...It is their Director themself who comes to meet him, disguised as they often are in a servant's garb and a face not their own.

"...Your Majesty."

The Director's sheer presence is frankly inimitable, when it is revealed, but there are signs and countersigns exchanged nonetheless before the Director speaks of anything but trivialities.  Vigilance is key.

"Something happened.  I presume by the existence of this meeting that you know what, or have at least pieces of the puzzle that we have not gathered.  VIS would appreciate the information you have; Stratplan works much better when we know things than it does when we don't, and there's inexplicable positive events in our crystal ball.  We are confused.  I do believe I saw one of my analysts literally tearing his hair out."  (...Ophelia takes humor where she can find it.  Living under a constant threat of apocalypse does that to people.)

King Ambrose has had a long day, and it's not over yet.  And he'll have another long day tomorrow, with all the meetings he's had to bump from today... even if he doesn't need to bump anything again, which he's sure he will.

But that's what it takes to rule a kingdom.

"Director," he says with a smile.  (After all, she's in disguise, even if they are in private.)  "My daughter - Alicia - had a prophetic dream.  Fortunately, seeing the future - among other things, a future in which she had descended to helping a demon cult - seems to have greatly improved her character.  If not, I would've feared for the future."  He shakes his head, with a smile.  "But, she's eagerly helping us make the best use of the future knowledge.

"The urgent thing, of course, is that future knowledge itself.  I've already started planning some things, but I can of course use your help."

"Of course."

(Even though Ambrose knows better, helped set up this role - Ophelia Ferrule has appeared side-by-side with the Director before, so really, who's to say who's beneath the mask?)

"To start with, we know the names of some demon cultists," he taps a paper, "including Baron Morimer and Lord Ratrimir.  In about four years, they'll be plotting to release K'xabriguthak; we don't know if they're doing that yet.  I've already alerted some servants to keep an eye on Ratrimir, and gotten some mages ready, though of course I haven't told them for what."

"...Your Majesty, why -"

She exhales, forcefully.

"I should hope that you recall the importance of counter-intelligence when dealing with subverted assets.  It is imperative that the cultists not know we know of their existence until we are ready to strike.  Although, given Ratrimir's involvement...

"We do have plans in place to take him off the board, if we can but find someone who'll testify against him.  That his backers are a demon cult...

"I believe we can use this information.  The going theory was that he had some sort of blackmail on those who are supposed to check him.  Demon cultists are...Simpler to resolve, than blackmail that we can't find.  So if we launch something like QUEENSIDE CASTLE on Ratrimir, we could actually lay a trap for the cult, and infiltrate some of our own agents in the wake of their cleanup attempt."

(QUEENSIDE CASTLE, for the record, is an op plan that revolves around calling an important figure to the literal castle, ideally under some less-spooky pretense, and arresting them for crimes they've definitely committed, while agents of the Crown raid their abode for evidence of ones they need further proof of.)

"Of course.  But Ratrimir must realize there're enough reasons to be checking up on him already - as we discussed when you were laying your plans.

"And yes, I'm much less concerned about Queenside Castle now that I know he's a demon cultist rather than a blackmailer... but what crimes do you want to arrest him on?  I don't yet have any evidence of his cultism outside Alicia's dream, and I'd like to keep that secret as long as possible."

"Perhaps there are, but he is arrogant.  He will not notice the trap, if it is baited correctly; he's too confident in his image to believe it pierced, even if he's clever enough to take some precautions.  If the King calls for his presence, with a flattering word or two, he will come.  His ego demands nothing less of him.  And then, we can nail him for tax fraud."

She has a whole folder of things like that.  A million little lies that Ratrimir probably wouldn't notice himself making anymore, all painting a grand picture in the negative space they define.

"My compliments, by the way, to the auditors and the census bureau.  It was a pleasure to work with them."

He grins.  "Absolutely.  And then, I take it, I will have already sent people to his manor so no one can hide evidence of the tax fraud, and they will just happen to stumble across evidence of the demon cult..."

It's so good when he can work with competent people.

"I can get that in place... for a summons tomorrow, and then an arrest the next day.  It would be nice if they also find evidence about the other cultists whose names we now have, but I don't know if they're all linked already."

"Destruction of records is quite a problem, but we do specialize in finding and defusing traps.  As long as there's no angry demon cultist throwing felfire at us...And even if there is, really, I'd give us good odds if forearmed.  Speaking of which, if we're ramping up over this, we should probably discuss some budget items..."

There's always, always budget items and paperwork, when you run an organization this large.  Even if it's mostly decentralized in the field, there's training and equipment expenses that come back home to roost because you can't just trust any random mage with your encryption, and then there's your spec ops equipment costs...

Suffice to say, the meeting will last a little while longer, even if it's mostly administrative minutiae by now.

The next morning, Rill is really hoping Princess Alicia's new reformed self will last.  It's been a wild day, but not unpleasant at all - and for the first time in a while, she's actually starting to be happy to work for Princess Alicia.

She clears her throat nervously as she enters Alicia's room, and calls out - just like yesterday - "Your Highness?"

"...Mghrmgl?  Five more minutes," comes the Princess's plaintive voice from where she is mashing her head into a pillow like it contains the secrets of the universe, or at least of the cure to her bleary mental state.

