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]

[ Frostnova chuckles, somewhat surprised at herself, in response to Talulah's last comment. pulling that stupid little prank on her had really made her forget just how exhausted she was after running through the town. ]

That's probably for the best, yeah. We should try to pace ourselves.

[reunionize]

After today? I'd think so.

[Talulah didn't have to suffer an injury like Yelena, but she didn't really enjoy having to dodge attackers and run around half the town.

She takes a sip of her tea, shaking her head minutely.]

Hopefully, we won't have anyone knocking on our door tomorrow, so we can try whenever we want.

[hypothermy]

Maybe not first thing in the morning, but the nobles will eventually send servants around again to give us clothing for the party.

[ nothing in their current semi-communal wardrobe was suited for it, and it would take a particularly sadistic noble to invite someone down on their luck to an event and let them show up looking common. ]

It shouldn't take very long, unless they're feeling generous.

[reunionize]

They won't be. Too much flattery could backfire on them. You're right that the servants will probably just drop packages off and go.

[Though the outfits likely would be decently fashionable and of good quality. Some nobles would let their guests show up looking completely out of place and shabby. But Talulah is a complete unknown, so there shouldn't be anyone who has a grudge against her strong enough to warrant that kind of public execution of someone's social standing.]

But nobles tend to do things whenever they want. There's no telling if they'll come in the morning or later, like they did today.

[hypothermy]

Most of them, yeah

[ she says with a little shrug. the irony in the way they speak of the local nobles isn't lost on her— even if they don't do a very good job acting like it, this is a conversation between a princess by adoption and a royal by blood.

finishing off her tea, she rises to put it in the sink. two cups left until the morning won't be the end of the world. ]

Since we're holding off on the experiment, I'm going to bed.

[reunionize]

[Talulah hasn't ever really felt quite like a typically Victorian noble, considering her...unique upbringing, and now as the head of a rebel army, but it is a little funny.]

Okay. I'll probably do that myself soon.

[She can take care of the dishes this time, and finishes her own cup of tea before heading to the sink.]

[hypothermy]

[ the date of the party arrives sooner than FrostNova anticipates. the local nobility provide adequate clothing and transport to the sumptuous mansion in the small, wealthy part of the city. tension amongst the locals has progressed to a fever pitch as the army patrols become more frequent, their arrests more brutal. if the nobility have been put off by flames starting to lick at the foundations of homes, Yelena certainly hasn't noticed.

she only gets a brief glimpse of them anyway, quickly shuffled off down the stairs to assist the other servants in their tasks. it's expected, but she can't completely swallow the sour taste in her mouth from Talulah's absence. this whole charade is really starting to wear on her— the leader of the anti-ducal rebellion can handle herself. she doesn't need Yelena breathing down her neck like a minder.

and maybe it's the same paranoia that's making the behavior of the servants seem so blatantly odd. the chores are quickly sorted through and the gathering turns into its own sort of party, extra bottles of wine uncorked and shared amongst the attendants. they're insistent about FrostNova joining them, bringing her into the conversation, shooting her looks of strained sympathy as they ask if there's some other type of liquor she'd prefer. the same nervous energy that's taken hold of Hillock is brewing here, and it sets Yelena on edge.

in the end, she lets the paranoia win out. when dinner finishes and the staff's attention is shifted to preparing for after-meal treats and entertainment, she slips back upstairs, sticking the side halls the guests are less likely to be frequenting. finding Talulah and getting her attention in a way that won't immediately rouse the suspicion of the hosts isn't going to be easy, but it's better than sitting around and waiting for something to go wrong. ]

[reunionize]

[Almost immediately, Talulah senses that something is not quite right.

She's not being asked questions. Or at least not the right questions. She'd otherwise think she's being ignored and left to her own devices if it hadn't been for the servants and lower-ranked guests keeping an eye on her whenever she wanders too closely to an exit.

