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Viola and Hao Logs

oniwaka21
May 16th, 2017
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  1. 01[19:55] <SpaceThor> Tuesday comes around after the reunion between Dolores, her father, and the piles of weird broken machines he loves so very much. The group is split up, waiting for their next move with Kelley, so Viola has some time to herself in the city proper.
  2. 01[19:56] <SpaceThor> The slums are busy as always this time of day, people moving to and fro, beggars and urchins lining the sidewalks while merchants try to make a living out of grimy storefronts.
  3. 06[19:58] * Viola_Gray knows what it's like to sit on a corner and beg. And that if she's obvious about giving them anything either she or they will end up mugged for it. Still, coins do make their way into pockets and hands, out of sight of the crowds and sometimes without the homeless kids finding it until later.
  4. 01[20:05] <SpaceThor> There's a lad up on the corner ahead, sitting on a pile of newspapers. The Malifaux Tattler, that Guild ragsheet.
  5. [20:06] <Viola_Gray> It's junk (and in this neighborhood, even odds that he stole it from somewhere else) but it pays to be on top of things.
  6. 06[20:07] * Viola_Gray nods to him and tosses him a coin. "Anything good in the papers today?"
  7. 01[20:09] <SpaceThor> He pulls one out and hands it to you. "Few things mam. They caught some bloke who burnt down an art gallery a while back."
  8. [20:10] <Viola_Gray> "Really? I don't remember any art galleries on fire..." She looks at the top stories. Maybe it's someone she knows.
  9. 01[20:18] <SpaceThor> It's a face, from a guild mugshot. A familiar one. An unlucky waiter who opened a back door for a smoke break at an auction.
  10. [20:20] <Viola_Gray> "Oh..." She winces. "I guess it's kind of his fault. Indirectly..." Sort of. But it's not like she can turn herself in.
  11. 01[20:21] <SpaceThor> There's a trial in about a week. At least they're still pretending there's some sort of justice in Malifaux.
  12. 01[20:21] <SpaceThor> "Know something about it mam?"
  13. [20:22] <Viola_Gray> "Oh, ah..." She hesitates. "I attended the auction. I'm not sure how much help I could be, but I'm sure he didn't set the fire."
  14. 03[20:22] * Hao ([email protected]) has joined #intoquarantineic
  15. 01[20:23] <SpaceThor> "Ah, maybe they'd like you as a witness then, eh?"
  16. [20:23] <Viola_Gray> "HAHA WOW." She laughs loudly.
  17. 01[20:23] <SpaceThor> The kid looks puzzled by your outburst.
  18. [20:24] <Viola_Gray> "Kid when you get older you'll understand that cooperating with the law is sometimes the worst thing you can do."
  19. 01[20:24] <SpaceThor> "Ah, that's what my da told me 'fore they put him on the chain gang building railroads down south."
  20. 06[20:26] * Viola_Gray ruffles his hair. "Stay out of trouble you can't talk your way out of." She tosses him another coin as she walks away. She does feel guilty about this, but there has to be a way to get the innocent man out of trouble without exposing herself...
  21. [20:27] <Viola_Gray> "Well, I suppose there's always the high-profile option."
  22. 01[20:40] <SpaceThor> After some time working on a banner in private, Viola gets to look at it.
  23. 01[20:40] <SpaceThor> Not gonna lie, it's bad. The words are all spelled right at least, but it looks like a child made it. A child who can spell, but a child nonetheless.
  24. [20:41] <Viola_Gray> "..."
  25. [20:41] <Viola_Gray> "...I think I need help."
  26. [20:41] <Viola_Gray> And there's someone obvious she can trust!
  27. 06[20:49] * Viola_Gray goes over to the mansion, trying to think of a good way to explain this so it's plausible.
  28. 01[20:50] <SpaceThor> Kate lets you in the mansion, eagerly leading you to the drawing room, where Alexander and Hao are having tea. Emmeline is cleaning right now the next room over.
  29. 06[20:52] * Viola_Gray coughs. "I could use some help with... an art project."
  30. 01[20:52] <SpaceThor> Alexander just raises his eyebrow.
  31. 06[20:54] * Hao does likewise
  32. [20:54] <Viola_Gray> It is technically the truth.
  33. 06[20:55] * Viola_Gray folds her arms. "I need to make a banner, and I'm not... artistically inclined."
