Sage consultations (Moore, 86 days left)

[Anastasia]

You blink your eyes awake, emerging from sleep. 27 is perched on your ceiling above you, staring right into your eyes. He's about the size of a large cat right now.

[Nephrite]

"What sage advice have you brought to me in my hour of need?" Moore asks. He doesn't bother moving at all.

[Anastasia]

27 stares at you, somehow clinging to the ceiling. He is silent a few moments, your eyes starting to slide back shut. It's only then does he speak.

"She won't be here forever, but long enough, because of the choices she made. You have less time than you think once half a score of days have passed. Nine watch you, but they are not the dreaded nine, but instead the nine of the ninth. Beware the Grim Fiend, for he leads them on an unholy mission. Afina will face him in Lifasa's bowels as the final battle comes closer - alone. You have to survive, because you'll meet her again when it's all done, but before the end. Jaela's destiny has finally cleared, rejoice. Save Lifasa."

A pause and then 27 says one more thing.

"You can't help her now, no one can. She knows what's coming."

[Nephrite]

"...There were an awful lot of She's in there and I'm guessing you're not going to tell me which one is which." Moore says quietly. "How many different people are you talking about? Three or four?"

[Anastasia]

""One other besides Afina and Jaela," 27 says, "Beware the Grim Fiend, but he only connects to one other sentence. You must understand that."

[Nephrite]

"He's the one Afina is fighting alone, right?" Moore asks. "Also, I'm guessing I need to survive to see J, the one unmentioned. Is that right?"

[Anastasia]

"No," 27 says, "You are wrong. Afina will not fight the Grim Fiend, for if she does, she will die."

[Nephrite]

"...Can we really only talk like this when I'm exhausted?" Moore says with a small smile. "...All right, so no Afina on Grim Fiend. Then the him Afina is fighting is... someone else. Taelfagn? Or do you even know?"

[Anastasia]

"The one her destiny is tangled with now: Gathgorian," 27 falls and lands right besides you without making a sound. "Even if Lifasa is saved but Afina falls to Gathgorian and he survives, a threat as grave as Taelfagn will rise. Gathgorian may become the one to sunder all chaos beneath his blade. He has seen his path and the way to triumph, but he must overcome Afina. He may be the one to understand the meaning of the banished Archdukes and forge meaning from the meaningless."

[Nephrite]

"All right. For the person I can't help, is that Other J, or J?" He asks.

[Anastasia]

"Neither," 27 says, curls up and closes his eyes.

[Nephrite]

"Ah, so A. ...Do you want to come to Smoke with me tomorrow to finish what we started, or is that a loose end I should worry about later?" He asks. He has a feeling he won't get a response on that one.

[Anastasia]

No answer. From the looks of it, 27 is fast asleep.

[Nephrite]

"You bother other people when they're asleep, you're lucky I don't disturb yours." Moore says with a huff as he collapses back into his pillow.

Mental note, go talk to Balyss in the morninzzzzz

[Anastasia]

Okay, so what are you going to do with the info 27 decided to dump on you?