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rueitae · 6 years ago

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Birthday Prompt: April 24. Pokemon. Historical with inappropriate use of death with Ash. (I feel like I totally cheated with both of these I’m so sorry.)

Happy (late) birthday to both of us, @the-pokemonjesus. I hope you like it. You deserve all the nice things. This was a treat for me to write, I’ve been wanting to touch on this particular subject for a long time now.

If any of you are at all interested in more of my adult!Ash headcanons, you can read my (kinda sorta) tie-in fic here. I tried to keep it vague in this one for the purposes of it being a one-shot so you don’t have to.

Lana: *makes a joke in Sun/Moon episode 31*

Me: Challenge Accepted.

(Read more appears on mobile after reblog)

~~~~

Ash took a deep breath as he collected the warm, humid air around him. Exhale. He smiled softly, eyes closed, as the mid afternoon sun warmed his face. It was nice to be back in Alola again. Even if he wasn't going to get to enjoy it for long, being able to visit with old friends made the trip worth it.

“Pika Pi!”

He grinned as he turned to face the voice, kneeling and extending an arm so his pokemon parter could jump up and join him. “Hey Buddy, how’s the girlfriend?” he teased.

Not amused, Pikachu bounced up onto his trainer’s shoulder and slapped the brim of Ash’s cap with his tail. “Pi,” he said, crossing his arms and turning his chin up in spite.

(No he had not learned the move, thank goodness. Professor Kukui would have had a field day.)

Ash recovered quickly, a bemused smile on his face as he adjusted his cap. “Pikachu, the last time you saw her, you brought back an Egg.”

The cheeks on the electric mouse turned a brighter red than usual. He deflated, lazily splayed out on his belly on Ash’s shoulder. “Chaaa,” he moaned pitifully.

Sympathetically, Ash gave his friend a good rub across the back. “If all goes well, we’ll be back for next year’s Alola League. You’ll be able to see her again then.” Ash perked up. “Speaking of, I’ll show you what I got at the store.”

The trainer opened the small brown bag that held his most recent purchase. Pikachu watched Ash’s actions intently, lovesickness less on his mind. The pokemon fell into exasperation upon seeing the object.

“Pikapi, pika pikachu,” he said dryly.

“Come on, I know you’ve soft spot for him.” Ash said, putting the Ice Stone in a more secure bag inside his backpack.

Pikachu rolled his eyes and slumped once more on his trainer’s shoulder. “Pikachu pika.”

“Billy’s a nice kid. And you saw Houndour; looked like it was going to evolve at any time. After watching the two, I have a feeling Vulpix isn’t going to like getting left behind.” He afforded himself a chuckle, entirely too pleased with himself on obtaining his recently self-appointed protege.

Pikachu stared pointedly.

“Fine,” Ash relented. “Don’t lie, you enjoy the looks on their faces too.”

That at least got a wicked grin out of the electric mouse. Ash would never turn down the opportunity to help a young trainer. With all of his childhood experiences amassed from leagues and traveling, he felt it was at least part of his adult responsibility to pass on what wisdom he could to the next generation. If he happened to pay a few special favors to Billy, well, he could hardly be blamed. Jessie and James were mostly not pleased at the twerpish influence he had on their son.

It was the least Ash figured he could do.

While the Ice Stone wasn’t the reason he’d come to the islands, it was a nice excuse to buy the gift.

The two had made their rounds to the Pokemon School and Professor Kukui before Ash had gone shopping, and Pikachu had vanished to visit his sweetheart. Now they were on a less familiar dirt path towards their last stop for the day. They hadn't even yet made it to Iki Town when they encountered two of the people they had come to see.

Ash broke out into a wide grin and raised an arm, waving enthusiastically. “Kahuna Hala! Lana! Alola!” he shouted when the two were within yelling distance.

Walking side by side, the two island residents registered him at the same time. Hala’s smile was more reserved, but Lana broke into a huge grin and rushed forward to greet them. Popplio wiggled out of her arms and met a scampering Pikachu halfway. The two pokemon nuzzled noses. An electric spark emitted off Pikachu’s cheeks and shocked the sea lion pokemon to a faint crisp.

Sincerely guilty, Pikachu let out a sad whine. Ash scooped him with exasperated guilt of his own. “Sorry,” he said. “We’ve been trying to unlearn Nuzzle for a while now.”

Lana held Popplio in her arms and was unconcerned, carrying the same quiet smile that she’d always had. Her companion was only incapacitated for a moment, shaking off the electric burns as if nothing had happened, smiling and thrilled to see old friends just the same. A bark and clap signaled that all was forgiven.

“Alola, Ash. Pikachu has gotten a lot stronger,” she teased, reaching out to scratch the pokemon behind the ears. Pikachu melted in contentment at the action. “I thought Mallow was joking with me when she said you were coming back so soon.”

“I know it's only been a month,” Ash admitted sheepishly, “but I needed to see Kahuna Hala in person.”

The man himself now slowly walked up to the younger trainers and stood beside them, his laugh ringing out loudly. "Alola, Ash! Well, no wonder Tapu Koko has been excited!"

Ash blushed despite himself, rubbing the back of his head. Pikachu couldn't help but snicker and meandered by to his shoulder spot. "Kahuna Hala," he then said, bowing politely, large grin on his face. "It's great to see you again."

"If I had known it was you coming we would have prepared a feast." The Melemele Island kahuna gestured for the others to follow as he turned towards Iki Town. “Lana and I have been busy with preparations for the Alola League expansion.”

“We are having lunch at the Aina Cafe tomorrow, you’re welcome to join us,” Lana told the Kahuna.

Ash fell in stride casually. "And we’re leaving later that evening. Besides,” he said, holding a hand over his stomach. “I'm still stuffed from the party you threw the last time we were here."

"A grand luau that was! The battle you and Kiawe gave us was one for the ages. The Ruins of Conflict were glowing with joy the day after," the Kahuna said. “We are still repairing the battlefield!”

Ash laughed nervously at the praise. "When we next visit we'll be sure to have another one." He stopped and turned to face the older trainer. "Today I came for some advice, actually."

Hala regarded the odd seriousness coming from the younger man in equal measure. "I see. Well, let us speak in my home. These old bones wouldn't mind sitting down for a bit,” he finished with a smile.

“I promised to help Mallow. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Lana turned towards the Kahuna. “Thank you for letting me help, the same next week to make sure the sound of construction will not wake Kyogre?”

The eyes of Ash and Pikachu widened to the size of dinner plates.

Lana stuck out a tongue at them and winked. “Just kidding. The wishi washi are helping with the noise reduction for the local pokemon. No Kyogre.”

“Indeed,” Hala confirmed, chuckling at the exaggerated expressions of the visitors. “Hariyama and I will be waiting.”

Lana waved goodbye and set out back towards the city. The two men filled the remainder of the short walk to Iki Town with idle chatter on the changes the islands had seen over the years. Lana was doing underwater surveys to determine the best spots for potential Trials.

Arriving at the Kahuna's house, the two took glasses of iced tea out to the lanai, and seated themselves in rocking chairs. Pikachu took his absence to play with the neighborhood Rockruff.

"For you to make the trip all the way to Alola to seek my advice is no small endeavor," Hala started. "Something must truly be bothering you. I know you have council closer to home."

Ash took a sip of tea before answering, his face showed he was lost in thought. "Do you remember what you asked me when I started my Trial?"

Hala nodded. "I asked how you would resolve the situation with the Rattata and Raticate without a battle. You had a good answer."

"I've been thinking back on that more and more lately," Ash said, leaning back in his chair, looking up at the clear sky. “I need to find another good answer, and you were the one who told me to seek out help if I couldn't come up with something on my own. A friend came to me with a problem - a big problem. I definitely can’t solve it with a pokemon battle.”

“Hmm,” Hala mused. “I am sure you are more than equal to the task after seeing your accomplishments here on the islands.”

Ash paled slightly. “Islands...yeah that’s true I guess.” He sighed. “I’m hoping to meet with an old friend later tonight about it.”

“And you need all the advice you can get,” Hala deducted with a nod, understanding. “I can see the weight of responsibility on your shoulders, Ash. It’s a different look for you.”

Ash smiled, a bit of a tired sigh escaped as well. “A lot of my old adventures are catching up to me is all. Tapu Koko knows all about it.”

“Not surprising, you are his chosen one after all.”

Ash twitched slightly at the Kahuna’s choice of words, but refrained from commenting. “Anyway, I need permission to go out on Route 3 tonight.”

Hala smiled warmly. “You passed my Trial ages ago. You’re free to go to whatever part of the island you need.” He paused. “Perhaps I can offer some advice for you. Whatever it is that you are facing, do not do so alone.”

Ash nodded, a wide grin finally growing on his face. “That I never planned on doing.”

~~~~

Later that night Ash made his way to a remote part of Route 3 on Melemele Island. Aside a berry tree, he stood on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Pikachu yawned, leaning against the tree sleepily. Hands in his pockets, Ash gave his best friend an empathetic look.

"Sorry, Bud. I know it's late, but we can't exactly do this during the day."

Pikachu waved him off, unconcern. "Pika pika."

The trainer went back to looking out over the ocean. A part of him was a bit nervous. He loved meeting old friends, but this one carried part of the weight Hala had spoken to him about.

It was Cynthia who had suggested he come here, rather than travel to the Orange Islands. This time of year the waters stirred more ferociously in Alola.

A rush of wind and rustling of the bushes signaled the trainer and pokemon had a new companion. Ash turned his head to see the guardian of Melemele Island floating next to him.

"Hi, Tapu Koko. I wish we had time for a battle," he smiled regretfully.

"Tapuuuuuu." The guardian agreed, and turned its head to look out over the ocean.

Ash gazed over the ocean again as well. It seemed Tapu Koko wanted to greet their mutual friend.

Pikachu roused himself from his spot by the tree and sat at attention, the guardian pokemon straightening up as well, preparing to be a dignitary.

A spiral of water shot up with great force just beyond the cliff, spraying the group. The column of water collapsed into a sphere. When it dissolved, the water's great guardian hovered in its place.

Ash smiled despite himself, a flood of memories washing over him with greater force than the water. "Lugia," he said. "It's good to see you again."

"Kooooo!" Tapu Koko shot up and gave the fellow legendary a slight bow in greeting. Lugia reciprocated the action in reverence.

"Tapu Koko, Chosen One, Pikachu. It is good to see you all," Lugia said. "I am not pleased it had to be for this reason."

