Trog's Tavern CLV

[Ironsmith]

Braon watches Selekhael go, paying particular attention to her backside, though she at least seems to have regained enough of her senses to be discrete about it. She just leans back in her chair and lets her eyes wander where they may, not noticing the apprentice barmaid approaching again until she's been offered a sandwich.

"Thanks, lady..." Braon begins, picking up her meal and looking up at the server... before realizing exactly what's wrong with this picture. "...Wait a minute, weren't you... what?" She blinks uncomprehendingly. "...You wouldn't happen to have a twin or something, would you? Because I could have sworn..." She looks back at the Selekhael still leaving, before turning her attention back to the Selekhael now arriving. "...I must be more out of it than I thought..." She mumbles, massaging her temples with her fingers. "Maybe I should see a doctor or something..."

She's not wrong about that part. But it's not for the reasons she's thinking.

"...But really, though, when you see your sister again, could ya tell her I'm sorry?" Braon begins, rubbing at her chin. "I'm, uh... I'm still getting used to being here again. 'Smade me forget my manners, such as they are. That, and obviously I've had just a smidgen too much..." She tears off a chunk of her sandwich and pops it into her mouth. "You people here at Trog's, you've always done a good job by my reckoning, and I don't want to be the reason she's had a bad day today. I do that enough on purpose, you know what I'm saying?" She says as she chews up the morsel. "...Just, ah, don't tell anyone else. Just her. I've got a reputation to keep. Scandal's a fickle friend, you know?"

[bc56]

This Selekhael looks exactly the same as the other Selekhael. They even have the same name, at least according to their name tags, which both say "Selekhael." "My sister? Oh, uh, right." If someone's not familiar with her particular brand of weirdness, it's usually best for Selekhael to just let them rationalize it.
Now that she's coming to, Braon will probably notice that her mistaking this barmaid for Sekhmet was not all that unwarranted. She looks like Sekhmet, albeit younger and human. She talks like Sekhmet too. They're shockingly similar, but Sekhmet would never have called Braon "ma'am." "I'll apologize to her for you when I see her."

[Ironsmith]

Which is only fair, because Braon would never call Sekhmet "ma'am". She's used other titles, obviously, usually with an air of contempt, but nothing as mundane as "ma'am".

"Thank you." Braon nods. "And, ah... understand that this next part is purely for appearances and I mean no disrespect whatsoever."

At which point Braon demonstrates her favored greeting among women she finds attractive; a firm pinch on the hindquarters.

[bc56]

"STOP THAT." Selekhael doesn't sound at all like Sekhmet that time. Instead, she sounds like she's much bigger and more monstrous than she appears... But also oddly forgiving? "Sorry, I, uh, get enough of that from my job already. I would prefer you didn't do that, appearances or no."

[Ironsmith]

Braon would beg to differ; in that moment, to her, Selekhael sounds exactly like Sekhmet. Enough to make the fiendling briefly cower behind her hands and question her sobriety (not to mention her sanity) yet again. Strangely enough, Selekhael immediately apologizing for the outburst didn't dissipate this association, nor did her polite request for Braon to keep her hands to herself. If Braon didn't take a moment to remember where she actually is and what she's actually doing, she might have hexed Selekhael in what she momentarily believed to be self-defense.

Fortunately, she does, and therefore doesn't.

"...Don't. Do that. Again." Braon warns, breathing heavily behind her hands.

[Rebonack]

"Doing great! I managed a run down to Market Street just the other day and I didn't get accosted by anything weird. I think that's five for five so far which means I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop at this point," Zee replies as she fetches the lemonade and gets the gyro cooking for June. "Speaking of shoes, I'm pretty sure you had some last time we met. Or at least I was reasonably certain you did. Is this a new look?"

There you go Zee.

Real smooth.

That'll get some answers without making it completely obvious that you haven't got a clue what's going on with June.

Really, though, why does June mess up her read on things so much? It's almost like she's got half a dozen different world-lines all mashed together. Zee definitely hasn't ever run into anything quite like it before. Or maybe coiled together? Like a twizzler. Those ones you peel apart, though. Not the ones pretending to be licorice sticks.

Meanwhile!

The cut pizza is set before Askeladd and the mead fetched and oh shoot he hadn't asked that out loud, had he?

"Haha, whoop, yeah. Sorry about that. Usually I'm better at this but my read on the room is kind of fuzzy right now. Don't worry! I'm not reading your thoughts or anything like that. That's usually what people get all nervous about when I slip up," Zee replies, her tone apologetic and her expression sheepish. "I don't... exactly see what's going on. Sometimes I wish I did. It would make things way easier. It's more like reading someone's story. Except it's everyone's story. All at the same time. The story of everyone and everything. Even that potted plant over there."

Zee gestures at the plant in question which remains aloof to the conversation.

"Granted the plant's story usually isn't very interesting but they can't all be winners, right? So SOMETIMES what someone is thinking is important enough to be in their story. But more often it isn't. It's not really a perfect analogy but it's the best one I've got. Usually I'm better at picking out the difference between narration and conversation."

And oh hey, altercations going on over there!

Zee turns her gaze on Selekhael and Braon briefly and gives them both a look. The look conveys a message as clearly and cleaning as a set of six hundred foot tall flaming letters written across the sky.

You two behave yourselves.


[Dungeons of Doom]

Oh sweet Divines the smell.

Why have horrible smelling things been so intent on accosting her?

