• Mature • The Art of Ignorance

[Llyr Llywelyn]

63rd of Ymiden, Arc 720

Llyr hadn't wanted to go to Woe. Not immediately, anyway. He knew out of all the many, many people he could stop by and visit... that Woe was the man for exactly what he needed to find. He could also trust a certain level of discretion from the other mortalborn, in addition to the suitability. Still, it had taken fifteen trials of research and checking his networks to figure out if there was possibly anyone else. There wasn't.

There was only Woe.

Mortalborn. Webspinner. Freed slave. Lethodra. Mage. Unintended Initiator. Torturer...

When he'd gone and visited before, in the guise of a feline cat, he had done so to create a distance. Llyr did not want to get close to Woe again, not in the way that they had before. The sorrowful confessions, the delirious whipping, the exchange of magic of multiple sparks that sent such a heady bliss through Llyr to even recall in a true manner. Sometimes, Llyr played with his memories of that time. He set them to play on the little dioramas of his dreamscape where he collected his memories to watch and observe and sometimes even adjust to see if anything different happened when he did. The memories with Woe, however, rarely changed.

It'd been over half an arc since he and Woe had laid together in the narrow cot of a bed in Etzos. Yet Llyr sometimes recalled it like it was only yestertrial.

"We could be together, I..."

“Don’t be stupid, Woe.”

”I can make myself forget everything I learned about you, and you me. It’s didn’t arrive from my magic… Truth is, I don’t know where it came from. But it is such as it is. We could cease to remember each other, as a passing shadow in surrounding events. Details of the other will escape us, knowledge of the other… I… I couldn’t bear to forget you… but, if it makes you safe… I think... Perhaps it may be worth it?”

“I want to remember you, Woe. As you are, and all you’ve gone through, everything you’ve come from. You deserve to be remembered.”

Llyr did not like the concept of forgetting, and definitely not of being made to forget. Yet there was simply no denying that the very concept seemed to be understood by Woe in ways that Llyr doubted he could fully comprehend.

Would it have been better, if Woe had removed the memories from them? What would they be then? Nothing but strangers...

Llyr fixed his gilded high collar. The suit was of Emean-make, for he was not physical though one could hardly tell except for the powerful ethereal glow that came from his tall biqaj form. His pale blond hair was perfectly coifed. His lips were stained a deep purple as if dyed with blackberries. And his fingertips glittered with the fractured ether that gave him away as a mortalborn to any who knew of such obvious signs. Gold and porcelain rings covered his long fingers, in matched color to the fitted and elegant suit he wore.

He stepped through the threshold, into Woe's dreamscape, with what felt like both too much and too little preparation. Llyr readied himself, though, for whatever he would be walking into. Around his heeled boots, the form of his Diri slithered in serpent fashion, a golden snake that looked more like a filigree ornament than a spirit or creature.

[Woe]

Caminho was a city shrouded in perpetual gloom. Always turning on the cusp of dusk and dawn, yet never straying into twilight or day. "Doctor Morandi" stalked the streets in his heavy clothing, his white hair hidden beneath a tall top hat. Woe had taken to assuming this identity in recent days, as he grew more comfortable with lucidity while in dreams. Yes, he was lucid. To delve into such dreams of degradation and torment would be useless if he wasn't learning something. These days he learned to stalk his prey, the constructs that haunted this place. But he had much to learn. He'd been stalking the same constructs for nearly ten trials, only to come up empty, his steps following after them as he dragged his left heel along the ground, trying to find them.

He would need to work on concealing that newly formed mutation, as it was having a cane was all he could do not to appear as a hunchbacked monster.

He went along with it, nevertheless, and stopped beside a window, watching the young women dance with their partners in a local ballroom. His hungry eyes glanced to and fro, as he removed the top hat, letting his long white hair fall down his shoulders. Around the head of his cane, his knuckles whitened as he gripped it tighter. He'd been stalking these darlings for days, yet none of them would stray too near the strange old gentleman.

