Wheelin' and Dealin'

Wheelin' and Dealin'
Date of Scene:	12 December 2012
Location:	Bevelle
Synopsis:	Hades and Garland talk deals with Oriane Guado
Cast of Characters:	Garland, Oriane Guado, Hades

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Oriane Guado has posed:
Not everthing is what it seems in Bevelle. The deeper one goes into the main Cathedral, the more secrets that are unearthed. Within the maze-like structure, rifle and flamethrower equipped Warrior Monks stalk the corridors while large War Machina slumber in preparation for their reawakening. Ancient technology is rampant and behind nearly every closed door except for one.

Priestess Oriane Guado's chambers are spacious as they house her laboratory as well as her sleeping quarters. The room is not lit by unholy machina, but by much more mundane candles. In fact, the Priestess has almost a dizzying array of candles both lit and unlit around the room. Scores and scores of books and tomes line the walls while some machina devices break up the archaic nature of the motif. And finally, Oriane Guado herself is seated near a large flat operating table that dominates the center of her workspace. The table for now is empty, but dark stains on it hint that this was not always so.

Despite whatever may normally occur here, Oriane appears to be innocently reading a book in a plush, cushioned chair with a bottle of wine resting on a small table nearby. She seems lost in thought with whatever it is that she is reading and is unaccompanied by her faithful guards.

Hades has posed:
Everything was quiet in the center of the faith of Yevon.

Of course, Yevon's existance has been quite a...pain for Hades. Dead people, running the show, and now being where they belonged...irked Hades. But at the same time, provided SO many new oppertunities. Hades inital outburst quickly fell to careful planning and thinking about how to approach this. He contacted a fellow shadow lord, and together they started to formulate a plan to start working.

Of course, Hades' first step was to keep the delicate spiral of death in Spira going. That of course, caused Yuna's party to be thrown through darkness so that Yunalesca would not suffer a more perminate death...keeping the cycle of pain going.

Of course, Sin's disappearance is completely unrelated...but it won't last forever, I assure you.

Right now... a large explosion of flame fills the room, focused on a central point and coalescing into a form. The tall god, easily over seven feet tall stands. His hair, less hair and more a blue flame, licks back and form, and a smiling face...abet with pointy and sharp teeth curve into a small smile. His toga, for that is what he wares, is a black afair, black on black even, which ends with not normal cloth, but whisps of smoke at the bottom covering his feeth.

"Hey, name's Hades, Lord of the dead, nicetameetcha..." he pauses looking at a red and a blue devil who stand near him. "Name!" he looks to them, The blue one coughs, "Uh...Oh right here it is.." pulling out a scroll, "Oriane Guado."

Hades pauses, "Alright, Oriane Quado. Nicetameetcha. I can call you Oriane right? Great."

Garland has posed:
As flames fill the room, there is a sudden surge of unexplainable dakness. The shadows simply grow longer, stronger, deeper than they were before, as though acknowledging some terrible creature following the dark God. Indeed, in a moment, some terrible creature does - seven feet tall and clad in terrifying armor. As the man's ironclad foot touches down against the ground, a chill wind blows through Bevelle; several guards shudder, clutching at their weapons in fear.

Garland steps out of the shadows somewhere behind Hades. He does not speak; he is not a speaker, not one who rolls words together if he does not need to. Indeed, he loathes expending effort he does not need to expend; Hades is the dealmaker in this situation. He is here only to emphasize, to punctuate, and to gain some leverage if necessary.

He slowly nods his head in an incline at Oriane; enough to show that he means no harm, despite his appearance. For now, that will be all.

Oriane Guado has posed:
Yevon did indeed provide many new opportunities. Oriane's research into combating Heartless using the Unsent was something that Yevon's leadership was perhaps paradoxically interested in. Their Machina were simply not cutting it and there were too few summoners as it was. And so, they decided to sponsor a Guado who had a unique set of talents that has led her to sky-rocketing through the ranks of the false Church.

But it seems that it is not just the Maesters of Yevon who may have their eye on the necromancer.

