White Winter Hymnal

[Philomel]

And there he stood.

A soft wind blew across the courtyard as her eyes rose to meet his. For a while all she did was pause, sitting on the back of her mighty tera'k, observing, taking in the truth.

He was here. In the capital of his personal empire. He was alive.

The breath expelled from her lungs in a long, silent breath as her heart pounded. Inside her head she screamed at herself.

Drys above he survived! I didn't believe it until now, but he is there. In the flesh! Oh beauty, oh god's, oh my darling...

Pull yourself together, came a sharp reply in her mind. Veridian was right behind her, of course.

Philomel winced, but only slightly and it occurred only as she finally rounded to be beside the Telgradian, her strong beast of burden bearing her weight as she looked down to the man who she had feared the loss of ... and had given up as being the soulmate of another. Whatever came now, Philomel was determined to see Shinsou and Amari happily as one, their bond secured with good sex (that Philomel would give instruction towards) and mutual affection.

"It's been a while, my friend." Shinsou said with a smile, offering the Faun his hand before helping her from the stirrups. "I've missed you."

Philomel blinked and her own eyes flickered to Shinsou's. Remain calm, she told herself.

And she did.

"You're looking very well; I'm glad." He went on, "Some very important things are happening right now. I badly need your help, Phi."

"You need our help?" her eyebrow arched as she spoke for the first time since their new meeting, "Well."

Turning, she reached up and cupped her hands around the small rabbit's belly. Mao snuffled her hand but let the action be carried out. As she did, Veridian assessed the situation, his steady gaze moving around the circle of soldiers. He seemed suspicious, but behind the appearance Philomel felt that he was satisfied with their safety.

These men are all trusted by Shinsou, she told her beloved. And the black riders did not attack us on the road. I think we are safe. We will be safe.

I agree, the russet-coloured fox replied, sweeping his tail back and forth. Then, with a soundless leap he moved from saddle to ground.

With a nod to him, Philomel placed Mao on her shoulder, where the rabbit nestled down, burrowing nose into violet hair. Looking over to Delath, who seemed excited as a hunting dog, she eased into his mind a sense of ease. With a brief look to her the earth dragon huffed, but accepted her decision as wrote. Twisting around he opened his jaw wider than his panting allowed, and then plunged it into the earth, maw working furiously. To those who had never seen the earth dragon burrowing it was a sight beyond imagining, as he literally ate into the ground beneath him and dug with massive claws. Body wriggling Delath disappeared in a cloud of dust and to the chorus of gasps, just as Philomel turned back to Shinsou with a small smirk on her face.

"Shinsou, it is good to see you alive, but it was I who sent you that initial letter. What do you need that is more important than my mission?"

His answer was vague: "I need people I trust, and those are in short supply. That is why I need you."

[Philomel]

Shinsou's surprised and gobsmacked expression was swiftly interrupted by the sudden appearance of a fully-fledged and fully-dressed geisha suddenly popping into the room. Philomel had known but one geisha in her life, and that had been many years ago, when she was first pregnant with Celandine. For three months or more she had lived with the entertainer and one-time midwife Sakura, a woman who had a past with the Ixian Knights, and whom had safely delivered Philomel's daughter. In the middle of an earthquake, during a terrible storm. As rioters who hunted them from Akashima stalked them, forcing them to find a damp, ugly cave.

"Lillith Kazumi, welcome to Whitevale." Shinsou was suddenly saying. Looking over to him, her hands instinctively curling tighter around Mao on her lap, Philomel watched his features battle the immense flabbergastery flooding his system. He went on: "It is a pleasure. Sadly, though, we'll have to dispense with the formalities for now. As I'm sure you are aware, we have much to discuss."

He slowly got up, gesturing for the others to come with him. He moved into a corridor and bade them follow, leading down a long panelled hall with dusklight peeking uncertainly through alternately shuttered windows.

"A quandry for you both, whilst we make our way to the briefing room," then he was saying, "What is good and what is evil? Are they not merely a convenient way for people to categorise everything in the world according to their own beliefs? After all, right and wrong are just viewpoints depending on which side of the fence you are on. One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter."

Philomel felt her brows rise as he spoke, her throat catching a grunting laugh from spiralling from her throat. She blinked, longing to interrupt but as he went on, she felt the temptation die away. Instead, a desire to simply hear whatever farcical, odd words he had took over, and a willingness to not make him look a fool in front of this Lillith Kazumi.

