A Study in Blues

Tremors

dani-steele:

“Yeah, obviously I couldn’t give any sort of indication of that when we were walking,” I admitted, giving Rachel a sheepish smile.

“Ahhhhh right, of course. I’m happy to help any way that I can - even if it’s doing a crap-tonne of paperwork,” I said pleasantly. I was well aware Dalton wouldn’t want me going out on missions with Cadenza, but I wasn’t angling for such a responsibility anyway. Paperwork was dull but it suited me just fine.

“All in all, things are improving. Things are looking up though,” I summed up, feeling rather hopeful about the future in general. “We can do this.”

“That sounds ideal,” Dalton responded, giving a smile to Danielle as he sat down next to her. “Indeed, it appears to be so. We will continue to go on, despite the pitfalls and obstacles that come our way. After all, there is a certain level of triumph that can only be gained after trials of hardship. Regardless of how many times we fall – it is in the act rising that we are defined.”

And they would continue to rise. In that, Dalton was certain – he would do all in his power to make that a reality. They would rise to greatness, and all would be witness to it. Looking at Danielle, he could see the familiar Soul Voice pulsing with hope, and after such a long time, beyond any reasonable doubt –

He knew it was her.

Tremors

dani-steele:

I nodded along as they spoke, quietly repeating the information that I’d need to remember. I was thankful that I wouldn’t need to lose my name though - it was one less thing I needed to lie about. It was one less thing that I could make a mistake with.

“That makes sense,” I agreed with Dalton, though I was glad Brian brought up his point.

‘Urgent letter for Gregano Dorvil. Medical equipment. Sectors four, seven and eight. Confidence is key. No nerves, no apologies. Bring their attention back to the letter if they’re trying to pick at my background. Then get out of there.’

“I think… I think that I’m ready, in that case,” I said. “I’m ready if the letter is.”

Dalton nodded, “The key is to not panic. If something goes wrong, then just go with it until you get back. After all, there is nothing you can do should that happen.”

Brian resisted the urge to huff, annoyed that Dalton was right again. There was nothing to be done about it though, so they would simply have to go along with it. ‘So long as she doesn’t give any reason for them to be interested in her past then it should be fine,’ Brian reassured himself.

“Good,” Dalton spoke in response to her being ready. “I have, in fact, finished – so I will just prepare it for you and then you should be good to go.” He knew it was only going to be a moment that she would have to spend with a stranger, but Dalton couldn’t help feel concerned that she would not be able to control her nervousness well enough. ‘So long as the letter reaches them then it doesn’t matter,’ he thought, knowing that Brian would be watching carefully in case anything went wrong.

After a moment he handed the letter to her. “Here – I will expect to see you soon.”

Tremors

dani-steele:

My heart fell through my stomach and I dropped the clothes I was holding as Brian rushed out, scared at the conclusion he might be drawing. I scurried after him, trying to work out some way that would calm him if all hell broke loose and he tried to attack Dalton.

Moving quickly and carefully I positioned myself close to but slightly in front of Brian as he yelled. I made sure I could put myself between them if I had to. Stop things from escalating further. He’d likely try restrain himself from hurting me if anger turned to violence.

“Brian. Calm down, please.”

Dalton watched as the obviously upset Brian waved Diana’s dress at him. He leaned back from his desk as he spoke, “Indeed, calm down.”

“No!” Brian retorted, not bothering to suppress his disturbed Soul Voice. “I want to know what my mother’s dress is doing in Dani’s room!” He had recognised it easily enough, and with a shudder he realised that quite possible all of those clothes may have belonged to her.

Dalton maintained a careful air of calmness, glancing at Danielle before speaking. “I inherited it after taking up guardianship of you, of course. Naturally I had no need of it, so I simply stored it away. I figured you would have probably been upset had I simply destroyed all of it. It is fortunate the clothing may be able to be of use once more. Unfortunately we do not have the luxury of shopping today.”

Tremors

dani-steele:

“That sounds perfectly straightfoward. I’m sure I can do that.”

I gave a small smile, glad he was accepting it and more than happy to acquiesce to his condition.

