Trog's Tavern CLVI

[Reinholdt]

[Quiet Respite]

"No, I didn't know." Reinholdt clarifies with a frown as he continues to lightly dab Reuma's head. Was wound transferal magic common where they're from? "And there's no need to apologize." He assures her, kinda hoping it'd convince her to stop talking and rest, but it's such an obscure, unlikely thought that it doesn't surprise him in least when that's exactly what doesn't happen.

The emotion magic surprises him though. An image of terror and death. It leaves his hand shaking a little as he withdraws the cloth. "Do you... not have control over that?" Maybe she normally does but Reuma is so weakened it's just bleeding everywhere. But if she doesn't normally have control, then her emotional abilities rise from nuisance to troublesome and maybe even legitimately dangerous.

After this pause, he continues though, forcing himself to finish cleaning what he can. "We have a sizeable demon population," Reinholdt repeats. "Angels not so much. We actually have very few of those. And most of the demons around here play nice, for their own sake I presume." He shrugs a little. "Destruction, however, happens every couple months for a thousand and one reasons. There isn't any one group responsible. But I'm not going to let the risk of getting torn apart stop me from continuing on with my empty existence."

Rein puts the cloth in a basin and sets it beside the bed. "You on the other hand might cease to exist if your vision is swimming. And sorry, but I don't think stress relief is what she needs right now. I think what you both need is a legitimate hospital with legitimate doctors. But barring that, Maxson was right. We need to get you some anti-venom. And since Maxson's half-undressed, I'll go brew it up and get the food up here."

He starts to step away towards the door, but pauses as reconsiders. "Actually, maybe you should give her that back rub. Convince her to relax, maybe even sleep. So yeah, do that. Doctor's orders I guess." If anyone knows how to get Reuma to relax and to rest, it'd probably be Maxson.

[Deathkeeper]

Krayger continues to glance at the smaller person. He can't quite put a finger on it but his memory is pointing him that this is someone he's seen noted for unsavory association. Gonna have to watch that.
"I'm mostly in the hitting things department, but I am also something of a mage when I need to be. And an engineer but that's unlikely to come up." That's always been mostly a side job for him.

[Aurora Alchemi]

Masquerade of Eyes

The doors at Trogs open innocently enough, and the calmness of this period of time means there is very little actually going on in the establishment, at least for Trogs. Who comes through that door, however, has an air about them that demands immediate attention. Dressed in black furs and fine silk, in a manner that is half befitting a gothic cathedral, and half befitting a witches coven in the woods, steps a fairly short, feminine hybrid, looking as if they are half-elf, half antelope. To say they walk into the tavern is sort of misleading; it's almost as if they glide, some degree of preternatural grace coming through their steps as they approach the bar, stepping up and sitting in a stool quietly. There is a moment of adjustment, the brilliantly golden locks of the being's hair slowly giving way to shadowy darkness that must be moved away from their shoulders, a casual move that is purely to keep the hair out of their vision. Brilliant violet eyes that glow faintly, even in the ample light, slowly sweep the room in a practiced manner. Not seeming to find anything of interest in the bar yet, they open a menu and begin to peruse.

But perhaps what is most interesting, and perhaps unsettling, about that visitor is not how they appear, but rather what even the keenest eyes cannot see without being able to look far beyond even magic. For there, sitting at the bar, is no being of mortal flesh, but rather something far more... strange. Hidden under a mask that seems to have been wrapped and woven from a soul long ago, is an amalgamation of curses, woven and knotted together in ways that would confuse and intrigue even gods, holding together what appears to be the dregs of what used to be an innocent, simple soul. It feels somewhat like another magical creature who had been through recently, a certain pronghorn... but so much older, held together with a strength and understanding of magic afforded to few.

And of course, to view beyond that veil is often to be viewed as well, the creature clearly taking in it's surroundings, watching and waiting. But it's important to note that there doesn't seem to be malevolence there; Certainly pieces of it could be described as evil, especially to the average mortal, but there is depth and complexity that seems to indicate not taint, but rather necessity. Still, for anyone who can see this side of the creature that calls itself Ukry, it is also to come under the calculating gaze of a being so ancient to as become legend even among demibeings. Then, finally, the satyrlyrri witch speaks, looking to gain the attention of the staff. "We have been told that this simple bar serves things not seen many other places. We were looking very specifically for a drink that we haven't had in a long, long time.... And were wondering if we might be able to find it."

The tone is soft, a voice that is practiced and easy, spoken through the mask in a manner that demands respect without being an affront to those around the witch. The creature's delicate fingers brush down the menu, the jewelry on them clearly made of ivory and bone, and marked with runes that glow and crackle with power. "A wine of sorts, from the nectar of flowers that grow in the groves of flesh forests. We used to have a large supply of it for both drink and ritual, but once we came to this place, it has been hard to locate, and we would rather not have to plant a grove, as feeding those trees is an ugly task indeed." The ebony black lipstick that curls into a friendly smile is carefully chosen, two toned with a deep green that reminds one of old forests.

[Rebonack]

[Masquerade of Eyes]

Upon entering the tavern the newcomer will discover the barmaid staring up at the ceiling, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and mouthing the words 'masquerade of eyes'. Which is, frankly, a pretty odd thing for a person to be doing for no readily apparent reason. Zee mutters, "Huh, kinda ominous," before turning her attention to the latest guest who is-!

Wow.

That's...

Uh.

That's definitely someone.

Zee tilts her head to the side a little, trying to get a better view purely for the purpose of trying to decide whether this customer is in fact walking up to the counter and 'gliding' is just a figure of speech or if she has, like, dozens of tiny skittery legs under that dress. Is she wearing a dress? She seems like the sort of person that would be wearing a dress to Zee. Furs and silks. Princess witch. Or something? Wow is this one ever a character. Or a bunch of characters. A great big ball of characters with someone else buried down at the bottom or-

Oh wait, that was supposed to be hidden. One of those spooky eldritch secret things, probably. The sort of disguise that is largely opaque to senses magical and mundane but when viewed through the lens of a worldline? Such an aspect is so innate, so fundamental, so overwhelmingly important to what a creature quintessentially is there may as well be a giant neon sign pointing it out. Honestly it would have been nearly impossible for Zee to not notice that this thing is a great big ball of souls and curses and whatever else with so much of its story centering on that aspect.

Ukry, huh? Old old old. It's been a while since ancient things like this have been poking around the tavern. Much more common in days past. Not so much, now.

"Hiya! Welcome to Trog's Tavern!" Zee replies cheerfully, wholly unmoved by what she's observed. Her expression shifts to a more thoughtful one, rubbing her chin with two fingers as she ponders. "I'm not sure I've ever heard someone call us a simple bar before. Lots of other things ranging from nice to wow really not nice but definitely not simple. I guess our listed menu isn't that complex, right?"

Right.

But.

Hmm.

Flesh flower wine. Made from the nectar?

"Well, that's pretty specific and definitely not ominous and/or foreboding request. We've got quite a variety of stuff down in the wine-cellar," Zee says, jerking her thumb over her shoulder toward the nearby trap door. "I guess I can go check to see if we've got anything like that?"

Without waiting for a reply, Zee spins on her heel and tromps on over to the door, grabs it by its heavy iron ring, and heaves it open.

Down into the darkness she goes.

...followed by several seconds of silence.

Followed in turn by a horrible ululating bellow.

"Gah! How do these things keep getting down here!?" comes the barmaid's voice, equal parts surprised and exasperated. "COSMO I told you to stop leaving bamhacon in the cellar to cure it's attracting shamblers again!"

There's a sound like distant rolling thunder, followed by a sizzling snap and a wail of pain.

Shortly there after Zee emerges triumphantly! She's a bit scuffed up and there's a severed rubbery black tentacle draped across her shoulder, but she seems to be in high spirits!

She's also holding a dark-colored bottle which she plomps down on the counter in front of the witch.

"Found some! Not sure what vintage it is, though, sorry."

[Aurora Alchemi]

[Masquerade of Eyes]

Ukry takes the bottle carefully, holding it up to the light and examining the liquid. "Fantastic, haven't been able to get back to lands like the fox-beasts have in a long while. We don't much care about vintage in this case, it's more for reagent, so it will be used a drop at a time." The violet eyes settle onto Zee, seeming to look through her, even though the soft smile remains comforting and inviting. "Though we suppose a moment of rest and a bit of a drink would not be unreasonable, considering we find ourselves in such... observant company." The antelope leans softly against a hand, and gives a flick of the wrist, a crystal glass with delicate features materializing, as the soft weave of magic rearranges even the components of the atoms themselves to make it. "A glass of whatever you might think agreeable. We aren't picky, at least for things we don't have to be picky about."

The witch runs a finger along the bottle, the gentle crackle of magic corresponding with the beast on the inside turning it's attention to the fluid for a moment. As it does, it's almost as if someone releases a tensioner from the magic in the room, as if the witch were carefully examining each facet of the room and peering at each secret. "Interesting. Not exactly like what we are used too, but close enough to not matter. We appreciate this." The witch pauses for a moment, then offers a hand. "Our name is Ukrywać Sielu, at least as we have been going by the last several thousand cycles. Is it still cycles here? We are unsure that time is still counted similarly." The tone remains friendly enough.

"Normally we suppose we would be taking greater effort to conceal things, but it's quiet enough here, and we can tell we aren't the only one hiding things here. You are interesting, we haven't felt something quite like you... not exactly. Where do you come from? It's been a long long while since we've met someone quite as curious." The witch pauses, eyes blinking slowly in a slow moment of thought. "Of course, feel no need to respond; information is valuable, and we wouldn't mind sharing some of our own if you would want a trade. Not too much, however... It seems neither of us feel it would be good for... more average guests to see or hear too much."