He was about to retire, to return to the world of the waking as he sensed it was nearing twilight. Yet, as he was about to return, he felt a familiar presence enter his dreamscape. Feeling the presence of Magpie nearby alerted him, and almost led to him unleashing his groping Empathy spark to find the intruder, and claw back what he'd lost. But he held back, remembering the dangers of Emean magic use. He wished to still use Emea for his purposes, and couldn't afford to have an Immortal stalker haunting his dreams until they forced a confrontation. As yet, the Emeyan denizens had yet to challenge him. He knew that Magpie could hide from him within his own dreamscape if he wished, and Woe would only know if Magpie wished him to.

Without turning his eyes from the dancing room, he acknowledged Magpie. Was he really here? Or was this another illusion not of his own making? If worse came to worst, he could make whoever it forget what he was about to say to them, "Well, Magpie. I suppose you want something from me. What is it?"

A chilly wind blew through the streets of Caminho, the rain-soaked pavement scintillating with the sudden rush of air. "Where are you? Show yourself!" He said, as he wheeled around, expecting to find him in another disguise. Yet when he saw Magpie plainly in his native form, he nearly expressed shock. He was wearing his usual overdone outfit, down to the porcelain jewels and stiff emeyan jack. "Ahh, there you are." Woe so wanted to explore the tangle of the other man, to search out that which he'd lost. But he couldn't, not in Emea. "We have to stop meeting like this. When will I see you in person?" Woe then thought he perceived something strange in the other man's eyes, and narrowed his gaze, "You look... strange. What troubles you?"

[Llyr Llywelyn]

The city that greeted him brought a certain relaxed state to Llyr almost immediately. It reminded him of his home in Quacia, for the first immersion under the rainy gloom. Neither day nor night, and filled with structures that made the winding cobblestone streets. He had entered the dreamscape, closest to the brand and thus the dreamer, and he noticed the dancing hall but he said nothing of it.

"Well, Magpie. I suppose you want something from me. What is it?"

Llyr would not deny it. He felt the chill of the air, and it seeped through his emereal jacket in an impossible yet surreal way.

By the time that Woe wheeled around, Llyr had the slightest of genuine smiles on his youthful features. It was an unexpectedly shy expression, almost bashful for how he tried to hide the upturn of his lips. He simply couldn't help but feel the amusement, though. Woe always had such dramatism whenever they met one another again, and he much preferred this fire to the sad dampness of when Woe would simply give in to despair. The demanding, almost panicked, command suggested that Woe was not in one of those sorrowful states of mind.

"Ahh, there you are."

"Here I am," he lightly returned with a small but flourished gesture of his hands, as if placing himself on display for Woe to look at.

"We have to stop meeting like this. When will I see you in person? You look... strange. What troubles you?"

"Do I?" said Llyr, latching on to the one comment among what was said. He looked down at his outfit and slid his hands over his waist. His smile faded. His dark brows knitted together with a look of concern. "And I believed this to be quite ordinary..."

"What of you?" he lifted his gaze anyway, and though Woe had been certainly correct in that he had come for a specific reason, he danced around with words regardless in the forcibly lilted tone of his southern-accented voice. "I see you are taking to Quacia well, given..."

He gestured to Woe's attire and then the dreamscape city around them. His eyes glimmered in cool metallic tones, blues and silvers, bounded in irises rather than flooded in ether like they sometimes could be when he got overwhelmed by emotion. Llyr's halo flickered above his head, at a dim illumination, and the wings had kept so still against his back that they were almost unnoticeable.

"You look a tad different, yourself," he observed while he glanced around the dream, then returned to look at Woe directly. "Certainly not how you look in the waking world, yes?"

Llyr rested a hand behind him, at his lower back, in a soldierly stance. He didn't approach Woe, nor did he move away. It was the other man's dream after all, and he would respect that. "I am not troubled. But I have come for a purpose, yes. There is no one else that I am aware of who could possibly..."

He trailed off, then shook his head. Llyr cleared his throat, then said, "Could we perhaps talk about this somewhere... not outside on a rainy street corner? It's a bit cold, would you not agree? Unless you have somewhere you must be, then I can make this quick. It has to do with magic, and... a favor I may request of you, if you will entertain me."

