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

[reunionize]

[Talulah laughs softly as she unlaces and takes off her own boots. The crisis of the day had been averted, so once they figure out what to do about the party, they could probably relax a little. Well, as much as they could behind enemy territory, anyway.]

No, definitely not. I'm sure it's happened once or twice, but that's definitely not a concern for this party. As far as I can tell, they don't see us as a threat. More like...we're an opportunity for them to score points with more important players.

[She tips her head to the side, curiously, when she turns to face Yelena.]

I've been wondering this for a while based on your cover act, but have you got all your ideas about what a "servant" is from knight novels or something?

[hypothermy]

Ah, you caught that.

[ Yelena reaches to rub at the back of her neck, definitely to work out an anxious kink she's been carrying since a trio of disgruntled locals approached her in alleyway, and not just because she's embarrassed. ]

I don't know if you noticed at the palace, but my father's never liked keeping excess staff. I had a governess as a kid, a housekeeper now, and a few maids that clean my apartments.

[ and given FrostNova's background and Buldrokkas'tee's down to earth parenting style, Yelena would never dream of treating any of them the way she sees nobles from Leithanien and Victoria do with their household. ]

Knight novels aren't what I usually read. This one series, An Obscure Wanderer, got popular at my secondary school, and I ended up reading all of them to understand what my friends were talking about.

[reunionize]

I don't have much more experience with servants, since I never liked anyone Kashchey decided to assign, but I know you always acted more like a retainer.

[Which is what made Talulah wonder where Yelena had been drawing her inspiration from for their cover, and from there, it had just been a matter of putting two and two together.]

You have some wiggle room since the story is that you've been my playmate since I was a kid, but most Victorian servants don't act so...independently?

[hypothermy]

So just defer to you for everything? I guess that's the whole point of servant.

[ she stops short of saying that it sounds easy enough— if Yelena's truly honest with herself, when was the last time she was truly in a position with zero authority? it's the furthest thing from completely unknown to her, but FrostNova's grown into a natural leader. letting someone else speak for her will take some getting used to. ]

I'll do my best. If you're going to handle most of the talking, we might want to decide on a signal in case you need to me to act.

[reunionize]

That's a good idea.

[It would have to be something obvious to them both, but still look natural enough in the setting of a party that none of the staff, hosts, or other attendees would notice. Talulah thinks for a moment, arms folded, before the contemplative drumming of her fingers in the crook of her elbow gives her an idea.]

Well, I don't really gesture with my tail. If I move that, you'll know I did it on purpose.

[hypothermy]

That's true, you don't.

[ Yelena states it plainly, a casual observation. if she were a little more self-conscious she might be struck by the thought of whether or not it's normal to pay that much attention to another person's body language, but she isn't. being able to read Talulah was important for their initial negotiations, and now that they're essentially living together, FrostNova's become accustomed to most of Talulah's regular tics. ]

Do you know if I'll be allowed to stay near you while we're there? Or are there rules about where it's appropriate for me to go?

[reunionize]

I was taught growing up that it's a bad habit.

[One of the few lessons that managed to stick. Talulah's glad it happened to be one that didn't matter much in the end, instead of any other of Kashchey's less savory teachings.]

You're likely not. Even if you play at being a bodyguard, the host might see it as an insult. It's not all bad, though. If you play your cards right, you might be able to get information from the other servants.

[hypothermy]

You mean listening in on gossip?

[ Yelena's mouth quirks as she tries to imagine herself navigating that situation. eavesdropping is probably the best she can manager there— she can play docile well enough, but her straight-forward, no-nonsense approach to conversation isn't something she can convincingly set aside. ]

I think I'll be lucky if I can manage to make them believe I know anything about attending a proper lady in the first place.

[reunionize]

There's a lot of information you can gather just by watching. Who ignores who and who's acting odd according to the group...things like that.

[The interactions between servants can sometimes reflect their masters' relationships. Especially now that tensions are rising in the town.]

And, if anything does go wrong [She smiles, a little wryly] just apologize and say you've never been out of the countryside.