The sudden burst of flames that was Hades' entrance causes Oriane to rise from her chair and let her book fall against the floor. She pushes the book aside with a foot and regards the appearance of Hades with all the courage she can muster. This being certainly fits the description of an assortment of death gods and spirits from other worlds. How fascinating to have one appear before her! Despite the ill-omen this might normally present, Oriane Guado curtseys politely towards her guest despite his exciteable and overly friendly demeanor. "How do you do? If I had known that I was to enterain such a...conflagrant guest, I would have prepared much better..." Oriane pauses in her speech when a second unexpected visitor appears and this one appears to be rather fearsome and violent as well. "...and you brought a guest as well."

A hand is placed over where her black heart lies within her. "You are most correct. I am Priestess Oriane Guado of the Church of Yevon." A glance is flickered inbetween the seven foot burning man and the seven foot armored person. "What pleasure am I owed in return for such an unexpected...trespass?" She asks as she does her best to look at tall as she can despite being shorter and having a much less imposing build than either of them.

Hades has posed:
Hades grins as she addresses him so formally.

"Oh such a formal young woman." he says, walking towards her to get a better look, he snakes around her, easily moving despite his size and takes a look around. "Very important person you've become lately, Ori." already taking liberties with her name, "Oh and this? His name is Garland, friend of mine, not a big talker, but we have a...agreement, so to speak, and he's very interested in the results of this accord we're going to have." he continues, before without a single effort, a chair appears, more like a dark throne, from nothing, and Hades sits himself down.

"So I'm here because I sensed a bit of...desperation. Stop me if you know the story, young woman with a strange power and ability, suddenly comes into use for her organization. But...her goals are a bit higher than a simple priestess, amiright?" he says.

"Now. We also have another problem here in Spira. All these dead people running around...I mean, you're dead. They should be in /the underworld/! But...well, I can work with you guys." he continues.

"So...what is it, Ori, that you want out of this arrangement."

Garland has posed:
Virtually everyone in all the worlds has a less imposing build than Garland; the ancient, once-and-future god towers, a massive, implacable nightmare with skin of iron. And yet, eerily, as Garland begins to pace back and forth, his helmet locked squarely on Oriane, there is no sound. There is nothing from that armor; though it should weigh enough to clang and clank as plate always does in motion, it is silent. Garland is subtly wrong; quietly, subtly, unnervingly wrong. Hades sits in his conjured throne; Garland moves to stand beside it, looking for all the world like the black knight of the god of death. Except...except that, no. That subtle wrongness to him, that oh-so-quiet murmur of the entire world that this creature is wrong and bad and should not be, should not exist, should not have ever existed in the first place...this is no mewling servant, nor trusted second. This man is Hades' ally.

Garland tilts his head to the side as Hades ends. "Similarly, I have my own desires for the Yevonite church." He feels no need to elaborate on those desires. "I have no doubt that you feel the same. One does not rapidly acquire power if one has no drive to use it."

Oriane Guado has posed:
Oriane Guado seems to stand just a little bit taller when Hades notices his preference for formalities. She casually turns her head to follow when Hades starts to circle around her, her green root-like strands of hair following after her as she turns. There is a definite if not slight shudder everytime Hades calls her Ori. To use such a pet-name in a first-meeting is quite perturbing to the young priestess even if she is the presence of two powerful and ominous individuals.

When Hades recalls your current situation with surprising accuracy, Oriane Guado does her best to conceal any display of surprise. It seems she has been dealing with simpletons far too often that she has found herself quite unprepared now that she is in the presence of much greater individuals. "What a -tragedy- should the Maesters be returned to where their decrepit and enfeebled minds belong," remarks Oriane with a demure smile.

"What -I- want out of this situation is simple. The Maesters fear individuals such as your lordly self and your mighty compatriot. They also fear the Heartless nearly as much as they fear the call of the Farplane." Oriane's eyes flicker down to her hand as she makes a simple gesture of dismissal before slowly raising her eyes back up towards Hades. "These fears of theirs are also their handicap, their crutch, and their downfall." Another smile is aimed at Hades and forcively at Garland. "Would the Church of Yevon be not aided by a change of leadership? One that understands the futility of their many Holy Wars and Crusades? A leadership that recognizes that unorthodoxy is not to be feared, but it should be embraced."

