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[Sub].:⋮Long Delayed⋮:.[/Sub]

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Beacon HQ. Even with the Ascendency having the run of the place it still felt welcoming to Penny. She nodded or returned greetings to the various members who would call out to her, but her nature as someone who kept to herself was still well founded within these walls.

There was still the odd stares or cold indifference that on occasion was pointed her way, but honestly she had never cared about that. So it was easily ignored. Instead she was more closely examining the network, and wondering what had caused the deviations between the network here and the one in the dead world she had escaped from.

It was really just a thing to pass the time, as she was off to a meeting. One that she was honestly surprised she didn’t have to push harder to get, but she wasn’t going to complain about her luck there. After all, meeting the Cardinal was something that she had wanted to do for a while, and now more than ever it felt like the Sword of Damocles was hanging over her head. So she wanted to seize this chance to talk with Ishtar before it fell.

She turned down the hallway to where the meeting room was and came up short. There was a pair of guards posted in the hallway. Their faces were grim upon seeing Penny, the Ascendency emblem proudly on display. It didn’t take supernatural senses to guess why these girls were here.

Penny barely made it another step before the guards called out to her. “Halt! This area is off limits.” 

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I have a meeting with-”[/b][/u][/color]

“That is irrelevant. This area is off limits to those without proper clearance.“

[color=9e0039][u][b]“The Cardinal is-”[/b][/u][/color]

“To be protected, hence why this area is off limits.”

Holding back a scoff Penny slowly moved until she was standing in front of one of the girls in her way. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I went through the proper channels for this meeting”[/b][/u][/color] She would say calmly, leaning ever so slightly into the girls’ space while she maintained eye contact. [color=9e0039][u][b]“The Cardinal agreed to this meeting,”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would continue not blinking as she stared pointedly into the guards’ eyes. [color=9e0039][u][b]“She reserved the room. For us. To have this meeting.” The barest hint of pressure would come Penny as she stared down this girl, for once letting her relaxed persona slip letting some of the frustration and anger that dwelled within her all the time surface. Even as she kept her tone smooth and calm.


[color=9e0039][u][b]“Now.”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would adjust her posture so that she stood proudly at her full height, a few inches taller than the girl she had selected for this display. [color=9e0039][u][b]“Are you going to move out of my way? Seeing as you have no reason to be in it.”[/b][/u][/color] the ‘Or am I going to have to move you’ went unsaid.

Penny could see the expression of the girl on the left tighten as Penny’s piercing glare bored into her, and the girl on the right visibly sweated from her brow. Finally, the girl on the right relented, and silently stepped aside. “But Ros-” The other Ascendancy girl exclaimed, before she bit her lip and also allowed her passage. “Make it quick. The Cardinal has more important matters to attend to,” she muttered, and Penny entered the room.

Ishtar was reading a book, and closed it as she looked at Penny with a tired expression. “Greetings, Penny. Please excuse my guards; they are devoted to their task of protecting me.”
She waited until Penny closed the door behind her and took her seat before she stated: “I have heard stories about you, Penny. Some are wonderful tales of bravery and virtue. But I have also heard other tales...Worrying ones.”

Penny would let out a breath after the door closed behind her. [color=9e0039][u][b]“You’re probably right, just not the first time I’ve been stonewalled by them”[/b][/u][/color] She would shrug it off before sitting down across from Ishtar. [color=9e0039][u][b]“And I can’t say I’m surprised that my reputation precedes me. I tend to be a rather divisive person.”[/b][/u][/color] Especially where Beacon was concerned. But that was neither here nor there she supposed.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Before we dive too deeply into that. I wanted to say thank you. I know you have your own reasons, ones I'm sure aren’t up for discussion. But the first trial when we got back, Thank you for choosing leniency for Alicia and others.”[/b][/u][/color] It was something that Penny had been wanting to thank Ishtar for for sometime.

Ishtar nodded with closed eyes, a subtle smile on her lips. “I simply did my duty as witness to Alicia’s courage and faith. But no less do I appreciate the courtesy because of that.” She clasped her hands together, and looked at Penny. “Alicia is fortunate to have made friends with you. You see, one day she will lay the first steps towards a new future.” She sighed. “Anyway, you wished to speak with me. What burdens your soul?”

