Home 24: A house in this market?

[Murkus]

Tina's Place

Oh my, well this is quite an interesting little set up to have! While Cantata was intimately familiar with skeet shooting, having used such a thing for target practice before, the environs were usually quite more sterile or pastoral than a swanky apartment, especially one with such a wonderful view of the city below.

Taking the pistol and giving the angelic hostess an amused little quirk of the eyebrow, the mercenary turns her gaze towards the window and takes aim, following the disc's trajectory and leading it between her sights before firing a couple of shots. The first one misses, but the second does manage to clip the disc - it's not a dead on bullseye, but it's not a mere grazing shot at the very least. Cantata frowns both at the results and the weapon in question; she mainly employed ballistic weapons, and the lack of recoil would take a little adjustment.

[Tina's Place]

A rippling bolt of blinding white and superheated blue scythes through the air between the gun and the disc, clipping one side of the flying target with a snap. The disc disintegrates as the projectile touches it, rent atom from atom, simply ceasing to exist.

"Hey, nice shot!" says Fettina. "You must take this kind of thing pretty seriously, I guess! Did you bring a gun with you tonight?" She's kind of curious, and Cantata does seem like that kind of girl.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Home]

Hey, a swivel chair is a pretty high-tech sitting device.

WAY more advanced than a stool.

Zee takes a seat and remains silent for a few moments.

"You love her," Zee eventually says. "And you don't want her to be alone out there."

Best to lay the groundwork first.

[Ravanys' Home]

Hannah gives a heavy sigh. Guess this was happening, huh?

She send you in here?

Hannah sets her book aside and sits up, facing Zee without much expression on her face.

Of course I love her. She took me in, raised me. Basically my mom. And yeah. She gets hurt a lot doing what she does. I wanna do what I can to stop that.

[Arkhosia]

Tina's Place

Cantata lowers the pistol as she turns towards her hostess, giving the woman that look of faux-humbleness again as she looks away as if embarrassed, tilting a hand in a so-so gesture for a second... before looking back towards Tina with a smug little grin and a quirk of the brow as if allowing herself to indulge in admitting that okay, yes, it was a pretty good shot.

The question makes that quirk of the brow shift to surprise, and then her expression into a mischievous look. Setting down the energy pistol, the songstress lets her cropped jacket slide down her arms with a shrug of the shoulders and baring the pale skin of her shoulders and upper arms - her gloves cover her forearms. Once it begins to fall from her form however, a hand grips the collar tight and bounces the garment a few times in the air to adjust the placement of its grip, and as she brings it into view Tina should be able to observe a couple hidden compartments in the lining.

Reaching into these, Cantata withdraws a cylinder about a foot long and then an object that could easily be mistaken for some oddly oversized lighter. Letting the coat drop to the ground she slides the second into a slot on the first, loading the gun and attaching the handle in the same action, before turning her gaze back to Fettina with a grin.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys Place]

"She didn't!" Zee declares triumphantly. She strikes a pose, fists on her hips, chin raised to gaze off into THE LAND IF TOMORROW. "I sent me. Self determination is one of my greatest super powers."

She may or may not be serious. It's hard to tell sometimes.

"And that's totally understandable! She's in a dangerous line of work and you don't want her to get hurt. But she doesn't want you to get hurt either. Hence our impass."

Truly an insurmountable problem!

"But! I think I have an idea. You built a robot before and controlled it remotely. That wasn't good enough, though. I think I can help you do something better," Zee says. "How would you like my help constructing a cybernetic body double with a direct neural interface?"

[Murkus]

[Fettina's Place]

"Ohmigosh you're a secret agent," says Tina, watching the jacket-lining compartments and the hidden weapons with keen interest. Cantata's sinuous movements nearly prove an ample distraction until she has the gun assembled. "Well, that's awesome and all, but it's an awfully ugly gun for such a beautiful girl."

