Inside 60

[Ashen Lilies]

As the monster drops, the young hunter lets out a sigh and relaxes his arms. With his guns still in his hands, ready to be called upon in a moments notice, he dusts himself off as he stands, facing the mask he scratches his head with the silver barrel of his pistol and replies to the woman.
"The thought did cross my mind, what are you anyway?"

[The Slums]

"I am a researcher. I am studying the plague." Says Mandrake blandly.

[FireFox]

NPC Memorial Park

Zane Darkstar sits on a bench, holding a manilla folder marked



Clever, right?

No?

Whatever...the pyromancer is waiting for Douglas. If the man wants to ask extra questions and details, Zane will do what he can.

NPC Memorial Park

Douglas comes walking up, hands in his pockets against the cold. No team of special operator guards today. The park is empty except for Zane, himself, and the woman trailing in his footsteps. Her figure is mostly concealed by the baggy black hoodie and sweatpants she is wearing, but her pale green eyes and silver hair can be seen. As Douglas approaches the bench, she starts walking a wide circle around it, looking for any indication that Zane may have prepared a doublecross and invited AMEN to a trap. There is something sad about her, an aura of desolation, as if she were in mourning or suffering under some personal grief. The RCA chief of station sits on the bench next to the pyromancer and takes a look around. Nobody else is in sight, so there's no reason to be coy or play little hand-off games: he unzips his leather jacket, reaches into a pocket, and pulls out a stack of hundred dollar bills, bound with the ABA mustard colored currency strap. $10,000. He exchanges it for the manila folder, which he opens and carefully reads. What is this Adal doing as leader? Any upcoming plans you know about?

[Holy-hunter]

[The Slums]

"I am a researcher. I am studying the plague." Says Mandrake blandly.

[The Slums]
"Oh" he replies distantly as if not truly comprehending the answer, merely feigning an interest.
Finally feeling secure enough, his guns disappear into his jacket and he pulls his hood back up to its rightful position over his nearly bald head covering his face in shadows once again.
He faces the floor and shuffles some dirt around with a loose fitting boot as his hands find a home in his pockets.

"So thanks, I guess, and eh good luck with ah, that stuff."

He remains hanging around awkwardly as if waiting for something.

[Ashen Lilies]

[The Slums]

Mandrake does not linger, simply choosing to briskly walk off and disappear into the shadows of a nearby alley.

[Holy-hunter]

[The Slums]

Mandrake does not linger, simply choosing to briskly walk off and disappear into the shadows of a nearby alley.

[The Slums]
A short moment after Mandrake has disappeared, the young hunter is atop the corpse, skilfully with purpose he rummages through all the pockets of the deceased laying out any items he finds.

[Aric Kale]

NPC Memorial Park

Douglas comes walking up, hands in his pockets against the cold. No team of special operator guards today. The park is empty except for Zane, himself, and the woman trailing in his footsteps. Her figure is mostly concealed by the baggy black hoodie and sweatpants she is wearing, but her pale green eyes and silver hair can be seen. As Douglas approaches the bench, she starts walking a wide circle around it, looking for any indication that Zane may have prepared a doublecross and invited AMEN to a trap. There is something sad about her, an aura of desolation, as if she were in mourning or suffering under some personal grief. The RCA chief of station sits on the bench next to the pyromancer and takes a look around. Nobody else is in sight, so there's no reason to be coy or play little hand-off games: he unzips his leather jacket, reaches into a pocket, and pulls out a stack of hundred dollar bills, bound with the ABA mustard colored currency strap. $10,000. He exchanges it for the manila folder, which he opens and carefully reads. What is this Adal doing as leader? Any upcoming plans you know about?

NPC Memorial Park

Without even counting the money, Zane stuffs it into his pocket. The cold did not bother him, for fire runs through his veins. It is his lifeblood.

Adal is trying to organize the organization. Pull it out from six feet under and make AMEN relevant again.
Clarissa isn't going to let that happen, since she has a god complex the size of Skyside.

