RP:The Amber Vendetta
Part of the You Must Have Been Human Arc
Part of the Lies Within Us Arc
This is a Mage's Guild RP.
Summary: Two tired spellblades overwhelmed with current events meet by chance in a crowded tea room. Karasu walks Kasyr to the former headquarters of the Syndicate, and the new headquarter of the Syndicate of Shadows. The pair joins Quintessa and the Guardian of the Sage Forest, Magik to discuss a disturbing revelation. Karasu decides to make use of her father's attempt to win her back to the side of Vakmatharas.
A letter addressed to your character has arrived, dropped carefully by way of a raven-crow. The envelope is addressed simply and sealed with crimson wax bearing the sigil of House Dragana.
I have uncovered a secret organization related to the Robelous Scribes called the Ossian Order hidden in plain sight among the Mage's Guild. They are the ones who orchestrated the kidnapping and murder of Peter, and framed Brenwyn as one of them through means of possession, but he was an innocent man. Right now their leader is inhabiting the body of a female half-elf known as Arcane Stewardess Sophione, but by the time this letter reaches you he might have jumped bodies again. We must all be careful; They are planning something big- something that they have promised me will destroy the guild as we know it. Close ranks, stay strong, but most importantly, do not let them divide us. We are most powerful when we work together.
~signed Countess Quintessa Dragana
The Mallard Family Bakery and Tearoom
Kasyr has lost track of the time he's spent at the cozy little bakery, though the growing pile of empty cups, and crumb ridden dishes seem indicative that it has been quite some time. It had started when the Kensai had sought out somewhere to chart out his next course of action- while he reviewed the letters that had been sent to him by Vexar and Iintahquohae during his captivity. And frankly, whilst the former had fallen firmly into business as usual- the latter had touched upon matters which were then echoed in a rather impromptu bit of magical murmuring from the earring Quintessa had tossed at him. Really, it was about that point he'd started to slip traces of whiskey into the coffee he'd been ordering. It was sometime after the point that he'd recalled that there was still unattended business in both Vailkrin and the underdark, as well as the letter which had arrived today- in which the Kensai had begun to smoke. Every few hours now, he'd drift outside to smoke, and to contemplate just how miserably this day's gone- before returning once more to go over all the notes, and the array of new errands to run. "Calice."
Karasu is straight up not having a good time. The death of someone who almost passed as a familial figure, no matter how twisted and corrupt they had suddenly become in less than a year's time, coupled with the disappearance of her friends, had driven the half-feline to lock herself in her little hovel of a home between arena duels in Larket. An unaddressed envelope hangs from the pocket of her ever-present coat as she enters the bakery. "Milk coffee, please." She manages to croak out to Dolly Mallard. The owner ushers her to a table where the propped menus divide the distracted feline. "Sorry, you two cuties will have to share a table." Dolly says, moving the menu out of her way. Karasu seems unfazed as the tired face of her former teacher greets her from across the table. This might as well be happening. Slitted eyes flicker to the stack of letters, to the mug on the table that smelled faintly of alcohol. The skin around her eyes has grown puffy and red, though she'd swear it be from allergies if asked. "How are you liking your new toy?" She asks with a playful tone, though the teasing fails to reach her eyes. Should the Kensai not understand the question, she'd point up at her human ear where a hoop of black crystals adorns her inner earlobe.
Kasyr glances up from the quiche he's polishing off when Karasu finds her way at his table, stuffing the entirety of the pastry into his mouth and washing it down with the coffee. That out of the way, it frees him up to awkwardly provide a 'Hey', especially when he takes in the signs of distress on her face. Admittedly, he does wind up looking a little bit puzzled at her response, but the clarification helps. "Mm. Useful- even if it happens to be feeding my pessimism." Turning towards Dolly, he'd carefully add, "Could I have one of those coffee cakes? That'd be lovely." He doesn't even wait for the affirmation before his attention flicks back to Karasu, "What about you? What's been keeping you occupied, as it were?" Kasyr's disposition, despite the glooms intrinsic to being overwhelmed with disasters, is markedly improved since his time in the prison. His continued recovery from sickness, and a day of steadily binging comfort food has certainly seen to it- even if his right arm still hangs uselessly in a sling. Not like it's slowing down his eating.
