---

"Izayoi. Care to talk for a minute or two?"

For the love of the gods, could she not get a single moment to herself?! Torn from her ruminations about her newfound blood relations, Izayoi could only fix Esben with a withering glare that she knew he wouldn’t be affected by. It was freeing, in a way. With Esben, she could express as much as she cared to without holding back, and he was composed enough to handle it in a way that certain other members of the party weren’t.

”No. I do not.” She replied bluntly, turning away from him in a deliberate show of her irritation. ”But I suppose you will blather on regardless. So out with it. This had best be worth the time, Esben.”

”Well, if you’re just going to give me permission to ignore your answer...” Let no one accuse him of being unwilling to play along, even when they might prefer he didn’t. ”Drana Asnaeu has barely kept above the level of an unmitigated disaster since the moment we stepped off Bikke’s ship, no? Not all of that is due to things under our control, but two of the sources are, and I’m afraid they won’t listen to me alone.”

It certainly wouldn’t take a genius to figure out just what two he was referring to, or why—so he brushed right on past without a second thought, unless Izayoi would decide now was the time to play dumb out of frustration. ”I’ve already tried to impress upon one of them the importance of adjusting our methodology to our circumstances, and didn’t get particularly far. I would like to enlist your aid speaking to the both of them about it.”

There was a moment when Izayoi felt like being particularly difficult about this. After all, she had her own issues to deal with right now, and Esben should rightfully be back inside that damned tent. But she would humor him nonetheless.

”And supposing I agree with them? Drana Asnaeu has given me little reason to do otherwise thus far.”

Well, she was a terrible liar, even to herself. It seemed she wanted to be just a little difficult after all. Esben couldn’t have it his own way all the time, after all.

Esben’s flat stare was all the reply she received.

He received a roll of Izayoi’s eyes in response.

”I am not their keeper, SEED.” She groused, staring out at the treeline. ”That, and you presume the dragoon would listen overmuch to his brother’s killer to begin with.” A beat passed, and she decided to show some amount of grace in this matter.

”But you are not entirely incorrect. Éliane, at the very least, must be reined in should we have to negotiate again. To say nothing of the fact that I believe her threats to be idle, if I understand Skael’s chain of command correctly?”

”You do,” Esben replied without a wasted moment. ”You may not be their keeper, but I imagine they both respect you—something I am not entirely certain applies to many of the rest of us. Galahad, perhaps, could use the reminder of everything at risk from someone that lost as much as, if not more than he did, I think...Éliane could use the understanding both of you have, even if she continues to persist in her belief that she was sent as something more than a token of good-will, and not an expendable demonstration piece.”

”I killed his brother, boy.” Izayoi snapped, her nerves thin thanks to the revelations that Miina’s father had so ungraciously imposed upon her. “That, or a man under my command did. I would not have been so gracious in his place. Éliane, however, is a matter I will assist you with.“

Esben stared silently for a moment, before turning to look up at the stars himself with a sigh. ”Gracious or not, that’s part of the connection, part of what I’m counting on, Izayoi,” he muttered. ”A generation of two countries, decimated. For nothing, leaving both weak to invaders from across the ocean. It’s easier to ignore when it’s still a statistic, a number from years back.” He glanced back at the tent, shaking his head.

”He’s not a general. He should know skills beyond the belligerent, beyond counting the statistics—and yet he was nearly as inclined to feed into them as Éliane, in front of the Grovemasters. I know I can’t get everybody to let me do the talking for that all the time, nor would that be the best choice in a host of circumstances, that’s why I want to check in, make sure whether or not he could use the reminder before he gets himself hurt with his own frustrations, not to speak of everybody else around.

”Consider it part of my personal interest, or part of my country’s, whichever makes you happier,” he scoffed. ”I’d rather avoid any unnecessary hostilities, no matter the scale. But that’s all why I don’t think he’ll listen to me alone. Éliane and I don’t have any of that experience, and I’m the only one that works for an organization that actively tries to prevent others from having it. You’re the only one that shares it with him, and like it or not, you’re the fount of wisdom we have to rely on.”

”A fine way to call me old!” Izayoi groused, folding her arms and shaking her head. ”I will aid you in this matter, but, for the record? I do not care how we deal with the Grovemasters. At this point, I fully support putting every last one of the three to the sword. I have my doubts this will be an issue going forward, regardless. Éliane will obey Skaelan authority. The same goes for Galahad and that fop on the Edrenian throne. Have you considered that the issue is with the Grovemasters and them alone?”

”We were going to have pushback regardless,” he replied noncommittally. ”To assume otherwise would be blind optimism. But we didn’t have to out ourselves entirely at the harbor. We didn’t have to give in to the urge to threaten them and their land when there’s enough of a threat knocking at the doors already.” There was little need to speak regarding the conclusions he’d been coming to about how to deal with the Grovemasters, because he’d made a point to consider only those that wouldn’t require active input from the others to see them through.

It certainly made matters easier on that front that the only way he could imagine the others making themselves terribly useful would be if he wanted to storm Brightlam’s gates, anyways.

