Riverside 18

[Terumitsu]

The Empress' Estate - Victor and Alva

The Empress seems to consider the ideas for a few moments before giving a small nod. "I will have the kitchen load a keg of brandy and a keg of beer onto a wagon to take with you. Unless you have other means of transportation you'd prefer to use. Both are strong and from my homeland so they cannot be replaced, but I find that this is adequate use for them." She explains before standing up before them and holding out a hand towards a rack of weaponry to their left. She Speaks once again, her words vibrating the air with pressure before a pair of cloth-wrapped weapons fly from the wall to her hand. She catches them with ease and looks down at the two. "Kneel." She commands.

Once they do so, she lowers herself to one knee as well, holding out one weapon to each of them. Alva's is long and thin, likely a staff or spear wrapped in blue velvet while Victor's is a shorter blade wrapped in burgundy silk. "Take these and speak the word Clathrrm when you stand." Should they do so, they'll particles of ice and dust explode around them as the armor they had been gifted before manifests upon their bodies, fitted perfectly.

The Empress' Estate - Victor and Alva

The spear was a simple affair once she slipped it out of it's velvety wrappings. It might almost be mistaken for a somewhat thin but otherwise well reinforced staff, iron bands gently spackled in places from rust, though the head was more than just a decorative end that most magicians might otherwise have. Looking almost like the clearest glass, an unmelting spire of ice inside which gold strands of hair circled and curled. Standing and speaking as she had been commanded, Alva was garbed in the armored robes gifted to her. Of course, whatever craftsman or woman who had designed them seemed to have had in mind something that both appeared protective while similarly flattering to the wearer's figure.

Ears twitching slightly, Alva exhaled a gentle stream of frosted air as she gave shrug and peered over at Victor, both to see what he had been gifted with and to see if he had anything to say. She was hoping for the latter as flattery was always welcome.

[Gullara]

The Empress' Estate - The Frescots

"I presume you understand what a Knight is?" The Empress asks, genuinely believing the two will understand the term. "He would serve me in such a capacity, with all it entails. Even rights to land after we begin to expand if that is his wish. He would help protect this domain and its people, leading and providing a guiding hand when necessary as well as helping to defend it against banditry. Apart from this, he would act as my envoy and voice to others if I need him to travel. He would be paid well for his services, and while I would prefer that he and your family live near by, I would not require it." The Empress explains. "It would not be the safest of duties, but I have seen the care your husband takes in his weapons and have taken stock of all else I have seen of him. He is a man that would greatly benefit this growing realm."

[The Empress' Estate - The Frescots]

Adir gapes just a little bit as he's given a thorough explanation, and swallows before he glances at Sakura. Grinning, as though it were all wrapped up and topped with a bow. "There. See? Nothing to it. Probably better than me taking up with mercenaries again." Or VIGIL, for that matter.

[The Empress' Estate - The Frescots]

"Right, okay. I think I understand." Sakura says, fairly neutral. She should have expected it'd put Adir in danger somehow, but he's pretty determined to do that one way or another. "Uh, where is 'this domain' exactly?"

[UncleWolf]

Spoiler: Lots of Quoted Posts

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[Moth Park]

Vax takes the opening and backs toward the tree. "We're doing it here. Keep it busy." It would be... harder to bind the demon here. The steps they've taken so far weren't intended to be used here, but Vax will have to make it work. First she touches one of the circle's inner lines. Suddenly roots and vines erupt from the earth all around them, They trace the lines of the circle, giving them a more rigid structure to buy time against the broken earth. Now, the next step...

[Moth Park]

Zhareen, being enchanted by a spirit of courage, resists the effect this time as halo of pure light has manifested above her head. The guards meanwhile are still in their dream-like state and just goes along with it. Simply standing there even as the demon starts circling around them with its tentacle. Their masks did protect them naseous gasses, they weren't purely decorative.
But while they were concerned with protecting Vax, Zhareen figured it was better to go the offensive against a demon of fear, again, courage was the best way to fight it. "Everyone, position yourself around the circle, I'll deal with this directly." She commands as she moves forward to bash the demon with her spiritual hammer. "Taste the hammer of justice!" She, for some reason, feels like exclaiming.

[Electra's Phone]

"Nope, I haven't been that much in Eastside. The mayor is nearly completely unknown to me, beyond the fact that he made some pretty harsh laws regarding 'traitors'. Seems like he is building up as much of a police state as Malechenar, though don't tell anyone I said that." Can't badmouth your own employers. "Continuing, Tep is some kind of knowledge demon, which only makes him about as trustworthy as the other candidates it seems. After all, Stu is a former AMEN member, and Jezebel is a current cult-leader and goddess, which somehow seems more unnerving than the demon-thing. It seems like she have some sort of relationship with one of VIGIL's leaders, Cessie Mithar, you heard of her? There are apparently newspapers writing stories about them."

Southside Border

"I was wondering when the whole Gemini twins aspect was going to be a thing," Halton remarks, as he extends a hand to help Gemini in, as the thing hurriedly speeds up and away towards Wildside, to discourage its assailants from pursuing.

And I was wondering when you'd explain why you're jeopardizing everything for the sake of a complete stranger, Haz," the hovercopter pilot (who is definitely, totally just a generic NPC and nothing else) butts in, adding yet another name to our man of mystery's ever-growing list of aliases.

"You can't just use my codename like that, we've got rules! We-" Haz pauses, realizing the folly of arguing on behalf of rules he just spent the last few minutes actively flipping off so he could go do his own thing. "She was in danger, and I thought I had time, I didn't know the General's men would come investigating so soon. You can't tell me you really think leaving someone to die would help us win Southside's hearts and minds, do you?"

