Riverside 18

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Southside - Electra's Dwelling]

The ray-bit tilts its head to the side slightly in a quizzical manner, before straightening up and using one of its ears to close the door after the General. Clearly, it hasn't been programmed to understand humor. The door opens into an larger, open living area with a couple of plush chairs and a couch with a coffee table in front of it, with several books neatly stacked on one side of it. A flat panel TV hangs on the wall opposite from the couch. All of the furniture is arranged so that no matter where one sits, they can keep an eye on the door, and on the one window in the room. A small kitchen also occupies this large room, separated by a peninsula, where there are bar stools. Where the peninsula meets the wall, there are four small shelves that reach from the peninsula to the top of the first cabinet in the kitchen. Each shelf holds one bottle of liquor: Cinnamon whisky on the lowest shelf, Jaegermeister on the second, Blackberry schnapps on the third, and dwarven whiskey on the top. Each bottle is roughly 3/4 full. Everything is neat and tidy, if a little sparse. A hall stretches back further from the end of the peninsula to several doors, all closed. The ray-bit moves towards the living area, gesturing towards the chairs and couch with its ears.

"Please, have a seat. Would you care for something to drink?"

The hair dryer noise continues from one of the doors.

[Recaiden]

Very cautious. Good room design.

The General takes a seat on the couch, moving slowly, and takes a look at every little thing.
"Sugar water, if it is available."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Southside - Electra's Dwelling]

The ray-bit's optics flash bright green, but it doesn't move towards the kitchen. Instead, it backs up into an empty corner near the door and its eyes dim as the hair dryer shuts off, and the left door in the hall opens. Electra emerges, clad in a tank top and sweat pants, her hair down, still slightly damp, with an elastic tie hanging from her mouth, reaching up to pull a good bunch of it into a ponytail, then tying it, before heading into the kitchen. Even pulled back in this manner, it reaches to the small of her back. Except for her auditory sensors, she's more or less indistinguishable from a human woman. She moves quickly, even as she speaks.

"Sorry, General, I wasn't expecting visitors. I do hope Ray was pleasant while you waited." She pulls a rather tall glass out of a cabinet, then reaches into the fridge and retrieves a bottle of water, which she pours into the glass, before taking several scoops of sugar from a container on the counter with a teaspoon and mixing briskly. She places the partly empty bottle back in the fridge, retrieving a can curiously labeled as "E-Tank Energy Drink" from inside, before closing the door and bringing both drinks out, placing the General's sugar water down in front of her, before cracking open her own drink and seating herself in one of the chairs.

"I apologize for not having any ice, the ice maker just started acting up this morning and I haven't taken the time yet to have someone come take a look at it." Her expression is slightly apologetic, but also curious as she looks the General up and down. "You seem to be in good spirits this morning. Is there something I can help you with, or is this just a social call?"

[Recaiden]

"It was polite." Skye says, with a little nod.

"It's no trouble. I'm not fond of ice."

"I am, but this is business, yes. We need more information about Eastside. There's a fair chance that their new leaders won't abide by the treaty and we want to be most prepared when the fighting starts. We specifically need to know about the Lotus Gardens and AMEN, and any other special assets they might have. But we don't necessarily want to remove them from play. Do you think you can help with that?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Southside - Electra's Dwelling]

Electra's expression shifts from curiosity to professional detachment as she considers what the General might need to know.

"I can most likely find out what you'd like to know, though if they aren't being obvious about a buildup in a specific place, numbers might be a bit difficult to come by, though composition should be easier to deduce. The Lotus Gardens..." She trails off, remembering seeing the place from afar, and takes a sip of her drink to hide the shiver that runs down her back. The place creeped her out, but she still can't place a finger on why. "I remember seeing the place, but I didn't go in. Something weird about it, but I can find out what they've got at the very least." She takes another sip, considering on AMEN. "Last I'd heard, AMEN's been moved to some sort of mountain base. I hadn't heard that they've been active in the city, at least, recently. Then again, I haven't had much exposure to them, either. I thought I'd overheard someone in Trog's mention they had a base here in Southside at one point, but they never mentioned where it was. I figured if they were going to be a problem, either your more conventional forces would have mopped the floor with them already, or we'd have been having a similar talk about them earlier, with possibly a different goal." She gestures with her can slightly, swirling it gently. "Do you think they're in league somehow? I mean, I'll do my best to find out either way, but if you had a tip on it, I can definitely follow up."

