[EVENT] Courtyard of Public Opinion, May Forum

[ironwood]

Characters: Come one, come all!
Date: The 24th of May
Location: The Courtyard of Public Opinion, in Central Sector
Situation: This is the second public forum to be called since the Foreigners' return. It's led by the three family heads, but specifically designed to allow anyone the chance to speak. This particular one was called because of the Foreigner muggings, the Chihulean threat, and the rumours of remaining cultists; however, a variety of other things might get brought up as well.
Warnings/Rating: Added as they become applicable.

The Courtyard of Public Opinion isn't any bigger than some of the open fountain areas in the Water Sector, and it isn't set up the way some of the Foreigners might imagine a political debate area to be set up. There's no podium, no chairs apart from the stone benches too heavy to be moved, and no grand banners or archways. This is done deliberately; everyone is meant to have an equal voice in the Courtyard, so everyone is on level ground. Apart from the greenery, the stone paths, and the low stone walls surrounding the Courtyard, one could almost imagine it's just another Market Day in an open square.

Since the Foreigners are also residents of Keeliai, the Courtyard Forum will be a public opportunity for Foreigners to ask questions and air concerns of their own. This can range from something specific to individuals or making requests of all the major NPCs.

---

LINKS
Soul Gem Muggings | Cultists | Chihuelans | Turtle Sinking | Sky Sector | Individual NPC Interactions | OOC Questions

OOC
There are starters for various parts of the discussion, covering all the major topics regarding the happenings of Keeliai lately. NPCs will be available for all of the conversations below. The first five topics are general city occurrences which everyone in the Courtyard will be able to hear; use these threads as discussion between PCs as well as NPCs. NPCs will contribute to discussions as necessary, but won't be engaging in every line of conversation occurring in the general topic starters.

The NPC comments are for directly speaking with that NPC or those in that group; if your character has a specific issue to bring up with an NPC, this is where it should be done. The rest of the post is for Foreigners talking and organizing amongst themselves.

Comments

[ironrule]

Yunxu waits until Milyn is between blood donations, packing her latest sample into her medical bag; then he approaches her in the middle of the Courtyard without fanfare or warning, plainly visible to any who might glance over, but refraining from drawing any attention to himself.

"Milyn," he says with a smile. "How are you? I'm glad to see last month's injuries have healed well."

[cherrywood]

"Hello Yunxu," the Healer returns his smile with one of her own, straightening and touching her arm. Other than it being slightly paler than the other, so newly out of its cast, there was no sign of the injury.

"Yes, as luck would have it, fate seems not to punish my silly little bouts of clumsiness too harshly," she laughed. "It's so good to see you've perked up for today, you were so dour earlier this month! Like a little blossom that hadn't seen the sun all spring. You are getting enough outdoors exercise, aren't you? I should hope Meisheng reminds you to eat now and again, but activity is good for you as well. I thought you were looking a little peaked, but honestly with your cheekbones, dear, it's really hard to tell."

[ironrule]

Milyn's tendency to ramble has annoyed Yunxu in the past. If he's being strictly honest, it annoys him even now, but the subject matter manages to make him laugh anyway.

"I was, wasn't I?" His laugh trails off and he shakes his head. "Meisheng takes excellent care of me, I can assure you. Could I possibly take a moment of your time, Milyn? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

[cherrywood]

She has no idea to what you refer, Yunxu! She doesn't ramble, she merely speaks her mind.

"Of course," she replied. "Please sit down. Would you like a fruit pop?" In tried and true fashion of health practitioners everywhere, she produces a gelled candy on a stick.

[ironrule]

Yunxu eyes the gelled candy for a split second, torn somewhere between amusement and exasperation, before shaking his head. "Thank you, but I've already had my fill of questionable food this week."

He takes the seat indicated, this one out of the main crowd of the forum, where their conversation will not be easily overheard or easily witnessed, and waits for Milyn to join him. Then he leans forward, hands clasped together beneath his chin.

"Have you discovered anything about the kedanese soul gems?" he asks.