The pilot frowns, but doesn't answer. Too busy watching the radar, waiting for an excuse to open fire on anyone who feels like giving chase.

Southside Border

The robot groupe won't start the attack. They only scan the hovercopter as far as possible. After they are out of range, they continue to the point where Gemini droped down. They still want to see what happened there.

The goons are also going to let them go. Chasing a hovercopter on foot was going to be dicey at best.

But a pair of them will go to investigate Gemini's crash site once the coast seems clear.

[The Empress' Estate - The Frescots]

"Right, okay. I think I understand." Sakura says, fairly neutral. She should have expected it'd put Adir in danger somehow, but he's pretty determined to do that one way or another. "Uh, where is 'this domain' exactly?"

Southside Border

There isn't anything particularly special about Gemini's crash site except for the young-woman shaped impression in the ground and some torn scraps of cloth that seem to be disintegrating into their base magical energies. It was probably going to be quite a pain to patch the destroyed surface.

Hovercopter Over Wildside

Gemini takes a moment to dematerialize the gauntlet that'd make Hellboy nod in approval before taking the offered hand. Her hand is surprisingly soft and well manicured for someone who seems to have such a brutish way of fighting. "Thank you. I think." She says, looking back over her shoulder as they depart the city proper. She stays silent as her saviors argue back and forth but after a moment she bites her lip. "Um. Excuse me?" She asks, trying to gently catch their attention. "But might I ask where we're headed? I have boarding school tomorrow and probably shouldn't miss it." She explains.

The Empress' Estate - The Frescots

"For now, it is simply this estate and some of the surrounding area. I plan to extend through Wildside and out into the unclaimed lands between the major cities. For now there's a few small farms, growing the bounty placed upon the table, but already I have plans underway for an aqueduct to provide clean glacier water for irrigation and growth." She explains before giving her heavily armored head a small shake from side to side. "I am not some warmonger seeking to take this city or the others for myself, nor will I force them to bend to their knees if that is what you fear. Your husband would help protect the people here against those who would seek to do such to us instead. For now however, I need his skills not to hunt people to harm, but to hunt them for their help. I have a need of a great many artisans and farmers if we are to do anything at all."

Moth Park

The newly sprouted roots do indeed provide a firm wall against the encroaching phantasmal fiend, but it will likely cause them to creak and bend in a short time with the force it was exerting. At least, until the blessed hammer of justice slams into its shadowy flesh. An ear-splitting screech vibrates the very air itself as the tentacle draws back in pain. A smoldering crater had been knocked out of it, but while it draws back one tentacle to allow it to mend, another shoots forward quickly, pointed tip rigid as it thrusts through the air towards Zhareen's chest.

[Murkus]

[The Empress' Estate - The Frescots]

So she wants him to look for new blood, too. "Will I be away from home a lot?" Adir poses humbly.

[the Toy Tinker]

Sticks quietly listens. When she's finished, he looks at Lenai for a long minute, and then looks away about his shop. One steel finger is crooked, and he rests his narrow chin against it.

At last, he quirks an equally narrow eyebrow. "...a comparably trifling thing, repelling animals from a city's borders. Most animals - of a mundane sort at least - already avoid the dull lifeless towers in which the thinking beasts dwell. The ritual has a foundation in nature," he swallows. "Still. No small feat of the Art."

The tall man's glass eyes glitter strangely. "You used the word 'commission'. I suspect this was not in error. Have you come with an offering, or would you have me name my price?"

[Slii Arhem]

[The Empress' Estate - The Frescots]

So she wants him to look for new blood, too. "Will I be away from home a lot?" Adir poses humbly.

[the Toy Tinker]

Sticks quietly listens. When she's finished, he looks at Lenai for a long minute, and then looks away about his shop. One steel finger is crooked, and he rests his narrow chin against it.

At last, he quirks an equally narrow eyebrow. "...a comparably trifling thing, repelling animals from a city's borders. Most animals - of a mundane sort at least - already avoid the dull lifeless towers in which the thinking beasts dwell. The ritual has a foundation in nature," he swallows. "Still. No small feat of the Art."

The tall man's glass eyes glitter strangely. "You used the word 'commission'. I suspect this was not in error. Have you come with an offering, or would you have me name my price?"

The Toy Tinker

The nymph looks amused, "No simple, mundane beasts would worry me so. These are magical predators of shadow and light, ice and fire. There is a cat the shape and length of a boa constrictor with twelve sets of limbs who devours herself every evening and gives birth to herself every morning in an explosion of flames." She clearly believes that that would be a suitably impressive strangeness to represent the level of weird currently inhabiting Wildside.

"I have brought for you a small trinket, if you had no standard rate for your services. But you seem to have something in mind, so by all means, let's negotiate your fee."

[Murkus]

[The Toy Tinker]

"...My lady, if anything, it sounds like putting up a barrier to keep such creatures out of Riverside will only serve a healthy interest in my own well-being," Sticks tries to jest, though he still seems intimidated.

"I will... accept this task. I think. Once I have seen this trinket, mayhap. And..." Sticks swallows, pondering. She can - perhaps literally - hear the gears in his brain turning. "Maybe..." Ah, it was foolish. Yet... "Your kind are so... beautiful. The wild fae. Do you think you could... perhaps... make me like you?" He opens his hands and waves them down along his body, indicating his frail and gangly form. "Elevate, somehow, this sad steel cadaver?"

