Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

[Arkhosia]

A Riverside Alley

Spoiler

Show

A Filthy Riverside Alley

The young woman stares at the foxgirl again, before resuming the very same struggling and straining she was warned against. She stops again moments later, however, when the cuffs start to scratch up her wrists and make this whole ordeal so much worse than it already is. I suppose the fox was right all along, then. Anyone with any degree of common sense could've figured that out on their own, but I guess this idiot had to see for herself first.

"Okay, fine. But if you try anything, I'll-" Tetra puts on her best scowl, but can't think of a suitably intimidating threat to pair it with. There's only so much about her powers and identity that she can safely tell this complete stranger, and she probably doesn't look all that menacing with her wrists bound like this.

Anastasia winces as the woman starts to struggle again, relaxing a little when she relents. "Uh, okay, I'll uh- I won't try anything, promise," she assures, showing her hands as she approaches slowly.

Once she's close enough, the kitsune will crouch behind Tetra and slip a small kit of tools from her pocket, and start fiddling with the lock on the handcuffs. "Hang on, this should be quick. Just uh, don't move, okay?"

[5a Violista]

[==> Streets]

Holly nods and climbs up the ladder. She gives a smile as thanks.

She steps away to not get in the way, but sticks around a little in case someone needs her for something.

. . .
She's really tired, though.
Needs to sleep.
Needs to get all this blood off her.
Needs to...well, she first needs some sleep so that she can figure out what else she needs to do.


[Feast for the Eyes]

Seraphina doesn't recognize the book that Karasu recommended.

She 'wakes up' in the VR space.
Her head looks...pretty normal. Like a normal human head.
If she has a hood still, then she tries to put it back on, so that she'd be wearing it in the VR space too.
"Um..."
She looks around where they are. Some kind of city, looks like. Not much she can really tell about it. "Yeah. It seems pretty cool so far."

Seraphina clicks her tongue. "So is this how the book starts?" she asks. "In a park like this? Or do we have to go out looking for the plot?"

[Gullara]

[Out]

The old door betrays Archera as it creaks slightly when she opens it and after a moment she can hear someone call out. "Hello?!" Though by that point she has already closed it and made a run for the car.

As she ducks for cover she can see what can assumed to be MERC-members coming around both sides of the warehouse. They're all armed but only one of them (a male human in modern-looking clothing), coming from the right side, have actually drawn their firearm and is aiming it at the door where Archera was moments ago.

None of them seem to have actually noticed her yet though.

[Out]

Archera stays where she is, crouched next tot he car tire so they won't see her even if they try looking under it. She only leans over to look under the car past the tire to keep track of where they're standing. Hopefully they're first plan will be to look inside the building.

[Expedition: Fishbowl]

Zhareen listens to Eon and then Korrina. "Oh! That's a plan!" She turns back to the prophet. "But I guess I'll leave it up to you what you want to do, Eon. We probably shouldn't antagonize them though I think." A beat. "Darn, I should have made another cake for them. Why do I always think of these things too late? Maybe we could buy a cake for them. Like a peace offering..." Zhareen will likely go through with this part of the plan unless Korrina dissuades her.

Expedition Fishbowl

Eon nods. "I'll know when it's time to leave." He rubs dirt on his face. Combined with his wild beard and ragged grey hair, he really looks the part. He starts walking towards the Merc offices. "Wish me luck."

[Expedition: Fishbowl]

"Zhareen, it's really not the time to be doing that. We're in the middle of this already and we're trying to keep a low profile." Korrina argues. She can't keep the exasperation out of her tone. "Let's just wait here for Eon."

[Shadowcaller]

[Out]

Archera can see their feet as they stop in front of the door. After a moment of hesitation and a brief discussion, they decide to split up again. Two pair of feet start to slowly head inside the building while one pair remain by the door. The last pair of feet start to walk towards the fence behind her however.

They might not see her while walking past the car, but if they turned around once reaching the fence they likely would.

[Expedition: Fishbowl]

"Good luck, spirits blessing, xethel'zorkathal!" Zhareen picks all the blessings she can recall at the moment in hopes that at least one of them would grant Eon success in his endeavors as she waves him good bye.

Then she turns to Corrina with a sigh. "I suppose you're right. I really should have thought of it sooner. Too late now."

