Inside 68: Dawn of a New Season (or two)

[Earl of Purple]

Stuck Square

Jack was going to buy a coffee, actually. "Now I know how to leave, I can always come back. Unless you wanted to see what a dehydrated aquarium looks like?" It's certainly caught Jack's curiosity.

Hive Sewers- End of the Line

Alas, the most useful skill a Tineye can learn is the ability to ignore anything that isn't relevant to what they're doing. Which includes the niggling feeling of something wrong, as her perception is manipulated to prevent her noticing things she should be listening for. She drops her knife, and takes several deep breaths, just in case she's about to start being strangled. She does not, nor even considers, struggling. This creature behind her is inhumanly strong, and could kill her easily right now. And there's not a lot she could do about it if it did. So hopefully there's a reason why it isn't killing her yet and she can escape by doing what she's told until a better opportunity presents itself.

[Ionbound]

[Quaint Victorian Deathtrap]

The lady shakes her head and replies, "I don't think we did....Don't tell me you're seriously considering shrinking down and getting into that, are you?" She shakes her head again and swallows nervously, afraid of being left alone in this place, and adds, "I-I guess I can't stop you if you really want to."

[Shadowcaller]

[New Inside Embassy]



"The 'not publicly' part may be a stickin' point for my superiors," Michalson says. "Justice has to be seen, someone once told me. This has the smell of a cross-tradin' hush-deal. But maybe that's what it takes to avoid somethin' worse."

[New Inside Embassy]

"We can possibly stick something public to them. They must have broken dozens of laws to get to this point if your accusations are true. We just can't stick them with your story as that's what might cause untold death's, and that's what we're both trying to prevent, yeah?" Octavia tilts her head as she looks at him.

[Recaiden]

Stuck Square

Jack was going to buy a coffee, actually. "Now I know how to leave, I can always come back. Unless you wanted to see what a dehydrated aquarium looks like?" It's certainly caught Jack's curiosity.

"Yeah, I mean, who knows how far this place really goes on, while seeming to fit into one city block. Let's check out the aquarium before we leave."
Anchor orders a white hot chocolate at the counter. Actual hot chocolate is too caffeinated, to say nothing of coffee.

Hive Sewers- End of the Line

Alas, the most useful skill a Tineye can learn is the ability to ignore anything that isn't relevant to what they're doing. Which includes the niggling feeling of something wrong, as her perception is manipulated to prevent her noticing things she should be listening for. She drops her knife, and takes several deep breaths, just in case she's about to start being strangled. She does not, nor even considers, struggling. This creature behind her is inhumanly strong, and could kill her easily right now. And there's not a lot she could do about it if it did. So hopefully there's a reason why it isn't killing her yet and she can escape by doing what she's told until a better opportunity presents itself.

The hound bounds over to pick up the knife with its middle limbs and start gnawing on it.
Tineye's going to need a new knife.

"You were very sneaky. Almost didn't notice you. Nice."
The monster marches her back away from the girder, a few steps towards where she entered. But it doesn't start strangling her. It even lets go of her neck (but not arms) given how cooperative she's being.
"But what were you doing down here in our territory?"

[Earl of Purple]

Stuck Square

Jack orders a basic black coffee, no milk and only one spoon of sugar. Also a biscuit to dunk in it. She'll pay for both drinks (unless Anchor insists) with a leather strip from which a number of square bronze coins with holes stamped in the middle.

And so they'll head to the dehydrated aquarium, possibly followed by their shadows. Depending on how social the shadows are feeling, I guess.

Hive Sewers- In Trouble

"Um, I got lost. I still am lost, actually." She gulps and is a little relieved she's moved away from the bottomless pit of probable death. She doesn't necessarily cooperate with the movement, though, so her feet are dragged. She winces as the knife is eaten; she swiped that from her first gang boss, when he tried to move her out of a thieving gang and into another line of work that he thought would make more profit- in the short term, at least, but gang leaders don't last long. The short term is often the only term they have.

[Murkus]

[Moonrise]

Orrey lays his hands on the table again. Seems to consider every word. "I don't know if I know that, man. I don't know if I feel it like you do. Maybe what I deserve just hasn't come through for me like it has for you. I'm sure a lot less shiny," his mask smirks, all teeth.

