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WHO: OPEN: Everyone!!
WHEN: The Evening after the Merchant's post
WHERE: In the dining room of the farmhouse
WHAT: It's the threatened meeting
WARNINGS: likely arguing

[ OOC: because of the logistics involved for having a huge group post, here's how we're going to try to run this. First comment in the post will be labeled "OPEN DISCUSSION". This will work like a network post, but ICly the idea is that everyone is in a room and talking to each other. Since 20+ people can't reasonably have a round of tags, you can just branch off like you would on the network, and we'll timey-whimey it so that people checking in later can still address previously brought up points.
Lee Chang will have been going around the farmhouse and basically dragging people to the meeting, and I'm happy to play that out for whoever wants to. Of course if you don't want your character to attend you can refuse (he will not be pleased, but that's on him), or you can simply say that he wasn't able to find your character at the allotted time. Hopefully this will make it easy enough to have an IC discussion with the whole group!

Note: I've also added a subthread for people to put information that their characters have gathered in one place for easy access. This is just for info that your character would share ICly - if you have tidbits your character would keep close to their chest, you don't need to post them!

Below that, feel free to put up thread starters if you want to have one-on-one or break-away conversations/rp with other people in the meeting, or want to have tea afterwards or some shit. If you don't like the set up / have suggestions / questions, hit me up with a PM! ]

Basic Prompt:

Somehow, through necessity or interest, pettiness or curiosity, a large contingent of the lost souls living here at the farmhouse have been gathered to discuss the Merchant's latest information. Lee Chang, fully outfitted in well-tailored furs and leather thanks to his last few weeks worth of work, stands next to the fireplace with his arms crossed across his chest and his expression solemn. He doesn't touch the enchanted sword hanging from his hip, but it's visible that he's wearing it.

It had been a long time since he had considered anywhere to be safe, and the farmhouse was far from.

Especially when you had yet to take the measure of all its occupants.

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Eleven blinks. A favor- and one requiring the forges- that's unexpected. He turns a quick glance over his shoulder where Hendrik departed, anticipating the need to convince the man's pride to disguise himself again.

"Possibly. With Unhalad's power seeming to weaken, there may be less risk than before, but that isn't certain. ..Why?"

The third time around this request is going to start to seem tedious. Or like a joke, if Five seemed like the sort. He isn't completely sure about the importance that he follow the instructions to the letter, but he agreed, so he'll assume there's a reason for it.

"Good. Good," he hesitates a moment, looking off towards that old conspicuous guard before he comes out with it. Considering their history, maybe he can guess what he's about to say. "I... need a new sword."

Eleven stares, eyes disbelieving and incredulous.

"What- what did you do this time?" He doesn't mean to sound accusing, but there's certainly a flavor of indignant horror, because not again. His workmanship surely isn't so shoddy that destroying a whole steel broadsword should be any easily manageable feat- particularly by a child. Hendrik has a perfectly balanced axe he's yet to damage significantly.

Worries temporarily forgotten as a crafter's pride can't help but lament, "That was steel..."

Well, Five was right about it being distracting, though he does raise a hand as if to tell him to calm down and not attract attention. There's a reason he didn't bring this up during the meeting. Considering how invested most of them were in the history of the lake, it probably would bring the crowd right back in.

"I still have the last one." It's perfectly fine. Absolutely not melted and only used in ways that Eleven would approve of. Not that that would stop him if needed, but nobody really knows how much he's restrained himself since coming here. "It's a long story, but I made an agreement, and it requires a fresh sword. Now you're the only one I know who can forge them, so if you don't mind."

Sure, leaving the details out isn't fair, but they're irrelevant. The less he can say about this, the better.

He does settle somewhat, mollified that the blade he'd forged isn't currently beyond repair as he'd feared. But the rest doesn't sit terribly well.

Eleven looks him over with a frown. Five can only just use the sword he has, lightened as it is from being reworked. To require two..?

"..You're asking a good deal," he informs him after a moment, because he's not sure that's clear given Five's flippant tone of request. "Forging a new sword would take two good full days of work. The Citadel is very tense, even if the forges are less guarded. Hendrik would of course ensure my safety, but he isn't a subtle man, and it's a difficult thing to convince him of the necessity of disguise.."

He knows he's asking for a lot, and as such, he's willing to make some allowances. If he's forceful, it's because he needs to be.

"This is a priority." Forget everything else they were talking about earlier, this comes first. It would have been more convenient if he'd been able to come to a deal sooner, but there's really nothing to be done about that. After a moment he takes a breath and relents slightly. "Considering the circumstances, I'll facilitate the travel and compensate you for your time."

Is he thrilled about the prospect of teleporting them through town? Not even slightly, but he can manage hopscotching their way past any hostility they encounter if it hurries them along.

"A priority," he repeats, skeptical. It's difficult to imagine why when Five has one perfectly serviceable blade already, but it certainly sounds pressing. "You said you made an agreement.."

He sincerely hopes the need for a new blade had arisen after whatever negotiations had taken place. Either way, Eleven finds himself a touch annoyed by what's either presumption or a short-sighted desperation. Given his age, the latter is more likely and thus, more understandable, but it's also fairly worrying.

"..What is it for?"

His eyes narrow the more skeptical Eleven gets, although he knew that question was coming from the start. Answering it will probably bring more of them than he has patience for, but there seems to be something else. If he's still unconvinced that Five can handle a weapon, he risks losing his temper and spoiling his chances of taking care of this quickly.