Karasu gives a half-hearted shrug before tilting her head up. "And a sweet mince pie." She adds, an unusual touch of hopefulness in her voice that they still have in stock. Gods, at least have her have one thing. "I signed up for the Larketian duels, you know, before the guy that sat there with a straight face and let a prepubescent me talk about all the things I was going to do when I became part of the council got his--" A plate is dropped somewhere in the back of the tea house. "--head chopped off." Karasu lets out a huff and runs a hand through her fringe as Dolly returns with their food. "You know, we have food and stuff down at the base if you need somewhere quieter to go over all your... Kensai stuff." She waves a fork at the stack of papers before taking a bite of the pie. "Mm. Not this stuff, but just as good, probably." She comments idly.
Kasyr has an appetite, which means he's more than happy to allow Karasu to talk, while he helps himself to some hearty slices of coffee cake. Frankly, when she starts hinting about shifting climes, he only seems to accelerate his eating habits- though he does make sure to pause and respond to her, "I still don't know what to make of that. Of that, et what I read in the note." What he'd seen and felt in the office that day. "Just keep an eye on the other students in the spell blade class, enfin. That whole, being a part of the Mage Guild from the beginning thing means you're more likely to catch onto things when they get weird." Maybe. "As for this- well. Kensai things, Dragana things, et apocalypse things would probably be more accurate." The Kensai doesn't even look -phased- when he mentions this. "But, going over it in more private quarters wouldn't hurt. Certainment, I wouldn't be adverse to a guide- since, I've been trying to figure out just how many flasks I've misplaced, et that's been a trial." Yup. There it is, folks. He hasn't even found the headquarters yet. It'd help if he hadn't been part of a fair number of clandestine organisations over the years. "How's your swordsmanship et spell work been progressing?" It's one thing to hear news of it from a prison cell. It's another to see it, obviously.
Karasu scoffs at the idea of going back to the Guild to keep an eye on things. "A father who just wants you to worship a being he thinks he can ask nicely to smite his enemies for him, a secret organization of what I think are anti-mages, from what I understand, and--" She counts on her fingers quietly. "Dyraxdiin, Magirkios, Odhranos, you, Quintessa. Nearly half of the only people in that entire giant useless tower worth talking to are either on the dark side of Vaalane, or just ignoring my requests for contact." The remainder of the pie is shoveled into her mouth with the same fervor of the man in front of her. Her cheeks are comically inflated with food as she drops the fork at his mention of not having found the base. She holds up a finger as she finishes swallowing and gasps, taking a swig of the milk coffee before her. "There's more than one clandestine secret organization headquartered in Kelay?" She asks incredulously. Suddenly, she's on her feet. "Gods, and I just left there too. Come on. And use this to mark your place in your paperwork." The spellblade snaps, digging into the pockets of her coat and getting out an envelope. The seal is torn, the wax in the shape of the Mage's Guild emblem bouncing off the floor. A letter is withdrawn, then promptly crumpled up to throw away. She hands him a small card held vertically so the blank side faces him. On the other side is an arena ticket for her next duel. "If you want to see my swordsmanship, then you've got it. It's not like this person would show up anyways. Come on, let's go." She nods her head towards the door.
The Syndicate Grand Council Hall
Magik reads over the letter brought to him by Quintessa as he makes a drink with one hand over at the bar/goodie table. "Damn.."
Quintessa‘s manifests from the void itself, her form rising up from the blackness behind her chair as she shadow-jumps from the Mage’s Tower. The changeling looks angry, she might even have been crying, but as her mismatched eyes glance over at Magik, she puts on a neutral face and takes her usual spot under the Vailkrin flag. “I see you got my letter?”
Magik finishes making the drink then folds the letter to be tucked back inside of his vest. "Yep." The Rynvalian Iced Tea is set in front of the Raven before the elf returns to the bar to make another RIT for himself, "How did you get this information?" Before Tessa can reply he holds up a quick finger, "Hold that thought. Sorry." Magik unsheathes a dagger from his waist and disappears into the armory.
Quintessa is about to answer Magik but he stops her, and the changeling allows her head to drop against the table with a thud. She’s exhausted, tired of all the lying and manipulation. Tired of being told one thing and being shown the next. Quintessa is just done with everything.
