"I felt him out via vibrations. But that is not an option for all."
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Ah, now that makes some sense Iniga reflects, realizing the truth before she observes Rentwyrth firmly. This man was intelligent and pretending to be some naive little girl probably wasn't going to cut it.
"You mean the rich influential Rentwyrth doesn't know?" Iniga raises her eyebrows slightly in half amusement, knowing that the lack of knowledge would bug Rentwyrth a little. "The way Benny went on and on about his pretend version of you I thought nothing would happen in the city without your notice or oversight. As for me, I'm the attractive ele Benny picked up in a bar. I guess he was trying too hard to be you, boasting, flashing coin, trying to be impressive. He took me to the 'fun' place as it were but he is a terrible liar."
Iniga drops her voice slightly in a higher pitched version of Benny's. "My place is closed for cleaning" - Honestly, who does he take me for, a moron? I might not be as rich as you are, but I know how the rich and influential do things - I should know, I used to be one"
"Anyway, he brought me here because he wanted a good time, and he figured impressing me with this place would do it. He has a bit of a confidence problem, combined with an anxiety problem though, I thought he was going to have a heart attack when we arrived. Was that just him, or him pretending to be you? Now I cannot seem to tell the difference?" Iniga finishes. This wasn't going to be an environment for a quick and fast seduction. What was key was making herself at least appear interesting to provoke further interaction.
"Just as likely it's an adversary's spy as it is a trick. Unless it's an elemental hiding behind the air, I've got no good way of sussing them out."
"Volc that. We have more problems than just elementals. If this city is good for anything, it's magic and alchemy. I'm going to go sniffing around for some magic items while Iniga is out on her mission. Anyone care to join me?"
Iniga:
Rentwyrth stares at you as you talk. At first you think he is admiring your looks, but he shatters this thought. "Tell me, is it jes' a coincidence that a beautiful ele with a big, wicked piece of magic strapped to her belt jes' so happened to be trying to get into my home tonight?" You realize his gaze has been focused on the location of Sire Fiercesco TreeBurn's Hand.
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Iniga smiles politely. ”You can call it what you like but I didn’t ask Benny to see either house tonight - that was all him offering, while pretending to be you. You know that I’m not lying - you could confirm that with Benny if you wished. As for that magic item you mentioned it’s both rare and mine, I’m safeguarding it so it goes where I go. If it frightens you though, I can leave - I’m used to some els being easily intimidated by me” she remarks loftily slighting his ego.
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As Rentwyrth watches Iniga, Iniga likewise observes in turn. Unlike the fake version of Rentwyrth, there was no seducing this guy unless he really did have a thing for redheads.
Iniga reminded herself that Rentwyrth's biggest weakness was still going to be his ego - he had to be the smartest, richest, most influential guy in the room. If Rentwyrth's ego was fragile enough, he might feel irritated enough to try and prove Iniga's theories wrong, provided she attacked that ego. The tricky part was doing it subtly and without deteriorating things into a war of insults that Rentwyrth would withdraw from. Pondering things for a moment, Iniga continues her line of inquiry
"I have responded to your questions, would you mind responding to one of mine? Whose idea was it for someone else to pretend to be you via an illusion or disguise of some description? I thought that even someone as clever as you wouldn't be that stupid but now I realise that you let it happen anyway. Which means that even if it wasn't your idea it was still your call, your decision, which still makes the whole thing stupid. Do you know why its stupid? Do you need me to explain it to you?"
Iniga paused for breath, keeping a close watch on Rentwyrth. She wanted him angry, but she also wanted him indignant, to try and prove her wrong. She predicted he would hate, hate someone pointing out a flaw in any diabolical scheme he had, especially by someone he perceived as intellectually inferior.
