Magna City Shining Congress – Main Lobby

[Jackie Cat]

Angel smiled gratefully at Ghaspius for offering to step in should he ever be as far south as Frigatespur. Even if nothing came of it, she'd become properly ingratiated with the Wayfarers by now. Apparently their reputation, or their status as 'angels' gave them more clout than certain established knights of the Covenant... at least with some members of the society.

"Do you think you'll need a lift back to your room later?"

Angel tittered again, and nodded a little. She probably needed to lie down for a bit soon. She was starting to seem drowsy...

"A Scizor? Do y'all have a name?" He asked, trying to sort the various Covenant members in his head. "I got a clear picture of the Scizor, but just what about the other one — Ser Aster — what makes them so notorious? Like they go out and start pickin' fights with random civvies or somethin'?"

"Gallant, or Glitter or somethin'," she muttered. "Oh, and um, Ser Aster is alright by me, really. She just doesn't have any, uhh, discipline? She is a faller, so it's not really her fault she didn't have a civilised upbringing, bless her. I think it's more important a knight executes her duty well rather than having a clean mouth and orderly paperwork, ahaha!"

So, not a bully then – just foul-mouthed and tardy.

Angel nodded along eagerly as Ghaspius opined about making a better life for everyone. She smiled up at him with the sparkles in her eyes she'd had before, now that they'd move on from unpleasant topics, however exciting they were to gossip about.

"No contest at all, Ser Ghaspius!" Putting down her glass, Angel flew to hover close to the Mismagius and clutched a wispy ribbon in her tiny hands. "It's been an honour to meet such a noble soul this day. I promise, if there's ever anything I can help you with, or do for you at all, you may dispense with my help whenever you need it!"

She came on a little strong, what with all the sparkling white wine, but she was lucid enough. She really meant it.

 

[canisaries]

"Well, of course the Order are only human, there's bound to be, um, the occasional misadventure," the Ribombee hedged, making a mollifying gesture.

'Only human'. That was an odd phrase for a Covenant member to say. One would think there was no 'only' about a human within these walls. But perhaps Betel had just translated it that way, and she'd actually said something more general about sapient fallibility.

I suppose if the lance in Frigatespur are up to no good, and it was reported to the Grandmaster, then they might get sanctioned?

Grandmaster?

Andre listened to Angel and Ghaspius' exchange, then cleared his throat. "I wanna go back a bit. Grandmaster? Is that the head of the Covenant? Who are they?"

 

[MintyMimix]

"No contest at all, Ser Ghaspius!" Putting down her glass, Angel flew to hover close to the Mismagius and clutched a wispy ribbon in her tiny hands. "It's been an honour to meet such a noble soul this day. I promise, if there's ever anything I can help you with, or do for you at all, you may dispense with my help whenever you need it!"

Though the remarks about Ser Aster simply being rowdy as a mark against them gave Ghaspius pause, the enthusiasm Angel showed was too utterly infectious to ignore.

His gemstones glimmered in a wave as he placed his placed one of his ribbons atop her hands. "It was a real delight to meet ya too, Angel," he replied, swaying from side-to-side in whimsical glee, "Will reach out to y'all if we ever need, well, an angel!" He winked as let go of the grip — not realizing someone like her might not take it as a nonverbal gesture to the pun rather than the compliment.

"And feel free to reach out to us if y'all find yourself in a bind!"

The Klefki let out a suspecting hum, but made no vocal remark. She leaned over and gently placed the empty glass into one of her many containers of wonder for later cleaning. "Wondering about all your stories as well, but I gotta take care of this lady here. If you're still around, would love to hear what you have to say on a few things."

 

[Jackie Cat]

'Only human'. That was an odd phrase for a Covenant member to say. One would think there was no 'only' about a human within these walls. But perhaps Betel had just translated it that way, and she'd actually said something more general about sapient fallibility.

Actually, Andre, the phrase is very nearly a perfect translation! It may be that it implicitly contrasts the mortal with the divine, or the mechanical, for instance?

(Or Andre was right nonetheless, and 'only human' may as well be 'only sapient', but for that the latter rolled less well off one's tongue.)

"And feel free to reach out to us if y'all find yourself in a bind!"

"O-oh! I will! Thank you!"

The little bug was practically swooning.

The other Covenant members nearby, such as the Teardrop staff, had been making easy conversation and picking at the buffet. With Angel flagging a little, it looked like one or two of them might volunteer to escort her away from the party...

"I wanna go back a bit. Grandmaster? Is that the head of the Covenant? Who are they?"

Roscoe, the Aipom, stepped in for this one.

"Eh, no, the Grandmaster is just the most senior knight in the Order of the Lantern," he explained. "But he does have some pretty hefty influence, y'know? And he's wholly in charge of the Order, obviously. But the society as a whole, nah, there's not really a top bigwig as such..."

"De jure, perhaps," interjected a nearby Unfezant who'd been listening in, "but de facto? The Chancellor may as well be the head of the society, surely!"

And who was that, then?

"Lord Arthur, that is. He is the current Chancellor, and he is what you might call our leader, no?"

Roscoe sniffed. "Chancellor's just a fancy title that comes with a lotta paperwork. He's not actually in charge of shit."

The Unfezant chuckled heartily. "The western manner, how diverting! Well, be that as it may, the Chancellor is the closest thing we have to a head, no matter how much any authority is decentralised."

 

[Shadow Serenity]

"Gallant, or Glitter or somethin'," she muttered. "Oh, and um, Ser Aster is alright by me, really. She just doesn't have any, uhh, discipline? She is a faller, so it's not really her fault she didn't have a civilised upbringing, bless her.

"Lord Arthur, that is. He is the current Chancellor, and he is what you might call our leader, no?"