Soft laughter, the lyrri softly popping a knuckle back into place. "A little capable of understanding, right?" It's clear that the being is feeling things out, Ukry examining this other creature with a soft curiosity that betrays a healthy amount of respect. Indeed, enough respect for a witch that very clearly takes a lot of time to hide and cover things up to not try pulling the wool over Zee's eyes. But perhaps there is also a note of a truce; that Ukry doesn't intend to cause trouble, as long as trouble does not seek them out.

[Rebonack]

[Masquerade of Eyes]

Zee waves one hand errantly, shooing away the tentacle stuck to her shoulder and failing to banish the location tag buzzing around her head like an abstract blowfly.

"Well, first bottle is on the house for newcomers! Old Trog's Tradition," Zee laughs as she fetches a bottle of fireamber off the shelf behind her. It's a pretty nice wine. Not the fanciest, but certainly a pleasant boutique. "But that means you'll actually have to pay for everything else. Not that the tavern's payment policy is exactly strict. Rules is you pay what you think the service was worth."

They get stiffed every now and again.

But more often than not patrons are generous.

Especially with the number of adventurers with heavy pockets who happen to enjoy patronizing the tavern.

At the observant comment Zee raises an eyebrow. Then grins. Then laughs.

"Okay, and I definitely haven't been called observant before. I mostly notice weird details instead of useful ones. Like I had this conversation with this wolf-guy last week and I only realized he was naked the whole time after someone else pointed it out to me," Zee admits, full of self-deprecating laughter. For whatever reason the fact that the dude was wearing nothing but fur wasn't deemed as important to his story and so it wasn't mentioned. Zee just assumed he was wearing something because people wear clothes.

Usually.

When they come into the bar, at least.

As far as peering goes Zee is... empty.

Hollow, maybe.

She has no spiritual or magical presence to speak of. Like a metaphysical void, honestly. Which is definitely strange because even rocks have some metaphysical reality to them in most cosmologies.

There's also more of her than is visible, though the rest of it is folded up perpendicular to reality and out of view. Digging deep echoes dragon tree deer eye and a searing brightness that annihilates falsehood.

"Well nice to meetcha, Ukrywać Sielu! Do you mind if I call you Ukry? Most people around here call me Zee," the barmaid says, then shrugs at the question. "Years, mostly. I think some people count by winters. One revolution around the sun is a pretty common way of counting for the most part."

A reasonable enough thing to ask, she thinks.

The next question gets a wide smile out of her. "Hehe, we're doing the spooky mysterious questions bit, huh? Sure! That's always fun. I only really conceal myself for the well being of others and because I'm ridiculously, inconveniently, apocalypticly ginormious. Just like... stupid big. Mountain big. Saying I could wear this tavern like a hat is seriously underselling it. And it would make it soooooo haaaaard to get people drinks if I can't fit inside the tavern, you know?"

Zee is sure Urky knows.

"Saying where I'm from probably wouldn't be very useful on account of incompatible cosmologies? I could say I'm from heaven but would you take that to mean the sky? The domain of the stars? The seat of the gods? None of those are really right. We call it the Empyrean. The highest heaven. It's-" she crinkles her nose, trying to come up with a good analogy, and then her eyes widen! "Oh yeah, bubbles!"

Wait, what?

"Hang on a sec I've got them around somewhere," Zee says as she ducks down behind the counter and begins rummaging around. "Ah HAH!"

She pops back up, holding a pink plastic bottle with a white screw on lid. She unscrews the top and pulls out a little bubble wand!

Then blows a bubble and catches it on the wand, a little perfect jiggling sphere of swirling iridescent colors.

"Okay! So! Imagine this bubble is our universe," she says, wiggling the bubble by way of visual aid. It bobbles back and forth, the swirls of color slowly fading toward grey. "So where I'm from is like-"

The bubble pops.

Zee frowns at at.

"Hold on, pretend the universe didn't just explode for this demonstration," she mutters, blowing a second bubble. "Right, so! Universe in four parts. The inner surface of the bubble? That's the Waking World, where we are now. Where I'm from is like the space inside the bubble. The outer surface would be the Dreamlands, where souls go when they slumber. And the space outside the bubble is unformed primordial chaos; the Dreamheart. So it's like-"

The bubble pops again.

Zee glares at the bubble mix. "I really need to get some new bubble solution I think this stuff is getting old. Anyway! Like that. But with less soap and slightly less exploding."

[Aurora Alchemi]

[Masquerade of Eyes]

"We appreciate the generosity, though we are certainly not inclined to deny proper payment." Ukry laughs softly. "What sort of witch would we be if we didn't understand paying appropriate costs in exchanges." Ukry lets the half ominous joke hang, something reasonably appropriate to the gallows level of the humor. The witch pauses and produces a small pouch of brilliant gems, made from fur and carefully crafted metal. Each gem is unique, clearly appropriate as both valuable, and probably also spell components. Sipping at the offered drink, the horned newcomer gives an appreciative nod. "That'll do nicely, especially if you happen to have a bit of cheese and meat to go with it."

The witch relaxes into the conversation some more, the thing on the inside seeming to remain watchful, but not quite as guarded as it had been. "Any details that one notices that others may not are important. Perhaps you suffer from a bit of seeing only what the world tells you directly? We have a similar capability; We feel what is present in the world's grain and weave, with perhaps the minor difference that we must do much interpretation to even decipher it. Similar, yet different." Certainly a degree of metagaming and insider knowledge on both fronts, albeit approached from different directions.

The gazelle like ears on Ukry's head flick softly as Zee begins to explain herself a little more in depth. The witch nods softly, making no effort to pry deeper into the hollows and light within Zee; in some sense of the word, it was unnecessary, for there is a degree of kinship between those beyond understanding to live mutually. "Yes, certainly we do understand that Zee. Though perhaps in our case there is more of a personal judgement factor into hiding; beyond scaring mortals, histories can be painful, and we would prefer not to have to stare at our own in the mirror." The witch gives a soft tap to a cheek, motioning to the curling runes and cursed scars that make up the thing underneath that mask.

Zee's explanation of the cosmology clearly sets gears turning in the horror's head, however. It's not that the explanation is confusing, but rather that it clicks with something else, a different cosmology, perhaps a place where the rules diverged. As Zee finishes struggling with the bubbles, Ukry pulls a long thread of multicolored magic from their horn, then quickly winds and knits it into what looks to be a soap bubble, albeit made completely from aurora-like magic. "That is an interesting way of explaining it, but we are familiar. We have received several... Magic isn't quite the right word, but object that interact with that space, which we have found useful from time to time. In our world, there was perhaps a similar situation..."

The witch's fingers hold up the small bubble. "If we were to live on the inside surface of the bubble, then those who lived in the space might be called the Valkyries. They prefered to be very... hands on, and not always in the best ways. Very fallible beings." There was a tone of bitterness there, some old wound. "But there was also a group, the flesh eating foxes, who were more like the creatures that existed in the void on the outside of the bubble... They were supposed to be the ones to guide the souls from the inside to the outside, but became... in a manner, lost. Our people, the groveseekers, were given the authority to tend to the bubble's shape; While we never passed beyond the bubble to the outside, we could touch every part of it, and could teach at least the manipulation of the inner bubble's surface to others." Ukry draws a few gossamer strands of magic between their fingers, demonstrating the weaving magic of the lyrri once more.

"However, the lyrri could also change the shape and form of the outside, touch the immiscible void." There, a new strand of... was it even appropriate to call it magic? It looked black, but clearly glowed, the edge of it shining with white, and though mortal words might describe it, the more one could see and understand what it was, the less words could capture it. Elegantly, purely, maddening. Drawing the two strands together, the witch unweaves a small bit of air, which goes being it just vanishing, but rather becomes the nothing it always was. "Our people, as well, became lost. The natural places and wandering life we were drawn to caused our peace to end, and eventually even the Valkyrie most beholden to us would do little more than lock us away. It was a world plagued with issues, of which lead to... our predicament." Ukry gives another nod to the ineffable, unknowable entity that they had become.

"Of course, since then, we have seen many other worlds, many configurations, and picked up much knowledge in those travels. At least, it seems, the deities that choose to wander this place are more wise then ones we have encountered in the past. What of yourself? We imagine there are few things willing to trouble you, but there always seems to be someone who wants to fight the unknowable, ineffable that lives among them." Ukry sounds as if they've had quite the run of things in some places, feeling a bit like an unstatted monster in an rpg might when folks continue to want to fight them.

[ResidentScribe]

[Quiet Respite]

As Maxson sat himself on the corner of the bed he platted his legs with his hands. "So the stabbing incident was uh... well we were out, and you were helping some locals, one of them didn't take to kindly to any of us and so yeah... I ended up with a surgical scalpel sticking out of me" He more or less muttered the last half of that as he rubbed his legs. "We managed I guess, it wasn't just us, everyone else we served along with, just one big adoptive family and all the drama that comes with it" He chuckled awkwardly as he remembered certain events, those he could remember through the drinking anyway.

When Reuma turned down the back rub, there was a moment of relief that washed over him, even as she spoke though, his brain couldn't help trying to turn that way again. 'a massage with a happy ending feels good for all parties' he thought to himself before trying to bury it down deep inside. He snapped out of his inward spiral enough to hear the end of Reuma's question to Reinholdt "Wait...I don't look that bad do I?" he asked aloud before looking over himself. "A little rough around the edges but I still look good right? I mean, not saying you look bad or anything, more the opposite... I'm going to shut up now" He nodded to himself as he tried to catch his running mouth. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Rein mentioned stress relief. "I didn't mean it like that!" He exclaimed, 'well I did a little' he thought but before he could say anything else, Rein was headed to the door. "I uh... oh boy" Maxson sighed whilst rubbing his face. "Why am I like this?" He grumbled before patting his cheeks a few times.