"It's safe enough here. The ears are all mine," Orrey spreads his hands to the room. "So why don't you just come out and say what you came to say, hm?"

Orrey doesn't know what to think of this guy yet, but if he's suggesting taking over Inside, the brute's going to remain a little skeptical.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Small Chapel]

"That is distinctly possible. Lots of things that shouldn't talk have been talking to me- well, I suppose it's yesterday now. Goodness, if I was out all night and all morning- that's almost all day!"
G'nichi looks around. He feels around for the bracelet to see if that horrible murderous spear is still rattling around in his head.
"I should be going soon, before someone misses me. It's-um, where is here?" he asks again, right when his stomach growls violently.

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

Paw.

Batted it with her great big lion-sized cat paw.

Melissa begins putting things together pretty fast here.

"These aren't normal ghosts," she calls out to the older boys. "They're just souls. Something is HOLDING them here, I think. Quick! Get something iron and swing it above the chairs!"

The cait sith doesn't need iron, of course. She has CLAWS! Claws of moonlight, sharper than any iron razor. She'll begin bounding from chair to chair, swiping her claws above the ghosts to sever the strands.

Lucas doesn't have anything iron on him. But he DOES have that burning sage! He tries waving it around above one of the chairs. "Go on, get out of here! Pass on or whatever it is you do!"

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

Isaac doesn't actually have any iron things as part of his normal gear. He kind of stopped carrying them around with Lucas around. He knows Lucas can handle it, but it just didn't seem polite to wear it around him.
But he wasn't going to put that in the way of safety today. So he reaches into a pouch at his hip and withdraws a tiny pinch of iron shavings, tossing them at the air away from Melissa and Lucas. And a little salt for good measure.

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

The magical cait-claws work as expected, of course. They'd already been demonstrated to do so.
The iron shavings...don't really cut the lines. What they do do is stick them them and leave a weird hanging line of iron in mid-air. If Isaac is curious enough to try and swipe at it with anything else afterwards, the line will then snap accordingly.

The sage, sadly, does not really seem to have much influence on the lines. What it does do is cause the shadows on the east side of the room to retreat away ever so slightly from wherever Lucas is standing. And the western shadows to creep a little closer.

Now, there aren't very many of these little soul-ghosts here, so with Melissa's guidance cutting all the lines and presumably(?) releasing them doesn't take longer than a minute or two.

No horrible monster leaps out at them afterwards. Not wretched cries of anger or anguish erupt through the halls.
The house simply makes another one of those old-building wooden groans and the western shadows subtly darken.

[A Small Chapel]

The girl looks rather concerned at G'nichi mentioning "lots of things talking to him lately", but doesn't probe on that.
Or make a mental note to find a way to check up on him later. Probably.

Politely, that line of inquiry is avoided and she focuses on his latter concern. She tells him an address, one that isn't too far from where he was previously heroically defending. Just a slight bit further into the safe parts of the city.
"If you need a hand, I can help get you somewhere familiar? Once you were up, I was headed back out anyway."
It's a sincere offer, made with as little pressure as possible. Some people are independent about these things and she would rather not infringe on that.

Now, G'nichi focusing on the important things like his weapons will in fact realize that his spear seems to be missing. And as soon as he realizes that fact three distinct weights settle onto his body: the rapier awkwardly positioned in a scabbard, attached to a belt that has appeared around his robe, a small (six inch, roughly) bronze rod with three claw-like prongs on each end on the other side of his belt, and the giant five foot pink metal rod that has appeared in his hands, with a bottom spike of gold and an equally golden giant heart loop at its top, encircling a red gem.

Greetings once again hero-
Oh my god that little girl is adorable give her a hug RIGHT NOW.

[Deathkeeper]

[A Small Chapel]

”Well, thank you. I think I wouldn't mind. Though I'll have to take my leave after a bit. I think I need some time to talk to my...new friends. Also." He stands up out of bed and gives the girl a quick hug. "Thanks."

Now. Uh. Hello again. And hello, new one. And hello to you too, quiet one. He pats the rod. Um. So. I'm sorry you are all stuck with me. I'm going to try to get you to someone who can be more of a hero to you.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Small Chapel]

SO CUTE.

The girl looked somewhere between alarmed and confused at the sudden appearance of the various implements, is also rather surprised by the sudden hug. But not unhappily so!
Patients and other folks she knows on a pleasant basis semi-frequently indulge her on these. Just maybe didn't expect this lizard-fellow to jump right in that?