[Gullara]

[Moth Park]

While the vines may impede the demon as it emerges some, that's not their true purpose. In fact, they will actually accommodate the beast as the magic controlling them builds in strength. No, Vax welcomes the beast in. Zhareen can stop it from harassing her directly, but it's Zhareen's job to keep it close to her just as much as it is to keep the demon away from Vax. The vines at first maintain the shape of the circle they stand in, but then they start to adapt it. It's purpose as a binding circle is still correct, but she needs to make some tweaks...

[The Empress' Estate - The Frescots]

Sakura just waits for the answer to that question for the moment. It's an important one, and one that will shape her entire opinion of this job. Adir has seven children and has already been away from them long enough.

[Lord Magtok]

Hovercopter Over Wildside

Gemini takes a moment to dematerialize the gauntlet that'd make Hellboy nod in approval before taking the offered hand. Her hand is surprisingly soft and well manicured for someone who seems to have such a brutish way of fighting. "Thank you. I think." She says, looking back over her shoulder as they depart the city proper. She stays silent as her saviors argue back and forth but after a moment she bites her lip. "Um. Excuse me?" She asks, trying to gently catch their attention. "But might I ask where we're headed? I have boarding school tomorrow and probably shouldn't miss it." She explains.

"We'll be circling back around in a minute, once we're sure they've given up. Is home near Westside? We'll be picking up some people in Westside," the pilot says, as he flicks a switch and turns the cloaking device back on. There's a brief moment where Haz and Gemini appear to be standing on thin air, before Haz shuts the door and the cloaking field stabilizes. Grateful for the distraction Gemini has provided, keeping the pilot off his back, he quietly takes a seat, slots in a new battery-pack for his sidearm, and checks his watch. Huh, we're a few minutes ahead of schedule. That's some good news, I guess.

[Slii Arhem]

The Empress' Estate - Victor and Alva

The Empress seems to consider the ideas for a few moments before giving a small nod. "I will have the kitchen load a keg of brandy and a keg of beer onto a wagon to take with you. Unless you have other means of transportation you'd prefer to use. Both are strong and from my homeland so they cannot be replaced, but I find that this is adequate use for them." She explains before standing up before them and holding out a hand towards a rack of weaponry to their left. She Speaks once again, her words vibrating the air with pressure before a pair of cloth-wrapped weapons fly from the wall to her hand. She catches them with ease and looks down at the two. "Kneel." She commands.

Once they do so, she lowers herself to one knee as well, holding out one weapon to each of them. Alva's is long and thin, likely a staff or spear wrapped in blue velvet while Victor's is a shorter blade wrapped in burgundy silk. "Take these and speak the word Clathrrm when you stand." Should they do so, they'll particles of ice and dust explode around them as the armor they had been gifted before manifests upon their bodies, fitted perfectly.

Lazy Afternoon

When the bee-woman moves on to another orchid, the scholarly rabbit-man gives a sigh, admitting defeat. "Ah...crap. Who am I to say a bee doesn't know better?" He asks no one in particular as his shoulders slump and he heads over to a small fridge he keeps in the greenhouse to pull out a pair of glasses and a bottle of mead. It wasn't the godly mead the Wildside was known for, but it was definitely sweet and honeyed. As his guest violates his orchids, he pours a couple glasses and walks over to offer some of the chilled alcohol to the woman.

Lazy Afternoon

On the offer of mead, the woman tilts her head to the side and holds very still, seeming to inspect the glass without smelling or even looking at it, her eyes turned up towards Matthias instead. Then, her tongue slowly extends from her mouth until its tip is touching the liquid, and he can see a slight amount drain from the glass as if she were taking a sip. Just as languidly, her tongue retracts and she licks her lips before shaking her head and going back to pollinating the orchids with her face.

The Empress' Estate - Victor and Alva

The spear was a simple affair once she slipped it out of it's velvety wrappings. It might almost be mistaken for a somewhat thin but otherwise well reinforced staff, iron bands gently spackled in places from rust, though the head was more than just a decorative end that most magicians might otherwise have. Looking almost like the clearest glass, an unmelting spire of ice inside which gold strands of hair circled and curled. Standing and speaking as she had been commanded, Alva was garbed in the armored robes gifted to her. Of course, whatever craftsman or woman who had designed them seemed to have had in mind something that both appeared protective while similarly flattering to the wearer's figure.

Ears twitching slightly, Alva exhaled a gentle stream of frosted air as she gave shrug and peered over at Victor, both to see what he had been gifted with and to see if he had anything to say. She was hoping for the latter as flattery was always welcome.

The Empress' Estate - Victor and Alva

As Victor lets the cloth wrapping fall from his blade, he turns it in the light. It's a very short blade for someone his size, but the leaf-like blade runs the length of his forearm, flaring wider towards the tip for extra chopping force. Nearly the entire blade is tarnished, but along the edges where it isn't covered by ages-old patina the yellow metal shines fiercely, bringing fire and gold to mind as the light plays over it. Nearest the center the tarnish is a dark, nearly black mottled green that fades into an oily rainbow of murky colour towards the edge.

As he speaks the word, he rushes to his feet in a surge of ice and rimefrost, beautiful green-black armor coming into existence around him. The serpentine style of the helm, pauldrons, gauntlets, and even the breastplate give Alva the impression that no matter where he faces there is always a set of eyes on her.

