Novelux Smokestack Hostel & Bar

[Chibi Pika]

Located right on the edge of downtown Novelux and only a stone's throw from the industrial district was the Smokestack Hostel & Bar. While it wasn't exactly pretty from the outside, with its soot-stained brick and rusted metal fixtures, the place made up for it with cheap drinks, decent bar food, and reasonably clean accommodations. You wouldn't catch anyone from the upper society here, but you'd see plenty of workers, tradesmon, and out-of-towners passing through. One could easily come away from an evening spent in the bar with a whole mess of rumors, from the dealings of Lennox Fermlein to the movements of the Vanguard. How much of it was true was another story entirely.

The upstairs windows had a good view of the harbor, with the Battle Dome just barely visible. Moreover, the upper balcony also made for a good entry and exit for flying mon...

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“We probably will need to speak to each other again, now that your group has reached Novelux." He paused for a bit, considering, then added, "I'll ask Farin to find you where you're staying. We can arrange something then."

That was the last thing Valere had said to the Wayfarers before making himself scarce at Sparkwright Polytechnic on the day that the Covenant's plot to kidnap the university's namesake had been thwarted. True to his word, not long after the Wayfarers had made their way back to the hostel that night, Gladion would have found a note establishing contact, and the shadow of a familiar Noivern fading into the night.

That was then. It had been some weeks since, and the Wayfarers had had much to contend with, from the spread of shadow-corrupted dungeons, to the efforts to return Cipher to Earth, to the fierce battle in the depths of the Voidlands. But now, with the group returning to Novelux to follow up on Articuno's request to investigate the shady operations happening within the Covenant, there was finally the opportunity for a meeting.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

The world wasn't ending anymore, but that didn't mean Gladion had room to breathe for a bit. No. That would be too damn easy. Not only was Blackglass Caldera something he had to make sure happened, he also had to deal with Valere. He firmly believed he'd done nothing wrong, but still couldn't help but feel a sense of forboding. He tried not to look nervous as he made his way into the place, but he was. He didn't regret treatising with Articuno, he didn't think anything that could happen here would change that. Not when it promised to actually make a difference.

Didn't mean Valere would see it that way. Nor did he think it was a good idea to lie to the Gallade. He didn't even really want to try to spin it, although he wasn't sure if that was entirely a voluntary thing or if it was just gonna happen the second he started to think about how to frame the discussion. (And he was already anxiously poring over how to frame it. Was that the same impulse that made him "fluent in spin?" It probably was. Shit.)

It wasn't possible for a Silvally to look entirely inconspicuous, but he tried to at least look unsuspicious as he made his way over to the meeting spot.

 

[Chibi Pika]

One minute the window was empty, looking out at the glittering frost on the brightly lit streets of Novelux—a novelty in this world. The next, a cloaked figure leapt down from the rooftop to land on the metal railing of the balcony, slipping inside the hostel like a shadow.

Once inside, Valere lowered his Covert Cloak, shaking a few snowflakes from its hood, and nodded to Gladion. "It's been a long while. I imagine you offworlders have had your hands full," he said, with just a touch of dry humor.

From the last messages he'd exchanged with the Wayfarers, the Gallade knew that the Wayfarers would be busying themselves with the remnants of Cipher and the spread of corrupted dungeons. And he'd also implied that he and his allies would be keeping an eye out for similar corruption in the rifts around Novelux.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Clearly, Gladion's first mistake looking for Valere was expecting him to use the door like a normal person. Guy knew how to make an entrance. Should've been clear to him by now.

"No rest for the wicked, you know how it is." (He successfully avoided scoffing at himself.) "In all seriousness, though... Yeah. Lot's happened with us. Figured out why we're here, for one thing. Guessing I'm probably not gonna shock you by telling you it ends up tying into the coven."

Articuno had helped figure a lot of it out. Even knowing where Gladion's sympathies were. He... wasn't willing to touch that subject yet.

"So. I'll tell you what I know, but first... I wanna know, you made up your mind about us yet?" Asking Valere to lay it out for him this early was a risk. Valere might try to play him for more information by acting more sympathetic towards the Wayfarers than he really was. Even though Gladion didn't want to lie to the guy either way, Valere didn't necessarily know that. Hell, the answer probably would effect how safe Gladion felt being forthcoming with information... 'Cause if it wouldn't, then there'd be no need for him to be so hungry to find out what Valere felt.

"Been waiting to find that out, honestly."

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Figured out why we're here, for one thing. Guessing I'm probably not gonna shock you by telling you it ends up tying into the coven."

Valere glanced away, something flickering across his expression. "Mm... I'd suspected that was a possibility." It was harder to get a read on how he'd felt about that, though. Almost like it was both what he'd been hoping—and fearing.

"So. I'll tell you what I know, but first... I wanna know, you made up your mind about us yet?"