Ash frowned. "Azelf told me what is going on. This thing is contaminating the lakes in Sinnoh and,” he gulped, “probably other places too. Are you alright?”

“The problem is far more widespread than any of us expected.” Lugia began. “I am spending more and more of my day keeping it in check across the ocean.”

“What is it, exactly?” Ash asked, brows furrowed in worry now that they were down to business. “I’ve never seen it before and Cynthia hasn’t heard of it.”

“It is...complicated.” Lugia began with a frown. “It is older than most legends, however, the danger is presents is real. As the beast of the sea carries it to further corners of the globe, the substance will continue to poison the waters.”

Ash frowned, but nodded. “You know I’ll help, but… I don’t know what to do.”

“Collect the three treasures. Play my song to calm and heal the beast,” Lugia said quickly. “If this does not work...then I’m afraid it will be beyond my abilities alone.”

Ash frowned slightly in contemplation, tapping an index finger on his chin. “If we only have one shot at this,” he grinned, “let me get some friends. I know just the right people.”

Lugia nodded. “Your travels have served you well over the years.

“I don’t want to let them down,” Ash responded. “This world belongs to all of us.”

“More true words have never been spoken. I will do all that I can to mitigate the damage in the meantime. I imagine Tapu Koko and his fellow guardians will assist in kind around the Islands.” Lugia turned to his peer.

Tapu Koko nodded, and bristled in agitation.

“I’ll book the first flight to Johto when I get back home,” Ash said seriously. “I’ll look for Suicune first. If you need to find me - ”

Lugia nodded. “I know how to get in touch. Travel safe, Chosen One. It seems perils of the world will not rest in our lifetimes.”

Ash had a momentary lapse of reality as he thought back on a few choice adventures. “I know better by now to think otherwise,” he paused briefly. He hated to end the conversation on such a sour note, even if the circumstances were dire. Picking at his memory, he flushed, nearly embarrassed to speak now. “If you have just a minute, do you think you could do me a favor?”

“A favor? If it is within my power I would do anything you asked, Chosen.”