He glanced upwards again, a small frown turning down the corners of his lips as he took in the starlight. ”Thank you, Izayoi. And—awkward and unwelcome as it may be—I am glad for you.” Without turning back to the tent, he walked alone down the path, one arm raised in farewell. ”I’ll leave you with your thoughts, for now. Just be ready when I can get the two of them to hold still long enough to chat.”

A noncommittal, annoyed grunt was all Esben received as Izayoi fully turned away from him, descending into her own thoughts once more. She scowled.

---

After a night’s rest and a fast breakfast, Esben did not waste any time pursuing the furtherance of his conversation with Izayoi the night before. Izayoi—despite any of her grousing and protestations—was easy enough to gather, dragging her along in tow behind him as he swept through the Mystrel tribe’s camp. The first of his targets to round up was the pink-haired woman that he shared a homeland with, though more and more often recently he’d had to wonder whether or not her bombastic, distinctly un-Skaeller demeanour meant she’d somehow been swapped shortly after birth with a changeling or someone from a different country.

Luckily, she seemed to be looking for him as well, if her expression suddenly running into them after he and Izayoi rounded past one of the tents was anything to go by. ”Come with us,” he demanded, not wasting a step as he continued on past—one hand grabbing at her elbow to pull her along and make sure she didn’t stay rooted to the spot out of either shock or stubbornness.

”Have you seen Galahad? I need to speak with the both of you.”

Éliane had come straight from her wholesome discussion with Miina and had indeed been directly looking for Esben. “Oh, Esben. I was looking for you…” She frowned as the spy grabbed her elbow and began to pull her along. It didn’t take her long for her to tug away and then smacked at his hand with her other hand to free herself from his unwanted clinginess. “Rude. I haven’t seen Galahad… but as I was saying, Miina and I came up with a strategy. We must remove the Grovemasters and you are the person that can help with this.”

”Somehow, I doubt that she had as much input as you make it sound,” Esben replied drily. ”I’ve been planning what to do about the Grovemasters since we spoke in front of them. Isolde has only somewhat changed that. I’ve got something else I need you and Galahad for.” He stopped in his tracks suddenly, turning back to Izayoi. ”I imagine you found a good spot to exercise last night, ja? I wouldn’t put it past him to be doing similar or to find much the same spot. Care to lead the way?”

A wordless nod was Izayoi’s only response, followed by a gesture to follow her. Two minutes of walking through camp and slightly outside of it led them to a clearing she’d found the night before, well suitable for training. It was where Miina had come across her previously, and still just within view of camp.

The Mystrel tribe's camp was a welcome reprieve to their thus far chaotic journey. No one looking to betray or attack them, and the din of bustling civilization had given way to the quiet solitude of nature. Galahad had spent much of his time here recuperating from his injuries in silence, reflecting on past events- not quite brooding, most of the time anyway.

The Dragoon glanced over as Izayoi, followed by Esben and Éliane entered the clearing. His eyebrow lifted in mild surprise, he'd expected Izayoi to return at some point- she'd been the one to show him this spot in the first place, though the two Skaellers were an unexpected sight.

”Quite the gathering.” Galahad mused, nodding his head as he turned towards the collected group. ”I'd ask what I could do for you all, but I suppose you're about to tell me.”

“I thought we were gathering to discuss how to get rid of the Grovemasters,” came Éliane’s simple reply as she sideyed Esben.

”The most I have for either of you on that topic is that I want you to keep out of my way,” came the spy’s placid reply. ”What I wish to speak with the both of you about is two-fold: Our methodology going forward, and your diplomatic skills.” He paused, finally returning Éliane’s glance.

”And gauge your governing skills, if the worst should come to pass, though ideally it won’t.”

Éliane gave Esben another look as Galahad answered. “We’ll talk about that later.” She wasn’t dense enough to miss the obvious dig and had bristled slightly at that comment, but made a gesture for him to continue at what he was leading at.

A beat passed as Esben returned his stare to Galahad. ”How did you sleep, Galahad?”

The Dragoon in question raised an eyebrow at the Skaeller's question. He sighed, given the absolute shit show their time in Drana Asnaeu had been thus far, he supposed he should've figured they'd be having this discussion sooner rather than later.

”As well as I could, given our circumstances.” Galahad replied evenly. ”You've never hesitated to speak your mind before, I doubt the quality of my sleep will affect it now.”

”For the love of the gods, get on with it.” Izayoi scoffed to Esben, rolling her eyes. ”And here I was under the impression that men were supposed to be better at speaking frankly.”

She turned towards Galahad and Éliane, her exasperation still evident.

”He wishes for the both of you to restrain yourselves from making any sort of threats or overt actions the next time we must needs take any diplomatic action.”

Galahad shrugged, but nodded in agreement. ”Fair enough. I lost my composure. Done.”

The corner of Esben’s mouth twitched as Izayoi jumped in, though whether it was momentary frustration or amusement was almost impossible to determine. ”Yes, dear,” came a sarcastic mumble, in response to one of the two that had just expressed their displeasure with him—though he left them to determine. ”Just figuring your mood before we dive in, Galahad; that helps me decide just what level of the topic has to be broached with you. If you’re back to the form I expect, that makes this so much simpler.”

