guy. (inspirers) wrote in emillion, @ 2013-11-08 00:37:00 |
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Guy had shown up to the Tower early that morning, just as he’d said. He had allowed himself enough time to appear presentable as possible (a feat that took a great deal of time and effort, he might say), to look over and reorganize his official reports, and most importantly, to suffuse his body with coffee. Allowing himself enough time to indulge in a pre-meeting cigarette outside the Tower doors, the synergist waved and said hello to guildmates he always seemed to fail to catch up with. Working in the Outlands had its drawbacks, of course, and keeping up with the rest of the mages seemed to be one of them. It was likely a miracle that he had even managed to catch Cy before her departure from the city as well, but now that he was back, he intended to stay for a little longer than normal. If allowed, at least. There was quite enough work to keep him in the city, he now suspected. And even though he had allowed Zacheus to tend to his wound post-battle, Guy still felt less than his best. Not that anyone would suspect, what with the speed and tenacity he employed when bounding up to the Councilor’s office. Several minutes early, he chanced a knock on her door. With the meeting scheduled for nine, Peony had made certain to be in her office a half hour prior with a pot of tea and two cups resting on a tray at the edge of her desk. Just because it was business did not mean she couldn’t offer a modicum of politeness. It was a chilly morning, by her estimation; she had started the fire in her small fireplace and wrapped herself in a large woolen shawl before settling in to work. So when the knock came, she was midway through her first cup of tea and a report from one of the instructors; she set it aside and called, “Come in, please.” She offered the synergist a smile as he entered. “Feel free to take a seat. Tea?” “That would be wonderful, Councilor,” Guy said. He closed the door behind him and sat himself in the chair across from her. “And thank you for taking the time to meet with me so quickly.” He handed over the folder that was underneath his arm and allowed the woman a moment to look over its contents before he spoke. Instead, Guy worked to prepare himself a cup of tea, a familiar habit when in the presence of Councilor Min. Fortunately, she always had exceptional taste in brews (it was much more refined than the bitter, black coffee that he had imbibed earlier). The reports, unfortunately, would be far less pleasing to the palate. Merchants dead, their carts looted of all possessions. It would have painted a typical image of the dangers of the outlands (thieves and highwaymen, eager to relieve travelers of all goods), save for the examinations on what was left of the many scattered corpses. Signs of illness, physical remnants of severe symptoms that seemed too close to earlier reports to be easily discarded--and the trouble of the Lobos infected with a sickness that hinted much of the same. While the report posed many new questions, one detail seemed to stand out--and Guy had taken care to express his opinion in writing. However the sickness was traveling, it seemed to be moving in a direction that hinted eerily near to the city. “This tea is lovely,” he commented with a polite smile, waiting for her usual bout of questions. “I was as eager to have new information as I imagine you were to impart it,” Peony said. “I am glad you were willing to come so quickly. Please, help yourself.” That was all she said for a time as she read through the folder carefully, making sure to weigh each fact and opinion as she considered. When one trouble was vanquished, it seemed another would come knocking. She finished at last, lingering on the final page. “I see,” she said, then took another sip of tea, initiating another silence. The robbery was unfortunate, but not an area of concern for her. That would be for the Rangers to see to. The rest, however. “Cormac Hier and Sabina Domicetti have brought rather troubling news from Cammon,” she continued at last; “though this illness seems treatable if caught early, it is not a simple thing. If it is now spreading to animals as well…” Another moment of thought, then she asked, “May I write on your map?” There was one in the folder to indicate the location of the bodies and the beasts that Guy and the Rangers had encountered. “Please, do go ahead,” he insisted. Guy watched and leaned forward on his elbows, the small tea cup nestled between both hands to offer a bit of extra warmth. Even if his attention was sound, his body was still aching from the last battle and proved to be a cause for some distraction. Traveling so soon afterward was not so wise either, he suspected, and with every impatient twitch and motion he was made aware of each sore muscle and healing wound. “I hope the white mages haven’t been given too much trouble?” Said for sake of politeness and curiosity--Guy privately did not care so much to mingle with healers. “Those who hired them seemed happy with their work, if disappointed that the source of the illness could not be easily pinpointed,” Peony replied. It was the best the white mages had been capable of doing; they had fulfilled their contract admirably. And the information they had brought back had been valuable. She took up a pencil -- better than a pen in this one instance -- to begin marking the map. “Grenoble is… here?” she asked, to ascertain she had the location correct. She had looked into it a bit since their last meeting. “Cammon here.” Next to the town, she scribbled two dates -- the date the mages had been sent for, and the date they had been given upon arrival, of when all this seemed to have begun. “Do you recall when the troubles in Grenoble started?” she asked. “And have there been reports anywhere else in this area?” “Grenoble?” Guy scratched his chin, rummaging through the information lodged in his head. “Around early Virgo, I’d say.” He took a sip of his tea and sat back. “There’s notes toward the end of the stack, of the few I was able to confirm.” Unfortunately, as those minor reports would indicate, those deaths had been in even more remote locations, oftentimes days between villages, and the bodies long decayed or buried before anyone could pick up solid