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[pauldron]

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[flame_emperor]

Edelgard has been seated at the bench—the same bench she shared with Dimitri, in fact, not so long ago on another clandestine meeting—for over an hour before Lightning arrives. To any passersby she has been simply engrossed in a book she's holding between her hands. Her armour and crown have been replaced by much simpler Court-coloured attire, and what has come to be her default "casual" hairstyle, the side-tail that hangs down off the right side of her face. She can feel Lightning approach however, and when an answer is demanded, she quietly closes the book, marking the corner to return to later.

"I had no desire to kill you, but appearances had to be maintained." She replies matter-of-factly, looking up at the woman. "That being said, I apologize for the force of the blow, it was harder than I had meant it to be." She glances down towards Lightning's midsection, where Aymr had struck her. "You're recovered?" She asks.

After a moment, Edelgard scoots further back along the bench. "Please, sit." She offers.

[pauldron]

None of them get to do what they want in this war. That's the price they have to pay: attacking allies, friends, even family on the other side of the conflict. There's a rational understanding behind it that Lightning does get. Do what it takes to survive. Blood will coat all their hands by the time this is over, no matter how much they try to avoid it.

Lightning's eyes narrow pensively down at Edelgard. She lied to her own side, left an enemy combatant not only alive but free, and now wants to talk. She's courting trouble by doing this. How much is that worth to her? Plenty, it seems.

"Yeah. I'm pretty hard to kill."

She doesn't mention Mercedes or Dimitri, nor the anger that had nearly stolen Dimitri's reason. A person doesn't react like that--kneejerk, instinct mixing with emotion--without very good reason. Maybe, when this conversation is over, she'll ask.

For now she sits, leaning back against the low stone wall behind them. Her hood stays pointedly up.

"Your letter said you had concerns?"

[flame_emperor]

Edelgard is aware she courts danger by speaking to Lightning, especially in light of the Emperor's warning to them all. Her entire plan courts danger, but that too, is an old dance, one she has danced before, years ago while a student at Garreg Mach. She still remembers the steps well.

...But that doesn't mean she doesn't think she can improve upon them. Five years ago she had been a different person. She had kept secrets then, and she had used people, her friends, as unwitting pawns in the game she had been playing against Rhea. Beyond Hubert, she had trusted no one, felt she couldn't afford to let herself, not even the one person who's hand she so desperately wished to reach out for. Even if her path left her alone and drenched in blood, she would commit herself to walking it.

...And then her teacher had proven how foolish such thinking could be. Byleth, who she had lied to, used and even betrayed, chose to stand with her despite all that, and the depths of such trust and loyalty had illuminated the folly of trying to cut herself off, and to stand alone. It was a lesson Edelgard had taken to heart, perhaps too late to avert the war, but soon enough that she could change how she planned to fight it. Coming here, and meeting Dimitri and learning what would have become of her had she not shed that mindset had been a sobering experience.

Edelgard will dance this old dance once again, but she is older now, and perhaps even wiser, if she's lucky. She will not wait for others to reach out to her this time; more can be accomplished if she actively seeks out and cultivates allies, and that is precisely what she intends to do here, starting with Lightning.

"So it would seem, and I am thankful for that." Edelgard replies, a small smile playing across her features. "I did, yes. Things have become more complicated in the days since the attack; there's a young woman in our faction, I don't know her well myself, but perhaps you might. Her name is Korra, are you familiar with her?"

Korra, brave and defiant in the face of the Emperor, reduced to writhing on the floor in agony as the Emperor tortured her, publicly, a humiliation meant as a warning to all the rest of them. It is doubtful much information about that has leaked to the Moon Temple yet, but it will help illuminate Edelgard's point well.

[pauldron]

The only thing any of them can hope to be is a little older, a little wiser. If they don't learn from their mistakes, they're destined to repeat them. History repeats itself enough already. They can't keep making the same mistakes again and again.

Cocoon would have been a different place had the people all risen up against the fal'Cie. Fellden can still be that place, and so Lightning tips her head.