[Arkhosia]

Fettina's Place

Cantata giggles at the pianist's sudden exclamation. Once she has the pistol assembled, she leans back a little, shifting her footing and gripping it between two hands to strike her best imitation of a classic 007 pose with a silly little smile. Once the moment has passed, she places this second firearm down, before typing out a response.

It may not be the finest looking weapon, but it certainly gets the job done. She assures. It's absurdly quiet, works really well if you need to shoot someone and keep people from noticing. She frowns a little before making an addition; It's not perfect though. It's supposed to be up close, you would not want to use it in an actual shootout Cantata isn't an expert or a gun nut, but she's picked up some knowledge of the gear she employs at the very least.

But on the topic of beauty... With this, Cantata walks closer, reaching for Fettina's hand and bringing her face close. She gestures to herself and then to the ugly weapon on the counter, as if trying to make a comparison... and then, gesturing to Fettina a bit more meaningfully, and sweeping her hand slowly towards the window, as if to compare her beauty to their breathtaking view of the stars in the sky.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Electra gives Fayyaad a grin and raises an eyebrow at Cass in a mischievous manner.

"Oh yes. You're off to a good start, but I think we can find some new ways to warm up as well, don't you?"

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

That's a neat trick, which Fayyaad notices, but his attention is rather focused on something else right now. He chuckles and tries to pull both women close, then kiss Electra while running his tail up and down Cassandra's side.

"I'm just one man, but I'm going to do my best. Of course, if things get much warmer here, we might have to dress down a little."

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Cass lets herself be pulled, taking the opportunity to grab Fayyaad's rear, though she's less handsy with Electra.

"Alright. You go first."

[Felandria]

Fel's House

Wooooooo! Violet calls as Fel and her bamf in. Hell yeah! Magic. She's leaning pretty heavily against Fel. Woooooo. She says again, less enthusiastic this time. Her eyes are blinking pretty slowly.

Felandria giggles.

I agree.

Magic is neat.

She escorts Violet to the couch and heads to the kitchen to get her some water or juice.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Electra goes with the kiss and returns it, one hand on Fayyaad's chest, and the other on Cass's bottom, squeezing gently. Apparently, she doesn't have qualms about being handsy. When Fayyaad pulls away, she grins.

"Or do we need to hold you down and do it ourselves?"

[Morty]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Fayyaad looks like he's about to follow Cass' suggestion, but then Electra makes hers. He grins as his eyebrows shoot up.

"Held down and disrobed by two beautiful women? Why, that's not an opportunity I'd care to miss," he says as he already starts leaning backwards.

[billtodamax]

Fel's House

Violet will crash down heavily on the couch, looking around the room in a happy daze as Fel gets her a drink.

Yoooooo this place is friggin' sweet. God I love this couch. She says, sinking deeper into it. She'll happily take the drink from Fel when she gets it - pretty much anything is fine by her. You're so tall. She adds, still in awe.

[Murkus]

Fettina's Place

Cantata giggles at the pianist's sudden exclamation. Once she has the pistol assembled, she leans back a little, shifting her footing and gripping it between two hands to strike her best imitation of a classic 007 pose with a silly little smile. Once the moment has passed, she places this second firearm down, before typing out a response.

It may not be the finest looking weapon, but it certainly gets the job done. She assures. It's absurdly quiet, works really well if you need to shoot someone and keep people from noticing. She frowns a little before making an addition; It's not perfect though. It's supposed to be up close, you would not want to use it in an actual shootout Cantata isn't an expert or a gun nut, but she's picked up some knowledge of the gear she employs at the very least.

But on the topic of beauty... With this, Cantata walks closer, reaching for Fettina's hand and bringing her face close. She gestures to herself and then to the ugly weapon on the counter, as if trying to make a comparison... and then, gesturing to Fettina a bit more meaningfully, and sweeping her hand slowly towards the window, as if to compare her beauty to their breathtaking view of the stars in the sky.

