Arrotel and Josh

[Icebird]

"Expecting someone? Or maybe it's someone eavesdropping." Josh's right hand moves to his belt while his left describes a short sigil in the air, leaving a glowing aftertrail. "But I've come up with a few things anyway, want to come through and talk about it? The timeflow is better here anyway."

"Sure. How much better? Hours or days until dinner in Amber?" Arrotel offers his hand and goes to Josh.

"No, I wasn't expecting anyone. Was that a spell to cut them out?"

[Wired*Nun]

"Just basic protection...can't be too careful. But...I think I can persuade the keeper of this shadow to make time of it what we may...do we need extra time?" Josh smiles a self-conscious smile, and waves around. "You don't think I decorate like this, do you?" The hominess of this place is much different from Josh's Jorden, more like...some madly cute version of an idealized nineteenth century American farmhouse.

"It's mom's place...you know how mothers are...but she's a superb sorceress, and it's her shadow, since Dad...unmm, died."

[Icebird]

"Well, I've seen stranger things happen than liking two styles of decoration... Actually, I probably qualify as being one of those stranger things myself. I don't think we'll need extra time, but I'd hate to be late."

"So, you were doing some digging of your own, about Doracus? I've never been nearly so far towards chaos myself."

[Wired*Nun]

"Yeah, well, Doracus sure is that. One of the Old planes, I think, from before Amber was founded. Right now it's a pretty chaotic place on its own. Hendrake has withdrawn, and what is essentially a long-running insurgency has taken over and is trying to rule. The don't have any idea how to do it, though, so everything is going to hell in a handbasket." He sighs.

"It's being bandied about that the Crown intervene, or designate some other House to take it over...some just want to cut it loose, push it out into Shadow, forget about it...but it's too damned valuable just as a piece of real estate for that to be more than a last resort. Some want it destroyed outright, as an example of what happens to those who rebel against the Courts. And I don't see it's any of our business, except...except I have friends there." His eyes look haunted, and he stared at his glass for a moment.

"Oh, sorry - you want something? Mom makes a wicked mead, that's what I'm having." Having more than one, it looks like...Josh slides a bottle and a hand-blown cup across the table to Arrotel.

[Icebird]

"No thanks. I've not touched the stuff yet, and no rush either."

Suspicion is not yet natural for me, but the way he said 'died' with reference to Caine... I'm starting to think that he's trying to play the game, but making slips. Should I try too?

"Probably not our business, but I too have a friend who is from there, if not already dead. Which seems less likely, if the Chaosites are as honorable as everyone tells me."

"Perhaps we could evacuate these friends of yours, if they're individuals as opposed to groups? Pop in, look for Alamor, get whoever you're there for, get out again without causing too much of a fuss?"

Arrotel drops the name Alamor casually, but pays close attention to see if Josh's reaction to the name.

[Wired*Nun]

Josh's eyes narrow at the name, and he sits back with a stiff kind of casualness.

"I've heard that name, among others. Someone told me he was at the Keep for the battle, but I guess I was out and gone before he got there. He's one of the Changed...does that mean you've aligned yourself with the insurgency?"

[Icebird]

"No, it means that I would rather not see him be needlessly killed. It was really my fault that he was there in the first place. He was as new to this as I am, and I think that we young'ans should look out for eachother."

Arrotel leans back, straightens his face, and continues.

"Does that mean you've aligned yourself with the oppressers? Or the rightful lords? Or wahtever you care to call them?"

[Wired*Nun]

"Oh, he's not that new to it. He killed himself a double handful of minor Hendrake retainers before being chosen and Changed. He's newly Changed, too, but not that newly...and...he's a friend of mine, too. He just doesn't know I'm...of Amber. And I'd rather he not know if it is convenient to avoid telling him. He seems to think anyone of Amber should be automatically anti-Chaos, anti-Hendrake. He's...kind of an extremist. But he is a friend..." Josh sighs, rubbing his face with one hand.

"I'm not aligned with either side, because I think they both have become wrong in their trying to win at all costs. The Changed are even now becoming exactly what they have hated for all this time, oppressors of the common folk of Doracus. The only difference is that the Changed are in charge now, acting better-than-thou, instead of Hendrakes. The Hendrakes have been removed to a place where there is...well, at least a chance for them to start over and not make the same mistakes."