"We've met."

Fought together against the undead, clashed over what was the right course of action. Korra struck Lightning as a headstrong person, one with her heart in the right place but not enough rational thought to understand the consequences of her actions. Not surprising; she's young, learning. Lightning wasn't too unlike her at one point in her life, and that very nearly didn't end well.

Things have become more complicated. This sudden mention of Korra. Lightning turns her head just enough to catch Edelgard's eye.

"Something's happened to her."

She had been pretty well entrenched in the idea of supporting Temperance. Either that backfired from Temperance herself, or...no. Temperance hadn't been shy about announcing herself. If she'd suddenly turned on her supporters, that would have gotten out. This is something else.

"Did the Emperor do something to her?"

[flame_emperor]

"Yes." Edelgard turns to meet Lightning's gaze, unflinching. "They tortured Korra for her support of Temperance, and broadcast it across the Stars network as a warning to the rest of us. Support of Temperance or giving aid or succor to the Moon in any capacity has brought the Emperor's wrath down on a number of my colleagues, but Korra was the one they decided to make an example out of. She's alive, but the Emperor has exiled her from Stars territory; where she is now, I don't know."

Edelgard's hands ball into fists in her lap, tension settling across her shoulders. It was like watching Rhea pronounce death on all who opposed her, or vowing bloody vengeance on Byleth for turning against her. To raise a sword against the church was death she had said once, but she had been lying. To raise a sword against Rhea for in the Immaculate One's mind the two were one and the same. Watching the video had made Edelgard's blood boil in an all too familiar way.

"It was meant to inspire fear, not loyalty. To do as we are commanded, and not ask questions. Victory at all costs, and yet I wonder..." She looks away, into an indistinct point in the distance. "If that is truly the case, why was the attack called off? Nothing about the retreat makes sense. Why go to all that trouble and go so far only to call it off when the victory they claim to want so hard is all but within reach? There is a deeper game at work here, I feel it in my blood. The Emperor is lying to us, I'm certain of that."

After a moment, Edelgard turns back to Lightning. "The question remains as to whether or not the Priestess knows this too. What do you make of her?"

[pauldron]

Korra, tortured and missing. Dimitri, Mercedes, and Orchid, all with the wrath of a God brought down upon their heads and trapped behind enemy lines. It takes every ounce of reason and rational thought--she'd be no good to them charging in now--to keep Lightning sitting down, but Edelgard's tension is mirrored in how she sits up straight, jaw clenched tight.

To turn against the fal'Cie is to turn against Cocoon. To turn against the Faction Leaders is to turn against Fellden. This was never about saving the worlds, was it? She reaches up, lowers her hood, and meets Edelgard head on.

"That she's a liar. She told us that there was no way home, but someone I know did go home and came back." She tilts her head, the implicit question is that if she's lied about that, what else has she lied about? Lightning lets it hang in the air between them and shifts back to the true topic on discussion. "She also told us that a peace envoy had gone out to the Emperor and we'd gotten their heads back in response." A soft 'tch', then: "Twenty gil she was lying about that, too."

It's all lies. fal'Cie smoke and mirrors rebranded, but the core of it stays the same. Her hands clench into fists so tight that the soft hide of her gloves creaks under the tension.

"I don't know if she knows what happened in the Court. No one's seen her since we had to retreat, but those two..." Deep breath, heavy sigh. "They're more alike than they seem."

[flame_emperor]

Edelgard shakes her head. "I've heard nothing about any peace envoy. Certainly none ever arrived at the castle publicly." That doesn't mean it didn't happen, it could have been handled discreetly, but with everything else it doesn't inspire confidence. Lies built upon more lies. "I think your bet is correct, however." However long the war has gone on, Fellden is dying, and yet they continue to fight even as the world withers around them. Where is the sense in that? If the Priestess was truly convinced to sue for even a temporary peace then the Emperor was a fool for reacting so violently.

