Outside 48: Hotter than Inside

[Arkhosia]

A Different Sort of Party

It seems that party espionage is tiring work for Cantata, as she is only just waking up. Sitting up in the bed, she blinks sleepily, her previously well-groomed hair now suffering from a serious case of bedhead. She gives Electra a bright smile. A better place than my apartment, actually. Are you renting at all? her eyes might briefly linger on Fayyaad’s form as he enters.

[Nova_Eclipse]

A Different Sort of Party

Electra smiles, and blushes slightly, a reaction Fayyaad is probably not expecting.

"It was...pleasant enough. Certainly much calmer after you two departed," she says. Her evening after the party ended was certainly more pleasant than the party itself, but talking about her evening and morning (and a certain sorceress whose arms she was MOST reluctant to part from) with Fayyaad can wait until after they've finished with Cantata. She seats herself on an open chair and nods at Cantata, before signing back.

I'll probably be listing this place for sale soon. I might even be inclined to sell it to a certain someone, at a very nice discount, I might add, provided certain conditions are met....

[Morty]

[A Different Sort of Party]

"It was something of an oddity, as far as Nexus parties are concerned. There's usually no assassination attempts or espionage," Fayyaad observes. "Public indecency and being drunk and disorderly tend to be more common."

[Murkus]

The Joining House

”Or perhaps I simply won’t pry into things that deserve to be kept close to the chest.” Votsona’s response wasn’t the answer that Blanche had expected to hear, but she manages not to let it catch her off-guard.

However, she does raise an eyebrow. “‘Not so little in this form’, huh? Is there some other shape you prefer to take on?”

[The Joining House]

"It's ok. Really. You won't hurt my feelings asking, Blanche. You just might have to work harder than this," Votsona says, leaning back. "But perhaps I am not all that interesting."

"And well, I mean, not really. I much prefer this form. Hands to whittle and cut with. But I can change myself into a stag, like most of my brothers."

There is some commotion outside the lodge as they're sitting there...

[bc56]

Old Wood

The wasp sees the translator and approaches it. She does get the gist of Benedict's sentences through it, but she has something else in mind. She'll try to grab it and take it with her, if that's even possible. A universal translator is incredibly expensive where she comes from, and it could come in handy here.

[Recaiden]

Benedict groans when he's dropped. "They'll die at some point. And I'd only kill one of them. It'd also help me keep the other alive, unless you think I can tell what they need to eat just by looking. Vivisection's a faster death than starvation, and only kills one." Depending on positioning, the wasp might be able to read what Benedict says on the lens he created.

Rummaging through Benedict's pockets find many things, especially the inside ones. There's a stone prism covered in a strange mystic pattern that twists magic around it. An iron sculpture of a ship hanging from a brass chain. A centipede with dragonfly wings trapped in a block of amber. A large, dagger-like shard of stained glass. A roll of sticky tape. A wand made of goat's horn and wrapped with copper wire. A battered brass locket held fast by a little hook. A small bottle of old, clotted blood.

The bottle, locket, wand, broken glass, ship and prism are all magic, to some extent or another. So is the bottle the wasp took, wherever that's gone.

The wasp sees the translator and approaches it. She does get the gist of Benedict's sentences through it, but she has something else in mind. She'll try to grab it and take it with her, if that's even possible. A universal translator is incredibly expensive where she comes from, and it could come in handy here.

Moschu, of course, takes everything. Even if she probably can't use the stained glass knife or the wand, and has no need for a roll of tape. She can have it all identified later, she thinks.
"Yes, yes, you mortals all die eventually." the spider says dismissively. Most spiders like her die too, actually. The multiverse is a big, dangerous place.

"Wasps pretty much just drink nectar; I'm sure they won't starve with all the crazy plants around here. They're probably the only ones in the Nexus who know about this world they come from, that's way more important than a few clues about their biology."

Then she begins the process of entangling Benedict in a silk cocoon. That's unlikely to end well for him, so he might want to try harder to escape.
"Quiet down, now. There's another anomaly forming, so I'd like to wrap things up here."

[Earl of Purple]

Old Wood

The wasp's hand passes through the lens, feeling a bit like she's pushing her hand into a pool of water. Her touch disturbs the magic, and there's several flares of light as the lens is destroyed, leaving nothing behind.