Spoiler: Armor Description

Show

The armor is extremely dark, a grey-green that is almost black. There's a slight shimmer to the metal when held up to the light, but it is impossible to divine what metal it actually is for the grey-green seems natural to it. Amazingly, despite knowing that it had to have a great weight to it, it was light in Victor's hands as if it were leather instead. The helm has a removable faceplate like The Empress' own, and while it is flat and unmarked, the helm itself is shaped like a serpent's with the lower jaw lined up with the jaw of the wearer. The serpent's head is full of ridges and fangs carved into the surface of the helm as well, giving it a draconic appearance. The shoulder pieces are also shaped into fang-filled heads as well, though this time the mouths are closed. The same goes for the gauntlets where the back of the hands are shaped like them as well. The actual body armor however is contoured well to fit a lean man's body with interlocking plates that allow for a great degree of flexibility. The chest is carved with a symmetrical tangle of scaled necks and a single serpent's head right in the middle with eyes that seem to watch everything in front of it.

Overall, the set of armor is incredibly protective and ornate, giving off a sensation of age and prestige, and should he look closely he'll find that it is far from unmarred by the passage of time and battles. A small gash here from where it turned a thrusting blade, an old scrape on the shoulder where a heavy mace failed to crush the armor.

But when he does turn to her and removes the faceplate from his helm, she's greeted with a warm smile, "Would that all of our arms and armor impress as yours do, Lady Alva. I am unaccustomed to such practical garb, but with you there, we will not fail to impress the mercenaries on behalf of our Empress."

[The Toy Tinker]

"...My lady, if anything, it sounds like putting up a barrier to keep such creatures out of Riverside will only serve a healthy interest in my own well-being," Sticks tries to jest, though he still seems intimidated.

"I will... accept this task. I think. Once I have seen this trinket, mayhap. And..." Sticks swallows, pondering. She can - perhaps literally - hear the gears in his brain turning. "Maybe..." Ah, it was foolish. Yet... "Your kind are so... beautiful. The wild fae. Do you think you could... perhaps... make me like you?" He opens his hands and waves them down along his body, indicating his frail and gangly form. "Elevate, somehow, this sad steel cadaver?"

The Toy Tinker

A scoff, followed by a brief tinkling of honest laughter is Lenai's reply as she leans in closes to Sticks and brings up a hand to cup his chin, brushing her lips to his in a chaste-yet-lingering kiss, "It is done. And surely you would ask for more than just a pittance such as that in exchange for your talents. I will not work with someone who undersells himself, you cannot trust such folk."

If Sticks has a mirror handy to look at himself in he won't see any change, nor will he feel much different after the kiss. But if Lenai sees him inspecting for such, she'll merely brush off his concerns, "Becoming feytouched is not a matter of a single evening. In a fortnights time, your changes will be complete."

[Deathkeeper]

The Toy Tinker

Around this point a certain sleepy faun groggily drags himself from under the desk, having passed clean out after seven deliveries that day. He puts an arm into the desk for support to the sound of a woman's laughter, eyes bugging as he sees his boss kissing a mostly-naked lady in the doorway, and promptly slips off of the desk with a crash.
After that he's wide awake and sits up properly.
"Sticks! You said you had something really important to do tonight. You didn't tell me it was a date." he exclaims.
A date with a very dirty lady, apparently. That is going to be work for him.

[Shadowcaller]

Moth Park

The newly sprouted roots do indeed provide a firm wall against the encroaching phantasmal fiend, but it will likely cause them to creak and bend in a short time with the force it was exerting. At least, until the blessed hammer of justice slams into its shadowy flesh. An ear-splitting screech vibrates the very air itself as the tentacle draws back in pain. A smoldering crater had been knocked out of it, but while it draws back one tentacle to allow it to mend, another shoots forward quickly, pointed tip rigid as it thrusts through the air towards Zhareen's chest.

[Moth Park]

While the vines may impede the demon as it emerges some, that's not their true purpose. In fact, they will actually accommodate the beast as the magic controlling them builds in strength. No, Vax welcomes the beast in. Zhareen can stop it from harassing her directly, but it's Zhareen's job to keep it close to her just as much as it is to keep the demon away from Vax. The vines at first maintain the shape of the circle they stand in, but then they start to adapt it. It's purpose as a binding circle is still correct, but she needs to make some tweaks...

Moth Park

Zhareen raises her shield to block the tentacle while making another push towards the demon. One advantage of having your entire lower body being a longer tail was that it was difficult to knock you down. Therefore, Zhareen can take the full blow of the tentacle with her shield without as much as staggering. "Courage will never fall before fear!" She shouts at the demon as she gives the tentacle a light bash with the shield still raised.

[Recaiden]

Southside Border

There isn't anything particularly special about Gemini's crash site except for the young-woman shaped impression in the ground and some torn scraps of cloth that seem to be disintegrating into their base magical energies. It was probably going to be quite a pain to patch the destroyed surface.

One of the General's goons starts setting out orange traffic cones around the dent in the ground. Can't have anyone tripping over it before they can get it torn up and repaved.

Another is more concerned with the odd scraps, gathering them up, trying to tie threads from them in knots or loops to hold them together.

[5a Violista]

Following this, evil spirits, magical monsters and demonic entities may find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to leave Riverside. It is as though a solid barrier blocks their departure. Similar creatures may feel a tug or a repulsion as they try to depart the city's borders... except via the River itself.

Re-entering Riverside

Harley Zorzo has decided it's time to come back to Riverside. After all, she is running for office here. And her house is somewhere around here, too, in Eastside. So, it's about time she comes back, approaching on the Eastside entrance.

Some time before entering, she obviously shapeshifts her way to looking like her "Harley Martinez, councilwoman" look and hides her empty sheath. She, finally, puts on her signature identifying mask.