Éliane gave a glance at Esben’s comment. It lingered there for long enough to send a message. “I still don’t see anything wrong with my brand of diplomacy. But I’ll check in with you more,” she conceded. At least, on the surface.

For all that the dragoon’s festering frustration had given him cause to worry, he at least hadn’t been given any reason not to take Galahad at face value when he admitted to it. ”More than that, though—from the moment we stepped off the boat, we’ve been far too loud here. Our first chance for a diplomatic solution was when we were faced with those guards on the dock.” While Galahad hadn’t been the one to let the cat out of the bag there—and the one who had done so had already caught an earful about it—it was clear enough to Esben that contributing to it then had only set the stage for the continued failures the party had experienced trying to navigate Drana Asnaeu’s tangles.

The pink-haired Skaelan gave an innocent look at that.

”Might I have your assurance that you’ll encourage everybody to take more precautions in that realm?” he asked, before continuing: ”And, for the benefit of this conversation, could I also ask you to give your personal take on the consequences of a failure of diplomacy? Because as things stand, if I can’t make the right appeal, I’m afraid we may be pushing Drana Asnaeu headlong into them, both internally and externally.”

”Might as well have brought everyone here to have this conversation then, but yes, I’ll tell them.” Galahad replied, not necessarily happy, but not arguing otherwise. ”I’m aware of the consequences. As you say, we risk pushing Drana Asnaeu into conspiring with Valheim. At best, they refuse to aid us. At worst, we find ourselves fighting a conflict on multiple fronts, while also trying to stop Valheim from taking the crystals- and facing the end of the world as we know it.”

Galahad sighed and the dragoon brought a hand to his temple. While not an outright accusation, it certainly felt like the blame for the debacle at the Grovemaster’s chambers and beyond were being heaped onto his shoulders at the present moment. ”As I said, I lost my composure- Normally I maintain it, this time I didn’t. Hells, even without me losing my temper, half of our party- present company included-” The dragoon’s eyes glanced towards his two longest running companions, “-has no issue antagonizing practically everyone we come across. As far as the Grovemasters go, they were already set against us from the start.“

”I antagonize people by remaining alive in their presence, Caradoc.” Izayoi sighed in exasperation, more at the situation than any bother at the actual concept. ”I exchanged no hostilities to the Grovemasters that their old wretch did not initiate. Regardless, while I don’t share his evaluation on the severity of our situation, I do agree that we could stand to be somewhat less open as a group.”

Her gaze shifted towards Éliane.

”That would mean no threats of war that you cannot fulfill. While I doubt that refraining from doing so would have changed the outcome, it certainly did not aid us. Frankly speaking, I care less about the results of what happened with the Grovemasters and moreso how we treat with Skael and Edren from here on out.”

“Fine,” Éliane replied sharply. “I might not have the absolute authority to make those threats, but I don’t have any doubt it’s a decision that Skael will be prodded towards even without my opinion if the Grovemasters continue acting as they are now.” She smacked a fist into her open palm. “If the Grovemasters are the problem –and they are!- then we’ll just have to get rid of them. As I mentioned earlier, Miina and I were working on a plan to assassinate all three of them. We don’t have any other choice if you think my warmongering is unfeasible.”

Esben remained silent, looking back and forth as Izayoi and Éliane spoke up in turn before he could reply to Galahad. The stubbornness of the latter was exactly what he’d expected, and exactly why he wanted the other two present to help rein it in. ”We were going to get pushback from them regardless,” he conceded at Galahad’s final point, echoing exactly what he’d said to Izayoi the night before. ”Nor do I think I made the right decision holding my tongue, hoping someone else would share my definition of judicious...and we all made our unhappy remarks to their faces. This certainly isn’t only about you.”

Hopefully that would assuage the dragoon’s pride, or cut through his frustration enough that he could see what was actually going on.

”Assassinating all three of them is exactly what I was talking about, asking Galahad to give some personal insight on the stakes we’re facing. We don’t know the playing field here well enough beyond the Grovemasters to take that option easily. Who to back, how to ensure a useful continuation of government—if all we do is cut the head off so that we can get to our target, that leaves Drana Asnaeu ripe for exploitation by our enemies, not to mention the potential for local unrest. That should be saved for the absolute last resort.”

Exactly why he’d said that he’d already been working on his own plan, and he didn’t want the others getting in the way. Trying to execute a coup was messier than any story presented it as—combining that with outright assassinations even more.

”We would also—sorry, Éliane,” he added as a fast aside, ”Be served by making ourselves less conspicuous if we can. Less open, as Izayoi said, should extend to trying not to be so identifiable. Valheim could have eyes and ears anywhere, and it’s safest to assume they do. Even in otherwise friendly locations.”

He shot a glance at the woman to his side. ”You heard what Kayliss said about Loki, ja? If her reports haven’t been coming in, that can’t mean anything good. I’d just as soon play it safe and assume they’re onto quite a bit.”

”First, whomst? Second, assassination is also pointless should they die before giving us the Water Crystal’s location.” Izayoi gave Esben a sharp look at the random names he’d thrown in.

