Written Wonderland

The commander still wasn't sure what to make of this new development. On the one hand, the toy seemed harmless enough, but on the other hand, the goddess had told them not to underestimate the kid. How did one even deal with a demigod anyway?

Mizu watched as the boy reluctantly gave the toy over to Captain Kade, and she looked at the captain intently to see if there would be anything out of the ordinary about his reaction.

((OOC: The toy triggers the same sensations that the shimmer would have evoked, and there are rune markings on the belly of the horse. Mizu would probably recognize them, though, as they are similar to what Phantom [and the king, for that matter] would use.))

As the weight of the toy sank into Serio's hand, shimmers danced up the captain's arm and into his body, re-lighting those feelings of freedom, joy, victory, and belonging that had rained down upon him from the sky that morning, warming his smile if only subtly. It made sense, he supposed, since that was presumably precisely what Yukiko had caught with it. He turned it over lightly, contemplating the wise move here. They were dealing with several supernatural unknowns, and he for one certainly didn't want to make a decision brashly.

His eyes caught sight of runes on the horse's belly, and made sure to face the belly towards Mizu for a moment while he made a show of inspecting the horse's tail. After, he looked at the runes again himself, and then turned them to face Ponderance.

"Did you carve these yourself?" he asked, his tone curious and light.

Yukiko watched Serio examine the toy, and fixed her eyes on the markings he referenced. She replayed her memories of carrying the horse, and felt confident they hadn't been there when she returned the toy to Ponderance. She also certainly hadn't seen Ponderance carve on the toy, but then again, she had been with Trevor and a couple other soldiers before coming back to Ponderance before. In any case, she'd let the boy answer the question himself.

((OOC: and I guess, Evan's still blinking lol.))

Mizu was grateful for Serio's thorough inspection of the toy, and catching the runes was no small matter, though the commander could not make them out from where she was sitting. They made her uneasy, but she wasn't sure that was enough of a reason to refuse the boy.

"Yes," the boy said simply, looking at the ground rather than at any of the adults in the room.

Mizu wanted to approach the situation carefully--she didn't want to give the boy the impression that they were suspicious of him--but at the same time, she was suspicious. Then again, what would the boy have to do with the goddess that would jeopardize what they had going with her? Mizu didn't know, but she wasn't prepared to gamble.

Getting up and coming around to stand closer to Serio and see the markings up close, she recognized them as at least similar to the markings on the device she used to communicate with Phantom. The boy wanted to talk to her? Why?

Mizu decided there was little else they could say in front of the boy without causing discomfort, so she asked, "Would you mind if we held onto this and made a decision in an hour or so? We will definitely let Captain Fujiwara know before Captain Rutliff goes to the goddess this evening."

The boy shrugged, though he began to fidget in a way that was not typical of his behavior in his tent. Being in the presence of so many adults with their focus on him made him uncomfortable.

((OOC: I guess Yukiko could take him away now? Unless other people have questions. I imagine she's very curious about what else is going on, so she could come back if she wanted. I'll let you play that out. Lol.))

Something about the way Ponderance started fidgeting prompted Evan to look away, his gaze instead trailing awkwardly to the side. He knew Mizu and Serio weren't scolding Ponderance, but he could imagine the boy might feel that way. Evan certainly didn't have any good memories of being in a room full of adults at his age.

"Are you ready to head back, then?" Yukiko asked Ponderance gently, her own heart now eager to get the boy back to a more familiar environment. When Ponderance gave a nod, Yukiko turned her gaze to Mizu briefly, silently asking permission to leave. While she wanted to inquire about Evan and Serio's presences, it seemed much more urgent to get Ponderance back to his tent.

Unsure that she had handled that well but forging ahead regardless, the commander waited until Yukiko and Ponderance had left before speaking further.

Finally, when she believed they were out of earshot, Mizu said, "I'm nearly certain those were communication runes." She let the statement stand, still undecided about whether that would pose a problem. The goddess was on their side, so why should it matter if she had contact with the prince?