[Woe]

"I'm well enough... wounded trials ago, but my slave is an accomplished healer, and my leg is on the mend. I've... changed, yes. Another magic, another mutation." In this case, it was the umbral art of hone that had twisted his form, turning his once charcoal black hair stark ivory. All the while condensing his muscle mass and skeletal structure so that he appeared much thinner. This made him seem taller, but in truth, he wasn't any greater in height than he had been before.

"Quacia has been good to me so far... But then she is a desperate mistress." Oftentimes that was precisely Woe's type. But he didn't say so to Magpie.

Woe couldn't suppress a smirk at Magpie. Although they weren't exactly friends, Woe couldn't find it in him to dislike the mage. Their relationship was a complicated one. It was bonded with an amalgam of pseudo-affection, secrets, and half-buried intrigues.

"Hmph, I'm expecting to be called into the fighting any break or trial now. I was to meet Balthazar at a prayer den in the Lair... Perhaps we'll go into battle with the creep wasted off our feet?" Woe straightened his back, letting his club foot lay where it was, beside the tip of his cane. "This may be your last chance to call upon a favor, therefore. So best make the most of it, and yes, of course, we can go elsewhere. Just a moment."

Woe bowed his head and concentrated deeply. He wasn't used to shifting the entire scene of a dreamscape on a whim, but he knew from experience that he could. He'd nearly done so in Vega's visitation to his dreamscape.

In a few trills, the scene turned from the corner of Darling Street to Woe's tea room, where he intended to trap the sweet constructs. Woe went over to the hearth's mantle and poured himself some tea. He did not bother to do the same for Magpie, remembering that the mage had told him that he did not eat anymore.

"So what is this favor only I can do. I take it..." Woe thought about what he alone could do for anyone, let alone someone as resourceful as Magpie. What did Magpie know about his capabilities? The mage was at least as much an accomplished torturer as Woe. No that couldn't be it. "You either want someone to forget or want to forget someone yourself." Woe sipped his tea and blinked thoughtfully as he breathed in the vapor. "It's always a tricky and somewhat dangerous proposition... I'm still exploring the extent of my own ability. But this is why you've come to me?" Woe wasn't sure, and though he was a fair hand at unraveling motivations, he wasn't a mind reader. He was only eliminating possibilities based on what he could do for Magpie, and what Magpie could do for himself. That was the only thing that Woe was aware of.

"Make yourself comfortable, and have a seat, or some tea if you haven't gotten over your odd inability to eat." Woe placed his cup on the tray and brought it to a tea-table nearby a pair of plush chairs.

"I've done enough dancing for tonight, but I have time for you always Magpie. The waking world has become a weary and dreadful place. A few breaks respite would be welcome."

[Llyr Llywelyn]

Llyr hummed, in neither obvious reaction to the information that Woe had been wounded. He was on the mend, so that was all that was required of that. The biqaj did, however, raise his dark brows and smiled slightly. He teased, "Yet another magic? How mysterious of you to not say which... how many sparks is that for you, now? Three?"

He did not mind the smirk that Woe offered him. In fact, Llyr responded in a very precise way to that expression. He shrugged very slightly, with an inhale of breath, and glanced aside in a barely suppressed roll of his blue eyes. They warmed, briefly, in various colors before settled back to the blue. He sighed when he heard of the fighting and of the Creep. He had heard of the progression in his home city, but he did not wish to speak on it for there was little he assumed he could do about such matters while he resided opposite in the world.

"Fighting while intoxicated is not as dreadful as some people assume," mentioned Llyr in a tone that neither gave away whether he spoke truth or was simply jesting about it. He added, "Though I wouldn't recommend initiating anyone while so..."

He admired the dreamscape while it shifted from rainy street to a rather cozy tea room. Llyr nodded, with a gesture of approval, but remained where he'd been standing. The mage almost held motionless for how he didn't move from the spot. He observed Woe, now, quiet and allowing the other mortalborn to say whatever he wished to.