”We are here for one thing and one thing only: to secure the crystal. All else is immaterial. To that end, we’ll need to either interrogate the Grovemasters or find some way to cajole them to our side. As much as I would far prefer to drench my blade in the blood of obstinate fools and be done with it, we cannot. Yet.”

”I’d go so far as to say we should expect some pushback for every crystal, no matter our personal connections to whoever is in charge of each. We can afford this even less with our allies than with our supposedly-neutral opposition here.”

”Indeed. I can imagine certain members among us each would far prefer not to kill Skael’s overseer, King Leonhart, or Lord Hien. In that sense, Drana Asnaeu at least affords us the luxury of none of us giving a bent copper about the Grovemasters.”

Esben stared flatly at Izayoi. He was joined by Éliane.

”I think assassination would be less than ideal.” Galahad agreed with a short cough to break the growing tension. ”Even if I might agree that Isolde at the very least deserves retribution, I think that cutting the head off of Drana Asnaeu’s leadership would be more detrimental to our efforts. Though Neve is no longer physically with our group, I doubt she’d look very fondly upon us if we started uprooting her nation’s government with nothing to show for it.”

”I’ll agree that we should make ourselves less visible moving forward. It may be a bit late for us to start concealing our presence here- but perhaps making it worse would be less than ideal.” Galahad frowned, ”How ought we go about getting this information out of the Grovemasters then? They consider Cid to be a false idol- a pretender of sorts, perhaps there is a way to use that to our advantage?”

”One of them believes that,” the SEED countered. ”We don't know that for the other two. It may well be that Isolde was concealing her motives from them as well in that meeting. If Zacharias believed exactly as Isolde does, I doubt he would have been able to hide his rage—instead, he was shocked to speechlessness. That's hard to convincingly fake.”

Which left Alambert, the one who hadn't reacted at all, and who Isolde felt could have been swayed if they played along with her, as the ever-present wildcard.

”They value their country's relationship with the spirits and elementals that populate it, do they not? That may be something I'm able to leverage.”

”Supposedly.” Izayoi cut in, a cynical expression upon her face. Which was no different from her usual expression, really. ”But Isolde certainly had no issue enacting what Leviathan perceived to be a betrayal. Perhaps we may be best off judging the temperament of the other two before we proceed down this path.”

Éliane looked unhappy at this turn of events, with the conversation and planning straying away from military invasion and assassination, but she knew they were right. Looking as if she swallowed a bitter pill, she nodded. “Fine. We’ll investigate the other two. But once we get that information…” she trailed off, her intentions obvious.

”I feel like one of the key takeaways of this conversation was that we wouldn’t murder the Grovemasters.” Galahad mused. ”Even if I’d hardly call them agreeable. Zacharias might be a good place to start. He’s simple minded in his indignation- yet that makes him more predictable.”

“Yet,” Éliane emphasized.

”The continuation of Drana Asnaeu’s government serves us better than the opposite, and we don’t have enough information to know who to replace them all with if we kill them all,” Esben replied flatly, stubbornly repeating himself. ”If we can maintain both Alambert and Zacharias, turn them against Isolde, then that is the absolute ideal—certainly if we can convince them to bring Neve in to fill the vacuum. Even if only one of them can be convinced to work with us, that is a better option than having to replace them all.”

He nodded at Galahad once. ”Zacharias was, in fact, the one I was planning to start with. For that reason and others.” His gaze shifted over to Izayoi, wondering just which side she was inclined to vocally agree with on that particular point. ”As it stands, though—we are all in agreement about the rest of what we discussed, ja? It may be best to conclude this there, then, and get on with our other preparations while we still have this camp to rely on.”

”Yes, fine.” Izayoi grumbled, folding her arms across her chest at the thought of dealing with that unpleasant curmudgeon again. ”Should he raise his voice to me again, though, I cannot guarantee he will leave his captivity unblemished.”

“...” Éliane was looking increasingly irritated, but she nodded slowly, darkly agreeing with Izayoi. “He better cooperate then.”

Two full days after the Kirins had arrived at camp, they gathered once more, this time in the clearing that both Izayoi and Galahad had trained in at some point over the past day. Better to have this discussion away from Miina's tribe, given that it both didn't concern them and they weren't concerned by it.

"To catch everyone up now that we're all in one place, this appears to be where we are:" Izayoi spoke first, sitting down on a log as she sharpened her sword. "The Grovemasters have proved to be an active impediment to our mission here in Drana Asnaeu. Unfortunately, assassination is off the table for the time being. Both because destabilizing the government here would be practically inviting Valheim to invade successfully, and because we require at least one of them to tell us where the Crystal of Water even is."

The samurai seemed unhappy at the mention of not being rid of the Grovemasters, but she continued on.

"To sum up the matter, Grovemaster Zacharias, the old man, will likely be our first choice of targets. If anyone has suggestions or objections, now would be the time. Or if the two of you who came up with this would like to elaborate further?" She finished with a glance towards both Galahad and Esben before Miina's father stepped into the clearing.

