A Secret Deal

-== The Third Day, Ursa Minor Village ==- As Nuru returns back with a scouting report on the converging Shirley army that definitely knows about the root bridge now, there is a another raven that comes back with her. it is a green bird with leathery wings that better resembles a bat than a bird. One eye is larger than the other. It lands next to Alexa and speaks in common as if playing back an Animal Message to her, "Alexa Stone," it says in the voice of The Doctor, "I propose a parlay. If amenable to talk, join me in the Shadow Market. Come alone."
Alexa looks to the deformed bat thing, "I will meet you there." She says it with confidence but inside she is anything but. She pulls the party together to advise them of what's happening. "The doctor and the dragons know that Shirley is working against them. The doctor has asked for a parlay, I imagine it will be something along the vein of they will help us against the plants but want the tree." She looks around to everyone. " I do not plan to accept whatever he proposes, but it may provide insight into what we are about to face." Without waiting for a response Alexa turns away from them, she did her duty if advising them if the situation. Not wanting to be followed she casts invisibility on herself and goes a safe distance away to where she can enter the shadow market
The Shadow Market is a black mirror cast in a sea of darkness. Stepping inside there is already a figure at the desk where the Handler conducts his business. Soft piano music plays. Moonlight Sonata. No vocals from the songstress there.
"Privacy," says the Doctor. He is a tall man that is gangly like a bird. A large head is deformed into reptilian form on one side and humanish on the other. A set of glasses rests on is face, but only one side has a lens in it. He has a long labcoat stitched together with various leather in a patchwork fashion. Upon placing payment, a small scale, on the Handler's table, a door floats down from the darkness. It settles onto this plane. The Doctor walks over, opening it with his human hand and shows a room that looks like a banquet dinner. "An anonymous location, Ms. Stone, you'll find our conversation ethical and above board. Wine? If I recall correctly you prefer a fine red over a white when having steak."
Alexa looks at the deformed man which she had read so many reports on. She is unsettled, but does not let it show, time to pull out the charm she has used in these sorts of uncomfortable situations. "Of course, it's so nice if you to recall, however I seem to be struggling remembering the last time we dined together." She smiles, leaning into her natural charm, a changed demeanor from her typically analytical stance. She walks into the room and takes a seat at the chair facing the door, never have your back to a door.
"I am sure it will come back to you, in time," the Doctor says as he takes the seat opposite to Alexa. His back faces the door, but the food is already prepared. The wine is already poured. He smiles, a crooked smile where his face fails to even out from cheek to cheek, "a beautifully intelligent woman like yourself isn't want to stay in the dark long."
He begins to carve into his steak, a feat that looks difficult given his uneven hands yet he manages to do so with uncanny dexterity. His fingers are surgically nimble. "What is your assessment of the situation you are currently in," he asks. He extended the offer. He took the door. The first bite of food. All power plays. Alexa03/18/2020 Alexa looks to him, getting ready to play the game he is presenting. "I am sure with the information that I provided to the market that you are aware of the situation we're in. Both the green dragon and Shirley wants the ydrassil site, which could lead to catastrophe either way." She cuts into her steak and takes a bite, making sure to not let her analytical sense down. "But you've been working with the green dragon, how do you see the situation?" She remains poised, a Beauty in the presence of a Beast.
There is the cutting of metal against a plate. Carving. Chewing. "As an opportunity, same as you," the Doctor says as a thin hand reaches out for wine. The glass looks laughably small in his large, reptilian hand. "Although less dramatic as catastrophe," he continues on, "theatrics insult us both. There is nothing catastrophic about moderation and nothing to be gained without risk. These are simple, logical truths." He gestures to the table with his good hand, "but you already know this. I know this. Every permutation of this situation involves your annihilation." His head shakes, making his glasses fall further down his nose. A slender hand pushes it back up, "And that simply will not do. So I was left to wonder why such an intelligent person would throw their life away so frivolously. Wastefully. "
There is a moment of silence. "Duty, I suspect," the doctor chews, "or misinformation." His lizard eye looks to Alexa, "but theories must be validated. As vague as the information forthcoming may be. Try the dates, they are quite sweet."
Alexa smiles, "Well it is nice to know that you don't wish death on me, but I have full faith in my information source." She pauses and reaches for a date, "Of course, if you think you know better, I'm all ears."
There is a long stare with that one eye with Alexa, "Shame. I thought you were better at negotiations. Give and take. Though I am seeing why you end up losing so much in such a callous guard. Lets just enjoy our dinner then, shall we? No sense in having it go to waste. Ignorance is sweet, or so I hear." He takes a roll with one hand and nibbles on it.
