RP:Muzo Entrusted with Royal Secrets

From HollowWiki

Part of the Larketian Fault Lines Arc


Summary: Josleen summons Muzo to discuss the budget for his witch research and a delicate personal matter concerning Macon’s rage aura (ic secret, not ooc knowledge).

Tea Room, Fort Freedom

Josleen requested an audience with Muzo shortly after returning from her getaway in Kelay with the King. The alchemist and queen have met a couple times since meeting at the Red Ogre Inn to discuss the arcano-physiology of witches. For the most part, Josleen just opens doors for Muzo. Her extensive network of dignitaries and academics provide resources previously unavailable to the naga, and she’s happy to watch him get punch-drunk on information overload. But today she calls on him for a different motive. She sits in her tearoom-cum-office reading the latest issue of The Larketian Herald. Her dress, considered ‘formal lounge wear’ costs more than the average rent in Larket. Her poodle, who Muzo and Formulae have had the displeasure of getting to know well, lies on his back in his gold-threaded dog bed, paws occasionally twitching as he heroically hunts squirrels in his dreams. Josleen’s secretary, an older man who given his stiffness was likely a butler before being promoted, shows Muzo to the Queen’s tea room when he arrives. Outside the fort walls, the city struggles to pick itself up. Though the reconstruction effort is valiant and the King has a genuine interest in rebuilding his city for the good of the public, the fact remains that the Royal Family’s needs jump the priorities list always, and the Queen’s tearoom is near immaculate, save for some minor details that surely only she notices.


Muzo slithers his way up into the fort, summons in hand. "It's-er-ah just a-ah-" The guards never wait for him to finish stammering and have, after the slightest glance down at the paper's official seal, step aside, abrupt and imperturbable, permitting the scientist ever closer to the queen's sanctum. "Hello, yes, you see I've-" the butler cuts him off likewise, "-yes, thank you, very kind, yes," and he emerges into Josleen's tea room, foot by foot by foot, carefully folding upon himself until the tip of his tail slips through the doorway. "Apologies for the delay," he begins, blushing beneath the translucent, pale scales of his snout, "got carried away. Understand," he offers back her summons, "you wished to see me." His eyes dip briefly, warily to the sleeping dog, and his hand falls unconsciously to the book strapped safely onto his utility belt.


Josleen always takes a moment to gather herself when she sees Muzo’s full length, and worse yet, when he moves with that eerie serpentine slither. He’s still a snake (not an insult, a biological fact!), and his slithering kicks her survival instinct, albeit mildly. It’s easy to recuperate, especially when he coils and stills, and above all else, when he talks. Gigi also flips himself awake when he hears that sibilant voice, pom-pom shaved body tense until he recognizes it’s just Muzo, Mom’s snake-man friend, with the duck (Formulae). Not seeing the ‘duck’ immediately, Gigi trots over to sniff Muzo and say hello, then joins Mom on her chaise. He lies down with his head in Josleen’s lap. Josleen doesn’t interrupt Muzo’s slow drawl or stammering should it occur, as that would simply be rude and Josleen treats him with utmost respect. She takes back the summons with a smile. “Would you like water? You like tomato juice, yes?” The butler who showed Muzo to the room waits to take his order. Once that’s handled, Josleen begins with small talk before jumping into business. Muzo may not be able to tell the difference. “How’s the research coming along? Have you managed to access everything you need?”


Muzo nods hurriedly at Josleen's question, his already hurried heartbeat elevated further still by Gigi's curiosity. At least he can push himself to relax a little when the creature returns to Josleen. "Ah, yes, tomato juice," he blurts out, yammering a mile a minute, "thank you. Busy busy busy. Appreciate the resources--have expedited matters significantly! Began organizing a small library on the topic. Believe the physiology hypothesis has merit." His head buzzes up and down in a nod. "Warrants testing. Requires, ah," the naga deflates a bit, "more sophisticated means that my Larket setup allows. Will have to apply for academy equipment lease in Alithrya." Here he pauses. The next question is obvious. Muzo needs money if he wants to continue Josleen's research. "Oh! Oh, thank you," he nearly knocks the tray, startled by the butler's return. "Tomato juice. How did you know." The naga sips and drifts away from the conversation, staring at a wrinkle in the wallpaper.


