2 Saik Guard, Micana, an efficient assistant arrive, following Lucita.

In the stillness of the Hall of Heroes comes the occasional sound of a cane touching the stone floor, the sound of a glass bottle of liquid being tipped back, and a low voice muttering something unintelligible. The source of these soft sounds isn't too hard to find; Ian is in the Thrax wing again, standing at the far end, in front of the statue of Darrow Darkwater. He takes a pull from the bottle of whiskey in his hand. "... like you were right about a lot of things, but for the life of me I don't know why."

Hard to keep bells from echoing through these halls, however Matti does try and with each step there's a 'shushing' to be followed with a giggle. Slipping between darkened corners and nooks, the colorfully dressed, giggling, and jingling lord stops when he finds Ian. Opening his arms wide to nearly tackle the man if he doesn't slip away, "Teacher! Lord Ian! The voices in here sounded like you."

Ann is following close behind Matti. Amused but she's not giggling even if she is wearing a smile on her lips. Having caught Ian's words and she's thinking on his words because that is what she does. Her bells not as loud as Matti's but she has them on. More bells than when she left the Compact for the river. Being sure to stay far away enough in case Matti is successful in doing whatever it is he's trying to do to Ian. Nodding to the other Lord once they get closer.

Lucita's eyes betray nights of interrupted sleep, her color shades paler than her usual tones. She enters the Thrax Hall and glances around as if surprised at seeing the people there. Her restless pacing comes to a halt and she softly calls out a greeting. "Hello, I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

Cillian comes walking into the Hall of Heros, he well looks extremely tired and warn. His hand rolls through his hair as he looks to those who are present, he nods to them and finds a place to lean. Arms move to go across his chest, he nods to everyone there with a greeting, "Hello."

Ian is already turning at the approaching sound of bells, although in an unhurried manner. His features are haggard in a way that makes them look more severe even than they usually do. It's a face that speaks of sleepless nights. "Lord Mattheu." He leans away from the gesture of arms outstretched, but can't seem to summon the impetus to do anything that would make him hard to catch. Beyond just the fact that he's much harder to hit than he ought to be, considering. The notice he takes of Lucita and Cillian is distracted in this moment, as a result. He's mostly concerned with protecting the whiskey from being smashed on accident. Because heaven forbid.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Mattheu before departing.

Violeta Emili, tall and shadowed rivenshari, 2 Rivenshari Clan Guardsman, Tregva Emili, a colorful ravashari performer leave, following Mattheu.

Violeta Emili, tall and shadowed rivenshari, 2 Rivenshari Clan Guardsman, Tregva Emili, a colorful ravashari performer arrive, following Mattheu.

When Ann hears Lucita's greeting there's a nod to the other woman and a nod for Cillian. A small wince as she takes in how everyone's features are. Including Ian's. Last few days, weeks, whatever, it has not been kind from Ann observes. A brow raised when Ian makes sure that whiskey is protected. She would do the same thing herself. "I would say hope all is well but from the looks around here I do not think that is the case."

Tregva pulls Matti out from the hall as he is in his own direction of trying to hug Ian. Only to come back with a renewed laugh for the missive that he waves and hands over to Ann, "Your... Well. Our Nephew wanted back pay on gifts." Smiling back to Ian, "Let's top up your drink, yes? You look low there Lord Ian." The colorful assistant behind Mattheu offers an equally colorful bottle towards Matti who in turns puts it to the pedestal. "This is a good spot for safe keeping?"

Mattheu takes Rivenshari aged portwine-cask 'vacolatro' vanilla whiskey from Wind Dancer Chest.

Mattheu drops Rivenshari aged portwine-cask 'vacolatro' vanilla whiskey.

Ian give Mattheu a humorless twitch of a smile. "Tempting as that might be, if I have more than this bottle here, I'm going to have to crawl home." He looks past Mattheu briefly and lifts his chin in greeting to Ann, and then: "Baroness Saik. Lord Cillian. I guess it's a night for a lot of people to look for the kind of answers we're not going to find."