After a very heavy moment of silence, Maxson finally spoke up. "So...What was your Maxson like?" He asked Reuma, he'd been going on about his world so much, seemed only right to ask about hers, it sounded like a much nicer world than the one he'd been stuck in. Her Maxson also sounded like a much nicer person in general.

[Rebonack]

"Haha, well, that's fine. Whatever you think the service is worth like I said," Zee replies as she stows the bubble fluid under the counter again. The ominous joke seems largely lost on her. Or maybe she doesn't get it. Or maybe it just doesn't concern her very much? She's never been one to cut deals with literally anything even before the whole apotheosis episode. She always thought that kind of activity was really dumb. Good way to end up cursed.

"Some meat and cheese, sure thing! What sort of cheese do you want? We've got-"

She narrows her eyes at a nearby minifridge that just so happens to be a portal to the paraelemental plane of cheese.

"-all of them."

Talk about selection.

"Meats are a little more limited, I guess. Stuff I use to make the snacks and sandwiches, mostly. Oh, and bamhacon. That's a perennial favorite, though it's a bit on the greasy and salty side of things."

This has only very rarely prevented anyone from ordering it.

"Ah, see, my problem is this is the only way I experience things," Zee replies a bit crossly at the talk of sight beyond sight. "Once you've seen the world from the outside it never really looks the same anymore. It really doesn't help that I'm reading everyone's story all the time. It's a ton of information to keep track of. Can you imagine how hard it is to carry on a coherent conversation with someone while that fly over there-"

She points at a fly crawling around on the helmet of a nearby dwarf.

"-is sharing its life story with you at the same time? I try to tune the irrelevant parts out but that just means I miss more stuff. It's a pain. It would be nice if I could just shut it off when I felt like it but noooo everything has to be weird."

Stupid weird sight beyond sight being sensory overload.

Considering the witch's reasons, Zee finds them pretty reasonable? Powerful things usually come in two sorts. Those that covet attention and those that jealously avoid it. Urky definitely seems like the second of those. And, maybe, she's hiding a bit from herself, too. Not hiding from good cheese, though. Otherwise she wouldn't be here. "No one really begrudges people using masks around here. This is the sort of place where you'll usually only find trouble if you go looking for it."

Both advice and a warning. Zee doesn't take kindly to powerful entities praying on the people of the Nexus in general and the guests in Trog's in particular.

Hah.

Ah, see, there's a big difference right there.

Zee tends to go to lengths to avoid calling on her preternatural abilities. Especially in mundane situations like this. She's content to use unremarkable props and tools and only begin dipping into the fantastical when they're absolutely needed. The reason is quite simple, really. Her power is dangerous and using it flippantly is dangerous. Zee wants to protect the community she loves from all threats.

Herself most of all.

At the explanation Zee listens curiously. "Going to guess these Valkyries aren't a bunch of winged ladies that carries the valorous dead to their rightful afterlife? I only ask 'cuz it sure isn't sounding like they are. But maybe I'm wrong? Definitely wouldn't be the first time."

Zee likes keeping track of how wrong she is. It's a fun and humbling game.

"Words are so twisty in the Nexus. Souls, magic, demons and devils and angels. Gods and spirits. Djinn and valkyries and houris and heck even dragons can be radically different things. Hehe, at least people can agree on what cheese is."

Usually.

But one can reasonably rely on cheese being a universal constant.

"We've got some foxes around here too but only some of them are related to the Dreamlands. There are some really nice ones over at Inari's temple. The less nice ones have this nasty habit of eating hearts. Or livers. Depending on the story, I guess?" Zee muses. "I guess a bit of difference here is that the Dreamlands are definitely a place, if a really weird surreal impossible one. But the Dreamheart beyond is... well. It's formless. Nothing and potentially anything all at the same time. Things don't live there because things don't exist there. It's definitely weird. But important in its own way. My kind, we're naturally changeless. The only way we can grow in any appreciable way is by coming down here and gobbling up some of that potential. The nastier ones aren't very discerning about how they do it and that causes problems. The conflict between the Dreamheart and the Empyrean tends to really bugger stuff up, too, but thankfully the Nexus has been spared the worst of it."

She gives a little frown.

"Sorry about your world getting messed up. That's gotta really suck."

Messed up worlds are just the worst.

Then comes talk of gods, monsters, heroes, and battle, to which Zee laughs. "Hehe, I tend to make friends easier than enemies. I've had a few enemies over the years but they're all gone and I'm still here. There's this really annoying fae that keeps cropping up, though. Not really a threat to me but keeps targeting people here at Trog's which I will absolutely not abide."

[Aurora Alchemi]

[Quiet Respite]

Reuma frowns softly. "H-have control over what?" Though, Reinholdt seems content to move on, so the Pronghorn doesn't press the matter too hard. Reuma frowns harder as the caretaker starts to move out of the simple question, and into the full doctor mode. She doesn't press too hard at it though. "N-no doctor. Honestly, I'm better then I look, really.. j-just... give me thirty minutes." There is an air of accepting defeat though, and the tired healer does lean back as instructed. The faun doesn't even attempt to make Reinholdt stay, even as his steps toward the door make her ears flick downward.

At least Maxson's hasty, stepping over himself line of questions gives the healer a few giggles, a fresh round of soothing magic rushing through the room. "Who's looking good in that way, Maxson? It sounds almost like you are thinking about grabbing a bit of both tails." The whisper weak voice can't help but rib the loveable werewolf a little, though Rein's next 'doctors order' makes the poor faun flush and fall completely silent. But, again, there is a hint of relinquishing the fight in her body language, as she heaves herself upright a little more, turning back to Maxson and curse runes brightly in the open. "Ok... t-thanks Rein, hurry back..."

The pronghorn's ears flick backwards to better listen to Maxson's voice, and there is a few moments where it seems like she has to mull over and consider the question. "He's... a lot like you, a-actually. The only difference I can see is that m-maybe he's a bit more forward. Probably from his past... He had to basically run from an obsessive supposed to be wife, ended up learning a lot of independence while working as a mercenary. Maybe because you had such a family, and he had to give up his family, he was able to be a little more honest with himself in some ways? We met and hit it off pretty quick, the imprint happened super fast, though it took maybe a week for him to figure it out. By that time, Signe had managed to get drunk at a celebration trying to win against Tuuli, get me a bit drunk, then take me home and sleep with me, ahah. 'Course, my Signe sounds a lot less... uh... nice then yours." Reuma sighs somewhat.

"She had a really big drinking problem, wasn't much honest with herself, even managed to hurt me a few times here and there... But at the same time it was worth helping her. I'd do it again, even with someone different than her. But you were a rock for us. You kept us safe while I was weening Signe off the bottle, got everything organized for the three of us to get hitched, kept a good flow of jobs coming in, and even helped me track down a whole lot of the old Lyrri lore and writings." Reuma smiles softly, the fond memories sparking and popping through the weakened state, refreshing the both of them.

"Probably the best time was just after the kitsune and ulfen peace got threatened by a usurpation plot against the kitsune queen. I got swept up in one of my little flings and fancies, never even realized that the person taking me home might have ill intent. I was on a hot track toward being separatist fox ritual components, haha. But you and Signe both were like the spirits of the old woods; you both came in and took a whole kitsune camp by yourselves, fighting so effectively in your combined passion to get me safe that even the churchhands Amare sent to collect me and keep me 'safe' didn't get to say I would be safer in one of the churches than in the both of your arms." Reuma speaks candidly, somehow managing to show that while one or the other of the ulfen was good, the pair of them worked together even better to keep her loved and safe. Beyond that, there were also some hints of the open, flowing nature of lyrri relationships, something that perhaps never got to come to light when they were bogged down by the rigors of a modern combat environment, and the expectations of a whole patrol.

But it'll take a minute before Maxson can circle back and ask about that side of the Lyrri; Reuma has her own questions. "Your... your combat group? I-it didn't happen to be a part of more than just an ulfen army?" Reuma's fingers reach out, finding the familiar form and feeling of her mask, tracing the soft curls of gold. "Commander Steel, Big John, sharpshooter Karl, and the little noobie, eddie? T-those names sound familiar? They were t-the group I was with when we were ambushed at the gates of stone, after my commendation for the healing at the searing straights. I always felt that if we had been better ready, they might have lived... They gave me this mask, treated me very well despite how young I was, and how I was little more than a servant..." There is a hint of hope in the voice, of stories that had left their mark in the little healer, regrets that she hoped ended differently. As well as a little downplay; at the searing straights, Reuma had healed no less then fourty men in a single day, turning the tide of that battle by herself, and it was a moment that defined respect for her among the human armies that jostled her about in the other world.

[Masquerade of Eyes]

"Oh, let us see..." The witch takes another sip of wine, along with a soft sniff, then chooses five or six cheeses that would pair well. As for the meat... "Perhaps some cured sausage... and maybe, if it comes that way, some thin shaved, dried bamhacon." It's not an unreasonable ask, and makes for a decent charcuterie board when combined with a bit of the standard bar nuts and some of the drink garnishes like olives and pickles. Ukry also produces a few bits of what smells like freshly baked bread, pulled from a different space and time by way of an offering to the witch of faces. Laughably, the bread does seem to have been blessed, even though it was given to a witch.

The witch nods softly in acceptance of the warning. It's pretty clear that Ukry isn't out to make enemies, or for that matter even really to make waves. There were rumors of a small section of skyside coming under their control, but that was mostly out of trying to stabilize a small region so that the witch might make a more stable base of operations. "You would be right at winged and ladies, however they function more as self acclaimed deities. They never were able to fully control things from beyond the veil of worlds, and frankly were fairly prone to mistakes as deities. The one who held dominion over our people, for example, managed to make the decline and eventual extinction of our species more rapid while seeking to end it and protect the satyrlyrri." The witch gives a soft, bitter chuckle. Amare had wronged them in many ways, in a certain frame of reference was directly responsible for much of the trauma and heartache that had shaped the witch from a simple magical prodigy into a horrific being that didn't even like the way it was.

