Celi shrugs at Laria's question. "I'm not sure. But the tengu were in the next room, more than close enough to hear us fighting the bird creature, and none of them came to join in. Wouldn't they have helped the creature if they were on its side? Or attacked us when we said we killed it?" She heads down the stairs at the halfling's prompting.
The Fushi sisters look to one another, weighing Rose's words. "You must need a lot of help if you're willing to take us in like this." Jay says dryly.
As she speaks, Celi returns with Laria, who looks very serious. "You're not wrong." She says, expression more serious than is her wont. "So. What exactly are you four doing here in my base, and what happened since you arrived?"
The four tengu swiftly explain - Chough, their adopted sister, killed the wrong people in Riddleport, prompting a swift escape with Nam's aid. He brought them into the Wasp Nest alongside his usual smuggled goods, then Chough went berserk, killing him.
"And now," Jay concludes, "we've been stuck here for the last few days. We can't swim out even if we wanted to find the way ourselves, thanks to the alligator, and Nam's the only person we know here."
"If..." Korva eyes Laria warily. "Would you be willing to allow us to work here?"
Laria looks at the Ravens. "I'm not the only person who can decide on it." She says bluntly. "What do you four think?" Laria doesn't seem happy about the idea of letting them do so, but she's also clearly aware that it's not fair to blame the tengu, and that the Ravens need all the help they can get.
"I believe that we're going to need all the help we can get," Rose replies. "These ladies are looking for a place to belong and assisting us in our efforts on Kintargo's behalf could be the place they're looking for."
Ghorza nodded. ”This city is home to all of us. Anyone willing to work to free it should be allowed to. And they’ve given us no reason to turn them away.”
"I think we should give them a chance. As outsiders, they have no reason to side with Thrune."
"Well, there you have it." Laria says, looking at the Fushi sisters. "If you're willing to work with us, we'll take what help we can get." She smiles somewhat tiredly. "I think I know what your first task should be." The halfling glances back towards the waters.
Korva winces. "Couldn't we leave it there as security?" She asks.
"Only if you know how to keep it from attacking people we want to allow here." Laria says. "Besides, we need to get Nam's body."
"I hear that specialists have been able to condition crocigators to discriminate between friend and foe," Rose offers as she gives Laria a nod. "Unfortunately, I don't have a passing acquaintance with anyone of that nature. So tis the blade."
She leads the newcomers back out to the underground pier.
"You know your own capabilities better than anyone," she says. "So we'll be depending on you to step in when you can do the most good."
She draws her rapier and whips it back and forth through the air.
"Whenever you're ready, ladies," she says to the others.
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Adolina frowns and hovers awkwardly towards the back of the pier. Her only weapon is a rapier, which is no good against an enemy she can't see. She tries to muster a smile for the tengu, but it comes out more as a grimace.
That might be a good thing. They're birds - baring my teeth might be a threat gesture? This is not a helpful train of thought and she knows it, but Adolina's thoughts often run away with her when she's nervous.
"Don't worry overmuch, my lady," Rose says over her shoulder to a visibly nervous Adolina. "We have the beast outnumbered and I'm reasonably confident that we're smarter than it could ever hope to be."
She reaches back her right hand and grasps the woman's hand, giving it a comfortable squeeze before taking up a defensive stance and shifting her buckler into position.
Celi sighs and releases the safety on her crossbow, checking to make sure the bolt is correctly loaded. Another round of shooting at an enemy and missing wildly. Yay.
”We spread out.” The dwarf said. ”I stand in front of Celi. She shoots and brings it in. Everyone else surrounds it and we take it down.” She reasoned that with numbers, the beast could be quickly brought down.
The women prepare to fight the alligator, setting up for the attack.
Celi fires her crossbow down into the waters at the alligator. The small bolt whizzes through the air, slipping easily past the wood beneath the piers, and strikes home in a sensitive part of the alligator's skin. It emits a low growl-hiss, clearly angry.
