Inside 69: Nice.

[Hattish Thing]

Prison

From below, the vigilante frowns before glancing back towards the prisoner. Something about this entire situation felt off, as if something wasn't quite right. After a short pause, he'll offer a hard stare back towards the guard before speaking, his tone calm and reserved.

Chalcedony House Gemstone Museum Result: 18

The moment the bracelet is put on, the bell rings. It's an astonishingly loud sound, so loud that- unless she's wearing ear protection- Larza may very well be temporarily deafened.

This is a particularly bad thing because the guard she knocked out? He was asleep. The bell's so loud, he's just woken up and is struggling to his feet with his hands pressed against his ears. Plus, there's a chance she's been heard by others elsewhere in the building, even though it isn't one of the museum's own alarms. I think it's time for Larza to make her daring escape. There's a window in the wall, overlooking the garden; it's shut, and locked, but if she smashes it she's outside the building again and closer to escape. Or she could try going the way she came, back to the attic.

The instant that she does so, she regrets it, cursing wildly and stumbling backwards in the process. With wild eyes, the burglar clutches at her large ears, shrieking out as the noise grows astonishingly loud and oppressive. "Mother of absolute f*ck!" As the ringing in her ears slowly subsides, she notices the guard slowly stirring back to consciousness. With a snarl upon her face, she'll reach into her backpack to retrieve her grappling line before rushing forward, stepping all over the prone guard.

She'll shove a kevlar-protected shoulder through the window as she's escaping before firing the grapple launcher upwards and towards an adjacent building. Should it hit, she'll proceed to be shot through the air, allowing for a swift but sloppy escape into the night.

[Kathy's Cybershop]

The green-haired woman nods, and hands back the tablet the vigilante handed her, "Then yeah, shouldn't be an issue. Payment for this kind of commission is up front; don't want to waste money procuring materials and then find out you won't pay," She'll quote a rather expensive price, but probably reasonable for the kind of tech he's asking for.

Raising a brow at the fact that she didn't seem to require the tablet further, he accepts it.



--

With that, he'll leave.

[bc56]

Prison

"That's strange. It must be something she picked up outside. I'll call our doctor, have him take a look." The guard looks concerned by this information. The gith speaks up again. "All dead, all eaten up. Trickery, flayer trickery!" She giggles madly.

[Reinholdt]

[just outside the The Temperance Teahouse]

Holly the Half-Elf^TM is here for a date, all dressed up in casual-elegant attire.

She's got a pretty snazzy black dress on - just above knee-length, with a slit going up the side and a dip in the front a bit deeper than she's normally comfortable with. Paired with it is a matching shawl, and low heels. Her hairs up, with a couple black roses twisted in. Long, black gloves are also worn, with the thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger missing so her actual skin and fingernails are seen.

Her make-up is also bolder than when Rein last saw it - and it isn't smeared this time, either. She's got a ring on her middle finger on her left hand with a small dark red gem with some swirling black, a silver bracelet, and a necklace with a similar dark red gem. A small purse, also.

She's also a little more nervous than she's trying to appear - before Reinholdt, the last date she went on was several years ago, with Magtok, wearing fake mustaches. ...It didn't really work out. And the last time she had a dinner-date like this was more than a decade ago.

[just outside the The Temperance Teahouse]

Reinholdt arrives shortly thereafter. He's wearing a matching navy blue pants and sports jacket, the latter of which hangs open over a much lighter blue, nearly white, button up shirt. Just enough of the top buttons remain unfastened to reveal a hint of his chest. It's all held together with a brown leather belt and similarly colored leather shoes. Rein occasionally fingers the pair of golden cufflinks sculpted in the shape of a cat to help his nerves.

Reinholdt's hair is straighter than usual and certainly more so than the last time Holly saw him. He's a little nauseous as well from eating too many mints before hand, but nothing serious enough to cause problems. There's even a slight whiff of cologne, but it's particularly mild. He hasn't used cologne in so long he was afraid of over dabbing and being stuck for hours on end with an overpowering scent, so he was exceptionally cautious with the application.