Much in the same way that Zee did not like the idea of hurting the Nexus due to what they did, Ukry did not like the idea of being the witch of faces... But the alternative was, at least for much of their life, simply to wither and die in a world where the lyrri's soul no longer made it to a worthy end. Perhaps now there was a different path, but the witch suffered from being old, and the idea of being more curse than person had set itself deeply. There was the first hints of another path forming, by virtue of an unlikely cat being more accepting of them than most, but it would take a long time for that seed to blossom, if it ever did. "Interesting. There really is a strange amount of harmony here, in our respective differences. You claim to be essentially changeless, while we are more change and mutability than creature at this point. It is a shame to hear of your people's conflicts, however. It seems to be an unfortunate endpoint in all groups that conflict happens. It feels like almost just yesterday that we were hunted by a goddess in the name of a fruitless crusade, heh." The tone speaks of commiseration for peace; while Zee sought to protect a fragile peace, Ukry seemed only to seek that peace out, something which had often eluded the cursed creature in their long life.

As for the talk of broken worlds, Ukry offers only a sad nod. In a way, the witch understood that as it was currently, that world had no good way to progress, and was ultimately doomed. With the very creatures in charge of shepherding the dead not doing their job, it would slowly collapse and corrupt, and eventually each caretaker would fall like a domino; first the lyrri, ending the form of the great wild spaces, then perhaps the lapin, ending the stability of the elements. Eventually only the Ulfen and the Kitsune would remain, in a cruel oroboros of the undead and the undying, fighting until nothing remains except the dregs to be swallowed by the void outside of worlds. "Luckily, we can claim the same. Although we are sure new enemies will come some day. What of this fae then? What makes them such a thorn?"

[Rebonack]

[Masquerade of Eyes]

The blessedness of the breath, honestly, would be completely unnoticed to Zee-

-if not for the fact that the detail is apparently important enough for the story to include it.

Now that makes her curious.

Why would this spooky witch have blessed bread?

Zee ponders that while she assembles the rest of the food to go along with the cheese and wine. Before long, Ukry has quite the little spread!

"So people who think theirs is the only Path and that inflicting it on others is right and just? That sort of deity?" Zee asks, her tone taking on a slight edge which suggests she has met these sorts of entities before. "That... huuu... People like that usually think they're doing good. They mean well. But perspectives are often so skewed that 'helping' is anything but. The strongest of my kind, the Twenty-Four Elders, are all absolutely alien in their thought process compared to what regular old people are like. Thankfully they don't typically get involved down here."

She wrinkles her nose a bit.

that had shaped the witch from a simple magical prodigy into a horrific being that didn't even like the way it was.

Hey now that's a detail.

So focused is she on the implication there that she only half-recognizes the rest of what's being said.

"Oh, huh? Sorry. Things born of the Dreamlands. Dreams and nightmares and beliefs given form that erode reality like termites in the foundation of a house. Though, hehe, I'll admit that the more malign empyreans aren't much better, from the perspective of the mortals they're hurting. It's..." Zee pauses here briefly, looking vaguely pained even thinking about this. "We call it The Eternal Game. The twin realms of the Dreamlands and the Waking World arise out of the confluence between the Dreamheart and the Empyrean. Absolute reality touches primordial creative potential and worlds are born. A place with both form and essence, where both change and stability are possible. There's a push and pull between the two sides, trying to shove back that line in the sand. And when one side wins the Game."

She makes a popping sound with her mouth.

"Just like the bubble. And a new line gets drawn and the Eternal Game continues to turn, heedless of all the lives caught in the crossfire."

Oh yeah, there's that sad look.

"It never gets really bad because the world doesn't survive. And the people in the next match don't remember. This place, though? This Nexus? I don't think it can pop. It feels alive, in its own weird way. It's a place where those of us from both sides who hate what the Game does to people can try to force a stalemate."

A blink.

"Oh, wait, haha, that isn't what you were asking about at all, was it? Sorry I was... focusing on something else. The thing bugging the tavern is this... fox mask. With no eye holes. If someone puts it on the spirit possess them and traps their mind or... something? I'm not clear on the details. Only that it has harmed some of my guests and I am one hundred percent not okay with that. It has come back a few times but so far I've been able to prevent it from nabbing anyone else."

[Reinholdt]

[Quiet Respite]

Reinholdt just raises an eyebrow at Maxson. What the hell does he mean 'he doesn't mean it like that'? He literally said he knew some back rub techniques for combat stress dealing... whatever that means. Is he saying he can only do it during combat? That's dumb. It can't be that.

Whatever, Rein's got to get this antivenom. He's not waiting thirty minutes to see if Reuma makes it just fine, no really. So he heads downstairs and bribes his way into the kitchen. Shouldn't be back there, sure. Who knows what Zee will say? But he's all about getting places he shouldn't be. So this works really. Finally feels in his element, rather than trying to pretend to be a doctor.

He's had enough field experience to know which herbs are amazingly useful ground up and mixed with vinegar, the highest proof alcohol they have and... nah. He's just going to go to the adventurer's kit he knows Paige keeps back here. He'll replace it later. While he's down here though, he also collects the food and drink that Reuma's been asking for. Sure, Rein's also illegally spiking said food with a mild sedative. But he's also never met a more stubborn person trying to overwork themselves to death.

Those tasks done, Reinholdt returns to the room upstairs, walking in on the tail end of the conversation. Something about a mask, but he lacks the context to judge what was being said. What he can judge is Maxson. "Why the heck aren't your hands all over Reuma's back? I thought I told you to rub her down." He frowns with disappointment at the Ulfen. Shame! "Well don't just blush there, get up here and get started!"

Setting the tray of food down on the nightstand beside Reuma, he kneels beside her to offer help getting her to lean up. "Drink this, all of it," He says, offering her the foul smelling anti-venom. It tastes just as bad too.

[5a Violista]

"Or maybe with enough Junes in one place they'll be able to take an entire month hostage? That would throw off everyone's calendars and make it really hard to keep track of holidays. 'Unless you give me one hundred billion dollars Talk Like a Pirate day will never fall during the same season two years in a row again!'"

That would probably be pretty silly and is likely not the real reason.

"I suppose if it isn't actually sinister then it wouldn't be so bad. Mom was honestly just trying to help. I think part of the idea was that she would be able to use me to get some measure of perspective so she can help better? It isn't like she can just come here and do stuff herself; I don't know if she would even be able to fit in reality. If she did it would be apocalyptic," Zee says, making a 'blowing up' gesture with her hands. "And we don't know if all you Junes are here for a sinister reason. But there's definitely some sort of connection for sure."

"Yeah, that would be a serious problem," June says. Taking a whole month hostage? "Even worse than never knowing when you need to talk like a pirate, whoever does that could make Thanksmas and Spooktober and who-knows-what-else all start a whole month earlier and earlier and earlier until they stretch out ofr the whole year."

As silly and not-real of a reason that would be, it could still be disastrous. Somehow. In some way.

"Okay."
June lies her head on the bar.
"You said you did know why you were here." She rolls her head to face the left. "And it sounds like it was for a decent, reasonable-in-theory reason." June rolls her head to face right. "Okay, I'm thinking 'maybe it would be better to know' is preferable to 'stuck here knowing there's some weird connection but not knowing if it's sinister or not'. Sure, it could be completely benign, but what if it's actually some weird mail-order bride scheme? That'd be awful," she says, trying to word the awful sinister possibilities in as humorous a way as possible.

[Painted World?]

The giant steps forward and points firmly at the ground, clutching that same cloth talisman in its hand, staring at June intently. After a moment's silence, he'll raise his hand, a lightning bolt materializing around it, which he then proceeds to hurl in June's direction.

[Painted World]

Considering how fast lightning travels, it hits June a full 59.95 milliseconds before her reaction time allows her to react.
Well, that's not quite true.
Given that she saw the giant wind up a throw, she actually has a few seconds to try to get out of the way. Running and diving doesn't really get her nearly far enough.

Unfortunately, that's still not enough time given lightning's blast radius. Sure, she manages to not get directly hit by it, and she's pretty lucky that she's not also wet, but she doesn't manage to get anywhere close to a safe distance from the exploding air, or the shrapnel, or the electrically charged burning air, or...well, anything else. Plus, the thunderclap.

June lays unmoving on the ground, face-down.

[Ironsmith]

[Painted World]

The giant raises its hand to conjure another bolt of lightning, but stops when it sees that June isn't moving. Is... is that it? Did it manage to kill her that quickly?

Weird. It expected her to put up more of a fight. Maybe it got lucky?

The giant steps forward and gently nudges June's body with the toe of its stone boot, looking down at her to see if and how she reacts.

Victory?

[Artemis97]

Meanwhile!

"Ah! Yes, right, the fellow you had mentioned earlier," Fenris replies with a nod. "I had arrived myself through a rather unusual wayshrine. I had assumed it was part of the network created by the snow elves, but it appears as though it was designed to bridge from one world to another. I've managed to rule out that this place is one of the known planets adrift in Aetherius, so either the cosmos is far more vast than we knew or this is something else entirely. Both possibilities are equally tantalizing."

"Goodness, could this be another planet?" Jessamine wonders.

Johnathan shrugs. "or another realm or domain."

"Hmm... hard to say." his sister agrees. " The stars, they weren't the same as at home."

[Rebonack]

"Mostly reasonable reason," Zee replies. "In theory."

She still isn't exactly happy about it but hey what's done is done, right?

Wishing what could be is pointless.

You must move forward with what you have and carve your own path.

"I think most of the time knowing what's up is better than not knowing, even if what's up is pretty bad. Then you can plan. You can try to make things better. So!"

