Lady Arachne's Summer Garden Masque - all visitors welcome!

[Shadowcaller]

[TD]

Tina's speculation regarding the transformation causing mental changes visibly make Dena shudder. Things she had considered herself far too many times regarding herself.
The fireworks interrupting that train of thought only felt welcome at this point. If Magtok hadn't been so creeped out by her snakes she could kiss him right now.
"Yeah, sure. Think your skinny butt can carry me all the way in the air though?" She asks with a grin.
Not that Tina's behind was that skinny.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Monarch]

Grabbing things off the top shelves is really important.

"When you're that close to her, it is pretty hard to look at her in the face," Holly says, agreeing. (Agreeing with whom? Dunno. But she's nodding.)

Then, she shrugs. "But she can change sizes, so I assume the benefits of being that tall outweigh the downsides." Or, alternatively, she's just used to it, or likes being tall. Any number of things could make sense.

[Monarch]

"Now that's just unfair, isn't it?" Says Kal, sounding scandalized. "Still, we of mortal stature must get along the best we can then, mustn't we?" He says with a wink.

Nocturne & Jack

"Must be important, if they're heavy enough to distract from the party." Since she's found it a bit hard to think at times, with the noise and the people. "Yes please. Um, lemonade if possible? I don't drink much alcohol." And she'd probably need to be there to pick a wine or something she liked the smell of and hope it wasn't too alcoholic. Since flying whilst drunk is not to be recommended.

[Nocturne & Jack]

"Lemonade, then," says Cass, the corner of her mouth quirking upwards into a slight, enigmatic smile. "I suppose a lemonade would be best for me, too. I tried enjoying this champagne without the alcohol, but it just isn't-" She cuts off suddenly, giving an alarmed glance off to the source of the fireworks.

[A Personal Affair - Nocturne]
[/B]
Electra's blush deepens, and her smile is gentle, though still a bit nervous.

"T-thanks. I...." She trails off for a brief second gathering her thoughts. "I've been wanting to talk for awhile-" She cuts off abruptly as her eyes go to a full-on flare that's visible as just a bright blue glow from the domino mask's covers, and her face goes slack for a moment. Then she swears under her breath, blinks, and sighs as the glow fades. Nothing ever goes right when she needs it to.

"Sorry," she says, a single word filled with a genuine apology. She sighs.

"I really do want to talk, but I guess it'll have to wait. Duty calls. Some jerk just snuck behind one of the staff-only doors, then disappeared somehow," she says quietly, leaning in close to Cass so she can share what her drones have picked up. "I know there are spells that can turn people invisible, but I'm not sure that's what's going on now. Are there ways to get around them?"

[A Personal Affair - Nocturne]

Cass nods, looking thoughtful. "There are," she says, in a whisper even more gentle than her normal hushed lilt, her demeanor instantly switching cool and professional. "I can sense the magical resonance of the spell itself, to track down the target, and once close enough I'll be able to pierce through it or even dispel the spell entirely." She explains, running a finger across the butt of her stiletto.

"Which way to this door?"

[Morty]

[The Mercenary]

Fayyaad uses the opportunity to put his hand under the scarf and try to pry it away from his neck. That puff of smoke is all he can manage while restrained like this, but Cantata will find he's more agile than she might have suspected. As she tries to penetrate his mind with her empathy, he'll instead walk quickly backwards, trying to force her to back away with him. In the meantime, two uniformed MERC operatives approach. One of them seems like a human but with distinct ape-like features. The other one looks very much human... but very pale, and there's a suggestion of rather large fangs under her lips. It doesn't take much to recognize a vampire.

"Step away from him slowly, ma'am," the vampire says.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[A Personal Affair - Nocturne]

Electra gestures slightly with her head towards the "Staff Only" door Agent C ran though.

"That 'Staff Only' door. I'm going to grab one of the overt guys to make it look like someone's asked us to go back there. Just a sec." After a moment, one of the hobgoblins serving as overt security puts his hand to his ear, before nodding and making his way over to the pair.

"Excuse me, ladies, but I've had a request from our hostess for your presence. Please follow me." He winks at Cass, before bowing slightly and starting towards the door.

[Murkus]

[TD]

Tina's speculation regarding the transformation causing mental changes visibly make Dena shudder. Things she had considered herself far too many times regarding herself.
The fireworks interrupting that train of thought only felt welcome at this point. If Magtok hadn't been so creeped out by her snakes she could kiss him right now.
"Yeah, sure. Think your skinny butt can carry me all the way in the air though?" She asks with a grin.
Not that Tina's behind was that skinny.

[TD]

"You kidding? These guns are are just as polished as they look," Fettina says, flashing her very skinny arms in a flex and stepping toward Dena. "Now all you have to do is just... hold still."

