Inside 70: Surprisingly Pleasant

[Earl of Purple]

Sunset Gardens

"Oh." Does Sam expect Sekhmet to have some secret doubts or misgivings? "Prumathe's wonderful. He's so kind and generous. He's given up so much to help me with my problems. He doesn't care what I look like. Uh, and he really did save my life." Sekhmet pauses for breath, then continues. "I, uh, was the one who first brought up the idea of, uh, marriage. I think I caught him by surprise. I'm a little worried I'm rushing him, and he's, uh, not ready. But we've been through so much together, and we've been courting for almost a year."

"So that explains why he's so nervous. He is feeling a little rushed, I think. But... well, he's not complained to me about it. I think he needed the kick to get him there, too." Samantha wants to be sure that Sekhmet's really into him, and he's not pressuring her. As it turns out, it's the opposite situation.

"He's had girlfriends before. Not for as long as a year, though. So I think he's worried because he doesn't have experience with long-term relationships, since he's not made six months before. Mostly not made a third date." Samantha isn't sure how much detail she should go into with regards to Prumathe's dating history, and Earl can't remember what he's said before.

[Rebonack]

[Cormorant House]

"Yeah, fine, whatever," Mags replies with a huff as she flexes her fingers, confirming that teenagers are in fact the worst. She watches as the bracer is packed away with mild disinterest. The promise that no one is going to get eaten is met with a completely half-hearted shrug.

Somebody always gets eaten. That's just how this stuff works.

Though at the mention of food she perks up instantly. "Oh yeah, I'm starving," she confirms as she pounces on the box of donuts. She immediately grabs one and begins scarfing it down. "Oh God I forget how good actual food is."

Cheap donuts are hard to classify as 'actual food'.

"Do I have to pay for these things? All I got are some iron bits from back home and, like, some scrap and stuff. I still haven't figured out the whole job thing yet."

Her charming personality doesn't really lend itself toward employment, does it?

At the question of how common such things are where she comes from, Mags replies with a "Mph?" through a mouthful of doughnut. She chews quickly and swallows. "Uh, I mean, my home world kind of had, like, eight zombie apocolypses at once. I came here through a riftgate, like, a week ago. This place is a (blooming) paradise compared to that hellhole. Uhh... I guess there were a bunch of the jerks? The one that glomed onto me is the Hart of the Forest. Makes me stupid-tanky but now I'm hungry, like, ALL the (blooming) time."

She stuffs another doughnut. "Beats getting eaten by zombies, though."

Once that donuts is gone, though. "Usually you get, like, a thing or whatever that seals the deal. Like my targe," she points her thumb at the shield hanging off her backpack. "I got mine after I signed up but I guess finding a doohicky is how some people make the contract to start? I dunno, mine didn't work like that."

Huh.

It seems as though offering Mags food has made her way more cooperative.

Then the flicker in the windows.

"Hey the (flower) was that?" she says, pointing up at the window. "Like someone lit a candle or something up there. Probably (blooming) cultists."

[Plaza Park]

When Hector moves near the candle it ignites.

fwish!

With an eerie blue-purple flame.

Hector will feel strangely compelled to watch the flickering light. It feels... nice...

Beth, meanwhile, opens the hatch! It appears to lead down into a dark cellar. Dark as in pitch black. Hopefully someone brought Flash. Or at least a flashlight.


[SciTech Laboratories]

The henchmen begins gasping and yelling more obscenities. Or at least that's what it looks like he's doing. With a void around his head no sound escapes. Before long he passes out, slumping over bonelessly.

Well!

At least Cascade didn't kill him right?

The hallway branches in two directions. One path leads to a heavy set of security doors with a card reader set up next to them. The other leads to... offices? Probably? There's some commotion coming from the direction of the offices. Probably people who heard the henchmen screaming.

[5a Violista]

[Underground Tunnels]

Oh, wow, another sensory overload, basically gaining new senses she never had before.

June probably should do something about that, but now there's far too much to pay attention to, that she's getting easily distracted. Like, that mushroom thing? Okay, it's kind-of cute, and not just uglycute. The fashion goblin is insecure? Wow. Um...why can she see that? And looking at the troll reminds her of the teens she worked with in her last job before the Nexus. Not, like, exactly, but more like 'I know where she'll be in five or so years if nothing changes'. To be honest, she probably needs a good therapist. Seeing as there isn't one here, wait, even how is she seeing and reading what's around that corner? And, Wanessa, too. There's just...too much to think about to be able to think about anything else. She blinks and gives a very small wave to the mushroom ghost.

"Um...socks, too?" she asks, sliding her left hand into her sleeve to hide the ring. She looks over at the goblin for confirmation.

As the boy looks through the pockets...there's nothing. Except maybe Wanessa's business card. Because, presumably, June gave the other things back to Wanessa when they got to the office building.