There's also some bullets for his gun. Forgot those. "That's bees, that eat nectar. Wasps are carnivorous, and these ones are humanoid. Most humanoids are omnivorous. Don't assume they follow the same rules." He's also going to try crawl away, before giving up and drawing a symbol of white lines in the air and closing his eyes. The symbol flashes brightly, hopefully blinding the spider and the wasp as he tries to escape.

[bc56]

Old Wood

The wasp is disappointed when the holographic disc vanishes at her touch. The real translator must be elsewhere, probably on the human's person. She has other things to worry about, though. The bright light blinds her and she stumbles backwards, shaking off the effect as the occultist escapes.

[Reinholdt]

[New Inside - Castilia]

The nurse blinks at her bold request. "Uh, I can't really... miss, could I see your ID card, please? Sorry, but I don't recognize you." She smiles politely.

[New Inside - Castilia]

Ilpholin leans in a little, with a wry grin as her pheromones ramp up considerably. "Checking to see if I can drink? I can assure you, I'm more than capable of adult activities, though I am flattered you think I'm so young."

"Look I'm going to be honest with you because I've found in the past that's just the easiest way to get this done," Ilpholin says, growing extremely serious and lowering her voice. "The Defense Department sent me to ask the fey questions about these demons. And I'm to be thorough in making sure they answer. Very thorough. IF it becomes necessary. We need to figure out if New Inside is at risk like Riverside was. But the higher ups also don't want a diplomatic incident if it can be avoided. When that happens, they send me. I'm... plausible deniability and very good at what I do. And it's simply safer for both of us if you don't know my name."

[Recaiden]

"No, that's just whe-"
Moschu starts to correct Benedict about the definition of wasps, when the light goes off.
Then she yells a lot of not-very-nice things about necromancers while flailing about with her claws. Benedict has to still be pretty close by, maybe she'll get lucky and grab him again.

[Earl of Purple]

Old Wood

Benedict will roll to one side, keeping quite low and managing to avoid Moschu's claws until he can grab his pistol and any of the trinkets from his pockets that might be lying around and make his escape.

Hopefully the Hound of Tindalos is still distracted, or doesn't try to stop him. He might be able to banish it, but that would likely be noisy and he doesn't know if either the wasp or the spider have good enough senses for that to matter. Hopefully neither can hear his footprints over Moschu's screaming.

[bc56]

Old Wood

The wasp can hear pretty well. She doesn't rush to where she hears Benedict moving, though, because she doesn't want to stumble into his attacks. She instead runs towards the exit to try to cut off his escape.

[Fendrick]

[Near Edelina's Farm]

"Maybe the tower doesn't have a wizard and this creature is looking for one," Dipsnig says, likewise keeping his crossbow trained on the gargoyle. "Maybe it thought Edelina could be one. Constructs... can be clever, but tend to follow their orders very literally."

[Forest Near Edelina's Farm]

Kray stares at the gargoyle.
"If you took her sister because the Tower needed a wizard, then she is currently the master of the tower.
We wish to visit the Wizard of the tower. Let us past." she says stiffly. One must be specific and logical with minions like this.

Near Edelina's Farm

The gargoyle responds to Edelina first. "The Tower has a Wizard." Possibly a little opaque in meaning, but maybe not. The gargoyle doesn't reply to what Dipsnig says, either not hearing or because it wasn't directly addressed.

Then Kray makes her demand, and the gargoyle turns its head toward the minotaur. "If you are invited, you may open the door." So... possibly some kind of trap on the door? Or maybe just a magical seal.

'Huh.' says Edelina.

Edelina looks up at the tower, seeing the arrow slits. She then bellows, at the top of her voice:

'Oi!! Matilda!! Can we come in?'

Edelina still holds the bow and arrow, aimed at the gargoyle's creepy, creepy unmoving mouth.

[Morty]

[Forest Near Edelina's Farm]

Dipsnig also keeps his crossbow pointed at the gargoyle, waiting to see if there's any response to Edelina.

[Deathkeeper]

[Tower near Edelina’s Farm]

”She would like to speak to the wizard.” Kray tells the gargoyle flatly, hoping it might have an intercom built into it or something.

