Skyside 6: Return of the Cheddar

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Back Alley Armory]

"Huh?!" Leslie looks down at the absurd gangster stockpile, and how what's her face here is picking out just one shotgun and one bullet pack. It doesn't appear to be all that special, either. "What do you mean? You just... needed a gun?"

That would kind of make sense. No sense taking more than you need; Leslie's certainly not interested in re-selling them. But the way she said it...

"...but you didn't know this would be here until you broke in?"

[Recaiden]

"Okay. I'm Miri Mein. I do know some mind-magic, but I don't eat anyone's dreams or turn them into puppets; I've just been looking into history. I'm glad you came with us."
She'll ask after the girl's name, and let Arron introduce himself if he wants. Although she's going to spoil things in just a second if he doesn't.

And then turn to the necromancer. "Arron, I need to get to Sara, like, right away. You heard Benedict. It would help if you could come along to deal with the skeletons. Then we can all make for my old home in Riverside."
"Vaemys, you can wait at a safe distance for us to get back and practice your first magic lesson. Or if you want, you can strike off on your own with a handful of gold and one of these horses."
"Okay?" She looks between the two, not entirely certain of Arron (though they've worked well together so far) and Vaemys seems agreeable, but they've known each other for a tense time measured in minutes, so it's hard to say.

[5a Violista]

[Back Alley Armory]

"..."
"Guns can easily be tracked, can't they?" is Minerva's excuse for not grabbing one.

She doesn't grab one.
"Whose place is this, anyway?"

[bc56]

"I didn't know there would be guns in here. After I found the glass cutter in the trash behind the hospital and noticed that I could stack the trash cans to reach that window, I knew there was something for me in here." The thief seems to think that's entirely normal. "Hey! Did you hear something?" "Yeah, sounds like there's someone in the storeroom." Uh oh. The thief begins fishing in her pockets for something.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Back Alley Armory]

"That's a bit of a leap..."

Leslie jumps backwards upon hearing the voices, bumping into the door frame with a comical *slam!* "Uwah! They're here! Let's go!"

High-strung and dripping with sweat, she dashes out towards the window the three just came through. She vaults off of a table into an improbably high jump and takes a step up the wall for a little more height, but it's not quite enough to reach. She swings her bag through to catch on the sill outside and grips the strap as she scrambles to pull herself up.

[Earl of Purple]

Shopping Trip

"I've got some dreams I wouldn't mind being eaten." Only a few, and they're pretty horrific. Most who have been enslaved have those.

"Right, then I guess we'd best go. I don't know if Benedict had anything else to buy before he left, he could be heading home right now. Not sure what's going to be faster, either, us or him." Arron takes the lead, directing the horses into a gallop and up, so they're flying above any other traffic. He has to keep updating the runes, however; the magic keeping them aloft doesn't last too long.

[5a Violista]

[Back Alley Armory]

Minerva runs back into the other room, as well. As quietly as possible, actually. Running quietly isn't that hard.

She can't do an improbably high jump. Sure, she's great at climbing and doing pull-ups, but...

She can't just jump straight up there. Maybe if she moved something taller than a table over here, or maybe if there was some texture on the wall, she could do some sort of mountain climbing...

Well, first thing first, probably is to hide since she won't be able to climb up quickly enough, probably. She looks around for a decent place to squeeze behind, or whatever.

[bc56]

The stranger pulls out a piece of paper, some string, and a permanent marker and quickly scribbles something down. She pokes the string through the paper to make a sign. At the same time, a pair of thugs enter the room, one fat and the other thin. The stranger wastes no time in confronting them. "Hey! You're not supposed to come in here!" "Huh?" "Look at the door! It says "Do not enter!" Sure enough, as the door had been opening, the thief had stuck the sign onto its handle. It says "Do Not Enter." "Huh. Sorry miss." The fat thug turns to leave. "No you fool! She's trying to trick us! That sign wasn't on the door before. Was it? What are you doing in here, girl?" The thin thug peers through the door into the other room, just missing Leslie. But he might spot Minerva, depending on how well she can squeeze herself into the space between two shelves of ammo.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Back Alley Armory]

Leslie pulls herself up to the window, at which point she notices Minerva taking cover below.