"Not to interrupt," Madis interrupted. "But it seems you've a visitor. Someone tracked you down all the way here."

___



She'd knelt before Lord Hien within a resistance safehouse in Kugane, awaiting his orders.

"Chisato, was it?" The man in question faced a window, his hands clasped behind his back. "I admit, I don't much see the family resemblance." He chuckled lightly to himself before straightening up, turning to face the shinobi.

"All jokes aside, it's good you've finally returned now. Had you been present before, I would have sent you along with the others, but we can't have it our own way all of the time. In any case, your orders are as follows: infiltrate Drana Asnaeu until you find the group known as the Kirins, with Lady Ciradyl and Ranbu no Izayoi among them. Link up with them and support their efforts in restoring the crystals as best you can."

What followed was a brief explanation of the group's quest, as well as the vital importance of the Four Crystals in preserving the continent that they'd learned from Cid.

"Set out as soon as you can once you've made your preparations. Oh, and here." He fished a sealed scroll out of his robes, passing it to the viera. "A recall request for Lady Ciradyl. There's a situation here that absolutely requires her specific guidance on the matter."
@VitaVitaAR

I haven't left my homeland since the war with Edren.

But that changes little now. That fact is unimportant in the face of my duty.

Even if these surroundings are wholly unfamiliar to me, even if I have never before set foot in the lands of Drana Asnaeu, Rijin-sama's orders must be followed.

Even if it were a far more frivolous matter, the consideration I paid towards his orders would be the same.

Disloyalty will never enter my mind. Duty comes before all else. That is the simple fact that guides my whole existence.

And now, my mission can truly begin in earnest. It had taken some time to track the Kirins to their current location. Their trail was not exactly a clean one, but at the same time tracking targets was hardly something I lacked experience with. Even on a smaller scale, determining the best point to eliminate a guard in his patrol route was a matter of tracking as well. And some targets could flee considerable distances before finally being cut down.

Even if my goal was not the death of my targets in this circumstance, the principle of tracking them to their location remains the same.

---This feeling. A somewhat quicker beating of my heart, deep within my chest. Is it impatience to finally approach? Anticipation at finally beginning my mission in earnest? Anxiety at finally encountering the Kirins I have been pursuing for my objective?

No.

Or rather, it doesn't matter.

There is no need to remain hidden. There was hardly one in the first place, but it was more convenient for me to avoid revealing myself until it was an appropriate time to make my approach and greet the Kirins.

With their number assembled, there is no better time.

As I approach, I take stock of their number. As promised, among them are Ranbu-dono and Ciradyl-dono, but also---

Geh.

Edren men. Two Edren men.

This matter effects them as well, to be sure, and it is not as if they have no right to attempt to end the threat posed by the fading of the crystals, but---

Geh.

I will work alongside them, for that is my duty. But no more than that.

But first, I have orders. Reaching into the pouch on my hip, I produce the scroll before giving the Kirins a low bow.

"Asakura Chisato, of the Asakura clan."

I bring forth the scroll in my hands, offering it towards Ciradyl-dono.

"I am here on behalf of Rijin Hien-sama, to deliver this message to Ciradyl-dono and join in your cause."

Any further words are unnecessary. Ciradyl-dono will understand once she has read the scroll, and the others will know I am here as an ally.

---Mostly unnecessary. Most of my equipment does not require special care in these conditions, beyond its usual upkeep.

Most of it, at least.

"I apologize, but if I may borrow some storage, it would be well-appreciated."

Keeping my rations and the more explosive portions of my arsenal dry has been somewhat painful. Besides, if they do not offer assistance I will simply have to find storage myself.

It would be within their best interest for them to do so.

---

Esben resisted the urge to give a very pointed look at Éliane after Madis interrupted them to let them know they'd been followed. Following along behind the older man came, perhaps, the shortest Viera he'd ever seen. He was nearly surprised that her limbs weren't bowed and misshapen, given the combination of her overall size and the fact that she clearly wasn't physically a child. Something her voice made clear moments after as she began to speak.

"Hmm."

He held up one hand, cautioning Ciradyl from reaching out to grab the offered scroll. Certainly, it was sealed...but seals could be faked. Names such as those she was dropping were easy enough to come by. That was a tactic that worked fine when dealing with nobility at their own little private gatherings, ingratiating yourself as you dig your way in to their leisure and rob them blind of every secret they would prefer to keep—not so much when trying to buy your way into something actually business focused. It invited immediate suspicion more than it invited trust.

Perhaps she was entirely guileless. Perhaps she wanted to appear as such, hoping that the Kirins would outsmart themselves knowing that such a simplistic tactic would be insane to use against them.

Perhaps the tactic was in tandem with another painfully-obvious phrase that Osprey's limited resistance had already used to buy into their trust.

"Storage, you say?" His tone was conversational, free of the tension that he could feel growing just behind his eyes in the face of whatever was happening here. "Did Hien or one of the others send you with something more for us?"

