[center][h2]Bless This Mess - Sandalphon, Zenkichi, Edward, Ganondorf, Primrose[/h2]
[b]Word count:[/b] 2286 (+3)[/center]

Edward Portsmith acquired himself some good old fashioned bangers and mash (admittedly the silver flecked with gold ginger was not a standard coloration of said meal) and did his best to avoid any wing related accidents as he sought out a seat. The new appendages were very much a thing he was debating on whether to keep or not after the nuisance they had been to sleep in.

They were also, as it turned out, awkward to sit in, which is why the man picked himself an empty table to avoid inflicting the process of trying to fit the flappers against the backrest comfortably without batting any neighbors with them. Sandalphon joined him soon after.

The King of Evil’s breakfast was a lot more modest than one might expect. Rather than a lavish feast like one would expect a royal to eat, his plate instead contained a simple omelet with chicken-sausage wrapped within, and a side of toasted bread with cheese on it. Even his choice of drink was a surprisingly humble mug of apple cider, albeit the mug was indeed of a size big enough to suit someone of his stature. Perhaps he was more of a drinker than an eater? Or maybe it was because the Gerudo hadn’t just come to the table to eat. He also had a handful of parchments placed out next to where his plate was sitting, and he himself appeared to be reading them over while he ate his meal.

[color=797979]”I believe you might be interested to see this.”[/color] Ganondorf said with a gesture toward Sandalphon followed by tapping the parchments on the table before pushing them across the table for her to read for herself. [color=797979]”Communications between a bandit faction in the Sandswept Sky and Consul H.”[/color] He let the designation of the Consul inquisition hang in the air a bit due to the implications before adding the confirmation. [color=797979]”The one who was supposed to have been killed, I believe? Well it seems he’s still alive after all.”[/color]

The archangel, who’d been making slow progress on her food so far despite the extra honey, seemed immediately attentive to the new intelligence. “H,” she repeated. “If memory serves, Dawn alluded to H when she met us in Ballyhoo’s Big Top following our games. She mentioned that the Avenger’s scanners detected the launch of a Bastion Fleet Carrier -possibly the same one that assaulted Alcamoth- in the vicinity of Zurvan Amp Station, a New Conglomerate base in the northern reaches of the eastern desert. We assumed the worst-case scenario, that H himself had mobilized it in response to the encounter with Z, but we could not confirm.” She nodded at Ganondorf. “This does confirm our suspicions, then. Both Consuls who attacked Alcamoth returned home unscathed.” After a moment, she tried to put a positive spin on her next statement. “At the very least, our sources indicate that L has ceased hostility following her defeat.”

Zenkichi, who himself had a plate with an omelet and rice, the former drizzled with a bit of ketchup, shook his head. [color=BFBFBF]”Well, that's a shame. But given that they brought enough people to take down Alcamoth, I guess I can't say I'm too surprised. I'm just glad we got out of there before having to deal with another Consul fight. Three in one day was a few too many…”[/color] Between Y, C, and Z, Zenkichi could go the rest of his life without seeing a Consul and be happy about it.

“Good morning, detective,” Sandalphon took the time to say, though she did not go any more in depth into pleasantry than that. “Luckily, we have been moderately successful in minimizing contact with Moebius since then. Yesterday’s brief encounter with Consul Ɪ is the exception. With our comrades’ presence in Mafia Town discovered, their evacuation last night was timely.” Even in this state the archangel could talk non-stop if she wanted to, so she made a conscious effort to pipe down and make progress on her meal.

[color=ea590c]”I don’t suppose there is a glossary available which would let me brush up on half the terminology you just used? The information I’ve received has been rather grapeshot in nature”[/color] Edward asked after looking mildly bemused during the conversation that had just been had, making this request entirely straight face.

Upon hearing the request, Sandalphon’s pupils immediately changed to loading rings. “Just a moment.”

After acquiring their own plates of food (humble ones when compared to some of the other Seekers), the Orsterran duo moved to sit at what could reasonably be called the "quiet table." The make-up of the other three seemed to consist of the rowdier members of their group, and it didn't seem like the early hour was going to make any difference there. Primrose arrived first, gracefully taking a seat while she set her plate down. Before Therion got the chance, the table's last chair was snatched away by a witch. He blinked at the woman, then with a silent sigh dragged himself over to another table.

Hiding her amusement behind her coffee mug, Primrose took a long drink. The warmth spread through her, perking her up after the earlier meeting.

[color=D34C25]"Good morning,"[/color] she greeted everyone, eyeing the documents Ganondorf had spread over a section of the table. Then she glanced at the gray-winged man, offering him a sympathetic smile. [color=D34C25]"I'm afraid not. To my knowledge anyway. Though creating an informational pamphlet has been discussed."[/color]

She paused to lift a cuberry to her mouth. [i]Mm, it's good.[/i] [color=D34C25]"I'm sure someone has gone over the... more important things with you? Though if you were curious about anything else, I suppose before we leave would be the time to ask. Mr...?"[/color]

[color=ea590c]”Portsmith-”[/color] the man replied crisply, before adding [color=ea590c]”Edward Portsmith to be exact.”[/color] and then tapping a finger on the table twice has he fought, before coming up with a question.