information. Even Guy, an experienced traveler of the outlands, had been sent running in endless circles. “The others,” she said, “were they after Grenoble?” If there had been something before, it would have had to be small, or surely they would have heard. “Grenoble in Virgo, then Cammon in early Libra, perhaps just before. Now this, in Scorpio.” The three spots on the map were too few to form a pattern. She looked back at the final page, looked over the reports of deaths in places even more removed from civilization. “If you can,” she said, setting down the pencil and sliding map and pencil both across the desk, “please show me where. You can circle general areas if you are uncertain.” She had a few thoughts on the matter, but she would see what sort of shape would emerge here. A circle, radiating out like ripples in a pond disturbed by a falling stone? Or perhaps, more dangerous in her estimation, a sort of funnel converging at the point of the most recent attack, pointed toward Emillion? Guy shrugged. “Grenoble was the first rumor to happen my way, but it’s much too late now to speculate on anything before,” he said, “especially out there. As for the rest in the report, Councilor, all were after.” Shifting his chair closer to the desk, the synergist set aside his cup of tea and took up the pencil instead. He’d been poring over maps and notes for weeks, if not as many months as the Council had just inferred, and it was no difficulty for him to narrow down the locations. The marks, if they were connected, would make for a jagged, meandering line westward. A strange way to get from northern Valendia to the main roads, but perhaps at another point in time--depending upon the historical source, it may have been a more widely used route. All that could be guessed from the map, however, was that the incidents were slowly but steadily inching their way closer. Guy tapped the pencil anxiously on the desk, hoping for another cigarette sometime in his immediate future. She picked up the map to study the marks and tried to compose a timeline of some sort in her head. It was not as simple as it should have been; she didn’t have all the dates, and the line was vague, and not exactly straight. “How long, do you think?” she said quietly. “If we say that I tend to agree with your estimation that this is coming here -- whether purposefully directed or not -- at the rate it is moving, how long do you think we have before it arrives?” Guy set the pencil down. His hand moved to the tea again, just to be doing something, and he took another sip and tried to give the appearance of thoughtfulness over concern. A timetable. That was the most pertinent question at the moment, wasn’t it? After all, the natural conclusion to an illness suddenly spreading to the city would be the Mages Guild necessary involvement. “Well now,” he said slowly, “I’d wager that depends completely on how it’s traveling.” Guy cleared his throat. “Unless you have speculations yourself, Councilor?” “That,” Peony said, “is an excellent question. One which, unfortunately, I cannot yet answer. It does not seem contagious in the traditional sense, if the reports I was brought from Cammon are to be believed, and I see no reason why two veteran healers would misdiagnose something so critical. I am told it has some resemblance to a sort of… poison, but not in a traditional sense. The water and food supplies in Cammon were clean.” She examined the map again. Her concern did not show on her face, but she felt the stirrings of it. They did not have the information they needed. “The beasts,” she said, “either contracted it the same mysterious way or possibly from the corpses. If it can be bloodborne in that way, some of the animals in that area could be more dangerous to humes now than they appear. Were those who fought the beasts checked over by white mages?” she asked suddenly. “If not, I will arrange for you all to be seen by the two who investigated the illness in Cammon.” And of course, if it was indeed a sort of poison, then they were only left with further questions. Nature could be cruel, in its way, but some poisons required a poisoner. “As to my original question, there is no right answer, no guarantee of accuracy. I am asking only for your thoughts based on the scant information we have now.” Unfortunately, it was not a great deal, but until she found some way to get more, speculation was the best she could do. And now that she had the map, he would not be the only one she would ask. Guy almost flinched at the possibility of being tasked to visit a white mage. He tapped his fingers against the armrests as he spoke, “I’ve had healing myself, and I’m sure the Rangers have seen to their injuries by now too. Nothing serious noted while I was around them, surely, and I’ve checked in once already since departure.” He shifted around in his chair again, thinking. “If you want my guess, Councilor, having it appear along one of the main roads can’t be good either way. There’s far more traffic, leading near directly to you-know-where.” He ran a hand through his hair, trying not to appear too dire. “But then again, there’s still too much we don’t know.” “As you say.” She could not force him, of course, but felt the need to add, “If you feel ill anytime in the near future, please do err on the side of caution. I would rather not lose any of the city’s defenders.” And that was where they would leave it, she thought. It would have to be sufficient for now. He didn’t venture a guess, but that was all right. She would study the pattern and make her own, and soon. “I would have to agree, these news are troubling. Thank you for bringing them.” Her teacup drained, she set it aside. “You have been out of the tower for some time,” she said. “No doubt you are tired. Thank you, again, for bringing this to my attention. I will discuss it with the Council. In the meantime, if you come across more information, I would appreciate your letting me know.” They had been closeted in here for some time. No doubt he had tasks of his own to see too, and she, too, had work to do, now much more important than the reading of instructor reports. “You’re always welcome, Councilor.” Guy afforded the woman a pleasant handshake, and thanked her again for the tea before leaving. Indeed, he had many other things to accomplish that day. |