She will put her hands under Dena's arms and, with a few flaps of her now slightly practiced wings, send them both soaring into the air. "Lemme know if there's a better way to carry you! I guess I could always put my arms around your waist..."

[Arkhosia]

[The Mercenary]

Fayyaad manages to interfere with Cantata’s hold, prompting her to switch tactics as he forces her back towards a nearby wall. She attempts to use the momentum against him by turning him towards the wall just before she collides with it, letting go of the scarf to grab the back of his head and slam it into the wall. She’s not particularly strong, but it might stun him just long enough for her to purloin the baton the man is carrying. Spotting the new arrivals, she’ll try to grab Fayyaad again and pivot him between them, but it’s doubtful he'll still be stunned enough for Cantata to manage it.

[Earl of Purple]

Nocturne & Jack

Jack wasn't quite ready for the fireworks and jumps when the first goes bang, and assumes (possibly incorrectly; I'm not sure) that that's the cause of Cass' own discomfort. "They're really pretty, but they made me jump too. Glad I'm down here, not in the air." She rarely is when fireworks are loosed; they look better at night, and jackdaws are diurnal birds with poor night vision.

[5a Violista]

[Monarch]

The Psychic Spider Network^TM (or whatever it's called) seems to be getting a lot of activity. Holly glances over in the direction she presumes it's coming from, but...again, it seems like some other people are taking care of it.

"Yes," she says, turning back to him. "I'm sure you are strong enough to avoid temptation, but...not everybody's that strong." The half-elf moves slightly closer to Kal, unconsciously inching her hand towards his chest; meanwhile she inwardly cringes. Seriously, why is she saying all these awkward statements? Is she just feeling lonely or something? Does she just need a day off where she can just be herself and not worry about anything? And she's awkwardly and thoughtlessly latching on to whichever attractive person pays her attention? She needs to step back and clear her head...Get a grip, Harley, she thinks, berating herself.

"I'm feeling pretty thirsty," Holly abruptly says, stepping back and looking down before realizing 'looking down' isn't helping, hoping her mask covers enough of her flush face. "Do...do you want a drink?"

[Shadowcaller]

[TD]

"Uhu." Dena can't help but to sound a bit skeptical at Tina's supposed strength. The heaviest she had ever seen her carry was that piano of hers and she was pretty sure that was made of light.
This makes her all the more surprised when she was actually lifted into the air by just a few beats of those things. What the heck? Had Tina got a strength upgrade with the angel package? Would this mean that she shouldn't try to challenge her in arm wrestling in the future?
In her surprised state, it even takes her a moment to really register Tina's question. Hanging in this position wasn't exactly comfortable but having Tina carry her around in the air felt a lot less dignified.
But what the heck, it was a party and they were probably only going to do this once, right?

"Waist please, anything but this. I'm feeling like a daring acrobat at the moment." She looks down. "Also, unless we want to give a really nice view, we should probably avoid flying over the crowd."

[Morty]

[The Mercenary]

Fayyaad continues to be more flexible and agile than Cantata might have suspected. His head is knocked on the wall, but he regains enough presence of mind to grab at Cantata's hand when she reaches for his collapsible staff. He likewise digs his heels in and resists her attempt to move him, as the two other mercenaries approach. The ape-man is holding a short, broad sword, while the vampire has produced a light pistol.

"Please do not make this harder," the ape-man says in a deep voice.

"This is... not going well for you," Fayyaad adds, his vision swimming a little.

[Arkhosia]

[The Mercenary]

Fayyaad continues to be more flexible and agile than Cantata might have suspected. His head is knocked on the wall, but he regains enough presence of mind to grab at Cantata's hand when she reaches for his collapsible staff. He likewise digs his heels in and resists her attempt to move him, as the two other mercenaries approach. The ape-man is holding a short, broad sword, while the vampire has produced a light pistol.

"Please do not make this harder," the ape-man says in a deep voice.

"This is... not going well for you," Fayyaad adds, his vision swimming a little.

Cantata mouths an angry curse as she finds herself restrained by Fayyaad, tensely glaring towards both parties before her posture relaxes, seeming to accept her defeat here. Letting go of the staff and attempting to tug her hand away, she will turn towards the other two mercenaries and raise her hands in surrender.

[Morty]

[The Mercenary]

The two uniformed mercenaries lower their weapons slightly as Fayyaad shakes his head and clear his vision.

"Let's take it from the top," he says. "Since you attacked me after I had led you to Magtok, I assume he was the real target."

[Arkhosia]

The Mercenary

Cantata nods, shifting her weight slightly as she eyes Fayyaad from behind her mask. Slowly, she'll lean down to pick up the phone he had dropped previously, other hand still raised in surrender. Again, I do apologize for that.

[Morty]

[The Mercenary]

"Apology... appreciated," Fayyaad says. He's not sure if he can accept it yet. "Were you trying to kill or abduct him? Or something else?" She wouldn't have tried to take him out if she'd had less illicit intent.