[8BitNinja]

[MERC Office]

"Yeah, just bring a lot of weapons, the only thing you need to try to avoid is too much collateral damage. The city is flying after all." Dena adds.

"Very well then, I'll be there shortly." Tier says as he leaves for Skyside

[Recaiden]

"Composition is more important than just numbers, and any information about their priorities is important as well."

The General gives just a nod.

"The AMENside base here is no longer a problem. But this was not hardly all they had. Now, we don't have any specific reason to believe they'd be coming back. However, the candidate 'Stu the Flower' was supposedly once(?) a member. He seems ridiculous, but if he comes into power all the same they may take an interest again. The group was not cohesive, and we exploited AMEN's internal conflict when we first invaded. They might still be in disarray, or they could have rallied."
Skye sips at her drink.
"The Lotus Gardens are more of a concern. Jezebel makes no secret of her designs on the entire city. From her personal sub-district, to Eastside, then the rest of us."
"The current mayor is, from all indications, weak and not willing to cause trouble. And Tep seems to be an agent of Malechenar. But don't discount either of them completely."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Southside - Electra's Dwelling]

Electra seems to think for a moment. Sounds less straightforward than she had initially thought. Such things often are, but at least the General is being upfront about it.

"So you need confirmation of Stu's current status, along with any ties he may or may not still have, just to be able to do a threat assessment on him should he win. And a threat assessment on everyone else, including the current mayor, along with whatever other force compositions and levels I can dig up. Included would also be both their stated and private goals, assuming I can get them to spill some of the latter, and possibly any private backers they might have that I can dig up."

She whistles softly, from a high to a low note. "That's a pretty tall order for one operative. A lot of people to cover, and a lot of leads to follow up on. I mean, some of it is readily and easily accessible, yes; the public stuff on every candidate, and I'm sure you've already gone over all of it. Not saying I can't do it; just that it may take longer than we have if I do it by myself, especially if there winds up being a lot untangling to do on the backers." She takes a sip from her drink, and raises an eyebrow. "I'm guessing the sooner we have the intel, the better, too, but what's your timeline? I'm sure you need the composition and force levels well before election day so you can start training and moving assets where they're needed."

[Recaiden]

"Good. You've understood. We'll want to know everything we need to know at least a week before their election, the election day itself being the earliest they could make an open move."

The General whistles a few notes, mid-high-low in order.

"Priority is an assessment of the Lotus Gardens and associated forces, then Stu's status, then as much of the rest as you can get in time. You're right, not an easy job. Who would you have work with you that would make it go quicker rather than just getting in each others' way? Speak up about any resources that will help."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Southside - Electra's Dwelling]

Electra nods, unsurprised at the General's priorities, or the timeline, and is ready for the question of who or what might help her get more info faster.

"A forensic accountant would be helpful for analyzing the backers and backgrounds. You probably don't have anyone listed in that specific field, but you probably have someone in your supply corp that's good at noticing discrepancies in inventory and the like, and the task is similar. I wouldn't need them all the time, either, just when I have some financial data to go through. A profiler would be helpful, but not necessary." She takes another sip of her drink, thinking about the team she used to be on back on Earth that did this kind of thing, and which roles would be most helpful for this task. "A former AMEN member who could give me a crash course in the group's basic structure would be of great help, since my knowledge of them is limited and I don't have any contacts that would know. I realize you may not know of anyone like that, I'm just putting it out there. For an investigation this wide, another operative would be helpful, since we could run down twice as many leads in the same amount of time, but the only person I know that I would trust to handle it and, as you say, not get in my way, is a MERC member. One of their lieutenants, in fact, and I'm sure her fee will be more than I could pay. And I'm not going to ask you to pay it, either."

She pauses, and considers again, before going on. "The only other person I can think of that might be useful is a magic-user of some kind, someone that could help negate or advise on whatever sort of magical security the campaigns might have. I'll be the first to admit I really don't know much about practical magic use as it relates to security. I've been trying to learn it," she gestures towards the stack of books on her coffee table, "But without practical experience, I'm not sure I know enough. I would definitely appreciate someone who is more expert giving me advice."

[Recaiden]

The General nods a few times.

