The search for Brother Dalton, part 2

[Drannin]

Argus sighed. "May I say something? Or is it currently open season on bashing Tsuiraku and its inhabitants? Not that I can blame you, mind you; Weave knows not too long ago I'd happily have joined in. But let me just set the record straight: there is no such thing as a perfect society, no matter what the residents of a particular nation want to think. Everywhere you go, you will find the racist, the bigoted, and the self-absorbed. Everywhere you go, you will also find the selfless, the compassionate, and the heroic. That's not a matter of society. It's a matter of people being people."

He looked at Anfisa and Desiree. "Going to Tsuiraku won't magically solve all of your problems. Go unprepared, and you're likely to run into the very same people I still despise, the people you were just... warned... about. That's all very true, and a sickening aspect of my home society. But if you seek to take refuge there, I may be able to help. A quick word to my daughter's estate, and she may be able to help you find your way there. That you traveled with me should be reason enough."

He glanced at Amalric. "I will say this, though. For all of its faults, a legion of Tsuirakuans won't be waiting at the gates to herd you into whatever ploy they've happened to think up. Nor do we roll over for our stomachs to be scratched whenever an elf comes along. Just keep in mind that if you do decide to go there, Tsiuraku will just be another country. No more. No less."

And I think that's the nicest I've had to say about it in a very long time.

[Alberich]

"Going to Tsuiraku won't magically solve all of your problems. Go unprepared, and you're likely to run into the very same people I still despise, the people you were just... warned... about. That's all very true, and a sickening aspect of my home society. But if you seek to take refuge there, I may be able to help. A quick word to my daughter's estate, and she may be able to help you find your way there. That you traveled with me should be reason enough."

Anfisa looked up with trusting eyes - a real man at last! "You are so kind," she said. "Would you?" There was no flirtation in this - well she knew this man was taken - but there was genuine relief.

(For that matter, she even liked his artistic familiar and these being the only Tsuirakuans she'd seen much of, she was thinking more highly of that country by the minute.)

* * *

Tim bridled a little at a perceived slight to his own country. But he thought it better not to speak. Those three idiot priests had given such a bad face to the Church that he really couldn't say much of use on its behalf right now. He couldn't even promise they'd be punished, for that was up to the Abbot. He'd have to show more good deeds before words would mean much. And as for rolling over on their bellies when an elf showed up...well, truth to tell, that was exactly what Rose had done when Drusia'd shown up to bully him in Goriel. (It took him a while to figure out that Argus had simply been answering Amalric's charge, not making a countercharge of his own.)

Besides, Argus' words tended to get the girls away from this dangerous mission. Which was exactly what Tim wanted. He held his tongue.

[Graybeard]

[OOC: I think Amalric had stomped off to the airship before Argus spoke, but it doesn't really matter, so...]

Sister Rose pulled a face. "I still don't like this," she said. And Argus, we need to ... discuss some other things later too, in addition to the big one. "Amalric exaggerates, obviously, but I lived in Kiyoka long enough to know there is some truth to what he said. Yes, Kiyoka is a more -- accepting place than some." She snorted. "That's partially because they themselves are the subject of condescension from the people in Tsuirakushiti, as Amalric implied, and they have their own culture as a result. I've never been to Tsuirakushiti myself, but from all of what I know of the place, I wouldn't want to live there." Kiyoka, on the other hand ... well, let's return to that subject later.

She sighed deeply. "But if you insist, I can't stop you. Go with my blessings, for what they're worth. The warp gate is in a pretty safe part of town, nothing like the harbor district. You should have no problems getting there in one piece." She sighed again. "And as for the rest of us, we have an airship to ride, and a missing colleague to find." She glanced meaningfully at Desiree. "All that before we even get to the really frightening things ... which the elves may not let us do anyway."

[OOC: OK to head for the gate, as far as I'm concerned, but please do NOT assume that things will proceed there in such a way as to just pick up the action in Tsuirakushiti. An encounter that has been in the works for a long, long time is coming ... and because of who's going to be going to the gate, it's going to go very differently than I had expected.]

[Jack Rothwell]

OOC I think I missed a detail. I assumed that Tim was just offering to take Desiree and Anfisa to the gate, then rejoin the group before they left on the airship. That's the departure that's been set-up for most of the thread after all.

I certainly don't want Tamina off on a side-trip when the main plot's rolling ahead, and it seems inappropriate to have Tim absent either, especially given the gratitude he'd feel for seeing the back of Dezzy and Anfi. Can't we just do a quick 'escort' post to the gate, then move ahead with everyone bar the happy couple on board the airship? It's unfair to scupper plans that have been years in the making./OOC

[Alberich]

Tim took the lead, in front of Desiree and Anfisa, with Tamina naturally positioning herself where she could keep an eye on this suspicious character. He wasn't starting any conversation just now, only commenting briefly on the landmarks and how much further they had to go.