So, June falls back on her coping mechanism: talking.
As she takes off her socks, she says in a fairly friendly tone, "So there's this guy I met who used magic to recolor all my clothes," she says. "They looked pretty drab before, but -" she looks over at the troll girl, speaking to her but keeping her language vague enough that the other two could interpret her as talking to them "-it seemed like pretty basic magic. You seem like the type who could learn how to do it if you study enough." After all, if you're going to use magic for pranks, it's probably pretty basic.

Top next, right? Still, not wanting the ring to be noticed, she curls her hand into a fist and then covers up as she removes it. She's starting to get used to being able to see(?) so much. "Honestly, it seemed like pretty useful magic and I wish I had it. Imagine all the things you could make with it if you knew how to do it." Imagine what these kids' life would be like if they decided to learn magic to make useful things instead of stealing from women who literally have nothing.
Also, stop imagining because you're already taxing your mind too much by getting used to everything. It's getting better faster than last time, just after drinking the blood, but June starts thinking maybe picking one of the other choices would have been slightly easier to deal with.

[Deathkeeper]

Plaza Park

Oh. Hm. What a nice candle.
...
Beth might want to pull him out of this one.

[bc56]

Sunlight Gardens

Sekhmet nods. That makes sense. Although she does raise an eyebrow at the suggestion that Prumathe usually can't get more than two dates. "There's uh, also my mother to worry about. She's very, uh, opposed to the union, and, uh, extremely dangerous." Sekhmet's expressions betray that she's terrified of the possible interference from her mother "She's uh, already threatened to kill him." And to torture Sekhmet for eternity, but she's really not worried about that right now.

Aimless Shenanigans

"I'm busy here!" Eao continues trying to cut up the giant skeleton. She hasn't even thought it could be a decoy. It's too big and powerful. It must be the real thing.

[Hattish Thing]

[SciTech Laboratories]

Asterope cannot help but look away. The man's hand would never heal, she had crippled him - and that was on her. "Idiot girl. Was this the better option, you think? For carbon based lifeforms, death is the only release. You've bound him to his bones." She can only grimace and turn away in response. Once the guard passes out, she's able to take a deep breath and turn back to face him, though she's careful to avoid glancing at his ruined hand. Emotions swelled within her. Had she acted without thinking? Had she pushed too hard? "No, h-he knew what he was doing when he came here." An exhalation.

Right, back to the business at hand. Rather than risk brutalizing the guards any further, Asterope raises a hand up and attempts to tear panels from the walls to block off the offices. If that doesn't seem secure enough, furniture will follow - anything to buy her some time. She'll then glide over towards the blast door and press the keycard against any nearby scanner.

"I hope this works." "We shall not be contained."

---

[Cormorant House]

Detective Bansford cannot help but let out a sigh of relief. "No, it's fine. Don't worry about cash. You're probably starving." Magdalene seemed somewhat less disagreeable at this point. The smaller woman must not have eaten in some time. "If it's work you're looking for, I can point you towards employment offices once we're done here." This was a fairly standard part of job. Ensuring that civilians are able to adjust to life in the Nexus is important. What sort of work would Magdalene qualify for, though? A troubling thought. The more Billie heard of Magdalene's homeland, the less irritated she grew with her. "I'm sorry to hear about your home. You'll be safer here."

It's not much of a response, but there's at least an attempt at connecting with the teenager. Rather than pursue her line of questioning, Billie takes a moment to attempt to put the pieces together. If the teenager's word was to be trusted, objects such as the bracer were relatively common - a means by which once could solicit spirits for power. This further supported her theory; that the pair were dealing with the consequences of a bargain gone bad. Still, what good were theories without proof? "Hm?" She's distracted from her thoughts as Magdalene points out the light. "Nrgh, right. I saw something similar earlier. Could be anything."

She tries to hide it, but its clear she was somewhat unsettled. "Alright, come on. We're heading back. Going to breach the place."

---

[Hodgepodge Street - Rainy Gardens]

Within an older section of the city there is a formal garden. It is a private place, obscured behind flowering hedge and beneath the boughs of an enormous oak tree. Smaller apple trees line the garden in their wooden boxes. At its center is a pond as large as a small lake with flowering lily pads and a wooden bridge that crossed the middle. Koi carp swim lazily in the cool waters below.

It is a quiet place. Rain falls gently overhead, just hard enough to discourage most visitors - but not all.

--

A woman can be seen sitting upon a painted bench before the pond, safe from the rain beneath a wooden overhang. Overgrown vines race up its supports, and lush flowerbeds line either side of the structure.
She's tall and quite striking, with ruddy brown skin the color of wet earth. Her gray eyes seem well suited for the rain. Her full lips are partially obscured by large, orcish teeth.

She's wearing a light gray coat, tightly buttoned around her well toned form, as well as black trousers. She seems to be listening to something on a recorder device.

--

Spoiler: Rainy Gardens

Show

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Plaza Park]

Beth squints into the cellar to no avail, then notices her comrade staring at the candle. "What is it? Something wrong?"

