[SO Sahova] Plans on the high seas

[Fallon]

Fallon gave only a look, her brow cocking and raising before she continued. Or more over started then promptly stopped. She did not have an answer, and it was clear with the way her shoulders hunched in and her brow created a frown that this was indeed the case. For a while she sat there formulating an answer, those ticks turning into chimes, the fingers beating out a steady rhythm as she did.

At least until that too stumbled and faltered.

”I… don’t know,” she begun almost hesitantly, her eyes looking up to meet Zandelia’s and then promptly flickering away, ”It’s not that I didn’t want to plan, nor is it that I never had ideas or things. It’s quite the opposite.” She gave a pause, followed by a sigh, ”I just I never well… had the opportunity to talk them through with anyone. Hound was busy with what they were doing, find people, spreading and chasing the rumours. We had little time to actually sit down and plot. Gods, we never actually did. Unless it was me approaching and grabbing. And now Hound is…”

There was a shrug, her face falling into that of defeat and her eyes looking down to her up turned palms, ”I have no excuse. I know what I want to see, what I want to do. But I have real idea on how to achieve it. I know how to draw blood, I know how to conduct violence and be self efficient should the need arise. But to grasp at it, to hold it in my grasp and mould it to my will… I am not sure,” Her eyes looked up from beneath her brow, ”I want change. But I do not even know where to begin.”

Fingers massaged at her brow, her teeth chewing at her lip. She had simply just admitted that she had little idea as to what exactly she was doing, and it was with her head hung that she continued to listen. Placing down the quill she moved to twiddling her thumbs; her form otherwise barely moving. She needed to learn, she needed the guidance of someone who had a better idea of how things worked.

But still her frowning continued, dominating her face for a good few chimes. Or at least until she spoke up, ”I understand brothels and taverns. Lots of traffic, but… why not markets? I mean, there are people, merchants, guards, thieves and beggars. All of them have eyes and ears, they hear things and with the right persuasion…” she discarded the thought with the wave of the hand, ”No, forget it. It’s hard to control as a unit. You would be better off posing as guards at various points and having the assistance of others.”

Her chin rested in her palm, Fallon inhaled. She understood the method; or the idea at least. But it was putting it into practice that was difficult. Her lids narrowed, her cheeks puffing out as she thought, ”Hidden in plain sight springs to mind. Existing, watching, humming in tune with the crowd. But also have our own way of communicating between our own. I- No, I’m thinking too far ahead again. I need to step back and look at the picture more. Can’t be too focused on one area.”

Thoughts fell from her lips, her brow lifting as they continued. Even the ring of excitement was hard to miss in the back of her voice, ”Business, people, target the… offenders for lack of the better term. Deal with them on the quiet, then move on. Can’t dally in one place for too long. Not without something secure to retreat to. We need to find a way to manipulate the crowd. Can a gang deal with a full on riot?”

[Zandelia]

“Okay,” Zandelia spoke quietly and gently, she could see the weights upon Bitzer as if they were real, her form bowed and suddenly unsure of itself and vulnerable perhaps, “well at least we know that you need to start from the beginning” she continued smoothly, wondering if she was a bitch for exploiting such a scenario.

Probably, but then if she cannot trust me implicitly then I cannot her…and we might as well give up now. Bonds, that’s what we need and it’s what she’ll damned well get whether she likes it or not she told herself, sure of her thoughts if of nothing else.

“I would slap this Hound of yours if I could but seeing as he is not here and I have never met him I’ll settle for helping and protecting you Bitzer. You want grand things, glorious things but these will have to wait. A master swordsman doesn’t become a master straight away. You crawl first” she sought for the appropriate phrases to use, trying to match her words to what Bitzer might best associate with.

She let the silence draw onwards for a few chimes as she watched her newfound companion – she was a tragic creature in some ways. She wished for things that were beholden to greatness and yet had not been given the tools to crowbar them from the fingers of the unworthy. She sought to be knowledgeable and yet berated herself for not knowing enough. She was a warrior and yet a scholar, a kindness and a curse. Zandelia was beginning to feel as if Bitzer didn’t even know whom Bitzer was. Just another face with another name and no idea of what was behind them. Bitzer was hunched now, rubbing her head and possibly internally garrotting herself for nothing other than self-flagellation.

“Wrong” she spoke, the word echoing slightly as the boat lurched and rolled her towards Bitzer, catching what she had been about to say until she was upon her back and looking up at the other woman. She shook her head, rubbed her eye and tried for a weak smile.

