Inside 68: Dawn of a New Season (or two)

[Earl of Purple]

Bazaar

"Sounds pretty exciting. I'm in." Jack doesn't even care how well it pays; she's still got a lot of money from the sea-cave where she found her wings, and she's not got too many expenses. Money she doesn't really need, but maybe she'll find something pretty, shiny or useful to decorate one of her homes.

[bc56]

Indoor Beach

Sekhmet has recovered, mostly, from being killed by now. "I, uh... Thanks for, uh, worrying about me." It's nice to see someone else care about whether you get eaten by a shark.

[5a Violista]

Indoor Beach - Locker Room

"No problem," Dawn replies.

...

Dawn looks down at her own clothing. The tanktop, and the shorts.
"Anyway. I think I left the rest of my clothes on that beach," she says. "I'll be right back."

She turns around and heads back to the Jurassic beach door, to look for her discarded outerwear.

[Rebonack]

[Bazaar]

Well.

She's already here, isn't she?

It wouldn't make much sense to back out now.

And continuing to reinforce the relationships she has built would be fortuitous. She is, after all, sharply limited by the nature of existence. And she'll need help to accomplish her own ends eventually. To that end, friends will be useful.

"And I'll still help," Myriam says. Then hesitantly adds. "But I have to admit that I'm puzzled over the situation. Why are these machines causing trouble?"

Killing people is very troublesome, in her opinion.

Especially because, near as she can tell, people stop existing when they die.

That's still a difficult concept for her to grasp.


[Honestly Very Little to do with Goblins at this Point]

A few moments pass.

Followed by a soft, but insistent, pinging noise from Blanche's communicator.

She SHOULD get a vague impression that she should hold out her hands cupped in front of herself. Should she do so, a gun scope with a pretty slick black and flame color scheme will *BIP!* into existence. A similar process will repeat for Anika, though she'll receive a little bracelet. Hopefully she's okay with little bracelets.

[bc56]

Bazaar
The creature nods in approval to Jack, then turns to Tao. He reaches into a belt pouch and pulls out a small object and hands it to the adventurer. It's a ruby, about the size of a pea. "There's plenty more where that came from." Then, in response to Myriam but to the entire group, says, "I can explain more in private. There are ears everywhere."

Indoor Beach
While Dawn gets her clothes from the beach, Sekhmet retrieves hers from the locker room. When the elf returns, the tiefling is once again wearing her skirt and blouse.

[Recaiden]

Tao's eyes light up as he takes the gem and turns it over in his hand, admiring it. That's worth more than everything else he owns. Or...maybe the gem market isn't great around here? But the big guy thinks it's of value. And it's still beautiful.
"Okay, I'm in."
He hasn't sounded as positive about anything yet.

"Lead the way."

[5a Violista]

Indoor Beach

Dawn has successfully brushed the sand off the things she threw on the sand.

She starts up talking as soon as she gets back. "You know, I've been wondering," she says, "how do they afford to keep this place running when it seems like the only funds they get are from swimsuit sales and so on?"

She continues brushing her sleeves, just in case she missed some. "I'm sure they have some way, but...it makes me curious, y'know? Just a little, though."

It's true.
Workers, cleaning up, restocking, maintenance, electricity, magic portals to places with dinosaurs and cannibals and that turn people into fish, some way to keep people from dying, among various other things? Maybe they get cheap labor from somewhere, and have bulk deals and such going on.

[Earl of Purple]

Bazaar

Well, that ruby is certainly shiny and sparkly enough to attract Jack's interest. Getting paid in those would be very nice indeed, she thinks. Assuming Tao doesn't hide it too well, at least.

She'll nod at the space-demon and follow wherever he leads.

[Morty]

[New Inside Embassy]

A tail? It could be a cybernetic... it looks like one, and besides, aren't those people rather insistent on being human?

"Aye. Michalson Barring, detective of the Intersection. I'm 'ere on official investigation regarding the spread of a certain condition throughout the city. Have there been any infections among your people?"

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

Emily's speed catches Calm Reed off-guard and the knee strikes home. Her breath escapes her and she stagger, surprised by both the speed and the force of the strike. She backs away, disengaging, and shifts her stance to a lower one, with her legs and arms spread wider. She doesn't attack yet, waiting for Emily's next move.

[Shadowcaller]

[New Inside Embassy]

"Right, one question before I'll answer that. Is it alright with you if I record this conversation?" Ellena gestures at her 'tail', indicating it has some sort of recording device. "For educational purposes. If no, that's okay. I ask this at every meeting. It helps me keep track on the people I talk to."

