Getting Down to Business

    Amidst the many concerns of a Baroness, matters of the state are often the most pressing. However, even with war going on, there are some things that are of vital importance to Wake personally. For this reason, she is seeking for someone with a certain set of skills. Particularly the ability to operate effectively beneath the waves.

    Via shared connections, Wake has reached out to Jazuhanzu, hoping they might meet to discuss deeply important matters. So to speak. But there is the matter of the war, as well, and the Unconquered have many needs.

It's not hard to reach out to Jazz. Enough people know the twee Undine that reaching out to her is pretty possible. She agrees to head into Eas -- it's been quite some time since she'd been there -- to meet with the Baroness.

The somber sea-witch arrives, eyes downcast towards the ground in thought. A scrollcase is tucked under one arm. The edge of the village is her destination. Not like she doesn't cut a striking figure for Wake to be alerted to her imminent arrival, too. The purple hair and witch-maid garb is enough.

    Wake's home is rather empty these days, though supporting forces are starting to arrive. It's a wierd thing to have Eas thus occupied, even if the forces are supporting.$r$r$tWake can be found near a new addition - the Hall of Arts. The dedication to The Beautiful One includes a statue, an enormous theater, and an arcade in which artwork from all over Yamato has been gathered.

    The Baroness is sitting in front of the statue, reaching down to idly stroke her fingertips through the waters at its feet.

    She inevitably is made aware of Jazz's arrival. Her people know how to direct guests and clearly expected the undine to arrive.

    Wake, as is her wont, rises and offers a flawless curtsey, appearing to nearly float as she spreads her skirts. "Welcome to Eas, Jazuhanzu," she calls out calmly.

She stops, of course, to stare at the statue of the Beautiful One. She lets out a sigh, tips her hat in its direction, and then turns to make her way towards Wake. "Yeah, a fine welcome at that." A glance further into the village and in the direction of the castle.

"So, Baroness, what can I do for you?" Her hair, and the tentacles that are intertwined with it, seem to move of their own accord, a gentle wafting in the air like she remains underwater even now.

    "I need your help," replies Wake. It's a simple enough thing to admit. At least this time. She looks past Jazz to see some soldiers in the distance. The soldiers of a Duke in Eas. Strange times and it bothers her pride.

    "First, do you need any refreshment? Are you hungry or thirsty from the journey?" Once that is settled, she goes on.

    "I seek something. That is the first matter. I seek.. another of these." She holds, for a moment, a rose of perfect beauty. The Witherless Rose. "I have recently learned that I might be able to find a second one.. and then there is, of course, the matter of the Palace Lands."

"No, I'm fine," says Jazz, wearily. She is plainly not fine. In fact, even a simple inspect will show the 'fatigued' state is on her person. But she doesn't seem to notice, or maybe she's just used to it.

The rose gets her eyes to fix on it for a moment and she just sort of stares at it. Then she looks at the Statue. Then? Then the rose. Then the staute.

"Witherless. Yeah, I can see. It doesn't decay like normal, then? No shattering into pixels?" She steps towards her to have a closer look. "I haven't seen one on my own travels, but if you have a place you want me to go look, I can, or identify a similar location to where you found the first one.."

    "Well, the place is the Collosseum, and I am hoping you are willing to join me there sometime soon. There is supposed to be a part of it that requires someone who excels at diving. So.."

    The Baroness smiles then, studying Jazz's fatigued state. "Are you.. alright, dear? You seem to be a bit under the weather." She is used to things like strange moods, and has been known to push herself too hard from time to time besides.

    "Beyond that, how are you currently dealing with our unwanted Palance Land guests?"

"Well, I am an undine. I'm about as good at diving as any other undine. If I have an advantage, it's because of my particular set of magical talents with water magic."

Jazz puts a finger to her chin in thought, her tentacles curling at their tips into question marks.

"I'm fine, really. I've been on the move a lot. The Palace Lands... well ... I helped open the door to them being here, so I can't say I'm taking all this particularly well."

    "You cannot be blamed for that," replies Wake matter-of-factly. "But, if you want to work off your frustration with them, I have some ideas. You mentioned water magic. What other skills do you have? I have operations going on all over Yamato at the moment. Perhaps you can help. We could use a little help destroying ships here and there."

"I'm a Sea-Witch, Baroness, but most of my time is spent mapping Yamato. I have maps of ... well, lots of things. And the Palace Lands as well. And I absolutely can be blamed for it and wouldn't be surprised if anyone did. They'd be right to. It just means I have to work hard to help repel them. That's my responsibility. And to help save others from the danger of Crowning." She scowls, briefly, at the very word. Even her scowls make her anime-tweee.

"I don't think my skills are enough to destroy *ships*, but I'm happy to assist."

