[Nexus] Home 13: Insert Silly Title Here

[Dark Elf Bard]

Kale House

It looks simple enough. A fairly standard one-story house with limestone walls and a chimney. The only thing of note was the doormat...it looked like it had never been stepped on or had dust collect in its bristles. It can be described as black with a purple orchid, bordered in white, in the center.
Inside this house is a man, sitting by the fire, sharpening his spear.

A tiefling (half-elf half-devil) female, probably seventeen or eighteen years old, will check the address to make sure it's the right place that was advertised for a spar.

Then she'll knock!

[blackouttwo]

[Arthur's Home]

Two story apartment building. Unimpressive. Arthur leads Willow up the staircase, to an apartment on the eastern end of the building.

One turn of a key later, and Willow is presented with a moderately-furnished living room. A decent couch, a TV, coffee table - a small kitchen. Clean and vermin-free from the looks of it. A clean carpet, a vague grey color. Arthur leads the way in. A small hallway in the back leads to two bedrooms - one on the left, and the other straight ahead. "Whatcha think? Small time, but I like it. More than enough space for what I need."

[happyturtle]

Arthur's Home

Willow doesn't answer, but as soon as the door is shut, she collapses on him in a crying, sobbing heap.

[Aric Kale]

A tiefling (half-elf half-devil) female, probably seventeen or eighteen years old, will check the address to make sure it's the right place that was advertised for a spar.

Then she'll knock!

It is the right address.
As it is so, the man will hear the knock and answer the door, spear in hand. Hello?

[Dark Elf Bard]

Aric Kale's

The half-devil smiles uncertainly! Hi... um, is this the sparring place?

((Does Kale have a character entry? If not, could you descride him? ))

[Aric Kale]

House of Kale

Ah yes, sparring...Aric gives a natural, warm smile and invites her in. Aye, I'm Aric, and you are?

)(There is a character entry, but I can still describe him if you'd prefer.)(

[Terumitsu]

[Riss' Quarters]

"Mmm." was the muse's initial reply. It wasn't an answer but at the least it was a noise of contentment. "I c'n think 'f a few places." she mumbled as she gave the hands she held a gentle squeeze. Riss had already lined up a few locations but most of them were more or less on the outskirts of the human habitable areas of the Nexus. Still it was a first try and it was likely that they would all have better ideas once they were rested.

"C'n I ask som'th'ng?" the muse began in a voice that was barely a whisper. "'re you both happy?" she asked. It was probably a seemingly strange question, especially given the current situation, but to hear it said was a kind of pleasant that just couldn't be replicated

[Lord Magtok]

Dahilan House

Right then, time to get on with a brand new day! Probably have some last few stains to deal with, a bank account or two to clear, some jewelry to pawn, keep, or toss into a gutter, and of course, plans against Dionysus to work on. We'll need quite a bit more firepower, maybe try questing for magical weaponry in the Hunting Grounds to-

...

Magtok? Maggy, helloooo! Godtok, time to wake up, remember?

...

Or you can just be a useless piece of **** all day and lie in bed snuggled up against your sleeping acolyte, I guess. That works too, even if it's by far the lamest thing I've ever seen you do, I suppose. You know you can't stay like this forever though, right? There are consequences to the horrible things you've done, and the only way you'll ever evade them is by doing more horrible things! Every minute you waste on nude priestesses is another week off your lifepan, mister!

...

Okay, fine. Don't listen to me, then. See if I care! Just don't go crying to me when that psychological shock and emotional trauma and stuff you're wasting time coping with right now eventually winds up stabbing you in the back, alright?

[blackouttwo]

Arthur's Home

Willow doesn't answer, but as soon as the door is shut, she collapses on him in a crying, sobbing heap.

This is a reaction he wasn't anticipating, but he's not about to pull a jerkass move and not comfort her. Some people just need a hug, sometimes. "Shh. Come on..." He slowly pulls her in the direction of the couch and takes a seat.

[happyturtle]

Dahilan House

It'll be Mara that wakes up first then, sometime well past noon. She gives her god a kiss on the forehead, checks to see if his bald pate is starting to grow in, and then gets up to face the day.

First, getting dressed. She's glad she bought clothes at MagMart, because otherwise she'd have to wear her clothes. It's bad enough sleeping in her bed.

It's a base of operations though. That's what Magtok wanted, so she'll put up with it. She goes into the kitchen and rummages around, finding enough food to prepare a hot meal.

If the smell of eggs and bacon doesn't wake Magtok enough for him to investigate, she'll bring him breakfast in bed.

"Are you hungry, Lord?"

---

1

Arthur's Place

Willow cries, blows her nose a few times, cries some more, until finally she's wrung out and exhausted. "Was it like this for you? The first time you... you know...?"

[blackouttwo]

[Arthur's Home]

Arthur pauses at that. He immediately understands the question. His first time witnessing death felt like a lifetime ago.

