Again, Gogonji found himself massaging his hand as Annelace strode into the Toll, though his face remained as dour and unreadable as ever. He had thought on it as he rode the ship to Vesper Bay from Limsa, remembered far too clearly the feeling of his palm striking her cheek - the look on Annunu's face as the imprint reddened into the distinct shape of his hand. It had been little more than a stage slap, more sound than force done to add realism to their deception, done because the words she had said would have logically been followed by such an action. And yet, seeing her expression afterward - feigned or not - had caused a brief pang of... something... in his gut that he had been forced to swallow and ignore for the sake of their plan.
It was something he could only really remember feeling a couple times. Once when he had left the twin of his cactaur-shaped earring on the nightstand of young Chachanji before departing on the journey that started all this, and once again when he realized that the doppelganger had been - in truth - that selfsame brother of his. A sharp, negative pang in his stomach and a brief chill at the base of his neck to accompany it. He could feel faint echoes of it even now as he dwelt upon the slap, along with the phantom tinglings of the contact along his palm. It was why he felt the need to try and massage it away.
It was also why he had decided to detour into the Toll rather than head straight back to his secluded home deep within the snowy fields of Coerthas. While he couldn't make direct contact with An while they were in this stage of the plan, there were still several things he could do on his own. Fail-safes that he could check upon, to ensure they were prepared for any of the various possible outcomes. The jammer for the explosive collar was one such fail-safe, tasked to the Garlond Ironworks - as much as Gogonji disliked them for their antics during the development of the Rousers - to complete as quickly as possible. Perhaps it was also that distaste, or a twinge of his own paranoia, that had urged him to check in on their progress.
And perhaps a bit of Nymeia's hand was in it as well. The Lalafell's wary gaze had caught sight of the men set out around the doors of the Ironworks, replacing the Roegadyn who usually served as front-man. His paranoia sought him to pull his white-feathered bird sharply to one side, hiding both her and himself among the other chocobos in the stable adjacent. His cynical nature bade him creep forward and observe - after switching to a hooded coat from his saddlebags - as this likely meant nothing good. All leading to the Doman observing as Rosewater himself left the facility, his lackeys joining him as he departed. And he was smiling - an expression Gogonji had quickly learned to despise.
Why was Rosewater here? He could easily have been following some other lead, or pursuing one of his own depraved goals... but that gnawing paranoia that had ingrained itself so deeply in the Lalafell wasn't so willing to dismiss it so easily. Not when only suns prior had An and himself met to speak and plan at the restaurant that overlooked the still-growing town. It was exquisitely placed, that restaurant; high up enough to both give a solid view of the town below and keep conversations held there from floating down to unwanted ears. Gogonji had been keeping tabs on anyone heading their way while speaking with his Plainsfolk companion and had not noticed anyone seeking to tail her to the meeting itself. Yet, that did not mean they hadn't known she had come to the Toll at all... or that she had visited the Ironworks.
Gogonji remained hidden in the stables, hood pulled over his head and fully coated in the unappealing stench of chocobo, for a quarter bell after Rosewater had left. His violet eyes flitted from spot to spot, checking for any other of the Sultansworn's cronies that might have been left to keep tabs on the Ironworks. He mentally marked about two or three that could possibly be in the Hyur's camp, and about two more that he just had a bad feeling about. Moving with what little stealth his vague memories from the joining with the Ninja fragment brought him, the Lalafell made his way to - and into - the Ironworks proper.
The place was eerily quiet, which was never a good sign. The only noise a quiet whimpering - which was possible worse - coming from one of the darker corners of the facility. One of the engineers was huddled there, weakly trying to hide from the new arrival, cradling a hand that drooped uselessly at the wrist. Gogonji didn't need his paranoia or cynical outlook to put two and two together, but he also could see a way to twist this situation to his advantage. Another cautious sweep for any leftover goons stationed within the Ironworks itself, and he approached her.
"S-stay back..." she murmured, pushing herself further into the corner. "I-I told him everything I knew..."
"Calm yourself," Gogonji hissed quietly with his usual 'cheery' bedside manner as he withdrew his tome from its hiding place within the folds of his coat. "I am here to... mend. Not... further harm. Though... you might want something... to bite down on."
The mechanic nearly bit through her oil-stained worker's glove as the Lalafell uncaringly moved her hand into the proper position, followed by the rusty silver glow of his healing aether as it slowly erased the bruising and knitted back together her shattered wrist. Nearly ripping that selfsame glove from her mouth, it was sacrificed along with a couple iron rods to make a slipshod brace to keep that hand from moving until the rest of the damage could heal naturally. It was vaguely familiar to the leg braces little Chachanji had been put into, and that only soured the elder Gegenji brother's mood further.
"Don't move it," he stated flatly, an order to be obeyed rather than a mere recommendation. "So... he knows... about the jammer, then?"
The question grabbed the woman's attention away from nursing the freshly healed injury.
"W-what? How do you...?"
"Do not... concern yourself with such things," Gogonji shushed her icily from the shadows of his hood. "How goes... the progress?"
"Well, we had... blueprints drawn up that could work," the engineer explained. "H-He's seen them, though. That man. He... didn't destroy them, though."
