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]

[ the reasoning she's gleaned behind the proposition is that a return to an old status quo would be the easiest pill to swallow for some people, but she figures Talulah can argue her case if the idea starts to gain any serious traction. ]

Yeah. Everyone's more concerned with the logistics of taking on Victoria's army for now.

[ candy finished, Yelena picks up her cup again and knocks back the last of her tea. ]

The real obstacle we need to worry about is convincing one of the more defensive generals that making the first strike will be worth it. There's a couple of them, but with the rest of your list, winning over one of them is enough.

[reunionize]

Just one?

[Talulah thought she had more of an uphill battle than that. But maybe a single general is as tough to crack as she already expected.]

I haven't been making much headway with that. I'm guessing you've got a better plan?

[Considering how much better Frostnova knew the inner workings of the Ursus military, she probably knew a far easier way to go about persuading the generals than Talulah.]

[hypothermy]

I do?

[ she responds with mock surprise. ]

My plan is to pick out the one I think will be the easiest to convince and tell them if they want to wait for Victoria to start a land war in Ursus, its their men I'll be sending to dig trenches around the border towns.

[ FrostNova's negotiating style is blunt, to put it mildly. within her own court, that's usually enough to get her what she wants, though she's never had to weigh in on a decision as serious as the one she's currently undertaking. ]

You're farther along than you think, Artorius, you just don't want to put your foot on anyone's neck when you're our guest here. I can take care of that part, just keep charming everyone else you run into.

[reunionize]

[Talulah laughs in genuine surprise at just how straightforward the other can be.]

Well, no. It'd be pretty bad diplomacy if I started off with the threats and strongarming while I was trying to convince everyone Victoria would do the same. But if that's what it takes, I'll leave you to it.

[Things do seem to have fallen into place now that Frostnova is working with her. Which is a thought she thinks to voice.]

You say I'm far along, but after this meeting, I'm wondering how much rockier the path would have been if you had decided to be a part of the opposition while I was here.

[hypothermy]

[ Talulah's laughter is unexpected. she'd expected her to look at least a little scandalized, but Yelena's been finding that Talulah isn't nearly as uptight as the other Victorian nobles she's met. ]

If I were more neutral, I think you'd still have a shot. If I'd come out against you, we would've sent you home after a few days.

[ the fact that Talulah's been hosted in the palace for as long as she has is proof of her negotiating skills. neither her father nor his inner circle like to waste time on prospects they have no intention of pursuing, even if it risks coming off as unnecessarily hostile. ]

[reunionize]

[She probably would never had made headway with the rebellion and its many, many commoners if she'd been like a typical Victorian noble.]

I think you underestimate your influence. But that's coming from an outsider.

[As far as Talulah's seen, while Frostnova doesn't have the sway of General Hellagur or her father, for example, there are several people who would be equally unmoved if she expressed an indifference towards Talulah's party.]

I'm glad I managed to be persuasive enough that I wasn't sent marching home after less than a week.

[hypothermy]

No, I know my opinion holds a lot of sway, but I don't respect anyone who puts my stances over their own.

[ and most that respect is simply due to her status. while it's true that FrostNova is a formidable warrior, compared to the other top military officials, the gap in experience is staggering. not to mention, on a more personal level, Yelena knows a good portion of that favoritism is based on the paternal feelings many of Buldrokkas'tee's shield guards hold for her. ]

Victorian's been a problem for a while. We all know they need to be dealt with eventually. Being the first one to offer a real solution took some pressure off of our people to come up with one.

[reunionize]

[That is something Talulah has also noticed. The huge entourage that came with Frostnova for their first meeting is something difficult to forget. But she doesn't think it's all favoritism from Buldrokkas'tee's subordinates, either.]

It was one born out of necessity. As I mentioned, Victoria seems to be up to something, and I don't think "eventually" is very far away anymore.

