Elyse had come to the Shale’s today to be with Rachel. Emily and Jared had both gone to Kallisti to teach their new power trick. As such, Emily had asked Elyse to come and stay with Rachel today. Mara was around, but she wasn’t always reliable since she wasn’t dealing well with the whole situation. Elyse was able to keep herself in a relatively calm stat which was what Rachel needed. 

They were in Rachel’s room. It was where Rachel spent most of her time now if she couldn’t be convinced to go out. That was becoming more difficult to accomplish. Rachel had only left her bed to go to the bathroom, besides that, she had only moved to switch whatever side she was laying down on. Rachel hadn’t wanted to eat, but Elyse had been able to convince her to do so. 

Rachel smelled of fear as she had since the beginning. Occasionally, Elyse would see her twitch or tremble. Living in a state of constant fear wasn’t good for your mental well-being. Fear activated the fight or flight response. At first, Rachel had been fighting pretty hard, but she was beginning to give in to the fear. She was running. 

Elyse got up from the chair in the room and knelt down next to the bed. Rachel stared up at the ceiling. Rachel’s eyes  that gleamed with emerald fire when she was happy, were dull and unfocused. ”Rachel, honey, you should get up. Maybe we can go on a walk or something,” Elyse said. What they did didn’t matter, Rachel just needed to move. 

Rachel didn’t say anything. She had said very little since Elyse had arrived. After a few moments that felt like hours, Rachel shook her head no. Elyse looked down, uncertain of what to do. Some days were harder than others. Today was shaping up to be a difficult one. Elyse just wanted her friend to be better. 

”Would you like me to leave? Tell me what you need, hon,” Elyse was scared to ask it, but decided to. She wouldn’t leave the house, but she would give Rachel space. 

Rachel shook her head again and very quietly said, ”Please stay.”

That at least meant that she still hadn’t completely given up. Elyse got up and sat down on the bed, placing a comforting hand on Rachel’s shoulder. She would be here for her friend.

Moscow authorities responded swiftly this morning to a bomb threat targeting the headquarters of Shale International, a multinational business located within the business district of the city.. The threat prompted a full evacuation of the building and surrounding area.

According to Moscow police spokesperson Dmitry Kuznetsov, the threat was received via an interview with someone who turned themselves in on the morning of December 14, 2046. The details of this interview, including the name of the informant, are unknown. 

With the assistance of Moscow Fire Department, the employees of the building and surrounding area were evacuated. The Moscow Police Department Bomb Squad responded and did a sweep of the building, employee bomb sniffing dogs and scanners. Traffic was diverted from the location for several blocks in all directions, causing delays across Central Moscow.

“No device has been found at this stage, but our investigation is ongoing,” Kuznetsov said during a press briefing. “We are treating this threat with the utmost seriousness.”

Shale International issued a brief statement on social media at 11:03 AM confirming the evacuation and ongoing cooperation with authorities:

“This morning, Shale International's Moscow office received a credible threat which prompted the immediate evacuation of our staff. We are grateful to emergency services for their prompt and professional response. The safety of our employees and partners remains our top priority.”

Authorities have given no timeline for their investigation and Shale Employees have been directed to stay home for the time being. As of this evening, no device has been found and no arrests have been made. This story is developing. Updates will follow as more information becomes available.

((Article written by AI))

Interoffice Communications
To: Shale Staff
From: Emily Shale-Vanders

All Shale Employees,

I thank you so much for your hard work on a daily basis. I'm writing now to comment on the evacuation of the building on December 14, 2046. On the morning of December 14, 2046, we received word of a potential bomb threat to the building from the Moscow Police Department. We immediately enacted our evacuation protocols.  Thanks to you all taking our drills seriously, we were able to evacuate the building in a timely manner. As you are aware, Moscow Police did a thorough sweep of the building and found explosives

At this point, we know little of the threat.  We do not know who issued it or why Shale was targeted. We have been informed that we do not know if this attack was to happen the 14th or not. The threat itself was somewhat ambiguous. With this in mind, the board and I have decided to close down the building until after Christmas. We will work with the police in trying to figure out the validity of these threats and will reassess the situation at a later time. Please note that these days will be paid.  It will not affect your paycheck or benefits.