Zee plunks her head down on the counter too since that is apparently what they're doing now.

"How do we start figuring out why you're here? I've bumped into other Junes before, maybe I can start asking them if they know why they're here? I can definitely say one thing for sure. Of those I've seen they seemed like they were, at first all the same. Even the one that was a guy was pretty androgynous. BUT! Pretty quickly. It seems like you've all gotten different. Mostly. I don't know about Seraphina, though, I haven't actually met her yet and I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be poking around near an exploded demon."

Demons are just the worst.

Meanwhile!

"The familiar constellations aren't present here, I noticed this too yes," Fenris replies with a nod. "And I did make a search of the sky once I realized how different they are. This is a curious point, by matter of fact. It is through the stars that conjuration functions and I know for a fact that summoning spells still operate normally here. Which is fascinating, I must admit. I am by no means an expert conjurer but I am at least competent."

Then comes a laugh.

"Ah, that is neither here nor there, is it? Merely another curiosity of this plane. Planet. Whatever it truly is."

[ResidentScribe]

[Quiet Respite]

Maxson turned to face Reuma as she mentioned grabbing tails, he tried to say something but couldn't form the words to reply. He wasn't sure what to expect when Reuma told him about her Maxson, her world in general, Signe being the troubled one in the dynamic, it almost didn't sound believable but then again, his story probably didn't sound any more believable to Reuma. "So, Signe and I switched roles." He chuckled as he tripped his head back "I'm the troublesome one this time." He added before looking back at the Faun. "Your Maxson sounds like the kind of person I'd want to be... if I'm to be honest." He rubbed his shoulder before looking down. "I've made mistakes, I should have done things when I had the chance. I don't know if I necessarily deserve a second chance but, I am glad I got one."

The large Ulfen tilted his head as Reuma started listing out names, he took a moment to think before replying. "The names ring a bell, but I think it’s from my Reuma telling us about them, from what I heard they were still alive, Reuma was just reassigned she wanted to help civilians more than patch up war wounds and, I couldn't blame her." He nodded before practically leaping out of his skin when Rein returned. "We were just talking!" he blurted out before getting up. After helping Reuma to shuffle forward a little, Maxson set himself down behind her on the bed. He took a moment to rub his hands together, warming them up before gently pressing them to Reuma's lower back. "Signe always teased me for taking these classes, said I was only doing this to pick up the ladies... she never complained when I used them on her." He muttered to no one in particular as he started to work his fingers up and around Reuma's spine. "Just, let me know if anywhere is particularly tender or sore." He added as he worked. Maxson’s focus was broken for a moment as the antivenom was passed over, even he from the distance he was at could smell how bad it was.

[5a Violista]

"Yeah, you're right," June tells Zee. Planning, making things better, etc.

Since Zee's head is now plonked on the bar, too, June stops rolling her own head back and forth because she needs to look at her now.
"Ah, yes, the classic question, 'Why are you here?' Yeah, I could see a barmaid asking people that as they come in."

She seriously thinks about that.
"Well, if one of them does know something, then that would definitely be the easiest ways to find out." It only takes a little more thought, when June suddenly says, "And if it is some sort of experiment, then there's got to be some sort of control group, right? So it's conceivable that someone would be aware. Or, even if not, then maybe some clues are scattered around and someone could piece them together if they know enough."

Speaking of clues! June waves the tip of her tail and one of the lower hands. "Actually, I was a guy, too... Androgynous would be accurate, before getting these. Still might be? But I know basically nothing about snake biology and it's easier to just wear dresses and present female."

More importantly, "Yeah, exploded demons sound dangerous."


[Painted World]

The giant was, of course, incredibly lucky. There's no possible way she could have lost otherwise.

June doesn't move when nudged.

Maybe the giant should discharge the lightning bolt first? And then check for arrhythmia, because apparently that happens a lot after getting hit by lightning. Bend down, get close, feel for a heartbeat and check for breathing. Of course, that might be hard to do while wearing that stone armor, so maybe the giant should take that off first.
But doing that would be incredibly stupid, because she clearly had a gun earlier and pretending to be dead is totally something she might do.
Well, maybe the giant could figure this out by putting an ear to the ground and listening for a heartbeat, and then have somebody shoot her a couple of times to check for a reaction, and then, just to be sure, grab a road sign. It's the only way to be sure.

Too bad this didn't happen in the arena, because now the giant will always be known as the person who lost and never got the chance for a real rematch.

[Aurora Alchemi]

[The Masquerade of Eyes]

Ukry gives a soft chuckle at the idea of deities and ideals, given that they are such ivory pillars as it stands. "Indeed, it takes... a little more touch with things to keep oneself grounded. We suspect that is part of why you choose to be here in this place, just like how we choose where to place the doors to our own sanctum throughout the world. When we arrived, we spent a decent amount of our time working to understand a little of each area, to become in touch with the way the world has changed." Truthfully, Ukry had spent a large amount of effort on that aspect, though to say decent amount of time might be somewhat exaggerating compared to the old witch's age and experience. Perhaps that what made Ukry so much less inclined to completely abusing the power they had learned; while it might be easier to be feared or completely control others, that would make them no better then the damnable beings that lorded over their people and took everything from them.

The gazelle's ears flick slightly as Zee pivots, at least for a moment, into more detail about the conflicts. The subject seems to bring a sparkle to the witch's eyes, a flash of curse leaking from beyond the mask for mere moments. "Mmmh. We cannot say we entirely believe that is less bad than our own world. True, a dead end is a dead end either way, but there is at least some mote of justice in the monument still existing as a call to what once was and could have been." There is a moment of sadness in the voice, the creature admitting that while both ends were awful, the idea that simply erasing what was didn't seem any better to them. "Perhaps then what we both want is a stalemate anyways. If peace is not a true option, the best choice then would be to limit the damage spread and prevent it from warping the lives of the ordinary too much." Or, put a different way; for the life to endure beyond the hardships placed upon it by the supernatural, something that Ukry themselves had quite a bit of experience in.

"We've noticed this quality you speak of as well, however." Ukry motions rather vaguely, as if to imply the nexus as a whole, while picking up some food and snacking some. It probably would have looked fine, except the lazy roll of the hand was double jointed in a way that would be very uncomfortable for a normal person, one of the notable qualities of Ukry's mask wearing habits. "It's not that one can't change the world, but more that the world's weave seems to accept all changes without conflict. It's strange, but seems to leave the idea of paradox at the door. What occurs to each individual seems to be more of a function of their own choices and fate, rather than influence of the rules in the background. Almost intentionally so." Ukry sips a bit more wine thoughtfully. "It makes us wonder who made this place, as it definitely feels made to us, and what they wanted to do or why they wanted to run such that a background of perfectly immutable possibility was necessary. It's... intriguing, and clever, a world where every possibility is concrete at the exclusion of no possibilities." Ukry pauses softly, wondering what the plethora of authors in this world's weave might have to say about one reading their runes and winding their lores together in such a complicated tapestry.

But, backing away from the metaphysical discussion, Zee has finally managed to get to explaining the fae, and that explanation is enough to bring Ukry back to ground levels of thought. "A mask controlling those who it is upon? How interesting..." There is a soft hint of the witch's less savory backstory there, the creature who's mind hungers for new and varied knowledge and magic considering who might control who in a contest between a mask and a mask maker. Of course, the old witch was more careful then that now, but a younger, more broken, hurt, and savage Ukry might have decided to peel that mask apart and examine it's insides. "What purpose does it have with controlling them, we have to wonder? We could attempt some things, but it would depend on what the mask is after. Were it simply looking for a host, we might be able to..." Ukry pauses before suggesting making the mask a body to possess. Why hadn't they done the same thing to try and make a mask? Ukry feels a bit of conflict for a moment, before burying the emotion like so many others. "Craft a less harmful solution. But if the mask were truly malevolent or irredeemable... Well, we try not to get our hands that dirty anymore." Ukry nods softly, pushing away the prospect of unweaving another creature. That was a dark place in many more ways than just the death of the creature.

"We are willing, at least, to try and help. We've yet to find a mask that can best us." There is a soft chuckle, only slightly hiding the ancient memory of a younger, more foolish cursed being fighting a mighty Ulfen warrior filled with all the rage of protecting another. "And we are assuming, of course, that you have already tried most peaceful options yourself. You do seem to have a fair degree of competency in wisdom, from what we can tell, given how you treat the world. It's... rather refreshing, actually. We are too used to those unbound by normal rules not having the decency to consider restraint." Indeed, perhaps they themselves could use a little more restraint in matters once necessary for survival, given that this new world had so much potential.

[Quiet Respite]

Reuma smiles softly as Maxson comments on his new second chance, but doesn't comment on it. It's more pleasant just to hear that he might be considering having a more positive outlook on his life moving forward. And of course, she would definitely be able to help him move forward herself. Just as soon as she could calm this dang throbbing in her ears down. The rest of Maxson's reply gives her some hope that the old unit made it out. True, they were technically her owners at one point, but they hadn't abused her quite like some of the later bosses and owners. But then Reinholdt was back, and yet another sign of how poor condition the pronghorn was in arose, as Rein's voice brings a jolt to the poor healer and the healer nearly falls off the bed. Luckily enough for her, the pair of men were probably paying more attention to each other so she could save face as she pushed herself back fully onto the bed. "W-welcome back Rein... It's not his fault, I-i was being distracting, haha..."

Then, out of the swimming haze of the edge of the room, Rein materializes, setting a nice spread of food onto the night stand, then kneeling and helping support the weak healer. At first there is a look of indignation for just a second, but as soon as Rein places a hand to help adjust her shoulder, Reuma feels the energy leave her body, voice cracking entirely, leaning into the support as the vial of antivenom is brought out. It doesn't even register as bad smelling to the healer, who's senses have taken a back foot as a way to deal with the exhaustion. It's thick enough that the healer gags slightly on it, but the little faun manages to choke it down like a baby drinking a bottle. "T-tastes like... bland earwax? Thank y-you..." There is a hint of confusion in the voice, as if Reuma knew the concoction should taste more foul.

