Meet the 'Landers': Soleno Rubra

     It had been a relatively simple affair, the scout that was sent to meet up with Prophylaxis walked up towards the gates of Tolbana, asked for directions to Prophylaxis' home, and then went to him to deliver him the message to... well, follow her. And then she would lead him to what looks like a fresh tunnel that had been dug into the ground towards the edges of that central island that the dungeon was home to. Frankly it seemed like the ants didn't like the tower much either! The tunnel would lead nearby one of the boats at the Alne port, which the ant boards quietly and slips off towards the back. She even paid her fare!

     Once they were back to the holy empire of westlande, Prophylaxis would be led through the desert to a tunnel that was... near-ish to Anthome, but seemed relatively freshly dug, likely prepared specifically for this meeting. The area was just crawling with warriors, too. Unsurprisingly, most likely.

     The trip down into that little meeting room was... relatively pleasant. It was cool and the tiniest bit damp which was likely refreshing after the westlande sun. And soon he's led into a room where a rather... large... woman sits at a table hewn out of the sandstone. Though 'table' is a bit ... stretching it. It was a square dug out of the ground. With vaguely chair-shaped squares dug out nearby it that people could sit on that was possibly relatively comfortable. Maybe. Kind of. The woman sitting at the table stood far above what one would expect a normal person to, even sitting she was probably about as tall as the average person, and standing she probably stood over ten feet tall. She had long red hair, was wearing a somewhat elegant and yet short black dress, and was sitting there with one leg crossed over the other, watching as Prophylaxis enters.

                    "Speak."

Prophylaxis had considered bringing a few of the other SEA members along for the trip, but something had transpired very recently in the city of Tolbana that has made him decide otherwise. The atmosphere in the town, at least among Adventurers, was... somewhat more tense than it had been. Maybe a bit shell-shocked, even. As if they had all witnessed something that many would describe as... emotionally distressing.

And so Prophylaxis has come alone. The better to make an escape if he absolutely needed to do so, after all.

He's talkative enough at least, though he doesn't press conversation if the drone was not feeling particularly curious. He does, though, bring some... makeshift currency along. Really it's just a few bottles of wine from the Tolbana brewery, but it will suffice.

He is not tremendously surprised at the venue for the meeting. Ants /do/ quite like to form burrows, don't they? He wonders, idly, how long it took them to dig this particular one, though. The number of soldiers inhabiting the hill, too... Is perhaps a little worrying. But as long as he doesn't do anything stupid, there shouldn't be any concern.

Probably.

He does not, however, expect a Giant Woman sitting at the table across from him. Prophylaxis inclines his head respectfully and takes his seat at the provided seat. The doctor seems... exhausted in a way that suggests he'd not had much in the way of sleep recently. Caffiene is a wonderful drug though, and a regimen of tea has kept him largely lucid. "It's a pleasant venue you've prepared, milady," he begins, "A very nice change from Westelande's merciless heat, though I hope you don't mind if I produce a little bit of light? My nightvision is not as advanced as that of some of my peers."

If no protest is made, he gestures and conjures a crackling orb of electrical light to his hand. It hovers just over his shoulder, casting a pale blue-white glow across the subterrannean chamber.

That woman across the way is... certainly very tall, isn't she? Her aura is what Prophylaxis might describe as 'intimidating.' But, again, hopefully it won't be an issue.

Hopefully.

"I am Prophylaxis, the Doctor of Tolbana, as you may have gathered. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to today?"

     The drone was... fairly talkative, though it was mostly about normal, uninteresting things. The weather. The ocean. Food. Nothing that really was anything that Prophylaxis wouldn't already know most likely. She's friendly enough, possibly one of the more sociable ants was chosen for this mission too since it was going so deep into adventurer territory. Smaller, as well. More childlike so less likely to be attacked by an adventurer or lander because of it. Which... might be a bit concerning to note.

     The soldiers were... mostly doing guard patrols from the looks of things, most likely because of who was contained within. That rather giant woman obviously some sort of queen, noble, or otherwise from the air that she had around her... and her health bar had that obvious look of 'oh that's a boss'... considering she had multiple.

     "You may produce some light, yes." She didn't seem... too afraid of him either, even as he gestures and conjures that crackling orb of electrical light. Possibly she had some sense for if it was an aggressive spell aimed towards her? It's hard to tell with monsters, really. Soleno Rubra leans forward to rest her elbows on her knees, her chin resting on interlaced fingers as she examines that crackling orb of light silently. She seemed fascinated for a moment, likely because it was simply a magick she didn't know herself.

     "You speak with exactly who you requested to. The mother queen of Anthome, Soleno Rubra." She responds simply, straightening up as she does and gazing down at Prophylaxis past her nose. It seemed she didn't really care to hide who or what she was. "You were interested in speaking with me. I decided that it would be interesting enough to entertain. Surprising that you came alone though."