[cherrywood]

"Not as much as I would have liked," Milyn replied. "Just that they do seem to have the same properties as those belonging to the Foreigners. Jilay was kind enough to indulge me a little experiment, he's a sweet young man honestly, and I keep having to reassure him that what Nuani is going through, it's perfectly normal for a first-time mother. I swear, you'd think he was the one planning on giving birth to the baby instead of her! Oh, and that reminds me: I know both Jilay and Nuani said they really don't care for a boy or girl either way, but I'm almost positive it's going to be a little girl."

She laughed a little at the revelation before continuing. "But, back to Jilay: I put his soul gem in the next room -- never out of sight, of course, I didn't want anything to go amiss and put him in danger -- and after about 12 hours, he started feeling rather ill. I gave it right back to him, but that was as far as I wanted to test. And even still, I had to reassure him that it was just fine to tell me that he was feeling the effects, he wants to pretend everything's just fine and nothing's bothering him, which is an admirable quality and frankly one that's in a bit short supply these days, but when it comes to medical things, it's just so counterproductive, especially when the entire point of the experiment is to test whether it caused any side effects!"

[ironrule]

Simply put: no, Milyn hasn't discovered anything about the kedanese soul gems. Yunxu watches her as she speaks, never once losing the slight smile on his face, though his eyes eventually glaze over as he ponders other things. He might have tried to hide the inattention better, but he knows from experience how little Milyn seems to notice or care.

"And the kedan who have gone missing in the last month," he says, cutting her off when it doesn't seem as though she's going to stop. "You wouldn't happen to have any idea what might have happened to them?"

[cherrywood]

Milyn blinks at him, evidently surprised enough to stop talking and breathe. "What missing kedan?" she asked.

[ironrule]

Damn. He was hoping he wouldn't catch her off guard. Oh well; there are plenty of ways to skin a kirin, as the saying goes.

"The kedan who've gone missing," he says, smiling slightly. "With all this soul gem business, no one has paid them any mind. The Foreigners certainly haven't noticed, as was no doubt the intention. They vanish into thin air, Milyn. Perfectly healthy, and perfectly sane. Should I expect to find their bodies very soon, or is my Chihuelan friend lying to me when he says his people have nothing to do with this?"

[cherrywood]

Yunxu, you leave those poor kirin alone or Milyn is going to tan your hide.

"I hadn't heard," Milyn said, putting down the fruit pop and looking over at Jilay worriedly. "But if anyone can find them, I'm sure it's you. You have the most resources and manpower of the Families, after all. As for your Chihulean friend, I'm certain he's said all kinds of things, under the fair and humane captivity you no doubt have him in."

[ironrule]

Oh, that's frightening. Look at him, quaking in his practical yet stylish boots.

Yunxu frowns, once again making no effort to hide the confusion. With Milyn, it's always impossible to tell whether or not she's being genuine. Had almost anyone else said those words, Yunxu would have immediately interpreted them as a thinly veiled insult. But Milyn? There's every chance she means what she says.

It's irritating.

He shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I can't discuss any particulars. I'm flattered you have such unwavering faith in me, however. The city would run very smoothly if everyone shared your views."

[cherrywood]

Milyn appears blissfully oblivious to any confusion she may or may not be causing, as per usual.

"Well, it's not my type of business anyway, so I'll leave the particulars to you. You know where to find me though, should anything arise that may need a healer's touch. Including if you need something to help you sleep, Yunxu, don't let your health get away from you."

[ironrule]

Yunxu laughs. "Whether or not I sleep, Milyn, is the least of my concerns right now, but I'll keep your generous offer in mind."

Quite frankly, Yunxu would prefer being subjected to his own hospitality in the place of accepting any of Milyn's help, but that's beside the issue. Contrary to popular belief, he doesn't have any trouble sleeping at night.

He stands up to leave, and offers Milyn a bow. "I will keep you updated on what we discover."

[cherrywood]

"Oh, I know that you will," Milyn replies with a chipper gesture and a smile. "You've never hesitated to let others know what you think. Take care, Yunxu."