Inside 65: A Very Busy Intersection

[Morty]

[Meat Meating]

"Hello, Natalie, what is it?" asks Reelshka's voice on the other side of the line.

[Earl of Purple]

Meat Meating

"Hi, Reelshka. I've met a young girl named Erin. She fell out of a portal, and doesn't have anywhere to stay. Is it possible she can stay at GLoG?" Natalie might be talking louder than the device needs- her homeworld doesn't have this technology, so she's still getting used to it.

[Morty]

[Meat Meating]

"Oh, of course. If she has nowhere else to go, we'll gladly have her," is Reelshka's response.

[Shadowcaller]

Parade Day

Yes, she had to be professional! No squeeing in front of the camera!

Anika nods in agreement with Wenomir. "Yeah, my resume includes helping saving the world several times, so I'm definitely VIGIL material."
Amy seems amazed. "Just a test, huh? Well, I'm sure our viewers like to hear more about that. If you'd like to go about joining VIGIL, what would you recommend? What sort of people do you need right now?"

[Earl of Purple]

Meat Meating

"Thank you, Reelshka. I'll let her know." And if that's everything, Natalie will say 'goodbye' and hang up. I can't think of anything else, anyway.

[Murkus]

[The Needle and Thread]

"Oh white works with everyone, I think." Lillith says, selecting a crisp white kimono decorated with the image of a cherry tree. Pink blossoms swirl around the sleeves. She also chooses a matching pale pink obi. The fiend then pulls open a second drawer and pulls out a solid pink kimono, to layer under the first. "Here, try these." She offers them to Artie and then gestures to a curtained fitting room in the back, next to a large three panelled mirror.

Lillith then goes over to Azren. "And what have you found?"

"Can you do anything entertaining with this?" Azren asks, holding up the rather novel little outfit.

[Deathkeeper]

[The Needle and Thread]

Artie takes the clothes with a smile, floating over to the dressing room. From within there's a satisfied sigh followed by the rustle of clothing. Artie promptly returns, having had no trouble with the self-tying clothes. Having gotten out of her old shirt, Artie has returned her upper body to its natural proportions, being slightly heavier and the very noticeable increase to her chest size that Libra inflicted gave her since Artie owned that old shirt and prompted this whole excursion. It's not a perfect fit, as there's no way Lilith could have predicted the exact size of the change, but it's close.
"It's very comfortable. Do I look like a proper noble?" she asks, hoping for Azren's approval.

[Artemis97]

[The Needle and Thread]

"Oh that's a fun one." Lillith agrees with Azren. "I don't know how I'll get the pants to fit on her cantaur-like frame, but the rest of it I can certainly do."

When Artie comes out of the dressing room, the seamstress claps and smiles. "Oh isn't she pretty?" She prompts Azren.

[Morty]

[Parade Day]

"It's not 'just' a test," Wenomir clarifies. "We need people who can stare an apocalypse in the eye without flinching. If you consider joining, you need to think what you'd do if you were surrounded by a horde of demons, with only a few friends to have your back. We need fighters, but also scholars, technicians, magicians, spies and other people with unique skill, and the will to use it."

[Deathkeeper]

Parade Day!

"Yeah considering what happened in the past you have to be willing to face real danger. Even people who are just trying to help around the base have to understand that being attacked is a possibility." Spako adds, serious but not as grave as Wenomir.

[Shadowcaller]

Parade Day!

"Could you give examples of tests you've given to then? What sort of test did Spako take for instance?" Amy asks, gesturing at the dragon. "Just to give our viewers an idea of what is expected of them."

[Morty]

[Parade Day]

"I don't actually remember his test," Wenomir admits. "But I'm sure he does. What was it, Spako?"

[Deathkeeper]

Parade Day!

"I had a sword duel with a man named Aiden. He did lots of flips and was kind of odd. I liked him." Spako muses, remembering fondly his days with Sir Rebonack.

[Shadowcaller]

Parade Day!