She arrives to the boundary to the city, and...there appears to be some sort of nonphysical boundary or barrier keeping her out.

She pushes against this invisible barrier.

She doesn't go through. "What." Obviously she's confused. She pushes again, and is not allowed entry. "What."

She backs up and tries to ram into it, shoulder-first, and still doesn't pass through. "Ouch..." She crumples to the ground. What is going on?

Harley is incredibly confused. What. Once she's reoriented herself, she starts yelling "Hey! Help! What's going on?" and similar sentiments.

[Murkus]

((A note on entering Riverside, one doesn't have any trouble at all with that. ))

[The Toy Tinker]

Sticks raises his pointy hands in defense, or perhaps surrender, as Lenai leans towards him... and surprises him utterly. He freezes, fingers curling, as the kiss is done... and when it is, he just blinks a few times. He won't look for a mirror or try to peer at his reflection, he only reaches up to touch his strange face. "I... was that... why--"

Sticks whirls, cloak swirling, and his eyes alight upon Jim. He blushes profoundly, a dusty blue color like small lights showing through his thin skin. "Jim! This is-- not a date! This is n-not the important thing. It's-- well-- it's--" He looks at Lenai, sighing. His face droops with a bit of melancholy. "Just... more business. Yes."

"...More, you say, then. Before I choke on my tongue. I'd ask after... one of your beasts, lady Lenai. One of these myriad monsters you are bent toward protecting. I could use something to model my miniatures after..."He swallows. "Though perhaps just a... smallish one?"

[Slii Arhem]

The Toy Tinker

Around this point a certain sleepy faun groggily drags himself from under the desk, having passed clean out after seven deliveries that day. He puts an arm into the desk for support to the sound of a woman's laughter, eyes bugging as he sees his boss kissing a mostly-naked lady in the doorway, and promptly slips off of the desk with a crash.
After that he's wide awake and sits up properly.
"Sticks! You said you had something really important to do tonight. You didn't tell me it was a date." he exclaims.
A date with a very dirty lady, apparently. That is going to be work for him.

((A note on entering Riverside, one doesn't have any trouble at all with that. ))

[The Toy Tinker]

Sticks raises his pointy hands in defense, or perhaps surrender, as Lenai leans towards him... and surprises him utterly. He freezes, fingers curling, as the kiss is done... and when it is, he just blinks a few times. He won't look for a mirror or try to peer at his reflection, he only reaches up to touch his strange face. "I... was that... why--"

Sticks whirls, cloak swirling, and his eyes alight upon Jim. He blushes profoundly, a dusty blue color like small lights showing through his thin skin. "Jim! This is-- not a date! This is n-not the important thing. It's-- well-- it's--" He looks at Lenai, sighing. His face droops with a bit of melancholy. "Just... more business. Yes."

"...More, you say, then. Before I choke on my tongue. I'd ask after... one of your beasts, lady Lenai. One of these myriad monsters you are bent toward protecting. I could use something to model my miniatures after..."He swallows. "Though perhaps just a... smallish one?"

The Toy Tinker

Lenai gives a brief, imperious look towards Jim before dismissing him as irrelevant, and therefore beneath reacting to his impudent assumptions. "You did not mention you had a helper here. But that could be for the best. The size of the beast I would send would not be a factor. All are quite deadly if mishandled, sometimes the prey moreso than the predators. But... perhaps something could be arranged. I could loan you a beast of sorts, on the understanding that if you mistreat it or cause it to come to harm, the loan would end. Likewise, at the end of its natural life, it returns to Wildside to end its life in peace." She nods at the proposal, unilaterally considering it good.

And then, with a gesture towards the door, the tree outside is once again opening it. This time with another branch laden down with something. At first it merely seems like an extension of the tree, but as Lenai takes it to present to Sticks, its character becomes obvious.

The staff is a thin one, looking almost comically fragile but, as Lenai demonstrates by whipping it about, it flexes remarkably without so much as a creak. It's composed of a single live, still-barked sapling that branches out into several smaller sticks at its head. The branches all spiral around a large, golden apple before meeting and intertwining above it and firmly holding it in place. Several of the branch tips end in small buds, closed against the winter's chill.

"Like the beast, this staff is a loan. It will grow as you age, and on your death will return itself to my domain. I will know if you cut into it for experimentation, so do not cause it undue damage for the sake of your curiosity. It will repair itself of most minor battle damage when planted in good soil, and will perform better in direct sunlight. Apart from that, you will simply have to work with it yourself to find its capabilities. I have very little patience for regimented magics, and as such I have not explored the possibilities of amplifying them through such a focus." If Sticks or Jim touches the staff, the feeling as it thrums with barely contained magical power is intoxicating.

[Deathkeeper]

Toy Tinker

At the discussion continues Jim stiffens and stands up straight, bowing to Lenai.
"I'msosorryMa'amthatwasn'treallyappropriate." he sputters, hoping he hadn't ruined anything for Sticks. He awkwardly moves to stand behind Sticks since he was mentioned, but he tries not to stick his hoof in his mouth further.

Barnabas, his homonculus, stares at the staff from the shelves, ever silent.

[Recaiden]

Re-entering Riverside

Harley Zorzo has decided it's time to come back to Riverside. After all, she is running for office here. And her house is somewhere around here, too, in Eastside. So, it's about time she comes back, approaching on the Eastside entrance.

Some time before entering, she obviously shapeshifts her way to looking like her "Harley Martinez, councilwoman" look and hides her empty sheath. She, finally, puts on her signature identifying mask.

