Home 24: A house in this market?

[Lord Magtok]

[Ithuriel's Demiplane]

This is probably something they're going to have to discuss at some point. But not now. Definitely not now. She can just add it to the list of potential problems to be discussed at a later date. A list that hopefully doesn't grow too long.

A lot of it can be tied together under the banner of "Ithuriel is an OP angel and Ambriel isn't" anyway. Big banner though. Big issue. Later.

"As long as you've got one of my horns with you so I know you've got a way out, I-" She sighs. "I want to say I won't worry, but I will a bit. I promise I won't worry too much and I won't interfere, alright?" Hopefully that's fair enough. "Anyway, we can worry about it later. For now we should get going. I still want to meet the rest of your gang."

"Right, the rest of the Faction crew. I already mentioned that they're all a little on the eccentric side, right? That they're all going to make me look incredibly sane and normal and sensible by comparison? That one of them is a human brain in a floating robot octopus body?" Ambriel looks just a little worried. Vlad's probably going to remind her of those darker times when she was a bloodsucking fiend, Needs has a very tenuous grip on reality, and Squiddly is just weird. This big family meeting may not go half as well as Ithuriel expects, and it could easily be ten times worse than Ambriel imagines.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Home]

Hannah grins. Good. Me too. Nothing weird about making movie science things real.

Ravanys chuckles a bit, then turns to Zee. So, you're saying those fairies were doing stuff because of the empyreans?

Hannah turns to Ravanys, eyebrow raised. Fairies?

Ravanys nods a bit. Yep. Nasty ones. Hence the blood.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Home]

"Have you considered building the ghost-busters' proton pack things before?" Zee replies with a laugh. "Or have you already got a replica of those laying around somewhere?"

She might.

I mean... seriously. She might.

Creating a positron-based directed energy weapon seems like it would be WAY easier to produce than a time machine, all things considered.

Ravanys is given a serious look at her question. "Or the empyreans are up to something because of what the fae are doing. There's some real chicken-and-egg awfulness going on between the two sides of the conflict. There is a third possibility, that it's something to do with the Nexus itself that caught their attention and they're both reacting to it. But I won't pretend to be in on whatever the gold-host empyreans or up to. And I definitely won't pretend to understand how the mind of an arch-fae works."

Life is full of mysteries, as they say.

"Buncha fae vampire things were snatching people in the market. One of them bit Ravanys and stole some of her self. The surest cure for faerie bites is doing boring chores, so if you happen to have any that need to be done..." Zee mentions, giving Hannah a sly look.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Home]

Hannah gives a smirk and points to her left. Mounted to the wall, and on a few shelves, are a bunch of movie replicas. Including the proton pack. They probably all work, too.

Ravanys nods a bit. So both sides are up to stuff, and either one could be to blame. Or neither. Great.

At the mention of fae vampires, Ravanys rolls her eye. Oh boy. Meanwhile, Hannah snaps her attention on the tiefling. You were bit by a freaking vampire!?

Ravanys holds up her hand in a stopping gesture.

I'm fine. Not an actual vampire. Kinda took some life force, I guess, but I killed it. And Zee here fixed me up. So I'm fine.

Hannah narrowed her eyes a bit, clearly not pleased with this answer.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Ithuriel's Demiplane]

"No more stalling, Wings." There's a gentle firmness to Ithuriel's voice, a very light reminder that, as cute as she may think he is, she's not going to let him get away with dragging this out for too much longer. Have a little faith in her, Ambriel! She is an angel after all! Also it'll probably be fine and nothing bad will happen, probably. She's kind of sort of good with people these days. She can be trusted not to make things any worse...probably.

Before they go, she does indeed pass a fir-wood horn over to Ambriel, regardless of any objections may have. She's not letting him duck out of having that particular safety net. "Now come on! Let's get going already!" A wave of her hand and a portal back through to Riverside appears before them. Time to go, Ambriel! Get it over and done with now and you'll never have to worry about it again!

