Skyside 7: The Big Pizza in the Sky

[Lord Magtok]

Aimless Drifting

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[Aimless Drifting]

The mole is cruelly crushed beyond repair. It didn't even have enough time to realize it was too late for it.

Once again, robo-panther is shot and bursts into hearts and sparkles; this time, it's hit in its internal replication factory so it can no longer repair itself. Because this was her second shot from the same location, Tetra should be able to track where the shooter is located.

Sirena, the shooter, takes a moment to mentally praise Tetra: because Tetra chose to not finish off the panther, she forced Sirena to fire again and reveal her perch. The pink woman is clearly too powerful to just be an innocent bystander, and with Sirena's watch receiving interference she can't figure out if Tetra is a friend or foe. Really, there's just two things she knows about Tetra: she's far too fast and far too powerful, and also Tetra managed with a single action to force Sirena out of hiding.
Really, at this point there's no choice but to negotiate.


Sirena is still dangling with her arms balancing on a window sill and her legs braced above her, along the wall and a storm drain.
She sighs and the pink scope vanishes, leaving just the wand.
Other notable appearances that Tetra might think important is her white cat-eared hoodie, her dimly-glowing solid pink eyes, or the pink-tipped white hair, or the tassel-like pink, gold, and white things dangling out of her hoodie hood. Or maybe the fluffy white tail.
Maybe one of those could be a unifying trait that Tetra's looking for?

Sirena rolls and swings down to the ground.

She waves and moves towards Tetra.
"Oh. Um, yeah, no problem. I think they were chasing me, anyway, and they must've thought you were me or something,"

"You okay? They didn't hurt you or something? What was that thing you did to that little robot, anyway?"

"I'm fine. I just made it older," Tetra shrugs, as if accelerating an object hundreds of years into future were no more complicated or unusual than simply snapping her fingers. She suddenly ceases to be where she was, existing roughly two feet in front of Sirena, even though there's nothing but empty air there, and a great deal of space between the two points. She looks over Sirena, before her eyes lock onto the cat-eared hoodie and fluffy tail. Is that the commonality? Her ally in Riverside had a tail and ears on the top of her head too. Is that it, is that the way you identify friends? You look for the people with pointy ears and fuzzy tails?

"So you're on a destructive spree? How do those work?" she asks with a tilt of her head, echoing the panther's own words. She's never met anyone on a destructive spree before. Are they fun? 'Spree' certainly sounds like a fun word. Is there food involved? Does she get to talk to a lot of strange people?

[Reinholdt]

[Black Abyss Body Shop]

Raven frowns and waves her hand. "What, no. It'd be super weird for you to cook in my kitchen for me. That's why we have peasants out there to do the cooking for us."

Raven seems to prefer fancy restaurants.

"When we're at your place you can cook up a storm," Raven says, heading over to her palanquin and beckoning for Rose to follow the Empress. "And who knows? If you play your cards right I might even grace you with a meal infused with my own personal touch. Ohohohoho!" Raven laughs and grins at the MERC agent, as if the Empress' cooking would be an amazing treat that anyone would be delighted to try.

It's unlikely her cooking is any good. Not when it's infused with so much EVIL. But Rose better be prepared to smile through it!

Another day. Rose is lucky she doesn't have to deal with Raven's cooking today.

[Ironsmith]

Slaver's Guild Warehouse

A large shutter door is pulled upwards so the two wagons can enter the warehouse. Jasper's load of men peel off, headed somewhere else, whilst Alecto drives her own cargo into the women's section. She chuckles at Korvin's bald-faced lie.

Jasper and Alecto split up here, each leading their little cage-wagon off in other directions. They're both headed to sorting areas, but not the same sorting area. Jasper leads his load of men to the right, whilst Alecto goes left with a cage of women. Both stop in an alleyway between two rows of cages, with walkways up to more cages. Guards- orcs, all of them, though Hana may feel a little reassured to see that the orcs working on unloading her cage-mates are all women.

Hana, Abbi and the halfling- who is simply picked up and carried- are simply grabbed by orcs with shock-poles and dragged towards cages before being hurled roughly inside. The other women are held briefly, and marked with dots of their own. Stylv gets four green dots, Patience gets five. The Obligator gets three green and two orange dots, whilst Jesfani gets four green dots and two orange ones. Ehequi gets only one green dot, two red and two orange ones.

The cages in question are small, just long enough for a rather cramped bed and a bucket for a toilet, with plexiglass walls on the sides, brick at the back and iron barred doors at the front. Abbi is thrown- with Alecto's command- into the cage which Hana is being dragged towards.

Meanwhile, Jasper does the same for the men, except none of them have any dots yet. There's nine men, including the two Korvin bought himself. The others are a bearded dwarf, a naked and bald elf, a hairy Orsimer with a broken tusk, a pair of goblin twins with large ears and eyes, a lanky blue-skinned Vedalken and finally another human, this one covered in gang tattoos.

[Warehouse]

Hana puts up some token resistance, including a bite if the opportunity arises (it's more effective when Abbi does it, but she has to admit to a certain primal satisfaction), but she won't be able to get free this way, and soon finds herself in the cage with Abbi (assuming Alecto tolerates this behavior).

Korvin takes only a minimal interest in the slaves themselves; he mostly came here to get to know Jasper. He got the distinct impression the two of them were going to be crossing paths a lot during his time here, and would be good to know if he was an ally or a rival. "...So. You and Alecto." He prompts.

Mina's Manor

Mina doesn't tell him that he wouldn't have had to wonder when she'd return if he had looked at a calendar at any point after she got him. That's rude, and for all she knows he couldn't read since he was a piece of metal without eyes at the time.
"Um, crepes are fine as long as I can eat them. I hope you've figured that out. Just because you don't have to eat doesn't mean you can't, I assume. Otherwise you couldn't have tasted when you made while learning to cook."
It would be annoying if Sai had been a minotaur for a century without ever finding out what they can eat.

[Mina's Manor]

"Of course we can eat crepes. What kind of benevolent deity wouldn't let us eat crepes?" Sai chuckles, but then stops when he realizes Mina probably won't find the declaration very funny, given the context of their previous conversation. "In all seriousness, yes, I've made a point of cultivating a proper palette, so I'm not just feeding you rice gruel every meal."

