i'm reaching for the clouds

[godshattering]

Who: Claude and various
When: January + early February (pre-event)
Where: The Horizon, Aquila, TBA
What: Catch all
Warnings: None currently, will add/mark as needed


( Closed starters in the comments below. Feel free to find me at indech, arboria#1862, or by PM at any time to plot something! )

Comments

[assembles]

I'd say let's not go so far as trusting this Quilleth, but it won't be a bad idea to have her ear.

[ Jaskier is one of the most well-known Summoned and has already been in contact with her, so that's certainly a good place to start. Steve knows for a fact that Jaskier wants to make some sort of difference here, the same way that Claude does, so he doesn't think either of them would balk at the idea of sticking their necks out if it came down to it. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have one of the Cities' leaders on their side, if that's possible.

The more that Claude talks, the more that Steve gets the sense that he has a lot of political experience — more than Steve himself does, that's for sure. Hilda made it sound like he was in fact the leader of their Alliance, which means that despite his young age, it'd be a good idea to listen to him.

Not that Steve's ever been the sort to brush people off because of their appearance.

And, well, it's not like Claude is wrong to worry about the well-being of the Summoned. Steve is thrown off when he drops in something about questioning, though. ]

They did what? [ Some alarm enters his tone and his arms drop quickly to his sides. Obviously Claude is fine. It's not the best sign, though. ] I'm kind of surprised they didn't grab me, if that's the case. What were they questioning you about?

[godshattering]

[ Steve has a point, that there's no reason to place too much unearned trust in a leader they don't really know beyond initially opening the doors to them in Libertas and in what's come after in the rebuilding. But he takes it as a reassurance when the other man doesn't dismiss the idea outright, instead seems to support it in the measured way he's come to recognize (and appreciate) from Steve, and sets that aside for perhaps later on.

Especially because Claude himself is the one who sent the conversation in a different direction, and Steve's alarm is easy to pick up on. He looks back to the other then with a mostly impassive expression though he does raise an eyebrow at the idea of Steve being hauled in and allows a teasing smile to slip through for a moment. ]

Been causing some trouble they might frown upon, have you? Well, join the club.

[ It's not much of one, given that he only knows of the other members being Ciri and Jesper and because they were the very matter of what he was questioned about. Claude finally places the arrow in his hand back into the quiver and rests one end of Failnaught on the ground to lean an elbow upon it rather casually, like they're merely about to discuss the merits of weapons and nothing more. ]

They pulled me in because back during the supply run I was 'acting suspiciously' and they wanted to know why. I played dumb for most of it since they weren't wrong about what the interviewer eventually asked me, in that I was doing it to cover for... others. [ Now he hesitates, because for as much as he trusts Steve and is rather certain he wouldn't share anything outside of this conversation except for what needs to move forward - ] Forgive the vagueness, since some of what happened isn't mine to tell. Both in the events they wanted me to answer about, which I didn't, and who it involved since I don't want to break their confidence.

At the end of what she wanted to call just a conversation, the interviewer told me she was filing it on record and that they'd possibly follow up with the others from our group. And she has, so I think it stands to reason there's a chance they're finally looking into us more than just letting us be, or that they've been doing this all along.

[assembles]

[ Trouble? Not exactly. Not as much as he could be, in any case. Steve responds with a noncommittal shrug. ]

I think I've asked enough questions that I might be on their radar, that's all.

[ When Claude settles into a more casual posture, Steve mirrors it by leaning up against the side of the wooden weapons rack, arms crossing loosely over his chest. This is about the supply run, is it? Steve went on one himself, which leaves him even more surprised that he hadn't been pulled in for questioning. Maybe it has something to do with events that took place on Claude's trip, though he remains vague on that point — for the sake of keeping his fellow Summoned in confidence, it sounds like. ]

... Interesting. I went on a supply run myself, but I was with Sephiroth, who's an active member of the military here. That may be why we were under less scrutiny. [ Steve's brow furrows in quiet contemplation as he stares off for a moment. They had helped out that injured traveler who may very well have been a bandit, and some of the soldiers with them had even provided aid in tending to his wounds. Apparently they hadn't taken interest in that, unless Sephiroth was the one questioned. Maybe he should check.

Eventually he shifts his gaze back to Claude, his expression piercing yet still colored with concern. ] Did you have a caravan of Free Cities soldiers traveling with you? I'm assuming they're the ones who leaked all this information.

[godshattering]

[ The explanation of asking too many questions gets another slight smile from Claude, if only because that's also something he can relate to from past experiences. Somewhat less so here since he'd been employing more observations than outright asking, and lately he's come to think that's been a mistake. Too much information's lost that way, but if Steve's been asking around, then --

That train of thought stops before it really starts when the other mentions he also went on a supply run and Claude arches an eyebrow at that and everything which follows. Sephiroth's not a name he can immediately pair with a face - not with a little more thought first, and mostly because Claude's deeply distracted by the rest of what Steve's said. That there's more than one Summoned who joined the Free Cities military, someone besides who he's met and asked about their choice to do just that. ]

Hm. I wouldn't be surprised if they're more lenient about their fellow soldiers than the rest of us since I'd assume there's a level of trust there we're not entitled to having. We did have several soldiers escorting us and the wagons. The interviewer did mention they were the ones who were suspicious about what was happening, so I have to assume they reported it in whatever methods they have for that.

[ All of which adds to that feeling of whatever surveillance being done of them that was done in the background is less so now, and which pairs with at least one leader being in favor of a draft in a way Claude doesn't care for. There is a way around some of their information block, as it turns out, and as he glances back Steve's direction. ]

Out of curiosity. What are the chances your friend in the military would be willing to keep an eye on things there for us if that's not already happening?