VIGIL 4: Swordfights!!! on Air

[Lord Magtok]

Cessie's Office

"Eight months. I transported people to hospitals before one of the patients bit me. As soon as I knew what had happened to me, I ran to Skyside, spent all my college fund on an apartment and some equipment, and went to work. I was trying something new, looking into a recent burial in Inside, and that's where I bumped into Calm Reed, who talked me out of going to MERC instead," Saint Lazarus explains. That's mostly what happened, but when you breeze by it like that, a lot of little details are lost along the way. The first time she got stabbed in the chest and thought she was going to die, for example. That one time she tried using a gun, and almost shot her own foot. The fact that it was that creepy, overly friendly undead bounty hunter who inadvertently convinced her to follow Calm Reed to VIGIL, rather than the Exalt's own convictions. The idea of working with that dude, of being on the same team with someone so clearly devoid of ethics and morals and standards, simply because she was sure VIGIL would never accept her...eeugh, she could never even think about joining MERC after that.

[Arkhosia]

Cab Ride from MagCave to VIGIL

Blanche slides into the cab with Nigel, stating their destination before slumping into her seat in exhaustion. The party was a little more taxing than she realized, and it was only with the odd sense of ease that the cab brought that she realized just how on edge she had been through it all. Yet another sign of failure to her. Taking a deep breath, she ran a hand through her hair. After a couple moments, she reached into one of her jacket pockets and began to fish out a cigarette, but paused as she drew it out, thinking better of it. Putting the object back, she sighed. "I'm sorry I made you feel the need to leave early." she apologized.

[billtodamax]

Cab ride to VIGIL

Don't worry about it. Nigel says, fishing out his own cigarette and lighting it up, winding down the window a bit. Oh, you don't mind do you? He asks, slightly too late. Party sorta sucked anyway. Can you believe Magtok only got 2 tables for that deluge of people? Jeez that guy. He blows some smoke out the window in between sentences.

[Arkhosia]

Cab Ride to VIGIL

The catgirl shakes her head, indicating that she didn't mind at all. Not like she was in any position to judge anyways. "Yeah, and there weren't really any activities either." She added, frowning. You were supposed to have stuff to do at parties, right? I mean, it wasn't exactly an area of expertise for her, but it only seemed like logical. Can't rely on just mingling and snacking to have a rockin' celebration, after all.

A moment or two of awkward silence hangs in the air before Blanche attempts to fill it, turning towards Nigel. "So... what do you do anyways?" She wasn't really sure what else to ask, honestly. The job question was what you were supposed to default to when you want to learn more about someone, right?

[billtodamax]

Cab Ride to VIGIL

Oh, I'm a doctor. He says, before motioning to his get up. Y'know, plague doctor, doctor. Sorta fit. Don't tell her you work for a nazi, don't tell her you work for a nazi, don't tell her you work for a nazi. Still trying to find somewhere to work with all of my credentials lost back in my previous uh... dimension or whatever. Nigel shrugs, taking another drag and breathing it out the window.

[Shadowcaller]

Barracks

"GloG? Good, then I can just talk to them as we do our background check. I'm sure they can provide some references as well to your position here." They will be outside Blanches room which her player later can decide what it looks like. "But here we are, your own room. Will that be all?"

Cessie's Office

That's tragic, if it was true that is. Cessie would need to confirm it...
"Is there anyone that could corroborate that story other than Calm Reed? We won't have to mention the fact you're alive and with us if we're investigating it." Of course, there was the issue of names again but perhaps she knew someone that both could confirm it and didn't know her name.
Then she softens her voice. "And if helps, I'm sorry for what happened to you. I can't imagine what it must have felt like."

[Arkhosia]

Cab Ride to VIGIL

Blanche responds with a short laugh. ”Heh, funny. Field medic.” There was a certain humor in the fact that of all the people she could have met at the party, they were also a medical professional of some degree with a tendency towards smoking and alcohol. Although considering the sort of work such careers entailed, perhaps it wasn't so surprising to find substance-using or abusing members.

"Always leaned more towards the designated marksman role, but my Mom was a doctor, and I guess I managed to pick a few things up from her." She muses, somewhat to herself, with a shrug.

Barracks

The catgirl shakes her head. "No, I think that's it, miss." she answers, inwardly wondering just how helpful GLoG would be as far as a background check. She hadn't been there long at all, after all.

