tushanshu_logs | Do You Walk in the Shadow of Men...

Entry tags:

Do You Walk in the Shadow of Men...

Characters: Valdis and open
Date: The Month of May
Location: Throughout Keeliai
Situation: Various
Warnings/Rating: In Headers

Moving out of the hotel didn’t take long. Valdis hired a few kedan to help her move her things to the small house near the former palace gardens. It was a comfortable enough space, moreso because Wan had built it. She wasn’t entirely certain why she had waited so long to move here, but perhaps she had just needed time to let go of Anton. The house needed a bit of work after having sat empty for so long, but not much and nothing she wasn’t willing to do. Valdis was capable of creating things, not just destroying them.

The KPD hasn’t let up on patrols and she’s renewed the watches on the water sources. She now had thirty-seven officers and the support of the Justice Guild, a far cry from where she had started almost a year ago. The addition of four Kirin to the KPD resources had been a bright spot, but now Valdis had to find a caretaker for them. She hoped that the four mounts could help reduce response times to crisis as well as aid in crowd control should something arise. Allying with the Guild of Justice and Arbitration had been a wise move as it seemed to calm things down a bit and give both parties a more stabilizing structure. Now she could hunt...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'll simply have to be equal parts charming and disingenuous in the meantime," Devin remarked, accepting his drink from the waiter when they came by.

There was only so much preparation that they could do, he knew that. Reinforcing doors and windows and changing procedures would raise eyebrows, but it would be simple enough to wave it off as a general precaution against the cultists rather than a specific one against an attack. Devin had no special love for these people, not real connection, but wanton death and destruction wreaked upon the living was something he had always fought against. It was, in many ways, the entire purpose of his life - the thing he fought merely took the shape of his own species.

"How is it that you look the way you do?" he inquired after a moment, the casual tone belying his continued discomfort.

If by charming he meant being a smug jerk, then she supposed he could pull that off. Valdis accepted her tea as well, setting it down so it could cool a bit more. His question, though not entirely unexpected, brought with it a sense of sadness.

"One of my close friends," She replied, her tone forcibly even, "He had a feather that allowed him to change his appearance. When he went home, he left the feather to me. We kind of do that here. Make living wills so that the items we leave behind don't go to waste." A sigh, "The feather is limited, I only have two appearances besides my real one. It's all an illusion though."

Gods she missed Erskine, just thinking about him made her sad. Yes, there were difficult times, but there were also wonderful ones. She missed all of them so much...

Foreigners, Devin had observed, did not have a great many possessions. It made sense that they would pass their things on, but to whom they bequeathed those items likely indicated the presence of strong relationships. There was loss behind her neutrality.

"Useful." The magic here continued to be intriguing. Devin was reasonably good at altering his appearance, but this was altogether more impressive and extensive. "You might consider picking a slightly less memorable appearance if you intend to use this feather for undercover purposes. Something more kedanese, perhaps, unless it can only do human appearance."

It was a useful item, but Valdis would have easily traded it for having Erskine back. But that wasn't going to happen so she didn't need to dwell on it.

"Are you telling me what to do?"

It was half teasing, but for being such a loner, he was very bossy.

"As someone who has had to stake their life on a false appearance holding water for extended periods of time, I'm making a suggestion. We are not friends; that does not mean I want you to take unnecessary risks that could lead to harm coming to you or others," Devin replied with as much casual disinterest as he could muster. "You wanted my tactical assessment on things, and I'm giving it to you."

Not to mention he would prefer one less gorgeous redhead in this city if it was at all possible.

For trying to be so disinterested and unheroic, Devin certainly cared about others, much as he might try not to. A fact which Valdis found that highly interesting. He might not care about people as individuals, but he still cared. The man was a walking contradiction.

"I've had years of experience in lying about who I am," she pointed out, "This is relatively simple compared to that and I wanted your assessment as it relates to my people, not me."

She didn't need anyone.

He didn't like people dying or being hurt needlessly. It was a waste.

"Consider it free advice, then." Devin sipped his drink carefully. "You may take it or leave it as you wish. As you've all but pointed out, I am not your superior." Beat. "Is there anything you'd like me to keep you apprised of, while you're 'under investigation' and away from the headquarters?"

Hero.

She ignored his comment. Devin seemed to be the kind of person where you had to filter out what was helpful information and what was snark and take some of it with a grain of salt.

"I would like to know of any developments on the Cultists."

Though she didn't expect many considering the track record of her people, but who knew, maybe something would come up.

Possibly with an entire salt cellar.

"Assuming they pop their heads up out of their gopher holes, you'll have them," he said dryly, and it was unclear if he meant the developments or the heads. "Do you think it's possible the cultists know where you live?"

It wouldn't be hard for anyone to find out, probably, and while a direct attack on her was perhaps unlikely, she had made herself a target and all things had to be taken into account.

She and Eliyen would be happy to take the heads, but please, leave some for her to end as well, she deserved some amount of closure for what the cultists had done. To his question, Valdis didn't answer, instead lifting her teacup with both hands and taking a sip. Then she set it down, took a breath and released it slowly.

"I haven't exactly been hiding," she pointed out, "And I am partially responsible for the death of their God," something which very few foreigners could still say, "But what makes you think I'm more of a target now than before this 'investigation'."

Because Eliyen had said something similar and Devin had brought this issue up before.