The fact that he hadn't just witnessed death, but dealt it at the same time, didn't help with his coping mechanisms. He finally nods, and holds the poor girl a little closer. "The first time I saw it happen...I was the one inflicting it. Protecting myself. Saving someone else. It was a while ago. But...yes. It was a lot like this." Arthur didn't even get time to become conditioned to witnessing it first. He'd gotten stuck with killing people, practically diving into the pool feet first.

[happyturtle]

Arthur's Home

Willow burrows in close, needing to be held. After a few moments of silence, she says, "The two I knocked out. They're going to come after us."

[blackouttwo]

[Arthur's Apartment]

"Well, they're gonna keep coming, even if those two don't. We need to lock this down. I'll handle it. It's my mess, my deal gone bad. As far as they're concerned, you're peripheral at worst." Arthur's lying, of course. These guys would probably go gunning for Arthur's close friends, associates, family members - the usual crime syndicate crap. Any kind of leverage they can get, they will, and Arthur knows that.

"Naturally, the only option that exists is to knock down their whole syndicate, or we can't keep going out because they'll keep interrupting us." He doesn't say 'kill the entire upper command structure, and probably most of the goons', but he's mentally factoring it into the equation.

[happyturtle]

Arthur's Place

Willow wipes at her eyes impatiently. "I only play dumb for the obvious organized crime suits, Arthur. I know I'll be a target too. Why do you think I didn't let you take me home? I don't want my family anywhere near this mess. I'll text them later and tell them I caught a ride back to uni early." She gives a sigh. "I won't melt down again, okay? That's out of my system."

[blackouttwo]

[Arthur's Apartment]

Arthur sighs, obviously frustrated, and unwilling to face facts. He faces them anyways. "Willow, if they know you had anything to do with it, or if you have anything to do with me, they'll target your family too. In an effort to get at me. Alright? Your family's on the hitlist by now already. If they've done any recon on me or you, then your family's marked down as a possible target."

[happyturtle]

Arthur's Place

"****. Of course they would be." Willow pulls her still-damp hair around and starts to braid it. "We'd better not waste any time then. We need to take them down now, and hard."

[Lord Magtok]

Dahilan House

Spoiler

Show

Dahilan House

It'll be Mara that wakes up first then, sometime well past noon. She gives her god a kiss on the forehead, checks to see if his bald pate is starting to grow in, and then gets up to face the day.

First, getting dressed. She's glad she bought clothes at MagMart, because otherwise she'd have to wear her clothes. It's bad enough sleeping in her bed.

It's a base of operations though. That's what Magtok wanted, so she'll put up with it. She goes into the kitchen and rummages around, finding enough food to prepare a hot meal.

If the smell of eggs and bacon doesn't wake Magtok enough for him to investigate, she'll bring him breakfast in bed.

"Are you hungry, Lord?"

As numb and bordering on depressed as our divine lord and god-slayer might be, bacon never stops being bacon. Delicious, mouth-watering, beautiful bacon. Truly, it is an essential part of any perfect breakfast. It's not greasy, carelessly over or undercooked MagCave cafeteria-bot bacon either, but home-made pork meat, lovingly prepared by his greatest (only) disciple. You're damn right he's hungry, Mara.

"Mara? When was the last time I told you that I love you? Was it yesterday? I think it was yesterday. More than once, I think. I might be at risk of wearing out the phrase at this rate, but I'll say it anyways, I ****ing love you, Mara. You're too kind, thank you, and have a seat right here, please." His greedy arms are held out towards the food. If he keeps a smile on his face and a silly tone to his voice, it'll be like those three people they butchered never existed, won't it? Mara's not some sadistic executioner, she's just the sexy girlfriend he's rooming with, obviously. Nobody's killed anybody or is running away from anything, all is right with the world.

[blackouttwo]

[Arthur's Place]

"They're not locals, so it won't be hard. They come from a plane where warfare is low-intensity, low-body count. You and I could easily tear them apart in an afternoon if we wanted to." He says it so casually. "The main reason they came with three guys is because they assumed we were pushovers. They'll step up their game, hire local help if they can. So, we need to make the first move."

[happyturtle]

Dahilan House

"I love you too, Lord," Mara says, giving him the tray and taking a seat. Yes, all is right with the world. They can air this place out, scrub the many years worth of nicotine stains off the walls, and settle down. And if anyone ever comes poking around, they can always shapeshift to look like Clarence and Mrs Dahilan until the busibodies leave. No reason to ever go anywhere else or try to take over anything. They can just live here, happily ever after!

Arthur's Place

Willow continues braiding her hair as she talks. "First off, I need shoes and pants that fit." Kind of hurts mobility when your trousers are falling off your butt. "What would be quicker, a dash past Works, or a stop at MagMart? I know you have weapons I can use."

[blackouttwo]

[Arthur's Place]

"Wait, wait. Whoa." Arthur raises a hand. "Are you serious about wanting to get bloody? Because I screwed up? Really?" He's a little bit shocked. "I can handle this, Willow. Really. It's alright. I know some people around the city we can call in, if I have to. You don't need to do this."