“Does it matter?” I asked Brian, eyebrow raised. “Even if the Rangos aren’t planning anything I will at the very least need help to get there. It’s not like I’m familiar with the city - it’d be stupid for me to pick the wrong bloody building after everything. That wouldn’t look good. Even if there’s no need for security, I’ll still need you.”

“Oh yeah, I’ll definitely go with you regardless. No point sending you to navigate the city if you don’t know where the heck to go,” he responded with a grin. “I just think Dalton’s being a bit too paranoid on the chaos front.” At least, Brian could understand why – but he didn’t think the Rangos were going to jump them or anything ridiculous. ‘I doubt we will hear from them for a while, unless they are wanting us to hold up our end…’

“I am never too paranoid,” Dalton responded flatly. “In any case, we have a plan. The sooner we get this done the better, so I will begin writing up our proposal. Brian, you should educate Danielle on who she should find and what she should say. Oh, and there’s also some extra clothes inside a high shelf in your room, Danielle, close to the door – it contains some spare Sharp clothing. Have a look and see if any fit.”

Tremors

“It was too close, but we came back from it. That’s the main thing. Thank goodness he told us in person, or we’d never have had a chance,” I agreed.

I nodded, understanding where Dalton was coming from. If we showed up at the door requesting money it might seem little more than thuggish.

“So we need to send someone with it, yeah? Someone who knows enough of what the deal is to ensure it’s given to the right person, or someone trustworthy at least,” I added, frowning as I was uncertain as to who would fit the bill. “Who would we send? People recognisable as part of Cadenza probably won’t be appreciated - as you said, Dalton, it might seem a bit aggressive.”

“Indeed, it would have to be someone that was not recognised as part of our team. So long as we are certain the message is delivered to the right hands then it should be fine.” Which was difficult, and Dalton frowned at the knowledge that Rebecca would have been perfect to be the one to deliver it. It was a shame, but there was nothing that could be done about it for now. “There’s Ronald and Casey, but they are Flats. Unfortunately that would not give us any favour if we use them to deliver a message, especially one that is about money – so we will need to find someone else…”

“It’s easy,” Brian spoke, a small smirk forming on his face. “Just send Dani. They won’t recognise her as being part of Cadenza, since they have not seen her before. If we let Dani know who to look for she can make sure that it’s given to the right person.”

Tremors

I smiled, glad that Joreth was both clever and tactful, and gave a small wave farewell. Things would go okay with him looking out for Paris - Joreth was committed to the group even if Paris faltered, and hopefully the support would prevent just that. We needed someone in the Administration. We needed him.

I turned my attention back to Dalton and Brian.

“Well… that could’ve started off better. But at least he’s made a decision. The right decision,” I said with a small shrug. “Where do we start to make a proposal to the Dorvils?”

“That was pretty damn close,” Brian agreed, his head still leaning on his propped up arm. “We nearly lost him there.” They really did need Paris for the time being. Brian was glad the worst outcome had been averted. At least for now.

“For the Dorvils, we have most of what we need already,” Dalton began. “We have been clients with them in the past, we are aware of their connections and so can be tactful in our language. Now we need to arrange a meeting with them. We have some options – one is we could simply show up, however that may see too aggressive for them to be comfortable with. Sending a Pulse is too informal, at least for arranging this type of meeting. So we are left with delivering a request for a meeting by paper.”

Brian grimaced, “We would have to ensure the delivery got through properly. We can’t afford to have them ignore it.”

Tremors

“Good. It’ll be a relief when we get it sorted.”

I was essentially ready to start on that whenever we could - itching to get back to work on it all.

“Thank you, Paris. We really appreciate it. I wish you the best of luck,” I said earnestly, though my eyes flicked briefly to Joreth. I hoped we were right to entrust Paris with such a thing - it was a means to tear us further down should his father get wind of it. “Which means we’ll see you later I suppose, Joreth. In case Paris gets bogged down with things from his father.”

It was a poorly veiled hint, but asking my stoic friend outright to keep an eye on Paris wouldn’t go down well - and maybe even seen as disrespectful or distrusting. We needed him and it would be best if he didn’t feel like everyone was criticising him constantly. And anyway, he’d seemed keen enough on the idea of Joreth being around.

