castlenim | I saw rise in the heat settle soft and as pure as snow

[ in a number of ways, Yelena did not expect to be here.

it's been years since the king of north responded to any requests for aid. that tradition died before she was born, in the wake of every horror the last Victorian power struggle had wrought. he might read the missive, but she'd never seen him give more than a passing acknowledgment to the contents before the secretaries sent out their response.

'daughter of artorius. he was. an honorable man. but foolish.'

the would-be queen was not raised by that honorable man, however. she had killed that snake who brought her up, which had split the the northerner's opinions straight down the middle— good riddance, some said. nothing good can come from a woman raised in a viper's nest, said others.

knowing this, she hadn't expected Buldrokkas'tee to send anything more than a note. certainly not a representative, and certainly not an offer to let her go herself, if the idea pleased her.

listen. deny the alliance. if you see fit.

Yelena knew, of course, that this was half an opportunity to hone her skills and half a test for the rebels— the Victorian nobility's consensus on the wendigo king's chosen heir was no secret. many would-be rulers would see it as an insult.

but not the draco called Talulah, apparently. she named a time, and a date, and Yelena had left the capital to meet it some days ago.

the bloated retinue they sent with her is mortifying, but she betrays nothing on her face as they begin to make their way into the ruins. a handful of her own Yetis, more than she wanted but less than she'd take with her on a mission, that was all well and good. the hulking shieldguard in full battle regalia trailing behind them, however? it was a ridiculous, smothering demand by the generals, and just her luck, her father couldn't muster the sincerity to deny their request.

rounding a corner, they come to what must've once been a courtyard, with a trio of people standing on the far side. her eyes snap to the woman standing at the front— a vaguely familiar face, in a place she'd never expected to see her. ]

You're with Artorius?

Edited 2023-09-15 04:55 (UTC)

[Talulah's escorts visibly startle at the group they're faced with, but she holds her hand slightly out from her side in an indication they shouldn't move any further. She...hadn't expected such a show of force, but figuring out the reason behind it comes first.]

I am Artorius.

[It's obvious none of their numbers are Buldrokkas'tee himself, but that's hardly an insult. Talulah's side is the one asking more of the other, and the north isn't known to entertain requests usually, so the fact anyone showed up at all is already a good sign.

More than that, she recognizes the woman at the front of the group.]

Just Talulah is fine. I happen to remember you from a skirmish at the border. I didn't know you were...an emissary?

[A high ranking general? The other is evidently someone very important in the north, but Talulah has no idea who they actually deigned to send to the talks.]

Edited 2023-09-15 05:46 (UTC)

[ Yelena can't hide the surprise on her face this time, not matter how quickly she's able to school it back into something neutral. the Artoriuses were famously a draco line, weren't they? and she was just a vouivre.

... though, thinking on it, Yelena's never seen a draco in the flesh, has she? the only reference she has are copies of paintings of the Victorian royal family she'd seen in books during her schooling, and from what she remembers, they barely looked different from a vouivre at all.

that's all settled, but what Talulah says next is yet another unforeseen element. ]

I am Frostnova.

[ her call-sign is well known enough by the neighboring military forces that it shouldn't be necessary to explain more than that. the princess is the one who's been handling much of the border pursuits since she came of age, and has become familiar to everyone in the business of needing to keep track of such things.

she thought the secretaries mentioned it would be her who was coming, but perhaps they'd kept it vague, or the information hadn't reached Talulah. something to consider later, when they weren't in the middle of a negotiation. ]

If you're her, that makes this easy. Start talking.

[Talulah's heritage muddies the waters as far as her appearance goes as well. The most she can say for certain is that she looks like her sister. She doesn't remember her father well enough to say if she takes after him at all.

That codename likely explains the large entourage. It's fine to file those shieldguards away as an extra layer of protection and not anything to really worry about, since Talulah has no intention to turn this into a fight, even if negotiations fall apart. It's a little odd someone of such import had been on the front lines, even in border skirmishes, but then again, Talulah is out here herself.]

I'd be happy to, but would you like me to reiterate my reasons for proposing this alliance, or is there some concern you have in particular?

[She doesn't know what, if anything, Buldrokkas'tee has shared. And besides that, she's a little curious about what Frostnova's reservations and thoughts might be. Her opinion is guaranteed have extraordinary sway in the north.]

I wanted to see what kind of person would ask my father to deliver them a crown with a straight face.

[ now that they've gotten introductions out of the way, Yelena doesn't see any point in tip-toeing around the issue at hand. the rebel leader's the one who needs to plead her case here, and Yelena's not about to pull any punches. ]

That's what you're asking us to do. You're not bad in a fight, but there's nothing that stands out about your men. What do you have that's worth our army?

[If Talulah is put off by Frostnova's attitude, she doesn't show it. Truth be told, after dealing with the two-faced Victorian nobility for so long, straightforwardness is refreshing.]