---

Meanwhile, Eon might come to realize that there are a lot of new-looking security cameras that have been set-up in Westside. Not that he's really in danger of alerting anyone by being seen by them considering what Korrina pointed out. However, considering his mission he will probably be acutely aware of their presence and the fact that someone might be looking at him right now.

But regardless how he feels about the cameras the MERC-office isn't exactly hard to find. It's a huge manor on top of an hill near the border of Northside. There is a large parking lot just below it which seem to be intended for MERC-members only and to it there's a security checkpoint. However, there is no security stopping him from just walking up to the manor itself.

MERC is a business after all so customers need to be able to access them easily. Thus, he could walk straight up to the front desk that has been set up in the manor without anyone as much as thinking of stopping him.

[bc56]

Expedition Fishbowl

Eon ignores the cameras and walks into the office, adopting a stooped posture and leaning on his cane. "Alms for the poor? Or a warm place to sleep?" He looks like an old homeless man, with dirt on his face and a raggedy beard, but the good repair of his clothes might give him away. Or maybe he just stole them.

[Purple Eagle]

[Feast for the Eyes]

Seraphina doesn't recognize the book that Karasu recommended.

She 'wakes up' in the VR space.
Her head looks...pretty normal. Like a normal human head.
If she has a hood still, then she tries to put it back on, so that she'd be wearing it in the VR space too.
"Um..."
She looks around where they are. Some kind of city, looks like. Not much she can really tell about it. "Yeah. It seems pretty cool so far."

Seraphina clicks her tongue. "So is this how the book starts?" she asks. "In a park like this? Or do we have to go out looking for the plot?"

[Feast for the Eyes]

Karasu was totally expecting something else, her mind had gone places... and all it is in the end is a normal human head? She's disappointed... but she also quickly reaches up to feel her head before remembering that she had no headgear on. Of course, Seraphina's still wearing her hood in the real world, but it didn't come with her to this VR space.

She looks around as Seraphina speaks. "Discovered this series in the Nexus, y'know. Cheesy name, but quality content. Got romance too, definitely recommend you read it!" That being said, she directly responds to the woman's question. "The plot'll come to us if we stay. Suggest we look around. Follow me, I'm the one who's read the book."

They walk around and explore the city, not looking too out of place. Everyone leaves them alone, save the people looking at Karasu because of her black sclera. "So, why wear a hood if your head is normal? Hiding your appearance? Got impersonators? Don't feel pretty enough? I think you're pretty." She asks as they walk around.

In the distance, there's a woman running towards the park and a cloaked figure chasing her. "It's starting! Let's watch." She says all giddy as the redhead woman trips and falls once she gets to the park.

[Gullara]

[Out]

Archera can see their feet as they stop in front of the door. After a moment of hesitation and a brief discussion, they decide to split up again. Two pair of feet start to slowly head inside the building while one pair remain by the door. The last pair of feet start to walk towards the fence behind her however.

They might not see her while walking past the car, but if they turned around once reaching the fence they likely would.

[Out]

Dammit. Archera turns in place, leans down to point her arm under the car, and from her glove fires a projectile. It cracks against the ground next to the building, pops with a sharp noise, and flashes with a brief flame. He won't be able to turn fat enough to see it, but hopefully it attracts his attention.

[Deathkeeper]

Expedition Fishbowl

The man at the desk is a black-furred minotaur squeezed into a white shirt and khakis with a very shiny belt buckle. He smiles warmly.
"I can't give you a bed but I can at least give something." He digs a large hand into a pocket and flicks a shiny silver coin at the man with his oversized thumb. He's young, but you'd likely have to be experienced with minotaurs to identify that base voice as young.

[Morty]

[Sewers==> Streets]

Amalungak maintains a sullen silence, since protests won't do him much good right now. He notices Tarim but says nothing. Drawing attention to himself would just poke holes in his story.

[5a Violista]

[Feast for the Eyes]

Seraphina, as it happens, is also a redhead. She does look pretty androgynous, though, so there's only a moderate chance of her getting mistaken for some other redhead woman.
She keeps up with Karasu, following her.