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Alicia has already taken those first steps if you ask me”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would say with a soft smile. [color=9e0039][u][b]“And the general state of Penrose is the main burden I’m carrying. But that has less to do with why I wanted to talk with you.”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would lean back in the chair adopting as comfortable and casual a position as she could. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I wanted to talk with you, both to get an idea of who you are and to help clear up any questions you might have of me.”[/b][/u][/color] She would go on to explain [color=9e0039][u][b]“You, and Rachel, have a lot of pull on with the upper echelon and you likely understand why I want to have as clear an understanding as I can get given my circumstance.”[/b][/u][/color]

“So you have spoken with the Inquisitor then?” Ishtar asked, a curious look in her eyes.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I’ve talked with Rachel before, you are a bit harder to get a hold of.”[/b][/u][/color]

Ishtar nodded. “Yes, I understand what you wish to learn. The recent events at Penrose have raised concern with Beacon beyond the confines of the city. The Ascendancy’s losses have been most alarming, of course,” she spoke, knowing Penny would understand the context. “But as much as I try to, I cannot sway the Inquisitor from continuing her campaign here, not as long as fear and terror yet pervades Penrose.” She leaned forward, her expression having turned more serious. “The Mint are starting to take hold of this city, grasping it from the shadows. It is only a matter of time before people lose hope, and resort to salvation in their greedy, uncaring hands. That would give Rachel everything she needs, her final justification.” She averted her eyes. “I dread to see that happen.”

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Honestly if you could persuade Rachel I’d be a lot less worried but rather surprised as well.”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would stay relaxed though the look on her face told enough about how serious she was taking this conversation. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I’m not going to argue that the Mint is a problem, anyone who does either hasn’t thought it through enough or is working for them. The issue is that most of the people still living here that are of a darker shade don’t trust Beacon anymore then they trust Mint. And the more that Rachel pushes the worse it’s going to get, as they don’t know the difference between the Ascendency and Beacon.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I’m doing what I can to preserve that hope, not that that should be much of a surprise.”[/b][/u][/color] Penny knew she was close to admitting blasphemy, but honestly that was the least of her worries and she knew it. [color=9e0039][u][b]“Because I don’t think anyone except for Rachel and those she trusts most want to see what it is she has in store for this city if she gets the proof she’s looking for.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“That does have me wondering though”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would tilt her head a bit as a thought occurred to her. [color=9e0039][u][b]“You are ostensibly a part of the Ascendency, but I’m not sure I understand what your role is.”[/b][/u][/color]

“It is true I am part of that organization,” Ishtar replied, “But only as an overseer. The Central Government has decreed a Cardinal to be sent to accompany any mission assigned to the Ascendancy, both to ensure that the proper bureaucracy and protocols are performed, and to act as judge, to ensure neutrality in the trials they conduct. But even so, Inquisitor Rachel is unlike others I have seen; her unwavering faith is like a fire that burns within her.” 

She rubbed her thumb against the palm of her other hand. “I know she is partly to blame for the suffering of many, including the poor girls of the local guard. But that is her way of coping with the darkness of this world.” She took a handkerchief, and wiped the corners of her eyes. Then, she looked right into Penny’s eyes; the robotic girl could feel like she was staring right through her. “Penny, you spoke of being a preserver of hope. What does it mean to you? How much are you willing to sacrifice to protect that hope?”

[color=9e0039][u][b]“My Oath is to Hope”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would say without hesitation, meeting Ishtar’s gaze head on as she did [color=9e0039][u][b]“To that end it means I’ve chosen to be an optimist. The one who looks towards the silver lining, the one who finds the good when everything is going bad. It also means that I’m not willing to sit back and let bad things happen if I can help it, not going to drag people down unless I am also there to help them build back up better. It means to be a defender and protector first, and an attacker last.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I am willing to sacrifice more than you would believe to protect hope. Because hope is vital to us all.”[/b][/u][/color] She would lean forward never once breaking eye contact as she spoke [color=9e0039][u][b]“and hopelessness, true hopelessness, is a fate far worse than death for us. Because after all the death of you or me is temporary, but the death of someone's hope. That is a lot harder to bring back.”[/b][/u][/color]

Ishta nodded, and then clasped her hands in silent prayer for a moment, before she spoke again: “That is the answer I hoped to hear, Penny.” She opened her eyes again, and Penny once again felt like she was looking far too intently at her. “There is a great darkness within you, remnants of a war that had waged in your soul. It had been rent, slashed, clawed and burnt. Yet, a light of hope had kept it together, like a prism that splits it into colors of the rainbow. Even as an echo of ruin and damnation resonates through it, that light has not been consumed by it. You have faced many hardships, Penny, but you have also taken so many of them on your shoulders, for the sake of others.” She smiled. “It is fitting that you would be the shepherd for the lost lambs.”

And that caught Penny’s attention. She didn’t start, or jump, but her focus sharpened much more then she was expecting to need for this conversation. It was all true, Penny knew that, but she hadn’t really explained much, if any, of that to anyone else. It was magic, that much Penny was sure of, but a type of magic on a level of which she wasn’t sure of.

Penny would go through the motions of taking a breath and holding it for a moment, reinforcing her apparent humanity even as she knew she had stopped worrying about blinking. [color=9e0039][u][b]“That. Is a very specific way of putting things.”[/b][/u][/color] She would say at last, still meeting Ishtar’s gaze, her own now much more searching. [color=9e0039][u][b]“You…”[/b][/u][/color] Another moment of silence as Penny weighed the pros and cons of asking outright. [color=9e0039][u][b]“You know a lot more about what is going on in Penrose then most, don’t you?”[/b][/u][/color] She would hedge instead. Too many possible ears, and plausible deniability.

