The duty to live

[Ebiris]

"It's complicated, while our treaty only applies to the efreet we hardly want to risk setting Imix off again when he and Zaaman Rul are at a more tentative accord, and we're 'encouraged' to keep our conflict with devils to a lower ebb for the moment for Zaphkiel's sake. Add in Kossuth's likelihood of coming down extremely hard on any instigators right now and we have to be extremely careful in how we comport ourselves over there," Alicia explains as she and her sister do a waltz.

[Anastasia]

"A very soft touch," she murmurs. "It may be best to start with refugees from Fire, I understand many of them have established themselves in Magma, Smoke, Radiance and Ash."

[Ebiris]

"Start what specifically?" Alicia asks. "What are you planning, Jessica?"

[Anastasia]

Meanwhile Antenora dances with Syala, the two hand in hand and smiling. Latha and Marie currently dance as well, while Jessica says, "If things do go completely wrong, a few sympathetic parties could be helpful."

[Ebiris]

That explains literally nothing. "What things are you expecting to go wrong? Do you want to go start fights on Fire? And get refugees to back you up?"

[Anastasia]

"Someone may be stirring the pot in Fire, sister," Jessica replies as you dance, "If it is stirred and events erupt, then I want extra resources. If not...not. After such a loss, there are efreet that may be receptive to a change they never would be otherwise. If the Crimson Firebrand could reshape all of Fire, then I can at least change the fate of a few sparks."

[Ebiris]

"So your plan is to cultivate refugees on neighbouring planes so you can use them as an army to join in if anyone starts to fight on Fire? That's ambitious, and rather reckless," Alicia cautions. "I worry that having such resources might provoke you to pursue situations where they can be used and escalate tensions even further over there."

[Anastasia]

"I can cultivate resources that can be used when the time is right," Jessica shakes her head, "I won't recklessly unleash them prematurely."

"It is ambitious," Antenora calls as you pass by her and Syala, the two coming to a stop.

Meanwhile...

"Guide me, Alicia," A quiet prayer from Ayane. You see her in dark streets, hooded and disguised, as she searches. Searches for information, searches for traitors.

[Ebiris]

Searching for traitors against the empire who'll join her rebellion, or searches for traitors against the rebellion?

You'd think the first because this kind of search isn't conducive for rooting out internal dissent but most rebels don't call themselves traitors.

"Just be careful, we were only now warned explicitly of Kossuth's lack of patience for others interfering on Fire. I don't want to make him our enemy," she says to Jessica.

[Anastasia]

"I'll be subtle, sister," Jessica says, "And if he tells me to stop, I'll stop."

[Ebiris]

Cool, what about the Ayane stuff? If it wasn't stated clearly enough Alicia is looking more deeply into the situation to clarify her response.

[Anastasia]

Ayane searches for answers at night, searching for information about the ones who betrayed her safe house.

[Ebiris]

"He may not tell you to stop is the thing that worries me," Alicia says aloud.

As for Ayane, her entire focus here seems rather concerning since just blindly asking people at night out on the streets seems like a way to get herself picked up. She does a bit of simple divination of her own as to who was responsible and if Ayane gets nowhere on her own she'll give her some kind of clue or hint in her dreams tonight.

[Anastasia]

You find she quietly heads to taverns, the less than reputable ones. Just before she enters, whispered words of magic change her face, altering her appearance.

"Still, sister, it's better to prepare than not," Jessica says.

[Ebiris]

Cool, but anything on Alicia's god-powered divinations?

"Just remember that the preparation can be seen as provocative. I won't stop you if you want to stretch your legs over this, but we have only just now been warned that it's a thorny situation and the big power on fire is unhappy with recent outside interference."