Day 61, Late Evening: Public Channel

[anti_nonsense]

This is Rita, here with Syrlya. We've got some things to report about a recent rescue mission, so listen up.

Starting with the [there's a pause and an awkward intonation when she says] good news... We got Strange back, but he's dead. [Said news is delivered perhaps a bit too flippantly.] He had a revival spell, which has been activated. He'll be back to annoying the hell out of all of us before long, I'm pretty sure.

We… also gathered some information from Ignatius. [He’s not going to say how.] It isn’t much, but apparently the Summer Court had actually been following the Winter Court’s trail of us into the Athenaeum. They have had a spy of theirs following the carnival for a few years now. We also know that the Summer Court has determined the Ringmaster as an enemy for the same reason as the Winter Court--the death of the Winter Queen.

[... That’s the good news! There’s no extra, unknown charges added to the Ringmaster’s criminal record! Just the known ones.]

After the questioning, the Ringmaster came and ate Ignatius. [Again, Rita’s tone sounds almost too casual. She’s too tired to worry about breaking any of this news gently right now.] He isn’t dead, though. He's... well, don't ask me. We'll have to wait until the Ringmaster feels like talking about it.

Lambert is… currently recovering, so until he is in a state to return to his duties I will be acting in his stead. If you have anything you wish to reach the Nightrider or Nightrunners for, you may speak to me.

Comments

[chronosynthesis]

[Syrlya doesn't necessarily want to throw Lambert under the bridge, but...]

Most of it was the result of fighting. Zangetsu called upon... some sort of ocean, but we had to retrieve Strange by force and could not allow Igantius to simply take him and flee.

[Then his tone drops a little more hallow.] Lambert wanted information out of him, and... I carried it through the only way I had.

[atouts]

So all of it. [ As Lambert's the Nightrider, the blame inevitably falls to him. Childermass manages to sound fairly neutral for now, same as always, albeit a little strained. ] He had you all stay behind like fools...

[anti_nonsense]

It's not like we had no choice. We're all responsible for our own actions.

[Rita sure doesn't want to take all the heat for this, but she's not letting Lambert take their share of the blame, either.]

[atouts]

I do not mean to say you are blameless, Ms. Mordio, but Lambert is your supervisor. He was there, he didn't stop you, and so he is responsible. If you find that unreasonable, perhaps you should have remained in engineering alone.

[anti_nonsense]

It's because I couldn't sit back and let other people be responsible for me that I became a nightrunner. Blame Lambert all you want, but we acted as a team.

[atouts]

Lambert already had a history of doing this sort of thing. It is unfortunate to hear the mindset is spreading amongst his ranks, but I am sure you did what you felt necessary.

[ Regardless of how everyone else here feels. The argument is entirely moot at this point. ]

But it would seem I have a bedside that needs sitting at. I won't be bothering you and Syrlya any further.