So they should be wary of a scizor with a G name. Ser Aster was not one to be concerned with (although Kimiko wondered if her status as a faller meant anything... something to ask the group later). And this Lord Arthur was Chancellor, who may or may not be the head of the entire Order. Kimiko noticed how they didn't actually name who the Grandmaster was, but that should be easy enough to figure out with a little digging. They'd gotten a fair bit of information, and the little bug was looking a little worse for wear. Truly, Kimiko had never seen someone on their way to drunkness faster.

"Thank you for all your help," she said with a grin and a nod towards Angel, and sparing a moment to catch the eye of the pignite, the aipom, and the klefki as well before returning to Angel. "I expect we'll be seeing you around. And if nothing else, I'll be in touch about the funding for that library!"

With that, Kimiko finished what was left of her... bread? (She never did figure out what it was she'd been eating.) She was eager to find out what the others had discovered, but she hadn't seen anyone who wandered off with other Covenant members actually return yet.

Between Ghaspius and the klefki, Angel was in good hands (so to speak), so Kimiko excused herself, hoping to poke her head down a hallway or two. Surely that meeting that had been happening was close to over by now...

<><><><>​

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura had been anticipating a return to the Covenant since the Wayfarers were displaced across the continent. She'd been preparing mentally, asking after every stray story of a possible CDE agent in hiding, training with Malachai and whoever else would spar with them – anything to stay productive. Time not spent working towards the inevitable mission felt somehow... un-earned.

She hadn't expected it all to happen so suddenly and all at once.

Sada and Betel, who Jade had parted with in some tinker-town in Prosper, had apparently headed east, back towards the Congress. Sada, in all her optimistic ingenuity, had decided to create a Waypoint just outside the Congress, to obviate the need to take Articuno Airlines there. Then, only hours after the two of them stepped (and floated) into town, so too had a messenger from the Covenant: Bobby, the Hypno gentlemon who'd sat at the head of the Roundtable.

"Why, I do give you all the best of wishes, both mine own and those of my dear friend Arthur, the aforementioned fellow bein' the one who made the request of my time and sensibilities to deliver y'all an invitation. Now, see, Arthur has been not insubstantially laid up of late, but by rights and mercies he's feelin' well enough about now to finally entertain some guests, as it were—"

Bobby was a 'mon of many, many words, but the bottom line was that three or four representatives for the Wayfarers were expected at the Shining Congress at their earliest convenience, to meet with Lord Arthur for afternoon tea and 'an inquiring discussion about their respective inclinations and intentions'.

And so, after some ensuing discussion about whether to accept, that they had to accept this one chance to meet with Arthur himself, who should go (and who shouldn't go), how they should handle themselves (politely), and so on... they'd arrived. With Betel present, alongside Professor Sada of all 'mon.

"I have met with Arthur before," remarked Sada, as the group entered the antechamber of the building. "It was an interesting experience. I am afraid I do not have any particular insights for you, however—as we have established, the nuances of social interactions escape me, and I believe the technical details of our discussion would escape you. Even so, I can tell you that I found him agreeable and hospitable to speak with."

"That's reassuring," lied Laura. "Thanks."

"You are very welcome!"

Laura had been expecting some heads to turn at the arrival of the 'Lighthouse', the Porygon2 amongst their small party. Betel had been strangely – uncharacteristically – insistent on their inclusion in the group. 'I desire to meet the individual who ordered my creation,' or something like that. But no, the Congress was hardly the bustling hive of activity it had been last time. In fairness, that had been a party, but even so, Laura had expected more people present. The place was practically empty.

Up ahead, it looked like Gladius had made it back safely. The Zoroark was here, in his guise as Ser Iridium, the Lucario knight.

There was no sign of Matthias.

 

[Namohysip]

"Here again," Mhynt hummed thoughtfully. "But this time with the most V of VIPs."

"I think it's 'I' that is the most, not the 'V'."

"What's the V?"

"Very."

"Very what?"

"Important."

"Yes, that's what I mean."

"No, the I means Important in VIP."

"Ugh, I don't understand these terms."

"Weren't you a VIP in Cipher City? What did they call you?"

"Oh, I didn't pay too much attention. I think I was called, oh please, right this way, don't turn me to dust, or something."

"...Right."

Once they were more in the public eye, Owen habitually receded into the shadows, and Mhynt took the lead. Behind her, Zena--still, unfortunately, a Feebas--followed after. Despite her horrid appearance, she was the most experienced with decorum, from her time before formally meeting Owen. She had prompted them both on how to properly behave in front of someone of such high authority... and was there to nudge them in the right direction if they strayed from that path.

 

[Shadow Serenity]

All things considered, Kimiko felt out of her element. She was grateful to have Laura with them; politics seemed more up her alley. The idea that the one they were here to meet was 'agreeable' was... well, something they'd have to figure out for themselves. She might not have come at all had Betel not been so insistent... and as Kimiko had yet to find any satisfactory way to pay thanks to their summoner, she figured this might go some way towards showing her appreciation for all the help they'd been given the last several months.

That, and she still had a side-eye on Sada. But, Betel seemed to trust her well enough, which was good enough to keep her from starting a riot over her presence.

She'd also purposely left Alex back in town. He'd know something was up, and the last thing they all needed was for him to start questioning it in front of her. He also wouldn't likely understand half of what was going to be said here, either. He still had quite a lot to learn. Better to let him absorb the basics, first.

She followed behind Mhynt, the corners of her mouth turned up in a grin, the only sign she was suppressing her laughter. At the sight of Gladius, she offered a curt nod, but nothing more.

"So, uh... are we expecting anyone else to be joining us? Current party aside, of course."