Home 24: A house in this market?

[Deathkeeper]

[Jace’s Place]

”And that’s exactly why you’re not ready for it. If it had been separated from you, or if your little chase had taken another hour, you would have been reverted, and then you would have been dead. This is supposed to be a power, a supplement to your strength. Instead you are using it as a crutch. And that’s ignoring the fact that on most Pokémon the process is extremely harmful and you were never supposed to be using it for more than a few minutes at a time. And that’s why you’ll get it back when you can handle these things on your own.” explains Jace, patiently, but not showing any hint he’ll be swayed by begging.

[Rebonack]

[Jace’s Place]

"But I've been practicing!" Khannie objects. "I've been training and getting better! I kept using it a little longer and a little longer until I could stay mega evolved for as long as I needed to!"

That's...

Actually a pretty amazing accomplishment.

A testament to her grit and determination.

"It wasn't super dangerous, daddy, I promise! I met another super hero and we worked together to stop an evil scientist!"

Which was pretty cool, as far as she's concerned. And also super dangerous.

But thwarting bad guys is important!

Probably one of the most important things!

[Deathkeeper]

Jace’s Place

Jace’s facial expression doesn’t change.
”If you can’t recognize or admit the danger of a situation, you only strengthen my case.”

You’re digging yourself a hole, kid. Zebes warns.

[Rebonack]

[Jace's Place]

Khannie sulks, her shoulders drooping and her gaze falling to the floor.

"Sorry..."

She sniffs.

Then glances back at the source of the barking that ruined her perfect plan.

"...why is there a feral pokemon on my bed...?"

She doesn't sound happy about that fact.

At all.

Even a little bit.

[Murkus]

Nora and Fettina's Apartment Building

Nora declined to explain about the outfit on the ride over, but in the elevator up she gives a sigh. "I'll stop by my place and grab my things. Get showered, freshened up, and then we need to head to the rooftops. The sort of mojo I'm going to be bringing to bear is not something you'll want to do inside. There's, uh, going to be a bit too much radiation. But don't worry about it since there'll be plenty of magic I'll be using to shield you. I figure Intersection might come knocking though."

[Sagittarius Towers]

"Uh... I'm gonna pretend not to be concerned and just roll with it," says Tina, raising her eyebrows before ascending to the roof alone to wait. The roof is essentially the top of the Tower's stacked disc-shaped apartments, where nothing resides save for a vent pipe and a small terminal for maintenance workers.

[Arkhosia]

Sagittarius Towers - Another Time

Late at night, Tina might be surprised by an unexpected text from Cantata

Meet me in the lobby? Need help.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Home]

Sardus does his best to smile.

His face is actually pretty expressive. Normally you don't think of dragons or deer as critters with much in the way of expression, but Sardus seems to manage.

"Oh, I'm glad. I was really worried they might have hurt you while I was... umm... putting myself back together," he says a bit glumly, but perks up shortly there after. "It's a good thing mom made me out of stern stuff. I think I took the worst of it. They would have come after you instead."

At the second question he glances toward the door.

"Those were some of the pod-people mom is worried about. Or... umm... pod foxes?"

Do foxes count as people?

A memory somewhere informs him that some foxes count as people.

"They might come back. I know how their gross goop and blasty things work now, though, so I think I'll be able to take a hit much better than I did the first time," he says. "Hopefully mom will be able to stop them for good."

[Ravanys' Home]

Ravanys shrugs a bit.

Found out fire seems to take them out pretty easy.

Speaking of, the tiefling's tattoos are slowly fading from bright red back to black.

Between that and Hannah's drones pointing them out, it was pretty easy dealing with them. She nods her horned head towards the couple of remaining drones hovering nearby.

She takes a deep breath, teleporting the shotgun away.

So. If these things are gonna keep coming...I guess that means I gotta take care of them. She doesn't sound too happy by this decision. Let me get some sleep in first. Then I'll start getting ready. Do you know what I have to do to get these things to leave us alone? Or does Zee know?

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Home]

"Umm..."

Sardus considers that question.

Now, mind, he hasn't existed for very long.