Swiftly and gently, the hug is returned before G'nichi separates and says concerning things again.
Talking to his big wand thing and the sword?
She tries really hard to keep a skeptical look off her face, burying it in a kind smile instead.
"Um, okay! I'll wait outside. Let me know when you're ready?"
Presuming an affirmative, she'll make her way out.

Aw heck. You don't have to go and do anything silly like that, you silly!
You will grow into your heroism.
Also we're bound together foreeeeeeveeeeer!
Also that.

[Deathkeeper]

[A Small Chapel]

”The artifact is very magic. It’s full of spirits. And implements? Mostly nice ones. I’ll be getting it looked at.”
G’nichi lets her go.

And then a bomb is dropped on him.
What? Why? How? You don’t want me! How can you expect me to do any actual heroics? I-I-I am the least threatening or heroic looking person in a ten mile radius! I can’t even do anything without being helped with the sword’s boost! This thing can’t just bond with anyone without requirements! He just wanted a nice set of books...

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Small Chapel]

The girl seems to accept his defense easily enough (in this city, anything is possible) before leaving him to his insanity.

The staff, against all fundamental expectations of its rigid metal form, bends on itself to sort of loom over G'nichi in a disapproving fashion.
Hey! Anyone can be a hero! My last wielder was a little girl!

Contrary to that, the rapier simply remains in its scabbard, though its chiding disapproval can also be felt.
Heroism is as much about mindset, as it is technique and skill. All of these can be learned.
Besides! You totally saved that lady last night, which was super brave and awesome! Heeeero! Hee-ro! Hee-ro!

[Deathkeeper]

[A Small Chapel]

Yes, but those rats had no training! And a few more seconds and the librarian would have spitted me! I was only hanging on because I was being helped! And I know you can’t do that for me all day. I could feel it. What am I supposed to do if I’m expected to do something for hours? I’m not physically cut out for this! I’m built for climbing trees! And I can’t even do that for very long! He mentally grumbles. He remembers the feeling the spear gave him. Like he could have been as big and strong as any hero on the cover of a trashy book.
No one would ever take a wimp like me serious as a hero.
Though he does admit. In the Nexus, there’s always a way to cheat at something.

[Hattish Thing]

Chalcedony House Gemstone Museum

Rocks and crystals and lumps of ore are looted! None of the stones in the corridor were valuable enough to protect with lasers... Unlike the jewellery. That's in cases behind hardened glass, protected by alarms that go off if the glass is broken or the locks tampered with.

The guard is not going to wander away, unfortunately. It looks like he's stationed in this specific room. After the end of the song, he pauses his music device and pulls a walky-talky from his belt. "Control, this is RJC, half hour check. All's clear and well, here. Over and out." A moment later, another voice responds.
"Control, we hear you RJC. No alerts elsewhere, seems like. Shaping up to be another quiet night." Well, that's useful information Larza just stumbled upon. Looks like if she takes him out now, he won't be missed for half an hour. He hasn't spotted her on the ceiling, and he's listening to music. He really shouldn't, but they've never had a break in and they're overconfident and bored.

What convenient timing! Taking advantage of this miraculous opportunity, Larza retrieves a small firearm from her satchel, swiftly loading it with a miniature dart. Once she's triple-checked the mechanism, and made certain the small payload of knockout poison within the dart was functional, she'll fire upon the guard.

The dart is light enough to likely hardly be noticed, and the poison within should knock the patrolman out within minutes.

[Moonrise]

The figure all in white chuckles softly himself, his smooth, soft-spoken voice echoing out in surround sound from within several speakers built into his suit. Almost inquisitively, the man raises one of his technological gauntlets, watching it shimmer and shine in the dim light. His gaze lingers for but a moment before he taps at a small pad built into the gauntlet, which in turn activates a projector which displays a large, holographic screen. Upon the screen, a strange looking man is depicted in exquisite high-definition, a man which may be recognizable to a knowledgeable individual as Zefir, the current leader of AMEN.

With a flash, the holographic screen changes to depict AMEN headquarters instead, playing a brief clip of what appears to be surveillance footage from multiple angles. "Zhat man I showed you, he is called 'Zefir'. Currently, he serves as zhe face of zhe Association of zhe Malicious, Evil, and Nefarious. It is a terrorist organization, once zhe most feared in all zhe city. Now? It is but a shadow of its former self, ruined in zhe aftermath of betrayal after betrayal."

