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

[reunionize]

[This, honestly, took a lot of work. More work than some of the battleplans, but admittedly the machinations of the Victorian nobles are predictable. The only thing Talulah knows about the northern territories is what she's gleaned from her father's journals.

Edward Artorius apparently had a decent enough relationship with the ruler when he'd been alive, and since the wendigo race of Sarkaz live for a very, very long time, perhaps any goodwill towards her parent might be extended to her.

She has also gleaned the northerners are not unreasonable; they've crossed paths during various skirmishes at the border, and they ignore all rebel forces once their own task is complete. Talulah has made it very clear no one from her side is to engage with any other party that isn't either obviously Victorian, or strikes first, and it seems the courtesy is returned.

That said, isolationist policy is hard to overcome, and what she's asking isn't a mere favor. To be embroiled in civil war in another country is an idea most people would scoff at, but...the north has undoubtedly seen the writing on the wall for what will transpire after the dust settles. Victoria's appetite is ever unsatiable.

The Gaulish castle she walks through is a testament to that. It's nothing but ruins now, good for little else besides neutral territory. She's brought two members of the rebels with her, two with a calm rationality suited to negotiations. She'd be fine going in alone, but, well...if Talulah saw another group's leader sitting all alone during a meeting that was meant to be a peaceful talk, she'd think there was an ambush waiting.

Still, no matter how rational one is, curiosity tends to win out, and she can hear her escort party gossiping even behind their masks. They're wondering if the northern princess is as beautiful and strong as the rumors say. If she's half as strong as that Cautus she'd seen once during a border skirmish, then her alliance would be more than a boon.

By her estimation, the meeting time is near, so she supposes she'll find out soon enough.]

Comments

[hypothermy]

You really thought killing Kaschey would fix everything? Getting rid of one person?

[ it's something Yelena's been thinking about for a while but hasn't been able to pinpoint until now, the particular way Talulah tends to present her arguments and the ideas she puts forth. the leader of the rebellion undeniably competent, not to mention powerful, yet at the same time some of the thoughts she reveals are painfully naive.

that should be a red flag when considering an alliance. Frostnova's certain that it's the other part of why her father is reluctant to engage with her. she has similar reservations, but she also finds herself feeling ... envy. how anyone could survive amongst the Victorian gentry for years and come out still feeling optimistic at all is beyond her. ]

What they saw you accomplish might have been the first time they'd seen someone go up against the nobles or military and win.

[reunionize]

No. I thought it would cause more things to collapse than it did, though. And…

[Her other reasons for killing Kashchey are less altruistic. Maybe Frostnova doesn’t want to hear anything about Talulah’s personal feelings, or maybe that, too, is necessary.]

I’ve been his bargaining chip since I was a child. I wanted to stop his plans, but I couldn’t stomach the idea being his pawn for a second longer, either.

[hypothermy]

[ Yelena doesn't level Talulah with looks of judgment or pity for her comment. she has a hand resting atop the papers on her lap now, her attention clearly focused on their conversation instead of whatever she came to this room in the palace to work on. ]

It's not like waiting would've helped. Killing him is the only reason my father didn't throw out your first letter before reading it. As far as the old guard's concerned, we owe you aid just for that.

[reunionize]

No, of course not. I wouldn't even be in a position to solicit allies at all if I hadn't killed him. The fact it was an action that helped Ursus is a happy coincidence, but one I'm glad exists.

[Talulah, even wrapped up in marionette's strings at the time, knew almost instinctively that Kashchey would love nothing more than to use any earnest pleas she sent out as bait to catch enemies. Or simply those foolishly heroic enough to try in order to heap more despair onto her.

Her choices had been to run and hide for her entire life, or kill him.]

But as you said, killing one person, even one like Kashchey, doesn't solve everything. The ambitions he stoked in the Victorian nobles continue to grow.

[hypothermy]

[ while Kaschey's death was certainly a net positive for the world in general, he hadn't muddled directly in Ursus' affairs in some time. What made the senior leaders of the army and cabinet feel indebted to Talulah wasn't relief from an active enemy, but the end of a years old grudge.

Yelena doesn't comment on it, though. If Talulah's not aware of her guardian's ultimate sin during the Gaulish war, if the alliance is finalized, she'll learn of it soon enough. ]

Like whatever they're aiming for with that secret project you mentioned? I'm guessing he had a hand in starting that too.

[reunionize]

It's very likely he did, since he wanted to stoke conflict. And I can't think of anything that would cause more of that besides an overconfident Victoria.

[Even if they didn't manage to conquer anyone else, at the very least whatever show of force they have planned would make every other nation exceedingly nervous. And who knew what Leithanien casters or the researchers in Columbia could come up with in retaliation?]

I'd hoped that his death set back their progress a little, but based on their current movements and attitude, he'd already whispered enough information in their ears.