He has a certain depth of knowledge that his mother programed into him, but beyond that he has to learn from experience just like everyone else.

Thankfully there's enough in his head to make a few inferences.

"I don't know if they'll keep trying or not," he admits. "I don't think they have much to gain here, except spite. I think maybe-"

A beat.

One of his ears suddenly flicks as he turns his head toward apparently nothing.

"Oh... umm... mom just killed that really big one that was lurking outside your house and then left," Sardus reports. "I think maybe they're going to have more important things going on than bugging you and Hannah."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Well then. I guess at some point the curtain comes back up very a very flustered looking Cass.

She doesn't say anything at the moment, being a little bit too busy coming down from all the attention she just got.

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Electra is pressed up against Cass, her deep blue eyes fixed on the elf with a gentle smile, one hand gently caressing her side. She whispers softly into Cass' ear.

"How are you feeling now? Still coming down?"

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Fayyaad is sprawled next to Cass, looking pretty winded himself, but less disoriented. For now he just observes both women with a satisfied smile.

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

"Uh... yeah," says Cass, breathless. "I think I might need to sit the next one out."

[Deathkeeper]

[Jace's Place]

"He's not feral! He's a very good boy." exclaims Zebes, who is rubbing the dog's cheeks.
"We rescued a bunch of pokemon from some bad guys with Veronica. This one followed us home. We decided to give him a chance. His name is Commissar." "Because they're very dour!" Jace gives Zebes a look which might indicate this was the latter's idea.

[Murkus]

Sagittarius Towers - Another Time

Late at night, Tina might be surprised by an unexpected text from Cantata

An angelic chrome-alloyed figure with a severe case of bedhead exits the elevator cylinder a moment later, rubbing her eyes. She's dressed solely in a tank top, panties, and a pair of googly-eyed bunny slippers.

[Arkhosia]

Saggitarius Towers - Night

When Tina steps out into the Lobby, it won’t be terribly hard to grasp exactly what Cantata meant by “need help”. Sitting down with a small bag beside her and breathing like she’d just run a mile, the mercenary is wearing a somewhat less formal dress that clearly had a longer skirt before a section of cloth was torn away. Whatever heels she had been wearing probably were damaged as well, since Cantata’s feet are bare aside from a pair of stockings.

Much more concerning than the state of her attire, however, is the large wet stain on her left side that she’s using her right hand to put pressure on. Judging from what’s seeped out onto her hand, it’s definitely blood.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Electra's smile doesn't wane, but she gives Cass a gentle squeeze.

"That's fine. I think we've worn Fayyaad out, too," she says quietly with a soft giggle. "Some sleep would probably do all of us some good."

((We can either fade out here, or fade to morning, up to you folks.))

[Morty]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

"I put on a brave face, but you really do have a way of wearing a man out," Fayyaad admits. "Let's untie Cassandra and take a breath."

((I figure we can fade out here. They'll probably just leave in the morning.))

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Home]

"Umm..."

Sardus considers that question.

Now, mind, he hasn't existed for very long.

He has a certain depth of knowledge that his mother programed into him, but beyond that he has to learn from experience just like everyone else.

Thankfully there's enough in his head to make a few inferences.

"I don't know if they'll keep trying or not," he admits. "I don't think they have much to gain here, except spite. I think maybe-"

A beat.

One of his ears suddenly flicks as he turns his head toward apparently nothing.

"Oh... umm... mom just killed that really big one that was lurking outside your house and then left," Sardus reports. "I think maybe they're going to have more important things going on than bugging you and Hannah."

[Ravanys' House]

Ravanys raises an eyebrow.

There was one lurking around here?

Her voice sounds...less than pleased.

Yeah...I'm not taking chances. Not that I don't appreciate you guys helping. But...Well, I don't like leaving things like this in somebody else's hands.

She glances over the surrounding area again, then turns to head back inside. Come on. Let's get cleaned up and get some rest. And you. She points to one of the drones, her voice becoming a bit more stern. Smart move getting the drones out. But we're gonna have to talk about that thing. She jerks a thumb back towards the damaged robot.

[Rebonack]

[Jace's Place]

The little girl eyes the 'dog'.

Not really a dog, though.

