Ishu has been enjoying Cathak hospitallity during his stay, sampling a few wines, looking through the library, but has largely stayed confined to an area set aside as his room. He has seemed be fairly content with his semi-incarceration, though this may be because he knows he could not leave if he wanted to. Now as the sun gets lower in the sky, he sits in the room, idly passing the time watching the city through a window.

     Given the oath, Mender is close by, of course. Ishu has (presumably) not been /too/ annoying about it, but he has been careful to keep within sight - the few times he's even seemingly violated it, there's been a mirror nearby she could see. For now, though, she's in his room, asking questions. "So how exactly DID Cathak Zuriel catch you, again?"

        "It was rather simple," Ishu notes, "I had been charded by Duke Chanis to clear the roads of the Blood Apes that guarded greyfalls. I did so in the hopes that I could work my way into his court." He shakes his head, "Anyway, he tracked me down with a Hound of the Endless Hunt. I agreed to come back with him, in the hopes that I could convince him that I mean the best for creation."

     Mender hmms. "I see. And why did you consider this the best course of action? The working into a court, I mean. I think the reason for capture is tolerably obvious to me."

        "Because I am only one person. I have servants, and people who rely on me, but I am one of a kind," he says, smiling. "I could not face Chanis on the field, nor could I face him in the wyld. But my skills in the Golden Janissary style mean I can face the demons Zuriel summons. I hope to make myself indisposable to the court. Should I be able to gain power in the court, I could turn the blade of his armies away from the people of creation." He shakes his head, "Thats what I hope, anyway."

     Mender murmurs something to the device strapped to her right wrist, then looks back to Ishu. "I have my own opinions on an effective tactic, but then... I would. Still, you are now here, not there. Have you decided what you will do here, while you are imprisoned? Continue to plead your case to Zuriel? I doubt that will be effective."

        "I don't know." He pauses, "At the very least, my 'escape' from here will lend me some noteriety in Chanis' court. I don't know how I will go about convincing Zuriel however. I'm hoping that if I can convince him that I don't pose a direct threat to Greyfalls, he well consent to let me continue my efforts. If he were to assist me, I think I could insinuate myself into the court more easily."

     Mender holds a finger up. "I believe he is more likely to endorse action from the outside. I, for one, would not object to carpeting the area with as much iron as could be found."

        "True, and supporting the Dragon Blooded may now be an option for me, but at the time approaching the terrestrials was not an option. I might as well be a perfect example of the Anathema of the Immaculates. I practice a heretical style, I am a being that has caused grief to creation for hundreds of years. At least now I have forced a one-on-one meeting with the dragon-bloods, and something may be worked out now that I don't have to worry about being killed on sight."

     Mender chuckles. "And, at that, they have /actual/ Anathema to worry about these days, and I hope they learn their lesson. But that's a good deal of history that is quite beside the point at this time. I must admit you've been nothing but charming so far, but then... that's exactly what you WOULD be, given what you are. No?"

        "I suppose, I have no reason to be hostile to you, and you have been a relatively kind host." He pauses, considering, "What I am is a creature that feeds on the emotions of mortals. Not all of my kind will attempt to kill you with kindness; fear, desire, terror, love, any can be used. Some Raksha see themselves as conesours, finding the delicate differences between emotions." Reaching into his silken belt, he pulls out a small egg-shaped object. "I do feed on emotions, but only in an indirect way, otherwise I rely on this.  Ishu spins the egg in his hand, "This is a cyst, from my freehold. While it cannot sustain a large group, this would allow me to live indefinitely in creation without having to feed on mortals." He shakes his head, "I suppose what I'm trying to say out of all this is that I have no reason to be charming, other than I wish to be a friend, and that you hold one of the keys to my incarceration here," he smiles.

     Mender raises an eyebrow. "If that's all, it at least makes for a different reason to be charming than some. I hold no key - Zuriel permitted me here because I am an envoy of the Vir Sidius empire, and I have managed to aquire a small reputation during my time on the surface. But while I - and I mean no offense here - find your breed repellent, neither am I a heartless individual. A sincere attempt at socialization should be rewarded, provided that attempt continues. Simple conditioning, any pet-owner knows how to do it. If you'll pardon the comparison."

        Ishu nods at Mender's thoughts, "I understand. I know what I am, and I don't hold it against those who only have experience with my less... controlled kin. And I have to say, while you are... disconcerting, to me, you are anything but repellant."

     Mender further explains, "What I mean is not that I find you repulsive on a personal level; my kind are simply made in opposition to all that the Wyld is. It has no power over us, save if we spend too long in it we will die."

     "I will tell you a secret, Mender. I was not always a creature of the wyld. My father was a Raksha, out in the east, but my mother was a mortal woman. She promised herself into bondage in exchange for my freedom as a child. I grew up a mortal man, and only in the last few years did this change come upon me." His voice is dark, as he remembers his mother. "I am not yet strong enought to challenge my father but I will return to my mother one day. I tell you this so that you understand that I have no love for the plots of the wyld and my kin. My powers and perceptions now are a tool, a tool that I have had to learn to live with. I have learned to accept it, and to use it to my advantage. I realize I see things differently now, but I will work with it. I live now to fight fire with fire."