“Focusing upon everything at once is what gets you killed, you can’t be everywhere Bitzer. What’s the use in spending a day placing these guards at the markets – for example – if you rush the job and they end up betraying you?” she took a breath and stifled a yawn only half-successfully.

“Better to spend twenty days at said task and make sure t stands the test of time before moving on to another. You may get less done per season but it stands longer and is harder to tear down. You want to rebuild? Well build proper foundations for once rather than skimming the surface over and hoping dirt hold more weight than stone does”

“I feel you’ve been a traveller too long my dear and that mind set must be discarded if you want to succeed in changing a city to what you feel is better. You must stay in one place, over your pieces upon the map of the city and make sure you can take and hold a place before you strike. Boring perhaps but the only way of doing it. Build alliances, find friends and gather forces. Then sweep away your enemy in one attack and send them shrieking into the underground”

“We have made plans, now we must focus plans I think. Pick one thing you want to do this season – gather followers, gain information or gain an establishment. We could probably try to do two with both of us but not likely all three” she suggested as she looked up at Bitzer still, she was quite comfortable there upon the solid wooden floor.

“And no, the gangs only way of dealing with riots that I have seen are either the bloody way or the capitulating way. The mob runs Sunberth and so they know not to push them too far. Why do you ask?”

[Fallon]

Fallon could not get a word in edgeways. When she went to speak, Zandelia spoke faster; when she went to raise her voice, the woman was firmer. It got to the point where she chose silence and to simply wait patiently. A hand however did shoot out as the boat lurched, the palm reaching to grab and support – before promptly missing. There was a wince, a sheepish smile as she met the woman’s gaze and then looked away. The woman however continued, slower, sluggish, the clawing sensation to sleep resting there.

Still, state aside, she was right. And it was only through such a lecture that Fallon begun to see what was necessary to do. Foundations, understanding, then the slow build upwards, ”No city was built in a day. You need the idea to begin with, the resources, the people to build… so many little things to make up the bigger whole. So... if you take one away. Well…” she shrugged. Slowly, she had to take it slowly. Lips made a line, her trail of thought growing steady so she could grasp and analyse her ideas. She had to filter out the fog of confusion, she had to focus. Pick out those vital points and work upon them. It was picking that was the issue however, and whilst the weight of Zandelia’s words on travel find weight, did she once more raise her brow, ”That may take a while, more so as it is one of the few things I’ve always known. Do be patient there.”

Rubbing her jaw she leaned back, her shoulders meeting the solid wood wall of the vessel. She had to be careful, everything had a consequence after all. Fingers became animated, the slow steady beat as thought flow. It was an amusing image to think of a gang fleeing into darkness, snapping back into the hole it came from – but that image would only come true when they succeeded.

”Followers,” she finally spoke, ”By having people it makes one capable of doing more, and learning more. Information is good, but if there is little man power to use it effectively…” Fallon rubbed her brow, ”Though, they say a little does go a long way. And sometimes a little is all that is needed to create festering.” She continued to speak through her thoughts; by sharing it would be easier for the woman to see where she was coming from, ”You also need the people to be able to take and hold an establishment. At least… that is how I understand it.” Her eyes looked down to the woman, her brow cocking upwards, ”Comfy down there?”

”If I must choose, we need information and followers,” her hands clapped together as she finalised her decision, ”But, it needs to be subtle and web like. We need to find ways to know people are plucking at the strings, security and all. The ability to stay at least one step ahead of others. That will take time, perhaps it’s best to work small then grow big.”

And then she spoke to Zandelia, clearly and firmly. A plan had formed in her mind, it was just waiting for the opportunity to use it.

”We’re going to need a riot,” Fallon begun, ”When there are riots surely the gangs would be distracted with such things to not pay attention to other areas. Or at least, their attention would be torn in trying to gain some form of control. Correct?” Her eyes blinked, ”So, on that theory, surely it would be possible to use some other stronger methods and have… dare I say it, a scapegoat?”

She was serious, a growing tactical mind swarming about in her mind. Rioting, chaos, strike hard and rip asunder. It was exploitation in its finest form, ”By having a scapegoat it would cause friction between the sides in question. It is the just up to us to have a flag to rally under and strike. It is… a bit farfetched. Possibly.”

[Zandelia]

Zandelia yawned as she listened, the conversation was fast approaching its zenith she thought, the meat of the matters having been discussed now for the most part. Zandelia was not used to collaboration in planning but she hoped that she had acquitted herself as admirably as possible in the exchange. It was becoming a one-by-one affair at any rate and patience and listening were the tools she needed, tools she possessed to a degree. She merely covered her lips with back of her right hand and kept her gaze upon Bitzer as steadily as possible. It was difficult given that the ship seemed to be going through a rough piece of the sea, tilting them both a little more than normal, but she managed.