  34. [20:56] <Hao> "What sort of banner?"
  35. 06[20:58] * Viola_Gray sighs and takes out the one she made. It's a childish scrawl, awful in every way. And is apparently some kind of dramatic confession or proclamation.
  36. 01[20:59] <SpaceThor> "Madam Viola, are you asking for help with a dramatic theft?"
  37. [20:59] <Viola_Gray> "No. There's a man on trial for a crime he didn't commit."
  38. [21:00] <Viola_Gray> "I'm just trying to get some of the heat off him without, ah, implicating anyone."
  39. 01[21:00] <SpaceThor> Alexander sighs, rubbing his eyes. Kate just bows and leaves the room, while Emmeline shuts the door between the room you're in and the one she's working in.
  40. 01[21:00] <SpaceThor> "Do you realize how suspicious this sounds."
  41. [21:01] <Hao> "...what happened?"
  42. [21:01] <Viola_Gray> "There's nothing suspicious about it. I'm just helping someone in trouble!"
  43. [21:01] <Viola_Gray> She gives Hao the paper.
  44. 01[21:02] <SpaceThor> "Madam, how old do you think I am?"
  45. [21:03] <Viola_Gray> "A lady should never ask anyone their age."
  46. 06[21:03] * Hao tries to comprehend the paper.
  47. [21:04] <Viola_Gray> It states that a waiter is going on trial for arson at an art gallery.
  48. 01[21:04] <SpaceThor> "I'm fifty-two years old. I've lived a long, full life. And I know that there's something you're not saying."
  49. 01[21:05] <SpaceThor> The big german man looks through Viola.
  50. [21:05] <Viola_Gray> "The truth is... I'm not really artistic and I kinda skim books instead of reading them."
  51. 01[21:06] <SpaceThor> He sighs. "If you don't want to tell me, fine. In any case, why do you think this will help this man?"
  52. [21:06] <Viola_Gray> "Because there's definitely no real evidence linking him to that fire."
  53. [21:07] <Viola_Gray> "So if we just create a little bit of a scene, people will assume someone else is taking credit for it!"
  54. 01[21:07] <SpaceThor> "My dear, you're not grasping the fundamental problem here."
  55. [21:07] <Viola_Gray> "...and that is?"
  56. 01[21:07] <SpaceThor> "Insurance."
  57. [21:08] <Viola_Gray> "...I don't have blackmail on the judge. I already thought about that."
  58. 01[21:09] <SpaceThor> He raises an eyebrow again. "I mean property insurance, my dear."
  59. 01[21:09] <SpaceThor> "Absent a criminal conviction, insurance companies rarely pay arson damage. Too many folks burning failing businesses to collect."
  60. 06[21:10] * Hao nods "So he is a scapegoat for the insurance."
  61. 01[21:11] <SpaceThor> "Precisely. The owner of that building and those paintings, likely having made many connections in the Guild in his time here, has pushed the criminal justice system for a speedy conclusion to this affair. He's been waiting for a year for that insurance money, after all."
  62. [21:12] <Viola_Gray> "Yeah but if I don't do something, he'll probably be headed to the gallows."
  63. 01[21:12] <SpaceThor> "You're absolutely right. Arson is a hanging offense in the city. So many buildings so close together."
  64. 01[21:13] <SpaceThor> "All I am suggesting is this. If you wish to save him, you may need a different tack. And we wouldn't want his death on your conscience, would we?"
  65. [21:13] <Hao> "A year ago means that it is unlikely that there is any evidence to find to prove him innocent."
  66. [21:14] <Viola_Gray> "This was kind of my best idea."
  67. 01[21:14] <SpaceThor> "Of course they did gather evidence at the time."
  68. [21:15] <Viola_Gray> "If they had any real evidence they would have caught whatever mastermind did it."
  69. 01[21:16] <SpaceThor> "I imagine she did well to cover her tracks. Still, evidence sitting in a file for a year could be quite easily forgotten."
  70. 01[21:16] <SpaceThor> "Of course, you may decide that working within the law is less helpful than going outside it."
  71. [21:17] <Viola_Gray> "The best way to avoid trouble with the law is to never talk to anyone with a badge."
  72. [21:17] <Hao> "A little late for that."
  73. [21:18] <Viola_Gray> "Sometimes you can't avoid it."