"It is vheak, as is its ruler. But... zhere is potential. People have learned not to fear AMEN, but zhe legend lingers. And legends... never die."

--

The man glances towards Orrey now, his blank chrome mask shining in the light. "I vhill see zhis legend rejuvenated."

"I vhill rebuild it, and use it to take everyzhing I can. And I vhant you to share in zhe glory."

[Rebonack]

[Quaint Victorian Deathtrap]

The dumbwaiter doesn't comment on Jack's plan.

Though if it could, it would suggest that the idea of using it as a means of transport might be kind of dumb.

Regardless!

There was a door our heroes didn't check down on the ground floor. Based on proximity to the dining room, it was probably the kitchen. Based on the fact that there's a dumbwaiter directly above it, it was probably also the kitchen. Either way, there's a pretty solid chance that the kitchen is below our heroes at the moment.

A creak sounds from the house. A pop. A groan. The noise of an old house settling.

Though it is probably the only thing this sound settles, since given the situation our heroes find themselves in it is quite unsettling.


[Putti on the Ritz]

"Well, relic fragments can only be made into a particular relic. Aside from putting them together they really aren't good for anything. Just tiny echos of the Ideal Forms imprinted on mortal things," Zee replies as she continues descending the stairs. It isn't really bothering her any. A good work out! Gotta jog off all those brownies. "It's a slow process of accumulating usable parts. It might not be useful right now, but it could be in the future. And if push comes to shove you could always release the power from it in a pinch. Temporarily wiping out the consciousness of a bunch of things nearby can be handy."


[Golden Flock Orphanage]

Melissa blows a raspberry at the deepening shadows.

Just because.

Lucas notices the spooky effect and breaks off a garlic wedge. He tosses it into the darkness just to see what will happen.

"Do you think there might be some kind of extra mean ghost that was holding all those other spirits here?" Melissa wonders aloud.

"I really don't know too much about ghosts," Lucas admits. "But I did read that powerful spirits will slave other ghosts sometimes. Like what cait sith do."

The awful faerie cats gives a wistful sigh. "I just want a few pet ghosts of my own..."

[bc56]

Putti on the Ritz

"Then I should probably make it." If the parts can't be used for any other purpose, then there's no reason to save them. Eao attempts to assemble the Relic of Unconsciousness.
Eao is not quite as happy to keep walking down way too many stairs. The only thing she's eaten in her entire life was that smoothie, she doesn't have calories to burn.
"Why do you look human all the time?"

[Terumitsu]

Arkham Street - The Old House on the Hill (Semi-closed plot)

A fence of brick and wrought iron surrounded this property, having a proper Victorian style and proclaiming 'old money,' albeit ironically it would have been 'new money' when built. It had all the trappings of the time; ornate trimmings on the gable; great bay windows; even stained glass to let light into the attic underneath the high pitched roof. It was a full three stories of bygone splendor in what could once and yet be a well trimmed yard and lush fir trees. Yet, though barely a century old, this building's once bright brickwork had fallen dim. Bleached by sun, weathered by wind, loured by rain. Snow laggardly rested, half melted, on the roof and grounds and what grass poked out from underneath had faded to the grim grey-brown of winter. The scent of pine-sap gave way to the musty, almost fungal fog of wood rot where more than one once-grand tree had been felled by storms and snow-weight. Yea, the house itself seemed under surprisingly good repair and had suffered nearly no graffiti from local ne'er-do-wells, yet still sat with boards in it's windows and doors ever closed.

It was, of course, a blight of a property. Unkempt. Unwanted. Unowned. The location was supposedly a good one and it was a quiet neighborhood, especially so given Arkham's standards (excluding the occasional bloodcurdling scream in the night that seemed to come from 'below' of course. Everyone knew that was just the old hot water pipes settling and the people in the variously colored robes were just the repair-folk. Nothing to be concerned about) but yet it remained, eternally an annoyance to the local home-owner society. And so the word had been passed around, by papers physical and electronic, that, due to local housing laws, (the 'Adventurer's Article 57' and the 'You-killed-it-you-own-it Clause' technically making any home with a basement larger than two broom closets a 'dungeon' to be specific) anyone who willing to take up residence and at least spruce it up could keep the damn place. Or demolish it and maybe turn it into a public park. The locals didn't particularly care which as this was impacting their placing in the annual 'Best Kept Neighborhood' competition to the point that they were now having to suffer the ignobility of the Bronze medal! It had been at least silver last year!