She arrives to the boundary to the city, and...there appears to be some sort of nonphysical boundary or barrier keeping her out.

She pushes against this invisible barrier.

She doesn't go through. "What." Obviously she's confused. She pushes again, and is not allowed entry. "What."

She backs up and tries to ram into it, shoulder-first, and still doesn't pass through. "Ouch..." She crumples to the ground. What is going on?

Harley is incredibly confused. What. Once she's reoriented herself, she starts yelling "Hey! Help! What's going on?" and similar sentiments.

"You're trying to go through at an angle."

Oh look, that's the mayor, leaning against the barrier from the other side, although visibly just tilted against nothing in the air, since it is invisible. Kind of a mean look in their eyes right now.

"Try lining up with the city center and walking through backwards."
"It just sprang up an hour ago. Mostly seems to keep certain people in, but you can get locked out if you do it wrong."
"It looks temporary, though."
That might just be making things up.

[5a Violista]

((A note on entering Riverside, one doesn't have any trouble at all with that. ))

((Haha. Oh, thanks. I was kind-of confused.))

[City Limits]

((I was going to save face with a rogue Mr Mime blocking her entry, but "doing it wrong" is funnier.))

Harley stands up when the mayor begins speaking to her. "Er..." Honestly, that's confusing. Harley has so many questions. "Why was it put up? Because of the election?" she asks, as she turns around. She tries to line herself up with the center and starts backing up. She, obviously, ends up going through this time.

Once she's sure she is through, Harley reaches out to press against the invisible wall and feel it from this side. "Why?"

[Recaiden]

The mayor gives a shake of the head 'no'.

"We don't know why. It's from Northside. Lots of magic thrown around. Terrible traffic accident."

And follows up with a shrug.
"It doesn't seem to be causing much trouble though."
No one here has the answers.

[5a Violista]

"That...that isn't really fair," Harley protests. "A group from Northside can just stop other Riverside residents from leaving whenever they want? Something's got to be done about that."

Actually, she continues experimenting with the wall as she talks. She can't go through it, but can her things? She grabs a makeup thing from her purse that was coincidentally in her hands, and holds that against the wall that stops her. It, obviously, goes through because that piece of makeup is thankfully not yet possessed by evil spirits.

"Or what if someone was in a car? Would they just..." Harley makes a gesture with her hands, showing one hand (representing a person) getting smooshed up between her other hand (a car) and the invisible wall.

[Recaiden]

"No, it's really not." Amyria agrees. "We've advised people to be careful at the wall until it's gone, and then we'll have to ensure it doesn't happen again."

"Be crushed? Probably. At best they would crash their car into the wall."

"Did you know almost everyone can get through okay? I had to specifically try to be able to touch it."

[Murkus]

[The Toy Tinker]

"I hadn't thought him here at all," says Sticks, cocking an eyebrow at Jim, though not with hostility. Had he really forgotten to send the boy home? This was a trend that needed fixing. He looks back to Lenai. "And I hadn't precisely seen the relevance of his employment to our dealings, if that's what you mean. The terms for your animal are nothing if not agreeable. I accept." He shrugs.

Then comes the staff. Sticks does step toward it, if not disallowed, and he runs his needle-fingers along it's length. If one were to look in his eyes then, they'd see the glassy orbs glowing all the more brightly. "Oh, my lady Lenai, you are entirely unaware what it is you've been missing..." The tall man wraps his hands around the living haft of the stave, his lip curling slightly in an expression of sated greed. "The spellery I could work with this. May I?" He'll take it from her, if it's freely given.

A wizard's greed is, of course, sated temporarily at best, and in provisional satisfaction it's breadths and depths deepen only further still.

[Slii Arhem]

Toy Tinker

At the discussion continues Jim stiffens and stands up straight, bowing to Lenai.
"I'msosorryMa'amthatwasn'treallyappropriate." he sputters, hoping he hadn't ruined anything for Sticks. He awkwardly moves to stand behind Sticks since he was mentioned, but he tries not to stick his hoof in his mouth further.

Barnabas, his homonculus, stares at the staff from the shelves, ever silent.

[The Toy Tinker]

"I hadn't thought him here at all," says Sticks, cocking an eyebrow at Jim, though not with hostility. Had he really forgotten to send the boy home? This was a trend that needed fixing. He looks back to Lenai. "And I hadn't precisely seen the relevance of his employment to our dealings, if that's what you mean. The terms for your animal are nothing if not agreeable. I accept." He shrugs.

Then comes the staff. Sticks does step toward it, if not disallowed, and he runs his needle-fingers along it's length. If one were to look in his eyes then, they'd see the glassy orbs glowing all the more brightly. "Oh, my lady Lenai, you are entirely unaware what it is you've been missing..." The tall man wraps his hands around the living haft of the stave, his lip curling slightly in an expression of sated greed. "The spellery I could work with this. May I?" He'll take it from her, if it's freely given.

A wizard's greed is, of course, sated temporarily at best, and in provisional satisfaction it's breadths and depths deepen only further still.

The Toy Tinker

Lenai looks unimpressed by his proclamation, "What craft could I weave that is better than what I've presented you? I will keep to my own magics, wizard, and hire you for yours." There's a point, somewhere in there. After all, if she's capable of producing something that could amplify mortal, wizardly magics so greatly then what need has she to learn them?

If Sticks is so eager to have the staff, Lenai relinquishes it to his hands. It feels almost indestructible from tip to tip, as if he could balance the world on its end. Yet it bends so easily along its length that, without much effort, he could curl it around his forearm like a serpent.

