I Shot The Sheriff, But We Didn't Start The Fire

War, war never changes. Its been burnin' since the world's been turnin'. The chims have been active leading up to the attack. There was the silence that accented the conflicct itself. The break in the tension when the communications resumed. Some things are better discussed in person and so it was recommended to meet up in Eas for a debrief as well as a healthy 'omgwtf' conference.

Haru arrives relatively shortly given the distance. His hair is frizzled. His clothes are frizzled. It looks like he lost a fight with an electric fence. Health wise, he is fine, thanks to talented healers, as he grabs a drink at fancy table inside. Hydrate!

    Wake has learned that some of her friends have no problem sending messages, regardless of former limitations. The new world is exciting and full of opportunities and danger.

    She waits at the inn in Eas, since the servants all were sent off to safety, the Dome isn't quite as ideal a place to meet. It is quiet, with no villagers here to be served, but the food is good and the atmosphere relatively relaxed. Not due to a lack of danger, but due to an understanding of it.

    At the moment, Wake is set at a table, looking over some writings. Whatever she sees, it brings no change to her expression. Whether good or bad, her serenity has stuck in place.

    "So you have fun, did you?" she says suddenly, allowing herself to smile. It must be a chim message. "She's positively adorable. I'm so glad you feel the same way! Oh? You are sending me something back?" She laughs then, "I... see. Well, I look forward to that."

No, they didn't light it, but they tried to fight it.

Those who were in the right place at the right time, anyway. Uta happened to be elsewhere, but at least she could do her part to take care of the injuried and frizzled afterwards. "I have no idea of what you have been up to," Uta mumbles at Haru, regardless of whether or not, or how many times, he related the story tou Uta -- she can be absent minded at times, "but please stop practicing for your cuddling sessions with Fuka by snuggling electric fences. It is not healthy." She swipes her menu open and produces a flask of healing potion. "Take a couple swigs of these after each meal, and call me in the morning," She says, extending it to the Artificer.

She casts a look at Baroness Wake. She's busy. Back to tending to Haru it is. "So, uh, where was this battle again?"

It is true that Haru gave the brief explaination of how things went. However it wouldn't be a true conversation amongst friends if there wasn't some natural dialog. The white haired Artificer extends for the healing potion from Uta. He laughs at the notion of /how/ he got the scorch marks. "Not healthy and not nearly as hot and electric, either," he says as he leans back with the tonic, kicking a bit back before the meal that Wake's mighty minions are working on. There is a glance from the one visible blue eye to Wake the same way Haru was used to phone calls in his family life. Have to wait until the call ends. When there is a pause he continues to answer Uta's question so both can hear.

"Port of Beginnings," Haru choses one of its names, "just," he motions in the cardinal direct that would be aproximate from where they sit, "over there. Two Palace Ships. Plenty of Troops. Two very strong'ns. One with so much electric fence Summoning that I had to cuddle it for training purposes."

    "Yes, dear, of course. I'll let you know how things go. I had best step away for now, though. I've got to see a girl about some slimes." A laugh rings out from Wake, then, "I will send her your hugs, of course. Talk to you soon, my beloved." There are some responses to listen to, and then Wake's attention settles on Haru and Uta.

    "So we won this time. I was delighted to hear all about it from Kauchemar and Prophylaxis. There is also some coordination we need to do, but it is quite promising. The good Queen's dear Sheriff found the price of meddling with Uta's work was higher than just the arm that was offered."

    That's Baroness humor. She should probably stick to business.

    "You have traveled far, however.. and.."

    She rises smoothly, gliding into her curtsey. "I bid you welcome. I am happy to see you, dear friends. I trust you are well?" For one reason or another, she's given Haru a bit of a once over, as if sizing the man up.

Uta inhales. Hold. Self control. She exhales.

"Port of Beginnings," she begins, calm. Her nerves want to burst. They are kept in check. It's in moment like these that one might possibly be remembered that Uta has, in fact, the Etiquette skill. "Overwhelming forces." Inhale. Hold. Self control. Exhale. "Report on casualties?", she asks.

When Wake curtsies, she hesitates for a moment. She looks down at her own self. It would appear that the new uniform/gi hybrid she's wearing, a gift from the Baroness, has a bit more of a skirt that the previous model, thus allowing for proper curtsying.

She then proceeds to curtsy back. Etiquette. "Lady Bombast..." she says, and continues, "I am as well as one can be in such circumstances. What about you?" A pause, and squinty eyes glancing off to the side. "...and what's that about the sheriff?"

There is a slooowwww turn of the head from Haru to Wake when she askes him if he is well. The crafter has scorch marks on his clothing, his hair, his face, and really does look like he got into a cuddling match with an electric fence. "No memory loss and no church trips, so doing peachy," the Artificer says and its true for the most part. He looks to Uta to give some gauge, "I would say the convoy assault where we were at a stalemate was worse, but the enemy forces brought out some artillery." There is a tap on the table, "including a fire bird." Tap. "I need to look into that. Phoenix Feathers have a lot of alchemical and accessory implications."

"The casualties were low," Haru shifts his blue eye from the distance back to Uta, to Wake, and back to Uta. Likely if Proph and Kau have reported, they are more detailed. "The ships were spotted very early and it was not a big port to evacuate. There are blessings to be counted."