'Shut it, Shinsou, I was the one who asked you first,' she thought, 'Stop being all philosophical and just get to the point. We are here to fight, you should know that you idiot.'

Be nice, Veridian purred into her head. Let him have his time.

Philomel blinked, but did not look at him. Instead she kept focusing forwards. Really? Let him-

""In the case of Lye Ulroche, consider this; there is no cause for debate. He is an evil presence in this world," Shinsou was suddenly speaking again. And his golden touched those of herself and Lillith. And in that look ... she was lost. Stunted. Silenced for politeness sake. "And I intend his fall to be such a quiet thing. People can’t look past “good” and “evil” to see the truth, and usually I would be the first to accuse those people of being blind to the broader scope, but for him, his legacy is only darkness. He brings death and misery. He must be stopped, quietly and efficiently."

Philomel bit back the instinct to retort, neither exactly wanting to or willing herself to, and continued on her way. As Shinsou continued.

"I live by a philosophy; that from the smallest actions, the manipulation of the most subtle critical points, the universe and its workings can be moved. This is why we must be careful in all that we do and of the choices we make," he gestured to emphasise his point, "and what we chose was to set out today to kill a corrupt tyrant. This is amoral by definition but necessary by circumstance. Good and evil; opposing sides of the spectrum brought together by a singular purpose. Just like us three here. A beautiful thing."

She knew what power was - for the sake of Drys she had been fighting for her right to her own body and life since she had been born. Subtle critical points ... sure. Rolling her eyes just that little bit she paused, looking between the humans as Shinsou stopped. Looking forwards Philomel saw that they had come to a large, ornate door.

""Be under no illusions," the Telgradian said, "What we are going to do will change many things. If you can embrace that change, follow me inside."

[Philomel]

“I don’t think Lye has risen so far up the proverbial ladder to be brought to his knees by the blatantly fucking obvious.”

Philomel frowned as the other woman spoke for the first time in thirty minutes. Frowning a little at the corner of her mouth she looked over, brows creasing.

“... I’m sorry?” came Shinsou's answer. Pretty much summing up what the faun's thoughts were on the statement.

Lillith waked to a chair and elegantly set herself down in it. Her black hair barely moved and her kimono folded perfectly as she brought her legs up beneath her. Philomel was partly too stunned at this gorgeous bliss to comment.

"“He’s a master of spies. A tyrant. A man perfectly capable of genocide without losing any sleep. He will expect somebody to come for him, ‘in the dead of night’, and we will walk straight into a nightmare.”

“So ... you have an idea?” Philomel half asked, half-stated in a low, slightly taken aback voice. The wine in her hand shimmered underneath the candlelight of the brackets in the wall, calling to be drunken. But ... she couldn't right now. She honestly was just too stunned.

Absolutely.” The Akashiman sat with her back straight and began to fumble, but delicately so, with the hem of her dress. “I think it’s appropriate for me to say at this point I am not concerned with right and wrong.” Her eyes bore into Shinsou's. “Others in the world will see us as murderers and thieves. Chronicle is concerned only with balance, and ensuring that the people stuck in between these petty wars and hatreds don’t suffer.” As her eyes drifted away from the Telgradian's Lillith leant forwards and reached for the jug of wine. Finding a spare goblet she avoided Mao as she slowly sniffed her way across the papers on the table, and then Lillith began to pour herself some wine. Gesturing briefly for Philomel's she refiled it, before setting the jug back down.

And then she raised a spare finger and gently traced three Akashiman glyphs in the air, that burnt in an orangey light when they were drawn. It made Philomel suddenly sieze, and she would have panicked, had she not remembered that Lillith was Shinsou's trusted friend and he would not deliberately place Philomel in trouble, ever ...

Would he?

“Leopold said you were…dedicated.”

Philomel blinked. Wait, did I just miss something here? she began to wonder as Shinsou spoke his line. But then Lillith was talking again.

“Thank you for truncating my brother’s tendency to bitch.” The Akashiman rolled her eyes. “His involvement in the slave trade is why I am here. We should either infiltrate his next shipment, sneak into the fortress that way, as he once did to me … or we should send a Geiko from Akashima’s new government and use the festival as a distraction.”