Alexa pauses, she used the wrong tact. "I would prefer something more than dinner." A stop to think of the next move. "There is a plague across all of Arhor'ha, if Shirley gets the tree, millions will die, and there's nothing I could do to stop it. It may seem a pointless case in your eyes, but I am going to do my best to stop it." She observes him to see if this course of conversation is something more Keen to what he desires past a meal.
"Nice to see you put something on the table," the Doctor says, not unlike all the food that is currently on the table. Its a literal feast and too much for two people. "This is why I am reaching out, you see. Your objective neither harms nor aides mine. In fact, one might say that the heart of our goals are not too different." He stabs his steak harshly on the word 'heart'. "So there is opportunity to give and take. A forum to speak on data. To make sound decisions on facts. Now, onto matters of misinformation. Your intel on Shirley echoes my own. Your intel on the goals of the dragons? Tainted. Slanted by unproven, biased slander of a zealot. That won't do. Its an afront to arcanoscientific process."
She looks at him, trying to figure out why he thinks her information is wrong. "To my knowledge the dragons are trying to gain ground so they can take down the black dragon. Exactly how that involves the ydrassil, I'm not sure."
The Doctor listens intently, neatly chewing without making a sound. An impressive feat given half of his jaw is not human. Decorum is part of his persona. Forks and knives are in their place, neatly. "Byle," the monstrosity states, "the Black Dragon Byle. He won a fight long ago and tortures Vyne in a dark prison for entertainment." He cuts up his steak, perfect little squares. "Wasteful. Hedonistic. It won't do. Byle must be defeated for Vyne to be released. The Yggdrasilcyte to which you bind your destiny to is but a means to obtain this power. Without it, they will simply find another. And another. And another. The Green Dragons are pragmatic, you see, and pragmatists can be reasoned with." He takes a moment, "Blind zealots? Gleeful Sadists? No, their prize is far more base."
"The dragons could be convinced to compromise, you see," the Doctor tells Alexa, "if the value aligns to their goal and the source comes from a place of trust. Such a compromise benefits everyone. One could argue it benefits Arhor'ha as a whole, if that is your pragmatic agenda. I do not share your philanthropy, Ms. Stone, but I do acknowledge the necessity of it."
She smiles politely to the Doctor, "I understand that to free Vyne you will need power, which the Yggdrasilcyte provides, I do wonder what kind of compromise you were thinking." A bite from her steak, she finishes chewing and places her fork and knife down daintily. "I would like to trust you, but I feel that unless we equally show an act of trust, we will each be watching our backs ready to betray the other "
"I would expect no less," the Doctor says, "as all sentient creatures are capable of deception. I recommend an examination of what, precisely, the dragons would use the Yggdrasilcyte for. This can be easily validated by independent sources, if you can get them to be honest with you. A dragon would drink upon the sap of the Yggdrasilcyte. The tree provides great life and dragons are living creatures. It is also makes a relationship of quid pro quo viable."
"A dragon would want more than a single bottle of sap. It would want barrels of it for the fight ahead," the Doctor explains, "it is a simple matter of preparing for battle. Strength. So I propose a series of transactions to the end goal of your survival, the demise of Byle, and the demise of the Vyne's brood. In doing so Vyne and Byle return, too weak to endanger Arhor'ha, the plague is halted, and this tree remains untouched by dragon and infernal plant alike." He refills his glass of wine, the liquid spilling sweetly. "The parts are all there. The data makes a beautiful line. Pride prohibits the dull from moving forward. I believe logic will win over pride."
"Your logic is sound, but the vagueness in the transaction is worrisome. I will of course, as you said, need to verify this. Will you permit me some time to do so before we move forward?"
The Doctor raises a glass, "Of course. There is a time window to speak of in the first transaction. A bottle of this sap delivered with your wax seal on it," he tells her. "This would need to be delivered before the battle begins. In return, we will delay the marching of the draconic forces. This should buy you valuable time in the battle to come." He pushes his plate forward, having consumed a well balanced meal with no more or no less what he needed from this banquet of excess. "Then you will see that our trade deal is amicable. With a barrel of sap with your seal on it, the forces will not only withdraw, but turn within margins of acceptable loss." A finger raises to elaborate, "the dragons have a high acceptable loss margin, but do not expect them to leap heroically in front of Shirley to save anyone. Pragmatists."
"You should appreciate the element of surprise that offers you. The world is safer with you in it, it is more stable. Please do not die, Ms. Stone, we are just starting to know each other."
