TRP: Basil, Goro, and Rina (Dreamscape)

Lina: at 8:21 PM

[SETTING: The hivemind dreamscape.]

It was that desert again--the one he'd found Ripley in.

This was his first time seeing it since he'd been hosted
himself. Diva must have been... busy, or something. Maybe people were trying to
kill her. Or maybe she just wanted to make him think that, so she could lower
his guard again.

And really? He was going to let her. It literally could not
get any worse, what she'd been doing to him. This was a reprieve, however brief
it lasted, and he was going to take what he could get.

He sat for a long time, not moving. Too fucking scared to
move, if he was being honest with himself. Nothing bad was happening while he
sat still. But eventually, the boredom set in. Restlessness. When he was awake,
or hallucinating he was awake, he couldn't move a muscle; knowing he now had
the ability to get up and walk around was itching at him. So he decided to take
a stroll. Maybe talk to some of the other hosts he could see in the distance.
Don't talk to anyone, Mishka had said to him, but that had been before he knew
how to tell the difference between hallucinations and reality, and he didn't
know if it had been real advice.

There were people in every direction, but off to his left he
could see something that looked like water. An ocean, or whatever. That would
make for a more pleasant walk than endless desert, so he headed that way. When
he made it to the beach, further up shore he could see two figures sitting
together. A human girl, and a young tiefling man.

He smiled to himself. Well hey, what luck. He approached the
two of them, slowly, keeping his hands where they could see them.

Coyote: at 8:55 PM

The Warmaster was... big.

A tall, broad-shouldered man, easily six foot four-- six
foot six with horns. He was scarred on his arms-- and across his neck, as
though his throat had been cut at one time. He wore princely clothing, but he'd
take off his shirt to sit with his sister on the beach.

His sister was small... and fair. Blond-haired, whispy, and
delicate looking. She was twelve or so, but her eyes were sharp. She was
chattering at her brother, who slouched down to hear her.

The Warmaster looked up when Goro approached. "Hail and
well met, stranger," he called across the way. "What brings
you?"

He was smiling broadly, apparently completely unconcerned
with the whole 'being eaten by an eldritch abomination' thing.

Lina: at 8:57 PM

Goro stopped walking, immediately suspicious. Who the fuck
could be in that good a mood while they were stuck in Diva?

"Hey, uh," he said, putting on a confused and
innocent voice. "I'm... not sure how I ended up here. Do you... do you
know where we are?"

Coyote: at 9:05 PM

Basil exchanged a look with his sister, Rina, then ushered
her over. "My Prince, this is one of your subjects," he said.
"Perhaps you can help him, yes?" He said it as though instructing
her.

She held her chin up, but kept her eyes down, like she
wasn't used to meeting people. "It's good to meet you, citizen. I am
Prince Rina de Rolo." She said it like she'd learned the words by rote.
"Um, we're... in a dream. A monster is-- a monster has attacked our fair
city, and it's begun infecting the populace. But--"

She looked at her brother uncertainly. He made a motion at
her to go on, but she shook her head nervously.

"You must be from somewhere else, if you don't know
yet," Basil told Goro. "Some kind of disease is spreading, taking
over people's bodies. It's infected you too, I'm afraid."

Lina: at 9:09 PM

Well, they sure seemed earnest. Goro considered dropping the
act, but swinging all the way around to Oh, I do know, actually. I'm the reason
all this happened might be too much, too fast. He decided to check a few other
things. "Huh. Well... I guess that explains the nightmares, then."

Coyote: at 9:10 PM

"What's your name?" the Warmaster said. "I'm
Basil." He held out his hand.

Lina: at 9:10 PM

"Goro." Goro accepted it and shook. He glanced at
the girl, trying to decide if she'd appreciate a handshake, too.

Coyote: at 9:12 PM

The Warmaster's eyebrows raised a millimeter when Goro
introduced himself, but he didn't say anything.

The Prince held out her small hand, graciously, as well.

Lina: at 9:16 PM

Goro shook her hand. "Your Highness. It's an honor to
meet you." She had a certain poise about her, an inner strength she might
not even know she had, living under Freddy's thumb. That was good. Goro had
known these people for the better part of two minutes, and already he liked
them. Assuming they were real, and all that.