Ash grinned, the thought of finally getting the one up won out. “I was hoping you would pay a visit to a friend of mine who lives on the island….”

~~~~

“Mallow this is delicious! I feel like it gets better every time I visit!”

The Aina Cafe was filled to capacity for lunch. Old friends, both human and pokemon, had come to say hello to the island’s honorary son during his unexpected visit. Pikachu was seated next to Ash on the table, happily chewing away at a treat. Togedemaru was overtly content to eat beside him.

“You flatterer!” Mallow lightly accused. “You just want more, don’t you?”

Sophocles didn’t even look up, scrolling through lines of code on his wrist projector. “You’re going to give him more anyway, just do it.”

Ash made sure to project his most heartfelt, pleading eyes. “I have to remember what it tastes like, I’m going on the road again.”

Mallow sighed dramatically, her genuine smile giving her true feeling away. “It's good to have you back Ash, even for a meal. It too bad Lillie couldn’t be visiting at the same time.”

“Are you sure you don’t have time for a battle?” Kiawe asked. He was relaxed, but wasn’t able to hide his disappointment.

“Sorry,” Ash answered, truly regretful. “I need to catch my flight. I have someone I need to meet in Johto as soon as possible.”

“Speaking of, I’m surprised Lana isn’t here yet, “ Sophocles said. “Your flight time isn’t going to leave much time other than eating here for socializing.”

Mallow made a show of thinking. “Didn’t you say you saw her yesterday, Ash?”

As if on cue, the door to the cafe swung open. Lana stood on the threshold, Popplio by her side. Both looked frazzled and confused. “I saw Lugia!” she exclaimed before anyone could ask what was wrong.

There was a prolonged silence - before the room erupted with laughter.

“A good one, Lana!” Sophocles howled.

Kiawe wiped a tear from his eye. “You’re getting more creative with your delivery.”

“No! I actually did see Lugia!” she said frantically. “It talked to me and everything!”

Mallow grinned. “What did Lugia say then?”

“‘Hello, Friend of the Chosen One’,” she recited. “‘Would you like a ride?’” Lana took a deep breath before continuing, going on as if she were telling a scary story. “And then we swam underwater. I passed out, and woke up on Poni Island! I thought I had died when I saw Lugia standing over me.”

“That’s a little too ridiculous,” Kiawe said. “And specific.”

“Popplio was there too! Right?” she said, turning to her partner.

The sea lion pokemon barked and nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

Sophocles pouted. “I’m not falling for it again. Just last month you said Kyogre was sunbathing by the rock pool, and Popplio agreed to that too!”

“I’m telling the truth this time! I promise! You believe me, right Ash?”

Ash looked up for the first time since Lana had entered, setting his full spoon back down on his plate. He gave her a wry grin. “Well, I hear Lugia lives around the Seafoam Islands and Orange Islands.” He made a show of contemplating. “I suppose it's possible Lugia wanted a vacation. It is the same ocean after all. Who wouldn’t want to visit this beautiful place?”

Lana zoomed in to hug him tight. The others laughed around them, letting Ash know he was too nice to humor her. He’d come clean about it someday, probably sooner since he’d need the help from his Ultra Guardians team with this latest world crisis. Until he figured out the origin of the threat though, letting them live in bliss was something he could do.

It seemed these days a lot of things were coming full circle from his childhood. So, despite the somber reason behind his visit, his mind idly wondered what a certain bewear was up to and if he had the time to find out.

#pokemon fanfiction #Ash Ketchum #Lana #adult!ash #Lugia #i hope you like it #always a little nervous posting fic for a fandom i haven't interacted much with #i like to think that adult ash has some fun with his connections #so here's a taste of that #the world wide problem is vague i know #i intended to expand on it with a huge series but i'm not sure if i'll ever finish so alluding to it in one shots is my new jam #i don't post a ton of pokemon stuff but i'm always down for talking about it in any media form - message me!

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letterstosestrilles · 6 years ago

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Dear Tyko,

Yes, I did get your letter asking how the party went. No, I am not murdered, in jail, or eloped with an aristocrat (though I have certainly spent a few nights away from the Court of Flowers this week). Thank you for telling me about the navigation system I asked about in my last, I've got more technical questions but they can wait for later, because this is already going to be a hell of a letter. You may want to carve out some time and have some tea and a seat before you read this one.

(I'm fine. It's just that a whole lot has happened over the past week.)

I may as well begin with the party, or rather with what happened just before we left for it, which is that Hagi pulled me aside and told me quietly that they thought they had the papers we needed to prove fraud and corruption in Pika's case, but that they were still confirming so didn't feel comfortable telling Pika quite yet. Since telling Pika would have led to her abandoning the party in favor of murder, I kept my counsel (though I did later tell Maliah, to prepare her in case of consequences). The guilt from that, and the tension of it, carried over as we went to the household.

Our hostess was Tokva Zahin, head of House Zahin (and if that name is tickling your memory, it's because Brennu Zahin was among those implicated in the boxes of papers we got—you'll hear plenty about that later), another first-rank household in the city. The house was just as gorgeous as all the other aristocratic homes we've had occasion to visit in the city, with plenty of gardens, spots set up for semi-private conversation (or “conversation”), and a definite, if subtle, security presence.

We were shown into the large room where the party was happening, where forty or so people had already arrived and were milling around in a riot of brightly-colored clothes gorgeous enough to make Tiriel weep. Everyone was dressed to be seen, and everyone seemed more than willing to see as well. Some were dancing, the basic steps we learned from Daisy last week, while plenty of others were talking. There were a few bards providing the music, posted around the room—I recognized Amsula, who I met at Hanamra Serata's party when I first arrived in Mashoy, among them.

Across the room, I saw Bird-of-Paradise, who I never did actually get to talk to at the party, and another person or two who looked vaguely familiar from the Court of Flowers, but my attention was caught by the other people I knew at the party: Hurin and Surya Fesdi, who were talking to a gorgeously-dressed human woman and a tiefling man who we were later introduced to as Tigertail of the Court of Flowers. I put myself near their conversation, flanked by Maliah and Pika, and when they acknowledged us, Hurin Fesdi presented us to our hostess, Tokva Zahin, who was of course very polite in welcoming us.

Once we'd had that welcome, we retired to the side of the room, where Pika pointed out who was there: the heads of all the first-rank households (including Zilvrae Gisha, an older gentleman, stately but perpetually exhausted from what I can tell, and Pai Adnal, who I still know little about), and representatives from several others, to start, including the new head of House Ekett, members of House Talai, and the head of House Dehi, much to our nerves, with two other representatives as well. On top of that, numerous members of the Court of Flowers and three members of the king's council made the company one where—well, I wouldn't say it then, but I'm happy enough to admit to you that I felt outclassed.

Maliah seemed overwhelmed as well, but luckily, our hostess seemed to want to do Lady Daffodil and her apprentice an honor, so she sent over her youngest son, Eusis, to ask Maliah to dance, which she seemed to do well enough at, after looking very nervous for a little while.

While she was dancing, I took a circuit around the room—the first person I saw was a young elvish bard just coming off shift, and I knew it wouldn't do much for my political standing, but I know post-performance nervousness well, so I went and gave him a greeting and told him he'd done well, and he introduced himself as Davena. We talked a bit about his lyre and my gloves, and I let him go get himself a drink and moved on.

I was, more than anything else, looking for Brennu Zahin, though I hadn't been able to find a good picture of him. He's not too closely related to Tokva (some degree of cousin, you know genealogy isn't exactly a hobby of mine for obvious reasons), but he's a part of the main family, so I expected him to be there, and found three candidates to keep my eye on. One was near the dance floor, so I went to stand near him in hopes of being asked for a dance—which I was, but not by him. Instead, a middle-aged human man, no one I knew, offered to dance with me, and I wasn't going to be rude and say no. Besides, I enjoy dancing.

Well, I didn't with him. Even before he introduced himself as Sherin Dehi, my hackles were up. He was full of a sort of charming condescension, the lord bestowing his company on the poor uneducated adventurer for the space of a dance. I do admit, in grudging fairness to him, that I was playing the fool deliberately, once I realized he was not only a Dehi but a Dehi implicated in our boxes of papers, but regardless, he's a very unpleasant man indeed, and when I asked too many questions said that Lady Daffodil obviously had neglected her duties orienting me to the city.

(And it's not that Pika spent a great deal of time preparing us, but still. We're the only ones allowed to do anything like insult her, as far as I'm concerned.)

Once our dance was over, he went to speak to someone who I assumed (correctly, I later learned) was another member of his family, and I washed my hands of him and retired to the edge of the floor, where I tried to get eyes on the three men I thought might be Brennu Zahin. And I'm not going to say what each of them were doing, only the one that I soon learned for sure was Brennu—he was having what looked like a very fraught conversation with Eusis, Tokva's son, and I couldn't resist walking by them to see what I could pick up eavesdropping.

The eavesdropping confirmed to me almost immediately that it was indeed Brennu, and gave me more to think about besides—Eusis was asking what was going on with him, and saying he hadn't been himself lately, spending time with people he doesn't even like. Brennu was dismissive, saying he could take care of himself, and I drifted out of range but very soon after he was out on the dance floor with Lochti Glassweave, a druid on the king's council who seems formidable and who has gorgeous taste in hair ornamentation.

When that dance was done, he seemed to want to head towards the door, but he got caught by Tokva. I was looking at the door, though, and saw a few people slip out, and not long after, Maliah following, so I prepared myself to follow—only to be caught by a young man, Siva Ekett, head of the House, who said he'd heard I was a bard and asked me to play. I consented, said all the polite things, and professed that my companion Nora had twisted her ankle on the dance floor and said I'd be happy to perform once I'd checked on her.

I didn't sneak out to the garden, because there's nothing less obvious than sneaking, around that many people, and sent a Message to Maliah figuring out where she was—a little ways into the garden, eavesdropping on a conversation between Sherin Dehi and a half-elven woman who Maliah had been keeping an eye on, an assistant to the head of an anti-progressive movement of artisans, the Bronze Gauntlet. She didn't quite catch as much as she liked, but between the two of us, we pieced together a few things: that they were planning something and thought it might be their only chance, that the woman was willing to do it—take care of it, as she said. Nothing too alarming unless, like us, you were already on alert.

We got out of their way in plenty of time to not seem overly suspicious, and Dehi was solicitous of Maliah's supposedly-injured ankle, but I managed to get him sent off, and Maliah and I made our way inside. I got a look at Dehi, who was once again talking to his sibling, Orzin, as Pika soon told us, with murder in her eyes.

Siva Ekket and Tokva Zahin intercepted me before I could see much more, and introduced me to the other bards so we could figure out what I should do, since I don't exactly know much Mashoy dance music. Amsula recommended something traditional, or a space ballad, and I remembered the “Song of the Spacefarer's Daughter,” which I learned from Tohiye on Iriossis, and we tacked together an arrangement on the fly.

Performing it was—well, a bit nerve-wracking, playing for aristocrats is a bit different from jamming or striking a few chords in a battle. On top of that, there were certainly a few places where it definitely seemed obvious, to me anyway, that it was a hasty arrangement, unpracticed, but the audience seemed happy enough to clap and thank me when it was done.

I took the congratulations and kindness that people gave me and left my gloves on so I could flip the switch for recording if I needed to do so quickly before retreating to the side of things again. Brennu was speaking to Orzin Dehi and another young woman whose name I never managed to catch. I was feeling restless by then, and worried that whatever move the conspirators were making, they planned to make it at the party. I did my best to search for the hint of magic that might give away something explosive, or otherwise dangerous, and found something else instead—just a hint of sourness, the sense of a lingering unpleasant enchantment, but nothing more, nothing I could follow to its source.

The three of us retired to a couch, and out of the crowd came Zilvrae Gisha, intent on speaking to us. First, he congratulated me on my performance, but his real reason for approaching became clear seconds later, when Yamuna Gisha arrived on a hoverchair, looking beautifully put together and much recovered from her ordeal (and what I wouldn't give for a good look at that hoverchair, it's a few gens ahead from what Sorial had on the Promise). She didn't call us by the wrong names, so at least we got past that hurdle, but I should have kept out a much better eye for her, once I knew Lord Gisha was at the party. Anyway, they both said how grateful they were, and offered us a favor should we ever need one, and invited us to their estate some night before we left the city.