Thankfully there's a simple alteration for fixing this problem. A novice spell Fenris typically used for, ah, removing blood stains. Thankfully it is equally useful for removing other foreign stains. After all, it simply won't do to walk into town spattered in blood and smelling of death.

"I am going to conclude this moose is simply drunk and not alchemically altered like the other creatures we've encountered and not dwell on this incident further," Fenris says before turning her attention to the two doors leading out of the room, one to the north and one to the south. The northern door has a heavily caustic scent wafting from it not dissimilar to oil of vitriol. The southern door has a soft, almost musical hum coming from it.

[bc56]

Selekhael can feel the Glare of Warning Disapproval boring into the back of her skull. Fortunately, she wasn't planning on taking this any further. "As long as you don't touch me like that again."

[Ironsmith]

Braon, likewise, got the "behave or else" glare, and enough of it to stumble out of her seat. If the Sekhmet look-alike was frightening to her, that was nothing compared to Zee. At least, she thinks so. There's a little more of an air of mystique about her in that she's never actually seen Zee get properly mad; she just knows Zee and Sekhmet give off the same sorts of signals when they're close to the end of their tolerance for her antics.

And since she's spent the past several days having her own private party here, she might be dangerously close to getting on the bartender's bad side.

"...Maybe I should take that to go." Braon concludes, picking up her sandwich and wrapping it in her cloak. "I'm not about to get wrapped up in another work release program..."

[bc56]

"One thing first." Selekhael sets the bill on the table.
Like most of Trog's commerce, it doesn't actually matter what Braon pays. The amount due field is just a question mark. But it's the principle of the thing.

Dungeon of Doom
"The one door smells like the stuff used to contain those crystals. We should go that way." Orathius heads for the acidic door.

[Ironsmith]

Braon looks down at the bill incredulously. What's that supposed to be?

Oh, right. Selekhael probably wants her to pay for her food this time.

You know, as a change of pace.

At least Braon can afford it this time. She reaches into a little pouch on her belt and produces a walnut-sized diamond, which she tosses onto the bill, letting it clatter haphazardly across the table.

There. That should cover it.

And if not, Selekhael's going to have to catch her on the way out. Because there she goes.

[bc56]

That will definitely cover it.
Selekhael doesn't chase Braon at all. "So, uh, how much of this is payment and how much is a tip?" she asks no one in particular.

[Rebonack]

"Big gemstones are always kind of a pain to divide up," Zee admits with a forlorn sigh. "Especially big diamonds. Leave it to the crazy adventurers to pay in the least convenient way possible. Just bring it over here-"

She waves from behind the counter.

"It'll go in the box with everything else and we'll figure out how to divide it up at the end of the day."

Once Sekhmet gets close Zee will offer a kind smile.

"You handled that situation pretty well. Didn't smack Braon or anything! Even if she deserves it sometimes. She seems like the sort that pushes everyone around her away. It can be hard, but those are often the people who need kindness the most."

And Braon hasn't tried stabbing too many folks yet.

Stabbing people a lot is typically a deal breaker with Zee.

She's protective of her guests.


[Dungeons of Doom]

Our heroes head through the door and the reason for the smell becomes clear in a hurry.

Canisters.

Lots of canisters.

Shelves full of canisters, each with a little number below them.

Also in here?

A rather wizardly looking fellow with a conspicuous golden nose. Aetherial crystals are sticking out of his flesh here and there, his eyes humming with an unearthly glow.

"Ah, more test subjects. Finally. You got here just in time," he says, an eerie echo to his voice. "Please, recline on the tables there. I'll be with you both shortly."

[bc56]

"She seemed strange. She thought I was someone else." Selekhael isn't powerful enough to read worldlines so she didn't pick up any of the subtext there.

Dungeon of Doom
"One moment. Just got to... FOS ROH DAH!" Orathius draws his bow as he shouts and nocks an arrow, taking aim at the strange mage before he can get up.

[Rebonack]

Not powerful enough and hasn't actually been outside the Game yet.

Looking from the outside in really isn't something a person can forget once they've seen it. Like those weird 3D image books.

"I'm going to wager she mistook you for Sekhmet," Zee ventures. "The two of you look and sound pretty similar."

Very true!

Especially since they were kind of the same person.

Or, rather, are the same person. The only difference being one of them took a walk on a beach and the other didn't.


[Dungeons of Doom]

The astrologer does something very rude when Orathius shouts.

He conjures in front of himself a shield of sparkling stars. When the wall of force strikes it, the stars shimmer all the brighter and the assault is dispersed.

"Hahaha, feisty ones, are you? That will make you corpses more useful vessels for those from beyond!" he cackles insanely as he raises his hands, clutching his fingers at nothing as more shining points of light surround him. "Destroy them, my minions!"

At that a pair of cages slide open and a pair of horrors crawl out. Both are awful amalgamations of beast, human, and eye-wateringly bright electric blue crystals jutting out of them.

Fenris telekinetically lobs her disc at the astrologer, only for it to bounce impotently off his astral shield.

Well.

That isn't working.

The pair of horrors pounce at our heroes!

[bc56]

"Oh. Right." Selekhael doesn't like it when her duplicate is brought up. "From what she said, though, uh, it sounded like I, uh, Sekhmet, had done something horrible to her?" She likes the idea that she (or a version of her) could do something like that to someone.