[Fettina's Place]

"Well it looks good when you hold it like that, sure," Fettina admits, smiling cheekily as Cantata strikes her pose. She listens to the agent go on with a little more seriousness. Cantata had really shot people... well, Fettina had done so as well, but it was as though it still hadn't really hit the neon girl. They had been some nasty creatures... and they'd been trying to kill her and Kirk. She had never really felt bad about it. She had never really felt anything.

Fettina blinks, pulled from her reverie by Cantata's advances. Her cheeks light up with a deep, warm red color, like the heart of a forge. The silent comparison is somehow more endearing than spoken adulation. "That's very sweet," she rasps, taking Cantata's hands into her own and lifting them up. "But you're selling yourself short, honey. Really short."

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys Place]

"She didn't!" Zee declares triumphantly. She strikes a pose, fists on her hips, chin raised to gaze off into THE LAND IF TOMORROW. "I sent me. Self determination is one of my greatest super powers."

She may or may not be serious. It's hard to tell sometimes.

"And that's totally understandable! She's in a dangerous line of work and you don't want her to get hurt. But she doesn't want you to get hurt either. Hence our impass."

Truly an insurmountable problem!

"But! I think I have an idea. You built a robot before and controlled it remotely. That wasn't good enough, though. I think I can help you do something better," Zee says. "How would you like my help constructing a cybernetic body double with a direct neural interface?"

[Ravanys' Place]

Hannah opens her mouth to respond, pauses, and then shuts her mouth, thinking for a moment.

That...could work...Maybe...

Hannah moves her gaze away from Zee, not really seeing what's in front of her. Her mind is already working on this new angle.

I mean, I thought about making something kind of like that myself...But I couldn't get it to work right. People are way more complicated than machines.

In more ways than one!

She shakes her head a bit, then looks to Zee again. You really think you can make this kind of thing?

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

"People are the most complicated machines," Zee interjects with a nod.

Some people would probably object to that assessment, Zee.

"And I really REALLY think we could do it! Working with biology is my whole thing after all. And I wouldn't even have to put together the hardest parts since we'll be making a neural uplink between you and the double," Zee explains. "That means I don't need to worry about getting a personality or consciousness working right. And those parts are SUPER tricky."

Arguably the super trickiest.

"We base the double on you so it doesn't feel weird. And you could add built-in weapons or something! It would be like the Terminator! Robotic endo-skeleton with biological skin and flesh. And of course it would need a living brain and nervous system to make sure the neural uplink is working right."

Well of course.

"And I think we can make sure it doesn't suddenly gain sapience and try to destroy all organic life. That part's really important."

Very important.

[Arkhosia]

Fettina's Place

The gesture and the compliment earn Fettina a heartfelt curve of the lips as Cantata's amber orbs stare back at her, drinking in every vibrant hue and faint glow present in the angelic woman's neon visage and the glinting reflections on her chrome-colored skin. It's true her comparison might be putting herself to shame or exaggerating the musician's own beauty... but there's no denying that it's more than simple flattery. The manner in which the lustre of her skin faintly glimmers with the warm radiance of the lights, the black of her dress, the inky hues and perhaps even tiny pinpricks of starlight...

Somewhat spellbound by the celestial picture of beauty before her, Cantata leans in closer, as if to initiate a kiss, but doesn't quite close the gap. Instead she looks towards Fettina for approval, her sense of confidence and assertiveness seeming to waver slightly.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Hannah seems to be getting into this option this more and more.

So, wait...you can just make living things? Like, build them like I do weapons? That's...wow. That's pretty frickin' sweet.

She gets off the bed and goes to her desk, pushing stuff out of the way and getting a large piece of paper out. And pencils. She starts quickly sketching out a basic humanoid shape.

Okay, let's see...don't wanna put too much in the robot. Mostly because I don't wanna have to concentrate on too many things at once. Especially stuff I don't actually have.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

"Yep!" Zee replies, giving her head a bob. "It's easiest if I have references, especially for more exotic physiology. Like a few weeks ago I swam to the bottom of an ocean trench to find a scale footed gastropod."

