Re: Plotting Through Poleria - 119 4A

[Nara-pyon]

Kyrie and Shoneah entered the kitchen just in time to hear the tail end of the conversation, and though neither one of them knew exactly what Miyuki and Holly were talking about, they were too hungry to particularly care.

"Evening," Kyrie smiled at them, looking around for leftovers. "Anything left from dinner?"

"So hungry," Shoneah murmured, going for a glass of water to start herself off.

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki's has were a bit sticky from what she was working with, so she called over her shoulder to Holly.

"Could you get two of the bento boxes that was filled at dinner?" she asked.

Holly nodded as she set her drawings aside and went to get said boxes as well as the proper utensils.

"How did the scouting go?" Holly asked.

[Nara-pyon]

"It went well, as far as the scouting went," Kyrie replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table, which was of course much smaller than the enormous dining room table. "We were safe, we weren't spotted, we found what we needed to learn. That being said ... this may be a bit more complicated than expected."

Shoneah sat next to Kyrie with a glass of water. "This may have bigger repercussions than simply ending an experiment," she sighed.

"I'm not even sure what we can do," Kyrie frowned.

[Kara Winters]

"What happened? Or rather what did you find?" Holly asked as she set the boxes in front of each woman and then set out the eating utensils.

Miyuki listened quietly as she scrapped her batter into their proper pans. It sounded like another serious and large job.

[Nara-pyon]

Shoneah thanked Holly and began eating immediately.

Kyrie sighed. "The experiments have indeed recommenced," she murmured sadly. "Unfortunately, it's no longer all in one building or complex, but spread over a number of buildings, each of which also has quite innocent academic studies going on. So I can't in good conscience leave them to continue with the experiments, but on the other hand ... I also can't in good conscience just destroy everything, or even every building in which they're doing their experiments."

It was a dilemma she had never faced before, and she was truly at a loss.

[Kara Winters]

"Even if you just destroyed the labs themselves, or even just released the test subjects, it would take a long time to do, and after the first one... it would put everyone else on alert," Holly murmured thoughtfully.

There really was no good way around that. People testing, unless it was voluntary with proof it wouldn't harm a person was generally frowned upon in Gaia, but with the way the different races seemed to look down on each other...

"How many buildings are there?" Miyuki asked.

[Nara-pyon]

"Eight," Kyrie said grimly. "And while I know there would be several people amongst us willing to try for a synchronized attack, I don't know that there are eight of us who would be able to do so safely."

"You and I could do it," Shoneah pointed out, pausing between bites. "Daeron, Jassin, Wren ..."

"And Lin, I'm sure," Kyrie agreed, "but even that makes only six, and as much as I know Earendil would offer, I'm not sure it would be a good idea for him."

Shoneah thought about it a moment. "Wasn't Tehlmar a soldier?"

[Kara Winters]

"I think so, we don't know much about his time in service, but I believe he was.... but that still only makes seven...." Miyuki murmured thoughtfully as she put the pans into the oven.

Now that, that was set she made her way over to the table and took a seat.

"Could Cael? He was trained... I think?" Miyuki didn't have clear details about Cael's life before he got his memory back, but her understanding was that the old general did have Cael trained.

[Nara-pyon]

The suggestion took Kyrie by surprise, and she thought about it carefully as she began to eat her dinner.

"Cael ..." she murmured. Could he be trusted in such a situation? He was hopeless with weapons, that was true; but ... his abilities with magic more than compensated for that. And as silly as he could be, he could be serious when it mattered. He certainly would have the knowledge to pass without suspicion through the area, even if stopped or questioned by anyone.

Then again, perhaps Mailon ...

But would he be willing?

[Kara Winters]

The kitsune looked thoughtful, as she tried to think of people who were in the tent. She knew some better than others, as more people joined it was getting harder to get to know everyone else. Miyuki felt she was going to have to spend time to everyone, and fix that.

"There's Mailon," Miyuki spoke up absently, "But I don't know how he would feel about doing this."

[Nara-pyon]

"I was just thinking the same thing," Kyrie sighed, passing one hand wearily over her face. "And to ask him to take innocent lives ... because in disposing of the laboratories, that is what we will be doing. We will not be able to rescue those who are being experimented on. They will be destroyed along with the facilities."

It was by far the most difficult thing - morally - that they will have done to date. Even their attack on the mercenaries in Eausin was nothing like those. Those men had deserved it. These subjects, these people, did not. So was this going to be a rescue? Or murder on their part?

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki opened her mouth and then closed it. She thought about it, that was going to be hard on everyone but...

"And it can't be helped, there's no way for one person to remove all those test subjects," Holly replied with sadness, "If they can be even moved at all. They maybe too ill or disabled to move."

An uneasy quiet settled in the kitchen. Miyuki wasn't sure now if they would even have enough people, because she was sure Mailon wouldn't be the only one having difficulty with the idea.

