<> <> <> <> * Threnody is wandering the halls with a subdued, distracted air. He at least looks better than the clothes he came in with; the cutoffs should have a space between 'cut' and 'off' at this point, and the white tank-top is nice and bloody in a few spots. <> (What time is it?) <> (Ah, okay.) * Threnody must be truly dazed to walk right *by* a Sleythin without even noticing, but to all appearances, that is, in fact, what he is about to do. * Taluun`tzo glances up at Threnody for a moment from his datapad. "You're up and about already? Pretty impressive after that hit you took." * Threnody blinks, stops halfway out of the room, and turns around, looking confused. "Ah... it wasn't as bad as it sounds. I've taken worse." <> * Threnody crosses his hands behind his back and looks around. "Scuttlebutt says you had a little fracas with Katherine..." He suddenly frowns, looking a bit sad. "Or should I say, 'Katrina'..." * Taluun`tzo nods and a small wisp comes from him. "Yes, quite. I know her from before and she takes offense to the name she went by then..." Speaking of which, it's been a very long time since I've seen you last. You've grown very fast. (*dies laughing*) (^_^) * Threnody forces a chuckle. "It's been 16 years, so maybe your sense of perspective is a bit skewed... but I'll take that as a compliment." (Good old moronic Taluun. c.c;) (^_^;) Well, I'm not completly sure on how fast humans grow up either. Still, have a seat. Can I ask you of the company you keep? Katrina wouldn't tell me anything about them. * Threnody blinks, then gives in and has a seat, folding his hands in his lap. "I'll make an accord with you. I'll tell you a bit about what's going on... in exchange, please return my bokken." Your bokken? They didn't let you keep it? * Threnody shakes his head. "I suspect they realized it's a little... atypical." He smiles faintly. "It was a birthday gift from my mother." * Taluun`tzo nods somewhat seriously. "Well, it must have a serious amount of sentimental value, then. I'll see what I can do, but you know how crappy the bureaucracy can be at handling matters like this... * Threnody suddenly giggles, then after a moment of composing himself, says in Sleythin, "[From the way Mother described you, I never thought I'd hear you say the word 'crappy',] Taluun-dono." * Taluun`tzo whisps again, a bit louder this time. He speaks back in the same tounge. "[Times change, as do people. I've learned a lot about the language you are used to, and how to use their terms to a bit more... effectiveness than before. Also, I realized that nobody cared if I said that.]" * Threnody laughs. "Times are changing." He frowns after saying that, then looks around... anywhere but at Taluun, in fact. "You wanted to know about the people we're travelling with..." Purely interest, I assure you. What, you think I'm some ATC weasel trying to manipulate you? If your mother told you anything about me, it's that I don't do subtle. Of course, others don't share my opinion on things... * Threnody looks back, then grins faintly. "I don't need stories from my mother to mistrust ATC. But I don't think you're in this to harm us." * Threnody laces his fingers together and looks at the ceiling. "Where to even begin..." I'll let you decide for yourself. Do you feel comfortable discussing it here? * Threnody shrugs his shoulders. "Here is as good a place as any other." He pauses a moment, then folds his hands in his lap. "Your group came to Area 51 for the same reason we did: the artifacts the Concordat were keeping in the underground storage. Right?" * Taluun`tzo shakes his head. "That's incorrect. I was deployed to simply protect you and wipeout the Concordat. No mention of any artifacts at all." * Threnody blinks. A couple times, actually. "Protect 'you'... our group? Or just Kathe... Katrina and I?" Your group as a whole. No mention of Katrina or you at all. To be honest, I was as surprised as you were. * Threnody frowns. "...I'll ask about that once I've finished my story, then, I suppose." He does really seem suspiciously Isis-like, at the moment. Facially/verbally, anyway. "In any event... back during Sangria-Beltane, the others met a young 24 named Anders." He rubs his temples. "A precognitive. He claimed that 'Fate' required them to band together and try to keep ancient artifacts of power out of the hands of the Concordat." * Taluun`tzo nods. * Threnody knits his brow. "I don't