Upon spotting Holly, Rein steps over to her with a smile on his face, his eyes drawn to her, captivated. "H-hi." There's a moment of silence between when the dummy realizes he should say something more and stop looking her over so much. "You look fantastic, by the way. I really like the roses. It's a nice touch. Not too many people would choose black roses."

[Terumitsu]

[The House on the Hill]

Sam Bacon arrives on the premises, slowly sliding open the gate as he approaches the place. He thought he might as well take a look at it. Lucy seems dead set on a castle, but it’s been ages! When is he going to be able to live somewhere with its own address again? Sure, Lucy is just looking out for her...for Sylvess. But still! Sam can take a look for her. If a place is big enough for him and his width it might be big enough for a small-medium dragon.
And so our intrepid spigre approaches, characteristically dressed casually despite the cold.

The house.. Waited. It neither seemed to entice nor repel any entrant any more than perhaps a foreboding exterior would naturally. Houses were inanimate objects, after all.

..Right?

The gates stuck for a moment and then shrieked as they opened, betraying the lack of lubricant in the hinges. It was the harsh metal on metal ruckus that was only made worse by feeling the sound as it propagated not only through the air but into the flesh and bone of the arms; all the way up to the mechanical parts of the ear that earned it's keep translating mechanical motion to electro-chemical signal.

The front door stood closed still. As might be told from the state of the gate, this place might need a few tools to easily navigate through the apparently abandoned abode. What did Sam deem to bring with him? He might need to see if there were tools left behind to do the job if he came unprepared..

[Deathkeeper]

[A Lot Spookiness]

Nick can’t just walk into the factory in the middle of the day. It’ll attract suspicion. And he’s already struggling with a cover story that these people will understand. The lack of diversity here means they probably won’t know what his badge means. Or believe that it’s real. He has no authority here, besides flashing his gun. Which he won’t do. That would be incredibly reckless.
So instead he’s going to have to head into town and talk to the locals. If he plays it right he might get some information. Worst case scenario he heads into the factory later.

[The House on the Hill]

Sam eyes the front door with a grimace. He’d rather not hear that sound ever again but he probably doesn’t have a choice. Maybe he’ll just climb over on his way out.
Still, locked doors are much easier for him. He simply appears his oversized magic open-any-lock key and taps the door handle with it. He’s always been iffy on the whole “opens anything” thing but Alysha insisted that it works that way.

[Terumitsu]

[The House on the Hill]

The door's heavy lock slid open with an unsubtle *Clnk,* the sound of the metal bolt retreating into the brass, iron, and oak with an almost congratulatory noise as the key did it's work. The door was, for all intents and purposes, open.

The boards across the door frame, much like they were across the windows, however, were decidedly more a barricade than a trifling lock. Locks, after all, were really only there to keep out the honest. Anything more than that, though, was someone meaning business. A prybar might, perhaps, be more use here unless that key could also work on nails.

Thankfully, they seemed to be no larger than something one would use to assemble a birdhouse, likely used as they were on hand rather than getting something more sturdy for truly long-term barring of entry. If he lacked that.. Well, it wasn't exactly a setup made expertly. If he really had to, maybe with some work he could slid his fingers between the boards and just pull. Having such a large body did mean he would have quite a bit of force to muster behind the task, after all.

[Deathkeeper]

[The House on the Hill]

Sam carefully looks over the boards. Somewhere deep in his brain the ogre part of his body’s construction tells him he could easily reduce this barrier to splinters if he threw his weight into it. But he is not an ogre, he is a chef and a hero (apprentice) and that means he is capable of finesse. But still. Setup.
Sam reaches to the door handle and opens the door in so he is only faced with the boards. Then pulls out a small gold-hilted knife.
”Hey Steve. Claiming big house. Help me out? Could be anything inside.” he coaxes the sword, which grumbles and shapes itself into a wicked sharp hook-blade. Sam sets about using it to pry off the bars. Four arms and a Shapeshifting weapon can produce a lot of leverage.
But he totally could have just tackled it.