[5a Violista]

[Weird Bathroom]

In June's opinion, the range that someone can jump to is fundamentally different than the range they can reach, because if her experience tells her anything, those kinds of jump attacks leave you way too open. In fact, if she can force the stony person to overextend or jump then she feels that's her best chance.

And then! One of her other limited powers actually comes into play. If her eyes were open, someone might misunderstand and just think she can read things from far away. But, since her eyes are closed, it's pretty obvious that she doesn't need to get closer to read the writing. "Guess they don't pay you enough to answer questions, huh?"

Because she's trying to keep out of her opponent's weapon's reach, unless the giant has an extendable leg it seems unlikely the kick will reach far enough to hit her.
But she had originally planned on getting too close for the weapon to reach her but confirmation that the giant's willing to kick means she'll have to reevaluate where would be safe.

Feeling the arena wall's getting too close behind her, June starts to circle somewhere with more space to retreat to. She takes a few steps back repeatedly (with an occasional advance to check at which range her opponent reacts), trying to get the giant into the habit of approaching June.

And so, June decides to continue her strategy of trying to deduce the giant's effective-versus-ineffective range while trying to trick the giant into overextending: "On that note, do they even pay you enough to fight? Or do they decide champions based solely on height here?" As the sharpest weapon in her hands, the 'witty' banter apparently continues.


Meanwhile
[Tavern proper]

Oh! June has, based on context clues, figured out where she must have met Zee!
Probably sometime between eight and twelve months ago, probably. It's obvious based on the things Zee said. Had shoes last time? Check. Still recognized June anyway? Check. Called June 'June' instead of something else? Check. Yup, it all 'check's out. Friend-of-a-friend back when June first arrived in the Nexus and there was too much going on to really remember everything.

"Ha. Pretty smooth," June says, commenting on Zee's conversational transition. "Funny you mention that." June puts another elbow on the counter, and flicks the tip of her tail. "You see, I was on Market Street when a gal climbed out of the sewers while being accosted by something weird. Some kind of insect monster, I think. Ended up helping her escape, an expired potion happened, then got chased by more bug monsters and flying fiery serpents and horned red ladies with wings, one thing led to another, and I got wrapped up in some sort of underground civil war, helping some terrorists or something like that take down a group that was throwing people into a pool and turning them into psychic bug soldiers, there was an explosion, and..."

June waves two of her right arms and uses the other one to gesture at the snake tail. "...all of a sudden, woke up like this. Also no skin, but that part eventually fixed itself."

Long story!
Somehow made short.
"Basically had to throw out my whole wardrobe. And spend a few months recovering."

[Ironsmith]

[Weird Bathroom]

In June's opinion, the range that someone can jump to is fundamentally different than the range they can reach, because if her experience tells her anything, those kinds of jump attacks leave you way too open. In fact, if she can force the stony person to overextend or jump then she feels that's her best chance.

And then! One of her other limited powers actually comes into play. If her eyes were open, someone might misunderstand and just think she can read things from far away. But, since her eyes are closed, it's pretty obvious that she doesn't need to get closer to read the writing. "Guess they don't pay you enough to answer questions, huh?"

Because she's trying to keep out of her opponent's weapon's reach, unless the giant has an extendable leg it seems unlikely the kick will reach far enough to hit her.
But she had originally planned on getting too close for the weapon to reach her but confirmation that the giant's willing to kick means she'll have to reevaluate where would be safe.

Feeling the arena wall's getting too close behind her, June starts to circle somewhere with more space to retreat to. She takes a few steps back repeatedly (with an occasional advance to check at which range her opponent reacts), trying to get the giant into the habit of approaching June.

And so, June decides to continue her strategy of trying to deduce the giant's effective-versus-ineffective range while trying to trick the giant into overextending: "On that note, do they even pay you enough to fight? Or do they decide champions based solely on height here?" As the sharpest weapon in her hands, the 'witty' banter apparently continues.

[Weird Bathroom]

For a moment, the giant is content to advance slowly on June, its footsteps thumping ominously against the sandy floor as it approaches, but it soon becomes clear the June can back away faster that the giant can move forward, and if this fight came down to an ability to manage distances, June has the momentary advantage.

With that in mind, the giant raises his polearm over his head, and ominous blue glow appearing in the center of the ring on the end, which splits off into five distinct masses, hovering over the giant's head in an arch shape. Then, if June hasn't taken advantage of this opening, he'll leap in again, intending to bring down his weapon around her waist.

[Morty]

"Doing great! I managed a run down to Market Street just the other day and I didn't get accosted by anything weird. I think that's five for five so far which means I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop at this point," Zee replies as she fetches the lemonade and gets the gyro cooking for June. "Speaking of shoes, I'm pretty sure you had some last time we met. Or at least I was reasonably certain you did. Is this a new look?"

There you go Zee.

Real smooth.

That'll get some answers without making it completely obvious that you haven't got a clue what's going on with June.

Really, though, why does June mess up her read on things so much? It's almost like she's got half a dozen different world-lines all mashed together. Zee definitely hasn't ever run into anything quite like it before. Or maybe coiled together? Like a twizzler. Those ones you peel apart, though. Not the ones pretending to be licorice sticks.

Meanwhile!

The cut pizza is set before Askeladd and the mead fetched and oh shoot he hadn't asked that out loud, had he?

