09. Tentative Morning
General Summary
Strategy Meeting
Mirage woke to Nimbus' gentle breezes over her cheek. Blinking, she rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking around the room. Warm light filtered in through the windows. Cypher was right where he was before. He gave a little wave when she looked over. "I wasn't sure if we were yet in a place where you could wake up to me standing over you and not shank me," he said pleasantly. Mirage blinked rapidly to clear the rest of the sleep from her eyes, then shook her head. "Yeah, no. Definitely not pre-coffee. Shit, does Cri even drink coffee? Probably only drinks tea. Damnit." "Oh, she does. Keeps it mostly for you, I think. The real question is," Mirage followed the warlock's nod over to the kitchen area, where Asmira was regarding a bag of grounds and a pitcher of water in consternation. "... can her ladyship figure out how to brew it?" Mirage glared toward the sky, as though challenging a God no one could see. Then she shuffled over to the kitchen. "Sleep okay?" Asmira looked up at her approach. "Oh! Miss Mirage, did you sleep well? I was making coffee." She seems flustered, then she seems to get an idea. "B-but since you're awake now maybe you can show me how you like it made?" Mirage bites her top lip while smiling and nods. "Of course. Did you want some, too?" She stepped around the table island to help, giving Cypher her back, and called out, good-naturedly, "Get fucked, Cypher, you're on your own." A cackle from the living area. "Fair enough." Asmira's relief was palpable, as if she were trying to say "thank you" with facial expression alone. "Coffee sounds delightful," she said, and set about watching Marwa put it together with a fascination that the warlock seemed to find extremely entertaining. The two had just sat down at the kitchen table with their mugs, Nimbus delivering a brief of an uneventful night, when Asmira put her cup down and looked into the middle-distance all the sudden. It took only a split second before Mirage heard it too, a familiar voice inside her mind. "Where are you? I am at the Noors' cabin. Teeth will surrender you to my custody. Have Cartel. I can pick you up with escort." At her raised brow, Asmira whispered that a Cartel is a small airship, bigger than a rowboat, smaller than a caravel. Marwa sat back in her chair to consider. Across the room, Cypher had dropped the shit-eating grin and was focused on them. She gave him a few-sentence rundown, "I have to get her to my parents' cabin a day's ride from here. Woman named Jadeira can come out here and escort us back, but also take me into custody. Long story, we don't have time to get into the specifics. The Teeth of the Wind will apparently allow this." He frowned. "You in custody is not conducive to rescuing the others." Asmira looked conflicted "Should we run?" Both of them were looking at her, waiting for a decision. How did Ta'lok do this all the time? Several plans, none of them perfectly satisfactory, marched through her mind. She tried to share them in bits and pieces, looking for Asmira's input. "I don't like leaving you. I promised I'd stay with you, and I'm going to see this through." "I don't greatly desire to part company either," Asmira assured her, "But I am certain beyond doubt that if Jadeira truly has the right to take custody, I could not be safer. She will not let anyone harm me." She didn't say it, the blush on her cheeks and the speed of her speech betrayed her excitement at the prospect of seeing Jadeira in-person. Cypher, recognizing a strategy meeting, wandered over to the table to listen. After a pause, he offered, tentatively, "so it's a handoff. That tattoo they put on you was some crazy shit, I wouldn't trust whoever put that on you further than I could throw them. But it's not a problem if she-" he pointed at Asmira "gets taken in custody?" Asmira nodded. "I will be safe with Jadeira. She is... a friend. And she does have a rank among the Teeth, technically, as a supplier for their armada. I don't trust the Teeth not to try and recapture miss Mirage, though." "Okay," Mirage said, trying to piece all the bits together into a plan, "Okay. So I'll give her the coordinates for Cri's place, and then Cypher and I will leave. Or we can hide behind the cliff face and make sure you're safe? Or just... go?" "That could work," Asmira said, optimistically. Cypher looked between them, a frown growing. "So it's only her they want back?" he clarified, somewhat confused. "If she's the more valuable prisoner, will handing her over be enough to pardon you, or is it a trap? Because if I was trying to recover two lost birds I'd a hundred percent set a net wide