Josleen‘s brows lift when Muzo says the hypothesis has merit. “Aha! Good news!” When he mentions leasing equipment from Alithrya, Josleen shakes her head. “I would prefer you use Larket’s resources and I want this research, and any discoveries that may result, to be attributed to Larket and elevate Larket’s position in the academic world. I’ll put you in touch with my secretary so that he may help you find the equipment you need, and purchase whatever we don’t have. We can start with a budget of [insert half of whatever Muzo had hoped for].” Josleen believes she is being generous; she has no idea how much any of these things cost, and researchers always have pie-in-the-sky figures in mind. “You’ll need a laboratory? I’ll look into it personally. Perhaps at the Academy here? There is a professor at the Academy, Valen, who has also taken an interest in this subject, though I believe you are further along than him. Next I meet with him you should join us.” Josleen still hasn’t gotten to the reason she requested an audience with him, but her social grace demands she see to his needs first.


Muzo mouths a silent "oh" when Josleen dismisses the Alithrya possibility, and his focus on the wallpaper breaks. "...elevate Larket's position..." he emptily mulls over her words aloud. "Yes. Yes!" Muzo's attention twitches back to the Queen. "Of course. Priorities rest with the crown. Can certainly make do, here, the academy here, yes. Valen." Scaly brows knit together. "Valen Valen Valen. Vampire? Published? Yes? No?" Closing his eyes, he rubs at his lids with the slick pad of his thumb and forefinger, fangs glinting softly in the parlor lighting as he struggles to recall. "Mmm. Bah! Very eager to meet. Cooperate. Collaborate. Delighted, yes, of course." Blinking, he looks back around the room as though seeing it for the first time and takes another sip of his juice.


Josleen nods when Muzo asks if Valen is a vampire. Yes. Her nod appears regretful of this fact (low-key vampire prejudice, #NotAllVampires). Gigi rolls onto his back, head still in Josleen’s lap, exposing his belly. Josleens automatically rubs it. “I’m not sure if he’s published. I would imagine so? His specialty is the mind, memory, and the like.” His fangs do not disturb her this time, as she grows accustomed to his peculiarities with each meeting. “Excellent. Well,” she sips her tea. “I asked you here for another matter as well. This one more delicate.” She dismisses the butler and a maid with a look. Once the Queen and Naga are alone, she resumes. “I need your help with a personal matter. However, what I am about to tell you is a secret that cannot leave this room. If you are uncomfortable with secrets, then I won’t tell you, but know that I can think of no one better to approach than you, and that it would make the King quite happy if you could aid us with this problem.”


Muzo wrings uncomfortably against himself, tail twisting and folding in anxious loops. He's barely moved away from the door since he entered and hasn't entertained the remotest notion of sitting down. "Mind... memory..." The topic drifts, and Muzo drifts with it, swaying slowly to the right as he gives room for the rest of himself to fidget. "Maintain confidentiality as a matter of professionalism." Pride sparkles, and he offers Josleen the first genuine smile since he entered the room. "Honored and capable. Expect no breach." Fingers shift, and he nimbly displays a brief, rote series of gestures: the "scouts' honor" pledge of Alithrya graduates. "Muzo is at your service.”


Josleen gestures for Muzo to sit closer to her, please, so that she may speak in a low voice. Although she tries not to push his awkward social boundaries, some things require intimacy. This is one of those things, as it concerns her husband’s well being. Although Josleen has never seen the Alithryan vow of honor, she understands the sentiment and smiles gratefully at Muzo. He’s strange, but endearing. Once he scoots closer, she speaks in a lowered voice. “This secret is a matter of personal dignity and state security. You see, the King, in his efforts to vanquish Kelovath,” she snarls at the name which brought her more personal pain that Muzo could possibly imagine, “was exposed to an item in Kelovath’s possession, a magical stone which causes those around the wielder to become enraged and more susceptible to commands. Kelovath used it to whip up the fermin to attack Larket. My husband,” she says with pride, “wrested control of the stone away from Kelovath. However, during his custody of the stone, the King himself was infected by the stone’s magic. The stone is now in the custody of Queen Hildegarde of Frostmaw,” for complex political reasons the Queen won’t bore Muzo with. “King Macon radiates this ‘rage aura’, and that has had unfortunate side effects on the kingsguard and other staff who are close to him. It has driven a few mad. The King rotates his guard regularly now to prevent this. The only other person aware of this condition is Headmaster Percival, who can ‘see’ arcane magic. Percival claims he can see this aura radiating off of the King, and, as it so happens, me, to a much weaker extent. He also claims my weaker aura and Macon’s strong aura interact and feed off each other. It seems to affect me differently than it affects others, though we’re unsure why. Though, I’m sure there’s an educated and obvious guess to be had…” she says while tipping her head to the side in concession of this fact: the king and queen relate to each other quite uniquely. “As you can see, the subject is rather delicate. We don’t want the public to believe the King is ill or unfit. He is not, mind you, and his service to Larket in this crisis is proof of that. Still, this would give his enemies ammunition against him. We would rather find a cure as quickly as possible. Dispelling spells, no matter how powerful, don’t seem to work. I suspect the treatment process may need to be biological, similar to the story I told you. Do you recall? The pixie cocoon which fixed my own weakness?” Pause. “Oh! I almost forgot. Valen may know about this, but isn’t to be trusted with this information any longer. We suspect he may have leaked this already.” [ooc: There’s a few lies here that Josleen is unwittingly propagating. She believes absolutely everything she says and is telling -her- truth. OOC clarifications: 1. The Rage Stone was never in Kelovath’s possession. 2. Kelovath didn’t incite the fermin to act against Larket. Macon found the stone and used it to incite the fermin. He lied to Jos, and she bought it.]