"Haha, whoop, yeah. Sorry about that. Usually I'm better at this but my read on the room is kind of fuzzy right now. Don't worry! I'm not reading your thoughts or anything like that. That's usually what people get all nervous about when I slip up," Zee replies, her tone apologetic and her expression sheepish. "I don't... exactly see what's going on. Sometimes I wish I did. It would make things way easier. It's more like reading someone's story. Except it's everyone's story. All at the same time. The story of everyone and everything. Even that potted plant over there."

Zee gestures at the plant in question which remains aloof to the conversation.

"Granted the plant's story usually isn't very interesting but they can't all be winners, right? So SOMETIMES what someone is thinking is important enough to be in their story. But more often it isn't. It's not really a perfect analogy but it's the best one I've got. Usually I'm better at picking out the difference between narration and conversation."

And oh hey, altercations going on over there!

Zee turns her gaze on Selekhael and Braon briefly and gives them both a look. The look conveys a message as clearly and cleaning as a set of six hundred foot tall flaming letters written across the sky.

You two behave yourselves.

"...reading someone's story. As if it were words on a page. A unique ability, but not one to be unexpected from the glimpse of you I saw." Askeladd reaches for his pizza. "Dangerous as well. What is a being with such power doing serving food and drink?"

[ResidentScribe]

[New Beginning]

Reuma blinks in confusion, then looks to where Reinholdt points out the magic. "Oh, that! No, no, it's not volatile at all. It's.... a little bit of magic, a little bit of emotion. Satyrlyrri Like myself have innate connection to the weave, and sometimes those of us with stronger connection can have a bit of our emotions converted to magic... It's slightly embarrassing, honestly, but it can help strengthen my magics." Reuma intentionally leaves out the part where it can also fowl them in times of distress. She does, however, concentrate some for a moment, a little roiling ball of green and blue flickering to life in her fingertips, fed by sparks and glow from her pronged horns. She smiles and plays with it for a little, weaving it distractingly between her fingers before flicking it into Rein's chest. It almost splashes, and a softly warm feeling spreads from the splash, radiating calm and happiness, while also relaxing not unlike a quick massage. It's an odd, but comforting feeling overall. If I'm concentrating on it more, I can control it, but it's less work to just be honest with it sometimes."

Reuma frowns gently when Maxson speaks, a soft navy blue fire filled with a hint of sadness radiating from her horns. "No, it's more complicated than that, I think. You-er, the other you, imprinted quickly. Signe... still might have? But she spent a lot of time drinking and fumbling around, and it made it hard to tell for her. Long story short, I-i think you both imprinted... Not that it matters now." Reuma falls quiet for a little, rubbing her shoulder softly. "I-i wish I had better news for you, but maybe you hand't gotten to where.... N-neverrmind that's too sad a thought." The healer turns away for a moment, rubbing her eyes some and taking a few breaths, the steadily darkening blue slowly fading away. Then she turns back to Maxson. "Really, you should focus on the chance you have now." The healer's hand gently clasps Maxson's for a moment, giving a soft squeeze before it has to return to her fresh bowl of stew.

The faun takes the time of the explanation to eat some, shoveling the hearty stew into her mouth with the appetite of someone much larger. It's almost as if the pronghorn is burning through the food, and in a way with the constant drain of the empathetic magic, she is. The stew is very tasty, however, with a hint of several herbs Reuma's never tasted, a fact that lights up the horns with a curious yellow, and Reuma tucks the information away for later. The nexus really is something... Reinholdt, somewhat surprisingly given his current attitude, is a wealth of knowledge. "Oh, those do sound like they could be good options. I might also try a little over at HALO, I'm sure there's something that I could pick apart and study." Reuma giggles, fishing out her notebook and setting the tome on the table with a heavy thud, opening it up to one of the pages of detailed note on most everything the pronghorn does. "Especially considering I already do a little personal 'research.' Although maybe I should at least find a better place to stay before then. I'm kind of in a closet of an inn room, and I think I might might be getting scammed... again." Reuma adds the last part with a tired sigh, the nexus apparently not being very kind to the medic. She does manage to gloss right past the potential second meaning of personal research in an adorably nerdy way, however.

"Solo adventuring, huh? Unfortunate, I'd hate to weigh you down." Ok, that was definitely a flirty wink, but at the same time Reuma still stayed a bit coy and distant from the seasoned adventurer. What exactly was she playing at? Probably nothing, she's always this way.

[New Beginning]

"Ahhhh! Emotions! Stoppit!" Reinholdt squirms uncomfortably at the raw feeling of peace and happiness that was filling him. It was so... nice... argh. And a complete lie. A poisonous butterfly trying to invade his mind and tell him everything was going to be ok before ripping it all away. His whole body shudders with displeasure at this foreign positive feeling. He doesn't linger on it nor shoot any accusatory glances towards Reuma. She was just doing what she knows and understands, beyond apparently having a deeper connection to it on a magical level he'd never understand. He couldn't reasonably blame her for making him uncomfortable by making him comfortable.

Rein tries to brush himself off even though there's nothing there and recompose himself to look 'cool' as the kids call it. "Ah-hem. Speaking of emotion, what is this bonding thing you two keep talking about? Like... I thought it was marriage at first or some similar ritual, but it sounds deeper than that." It's a slight shift in topic to keep attention off of that whole fleeting happiness debacle.