These are not the actions of Victorian nobles trying to discern a newcomer's allegiances. These are Victorian nobles who have already decided what her allegiance must be, and are proceeding accordingly. She can almost see the spikes and snares of the trap set up all around, just waiting for the right moment to spring, and she immediately misses Yelena. Even in such a short time, she'd gotten used to relying on someone watching her back.

Well, that can be remedied so long as they can meet up. She just needs a distraction to throw off her minders. There are always one or two candles a little too close to the drapery, and a surreptitious use of arts causes a minor commotion in the main dining hall. She slips out, slipping into one of the side halls to avoid anyone else coming back from the powder room or balconies.]

[hypothermy]

[ it's a good thing that Yelena is minding herself as she slinks through the hallways. if she'd been walking any faster, she would've run right into the person she's looking for after rounding a corner. ]

—Talulah?

[ well, there goes her top priority taking care of itself. now that she's found Talulah, whatever plot might be going on around them just had its chances of success painfully downsized. ]

[reunionize]

Oh, good.

[It seems they both had the same idea. Which means the atmosphere in the servants' areas had to be just as weird as the one in the main party. That doesn't bode well for what the plot is, but at least now they can share information to counter it.]

There's not a lot of time to talk. I've been watched and followed the whole night, so someone's going to come after me eventually. Did you see any empty rooms when you were making your way down here?

[hypothermy]

[ her expression hardens as Talulah relays her experience at the party. the easiest explanation would be that the nobility know their true identities and are collaborating with the military to capture them, but that doesn't quite fit. pampered lords don't commonly invite dangerous enemy commanders into their homes, no matter what the reward might be. ]

I did. This way.

[ FrostNova turns and heads back the way she came, ducking into a sunroom with that had been left with the door slightly ajar. there's no lock, but she closes it once they're both inside. ]

Did it feel like they recognized you? Or do you think this is something else?

[reunionize]

No, this is something else.

[She glances over the room once they're inside, but it appears and sounds quite empty, so they're likely safe to speak until someone realizes Talulah left the main hall.]

They're treating me like they believe I'm a noble, but I thought they'd be probing to see whose side I was on. Instead, they've been acting like they already know.

[hypothermy]

The servants were trying to get me drunk. I didn't get the impression that they meant me any harm, it was more like they wanted they wanted to make sure I was distracted.

[ still, Talulah's statement catches her off-guard. if they didn't suspect her of being aligned with the uprising, then the nobles must have another conflict on their minds. ]

They could be wrapped up in some kind of power struggle between the dukes, but besides the base, there's nothing worth their attention this far away from Victoria's population centers. [ unless there is something hugely valuable going on at that military post, but that's a big if. ]

[reunionize]

[That's just more evidence they have no idea that Talulah is the leader of the rebels. If they did, they would have immediately removed her ally, but instead, they simply tried to keep Yelena distracted.

It's still bothering her that they're all acting like they're sure of where her allegiances lie. Even if they didn't believe her cover story, there could be any number of groups, parties, or conspiracies she could be a part of. And she can't think of anything she'd done that would have made anyone else think--

Wait. The attack the other day.]

...I think these nobles are Dublinn sympathisers. They must believe those people who attacked us the other day are proof enough that we're against them.

[hypothermy]

Dublinn?

[ the suggestion catches her off-guard, but if she stops to consider it, the pieces line up. noble Tarans weren't stripped of their titles when their land was taken, just forced into the position of being inherently lesser than the true gentry of Victoria.

Yelena's been told that the Dublinn leader is charismatic, if you can look past her madness. the local nobility would've been easy marks for her. ]

That would make sense. They think they can gain favor by providing a hostage.

[reunionize]

That...complicates things. I'm not sure we can stay in this town for very long now.

[And by no means can they allow this trap to spring. The small-time nobles might not know who Talulah is, but the leader of Dublinn absolutely does, and eventually word will reach her.]

But we definitely can't stay here, either. Did you see any back ways out while you were being shown around the servants' work areas?

[hypothermy]

There are a few servants exits that might work—

[ Yelena pauses, ears swiveling as she picks up the sound of steps in the hall. they're hurried, and she's halfway to the door to try and hold it closed when she hears the hinges squeak ... on another door, one that has to share a wall with theirs, as the conversation of their neighbors carries through loud and clear.