By the time Reuma has finished drinking, it finally registers that Maxson has come over and seated himself onto the bed, and has pulled her back slightly so that his hands can start working. It's a rough start; Reuma's whole back feels like it's been tensed and clenched for days. The rub has the secondary effect of sapping whatever little resistance was left, the lightweight medic accidently slumping slightly into a lean against Reinholdt with a soft sigh. "Nhyh... e-everything..." It's almost as if the pronghorn is a game of operation, spots with knots the size of a fist illict pained groans, while the rest of the sore flesh makes the little doe softly whimper in half-aching relief. For the first time in a while, Reuma was simply letting someone else take care of things, and it felt nice. Then, about a minute into the motions, the antivenom seems to kick in.

It's pretty obvious, not because of anything magic about the antivenom, but rather because of what it releases from the healer's body. Long, crackling red sparks and flares erupt involuntarily from the wound on Reuma's shoulder, the magical shoring that the healer put in place to help the wound breaking and bursting energetically as the antivenom removes what the magic was fighting. It's loud, and surprising, but as each burst of magic leaves the wound, the bruising and ugly nature of the injury seems to fade a little, almost like a week of healing in fast forward. Sadly the progress doesn't last too long, and now the angry purple of the wound settles into a slower regeneration more typical of the healer's passive magic. There is a soft 'guh' sound from Reuma, and the healer nearly throws up, as the taste of the antivenom hits her like a thug with a 2x4. "o-oh, there it is."

Of course, the magic leaving her succeeds in draining her a little more, and Reuma closes her eyes, reaching out for something to steady herself with one hand as the other searches for a bit of water to drink. It's all a rather pathetic state to be in. Fortunately, whether by another's aide or not, Reuma does manage to grab a glass of cool water, and succeeds in getting about half down her throat in thirsty gulps, the other half trickling down over her chest wrap and pooling slightly between her before soaking into her skirt. A whisper thin, weak voice mumbles just barely above the break point of sound. "O-ok, m-maybe I'm worse than i-i thought... thank you both" There is a trembling waver of appreciation based empathetic magic that sparks in the softest little fuzz on the healer's horns, but it's like an engine running on fumes, and does little more than flicker and feel nice, as opposed to the waves of empathetic healing seen previously. " F-food... smells good... where is it?"

[Rebonack]

"Yep, definitely right," Zee agrees very definitively, crossing her arms and shaking her head yes which is hard since she has her head on the counter right now but Zee is dedicated to this thing now and she isn't about to give up on it. "I ask people that question all the time; it's a great question. Most of the time the answer is 'to get a drink' but every now and again I get one that's really profound. It's the little things like that which makes this job worth while."

But really mostly people are just there for drinks.

At the talk of science experiments Zee thinks it is very important to add, "But the scientist doing this might be a mad scientist. Everyone knows that mad scientists don't use proper control groups for their experiments."

Very true!

As opposed to mad engineers who create death rays and genetic abominations.

"I know at least one of the Junes is female and-"

A beat.

"Oh, huh. She just got hit by lightning. Hang on a sec I'm definitely not going back in time," Zee says as she ducks behind the counter. Should June perk up a bit and lean over the counter to check Zee is still there, just crouched down where she can't be seen easily. She'll shush June and make shooing motions with one hand if she's looking.

[Painted World]

"VICTORY!" Zee announces rather abruptly as she zoops in out of nowhere* and aims to plant a kick right in the middle of the giant's chest, allowing a not inconsiderable fraction of her hidden mass to come into play. Considering that the Perfectly Normal Human Female's actual mass is somewhere on the order of hahahahahaha there's quite a bit of force behind that punt. Likely enough to sending the giant bouncing across the street and into whatever physical impediment happens to be in the way.

No doubt this means that Zee is breaking the rules.

But you know what they say!

If you can break a rule then it isn't a rule, it's a suggestion.

Zee is pretty sure she clobbered that giant hard enough that getting up again will be pretty unpleasant, so hopefully it doesn't decide to start throwing lightning at her as well otherwise there will be some words. So! That means she's checking June's vitals. Heart beat, breathing, signs of electrical burns, fun stuff. If need be she'll begin performing first aid and if that seems insufficient then she can try to some esoteric solutions but, like always, she would prefer to avoid doing that unless absolutely required.

*(not actually nowhere she came from somewhere since nowhere is nowhere else)


[The Masquerade of Eyes]

Grounded.

Heh.

That's a way to put it, for sure.

"Alienation is the word the Watchers use, I... think..." Zee says, wrinkling her nose a bit. "I know I was involved with the church before... this-"

She waves vaguely at the rest of her all curled up elsewhere.

"I had to be. But it's all weirdly hazy. Trying to remember specifics from before the Nexus feels like trying to eat soup with a fork. Still need to figure out what the deal with that is," she admits with a sigh, crossing her arms and leaning back against the spirits cabinet. "Anyway, alienation. Loss of a mortal perspective on things! Not great when loss of perspective means you start acting dangerous because you just don't think the same way anymore. Being around people and interacting with them on a very normal basis helps a ton, yeah. That's the main reason I don't spend all my time being shiny and all-"

"-DO NOT BE AFRAID-"

"-because Imma be level with you? People are still afraid even when you lead with that. They just usually aren't panicking. So yeah, if you're some really out there thing best bet is to live mortal around mortals to keep the alienation from getting too bad. If you're surrounded by people, by friends, they can tell you when you're acting differently and call you on it. Because if you start slipping you'll be the last one to notice until you're eating cities or whatever."

Zee would like very much not to go all kaiju and begin eating cities.

"But... yeah... I guess, all else being equal? Stalemate is good. Especially since the alternative is either getting yanked into the heavens or utterly dissolved into the Dreamheart. Very much end of the world wailing. Except, y'know, real. Or as real as any of this stuff is, I guess? Typical empyrean propaganda is that we're saving all those people that get drawn into the heavens. Or the ones where some aspect of their personality survives the process, anyway. But if you're as insightful as I think you are then you've probably noticed the whole no soul thing I've got going on. I know for a fact that nearly everyone considers souls to be pretty important so if they get annihilated by the Searing Light of Truth then... what are those people afterwards? What am I? Just a hollow copy of someone who's about as dead dead as a person can possibly be?"

That gets a frown out of her. Then a laugh.

"Hah. I doubt I'll ever totally get over this existential crisis nonsense. Barring the aforementioned alienation but wow I sure hope not. Sorry about being rambly this just seems like a really rambly subject. I guess for what it's worth us empyreans remember the old worlds. We've got a record of 'em. Good for making predictions and projections and stuff. I don't think the Dreamheart really remembers anything since... well... a memory is a distinct thing and the Dreamheart is kinda overtly hostile to distinct things."

A beat or two.

"Hey, you don't think it's possible to do some sort of refresh on your world, is it? Like there's a bunch of broken stuff and it sounds like something of a dumpster fire? Or... I guess there were distinct groups of people who had specific jobs and they either died, died horrible, or have gone crazy in a lot of cases? If I'm reading this right? And so since they aren't doing their jobs stuff is just kind of falling apart?"

She's pretty sure that is more or less what Ukry was saying. Zee really can't help it. To bind up, to strengthen, she can't help but be what she is. Even if it's impossible to heal the gazelle's world Zee has to ask.

But the Nexus?

Oh, there's a beautiful thing.

"It started as a battle ground between gods, the Nexus I mean," Zee says, her tone a little wistful. "People watched. And in the aftermath they put down roots. Restaurants and temples. This bar was one of the first. Not the first but probably the most enduring. People came and went. The City and countryside spread around it. Organizations arose and died. And I think, through everything, the core purpose of whatever this is has never really changed. It looks for stories. Craves them. Needs them. It finds people and sets them on collision courses with each other because the story of their meeting will be grand. What are the chances of someone like you and me meeting, people from completely different cosmologies? Pretty slim. But Nexus Serendipity ensures it happens because 'hey Urky and Zee meet each other, what comes of it?'"

Lots of words.

Lots of words is what comes of it.

"But how would such conflicting cosmologies mingle? Opposing systems of magic? Definitions of the soul and spirit and mind and heart? Mutually exclusive physical laws? Wildly divergent languages? The Nexus just makes it work. Concentrates all the not workness is this 'fun' place called Everfree Park which I would strongly discourage ever visiting since that place is literally a lethal maelstrom of paradoxes."

Sounds like a real happening place.

At the talk of Foxmask Zee is...

Not annoyed.

Just....

Ugh...

"I tried talking to her. 'Hey please stop eating my guests'. She didn't seem inclined to indulge me and unfortunately her... whatever she is... is pretty persistently come-back-y. She isn't a fae from my home cosmology, that much I know for sure. Her mode of thinking is... neeeh I don't think she's stupid but her grasp of how anything out here actually works is pretty tentative. She thought buckets of soapy water would repel me because..."

She wrinkles her nose is consternation.

"Honestly I have no idea. Because cleaning supplies?"

Was Foxmask watching the Watchers and managed to completely, one hundred percent misinterpret everything they do? Possible?

"But yeah she kidnapped one of my patrons on her second visit. After rescuing said patron I turned her little pocket dimension into a sea of boiling glass and I was pretty confident that would resolve the problem but apparently not. Most recently she tried to mind control some sloths and bite me with a shrub."

Half a smirk from Zee here.