    Prophylaxis'- and indeed, most adventurers'- view of monsters is colored strongly by regular encounters with goblins and the walking dead. It's hard to consider even ostensibly intelligent creatures as even temporarily peaceful when they share the same categorization as those those things. So in a way, Prophylaxis can't blame them for sending who they did.

But that was then. This is now! Prophylaxis' spell crackles and sizzles as it arcs into the occasional dust particle that might pass through, but otherwise seems content to simply hang there and emit a helpful haze of light. "Miss Rubra, then," he says with a genial smile, "I appreciate your hospitality. Indeed, I was curious about a few things, and I was hoping you might be able to answer some questions. I noticed that your people were receiving goods from local merchants, and I had been wondering if you had arranged for a trade agreement of some kind? It seems odd to me, if you pardon me for being so presumptuous-- but the messenger you sent after me, as well as the presentation of your subjects in Anthome seems to suggest that you are concerned about scrutiny and possible aggression from Landers and Adventurers both. Is that accurate? I was uncertain about how much attention you had intented to attract, and I know that where goes one merchant often come ten more."

There's a beat, then, as she asks about his escorts (or lack thereof). The doctor simply shrugs at that. "The one I had intended to bring was indisposed, unfortunately. But I figured that in the worst case, I die-- though I do hope there wouldn't be a concern of that happening during a diplomatic exchange."

     Yep. That spell was definitely very interesting indeed. Rubra would have to practice something similar on her own, later. It seemed like better illumination than glowing fungi when she needed better illumination, at the very least. Still. Prophylaxis was starting to talk, so Rubra turned her attention more fully to him and listened silently. He starts asking questions and mentioning her curiosities and she... taps the table with one finger, seemingly an idle motion.

     "No. We have not." She states simply. "We are simply one among many other outposts that others may come to trade. No, the landers come because they can take advantage of us, just as we take advantage of them." Rubra responds, intense red eyes staying on Prophylaxis' the whole time, seeming to be gauging his response just as he gauged hers.

     "I'm a monster. Of course I'm worried about scrutiny and aggression from adventurers and landers." Is the simple response to the second question. Yeah she wasn't even trying to hide it at this point, even if her antennae weren't an obvious tipoff that she was actually a monster, a quick examine would tell adventurers that anyway.

     Hmm. His guard was... indisposed? "The way that the adventurer hive is so... disorganized is ... digusting. Your guard should have been with you regardless of their mental state." The very thought that someone would disobey their directive is /clearly/ something that Rubra looks down upon, and it's rather plain on her face.

    To be fair, Prophylaxis can't breathe fire or bite people's heads off with giant mandibles, the latter which he assumes is just something that all monster ants are capable of. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses! Like light spells, and bite strength.

    "Ah, I see. So it was a coincidence, then. That would make more sense than the alternative; I can't see many of the local Landers making overt diplomatic or economic overtures to your people, especially after what happened recently in Westelande." Of course, there's a decent chance Rubra doesn't actually know about the encounter with the strange bug woman near the coming of age ceremony. But maybe she does! If not, information for information is always a fair trade.

    "It's rare to encounter any monster capable of speaking a tongue we can understand," he continues, weaving his fingers together atop the sandstone table. "So I can imagine that you and yours must have met with quite a bit of difficulty. I am curious what your intentions are, though. The inn at Anthome was almost identical to our own in Tolbana, and I do seem to recall one of your people visiting us once upon a time. You profess disgust in how we arrange our homes and communities, but then turn around and emulate it, right down to the culture, cuisine and commerce. I admit being somewhat perplexed by the apparent paradox."

"As for my would-be companion--" The Doctor shrugs helplessly, and the fatigue that he has done his best to contain seems suddenly to be as obvious as a mountain bursting from the dunes. There's a hollowness around his eyes that was not present only moments ago. "I am a doctor. One who cures sickness and mends wounds. It would be a dereliction of my own duties if I were to bring him along in his present state."

     It's still up in the air if Rubra can do either of those things really. That will just have to be up to some brave adventuring party to find out! Or not. ...Still, her health was definitely among her strengths! "Yes. It was a coincidence. Very few would reject a friendly place to rest and trade out in the desert." She doesn't really comment about things that recently happened in westlande, regardless of knowledge or otherwise, instead choosing to move on.

     "Everyone has their difficulties. Landers. Adventurers... monsters. ...It just so happens more often than not our difficulties happen to be landers." Rubra responds. The comment on the inn and she gives a soft sigh. "When you see something useful, do you not attempt to convert it for your own use? It is not so different. I may not like the adventurer hive much, but I cannot deny what it makes. We will simply have to see if it has use in the end." An experiment then?

     Rubra takes silent note of that fatigue around Prophylaxis' eyes as he talks, watching that strange emptiness to him. Hmm. It was almost like when there were certain status effects active, or poor imitations of humanoids. "...That is an acceptable explanation for why he is not there. You are doing your job. The injured should stay with their hive. There should have been a replacement, regardless." She begins to stand up, looking down towards Prophylaxis from her full height, the size of the chamber that they were in suddenly becoming rather obvious. She walks over to an alcove; cut tall so that she could make it, reaching to grab one of those crude 'glass' basins and pouring a glass of some sort of nectar. Soon, she's returned to the table, setting it down in front of him. "Unsweetened cactus nectar. No poison." She states simply, before sitting down. It was basically cold tea at that point.