Geiko. Essentially another word for geisha, what Lillith potentially was, with her ornamental traditional dress and makeup. The idea of sending an envoy, maybe even a group of envoys to the Seventh Sanctum ... That was crazy. Crazy good. Interesting. Something that got Philomel's heart racing again. Geisha! Professional entertainers! Sakura!

“Big ambitions," Shinsou muttered.

“With Duffy as a brother you go big or go home," the Akashiman replied.

But Philomel was already grinning. “It’s certainly an idea,” she smirked. “What do you think Shinsou?”

[Philomel]

It took a sizable amount of time for him to answer.

A worryingly sizable amount of time.

Philomel's brow furrowed again, deeper this time.

But then, suddenly he spoke. And things were going.

“I concur with the plan. We’ll use the festival as cover, find a Geiko to send to Lye as a ‘gift’ from Akashima and sail from Yanbo harbour as soon as time allows. Lillith; I have a question. You teleported here, presumably from quite a distance? What prevents you from teleporting us to the Seventh Sanctum, exactly? That would be much easier.”

A sigh expelled from the faun's lips as she was filled with good feelings again. Finally, he was back from his silence. She did not like him being silent, apparently. It reminded her too much of his potential death. One more friend dead was another pain to bear.

"Don’t you think I would have if I could?" Lillith said a little haughtily, "I can only take us to places the troupe have been.”

“Fair enough," the Telgradian replied in a calm, serene tone. "Then can you get us to Akashima?”

“Easily.”

"Good. “Then we have an accord. Let’s give ourselves thirty minutes to gather anything we may need, get Delath, Veridian and," he looked at Philomel, then down at where Mao had left a fine round dry ball on the top of a map of the Scara Brae islands. Smiling quickly Philomel quickly flashed a hand at it and it was gone. "Erm ... your rabbit fed, go for a piss and get something quick to eat ourselves. We have a long night’s work ahead of us.”

"Of course," the faun continued the grin and scooped Mao up with one hand, wanting not to seem apologetic for pride reasons but also fighting to not let it show.

Half an hour later they were all in the Akasiman capital city.

[Philomel]

And then their business was back on track.

“I will convene with the Senate to see their approval for the emissary. It will not take long, but soliciting the services of an ona-san, a house mistress, will take much more effort.” Lillith said, as she pointed into the distance. Philomel tilted her head, frowning until she saw what the Akashiman did. A 'meiko' - a trainee version of a geisha - walking through the crowds with her head held high. “A disguise will be our only hope of getting you two into the haven.”

A disguise. Immediately Philomel thought of herself in all the glory of Akashiman traditional dress and began to smile. Despite all her adventures, that was one thing she had never managed to do.

“We get make-up?” Shinsou said as he frowned. Blinking, Philomel considered the statement for a moment, then grinned widely as she realised what that meant for him.

Yes, she quietly rejoiced. And then she looked at the geisha. Because she had to be one herself.

“What about you Lilith?”

"Lye knew my face, but recent events have worked in our favour. He won’t know it’s me until the tanto is in his heart.” Philomel nodded, agreeing. For herself a kimono would cover her legs, and a well-placed headpiece could conceal, or make decoration of her horns and tapered ears. It would be a perfect disguise for them all, with white paint and glory. A single way to get them into the comfort of the Seventh Sanctum without needing to fight.

Lillith went on; “I also need to speak to the Spirit-Warder Consul. We can’t take too many citizens, if it goes awry, the only blood to be spilled will be of those willing to fight.”

“Won’t a small procession raise suspicion?” Shinsou seemed doubtful.

“Oh, don’t worry. It won’t be small. I shall meet you both at the Outlander’s Post in the Okiya district. Do you remember where I showed you the cherry blossoms around the lake?”

A small nod from Shinsou, and a confused one from Philomel. She thought for a moment, and realised that they must have wandered off a short distance when she had been busy comforting Delath. It was a little matter, and the faun was certain she remembered something of a garden just behind the street they were on.

Lillith gave a fond smile, then turned in a twirl of silk and embroidery.