Your safety as employees of Shale is of the utmost importance and we are keeping that in mind in dealing with this threat. If you have any questions regarding this memo, please feel free to contact your supervisors.

Once again, thank you all for your hard work.

Sincerely,

Emily Shale-Vanders
CEO, Shale International

This post will explain what's coming, since it's being introduced in game here.

Once the world is unified under the CCD, we will transition from traditional money into a new era of programmable commerce. The CCD Dollar will be retired. In its place will come a system designed not just to facilitate trade, but to govern society at every level.

That system is known as Tiles, and it is overseen by a planetary-scale infrastructure known as the Central Lattice.

The following will explain this system OOC. A second post will explain what the general public will know once it's rolled out world-wide.

Officially, this isn't going to become public knowledge until once the entire world is part of the CCD, and that will probably take a bit more time IRL. Nikolai is focused right now on the USA, but there is still all of Africa and China to contend with.

• Programmable – its value is not fixed, but calculated based on the individual.
  
• Identity-bound – each person’s Tiles are stored in their Vein, and cannot be shared, sold, or inherited without approval.
  
• Conditional – your Tile’s worth changes based on how you live, what you do, and who you are.
  

Quote:“A Tile is not what you have. It is who you are.”

• How much your Tiles are worth
  
• What goods, services, or locations you can access
  
• Whether your privileges are active, restricted, or revoked
  

• Monitors all transactions and behavior
  
• Evaluates ideological compliance
  
• Adjusts access to resources in real time
  
• Predicts unrest, and preemptively tightens control in sensitive areas
  

Quote:“The Lattice does not judge. It calculates.”

• DNA-encoded to their owners
  
• Used as identity keys, not cash
  
• Carried by high-ranking CCD governors, Volthstrom legacy holders, and the Ascendancy himself
  
• Indestructible by normal means and capable of executing Lattice overrides, granting special access, or activating hidden systems
  
• Extremely high value. To see one in person is to be in a state of disbelief of its presence.
  

• Held by The Ascendancy only. 
  
• Absolute override of the global Lattice                                  
  

• Dominance governors, select elites
  
• Region-level override & Vein control                                    
  

• Select Volthstrom bloodline members     
  
• Grants access to hidden Tile ledgers and Phantom accounts                
  

• Ideological enforcement officers  
  
• Authorizes emergency actions: arrest, blackout, denial of medical access 
  

• Untraceable operations
  
• Internal CCD politics
  
• Asset manipulation and legacy banking structures
  
• Select Volthstrom bloodlines possess Keystones—ancient access codes hardwired into the Lattice, capable of bypassing normal controls. The bloodlines inspired the name of "Veins".
  

Quote:“Tiles make the world fair. In a global family, every contribution matters. No one is poor—only unaligned. Let your Vein reflect your worth.”

1. Close family members (must be registered)
   
2. State-sanctioned gifting programs (Unity bonuses, end-of-year tax awards)
   
3. Inheritance claims (under verified circumstances)
   

• Financial freezes
  
• Access lockdowns
  
• Physical retrieval squads (for high-value cases)
  

• The thief has compatible biometric or DNA markers (e.g., from a related bloodline)
  
• They have access to illicit Lattice rewriters (found only in resistance enclaves or black labs)
  

• Underground networks will create illegal “Tile Gift Chains”—temporary identity-sharing proxies that let a donor temporarily boost another’s Tile access.
  
• These are time-limited and highly illegal. If detected, both Veins are frozen.
  
• Used in emergencies (e.g., paying for medicine, buying restricted transit) or as a method of quiet resistance.
  

• Psychological side effects
  
• Tile corruption
  
• Lattice retaliation (system resets or lethal lockdowns)
  

1. Stolen Vein – A hacker clones a high-ranking citizen’s Vein, triggering a global lockdown and manhunt.
   
2. Legacy Tile Activation – Jay Carpenter activates a physical Tile tied to his bloodline, unlocking forbidden access to the Lattice.
   
3. The Forgotten Zone – A remote area is discovered where the Lattice doesn’t function—and the people want it to stay that way.
   
4. Phantom Market – An underground economy trades illegal Tiles that grant power—but erase your identity.
   
5. Inheritance Denied – A child is denied their parent's Vein and must uncover hidden Tile caches tied to a family secret.
   