Once the offer came to take a seat, Llyr did so. He primly sat at the edge of a plush chair, and crossed his legs in an effeminate posture. One hand near his knee, his fingertips tapped against the limb. Another genuine smile graced his features when he heard that Woe was done dancing, but...

"Ah, yes... the world does have that tendency, does it not? Your hospitality is too kind, Woe." he said with a small sigh while he forced himself to relax a little more. He placed an elbow against the arm of the chair and leaned into it, with his chin against the palm of his hand. His blue eyes surveyed the other man and all the changes he could notice, before he continued. "It was in Quacia where both my enjoyment and distaste of tea settled in me. There was a madam in Lair who ran a brothel, a friend of my father's. She once spiked my tea with sedative poison, upon his request, in plan to sell me into slavery. I do wish I could say such a misuse of tea was my first time with something of that nature..."

Why he shared the brief story... while it had no obvious reason, Llyr saw fit to explain to Woe in this unusual manner why he did not care to have some tea. Not even in a dream. He scratched an etherlit finger against his sharp cheekbone in a fidget. "Apologies, there is much on my mind and it wanders without me these trials."

"You are correct, Woe, that the favor I wish to request has to do with your power in the realm of memory. Or more so, forgetting memories." His foot tapped against the air while he kept in the more casual posture and gazed at Woe. "My concern, however, is that like you said... you are still exploring it. I am curious whether you think something of that nature might hold strong through the arcs or if it would degrade?"

"There is a man who I wish to take as initiate," shared Llyr, though he knew the risk of doing so with Woe. He had to extend a certain level of truth, however, for the other mage - if only because he knew very few other mages so keen on increasing their arcane potential. In that way, him and Woe were two of a kind... and that was before including their mortalborn natures. "As well as... if you survive Quacia, and if you offer me this favor, there is something else I am creating. A network of people like us, of mages."

"However, do you know of any... hmm... triggers or ways in which such forgetfulness might be reversed later on, by choice. My choice, to be specific," inquired Llyr. "Or are there ways to time it to expire after a while? Or is that far too much control over such a thing?"

"You see, this prospective initiate of mine wishes to leave his old life behind and has requested this particular thing for their spouse," explained Llyr. He rolled his shoulders back and tilted his head to the other side as if to stretch his neck, almost as if he were physical and not simply an Emean illusion of his soul's avatar. "I am more than willing to return a favor, as well. Even just for the promise that you will try, Woe. I think you will like what I have to offer, perhaps. If you agree, I will tell you one of the names I use within the waking world."

[Woe]

Woe nodded politely to the other mage's explanation of why he disliked tea. He didn't know if it was true or not, Magpie was such an expert liar and Woe was often so distracted in his company to be able to make full use of his faculties. But he took it as truth. He didn't mind the excuse to not sample his tea.

"Whenever you are ready, Magpie." Woe said in an uncharacteristic gentle tone.

"You are correct, Woe, that the favor I wish to request has to do with your power in the realm of memory. Or more so, forgetting memories."

Magpie confirmed, and Woe wasn't too surprised. He thought some requests like this might come from Magpie at a point. The man knew his resources and knew Woe well enough to figure that he could wrangle a favor out of him still.

"My concern, however, is that like you said... you are still exploring it. I am curious whether you think something of that nature might hold strong through the arcs or if it would degrade?"

"The power is an enigmatic thing that defies understanding." Woe admitted. "The only instance I have of it failing or fading was with Fargis... or as I call him, Fleaface, my servant who I thought to dispense with in Etzos. Sintra restored his memory (and through it my own, as the power necessitates the recovery of the memory of both parties, in the case of persons forgotten). She urged me to take him with me, as protection, as a guard. He's been useful... of course, I have my doubts.... but I digress..."

"There is a man who I wish to take as initiate,"

The mortal born nodded his head, realization dawning on him. Magpie always did seem the sort to pick up strays. Woe wondered who the poor unfortunate was, and how many he'd accumulated over his travels so far? Nevertheless, he continued listening, granting him that courtesy at least.

He mentioned a network of mages. That would indeed be a good idea and useful. Although Woe had his sanctuary in Quacia, it might be good to have a group to learn from, mutual acquaintances to grow stronger and more knowledgeable with.