Just.

Y'know.

Some free diving.

To the literal bottom of the world.

No big deal.

"They naturally produce iron armor! I figured it would be a good idea to have that story in my archive after what happened to your sister with all those faeries. We were really lucky that there was a shop selling cast iron pots nearby to whollop the jerks with, but I can't always count on serendipity. So being able to make organic iron armor is SUPER helpful!"


...wait.

She went on her swim a few weeks ago.

But the thing with Ravanys happened just today.

Either Zee is confused or there are some temporal shenanigans afoot.

As Hanna begins sketching Zee will watch curiously.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Hannah stops her sketching for a moment, looking at Zee with some confusion.

Wait...you met my mom today...and ran into fairies...and that gave you the idea of finding the ocean creature...weeks ago?

A brief moment of silence.

You can time travel, can't you?

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

Zee blinks at Hanna's reaction.

"Umm..." is her incredibly informative initial reply. "Not really?"

That's also not very informative, Zee.

"Time is... different where I'm from," she eventually settles on. "Everything that goes on here? From my perspective it's all going on in slow motion. And it's happening at different rates in different places. Lots of different times all happening at once. But it's all right now from my perspective, even though it seems like different times to you?"

That is super confusing Zee.

"Okay! So! Examples! Right now I'm also going to a Thanksmas party and there are a BUNCH of people there. I've been handing out treats that I've baked to people. It's been over a week since it started from my perspective, but to everyone else it's been... maybe a few hours, I think? You and your sister are there. I can see you from where I'm standing playing with a tiny dragon, but I don't think you've seen me yet?" Zee reports, her gaze slightly unfocused. "I could walk over and say hi to you, if you want? You would know I'm coming now that I've told you here."

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Hannah thinks on this for a minute.

Okay...I think I got it...first off, Ravanys isn't my sister. More like my mom.

Second, I think I get what you're saying. It's kind of like reading a book. Different things are happening on different parts of the pages. And in the book, they happen at different times. But you're outside the book, reading it. So you can see it all at once. But only the stuff you're looking at.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

"She's your mom. I will definitely remember that," Zee replies.

There's a decent chance she will not, in fact, remember that.

Especially now that she's said it twice already.

"And the book analogy is actually pretty good! Except that reading from a dozen different parts of a book at the same time would be silly."

This is true.

Why would someone do that?

It would get confusing in a hurry.

...that really explains a lot about Zee, doesn't it?

"Don't worry about how weird I am," Zee says with a dismissive grin. "It isn't that big of a deal. I'm more interested in what ideas you might have for this project."

As soon as Hannah glances down at her notepad again, she'll hear a faint popping noise and then discover that Zee has spontaneously vanished.

What.

[Felandria]

Fel's House

Violet will crash down heavily on the couch, looking around the room in a happy daze as Fel gets her a drink.

Yoooooo this place is friggin' sweet. God I love this couch. She says, sinking deeper into it. She'll happily take the drink from Fel when she gets it - pretty much anything is fine by her. You're so tall. She adds, still in awe.

I do get that a lot.

Fel chuckles affectionately.

It is quite a comfy couch.

You sure you’re okay?

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Hannah has turned back to her drawing by now.

Well, yeah. But, I mean, you can look at a few different spots on one pair of pages. Especially if it's a picture book.

Her sketch looks kind of like her. If parts of her body had removable panels. Ideas for things to put in there are sketched on the sides, surrounding her. Man. She sketched pretty fast.

I mean, I gotta think of how Ravanys usually works, and how I can help there. Also gotta consider how much space I'll need for the mechanics to make the robot actually work. And the power source. Lots of limits.

She glances back at Zee to read her expression about all of this.

Except Zee's gone.

...Zee?

[billtodamax]

Fel's House

Violet yawns heavily before replying. I'm great! Could go allllll night! She says, blinking her eyes deeply. Just gonna... close my eyes for a couple of seconds here. She adds, before dozing off to sleep.