Even if it burns indigo, a lit candle is a good solution to the darkness problem. Without jumping to any conclusions regarding its effect on Hector, she picks it up for use as a light source.

[Underground Tunnels]

This second-person narration is not a very satisfying gimmick, is it? Sorry about that. June's brain decides to cut it out and go back to regular narrative snooping.

"Ugh, magic?" Shiki groans performatively. "That means it'll probably wear off! Ah well. It's still some nice stuff anyway. If it all turns beige, we can just give it to Kevin!"

Of course she's jealous of the magic, too. Judging by that look, she wanted to learn it once, but was somehow prevented from doing so and is now in full sour-grapes mode. Maybe it was too expensive? Pressing her on it could reveal more, but it could also really get under her skin.

[5a Violista]

[Underground Tunnels]


To be honest, June doesn't really mind second-person, she just finds it a little weird when her own mind is using second-person.

"To be honest, the socks looked better before the magic," she admits. Sure, lavender's nice but coral is better. And she might like how shiny the patns were, anyway.

She bites her lip, uncertain whether she wants to get involved any more, or not. After getting her chest covered in spider gunk, she could just leave. They'd let her. Probably would be the safest, even if it means she's now barefoot and...her clothing choice would probably give people the wrong impression. But she ought to have a place to stay now so she doesn't need a second outfit to sleep and wash clothes in. Plus, she has the opportunity for more clothes soon, so.

. . .
But.
June sighs. It probably would be the right thing to do to at least try to help them? She's already come this far and has tried her best to not hurt them. And, besides, what if they get hurt later?
Might as well just try this, anyway. It might actually be beneficial, anyway, learning more about how other people's experience with magic.

To get Shiki talking about it (while waiting for the Ariados), she says, "I kind-of want to learn how to do magic. You any good at it? Or know how to learn?" Never mind that June already is sort-of learning from Wanessa.

[Earl of Purple]

Sunlight Gardens

"Oh, that's a family issue and a half. You're not willing to let her, right?" Since that'd put a serious damper on any relationship Samantha might have with her sister-in-law. "I don't know how I could help with that, honestly. But if you need me, I will. How's she handled right now? She's the demon, right?" There's no way that Samantha is as powerful as even a lesser demon, let alone one powerful enough to have mortal children. But the offer is there, since she knows Prumathe and he'd offer the same for her.

[bc56]

"No! I'd, uh, do everything I could to stop her. She's, uh, trapped in a binding circle in a cave in the, uh, wilderness right now, but she could, uh, escape at some point." Sekhmet calms down a little at the offer of help. "Thank you! Uh, if she gets loose, we'll need all the help we can get."

[Earl of Purple]

Sunlight Gardens

"Good, good. I'm not much, alas. Brownies are lesser fae. I have more personal power than the Fairy Godfather, but the way I use it is restricted and nothing I can do is directly harmful. I'm a domestic brownie, even if I work as a cobbler and not a servant. I can punish those who wrong me, my dwelling, or my employer with hexes and curses, but nothing so potent it can kill directly. I can avoid being seen, especially when I work, and I can designate seeing me a punishable offence. But I can't touch iron, can't spill blood with my hands or take anything that doesn't belong to me." Iron burns, spilling blood on her hands specifically would age her and stealing would strip all her magic- unless she can convince an oak tree that she had a right to take that item and keep it.

[Rebonack]

[Aimless Shenanigans]

Skeletron flips his axe around, raises one hand, and shreds out a devastating POWER CHORD! The cacophonous noise buffets the razor wind, blunting it. Apparently this entity is pretty powerful.

"Nice try little dude, but there's no way you're out-rocking me!" Skeletron bellows back, as he raises a bony hand above his axe strings again-

-only to be struck in the side with Lapis' thunderbolt! The attack knocks him off balance, but doesn't seem to cause that much harm. Lapis, meanwhile, strides forward as her thing like a sword forms in her grasp again. "Well it isn't just him! He's got friends too and we're gunna kick your butt!"

"Hahaha! Who needs friends when you've got GROUPIES!?" Skeletron roars as more skeletons mob our heroes!

As for Eao...

Well.

It looks like the giant skeleton has had enough. The fell flame in its eyes go out as its bones begin falling apart! Eao had better get out of there before they go tumbling down into the Disco Inferno!


[Cormorant House]

Starving, yeah. Some time, yeah. Last she ate was in the Ashen Wastes. Chthonians are really super gross.

"Yeah I'm sorry about my home too, it sucked. But what are ya gunna do, right? Not die," Magdalene replies with a shrug as she eats another doughnut. She starts saying something between bites, then actually bothers to swallow what's in her mouth. "No (sage) I'm safer here. WAY less zombies. Way less cultists. Way less witches. Way less monsters. It's great."

And then?

"Breach?" Mags asks, suddenly looking excited. "Yeah, hang on."

She pulls her shield off her pack with her right hand in a smooth, practiced motion before grabbing another donught in the left. Unless Billie stops her, Mags is going to walk right up to the front door, haul back with her shield arm, and slam the lip of her shield straight into the door. This will likely result in the door exploding in a shower of splinters; equal parts wood and jagged ruby fragments of eldritch power.