Of course, there was the fine print about having to deal with any hauntings, spirits, or otherwise would be up to the new homeowner but that was all probably just legalese from the whole 'dungeon' thing. Had to have those disclaimers in print else risk a suing for 'Non-hero non-adventurer tripping on the doorstep of an unlabeled dungeon and suffering harm, payable by the dungeon-master of the property.' Sure, you could just not pay but... Well, Legal devils were more than just details these days...

[Deathkeeper]

[Golden Flock Orphanage]

”Lissa, what did I tell you about doing horrible faerie things to the souls of the undeparted?”
Isaac thought he was very clear that she couldn’t go around eating any old ghost! He’s barely comfortable with her snatching the dangerous and non-sapient ones.
”There probably is a master spook here. Wherever the ‘core’ of the place is.” With places like this it can be the heart of the building or the center of the damage.

[The House on the Hill]

Sam Bacon arrives on the premises, slowly sliding open the gate as he approaches the place. He thought he might as well take a look at it. Lucy seems dead set on a castle, but it’s been ages! When is he going to be able to live somewhere with its own address again? Sure, Lucy is just looking out for her...for Sylvess. But still! Sam can take a look for her. If a place is big enough for him and his width it might be big enough for a small-medium dragon.
And so our intrepid spigre approaches, characteristically dressed casually despite the cold.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Intersection Canteen]

"It's a demiplane," Michalson says, then stammers a bit: "That, uh, means I don't know. Maybe there is a way, but I didn't study this closely enough. Some of those spell-breakers have done it for years. I can filter out which dazzle I shrug off and which I don't, but it gets harder when I'm hopped up on this. I ought to just keep it for emergencies, I reckon. I don't need it unless I'm up against somethin' really rorty."

[Intersection Canteen]

"Yeah, here's hoping we won't need it for a while again. I wouldn't mind a quieter period in Inside for a while." But an officer's work is never really done, is it? No doubt some fresh disaster is just around the corner. "I'll see if I can do something to help next time you have to resort to it, though. I might be able to take the edge off it a bit, if you can let my effect through."

[Earl of Purple]

Chalcedony House Gemstone Museum

The guard doesn't notice the dart thudding into his neck, and makes another leisurely circuit of the room before he collapses, falling over and hitting one of the red velvet ropes, knocking the post it's attached to over. Fortunately for Larza, there's no alarm associated with the ropes; they're just to keep people away from the display cabinets, which are alarmed.

There's a display of earrings, a display of necklaces, a display of rings, and a large crown of greenish-silver adamantium with four spikes emerging upwards from it, and a glowing blue sphere is suspended magically from the spikes. The crown is clearly magical, and might not be the only enchanted item on display; rings and necklaces both tend to common targets of a wizard's efforts.

Creepy Victorian Deathtrap

"No, just checking to see if there's anything in it." When the house settles, Jack swivels to the door, wand up and raised, but she's not going to blast it. "We didn't actually check all the rooms downstairs. I guess there's a kitchen. Might have been a good idea to check it out." Fungus tends to burn- though the house doesn't seem to mind the fires in the hearth. Though maybe it's illusionary or something. She'll check the footlocker on the bed furthest from the wall, shovel ready.

[Rebonack]

[Putti on the Ritz]

And thus Eao has acquired a relic! It's a rather esoteric, abstract mental exercise more than anything else. Like many of the things related to the Empyrean, forms and ideals are rather central.

While Eao might not have many calories to burn, she DOES have a star for a heart and thus a fairly significant reserve of power to draw on. It's mostly busy burning the oxygen and hydrogen that Eao breaths into helium and silicon. The silicon is, of course, incorporated into the living glass that makes up her scales as they repair themselves from that close range blaster shot she took earlier. It's nice that her body can mostly take care of itself. It's one less thing to worry about.

It isn't too much longer before our heroes reach the lobby of the Ritz.

True to the guard's word, the people who had been frozen in place have started moving again, but they look pretty out of it. Most certainly not a pleasant experience.

