Home 24: A house in this market?

[Morty]

[Mouchabière Residence]

"How very convenient," Sophie says, before stepping into the circle and focusing her power. Before long, she begins glowing herself, the light joining that of the sun, and the Eclipse caste mark appears on her forehead. Some of it flows into the dagger and the orichalcum starts emitting its own light, merging seamlessly with Sophie's. There's also a palpable sense of its being joined with her and acting as a conduit for the brimming, nigh-unstoppable force of Solar Essence in her soul, like Trick intended.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Home]

"But too limiting is still better than nothing at all," Zee replies with a hum. "It sounds like she's unwilling to compromise."

That can be a problem.

After all, compromise is a solution that no one is totally happy with.

There's another nasty possibility, too.

"And... we can't protect our children forever."

Also true.

Ravanys won't be around forever. Most people aren't.

"Children grow up and break their parents' hearts. It's what they do."

Not always! But often enough.

[Arkhosia]

[St. Lazarus's Apartment]

Fidelia blinks, a thought occurring to her as she listens to the monk's words. "What was life like, growing up with all that expectation?" It sounded like this woman had her life practically plotted out for her by her very birth! What a strange thought... though in a way, she wasn't entirely she was that different, was she? She was born to homeless knaves and scoundrels, and that's what her life had been, up until she met Jenette, at least.

[Morty]

[St. Lazarus's Apartment]

A trace of wistfulness and uncertainty breaks through Calm Reed's unflappable demeanour. But, why not? Fidelia has shared something very personal about herself. And it's not as if anyone here knows about the Great Houses.

"It can be difficult. Any peasant dreams of the life of a Dynastic scion. They're right to do so, but the pressure can be... immense. The House of my birth is ruthless towards those of its children who do not succeed, exceed expectations and bring in wealth. Particularly recently."

[Halae]

[Mouchabière Residence]

"Well, that's considerably more than I was expecting, though I suppose you pushing your essence into it rather than pulling a sliver from somewhere would help with that sort of thing," She says, "I can't really tell you how to manipulate it either - Hell energy is a whole lot different from what you have access to."

[Morty]

[Mouchabière Residence]

"This whole Exalted situation keeps turning out to be more than what we expected," Sophie says. "Whoever the god is who made it happen, restraint isn't in his vocabulary. Everything I've done with this power so far has been instinctual. Like what I've always done, only backed up by this incredible force. This..." She looks at the dagger. "I feel like I can use it too, but it'd be a different sort of power. More refined, like your magic."

[Halae]

[Mouchabière Residence]

"Doesn't surprise me," Trick says, and moves over to grab a book from one of the shelves near her alchemy lab, pulling it off the shelf and opening it to one of the many bookmarks inside, "If I had to guess, your essence is designed to manipulate the world around you. Impose your will on yourself, other people, and reality itself. While doing my research on it, I came across something called 'supernal existence'. It's just a theory, but the theory is what closely mirrors your condition - basically, you weren't changed, which is why your soul still has the same structure as before."

"Instead, you've been made more... uh... Real, I suppose is a word for it. More real, more like yourself, and given the ability to put that upon the world. Warlockery, Wizardry, and Sorcery were designed the way they were because basic people needed a way to interact with the metaphysical world, and divine and primal magic are granted to people through higher powers."

She goes to hand the book to Sophie, an interesting diagram shown on the page. For the first one, labeled "the divine", there's arrows pointing to the small diagram of a person from on high, and then out through their hand. The second, 'arcane' shows an idea of magic being channeled not from a gift from on high, but through a series of smaller arrows all around the man with his arm outstretched, representing the way arcanists pull in energy from the world around them to impact the rest of the world. A third, labeled "Incarnum", shows an individual pulling power from other people to create the magic they want to use. And finally, a fourth has a small orb around the caster's head, and the arrow comes directly from their mind, with the label 'psionics'

But the fifth, listed as "Supernal" is distinct from the others in that concentric rings of power cascade out from the caster in all directions, a pair of supplicants worshipping before the supernal caster.

