On Her Majesty's Psychological Service

    It's a chilly, sunny day. In the mountains, the winds are blissfully quiet. For now. The threat of snow is gone, but up here it's likely there will be more, soon enough.

    Waiting at the door of the Dome of Stars is the Baroness Wake. She's holding a letter and smiling to herself. Behind her, filling the otherwise empty dome, is the singing of a high, powerful, female voice.

Winter's chill forces Robert to adopt some manner of drama in his clothing. In this case, that drama amounts to a thick cloak, thick gloves, and a furry cap with ear-flaps. The hilts of his twin swords (with the phrases Prototype Weapon 73 and 74, respectively etched into their scabbards) glint sharply at his waist.

His pace is brisk, purposeful, and he takes the steps two at a time as he bounds upwards to where Wake stands. As he closes, he flashes her a quick, wind-chilled grin, extending his gloved hands to her in greeting. "Baroness," he states, with a reserved warmth. "It is -very- good to see you again. I see you have your own background theme running. Your theme, or Eas's?"

"It's Tae's song. And all that she sings is greatly appreciated. It takes me back to the dreams that came before," says Wake. She settles her right hand in Robert's. "You came swiftly! But you are cold. Come in! It is not much, yet, but there is food inside, and places to sit that are away from the cold."

    She doesn't seem troubled by the cold. The Right Clothes have been warm lately, and today they include woolen stockings and dress to match.

    "You must tell me all you have seen and learned, Robert!"

SpritesHero presses Wake's hand between his own, eyebrows lifting as his head cants to the side. "I can honestly say I didn't think she was like this," he reflects, pausing for a moment before releasing Wake's hand.

He does not clarify what he means by that. "There's much to tell," he continues, inclining his head towards the dome proper. "I must confess I don't quite know what to make of it. I thought the trip out here might bring clarity, but I am still quite befuddled. I see you have made great progress here, with reconstruction."

    The Baroness grins at the cryptic language. She doesn't ask. It would simply ruin the moment. Instead, she leads the way inside. The dome is brightly lit inside, with many lanterns keeping the darkness at bay. There is a hall that leads away from the main space and into a smaller room with a large fireplace. Stepping inside, the song is rather less, but the acoustics still carry quite well, considering.

    "Wandering doesn't always bring clarity, it comes in its own time. Perhaps explaining it all may help."

"Perhaps," Robert agrees, the song fading into the rhythmic echoes of booted feet on the floor. He nearly thunks down in a nearby chair but, with a wince aimed at his mud-spattered boots and his 'dirty' tag, opts for remaining standing.

"Why would what appears to be genuinely rational people, with their own hopes, desires, and dreams, follow someone who, by all accounts, is so driven by blind range and a thirst for vengeance that she would burn everything to the ground around her?"

    "I'm not sure who you speak of, but there are many who have given their loyalty to the unworthy. Some for fear, some simply created a more pleasing fiction in their heads, some for personal gain, and many others that I have heard of."

    Wake listens for a time, smiling as the song changes. The words take her back in time.

    "So perhaps you might expand upon that comment?"

SpritesHero purses his lips, fingertips rippling against his belt. "Ninetails is having problems with undead. Vampires, to be precise," he begins. "I wish I could give you a comprehensive overview, but much is still murky. Long story short, preliminary investigations suggest that the current leadership is driven by a sort of...well, xenophobic revenge, and intends to reclaim some sort of historic kingdom. I'm afraid there's not much more to say. I've a few irons in the fire. Some will pan out. Most, probably not." Beat. "It's a bit of a concern since they seem strapped for members, and we appear to have an unlimited undead-generation machine on the 9th floor."

    "Ah, the tower. Ever a source of annoyance and frustration," says Wake. She somehow sounds amused, though. The news of the undead isn't too shocking to her.

    "I invested some effort into poking at the problem a while back. Almost died doing it. I met the.. monster that was able to take over adventurers, to make them undead." The Baroness sighs and shakes her head.

    She pauses, considering her words with her usual care. "I decided, after that brush with danger, to cease aiding that little adventure. I have a home and a family and no interest in spending who-knows-how-long as an undead slave."

"More than annoyance and frustration," Robert opines, "for the tower Landers who were eaten by said undead when they started going wild. But I suppose in times like these, surrounding such explosive issues, understatement may in fact be the..." He trails off, sniffs, and makes a grimace. He steps just a touch further away from Wake.

"At any rate, I expect you're right to have taken a step back. You have substantial other responsibilities to tend to. The rest of us? Not so much. Or if so, the level of risk is at least more tolerable. And really, -someone- has to handle it."

    "I imagine the situation is horrible for the landers," says Wake, her tone suddenly softer. "I wish I could have helped more, but.. I was far more outmatched than I ever was in the past. Perhaps the strength that our heroes have gained in the meantime will be enough?"

    The Baroness sighs and looks downward. "So... is there a plan to deal with them? Is Giganpor still getting his hands dirty with that undead lot?"

SpritesHero 's expression flickers, concealing a wince. "We managed to evacuate most, but it was rather touch-and-go for a while," he reports. "The survivors have been resettled in Tolbana, with substantial success. Perhaps they might wish to stay, though I think I'd like to offer their old homes back, someday." Beat. "Assuming they even want their old homes back. I suppose the memories may be unwelcome."