"However, do you know of any... hmm... triggers or ways in which such forgetfulness might be reversed later on, by choice. My choice, to be specific," Woe tapped his chin, thinking for a few moments. He was still a fledgling with his power, but he thought between the two of him, and with his burgeoning understanding of the mortal mind, he could do something like that. "Or are there ways to time it to expire after a while? Or is that far too much control over such a thing?"

"I'll admit I've not tried setting triggers, but it may be possible. As for expiration... Divine intervention can interfere with the power, as Sintra demonstrated ably to me. I'm not sure if that's by dint of our... connection..." Well there, Woe had just let the cat out of the bag. Did Magpie know of his connection to Sintra, or that he was her son? He supposed it mattered little at this point. "As for forgetting people... That's more troublesome than forgetting things. There are more emotions involved, and emotions are a great key for unlocking memories in my experience. It may require more than the use of my power, but I think with my growing understanding, together we could try and find a way to accomplish this."

Woe smirked as Magpie offered to tell him one of the names he used within the waking world. Names were important, more to Woe perhaps for lacking a proper one. He'd never replaced his slave name. He'd tried to get away from it at times, but it always found a way to sticking back onto him.

"One of your names, as an advance? I hope for your sake it isn't as silly a stage name like Mister Magpie..." Woe shrugged, "But I suppose whatever you offer is good enough. I accept I will try this thing for you, should I be able to when the time comes."

[Llyr Llywelyn]

Llyr doubted that the power defied understanding, only that Woe lacked the ability to properly measure it. He didn't say this aloud, though, of course. He considered what was said about Fargis (or Fleaface) and about Sintra. His finger tapped against his cheekbone, in a thoughtful fidget.

As the conversation moved onto the actual act itself, Llyr considered the various possibilities that may or may not be available. If divine intervention could interfere... he did not feel concerned about such a thing. In fact, Llyr did not concern himself too greatly with any of it, but he had promised he would try and so he would. He said nothing, nor reacted, to the obvious mention of Woe's connection to Sintra. Llyr let it settle as it would, as whoever Woe was for Sintra... Llyr simply allowed it to be left alone. It was interesting though, if Woe was the son of Sintra... then would only Sintra be capable of interfering with the power - that surely came from the mortalborn nature of the other man...

Llyr hummed quietly, in expression of the various thoughts that were running through his mind. Many thoughts, and almost many minds, for how it felt split and defined into sections for the biqaj. His fingers traveled down to fidget against his lower lip before he forced himself to lower his hands. He folded them neatly against his thigh.

Woe smirked again, and Llyr couldn't help but return a slight smile. A name as an advance was more than just an offer, but also an extension of trust - for both of them. Either of great value or potentially meaningless, depending on which name Llyr shared.

A scoff escaped him in the way that Woe agreed. He tapped his fingertips against his thigh. The blue of his eyes changed to a topaz yellow. He nodded, though, and said in a fairly sincere tone, "Thank you, Woe."

"Whatever the case, the less I am directly involved... the better. I can send you help if you need it, or we can discuss things like this, but I am far too busy to do anything in person unless you come to where I am," Llyr brushed off some non-existent dirt from his knee. The irises of his eyes glittered with the topaz colors.

"So, emotions have the potential to unlock the memories? Hm... Ah, do you think you could utilize your power within a dreamscape?" inquired Llyr. He uncrossed his legs, moved to the edge of the chair, and leaned forward slightly. His many-ringed fingers steepled in front of him. He tapped his fingertips against the center of his dark lips while he stared at Woe. He was thinking...

...and then he said, "The sooner it can be done, the better. If we cannot manage it through Emea, then the target resides within the Etzori territory. Do you have any Webspinner contacts that you could use to help find your way? If needed, I can have my own acquire the target to wait for you, if you believe you'd also be able to rid those memories upon your arrival."

"Ah, but yes. You already accepted... so... it is what I said, isn't it?" He smiled slightly, then offered, "A name I'm rather fond of is Llywelyn. I believe you might have heard it before, yes?"

