Home 24: A house in this market?

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

Now, just being fair here?

The Nexus probably isn't the best place for a quiet life.

It kinda thrives on conflict in one fashion or another.

Not always world ending conflict, but still conflict.

The world ending sort has just been perniciously persistent of late.

Then Zee gets a shoulder pat! "Sorry this all had to be so abrupt. But you two have been here for a while. Abrupt is usually how a crisis like this pops up. And I'll give you guys whatever information I manage to gather, too. Sardus?"

The young seraphim glances over at Zee, the pillow hanging out of his mouth.

"Stay here. Help Ravanys and Hannah however you can, okay? They're in charge. Listen to them. Don't cause trouble for them," Zee admonishes her putti. And then she adds with a cheerful smile. "If any of those pod-people show up? No mercy."

Sardus spits the pillow out, beaming. "Okay, mom. I'll do my best."

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Ravanys nods a bit. Yeah, stuff happens. And I usually stay out of it. Just gotta look after my own.

Hannah is a bit too engrossed in what she's doing to pay attention to this stuff.

Ravanys raises an eyebrow at Sardus. She doesn't want to doubt Zee's judgement on his capabilities, but...

[Hattish Thing]

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.

Unsure of how to proceed and highly uncomfortable with the situation, Anulhi merely grimaces as Eiriol touches her cheek. Unwilling to be particularly rude, partially out of courtesy as well as fear of this strange person in her home, the halfling sighs before wincing and shaking her head furiously.

However, the suggestion slowly worms its way into her head, causing her to breathe somewhat irregularly, clearly conflicted.

"I... don't understand...."

"It's not... difficult, I can do it. It's just... it feels wrong. What are you going to do with it?"

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

Zee nods back. "Sorry about getting you two involved in this crazy stuff. But... I really think Hannah might be our best bet for getting a technological way to track these nightmares finished before they spread too much."

That's a pretty big vote of confidence right there.

"I'm going to head out all sneaky-like. I'll call Hannah's phone if I find out anything important."

She waves to her friends, gives Sardus a little kiss on top of his head, and then-!

Walks into a closet and closes the door behind her.

Should the door be opened again she'll be conspicuously absent.

Wizard trickery, no doubt.

Sardus is largely unphased by all of this. He's way too busy enjoying the sheer wonder of existence. "Is there anything I can help you with, Miss Ravanys?" he asks now that he has defeated his pillow.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Ravanys watches the closet for a minute. Waiting to see if Zee realized that doesn't go outside. Then she opens it. And gets very confused.

She shakes her head and decides not to think about it too much.

The tiefling turns back to Sardus and gives him a smile. No, I'm good for now. Help Hannah if she needs it.

At that, Ravanys heads to the fridge, grabs a bottle of Fireball, and heads to her room.

Guess she felt like relaxing for a while.

Hannah, meanwhile, is in full build mode, and hasn't even noticed that Zee left.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

Oh.

Well.

Ravanys doesn't need any help, then?

Sardus scoots over to Hannah and watches her for a bit. She looks really intense! Maybe he shouldn't bother her, either? Bothering someone when they're very busy can sometimes result in negative help and that might very well be the worst possible thing. Sardus doesn't want to do the worst possible thing. He wants mother to be pleased with him.

And for his new friends to like him!

These are all very important objects.

Just like the objective of stopping the pod people from getting his friends!

Sardus isn't totally sure what they are, but he knows what they feel like. They feel just like the squiggly thing in Hannah's containment field. That's important, since she's using it to figure out how to track the pod-people, just like mother does. His friend Hannah is clearly very smart.

But...

What can he do to help?

A memory of mother's comes unbidden to him.

If she went about baking bread, we wouldn't have a kitchen anymore. I love her, but she can't cook at all.

And in that moment, Sardus knows what he has to do.

Of he goes, following his nose toward the kitchen.

He isn't sure how good Hannah is at cooking, but according to Hannah Ravanys is terrible. And combing through the skills he inherited from mother, he knows he has just the thing they need!

Off in the kitchen, the young seraphim begins preparing a rather fancy dinner. The smell might attract attention before anything else.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Not long after Sardus' cooking starts producing smells, Ravanys steps out of her room, Fireball in hand. Looks like she drank some of it, but there's still quite a bit left. She's changed into a tanktop and a pair of sweatpants. Lounge wear.

She puts the bottle back in the fridge, then strolls over to Sardus, watching him work his cooking magic.

Looking good. Smelling good, too.