A dog is an animal. This isn't an animal. This is a pokemon. One of the dumb, mean pokemon people keep as pets. The kind that attack people if they leave the village.

"I don't want it in my room," Khannie says, an undercurrent of venom in her tone. "I don't want it at all. Can we get rid of it? I don't like it."

It's on her bed.

On her bed.

It shouldn't be in the house. It shouldn't be anywhere. But definitely not on her bed.

[Ravanys' Home]

Sardus nods and-!

Starts cleaning up?

Now that the danger is passed he's hoping that they can get back to watching movies once the mess is cleaned up.

[Deathkeeper]

[Jace’s Place]

Jace certainly doesn’t seem to like that. He gets she’s in a bad mood, but kids are supposed to like dogs!
”Khannie! That isn’t like you. He’s just a dog. A fire breathing dog. He shouldn’t be on the bed, though. Commissar, off. The furniture is not for puppies.” Jace thinks of the Pokémon as animals, just ones that can be misused and turned into bio-weapons. As long as Commissar is treated like a slightly dangerous dog, that’s all he is.

Speaking of, at the command the hound hops off the bed and drops his toy at Khannie’s feet. For a moment he gives her a strange, knowing look. His yellow eyes reflect the light of the room like the glint of gold in an unearthed tomb. He utters one syllable.
”BOOF.”
Then he flops onto his back and presents Khannie his belly.

[Recaiden]

I'm waiting out in the annex, because I'm expecting a guest today, and my current home is just not ready for visitors like this one.
The thief-with-a-heart-of-gold-turned-deputy-detective will see-

Standing on the cliff overlooking a rocky shore, an archway of polished white (metal? plastic?) towering a hundred feet into the air. Looking through the archway, where there should only be open air and ocean, one can see grassland and forest stretched out, and a complex of glass buildings spiraling up like flower petals. A single building lies on the near side of the arch, connected to the others by a rounded hallway. It's a sort of conservatory, a sunroom or greenhouse mixed with an entryway. Through the glass one sees long-stemmed plants, comfortable but non-padded furniture, refreshments, and a monster curled up by the door, dozing in the sun. A great cat, something like a panther - no, more like a displacer beast - but with a long neck, horns, and a tufted tail.

There is a doorbell.

[Rebonack]

[Jace's Place]

Khannie backs away a few steps, still scowling at the houndour.

She doesn't pet it.

She doesn't smile.

But she does mutter something under her breath.

Her expression makes it pretty clear that it wasn't anything positive, but the words can't really be made out.

[CosmicHobbit]

[Archway...Anomaly...Thing.]

Oliver walks to the archway, looks at the paper listing this place, then looks back up. His brow is furrowed and his mouth agape, confused at whats going on with the arch. He couldn't be less worried about the beast, as he's met enough strange creature to know that they are seldom immediately hostile.

After a while of this, he spots the doorbell, closes his mouth, and presses it.

[Recaiden]

Spoiler: tl;dr not just another place but another dimension. Don't go there

Show

What's going on is that it's displaying things not just from another material world or pocket dimension as so often happens in the Nexus, but from a different perceptual range. Length, width, depth, time - these things are discarded. Instead, we have Ring, Pen, Glass, Stave, Cup, and Wheel, each allowing in their own way as much richness as any sculpted design. See there, glassward at the ringest, deep in cup, the Friend Lost in the Depths of Jade; mourn its loss and beware not to follow the steps it trod. The arch does its best to translate the Other Things into understandable visuals: the Veldt-Influenced Refuge Domain becomes the glass greenhouses understandable to the human imagination, the Universal Flesh Concept As Flourished Through Flightless Birds appears to be a grassy savanna as one might find across an ocean from the antarctic (but not too far away). The Treachery of Hours can be glimpsed in the repetitive waving of trees in the wind.
Were Oliver to pass through, he would probably find himself physically within his own character directory page.
This is where* the ex-member he's looking for lives.

The beast wakes, gets ready, and answers the door.
As the eyes (solid cerulean, no pupil, no sclera, just color) open, the beast becomes adorned with items and gear, drawn from the Other Page. Golden earrings and chains draped around the horns, a harness bedecked with tools and pouches, like a utility belt. A hair clip decorated with jade and ormolu in the tuft of their tail.