"A duel? Interesting. But you mentioned that each test wasn't the same, so what about the other members such as Ilpholin, Cessie and Anika here?" She gestures at the druid who just look eager to get away by now. "What about their tests?"

[Morty]

[Parade Day]

Wenomir closes his eyes and counts to ten. He also reminds himself of the reasons of telling this annoying cretin to stop bothering him would be a bad idea.

"Ilpholin and Cessie joined a very long time ago, and I truthfully don't remember how they were tested. I wasn't responsible for bringing them in," he says. They didn't have tests back then, but it'd just cause more inane questions. "Anika proved her skills of a druid when she arrived, and then she accompanied me on a dangerous mission."

[Deathkeeper]

Parade Day

"Tests are not standardized and are under the discretion of the member swearing a recruit in. So yeah, uh, we aren't going to remember every one. " Spako intones, wiggling one claw side to side just out of frame, hoping that Amy can get the message that she probably doesn't want to keep going with this line of questioning. Or likely, any further lines of questioning.

[Gullara]

Cleansed Inside and Out

The unmanly Jim responds by trying to pull her closer and kiss her way down Syela's neck, speaking breathily between the kisses, "I think Lenai played a trick on me. The drunker I get, the more girly I feel. Please don't push me away, I can't even see you in this fog anymore and I need to know you're still there." Jim (Jamie?) punctuates the word "girly" with a light, airy giggle.

Cleansed Inside and Out

"Birthday money!" One Syela chirps proudly, leaning into his chest and trying to reach around behind him to give his butt a sneaky grab, "That and it's a one use trick, and it doesn't last too long. I think the manual said an hour? So you'd better take advantage of it, mister!" The other admonishes, breathing across his ear and pushing her chest firmly into his shoulder blades.

[Cleansed Inside and Out]

It's hard to resist those affection, she must admit. She gets handsy while Jim kisses her. She'll let Jim have his (her?) ways with her for a while longer, but something is eating at the back of her mind. "That's really weird though, right? Maybe we should get out of this mist and we can see?" Even if this is fine, not being able to see seems like a waste.

[Deathkeeper]

[Cleansed Inside and Out]

Jim's eyes narrow.
"Syela, you don't get birthday money. You were complaining about it last week!" Jim recalls despite the alcohol. He remembers things that happen often.
"What're you hiding?" he asks with a sly smile, waving a hand (and channeling through his unconscious humunculus) to produce a very poorly made, flickering red light so he can get a look at Syela's face without ruining the mood.

[Mee]

Blue Zone Market

((Closed scene.))

Iamar sighs as she adjusts the grip on her bag. She still wasn't able to find a place that reminded her of home, but at least there were some books written in her language. She walks down the path, doing her best to avoid anyone else.

Blue Zone Market

The first hint Iamar has that anyone else is around, as it's fairly quiet along the route she picked, is that the air around her cools down a bit. It doesn't get cold, by any means, just noticeably cooler.
The second hint is a nearly silent 'tap-tap' of someone's feet hitting the ground after jumping off of a nearby rooftop.

Of course, both of these originate from several feet behind Iamar, and the person doesn't exactly say anything to announce their presence.

[Devixer]

Blue Zone Market

Iamar feels the temperature get lower, and her eyes narrow. Something was about to happen, something that just screamed "Nexus." She put her free hand on the hilt of her sword (why she carried it in the safest part of Inside was anyone's guess,) and waited for that tiny noise to get closer.

[Mee]

Blue Zone Market

Iamar feels the temperature get lower, and her eyes narrow. Something was about to happen, something that just screamed "Nexus." She put her free hand on the hilt of her sword (why she carried it in the safest part of Inside was anyone's guess,) and waited for that tiny noise to get closer.

Blue Zone Market

Iamar probably keeps her sword on hand for the same reason Naku does.
Speaking of Naku! That is, indeed, who is behind Iamar!

"Iamar?" She asks, curious as to what brought Iamar out this way.

[Devixer]

Blue Zone Market

Iamar whips around to see Naku address her. She lets go of her sword and just sort of freezes a little. She had never ran into Naku outside of the Roost before. "Naku! I didn't know you walk through here." She pulls her bag a little closer to herself.