And if Billie stops her?

Well.

Magdalene will probably be a little cross instead.


[SciTech Laboratories]

With a buzz the doors to the lab pops open.

And there's the prize!

A huge containment device sits at one end of the room which a pair of henchmen are busy breaking into with cutting torches. Scientists and technicians are all pinned to the ground by magnetic force. And there in the midst of it all, in all his color-clashing glory, is Master MagniGauntlet.

"Hurry you fools!" he thunders. "It's only a matter of time before those foolish NERDS arrive to thwart my cunning plan!"

Backs are turned to the door! The villains haven't noticed our hero's approach! Will she be able to end this dastardly caper without crushing anyone's skull into jelly? Stay tuned to find out!


[Plaza Park]

Well!

The candle is pulled away from Hector-

-and now Beth is looking right at it.

This leads one to wonder if she'll be ensnared by the mind-numbing glow as well? Or does she have the strength of will to resist the lure?

[Deathkeeper]

[Plaza Park]

Hector decides to solve the problem for both of these idiots and whack the candle with a shadowy paw, having woken up to find these silly humans fussing over a piece of wax. Well, someone with a nose like his doesn't need eyes to whack a smelly piece of wax.
Hector used Shadow Sneak!

[bc56]

"I'd rather not talk about it right now, but I'm glad I, uh, have your support. I, uh, would rather talk about the uh, wedding. Or, uh, the possibility, I guess." Sekhmet seems nervous as she asks the next question. "Do you, uh, think it's a good idea?"

[Hattish Thing]

[Cormorant House]

Detective Bansford reaches into her vehicle once again, carefully retrieving her case file. There was one last bit of information she felt like double checking before proceeding. Were the missing persons reported nearby linked in any way? Did they know each other? Or was it proximity to Cormorant House that doomed them? As she's thumbing through the file, she glances towards Magdalene. "Well, like I said. There are programs in place to help you get set up. I imagine you'll need time to adjust." If she was even capable of adjusting to this new environment. She seemed downright unhinged.

Billie's eyes flit back to the case file. In doing so, she temporarily loses track of Magdalene's position - hard to focus on both at once. By the time she notices the teenage rearing back to toss her shield, it is too late. "Dammit! What's wrong with you?" The detective's eyes just about pop out of her head. "The back, we're supposed to enter from the back! Without destroying the damn place!" Quickly, she tosses the case file back into the front seat before locking the car up and rushing on after Magdalene, hand on her revolver. Billie will kneel down around twenty five feet away from the opened doorway before drawing her weapon.

It is a glorious, glossy thing - well maintained and cared for. She aims it towards the entryway, half expecting something terrible to crawl out. "Nrgh, we need to have words."

---

[SciTech Laboratories]

There he was, surrounded by his men. Oh, this was already overwhelming. Asterope felt emotions stirring within. Anxiety and fear. "Do not panic, worm. They do not expect us. Secure our advantage - bring the walls down." It was right. Now was the time for action, girl. Don't screw this up. "Okay. Okay. It's going to be alright." Asterope takes a deep breath before raising her arms up into the air, middle and index fingers coupled in a display of power. Writhing tendrils of starlit energy manifest within her palms. She closes her eyes, drifting on into the room. A third eye at the center of her forehead opens.

It is a dreadful thing. Within that fiery purple iris; eternity. Secrets of the void. "Let us in. They will worship us."
Asterope nods timidly before her body stiffens. She calls out, but this time, she speaks in the voice of the Other - it drips with both malice and superiority.

"ON YOUR KNEES, INSECTS. PROSTATE YOURSELF BEFORE GOD."

Asterope's right hand curls into a fist which is in turn lowered as if to strike at a creature below. Gravity in the room should shift, with the individuals within finding themselves pulled to the ground as if violently pushed.

[bc56]

Crash!
The door shatters off its hinges and splinters across the grand (if old and dusty) entryway of the house.
With the sound, nothing moves. But the light reappears. It's back on the upper floor, on the other side of the building. It doesn't move, nor does it stay on any longer than before. But the house suddenly gives off an eerie air. It's like the people on the lawn are being watched by something. Something very malevolent. Windows that once seemed dirty and vacant now loom like leering eyes. The door looks less like a gateway and more like a vicious mouth.

[Rebonack]

[Cormorant House]

Man, this was way better. Mags got some free food and maybe this cop isn't as bad as she had initially thought. Even asked her to bust the door down! She was initially thinking maybe just boot it in. Kicking down doors is always fun. But nah, best to show this normie that she means business. Maybe then Billie will stop treating her like a (blooming) child. And... that is what breach means, right? Like, blast a hole in wall or something? You never know when you might hit something important and bring a decrepit building down when you go through a wall so probably better to just knock down the door.

Oh.

Hey cool.

She's getting yelled at again.