"I..." Seraphina thinks about how she can explain this. She doesn't want to feel like she's tricking Karasu into complimenting her, but if she answers the questions then that's pretty much invariably what is going to happen. But if she just tries to treat it like it's not a big deal, then Karasu's probably going to keep on asking about it and get the wrong picture and blow it out of proportion. . .
"I just don't like how I look," she says, leaving it at that because she thinks that answer leaves it the least open for follow-up questions.

"Oh! I see." The plot is starting. She stops and looks at the tripping woman. "...should we help her?"

[bc56]

Expedition Fishbowl

Eon grabs for the coin, fumbles, and picks it up off the floor. He needs to make this distraction last long enough for the others to get inside though. "Thank you, young sir. Maybe I could... Do something for you? Read your fortune, perhaps?" Most prophets know one or two fake ways of fortune telling, just in case they need an inconsequential prophecy for something.

[Lord Magtok]

A Riverside Alley

Spoiler

Show

A Riverside Alley

Anastasia winces as the woman starts to struggle again, relaxing a little when she relents. "Uh, okay, I'll uh- I won't try anything, promise," she assures, showing her hands as she approaches slowly.

Once she's close enough, the kitsune will crouch behind Tetra and slip a small kit of tools from her pocket, and start fiddling with the lock on the handcuffs. "Hang on, this should be quick. Just uh, don't move, okay?"

”Fine. Wait, how often does this happen that you have tools for it?” Tetra, don’t ask questions like that when someone’s trying to help you out of a jam. What this weird fox does in her spare time and the insidious nature of her dangerous fugitive lifestyle are not your concern, and you’ll be a lot happier and safer if you remain ignorant of such things.

The cuffs pop off easily enough, since they’re just totally normal Intersection cuffs meant for seemingly harmless people like Tetra and Anastasia, not some sort of apocalyptic demon monster or otherworldly abomination. The Project Tetragrammatok rubs her wrists once they’re free, and turns around to regard Ana with that same blank, inscrutable gaze she’d worn before. Is that gratitude, anger, contempt, shame, joy? Did Ana just make a friend or is she about to be told to buzz off and forget she ever saw Tetra? It’s so hard to tell what could possibly be behind that strange alien visage.

[Zefir]

[Sewers==> Streets]

Fade will stay close to his prisoner and leads him out. His goal is to get him to Merc as soon as possible, unless he can see Dena or Kirk.

[Recaiden]

[Sewers==> Streets]

As soon as the goblins see Fade present the badge they relax. "Oh, mister Fade, sir. We, uh, didn't recognize you at first! Miss Holly too, please just climb up the ladder to the left and you'll be out of here."

They move aside, letting them through into the sewer proper where it's just slightly less narrow than the cave system they just left. Unless anyone in the group has other ideas they will be helped to the surface where more MERC-members are awaiting them.

If Ruby don't want Amalungak to be taken to MERC, now might be the time to act. Though there are quite a number of mercenaries both in the sewers and on the streets above. Dena is noticeably not there however but Amalungak might notice Tarim (again, looking similar to this, but in a full-body silver lined armor) who standing some distance away from the mercenaries at street level. He and some curious civilians are the only people that aren't with MERC here.

"Looks like the only thing left is to bring him in to custody, yes?" Jaahlyn remarks as they finally can breath fresh air again.
Unless of course Ruby decides to act before they climb up to the surface.

Amalungak maintains a sullen silence, since protests won't do him much good right now. He notices Tarim but says nothing. Drawing attention to himself would just poke holes in his story.

Fade will stay close to his prisoner and leads him out. His goal is to get him to Merc as soon as possible, unless he can see Dena or Kirk.

Well, there's one other individual here: the frightful fey wyvern thing that Ruby rode in on when this all started.
What Ruby does is ignore all of the MERC members and run over to it, hopping up onto its back with a delighted laugh.
MERC? Rats? Betrayal and plotting?
None of that matters at all now that they're back aboveground.

Maybe if she were healthy and fresh she would try to interfere with Fade somehow, but she's not, and doesn't.

[Deathkeeper]

Expedition Fishbowl

Tezzin taps his chin for a moment and shrugs.
"Nah, I'm pretty good on that front." Being friends with wizards does sort of help with that.
It seems that despite the innocent look, the oversized intern might be harder to distract than planned.

[Shadowcaller]

[Streets==>MERC Headquarters]

As no more trouble arise, Amalungak will be taken to MERC's headquarters in Riverside and those who wish to tag along can do so.

