Anna
Abstral studied Ochre's face carefully, yet it showed no change from his initial statements as he took in his responses aside from the man appearing to relax, if only a little.

Abstral listened careful to his next words, those being his elaboration on his loyalty to Tvoktei, and gazed at the ring that the man revealed, strange as it appeared.

Ah, so this Tvoktei made Ochre, and those related to him, swear a binding oath? That would explain why he was so hesitant to break it and the loyalty.

But, as Ochre would then say, he *Was* Willing.

As he elaborated on the terms of his oath, Abstral would then finally understand how it is he would help them, it would have to be indirectly, calling upon his contacts and manipulating this "City of the Moon" For them.

Abstral nodded and because there was nothing more that he could have added, short of asking Ochre the stupid question of "Why not just cut your hand off?" Which, he was sure, would be met with an obvious answer, and so he simply said

```"I understand."```

Abstral still listened in as the man shifted his gaze to Kuouo and his concerns.

Ah, so they *Couldn't* Just leave, that despicable Tvoktei would have to allow it.

And of course it got more complicated from there, if he wanted to be rude, Abstral could of rolled his eyes at the additional complications Ochre told them of.

Ochre however spoke of another plan, and with that plan also revealed more interesting information. There were five or more "Floors" To this place. 

Abstral could have figured that, given the size of the building from the outside, but was that *Really* All there were?

Abstral mentally stored this knowledge for later, keeping his ears open to Ochre.

Ah, so that bastard had an entire army pitted against them? Of course, he'd have followers, granted, a tyrant usually did, but an army would be tough, he was sure the bandit and Ochre's comrades could fight, but if it came down to just the two of them versus an entire army, he did n

Ot like those odds one bit.

Abstral's eyes briefly widened as Ochre referred directly to him. He did suppose the white hair, as Ochre himself had, would help him blend in if the populace all had the same color hair, which he supposed, fit this place's wintery nature.

Hmph, so, as with Ochre, their enemies were only reluctant ones, bound to Tvoktei the same as Ochre? That would make sense and also make things... Tricky. Negotiating with or having them turn traitor would likely be next to impossible. He was never the diplomatic type, that was Shiro, but with negotiations of the table entirely, it seemed they'd have no choice but to fight their way through the city, or in his case, sneak through if possible.

As Ochre finished his explanation, ending with, of all things, an offer of getting them something to drink, Abstral closed his eyes briefly and sighed. Ochre was certainly a noble being and his situation complicated, but Abstral had come here, among other reasons, to help those who might require it, and so that he would indeed do. He did have questions, but he could sense that Ochre was waiting to elaborate further, and so said questions could wait until later.

```"This is a lot of information to take in, though I am of course thankful that you are divulging as much as you can to us despite your disposition, your help in general is greatly appreciated. I assure you I will do everything within my power to assist and free you and your compatriots from this tyrant, peacefully of course, as well as try my hardest not to slay any others that we may come up against. 

Oh, and yes, tea would be delightful, thank you."```
Kathryn
Eventually, the bandit would lower the intense lock of eye-contact in judging Ochre's trustworthiness to a slightly lower level in seeing the extreme relief escaping his stoic body for their agreement seemed to be the only ray of sunlight in the dark, bitter snowfield that resided outside of the respite. Though he'd keep a watchful eye as Ochre explained the most secretive of matters to the two; the bandit seeming to have furthered his agreement by silently putting pen to paper, organizing his thoughts across the page in a disorganized matter that made the most sense to him.

First was the clarification to Abstral's query which, eventually, would also satisfy some of the bandit's concerns as well. The heir, in his explanation, would hold his left hand in the warm light of the respite; in it revealed a peculiar wedding ring, one that bound him to Tvotkei's whims, brimming with a blue light — A familiar one at that, the Hero of the First Floor recalling a similar illumination that coursed through the 𝓥𝓮𝓲𝓻𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓸𝓸𝓽 nearly in the same way it did through the strange material the ring was crafted with. Was it, possibly, a supremely refined method of ***Branding*** Someone, binding them to a 'divine' oath without the punishment of a root-rotten mind? 

