Welcome to Gaia! ::

Valis snagged the fruit out of the air. "At least six, maybe seven by this point," he said, before taking a bite out of the peach. "You know how deep the appeal for the rustic is in this city boy, so I think that was a safe guess. Follow me, I'll introduce you to the rest," he said, stepping back into the barn and taking another bite from the peach in hand. "Not bad, where did you pick this batch?"

"They're real good," Valis said, finishing the fruit and casting the seed aside. "We have a few others that carry themselves like Lawgiver's, and another that I'm having a hard time pinning down. Might be a Steward or a Vizier of some stripe, or a god-blood. Not sure, but I don't think she's a mortal. As for the resistance, they're taxed at best. Our hosts Hidden Jasper and Colonel Tetsun haven't mentioned long term plans too much. However, we've all but just began our first actual meeting with them."

Reaching down to open the hatch again, Valis looked up at his fellow Solar as he hung from the rafter. "You're lucky I came out to get some fresh air. I don't know if anyone else would have dared to answer a call like that," Valis added with a laugh.

"So how did the tournament go? Some mortal with barely awakened essence beat you again?"

"Oh no, please, beauty first. And it's Irritating Sermons," Valis reminded him, taking a step back and making a grand gesture.

"Sucker punch nothing, it was a beautiful blow," Valis corrected him. "As for the Hunt," his voice settled into a more serious tone, "I wouldn't be surprised to see it come, and in great numbers. The Bull has embarrassed them, and bad. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they send more forces, and not just Immaculates. Maybe a whole army."

As Grim and Valis step into the room, an aide rushes over to Colonel Tetsun and Hidden Jasper, handing them a sheet of paper.

"Ah, master..." Tetsun glances at the report, "Grim. We were worried you wouldn't be coming. Welcome to our secret headquarters. I hope we weren't too difficult to find," she says, angry eyes locked onto Jasper. I told you so is etched into every line of her face.

Taking care not to meet the Colonel's gaze, Hidden Jasper turns to greet the new arrival. "Sir, you are indeed most welcome here, and your timing is impeccable. We were just preparing a rescue team for one of our members."

Jasper proceeds to give a summary of Rokan-Jin's plight, the Resistance's plans to rescue their queen, and the current situation with the minister and sorcerer.

"As sorry as I am to separate two reunited friends, I feel your talents might be of most use if you were to accompany the rescue team."

Jasper turns to Sasha and bows. "And I surmise that you, mistress Sasha, will be most at home in Carnelian Peak, with the diplomatic envoy to Minister Aparna."

Colonel Tetsun steps forward to address the rescue team. "The mail coach should be ready to depart within the hour. We'll provide you with all the information we have, as well as some nondescript gear... though I can't force you to use it if you don't wish to. As for the diplomatic team, I'll entrust Hidden Jasper to set things up according to Akhil's suggestions."

"Glorious Fall has already left with some of our diplomats for the Linowan border. With any luck, the Linowan will be standing by to move in once we have the Queen." Pausing to collect some papers from the table, she clears her throat. "If any of you have special requests, make them now. Otherwise, I wish you all the gods' own speed on your missions, and I'll see you in the capitol."

Grim nods to the gathered exalts quickly and shrugs as he seems to be assigned to a team. "I have no requests at the moment but when we return it might behoove us to discuss your more longterm plans and goals." Grim reached into his bag and pulled out a peach. As he bit into it deeply and grinned, "After all I'd hate to find out we were just randomly reacting to the Bull's assaults."

Grim sighed to himself as he exited the hideout and sat down by a nearby house and began to juggle the peaches. The eclipse smiled as a small group of children gathered around to watch. He smiled and performed a variety of acrobatic tricks for them occassionaly tossing out a few peaches to the kids.

Sasha blushes slightly before answering.
"I'm hardly a Mistress anything, Ambassador. Still, I trust your judgement on the matter. I'll await departure with the others."

Anya didn't really have anything else to add, things would be discussed along the way, plans would be formed, plans would fail once they were started, things usually went that way so there was nothing to worry about and no surprises given that trail of thought. Something along the lines of "Go with the flow..." she remembered one of her Lunar acquaintances saying "...improvising is hard for the foe to predict."

Having nothing better to do before the departure of the coach, Anya decided to raid the pantry for a quick bite to eat. The others likely wouldn't miss her very much for a few minutes, maybe miss looking at her, but hardly miss her company at this point. Besides, she was more hungry than interested in listening to the others wish them good luck and such. It wasn't like they were going to face a horde of Dragon-Blooded...

It only took her a few minutes to get something together to eat, some cheese, a bit of bread, nothing more than a snack, before she was already heading out of the underground hideout and into the fresh air.

She enjoyed being outside a lot more than being cooped up underground, even the fact she was going to be crammed into a coach with other people didn't seem all that pleasant, even if it was better than in a tunnel or cave. Stretching up, Anya glanced around the outside of the barn while she re-adjusted her ever-present cloak. Besides the juggling newcomer and his child audience, there wasn't much outside to see that was different than yesterday night, besides the lack of spy birds. Deciding to make as much of her free time as possible, Anya decided to go take a nap in a nearby hay cart. It was sunny for the moment and the temperature was just right for a nice...long...nap. Cat naps in the sun were the best, only beaten by cat naps near a fireplace.

She climbed on top of the cart, placed her staff right next to her before stretching out into a comfortable position, adjusting the hay and her cloak around her small frame before pulling her hood down over her eyes and going off to nap land.

>>Ok I'm here. I'll do a bit of a fast forward for myself so we can get moving.<<

Ahkil takes some parchment from and a quill from the planning table and begins to outline a plan, including necessary supplies:

Hidden Jasper,

I realize that in such times funding is short and supplies are always too far away. It is with this understanding that I respectfully ask for the following:

-12 hardy, loyal, but relatively unknown men at your disposal. Two must be trained blacksmiths and a third as a stone mason. Though they should all know riverspeak, at least one must also be proficient in high realm and skytongue, preferably with experience as a scribe or bookkeeper. The remainder needn't have any special skills aside from a strong back and a sharp mind for they shall act as guardsmen and laborers.

-4 mules or other beasts of burden and 3 carts.

-A healthy and well-kept horse. Fit for a noble if possible.

-Enough trade items such as weapons, clothes, armor to load two carts with. Everything must be done to further the illusion of a traveling merchant and caravan master offering services to the "glorious conquerors". The final cart should be loaded with provisions for the men and animals.

-As much silver as can be spared. I would hope for 400 dinars to create the appearance of wealth.

-Not all of the supplies need be gathered at this location. We can certainly add to the caravan as we pass by other safehouses along the main roads. However, everything should be in order by the time the procession reaches the area around the capitol. Furthermore, we will leave in the night, so that our origin is kept secret to prying eyes.

I believe that the queen's fate is not yet sealed. She will be freed, but not with brute force as some in our midst seem to itch for. That path, as you know, leads to death and failure. We must instead establish a base in the capitol. I will lay a foundation for secret operations within the city by posing as a military contractor and general profiteer. In time we will make inroads with Aparna and other allies who I'm sure will soon be discovered.



Ahkil folds the paper and delivers it to Jasper personally, answers any questions, and finds a secluded spot in the nearby forest to practice martial arts >>He keeps his workout fairly mundane for secrecy. Also, if Hidden Jasper does have questions we can work that out over PM or the OOC thread.<<