Otherwise they will all go their separate ways now.

Tarim seemed to have noticed Amalungak when he was taken into one of MERC's cars however. If this has any significance only time can tell.

[Out]

Both pairs of feet she can see outside the warehouse stop and turn in the direction of the noise.

A moment later she can hear their communicators burst to life and she hears Dena speaking again. "What was that? Report in please."

She might have gotten her chance to make a break for it. Though she would need to either get over the fence or get to one of the openings in it first.

[bc56]

Expedition Fishbowl

"Are you certain? It can never hurt." Except it definitely can. To know your future can be harmful. But let's not talk about that. Just keep the distraction going.

[5a Violista]

[==>]
epilogue

Holly the Half-Human doesn't return to MERC headquarters.

Instead, she goes first to the river to wash off, and then back to her home in Eastside.

Except for a few times around HALO and once in Inside, she was never seen again;
a month later her house was destroyed during the night by a vigilante in power armor,
and,
a month after that, her cell number was no longer operable.

Also, she got pregnant but that's another story.

[Arkhosia]

A Riverside Alley

Spoiler

Show

A Riverside Alley

”Fine. Wait, how often does this happen that you have tools for it?” Tetra, don’t ask questions like that when someone’s trying to help you out of a jam. What this weird fox does in her spare time and the insidious nature of her dangerous fugitive lifestyle are not your concern, and you’ll be a lot happier and safer if you remain ignorant of such things.

The cuffs pop off easily enough, since they’re just totally normal Intersection cuffs meant for seemingly harmless people like Tetra and Anastasia, not some sort of apocalyptic demon monster or otherworldly abomination. The Project Tetragrammatok rubs her wrists once they’re free, and turns around to regard Ana with that same blank, inscrutable gaze she’d worn before. Is that gratitude, anger, contempt, shame, joy? Did Ana just make a friend or is she about to be told to buzz off and forget she ever saw Tetra? It’s so hard to tell what could possibly be behind that strange alien visage.

"Uh, never - don't get into that kind of trouble. Just... like, sometimes you need a bit more access to places," Anastasia awkwardly tries to defend. I mean Tetra's not wrong, it is a little weird for her to have them on hand when she doesn't really find reasons to need them going around Riverside. It's really more of a comfort thing, a nice little feeling of knowing she has the option in her back pocket if she needs more routes to run or hide in. Never know when another invasion or other catastrophe might strike.

"...Aaaaand, there! All set." The cops pop off with a click and Ana lets them fall to the ground. There's an awkward moment as she waits for Tetra to act next, fidgeting a little under the focus. "So, uh, yeah. You... should be good, right?"

[Gullara]

[Out]

Both pairs of feet she can see outside the warehouse stop and turn in the direction of the noise.

A moment later she can hear their communicators burst to life and she hears Dena speaking again. "What was that? Report in please."

She might have gotten her chance to make a break for it. Though she would need to either get over the fence or get to one of the openings in it first.

[Out]

Conveniently the gate is right behind her. With attention drawn in the opposite direction, Archera backs toward the gate. If it can be swung open, she does so and makes a dash for it. If it's locked, well, she has a trick for that.

She takes some of the last bits of water she was carrying with her, guides it into the lock to fill all the nooks and crannies. Then she turns her body away, so she's between her and the child, and wills the water to freeze. With a loud crack the lock should burst into pieces. Then she can make her exit.

[Deathkeeper]

Expedition Fishbowl

"Are you certain? It can never hurt." Except it definitely can. To know your future can be harmful. But let's not talk about that. Just keep the distraction going.

Expedition Fishbowl

Tezzin shrugs.
"Yeah I'm fine. I got a lot of paperwork to do. You have a good day, though." he says pleasantly with a smile.
Perhaps our distraction will have to get creative.

[Purple Eagle]

[Feast for the Eyes]

Seraphina, as it happens, is also a redhead. She does look pretty androgynous, though, so there's only a moderate chance of her getting mistaken for some other redhead woman.
She keeps up with Karasu, following her.