"It's the concept we use to attribute to the gods, though obviously we've got no way to test that out. Theoretically, supernal souls by their very nature radiate power and control on the world around them, forcing the world to follow their whims. It can be countered with the right wards, a strong enough will, but it essentially means that your soul is so much stronger than the reality around you that you can impose your will on it. This doesn't mean you can redesign reality on a whim or anything like that, but theoretically, if you learned how, you'd be able to form primordial chaos into usable objects and landscapes, creating a divine realm. For normal people, our magic comes from the world around us, including our bodies."

"I'm still working on ways to help you figure this out, but the pact blade is a good first step, due to the similarities between you being supernal and a metaphysical plane. If I'm right, I can teach you Warlock magic, which is quick, dirty, and focused. If I'm wrong, I'll have to figure something else out."

[Murkus]

Tina's Place

Whatever insecurity Cantata might be feeling about her taste in drinks evaporates as Fettina smiles, and the songstress can't help but mirror it a little. It was strange, but she couldn't help but find her almost infectious. She wasn't used to this sort of thing; normally, she was the one influencing others, shifting their demeanor with charm and a little bit of psychic aid at times. Yet... it didn't scare her away, it only made her find this intriguing chrome angel all the more enchanting.

So tell me, just what does a gorgeous young woman like yourself do with her time? She asks with an easy smile, watching raptly as Fettina concocts her drink. She had a couple of guesses, but it was far more fun to learn than to guess.

[Tina's Place]

"Get into trouble and entertain young ladies at my apartment, for the most part," Fettina says, passing the drink to Cantata and picking up her own. She moves in close to clink their glasses and then leans her hip against the counter's edge. She takes a sip of her own cosmo and her posture droops a bit as she relaxes. It's difficult to tell if she's just being trying to be mysterious or if that's really all she does.

[billtodamax]

Ternview Apartments

Eiriol pulls a small shard of what looks like ice from... somewhere? Her pocket? I need you to mix this into a poison for me. You can do that, can't you? That sounds very reasonable. She even bought the active ingredient for it - all Anulhi has to do is a little alchemy. Really she could have asked for a lot more.

[Hattish Thing]

[Ternview Apartments]

With a highly suspicious expression upon her face, Anulhi wrings her hands together, considering reaching for the small cell phone at the counter. She decides against it, after a moment, due to then powerful enchantments coursing through her, once-dormant, yet a feeling of discomfort persists within her mind.

Finally, she stammers once the fae makes her request, shaking her little head.

"I... w-wait, Miss. That's... that's illegal, I'm pretty sure."

"I can't... can't help you..."

[billtodamax]

Ternview Apartments

Eiriol frowns, taking a step forward and reaching for Anulhi's cheek with her hand. Oh Anulhi, after all I've done for you? Surely you can do this one little thing for me. Again the magic flares up, and suddenly Eiriol's suggestion should sound... fine. It's fine, right? Noone will know, really. And it can't be that difficult.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Home]

"But too limiting is still better than nothing at all," Zee replies with a hum. "It sounds like she's unwilling to compromise."

That can be a problem.

After all, compromise is a solution that no one is totally happy with.

There's another nasty possibility, too.

"And... we can't protect our children forever."

Also true.

Ravanys won't be around forever. Most people aren't.

"Children grow up and break their parents' hearts. It's what they do."

Not always! But often enough.

[Ravanys' Home]

Ravanys turns her gaze towards Hannah's room, her voice lowering a little. Yep. They definitely do. And boy does it suck. She sighs and turns back to Zee. But when I found her...her mother was fatally wounded. Couldn't save her. And she made me promise to look out for Hannah. I can't break that promise, Zee. I can't.

[Arkhosia]

St. Lazarus's Apartment

And so a debt is paid, even if it's not one Fidelia would even recognize as something owed to her. Nor would she recognize it as proof of the alternate route Calm Reed suggested; openness had bred openness in return, and paying a deed forward can have a funny way of working its way back to reimburse those who do so.