I slink forward and open the door. "Hello", I say. "How can I help you?" Not a lot of people come all the way out here. It's probably important...to him, anyway.

[CosmicHobbit]

Another Dimension

Oliver takes a deep breath, then says, "I am looking for a Yone Gonzales who can give me information on a certain kidnapping cartel. Would you know him, or happen to be him?"

Oliver looks pretty uncomfortable. He's spent a while in the Nexus, but these kinds of things are still worrying for him. Maybe it's the fact that it's unnatural where he comes from, or maybe it's that his mind is confused over the archway only showing this place from one side. Either way, it's unsettling.

[Recaiden]

I smile. Wait, no, before that, I get my text color in order. 1DACD6, Crayon Cærulean. That's better, isn't it?

"Some places, than would be a dangerous question. But not here! Yes, I would happen to be her. One Yone Reindhez Gonzales. And before we get into any information, just who are you?"

[CosmicHobbit]

"I am Oliver Slyfield," Oliver says. "I'm helping a detective on a murder case, and we suspect the cartel you used to be a part of may have been involved." This whole time, he keeps making different poses with his arms, as if he doesn't know what to do with them. First he crosses them, then his fists are on his hips, then they go behind his back and clasp together for a moment before he just hangs them at his sides. Bit flustered, are we Oliver?

[Recaiden]

"Oliver, nice to meet you," I exclaim. "Do come inside. Have a seat, have a drink." I step back from the doorway and gesture welcomingly with a tentacle.

Oliver should remember that this one building, the annex, is outside the archway and its strangeness. I'm sure it's safe.

"Murder? That doesn't sound like us- like them. Or do you mean one of my old teammates is dead?"
My relation to the cartel, to the court behind them, it's all a little complicated. So I trip up on the words sometimes. I mean, other than the teammates I already knew were dead. Crime is dangerous, exploring is dangerous, our real work is dangerous. I was very lucky.

[Deathkeeper]

[Jace’s Place]

Commissar, thoroughly spurned, packs up and trudges off dejectedly. Zebes looks between the group and beats a retreat.
”Well, that’s it then. Get changed and ready for bed. It’s bedtime for all of us.” sighs Jace, crossing the room to shut Khannie’s window.
And silently put a charm of alarm on it.

[Rebonack]

[Jace’s Place]

Khannie, for her part, will crawl into her bed and face the wall.

She's exhausted.

Physically. Emotionally. Just done.

Almost as soon as she lays down she's asleep.

Looks like she won't be sneaking out again for a little while at least.

[Morty]

[Underside Entrance]

Near one of the several entrances to the goblins' subterranean nation, a family has gathered. Two adult goblins, one little goblin girl and a little gnome girl who has recently joined the family. Today's the day to make it official.

"I'm sure we're going to see them soon," Brinika says. "Seeing Uncle Pathfinder can't be hard if there's mostly goblins around."

And, indeed, another part of the family is approaching. Reelshka and Pathfinder are carrying the new woblins, Balthuk and Maltrika. The boy is fast asleep, but the girl is looking around with wide-eyed infant curiosity.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Home]

Sardus nods and-!

Starts cleaning up?

Now that the danger is passed he's hoping that they can get back to watching movies once the mess is cleaned up.

[Ravanys' Home]

Ravanys heads straight to her room and shuts the door behind her. The sounds of a shower can be heard moments later.

Meanwhile, the drones and robot go back to where they came from. Right after that, Hannah steps out of her room, still looking a bit skittish.

She glances to Sardus and flashes him a quick grin.

Well...that was something, huh? Uh...what the hell were those things?

[CosmicHobbit]

Oliver walks on into the annex, and takes the seat offered. "I don't know a whole lot beyond the fact that there is some incriminating evidence that comes from them. Not enough to prove it though. That's where you come in. If you can get me inside the cartel, or even if you can just offer me information on how to access their headquarters, you may end up being the sole reason a killer is brought to justice." Oliver seems bent on the possibility of a heist to get the evidence.