Regardless if he says yes or no, she will nod in understanding and continue. "No, there has been no signs of infection among the people here. From what I'm told this disease only effects non-humans, correct? If anything good has come out of the skin-walker attacks upon the city its that far less of our citizens have traveled here. The few non-human citizens here were actually evacuated as soon as I learned about the disease. If they were infected or not I do not know but I'm told they were first taken to quarantine facilities that would determine that. It's symptoms are obvious personality changes, correct? I've been trying to stay on top of information regarding it but besides the news articles that were released citing HALO there just seem to be a lot of rumors circling around. It's hard to tell the truth from fiction at this point."

[Halae]

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

Emily wobbles slightly; those hits to her stomach and chest were more than she'd been expecting to handle, but she moves gamely, moving after Calm Reed fast and hard, her incredibly long arms lashing out at breakneck speeds to try and catch Calm Reed in a movement. Even many exalts would be caught by this assault, but Calm Reed is an Immaculate Monk - chances are she's prepared for this, if for no other reason than because her training has been for dealing with rogue gods.

[Rebonack]

[Bazaar]

She quickly surveyed her surroundings.

Yes.

It is true.

There are many ears here. Most people have two of them. A few have even more!

"We should go somewhere more private then?" Myriam ventured.

But where?

She really doesn't know a great deal about this place, having just arrived. It was a MUCH bigger city than the tiny little village she had encountered when she had first arrived. It was almost overwhelming how many people where here. Where could they go in a place like this that people would be absent?

[Morty]

[New Inside Embassy]

"Recording this is fine, aye," Michalson says. "The condition does only affect non-humans as far as we can tell, but we don't know if humans can carry it without bein' affected just yet. And of course we must investigate all potential routes of it gettin' out of the city. Where would those quarantine facilities be?"

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

Calm Reed is indeed expecting Emily to show speed to match her strength and is ready. When the crocodile-woman lashes out with her arms, the monk moves to parry them with her forearms. To Emily's surprise, striking Calm Reed will momentarily be like trying to move a rock. The monk's stance becomes unyielding and firm. She tries to move within Emily's reach and deliver an elbow-strike to her torso before she can react.

[bc56]

Bazaar

"Excellent. Follow me." The creature moves into the city streets at a brisk pace, occasionally checking to see if the others are keeping up. The path leads in a zigzag course through alleyways and thoroughfares, until it leads to a dilapidated office building damaged by fire. Ignoring the large sign which reads "CONDEMNED," the monster wrenches open the door and beckons to the people following him. "Go on in; we can speak freely inside."

Indoor Beach

"Now that you, uh, mention it, it is a bit odd." As far as Sekhmet knows, turning people into fish must be expensive, not to mention the vast spaces created to fit these Beaches into their building.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Industrial Strength Investigation]

Ithuriel quietly steps in front and just to the side of Michalson. "Don't forget, partner, I'm the meatshield. You need to, you use me as cover, clear?" She mutters with a smile to him as she steps beside him. Ideally she'd be in a position to play the part of meatshield for everyone over here, but that's easier said than done.

And then her smile fades as she addresses Zenon and his...somethings.

"Yeah yeah, real spooky. Get off your high horse and can it with the villainous posturing. I've heard better and I've seen better. Now as the good detective here says, this is an investigation. So if you wanted to you could get down on the ground, talk to us, and cooperate with our investigation. And I'd much prefer that to blasting us with magic lasers or whatever else you warned would happen. Sound good?"

[Industrial Strength Investigation]

Zenon eyes his companions for a moment with an odd expression on his face, before giving a predatorial smile, spreading his hands wide, palms open. Michalson can see the mawspheres slowly stop rotating, both of them now looking over the group, but neither becomes normally visible, and they don't seem to be increasing in power, either.

"There is nothing more to investigate. I required the materials and factories, and I acquired them. I didn't even kill anyone. Unfortunately, I've had to hide those facilities and materials away to a more secure location, but I even allowed the workers that were taken to go free, and even generously triggered a homing device so that you would come and pick them up." He looks the group up and down, the smile not fading.

"You'll forgive a bit of melodrama from my new lieutenants; they mean well, but they shouldn't have made threats. I've no interest in fighting any of you; and I doubt any of you wish to die today in any case. So, if you must, then attribute the theft to AMEN. Any fools in Inside who operate without some form of insurance deserve the hit to their bottom line anyways."

He crosses his arms over his chest, the smile changing from predatorial to smug.

"Is that cooperative enough for you, or shall I make some tea?"