The bandit was unsure, but he was certain about one thing: Although Ochre, and the six other heirs retained their free will so long as it knelt down on by his command, they were ultimately slaves to his bidding. To Kuouo Aiche Dee, it was as equally disgusting to the branding he'd seen first-hand on the floor below them. It robbed them of their ***Individuality***, and they were fully aware whilst being initiated into the tyrant's harem, threatened with their demise if they didn't comply. Although it disgusted him, it only emboldened his conviction to overthrow the tyrant, even as Ochre elaborated once more that doing so wouldn't allow admission to the next floor due to both the immoral or *Divine* Obstacles ahead of them. Though, that wouldn't stop a sudden, unsure idea from being scribbled into the bandit's notebook, should Ochre lack any definite plans himself.

```ini
[ 1. Similarity of ring to root??? ]
[ 2. ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇. ]```

Ochre would continue, sharing with the two a reason of the respite's existence — To study the other way, to re-unite the floor from the shackles that once again, Tvoktei held the key to. The heir would share a familiar glare with the bandit — In the reflection of Ochre's eyes, the bandit could see two residents of the *Ark* Who sought the same resolution, two who held the same gleam of determination, hope, respect, and camradarie towards the outsider and his changed ideals. Even if Ochre didn't seem all too sure, indeed...

*There had to be another way.*

** **
Kuouo closed his eyes for a moment, reminiscing on the Root-Crown and the steps taken to achieve the outcome of his curing, taking a deep breath upon finally realizing he had fully undertaken a similar responsibility. During this, Ochre finished his elaboration, ascertaining that nobles, either complicit or actively engaging in Tvotkei's despicable acts; commoners, malleableized by the wickedness of his society; those bound to Tvoktei by forced oath such as Ochre himself; and of course, Tvoktei and the will that's molded the second floor to the way its been for four centuries, were enemies — But even if commoners, nobles, and bound souls alike antagonize the two, the true enemy was none other than Tvoktei himself... Which was all the more reason Kuo had to ensure his blade would not snuff the life of anyone, even if they opposed him with fatal intentions that were not their own.

```ini
[ 3. Abstral more than likely to deal with ppl on floor, will blend in but I won't >:( hopefully he can help us slip thru cracks in system. ]

[ 4. Still need detailed plan from Ochrae abt how to do this. Will update 4 with plan ]

[ 5. As̶k̶ ̶T̶a̶a̶s̶h̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶-̶ ]

*Scribble, scribble, scratch, scratch, scratch*```

Kuouo shook his head, slightly regretting getting in too deep with his notes. He looked up, accepting the offer of tea with a resounding ``"Hell yeah I do! — Oop, uhh sorry, daheh... Yeah, I'll go ask 'er."`` ... To be fair, the snow that gathered on his cloak was beginning to seep through the fabric and melt into freezing water that ran below his fur. Unable to cast the fire magic used to normally keep him dry (due to the respite's unsaid rules), the prospect of a hot drink was quite enticing... Even if it wasn't fireball cinnamon whiskey. Kuouo swiveled around, opening the door to the respite and popping his head out into the cold air.

```fix
"Yo, Taash! Must suck standin' in that on and off blizzard! Ochre inside is makin' some hot tea and wants t' know if ya want some! Y'should come on in an' get cozy."```

He quickly stepped back in, shutting the door in front of him. If Taash were to immediately respond by walking towards it, he'd hold it open until she got in. Otherwise, he wanted to ensure the warm air didn't escape the room they were in, closing it on her if she denied the offer or otherwise needed a good moment before coming in.