[Earl of Purple]

Tower Near Edelina's Farm

There's no reply from the tower, though it may be that the structure is soundproofed. Or perhaps Matilda is simply asleep.

The gargoyle, however, does have a response. "If you are invited, you may open the door. The Tower has a Wizard." It remains unfazed by the weaponry pointed at it.

[Fendrick]

Tower Near Edelina's Farm

There's no reply from the tower, though it may be that the structure is soundproofed. Or perhaps Matilda is simply asleep.

The gargoyle, however, does have a response. "If you are invited, you may open the door. The Tower has a Wizard." It remains unfazed by the weaponry pointed at it.

[Tower near Edelina’s Farm]

”She would like to speak to the wizard.” Kray tells the gargoyle flatly, hoping it might have an intercom built into it or something.

[Forest Near Edelina's Farm]

Dipsnig also keeps his crossbow pointed at the gargoyle, waiting to see if there's any response to Edelina.

Edelina pauses, frustrated by the fact Matilda did not appear to hear her. And angered by the unhelpful response from the gargoyle. In her frustration, she charges towards the steps to the tower and the gargoyle; she may just hurt herself and bounce off it, or it might be wise and move out of her way.... Edelina still points the bow at the gargoyle as she heads forward.

Or Dipsnig and/or Kray may stop Edelina... but at this point, Edelina has already had enough of the creepy gargoyle. Where's Matilda? Is she safe?

[Recaiden]

The Hound was distracted. It was just considering going back when it came from, since everything was over and done with here.

But the bright lights and the shouting have gotten its attention.
It pounces towards Benedict.
He wouldn't happen to have a bunch of delicious stolen youth around him, would he?

Moschu casts her shield spell again, hoping to shelter behind that until her vision returns. The space around them, something behind the very air, grows tense.

[Earl of Purple]

Old Wood

Benedict does have a lot of stolen youth, about twenty-three year's worth at the moment. Unfortunately, he can't easily forsake it to distract the Hound- nor does he know that it'd work. So he raises his hand and shoots his pistol at it. The bullets aren't anything special, but the gun has some magical enhancements increasing its power and reducing the recoil. He could just use his magic, but it's pouncing and he's got the gun in hand. This is likely faster.

It also means he's made a noise louder than Moschu's screaming, probably.

I also forgot- Moschu was able to take his tumi, which is a South American ceremonial knife. It's got an unpleasant healing enchantment, providing just enough healing to extend the life of somebody stabbed with it.

[bc56]

Old Wood

The wasp is standing in the doorway blindly looking in no particular direction when she hears Benedict's gunshot. She's not dumb enough to approach while blinded, and instead feels her way to taking shelter around the doorframe. That should be enough cover against future bullets, and if he comes her way, she'll hear his footsteps on the water-covered floor.

[Morty]

[Tower near Edelina’s Farm]

"How about we don't throw ourselves at the door and see if we can open it instead?" Dipsnig suggests, his eyes and aim not leaving the gargoyle.

[Deathkeeper]

[Tower near Edelina’s Farm]

Kray nods.
”Yes. It’s entirely possible that as your blood you are already invited.” Kray says patiently. Pulling the door handle is likely more productive than sprinting into solid stone.

[Recaiden]

The bullets ping all-but-harmlessly off the Hound's contradictory hide.
Benedict would have better luck clubbing it with the gun itself.
The monster opens its maw and stabs out at Benedict with its tongue. His stolen years would be drunk away before any harm comes to the actual Occultist underneath, so that should buy him some time in the present to act.

[Fendrick]

[Tower near Edelina’s Farm]

"How about we don't throw ourselves at the door and see if we can open it instead?" Dipsnig suggests, his eyes and aim not leaving the gargoyle.

[Tower near Edelina’s Farm]

Kray nods.
”Yes. It’s entirely possible that as your blood you are already invited.” Kray says patiently. Pulling the door handle is likely more productive than sprinting into solid stone.

Edelina shrugs, runs towards the gargoyle but side steps at the last minute, and heads for the door. She is very agile, so the manoeuvre is smooth and perhaps taunts the gargoyle just a little.

Edelina pauses, hand on the door handle, bow and arrow pointing the ground, but at no point does she put her back to the gargoyle in case it is angered by her.

