RP:A Little Bit Of Revamping

Part of the The God of Undeath Arc

Part of the Welcome To The End Of Eras Arc

This is a Warrior's Guild RP.

This is a Necromancer's Guild RP.

Summary: Kasyr asks Khitti to discuss revamping the Warrior's Guild, as well as some matters pertaining to Vailkrin.

Vailkrin Capitol

Kasyr s' flicks his cigarette, adding a fresh trickle of ashes to the already overflowing ashtray nearby. Whilst the table he's seated at should look regal, the chaotic piles of paperwork simply make it look as though it were something extricated from a hoarders Den- and every so often, a servant would deliver fresh additions. Frankly, Despotic Helltopia or not, it left the Kensai a bit impressed that Macon could keep Larket running- while still needing sleep. "Ugh." He loosens the silver and and blue tie sporting his houses crest, and tugs the collar of his shirt down, finally deciding now is an ideal time to strewn himself over the edge of the table- the cigarette set to teasingly hover above a set of papers, as though guaging the possibility of setting them alight. There was a meeting due, today- at some point. But when was it? What time was it even? "My kingdom for a clock tower, ou something."

Khitti eyed Kasyr’s letter again, as a reminder for what the meeting was about, then crushed it up and shoved it into her satchel. When she got to the castle, she couldn’t help but stare at it as it loomed over her, her face scrunched up in slight concern. Was it always like that before? It’d been a while since she’d been here--since Hildegarde’s brief stay to gain allies for her war against the frost giants--but she didn’t remember feeling this way. Perhaps she had been so aware of things as she was now. Why did she always get a feeling of discontent any time she walked into a building that typically served as home for the head of state? Well, she knew, really. But, she pushed emotions related to ‘home’ aside and headed into the castle, nearly holding her breath for a moment as she crossed its threshold. “You really need a secretary,” she said, as she eventually found Kasyr. “Or an aide-de-camp, as that brother of mine so liked to call me.” There’s a brief eyeroll at the mention of said brother, but otherwise, she found a seat across from him at the table, pulled her satchel off, and set it on the floor beside her.

Kasyr feels the sense of familiarity before he hears her voice, but it's the reality of actually hearing her that gets him to perk up out of the work induced malaise that had started to set in, "Don't worry. I have someone. Et she's rather good at what she does- only, well. There's a lot to catch up on, et more coming in- so. . ." He gestures vaguely at the table, "I'm just trying to make sense of things right now." It's a terrible explanation, really, but, when has the swordsman been forthcoming about anything. Still, "I suppose, given everything, I probably owe you a few answers, non?" He offers a rueful smile, that almost seems meek, before it slips away to his oft-practiced neutrality, "So, es there anything you'd like to ask or start with, par chance? Before I get into-" Everything.

Khitti just shrugged. “I mean, the guild was due for an overhaul now that Lionel has gone and you’ve taken over. It’s just the way of things. The Necromancer’s Guild doesn’t need it as much, because I’ve been making changes over the years, despite the lack of a leader. But, the Devout’s Guild needed it as well, and I’m sure Valrae will make changes on whatever I’d done. It’s just…a thing. We just haven’t gotten to the thing yet because of that cabbage you’ve got pinned in a hole up north.” The redhead crossed her arms and leaned back a little in her chair. “I am curious though as to why you want my help, instead of someone else that’s clearly good at leading.” She hadn’t exactly done anything spectacular with the Devout’s Guild and the Necromancer’s Guild practically ran itself half the time. “That’s not to say I won’t help, but…” The witch let the thought linger before carrying on. “I expect also that you want to take away that daughter of mine’s privileges, like I did.” There was no amount of judgement there. Khitti knew what had to be done, especially after the assassination attempt.