The reptile explodes forwards, the waters splashing as it lunges towards the women, but Ghorza is ready to strike home, and lands a heavy blow that stabs through its armored hide, enraging the beast more. It erupts from the water, snapping at the dwarf with its powerful maw. Fortunately, the dwarf is able to step out of its reach, using the lip at the edge of the Wasp Nest's "shore" as cover.
Not expecting quite as much splashing as the beast is engaged in, Rose nevertheless stabs valiantly at the scaled reptile.
The jaws of the beast snapped shut, but the dwarf stepped back in time. Her pick raised, she brought it down upon it’s snout, hitting it just as it shut closed.
Adolina advances, thrusting at the pale white reptile, but her rapier deflects off of its scales. However, Rose is more successful, stabbing it in the softer part of its hide and prompting an angry rumble-hiss.
Korva rushes down the pier with the born confidence of a naturally agile woman, a strange shaped knife gleaming in her hand. She slips down off the pier, gripping it with one hand, and slashes at the alligator's vulnerable flank. However, it skids off of the creature's scales, and she swiftly yanks herself back onto the dock before it can respond. "Dammit!"
Jay , steps forwards, a bow in one hand. Drawing back the string, she fires at the alligator from afar, but (perhaps predictably), the arrow deflects off of the floor between them.
Maggie rapidly repositions, joining Adolina and her sister on the pier. "Doesn't look like there's much left of the thing! Get it!"
Threep hesitates, then advances to join up with the women on the dock. "You can stand back, miss." She says to Adolina.
Celi loads a bolt into her crossbow and takes aim once more. This shot will be harder, with people fighting it in melee, but you never know! She might get lucky again.
...or not.
Celi fires off her crossbow again, but this time she's not quite so lucky, and it splashes into the water near the alligator rather than striking home.
The beast hisses, sinking back towards the depths of the water as it attempts to swim away. However, Ghorza is swift, and strikes at it, piercing it through its rib cage and into its lung. With a pathetic wheeze, the creature falters, slowly falling into unconsciousness as its blood stains the waters.
"That went well." Korva says slowly. "You all are quite skilled." Though she says 'all,' it's pretty clear that she's speaking mostly to Ghorza.
"While we all possess useful skills, Miss Thursisdottir really shines when it comes to the old 'rough and tumble'," Rose offers with a nod towards the dwarf. She glances back at Laria . "You wouldn't happen to know someone skilled in specialty leatherworking, would you?" she asks. "I'm sure that this crocigator would make for a really nice pair of boots and perhaps a fashionable belt."
Setting aside her cloak and blade and slipping off her own boots, Rose enters the water to retrieve what can be retrieved.
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Adolina is already retreating at Threep's words when Ghorza brings her pick down for the final time and ends the alligators scaly existence. That means her embarrassed flush at Kova's clearly directed compliment goes largely unnoticed - much to her internal relief.
"B-b-boot?" She manages to say after a few moments, hoping that someone else will realise what she means without the necessity of saying any more words right now. Her still clean blade goes back in its sheathe and she shifts a little from side to side before realising that she's fidgeting and schooling herself into immobility.
Then Rose hops into the water and Adolina finds herself unable to look away.
Ghorza smiled at the compliments. While she didn’t especially feel like a warrior, it felt good to be acknowledged. However, talk of making boots from the creature did make her pause. The merchant in her recognized that some gold could be made from the corpse. The only question was whether someone could come in time. She thought about her old contacts, and if there were any nearby that could be trusted.
Celi puts her crossbow away, then casts detect magic again to direct Rose to wherever the magic boots have ended up.
"None I'm willing to explain where I got an albino crocodile hide to." Laria responds. "You did well - I'm not exactly in practice any more, and I can only do so much with my bare hands." She waves her hands to demonstrate her lack of weaponry.
