And then Luke figured out Insight [Jaunt]

[returnofme]

Hi. This is Luke. I've got some news. First the good (I think) news: I got in contact with the Walkabout, although I could only talk for a couple minutes before I got cut off. Like Lyall said, they're in Sarmatia. There's only three of them now who're Investigating. The rest are Infiltrating. Cassandra says there's some people--'Americans?'--shooting a 'movie' about vampires and werewolves, but the real ones just want them to go away. They still aren't sure what they're supposed to do there.

I filled her in a little about everything that's going on here. When I mentioned Nevermore's 'Edgelord' title, she said that evidently Devil's been called that before, so I don't know if that means that Devil is mixed up in this too. She did say something else interesting, though. There was another Investigator there, Melissa, that she hasn't seen all week. And I know through my work for Agent Jules that Malik's wife Melissa just woke up from her coma.

I also asked about Raidou and Lupa. None of them know who Raidou is, but Cassandra's seen Lupa and he's an Infiltrator again. So that might be what happened with Melissa? Since it sounds like she might be our Melissa.

So that's the news from the Walkabout.

The other news is that, well, I tried to use the Force to help me gain insight into everything going on here. I didn't get any insight through the Force... but I think my Mark just told me something. And I know that sounds ridiculous... but it's true.

It told me that Malik was actually complicit with 'Auriel's' most recent schemes... because he wants to be in charge of human-Pogemon relations. So... I think this might be what the Emperor meant when he was telling people that 'chaos can't be a servant of order.'

Comments

[ninjayeehaw]

Malik might be complicit but I gotta say, I ain't too sure he was a hundred percent informed on what he mighta been agreein' to. Accordin' to what he told me, he found Auriel all but dead on the ground; bird told him he'd gotten attacked by one a' Nevermore's lieutenants.

[morbirdinterest]

Then again, that might easily be a lie. Were any other witnesses to this near-killing mentioned?

[ninjayeehaw]

Well that's my point, ain't it? There ain't nothin' t'suggest he's tellin' the truth.

Malik seemed damn near ready t'faint when he connected the dots, though. I ain't so sure he's lyin'.

[returnofme]

I'm not arguing he knows that Nevermore is Nevermore, just that he and 'Auriel' were collaborating.

[forcechanic]

It was Justice who said Devil's aesthetic's were "edgelord". Something about making the conversation space a place Palpatine would think was over the top.

[returnofme]

Ohhh. So it's just a visual resemblance, that's all.

[forcechanic]

Something about thinking really grim and gory things are cool I think. It's Earth slang.

[shiroganeheir]

Interesting.

I would not be surprised if some of the new powers we are acquiring would lead to things like that. I am fairly certain that I have the ability to ignore everything around me that would make me uncomfortable.

[She pauses, thoughtfully.]

That aside, I wonder what that means for us, though. If you have one person determined to be the ultimate authority, that rarely ends well.

[returnofme]

Believe me, I know.

I'm not sure what it means for us. Except, I guess, that the Malik here is a lot more... ruthless? Expedient? Than he wants us to think.

[professorwolf]

Yes, I managed to contact Lupa on accident, assuming he would still be himself. Terribly irritating. I've managed to talk to three separate infiltrators over the past few weeks. They must all think there's a particularly odd spirit about, with poor eyesight, seeing as they keep mistaking people for someone else.

At least you got an investigator. Good luck, that.

Interesting that you say Malik is complicit. He was attacked earlier, himself, though his attacker was particularly incompetent.

[seestheworld]

Incompetent, or "incompetent"?

[professorwolf]

That, I don't know. Malik did seem irritated by it. He threw one of his mugs at it before I got three to help.

[returnofme]

Well, if he wanted to make himself look innocent, why wouldn't he get one to attack him? But if he was, he wouldn't want one that was any good at it, would he?

[professorwolf]

Yes, I understand, you've made your point. He could very well be faking.

[He is apparently a bit grumpy today.]

[triggerhappytraitor]

Do you know to what extent?

When I spoke with him, he showed no concern about the excessive condiment purchasing that implied someone in the Institute was at the very least arming the burgermon, but also seemed to think someone was tampering with his equipment, which was why none of the Institute's equipment registered the rift.

[returnofme]

That he knew ahead of time that there would be rogue Pogemon attacking people and he didn't try to prevent them, because if the attacks went forward, he could use it to increase his authority. That's basically is what I discovered when I tried to gain insight into things.

[triggerhappytraitor]

...Another one where the means to an end have become the end, huh?

[wholeheaded]

"Edgelord" is just a nickname, a disparaging one at that.

[ as Blackhawk he may have caught wind of some Captain Edgelord jokes. ]

Besides this place doesn't strike me as very... Devil-y. Maybe he's in the details.

[returnofme]

Oh. Well, now I feel silly.

That's good, though. I'm not familiar with the Devil outside of Traveling, but they seem to be pretty awful.

[fawkestheories]

I don't think he'd willingly go along with things if he was himself. [ Though there's a lot that Shaun won't say even this way and Luke might pick up on it.]

[returnofme]

[He does sense there's more to it, but he'll leave it for now.]

I believe you. But the whole point of Infiltration is that he's not himself right now.

[whydoyoushine]

Look, all you gotta do to take that really boring castle taken care of is get, like, a bunch of light and hope and friendship and teamwork and all that crap, and it'll come right down. Same goes for the guys inside it, whoever they are.

I know how this goes.

[ninjayeehaw]

...this world keeps actin' similar enough t'our own, that might actually work.

[shiroganeheir]

Light and hope and friendship?

... perhaps that is why most of my friends and I are Investigating.

[Is that a joke? Probably.]

[returnofme]

... is that how it goes where you come from?

[Luke sounds bemused by this.]