Assuming such an event even took place. And unless there was a different goal in mind for one or both of them.

However, the Priestess' being missing peaks Edelgard's curiosity. "It was strange she never appeared during the battle, even after the city was breached." She thinks. "Of all the times her people would have needed her, it was then. But for her to still be missing, now?" Edelgard frowns. "We need to get to the bottom of this. Which is why I asked you to meet me here, Lightning. The Emperor is playing us falsely, and it seems the Priestess is too. We need answers before we can act properly." Could they even be conspiring together? To fake a war on a dying world? It seems absurd, and yet...

"I believe I can gain those answers. The Emperor wishes me to fight their war and so I shall, and in doing so prove my dedication to their cause." She turns to look at Lightning. "In doing so, I will earn their trust. Perhaps even their confidence. And with those, I believe will come answers. When I have them, I would share those answers with you, and a few others I deem trustworthy. And then...we decide what we're going to do with that information." She looks away for a moment, slightly uncomfortable. "But that will require me to continue fighting the war, at least for now. As you have seen I will make what compromises I can, but...there is always an element of risk. It's a fine line to walk, but I've done so before, so I know I will need allies when the time comes and I would like you to be one of them." It's a lot to ask, and fraught with danger; the Priestess, whenever she rears her head again, is not likely to be any less forgiving of this treason—and it is treason, she'll make no bones about that—but Lightning is a soldier, and a damn good one if Edelgard is any judge. One who can make the hard choices and deal with the consequences.

[pauldron]

It seems absurd and yet, Lightning's seen it before. Still believes that of this world even now, after everything that's happened.

Listening to Edelgard's plan, Lightning can't help but think of what Clary said a few days ago. Get in close, earn their trust, convince them to find another way. That's one possible solution, Edelgard's is another. Both carry one hell of an element of risk; if either goes south, then a lot of people are going to die. Or worse. It's a big ask, but she doesn't immediately deny Edelgard's request. Instead she sits back just a little, her expression growing pensive.

It's a lot to ask. She's the only one from her world to have been brought here; if she dies--or worse, and it will more than likely be worse--who will defend Cocoon from a threat it doesn't even know exists? No one. On that alone she should refuse. Keep walking her own path. Support Clary's, in some way or another. It'd be easier.

Lightning closes her eyes on that thought. She's never done things the easy way.

"I can't get you intel on the Priestess. Getting that close to her..." She shakes her head. "I can't. She's just like the things that want to destroy my world and there's only one road that would lead me down."

A knife in the Priestess' throat. If she thought it would work, she'd do it now. She opens her eyes again setting the thought aside.

"I can give you copies of my notes on things she's said. That's the most intel I can get you. But if you want my sword..." She looks back up, meets and holds Edelgard's gaze. "That's yours."

Treason, torture, death. Whatever comes, if it helps to save Fellden somehow, it saves all of their worlds. She has to try. Cocoon has enough to deal with. This has to stop.

[flame_emperor]

Edelgard nods. "I understand. I'd be lying if I said the Emperor did not stir similar feelings of familiarity in me, but I've become used to wearing masks when I need to." The trick has been to learn when it is acceptable, necessary even, to take those masks off.

"Notes would be useful, I would be glad to receive them. In turn, I can offer you transcripts of the Emperor's missives to the Court. That way we can both keep track of the stories our leaders are telling us." And it's possible by doing so, they might discover discrepancies or threads to pull that might lead them closer to the truth.

But she smiles when Lightning offers her sword. "Thank you, Lightning. I believe I will have need of it before this is over." The Emperor and the Priestess both want the Otherworlders to solve their problems for them, and Edelgard intends to do that...though perhaps not in the way they intend her to. But there are more immediate, practical concerns to address.

"We cannot afford to meet too often however; many of my comrades acted quite openly to offer aid to Moon soldiers during the battle and I suspect the Emperor will be keeping a closer eye on our comings and goings, and the company we keep going forward. It would be best to keep our communications off the compasses as much as possible as well." There's much about this communication system she doesn't presently understand, including just how private messages sent on it actually are. "A dead drop would be better, with periodic check-ins."

