Sansa. Of House Stark. [ she curtsies. in truth, she would best prefer a title. but kiryu will suffice. sansa lets her attention fall upon the blue he selects instead. she likes blue. it's a lovely shade. ]
Let's not even go there with the whole...attack thing. [Even if he knows it's a very, very strong possibility. Still he just eyes Joshua for a moment, thinking of the best way to approach it.]
Let me ask you something. Can you live without a cell phone? ["Do you even know what a cell phone is?"]
[Tracking down Joshua was even harder than usual but eventually when Hiro's messenger finds the Composer there will be a small bag for him. Inside the bag is a copy of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", a package of instant coffee mostly as a joke, but finally two smaller things. One is a photobook he figured out how to bind together himself (stitched up and everything) that's filled with HD photos of Shibuya that he printed from the Station. The other is a tiny dog keychain that looks strangely like Hachiko.
There's also a letter.
"Figured you'd appreciate the irony of the first two and the sentiment of the last two. A friend of mine told me that the best time to travel is in the spring.
Meet me at the Station in April. You know exactly what day I mean. Meet me there, and I'll make you real coffee. I promise.
[Stuffed in an envelope sealed with runes preventing anyone not Joshua from opening it is a letter. It's written in the boy's native language as well, just as a precaution.]
I was going to start this formally like a real letter. Y'know, like "Dear Joshua" or something…and then I remembered that this letter's for YOU of all people and that maybe the formality would just make you laugh yourself stupid.
Guess that'd be an improvement from everything else though.
It's…stupid. It's stupid that I'm a little scared that this letter's going to come back with a giant "RETURN TO SENDER" notice scrawled across the front and that maybe you were torn apart in the last attack at the Citadel. And don't lie to me and say you weren't there. I know better than that. Just please don't be dead.
Well. MORE dead.
…this would be so much easier if I could actually talk to you but I kinda don't have the necklace anymore. Um. It was taken from me? Not by one of your guys! And not by anybody who's gonna get really mad and turn us in or anything, I trust him. He did it so I wouldn't get busted but I never told him you have the other one. But, uh, just…don't try to use it? Please? That's seriously the last thing that needs to happen.
Whoo. Okay. I don't know how to really…I'm just gonna talk, okay? I'm gonna talk, you're gonna listen and then we're gonna burn this letter and pretend it never happened.
It's been a little over two months since the last time I saw you and the last time I talked to you. Things changed again. A lot of things changed again. The royal audience changed me. People have changed me. I changed me.
I'm not upgradable like a robot. I can't just swap out the parts I don't want and rewrite my own programming. I can't shut things down and disable pieces of myself like I want, but sometimes I wish I could. Sometimes I wish it were that easy because then this wouldn't be so confusing and I wouldn't have so many questions about this world.
Ugh. This is so dumb…
…first thing's first. Surprise! I'm grounded! It's the most basic way I can describe it. I'm benched. Shackled. On house arrest. People are tracking me and people have threatened to turn me into our monarchs if I don't stop. So I have. I haven't left Dorchadas for the last month except for one chaperoned field trip a few days ago. I've barely left the castle since then either. And in a way maybe that's for the best.
…I've thought a lot about what you said to me a while ago. What you said about how even if I'm not on the field I'm still making things that will make me inadvertently responsible for death and how I won't know how to make choices until I'm absolutely forced to face them. And it's true. I won't know. I've…made some mistakes. Wonderful mistakes, but mistakes.
Second thing. I told him. I told him everything and now we're dating, whatever that means. There are several other issues with that and I'm not divulging those to you since I'm PRETTY sure you'll just make fun of me (again) but…it's bad. I don't know how I'm supposed to keep people safe when it's two opposing goals. The natural cycle of rebirth versus saving the worlds.
Is anybody actually right? People say that each side is bad, and other people say that neutrality's the way to go but I don't know what I believe anymore.
But I can't tell anybody that. It's kind of funny, actually, because I've been here for over a year and I still don't really know what to do or how to save the world. Some superhero, huh? Can't even take care of himself.
I think…you may be the only person who really knows how messed up I am everything is. I'm used to fixing everything. I can't fix this. I'm trying but I've broken way too much to fix it easily. I don't know why I'm telling you this. Maybe because I tell you most things anyway. I know you get some kind of amusement out of it.