"Actually, I'll just tell you, I can see its simply eating at you. Its stupid because that person will never be you, but that person is still a reflection of you. Your buddy was flashing so much coin around everyone was looking at him, and looking at me because I was next to him. Everyone saw him leave, and everyone saw me leave with him. Which means tomorrow, everyone will be asking me how my night with the rich, influential Rentwyrth turned out. I could tell them that the rich, influential Rentwyrth I met was drunk under the table by a pretty young ele like me, before taking me to a secret rendezvous where he was overcome with performance anxiety and then drove me to his actual house, where he failed to perform again and I left in disgust. You could claim otherwise, but people saw us travelling back and forth and the best part? I won't even be lying because its all true. What are you going to say? Its not me, just someone that looked exactly like me?"
Iniga folds her arms. "Sure, you are clearly an influential man Mr Rentwyrth, I'm sure you could put an alternative story out there. Everyone will want to believe my version though, because deep down, you know people aspire to be like you, and all of them will feel satisfied with anything that makes you look bad. They will all be chortling behind your back. 'Little Rentwryth', they might say 'cannot handle his liquor or his eles'"
Iniga flashes Rentwyrth her best innocent, irritating smile. "Thats why sending someone else out to act like you was a silly idea, because everyone saw you struggling with your drink. The rest sells itself. Speaking of which though, how do I know you are actually Rentwyrth? You could be his chief of security wearing the same illusion for all I know...or even, you know, the guy who scrubs his toilets."
"That is a solid point, Mar. Samoon, advice?"
"Hmm, now that I think about it, I'm not sure what I can do, research-wise, to figure out what the risk is here. Any chance you could get Obdurate to elaborate some this evening? I mean, if you started now?"
"Perhaps. I probably could do more with Obdurate than wandering through the markets. So I shall take that course."
"Sure, I can take sis around and see what we see. Still have dad's mysterious gold lying around somewhere? Samen, you should stay if Wamblee is going to be consulting the boulder oracle. You can figure out what questions to ask, and keep an eye out."
Iniga:
Rentwyrth's smug smile does not waver. "Yer new to town are you? Anyone whose opinion I give flying finch about knows the game. I amuse myself by seeing who can tell the real me. Sometimes I'll even put a disguise spell on meself just to change the color of my vest, and a girl who fancies herself clever thinks she spots a ruse, thinks she might have some fun with a dupe. But I assure you, I'm the one left smilin'."
He puts his hands in his pockets, whistling idly for a moment. "I must say, yer amusing and you don't seem to give a pluck about nothin'. Not too sorry on the eyes either."
Eyebrow raised, "Unfortunately for you, that's not sufficient to stupefy my ticker. So I think I'll ask: what's yer purpose here? Trying to get a bit of my gold, sneak yer pretty hands into my coffers? Trying to impress me, maybe think ye'll put a stud on old Renty if yer fiery enough?"
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Iniga raises her eyebrows slightly before giving Rentwyrth an approving nod at his disguise trick.
"Now see, thats clever. I'll admit, I'm a little bit impressed by that sort of trickery. Someone running around pretending to be you though? Thats a little idiotic. That tells me you are a little scared of something. You are clearly a little scared of me if you think I'm here to rob you"
"If I wanted to rob you, I would have robbed your friend at the intellectually named 'fun place' back when he was so drunk he could barely stand. Perfect crime. Besides, do you see many places to store valuable objects?" she asks, planting her feet slightly and letting him look at her figure hugging clothing before putting her hands on her hips Well, do you?"
"As for putting a stud on old Renty, oh darling, thats so adorable. Its so cute you think that you could handle me. Lets not forget your friend, pretending to you, had performance anxiety just being alone in a room with me" Iniga responds, with a giggle, using her best condescending tone as if humoring a small child.
"So no, my purpose tonight, was to have a little fun. I was minding my own business, in a bar, when this guy comes in throwing money around, trying to impress me, claiming to rock my world, and so on. I'm joking about the last one by the way. That same guy invites me here which is why I'm...here. If you feel a little intimidated by that thats fine, I'm used to it. Perhaps avoid doing stupid things like having someone pretend to be you though otherwise people might think you have a reputation for failing to deliver." she finishes in an acidic tone, before flashing a superior smirk [b]"Fiery enough for you bird brain?"