[Arkhosia]

[The Mercenary]

The woman nods at the first possibility that Fayyaad questions, bobbing towards Magtok before leisurely dragging a finger across the throat to clarify if he seems not to catch her answer. Just work, nothing personal.

[Morty]

[The Mercenary]

Fayyaad isn't sure what to think about this. She's a mercenary like they are, he supposes. He decides to let Electra decide what to do with Cantata. This is a bit above his paygrade.

"Alright. Come with me to the head of security, then. She'll decide how to handle this."

Assuming no protests, he'll lead Cantata straight to Electra.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[The Mercenary]

Electra is looking somewhat annoyed, despite her mask when Fayyaad approaches with Cantata. She knew there was a possibility for some troublemakers, but it seems to be unending tonight. She looks both Fayyaad and Cantata up and down for a moment, then sighs.

"I saw part of the fight. Are you ok, Tanin?" She's deliberately using the alias he used earlier to keep the prisoner from gaining any useful intel that might come back to haunt MERC later. She's hoping Fayyaad will at least have not called her by name, but she's been distracted with other things this evening.

[Arkhosia]

The Mercenary

Cantata responds with a little huff of amusement, returning Electra’s brief survey in mild interest. Must we really bother with masks and codenames? We’re all professionals here, are we not?

[Morty]

[The Mercenary]

"Yes, I've managed not to get choked too much," Fayyaad says. "A few bruises is the worst of it." He'll let Electra reply to the comment about codenames.

[Murkus]

[TD]

"Uhu." Dena can't help but to sound a bit skeptical at Tina's supposed strength. The heaviest she had ever seen her carry was that piano of hers and she was pretty sure that was made of light.
This makes her all the more surprised when she was actually lifted into the air by just a few beats of those things. What the heck? Had Tina got a strength upgrade with the angel package? Would this mean that she shouldn't try to challenge her in arm wrestling in the future?
In her surprised state, it even takes her a moment to really register Tina's question. Hanging in this position wasn't exactly comfortable but having Tina carry her around in the air felt a lot less dignified.
But what the heck, it was a party and they were probably only going to do this once, right?

"Waist please, anything but this. I'm feeling like a daring acrobat at the moment." She looks down. "Also, unless we want to give a really nice view, we should probably avoid flying over the crowd."

[TD]

Fettina flies down for a moment to switch Dena around, hooking her arms around the gorgon's waist. She takes them back into the air with a spin. "What? Are you feeling shy?" Fettina twirls them above the crowd for a moment, too quick to catch much, but carries Dena off to one side nevertheless. Her wings beat steadily.

"You know, if I wasn't made of metal, I'd probably have tried to carry you off somewhere more quiet by now."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[The Mercenary]

Electra nods at Fayyaad, seemingly ignoring Cantata's comment for the moment. Some of the other security personnel have moved, several of them are now covering Lady Arachne, while a seemingly odd pair of a halfling and a half-giant are keeping station near Magtok while the cyborg continues his performance.

"Good. You may want to change once we've got this sorted out." Then she looks to Cantata, her expression growing more concerned. "I'd rather keep everyone safe by keeping to them, thank you. The only identity I need to know right now is that of who hired you. Surely, you recognize the trouble you're in now? And make no mistake, I'm not talking about with us."

[Arkhosia]

[The Mercenary]

And how can I trust that providing that identity guarantees my own safety? the mute types, watching Electra with a more steely-eyed gaze. We both know how valuable customer loyalty is in this business - you might throw me to the wolves of your client regardless of whether I betray the confidentiality of my own. As she waits for a response, Cantata will attempt to influence Electra’s feelings to be more agreeable and amicable.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[The Mercenary]

Electra eyes the device for a moment and starts to sign something with one hand, the barest start of a question, then shakes her head. It's hard to tell if Cantata's attempt to manipulate the reploid woman's emotions has any effect; Electra's a bit like a brick wall, either she's very focused, or she has some sort of defensive magic or psionics going. Her expression does seem to grow even more concerned, though.

"We were hired to keep everyone attending tonight safe. Normally, that courtesy is retracted when one guest makes an attempt on one of the other guests or one of the staff, but I'm making an exception for you, partly because if the person who hired you is here, they know you just failed. They may have hired someone else as insurance. And, they may have added you to their target list as insurance in case what just happened, did." Her expression softens slightly, and she speaks a bit more quietly, more gently, not that she's been overly loud to start with. "I'd like to keep you alive, if possible, but in order to do that, I need to know, at a bare minimum, if they're here tonight."

