Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

[Recaiden]

Prumathe seems to be confused about a couple things. Using 'ignore-me' powers is effortless. It's making people positively see things that aren't there, or ignore someone else, that are difficult.
And Haru can't fly. She doesn't even have wings. What she does have is authority over people who can fly.
"Just don't make yourself heavier in the middle of things. C'mon!"
She springs back to her feet, more lively in motion than she really feels, and starts up the stairs.

But something in Haru feels it has to speak to Sapphira's words, so she says something on the way out, in a much more somber tone than she's used for everything else.
"Your family can't judge you for the people of this world; neither can we. That would be clear injustice."

[Arkhosia]

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"You sure these people are alive?" Anika asks as she moves over to Blanche and scratches her head. "I do wonder if we managed to cure them of demon-ism by just beating the crap out of them. Guess that makes it yet another problem that can be solved through violence, great!" Since violence was very easy to resort to!

If they are alive Anika will start to cast some healing spells on them which should bring them back to good health unless there's something preventing that.
She will wait for Blanche to fix their broken whatever in good positions though. Wouldn't want them to heal incorrectly.

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Fortunately, magical healing and bandaging seems effective. While the civilians should probably get some professional aid, they at least aren't bleeding out.
And an ambulance should be on the way, right?
If not, someone should call one. There are probably other wounded elsewhere in the building too.

For once, Anika's flippant cheer earns her not a smile but a look of annoyance. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but my equipment doesn't really work for beating the crap out of them. So no, maybe your type of violence can solve it, but mine generally cannot." The general comparison of fatalities to nonfatal casualties that Blanche actually managed to rack up may contest this, but Anika might get the sense that she isn't really in the mood to process or care about that. As far as she's concerned, she's lucky some of the possessed that she shot are still breathing.

Blanche will insist on staying there until a medical crew arrives to take the responsibility, though she won't stop Anika from heading out and joining up with the others.

[Shadowcaller]

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To Anika's credit, she catches on pretty fast and looks more than a little awkward. "Er, well, the kind of demons I'm used to can usually take several bullets and still be completely saveable. This one friend of mine filled one with like a dozen of bullets and it just kept going!" She claims as she takes the pulse of one of the fallen. "In fact, even if they would die they just respawn in the void or whatever. Not... that these demons are the same so we should... probably be more careful." It sounds almost painful for the druid to admit that.

[Rebonack]

[Scorching Depths]

"Sorry, I thought you knew that I was always at your beck and call," Rose replies, confused. Doesn't Sekhmet know ANYTHING about the infernal arts?

Apparently not.

"I'm not sure if I'm the best person to be asking about interior decorating, Sekhmet. My tastes are more old books, antique furniture, and strange curios," Rose admits a bit sheepishly. "What... do you think would give people hope? Let them know that they can have a second chance?"

They still have so much work to do.

With-

Oh.

Right.

She should...

Probably tell Sekhmet about that thing shouldn't she?

"So... um... when I realized that Sapphira was dead I got really excited and may have turned a damned soul without asking first. Just a little bit."

Just a smidge.

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
"I, uh, don't think we need to change much." Sekhmet touches the fountain, and it changes. Golden manacles, their chains broken and dangling beneath, appear on the fountain's wrists. The facial expression changes from a seductive smirk to a joyful smile. And it gains clothes, just a simple dress, but much more than it was wearing. The amphora, unneeded, disappears, the water instead flowing from the statue's eyes. "Uh, how's that?"

Then Rose admits what she did. "Uh, it's okay, Rose. We, uh, all make mistakes. I know you'll do better next time." It seems like Rose needs a hug, so... Hug! Not very seemly for a queen, but it's not like anyone's watching.

[Earl of Purple]

Throne Room

Prumathe wants to go to his wife, he's not going to increase his weight whilst travelling. He'll climb the stairs after Haru, hopefully to where a flyer is already waiting. If not, then he's going to be disappointed and probably pace until one shows up.

[5a Violista]

It works!

It connects.
Thankfully, the warp opens up above Ein and the ranger. There's no serious problems that immediately manifest. (Possibly because I can't really think of any serious problems that would be both interesting and more fun than 'works', and it would be best to just post rather than drag this on for longer trying to decide on some problem.)

There is, however, a very minor problem: anyone who goes through the portal, one way or the other, will have their rights and lefts hopelessly mixed up. Try to move your right hand, and your left will move instead. This is partially species-dependent, but most people take a couple weeks to get used to it, and after that they just can act completely as normal.

