Day 67 (S46-47)

In the morning, Rina was already awake by the time the others awoke.
"I've already gotten us coffees and candied mushrooms," Rina announced, "And! I got myself a new dress!" She pulled it out of the paper covering and showed it off. It was elegant and made all of velvet. The top was white as snow, the bottom was black as coal. Between them, the colors faded from white to cream to brown to black.
Alice readied her outfit that she wore to the Bloodletter contest - a silvery, night-sky pantsuit. And Blanke wore silver shorts with his silver spider web mesh shirt. Neely decided on a simple pink dress.

They teleported to the park in Everhelm, many people were already crowding the streets.
"The executions of the Fingers of Luminus will be first," Neely informed them, "Then the ball will be after."
"Hell yeah, let's go watch!" said Alice.
Rina grimaced, but followed.
4 of the 5 fingers of Luminus were sitting with their heads on stumps, waiting for the execution.
Gewain was in the crowd, eyes full of tears as he looked upon the stage. Rina approached him.
"Is there someone important to you up there?"
He sniffed and wiped away a tear, "As important as a father can be to his son, I suppose."
"I'm... sorry for your loss," she responded.
The pointer finger of Luminus - and older man with a grey beard and hair - looked directly at Gewain, and whispered something. Gewain then sniffed again, and turned to walk away.
The Queen walked up to a podium on the side of the gallows, her husband, Edmond Staffon, followed behind her with an axe. The king and queen appeared emotionally closer as they walked together. He now had a large scar across his face and was missing an eye after the Emperor's Whiskers' assassination attempt.
The Pontifex then followed out behind him, blessing the 4 of the Fingers before they met their end.
"My people!" announced Queen Loanna Staffon, "Here we have four wretched, treacherous, traitorous people. Should we let them live?!"
The crowd cheered, "No! Kill them! Off with their heads!"
Edmond approached Anna Talley first, who only whispered something inaudible. Edmond lifted his axe, then dropped it. Anna was dead. This was the only death that Rina would watch, she turned her back to the others.
The Ring Finger of Luminus - the one who tortured Gabrielle - was next. He loudly announced his dedication to Luminus. Then the axe took him, too. Next was Gewain's father, the pointer finger. He said nothing, as if he had already said everything that needed to be said. Then Edmund's axe sent him to the afterlife, as well.
The final was Alric Ravenwood, the grasping finger. He made eye contact with Alice, winked, and the axe took off his head.

Rina left the execution sooner than the others, and booked a room in an inn to change clothes to await the crowd's dissipation. Soon, it was time to go to the Ball.
Though Blanke barely got into the ball with his outfit, Lloyd approached them and convinced the guards to let him in. "Haazaah! Blanke, my friend! I am here to accompany you as you present the Wish!"
"I personally think Alice should present the wish," said Rina, "She workshopped it more than the rest of us, and... Frankly, I don't trust the rest of you with this."
Inside the great Cavebear Castle Keep - the tall, black block of a castle - was a courtyard in the first floor. Trees lined the edge, gold-plated apples and other fruits were available to be eaten. The whole room was lined with gold and emerald.

Mayoay quickly found them, and scurried up to them while holding an armful of scrolls. "Rina! Alice! The Prophesies..." Mayoay opened up one of her scrolls, "The prophesies are gibberish! No one can read them!" Rina activated her Comprehend Languages, but it was not legible, even then.
"Only 15 minutes until The Bound is to present their wish, please approach the stage."
"We will talk later, Mayoay," Rina said as they filed up the stairs on the edge of the stage.
One young man in the crowd began swaying side to side, and began humming. The longer he went on, the more noticeable the sway, and the louder he sang.
"I come here today, there is something I must say, The Jarl's on his way! The Jarl's on his way!"

end session

S47

After the young man stopped singing and swaying, a well-dressed lord in the crowd began to dance whimsically toward the stage. As he danced, he also sang:
Do not be scared of me
I'm not your enemy
but you Who sends gullible heroes will be bound
I will bend the maelstrom to my will
and burn the pyre down (from memory get full version later)

