Private ✪ Stokbon Killin' Me Good

[Lune]

It's been months, almost a year since that fateful battle against Szofrit. Yet, the strained relationship between landers and starcalled still hadn't improved.

Especially Falderen.

It's not like they imposed an attack-on-sight policy on identified starcalled, but there's a limit on how many side-eyes one can take in a day. Lucky for her, she doesn't stick out that much in this form, and with ease was able to enter the heart of the Falderen capital. For what purposes, you may ask? A sudden request to investigate a meeting came from the Guild, that would take place somewhere around the middle square of Stokbon.

Report back anything that might be of interest. Yes, literally anything. Vague description for a vague job.

Even those without any brain cells would know that the request came somewhere from the inner Kingdom of Astorea. Or perhaps internally, through Cessia? Couldn't guess why the woman didn't want to involve herself directly when she used to loyally serve the starcalled nation. But at least now she was being paid to investigate something else, not to play detective games.

"Hm."

Leaning along a balcony, Lune looked around while confirming the time on her UI. 5PM sharp. She didn't even know what exactly would happen, which parties were involved, anything, really. But it should be the perfect time to just turn on the Investigation Mode and start scanning the crowd.

@Jin

 

[Jin]

"Young master, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to respond on behalf of your organization."

"But of course. We had every intention of a prompt and cordial response, however geopolitical stressors have made crossing the border, shall we say, more difficult for many members of the Guild?"

"Ah, but such entanglements do not seem to have fettered you. I would love to hear more about that."

"Surely, a liaison must be allowed some secrets, Baron Lestraux."

"Secrets between friends? Such a notion does not engender good faith, do you not think?"

Lestraux was a stout man, his mustache thick with a personality all its own. When he spoke, it moved in place of his lips, which hid behind it like curtains. His eyes sank beneath thick, fat lids that were wrinkled by age, and a large pair of blue lens glasses sat across the bridge of his nose.

Jin couldn't read the man's expressions or mannerisms at all, but he played at the charade of cat and mouse with no less energy. The good Baron was like all Falderen nobility, a politician at heart.

"What I think," the Bloodsworn mused, leaning forward and resting his elbow on his thigh, and his chin in his palm as he looked up at the other man, "is that you don't quite understand the nature of the ally you're looking to court here. Astorea was one thing- the powers that be were focused so heavily on carving out a place for Travelers that they spat all over the needs and desires of your own people, the ones they call Landers."

"I am one of many who lost a great deal when I lost my position in Astorea to the Fool King's regime, so you can understand my hesitancy in fully trusting one of his... people."

"I have met Astor Balthas," Jin mused, "I was not impressed. We are not alike."

"And what would you say that you are like?" Lestraux reached for the edge of his mustache and twirled it between his fingers.

"Much more interested in a lucrative partnership with your own people," Jin smirked. "After all, I've risked life and limb to come here to Stokbon just to have this meeting."

Though he could not see it, Jin somehow knew that Lestraux was smiling.

The carriage that they were seated in turned a corner and began to slow as it reached the central square of Stokbon, and the driver let it grind to a halt before hurrying to the side of the cart to open it for the two dignitaries.

"I've arranged for us to speak freely in more suitable chambers, if you are amenable Sir... Jin, wasn't it?"

"Yes," the darkly dressed man said as he disembarked, stepping out into a sea of Landers who seemed completely blind to his presence. "It was."

@Lune

 

[Lune]

She didn't have to look further; a carriage turned from the corner and entered the scene right on cue, signifying that this might be 'the important meeting'. Either that or they were going to hold this meeting shortly. And judging by how unnecessarily ornamented the carriage was, probably they were a nobility.

Lune waited, preferring to be discreet this time during these unfriendly times with Falderen. At this distance, the Investigation Mode couldn't help much to find much information about the pair of men who just exited the vehicle. But one extravagantly dressed man caught her attention quickly.

"Suspicious." The mustache, that is. No good person would ever rock that thick of a curtain like that. The other person dressed in dark though... he seemed familiar but it's hard to confirm at this range. Not to mention that her senses were impaired.