As far as Fidelia's response to it? Well, it might seem rude at first when she giggles. "Sorry; it's funny, I... I can't really imagine a life like that, but the constant pressure to succeed, the ruthlessness... it makes me think of growing up on the streets." She smiles faintly. "Just... just that it sounds like life is always hard, even if you're born lucky. You... you forget that when you're on the bottom... and - and then you envy them, never realizing that it's just as hard."

Tina's Place

Aha, so she was another pretty young maiden with far too much time and money on her hands! Cantata can't help but smile at the confirmation, though the brief hint of a self-satisfied smirk is swiftly replaced with a more friendly and intrigued smile as she wraps her dexterous hand around the stem and bowl of the proffered glass.

She mirrors the chrome angel's actions and savors a sip of her drink. It's really good, and she can't help but drink down slightly more in a sip than would be polite. My, you know how to mix a drink. She compliments with a warm smile. But surely, there must be more to you than that. Hobbies, for instance?~

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Home]

Zee figured that was more or less what was going on here. All the pieces were in front of her, and she just had to put them together.

Guilt for failing at her duty. Guilt for not having done better. Survivor's guilt because she feels like it was her fault and yet she's the one that is still breathing.

All of that guilt, focused onto Hannah.

There's love too, clearly. But the guilt colors things.

Now, normally this would be largely speculation, but Zee has the added benefit of being very sensitive to biochemistry. There are things that happen to people, physiologically speaking, when they relive this sort of emotional turmoil.

How she replies... gently would be good.

"You have watched out for her, Ravanys. It looks like you've done a great job to me. But the older she gets, the more she's going to want to strike out on her own. That's just how children are. You can't shelter her forever. I think starting with compromise would be a good plan. How long ago was the last try at building a remote control robot? How much better has her work gotten since then?"

[Morty]

[Mouchabière Residence]

"It's worth a try," Sophie says. "I have to appreciate that this sun-god didn't send me against monsters with a few powers to my name, like the Messengers. The dagger is clearly joined with me now, so... we're getting somewhere. Let's see what else we can discover."

[St. Lazarus's Apartment]

"I was risking disgrace and being shunned, not death by starvation," Calm Reed points out. "And there's many people who have wealth, power and luxury without any responsibility. All the pampered princes and nobles. Even many Dragon-Blooded, sadly, don't act as their station demands." She shrugs. "Both of us seem to have stepped outside what was intended for us. One can only hope their new path will suit them."

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Home]

Ravanys sighs again, leaning back against the cleaning table.

Couple of years. But I didn't have a problem with the robot. Long as it didn't get in my way, I was fine with it. She had a problem with it. Said it was too limiting. Said that it just wasn't as good as if she were there with me. Tried explaining that, first off, even if I did let her come, it'd be a while anyways. She has no experience doing this stuff. I'm not gonna just let her jump into it. And second, a robot could probably pick up on way more than she could anyways.

Ravanys chuckles a bit.

In hindsight, that second part was what set her off that time. Thought I was giving a good logical reason. Still makes sense to me. But...yeah. Probably not the best point to bring up at that time.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Electra's smile widens for a moment, and her blush deepens, an instant before she takes another step, and kisses Cassandra on the lips, gently. After a few moments, she pulls back, the smile returning.

"I may not be very good with magic, but I think we can still find a way to make the night magical, wouldn't you say?"

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

It's at this point that Fayyaad enters, a picture of perfect innocence, carrying some firewood.

"Sorry it took so long. But I see you've kept yourself busy."

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Cass returns the kiss - a little hesitantly - she's never kissed a woman before. But she's smiling when Electra pulls away, so that's probably a good sign.

"Well, I guess that's not a bad start," she admits.

"There was no need to rush," she says to Fayyaad once he returns. "But now you're back I guess it's good to get the heat up a little."

[Murkus]

Tina's Place

Aha, so she was another pretty young maiden with far too much time and money on her hands! Cantata can't help but smile at the confirmation, though the brief hint of a self-satisfied smirk is swiftly replaced with a more friendly and intrigued smile as she wraps her dexterous hand around the stem and bowl of the proffered glass.