[She'd like to go digging into whatever-it-is, but she does have some important matters in Ursus to handle first, after all. Hopefully, the teams she left back in Victoria are collecting some better intelligence.]

im too lazy to do a proper transition

[hypothermy]

[ in the time of the Witch King, Yelena was once told, Leithanien's armies could be moved across counties and over borders on the whim of their ruler. such manipulation of arts is a feat few are capable of performing, and no military has been able to replicate the practice on a larger scale since.

on a smaller scale, though— apparently someone among Victoria's war casters has been very busy.

when FrostNova regains her senses, she feels like a weapon that's been disassembled and put back together by amateur hands. her stomach roils, the acrid taste of bile teasing at the back of her throat as she struggles to sit up, everything about the ground beneath her and sky overhead unfamiliar to her senses.

she and the Yetis had been far from the front lines, nearer to the Ursus-Victoria border. they'd been dispatched as a rapid response to an elite squadron that had been caught moving towards a rebel base with the intent to neutralize the leadership there. they intercepted them some ways outside the town, trying to avoid civilian casualties, but when one of their long-range agents started advancing—

shaking her head, FrostNova looks around again, trying to gauge how far she'd been sent from the battle. the surrounding farmland looks nothing like the forested area she'd been in just a few seconds ago. ]

Yuri? [ she calls out hoarsely, trying to recall who was nearest to her when she was hit. ]

Marina?

[reunionize]

[In her defense, these kinds of arts aren't supposed to be possible nowadays.

But her ignorance of what Victoria's casters are capable of doesn't really help much. She'd been blasted into that weird swirl of arts all the same. And doing so had likely been their intention all along. She's not sure how many of the rank-and-file Victorians know who she is by sight, but to them, she'd obviously been a leader of some kind, and that had been good enough.

Good news: it's not her sword arm that's injured. The bad news is...everything else. Talulah is too disoriented to know where she really is, except that it's not where she'd been before. She's bleeding from her shoulder, and her side hurts enough that, at minimum, she's got bruising that will take a week to heal even with curative arts.

With some effort, she manages to push herself upright in spite of the vertigo, and manages to catch a voice the moment her ears stop ringing.]

...Frostnova?

[hypothermy]

[ her ears swivel in the direction of the noise, eyes following a moment later. ]

Talulah.

[ she doesn't call the rebellion leader by her first name, at least not when she's speaking to her. in her internal dialogue, though, the rules are less strict, and doesn't care to correct herself in their current situation.

rising to her feet, she shakes off the natural instinct to panic. survival comes first, and FrostNova smells blood on the air. she crouches low as she pads over to Talulah, partially obscuring her form in the flowering wheat. ]

Are you hurt? Can you show me?

[reunionize]

Here.

[Her sleeve is torn enough that it's easy to peel away to show more of the wound to Frostnova, a gash that nearly extends to her elbow. It's deep enough to be a problem, but not life-threatening.

She does it without hesitation or even a question about what the other is doing here. For one thing, she's still a little dizzy, and thinking too focusedly makes the world spin. For another, even if this is some kind of bizarre hallucination, it's good to see a familiar face.]

The explosion that knocked me into a...portal, or something, bruised my ribs pretty badly, too.

[hypothermy]

Shit.

[ the expletive slips out on its own as soon as she sees the size of Talulah's wound. FrostNova feels like easy prey out in the open like this, but they need to slow the bleeding before she can think about relocating Talulah elsewhere.

working quickly, she shucks off her coat and pulls open her jacket underneath. using her knife, she makes a cut in her undershirt above the hem, then proceeds to rip off a longer, winding piece of fabric. ]

It was one of the enemy casters. There shouldn't be anyone alive right now who's capable of those kinds of arts.

[ but that's a broader worry she can examine when the queen her country wants to crown isn't at risk of bleeding out. using Talulah's sleeve and makeshift bandage from her own shirt, she wraps the wound tightly, managing to make a decent dressing considering the materials she has. ]

Do you think you can stand? I can carry you if I have to, but we'd have to ditch your sword.

[reunionize]

That's what I thought, too.

[Which is why she never suspected the enemy's movements would be in service to getting her into one.

She winces when Frostnova ties off the makeshift dressing, but nods at the question.]

I can. I might need some support walking, but you won't need to carry me.

[Wasting time without cover in an unknown area is just asking for more trouble, so Talulah doesn't hesitate to shakily get onto her feet.]

[hypothermy]

I've got you.

[ FrostNova stands with Talulah, staying close in her space in case she needs to lean on her sooner rather than later.

glancing around again, she notices what could be a road in the near distance, and a forested area beyond it. if they'd both come out that last fight unscathed, she'd immediately head for the wilderness, but Talulah's condition forces her to consider other options. ]

Be honest— how bad does it feel? I can do basic first aid, but we might be better off heading for a village or town with a healer.

[ even with the risks, if Talulah's wound gets infected, they'll be forced to seek outside help anyway. ]

[reunionize]

Feel? Not all that bad yet. But I'll definitely need real first aid down the line.

[Which they don't have access to in the middle of this field. They don't seem all that far from relative civilization, either, which is the odd thing.]