[Black Abyss Body Shop]

Raven frowns and waves her hand. "What, no. It'd be super weird for you to cook in my kitchen for me. That's why we have peasants out there to do the cooking for us."

Raven seems to prefer fancy restaurants.

"When we're at your place you can cook up a storm," Raven says, heading over to her palanquin and beckoning for Rose to follow the Empress. "And who knows? If you play your cards right I might even grace you with a meal infused with my own personal touch. Ohohohoho!" Raven laughs and grins at the MERC agent, as if the Empress' cooking would be an amazing treat that anyone would be delighted to try.

It's unlikely her cooking is any good. Not when it's infused with so much EVIL. But Rose better be prepared to smile through it!

Another day. Rose is lucky she doesn't have to deal with Raven's cooking today.

[Black Abyss Body Shop]

"What's so weird about that?" Rose asks innocently. "I mean, you're the Empress. You're going to have a palace someday, and it's going to have a kitchen, and it's going to have cooks. How is this any different?" She smiles. "If you're worried about me touching your stuff, I can bring my own." She shuffles up next to Raven with a playful smirk. "Besides, there's a kind of coziness to home cooking you just can't buy, especially not in a city like this. And we've already been to a restaurant together, but you've never tasted my food. Are you sure you'd rather eat out?" She gives Raven just the tiniest peck on the cheek, in what she hopes is a persuasive argument to stay in. If Raven doesn't go for it, she won't press the issue, beyond insisting that she at least be allowed to pay.

[5a Violista]

[Aimless Drifting]

There is something very important Tetra should know:
The world is divided into people who have pointy ears, and people who have round ears.
Everything else is a consequence of that fact.

Jeez, being right in front of someone who can casually teleport and age things is a little unnerving. Especially since Tetra has already proven she can make tactically advantageous actions seem casual. And that casual teleport was probably a threat, saying 'don't even try to run'.

Sirena resists flinching.
"Oh. Um..." She tries to decide what would be the best way to respond. "That robot told you that? Personally, I wouldn't call it that. Instead..." Slightly more thinking on the most neutral way to phrase this. "...more like...There's something that I think is wrong. And I'm doing whatever I can to change it. The people who don't want things to change call it 'destructive' because, um...to them, I'm destroying their things."

[Deathkeeper]

Mina's Manor

Mina decides to give him a pass on it apparently as she doesn't comment. She's more concerned about food.
"But...but don't crepes have eggs in them usually? I thought we were herbivores." Of course it's possible that Sai only makes them with fruit or cheese.
Or maybe he was wrong about what Mina could eat when he told her "plant stuff" either three days or one hundred years ago (based on perspective).

[Earl of Purple]

Warehouse

Hana doesn't get much opportunity to bite, but she can score a bite on an orc if she really wants to. They respond by zapping her with a shock-pole. Abbi winces at that, and doesn't bite even when she gets the opportunity to. She also doesn't really struggle, just going where she's pushed.

And where she's pushed is a small cell with a thin mattress on the floor and a bucket for a toilet, a rectangle just long enough to lie down in and only just wider than the mattress. Once they're inside, the orc barks for them to turn around with their backs to the door. If Hana obeys, the shredder about her wrists is removed, followed by her ankle-chains. If she doesn't, then Abbi will obey and the ratgirl gets her own chains removed, though shudders a little when the orc brushes her tail. "Um, once everyone's sorted, the lights will go out. Orcs can see in the dark, so they might still patrol, I'm not sure. Last time I was here, it was for a month, but... I've never heard of a cell being shared before. Whilst we've got light, we should make sure we know where the bucket is." Abbi does also have heightened senses, but not her sight.

"Yep, me and Alecto. I was a barman at the Noose and Shackle- you been there? They have live fights, sometimes. I volunteered as a gladiator occasionally- when I first met her. No idea who she was then, just that she was beautiful. She asked to meet me the next day, kinda followed from there. I'm... She's helped my career, getting me a posting behind the counter at her dad's place, and I'm grateful, but that's not why I stick with her." Her dad's place being one of the main shops on the Street of Slavers. "Don't really know what she sees in me, she could have anyone she wanted." Jasper means that a bit more literally than is the usual, given that they're both reasonably important in the Guild.

[Ironsmith]

Mina's Manor

Mina decides to give him a pass on it apparently as she doesn't comment. She's more concerned about food.
"But...but don't crepes have eggs in them usually? I thought we were herbivores." Of course it's possible that Sai only makes them with fruit or cheese.
Or maybe he was wrong about what Mina could eat when he told her "plant stuff" either three days or one hundred years ago (based on perspective).

[Mina's Manor]

"You'd be surprised what you can do with flax seeds." Sai shrugs, pushing his way into the kitchen.

Said kitchen being an alarmingly modern one. The room is sized for a small restaurant, consisting of an overabundance of countertops, sinks that are closer to small bathtubs, flat-topped stoves he could probably cook Mina on if he tried, no fewer than three ovens of different types (convection, steam and brick), and a whole hardware store's worth of suspiciously specific appliances. (Why do they have a hot dog maker, anyway?)

Warehouse

Hana doesn't get much opportunity to bite, but she can score a bite on an orc if she really wants to. They respond by zapping her with a shock-pole. Abbi winces at that, and doesn't bite even when she gets the opportunity to. She also doesn't really struggle, just going where she's pushed.

And where she's pushed is a small cell with a thin mattress on the floor and a bucket for a toilet, a rectangle just long enough to lie down in and only just wider than the mattress. Once they're inside, the orc barks for them to turn around with their backs to the door. If Hana obeys, the shredder about her wrists is removed, followed by her ankle-chains. If she doesn't, then Abbi will obey and the ratgirl gets her own chains removed, though shudders a little when the orc brushes her tail. "Um, once everyone's sorted, the lights will go out. Orcs can see in the dark, so they might still patrol, I'm not sure. Last time I was here, it was for a month, but... I've never heard of a cell being shared before. Whilst we've got light, we should make sure we know where the bucket is." Abbi does also have heightened senses, but not her sight.