"I have a good quartermaster who can help. Good for noticing little things. We don't employ any former AMEN members here, but you could go to the old AMENside buildings here and ask Ilpholin, or track some of them down outside the city."

"Tell me this MERC member - that wasn't the 'sure' that means 'certain', you just expect it. Perhaps we can work something out. A magical security advisor, however, ah, on the other hand, I don't believe I have. And we really ought to have that knowledge in the city. I'll have it looked for, and then put you in touch."

The profiler was called out as not necessary, and so is skipped.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Southside - Electra's Dwelling]

And now it's Electra's turn to nod a few times.

"I'm not sure who Ilpholin is, but I'm sure I can find the buildings." She takes another sip of her drink, before moving on. "The MERC member's name is Dena Xifhara. She's a gorgon, though, from what I understand, she wasn't always. Anyways, she and I have worked a couple of jobs together. She's quick to catch on to new technologies and methods, she's socially adept, and has a solid tactical and strategic mind as well. I only have a MERC license, while she's a full member, and a lieutenant, to boot. I don't know if you're familiar with their membership model or not, but the basic gist is that full members get more authority and access, while licensees have much more autonomy. We're more or less independent contractors held to a certain set of professional standards, and largely responsible for generating our own income, though we do have access to contracts MERC takes where the client doesn't mind whether the job is done by a member or a licensee."

She pauses for a moment, then nods at the General. "You're correct, though. I'm not certain what the fee will be to hire her, but I expect it to be expensive because you'll need to contract her exclusively. I wish I could give you a better idea of what that might cost, but I don't really know. They have an office in Northside and Dena seems to be there on a semi-regular basis, so if you wanted to arrange a meeting with her, that's probably the best way. I can act as an intermediary if you'd like, though I understand if you'd rather have someone else do it." She now has a lot on her plate, after all.

"That sounds good to me on the magical advisor. I should probably also mention that I might need some magical equipment, depending on what the advisor tells us, but I won't know what I need on that front until I've had a chance to go over what I can get on my own with them. There's other, mundane, equipment that I'll be using, but I'll supply it. If you can supply the personnel, that should be enough, and I'll get started right away. "

[Recaiden]

"A gorgon, really? Oh, probably that other kind of, hmm, alright. I didn't know the details of MERC's structure, thank you. That might provide an angle of negotiation, actually.

"It would be best for you to get to work on this, and someone - the staffing department? to speak to MERC about getting you help." There's definitely someone who 'talking to Dena' ought to be delegated to, but the General doesn't seem to remember off the top of her head just who it is.

Skye takes a small datapad from her belt, taps on it, and hands it to Electra. "Contact information for when you need the numbers run on finances and connections. Stay in touch about developments and new equipment needs."

"I am glad you'll be up to the task." she adds.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Southside - Electra's Dwelling]

Electra nods, taking the datapad, and placing the info into her own contact database. Her irises flash once, then she hands the datapad back to the General, and smiles.

"Glad to be of service, General. I'll keep you posted on both what I learn, and anything I might need."

[Gullara]

The Empress' Estate - The Frescots

The snow-melon is subtly sweet with a soft fleshy texture and a taste that's almost like a mixture of honey, snow, and an aftertaste of pine. Overall, it has a striped rind like a watermelon, but is shaped more like a honeydew. For the children, there's plenty of ham, venison, and pheasant for meat and buttered rolls and all sorts of more recognizable vegetables for sides(not that they're likely to eat them without prodding from their parents).

Glaahr returns with another Godless, a slightly older one wearing the fur armor and with a bronze axe on her back. She has scarring around her eyes, but she's smiling despite herself. The smile she and the handmaid share however turn slightly bitter and pained at Adir's question though they don't comment as they set the chairs up for the little ones.

"No, they do not. Not any longer." The Empress says, deciding to answer herself rather than making one of the elfish guards do so. "They have not been blessed with children for a long time, and likely never will again. The reasons are...difficult to explain though it could be said they journeyed elsewhere to have adventures of their own."

[The Empress' Estate - The Frescots]


"You're just a wee dainty thing, and the chair looked very heavy," Adir murmurs back, flashing her a sidelong grin as he seats himself amidst their brood. He sets about gently snatching at hands and at least trying to instruct the children on how to proceed! Though he's undoubtedly much less strict at their own dinner table.