Kasyr pockets the arena ticket, drops some gold for the pair of them, and then trails after the demi-feline. Which is made slightly awkward by the fact that he simply picks up the half of the coffee cake he hasn't finished eating, and just begins nibbling at it like an oversized donut. "Anti-mages? I mean, the letter gave me a sort of... body snatching like Vuryal vibe. 'Framed Brenwyn by possession'? 'Currently inhabitating'? ..." There's a pause there, as the Kensai seriously contemplates the possibility of the parasites involvement- but he'd never felt that abysmal empathic absence that seemed to herald the chronomancer. "I won't even be surprised if they're death cultists. Ossian sounds pretty bone like. More people probably saying Praise Vakarash or Vakmatharas, et looking for a fast track to his waiting arms." Which, historically, has been a portion of the population that the Kensai has taken great issue with. When they stop at the entrance to the syndicate, however- the swordsman manages to look equally sour. "...Wait." Yup, they're going here. The irony in his last statement hits home quite neatly. "Ostil de tabernac." This was an unfortunate blast from the past, and one that warrants his expression hardening as they descend further into the headquarters. It's only when they reach the meeting room at large that the Kensai finally deigns to ask, "Repurposed, or did it never die?" There's a moment's pause before he adds, "There -were- a few organisations in or connected to Kelay, but this had always been the largest."
Karasu keeps her mouth shut as they walk through the town, silent in the dim twin moonlight that falls from above. Once they descend the ladder, she shakes her head. “Can’t be Vakarash or Vakmatharas. My father would have been the first to know about it.” Either unaware or uncaring of the Kensai’s expression, she opens her arms out as they enter the foyer. Looking over at Quintessa’s form at the round table, she assumes her to be resting her eyes. The halfling places both hands on the table before lifting herself onto it. Her heeled boots click against the cherry wood as she opens her arms in a sweeping manner. “Welcome to the -better- Syndicate. Food and drinks are over there, don’t sit in the blue, violet, or red chairs, they’re permanently reserved.” Content with her tour, she clicks over to Quintessa, kneeling down in front of her while still on the table, her expression quickly turning serious again. “Did this Order put their hands on you, love?”
Magik accidentally makes a creepy entrance. The room remained dark as he slipped into the armory to put a borrowed dagger back. As the two new voices fill the air, the elf starts to walk straight ahead to the door leading to the meeting room. Only his glowing eyes can be seen as he nears the armory's exit. "Repurposed." Finally the Lyastri emerges from the darkness. Karasu catches his sight first. The elf scoops a small cushion up that happened to be discarded from Mirshann's comfortable pile of cushions. She must be feeling better to have left HQ. Anyhow. Magik throws the small cushion at Karasu, frisby style, aiming for her little head,but also careful to not hit Tessa on accident, "Off the table!" Magik was being a little hypocritical, to be honest. The elf smirks then collects his Rynvale iced tea (booze included) and takes his normal seat at the meeting table. Kasyr wouldn't go unnoticed. After the elf settles in he focuses on the Kensai, "Kasyr. Good to see you out of Larket's grasp. I hope they treated you fair."
Quintessa doesn’t even lift her head off the table when she hears a voice, the familiar accent bringing a little ease to her mind. Kasyr always knew what to do in a situation like this, at least he always pretended to and that was enough for Tessa. Karasu’s voice, however, actually brings a smile to her face and her sapphire and topaz eyes gleam as they flicker up to look at her. “Not physically, no, I just feel like an idiot for trusting them.” It was all out in the open now, she might as well be honest about her involvement. Quintessa allows her gaze to drift back to Magik as he returns, wishing he had made a Rynvale Island Iced Tea for her too.
Kasyr finds himself somewhat at ease with Magik's clarification, even if 'Spooky eyes gleaming in the dark' leaves a bit to be desired. "Do your eyes always do that, or es that some conscious choice?" As he waits for an answer, the Kensai resumes snacking on coffee cake- seemingly unphased by Karasu's bit of showmanship. "..Reserved for who? Es that like a 'in honor of the deceased, or?" There's a slow blink, before the Kensai simply leans back against one of the walls, an awkward wave directed to Magik. "I mean, you helped with that whole exchange. As for treating moi well- it did help that negotiations hinged on that. Though, I imagine, not having the prisoner grow dangerously reckless certainment helped." On a certain level, the swordsman was still marvelling at just how easy going Larket's queen had been in establishing a meeting not only with Quintessa, but himself. But then, she'd been aware of the damage Larket could wreak, even with only one intact member of the crown. There's a pause, and then the Kensai leans forward to offer a bit of a wave to the changeling, "Es this part of the bad news you needed to fill people in on? There's a lot of that going around."