"Yep, me and Alecto. I was a barman at the Noose and Shackle- you been there? They have live fights, sometimes. I volunteered as a gladiator occasionally- when I first met her. No idea who she was then, just that she was beautiful. She asked to meet me the next day, kinda followed from there. I'm... She's helped my career, getting me a posting behind the counter at her dad's place, and I'm grateful, but that's not why I stick with her." Her dad's place being one of the main shops on the Street of Slavers. "Don't really know what she sees in me, she could have anyone she wanted." Jasper means that a bit more literally than is the usual, given that they're both reasonably important in the Guild.

[Warehouse]

Aw. If they weren't both slavers, that would actually be heartwarming.

Korvin shrugs and hauls one of the slaves into his cage, leaving a conspicuous hand-shaped burn where he touched the man, seemingly unintentionally. "Sounds to me like she did. Get whoever she wanted, I mean." He replies with an audible smirk. "I suppose the natural corollary, then, would be to ask what you see in her. Other than a pretty face and deep pockets, I mean, since we've already established those aren't her best features." He chuckles.

Hana takes the opportunity, and the accompanying shock, letting out a pained cry and collapsing to the ground. As soon as the pole is off of her, she seethes and glares up at the orc defiantly. "Thank you, sir, may I have another?" She growls, in one last hurrah before she gets shoved into a terrifyingly small cage, alleviated only by Abbi's presence and the removal of her restraints. She'll shrink into a corner and stay there, hugging herself for warmth and security.

[Deathkeeper]

Mina's Manor

Mina blinks in surprise at the sight of the kitchen.
"This is a heck of a spread, Sai. Were you expecting me to be throwing wild parties? I don't think the two of us could ever use so many ovens. Unless you wanted to hire a servant? I certainly think you deserve one at this point. Wait did you already do that?" He totally might have. It's a big place and he's slow.

[Reinholdt]

[Black Abyss Body Shop]

"Well for starters, I don't want my girlfriend to play the role of a common cook servant!" That's like... practically the dirty underclass! They're both way too good for that sort of thing.

"Not to mention staying inside is the same as staying unseen. Plus it's clear to me now you haven't tasted the finest this city has to offer." Coziness to home cooking? What nonsense! Raven's had to deal with her mother and father's 'home cooking' for years and she can say with great certainty that it was a miracle she survived. It was so bad her brother became an ascetic monk. "The trick is to find the souped up, high class place owned by the most recent mafia to take control. They love having the fanciest and most refined dining experiences and I can't fault their tastes. The more dangerous they are, the classier they are on the inside. Come on, I'll show you."

This time, Raven's convoy is much smaller. Just enough to escort with dignity. As much dignity as zombies can offer at any rate. And she leads the way straight towards the Cloudtops.

She's pretty unlikely to start trouble in the most secure area of Skyside, surely?

[Earl of Purple]

Warehouse

When Hana asks for another, the orc shrugs and gives her one. In the cage, Abbi will hug Hana and try humming something to calm her down. Her tail wraps around Hana's leg. Somewhat fortunately is that it doesn't take too long for the orcs over here to get the other newcomers into cages and leave, though they're just finishing off marking the others and moving them in to cells and cages. Ehequi is put into the cage next to them, snarling slightly before pacing and glaring.

"She's determined, hardy, smart. Her father was injured in a break out, and Alecto- as the eldest of her dad's children- took over business there. The Guild tried putting others in charge, but her dad put his foot down, even though he couldn't work behind the counter any more. Someone broke into his shop overnight, and when he tried to stop them stealing the stock, she threw fire in his face. That was... about six, seven years ago." And Earl has to remember that Alecto isn't nineteen any more, which she nearly was when she first appeared in the same scene. "The thief... was never caught, but hasn't appeared anywhere since, so the Guild is confident she's not a problem any more. Could you, uh, stay back and intervene if any try to run? We're trying not to damage the merchandise." Jasper's also noting that he should avoid letting Korvin touch him.

[Ironsmith]

Mina's Manor

Mina blinks in surprise at the sight of the kitchen.
"This is a heck of a spread, Sai. Were you expecting me to be throwing wild parties? I don't think the two of us could ever use so many ovens. Unless you wanted to hire a servant? I certainly think you deserve one at this point. Wait did you already do that?" He totally might have. It's a big place and he's slow.

[Mina's Manor]

"It's more a matter of having an extensive toolset." Said replies. "Any of these three ovens will meet most of your culinary needs, but some are more suited to certain tasks than others. The brick oven was designed with flatbreads in mind, for instance." Most of the kitchen followed that pattern, really; excessive redundancy resulting from a percieved need to prepare things just right.

"And to answer your other question, no, there are not any other servants at present. It seemed wasteful while I was the only one living here."

[Black Abyss Body Shop]

"Well for starters, I don't want my girlfriend to play the role of a common cook servant!" That's like... practically the dirty underclass! They're both way too good for that sort of thing.

"Not to mention staying inside is the same as staying unseen. Plus it's clear to me now you haven't tasted the finest this city has to offer." Coziness to home cooking? What nonsense! Raven's had to deal with her mother and father's 'home cooking' for years and she can say with great certainty that it was a miracle she survived. It was so bad her brother became an ascetic monk. "The trick is to find the souped up, high class place owned by the most recent mafia to take control. They love having the fanciest and most refined dining experiences and I can't fault their tastes. The more dangerous they are, the classier they are on the inside. Come on, I'll show you."

This time, Raven's convoy is much smaller. Just enough to escort with dignity. As much dignity as zombies can offer at any rate. And she leads the way straight towards the Cloudtops.

She's pretty unlikely to start trouble in the most secure area of Skyside, surely?

[Black Abyss Body Shop => ???]

Rose lets out a quiet "aww" when Raven says she doesn't want her playing the role of a servant. She doesn't quite agree with the sentiment, or the implicit elitism baked into it, but that was still high up on the list of "sweet things Raven Ebondark has said to me".

Her expression sours a little when Raven explains her plan, though. A mafia restaurant? Mixed with a megalomaniacal dictatrix-to-be? Why not just throw in some petrol and a fire elemental while she's at it?