He ends up shaking his head at Maxson though. "No, being brought here is actually becoming more and more rare these days. I wouldn't say it's uncommon yet," Reinholdt explains. "But I suspect the Nexus has slowly been stabilizing. Sorta like... a ball swinging back and forth that's slowing down to rest in the middle. Just with an entire plane of existence." He shrugs a little. "Just a theory. Might have HALO do some research into it. Aside from the random pull ins, you also have a lot of people naturally born in the Nexus. Then there's the rarest type, guys like me who specifically sought out and traveled to the Nexus from another dimension for... uhh... one reason or another." Maybe best not to go into that reason and Rein's eyes shift down to his meal where he focuses the next few seconds, taking a bite.

Once his mouth and throat are clear, Rein continues with a raised eyebrow at Reuma. "GLoG offers lodging to those trying to get on their feet after stumbling here if you need it. Most of the orgs offer free housing to their members as well if you do end up joining one. And I know Trog's has some rooms you can crash the night in. The infamous second floor." There's a moment of silence as if expecting a scream from upstairs or an explanation as to why the second floor is infamous but none comes and Rein continues absent of a satisfying conclusion.

"I end up going on adventures with random strangers all the time so either of you are welcome to join me for the next one. I'm sure I wouldn't mind carrying you..." Rein tells Reuma with an unabashed and challenging smirk, for the first time really flirting back. If that's what you call what the two of them are doing to each other.

New Beginning

Maxson couldn't believe what he had just openly admitted to the Faun butwhat she said next didn't help him one bit. "you should focus on the chance you have now" She said, it wasn't what she said that hit him hardest, it was the guilt of having that opportunity. Surely if anyone it should have been Signe, yes he always had feelings for Reuma, lord only knows if she ever knew how he felt. He remembered the day he was going to tell Signe how he felt only to see the two together. He was always a little slow to act in that reguard, not the brightest tool in the shed but he was only meant to be a blunt instrument afterall. He snapped from his internal thoughts as Rein asked about the bond. "It's actually something to do with my race, its called imprinting. It can happen over time or in an instant, it grows with intensity over time, sharing emotions, sensations, thoughts its very intimate" He explained as he relaxed a little. "Other species might call it being soul mates" He added before going back to his broth.

As Reuma explained her situation he couldn't help feel sorry, she was absolutely being scammed if what she was saying was accurate. Though, her comments about adventuring and that playful wink, oh yeah, that was jealousy he felt again. It didn't last long, the guilt of feeling it crept back in. "S..so, we're all in the same boat... or ship, given the size" He said to himself as he pondered. "I'll have to take a look around once I'm back on my feet" Though as Rein flirted back, the spoon in his hand buckled in his grip. "Hah... yeah that sure sounds great" He added as he quietly straightened the spoon back in his palm. "What sort of treasures do you usually go after then?" He asked the adventurer once his spoon was somewhat back to normal.

[Rebonack]

"By analogy as if they were words on a page. The specifics are really weird and I'm not sure if there's really anything familiar enough I can compare the experience to," Zee clarifies, wrinkling her nose a bit. Trying to explain the most out-there Empyrean stuff is a real task, that's for sure. So usually analogies have to do. "But pretty much, yeah! It's honestly as much of a hassle as it is a help. There are a TON of little details that aren't 'important' enough to make it in. I have to just sort of guess sometimes."

At that follow-up question she laughs.

"Because I enjoy it? Because I get to greet everyone who wanders in here and taste of their tale. Because adventurers like asking the inn-keeper if there are any rumors and I have to be really careful about the sorts of things I act directly on. So I put others on the right path to see to threats before they grow too great. You said it; I'm dangerous. You're right. It's dangerous for something like me to throw my power around on a whim, so I can't allow myself to get into that habit. I care about this place; I don't want to see it harmed. Least of all by me."

Zee offers a shrug here.

"I don't mind being the weirdly perceptive quest dispenser. Or stacking the odds behind the scenes. This place has its heroes and its legends. They can do the heavy lifting and earn the glory."

What an odd thing she is, yes?

"How's the pizza?"

Meanwhile!

"I'm not sure on the specifics," Zee admits to Selekhael. "I THINK she might be working for Sekhmet. Braon is pretty unruly, so it's probably good that she has someone as grounded as other-you keeping her in check."

And then segue time!

"You've been getting some practice with your abilities outside work, right? How's that been going?"

Also Meanwhile!

June really does have a lot of elbows to go around. She could suggestively elbow nudge SIX people at the same time. That's quite a feat.

"The no skin thing sounds pretty serious! I'm glad you got better," Zee interjects moments before the gyros arrive. "Careful with those, they're still hot. Anyway! Psychic bug soldiers and goop pools. I think I know about those. At least a little. They're definitely big on turning more people into psychic bugs and leaving new hives in places. They might be planning on trying to take over the world? Not totally clear on that last part. Either way, probably a good idea to keep an eye on them. So congratulations on maybe managing to foil them a bit? Definitely good that you got blown up and ended up with a tail instead of ending up in a heap of little pieces."

Most people have real issues with getting exploded into giblets.

"So what are you up to these days? Are you still helping out at the Black Dragon's Den?"

Zee doesn't know the answer to that one.

It's been a while since she was last at the Den.

[bc56]

Selekhael nods slightly. "I, uh, did a couple quests recently." One with goblin pirates and one fetch quest for Fenric. They actually weren't that recent at all. Selekhael isn't a huge fan of fighting despite the "reach heaven through violence" stuff. "Uh, why do you ask?"