Celi and Rose manage to recover the boot in what is a messy experience, but effective. Still, both boots are somewhat stained - both with blood and other less savory substances. Laria presses the Fushi sisters into helping her recover Nam's corpse for burial - or at least some sort of funeral.
The Ravens also discover a hidden drawer in the base of the idol, beneath the water line. There are a handful of scrolls that have been soaked into uselessness, but a golden holy symbol of Calistria and a finely crafted whip are largely unharmed.
Dripping wet from the chest down, Rose shakes out her socks before carefully slipping her boots back on. "Now while that was brisk, I'm going to have to take my leave to dry out," she says with a smirk. She retrieves her cloak and sword before approaching Adolina.
"It has been a lovely afternoon, Lady d'Jhaltera," she says with a tip of her head. "I hope to do it again soon. Without the cold dip afterwards, of course." Her eyes crinkle with the smile under her mask. There's a slight pause before she leans in close and whispers in the woman's ear.
She leans back and nods at the woman again before turning to Ghorza.
"Miss Thursisdottir," she addresses the dwarf respectfully before presenting her blade with both hands. "It has come to our attention that you were the fine woman to craft this elegant weapon. You would have our everlasting gratitude if you could bring this blade up to the level that it's cause warrants."
Her tasks complete, she gives a bow to Celi, Laria, and the tengu sisters before exiting the sub-cellar.
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Why did I do that? I'm so stupid! Why would she want to have dinner with me? She's a noblewoman, I'm sure she's got suitors barging down her door. I shouldn't have said anything.
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Adolina blushes, stammers, falls silent, nods mutely and then panics as Rose slips away to speak to Ghorza.
Why did I do that? I'm so stupid! Why would she want to have dinner with me? She's brilliant and has an amazing voice, I'm sure she's got suitors banging down the door. I shouldn't have said yes.
She dithers hopelessly for another minute or two until Rose has departed and only breathes properly once the vigilante has left. She resolves to speak more to the tengu at a later date and heads upstairs to drink a soothing cup of tea.
Thankfully her clothes are in a reasonable state - not as good as she'd like, but good enough for an informal setting like Laria's coffeehouse. So she gets a good table near the window and sips her way slowly through a cup of tea until it's empty and her mind has calmed somewhat.
What do I say? Am I right? Yes, I'm right. Her eyes. It's her eyes - it's a good disguise but those eyes. Oh gods I sound like a love-sick schoolgirl, but I'm right. I'm sure. I just have to ask her outright. Be clear that I know. There's no point beating around the bush. We have to just be clear, from the beginning.
Her introspection is so deep that she doesn't even react until a hand rests lightly on her shoulder and then a familiar face settles into the seat opposite. Adolina meets the eyes of the smiling woman across from her, tries desperately to think of something clever and finds dangerously blunt.
"Hello Rose."
To Ginetta's credit, she doesn't even stiffen at Adolina's address.
She takes a seat, making herself comfortable, sets her bag near her seat, and then adjusts her cloak. Straightening her dress, she raises a hand in a comfortable gesture to bring one of the besieged girls over to order a warm mug of cider. Only when the girl heads back into the fray to retrieve her order does Ginetta meet Adolina's eyes.
"So how long have you known?" she asks after a long analytical silence. Adolina's answer is interrupted by the serving girl returning with a simple ceramic mug. Wrapping her hands around the warm material, Ginetta takes strength from the heat that seeps into her bones. "I must apologize. That water was colder than I would have liked and I still haven't warmed up. Rose would never complain, but ... brrr.." She shudders as emphasis.
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She has enough presence of mind to not finish the sentence but then the silence stretches far too long, like so many have in her life. It isn't that Adolina doesn't want to say something. This woman is a colleague, a friend even and someone who likes her. Maybe. If she isn't misreading the signals. Making this work matters to Adolina, more than she can easily admit, even to herself. So she sits silently and ties herself slowly, but surely into terrified knots.