"It worked! Well, I think it worked," the ranger comments. Still have to test whether the portal actually works if you send someone through or not, first.

[Recaiden]

A connection!
It really works!
Well, it really does something, anyway.

A small moon rock comes through the warp, falling down towards the mountaintop at a weird angle.

Then comes a tiny octopus-looking thing, less than a foot long even if you count the three broad tentacles. It bounces, too light and squishy to be hurt by the fall.
But then it flails around in incredible confusion. Left is right? Everyone is gone? What? Whaaaat?

At this point, Ein agrees aloud. "It worked."

And then, there comes a rope, uncoiling down out of the portal in the sky.

I hope the pseudodragons don't mind all this.

[Reinholdt]

[Throne Room]

An arrow? Must have happened before Ilpholin got here. She frowns. "Angels had their chance. This calls for mortal justice. Which indeed means family cannot preside over any function of the judgement or punishment."

There is undeniable bias when family gets involved, everyone saw that moments ago in the battle. But so far this is just more or less agreeing with what Wenomir and some... person said. Someone, somewhere.

"However, her crimes extend well past this single city limits and this single instant. The only place with a wide enough jurisdiction to try her would have to be Vigil."

Wait a minute. Ilpholin's for this supposed trial that Sapphira wants? That's completely unlike her. Especially since she knows and would be accepting that she would have absolutely zero say in the matter, not being a Vigil member.

[5a Violista]

The ranger didn't expect a moonrock to fall out of that.
She didn't expect a small octopus to come out, either.
"So...what now?" she asks. They probably shouldn't stay here out in the open, if Ein can't hold their invisibility forever. And there's absolutely got to be something that they need to do. Prepare something? Do something else? "Should we help that octopus-thing?"


The pseudodragons probably don't like what they're seeing:
a portal suddenly appeared on top of their nest. Right near where one of their babies is.

The nearest pseudodragon takes off and comes closer to investigate. Two pseudodragons that are farther away also come this way to see what's going on.
The closer one flies in place, first looking at the portal because it's definitely the most eye-catching thing around, more so than the flailing tiny creature. (relatively) Little hairs flutter down from it, scattering around because of the gusts from its wings.

[Recaiden]

"Uh-"
They didn't tell Ein about all of these things ahead of time. They're only discovering the tests as they happen.
"You go through. Grab rope, climb up."

Ein shrinks back, hoping to keep away from the hairs, and wining as one of them pricks the underside of their arm anyway, thanks to the swirling gusts of air.
They manage to focus on the tiny octopus and get it to stop the flailing.

The portal, well, you can't see through it. It's just a gold bubble/glow/hole in the air, surrounded by a swirling distortion like a heat shimmer, and with a current of air that's flowing into it, back into the real world.

[Rebonack]

[Scorching Depths]

Oh wow!

That's a huge improvement on the statue. And it nicely sums up the redemption program that Rose has got going, doesn't it? Sure, not everyone wants a second chance. And even those who got their second chance aren't perfect. But it's a start, right? She sure thinks so.

"It looks beautiful, Sekhmet, I think-"

Then a hug!

Rose isn't super big on hugs, but she knows that her Queen is and so she isn't going to object.

She kind of awkwardly pats Sekhmet on the back.

"I really wasn't thinking. I was just so HAPPY that I didn't have to worry about your mother appearing and destroying everything we've worked on together."

At the contact with Sekhmet Rose realizes something that might be kind of important.

"Sekhmet I wanted to mention, not that I'm questioning your choices or actions, but I noticed that you're here in spirit only. Did you leave your body somewhere?"

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
"Uh..." Sekhmet looks down at herself. In all the excitement, she'd completely not noticed. She doesn't have a physical form; her body here is a spiritual one, made of woven magic rather than flesh and blood. "Oh dear. I, uh, must have. Uh..." She's trying to remember where she last had it. Then she does. She was in Vigil with Geneva. And then she felt like something was trying to pull her out of her body, and she couldn't move or breathe. And then she was in the cocoon for so long...
She breaks down crying. "I died! And then, uh, and then, I was trapped for forever..." She weeps and shakes, "They're all dead, aren't they? It's been centuries, hasn't it?" Time is weird here. It might have been.