This could work in their favor. With a direct line to the goddess, they could avoid the possessions and guesswork. Although, Mizu doubted that Ponderance would take kindly to the commander using his spell.

What was the alternative? Could they lie to him? No, he would surely find out when the goddess did not contact him. They would need to make a decision, and there were risks on both sides. For now, Mizu was content to wait until her captains spoke their minds, only mildly frustrated that the options ahead of them were still unclear.

Evan pulled his gaze back to Mizu when she spoke up. He wasn't totally sure what it meant that Ponderance had carved communication runes on a toy horse, though he supposed he could make at least some guesses. More importantly than that, though--

"If she's genuinely injured, we should bring anything that could help."

The words bubbled out of him, forcefully enough that even he felt a bit surprised by it. He still felt that panic swirling in his chest, and he wished like hell he could just to to the goddess right fucking now, all this ceremony shit be damned. But, as his mind swerved back through what could have possibly injured her, a sheet of guilt draped over him, since Samael was all he could think of, and he hadn't even mentioned his existence to Mizu--had just prior to this avoided doing so, in fact.

The captain turned to Serio, weirdly hoping that the spymaster would have something to say, maybe before Mizu caught the look that had surely crept onto Evan's face. Serio had a hand up to his chin, contemplating, but when Evan looked to him, the darker captain raised his gaze and arched his eyebrow curiously. Evan felt caught out, and at a loss, so with a frown, he decided maybe he should just come clean, more or less.

"Have... I mean, do either of you know anything about a god named Samael?"

Serio thought for a moment, but shook his head. He glanced to Mizu, curious of she'd have any further recognition, but he somewhat doubted it. His gaze returned to Evan quickly, more interested in what the younger captain as getting at, though he wasn't quite to the point of asking questions; kind of seemed like Evan was on the tip of babbling even more, and he was just as happy to let that happen and see where it lead for the time being.

Mizu also shook her head, and Evan sighed, reaching up a hand to rub sheepishly at his neck. Now, of course, he had to explain what he knew, since he'd brought it up.

"I can't think of any other reason the goddess would be injured, but... I don't know what it means if he's to blame. I think she said he's the god of poison... She agreed to make something for him--that's what I'm helping her with tonight--but, I don't know, maybe he decided he wanted to fuck with her instead."

Evan knew he was babbling, and not explaining the situation particularly well. He was confused about what details were important, and how to even use any of this to make a concrete plan. Thinking through the panic he was feeling was hard as fuck. He wished like hell that the goddess was in his mind like when they were merged, that he could just reach back and ask her--

All at once, Evan's eyes fixed on the toy horse, and he raised his eyebrows almost pleadingly to Mizu.

"Can I... try to use it?" He had no idea if he could, but it seemed like his best shot at learning something--anything--more about the goddess' state. Short of asking the old woman, he maybe, but he doubted Mizu would be very amenable to pausing their meeting for him to run off into the woods with time running down.

The commander was a little surprised at the urgency in Evan's tone when he spoke, but she supposed she shouldn't have been. It certainly indicated that Evan was concerned about the well-being of the goddess in a way that reached beyond practicality, but then again, Evan had always been an emotional person. And, she reasoned, whatever could harm a god was, indeed, something of concern. It brought to mind yet again the fact that there were dealing with many forces outside their control.

But, at the same time, Mizu knew they had limited power in the situation. They were acting on the information they had, and no one could fault them for that.

The commander was, however, even more startled to hear about Evan knowing about another god--one that the goddess was doing favors for. Had Dehaljadrun made this god angry? Would he seek vengeance on the rebellion? The last thing they needed was another angry god at their doorstep, one of poison, no less.

Mizu put a flat palm near the horse that Serio still held, indicating that she did not want Evan to have it just yet.