“Thank you Danielle. I hope you have luck with the Dorvils,” Paris responded, glancing at Joreth as Danielle said farewell to him too.

“There’s nothing else needed from me?” Joreth inquired, looking at Dalton to ensure he had understood correctly.

“Not for now. Just keep an ear in the Sharp circles if you can, and once Paris has conveyed the message to the Alto, let us know so that we know it has been done. We will inquire the Trabens once we have secured the Dorvils.” Joreth nodded, standing before he followed Paris out of the lab.

Tremors

“If she’s inclined on returning, hopefully she’ll see it for what it is - absolutely not personal. But it might feel like a kick in the teeth if she hears anything about it,” I added, feeling sorry for the girl. It wouldn’t be easy for her, not for a long while, but I hoped that she’d be able to see that Cadenza meant survival of Sonarea and put any hurt feelings aside.

“But we have a plan then. A way forward,” I said. I hardly dared to feel hopeful, but this was the first solid idea we’d had since the terrible thing with the Understudy occurred. “I guess that means we might be working on the Dorvils proposal today then?”

“She knows we have little options available to us,” Paris spoke. “Let’s hope that the Dorvils will not tip the scales so much as to prevent her return. After all, they are only in connection with those two families.”

He knew the importance of swaying a family’s loyalty – if they could somehow manage that with the Dorvils then they would be rid of a problem.

Brian nodded at Danielle’s conclusion. “We will need to get it done as soon as possible, and then organise a time to pitch it to them. The sooner the better.”

“Then I suppose I should go back to my father then, so that the message to the Alto is passed on,” Paris spoke, standing as he did so. While he was absolutely not comfortable lying to his father’s face, he understood the urgency of the issue.

Tremors

“We do need to move quickly, too. As quickly as we can. We can’t really afford to waste time waiting for everyone to sort themselves out,” I added. “But maybe the Dorvils will remember that we’ve helped them in the past. That’s got to count for something, right?”

It had to. Surely the Sharps had some honour, some sense of moral obligation to return favours where they were due.

I paused as Paris mentioned the Trabens, glancing at Dalton briefly. I wasn’t sure what Rebecca had brought to the group prior to this apart from her mother’s influence, so I didn’t know how important it would be to bend over backwards to accommodate her. Hell, we didn’t even know if she’d want to come back at all.

However, a family which ticked all the right boxes - if that was indeed what the Trabens were - was definitely a step in the right direction.

“Do we know much about their financial situation and who they associate with?” I asked, figuring that since Joreth hadn’t spoken up they wouldn’t be denouncers or have any openly dodgy dealings.

#sorry orz #dani-steele #dani rp

“That’s a good point,” Brian pitched in. “The Administration are still in a mess – if we get the Dorvils before things settle and they reach a decision then we will be able to snatch them. They should definitely remember us. Do either you of you have any idea if those two they are connected with have become involved in the Administration over the past day?”

Paris and Joreth looked at each other briefly, and Joreth shook his head. “No, not that I can recall. I doubt they will be brought into things any time soon.”

“Then that will give us time,” Dalton concluded. “Time we must use to take our proposal to the Dorvils before they begin to hear rumours. Unfortunately, this will affect Rebecca. I do not wish to lose any members from this group because of this event, but for now we do not have any other choice in the matter.”

Tremors

“That’s good. That’s really good news.”

It was a relief that something seemed to be going our way for once.

I shrugged.

“Possibly. They’re looking better than the Sestos, at least - who seem to be in a bit of trouble and we haven’t been able to figure out exactly why yet,” I said. “But we’re gonna be looking into it more, aren’t we Dalton? We don’t want to rule anything out too quickly. However, the Dorvils seem stable, which is pretty damn important.”

“Yes, the Dorvils are looking to be our best bet at this stage. It is not without flaws, however. They have connections within the Administration – which means they may not be willing to hear us out at this stage. This may also affect Rebecca’s future involvement with the group, as they are considered opposition to the Celestines.” It was not the best idea, but it was the only one they had.

