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Razi's Greystone
24 August, 2022

Ji-Ho gives Razi some updates from his investigation efforts. Razi's player definitely knows the difference between a nectarine and a tangerine. There definitely aren't poses in here that make no sense.

Ji-Ho pinged to confirm that he was safe and that there was no need for a rendezvous, and then he took his sweet fucking time getting back. He promised Fiametta and Razi both that he was okay, really, Fi, please HE PROMISES, and then he's finally there at Razi's door and he's even brought a bag of nectarines from a local market.

Once settled -- and nectarines washed, partitioned -- he starts in on one. "So what approach are you gonna take, anyway?" Ji-Ho asks Razi as they sit in the kitchen. Ji-Ho has a few notes on his phone which he has pulled out to skim for his summary.

Razi is WITHOUT A SUIT (jacket). That is, he's taken off his jacket and loosened his tie and even /rolled his sleeves up/. It's downright scandalous. He's even selected a nectarine of his own to slowly and methodically peel over a plate. "Well, it depends on what you tell me," he says first, his voice thoughtful. "Although, in all honesty, I've been leaning towards approaching with relative honesty. We've heard their claims that something is rotten in the Freehold, and I'm a concerned citizen who wants to know more. If honesty is /possible/, I find it preferable to begin there."

"Oh, I suppose that makes sense." Ji-Ho watches Razi peel a nectarine like it is the weirdest thing he has ever seen in his life. He is taking big bites, with his hands protected by the wrap of paper towels to catch the dripping juice. "That was kind of my attitude, though: concerned citizen. I got lucky. Didn't take me long to find an Ogre I recognized from before everything went down at the Zoo. They aren't with Chrysanthemum and they are, you know, toward the south, so I figured -- maybe? So I slipped on after her to see what I could find. Didn't manage to catch them during Court, but she there were a few people she talked to that other people were kind of deferring to."

Razi continues to peel his nectarine in a TOTALLY NORMAL FASHION like a REGULAR PERSON. He listens with interest as Ji-Ho continues, though, his gaze steady on him with only the most minor of interruptions. "So leadership, most likely," he says, nodding once when Ji-Ho speaks of those with enough authority to earn deference. "It would be...interesting. To hear from both. Common members of the Freehold, and their leadership. I'd be curious how their answers to various questions might...vary."

Ji-Ho snorts. "And vary they will." His gaze cants to the side, thoughtful. "They were cautious, but no more or less than seemed reasonable. It definitely took me some time to find someone. Here's where they were gathering, more or less--" He flips it around on his phone, a screenshot of a location on a map, which he airdrops to Razi's phone. "There was this one guy, Burt. Beaver, so Beast. Easy to remember: triple-B. He reminded me of Rook. Solid, you know? Seemed like a workhorse type, but he knew people. Might be your _common_, I don't know. People seemed to trust him but no one really was overly deferential about it."

"Mm, no, I wouldn't consider Rook to be a /common/ member of the Freehold," Razi says with a faint smile. "He's a hero. What I'm curious about is what would those doing the deferring, extending the trust to someone like that, say about their reasons for leaving. And what would those they're deferring to say. There's a story being told here. I want to hear it from both those who have heard the story, those who are just passing on someone else's words, and those /telling/ the story. It may be a true story, it may be fiction. We won't know until we dig further."

"Well, if you wanna talk to the people who _tell_ stories, there were two that caught my eye. First was Veera: Fairest, Snowskin, and probably Winter. Temperature _dropped_ when she came in. I think I saw people swallow their tongues when she approached, but even she deferred to this other guy, Hubert." Here Ji-Ho pauses, giving Razi a longer look. "Be careful with him. He looked powerful. Deep in the magic, magic deep in him: Elemental, some kind of plant. He just about looked more like a tree than a person." He hesitates a moment here, fiddling with the nectarine, rolling it in his hands.

There's undoubtedly questions there, but Razi recognizes that hesitation, and he gives it room to play out. He finishes the last of the peel from his nectarine and begins carefully pulling apart the segments, placing the first on his tongue and chewing slowly. He'll wait. He's patient.

"He was _sharp_. Not like -- mean, or rude, or whatever. I mean _smart_, and maybe a little snarky, but he knew what he was talking about." There's a note of frank envy in his voice as Ji-Ho says this, along with something that tastes just a bit of resentment. "I don't know if he was their Monarch or just high up in their court, but people listened to him, people respected him, and it was easy to see why, you know? And here we have--." He trails off rather than something terrible and treasonous, no traitors here, but it's clear that Hubert made an impression -- and that their own Freehold has reflected _poorly_ in comparison.

