It has been a week since the inauguration of the Captain-Astromancer of Rephidim (who bumped into a certain Babelite ambassador during his reception). It appears that the Astromancer is already assuming his duties, as he has summoned Ambassador Kara to his offices in the Temple after she expressed an interest in speaking with him at the party.

After being searched by the guards, she is allowed into the lavish office. The human is seated behind the desk (probably on a booster chair) with an Aeonian Inquisitor and a Korv in Acolyte robes at his left. The Astromancer is momentarily lost in a paper handed to him by the Korv, but glances up and smiles as the guards escort the Ambassador in.

Brishen smiles at the Captain-Astromancer, albeit with a tired edge. She has slept little the past week and it has started to show. Nevertheless, as would befit a meeting with Archelaus the First, she is dressed to the nines, her hair tied back in a neat tail and not a thread out of place. A mix of elegance and practicality. She bows, her wings spreading a little as she does so.

The Aeonian Inquisitrix, in robes of green and white, acknowledges the arrival of the Ambassador briefly with a nod of the head, then turns away, brushing a stray mane-hair from her face.

"A pleasure seeing you again, Ambassador," Tahir says, shuffling some of the papers together on his desk. "This is Inquisitrix Turtle and her assistant, Neekto. They've been helping me adjust to my new position." He motions to a plush chair. "Please, have a seat."

Neekto, a young Korv acolyte, in simple robes with trim that matches that of the Inquisitrix, bobs his head in greeting to the Ambassador, but doesn't venture to speak (or caw).

Brishen nods. "Thank you, Captain-Astromancer Archelaus." She cants her wings to the side, slightly, then settles down on the chair. "I would like to thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice."

The human nods. "Well, you did indicate that you wished to talk to me… and as I had just assumed my duties I hadn't quite filled up my schedule yet." His eyes fall on another sheet of paper and trace a line of spidery text. "So what is it I can do for you, Ambassador?"

Brishen brushes a lock of hair from her eyes, then takes a breath. "I would like to discuss with you the matter of security in the Old City."

The Inquisitrix lifts one eyebrow, looking interested.

"Yes?" The Astromancer does not look up from his paper. "I have been given a report of a theft at your premises, and other matters of… security."

Brishen clasps her hands on her lap. "I regret that actions taken on my part in recent weeks have complicated this issue… " She takes a deep breath. "Nevertheless, I believe it is important for both of our cities that this matter be resolved as soon as possible. As one who has lived in Rephidim for many more years than I have been an Ambassador, I know that the Old City is dangerous. I also know that a greater presence on the part of the Temple would reduce that danger and improve relations between our cities at a time when it is sorely needed."

"You are asking us to provide you with guards?" Tahir asks.

The Inquisitrix makes a facial expression of surprise.

Brishen tilts her head slightly. "Not as such, no. I believe that it is important that the Embassy is guarded from within by my people. However, Temple patrols in the Old City itself would serve to make the task of protecting the Embassy one that does not resemble a siege. There is little the Embassy can do outside of its walls. There is much the Temple can do."

Tahir gathers some of the papers together from his desk. "The Old City is not within our bounds, and it would be difficult to arrange for regular patrols in that area. Before we go into that matter, there is another matter that I need to discuss with you."

The Inquisitrix turns toward her Korv assistant, and takes a folder of papers from him.

Brishen tucks a lock of hair behind an ear, then nods slowly. Her eyes do not waver from the Captain-Astromancer.

"The damage caused to the graveyard is irrepairable. Monuments that stood for thousands of years are now gone forever, and it was not thieves nor hoodlums that caused the damage." The Astromancer looks up at Brishen. "The Temple demands reparations."

Brishen nods slowly. "I understand. I wish it known that I accept full and complete responsibility for the actions I have taken. I have already informed the High Prince of the incident, and will promptly inform the office of the Secretary of State that the Temple demands reparations."

The Inquisitrix looks at her papers, and says, "Alas, it might appear to some that Babel has sent its countrymen to continue to destroy Rephidim, this time from within."

Neekto tries to make a polite chuckle at the Inquisitrix's … ah … "jest".

"We have discussed the matter with Babel as well. The reparations will come from your offices," Tahir says. He folds his hands together on the desktop, showing a white spidery scar that runs across the skin of his right hand. "I have also been informed that you are on a very tight budget, and therefore we cannot expect liquid payment."