Perhaps that's going a bit overboard, but Edelgard wishes to leave nothing to chance. She's learned from experience, and furtive meetings in the wilderness and outlandish costumes like the Flame Emperor will be of little use here.

[pauldron]

Already planning to go over her notes and memory, Lightning just nods. She doesn't trust the network either, not even the neutral one that Bruce cobbled together; in her experience, such things are too easily messed with. Jamming comms was one thing. Tracking them back to the source of dissent is entirely another.

No, dead drops and clandestine meetings in street corners and quiet courtyards is better. She'll have to speak to Niamh, see if more cloaks like hers can be made. Every inch they can take could become a mile.

"South side, by the docks. The Yelling Narwhal has a courtyard out back that no one uses." Because it's right by the fishery and reeks of the stuff. Even inside stinks of fish guts, but they make one hell of a soup. "Good a place as any, I guess."

Better to go overboard via Edelgard's route than the out in the open ways Lightning's more used to. This clandestine stuff's been hard to learn!

[flame_emperor]

"The Yelling Narwhal." Edelgard repeats to herself, to get the name down. South side, by the docks. "I've not spent much time in the docks yet. I'll acquaint myself with the place before I return to the Court. Look for a red carnation; that will be the symbol that I've left something for you. Where the carnation is, the documents will be nearby." It's partly out of habit that Edelgard uses flowers to spruce up her rooms; many of the Black Eagles do the same thing in no small part to the Professor who hands them out like candy and has become quite adept to everyone's particular favourites, and Edelgard has always liked carnations. There are many vendors in the market, procuring one to use as a sign.

"One week, I'll need some time to put together the transcripts and I can't afford to make too many trips out to Kyst without raising suspicion. If there are any other updates to give, I'll include them as well. Agreed?"

Those particulars hammered out, Edelgard offers Lightning her hand. "I know this puts you at risk as much as it does me. Thank you for your trust Lightning, I am grateful for it."

[pauldron]

"Agreed. I'll leave a red rose in its place if I've left something for you."

One flower for another. Their little hidden signal, though they should be able to change it easily enough if signs start to appear that they're being noticed. She'll look for a carnation as soon as the markets start selling just to be sure of what she's going to be looking for, but it should be simple enough to find all the same.

So it's with a nod that she reaches forward, clasping her hand with Edelgard's. These particulars hammered out, there's only one thing left to discuss.

"I'm not doing this for free. There's something I need from you, too."

An eye for an eye? Maybe. Her grip is firm, her expression resolute.

"Dimitri and Mercedes. You know them, don't you." It's not a question. "What's their status?"

Are they among the colleagues who were imprisoned, or worse? Korra was made a public example of, but the others? It bothers her that she can't go out there and help them after they helped her and so many others escape with their lives, but to charge straight into enemy territory like that...

Her hands are tied. Not for the first time, but this time it seems so much worse.

[flame_emperor]

There's a moment of confusion on Edelgard's face as Lightning makes her demand. There's a slight widening of the eyes, a tightening of her jaw at the names. A look of...resignation, almost sets in.

"Yes, I know them." She admits. "They're not exiled, but they have both been imprisoned, from what I understand. I believe Mercedes was charged with—" Realization sets in as Edelgard connects the dots. "—providing healing to several wounded Moon soldiers, and Dimitri acted as her protection in doing so. You were one of the ones they helped?"

There's an uncomfortable pause for a moment before Edelgard speaks again. "I take it they know it was me who injured you."

[pauldron]

"Yeah. They do."

Lightning pulls her hand back, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head. That play of emotions across her face...it's no match for the anger that stole over Dimitri, but it's just as telling. There's history there. Deep, dark, and something that Edelgard maybe...regrets? Hard to say. Still, it's a minor relief to know that they're just locked up and not lost out there. Still out of her reach, but...well. Probably better off locked up than out in the cold.

