In the Concourses of the Theatre - Discussion on Ashald, Forbes, and her Student Society
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Late in the night, within the concourses of Peltarch's Theatre, before the yawning hearth of its lounge, amidst the various pillows, couches, carpets and comforts -- and the Golden Geese who care to attend such late-night conversations -- is the Bardic Master Nathan Wingates.
He who reclines, a goblet of Berdruskan Dark liquor in the one hand, and magical dancing lights in the other. He points his finger upward, the magic forming human and elven silhouettes one moment, and then a rendition of the visage of Victoria Forbes the next, followed by face of her student society's peers, colleagues, and vice president.
"What do we know, I wonder, when it comes to the rift between Chocolate Ashald and the new student society's president?"
"Trouble -- serious trouble -- follows the former wherever she goes, and if the latter has her attention, I'll wager she warrants ours. Of the kind that is recherché, obscure, and occult. Could it be that there is something stranger beneath the surface of a seemingly mundane student rivalry?"
The dancing silhouettes of Nate's bardic lightshow turn red, the faces fanged, eventually combining into the presentation of a sharp-toothed and handsome male.
"I recall Chocolate Ashald was involved with the vampire Gustav Dae. He wished for her blood. Of course, he wished for many a young noblewoman's blood. But he was, for a time, quite fixated upon the girl. Could there be something about her that we've missed? Something in her blood, maybe. Or her history."
"Wasn't she also involved in necromantic endeavors...?"
The lights dissipate into a spreading lake of colour around his fingers, their waters faintly grazed.
"Then there is her rival, Victoria Forbes, of whom we know precious little. Even less when it comes to her secret society. I don't suppose anyone has the scoop on her or her pet project?"
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Upon the next candle-lit evening of lounging, Isolde notes, with a little wriggle of a dainty digit, an 'update' in the joint project Student Society Sleuthing. She tells the tale with added shadow puppets and a bit voice mimicking for spice:
"So, after myself and Perom happened across Gloria 'Zero' Lavindo attempting to menace a waitress out of her snacks tray (don't worry, I saved the goodies), and after Perom's diligent gaoling of the girl for brandishing a bared weapon amongst other things, a girl called Kiara came to check on her. She too attends the College, though doesn't hang in the SS circles - instead it seems like the two were friends before the days of the society. Her concern felt genuine, as did her empathic 'ugh' in opting to involve Victoria Forbes, . She clearly knew that informing Forbes would be the quickest way to release Gloria.
While I tried in vain to get Perom to release the gaol bird with a fine, Victoria Forbes arrived, flanked by two blue-robed barristers from the well reknowned and very expensive firm of Kelly, McKinley and Foxe. Needless to say the pair of them minced through the accusations with as much brevity as they did sharp-worded aggression, hurtling Perom towards the very conclusion I'd so futilely tried at. That's not the interesting part though - Victoria Forbes' access to this sort of legal aid 'is', as was Gloria Lavindo's obvious deference to her despite an otherwise wholly confident swagger. On Kiara, Gloria said they used to play rounders together 'before I discovered drinking was fun'. She clearly still likes the girl, while Victoria cooly stated that Kiara 'isn't -bard- material'.
Later still, George and I happened to overhear a Student Society meeting at the commons, wherein the matter of neck scarf colours of the season (red), relations with Moonreach Keep (a letter to be sent) and the deliberate sabotage of a good woman's career was debated with the exact same tone and gravitas.
One 'Tammy' said, and I quote: 'Mildred Dunderstone is a menace. She has no sense of fashion, no sense of taste and no sense of self. She should be transferred to the Docks District post haste.'
While Mildred was defended by one of the other bards for having helped them during the plague, the final, seemingly irrefutible argument withered her completely:
'Was it a plague, though? Nobody -important- died, did they?'
And just like that, it seemed a done deal as Victoria went: 'Very well, we can have her transferred. You can handle this? My sister being in the guard, I think it best I stay out of this one, we wouldn't want anyone to think there was any -nepotism- going on, hm?'
Heavens forbid there's any of that going around. Nor rampant corruption and elitism..."
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Decoratively sprawled out amidst the silk cushions, Isolde lifts a dainty digit towards the lights, mirroring Nate's motions before touching her fingertip to his. She replies, her tone softly speculative in thinking out loud:
"No scoop, beyond the rumours of lavish parties to which only those chosen by the society are invited. But the woman called you 'old', so I'm perfectly willing to assume the worst. Chocolate was clearly rearing to join, and we ~know~ that girl has an uncanny knack for finding trouble. We rescued her from that chillsome spirit summoned to destroy vampires, after all, we rescued her from a past in which she'd become a captive of Atol in Rath Ashald's guise and the list, no doubt, goes on.
She ~must~ have 'some' manner of skill to actively find herself in these situations though. Though maybe we failed to properly rescue her from Gustav and she's somehow cursed? Still, I'll admit the likeliest option on the table is that she's exactly what she appears. Given her father's eccentricities, she's not so very strange by comparison.
Of late, it seems Chocolate Ashald's involved with these peculiar 'caramel' undead. You know, the blueskinned, incongruously attractively shaped ones. She certainly keeps turning up right before or after they pop up, and I've long suspected that she's using the artifact she purchased at the Twins auction to that end. Not that it was designed to create undead, it was more akin to a potent restorative to undead beings, akin to a Heal to the living, but maybe it was repurposed or gifted to someone assisting her? Someone, perhaps, with a long standing obsession with Chocolate's dubious charms...
'Or'!
Or... she's being made to jump hoops by this secret society, clearly denying her a spot amongst their members. If the secret they're hiding is, let's say, necromantically flavoured, she might have been given 'tasks' to prove herself, or they're simply bullying her into it. That 'Zero' girl had the look of someone about to flick you on the forehead and smile doing it, if you ask me.
Finally, I can also see Chocolate going to unwise extremes to either impress or take some manner of petty revenge. I see no real potential for malice in her though, which is more than I can say about Victoria Forbes and her posse. Clearly we've got to do some good old-fashioned digging!"
