The search for Brother Dalton, part 2

[Drusia]

"My card," he said.
KITAURA Kentauro
Captain, Tsuirakuan Army and Department of Homeland Security
Consulate of Tsuiraku
Port Lorrel, Farrel
He poured tea while Desiree was reading the card, placing cups before her and Anfisa with formal courtesy. "Now might we discuss your predicament, while we partake of this excellent beverage?" he said, his voice as bland as ever.

I nod and tuck the card away.

"Thank you, Captain, for the tea," I reply, taking the cup. I sip experimentally - it is indeed quite excellent. "Delicious," I note aloud. Anfisa is sampling hers as well. Ah good.

I set mine down and look at him thoughtfully. "So, Captain, how can you help us? Merely providing us with papers would be the easiest means, I imagine. After all, you know our identities from the inquiry before." I wasn't sure before I saw the name if it was the same man or not.

I pause. I imagine he isn't talking about papers, but I'll let him get there on his own. No reason to push the river.

-- Desiree

OOC: Sorry for the delay. Real Life projects - three of them - all sort of happened at once. One of them might even pay. ^^;;

[Graybeard]

"So, Captain, how can you help us? Merely providing us with papers would be the easiest means, I imagine. After all, you know our identities from the inquiry before."

Kitaura nodded sagely and sipped his tea. "Indeed I do, my dears," he said. "My government, knowing the plight of displaced persons such as yourselves and wishing to render humanitarian aid where possible, makes available a limited number of so-called Nansinu passports for the stateless. These permit not merely use of our transportation systems, but even the possibility of an extended stay in our beautiful country. Unfortunately, few are issued, and they are in great demand. Obtaining such a valuable document would be very difficult." It didn't require much understanding of the Tsuirakuan mindset to deduce that "very difficult" was a euphemism for "impossible without under-the-table assistance, probably involving bribery or some other form of corruption."

He took another sip of tea and continued. "I believe, however, that my humble position in our government may suffice for me to arrange for an application for these valuable documents to be prepared on behalf of two lovely ladies in need. I must say, though --" He steepled his fingers and came as close to a direct stare at Desiree as he'd leveled at anyone in days, except subordinates whom he wished to thoroughly intimidate. "If it could be argued that those two lovely ladies would be willing to first perform some small, safe service on behalf of Tsuiraku, getting the application accepted would be so much easier."

Again, he didn't need to say that "much easier" was a typically Tsuirakuan euphemism for "if you don't do this, you don't have a prayer." Really, in Tsuiraku, many things went without saying.

[OOC: No prob, paying the bills takes precedence...]

[Alberich]

Anfisa was used to indirect speech. It was the norm in Goriel - just not between men and women. The men used their endlessly unctuous flattering protestations to convey any message, from good morning, this is a courtesy call to let us arrange a marriage between my daughter and your steward to pay me tribute or I'll burn your house to the ground. The women, at least the respectable ladies, could hide every shade of meaning under their compliments and meaningless chatter. But men talking to women just gave simple, straightforward orders. Unless they were flirting. But this didn't feel like a flirt. He was talking about "dears" and "lovely" but he wasn't eyeing their charms or trying to touch. No, she felt, he was after some kind of secret act they were to do with someone else.

Whatever it was, she was for it. It had to be better than going along with that awful, angry priest and that stupid, noisy priest to find that equally stupid, missing priest...

[OOC: And if I am reading the tea leaves right, there's irony in that thought of hers.]

...just as long as they really got what they were paying for. For now she stayed demure and let Desiree do the talking. But if he looked to be setting them up to stiff them, then she'd speak up.

* * *

Tim, meantime, was getting a rambling sort of interrogation, going down trails that led nowhere or looped back around to places they'd been before. It was as if they were killing time rather than trying to learn anything, or as if they simply could not believe that his straightforward, truthful answers could possibly be true.