"... No complaints from me so far." a flinty grunt floated in from across the clearing of the two Ospreyan nationals, as the smaller of the two men that had caught a sharp edge to the diminutive hare's gaze bit into a chunk of dried, spiced meat— the first batch of bear jerky they had wrought from making use of the tribe's smokehouse. His hands busied themselves in anointing the blades on his person with oil, having just sharpened three in turn as Izayoi was hers.

He stayed quiet while his jaw worked, letting Esben handle vetting the newcomer for now— all the message Rudolf needed on that front was the care in which the SEED had chosen his words with her in earshot. They couldn't necessarily bargain on what they'd given away already before they knew she was there, so he wouldn't volunteer any specifics right out the gate. Even if she seemed authentic enough at first blush, it didn't hurt to exercise caution with where they were now— hell, doubly so, given the last time their ragged group had gained a new hanger-on. Let the specialist in clandestine affairs take the lead— if any of them would be able to spot a thread while talking, it'd be him.

And she did seem authentic, at the very least, to where she should have hailed from. On an even more basic level than accentation, garb, or the seals emblazoned onto her red and black robes¹, Rudolf's redoubled efforts to be vigilant had caught the difference in how she beheld he and Galahad from the rest of their number. Disgust on its own was simple enough to fake once you understood how to wear a mask, that much he was well aware of— but few could manage the nuance of barely missing the mark in hiding it away as a deliberate affectation. Forged tells couldn't be too subtle, for fear of going unnoticed. And you didn't hide our feints. You showed them, in service of building up and breaking down expectations.

This had that uncomfortable pang of familiarity from a place far drier than here— from a person he'd been too fearful to draw the ire of, the same regard that he'd once held Izayoi in. At the very least, he bought the Viera as hailing from Osprey, just as her taller, blonder, and almost-identically named counterpart had when she affixed Robin with a rancor-filled glare, seemingly a lifetime ago. It was a good thing she wasn't here to try and greet this one.

A silver lining to that, at least. For all it seemed he had always been dumping a bucket of icy reality onto her bright-eyed idealism, there was a part of him that took no joy in watching history catch up to her the way it seemed it was everyone else, this one through no fault of her own. Her will to fight wavered with its sudden arrival... and then she was off. A hollow victory, for all the times he argued things were greyer than she saw them.

Asakura. He wracked his brain, searching back through what he had learned after the war's end for the name. He found little, beyond the overview of ninja and how they worked that had survived first contact between their two nations— rogues by any other name, assassin, informant, and scout all in one. In the opening weeks of his training under Cadmon, they had gotten the threat they posed him in particular out of the way—

"Izayoi," he began after finally downing the jerky, his narrowed eyes not leaving the bowing girl and his hands still tending to his blades. His tone was controlled, neutral, inquisitive at an arm's length. "You recognize this one, by chance?"

As Rudolf Shilage, that had evidently been quite timely of his instructors, for he was far more of an exploitable asset than any of them had likely bargained for. Perhaps this little hare would have some personal skin in the game on that front, if her story checked out. His father had rampaged through their countryside, after all, in an attempt to get at the very same woman he was intending to pry a little enlightenment from.

As with the departed Songbird, if such were true. As with her, and him, and Izayoi, and Galahad— even Miina, now that they were here: A man could run away from anything, but nobody can run from their past. He suspected his cast-off heritage would be revealed to her before the moon had even risen, at this point.

They'd see how much the professional, curt tone was genuine— at least compared to someone else they all seemed to know. He'd made a habit of sleeping with his knife in reach for too long to stop now anyway.

---

---

• _{1. I've always loved the red and black color combination. It's brooding, and violent, and speaks of the primordial flame that burst forth from the darkness that was once all. It might be why I like this idiot, too. Our aesthetic sensibilities pair wonderfully. Anyway, it should be noted that whatever that symbol is about an inch and a half above the haramaki is some sand rune I never took the time to properly learn, given that I'm fairly sure neither Osprey nor Viera had really developed writing in my day. At the very least, they never wrote to me— so I'll warn you right now that I'm not here to provide translation notes if it's not a kanji our daring hero here already knows.}

Proving that she was, as always, a source of surprisingly animalistic noises, Miina's response to being told that they couldn't go kill the grovemasters was a prolonged growl and flattened ears. But she didn't have time to say something until her father annoyingly came bursting in, and then…

Oh, she was cute. And in any other situation, Miina might have been more concerned about making a good first impression and not coming across as overtly hostile, but while the idea that someone had followed them here from Osprey was interesting… it didn't seem that worrying? If she was an enemy, they had the advantage of numbers and having rested, and they'd be moving on soon anyway. If she wasn't an enemy, did it matter? Just don't tell her anything and move on.

Still, her narrowed eyes flicked back to Izayoi. "Not even Isolde?"

Leaving a traitor to try again seemed stupid. Leaving her alone when she was opposed to their succeeding in any other way seemed outright suicidal.

