appear to seek out or instill upon Runebearers those qualities which they exemplify."

  She makes a soft, thoughtful sound at his ear. "In any case, I could think of worse effects. After so long, one begins to inure oneself against such nightmares. And I have my means of coping with them," she adds, shrugging a shoulder against him. "Study or reading for pleasure. Wine. You," Sarah adds, head turning to nip lightly at the edge of his ear. "But I do not notice any particular quirks unique to the True Water Rune, unless one counts its preference for calm, self-controlled bearers."

  "Perhaps," she says, in reference to the orphans. "I suppose some part of me hopes that it was indeed a worthwhile thing. It felt like too little, too late, but I suppose there's no helping that, either. Any mitigation would have felt futile in that situation."
Guest Sarah   Despite her words, her statement seems to be one reasonably at peace on the matter; that, or she's merely that good at hiding her own pain. There's no sense concerning him over it and dissecting her feelings on the matter. His presence is balm enough in those times she needs comfort.

  "I have every intention of it," she explains. "If I can employ Sindar methods to remove the Circle Rune, perhaps I can store it in some manner. I am not so certain there is a 'Hikusaak' left, in any case. I wonder if he has perhaps been subsumed by it; more True Rune than man, playing out the Circle Rune's will with none of his own. Certain Harmonian policies might indicate as much. In any case, I refuse to touch the loathsome thing, so I believe I can attempt to remove and seal it through Sindar methods."

  Such methods are incredibly painful for one bonded to a True Rune, let alone one bound for so long. Sarah finds that she's not particularly sympathetic.

  "Of course. Perhaps I would establish myself as the head of state, but I would leave the work to others. I would not say that I am not suited for such things, but it would be wearisome." Sarah pauses at Luc's nasty smile. Although such expressions have never bothered her, not for as long as she's known him, she isn't ignorant of the effect they have on most people.

  She circles her arms loosely around his waist, closing her eyes and resting her face at the side of his neck. "Adequately sane, yes, and if I approach him without animosity, I believe I can make an ally out of him. Ally enough to handle matters of state, so long as he understands that he will be following my direction, and submitting to my authority." Sarah smiles, and the expression is incongruently sweet. "Earth is strong, but wind and water are eroding forces. He will be outnumbered."

  After a moment, she pulls away from him, although it's with clear reluctance. "I suppose I have spent enough time staring at the sky. Come, let's go inside. It's warmer, and I can see the sky through the windows."

  She steps back from him, and it's with a flash of blue-white light that the pale woman vanishes, only to reappear in the bedroom. It's silent and dark, and it's also quite cold; it takes her only a moment to shuck off her layers and resume her nightgown, shivering and crawling back under the blanket.

  That's where he'll find her, but from the light filtering in through the windows, it's clear that her eyes are open, watching him. She waits until she can see him again to finish her thought.

  "It would be easier if I could coerce him rather than threaten him, though; more sustainable than authority by threat. If I can convince him that I have Harmonia's best interests at heart, which I'm certain I can deliver convincingly enough for him to buy, I believe he will be inclined to listen, and that will leave me free from the clutching mire that is Harmonian statecraft. Handling your affairs as the Masked Bishop is bad enough."
Luc "I think it likely that sealing the Circle Rune is an academic gesture." Luc offers plainly, casting his gaze up towards the stars. "It is in the nature of the True Runes collectively to be used, held, and then to be lost or given up. The Circle Rune is the embodiment of this cycle, so it is likely that removing it will fall within its demesne. That is to say, it may be inevitable. It may even be a part of its intended metaphysical narrative."

"As to whether or not the person to whom it is attached is still a person, there's little enough saying. Runes that occupy the forehead have a strong tendency to overtake the wielder however, and that is especially the case of True Runes. The easiest study in this is the Sun Rune itself."

"/That/ is the sort of thing you're contending with. It sounds benign, but don't imagine it's less terrifying than the Sun Rune. It may adhere to a similar pattern. I'm also concerned with the ramifications of confronting Hikusaak in particular..."

The Wind Mage focuses on the stars more clearly now. "Somebody who sets into motions great things remains beneath the star of their destiny should great things come to their doorstep again. I've no doubt at all that Hikusaak is among the Chief Stars of Heaven, and you are beneath the Star of Silence."

"Opposing Hikusaak would most likely mean that the Stars of Destiny cannot be united, as was the case in... our... campaign. That means no miracles."