[Philomel]

As the seemingly immortal geisha swirled her way into the confines of her city's government, the swathes of her kimono moving like murmurations of swallows, the Matriarch faun twisted her way back to stare at Shinsou. The words of the idea of disguise and traditional dress still on her lips, Philomel smiled, staring at him. Standing tall, shoulders back, the leader of the Brotherhood looked slightly dismayed - a look that made Philomel have to bite back a laugh. As the glitterings of light from the thousand lanterns caught the gold flecks of his hair she addressed him. Behind her Delath raised his nose to the air, taking in long draughts of the sweet scents, his appearance causing fresh new excitement. Currently, the bravest children were shoving their kin and peers forwards, daring each to be the first to approach the mighty, brave dragon.

Taking a moment the faun paused, trying her best to think how to address her next concerns to her friend. The ones she had been putting off and deliberately not thinking about.

"I need to talk to you about something serious, Shinsou," she said uneasily.

Immediately the Telgradian's brows furrowed. "What is it?"

Taking in a breath she began:

"Pride aside, Shinsou," she said, referring back to his recent speech, "What comes after Ulroke's death will come. What might be of the Crimson Hand, whether it fades back into nothingness ... Or Maddison returns, I do not know. But I want to make certain that one thing is taken care of if the worst happens."

Carefully she looped back a strand of hair behind her tapered ear, the tip of which flickered as she heard Delath grumble. Apparently one of the young Akashiman children had finally gained to extend a finger to his hardened flesh. One glance over made her smile lightly as she saw the wingless dragon breathe a blast of smoke to the gasping crowd. Scrabbling back the one who had dared let out a squeal like a frightened mouse.

"Beyond how powerful I may have become over the years," Philomel said quietly, looking back over to her ally, "This mission will be one of the most daring and dangerous I have ever faced. . Our minds being in the same place on this I want to ask you something ... Request something."

She paused, straightened her back as the hazel-eyed man simply gazed back with surprising patience.

"If I die in the coming days, Shinsou, I want my body taken back to the place where I met Veridian. If he is alive he can show you where it is. If he is dead then ask Vaeron. If he is not available ... Then ask my brother."

The man opened his mouth to talk, "Philomel I think this is rather -"

"It is not over exaggerating," she sighed. "This /might/ happen. Ulroke is not a man to be underwhelmed - he is even more powerful since he returned and brought the Crimson Hand back from the silence it was. He was once a good man of sorts ... Or perhaps I was worse, nevertheless, he has grown possessed by and obsessed with his shadows. Dark shadows," she paused, realising her voice was rising. The warrior before her, all clad in his glorious armour seemed rather concerned, but she shook her head and went on. Quietly. "Dark shadows that are disturbing and will easily kill. Even with Mao now my power can not overwhelm him. And I will sacrifice myself if that is what it takes for others to survive."

She saw him glance over to the rabbit, perched high upon the grumbling dragon's head. Curiousity was in his eyes and he seemed observant of her brief mention that Mao had some form of power. It made Philomel smile - for he was directly connected to the small creature.

"Mao came to me just after the battle in the cavern of crystal," she told him. "She was drawn by the power of the sword that I got from there. Though she does not share the mental connection to Delath, Veridian and I she can mimick any of our powers."

Her eyes slowly moved back to fix on his, her voice now soft. "Delath will protect her in the case of my death. He and Veridian know to take her to my daughter. I have already set plans in place for Celandine to be prepared for eventual command of the Gilded Lily, with Gosling and Vaeron guiding her until she is old enough." She sighed, "Sorry. This is probably very bleak for you."

He shook his head slightly. "If it comes to it, I will respect your wishes." Though he frowned with the thought of her death, and having to hold her corpse.

"Thank you," she said with a sigh. "Until then, you should perhaps go join our friend. I need to head into the city. I have ... a friend here that I have not seen for a long time, and I know she will be able to help us." She paused. "Alright, yes she is a geisha, and she has connections to a brothel that I have influence over. But it is my only one in this city!"

"Of course you do," he said without a hint of surprise in his voice. "Though do not be long. I shall see you at the harbour."

Her eyes narrowed at him a moment, but then she nodded, turning around to head for Delath. As the dragon saw her coming he stopped his puffing smoke at the now giggling children and lowered his head towards her.

"As you wish, commander," she drawled a reply, mock-saluting Shinsou even with her back to him.