"Minerva! Come on!" She motions for her to follow while hissing in an unconvincing stage whisper. Of course, Minerva's probably trying to watch whatever's playing out in the gun room, like any upstanding point-of-view character. Leslie, on the other hand, in her altered state of mind, decides that the problem must be purely mechanical. It was a pretty high jump. She wouldn't have made it without the X Stim. That must be what Minerva needs to escape!

Leslie repositions herself and her bag on the windowsill, preparing to toss down another bottle of her DMSO combat drug.

[5a Violista]

[Back Alley Armory]

Minerva is pretty decent at squeezing, actually.
Especially in situations like this.
Never really had a really thick chest. Unlike her one friend; he got stuck in a cave because his chest muscles were so thick. It was a pretty funny story.

From her position, she can look back at Leslie.
She shakes her head and tries to say with her eyes 'no, not yet, I can't'
And she gestures with her chin at the thin thug who's looking in.

...
She glances at the bottle that Leslie is preparing to toss. Minerva mouths 'what even is that?'

[bc56]

"Nothing in here. Nothing missing either." The thin thug grumpily returns to the other room. "Whatever you're doing in here, make it quick. The boss wants an inventory done by tomorrow evening." "I'll just be a few more minutes. I'll call you when I'm done." The thief shows the two thugs out the door. As soon as they're gone, she relaxes. "Phew! That should buy us some time."

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Back Alley Armory]

It's a stimulant suspended in a drug-delivery gel solution that allows it to be quickly absorbed through the skin, Leslie mouths back, silently. An expert lip-reader may or may not have understood it. To clarify, she tosses the bottle down, rolls up her sleeve again and mimes the action of applying it to the inner arm as she did earlier.

Luckily, the thief improves the situation enough that Leslie needn't keep completely silent. "Great! Now come on!"

Leshlie shuffles to maneuver into prime hand-catching position in order to further assist, but forgets that she had taken her now-open bag off her shoulder. It slides off the ledge...

"Oh!"

Leslie grabs it. Two more bottles tumble out. She swings to grab them. Her laptop slides out. She dives such that she's now hanging from the ledge by her legs, snatching the laptop in one hand and using it to catch the strap of her bag. Her grip is so tight you can see the computer's chassis flex under her fingers.

Its battery pops out. It follows a couple of lost bottles to the ammo-ridden ground below and lands with a *CRACK* and a big spark.

Leslie holds her breath again. Her eyes go wider than her big skewed glasses already were.

Two ammo boxes catch fire.

This will not end well.

[5a Violista]

[Back Alley Armory]

Minerva breathes out in relief now that the danger's over - only just now realizing she had been holding her breath - when the two guys go out of the gun room. Even though she didn't get all of the lip-reading (she's not particularly and expert), she did pick up on some of it. Okay. Some kind of drug that does something. Yeah, applies to arm.

The relief doesn't last for long, though.
It shouldn't really get dangerous until the fire spreads to the guns, but...shrapnel. The bullets exploding will send box and cabinet shrapnel.

Realizing this will only get worse the longer it goes on, she decides she needs to leave now.

She unsqueezes from her hiding place, and darts out to grab the bottle. Normally, she wouldn't want to do this; just move something so she can climb out on her own. But...there's not really that much time.
She glances back at thief, and in a hushed whisper, says, "Hey! Hurry!" and then follows Leslie's mimed instructions.
She waits a few moments, then tries to jump up.

[bc56]

"Oh... Crap..." The thief rushes towards the back window. "I don't want to die again right now!" She hurriedly grabs one of the bottles and mimics what Minerva's doing. Hopefully it's the same drug and not something else.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Back Alley Armory]

Minerva gets to experience exactly what Leslie has been feeling for the last few minutes. Restless shaking, followed by shortness of breath and sweating. Her body feels lighter and stronger, but also kind of twitchy and uncomfortable.