Dungeon of Doom
Orathius snarls at the ineffectiveness of his force blast. He follows up with an arrow, but he's already switching weapons, stowing his bow to draw forth Spellbreaker and use his free hand to conjure forth a flaming ghostly wolf which charges towards the monstrous minions to explode against them in a burst of flame.

[Morty]

"By analogy as if they were words on a page. The specifics are really weird and I'm not sure if there's really anything familiar enough I can compare the experience to," Zee clarifies, wrinkling her nose a bit. Trying to explain the most out-there Empyrean stuff is a real task, that's for sure. So usually analogies have to do. "But pretty much, yeah! It's honestly as much of a hassle as it is a help. There are a TON of little details that aren't 'important' enough to make it in. I have to just sort of guess sometimes."

At that follow-up question she laughs.

"Because I enjoy it? Because I get to greet everyone who wanders in here and taste of their tale. Because adventurers like asking the inn-keeper if there are any rumors and I have to be really careful about the sorts of things I act directly on. So I put others on the right path to see to threats before they grow too great. You said it; I'm dangerous. You're right. It's dangerous for something like me to throw my power around on a whim, so I can't allow myself to get into that habit. I care about this place; I don't want to see it harmed. Least of all by me."

Zee offers a shrug here.

"I don't mind being the weirdly perceptive quest dispenser. Or stacking the odds behind the scenes. This place has its heroes and its legends. They can do the heavy lifting and earn the glory."

What an odd thing she is, yes?

"How's the pizza?"

"Avoiding using your power directly? I have known people who could have stood to learn this from you." Askeladd certainly seems to approve of this reasoning. "So much damage wrought by people who mistake 'could' with 'should'." He takes a bite of his pizza. "It's more full of flavor than anything else I can remember eating."

[Rebonack]

"There's always a line between caution and inaction, but I guess that's what prudence is for," Zee laughs. "Mostly I'm concerned about rousing others like myself that aren't so concerned with collateral damage. A straight throw-down would be bad news for everyone else. So when I do get involved I try to keep things dialed back to a reasonable level."

She studies the tattooed man curiously.

"That's sort of how folks like yourself work though, right? Trying to push groups of people toward a particular goal or end? Influence through legends and stories? I guess my method is a bit more direct and to the point, but I'm also working on a smaller time-scale for the most part."

Which raises a question.

"So before you decided to take a walk did you have any pet projects brewing?"

He also gets a smile when he comments on the pizza. Mission successful!

"We've got spices readily available here that would probably be worth a king's ransom elsewhere. This is a land of unprecedented prosperity. A meeting place between all the worlds."

Meanwhile!

"Just curious! I've kind of taken you under my wing, you know? So I want to be aware of how you're growing. How you're doing. Your well-being is important to me," Zee replies with a kind smile. "You've got plenty of space to grow, after all. Who are you going to grow into, I wonder? What sort of person do you want to be? Hehe, don't mind my musing. You're making good progress, whether you're aware of it or not."


[Dungeons of Doom]

The arrow doinks off the astrologer's shield, too.

Man.

This guy is a jerk, isn't it?

Doesn't he know that he's supposed to take the sneak attack arrow to the throat and just die instantly?

The explosive familiar singes one of the beasts pretty badly, but it still smashes into Orathius' shield with a tremendous impact that may well throw the man off his feet. He'll be beset upon with a frenzy of gnashing teeth and lashing claws.

Fenris, meanwhile, meets the other monster mid-pounce. Within the span of a heartbeat she shifts from woman to werewolf, covered in gray fur and with light bleeding from her body. Her claws and teeth are almost too bright to even look at. The pair of monsters smash into each other and drop to the floor, biting and slashing and snarling. The main difference here is that Fenris' hide is as tough as dragon scales and her radiant claws melt through armor. Even being in proximity to the glory of Standar that's pouring from her is slowly burning away at the alchemical abomination's flesh.

The astrologer remains busy, too. He begins conjuring some sort of spell, hands raised above his head as points of light like stars in a constellation begin winking into existence.

[bc56]

Selekhael shakes her head. "I don't know. I, uh, want a home of my own." Asking someone who's barely more than a child what they want to be in the future is not going to get a huge revelation, especially considering Selekhael doesn't really know what all this angel game stuff means. What she doesn't mention is that she wants Prumathe back. She hasn't gotten over that particular loss yet.

Dungeon of Doom
Orathius falls on his back, but kicks up at the monstrosity atop him. Even now, he's thinking. He produces the bottle of oil of vitriol that he didn't completely use up when trapping those crystals and rolls towards the astrologer, hoping to get in close enough to douse him while ignoring the shield.

[5a Violista]

The hardest part about suggestively elbow-nudging six people at the same time is that you have to first be in a situation where you have six different people that you're trying to suggest something to.

June reaches out to get a feel for how hot. 'Cause there's a difference between burns-your-mouth and Just-a-little-too-hot. "Thanks."

"Glad I got better, too." When the breeze hurts you, going out isn't very fun. Being blown up isn't very fun, either. June's pretty lucky that she was at the...eye of the explosion? Is that a thing? Be at basically the center of the explosion and it's suddenly more safe, all you do is get a supervillain origin story instead of what happened to literally everyone else around.
"I don't know about their long-term plans, but they wanted to hurt someone I was trying to help, so it's not like I had a choice anyway." Attacking everyone around while conspicuously leaving June alone probably contributed to it, too. Plus, they refused diplomacy, too.


