[NEXUS] Home III: Third Time's the Charm

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Al's Lab]

((Yeah, no problem))

Al does the same thing as well.

((Sorry bout that.))

So, who's the girl? One of you minions?

Seems Medric's interested in who's holding him.

[Recaiden]

"Oh, like trees. That sounds good." I'm pretty sure she lived in a forest and had a wooden house, so no idea why she's feigning ignorance. Or acting ignorant.
"We're sure to be able to get it finished." Ashna moves to get some tools and help.

[The Bushranger]

[Brendan's House]

"Well, if you don't mind helping, I appreciate it." Brendan smiles and points out the drywall nails, hammer, and staple gun. "And yup, like trees." He looks at her a little odd. Maybe she's just teasing him. "Although marble might work, too..."

[Recaiden]

[Brendan's House]

It's certainly not that this is some sort of fake. Brendan would certainly notice that, right? Maybe a poor practical joke. Or a momentary lapse of throne-vocabulary. Though, maybe he would notice things. Or maybe it would just be his imagination once he thought of that idea. We all know how paranoid he can be.
"No, I don't really mind. You do mean the rock, and not the toy, right?" This person starts putting up drywall.

[The Bushranger]

He might notice things. Or he might not. And hey, he's not as paranoid as, say, DeeCee. Or Magtok, for that matter. Magtok, well, everybody is out to get him, after all.

He assists with the drywalling, applying his nail gun to secure it, and smiles at Ashna. "Oh, no, I did mean the toy. I was planning on levitating marbles to cover the whole wall in a nice, if slightly bumpy pattern..."

...at this point Brendan can't keep a straight face any longer. And chuckles happily.

[Recaiden]

Fun fact - Marbles are unknown in Vaire. They exist only in the southern reaches of the as yet-nameless western continent.

She starts laughing along with Brendan. "Hah. That would be pretty fun, I must say. What would the pattern be?"

[The Bushranger]

Huh. Now I know. And knowing is half the battle.

"Hmmm...well, where I come from, the pattern would be known as 'Southwestern'. A brown-ish, or sandstone backdrop, with turquoises and other bright-ish colors in tribal patterns, such as the Thunderbird. I'll show you one sometime." Still grinning happily, another set of drywall goes up. "Alternatively, alternating white and black. Although that might be rather garish."

[Recaiden]

Neither do they have broccoli.
"White and black could well be interesting, eh?"

[The Bushranger]

...oh dear.
Now, if it was brussels sprouts they were lacking, that would be a vast improvement over our world.

"Yeah, they could be. Depends on the size of the pattern. A...ah, draughts-board pattern might be pleasing," Brendan observes, stepping back to inspect the work.

[Recaiden]

"I was thinking more like a checkerboard." Which does exist. In fact, it was Timir's favorite board game, 633 years ago, in the childhood of her mortal life.
'Ashna' goes to inspect the edges of the drywall, to make sure it's even.

[The Bushranger]

"Ah. Well, same thing. Some people call it one thing, some call it the other," Brendan explains with a bit of a sheepish smile. As Ashna discovers that the drywall, which now covers one entire wall, is, in fact, even.

[ApeofLight]

((Sorry bout that.))

So, who's the girl? One of you minions?

Seems Medric's interested in who's holding him.

" Yes, she is. I could probably order her to maim and kill herself and she would hardly give a second thought to it. " He thinks back as he prepares for sleep.

[Recaiden]

"I see. Thank you." She nods to Brendan, and steps back to look around the room.

[The Bushranger]

[Brendan's House]

Brendan nods back. "Not a problem, love."
The room looks...well, like an unfinished basement except for one wall being drywalled.

[Recaiden]

[Brendan's House]

"Well, back to the other walls, dear?"

"Hey there, my friends. I don't remember if I apologized already." Tahlia steps over and starts levitating drywall into place, or trying to.
"Wait. What's going on here, Brendan?"

[The Bushranger]

[Brendan's]

"Yeah, better start with this o...gah!" Brendan jumps back in surprise, as Tahlia appears!
"Oh, hey...speak up next time!" he protests.
Despite the fact that, well, that's exactly what she did.
"Um, we're finishing the basement. Also, hello Tahlia."

[Recaiden]

[Basement]

"I mean with them." She waves a hand at Ashna.
"What do you mea-" "Banishment." The fires go our instantly as they're whisked to a home dimension.
"Notice how the impostor is not, say, screaming in pain or catatonic on having her soul ripped in half. It was a separate elemental."
Ashna is rather surprised. Tahlia wasn't supposed to interfere in this.

[The Bushranger]

[Basement]

"Wait, wait what?" Brendan blinks, and steps back in surprise.
And in total, utter shock.
(And self-dissapointemnt, nearing horror, at not having caught on...)

"But...who...why?"