He looked to the Warmaster. "You recognized my
name."

Coyote: at 9:21 PM

"Ah." The Warmaster chuckled. "I'm no good at
subterfuge. Ah, one of my courtiers has been singing praises for the
Graverunners for a while. A day or so before the outbreak, he casually
suggested meeting you. The Bishop recommended strongly against, though, so... I
did not."

Lina: at 9:22 PM

"Pardon my deception before. I wanted a sense of who I
was dealing with, before I admitted who I was." Goro frowned. Mishka? Was
Mishka a courtier? "Who's been singing the Graverunners' praises,
exactly?"

Coyote: at 9:24 PM

"Mikhail Haeth, naturally." The Warmaster's
eyebrows raised a millimeter again. "I assumed you would guess. He's
claimed for a few months now to be a close personal friend of Joan
Ripley."

Lina: at 9:28 PM

The corner of Goro's mouth twitched. "Oh, has he. Well,
they say if you wish for something hard enough, you can make it come true. I
have been trying my best to make them get along, though. Mikhail Haeth is the
kind of person I want on my side." He gave a little pout. "The
Bishop, though. He's not my biggest fan?"

Coyote: at 9:29 PM

The Warmaster smiled almost apologetically. "Well, you
know these old men. Very set in their ways." His eyes lingered on Goro's
ears.

Lina: at 9:33 PM

"Oh, yes. The kind who are bound to tradition? It is a
shame, particularly when it conflicts with what's clearly best for
Skyport." He glanced at Rina again. "Though to be fair, your sister
strikes me as a capable ruler in her own right, were she given a little more
freedom."

Coyote: at 9:40 PM

The Prince lifted her chin again, and nodded, as though this
were a fact. "Ah, yes. Naturally," Basil said. "She will, in
fact, be the best Prince is Skyport's history. Though there have been many fine
Princes, each finer than the last--"

Prince Rina elbowed him in the side, and he glanced down.
"Ah, yes. The Prince decrees no history lectures. I forgot."

Lina: at 9:41 PM

"I'm not a fan of history myself," Goro said to
Rina. "The future is much more interesting. Don't you think so?"

Coyote: at 9:44 PM

"Naturally," the Prince said, echoing her brother.
She watched him out of the corner of her eye and imitated his posture,
shoulders back. The Warmaster looked delighted.

Her eyes shifted back to Goro. There was some kind of wily
intention in her eyes. "D'you want to come swimming? Warmaster Basil
advised that we don't know how long we'll be stuck here, and it's entirely
boring so far."

Basil grumbled.

Lina: at 9:47 PM

"Swimming? Eh, er..." He looked toward the water.
Diva-water. "I'm... not sure that's the best idea here, Your
Highness."

Coyote: at 9:47 PM

"Oh. Why so?"

Lina: at 9:47 PM

"Well, the monster who made this place. She doesn't
exactly have our best interests at heart."

Coyote: at 9:49 PM

Rina tilted her head up, watching Goro with the same blatant
straightforwardness as her brother. Her eyes were sharper, though. "You
believe she can harm us here?"

Lina: at 9:50 PM

"Well, there's more than one way to harm a person.
Physically, no. Mentally..." He grimaced, and tried to stuff down the
sudden panic threatening to rise in his throat. This reprieve--it really was
nice. Guard, officially down.

Coyote: at 9:52 PM

Warmaster Basil lay a hand on his shoulder. "Are you
well? Normally I'd offer you some healing, but I'm afraid my power is no good
here."

Lina: at 9:54 PM

"I'm anxious to be out of this place, as you must also
be." He reached for his wrist, and stopped himself--he already knew
there'd be no pain. He reached for his pockets, and stopped himself because he
didn't want to look like he was fucking crazy.

Coyote: at 10:04 PM

The Prince folded her small legs and sat on a boulder. She
drummed her heels like a kid, but she watched Goro. "You said 'she,'"
Rina said. "When you talked about the monster."

Lina: at 10:06 PM

"You listen closely. That's a good thing." Goro
cocked his head. "When I first met her, she was in a woman's body. Talking
with a woman's voice. So that's still how I think of her. But she doesn't have
a gender, really. I should probably be saying it."

