Grading Beef - RPLOG
Participants
Date
30/11/480
Log
"Honestly guys," Fenris says, sauntering along behind the uniformed guards, fingers laced behind his head, "I know my way around, you really don't have to escort me." One of the guards, a scrappy looking Capybara with an ugly scar across the bridge of his nose, rolls his eyes at the Tiger's easy banter.
"I honestly don't see why the highlady even lets riffraff like you in here," he mutters, "A ne're-do-well and grifter if ever I've seen one!"
Fenris only grins at the accusation. "You flatter me, as always, Griz," he says affably, and the other guard, a rather larger hippo snorts in response. The trio stops at the bottom of a ladder.
"Highlady!" the Capybara called Griz calls up, "Your visitor is here!"
"Ah. Yes. Friend Fenris is free to come up," Flora offers, looking down from the hole in the ceiling... Or from her perspective, the floor. The ladder is already extended, allowing the tiger to climb up. It's not a particularly fancy ladder. Very spartan, very Flora.
The room above is... Curious to say the least. Dome-shaped, no lights other than the small, magical lamp hanging from the ceiling... The whole dome seems to be placed on... Wheels, all around the thing, and there is a large, roughly rectangular section of the room marked with paint.
Fenris gives a lazy salute to the two gaurds and scrambles up the ladder with a grace and agility that belies his size. The big tiger hauls himself up into the austeer dome and looks around curiously. "Alright," he finally says, "I give up. What is it? A secret meeting room? The ladder is a nice touch for that."
"Observatory. Not done yet," Flora offers, as she places a hand against the dome, and slowly but surely pushes it to move it around. "The viewport will be there, yes. Probably get a mage to make it move with magic, instead of by hand," she adds with a smile on her muzzle, tails swaying behind her, as she looks over the small room. "Will make a long-distance camera to take pictures of the stars, yes. Maybe learn things."
"Huh," Fenris says, watching the dome spin around him, "That's a good trick." The tiger looks around for a spot to sit. "Why not just use those star maps from the Creator Store?" he asks, "Siyu seemed pretty keen on them, if I remember right." He grins and waves at the unfinished view hole. "Then you can just use this to take embarrassing pictures of the neighbors instead!"
"That would not be learning anything. Besides, the creators don't... Actually share them? Star maps are nice, but they don't teach beings much about the motions of the stars, or what they are. Observation does, yes," Flora offers with a smile, a flick of her tails.
"Speaking of observation..."
Fenris shrugs, setting himself up on the floor by the bare, rotating wall, being careful not to lean on it, his own tail wrapped around to lie on his feet. "Whatever makes you happy," he says, "I'm sure that the academy will appreciate it." He sits forward and wraps his huge arms around his knees, looking at Flora over them. "Observation?" he asks.
"Friend Fenris has heard of one of Firmament's newest residents? Mister Angus Argos?" Flora offers, leaning carefully against the dome, making sure it doesn't shift as she puts her weight against it.
"Flora has some... Doubts about mister Argos, yes."
"Argus? The priest?" Fenris asks, "Sure. He is hard to miss these days. Preaching on street corners, holding private lectures and recitations of the First Text. I understand he even managed to get some personal time with the Peoples' Council. I've met career politicians with less public exposure. What is it you want to know?"
"Flora thinks mister Argos may not... Be from Promise... Which would be a problem if he tried to influence the King's decissions, yes?" Flora offers, tail swaying lightly behind her. "Mister Argos claims to be from Branshire, so Flora would like to know more, yes."
"If everything is fine, then that's fine, of course, yes... But something doesn't feel fine right now, no."
Fenris considers for a moment. "He seems to care quite a bit about Promise and its people," the Tiger says, "He spends almost all of his time working for the good of Promise and Sweetwater, as far as I know. And some of his concerns are really worth thinking about. I know he doesn't agree with your stances on a lot of things, but what makes you think that he is not a native of Promise?"
"Flora has no issues with beings, from Promise or not, working for the good of beings or creators... But if mister Argos is indeed from elsewhere, that would be... Troubling, yes? His words would be a break of the embargo the Creators put on information."
"Why? Mister Argos seems to know more about the Creators than he lets on, yes. Something suggests that mister Argos may have... Personal motifications. Flora isn't sure what, or even why."
"Maybe Mister Argos speaks the truth, in which case, Flora will accept that. But if Mister Argos is speaking out because he was personally wronged by a Creator, that is something that should be known, yes? By the Church, by the Creators, and by the people mister Argos is preaching to, yes? And if Mister Argos was an offworld being, that sounds like something important to know, too, yes?"
"Something Friend Fenris's... Employer would probably want to know, too?"
Fenris sits still and watches Flora thoughtfully. "Well,? he says, "You are not wrong. Other people have been asking about him." The tiger unclasps his hands and leans back. "His story checks out,? he says, then hesitates.