“We would have to play it carefully,” Paris spoke. “Rebecca is in a very difficult position now, but from what I know the Celestines have no issue with the Trabens.” He gave a checking glance to Joreth, who nodded in confirmation. “At the very least she is well aware that we are in dire need of money – but I would not bet on her returning any time soon.” ‘If ever,’ Paris thought grimly.

Tremors

I brightened, extremely glad to hear about Joreth’s family. It was definitely better than being outright against funding us and we needed all the good news we could get.

“That’s good to know. Did they give any examples of who might meet their approval, or is that a bit much to hope for?” I asked. Likely they’d need to share religious beliefs for a start, or at least not be an outright denier like Dalton was. And we’d need to be careful about whether the other potential family had ever had any mishaps with Joreth’s family - or even had been connected to those who were looked down upon.

Politics were awful how did anyone ever choose to delve into messes like this?

“Do you think the Dorvil’s would be acceptable? Not that we’re guaranteed funding from them, but it’d be nice to know whether they’d count or not seeing as they seem the least problematic thus far,” I added.

“No, they did not. But so long as they are not a denouncer or are dirty in their business then it should be fine – those are their main concerns.” Joreth knew they were just as concerned about their future as the group was, and hoped they would not be too picky when it came down to approaching them once they had support.

Dalton nodded at Joreth’s words, “I am surprised to hear that they are willing to help, even if we require other support.” He wondered how Joreth had pitched it to them, because there would have needed to be a bit of coercion for them to even consider partnering up with the likes of himself.

“As for the Dorvils,” Joreth continued, “I do not know. We have not made any connections with them in the past. Are they the best candidates so far?”

Tremors

I smiled, happy to have something good to report and I was glad I’d let Paris tell Joreth about it. That way it was more set in his mind as his own decision - if I’d spoken it could’ve felt like it was being imposed on him. He made up his mind though. He made a decision, and it was a big one. I was proud of Paris for doing that, but it might seem patronising to say it aloud.

“We do too. Especially because there was an intruder last night - we’re not sure precisely what they were here for but we thought it was important for the Alto to hear about this,” I summed up, though I was fairly sure Joreth would have questions about it. “They tampered with the cameras too.”

“An intruder?” Joreth queried, glancing at Dalton. “That’s impressive.”

“Indeed. They stole nothing, but we cannot afford to ignore it – that is why we decided it would be best to inform the Alto. Paris will contact her to ensure she pays us a visit.”

Joreth found it somewhat alarming that the cameras had been tampered yet they were unnoticed. He understood the urgency of the matter. “I see. I hope we are able to resolve this mystery soon then.”

“Speaking of resolutions,” Brian began, “have you managed to discuss things with your family? What are their thoughts on funding us?”

Joreth looked at the obviously tired Brian, wondering if he had been up trying to look for the culprit the previous night. “They were open to the idea. Should we get a family that meets their approval then they are happy to provide more funding for us.”

Tremors

“Yeah, it’s definitely not promising.”

I was debating mentioning that the issues seemed to be driven from another family entirely and thus there could be hope if we could wrangle the culprits - they’d be indebted to us and very inclined on seeing our side - when Joreth showed up.

I smiled brightly at my friend, glad to see him arrive.

“You came at a good time. As you’d expect, Bartolo was less than pleased about our refusal and… well, I probably ought to let you sum that bit up, Paris,” I said, not wanting to say something a bit off and make Paris feel insecure again.

“Do you have news about your family?”

Paris looked to Joreth, giving him a small smile. “My father has withdrawn all forms of support from Cadenza, which includes me as well.”

Joreth’s face fell, “I’m so sorry to hear that Paris.” He understood that Paris truly desired to be part of Cadenza, and while the news was not surprising it was extremely unfair to Paris.

Paris shook his head, “It’s ok – I have decided that I will still support Cadenza, even if I am restricted from making contact. We figured out that any information I receive I can simply pass on to you, and then you will be able to report back here in my place.”

“That sounds reasonable. I think that is a very good idea”, Joreth spoke, surprised that Paris was willing to go against his father’s wishes. ‘He seems to be at peace with it,’ he thought, glad that Paris was not allowing his father to stop on his dreams.