Coyote: at 10:09 PM

The Prince cocked her head. She looked curious. "You
know what this disease is, then?" She watched him. "Make your
case."

"Rina," Basil muttered, almost scolding, then hushed
himself.

Lina: at 10:17 PM

Ooh, he liked her a lot. She must drive Freddy up the wall.

"My colleagues and I...." He half-smiled.
"Discovered it. She first appeared in Skyport acting as a magical items
merchant, and we went to buy some things. She left an impression, you could
say. Later, when we were exploring the city of Whitehelm, we ran into someone
who reminded us of her. The dwarves had kept it, as an experiment. They left
research notes behind. So yes, I can tell you exactly what the disease is. It's
a hivemind. We've been absorbed into it." Realizing belatedly that this
might be even more frightening to a child than an adult, he added, "My
friends are going to kill it, though. We've almost succeeded."

Coyote: at 10:22 PM

Prince Rina seemed unfazed.

Warmaster Basil watched Goro, fascinated. "Are you now?
Your friends? The Graverunners Guild, you mean? We must explain all of this to
the good Bishop once we're out. Guildmaster Ripley was seen leading the horde
to the castle before Rina and I were.... taken. He is convinced, I am afraid,
that the Guild is the cause of all this. The poor Bishop. We ought to sit down
and work all of this out once we're free. A meeting, perhaps, to clear the air
between all of us. He means well, but I fear his eyes are clouded, you know, by
tradition."

Then he looked embarrassed. "Well. I shouldn't say such
things about the Bishop. But, you know."

Lina: at 10:23 PM

He means well. Alright. Goro raised his eyebrows at Rina,
wondering if she thought that was true, too.

Coyote: at 10:28 PM

Prince Rina was frowning, staring at Basil. But she didn't
say anything. She tapped her finger on the boulder.

Then she looked directly at Goro. While Basil was not
looking, her eyes shifted color for a moment-- not to black, but to red and
yellow. She looked at Goro directly. And then they returned to their usual
blue.

Lina: at 10:36 PM

Goro plastered a bland smile on his face. Oh, sure. That was
normal. This girl had hidden depths, for sure, and now he had more questions
than answers. But she'd made her point. "Warmaster, I'm afraid in this
particular instance, the Bishop won't listen to reason. He and Joan Ripley have
a... history, I guess you could say. An old grudge, one neither of them is keen
to let go of."

He crouched down in front of Rina so he was at her level
while she sat. "Your Highness, I want to tell you a little something about
myself. Do you know what I am?"

Coyote: at 10:38 PM

"Mikhail Haeth said you were a courtier, but he lies
about a lot of things," Rina said.

The Warmaster clucked his tongue. "Rina. That's not
true."

Lina: at 10:41 PM

"You're very perceptive. Can you always tell when
people are lying?" He smiled at her. "I'm a sorcerer."

Coyote: at 10:42 PM

She frowned again. "I'd believe it. But Mikhail already
said you worked with the church. But you could be both."

Lina: at 10:45 PM

"Good. Even if someone doesn't seem to be lying,
question anyway. I was lying. I'm a cleric, first and foremost. But I'm also a
few other things. I'm an adventurer, with the Graverunners. Sometimes, I'm a
warlock. And sometimes, I'm a con man. Do you know what a con man is?"

Coyote: at 10:47 PM

Warmaster Basil looked at Goro sharply in shock. He tried to
usher Rina away, but she held up her hand imperiously, and he stopped.

She nodded. "It's a criminal who tricks other people
and takes things from them. We cut out their tongues. The Church cuts out their
tongues."

Lina: at 10:48 PM

Goro smiled again, stuck his tongue out, and wagged it at
her. "I'm very good at what I do. Hey, what do you think makes a criminal,
anyway? Is it whoever the Bishop decides is one?"

Coyote: at 10:50 PM

"It's a person who breaks the law, of course, and we
decide the laws." She was still watching him carefully, but the sharpness
had turned to almost childlike curiosity.

The Warmaster grumbled, shifting uncomfortably, but left
her.

Lina: at 10:51 PM

"We?" He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Or
Frederick?"