    "I have a pirate fleet, can you help us strike them from cover? Can you make us faster than they expect?" Wake is focused, that's for certain. She knows exactly what she needs.

    She looks lost in thought and trails off for a moment, then. "I imagine a sea-witch with excellent maps can do much to help my people strike back. Are they maps to great detail, that might help us know when and where we can make safe houses and hideouts?"

"Yeah, I can help. I've got a number of tools I can put to work. My air magic is not my strongst suit, but yes. This I can do some of."

Jazz gives a sharp nod, here, more than glad to be of assistance in pushing back the Palace Landers. Pirate fleet? Yeah, sure. She can roll with that.

    The Baroness pauses for a time before answering, though she is smiling. Her attention shifts to Jazuhanzu. Those eyes focus on the undine carefully. She's past business, now, and on to..

    "So you put the weight of all this on your own shoulders, then." She frowns in thought, eyes looking down at her hands for a moment. "That's.. quite a burden to bear, isn't it?"

"..*all* on my shoulders? No, of course not, but I opened the door and let them in, so there's a responsibility there. A responsibility to help push them back out and so what we can for the Crowned, if we can free them. That coukld happen to any of us ... *is* happening. Will happen, if we lose."

She closes her eyes a moment, then shakes her head. "It's just what it is. It's just what's going on. It's funny. I was so concerned about how we treat the Landers *here* and ... there it was so much worse that it created *this*..."

    "I wouldn't suggest that we are quite sure of exactly what led to this," replies Wake softly. "Based on what I've learned, there is a hand moving in the shadows that is controlling it all. A prophet, supposedly, who spreads words of poison and leads Queens far from their original purpose."

    Wake turns to Jazz and tilts her head. For a time, she is simply studying the other woman. "You really need to get some rest. It's impossible to be effective without it."

That's news to Jazz, of course.

"They did have to figure out how to do this from *somewhere*," she agrees, blinking her eyes at her. "But it wouldn't have been possible had it not been for 'bad behavior' leading the way there. Those same circumstances could have arrived here. And I'm fine, really. I'll have a chance to get a little sleep soon enough." She eyeballs Wake, now, as she's studied. Her hands come to rest on her hips. The tentacles are curled up towards her, as if expecting her to say something more on the matter.

    Wake's eyes are gentle, considering the undine woman with patience. She wonders how old the player of this girl is. What her job was. How she is coping with being here.

    "I like to know the people I am working with," she says abruptly. Her tone changes suddenly. Softer, somehow, and her expression gentles, too.

    "Are you comfortable dropping the veil with me for a moment?" She explains further, "You can call me Elly."

Jazz tilts her head.

"...oh," she says after a moment. "Yeah. I don't... really... veil." She spreads her hands out in front of her. "It's nice to meet you, Elly. My name isn't Jazz, but it's close enough. Whatg would you like to know about me?" She takes a step closer to her, curious. Big, almost lambent eyes are focused on her with interest. "I'll try to answer any questions you might have. It's good to know people."w

    "Well, for starters, how are you? I mean, truly. Not just about this war, business, but about being in this world, away from everything you once knew and relied upon."

    She settles down again near the fountain and pats a spot next to her. "Grab a seat? Or we can head to the castle and get a meal and a drink. Hmm.. food sounds rather good, doesn't it?" she muses to herself. She rises suddenly, offering a hand. "Sorry, indecisive. Walk with me?"

"... I mean, I guess I'm okay?" She's probably not okay.

She goes to take the invited seat beside Wake, who then rises and offers a hand instead. She's about to say something, but instead accepts the offered hand and rises back to her feet thereafter. Polite enough.

"Sure," she offers after a moment, "Sure."

Her tentacles twitch. There's a certain tension accompanying her, but then, there always is.

    What Elly thinks of it, she does not say. But she doesn't miss these things. She does lead the way to the castle. While it's on a war footing these days, it's rather quiet. Along the way, she passes a request for food and drink to be brought to her sitting room.

    And that is where they end up. In a bright room with wide windows overlooking a vibrant garden of roses and decorated in celebration of life and beauty. There are more hints at the alignment with The Beautiful One. Wake even wears silver bracelets that are roughly hewn, shaped like the manacles on the goddess' wrists.

    Once there, Wake settles on a comfortable couch near the window. "I like to come here to think," she explains. "And to feel.. at peace."

    She waits all of two heartbeats and says, "You should probably know that I care about people very deeply. Landers, adventurers, it doesn't matter so much what symbols are by our names. We exist here and we deserve respect and, to risk sounding trite, love as well. I understand that it is hard to be open, especialy with someone you have only just met. But if you want to share anything with me, it may help you. I am not blind, and I'm not a child. I am a grown woman who has been through her share of hell long before this world snared me. But the joy.. it simply exceeds and eclipses it."