"The problem is...I don't think the Changed are satisfied. I think they intend to both spread their gospel of revolution to the rest of Chaos, and to hunt down every last Hendrake and wipe them out. And I think they are looking for allies...and I don't want you to become one of them. At least, not without knowing what you are getting into."

He polishes off the mead in his glass, and pours another full one. "You sure you don't want some? Good for what ails ya...good for thinking, too...or for not thinking..."

[Icebird]

"He knows I'm of Amber, and I've helped his cause once, even if it was accidental. Perhaps he'll trust me, at least a little? I'm no leader, but I doubt he or his people set out to be tyrants. Few ever do. They just make small steps, and more small steps, and in the end they become what they fought against. Perhaps if I talk with him..."

Arrotel shakes his head, at the glass and at himself.

"Then again, I'm probably just being as stupidly naive as a most storybook heroes. I find that thinking is much better than the alternative; I've got all eternity to waste. Unfortunately, I only have one present."

[Wired*Nun]

"Yeah, so whattaya want to do about it? Rescuing Alamor if he's in Hendrake hands, I have no problem with tha' - not tha' it might not be a problem, mind you, I just mean, I don' object to tryin'. The mechanics of it, well, tha's another story. But let's say we do - what then? Sit down and talk some sense into him? Take responsibility for further deaths he might cause? See, this is why I've stayed out of the game for so long - nothing I do every turns out to do any real good, just keep screwing things up..." Josh stares in melancholy at his glass in the firelight.

[Icebird]

"What next? We stay friends with him, visit, talk, and generally be the good people who we hope we are. And I know what you mean about messing everything up... I touch things, and they go wrong. Doesn't mean I'm about to stop touching things."

Arrotel pokes the table with mock caution. "Well, it didn't break. There must be some hope for the rest of the universe then, eh?"

"As for the mechanics, I was hoping you'd have some ideas. I'm anthema to the noble and most ancient house of Hendrake, so that basically rules out my direct participation. How abouts we mull it over," a quick glance at the bottle, "pun intended, and meet a bit later? I really do wish to attend at least one more dinner in Amber before I go galavanting off into shadow again."

[Wired*Nun]

Josh looks up at Arrotel with a flash of irritation. "You want to rescue him, but you don't want to directly participate? What the hell does that mean? You want to do it by proxy? The risk is too great? They aren't going to ransom him back, I can tell you that much. Not a confirmed enemy of Hendrake. And no one's backing Hendrake up from the Courts, either, they are more or less on their own, so they themselves are their only enforcers of protocol. I have a feeling they are going to have to get used to a certain...flexibility, that they aren't...used to, that is. Shit..." He shakes his head.

"I got some ideas, all right. None of them very workable. He's just gotten in too deep. We need more than just a few of us trying a commando raid. We need some kind of shakeup, diversion, something else. I'm sure other Changed would like to rescue him too, maybe have already tried, so Hendrake will be ready for them. And unless you want to join up with that crowd - which I don't! - then we need to wait and see if something breaks." Another swallow. Lester comes into the room, spots Arrotel and Telloth, and climbs into Josh's lap. Josh starts petting him absently.

"So, yeah, go on to your dinner or whatever. Look me up later, when I'm feeling more positive and after a good sleep. G'wan. Say hi to Raevyn for me..."

He puts his head back in the chair, and closes his eyes. "Go on, Arrotel. See you later."

[Icebird]

"Nasty stuff. Muddles the mind."

Arrotel searches in his pocket for a second before withdrawing a trump of Amber castle and stepping through. He quickly finds a servant, inquiring about the time and location of dinner, heading there if it is not about to end. Along the way, he passes an open window.

"I suppose you'd rather be outside than sitting around watching us humans eat? I could be indoors for more than just the dinner, if this goes the way I hope." He launches Telloth, if he wishes, and continues to the dining hall.

[Wired*Nun]

Telloth launches himself out the window with a hunting cry. Arrotel soon arrives in the family dining hall to see three separate trysts - Julian and Fiona, Martin and Rein, and Heldrik and Raevyn, all eating separately and outside of conversational distance from each other.