005; CLOSED. and darling, i saw it all.

[norea]

Who: The present anti-CL team.
What: Meeting to discuss.
Where: Lost Society, in the library.
When: Misdi, around midnight.
Notes: plotsss. I'll have three comment sections: one for Rhade showing up early, one for the collective group (we'll have to sort out orders since there are quite a few characters), and one for separate character interactions (one on one or whatever y'all prefer). AND... we will have to copypaste in our tags from LJ, soooo.
Warnings: idk yet.

The spell that Hasibe has worked over Lost Society means that no one is going to remember they were there; service will be a bit spotty, as a result, and the waiters on hand will seem peculiarly disinterested in whomever shows up, only providing them with drinks and necessities when deliberately prodded, but that's an aspect of the magic. She partially chose this location because it's easy to find a secluded area there, and in this case, she finds a table in the library, shrugging off her white coat to rest it on the back of her chair. She is dressed in a sleek, high-collared dark-green dress that is not too flashy, in order to keep with the discretion of the venue.

The other reason she chose this place is that they don't care if you smoke indoors. So that's what she's doing, rose-flavored Black Devil cigarette in hand, sitting back in her chair as she exhales smoke toward the ceiling. She has a couple books open on the table in front of her, and nothing in the way of food, but she does have a drink. Priorities.

Comments

[truth_is_cold]

Rhade strides in with his usual air of confidence (and a little bit of suspicion, but that's not out of the ordinary either), and takes a seat. He folds his hands on the table, before catching sight of Ilde.

He hasn't talked to her since that one afternoon by the water. It hadn't been anything personal. Later that day, the curiosity of things he'd overheard at the Vault had finally struck him, along with the guilt he still felt for a particular captain. He'd turned off his CiD and took his meager savings, left the inn, and found a way to start up a fake life. The CiD had stayed off for the entire time, and now his voice/face was never shown publicly.

It seems that they have mutual stake in all of this, and he shouldn't be surprised.

He inclines his head towards her, in silent greeting in case she's involved in any other conversations. He's patient. He can wait.

[rhinemaid]

Conversations aren't really something Ilde is participating in of her own volition this evening, not outside that which is necessary and the purpose of the meeting; she's quieter even than usual and her sometimes disconcerting focus seems wholly directed inward. It isn't that she can't be drawn, just that in whatever mood has a grip on her now she evidently needs to be, and her forthright socializing isn't really happening without outside intervention.

When he catches her eye with his nod, though, she smiles; it seems like a reflex, an I'm meant to do this reaction, but not wholly without warmth. It is good to see him again.

[truth_is_cold]

The few times he's conversed with Ilde, she's been vibrant and informative. Admirably blunt and passionate in her causes. It's strange that her acknowledgement is almost... sterile. That's the only word he can think to attach to it. But it's a smile, and there's enough familiarity and so little hostility that he moves his chair closer.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes, swallowing.

"I couldn't use my CiD while I was undercover. I claimed to be familiar with a different cohort. After I healed- I have no excuses. You deserve an apology."

He's worried that she might have thought he'd been afraid of her. It's a misguided effort to correct that.

[rhinemaid]

It doesn't dawn on her immediately what he's getting at, but she gets there - the realization is just a headtilt, a slight softening of her distant neutrality. (Only a few months have changed so much, and it only took moments and one bad decision to jolt her back to square one--)

"It's good to see you again," she says, finally, stepping around the apology she's not entirely sure what to do with; it's not unappreciated, she's just not very good at...words, at the moment. Not important words, anyway. "It is."

[truth_is_cold]

He's immediately concerned. Though his immediate suspicions are for Candlelighters. All he knows is that her vibrancy seems to have dimmed a bit.

"It's good to see you, too. You sound like you're tired"

He'll go with that. That's the most neutral description for it.

[rhinemaid]

Tired is a good word, she decides; she's willing to go with 'tired' where she might not admit to something else. (Anything else-- there are sort of a lot of things she's not going to admit to, no matter how obvious they get.)

"Everybody's had a long week, right?" A little shrug. "Yours sounds more eventful than mine."

[truth_is_cold]

"It's not concerning. I don't tire easily." He can, at the very least, be a little bit of a tease despite his concerns.

"What's happened while I was away? I've noticed that there have been arrivals, but I haven't engaged with them." And he normally presumes she would. She'd seemed talkative with Hilmi after all.