"And Dimitri wasn't happy about it. Something big happened between you two back in your world, didn't it?"

It's phrased as a question, though it's barely one at all. She's not going to be caught between two sides in this debacle; Dimitri is her friend, Edelgard an ally. Whatever's between them is between them. She just wants to know where the mines are to avoid stepping on any of them.

[flame_emperor]

"No, I don't imagine he was." Edelgard replies tiredly, sitting back in the bench. He'll probably have something to say to her about it too, when he's out of his cell, so she has that to look forward to.

She wonders briefly how to respond to the second part of that question. Their history, that they are technically family, the fact that they come from different Fódlans, that she has already killed her world's version of Dimitri...it's too much to get into. And far more than Lightning is actually interested in knowing.

"Yes. We're at war with each other." Is what she settles for. "But circumstances being what they are, we have agreed to try and put that aside for now." She turns to look back at Lightning. "Aside from you, Dimitri is the only other person I have discussed my plans with so far, and he has already agreed to take whatever secrets I uncover from the Emperor." She can imagine the conflict of emotions that must have arose within him when he and Mercedes found Lightning where Edelgard had left her, and that Lightning saying he "wasn't happy about it" was a clear understatement.

Mercedes though...this may complicate matters with her attempts to befriend the other woman, if she was also perturbed by Edelgard's handiwork. Best to steer clear for now, even after she's released from her cell. If Mercedes wishes to contact her, she'll be willing, but otherwise it might seem self-serving and duplicitous. Best to let the Lady von Martritz make up her own mind about how to proceed.

"We are allies in this, if nothing else. Dimitri will accept the two of us working together as well I think, but it would probably be best to keep your talk of me to a minimum." She turns to look back out over the square. "He has good reason to feel the way he does about me."

[pauldron]

Well. That explains a lot.

Sitting back against the wall, Lightnig tips her head back and contemplates Edelgard's words. At war with one another. Probably attended the same academy, maybe they were even friends. She likens it to having to actually fight Fang and. Well, that kind of thing is something she'd only wish on her worst enemies.

But if they can set it aside, if they can put their pasts behind them long enough to make this work? She's not going to drag open old wounds. That's not why she asked to begin with, so she nods. From Edelgard's tone alone, not happy about it was probably an understatement. People can be so complicated sometimes...

"I'm not going to ask. Whatever history you two have is your own. If you can set it aside and work together, that's enough for me." There's a but in there. There is definitely a but in there! "But if he asks where I'm getting my intel, I'm going to lie to him. Can you deal with that?"

Can you two really get along long enough to sort this mess out? There's enough to deal with already.

[flame_emperor]

"So far we have." Edelgard replies. It's been easier for her; her conflict with Dimitri had never been personal the way his vendetta against her had been. The red-hot anger that had driven the Tempest King forward had never been reciprocated by the Flame Emperor who saw him only as an obstacle standing between her and her true enemy, the Immaculate One. There was regret tied up in killing him, but it was done and she had to keep moving forward. She could not let his death be for nothing.

Dimitri...did not have the same luxury afforded him. His Edelgard was still quite alive, though backed into a corner, and had already rebuffed his attempts at brokering peace. And there would always be the anger roiling under the surface, every time he so much as looked at her, that he was capable of keeping in check for the most part, but it seemed some times were harder.

Lightning's but does make sense, however. "I understand." She nods. Given Dimitri's complicated feelings towards her, there's a certain practicality in keeping this new alliance under wraps for the time being. "He is unaware you were one of the potential allies I was considering so he has no reason to suspect. I will keep the secret as well, though you know there will most likely come a time when a gathering of us will become inevitable." It will depend on what she digs up on the Emperor. "You may wish to inform him before then, but I leave that decision to you."

[pauldron]

"Right."