[Recaiden]

[Basement]

Well, it's probably because text is such a vague way to describe things that he didn't catch on. That and that they were clearly good at this.

"Probably the same people who attacked you in Tower City. But it could really be anyone. Maybe it's an elaborate practical joke on Anaa's part. Or even Ashna's own, though that I doubt. What should we do with the fake? "

Who is stubbornly protesting that she's not fake, and that she is in fact Ashna.

[The Bushranger]

[Basement]

Heh. Quite so. Note to Brendan: more ranks in Spot, and Sense Motive.

Brendan manages to compose his stammering self a bit. And takes a deep breath.
"Well, first things first," he says, slowly, looking at...Not-Ashna?
"So...who are you, pretending to be my wife, taking the place of the woman I love and deceiving me so?" he says, his voice firm, but his eyes sad and hurt.

[Recaiden]

[Basement]

Poor guy.
"Fine. Someone coerced into doing this, so don't think I've anything against you two." The voice changes, more fluid, with longer vowels and slight Tower accent, and her skin pales to silver, hair to black, clothes to a standard shapeshifter's outfit, just like that kid on the train had on, face becoming high and sharp and pointed.
"People with your family prisoner can be very persuasive. But it's all torn up now. And yeah, it's the Talon you want. Please don't let her do anything too horrible to me." The infiltrator is visibly cringing away from Tahlia.

[The Bushranger]

[Basement]

Indeed.

Brendan nods, and reaches out to put a hand on the infiltrator's shoulder. As his brain still kicks him for not catching the subtle hints sooner.
"If that's the case...well, then. I forgive you."
He sighs, before speaking again. "Where is Ashna? And who's holding your family?"
Tahlia might be able to tell that he intends to seek said bad guys and show them the error of their ways.

[Recaiden]

[Basement]


What? Maybe he's just unobservant. He hasn't asked how long Ash has been gone.
"I don't know where they took her. But it must be somewhere in Tower City. Or near it. Close Southwest Brekaland. It was the Jade Talon. The undeath cult, you know?" She kind of limply stares at the ground.

[The Bushranger]

[Basement]

...that particular thought is something he's specifically trying not to think of.

"Yeah. I remember hearing about them." Brendan shakes his head. "Hey. I promise, I'll do what I can to save your family, alright? And you can come along. What's your name, anyway?"

...Tahlia will probably have to be the one to ask the 'how long' question.

[Recaiden]

[Basement]

Oh, she knows from mind-reading already. It's up to Brendan to ask for himself.

"Uh, Brendan, hate to say, but according to the primaeval pact between Joan and The Steward of the Wastes of Death, as a former Keeper I can't directly interfere with another religion. Else all the horrible things I could do to our friend here will bounce onto me.
Plus side, a strong show of our faith is good against their magics and creatures. Take my feather." Tahlia does unpin the feather from her hair and toss it to him. It's a solid carved obsidian thing, about 5 inches long. Then she vanishes.
"Okay. Yeah. I might as well now. It's Jamtpshi. Usually humans can't pronounce in. So whatever you wanna call me."

[The Bushranger]

[Basement]

Aheh.

Brendan looks a bit surprised, but nods in understanding to Tahlia, taking the feather. "Alright. And, Tahlia? Thanks..."

He turns the osbedian feather in his hand, before carefully slipping it into a pocket.
He'll attach it to a fedora in a bit.
"Well, then. I'll call you Jem, if you don't terribly mind my doing so. I do have one other question, though."
Brendan takes a deep breath, not wanting to ask.
"...how long?"

...he steels himself not to faint, when he hears the answer.

[Recaiden]

[Basement]

"Go ahead. Jem is fine. Ah, three weeks." Much more OOC time, certainly.
"But I got a message this morning, really shook me up, and then Tahlia came and saw right through me."

[The Bushranger]

[Basement]

Brendan faints dead away!takes a deep breath. Closing his eyes, and once more cursing himself mentally. Over and over...
"Well...you're very, very good at what you do," he says simply.
Before taking another deep breath.
Couldn't even tell your own wife had been replaced by an impostor...idiot! idiotidiotidiot!
"...what was this message, Jem?" he speaks aloud though. Needing to keep talking, for the moment.

((Also, about 10 minutes left tonight, alas. ))

[Recaiden]

[Basement]

"Yeah, thanks. Don't blame yourself." Jem takes a deep breath too. "I was supposed to kill you and fake my death, then sneak back to Tower City. That's probably a bad sign. I've been looking for a way around that all day. I don't want to kill anyone, and I like you."

((No problem. I'll be going soon too.))

[The Bushranger]

[Basement]

"I...see." Brendan nods. Part of him wants to ask 'could you have done it?', the other part...well, the fact she was shook up by it speaks for itself, and maybe he really doesn't want to know to a higher degree of certainty anyway. "Yeah. Probably bad. But...well, fate gave you a way around it, yes?"