[hypothermy]

[ a servant from the Victorian countryside. all things considered, there are worse covers she could've come up with when faced with two enemy soldiers and Talulah's blood still fresh on her hands. ]

I don't know how realistic it is for bumpkin nobles to have money for Kazimierzan slaves. I guess we'll find out.

[ she gives a shrug, the movement slow and exaggerated. now that the adrenaline's starting to go, Yelena can feel the exhaustion fully seeping into her body. she should really eat something before she gets too tired to bother with the stove, at the very least. ]

[reunionize]

It is. Even if they didn't have the money, they'd find some way, if only to save face. I don't think we'll have trouble with the cover story

[Talulah gives a responding shrug, before pointing to the other's face.]

The person with blood still on her face gets to clean up first. Did you have any requests for dinner?

[Which is a funny thing to say, considering there's only so many options with the supplies they have on hand.]

[hypothermy]

It's not that much blood.

[ she'd scrubbed most of it off when they ducked into the factory, though she's certain her nose is probably beginning to darken with the bruise she earned. the clothes she had used to wipe away the blood, however, were undeniably more soiled than Talulah's. just her luck— everything that reasonably fit her was already soiled or still out drying on the line. ]

I was just going to heat up some of those instant noodles again. There should be a couple of vegetables left if you want to throw those in with it.

[reunionize]

It's more than I have on me.

[There is a bruise starting to form, but Yelena can cool down the injury herself if it starts getting bothersome. As for the other issuse, they're relatively the same size and build, so if she needs to, she can probably borrow something of Talulah's.]

And okay. That should be ready by the time you're finished.

[hypothermy]

All right. Thanks.

[ she inclines her head a little toward Talulah before retreating upstairs. they lucked out with the water in the house, as it is turned on, but can only muster about four minutes of heat before it runs cold. Yelena doesn't bother trying to fuss with it— she's used to the cold and doesn't have the energy to do much beyond wiping herself down with an old cloth.

after double-checking the closet in the bedroom, she does end up needing to rummage through the clothing Talulah's set aside for herself. they're close enough in size, but the opening in the draco's clothes for her tail is quite a a bit larger than what Yelena needs. she settles on wearing a longer top and hoping she doesn't flash anything on accident.

it doesn't take her long to return downstairs, heading to find Talulah whether she's in the small kitchen or elsewhere. ]

The bathroom's free.

[reunionize]

[Talulah is in the kitchen, sitting down after she's portioned out dinner, with Yelena's share set in front of the other free seat. ]

Thanks. I'll clean up after I eat.

[She blinks, gaze lingering a beat longer as she recognizes the other is wearing her clothing. Well...in a manner of speaking. It's strange to think so when they're making do with what they have in this place, but Talulah is the one who prefers darker colors.]

[hypothermy]

There should be hot water if you want it.

[ FrostNova's hardly picky with her clothes, and it's only through years of repetition that the stylists who dress her for events have managed to imprint the vague notion that darker and intense colors wash her out. she's not especially fond of the numerous white, frothy dresses she was paraded around in for special occasions when she was younger, but the look was massively popular with both the public and the court.

she doesn't catch slight delay as Talulah looks her over, sitting down at what's unofficially become "her" end of the downstairs table. ]

My stuff should be dry the morning. Sorry for taking yours without asking, I'll wash these once I'm done.

[reunionize]

No, it's fine. You just don't wear black very often. It looks different.

[Talulah, on the other hand, had to pair her preferred wardrobe colors with jewel tones usually associated with nobility when growing up. She liked it because it hid most stains, and one of the few fuzzy memories of her father involved the sharp, dark wool suits he wore when talking to all his associates in Lungmen.

She stirs the noodles in her bowl before looking up at Yelena again, noticing the bruising starting to appear more obviously now that all the blood is gone.]

I think there's some painkillers left in that first aid kit if you want something for your face. It looks like it hurts.

[hypothermy]

Apparently it makes me look like an action movie villain.