There was probably enough for her and the thief to share, but the thief elected to pick up one of the bottles that fell out of the bag. Luckily, it wasn't one of the offensive ones; those shattered on the floor and released their contents as fire accelerants. This one is another clear plastic hand-sanitizer bottle similar to Minerva's save for being filed with blue gel instead of gold. She feels a spreading tingle of cold and numbness, then a weird sensation all over her skin like being covered in plastic wrap.

The first of the ammo boxes crackles and explodes in all directions like a pile of murderous popcorn. If Minerva doesn't attempt an improbably high jump, the sound might cause her to do one involuntarily; her drug enhances reflex response and suppresses physical impulse control as side-effects. To the thief, the loud sounds sound more distant, and the heat of the spreading fire less intense.

Still hanging upside-down, Leslie shields her face with her free hand while her laptop-gripping arm tries to figure out what to do with itself. She can grab Minerva's hand and let her climb up of she tries to make the jump over the fire, but will the thief be able to make it that way?

[5a Violista]

[Back Alley Armory]

Wow, this feels awful.

Minerva definitely knows that she needs to jump pretty high. So, she readies to jump up as high as she can...
...
Which, makes her jump too high and a little off-center.

So, Minerva goes up and up and...hits the wall, next to Leslie and the window.
Ow.
She jams her finger as she reaches over to the window to pull herself towards Leslie as she falls, so that she falls towards Leslie and not back into the fire and popping popcorn sounds. Speaking of that sound, it makes her 'jump', spasming her shoulders and such with each pop.

So,
she falls.
She flails out to grab the window sill or Leslie's arm or the window edges, or...whatever.

[bc56]

The thief gives a very odd expression. "What's this stuff? Feels really weird." She tries to scramble up to the window, but with the odd numbness creeping over her, it's difficult for her. She probably needs some help.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Back Alley Armory]

Leslie quickly reacts and grabs Minerva's wrist, then makes a gagging sound as her body immediately starts to regret it. Her grip is probably tight enough for her nails to draw blood. Her legs are probably cut and bruised from clinging to the sharp window ledge like monkey bars.

She windmills her other arm to chuck her stuff out the window, so she can use both hands to pull up Minerva.

"S... stuff?" Leslie manages to get out. "Oh! Did you take... the defense gel...?"

Indeed, the drug makes the thief more burn- and scratch-resistant, and even a stray bullet wouldn't penetrate as far as it might normally. Of course, with her super luck a direct hit was pretty unlikely already.

It should be noted at this point that Minerva's dangling low enough for the thief to reach in her scrambling without too much trouble, assuming she's willing to climb up both of them.

[Hattish Thing]

[Tire Factory]

Snow falls in bittercold curtains over this part of the city.

It envelopes scores of abandoned warehouses, crumbling apartments, and struggling businesses in an expansive blanket of ice.

The dark, overcast sky above flashes periodically as lightning streaks through the clouds, clumps of wet flakes drifting windlessly down onto the buildings below. Great husks of old buildings are cramped together, flanked by derelict buildings which stick out like rows of broken teeth. Garbage has been piled up messily in various alleys.

At this area's highest point, an enormous facility can be seen. It's surrounded by a brick wall.

Patches of the wall have crumbled, only to be replaced with barbed wire.

The inner courtyard is filled with broken vehicles.

--

Spoiler: Image

Show

[Rebonack]

[Tire Factory]

Wow what a depressing landscape.

Was it snowing?

When taxi had left Trog's it was actually pretty warm. The sort of weather flying ants come out in. But this is some pretty serious meteorological whiplash. The taxi will set down a few blocks from the factory, allowing the occupants to disembark. Zee's changed out of her tavern maid outfit and is wearing that long brown coat and wide hat of hers along with the usual green scarf. Considering the tonfa in the holsters at her hips she has a very gunslinger look to her. The folks at Deadwood Street probably wouldn't have given her a second glance.

She steps out of the flying saucer, boots crunching in the snow.