The man danced almost violently until he got up to the stage, and pushed his way past The bound to Mayoay, and kneeled before her as he finished singing.
"Uh, oh no... please stop, this is embarrassing," she said as she used Dispel Magic on the man.
He came to and looked around the room, confused. "What... am I... doing..."
Rina whispered, "You were proposing, remember?"
Alice and Blanke joined in on the joke. "Yes, you're in love, don't you recognize your fiancé?" said Alice.
The man looked around, not believing that this was true, but still feeling obligated to follow through with whatever he started. "Oh... yes, um... Will you... marry me?" the man said to Mayoay.
She rolled her eyes, "Why do you do this to me, Rina," Mayoay complained, "Stop this ridiculous," she said as she walked away, leaving the man still on his knees and confused.

"Ahem," a guard said from behind them, "You will all need to present the wish now - it is time."
They approached the stage from the side. The Queen sat on a throne in the center of the stage with Edmond Staffon standing behind her. Pontifex Coldwell sat to her left, and the Mother Witch sat to her right. The leaders of the covens, including Valentine, were sitting on the side of the mother witch, and a few more church members sat on the other side of the Pontifex.
The hall was lined with magical lights, and each corner had a large bonfire in the base of a pillar.
Many people filled the hall - half were adventurers, half were nobility.
The queen sat in anticipation of the Wish spell's casting, sloshing her wine around in an elegant glass. She stood up as The Bound entered the side of the stage, and began to address the people.
"People of Asmery! Today we witness history! Today, the most powerful spell in the world, the spell that can change reality itself - uncovered in the depths of Mt. Luminus - The Wish spell! Behold!"
The people half-heartedly cheered as 4 guards carried a large, golden vault onto the stage from the opposite side from where the party stood. Alice could tell that the people's half-heartedness stemmed not from disdain for the wish, but disdain for the queen, herself. Rina spent most of her efforts keeping Blanke from making a fool of himself - and of her by proxy.

The queen gestured to the Pontifex and the Mother Witch, and each of them approached the vault - the Pontifex up first. He prayed over the box, and some light magic swirled around the lock. A small, bright light flashed in the lock, and the Pontifex then stood aside. The Witch then approached the box and drew an arcane symbol on the ground. Again, magic swirled around the lock, and a bright flash of magic came from the lock once more. The queen then approached the box with a key and unlocked it, then opened it to reveal an ancient scroll.
She handed her drink to her husband, then picked up the scroll, "Which of you, The Bound - the greatest warriors on this continent - will be casting this great spell?"
Blanke went to grab it, but Rina stopped him, "We will be having Alice Moondance cast the spell, your highness," said Rina.
The queen nodded, "Alice Moondance, I present your Wish," she said as she handed the scroll to the little halfling.

Alice reached up with both hands as the large scroll was placed within them. The unraveled it to reveal a blank parchment, with only the words "I wish..." written at the top.
She then began to recite the wish that the party had agreed upon over a week prior:
"I wish that a compass that points toward the holder's conscious desire to be placed in the possession of Rina Afrisa-Michaelis, as well as for the Church of Luminus & each of the recognized covers have equally shared & recognized power in a constitutional monarchical system - similar to Ilanga; and for the Lloyd's Boiz to always be friends."
As Alice spoke, the words she said wrote themselves onto the page. When her sentence ended, three things happened in tandem: Blanke could now hear Lloyd's voice in his head at any time, and Lloyd could hear him; a small puff of magic was felt in Rina's pocket, and something small and heavy appeared in it; the chairs of all of the witches and church members on the stage changed - the Pontifex's chair shrunk to look like the other church members' chairs, and each of the coven leaders were suddenly in larger chairs.