Admittedly, as a rebel faction, I don't have much to offer an established power. Except for what I'll prevent if I win. I assume you're already having issues with supply lines thanks to the fighting and the current government's tariffs for the war efforts? If the Aslans crush all opposition, that will get worse.

[She gestures upwards, indicating the ruined walls and broken spires of the Gaulish castle they're in.]

Everyone knows what happened to Gaul. And Victoria will look to you for their next meal if I stop being a thorn in their side. You have to decide if it's worth it to ensure you have a friend in Victoria in the aftermath.

[ the increasing difficulty in keeping their trade routes flowing is a salient point, and one that Yelena's been monitoring for some time. a single decent argument isn't sufficient grounds for getting in bed with a rebellion, however. ]

That's a one theory. There's plenty of others.

[ her eyes flicker over ruined stonework, much of the breaks in the rock still fresh and jagged, the black soot not yet washed away by the passing seasons. ]

Gaul's emperor wasn't innocent in this. He overstepped first, and even after he showed his weakness, it took more than Victoria to tear everything down. If they can turn on us that quickly after putting down your rebellion, you must not be putting up much of a fight.

I don’t know about the emperor’s innocence or lack of it. What I do know is that Victoria has been bearing its teeth for a long, long time. They just didn’t expect anyone to kill their benefactor.

[Talulah regards the other quietly for a beat. She doesn’t look the type to buy into propaganda coming from Victoria, but even the most skeptical individuals have difficulty believing what actually happened behind the scenes.]

Kashchey was a madman who had all sorts of grand and insane plans for the world. One of them was helping Victoria’s ambitions to see the outcome of such a widespread conflict. So, in other words, Gaul was decided as the first target so you would have no potential allies once the sword was pointed at you.

[ Yelena's aware of the story Victoria's leaders used to justify their interference in Gaul since the war, both before and after the country's collapse, and what little truth lies beneath the fabrications.

... and just how far Talulah is stretching things to try and make her pitch, as far as she's concerned. Yelena doesn't openly scoff at Talulah's suggestion of a grand conspiracy, but it's a close thing. ]

You think the Gauls would've coming running when we needed them?

[ Yelena been told the draco heir had some military training, but clearly not much in history, seeing as she seriously thinks the losers of the last great war would willingly lend aid to the country instrumental in their downfall. ]

Who else was involved with this? Can you give me any names? Do you have agents close to them?

Come running? No. But they might have understood the enemy of their enemy is a friend. Now even the possibility doesn't exist.

[If things had gone that way, the Gaulish emperor would have to weigh the risk of taking revenge on the north against Victoria turning on them in the aftermath. It's a position no one would envy...but maybe it would come down to whether or not Gaul knew about the snake coiling around them.

But now no one will ever know.

At the questions, Talulah pauses slightly.]

I can't give you all of our intelligence before an alliance is set. I can tell you the Duke of Cavendish is the one who worked with Kashchey the closest, and invited him into the nobles' circles first. It wasn't a popular decision, initially...but a lot of other nobles fell in line after a while, once they saw what they stood to gain.

[ Talulah will catch a flash of recognition in her eyes, but nothing more. the duke has been on their intelligence agents radar for years, ever since Kaschey's rise among the Victorian elite. it could be a sign that the rebel leader isn't entirely full of shit— but then again, it could just as easily be a a well-made ruse conjured up by someone with intimate knowledge of Victoria's politics. ]

Thanks for the clarification. We'll look into it.

[ she turns her head slightly to whisper something to the Yeti commanders standing to her right. it's not more than a few words, and her eyes never leave Talulah and her party. ]

If that's it, we'll be going. You'll know if we want to get in contact again, but if I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath.

Ah, no, there's one more thing.

[Something she had meant to say much earlier in these negotiations, but Frostnova had been very sure about what information she'd wanted to hear, and nothing else.]

Because an alliance goes both ways, we'd be willing to help with your interests first, should the need arise. The offer remains open so long as you do to negotiations.

[ after Talulah says her piece, Yelena goes dead silent for a long, uncomfortable moment. her expression is as stony as ever, made even more unnerving by the way her entourage stays just as still and quiet beside her.

nigh imperceptibly, her cautus ears swivel forward, exhaling a sharp breath through her nose. ]

You're supposed to start with that.

I thought you might have had questions you wanted answered before anything else.

[Even if northern leadership didn't believe a word of the propaganda swirling around, what actually happened with Kashchey and the rebel group's formation had likely been murky to anyone looking in from the outside.]

But I take it you have something in mind already?

[ unlike the leaders of Victoria's other neighboring countries, being the one to kill Kaschey could only bolster your reputation in the eyes of Ursus' elite. while that act alone is enough to please them, however, Talulah's motives and greater goals still needing scrutinizing.