"The hell is your problem? Breach means knock the door down! If you wanted me to daintily open it you should have said so. Idiot," Mags half-scolds and half sulks. "Why would we go through the back door, anyway? They're both doors who cares? If someone's up in the house lighting candles or whatever they probably seen your flashlight anyway."

Quite in spite of the sudden uptick in spooky Magdalene heads straight inside.

"Already had words all of them were just dumb," she grumbles to no-one. Given that she was basically poking around in Hades fifteen minutes ago it is probably going to take a little bit more than a vague sense of foreboding to rattle her. "Okay, here we are. Do your detective thing I guess. What are we looking for?"


[SciTech Laboratories]

A curious thing, gravity.

With mere will down shifts.

The two henchmen are knocked prone, but MagniGauntlet merely staggers for a moment before whirling around, currents of magnetic power swirling from his sausage-fingered gloves. Bits of detritus, objects that have no business being magnetic, being clustering around the field-lines that writhe and twist with the villain's every movement.

"A god? I see no god before me! MASTER MAGNIGAUNTLET kneels before no one! It is YOU who will feel the SOVEREIGN GRASP of my TECHNOLOGICAL MIGHT!" he bellows, the magnetic forces hold him up and serving as a bulwark against gravity's pull. With a motion two sheets of metal plating are ripped off the ceiling and hurled toward each other, aiming to pancake the hero between them. "FOOLISH HERO! You think the power of GRAVITY is a match for the power of MAGNETISM? Even a simple BAR MAGNET can withstand gravity's feeble force!"

Uh oh.

That sounds like a challenge.

[Hattish Thing]

[Cormorant House]

Dammit, this kept getting more and more out of hand. With a sigh, Detective Bansford holsters her revolver once again and rises to her feet. "No, it doesn't - it means you're entering a domicile." She trudges on through the mud towards Magdalene, a stern expression on her face. As irritated as she was, this was partially her fault. She should have known better than to ease into jargon in the presence of a civilian. It was simply second nature to her, though. "Look, being an officer of the law means adhering to protocol. I recognize that the concept might be unfamiliar for you. So, again - I'm going to have to insist that you check with me before you go about destroying city property."

There's an implied threat there, but its gentle. In truth, Billie wasn't entirely certain whether or not Cormorant House even qualified as city property at this point. "Just watch my back, okay?" She shakes her head before reaching for her flashlight. There's a soft click followed by a quiet hum. Ah, it was working. "Looks poorly maintained. Watch for weak points in the floor." Billie continues to shine her flashlight into the entryway from the outside, scanning for threats. Once it becomes apparent that nothing was going to jump out at the pair, she steps forward. She attempts to quietly take inventory of nearby furniture, observing potential objects of interest.

A determined expression forms on her face. "Alright, what have we got. Work with me, house."

---

[SciTech Laboratories]

Asterope's expression remains blissfully calm, although her third eye is scanning the laboratory floor with feverish glee. Rather than attempt an alternative method of attack, she continues to squeeze her fist. This intensifies her gravitic hold over the chamber, perhaps starting to deal internal damage to living creatures as things are pulled into the floor.

There is no response from her, this was the time for action. The effect continues to worsen.

Concentration on the effect is shattered once Magnigauntlet starts hurling bits of the ceiling towards her. For his security guards, however - the damage might already be done. Asterope, or rather the entity currently assuming primary control of her corporeal form, recognizes the frailty of its shell. Act fast, without thought.

Both hands are raised to either side. The panels will find themselves caught in a gravity well.
It will start to grind the metal into a single point, crunching it into a dense semi-circular shape which will then be hurled back towards Magnigauntlet.

Finally, Asterope speaks again. "RESISTANCE IS FUTILE."

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Plaza Park]

The changeling's willpower is of little consequence. Her master bound it once and would again if he found her. For a time, her sister commanded it. Now, unbound again, it's ripe for the plundering. The candle's command for attention is but a gentle tug compared to what Beth's been through, but as she is she must abide it nonetheless.

She can still pick it up and carry it to the cellar, though. This in turn might break Hector's line of sight to the cursed thing, giving him an easier chance to break free. Beth just has to keep the flame lit and rely on peripheral vision to see where she's going, giving her the appearance of an entranced sleepwalker as she slowly makes her way around.

--

[Underground Tunnels]

"Hmph! Don't bother!" The kid fumes, crossing her arms. "The only way to get magic around here is to be rich or be in a wizard family, and even then they don't bother with you unless you pass their stupid biased I.C. test."

Oh, those are the worst! Wizards are always coming out with these tedious puzzles that are supposedly calibrated to specific, 'Intelligence Check Difficulty Classes.' I heard that one guild screened its students by making them take 20 on a Rubik's Cube.

June's power continues to tell her the obvious: Shiki did manage to take one of these tests, but she didn't pass. They probably only accept students above the 90th percentile or something.