Both of them disembarked, before making their way towards a building on the other side of this balcony. People were already stationed near the entrance, so blending in would be hard. "Tch. Guarded." The woman wasn't even sure if the building was private or open to the public, so she opted to go for the most obvious, safest entry.

Well, of course, it's the roof.

Her mastery of Metamorph and Astramancy let her pretty easily cross the distance between the buildings with one jump, hopefully without anyone noticing. She would settle around for a bit before getting in from an open window.

@Jin

 

[Jin]

"Rest assured, Sir Jin, we spared no expense to ensure that this meeting would go uninterrupted," Lestraux assured him when he noticed that the Bloodsworn was glancing down the various hallways of the labyrinthine building they had entered. "There are guards posted at every major corridor crossing, such that no one would be able to slip through without alerting us."

His gaze traveled toward the Baron, amused. "I see that for all of the disdain you harbor toward my kind, you truly don't understand the dangers inherent to them."

"Why, I'm sure I don't know what you mean," the Count said with a smile, but his eyes had opened and he was staring quite cryptically toward Jin. "We have prepared for everything that we could possibly know about. If there is more that we don't know, it would behoove you to tell us. For your safety, and our own."

"I'm certain that anything you need to know will be made apparent in its own time," Jin replied evenly. "For now, it is safe to operate under the assumptions you've previously made."

He knew exactly the type of man he was dealing with. Shrewd. Not an ally, but not an outright enemy. Any new information that the Falderen Nobility could gain about Starcalled was dangerous not only to other Players, but to Jin himself.

"Very well," the older man sighed, "I see that trust is a rare commodity even here."

"Trust is a dagger that, too carelessly given, ends up in your back. Wouldn't you agree with that, Baron?"

"My, aren't you the paranoid one?"

"Pragmatic," Jin corrected, still smiling. "But I've not come here to compare apples to oranges, I fear. You were going to make some kind of proposal for the Adventurer's Guild, something that would open the borders to Falderen back up to Travelers in some limited capacity...?"

"Provided they have no allegiance to the false king of the Starcalled, or his nation, of course," the Baron stipulated. "There would be more regulations, but that is perhaps chief among them. We cannot trust anyone who places the well-being of the Starcalled and their interests above those of the people who actually call this world home."

"Of course that sounds wonderful to you, my lord," Jin folded his hands and hid his lips behind them, smiling thinly. "But you must realize, these people would balk at the prospect of throwing their own well-being to the wind in order to place the good of Falderen over themselves. You're essentially asking that they conscript themselves to your cause for passage."

"A modest proposal to say the least, I believe," the Baron gestured toward Jin. "After all the recent events, I'm sure you can understand the need for a public display of good faith to restore some of the broken trust?"

"I'm sure that I understand your intent," Jin chuckled. "But I think you wholly underestimate just what the Starcalled are, not to mention why they would never acquiesce to that kind of demand."

"I'd be willing to listen if you wanted to explain it," the Baron said, leaning across the table.

Jin leaned forward in turn, resting his elbows on the table. "I could," he said, "but you'd be getting free information, and I would be doing nothing to persuade you. Instead, let's talk about something more productive. What kind of work would you be able to guarantee for the Starcalled? Surely, you don't think they'd simply give up freedom to come here and live as second class citizens?"

@Lune

 

[Lune]

Finding herself in a study or some sort, Lune slowly looked around, opening the door to the corridor to realize that the interior was also crawling with guards. Not your average guards, since they seem to wear some kind of formal uniform. Almost militaristic.

"Government official," she deduced, either that or a noble. A Baron? Maybe she should have learned the politics of Falderen before coming here.

Her only shot at continuing to scout was to infiltrate, and the only obvious method was to disguise herself. Waiting for a guard to pass the room, she quickly pulled one before slamming his face into the ground at full power, knocking him out cold.

After a while, Lune exited the study room, now clad in the black, prestigious guard uniform. The uniform's not form-fitting, but better than sticking out like a sore thumb. Walking around, she quickly realized how many turns, corners, and corridors were in this building. At the moment, her priority was to go to the lower floors to regain contact with the people she had seen outside.

"Jackpot."