She mirrors the chrome angel's actions and savors a sip of her drink. It's really good, and she can't help but drink down slightly more in a sip than would be polite. My, you know how to mix a drink. She compliments with a warm smile. But surely, there must be more to you than that. Hobbies, for instance?~

[Tina's Place]

"Drinking is a hobby, isn't it?" Fettina narrows her eyes, seeming almost serious for a moment before her face breaks out in a sultry grin. "But seriously, I guess there's a few more things. I'm... well. I play the piano. That's a little too serious for me to call it a hobby. And lately I've been, um..." Fettina bites her lip. This feels a bit embarrassing, but she can't pinpoint why. "Well, I've been learning how to shoot. Like, guns and things. I'm pretty good, too."

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Home]

Zee considers this information!

It's very useful information, she thinks.

"A few years is a huge amount of time for someone like Hannah, in terms of development," Zee reasons. "Because it sure sounds like she's got something of a Tinkerer power set. Specifically a focus in bringing to life concepts that would be mere fantasy otherwise. If she tried building another robot, it would probably be WAY better than the last one. And-"

Zee raises a finger to denote an additional point.

"I'll bet I could help. My specialty is in biology. Adaptation, specifically. Get confronted with a problem? Improve and overcome. All I need is a challenge, and I can work toward a solution. Hannah wants something that's less limited? I'll bet I could help with the wetware side of a brain-to-computer interface. With something like that, it would be like she's actually there instead of just staring at a computer screen. It's as close to the real thing as someone can get without it really being the real thing."

It sounds like Zee is contemplating some sort of Life Model Decoy, here.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Electra's smile widens slightly, before she glances over at Fayyaad, then nods, giving him a sultry look.

"A bit more warmth is always welcome up here." Cass might note that one of Electra's hands has remained gently on her back. "It does get rather cold at night."

[Morty]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

"I'll do my own part of heating things up, but it seems like you've got some ideas of your own," he says, before bowing theatrically and stacking up some firewood. Then he performs an elaborate dance-like form and emits a stream of fire from his hand that causes the firewood to blaze.

[Arkhosia]

[St. Lazarus's Apartment]

Fidelia nods slowly, digesting all of this information with due diligence. "That's a very good point. So this pressure is not, um, universal? I... I guess that makes sense, it is something that depends on those around you, not the environment itself." Still, it was nice to think they weren't too different. She nods again at that last statement. "Y-yes, we can only hope so." Smiling a little, she moves to place their glasses in the sink, though she gives Calm Reed a look for permission if her own glass is not empty.

Tina's Place

Cantata smiles at that, taking another sip as Fettina pauses for a moment. As hesitation sets in, she leans forward a little more, flashing the pianist a warm smile that rivaled her own as that same curious glimmer remains in her eyes. There was no judgement to be offered here, only interest; the empath was hanging on her every word.

Oh, a musician? She types, lighting up with a little excitement. I used to perform myself! I sang for a looooong time, since I was thirteen. Was very good at it too... Her expression turns a little somber; But then I lost my voice, and the wonderful times came to an end. But this isn't a time to be a downer! Taking a second to savor her cosmo again, Cantata smiles warmly once again. But enough about me! You're learning to shoot? I'd love to see you practicing, maybe I could learn a thing or two from you~

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Home]]

Ravanys thinks on this for a moment, then she shrugs. It's worth a shot. Might work better if you give her the idea, though. Coming from me, might seem like another way to convince her to stay home.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' House]

Words aren't really needed here. Zee just nods and moves to tail Hannah.

"Hey Hannah?" she'll call out at she goes looking for the mechanic.


[Zee's Suite at Trog's]

Zee was, unfortunately, unaware that she would become unbound when she fell asleep. She could have taken a few precautions otherwise. Like finding a way to make sure her lifeshaping aura wouldn't spend her unconscious hours reshaping the room around her into a veritable jungle of growth that falls somewhere between breathtakingly beautiful and unnervingly surreal. And if she had known that her aura would take advantage of the dubiously defined physical dimensions of the rooms at Trog's? Well... let's just say she might have prioritized Xeni sealing her in a force cage before she nodded off. Because what Karaglen wakes up to is a bit different than what she fell asleep to.