Rose isn't really in a position to argue, though. So instead, she sort of mentally prepares herself for the seemingly inevitable confrontation and joins the convoy, riding zombie-back for the third time that night.

Warehouse

When Hana asks for another, the orc shrugs and gives her one. In the cage, Abbi will hug Hana and try humming something to calm her down. Her tail wraps around Hana's leg. Somewhat fortunately is that it doesn't take too long for the orcs over here to get the other newcomers into cages and leave, though they're just finishing off marking the others and moving them in to cells and cages. Ehequi is put into the cage next to them, snarling slightly before pacing and glaring.

"She's determined, hardy, smart. Her father was injured in a break out, and Alecto- as the eldest of her dad's children- took over business there. The Guild tried putting others in charge, but her dad put his foot down, even though he couldn't work behind the counter any more. Someone broke into his shop overnight, and when he tried to stop them stealing the stock, she threw fire in his face. That was... about six, seven years ago." And Earl has to remember that Alecto isn't nineteen any more, which she nearly was when she first appeared in the same scene. "The thief... was never caught, but hasn't appeared anywhere since, so the Guild is confident she's not a problem any more. Could you, uh, stay back and intervene if any try to run? We're trying not to damage the merchandise." Jasper's also noting that he should avoid letting Korvin touch him.

[Warehouse]

Hana shoots the orc a... not quite glare, exactly. The expression on her face seems to imply more that she enjoyed that and shocking her was soon going to stop being an effective way of controlling her. Which was an absolute lie, but one worth the attempt. When they're gone, she just holds Abbi close, gently stroking the ratgirl's hair.

...Wow that felt weird. Especially since they still haven't been given clothes. She'll probably omit that little detail when she tells Hazel this story.


Korvin shrugs and removes his gloves. "If you insist. Though it seems rather hypocritical to say that while your men are applying shock poles. Epidermal burns heal within a matter of days, and are an inconvenience at worst. Nerve damage, such as might result from an excessive electric shock, can last a lifetime, and I don't think I need to tell you how debilitating it is." He shrugs. "Never mind that, though. So what you're saying is she's a fighter. Does what she has to, as fiercely as needed. And you wonder why she went for a volunteer gladiator?"

[Reinholdt]

[Mercury D'aire]

Raven leads Rose to an upscale restaurant, Mercury D'aire. You can tell how fancy it is because it has statues out front spewing water into tiny pools and even has a valet. "No thank you, it parks itself." Raven refuses the service of course as she steps down onto the sidewalk and holds her hand out to help Rose down from her 'vehicle'. The door guards are tempted to stop them from entering, but Raven's not bringing the zombies in.

So they get into the front door at least! Where the snappily dressed door waiter asks quite simply, "Do you have reservations?" Raven smiles, eyes glinting with crazed malevolence. "Of course we do..." She says, stepping forward and... depositing a hefty bag of money on the waiter's podium. The waiter sniffs derisively, but glances around. Seeing no one watching him at the moment, he quickly pockets the cash.

"This way please," He says, motioning with his hand in order to lead them to one of the booths towards the front.

[Shadowcaller]

[Searching for Truth]

"S-sorry," Tammy says apologetically to the guard as if afraid to get in trouble.

But she takes the opportunity all the same to slip through the gate and flash the 'elf' a grateful smile, as well as to nod to his friends, her face slightly flushed at the compliment. "Thank you sooo much. You're a real lifesaver Mister... ?" She appears to be looking for a name!

[Searching for Truth]

The guard, 'Zag', doesn't even look at her as their three sets of eyes seem more preoccupied writing down something on the clipboard.
Though just as 'Tammy' turns to the 'elf' the guard look up at her with a glare and then wanders off.
"Don't mind him, I'm Juril." He declares with a curt bow. "Why don't I give you a tour of the place since you're new around here?" Juril suggests with a smile as he looks up at her again.

He and the other workers seem to be on a break as most of their attention seems to be on her right now. They're a mix of sci-fi-esq races that Ilpholin likely has less knowledge of than the fantasy ones.

[Earl of Purple]

Warehouse

The guards don't seem to care that Hana might be growing to enjoy it; there's other ways of punishing her if she struggles.

In the cell, Abbi's short hair is soft. Hana might note it's not uniform, like a haircut would be, and doesn't feel like human hair. It feels like fur, soft and thick, rat fur specifically. Unfortunately, they'll have to wait a bit longer before they're given clothes; for now, the guards are leaving and the lights are going out. It's suddenly very dark indeed, and there's a slight murmur as some of the newcomers get to talking with their neighbours. Not very loud, and Hana and Abbi have Ehequi on one side, pacing and muttering, and the other side is empty. Abbi shifts slightly. "I could give you that massage now, Hana. Would that help?" She's whispering, but doing so in Hana's ear.

"Thought you were a priest. We've got healers, pain-wizards, blood-priests and so on, mostly. Magical healing struggles with skin damage and scars, because the outer layer is dead. Nerve damage is easier to fix. We did try, actually, getting pain-sticks, which did stuff through magic rather than electricity, but it proved ultimately too expensive and they didn't work as well. Pain doesn't cramp muscles up in the same way, which stops them fighting." Jasper thought priests would have known about the scar thing with magic.

[Ironsmith]

[Mercury D'aire]

Raven leads Rose to an upscale restaurant, Mercury D'aire. You can tell how fancy it is because it has statues out front spewing water into tiny pools and even has a valet. "No thank you, it parks itself." Raven refuses the service of course as she steps down onto the sidewalk and holds her hand out to help Rose down from her 'vehicle'. The door guards are tempted to stop them from entering, but Raven's not bringing the zombies in.

So they get into the front door at least! Where the snappily dressed door waiter asks quite simply, "Do you have reservations?" Raven smiles, eyes glinting with crazed malevolence. "Of course we do..." She says, stepping forward and... depositing a hefty bag of money on the waiter's podium. The waiter sniffs derisively, but glances around. Seeing no one watching him at the moment, he quickly pockets the cash.

"This way please," He says, motioning with his hand in order to lead them to one of the booths towards the front.