Spotting the pair on the other end of a long corridor, she quickly tried to blend in as a guard, walking slowly a few meters behind them. What they talked about was not entirely clear. Big words, too big for her brain. She was paid to observe a meeting, not to deduce things. She was mostly preserving her cover until she heard the hooded man replying.

"But I've not come here to compare apples to oranges, I fear."

Uh oh, she recognized that voice. None else than the Bloodsworn, Jin.

Was he here on behalf of the Guild as he said? It might be another secret assignment if he was, considering she had never heard of it. But it could also be personal, knowing the man was just purely driven by his own interest and unknown desire. Yugam told her to stay away from him not for nothing.

Thankfully she was not in a form that the man would recognize.

As the pair settled on a table, Lune stopped beside a door not far, standing by as if she was guarding it while still eavesdropping on the conversation.

@Jin

 

[Jin]

He listened intently as the Baron laid things out plainly, detailed, down to a letter. Jin kept his hands folded and his eyes on the man- for the most part. He tilted his head only slightly several times during the exchange, his gaze flittering for a moment toward the door and then back as he heard movement nearby.

"Are you still worried about my motives having come this far, Sir Jin?" the man asked when he noticed Jin's eyes shift away from him. "If you're not careful, you may insult my hospitality."

Jin blinked slowly, smile unchanged. "What is your hospitality going to do to me if I offend it?" he asked, matching the man's veiled threat with a challenge of his own. "Your kind has been afraid to act directly against the Travelers since we first appeared, daunted by the unknown. Save for a smattering of seemingly unrelated and untraceable incidents, one might be led to believe Falderen was timid in the face of those who they have barred from their nation... but taken no direct action against."

"You are a braver man than I took you for at face value, to make utter such brazen accusations and slanderous words," the Baron raised his voice, rising to his feet.

"Sit down," Jin growled. "You're embarrassing yourself, and you're wasting my time. The second is a grievous offense on its own."

Something had changed in his voice, and the Baron felt his blood run cold. The Bloodsworn's eyes had only left him for a fleeting moment, but something was noticeably different- wrong, even.

"You think your people clever, but we knew. When these two nations existed in shaky, barely kept peace, we neither spoke of the deceptions carried on by the nobility nor deigned to dignify it with threats. Even now, the Starfallen are fully aware, and they watch, listen, and wait for you to step out of line. The outworlders keep this peace because it is better than the alternative, a direct war between them and the country of Falderen, but now you've offered shackles for the crumbs you would leave beneath the table after you sup."

The Baron flinched at first, then reeled as Jin revealed a hand he had not anticipated.

"I am meeting with you on behalf of a neutral organization," Jin closed his eyes and his voice softened a bit, though he did not seem to relax. "I do not speak on behalf of the entire contingent of Starfallen, nor frankly do I have any wish to do so. You seemed to lack a complete understanding of the situation. I have corrected that."

Jin's gaze burned into the Baron once more. The man shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Now that we have a better understanding of one another, would you like to re-evaluate your previous offer?"

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"You are a braver man than I took you for at face value, to make utter such brazen accusations and slanderous words,"

The man quickly stood up offended as Jin started to pull some strings. For a noble, he got riled up pretty easily. It was then after the Bloodsworn revealed that he was not actually here on behalf of the entirety of Starcalled, the man was taken aback.

What was he expecting, really?

The other two guards in the room seemed to inch closer toward the unsettled Baron as he cleared his throat, an order he probably issued to escape getting intimidated and trying to look as mighty in return. Mimicking the guards, she also slowly walked closer, with the seats where they negotiate now almost within reach. Somehow, the circumstances might result in the second part of the directive needing to be executed.

Dots connected, and she got the full picture now. Was this an elaborate assignment set up by the guild to accomplish this with one hundred percent certainty?

And what's the second directive, you ask? Well...

In the event that the result of the meeting is deemed unfavorable:

Terminate.

Of course, people don't eliminate their fellow guildmembers, especially when dealing on behalf of the guild itself, so the directive must be referring to the other party here, which was none other than the baron himself. The question is, does Jin know that another envoy of the guild is here?

She continued to watch the Baron's micromovements, her fingers on her side, ready to open the UI.

@Jin