[Morty]

[Training Grounds - Wenomir & Mia]

"Well, just tell me when people start worship you for finding an answer. I got some experience of how this should work and stuff " Mia says with a grin. Then she gets seriouse again.

"I guess most people need the thought to have someone above them they can't reach to go on. Even if it's only to blame them or to have someone to ask for help in bad times. Not that this counts for my people. Deus Mechanicus is real. I met him and others did so as well. He is even acting in my world, but only where the other god used it's power. DM just makes thinks even and leaves the rest to us."

She laugths a bit when a thought hit her head. She looks down on her training sword.

"I never thought I would come to this point. Wielding a sword in a foreign world. I mean we got so high technologie we may even create something like Plasma swords."

"If your god is an engineer, as you say he is, he knows the value of the right tool for the right job," Wenomir says. "And so do you. For you, here and now, the sword is the right tool."

He decides to skip right over suggestions of becoming a god.

[billtodamax]

Cab Ride to VIGIL

Ah, yes. You chop it off I sew it back on. Nigel says, smiling. He looks out the window of the cab as they approach the skybase of VIGIL. How the hell did they get that whole thing to float. He says, cigarette momentarily forgotten.

[Lord Magtok]

Cessie's Office

Saint Lazarus sighs, knowing there's no easy way out of this one. Okay, fine. Cessie Mithar seems trustworthy and reliable enough, right? If she can't keep a promise, Laz will find out soon enough. By the time they get their act together and make their betrayal known, she'll be halfway to MERC with a new identity and one of those garbage samurai swords they sell at Mallside or something.

"Jenette d'Aubigny, Emergency Medical Technician, Saint Nil Medical Center, in the Burnt Chrome District of Inside. Do you need me to repeat any of that?" she asks, with a look of resignation that goes entirely unseen because of her face-concealing helmet.

[Arkhosia]

Cab Ride to VIGIL

"Yeah... that's one way to put it." Blanche's tone has a bit of a forlorn note to it this time, turning away to look out the window. "...You know, I never thought to ask." She replies with a shrug. The cab soon comes to a stop on the island itself, and Blanche reaches for her wallet to pay the fare. It was the least she could do, after all.

As she steps out of the cab, she turns towards Nigel, whether he follows or not. "Thanks. For the concern, I mean." The words are a little awkward, but they're sincere. Blanche doesn't really like the idea of people going out of their way for her sake, admittedly - burdening others with her issues doesn't sit well with her - but she still feels some level of appreciation for it.

[billtodamax]

Cab Ride to VIGIL

Nigel gets out of the cab too, motioning for the driver to wait. Like I said, don't worry about it. Nigel takes a drag of his cigarette again here before continuing. You have someone here who'll check in on you tomorrow? He asks, quirking an eyebrow. He has no idea what this place is - university maybe? - but surely she knows someone here.

[Arkhosia]

Cab Rode to VIGIL

Blanche shakes her head. ”Not really, Ive only joined recently. I think I’ll be fine though, it’s not like I have a history of suicidal thoughts or anything.” she attempts to reassure. She wasn’t in the best mental state, true, but her problems weren’t of that variety. Surely they were less severe?

[billtodamax]

Cab Ride to VIGIL

Nigel frowns at the response. Still, not much he could do. He pulls a little notepad and pen out of the pocket of his costume, scrawls his number on it, and passes it over to Blanche. Text me in the morning alright? Just so I know you're ok. He's a worrier. He cannot help it.

[Zefir]

[Training Grounds - Wenomir & Mia]

Mia laughts a bit.

"That sounds really good. would you mind if I use that in my prayer?"

After he hreplied she asks.

"What will be next?" An open question that could mean the training oder Vigil in general.

[Morty]

[Training Grounds - Wenomir & Mia]

Wenomir smiles.

"Sure, just don't mention it's from me. Considering how I get on with gods... it might be taken poorly." He pauses. "We're going to have to do it again. We've seen that it works so we'll just need to drill it until you get better at splitting your focus. No other way to do it."

[Recaiden]

At some point (likely well after St. Lazarus arrives here and gets things worked out with Cessie, although who can say for sure? (it's probably still a dark and stormy night)), Calm Reed is brought up to the flying island in a shuttle.

"Here we are; welcome to VIGIL."

The base is probably kind of impressive to a newcomer. Creation does have flying islands, but not many, and generally quite out of the way.