Karasu furrows her brows at Quintessa’s admission, and reaches forward to brush the stray locks of hair that obscure her face. Just then-- Bap! The halfling is struck, and she falls not only on her rear, but falls in such a way that she throws her hand out and meets the edge of the table and rolls right off. “Oof!” Karasu rises quickly to dust herself off before being seated at the blue chair with the Xalious Tree embroidered into the lining in a silent answer to the Kensai’s question of why the chairs were reserved. The cushion is placed behind her back, and she looks to Quintessa. The changeling had broken down and told her all the things she felt guilty for, even Peter’s death as she had been there. Part of her mind begins to race wondering if that had been a lie, but she quickly shakes away the thought. “How many other members of the Guild know about Brenwyn’s death that we’re sure can be trusted?” She asks simply. No point beating around the bush here.
Magik may or may not have chuckled at hitting his mark. Poor Kara. The elf did happen to catch Tessa's gaze and arches an eyebrow before jutting his chin forward to point out the drink just to her side. Kasyr gained the elf's attention next. The spooky glow dims down to allow the regular black fire within to be visible, "Dramatic flare.." Magik takes a sip of his drink during Kas' next comment, "Oh, I remember the exchange and aftermath all too well. We just didn't have time to chat is all, given we had to get them kids back to the tower." Those not so spooky eyes fall back to Tessa. "Tessa, dear..Want to just get this over with so we are all on the same page? Maybe start with my previous question on how you gained this knowledge? Take your time." Magik leans back into his chair as he remains focused while also tending to his concoction of various alcohols..with a straw...and...orange slice garnish..
Quintessa still hasn’t lifted her head off the table but she still manages to respond to Kasyr. “Aye, it’s never ever good news now is it?” The dark fae finds herself laughing in spite of herself, in spite of the whole situation. “Everything’s completely frakked up. I’ve made an enemy of a secret cult that wants to ‘perfect the world’ being led by some body-hopping ancient elf. I think he was an elf, anyway, whoever he was. Lanlan, Odhranos, Karasu, and I encountered these cultists before, but I didn’t know who they were then. They were trapped in a massive orb of amber- the same amber that their leader uses to move his soul around.” Quintessa finally raises her head off the table to look up at Karasu, enjoying the small sign of affection as she brushes her hair from her face. “I’m not sure- I sent a letter out to everyone Va-Provost Grace contacted when we met up in secret. That’s us four, Inks, Odhranos, Sara, and Khitti just for good measure. I figure if anyone can be trusted it’s us eight.” Catching Magik’s eye, she follows her gaze to the drink he had prepared for her earlier and she blinks in surprise. “Oh!” Taking it quickly and greedily gulping it down, she buys herself some time to think about how she was going to word this. “Well, because Brenwyn- or whoever was controlling him, recruited me into their order. After Josleen told me I should kill him I tried it, but he made me an offer, told me I’d be helping the guild, but then we planned on outing him for his tricks, for ordering a kidnapping and inadvertently causing the boy’s death. I warned him, and he told me to let it happen, to pick up an amulet from his body. When I studied it I discovered that it was a soul-bonding object- a-a-a focal point. A horcrux of a sort.”
Kasyr wonders if there's something incredibly terrible that his brain has decided that this is good news. Ancient Elf body snatcher? At least it isn't Vuryal. Or death cultists. "...Mmm." Don't jinx it. "Anything note worthy about these cultists other than body hopping? Just in case I need to stab any." The half circle of donut continues to vanish, now reduced to a quarter of it's size. The mention of both Odhranos and Inks is a bit helpful- their involvement in the matter also facilitating things, "Do you know where either one of them es?" Hopefully the inclusion of inks as someone trustworthy meant things had cooled since the meeting. And she hadn't eaten anyone important. Yet. What arrests the Kensais attention, however, is the continued explanations that the changeling provides of their antagonist apparent. "A phylactery. Es it unique?" Kasyr pauses for a beat and then glances to Magik, "...Could you make another one of those."
