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[Annabeth's face pops up, curls a mess as usual, but considering the turtle developments, she doesn't look nearly as cross as usual?? There's the sounds of water splashing around somewhere in the suite, but she doesn't appear to care.]

It goes without saying that the turtle's health started improving at last. [Because powers! And it's swimming again!] I know various numbers of us were tasked by Evandau into investigations, and I don't know how all the other situations turned out, but Doctor Soranik Natu, Rogue, Percy Jackson, and myself found something probably worth sharing.

We were assigned with investigating a string of robberies initially, but really, the important part is we discovered a series of incomplete archways in several different homes and attempted to recreate one in its entirety.

The whole "world between Life, Death, and Dreaming" thing everyone gets on arrival? Start taking it literally, if you weren't before. Keeliai as we live in it here is the Life plane. The archway opened up a portal of a kind, and said portal took us to the Death plane.

[A blob of water floats across the screen, blurring Annabeth's face, but it's still possible to see her turn around in a huff, and from somewhere off screen there's an "Oops, sorry!" before the water flies off. She continues unperturbed.]

It was basically a version of Keeliai gone awry and ruined, everything rotting away, and we found markings in the form of some kind of blood magic, directly over where the Emperor's Palace is in this plane. Scans proved it to be kedan blood in origin, some of it fresh, and the pattern was being drawn by - you know, what we're here to fight, in a magical attempt to kill Tu Vishan. We were able to wipe the incomplete blood slate clean and stop this part of his illness before leaving the plane. [By 'we' she mostly means Ocean Jesus did A Water Thing.]

Unfortunately, or fortunately, the way in seems to be gone. The archways all disappeared once we got back, as did that particular methodology in creating them. [Melted pins ahh. A pause.] The Death plane is probably where our infamous threat is hiding. Its domain, so to speak.

Tu Vishan's health is picking up, but this - this situation here, with this thing we're up against? It's definitely not over.

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Better than getting confused by 'it' every other sentence. [But she kind of idly nods.] It'd need some kind of network here, to really be successful. Supporters among the kedan; a lot of the gangs are anti-foreigner, and that could be connected. Do you know anything about the Dust itself?

[She frowns over it herself.] What were they doing? How did they relate to all you were looking into?

It'd be better if we could say its name without becoming some honing beacon. [Hm.] It's this powder that's mixed with some kind of citrus juice. You smear it on the arm, and then it's absorbed into the skin to get the high. People become really susceptible to anything they're told while high. [She remembers the way that girl and her friends ordered the high kedan to do whatever she wanted, and she shakes her head sadly.] We don't know who is making the drug, but it's really big in Earth right now.

[Biting her lip now.] Smearing it on the arms of the addicts and giving them the orders to "prove" themselves. [Complete with air quotes here.] They have to be working with Mally, right? If they're giving orders for it?

Seriously. And I'm a little hesitant to even try, since I'm pretty sure it knew we were there. [and thus probably knows who they are. But she files away the Dust info, nodding along.] So it's possible the drug could continue to be used in... bad ways. [Bad ways is putting it mildly.]

[Annabeth frowns.] That'd be my first guess. Are these 'scaries' still around, too?

In the Death plane? [Even saying that gives Vanessa the creeps, and she can't suppress the small shiver that runs through her. She should have been done with all this kind of stuff, but nope.] Yeah. It's... It's more than possible.

[Admitting both to that and hearing the question about the 'scaries' makes her feel really guilty. Iorveth wanted to stop them, figure out the source, but they'd all convinced him to wait.] We had the chance to take them out, but we needed to know more about what they were talking about. So, yeah. They're still around.

Yeah. When - when we started trying to clear the blood away, there was this moment of extremely intense and angry pressure. [But that moment earlier, the moment of fear beyond anything she's ever experienced - that was worse, and for a moment, her face darkens.] I assume Evandau knows about it? Maybe he'll be looking into it. [If not she's totally thinking about it herself.]

Same with the scaries. Especially if we know Mally is involved, it seems just plain stupid to let it be. But it's good - you did find out more, right?

[There's a beat before she decides to just go ahead and encrypt this conversation. For the most part, whatever she wants to be public is out there now.]

Are you okay? [Vanessa understands completely how that feels. Wholeheartedly. She still remembers the pressure of the Atrox, and she wonders if it feels the same. Pure evil.] He knows, but... I don't know. Considering all of the groups and investigations, there might be too much for him. [Vanessa's definitely considering doing something, since they've come to the conclusion that the people hurting themselves hurts Asti.]

We just found out about the sacrifices. Not anything about where Dust comes from. [She bites her lip.] I think that the drug is being used to hurt Asti, Annabeth.

[She opens her mouth to respond with the instant yes, I'm fine, but she sighs instead.] I'll be fine. [And that much is honest.] It's... it's just really not a good place.