When Garland finally speaks, Oriane looks the imposing knight's way in approval. Not a loyal hound, but a powerful player in his own right? That is much more intriguing than his brutish appearance had first told Oriane. "The Church of Yevon is full of possibilities and also full of scared 'souls' who are just craving for a strong hand to tuck them in at night and a soft voice to ensure them that their precious lives will continue on tomorrow." A hand is then used to gesture towards the both of them. "But, I am sure my Lords here have not come all this way to whisper about sweet nothings in dark corridors. I would gladly hear talk of any...substantial offer that would surely benefit us all."

Hades has posed:
"Ah! So we have someone with FIRE in her belly!" Hades says, his hand hitting his throne in a bit of excitement. "Good! I love those with high aims! Reminds me of myself, really!" he says, with a grin, it is remarkibly sharkish.

"Well, first of all, to get anywhere you are going to need to secure your position of power NOW. Maesters don't just get their way up by being pious or powerful...they have connections." he says, rubbing two fingers together.

"Alright, I have a deal for you...what if I could, or rather, my compatriot here, grant you the power to CONTROL the heartless. Wouldn't that be a discovery? Something to turn the tides of fate for Yevon? A remarkable discovery.."

He grins at her again, "But my friend here requires a price for his tutoring...and of course, this would also benifit you too. So my price for putting this all together, is of course, access to what you call.."

"The Farplane."

Garland has posed:
Garland gestures gently with his massive clawed hand. As if in response to their master, the shadows part; a tiny creature, all black, pops out of it and crawls over to look up at the Guado as Hades mentions 'power'. Certainly, the Heartless are well-known among the worlds, but actually being close to one...it's an entirely different experience. It moves as Garland's clnched fist does, as though he were holding its chain and yanking it about; it follows his motions throughout the room, like a tiny, yellow-eyed dog.

Then a much larger, armored one emerges from the shadows, and it too begins following his motions, like a mad puppeteer; they respond as effortlessly to Garland as though he were simply breathing. When he finishes his little display, they kneel before Oriane, then vanish back into the shadows once more.

"Power," Garland's voice echoes through the room, once again exuding that simple, quiet madness, "Power is something that you seek. So power I will give you."

"All that I want is that you hear my voice when I have need of Yevon, and that you bring my words to their council. I have great designs for Yevon - great designs to bring them to the greatness your ancients once enjoyed. Or more. I have far more than simple parlor tricks and Heartless at my command; the magical, mechnical, and scientific knowledge of ten thousand years lies in my sanctum."

"Should you be willing to aid me in my desire to guide the Yevonites to greatness, I will happily share with you what knowledge you are currently capable of understanding. And, as you progress through the ranks with that knowledge, give you more."

Garland waves his massive metal claw once more. That faceless helmet cannot smile; it is like talking to a metal demon. "Does that interest you...future Maester Oriane Guado?"

Oriane Guado has posed:
Oriane should be more hesitant to accept praise from a tall, fiery stranger with sharp teeth. However, praise is still very much that at the end of day and Oriane will accept it as such. She smiles a bit wolfishly herself in response. What Hades wants in return for this offered power gets a look of shock from Oriane that is quickly followed by a calculating gaze aimed at the two individuals. A decision is made rather quickly as her lips part to give her next response. "Many fear what they cannot control. Their own emotions, the actions of others, and...of course...the Heartless." An amicable expression settles in over Oriane's face. "You offer to remove that fear from them. And that is a powerful gift indeed."

Garland's master display of puppetry draws a dark smile from Oriane. That is nearly the power she seeked for so long, but in a different way. And yet, this Garland has made more progress than Oriane ever had in attempting to bind the Unsent into artificial hosts. What if she is able to bind a Farplane spirit into a Heartless? The mere possibility in tampering with such forces causes Oriane's smile to widen as Garland finishes with his puppet show.