When they left, I caught sight of Brennu and Orzin leaving the room, and I went after them, leaving Maliah in case we needed rescue. Pika came with me, and I put myself near the door, because they were just outside it, to listen, turning my gloves on to record as I went, which I'm now very grateful for. Orzin asked if Brennu still had something tucked away, and Brennu said that of course he did, and then asked if there was something happening he should know about, and if they'd had anything to do with the other day. Orzin dismissed it, some lukewarm reassurance, and there was something in the words, another prickle that could have been magic and could have just been uneasiness.

Before I could figure it out, Pika had hauled me out of the way of the door, claiming I'd nearly swooned after all the heat and excitement, and Orzin Dehi came back inside. Pika said that she'd felt something like magic too, and that made me more than a bit concerned about Brennu Zahin, especially when he was almost immediately found by his cousin Eusis, who seemed even more worried this time.

We needed hard proof. We needed something. And as best I could tell, Brennu Zahin was a weak spot in the conspiracy, maybe even an enchanted one. So I spent a bit of time dawdling as he finished his conversation with Eusis, and when Eusis left, I didn't wait long before going over to him, saying that if he'd forgive me, he looked tired, and offering him a drink, which he wisely checked for poison. I offered an ear if he needed one, not expecting him to take the offer but still disappointed when he brushed it off with a perfect aristocratic facade.

So I tried something I'd never had chance to try before, a bardish trick to disrupt magic that effects the mind, and said I hoped he could get some rest with a push behind it. Somehow, it did the trick—he blinked a few times, opened and closed his mouth, and seemed to have the fine manners shocked right out of him. Eventually, he pointed at a nearby door, and I followed him, trusting that Maliah or Pika would be available if I needed backup, and went up to his room, where he pulled a folder out of somewhere and asked, with wise suspicion, if he could trust me.

I can't even remember what I said, but it was enough to convince him, and he shoved the folder at me and told me not to open it until I was away from his house and somewhere private, so I shoved it in the thankfully-deep pocket of my dress. Before I could ask if there was anything I could do for him, he asked me to punch him in the face, which was, you might imagine, more than a bit of a surprise.

By that time, my countercharm was fading, and he was having trouble saying what he'd like to, but he managed to make me realize that of course he wanted some obvious sign of violence, so he'd be in less danger if the conspirators realized he no longer had the folder. It was best if it seemed wrested from his hands. So I asked him to sit down, mostly so I could actually reach his face, and partly because if I actually knocked him over I didn't want him to hit the floor and get a concussion, and I punched him.

It has nothing on one of Pika's, but he wasn't exactly armored, or dodging. He didn't flinch when I punched him, but he did rock back in his chair. I apologized and asked if I could send anyone—he asked for his cousin, which I assumed meant Eusis, and I assured him I would send him up and got out of there. Maliah met me halfway up the stairs, and there was a lot of confusion, especially when she noticed my somewhat bruised knuckles. I told her we needed to get out of there, and we went down, collected Pika, and went to wish Eusis Zahin a good night.

While I had him there, I took him aside and told him to go to his cousin and get someone to cast Dispell Magic on him as fast as it could be managed, which obviously shocked and concerned him, but he seemed willing to believe me, and on that note, we left the party, and walked back to the Court of Flowers.

I almost immediately opened the folder, which was sobering indeed: some papers were blackmail, from what I could tell not yet used but ready to be if necessary, on members of several families we never interacted with much. Then there was a contract, probably scheduled to be destroyed, for an agent of House Talai, suborned by the conspirators, to kill Itamu Nadit. Then detailed schedules for Itamu Nadit, enough to show just how they managed to almost kill him. And, on top of it, it seemed they didn't intend to stop with the heir to the throne. They wanted a change of government, and weren't willing to wait for it.

It was late. They hadn't moved at the party. Instead of rousting anyone out of bed, I sent an urgent message to Thistle and Hagi saying we wanted to speak to them as soon as they woke up. That done, I told Pika about the papers, and she disappeared—apparently to stand over Hagi for the night scowling fiercely, from what I can tell.

In the morning, Thistle and Hagi were at our door early, looking worried, and I handed them the folder and summarized as they looked more alarmed by the second. After a few questions, Hagi excused themself to make a few calls and we discussed what we should do next, since it was clear information had to get to the king. In the end, we settled on contacting Zilvrae Gisha to ask for an introduction, since he has a lot of political clout and respect in the city.

We discussed the situation while we waited for him to reply—generally, we knew that Roohi's reforms made many powerful people angry, but I don't think I'd realized the extent that kings have been puppets of the aristocracy in the past. (And of course they have, they were trained as mechanics.) The conspiracy almost certainly wanted someone more pliable on the throne, and since Itamu Nadit didn't seem likely to fill that need, they decided to get him out of the way.

I put some news alerts on my ICD in case anything went wrong while we were waiting, and soon enough Hagi came back, with the news that Hanamra Serata was getting together all the materials we've been collecting and writing a letter of endorsement for us. Zilvrae Gisha invited us to his house soon after, and off we went, evidence in hand.

He met us with Yamuna and with his heir, Gerla, and as soon as she realized how urgent things were, Yamuna excused herself. We were taken to a study and laid out our facts as quickly and convincingly as we could. And Zilvrae Gisha—he's obviously jaded to say the least about the political scene in Mashoy, tired of all of it and unsurprised about anything that might come to light—seemed shocked, waved Gerla off to contact the Zahins to confirm that part of our story, and asked us to wait while he got in touch with the palace, once we confirmed that we wanted an introduction, not just to hand off the information.

We fretted for about half an hour before he came to say that we were to go to the palace, with him there to speak for us, so we went up another ring, into the second-highest in the city (the highest being where a lot of the technological controls are), where the palace is, and most of the governmental buildings. It's gorgeous, all stone and metalwork more delicate than any I've ever seen—just as fancy as the noble houses, but in a very different way. Theirs are all ornamentation, ostentatious imported wood and plants to make it obvious what a fortune they're spending (and, in fairness, to create some incredible beauty), but the palace is pretty in a very local way, in ways more like you'd see walking through the somewhat lower rings of the city, only much finer work and on a much larger scale.

We were shown past several guards to a small study—the king's own, we soon learned, because he was there behind a desk when we arrived, tired and sharp and much more plainly-dressed than everyone we'd seen the night before. Zilvrae Gisha introduced us, and I started by handing over the folder, which seemed the most urgent, and then when he asked for other evidence, I brought out what we had, mentioned Belpha's Edict, and generally told him as much as I could in a relatively short amount of time.

He trusted us, or more likely our evidence, and gave me a piece of paper and told me to write down everyone who knew about any of it. I did my best to make it clear who we thought was part of the conspiracy, who knew because of our dealings with Belpha's edict, and who knew about the assassination and who about the corruption, and hesitated at the end, wondering how to put ourselves on the list, when the slightest bit of checking our backgrounds would blow our covers. In the end, I told him that we've been traveling under assumed names and asked if he wanted the names people know us by or our own, and he said that the assumed ones would be well enough, so I wrote those down.

He called for his council, the heads of houses, and many of those named on the list, and asked us to wait.

It was an hour, all of us growing increasingly anxious, before we were called into the council chamber, where the whole council, the heads of the four first-rank houses, and the king (this time wearing his crown), were waiting.

He said that we'd come forward with evidence and that Zilvrae Gisha endorsed us (and mentioned us killing the dragon, which did make us seem more credible even if it made me blush), and asked if anyone would second the endorsement. Hurin Fesdi did so without hesitation, explaining his house's part in the matter.

Tokva Zahin spoke about Brennu next—he was still getting medical and arcane help to get rid of any lasting effects, but it seems he was given an enchanted item that was keeping him silent and probably pliant, and hopefully will be kindly treated by the court as a result.

Next, Fusaha Qasri and Mennefi Dehi, head of the house, were called in. Fusaha spoke first, about what she knew and what actions she took. Dehi said, stiffly, that he hoped that if his heir had truly done what they were accused of, and Sherin as well, that they would confess it all, and the four members of those noble families were called in.

It was exhausting, listening to the testimony as it went on and on, much of it under a Zone of Truth provided by one of the king's council members. The Qasris didn't seem to know much about the assassination, just about the documents. Paha seemed somewhat bewildered and like he stumbled on it half by accident (and did solve the mystery of the dwarven woman—she's an adventurer, it seems), and Nadrine admitted to an active role in the forging and planning. The Dehis—well, my charming erstwhile dance partner crumbled fairly easily, but Orzin was calm and collected and utterly soulless. They said that—well, that everyone in the aristocracy needed favors sometimes, that everyone had secrets, and that with the reforms, it was all even more imperative. If those favors came out in their family's favor, well. So much the better.

King Roohi was about as impressed with that load of horse shit as I was, and sent them away to await, I presume, further trial and sentencing. A lawyer on the council was asked to look in more details at the papers we provided (though, I forgot to say, Hanamra Serata gave her own detailed analysis midway through the day), and agreed. It seems the papers span decades, from long before Roohi took the throne, but they're a sign of just how deeply ingrained the corruption in the city is.

Following that, they called in the red-headed elven woman, Yunna Burningsand, for her testimony. She gave it with resentment, discontented like the other conspirators with the rapid changes Roohi has imposed on the city. When she was nearly done, I saw her move, saw a knife in her hand, and had my hand up to do something about it (what I don't know, most spells I have that would damage her would have also given an impressive earache to the honorable council members), but Lochti Glassweave, the druid, was faster to draw than I was, and had her wrapped up in vines in instants.

When she was carted out and everyone had calmed down a little, attention turned back to us, and Roohi asked what he could do to repay us. And Pika spoke up, to Maliah's and my very great shock, and said she wanted her son back—and she took off her veils and the amulet of disguise all at once. Roohi didn't seem surprised, though others in the room were a little, and called her Lady Dahlia, and proceeded to acknowledge Maliah and me by our real names as well, which was both a relief and a little embarrassing (though I think Snapdragon had a hand in that, or at least hope she did—for the sake of Tace's professional dignity, if for no other reason). Pika pled her case, and Roohi called someone in—Bird-of-Paradise, arriving with a smile and the papers Hagi told me about before the party.

Roohi looked them over, and then the lawyer, and both agreed that there was grievous miscarriage of justice. And right there, Pika got what she's been longing for: her banishment has been lifted, and she has custody of her son again, though there are still details to work out about whether Dehi will have any custody at all. The Dehi family is going to make a trust for him, and on top of that, the king was—terrifyingly generous, honestly, I don't know what to do with money. Am I supposed to make investments? I barely know what those are.

The whole day (and it took the whole day) had left us dazed and exhausted, so once we were rewarded, we returned to the Court of Flowers and Maliah and I went to bed right away, though Pika was so enervated at the thought of seeing her son again that I think she spent the whole night with Bird-of-Paradise fretting them to exhaustion.

Maliah and I got up early this morning, to wait outside her door, because Kikun was going to be returned to her and we didn't want to miss it, even if we were nosy. We were all brought to the conservatory where Snapdragon first met us when we arrived at the Court of Flowers, and soon after, Kazuha, Kikun's nurse, arrived, with a little boy on her heels (well, I say little—his human blood means he's taller than me, and even a bit taller than Pika). Pika practically flew across the room, though for once I don't think she teleported, and took him in her arms.

After a little while, it seemed fairly obvious that she wasn't going to let him go (and I can't blame her!), so Maliah and I withdrew.

I went to visit Midat, and she was happy to see me. I gave her a brief explanation of everything that happened over the past few days, and when she'd processed that, told the even briefer version of everything that's happened with Pika and why I was traveling under an assumed name, and what the real one is. She didn't seem surprised, because I can't say I'm very good at lying and she knew Lady Daffodil well enough to know she was acting out of character, and she was quick to forgive, and even to disclaim the need for forgiveness.

It was the middle of her work day—or, really, early in it—so she asked me to dinner, which I was more than pleased to accept. That done, I went to the post office to mail a few things I've been saving out (you should be excited) and came back to the Court of Flowers, where I've been relaxing, and drinking a bit with Maliah when she returned from an awkward conversation with Mezeru where she confessed that she is not in fact training to be a courtesan.