[Mercury D'aire]

Rose follows Raven into the restaurant... rather closely. As in, hands on her shoulders, poking out her head from behind Raven's only long enough to flash a nervous smile toward anyone who looked at them. In reality, this situation didn't strike her as much more dangerous than their previous forays out... a club full of armed men, or even Raven herself, was about as threatening as she expected the mob to be. But your average civilian wouldn't be aware of that, and an ex-entertainer would have lots of reasons to be afraid of organized crime, so as far as her disguise is concerned, Raven just brought her into the lions' den.

She intends to make full use of that, of course. Raven seems to be showing off in confidently sauntering into a mafia eatery. Rose would act suitably impressed, both at the perilousness of their situation and the ease and confidence with which Raven navigated it. If all went well, the catgirl's ego would get one hell of a stroking tonight.

Warehouse

The guards don't seem to care that Hana might be growing to enjoy it; there's other ways of punishing her if she struggles.

In the cell, Abbi's short hair is soft. Hana might note it's not uniform, like a haircut would be, and doesn't feel like human hair. It feels like fur, soft and thick, rat fur specifically. Unfortunately, they'll have to wait a bit longer before they're given clothes; for now, the guards are leaving and the lights are going out. It's suddenly very dark indeed, and there's a slight murmur as some of the newcomers get to talking with their neighbours. Not very loud, and Hana and Abbi have Ehequi on one side, pacing and muttering, and the other side is empty. Abbi shifts slightly. "I could give you that massage now, Hana. Would that help?" She's whispering, but doing so in Hana's ear.

"Thought you were a priest. We've got healers, pain-wizards, blood-priests and so on, mostly. Magical healing struggles with skin damage and scars, because the outer layer is dead. Nerve damage is easier to fix. We did try, actually, getting pain-sticks, which did stuff through magic rather than electricity, but it proved ultimately too expensive and they didn't work as well. Pain doesn't cramp muscles up in the same way, which stops them fighting." Jasper thought priests would have known about the scar thing with magic.

[Warehouse]

Hana lets out a choked sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh, putting her back to Abbi's hands. "Ah... I guess it can't hurt..." She manages to say, squeezing her eyes shut and pretending she's in a room much larger than this cage. It was actually a little easier, now that the room was dark. Her brain slowly loses track of where the walls are, and that she could just reach out and touch them. As long as she relaxes, and doesn't move, she can put her fear aside. Hopefully, Abbi's massage helps with that.


There's an audible click under Korvin's mask as he sucks his teeth irritably. Apparently, Jasper hit a bit of a sore spot.

"The Church of Asthenia," He begins in a measured, faux-patient tone, "Does not make it its business to heal the sick and weak, as so many others do. Such would undermine the work of our goddess. No, we mete out sickness. We portion out suffering, we alot pain and pestilence, we adjudicate the breaking of bones and minds and we pardon nothing." He hisses. "So forgive me if I'm not familiar with the intricacies of a lesser divinity's gifts."

[Reinholdt]

[Searching for Truth]

Ilpholin is indeed unfamiliar with them, though should she have learned of them, she may appreciate the Romulan cunning and ruthlessness. Until she accidentally insulted one by calling them Space Drow.

"Juril," Tammy repeats with a smile. "Sorry, still learning everyone's name. I'd certainly love a tour. But, uh, let me go drop these off real quick first. Shouldn't take but two minutes. I'll be right back." Tammy attempts to disengage with Juril quickly before she gets embroiled in a deep sci-fi drama full of tension, sabotage, and special effects. If she can get away from Juril she'll probably be able to ditch the pastries and head for Tellysandra's without looking out of place.

[Mercury D'aire]

"Relax," Raven says as they take their seats and get their orders in. "They know better to mess with me. You have nothing to fear with me protecting you." Raven's smile curls up a little, hoping it's encouraging and/or calming.

While Raven's statements aren't exactly accurate, she does feel pretty big protecting her girlfriend from the dangers of thuggery and the criminal underworld. Rose's strategy seems to be working wonders. It helps that nothing terrible happens over the course of the meal.

Speaking of, it's actually top notch and delicious! Maybe not 'cozy', but Raven still insists on learning the chef's name.

"Alfredo Caponata ma'am."

"Well give him my compliments. Tell him it was from THE Raven Ebondark," Raven grins and the waiter very politely excuses himself to go do that. Or more accurately not do that. He's had a long shift, he wants to go home in one piece, the last thing he's going to do is deliver a message that might very well be a threat or an incitement of some kind. No thank you. He's found leaving out some details tends to do a better job keeping his body in one piece, unlike his predecessor who failed to learn this lesson in time.

[Deathkeeper]

[Mina's Manor]

"It's more a matter of having an extensive toolset." Said replies. "Any of these three ovens will meet most of your culinary needs, but some are more suited to certain tasks than others. The brick oven was designed with flatbreads in mind, for instance." Most of the kitchen followed that pattern, really; excessive redundancy resulting from a perceived need to prepare things just right.

"And to answer your other question, no, there are not any other servants at present. It seemed wasteful while I was the only one living here."

Mina's Manor

"Well, if you tell me your chef-knife is steady with those eyes of yours I believe you. It'll probably take me a year to figure out what all of this stuff is." Mina is mostly experienced with trying to stretch cheap food as much as possible. High-class cooking is a foreign concept to her. This might all be for the best; her mother was happy to try coming up with a vegetarian diet but was definitely struggling to actually do so on their budget.

[Shadowcaller]

[Searching for Truth]

Ilpholin is indeed unfamiliar with them, though should she have learned of them, she may appreciate the Romulan cunning and ruthlessness. Until she accidentally insulted one by calling them Space Drow.

"Juril," Tammy repeats with a smile. "Sorry, still learning everyone's name. I'd certainly love a tour. But, uh, let me go drop these off real quick first. Shouldn't take but two minutes. I'll be right back." Tammy attempts to disengage with Juril quickly before she gets embroiled in a deep sci-fi drama full of tension, sabotage, and special effects. If she can get away from Juril she'll probably be able to ditch the pastries and head for Tellysandra's without looking out of place.