Jazz observes en route. Her eyes take in the sight, the occasional lambent-amber glance this way or that. And then there she is, in a bright room with wide windows overlooking a garden. The manacles are noted. A glance from the statue to the ones that Wake bears herself.

"I can see why," she muses aloud, letting her speak thereafter. Say her piece. A nod. She's listening. "I hear you," she offers, quietly.

And then: "That makes t wo of us. Minus the woman part."

She finally takes a seat, glancing up towards the ceiling finally.

"I wouldn't have said you seemed blind to me, to be honest."

A beat.

"That's the other Goddess."

    Elly laughs at the joke. "Well, we can all be blind from time to time. I appreciate that, though. You seem to carry a deep sadness. It concerns me to see anyone so burdened. Can you tell me about it?"

    The Baroness looks away at the garden for a time, giving her companion space to consider and answer. Her eyes follow the stem of a rose to its open blossom. She loves all roses, but the one that has captured her attention for the moment is a dark blue.

"Deep sadness? Mmn."

Jazz looks thoughtful for a time. "I've had my share of problems, and I miss my best friends more than you can imagine, and yeah, I look at what's happening right now and I feel responsible and like I have to correct it. But I'm just me, and I don't exaclty love fighting in the first place. To be honest, I don't even feel like I'm supposed to be here."

"But I am. All that's left is to deal with it." Her eyes turn towards the blue rose. "Huh," she says, "Blue roses don't exist in nature, you know. That's why're used to symbolize mystery or something unattainable. Seems you've already got one, though."

She studies it in turn.

    "I can understand that," Elly murmurs. She allows quiet into the conversation, then, as she listens to Jazz speak about responsibility. Though she says nothing, Elly's expression softens.

    She takes some time to respond. There's something in the way Jazz has painted the scenario that causes the Baroness to consider it. Or perhaps she's merely allowing the silence to draw still more out of her friend.

    "Where do you feel you are supposed to be, if not here?" she asks at last.

"I'm told that I'm not responsible, of course, but I opened the door. I made it possible. If I hadn't done that, then where would we be? Still trapped on Yamato and unaware of the Crowning process happening in the Palace Lands, sure, and unabl to help put a stop to it ... but no in danger here either. But all the same ... I still feel it. Every time I hear something horrible happening, I feel it. We're responsible for the consequences of our actions, even the ones we can't reasonably forsee."

SHe glances down towards the ground, a finger idly playing with the black fabric of her maid's outfit.

"Not here," is her only answer to the question of 'where'. "But that's hardly unusual. My first day in the game was .. this."

    "We are responsible for our actions," replies Elly. "But we are only very rarely responsible for the outcomes. Only God can claim that responsibilty." She narrows her eyes slightly as she stares out over the garden. An old memory drifts on the edges of her mind, but her attention is not so easily diverted.

    "It is not the outcome that you can claim ownership of. Not its fully glory, nor its weight in blood and tears. Just as you could not foresee it, you cannot master it." Elly turns then to Jazz.

    Her eyes, only rarely blinking, focus on Jazz's face. "What is supposed to be and what is not is something anyone can claim equal measure of. But in my personal experience, it's missing the point entirely. Despite all our intention and deliberation, we ended up here, in the moment we have. Some may debate and learn from the how and the why. But that kind of thing is best set aside until we have something to base it on. So what I am asking you then is, now that you are here, in this moment, what are you going to do about it?"

"Mmn," is Jazz's initial response. It's clear she has her doubts about Wake's words as she speaks, but she doesn't voice them. Instead, she listens. She listens and regards them in their fullness in silence for a time.

And then...

"The same thing I did back home: try to get through each day by putting one foot in front of the other and try to deal with whatever comes my way. Try to help as I can, within my capabilites. I've an obligation to do that much, just ike the rest of us. I'm not chasing a big dream here. I just want tomorrow to be a little easier for everyone else, I guess."

    "To be easier for everyone?" murmurs Elly. "If that's not a big dream, my dear, I'm not sure what qualifies." She reaches out, slowly, to set her right hand on Jazz's left shoulder, should it be allowed.

    "It's a dream big enough to inspire a Baroness. If you wish to pursue it, you will not be acting alone." There is more to be said, but for now, she doesn't say it.

    Instead, she studies Jazz's face. Elly's expression is difficult to put a word to. There is certainly sympathy in her eyes, a mixture of gentleness and just enough of a smile to be encouraging.

"Well, within my capacity," remarks Jazz dryly.

The touch is allowed. Her tentacles twitch at it. She doesn't *stop* her, anyway. Instead, she raises her eyes to look at her, curious. Squinting.

"Good to know," she adds, tentacles twitching even more. "The blue rose, after all, awaits."