[Morty]

[Throne Room]

This is slightly awkward. Wenomir doesn't carry handcuffs or other bonds with him. He probably should, but he wasn't expecting to take prisoners today. And why isn't Ilpholin insisting on killing Sapphira here and now? He's not complaining, but it's strange.

"I don't plan to let them preside over any trial we give her, but contacting her father or other angels can't hurt. See what they have to say for themselves and what they know about her." He does take Sapphira's weapons and puts them on the ground under his feet. "I'm admittedly not sure how to approach the trial of someone who has likely committed crimes on multiple planes of existence, but we'll figure it out."

[Recaiden]

Prumathe wants to go to his wife, he's not going to increase his weight whilst travelling. He'll climb the stairs after Haru, hopefully to where a flyer is already waiting. If not, then he's going to be disappointed and probably pace until one shows up.

Up the stairs, where they entered, is a duke, one of the hive's big flying crab-elephant-balloon creatures.
Prumathe will remember them from that time Sekhmet almost died up in the mountains. Without Sapphira alive to and around to complicate things, they felt it safe enough to approach and help.

It reaches out its pincers to grab the both of them, put them in a sack, and soar off towards VIGIL. Before long Haru will exert her magic to speed them up further and further. It's a slower and less comfortable way to travel than angelic teleportation, but it beats trying to get there yourself.
"You didn't do bad back there, Prumathe."
They still think it was dumb of him to go after Sapphira at all, but once he was in the building, it worked out.

[5a Violista]

The pseudodragons try intimidating the portal to make it go away. When you're that big, intimidation works against most things so it's only reasonable to assume it would work on a glowy thing too.

Some of the hairs get on the ranger, too, and she's a lot more exposed than Ein, but she puts on a brave face and vows to thoroughly wash her clothes to get rid of any straggler hair.

"Okay," she says, grabbing the rope.
She climbs.

She goes through, and presumably when she goes through, she has about as much difficulty moving as the minioctopus and has to be incredibly deliberate and not at all reliant on muscle memory in any way.

[Recaiden]

Once Ein sees that the ranger has the rope, it starts getting reeled in as well, pulling her up faster and faster.

The portal doesn't immediately react to intimidation. It's not so small itself!
But as soon as the ranger has passed through, it closes. The golden glow shrinks in on itself and vanishes, the swirling winds calm down, and it's gone.
Not nearly as big and scary as a pseudodragon after all.

Ein themselves, now they're not disguising a ranger, this is a lot easier. There's just a pain in their arm, and lots of stinging hairs to avoid-
They grab up the little octopus, and turn to run, down the mountain, back the way they came.

---

The ranger is probably a bit disoriented on the other side of the portal. Left is right, right is left. It's no problem as long as you only do things symmetrically. But climbing a rope, hand over hand? That could be difficult.

When she goes through, she finds that the other side of the portal is higher up. Much higher up. Up here, there's no pull of gravity, and no air. Just an endless field of stars on one side, and the whole planet of the nexus way way down there, and a giant crab-elephant-zeppelin monster holding the end of the rope in its huge pincers. Surely, given the circumstances, it must be helping Ein. But I imagine the whole scenario is a bit alarming.

[5a Violista]

The pseudodragons are glad that the portal listened to reason and ran away. They might've had to do something drastic if it hadn't.

All that's left are the little things they saw bouncing around.
One stops by the caterpillar to check on it, while the other two start circling around, looking for the little octopus.

When/if Ein returns to the camp, the actual dragon girl will just be putting the finishing touches on the foxpelt.

---

The ranger is very disoriented, especially when she tries releasing one hand to reach up higher and finds herself falling a bit, only to be caught by her other hand.
And everything looks backwards! She tries turning her head to get a better look at this but ends up looking at that instead.

Eventually, after enough time, she decides to just let herself get dragged up with the rope.

Also she's probably left-handed now, too, if she had time to think about it.

Seeing a crab-elephant-zepplin is definitely alarming!
The ranger, however, has no choice but to just hold on and wait, since shey very afraid that if she tries to do anything, she'll let go with the wrong hand and fall!

[Recaiden]

Ein runs until they're sure no pseudodragons are following them.
They they stop to get rid of any moth-hairs that have fallen on their skin and robe. It takes a while, to get rid of them to any good degree without getting jabbed further. What they really need is a place to wash. Then they wait for the pain to fade away; like everything in the hive they recover from being hurt very quickly. Sure, Ein probably has the 6th weakest healing factor in the whole hive, but it's still quite good.

