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]

Well, that's... illuminating. In a way. Certainly, their reaction is telling. "The reverse does make more sense," he concedes. It also raises a great many more questions, and he's not sure he'll have time to ask them all or if they're even the right ones. "How long have you existed?"

[iseethe]

They look away. "Ask the puppy."

[capital_asset]

"We're not on speaking terms."

[iseethe]

"Well, then you'll never know. I have better things to do than be the Arcana's timekeeper."

[capital_asset]

This is going well. Raidou represses a sigh. He really needs to pay more attention to what he says; he'd been good at that once. "So the Tarot... doesn't necessarily come directly from you, but is inspired by you? And similar systems on other worlds would do likewise?"

[iseethe]

"They would seem to, wouldn't they?"

[capital_asset]

"They would."

He falls quiet for another moment, thinking. Then: "If you win, what will you do?"

[iseethe]

"That," the Moon says, with an enigmatic masked smile, "is a secret. But I will pay attention to your wishes."

[capital_asset]

"Our wishes?" He's not the only one Moon's claimed, after all.

[iseethe]

"Mm. Yes."

[capital_asset]

Raidou's wishes are all for other people. He makes none for himself. "And what happens to us afterwards, wishes aside? For that matter, what of those claimed by the losing Arcana?"

[iseethe]

"Well, that depends on who wins, doesn't it?" they say. "I will tell you this: if you hope to be released from playing by my loss, you will be disappointed. All you will do is cease to score points for me. You will still Travel onward, until we reach the World."

[capital_asset]

"I know." He'd guessed that to be the case when they'd mentioned other Arcana getting some use out of the losers' pawns. It's what happens after that that concerns him.

It does surprise him a bit to hear that there's a points system in place, although given that the Arcana are now in direct competition, it probably shouldn't. Simple win/loss conditions may have been sufficient for earlier Jaunts, but now that they're entering a new phase, the Arcana would want as many ways to prevail over their rivals as possible.

"Should we expect to be placed in direct conflict with each other at any point?"

[iseethe]

"Mm. Depends on the match... and those playing it. It's not as likely in Liminal Space."

[capital_asset]

As likely? "Is this phase of the competition not confined to Jaunts, then?" Or are Jaunts a part of Liminal Space?

[iseethe]

"People cheat."

[capital_asset]

"...Ah." He probably should have guessed.

"Which ones do we need to be most worried about in that regard?"

[iseethe]

"ROSE. PSYCHE. Mei. Little Miss I Have Many Names." Their lips curve into a sardonic smile. "I would not be above it."

[capital_asset]

"Mei..." He runs down the list of Arcana in his head. "Empress?" He thinks he's heard mention of her over the network...

[iseethe]

"Mm. She marked outside of turn on two separate occasions. Even PSYCHE restrained herself to one."

[capital_asset]

He'd ask why, but that's a question better directed at Empress herself. "Is there an upper limit to the number of people you can claim? I know there was talk at one point of five people per turn, but that was before the cheating started in earnest, I think. And at the time, we didn't know whether a turn was a single Jaunt or something else."

[iseethe]

"Five on our designated marking Jaunts. Other marks count not for the total, but doing it out of turn is considered... déclassé. Which does not mean it is not done."

[capital_asset]

"...And the more people you mark, the more people you have working on your behalf during your match."

Theoretically.

[iseethe]

"Exactly. Two more now, at our World Series opening ceremony. And then, whenever Fortuna's mechanisms bring in a new influx of Travelers, we have the opportunity to claim one or two."

[capital_asset]

Empress had mentioned Fortuna when they'd spoken. "That could still potentially leave some of you at a disadvantage, couldn't it? Since which people you claim depends on which archetype they fit..."