At the moment, she's spending some time with Squirt and I have been writing this letter in between dozing. There will be more to say very soon, probably about Pika and maybe about this dinner with Midat, but in the meantime I'll sign off and let you reassure yourself as to my safety.

I think I'm good at politics, Tyko. I blame all those gnomish and elven historical dramas Alion got me addicted to.

Love,

Elyn

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feywildatheart · 6 years ago

Text

Nenîth,

I am just going to stop making you promises I’m not likely to keep. I know I said I’d write soon, and here it’s been a week or more, but in my defense I don’t see how there’s any way I could have foreseen that party going the way that it did, or everything else that came from it, either.

I’ll start from the beginning, and try to keep things orderly. I’ve already made a hash of trying to tell it all to Daisy, and then to Mezeru, but letters are easier in that respect, at least.

The party we attended was hosted by House Zahin, and their compound was even lovelier than the other houses of the nobility that we’ve seen, though I may be biased. I don’t know how much of it was decorated specially for the party and how much was how their house always looks, but there were so many plants, and so much green, and it was very refreshing to be surrounded by growing things again, after as long as we’ve spent here in this dry and barren desert. There were lots of trellises for the plants to climb on, and twinkling lights set within them, and it made my heart ache with how much I miss being in a place made up of more than just rock and sand.

We made our way into the vast room where the party was happening, and shortly recognized Hurin and Surya Fesdi speaking with a very elegantly-dressed and lovely woman and a tiefling man. Elyn maneuvered us toward them and waited until Hurin noticed us, who then introduced us to our hostess, Lady Tokva Zahin, and her companion, Tigertail of the Court of Flowers. We greeted Lady Tokva and said our thank-yous for having been invited, and a quick glance around the place showed what we’d already been told ahead of time — that this was a far fancier gathering than the one we’d attended at Hanamra Serata’s, and that a great number of the very high ranking noble families and their heads were in attendance. In addition to the Fesdis, we also saw Zilvrae Gisha, who we hadn’t met but had seen photos of when we’d looked up the family after helping Yamuna Gisha underneath the desert outside Yamin. And there were others we hadn’t met and didn’t know of, including, we would learn later, Mennefi Dehi, the head of the Dehi family, which you can imagine none of us were feeling particularly glad about. There were also a few members of the Council there, though not all of them, and we didn’t have a chance to speak with them then. One of them, though, is a druid named Lochti Glassweave who has the most incredible hair I’ve ever seen. They had an undercut and the rest swept to one side, and these lovely sheer veils draped from it, and through their hair were all sorts of plants and succulents growing through it, lovely enough to make any member of the Fey court envious.

After doing our duty by greeting Lady Tokva, we wandered in together to find a refreshment table where we might linger and try to find someone to dance or engage in conversation with. We hadn’t had to wait long before I was approached by a young man who introduced himself as Eusis, Lady Tokva’s youngest son, who asked me to dance. I accepted, and we joined the rest of the dancers on the floor, and I am proud to say I did not step on his toes once, though I was so focused on remembering the steps and not causing a tumble like I did in practice with Daisy that I’m afraid I forgot half of the advice I’d been given about how to engage in small talk with strangers. Elyn had lots of suggestions for me once he’d led me back to rejoin them, which I made note of for any future dances, but thankfully Eusis seemed both kind and inclined to forgive my awkwardness.

Afterwards, I lingered by the dance floor a while, trying to spot Hurin Fesdi amongst the crowd, because he’d come wearing his necklace quite prominently on display and I wanted to see if I could notice any reaction in those around him like anger or resentment, that might give us some insight as to who else might have known or been involved in its theft, or any of the other plots that seem to have been tied up in it. I couldn’t find him, though, and so I accepted a few more dances with perfectly pleasant gentlemen, though not anyone who seemed to have or be aware of any involvement in any of the matters we were trying to learn more about, so eventually I left Elyn to her dance (though I possibly shouldn’t have, I learned from her later that the young man who’d asked her to dance was none other than Sharin Dehi, and being terrible must run in the family, because he was horrifically rude to her, and about Pika) and wandered my way up through the various levels of floors that circled the dance floor, where people were gathered and talking or looking down on the elegant patterns dancers made across the room below them.

A level or two up, I leaned against the banister to gaze down on the dancers and their patterns, and tried to see if I could spot Hurin Fesdi any easier from up there, with the advantage of height. I didn’t see him, but near me was a group of people who were talking amongst themselves, and who seemed to be composed of a more mixed group of both aristocracy and merchants than I’d seen much of down below. There was a woman there, too, whose face I recognized from these weeks we’ve spent in the Court of Flowers but whom I’d never had the opportunity to meet. Thankfully, she noticed me before I’d spent too long trying to remember if I’d ever learned her name, and gestured me over and said that she’d seen me around the Court, and so we introduced ourselves to each other properly and I learned her name was Willow, and then she introduced me to the rest of the group. There was an orcish merchant named Varwin Nenv whose name, I realized with a start, I had heard before, while talking with Ah’siya and Zef about their loom and textile technology. He provided some of the parts that Zef used to build his looms, though I couldn’t remember quite what.

There was also Khorin Talai, the heir to the Talai family, and a few others whose names I’ve forgotten now, in the chaos of everything that happened after. They were already embroiled in a conversation that Willow had interrupted to bring me over and introduce me, and so I mostly held my tongue and let them continue it, making only the most unobtrusive, appropriate noises. Mostly they seemed to be talking about a new observatory in Mashoy that I think perhaps Khorin may have been a patron of, or had had a hand in funding in some other way, perhaps — it was hard to be entirely sure of the details, when it was the sort of conversation where everyone else already knew them, and felt no need to restate them unnecessarily. In any case, it seemed that some were upset about how artisans had been chosen to contribute to the new building, and I think also just dissatisfaction in general. Did I ever tell you about the Bronze Gauntlet, here in Mashoy? Someone mentioned it early on, and I took only passing note of it, but it’s a group of artisans in the city who are unhappy with King Roohi’s reforms and how they might impact their livelihood. When I saw an opportunity to insert myself into the conversation, I did mention Dinain Heru, since she’s the only merchant or artisan in the city I know well enough to hold a conversation about, and I wondered if that might draw a reaction from anyone. And it did, in fact — Khorin Talai seems to know her, at least in passing, and while we exchanged pleasantries about her work, I noticed the orcish man, Varwin Nenv, watching me with a look of concern. It might have made me suspicious that he knew something about the theft, or Paha Qasri, or Paha Qasri’s loose-tongued gem merchant, except that it didn’t seem so much like he was concerned for himself, but that he was concerned for me. And here I was, speaking to a gathered group of people who mostly seemed to be very vehemently in disagreement with the sort of reforms that I and Elyn and Pika and Belpha’s Edict were trying to support, so I’ll admit that that made nerves start dancing in my stomach.

Daisy would be proud of me for what I did next, I think. Well, Daisy would likely have managed it much more elegantly, and so smoothly that no one would have even taken any notice of it, but I did my best, and I daresay that my best is a great deal better than it would have been a month ago. But I think I did a passing job at being subtle about it, when I mentioned to Varwin Nenv that I'd heard of him from Ah’siya and Zef and I'd love to talk with him more about his work and the weaving technology, if he didn't mind me stealing him away from the group so we didn't interrupt their conversation, and led him away and spoke with him for a few minutes about his trade and Zef's craft -- he provides the wood that Zef uses to build his looms, sourced from Rugira Prime's other continent, where he grew up and where it's much more verdant, and we commiserated about the heat and the lack of trees and greenery here, and being away from family -- and tried to give him an opportunity to voice whatever concern he might have had, here to me in private without the others listening in.

He did shortly, and mentioned the fragile state of things in the city, and warned me to be careful, and subtly pointed out to me a human man on the floor below named Dizendri Barthock who Varwin said was the head of the Bronze Gauntlet, and whose company I would be wise to avoid.

I thanked Varwin for the warning, and he gave me his business card before he returned to his group and their conversation, and I lingered a while there at the rail, ostensibly watching the dancing but in truth, watching Barthock and a red-haired half elven woman he was talking to, who I thought might be a merchant or perhaps an employee, because her bearing seemed much more like someone who was there at the party to do a job, than someone who had come to enjoy herself.

It wasn't too long before she left Barthock's side and went to speak with another man -- Sharin Dehi, Elyn would tell me later, though I didn't know it then. They spoke briefly and then moved toward one of the side entrances that led outside and to the gardens, and I-- Well. I was foolhardy, you'll probably say, because I didn't even stop to tell Elyn what I'd seen or where I was going, I just made my way downstairs, as quickly as I could manage without seeming like I was in a rush, and stopped by a refreshment table to grab one of the alcoholic drinks that I'd been avoiding thus far, and took a big gulp so that there would be liquor on my breath, and then I stepped outside as well, fanning myself and pressing a hand to my head and doing my best to make it seem to anyone who might take notice of me that I'd had too much to drink and had only stepped out for a bit of air and to clear my head.

Elyn must have seen me leaving, because I'd barely stepped out when I heard her voice in my head, asking if I wanted backup, and I told her that I wasn't sure yet but probably.

She got waylaid from following me out by the head of House Ekett, who she told me later had stopped her to speak with her about her music and who asked her to play for the gathering. I only knew that Dehi and the half-elven woman had disappeared through the entrance to one of the compound's gardens, and so I hurried after them, as quietly and unobtrusively as I could, still fanning myself and feigning intoxication, and manage to tuck myself into a spot in the gardens where I wasn't noticed, and could overhear at least a little of the conversation between them.

It wasn't much, or at least not anything blatantly damning, but it was all very suspicious, especially considering the things we already knew, and all the other things we suspected. They spoke about something being dangerous, and the only opportunity, and the half-elven woman wanted reassurance that it was going to be the only time, and then said that she was willing to do it and she'd take care of it -- all of them things that could have any number of innocent meanings, but all things considered, strongly suggested to both me and Elyn (who had sent me another Message asking where I was, and had found me there and heard some of it) that some sort of attack was going to be made imminently, maybe even there at the party.

When the conversation broke up, we managed to get back to a part of the gardens where it wasn't immediately obvious that we'd been eavesdropping, though we didn't manage to escape notice altogether. Elyn and I made as though I'd twisted my ankle in a dance and she'd come out to tend to it, and Sharin was-- Well, fuck Sharin Dehi, honestly, but he didn't say anything that would've given me an excuse to punch him in the face, which is honestly a shame.

Elyn and I compared notes for a few minutes, and told each other about what we'd seen and heard and who we'd talked to. I learned then about Sharin's terrible rudeness to her while they'd danced, and that she'd spent the time I'd been talking with Willow and the artisans and Varwin Nenv trying to find Brennu Zahin amongst the crowd, and had had a few possibilities she'd been keeping her eye on but had narrowed it down when she'd overheard one having a bit of a veiled argument with Eusis Zahin about how he hadn't seemed himself lately, and had been spending time with people he didn't even like.

We didn't have much time to decide what to do about it, because we'd scarcely returned to the party when Elyn was pulled away to perform for the gathering. She did a very lovely rendition of "Song of the Spacefarer's Daughter" and everyone applauded her, just as they ought. And afterwards, we met back up with Pika and found our way to a bench for a few moments. Elyn had been trying to see if she could catch a sign of any magic that might give away an impending attack at the party, and hadn't felt anything like that but had felt some sort of smaller enchantment, but hadn't been able to pin down its source.

Before we could decide what to do about that, though, we were approached by Zilvrae Gisha, and right behind him -- Yamuna Gisha, who I suppose we should have figured would come to her family's primary compound after her home city had been destroyed, but I'll tell you that the bottom fell out from stomach when I saw her, looking lovely and graceful on her hoverchair, and Zilvrae Gisha said that she'd told him what we'd done for her and the rest of the survivors of Rihash and Arkard, and he offered us his very warm and sincere gratitude.

She didn't call us by the wrong names, at least, so I suppose she must've realized that Storm and Wind and Sandhill had been pseudonyms, and been discrete about it. In any case, Zilvrae Gisha offered us a favor should we ever need one, as well as an invitation to visit them at their estate, and we could do little more than thank them and express how glad we were to see Yamuna looking so much better than she had been the last time we'd seen her. (She said that we, too, were looking rather better, and I suppose that's fair; we had just only barely won a battle with a dragon, after all, and I suspect we looked a fright.)