[Earl of Purple]

Tower Near Edelina's Farm

The gargoyle doesn't react to Edelina walking past it, turning its attention instead to Kray.

The doorhandle is warm under Edelina's fingers, but it doesn't zap her with arcane energies. At least, not immediately. Unless she tries to open it, she won't know if it's locked or defended. Or if she's invited, for that matter.

Old Wood

Benedict gasps as he ages suddenly, dropping his pistol and drawing a symbol in red light. Once complete, red needles dart out to impale the Hound's soft tissues and explode. He's looking to be in his fifties now, losing about ten years. If he loses too much more he'll start to get shaky hands, and that would hamper his magic.

[bc56]

Old Wood

The wasp continues to shelter behind the doorframe. No sense in coming out from under cover now and risking death.

[Morty]

[City Out of Time]

"We do not know," the sorcerer in the golden robe admits with a sigh. "The name could have been a metaphor, as far as we can say. Or just poetic."

"The sorcery could well be the cause, if not intentionally. High concentrations of it... warp reality. Back when this city stood and was filled with people, it was different. But it could be something else."

[Arkhosia]

A Different Sort of Party

Cantata raises an eyebrow to signal her interest, but doesn't choose to press the subject verbally - or perhaps textually? Either way, it seemed rather impolite to discuss matters as if another party was not present, and there were certainly more topical matters to discuss. Slipping out of bed and tidying the disarrayed sheets left behind, she smooths her dress and reaches for her phone.

Really? I would have assumed such dramatic events weren't so terribly rare, considering the wild blend of factions and cultures here. Such relative harmony was unusual to her; where she came from, people tended to be a bit more unfriendly and cloistered.

[The Joining House]

A stag? The idea amuses Blanche far more than impresses her. As majestic and emblematic as they could look, she couldn't really see the utility; maybe speed? Then again, humans cover far more ground at the end of the day, so she wasn't sure how useful even that might be.

"Not quite what I meant," the woman responds with an amused huff. "I was trying to make a point, but I guess your scars have a far different story behind them than mine." The prickly attitude has subsided a little, but there's still a degree of a guarded approach to her words. Even so, it's still a return to the wolfish playfulness from before.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[City Out of Time]

"I see," Electra says, her voice tinged with just a bit of worry. Mostly, that's coming from the fact that she's now unsure whether she's brought the correct equipment for this job, but there's nothing for it now, especially since there's something of a time limit on how long they can take to finish this job. She looks to Cass for a moment, trying to gauge her reaction, before looking back to Shayna.

"Where are going to be the best places to look for the information you want us to retrieve? I would assume libraries, but are there any other specific places that might not be immediately obvious that you're aware of?"

A Different Sort of Party

Electra chuckles.

"The Nexus' parties are a bit strange, I'll admit, but I'd gotten used to the change. If this starts a trend, we're going to get very busy." She eyes Fayyaad for a moment, before looking back to Cantata. "And speaking of busy, we should get on with the matters I wanted to discuss with you. Most chiefly, whether or not you've been working with any larger mercenary groups."

[Shadowcaller]

[New Inside - Castilia]

Ilpholin leans in a little, with a wry grin as her pheromones ramp up considerably. "Checking to see if I can drink? I can assure you, I'm more than capable of adult activities, though I am flattered you think I'm so young."

"Look I'm going to be honest with you because I've found in the past that's just the easiest way to get this done," Ilpholin says, growing extremely serious and lowering her voice. "The Defense Department sent me to ask the fey questions about these demons. And I'm to be thorough in making sure they answer. Very thorough. IF it becomes necessary. We need to figure out if New Inside is at risk like Riverside was. But the higher ups also don't want a diplomatic incident if it can be avoided. When that happens, they send me. I'm... plausible deniability and very good at what I do. And it's simply safer for both of us if you don't know my name."

[New Inside - Castilia]

The nurse seem to hesitate for a moment before she grins back to Ilpholin, looking a bit shy. "Oh. I see miss. Again, I am sorry for the missunderstanding. But I'm afraid you will need the daily room code. Considering the, ah, circumstances you could call this number and they'll send you an email with the information. Once you have it, simply type the code and your, well, any personal information you can give, into this terminal here. The computer will guide you the rest of the way." She indicates a nearby computer terminal and a number that is written on it.