enough for both. Why settle?" "No," Mirage sighed, "They want us both." "I undersand I don't have any room to demand transparency," Cypher said, carefully, "but if I can help, you know all you gotta do is point me at 'em." Mirage regarded the warlock. He looked earnest. Why was trust always a temptation and never a given with this one? Still, if she wanted his help with the puzzle, he'd need all the pieces. "Testing Jadeira's security for the ship she designed for the Teeth was my...a condition of my release. Instead of finding loot, I found..." she looked at Asmira, who was watching her carefully, trying to take her cue of how much to reveal. "I'm a person of... political interest to the Aurian government. I trust Jadeira, her associates... not as such." "We've both been on the run ever since, but," addressing the Efreet princess, "This is your chance to be with Jadeira, and I won't stand in the way of that." Cypher leaned back and whistled through his teeth. "Okay, I guess I can forgive you for not checking your mail." "Awfully generous of you," Mirage quipped back. But the Sending spell wouldn't last forever. "We're running out of time, I have to answer Jadeira. Unless anybody has any bright ideas," she stared at Cypher, "I think I have to give her this location and then we have to book it." To Asmira, "I can't just send you on your own to the cabin." Cypher was looking away and down, the gears turning quickly. "This Jadeira person, she's cool, right? What if you handed her ladyship over to her - only her, no middlemen - and if they ask where you are she can straight up just say that you're nearby to make sure she doesn't flee, but that your recapture isn't part of the deal." "wait wait wait," Marwa held up a hand, "say that again. Keep talking." He gestured with his hands to lay it out clearly, "They want both of you, yeah? So if they find Just Lady Asmira they're gonna have questions-" He stopped to stare at Mirage, who had just sputtered into her coffee. When the hell did he learn her name?" "It's a common name," Asmira murmured softly, "I didn't give my family name. It's fine, right?" Calming herself, Mirage put her hands up in surrender. Cypher cocked an eyebrow at her reaction, but picked up where he left off. "So they'll have questions about where you went, and could pull some 'oh you're negligent of the prisoner you're a traitor after all' bullshit if it looks like you just left her there unsupervised. so you find a neutral point like the mail pickup point I was going to hitch a ride at, and send her ahead. If they ask where you are - when they ask, she says that you're nearby hidden, making sure she doesn't go anywhere before the escort arrives. That gets you off the negligence thing. "if they ask her to call you out she can just point out that the request was only for her, and you met the terms of the deal, so you're under no obligation to stick around now that she's handed over. And if anyone comes looking anyway," he cracked a half-grin, "I'm handy for unwanted guests." Mirage looked down at her coffee, thinking all of it through, and nodded in begrudging appreciation. "Trust you to read the fine print to find the loophole. Gotta respect it. Sounds like a decent enough plan to me - Asmira? Any reservations?" "Only that I wish it were possible for you to come with me in safety. But I gather you have pressing business," this last looking at the warlock. "I gave her the short version," he clarified. "No rest for the wicked," she gave a rueful smile at Asmira and nodded. "Okay, let's do it." "The other option," Cypher said, seeing your reluctance to part ways, "Is that we all just leave and she comes along for the ride, but, no offence your ladyship, I think you might be over your head with this one, and there's not time to drop you off home personally." Mirage shook her head, "no, this is her best shot. We have to take it." Asmira was smiling but looked sad all the same. "I will always treasure having met you, Mirage. I owe you everything. We will find each other again." Cypher stood. "Not to be a moodkiller but the daylight's wasting." Mirage ignored him, thinking back to language studies to wish Asmira a formal farewell in Ignian, which she returned, misty-eyed.Handoff
