[PRP] bottom of the deep (noeh & jeremiah)

[azuredreams]

"I don't," Jeremiah replied, studying her again. "I simply meant that anyone who is on the Charter gave consent to be changed over time, as you said. For all I know, that particular Jeremiah was one with a spirit-bond." He had no knowledge of other selves, other than one that was with Minerva and much older, another that existed before the cage and ran a bar, and the one he had seen months ago-

The one that was wasting away with something dark behind his eyes.

"Why is it interesting if I thought that? It is a possibility."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Because you always ask to become a noble, if you do not become one independently, signed Noeh. Perhaps you hunger for power?

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah's expression flickered, something about that unsettling but tucked away. "Or I am foolish and think through being a Noble I will perhaps be able to change what will come. That I can change the Court as well."

He looked away, towards the water. For a moment he thought of Ezra, of when he had offered him capability and discipline. Jeremiah had not known it meant becoming a Noble- he had been too blind by his own thoughts.

He looked back at Minerva. "You said become one independently- are there other paths to becoming a Noble?"

This was not- Jeremiah was getting side tracked a little. "Are the trials even a necessity?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Noeh didn't smile. The trials are a necessity if you do not want to die in the process of making a new noble, she signed. The other path is the right of conquest. If I were undifferentiated, and I wanted to become a noble, I could kill you and take your place in the Court.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"I suppose," he said slowly, "that if Shun had succeeded in striking the final blow on Melany then things would be considerably different now."

Still- That meant, if he followed her correctly, there were other cycles where he had simply killed his way to becoming a Noble. Jeremiah thought for a moment of the ease in which he had put hands around the fetch's throat. The way he had burned it's body until nothing was left.

Then he was quiet for a moment, as something registered. "Ezra said to kill her, if I did that - if anyone did that - would they take her place?"

A chill went through him far different than the one he always had.

"These things, these rules, they're all built into the Charter, yes? We have it now, though the Spinel Lady is aware of it, and we want to change it." A pause. "And remove her entirely from it but we'd still need another to filter the magic."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

No. Noeh shook her head. The charter... it requires her. It isn't transferable, as such. Not like nobility is.

She sat up against the breakwater and pulled the phone out of her pocket. Noeh spent a moment scrolling through it--evidently it wasn't code-locked--and then put it back. Yes, they're all in the charter. What do you want to change it to? Why?

azuredrea1ms

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah watched the phone a moment, a question on the tip of his tongue before she beat him to asking one. "To something less abusive, to something that is not this- but then we have not actually been able to look at what it is. To us, it is fingerprints and a sigil. The text of it - the contract itself - is not known.

"Some want to see Fetches with more freedom, others want to see things change to the process of being a tithe, the geas was briefly discussed as well."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

There was text, signed Noeh. There had to be, for us to be able to spell out all the consequences we thought of. But you'll be in charge of writing your own, if you choose to create a new sigil to bind the Court.

She shrugged. The original fetches chose to be what they are. You might encounter resistance there. Especially from Silk... Where she goes, the rest follow.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Yet to do that, to create a new sigil to bind the Court," Jeremiah replied, "we would have to unravel the first. That includes taking the Sigil from Melany and finding another way to channel the magic."

Grind it from her bones, she had said, after gathering the blood of those who had consented.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

That's true, said Noeh. I didn't exactly make the sigil to be undone, though. I'm not sure how you'd go about it.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Gather the blood of those who consented? A majority? Unravel the pieces that went into the creation of it." That had been what the Spinel Lady had said. "You say you did not make it to be undone, but did you include any failsafes? Something for in case this happens."

It was not likely but-

shibrogane

(and his real questions haven't even been touched yet)

 

[shibrogane]

Noeh's expression got kind of crinkly and displeased. In case what happens? The supposedly immortal people who created the world get murdered and the inheritors of the world decide to do some stopgap cage-making? There were failsafes for things we could predict, but no one could predict how off-the-rails everything went.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah closed his eyes and let out a breath. "No, obviously not that. I spoke in too broad of a generality and did not mean in case of this exact situation but if you had any at all." His eyes opened back up. "In the event one of the focal points dies or is removed from their station is one. That changes need to be made for some reason is another. This one matters if only because, if not a new Charter, the Nobles wish to change things."

shibroswol

 

[shibrogane]

Sure. There's the geas. And none of the focal points could die. Pax and Pride are already dead, and if I die, bad s**t happens, so no one really bothers me. And we didn't build in a way to change the Charter because we didn't need one. We all knew how it was meant to work.

She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. It was the nonverbal equivalent of plugging her ears and singing at the top of her lungs.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah pinched the bridge of his nose. Was this what dealing with a sibling was like? Who knew.

His hands moved this time, the silver-haired man far better than he had been before, instead of actually speaking aloud.

It will either be changed or unraveled and I would appreciate your help. You spoke of consequences and I was ultimately wanting to know about those. If not, there's other things I wanted to ask you. To talk about. It was likely an easier topic than something that would likely end up discussed at the conference.

Or not.

shibroswol