"Well, before I went through apotheosis I was human," Zee explains. "It's a body that I'm comfortable with since it's how I used to be. And if I weren't all folded up into a little human shape I would be way too big to fit inside of buildings. I wouldn't be able to interact very easily with all the people I love. So I keep myself veiled most of the time for their benefit and protection. My understanding with the local Watchers is that so long as I keep myself veiled when I'm near people then they won't try to kill me. I'm okay with the arrangement since I don't want to forcibly evangelize people AND I don't want to get killed."

Sounds like a win-win from her perspective.

"Are you guys all okay down here?" Zee asks the guards.

She gets a few nods in reply. "We lost one guy. Would have been more if not for your kid there. Thank you, both of you."

[Ionbound]

[Creepy Victorian Deathtrap]

The lady nods and replies, "Alright. Down to the kitchen we go!" She turns and heads out of the room and down the stairs, not noticing that Jack is checking the foot lockers.

[Rebonack]

[Creepy Victorian Deathtrap]

Two things happen at once.

The as yet unnamed woman turns and heads back down the stairs to check on the kitchen.

And Jack opens one of the footlockers.

We'll cover the second first.

When Jack opens the wooden chest she'll immediately find herself best by overwhelming Want. It desires. It wants. It needs. Sitting atop some neatly folding cloths is a small brown paper package tied with a bit of string and with a note sitting on the top. The note, should it be read, is written in hasty hand script. 'It is driving the master mad. We have to hide it from him before the madness consumes us all'.

The thing in the package.

It is incomplete. It must be made whole again.

IT WANTS OUT!

Meanwhile!

The other woman reaches the bottom of the stairs to check on the kitchen. It's a small, tidy kitchen with all the cutlery and cookwear neatly stored on shelves and racks. Sure enough, there's the other end of the dumbwaiter. A small over sits in one corner, the old coal fired sort, with a pipe extending from the top before vanishing into a hole in the wall. Another door in the back of the kitchen leads to the pantry, which is well-stocked with fresh looking food, including an icebox for meat. The ice in the box is still frozen and the interior cold with only a small amount of standing water in the bottom. Onions, garlic, leeks, and other dry vegetables and herbs hang from racks attached to the ceiling. Bins are filled with grains, flour, buts, and dried fruits. Nothing terribly unusual, right?

When the woman turns around to check if Jack has followed her she'll find that the grand staircase is gone, replaced with a blank wall and a large stuffed brown bear standing on its hind legs.

[bc56]

Putti on the Ritz

That makes sense. Although couldn't Zee be a human-sized angel like Eao? Eao takes the thanks from the guards. "You are welcome." She wishes she could have saved all of them. They don't know about their dead colleagues upstairs yet.

[Murkus]

[Moonrise]

"You don't gotta explain," Orrey waves the holo-stuff away after he sees AMEN. "Been there, done that... Got bored quick, friend. Too quick. But tell you what."

He leans forward. Metal and leather creak. The pins adorning his jacket - Hang in there! - All Hail the Crimson King - Freak Show '399 - You Are But A Thought - Merry Christmas, New Anchorage! - Wrath and Tears, One Night Only, Tickets 3C - gleam and wink in the green tinted light, a printed cacophony of sound bites from different times, places, worlds.

"I'm willing to give it another shot. As long as you can keep me interested. But you've gotta show me you're serious. There's a certain sign of respect where I come from," Orrey declares... before he starts to doff his mask. Seals come free with a hiss. He lifts the headgear away from a shaved head, cool green eyes, a broken face. Not broken in expression... no, that's as hard and unyielding as steel. But his nose is twice crooked, and there are spattering of old scars. Marks from fists, mostly.

"Have a smoke with me," he says, passing over another to put in the stranger's hand... and trying to light it if he takes it. Orrey will light one for himself. "And let's chat about the details."

[Morty]

[Intersection Canteen]

Michalson waves his hand in what may or may not be agreement. It's hard to tell and his expressions are generally unclear right now.

"Aye, I can handle most dazzle without drinkin' this. Well, most dazzle we're like to meet on duty, anyway. I drank it because of how serious that business felt. Though if I overdo it, it can feel similar. That's just how it is. No one ever said it'd be easy."