[Murkus]

[The Needle and Thread]

Artie takes the clothes with a smile, floating over to the dressing room. From within there's a satisfied sigh followed by the rustle of clothing. Artie promptly returns, having had no trouble with the self-tying clothes. Having gotten out of her old shirt, Artie has returned her upper body to its natural proportions, being slightly heavier and the very noticeable increase to her chest size that Libra inflicted gave her since Artie owned that old shirt and prompted this whole excursion. It's not a perfect fit, as there's no way Lilith could have predicted the exact size of the change, but it's close.
"It's very comfortable. Do I look like a proper noble?" she asks, hoping for Azren's approval.

[The Needle and Thread]

"Oh that's a fun one." Lillith agrees with Azren. "I don't know how I'll get the pants to fit on her cantaur-like frame, but the rest of it I can certainly do."

When Artie comes out of the dressing room, the seamstress claps and smiles. "Oh isn't she pretty?" She prompts Azren.

"Well, she isn't concerned with pants in that shape anyway. Very frisky," Azren winks, teasing Artie off hand.

Then Artie gets close. His mouth is shaped into a stupid 'o' for a second before he grins brilliantly. Azren doesn't know what a proper noble looks like, but he likes what he sees, so he goes with his gut. "You look like a queen, to me, so that must be something."

[Deathkeeper]

The Needle and Thread

Artie giggles. She's impressed with Azren. He hasn't had any bad thoughts to make her change, not even in this!
"Oh, is that your idea, Azren? I could save the pants for when I have to be two-legged. Or it could be a skirt or a saddle? Is that how magic works? Still, thank you Azren. That's high praise from a forest prince."
That might now be quite how the Frescots work but that's how Artie understood it.

[Shadowcaller]

[Parade Day]

Amy doesn't speak at all for a moment, she just stares at Wenomir and then turns right back at the camera. "Well, there you have it folks. Tune in next time as we interview some of your favorite VIGIL members!"
The goblin holding the camera slowly lowers it, looking rather concerned. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah, just got a sudden headache. Let's just go back to the hotel?"
"Oookay. Let's go then."
Amy waves them farewell, but doesn't actually turn towards them again, disappearing among the crowd with her camera team.

Someone very perceptive might have noticed that Jill wrote something down in her notebook just now. She soon approaches Wenomir once Amy left. "Sorry for coming out on the wrong foot, I can now see this isn't the right time for an interview. What about if I come to VIGIL instead? Whatever date that suits you best."

[McBish]

[Delmah Phor - Xar'Cha Palace - Gardens]

"No worries. I have plenty of work to keep me busy here for awhile. Plus magic to learn in my spare time. She says happily patting the spell books on her lap.

--------------

[Parade Day-Free Books]

Clao gives a little nod and takes a step back. She will surely visit this library, but now she is stating to feel nervous around this many people. So without a goodbye she backs away and then darts down the alley she had been watching from.

-------------

[Parade Day Apple Chase]

Patty the human woman from Music Emporium chases the apple to where Fel is trying to magic it into her grasp. "Hey that says for the fairest not the biggest." The grin on her face in friendly she rests a hand on her hip breathing only a little hard from chasing the apple. She is wearing a bright green dancers leotard.

[Cyber Punk]

Poseidon's Bounty- Nisha & Natalie Chippy Date

Poseidon's Bounty is a small fish and chip shop, located by a canal. It's a wooden building, shaped like an old sailing ship with the counter set into the side, ensuring that this ship will never float. A set of stairs leads up to the roof, where there's chairs and tables so people can sit, eat and watch the world go by. There's a canopy at the front of the shop, covering another seating area for patrons who don't want to go upstairs, or for people to sit if it's raining. It's reasonably popular; there's plenty of empty spaces, but lots of tables are in use, as well. Fortunately, at the moment the queue is quite short, and the girls will be served promptly by the staff. The staff in this particular establishment are three merpeople, with smooth grey skin, legs, blowholes in the back of their necks, and dolphin-like faces.