The troll becomes increasingly uncomfortable with this conversation. "You @re st@lling," she accuses June, "@nd I @m not w@iting for the imminent descent of the other @thletic nub protector. Now drop the shirt @nd get out of here before..."

'...before I ch@nge my mind about not killing you,' she was about to say. Back home, she would ordinarily use murder as an icebreaker. Shiki's leadership gives her an excuse not to.

[5a Violista]

[Underground Tunnels]

Ugh, that sounds dumb, June says back to Wanessa, consciously trying to speak over thought or whatever this is for the first time. Not sure if she's doing it right. For most people Rubik's Cubes are more about just following instructions, anyway. Says a lot about the types of wizards they're going to get if that's the requirement.
...and she says some of the same thing aloud to the goblin, too. "Ugh, that sounds dumb."

She glances at the troll and then does a gentle toss with the shirt to the troll's feet, so that she can grab it and do something instead of feeling uncomfortable. And she takes a single step away, as a gesture of 'hey look I'm not stalling, see? I'm moving my feet'. Her left fist moves to her hip to continue hiding the ring.
And, she lowers her arm. The goblin kid was the one with the spider-thing as the pet, right? "Um...could you help me cover up so I can leave?" She gestures at the Ariados as a reminder of what was promised earlier. And now that it's obvious that it's on someone else's shoulders to hurry up so June can leave, she decides this is an acceptable time to continue the conversation. The troll can't blame her for something that's obviously not her fault, right?

"There's got to be other ways, right? I'm not going to give up just because of some dumb rich wizards."

[bc56]

The first room is a richly appointed foyer. A staircase climbs up to the second floor, and doors to the left right and dead ahead lead to different parts of the house. As for furniture, there are several aging armchairs, a fireplace caked in soot that seems to have been used recently, and a stand for a suit of armor that is empty now.

[Felandria]

[Red Zone Lab]

Rosie grins when she's kissed, and watches Felandria leave for a bit, wondering how she got so lucky. She turns back to focus on her job, letting Fel do the looting!

Being an immovable rod, nothing's happened to it. Besides, the ladies are strong enough that all henchmen are still out cold, and any who've managed to wake up can do nothing but wiggle helplessly against their binds.

When Fel reaches the armoury, she'll find a room with white walls and black tiled floor, with lockers lining the walls save for the wall the door she comes through is in. To her left is a workbench with tools such as a magnifying glass, on which is a closed weapons case.

What could be inside?

Felandria will grab the magnifying glass and whatever other tools she needs to check the weapons case for traps before she opens it.

[Purple Eagle]

[Hodgepodge Street - Rainy Gardens]

Someone joins her, the rotund figure folding his umbrella once he's safely under the overhang. It's an orc-sized green-skinned man with long white hair, three pairs of hands, webbed digits and a hint of some neck-gills peaking out of his collar. The blue-eyed sea orc is dressed in a light blue dress shirt, dark blue trousers and brown shoes under a lab coat.

The six-armed man grasps his umbrella in one of his hand as he realizes that he's not alone. "Ah, an orc." He says in a deep voice, his grin revealing his razor sharp teeth. "Sup?" He greets, saluting with two fingers. When she turns to look at him, the detective might notice that his sclera is reddish and his eyes are heavy lidded in a manner that suggests he's intoxicated on some substance. "Listening to some awesome tunes, I see?"

[Aimless Shenanigans]

A powerful entity, how exciting! He can go all out... well, within reason, anyway! He rematerializes his flaming sword once Lapis reaches him, then turns to her and nods. "Let's get 'em!"

He yells to Eao as he starts dicing any skeleton mob that approaches him. "That's a decoy, Eao, come help us beat the real Skeletron!"

Just so Skeletron doesn't get too comfortable, Zabb exhales white-hot fire in the axe-wielding skeleton's direction! Even if it misses, it means more skeleton mobs go down, win-win.

[Red Zone Lab]

The weapons case has no traps left, whoever was inspecting it before going on a break succeeded in deactivating all the traps.

In it is a pair of Immovable Rods! The henchmen would have had a trump card had they opened this case and learnt to use it... alas, now it's for Fel and Rosie to decide what to do with.

[Rebonack]

[Cormorant House]

Oh cool apparently cop words and real words mean different things. And what the hell is protocol? Magdalene hasn't ever heard that one before but from the context it sounds like maybe it means following rules? There are rules for breaking into houses full of cultists? That's news to her.

"Arright so let me make sure I've got this straight. No breaking things. No touching things. Not unless I ask you first. And watch your back. Yeah?" she inquires with a raised eyebrow. "Okay so what about that weird hat-stand thing? It looks cool can I touch that?" she asks, gesturing at the vaguely person-shaped adjustable stand for holding up a suit of armor.

This is turning out to be way more of a hassle than she was expecting.

Normally when you break into a house full of cultists your rifle through their stuff and murder the cultists.

Mags is absolutely not use to there being rules for things.

Rules died when society collapsed.