[happyturtle]

Arthur's Place

She ties off the end of her braid, takes Arthur by the shoulders, and kisses him - soft and sweet. "Arthur, a few hours ago, you were asking me to move in with you. So yeah, I need to do this." Geez, Willow, that's not a reason at all! >.<

[Lord Magtok]

Dahilan House

"Mara...or Linda, when it's just us? It doesn't make any difference to me, do you have a preference? Angel, I've been thinking about it, and well...I don't think Dionysus is actually going to be looking for us. He's clever, sure, but he's a god, and gods have egos. I mean, if anything he'd be watching the main hive of MagClones for trouble, not you. He wouldn't know about our distance from them, might figure you're a temporary hire who moved out and moved on or something..."

Magtok, get to the point. It's noon already, and you have places to be.

"Love, I think we might actually be safe now. The revenge scheme might be wholly unnecessary, even. We could just jump right to the final step, the 'living comfortably and not carving up anyone anymore' part. It'd take a while to settle in, this place smells absolutely awful, but I think we could-"

Permanent deadtime, Magtok?

"****, nevermind. That's how people get permadeadtimed, I forgot. Well...we could fight Starling, I guess? Plotting and scheming a very casual secret war against the Sitar's Strings guy every weekend, and then just us the rest of the time?"

Magtok, you idiot, you can't bargain with the laws of your own universe and try to find some sort of middle ground. You either stay interesting, or get lost to the deadtime void. Call in your happy ending now, or settle for a slightly less cheery existence that allows you to still hold influence over the world around you. A, or B. Life or death. Security, or freedom. Choose.

[blackouttwo]

[Arthur's Apartment]

That makes no sense.

Arthur promptly ceases to care about that detail and blinks before nodding. "OK...so, you're considering moving in with me? For real?"

[Dark Elf Bard]

House of Kale

Ah yes, sparring...Aric gives a natural, warm smile and invites her in. Aye, I'm Aric, and you are?

)(There is a character entry, but I can still describe him if you'd prefer.)(

((Can I have a link? Thanks! ))

I'm Kallista.
The devilish teen girl will come in!

[happyturtle]

Arthur's House

"Thinking about it," Willow says, and a very large part of her suddenly wants nothing more than to lean in, kiss him deeply, and pull the curtain.

But the more pragmatic part of her has the klaxons blaring. There's no time for this - and certainly no time to do it right. So she sits up instead. "So, shoes and pants."

[Slii Arhem]

[Riss' Quarters]

"Mmm." was the muse's initial reply. It wasn't an answer but at the least it was a noise of contentment. "I c'n think 'f a few places." she mumbled as she gave the hands she held a gentle squeeze. Riss had already lined up a few locations but most of them were more or less on the outskirts of the human habitable areas of the Nexus. Still it was a first try and it was likely that they would all have better ideas once they were rested.

"C'n I ask som'th'ng?" the muse began in a voice that was barely a whisper. "'re you both happy?" she asked. It was probably a seemingly strange question, especially given the current situation, but to hear it said was a kind of pleasant that just couldn't be replicated

Riss' Quarters

"Yes." Unequivocally, without so much as a breath between Riss' question and her response, "As of today I'm the happiest I've ever been, and tomorrow I'll be even happier. Even if there's some sadness or worry in there, every day with you two is worth a lifetime without." The words are said so earnestly that it's hard to imagine that Misha believes anything else, and at the moment she doesn't.

[Aric Kale]

)(Trying to make the link from my phone. see how this goes.)(

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154882

Kale House

As she enters, she should be able to see a fairly normal living room, with a kitchen off to the right and a short hallway to the left. A spacious back yard is quite divisible through the sliding, glass doors. Other than that, there are a few tapestries with the Kale Family Crest upon them. Pleasure to meet you, Kallista. We'll be sparring in the back. Aric will lead her thusly.

[Gullara]

[Riss' Quarters]

"'Course I'm happy. How couldn't I be." Mimi says, just as soon as Misha is done. "I got you two, and there's nothing at all bad happening. I'd say those make things pretty great, especially the first one."

[Dark Elf Bard]

)(Trying to make the link from my phone. see how this goes.)(

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154882

Kale House

As she enters, she should be able to see a fairly normal living room, with a kitchen off to the right and a short hallway to the left. A spacious back yard is quite divisible through the sliding, glass doors. Other than that, there are a few tapestries with the Kale Family Crest upon them. Pleasure to meet you, Kallista. We'll be sparring in the back. Aric will lead her thusly.

Nice to meet you too! Are you a professional fighter?

Kallista looks around at all the pretty things! Living in the streets doesn't let her see this stuff very often!

[Terumitsu]

[Riss' Quarters]

Riss smiled at the answers she received. Sure, they're sappy but it's for reasons like this why they work. "I'm glad." she said. If there was nothing to distract or prevent her from doing so, then the muse would finally drop off to sleep nestled between her fey.

...At least until she woke up bolt upright not more than a few short hours later.

While she wasn't one to wake up screaming, the sudden jarring motion might well disturb Misha and Mimi although the nereid might have made note of her troubled rest given the apparent distress her dream was causing. Still, waking up with shivers and a cold sweat was not comfortable at any rate although Riss would have scoffed at herself not too many months ago for thinking as much.