Brishen does not move, save for the single breath she takes before she asks, "Then, in what fashion shall you expect payment?"

Tahir taps on a piece of parchment. "You have several Savanite servants under your care. We have already obtained permission from Babel to accept them instead of payment in gold."

The Inquisitrix reads from her papers, explaining, "Eight Savanite servants, valued at four gold shekels … a generous estimate that is."

Brishen's hands, clasped on her lap, grow tightly bound. Were she human, her knuckles would be white. "Yes," she says quietly, "I imagine it is." A breath is drawn, catching slightly. "When shall I have the servants prepared for transport to the Temple?"

The Astromancer rolls up a parchment wearily, "I will have the Audit dispatch some men to pick them up within three days." He hands the paper to the Inquisitrix's assistant and then folds his hands across the top of the table again. "What the Temple would also like to know is why? I just do not see how damaging landmarks would serve to bolster the security in your offices."

Neekto takes the paper and tucks it away in his collection of folders.

Brishen furrows her brow slightly. "First and foremost, it was my mistaken impression that the land I cleared was on Embassy property. Had I known the land was not on Embassy property, I would have made other arrangements. Second, many incidents of dubious merit have occured and perhaps still do occur within the Old City. It is a place where many find themselves as a matter of last resort. With the land cleared, these people do not find the walls of the Embassy within reaching distance and my guards have room to breathe."

The human casts a sidelong glance to the Inquisitrix. "You should keep in mind that there is a difference between Embassy property and YOUR property. Even if the tombstones had been on Embassy grounds, you would not have had the right to do with them as you please. The Temple has the right to evict you from the lands it has donated to you at any time." He gathers up several papers and leafs through them. "As far as I can tell, your grounds were not crawling with thieves. There was only one theft that I know of, and then this masked fox. Were there any other thefts or other incients that I have not been made aware of yet?"

Brishen shakes her head. "No, there have not. The Embassy does not routinely inform the Temple of the thieves that have been slain as they attempted to scale the Embassy walls, or achieve entrance through other means. There have been enough to cause concern on my part."

The Inquisitrix raises her eyebrows. "The thieves that have been slain?"

Tahir keeps silent, although his face mimics the Inquisitrix's expression.

Brishen glances at the Inquisitrix. "The Embassy does not have many guards. Certainly not as many as there are thieves in the shadows of Rephidim. I do not like it, but we cannot capture each and throw them back into the graveyard. Those we can discourage, we discourage. Those who present a threat to those within the Embassy are killed." Will they demand reparations for the thieves? What kind of people are these?

The human scribbles something on a sheet of paper and hands it to the Korv, nodding towards the Inquisitrix.

The Inquisitrix scribbles something on one of her papers and hands it to her assistant, who passes it on to Tahir.

"So how many actual thefts has the Embassy suffered?" the Astromancer asks, taking up the paper.

Brishen, a year ago, would have laughed hysterically, gleefully, at the spectacle of heads of state passing notes to one another. But, that was a year ago. "There has been a single thief who has stolen property from the Embassy. That thief was caught and she is now in your care."

"I see." Tahir folds up the paper and places it inside his desk. "Normally I would regard this as an act of paranoia, as it seems that your own guards are doing just fine on their own. But in this case I will grant you your boon."

"And the thief is no longer in our care," the human adds. "We had no evidence to convict her nor any tangible proof justifying why we should hold her here."

Brishen blinks. "Very well."

"You may hear from this 'Maza' again, I'm afraid. She is claiming that you held her prisoner for three weeks in the Embassy, threatened her, and also claims that your guards made advances towards her." The Astromancer traces his finger down one of the scars on his right hand.

Brishen frowns. "If her claims that Embassy guards made advances towards her are true, those guards will be dismissed. As far as I am aware, however, the sole advance made upon her was by a Vykarin who discovered she had hidden a stolen item in her dress. I believe the dress was torn." She sighs quietly. "It is true that I held her for quite some time, however. Though I doubt she believes it, it was for her protection. Both from the 'masked fox' and from herself. I told her that I was giving her a chance, albeit a slim one, to reconsider the path her life had taken. Perhaps my advice was ignored."