[Searching for Truth]

"Ah- very well. So I shall wait. Just be careful, you're not even wearing a helmet yet" Juril declares with a confident smile as he watches her leave.

His warning is not without merit though. There are machines and rubble everywhere and it looks like several areas around it are quite dangerous. Especially without any kind of protection.

However, as she's getting closer to the site where the new wall is supposed to be erected it should be noted there is no way to get directly to Tellysandra's manor from here. Not unless you could fly that is. Which, speaking of, that falcon that's still following her from above is the only one capable of.

Indeed, an fence has even been erected at the edge of the city which is closest to the floating manor. Though it seems less meant as an obstacle and more as a way to keep the construction workers from falling off. It would be quite a fall.

It's far too removed for any kind of jump. Even with the motorcycle that Anika suggested.

[Earl of Purple]

Warehouse

Lie down on the thin mattress, and ignore the wall brushing against your toes- unless Hana's shorter than the mattress, anyway- and let Abbi get to work. She'll start at the shoulders and work her way down, but Earl doesn't know enough to say exactly how. She's good at it, though.

"I meant no offence. My sister is a priestess of Loviatar, Mistress of the Cat. She's a skilled healer, and one of the more efficient torturers I know." Loviatar, the Mistress of the Cat, Handmaid to Bane, is a Goddess of Pain. Healing is important in keeping people alive so they can feel more pain. And there's very little more demoralising than surviving a session and then getting healed ready for next time.

[Ironsmith]

[Mercury D'aire]

"Relax," Raven says as they take their seats and get their orders in. "They know better to mess with me. You have nothing to fear with me protecting you." Raven's smile curls up a little, hoping it's encouraging and/or calming.

While Raven's statements aren't exactly accurate, she does feel pretty big protecting her girlfriend from the dangers of thuggery and the criminal underworld. Rose's strategy seems to be working wonders. It helps that nothing terrible happens over the course of the meal.

Speaking of, it's actually top notch and delicious! Maybe not 'cozy', but Raven still insists on learning the chef's name.

"Alfredo Caponata ma'am."

"Well give him my compliments. Tell him it was from THE Raven Ebondark," Raven grins and the waiter very politely excuses himself to go do that. Or more accurately not do that. He's had a long shift, he wants to go home in one piece, the last thing he's going to do is deliver a message that might very well be a threat or an incitement of some kind. No thank you. He's found leaving out some details tends to do a better job keeping his body in one piece, unlike his predecessor who failed to learn this lesson in time.

[Mercury D'Aire]

Rose seems reassured by Raven's claims, but that doesn't stop her from hugging the catgirl for security every time the waiter comes through to refill their drinks or ask if they're ready for the next course... though she does slowly back off it as the night progresses, so what starts off as terrified clinging eventually warms up to tender gratitude for her presence.

By the time they reach the end of the meal, Rose does seem to have warmed up to the place at least a little; part of that was acting, part of that was genuine appreciation for rhe food. Were she inclined to share some traditional Earth wisdom with Raven on the matter, she'd tell her about that anatomically incorrect saying about the stomach being the fastest way to a girl's heart, totally ignoring the sternum extractions she'd helped perform earlier that night.

When the time comes to pay, Rose coughs up, as she promised, setting aside a generous tip for the waiter (and insisting on learning his name, on the off chance they came back).

Mina's Manor

"Well, if you tell me your chef-knife is steady with those eyes of yours I believe you. It'll probably take me a year to figure out what all of this stuff is." Mina is mostly experienced with trying to stretch cheap food as much as possible. High-class cooking is a foreign concept to her. This might all be for the best; her mother was happy to try coming up with a vegetarian diet but was definitely struggling to actually do so on their budget.

[Mina's Manor]

"Might take me longer." Sai quips, walking past an electric cake fluffer and over to the pantry, where he starts pulling out the ingredients for crepes. Thankfully, while his vision isn't great, he's organized the food storage space and memorised everything's locations. No trouble at all.

It's everything else that goes wrong.

See, when Sai says he's learned to cook, he's neglected to mention that he hasn't had a whole lot of practice, and coupled with his rapidly-deteriorating vision, he's developed some bad habits over the years. If Mina doesn't intervene, she'll get... something edible, but not crepes.

Warehouse

Lie down on the thin mattress, and ignore the wall brushing against your toes- unless Hana's shorter than the mattress, anyway- and let Abbi get to work. She'll start at the shoulders and work her way down, but Earl doesn't know enough to say exactly how. She's good at it, though.

"I meant no offence. My sister is a priestess of Loviatar, Mistress of the Cat. She's a skilled healer, and one of the more efficient torturers I know." Loviatar, the Mistress of the Cat, Handmaid to Bane, is a Goddess of Pain. Healing is important in keeping people alive so they can feel more pain. And there's very little more demoralising than surviving a session and then getting healed ready for next time.

[Warehouse]

Hana does find it relaxing- maybe a bit more so than Abbi intended. About ten minutes in, she falls asleep, which is quite an accomplishment considering their accommodations.

Korvin waves a hand dismissively. "Torture. Bah. A fool's idea of art." He taps his fingers on the glass of a nearby cage. "As I was telling miss Alecto earlier, inflicting pain is not how you break someone. Sure, yes, it helps, but it's hardly efficient." He trails his fingers down and points to the dwarf in the cage. "Take this man here, for instance. I'm certain he could endure any pain you laid onto him. He's just built that way. Resilient. Psychologically tough."

Korvin chuckles. "But he has a weakness, like everyone else. Don't cause him pain; take away his pleasure. Those things that make life worth living." He pounds his fist against the cage, leaning in for a better look. "Mangle him so his family will look on in horror. Make the songs of his home the soundtrack of his flaying. Show him the only pleasure in life is serving you, and that is all he will do." He chuckles. "If you can do that, why bother hurting him any more? And if you don't hurt him more... well, no need to heal him."

[Earl of Purple]

Warehouse

"The Guild is not after breaking the merchandise. The Guild wishes to make a profit. Your method almost certainly works, but for all of them? Is it efficient to find the personal triggers for everyone? Pain works, and it works- eventually- on everyone. We keep them healthy, as much as we can, regardless of if they disobey or not. He'll make us money, probably as a gladiator. And if he doesn't, we'll shave his beard off." Jasper says, but the other guards are leaving. All the slaves are in cells, waiting for light's out.