She sighs a bit and leans back against the counter, folding her arms across her chest. Her arms have a fair amount of scars. Mostly defensive wounds. Some are pretty old.

Look, sorry if I seemed kinda snippy earlier. Had a long day, and now this stuff is happening. I reacted bad. Shouldn't have taken it out on you. Sorry.

[billtodamax]

Unsure of how to proceed and highly uncomfortable with the situation, Anulhi merely grimaces as Eiriol touches her cheek. Unwilling to be particularly rude, partially out of courtesy as well as fear of this strange person in her home, the halfling sighs before wincing and shaking her head furiously.

However, the suggestion slowly worms its way into her head, causing her to breathe somewhat irregularly, clearly conflicted.

"I... don't understand...."

"It's not... difficult, I can do it. It's just... it feels wrong. What are you going to do with it?"

Don't worry so much Anulhi! Eiriol says, taking her hand back. The stress isn't good for you. Let me take care of using it, you just look after making it. Again, the magic flares up. She's right, really. It's all just a little too complicated to worry about. Better to just do what she wants.

[Felandria]

"Name's Neverest." A deep blue eye set in porcelain white skin peers back out of the blankets from behind a sleeping goggle.
Just the one eye? Oh there's the other one. Way over there. More than a whole head's length away. That's probably not a human.
Whatever Neverest is, she seems pretty bundled up, like she's wearing three winter coats and several hats on underneath the blankets.

"Yeah, I was here." Probably only arrived after Violet fell asleep. "Maybe. I feel like I got pretty toasted at the holiday party. You wanna make sure?"
The eyes glace around the room. Independently, like a chameleon.
"Oh! Hey, you found my gun."

Just then, actual Felandria emerges from upstairs, wearing an oversized even for her tee shirt, baggy pajama pants and bunny slippers.

There is the most adorable tiny little snow weasel perched on her shoulder.



He is wearing a tiny little Santa hat and is curiously sniffing Fel’s hair.

She rubs some sleep out of her eyes and spies the situation in her living room.

Uh....hi?

[billtodamax]

"Name's Neverest." A deep blue eye set in porcelain white skin peers back out of the blankets from behind a sleeping goggle.
Just the one eye? Oh there's the other one. Way over there. More than a whole head's length away. That's probably not a human.
Whatever Neverest is, she seems pretty bundled up, like she's wearing three winter coats and several hats on underneath the blankets.

"Yeah, I was here." Probably only arrived after Violet fell asleep. "Maybe. I feel like I got pretty toasted at the holiday party. You wanna make sure?"
The eyes glace around the room. Independently, like a chameleon.
"Oh! Hey, you found my gun."

Just then, actual Felandria emerges from upstairs, wearing an oversized even for her tee shirt, baggy pajama pants and bunny slippers.

There is the most adorable tiny little snow weasel perched on her shoulder.



He is wearing a tiny little Santa hat and is curiously sniffing Fel’s hair.

She rubs some sleep out of her eyes and spies the situation in her living room.

Uh....hi?

Fel's House

Violet glances at the gun. Nice, yes. She takes a quick mental inventory and compares it to her headache. Not worth the effort of stealing. Yeah, yeah your gun. She says reluctantly, looking back to Neverest. She giggles once or twice. Holy hell I hope I didn't hit that. She keeps laughing a little, as Fel walks in. Oh hell the statue. Did I hit that? She asks Neverest. She hasn't yet noticed the adorable weasel, there are bigger concerns.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

No cooking magic going on here.

Just purely mundane cooking skill-checks. It's actually kind of interesting to watch. His six wings have those little hands on them, and he's using all of them like very flexible arms to grab, mix, dice and tend to several parts of the meal all at once. The fact that he's perched on his hind hooves atop a chair probably makes it more endearing than it would otherwise.

Ravanys receives a toothy grin for her complement. "Thanks! Mom let me learn a bunch of things form her so I wouldn't have to learn everything on my own. I think she picked cooking because Hannah said you're bad at it."

Not an insult.

Just repeating what he heard.

Or what Zee heard, anyway.

At the apology his long deer-style ears droop a bit. "Oh... um... don't worry. Mom says to always remember that everyone we meet might be enduring a great struggle. So we should be patient and kind. Helping people overcome is the Correct thing for us to do."

He glances back toward the workshop, then to Ravanys again. "You love you daughter and don't want anything bad to happen to her. So you were upset that mom might have put her in danger. That's an okay thing to be upset about."

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Ravanys gives a snort of laughter, grinning widely. Yeah...I'm not exactly chef material.