"Thank you," he tells the elven guards. The Empress commands his attention again a moment later, and he mouths a little 'Oooh'. "I... see. Look, I'm sorry," he flicks a glance at the Godless. "Really. Um... Would ya like to know their names? The kids, I mean." He asks, perhaps of the whole room. He looks at the Empress and opens his hands. "Maybe the ladies could eat with us. Chatter a bit. Would that be okay?"

[The Empress' Estate - The Frescots]

The kids are quite good eaters, actually, and don't show the slightest hesitation toward eating vegetables. They can't with Sakura for a mother. Laela and Cern both are far too inclined to grab more than they could possibly eat, and while their parents are bound to be too busy with the younger kids to rein them in. At least Gywdion has some restraint.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Sakura says. She couldn't imagine how terrible that would be. It's nice to see that her own kids bring some smile to their faces at least. "Yeah, they never got a proper introduction. Our oldest is Laela, then there's Cern and Gwydion right next to her." Sakura catches sight of the piles of food and gives disapproving looks. She'll deal with that soon. "Russell and Lucy are the two right here, and the youngest are Laurana and Cassie."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Xar'Cha Residence]

Later in the morning, after the conclusion of her meeting with the General, a blonde woman wearing jeans and a brown bomber jacket approaches the front door of the Xar'Cha residence, having been directed to the former AMENside site by one of her neighbors, a long-time resident who adamantly refuses to leave the district no matter what sorts of trouble befall it. Electra has left her long hair pulled back into a ponytail, and she glances around, taking in the sight of the building now serving as Ilpholin Xar'Cha's home, approaching carefully in case there are hidden defenses.

[Reinholdt]

[Xar'cha Residence]

There are plenty of 'hidden' defenses. Some less hidden than others. As long as Electra doesn't step on the grass in direct contradiction of the sign that says not to, she should be fine. Just use the super obvious sidewalk path.

At the front door, there's a buzz panel with three names to choose from: Ilpholin Xar'cha - demon hunter, Mister Squiggles, and Kal'selthezaar. Presumably Electra presses the one for Ilpholin, after which the panel will chirp out, "Good time of day. This HALlelujah unit does not recognize you. Please state your name." There is a brief pause in which Electra is expected to state her name. "Is the purpose of your visit: 1) Disfigured friend on a social visit. 2) Disfigured foe on an air quotes social visit. 3) Curious passer by indulging in curiosity. 4) Cake. 5) Dire emergency help help help. 6)... "

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Xar'Cha Residence]

Electra does indeed stay off the grass, as well as pressing the button for Ilpholin. She blinks in surprise when the HALlelujah unit asks her name and answers almost automatically.

"Electra." She listens patiently while it goes through its list of options, glancing around and noting some of the less hidden defenses out of habit more than curiosity. When it finally reaches the "Other" option, she nods and speaks a bit more confidently. "Other. I need to speak to Ilpholin regarding her time in AMEN. I'm not with that group, though, if it matters."

She appears to be unarmed, but if the HALlelujah unit has a weapons scanner capable of detecting concealed weapons, it will detect a handgun hidden in a holster the small of her back, covered by her jacket.

[Reinholdt]

[Xar'cha Residence]

There is a few moments of silence before the front door opens. "Have a nice time of day." No one immediately to greet her though. Electra will have to walk inside through the short hallway to the other door which will also open for her as the front door closes. Inside that is a large foyer just for greeting guests and one Ilpholin Xar'cha standing by a chair.

"Do come in. Take a seat anywhere. Can I get you anything to drink?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Xar'cha Residence]

Electra moves carefully through the hall as the doors open for her, noting her surroundings, before looking Ilpholin up and down carefully and nodding.

"Thanks, perhaps some tea," she says, seating herself carefully on one of the chairs.

The platinum blonde reploid woman has never met the demon hunter before, but to Ilpholin, the only thing that might give her away as being anything other than human are the domes of her auditory sensors where her ears should be, as she's making no effort to conceal them with her long hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her clothing and demeanor are casual, as she's wearing a white tank top under her jacket along with the blue jeans and brown leather boots.

"I do appreciate your taking the time to talk to me; I realize that this might be an uncomfortable subject to talk about with someone you don't know."

[Murkus]

[Moth Park]

"Ah, girls?" says a fluttering patch of nearly-tangible air near Vax and Zhareen. It wavers like a column of gelatin. "Can you hear me? I have my notes on the binding with me, if you wish to close the circle... Everything seems to be in place."