Whatever misgivings Oriane may have had, all fade away when Garland calls her a future Maester. The priestess takes a moment to reign in her excitement as to not betray her proper demeanor, but the internal struggle can be noticed through her hesitation to reply. "The Guado are thought to be the Guardians of the Farplane." She begins as she stoops down to retrieve her fallen book and place it, closed, upon a nearby table. "But perhaps the Farplane can have far more use than to be doomed to be a...tourist attaction...for all of Spira." The green-haired Guado now folds her hands against herself before smiling once more. "Indeed Lord Garland, I am most interested in what you speak of and accept any assistance you may offer. " Oriane now motions to her dimly lit surroundings. "I feel that the Church of Yevon may yet have a very bright future in store for it." A slow, chuckling laugh now fills the room courtesy of the priestess.

Hades has posed:
Hades simply raises a hand into the air, and moves it inside of his Toga arm...and BAM.

He pulls out a scroll. A golden scroll, and unrolls it. The language of the Scroll changes based on who is looking on it...for Hades it is Greek, for Garland and Oriane it will be whatever their native langage is, perfectly translated to simply the stated nature of the Lord of the Dead's desire.

There is a line for Oriane to sign.

"Now that's what we like to hear. So we have a deal, right? Garland teaches you how to control the Heartless, you aid in his guidance of Yevon, which also benifits you, and you help me gain access to the Farplane. Everyone is happy, and the Farplane will remain simply the perview of A) Me, B) The Guado, and C) The dead...and to be used at the pleasure of A and B." he says, everything looks good turns the contract towards Oriane, holding a pen.

Garland has posed:
Garland, similarly, pulls something out of thin air; however, unlike Hades, it's not a golden scroll. The darkness coalsces around three books - each of them labelled in strange languages. The letters shift, coming together properly in moments; BASIC MACHINA, BEGINNER'S MAGICAL THEORY, and A STUDY OF MEDICAE. The books hover in front of Oriane; Garland gestures at them gently.

"They are old books, but necessary ones. You likely know much of what is contained within, but not by the same terms; you will need to read these before you continue to the higher tiers. However, I have no doubt that you will."

"I will return to take you to my fortress within the week; there, I will teach you how to command the Heartless, and you may experiment to your heart's content."

Oriane Guado has posed:
It seems that Hades has certainly came prepared. The green-haired priestess walks over and accepts the pen with a thankful nod. In flowery script which would be at home in most holy scriptures of Yevon, Oriane Guado writes her name on the scroll. Satisfied with the neatness of her own script, the pen is offered back to Hades who is busy going over some detail about the Farplane. "Excellent. I feel the mysteries of the Farplane are not so insurmountable anymore. I most pleasantly look forward to what a virtuoso on such matters can do with the Farplane at his every disposal."

The hovering books and their titles are considered before they are all gathered up by the intrepid practicioner of the Dark Arts. She will do her best not to judge them by their covers and take Garland's words for the truth. The offer in taking a merry trip to a dark lord's fortress to learn how to control Heartless is much more entertaining to the Guado. "Very well. I shall study these and prepare for such a trip. I eagerly wait to see how my own unique talents will translate into the control of Heartless. " Oriane's dark smile returns. "Very eager."

Hades has posed:
The scroll and pen vanish in a puff of flame, it does not hurt, but it is flashy.

Hades stands, the thrown disappearing. "Excellent! Pleasure doin' buisness with ya." he says, and snaps his fingers, another parlor trick, and a card appears. "If you need me, take this in your hand, and place it near a mirror, and we'll have direct communication. But I am a busy god, and I'll leave you with Garland to discuss things more. We'll arrange the trip to the Farplane, soon."

Hades says, that shark like good again.

"Very soon." then with the same explosion of fire that he entered in, he was gone. "Nice doing buisness witcha." his disembodied voice says.

Garland has posed:
Garland slowly, quietly nods at the girl. "As am I," he replies before stepping backwards. The Darkness parts as he moves and Hades vanishes; he disappears into the shadows in an instant. He does not speak in the aftermath; he simply leaves. He has other projects, after all.

Oriane Guado has posed:
Oriane curtseys once more as both dark lords take their leave of her. With the room once again back to dark and dreary norm, the priestess deposits her newly gained books onto the nearby table, but keeps one for herself. Oriane now opens it and begins reading by candlelight once more. Everything is exactly now as it was before Hades and Garland appeared, except for cruel smile that Oriane is now wearing from ear to ear as she reads from page to page.