[Arkhosia]

Discussions With Goblins Nearby

"Yeah, the airship will rendezvous with us here to pick up the payload," Blanche answers, turning towards her. "Apparently the other group ran into a fiery dinosaur rampaging after the skinwalkers and gave them some flame-enchanted items, Geneva's sending them over through the communicators somehow." It's then that Blanche's communicator pings, and she holds out her hands with a puzzled expression as the sight materializes. Giving it a cursory once-over, she attaches it to her rifle and quickly checks the sight picture.

[5a Violista]

Indoor Beach - Locker Room

Dawn shrugs, and heads towards the locker room exit. "I guess we'll never know," she says. Dawn's not really an investigator, considering how much she stands out. She couldn't sneak into their back room and look through their filing cabinets to track their expenses and sources of income, and then sneak around listening to shady conversation about whatever, and so on...

It's not like they can just ask them. That would be weird, right?


Once they get back into the lobby, the old lady waves, saying "Thanks, come again!"

[bc56]

Indoor Beach

"It was fun, thanks!" Sekhmet shouts back. She's willing to let the mystery of the Beach's finances slide.

[Recaiden]

Well, that ruby is certainly shiny and sparkly enough to attract Jack's interest. Getting paid in those would be very nice indeed, she thinks. Assuming Tao doesn't hide it too well, at least.

She'll nod at the space-demon and follow wherever he leads.

She quickly surveyed her surroundings.
Yes. It is true.
There are many ears here. Most people have two of them. A few have even more!

"We should go somewhere more private then?" Myriam ventured.
But where?
She really doesn't know a great deal about this place, having just arrived. It was a MUCH bigger city than the tiny little village she had encountered when she had first arrived. It was almost overwhelming how many people where here. Where could they go in a place like this that people would be absent?

"Excellent. Follow me." The creature moves into the city streets at a brisk pace, occasionally checking to see if the others are keeping up. The path leads in a zigzag course through alleyways and thoroughfares, until it leads to a dilapidated office building damaged by fire. Ignoring the large sign which reads "CONDEMNED," the monster wrenches open the door and beckons to the people following him. "Go on in; we can speak freely inside."

Tao follows, but this all is getting increasingly worrisome. Myriam seems to know this guy somehow, but Myriam doesn't seem all there, and this could easily be some sort of setup.
On the other hand, you can't get ton of rubies without taking some risks.

He steps into the burnt-out building.
"Okay, so what exactly is this about?"

[5a Violista]

Indoor Beach

"It was fun, thanks!" Sekhmet shouts back. She's willing to let the mystery of the Beach's finances slide.

Streets again

Having left the Indoor Beach building, Dawn stretches. "That was fun," she says. "Nice break kfor all this city."

Unfortunately, she was only able to light one fire and nobody really seemed to care anyway, so that's sad.

[Earl of Purple]

Bazaar- Burnt-Out Ruin

Jack also steps into the ruin, pushing her wings out and examining the space for illusions and invisibility, since she's discovered her wing-eyes can see through those. And, better yet, they do it with only a bare minimum of unnecessary symbolism, weird colours that she's sure are noises, and odd links that attach people to other people or sometimes disappear into nothingness whilst letting her look down them at what they connect to. Honestly, some times those eyes just give her headaches.

[Rebonack]

[Burnt-Out Ruin]

Being able to see all sorts of weird stuff is pretty disorienting, isn't it?

Derelith was nearly blind for the first few minutes she popped into the material world.

Nothing here makes sense at ALL.

Anywho!

Myriam holds out the robot head again.

"I was told someone would know what to do with this?" she says before using her other hand to withdraw the information storage device they had nicked from the village. "This thing too?"

She really has no idea what's going on.

That isn't unusual.

She has gotten pretty good at rolling with the situation.

[bc56]

Burnt-Out Ruin

Inside, the ruin doesn't look quite so abandoned and in disrepair as it does on the outside. Rubble and ash have been cleared away from the floor, leaving space for furniture and appliances in what was once the building's lobby. The center of the chamber seems to be set up as a sitting room or parlor; various items of comfortable furniture and small tables are arranged in a circle there. The creature sits down on a large, worn-out recliner and motions for the others to sit as well. "All in good time, miss." He chuckles at Myriam's comment. "But first. What I am about to tell you is dangerous. Not because the knowledge itself is harmful, or some insane thing like that, but because there are those that would kill you to keep it from spreading. If you want to back out, now's the time, because once you here what I have to say, you can't turn back until the war is over."

Back on the Streets

"It was fun. I'd do it again." Sekhmet really enjoyed being a fish, although she might not admit it. It was nice to have a break from herself, to be someone and something else and not think about her own problems for a while. She's glad to have made a friend too, although Dawn seems a bit odd.