6. Tilefall – A system glitch reshuffles Vein values across a region, creating chaos as citizens rise and fall overnight.
   
7. Gift Chain – A group attempts an illegal chain of Tile gifts to save a dying woman, risking their own Veins.
   
8. Ascendancy Exemption – A journalist uncovers proof that the Ascendancy doesn’t have a Vein—and lives above the system.
   
9. Veinborn – A child is born with no Vein signature, immune to the Lattice—sought by both the CCD and the resistance.
   
10. The Seventh Tile – A lost master Tile rumored to override the entire system sparks a global race to find it.
    

The cold had teeth in Moscow this time of year. Sharp, gnashing things that chewed through fur and pride alike. Zixin cursed it every time it kissed his face, but today… Today it suited him. The streets below were frozen in place, movements cautious and slow, as if the whole city waited to see what would come next.

From the glass-walled penthouse of the Radiance Hotel, the skyline glittered like a constellation trapped beneath ice. Below, the boulevards of Moscow’s wealthiest district stretched clean and quiet, gleaming with salt and privilege. Up here, forty-one floors above consequence, the city felt almost tame.

Zixin adjusted the cuffs of his ink-black coat. The wool was a whisper of luxury against the charcoal collar beneath. No gold. No ornament. He didn’t need symbols. He was the symbol.

The suite had been stripped of Adrian Kane’s usual decadence. In its place: austerity. A long table of black-stained walnut bisected the room, framed by the icy glow of the windows and the low, ambient hush of a city kept far away. No waiters. No music. No distractions. Even the hotel staff had been cycled off the floor for the evening, replaced by trusted faces whose tongues were already bought.

This was not a party. This was not a negotiation. This was a claim.

A gentleman’s understanding had gone out through the channels: neutrality. No weapons. No retaliation. No blood on Radiance floors. Not tonight. Adrian’s hotel was considered neutral ground now, and no one had reason to test the boundaries yet. Still, eyes would watch from the corners, security swept and reswept. Adrian promised he would ensured it.

There would be seats at the table for the players: the Yakuza captain, likely first to arrive. Punctuality was as much ritual as reputation. The Russians would likely arrive fashionably late - though it remained to be seen whether the Stoyas, Petrovich's, or Vasilev's would arrive first. Adrian, of course, was already here. Always watching. He was both host and observer, in the way predators sometimes pretended to be idle.

Ryker would come when it amused him.

And then there was Ozymandias and Alistair. Wild cards in every way, especially allure. Zixin didn’t need their endorsement, but their presence would serve as a quiet reminder of the game already in motion.

Beyond the table, Adrian had arranged standing space around the edges of the room. A gallery for lieutenants, enforcers, middle-men. Those too important to be absent, but not important enough to speak. Besides, each party was unlikely to arrive unaccompanied. They would hover like shadows, eyes fixed on the table, ears hungry.

Zixin didn’t pace. He didn’t fidget. There was no need. The room already answered to him. And the city. If it didn’t yet, it would.

This wasn’t about violence. This was about inevitability. When they arrived, he would already be seated at the head of the table.

It felt odd to be going to the burlesque club. It wasn’t really Emily’s scene. Elyse worked here, but Emily never really thought she’d go to one. In this instance she wasn’t going to see a performance though. She was sort of curious now though. Maybe she’d show up sometime. If she ever got the courage to go. 

She set up a time with Nox so he could inform people to be there and Liv would have a chance to get off work to do learn. This was a big deal and possibly would open many doors. She sighed as she drove there, Jared in the passenger seat. 

”You ever go to these types of clubs?” she asked him. 

Jared chuckled. ”That feels like a loaded question,” he gave her a disarming smirk. ”Burlesque, no, but I’ve been to my share of gentlemen’s clubs”

Emily smirked back. ”I see. I’ve never been to anything like it. I know - it’s not like it’s a show or anything.”

”They’re people just like anyone else. No need to be nervous.”

She nodded. ”More worried about feeling out of place.”

”Just be yourself and you’ll be fine.”

Emily nodded and arrived at the location. She went to the door that Nox had told her to go to, and pressed the buzzer. A security guy came to the door and Emily introduced herself. She was expected so they were taken to a lounge area. There they found some others already waiting. 