The Gallade was quiet for a long moment, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "I've heard a lot about your group since we crossed paths in Sojavenia, and about all the good you've done across the continent. I'd be a fool to pretend it didn't mean anything, it's just..." His eyes traced the floor, pensive. "Well, I've told myself that in this case, your numbers might actually be a safeguard. It'd be harder for the Coven to isolate any of you, and easier for the others to intervene if it came to that." A pause, and then: "You were at the university, so... you already know I failed on that front." There was a hanging implication left unsaid... that perhaps, they could succeed where he'd failed.

Either way, it was clear that while the Vanguard leader wasn't about to lower his guard or let go of his caution, he did not consider the Wayfarers to be his enemy. Some small part of him, not entirely crushed by cynicism, even hoped that this could be an opportunity.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion nodded, faintly smiling at the recognition of what they had accomplished. This was the best reception that he had realistically expected. "I think you're correct, about our numbers safeguarding us. It's hard to control the ideology of someone you can't isolate from outside opinions. Having warning of who we were dealing with helped, too."

But inevitably the problem they were going to face wouldn't be one of someone agreeing with the Coven. Articuno, despite everything, wanted to move forwards with the plan to plant Wayfarers into the organization. If they, like Matthais, were going to try to play double agent then the inevitable question was what they were going to do differently to avoid just ending up complicit.

He didn't have an answer for that. It was why he was staying far away from that whole operation. If push came to shove, he was scared he'd blow the whole thing if there was a line he couldn't cross. (And there were a lot of lines he was unwilling to cross.)

"I assume he's already tried to tell you that he fancies himself some kind of double agent? You seem like you were pretty close, so I can't imagine he kept that from you. Before you busted in, he let it slip that he thought he was gonna change the Coven from within..." Gladion made no effort to hide the derision he held for that idea.

Maybe that would be the difference: What their end goal was. Matthias talked about policy changes. He hadn't done a census of the Wayfarers, but he was pretty sure that wasn't their angle. He was pretty sure it wasn't even Articuno's angle anymore.

"But even if he got what he wanted, I don't think either of us would be satisfied with seeing the Coven make some policy changes."

 

[Chibi Pika]

"I assume he's already tried to tell you that he fancies himself some kind of double agent? You seem like you were pretty close, so I can't imagine he kept that from you. Before you busted in, he let it slip that he thought he was gonna change the Coven from within..." Gladion made no effort to hide the derision he held for that idea.

Valere glanced out the window, scarlet eyes tracing the city skyline. "He'd brought up the idea a few times, before everything went wrong. I wasn't happy about it; thought he was just being fatalistic, assuming we'd lose before we'd even got the chance to properly fight. That wasn't like him." The two must have fought about it numerous times...

"Then he just goes and surrenders to them, just assuming I'd be fine with it because it was 'obviously the best option.' There might've been a time I convinced myself that having him working on the inside could be some help, but that's long past. Not after everything he's done." It was clear that Matthias hadn't exactly approached his switch to the Covenant in a 'double agent' sort of way.

We've been enemies for as many years as we were friends at this point. That's what Valere had said, the last time they'd met.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion tried to act like he wasn't morbidly curious about the history between Valere and Matthias to a degree that would be socially inappropriate, despite the fact that this was very much the reality. Luckily, he was able to keep his cool. "Lose what? Was he actually interested in fighting the Coven before? Hard for me to picture, given what I've seen of him, but... People change, I guess."

That wasn't really it, though, was it? He felt a rebuttal coming as soon as he said that: Valere had just told him about how many times Matthias had raised the idea. So, he corrected himself. "Or, I suppose that might not be the right way of putting it, just... Well, I guess you'd know better than I do whether he really changed, or if that was always a part of him. Given that... you two were close, as I understand it."

Despite- or perhaps in part stemming from the same source as- his curiosity, he was sympathetic towards Valere for losing a friend like that. That, he made no attempt to hide. "I can't imagine assuming you'd be fine. With that, I mean. You, uhh... That sucks."

Great work. Absolutely nailed that one.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Valere glance at Gladion, taking in the chimera's expression and his tone. The curiosity there wasn't lost on the Gallade, and he didn't seem too bothered by it. Maybe it wasn't something he'd have willingly shared before, but Gladion and the others had seen the two of them clash and had spoken to Matthias just before. The veil had already been pulled back, to some extent.

"We'd been fighting them for a few years by then. I say 'fighting,' but the scope was a lot smaller back then. We were young, trying to figure out why he'd been called here. Caused trouble, made some enemies, started to get the impression that it was all a lot bigger than us. But that's what made it important." He shook his head. "I don't really know if I can say that he changed. He still acts like everything is some puzzle that only he can figure out. Maybe he was always willing to sink to any level to do it."

The bitterness in Valere's voice had faded into a dull tiredness. He'd had three years to come to terms with the way things were now. Still, something in his eyes said that he appreciated Gladion's commiserating.

Valere inhaled slowly. "There's no point in dwelling on it. There was something you wanted to tell me?"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“I mean…” (There wasn’t really anything he wanted to tell Valere at all. There was, however, something he probably had to.) “I guess there’s something you should know about.”