[New Inside Embassy]

"They might've broken some law that won't bring everythin' crashing down on us," Michalson says, scratching his cheek. "We can work with that. I hope. I'll pass it along to my superiors and see what they say."

[Hattish Thing]

Chalcedony House Gemstone Museum

Once the guard has passed out, Larza allows herself a brief exhalation. Thankfully, the oaf had the presence of mind to collapse somewhere outside of any alarm systems. Now was the time for appraising the good stuff, easily her favorite part. Carefully, she slinks forward before retrieving a small scanner device, which she will run over various displays.

This should reveal various traps or defenses, but will not deactivate anything within the area. "Lessee what they've got..."

[Moonrise]

The cloaked man taps gently at his gauntlet once it becomes evident that further multimedia would be unnecessary, causing the holographic projector to snap back within his gauntlet with a brief musical interlude featuring a few notes in a minor key. He listens intently as Orrey responds further, his expression still hidden beneath his chrome mask. Once the far larger man offers good news, the cloaked figure clasps his gauntlets together, rubbing them together in a sign of anticipation, the movement creating a somewhat unsettling whining noise as carbon fiber grinds up against starmetal plasteel.

With a nod, he taps at a small button upon his primary gauntlet before inputting a small passcode and speaking a brief phrase in a strange language. Once the phrase registers, each of the four hydraulic seals built into the chrome helmet's faceplate unlock, allowing for the mask to split down the middle via several glossy mechanical hatches. As the mask splits open, sickly-sweet white vapor pours forth from within. An eerie and uncomfortable hissing noise emanates from within the mask before the smoke dissipates fully, revealing a relatively plain looking human male.

His dusty blonde hair has been clipped short and mostly obscured beneath a metallic cap attached to the back of the helmet via a tangle of colorful wires, while circular goggles hide his eyes beneath black glass. His features, otherwise, are stout and somewhat broad, with a squarish chin and full lips which appear slightly crooked. Prominent cheekbones rise up either side of his lower face, and his otherwise perfect skin appears unusually pale and moist.

--

After several seconds, he takes in a deep breath of the stale barroom air before accepting the cigarette, nodding appreciatively as its lit for him. He smokes as if experienced, however, the act appears slightly painful. "Zhere are ozhers, equals in zhis endeavor. Vhe shall be a united front, our weaknesses covered by zhe other's strengths."

"Divided vhe fall, as our predecessors have. But togezher? Vhe shall show zhis vhorld zhe meaning of violence."

[Shadowcaller]

[New Inside Embassy]

"They might've broken some law that won't bring everythin' crashing down on us," Michalson says, scratching his cheek. "We can work with that. I hope. I'll pass it along to my superiors and see what they say."

[New Inside Embassy]

"Good, talk to them and then call me on this number. We can argue about the particulars then once I know you've discussed the matter with them." She hands him what seems to be her business card. "And if they do agree, try to present as much evidence you have. I've read a few articles on the subjects and there are a few names that stand out as likely sources. Whoever they might be, it won't be too long before the conspirators figure it out consider how openly they're publishing the information. I'd be very careful about it if I were your superiors."

[Morty]

[New Inside Embassy]

Michalson takes the business card and hides it in one of his many pockets.

"Aye, we've managed to scan that on our own. We'll be in touch soon, probably."

After that, he'll probably take his leave.

[Rebonack]

[Putti on the Ritz => Hopefully Unremarkable Shopping?]

Off into the streets of the city again with another crisis... mostly averted?

They didn't get to everyone in time.

It's rare that they do.

But they kept something dangerous of the hands of a madman and saved quite a few innocent hostages.

That's... something.

Would be best if the hostages hadn't been hostages to begin with.

But at the same time...

Someone else probably would have bought one or many of those Icons. And those things left in the same place for any length of time results in... bad things.

Pretty bad things.

Zee's still troubled about the whole incident. Where had they even been found? Everyone who would have known had been dusted by those darn putti. Not helpful.

For now she has more immediate concerns.

Shopping attempt part three.

Hopefully nothing goes awry again...

[bc56]

Unremarkable Shopping

Eao follows along. She knows that she doesn't understand her new nature yet, nor the new battle into which she's been unexpectedly thrust. On the other hand, she is overwhelmed by her newfound emotions. Happy to be around her mother, curious about the mysterious"groceries", Eao follows Zee gladly.