And then it's back to the camp, with plenty of pauses to be sure they haven't gotten turned around and lost. Going to the mountain, with a ranger, is easy. Going the other way, alone, is more dangerous. At least the animals won't notice and bother them. That's something to be very glad about.

"Hello Mindy." What exactly has the dragongirl done with it?

---

The creature reaches down with its other claw, to pick up the ranger and put her in a sack carried beneath it.
In here there's air and pressure (although it is uncomfortably humid and warm and there's a sense that you might fall at any moment).

Also in the sack is someone who looks a lot like Ein! Specifically, like a fancier, deluxe version of Ein, with a stronger jaw, more developed carapace, speckles around their eyes. Their antennae are more swept back, the points around their shoulders. This hiveling is currently coiling up the rope.
"You're back in the real world now." They say, with a very Ein-like voice.

[5a Violista]

On the way back, there's almost certainly a stream that could be used to wash off.

Mindy has basically just turned it into a mini fur rug with the legs and tails and even part of head still on, so the front legs can be tied around the neck and it can be worn like a cape or something.
If Ein wants to do something specific with it later, that's still an option.

It's really warm.
Also, pretty resistant to ice magic and cold damage.
But the big thing is that it's nice and toasty. Would be fantastic during the winter.

"It's cool, right?"

She considers poking Ein on the head to mark 'becoming a priestess' but decides against it because of the unfortunate dragon allergy.
"Um, so..."
Mindy claps thrice, slowly, and tosses some flowers into the air, then says, "You know how to hunt and survive in the wild, you know all the important history stuff, and you've committed to helping people find and follow their purpose. Congratulations! You're a priestess now."

The preteen throws flowers into the air again.

---

Being able to breathe pressurized air is a huge relief.

The ranger looks at the fancy-Ein.
...after once or twice of looking in the wrong direction.
"Oh. Thanks," she says, thinking that being inside this sack is a really weird reintroduction to the real world.
She'd describe it as being inside a womb, that's how unusual it feels, and it really hasn't hit her yet because everything so far feels even more alien than the weird wild world.

She tries moving her hands to get used to how it literally feels like her body is on backwards.

"Nice to meet you. I met your, um...sister." Ein.

[Earl of Purple]

Throne Room --> Vigil

Prumathe hurries up the stairs and gets into the Duke. He's still a little nervous in these things. "I thought she had Sekhmet. I had to get her back. She vanished from Pontius' workshop."

They'll probably arrive at Vigil before Sekhmet wakes up, if she figures out how to return to her body.

[Recaiden]

[Mirror of Art]

Ein lifts the ice-fox-fur rug-pelt in their tentacles, impressed with how cozy it is.
"It is very cool."

Committed to helping people find and follow their purpose?
Did Ein agree to that at some point without really paying attention?
Well, it'll probably be fine.

It's good that Mindy doesn't poke Ein on the head. That would definitely cause an allergic reaction. Glad Mindy remembered.
Ein catches a few flower petals in hand, and then bows, while keeping the fox raised overhead in their tentacles.
That seems like an appropriate ceremonial gesture to make. It does mean the mirror is being left unwatched in its bag for the moment.

"What does it make you, now that you've chosen a new priestess?" Oh, do you have to be a woman to be a priestess? Like Mindy and Sophia? That's part of what the word means, right? Hmm. Ein will have to think deeply about that. It's non-standard for sure.

---

If you asked the monster, and explained thoroughly, eventually it could tell the ranger that she should feel more like being in a kangaroo's pouch - a much more universal and reasonable comparison, surely.

"Sibling, yes. You can call me 'Serena'." The fancy-Ein says, with some hesitation in their voice. They've never had to explain things to a strange ranger rescued from a mirror-world before, and are fairly stressed by the idea.
"We can bring you somewhere in the Nexus. Or stay with us. You can stay with us, I mean, of course we can stay with us-ourselves. Or go back to the mirror on our next trip."
Actually, that last one might be best for scientific purposes. They could see what effects going there and back and there again has on a ranger!

[Flying to Vigil]

"Could have checked with us, and known where she was, and gone to the right place."
Just in time to miss Geneva's rescue mission, probably.
"But it's all good now! Sapphira defeated!"

Haru doesn't stay at VIGIL.
The duke lets Prumathe squirm out of the sack and sets him on the floating island, and then it's back up and away for the hivelings.