"Why haven't you mentioned this? When did this happen?" Mizu asked with urgency and frustration, trying to get a grasp of the situation. While her faith in Evan's competence was again slipping, looking into his pleading eyes softened her a little, and she looked down at the ground, deciding to respond more directly to his question as well. "If Ponderance needed you to give this to the goddess, he likely has the another similar piece in hand. Even if you could figure out how to use it, you'd only contact Ponderance himself."

Evan was prepared to answer Mizu's question--albeit rather defensively--but then she went on to talk about Ponderance having another piece. Something about that made him downright angry, and that showed plainly on his face.

"So, what, you think he just made up that she's hurt? Does he have some history of making shit up that I don't know about?"

Granted, Evan really didn't know much about Ponderance. Between a generalized discomfort with children, the fact that Yukiko was his steward, and having no idea how he was really supposed to treat the future king while he was currently a prisoner, Evan had kept his distance, both literally and conceptually. Still, he found it hard to believe that the kid would outright lie to them--he'd been tearing up over it, for godssakes.

Serio closed his hand more fully around the toy and tipped his palm back towards his arm, obscuring the runes and most of the horse from view.

"From what I understand, the boy says a lot of things that don't make straightforward sense." The spymaster said gently to Evan, who glared at Serio but let him continue. "He seemed earnest to me, but we don't necessarily know what that means."

That second comment did calm Evan; his expression shifted to irritable, and some of the tension in his body relaxed--though only slightly. Serio gave him a moment before pressing on, hopeful that at this particular juncture, a gentle prod from him about Mizu's first question would go over better than Mizu repeating herself.

"What else should we know about this Samael?"

Evan scoffed, but then collected himself. He was annoyed that Mizu was irritated about it--he hardly had the capacity to make fully detailed reports in the mornings, and he didn't think this actually would have changed anything--but, clearly, it did seem relevant now. The captain dug his fingernails into his palms, clenching and unclenching his jaw before bringing his gaze back to Mizu, acknowledging that it was her inquiry he was really answering.

"Last night. The goddess had stolen something from him, trying to get free. She returned it, but he demanded something for the trouble." Evan felt queasiness begin creeping into his stomach right before his mind decided to flash back to the moment the god had swiped at him. It didn't stop after the flash was over, either; the captain frowned and let one hand press lightly against his stomach. He wanted to ask again about the horse--he still believed Ponderance had known something--but figured he'd have better chances if he waited until he satisfied Mizu's inquiries here, first.

The commander stiffened as Evan's voice became more fervent. Yes, there were a lot of very uncomfortable unknowns here, but Evan's fear and frustration was certainly not helping the situation. Then again, telling Evan to calm down wouldn't go well. Mizu was grateful when Serio stepped in, first with information about Ponderance and then with another nudge toward the matter at hand. That seemed to direct Evan toward a more helpful path.

She was relieved to hear that Evan hadn't actually been harboring the information for very long, but what he said was disconcerting. It sounded very likely that this new god was retaliating. And, still, there was nothing they could do at this moment about that.

Mizu watched as Evan appeared to get uncomfortable while he talked, even putting a hand on his stomach, a gesture he would not allow the her and Captain Kade to see if it wasn't necessary. The commander's expression relaxed, and she moved back to the other side of the table and took her seat again.

"I don't think Ponderance is lying," Mizu said, allowing that information to sink in, "but I do think the timing was convenient." The commander paused again, looking from one captain to the other and then back down at the table. While some part of her wanted Serio's input on the decision she was about to make, she figured he was unlikely to say no to the possibility of collecting more information.

"Let's give the goddess Ponderance's gift. It's high time we start treating him less like a prisoner and more like an asset. He'll be the king soon, after all, if everything goes well. It's possible that his runes won't even work, though I somehow doubt it. Captain Kade, I'd like you to work with Captain Fujiwara in encouraging Ponderance to let us know about any communication the boy has with the goddess. And, in the meantime, let's get him better acquainted with the camp, with a full guard, of course. He should have a place of honor in the ceremony we curate tomorrow."