He pauses once more, eyes flickering half-shut before he refocuses his thoughts away from the tower. "I don't believe I've ever met Giganpor," he admits, with no shame whatsoever. "If there's a plan, I don't know about it. I would imagine there is a plan. Possibly multiple plans. As to who is involved on the Adventurer side, the only ones I know of at present are Setsuna, some fellow named Merek, and somebody by the name of Shiruba. Setsuna's being...well, Setsuna. And I know very little about the other two."

    "Merek is.. interesting," comments Wake. She smirks, "He makes unusual decisions and has a tendency to get himself in a bad way. He's also quite skilled at alchemy and healing. He tends to be a man of very few rods. As for Giganpor, he has a rather bad relationship with the Scale Emblem. If I understand it correctly, he once supplied monsters with weapons to stop the tower advance. While I share the concern about causing waves, this is a problem that I feel must be solved by diplomacy, not combat. In any case, killing each other repeatedly serves no higher purpose and has many psychological risks."

    Wake settles herself into a chair and gestures for Robert to join her. "These seats are not so grand as to be trouble by the dust of your journey, my friend. Are you hungry or thirsty? I have ginger tea, or well, whatever they call it here. It's quite good at warming a body."

"With respect, Baroness," Robert quips with amusement, "I think at this point that even a never-washed sow might be troubled by the dust of my journey. I don't suppose you might have a place I can wash before we continue much further?" His eyebrows nudge upwards again, in question, before dropping and furrowing hard down the middle.

"I'm honestly not sure you're going to have a diplomatic solution, Baroness, assuming you are not one of those who considers combat to be an arm of diplomacy," he continues, after a moment, nose crinkling in mild distaste. "I greatly dislike the thought myself, but I'm disinclined to believe that there is no higher purpose. We're being pushed on multiple fronts, Baroness. Can you not feel it? Perhaps this...conflict without possible resolution is the only real way we can become prepared for the challenges that lie ahead."

    "There are ways we can harm each more cruelly than are available in the dream that came before," replies Wake softly. One might get the impression that she's given this some thought. "After all, death, as they say, is an escape from all pain."

    "But you are likely right. Diplomacy requires patience, skill, and a memory of horrors at the costs of its failure. Too few here have that experience. I'm not even sure if other leaders are over 30 years old. Few could even be interns for my office."

    She finds the matter a bit sensitive, clearly. "There is little time to instruct, and no patience. If everyone could simply slow down, perhaps we could properly deal with the situation. But the Scale cannot hold itself back. Despire the serious nature of our situation, this is a game to many in your alliance. There is no need to consider it might be anything more. While we claim that this is our home now, my alliance acts the same. Or rather, many of its members have the same level of irresponsibility."

    The Baroness shifts her lip into the slightest ghost of a grimace. It's about as close to a scream of frustration that she'll come.

"I honestly can't think of any in my alliance who regard this as just a game," Robert opines with a shrug. "A trap. An obstacle. A delusion. A test. A drug. I've heard any and all of the above, but the one common thread is that they seem to view this with the utmost seriousness."

"And even if Scale did hold back," Robert reminds her, "I'm not sure any of us can afford to simply slow down. I don't think I need to remind you that this world is far from benign. It is subject to numerous adversarial forces, both from within and without. And if our analysts are correct and our connections to the other servers will be established, I similarly don't think you need me to tell you how substantial the disruption will be. As much as we may yearn for peace, Baroness, I suspect we wouldn't survive said peace."

    "Peace? Humanity is incapable of this. There, after all, an evolutionary imperative that we are hardwired to satisfy, Robert," replies the Baroness. "And I did not say that they do not take this seriously. Many take games most seriously, indeed. But they still regard it as a thing not real, forgetting or pretending not to understand that its implications are anything but imaginary."

    "But for now, I think it is time to show you to guest quarters. Not in the Dome, sadly. We have a long way to go before it is properly furnished for anyway to rest in. However, the usual room at my home is available, and the bath can be made ready swiftly."

    She pauses and notes, "Tae hasn't been singing for a few minutes. She has no doubt already returned and set things ready for us. We can talk more after you have freshened-up a bit. Perhaps together we can delay or at least direct what is to come into something more productive and slightly less... foolish and repetitive than it otherwise will prove to be?"

SpritesHero's lips tighten for a moment, before twitching into a grin with hints of its previous warmth. "Have to characterize the starting perspectives first," he ripostes. "But you are correct that we neither of us relish in devolving into recriminations." His eyes shut, one ear tilting upwards by a touch. "I do believe you are correct. Your Tae has an eerie, yet most welcome, knack for these sorts of things. Shall we? A warm bath and a cup of tea, I think, will take enough of an edge off that this can at least start to become more productive. After you, Baroness."

The Baroness nods slightly and leads the way, but only by a half step, and once cleared the door she settles in beside Robert, taking hold of his elbow in a most familiar manner.

    "I think what we must do is reframe the moment in a new context. Honest, compelling, and unifying. As you say, this world is not stagnant, and much of what is moving we can only guess at. The threat to all may be just what we need to force all to cooperate. If, admittedly, just for a short time. We all desire to be where we love to be, after all. But as is almost always the case, we never can quite agree where that is."

    The walk is not a long one, and at the end awaits hot water and a tub that will soon be ready for a proper bath. The hint of tea is in the air. Tae's singing is warmer in the small space, but she makes no appearance. Business, after all, has only hit a recess, not a conclusion.