know what happened after that, but they began collecting artifacts, based on information Anders gave them. He contacted me separately a few days later, as I was sightseeing in Red New York, and asked me to help as well. Only just a week ago, I met everyone and joined them." * Threnody continues on. "Supposedly the 'final' artifact needed to prevent the Concordat from doing something horrible was being kept in Roswell... so our group and Anders' subordinates set off separately to try and get it. That's the situation when you arrived." Interesting, interesting. You think something bigger is afoot? * Threnody sighs and shakes his head. "I don't know for sure. Anders implied that the Concordat's goals were apocalyptic in nature, so to speak. As for ATC... I'll ask my question now. Where did your orders to come save us come from?" Came from Rohaus, which got sent down to Palatine, and then to me. As for where Rohaus got his intellegence is beyond me. * Threnody mmms. "Doesn't it seem suspicious that they'd send you, though? Third or fourth in line in the grand chain of command?" (Or replace with appropriate numbers, his information's probably out of date anyway.) It'd seem odd normally. But if they knew it was you, then they'd probably send one who would make you feel most comfortable. * Threnody shakes his head. "Katherine hates her mother. I don't know how Chako feels about it, but... Katherine's feelings are intensely, powerfully negative." He sighs. "We know, from the experiences the others have had, that ATC knows about the artifacts, in some way. But if that's true, why not tell you to retrieve them? There were innumerable cratefuls in the underground areas. I saw them myself." That is... odd. Perhaps they had someone else gather them without my knowledge? * Threnody blinks. "It's possible, but... you'd need a large vehicle to move them all out, that's clear." * Threnody suddenly smiles and looks up. "It's funny to imagine my mother having this kind of conversation with you so many years ago." She always was the strategist. And she hated mind games as well. * Threnody mmms faintly. "She's be honored to hear such praise from you." He takes a deep breath and looks up at the ceiling a moment. "The others... only Katherine and Rochelle know who I am, and fewer than that know about Katherine. Truth be told, it feels like... all eight of us have our own secrets to bear. So please forgive me for being cautious about what I say." (Except Ian, who is just a sick fetishist.) (Amen.) * Taluun`tzo closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, then opens them again. "None taken. If you don't wish to continue, you need not to. I just have really wanted to know who your friends were, not what you were doing... Although that was in the back of my mind." * Threnody shakes his head. "I can give you the basics. Ian Savolino... you must have heard of him. He writes historical fiction. The 24 who looks like a bipedal lizard is Leopoldo Grahovac, a cargo hauler. The tall blonde with the hat is Vera, a bounty hunter. The little girl is Demetreia Kanenas, a homeless youth." He frowns a bit. "I'm sure Katherine mentioned Rochelle." (Since they're, you know. MARRIED.) (*snort*) I've met Rochelle. She didn't say a thing, though, I hope I didn't scare her. (Not bloody likely.) * Threnody smiles embarrassedly. "She's a bit taciturn, is all. Don't let it get to you." He frowns a bit. "She often has a lot on her mind." (You missed Roy, BTW.) (Who?) (Dorian missed Roy, too. I think he's under the psychic sonar, or whatever it is.) * Threnody blinks, then snaps his fingers. "There's also Fitzroy... he's very quiet. He often slips my mind." Quite people always do, don't they? (Well... if a telepath's primary method of identification is matching thoughts to people, it's hard to match Fitzroy with a continual stream of what is probably something like "up up down down left right left right B A start".) (Haw.) (Up down left right A-start. Code to access any level in Sonic the Hedgehog 1.) * Threnody nods faintly, then rubs his temples. "I feel like I have a lot to tell you, after 16 years... but in a way, I don't want to burden you with it, either." I'm not going to make you say anything. * Taluun`tzo whisps. "One of my orders was to not intimidate you. And I doubt I would even if it wasn't." * Threnody can't help but laugh. "That's a funny order. If... my mother's picture of her were