(no subject)

[featherbeaned]

Who: Idols! Monsters! Monstrous idols ...?
Where: Anywhere, everywhere
When: 298. early morning

[What are you up to?]

Comments

[worthathousand]

You should like her even less than that.

[ a deep breath before she continues ]

...After that cursed, brightly-colored Manse, when I came to visit avante, you might recall I also spoke to Kohime privately. She was quite drunk, and thank the gods for alcohol's false valor, or I'd never have learned any of this—though I'm not sure how much she thinks I know, since she didn't share it directly so much as just... pass me her phone. But—

[ expression darkening ]

Shadow Weaver is still in contact with her. And... she is using her, Shrike. Stringing her along, baiting her with information about some kind of deal she has with... this place's death goddess. You know the one.

[softlyfalling]

[ sharply: ] So that's who—

[ and abruptly, she stops herself, but she looks—uncharacteristically angry. ]

...she's definitely worse.

[worthathousand]

Yes.

What were you going to say, just then? Or should we—
[ a pause ] ...On second thought.

[ She makes a beckoning gesture towards the ground, almost as if pulling on something invisible; her hand closes to a fist as she finishes summoning her cottage from the earth. ]

Let's get a bit of privacy.

[softlyfalling]

[ she follows, sort of idly re-doing her braid, still frowning, slightly.

once they're inside, though: ]

Prudent, though—the issue isn't whether it's public or not.

[ and that's all she says. ]

[worthathousand]

[ brows furrowing, a bit ]

Are you referring to the one whose name we're avoiding speaking? Because if it's something else, I'm already involved in this, and I'd appreciate being properly informed.

[softlyfalling]

I can't tell you, Amaranth.

[worthathousand]

And why is that.

[softlyfalling]

[ how can she put this... ]

You're surely familiar with the abilities of Taisho Roman Revolution?

/2

[worthathousand]

How am I supposed to help if I'm cut out from it to begin with?

[worthathousand]

[ a sharp sigh; trying to redirect the kneejerk irritation ]

Am I making some sort of mistake, sharing this at all, if it's just going to lose whatever trust she's put in me?

[softlyfalling]

It was... a while ago, and—

...well, I think she likes you more than she likes me. I had a lot of ground to make up.

[worthathousand]

She is... a daughter to me.

[ a pause ]

I told Shadow Weaver I would kill her, but [ dry, almost ] so far she has refused to take me up on the offer.

....Perhaps she actually would have accepted the duel if I'd made it clear which daughter of mine I was defending, but I didn't want to risk exposing Kohime to her wrath. And if I'm not taking her out on my own, avante needs to step in.

[softlyfalling]

Oh, I'll kick her ass any hour of any day.

That's—useful context for me, though, as far as why some other things happened. If there's any way to get at her...

[worthathousand]

That's not all of it.

For one thing, Kohime has been desperate to have avante winning games because it's the dance her so-called mother has her performing, in order to earn information. I don't think it's the only thing she's been told to do, though.

Then there was something Shadow Weaver mentioned: that she had tied their fates together.

[softlyfalling]

...shit. I wondered if there was a reason why she cared so much about that.

So—what does that mean, if something happens to her?

[worthathousand]

I... truly don't know. Kohime didn't seem scared for her own life when she found out I'd challenged Shadow Weaver—just mine.

The part of their conversation I saw largely concerned Kohime trying to get a copy of some sort of contract. I initially assumed it was just for information on how the death goddess operates, but... now that I'm articulating it all to you, I wonder if that's part of it.

[softlyfalling]

I think something happened while Shadow Weaver was here. I don't know... entirely what. But I'd wager... it relates to that, yes.

[worthathousand]

Who else should we inform? Normally I'd say Cardinal, and immediately, but you're the better judge of whether Kohime would be comfortable with that.

Regardless, I feel I've sat on my hands more than long enough.

[softlyfalling]

They don't get along at all to the point that I think Cardinal wouldn't want to deal with it and I don't think Kohime would be comfortable. Nero would want to help, though, I'm sure.

[worthathousand]

I'm sure he would too, and I trust him.

[ a pause ]

...Cardinal ought to care, though. [ "ought" as in "surely they must" ]
All of avante is under their care, isn't it? Just as it is yours.

[softlyfalling]

...I don't really think they consider that to be the case anymore.

[worthathousand]

Not at all? Avante is their unit—even if it cannot truly be their bash'.

[softlyfalling]

Well, I mean. We're not that, in the way that you are, I suppose. They just live with us.

[worthathousand]

[ frowning now, the certainty bleeding from her voice ]

I thought avante had been considering one another family for some time—since... gods, since before Harpy left, even.

[softlyfalling]

Well—more or less. Varying degrees, maybe, but I don't think... even though some of us would be happy to think of Cardinal that way, I feel like they've made it pretty clear they don't.

So. You know. It doesn't feel great but it is what it is.