    "Your concern is appreciated," Prophylaxis answers with a disarming chuckle, "But I am capable of handling myself should it come to that. Adventurers are many things, but each and every one of us is capable of self-defefnse in some capacity."

    "Certainly. Observation and self-improvement are principles that I think are fairly universalizable. I was just confused at the desire to adapt such 'disorganized' behavior into your hive. Everything that I know about ant colonies suggests that hive cohesion and coordination is paramount, but I would be happy to be proven wrong if that is the case." But if it's an experiment, then the question remains... To what end?

Chances of getting a straight answer on that, though, are probably fairly close to zero.

And so the doctor doesn't press the subject. It would be rude to come into another's home-- or meeting place, at least-- and ask questions that might be construed as presuming outright hostility. Also, his host happens to be extremely tall and probably capable of man-handling him easily without intercession from her guards. The Doctor smiles and accepts the glass when it's offered, sipping from the... Cactus tea? Hm, that's a recipe he wouldn't have expected. "Thank you," he nods, savoring the drink's refreshing coolness. "Is this another custom you've learned from observing adventurers and landers? I'm afraid we don't often have the opportunity to learn about monster cultures without finding ourselves in mortal peril... Ah, I'd almost forgotten." He produces a bottle from his own inventory as well, and presses it across the table. "It's alcoholic-- fermented, that is. Produced by the brewers in Tolbana. A gift, in exchange for your hospitality."

"You mentioned that your people experience hardship at the hands of Landers-- but they would claim the opposite, that monsters are a source of great difficulty for them as well. Is peace entirely out of the question, then?" He shrugs, taking another sip of tea. "Curiosity drives me to ask. As I said, we don't often get to speak with Monsters as we do with Landers, so I'd like to take the opportunity to fill in the gaps of my own knowledge if at all possible."

     "I am well aware of the dangers of adventurers, yes. There's a reason there's a large honor guard outside." Even if it was a diplomatic meeting, adventurers aren't always the most trustworthy of things, after all. She pauses and gives a small nod slightly. "Hmm... understanding? Yes. I think that's the answer you'll get to that question." She responds to the mention about adapting the 'disorganized' behaviour. Of course it was also mainly JUST anthome acting like that, but. "Know your enemy and such."

     It's not /really/ cactus tea. ... Or at least not a proper tea, more like just unsweetened cactus juice. But it wasn't a sweet part of the cactus, so it was just... a very savory and refreshing drink. "...Most of the things in anthome are emulations from Lander or Adventurer customs. It makes trading easier." Well that and it had helped make things a little more interesting at the hives to a degree, that sweet crushed fruit was frankly something that had grown popular /very/ quickly.

     She reaches to take that bottle from the table, examining it silently for several moments, turning it around in her hands. Hmm. "Bottles are such interesting things. When we attempt them, they turn out sandy and messy usually." She comments idly, glancing towards the cup that Prophylaxis was drinking from.

     The questions though. Hmm. "Peace is not out of the question. It is our aim. Eventually, we will bring peace to this land." Rubra smiles towards Prophylaxis, it's slightly off though, something about it unsettling and possibly a bit intimidating that had reached her tone as well. "But... regardless. Landers encroach upon our lands, take our resources, hire adventurers to kill us, and we kill in turn. So peace will require one side to win. And we do not intend for it to be yours. Eventually, all will be a part of the hive." She stands once more, and then turns as if to simply begin to leave. "I tire of this. Return to your hive."

"As I understand, the trick is extremely high temperatures and extremely pure starting material," Prophylaxis says of the glass-making process-- but soon shrugs and admits, "Though I'm hardly an expert. I have made my own glassware before, but it was with already-prepared starting materials. The artisany of glassmaking from its absolute most basic level is a bit beyond me."

But then-- Rubra says something which darkens the mood considerably. It is, to the untrained ear, nothing less than an act of war, or at least an admission of the inevitability of it. Prophylaxis answers her glowering gaze with a look of... disappointment? It's the expression of a father or elder brother who has just come to the realization that their child/sibling has done something beyond repair. "I see. That is that, I suppose. I had wished to learn more of the why rather than focus on the inexorable fact of conflict. It is, as I said, very rare for any of us to sit down in this manner. It would have been nice if conflict could have been avoided from the outset."

...And if the truth of monster-lander conflicts could somehow have been uncovered. But then... Such things are never so easily learned, are they?

He finishes what remains of his tea-- and then stands. "I will take my leave, then. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Rubra. I'm certain that we will see each other again. I just hope it is not on the battlefield."

...With that, he would turn to leave-- if he is not stopped or obstructed in his departure, that would be the end of it. Prophylaxis would not raise any attempt to incite conflict on his own.