Wamblee settles in, and begins to meditate...
Iniga:
Rentwyrth grins now, seeming to genuinely enjoy the insults. "Do you fancy a game of eite?"
Wamblee and Samen:
Wamblee slowly, slowly asks for more information regarding the danger of the silver rain.
Rather than responding with words, Obdurate gives you a series of pictures:
For ten minutes, a honeybee, then two, then three, and then a hive.
For thirty minutes, one queen ant, then a thousand born, and an ant colony.
And finally, for an entire candle, two elens shake hands, a hundred build a city, and network of trade routes are formed.
Obdurate is trying to express the idea of emergent properties, specifically what happens when there is a large quantity of something.
Iniga nods at the offer ”Sure, i’ll play a game. Are we playing for fun or do we have stakes attached?”
"Sure, if yer really as bold as you act. Winner gets a fírinne. One question, one true answer."
”Sounds good to me, let’s play” Iniga announces.
"Grand!"
---
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Wamblee speaks out loud, his mind still geared to dealing with Obdurate and his throat dry.
"Saaaaammmeeeennn, whhhaaaaatttt ddddoooooo yyyooouuu thiiinnnkk iittt meeeaaaannnnsss?"
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"Iiiiitttt... Ahem! It means, I think, that the behavior of things is dependent upon quantity. One grain of sand is a tiny rock, but get enough for an hourglass and it flows like water. Presumably the danger arises when there are sufficient quantities to demonstrate other properties.
Our task is going to be either simulating the conditions that make it dangerous or demonstrating an extrapolation of observable properties. At least we have a thesis now. Thanks Wamblee."
"Nnoooo- No problem. Ahem."
Thhhaaaaannnkkkk yyyoooouuuuu, Ooobbbddduuurraaaatteee.
Iniga:
Rentwyrth, with showy graciousness, allows you to play the Fire side taking Water for himself. After the first several turns, however, it becomes obvious he is the superior player. You lose both your golems, which Rentwyrth pays for with only a single tree.
Despite your loss of board position, you push forward with some very aggressive moves. Rentwyrth frowns, unsure what to make of the confident look in your eyes.
Iniga isn't very pleased that Rentwyrth is the superior player, she hates losing. She remembers losing the last game in the Meet and she was determined not to lose this time. Focusing hard, she projects absolute confidence, as if her losses were just stepping stones, calculated sacrifices on her way to a sure-fire victory.
Moving into the midgame, Iniga tries a different plan of attack, trying to catch Rentwyrth off guard. She isn't sure how her endgame will look compared with Rentwyrths superior skill, and thinks he might still hold the advantage. So she fixes Rentwryth with a particularly strong stare, trying to bluff the man that she sees an instant win into forcing an ill advised surrender.
"I see a forced checkmate on Water within the next five moves. Game is over Rentwryth, resign."
Iniga:
A crack in his smug composure. Just a crack. "Cac."
He makes a fast, ill-considered move. You take advantage, taking his powerful maelstrom piece at the cost of a mere flask. The game is effectively over.
Taking a deep breath, then releasing it. Gritted teeth, no longer smiling. "I'm an el of my word. What's on your mind?"
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Iniga gives Rentwyrth a smug smile of her own. "If you recall, I did warn you that you couldn't handle me. As for whats in my mind, to be perfectly honest I just enjoyed the satisfaction of winning, I didn't have a particular question in mind. I was going to ask you what your weakness would be but now I know that it seems to be me" she answers with a wink.
Iniga thinks for a moment before lighting up slightly "You know what? Why don't you tell me about cwmwl. I know the popular version, that its apparently the greatest thing against the Dark, but call me skeptical darling there's always an untold story behind the scenes that the public doesn't know, and its hardly the only thing hailed as the next big thing to win the war. Why don't you tell me all about it. Impress an ele."
Rentwyrth rolls his eyes. "Benny didn't say I invented that stuff, did he? I tell him again and again, keeping yer lies manageable is the key."