“Remarkably comfy actually, it’s a nice floor. You should try it when I’m done with it” she responded with tiredly, “and I understand on the travelling score. I am patient so have no fear there. I was merely…advising” she shrugged into the wooden boards beneath her shoulders.

She thought upon Bitzer’s words, mulling them over and wondering how to respond. She had chosen two things, the better of the two in Zandelia’s opinion but then without knowledge of the actual resources at play there was a minimal amount of advice and help that she could provide. She reasoned that a lot of the issues would either disappear or prevent themselves once they had arrived in Sunberth and had linked up with whomever was still alive and was a Scar.

Or interested in becoming one… she thought to herself.

“Well, on that note we shouldn’t have any real problems beyond picking the right candidates,” she spoke softly, “there are always more people who want to join a gang and if it looks to be doing ore than the smaller ones in the Warehouses then the more will come. Making a name for ourselves will be difficult to do quietly but…attrition works”

“Gather followers and whilst we do we can kill as many Daggerhands in silence as possible. Night time snatching, back alley shiv and gutter tactics. The Daggerhands are swaggerers at any rate and if we can thin their numbers a bit all the better. These new embers will need tasks to keep them occupied at any rate” she mused, rubbing her face with the palms of her hands.

Festering though…interesting word she idly toyed with the idea as something wicked formed in her mind.

“Festering…be a Daggerhand then” she grinned at Bitzer mischievously, “if we kill some Daggerhands we get their uniforms right? Well how will anyone know we aren’t a Daggerhand if we are wearing them? We could do all sorts of things to the people that way under their name to create this…festering”

She tested the idea for merit, finding the method sound if risky. Still the idea of a riot was a venomous one, it could just as easily turn upon them instead and thin the numbers of the Scars. Bitzer was right though, sometimes ricks had to be made to advance. She had not used the words exactly but the suggestion had been there in the subtext.

“No, I like the idea Bitzer. Riots without directed anger tend to be difficult things, but riots directed at Daggerhands – for example – will largely be bloodless for anyone else smart enough to stay inside and wait it out. We could use the opportunity to take something precious from them. What though…well that depends upon the state of the city at the time. Adaptability is a virtue there”

“As to the connections, well I can get you the information if you like – whatever information you like just ask. Now I know the symbol I could even spread some rumours about it and where to go to find its source. Not who but where. Somewhere neutral like a tavern. Whilst you are organizing I can handle the recruits for you and send the right one’s your way. Testing them first of course” she crossed her arms across her chest under her bust and hugged her abdomen.

She shivered and wished she hadn’t thrown the blanket. She shifted her hand around to look for it whilst trying not to be rude by interrupting the flow of their conversation at such an important juncture.

“A flag is something to consider I think, but I wouldn’t pull it out immediately. Slam it into the ground when we have territory for the emphasis. Throw down the line and force them to cross it first. When they do…well, blood can be washed from the streets easily. It has seen enough already”

[Fallon]

”Maybe, but can’t I use it the same time as you?” Her lips curled in amusement. Of course she would not, she did not fancy the idea and having recently been sleeping herself she was full of energy and thought. And with the impending end fast approaching, Fallon continued to speak – though admittedly in lower, more thoughtful tones, ”If we play such underhand tactics however we need to make sure they are away from whatever position we are currently holding. We will also have to keep it as unconnected as possible to us. It’s all very cloak and dagger this. Not that I’m complaining.”

But before they could start any of this she needed to find out who was available for use. It had been half a season since she’d last been in Sunberth, and if she knew people, she knew how quickly they would change their minds or become disinterested in something that was stagnant. It needed to be kept fresh, and there always had to be something to do. Of course, to release too much to do at once would also serve as discouragement and produce the illusion of a seemingly impossible task.

”The first job in Sunberth will be simple,” Fallon gave a definite nod, ”We must test these resources, and see what is and is not still available. I do not like to make too solid plans without knowing what is available to me.” She watched the woman yawn and try to smother it, ”Stealing uniforms could be a good idea, as would knowing their routines and movements. I…,” she paused, trying to find the correct words. She knew she could use projection to remain relatively unknown, hidden and silent, but she was unsure how the woman would appreciate magic, ”I have methods of gaining information if I get in close enough.”

Her head did lift slightly to the praise of her idea, and with some guidance it grew into something much more appropriate. Fallon released a snort, ”Money, it makes the world go round. That aside it would be situation dependant; that much I understand. If the people are riled up enough though. Well, who knows?”