The tiefling's gaze falls upon Hannah, watching the young woman work away.

Yeah. I, uh, get a little...irrational...when it comes to keeping Hannah safe.

She watches Hannah for a moment longer, then gives Sardus a sidelong glance.

That being said...if something happens to her because if all this? She falls silent, letting Sardus think of his own bad end to that threat.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

"Protecting your offspring is a powerful biological imperative," Sardus replies. It sounds almost like he's quoting a book. "But you didn't make Hannah, did you? You're really dissimilar genetically. So someone else made her, but you love her just as much as if you did. That's really selfless."

He begins assembling all of the various parts of the meal onto several plates. He was limited with whatever they had in their kitchen, so it might not be ideal. Sometimes you have to improvise a bit.

And while he's doing that?

Ravanys makes her threat.

Sardus just kind of...

Looks at her.

In blank incomprehension.

All those black eyes look weird. But Ravanys can probably still tell that there are little thoughts bouncing around in there. His face is really expressive, way more mammal-like that reptilian.

"You'll be sad?" he finally ventures. "And angry?"

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Ravanys winces a bit. Yeah. Selfless. Sounds like she doesn't believe that.

The food definitely looks and smells better than most of what gets made there.

Ravanys blinks a few times, not sure if Sardus was playing dumb, or if he really didn't get the threat.

Yeah. I'll be sad and angry. I'll also hold Zee responsible and hunt her down.

Having said that, she'll walk over to Hannah to get her attention. The blond had no idea that food was being cooked.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

Nope.

No playing dumb here.

Threats of violence just wouldn't occur to him. They aren't on his radar at all. Sure, he knows that violence is a pretty big deal to people who live wholly within the Game, but to someone like his mom? Or even himself? It really doesn't have much bite to it. You just get kicked out of the game and waste some Icons. It's really inconvenient, but not threatening.

No.

Zee would be way more concerned about her friends and loved ones being targeted.

That's why she left Sardus here, after all.

To protect people she cares about.

So that leaves Sardus a bit confused. Maybe the way she feels about Hannah and Ravanys isn't mutual?

He's left puzzling over this as Ravanys leaves.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

The tiefling's thoughts and feelings toward Zee probably aren't the same.

Ravanys returns with Hannah. The blond engineer looks a it more dirty than before. Behind her is a half built contraption of some sort.

Wow. This looks good. Thanks, Sardus. She'll reach for some spot to pat his head. Trying her best not to poke an eye.

Ravanys nods in agreement. Yeah, thanks. Her tone and mannerism does not show any hint of the threat she made before.

[Recaiden]

Neverest looks between the people and the statue.
"Nah, probably not."

"Oh! You must actually be Felandria. Unless it's that little guy there? Probably not."
He looks adorable. And very fluffy.

"Honey brought me back here for the night after the, uhm, the- the Spooktober party. Was too far to Skulltown."

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

That's probably true.

Zee has that weird unconditional love and support thing going on that she extends to just about everyone who isn't a genocidal monster.

She's even nice to Magtok!

"I'm glad to help," Sardus replies as he's head-patted. A kind touch is always welcome.

The meal is relatively simple, all things considered. Meat, potatoes, and vegetables diced up and stir-fried together. Getting the seasoning and sauce right was tricky, considering what he had to work with. He even set the table and everything! Though considering that they have a pretty small table there really was only enough room for the two settings.

Hmm...

What was he planning on eating, then?

He'll watch them eat for a few moments, then scoot forward a little. "Is it good? Did I do a good job?"

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Ravanys definitely has an order of importance to people she knows. With Hannah always on top.

Both women seem to enjoy the meal a lot. They both compliment him on his skill.

Hannah points with her fork to the empty spot in front of him.

Where's yours, though?

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

Sardus blinks at that, then glances back at the food still sequestered in the warm frypan to keep it hot.

"Oh, umm... I can eat whatever. I wanted to save the good food for you?" he replies a bit uncertainly.

A few seconds pass.

"Do you... umm... do you want me to eat with you? Would that be better? I'm still learning how things work, I'm sorry if I make a mistake."

Oh geeze.

Why does he have to be so adorable?

It's like having a big weird looking dog that fixes you dinner rather than the other way around.

How great is that?

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Hannah and Ravanys both glance at each other briefly.

Hannah shakes her head a bit. No, you didn't make a mistake. And you can eat whenever you want. We kind of expected you to eat with us, if we're gonna eat all together like this. But it's fine you don't.