[Terumitsu]

[The House on the Hill]


It was unfortunate but the first board broke in half, shattering jaggedly as a few splinters harmlessly fell to the ground. Not enough to make removing the other half difficult by any rate but.. The wood didn't look old from the outside.. On the other side, though, it was.. Almost like a facade as rot had quietly hollowed the board out from the inside. The other boards too seemed to have a sponginess to them that made them more useful as kindling than building materials. Strange considering... Well, this house didn't look that bad. Heck, surprisingly even though the hinges on the door also squeaked, the floor might as well have been made of stone, sturdy as it was. It almost seemed to take Sam's weight as a challenge and took it without even the faintest protest as if the contest against mass and gravity was beneath it.

Now inside, the boards over the windows did little for light or the atmosphere but the open doors let illumination leak around his burly form to grant enough visibility in the foyer. The room was a tall affair, adorned with a covered chandelier from the ceiling while off to the north-west end of the room were a flight of stairs leading to the second story. To his right was a large dining room, tables and chairs covered in dustcoth while the walls were decorated with floral wallpapering. Even in the dim light, there were faint patches on the wall where paintings once rested. To his left was.. It probably was a study? The place didn't seem to have all the furniture but there were still definite impressions in the floor where once-heavy chairs and a desk had sat, immobile from the day they entered the home until the day they were forcibly taken from their quiet vigil. The walls held shelves but no books and the room itself was fairly open with numerous windows, even having what.. Could be mistaken for the base of a very small tower, given the rounded walls. Actually it might well be a small tower as further investigation would reveal the spiral staircase leading up to a small loft.

Nothing seemed out of sorts yet, though. It was just an old house.

[Deathkeeper]

[The House on the Hill]

”A little neglected, but still plenty nice.” Sam mutters to himself. He gets out a heavy-duty flashlight and goes to check out the staircase. The place won’t be any use to him or Lucy if the stairs are too narrow to fit a big person.
The dining room can be looked at later. He doesn’t know a thing about wallpaper. Really he barely decorated his old place. His roommates did that for him. Maybe he ought to look into it. It will be good to finally stop living in a hotel.

[Rebonack]

[A Lot Spookiness]

Of course he can walk into the factory in the middle of the day!

Attracting suspicion might just be one potential consequence of doing so.

There are many things one can do if one is willing to disregard the consequences.

Heading away from the factory, Nick will find that the town appears much as it had when he was flying over its desiccated husk. The building placement is the same, certainly. There's the fancy hotel (The Carson Inn, judging from the sign), and that ice cream shop (the Happy Cow), and Rodger's Auto Mechanic. Everything is right where it should be. Just alive now. It couldn't just be time travel, could it? There hasn't ever been anything quite like this in the Nexus before. Maybe the closest equivalent would be Metropolis Square. But that place has WAY more retro-future flying cars and atomic robots. This place is quite down to earth with its normal non-flying cars and glaring lack of robots, atomic or otherwise.

And that raised platform the clean room had been on?

That appears to be the platform for a train station.

Several unremarkable looking people are waiting there. A mother, father, and two children. A business man reading a newspaper. An out of focus, jittering corpse dripping thick muck-

Wait.

*blink*

No, that's just a guy shining his shoes. Nothing weird going on there.

[Terumitsu]

[The House on the Hill]

The stairs were wide. 'Grand' if one wanted to be descriptive and the incline to the steps were shallow, leading up to a short landing before making a right angle turn to lead the rest of the way up. It was the staircase of someone with money to show off rather than just let someone move between floors. A grand piano and some strong-backed individuals would probably find the arrangement a blessing to maneuver through, at the least.

The upper floor had a balcony over which one could see the foyer and it had just enough room to where one could set aside a table for two. Further down the hall, though, the floor began to exhibit odd colorations. It was as if the wood had been smoothed through years of weathering by feet and further aged to the point of petrifaction, appearing now like a dark, polished stone of marbled amber. It was the same with the doors though they still held the ornate definition carved into them.

Also.. Was it drafty here? At the door it was excusable but here it almost seemed as bad as it was outside.

Down the hall and to the immediate left would be what would have once been servant's quarters. Now, though, the once-bunkroom was open and void of any furnishings. It could probably now serve as a second bedroom or guest room, though. To the right would have been a proper second bedroom considering the decorative paisley papering and the skeleton of a four-poster with no mattress in sight.