”Hi, I’m Emily and this is Jared,” she introduced themselves and took a seat. ”Here to teach people how to link and to try some things.”

Hey all! Since linking has now been discovered, I thought it would be a good idea for use to have a thread where we could find all the linking rules.  I did a lot of research to make it as accurate to the source material as I could, and I thought I'd save you guys the headache of finding all of this later.  I felt this was the right section to put this thread in - if I didn't - mods feel free to move it

If you know anything that I forgot, please comment!

All these rules are from the Wheel of Time Companion:

1. Combined flow is not as great as the sum total of the individual flows - but it is more precise and has a far greater effect than the individual flows can
2. One person leads the circle.
3. Men cannot link their abilities without the presences of a woman or women in the circle
4. Up to thirteen women can form a circle without the presence of a man. Adding a man can extend this number by another thirteen up to the limit of six men and sixty six women (a total of seventy two).
5. There must be at least one more woman than men in a circle with the following exceptions.

• One man and one woman
  
• Two men and one woman
  
• Two men and two women
  

• Man has to control a link of 72 people
  
• Man has to control the link in mixed circles of fewer than thirteen
  

Anna had spent a couple of nights at her own place.  Not that she didn't like Nox's place or being with Elyse.  There was just a feeling of being home that she liked.  Everyone liked that feeling she thought.  Home. Elyse also seemed to be doing well, and she seemed to be hitting things off with Rachel Shale even if Rachel didn't seem to be doing well. Poor girl.

Anna had just finished cleaning when she got a text from Cade.

Hey! Was wondering if you had time to help me look for an apartment? Got a few options but want some company. I hate looking by myself.

Anna smiled at that. She was glad he was staying and not just because she was crushing on him bad. It seemed like he needed a new start, and moving to Moscow would be good for that. An apartment meant he had decided to stay. She thought Nox had offered him a job. Maybe he had accepted.

Sure thing! Let me know when and where and I'll be there! She responded.

Anna was still in her pajamas so she got dressed and waited for a response from Cade.  When she got a place to go, she left, grabbed a cab and headed out.

Emily shut the door to Rachel's bedroom. It had been a hell of a day for all of them. She had received Elyse's text and she wasn't surprised.  It confirmed what she had been thinking. Emily knew what she had to do now. They just had to keep her going for a bit. Hopefully her plan would work.  If it didn't, Emily would be at a loss for what to do next. 

Emily went to her room and changed into her exercise clothes before going to their gym.  She found Jared there, working through some martial arts movements slowly. He did that when he needed to calm down.  Jared was good at hiding his emotions when he needed to, but he was also good at channeling them into something to relax them.

Emily needed something more physical.  She went to the punching bag.  Jared responded by moving, gripping the bag from the other side as she attacked it. There was nothing tactical about what she did. She just hit the bag - hard and repeatedly.  It wasn't enough. She stopped as she began to sob and fell to the ground.  The day had been too much.  Way too much.  Jared was there in a moment, holding her tight and she sobbed into his shoulder. Neither one spoke. Both of them knew that no words were necessary yet.  The only thing she needed was to cry.

Emily finished and released Jared, wiping the tears from her eyes. "What happened at work?" Jared asked, going right to the heart of it.  He knew what had happened with Rachel, but he knew it had to have been more than that to cause this reaction.

"Someone informed Moscow Police that there was a bomb threat at the building. We got everyone out okay, and they found nothing, but they have no certain date for when it will happen.  They don't even know if it's true, but it's credible. They told me they couldn't tell me much more yet, but they're investigating. Staff is working from home as much as possible, and security is going to be increased at the building until we know what's going on. They say they'll keep me informed as much as possible. At least they're taking it seriously."

Jared nodded, and kept silent as she embraced him again. "I'm going to move on with Rachel's treatment...later tonight - I need to not think about these things for awhile." she said breaking the silence.

"I have a distraction. An experiment I want to try," Jared responded, pulling away and wiping tears from her eyes.

She chuckled and gave a wry grin. "Not until after the baby."

Jared chuckled. "Not that kind of experiment.

She laughed. It felt good to laugh. "Alright - what do you have in mind?"