"Because, Lady Valdis, much attention in this city has been forcefully directed at you in the past week, between the accusations and your 'suspension'. You have been put in the spotlight of someone else's design, and the cultists may decide to take advantage of that," Devin answered. "If they try to attack you, they will probably fail because you're rather difficult to damage. Whether they know that or not is a different matter. But if they attack your home, then they can spread fear and confusion like a wildfire, even if you are not inside it. Public spaces and facilities are one thing; there will be a perception that no one is safe, if homes are targeted. Whatever happens, whatever move they make, all eyes will see it."

Honestly, if he were a cultist, he'd destroy her neighbors' homes and leave hers standing, but he was not going to raise that suggestion.

That was indeed a problem. Even if they couldn't kill her, any attack would cause damage to perception. Destroying her home, the home that Wan had built with his own hands, would not only do what Devin had said, spread fear and panic, but would also signal that the foreigners could, and would be, targeted. This was turning into a mess.

She sighed, closing her eyes for a few moments, "So what do you suggest?"

"Post a trusted guard." There weren't many good mundane options, honestly.

Devin tapped the side of his mug, thinking. "It's possible I might be able to provide you a magic-based alternative, but I haven't had the opportunity to test it at all here. It might not function as it's meant to."

Unfortunately, there weren't any guards she could take from the KPD without arousing suspicion and aside from that...

"Any guard I posted would just get killed if the Cultists did attack," she replied, her tone not quite harsh, but still firm, "That's not an option."

His mention of magic, however, gave her pause. The man was just full of surprises.

"You know magic?"

Devin shook his head. "I know a particular language. It's not an innate ability. Given that it's based on the forces at work in my world, however, I have no idea if any of it will apply in this reality. It may require significant adjustment that we don't really have time for, or it may simply fail."

Or it might work, which would be useful.

That was the question, wasn't it? Which powers actually worked in Keeliai and which didn't. Some things seemed to be unique to their own worlds, while others adapted just fine.

"It's worth a try at least," she replied, "What language?"

"Does it matter?"

Devin wasn't sure how much information he wanted to share with her on the matter. True, it was a language accessible to most anyone in his world, if one knew how to use it properly, so it wasn't the greatest of secrets. Even so, one more thing that associated him with angels was not something he desired to reveal to Valdis unless he had to.

"Well now it does," Valdis said, arching a delicate brow, "Mostly because I sense you don't want to tell me."

She took another drink of tea.

"But I know many languages, I'll probably recognize it whether you tell me or not."

That wasn't actually a straight question, so he considered being especially ornery and not telling her at all for a moment. After a faint frown pinched his brow, he spoke again.

"It's called Enochian. How well do you know your ancient religious texts?"

Valdis blinked. Enochian?. That language was beyond her knowledge, though whether it had always been was unknown. Enochian was as unique as the demonic language, and she didn't know that one either.

"My skills concerning that language are somewhat wanting. But I am familiar with most religious texts."

"Then you might recall the Book of Enoch. According to John Dee and Edward Kelley, two Englishman in the late sixteenth century, Enoch was the last living human prior who spoke directly with angels - and spoke their language. The versions they published proved to be too similar to English syntax to be credible, but that was intentional," Devin explained, his tone as light as if discussing the weather.

"They were given false information. The real language exists, and it's theoretically accessible to anyone who knows what they're doing, but it's rigid and unforgiving at the same time. Think of it like a computer code, and whatever code you execute becomes written into the fabric of reality. Most people don't know it's full extent, but it's primarily used for wards."

"Ah, yes." She did recall that one. "The Book of Enoch, left out of the Christian holy book for holding a different view of the histories."

She had heard of those men too, and their conversations with 'angels', 'angels' who were probably demons seeking to taunt and corrupt humanity further. But though she probably should know it, Valdis couldn't come up with any words in the language of the angels. She probably had Amos and the Void to thank for that.

"Wards," She mused. Wards weren't a foreign concept, humans were quite creative and she had read several books containing the idea of them. "So your plan is to place a protective barrier around my house."

"Also left out of the biblical canon as used by Jews, except for Beta Israel. A handful of Christian groups regard it as canon, too," Devin pointed out. There was often a grain of truth in all things, and the trick was sorting out what it was. As much could be true in the Book of Enoch as was false.

"That's one option. Wards can be used to keep people out, or to prevent them from really 'seeing' the place, or do any number of other things if you know how to mold the language. It's primary use by humans is not nearly the depth of what it can do." Which made it dangerous, and he considered it very fortunate that few people knew more than basic wards. "The problem with it in this case is how to narrow the field - the cultists aren't unique in any metaphysical way. It may be simplest to bar anyone other than yourself, but you won't be able to have house guests for the duration."

"Well, parts of Enoch are incorrect," Valdis said, "But so much of the writings are romanticized that finding the truth is difficult unless you are an Angel or Demon."

Religion, as humans practiced it, was incredibly flawed.

"I don't have many visitors anyway," she said, "The house is fairly secluded."

Which could be both bad and good, but Wan had liked it that way and being surrounded by the gardens would be lovely when the flowers were in bloom.

"Can you blame them? Mortal minds don't handle that much power very well."

Devin nodded to the last. "I can remove them later, if they prove unnecessary. Assuming I can get it to work in the first place. I'll have to test it."

In private. He didn't want to start setting wards on the tea shop table, in case they backfired somehow.

Do You Walk in the Shadow of Men...

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