Further beyond the servant's quarters was a washroom, housing an inset bath large enough to nearly submerge a hippopotamus as a main feature but there was also a more modern shower inside a box of frosted glass as well. Similarly, beyond the second bedroom was... Well there wasn't anything here that gave any immediate clues. It probably wasn't a living room given it's location.. Maybe a sitting room? No, those were generally a little more private and this was still fairly open. Maybe a games room then? Probably a games room. Whatever it used to be it was now a blank canvas a possibility! As was whatever was behind that door at the far end... Though given how close it was to the far end of the house, it was either a closet or a way to get into the attic given there hadn't been anything else leading there.

[Deathkeeper]

[The House on the Hill]

Sam smiles as he passes the washroom.
”A tub big enough for my giant behind is always welcome.” He would hate to have to remove all these nice old fixtures. He tests the faucet to see if there’s anything still running in the pipes.
Regardless, that leaves the door on the end of the hall. Interesting.
No time to waste! Sam trots over and opens the door.

[A Lot Spookiness]

Nick straightens himself. He has his doubts if he can help anyone here, given what he saw. But he has to try, has to hope that maybe he can subvert disaster.
But maybe he should avoid eating the local food in case this is all a weird simulation.

Nick approaches one of the gentlemen on the platform benches.
”Mornin’. Say, would you mind telling me where I am? I was hitching a ride out west to see my baby brother but my ride dropped me off outside town, said he couldn’t go further. I don’t get it. Don’t even have a map.” he shrugs casually. It’s the best cover story he could come up with on the fly.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Triumph’s Garb]

”Thank you.” says G’nichi with a nod, who carefully tries on the collar. He also pushes for the staff to remove the outfit so the tailor can fit it properly without the ostentatious suit getting in the way, and for sizing it when the staff isn’t around to give him the outfit anyway.

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

Ever seen a cat reacting to the sound a metronome makes?

That's Melissa right now when the loud taps happen.

Jumpjumpjump!

She scowls back at the door in a rather cat-like way, her tail lashing behind her. "I can't see whatever's doing this," she huffs. There really isn't any fear involved to speak of. More like irritation.

Lucas scoots a bit further forward, raising his utility-stick-which-is-currently-a-flashlight toward the fridge. "Hey, the refrigerator is shoved in front of a door," Lucas observes. That is, of course, a really weird place to put a refrigerator. He'll look a bit closer to see if he can't discern any unusual details about the fridge. "Why would someone put a fridge in front of a door?"

Are there any scuff marks on the floor suggesting it was moved recently? Does it look like one of those walk-in freezer doors? Big kitchens have those sometimes.

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

Isaac scowls, but heads over to the refrigerator. He begins trying to move it with his enhanced strength. It's not as easy as it would be if he changed, but he's still trying to save that.
"You know, normally I'd be trying to keep the barricade up...but since we're actively looking for the dangerous ghosts here..." he grumbles. This is all still a stupid idea.

[Triumph's Garb]

The staff plays dumb here, inexplicably unable to grasp why G'nichi could possibly want the outfit off.
Especially since the collar turned such a lovely shade of white as soon as it slipped it on! And look at that fabulous sheet of softly glowing blue light that slid out of the back, like a curtain of glory behind him!

It matches perfectly.

"Light, huh, alright. Yeah, I guess that outfit woulda been kinda hard to keep up with otherwise. Collar usually does something better than that, but okay."
The dwarf seems somewhat skeptical of the outcome, but more in a muttering-to-himself sort of way.

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

The has probably, in fact, been pushed in front of the door in the recent past, but there are no scuff marks to indicate this. There is a bit of empty space against the wall next to the door though, that is the perfect size for said refrigerator.
It has wheels, but they seem to have been deliberately jammed by someone melting the little plastic locks on them. A group effort could probably still shift it aside. Or, well, some more of that super strength by itself?