He still hadn’t decided how he wanted to frame the situation. Maybe that was fine. Maybe that was what it meant to avoid spinning it.

“We’ve been in touch with one of the saints, Articuno. Only… They’re kind of Coven? They’re older than it is, hoped to good out of it. Only, they can recognize it hasn’t really. Y’know. Worked. So they’re not aligned with Matthias’ faction, helped us set the ambush for him. Helped us get up North to deal with this whole situation that just wrapped up too. So I don’t think working with them is a bad idea. But If be lying if I said the whole thing didn’t feel a little… fraught.”

 

[Chibi Pika]

Valere closed his eyes, exhaling through his nose in an approximation of a chuckle. "At least this time I get told directly," he said with a dry smirk. There was something kind of ironic about all this, wasn't there?

The Gallade rested his chin on his palm. "Truthfully, I had to wonder after what happened at the university. At least, I didn't think it was just a coincidence that your group was teamed up with Chesnaught Sammy. She's a bit of a folk hero around here, but we keep tabs on her when we can, given her spot in the Coven." From his tone, he didn't seem to harbor particular ill-will toward her. Maybe he just thought she was... naive.

"So the Saint bird themself asked you to stop him that day," Valere said thoughtfully. This wasn't something he had schema for, and it showed from his conflicted expression. "There's a part of me that can't help hoping this could be an opportunity... if it all doesn't backfire."

He hadn't always been so mistrusting. It wasn't in his nature, not really. It'd been a lesson learned.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Visible relief slipped through Gladion’s attempt at maintaining an even demeanour. “It’s an opportunity we need. But… the similarities aren’t lost on me either. I’m of the belief it can go differently for us because we’ve got someone high up who actively wants us to spy on the Coven, and is willing to help facilitate us doing so. Should mean that we don’t just end up playing the game we’re trying to shut down.”

The cold rationale felt wrong to say aloud. It was true, or at least he desperately hoped it was. And yet there was another reason he was certain he wouldn’t end up a tool of the Coven. “Don’t think I’ll be able to put up with them that long, otherwise. And also sleep at night. You know, it was the Coven who made Forlas’ member of my species. Hurt them, and once they considered them a doomed project, sold them off…”

He made eye contact with Valere, bearing a look of ferocity. And pain. “I’m hoping I can draw them out of hiding by being there. By being a working unit, who just fell out of the sky for them. As far as they know I should be oblivious as to our origins here. There’s no way I can actually bring myself to work with them, though. Matthias could. He knew what I was.”

 

[Chibi Pika]

Valere cracked a thin smirk at 'playing the game we’re trying to shut down.' That certainly was an apt descriptor for Matthias, if there ever was one.

At the mention of the ARK Unit, the Gallade furrowed his brow, as if several puzzle pieces had just clicked together in his head. And the fire in Gladion's eyes wasn't lost on him. "We'd received intel that the Radiant Knight project was unsuccessful, but never had the chance to look into it further. And, well, it'd failed, so it didn't seem like an imminent threat. But if Matthias recognized you, then he'd be the key to finding the alchemists who worked on the project."

Gladion would almost certainly be crossing paths with the Greninja again, in other words.

A dry chuckle. "In the past, there would've been all sorts of things I would've wanted you to say to him. Not anymore, though." Valere met Gladion's eye. "You've already spoken with him, so you don't need me to tell you what he's like. I expect he'll talk circles around some kind of point without ever truly speaking his mind, as if it's all some invisible game. But something tells me you've dealt with that type before."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Valere… knew? Valere knew what was up with ARK was as early as the castle, but never told him.

As much as he wished he could’ve found out sooner, there was no reason to mourn for missed opportunities. It wouldn’t even have helped them rescue Sage any sooner, and they were safe now. It still gave him pause for long enough that Valere continued speaking.

"Fair enough. Can't imagine there's any chance he'd listen to much of anything you’d have to say. Or anyone, really. But I suppose you’re right: I’ve tolerated people who won’t listen to anything but their own voice before." He’d done a pretty shit job of it, given he pissed everyone off then ran away, but both parts of that were choices he actively made and he could do otherwise this time.

At least he wouldn’t have the same problem from two sides. “Thanks for hearing me out, by the way. Didn’t want to keep secrets from you.”

 

[Chibi Pika]

Valere's eyes traced the streets and windows visible outside, checking to make sure it was safe to leave. He might even have been silently conversing with Farin, making sure that no one was waiting for him.

“Thanks for hearing me out, by the way. Didn’t want to keep secrets from you.”

Valere paused for a long moment. "It only seemed fair to," he said quietly. Still, from the tone in his voice, it was undeniable that he appreciated Gladion's openness on this subject. He could only hope that he wouldn't regret it.

With one last nod to Gladion, the Gallade pulled his hood overhead and slipped through the window, back into the Novelux city night.

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