This isn't as liberating as it usually is. Maybe because we're not drinking tea or maybe because you're not talking back and I just have to keep rereading what I'm writing. Usually when we talk, I can never take back the things I say. If you're reading this…I trust you. It's kind of a big deal. Please don't make me regret that?
I never used to really believe in angels. Or gods. Or anything like that. Tadashi used to tell me that Mom and Dad were still with us and watching us from heaven and I'm not sure when I stopped really believing him. And people say that Tadashi's now watching me, too. I don't know about that either. I don't know if I want him to because this isn't what I would want him to see. But the point is that I'm not really expecting an answer from you. I've talked to empty space and people I can't see before.
Anyway it's in a rune-sealed envelope so nobody else can open it. If it falls into the wrong hands then it should still be safe and even if they break it, good luck reading something not written in Drabbish. Uh. If you got through all of that, sorry if anything's weird. My Japanese is a little rusty and I can't move my hands very well now.
Whatever. This was a stupid idea. You better be alive though or I'm going to be really, really mad.
Maybe I'll see you soon…every six months, right? We'll see.
Do not read this out loud. Do not share verbally without silencing wards or a way to ensure you won't be overheard. Burn after reading. Or eat it. I don't really care. Don't become a target.
The Cult of the Fox is rumored to be led by Reynard's daughter, Severine. That's who you meant, isn't it? The fiery-haired girl. Half-sylph. Did you know? Now you do. We don't know how many people are part of this Cult. ALWAYS watch your back.
Reynard wanted to raise a third court to defeat both of our own and used all means possible to do so. Killing people, kidnapping people, torturing people, etc. The third court's not possible anymore but that doesn't stop the Cult. They're still going strong and they still probably want to destroy all of us. They're probably the ones instigating so much of the anti-shardbearer sentiments that cropped up last summer. Nobody's safe.
Not magically. Not martially. Not mentally.
The Cult wears the masks made out of shards. Because of our shards we're able to recognize it and know on-sight so long as they're not using it to disguise themselves. Clever assholes. With the masks the Cultists can wear anybody's face and mimic anybody's voice and can shapeshift. SHAPESHIFT.
Here's the scary part. They're trained in ways that we're not. They know how to use ancient shardbearer arts we haven't yet. They can mind control us, erase and warp our memories, and who even knows what. We're all at the risk of being messed with and rendered totally useless and driven completely insane.
NATURAL OR TRAINED RESISTANCE TO THE ABILITIES THEIR SHARDS GIVE THEM DON'T HAVE AN EFFECT. REMEMBER THIS. PLEASE.
We don't know how many crimes the Cult's committed but we know of some. The Oracle's death was originally thought to be our fault (which it's NOT…) but knowing that the Cult can wear our faces it takes it off of us. Those hangings in Daonna, the beheading of natives, and obviously an attack on an Unseelie stronghold after they rescued one of the cultists from Cothromach (dude was posing as one of us. NOT COOL.)
These guys are posing as us. They're posing as shardbearers which doesn't help combat the fact the natives are NOT happy we're here. Some of the Cultists can probably manipulate people into believing they're shardbearers and the idea that they're capable of turning all of us against each other freaks me out. We've known for a while that there's something wrong with the fact that everybody's so focused on the war between the courts. It's the perfect chance for them to strike. Look at what happened to us recently.
We need to get stronger. All of us. We all need to get better and get stronger in other shard magic. THAT SAID, DON'T YOU DARE ACTIVATE YOUR SHARD AROUND A CULTIST. Outside interference from someone can pull both shard-using members out of the mind of someone else. Seriously. Don't do it.
If you can, find a way to identify yourself. Some people are getting tattoos or marking themselves in ways that are unique to them so we're not victims of bodysnatchers. Keep the marks hidden. Don't even know what it is so that others can identify it for you and your mind can't be raked for the info.
On top of Severine who's super dangerous, there's Martin Maskmaker. Shardbearer of a court that no longer exists. Name implies he made the shard masks that they're using against us. We don't have a lot of proof, but think about it.
In the meantime, keep your eyes open. Be suspicious of everything going on, especially anything that's going to point fingers super fast. That's exactly what they want.
[Joshua's locket will chime but when he looks at the message there isn't a name attached to it (thank you, magic, for being able to tap into the Seelie network and block out names.) He doesn't know if Joshua has a compass, but he knows he has an Ariadne-necklace. That's good enough for him, and he has to make sure this isn't ignored.