Ravanys nods a bit in agreement. Yeah, we don't actually eat together too often. Different schedules. So you just eat when you want.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

"Oh, um, okay!" Sardus replies as he gathers more food onto a third plate and-

Eerr...

Tries to figure out how to make use of a chair.

Eventually he settles on sitting in it like a giant cat.

It looks rather silly.

But he'll use his little wing hands to manipulate his utensils. He's actually pretty deft with them.

"Thanks for letting me eat with you. I'm glad I'm being helpful."

Sure seems eager to please.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Ravanys gives an amused chuckle at all of this. Having finished her food, she'll go to wash her dishes before returning to her room.

Hannah smiles at Sardus. Thanks for cooking for us. Once she's done, she'll get back to the scanner. Seems like the things is almost done already.

[Murkus]

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.

[Fettina's Place]

Thankfully Fettina is pretty good at reading the language of the body. She just sighs. "This... whole look. The metal skin, and the wings. This isn't normal for me. I guess you could say I have a curse, but it's a pretty funny kind of curse. My lips feel like... a statue. I got nothing wet in me. I can't feel certain... things..." Tina lowers her gaze. "I guess I'm pretty boring if you were hoping to kiss and snuggle up. Any other night I would probably have tried to get you out of that dress already..." Fettina's mouth twitches to one side and she leers at Cantie a little, openly and amusedly.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

And lo!

Dinner is finished!

Sardus will gather up the dishes and begin cleaning them.

Who doesn't want a weirdly adorable butler thing?

Once that task is done he'll meander over to Hannah's workshop and begin curiously observing her again.

"Is that the thingy to let other people find the monsters?" he asks curiously.

She sure did get the prototype up and running fast.

Or at least the first iteration up and running fast.

These things take more than one attempt sometimes.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Hannah nods a bit, sliding as panel into place and reaching for a screwdriver.

Yep. Kinda based it off something I saw in a movie. Good design, so I figured why not use it?

The device isn't very big. Can easily be held in one hand. A small screen sits on it, and its overall shape isn't too dissimilar to a crossbow. Albeit much smaller.

Kinda like this, actually. But with a much better screen for this task.

Hey, could you do me a favor? She gestures towards the opposite end of the shop from where the bug crystal sits.

Stand over there? I'm gonna scan you and the bug. Wanna keep you away for the first test.

Once Sardus is in place, Hannah will turn on the device and first try to scan the bug, then slowly turn towards Sardus, looking at the screen as she does. Need to make sure the bug's position on screen matches reality. And that it doesn't register other weird lifeforms. Just the bugs.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys Place]

"Oh, umm, okay," the young seraphim replies before scampering over to the other side of the shop. "What movie is it from?"

The memories that he inherited inform him that movies are in fact things which exist. But he has little in the way of concrete knowledge of them aside from their status as a thing which is.

Sufficient to say, he wouldn't know about the movie if Hannah informs him of the answer to his question.

Should all go well? The scanner is likely picking up on the Taint in the worm.

There's some in the worm, lots in the containment unit, and less than none in Sardus.

It might not be immediately clear how that's possible. Calibration issues, maybe?

"Does it work?" Sardus asks curiously.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

Ghostbusters. Hannah answers the movie question while staring at the screen, slowly moving the device to point at her various targets.

She pauses on Sardus, though.

Huh. Weird. She resets it and tries again.

Same result.

Um...it's picking up on these things...but it says you have less than none? Which shouldn't be possible. Unless you and Zee have some weird anti-bug energy? Might be picking up on that. Or it's just goofy and needs to be reworked.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Place]

"I haven't seen that one before," Sardus informs Hannah.

Sardus, you silly goose, you haven't seen any movies before. You are literally three hours old.

At the odd finding the little seraph quirks his head off to the side a bit, pondering.

"Oh!"

But apparently he has some ideas?

"That squiggly stuff is like gross rotten faerie magic. Angel magic is like the opposite of that. Sort of like chaos and order? Not really, though," he replies. "And the rainbow stuff is like... really extra wrong chaos. Like someone took chaos and tried to make it worse."

They did a pretty great job, apparently.

Also apparently?

Hannah's detector might work as a means for detecting angel and faerie magic. Probably similar enough for the Nexus translation effect to kick in.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Place]

We can watch it sometime. Great movie.

It truly is.

When Sardus explains the energy stuff, Hannah looks thoughtful.

Huh. Guess I can detect both the ew stuff and your stuff. She turns the device over a bit, then takes it back to the bench.

Gonna fiddle with it a bit. Now that I know it can pick up on the angel magic, need to match the display to that.