No way will that woman subjugate herself to an orderly system of chaos and murder. That'd be too practical.
Obviously, he has a large amount of disdain for the woman...creature...thing.

[Darkcomet]

[Street Barge Stratus - Blackout]

After a few moments, the street barge looms out've the mist and rain, drifting forward just above a pair of ten-story buildings that flank the vessel on either side. The thestral Blackout has the unique vantage point to see the whole ship and all it's tiers - including the bay doors on it's starboard side. Cleverly concealed to appear as part of the hull, their use quickly becomes apparent. As he watches, those doors fall open, and the bellies of what look like two good-sized lifeboats can be seen dangling there. It's hard to make out much else, from this distance...

[Street Barge Stratus - Ballroom]

((Oh, I thought there were no more passengers to remove.))

Qy continues to be silent. His soft glow hasn't gone, so he doesn't really appear dead, but without the proper expertise it might be difficult to tell. Most of his Ur spheres cracked when they struck the ground, at any rate. One, perhaps, broke a little on Nyx's head.

The wall of shadow is lifted, and Noelle descends the stairs without incident.

[Street Barge Stratus - Casino]

It's in a grand gambling hall that Noelle finds herself, after the long curve of those glamorous stairs. Tables are laid out in different sections depending on the game, a few portions raised above the rest of the floor and connected with small staircases. Some variety of cards seems to be prevalent, with the marble floor dominated by sharp crescent-tables laiden still with chips worth untold thousands of precious Gold. Black cards lie in trios before each seat, or scattered onto the floor where guests were too hasty making their exit. Or perhaps they used just the right amount of haste. The room is perhaps a one hundred and fifty feet long, stretching perhaps half that length to Noelle's left or right.

At the opposite end of the hall, a set of grand oaken double-doors labeled in Common with 'Employees Only' swing open. A large young... thing steps through, his height and his very presence rather oppressive in nature. He's a strange creature - wiry thin, and covered in fur so dark a black it seems almost unnatural. Four arms possessed of three-fingered hands extend from his sides, from the sleeves of a huge orange tunic tailored especially for him it would seem. Patchwork pants and a musty, oft-repaired trenchcoat speak of a background in poverty. What must be his father's boots (for they look so old) strain to contain his clawed feet. His head is a sharp object, a spiked scalp and a long, tooth-ridden snout extending from it's front, more like an animal's face than a speaking, walking creature. That narrow snout parts to speak as two deep, dark eyes lock with Noelle's.

"The passengers are a fair stripe lighter, but they're alright!" Gurri informs her immediately, barking across the room. "Why don't you come a little closer and we can talk, eh?"

Noelle's eyes are kinda hard to lock with, what with the helmet. It makes it hard to read her very well in general. She moves only somewhat closer, to facilitate a bit less YELLING, but stays at a range she's comfortable with, that is, a range at which she can probably gun this...individual down if he tries anything. Bolterbolterbolter.

"Hope you have it in yourself to forgive me for the gun. Is this the kind of talk where you try to hold a bunch of people hostage to make some demand, probably to be released with your loot, or the one where you reveal you pulled this stunt to try to send some kind of 'message'? One of my bosses says that happens a lot in 'this business.' Whatever that means." She doesn't sound like she's taking this very seriously. I guess that's what happens when the joker of a pilot tries to deal with pirates.

[ThePhantom]

Evolution Industries Headquarters

Marley looks up at this tall building. Its been a while since he was in the city. Well, not much point in prolonging this. Marley checks the basket he's carrying and walks up the steps to the door. He then looks for the speaker to let someone know he's here. That sort of security is expected, so if it is here, he tries to use it.

"Hello, I'm Ebenezer Marley and I have an appointment to see Mister Halley."

[UncleWolf]

[B]ODS[B]

Some zombies here have ranged attacks! You fly, you'll end up dead! Besides I know how to get out of here!
She whispers, unaware that Lego zombie has snuck up on the two (probably) and will attempt to grab Veronica by the feathers of her arm!

