Deskathalon

    Retirement. That's what Elly calls it. But it is not really retirement in the normal sense. She is still the Baroness, she is still a Priestess, and she is very much still sitting at a desk in the Olympus Alliance Headquarters, reviewing reports.

    The Right Clothes today are fit for her job: a neat and modest dress with a high neck. The outfit is sleeveless and has an appearance of being rather comfortable to wear. Not her normal.

    She is engaging in the age old tradition of the wise. She is talking to herself.

    "So we have enough bandages, a good store of mana potions, but a shortage of healing potions. We really need to address this. The Palace Lands will definitely be a drain here, as the war has been for months."

    She turns to a stack of papers, grumbling just a bit as she tries to find something. She opens her mouth to speak, but cuts off midway.

    "Ayame, have you seen the reports on the herb.. oh. Right."

    Ayame is not here right now. Sigh.

The first hint that someone's approaching is the clacking of heels on the marble floor. It will not escape someone with an Etiquette level such at the Baroness' that it originates from a pair of white thigh-high boots that don't actually -need- need resoling after kicking in the face of a Dire Coconut Crab, but they could certainly use some before things degenerates further and traction begins to suffer.

And if you think that picking up this kind of thing is ridiculous, it shows you haven't ever had an appropriate Etiqueette raise.

The second thing that announces the arrival of Uta is, well, Uta herself coming into view: her jaw is stuck limp, dangling while her eyes are enraptured by the intricate decorations of the ceiling, her gaze sliding from each golden acanthus to the next. "I had never noticed how good this room was...", she trails off, overcome with the kind of emotion that, while not a full-on Stendhal Syndrome, leaves her breath caught in her throat.

Her glance lowers to fall on the Baroness, and she continues, "...did you redecorate or has it always looked this good?"

    "I do not think you have been in my office here before," Elly replies. She laughs softly, looking around the room. "But it is very well done. I decided recently to come here on a regular schedule. Someone has to keep the lights on, so to speak."

    She puts aside her work, though, and rises. She's got shoes, but amusingly she's left them under the desk. No curtsey for Uta! It is another hug. Roll to save vs. awkwardness! But there is none of that awkwardness from the baroness. Just warmth.

    "I am happy you are here. Are you well?"

    Of course she is inspecting Uta! One can never be too attentive to their friends' needs.

Toddler steps! In another slight improvement from the past, by now Uta mostly expects the hug to come her way, and the instinctive stiffness is pretty much gone. The hug is returned, without much fuss. Better than anything so far!

The Spriggan inspects as "Uta Furore", as usual. Usual icons as well: Wings, and the letter "I", just like any other Adventurer. No particular status effects noticeable at the time.

"I do not think I have been in this room before, no...", Uta trails off, still gaping at all the decorations. "I am happy that I am here as well. And that you are. That we both are, that is. If only one of us was here and the other wasn't, it wouldn't be as good."

After some more admiration of the surrounding area, she returns to look at the Baroness. "And what about you? Are you well?"

    Elly laughs softly at Uta's thorough explanation of the situation. "It is good to be together, certainly." She gestures to a seat, "Please, be at ease. If you would like some mugicha or a snack, let me know! Tae sent me some sweets to help me until I have a proper meal."

    She does not return to the seat behind the desk, but a chair in front if, which she turns to face the one where Uta will, ostensibly, be sitting.

    "I am doing very well. I have not even seen a monster for days now! It is so strange. Like normal life, really. I think everyone should try it from time to time. Take a break, live normally, and not grind away at the monster population constantly. They will, after all, be there waiting for us."

"...I will never say no to food that tastes like food," Uta replies. But doesn't take anything yet. Either because nothing is visible, or, if food and/or drinks are visible, because she waits for the Baroness to point at what is acceptable to take or not.

Uta thinks for a few moments, then continues, after sitting down, "It would be nice yes. It's been an almost constant fight since being trapped here. But..." Uta glances up at Wake, between the ashamed and the afraid. "...I prefer not to let too much time between practice go by. Xander was pretty clear when he took me under his wings: this world is going to try and kill you. You have to keep fighting to become stronger. It's the only way to survive."

She keeps silent for a few seconds. "...Granted, that was probably a far higher priority immediately after the Apocalypse, when I was a complete newbie with zero experience in gaming and/or combat, and we Adventurers had pretty much no infrastructure in place, and were in the middle of a massive refugee crisis with corresponding devastation of the supply chain..."