Then there was silence.
The queen looked around, "Well! Wasn't that... wonderful? Everyone?"
The crowed looked confused, some people clapped, most people begun murmuring amongst themselves.
Someone in the crowd then yelled, "Traitor of the church!" Then others began to say the same.
The Pontifex walked up to the crowd, "Now, now, everyone. Let us see what the Queen thinks of these trouble makers. Your majesty?"
The queen looked around, and began to speak sarcastically, "Oh, yes. Of course, Pontifex. Or, should I say, High Pope?" The queen smiled smugly.
The - now former - Pontifex Coldwell stood shocked and silent, realizing that he had suddenly lost status.
The witches in the other chairs then all began to realize that they had all gained status. Valentine, the youngest of the coven leaders, seemed overwhelmed by the implications of this change.

One of the church members on the stage protested, "Your Majesty! We cannot allow the reduction of the Church's power, how will the people be cared for!? The Church is the only one with healing, the people rely on us!"
Just then, an armored soldier with long hair pushed through the crowd - Gabrielle.
She began to speak somewhat robotically, as if she was reciting a speech, "Everyone, the Eyeless Kindness is ready to step up and help the Church of Luminus. We have the same abilities, and already have a personal relationship with the people of this great nation. Allow us the opportunity to assist, and we will fill the void that the church's loss of power will provide."
Coldwell protested, "Your majesty, this goes against our traditions! Traditions that have kept us going for many years!"
Alice finally interjected, "Tradition is something you take with you," she said loud enough for all to hear, "No one is preventing you from your tradition, they are simply adding their own traditions in to complement yours."
"Your tradition belongs to you," said Rina, "but everyone has their own traditions, which can even hold them back if held onto too tightly."
With the pressure of the cowed and the party on the stage, Coldwell sat down in his smaller chair and seethed in silence. Finally, he nodded in agreement that the Eyeless Kindness join the fold. Conrad, the leader of the Eyeless Kindness, approached the stage, and sat on the side of the pope.
After a moment of awkward silence, Queen Loanna Staffon raised her glass to the crowd, "Now! Let us move from this boring display, and move onto joyful times! I have brought out the largest collection of wine in the country - my mother's collection! Everyone, let us drink!"
The crowd then cheered, and the servants brought out large casks of wine.

The Bound walked off the stage slowly and Mayoay was still at the base of the stairs waiting for them.
"Well, that was... something," she said, "Listen, I have some information for you about the Jarl. I would rather go somewhere more private to speak of this, though."
The party nodded, then Blanke grabbed an entire tray of sandwiches for them all to eat.
Mayoay led them to a quieter place at the edge of the courtyard. There were benches made of the trees that grew there, and many people were sitting there and talking - some people even making out in the corner.
"Well, this was quite embarrassing," Mayoay started, "You see, the Jarl has been sending his messengers for a long time now. It's the same every time. They say they are not an enemy, but they will wield the maelstrom against the Great Pyre if we send anyone to hurt him."
"Why is he sending people to you?" asked Rina, "Why is he harassing just the Twilight coven?"

"Well, you see, we deal in Prophesies. We look to the past, then use it to predict the future. The Jarl is trying to ruin them, he's trying to change the future in such a way that it cannot be predicted."
Rina thought a moment, "Is that not what we are all doing, though? We all make decisions every day that could change the course of the future."
Mayoay looked a bit annoyed, "The future at large can be predicted based on past cycles of life! We need to have these predictions, or it would prevent us from knowing how to move forward in life."
"Maybe that's how it's supposed to be," Rina said, "People are not able to tell the future, perhaps it is more natural for you not to know."
Mayoay stopped and thought for a moment, then spoke, "This is important to us, Rina. This is our way of life."
"You can always find another way of life," Rina said, her ancientness being seen in her eyes, "there are millions of different things to do in this life... I am privileged that I get to live them all. But you? You only get a human's lifespan. Don't be trapped by one thing."
Mayoay sighed, "Regardless, Rina, it doesn't change the fact that a god has threatened to use the wheel of time against us. We cannot even read our prophases," Mayoay then handed the members of the party some scrolls. Only one was legible, "these parchments used to have legible prophases on them, but now they cannot be read. We would... appreciate your help in understanding if this Jarl is a threat."
"We would be happy to, Mayoay," Alice answered as she and Rina took the majority of the scrolls.
Mayoay handed one to Blanke, "I hate books," he said, so Rina took it from him.