Itself, the door looks less like one of those freezer doors and more like the sort of door you would expect to find in the basement of a particularly old building. Bands of latches and reinforcement run across it, with a large pull lever for pulling those back to release it from the wall. It is currently locked by more of those metal chains, twined around the handle and bands with a separate lock.
Looks like the same kind as with the front door.

TAP. TAP.
"Come...back."

[Deathkeeper]

[Triumph’s Garb]

G’nichi glares at the staff but accepts the results.
”Better? What do you mean, better? What does it do? And Uh, what would I owe you?” he asks the dwarf.

[Rebonack]

[A Lot Spookiness]

Trying to avert disaster is sometimes the best we can do.

The fellow with the newspaper looks Nick up and down, quickly concluding that he looks like a respectable enough fellow. "This here's Drayton. Seems a bit unneighborly to drop you outside of town. Can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to swing in. The train line here only goes north-south. You would have to ride up to Charleston to catch eastbound. But northbound doesn't come by until six-thirty. Normally I would say go pitch in a few hours at the factory, but they aren't running today. Something about a big presentation. Even got a news crew coming in on the southbound, I hear."

Well.

That's some interesting information.

What kind of presentation would draw in a news crew to a sleepy little town?

Must be something pretty spectacular.

And a factory seems like kind of an odd place to hold it.

One of the children nearby, a little girl in a yellow dress, looks up at Nick wide-eyed and pulls at her mother's sleeve.

"Mommy, that man's a bird," she says in a somewhat accusing tone.

The mother looks up from her book, glances at Nick, then back down at her daughter. "Hush, Emily. Don't make up stories about people."


[Golden Flock Orphanage]

Well.

That's an awfully spooky looking door.

"Ugh. More chains!" Melissa gripes. "Maybe we should save this one for last? Someone must have REALLY wanted it closed up. That probably just means all the best ghosts are in there."

What an awful cat-child.

Her ears swivel at the voice. What sort of voice was it? Adult? Child? Boy? Girl? Houseplant?

"It sounds like maybe it's up on the second floor?" Melissa reasons. "Let's go look up there!"

And then off she bounds!

Lucas struggles to keep up with the fae feline.

"Melissa, we need to stay together!" he calls out as they head for the stairs.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Triumph's Garb]

"Eh, it's supposed to find an appearance suitable to your other garb, leaning on the nicer side of things."
It's a pretty simple magic trick, generally speaking, and convenient for adventurers who are constantly changing their equipment.
"As for what it does, well. It makes you better! Sorta literally, given that it identifies weaknesses and bolsters those up after they've been exposed."

If you lose a race, it will improve your legs.
I wonder if it would work if he lost a swim-suit competition?

The dwarf scratches his beard, staring at the cape shimmering away on G'nichi's back.
"I remember the days of just starting off, with adventuring. You could also do with some experience and I have some errands that could do with doing. Not the 'fetch me twine from the supermarket' kind, either. If you were interested, I'd have you go figure out why one of my suppliers went quiet on me a week or two ago. Knowing this place, something probably happened."

[Recaiden]

Stuck Square

"At least the air probably won't be able to fuel a fire." Because that would be the worst, fish burning to death in a fire. "Sure, let's go." Jack's about ready to go down the hole and see if that leaves out. Hopefully the schoolchicks weren't lying.

As the schoolchicks said, the pit is endless blackness, no sign of a balcony from the surface. There are no ropes or stairs on its sheer stone walls. You would need to know exactly where it is.
Luckily, someone here can fly.

It's calm and peaceful in the pit. Relaxing. The noise of the city is muffled and distant. Vague shapes loom in the darkness.
And there, down at the correct height, the balcony. There's a railing, bronze with floral patterns between the bars. And there's an arched walkway, apparently carved into the earth beneath the Square, leading away.

Hive Sewers

"Um, I guess? I quite like my life, though. Gets a bit lonely, but I can handle it." She doesn't sound too sure about the opportunity being offered, but she's also not entirely sure it's a choice she will survive turning down. She's really worried about where they're going.

They wouldn't kill her for refusing. But they wouldn't politely let her go, either.