just a little different, I could see Chako Styrina sending you to protect us." * Threnody looks a little sad. "You're the first of her friends I've met, after a very long time... I don't remember much about my early childhood anymore." Wow, she considered me a friend? I'll have to remember to thank her. * Threnody laughs again, closing his eyes. "She's a hard woman to know... and this is her son saying so." * Threnody opens them again. "I haven't seen her since I was 17... this is the first time I've been back to Earth since my father died." (That, I'm sure, Taluun could easily know about. Daena dying and the boys disappearing and suchlike, anyway.) (S'in SpaceGoogle or der vasnot.) (I was wondering about that. Okay.) (Basically: Daena died in January or so of... gah. 4 years ago, I *think*. Thren's brother Kataki disappeared after. Thren left home on a 'training journey' at 17, later in the year. Isis hasn't left Kyoto since. That's the easily-obtainables.) Look, look. I'm just glad to see you're still alive. Isis would not be happy if you weren't, and to be honest, someone's gotta continue her school. Just like I continue Tloral'cal'mae'thu. * Threnody smiles faintly. "I know. I got to see some other Sleythin fighting arts while I was staying in the City of Refuge. It was... interesting." He ehes and rubs the back of his neck. "I can't say it made me wish for more limbs, though." * Taluun`tzo whisps. "I'm sure it looks silly to you. But the reason for it is not beating people up, but discipline. Getting to kick butt is just a side-effect." * Threnody nods. "No, I understand that completely." He holds out his arm and stretches it. "I think that's something my mother respected about you. The Tsukitomi school is a 400 year old tradition... it's as much about discipline as it is about swordsmanship." (Although I admit, the concept that Taluun is the Da'vid Car'rradi'ne of the Sleythin is just odd. Learn LIZARD TAI CHI.) (Hehe.) * Taluun`tzo nods. "Exactly." * Threnody gets up, dusting off his shorts. "I think... I'm going to retire for the moment. Thanks for talking with me." Hey, you made better conversation than Kat. (Yeah, like that takes effort.) * Threnody ehes and rubs the back of his neck again. "Just... give her a little time. I don't know why it is she hates her mother so much, but..." He points at his head. "It doesn't take a telepath, as the saying goes. It'd be better if you don't let her know I told you even that." And anything that reminds her of Chako... you can see where I'm going with that. * Taluun`tzo nods. "I didn't know she hated her mother so, but... I can see where some strain would build." * Threnody mms faintly. "I don't know much about it. The truth is, when she and I are around each other... strange things happen. In here." He indicates his head again. "So she's reluctant to say anything." Ah, it has something to do with that twenty-fourth gene, doesn't it? * Threnody frowns. "I... I really don't know. She and I are both 24s, if that's what you mean. I happen to be a telepath... her, I don't know about." * Threnody frowns deeper. "The truth is, the more time wears on, the less and less I seem to know about her. Yet... somehow, I feel like we're connected in some way." Only connection I can see is your parents know eachother and were very good at what they do. Other than that... Who knows. * Threnody mms faintly, then smiles. "Perhaps it's 'fate' like Anders claims... though I, for one, don't believe in predestination." Fate's a fickle thing. * Threnody frowns again. "So I've heard claimed, recently." Some could say fate led all of us to where we are. I think it's all just a conspiracy we make for ourselves. (Spoken like a true sleythin.) * Threnody smiles a little. "I think... there's no need to put a label on it. We are where we are; we've done what we've done. That's the way of things." He bows a little at the waist. "Thanks for speaking with me. If you get a chance, I would be grateful if I could have my bokken returned." * Taluun`tzo bows his head. "I'll look into it. And if you don't get it back, heads will roll. Maybe literally." * Threnody ehes a little, though he seems... equal parts amused and unnerved. Perhaps he's a visual thinker. "Well, whatever method you think works best." He bows again, and then is off. * Taluun`tzo whisps and takes a drink after Thren runs off. Man, that guy has some alcohol tolerance. (Oven Cleaner.) <>