Ginetta leans closer. "What did you notice?" she asks, her voice low, but intense. "I can't have anything that ties me to her. Please don't leave me in suspense." Keeping her eyes locked on Adolina, she raises the mug to her lips to take a small sip. An eyebrow raises in question.
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After another few moments of silence, she turns back to Adolina and leans in even closer. "So what do you think of her? Rose, I mean. I worry that she comes across a little over the top at times, but I needed someone very different than me. She's sort of a cross between Isolde from A Storm Comes To Magnimar, Jennica Marsk from Three Stories, Two Nights, and little dash of Timone the Younger from Something Different, Something Special - without the insanity, of course.
She takes another sip from her mug and eyes Adolina up and down.
"So you know my biggest secret. You'll have to tell me one of yours. It's only fair."
Her lip curls up into a smile and she scoot her stool around so she's sitting right next to the young woman. "Don't worry," she whispers. "I'm good at keeping secrets."
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"I've never been kissed." She whispers, breathing out the secret almost unintentionally.
The slight intake of breath the statement triggers brings Adolina back to her senses and mortification rushes over her in an irresistible wave.
"Oh, look at the time. I really must be going. Else I'll never make it back before the curfew. I'm terribly sorry but its much later than I thought." Adolina starts to rise, suddenly desperate to be anywhere but where she is right now. "Please, your meal is on me. I just need to-"
"No, you don't have to ..." Ginetta begins to protest, but the young woman is already slipping out the doorway, " ... go."
I knew this was stupid. She's not interested in me. She's only interested in Rose. But ... wait ... she knows that I'm Rose. Why would she ...?
"Gah!" Ginetta exclaims in frustration causing nearby patrons to look up in surprise. She throws some coins on the table and grabs her bag and cloak before making her way out into the cold.
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Slipping into the warm but dusty second floor flat that smelled strongly of paint and turpentine, Ginetta moved quietly around standing canvases and crates to the open space in the center of the area. A tiny woodstove off to one side provided the warmth that filled the air and the fading sunlight that streamed through the clouded skylight illuminated a large canvas on the opposite side of the space and the elf that stood in contemplation before it.
The elf was dressed in simple, paint-stained shift and chewed on the end of a worn brush as she gazed at the partially finished abstract in front of her. Her hands, arms, and bare feet were splattered with various colors of paint that matched the scheme of the work in progress.
Ginetta knew better then to interrupt the woman while she was working, so she busied herself searching through a nearby chest retrieving some slightly stale bread and cheese. A little wine from one of the scattered bottles made for simple fare and she arranged it on a box and waited. Surprisingly, it was only another half-hour or so before the woman broke from her reverie and noticed her presence.
"Depuis combien de temps es-tu ici, ma fée?" she questioned before noticing the arrayed food. "Merci, mon amour." Slipping a piece of cheese into her mouth, she raised an eyebrow at Ginetta.
"Not long, maman," Ginetta replied with a shrug. As her mother continued to nibble on pieces of bread and stare at her with her huge elvish eyes, Ginetta squirmed. "Yes, okay? I need advice. It's ... it's about a girl."
The elf nodded knowingly and smiled. "Est-ce à propos de ... It is Mademoiselle Izbasa, n'est-ce pas?"
Ginetta frowned and looked away. "No." Before her mother could question further, Ginetta explained her most recent encounter with Adolina in a big rush of words - glossing over the rebellion aspects. "... and then she ran out," she concludes.
Her mother laughed. Light and merry with not a care in the world, she draw her daughter into her arms. "Ma belle, talentueuse et rebelle fille. Comment peux-tu être si stupide en amour?"
"Wait, did you just call me stupid?" Ginetta questioned, her mother's elvish coming faster than she could parse.
Her mother kissed the top of her head and leaned back enough to meet her gaze. "Elle voulait que tu l'embrasses." At Ginetta's frown of incomprehension, the woman repeated in Taldane, "She wanted you to kiss her."