Some more thought, and then she continues. "...I uppose a few days off -would- be feasible these days after all...", after which she leans forward, abrupt, jutting one open hand forward. "But not too many! The Landers -do- count on us to protect them from the monsters. And... no matter whether they're real people or not, I think it would be a bad idea to let them be eaten."

    The food is visible, but Elly will serve it. She first pours a cup of barley tea for Uta, offering this with both hands and a graceful bow. Friends or not, there are ways to do things that are simply more beautiful. She makes use of a small tray to set out some red bean filled mochi and chopsticks. There is a gesture towards the food that at once seems spontaneous and yet perfectly practiced.

    "There, now you can refresh yourself, and I can join you."

    Uta's rather breathless review of the adventurer contributions to survival and the history thereof goes by with only a calm smile from the baroness. She nods slightly in the end, "I think we should do our best not to let them be eaten. Which is why there are regular patrols of the area and a network of scouts ensuring nothing dangerous spawns or wanders too close before it is dealt with. As for what is too many days to lay down the sword, we shall see. I think my days of racing about with bare blade are done, however. Not that I am defenseless, of course. Where I once struck from the shadows, I now wield the light itself."

    She looks thoughtful for a time. She is weighing her words. But then, she usually does. "There is a problem I must address. I do not expect you to answer it for me." Another pause, letting that sit in the air for a time. "How do we know when the war in the Palace Lands is done? Specifically when is it time for Olympus itself to no longer attack? What is that situation, in your opinion."

Uta accepts the Tea, and goes through the Tea ceremony with the property one would expect. Uta slips into the ritual with surprising ease, carrying out all the proper ritual movements: the right bows and actions at the right moment, including picking up the mochi with the chopsticks and enjoying it when appropriate, with the required restraint. Which is a thing Wake might pick up on: as Uta slips into the state mindfulness that such ceremony requires, her actions become more and more restrained, her eyes more and more focused.

Wake's question comes a bit unexpected, but Uta does not look startled, or scared. A mere controlled display of interest: Uta stops, looks up and away with a slight knit of her brow. "Oh. Uh..." A couple of seconds like that, then she sinks into thought. The kind of thought that involves turning one's whole head to point downwards, rubbing one's chin between one's fingers, and going generally silent except for perhaps a couple quiet hums.

"If the question is, as you say, 'When is it time for Olympus to No Longer Attack'... I suppose it will be after we have a peace treaty. A peace treaty that looks like it is, and is going to be, respected. Or, at least, we have trust in our means of enforcing it?"

The answer is slow, tentative, with a dubitative rising pitch of voice at the end.

"It is good that you have specified. There are so many ways one could define 'the End of The War.' And in many case that might not even be what one actually intends as an actual goal."

    "The peace treaty is what we ask for when we are satisfied. But what is the situation in which we look for it?"

    The baroness watches Uta with interest. The way she handles herself with grace and self-control coaxes a warm smile from her. She matches Uta, but rather more casually. It is easy and relaxing to follow these forms, so they seem effortless.

    "For instance, do we demand an unconditional surrender? Who judges the offenders? Surely there will be a full investigation as to why they attacked. There is the question of whether they were responsible for their actions or under some manner of control. But those specifics are outside the central point. When do we accept that treaty and what are our terms?"

    She waits for a time, her gaze slipping politely away from time to time before returning to study Uta once more. She enjoys the mochie, smiling with each bite.

Steam slowly wafts up, drawing shapes in the air. Someone with Divination might be able to read something in them, perhaps. Others can still appreciate them for their elegance.

"Too early," Uta merely replies. "As you correctly point out, we do need to find out more as to what is -actually- going on in the Palace Lands. Who is pulling the strings." Sip. Closed eyes. Silence. "The rest of the questions depend heavily on these details."

Inhale. Reflection. Exhale.

"It's at a continental scale, but it fundamentally is a criminal investigation. We are already discussing the details of whether we should settle out of court, and if not, what we should ask for, when we have neither a clear motive, nor a clear suspect for who the actual instigator is." She narrows her eyes. "We want to eradicate the disease, here. I fear we are still focusing too much on treating symptoms."

Silence. Head bowed down. Another sip. "I am not sure what you are asking there, though. Are you asking if we should stop and accept a compromise peace treaty in case it is offered to us (which I personally doubt will happen, but let us accept that for the sake of argument)... or if we should keep pushing until we are either annihilated or in a position to force unconditional surrender?"

At this point Uta looks up. There is genuine, if subdued, curiosity in her gaze. Once again, unusually focused.

    "The middle of the war is not providing us with a good opportunity to investigate much farther," replies Elly. "War crime tribunals come after the fighting is done. We can gather evidence, but not reach a verdict until we have open access to the parties of interest. I do not expect Potimas to consent to cross examination in the midst of the war."