---

"Well, she's not trying to kill us, yet, so I suppose that counts as good news." Galahad mused aloud as he observed the newcomer that entered their midst. Had this been a week or two ago, perhaps Galahad might've been more readily welcoming of a new ally, even one sent by Hien. But perhaps because of their very recent betrayal, none of the Kirins seemed particularly ready to fully throw the surprisingly diminutive viera their trust right away. With Esben's recent lecture in mind as well, Galahad refrained from welcoming the ninja right away. The ninja they had met in Osprey seemed none to fond of Edreni, and it appeared this ninja shared similar sentiments, not that Galahad could blame her. The bad blood between Osprey and Edren ran deep- even if Galahad could keep things cordial with Izayoi, Ciradyl and Hien. Fixing such bad blood would take a long time, likely longer than Galahad's lifespan, if they even got to that point after fighting back Valheim.

"Or Ciradyl." Galahad added as Rudolf questioned Izayoi if she knew the newcomer, a confirmation from one of their two Osprean representatives was as good of an identity check as they could hope for at the moment- though whether or not shew as aligned with their ideals as well would remain to be seen. "She would know better than any of us."

Until the matter of her identity was verified, their current line of discussion would have to remain vague. Galahad found it perhaps ironic that they didn't have this level of operational security when the rest of their party joined: Rudolf, Esben, Miina, Robin, even Eve- a Valheimr pseudolon- were welcomed into their fold with little question. It had gotten to the point where the newcomers outnumbered the original party. Times were simpler a figurative lifetime ago, he supposed. Unfortunately, nowadays it felt like trust was no longer a commodity that they could afford to give out freely.

---

Éliane remained blissfully unaware of Esben’s thoughts as the small Ospreyan woman was revealed. Still fresh off the earlier talk, she deeply shared Miina’s sentiments at being denied a chance at having a go at removing the rot from the top of Drana Asneau. Nonetheless, the fact that they had been followed all the way here was hardly lost on her. Despite the hospitality they had received from the resistance there, the divided loyalties and the continued occupation of Osprey meant that this Chisato could still be anyone.

Of course, Éliane’s uniform made finding her very easy, but it was among the principals that she would not give up, no matter what Esben said.

No matter what the small woman’s allegiances were though, it was obvious what she was. The brightly-uniformed woman groaned, running her fingers through her pink hair. “Another spook? Why in the seven hells does it feel like half the people I encounter on this journey are godsdamned spies…”

Like the rest of the kirins, Éliane turned towards the Osprean women in the party, waiting for them to pass judgment on this newest ninja that had appeared before them.

---

"Be nice," Esben murmured in Éliane's direction. "At least Iðar likes me."

Izayoi squinted at the new arrival, even as Galahad and Esben expressed their suspicion. Wasn't that...?

"Aren't you rather young for this sort of work?" General Izayoi peered suspiciously at the thirteen year-old viera within her tent before sighing. Who was she to judge? Her master had her facing armed men at that age as it was. "No matter. Here is your mission." A scroll was hurled to the ground before Chisato, the Mystrel turning away.

Indeed, it was. She didn't look like she'd aged a day. Even being a viera, that was...strange.

"Hold." Izayoi swept an arm out, glancing briefly at the Edrenian and Skaelan that had voiced their doubts. "This one is known to me. She was in my service during the war." She turned to nod at Chisato before stepping forward and inspecting her more closely. "Gods above, do they feed you at all? I don't think you've grown an inch since last we've met."

Nevertheless, she proceeded to give Chisato a concise overview of their current situation and what led up to it before concluding with a sigh.

"In any case, the dragoon is in command, and you will take orders from him. Is that understood?"

She turned back towards the remainder of the Kirins, back to business.

"In any case, as we were saying," Miina first. "Isolde's just death will have to wait until we can ascertain whether or not either of the other Grovemasters would turn completely against us should we kill her. Remember, we need at least one willing to tell us where the Water Crystal is. Regardless, we ought to have a more concrete plan in place before going forward."

As with the strategy session in Kugane, Izayoi unrolled a map, this time of Brightlam.

"Naturally, we will adjust for any changes we spy as we approach the city. But it would be of use to have a solid plan of attack as a base to work off of." She pointed to the council chambers that they had gathered in a week before. "Presume that this is out of the question. Their center of operations will likely be the most guarded. We will likely have to approach the city as we did with Kugane, but without the benefit of aid this time. Lest any of you made any worthwhile connections while we were in Brightlam previously?"

"So be it."

Sure enough, there it was. He'd had his immediate suspicions anyway, even knowing how young this Chisato looked from the jump— after all, invasions tended to file off the edges of what 'too young to fight' really meant for the nation on the defensive. He was content to leave his thoughts on the matter there, and not dwell on why else he didn't believe himself terribly surprised his first guess was right.¹

He closed his eyes and furrowed his brow, killing the urge to shoot the ninja a return salvo of dagger-eyed glaring as it came. No different from double checking how close his hand had drifted to his knife in the chapel with Cid when Izayoi had first set him down this train of thought his mind was trying to derail into— but he'd taken his moment to be so temperamental and burned it already while on the beach. The Kirins didn't need two, potentially three people trying to ignore the bigger picture in favor of indulging grudges. It was founded on partial information, and atop that five years in the books. He was better than that.