Luc huffs a little as the subject of Sasarai persists. He says, "I've no conception of what relationship he may have with the High Priest. He is affected by the existential crisis that our manner of creation inflicts on anybody, but he..."

"I don't know, but he may prefer stability."

Luc lingers on the roof as Sarah departs below, his attention focused on the stars. He follows soon after, materializing in the bedroom much as he had on the roof. Once he's changed into some winter pajamas, he lays his coat over his side of the bed as an extra layer for warmth, and climbs in next to Sarah.

"It's a theocracy built on Hikusaak's right to rule," he says, "I was able to become a high ranking figure merely by appearing and association with him. Most like the system would dissolve entirely in his absence. You'd have to replace it with something else."
Guest Sarah   "Benign? I never thought it was. If anything, I would consider it more dangerous if it's taken the proverbial bit in its teeth and is controlling Hikusaak utterly," Sarah muses, slipping an arm around him as he joins her. The coat is apparently a nice gesture; she makes a pleased sound and huddles a little closer. He's warm. Warm is good. It's plenty cold enough to snow, if there were any precipitation, and the inherent dampness of being above the lake makes it feel that much colder.

  She gives a sigh herself, though more from contentment than anything else. It's nice to feel warm after the sharp, cold air of the roof. "Perhaps, but I was not expecting any assistance but that which I can negotiate for myself. That is why I require the Wizard's assistance, and other noteworthy Elites that I believe may be sympathetic to my cause."

  "It is still in the stage of idle planning. I am not nearly ready to begin mobilising for such a campaign. This is what I believe to be the sensible thing to do, as I believe Harmonia has engaged in its questionable practises for far too long already, and it is only a matter of when I believe it best to act." She shrugs, nuzzling into the join of his neck and shoulder and letting her eyes drift closed.

  Replace it with something else? "Absolutely. If I established Sasarai's right to rule and remained in the shadows, I do not think it would cause too much issue. Or, if this were to remain quiet from the public eye -- after all, Hikusaak has not been seen in centuries. I would not mind replacing it, though. Much of Harmonia and its inner workings are flawed, and deeply."

  "Mm. I will continue to think about it." She opens her eyes, regarding him in the gloom. The light reflects dimly from her eyes; indication enough that she's looking at him. "In the meantime, it is a nice night to be alive." Sarah reaches up to touch his face, touch feather-light, brushing his hair from his face. "I remember," she says with a faint chuckle, "a time when lying here like this would have sent me into conniptions, once. I suppose I've come some way from those days. I can't even imagine living someplace other than Toran Castle, at this point."
Luc "You do not want to be on the same continent as its relative, but you wish to attack it. I'm telling you not to underestimate it; it's easy to think of it as a plodding thing, and it is. But it may be that being overthrown is what it needs-- it might even have been waiting for it." Luc points out plainly, reaching across to poke Sarah in the forehead with the hand opposite the side she's lying on. "It is not possible to take the Circle Rune too seriously."

"You'll also want a Silverberg. Albert is probably suitable since he just wants a fight to get famous with to begin with." He continues, as if ticking off a mental checklist. "I'd consult Lady Leknaat concerning the stars... though as I've said, you'll be denied miracles by simple dint of Hikusaak being the opposition."

An unsettled noise escapes him. "I would be cautious about involving the Wizard in this matter. He is much like Yuber-- simply more amiable. He is interested in his own affairs, not yours. But he's also an agent of chaos, so I suppose that's probably a plus when it comes to confronting an agent of cycles..."

"You should probably summon Yuber, since he's also an unaccountable free agent in that regard. Yes, I know you don't like him, but you can probably just get him killed eventually if you're lucky..."

Luc heaves another great sigh and says, "Plenty of my old allies might be interested in such a fight. The Dunan Republic in particular has no love of Harmonia, and the Grasslands will have their non-aggression treaty with the north expire soon. Even if /we/ don't do anything, Harmonia will enter the Grasslands in search of the Fire Rune. The Lightning Rune as well, but they won't find that one."

"I suppose we can talk about it more later."

Luc shuts his eyes at the sensation of Sarah's hand against the side of his face. He snorts and replies, "You've gotten too bold to have conniptions about much of anything that I can see, anymore. You've come a long way. I suppose I could embarass you in public if I tried, but that would be spectacularly petty of me."