Coincidentally, June doesn't know the answer to that question either. "Black Dragon's Den...?" Is that code for something? June thinks, and can't think of anything that that could mean. "Um. Well, I've been staying at a friend's because I'm worried my old place is being watched, I've been done as much work as possible over computer but if I go in, they don't really have any accomodations for people without legs, so...um, well, mostly, I've been balking at applying for new jobs." Kinda slothful, right?


[Weird Bathroom]

As envious as June is of the giant's natural strength and abilities, she recognizes that it means the stony giant probably takes a lot of the things for granted. Maybe. That might just be the mental justification she's giving.

Whatever the giant seems to be doing looks – well, 'looks' – like some kind of magic. Which, of course, means this is the best chance she has to strike.

Feeling the giant's going to either do a magic attack or another polearm attack immediately after doing this...magic thing, or whatever it is, June figures the safest place is actually right by the giant, hopefully too close for the weapon to reach her with momentum.

So, June darts forward, and tries to stop right next to the giant's right hip, and reaches out with her right hand to hold herself in place.

She then looks at the giant's armpit and back for somewhere to stick her sword.

[Ironsmith]

[Weird Bathroom]

Sure enough, once in the air, the giant has a hard time changing directions; June can reposition herself next to it easily. Better yet, there's a triangular hole in the back of the armor, the right size and shape to be the leftover wound of a previous fight with another giant. It seems almost custom-made for June's sword.

Unfortunately, she's not going to get to exploit the gap in the armor right away. As soon as she gets close, the orbs over the giant's head light up, and hurl themselves at her, staggering out one after another, so that they launch at regular intervals. By the time they stop, the giant will be ready to strike again, this time swinging his weapon in a wide arc, covering almost the entire half-circle in front of him... unless June ducks or gets knocked down by the magic balls.

[Morty]

"There's always a line between caution and inaction, but I guess that's what prudence is for," Zee laughs. "Mostly I'm concerned about rousing others like myself that aren't so concerned with collateral damage. A straight throw-down would be bad news for everyone else. So when I do get involved I try to keep things dialed back to a reasonable level."

She studies the tattooed man curiously.

"That's sort of how folks like yourself work though, right? Trying to push groups of people toward a particular goal or end? Influence through legends and stories? I guess my method is a bit more direct and to the point, but I'm also working on a smaller time-scale for the most part."

Which raises a question.

"So before you decided to take a walk did you have any pet projects brewing?"

He also gets a smile when he comments on the pizza. Mission successful!

"We've got spices readily available here that would probably be worth a king's ransom elsewhere. This is a land of unprecedented prosperity. A meeting place between all the worlds."

"I am curious what you believe to be 'folk like myself'," Askeladd replies. If it sounds like an obvious attempt to dodge the question... it probably is. Or at least give him more time to think about his answer.

[5a Violista]

[Weird Bathroom]

The fact that there's a convenient weakness like that is really frustrating, June thinks. Why didn't she notice it earlier? If it were always there, she figures, there's a good chance she would have noticed it earlier. Which means...it's just like the cat-ears and cat-tail on the maid outfit. Or like the weapons that just happened to appear in the pockets. Basically everything is completely under the control of that cape guy. There's no weapons there until he wants it to be there. There's no weaknesses or flaws in her opponent until the cape guy wants it to be there. She bets the giant could suddenly use magic because the cape-guy started thinking the fight was too boring, too. So, what, does the fight continue until he's had enough? Is that what 'wi-

Speaking of the champion's magic,
June gets hit by one of the magic balls.
There's just too much to pay attention to, and (with her eyes closed) everything has equal prominence in her mind. There's multiple orbs, the weapon, the giant her(him?)self, the giant's back, the crowd is too big and overwhelming, and now she has to also pay attention to the cape-man, because apparently he can just make things happen and appear. And she can't just block out the crowd, because then she'd also block out the cape-man too.
So it's no wonder she lost track of one of the magic orbs.

So,
June gets hit and knocked over by one of the orbs.

[Aurora Alchemi]

New Beginning

Rein's reaction to the magic gains a curious look from the faun, but there is also a slightly smug devious streak that crosses the little pronghorn's face. Running from emotions, drinking, self abuse? Ohho it looks like another fun case. For a moment, the faun is lost in the thoughts of both good and evil plans for that information, but then the observant faun is brought back in to the conversation as it shifts about. Maxson seems to be happy to help the explanation along as well, but it's pretty clear that he is having his own internal troubles. Of course, that wasn't something Reuma wanted to step too hard into, so she left it at what she had already said. At least the conversation moving toward discussing imprinting seemed to distract him some. "It's actually pretty wild when you can sense the weave. It's not like someone has two souls or spirits in a single body, per say.... But almost as if the person's very nature always has a link to whoever they are imprinted on. There's also some really old magic tucked in there, like their ancestors are still there in the bond too."

The faun pauses briefly, swallowing a bit more of the stew, then stretching ever so slightly, using the motion to walk her chair over to Maxson so that the soft green glow from her horns can shower him with a bit of calming happiness. "It's kinda like how my ancestors left their mark on satyrlyrri, but in a different way. While the lyrri sort of evolved and changed themselves in tune with their magic, it seems like the Ulfen solidified their community." The statement is bittersweet, and from the tone it's pretty clear that there wasn't too much of a community to speak of for Reuma's species. "I suppose if I thought about it, I was probably gonna be trying to learn the Ulfen traditions, like the first hunt and your travels, at least after I finished piecing together what's left of the groveseekers." Reuma smiles softly at Maxson. "We can go find a library or museum and work on that together if you want, sometime."