"That's the place," she says, pointing up at the top of the hill. "I think we should do a pace or two around it. See if Solstice's little doll tugs toward the factory or whatever it does. At the very least find out if Larza is in there. If she is, we move in. If she isn't then it's time to start searching."

What a fun search that will be.

[WindStruck]

The ride made Solstice uneasy and uncomfortable to say the least. The level of either technology or advanced magic that propelled this contraption was rather beyond Solstice's ken. But on top of that, it was the sights, sounds, and the lurching motion that really set the Fae on edge. To be trapped in such a thing, willingly.. what if something happened? Every change in direction and acceleration caused Solstice to clutch onto something, and she could only hope this "transportation" would be over soon.

The cold was a biting chill, and though Solstice had heard of snow before.. she hadn't actually experienced it before. The Fae put her gloved hand out to catch some, looking at it curiously, then peered up into the sky with eyes squinted. Hm. Even her breath was visible. She didn't like this...

Solstice turned around, looking quizzically at Zee. "Oh.. you are coming along too?" It wasn't really a rhetorical question. Zee had hired Solstice to find that dirty goblin, retrieve stolen belongings, and bring her to justice. Be that incarceration or worse. But what was she doing tagging along too? Still, she had proven to be more than just a mundane barmaid. Yet, seeing as she hired Solstice... This was going to be quite in danger of conflicting with their agreement.

After a brief explanation Zee is sure to give (and she's most definitely staying, isn't she?), Solstice will emit a soft sigh and merely shrug. "Yes, I suppose I should attempt to track her now."

Solstice draws a circle in the snow with the toe of her boots and begins some soft chanting again. Jade will recognize this as something quite similar to how she tracked down the infamous criminal Simon Seyz. Zee, if she knows Latin, will hear Solstice uttering some short sentences. It almost sounds like she is praying, though not with religious undertones. Four cardinal directions are mentioned, along with stars and stones, and anyone could pick out the name 'Larza' if they were attentive enough. Solstice continues to firmly hold the doll, gazing into it.

When finished, Solstice scuffs the circle.

The name, 'Larza' ... it might not be the Fae's True Name, but maybe it still held significance. That, and the hair, lipstick, and overall likeness of the doll would surely help to form a bond between it and the goblin.

Hopefully, Solstice would feel a tug in a certain direction, or at least intuitively feel like she knows what direction to head while holding the doll.

[bc56]

"I'm going over there to change. Be back in a bit." Jade says, pointing to a nearby alley. She leaves, and comes back a few minutes later without her duffel bag and clad head to toe in turquoise blue high-tech armor, made from reinforced plastic, with a distinct Greco-Roman design. Her helmet is under her shoulder. "Okay, I'm ready. If she's in there, we should case the joint stealthily before trying to engage."

[Hattish Thing]

[Tire Factory]

The doll seems to work!

Unfortunately, the magic will direct Solstice downwards.

[WindStruck]

Solstice gives Jade somewhat of a strange look at first, though, given all the weird things she has seen in this Nexus place, she quickly decides it is of little import and shrugs inwardly.

She gazes down at her effigy curiously. The slight tugging and intuition, however, seemed to be pulling... downward.

"I do not believe Larza is in that factory at all. My magic would seem to suggest.. she is somewhere below us..."

Well, that's just great! How the heck would the group proceed now??

[Rebonack]

[Tire Factory]

Solstice is offered a reassuring smile. "I'm coming, yes. I hired you to help me recover the stolen guest's belongings and bring the goblin to justice."

The emphasis is clear.

To aid.

Not to do it herself.

The completely normal human barmaid had intended to be here all along. The language she chose for the contract reflected that intent. She never planned on throwing Solstice into this unfamiliar and hostile territory alone.

Hopefully that will put Solstice's mind at ease.

Jade will get a nod once she approaches, then the doll is considered briefly.