"Alice," started Mayoay "When you broke the wheel, it finally allowed us to speak of things we could not before. The names of people and gods... we can now speak freely."
"You said one of these was legible," Alice responded, "I want to read it."
Mayoay pointed to one in Rina's hand, the one she'd taken from Blanke. Rina handed it to Alice:
"Past the tallest nest above
Deep within the hollow
Sing the Giant Mountains song
and the Jarl is to follow."
"So, the hills that the Goblin in Riverbend told us about," Rina minded Alice.
"Seems like we will have to go to the Giant Mountains and summon the Jarl to get the rest of these translated," Alice said.

Just then, music started playing in the main ballroom, and an attendant spoke loudly, "May the dancing commence!"
A guard came up to The Bound, "The Queen will be summoning you to her chambers after the ball," he said as he looked Blanke up and down, "You should all be on your best behavior."
"So, no getting really drunk?" Blanke asked.
"Definitely not," Rina answered, "We all need to be sober when we talk to her."
"Fuck that," said Alice as she headed toward the dance floor, Blanke following close behind.
Alice and Blanke grabbed a drink of the queen's special wine, and went toward the dance floor. They both finished their drinks before even getting there, and drank a cup or two more for good measure.
"You guys! We just said we weren't getting sloshed!" Rina yelled after them.
"I won't drink a whole cask, I promise," said Blanke.
Rina sighed and followed them in.

Alejandro and some of the Salt Slayers were there, and they were eager to spend time with The Bound.
"Alice!" Alejandro announced, "It is good to see you, my small beauty. May I get you a drink?" He then grabbed two glasses of wine from a tray, and offered one to her.
Rina nudged her toward him, "get it, girl, get it."
She paused a moment, accepted the glass, said "Thanks!" Then she walked away.
He looked longingly at her, "Ahh... She's the one for me. One day..."
Rina patted him on the back, "I keep trying to help you out, I really do."
They both nodded as she walked away with her 4th glass of wine in 10 minutes.

Rina stayed back on the outskirts of the ball area, trying to avoid attention. Then, a tall nobleman slowly approached her through the crowd.
Gewain bowed deeply when he reached her, "May I have this dance, Miss Afrisa?"
Rina seemed surprised, but smiled, "Yes, Gewain, I'll dance with you."
She held out her hand and placed it in his. He was not the most graceful of dancers, but he was able to follow the steps without embarrassment.
They waltzed around the dance floor, and he began to speak.
"Rina, I have to ask... what are your thoughts about the church?"
"We're jumping right into business, eh?" she smiled, "I don't know much about the Church of Luminus, if I'm honest. But I do know that a selfish religion is never good for the people."
"It isn't selfish to serve the people," he answered, seeming a little offended.
"I am not saying the people are selfish," she said calmly, "but a religion revolved around a self-serving god can only eat itself in the end."
"What so you think you know more about Luminus than any of us?"
"No, I just see how the leaders of the church conduct themselves - that's all."
Gewain was silent for a bit. He sighed, "I have been... selected to be a knight of Luminus. To be the head of a new division of the church. Do you think it's a mistake to say yes?"
Rina smiled, "I'll say the same thing to you that I've said to someone else today: There are a million ways of living this life. If you feel held back by it, then change it. Only you can."
Gewain was silent again, then opened his mouth to speak. Just then, however, another hand cut in and stole Rina from Gewain.
"Rina, darling!" Agronoch addressed her with a smile as she took his icy hand.

Across the ballroom, Blanke then approached Gronk, "Everyone's dancing," he said.
"Yes, it is the culture," she answered.
"Should we dance?"
"Yes, we should. My culture."
The two of them then began doing a ritual dance of Raracol, shaking the floor as they danced.
Blanke then grabbed an entire cask of wine and drank out of it directly, "I said I wouldn't drink a whole one on my own, wanna share?"
"Yes," said Gronk as she grabbed it from him and drank.
Blanke put up a finger for a servant to bring more sandwiches. When the server arrived, she whispered to him, "I wanted to thank you, as a member of The Bound. Not everyone likes the church."
Blanke took the tray, and handed the empty tray back to her, "You're welcome!"
The server ran away quickly, hoping that no one else heard.