The important thing here is the message. There are no words, but instead it's just an attachment of another message. This current message comes from a mystery network and if he tries to follow it back, it'll lead him to an error. Watch and learn, J.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action.
Sansa. Of House Stark. [ she curtsies. in truth, she would best prefer a title. but kiryu will suffice. sansa lets her attention fall upon the blue he selects instead. she likes blue. it's a lovely shade. ]
And of the Cothromach as well, of late.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action;
Let's not even go there with the whole...attack thing. [Even if he knows it's a very, very strong possibility. Still he just eyes Joshua for a moment, thinking of the best way to approach it.]
Let me ask you something. Can you live without a cell phone? ["Do you even know what a cell phone is?"]
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
action;
Sometime around Yule 2701, no reply necessary
There's also a letter.
"Figured you'd appreciate the irony of the first two and the sentiment of the last two. A friend of mine told me that the best time to travel is in the spring.
Meet me at the Station in April. You know exactly what day I mean. Meet me there, and I'll make you real coffee. I promise.
I think we have a lot to talk about..."]
6/10, rune-sealed letter
I was going to start this formally like a real letter. Y'know, like "Dear Joshua" or something…and then I remembered that this letter's for YOU of all people and that maybe the formality would just make you laugh yourself stupid.
Guess that'd be an improvement from everything else though.
It's…stupid. It's stupid that I'm a little scared that this letter's going to come back with a giant "RETURN TO SENDER" notice scrawled across the front and that maybe you were torn apart in the last attack at the Citadel. And don't lie to me and say you weren't there. I know better than that. Just please don't be dead.
Well. MORE dead.
…this would be so much easier if I could actually talk to you but I kinda don't have the necklace anymore. Um. It was taken from me? Not by one of your guys! And not by anybody who's gonna get really mad and turn us in or anything, I trust him. He did it so I wouldn't get busted but I never told him you have the other one. But, uh, just…don't try to use it? Please? That's seriously the last thing that needs to happen.
Whoo. Okay. I don't know how to really…I'm just gonna talk, okay? I'm gonna talk, you're gonna listen and then we're gonna burn this letter and pretend it never happened.
It's been a little over two months since the last time I saw you and the last time I talked to you. Things changed again. A lot of things changed again. The royal audience changed me. People have changed me. I changed me.
I'm not upgradable like a robot. I can't just swap out the parts I don't want and rewrite my own programming. I can't shut things down and disable pieces of myself like I want, but sometimes I wish I could. Sometimes I wish it were that easy because then this wouldn't be so confusing and I wouldn't have so many questions about this world.
Ugh. This is so dumb…
…first thing's first. Surprise! I'm grounded! It's the most basic way I can describe it. I'm benched. Shackled. On house arrest. People are tracking me and people have threatened to turn me into our monarchs if I don't stop. So I have. I haven't left Dorchadas for the last month except for one chaperoned field trip a few days ago. I've barely left the castle since then either. And in a way maybe that's for the best.
…I've thought a lot about what you said to me a while ago. What you said about how even if I'm not on the field I'm still making things that will make me inadvertently responsible for death and how I won't know how to make choices until I'm absolutely forced to face them. And it's true. I won't know. I've…made some mistakes. Wonderful mistakes, but mistakes.
Second thing. I told him. I told him everything and now we're dating, whatever that means. There are several other issues with that and I'm not divulging those to you since I'm PRETTY sure you'll just make fun of me (again) but…it's bad. I don't know how I'm supposed to keep people safe when it's two opposing goals. The natural cycle of rebirth versus saving the worlds.
Is anybody actually right? People say that each side is bad, and other people say that neutrality's the way to go but I don't know what I believe anymore.
But I can't tell anybody that. It's kind of funny, actually, because I've been here for over a year and I still don't really know what to do or how to save the world. Some superhero, huh? Can't even take care of himself.
I think…you may be the only person who really knows how messed up
I ameverything is. I'm used to fixing everything. I can't fix this. I'm trying but I've broken way too much to fix it easily. I don't know why I'm telling you this. Maybe because I tell you most things anyway. I know you get some kind of amusement out of it.This isn't as liberating as it usually is. Maybe because we're not drinking tea or maybe because you're not talking back and I just have to keep rereading what I'm writing. Usually when we talk, I can never take back the things I say. If you're reading this…I trust you. It's kind of a big deal. Please don't make me regret that?
