[voice/telepathy, ota]

[rebells]

About those messages we've been receiving from the government--if the danger to the coven as a whole doesn't dissuade you from taking their deal, the fact that it's almost certainly a trap should. Shehui is suspicious and fearful of magic, and they must know that we all have it by now. Why would they just let us live among them?

We've been placed in not one, but two situations beyond our control. The only advantage we have is our own numbers, so we need to stick together, take care of one another, and find a way out of this as a group.

If you haven't been following our conversations, we're working on a plan to free those of us who have been captured. Anyone with skills in fighting, reconnaissance, or infiltration who is willing to help should contact Dirk or Percival. Likewise, those of you who are in detention, please keep us updated on what's going on down there. We're working as quickly as we can.

Everyone else, stay close to others in the coven if possible. Be on your guard, and let us know if you get into trouble.

Comments

[talim]

In terms of hiding it, they didn't do a very good job, did they?

But I don't think any of us expected it to escalate this far.

[rebells]

[Darkly:]

We still don't know what they want from us. If they just wanted to get rid of us, they could have done that by now.

[talim]

As unsettling as that train of thought is, you're not wrong. What concerns me is the idea that they might have something worse in store, especially for those missing. How did they choose them? Why did they choose them? Was it just random? I don't...

[ he rubs his temples. ]

Sorry, I'm just rambling on.

[rebells]

You're welcome to ramble, if you think it'll get you anywhere useful.

[Dry, but not mean (for once!): he means that if rambling helps Jude shake a good observation loose, he's happy to listen to it.]

Honestly . . . I don't know everyone on the list, but there's a number of young girls, isn't there? I'd guess they went with a mix of people they were especially curious about--hence Geir, for example--and people they thought it would be easy to intimidate.

. . . that, or they're laying a trap.

[talim]

I didn't consider the male to female ratio. Or the human to dragon ratio...

[ what a poor attempt at a joke. ]

But you're right. I don't know everyone on that list, but it could also do with who answered those random interviews with what. How strong their magic is, how willing they are to cooperate...

If only we had more information on the general response to those surveys. I imagine that would help us a great deal. There's no point in dwelling on what resources we don't have, though.

[rebells]

We can ask around. But we don't have time. We need to get our people out of there as soon as possible.

How many of the prisoners do you know?

[talim]

I know Madoka, Haru and Julius well enough to call them friends without hesitation, and I've met Ruby, Akechi, and Shirley in passing once or twice... But as for the rest, I've never spoken with them.

Why do you ask?

[rebells]

I was just seeing what we might know between the two of us. I know Geir, and I've spoken with Jade a few times. That leaves Jusis, Noctis, Orga, and Riza. They're all newer arrivals, I think.

[A sigh comes over the connection.]

This would be easier if I'd kept up with that list of powers.

[talim]

Don't be so hard on yourself. Considering the amount of people in the coven, that's a huge job for just one person.

Julius just came back, too. He simply... disappeared one day, months ago, and then a few weeks back, there he was. He doesn't know what happened. In a sense, though, I guess that makes him a newer arrival, too.

But I'm not sure whether or not there's a pattern there in the first place.

[ he heaves a sigh and rubs at the nape of his neck, hanging his head. ]

If it's any help... Madoka has strong healing magic, even stronger than mine. Haru has shield magic. Julius' magic involves plant regeneration, which is a pretty unique one.

[rebells]

In the dates of the arrivals? I don't think so. Madoka and Haru have been here since the beginning--well, the beginning of a "coven," anyway.

It could be that there's no pattern at all. They simply took a random cross-section of us.

[talim]

You're right. They were both here before I was.

I wish I had some answers for you, but I don't... I don't know. It's frustrating, to put it mildly.

[rebells]

Well.

It may be irrelevant. If we can get them out of there--and all of us out of Shehui--we won't have to worry about the whys of it.

[talim]

... That's true. As long as we can escape together, I can live without having all the answers.

Next time, I won't take the relative safety of the island hub for granted.