Magik side-eyes Kas...And grants his wish. All while paying attention to any spoken words. He scoots to the makeshift bar and throws together a top shelf Rynvale Island Iced Tea..with a twirly straw and of course an orange peel garnish. Obvs. Put this in the wiki too. Even me saying to do so. Magik slides the drink across the meeting table then returns to his seat.
Karasu blinks and suddenly straightens, the expedition having been so long ago it had been pushed aside to the recesses of her mind. “This is in relation to the giant amber...” She balks at the revelation, suddenly recalling the strange figure thanking them for his release. Pointed nails drum against the wood idly as her mind races. Somewhere in the back of her mind where the memory of the expedition had laid dormant, she files away that the horrible Larketian sympathizer goes by Inks. “Can we destroy the object? If you have just handed it off, then it can’t have gone far, correct?” She thinks of another item imbued with soul-binding properties, and its inability to be destroyed or allow the premature death of its owner. “I suppose that would be a whole lot easier than it sounds, though.”
Magik would be scratching his beard if he had one. Karasu stole his idea of destroying the object. Kasyr had great questions. He goes with another angle, "Is there any way you can regain their trust? Or do you think that bridge has already burned?" For the most part, Magik is going to let Tessa take the lead on this one. He wants to see how the Raven handles herself. The elf simply listens to the three converse for now as he takes mental notes.
Quintessa shakes her head at Kasyr, “I don’t know, they did a good job keeping me in the dark- it’s why I was never fully loyal to them. If they had trusted me a bit more who knows if I’d be sitting here talking to you now...” To the kensai’s last question the changeling nods her head. “Yes, I’ve never seen anything like it. It wasn’t like a Lich- this man is definitely not undead, but I know a soul-bond object when I see one. Larewen has the best library on the subject in all of Lithrydel.” Tessa sighs at Karasu’s question, giving her a hesitant nod. “Yes, if we can get a hold of it and destroy it we should be able to cripple the Ossian Order, but it can be anywhere. I have no idea who is a member of them and who isn’t, nor do I have any idea what they are planning. The last person who had the amulet was Steward Sophione, a half-elf girl who is my height, but like I said, this guy can steal the body of anyone who touches this amulet. He could have hopped into several different hosts by now.” The changeling grimaces at Magik’s question. “Oh no, I burned that bridge for sure. I threatened to hunt them all down and kill them, and then I turned my blade against their leader but he teleported away- the coward… And then I completely destroyed my office…”
Kasyr finds himself slowly rubbing at his forehead as the debriefing continues. Well, that, and sipping at his drink. So much for the element of surprise. Although, perhaps. " While you were there, did they have any people they were keeping a watch of, or specifically wary of?" Hopefully, his seeming indifference kept him on the list of personnel that was a relative non-issue. "As for the matters of destruction- es it specifically touch or proximity it needs? If destruction es too difficult, sealing it in stone and then sinking it in the ocean, ou perhaps hurling it into a source of magma ou th like might be an adequate resolution." Serves in a pinch, anyways. "Still, if there's an active threat- I imagine they'll be a lot more cautious. The idea of infiltrating would be unwise right now, et they are quite likely in the process of mobilizing et making things difficult for would be foes. Oui?" The kensai pauses on that thought, before he carefully adds, "Was there any other tasks they had asked you to do? Maybe some hint towards an objective they needed or wanted, that we might be able to head them off at?" Really, Kasyr just wants at least a win against one of the impending threats, so that the overall number of them whittle down.
Karasu is seated again with some amalgamation that seems to imitate a Rynvalian Iced Tea. It has way too much vodka, and is pink instead of orange. “Destroyed it? Even the portal to Vailkrin?” There’s a quiet scoff and a moment’s internal lament as she had just considered going back to find out more information. “I suppose I can’t go as myself either. With a telemancer there, we don’t know if Kaaname is in on it. He can shiftspot me as quickly as Magik does.” Raising her eyebrows, she turns to Kasyr. “He’s been reading our minds the whole time, by the way. There’s no way he can’t be in on the Ossian Order unless they somehow all miraculously evaded him.”