"No, that's not ... she didn't ... really?"
"You missed your moment, ma fée. If you get another chance, do not be so hésitante. Only the bold claim the prizes of this world." With the light coming through the ceiling fading, the elf moved away from Ginetta to light two lanterns on a bench and returned to gaze at the partially finished painting.
Understanding her mother's moods more than most and recognizing that she wouldn't make it back to her father's home without being accosted by overly enthusiastic patrols, Ginetta made her way to the cot in the corner and after straightening the rough blankets, curled herself up for the night. Thoughts of expressive brown eyes and long dark hair filling her thoughts as sleep eluded her.
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It wasn’t expensive to rent space at a forge. While they were not exactly plentiful, it wasn’t hard to find a blacksmith willing to accept some gold to take a break. Especially as she had brought her own tools and was using her own materials.
She stared at the rapier, looking at it with a critical eye. It had been her first, and she was proud of it for that reason alone. But she had learned much of her craft since then, and already she could see the ways in which it could be improved. The weapon was disassembled and laid out on the workbench as if though she were a surgeon, preparing for delicate work.
Throughout the day she worked, refusing to tire. She had lost her own forge. She had lost her home, her profession, her sense of self. What she was doing was more than just work. It was making a statement. About who she was and how the city could not take that from her. It was a statement as towards what would happen to those who tried.
The blade was folded and tempered until it rang with each pass of the hammer. The hilt was bound, not with regular leather, but rather with the hide of the crocodile that they had slain, making it both supple and strong. And the guard? It was turned into a curling flourish of iron vines, chased with silver, which ended with a rose that grew into the blade itself.
When her toils had finally ceased the sun had set and she required her dark vision to see. All that was left was to test its flex, balance and its bite. Once finished, all that was left was to sheathe the gleaming blade and to give it to its owner.
Masterwork. That was how it would have been marketed, if it had been made for sale. But that was not its purpose. No, the blade was to be for a far more practical use. She smiled in satisfaction as she turned to leave.
Laria tells the Ravens to get some rest - though she does conscript the Fushi sisters into helping her get Nam a proper funeral and then in cleaning up the Wasp Nest. They (especially the tengu) welcome any other help in doing so, since it's a fairly big job, all things told.
Two days after the Ravens cleared out the Wasp Nest, those who are not staying there receive a message from the silver raven statuette that they left with Laria, asking them to come to the Wasp Nest to begin the real work of running the rebellion.
This time, they have been appraised of the way through the storm drains into the Wasp Nest, and Laria encourages them to take the chance to come in that way - there's only so many times she can get excuses for them coming in from the front, even before the Coffeehouse opens.
Ghorza wakes up feeling a bit crappy, her muscles sore and her breath slightly short, but is still able to function at full capacity.
The Wasp Nest is considerably more inviting now than it was on their first arrival, with torches blazing in each of the sconces along the walls, the corpse-y smell disappearing entirely, and the majority of the ruined furniture in the bunk rooms (the large northeastern chambers) having been pushed off into a large pile on the side, while the remaining furniture has been rearranged to compensate for its loss.
Laria, Rexus, and the Fushi sisters have all gathered before the rest of the Ravens complete the crew, and after Laria serves some warm pastries and coffee to those who want it, she begins. "So, now that we've made the Wasp Nest somewhat livable, it's time we discussed our next broad steps, but before that, we've a few things to discuss. Rexus?"
"I must thank Miss Korva, as she was able to break open the mystery box that we found in the Livery." Rexus says, offering the tengu a winning smile. Korva waves it away, but seems pleased nonetheless. "Inside are a large number of documents, and a handful of magical scrolls that might prove useful to our endeavors." He places the scrolls on the table around which they've gathered, identifying each as he does so.
