MERC XVII: You Can't Take the Pay From Me

[Westhart]

Liadi smiles and nods at Dena If I have any questions I'll ask. She gets up and wanders to the fire plan, looking at the general layout and judging distances, then smiles nods to herself and heads in the general direction of the rooms, mentally inventorying everything along the way, any cameras, any open doors vs any shut, number of doors etc. One can never be too careful after all.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Dipsnig's Office]

"How long should we wait to tell him? He may suspect something's up if we come out with it right away. There'd be investigation time to account for. A few days, maybe?" Electra asks, opening her eyes to look to Dipsnig once more. "We can perhaps continue investigating where Grace went after she left, so we'll have a better idea of where the trail twists and turns and cuts off. If there's any trail to follow, that is."

[Morty]

Liadi smiles and nods at Dena If I have any questions I'll ask. She gets up and wanders to the fire plan, looking at the general layout and judging distances, then smiles nods to herself and heads in the general direction of the rooms, mentally inventorying everything along the way, any cameras, any open doors vs any shut, number of doors etc. One can never be too careful after all.

The layout contained in the first post of the thread is outdated, because I'm lazy. So here's a rough layout of the base that Liadi will see, designed by me and cleaned up by Recaiden:

Spoiler

Show

The secret underground entrance in the middle isn't included on the plan, however. Liadi is currently in the Foyer.

[Dipsnig's Office]

"How long should we wait to tell him? He may suspect something's up if we come out with it right away. There'd be investigation time to account for. A few days, maybe?" Electra asks, opening her eyes to look to Dipsnig once more. "We can perhaps continue investigating where Grace went after she left, so we'll have a better idea of where the trail twists and turns and cuts off. If there's any trail to follow, that is."

"'Grace' left us a means of contacting her," Dipsnig says, with exaggerated airquotes accompanying the name. "Since she owes us a favour for letting her use our foundry. We can use it, maybe. I admit I am curious about what led to a human sorceress to become an elf. While being a cloud of marbles and a golem in the middle."

[Westhart]

Liadi heads into the living quarters, setting herself up in one of the empty rooms, taking a stock, lifting the bed, opening the closet (if any) and checking any other places. She also checks for secret doors, as she isn't an amateur who would assume home is just safe.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Dipsnig's Office]

Electra crosses her arms over her chest and thinks for a moment, before responding.

"I'm curious about that, too, but I'm not quite sure how that favor's going to help. If she still has the golem, wouldn't she be able to direct its actions at a distance? I can't see how it will lead to new information, and Cassandra could always claim she bought it from or traded 'Grace' for it for some other sort of magical favor or something."

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office]

Dipsnig's ears twitch again.

"I'm not sure if she can control it. Finding out might be worth calling her. What other leads do we have?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Dipsnig's Office]

"I'm operating under the assumption that body-swapping magic isn't common. I do have an acquaintance at one of the magic academies I could ask about it, I suppose. Perhaps doing so leaves evidence we're not aware of?" Electra posits. It's an interesting theory, at least. "Otherwise, you're right, the favor is the only real lead we have in this regard. There's another issue, but it might wind up working out well if things go right. If we tell Wenomir we have the favor and we suspect 'Grace' is Kr, I think he'll insist on being there when 'she' shows up, or when we talk to her or whatever. If Cassandra can still control the golem, then it might resolve the whole issue without us needing to reveal who she really is now to anyone."

[Morty]

Liadi heads into the living quarters, setting herself up in one of the empty rooms, taking a stock, lifting the bed, opening the closet (if any) and checking any other places. She also checks for secret doors, as she isn't an amateur who would assume home is just safe.

There won't be any secret doors in the living area. Every member has a small living space composed of two rooms and a bathroom.

[Dipsnig's Office]

Dipsnig nods, slowly. His ears perk up.

"This... could be a way out of this situation for us. We'd fulfil our contractual obligation without throwing our member to the wolves. Of course, we don't know how it'd go. I don't think Wenomir's going to be very happy about what he finds, and I'd rather he didn't start breaking things."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Dipsnig's Office]

Electra nods.