Ian's bottle is the mid-tier sort of thing that someone who asks at a bar for a bottle of whiskey without specifying or seeming to care what KIND would be given.

Arienne, the snarky d'Lire Steward, Bower, a barb-bothering butcher bird arrive, following Lys.

Lys arrives, following Jan.

William, a taciturn quartermaster arrives, following Aethan.

Aethan arrives, following Ian.

Ann watches as Tregva pulls Matti out for a moment. Only for her husband to come back with all smiles and a missive for her to read. She reads the paper and even if the mood here is somber there's a small laugh that erupts from her as she hands the missive back to Matti. "I know you showered him with the back pay as you should." She's standing next to Matti while the others are all in a group standing about. There is a whiskey bottle on the pedestal its a Rivenshari bottle for any to partake.

Ian is standing at the far end of the Thrax wing of the Hall of Heroes, near the statue of Darrow Darkwater, which he was totally not just talking to, because that would be silly. He's got a bottle of whiskey in one hand that missing enough of the liquid inside that he's probably been here a while. His features are haggard, speaking of care and lack of sleep.

Cillian looks to Mattheu for a long moment then he looks to Ian when he hears his name, "I do believe it is." he says in a low tone, his eyes look to Ann nodding to her. Then he looks away. He eyes the whiskey then away.

Matti nods slowly to Ian, "Fair. Then I'll have of this bottle you can have of yours and while we share but not share a drink you can explain why we are finding you talking to the statues in here?"

Lys arrives dressed in all black silks, a black handled dagger at her side, and rapier on the other. A tip of her head is given as follows along the Jan. "In here?" She wonders idly. "Odd place for a meeting."

Jan gestures "Cousin, Baroness Lys de Leer of Afflua. Baroness, Lord Ian Kennex, sword of Stormward."

Lucita glances over toward the other Lycene woman arriving and nods toward her. "Baroness Lys, the Hall is warded by some weaves that linger here generations after they were made. They.. help keep enemies from eavesdropping on us. A small... measure of protection."

Ian's gaze flicks up at Jan and Lys as they come in. Jan is a familiar face (of course), but Lys he looks at longer, with the attitude of someone who's trying to place a face they think they ought to recognize. The name, however, does seem to ring a bell. "Baroness de Leer." He repeats her name and nods to her in greeting. "Lapse of judgement?" He asks Mattheu, in a dry tone. Then, maybe in what's a slightly more honest answer: "Sometimes I wonder what he'd think of... all of this. I like to think he'd be able to put things into perspective, remind me how small it all really is."

He'd heard that he might find his brother here - though speaking to statues was not mentioned. Likely an earlier sighting! Aethan enters, pausing to step to the side of the door, so that he can look over the room. Nodding to familiar faces - he spots Ian, and heads in his direction. As the younger man is already in conversation, he simply nods again - not wanting to interject.

"Baroness Saik." says Lys, tipping her head toward the Baroness of the Saiklands. She folds her hands behind her back, tipping her head as she is informed of the protections on the hall of heroes. A small dip of her chin is given and she says, "Ah, so I see." She lets her gaze flicker around the interior of the thrax all for a moment.

Jan turns and bows her head to her Duke before her gaze returns to Ian, studying him thoughtfully.

The appearance of his brother softens the lines of Ian's face ever so slightly, and he lifts his chin in a silent greeting. "... Since we're all here in this place," he says after a moment spent taking a pull from his bottle of whiskey, "I guess now's a pretty good time to talk about... I don't know. The wake that's about to hit the shit? What happened at Old Oak?"

Cillian nose wrinkles when Old Oak is mentioned, he looks up at the ceiling and lets out a breath. "Shit is going to go to shit quick." he looks down to them all, "I think faster then some think."

Jan meanders over towards Ian, fishing out a flask of her own. She stops a couple of meters away, careful not to crowd him but loitering on the periphery like natural laws demand Kennex congregate.

If it is one thing that people tease about, it is that Kennex are born with a flask in hand. True to form, Aethan takes his from his belt, nodding to Jan and Ian. "Please, enlighten me." He says, finding a place to lean against. He fears this will be a long talk.