After answering the Sending, Mirage busied herself gathering supplies from around Cri's house with Asmira's help. She found healing potions, a good supply of rations from the full kitchen, and a few changes of clothes that were only slightly too short for her. Cypher passed the time in whatever way would make it feel faster. He took the opportunity to wash clothes, and was flabbergasted to see Toby when he stepped outside. The celestial beast shied away from him, snorting. "How'd you nick a pegasus on the run?" he asked, slack-jawed. Mirage tossed her head, "What? like it's hard?" Cypher just shook his head. The walk uphill to the mail station was tense. Neither Mirage nor Asmira really wanted to reach the end, but it was also a bright, clear morning in the crisp mountain air. Cypher was having a hard time with his bad human lungs in said mountain air, but he kept up and Mirage could not bring herself to feel too bad for him. Though, in the cold daylight, it was obvious he wasn't doing well. The bags under his eyes were only slightly faded, and big enough to cross the Realms with. His skin was hanging off his bones - was he eating? Questions for later. Between catching his breath, the warlock had been chatting with Asmira. Mirage couldn't follow their conversation - it wasn't in Ignean. At one point, he asked what was inflected like a question and she blushed brick-red, sputtering. He seemed to find this amusing. "Don't let him give you a hard time, Asmira." Mirage called over her shoulder, "I once saw him run afoul of a wild magic mage and he got turned into a potted plant for an hour. Made a fabulous-looking daisy, I must say." Asmira found this VERY funny, doubled over in giggles imagining it. As for the warlock, he wasn't above laughing at his own expense, but he took the point. "You answered my question anyway," he said, switching to Common with an undisguised smirk. Asmira's obsidian skin remained a dark burgundy tone. "Anyway don't worry I'm only teasing. Good for you, honestly." he added something in the other language. She couldn't understand the words, but the inflection was like he was repeating some idiom or cliche. Annoyed, Mirage drilled through her language studies and realized, They were speaking Infernal. Interesting. "You should speak common," Asmira said, not upset but seeming uncomfortable, "It's rude to leave Miss Mirage out." Cypher shrugged, "sure. Sorry. I don't get a lot of chances to practice." "It's all good," Mirage replied, directing her Aurian words to Asmira, "He's a dipshit." She chuckled. Cypher put up his hands and gave it up. "It's so strange," Asmira observed, "We've been through so much together, but I know so little about you. Where in Auria are you from? What is your family like?" "You would hit it off with my Mom so much," Mirage smiled, imagining it, "I just know it. I hope we get to host you sometime." "That would be delightful!" she clapped her hands, eyes shining, "It would be an honour" "And of course you have to come say hi to Toby, who will miss you terribly." "It saddens me greatly that I will not be able to watch his development into maturity," she says reverently, "He is already a marvel"Onward they walked. Nimbus danced circles over Asmira's head, riding the thermal waves coming off her like a kid sledding off the same hill over and over. Cypher kept his comments minimal, probably due to his Bad Human Lung problems. Mirage spent the walk getting her head on straight. Step one, drop off Asmira. Step two, head out in search of party. Shifting her focus, putting emotions aside for the moment. Observing Cypher. Too soon, they reached reach the drop-off point. A wide (~50 ft x 50 ft) wooden platform supported against the mountainside. Around the cliffside edge, various sizes of mooring poles for aircraft, as well as a sheltered lean-to like structure on the mountainside. By the sun, it's only a few minutes before noon. Mirage pulled Asmira into a hug. "Be safe," she whispered. "I'll never forget you," Asmira murmured, hugging her back, a toasty bear hug. "Until we meet again, flame-soul" "May the winds bring us together again." Finding a hiding spot was simple; the mountainside was craggy, shaped into grooves and slopes from snowmelts past over millennia. Mirage slipped into a shadow, distorting the air around her like her namesake. In a nearby spot, Cypher was also doing what he could to go unseen. Mirage had learned to look at him only out the corner of her eye when he did this. When she tried to look directly, it felt like hallucinating, or seeing something that couldn't possibly be there. She could never bring him into focus, like trying to think of what color something was in a dream; an impression with no substance She bit her tongue for the nth time to avoid telling him how cool it was. Concealed on the mountainside, they watched as the cartel pulled in as Asmira walked to centre-platform. At the head of the vessel stood a Djinni woman, short for her species at around nine feet tall. Her white, cloud-like hair flowed behind her and settled over her back like a cloak when it stopped. She was dressed in a