Muzo hesitates before obliging, moving closer and setting himself, or at least what of himself will comfortably fit, in the chair nearest the Queen. As Josleen speaks, he listens intently, attentions no longer wandering as he eagerly, thoroughly digests and absorbs this new and extraordinary information. No wonder she's asked for confidence! "Hence you bringing this to me, instead. Assume Valen is not to be intimated with further information on *this* topic? Only to be utilized for witch research?" No flush of embarrassment or pause to correct himself when referring to people as things to be utilized. "Would need to conduct full physical on the king and yourself. Would require tissue. Always require tissue," Muzo waves this away as an utterly base requirement, "for any kind of analysis. Must expect this from me, in all matters. Recall your mention of pixie metamorphosis, yes," the naga humors her, "very good. Can see parallels," superficial parallels, "between that and the royal predicament. Eager to begin as soon as possible. Fits neatly, I may add, in with your plans to sponsor a laboratory." Maybe, Muzo silently notes, it will be adequate incentive for her to break her arbitrary budget figure when the time comes.


Josleen nods when Muzo asks for clarification on Valen’s role. “Correct. You may collaborate with him on the subject of witches, but not on this. He seems to have loose lips, though I don’t believe maliciously so. He’s loyal to the crown, but not everyone is good with secrets.” She shrugs, clearly not bearing Valen any ill-will, but there comes a price with not being excellent in all respects. Dismissal and disposability. “I’ll arrange a time for you to come examine the King and collect tissues from both of us.” He mentions the laboratory again and this time she pauses. “You know… maybe we can secure for you a laboratory here in the fort instead. This matter is quite sensitive. I would want security to be impossible to breach. Only you, the King, and I would have access to the laboratory. Perhaps this is wisest, given the nature of your research. Too many eyes in the Academy, and too many unvetted.”


Muzo straightens in his chair and scratches his chin. "Naturally. And of course," he looks around the tea room as though he can already see it full of bubbling equipment. "Should have no trouble reaching me once you and the king are ready. Could easily do preliminary tests with my setup at the Red Ogre." Muzo takes a grounding breath. "Unless I should wait. Can keep this contained to a sensitive location, as you seem to prefer."


Josleen is not giving up her tearoom for Muzo’s lab, and she can see him eyeballing it. “Can you bring your equipment to the fort to do the preliminary tests here? That would be for the best. That doesn’t have to wait either, just perhaps cover the equipment so no one starts making wild guesses. I’ll see about setting up the laboratory here soon.” Her secretary knocks in a peculiar rhythm. It’s the Queen’s code for ‘you have another appointment.’ She smiles at Muzo, this time to dismiss. “Well I think we both have our marching orders. That’s all I have for now. Do you need anything else?”


Muzo silently wonders how he'll inconspicuously smuggle a steamer trunk into the fort. "Ah, no, no your highness." Briskly, he shakes his head. "Nothing immediate. Expect we will be seeing plenty of one another in the coming days." The naga "stands" and straightens his belt. "Look forward to seeing what advances come of this." It's an honest, if somewhat impersonal way of looking at the whole situation. With a firm grasp on his forward momentum, Muzo offers Josleen an insufficiently formal bow and turns to slither out, tomato juice still in hand.


Josleen nods at Muzo’s attempt at a bow. He chooses not to watch him slither. The motion still makes her queasy, even if the naga himself does not. No one dares approach the naga to retrieve the glass he absentmindedly takes with him out of the fort.