024.7 Jaela and Crystal

[Corwin]

[20:19] <Kotono> After her morning meal and rest, Jaela heads out to the Courtyard. Here amid the Master training people and the elementals sending clashing energies at one another, she looks for Crystal. She is found sitting atop the tallest spire of the roof, staring up at Baleruk as he flies about Aurora.
[20:20] <Jaela> "You'd think a dragon would just be sitting in his lair, looking at his loot," Jaela comments, bobbing in place in an approximation of hovering.
[20:23] <Kotono> "He's mostly been doing that, just flying," Crystal replies without taking her eyes off the dragon. The light of its rainbow scales sparkles, sending cascades of ever shifting color down to tint Crystal and Jaela prismatic. "I went and asked him why. Amid all the pomposity, I think he's upset."
[20:26] <Jaela> "Tiamat issues, right?" Jaela shrugs. "Wish there was some way to help him. Still. People should be able to choose things, even if they're bad for them. Don't you think so too?"
[20:30] <Kotono> "Freedom is precious. If we forgot that, we were rudely reminded." Looking over to Jaela now, "So many have chosen to join us or support us already."
[20:33] * Jaela nods. "And we still have others we can turn to. Feels pretty grand."
[20:37] <Kotono> "But we can't stop. All I've read about Baator suggests a counter-attack or worse will come. People down there think Aurora is invincible. I hope they're right."
[20:39] <Jaela> "Isn't it fine to think like that?" Jaela asks her. "Think about it. Victory or death applies to us pretty well. Say Hell counter-attacks and breaks us. It's not like they'll let us get away then. So if we do lose, it's not like there's something after that. With things being that way, we can just focus on success, since it's the only thing that has a future."
[20:42] <Kotono> "There's no future if we lose, eh?" Crystal looks back up at Baleruk, "I can agree with that. Victory or death."
[20:45] <Jaela> "No future that I'd worry about," Jaela responds with another shrug. It will probably be too horrible for words, and she hopes she'll be able to kill herself before it's too late, if things came to that. Then again, Hell seems to go for the kill with those too strong to be taken prisoner.... "Did you hear? There's a resistance on Lifasa. Who would've thought, eh?"
[20:53] <Kotono> "I was there for the summons," Crystal replies, "That's what they spilled?"Starting to smile, "Good. Not everyone's going to surrender. If they're surviving, that means we can count on support when the day comes to liberate Lifasa."
[20:56] <Jaela> "Weird, huh? Tepen's fucking soul got bitten in half just for holding a gate, and every decent defender either ran or got a bad end. I guess it's those like us who escaped the first capture by some luck and then gained power like crazy?"
[21:44] <Kotono> "I never trained and worked as hard as I did before the fall," Crystal whispers, closing her eyes to Baleruk's light. "With great motivation..."
[21:47] <Jaela> "There's really no need to, is there?" Jaela agrees. "When you don't have some enemy you have to destroy. But anyway, this made me wonder. Why don't we return to Lifasa for a brief visit?"
[21:51] <Kotono> "An attack?" Crystal asks right back, "Do you think it's safe?"
[21:52] * Jaela gives her a fairly incredulous look. "Safe? No. But if people are still fighting there it can only mean Abigor's not taking an active role, innit?"
[21:53] <Kotono> "As in, we won't be overwhelmed in ten seconds safe," Crystal retorts, "I don't know. It's possible he's leaving the remnants to his servants. I can't imagine a self important 'noble' devil," Virtual venom is heard in her voice, "Bothering to execute every last rebel himself."
[21:56] <Jaela> "The best way to learn more about our enemies is striking directly at them and linking with the resistance, if we can manage that. Maybe get some people off Lifasa while we're at it. But it's not like we need to do it blindly. Maybe Tannin can manage to find something out. What I'm asking is if you're good with going if we have an angle there."
[22:02] <Kotono> "In a heartbeat," Crystal replies immediately, "Any chance to do something and hurt them, I'm in for."
[22:03] <Jaela> "And speaking of rescues, maybe we could do a practice run with Elrisa's friends?"
[22:07] <Kotono> "Hm? Elrisa's friends?" Asking that with a bit of a curious look, "You mean the Graceful Blow students?"
[22:10] <Jaela> "Maybe you don't know. She basically came with us to get you guys. Elrisa and her students are from this world where humans and dwarves ganged up on them or something and killed and imprisoned them. We always figured we'd help each other one day, but with her gone one of us has to think about that sorta stuff. It's not like any of her students or Misalea are anywhere near ready for that."
[22:14] <Kotono> "In time Misalea may be. She has real potential," Quietly Crystal adds that, "Where are they being held?"
[22:17] <Jaela> "One day, if we manage to stop her from getting herself killed before that," Jaela agrees. "But it's really low to wait for that and pretend it's none of our business. From what we got off Tannin, they're being held back on their Prime, in a jail behind some dwarven stronghold in one of their main cities."
[22:29] <Kotono> "So how do we get them out of it? An outright attack?" Crystal ponders this as a swarm of air elementals fly by past Baleruk, roaring words exchanged as the elementals glow prismatic from the near-contact with the dragon.
[22:32] <Jaela> "A frontal assault might well work. But we can go for stealth, or try our hand at negotiations, too. I like the first option best, myself, especially if we manage to get the Aurora across as well. But I dunno if it's the right course. Supporting our allies is one thing, but should we really fight against the humans and dwarves of that world? Cause when I think about that, I wonder when it'll stop. What do you figure?"
[22:39] <Kotono> "They're not devils." Crystal says, "There's no need to treat them like that. Perhaps we can negiotiate or at worst avoid a serious battle. We gain nothing spilling human and dwarven blood."
[22:39] <Jaela> "Yeah. I actually figured we could try it nonlethal-like, you know, as a handicap. But maybe it'll just get someone on our side killed if we take them that lightly."
[22:44] <Kotono> Crystal hums, "If we can get Aurora there, perhaps intimidation is the best tack. Scare them into agreeing. Far better than a battle, and if they can attack, we can watch them fail against Aurora's protections."
[22:46] <Jaela> "Now that I think about it, sneaking's probably a bad plan anyhow. If they really care about the prisoners, then they'll just find out who did it and pursue us. It's best to settle things one way or the other." Considering it for a bit, Jaela muses, "What if a few of us showed up and tried to negotiate? If they're a bunch of assholes, we can just take care to return with the Aurora and try the intimidation tack."
[22:50] <Kotono> "That sounds like a fair tactic," Crystal agrees after some thought, "Perhaps we can pay a ransom or do some manner of trade for them?"
[22:52] * Jaela scowls. "Yeah. I hate it, but it's not the worst option for us. Also, we're bound to see their defenses and the strength of their forces under parley, yeah? So that works in our favor. Yeah, I think I'm gonna give it a try once Tannin gets back and I check with him again. You in, then?"
[22:59] <Kotono> "I'm in," Crystal replies quietly. "I'm in."