"Friend Fenris seems... Hesitant? Is there something friend Fenris can't say? Or does Friend Fenris have... Similar doubts about his story?" the she-cat offers, tails swaying lightly, as she looks up at the magical lamp for a moment. Flora doesn't appear to be one for eye-contact. Never has been.
"Something, yes," Fenris says, "Some THINGS, rather, but I can't share all of them." The tiger sits up again, folding his legs beneath him. "Everyone agrees that he is from Branshire," he explains, "I even went down there to ask about him. He is a well known figure in the community. Mostly quiet and kept to himself. No friends or family to speak of, just a zealous devotion to the First Text. No one could claim that they knew him well, but everyone knew who he was." Fenris looks to Flora, to be sure that she is following.
"And yet, there are things friend Fenris considers... Suspicious, yes?" Flora offers with a small smile, tails still twitching behind her. Some vindication for her suspiciouns, perhaps? Still, she waits and listens, sitting down against the lower wall of the dome herself, looking at Fenris almost expectantly.
"A little more than a year ago, just before he moved from Branshire to Firmament, Angus had an accident," Fenris explains, "The church there is set on top of a cliff that overlooks a system of canyons. Very beautiful. While he was working on the retaining wall, he slipped and fell. A freak accident, really. A lot of things just adding together to send him over the edge and into the canyon. He was presumed dead. But then, three days later, he came limping back into town, injured and confused. He could not explain how he had survived, and people claim that his mannerisms changed significantly after that, but that is no surprise." The tiger pauses, and looks at Flora. "I'm not sure exactly how to express this," he says, "Not in any way that does not sound. . . bad."
"So, what Friend Fenris is saying, is, either mister Argos survived an accident he shouldn't've survived, doesn't remember how, changed who he is, and yet, remembers who he is, too... Or..."
"Someone fleshcrafted to look like him? And, with only a single confirmed fleshcrafter, Flora assumes friend Fenris has already asked?"
Fenris raises his hands in a placating gesture. "It is possible" he says, "As strange as the fall was, he could have miraculously survived. I have certainly seen stranger. And an accident like that can change a person." The tiger hesitates again for just a moment, then continues, "What I am saying, is that if you wanted to assume someone's identity, there is no better time to do it than immediately after they have died. Especially if they have died out of sight and out of reach of anyone else. And if they are not well known? Or there is a good reason for their behavior or personality to have suddenly changed? What I am saying is, that this was a perfect opportunity to BECOME Angus Argus." He shrugs, "As for the Fleshcrafters, well," he shakes his head, "They think that record keeping is something that happens to other people. And they value the privacy of their clients. I respect that. But even ruling them out, there are. . . other options available to off-worlders."
"Yes. Flora is sure the creators have their own fleshcrafters, yes. Flora supposes the additional things that Friend Fenris can't share consist of... Furhter evidence? Has the King been informed yet? Fenris's employer? Anyone else?"
"And if so, is there a plan to find out the truth?"
"I don't have EVIDENCE of anything," Fenris admits, "I only have speculation. Angus has not done anything to merit suspicion. Not really. It is not as though he is the only being on Promise who thinks that having a Creator presence here might not be in our best interests." The tiger does not offer any further comment on what he cannot share and why he cannot share it. "If you think that Mister Argus is from beyond Promise or that he is not who he claims to be," he continues, "I only see a few options. You could find the real Angus Argus, though I imagine that if he is dead in those canyons and not alive and well in Firmament, you won't have much success. If you are sure that he is of otherworldy origin, you could try to find out how he got here. The Creators keep very careful records, but they don't generally like to share with us. Or you could try to make him slip up. To talk about something that he could not possibly understand as a native of Promise, though I don't know how you could manage that."
"Something only a creator or offworld being would know... Flora would suggest one of LongTech's discoveries, though they are all offered to the Church. Might not be the best option. There is also the issue that Flora has openly said what Flora thinks. Mister Argos is going to be suspicious of Flora, yes."
"IF mister Argos is an offworld being, finding out how he arrived would be hard without already having an admission... Which leaves the real mister Argos, something that, as Friend Fenris said, is unlikely.... That is, assuming Flora is correct, of course, yes."
"If he IS an offworlder, or even stranger, if he is a Creator, I don't know how you would prove it, but it would be of great interest to Mister Parson, I am sure," Fenris says, "And it would be its own special kind of problem. An immigrant disguised as a native would be one thing, and would probably fall to us to manage, but if he is a Creator like. . . . well, if he is a Creator, then we are in a whole new world of difficulty."
"Flora wasn't suggesting mister Argos was a Creator... It would be a strange thing... He called the creators 'A more insidious kind of conqueror'... Does not sound like the kind of thing a Creator would say about their own species, no... An offworld being whom was mistreated, though?"
"Yet even then, Flora suspects Mister Creator Parson might want to know."