[ a sexy action movie villain, one of the Yetis had told her the last time they'd dragged her out to go clothes shopping. it's somehow offensive to a few of her friends that she "grew up so pretty" but dresses in "glorified flour sacks" around the capital— she can't bring herself to care one way or another, and lets them cart her around the St. Grypherburg shopping district a few times a year to get it out of their system.

FrostNova can't help but smile at the memory— she had let them bully her into buying that dress in the end, though where she's ever going to wear something that tight-fitting is beyond her. ]

It looks bad, but I'm not feeling it much. My pain tolerance is pretty high.

[reunionize]

[Talulah laughs a little, seeing the resemblance now that it's mentioned.]

You kind of do. In a good way, though. You could probably pull off the antagonist in a school drama, too.

[The severe beauty has always been a popular type for that role.]

It'd be good if it looks worse than it is...but if it doesn't fade by the time we have to go to the party, we'll probably have to figure out some excuse for it.

[hypothermy]

Thanks, I think.

[ Yelena acts bemused, but it's not the first time she's heard someone say she fits the part of the prep school ice princess. it's more funny than anything, given how she was an abject jock throughout her teenage years. ]

I'm not sure we do. A version of what actually happened could get you a lot of sympathy with the hosts. Leave out the part where they came after you, since they might want to get the army involved if a noble was assaulted, but servants getting harassed probably isn't uncommon here.

[reunionize]

That's a good point. In fact, it's probably a good way to get more information.

[If they think Talulah could be swayed to the side of the anti-Taran nobility that seems so prevalent in the town, they might let their guard down and details slip that they otherwise wouldn't.]

I guess I get to play the delicate and terribly shaken countryside noble who has no idea why anyone would want to harm her servant.

[Playing up the angle of someone too naive to read the writing on the wall of what's happening in County Hillock might earn some more intel, too.]

[hypothermy]

[ FrostNova can't suppress her amused snort at Talulah's fabricated persona. a rebel leader born in one of the largest cities in Terra posing as a sheltered noblewoman is funny any way you slice it. ]

I'll leave it up to you to decide where we're from and why we were traveling, since it sounds like you'll be doing most of the talking.

[ as she spears a large chunk of vegetable floating in her noodles, her expression turns considerate, the look she wears when discussing strategy. ]

There's a lot going on in this town that seems worth investigating, but we haven't found anything concrete yet. With your wound healing, have you thought about when it'll be time for us to move out?

[reunionize]

[The role feels rather ill-fitting to Talulah as well. Less so that it's so far removed from her life in the rebel group or even Londinium and Lungmen, but because she's never really been the type of person to sit back when she's able to act. Helplessness is a state she neither enjoys nor wears well. But needs must, and all of that.]

I have given it some thought. Mostly, I think we need to figure out how to fix our own or steal some working comms equipment. Even if we tripped over intel tomorrow, it's no use if we can't get it out of here, and the next place with any kind of allied presence is far away.

[In short, they need someone to pick them up or meet them halfway somewhere, which is impossible if they can't figure out a way to let anyone know where they are.]

We can always send our people back in here later.

[hypothermy]

I'm not that useful with tech. Stealing something's going to be our best option.

[ there's a chance that a noble might have that kind of equipment, depending on their hobbies or involvement with certain movements within the country. the army, on the other hand, is guaranteed to have multiple long range communication devices— positioned deep within their base, of course. ]

But it's not as if we have to bring back information from this. We could just try to make for the nearest allied base. We don't know if Ursus and the rebels have any idea if we're dead or alive right now. If the Victorian army knows that they don't know, things could get could really bad.

[reunionize]

I know that much. But if we just want to leave, we need to prepare for that too. Getting to another town or city without any kind of transportation would be...too risky, I would think.

[They could, theoretically, make it, since messengers do it all the time. But those have fancy comms equipment and the ability and time to get all the supplies they need.]

Especially with how on edge the army is around here. If we run into any patrols on our way out or while traveling, I don't think we'll have the same good luck as we did the first time.