The dwarf is looking at the two outside his cell, looking quite confused. He knows they're talking about him, but he doesn't actually speak the language.

Abbi smiles after Hana starts to snore, and will slide onto the mattress next to Hana. She'll lie against the wall, or try to, so if Hana wakes up she isn't pressed between Abbi and the wall herself- Abbi's figured that Hana's claustrophobic, and thinks that might make Hana panic. She'll also start out lying the other way, so her feet- which are very clean, since the dunk in sleeping gel earlier- are near Hana's head and Hana's feet are near hers. That might change if either of the girls go to the bucket in the night.

[Reinholdt]

[Searching for Truth]

Ilpholin will try and snatch a helmet along the way, but doesn't let it distract her.

Once she's scouted out that they aren't going to get over there by walking, she picks out the tallest tower crane working on the wall pointed in the right direction and beelines for it. If it's being actively used at this very moment, she'll probably have to knock out the operator to buy herself some time. A quick zap or a blackjack to the back of the head perhaps. Regardless, she's going to have to start climbing up to the top of that crane in what can only be called not safe for work.

[Mercury D'Aire]

Raven can't stop Rose from paying, not while she has that Hotbox and the leverage to use it in an argument. Some day Rose might let Raven treat her though.

"It's Tony Accorda, miss," the waiter says humbly, his expression remaining professional and unflinching. He clears the table quickly and Raven's eyes follow him for a moment before turning back to Rose and holding out her hand to help her from her seat.

"Well that was pleasant. See? Absolutely nothing went wrong. You just have to know where to go."

[Ironsmith]

Warehouse

"The Guild is not after breaking the merchandise. The Guild wishes to make a profit. Your method almost certainly works, but for all of them? Is it efficient to find the personal triggers for everyone? Pain works, and it works- eventually- on everyone. We keep them healthy, as much as we can, regardless of if they disobey or not. He'll make us money, probably as a gladiator. And if he doesn't, we'll shave his beard off." Jasper says, but the other guards are leaving. All the slaves are in cells, waiting for light's out.

The dwarf is looking at the two outside his cell, looking quite confused. He knows they're talking about him, but he doesn't actually speak the language.

Abbi smiles after Hana starts to snore, and will slide onto the mattress next to Hana. She'll lie against the wall, or try to, so if Hana wakes up she isn't pressed between Abbi and the wall herself- Abbi's figured that Hana's claustrophobic, and thinks that might make Hana panic. She'll also start out lying the other way, so her feet- which are very clean, since the dunk in sleeping gel earlier- are near Hana's head and Hana's feet are near hers. That might change if either of the girls go to the bucket in the night.

[Warehouse]

Korvin chuckles. "That's better. Simple, but effective, I'm sure." He turns to follow the other guards out, stopping only long enough to roll his gloves back on and inform Jasper of one other thing. "Incidentally, I've made arrangements to speak with miss Alecto in the morning, in her father's old office. I would be greatly appreciative if you were to attend, as well."

[Mercury D'Aire]

Raven can't stop Rose from paying, not while she has that Hotbox and the leverage to use it in an argument. Some day Rose might let Raven treat her though.

"It's Tony Accorda, miss," the waiter says humbly, his expression remaining professional and unflinching. He clears the table quickly and Raven's eyes follow him for a moment before turning back to Rose and holding out her hand to help her from her seat.

"Well that was pleasant. See? Absolutely nothing went wrong. You just have to know where to go."

[Mercury D'aire]

Nothing's gone wrong yet. Rose mentally amends, even as she gives Raven a vaguely reassured smile and taking Raven's hand to get up. Still, she's not going to seem properly relaxed until they're away from the restaurant.

As they move toward the door, Rose starts to vaguely wonder if Raven's palanquin was big enough for two. Probably not; she'd never have had need for a passenger before, right? It might be another zombie piggyback ride for her back.

Either way, she's decided; she's going to make her move the moment they get back. Raven seems comfortable around her, and she wants to be entirely certain the catgirl will miss her when she leaves... as opposed to "be furious at" or "totally forget about".

[Earl of Purple]

Warehouse

"Most dwarfs worship their beards, or see them as part of who they are. Shaving it off dishonours them, more effectively than anything else I can think of." Jasper doesn't really understand how it works; he doesn't know many dwarfs. Mostly they're too noble to work with the Guild, and the few exceptions are mostly stationed in other parts of the Guild's network. "I will see you there." And with that, I think they can split up till morning.

[Reinholdt]

[Mercury D'Aire -> Black Abyss Body Shop]

What could possibly go wrong between here and the door?

Well... a lot, but Rose isn't dating Reinholdt, she's dating Raven. She gets a free pass to a normal evening!

... Normal ish. One without gunfire at least and the life threatening situations are currently all psychological instead of literal.

Regardless, if Rose doesn't ask to ride in Raven's lap on the way back, she gets the classic zombie shoulder ride and they all make it back to Raven's point of business without any hiccups or sidequests. Raven gracefully descends from her palanquin like her body is a light cloud, made more prominent by the fluffy gothic dress that she wears. She finally completed her work and protected Rose from those nasty thugs. Sure the dance club was a bust, but that just meant she wouldn't be wasting time replacing the signs and other nonsense tomorrow. She could focus on the next stage of her evil master plan! Figuring out the next stage of her evil master plan! Ohohohoh!

[Deathkeeper]

Mina's Manor

Mina does her best to gently put a hand on Sai's shoulder.
"Um. Maybe we should try something simpler? I'm sure we can just stick something in the toaster-oven."
The toaster-oven. The champion of appliances everywhere.

[Ironsmith]

Warehouse

"Most dwarfs worship their beards, or see them as part of who they are. Shaving it off dishonours them, more effectively than anything else I can think of." Jasper doesn't really understand how it works; he doesn't know many dwarfs. Mostly they're too noble to work with the Guild, and the few exceptions are mostly stationed in other parts of the Guild's network. "I will see you there." And with that, I think they can split up till morning.