green, single-piece worksuit, but with a bronze badge pinned prominently on the right shoulder. For a millisecond, it seemed Jadeira had come alone, but then Mirage scanned the skies, and detected a ripple in the air about 60 feet back from her. Animental hounds. Their masters were probably invisible nearby. "Fuckers," she muttered. On the platform, Jadeira exited the vessel and walked, swiftly, toward Asmira, stopping just short. Their conversation was too low to hear at this distance, but Asmira's fight to keep from smiling ear to ear was apparent. Jadeira, stiff-backed, led her by the arm into the Cartel. As she reached to start the instruments and turn it around, concealed by the bows of the ship, she reached to squeeze Asmira's hand. The cartel hovered a moment, and Jadeira says something, and Asmira answered. Jadeira looked around, probably to try and find them, couldn't because they had both rolled so well on the because you both rolled so good on their Hide checks. So she was looking at the wrong spot when she smiled and mouthed "thank you." The cartel fired up and started gaining altitude. Mirage watched the air distortions converge around it and several Teeth of the Wind enter the vehicle, dropping invisibility and taking up positions around them. Asmira stiffened but Jadeira remained unruffled as they continued flying northwest. Soon the craft was too far to make out details. They faded into the blue distance.
Party of Two
Mirage waited long enough to be sure no Teeth had stayed behind to waylay them before dropping stealth and addressing Cypher, who did the same. "Looks like it's just you and me," she said, feeling the absence of Asmira both as a friend and as a buffer as the fact sank in. Toby snorted, stamping a hoof. "And the most BEAUTIFUL boy that EVER WAS," Mirage gushed, giving him scritches. "Sure seems that way," cold comfort in his mutual discomfort at the lack of mediating-presences. "Downhill, then?" "Yep. If you have the lung capacity, how about you tell me a bit more about this facility we're breaking into. I need details." "I'll try, but you might have to give me a bit." Cypher took a moment, looking over the edge of the mountain at the admittedly decent-for-a-land-site view, then started downhill. Mirage set Nimbus to scouting as they went, and they settled into a pace. They walked for a while before he could get enough air at once to speak in full sentences again. "I didn't get to see the whole place," he said, "It's big-ish, a tower little wider that Cri's, four storeys not counting the basement. Basement is wider than the base, just dug from the earth plain; could be tunneled into but we had a Bad Time with tunnels before, I'd just as soon not try that route again." He paused, glancing sideways at her, some conflict arguing back and forth for a fraction of a second on his face. Reluctantly, he continued, "I never answered your question last night. About what happened to Ta'lok." "So answer now," Mirage prompted, then, aiming to lighten the mood a little, she offered, "and also tell me how you thought you were gonna get out of those restraints without magic." She watched him with a cocky smirk while he processed the olive branch. He gave a short laugh, and shrugged, but his infuriating grin was barely contained. "Oh, c'mon Mirage," he said, "We both know all I had to do at any point while you were tying me up is say "tighter ♥" and you'd be on the other side of the room in a heartbeat." "Oh, you think so?" She watched with satisfaction as Cypher's eyes widened and he stumbled, barely keeping his balance on the stony turf. "So sure you've solved the Mirage puzzle." He looked shaken, his eyes wide and his eyebrows pressed in consternation. He kept opening his mouth to say something, changing his mind, then opening it again. He couldn't seem to look at her face. She laughed, a welcome crack in the facade; she could count on one hand the times she had actually seen Cypher Flustered. It was always fun. "I can't believe you've made me want to talk about what happened in the tunnel again," he said when he regained his voice, disbelief and confusion sharing his face. "Mindfucking is my schtick" The banter was so easy. An effortless back-and-forth. Mirage's smirk faded to a smile, and she bit back a comment. He was keeping his eyes studiously forward, looking like he was trying every trick he knew to figure out what she could possibly mean. Watching, Mirage's smile tinged with sadness. He coughed, and she had her features recomposed by the time he glanced back at her. "So, we were heading out. It was going well. Ta'lok was leading, Saeldor rearguard, Cri and me in the middle flanking the hostages. Ta'lok