Alexa nods to him, "And it should be delivered here?" She looks to him, still maintaining an air of Grace. "I thank you for your faith in my existence in this world, I'm not used to being this visible, I'm still deciding if I like it or not. " She stands as a showing of her leaving. "After this first transaction, will the community by the tree be safe from the dragons?"
The Doctor observes. He waits. He responds. "Upon the first transaction the dragons themselves will be informed of the agreement. They will not be satiated by a bottle. It provides limited power to them. The barrel will, however, ensure that a supply line is established that does not require them to occupy the tree at all. This allows them to focus their efforts with the battle with Byle. They will cease to pursue that venue. Those that live near the tree will be of no concern so long as they do not threaten the supply chain. Pure economy, Ms. Stone, a trade agreement. One which I have calculated still end in the death of all the dragons, meaning that you have not endangered Arhor'ha in the slightest. Byle is very strong, Ms. Stone. A true threat to the order you protect. Unlikely allies, such as us, must be made to address this aberration in the data."
"Your seal will suffice. I will know and will send a servant to retrieve it. The same with the barrel."
"I will keep that in mind." She walks towards him and extends her hand. "And this will stay between us."
The Doctor extends his human hand. His reptilian would be more protected against poison or sudden deception. He still opts for the more human touch. "Between us. I paid for privacy, it would be a waste to not reap the benefits of discretion."
"Noted." Alexa walks past the Doctor and opens the door to leave. Walking through the black void of the shadow market she exits and focuses her mind to Paulo sending a quick message before turning invisible. 'The Doctor offered his deal, I need your guidance please, I'll be near your device for Solus.' She wanders through the ruins until she sees the foreign device and sits nearby. Something inside her tells her that if she was invisible or not, Paulo would see her.
A wizard is exactly where he intends to be. By the time Alexa makes her way to the shrine, Paulo is already there. It doesn't make sense in terms of speed, but this is Paulo. He probably moves at the speed of light and has some judgmental stoic comment for it, too. "What do you need to know," he asks in that simple, almost distant voice.
Alexa lets out a sigh to prepare herself to relay what just happened. 'The Doctor proposed providing a series of transactions with the dragons to give them sap from the yggdrasilcyte. He stated that if that happens, the green dragons will cease their attack on the trees, and will give them enough power over time to attack Byle. Once Vyne is out he gave the impression that Vyne will be too weak to cause harm to Ar'horha, and the 2 dragons will end up dead in the end. Is this true?" She looks to Paulo, aware of the deadpan face and facts about to be presented to her.
"Yes," Paulo says flatly with his eyes leveled at Alexa. The half-opened nature of the deep blue mystical orbs makes the judgement almost tangible.
She meets the gaze of his judgement. "And given the information you know, what is the likelihood we survive this and the tree remains untainted by either side if I don't make this deal?"
"Do you truly want to know the answer," Paulo asks. He has never been one to lie, but the truth is often a burden.
Alexa has been asked this question many times by Paulo, she knows it's a test, but she needs to know the facts before a large decision like this. "Yes."
"Very well," Paulo says as he turns away to stare up at the sky. He takes out his book, opening it up as his hands run over an empty page. Golden letters unspool into thread from the pages and attach to his fingers like the strings of a marionette. Slowly he speaks, "Shirley attacks from the west with overwhelming force. Be'lania alone survives. Syn and Solus survive. The villagers that do not participate in the fight survive. The dragons later return to take the tree and enslave the villagers." He slowly pulls his hand away. His vision returns as he closes his book. "And by intervening in this way, making it part of your decision, it unravels the path the light follows. "
Slowly Alexa stands up after hearing what Paulo said. "I'm sorry for making you look into the future. My decision is going to effect more than just me, and it's difficult for me to finally decide." She looks to him, her eyes tearing up. "I'm sorry for using you in this way, I will try to refrain from seeking guidance in the future, I" she trails off as she's being hit with too many realities. "I'm starting to fear that I'm becoming more of a danger to Ar'horha."
"There is a reason why I made it so you can't see me," Paulo says to Alexa, "and it was not because you did not have good intentions for the world around you. It is because the information I provide is too tempting. I am your Gig." He puts it in terms that are easier to grasp. His existence is a drug to her. "Whatever you do with this information, be sure this is not the reason you base your decisions. And if that is the case, what need was there to ask?"