Kasyr gives a sort of awkward shrug at the mention of the evil yet soundly savaged stir fry up north, "Yeah. It -would- be nice if the world would stop ending. Some day." That said, when the necromancer decides to offer a rather self deprecatory description, the swordsman can't help but roll his eyes. "It's-" His lips purse a bit as he tries to find the right retort, only to grow muted when she brings up Quintessa. And in all truth, he knew that subject was coming, but it doesn't make it any easier, "I'd say her priviledges are already hindered as far as the guild- though I was going to ask help for ..packing any of her resources from the lab at the guild et delivering them to interested parties here. I'll admit, I don't really like the idea of having any of her supplies lingering around, at this juncture." His lips purse at this, at the bits of goodwill that had been evaporated between them, "That said, considering how I wanted to tweak the structure of the guild- to be a bit more well suited to any engagements like the one we just had- having her in any position of power seems...less than ideal. ...A shame she has to drag down Karasu with her." The revenant murmurs something about 'Sentiment', takes one more puff from his smoke, and then snubs it in the ashtray, "That said- I'm talking to you about it, because you at least underrstand necessity et what's needed to keep things running smoothly, organisationally et otherwise." There's an awkward pause there, before he snorts out a stream of smoke and finally adds, "I can trust you, at least." Trusts' an awkward phrase to invoke, and one that has his attention slipping away to focus on a spot on the wall.

Khitti watched the revenant as he spoke, taking in his different mannerisms, especially that trailing away of his attention as he mentioned the word ‘trust’. She was well aware of that awkwardness he felt when it came to that word and the things that it brought with it. Trust wasn’t exactly something Khitti was on friendly terms with either. Sure, she could fake it a lot, with a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean that she ever really did with most of the people she associated with. This was where she’d started letting Khitt handle stuff like that. Like dealing with the students at the Spire or most things that pertained to work. He was far better at pretending with people than she was. “Yes, well…” There was awkwardness to be had from her as well. “It -does- need to be dealt with and I’m not getting any younger,” she said at last, with a faint smirk. The snark was easy for her to hide behind, like a shield that enveloped her entirely. She’d let down that shield recently with Valrae, to be vulnerable with the witch, and had not quite recovered yet, so she clung to it now as if she were clinging to the driftwood of a sunken ship. “What’s first on the list?”

Kasyr feels a palpable sense of relief when he's not pressed into clarifying anything. The work, as soul-draining as it could be, was comfortable in a certain sense. "The biggest priority is containment and packaging. I want that lab cleared out- et I figure if she's left any nasty surprises, you'd probably be an exception to them." It could be a problem for whoever 'inherited' them. "Though, if there's any pertinent research notes-" He waves a hand back and forth for a moment, before continuing, "Next, I was intending on restructuring the warriors guild around the idea of a chain of command. There's been a history of getting pulled into large scale conflicts- I think a clear cut system of who should be directing things might help- et might ensure that if I were to die or be indisposed of, there'd be a functional hierarchy, even in my absence. We also -really- need to begin drilling for how to function cohesively as a team." The exact details of that still hung nebulously in his brain but one thing was clear, "For the most part, we should wipe the slate clear, and figure things out. ..We might, also want to look into existing contracts, find out the situations, re-investigate them." Internally weep at all the wasted finances, or exarcerbated issues, "There es one other thing on my mind- but, it's more here related. Specifically, to your work, enfin."

Khitti || As Kasyr spoke, Khitti reached into her satchel for a notebook, gave a flick of her wrist to summon her shadow-ink pen, and then started writing things down. “Are you going to be “nice” and have it returned to her directly? Or should I have it confiscated and kept at the Spire for the time being?” She nodded as he waved his hand in dismissal at his own mention of research notes, making a note to give him anything of use. “A chain of command would be nice. After Lionel somehow managed to blink out of existence thanks to Xicotl, things fell to me to deal with, and that went less than spectacular because of his need to do most things on his own, which kept me out of the loop of certain things, which then led to me doing far more research than I needed to and taking longer with a rescue mission, than it would have if he’d told me things. That and the fact that despite my high-ranking, there were still issues with me giving out orders.” She scribbled the word hierarchy on the current page of her notebook, and looked up at Kasyr. “That said, if you intend on having me a part of this hierarchy, definitely make it known who is to take over when you are indisposed. Or me for that matter. Because things were not fluid then and it’s a wonder I didn’t crumble under the weight of it all.” She left space after the word ‘hierarchy’ and continued down. “Wiping the slate clean is good. It was never fully done after Lionel took over for Hildegarde. We tried to separate ourselves from her, and that’s why the guild moved to Venturil, but…” She made her own dismissive wave with her right hand, the shadows swirling at the tip of her pen leaving brief splotches in the air. “There shouldn’t be too many contracts left, if any. After Lionel disappeared, I wasn’t of the mind to take anymore when the guild was in flux and we were still dealing with salad.” The last of Kasyr’s words caused her to shift her attention back to him, from her notebook. “What ‘one other thing’?”