was leading, so he was closest to the thing when it showed up. "I'll swear to any god you like, it just appeared. No sound, no fade, it wasn't there and then it was. Or maybe it always was? I don't know how to describe it. Anyway, it happened fast. It was there, right in front of him, it said something as he was on the backswing. And uh, you know what happened next." "You didn't catch what it said? A language, even?" Cypher looked down, discomfort obvious. "It was a language," he said, carefully. "sort of. It... it sounded like what I do. "You remember the bulette?" Mirage nodded. The beast's armour had repelled everything; Saeldor's smites, Ta'lok's hammer. Cypher spent half the fight just studying it, then, abruptly, he said to Cri, "Get me in close." She'd lifted him by her talons and dropped him on the creature's back. For a terrifying second it looked like he'd slide off the side and be trampled, then he grabbed its neck and hauled himself to its ear. He started talking to it, and it stilled, turned, and he slipped off before it charged. At one of the boulders scattered around the clearing. The creature had bashed its own head into the stone until it didn't have anything that could be called a head anymore. She doubted she could forget it if she wanted to. "So we're walking into a tower with a monster that does what you do." She looked sidelong at him. He looked sick, and probably not from the lack of oxygen saturation. "Apparently," he said unhappily. Thinking out loud, Mirage said, "But Ta'lok doesn't go in half-cocked, he thinks his plans through from every angle. Did somebody get to him before you even entered the tower? This rush...it's not like him." Cypher cocked his head back, thinking. "Did he say who gave him the job to rescue the prisoners?" Marwa pressed. "He was worried about the people who disappeared," he said, slowly, still thinking, "but he still waited a long time - I don't mean to belabour the point but the village pooled a lot to put a reward out, and they were on our absolute asses about when we were gonna move out. "Everyone seemed normal until we got there. But I'm still bothered how they insisted on going in even after we realized it wasn't random bandits asking for ransom." "Wait - THEY insisted. Not just Ta'lok?" He nodded. "All of them." The briefest of glances aside - a twitch of the jaw as if he'd almost opened it and then corrected. The time for secrets is over, dude. I'm gonna need all the info to get everybody out." He avoided her look. "I am aware," he said, looking like someone had a knife on him, "I'm telling you everything I can. I'm just..." he stopped, frowning at his boots, "gimme a sec to figure out how to say this without saying what I can't. She waited. After a moment, he spoke again, slowly, like each word was being chosen from thousands. "You know how your tattoo was talking to something? It's not like, you had a person on your ankle, but it had a sort of quasi-mind, just enough to do what it was made to?" "Ahuh." "Enchantments aren't the only things that can have a sort of, semblance of will to them. Some stuff wants to be known. Some stuff can exert that will on other stuff. People." A cold sweat stood out on his forehead. He looked like he'd rather pitch himself over the mountain than have this conversation. He is face held a plea, like he was really, really hoping you get it without more detail. Mirage nodded. Cypher exhaled. He'd been holding his breath. "Yeah," she said. "So, the tower." he said briskly. "Four storeys, I'd estimate 60 feet across? Conical top, windows. And I think the cages in the basement were a decoy. They kept us locked up on the second floor. No windows there. Also I'm not completely sure on the size of the place. Space is all fucked up. Like one minute the cell looks like it's ten feet across the next the door is way in the distance. "And there's one other thing," he added, finally meeting her gaze again, "I feel like I have a pretty decent sense of time, so I was startled when I got outside and it was full daylight. I'd aimed for dusk. I think time might work different in there. Slower. If we're lucky." "Jesus" Mirage wiped her face with her hand. "So it'll feel like days to them." Without another word, they quickened their paces. "So regarding your magic," Mirage started, drawing immediate tension from Cypher, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna ask you about your boss or whatever working relationship you've got going, I'm just curious about how we can defend against these illusions and mind control. if your target can't hear you, does the magic still work? If we stuff our ears, is that a safeguard?" He looked at her