Magik almost feels bad for adding to the bombardment of questions to the changeling. Almost. "As much as I love the thought of watching something burn, I would advice against tossing his..horcrux..as Tessa called it in magma. Sealed tightly and thrown away to the deepest abyss of the ocean sounds better. Maybe I can reach out to my uyeer friend if we manage to get a hold of this thing," Magikrios stated to everyone. "However. Since we have people in the loop, perhaps we advice caution if anyone in our trusted group is offered any enticing offers from any outsiders. I also agree that they may avoid something like that now.." Sippy sip on the drinky drink. "Tessa, given our resources, do we fill in our named members or use the Unseen as we see fit? Basically, are we keeping this a guild issue or are we just about declaring war against another secret society?"
Kasyr cants his head in Magiks direction when he mentions his reticence towards Lava, "My suggestion there was simply because it might be harder to retrieve, and break it down over time, monsieur. We risk it potentially infesting the Uyeer- ou maybe any indigenous creature housing the spirit, if the proper measures aren't put in place when we sink it. There's less that can thrive in molten stone. Still. if you have some familiarity with the result. Well." Honestly, the Kensai's sort of curious to find out if said reaction is 'plausibly catastrophic magical release at an unspecified time.'. Welp, time to take a drink to help the flow of potentially bad ideas. "Wait a moment. Back that up. Kaaname reads minds? That's..." Invasive, is what the Kensai wants to say- having been on the subject of the practice a number of times. And whilst a few fortuitous feasts when he was a tiefling had helped to build a resistance to a degree- "...Huh. I can only imagine what it would be like to get the surface without the context. I can't remember how many times I was thinking he had a punchable face." ...Really. This is the big revelation. "..OH! But- If they're body snatchers ou the like- es it possible there's sleeper agents, ou he'd be unable to read the spirit? Since, well- it's not really the body? I haven't heard of many people having a lot of luck with reading the minds of ghosts. Et, well, if it's possession." Glug Glug, drinks done. "Anyways! The important thing we have at the end of this all -es-. We at least have some idea of what they want, or are concerned about. Odds are, if you were sent to keep tabs on Odhranos- et defected, they will be, or have sent someone to take your place. So, we at least have something we can head them off at, et figure the rest from there, Right?"
Karasu purses her lips while the men go back and forth regarding the proper method of disposal. “Before we talk disposal,” She cuts them off. “We need to actually get our hands on it.” There’s a sharp exhale through her nose. “If we’re going to locate this cretin, then…” Her brows furrow as she considers her next words carefully, “Then a telemancer might be of great use here.” A hand is held up before any can interject. “I sent my findings from pilfering through dad’s-- Kaaname’s office directly to Odhranos. In one of his like…” Her lip curls up in disgust. “Love letters to Larewen, he mentions that overnight, Brenwyn changed, but he felt the risk was too great to pry too hard into his mind to figure out why. He tried reading it but only got silence in return.” Karasu exhales sharply, moving one hand down to dig into the cushions as she remembers how coldly he referred to herself and to Kanna in all of his notes. “He tried to appeal to me when Brenwyn was killed. When he gets back from Larket, I can ask him to search the crowd for someone whose mind he cannot read. The easiest way of doing that would be during the Celestial Celebration, when everyone is gathered.” Relaxing her grip, she looks at the three dual-enrollees in the schools of arcane magic and anarchy. “I don’t like the idea of being made to work for him again, but I’ll do my damnedest to keep from knowing Kanna’s intentions and movements if it hampers his efforts with whatever he has planned that he has yet to do. The Unseen Hand moving in would cause too much attention, given the Guild is operating at such low capacity. If anything, we should only send in one or two at a time, perhaps as apprentices.”
Magik simply and politely replies to the Kensai, "I'm sure we'll figure out how to dispose of this properly. -If- we even get our hands on it.." He was cut off though. Instead of arguing and trying to fit any words in, he lets Kara brainstorm. But his pleasantness starts to fade as Kanname is mentioned. Magik does his best to hide his hatred as he slowly sips through his straw. What a punchable face, that Kaaname. Soon Magik finally gets his words in, "One Unseen at a time. Members that have completely different lifestyles. Well, you two know how we work." Magik deeply sighs as he looks to Karasu, "I hate the idea of using Kaaname like this but it makes sense..Just stay on your toes around him.." Flashbacks. Sadness. Empty drink. No bueno.