He sighs. "Lesse here...alright, so the guy who discovered the stuff, his name is Byron Cheme. Met the chap once, talks a mile a minute and has the social awareness of a drunken mole. That being said, he's brilliant."
"Now, you want to know about cwmwl. I'll tell ye true, I've seen it work on spawn myself, and it's the real stuff. Not a single beastie can survive it."
A pause. "But, and this is the best advice ye'll get all day, I'd stay the hell away from it. I've seen elens who work around the stuff too long, and they get a little batty. Maybe it's just how hard they're workin' themselves, but personally, I'm happy to make money off my investments in it and keep my distance. Satisfied?" His eyes are hard now. He obviously despises losing and giving up information for free.
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Iniga smiles plesently, (this time) not trying to be condescending but trying to be philosophical. "Rentwryth darling don't be upset. Its normal to lose from time to time. It is, after all, the only way we learn, and improve. I know you don't want to admit it, but eventually it gets boring being the smartest person in the room. Deep down, you want to be challenged. You need to be challenged and today it happened to be a pretty little ele like me the teaching. I'm sure you know how to find me if you get bored and want to resume sparring during a conversation once again."
Iniga nods politely and half turns, ready to go, before swiveling around again on her heel and her own eyes turn just as hard. "That was the pleasant, friendly advice, now here is the warning. I can see that look in your eyes and how much it burns that you lost tonight. Let it go. If you want to start retaliating for tonight, then be aware I'll finish it."
Iniga holds the line for a moment before softening her eyes. "Despite the somewhat boring start to the night, I did end up enjoying myself, thank you for the satisfying evening." she nods before turning away.
Marianne walks in, looking haggard. "Umm, I think Samoon got stolen by a cult."
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"Ugh, not again."
Not hearing--or perhaps ignoring--Samen's comment, "I managed to get the glasses. They're pretty nifty. But on the way back, this...march?...demonstration?...mob of sylphs, all yelling about cwmwl, and the next thing I know Samoon has shiny gray eyes and he's marching away like he doesn't even know me. I tried to pull him away, and he almost chucked a bomb at me." Her gaze is faraway, frightened.
Getting serious, Samen eyes dart like daggers into Marianne. "Sounds a lot like what happened at home. It also sounds a lot like what Obdurate was warning us about. Think hard, Mar. Was it just Sylphs enthralled, or were there other els as well? How are you untouched?"
Turning to Wamblee, "If it's safe Wamblee, we may need to go mug and/or kidnap our brother."
"Aye, Mar, Samen is right to ask. Regardless, I am ready to help Samoon whether he wills it or no."
"I didn't see everyone in a crowd of hundreds. This is a sylph town, and I saw sylphs. Judging from what they were wearing, I think they were all alchemists?"
She shoots a look back at you. "You have a problem, brother? I don't know why I wasn't affected. Perhaps my wit and charm?"
"Well, I saw the building he tromped off to. I'm up for a midnight excursion if you guys are."
"When Samoon is involved, absolutely."
"Indeed. Are we just going in and busting heads like usual? I don't really have any better ideas, but a mob is always dangerous, and a mind-controlled one doubly so. I guess we should get closer, then come up with a plan."
This night, the city of Light is a very different place. A place of barely restrained bedlam. The calm, working class alchemists and repair-els of the day are gone; they have been replaced with wild-eyed young sylphs, hanging upside-down from nets and wires, cackling like crows, faces lit crazily by glaring red celerity. The pops and crackles of celerity gone mad come more frequently now, illuminating birches and golems, sinister shapes in the twilit gloom. Broken laughter echoes off staid brick buildings. Vultures are everywhere, gathered on high perches with terrible patience.
Wamblee whispers:
"Violence can wait until it is necessary, though it usually is for us these days. Let us attempt to go unseen for now."
For just a moment, you sense a familiar presence - but it is gone, like smoke in the wind. You find yourself blushing for some reason.