As the conversation takes another turn, Reuma finds herself drawn into Rein's words. "Adventures all the time??! Oh, I would love to come along. There's so many new things to document, places to see..." The faun's ear flicks, and she looks to the side to see the final part of Maxson's work unbending his utensil. "Huh? Maxson..." There is a pause, and the faun's large hazel eyes search Maxson's face with confusion, the medic never having seen a really jealous side of the wolf. Maybe it was just trauma and he didn't want to hear about adventures so soon? "You... ok? We... could talk about these things somewhere else and give you some piece and quiet if you want..." Reuma's ears flatten back, looking almost like she's been scolded, horns crackling slightly with sadness. It's all got the air of someone plopping a jar over a butterfly, as if Reuma was used to a Maxson that was much more confident in their relationship and allowed the medic to dance amongst the eddies of sociality. "I mean, maybe I'll get you a room, and..." Though it was clear that Reuma still cared for the Ulfen, for the first time in a long time it seemed like Reuma was ready to make an excuse and bolt... from Maxson. "Maybe I can help with some magic item research, Rein? I've got a whole sense to 'see' magic anyways... haha." The laugh is somewhat halfhearted and awkward.

[Rebonack]

A home of Selekhael's own?

That-

Huh.

That hadn't even occurred to Zee as something Selekhael might be interested in. Mostly because empyreans don't really... well. Need homes that much? They can easily carry any belongings that might be important with them. They hardly need to sleep at all. Just an hour or two at most to give their body time to repair itself and perform general upkeep on wear and tear. Nor do they need to eat all that much given that anything that can be fused without a net input of energy counts as food. Zee doesn't stay at Trog's because she needs a home. Zee stays at Trog's because being able to access all the newcomers and hand out quests to random adventurers is useful and enjoyable.

The second point, the unspoken one, is harder to address.

Geeze, Zee can't even imagine that.

What if Raril had gotten involved with someone else while she had been busying being all exploded? How would she have felt? Probably not great. And what Selekhael is going through is even worse. It hadn't seemed like very long to her. A few days at Marlick Bay. But outside that temporal eddy months had passed.

Awful as it might seem Zee is of two minds on this one.

If Selekhael holds onto that heartache it might actually help her in the long run if maintaining her fragile link to her humanity is important to her. Apotheosis is never a gentle process. On the other, seeing someone hurt like that is never pleasant.

"What sort of home are you thinking about?" Zee asks curiously. She'll avoid poking the pricklier question for now.

Meanwhile!

Hot like holding them to your tongue for too long might burn it just a little then your tongue will feel tingly for the next day or so.

"Yeah, I've been through the whole getting exploded before thing, too. Zero stars. Would not recommend exploding. And, technically, you always have a choice. Sometimes the consequences of those choices just suck so we've gotta pick the less sucky option. But that's life, right? Sometimes there aren't any great solutions and you end up with two extra limbs and a ginormous tail."

Gotta hate it when that happens.

"I'm pretty sure waitressing at the Black Dragon's Den doesn't require legs, unless Raril has decided to be a huge stickler about the no shoes no service thing," she muses thoughtfully. "But hey, if that isn't working out for some weird reason there are always other places! I'm sure there are plenty of jobs that someone with scoots instead of soles would be able to do."

Plenty of jobs! Like... data entry? Or answering phones? Or imagining platonic solids. Or waxing space-ships!

Or, wait.

Slothful.

No, not slothful. Slothful. That first part definitely seems like it's in italics.

Is that significant, somehow? Zee can't imagine why.

...is there a sloth in the tavern somewhere that she missed? Is this some kind of visual pun? She glances around in the most covert manner she can manage just to make sure there aren't any sloths hanging around in the rafters she somehow failed to notice.


Also meanwhile!

"Well, let's see," Zee says as she begins ticking off fingers. "You're shadow's a moose, for one. You know about the super sentai monks for two."

Second finger is ticked off.

"You've got those super-shiny silver tattoos."

There's finger number three.

"And you said you traveled through the Wyld which wow that's pretty harrowing just in general. Which makes-"

Zee counts her fingers again just to be sure.

Yep, still four of them up.

"-four pretty solid clues that you're one of Luna's champions. Not the first I've met. Probably won't be the last, either."


[Dungeon of Doom]

The awful amalgamation is currently being held at bay by the shield, but the thing is just lashing its limbs wildly whilst slathering everywhere. It really isn't a very pleasant thing to have in one's personal space. It isn't managing to get around the shield just yet but BOY HOWDY is it ever trying.

The vial is rolled under the astrologer's shield since everyone knows that the slow knife pierces the shield.

How is he going to shatter the vial, though? That's the real question. For now it's just sitting there on the floor.

Fenris, meanwhile, is faring significantly better in the melee than her hodgepodge for. It's pretty obvious that Fenris actually has quite a bit of experience in beast form. The way she fights is brutal and to the point, every movement bent on destroying her foe as quickly as po-

Oh.

She just sank her luminous claws into the monster's spine at the hips and just between the shoulder blades.

And she just hoisted it above her head.

And ripped it in half with a bottle-rattling roar.

That's one way to do it, certainly.