"The same stipulations apply to your employee, though it scarcely needs saying. He is not to abuse or experiment on the beast or staff, either at your urging or due to your negligence. That is the only relevance his presence merits." Lenai leaves it at that, the implication hanging in the air that she would not be impressed if Sticks were to try to find a loophole in her generous offer after such a kind and thoughtful warning.

"But that should conclude our business for now, yes? You should begin to see the effects of my blessing within the week, and by fortnight's end it will be completed. By then, I should be ready for your part in this, and I will send the beast in the morning, once your work tonight has ended."

[Deathkeeper]

The Toy Tinker

Jim's familiar hops up onto Jim's shoulder. The sturdy faun doesn't move at all or otherwise make note of this. Though at Lenai's speech he does hold up a finger.
"Pardon me, Ma'am. I don't really know anything about a blessing." Jim turns and gives Sticks a look. A look that Sticks might realize is the "haven't we done this before" look. "But if I'm going to be responsible with caring for a beast, then I think we need more details than 'quite deadly.' I am sure it will be helpful if it is hand chosen by you, but this is a store frequented by children. I trust you recognize this." he says professionally. Sticks is a mystery to him. He's older and experienced and generally a wise person when it comes to anything but conversation, but he seems to be eating out of the palm of this woman's hand.

[UncleWolf]

The Empress' Estate - The Frescots

"Not if I can help it." The Empress says, inclining her head slightly towards the children in understanding. "Those I am choosing to be my Knights are being chosen because of their skills, not necessarily because I need someone to fight on my behalf. I have a sword and shield of my own and the will to use them when I am required to. If he travels, it will not be to battle, it will be as my emissary." She explains before smiling behind her mask. "Nor is my domain so vast that it will take long for one to walk from one end to the other." She adds with a hint of amusement at her own expense.

The Empress' Estate - Alva and Victor

With her champions armed, The Empress gives a small gesture towards the door. "Now ready, head out. Choose whichever vehicle you wish though make sure it will have room for the gifts. Keep in mind your new stature however and the power it brings. You have had just a few scant days to get used to it but I assure you that you have both changed more than you know. Farewell and may the Gods smile upon you." She adds, settling back onto her throne.

When the two depart, they'll find a variety of vehicles waiting, including a particularly large cargo truck and wagon for them to choose from. Unfortunately, the smaller vehicles are unlikely to hold their new size, let alone the kegs that will be sent with them. Perhaps sometime The Empress would upgrade to vehicles more appropriate for their lordly status.

Lazy Afternoon

Mathius sighs and deflates when he sees that the mead doesn't distract the bee-woman appropriately from his delicate orchids and decides to finish her glass himself. He knocks both his and hers back before getting out a small spray bottle and going to work watering his orchids. He tries to ignore the molestation of his flowers by the bee-woman, but after a bit of thought he shakes his head at himself. "What were you expecting to do, Mathius? Impress her with your skill of caring for so many of these? She's probably seen more impressive displays in the wild." He admits, reaching up to tug an ear in a display of self-ridicule and to relieve the tension he was feeling at seeing his precious orchids face-planted.

He pauses at that thought, snickering at the joke and making a mental note of it before he begins to hum. His throat, worked well over the years, hits his pitches perfectly.

Moth Park

The tentacle squirms out of the way of the shield bash as the daemon finally figures out that it isn't really making any sort of progress by using its own strength. It draws back on all quarters, seeming to hesitate as it attempts to puzzle something out. Even its vast toothy maw doesn't encroach any further for a few precious seconds.

But it is only a handful of seconds before it renews its approach and assault, this time wrapping a tendril around the base of a smaller tree. The tentacle rips it from the dry earth before swinging it at the warriors facing it, using it as a crude club. It might not be the smartest entity, but even it can understand the merits of a crude tool.

Hovercraft over Wildside

"Actually, I live in Inside." Gemini admits. "My bike is resting in Westside though. Gotta get around somehow." She adds with a shrug as she watches the city and the jungle outside of it pass by below. "So...what's the nefarious plan you guys have? Sticking it "To the Man" or MegaCorp Sabotage or pulling an Ocean's Eleven? I mean, code names, hovercopters, and fancy weapons? Something is going on. I grateful for the lift and everything, really, but now I'm just curious."

Southside Border

The scraps of magical cloth will still continue the vanish despite being tied though if anyone is capable of sensing magic, they'll probably be able to figure out that they were illusion. Tangible certainly, but illusory. Once separated from the person giving it power, it was liable to disintegrate regardless of circumstances.

[Murkus]

[The Empress' Estate - The Frescots]

"And if I do have to travel, maybe you guys could come with," the stag adds at a gentle volume. Adir tries to find Sakura's hand with his, whether on the table or under it. He smiles with all his warmth. "Might be fun. And I'm sure you could only improve my impression." The stag winks.

"I'll, uh, confess though, Empress," Adir pipes up at the big lady, "I've never been an emissary before. I'm, um... I think I'm pretty good at talking with people. But I have no formal... diplomatic training?" Yeah, that would probably be it.

[The Toy Tinker]

"I... think the young man has a point," Sticks says, shaking his head as he looks up and away from the distraction of the staff. He glances at Jim, then Lenai. "I would like to know more, if I'm to care for this creature. And I trust it will be less trouble than it is worth." He pauses, and frowns, glancing at Jim apologetically. He knows that the young man may end up caring for this beast more than he does, and should have thought of it.