ODS

"I don't do tight spaces. How much clearer can I make it!?" Veronica says harshly before turning away in frustration just time to see the zombie. She'd be surprised but she's a bit too angry to be so at the moment. How hard was it to get across that she'd freak out in a space that small? Sure, survival came first, but you can't survive if you're too panicky to move.

She gives a growl of annoyance before jumping up in an attempt to latch her taloned feet onto the zombie's face before falling back into a roll in an attempt to use her own weight to throw the zombie away. The move is awkward and sloppy and would make her younger brother wince if he saw it, but he was the martial artist in the family, not her. She'd just dabbled in order to make sure he'd have someone to practice with from time to time. Luckily for her, her scaly feet would be too tough to easily bite and her two and a half inch long talons are capable of ripping flesh quite easily so there's a chance that the zombie might be blinded by the damage they can inflict.

Astrana's Apartment

"They're strip clubs for a lack of a better term Eadelain, even if Wolfy doesn't seem to want to say that outright." He seemed to hint on it heavily though, but even if Eadelain was smart this might be outside her frame of reference. "Just so you know what you're getting yourself into." She glances at Wolfy. "And isn't she a bit young to work at a place like that anyway? Even if she's just going to handle the paperwork."

Astrana's Apartment

Eadelain looks at Wolfy. "Someone may think less of you if you employ one so young at such a place." she doesn't seem to be saying that she would, though. At the same time, the job offer doesn't seem to enrapture her.

Astrana's Apartment

"Correction. Only one of my places is like that. The other two are a jazz/blues club and a dance club named Counting Basie and Your Rythmics." The god explains, frowning at Astrana. "They could use the help. Mostly running inventory on supplies, checking to see the bills are paid, people turning in the appropriate hours and such. Basic math, nothing much else required. "

[FireFox]

NPC Memorial Park

It's always a shame when people fail to see the efficiency of organization. People hate committees and meetings too, but you get so much more done with them. Douglas commiserates, nodding in actually genuine sympathy. He reaches back into his jacket and offers a second stack. Destroy the rest of their cloning tanks. Set the room on fire and melt everything. It may be best for you to do this without drawing attention to yourself, but if you wish to pursue more profitable and enjoyable opportunities elsewhere, you should consider tendering your resignation by turning your fearblaze on the other members. An additional ten thousand dollars for every confirmed kill.

[Aric Kale]

NPC Memorial Park

Zane nods, accepting the cash.

I'll see what I can do...
Unless Douglas has anything else for Darkstar to know, or any more questions to ask, the pyromancer will leave.

[Lost_Deep]

Astrana's Apartment

Eadelain is quiet for a moment. "I do kind of like jazz. I presume there will not be take-home work unless I fall behind? I am willing to make up if I slip up, but I would prefer not to be expected to do extra work on a regular basis."

[Darkcomet]

Evolution Industries Headquarters

Marley looks up at this tall building. Its been a while since he was in the city. Well, not much point in prolonging this. Marley checks the basket he's carrying and walks up the steps to the door. He then looks for the speaker to let someone know he's here. That sort of security is expected, so if it is here, he tries to use it.

"Hello, I'm Ebenezer Marley and I have an appointment to see Mister Halley."

Curiously for a facility operated by DC, when he's known to keep his own private security forces no less, no armed guards visibly patrol the exterior, and the building is honestly a bit eerie from the outside. Around the building are various devices built into the ground that, to those familiar with such things, resemble a type of point to point teleporter technology using telepads.

It's possible the security's been updated to use those. Of course, it's also possible they're enhanced evacuation systems, or that the security is present and merely cloaked.

Regardless of all this speculation, though, the door slides open automatically when prompted, with only an automated announcement offering a reply. "Follow all security procedures, then await escort to the Executive Lift."

Inside is not exactly a reception area, instead an entrance hall full of various high-tech scanners, mounted all along the walls and ceiling, scanning for...just about everything, really, but mostly anything that even vaguely looks like a weapon, explosive, gas-bomb, or other such nonsense.