Tahir nods. "We shall see. She may choose to simply cut her losses, we will deal with that when the time comes." He looks down at the pile of papers under his chin. "Now that this is out of the way, is there anything else that you wish to discuss? It may be quite some time before I'll have a free moment to spare again."

Brishen looks at her hands for quite some time. "May I speak with you privately, for a moment, Captain-Astromancer Archelaus?"

The Inquisitrix looks up and over to Tahir, as if waiting for him to dismiss her.

Neekto does likewise.

The human contemplates this, but finally nods. "Inquisitrix, could you excuse us for a moment? I'll call if I need you." His hands drop behind the desk.

The Inquisitrix stands up, nods to the Captain-Astromancer, and saunters out of the room, the same cold expression on her face as always.

Her Korv assistant waddles after her, clutching his stack of folders, nearly dropping a paper, but quickly snatching it up as he heads out the door.

Bright blue eyes fall back upon the Ambassador as the door cycles shut. "Now… what is it you wished to speak with me about that you did not wish to speak in front of a member of the Inquisition?"

Brishen waits until the Inquisitrix and her assistant are gone, then takes a deep breath. For a moment, the words don't come to her, but when they do, her voice has lost the harsh edge it has held for too long. The same young woman who flew above the docks before she was swept up in the events that culminated in the death of the Sabaoth at her hand. So much has changed, but for now she is just Bree. "It isn't easy to hold two cities in your heart. I was born in Ashdod, but I have spent much of my life here, in Rephidim." She shakes her head, slightly. "When the war came, I saw what the agents of the Sabaoth did, here… "

Tahir nods his head again. "The Plaguebringers, you mean."

Brishen shakes her head, slowly. "I never saw the Plaguebringers attack Rephidim." She fixes her bright brown eyes on the blue of the Astromancer. "I fought against the Sabaoth, in Babel. As did the High Prince. As did a lot of other people. And when the war was over and I was given a chance to serve Babel, here, I took it."

The Astromancer frowns. "You saw the final wave of the Plaguebringers make their way towards Rephidim, Ambassador. Your speech stirred the hearts of many in Babel, and it was only until after their numbers were wiped out and Babel had already lost the war that you seemed to change sides."

Brishen tilts her head, slightly. "Yes, I did make the speech, as you said. My words did stir the hearts of many, as you said. I can't change that. It isn't easy to hold two cities in your heart. But before I knew the Plaguebringers had been truly destroyed and before the Sabaoth's power had been lost in Babel, I fought against him. Not there, in the midst of his army, but not long after."

Tahir looks as though he's about to fold his hands on top of the desk again, but instead keeps them in his lap. "The events in Babel were no quiet deed, and we have several who are quite willing to tell us their stories. From what I have heard, the riots against the Sabaoth were ignited by rumors that the Plaguebringers had been defeated. Regardless of this, the general populace had already turned against him – I'm sure that any claiming loyalty went into hiding or quickly changed their stories." He shakes his head. "I wish I could believe you, Ambassador… or feel sympathy for you, but I cannot with the weight of the words against you I have heard."

Brishen blinks a few times. "I suppose you can't." She closes her eyes for a moment, then shakes her head. "I'm very sorry, Captain-Astromancer Archelaus." She sighs, quietly. "And if I may, I believe I shall return to the Embassy. There is a lot I need to do." She stands, slowly, so her knees won't tremble. "In three days, the servants will be ready to be taken to the Temple."

"Of course." The human glances at his lap. "Despite your past, Ambassador… you are in a position to influence relations between our lands for good. If I saw you as a threat or a danger, I would have you removed." He sighs. "As a former diplomat, I can only say this – actions guided by discretion are the most conducive to diplomacy. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Brishen whispers. "Yes you do."

"Until we speak again then, farewell, Ambassador Kara." The Astromancer gestures to the door.

Brishen nods slowly as she leaves, her wings wrapped around her. "Until we speak again."

Brishen is in flight, far from the Temple, when she starts to think about what the days ahead will hold, about how the words of the Captain-Astromancer have changed everything and about how her life will never be the same again. Because she knows that at the center of it all lies an agreement she made with a cowled shiga. And tears stream from her eyes, blurring the city beneath her. I can't fix what I've broken. I can't change what I've done. But maybe, for once in my life, I can do something because it's right. As she turns towards the Embassy her eyes, laced with tears, also hold a grim resolve.