As you are (Backdated to the 2nd)

[heretic_hamlet]

Who: Ramza, Fortuna, Mukuro, and Yu
Where: Near the southeast gate
When: August 2nd, dawn
Summary: Zeloph has offered a chance to talk things through. Ramza isn't going to make the same mistakes twice; he's going to listen, he's going in with allies, and he's not going to be taken for a fool.
Warnings: Potential plot spoilers.

There was a chill in his bones and a gnawing somewhere in the pit of his stomach. But for once- if only thanks to his company- he was sure that miasma and touch-starvation wasn't to blame for it. That wasn't to say there wasn't a rotten air lingering above them in light the day's affairs... and it was an all too familar one, at that. And the entire affair stank of it.

It wasn't as though he feared getting attacked or caught off-guard, either- especially not with allies such as these at his sides. Yu had the air of an impeccable mediator, and he'd long since come to know Fortuna's prowess with machines and battle alike. Mukuro was more of an unknown to him, and for a moment he had his doubts... but who was he to turn down someone else who sought only to know the truth of their lot? She was even-- Gods help her!-- a soldier in her own right.

Yet there they were, praying their skills would be happily wasted in a peaceful parley.

But it would be for the best. Ramza never wished to see his own sword draw blood, however meager the amount or source, but he would be damned if ever he once again cut short a just plea at the neck.

When the gates finally came into view, Ramza laboriously checked his watch, and cast a glance behind to his companions.

"Soft, now... but sharp eyes all around."

Comments

[shadowsgambit]

"Like this? No- ...Well, there's radiation, but it sure as hell can't be beat by holding hands. It'll clear a place of life pretty fast, though."

Most of the things here had at least something similar enough back home. And then there were things like the touch-powered generators and...whatever this miasma was.

[heretic_hamlet]

"Radiation? It sounds like some manner of plague." Unsurprising that he hadn't heard of it, all things considered.

"The closest I've known to this miasma was a scattering of toxic spores, spread across a battlefield to sicken the soldiers... I would not be surprised to hear of a duke making use of such a thing on a city's slums."

[shadowsgambit]

"It's, uh...related to an energy source, actually. Happens when it's not contained properly." Something about rocks and half-lives and stuff she can't really remember from school. Oh well.

"This doesn't sound like either of those things, though. Sounds magical. Wonder what a shaman would see if he peeked into the astral here..."

[heretic_hamlet]

"A magical, withering blight...? A frightening thought." Even the mundane sort was enough to strike families and entire towns from the earth. He hated to think about how these abandoned streets might look if the miasma was intentional. And refined to the task.

"...Do you think Rhea would have such sight for it?"

[shadowsgambit]

"I don't know. Guess it wouldn't hurt to ask."

She's a little skeptical, though. This world's magic is nothing like hers, from what she's seen.

[heretic_hamlet]

"...Perhaps." Though his concerns for Rhea's magic paled in comparison to his concerns over asking the Saeng Seong religious leaders for aid.

Then again, he also knew why.

"Truth be told, Fortuna, I know not what to make of her. I know she must have some stake and will of her own in this, but I cannot see it for the station she holds..."

[shadowsgambit]

"Bad experience with religious folks too, huh?" Fortuna doesn't wait for an answer; she's not prying. "I don't know about her, either, but I'd rather trust her than that scientist lady. She just rubs me the wrong way, you know? And besides, that Rangar guy is right, they haven't been opening districts on schedule. Meaning they're storing up energy they're getting from us and God knows what they're planning to do with it..."

[heretic_hamlet]

"In so many words."

Now wasn't the time to start waxing on about the demons of his past, anyway. Though he shouldn't have been surprised to hear that Fortuna would have encountered the same, if only for his mistakes at first meeting her.

"If we see him here, mayhap we'll at least come to know Rhea's lot in all of this. I only wonder if her tongue is bound as well, whether she holds it herself or not..."

[shadowsgambit]

"If there's something strange going on, I'll bet it is. She's gotta keep their trust, after all."

It's not like she could survive out here, or she would have done so if she was already in danger.

[heretic_hamlet]

"She seemed well-respected in her deeds. In light of her connections, I can't help but wonder if that's the truth of it, or if she... shares her brother's guilt."

Then again, it wasn't exactly common knowledge that the two of them shared a link... but there was a lot of uncommon knowledge in Saeng Seong.