Harrowhark the Ninth (
we_bring_hell) wrote2020-10-27 10:55 am
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This is Halloween!
The Bar loves her holidays, but she is also capable of respecting religious strictures. That's why she put a lot of thought into finding a Halloween costume for Harrow that works with her face paint and general insistence on the monochromatic.
Harrow, for her part, is baffled by the white-pinstriped black suit and the oversized bow, but the gloves are very cool, and the buckled shoes suit as well. She has no idea what's going on but she can live with this.
The Bar seems even more unusually populated than usual, and there are a lot of gourds around. Hm.
Harrow, for her part, is baffled by the white-pinstriped black suit and the oversized bow, but the gloves are very cool, and the buckled shoes suit as well. She has no idea what's going on but she can live with this.
The Bar seems even more unusually populated than usual, and there are a lot of gourds around. Hm.
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They have always been obsessed with each other, though,
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His smile softens.
"I am glad for you. Truly. That you are sworn to each other now in more ways than one."
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And then, as the years continued on... well.
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"Yes, you sound like you a holy terror to rival Griddle."
"Although--I was to blame, too. I would set elaborate traps for her."
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Though he has only met Gideon the barest handful of times, they clicked as if they had known each other for ages.
His smile grows more crooked as he adds, "I do remember you saying you cheated, when the two of you fought."
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"But in fact I had stayed up all night burying bones under the earth of the landing field."
She's not proud of it, but she's not... not proud of it.
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Honestly, it's the sort of battle strategy Wei Wuxian might use himself, if he had Harrow's particular necromantic talents. Jiang Cheng might have even had to deal with a surprise skeleton jumping out of the ground to startle him every now and then, while Wei Wuxian laughed and laughed out of sight behind a door.
But there is a difference between lighthearted pranks or hard-fought wars, and the acrimony that marked Harrow and Gideon's relationship for so long.
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He wiggles a hand as if to indicate the degree of difficulty.
"Not as simple. But a great test of how I may control the forest's resentful energy. And I hope it will help, whenever the two of you must return."
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He grabs one of the cupcakes, unwrapping the circle of pleated paper that covers its base.
"I am still curious about what might be controlling it, though. Or who. It is immensely powerful, from everything Gideon told me."
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"Perhaps she has harnessed some ancient relic of the castle--hacked its control theorems."
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"Yes. That's right. I still think of constructs as entirely bone; I forget it is possible for them to be fierce corpses as well." He rubs the side of his nose. "What would go into... hacking?"
(The context is clear, but the unfamiliar usage of the word tilts Wei Wuxian's voice upward a fraction, uncertain.)
"The theorems?"
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He nibbles the edge of his cupcake.
"I would assume more for this construct in particular, since it is so large, but..."
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"She claimed to have had help from the best adepts in the Seventh House, but that assistance could not have survived a trip through space. It just doesn't hold up. And when I broke the enchantment on the body, the backlash alone should have killed her. That is where the power discrepancy lies."
"It would require less power to steal the construct than animate it herself, but to control and maintain it would still be a tremendous load. Especially because when it killed the Fifth House representatives, she was still controlling Ebdoma as well."
"That's why I initially theorized she was working with the Sixth. But I've ruled that out. Now I think she must just be some monstrous prodigy."
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"So if you attack her directly to cut off the power at its source, she will certainly have a means to survive the assault." His mouth twists, a little. "I know there have been few alliances, and they are fraught and difficult as is, but is there any chance at all the rest of Canaan House could be united against her, if they knew she has been responsible for the slaughter?"
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"You know if there is anything I can do," he says. "Either to gather more proof, or to fight against her should the time come. I will assist however I can."
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Pop. The usual white ceramic bottle materializes, with a tiny festive bow tied around its neck. He can't help but grin as he picks it up, inclining his head to Bar in thanks.
"Have you made any more progress there?" he asks as he uncaps the bottle.
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"I also believe I have identified the beginning and end of the process, and perhaps an intuition as to where it is leading."
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