Well, unless things go badly. Then you might have to worry some more.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Home]

"I fixed the physical wounds," Zee points out. "I can't do anything about soul-stuff and other fae nonsense. I'm not kidding about faerie bites being serious. I'm pretty sure your horns are a bit smaller than they were when I first ran into you."

Oh boy.

Zee isn't helping.

Terrific.

"But scrubbing down a bathroom or repainting a kitchen or baking some fresh bread would probably clear that right up. Fae thrive on the weird and fantastical. Mundane, boring stuff is just as repellent to them as cold iron."

Hear that?

Zee is trying to get Ravanys banished to chore duty.

[Morty]

[St. Lazarus’s Apartment]

Calm Reed smiles slightly.

"You have to pardon me. It's not easy to briefly describe a world so unlike yours. We Dragon-Blooded are people blessed with the blood of the Elemental Dragons, the ultimate beings and creators of the world. It gives us power and the responsibility that comes with it. Most of us are born into the Great Houses, but the blood of the Dragons has spread across the whole world."

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Home]

Ravanys closes her eye and gives a heavy sigh as Zee digs the hole further.

Hannah's glare does not diminish at all. Hm. Sounds like you got in over your head a bit. Sounds like, maybe, you could've used a partner. You know, to watch your back! By this point, Hannah's arms are crossed over her chest, and her voice is almost yelling.

Ravanys brings a hand to her forehead, her eye still closed. Hannah. This wasn't even a job. I was getting freaking bagels.

Hannah swings her arm out, gesturing towards the front door. But something like this could happen on a job! Even more likely, if these guys are gonna start popping up everywhere!

Ravanys shakes her head a bit. I've already made my decision on that, kid. You're not coming on jobs with me.

Hannah gives a frustrated, inarticulate yell and stalks off to another room under the balcony, slamming the door behind her.

Ravanys sighs again. Well. That could've gone worse.

[Arkhosia]

[St. Lazarus’s Apartment]

"Ohhhh, so dragon-blooded is a blessing, not something you inherit! That... that makes much more sense." Fidelia was a little confused how that worked. "I knew a guy who said he had dragon blood, had scales and could breathe fire. I... assume that's little different."

[Morty]

[St. Lazarus’s Apartment]

"It is inherited," Calm Reed corrects. "The blood of Dragons flows in certain families. But you need the blessing of Dragons to be born into such a family, if your soul was virtuous in its past lives." She then shrugs. "People here seem to understand 'dragon' differently. Perhaps that man did have the blood of another sort of dragon."

[Murkus]

[Fettina's Place]

Cantata makes a so-so gesture with her other hand, briefly thinking on how best to reply without letting go. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a great way to do it, and with some reluctance she slips her gloved hand out to make a more wordy reply.

It can get... a little dicey, but sometimes it catches the mistakes for me. She leaves out the fact that it's occasionally a double-edged sword. An old friend she met for drinks still poked fun at her for the time she told a guard they were there to see Captain Coral Lion.

Well, I know it's a bit basic... but I've always had a soft spot for a cosmopolitan. Cantata glides to stand opposite from Fettina on the other side of the counter, leaning against it on her forearms with an interested little look. She was curious to see what Tina might make for herself, as much as she was to hear her reply.

[Tina's Place]

"It doesn't have to be a work of art, sugar-plum," says Fettina, smiling so cordially and with such a relaxed posture that one would think she could put anyone at ease. "Basic is fine. In fact I like your choice. I think I'll make one myself." Fettina slides out a different shelf and starts to mix Cantata her cosmopolitan. She does it with such dexterity that she must have practice as a bartender. Or at least has had some lessons from one.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Home]

Zee looks...

Really self conscious now.

She begins scrutinizing her toes pretty intently. "Sorry... I made that way worse, didn't I?"

You messed up, Zee!

You ruined everything forever!

Well.

Probably not.