    She finds the idea a little amusing. It would be so very easy if he would have been more agreeable, after all. But instead he and the others led a campaign of aggression.

    "So let us put it this way. Regardless of the situation, I doubt Scale Emblem will accept that any of the current regime should remain. Regardless of guilt. I would not speak against such a position."

    She frowns just slightly as she goes on, "I would not settle for any agreement in which a single collar is left in Lander hands. They must all be destroyed and we must be free to conduct a thorough and invasive search to verify this fact. Deceit would have dreadful consequences. I believe we have the right to disarm the enemy in what ways seem wise while also ensuring they are able to defend themselves."

    "Enemies that we deem guilty of war crimes must face whatever punishments the Alliances spell out. There must be consequences for what the enemy has done. All adventurers will have their rights to free travel restored, as well. We go where we want, and so long as we comply by fair laws we are left alone. Part of what we must do is establish over the Palace Lands a specific accord of rights for both landers and adventurers to support equitable treatment and basic sentient rights. So as you can see, there is a lot to think of."

"All crown destroyed. Freedom of movement for Adventurers. Definite desiderata," Uta confirms with a nod. Some silence. "There then is the issue of Filimos." She looks at Wake. "You know, Potimas's daughter. She was apparently killed by adventurers. And now a former Adventurer believes herself to be Filimos Harrifenas. Acts as such. Even inspects as such." Wake probably knew this already, but nonetheless, Uta leaves a little pause for Elly to process the information, regardless. "See, the situation is tangled. We should also investigate the responsibilities of the Adventurers..."

Another day, another mochi, another sip.

"Have you talked to Tian?", she asks, abrupt. "I have not been able to follow closely due to my apparently managing to miss all meetings with the Uncrowned..."

* * *

Cue to a farm house. A farmer and his wife, dressed in simple clothes, are about to have lunch. The door slams open, and Uta strikes the ground with the bottom end of her staff. "I HAVE COME FOR THE-"

Embarrassed silence.

"...This is not the meeting with the Uncrowned, is it?"

The two flabbergasted Landers, chopsticks held aloft in the air, simply stare. "...what is an Uncrowned?"

* * *

"...due to circumstances beyond my control. Anyway!", she exclaims, blushing all of a sudden. "I seem to remember that, at the beginning of this whole story, the Uncrowned mentioned that we would have needed to gain mutual trust before they would share more sensitive information with us." Uta lowers her head, and more conspirational, she whispers, "I suggest you try and organize a meeting with the Uncrowned. What you pulled with the statue of the Blind One, certified by the way your name is pretty much at the same standing as Weed's on its plaque, should be one heck of a ticket to the inner sanctum of their knowledge." Lean back, raise cup, as well as eyebrows. "If anyone can help us entangle this ball of yarn? My meager money is on the Uncrowned."

Sip.

    "I have not spoken with the uncrowned yet. But a conversation with Weed seems to be due for me. I would like to better understand the start of it all. By now the trail may have gotten a bit cold, but there need to be protections on both sides. Which means there must be accountability."

    Elly does not sigh, but her posture subtly does it for her. Just the slightest, temporary rounding of the shoulders communicates it well enough. There is time taken for further thought.

    "I am very curious how they took an adventurer and made them think the way you suggest. Perhaps in time we shall have occasion to find out. Maybe we can even find a way to reserve some of the damage. I shudder to think just how many times... Best not to think of that. There is only pain and sorrow there. The time for tears and mourning will come. My work is to not add to the tally too much before this is all said and done."

    She casts a look aside at her paperwork and her smile turns rueful. "Speaking of the tally, I imagine I had best take another look at these reports. We cannot be running out of potions in the middle of a war, after all. Please stay and continue to speak, if you like. I will just have to pay at least half a mind to this or I will never get caught up."

"Health Potions?", Uta inquires. She straightens up. "Count on me if we need to make more!", she states, determined. Before she slumps again. "...although I believe the bottleneck is probably ingredients rather than Pharmacists. It's always been."

Silence. The last sip of tea is consumed, and the cup placed where it needs to be placed once the sipping is over.

"In that case, I will not interfere with your activities, Lady Bombast," she says, with a bow. "I will see if there is anything I can busy myself with in the meantime. I am positive that Eas, at the current time, will have no shortage of activities that need support." As she heads towards the exit, she remarks, "If you ever want to meet me again once you are done, you can easily chim me. In the meantime, please take care of the logistics. You are doing a crucial work here."