[Evandau e_e] I guess we look forward to conscription again. Regardless, it's something to keep an eye on ourselves, if we can. He'll probably still be stretched thin in the aftermath of all this. [She's speaking as a general we.]

[She frowns.] Maybe one of the other teams found out more about the Dust. If it's hurting Asti, it really does need to be stopped.

If you want to talk about it, I'm a pretty good listener. [And that's about how much she'll push for right now.] It doesn't sound like it. I hope we don't have any reason to go there.

I don't doubt that he'll need us again. But it can't hurt to look into things on our own. [After all, Evandau and the Emperor need their help, right? What are they really going to do about it?]

It's not just the drug in general. What Xi was alluding to, and what it looks like... It's like whatever state we're in, it reflects on Asti. Just like his state reflects on us. [A beat.] We're too connected.

[The corners of her lips curl up, in a not-quite smile, but the offer is genuinely appreciated.] Thanks, Vanessa. And I can't imagine a reason to go back, at least any time soon. [Hopefully the whole challenging Malicant bit doesn't have to be there.] I just figured people should be aware of it.

We might get answers we wouldn't otherwise, too. [Things their overlords can't hide.]

[Her face goes a shade analytical.] So, like, if we fall ill - if we were to fall under the influence of this drug, it would channel into Asti? If that's true, then maybe that was part of the plan, beyond the sacrifices. Who's Xi?

I can imagine. [Vanessa doesn't exactly mean to say that out loud. The look on her face says that, at least. But it's true. They might end up there. Why wouldn't they?]

That's always the case.

[A nod.] Yeah, I mean. Making people sick, killing them off. If we're connected to Asti like I think we are, why wouldn't we affect him? But why does Mally want to destroy Asti? [It doesn't make any sense.] Oh! She was the cop who was like our handler, I guess would be the best way to describe it.

[Awkward smile, but she gets it. It's entirely possible to end up back there. On purpose or otherwise.]

No, that does make sense. There's a lot about the way Asti works we don't understand either. [She sighs.] Maybe he wants to take Asti's power? Though we don't know if that's even possible. Sometimes evil things don't need a reason to be evil.

[Her face flickers with understanding, then she nods.] Ours was named Hei To.

[Evil things don't need a reason to be evil.

Vanessa lets those words bounce around in her head a little bit. She's not sure if she agrees. Lambert was evil for love. Hector for honor and glory. The Atrox for destruction and desire.] Isn't power enough of a reason to be evil? Asti said... He said he wasn't a god, but that also he was in a way. Power is a seductive reason to hurt others, because they want it. Because they can do it. [Because it's what they were made for.] But was it even taking his power? He was killing Asti.

If it's power he's after. Or maybe it's just destruction. It's hard to tell, exactly, but both could fit the bill.

I know, but like - maybe it can absorb the power from a dead turtle. Or maybe something happens if every last turtle is killed. I don't know, I'm mostly just thinking out loud.

Why not both? Power is easy to figure out, but what does he get out destruction? Does he feed on it? [The moment she says it, it makes sense to her. And that's utterly disturbing.]

Maybe. If Asti's like... a power source, why not the other turtles, too? there's something wrong with the mainland, the places that we've all landed. [Ugh. This is giving her a headache.] There just aren't enough pieces here yet.

[She sighs.] Yeah. I could definitely see it being both. Especially if destruction is something he feeds on. [Because suddenly that's seeming pretty legit a possibility to her, too.]

[Annabeth frowns a little; she can never seem to remember who knows about the continents and who doesn't.] They're all dead. The mainland, it's all dead turtles. Nothing else can be drawn from them anymore. [Frustrated noise of agreement!!! She's got so much information, but it's still not enough.] Tell me about it.

Right. Anymore, Annabeth. Maybe that's where the illness starts. With Mally, and that's what happened to them all. [Because if Malicant has always been around, and they've tried to fight him off before, who is to say that the turtles dying before weren't his either.]

[She makes a face, sighing.] We don't know how old Mally is, exactly. It's possible he helped exacerbate their deaths, yeah. For all we might have found out, there's still too much we don't know.

[Vanessa drops her head into her hands, face buried in her palms. Her voice is muffled a bit when she talks.] I can't take all of this not knowing thing. It's driving me crazy.

You don't have to tell me that. [Her tone is overflowing with understanding, darkening with her own frustrations (none of it actually directed at the other girl). If there's anything Annabeth hates, absolutely hates, it's not knowing something. Not knowing enough.]

You know what's funny is that I never cared about knowing more than I should, and now I do. [BC!!!!!!!!!!

But Vanessa figures it's probably a million times worse for Annabeth, the daughter of wisdom.]

[Her lips quirk, almost a smile.] I'd call that an improvement.

I think you're a little biased on that front, Annabeth.

[She shrugs.] It's not a bad bias to have.

Probably not. The more people who question things, the more answers we might get.

If only more people thought that way.

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