Lys peels away from Jan when the Kennex General makes her way toward her kin. The redhead fingers herself some place to perch. Probably doing something breathtakingly respectful in the process of doing so. One leg is crossed over the other at the knee. A dip of her chin is given toward Cillian and she wonders idly, "When is shit not going to shit? Isn't that all it ever is?" A flick of her hair is given over a shoulder and says, "It is terrible news to hear of Samantha Deepwood missing."

With a solid sip of his drink Matti settles to sit on the floor when it sounds that story time might start. A little shake of his head as fingers wrap around the bottle he's holding. "A shame that so few understand the complications of Oberion's death in all of this."

When new arrivals come to the hall, Ann inclines her head in greeting but at the moment doesn't say much as she is content to simply observe for the time being. When Matti takes a seat on the floor there's contemplation seen in her features and then she to finds a seat next to him instead of still standing.

Ian gives Cillian a quick, dry smile, but his attention turns to Aethan. "Old Oak fell, taken down by one of the Traitor's lieutenants, a sylv'alfar named Helena Thornweave. Together with some jackass calling himself 'the Duke of Wasps'." he says to his brother. And then, his gaze flicking towards Lys, he adds: "And Samantha Deepwood's... She's probably not actually missing. She's probably either been captured, or killed." Then, back to Aethan, he adds: "She claims she's coming to Arx next. It's probably fair to take her at her word."

Lucita says, "It was my understanding that he was making restitution and working to assist the Compact. His death...as powerful as he was, bodes badly for us.""

Lucita edges closer to Ian and then lowers her voice as she asks a question.

Jan looks to Lys "There is shit, and then there is _SHIT_." She offers Aethan her flask with a soft explanation of "whiskey." should he wonder the contents.

"Well, yes." says Lys with a shrug of her shoulders in the direction of Ian. "Killed or turned." She dips her head upward and glances toward the ceiling and says, "I'm betting she's dead, but I was trying to be polite."

Ian gives Lucita a vague shrug. "I'm not sure anyone's heard from any of the fractals in a while." He apparently doesn't have enough fucks left to give to actually answer her whispered question with a whispered answer. "There was that whole mess when the Traitor may or may not have gotten his hands on a ring that'd give him control over them. I heard rumors they were being taken out of the equation, to keep them from being bound."

Ann shifts in her seat as she pays attention to Ian. He's speaking on things that she had been investigating in the past as her job as Inquisitor but she doesn't have any information to share about it. Fingers laced on her lap as her hands tighten and now she's the one that looks bothered in general.

Lys's eyes snap toward Ian and she asks in a breathless tone, "/What/?"

Aethan takes a long pull from his flask. He frowns at the news - what more could he do at the moment. "Do we have any information on this Thornweave or Duke? Information from our Allies?" He wonders.

Jan says, "The Black diamond ring, I think Pasquale said."

Cillian hmms, "It is thought that the Duke of Wasps maybe from a House Durand." he rubs at his neck, "But the person sharing it with me had to leave and I was not able to get more. I plan on looking into it more." he hmms, "I know I have heard of that house before I can't put my fingers on it."

The look Ian gives Lys is wary, but he nods towards Jan. "Yes. I'm not sure I believe the stories about WHY it's supposed to have that power, but people a lot smarter than I am seem to think it does." Aethan's question is enough to get a more coherent answer out of him; instinct leads him information delivery in a clipped tone that brings out his Isles accent: "The Duke of Wasps I think was first seen at the attack on Artshall, although I wasn't there for that. I think Baroness Saik might have been?" He looks towards Lucita. "Helena Thornweave was a sylv'alfar who was freed from Legion's control, and went right back to serve the Traitor, anyway. She's had it in for Oberion Thornweave for a while. I think she sees him as having betrayed their 'master'. There's a verse in Baroness Saik's latest True Song that's probably about her and her love of fire. Which she was definitely using at Old Oak."

Matti stays sitting, pulling his feet closer to him as he listens to Ian. A small shake of his head. "Oberion is... was her brother. It was more than betraying those bound to Legion..." He takes another sip of the drink to rest his head upon his knees.