We're...likely still in Victoria. If I could see a landmark, I might be able to figure out exactly where we are. And maybe if there's a safehouse nearby.

[Not to mention, knowing what part of Victoria they landed in would go a long way towards figuring out what's the safest thing to do. Certain districts are easier to navigate than others.]

[hypothermy]

Okay, let's head for the road then.

[ their location is suspicious to FrostNova as well— one would think, after going through the trouble to recreate such mythic arts, that the Victorians would use it to more easily capture their targets. wherever they've ended up, Yelena doesn't see any immediate signs of the enemy bearing down to take them into custody.

she walks at the pace Talulah sets, carefully watching both her movements and the terrain in front of them to make sure she won't stumble or fall. the field is easy to get out of, and while the road isn't fully paved, it's at least had some maintenance to keep it easy to navigate.

after a bit of walking, they come across a hand-carved sign by the roadside that reads: CITY OF HILLOCK 3 KM ]

Hillock? [ that's ... not anywhere in the north that Yelena's heard of. or in the near vicinity of the Victorian capital. ]

[reunionize]

We're in County Hillock?

[Talulah's expression instantly pinches upon seeing the sign. Their location does not bode well at all. Sighing, she wipes sweat off her face and gestures further down the road towards the city.]

We're very far from Londinium. I've never been here, but members of the rebellion who either lived here or were on recon missions all say the same thing. The hostilities between the Victorians and native Taran populations mean it's a landmine that's already been stepped on. Now it's just waiting for the explosion.

[In other words, they've ended up in a place where the Victorian army is already in a hair-trigger mood.]

I think there's a place we can stay, though.

[hypothermy]

[ that sounds like they were blasted across the country, which is not what Yelena was hoping to hear. to be in territory where Dublinn's likely to have a strong foothold with the populace is even worse, but it's not like they can do anything about that now. ]

In town? Do you have any idea where?

[reunionize]

On the eastern edge. I'm not sure if we actually have to go through the town itself to get there, though.

[If they do, the host of problems that would crop up trying to navigate through might be more trouble than its worth.]

I don't think it's been too long since there was a group here who was trying to gather intel...County Hillock has been the center of some odd movements by Victorian researchers and high-ranking officers. It's hard to tell if they're here because of the unrest or something else.

[hypothermy]

The military's here? Is there a base nearby?

[ just their luck. if they're as far away from the fighting and capital as Talulah said, they might be able to sneak in by virtue of the local militia not expecting any action in their area. ]

I don't know if we have a choice about going into town, unless you want to try sneaking into someone's barn and letting me try to take care of your wound.

[reunionize]

Just an outpost. That's why odd movements caught our attention. The army's presence might have increased recently, though, and we won't know until we get closer to the city.

[But like Frostnova said, at this point, they don't have much of a choice. Knowing the direction they should go is a much better idea than wandering around.]

No. The city is probably our best option, even with the risks.

[hypothermy]

If it's a smaller operation, they might not have the numbers to post too many guards.

[ given what Talulah said about the area being a tinderbox about to ignite between the natives and the army, they should keep the area monitored closely, but Victoria's war machine has been starting to pick up speed. there's a chance the grunts here have already been shipped up north.

she begins to walk in the direction of the town as soon as Talulah indicates she's ready to continue, remaining close to her as they continue on. ]

If you need to call me by something while we're here, just use my name. My code name would attract attention we don't want.

[reunionize]

Of course. No callsigns.

[Nicknames, even odd ones, tend to be pretty common, but considering the type of cover they'll likely need to use if they run into someone who would question them...well, Talulah would probably be best at playing a fallen Victorian noble from some no-name house and they're typically above that sort of thing.]

And they'll send manpower elsewhere if it's really just about keeping order. But we suspected there might be something important to the army being kept here.

[hypothermy]

Storing something important to the military next to a town of Dublinn sympathizers ... if you're right, it can't be anything good.

[ while the role Talulah might assume is fairly straightforward, Yelena's options are less clear. "cautus noble" is an oxymoron in most situations, only applicable to those who are adopted or married in, and claiming as much would draw attention. not to mention, it's not like she's got much skill as an actor—

though she might have to develop some, as the distance headlights of a truck come into view over a hill in the distance. ]

—shit.

[ with the vehicle approaching quickly, she makes the best call she can to keep them both alive. Yelena side-steps into Talulah's space, reaching around her waist to wrest a hand below her bruised ribs. ]

Lean on me.