"A few ideas," Zee suggests. "She might be in a basement below the factory. Or she might be in the tunnels running through the island. Or she might be in Ground Town below the island. It'll be a little bit of leg work, but we can test those possibilities pretty easily. Not pleasantly-"

She walks over to a heavy iron manhole cover, reaches down with one hand, and pulls it free. Darkness and malodorous vapors are revealed. A ladder descending into gloom. All rusted, pitted iron. Of course it is. What else would it be?

"-but still easily."

[bc56]

"Before we go traipsing about in the sewers, do you know how far down? If we could get an estimate, it would shave hours off our search." Jade knows what Zee is going to do, but there might be a faster way, which would also spare them the trouble of going underground.

[WindStruck]

Ah yes. Zee's exact wording was indeed merely to "help" her... *sigh* She was slipping and not carefully minding the words of others...

Technically, Solstice had already done that part, seeing as discovering the fact that Larza was not in that factory at all (and that factory was likely just a trap), would have already been a big help.

But, that would be rather scummy. It was something many other Fae would do, something her mother would even condone doing, and yet, Solstice didn't want to give Zee a bad value for her bargain. Besides.. she also wanted to make sure her possessions were recovered and teach this goblin a lesson.

When Zee lifts up the manhole cover, it is not long before the smells start wafting over. Solstice wrinkles her nose, backing up a bit to cough lightly. If Jade remembered how badly Soltice reacted to half a whiff from a spittoon, this really wasn't going to go well...

"Uhm, no..." Solstice says between some coughs. "I cannot tell .. how far below she is."

[Rebonack]

[Tire Factory]

"With any luck this could help shave some time off our search. If we're down in the tunnels when you run another scry, Solstice, we should be able to get some more information. If it tugs up Larza is in the basement of the factory, if it tugs to the side she's in the tunnels somewhere. If it tugs down then she's probably down in Ground Town. Either way-"

Oh.

Wait.

Solstice is suffering pretty badly from the smell, isn't she?

Zee has no real problem with it and Jade has her helmet, but Solstice?

She's just suffering through it.

Hmm.

Maybe a gesture of good faith to make it clear that sticking it out with the plan is a swell idea? Changing one organic molecule into another organic molecule is pretty low impact. She should be able to get away with that, hopefully without any Watchers coming out of the woodwork to clean up her mess.

Yezekiel raises one hand and clenches a fist as she alters what is into what ought.

"לִהיוֹת"

It's like a wave passing through the sewers, one that will be immediately obvious to anyone down there. All the various stench molecules are spontaneously rearranged into ethyl formate, the chemical that gives raspberries their distinctive aroma. Zee immediately feels reality lurch in reply. That's one of four.

"Okay! Let's get down there and do some more scrying. Find out where that rotten goblin is hiding."

And then Zee will head down the ladder.

[bc56]

Jade looks askance at Zee. That's a bit of a frivolous waste of power, isn't it? She clambers down into the sewer, projecting a light from her helmet. Hopefully, it's all clear down there.

[WindStruck]

Solstice notices Zee doing.. something. Her wizardry or whatever it was. Though maybe she wasn't really a wizard after all based on previous response? Maybe. Hmm.

Well, it didn't really matter. For now. Solstice immediately noticed a pleasant aroma of raspberries rather than whatever was stinking up the sewers. She could breathe easier for now.

"Oh.. I.. was going to suggest, we could have perhaps moved around up here a bit first. I might have been able to discern a direction sloping downwards... or if not, I suppose she would have been far, far below us..."

Of course, taking a more Euclidian approach to determining distance or direction was hardly reliable! Still, it would have been a better thing to try first before delving into that hole. At least it smelled better now?

"I just need a few minutes," Solstice said. She took her hair and wove it into some simple braids, then tried to stuff it all inside her robes. Wasn't quite so comfortable... But, better than her hair touching any of that iron and burning off. After that, Solstice reluctantly climbed down into the hole, wary of all the iron.. everything that could obliterate her within such close proximity. It was uncomfortable, like a hungry lion watching you from behind a thin sheet of glass...

Down in the sewers, the scent of raspberries is rather overpowering. "This scent is.." she starts coughing again. But at least she'll probably get used to it.