[hypothermy]

Victoria's elite are the kind to trample over each other for power, with or without a mastermind egging them on.

[ they were no strangers to a power vacuum, after all. How many rulers had they directly or indirectly opposed, all while scheming to raise their own political capital.

Ursus has not been kind to those types of so-called nobles for decades, hence why so many former northern noble families had fled over the course of Buldrokkas'tee reign. ]

I don't know how you imagine you're going to fix that, even if you win back the country on every other front.

[reunionize]

It depends on who remains after the dust settles, but...I don't think it can be fixed. And even if it could, most Victorian nobles would not abide a draco...I used to think it was none, but the Duke of Wellington and the Earl of Warwick proved to be exceptions.

[Talulah shrugs, lightly. Those sympathetic and loyal to her lineage had immediately come out of the woodwork once news about her and the rebellion started circulating. She didn't have an attachment to it in the same way, but she did understand the plight of the Tarans.]

Not that I have plans on joining hands with them. They'd use me for their own ends all the same.

[hypothermy]

[ the Victorian's preference for one bloodline over another isn't one Yelena say she understands much beyond the shallowest level of acknowledging such traditions exist. the last emperor of Ursus had given up his throne because he saw none of his issue were fit to rule, and even longer before that, an entirely different family was designated as the country's royals. ]

You could consider a temporary alliance with them, but your decision isn't a bad one. I don't think those types are worth the trouble.

[ certain cabinet members and commanders will want Talulah to try to garner the favor of a few nobles as the bare minimum. making allies of convenience one intends to dispose of after a certain point isn't Frostnova's style, however, nor is it her father's. any proponents will have difficulty pushing that agenda. ]

[reunionize]

A temporary alliance wouldn't work. They want Victoria the same as it ever was, just with another family line at the helm. And with themselves in cushy positions at the top of the noble hierarchy.

[Bloodline is everything to Victoria's elite. And to a lot of its ordinary citizens. Talulah doesn't think much of it, but she's come to understand it, and understands how the nobles and common people alike think about it.]

They'd cause a lot of trouble in the aftermath, and besides, it's not the kind of change we're working for.

[hypothermy]

You've been saying that.

[ going beyond uprooting Kaschey's corruption to fundamentally change Victoria's society has been a recurring topic in the negotiations, or so Yelena's heard. it makes sense, in a way, that she'd come to Ursus for this task. the country today holds little resemblance to the one her father had been bestowed decades ago by the last emperor. but that transfer had been made at the height of his power and influence, the patriot, as he'd been known, was an impeachable choice of a successor. Talulah, the rebel leader born of a deposed bloodline, hardly holds a candle to him.

she turns her attention back to her papers, satisfied with the information she's managed to glean. ]

You're not bad in a fight. With our army, you can win the battles you'll need to. Everything you want after that still sounds like pipe dream to me.

[reunionize]

[Aren't a lot of changes like that? There had been those who didn't think they could ever be out from under the thumb of the nobles, even as a tenuous, dangerous existence like the one in the rebellion. There had been a time when breaking away from Kashchey's influence had seemed an impossible task as well. Talulah wouldn't be sitting where she is if she didn't take chances on pipe dreams.

Victorian society is linked, inexorably, to Kashchey's plans. The rotten things he sowed could not have grown so quickly otherwise. To pull up one means the other has to follow.

She looks at Frostnova across from her, without any assessment or disappointment or confusion. Just unwaveringly, in the way that probably had convinced many rebels to follow her.]

If you stick around, you'll see how it won't remain as one.

[hypothermy]

[ Yelena snorts out a derisive breath, scribbling another note on the glossy print-out on her lap. ]

We'll see. I'm still only offering you my conditional support when the final decision comes in a few days.

[ this was work pushed off on her by her father's secretaries of the most banal variety. in order to maintain their status, nobles were expected to perform regular acts of service in the community, sometimes in the form of hosting traditional events. over the years, they somehow managed to make that a power play too, and she can tell that the one she currently has in front of her is a half-assed proposal meant to slight some other family by applying for the annual festival they usually run.

the annoyance makes her tongue loose, repeating something that should probably not be said around a visiting envoy. ]

If you want anything more than that, I'll give you same deal I offer the yetis.

[reunionize]

[Talulah's not really daunted by Frostnova's derisiveness, but she can't help but think the other is as stubborn as her father. It makes sense, even if Talulah hopes she hasn't inherited a single thing from her so-called guardian.

She is, however, surprised at Frostnova offering up a deal...or that kind of information in the first place.]

Oh? I'm a little curious now. What is it?

[hypothermy]

[ it's a comment she should've kept to herself, she knows. unfortunately for Ursus' diplomats, Yelena is passable at politicking, but not especially devoted to the art. in her mind, it's not as though she's about to insult the leader the leader of the rebellion ... too much. ]

When I come to a decision they don't agree with, I make them an offer: if they can land a hit on me in a fight, I'll change my orders.