"So where do you say you have seen these so-called 'slavers' in Port Lorrel?"

"On the tip of my sword as I cut them to pieces!"

"And how did you establish that they were 'slavers'?"

"Because they tied up Desiree, stripped her naked, put her in a sack, and tried to mix her with a batch of 'fresh imports.'"

"And how many of these 'slavers' were Tsuirakuan?"

"I couldn't tell you and I didn't care at the time."

"And how many were carrying Tsuirakuan identity papers?"

"I didn't look at their identity papers - I looked at the color of their blood!"

"And do you think Tsuirakuan blood is a different color from anyone else's?"

"No."

"And what indication did they give of any connection with the Tsuirakuan state?"

"None."

"And how many could you positively identify as being of Tsuirakuan ancestry?"

"None."

"So who told you to say this so-called 'Tsuirakuan businessman' you say was at the terminal was in league with these 'slavers'?"

"No one did, but he was sure acting like it."

"So why did you think causing a disruption at the gate would stop these so-called slavers?"

"I wasn't trying to cause a disruption at the gate. I was trying to save the girls."

"So what was your motive for trying to reduce traffic through the Tsuirakuan warp gate?"

"I wasn't trying to reduce traffic through the Tsuirakuan warp gate. I was trying to save the girls."

"Who told you to come to this gate in the first place?"

"No one. It was my own idea."

"What are your designs on the tourism industry of Amity Tsuiraku?"

"I don't even know what that is..."

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Waiting to see how Desiree reacts to this, but meanwhile, other things are happening in other places... I am making some assumptions about what some absent players' characters said and am putting a few words in mouths, but I think they all fit...]

Because the Veracian Church was still the dominant (although no longer nearly exclusive) religion in Farrel, the temple in Lorrel was fairly large, with a substantial number of priests and nuns, not all of whom knew everything that was going on with the others. It was therefore not surprising that the Farrel cop, when he went looking for someone to sort matters out as regards Tim, found a priest who didn't know Tim, didn't know Sister Rose, didn't know Father Amalric, didn't know that there was a party in town that had the imprimatur of very high levels in the Church. What Brother Marvin did know, however, was that three young priests of the temple had recently gone out looking for converts, as was their wont, and had come back with their collective tail between their legs, after a run-in with someone who sounded very much like a mage masquerading as a priest. That those three young priests were (a) looking to administer smitings rather than looking for converts, (b) chastised by a real, senior and powerful priest, and (c) basically idiots, was generally unknown to him. (Well, he'd had some hints about point (c), but the Church looked after its own.)

Marvin, let there be no mistake, was a good man, with good intentions and a sincere desire to do Luminosita's Work rather than make trouble. It was therefore with those good intentions -- if some mistaken background ideas -- that he headed for the warp gate. "Thanks for alerting us to this," he told the cop. "We have some reasons to believe that an organized attempt is under way to discredit the Holy Church." He sniffed disapprovingly. "Probably something involving those godless heathens from Tsuiraku. Sounds to me like what is happening in the gate may be a false-flag operation. Well, we'll get to the bottom of it. We have ways of making this 'Brother Timothy' talk."

-------------

Talking wasn't the problem with what was going on in the interrogation room; Tim had been doing plenty of that. The problem was making sense out of it.

The Tsuirakuan officer was getting impatient. "Time for the big guns," he growled, and paused to check what amounted to his personal spellbook. Yes, that should do, he thought, and he began to cast what was, for practical purposes, a Truth spell similar to the one that Brother Miguel had used on several occasions ... if a bit more ... invasive.

------------

Neither of these developments, of course, were known to Sister Rose, now hurrying toward the warp gate with Tamina and Argus.

"A problem," she said to Tamina, "is that we don't have much standing with the people at the gate. They don't know us any more than they know Tim. As far as they're concerned, we may be part of whatever problem they think Tim is causing." She looked again at Argus. "Unless you know how to reach them in ways that I don't."