"Quietly!" The Stalker whispers, but rather a forceful whisper.
"Your allomancering will be useful. We may need it to overcome the Strongest. And you won't be lonely. I think you realize that now you've stumbled across us, there's no going back to your old life." She's back to her normal volume. It isn't so important that she speak quietly, because unlike the Tineye, the Stalker is good at speaking. She thinks so, anyway.

They turn the way the Tineye didn't come from, towards the blue light, growing brighter. The breeze is blowing again, except it's going the opposite direction now, and the flowing air is warmer.

[Deathkeeper]

Triumph’s Garb

G’nichi nods. Well that does sound useful. Though its limitations do warrant exploration.
”Aye, sir. I could look into that for you. What place is it?”

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

Isaac groans and chases after Lucas and Melissa.
She’s going to get them killed. One of them is actually made of flesh and bone, you know!

[A Lot Spookiness]

Nick winks at the girl before returning to the man.
”Yeah, I saw the poster. Only it’s at seven, and the train’s at six? Don’t think they’d let me take a peek early, would they? Hate that I’m gonna miss whatever it is.” he asks the man.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Triumph's Garb]

"Good lad. I usually meet the boys down in the South-North-South Street market, if you want to work back from there. Coupla dwarves by the names Gashud and Limil. Usually running in with some battered cart of theirs, loaded with more weapons and paranoia than you can shake a stick at. Apparently where they come from it's well-warranted."
So less of a specific place for G'nichi to look into, it seems. That probably doesn't make it easier.
"I suppose it's just as possible the 'home problems' got them as did city ones, but I haven't had the time to look myself."

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

The voice didn't really seem to have any specific...anything to it. It seemed the perfect sort of androgynous, but quiet enough that no real age could be pulled out of. Humanoid seems a safe bet, if nothing else?

As the cafe door is reopened, it seems like the shadows pulled back from it more like a repulsed fluid, than an absence of light being filled. It's a subtle effect, but there. It is similarly never quite under the group's feet.
But with Melissa booking it for the stairs anyway, maybe no one notices.

So back out to the front, with all that quarantine-style plastic wrap on everything. There's a zipper to contend with, to get at the stairs, revealing a ramp over some blasted wood and darkness above.
The shadows here seem more overt with their rippling, with the figure of a tall, thin man looming at the top of the stairs for a moment. Melissa's hungry senses are surely interested, but it fades away into the darkness fairly quickly.

[Deathkeeper]

[Triumph’s Garb]

G’nichi nods.
”I know that area. I’ll go look around for them.” And if the dwarf doesn’t have anything to add he will go off and do just that!
Maybe this time for the sake of speed he’ll let the staff fly him there.

[Rebonack]

[A Lot Spookiness]

The girl continues to eye Nick suspiciously.

Obviously it is important for children to be mindful of men who are birds.

"He's got cat-feet, too!" Emily insists. "He's a cat bird!"

Also men who are cats.

"Emily!" her mother scolds. "You stop that this instant." She glances over at Nick apologetically. "I'm very sorry, sir, she has a very over-active imagination."

The fellow with the newspaper considers Nick's question. "Well, I heard they might need some help setting up for the experiment. The factory owner's wife is quite excited about the whole thing, as I understand it. I'm sure if you lent them a hand with the setup and asked she would probably talk your ear off over it."

"Mrs. DuPree," the mother huffs. "It isn't proper for a woman to be involved in all that science. That's work for men. She should be tending to the home like any good wife."

Oh hey, antiquated gender norms.


[Golden Flock Orphanage]

Zippers!

One of a cat's many foes.

Thankfully one that Melissa is well equipped to deal with. In a swirl of darkness and moonlight she's a little girl with a forked cat tail again, standing up on her tip-toes to reach the zipper and pull it open-

-giving her a good, if brief, view of the looming shadowy figure at the top of the stairs. A figure that promptly vanishes.

"Wait, come back!" Melissa calls out as she goes racing up the steps after the figure. "I just waaaant to eat yoooou!"

Lucas is still trying to keep up. "Ghost hunting has way more running that I would have imagined," he huffs.

[Deathkeeper]

[A Lot Spookiness]

Nick waves the mother off.
”It’s nothing to be upset about. Except her terminology.” he smiles at the girl.
”A cat-bird is called a griffin. They’re Greek, but they’re on shields and crests all over places like England.”