"Please wait until scan is complete."

I wonder if it picks anything up. Probably not, but one should never assume.

[ThePhantom]

Evolution Industries Headquarters

Well, that's different. You think there would be a person or two here. Oh well. Marley walks up to the scanning area and waits. All that the scanners are going to find is his cane, and the fact that the two scarves he's wearing are more steel than wool. Unless you count a basket that holds a plate of cookies and some papers a weapon.

Marley was never much of a fighter after all, and after the sixth time he had an explosive blow up in his face he's stopped carrying those.

[Cosmic Traveler]

[Skyway Street: business sector]

A dimensional door opens in Eldritch patterns, a humanoid creature with features displaying the universe comes out. The creature wears a fine business suit of otherworldly fabrics

Alright, time to go back to business

[Murkus]

[Sky Barge - Outside]

Blackout squints off into the haze and focuses his sonar on the new objects dangling out of the bottom of the airship. Those aren't more passengers, are they? That certainly deserves further investigation if nothing else. The thestral cloaks himself in darkness to obscure his approach and flies closer, swift and silent. Just what is going on down here?

[Sky Barge - Inside]

Tenebra keeps an eye on the (unconscious?) floaty orb thing(s), ready to pounce on them if they start showing signs of violence again. She really doesn't relish the idea of getting blasted with any lightning bolts, no sir.

Nyx, meanwhile, is attempting to engage the remaining passengers in amiable conversation!

Gods help us all...

"I'm just saying, why call it a drive-way if you park in it? That doesn't make any sense at all."

[Street Barge Stratus - Outside!]

No passengers wait here, on the small platform running the inner edge of the lifeboat bay - only two ne'er-do-wells, toting bags of loot. One is a bronze-skinned young lady in a tank top and cargo pants, the term bronze being quite literal - every exposed portion of skin carries a strong but smudged metallic lustre. Her hair flicks and flashes like sweeping rays of sunlight as her head turns, revealing a rounded face accompanied by curved, puffy cheeks.

Her companion is a mousy looking fellow - a small scaled creature in a ruddy gray waistcoat. His face is pinched and set with deep golden eyes, like those of a snake. A trio of rather pretty red fins extend from his wrinkled head.

"Here, South, I'll get on. Hand me the lot down," the little kettle goddess asks her lizard friend. She hops onto one of the lifeboats and holds her hands out as the one she called South tosses her the first of the stained white stacks that undoubtedly hold their booty.

"Shouldn't have let Irrof go, shouldn't have let him..." South worries as he stoops and struggles with another sack. They have quite the hall, five bags worth of what must be passenger finery and stolen gold.

"Put your worries to bed, love. Irrof just doesn't want Gurri getting hurt is all," the bronzed girl replies, in a voice that sounds well used to soothing South's worries. She grunts as she catches another of South's tosses, settling the weighty bag in the belly of the little lifeboat. "They're gonna get Qy back, run here, and we'll be off before anyone's the wiser..."

The loading platform for the miniature barges is sparse - only a couple collections of barrels, some life support equipment, climbing lines - and a door, undoubtedly leading back up into the Stratus proper. It's beside this door South has piled the loot.

[Street Barge Stratus - Ballroom!]

Mustache, standing with his men to one side of Nyx, busts up laughing. No one really understands why.

"What is a drive way?" One of the tall suited creatures asks, quite seriously.

"I'm quite partial to walks in the park, myself..." Someone among the plump brown creatures states.

Qy remains unconscious, Nyx's deep, dreamless sleep keeping him from the pain of waking for a while longer.

[Street Barge Stratus - Casino]

Noelle's eyes are kinda hard to lock with, what with the helmet. It makes it hard to read her very well in general. She moves only somewhat closer, to facilitate a bit less YELLING, but stays at a range she's comfortable with, that is, a range at which she can probably gun this...individual down if he tries anything. Bolterbolterbolter.