"Yes, that's a big risk, especially if it turns out that she can't control the golem, as you said might be a possibility earlier. I'm not sure how to mitigate that risk, though. Changing venues will just change whose stuff is going to get broken in this situation. And anything resembling obvious guards is going to make the situation worse, not better."

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office]

Dipsnig makes an expansive shrugging gesture with his arms.

"We can't avoid risks here. It's a messy situation no matter which way we swing it. All we can do is pick the best of bad options and try to smooth it out. An angry human with a sword isn't exactly someone I'm worried about, but angering Vigil or Cassandra and damaging our reputation are real concerns."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Dipsnig's Office]

"That's the kicker, not angering either of them or damaging our reputation. But you're right, all we can do is try to pick the best option and smooth things out as best we can." Electra admits with a small nod. She sighs, then shakes her head, closing her eyes for another moment. "What a mess."

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office]

"The worst mess I've seen in a while," Dipsnig agrees. "And I've seen many. At least now no gods or world-enders are involved, so it's still not the worst mess ever. But the contrived circumstances sort of pick up the slack." He speaks with the tone of someone who has seen a great deal.

[Artemis97]

[Astrana's Office]

Cassandra nods, then holds her hands out in front of her. A small dark orb sits in the air above her cupped palms, pulsing ominously, before it suddenly blooms to spread the room in darkness.

To Raril, it will be like an incredibly vivid dream - his life revisited, events reconstructed with himself as a spectator, sitting behind his own eyes, feeling his own emotions, but not truly in control - after all, how could he change what's already transpired? Instead he'll drift through his own history in a semi-conscious haze, memories flowing past him like a river. Some are more vivid than others - the time of Raril's youth and life amongst the drow seems to roll through him with unrelenting lucidity, other moments, especially the personal, the private, the uncomfortable ones, drifting by in a haze. Cassandra was being truthful about that - and she doesn't really have any desire to relive his every liaison or the intricacies of his married life either. Not only a matter of privacy; it'd just be bloody awkward.

And then the darkness withdraws, and in a seeming instant it's all over - just Raril and Cassandra sitting chairs across each other, Cassandra covered in a sheen of sweat and looking like she's nursing the mother of all headaches. Which she might be, if what's going on in Raril's own head is going on. He just relived his entire life, or close enough to it, and all those memories will be fresh and vivid, intruding upon his mental space like an unwelcome relative. They'll fade again, of course - dreams always do, but for the moment Cassandra's warning about the drinks will seem especially warranted. The less sober the both of them get, the faster, the better they'll probably end up feeling.

[Astrana's Office]

Though some things are skimmed over, Raril will deliberately steer his throughts towards more uncomfortables scenes. Cassandra needed to see just how ruthless and dangerous drow society could be. From his first kill at the tender age of ten, to his mother's wrath at his repeated failures in her eyes. Even how his beloved partner treated him, when she was finally losing her mind. More recent memories were kinder, and more swiftly flicked through, but the harsh reality of his youth was still there. When the darkness recedes, Raril is left shaking, tears falling from his eyes unbidden.

"Well, that was fun." He croaks.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Dipsnig's Office]

"Yes, they do, though, as you said, I'll take this over having gods or apocalypse-bringers involved." Electra says, suddenly looking very, very tired. "Even still, though, I'm definitely going to need several stiff drinks after today."

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office]

"Go ahead and drink, with my blessing," Dipsnig says. "I'll have to inform Kirk and Dena about this and make some plans."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Dipsnig's Office]

Electra nods, and turns towards the door, looking back to Dipsnig.

"Thank you, sir. Let me know if there's anything else you need me to help with on this. I'm already in this deep, I might as well be useful."

[Shadowcaller]

[Astrana's Office]

Astrana looks between the two, her mask still on. "How did it go?" She asks as she hands both Raril and Cassandra a water bottle.

[Devixer]

Outside

There's a figure just outside the front door. They'd have been easy to spot, they just walked up the main path. What might be a bit harder to see is who they are - they're wearing jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, and they have a jack-o-lantern mask on over their face.

They knock at the door a couple of times.

[Deathkeeper]

[Front Door]

Krayger opens the door, his hirsute bulk unchanged from the last time the pair might have met.
”What can we do for-“ he stops and looks at the mask.
”Am I being punked? The spooktacular was last month.”