Gabrielle then approached Alice and held out her hand, "Do you... Will you dance with me, Alice?"
Alice looked surprised, but finished her drink and held out her hand, "Sure!"
They both began to dance, but neither seemed to know the leading steps - so they stepped on each others toes a painful amount in the beginning.
"Here," said Alice as she stood on Gabrielle's iron boots, "this way I will always follow your movements."
Gabrielle felt awkward at first, but got used to it quickly and smiled, "Yes, this is easier."
After getting used to it for a while, Gabrielle spoke again, "So, you must know what it's like to be a child of prophesy, too."
"Sort of..." Alice responded, "I was cursed by nature, or so they said."
"I bet your parents were a lot more easy going, huh?"
"I don't remember them well," said Alice, "I got chased out of town when I was young and I haven't seen them since."
"Lucky," Gabrielle responded, "My parents were smothering. I always had to be perfect. They wouldn't let me go anywhere or do anything. At least you got your freedom."
"I wish my parents cared about me like that," Alice said, "Not the smothering part, but the dedication. They just sent me away. I blow up whenever I pass out, it's inconvenient to say the least."
"So do I!" Gabrielle exclaimed, a little too excitedly, "But... I always just felt like a tool to be used whenever it was convenient. Not just a person."
"They called me Pradhana, what did they call you?"
"Hadprana," said Gabrielle. Alice snickered.
"People have high expectations of Prophesy children. I wasn't able to have friends, I don't really even know how to be friends... and my only purpose in life was to gain someone else's memories one day. To go to a terrifying place and bring those memories here. Then... well, then you took them from me."
"I didn't take it from you," Alice protested, "I got it back for you."
"But you didn't give it back! You drank it!"
"Well, yeah but... I shared it with you, didn't I? Besides, aren't we supposed to balance each other out or something?"
"Yeah... I guess we are," Gabrielle smiled.

As Gronk and Blanke finished their dance, and finish off the keg of wine, a royal attendant approached him, "The Queen would like to speak with you, Blanke."
Blanke looked around at the rest of his party members who were still dancing, "Just me?"
"Yes, just you."
Blanke followed the attendant up to the stage where the queen now sat alone, save for the king consort standing behind her.
The queen stood up, swaying a bit from how much she had drank, "Blanke, tell me, do you think you are strong? Do you value strength?"
"Well, yes, of course. I am the strongest, after all."
"Do you think you are strong enough to be a queen's knight?"
"Of course! The queen needs the strongest, and I'm the strongest!"
"Then how would you like me to make you my knight? Right here, right now?"
Without a thought, Blanke answered, "Yes, that makes the most sense!"
The queen stood up, handed her glass to her husband, and pulled out his greatsword.
"Bow before me, Blanke, so that I may knight you."
Blanke bowed, a tear fell down his face.
The queen put the sword to one side, then the other, "I now knight you, Ser Blanke of the Queen's army. You may stand."
Blanke stood up, "Cool! Now, are there any more sandwiches? I'm hungry."
Loanna laughed out loud, "Yes, get this man some sandwiches!"
An attendant gave Blanke yet another entire tray of sandwiches, and he sauntered back into the crowd of dancers.