```fix
"So uhh, what kinda tea ya got? Either way, I'm sure it'll be good t' sip on while ya explain how we do all this... Hey, ya don't mind if I take a seat, do ya?"```

Whilst Ochre prepared the tea, the bandit opted to sit on the floor criss-cross-apple-sauce style, waiting for permission as he did not know the true meaning of what a 'respite' was anyways. As such, he'd stay on the floor until the heir granted him a seat or the tea finished brewing.
Janie
The atmosphere within the respite suddenly shifted, and for the better. From burdensome duty to a moment of proper respite, Ochre had purposefully pivoted the ambience with a single statement, so as to ease the nerves of his guests and to better prepare them for the time to come. The road ahead would not be easy, and so he would provide what little rest and assistance he could, from within this small tower located so far from home. Such was its purpose, after all; a respite is for rest, and they certainly wouldn't find rest anywhere else.

Despite his looks, Ochre was not averse to serving others. The silver-haired heir of the Moon-Mother paced through the labyrinthine structure of the convolutedly-organized library, his draping robes drifting in a float in the wake of his swift paces through the book-flanked halls. Disappearing into the midst of a less-visited rear sect of the respite, Ochre picked through several of the basic amenities that he had stored deep behind the bookshelves and the candles. Of course, one who had sworn an oath of everlasting life to the Ezer did not actually require such things as food and water, Ochre kept some basic supplies on hand simply for good measure — blankets, gloves, cloaks, as well as shelf-stable foods, and, of course, tea. 

Tea was a sort of commodity that transcended just nigh of every cultural barrier — even those within the *Ark* — and whose existence even persevered through the Arue's pursuit of the eternal. In terms of bodily needs, it was truly useless; in terms of cultural expression and luxury enjoyments, however, it might as well have been the single most valuable items to continue existing.
_ _

Or, at least, that was how Ochre saw it.

Withdrawing a box which had recently been shelved in the rear of the respite — one which, in particular, was granted to him as a rare gift from beyond the Second Floor — Ochre gave a hum of approval as his eyes settled atop the neatly-bundled leaves of fine tea. With a new air of pleasantness now steeping in the atmosphere of the respite, so too would the pleasantness of this tea steep in some freshly-heated water. Ochre began to prepare the drink for the guests.
Kenneth
The knight beyond the front door of the respite remained with her arms folded and her eyes carefully observant of the vast, dark, and turbulent snowfield that spiraled chaotically before her. The whipping winds that blew past her armored frame did not cause her to flinch, and neither did the biting cold of the silver snow — both she had grown accustomed to, and long ago. Dozens, if not hundreds of years of environmental conditioning would render her practically immune to the frostful shivers that would overcome any other but one who had been born and lived on the Second Floor for so many years.

The knight's gaze had already shifted to the door before Kuouo had raised his breath to speak, her having caught ear of the latch of the door creaking, and her eyes already firmly settled atop the door as it swung open. As the bandit would offer, she would remain silent for a moment off-cadence with Kuouo's own tempo, and he could almost see her brow raising from beneath her visor, if it were not for the dense, dark atmosphere that now enshrouded the only scarce-moonlit night of the Second Floor. *Taash, he says. Ochre must have informed him.*

*`"Tea?"`*

Taash questioned, silently, turning to the bandit with arms still folded. 

*`"I don't really like it."`*

She spoke candidly, and without so much as a shrug of her shoulders. 
_ _

Still, the sound of the knight's armor would speak for her as it clattered at her side, her greaves shifting as she stepped forward; even though she wasn't much a fan of tea, she was still coming in. With insouciance in her gait, the knight stepped into the respite, unfastening the silver blade rested at her right hip, her boots soft in clatter against the fine wood floor of the respite. Ochre had made it indirectly apparent through his invitation that he would prefer her within the respite, and so one could say she complied with his implied request. 

Resting the slender form of the straightsword in a cradled stance lightly pressed against her forearm and laid atop her left shoulder, the knight would, and perhaps hypocritically, not disarm herself entirely as she entered.
Janie
Returning with a delicate, yet spacious ceramic teapot whose spout lightly trailed with wisps of steam, Ochre emerged again to the forefront of the library, his right hand clutched to the handle of the pot while his left trailed behind him, swirling with the unmistakable radiance of the arcane. A magicka hued celeste emanated in a subtle glow from his empty left hand, its compelling energies employed to do no more than to telekinetically float the form of several cups of the same set as the ceramic pot which held the tea. Delicately and remotely manipulating the vessels with the magicks that seemed far too refined to be used for such simple tasks, Ochre poured each of the guests a cup of tea without so much as setting a single one atop a table.