As they were taking their leave of us and moving on, Elyn noticed Brennu Zahin and Orzen Dehi leaving, and she and Pika followed after them to see what they were up to, leaving me behind to be Messaged should they need a rescue. Because of that, the rest of this I only heard about afterwards, but here's what happened as I understand it: Elyn and Pika listened just outside the door, and Elyn turned her gloves on to be sure to record what they heard. Orzen asked Brennu if he still had something tucked away, and Brennu said that he did, of course, Orzen had asked him to and they shouldn't worry about it. Brennu asked if there was anything going on that he should know about, and whether or not Orzen had had anything to do with the other day. Orzen told him not to worry about it and that everything was fine, with enough weight behind the words that Elyn suspected there was more to it than just usual reassurances, and Elyn felt something magic-like again but Pika hauled her out of the door before she could pin it down, claiming she'd nearly swooned from all the heat and excitement of her performance, and only scarcely managed to avoid notice by Orzen Dehi as they returned to the party.

Pika had felt the magic, too, and almost as soon as Brennu returned to the party, he was embroiled in another quiet argument with Eusis Zahin. Elyn suspected, given everything we'd overheard, that Brennu might not be involved in these matters entirely willingly, and might have been charmed to cooperate instead, and so she sought him out to offer a kind and sympathetic word, and cast a countercharm spell while she was close to him to do so, which apparently shook the magical effect on him long enough for him to push through it and be himself again, for at least a few moments. Elyn said he blinked at her like he'd been struck over the head with a club, then gestured for her to follow him to a private room, where he pulled out a folder and, once Elyn had convinced him he could trust her, gave it to her but warned her not to open it until she had left the Zahin house. I don't know what manner of charm or spell he had on him, but Elyn said that he seemed not just unwilling but unable to speak, and said something about there being certain words he couldn't say, and had to try to talk around, which is maybe the most horrifying thing I've ever heard.

He also also told Elyn that she should punch him, so that if it was discovered that the folder was lost, he might have a little bit of protection in that it would look as though he'd had it stolen from him, and had put up a fight trying to protect it, rather than that he'd given it away. I didn't know that, though, only saw Elyn leave with Brennu and then come back rubbing bruised knuckles, and he's lucky I stopped long enough to demand what in the name of the gods he'd done to her, rather than just storming off and decking him all over again for good measure. Elyn told me that he'd asked her to, rather than forced her to, though, so I grudgingly subsided, and she told us what had happened and that it had seemed that whatever spell was affecting Brennu's mind, it had started to reassert itself even before she'd left him. She said that he'd asked her to send Eusis up to him, and so I we collected Pika and I led Elyn over to where Eusis was engaged in a conversation with another member of the aristocracy so that I could introduce her to him and we could, ostensible, say our farewells. She mentioned, as she was doing so, that he ought to get someone to cast Dispel Magic on his cousin as soon as possible, and with that bombshell dropped, we left the party behind us and made our way back to the Court of Flowers, and I don't know about the others, but my heart was racing the entire way.

It didn't take much in the way of imagination to piece together the picture laid out before us, even if we had only managed to see parts of it individually. If whatever Sharin Dehi and Dizendri Barthock's assistant had been talking about being the only opportunity hadn't in fact been the party, then it must be happening elsewhere, and if they'd been willing to try to kill Itamu Nadit, then we had no reason at all to believe that they'd stop at the heir, and not make a move on the king himself. And that was all but confirmed once we got back to the Court of Flowers and Elyn opened the folder Brennu Zahin had given her, and found within all manner of damning documents; blackmail on several prominent families, and detailed information about Itamu Nadit's habits and movements, and a contract to assassinate him for a suborned member of House Talai's assassins and spies.

Elyn sent a message to Thistle and Hagi right away, asking them to come speak with us the moment they woke up, and then Elyn told Pika that she'd heard from them earlier in the day that Surya Degnar had been searching through the court records and believed she found documents that could prove foul play in her case, though they hadn't been entirely sure at the time, and so had been reluctant to tell Pika just yet, and risk giving her false hope -- or, perhaps more probably, a solid excuse for murder, which was probably a fair concern, because the moment Elyn told her, Pika vanished, no doubt to go lurk in the air ducts over Thistle and Hagi's rooms.

And then, there was nothing to do but sleep until morning came and people woke, though I confess I managed very little of it. My thoughts were spinning too fast through my head to ever settle down, and at the very first hints of dawning light through the curtains, I could contain myself no longer and leapt from bed to start making lists of all that we ought to do, to make sure nothing was neglected.

We checked the news first, once Elyn was awake as well, to see if there was any word of what had happened at the party, or if anything else might have happened during the night. It seemed there was not, but Elyn set up alerts on her LICD to let us know if that should change, and then Thistle and Hagi were at our door, blessedly early, and Elyn gave them the folder of documents and told them what had transpired at the Zahin's party. Hagi excused theirself to go make a few calls, no doubt to the other members of Belpha's Edict who have been assisting us with sorting through the paperwork all this while, and Elyn and I debating what to do next.

There wasn't much to debate, really. It was obvious to both of us that we had to warn the king, and soon. The only thing to decide was whether to call in our favor with House Fesdi, or House Gisha, to manage it. We decided on Zilvrae Gisha, in the end, as it seems he has a great deal of respect and political influence within the city, and so Elyn sent a message to him asking for an audience at his earliest convenience.

While we waited for a reply from him, I dug through my memory of everything we'd put into our bag of holding, and came out with the bottled flower we'd brought back from the Twilight of Cinders, that had seemed to bolster us and give us reserves of fortitude at the time, and also the platinum loop that Elyn's Identify spell had suggested could help strengthen our mind for a short time, because whatever these people had done to charm Brennu Zahin, we were terribly concerned about the prospect of having it turned on us once it was realized that we were bringing these things to light, and to the attention of the king himself. I gave Elyn the flower, and kept the platinum loops for myself, and slipped them on over my wrist to wear as bangles, though they were perhaps a bit too big to really suit the purpose for a halfling.

Hagi came back shortly after we'd finished with that and told us that they'd spoken with Hanamra Serata, who was gathering all the documents that we'd passed on through Thistle and Hagi, as well as writing a letter of endorsement for us, attesting to the work we'd done to piece the information together so far. And not long after that, we had word from Zilvrae Gisha inviting us to his home, and so we took ourselves and what evidence we had off to speak with him.

He received us very graciously, considering he'd only granted us a favor the night before and here we were calling it in already. He was with Yamuna as well as his heir, Gerla, but Yamuna excused herself from the conversation once she seemed to realize how dire our reason for coming was. We -- well, I say we, but it was Elyn mostly, it was Elyn through all of this -- laid out what we knew and what we'd learned for Zilvrae, and what was at stake (though I daresay he understood that better than we did, newcomers that we are), and he seemed shocked by the magnitude of what we'd uncovered, and sent Gerla off to speak with the Zahins and confirm at least that much of the story. Elyn started off by asking for either an audience with the king to lay these facts before him, or with someone who had his ear, but I found my voice then to protest. We'd already uncovered so much treachery and deceit amongst the aristocracy, and how could we know who could truly be trusted? How could we be entirely certain that our warning would reach the king, unless we were to deliver it ourselves? It was a very great favor we were asking of Zilvrae, to be sure, but only because there was a very great need.

He seemed to acknowledge that, at least, and left us to wait while he contacted the palace. He was gone for perhaps half an hour, and in the meantime, I started digging through our bag of holding, pulling out anything fine or fancy that we've accumulated along the way, trying to do what I could to outfit us in a manner befitting an audience with a king, since were looking very much bedraggled after the night that we'd had. (Well, not Pika. But Pika, particularly in the guise of Lady Daffodil, always looks perfectly put together.)

When Zilvrae returned, and we looked as formal as we were going to manage without a trip back to the Court of Flowers, we traveled with him up to nearly the highest tier of the city, where the palace and the government buildings were, and where everything was decorated with fine stone and such delicate wrought iron the likes of which I've never seen before.

We were escorted into the king's study, where he was waiting for us, and Zilvrae introduced us and Elyn handed over the folder first, since it was the most damning and the most urgent, and then when he requested it gave him the rest of the documents we had on us, and summarized what Belpha's Edict currently was in possession of, and did a very fine job of summarizing what's taken us a month or more to collect and uncover.

He believed us, which was such an intense relief that I nearly swayed with it. He gave Elyn a piece of paper and asked her to write down the names of everyone who was involved or who knew any piece of it, and she gave him quite a lengthy list, and then she hesitated at the very end and asked if she should put down the names we have been using on Rugira Prime, or our true names, which I was glad for because I wouldn't have ever given away Pika's secret without her say-so, but all the same it made me a little sick when Zilvrae introduced us with our pseudonyms, because there's lying about who we are, and then there's lying about who we are to a king. Particularly, to a king whose trust we are trying to earn, whose belief we desperately need.

But, he took Elyn's question in stride and seemed neither surprised nor displeased to hear that we'd been using assumed names, and said that the ones we'd been known by on Mashoy would do for the moment, and so Elyn wrote those down, too, and King Roohi went off with it to summon his council, and the heads of the houses, and everyone else we'd named on the list.

Pika said, later, that he was enraged through all of this -- not, I don't think, about our fake names, but at what we'd uncovered, at the duplicitousness and treachery going on in his own city, and at the threat to his life. If he was, he's very good at not showing it, because he didn't seem that way to me at all. But Pika's sure of it, and I suppose she'd know better than I.

It was an hour, at least, before we were called into the council chamber, where the king, the whole of his council, and the heads of the first-rank families were all sitting, and the king said that we'd come forward with evidence of a threat -- and also about us killing the dragon, which, honestly why do we even bother trying to keep secrets when it seems like they just spill out all the same? -- and asked if anyone would second Zilvrae Gisha's endorsement, and Hurin Fesdi spoke up to give us his support, and to explain what we'd done for him and his family.

Then Tokva Zahin told the king and the council about what had transpired with Brennu after the party, that he was being cared for, both medically and magically, that he had been given an enchanted item that affected his mind, that the item had been removed and the enchantment broken but that he'd been under its grip for long enough that there would be lingering effects that would need treatment. That poor man. I'm so glad we overheard enough bits of conversation at the party to suspect that he might be charmed and that Elyn thought to countercharm him, and that we didn't just implicate him in everything the same as everyone else who'd been involved. I'm so glad that King Roohi and his council are the sort to take enchantments into consideration, and to be understanding and merciful.

But all that would come later. After Tokva Zahin spoke, Fusaha Qasri and Mennefi Dehi were brought in. Fusaha was glorious, I know she's the head of only a minor house but she came in like a queen, uncowed. She told the king and the council about what she'd known about the plot, and what she'd done about it, which seemed to meet with everyone's satisfaction. Mennefi Dehi had a lot less to say for himself, and only muttered that if his kinsmen were truly involved that he hoped they'd confess the truth.

Hanamra Serata came in, and handed over what documents she had and told of her part in all of it, helping us on behalf of Belpha's Edict. And then they brought in the conspirators, Orzen and Sharin Dehi, and Paha and Nadrine Qasri, and questioned them under a Zone of Truth spell -- they all consented to it, but really, how could they not? To refuse would have been just as good as admitting guilt. Worse, really.

Paha and Nadrine both seemed willing to cooperate -- or at least, they both seemed resigned to take their cue from Fusaha, and therefore to cooperate because she wished them to. Paha genuinely seemed to be as foolish as his security measures led us to believe him to be, and uninvolved in much beyond the petty thefts and storing the implicating documents, and it came out during the questioning that he'd been assisted by the head of the Qasri guards, who hadn't thought that she was doing enough to secure the family's position.