Quintessa rolls her eyes before she nods her head at her girlfriend. “Karasu’s right, let’s figure out what to do with the damned thing once we actually have it. For now our objective seems clear. We keep our eyes open, bide our time, perhaps send someone to watch Odhranos. I know where he is, and I can’t show my face at the Mage’s Tower for a bit anyway, so I might as well pay him a visit. If the body-snatchers strike out like a snake, I’ll be there to cut their heads off. I owe them that much. I-” The mention of love letters to Larewen catches Quintessa off-guard, but she already knew that Kaaname was a Dragana, she just didn’t realize how devoted he was to her. “I think we can use this to our advantage. When the time comes, if he’s willing, we can use his abilities to track down the man that got Brenwyn killed. He might recognize his mental imprint in a crowd.” Finished speaking, Quintessa lifts up her glass to down the rest of the contents before giving a glance to Kasyr. “I thought the lava was a good idea.” She admits to him.
Kasyr will take the vote of sympathy from Tessa in this instance. It's a decent consolation prize- though the points made as to it's acquisition are more than valid. "Mm. Do we even have a way to handle it -without- getting possessed? That seems like an important question in case there es more." Or if there ends up being more. That they only know of one possessed individual doesn't preclude more. ...Yeah, he was too sober for this. "We can possibly watch after Odh in shifts. I need to see him anyways for a bit- but it es certain that he shouldn't be left unattended." As for things related to Kaaname, "Well, the enemy of our enemy is our friend- so, for the moment, that may at least reduce the amount of complications we have, right?" ...The fact that Larewen's hand is somehow at play here, is a bit disconcerting, but honestly, at this point- he's not even surprised.
Karasu reclines against the cushion, the unholy amount of vodka she used in her drink hitting her like a skald hitting a war drum for the first time. "Never answered my letter. Hope he's at least getting some rest." She mutters, either completely unaware or simply too drunk to remember that she had chosen to not actually -sign- the letter. Her demeanor softens at the Kensai's suggestion to monitor the cabin in shifts, then hardens again. "And let's hope that trapped portal incinerates the entire Ossian Order." With that, she closes her eyes and sighs. "Welcome to anarchy, Former Senpai."
Magik scoots his chair back and stands, "Right. Obviously we need to do our homework. Kara..Do what you have to do with Kaaname. Kasyr, we can work on a way to ship this thing off without touching it. Tessa, I need you to send a note to the others so we can gather their votes on involving everyone or just our guild members." A smirk plays across his face as he looks at his slowly growing band of..misfits? "Let's get to work. I'm going to head to the tower to get a few things in order. Be safe, everyone. Whisper to the shadows if you need to." With that..A dramatic smoke form exit to the surface! Except he comes back to grab a road beer. Then he's off again!
Quintessa nods at Kas. “Yep- just don’t touch it with your bare hands. Their leader was clear about this when he instructed me to nick it off of Brenwyn’s body.” Her mismatched eyes drift to Karasu and the changeling shakes her head. “Alright, she’s drunk. I better get her somewhere safe.” Tessa stands up to scoop the feline up in her arms, cradling her much smaller frame against her body. “You wanna come to Cenril with me? What about breakfast at Khitti’s?” The changeling can’t understand if Karasu has responded to her questions of if she’s mumbling in her sleep, but either way she takes that as an ‘okay’ to take her back to the apartment above the bakery. “Alright, Kasyr, I’ll catch you later.” And with her farewell, Quintessa steps back into the shadows, her and her girlfriend’s form evaporating like mist as she shadow-jumps with her all the way to the coastal city.
Kasyr finishes off the remnants of the coffee cake, before offhandedly dusting away the crumbs. "Anarchy sounds about right. I might ask for the notes on what it es we're all doing -other- than this mage guild mess." There's a gesture of his head towards the room, before his attention turns towards his coat. Taking a few moments to pluck out a piece of parchment he begins to scribble on it, his attention still resting on those actively informing him. "But yes. I'll see what I can find for looking this up." The Black Library would seem like a good avenue. Helloo Vailkrin field trip, once Odh & Inks have been addressed. ...Also, helloo leaving notes for Magik, since the Kensai was a bit late to realize he had smoked out, then in, then out again. "...Mm." Aaaand Tessa's gone. Okay, the place is his right now. May as well get reacquainted. After all, while there's work to do- there was no time like the present to check out that bar. He just makes sure to leave the note he was working on over at Karasu's spot.