"One last thing; you might want to forget the details of the sign. It may not be safe to think about. I can help with that, if you need." But maybe Calm Reed has charms to deal with mental influence already; she isn't going to insist. Hopefully our monk is a competent hero who can be trusted to judge her own susceptibility to eldritch weirdness.

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Office

"I- yes, you might have to." Cessie was surprised that she had actually confessed her name, but it hadn't been completely unexpected. Sooner or later she would probably have had to admit it. "But I assure you, no one else in VIGIL will learn of it." Hold on, Saint Nil, she recalled that name... curious. "It should be enough for do a discrete background check though." The sorceress nods deeply. "So I thank you for trusting me. Hopefully you will find a purpose here in VIGIL."

Barracks

Cessie nods. "Just keep in mind that we have to keep an eye on you until you got your background checked. We can't be too careful these days, a lot of people wish to infiltrate VIGIL so we have to keep an eye on recruits."

[Arkhosia]

Cab Ride to VIGIL

Blanche hesitates slightly; she's not eager to further involve him, though she has no suspicions of any ulterior motives. In the end however, she concludes that it'd do Nigel more harm than good if she didn't accept. She reaches out and accepts the scrap of paper closing her hand around it before pushing the slightly crumpled item into her pocket. "Okay." she promises, and indeed will follow it through the next day, hoping to allay the man's fears.

Barracks

"Of course, no objections to that." The catgirl nods, the hint of a smile on her lips. It was comforting to know that the organization took such precautions; it was another sign of a level of competency and professionalism that Blanche kind of expected out of VIGIL, reinforced that this place was the real deal and not some ragtag bunch of folks playing at hero.

[Morty]

[Arriving at VIGIL]

Calm Reed is indeed astonished. A flying island? With so many airships flying there and back? Is sorcery and artifice so common here?

"Who made all those airships?" she asks. She can't help but ask foolish questions like a dumbstruck peasant. "And what makes this island float?"

[Recaiden]

Yes, yes, and yes.

"The airships I believe come from our allies on Abhorson's Island. The island flies through magic, the power of elemental air, air-as-water, that sort of thing, though we've also built machines to direct where it floats.
Arlem leads the way up towards the Academy.

"How long have you been in the Nexus?"

[Morty]

[Arriving at VIGIL]

So the island is an elemental manse of some sort. She can understand that, at least.

"Only two days. I was shipwrecked, washed up here and heard about Vigil. I met St. Lazarus on my way and we both headed to Vigil... but we met that madman on our way."

[Recaiden]

Really more of a demesne. And probably less alive than either.

"Not the best introduction, but it will happen."
"So why did you come to us?"

[billtodamax]

Cab Ride to VIGIL

Blanche hesitates slightly; she's not eager to further involve him, though she has no suspicions of any ulterior motives. In the end however, she concludes that it'd do Nigel more harm than good if she didn't accept. She reaches out and accepts the scrap of paper closing her hand around it before pushing the slightly crumpled item into her pocket. "Okay." she promises, and indeed will follow it through the next day, hoping to allay the man's fears.

Cab Ride to VIGIL

Nigel smiles at her, dropping the remains of his cigarette and stomping it out. Sweet. Take care of yourself, Blanche. He says with a wave, before climbing back into the cab. It takes off after a few moments.

[Morty]

[Arriving at VIGIL]

Calm Reed shrugs.

"It seemed like an obvious choice. I'm cut off from my Order, so the best I can do is continue its mission here. And I've heard this group strives to protect the land and its people."

[Recaiden]

"That we do. There are occasionally threats to the world entire, and often troubles that most people aren't equipped to handle."

Arlem will show Calm Reed around the surface of the island and it's various villages and buildings which Morty already knows well.

"Why don't you tell me more about your Order to start?"

[Morty]

[Arriving at VIGIL]

"Gladly, but shouldn't I meet your commanders and St. Lazarus first?" Calm Reed asks. "They need to know what happened to the portal."

[Recaiden]

How interesting. She's rather attached to Lazarus for having met her a day or so ago.
Arlem smiles and shakes her head.
"I've already sent word to the commanders, but I can show you to Lazarus and you can add your experience with the cultist."

Just the moment before saying that, ago psychically contacted one of the base NPCs and asked them to write up a report of the portal incident to log and send to the commanders. Without including anything potentially mind-scrambling about what happened.

"She should be right this way..."
((Whenever Magtok is ready for that reunion))

[Gullara]

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