"Hope you have it in yourself to forgive me for the gun. Is this the kind of talk where you try to hold a bunch of people hostage to make some demand, probably to be released with your loot, or the one where you reveal you pulled this stunt to try to send some kind of 'message'? One of my bosses says that happens a lot in 'this business.' Whatever that means." She doesn't sound like she's taking this very seriously. I guess that's what happens when the joker of a pilot tries to deal with pirates.

Gurri's peepers will study Noelle's visor, then, and glance occasionally to the bolter in her hand. Once they're close enough to talk without shouting like idiots, Gurri smiles, revealing a mouth full of thick bullet-shaped teeth. "You get messages often, do you? Sorry, lady. It's just the man that spotted me the fare and the barge passes insisted on it."

Despite his smiles and his low tone, Gurri seems nervous. His upper right hand ticks ever so slightly, and his brow furrows harshly. He reaches slowly behind his ear and pulls out a small piece of paper. A wrinkled yellow note. And from it he reads, without taking his eyes off Noelle for too long.

"There's a man coming that calls himself Stones. You need to find him. Union, Vigil, someone."

"He's going to kill all of you."

"Uh," Gurri scratches himself behind his ear. "That's all it says."

Behind Gurri, as he talks, Noelle may begin to sense one of the life signs breaking away from the rest. Unlike Gurri, however, it doesn't walk through the doors - there's a brief sense of it disappearing before it reappears inside the casino, off behind Gurri's right, crouching behind a table. Some sort of teleportation effect, it had to be. It was a nigh instantaneous transfer. And if it couldn't be more obvious, Gurri's nostrils contract, sniffing lightly at the air. Sensing someone.

Irrof, you dumb bastard... Gurri thinks, eyes flicking to the left.

[Ionbound]

[Riftline Station-Inside]

Gwen is waiting in the riftline station for the train to arrive. She takes it twice a day, every weekday, travelling between her home and Zaff's, where she goes to school.

[Deathkeeper]

Riftline Station

A rather interesting woman places herself near Gwen, eyeing the train schedules. She has green skin and blue-green hair, the spiral horns and fuzzy ears of an eland, and is wearing a noticeably lighter green shirt with a red vest. She seems entirely unbothered by the autumn cold. Oh, and she's a trail of smoke from the waist down.
Gwen is looking at a bone-fide djinni, assuming she's looking.

[Ionbound]

[Riftline Station-Inside]

Gwen blinks a few times and says to the djinni, "Oh, hi there! You're a djinni, right? I...I have a wish. It's really important."

[Deathkeeper]

Riftline Station-Inside

Pat turns without really moving and smiles brightly at the girl, lowering a bit so that they're on eye-level despite the muscular, older djinni having height on Gwen (at least if she had proportional legs, that is).
"Huh, is that right, hun? Well, I haven't hit my limit yet and you don't sound like you're lying, so sure, hit me with it."

[Ionbound]

Riftline Station-Inside

Gwen smiles and says, "Really? Thanks. I wish...I wish my brother back to being a human. He was turned into a kelpie when our whole family was dragged here, and I wish he was human again."

[Deathkeeper]

Riftline Station

Pat smiles and snaps her fingers. Nothing seems to happen, although the sound of the snap might seem to have a faint echo.
"Uh, that one was harder than it should have been. I did the best I can do, but I can't completely rewrite reality, and something was pushing back on that one. Pretty sure I got it in practice, at least. I can't not satisfy something unless it violates the rules. So...yeah, wish granted, I'm sure of that, but something was definitely wonky. I'm really sorry, can I help with anything else? That certainly sounds rough." she says, clearly embarrassed.

[Rebonack]

[Sky Barge - Outside]

Uh oh!

Bad guys.

Team Nightmære has some rules regarding going after bad guys, first and foremost among them is the fact that it's dangerous to go alone. The thestral turns his attention to the ship itself, his ears twitching as he gives a few focused hyper-sonic chips that reverberate straight through the walls and to his friends inside. He's calling for backup, you see.