Anfisa was practically floating along. She wasn't talking much. There wasn't much nice to say about Port Lorrel, and she saw no reason to needle the priest by talking about how much better Kiyoka was than his homeland -- better to just get there and talk then.

[Graybeard]

[OOC:

OOC I think I missed a detail. I assumed that Tim was just offering to take Desiree and Anfisa to the gate, then rejoin the group before they left on the airship. That's the departure that's been set-up for most of the thread after all.

Indeed it is. Rose was not-very-subtly hinting, however, that she preferred that Tim and Tamina not follow this plan and instead just board the airship so they can get going. Of course, Rose doesn't always get what she wants... So to get on with it:]

Sister Rose's displeasure at seeing the two young women leave the group was mollified only slightly by her first close-up look at Father Amalric's airship. "Look," she said to Argus, pointing at a small plaque set into the cabin. "This is a product of Ordial Enterprises, the airship manufacturer that my step-father started. His designs are very advanced by the standards of our country. You Tsuirakuans figured out how to incorporate magic into an airship's lift capability quite a while ago, but nobody here knew how to do it until Don came along." Despite her mood, she rolled her eyes and smiled wryly. "It would probably scandalize some of the bumpkins in the small, ultra-conservative Orthodox towns in Veracia, but I don't think any of them are likely to be riding on this thing anyway." Except ... Tim. Well, I think he's a little more sophisticated than the people of the town he serves. Maybe. Hopefully. At least he didn't seem to have trouble with the airship we already used, although it wasn't nearly as magical as this one. "Anyway, you can just feel the magic in it --"

"Indeed you can, Major," Amalric's sharp-edged voice interrupted from the open hatch, spoiling the mood. "And I would thank you not to inquire too closely of its magical features. There are things you do not need to know. Now please board and make yourselves comfortable ... ma'am, sir."

<"So that's the way it's going to be,"> Rose thought at Argus with another rolling of her eyes, this one not so whimsical. <"I'm getting the idea that this 'vacation' is going to be even less fun than expected ... which is a pretty high bar when it comes to non-fun voyages...">

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

Meanwhile, Anfisa, Desiree, Tamina and Tim were arriving at the warp gate.

The place didn't seem too busy, to put it mildly. Apparently there were only a few gate operations a day here, and they'd arrived during a quiet time. A bored-looking Tsuirakuan family of four had just finished buying their travel runes and walked away, leaving only a Tsuirakuan businessman in an expensive suit between the women and the gate agent. He too completed his transaction quickly, and the gate agent spoke to Anfisa and Desiree. "May I help you, ladies?"

[Alberich]

"Yes!" said Anfisa delightedly. "We're looking for two, ah..."

"Tokens," said Tim.

"Tokens for Tsuirakushiti! Or Kiyoka if that's easier."

Tim stood by in case they needed help paying for those, and to make sure they made it safely. He was relieved they'd made it to the Gate without any more trouble from the heathen barbarians who infested this port and this country. With Argus' contacts he was sure they'd be all right once they got there, though better still when they went the rest of the way to Desiree's homeland, but until they did so he was making sure no one else laid a finger on them.

If they were short of funds, he'd feel obligated to share some with them, too - though it wasn't everyplace he'd want to be seen giving money to girls like this. Here, there was only one person watching him for suspicious moves, and he still wasn't aware she was doing it.

[OOC: Don't know whether Argus' intent was to give them a letter to bring to his contacts, send a C-net message, or both, or something else. May not be important; to move it along I'm assuming he did "whatever."]

[Graybeard]

"Yes!" said Anfisa delightedly. "We're looking for two, ah..."

"Tokens," said Tim.

"Tokens for Tsuirakushiti! Or Kiyoka if that's easier."

The young woman working at the counter smiled tolerantly, and pleasantly enough. Tim's terminology had identified this group as neophyte warp-gate users. That was fine; better than fine, in fact, the whole point of having a gate in Lorrel was to court new customers for Tsuirakuan goods and services. "The technical term is 'travel rune,' but yes, this is the place to get them. Certainly, you can get runes for either Tsuirakushiti or Kiyoka, as you prefer. We offer service to both locations. I'll be glad to help you with your purchase. First, may I see some identification, please?"

[Jack Rothwell]

"How come?" Tamina piped up from the back of the group. "Tim looks just like himself!"

[Graybeard]

"Tim looks just like himself!"

The ticket agent suppressed a giggle; she hadn't seen Tamina, but she'd heard the comment. Her bonhomie wasn't reduced by an iota (well, maybe just an iota, but plenty remained) as she answered. "Miss, we require identification for warp-gate travelers. In better times, we sometimes waive the requirement to speed the purchase, but as you might have heard, there was an apparent terrorist attack on another node of the Tsuirakuan transportation network recently. We've been ordered now to get positive identification for all travelers. Any government-issued ID will work, whether paper or thaumatic." She turned her benign, if mildly condescending, gaze back to the would-be travelers ...

... As the well-dressed Tsuirakuan businessman stood nearby, idly perusing his crystal ball.