This meeting cannot be skipped. (week 7 meeting)

[howveryglib]

[okay. that was a horror show and a half. but at the same time, Gaius is... thinking about it pretty hard, particularly the Hodaka thing. the gears are turning in his head. It is... not particularly hard to track down everyone personally. because there's. not very many people left. If he can find you in person, he will speak to you individually!]

Meeting in the usual location. One hour. We have much to discuss.

[...

if he can't find people in person he'll like, slip notes under their doors. he... is not sure if the idea he's having is encouraging or discouraging. but there's other stuff to talk about too, besides just Theory Chat. ...he did surreptitiously bring in some chairs so we don't all have to be sitting on the bathroom floor at least. but he's not the kind of person for decoration, he's the kind of person for getting things done!

so, when Meeting Time rolls around and everyone's present, he will be sitting in one of the chairs with his notes!]

We all understand why we are here. Let us begin.

Comments

[howveryglib]

[okay he's got a lot to go through, let him get his notes together...]

I investigated the shack across the lake, and while there was not terribly much of interest, there are fishing supplies. Yes, there are fish in the lake. In any case, apparently there was to be a wedding between Manfred von Karma and... someone, but he and an individual named Jasper were killed before said wedding could occur. There was naught else of interest in there.

The...

[...he rubs his temple.]

The Gold Saucer is an entertainment facility in my home realm, located in Thanalan. There are many similarities, but the founders are noted as Cait Sith and Reeve Tuesti, neither of whom I have any intelligence on. Believe me, I am aware of the primary leadership of the Gold Saucer back home; the Mandervilles are a prominent, politically important family in Ul'dah and I am aware of any individual with whom they would entrust an outside venture of this nature. I am aware that none of them are bipedal cats, at the very least. ...Mi'qote, certainly, cats, no.

Within this... particular iteration of the Gold Saucer I found a stage with moogle mammets that had some of their internal mechanisms removed. Apparently they were intended to be some sort of band, but one of the songs on the control panel had been rather violently disabled. There is also a small, mechanized race track with chocobo cutouts on them that are labeled with the names Marcello, Peridot, Loki, Lusamine, Gideon, Alexis, Reeve, and Wesker. Of course, there is also a tape.

...

Finally, I know the events of the motive announcement were distressing to everyone, myself included... but anyone else get the impression Hodaka was trying to get out some sort of message before the Mayor silenced him?

[fuckingguy]

Oh, Gothel was getting married! See, it is stated right here in the endorsements of the armory which was previously a flower shop.

[ he's just pulling open the relevant page on the brochure ]

I suppose she just... kept the name?

[howveryglib]

…perhaps the ceremony occurred but the groom and this other person were killed before the reception…?

[fuckingguy]

Oh, that is possible! Or perhaps they were just siblings and these were two completely unrelated weddings.

[specialyellthing]

Or she took his name in his honor after he died, like a romance story—- [zinda the relentless]

[fuckingguy]

[ zinda the relentless..... ]

[howveryglib]

We may find out their true relationship once we begin investigating the offices. Though I am not entirely sure how much it matters…

[gaius honey backstory round relationship drama is the most important thing in this game]

[fuckingguy]

To be honest, in the recording I found, seems like relationship drama turned into a pretty big feature of the whole scenario.

[specialyellthing]

Seems about right. It's everywhere.

[howveryglib]

...You are not incorrect, but I am not entirely sure if the relationship drama will free us from our predicament.

[specialyellthing]

… He just seemed scared, and confused, to me. He may have been about to say somethin helpful, but—-

[inaclearing]

I assumed he meant...you know. "Don't kill each other again."

[howveryglib]

An understandable sentiment. Perhaps I am simply overthinking things, but I… suppose it is a situation worth overthinking. Unlike the majority of instances where we were shown hostages, he could actually see us, and I do think it could be significant that the Mayor used one of our number a demonstration rather than anyone we may have lost back home.

[honeyedtea]

You don't believe she has whatever power over death she claims to have?

[specialyellthing]

… That is an interestin thought. It isn’t an easy process where I’m from, but maybe… maybe the rules are different for this universe?

If she could bring him back, then… She should be able to bring back any of the executed, right?

[honeyedtea]

It's entirely possible. My doubts are as to whether she would.

[ spiteful girlbosses understand spiteful girlbosses. ]

[howveryglib]

I think it is possible that she may have some ability to manipulate death, but only on a very limited scale. If my earlier theory that she is attempting to do something with our souls is anywhere close to the mark, she may be able to reanimate only the corpses of those who died during this… process.

[honeyedtea]

That raises the question again... what exactly is she planning? I can't stand being left in the dark by such a terrible woman.

[ She's got her arms folded across her chest and she's scowling to herself. ]

What could you even do with a soul that would make it worth this much trouble?

[fuckingguy]

This theory of yours was... what, exactly? I do not recall hearing it.

[honeyedtea]

... I'm aware this is hardly the question to be asking but what on earth is a moogle?

[ THAT'S NOT EVEN A WORD... ]

[howveryglib]

Oh, they are… bizarre little forest creatures with the ability to make themselves invisible to most. When I was young the stories always made them out to be small rabbit-like beings a bit shorter than a Lalafell, but they are apparently small… mole… bat… things. The only thing that was accurate was that they have a single antenna with a pom-pom at the end of it…

[honeyedtea]

I... see...

[ Mielle, very transparently, Does Not See. ]

They aren't dangerous, are they?

[howveryglib]

Well, they are beings possessed of intelligence, so they are dangerous in the way that anyone more intelligent than a beast would be. With that said, the general impression I have gotten is that they are, on the whole, more invested in japes and harmless trickery than actual violence.

[honeyedtea]

I have an extremely difficult time believing that anything put in here with us is truly harmless.

[howveryglib]

Oh, they are not actual moogles. They are simply mechanical constructs designed to look like them.