Violet! That is rude! At least do some sloppy curtaining first.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Fayyaad looks like he's about to follow Cass' suggestion, but then Electra makes hers. He grins as his eyebrows shoot up.

"Held down and disrobed by two beautiful women? Why, that's not an opportunity I'd care to miss," he says as he already starts leaning backwards.

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

...You shouldn't have said "held down" in front of a sorceress.

Cass grins and snaps her fingers, and fine chains of golden light appear and snake around Fayyaad's chest and wrists, lashing him to the floor and binding his wrists crossed above his head. The chains themselves are slightly cool and comfortably snug, having an almost elastic 'give' to them so he can adjust for comfort or flex against them if needed, though certainly keeping him quite restrained.

She'll leave the disrobing part to Electra, though given that all of them are already in bathing attire, there's not a lot left to lose anyway.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Electra pounces on Fayyaad as soon as he's held down, and pulls the curtain for all three of them behind her. It's a very eventful night for everyone involved. And a memorable one, too.

[Morty]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

Fayyaad's eyes widen when magical bindings suddenly hold him down, but he adjusts to the situation quickly as Electra pounces him. As it's Cassandra's first time with a woman or more than one person, he'll let her and Electra set the pace and simply do his best to satisfy them both. When the curtain rises, it's much later and they're all presumably in bed by then. The tiefling is positioned between his friends, fairly exhausted.

[Murkus]

Fettina's Place

The gesture and the compliment earn Fettina a heartfelt curve of the lips as Cantata's amber orbs stare back at her, drinking in every vibrant hue and faint glow present in the angelic woman's neon visage and the glinting reflections on her chrome-colored skin. It's true her comparison might be putting herself to shame or exaggerating the musician's own beauty... but there's no denying that it's more than simple flattery. The manner in which the lustre of her skin faintly glimmers with the warm radiance of the lights, the black of her dress, the inky hues and perhaps even tiny pinpricks of starlight...

Somewhat spellbound by the celestial picture of beauty before her, Cantata leans in closer, as if to initiate a kiss, but doesn't quite close the gap. Instead she looks towards Fettina for approval, her sense of confidence and assertiveness seeming to waver slightly.

[Fettina's Place]

Fettina seems bewitched. Her long lashes give a theatrical flutter as she stares back, almost mirroring the scarred songstress, but when she leans in for that kiss...

"I--" Fettina stops them, herself as much as Cantata, and places her hands on the other woman's arms. She bites her lip somewhat painfully and turns her face aside. "We shouldn't." She seems almost astonished those words came out of her mouth. Ugh, this was horrible. "You wouldn't... like it."

[Arkhosia]

Fettina's Place

As discomfort shows and those hands make way to her arms, Cantata ceases leaning forward. An expression of insecurity and timidity briefly moonlight as her brow knits in worry; did she do something wrong? Misread Fettina's interest? But then the pianist struggles to explain, a pained and conflicted look upon her face, and the songstress's expression melts into pure concern.

She lifts a hand to the angel's shoulder, the gloved palm resting gently as she stares back. Her brow quirk questioningly as her eyes fill with concern, and her lips lose the smile they seem to have held all night. Inwardly, Cantata curses her loss of voice. If only she could ask what's wrong without hoping her face conveys the question, without relinquishing the attempt to comfort with her hand.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

Approximately five weeks after she vanished, without warning, Zee suddenly begins existing again in Hannah's room.

Still seated on the chair.

Not in the exact same spot, though. Since the chair has probably moved since then.

Which means Zee just toppled over onto the floor.

"Bwah!"

See?

Down she goes.

She quickly jumps back to her feet, glancing around to try to get her bearings. Where was she returned to? That's a pretty important question, right? This looks like Hannah's room. Why there? Guh. It would be handy if you could actually pick your spawn point when entering the Eternal Game. But apparently that would be too simple.