"There's nothing you need to be concerned about, I've got it under control." If he sounds irritated, that's nothing he can help, but he knows what would appeal to him most. Apparently there's no getting around it. "You were the one who wanted to help the dead. This would help one of them."

Never mind that he chastised Eleven for escorting one of the undead. Never mind anything that he thinks he knows. It's a simple task that he's far more than capable of completing.

That gets his attention for a moment- but only a moment. Eleven rubs at his forehead.

"I'm willing to help," he sighs, "But I don't understand why you require a new blade when the one you have should be well sufficient."

But it feels like he's hitting a wall insofar as answers go. There's something Five doesn't want to tell him, and he can't help but worry about it. ..Still, the prospect of satisfying work and having coin again is appealing. He may need it.

Eleven shifts his weight, tooth pulling at his lower lip, then finally settles. "All right. I won't pry further if you're able to cover the cost of materials."

In that way, he reasons he can treat it as a clear-cut commission.

There's no good reason he knows for why it needs to be a new blade, aside from being told as much. Five isn't as well-versed in the dead as most of them seem to be. Someone in their group might be able to explain it to him, if he ever bothers to bring it up.

Fortunately, Eleven agrees before he has to insist any more.

"No problem." He still has plenty of coin at his disposal, since everyone seems to want payment in other forms. Such as killing a dead man at the bottom of the lake. There's a part of him that wonders if this is all a test, given the Merchant's sudden interest. He can worry about that later.

"Thank you." There are times he remembers to say that. Ordering someone to two days of labor seems like an appropriate one.

Eleven nods. With that settled, he turns his attention toward everything he needs to do in short order.

"I imagine you'll need this as soon as possible?" Feeling rather as though he shouldn't have bothered asking, he continues. "I can talk to Hendrik tonight. If you could let Vanya know I'm not likely to be able to tend the garden much over the next two days, assuming you'll see her before I do. I can likely ask Wei Wuxian to price the materials for you.. though perhaps not. Last time, he insisted on a trip through the mines for salvage rather than spend the coin."

Eleven runs a hand through his hair, then shrugs. With any luck, he'll manage to catch Fox to ask about helping to disguise Hendrik.

"..You mentioned something about 'transportation'?"

The look he gives is enough for Eleven to assume the answer to his first question. He appreciates that he's taking the request seriously. While Five might be taking advantage of his generosity, he can tell by how easily he convinced him that he prefers to have a task to complete. They're helping each other.

As he goes into his plans he nods, and the edge of his mouth twitches when he asks to pass on that message. It's another reason why Five treats him the way he does, and generally prefers that he survives whatever he gets into. He wouldn't go so far as to say that he trusts Eleven, who still knows nothing about him, but for now he's the safe option. He owes him a bit of debt for what he's done for his family.

Which is why he's going out of his way to see that they get there without incident.

"My ability." At that, he isn't positive that Eleven has been paying attention enough to see it. He won't be surprised if he's been oblivious to him blinking around the farm. "It's too far to teleport you all the way there, but I can get you through the worst of it in a few jumps. Taking you inside to the forges won't be an issue."

"Oh," Eleven says with a curious note. He wonders if that might be one explanation for the flickers he's seen around the farm on occasion.

A short-range zoom. He hasn't been able to manage anything like it himself, but it is a foreign world that he knows little of. Perfectly capable of making the walk, it hasn't bothered him unduly, but those two hours are hours that won't be spent working if he does walk. And given the wisdom of not staying out far past sundown, he supposes there is good reason to cut down on the time in favor of spending more time at the forges themselves.

It feels like an odd sort of flattery that might otherwise have been overbearing if he didn't enjoy the work itself.

"That won't draw too much attention?"

Five shakes his head and gives him another smile for being open to what he's proposing. He's really being very reasonable about his demands. It's more trouble for Five this way, after all, so the spent energy seems like as fair of a trade as anything. He never offered before, but that's the difference when his priorities are involved.

"It doesn't matter, we'll already be gone." Of course, his teleporting does come with a fair amount of nausea for people who aren't used to it, but he's sure they'll manage.

With that, he straightens up and adjusts his blazer.

"You can give me a rough estimate and I'll provide more than you need for materials. Anything left over you can keep for compensation. How does that sound?"

Eleven gives him a considering look. In truth, he doesn't know what he should be charging for his labor, but neither does the idea of arguing over numbers hold much appeal. Their group is not yet at such odds, and he dearly hopes that worst-case outcome never manifests. Whatever coin he earns will simply be carefully tucked away until need for it arises.

He holds out a hand. "That sounds reasonable. I'll meet you tomorrow morning?"

There's a reason why Five retained control over the majority share of the coin from the heist. He's never had much need to consider the value of money, but he understood that having it available to him would help him focus on more important matters. That so happens to work in Eleven's favor, as he can afford to be generous in light of his many favors.

"In the morning." He looks down at his hand for a moment or two before he takes it in a brief shake.

That settled, he casts one more glance in the distance towards any potential eavesdroppers, then steps past him. If Eleven is wondering what he's signed up for, it's only a second later that he blinks out of the room in a bright ripple in space.

Eleven stares after him, curious. It's unlike any Zoom or Evac he's ever seen or performed. But, well, he has time to worry about that tomorrow. Now his next few days are suddenly rearranged and there's a few people he hopes to speak to before morning.

Edited 2021-06-12 18:49 (UTC)

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