This is Halloween!

[we_bring_hell]

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.

Comments

[acrookedpath]

He nods, chewing on another bite of cupcake as he absorbs this.

"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?"

[we_bring_hell]

"If they knew," she says. "I do not have conclusive proof, but if I could--then yes. The Third might lie back and wait--it is in their nature--but the Second and the Eighth would see it as a matter of duty, and the Sixth would be betrayed."

[acrookedpath]

Another nod.

"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."

[we_bring_hell]

"I appreciate it," she says. "I still think the best chance we have is to solve the Lyctoral equation. Then there's nothing she can do."

[acrookedpath]

"Yes," he agrees. Polishing off the cupcake, he leans back to skate two fingers over the bartop. "Madam Bar, some wine, please?"

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.

[we_bring_hell]

"I have identified among the six theorems I have access to, three dealing with the spirit, and the the flesh," she says.

"I also believe I have identified the beginning and end of the process, and perhaps an intuition as to where it is leading."

[acrookedpath]

"Oh?" A quick swig from the bottle. "Where is that?"

[we_bring_hell]

"I believe it is a blueprint to create something like the golden core you cultivators use," she says. "To extract the soul, turn it into a furnace, and wire it to the body again."

[acrookedpath]

...Huh. He lowers the bottle to his knee, head tilted, curious.

"Your own soul?" he asks. "Or the soul of one of the dead?"

[we_bring_hell]

"I believe the necromancer's own soul," she says. "Unless there is something that radically transforms the picture in the remaining rooms, I believe linking another soul to my body would be identical to possession, and keeping it external would be wildly vulnerable."

"The Second House theorem allows the necromancer to extend their perception into the cavalier. I have a preliminary theory that this may be intended to create a sort of staging area while we work."

[acrookedpath]

"So your soul is not left vulnerable as it is transformed," he muses, tapping his thumb against the wine bottle. "Perhaps."

(Not for the first time, he wishes Wen Qing were here.)

"Do you have ideas of how it would turn into a furnace? Cultivating a golden core is not instantaneous -- I cannot imagine transforming the soul would be either."

[we_bring_hell]

"Yes--the Fourth House theorem points in the direction of initializing the reaction. The problem is, unless I fail to understand it, I don't see how to stop it from burning away the soul to nothing."

"I am forced to assume the Sixth House theorem holds the missing piece, and will show me how to build a power plant instead of a bomb."

[acrookedpath]

He nods before tipping another portion of wine into his mouth.

"And now that you are allied with the Sixth," he says with a faintly crooked smile, "perhaps you will be able to arrive at an understanding of their theorem even faster."

[we_bring_hell]

"In a way," she muses "Actually, the Sixth does not have the key of his House; nor do I have the Ninth House key, for that matter. The completion of trials has not been so... tidy."

"However, Sextus wants us to work together to falsify the key to the Sixth study, since he has handled it. He is a psychometric expert and knows it down to its atoms now, and I can shape bone for the key itself."

"I am considering his proposal--on an extended time frame, now, of course," she says with a wry expression.

[acrookedpath]

Wei Wuxian huffs a small laugh. "Of course," he agrees. "I am glad time stops for you while you are here -- it is a gift to have the space to work through such a consequential problem, without too many intrustions."

[we_bring_hell]

"Not to mention the assistance of outside perspectives," she says.

[acrookedpath]

He nods.

"Have you had a chance to talk to Lan Zhan about our world's cultivation?" he asks. "If you suspect this is similar to developing a golden core..."

[we_bring_hell]

"We have only discussed it a small amount," she says. "It may indeed be worthwhile to re-open the discussion."

[acrookedpath]

"He will be able to explain it much better than I can," says Wei Wuxian with a small laugh, lifting his bottle as if in a toast. "So I am certain it will be worthwhile."

[we_bring_hell]

She frowns thoughtfully. "Wei Wuxian... why do you not use traditional cultivation? We've never spoken of it."

[acrookedpath]

He shrugs, easily, and tosses back more of his wine.

"I was curious about what could be done with resentful energy," he says. "And I thought it more interesting to take a different path."

[we_bring_hell]

Fair enough.

"Indeed," she says. "You have certainly had remarkable discoveries."

[acrookedpath]

Wei Wuxian flashes a quick grin, pleased by the acknowledgement. "Perhaps now that I am dead, they will see them that way, too."

He doubts it. Very much so. But as long as he is making wishes on birthday candles at Madam Bar's behest, he may as well wish for that, too.

[we_bring_hell]

"I suppose it comes of living among secretive cultists," she muses. "But public acknowledgment has never drawn me... there's something so romantic about taking a secret to your grave."

[acrookedpath]

His smile goes a little crooked, a little wry.

"It is not so much that I want to be lauded endlessly," he says. "I don't. But if they ever acknowledge what I discovered, as more than something wicked and evil, then perhaps the next cultivator who wishes to forge their own path will not have as much trouble."