Shadow rondo

[Ebiris]

"Nothing I want to immediately pounce on," she admits. "But the Colke business is interesting enough. Take a rest while Antenora's gone, when she comes back we'll go investigate Nidavellir."

[Anastasia]

Jessica stays there in rest a little time, before, "So where is Antenora?"

[Ebiris]

"Mechanus," Alicia answers. "Moore has business with the Adversary and she's consulting to help."

[Anastasia]

"Oh. Moore. Antenora has her weaknesses to that type," Jessica cracks a faint smile at that.

[Ebiris]

"Tell her that when she gets back," Alicia suggests. "Assuming time in the Adversary's presence hasn't soured her mood at least."

[Anastasia]

"I will." Jessica's smile is warm as the sun as she adds, "Hopefully they kept their tempers in check."

[Ebiris]

"We'll see, at any rate," Alicia says.

Can just wait for Anty to be done in Moore's thread since there's nothing really going on here otherwise.

[Anastasia]

Sure, it shouldn't be much longer.

[Anastasia]

Antenora's return is uneventful. She meets you in your rooms and merely says, "The Adversary continues his own plans. What a vile creature." She helps herself to a deep, comfortable chair before, "We bickered with words sharp as blades more than once."

[Ebiris]

"If it's only words I'll take that, could be worse," Alicia says, her and Jessica meeting Antenora on her return. "Did you glean much of his plans?"

[Anastasia]

"Precious little, though he did claim his motivations were to oppose the Prophecy of Primus." Antenora explains, "I don't believe he lied to me, but I also didn't contest him with the truth directly." Once sitting she lets out a long breath, "I disabused him of the notion that you are a butcher, despite his implications. More importantly, he's aware of our recent encounter with Talona, which suggests his mastery over poisons gave him insight to the event, or he has open communications with Talona. Possibly both."

[Ebiris]

"A lot of people died to poison there, it likely would be the sort of thing he'd feel even without them having a working relationship which you'd expect," Alicia says reluctantly. "He was interested in Sharran items when we purchased his aid to reach Rosewater, so at least that follows."

[Anastasia]

"It makes too much sense," Jessica agrees, standing by a window, gaze faraway. "Anything else?"

Antenora looks up in thought, quiet before, "A few things. He enjoyed verbally sparring with Sylvie more than he did me. Nothing he said, but that was the impression I got. I think that if we press it, we oppose each other too much. Both of us escaped from Hell, but from radically different paths. He accepted meaningless evil, he cast away the order of Baator by deciding it was worthless. I accepted meaning, that there are things in Creation worth so much more than ourselves."

"So he's only interested in his own desires?" Jessica asks back.

"Essentially. He came to the realization that the facade of order, the bonds of tyranny and the strength of groups are nothing compared to what he wants." Antenora agrees, turning her to Jessica. "Is something interesting out there?"

"No. I'm sorry." Jessica turns with a rueful smile, "It's been a challenging few days, and to see Sylica reminds me of why I fight."

A smile back, Antenora's voice warmer afterwards. "I can't prove this, but I know how a devil thinks and I've seen enough of him to discern how he thinks. He probably only cares about the Prophecy because he needs Creation. If he were One, he might cast it aside entirely, save that he needs others to sate his own perverse needs." Though Antenora pauses here. "He's also shown the flexibility to be a true free agent - associate with the Heavens if needs must on all sides, and I don't doubt he's even consorted with demons. His needs are more important than Baator's judgments against them."

"Can we use it against him?" Jessica asks then, resting her back against the window sill.

"Not directly, but it'll help us prepare the next time we encounter him," Antenora agrees, "It's insights to his character, not a skeleton key to his downfall." Antenora rises and goes to Jessica, peering out over her shoulder. After a moment Jessica turns as well, and hugs Antenora after another gaze out. Neither says anything and they part silently before Antenora continues. "To go back, it wasn't much, but I got the impression Sylvie has a certain chemistry with him. She admitted her own self loathing granted her some insight into his nature. Speculation, but I think she has some of his same instinct to use her tongue like a poisoned barb, even if she doesn't indulge it anymore."

"And Moore?" Jessica finishes the question.

"Harder to say, because he wanted something from him." Antenora turns back to you now, "I doubt he liked Moore at all, but he notably and mostly kept his barbs away from him."

[Ebiris]

Alicia digests all of that, sitting back herself. "We'll see what it serves us should we meet him again. Are you ready for another journey? More... mysteries, of layer 666. Jessica h as heard of Colke... many Colkes, in fact. But one of them is apparently at the head of an army deep below Ysgard, and thus in easy reach for us."

[Anastasia]

A long moment.

Antenora goes and sinks back into her chair, a moment of quiet exasperation. "More than one Colke?" she asks you. "Walk me through that, Alicia? Why didn't you mention this earlier, Jessica?"

"I just found out about them on my most recent trip," Jessica explains, "Suddenly I come across Colkes everywhere! It's like when it's along, warm autumn and overnight frost and snow come at once, and you look out to see winter came unawares."