------------

Meanwhile, up north, Therese and Mordan were coming to the literal end of the road, in the form of a large, obvious, and obviously magical door above the stairs.

[Alberich]

Tim had naturally assumed that the several flavors of magic in the interrogation room had already included a truth spell. (Tim was not as subtle as some in telling one spell from another; otherwise he might've known Kitaura's mind speech to the guards and the ticket clerk for what it was, and not imagined it to be "bewitchment.") He had countered it by telling only the truth, though he didn't always go out of his way to tell it all. Of course he would fight any forceful invasions of his mind and with a great stubbornness, and especially if they tried extracting any Veracian state secrets from him - but that had not been their way. They weren't so much trying to start a war as to find out whether Tim had some secret plan to disrupt things at this gate, which he did not, or anything to do with the attack on the Tower of Artifex, an event about which Tim knew absolutely nothing.

So when they went back through the same weary repetitive interrogation, this time with the truth spell, Tim simply said it all again. Which took long enough to bring Rose the rest of the way.

* * *

Tim had been living at the temple for a week -- even when he was serving as "ambassador to the Ralkin," he had come back each night. Brother Marvin might not know who he was, but the abbot did. The right chastisement for the Three Brainless Brothers was much on the Abbot's mind right now -- he was leaning to at least one unfrocking, and Father Unferth was limbering up his smiting arm.

When Marvin's report reached Father Romuald (Marvin had, of course, told someone where he was going and why), he saw that confusion and rumor were spreading too rapidly, so he had the priests called into the sanctuary. There he made it plain to them all that nothing was plain, nothing was known, and that all would be told when all was known (which was to say, they would be told "that which was good for them to know," and everyone who wanted to live his life in tranquility would keep himself to this version of events). Those who did not have useful business could occupy themselves right there in the sanctuary with a prayer for clarity and justice. A great deal of useful business was found and attended to.

And while communications were far from perfect in the secretive Eisenfaust -- receiving too many messages was bad for one's cover -- a certain gardener also knew the name of Tim, and where he'd stayed in recent times. And if word got back to him of Tim's confessed anti-slaver activities, with enough digging he'd realize these were against a group who'd tried undercutting the Eisenfaust themselves, and had deserved everything they'd gotten. In fact, once he got the facts, Desiree and Anfisa would probably be quite safe in this town...as drawing further Veracian attention to some of Port Lorrel's "service industries" was not good for happy days in the garden. If someone acted contrary to Jones' wishes on this score, pruning would take place. But there was no way Desiree, Anfisa, or their recent companions would know that...

[Drusia]

"I believe, however, that my humble position in our government may suffice for me to arrange for an application for these valuable documents to be prepared on behalf of two lovely ladies in need. I must say, though --" He steepled his fingers and came as close to a direct stare at Desiree as he'd leveled at anyone in days, except subordinates whom he wished to thoroughly intimidate. "If it could be argued that those two lovely ladies would be willing to first perform some small, safe service on behalf of Tsuiraku, getting the application accepted would be so much easier."

Well, that was an interesting euphanism. But for what?

"That sounds prefectly reasonable," I reply, smiling. "But, before agreeing, we'd of course need to know the nature of the small, safe service being asked of us. After all, while we are both quite skilled in... certain areas... we are neophites in others. We wouldn't want to agree to something we aren't... trained for."

My smile and my pauses - exagerated just slightly enough to make it clear that they're intentional - should serve to both remind him of what our skill set is and make it clear that we'd both be quite willing to employ those skills. Since Anfisa suggested working in a brothel not long ago, I'm sure she won't mind being volunteered. She's made it clear how much she wants to get out of here.

The real question is, is the Captain simply asking us to service him, or does he want to use our skills elsewhere? I rather hope he's simply asking for a personal sexual bribe. So much simpler than the alternative.

