Well met by Chimlink

Yeowang has just finished a discussion with her guildies in Shibuya and retires to her room to chim a friend and ally who may be in a position to use the information she has to offer. Sadly, she's not that facile with the whole game mechanics bit, and this is one of those rarely used situations. But she has Wake on her friends list, so she opens up her chimlink and attepts to open up a channel. "Calling Wake, calling Wake, come in Wake. This is Yeowang calling for Wake."

    For her part, the Baroness of Eas is enjoying a moment of repose. In the very room where a party of adventurers brought an end to the orcs who once held these lands, there now sits a hot bath, the water pouring out steam.

    Wake's tone conveys her smirk as she replies, "Wake's dress speaking. Sorry, she's not in me right now." A pause, some background laughter, and she replies in a slightly more serious tone, "Wake here, you are heard, over and out."

    In the background, a female voice asks, "Who is that?"

Yeowang can't hear or see who is with Wake at her end, but in an excess of caution, and because she left to be alone to place the call, she asks, "Are you alone? Or with someone you trust implicitly?" Because Tae might be there, and she wouldn't ask Wake to shoo Tae out. Tae is also trustworthy, though others, to a greater or lesser degree, are not so reliable. "I have some information about visitors from Lumina Cloth in the Palace Lands," she explains.

    Wake asides to Tae, "It's Yeowang, dear. Apparently it's very serious business."

    Directing her attention back to the chim, Wake says, "No issues on my side, it's Tae and I here." A pause to listen more. "And here I thought it would be some time before an expedition came our way. I suppose it makes sense. We have been working to make it safe. It occurs to me that may not have been the best idea, but turn-about is fair play, is it not?."

Yeowang nods about just Wake and Tae, not that Wake can see, but she goes on, "So, they're searching for something, but very subtly, it seems. I found a slip of paper on the floor as they were departing with the message that we should find something or someone called 'the Uncrowned', and that we should not alert any member of their party. But I didn't see which one of them dropped the message. So I thought if they haven't been to Eas yet, I could alert you, and you might spot them dropping a note." She goes on, "Also, we gave them a tour and they were pleased by that, which we worked out afterwards might have been because they wanted to look around. So, if you take them straight to an audience room to chat and make them mention what they want to look at, if anything, it might help."

    For a time, Wake is silent. She is thinking, perhaps, or simply basking in the strange juxtoposition of wonderfully warm water, scented air, beautiful company, and intrigue.

    "It's just like Nikko," she murmurs cryptically. A deep, dramatic sigh comes from Tae. More long, stretched-out silence.

    "So they've given you a quest, then?" Wake asks at last. "I will be on the lookout for their coming, though I may or may not meet them. They will be watched closely until we are certain of their intentions."

Yeowang nods again. If only this were a video conference. But the silence is expected. It was a pretty serious info dump, and time to think about it is reasonable. She agrees about the quest, "It seems so. We've sent an agent to Lumina Cloth to surveil them to perhaps learn more. Though I'm not confident if they're not willing to speak of it openly amongst themselves." Covert surveillance in NWA almost certainly means Akatsuki. "But if there are factions among them, it will be important to know. Keeping it a secret from the other Lumina Cloth party members implies that there are members of different factions in their visiting party. Maybe if you can talk to them seperately under some pretense, you may learn more?"

    "If there are factions, we need to understand them. Perhaps it isn't going to be critical for Eas, but I do appreciate the information. Which begs the question. What do you fear?"

    The Baroness shifts in the water, her attention not precisely diverted to her companion, but effectively split. Being able to truly pay attention to two things at once is a rare thing, but Wake is able to do just that.

Yeowang agrees about understanding factions. As to what she fears, she says, "I am worried this Uncrowned thing being the key to something important and us missing the march in acquiring it, whatever it is. I'm not sure how much they expected us to do based on a paper with two sentences that was dropped subtly. That's why I was hoping you could find out who dropped it, get them alone, and get a better data dump."

    A much longer pause than even before. Wake's frown is for Tae to see, but it doesn't color her tone, which is as calm as a mountain lake. The distaste for it all isn't expressed.

    "I will engage with the guests," she says at last. A few breaths later, "If they are a threat, it will be particularly problematic to address. I wonder what they truly feel about adventurers."

Yeowang adds, "I've made a /very quick/ check through the New World library, but no luck. Your librarians may have more success searching for this Uncrowned?" When Wake mentions them being a threat, she says, "I don't think they are specificall a threat. They conned red, but they were not aggressive, or even remotely hinting at anything like that. We gave them a show and tell, and they made their excuses quickly after finishing that and bailed. The ones that came to Shibuya arrived in four serious fighting ships, which they declined to let /us/ have a closer look at, that was probably the least friendly thing they did, and that could be hostility or just impatience to be on their way."

    "If they sail warships into the ports of the Dukedom, they may draw some unfriendly attention in turn." Wake considers this for a time, then files it away. She can think of half a dozen ways to use that to her advantage.

    An idle shift in the bath, then she presses herself out of the water, letting the chill air flow over her skin. Her attention narrows slowly on a target.

    "Hopefully I will have time to speak to Kauchemar or Proteus about this matter. Plant Hwyaden remains the best source of lore. If I learn anything of advantage, I will let you know." A pause. "What is New World's next play? How does this impact the approach to the Palace Lands?"

Yeowang realizes Eas is well inland, and says, "I'm not sure where they will moor their warships, or if four is a visiting party or a war fleet." She's not sure about Lore in Olympus, or in NWA for that matter. She had to ask who their librarian was. "As long as it doesn't get back to the Palace Landers, tell who you please," she says. As to their next play, she says, "I am going to ask Estelle to help if my library search turns up nothing. Past that and spying on Lumina Cloth, I have nothing."

    "What will be, will be."

    Wake reaches down to trace a finger across the surface of the steaming water. She acknowledges a feeling of irritation. The Palace Lands are an irritation. Too soon to make the voyage, but that genie is out of the bottle. There is some measure of amusement that New World has done something as dangerous the Scale Emblem, perhaps, but mostly it is simply irritating.

    "It appears all the Alliances have bad judgment in common, now," Wake murmurs. "Can three wrongs be corrected in time? We shall see."

Yeowang hrmphs at what will be will be. "What will be can often be arranged if you know the right individuals," she claims. "Which becomes a matter of /finding/ the right individual, of course." She would object to the assertion that NWA has done something as grievious as Scale. Giganpor's deal with the goblins was done without NWA's authority, and the Palace Landers are not sending Waves. Not yet, anyhow. "We shall see," she agrees, though. That much is true.

    "Thank you for the call, Yeowang."

    The most important calls in Yamato are never pleasant.

    Wake knows she'll be visited. After all, she did invite them. A pity they took her up on it.

    "I will be in touch. I hope the topic will be a lighter one, but I fear that is not likely. Still, with my nuptials approaching there is a chance for sunnier times."

Yeowang replies, "You're welcome, Baroness Wake. I am sure things will work out for the best in the end, if its at all possible for them to be so arranged." As to being in touch, she says, "Of course you're welcome to call any time. I would have come to visit, but I'm in Shibuya and time was urgent."

    "Until next time."

    With a catlike stretch, Wake abandons the chill air, descending into the hot water again. As skilled as the Baroness is at doing two things at once, when her attention is suddenly, utterly focused on a singular purpose or /person/, the change is dramatic, indeed.

    For the rest of this evening, there will be no further thought diverted from her bride-to-be.