Of the Dehis, Sharin seemed to crumble under the pressure of the council's scrutiny and their questions, but Orzen was a smug bastard. They stood there with all their plots revealed, all their plans ruined, and they still smirked and acted like they knew more than everyone else, like they were better and smarter than everyone else. They hate King Roohi's reforms, and like being in a position where powerful people owe them favors, and where they know their secrets and might be able to leverage both of those things, and after five minutes of listening to them talk I felt like I needed to shower for a week.

They called Yunna Burningsand up, who's the half-elven assistant to Dizendri Barthock I had seen and followed at the party, and we learned that the conspirators had used the Bronze Gauntlet and their political leanings to their advantage, but that most had been unaware of the planned assassinations. Yunna knew, though, and said that doing that, and sacrificing herself to maintain order and balance in the city, would have been worth it, and then she moved suddenly and all at once there was a knife in her hand, and before I could even fumble mine out of its sheath (I am going to have to practice more at that, obviously), Elyn was throwing her hands up with a spell already on her lips, but as fast as she was, Lochti Glassweave was even faster, and drew up vines from the floor that wrapped about her and kept her immobile until she could be removed.

That more or less marked the end of it, once everyone had settled down from that bit of excitement. King Roohi looked to us, then, and expressed his gratitude and asked if there was anything we might wish of him. And Elyn and I both looked to Pika, because it wasn't ours to ask or to reveal. And Pika-- poor Pika, she had everything she wanted right there in arm's reach, and I've never seen her look so terrified in all the months I've known her. I can't imagine what must have been going through her head just then.

King Roohi, I think, must have seen her fear, despite the veils and fan that she'd brought to hide behind, and he gently said again what a boon we'd done him, and that he owed us a favor (we seem to be amassing quite a collection of those!), and the moment he did so Pika cast off her veils and her fan and her disguise amulet and stood before the king as herself and asked for her son back, and I nearly wept I was so glad and so proud.

Roohi didn't seem surprised by the reveal, though I think the others in the room were, and Elyn and I certainly were a touch, after all the trouble Pika had taken to ensure her identity was kept secret. He addressed her as Lady Dahlia, and then Elyn by name, and then me as well -- and not even Maliah, but my full name, and I can't remember the last time I heard that on the lips of someone who wasn't of the Fey court -- so it seems either King Roohi is very good at doing his homework very quickly, or someone tipped him off. Elyn seems to think it was most likely Snapdragon, but I don't think we can rule out Athan as a possibility. Elyn did send him photos of the documents she'd received from Brennu Zahin the night of the party before we went to bed, as a safeguard, and why shouldn't Athan know the King of Mashoy anyway? He certainly seems to know Snapdragon, after all.

In any case, it hardly matters. Pika laid the facts of her case out before King Roohi and it was like a dam had broken, like now that everything she'd been forced to hold back for these years had been set free, it all came rushing out. King Roohi called for documents that would prove Pika's claims, and the chamber doors opened to admit, not Surya Degnar as we'd expected, but Bird-of-Paradise herself, decked out in full Court fashion and making a spectacular entrance. She strode in and gave Roohi the files that Degnar had found, and he looked them over with one of the council members who was, or had been, involved in the law, and they came to the conclusion right there in front of us that there had been a terrible miscarriage of justice, and all at once Pika was granted everything she'd been fighting for: custody of her son, and her banishment lifted and her title reinstated, and on top of that a trust for Kikun to be paid from the Dehi family coffers, which Mennefi looked sour about but could hardly do anything but agree to.

And then-- oh, gods, I can hardly wrap my mind around what happened next. We'd have all three of us been glad -- been beyond glad -- to have left it at that, with Pika's son returned to her. It's what we came here for, what we've been trying to accomplish for the past month, and the rest of it, the conspiracies and plots and assassinations, were only happenstance we stumbled into along the way. We wouldn't have asked for anything more than that, but we didn't have to. King Roohi said, as a measure of his gratitude and his esteem, that we were to be given four thousand good -- four thousand, nenîth, and not even to split between ourselves, but apiece, I'm fair sure that my bag of it weighed more than I do -- and a whole collection of lovely things, pots full of herbs and a brass and jade box and a lovely tapestry made to look like an image of a city walking across a desert, and a mechanical gyroscope that Elyn tells me will point towards the nearest source of potable water once per day, which I promptly took for my own. And, oh gods, a map of Rugira Prime's continents that looks ancient, intricate and lovingly-drawn, and I snatched that up right away too, and probably gasped as I did so. Neither Elyn nor Pika seemed inclined to protest, which is good, because I'd have fought them for it. And we were also given, each of us, rosewood discs on platinum chains that have been inlaid with Mashoy's imperial seal, that King Roohi says is a token of esteem, and, as though all that wasn't enough -- wasn't too much, entirely too much -- he gave us each personal letters of appreciation and introduction. Nenîth, I think by the time I find my way back to the Feywild to visit you, you may not even recognize me anymore, my head will have grown so big it'll blot out the moons, what with all these favors from fancy nobility and a letter of appreciation from a king's own hand.

In all, the whole affair took the entirety of the day, and by the end of it my head was spinning and my feet were aching even worse than they'd been after the party. Elyn and I both collapsed into our beds almost as soon as we'd made it back to the Court of Flowers, though I don't know what Pika did with herself. I can't imagine she slept much, if at all, not knowing that she'd be reunited with her son in the morning. I think she spent most of it, if not all, with Bird-of-Paradise, no doubt pacing a rut into the floor.

In the morning, Elyn and I woke early and camped outside Pika's door, because we knew Kikun was going to be reunited with her and I don't think either of us trusted her to have a thought for anything besides him, and certainly not enough to remember to invite us to the reunion. And this is what we've been working towards for the past month -- we wanted to be there to see it.

We were all brought into the conservatory, the one where we'd first met with Snapdragon upon our arrival to Mashoy, what seems like ages ago. And we didn't have to wait there long before Kikun's nurse, Kazuha, arrived, with a little boy behind her, who smiled sweetly at Pika and said, "Hi, Mama," and that was all we saw or heard from him before Pika flew across the room and wrapped him in his arms and smothered him with hugs and kisses. I remember what Kazuha said when we interviewed her, about Kikun needing family, needing love, and I was so glad for everyone that I wept, I'll admit it.

It was quickly obvious that Pika had no intention of letting Kikun go for the next century or two, not even to make introductions, and we could hardly begrudge her that, so Elyn and I withdrew as quietly and unobtrusively as we could. Elyn said she ought to go talk to Midat and tell her the truth, now that she could, and that it was either likely to go very well, or very poorly, so while she did that I figured I ought to follow her good example and go make some confessions of my own.

I went to Daisy first, since she's been so helpful with lessons and all, and I felt like I owed her the truth most of anyone. She was easy enough to find, and I told her everything -- well, not everything everything, or I'd probably still be there talking with her right now. But the important parts -- starting with the fact that I managed not to step on anyone's toes at all at the party.

Literally, anyway. I suppose we metaphorically stepped on a great deal of toes, all things considered.

And then I told her the truth, that basically everything she's known about me from the start has been a lie, that I'm not a courtesan or intending to become one, and a brief summary of what happened at the party aside from the dancing. She took it all in stride surprisingly well, but I suppose courtesans are probably taught how to take surprising confessions in stride, even if they don't train expecting precisely this sort of confession.

Once I'd told her everything she needed to know, I gathered up my last scraps of courage and asked if she knew where I might find Mezeru, because if anyone besides Daisy deserved to hear the truth from me directly, it's him. At her direction, I found him out in the gardens working on a flower arrangement, and I guess I must have learned something here at the Court of Flowers in the past month because I complimented him on it and exchanged pleasantries with him for a moment, instead of just blurting it all out at him without so much as a good-morning.

Maybe, too, it was a little bit of cowardice, because I was much less sure of how to go about confessing to him than I had been about doing the same to Daisy. And I hadn't been sure about how to confess to Daisy at all. But I started by trying to figure out how much he already knew, and how much I'd have to fill him in on -- I asked him how long he'd been at the Court, and he said six months, and I asked if he'd ever heard about Lady Dahlia, and he had, even though she's been in her exile for significantly longer than that. But then, it had been clear when we first arrived at the Court that Pika's situation was something that people at the Court had paid attention to, and took personally, because if it happened to her, what was to keep it from happening to them? And so it makes sense that he'd have heard of her, that people at the Court would still be talking about her and missing her. And that made it at least a little easier, then, because I could just tell him that Lady Daffodil was actually Lady Dahlia, and watch his eyes go round with comprehension.

I told him more than that, of course, but once I got that first bit out it was easier for everything else to come tumbling after. I told him-- oh, everything I've already told you I told Daisy, though less about the party and more about Pika. He said it explained a lot, when I told him I wasn't a courtesan or intending to become one, which I suppose is fair, I wasn't ever very good even at being an apprentice. Mostly, though, I think he was preoccupied by the revelations about Pika, he wanted to know if she was always like that (yes), and wasn't that terrifying (so much, and I never even told him about her pulling a dagger on me, he really has no idea how terrifying she can get), and those sorts of things.

I left him to his flower arranging eventually, and went back to my rooms where soon enough Elyn returned from making her same confessions to Midat. I was worried that things must have gone poorly for her to have come back so soon, but she said they had arranged a date for that evening and that I shouldn't expect her back before morning. I'm glad for her; I know it's been distressing her to be lying about herself to Midat, more than most of the others we've been obliged to lie to.

We had most of a quiet week, between then and now. Elyn and I managed to meet Kikun at last (and Pika introduced us to him as his aunts, which made me make the most ridiculously emotional faces), and he's as sweet a child as we could have expected. We talked with him a little, and when he seemed a little overwhelmed at the idea of having two moms all of the sudden (because Pika, it turns out, in addition to plotting to get her son back, has also been plotting to seduce both Kazuha and Tirine and convince them to marry her; she's been a busy woman!), I told him that I had two moms and that it was the very best thing, which I think bolstered him some.

(I also told him that if Pika ever seemed too angry he should just go hug her, because she may have a gruff exterior but she's just a big softie at heart, which Pika didn't take terribly kindly to. But it's not as though I'm wrong, especially when it comes to him. And that's what aunts are for, anyway.)

Elyn and I made sure that he had ways to get in touch with both of us, because it's been both obvious and inevitable that whatever happens next, whatever Elyn and I end up doing once we leave this planet behind us, it's not going to involve Pika. She has her son now to take care of, of course, and it's not as though she can go dragging him about the galaxy with us, or that she should. And she'll have Kazuha and Tirine, too, and now she has her title back, and while she keeps making noises about taking a sabbatical and staying with her family for a while, I'm not sure she really wants to leave Mashoy behind, now that the choice has been returned to her. She has Kazuha and Tirine here, and Birdie and Snapdragon, and everyone else at the Court.

Elyn and I are staying long enough for Pika's family to get here, so we can attend her wedding (as though she could keep us away!), and I don't think either of us have much in the way of an idea of where we might want to go next. I hope it's somewhere with actual trees, and lakes and rivers and more colors than just various shades of brown.

Daisy and Mezeru pulled me aside the other day and said they have a gift for me from the both of them, which made me feel more than a little guilty, considering how I've been lying to them for the entire time they've known me. But they gave me the loveliest fan, steel-boned and heavy enough I could probably bludgeon somebody with it, but I wouldn't ever, because it's been painted to look like the sea and there's a line of poetry on it. I'm going to have to get Elyn to look up the whole poem for me so I can read it, but the bit they put on the fan says brave is the heart / that persists in all battles, and oh, it's so lovely it makes my chest hurt to look at it.

Elyn received an unexpected and overwhelming surprise of her own, too, though I think hers was a good deal more bittersweet than mine. Drixam Vimning, the man who'd decoded her earring back in Yamin and gave her some of the files he was able to recover off of it, contacted her and said that he'd been able to retrieve one more, and it was a picture, clear enough to see three gnomes sitting at a table. There's a woman who could maybe be related to Elyn, there's some slight resemblance, but one of the men -- I don't think he can be anything but her father. He has her hair, and she looks just like him.