sidelong, frowning. His frown did not diminish even a little from her assurances, in fact it deepened. "Listen," he said, already wary, "I'm not going to pretend I'm not grateful for being able to walk not-at-knifepoint right now. I know you've had it to here with my shit, and I get that. But," he caught her eye. "you are playing a very dangerous game right now. "So it's my turn," he continued from behind his fences, "Give it to me straight. What are you getting at." "What?" Mirage blinked - how could they be back on opposite sides so quickly? "Look I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, but I know what you are. Or at least, the basics. I'm not asking for specifics on the source of your magic, or...or anything else. I just need to know how to defend myself in there. If you identified the kind of magic in there as similar to what you have, I'd be an idiot not to take advantage of your knowledge on the subject." Two thoughts swirled in her mind: 1) we're gonna end up fighting this asshole's patron at some point and if he can't tell me things, maybe I can still guess them. I need to read some stuff. and also 2) I need to know how his magic works so if I need to fight him for any reason, I'm as prepared as possible. For a long minute, he stared into her face, trying to read behind it. "Good," he said, still guarded as he looked forward and started walking again. "Keep it that way." She fell in step as he continued. "Don't worry, you can maintain your air of mystery," she said, giving the last emphasis with air-quotes. Oh good. Whatever would I do without it." His answer came just a little late - a short beat that interrupted the pace of their banter. More than that, it was lame; his heart not in it. "I don't think they need to specifically hear me, but they need to be aware of it. That's not usually a problem. But if you're asking if stuffing plugs in our ears will help..." he scratches his jaw, thinking. "I honestly don't know. I was going to get you to cover your ears with the tattoo before I realized it was done in infernal. Best news I had all night, honestly." Mirage shrugged. A lot of the arcane talk in her group went over her head. Her magic was innate, elemental, as much a part of her body as it was of the weave. She didn't have to analyze it beyond questions like "Is this a trap? How do I break it?" "I'm not going to lie, I don't like the idea of bringing you in there. But it's not like there's anyone else." Cypher glanced sideways, catching her eye, "If you start feeling weird in there you have to tell me immediately. Promise." "The thought of you idiots trying to do a jailbreak without the rogue is like...moronic. Respectfully. Anyway, it sounds like I may not have the time to warn you. Maybe we should come up with a code word or something." He shrugged one shoulder. "We weren't expecting a fort. We were expecting more of a camp. Maybe some ruffians in a cave. Smash 'n grab. I should've... Well, no. I was going to say I should've pulled us out as soon as Ta'lok said we were going in anyway, but he could squish me like a creampuff if I tried physically, and my only way of trying non-physically is something I'm not using on friends." Mirage wordlessly agreed with his assessment of Ta'lok's abilities, just picturing the pile of Cypher that would be left. "I don't know, maybe I'm making excuses. It does bug me that whatever grabbed them didn't grab me. You'd be right to be bothered by it, too. I'll fully admit it could be a liability as much as a boon." "You're probably both, buddy, if we're being honest." Mirage shakes her head. He shrugs and manages a smile "Never been great at picking just one thing" "But you gotta play the hand your dealt. We have to think outside the box here and do our homework as much as we can on prep and scouting." He nodded, "a code word could work. Any ideas? Something you could remember no matter what else was going on." He thought for a second, then added, "And that an imposter couldn't guess." Mirage considered options for a minute, then grinned, "How about, 'potted plant'?" He laughed, "Sure, that could work." He grinned, the tension falling from his too-skinny shoulders for the moment. "You think it was memorable to see, imagine being the flower." "Might have been the only time I've seen you fresh as a daisy." She gave him a wink. He raised a hand over his chest in a facade of affront, "I'll have you know I clean up damn nice when I want to. I just don't want to." "Ahuh. I'll take your word for it." Mirage nodded fit to send her head rolling down the mountain.
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22 Feb 2025
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