He straightens himself up.
”Getting an earful of science is something I’m well used to. If you’re here when I get back I’ll tell you about my wife sometime.” And then he heads back out to see if maybe he can’t convince a person or two at the factory if he could see this machine of theirs.
After invisibly flexing his ear muscles a bit at the girl. Human!Nick can’t wiggle his ears. But Griffin!Nick can. He wonders what she can see.

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

Isaac growls and tosses a force anchor at the far wall, pulling himself up the stairs to land next to Melissa.
”Melissa. You will slow down and let Lucas and me catch up to you. Because if an iron sheet fell on you from the ceiling you would need our help for it, and if we get swallowed up by ghosts and you run ahead you will not notice. You will stick with the group. Got it?” Uh oh. He used her full name. Isaac never used her full name except when he’s mad. But he doesn’t ever use her last name only Mom does that. Not that he remembers either of those things.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Triumph's Garb -> South-North-South Street Market]

The opportunity for the staff to fly him there? Oh joyous days!
It takes far too much sheer pleasure in blowing out those wing hips to truly impractical lengths and rocketing him into the sky.
The trip will take anywhere from seconds to minutes, depending on how terrified he is of flying and how long that makes it feel. (It will take about a minute, in not-terror time)
His landing will be nicer than his take-off, however surprising that ends up being, with the wings reducing back down in size by the end.

Which will leave him placed just outside a rather crowded strip-mall style market area. Long buildings with open door store fixtures on the side, generally available to whoever elects to pay for the rent on that given day. There are still street stalls, here and there, but not as many as these markets usually have.
Clothes, trinkets, baubles, and knick-nacks galore here, and one slightly-out-place furniture store.

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

The ghosthunters run/fly up the stairs!
Isaac's choice seems prudent here, as there's a loud cracking noise from the stairs and a couple of the steps fall out behind Lucas. Seems a third person taking the stairs would have had issues.

Actually being up on the second floor, the shadows seem much less shy about being unnatural. It's more like being in an inky fog up here, than a dark hallway.
There is murmuring, from various directions in either direction, seemingly coming from any particular bedroom door that isn't being looked at at the moment.
Meaningless mumbles of children, some older man quietly whispering something without words, a little girl's giggle.

A couple motes of minor ghostly light bob off somewhere behind the stairs, but they don't seem to be able to move through the shadow very well.

[Deathkeeper]

[SNS Street Market]

Well, the place seems promising enough. These dwarves sold weapons apparently? Then he’ll just have to go from that angle.
G’nichi will look for shops that seem to have combat focused wares and ask if they’ve seen the dwarves Limil and Gashud and their cart in the last few days.

[Ionbound]

Quaint Victorian Deathtrap

Jack squawks again as Melissa speaks, folding her wings back as the feathers retreat back into her hair and her face changes shape again as her beak returns to a normal human face. "Yes, it's me! Is that you? Um, I should have asked your name sooner. I'm Jack" It slipped her mind! Her transformation also hasn't damaged her clothes at all. "Quick, come up here. I found two parts of a thing that got broken into pieces. Four, I think. They want to be reunited." And Jack's decided that's a good idea.

Melissa nods quickly and replies, "I-Uh-Yes, it's me. Uh, Melissa. By the way. I haven't introduced myself either but..." She shakes her head, sighs, and slows down a little bit and replies as she joins Jack, "I see. So what is the thing that you found, exactly? Is it...I dunno, is it causing all this? Because maybe if that's the case it'd be better to destroy it."

[Earl of Purple]

Chalcedony House Gemstone Museum

The guard stands up and grabs his radio, but too late. Larza is able to smash out the window, grab hold of neighbouring skyscraper and swing across the gardens. One of the guards underneath her fires up with a shotgun, but it's loaded with a beanbag round and isn't terribly accurate when pointed up at a fast-moving individual across the sky.

Stuck Square

Flight is very useful, and Jack will offer to help Achor down by carrying her, but she's not carried another person whilst flying before, so it's possibly a bit risky. She does have a battery-powered torch with her, so they have light. Probably need it, as Jack can't see in the dark and doesn't want to fly into a wall.