More likely Hannah will just be more instant about helping Ravanys for a while.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Home]

Ravanys shakes her head a bit. Nah. She's smart. She would've figured it out sooner or later. You just sped it up.

Ravanys strolls over to a small bench near the car. Cleaning brushes of various sizes lay across it. Ravanys teleports in the gun she used earlier, and starts pulling it apart to clean it.

She really wants to get into what I do. Has for a while now. But...she can do so much better than me. I mean, look at this. She pulls the device off the back of her belt and lays it on the table in front of her. She built a freaking teleporter on her own. And it works great! She sighs a bit. She's so smart. She can do so much better than just bounty hunting.

[Morty]

[Lake Cabin - Private Party]

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

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

[Arkhosia]

St. Lazarus's Apartment

Fidelia nods. She gets it now! Okay, well maybe not entirely; reincarnation and predestination is a rather heavy concept to casually drop onto a girl who had never been given an ounce of education in philosophy and theology. Besides some mentions of various deities and a few cursory mentions of their causes, the closest thing she ever had was a pamphlet from a really insistent sangheili, and that was written in strange runes she couldn't decipher.

But! Onto other matters! The page drinks down the last few sips of her glass, frowning a little. "You said you were a sailor... what was that like?" She asks. Her voice stays quiet, but a glimmer of excitement shines in her eyes. Fidelia had never traveled outside of Skyside, except for that one trip to Mallside, so hearing about someone else's travels sounded fascinating.

Tina's Place

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

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

[billtodamax]

Ternview Apartments

It's been almost a month, now.

Maybe Eiriol forgot about her. The faint tug she felt toward the fae at the party hasn't faded, but she hasn't seen any sign of her since then.

So it might be something of a shock to Anulhi when she finds the fae standing in her kitchen, as resplendent as when she first saw her, holding a little painting in her hand.

It's lovely. She says, as soon as Anulhi sees her. Did you paint it? A glass of the same liquid she had drunk so freely of at the ball is sitting on the bench beside the fae.

[Lord Magtok]

[Ithuriel's Demiplane]

"No more stalling, Wings." There's a gentle firmness to Ithuriel's voice, a very light reminder that, as cute as she may think he is, she's not going to let him get away with dragging this out for too much longer. Have a little faith in her, Ambriel! She is an angel after all! Also it'll probably be fine and nothing bad will happen, probably. She's kind of sort of good with people these days. She can be trusted not to make things any worse...probably.

Before they go, she does indeed pass a fir-wood horn over to Ambriel, regardless of any objections he may have. She's not letting him duck out of having that particular safety net. "Now come on! Let's get going already!" A wave of her hand and a portal back through to Riverside appears before them. Time to go, Ambriel! Get it over and done with now and you'll never have to worry about it again!

Well, unless things go badly. Then you might have to worry some more.

"Alright, alright, I'm going. Don't say you weren't warned, though." Ambriel insists, before he accepts the horn and advances through the portal. Ithuriel's right, he's been dragging this out long enough. Besides, as questionable as his gang might be, they're nowhere near vampiric demon monster level, right? I'm sure we'll be fine. To Riverside! To The Faction!

[Hattish Thing]

Ternview Apartments

It's been almost a month, now.

Maybe Eiriol forgot about her. The faint tug she felt toward the fae at the party hasn't faded, but she hasn't seen any sign of her since then.

So it might be something of a shock to Anulhi when she finds the fae standing in her kitchen, as resplendent as when she first saw her, holding a little painting in her hand.

It's lovely. She says, as soon as Anulhi sees her. Did you paint it? A glass of the same liquid she had drunk so freely of at the ball is sitting on the bench beside the fae.

Anulhi, having come into an unexpected bit of wealth since attending the ball, appears to have been able to purchase a more modern set of clothes, and currently stands upon a small stool in the slightly cramped kitchen, clad all in a dark green Thanksmas sweater. She whistles softly as she chops at a carrot somewhat absentmindedly, her fuzzy red socks digging into the small ridges upon the stool.