"Unfortunately, all of the other documents are in some sort of cipher, which I've not yet had the chance to fully decode. It's a mixture of Elven, Celestial, and Strix of all things, at least so far as I can tell, so translating it is a bit of a chore." He chuckles. "But I'm sure I'll manage." The smile fades. "I also found another magical page, but I can't discern anything about it other than that there's an aura of transmutation about it. It's otherwise largely unremarkable."
He slides the document onto the table for the women to examine, looking specifically at Adolina and Celi. "If either of you have any insight into it, I'd be most grateful, Miss Wordsmith, Adolina."
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Adolina takes the paper, murmurs soft words of magic and then begins experimenting. After a couple of minutes she leans over to Celi and speaks quietly in her ear. It is only once the gnome nods her agreement that Adolina speaks up - loud enough for everyone to hear, eventually.
"This paper is - This is enchanted with a spell to obscure the writing. It's more than just a code. This matters a lot to someone. We should take it to a wizard who can dispel it." She pauses to look around the room. "I can do that. I'll say I was doing research in an old family library."
She offers Rexus a smile. "If you have a d-dictionary I can help with the translating too. I d-don't know much celestial but my strix is good." She looks down and blushes for some reason.
With her mother's words still echoing in her head, Ginetta lounges on one of the couches, watching silently as Adolina offers to translate some of the found papers.
Gods, she's adorable when she blushes.
"I know someone that can translate elvish," she offers. "Mine's ... barely passable? Hers is flawless."
As Ginetta's heading out of the hidden base, she pauses next to Adonlina.
"You'll have to tell me why you learned strix. I'm sure there's an interesting story there," she comments with a grin.
Rexus frowns slightly, stroking his beard. "Curious... this could be the most important part, then, of our find..." He glances at Laria.
"I'm not sure I know of any wizard or other mage that I'd trust to dispel an illusion on a document that might be critical to the Ravens' functioning. If it's some sort of critical intelligence or the like, it'll get you more attention than you might like, Adolina." Laria says, then glances at Celi. "Well, I'd trust you, Celi, but I'm assuming you can't dispel it at the moment? We can look into it, certainly."
The nobleman nods, then looks back to Adolina. "If you're willing to spend some time helping me decipher the texts, I'd be more than happy to get any assistance you can offer." He grins. "Just like old times in the Academy."
Celi spends the next two days in a haze of research, first within her own collection and then at the Alabaster Academy's library. Kirenna might not be there anymore, but the librarian knows Celi. Both as Kirenna's friend, and as an occasional guest lecturer on Gnome language and culture. She needs to know more about nature, so as to identify creatures like the giant bird-thing. The Dwarven language might help with communication in battle, if they need to bring down a building someone needs to know the basics of engineering, and of course she needs to keep working on her magic and magical lore.
Oh, and somewhere in there, she needs to find a place to practice her aim. Good thing Celi can see in the dark. Who needs sleep when they have good strong black tea?
The gnome is cheerful as usual, but somewhat sleep deprived and disheveled with a manic gleam in her eyes. She greets everyone, then sits down to listen to what Rexus has to say.
"I must thank Miss Korva, as she was able to break open the mystery box that we found in the Livery." Rexus says, offering the tengu a winning smile. Korva waves it away, but seems pleased nonetheless. "Inside are a large number of documents, and a handful of magical scrolls that might prove useful to our endeavors." He places the scrolls on the table around which they've gathered, identifying each as he does so.
"Ooh, very nice!" Celi examines each scroll. "I can't use pass without trace- not a wizard spell, you know- and the other two are a little advanced for me yet. I'm working on it though! I have some new spells to play with now!"
"I'm not sure I know of any wizard or other mage that I'd trust to dispel an illusion on a document that might be critical to the Ravens' functioning. If it's some sort of critical intelligence or the like, it'll get you more attention than you might like, Adolina." Laria says, then glances at Celi. "Well, I'd trust you, Celi, but I'm assuming you can't dispel it at the moment? We can look into it, certainly."