"But," he says, smiling faintly, "I'm afraid it's tradition for people planning to do what you do to find a new castle. I expect you'll like it better, and the Toran Republic will have concerns about housing us if we start a fight with Harmonia."
Guest Sarah   "Of course not," Sarah agrees, reasonably. "It is a True Rune, and that alone is reason not to take it lightly. Even if I had you at my side, and even if we were to somehow coerce Sasarai into fighting with us, I would not trust my chances and prefer to have more extensive aid."

  She makes a soft, thoughtful sound in the back of her throat. "I do not consider three True Runes against one a satisfactory buffer. You proved already that even three against one were not enough to truly destroy a True Rune. To overpower it and subdue it, perhaps, but I would still rest easier with better odds. All True Runes are monstrously powerful, regardless of what their chosen dominion may be."

  When he mentions his checklist of preparations, though, she inclines her head. "Yes, Albert would be the best choice. His hunger for glory is an easy enough means by which to manipulate him, and I would not dream of initiating such a plan without consulting Lady Leknaat."

  "That, however, I will absolutely not do." Sarah pulls a face, disgusted. "I refuse to summon that extadimensional cretin for a second time. In the first place, he is an agent of Chaos, which is inherently opposed to things like 'subtlety' or 'following the spirit of orders.' In the second, I simply cannot get along with him, and will find another way. I will speak with my fellow survivors of Annu, if I must. But not him."

  Ew, no, get it away. It has cooties. You don't know where that thing's been. Or what dimensions it's been hopping around. Or what the blood on its sword is from.

  Let's not even mention all the creepy slasher smiles or leering Yuber did with her. He never touched her, but she still felt like taking a bath every time she had to speak with the disgusting creature.

  Sarah snorts, softly. "I will... consider it," she adds, grudgingly. Extremely grudgingly. "But I will only keep that disgusting creature in mind if there is no other way."

  "Mmm. Yes, we can discuss it later. I can think of more rewarding ways to spend my time, at the moment." Sarah leans over, pressing an absent kiss to the side of his neck, even as he mentions running out of ways to fluster her. "Perhaps. Why don't you take that as a challenge? Put me off my guard? But not in public," she adds, or he'd be taking that and running with it.

  Her smile is a little bit predatory; it works for her about as well as a friendly smile works for Luc, which is to say not at all. There's no doubt that Sarah has the capacity to be a nasty and ruthless person. Yet such an expression seems weirdly incongruous on her gentle features.

  "Heh. I suppose so. It will be unfortunate to leave this place behind, but I suppose we'll be due for a change. Depending on where such a stronghold lies, it may also be close to the ocean. I appreciate the lake, but the ocean feels best, to me. I suppose it's hardly surprising..." She turns her head, pressing a faint kiss to the side of his neck, just below his ear; a half-second later, she breathes out in amusement, not quite substantial enough for an actual chuckle. "We'll have access to much better markets, too. Vinay del Zexay may be a major trade hub, but all of those goods eventually make their way to Crystal Valley."
Luc "The invocation of an incarnate True Rune is a little different from merely facing the bearer of a True Rune, though as hunting an individual down with the intent to murder them leaves them with relatively little reason to do anything but escalate as far as they possibly can, I suppose it makes little difference in this case." Luc continues Sarah's thoughts, raising a hand to brush lightly through her hair as he speaks.

"In a duel where the stakes aren't immediate death, Sasarai and I would both be adequate individual duelists. You as well."

"And strictly speaking if we all chose to incarnate it would most likely be more than adequate, but that... is essentially suicide, as you know." He traces his hand down the back of Sarah's head and along her neck, sighing irritably. For Sarah or Luc at least, it's definitely suicide. There are those with bodies hardy enough to survive transformations into those forms, but neither of them qualify.

Barbarossa probably did.

"Mm... Manipulate Albert? Hardly. Meaning no offense but we're neither that clever. He knew what we were up to and what he wanted out of it. If he didn't, there would be no point in using him as a strategist. But this kind of cause won't go particularly awry for the greater populace, and his intent was to flee to another continent regardless..."

Luc cracks his eyes to cast a sour look up at Sarah. He says, "Meaning no disrespect, but if you don't, I will. He's a Star of Destiny, and as I have spoken of heavily, that means he's important to whatever coal mine fire might start next."

He screws up his face and adds, "Just the fact that he's a Star of Destiny means that he must actually have been born somewhere in this dimension. Revolting. You might be able to substitute General Hauser of Muse, if you can get him involved."