[Reinholdt]

[Throne Room]

It's probable Blanche has some restraining equipment once she gets back up here. She seemed well prepared like that. "I'd offer my handcuffs, but they're the wrong kind of handcuffs." Ilpholin carries them around for reasons.

"I have every confidence that Cessie will be able to organize and preside over Vigil's court case fairly," Ilpholin says. Not much left to do but wait for Anika and Blanche to return. The golden nymph won't just head out and leave Wenomir alone with Sapphira. Too risky.

[5a Violista]

[Mirror of Art]

Actually, Ein didn't agree to that.
But Mindy thought it sounded cool, so she added it, and she figured Ein probably has said something like that in the past because it just makes sense.

"I don't know what it means for me, now," Mindy says.

She sits down.
This is something she really has to think about.

---

The ranger considers fancy-Ein's proposals.
It doesn't take much thought.
"Best thing," she says, "would be to head back on the next trip. That way I can help everyone else through." Besides, they're more likely to trust someone who has been helping them survive all this time.

[Recaiden]

Ein becomes pretty hard to notice, takes up the mirror bag, and backs away. Then they adjust how their robe is worn and tie the pelt on over one shoulder. Finally, the new priestess sits down as well.

Looks like everyone has some thinking to do.

Although if someone comes looking for the ranger, that would get Ein to appear and speak up.

---

"Agreed." Serena says. That was nice and simple.
The giant hive monster carrying them slowly bumbles back down towards the ground.
It'll take a while to get everything ready. They'll need workers from Sein, elixir from Eurus, Ell's mantises, and enough to carry away all the mirror-refugees, all gathered together in one place. And possibly a separate solution for Mindy - but maybe she can fly high enough on her own? And a little practice trying to move with everything reverse couldn't hurt.

[bc56]

Vigil

When Prumathe arrives, Sekhmet is still in bad shape. She's hooked up to a respirator in Vigil's sickbay, the flame normally above her head missing as she lies still in the hospital bed. A monitor next to her displays her heart rate: slow and weak, but present. Geneva is here, of course, but so is a stranger, a man Prumathe's never seen before, gaunt, patchy-haired, and difficult to read. He's watching over the unconscious fiendling intently.

[Earl of Purple]

Flight to Vigil

"I... I didn't think of that." Prumathe frowns a little. Things worked out, but he's going to be pacing the whole trip- and wondering if it can go any faster.

Vigil

Prumathe's going to rush there, stopping only long enough to ask for directions. Fortunately, Anika's not here, so hopefully he's given accurate directions. He's going to sit by her bedside and hold her hand, squeezing it gently. He looks... honestly a bit heartbroken, he thinks she might not make it, though he hopes she will. "I'm here, Sekhmet. Right here, you're not alone. Please wake up, honey. I... I don't really want to live without you." Prumathe is a muscular, dark-skinned man, with green eyes. He's wearing a pair of jeans and a thick leather apron, with a silver sword sheathed at his belt, and he carries a bag containing Sekhmet's gear and clothes.

[5a Violista]

If they noticed that Ein was back without the ranger, they probably would ask them where she is.

As it is, nobody (except Mindy) was paying enough attention then, so presumably they assume the ranger and Ein are still out there doing whatever important thing she said they needed to do, or that somebody else knows where the ranger is because nobody is talking about it yet.

---

The ranger helps as much as she can.
Which, in the end, is basically just informing how many people were there in the camp, and what they're like, if that somehow helps.

Mindy is a pretty decent flier, actually. She is a dragon, after all. As long as she's got that scale coat.

Also, the ranger tries to get used to things being reversed. It really is weird. The only three things she finds she can do are things where she focuses a lot and is careful, things that are symmetrical, and things that are instinctual but don't really matter which side is which, as long as she doesn't pay attention. As soon as she starts paying attention to it, it throws her off.

[Recaiden]

That's convenient.
Ein goes to try to get some rest, and waits for news from the others, through the mirror.

---

It's important to know how many there are, at least.
That will help them minimize the risks of doing this.

---

It's quite a while later that Ein makes themselves noticeable, and goes up to someone, and asks them to help "Gather everyone together."

[bc56]

Vigil Sickbay
Despite Prumathe's pleading, Sekhmet remains still and silent. She's cold to the touch, or at least colder than she normally is. At least he can feel her heartbeat. She's still alive, but comatose, and unless something changes, she seems likely to stay that way. How long did that flight take? She's been like this at least that long with no change.