I don't like this. They still haven't given us an answers for how they plan on dealing with Hamilton and his lapdogs. We could be raided tonight and we'd have no means to defend ourselves!

her eyes flick over to Talulah, questioning. they could make a break for it, but it seems like someone may be about to divulge some extremely relevant information. ]

[reunionize]

[Talulah tips her head meaningly towards the direction the voices are coming from. They could make a break for it, yes, but they have no idea what's outside the room, especially now that the nobles from the party are apparently wandering around.

It'd be much easier to explain why a noble might have run off to be alone with her servant in a dark room than other things they could be caught at. She thinks the information they might glean is worth the risk.

Hamilton's not going to want to go back to those bastards in Londinium with the news he killed one of their own. Even if she's a nobody. We've just got to find her and keep her in one place.

Well, at least the second voice confirms their theory.]

[hypothermy]

[ Yelena gives a small nod of agreement, stepping away from the door as the conversation next door continues.

Have some tact, man. A few of our friends in attendance think she's just going to be ransomed off. You don't want someone getting cold feet before the envoys arrive. Let them handle that grisly business, we're not savages.

her scowl deepens, voice barely above a whisper when she speaks. ]

They're talking like this all might be happening tonight.

[reunionize]

Considering the mood around the city, they probably feel like they're running out of time.

[But that also means they have to act quickly. It likely won't be long before those envoys show up. They don't really have the luxury of playing it safe anymore, it seems.]

Did you see an easy way to get someone's car keys?

[hypothermy]

The drivers are supposed to keep them on their person, but I saw a few hang up their coats without taking the keys with them.

[ the host's servants had shown them to the downstairs coat rack where they could hang their things if they needed to. Yelena goes quiet as she retraces the path there— it would probably be less conspicuous if she went alone and then circled back before they left together, but she's not keen on letting Talulah out of her sight again.

she almost misses the next bit of conversation from the other room; Really? The leader herself is with them? Or, I suppose I should really be asking, which one do you mean? ]

[reunionize]

We need to grab a pair and get out of here. Staying is by far the worst option.

[Especially since one of Dublinn's leaders is on her way. But it is, apparently, the younger sister, as the other party in the neighboring room helpfully mentions. That still doesn't mean they should waste time.]

I'm not sure how we're going to get through here when I look this conspicuous, though.

[hypothermy]

I can burst a pipe. That would at least move all the servants to once place.

[ it's a tricky bit of arts to send her ice through flowing water to culminate at a far away point, but she's managed it before. she spotted a bathroom on her way upstairs, but it's hard to focus on triangulating its position from where they are when there a second set of voices filtering in from the hall.

This one's locked too, a clearly inebriated guest comments, utterly failing to moderate her volume between her giggles. Where's a lady supposed to find some privacy around here? ]

[reunionize]

That might be enough of a distraction--

[Talulah frowns at the loud voices, not keen on having to deal with yet another group. Thankfully, she does notice the rattling of the doorknob a moment before the rude partygoers enter their room.

In her defense, it's out of panic that she crowds Yelena against the nearest wall, practically shoving her. There's only one reasonable excuse for two people to be alone that would have others not asking many questions. She can only hope they look rumpled enough for it to be believable.]

[hypothermy]

[ Yelena shouldn't be so shocked by the move. she'd had the vague outlines of a similar idea when she had ushered Talulah into the room in the first place, having the experience of walking in on such a situation a handful of times herself.

there's no good excuse for stumbling when Talulah shoves her, needing to thrust her hands out and grab onto Talulah's shoulders just to avoid knocking her head against the wall. her eyes go wide, blinking rapidly up at Talulah, too dumb-founded to even point out that maybe she could've waited until they know the other guests are going to come this way?

it's moot point, because the voices grow louder a moment later and the door knob begins to turn. blood rushes to her face and it's a struggle not to duck her head, swallowing thickly and trying to look anywhere but Talulah's face. ]