So much for discussing it later, but Stars of Destiny are important. They dictate the flow of the plot, you see.

Luc lays back further and shakes his head. He says, "It would get too crude, I think, and I'm getting too old for that sort of bluntness. Maybe I'll come up with something when I'm feeling better." By better he means more childish. A faint smile lingers on his lips when Sarah kisses his neck, but he seems too caught up in /strategy talk/ to reciprocate immediately.

"The nameless lands," He says. "There's nowhere else left to find an unused fortress. So it must be the nameless lands, to the west of Harmonia."
Guest Sarah   "I already know what that feels like, and I have less than zero desire to repeat the process." Sarah doesn't shudder, but a slight shiver does chase its way down her shoulders. One could argue it's merely the sensation of having his fingers brush through her hair, but she remembers what it was to let slip the True Water Rune; to feel her life bleed away as it tore her apart and consumed her.

  She remembers the cold, the unnatural cold, when she had nothing left; when Huang Dao had bound her awareness to the Rune by his request. She had been aware of the destruction of her body, and it was something she really would have preferred not to be aware of. It was an odd sensation, and one she has no desire to repeat.

  Sarah does shudder this time, curling a little closer to Luc as though seeking comfort. It's not like her to, but sometimes even she wants a little reassurance.

  "No," she says, very quietly. "It would not be worth Incarnating. Very little would convince me to do that again."

  He might feel her snort against his neck, a huff of warm breath that sounds fundamentally unhappy. "Yuber is a liability. Putting aside my personal disgust with him, he's a liability. I don't want the insufferable creature anywhere near anything I intend to plan, because he will inevitably throw wrenches into it for the simple fact that he's bored and hasn't got enough people to murder on a given day."

  Maybe it's an exaggeration, but as far as she's concerned, it's not much of one.

  Grumbling, she settles herself more comfortably over him, taking the opportunity to press another kiss just below his ear. It's distracted, and her mind's already whirling trying to figure out how she can get out of having to deal with Yuber. She'd do just about anything to get out of that.

  "I'll take just about anyone if it means not taking that loathsome creature." That's all she says on the issue of Yuber. She settles against him more comfortably when he lies back, slipping an arm around him and laying her head on his shoulder.

  The Nameless Lands... although the name lends it a certain mystique, Harmonia knows enough about it to deem it relatively unimportant. Its armies are no threat to Harmonian security, so its various countries, kingdoms, and territories are permitted to do as they will, and engage in trade with whom they please. Harmonia eventually reaps the benefits at the end of the trade routes; so long as they represent no threat, Harmonia will likely continue to ignore them.

  "I can think of no abandoned fortresses in Harmonia proper, so the Nameless Lands it must be. I know little of them. Harmonia has been apathetic towards them; they represent no threat, and offer no trade goods that it desires, and so it has been ignored by the histories of the One Temple." If there was one good thing about being locked in a library for fifteen years, it was familiarising herself with world events and histories.

  Most of the time, that's useful. Sometimes, like now, it isn't.
Guest Sarah   Sarah makes a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat, like a verbal equivalent of shrugging. "Perhaps. It would be closer to Crystal Valley than this place, and it also wouldn't involve the politics of the Toran Republic. I suppose I'll miss this castle, but I've never been used to having a real home; not really. I start to feel strange if I don't move on from a place after a few years."

  "Home," she muses, "is less about a place, for me, and more wherever you are." It's not really an exaggeration or statement of endearment, when she says it; although there is warmth in her voice, the words themselves are more a simple statement of fact. She doesn't consider herself bound to any particular place, not with the way she sometimes views the world, through the lens of the True Water Rune. "I will go anywhere, so long as it is with you."

  Propping herself up on an elbow, she looks down at him, smiling faintly. It's a pretty expression, one she rarely wears, and never in public -- in general she allows little of her reactions to show, keeping her emotions tightly restrained, but he is permitted to see them. She doesn't say anything; merely studies him for a few seconds. True, she /could/ say something, but Sarah knows when to let her smile speak for her.

