RY 766, 29th of Descending Wood: Could We Start Again Please?

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Mari and Wind Have A Chat

The night wind blows gently, blowing Mari's dress up in a quiet rustle of silk. She hadn't counted on the night being so cold, or that she'd have to wait so long for A Friend.

"Where is he?" she whines, shivering in her sheer clothing. She hated wearing the stuff, wouldn't even have put on this dress if Nee-san hadn't ordered her to do so, on pain of no more candy. She decides to amuse herself by walking on her hands, until a soft clearing of the throat pricks up her ears.

"Mari," the young man begins. The Solar flips back onto her feet and looks sideways at him.

"Hullo, A Friend! So so, is this a midnight date or something?"

Wind of Lament smiles down at the girl, through the mask of his conveniently concealing resplendent destiny. "No, Mari, but I did check into your friends for you, and I believe I can help."

"Ooooh... really? Thanks! Hey, you look funny again. I mean, I can kind of see you behind your face, like last time, but if I look at you differently, you look like someone else. Or something. It is you, right?"

"It is. My kind hides from mortals, because unlike the Solars, we were never meant to rule them."

He slides down from the crate he was sitting on.

"Do you think you can take me to your friends? I looked into their files, and it seems they did not lose their positions because of a judgement from Yu Shan, but because, well..." he thinks of an analogy that might make sense to the girl. "It is like if you sold candy for a living, and then one day, no-one wanted candy anymore. You wouldn't make any money, even if you did nothing wrong."

"That's horrible," Mari frowns. "Candy should be shared with the world! But... hmm... well, I could take you to see them. But I dunno what they'd say. Maybe if you weren't being all shouty, or being like a baldy. Or something. I mean, I know you aren't one, but..."

She loses her train of thought.

"Let's just go see them and find out!"

"Yes, let's." He smiles and follows her out of the city, nodding to the sentries as she waves sunnily to them. She sings tunelessly - Wind recognizes the lyrics as a particularly bawdy shanty called the Foreskin Song. As they approach the sanctuary of the two goddesses, the Chosen of Battles sheds his resplendent destiny, the cloak of concealing fate blowing away behind him like smoke in the wind. There's little point in hiding his status from them now... not that there'd be anyone to hide it from. The cabin is silent. No little gods or dragon-blooded fill it from wall-to-wall. The guard that customarily protected Coral's room is also absent.

"Um. Hiii," Mari waves nervously, as they enter Coral's inner chambres. "I brought A Friend. He says he can help..."

Coral lays on the bed reading through some book without a name. "Hello Mari, and A Friend." She purses her lips and looks WInd of Lament up and down. "Please, have a seat."

She motions to a divan that sits adjacent to the bed. Mari desperately motions A Friend to sit beside her, while she places herself between Coral and Wind. There's an anxious look on her face which suggests that she expects to be scolded for doing something wrong.

"And who would you be, A Friend?"

The Sidereal looks from side to side, his expression curious as he bows. "Wind of Lament - these chambers are quite spacious...where are the others?"

"Dispersed since news of the Mask's coming and the temporary end to the revolution." She moves closer to the pair. The shift she wears falls down to reveal a milk-white chest.

"Awww," Mari whimpers, huddling up to Coral.

"Ah. And the other...Blossom?"

"I don't know. She disappeared shortly after the news."

"That... doesn't sound good," Mari whispers. "Maybe we should go look for her..."

"No, it does not. Perhaps after we are done here." He turns to the goddess. "I am a Sidereal, and the girl asked me to look into the fate of yourself and your companion."

Coral looks to Mari and back to Wind, "It seems you have friends in high places my dear. And did you find anything of interest?"

"W-well, I always thought he was just... A Friend..."

"He hasn't killed you while weren't looking, dear. I'm certain he is a friend."

"He would?" Mari asks, scratching her head. "Maybe it was that.. usururpation thing. Hmm... " She shakes her head. "Oh well, he's not trying to kill me, and he'd trying to help me, and he has hair, so I guess he's all right..."

"Not all Sidereals are that way, just a majority." She pats Mari's hand. "I really do believe you can trust this one."

