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[yueshen]

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w0, saturday

[yueshen]

[ well, after all of that! that sure was a lot.

xie lian is out at the beach, sitting crosslegged in the sand. he's been back to change clothes - his white robes are pristine - and he's holding what appears to be a few small sheets of paper in his hands.

there is a small fire burning in front of him, flickering light across the beach, and he is slowly dipping each of the papers into the fire, until they burn to ashes, saying something soft under his breath. he glances up, noticing someone else - and then offers a soft smile, nodding his head. ] Good evening, Mr. Van Zieks.

[winebar]

[Hm. What's this occultist pagan shit.]

... I do not know if good is the right word for it. We still don't know why the murder occurred.

[yueshen]

[ if you only knew ]

Mm. Even if you were to ask him, there is a good chance that he would lie. The only way to get him to speak truths is to trick him - as you saw today.

[ a little huff - he smiles, wanly, up at van zieks ] I apologize, that I had to make such a show of things, today.

[winebar]

... There is no need for apologies. If you hadn't done what you did, I cannot say for sure whether we would have seen the proper outcome.

[As much as his permanent frown would suggest irritation, he sounds sincere.]

[yueshen]

I thought the more showy I was about it, the angrier it would make him, so I had to be a bit dramatic.

[ there's a beat. he huffs a little bit of a laugh, rubbing at his nose. ]

Truth be told, I don't even know who Crimson Rain Sought Flower is. He just went on and on about how weak this other ghost king was compared to him, so I thought it might be a sore spot, and I was right.

[winebar]

It was a risky gambit, but it cannot be said that it did not pay off. For a mere novice in the courtroom, you did well.

[He even did a legjection!]

[yueshen]

[ oh... praise. he smiles, and bows his head. very genuinely: ]

Thank you, Mr. Van Zieks. I took a page out of your book, for certain. Is this what you do at home...?

[winebar]

.....
[Frowns!]

Yes and no.

[yueshen]

[ he tilts his head???? ]

How so?

[winebar]

Calling that sham of a trial the same as what I do in my work at home would be an insult to her majesty's courts.

[yueshen]

Oh. That is true...

[ not that xie lian has ever attended a trial, before today, but it was rather... slapdash. ]

...Even still, I think that we did the best that we could, with what we had. I think that the people who are above the Watchers, whomever they may be, must be quite inflexible.

[winebar]

Oh, yes, let me be clear. I think as a group people performed, generally, as well as could be expected. I take issue with the powers that set the parameters.

[yueshen]

[ that gets a little laugh. ]

I think we would all agree with that. Even still, do you think they will listen to your woes about it...? Or perhaps - we should simply ignore them, and do the best with what we have? Your skills would surely be useful in organizing things a little more.

w2, saturday post trial

[yueshen]

[ hello ziekers xie lian is coming to find you, wherever you are - ]

Mr. Van Zieks, can I talk to you for a moment?

[ he seems quite serious!! and not in the way that he might have been a little annoyed, earlier. san lang is a ferret on his shoulder, matching xie lian's current mood. ]

[winebar]

[He is just drinking in the salon. Shockingly his jacket has been unbuttoned and his necktie loosened.]

Of course, your highness.

[yueshen]

[ saucy.

he will come sit beside him with a little smile. ]

Thank you. If it wouldn't trouble you... I'd like to talk some about the person you mentioned, during the trial. [ immediately, he holds up a hand. ] You do not have to tell me who, of course. That information is very private, but...

...May I ask how you became privy to it?

[winebar]

You refer to the information I got? From the.... the thing that hurt the Watchers?

[yueshen]

[ a nod. ]

I checked with Baraqiel-gege. It is alright to talk very carefully about such things in private.

[ ... ] I only bring it up, because you and I may be in a similar situation.

[winebar]

I see. The person with the role told me themselves. I assume because they trusted me to make good use of it at trial.

What is your situation?

[yueshen]

Something similar.

[ ... ]

...I have reason to believe it would be beneficial to help them unite together. There are only...well, two now, that I am really aware of. I don't know how to do it in a way that will keep them safe, though.

[winebar]

The same role or simply another role? Miss Mikotoba also knows someone with a role. I had known a second one but... They are no longer with us.

[yueshen]

[ ! ]

A different one than the one you know. Though - is it alright to share the one that has passed? Or, perhaps the job that they had. Please - do not feel as thought you have to, and ignore it if you feel as though it could cause danger to the others if you did.

[winebar]

They could give their life in place of another. But I urged them to not even consider using it.

[yueshen]

I see...

[ well, he can probably put together the dots, but - xie lian says nothing, just nodding along. ]

Do you think that they did...?

[winebar]

I can't imagine why they would. But now we'll never know.