    Elly nods thoughtfully. "The blue rose, indeed," she murmurs. She tilts her head slightly as she looks back at Jazz. She has no fear of allowing silence to linger for a time.

    "So with those high-minded things in perspective, perhaps we should decide something useful to do with the time we have."

    Fortunately, a soft knock on the door follows, and Elly bids the guest to enter. It's the best kind of guest, for one who is hungry or thirsty, as lander brings refreshments in on a tray. There is wine, juice, and several slices of meat and bread. Apparently cheese, as well.

    "Thank you, dear! That is wonderful," declares the Baroness. She turns to Jazz, "I am quite famished, honestly."

Jazz's eyes track the food for a time. She studies it, then, having lingered in silence herself. She's comfortable there, to be sure, in the quiet. One might even think she's more comfortable with it than with the talking. Then again, the tension never quite leaves her, does it? It's always there, a little in the eyes and the shoulders. Her tentacles have tips that curl inwards with it at tijmes.

She picks up a slice of cheese to nibble on.

    Elly shifts her attention to eating and with remarkable grace assembles a sandwich. There are also dried fruits, a variety of vegetables, and some remarkable items from the scattered corners of Yamato - gifts of the Unconquered that she's drawn into alliance.

    "I look forward to the end of this war," she says abruptly. "So I can focus my attention on building something even greater. Eas is a wonder, and it's become beautiful. Now I would make it a bigger part of this world, with connections to all of Yamato. Perhaps when we've won the peace, there might even be beneficial contact with the Palace Lands. It's not completely beyond question."

"...we've a long ways to go before that happens. Even if we push the Crowned out, even if we undo what's been done, chances are the fighting will still be ongoing for some time."

Jazz's expression falls for a moment, the light in her eyes seeming to dim.

"These things never end quickly or cleanly."

    "This is a world made for heroes, for noble aspirations, and for bravery and hope," replies Elly. "We will find the ending, and we will have peace. Our enemy-at least some of them-are not so utterly corrupt as some might believe. I think we can understand our way out of this."

    She eats in silence for a time, though, lost in thought. She refuses to surrender her optimism, though, and maintains a calm smile the whole time.

"Power once acquired is hard to get people to let go of. The power created by 'crowning' someone is something we'll be hard pressed to get them to go along with." Jazz seems to have her doubts about the Baroness' optimisic version of the future, but she then nods towards her. "I do hope you're right rather than me, however. It would be better that way."

She has another bite of cheese.

    "I'm confident that all will be sorted out. Though I must admit there has to be some fighting. Some are simply too far gone to be dealt with. But my hopes are with Queen Laira Lorelai. I know she doesn't want it to be the way it is. And yet even should she correct it, much blood is on her hands and in the end, she must answer for that in some way." The Baronesss has given thought to that, but has not decided just what that answer must be.

    "I see you appreciate the cheese," she notes, laughing softly. "I rather enjoy it, as well."

"I hope that you're right," remarks Jazz to Wake, thoughtfully.

"I never had the opportunity to meet her. Probably a good thing," she remarks, thoughtfully, taking her hat off for a moment and looking down at the overly large pink bow that sits on it before she puts it back atop her head. The brim adjusted, she traises her gaze back towards Wake.

"I do like cheese. It's been a little while since I had any that tasted good. Sharp."

    "She's a good person. At least, I believe so. But only time will tell for certain. She must be put to the test. It may well be that there is another power moving in the darkness that set all this in motion. If so, we have far more to address."

    Elly shakes her head, as if clearing it of a fog. "And yes, this cheese is excellent. There are many foods I miss, and I delight in the rediscovery or reinvention of them here as they come."

"I don't know. It's always possible that they get the power to 'crown' from someone else who knew it would lead to what we're seeing inevitably. All these things are built together. It's how history works."

She looks back down towards the cheese. "We just can't see it all from our perspective." She dr aws a finger around a hole in it before taking a bite out of it and then adds, "Rediscovery," she muses aloud. "There's just enough of it."

    The Baroness finishes her sandwich and begins working on a glass of wine. She looks off into her garden, once again allowing silence to fill the room. A relaxed sigh and she shuts her eyes for a moment, wafting the scent of the wine.

    "I fear I must step away to see to a few things, my friend. But I would be pleased if you would stay. The guest quarters are ready, and they are quite as comfortable as these. And you can of course enjoy the garden. There is also a hot bath in the tower, where you can enjoy starlight and hot water if you wish. I often find myself there in the late evening."

    She rises then, gliding into a curtsey. "You need not hurry anywhere, but rest here. Someone will be along to help you find your way, if you wish to spend the evening."

"I'll stay the night, at least. I was serious about working together, after all. Can't dop that if I up and leave."

She finishes off her piece of cheese thereafter, giving a nod. "I've spent enough time on the road lately as it is."