She's been wanting this information, but I think it's still hard for her. I'm not sure how best to help or support her aside from traveling with her wherever her search takes her. She made a comment the other day about maybe looking for some planet with an explorer's library, that might help us with information about uncharted systems, or un-flattening the three-dimensional starmap she got off the earring. Have either of you ever heard of a place like that?

We also talked, back when she was first given it, about me asking you to look at the starmap and see if you could make some sense of it, though we'd decided the odds of that might be higher if we could get it back to three dimensions first. I've attached it to this letter all the same, though, just in case you're able to recognize something off of it that might help. If we get it un-flattened, I'll send you that version, too. And I'll let you know, as soon as we have any idea of where we might be heading next.

In the meantime, though, I sincerely hope my next letter to you contains nothing more exciting than wedding celebrations.

All my love,

Maliah

#dnd #in character: letters #in character

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kathleenseiber · 4 years ago

Text

When is an invasive species not so?

By Jenny Morber

Caribbean corals sprout off Texas. Pacific salmon tour the Canadian Arctic. Peruvian lowland birds nest at higher elevations.

In the past 100 years, the planet has warmed in the range of 10 times faster than it did on average over the past 5,000. In response, thousands of species are travelling poleward, climbing to higher elevations, and diving deeper into the seas, seeking their preferred environmental conditions. This great migration is challenging traditional ideas about native species, the role of conservation biology and what kind of environment is desirable for the future.

In a 2017 review for Science, University of Tasmania marine ecology professor Gretta Pecl and colleagues wrote, “[C]limate change is impelling a universal redistribution of life on Earth. For marine, freshwater, and terrestrial species alike, the first response to changing climate is often a shift in location.” In fact, Pecl says, data suggest that at least 25% and perhaps as much as 85% of Earth’s estimated 8.7 million species are already shifting ranges in response to climate change.

But when they arrive, will they be welcome? Traditional definitions classify species according to place. “Native” species arrived without human help and usually before widespread human colonisation, so are likely to have natural predators and are unlikely to go rogue. Non-natives are newcomers and suspect. Though 90% cause no lasting damage, 10% become invasive — meaning that they harm the environment, the economy or human health. Last year a multinational report flagged invasive species as a key driver of Earth’s biodiversity crisis.

How we define species is critical, because these definitions influence perceptions, policy and management. The U.S. National Invasive Species Council (NISC) defines a biological invasion as “the process by which non-native species breach biogeographical barriers and extend their range” and states that “preventing the introduction of potentially harmful organisms is … the first line of defense.” But some say excluding newcomers is myopic.

“If you were trying to maintain the status quo, so every time a new species comes in, you chuck it out,” says Camille Parmesan, director of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, you could gradually “lose so many that that ecosystem will lose its coherence.” If climate change is driving native species extinct, she says, “you need to allow new ones coming in to take over those same functions.”

As University of Florida conservation ecologist Brett Scheffers and Pecl warned in a 2019 paper in Nature Climate Change, “past management of redistributed species … has yielded mixed actions and results.” They concluded that “we cannot leave the fate of biodiversity critical to human survival to be randomly persecuted, protected or ignored.”

Existing Tools

One approach to managing these climate-driven habitat shifts, suggested by University of California, Irvine marine ecologist Piper Wallingford and colleagues in a recent issue of Nature Climate Change, is for scientists to adapt existing tools like the Environmental Impact Classification of Alien Taxa (EICAT) to assess potential risks associated with moving species. Because range-shifting species pose impacts to communities similar to those of species introduced by humans, the authors argue, new management strategies are unnecessary, and each new arrival can be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Karen Lips, a professor of biology at University of Maryland who was not associated with the study, echoes the idea that each case is so varied and nuanced that trying to fit climate shifting species into a single category with broad management goals may be impractical. “Things may be fine today, but add a new mosquito vector or add a new tick or a new disease, and all of a sudden things spiral out of control,” she says. “The nuance means that the answer to any particular problem might be pretty different.”

In recent years, northern flying squirrels in Canada have found themselves in the company of new neighbours – southern flying squirrels expanding their range as the climate warms. Credit: Public Domain / USFW

Laura Meyerson, a professor in the Department of Natural Resources Science at the University of Rhode Island says scientists should use existing tools to identify and address invasive species to deal with climate-shifting species. “I would like to operate under the precautionary principle and then reevaluate as things shift. You’re sort of shifting one piece in this machinery; as you insert a new species into a system, everything is going to respond,” she says. “Will some of the species that are expanding their ranges because of climate change become problematic? Perhaps they might.”

The reality is that some climate-shifting species may be harmful to some conservation or economic goals while being helpful to others. While sport fisherman are excited about red snapper moving down the East Coast of Australia, for example, if they eat juvenile lobsters in Tasmania they could harm this environmentally and economically important crustacean. “At the end of the day … you’re going to have to look at whether that range expansion has some sort of impact and presumably be more concerned about the negative impacts,” says NISC executive director Stas Burgiel. “Many of the [risk assessment] tools we have are set up to look at negative impact.” As a result, positive effects may be deemphasised or overlooked. “So that notion of cost versus benefit … I don’t think it has played out in this particular context.”

Location, Location, Location

In a companion paper to Wallingford’s, University of Connecticut ecology and evolutionary biology associate professor Mark Urban stressed key differences between invasive species, which are both non-native and harmful, and what he calls “climate tracking species.” Whereas invasive species originate from places very unlike the communities they overtake, he says, climate tracking species expand from largely similar environments, seeking to follow preferred conditions as these environments move. For example, an American pika may relocate to a higher mountain elevation, or a marbled salamander might expand its New England range northward to seek cooler temperatures, but these new locations are not drastically different than the places they had called home before.

Climate tracking species may move faster than their competitors at first, Urban says, but competing species will likely catch up. “Applying perspectives from invasion biology to climate-tracking species … arbitrarily chooses local winners over colonizing losers,” he writes.

Urban stresses that if people prevent range shifts, some climate-tracking species may have nowhere to go. He suggests that humans should even facilitate movement as the planet warms. “The goal in this crazy warming world is to keep everything alive. But it may not be in the same place,” Urban says.

Parmesan echoes Urban, emphasising it’s the distance that makes the difference. “[Invasives] come from a different continent or a different ocean. You’re having these enormous trans-global movements and that’s what ends up causing the species that’s exotic to be invasive,” she says. “Things moving around with climate change is a few hundred miles. Invasive species are moving a few thousand miles.”

In 2019 University of Vienna conservation biology associate professor Franz Essl published a similar argument for species classification beyond the native/non-native dichotomy. Essl uses “neonatives” to refer to species that have expanded outside their native areas and established populations because of climate change but not direct human agency. He argues that these species should be considered as native in their new range.

The marbled salamander, a native of the eastern U.S., is among species whose range could expand northward to accommodate rising temperatures. Credit: Seánín Óg from Flickr, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

They Never Come Alone

Meyerson calls for caution. “I don’t think we should be introducing species” into ecosystems, she says. “I mean, they never come alone. They bring all their friends, their microflora, and maybe parasites and things clinging to their roots or their leaves. … It’s like bringing some mattress off the street into your house.”

Burgiel warns that labeling can have unintended consequences. We in the invasive species field … focus on non-native species that cause harm,” he says. “Some people think that anything that’s not native is invasive, which isn’t necessarily the case.” Because resources are limited and land management and conservation are publicly funded, Burgiel says, it is critical that the public understands how the decisions are being made.

Piero Genovesi, chair of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Invasive Species Specialist Group, sees the debate about classification — and therefore about management — as a potential distraction from more pressing conservation issues.

“The real bulk of conservation is that we want to focus on the narrow proportion of alien species that are really harmful,” he says. In Hawaii “we don’t discuss species that are there [but aren’t] causing any problem because we don’t even have the energy for dealing with them all. And I can tell you, no one wants to remove [non-native] cypresses from Tuscany. So, I think that some of the discussions are probably not so real in the work that we do in conservation.”

Indigenous frameworks offer another way to look at species searching for a new home in the face of climate change. According to a study published in Sustainability Science in 2018 by Dartmouth American and environmental studies associate professor Nicholas Reo, a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and Dartmouth anthropology associate professor Laura Ogden, some Anishnaabe people view plants as persons and the arrival of new plants as a natural form of migration, which is not inherently good or bad. They may seek to discover the purpose of new species, at times with animals as their teachers. In their paper Reo and Ogden quote Anishnaabe tribal chairman Aaron Payment as saying, “We are an extension of our natural environment; we’re not separate from it.”

The Need for Collaboration

The successful conservation of Earth’s species in a way that keeps biodiversity functional and healthy will likely depend on collaboration. Without global agreements, one can envision scenarios in which countries try to impede high-value species from moving beyond their borders, or newly arriving species are quickly overharvested.

In Nature Climate Change, Sheffers and Pecl call for a Climate Change Redistribution Treaty that would recognise species redistribution beyond political boundaries and establish governance to deal with it. Treaties already in place, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which regulates trade in wild plants and animals; the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; and the Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora, can help guide these new agreements.

“We are living through the greatest redistribution of life on Earth for … potentially hundreds of thousands of years, so we definitely need to think about how we want to manage that,” Pecl says.

At the heart of these questions are values. Genovesi agrees that conservationists need a vision for the future. “What we do is more to be reactive [to known threats]. … It’s so simple to say that destroying the Amazon is probably not a good idea that you don’t need to think of a step ahead of that.” But, he adds, “I don’t think we have a real answer in terms of okay, this is a threshold of species, or this is the temporal line where we should aim to.” Defining a vision for what success would look like, Genovesi says, “is a question that hasn’t been addressed enough by science and by decision makers.”

At the heart of these questions are values. “All of these perceptions around what’s good and what’s bad, all [are based on] some kind of value system,” Pecl says. “As a whole society, we haven’t talked about what we value and who gets to say what’s of value and what isn’t.”

This is especially important when it comes to marginalised voices, and Pecl says she is concerned because she doesn’t “think we have enough consideration or representation of Indigenous worldviews.” Reo and colleagues wrote in American Indian Quarterly in 2017 that climate change literature and media coverage tend to portray native people as vulnerable and without agency. Yet, says Pecl, “The regions of the world where [biodiversity and ecosystems] are either not declining or are declining at a much slower rate are Indigenous controlled” — suggesting that Indigenous people have potentially managed species more effectively in the past, and may be able to manage changing species distributions in a way that could be informative to others working on these issues.

Meanwhile, researchers such as Lips see species classification as native or other as stemming from a perspective that there is a better environmental time and place to return to. “There is no pristine, there’s no way to go back,” says Lips. “The entire world is always very dynamic and changing. And I think it’s a better idea to consider just simply what is it that we do want, and let’s work on that.”

This article was originally published on Ensia and is republished here with permission under the terms of a Creative Commons’ Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported licence. View the original article here.

Jenny Morber trained as a scientist and engineer at Georgia Tech, US, and now works as a freelance journalist based in the Pacific Northwest.

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