[ among the Yeti Squadron, it's more a joke than an actual method of petitioning Frostnova to reassess her decisions. the last time any of them were able to get the upper-hand on her in a fight, they still had some of their baby teeth left. ]

For you I might need to make it harder. Two or three hits?

[reunionize]

And here I was wondering if asking you to spar would come across as really rude.

[Luckily, Talulah's not some state leader who would take offense at that sort of deal in the first place. It's one thing to see Frostnova fight enemies, but another to be the target of those arts.

Curiosity is the wrong word, but...a part of her does want to see how she measures up.]

We can make it three hits each, to be fair.

[hypothermy]

No, we don't have any taboo against that.

[ curious is the wrong word for Talulah, but Frostnova will later shrug and admit to her confidants that curiosity about the draco's abilities has been nagging at her for a good while. it's not as though dueling foreign visitors is new to Yelena either— at one point it had almost been an annual event, back when they'd had a guest who actually came close to her level. ]

Are those your terms? I could offer you a handicap.

[reunionize]

I don't need one.

[She'll have to get Frostnova to reevaluate her if the offer isn't entirely a taunt, but besides that, it wouldn't be satisfying at all unless the other fights her seriously. Or as seriously as they could in what's supposed to be just sparring.]

So unless you prefer something else, those are my terms.

[hypothermy]

If that's what you want, those terms are fine by me.

[ the invitation isn't wholly to try to knock Talulah down a peg or two. she seems genuinely powerful from what Yelena's seen, and if she thought a match between them would really be over that quickly, she wouldn't have bothered to offer in the first place. ]

What's your schedule tomorrow? I can set up something private, but if you want to use the big military fields, there's nothing I can do to stop the squadrons stationed in the capital from coming over to gawk.

[ if nothing else, it looks like the prospect of a fight has put her in a better mood. ]

[reunionize]

There's a meeting in the morning, but I should have a few free hours after that. I'll leave the venue to you...and I don't mind an audience, if it comes to that.

[If she'd known Frostnova would be this happy about a duel, Talulah would have asked about it much sooner. Their hosts had been generous about allowing Talulah and her entourage use of training areas and the like, but there's only so much drills could do to help blow off steam.]

[hypothermy]

[ despite her snipes, Yelena isn't interested in publicly humiliating a likely ally, and she'll get in trouble for this whole proposition sooner rather than later if it becomes a public event. ]

I'll come get you after that. I have a private training area in the farther palace grounds you weren't given access to. It was made to keep arts attacks contained, so you won't have to worry about trashing anything on accident.

[reunionize]

That's convenient.

[Especially since both of their arts together would be more likely than others to cause damage to the surroundings without any precautions.]

I'll stay put after the meeting so I'm easy to find, then.

[hypothermy]

It was a necessity when I was younger; it wasn't practical for me to be taught anywhere else.

[ Yelena's already thinking about how she'll have to arrange her schedule for the next day to fit this new appointment in, dropping her latest comment without much thought. it's not particularly noteworthy unless one knows of the old rumors regarding the princess' magic when she was a child, a piece of gossip kept only to the highest government. ]

That works for me.

[reunionize]

[Talulah assumes it has to do with control. Sometimes children aren't the best at reining in their arts, and the ice Frostnova can make would cause damage if it's misaimed or gets out of hand, even when she had been younger.

So no, Talulah doesn't think much of the comment at all. She moves to stand instead.]

Then I'll see you tomorrow.

[hypothermy]

You will.

[ Yelena doesn't immediately leave after that, returning her attention to the stack of papers she still has to work through, taking her leave an hour or two later and bidding Talulah goodbye if she hasn't already left.

the next day, after Talulah's meeting, Frostnova doesn't make her entrance immediately. it's a good quarter of an hour after it ends when she finally appears, and not alone. General Hellagur is at her side, dressed in more casual attire compared the meetings where Talulah's met him before, greeting the draco cordially and mentioning how honored he is to be able to watch her bout with the princess. as far as prestige goes, the man is second only to Ursus' royalty, a trusted confidant to the king and decorated war veteran of every war the country's fought in recent memory.

Yelena, stony-faced as ever, somehow manages to exude the faintest air of a youth who's been caught in the act by an old caretaker.

the general's not overly chatty during their long walk from the assembly rooms to the extensive palace grounds, but makes comments here and there, pointing out things their guest might find interesting. when they reach their destination, a massive oval arena hidden behind a thick grove, he stays at the edge, not crossing the stone boundary lines set into the ground that hum softly with inactive magic.

once they're out of earshot of the elder soldier, Yelena addresses Talulah flatly. ]

He's here to watch over me, not you. Don't get too in your head about it.