Mizu looked at Evan, hoping his anxiety would ease up with that decision. "And in the future, Captain Rutliff, consider any new information you learn about the other gods top priority for immediate disclosure." She delivered the statement as gently as she could while conveying the importance of the matter.

"Now," Mizu said, sensing it was finally appropriate to bring up her next concern, "what does it mean if the goddess is alone?" She directed the question at Evan, but she figured Serio would respond if he had any idea what the significance would be. She couldn't deny that she worried about whether the goddess could still uphold the agreement about releasing the Shel'ti. It was possible that, if the goddess had been injured, the Shel'ti had been at risk as well. Or, if she had already released them, the way she had released their own soldiers early, that might change the urgency with which they needed to prepare the ceremony. And perhaps they should send a group to King Shalbuleth sooner rather than later lest he assume the release happened through some other means.

Evan narrowed his eyes when Mizu said Ponderance's timing had been 'convenient'. He couldn't for the life of him fathom what exactly the commander was accusing the prince of, but he was certain she was accusing him of something, and frankly, that pissed Evan off. He was able to contain it this time, though, simply clenching his jaw and remaining silent until Mizu spoke again.

He was surprised and relieved when she went right on to decide that they would oblige Ponderance's request--and not only that, but that she wanted to change how they were treating the prince in general. Evan had never had any strong opinions about it--for all his beefs with Yukiko, he trusted her to be handling the kid okay, insofar as he even gave it much thought--but there was something strangely satisfying and exciting about getting him more involved. Though, Evan kind of had no idea what that would really look like.

Serio placed his free hand on his chest and gave a very slight bow to acknowledge his task in coordinating with Yukiko about potential communication between the prince and the goddess.

Evan felt a little chastised when Mizu addressed prioritizing information about other gods, but at least he could tell she was trying to be gentle about it. He could update that prioritization going forward, he supposed.

"I don't know." he answered her inquiry a little grimly. "She was dodgy when I tried to understand what the thralls really mean to her. If she already sent them all home, it makes me a little worried that I misunderstood something..." He tried to play back over their renegotiation in his mind. Although it was difficult to recall exact wordings, he felt confident that it was at least reasonable that he had thought she was going to wait and release however many Shel'ti based on the volunteers he brought. Unfortunately, reasonable wasn't necessarily the measure of what the goddess expected, but even so, maybe he shouldn't second-guess himself too much here.

"No--" he continued quickly, once he mustered the needed confidence. "We said three Shel'ti for each volunteer, not that I'd necessarily bring ten volunteers. I don't know why she's alone, or what it means, but something changed on her end. Honestly, Mizu, I have no idea how concerned to be."

"Do you think that you would be enough?" Serio asked Evan casually. Evan turned his head to the spymaster quizzically, and Serio elaborated. "If she needs to not be alone, you could stay with her while we finish preparing the volunteers tomorrow. With luck, perhaps you could report in to the prince with his gift." A small glint of amusement tugged at Serio's expression on that last note, though for the most part his smile retained its usual professionalism. Her turned his gaze to Mizu to add, "We'd risk not hearing from Evan, and sending the volunteers to an unknown situation. We may want to confer with the crone before deciding."

Evan blinked at Serio a moment, turning over the spymaster's proposal. Honestly, hadn't it crossed his own mind to want to stay with the goddess? To be able to sleep next to her skin? Heh, assuming she'd let him sleep... still, maybe it wasn't a bad idea.

"Maybe," Evan spoke up. "She didn't interact with the others around me much." Really, just that second night, and Evan frankly suspected that was more about fucking with him than about needing something from Philip and the other soldier. "I don't really know what she's accustomed to during the day, though." He really wished she'd been more candid with him about the value the thralls actually provide to her... but, he supposed he could understand playing that close to her chest, what with it being the central point of their renegotiation. Evan frowned, but waited for Mizu to respond to Serio's suggestion.