-- Desiree

[Drannin]

Argus grimaced. "I don't personally have much standing in Tsuiraku these days, as you know. I mainly have position through my daughter, but I can't very well call her up whenever something goes wrong." He sighed. "I just wonder what in the world happened there to make a simple gate-jump go so wrong?" Argus shook his head. "Well, let's just see what's going on, and go from there."

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Fortunately or otherwise, Kitaura isn't going to be asking Desiree and Anfisa for "services" of a sexual kind; as Rose and Argus learned early on, he's gay. Anyway:]

Kitaura held up his hands in a gesture of bonhomie. "Not to worry, ladies," he said. "A sufficient demonstration of your value to Tsuiraku can be given without any training; indeed, by doing little more than your commendable actions in the service of all humankind for the last few weeks. Simply board the airship that will carry your beautiful and talented leader and her -- boyfriend --" One might have had the impression that he would have preferred some other term for Argus, but he didn't use it -- "to complete their quest. I have reliable information that it will need to make a refueling stop in the northern part of this country." This 'reliable information' was simply the fact that no Tsuirakuan airship of the same size as Amalric's would have the range to get much farther than that, and if the Tsuirakuans couldn't build such a capable ship, certainly the half-barbarian Veracians, with their limited magical capabilities, couldn't either.

"Where it makes this stop," he continued, "leave the party, pleading that your skills will be useless in the grand conflict to follow." He managed a smile. "I already perceive that your capabilities are those of lovers, not fighters. So when you debark, your passport will be waiting, as will transportation to Tsuiraku. All you need do at that point is present the business card I just gave you along with your papers. The business card will do the rest."

He smiled again; he was actually getting into the role playing. "And then, if you would be so kind as to give a brief, oral description of the capabilities of that airship as you see them, your value to Tsuiraku will have been established."

[OOC: Stuff to follow at the warp gate, but it's past my bedtime, so tomorrow morning.]

[Drusia]

"Where it makes this stop," he continued, "leave the party, pleading that your skills will be useless in the grand conflict to follow." He managed a smile. "I already perceive that your capabilities are those of lovers, not fighters. So when you debark, your passport will be waiting, as will transportation to Tsuiraku. All you need do at that point is present the business card I just gave you along with your papers. The business card will do the rest."
He smiled again; he was actually getting into the role playing. "And then, if you would be so kind as to give a brief, oral description of the capabilities of that airship as you see them, your value to Tsuiraku will have been established."

"Ah," I say, understanding. I was concerned for a moment, but now it all makes sense. Tsuiraku wants to know about Veracia's airships. They're probably worried about Veracia having better ones than they do.

"Yes, thank you," I say, offering him my hand. "That sounds like a most agreeable arrangement. I will be sure to... appreciate my time on the airship." And how does one appreciate something but by paying close attention to it.

I pause, then add "So, what is good to eat here?"

-- Desiree

OOC: Yay! Someone finally wants Desiree to observe something!

[Alberich]

Anfisa was delighted. She squeezed her lover's hand.

Back in the Duravsky compound, spying was a fearful business - if His Lordship even thought you were delivering information to his rivals, you'd end up like Drusilla or worse. But these silly, ineffectual, effeminate priests - they didn't have what it took. They were practically made to be spied on. The only one to inspire any real fear was this Kitaura himself. He hadn't heated up by half a degree when Desiree gave him an open flirt. Not guessing the real reason, she thought it meant a cold command of his passions, the kind that could discard them in an eyeblink. A notion for insurance was in her mind, but she didn't voice it directly.

As their food and wine came, she asked a casual question, "Our conveyance to Tsuiraku, it won't be on a tight schedule, will it? Sometimes we can't move fast around these people, and we may not get away both at once. I wouldn't want to miss it just for being slow, not that I'd want to wait if I didn't have to." Her mien was as meek as could be, but if Desiree was cutting in, she'd give her a little touch on the hand that said - Please let him answer that.