As Enoch cut in to Rina's dance with Gewain, he was disguised as a human - as he was the day they met - but she could still see the real him.
"Rina, darling! It's so nice to see you again!"
Rina smiled, "It's amazing to see you again, Enoch. I was worried about you while you were distant."
"Oh you don't need to worry about me, Rina. By the way, who was that guy you were dancing with?"
"Why? Jealous?" Rina smirked, "He's just a guy who fought in the Everbleed Bowl in the finals. His father was killed this morning and I guess he just wanted to talk to me."
"Well you seem to have a bit of a bleeding heart, to care about something like that."
Rina paused a moment and smiled, "Maybe you're right."
"Do you... like him, or something?"
Rina shrugged, "I don't know him that well. But I'd have to say he's not my type."
"And what is your type, Rina?"
She rolled her eyes, "Enoch, come on. You know I think you're hot."
"Oh, what was that? I didn't hear you."
Rina sighed and smiled, "I'm not saying it again."
"No, please, I really didn't hear you," he smirked.
"I think you're hot, ok? But it's not like you don't know it. You know you're hot."
"Well, I am the best looking of my brothers. They're all good looking, but I have to say - I am the hottest."
"How many brothers? And where are you in the line?"
"I have 4 brothers, I'm 2nd to last. I've been helping them out with some projects... sorry I wasn't able to really be here."
"If you've spent time helping them, are they - by chance - doing anything to help us?"
"Oh, no. Definitely not."
"I've learned a lot more about you, and about devils. And that you have all of your memories on your side."
"Yes, I... I remember everything. Which is why I need you to keep working towards our goal. Your friend, Alice, really helped us make headway."
Rina paused, thinking about Therius' words implying that all devils become so due to being evil in life. "What exactly are you working for, Enoch?"
"I'm working for us, Rina! For the side of good!"
"Okay, then I trust you. But there's so many questions I need answered."
The song changed a bit as it began to wrap up, so Enoch changed his dancing cadence a bit - and changed the subject.
"Rina, do you know what will happen to you when you die?"
Rina was surprised at the question, "Uh, actually, no. I was going to ask you that. In fact, I have a lot of questions for you. What will you do with the souls you get? What will you do with me?"
"Well, Rina, when you die..." The song began to end, and, just as he had done the first day they met, he dipped her, "I think you'll be a lot like me."
With the end of the song, Enoch vanished once again. Leaving Rina in the middle of the dance floor, alone.

On the stage, Gewain was being knighted and then sat near the former Pontifex. Both were now heads of factions of the Church, as well as Conrad of the Eyeless Kindness.
Many hours went by - people danced until they could dance no longer, or they drank until they passed out.
Alice and Blanke had overdone themselves with drink, but Rina stayed laser focused on the Queen - who was apparently intending to bring The Bound into her inner chambers.
After most of the people had ceased being mobile, Queen Loanna Staffon got up from her chair, then walked - tipsily - through a door behind her throne.
The King Consort, Edmond Staffon, then approached The Bound. Only Rina, Alice, and Blanke were still present - Lloyd and Neely had left.
"The queen wishes to see you now," he said sternly.
Rina stood up and began walking with Edmond, Blanke and Alice stumbled behind.
Through the back door, the castle opened up to a field on the inside of the large cube of a keep. In the center of the field was yet another castle - one typical of castles in the area, not at all like the large black box of the Cavebear Castle. A small moat was around it, and guards stood at the drawbridge.
Edmond guided them over the drawbridge and into the castle. Up a few flights of stairs, he stopped at a room and knocked.

"Come in," the Queen's voice said from behind the door.
The King consort opened the door, and allowed the party to enter first.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable," the queen said as she gestured at the chairs in the room.
Her chambers were less opulent than most of the castle. Much of it was made of wood, with green and gold motifs. There were many different types of chairs around a fireplace that was lit, and the queen, herself, stood facing away from them toward a barred window.
Alice plopped down on a small couch, and Blanke sat in the most comfortable-looking chair. Rina pulled a simple chair toward the left of the fireplace, turned it around, and sat facing the room.
The queen wore a thick bear skin as a cloak, and held a simple cup of wine in her hand, "How do you all like the wine?"
"I loved it!" Blanke said, "I finished off a whole barrel. I mean... Half! Half of a barrel."
"I thought it was - Hiccup - Great!" said Alice.
"I have opted not to drink this evening," said Rina.