...And with realizing that she, once again, has to get up, comes another realization: She's probably not having some sort of intense coma dream.  Fuck.

"...Ugh, nevermind about the five more minutes, I just gave myself too much existential angst to go back to sleep.  Good morning, - Rill, yes?  I believe we have a visit from my great-aunt on the docket today, and then no immediate plans that should involve me - and given that I've much to do before I can consider myself properly equipped for adventure, nor should they."

Rill has heard the words "existential angst" before, but she's never thought of using them around getting up in the morning.  She blinks.

"Er... yes, I heard that Dutchess Ophelia's coming.  And..."  She fails to squelch her curiosity.  "... are you hoping to go adventuring when you're ready?  Soon?"

She's grinning nervously, simultaneously hoping and afraid to be invited along.

"More like dreading the necessity of having to set foot outside a carefully controlled workshop, but it's not like I didn't dream of dressing up in armor and vanquishing something-or-other when I was a little kid, either, so it's mostly just grumbling for dramatic effect.  I am looking forward to it, I think.  Just also dreading it at the same time.  ...I don't expect much soon, besides maybe a small excursion somewhere safe-ish to dip my toes in, as it were."

... yeah, she's not surprised that Princess Alicia was dreaming of that as a little girl.  And that in her present reformed mood (may it stay!), she'd gloss over the "something-or-other" she dreamed of vanquishing.

"A small safe expedition?  That sounds exciting, Your Highness!  Maybe to find one of those things you saw in your dream?  Something hopefully the cultists aren't already looking for?"

"That's the general idea, yes.  I hope you'll forgive my not saying what right now."

...Truthfully, she just literally didn't have much to put on for vanquishing except, like, nebulous 'bad people'.  ...Well.  She didn't.  ...Princess Alicia didn't really have anything either.

"Of course - I'm sure you're still trying to figure out what to do after having had that dream."

She suddenly remembers what she was thinking after hearing Princess Alicia's resolution yesterday.

"... Your plans have certainly seemed to work well so far."

"...I'm glad to hear you have confidence in them."  Because, she doesn't say, she certainly doesn't.  "Most of my thoughts are that it's just too soon to tell."

"Well, Your Highness, you're definitely doing better than you were."

She looks over at the wardrobe.  "Another informal dress today, Your Highness?  Perhaps the red or the pink?"

"...I mean, it's Great-Aunt Ophelia.  I'm pretty sure that she doesn't know the meaning of the word, so I don't want to underdress, you know?  But not too fancy, this isn't a state occasion or anything."

"Then maybe the pink with an added lace blouse and petticoat..."

If Alicia doesn't object, she'll take it out of the wardrobe and help her out of her laced nightgown and into the dress.

She gives the pink dress a Look.  Holds it over her hand, scrutinizing intently.  Scowls at it, as if she has been personally offended by something it did.  "I don't know why no-one's told me that this pink is not my color.  I'm not certain this particular specimen is literally anyone's color.  It makes me look positively sickly.  We are not doing that dress today, and I'm not sure I'll ever want to wear it.  Still...Let me take a look at what else we have.  Maybe something will come to me."  And maybe she'll magic up a dress out of shadowstuff.  Great-Aunt Ophelia does that sort of thing often enough, from what she's seen.

...Really, knowing her Great-Aunt Ophelia, she's pretty sure Rill is barking up the wrong tree anyway.  Certainly the Duchess of Thorn dresses elaborately, so the blouse seems a reasonable idea - but Ophelia Ferrule, the Iron Lady - she stands beyond the fear that petticoats embody, because she will just make anyone who approaches her wrongly regret their mistakes.  Alicia envies her, really, and the Princess took all the wrong lessons from knowing her, but nonetheless learned some of the right cues.

She wants to impress her Great-Aunt, and dressing stuffily is not the way to do that.

...

She pulls a black dress out of the closet, contemplatively.  She's not truly mourning, but there is something she's lost.

...Beyond her old world, that is.

She's lost this child's innocence.  And...she kind of wants to grieve that.  It was a fragile, ephemeral thing, but it was there.  She doesn't know how she expected to reclaim it in this life, really - she knew that she wouldn't stop knowing everything she knew of man's inhumanity to man.

...So many people are going to get hurt because of her and her stupid decisions.  She hates it.  She's sure Ciara will catch her moping later, but right now, she can't stop feeling these feelings.

She lays out the black dress, as a base, and from there, accessorizes.

...She really needs to get in some proper lab time sometime soon, she has too many ideas.  ...Well, that's part of why she asked for Great-Aunt Ophelia to be here.  Perhaps she'll help.

Rill is mildly surprised; Alicia didn't like to wear black much before.

"Perhaps with the purple belt... and this..."  She helps accessorize.

"Mmhmm."

"...There is a sense in which I am in mourning, if I'm going to be honest with you.  A lot of...bad things, happened, in the future that never will be - but just because they won't happen now, doesn't mean that they didn't...

"Suck to experience, if I've no adequate recourse but somewhat crass language.

"And it's thus that the black seems...

"Appropriate."

"Oh."

Rill straightens up, and her eyes go wide for a moment.

"For... anyone in particular?"