Jack's shadow I don't think has noticed Jack leaving the aquarium.

Hive Sewers

"The... Strongest? Who's that?" She's really worried, but doesn't fight the Stalker as she's lead to... Well, deeper into the Hive, but she doesn't even know there is a hive.

Creepy Victorian Fungus House

"It's this. And this, too. You haven't seen anything like them, have you?" Jack pulls the Relics out of her satchel, symbols of absolute perfection that grow and prosper and keep on growing. "I'm not sure. I get the feeling the house is like this because they were broken. I... I don't know. I've not encountered anything like this kind of thing before." It's a concern, so is the splintering from downstairs. "Here, follow me. This is the library; there's a secret room in here. Maybe if it breaks free down there it won't find us in it." Jack's going to head back into the house's library. Hopefully the secret room hasn't either sealed itself behind her or been filled with grotesque tendrils and horns and nothing-like-wolves.

[Recaiden]

[Struck Square]

Anchor will accept Jack's offer. Flying, even as a passenger, is great, and it's sure to be easier than climbing down somehow.
I'm sure they won't both fall down past the balcony, or have Anchor ending up dropped, or anything.

Anchor's shadow waves to Jack's - their people are leaving, so it's time to go. It holds out a hand to the bird, to lead the way back. There are quick ways for shadows to return to their natural resting place, but Jack's hasn't had much practice moving freely yet.

[Hive Sewers]

"Our people's fiercest enemies. Also our elder brothers, in a way. Don't worry; you don't seem like much of a warrior."
The Tineye can surely hear the various sounds of lots and lots of different creatures from up ahead.
Before long, the floor and then the walls and then the ceiling too begin to be covered in something, a carpet of moss or fungus or some less easily-categorized alien life. Glowing blue ferns pop up out of it here and there, providing the illumination she glimpsed from so far off.
"We're looking for people with special talents -like yourself- to join our family. Normally we'd be more polite than just grabbing you out of the air, but normally people don't just fall into our laps like you." Oh well, it can't be helped now.

[Ionbound]

Creepy Victorian Fungus House

Melissa's eyes water when she looks at the thing and she winces and looks away as she replies, "Yep. Definitely something we should be destroying. Not putting back together." She nods and follows Jack to the library, however, lacking a better option for moving forwards.

[Earl of Purple]

Leaving Stuck Square

Jack can't really go up, and it quickly becomes clear that, with a passenger, her flight is a step above gliding and probably several steps below where she is without trying to lift another human-sized person who weighs more than she does (Jack's bones are hollow, always; one of the things separating her from a true human).

They make it to the balcony, though Jack's looking a little scared. "Um, might be an idea not to do that again. I struggled more than I expected, carrying you." Jack's shadow reunites with her here, though she doesn't notice. The shadow's a little upset by that.

Hive Sewers

An interesting answer, which didn't really answer anything. "I'm really not a warrior." Though she has killed, in self-defence primarily. She's still whispering, just in case he wants her to be quiet. She's still got the bag of loot, though there's nothing in there that can help her. At least, not so far as she knows.

Creepy Victorian Death House

Once they're in the library, Jack nods and a little hesitantly tries to smack one of the Relics with her shovel. She's kinda hoping it doesn't work, and still enraptured by their spell enough that she's not putting her full effort in.

[5a Violista]

[just outside The Temperance Teahouse]

Holly, when the roses are complimented, brushes her hand across her hair. "Thanks," she says. "To be honest, I didn't really have much choice, finding something that matched what I had available." Especially since so many of her clothes found themselves on the floor and covered in splinters. It didn't leave her with many options, and black just seemed to match best with both her and her clothes.
...
Also, part of this persona is that she's always tried weaving flowers into her hair. First time she's gone with roses, however.

Holly looks at Reinholdt's sports jacket and bites her lower lip as she looks along his buttons. "You look good, too."
It also reminds her that she didn't put on any perfume. Is that a thing people normally do on dates like this? she wonders. Maybe the roses are good enough.

"So, let's head in?"