Then it came to the testing of potentials. Although her brother and herself had different methods - killing and finding Daggerhands - she could not help but feel she wanted inclusion in such a thing. She needed to weigh up their suitability herself, test their metal, patience and skill. Though, with Zandelia there it would indeed be an easier task. Two heads were better than one after all.

”Personally, I would like to see the recruits also,” she breathed, ”But to have them filter down into one location would prove useful. It would create less of a spread and less areas to watch for potential hiccups. It also means it’s a place where the trail grows cold. A lock down if you will.” She shrugged, she knew what she was trying to say it was communicating it however that was the issue. Picking up the blanket Fallon threw it at her – again, ”I told you to wrap yourself up. You will get cold if you don’t.”

Exhaling she cracked a smile, her form swaying too and fro, ”Go to sleep woman. We’ve done enough for now. Yes, I can hear you yawning. Rest your weary head; I’ll keep watch for a while. And… maybe if we hit a calm patch once you wake I’ll see if dig out the last of the tea, deal?”

[Zandelia]

“Cloak and dagger is the only way that I know Bitzer, I can fight but such tactics are not within my remit. I leave that you the warriors ad will show up when needed to hold any line asked of me. I can handle myself against Daggerhands. Well…as long as there aren’t too many of them at least. I prefer to fight dirty, so winning before the battle begins has always been the best method for me,” she returned sleepily, “perhaps with enough of us we can hold our own” she shrugged, it was a consideration for when events were unfolding and not beforehand really.

What plans they were making were simple enough in terms of ideas, harder to implement to be sure. Bitzer was right of course, knowing what they had to use first was the best step to take to start with and from there whatever they actually put into action would be dictated by what resources they had. Still, it never hurt to brainstorm ideas that could one day prove able to be brought to fruition. It was a long and dangerous road they were setting themselves upon and so Zandelia held few complaints about taking it slowly and with forethought of purpose.

Methods of gathering information? Interesting, but what methods? She seemed…hesitant? she mused.

“Well I would like to see these methods in actions one day, always looking for ways to improve my own skills. Might even teach me something new Bitzer” she smiled, the blanket momentarily covering her face until she wrestled it off and rearranged it over her body.

It took a little while but she managed it with a few limp kicks of her feet to wrestle the corners into place. She turned onto her left side then so that she could face Bitzer as she curled her left arm up behind her head for support. After a few mutterings and some shifting she curled her knees up and managed to make herself relatively comfortable all things considered. She looked at the woman, saw a leader waiting for a task and wondered if she had always been that way or if life had shaped her. She seemed familiar to her though she couldn’t place where, almost as if they had known each other a while ago but long enough for memory to almost be erased. She sighed peacefully.

“Money is always easy to come by in Sunberth so I wouldn’t be concerned. It’s one of the true lifeblood of the city, the others being more transient in nature. But that is for another time” she yawned, their meeting was indeed drawing to a close whether Zandelia liked it or not, she couldn’t remain awake indefinitely.

“I wouldn’t dream of indicting anyone without your assessment Bitzer, you’re the boss after all. I was just making an offer. Yes…a bottleneck. We could use it to our advantage definitely” she yawned, losing the fight for alertness.

“Very well, I hear and…obey. I will sleep. If you need me then wake me. And tea…yes I like tea. Dark, bitter…fluid,” she smiled at the recollection of their first meeting, “Watch well…” she all but whispered as she closed her eye.

Sleep came quickly as the rocking lulled her off into the darkness and to dreams filled with shadows and schemes. She fidgeted often but not enough to be considered within the throes of a nightmare. The rocking of the ship moved her occasionally but she was unaware of such things from the safety of the depths of sleep.

[Strange]

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Fallon

Skills

Skill Name	Experience
Tactics	3 XP
Writing	5 XP
Planning	5 XP
Philosophy	1 XP
Drawing	2 XP

Lores

Politics: What do the People want?
Intelligence: Creating a Network
Intelligence: Employing Thieves, Con Artists and Prostitutes but not Slavers or Mercenaries

Zandelia

Skills

Skill Name	Experience
Planning	5 XP
Teaching	3 XP
Tactics	3 XP
Rhetoric	2 XP
Leadership	1 XP

Lores

Orvin: Protective but Loveable
Intelligence: Creating a Network
The Mark of the Scars: A Castle of Three Parts with Three Slashes running through it

Comments :

Awesome thread you two. I couldn't decide whether to giver you loads of lores or not but I decided on conciseness. I hope I didn't miss any skills or lores you really wanted.

I have awarded your grade to the best of my ability. Of course I'm not infallible so if you have any comments or queries about your grade feel free to PM me.

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