[Shadowcaller]

[Moth Park]

"And the tree? Can we involve the tree, Mr. Sticks? it is a important symbol of this park." Zhareen inquires without hesitation. No fear demon would use Sticks as their avatar of horror, in Zhareen's mind he couldn't even scare a crab!

[Gullara]

[Moth Park]

No, Sticks is hardly an intimidating specimen. "I'm quite certain Sticks wouldn't deny you that, would he?" Vax seems quite content to take her time with this. There may be a demon bent on stopping them that could strike again at any moment, but she wouldn't let that hurry her. Though as Sticks said, it is very close to complete.

[Reinholdt]

[Xar'cha Residence]

"I'll have some boiled shortly." Ilpholin says as she takes a seat on the couch, one arm draping along the length of its back.

A moment of silence follows as she appraises Electra in light of her opening. "You're a perceptive woman. Still, you aren't the first stranger to question my past and you won't be the last. I will continue doing what I must to protect this world, even if that includes answering some uncomfortable questions. What do you wish to know?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Xar'cha Residence]

Electra smiles gently.

"Mostly I need to understand AMEN's structure, who's in charge, who reports to whom, where does the money come from, and to whom does it go, and for what purposes? I'm trying to verify these rumors I've heard about one of the mayoral candidates for Eastside, but since I know so little about AMEN itself, being fairly new to the Nexus, I'm not sure where to start." The smile turns to a sheepish grin. "Luckily, one of my clients was kind enough to guide me to your door, and here we sit. I would like to know a little more about you, too, and about your work, if you don't mind. 'Demon Hunter' doesn't seem to be a common profession here, though from the things I've been hearing, it sounds like it really should be."

[Reinholdt]

[Xar'cha Residence]

Ilpholin frowns a little. "Did this client also tell you that I haven't been in AMEN for three years? I mostly just have personel files from the interviews I conducted there as its leader. I left the organization in disarray so I can't tell you the chain of command now, or the money situation. But I do know the candidate you're talking about. Stu right? He was around even back then. He's an idiot who will do anything for money and women. I have to admit, I never expected anything to include running for mayor." She shakes her head. What a convoluted method of partying hard. Points for creativity? Maybe. Ilpholin is convinced it'll never work.

"As for my work, I only recently returned and set up shop. Haven't had too many jobs yet. Still ironing some things out. But mostly it's that the Nexus is far too kind to demons. It coddles them and people around practice tolerance, pretending they aren't actually evil manifested in physical form." Ilpholin tsks in disapproval.

[Murkus]

[Moth Park]

No, Sticks is hardly an intimidating specimen. "I'm quite certain Sticks wouldn't deny you that, would he?" Vax seems quite content to take her time with this. There may be a demon bent on stopping them that could strike again at any moment, but she wouldn't let that hurry her. Though as Sticks said, it is very close to complete.

[Moth Park]

"And the tree? Can we involve the tree, Mr. Sticks? it is a important symbol of this park." Zhareen inquires without hesitation. No fear demon would use Sticks as their avatar of horror, in Zhareen's mind he couldn't even scare a crab!

[Moth Park]

"It can only help," Sticks tells Zhareen, not disappointing either of them. "Grounding the spell in something that's for a very long time could make it more difficult for the demon to break free..." His voice warbles through the magical communicae, a wavering mass of soul energy. "How old is the tree?"

[Slii Arhem]

Lazy Afternoon

The bumbling bee-woman will find herself being lead to an upscale home, modestly sized and built of brick, with a rather lavish garden surrounding the house between it and the privacy fence the Bunny-Man had. There's a greenhouse up top as well, housing a large collection of Orchids, and if she gives him the time to do so, he'll enter his home, go up two stories, and open up the greenhouse from the inside. "You can come on in if you like." He says, standing aside and gesturing her to enter if she wishes.

Lazy Afternoon

She lands as soon as the doors are open, moving over to the flowers immediately and giving them several deep inhales each as she completely ignores his presence. Moving from flower to flower, She buzzes thoughtfully under her breath, plucking at the instrument still hung around her neck in tune with the notes coming from her throat.

Suddenly, she sticks her face into one of the flowers and the bunny-man can see a quick hint of her tongue coming from between her lips, pushing into the center of its petals and rooting around within the plant's stamen curiously.

