Conversation Space IV.

[powersthatbe]

The small room is painted a dark beige, with stained wood paneling on the lower half, and lush burgundy carpeting. The ceiling, however, is cracked and bowed, sagging alarmingly, occasionally shedding chips of plaster. Wrought-iron lamp-posts in the corners suspend pale, wan globes of light, and between them along the walls run rows of painted sunflowers, all turned towards the center of the room as if listening attentively. A jutting spire of granite rises from the floor on a diagonal, its flattened top sporting a cracked wineglass from which the wine (a white) slowly spatters teardrops across the plinth. And there is no chair, but a therapist’s couch, blue with gold trim, and ornate scrollwork on the legs, beside which the fluted horn of a phonograph player pipes music into the room, quiet enough to just be background ambience.

Comments

[capital_asset]

"Has that happened before in phase three?"

[iseethe]

She says nothing, but the lips of her mask curve upward.

[capital_asset]

Right. He'd forgotten who he was talking to for a moment. "What are you willing to discuss?"

[iseethe]

"That depends what you're willing to ask," the Moon replies.

She takes a long look at him, turns around, and by the time she finishes the revolution, she's dressed in a silvery grey zoot suit.

"Is this more comfortable for you?" they ask.

[capital_asset]

No. "Does it matter?"

[iseethe]

"I suppose not."

They shrug.

[capital_asset]

"Then why do it?" What are they playing at?

[iseethe]

"Why not?"

[capital_asset]

"...Right." Really, what other answer could he have expected?

He's wasting time, he thinks. He should be asking questions, learning what to expect in the weeks and months ahead - as much as one can when talking to someone whose primary characteristics include obfuscation. He should not be letting himself get thrown off-balance by a simple change of clothes.

Even so, he still can't quite bring himself to look the Arcana in the eye. "This... competition... What happens when someone loses?"

[iseethe]

"What happens when someone loses any game?"

[capital_asset]

"Not all games feature living gamepieces."

[iseethe]

"True. We withdraw from play but our pieces remain on the board."

[capital_asset]

"And do what? Are they taken over by whichever Arcana won the last match?"

[iseethe]

The eyebrow of her mask is arched. "Are you hoping for another Arcanum?"

[capital_asset]

He'd probably just end up with someone worse. "That's not why I asked."

[iseethe]

"They would have to be unmarked first."

[capital_asset]

"And you'd have to repeat the process every time someone loses," he guesses. And that seems like it would be more than a little impractical, even if the marks are relatively easily changed (which he suspects they're not, despite - or even because of - their origins).

"Is anything expected of any of the losers' chosen while they're still on the board? Are they expected to work for or against any of the remaining players, or are they essentially free to act as they see fit?" Or as free as they can be, anyway.

[iseethe]

They sound clearly amused. "Are you asking me to encourage you to seek my loss?"

[capital_asset]

"I did not specify an Arcana," Raidou points out.

[iseethe]

"You didn't," they acknowledge. Then, somehow more amused, "Little if anything is expected of game pieces without a player, but that does not mean they cannot find themselves used anyway."

[capital_asset]

So emergency resources, of a sort - potentially useful, if not necessarily as effective as their own Marked would be.

Although that brings up another question. "These marks you give us... do they have a purpose besides indicating our allegiance?"

[iseethe]

"You might say they're membership tokens to a very exclusive club," they reply, casually. "One with... certain benefits."

[capital_asset]

Raidou raises an eyebrow at that. "Benefits?"

[iseethe]

"To make it easier to work together. Well, all our little secret clubs have those. But there are other benefits more or less exclusive to our individual groups."

[capital_asset]

Easier to work together, but also harder to break away, he'd wager. Not that there's anywhere to go at this point. ("Did you not know? Choice, meaning, fealty, time - everything is an illusion.") "Such as...?"