  74. 01[21:21] <SpaceThor> "It seems you have a week to work on it. Don't rush a plan like this, you won't be doing anyone any favors if you do."
  75. 01[21:21] <SpaceThor> Alexander stands. "It was lovely to chat with you again Lady Hao. Until next time." He leaves the room.
  76. 06[21:22] * Hao nods to him before turning to Viola. "So, what is your plan now?"
  77. 06[21:23] * Viola_Gray sighs. "It would be easier if I had one. I guess... hm. Either let him hang or do something really stupid."
  78. [21:24] <Hao> "...what sort of really stupid?"
  79. [21:25] <Viola_Gray> "Well, there's three options."
  80. [21:25] <Viola_Gray> "Try and get the evidence to find something to prove he's innocent, which is going to take money or luck or both."
  81. [21:25] <Viola_Gray> "Hire him a good lawyer, which will take a lot of money and luck."
  82. [21:26] <Viola_Gray> "Or break him out of prison which doesn't take any real money, but ruins his life."
  83. [21:28] <Hao> "I'm guessing the first?"
  84. [21:30] <Viola_Gray> "That's the best I've got at the moment."
  85. [21:30] <Viola_Gray> "I don't suppose you know any cops that you trust?"
  86. [21:31] <Hao> "I'm three kingdoms. The guild literally burned my home to the ground and killed my family." She raises an eyebrow.
  87. [21:32] <Viola_Gray> "So that's a no, then."
  88. [21:32] <Hao> "Very much so."
  89. [21:32] <Viola_Gray> "Okay, then I guess I have to use my natural charms."
  90. 01[21:53] <SpaceThor> Later on, Hao has some time to herself in a guest room of Dolores' mansion. With her she has a book a creepy bird-man gave her, at least, though she could also see what's going on around the slums, or head on back to the Little Kingdom for the day.
  91. 03[21:54] * Ira is now known as Rowen
  92. 06[21:54] * Hao goes to look over the book again, not really feeling social right now.
  93. 01[21:56] <SpaceThor> She opens the book. She hadn't had much of a chance to look at it when the bird-thing gave it to her, but she knows it was about a sorceror from ancient Champa, the precursor to the Dai Viet, and the Three Kingdoms.
  94. 06[21:59] * Hao goes to start reading
  95. 01[22:01] <SpaceThor> Ancient Champa, 767 AD:
  96. 01[22:02] <SpaceThor> Act 1: The Sorceress Ha Giang Rescues A Priest From Pirates
  97. 01[22:05] <SpaceThor> Ha Giang, the Sorceress, lives in her hut in the jungles of our beautiful land, far from the great city of Kauthara. Many sought her guidance, her wisdom, her power. Most were turned away, unworthy, but one day, someone special arrived...
  98. 01[22:07] <SpaceThor> A monk, dressed in the robes of his faith and carrying a walking stick came to Ha Giang's hut. Monks never trekked out here. The trails were long, and the many gods of their faith offered solutions to their problems, so the sorceress was not their first choice. But a tired monk came trudging up the path either way.
  99. 06[22:09] * Hao emerges from her hut. "What brings you here, man of faith? Few of your kind visit me."
  100. 01[22:10] <SpaceThor> The monk bows. "Sorceress. Even though I risk damnation for seeking your help, you must help me. My master is under terrible threat."
  101. [22:11] <Hao> "And why does this matter to me?"
  102. 01[22:12] <SpaceThor> "I cannot give you money or trinkets, as I do not own any worldly possessions. However, I can tell you a secret."
  103. [22:14] <Hao> "And what secret would that be? Not all are equally valuable."
  104. 01[22:15] <SpaceThor> "A secret of faith, great Sorceress. Of life and death, and the power in between."
  105. [22:16] <Hao> She raises an eyebrow. "Interesting."
  106. 01[22:17] <SpaceThor> "Have you heard of the Aaditevi Upanashad?"
  107. [22:19] <Hao> "I have, yes."
  108. 01[22:21] <SpaceThor> "The lost text of Shaiva, from long ago. I shouldn't be surprised you've heard of it. The tale of Shaiva's visit to the underworld. I secreted a copy, translated from Sanskrit, from the temple when I heard. I will give it to you if you'll save my master."
  109. [22:21] <Hao> "...very well."