"Everyone likes to be liked. I'm about to make a decision that will make many people very upset with me. I just needed to know that my instincts were correct. Regain confidence in my choices again." She looks down at her hands, ashamed. "It both helped and hurt. I don't think the party will be the same after this."
Paulo explains, "People will not be the same after this with or without your intervention. Many people, many things, sit at a crossroad here. Do what you feel you must do, as others shall do, and where you end up will never be foreign to you."
Alexa nods, facing the reality of what her decision must be. She stands up and walks away. 'I need to get a bottle of sap, and then a barrel' she thinks to herself as she remains invisible and walks towards the tree. It is still early in the day, the sun is shining, but each of the sun's Ray's feel as if it is judging her and scolding her every movement. What is usually a warm day feels like a sauna for her. As she gets closer, she sees Syn working on the reinforcements they discussed. 'Someone needs to know.' she thinks. Walking behind Syn she whispers in her ear "We need to talk."
“LIFT!” She shouts at one of the community members as they pick up another log, sneering in their direction as the log slips and hits the ground. “Useless.” Scoffing to turn around to meet Alexa brashly saying ‘we need to talk’. “Oh?...Oh, that look, that’s never a good look. Whats going on now?” She steps away from the fortifications.
Alexa holds on to Syn's arm and pulls her back to an unoccupied log, she's decided to remain invisible so they won't be approached while they talk. Sitting down, she lets out a sigh. "I met with the Doctor. I have to take his deal. If I don't, the dragons will enslave everyone that's left after the battle." She avoids saying all of the deaths that Paulo told her if she didn't make the deal, now it wouldn't happen that way regardless. "Logically, it'll keep Ar'horha safe, I verified with Paulo. But, it would involve giving sap to the dragons. This decision is going to change. Everything."
A tug on her arm brings her standing close to the log. “You know, I am used to it but others might not be. This whole invisible bullshit could really freak someone out.” She grins at nothingness infront of her. “Though I don’t mind, half the people here already are afraid of me, whats a little talking to myself?” Her joking fades when Alexa speaks about the Doctor. “…And what the hell is that freak gonna do in return? How do you know making that deal is going to help us any?”
Alexa stops to think of what are the next steps to explain her reasoning. "The dragons will turn on the plants. We are doing so many preparations but..." A pause, a weighted pause of the severity of the battle they're about to face. "If the dragons don't turn on the plants, only Be'lania will survive. I want to hold optimism and believe that we're all prepared, but we're not. We're 20 people against a hoard of 100. This decision will strengthen the green dragons, but it will ultimately lead to both the green and black dragons demise. I've confirmed it."
Syn stretches her arms high into the air. They return to her sides and she rolls her shoulders. “As if I wasn’t already worried about this battle.” She lets out a frustrated sigh, looking off at the fortifications they’ve placed up so far. “So now what? Because Ozy is going after the dragons. If we are in a deal with them, that seems like a bad thing for Ozy to end up doing, no?”
"Ozy is going to do Ozy. There is a trust effort put in first. I supply a bottle of sap and they will slow. Once I see that they've slowed I can provide a barrel of sap and they'll turn. I'm worried that if I tell Ozy, and we end up being fooled, the events will continue no matter what. I'm hoping Ozy just gets pissed because he didn't get to kill a dragon, and if the plants kill one, then we've satisfied our deal with Jacob and may be able to save Ford." Her mind wanders as the statement 'Syn and Solus will survive' and she's very aware Ford was not mentioned. The reality hurts, but she knows she needs to keep that at least inside, she's already done enough damage.
“I see..” She says softly looking down, almost to herself in the moment as she thinks through everything Alexa had said. “When will you give them the sap then?” She looks up then realizes Alexa is still invisible. “And what can I do to help?” No argument, no judgement to her decision. Just a lending hand. “If there is anyone in this party that gets it, its me. Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve made deals with not so great people, wont be the last.”
It feels almost involuntary for Alexa, but she wraps her arms around Syn in a need for connection with everything going on. She sheepishly pulls away and then states "I can put them in secure locations, and once Nuru puts my seal on them, the dragons will know. Getting the bottle of sap will be easy, but the barrel is going to take some time. Can you help?"
Invisible arms wrap around Syn. “This is a lot weirder when I can’t see you.” Syn returns the hug with a slight squeeze before letting go. “Yeah, I can go roll a barrel over to the tree if that’s what you need? I don’t know how to collect the sap though.” She pauses. “That’s a Clemens thing.”
"We can't tell the others, we have to be prepared for it not to work, but hope it does. There's a tap on the tree, I'll need you to distract Clemens while I fill it up and get it out of there"