[SciTech Laboratories]

Master MagniGauntlet really isn't terribly concerned about his henchmen getting slowly crushed to death nearby. They knew the job was dangerous when they signed up because crime DOES pay after all!

With a wave of his hand the projectiles arc downward into the floor with a loud bang, the magnetic force holding them fast.

"Hah! You uneducated FOOL! Everyone knows that resistance is resistivity times length divided by CROSS-SECTION!" the villain booms.

Oh no.

Now he's making physics puns.

Another wave of his gauntlets and several tiny bits of the floor are pulled free and rapidly accelerated toward Cascade. It would appear as though the both of them are just lobbing bits of scenery at each other. This is probably going to come down to who finds a way around the other's defenses first.


[Plaza Park]

THWACK!

A candle, as opposed to a patch, is struck!

It bounces off the floor and makes an aggravated sound as a single little yellow eye opens up on it.

Oh.

A litwick. The angry little ghost pokemon looks pretty cross that it just got slapped. Even more cross that it was interrupted from devouring the life-force of the people in the old church. It makes a hissing, crackling sound as it begins conjuring a little orb of flame above its ghostly blue fire. Litwick used EMBER! Hopefully Hector doesn't mind a hot-foot.

[Halae]

[Strange Temple]

Silently, the King in Rags feels amusement in the core of his being. Mortals do so often enter deals with fey and expect to keep their hands clean.

"Then as the immortal Wyrd is our witness, the deal is made. Come here tomorrow night, at midnight. Instead of the temple, you will see the home you remember. You will have an hour or so to enter it and take something dear to you."

[Strange Temple]

Emily nods, considering that a moment before she says, "Then we'll see what happens tomorrow. Exactly how much your word is worth."

Red Zone

The pair holster their weapons and snatch up the key. Gu checks for anything else incriminating (or useful) in the room while Mac unlocks the door.
"Hiya there, dearie. Amata sent us to get you home. Come on now, 'fore any of his friends hear us." Though if anyone else was here they probably would have heard. Hence their desire to not press their luck and escape out the back as soon as possible.

[Red Zone]

The crying, pale form of Marella is easy enough to pull from the cage she was in, and she doesn't resist efforts to help her. Whatever the vampire did to her, she's near catatonic and her limbs are weak, as if she'd been here for weeks instead of days. Still, it shouldn't be too hard to get her back to the compound with a little effort.

In terms of useful items Gu won't find much; a key chain with at least a key to a house and car, the katana the vampire had, some writing materials and such. This was clearly a secondary place for him, without much except his food and some things to keep his attention in the meantime. The writing indicates that he'd been waiting a while for whatever 'heroes' attempted to save the girl; it seems she was here as bait for people just like the investigators, though he bit off more than he could chew with the pair here.

[Hattish Thing]

[Hodgepodge Street - Rainy Gardens]

Billie Bansford is, for the most part, a solitary individual. This was her place of quiet contemplation, a sanctuary wherein she could work her case files within an environment that spoke to her. As such, she's somewhat irritated to discover that a civilian has intruded upon her space. With a raised brow, she responds snappily to the man's 'orc' comment. "Mm, yeah. I do have a name, sir." Being fair, judging by his appearance, she rather doubted that he meant insult by his comment. Still, it was frustrating to have ones racial heritage brought up so frequently. Some things never change.

As he greets her, Billie glances upwards, careful to note the man's general demeanor. Ah, he was high. Her gray eyes narrow at that. Even legalized substances were prohibited from being used on public property. "No sir, just a podcast." She pauses the recording device before facing the pond.

"Are you alright, sir?" He seemed off.

---

[Cormorant House]

Detective Bansford continues to focus on the task at hand, only pausing to nod over her shoulder in confirmation. "Yeah, you got it. You're doing really well." She offers a gentle smile before stepping towards the fireplace, scowling as her footsteps clatter noisily. "Hardwood flooring. Dammit, loud as all hell." Sneaking about might prove a little more difficult than she thought. Still, she was a professional - she'd just have to concentrate a little more on moving quietly. She murmurs confirmation back to Magdalene once the teenager mentions the armor stand. "Yeah, yeah. Just be careful."

While Magdalene focuses on the armor stand, Billie crouches down beside the fireplace.
She reaches for a nearby poker and attempts to prod at the ash, careful to check for anything hidden within the fireplace.

"Hm, what have we here?"

---

[SciTech Laboratories]

Unfortunately for Asterope, she cannot focus as much mental energy as she would like on the objects being thrown towards her, distracted as she is by her attempts at reigning back the Other. A bit of shrapnel accelerates in her direction, puncturing her belly. It's painful, but it doesn't bleed terribly much. It won't be a lethal injury. "THIS VESSEL DISAPPOINTS ME."

Her third eye begins to glow fiercly, strands of purple energy arcing, before a blazing beam is projected towards Magnigauntlet.

[bc56]

Cormorant House

Poking around in the soot reveals... A few fragments of paper. Someone burned some documents here, but a little is still readable.