"I..." Seraphina thinks about how she can explain this. She doesn't want to feel like she's tricking Karasu into complimenting her, but if she answers the questions then that's pretty much invariably what is going to happen. But if she just tries to treat it like it's not a big deal, then Karasu's probably going to keep on asking about it and get the wrong picture and blow it out of proportion. . .
"I just don't like how I look," she says, leaving it at that because she thinks that answer leaves it the least open for follow-up questions.

"Oh! I see." The plot is starting. She stops and looks at the tripping woman. "...should we help her?"

[Feast for the Eyes]

"Why?" Karasu simply asks, which Seraphina might or might not have been expecting. "Looks fine to me." She adds, studying Seraphina's head closely. She's still waiting for an answer, and won't let it drop until she gets one.

Once the plot starts, however, Karasu gets very excited. "It is!" Her voice loses some of its monotone as they peer at the park from their little hiding place. "Want to... so badly want to, but we shouldn't interfere."

And so she watches as a green-haired woman with hungry eyes reaches her. "You tried to run from me...you really did try to run from me!" She says incredulously, ending with a short cackle. "I'm a vampire now, dearie. Faster, stronger... I'm no longer the weakling you bullied in high school."

"Don't worry... gonna be saved. See?" Karasu points out a trenchcoat-clad figure silently walking behind the green-haired woman, gun in hand.

If Seraphina hasn't answered her question yet, she'll take this time to ask it again. "Why don't you like the way you look? Don't ignore me."

[5a Violista]

[Feast for the Eyes]

Seraphina doesn't just refuse to answer the question; she just doesn't even acknowledge it exists. She refuses to react to it. When an unstoppable question meets an unmovable stonewall, what will happen?

She just keeps on looking ahead.
Even seeing the trenchcoat-guy come forward, she still asks, "Are you sure we can't help? Nothing we can do?"

When the question comes back to it, she just...continues to not acknowledge the question.
In fact, she gets up and moves six steps away. Seraphina hopes that's enough of a hint that she really doesn't want to answer that and no amount of prodding will help.

[Purple Eagle]

[Feast for the Eyes]

Seraphina doesn't just refuse to answer the question; she just doesn't even acknowledge it exists. She refuses to react to it. When an unstoppable question meets an unmovable stonewall, what will happen?

She just keeps on looking ahead.
Even seeing the trenchcoat-guy come forward, she still asks, "Are you sure we can't help? Nothing we can do?"

When the question comes back to it, she just...continues to not acknowledge the question.
In fact, she gets up and moves six steps away. Seraphina hopes that's enough of a hint that she really doesn't want to answer that and no amount of prodding will help.

[Feast for the Eyes]

"A lot we can do, but... should let the plot start before we interfere. 'sides, this gets handled quickly." Karasu continues to watch. However, she doesn't like being on the receiving end of being ignored, oh no! It has the opposite effect to what Seraphina's hoping.

As her redhead companion gets up, Karasu grabs her wrists and attempts to pull her back down. She's strong, so she might very well succeed. "Don't you ignore me. Why? Know someone who can help, plastic surgery. Change how you look, but I need to know why. Know what to tell him, then." She scowls at Seraphina, silent for a short moment. "... unless it's a lie told so that I won't bother you about it... what's the real reason, then? Running? Hiding? Or maybe-"

A loud gunshot interrupts her incessant line of questioning, and she quickly turns to the scene to see the greenhead vampire touching a wound on her face. "Oh ****!" She exclaims as she flees the scene. "Screw this!" The man in the trenchcoat holsters his gun and offers a hand to the redhead, who reacts by passing out. He picks her up to get her to safety, and that's when it's revealed that she's injured.

"Should follow, I know where they're going next." Karasu says, getting up and leading the way. In regards to her questions, she adds: "Keep your secrets, then."

"Find out on my own." She mutters under her breath, though not quietly enough for Seraphina not to get the gist of what she's said.

[bc56]

Expedition Fishbowl

Oh, that's no good. Eon nods and starts to walk out the door. Then he clutches his chest and drops to the floor, moaning. He's hoping that faking a heart attack will buy the necessary time, since the other attempts didn't. Of course, he has no idea how to fake a heart attack. But hopefully the man behind the counter doesn't know what one should look like either.

[5a Violista]

[Feast for the Eyes]

Seraphina is pulled back down and is unable to create space.

She doesn't acknowledge it, and just sits there like that was her plan this whole time. If that's why Karasu needs to know, then there's no way Seraphina will ever say anything else about it.