Kasyr s' response to her own questions is to jot down thoughts as she goes, in order to try and sort his thoughts out. That said, when her attention flickers back to him, he decides that he should perhaps address that matter first, given he can more or less wedge it between the minutae of running things, "Well- Whilst I've already made a request to the Maharan, I figure it might do well to ask you, too- But I'll be needing a steady supply of intact bodies- nicely cleaned up so that I can, uh, "Honestly, this isn't even the shadiest thing he's had to explain to her, "Figure out smuggling contraband or certain goods in them, in order to bypass the trade restrictions being imposed on Vailkrin. I'm already looking into how to falsify documentation for where they come from- though any help there es appreciated." No, no- that was still awkward to say, in fact. He's still -proud- of it as a solution, but he's also suddenly interested in his list again, "I imagine contacting Iintahquohae if you can would be the prudent part, to set up delivery et the ilk- since she's dealing with the more...mercantile houses, given her background." His swiftly jotted notes are taken up and gingerly tapped against the table, as though he needs to organize the sparse notes he'd made, "I mean, our current tentative power structure would probably be me, then you ...And I guess Kree if he's not being a weird crabcake somewhere, since - army leader." Would Mathollak factor? He was a gopher, so not really. "I honestly don't know who else we have that -would- be a viable option for leading a...well, a private military of sorts. The Xicotl incident was- " He exhales there, and tries not to think too hard about Frostmaw, "Anyways, supply wise- I'd say keep it in the spire. I'm not even that keen on her getting it back until we get proof that she's not going to pull some final spiteful gambit. However many people try et reassure moi that there's some thread of goodness at her heart, "And he does place a hand over his chest to emphasize this, "I'll believe it when I see it. Also, she probably -shouldn't- get anything back tied to Xicotl. She seems like the sort that would try communing with it, ou quoi-ce-soit." Okay, now he actually looks awkward, wincing in the aftermath, "No...offense to..you, at least." And your choice in family. Kasyr glances over the table, and the distinct lack of snacks to act distracted with, "...Do you want a coffee?"

Khitti’s face shifted through a few different expressions as the revenant told her what it was he wanted of her, and the fact that he’d talked to Bradyn about it as well. There was confusion, maybe slight irritation, and definitely a bit of exasperation. “I will… say yes to it, but there’ll be stipulations on my end. I’m not handing over the bodies of people that have families, that want them back after the guild has made use of them. Sometimes that happens. They donate their bodies to the cause because their family member had been a part of it as well, but after we’ve done all we can with them, they want the remains.” The redhead tapped her pen on the notebook as she went along. “We can use the poor that have passed, as they don’t always have the money for funerals and such anyway, and some don’t even have families at all, but the bodies still need to be treated respectfully.” As much as one can when you’re shoving items up places they don’t belong. “Despite all that I’ve accomplished and whatever ranks I hold… those are still my people.” ‘I’m not like you,’ she wanted to say. The fact that more and more of the people she associated with or used to associate with were becoming region leaders in Lithrydel was not lost on her and somewhere deep down within her, it alarmed her. Not once in her life had she truly ever trusted those in charge of people’s lives to that extent and now… most of the ones that ruled here -were- her friends, or something along those lines. It gave her pause even now, and she chewed on the inside of her bottom lip until it bled.

Khitti shook her head eventually and sighed, moving on to the rest of what he’d listed off. “Unfortunately, two of the people I would’ve suggested for the hierarchy are now fugitives.” Quintessa and Karasu, of course. “Ralinde is alright as well, but has a penchant for disappearing. I would say Kailani, maybe, but she doesn’t do well with crowds and public speaking and such.” There’s another sigh. “I guess it’s just you, me, and Kreekitaka for now then. Though, I am not so keen on giving him that much leadership. But, he -is- good at what he does. When he’s not giving me a headache with his pronunciation of things, anyway.” When it comes to Quintessa specifically, well… she wanted to tell Kasyr about the dream she’d had with the changeling, but she wasn’t entirely sure about the wards in the castle. “One step at a time, I guess, with Quintessa.”