When Eiriol speaks, the halfling lets out a frightened squeak, grasping her knife tightly before turning about, holding it before her.

"Ahhck!"

"Who... h-how did you get in here?!"

[billtodamax]

Ternview Apartments

Eiriol laughs as Anulhi waves her knife around. What a cute little thing!

Put that away, Anulhi. You can get back to your carrots in a second. She says, and Anulhi will feel the bond between them flare up. She really should put that knife down. It's not like Eiriol's doing anything anyway, is it? Just looking at a picture - and she just put it down! Really no reason to be holding the knife. The carrots will keep.

I have a favour to ask, Anulhi. She says, leaving Anulhi time to respond.

[Rebonack]

[Ravanys' Home]

Zee considers all these things.

It's only natural for people to try to keep their loved ones out of danger.

But...

Sometimes you can't

"Maybe a compromise would help?" Zee offers. "I don't know much about building machines. But would it be possible to make something Hannah can control remotely? I mean, she made all this-"

She gestures at the array of super science gadgets.

"It seems like she would be able to build a remote controlled robot. Then she would be able to help you out without actually putting herself in harms way? Maybe that would be enough for her? Because it sounds like she's more concerned for your well being than she's concerned with being a problem shooter."

[Hattish Thing]

[Ternview Apartments]

In response to the somewhat unsettling laugh, the halfling merely grips the knife a little tighter, stepping down off the stool in order to plant her feet upon stabler ground. She looks about incredulously before, all of the sudden, the dormant magic implanted within her activates, filling her belly with butterflies and shivers.

Now thoroughly confused, Anulhi glances from the knife, back to the cutting board, before slowly setting the knife down, stepping back against the counter. Something felt... very strange, all of this did.

"I... I don't r-really know you, and, n-no, I didn't paint it. My sister's."

"I'm... a f-favor? What... kind of favor?"

[Morty]

[St. Lazarus's Apartment]

Calm Reed nods.

"You could say so. My birth family is a nautical one, commanding our empire's navy. If I hadn't felt the call of monastic life, I would have been expected to sail a ship myself and expand the House's wealth, by exploration, adventure and conquest. I would have sailed far and wide to bring trade and riches. Of course, it was not to be, but the training stayed with me."

[Halae]

[Mouchabière Residence]

As is often the case in the Mouchabière home, Trick has squirreled herself away in her lab. she's spent the last three days doing things, though she's specifically not told Sophie what she was doing, informing her wife that it was to be a "surprise".

Today, however, it would appear her prep time is finally complete, as she sweeps down from her frankly foul smelling lab on the upper floor (so that the technicolor smoke of her alchemy station can waft out the windows and into the sky where they'll do no harm) and into the living room, "Sophie! You ready to see the surprise?"

She's wearing a set of heavy white leathers somewhere between a duster, a robe, and a suit of armor, with her pact blade at her waist. If one didn't know what an empathetic and enthusiastic sort of person Trick is, they might swear she was some kind of demonic cultist. Even now, that outfit means her own particularly shadowy brand of magic, channeled directly from the bowels of the nine hells. She also seems rather excited.

[Morty]

[Mouchabière Residence]

Sophie is if course rather used to the smells, sights and associated outfits of her beloved's brand of magic and takes it in stride. Besides, she'll be the first to tell anyone how deceiving appearances can be. She gets up from the table, having dressed in a loose skirt and spaghetti strap top that she usually wears around the house.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Trick. You've had me agape with anticipation here."

[Halae]

[Mouchabière Residence]

That has Trick grinning as she takes Sophie by the hand and brings her upstairs towards the lab, staying out of the way of Beaky, who's currently relaxing on the stairs to the second floor.