Natalie smiles, her girlfriend's hand in her own, and goes to the bar. "Can I have a medium cod and chips, please?" The server makes a series of high-pitched clicks and squeaks, relaying the order to the others, who promptly slot another tray of fish into the deep-fat fryer.

The menu is chalked onto the wall; in addition to cod, it serves hake, scampi, plaice, pollack, sausage, battered sausage, chips, Chinese sauce and pickled eggs, pickled onions and gherkins. Drinks include dandelion and burdock (a British fizzy drink), cola and other soft drinks, stored in a fridge.

Poseidon's Bounty- Nisha & Natalie Chippy Date

Nisha follows her girlfriend, her eyes scanning the entire area out of habit and a desire to cover all the bases, should never-do-wells decide to ruin their beautiful date. The dolphin people get a quick once-over, with Nisha making quick mental notes about them, before her glance moves back to Natalie.

Speaking of date, hers is looking so positively pretty as always, and once again Nisha thanks the universe for bringing them both together, squeezing Natalie's hand tightly as a result. Natalie's melodic voice rings out in a request for fish and chips, Nisha realizing it's her cue to order as well and scanning the menu on display. Making a mental note to get something for her pet raven Brenna, she speaks as she continues eyeing the menu. "I'll have what she's having, plus the Chinese sauce burdock drink." After a sideways glance at Natalie, she adds "Please."

After her order is taken, she smiles a bit at Natalie. "I wanted the sausages, but we came here to get fish and chips. How's the burdock, what should I expect, Talie?"

[Earl of Purple]

Poseidon's Bounty- Nishalie Chippy Date

"It being sausage doesn't stop it being fish and chips, Nisha. It's like... Ordering chicken nuggets at a burger bar. You still went out for a burger, didn't you?" Or is my family just a little weird? Although, we never have the sausage either.

"Oh, it's nice. It's carbonated. I've heard it tastes like a sarsaparilla, but I've never had one, so I wouldn't know. It's not made with real burdock, though. Not any more, at least. The stuff they used to use is a carcinogen, so they use something else instead." The change was made fifty years ago, however. When the meal arrives, it's wrapped up in yesterday's newspaper, except the drink and sauce. The dandelion & burdock is in a small can, and the sauce is in a little polystyrene tub with a plastic lid. The fish and the chips are very hot; the girls have just watched them get pulled from the fryer after all. The sauce is also hot, kept on a heated shelf with the fish and chips ready to be ordered. "Let's sit upstairs. The view's better." Natalie will then head upstairs, walking to a table near the 'prow' of the ship-building, looking out onto quite a busy street and the parade going past, because serendipity.

On the table are little sachets of ketchup, tartar sauce, a salt shaker, a little bottle of vinegar and a tub of wooden two-pronged forks. Natalie unwraps her newspaper, revealing the fish has been placed in a little polystyrene dish, and then her chips. She'll sprinkle the salt & vinegar onto both fish and chips, before squeezing ketchup out next to the chips and tartar sauce into the polystyrene dish. She'll start by taking a chip and dunking it in ketchup before eating it; Natalie's neglected the forks, which are entirely optional.

[Morty]

[Parade Day]

Wenomir holds up a hand.

"Not so fast. I don't usually give out interviews, and I have already said our alleged contacts with KABAL are nothing but rumour. Or, more likely, someone trying to frame us. We've been subject to many smear campaigns in the past. Is there anything else you wish to discuss? I do have a lot of work as a commander of Vigil."

[Deathkeeper]

[Parade Day!]

Spako bobs his head, hoping to salvage the situation. Wenomir is admitting they've been smeared before and here he goes antagonizing a big-name reporter. At least he thinks she's a big name. If not she has money at least.
"Miss Gizmoz, as one of Vigil's diplomats I'd be more than happy to oblige you an interview if the Commander is busy." he offers, hoping his stature can impress enough to seem worth it even if his status cannot.