The she-cat pauses for a moment, before shaking her head. "Even if Flora were to let Mister Creator Parson know, though, Flora imagines he can't do much until there is proof... Wouldn't want to create a stir by essentially invading, after all. Unless the King requested it, but that'd require having proof, again..."
Fenris raises his hands in a shrug. "I'm sorry," he says, "That is all I know. I mean, we could go search the canyons for something that might have been left behind, but it was years ago. And if Angus is a fleshcrafted offworlder, why should the Creators care? He is not suggesting anything illegal, and while he may not be wildly popular, there are enough beings that share his feelings that we can't really call him radical. I don't completely disagree with him myself."
"The creators have an embargo on Creator knowledge, yes? And they promised Promise some autonomy? It would be both a liability and a source of contention if mister Argos was found out to be a creator or offworlder, no matter what their position is.
"It would be a threat to Promise's autonomy, no? To Sweetwater's autonomy, too."
"Why?" Fenris asks, "Why does it matter if he is from off-world? Even if he is, and I can't claim to know that, he really has not done anything to endanger Creator/Being relations. He has not done anything illegal or anything against Parsons' trade and knowledge embargo," The tiger waves a hand, "But you are a Highlady," he reminds her, "You can do whatever you like with him, I imagine. You don't need to convince me of anything."
"Does friend Fenris not see the... What is the word... Hypocrisy in his words, if mister Argos is indeed from offworld? Besides, the fact that he hasn't doesn't mean that he won't, no."
"Flora is merely... Worried. And while Flora may have the title, that doesn't mean Flora has the same positions as the other high lords and ladies. Friend Fenris knows just as well as Flora does that Flora is mostly a buffer between the King and Flora's sister, yes. That doesn't mean Flora isn't going to take the role seriously."
"Flora probably won't be. But if Flora does a good job, Aurora and Douglas might be, yes."
Fenris leans back on his hands. "If he feels like we are better off without the Creators, who am I to tell him he is wrong? And maybe he is exactly who he says he is. There is no real proof otherwise." The tiger sits back up, putting his hands on his knees. "But that is all I know about him either way. What is it you expect me to do?" A frown flits across his face at Flora's mention of her sister.
"Flora would like Friend Fenris to keep an eye open. If mister Argos is whom he claims he is, then Flora sees no problems with the situation. If Flora's hunch is correct, on the other hand, the King, and Mister Creator Parson should, at the very least, be aware of the situation, yes."
"Flora has no intention of making the call to arrest Mister Argos, or to deliver him to Mister Creator Parson. That is up to the King, yes. Flora simply wants the truth to be known, whatever the truth is."
"LongTech exists for the same reason, yes. Flora would like to know the truths about the world, yes. But... Given most beings' magical inclinations, there is little room at the Academy for Flora's research. LongTech is a means to finance a different, but related kind of truth-seeking to that of the academy, and a means to get beings with similar aspirations together, yes."
Fenris smiles and points to his face. "I'll do you one better and keep both eyes open," he says, relaxing back once more and looking up at the dome over his head. "I wonder sometimes," he says, "What it would be like. You know, to go up there in one of those star ships of theirs."
"Perhaps, at the end of Flora's life, Flora might get to see the stars. Flora would like that. But that is not a concern for now, yes. Until Flora hands control of the House and company over to Aurora and Douglas, Flora has matters to tend to here, yes. Probably even after. Flora will have to make sure everything is fine here, first, yes."
"There is an odd idea," Fenris says, "Wait until you are old to have adventures!" The big tiger laughs warmly, "I always assumed it was supposed to go the other way round. Have your grand adventures, then come home and annoy your children and grandchildren with them for the rest of your life."
"No. Flora has responsibilities on Promise. If Flora leaves, even if Mister Creator Parson would allow it, Flora would be acting irresponsibly. Towards Flora's friends, Flora's family, and Flora's goals."
"But Flora would like to see the Creator's cities, yes. To see what Flora's working towards, laying the groundwork for... And to know it'll all be worth it, yes."
Fenris smiles at Flora. "I would expect no less from you," he says, "I'll see what I can learn about your bovine friend. But I can't really promise anything." The tiger pulls himself to his feet and dusts off his trousers. "Anything else you need while I am here?" he asks.
"Flora thinks that is it, yes. Flora'll see Friend Fenris out," the she-cat offers with a smile on her lips, as she descends the ladder, tails still swaying lightly behind her. "And Flora appreciates Fenris's assistance, yes. Flora would like Flora to be wrong, but Flora has to assume there is some truth to the assumption, especially with the new knowledge, yes."
Fenris waits for Flora to descend the ladder, and once she is out of the way, he jumps down, sliding swiftly to the ground, holding only lightly to the sides and meeting with a disapproving glower from the Capybara guard. "You just let me know if you need anything else," he says affably, following Flora away.