The queen turned her head a bit toward Rina, but did not quite look at her. "Out," She said to the guards, who all left except for her husband. She then pulled on the string holding up her bear skin cloak, and she let it drop to the floor. Beneath it was another robe, thin and long, and open in the front. As she turned around to face the party, they could see she had nothing on underneath.
She walked up to Blanke, "You, Ser, are sitting in my chair."
"You said make yourself at home, this chair is clearly the most... homely."
"Ha! You see, this is why I like you, Ser Blanke, the knight. And you, Alice - you are so... free."
She then turned to Rina, who was staring her directly into the eyes.
The queen then sat down on a different chair, in view of everyone, and spread her legs - leaving nothing to the imagination.
She took another gulp of her drink, then began to speak, "Did you know that you can be beheaded just by seeing a queen naked?"
Rina's eyes widened, but she did not break eye contact.
"This is a stupid law," the Queen continued, "Don't you agree? It should be changed. After all, I'd only have to scream and you would all be immediately arrested! Especially with a witness," she gestured to her husband who stood in the corner of the room with his hand on his sword's hilt.
"What other laws do you think should be changed?"
"The law that says we have to obey a single person's every whim and will," Rina answered.
The queen smirked, but not in amusement.

"I'd like to tell you all, the strongest fighters in the country, about my life. You see, I was never good at... this. Even as a child." She gritted her teeth a bit as she spoke, "I was forced to act perfect. Always smile, always be on your best behavior, be kind, dance elegantly... be nice, rule nicely. I hated it all. I spent most of my life with just my mother, who tried to teach me. But I was stubborn. To the point where my father decided to send me abroad to... straighten out my attitude. When we began trade with Raracol, I was sent there for training. There, they do not value niceties. They value strength. They would rather not sugar coat things or act proper. They get things out in the open, and fight for it if they have to. Everything here is just a game... a political game. Well, I say fuck the game! I want to hire the three of you. I value your strength. I should like for you to my advisers on the military council. I already know you're on a mission to kill the gods - I should very much like to have a say about which you aim for, as well."
"I'm in!" Blanke yelled, "I'm already a knight! I get to be a boss now!"
"Me too!" said Alice.

Loanna then turned to Rina, "And you?"
"I do not wish to work under you, queen. I have already done my service to you. You wanted our wish to serve you, and it did. Blanke is a citizen here, you've already knighted him, non-consensually, I might add. Both of these two are too drunk to make decisions."
Loanna cocked her head to the side, "If you don't, I may be inclined to... retaliate. There is a little country to the south of here that relies on Asmery to keep their enemy from bypassing Drysky desert."
Rina's brow furrowed, "So, blackmail. This is how you do things? You don't have anything I want, so you threaten someone I love, instead? This is the type of relationship you want with your military council? Two people who were too drunk to consent, and the other who was blackmailed into working for you? I don't need this. This isn't my country, and you aren't my queen."
"What would get you to say yes, Rina?" the queen asked as she walked up to Rina and held out a full glass of wine to her.
"Now? After this garish display? Nothing."

"What about Darrian, Rina?" Alice said quietly.
Rina thought a moment, understanding that this was the desire of the party, and the best way to keep Darrian safe. "Fine. I yield. I will work with you, for now."
"For now?" asked the queen, "That is not enough."
"I'm an elf. I'll live much longer than you. So... 'for now.'"
The queen handed Blanke and Alice each a glass of wine, she filled up her own, then handed one to Rina, once again.
"Drink, and you will be my advisors."
Blanke drank without thinking, then Alice drank, too.
"I have not had a drink at all tonight, and I do not wish to," said Rina, "Perhaps water, instead?"
"Drink, elf," responded Loanna.
Rina took the glass and spilled it on the ground.
The queen picked up the decanter and began to pour it into Rina's glass. She poured until it overflowed onto the ground, and kept pouring until the decanter was empty.
"Drink, or you will regret it."
Rina was filled with rage, so much so that she could not think of anything to do but stand with her fists clinched.
A few moments passed, then the queen quickly turned around and pulled her husband's sword from its sheath and pointed it at Rina, "Enjoy your last day in Asmery, Elf."

Next Day 68 (S47)