"Mm." That thought has Razi's lips pursing just slightly. "It doesn't even take a traitor, does it? To attract members. Given that...dynamic." You know. The treasonous things Ji-Ho isn't saying. "If people do not feel confident in the leadership where they are, and someone offers an attractive alternative that seems steadier, wiser, and safer, then people will go where they feel most confident in their chances." He may be considering Ji-Ho more closely, now, in light of this. And the clear impression that Hubert made.

Ji-Ho holds his hand up in a warding gesture, turning away that close consideration. "I'm not packing up and running off. But it's easy to see why people feel safe there. _Safer_. Doesn't mean I trust them. I don't know what game Barnabas was playing, or who he was playing it for, and anyway who's to say _they_ aren't the traitors." He rolls his eyes at Razi, exasperated at himself and the constant paranoia and what-ifs.

"I would not judge anyone for moving on to a community they felt safer in," Razi says simply. "It is not as if two Freeholds cannot coexist, but -- especially with our numbers now, it seems difficult for both to thrive. And true coexistence seems as though it would require a greater sense of collaboration than is possible now, in order to stand together against our common enemy where possible. But what we have now is threats and accusations."

"That's what I don't trust. Because sure, they _seem_ nice, and they _act_ wise, but -- I don't know." Ji-Ho turns his nectarine in hand, considering the fuzz-free flesh before taking a bite. He grimaces, and abruptly seems to lose his appetite for it. "More than most, we know that we can't always believe what we see. If they sent Barnabas to undermine us -- I don't know. Look, if you want me to go back, look harder, look deeper, I can. I don't play the politics game, though, Razi. I hate it. And this sure smells like it."

"We can all seem and act in quite a few ways, yes." Razi smiles, but it's not exactly a humorful sort of expression; there's a tightness about it. An edge like broken glass. "No, I think you've already provided me with quite a lot. Thank you for that." And he lingers on that a moment, leveling a look on Ji-Ho to make it clear the weight he gives such a thing. "I'll just have to consider how I want to approach matters."

Ji-Ho tilts his head. "I went because I wanted to know, too -- but you're welcome." His expression lightens somewhat, even if he throws away the half-eaten nectarine and turns to wash his hands. "If you see Fiametta before I do, tell her thanks for me? I didn't end up needing the rabbit hole, but it helped me breathe a little easier knowing she'd be there to torch anyone on my tail if I ran. The nectarines are for her, really. She's always trying to be healthy, have you noticed that? One time I swear she was gonna hold my head under a smoothie until I had something that wasn't coffee-adjacent."

"Mm. She worries a great deal about the people she cares about taking care of themselves," Razi says, a faint note of humor in the curve of his smile. "I'll let her know, although she also likes hearing from people directly. Do you have her number?"

"Ugh," says Ji-Ho, as Razi makes the very reasonable point and he drags his phone back to flip it around and send Fiametta a text. T H X, he texts, and snaps a shot of the nectarines in their brown paper bag. It's artsy, soft-focused, with the necatrines in sharp relief. None of this is due to his skill. It's all automated. Good work, technology. "Keep your eyes open when you talk to them. They _seem_ on the up and up, but. Who knows."

Razi watches this digital exchange with a distance sort of approval. There, Ji-Ho. Doesn't it feel good to do things Correctly? "I am always careful," he assures Ji-Ho. "And I've promised Fiametta that she can accompany me, so I will not be going into matters alone." There's a pause there, as he considers Ji-Ho, the Solo Artist on his own excursion. "Fortunately, I'm in a position to do so in my own efforts."

"It's okay. For every well-socialized team, you need one token loner," Ji-Ho says with an ironic salute. "I guess there are problem others in the Freehold with similar skills and all, but -- I don't know, it seems a little weird, working in a team like that. I always valued get out quick without needing to worry about anyone else's skin."

"Trust doesn't come easy for any of us, I imagine," Razi says, humor fading into something thoughtful once more. "In any case, you certainly seemed to have handled yourself well. I'm glad that Fiametta's

"Me too." Flipping the last of his notes around for Razi's study, Ji-Ho grabs another nectarine to stuff in his pocket. "Let me know when you guys are headed out, yeah? I might not be able to provide the same kind of backup, but at least I'll know to look out if anything goes _weird_."

"I'll let you know." It's not a /promise/. But it's said with the suggestion of one. An assurance, at the very least. "As well as what we might find out once we're done."

Ji-Ho wiggles his pinky at Razi as though threatening to make it a promise, then takes his nectarine and books it. "Good luck!"