Lucita's color goes even a shade lighter as the True Song is mentioned. She catches her lower lit between her teeth and remains quiet for the moment. That is the second major one in the last few years. The first one, each element in it has shown to becoming true or became true since it was sung.

Lys checks composure at daunting. Botch! Lys fails completely.

"Aha--ahahh... ahahahh... AHAHAHA...." Lys starts absolutely laughing. Out right. Unhinged. Eerie laughter. Like some exotic beast. Something clipped and almost canine. Her hands lift and she stares down at her palms, the laughter getting only louder and louder. "/AHAHAHAHAH/!"

Matti looks over from a soft conversation with Ann to watch Lys, lifting his drink to hold out to her. "Drink?"

Cillian frowns his eyes dart to Ian then back to Lys, he isn't trusting anything right now. He doesn't move, but he also is ready if he needs too.

Jan points at Lys "I just met her. She was curious. This isn't on me." she eyes the black-clad woman uncertainly, not keen to get any nearer to stranger danger.

"Matti...." Ann says when he is offering Lys that drink. Her hand resting on the Lord's upper arm as blue eyes track both Lord and Baroness now.

Ian's attitude is one more of wariness than concern. But he also takes this opportunity to take another pull from his bottle of whiskey, so it's not THAT much wariness. "I knew her... I think her brother?" He's not totally clear how Audric and Lys are related. "He struck me as being a little high strung." Because that's totally what this is. Just a little bit of being high strung.

Lucita's tone is firm as she turns to face Lys. "Baroness, chin up." Her glance shows her concern as she glances toward the woman. " Take the drink and head to the shrines if you feel that need."

Jan mmmms "This is what happens when all that held in tension releases abruptly.

Lucita says, "Baron Audric was ..er. close to Baroness-regent Kima Saik, avenged her death. You come from a strong family, Baroness Lys."

Another laugh escapes Lys. Tears (of laughter? Hysteria?) at the edges of her eyes. She pushes herself up from her perch, dropping her feet to the ground. A hand lifts and dashes at the corner of her eyes. "Speak not his name. His ghost haunts me enough, Lucita. And I don't come from strong family." Another twisted laugh escapes her and she says, "I come from the death!" Her hands flung wide, to either side of her. "I have a family of ghosts. And /now/, now you tell me even the /demons/ that haunt our nightmares are being bound by a worse demon?" More laughter spills from her lips and she turns abruptly on her feet. "I'll take my leave. I have a well to go drown myself in."

Ian watches Lys go without making any move to stop her. "All things considered, that's probably a pretty reasonable reaction."

Lucita clearly did not mean to make matters worse. She stays quiet, an apologetic glance given everyone.

Jan looks down at Lys "Don't think you'll escape this insanity in the next life. Maybe start with a hot bath and drink and reassess in the morning." She shrugs helplessly an d watches Lucita curiously. She draws in a deep breath and flashes an encouraging smile towards Lucita.

Arienne, the snarky d'Lire Steward, Bower, a barb-bothering butcher bird leave, following Lys.

Ian gives Lucita a vague shrug. "For what it's worth, I don't think he actually has them under writ," he picks up, like Lys never had her little nervous breakdown. "Either he never got the ring, or they were gotten out of his reach somehow."

Cillian shakes his head and he relaxes back into his leaning on a pillar, his arms across his chest. "I know I believe some of the objects he wanted were taken out of his reach, but I do not know of what and how."

Lucita says, "I seem t have a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time tonight. These nightmares, just ordinary ones, and too little sleep have taken a toll on me. I think I am going to have a tall glass of whiskey and try to sleep. I bid you all a good night."

2 Saik Guard, Micana, an efficient assistant leave, following Lucita.

Ian says a goodbye to Lucita, and then turns his attention back to Cillian. "Most of the stuff he's chasing hasn't been like that ring. Most of it is only powerful because of what it represents."

Ann settles back into her seat again and sighs softly. There was a wave of her fingers when Lucita takes her leave. Out of her pocket she pulls out an apple and starts to eat. Others are drinking. Ann can eat fruit.