All of this depends on keeping secrets. On making sure they keep their heads down, that they're careful, because if they're not there is no doubt in her mind they'll all end up no better off than Korra. Even so, there's something about this that causes a knee-jerk reaction. She turns it over in her head for a second, pressing at the tender point, before it finally sinks in. Her eyes flick to Edelgard, a shadow flickering through her expression.

"We're going to have to be careful how we do this. We start keeping too many secrets, start telling too many lies..." She trails off with a sigh. "All that does is make problems. Makes us no better than the Gods we're supposed to be stopping."

Okay, that's a little bit of an overstatement. She doubts any of them are really capable of being as bad as a fal'Cie, a Pantheon member, but the implications and connotations leave a sour taste in her mouth.

"Once we go down that road, there's no going back."

[flame_emperor]

"It's a delicate balance we have to keep." Edelgard agrees. "We cannot risk everything becoming undone if one of us is uncovered, yet at the same time, without trust the group we wish to build will not be able to function properly when the time comes to take action. Right now however, I think we must air on the side of caution; we have nothing concrete, no evidence that supports our belief. Until we have something actionable on either the Emperor or Priestess, I fear secrets must be kept for now." It's the unfortunate reality of their situation, and it rubs Edelgard the wrong way, but they're not going to be able to get anywhere if the plot is discovered too soon.

Lightning's warning sends a chill down Edelgard's spine, though the l'Cie could not have any idea why. But it makes her think of her other self, in an Enbarr about to be besieged by an invading army, her plans in ruins and yet unable to conceive of any other way forward but to keep walking down the path she set herself on. And how but for a quirk of fate, that could have been her. No turning back, indeed.

"We have each other to remind ourselves of that." Edelgard replies. "And we must not hesitate to do so. The only way this succeeds is if we remember what it is we're fighting for, and to hold onto our humanity. I will remind you of this if need be, and I ask you do the same for me. Agreed?"

[pauldron]

Secrets and lies meant to keep people where they want them, tools in the belt ready to be used at a moment's notice, pets on a leash. Weapons on a chain.

She gets it. To play their hand too soon would undo them all, and then who will protect their worlds and the people left behind? No one. She gets that, she understands it, she accepts it. There's no other way, and yet. And yet, some part of her will always be bothered by this. With a deep breath, she purposefully shuts that part away into a box in the back of her mind as best as she can. Do what it takes to survive and get home, whatever that may be.

Even if it means becoming that which she still hates. Hold onto their humanity, huh? Funny. These days, she's really not sure she qualifies as human anymore. But for the point as it was meant...

"Agreed." A firm nod, and this time Lightning is the one to offer her hand first. "Don't go trying to take over the world and we'll be fine."

[flame_emperor]

Edelgard returns the handshake when offered. "Not to worry. One empire is enough." She chuckles, then looks around as the hands are withdrawn. "We should end it here." She decides. After all, she has to scout out this place by the docks Lightning recommended. "It may be some time before we see each other again in person. If you need to get in touch during an emergency, it may be necessary to use the network." She looks back to Lightning. "'Dancing lessons' seems as good a code to use as any, does it not? That will be the sign to meet here in Kyst if need be, and vague enough not to arouse much suspicion."

With the minutia of their secret meetings worked out, Edelgard rises. "Thank you once again, Lightning. I know you had plenty of reason to distrust my reaching out to, and I am glad you did so." Allies, that's the key. She must be more proactive in seeking them out; people who are trustworthy and can be counted on to act. Bigby, perhaps, and Master Midoriya the young Hero in training are promising candidates so far.

Even a world away, Byleth is still teaching her.

"If I hear anything about Korra, I shall include that in my report as well." She offers. Lightning at least knows her and her whereabouts are a concern. If they can find Korra, they should. Edelgard knows about Temperance and her rebellion the reason for Korra's exile, and that they were active during the battle. And making sure to be seen to be active too, building up good-will and public support. It's just possible that Temperance's actions truly are motivated by altruism, and yet the cynic in Edelgard wonders.

"Wait a few minutes after I leave to make your own exit. Farewell for now, Lightning."