I never used to really believe in angels. Or gods. Or anything like that. Tadashi used to tell me that Mom and Dad were still with us and watching us from heaven and I'm not sure when I stopped really believing him. And people say that Tadashi's now watching me, too. I don't know about that either.
I don't know if I want him to because this isn't what I would want him to see.But the point is that I'm not really expecting an answer from you. I've talked to empty space and people I can't see before.Anyway it's in a rune-sealed envelope so nobody else can open it. If it falls into the wrong hands then it should still be safe and even if they break it, good luck reading something not written in Drabbish. Uh. If you got through all of that, sorry if anything's weird. My Japanese is a little rusty and I can't move my hands very well now.
Whatever. This was a stupid idea. You better be alive though or I'm going to be really, really mad.
Maybe I'll see you soon…every six months, right? We'll see.
-H. H.
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
6/10, rune-sealed letter
End of June, post-Hiro's quest, rune-locked letter, written in Josh's native language
Do not share verbally without silencing wards or a way to ensure you won't be overheard.
Burn after reading. Or eat it. I don't really care.
Don't become a target.
The Cult of the Fox is rumored to be led by Reynard's daughter, Severine. That's who you meant, isn't it? The fiery-haired girl. Half-sylph. Did you know? Now you do. We don't know how many people are part of this Cult. ALWAYS watch your back.
Reynard wanted to raise a third court to defeat both of our own and used all means possible to do so. Killing people, kidnapping people, torturing people, etc. The third court's not possible anymore but that doesn't stop the Cult. They're still going strong and they still probably want to destroy all of us. They're probably the ones instigating so much of the anti-shardbearer sentiments that cropped up last summer. Nobody's safe.
Not magically. Not martially. Not mentally.
The Cult wears the masks made out of shards. Because of our shards we're able to recognize it and know on-sight so long as they're not using it to disguise themselves. Clever assholes. With the masks the Cultists can wear anybody's face and mimic anybody's voice and can shapeshift. SHAPESHIFT.
Here's the scary part. They're trained in ways that we're not. They know how to use ancient shardbearer arts we haven't yet. They can mind control us, erase and warp our memories, and who even knows what. We're all at the risk of being messed with and rendered totally useless and driven completely insane.
NATURAL OR TRAINED RESISTANCE TO THE ABILITIES THEIR SHARDS GIVE THEM DON'T HAVE AN EFFECT. REMEMBER THIS. PLEASE.
We don't know how many crimes the Cult's committed but we know of some. The Oracle's death was originally thought to be our fault (which it's NOT…) but knowing that the Cult can wear our faces it takes it off of us. Those hangings in Daonna, the beheading of natives, and obviously an attack on an Unseelie stronghold after they rescued one of the cultists from Cothromach (dude was posing as one of us. NOT COOL.)
These guys are posing as us. They're posing as shardbearers which doesn't help combat the fact the natives are NOT happy we're here. Some of the Cultists can probably manipulate people into believing they're shardbearers and the idea that they're capable of turning all of us against each other freaks me out. We've known for a while that there's something wrong with the fact that everybody's so focused on the war between the courts. It's the perfect chance for them to strike. Look at what happened to us recently.
We need to get stronger. All of us. We all need to get better and get stronger in other shard magic. THAT SAID, DON'T YOU DARE ACTIVATE YOUR SHARD AROUND A CULTIST. Outside interference from someone can pull both shard-using members out of the mind of someone else. Seriously. Don't do it.
If you can, find a way to identify yourself. Some people are getting tattoos or marking themselves in ways that are unique to them so we're not victims of bodysnatchers. Keep the marks hidden. Don't even know what it is so that others can identify it for you and your mind can't be raked for the info.
On top of Severine who's super dangerous, there's Martin Maskmaker. Shardbearer of a court that no longer exists. Name implies he made the shard masks that they're using against us. We don't have a lot of proof, but think about it.
In the meantime, keep your eyes open. Be suspicious of everything going on, especially anything that's going to point fingers super fast. That's exactly what they want.
Stay sharp.
End of June, post-Hiro's quest, rune-locked letter, written in Josh's native language
End of June, post-Hiro's quest, rune-locked letter, written in Josh's native language
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
9/4, text, ???-network
The important thing here is the message. There are no words, but instead it's just an attachment of another message. This current message comes from a mystery network and if he tries to follow it back, it'll lead him to an error. Watch and learn, J.]
voice.
voice.
voice.
voice.
voice.
voice.
voice.