The lab itself is the largest room in the house aside from the living room. With a high roof that is where the attic should be, a skylight to let the sun in. In the northern side of the room, currently with the direct rays of the sun shining on it, is a circle of glittering concentric rings of brass, silver, and iron, designed for a variety of summonings and other rituals. The south side of the room is the place where she keeps all her alchemy equipment, and all along the walls are carved runes directly into the wood, generally with Trick's own pact blade - every one of them is one of the house's wards, anchored her to Trick's place of power.

But sitting on the alchemy desk is something new. A small wooden box, lid covering whatever it is inside, but Sophie will already be able to feel something inside it. Something that seems almost familiar. It isn't until Trick pick the box up and hands it to Sophie that she slows down, "Go ahead, open it!"

[Morty]

[Mouchabière Residence]

Sophie has never had much to do with the lab. Practical experience and (until recently) minor powers aside, she's never had much patience for sorcery, alchemy or summoning. She only came here to talk with Trick if she was there. But now it seems there's something for here here, that the warlock is very excited about. Without further questions or doubts, she opens the box.

[Halae]

[Mouchabière Residence]

It's a knife.

That word can say a lot. In this case, it covers the subtle curve of the blade as it tapers towards a point, the wrapped white leather grip, and the handguard that curves below the blade and down to the pommel in the style of some cutlasses, seemingly out of place for a weapon of this size. The pommel itself has an empty socket - it could take a gemstone maybe the size of a marble, though it seems Trick didn't put one in yet.

It doesn't however express the nature of the weapon itself. This is an object made with nothing but magic in mind - the blade isn't the right shape for cutting, though perhaps stabbing, as it seems to point like a stiletto. At the same time, Trick has etched the blade and the guard and embossing in the leather grip, with runes. Not her typical Infernal runes, but, if Sophie can recognize them (even if she can't read them), they're all in the language of angels. Celestial. There's no power in them, however.

But perhaps the thing that will get Sophie's attention most is not the shape of the blade, or its intended purpose. Perhaps the most important thing is what she finds it to be made from; the glittering golden substance almost seems to shine even when shaded from the light of the sun by the box's lid, "So, something most people don't know about pact blades is that they're always made out of a material designed for the confluence of the wielder and the power source. Since you can act as your own power source, if I was going to try and introduce you to Warlock's magic, we needed a pact blade that fit both you personally and the divine essence you've got. Took a week of trying, but I managed to transmute a substance out of, believe it or not, solid gold and sunlight. That thing you're holding is expensive as all get-out, but it should resonate with you better than anything else."

It's a knife. And a key to the very magic of the soul.

[Morty]

[Mouchabière Residence]

Sophie takes the knife... and does indeed feel a twinge of familiarity with this new power that surges inside her.

"Solid gold and sunlight? That does seem appropriate." She runs her finger along the flat of the blade. "Quite the gift you've got me, dear. I can tell you're excited to find out what I can do now. Of course, so am I."

[Halae]

[Mouchabière Residence]

"The most important thing to do first off, and the way pact blades are formed, is by flooding it with the essence of the power source you're attuning it to. Normally, that requires a lengthy ritual, the stars being right, a grant of a power connection from the source of the power - like a devil granting you access to hell - and enough prep time to choke a horse. but, since you're your own power source, all you really need to do is stand in a spot that's magically enclosed, then focus as much energy as you can into it at once."

Trick indicates the ritual circles on the floor, an amused look on her face, "Oh look, a set of circles for magical containment in a spot where the sun is beating down on it right now."

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Ravanys' Home]

Ravanys shakes her head a bit. Tried that for a while. Kinda worked. Till she felt like it was too limiting.

I know she's worried about me. I'm also pretty sure she's kind of idolized what I do. Like she's built it up in her head of being bigger and better than what it is. And she doesn't seem to get how dangerous it can be. I mean, hell, what happened today? Not the worst I've been injured on a job.

Ravanys finishes cleaning all the parts of the gun, but leaves it disassembled for now. She turns to face Zee. I can't let her do this kind of work. I just... I can't put her at that risk.