That sort of thing wasn't sussed out just by asking the right questions. Yelena needs more to go off of than just words. ]

Your Victorian military recently got their hands on an artifact of the old empire. It needs to be returned to us or neutralized, along with any research they've done up until now.

An artifact?

[From the old empire? That could be something from Sami, which doesn't bode well if Victoria has it in their possession.

The vague use of the word also probably means she won't be told what, exactly, it is, which is going to be troublesome.]

As an objective, returning that to you or destroying it won't be an issue. But I'll need a little more information to go off of. Its size and material, for instance. And if you know anything about which part of the Victorian army took it.

You're agreeing to it?

[ her men stay at attention behind her, displaying no obvious reaction to what Yelena is saying, just as they should. they weren't privy to the private conversation she'd had with her father about this negotiation— they have no way of knowing bringing Talulah on to assist in this situation never came up in discussion. ]

I want to be clear— we have its location narrowed down, and a rough idea of what it will take to secure it. This isn't an errand we're sending you on, you'd be working alongside our people.

[ she doesn't immediately elaborate beyond that, watching for a reaction from Talulah instead. if she's smart, she'll be able to read between the lines: that she's essentially being offered an audition for working alongside Ursus' military, and if they already have that much information on whatever they're after, asking for outside help means what they've learned of the situation is dire. ]

That won’t be a problem either. Best to know if we can work together first, isn’t it?

[Talulah doesn’t react much, even though it does occur to her that this mission is a test run, and must be very important if Frostnova is willing to extend the trust for manpower.

It’s not exactly a disagreeable ask, and Talulah had briefed those on her side who needed to know that doing a favor for the Ursus leadership is on the table.

So yes, it’s an agreement. If you tell me more about the location and your plan, I could bring along those most suited for the operation.

[ having Talulah agree so readily, it's all too easy. Yelena knows better than to put her trust in someone scrounging for power, no matter how good of a performance they put on. if nothing else, this will give her a chance to find out what the downside to the Artorius' heir is, and gauge how much that flaw raises the price of taking her in.

Frostnova steps forward across the charred stones of the castle floor, reaching behind her, into the depths of the heavy coat she's wearing. she holds her hand out a moment later, revealing a small earpiece and a stick drive. ]

It's in Oxford, being held at the military base or the university. They're planning to move it to Londonium in the next few weeks.

[Much like how Frostnova is accepting of their help out of desperation to complete this task, it's not as though rebel forces can really be picky in their situation either. Unless it's something incredibly unreasonable, Talulah is not inclined to turn it down. And so far, it doesn't sound like that at all. Difficult, maybe, but not a suicide mission on the surface.]

Is the plan to extract the artifact before it's en route, or to take it while it's being transported?

[She glances at what's in the other's hand--is it for communication between them? Regardless, she steps forward to meet Frostnova in the middle of the space and reaches her own hand out.]

While it's leaving, as soon as it clears the city limits.

[ as Talulah approaches, she'll notice a slight chill in the air. the wind sneaking through the broken structure, perhaps, the worst of it coming when Frostnova reaches to drop the items into Talulah's outstretched palm. ]

You can contact us through this. There's a layout of university and the city on the drive. If you have any contacts in the area, reach out to them as soon as we're done here.

[That's the best moment to strike, but it can also lead to a lot of unexpected events. Flexible and swift fighters, then.]

All right.

[She feels the burst of cold, but she's seen the other's ice arts, so it's not entirely expected. And her own subdues the worst of the chill, anyway.]

I'll look this over and gather the right people. You said this would happen in the next few weeks...are the Victorians not on an exact schedule, or can you not get the right intel about it?

[ Yelena's frown deepens a smidge as she pulls her hand back, but she's been frowning this entire time to begin with, making it difficult to pin it as a reaction to any particular thing Talulah's said. ]

They know what they have, and if they found out that Ursus knows and is trying to take it back, things would get messy.

[ there's a slight pause before she continues, the displeasure hinted at a moment to go a now hard to miss in how brusque her words are. ]

The standards of our intelligence operation aren't what they used to be, can we can't risk someone being compromised. There's no one in as deep as they'd need to be to get us the exact dates.

Then we can try to find that information out. Even if our agents are caught, the Victorians won't know what we were after, since there are so many options.

[They're much more likely to assume one of Talulah's agents had been after state secrets or military plans elsewhere than something involving an artifact. The former is much more useful to a rebel group, after all.

Talulah tucks the items safely away in her clothing.]

I'll contact you the moment we uncover anything useful.

Good.

[ despite the trade-off being complete, Yelena doesn't immediately move to return to her entourage. if they've gotten this far, she figures it doesn't hurt to get through relaying all the broad strokes of the task at hand. ]

The artifact— it's a sword. The hilt, scabbard, blade are all red. Long enough that a normal person would need two hands to use it.

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