Watching the scene helps her not answer.

Since, presumably she is stilp being held, Seraphina has no choice but to follow...but she probably would've done the same anyway.

"Won't they find it weird when there's someone following them?" she asks. "Especially just after an attack like that."

[Purple Eagle]

[Feast for the Eyes]

Karasu catches herself pestering Seraphina on something the woman clearly doesn't want to answer. "Sorry. Get curious at times... a lot of the time. Understood, I'd do the same if I had a secret to keep. Gotta say, your reaction tells me not liking the way you look was an excuse. Didn't expect me to ask why, huh?" If not, then why didn't the promise of plastic surgery get her to jump at the chance... or at least, crack a little bit? "Still gonna keep me up tonight, though. Rest of the week too, maybe."

Karasu'd let go whilst she was apologizing, but grabs her acquaintance's arm excitedly, pulling her along. "Not if we take another, faster route." She's already scanning buildings for parkour opportunities, then remembers that Seraphina is likely incapable of doing so. Thus, she tries to see if her powers work here, and... yeah, they do!

So, she makes an ink platform big enough for them both. "Get on, we'll fly there."

[5a Violista]

[Feast for the Eyes]

Karasu almost tricks Seraphina into answering. It's not an excuse, she almost says, before realizing that's probably exactly why she said it all in the first place. Especially because it sounds like she keeps on going, trying to guilt her into answering more. If she falls for this and teases an answer, that would just encourage more questioning.

So, after the brief relapse of almost answering, Seraphina goes back to pretending she didn't even hear the question.

Seraphina, who can parkour – though probably not as well as Karasu – looks at the magic platform.
She steps onto it. "You can fly?" she asks.
She follows up with another question, "More importantly, you can do magic?"

She looks around, trying to find a place to hold on to. She has no idea how fast or jerky this platform will be, so better be safe than sorry.

[Shadowcaller]

[Out]

Conveniently the gate is right behind her. With attention drawn in the opposite direction, Archera backs toward the gate. If it can be swung open, she does so and makes a dash for it. If it's locked, well, she has a trick for that.

She takes some of the last bits of water she was carrying with her, guides it into the lock to fill all the nooks and crannies. Then she turns her body away, so she's between her and the child, and wills the water to freeze. With a loud crack the lock should burst into pieces. Then she can make her exit.

[Out]

Archera will recall that when they entered had to cross the fence the gate was locked and Irena went through the 'door' of the fence. Hence she wouldn't even need to try to open the gate to know that it's locked.
Like she planned, the lock cracks due to the increased pressure and she can push the gates open. However, as she can hear shouts behind her as she's running.
"****, it's Archera!"
Then more swears as they're trying to chase after but despite her carrying a baby they're not going to be able to catch up by the sound of it and she suspects that they aren't paid enough to want to go to toe to toe with her either.

Regardless, it looks like she made her escape but she was spotted by MERC however though there was likely little she could do about that.

[Purple Eagle]

[Feast for the Eyes]

Karasu almost tricks Seraphina into answering. It's not an excuse, she almost says, before realizing that's probably exactly why she said it all in the first place. Especially because it sounds like she keeps on going, trying to guilt her into answering more. If she falls for this and teases an answer, that would just encourage more questioning.

So, after the brief relapse of almost answering, Seraphina goes back to pretending she didn't even hear the question.

Seraphina, who can parkour – though probably not as well as Karasu – looks at the magic platform.
She steps onto it. "You can fly?" she asks.
She follows up with another question, "More importantly, you can do magic?"

She looks around, trying to find a place to hold on to. She has no idea how fast or jerky this platform will be, so better be safe than sorry.

[Feast for the Eyes]

"Kinda." Karasu says to the first question. "And yes, I have powers. The Unique Talent I mentioned earlier, remember?" Though she called it a 'Special Talent', before I changed the name.

She notices Seraphina looking around for a handhold, and causes handlebars to form. She grabs one and leaves the other for the redhead to hold. "Book came with a map. Memorized it. Oh, so exciting!" She almost squees in excitement.

The makeshift hoverboard takes off, and Karasu sticks to the shadows. "So, Seraphina... you look quite androgynous. Or, that another thing you don't want to talk about?"