[Philomel]

Easily she ascended onto the back of Delath, the point where his neck became back an ideal nestle there. Though far larger than her mount tera'k the dragon seemed to suit her better, their colour close and their temperaments familiar. There was a dash of bright red colour and Veridian soon sprinted from his hiding place where he had been hunting food, a hot pie in his jaws. Cries of annoyance came from a stall owner, a fist raised in the air as the fox leapt up behind Philomel. Shocked looks and a chittering noise and Shinsou was subject to the sight of the four compatriots spinning around. A thump of a tail, a laugh and a wave and they were hurrying off, away from the governmental buildings.

Away from her friends. Onwards into the city upon the back of an earth dragon with a whip-like tail.

Through the festival they ran, curdling up gasps and cheers as those they passed either feared or loved them. A dragon was what Delath was, and in part dragons were dear to these people - but perhaps not those born of rock. Instead air and fire meant more to them, and between the flickering lanterns and the calm streams that small bridges extended over Delath and his charges made a scene. He roared little but ran much, scarring a few fenceposts with minor scratches and smashing down a pole or two. Philomel mentally notes to pay those storeowners back later.

The thick scents of frankincense hung in the air as they thundered into the more commonplace geisha region. Doors and shutters were drawn back from store fronts displaying the entrances to various coffee houses and brothels. Sweet music hummed outwards, seductively echoing tunes that could pull a passerby into a false sense of security, those intriguing notes that are disturbing yet warming to the soul. Bright colours announced the various houses, calling out to the passersbys - but not to the dragon and his riders. Even though he slowed to a leisurely pace, the pathways becoming thinner and the amount of things to destroy more numerous, he still did not come to a complete halt. Instead he followed the urgings of his faun, she who he regarded as much as kin as his now distant-memory egg-mates. Gently she made him ever carefully forwards, her own eyes alight with wonder as they drank in the glory and excitement of the festival.

"Madam - Philomel!" Came a gasp.

There stood a painted woman, lips ruby red and eyes extended with thin black lines. A rare heart-shaped beauty spot was angled on her cheek, black against the white foundation. On her body she wore the restrictive but beautiful and formal kimono, stern bow to the back, wide band of ribbon encircling her waist and small wooden clogs - geta - on her feet.

Delath screeched to a halt, claws raking slightly on the stoney ground. Quickly, Philomel slipped from his back, petting him briefly but her eyes for the woman who had stopped them in the centre of the street. Still a fair distance from the brothel where they had been headed.

"Sakura!" Philomel gasped, rushing forwards to greet the geisha. "You are here?" she gestured further down the street where the brothel was, and its next door neighbour - Sakura's entertainment house. Her okiya.

The Akashiman glanced from the faun to her companions. She nodded a little in recognition to the fox on the back of the dragon, who curtly returned the gesture. Recognition fluttered between the two. Memories of an old friendship, an old adventure now many years in the past.

"Neither I, you, Madam," Sakura said in a warming tone, looking back to Philomel. "There has been a slight change in my business you see." Smiling, she held out a hand to grasp that of the faun. "I did not tell you but I am now running three okiya, not just that were we met."

"And where you were not even running that one!"

"Yes," Sakura beamed, "But how glad I am to see you. Both of you ... All of you! This must be Delath, who you have written to me about."

"And we you," Philomel couldn't help but grin broadly. "Yes, this is Delath," she turned to eye her gorgeous, proud earth dragon, "And Mao." The rabbit twitched her ears. "... Oh my dear friend," she held Sakura's hand tight. They were good friends, after all. Despite all that had happened at Erstfort Island, they had grown in friendship and trust to one another. "I hope you can help."

Sakura, the geisha who had never been quite part of the Gilded Lily but always a friend should the need arise, tilted her head. "Oh?" She asked.

Philomel nodded, her smile fading a little. "Indeed," she mused, "You see I am here with others. To ask your government's help to end the life of a tyrant."

Quietly the geisha regarded her. Last time Philomel had seen this woman the two of them had been fighting their way out of a Scara Brae hell-hole, when Philomel had confessed to her who she truly was, and what Celandine meant, her conception blessed by Drys herself after all. Sakura was one of the only people who had known all these years about the truth about Celandine.

"I know you, and I trust you, Madam," Sakura said quietly. "You are full of honour, and you would not ask for my help if this was not a thing of honour." Again she clasped Philomel's hand. "I will help you. And your friends. Tell me, what do you need?"