Ishtar continued smiling gently, and placed a soft hand on the table. “Over the years that I had served as a beckoning star, I have seen many things. Joy. Anger. Sorrow. Hope. And despair. But here, I can’t see much. Penrose is clouded in darkness. But you can help clear the skies, Penny.” She clasped her fingers again. “You’re the light that shines in the deep.”

Penny stayed silent for a few moments, simply to process. What Ishtar was saying wasn’t deeply profound. But it hinted at a level of trust that Penny wasn’t sure she fully deserved. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I will do everything I can to that end.”[/b][/u][/color] She would say at length [color=9e0039][u][b]“I hold Beacon as an ally, and I do believe in the underlying principle that it is founded upon.”[/b][/u][/color] There was audible whirring as Penny spoke and it was easy to see her chest plate shifting slightly.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“But It is safe to say I don’t agree on everything.”[/b][/u][/color] Her chest plate would slide open revealing a small glass looking orb filled with soft white light that licked the inside of the glass like strands of plasma. [color=9e0039][u][b]“If it ever becomes a contested enough point, ask and I will return this.”[/b][/u][/color] She would say solemnly [color=9e0039][u][b]“Because I don’t want to risk this and my own chaotic nature might find a way to do that if it is taken abruptly. Do you think that is something that can be done?”[/b][/u][/color]

Ishta slowly shook her head, still smiling. “No, Penny. I won’t take your Spark, for it is yours, and yours only. And it shall be, as long as your heart is righteous and free of temptation.” She now had a serious expression. “The only one who can master the maelstrom in you,” she spoke with a raised hand, “is your own will. Learn to harness it, Penny, and it can be a force for good.”

Penny gave Ishtar a long, lingering, look before she nodded and retracted the Spark. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I’ve done what I can so far to keep it aimed at being such.”[/b][/u][/color] And she had, the Sanctuary was proof of that, or at least Penny hoped it was. [color=9e0039][u][b]“But mastery will only be proven when fully unleashed I think, and I’m hoping that neither of us need to see that for a long time yet.”[/b][/u][/color] Hoped for, but somehow Penny doubted it would be that easy. 

She would let the conversation die for a moment as she reviewed all that was covered so far, before shaking her head [color=9e0039][u][b]“Have to admit this was more enlightening than I expected it to be, and I’m glad I was able to find the time at last.”[/b][/u][/color] She would say with an amused huff. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I’ve learned what I wanted to and said what I wanted to. Anything else you would like to address?”[/b][/u][/color] She would ask.

Ishtar quietly prayed, her head hung low, until she lifted it in response to Penny’s question. “For the longest time, I have believed in an absolute light. When illuminated over all, everyone can see the world for what it truly is. They can share the warmth from a single fire, and learn from the same book that the light grants us vision of.” She paused. “But such a light...It doesn’t have one form. It can be a great bonfire, worshipped and praised. It can also be the tiniest ember, glowing in the black coal of the earth. It may be shunned, maybe even despised, but it is light. For it was light in the past...And from its ashes, a new one can spring forth.” She turned to Penny. “Prove to the bonfires that you are an ember, Penny. That all the embers can join with the bonfires, even as embers they remain, so that we can all see the world as one.” And then, she turned silent, and resumed her prayers.

Penny would let out an amused chuckle as she stood. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I think you would have gotten along with Laat.”[/b][/u][/color] She would say and she meant it as a complement. Time had cooled her knee jerk anger at her founding Patron. [color=9e0039][u][b]“From Royalty to Clergy I will always be willing to talk at your table.”[/b][/u][/color] She would say with a short bow [color=9e0039][u][b]“Enjoy the rest of your day Ishtar.”[/b][/u][/color]

With that Penny would leave. But she would linger outside the room for a moment as she once again mulled over the conversation she just had. It was a good one she would conclude before turning towards the guard she had stared down earlier. [color=9e0039][u][b]“Hey.”[/b][/u][/color] She would call out, waiting until she had the girls attention before continuing. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I wanted to apologise for earlier. You were just doing your job and I’ve been having a rough week. Wasn’t fair to you. Either of you”[/b][/u][/color] She would glance over at the other girl as well to let her know that Penny was talking to her as well.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“You’re still posted to protect the Cardinal, I get that, but if you want. I can run to the cafetiera and pick you both up a drink or something. My treat.”[/b][/u][/color]

The guards looked at each, and then at Penny. Suddenly, the girl on the right had sparkles appear in her eyes, while the other rolled her eyes. 

“We would appreciate that.”

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Great”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would take their order before venturing off to fill them.

Seems that things weren’t so dour as they first looked. [color=9e0039][i]‘I should tell Alicia to talk with Ishtar as well’[/i][/color] She would muse to herself as she went [color=9e0039][i]‘With any luck should be a good experience for her as well.’[/i][/color]