[Woe]

The Mortalborn did wonder if Llywellyn would give a meaningful name. So when he finally revealed himself to be Llywellyn, the same one that Woe had commissioned a shipment of Faldrunium from, he was slightly unimpressed. More so from lack of surprise than anything. Of course, he'd surmised in aftertimes of their previous meeting that it must have been more than coincidence that Magpie came on behalf of Llywellyn. But he didn't like making assumptions. This now confirmed that at least Llyr was willing to share his business name, the one with which he spread his influence through Etzos. In Woe's mind, it was a satisfactory tribute and sign of trust. He would've liked to know the name he went by in Quacia, but that would be going too far, too fast, he supposed.

"You won't need to be directly involved. I only need some details or knowledge of either person to be forgotten, in order to make it work... As for Emea... It's possible. I discovered one of my abilities in Emea, so I know it can be used, just that the use of arcana would allow more flexibility."

Woe smiled thinly, he sensed that he wasn't explaining the ability well enough to Llyr, and so felt the need to elaborate. "Let me be clear, the memory of either individual will be lost on both ends. I only need access to one of them, and some familiarity with the other in order to make both of them forget. Mutual loss of memory of both of these people will be broken should one of them remember. That's never happened though, as I said, without Sintra's meddling. So I'm not sure if the memory would be recoverable by any means shy of forcing the two back together and bombarding them with reminders of who they were to each other."

Woe sighed, and then sipped the last of his tea. He went over to the mantle and laid the teacup and saucer on it. Then he turned around and sighed at Llyr. "I will be fighting many battles in the days to come. I will be able to help you on Saun at the soonest, or perhaps the beginning of Vhalar if you can wait that long." The Mortalborn didn't want to dwell on the possibility of his death any more than he was. And somehow, being in the presence of Llyr and talking about future associations, brought a semblance of hope that had eluded the Mortalborn for an arc, even as the anniversary of Werthom's demise fast approached, on the 64th of Ymiden. He wouldn't make it to her grave in time for that, but perhaps afterward.

"You won't believe me, but I don't have much contact with the Webspinners anymore. I still hold to Sintra, but I go my own way for now." Woe confessed, "The Webspinners are a bit long in the tooth. They're liable to trip on themselves these days, with the weight of their prior deals and allegiances." It was time for a new faith to devote itself to Sintra. Woe would bring her new followers, not beholden to the deals and ways of the Webspinners.

"I believe I erased most of the contacts that I had... or else I don't remember... That's the nature of my power." Woe mused to himself, then remembered the mysterious webspinner nursery rhyme book he had. "I believe I did meet one Webspinner. But I've forgotten them since. It might've been for both of our protection, or else because their remembering me might've been an inconvenience."

"Anyways, thanks for the name. It is... an acceptable tribute." Woe smiled thinly at Llyr, and stretched his fingers out, wondering what kind of gesture he should make now that their meeting seemed to be winding to a close. Unless there was something else Magpie wanted or had to say. "I... Thanks for reaching out to me. I've missed you a little." Always fluctuating and swirling was Woe's mood and attitude toward Magpie. That was simply the nature of their interractions, it seemed.

[Llyr Llywelyn]

The furthered explanation was very much necessary, and Llyr appreciated that Woe elaborated without prompt about it. He nodded while he listened, to acknowledge that his silence was simply due to focus while he considered matters. Llyr leaned back in the seat and kept his steepled fingers against his lips.

Both would have their memory of each other erased... Llyr felt a twinge of guilt at the idea. He wetted his lips, and said nothing still while Woe moved to the mantle. He nodded once more to acknowledge the times given. There was no place he had to demand anything sooner from Woe, and Llyr was not sure if he desired it anyway.

While it certainly would be easier, and simpler, did he want Woe to know who his apprentice was? Did he want Woe to see and meet Lars? As much trust as he extended so far, he did not know if he wished to offer the other man that much... it was far too sensitive of information, at least for the moment. While Woe spoke of the Webspinners, and Llyr nodded as if in agreement, he thought about this instead. And did he want Lars to know Woe? No, he did not think so. It would be simpler if he kept them away from each other. Yet, Woe would need to know some details of him for such a thing to work.