The sound of shifting parchment saw him pin his coppery gaze instead on the map before them all, poring over the layout of the city, retracing steps once Izayoi had denoted their lodestone of the council chambers. He folded his arms. The same objective and obstacles as their initial approach to Kugane before they'd made contact with Chisaki, but structurally it was a whole new game. They traded high city walls for tall, flowerlike mangroves, sitting high above a spirited river instead of nestled between dunes of dead sand. The only commonality, aside from the need to hide their faces from probable sentry nets, was that it was damned warm around both capitals.²

The immediate instinct was to insert from below, taking advantage of the waterways to meander upstream until the were beneath the city itself, shaded by the petals of those impossibly sturdy flowers from any perimeter watch... but boat traffic was going to be spotted and likely vetted from a ways off, and a group their size would be hard to slip below that initial notice unless they split into smaller cells that could maybe pass as fishermen. And provided that worked, there was still the ascent to contend with— he could see maybe an easy river or riverside approach, but scaling the stems thereafter would doubtless draw somebody's attention. The guard forces would be hopefully on alert regarding the threat Valheim posed to begin with, but they'd definitely be on the lookout for their lot. He had his doubts, without a better scouting report available. In hindsight, he should have paid more attention on their way in when they had a referral on hand.

"Regrettably, no. We actually got quite lost." the swordsman leaned forward, the wry edge to his voice not even remotely reaching his expression. Reaching out, he began at the council chambers before sweeping his arm across the parchment, more or less drawing a meandering path that winded through the many disregulated and seemingly organic corridors, alleyways, nooks and crannies. More than once, it doubled back on itself, or sharply deviated from a general trend— the leaf-wrought buildings had really done a number on them, in retrospect. Once he had the trail locked in, though, he began tapping intermittently along it. "That said, from what I remember: here, here, here, and ...here, though this one's a tight fit for the eight of us— All good and dark nooks and crannies that we could use once we're inside as stakeout, staging, or meeting points. They're quieter than the surrounding foot traffic, well-obscured, and a couple of them aren't too far if you actually know where in the maze you're going. Worst we'll have to deal with are maybe pickpockets and common muggers, but they're a good sign. They wanna evade the law same as we do, after all."

Pulling away, he reached into his nearby pack for a moment, both to store his blade oils and to procure his stick of charcoal and an unmarked section of parchment. "Getting there's the hard part. I've only come up with the obvious idea so far, that being... one sec. I more or less remember the base."

He pressed the page into the earth, and his right arm began to glide across it, confident strokes in its wake. After a minute or so, a rough markup of the profile view of the city's support structures had come together, an arrow sweeping up from the river and along the stalk. With this copy, they could scribble whatever the hell ideas came to them during the meeting without obscuring the actual proper map of the city.

"Approaching on the river until we're beneath is where my first thought went, but I have trouble believing we get up and into the city without somebody noticing. And that's provided they don't have the river under heavy watch to vet unfamiliar vessels. Hearing Goug tell of how busy Isolde's been, it wouldn't shock me if waterside checkpoints are being set up."

---

---

• _{1. You know, now that I think about it, it's all but outright the proverb of casting stones in a glass house. I won't press the issue, since he's more pliable like this, but he was upset that he didn't get to go have "wartime experience" as a wee lad. Not exactly leaving much ground to stand on. You chose wisely, kid.}
• _{2. And the bunny ninja! You just brought the first one up, don't forget that you've had a bunny ninja tag along for both. I'm looking forward to the hat trick in Skael, when the average height and average bust brunette viera named Chisame smuggles everybody into Solitude. Maybe she'll be a SEED.}

"Only some bergamot tea. The rest is my own supplies."

Of course, Izayoi-dono is swift to clear up the situation herself, but I was told that should handily dispel any further suspicion. My purpose here is to operate as assistance, and it being doubted would hinder me in that duty.

---If my duty is to listen to the orders of one of the Edren men, then so be it. Hopefully he is the more competent of the two and is capable of using my skills correctly. If not, then I shall likely had to improvise further while also doing my best to comply with his orders.

I would rather not be forced into such a situation, so unfortunately my faith must be placed into an Edren man.

"Very well. Worry not, Izayoi-dono. I am fed as much as I require."

I should address her concerns, however. I am fed plenty in order to operate in my duty, and I have most certainly grown. Haven't I? I definitely have.

So there is no need to be worried about that.

Besides, my supplies are well-stocked with food that can be eaten swiftly and provides high nutritional value. There is no need to be worried, even if I lack---

Nevermind. I do not need to worry about that. Such things are hardly necessary.

For the moment, it is best for me to simply listen quietly and take stock of the situation. Izayoi-dono's explanation was able to introduce me to the scenario they now faced, but at the same time it's best for me to understand their potential approach. Were it my decision, I would most certainly volunteer to simply assassinate the offending Grovemaster, but as I understand it that does not appear to be an option.

And indeed, I suppose in most situations where such a figure must be removed, it is usually for the best to ensure their successors and any who were aligned with them would not later become a problem. Usually, when I was dispatched to assassinate one who could be considered nobility, it was at the behest of their successors or 'allies' who saw them as a corrupt or destabilizing influence.

The same could not be said of this scenario, unfortunately.