"...From where I perch, you stand to gain more from this than I do. You called this glamour you've cast upon me a pittance, and your other works are... loans? Both of them. The one a burden as much as it is a boon," says Sticks. Thank goodness for Jim. His worrying was a sobering thing. "This staff is a glory, and it is powerful. Yet you'll have it back, in the end. Far be it from me to act suspicious, but with the warnings you heap upon me, you clearly lack any sort of intrinsic trust that you wish to place in me... I can only return the same."

[Slii Arhem]

The Toy Tinker

Jim's familiar hops up onto Jim's shoulder. The sturdy faun doesn't move at all or otherwise make note of this. Though at Lenai's speech he does hold up a finger.
"Pardon me, Ma'am. I don't really know anything about a blessing." Jim turns and gives Sticks a look. A look that Sticks might realize is the "haven't we done this before" look. "But if I'm going to be responsible with caring for a beast, then I think we need more details than 'quite deadly.' I am sure it will be helpful if it is hand chosen by you, but this is a store frequented by children. I trust you recognize this." he says professionally. Sticks is a mystery to him. He's older and experienced and generally a wise person when it comes to anything but conversation, but he seems to be eating out of the palm of this woman's hand.

[The Toy Tinker]

"I... think the young man has a point," Sticks says, shaking his head as he looks up and away from the distraction of the staff. He glances at Jim, then Lenai. "I would like to know more, if I'm to care for this creature. And I trust it will be less trouble than it is worth." He pauses, and frowns, glancing at Jim apologetically. He knows that the young man may end up caring for this beast more than he does, and should have thought of it.

"...From where I perch, you stand to gain more from this than I do. You called this glamour you've cast upon me a pittance, and your other works are... loans? Both of them. The one a burden as much as it is a boon," says Sticks. Thank goodness for Jim. His worrying was a sobering thing. "This staff is a glory, and it is powerful. Yet you'll have it back, in the end. Far be it from me to act suspicious, but with the warnings you heap upon me, you clearly lack any sort of intrinsic trust that you wish to place in me... I can only return the same."

The Toy Tinker

And now, at last, Lenai's mouth twists into a grimace. It's unsightly to see such beautiful features marred by irritation, but thankfully true anger is merely a shadow at the door of her countenance, "Loans, yes, but loans for the rest of your entire earthly life. I should hardly think you would need to carry my gifts beyond the grave, or are you truly that selfish? Or is your objection to my request that you do not abuse the trust I am placing in you? If you have kept this shop here in Riverside, you may be party to rumors about the forest and its origins. Allow me to confirm one now, for your ears only." Here, Lenai casts a glance to Jim and merely nods, allowing him to stay and hear her as well. He did, after all, make a salient point.

Her hand lifts, and Sticks can feel the staff in his hands squirm in response, bending toward her fingertips to gently brush across them with its tip, "All of my trees are connected, and through them I feel every living thing in my domain. All of them except for this one, grown specially apart from the rest of the groves. A cutting, not from seed but from flesh, tended to secretly underground where none could know of its existence but me. It vies and writhes and aches to join the rest, and I can feel its every pang of primal hunger to be away from here. And, like the rest, the blood of the most powerful God I have ever witnessed flows as its sap. A gift for me alone, and to allow even a fragment of it out of my grasp pains me to no end. To think that you would harm this sapling to get at that gift... the thought is all too plausible of a man I know nothing of save for his impressive display of power and his apparent greed for more and greater acts of sorcery." Lenai sighs dramatically, letting her hand drop and the staff become inert once more. It seems to have taken a lot out of her to admit even that much.

"The beast I decided upon is no less precious, and chosen only because it has the sense and presence of mind that many predators do not. If commanded so it will do no harm excepting in defense of itself and its family, and by far it will be the most useful thing I could give you within the constraints of your request. My stipulation that you not keep its corpse after it has died should not be so unreasonable, given those circumstances. There are precious few in existence, and I release her to you only with the knowledge that she can die amongst her sisters when her time comes." Finally, her irritation slips away into stony neutrality, and she has but one more thing to say.

"I will remind you that you were the one to request a beast specifically, not I. And I came here with a generous offer of a princely gift and whatever reasonable request you could make besides. While I understand your concerns about its lethality, do not so callously throw my generosity back in my face again. This is merely a transaction for the casting of a single spell and, if we treat each other cordially, I am certain I could commission your services again should you prove adequate."

[Deathkeeper]

The Toy Tinker

Jim considers, for a moment, if this would be a good time to tell this woman that he's fairly sure that Sticks will live several times longer than any....
...what is he?
-any man or elf ought to, if not indefinitely. Definitely not. So he simply puts an arm around Sticks and gives Lenai a smile.
"Your secret is safe, Ma'am, as will be your beast and your cutting. I will keep my master in check, just as he once saved me from my decisions. You may trust this apprentice. You may call me Jim, by the way. I must apologize for having missed introductions." he says, giving Lenai another small bow in an attempt to repair their strained conversation.

[Gullara]

[The Empress' Estate - The Frescots]

Sakura smiles a bit and squeezes his hand. "Well, maybe." That doesn't sound so bad, but she's not entirely convinced. She can hope for the best at least.

[Moth Park]

Vax speaks a string of words in a language not often spoken. She waits, listening for a response. Apparently satisfied she turns her back to the fight and touches the tree. At the same moment, the vines on the ground surrounding them all start to writhe with an unearthly vigor.

[Zefir]

Southside Border

The group with the robots head for the crate, but as soon as they spot the other party, they turn away. They only got bad experience with them and don't want to start a fight.