  "I'm certain they have good vintages," she murmurs, leaning down to press an idle kiss to the corner of his mouth. "A place we actually haven't been before. Hm. I hope they aren't as backward about runes as the hinterlands of Harmonia were. I feel one would need to go out of their way to best the village of my birth in that dubious regard."
Luc Luc remains silent as Sarah contemplates death-by-Rune incarnation. He wasn't there for that particular incident, and that's just as well. He would have transformed as well, and he isn't certain that he would have fared as well as Sarah had. He already has sufficient issues with his nature that he doesn't really need additional reasons to seek out an End. At the same time it also doesn't mean as much to him. It's a feeling that gnaws at him essentially at all times, after all. His body and the Rune are not nearly so separate as Sarah's and the True Water Rune.

"Yuber," He says, "is a reliable actor. He is at his most comfortable when the situation is one-sided in his favor and deeply uncomfortable when it is not. If he isn't on your side, he will most likely be invoked by the enemy. If you don't want him yourself, then you'll need to have a care to fill his Star with somebody on your own side, or else it will be trouble for you for a certainty."

"Incidentally I believe that this is as close to a conniption as I'm going to get at the moment. Yuber is still a weak spot for you, I'm afraid." He remarks amusedly, booping her on the nose with an outstretched finger. It was almost too easy, he decided. But if he couldn't achieve it any other way, then jamming on this particular button was one way to do it.

With regards to Harmonia proper, he says, "There are ill-used fortresses I am certain, most likely of a Sindar origin. But I wouldn't wish to establish so concretely within Harmonia's borders regardless, and the narrative doesn't really fit. Harmonia itself is neatly unified, even if it is so in an especially draconian sort of way. It's only their satraps that are really disparate, and they've mostly dissolved into the Grasslands or the former Highland region."

"The Nameless Lands though, they're a fractious lot of minor powers. That's how the story /usually/ goes." He raises himself lightly to kiss Sarah at the throat, before settling back down against his pillow. Luc continues, "It's important to follow the path that the story usually winds. If you don't, it deviates into strange and difficult-to-resolve situations. The city-states are a fantastic exampel of that in play-- failing to play along with the narrative of the Black Sword and Bright Shield left them weak against Highland for a whole generation."
Guest Sarah   Although Luc has an unhealthy relationship with his own True Rune, Sarah has come to more of an understanding with hers. She is fundamentally compatible with it, and over the years, they've reached something of an understanding. Neither of them have any particular desire to end their own existence.

  It's just as well that it's the True Water Rune. It's probably the most compatible with the True Wind Rune, of the Five Elements.

  Sarah murmurs something that sounds largely dismissive regarding the existence known as Yuber. "I have little care for what he is or why he does the things that he does. All I know is that he is a loathsome creature, and I will have as little to do with him as possible. If that means I must find someone else aspected to his particular Star of Destiny, so be it. Surely there must be someone who fits the criteria. I don't care about finding a particular Star of Destiny; I just care about not contracting Yuber's 'services.'"

  Somewhere. Anywhere. Anyone. So long as it isn't Yuber, she'll be reasonably content.

  "Mmm. Perhaps." Sarah flinches a little when her nose is tapped, although she reaches up to catch his hand, pressing her lips to the backs of his fingers before releasing his hand. "Perhaps you can try other ways; ways that don't involve Yuber."

  She settles on him more comfortably, listening to his talk of Harmonian strongholds. It's true that there may be Sindar ruins strewn about the countryside, and it's also highly probable that that's the case. There are some regions where they seem to be reasonably common, albeit such lesser ruins have often already been stripped of anything useful. Yet he's right; the universe itself seems to impose adherence to the 'story.' History of conflicts as far back as Harmonia's records stretch indicate as much.

  "Just as importantly as the story, the Nameless Lands are a fractious lot of minor powers, and Harmonia isn't interested in paying attention to them. Our names may be relatively unknown, there, and I have no doubt that that would be helpful." She makes a pleased sound as he kisses at her throat, following him as he settles back and returning the gesture; lingering long enough that she has to stop and think about what she was about to say. "Hm. Their position north of Vinay del Zexay may also mean increased trade, and that may prove useful if it should become an extended campaign. I was hoping for a quiet assassination, but I suppose that goes against the very nature of the True Runes..." Sarah sighs. "That would be too easy."

  She lowers herself over him, resting her face close to his. "Enough about that, though. I would like to see what you have in mind to make me lose my composure," she whispers, running a forefinger down the line of his throat and smiling faintly. "We have wine, and I don't know about you, but I have no pressing engagements for the morning. Or, for that matter, the afternoon. What do you think, Luc...?"