Coyote: at 10:54 PM

"I," Rina said, still looking at him directly. Not
the ground this time. "Not 'we.' Or Frederick. My brother, the Warmaster,
and Frederick, the Bishop, advise me. And Melissa, and...." She looked
away. "The Spymaster, before. And then I decide. But a lot of them say the
same thing."

She still watched him in that same eerie, considering way.

Lina: at 10:56 PM

"Huh." He rested his chin on his hand. "You
know, Mishka--Mikhail, I mean--he somehow got the impression that Frederick
didn't much give a damn about your opinion on laws. When he wants a law signed,
he makes you do it. Is that true?"

Coyote: at 10:58 PM

"No," she said, looking cross. "I could say
no if I wanted." She got up off the boulder and folded her arms, looking
like a child again. "He couldn't make me if I just flat-out said no."

Lina: at 10:59 PM

"So, then, am I to assume you thought it was a good
idea to make it legal for the church to arrest people with no evidence? Arrest
and torture them? You're a smart young lady. I'm sure you had your
reasons."

Coyote: at 11:00 PM

She spread her hands. "If they're innocent, all they
have to do is say so."

Lina: at 11:00 PM

Goro blinked at her. "Come again?"

Coyote: at 11:02 PM

"We have truth spells, do we not? If they are innocent
of the crime-- if they haven't done it-- all they need do is say so, and they
would be released."

Lina: at 11:06 PM

"Ah." He nodded, gaze falling to the ground.
"Well, you've got me there." Hard to know what angle to take, now. By
the way, little prince, the man who's raising you and acting as your regent
until you come of age secretly worships an evil god who demands human
sacrifice. Too soon?

"I do wonder, though, if all the laws are fair,"
he said. "There must be some left over from before you became the prince,
right?"

Coyote: at 11:09 PM

"Certainly. I have a list. The council must vote,
however, to abolish them," the Prince said, then tilted her head.
"There must be a majority. Melissa, the Bishop, Lord Covington... Basil...
and then an empty seat."

Lina: at 11:10 PM

"Oh no, that must be holding things up. Any candidates
for the empty seat?"

Coyote: at 11:14 PM

Rina looked at Goro carefully. She didn't say anything.

"Rina, I understand your curiosity, but we ought to
discuss this later," Basil said patiently. "Thank you for your time,
citizen. But I'm not sure we need you any longer." Giving Goro a cold
look.

"Basil, I think that Mikhail is trying to charm you
into helping him get that seat," Rina said. "Sending you gifts and
taking long walks with you in the garden. And I think this one is his
friend."

Basil shot her a shocked, horrified look, and his face
turned a peculiar shade of red for a grown man.

Lina: at 11:22 PM

Goro rose to his feet. "You know, we're all born with
different talents that we bring to the table. Some of us are honest and noble,
trying to make sure people do the right thing." He inclined his head
toward Basil. "Some of us are perceptive, able to read people and
situations and get to the truth of the matter. You and your sister make one
hell of a team. She's right about Mikhail, you know. And he's the piece that's
missing for you. Someone who's crafty. A schemer. Someone who can take her
intelligence and your moral compass and--" He held up his two index
fingers and tapped them together. "You know. Make things happen." He
grinned. "Just a thought. Something for you to ruminate on while you're
waiting to get out of this place."

Coyote: at 11:42 PM

The Warmaster's expression shifted. He nodded curtly, then
rose. "Rina, I think we ought to go find our people. Perhaps we can spread
the news of this... she-monster... getting defeated soon."

Rina nodded imperiously and turned to leave with him.
"For what it's worth," she said to Goro, eyes flickering again.
"I think you're right."

Lina: at 11:59 PM

Goro waved goodbye and watched them go. Well, that could
have gone worse, he supposed. Basil was a good guy, maybe too good for someone
like Goro to negotiate with. Maybe Mishka would have done better managing
things on his own. Hell, though, hard to pass up a chance to talk in private
with the Prince and the Warmaster, no Freddy listening in.

That kid. She was sharp. Goro had some hope for the future
of Skyport, once they got Fred out of the way.

He turned toward the water, taking in the scenery. Damn.
Diva had left him alone for quite a while, now. She had to be distracted by
something. The gang killing her, he hoped.

[END]