[rhinemaid]

"Arrivals aren't so interesting of themselves," she observes, "it's mostly been usual. Someone from home." Someone she doesn't feel the need to talk about, yes, that would be Hilmi. Her brow furrows, slightly, as she tries to think of what's worth mentioning; she's been so isolated the past few days it's hard to think back to what's been going on before Sukkardi that he might've missed, that she cared so much about in particular.

"I haven't really been on the network," after a moment.

[truth_is_cold]

He wants to note that she doesn't sound well, but maybe he doesn't know her all that well. Maybe he caught her on good days before. Maybe it is only tired, and he's seen her full of energy and enthusiasm.

"I spoke with him briefly." He moves on to Hilmi. "He seemed as though he had likable qualities." Such a way with words.

[rhinemaid]

"Did he?" That earns him some animation in the form of mild skepticism. "That's very generous of you."

Psychic reply happened.

[truth_is_cold]

"Not many humans I know readily seek out philosophy. Even if he didn't seem overly interested in the subject." He puts his chin on his hand and regards Ilde quietly for a moment.

"Now that you're free to contact me... If it should be necessary, don't hesitate." He decides not to pressure her. Something felt off, but... perhaps something had been off before and he didn't realize. He takes his chair by the arms and scoots out of the way, giving her more than a little space.

these things happen >_>

[rhinemaid]

"He isn't human," she says, reflexively, instead of responding to the rest of that-- she appreciates it, but it sounds like concern and part of her just twists inside, shrinking at the reminder she's not as subtle as she'd like to be right now. She has to get out of the apartment some time, and now is necessary, and she's okay enough, and...it's thoughtful of him, it's even thoughtful of him to leave the ball in her court, she's just really, really bad at this.

At letting people do that and not being mortified they noticed. It's awkward and it's uncomfortable and it's not really fair, but even realizing that doesn't really help or change anything.

"Sonja has an army, at home," she says, after a beat. "Hilmi and I are part of it. So I've learned not to turn down a resource; I will, thank you."

[truth_is_cold]

"No, he's not is he?" He decides to stay on that subject for her sake. "Though I'm not sure what he is. I noticed the cautionary discussion but didn't know what to make of it."

[rhinemaid]

There's a hint of unease at that - Hilmi's abilities combined with Hilmi's personality are a potent cocktail of 'disturbing' and it's something that Ilde tries to avoid having to think about. It's someone else's responsibility, not hers, she doesn't want to have to deal with the fact that she doesn't think he can really be trusted with his own fucking cock.

It's the main reason - besides 'his personality' on its own - that she keeps him at such a forced arm's length, no matter how many maternal characteristics he's projecting onto her. He's one of them and that means something, but she doesn't know what to do with him and it's like nails on a chalkboard.

"He's fae. Some kind of fae-- we don't all know. I didn't know what I was called until someone here told me," and this is a much easier topic, veering away from what Hilmi can do and what it means, "but then I could get some reference material to investigate, so I have something to compare against and something to research."

[truth_is_cold]

"Then there are... subspecies?" That was the only way he could think to put it. As there were the Inari, the Castellians, the Heavy Gravity Worlders, and the Nietzscheans. It would make sense that the Fae had varieties. At least he presumed. Going into it knowing nothing about yourself, however-

"Perhaps that would be advisable. Here, not knowing seems to be as dangerous as being informed." Someone wouldn't want the wrong people learning they were xenian when they didn't have a good handle on it themselves.

[rhinemaid]

"Faeries come in all sorts," she shrugs, "and I don't like not to know things." Just, generally; she's obsessive that way, making lists and writing things down and watching, always. It's little wonder she got involved in this, and little wonder that her involvement has thus far been so related to information.

Not that she wouldn't appreciate another explosion. The first one, while satisfying, didn't kill anyone.

[truth_is_cold]

"What else would you like to know?" Because he's also a fan of acquiring information, even if his form of research usually involves danger and violence. And he's not done looking into the matter yet. He has a face that disguises well and, in his opinion, nothing to lose.

[rhinemaid]

'Everything that isn't dull or useless' isn't actually a helpful response, but it's the first one to come to mind and offhand, truthful. That had been her problem in school -- it's never that she doesn't apply herself (as it goes) but that she doesn't bother if she isn't interested.

Funny to think now that there was ever a time when uneven marks seemed like something important.

"Well, I was hoping this evening would be informative," she says, instead, with a thin smile. "I have a few things to share, as well, but I got the impression we'd picked up some more urgency." Her conversations with Quirin have been interesting, and she's collecting tidbits and implications worth knowing, but it's not much more than that, yet. She supposes a lot of anything like this involves waiting, and at least the waiting involves intersting conversation.