Kasyr nods at the mention of stipulations, this much he had assumed- and he felt the need to clarify slightly as she continued, "I was actually going to ask if you, or members of your guild wanted to be involved in the process- since, I figured...you would likely be able to stitch whatever needed to be smuggled more...delicately than someone untrained." And that likely meant less scrutiny on the body, or potential damage to the goods. "Perhaps we can ennsure the correct papers make their way along after the fact, so they can be...returned to where they should go after the 'mix-up' es sorted out?" That sounded like a solution to the moral quandry. Though, he's not quite sure how to address the comment about them being her people. Weren't the Vailkrinians his, to an extent. There's a subtext there he can't put his finger on, and leaves him frowning. Honestly, the guild logistics were essentially a palette cleanser "...Those were my conclusions, oui. We'll figure it out, in any case. Implementing some training exercises et group practices- while we rearrange everything and investigate old contracts sounds like our agenda. ..Once, you know-" There's a gesture elsewhere to the city and what it holds, "-This- is resolved."

Khitti made no move to quell his frowning. She didn’t want to expand on things that had to do with her past that were now pouring over into her present and future again--she’d already been dwelling on it for weeks now since that little adventure to the hidden library. But there was a frown of her own, and she didn’t even try to suppress it. “Yeah, I can oversee it. Probably Bradyn too, seeing as how he works in a funeral home.” She -could- suggest Joan, seeing as how the vampiress had acquainted herself with the Healer’s Guild so she could use things like sewing for surgeries and whatnot in her daily life with the Necromancer’s Guild, but she would not curse Kasyr with that. He continued with the other matters and she was just as grateful as he was for the change in subject. “That sounds fine to me. Will you be moving the guild here as well? Seems to be the way of things with new leaders, to move it where they’re most centralized.” Well, except for the Necromancer’s Guild, apparently. She’s pretty sure she’d be mobbed and her skull and spine would be ripped out and put on display if she ever tried to remove it from Vailkrin. It felt wrong too anyway. “There -is- the Avenue of the Guilds beneath us, but there should probably be something more ‘outside’ for all that training and such and Venturil seems a bit too far away now.”

Kasyr offers a faint nod of affirmation to Khitti, but otherwise let's that subject slip away. It was essentially resolved, as opposed to the guild, "...I think, honetement, that it's location likely benefits it, as opposed to here. It will likely take -years- to restore faith in Vailkrin after this. Moving it here would likely not help with recruitment or..." The matter of accessibility certainly strikes a chord with him, and he finds himself pursing his lips, "I- may have found some things out about the city, et I think it might be possible to do the reverse. To- bring a bit of Vailkrin elsewhere. That might solve that dilemma, J'pense." And hopefully not have horrible ramifications for years to come or coax horrible political ramifications, "...Do we actually -own- the land the guild is on?"

Khitti tilted her head somewhat. “What did you find out?” She shrugged then at the question about the land. “If the guild doesn’t own it, then it’s likely Lionel. Kahran burned down his home in Frostmaw, so Vigilanti Semper was basically his new one, besides the occasional stay at the Tranquility or some inn somewhere else. But, if it is his, I would be the next of kin, so it’s definitely ours. If you want to make changes, then have at it. I can approve whatever needs to be done. I’m still pretty annoyed with him, so I don’t care what you do to the place. That’s what he gets for leaving in the middle of a mess like that and expecting someone else to take care of it.”

Kasyr isn't quite sure how to properly explain it, his expression quirking up for a moment as he struggles to find the words- and grapples with the decision to even do so."Let's just say I got some insight into the dark lands themselves- but before I do anything stupid and ask for your help, I want to make sure I'm correct, first." When she clarifies the situation with the castle, he admitedly looks relieved, moreso when she expresses annoyance with Lionel,, given the newspaper, "Well then, I think- unless I'm forgetting anything, that likely addresses most of our itenerary, non?"

Khitti gave Kasyr a brief look of confusion, but ultimately nodded in understanding. “Right. Yeah. Figure it out and let me know, if and when I’m needed.” She got it at least. The need to figure things out before looping anyone else in was always a priority for her, though she was aware that it also didn’t always work out. “And yeah, that sounds like it should be it.” And then something occurred to her. “I completely forgot about the coffee though.” The redhead smirked as she gathered her things. “I’ll take it to go, I suppose.” She was gonna need it.