Theatrics of a complex magic used for the mundane task of serving tea aside, the heir would ensure that each of the guests were granted their tea, before finally serving himself a cup of the hot beverage, hued a warm light-brown-and-yellow.

```cpp
"𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚑 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚛, 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚛𝚞𝚎𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝙲𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚌𝚑. 𝙰 𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙻𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝙷𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚒𝚏𝚝, 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚘. 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚎."```

Ochre said with a slight grin and a nod, finally granting a response to the question Kuouo had that he had initially left unchecked. And, true to his words, the tea would taste excellently vibrant — while it was deep, complex, and indeed quite aromatic, it also sprung with a fresh fullness in flavor, akin to ginger, albeit with slightly sweeter undertones. Even unsweetened, it was pleasant to the tongue, and a beverage palatable to all but the most picky of tea-drinkers.

The air was filled with the richness of the herbs' scent, and so the time was made ripe for a calm, intellectual conversation.
_ _

_ _
```cpp
"𝙽𝚘𝚠, 𝙸 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜..."```

Ochre spoke declaratively, his tone clear, but held to a lower level of volume, so not to vitiate the guests' enjoyment of their tea. Taking a sip of the refined beverage himself, the heir seated himself at his desk, eyes squinted and hands folded ahead of his mouth. Indeed, despite his outward appearance of youthfulness — appearing to be no more than eighteen to twenty years of human age, at most — Ochre was an aged scholar, if not an *Ancient* One. He had hundreds upon hundreds of years of not just study, but elaborate planning under his belt, as well. While what was to follow was the boiled-down essence of what was a much more complicated matter of politics and planning, it was by no means a plan born of simplicity; yes, as he had said, it was the culmination of his *Life's work.*

To see Tvoktei dethroned, and without spilling a drop of blood.
_ _

```cpp
"𝙰 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚛, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝙰𝚍𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚍."

Ochre inhaled, and closed his eyes briefly, softening his tone as to make his following statement less blunt than its raw content presented itself as. He did not intend to thrust such weightiness on them so soon, but it was a necessity to do so. His eyes opened, and so he spoke—

"𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚗𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙺𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚘𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍."

"𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚘, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚞𝚙 𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜, 𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚃𝚟𝚘𝚔𝚝𝚎𝚒 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚋𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚛𝚞𝚎."```
_ _

```cpp
"𝚂𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚢 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜' 𝚠𝚊𝚛... 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕, 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛."

"𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚏𝚞𝚕, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚌. 𝙾𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚛𝚞𝚎𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝, 𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚢 𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚔𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚘𝚕𝚍..."

"...𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚗𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝."

"𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙺𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚘𝚕 𝚗𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚛, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚐𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚞𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚛. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚛 𝙶𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙴𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚢, 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚍 𝚃𝚟𝚘𝚔𝚝𝚎𝚒 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚗𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗."```
_ _

```cpp
"𝙰𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚐𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚢-𝚋𝚘𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚃𝚟𝚘𝚔𝚝𝚎𝚒 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙺𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚘𝚕. 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚜 — 𝚘𝚛, 𝚜𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎."

"𝙰 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛? 𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚡 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎? 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚃𝚟𝚘𝚔𝚝𝚎𝚒, 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚗𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚋𝚎𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝?"```
_ _

Ochre gave a single laugh of ridicule, his brow furrowing, as he took a sip of tea, ever-displeased.

```cpp
"𝚁𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜."

"𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚛-𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚛, 𝚜𝚘 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚐𝚗𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗."

"𝚂𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕..." Ochre spoke, squinting at the two guests within the respite.

"...𝚒𝚝 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚃𝚟𝚘𝚔𝚝𝚎𝚒. 𝙰𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙴𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝙲𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚒, 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏."

"𝐀 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐈 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭."```