"Sooo she isn't exactly on the A-List of villains but she keeps threatening people under the protection of my hospitality and I can one hundred percent not allow that. I think part of the problem is that the mask is more of a conduit than anything else. This entity might be a spirit? Maybe? I don't exactly get fae. They are wholly unlike me. And whatever Foxmask is? Is REALLY unlike me. I don't know what she is or where she comes from just that every now and again the adventurers who frequent the tavern show up with one of her trinkets and things go downhill from there."

[Ironsmith]

[Painted World]

The giant was, of course, incredibly lucky. There's no possible way she could have lost otherwise.

June doesn't move when nudged.

Maybe the giant should discharge the lightning bolt first? And then check for arrhythmia, because apparently that happens a lot after getting hit by lightning. Bend down, get close, feel for a heartbeat and check for breathing. Of course, that might be hard to do while wearing that stone armor, so maybe the giant should take that off first.
But doing that would be incredibly stupid, because she clearly had a gun earlier and pretending to be dead is totally something she might do.
Well, maybe the giant could figure this out by putting an ear to the ground and listening for a heartbeat, and then have somebody shoot her a couple of times to check for a reaction, and then, just to be sure, grab a road sign. It's the only way to be sure.

Too bad this didn't happen in the arena, because now the giant will always be known as the person who lost and never got the chance for a real rematch.

[Painted World]

"VICTORY!" Zee announces rather abruptly as she zoops in out of nowhere* and aims to plant a kick right in the middle of the giant's chest, allowing a not inconsiderable fraction of her hidden mass to come into play. Considering that the Perfectly Normal Human Female's actual mass is somewhere on the order of hahahahahaha there's quite a bit of force behind that punt. Likely enough to sending the giant bouncing across the street and into whatever physical impediment happens to be in the way.

No doubt this means that Zee is breaking the rules.

But you know what they say!

If you can break a rule then it isn't a rule, it's a suggestion.

Zee is pretty sure she clobbered that giant hard enough that getting up again will be pretty unpleasant, so hopefully it doesn't decide to start throwing lightning at her as well otherwise there will be some words. So! That means she's checking June's vitals. Heart beat, breathing, signs of electrical burns, fun stuff. If need be she'll begin performing first aid and if that seems insufficient then she can try to some esoteric solutions but, like always, she would prefer to avoid doing that unless absolutely required.

*(not actually nowhere she came from somewhere since nowhere is nowhere else)

[Painted World]

Zee manages to get the giant to do something June hadn't; vocalize.

Granted, it's not likely she's going to get to appreciate the magnitude of this achievement, given the quietness of the moan and the distance the giant's traveled. It's probably more impressive that it's gone through seven or eight houses (and Trog's*) anyway.

YOU DIED

The giant's going to need a few minutes to come back from that one.

But it is coming back. That much Zee and June can both be certain of.

Try getting up
Don't give up!
Amazing boss ahead!

[5a Violista]

A scientist who doesn't use proper science isn't a mad scientist, just a bad scientist. Mad engineers, at least, still use proper engineering.

June opens her mouth, about to say something, but then apparently not-time-travel happens.
So she's left there contemplating how getting hit by lightning happened, in a bathroom.

Eventually, though, curiosity grows and June wants to look what 'not going back in time looks like' and gets up and leans forward, to check where Zee went, because it'd be pretty cool to see a time travel portal, right?
Turns out not time-travelling is exactly as disappointing as it sounds like.
She opens her mouth again, but is shushed.
Okay.
This is a little weird.
She decides to busy herself with lemonade in the meantime.

[Painted World]

Vitals are checked!
The heartbeat is incredibly irregular, spasming, being unable to pump any blood, and growing weaker and weaker.
No breathing either.
Definitely has electrical burns; internal ones, too. No signs of brain activity, either.
Even the gun was messed up by the lightning. Seems like it made some of the bullets go off on their own.

100% dead.
Well, 99% mostly dead.

Spoiler

Show

"You're pretty dumb, aren't you?"
June hears a voice that sounds familiar, but she can't put her finger on it. She opens her eyes and sees... she's not sure what. Looks like a large, dark void, there's a couple pillars here and a throne, and there's a silhouette...ah, that's where the voice came from. She can't tell details, but...well, between all the wings and arms and the fact that there's basically no light...she can't exactly tell how many there are of each.

"You're dumb. You're weak. You've never accomplished anything yourself, always depending on someone else."
June wants to protest, but can't find her voice, or even the strength to move.
"Wanessa. Venus. Raril. Zee. Jedrek."
Oh.
Right.
"You're useless."

But if this takes too long, Zee might end up interfering.
So, June hears that familiar voice speak once again. "I can help you, though. But I'm not patient. You have to decide right now."
How, though? June can't move, let alone speak.
"You just have to say 'I accept'."

Luckily, there's a difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive.

After spasming enough, the heart eventually aligns its contractions, even though it's weak and arrhythmic. Just enough of it is oxygenated enough that brain activity and breathing start up again, and regular first aid ought to be enough.

June opens her eyes, and sees Zee.
Although her voice is still weak, the first thing she asks is, "Hey, that vampire kid...where is he? Is he okay?"

Moments later, after a realization that it's way too quiet, she asks, "Venus! Is she okay? I can't hear her! What happened?"
Well, she (June, not Venus) did get hit by magical lightning. That's what happened.

[Rebonack]

There's probably an important reason Zee ducked out of sight like that before she went not time traveling.

Maybe.

Possibly?

This could be something of a joke.

Or maybe it has something to do with... time paradox things?

Maybe she has to stay out of sight until the thing that's happening in the past is over from her perspective and-

Oh wait.

No.

She just stood up again and got another lemonade for June.

So maybe that's not what's happening?

"Oooookay! Past me finally decided to check in on the bathroom since June, Venus, and Arthfael had been for so long. So I think we'll probably be okay," Zee says as she hands off the lemon-aid to snake June. "Venus is another June but she got caught up in some crazy stuff with a scary faerie."

What was the point of hiding behind the counter, though? It'll probably remain a mystery forever.

[Painted World]

Oh hey!

June stabilized all on her own without Zee having to do anything! And without any external aid of any kind! Especially not the sort of aid that comes from ominous things lurking inside spoilers. Zee definitely wouldn't know about that since she doesn't peek inside spoilers. There's nothing interesting in those things ever, after all. Just boring stuff about thread rules and things no one ever reads anyway.

That's pretty great, it means Zee doesn't have to do anything spooky which, as mentioned before, she would prefer to avoid doing.

"You got hit by a magical lightning bolt," Zee explains helpfully. "And then I kicked a giant. Also-"

She grabs that-

YOU DIED

-sign and stuffs it in her pocket. It might come in handy later.

"-I'm not sure what's up with Venus or Arthfael. I just noticed you guys were in the Non-Euclidean Bathroom for a really long time and decided to come in and make sure everything was okay. It's been... what? A couple of hours at least or something?"

More like a couple of months but HEY no one else seems to experience time quite like Zee does.

Zee offers June a hand.

"Do you think you can stand up? I've got it on good authority that giant dude is going to come back."

[Reinholdt]

[Quiet Respite]

Reinholdt frowns at Maxson's protests, but he starts to do the thing and it looks like it was helping considerably so he doesn't press on any points. That was Maxson's job!

"Yeah, it's pretty awful," Rein agrees, taking the empty vial away and disposing of it after corking the vial so the remnants of the smell doesn't bother them all night. Can't say he'd have described it like Reuma did, but everyone seems to think it tastes awful in a different way. He does smile at how Maxson's massage appears to be sapping all the fight out of Reuma. Honestly, almost a little jealous. Looked nice.

Almost as nice as Reuma did when that water down. Rein swallows after realizes he's spent a few too many moments staring. "Y-yeah. Got it right here," Reinholdt says as he remembers where he's at. He'll pass over the food Reuma ordered, holding the plate for her so it doesn't tip over or anything. "Just eat slow, ok?" Whatever was slow for a satyrlyrri. Honestly he's just hoping between the sedative laced food, the anti-toxin working, and the massage, Reuma will slip into a restful sleep and finally let her body recover.

"Well Maxson, you didn't mention the result," Rein says, with a little bit of a smirk as he turns attention to the Ulfen. "DID you pick up a lot of ladies using your secret massage techniques?" Reinholdt took one class once, but he could be encouraged to go back and get more if Maxson's had some positive results.

[Ironsmith]

[Painted World]

Vitals are checked!
The heartbeat is incredibly irregular, spasming, being unable to pump any blood, and growing weaker and weaker.
No breathing either.
Definitely has electrical burns; internal ones, too. No signs of brain activity, either.
Even the gun was messed up by the lightning. Seems like it made some of the bullets go off on their own.

100% dead.
Well, 99% mostly dead.

Spoiler

Show

"You're pretty dumb, aren't you?"
June hears a voice that sounds familiar, but she can't put her finger on it. She opens her eyes and sees... she's not sure what. Looks like a large, dark void, there's a couple pillars here and a throne, and there's a silhouette...ah, that's where the voice came from. She can't tell details, but...well, between all the wings and arms and the fact that there's basically no light...she can't exactly tell how many there are of each.

"You're dumb. You're weak. You've never accomplished anything yourself, always depending on someone else."
June wants to protest, but can't find her voice, or even the strength to move.
"Wanessa. Venus. Raril. Zee. Jedrek."
Oh.
Right.
"You're useless."

But if this takes too long, Zee might end up interfering.
So, June hears that familiar voice speak once again. "I can help you, though. But I'm not patient. You have to decide right now."
How, though? June can't move, let alone speak.
"You just have to say 'I accept'."

Luckily, there's a difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive.

After spasming enough, the heart eventually aligns its contractions, even though it's weak and arrhythmic. Just enough of it is oxygenated enough that brain activity and breathing start up again, and regular first aid ought to be enough.

June opens her eyes, and sees Zee.
Although her voice is still weak, the first thing she asks is, "Hey, that vampire kid...where is he? Is he okay?"