Wind smiles faintly and nods in gratitude, although his helmet remains on. "For you little Mari, I am. A Friend, that is."

He looks back at the Goddess "It seems you suffer from a loss of your portfolio."

"I do. I've always suspected there was a bit of Fellowship hatred toward my portfolio as well."

"Among a particularly powerful faction, indeed, but there were no censures against you. Your current status is merely the result of...not bothering to find a replacement. A situation I believe I can remedy."

"Hmm, interesting. Blossom had led me to believe that I was under censure. We fled Yu Shan because of it." She idly taps her chin.

"What do you propose?"

Mari thinks, he's proposing to her?

"If so, the censure has lapsed. Or been dropped. Or, with sufficient power, could be safely ignored. Unfortunately, for she is not here, restoring Blossom is the easier of the two. If the Solars re-emerge, as they have in these past days, and the Lunars return to their sides, her importance will grow unassailably strong. And I believe Mari knows a Solar and Lunar pairing who might give a considerable boost to her immediately visible prestige."

"You mean... Frost and Shrike? And I suppose Falcon wants to ride his guyklave too... Incidentally, Frost is loooong. But Mina is thick. I mean, like my arm," she says, holding out a lithely muscled arm to them.

Wind...snorts. Coral blinks at Mari.

"Not just sex, Mari. I believe a public affirmation of their bond could aid Blossom considerably."

"Um..." She turns her attention to Wind. "Then we should find her. Maybe this will put her into a better mood." Coral sounds more animated now, as though hope were being restored to her frail frame.

"Yeah, we should! Say... you said Blossom was your siste, right? Does that mean you can... feel her, or which direction she went?"

"We're not sisters in that way, We swore an oath to one another when we fled Yu Shan. It's little more than that."

"Well, we should find her, yes. As for yourself - I suspect it will be long before the Lawgivers have reached the power where they are back to coupling with Erembour on a regular basis. But there is a portfolio that currently has no God, because the concept of needing a god for this was unthinkable. Perhaps... the Goddess of Returning Lawgivers."

"Ooooh... we're meeting a lot more Solars now. That could be good..." Mari murmurs. Coral leans forward. Wind has her undivided attention.

"Do you think it is possible for me to enter such a station?"

"I think if Veil Winged Shrike and her companions accomplish what they are setting out to do, Heaven will have to take them seriously. And their naming of a Heavenly champion could secure such a post. As might my own modest contribution, and that of those few allies left to me."

"Then you take considerable risk on behalf of a goddess unknown to you? Either the world is becoming a better place or I am dreaming."

Mari pinches Coral with a giggle. "Still dreaming? And... well, I don't understand a lot of this, but it sounds like you're doing a really good thing here, A Friend..."

"I serve Heaven and Creation, and from what I have been told by Mari, you have done much in your own way."

Coral closes her eyes; it looks like the burden of Ages is slowly lifting from her shoulders. Even her eyes seem to sparkle differently when she opens them again.

"Should I come with you to the city or wait for Blossom here? I don't know if she'll ever come back. She's proving to be more difficult than expected."

"M-maybe you should wait here. Maybe she'll want to know that you're here for her. You know, when we find her. And stuff."

"Agreed," Wind nods. "There are enough dangers in the city you should not expose yourself. We will find her if we can."

Coral nods, "Then I will wait here. I have enough items to bide my time. If she comes here, I will send word right away." She seems to remember something. "Um, somehow."

"You can count on me!" Mari smiles. "But... how will I find you?" she says to Wind. "You're all mysterious and stuff. Like... an Incomprehensible Friend of Mystery."

Wind chuckles. "A fair complaint - but Shrike has asked me to be reachable for the next day or so, I will be around."

"Then I will send word to Mari as soon as I see Blossom. But please, look for her. Despite her temper, she is a good being."

"Very good," Mari idly comments as she remembers their... time in the Demon City. "Uh. Yeah. Nice person. But she was hurt."

Wind of Lament stands, and ushers the girl out of the sanctuary. "Come Mari, lets find your goddess."

"Yes, lets!"

She turns back to Coral. "We'll get her back! I promise!"