Great, twisting vines thick with moss and lichen dominate, twining their way up the walls, across the ceiling, over the floor, and around every available surface. Entwined within vines here and there nodules of fire chalcedony are clutched, flashing with iridescent green yellow, tendrils of crystalline growth permeating the trees like veins. Delicate creepers reach from the vines, terminating in broad leaves and trumpet-like white blossoms. From the vine-like trees grow innumerable epiphytic orchids displaying elaborate flowers. Fruit abounds in a myriad of forms and colors and textures, advertising itself to the strange animal life that prowls the forest. And well it does in its advertisement, for animal life abounds here, nearly all derived from nearly unnoticeable invertebrates. Spring tails, mites, rotifers, a few unobtrusive fruit flies, and a family of mice have exploded into a whole new ecosystem of macroscopic organisms, filling the forest with all manner of whimsical, fairy-like beings.

The terrestrial dominates, curious and queer, but patches of more alien terrain can be found in the forest.

Crimson, coral-like fungal growths abound in an endless variety of strange shapes, all oozing brownish black goop that smells of heady incense and attracts bizarre giant insects that greedily lap at it. Spongy masses have proliferated, barrels and tubes and domes and fans and amorphous masses in a riot of colors. Something not unlike water pours from them, cascading up, splashing across branches, pooling in hollows, and vanish out of sight. Clusters of iridescent bubbles lazily drift through air, wisps of prismatic pastel fog swirling around within them. Where they land they might multiply, creating sudsy outgrowths. Or they might pop, the fog vanishing in a crackling display of colorful sparks. Arches, domes, and pillars of metallic marrow dot the landscape, light in a kaleidoscope of colors blazing within them. Light that shimmers, flickers, phases. Light that displays colors that ought not be, yet are. Somewhere high above a spherical lattice of silvery marrow-like metal hangs from an unseen ceiling, pouring light into the forest that the plants happily feast upon.

Zee's bed, it would seem, didn't survive the accelerated evolution of everything vaguely organic. Cotton appears to have won the day, giving rise to pillowy, cloud-like masses of fibrous growth constantly releasing seed-bearing puffs into the air. Karaglen had best mind how she shifts her weight, or she might find herself slipping between the larger fibers and vanishing into a small lake of fluff. Thankfully the fibers are rather thick here, having grown strong to support the weight of the seraph snoozing on top of them.

Speaking of seraphim, Zee is still sound asleep, essence radiating from her to fuel the growth and evolution of her new garden. Not far from the edge of the cotton poof lake, a small alter of uncut stones has been erected with fruit and a few dead arthropods stacked on top as offerings.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Zee's Suite at Trog's]

"...um?"
Karaglen blinks a few times as the room comes into view.
Then squinches her eyes shut for a few seconds, before cracking them back open.

Noticing that this has not changed anything and she does not, in fact, seem to be dreaming...
"Moooooom, the room's all..."
Weird? Different? Creepy?
"...alive?"

Though if she's tired enough to sleep through Kara's comment, not particularly stringent effort is made to awaken her.
Mostly because the little wyrmling is taking the time to actually study what has sprung up around them. Doesn't appear to be hostile, so it's probably not worth freaking out about?
And hostile things don't tend to make little altars next to you.

[Murkus]

Tina's Place

Cantata smiles at that, taking another sip as Fettina pauses for a moment. As hesitation sets in, she leans forward a little more, flashing the pianist a warm smile that rivaled her own as that same curious glimmer remains in her eyes. There was no judgement to be offered here, only interest; the empath was hanging on her every word.

Oh, a musician? She types, lighting up with a little excitement. I used to perform myself! I sang for a looooong time, since I was thirteen. Was very good at it too... Her expression turns a little somber; But then I lost my voice, and the wonderful times came to an end. But this isn't a time to be a downer! Taking a second to savor her cosmo again, Cantata smiles warmly once again. But enough about me! You're learning to shoot? I'd love to see you practicing, maybe I could learn a thing or two from you~

[Tina's Space]

"Aw, I'm sorry. I'm... I'm sure you had a gorgeous voice. For a gorgeous woman," Tina says, hoping that's something nice to say. She doesn't deal with melancholy very well herself.