[color=ea590c]”I am aware of the broad strokes of the objective and the opposition, though these were delivered under battlefield conditions and such there was little fine detail involved”[/color] he explained, [color=ea590c]”I am aware this is not exactly time for a detailed run down on the state of the war either, what with the impending deployment, so I’ll keep the purview of my question related to that”[/color] 

That question turned out to be a very practical one, namely [color=ea590c]”How, exactly, would you describe the threat level of these Consuls, Guardians, and this ‘Master Hand’?”[/color] 

“They are all servants of Galeem in some way, but Guardians merely exist, while Consuls enforce its will, albeit without direct guidance. We know precious little about Master Hand, but out of all our foes it seems most akin to Galeem’s direct subordinate. Here, perhaps this will help.” As her processing came to an end, Sandalphon waved her left hand in front of her, summoning a two-dimensional screen of softly glowing yellow, like a tapestry woven in midair. At her bidding the screen collapsed, but after casting her hand at Edward it expanded in front of him within arm’s reach. Listed therein were dozens and dozens of terms, each with a plus sign that could be pressed to expand the section, which revealed a definition and links to related entries. The miraculous page even came with a search bar, which would automatically tap further into Sandalphon’s powers to create a keyboard.

“This is all the non-sensitive information I have about the key players in this conflict, including those you mentioned,” the archangel told Edward. “I regret that you cannot take it with you, but as long as we’re in proximity, this interface can be used to partake in what I know.” With that she returned her attention to her breakfast, her focus unnecessary.

Primrose hummed in appreciation. [color=D34C25]"You've been busy,"[/color] she told the archangel. [color=D34C25]"Is this something you've been working on, or did you just create it now?"[/color]

Edward certainly considered it [color=ea590c]”Fascinating”[/color] as he was immediately all over this wondrous creation. He tapped open a few terms, and then upon seeing the depth of information on offer, pulled out a small journal within which he began jotting key facts down. 

Zenkichi hummed at Primrose’s comment, swallowing a spoonful of rice. [color=BFBFBF]Not sure about that one specifically, but busy doesn't even begin to describe it. She's been doing research nearly nonstop since we got picked up. "[/color] He stopped short of describing the state Sandalphon's overworking had put her in, but gave the archangel a small smile, commiserating in the plight of an overworked professional having to hunt down every little detail to put together intel. Somewhat surprised by his expression, Sandalphon couldn’t help but smile in return, which looked a little silly with a full mouth.

[color=BFBFBF]”Then again, the kids and I took down J over in Shibuya, so…can't exactly say I took it easy, myself."[/color] That comment was more for the sake of Edward and Ganondorf, to help keep them up to speed on that front. His earlier melancholy about how [i]that[/i] venture ended had mostly abated, but to say it vanished would be inaccurate, and a slight pull at his features betrayed it.

The dancer's gaze flickered over to Sandalphon. She seemed better today, but last night when she'd come to greet the Seekers at Meridi-at-Han she did have a weary look to her. It was hard to say for sure of course, given that Primrose still wasn't very familiar with the other woman. Primrose then glanced back at Zenkichi and the lines drawn by the expression on the older man's face.

[color=D34C25]"Hmm. Don't over do it, we've still got a long road ahead of us,"[/color] she said. She lifted her drink to her lips again, adding to herself, [i]and a time limit to walk it.[/i]

“Nevertheless, we cannot afford to waste any of the precious days we’re given,” Sandalphon pronounced, her pupils stress marks. “For any of us, tomorrow could be our last.” Her grave sentiment seemed to echo Primrose’s unspoken addendum, though one could not in good faith call that accidental. When the archangel looked over at the dancer, however, her eyes were back to normal. As normal as hers could ever be, anyway. “To answer your question, it’s all stored up here.” She extended a slender finger to tap her temple, her pupils shifting through a dozen symbols in the span of a second. “It takes some time to sift through and make presentable, but I can recollect and redistribute anything I’ve learned. 9S once called it a ‘photographic memory’, though if you’re anything like I was, you likely lack the context to give that phrase meaning.”

[color=D34C25]"You're right,"[/color] Primrose admitted easily. [color=D34C25]"Though I've learned a few things. I think I get it."[/color] It was an impressive skill, superior to even the most learned scholars.

[color=ea590c]”and I look forward to learning them”[/color] Edward commented over the sound of a quill quietly scribbling across the pages. Notably it was not the one he had started with, as the man had harvested one of his own new feathers to keep writing when the old one broke. The ink meanwhile flowed endlessly, painting characters in hues of steel as it engraved the knowledge in sorcerous scripture.

His food sat mostly untouched as a result.

[color=ea590c]”As for time, it is certainly a fine line to walk. Particularly as overexertion can be just the invitation your end is waiting for”[/color] he added, before pausing his writing looking up at Sandalphon and saying [color=ea590c]”So while I appreciate this greatly”[/color] referring to the terminal [color=ea590c]”please do not see my enthusiasm for this wondrous technology as motivation for more overwork. I have plenty of other research material to fill my time with”[/color]

By this time, Ganondorf had read all he wanted to on the parchments and stacked them back together so they would take up less room on the table as more began to gather there. That and he wanted to finish his meal before it got too cold. So he began cutting bites out of his omelet and taking occasional swigs from his rustic mug of cider. [color=797979]”I kept my own interactions with Moebius to a minimum as well.”[/color] He reported in case anyone was curious about it. [color=797979]”But I did fight a war against one of their proxies. A faction of bandits with little to no leadership structure, except for one man who called himself their king. They had numbers, but not much else beyond that. Defeating them was practically child’s play.”[/color]

Sandalphon wondered what purpose that served, given the World of Light’s cyclical system of slaughter and repopulation, but she did not do so aloud. No good would come of courting conflict with Ganondorf, after all. His aura of darkness, so much like a demon’s, still made her reluctant to interact with him at all, so she opted to spare them both unnecessary conversation. Of course, with everyone’s attention split between their meals and Sandalphon’s study material, the archangel’s silence contributed to the conversation at her table trailing off. She and her comrades had a lot to think about, after all, and not much time before their mission began. Once the Seekers burst back onto the scene from their week-long hiatus, anything could happen.