The Empress' Estate - A Meeting

Alva let out a chuckle in return. "Sorry but I've heard that one before." she replied with a smile, flourish, and bow. She had decided beforehand that perhaps she could at least show the other knights as they were all aligned with the same liege, after all, and as part of her bow she dropped her illusion. Six tails curled about her feet as a tall pair of ears peaked out from her hair, all of which were dark as night save for the snowy white tips as if she had gotten her hair frosted.. Though the way it gently glittered, that might not be far from the truth. "Besides, if we had met before, you wouldn't be forgetting one such as I." she said coyly, crossing her arms under her chest as she added a quick wink. "But I'll take your statement as a complement, if you don't mind, Lord Victor."

The Empress' Estate - Alva and Victor

"If you two are planning on getting intimate, do so on your own time after my request." The Empress says plainly as she gives a dismissive wave of her hand at the comments. Despite the gesture and remark, she seems amused by the two already. "For now, I have two things for you both. The first is that I have arms for both of you, but that will come after the second." She states as she pulls out a rolled up scroll to offer to the pair. "Near the organization called MERC, one peak away, is a glacier. I wish to seize the run-off from it through an aqueduct to bring to my domain. This map details the route I wish it to take, but it will need to go dangerously close to that organization. I am sending you two to negotiate its safe passage by any means you decide. If they are not amenable regardless of terms, then return and we will discuss...alternatives."

The Empress' Estate - Alva and Victor

"You would be surprised at some of the things I've forgotten. What is the phrase us old folks use? I've forgotten more about my casual acquaintances than you will ever know? A rather puzzling thing to brag about, an utter lack of knowledge eclipsing the field of someone else." Victor catches himself rambling with a cough, then smiles roguishly at the now fully revealed Alva. Well, perhaps not fully revealed.

"Still, perhaps it was another place and time. I appreciate your candor nonetheless." He subvocalizes with a respectful nod as he turns to his Empress and heeds her instructions politely, his arms held behind his back in a stance that brings to mind a ridiculously large and imposing butler, were it not for the scale of their surroundings.

"Of Course, my Empress. What terms are we permitted to negotiate with their leaders, or are the details within the papers themselves and for the mercenaries to review on their own?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Xar'cha Residence]

Electra nods when Ilpholin mentions Stu, then again when she mentions that the Nexus is too tolerant of demons.

"I suspect that may change soon, at least, for some people, after a bunch of them attacked and beat VIGIL, and burned down one of their allies' homes." She shakes her head, thinking of what happened to Adir and his family's home. "I myself got a rather...interesting 'Welcome to the Nexus' present from a pair of them, so I understand where you're coming from. Though, I assume that means you're none too fond of one of the other candidates, either." She chuckles grimly, conveniently skipping over the fact that the pair also tried to kidnap her, but perhaps she'll come back to it if Ilpholin asks.

"And no, they didn't mention that you'd been out for three years, but yes, you're correct that I'm interested in Stu. I'm guessing he joined up because 'women love bad boys'? Did anyone take him seriously when you were there?" Sounds like she recognizes his type, at least.

[Reinholdt]

[Xar'cha Residence]

"If I heard correctly, those events happened some time ago. I do not hold out hope that anything will change." It'll take more than the tragic destruction of a home or two. "I am aware of all the candidates, but my interest in the election is a passing one at best. Yes, a number of demons are up for office, but I can only address so many problems at a time without bogging myself down and politics is a more complicated area to begin with. Quite frankly, I can't prioritize it when I can be so much more efficient elsewhere." Besides, that is over in Eastside and they'll have another election in a year or so that'll probably replace whoever they put in now.

Ilpholin brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. "Maybe the only person who took him seriously was Moff? And seriously wouldn't be the exact word I would choose. Regardless, he actually was a member before I was and I can't say that it seemed like he joined for that reason. What he 'officially' wrote down," Ilpholin provides the air quotes, "Was that he joined because he was thrown out of everywhere else."

At this point a robot spider about the size of a medium sized dog comes in carrying a tray with tea and a dvd. The helper gingerly places the tray down on the table in front of Electra before skittering back out. "That's a copy of the interview I had with Stu after I took power. I doubt there's anything of substance there, but that's really just who you're dealing with." Ilpholin scoots closer and pours herself and Electra some tea.