★VIDEO - EMERGENCY DORCHACHT UPDATE

[starseedling]

Name: Steven Universe (SN: Steven U)
Date: August 20th (Backdated)
Format: Video

[Steven appears on camera, looking nervous but determined, like he's just stumbled upon something that he feels the need to tell everyone right now. So, here he is! Steven is very obviously a fae, complete with antennae and slightly too large, pink irises. Behind him, wings will occasionally flutter with agitation.]

Hey guys, Steven here! So - I told Nessie and Mhairi about that whole... dream... thing... we just had...

And it turns out neither of them had any idea that Dorchacht was doing things like that?? Nessie made it sound like their leader, Morgana, just seemed kind of racist at Coven meetings... not that they were enslaving an entire city's worth of monsters?

So... I think this is going to be a pretty big deal. They said they were going to get in contact with the Parliament about it, to see what they could do next. It didn't sound like they were okay with just letting them keep doing those things so, um... phew!

Aaaanyway... I thought you might want to know. I know I've been thinking about it a lot. Haha.

[He signs off, awkwardly.]

[OOC: This isn't massively relevant to this post, but Steven is currently wearing earrings that are charmed to tell him what the truth is when someone knowingly lies to him. So, if your character does that in the post, the earrings will probably tell him. Magic~!]

Comments

[starseedling]

I think so, too. Back home, I knew a group of refugees who were hiding in tunnels deep underground... They'd have to have somewhere safe to go. If they found that, they could protect each other.

But... With all the horrible things they said about monsters... Would they even try to hide what they're doing? They seemed like they were proud of it...

[faithlikeaseed]

There's the resistance--the folk under the three stars. If they exist and they're not wishful thinking on our part. [because dreams, man.] Did you ask about them? Or let on they're there, I s'pose.

That's a fair point, about them bothering to hide it--but it doesn't sound as if they've brought up their revolutionary [he could spit] ideas about the proper handling of Monsters anywhere Miss Nessie had heard of it.

There's being proud of what you're doing and there's knowing your neighbors won't stop pitching a fit about it, so why bother.

[starseedling]

I told Nessie about them. I hung out around the protests for a while on the dream, and found the sewers... but I don't think the Coven here knows anything about that.

[This is where it gets uncomfortable.]

...Nessie didn't sound like she wanted to put up with it, but I'm not sure what Aefenglom can do, either... Everyone is spent trying to deal with the Cwyld. Does either city have the resources to fight each other?

[faithlikeaseed]

I don't know, [thoughtfully,] and if I were to lay a bet I'd say Dorchact's the more likely to be able to fight a war on two fronts, with what they've done to their Monsters.

But Aefenglom--or we mirrorbound--doesn't have to do anything as overt, with the resistance already in place. Tyranny is fragile.

[there's always the option to sabotage their wall, tickles at the back of his mind: but that would be horrible.

it would get the job done of erasing the city, but ye spirits, man.]

[starseedling]

Sometimes...

[Steven doesn't sound so sure. In his experience, tyranny lasts for untold millenia.]

I dunno. I wish we knew more about the resistance. There was only so far I could get with those guys. Which... makes sense. If they let anybody in they wouldn't be very good at protecting themselves.

[faithlikeaseed]

[And to be fair, there's a tyrant state right north of Myr's home that's staggered along for Ages--but Tevinter's small potatoes compared to the racket the Diamonds have going. Still:]

--All right, s'pose that's not one tested on every tyranny everywhere. But the Cwyld and having to keep their Monsters bespelled puts them in a tricky position.

[A pause, as he thinks--] We could learn more, couldn't we? If we were dreaming them--

If this were home and we were dreaming them, they'd be dreaming us. Couldn't one of our Witches arrange contact outside the dream with one of them? If it happens again.

Then we'd know.

[starseedling]

Wait...

[Steven blinks, like he's just been stunned by a possibility.]

You think that... the Dorchacht people might have been seeing us in their sleep, too?!

[faithlikeaseed]

If the realm of dreams here is anything like the Fade back home--I'd say yes, they might very well be.

But then I'd also say everyone we saw could have been demons or spirits, too, and there's no certainty we ran into anyone else mortal.

[his voice takes on an ironic edge,] Given what we got up to--it might be kinder if not.

[starseedling]

Oh, geez...

That would be... bad? Really bad...

[He sounds pretty anxious about this now.]

My friends and I already got into a lot of trouble.

[faithlikeaseed]

[The anxiety doesn't go unnoticed; the irony fades from Myr's voice.

Even if he's accustomed to treating mages as young as Steven as capable of looking after themselves--well, this is still a lot to put on a kid.]

Is it trouble you'd not repeat if Dorchacht really is as bad as we dreamed it?

[starseedling]

No, but... [He crosses his arms.] I'd rather have the chance to surprise them with it the first time, you know? At least... when the stuff we did would actually stick.

[faithlikeaseed]

Good thinking--but you got some of their surprises out of them in trade and know what you're in for going back. If any of that's real--and pray the Maker it isn't.