Excellent ne...
W... ...cured... ...ner an...
...ringing... ...m... ...Cor...
...se... ...you so...
Hai... ...nom Qu... ...!

The weird hat stand, on the other hand, does nothing when played with. It seems to be mundane wood and metal, slightly rusty.
And are those a pair of eyes shining in the darkness at the top of the stairs?

Aimless Shenanigans

Eao pirouettes out of the collapsing skull and makes a three-point landing beside the other two angels. Those kinds of crazy acrobatics are easy when you can ignore gravity. "We'll stop you!" She begins taking aim with her staff.

[Rebonack]

[Cormorant House]

Haha you can move the little arm things.

Too bad it isn't substantial enough to break down for scrap. You never know when some good old fashioned scrap will be useful for building or fixing stuff. Though... Mags could probably just buy things. She's never really been much for buying stuff. Except for, like, paying smiths to work on things for her. Or buying food from one of those cooks in the scrapper villages.

Honestly everything is so weird here.

Life back home was dangerous and crazy. But it was familiar. Mags could probably just... give up all this stuff. Give the Hart the finger. Find someone who could break the pact. Settle down and be a normie. But that idea is strange and scary. She's got that apartment the bungirl gave her but it just doesn't feel right, y'know? The Blasted Zone was closest to what home was like. A hellhole. But it's a familiar hellhole.

Momentarily lost in thought as she fiddles with the stand's arms Mags almost doesn't catch the glint.

Oh.

But there it is. That prickling along her neck. The feeling of equal parts the hunter and hunted. Her head whips around, glowering into the darkness as a nimbus of eerie ruby light begins coiling between her fingers like vines.

Is there something up there?

Or is it just messing with her head?


[Aimless Shenanigans]

Zabb's fire breath washes over Skeletron, torching most of the minions but causing little harm to the demon. "Ho pretty spicy little dude! But can you take the heat of the Disco Inferno?"

Buuuurn baby burn!

An orb of strangely faceted flames suddenly materializes near the ceiling and begins to spin, casting white-hot bolts of funkflame, a vile substance equal parts pure fire, pure evil, and pure FUNK. Lapis gets beaned by one and hisses and it sizzles into her!

"Ow! Those actually HURT!"

They sure do.

Pure evil is in impossible thing, as is pure funk. And empyreans have little in the way of defense against the impossible.

Lapis occupies herself with dancing around the disco-bolts. She's got some pretty fresh moves.


[SciTech Laboratories]

Oh hey solar plasma.

Boy it sure is too bad that plasma is highly electrically charged and therefor vulnerable to magnetic fields.

The stream of death strikes the potent magnetic field around the villain and scatters, roiling around him. It doesn't stop the air inside his bubble from getting really hot due to the proximity of the plasma.

"Rrrrgh!" Master MagniGauntlet shouts as he throws out his arms, causes the magnetic field around him to grow in strength and reach, shoving the stream of plasma further and further away. "You would risk searing the hapless bystanders? Hahah! Maybe you aren't so much of a HERO yourself! You are obviously powerful. Join me! We will steal the MAGNET CORE and increase my power a billion fold! With my MASTERY of MAGNETISM and your STELLAR STRENGTH we could unleash a wave of CRIME upon the City the likes of which has never been SEEN!"

[Purple Eagle]

[Hodgepodge Street - Rainy Gardens]

"Yeah, everything has a name, man. Even those flowers over there have a name." The doctor replies with a dopey smile, gesturing with one of his many hands towards the surrounding vegetation. "So do the fishes in the pond. Even a sea orc such as myself has a name!" There, now she knows she's not special for having a name. However, she hasn't said what it is yet, so he makes one up for her. "You look like a... hmm... Becky? Beckys are usually all square, and stuff."

A podcast? That's less interesting than grooving it up to some sweet tunes... unless the podcast is about something interesting! "Oh, a podcast! What's it about, Becky?" From the way this woman comes off, though, that's unlikely.

Then she asks if he's alright, and he stretches a pair of arms wide. "Alright? Girl, I'm absolutely groovy! I feel like I'm soaring the skies and learning the mysteries of the universe!" He turns to her and grins, reaching into his coat and pulling out a small spray. "Wanna partake? It'll put a smile on your face! Blow your mind! Make you experience euphoria the likes you've never experienced!"

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Underground Tunnels]

"Yeah, yeah. Do it, Ariados!"

The spider takes aim and blasts June's torso with another thick layer of webbing. She will have to hold up her arms unless she wants the straitjacket look.

"The ring, too," the troll points out. Drat! Kevin is too embarrassed to notice and Shiki had her mind turned to other things, but for all of her ghost problems this kid still seems to have her eyes on the prize. The troll spirits around her turn to look at June, now distracted from their fruitless efforts to torture someone who can't see them.

Wanessa keeps watching. She doesn't know what the deal is with June's ring, but she knows it's probably her most prized possession. She's impressed that June hasn't asked for her help so far, but she's ready to jump in anyway if things get too dire.