    "Kauchemar met the sheriff," explains the Baroness, as is that is all the explanation needed. "The sheriff departed afterward. In haste. No slimes or slime homes were lost in the process."

    "The question I have, though, is what the attack was about, and if we were victorious, or merely being kept busy. They have so much power that they could be up to something else, and the imagination tends to run wild. My eyes and ears are active, but the network is far from all-encompassing."

    She pushes it aside with a brief mental effort and then settles back into a seat. "Please, be comfortable." She makes a gesture towards the bar to call for food and drink.

    "I tend to be rather distracted, but I'm doing my best to manage events and find a path forward." In fact, one of those distraction claims her attention again. "Apologies. Chimlink."

    She will rise and cede the table to her friends, stalking away to have her conversation.

"Oh, good ol' Kauch. I'll have to buy her some rocks of salt." Pause. "...wait, no, that might be considered offensive. Maybe?" A pause shile she scratches her chin and looks up and away. "...I think I will compromise on pretzels."

"...the Peko Ranch," Uta says, in a low voice, as the sudden realization hits. "The Peko Ranch is safe?" She phews. "Good. But... yes. One wonders about the actual goal of the attack was. I could expect they might have wanted to secure a strategic port, but..." She trails off, hand circling in the air.

She gives the Baroness a nod in acknowledgement when the chimlinks call for her attention. "Glad to hear we had no losses," she says to Haru. "A fire bird...", she trails off. "...that sounds definitely something worth investigating. Was it a monster?" She lowers her head a little. "...what kind of Artillery?"

"Everything is safe," Haru says in even, calm words for someone waiting the universal cosmetic overlay of 'held onto power lines'. "Well," he says, talking with his hands as he motions them up and down, "some buildings did get burned. The attacks were very, very potent Air and Fire based. Nothing that can't be repaired or replaced." A deep breath and an exhale there. When he puts it that way, the conflict ended with very good results.

Haru watches Wake go and take care of business. It doesnt bother him. He is very used to it. "My father used to do the same thing," he notes, idly. It isn't exactly nostalgie in his tone, but it is a sense of familiarity of what it means to be so busy with the demands of leadership. Taking care of business. Everyday.

"There are some theories on the goal," the white haired Artificer says as he relaxes into the drink and meal when it gets provided for the table. "The Palace Landers still have to cross a lot of water to move troops over. A port has military value. A port to move troops closer to the tower? Double so." It is a guess, but an educated one. "So we are thinking the same thing there. A lot of the stars lined up," he motions a fork at Uta before grabbing a potato with it.

Then there is the aforementioned avian. "It seemed sad," Haru says to his po-tot. "A monster summon, yes. Houng Feng Hooo," he says to Uta, "if those mean anything. Didnt leave any feathers for me to check into, thats more my forte. So I'm checking books next." He monches on his meal, swallowing and noting, "Magical Artillery. Like. The fire bird scorching down swaths of area. Full on lightning storms." Fork scrapes against the plate. He is still not pleased about how he performed, but its not unlike Haru to be hard on himself there. "Really powerful stuff."

"Raining fire and lightning from the sky, high level monsters, high level warriors, major firepower, no mercy... or at least none we are aware of...", Uta trails off, counting on her fingers.

And sighs. "It's... it's in moments like these I kind of regret having fixated on slimes for all this time. The Otherworlders dump monsters that take a ridiculous amount of Adventurers just to -manage-, the Palace Landers have bomber jet fire birds, and I... I..."

A tabby slime wobbles into sight from under the table. Uta, teeth gnashed, holds her hands in front of herself, -almost- pointing at the slime with both of them... she shakes them, but is ultimately incapable of finishing the gesture. Instead, she sighs, and gives the slime a couple pats on the head, before picking up her chopsticks and beginning to attack a bowl of peas. "...I can't stay mad at it."

The little monster, possibly noticing that the Spriggan is dealing with food, slithers closer and begins to wobble around her feet, even rubbing against her boots.

"Nope, sorry," Uta says, without even looking up from the dish. "As much as I appreciate the Baroness's generosity and attempt at creating a convivial atmosphere, we mustn't forget that we're at war, and rations must be conserved." She nudges the Monster away from under the table. "Go outside and dissolve something inedible for imans."

    Wake is kept away for some time, that is sure, but she seems to be remarkably attentive to what is going on around her. Catching sight of the slime being nudged away, she pauses at the bar to scoop up a bowl full of leftovers.

    "Keep me updated. I want to know how and which roads they mean to use before they even have it figured out." She's not agitated, but she is energized. During the space of her next pause, she settles the bowl on the floor and rather casually nudges it under a bar stool with her left foot. The scent will hopefully be enough to attract the slime.

    "Be flexible. Be patient. They want to conquer, let them. The more they have to hold, the less rest they will have and the more vulnerable they will be. Yes. Yes. Continue to do as ordered. I will be in touch. Farewell."

    She turns to look back at Uta and Haru. Seeing them brings an expression to her face that is rather complicated to interpret.

    "Fighting a war with children... I never thought it would be this desperate again," she says gently.