Of Councils and Conspiracies

[memoryandtheft]

We managed to make it in and out of the Council offices in one piece.

[That's the sort of statement that should sound celebratory. It doesn't. Even with the flattened affect provided by the psychic network's rendering of tone, there's an undercurrent of carefully restrained anger.]

The plague's gone. The plague's been gone for almost two hundred years. The Council's been keeping quarantine all this time in order to keep from having to admit they've been drugging people blind for no good reason for centuries. Their biggest concern right now is the fact that more and more kids are being born resistant to their drugs.

That's where the Duskling population boom is coming from. And the kids born on the wrong side of twilight - apparently, immunity to one side doesn't guarantee immunity to the other, and they aren't all that careful about making sure their shipments don't get mixed up, since an adult probably isn't going to notice any change after a few doses of the wrong thing.

Comments

[naturaltwohands]

And that is the fear that is the problem. The fear of losing power. [Drizzt makes a noise, realizing he can't offer much useful advice.] Damn. This sort of thing is entirely out of my element.

[memoryandtheft]

I ran out of sympathy for that kind of fear somewhere between the mass druggings and the decision to keep stealing kids from their families to cover it up.

[She sighs, though only someone in the room with her might hear it - sensory livestreaming isn't in her bag of tricks just yet.]

It's not out of mine. Unfortunately.

[naturaltwohands]

Stealing children? [Drizzt's mental voice comes across as suddenly sharp. Guess who hadn't heard of this yet, what with all the wedding chaos going on?]

[memoryandtheft]

Those kids who start showing signs of the wrong light sensitivity? Most of them get taken away from their parents, and given to families on the right side of the divide. And there isn't much mixing between the two.

[In some respects, it's incredibly similar to what typically happens with Changelings who Choose their fae parents - and that, at its heart, is the root of her anger at the practice.

The Choice is cruel, but necessary. This? This is just cruel.]

[naturaltwohands]

[And then it makes sense, the one whom had been searching for his family. Drizzt had been a fool! He makes his disgust known.]

Then clearly, riots are inevitable. Taking away children is bad enough, but for no reason at all? It's sickening.

[He's bristling, trying to think of something parallel in his own life to aid his understanding--and only able to think of when he was sent out of Zaknafein's care and into the Academy. He may be an atypical drow, but there are moments when he is still quick to answer, and this is one of them. Children and his father.]

How can I assist? What can I do? My body might be that of a youth, but my mind and skills are far older.

[So much for staying out of trouble. Sorry, Father.]

[memoryandtheft]

It would've been necessary at one point, to minimize the number exposed to the plague.

[Necessary. It seems like such a small reason.]

If Naoki and his friends can put their test into mass production, the people administering it will probably need someone to keep watch and warn them of incoming trouble - either from the Council's goon squad, or from being swamped by angry, desperate people.

[naturaltwohands]

Necessary then, but now? To continue such a farse and tear families apart? It is an evil thing.

[He trails off for a moment. Probably getting some steadying breaths in.]

I can keep a lookout for both easily enough. I will speak to my father Zaknafein and to Elphaba to see if they will also wish to help. Father likely will—he and I share opinions on being taken from each other.

[memoryandtheft]

Oh, I couldn't agree more.

[There's a pause. A long, long pause.]

...I'm glad you could find each other again, even if it took all of this.

[naturaltwohands]

[And that brings him a measure of calm, although he's still quite angry. Love washing over him will do that, and sorry if you get a bit of that mixed in with the anger, Toby.]

As am I. I truly never expected to see him again in this life, and yet we are together once more. If we can save others from a similar heartache, then our reunion will only have a greater purpose.

[memoryandtheft]

You might be able to go a step further, and help some other people reunite with their loved ones. The Council keeps records. Meticulous records. Once this cover's blown wide open, those can be put to good use.

Not everyone will want to take that chance, but the ones who do should have the opportunity.

[naturaltwohands]

Enough will want to be reunited with their families to make it more than worthwhile.

Meticulous records are good. It will be even better if the unrest does not cause them to be damaged. If the building that they keep the records is sieged, then it is possible that some or all of the records may be lost.

[memoryandtheft]

Unless the Council holds their big meeting somewhere other than their great hall, there won't be any need for a siege - the people most likely to stage one will already be inside the walls.

[naturaltwohands]

[Drizzt will consider that for a moment; he's in agreement with that. Still...]

But what about after? Would the revolt be limited to just inside that place, or could it go further?

[memoryandtheft]

If there's a coup, it won't stay contained. Not without someone to step into the power vacuum, and from what I've been hearing, the most likely prospects aren't the kind of people you want in power.

[naturaltwohands]

So unless we are extremely lucky, then there is a good chance that this may end in disaster. And there is little choice in the matter, because we cannot allow this to stand regardless of the consequences.

[memoryandtheft]

When you put it that way, it sounds like Tuesday.

[Except the consequences are usually to her own well-being and ever dwindling humanity, not to thousands of strangers she's never met, whose lives might be ripped apart by the choices they make in the very near future.

That's daunting, despite the flippancy.]

[naturaltwohands]

According to the backstory I gave during my interrogation, that is exactly where I am from. I do not know what that has to do with anything...?

[Drizzt's calendar calls the days differently. And the months. And even noon and midnight.]

[memoryandtheft]

It's an expression.

[There's a hesitation, but a brief one. Colloquialism-to-pureblood translation might not be her area of expertise, but she has had some practice.]

In worlds that aren't clockwork nightmares run by drug kingpins, Tuesday's a day of the week. So "it sounds like Tuesday" pretty much means "it's business as usual".

[naturaltwohands]

I see! That makes a great deal more sense.

As far as I have figured, a week is like what we call a tenday, except seven instead of... ten days. I was not aware of any of their names.

[Yeah, that one is pretty self-explanatory.]

[memoryandtheft]

There's a rhyme to remember them by. Easier than just listing them and hoping they'll stick.

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child works hard for a living,
Saturday's child is loving and giving,
But the child who is born on the seventh day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

[naturaltwohands]

[Drizzt recites the rhyme to himself under his breath, which obviously cannot be heard across the network.]

Thank you. I will try to remember them. ... Does the seventh day have a name?

[memoryandtheft]

Sunday.

It might be worth it to find out if the towns around the city represent the whole week. Or if they mug a few other calendars for their day names, for that matter.

[naturaltwohands]

Sunday.

[A chuckle after a moment.]

I suppose you wouldn't know the months as well...?

[memoryandtheft]

I know a few of them pretty well.

[It's a little dry. These elves aren't the only ones that like time-themed names.]

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.

[naturaltwohands]

[A bit of a laugh at the joke once he hears the names.]

So I see. Or hear, in this case. Thank you; I will try to remember those.