[Shadowcaller]

[TD]

"No, but there might be complaints and I'm supposed to represent a big company now you know." Dena smiles and winks.
Though as Tina replies, the smile looks increasingly forced. "Eh, we're grown gals. We can figure out plenty of things to entertain ourselves with. Remember when you dressed up as some ancient hero to 'slay' me?" She giggles. "I don't know where you get your ideas, but I'd like to find out." The something occurs to her. "Hey Tina, are you made of actual metal? Or is that just a metaphor or whatever?" She gives her friend a curious look from behind her blindmask.

[Arkhosia]

[The Mercenary]

There's a glimmer of recognition and excitement as Electra begins to sign something, and Cantata can't help but smile behind her mask - it was rare enough for her to encounter others who knew sign language that the discovery still held a certain novelty to it, regardless of the circumstances. Certainly enough to overtake any disappointment at being unable to influence the woman, at least.

My employer's name is Malice, and I don't believe he's here tonight, the empath responds, signing this time. The man seems to have a flair for the dramatic as equally as my target, and I doubt he would be able to resist announcing his presence and causing trouble himself if he was here.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[The Mercenary]

Electra nods, and gives Cantata a reassuring smile, before signing back. Whatever stopped her before doesn't seem to be an issue now.

Thank you. Do you have a safehouse you can use to hide out in? I can provide one for you to use if not. I'll have more questions for you later, but staying here isn't an option any longer, and I want you to be somewhere safe.

[Arkhosia]

[The Mercenary]

Cantata frowns, shaking her head. I don’t, I’ve... well, I haven’t accrued the funds for one yet, frankly. she ponders just what restrictions this safehouse will entail, but chooses not to raise the question.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[The Mercenary]

Electra nods, as a blue glow flashes from behind the eye covers of her mask.

You'll use one of mine, then. We'll escort you out of the portal. There will be a small, purple robotic rabbit waiting outside. He'll teleport you to the safehouse. I'll be in contact once you arrive, with further details and questions, but nothing we need to discuss now, OK?

[Ashen Lilies]

Nocturne & Jack

Jack wasn't quite ready for the fireworks and jumps when the first goes bang, and assumes (possibly incorrectly; I'm not sure) that that's the cause of Cass' own discomfort. "They're really pretty, but they made me jump too. Glad I'm down here, not in the air." She rarely is when fireworks are loosed; they look better at night, and jackdaws are diurnal birds with poor night vision.

[Nocturne & Jack]

"...yes, of course," says Cass, smiling and turning back to Jack. She's still a bit anxious, but... the situation seems to be handled for now.
"We were getting a lemonade together, right?"

[Monarch]

The Psychic Spider Network^TM (or whatever it's called) seems to be getting a lot of activity. Holly glances over in the direction she presumes it's coming from, but...again, it seems like some other people are taking care of it.

"Yes," she says, turning back to him. "I'm sure you are strong enough to avoid temptation, but...not everybody's that strong." The half-elf moves slightly closer to Kal, unconsciously inching her hand towards his chest; meanwhile she inwardly cringes. Seriously, why is she saying all these awkward statements? Is she just feeling lonely or something? Does she just need a day off where she can just be herself and not worry about anything? And she's awkwardly and thoughtlessly latching on to whichever attractive person pays her attention? She needs to step back and clear her head...Get a grip, Harley, she thinks, berating herself.

"I'm feeling pretty thirsty," Holly abruptly says, stepping back and looking down before realizing 'looking down' isn't helping, hoping her mask covers enough of her flush face. "Do...do you want a drink?"

[Monarch]

"I find temptations are so much more fun when you pursue them wholeheartedly," says Kal, playfully. He doesn't seem to pay any mind with Holly's stepping toward him and then back, blithely (or maybe respectfully?) ignoring her blush. "I'll gladly accept a drink with you. Would you like to surprise me?"

[A Personal Affair - Nocturne]

Electra gestures slightly with her head towards the "Staff Only" door Agent C ran though.

"That 'Staff Only' door. I'm going to grab one of the overt guys to make it look like someone's asked us to go back there. Just a sec." After a moment, one of the hobgoblins serving as overt security puts his hand to his ear, before nodding and making his way over to the pair.

"Excuse me, ladies, but I've had a request from our hostess for your presence. Please follow me." He winks at Cass, before bowing slightly and starting towards the door.

[A Personal Affair - Nocturne]

"Of course," says Cass, her voice suddenly imperious, as she draws herself up to a stature that seems much taller than her own modest, height. "Lead the way, my dear." She commands, in an uncanny impression of a certain... someone that Cass knows.

[Arkhosia]

[The Mercenary]

There’s a quizzical pause - a robotic rabbit is quite a strange manner of transportation - but Cantata doesn’t dwell on the confusion before nodding a little hesitantly.

And I assume I’m not going to be stuck there alone? she glances towards Fayyaad and the other mercenaries to clarify what she’s asking about; protection. Or supervision, they’re one and the same really.