[Ashen Lilies]

[Astrana's Office]

Cassandra takes the bottle with a somewhat dazed manner, her eyes widened in a startled expression. She gets up unsteadily, wobbling on her feet and placing a hand to her head, looking at Astrana with a sort of horrified air. Something about her seems to have aged about a hundred years.

"I need a drink." She manages to say, before staggering over to the side of the room and emptying her stomach into the corner.

Whoops. Sorry Astrana.

"...I need food first, then a drink."

[Devixer]

Front Door

The figure looks up at Krayger for a moment. He won't be able to tell, but they're resisting the urge to give him a friendly punch in the shoulder and reminisce about that one job they had.

Instead, the figure looks past Krayger, into the base proper, and silently laments that they missed the spooktacular.

Without a word, they step past Krayger through the door. How rude. "Has anyone in red armor been here recently? Looking like samurai, asking about a lady with an honor debt?" Even with the voice modulator making their voice sound deeper through the mask, something about it seemed familiar...

[Deathkeeper]

[Front Door]

Krayger raises an eyebrow.
"The only one wearing armor around here is my nephew, and samurai aren't his thing. Why, do you have a job looking for them?" Krayger asks, suspicious.

[Devixer]

Front Door

"You have a nephew now?" The figure turns towards Krayger, still in the mask. "I have been gone awhi- ah, crap."

[Deathkeeper]

[Front Door]

Krayger smirks at the person, folding his arms with a tilt of his head.
A similar head pops out suddenly from the side of the doorway, under Krayger's shoulder. Koshal looks exactly like Krayger if his age was halved, he was dipped in thin red dye, and his mane and horns were stubby. Koshal still hasn't grown into his hooves all the way, and as Krayger said, he's wearing beaten up chainmail and a white tabard.
"I heard me! Are we talking about me?" he asks innocently, and Krayger gently pushes him away with a smile. "I think you'd better come inside, Miss."

[Devixer]

Front Door

The incredibly mysterious figure looks down at the mini-Krayger. Yep, definitely his relative. The figure sighs and shakes her head, stepping forward through the door. "Just- hold on- Just close the door after me. Doubled back like eight times on my way, but you can't be too careful." When the modulator clicked off, the voice went from vague to definitely belonging to Cassidy.

She pulls back the hood of her sweater, revealing the short black hair that had to be familiar. She starts to tug at her mask as well.

[Artemis97]

[Astrana's Office]

Raril takes the offered water and unscrews the cap, downing the contents gratefully. After drinking about half, he notices Cassandra looking sick, and then being sick. "Oh dear..."

The drow rises and offers the poor woman a clean hankerchief. He also weaves a short spell to clean up the mess.

"I know a safe place, Inside. Temperance Teahouse. No one will bother us there, they can't, literally. Food's good, atmosphere's quiet, and I think they serve sake."

Sszinyon, from his place by the door, frowns. "Do you really think getting drunk is a good idea, right now?"

[Deathkeeper]

[Office]

Krayger closes the door behind her and lets Cassidy inside. Koshal bounces behind him, mannerisms and expression like someone in his early teens despite him already being the size of an adult human.
"So, where have you been all this time?" Krayger asks, while Koshal's black and red blink-dog pup comes to sniff around the new person. Her tail wags fiercely.

[Devixer]

Office

The jack-o-lantern mask comes down, revealing Cassidy's face, as she glances between Krayger, Krayger's nephew (she was still grasping at that,) and the little dog.

"Been underground. Keeping in shape in case the Sams find a way here from my world and try to ice me." She grins at Krayger. "You look good, guy. MERC been treating you well?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Astrana's Office]

Astrana moves out of Cassandra's way, raising an eye as the elf suddenly throws up. More for her to clean up she supposed... or not considering how easy Raril just cleaned that up. It was amazing how easy it was for innate's to cast magic. No pacts, just words and gestures.

"Is it done then? I see it must have been intense." Astrana observes, she had a lot questions but this didn't look like the right time to ask them. She had to give them some room.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Astrana's Office]

Cassandra takes the handkerchief gratefully, wiping her mouth. Glad that's all over with.

She leans against the wall for a moment with her eyes closed, not answering any questions right now.