"But oh, god, I doubt that," Fettina laughs. "I'm... I'm not the worst. I guess." She gives Cantata a daring look. "...Do you wanna shoot some stuff right now?"

[Arkhosia]

Tina's Place

The faintest blush brightens Cantata's face. Thank you. It was my lifelong dream to sing, and I was so very dedicated. Unfortunately, I wasn't as dedicated about paying my debts. That somber look returns... but it doesn't get to linger long, once Tina makes her own suggestion for what to do next. And quite an audacious one too; it actually manages to catch the mercenary by surprise, and she pauses momentarily before her lips form a mischievous little grin.

Shoot something, right now? My, you certainly are full of surprises. Her expression doesn't suggest that's a bad thing - quite the opposite in fact, though that little gleam in her eye suggests she might have a couple up her sleeve too. I'd love to~ and with that, Cantata downs the last of her drink before standing, looking expectantly at her hostess.

[Rebonack]

[Zee's Suite at Trog's]

A bit of shoving at Zee and calling out for her manages to rouse some noncommittal noises that might sort of be words. The seraph doesn't wake up, however. She went down hard. Which means Karaglen is free to observe the whimsical, alien environment she finds herself in. There's the distinct impression that the shape of the room is more or less the same, it has just been... stretched... by the unusual spatial properties of the tavern and inn. This is probably bending the oddness to its limits, but those limits don't appear to have been reached just yet.

Surrounding Kara is a veritable lake of cottony poofs, many bobbing about as though they were floating in water. Other smaller fragments are drifting through the air lazily. It's rather like standing in the middle of a field full of nothing but thistle fluff. Beyond the edge of the lake is the aforementioned altar, crude in its design and clear enough in its purpose. It certainly looks like someone was setting out offerings. Probably to the seraph that's fueling the spread of the alien forest.

Beyond that the vine-like trees predominate, though bits of empyrean terrine are scattered here and there.

In one of the nearest trees, a pair of wide, black eyes are staring out at Karaglen.

The sort of eyes that she's seen only recently on Mister Mouse.

These eyes, however, look like they would better fit something the size of a gnome.

Whatever the eyes belong to, it stands motionless in the foliage.

Watching.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Zee's Suite at Trog's]

Well, no backup from mom is immediately forthcoming it looks like.
But that's okay, still no overt signs of hostility here.

Karaglen scoots a little further out from the cover of the wing to poke at one of the poofs with a claw, just out of spontaneity than any particular expectation of something happening.
Kind of like swatting at a bubble floating by, from soap, or something.
What was really interesting was that altar. While everything else is pretty darn weird (in a pretty sort of way), the altar implies a sort of intelligence around the area.

Perhaps over there. Behind those eyes.

She pauses, upon noticing those, and stares back for a moment.
After some consideration, a small wave is performed and a little smile gifted. One should always be appropriately friendly in order to make a good first impression.
"Um, hello! Did you move into our room?"

[Rebonack]

[Zee's Suite at Trog's]

The poofs floating in the air are quite light and delicate, feathery white filaments holding tiny black seeds aloft on the slightest breeze. The ones making up Kara's footing give under her weight, perhaps a little more than she might expect. If she steps in the wrong place, she'll suddenly find herself up to her chin in downy plant fibers.

The altar is curious, certainly. Especially the offerings on top of it.

Wouldn't this sort of thing imply that quite a bit of time has passed?

Or maybe that they're somewhere else completely?

They couldn't have been asleep more than a few hours, could they?

Kara wouldn't be able to recall having any dreams. Just closing her eyes at some point and then opening them again now.

Speaking of eyes!

The creature those great big mouse eyes belong to vanishes silently into the foliage when Kara speaks up. Maybe it just doesn't like to talk?