[Shadowcaller]

[New Inside Embassy]

"Recording this is fine, aye," Michalson says. "The condition does only affect non-humans as far as we can tell, but we don't know if humans can carry it without bein' affected just yet. And of course we must investigate all potential routes of it gettin' out of the city. Where would those quarantine facilities be?"

Discussions With Goblins Nearby

"Yeah, the airship will rendezvous with us here to pick up the payload," Blanche answers, turning towards her. "Apparently the other group ran into a fiery dinosaur rampaging after the skinwalkers and gave them some flame-enchanted items, Geneva's sending them over through the communicators somehow." It's then that Blanche's communicator pings, and she holds out her hands with a puzzled expression as the sight materializes. Giving it a cursory once-over, she attaches it to her rifle and quickly checks the sight picture.

[New Inside Embassy]

"Near New Inside's borders. It's called Castilia and is essentially a military hospital that is specialized in these sort of things, so you would need special clearance to visit it. Are you interested to? I could try to arrange for something if you feel there is a need to." Ellena offers.

Discussions With Goblins Nearby

"What the-" Anika seems more than a little suspicious of this item that suddenly appeared before her. 'Flame-enchanted' sounded like bad news to her if it was from some stranger. "What is this thing supposed to do? Why would some giant lizard give it to us?" She inquires yet then shakes her head as if it didn't matter. "Whatever. Are we just ready for the bomb-transport? Since that's the real deal here." She pointedly does not put on the item that was just teleported to her.

[Halae]

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

Calm Reed is indeed expecting Emily to show speed to match her strength and is ready. When the crocodile-woman lashes out with her arms, the monk moves to parry them with her forearms. To Emily's surprise, striking Calm Reed will momentarily be like trying to move a rock. The monk's stance becomes unyielding and firm. She tries to move within Emily's reach and deliver an elbow-strike to her torso before she can react.

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

The surprise is quite evident on Emily's face when her blow appears to do absolutely nothing, and there's some cheering in the crowd looking on. The elbow strike does catch Emily off guard, but she's an experienced combatant, and instinct takes over; she has just enough time to move her outher arm in the way of the strike, though it's a block rather than a parry, the force traveling right into her arm. She's got a lot of bulk to it, so it's not nearly as damaging as the maneuver would be for a normal human, but that clearly didn't feel good.

Emily backs off, and falls into a series of light jabs, attempting to make use of her much greater reach to wear down Calm Reed and keep her at bay.

[5a Violista]

Back on the Streets

Dawn looks around, then starts walking off. "I've got to find a good enough building soon," she says, "So maybe I'll see you later? If everything works out, I'll try to get on the news. Bye!" She waves.

You're right.
Dawn is kind-of odd.

[Morty]

[New Inside Embassy]

"I might do that, but I need to conduct and investigation 'ere first," Michalson says, thinking quickly. "I trust it won't be a problem if I search the premises and ask some questions?"

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

Calm Reed shifts from a firm and unyielding stance to a fluid and graceful one in a heartbeat, deflecting and redirecting Emily's jabs like water. Still, it does occupy her and prevent her from advancing again. Though a perceptive eye might notice that she's not really trying very hard. It seems she's content to let her opponent go on the offensive for now.

[Halae]

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

Emily is fairly perceptive herself, though her face is somewhat unreadable without lips. It seems that a real series of attacks rather than baying jabs needs to be made, or she'll never make any headway. She continues jabbing for a moment, before suddenly that jab turns out to be her reaching forward to grab Calm Reed's arm. If she can manage it, she'll twist the exalt to the side in order to deliver a punch to the ribs below said arm.

[bc56]

Back on the Streets

"See you later. Bye!" Sekhmet leaves in a different direction.

[Recaiden]

Inside, the ruin doesn't look quite so abandoned and in disrepair as it does on the outside. Rubble and ash have been cleared away from the floor, leaving space for furniture and appliances in what was once the building's lobby. The center of the chamber seems to be set up as a sitting room or parlor; various items of comfortable furniture and small tables are arranged in a circle there. The creature sits down on a large, worn-out recliner and motions for the others to sit as well. "All in good time, miss." He chuckles at Myriam's comment. "But first. What I am about to tell you is dangerous. Not because the knowledge itself is harmful, or some insane thing like that, but because there are those that would kill you to keep it from spreading. If you want to back out, now's the time, because once you here what I have to say, you can't turn back until the war is over."

Ah well, this isn't so bad. More of a refugee camp living room than an ambush. Of course, you don't want your ambushes to look like ambushes.
"That sounds a little more dangerous than you mentioned at the bazaar."
To understate things.

"But they'd kill us anyway if we run into them again, right? So it's not really making things any worse."