Tricky...

"Mm," he returned to the moment at hand when Woe thanked him for the simple name. He tilted his head at the stretched fingers. Llyr lifted to his feet, and his insect wings fluttered behind him before settling again. Another hum sounded behind his lips at ... whatever Thanks for reaching out to me. I've missed you a little was meant to be.

Llyr glanced over Woe, then set a hand on the other man's shoulder. He squeezed firmly, then leaned forward and pressed a polite kiss to Woe's cheek. Yet the younger mortalborn lingered... his eyes shut, for a moment, and then he lifted away and opened them again. He shook his head, as if denial of whatever that had been.

"Woe, I'm rather glad that I didn't flay you on that first trial we met. Even with everything that happened," offered Llyr with a small but fairly charming smile. "I'm sorry we cannot be closer. Maybe another trial... in the future... there is so much of that now, for the both of us, isn't there? As long as you don't die, I suppose."

"What sort of details do you require in order for it to work successfully?" asked Llyr next. "If we set it for Vhalar... I believe I can arrange for it to occur in the waking world rather than Emea. My contacts will set everything up for your arrival, so any work required will be minimal for you, a simple in and out of what you do best. Simply send word ahead to Curious Constellations in Etzos about what date you prefer, and I will arrange the rest."

"Oh, actually, yes, in fact... now that I say this," said Llyr with a swift snap of his fingers while he stood in front of Woe, fairly close as he hadn't stepped away after the kiss to the other man's cheek. "...I might have need of some answers from the target as well. If you make use of your other talents... I will collect a list of questions before the memories are banished. Of course, I could simply give you a truth serum to work with..."

Llyr smiled, without showing his teeth, and his eyes glittered in colors so bright that they turned white with slivers of violet that ran through the irises. "...but, what would be the fun in that?"

[Woe]

When Llyr confirmed that there wasn't any future for them, at least in the immediate term, Woe wasn't as crestfallen as he thought he might be. "I enjoy you, Llyr, but you're best taken in small doses, if you don't mind my saying." Woe slapped him on the shoulder playfully.

He nodded at the given details. He felt he could certainly arrange an arrival at Etzos, perhaps even before Vhalar. But what details he required... That was tricky. Making people forget Woe, who Woe already knew... that was easy. He hadn't tried to make a person forget another. It was possible that a triangulation would be required, and all three of them would forget one another. That might be best for Llyr's purposes. "I've not used the power to make another forget another person, only myself. It's possible that by doing so, I will forget every detail of the meeting. So you need not fear to share your initiate's identity with me... Perhaps. But I understand your apprehension. I will at the very least need to know their name, hear their voice, and just get a sense of them. Perhaps you could even make a totem of your intended initiate." Woe shrugged, all new territory for him. He wasn't sure if it would be good enough. But he was sure he could make either one of them forget the other, regardless of whether or not he forgot them.

"Of course, that means I will not be able to remember the details of the interrogation... Unless..." Woe thought to himself, closing his eyes momentarily as he turned over the possibilities. "I could write the answers in invisible ink. To be read by you later. Were I to see these questions, however, the memories would likely return. It's a precarious power, to be sure, and one that doesn't play well with recorded information. You must also keep the information from your initiate. But I'm sure that will be trivial for one such as you."

Woe laughed at the implication of torture versus truth serum. "Yes, I prefer the old fashioned methods of information extraction. Truth serum is overkill, and... possibly could interfere with the power. I'm just not sure..." Woe wasn't great at selling his own abilities, it must be said. Yet he had to hedge Llyr's expectations, if their attempts failed for whatever reason.

"Now, I have a meeting date scheduled with my friend Balthazar this morning. Perhaps today will be the day I'm called to the fighting, so please let me be the one to contact you next time... Speaking of which... Perhaps I should brand you?" He supposed that was getting too forward though, and shrugged it off. "At any rate, I'll meet your contacts in Etzos. Farewell, Llyr."