  110. 01[22:22] <SpaceThor> "Thank you! Great and beautiful sorceress, thank you ten thousand times! My master is held by pirates in the bay east of here. They are led by a fearsome man named Loi Cong Hung, who has slain seven men in single combat with his scimitar."
  111. [22:24] <Hao> She ignores him, heading off already.
  112. 01[22:26] <SpaceThor> The jungle turned into white sand as Ha Giant approached the bay. In the bay floated six ships, each crewed by sixty-six men, and led by the fearsome Loi Cong Hung, who had slain seven men in single combat. A fearsome fleet to array against a single sorceress. The old priest, a wizened sage named Ta Phuoc, was held bound by rope from the mast of the central ship, which was surely where Loi Cong Hung drank and celebrated his victory.
  113. [22:28] <Hao> The sorceress however was smart. She knew where the men would keep thier drink and how to mix herbs to make them sleep...
  114. 01[22:29] <SpaceThor> One by one, the men fell asleep. Loi Cong Hung held on the longest, as he stood ten spans tall and seven wide, but as he drank, and drank, he too succumbed to sleep.
  115. [22:30] <Hao> She cut the sage down and tied up Loi Cong Hung in his place.
  116. 01[22:31] <SpaceThor> By the time the pirates woke from their slumber two days later, the forces of the Prince of Kauthara had found the base of the Pirates of Kata and took them to the capital, where they were boiled in oil.
  117. 01[22:32] <SpaceThor> The wizened sage looked at the sorceress through slitted eyes. "You are the sorceress Ha Giang, are you not? What interest does a heretic have with a priest of Shaiva?"
  118. [22:33] <Hao> "None. The reward, much."
  119. 01[22:33] <SpaceThor> "Reward? Oh no, what has my foolish disciple offered you?"
  120. [22:35] <Hao> "A secret. A valuable one."
  121. 01[22:35] <SpaceThor> He starts to squirm in his bindings. "No, take me back, hurl me into the ocean. Anything is better than the secrets of the Aaditevi Upanishad falling into the hands of the corrupt!"
  122. [22:37] <Hao> "A promice is a promice." She continues onwards
  123. 01[22:38] <SpaceThor> He continued to squirm and curse as she returned to her hut, a manner unbecoming of a priest, but soon, she arrived to where the disciple waited, and occupied himself fishing from the crystal clear river. "Master, you're safe!" The old priest cursed him. "You foolish child, you do not know what you have done!"
  124. 01[22:39] <SpaceThor> The disciple was startled to be cursed by his master, who he had always known to be a wise and gentle soul. So much that he momentarily forgot himself, mind locked in attempting to understand this turn of events.
  125. [22:39] <Hao> "Now, my reward?"
  126. 01[22:40] <SpaceThor> The disciple, still unable to comprehend the change in his master, began to draw the book from his robe and hand it over to the priest. At that moment, the priest shook loose his bindings, and dove towards the disciple, intending to knock them both into the river and destroy the text, drowning them both in the process.
  127. [22:42] <Hao> The witch reached out and snatched the book from the air as it flew.
  128. 01[22:43] <SpaceThor> Her reflexes were sharp, and she indeed caught the book. The priest, however, got his wish, as he and his disciple fell into the water and were swept away.
  129. [22:43] <Hao> The witch laughed and head back to her hut, amused by the results of the day.
  130. 01[22:44] <SpaceThor> With time to begin deciphering the text, the witch read on, learning the lost, forbidden tale of Shaiva's trek to the underworld, where the life-giver and the destroyer learned of the middle path between life and death, and how to enter that world.
  131. 01[22:45] <SpaceThor> The chapter ends there, with an excerpt from the Aaditevi Upanishad.
  132. 01[22:47] <SpaceThor> "And Shaiva consulted with the sages of the Underworld to learn where those who died before had gone. They were there previously, but gone upon Shaiva's return. The sages quaked with fear and cowered, but managed to speak a name to the Destroyer. "The Eater of the Dead".
  133. [22:51] <Hao> "...the hell was the moral of that story?" Hao is staring at the book.
  134. 01[22:52] <SpaceThor> There's still a good amount of book left, maybe it's in there. But looking out the window now, it's also pitch black. How late is it?
  135. 06[22:55] * Hao looks about, confused. It didn't seem that long...
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