Walking to Rosewater

[Ebiris]

"It really was well done," Alicia says without apparent rancour, though Violet's ego needs another pop and she's here to deliver. "I've already expressed my sincere appreciation to your queen, but still... do they give out prizes in the Abyss for partial credit, now?"

[Anastasia]

With a sharp smile, "When you're valuable - and I'm priceless," Violet retorts.

[Ebiris]

"You do possess a rare skillset," Alicia agrees.

Though not unique. Sylvie and Calley's situation has a parallel, though hopefully she didn't use Styx-water in whatever she did.

"Yet despite playing me like a fiddle, has the day gone according to your expectations? Did you feel accomplished with the Oinoloth's fingers around your neck? Do you think Malcanthet is pleased at having to corral newly rebellious lillitu as they respawn after a brief sojourn inside your belly? What has all this effort achieved?"

[Anastasia]

That smile dims, "I didn't expect you to take on liberation as a mantle of power," Violet admits, "I would have thought the erinyes would have, not you. So congratulations, you managed one surprise."

'More honesty,' Antenora reports, keeping her tone neutral.

"One lucky fluke. One," Violet goes on, smile sharpening, "I suppose the truth is that you got lucky."

[Ebiris]

Alicia's own smile is warm and satisfied in return. "Whether you want to drag Tymora or Beshaba into it or not, the fact is that I set out today with but one goal in mind... and here she sits before me, just as I wanted. You may comfort yourself with points for style, but the results are in."

She leans back now. "Satisfying as picking over the after action report may be though, that's not why I brought you here. So tell me about an earlier piece of your work - the elven assassin you sent after Jessica. Who was he, really?"

[Anastasia]

With that same smile, "Merely a pawn. This one I didn't know the name of," she admits, "So often there's little point in knowing. Did he get close?"

'She knows his name,' Antenora says, 'Or at least has a name for him.'

[Ebiris]

"I find it hard to credit that you can be so incurious, especially when you arranged for an entire army to attack us so as to give that one individual cover for his mission," Alicia says.

I'll roll sense motive myself on her reaction to see if she gives away anything about the army being a diversion for more than just that one mission.

[17:20] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+72 sense motive with divine insight
[17:20] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 87 > [d20=15]

[Anastasia]

You have a hunch she's covering more.

"Oh, I put all my work into the important end," Violet retorts, smiling.

[Ebiris]

"Yes, you helped out Shanazel as well, didn't you?" Not that it did him any good. "So what did you care to remember about that unlucky elf, and the skills you impressed into him?"

[Anastasia]

"I could do better than tell you. I could show you. All I need is one thing and the Styx...tell me, would you like the skills of a trained man at arms, or of a ranger, or perhaps a marshal or swashbuckler?" Violet smiles, "I could do so much to show you and give you so much, Alicia." Slowly licking her lips, "I know you have a taste for the dark side. That little erinyes of yours, hm? You just love her taste."

'...even I grow weary of these insinuations.' Antenora sighs in your mind. 'At least it's expected from a succubus to an erinyes. She's telling the truth about giving you those benefits. She also believes what she's saying about the rest. All she can see is her own biases and foolishness.'

[Ebiris]

'They are repetitively tiresome,' she sends back to Antenora. "We're fresh out of Styx-water out here," Alicia answers aloud, the sounds of the Oceanus lapping against the shore outside heard distantly. "So kindly answer the question posed."

[Anastasia]

"Why do you care so much about an elf?" Violet says, "His identity is of no real consequence."

[Ebiris]

"Then why are you being so evasive over it?" Alicia challenges right back.

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+74 (+15 AR'ed divine insight, +9 other, going for detect surface thoughts epic skill usage due to the scaling DC)
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 80 > [d20=6]
> roll 1d20+46 using bluff mod in place of will save for this
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 55 > [d20=9]

'She wants to make you desperate for the information,' Antenora reports, 'She's trying to manipulate you.'

"If you really must know," Violet begins, considering.

[Ebiris]

'She's not very good at it.'

"Violet."

Funny how one word, one name, can pack in so much meaning, isn't it? Earlier it was an offering of undeserved kindness. Now it's an exasperated warning of being on some extremely thin ice.