The wizard shakes her head. "I'm afraid not. Like I said, I'm working on improving my skills."
With her work finished, Ghorza finally felt the full effects of the disease. Knowing that she was not exactly useful when it came to anything resembling linguistics, she quietly resolved to get the rest needed to recover from the disease that ailed her.
Laria nods at Celi's comment, then sighs. "We'll look into it, then. Maybe our new agents can get some insight into it?" She looks at the Fushi sisters.
"I think we could look into it, if you want us to." Korva says, tilting her head.
"Though we could also spend some time, erm... reappropriating some money or supplies from the CCG or the dottari." Maggie says, slightly cocky.
"Let's not antagonize the dottari just yet, but it's definitely something to take under consideration." Rexus interjects.
Laria grins. "I like the way you think, Maggie, but Rexus is right - for now, anyways. Speaking of which..." Her expression grows serious. "I've got a... well, it's too much to call it a plan, but an outline of what I think we'll need to do to get Kintargo's freedom - it's independence, even.
"Right now, we've got to focus on rallying support from the populace and recruiting members. Ten people does not a rebellion make, and all that. I have a few suggestions on where to start with that, and-" She looks at the nobleman.
"... I don't have any yet, but I'll see if there's anything we find in the documents that gets us insight." Rexus says.
"Alright." Laria nods, then looks at the women. "You might also have heard of other things that we can go do - we want to help the downtrodden of the city, seek out dissidents to recruit, show Kintargo that the Ravens are back and want what's good for the city and its people." Laria continues.
"We'll also keep our ears to the ground for any rumors that we could pursue." Korva adds.
"Good. I know of a few people who desperately need some help, but for the moment, let's focus on the big picture." Laria drums her fingers on the table. "After we've got a big enough support base, we'll want to find some place to stay. The Wasp Nest is a good enough outpost for a small organization, but, uh, not something the size we'll need for our rebellion. I don't have any ideas for that, but let's cross the bridge when we get there."
Laria takes a breath. "Once we're a secure movement within the city, we'll want to gather regional support - the rest of Ravounel needs to support us, and not Thrune, otherwise the city'll collapse right back into their hands. We'll need the aristocratic families on our side - or sidelined." She glances at Adolina, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry about that yet, dear. That'll be quite some ways away."
"Finally, we'll need to take back the city - hit Thrune and the Churches of Asmodeus and Zon-Kuthon, rescue important political prisoners. This would be open rebellion, and we need to be prepared before doing anything like that. Otherwise, we'll probably fail and spark some serious retribution that will only hurt everyone. After that, well... we'll figure it out when we get there." She glances around the table. "Thoughts? Questions? Concerns?"
”It seems to me, that to do anything we need to be known.” Ghorza said. ”We can’t hit Thrune. We’d die. But we can go after smaller targets. Make a name for ourselves with the people and build. For example, the Red Jills control Redroof, and they’re as bad as Thrune in their own ways. If we can remove them, then it would prove to the people that change is possible. That…and if we can’t handle a gang, then the actual government is impossible.”
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"L-later..." Adolina whispers, wishing that the floor would swallow her up instead.
Adolina's eyes flick across Rexus' face but she doesn't say anything as he omits something from the group. You aren't telling them things either.
Then Laria starts talking about something that scares Adolina far more than legions of devils ever could - the aristocracy. Thankfully this is accompanied by immediate reassurance and the tightness in her chest loosens somewhat.
"M-maybe we sh-should try the harbor." She suggests. "See what happened to the public house."
"Ooh, that's a good idea. And maybe some of the people who used to go to the Thrashing Badger would be willing to join us. They catered to the academic type, I might know some of them. Or they might know Kirenna and want to help find her." Celi twists a lock of pinkish-purple hair around her finger as she thinks. "I learned a new spell that I can use to gather information, too. Ears of the city. It can show me bits of past events and conversations about a specific topic."