Moments later, after a realization that it's way too quiet, she asks, "Venus! Is she okay? I can't hear her! What happened?"
Well, she (June, not Venus) did get hit by magical lightning. That's what happened.

[Painted World]

Oh hey!

June stabilized all on her own without Zee having to do anything! And without any external aid of any kind! Especially not the sort of aid that comes from ominous things lurking inside spoilers. Zee definitely wouldn't know about that since she doesn't peek inside spoilers. There's nothing interesting in those things ever, after all. Just boring stuff about thread rules and things no one ever reads anyway.

That's pretty great, it means Zee doesn't have to do anything spooky which, as mentioned before, she would prefer to avoid doing.

"You got hit by a magical lightning bolt," Zee explains helpfully. "And then I kicked a giant. Also-"

She grabs that-

-sign and stuffs it in her pocket. It might come in handy later.

"-I'm not sure what's up with Venus or Arthfael. I just noticed you guys were in the Non-Euclidean Bathroom for a really long time and decided to come in and make sure everything was okay. It's been... what? A couple of hours at least or something?"

More like a couple of months but HEY no one else seems to experience time quite like Zee does.

Zee offers June a hand.

"Do you think you can stand up? I've got it on good authority that giant dude is going to come back."

[Painted World - Elsewhere]

Well, that was fair!

The giant scratches as its head as it tries to figure out how it's supposed to deal with an enemy appearing out of nowhere, drop-kicking it in the face, and killing it withing a second of introducing itself.

It's going to have to go through this whole tedious fight again, chasing down that maid and trying to beat her without drawing the attention of the drop-kicker. Or possibly with a way to survive the drop-kick in its back pocket.

The talisman seemed to work wonders; it should keep that going. Maybe switch out a few of the miracles it had attuned to accommodate the new enemy. Could it maybe stun her with good timing?

One thing was certain: the armor had to go. The stone set is too heavy, it won't be able to dodge properly, and the primary upshot of being able to take hits clearly wasn't going to be an advantage here.

It'll take a few minutes to figure out what to bring. But it intends to be ready when they square off again.

[Artemis97]

Meanwhile!

"The familiar constellations aren't present here, I noticed this too yes," Fenris replies with a nod. "And I did make a search of the sky once I realized how different they are. This is a curious point, by matter of fact. It is through the stars that conjuration functions and I know for a fact that summoning spells still operate normally here. Which is fascinating, I must admit. I am by no means an expert conjurer but I am at least competent."

Then comes a laugh.

"Ah, that is neither here nor there, is it? Merely another curiosity of this plane. Planet. Whatever it truly is."

"Your magic relies on the stars?" Jessamine asks.

"I suppose our magic, too, is based on celestial bodies." Johnathan adds. "Mine is, at least. The Lady of Light is the embodiment of the Sun."

"Indeed, while the darkness fuels most of my powers, so does moon and starlight." Jessamine agrees.

[Rebonack]

"Yes, as it happens. All magicka flows from aetherius; the immortal realm where the gods reside. The sun is, of course, the most plentiful source of aetherial light. But the stars, moons, and planets are of course significant sources as well," Fenris explains. "But the school of conjuration is perhaps the school most closely linked to the stars. It is a matter of bridging between the mortal world and the immortal to draw forth entities from beyond our world. A bridge must be built upon which the entity crosses."

All very technical, probably.

"As said, I tested a few relatively simple conjurations that should have been impossible due to the alien stars in the sky. They still worked, however, which in and of itself is-"

"Hello I'm Lapis Lazuli Mother told me to bring your dinner over because I'm helping today!" says a small child who just come up along side the table holding a platter of duck. She scoots the orange duck onto the table and looks quite proud of herself for delivering it. She just stands there for a moment before suddenly realizing- "Oh no the plates! I'll be right back the duck is good you'll love it!"

Then she goes scampering off to fetch said plates.

Now, this seems a bit odd to Fenris since this child looks like she has dunmer blood in spite of her mother being clearly human. Dusky blueish skin. Black hair. Red eyes. A cute enough child, certainly.

Within a few moments Lapis returns with utensils and plates.

"There you go Mother says I'm supposed to ask if you need anything else!" Lapis inquires. She glances back at Zee, who offers her a thumbs up.

[5a Violista]

Time travel could technically be instantaneous from the point of view of the person not time-traveling, so imagine how fast not time-traveling would be! In the amount of time Zee was not traveling through time, an unknown amount of time could have passed and nobody would be any the wiser!

"O-kay...that makes sense, I guess," June says. She imagines if she thinks about it harder, it'll make lese sense but for now it seems to be fine so that's fine.

She drinks more lemonade.
But then! She almost spits it out as she has a realization. Luckily, she manages to keep it in her mouth, and swallows.

"Venus! That's the one!" June says, as she snaps using a ring finger and a thumb. "Remember how I was saying how I had eight names, but when I counted it out I remembered nine?"
She counts out on fingers up to nine again, just to double-check and be sure, and once she does that she says, "So, it's weird. I can definitely remember that I got it and how I got it and everything. Venus-Buttercup the Frolicking! But when I try to think about the details, it just doesn't make sense. Like, it's there and it seems to fit in perfectly but the harder I think about it, the more flaws I find. Like, I remember being somewhere, but I can't remember how I got there or even why I was there. I remember talking with people like I knew them but I can't remember a single thing about them. On a surface level, it all makes sense but any deeper than that and it feels like a bunch of contextless moments patched together like a facsimile of a handmade shirt, but with only care about appearance and not structure."

That weird name-counting oddity had been weighing on the back of her mind, and finally being able to vocalize what the problem was relieves a lot of the weight.


[Painted World]

June probably would have been okay with a little spookiness. She drinks vampire blood and can hardly tell the difference between a normal person and a ghost, so a little spookiness feels natural.

"Oh, um. I see," June says, as she tries to figure out what, exactly, Zee just grabbed.
Her head's ringing and she can feel the blood pumping through her ears (it feels weird). "I...don't know how long it's been. It feels like it's been forever. It's only been a couple hours?" She supposes that could make sense.

She takes Zee's hand and gets up. "I...think I can stand?" she says. She's developing a spidery rash from the electric shock and the maid outfit is pretty scorched, but fortunately most of the damage seems to be superficial, or to have hit only nonessential parts. "I told that Arthfael to stay in the bathroom while I looked for a way out, but...then apparently he got sent to a hospital? And everything was giving me a massive headache so I asked you to watch over him, but he was acting weird and you were smaller and more...defined? than usual and...? Something? Some of the buildings are made of plywood?" Her head's still swimming, so it's hard to put thoughts together in a coherent way.
Oh! Speaking of that! It reminds her.
Using the outside wall as support to walk, she goes over to examine where the lightning bolt hit the wall, to check if it broke apart the wall. "I was hoping the giant would break down the wooden wall."

Honestly, if the giant wanted a fair fight then there's other ways to get one.

[Artemis97]

Jessamine is surprised by the appearance of the small child at their tableside. Helpful enough little one, though, and Lords and Ladies, the duck smelled divine. When Lapis goes running off to fetch the plates, she comments, "Must be Fey Blooded, or perhaps Lordly? She shouldn't be working in a tavern like this either way. Is there no care here for the mothers of these children? No stipend? No scholarships for the girl?"

When Lapis returns, Johnathan looks to the ladies sharing his table before saying, "No, dear, I think that will be all for now. But this..." He wiggles his fingers and makes a silver coin appear between them, a bit of simple slight of hand, "is for you." He'll hold out the coin for the girl to take, a tip for her service.

[Rebonack]

While Lapis is off fetching the plates Fenris speaks up to keep her mouth occupied and prevent drooling.

"From what little I have seen and overhead I believe her mother there is a powerful daedra, or at least something like them. The human shape is a ruse. Though I must admit that she plays the part of an unassuming bar maid well enough," the mage says, watching Lapis scurrying back with the plates. "Oddly I believe that the child has a mortal father. I will admit that I wouldn't typically consider such a thing possible but this realm is adept at foiling expectations."

Lapis' eyes get nearly the size of the plates when the palmed coin suddenly 'appears.' She gasps, grasping it with both hands and turning it over a few times as if viewing it from the correct angle might reveal its secrets.

"How did you do that?" Lapis asks breathlessly.

It wasn't magic. It wasn't a miracle, either. The little girl is absolutely stunned.

Meanwhile!

"Venus got caught up in the Buttercupocolypse, I'm pretty sure," Zee muses. "I think that's how she ended up with that name. But you guys have to EARN new names, right? So just getting one all of a sudden is weird. And it seems to imply that whatever force is acting on the June Squad is ensuring that you all have the same names even if one of you gets more."

A beat.

"Or loses one, maybe. Has it felt like you've lost a name at any point?"

It sounds like maybe they're zeroing in on how this weird stuff works. Positively definitely maybe.

Also Meanwhile!

Still off in the wherever the heck they are. Still a bathroom maybe? Zee considers their situation.

"I don't think that you were fighting a person," she muses. "Or at least... okay probably a person but not directly? Maybe the avatar of a person. Maybe. This place feels really tentative to me."

June is poking at the wall and Zee is contemplating.

"Huh? Did you ask what I grabbed the title card for?" Zee inquires, looking a little disoriented. "If you didn't then don't worry too much, I'm just gathering stuff for our lightning throwing buddy when he comes back. Oh! Close your eyes for a sec I'm going to try something."

Should June listen Zee will raise a hand above her head and begin shining with the burning radiance of The Searing Light of Truth. It might feel kind of uncomfortable to June but so long as she isn't staring into it she should probably be okay.

Lies, falsehoods, and illusions, however, will probably not be okay. Like finding themselves incinerated sort of not okay. This place feels thin to Zee, like they're walking through a poorly fashioned dream. And like a dream fading in the face of dawn she's going to see if she can dispel it.