RP:Tychus Checks Out Pilar

Part of the Larketian Fault Lines Arc

Summary: Having heard of Pilar's confrontation of Larket's King and Queen, Tychus meets privately with Pilar to see if she will be a good soldier in his democratic revolution. He deems her still to green, not yet angry enough, but when she is angry, she should seek him out.

Towering Tenements

About an hour after the King and Queen of Larket have left the Towering Tenements, a boy of about 13 years of age cautiously approaches Pilar among the tents. He doesn't stand within arm's length. Some Larketians are superstitious about vampires, and this boy is one of them. Still, he was sent with a message to deliver. He waits until he has Pilar's attention then leaves a note on a rickety stool. Once he confirms she has taken the note, he leaves and disappears quickly in the crowd. If Pilar opens the note, it reads: Meet me behind the garden shed. Presumably the Tenement's grounds shed, a small wooden structure that collapsed but was quickly rebuilt to keep supplies dry and cool.

Pilar kept glancing at the boy, wondering what he wanted. Finally, she addressed him. "Did you need something?" Wordlessly, he left the note and scampered off. She read it and frowned. The note was more than a little suspect. She had been preparing to leave, but curiosity got the better of her. With her knife on her hip, she made her way to the meeting place. "Hello...?"

Tychus sits on a barrel behind the shed. He's young, looks to be between 18 and 22 (he's 19), and has black hair and light watery eyes. His hands are already calloused from a young life as a laborer. His clothes aren't ratty, but they're faded and worn suggesting he can't afford to replace them until he absolutely has to. A few volunteers mill about, but treat him as a friendly and acceptable face. None fear or revere him, he is simply a part of this community and therefore not suspect. He makes eye contact with Pilar and nods to confirm he is the 'man' (boy?) who sent the note. He then leads her away towards the rubbled shop to the north where they may speak more privately. Assuming she follows, once they're out of earshot of the volunteers, he says, "I heard you talked back to the King and Queen. That takes guts. You plan on talking some more, or that a one time thing for you?"

Pilar was only 20 herself, but thanks to her condition she hadn't aged past 17. So when she saw the man who summoned her was about her age, she relaxed slightly. But her guard was back up as he led her to a more secluded location. Then he's talking about HER talking, and she blinked. "Um... Well... I don't know. I don't think I got through to them..."

Tychus smirks at Pilar's answer, clearly pleased by it. "You haven't, not yet, but you can. Need to do something bigger bolder. A big protest, maybe, but what do kings care of protests? Maybe something like what happened at the King's mother's mansion." He gives no indication he was behind the bombing. Who knows if Pilar can be trusted yet. Instead, he reads her for her reaction to that comment.

Pilar looked away from him, frowning. "What happened at the mansion was awful. All it did was waste resources. Now they're going to build it AGAIN instead of the apartments. And those terrible drawings... That was uncalled for." Pilar crossed her arms. "A protest... That might work better. If they know a majority is unhappy rather than a minority..." Pilar sighed. "I don't know."

Tychus shrugs at Pilar's critique as though he's far removed from the bombings and the critiques don't personally affect him. "Maybe so, but the drawings got their attention, and it got the people talking. Few talked about democracy in Larket, and now there's a few more. Look at what happened today. People threw food!" He grins and bounces on the balls of his feet excitedly. The crowd's anger is a promise to him, that Larket is ready for a revolution. Pilar doesn't seem ready to bloody her fists, and that's fine, for now. "How would you do a protest? And where? How do you get word out, and get people to show up? The majority of Larketians still support the crown, and of those who don't, there are many who are afraid to oppose King Macon."

Pilar raised an eyebrow at his excitement, and his questions. "Um... I don't know. I've never... never organized one before... And crowds make me nervous." She looked the boy over. Alarms were going off in her head. He was more than just a disgruntled citizen, but her mind wasn't screaming "Anarchist!" just yet.

Tychus squints at the vampire. He had heard she was brave and confronted the monarchs, and yet the woman before him seems to lack passion and courage. Nervous in crowds? What? He has a revolution to plan, and he's only interested in recruiting people with the same passion, even if their motives diverge. To the point, with a bit of a glare, he asks, "Are you a serious critic of the King and Queen or not?"

Pilar was startled, and flinched away from the youth. "I... I don't like the King, but Josleen... She used to be so kind. It's hard for me to believe she could have changed so much. Not that I knew her well, but... I knew her. Or thought I did. Why are you so interested in my opinions on them?"

Tychus arches a brow when Pilar says she knows, or knew, the Queen. He focuses on her question first. "Larket deserves a democracy. We cannot rely on the benevolence of dictators. Larket is for Larketians! Not for these two foreign born monarchs!" If his pitch seems to have found an audience in Pilar, he continues: "Do you think you could get in close with the Queen? Leverage the old friendship and befriend her again?"

Pilar shifted her weight. "A democracy sounds nice... But them being foreign shouldn't matter. Hildegarde is not from Frostmaw, but she does a good job." When Tychus asks about her getting in good with the Queen, she frowned and looked at him suspiciously. "You're not worried about my friendships. You want something. What is it?"

Tychus stares at Pilar incredulously. Democracy sounds nice, except when you like the Silver? Nevermind, this broad's not a freedom fighter. "I want people who believe in freedom to fight for freedom. You go back to your dragon queen." He pushes off the wall and starts to meander back towards the south.

Pilar narrowed her eyes. She would fight for freedom when freedom was being threatened. Choosing the rich over the poor was bad, but not infringing on any rights. Unless this kid knew something she didn't? "Wait. What are they doing that's so bad you want them gone? Is the housing issue really it?"

Tychus sighs exasperatedly and slows his stroll, but does not break stride completely. He shouts over his shoulder at Pilar. "They're tyrants! When you realize the truth of that, seek me. Ask for Tychus." He'd take his leave now to plan the next strike.

Pilar watched him go, nervous. Tyrants... That was going a little far, wasn't it? And with no evidence to back him up. She supposed she'd have to wait and see if this thing with the housing was just a misstep, or a warning sign of things to come.