And while he waits, he'll keep eyes and ears alike on the ne'er-do-wells.

[Sky Barge - Inside]

Nyx is about to explain what a driveway is when suddenly the ears of both thestrals stand straight up as they turn their heads toward a seemingly innocent patch of wall. The two thestrals begin talking back and forth in a series of virtually inaudible clicks and eventually Nyx gives a nod and heads up top to join Blackout.

That would leave just Tenebra behind to keep an eye on things.

"Don't worry folks," she assures the guests. "We just caught some of the thieves getting ready to make their getaway. We should have everyone's belongings back shortly."

Well.

Isn't that nice?

[Ionbound]

Riftline Station

Gwen sighs, nods, and says sadly, "Alright. Thanks for trying though...As for me...Well...This is going to sound greedy, but...I wish I had the magical power I need to protect my family from something like that from happening again."

[Deathkeeper]

Riftline station- inside

Pat shakes her head a bit.
"Thank goodness you were specific. I can't even say what might have happened if you had just left it at 'power.'"
Pat snaps her fingers.
Nothing happens.
She sighs, and twirls one finger expectantly.
"Just..give it a second or two..." she says.

[Rebonack]

[Riftline Station]

SUDDENLY!

A little wyrmling pops out of Gwen's backpack. The critter isn't much bigger than a house cat and he looks like he's made of living silvered glass. It gives the teeny guy a rather mirrored look. He's grinning up at Gwen and radiating an aura of fae power that might be positively terrifying to anyone who can sense it. Whatever that this is, he isn't the cute little innocent shape he's wearing right now.

"Hiya!" Maph'tey chirps. "I heard someone is in need of magical patronage?"

That would be Gwen!

Looks like she's in luck.

...maybe?

"Because it just so happens I've got some patronaging to give out to an interested party."

[Ionbound]

[Riftline Station]

Gwen swallows as she panickedly struggles out of her backpack and says, "What are you, really? Because gods know you're not what you look like and it's kind of important for me to know."

[Rebonack]

[Riftline]

Maph and the backpack get dumped on the seat! Or at least the backpack does. Maph continues hovering where he was relative to Gwen before she removed the pack in spite of the fact that she isn't wearing the pack anymore.

"Well, around the Nexus I'm known as Maph'tey the Challenge Rating Appropriate Random Encounter. If you want more generally, I'm Aes Shee. If you want more specifically generally, my spooky title is The Gate, The Lock, and The Key. It's 'cuz I'm in charge of the threshold between the Dreamlands and Nowhere."

Uuuh...

Making a deal with a creature like this may not be wise.

"Anywho! Like I said, I heard you were in need of some magical help 'cuz you've got goblins all up in your domicile and that just isn't going to do, is it? So I'm offering a once in a lifetime opportunity! You swear fealty to me and I'll make you a true and proper witch. Included in the deal is a selection of various witchy accessories for you to choose from! It's all pretty cool stuff if you ask me. And the best thing about the deal? The only real payment on your part is that when you're on death's door I'll spirit you away to my demesne in the Dreamlands. Where you'll be mine."

Pause for dramatic impact.

"Forever."

The little critter smiles an amiable smile.

"Doesn't that sound great?"

[Deathkeeper]

Riftline Station- Inside

Pat starts to float away as the two talk, but as she floats past Maph her eyes go wide at his description. Behind him, she turns to Gwen and pulls out a large card out of nowhere. On it reads: SAY NO TO SOUL-PACT. FOREVER IS FOREVER.
Then she flips it over. YOU CAN GET A THIRD WISH.
She flips it again. BE SPECIFIC AND I CAN GIVE YOU DRAGON-POWERS OR FAIRY-BANISHING OR SOMETHING.
Flip. JUST DON'T DO THAT.

[Ionbound]

[Riftline]

Gwen swallows, and says, nervous and utterly aware of what she's giving up, says, "I...I have to...To protect my family. I accept."