"Of course he didn't," the Lalafell murmured with a disapproving sigh, like a teacher who had been asked an obvious question. He wouldn't want the plans destroyed - he likely made sure to copy them or at the very least memorize them. So he could either make adjustments to the device itself or just to have the knowledge of it to use against Annunu. Or he might have made some slight modifications to the plans, subtly sabotaging the design. Whatever move Rosewater had made, Gogonji had to react accordingly to keep the balance in his favor.
"Show me the plans."
It was something he could only really remember feeling a couple times. Once when he had left the twin of his cactaur-shaped earring on the nightstand of young Chachanji before departing on the journey that started all this, and once again when he realized that the doppelganger had been - in truth - that selfsame brother of his. A sharp, negative pang in his stomach and a brief chill at the base of his neck to accompany it. He could feel faint echoes of it even now as he dwelt upon the slap, along with the phantom tinglings of the contact along his palm. It was why he felt the need to try and massage it away.
It was also why he had decided to detour into the Toll rather than head straight back to his secluded home deep within the snowy fields of Coerthas. While he couldn't make direct contact with An while they were in this stage of the plan, there were still several things he could do on his own. Fail-safes that he could check upon, to ensure they were prepared for any of the various possible outcomes. The jammer for the explosive collar was one such fail-safe, tasked to the Garlond Ironworks - as much as Gogonji disliked them for their antics during the development of the Rousers - to complete as quickly as possible. Perhaps it was also that distaste, or a twinge of his own paranoia, that had urged him to check in on their progress.
And perhaps a bit of Nymeia's hand was in it as well. The Lalafell's wary gaze had caught sight of the men set out around the doors of the Ironworks, replacing the Roegadyn who usually served as front-man. His paranoia sought him to pull his white-feathered bird sharply to one side, hiding both her and himself among the other chocobos in the stable adjacent. His cynical nature bade him creep forward and observe - after switching to a hooded coat from his saddlebags - as this likely meant nothing good. All leading to the Doman observing as Rosewater himself left the facility, his lackeys joining him as he departed. And he was smiling - an expression Gogonji had quickly learned to despise.
Why was Rosewater here? He could easily have been following some other lead, or pursuing one of his own depraved goals... but that gnawing paranoia that had ingrained itself so deeply in the Lalafell wasn't so willing to dismiss it so easily. Not when only suns prior had An and himself met to speak and plan at the restaurant that overlooked the still-growing town. It was exquisitely placed, that restaurant; high up enough to both give a solid view of the town below and keep conversations held there from floating down to unwanted ears. Gogonji had been keeping tabs on anyone heading their way while speaking with his Plainsfolk companion and had not noticed anyone seeking to tail her to the meeting itself. Yet, that did not mean they hadn't known she had come to the Toll at all... or that she had visited the Ironworks.
Gogonji remained hidden in the stables, hood pulled over his head and fully coated in the unappealing stench of chocobo, for a quarter bell after Rosewater had left. His violet eyes flitted from spot to spot, checking for any other of the Sultansworn's cronies that might have been left to keep tabs on the Ironworks. He mentally marked about two or three that could possibly be in the Hyur's camp, and about two more that he just had a bad feeling about. Moving with what little stealth his vague memories from the joining with the Ninja fragment brought him, the Lalafell made his way to - and into - the Ironworks proper.
The place was eerily quiet, which was never a good sign. The only noise a quiet whimpering - which was possible worse - coming from one of the darker corners of the facility. One of the engineers was huddled there, weakly trying to hide from the new arrival, cradling a hand that drooped uselessly at the wrist. Gogonji didn't need his paranoia or cynical outlook to put two and two together, but he also could see a way to twist this situation to his advantage. Another cautious sweep for any leftover goons stationed within the Ironworks itself, and he approached her.
"S-stay back..." she murmured, pushing herself further into the corner. "I-I told him everything I knew..."
"Calm yourself," Gogonji hissed quietly with his usual 'cheery' bedside manner as he withdrew his tome from its hiding place within the folds of his coat. "I am here to... mend. Not... further harm. Though... you might want something... to bite down on."
The mechanic nearly bit through her oil-stained worker's glove as the Lalafell uncaringly moved her hand into the proper position, followed by the rusty silver glow of his healing aether as it slowly erased the bruising and knitted back together her shattered wrist. Nearly ripping that selfsame glove from her mouth, it was sacrificed along with a couple iron rods to make a slipshod brace to keep that hand from moving until the rest of the damage could heal naturally. It was vaguely familiar to the leg braces little Chachanji had been put into, and that only soured the elder Gegenji brother's mood further.
"Don't move it," he stated flatly, an order to be obeyed rather than a mere recommendation. "So... he knows... about the jammer, then?"
The question grabbed the woman's attention away from nursing the freshly healed injury.
"W-what? How do you...?"
"Do not... concern yourself with such things," Gogonji shushed her icily from the shadows of his hood. "How goes... the progress?"
"Well, we had... blueprints drawn up that could work," the engineer explained. "H-He's seen them, though. That man. He... didn't destroy them, though."
"Of course he didn't," the Lalafell murmured with a disapproving sigh, like a teacher who had been asked an obvious question. He wouldn't want the plans destroyed - he likely made sure to copy them or at the very least memorize them. So he could either make adjustments to the device itself or just to have the knowledge of it to use against Annunu. Or he might have made some slight modifications to the plans, subtly sabotaging the design. Whatever move Rosewater had made, Gogonji had to react accordingly to keep the balance in his favor.
"Show me the plans."
~