Mattheu takes Rivenshari aged portwine-cask 'vacolatro' vanilla whiskey.

Jan watches Lucita leave with a small frown and then her attention returns to Ian "Is it possible any of this is individual interest? Helena or Duke of wasps has an axe to grind or hangup on a bauble and some of the nonsense that's been seen over the years isn't the traitorous fapwhistle but personal interest of his minions?"

Matti looks up as Lys finally just up and leaves with something about a well, then to wave to Lucita on her way out. Eyeing Jan for her direction of thoughts. Left to mumble into his own drink.

Ian shakes his head to Jan. "I don't know about the Duke of Wasps. He seems like he's mostly a hanger on. But Helena Thornweave isn't capable of personal anything. Interest or otherwise. She doesn't really have her own identity, anymore. At best, you could say that maybe some of her personal goals might please him, and so she'd be allowed to pursue them." He takes a pull from the bottle of whiskey. "When Bastion was attacked, there was something specific that the Traitor wanted, and as soon as he got it, he and his people all left. Old Oak was the same. There was something there that he wanted, and Helena got it for him. Arx is probably going to be the same. Helena Thornweave is being sent to fetch him something that he wants."

Jan says, "Why you reckon he bothered to saber rattle about laying siege to the city. Even if that is his next move, even if we haven't the means to stop him, why bother to announce it?"

Ian shrugs. "Why not announce it?"

Mattheu looks to Ian and Jan as they discuss the means of announcing or not announcing an attack. "Were either of you there when they announced their intentions? I mean, what exactly was said in this meeting?"

Ian gives Mattheu a slow not. "Jan, Lord Cillian, and I were all there," he says after a moment. He takes a breath. "It started at the Traders Tavern. She sent some kind of... I think she possessed a corpse. He came in with Oberion Thornweave's head in a bag, gave that to Lady Eirene, and told Princess Lou that Helena was at Old Oak, and she wanted to parley, and we'd better not keep her waiting. So we all went."

Cillian Lets I an tell the story, he does not have the ability at the moment to put it in good enough words. His eyes do close as he listens though, his head leaning back to rest on the pillar.

Ian pushes his hand through his hair. "When we got there, she gave us the usual line that the abyss does about how the Metallics were all stuffy and mean, and the gods don't care, and we'd all be so much better off turning our backs on all that stuff. When that went over about like you'd expect it to, she told us that we could either give up, or she was going to attack Arx, and everything that happened after would be all our fault." He seems mostly irritated by this twist of logic. "So it wasn't really that she wanted to parley, as to threaten us. Also, someone named Auda who I guess used to run the Apothecary College turned out to be in bed with Blight and went off with her." He pauses. "And she said he'd gotten his hands on one of his daughters. That's what she was getting for him at Old Oak."

Jan shrugs "One would think they'd have better things to do? Who the fuck knows, apparently not." She tilts her head "It was all a lot. Roughly she said to join her and suffer. I think she was directing it to a select few in the crowd, and baiting Grayson, more than speaking to the populace."

Ann is listening to Ian because she was not there when the meeting had happened or the parley. A glance to Cillian and how rests on the pillar. Her hand finds Matti's as she listens to this story telling as she continues to eat her apple with her other hand. A slow nod to show she's been paying attention to what it is that Ian and Jan are sharing in general. A sigh comes out in between bites.

Matti holds a stare to Ian and Jan, letting out a sigh as he sets to stand up in a small wobble of his legs. Mumbling about the drink and how strong it is. He looks to Ann with his hand held out to her to aid in getting up. "She's angry then, and if after his daughters or any of his children...?" There's a small glance over to Cillian, "You can bet that he needed blood of his kin."

Ian's mouth compresses slightly. "I think there are at least a couple of his daughters in Arx. They're probably targets. It'd probably be safe to assume anyone on that su'tavi list is."

Ann knows that look and with no hesitation she quickly gets up after the hand is offered to her. "Let's go, love. We can have another discussion later if needed." Another nod to those left here and a glance to the sisters that stay close as if to silently tell them 'help' in case its needed to escort Matti out.