[Alecto's Office]

The following morning, Korvin shows up in Alecto's office, as promised. He's brought a small container of strawberries with him, obtaining them either from a return trip to the muggers or finding another supplier after a night of feverish research. Clearly, he had plans to butter up Alecto before making his request.

[Mercury D'Aire -> Black Abyss Body Shop]

What could possibly go wrong between here and the door?

Well... a lot, but Rose isn't dating Reinholdt, she's dating Raven. She gets a free pass to a normal evening!

... Normal ish. One without gunfire at least and the life threatening situations are currently all psychological instead of literal.

Regardless, if Rose doesn't ask to ride in Raven's lap on the way back, she gets the classic zombie shoulder ride and they all make it back to Raven's point of business without any hiccups or sidequests. Raven gracefully descends from her palanquin like her body is a light cloud, made more prominent by the fluffy gothic dress that she wears. She finally completed her work and protected Rose from those nasty thugs. Sure the dance club was a bust, but that just meant she wouldn't be wasting time replacing the signs and other nonsense tomorrow. She could focus on the next stage of her evil master plan! Figuring out the next stage of her evil master plan! Ohohohoh!

[Black Abyss Body Shop]

Unfortunately, her evil-plan-making will face yet another distraction once they're inside.

Rose follows Raven as far as the workshop before stopping the catgirl with a gentle tug on her dress. "Raven? I... there's something I want to say, and I want to say it tonight." She reddens slightly. "You, um... you already know I like you, right? But, I... um..." She shuffles nervously, trying to make this look like a spontaneous, slightly awkward declaration of genuine love and not a carefully-rehearsed routine. "I... that is... You know what? [Screw] it."

And she surges forward and kisses Raven full on the mouth.

Not just a little kiss, either. This will be a full-on, open-mouthed, passionate, long-lasting kiss, the kind that would precede going upstairs and spending the night together if Raven permitted.

Of course, if Raven doesn't permit, Rose will apologize profusely, saying she got a little carried away after having Raven watch out for her all evening.

Mina's Manor

Mina does her best to gently put a hand on Sai's shoulder.
"Um. Maybe we should try something simpler? I'm sure we can just stick something in the toaster-oven."
The toaster-oven. The champion of appliances everywhere.

[Mina's Manor]

Sai gives Mina a look like she'd just enthusiastically suggested salted cow tongues for dinner, but hesitantly complies, putting together a second meal that's little better than the first. It may even be worse, depending on how Mina feels about cauliflower.

[Shadowcaller]

[Searching for Truth]

Ilpholin will try and snatch a helmet along the way, but doesn't let it distract her.

Once she's scouted out that they aren't going to get over there by walking, she picks out the tallest tower crane working on the wall pointed in the right direction and beelines for it. If it's being actively used at this very moment, she'll probably have to knock out the operator to buy herself some time. A quick zap or a blackjack to the back of the head perhaps. Regardless, she's going to have to start climbing up to the top of that crane in what can only be called not safe for work.

[Searching for Truth]

There aren't any helmets just hanging around on her way to the tower crane. She would have to actively search for one as they're likely stored inside one of the temporary barracks-like buildings which been erected to house the workers and equipment.
But she could always attempt to steal one from a worker.

What she might find concerning are the hoovering drones that are moving around the working site. It's not immediately clear what their purpose is, they don't appear to have been made for combat as they don't have any weapons. Nor do they seem to be made for any construction work. They might just be made for surveillance as they do seem to have cameras included in their design.

Regardless, she can climb one of the cranes as none of them seems to be under operation during lunch. However, as she starts doing so several of these drones start to gain interest in her and starts to hoover around nearby even as she reaches the top of the crane. But now what?

[Lord Magtok]

Aimless Drifting

Spoiler

Show

[Aimless Drifting]

There is something very important Tetra should know:
The world is divided into people who have pointy ears, and people who have round ears.
Everything else is a consequence of that fact.

Jeez, being right in front of someone who can casually teleport and age things is a little unnerving. Especially since Tetra has already proven she can make tactically advantageous actions seem casual. And that casual teleport was probably a threat, saying 'don't even try to run'.

Sirena resists flinching.
"Oh. Um..." She tries to decide what would be the best way to respond. "That robot told you that? Personally, I wouldn't call it that. Instead..." Slightly more thinking on the most neutral way to phrase this. "...more like...There's something that I think is wrong. And I'm doing whatever I can to change it. The people who don't want things to change call it 'destructive' because, um...to them, I'm destroying their things."

Tetra presses her hands against her ears, pinching at the already slightly pointed tips. She could probably make them even pointier if she really wanted to, but maybe they're fine as is. All of her enemies thus far have had rounded ears, so as long as her ears don't get any less pointy, she should be okay, right?

"Oh. That makes sense. I was told by some other robots that if I ever left my room, I'd accidentally cause the end of the world, but it's been a few days now, and-" Tetra gestures around her, to the world which is still very much not in the throes of some apocalyptic disaster or massive catastrophe raining death and destruction upon everyone around them. The Tetragrammatok has never seen an end of a world before, but she's been told there's supposed to be a lot of explosions and screaming, and you don't see any of that here right now, do you?

"So far none of the robots I've met have been right about anything. What wrong thing are your robots involved in?" the pink-haired stranger asks, wondering if maybe it's not pointy ears and round ears, but skin versus metal that decides which people are her friends and which ones want to lock her up. It'd explain why the science men flip-flopped between nice and helpful and cold and oppressive so often; their robot halves must've been fighting for control! Why else would they feed her and teach her to use some of her powers one day, and then lock her up and tell her she'll be punished if she goes anywhere the next day?

[Reinholdt]

[Searching for Truth]

Suppose she'd best deal with the unwanted attention first. Ilpholin will release her synthetic pheromones to entice the nearby drones closer to her. If they get within arm's length, she'll extend her hair to meet them, looking to interface with them directly. To let them know that there's nothing here. So they can see that anyplace else is more exciting than this one spot and they should tell all their friends to be looking elsewhere as well.

Hopefully they take her up on this gentle offer, this siren caress, or she's just going to have to break them before step B.