"That being said, as long as they're there, they will continue to suffer, there's really no good answer to this, but there is that to keep in mind," Holly added softly.

[Nara-pyon]

Kyrie nodded slowly, and her usually bright eyes were dull. She poked at her food, hungry but too discouraged to eat - at least for the moment.

"Perhaps," Shoneah said softly, "what we need to do is gather everyone together and see what they all think. What our options may be. Surely there must be some way at least not to kill everyone."

Could they not save at least some of them?

"Perhaps magic could be of help somehow," she added, thinking of Cael and Lancaeriel. They'd had all kinds of experience with difficult situations - or at least, they often made it sound as if they did.

[Kara Winters]

"Mom has teleportation magic," Miyuki added softly, "She's only one person, but she could once she knows where she's going, teleport to a location and I know she can take a person along. She doesn't do it often... but.... I just wished there was a good way to sneak at least those who were mobile out..."

But she didn't know what could do that, Cael and Lancaeriel might know.

"Still, Sliverbirch is right, ask everyone first. Right now, there's not enough people and not everyone might yet know if they can make that choice," Holly added with a nod.

[Nara-pyon]

"In the morning," Kyrie murmured, lowering her gaze o her food. "Tonight, I'm just too tired. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Just ... drained."

Shoneah reached over and touched Kyrie's arm lightly, reassuring her that she wasn't alone in the way that she felt. Finished with her own meal, she pushed her bento box forward, away from herself.

"I'm going to go find Andarien and let him know that I'm all right," she said softly. "Thanks for saving food for us."

[Kara Winters]

"You're welcome," Holly smiled, "Go on and Kyrie, if you'd like. We can still save that bento and leave it for later. So you can get some sleep instead. Maybe a bit of rest might help... if just a bit."

Besides it didn't look like Kyrie was going to eat, but Holly hoped that Kyrie would at least sleep.

[Nara-pyon]

Kyrie closed her eyes and lowered her head until her forehead was resting against her fist.

"I don't know if I will be able to sleep," she whispered, clearly troubled. "Truth be told, there's only one thing I want to do. More strongly than ever before, I want to talk to Ahkshi."

Actually, she wanted more than that - she wanted him by her side, she wanted his arms around her, to feel his comfort, to hear his voice in her ear telling her that things would be all right. But she knew that wasn't possible.

[Kara Winters]

Holly and Miyuki looked at each other, unsure of what they could do. They really couldn't do anything, Holly was no fighter and Miyuki was uncomfortable in taking any life unless she was truly forced to.

"Is there anything we can do?" Holly finally asked.

[Nara-pyon]

Kyrie was still and silent for a long time, and though she didn't open her eyes, the pained expression on her face showed what she was thinking. A tear escaped from the corner of one eye, but she hardly seemed to notice it. Her fist clenched and unclenched several times.

"I don't know," she choked finally. She opened her eyes and looked at the two. Her eyes were rimmed with red, shining with tears. She swallowed hard and pushed herself to her feet. "I'm just going to go to bed," she whispered; and, sniffling, she left the room as quickly as she could.

[Kara Winters]

"I wish there was something we could do...." Holly murmured as Kyrie left.

Miyuki sighed, "Eight locations... that isn't going to be easy, even with magic, and I don't even know what you'd do for something like that."

It was something they both thought about, until Miyuki's treats were done. The kitsune stayed up just long enough to let them cool and to cut them. Putting them away in boxes before setting them onto the counter. She hoped that in the morning, there would be answers.

For those who already knew, it was a long night, and a bit sleepless. So when Miyuki came into the kitchen the next morning she was still a bit sleepy.

[Nara-pyon]

Most of the group was unaware of what had transpired the day and evening before, so the mood around the table was light and even jovial - but then, neither Shoneah nor Kyrie had made it to the table yet.

"Does anyone know if they've even come back yet?" asked Iorlas, curious. Even if Shoneah didn't often make an appearance, keeping mostly to herself and Andarien, it was rare that Kyrie wouldn't be one of the first people at the table.

[Kara Winters]

"They came back last night," Miyuki spoke up as she sat down at the table, "Ate and went straight to bed... well Sliverbirch ate, but Kyrie went straight to bed."

She wondered if Shoneah was just going to stay with Andarien today then.

[Nara-pyon]

"Without eating?" Khetal frowned. "That's ... unlike her."

"What did they find out?" Wren asked, leaning forward in anticipation of the answer. "Are the experiments still going on?"

[Kara Winters]

"They are, but I'll wait until Kyrie comes to explain the details," Miyuki replied, "It's best everyone is present when she explains as well."

That way Kyrie only needed to explain it once.

[Nara-pyon]

"Odd that she's not awake yet," Earendil frowned. "Was it terribly late when they returned?"

Andarien wasn't present yet, either, but knowing him he was probably waiting for Shoneah - or for that matter they might already have gone to the forge. There was never any telling with them what they might do.

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