[Nexus] Home 9

[The Bushranger]

"I will," Patty says softly, giving Julie a quick, small, but - she hopes - encouraging smile, and a soft squeeze to her shoulder. "I promise I will do everythign within my power." Before letting go, and turning to check on Eric/a.

"I am Patricia O'Connell, High Priestess of Angela," she answers Justin's question, half-listening. "And while She may be best known as a Goddess of Lust, Her clerics also get the...well, standard clerical powers. Including, for me, the ability to raise the dead."

Assuming, of course, that said dead can be raised.

[Slii Arhem]

Julie's Place

"Just... please try." She won't stop Patty from doing whatever she can to resurrect Ericka, but due to his unique nature, it is almost guaranteed to fail. I'm not sure even Angela herself to bring back a starspawn of Yog-Sothoth after their soul has been shattered.

Julie leans her head back, running her fingers through her hair as she contemplates Justin's offer of help.

"You've got me wrong little Justin. Don't think because I'm distraught you'd win against me even now. What I mean is you'd be on my side. With all the benefits that entails."

[Reinholdt]

[Cessie's Head]

As Cessie falls asleep, there's a very brief glow around her head that disappears shortly after. Not even noticeable. Quite Thanksmasy. Dreams arrive in a very unusual fashion after that.

Spoiler

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You are very young. You are excited. Your caretaker, a half-woman, half-spider and the only other person you've known beyond your brother, is in front of you, explaining something important that makes you excited. You are going to meet your father for the first time today. You've dreamed of this day. Your brother is nearby. He is probably excited too.

[The Bushranger]

[Julie's Place]

Patty nods, and starts her resurrection ritual, kneeling next to the body, extending her hands over it, and chanting in a strange lanugage (possibly Latin, possibly Vulpan).

[Lost_Deep]

((Before I start: ShadowCaller and I discussed this ahead of time, and it has been approved by him.))

Mithar Keep-library

The nexus is well known for a number of things. Among these things is it's tendency to nab unsuspecting people from other universes and place them random places. For the most part, it puts them near taverns or in other places that are not too hard to get to... but occasionally it lands people in weird places.

Like the private library in Mithar Keep.

A cat girl is snoozing at one of the tables, her head resting on a book, her backpack nearby. She most certainly did not come in the front door, and none of the occupants know her.

Welcome to the nexus.

[Mindfreak]

Spoiler

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[Clarissa's Sanctuary]

Hey! Angel-Clarissa was only pondering why someone would use such a reflective, mirror-like item to eat foodstuffs! It seems like such a waste, especially with silverware formed from actual silver. She can understand why some would say that metal is the ideal substance for this task due to its reactivity and longevity, but the longevity of the material, seeing as most of it doesn't end up recycled when it is discarded, is the primary flaw of such an argument? Why not construct the implements from corn-based plastics or another biodegradable material?

Angel-Clarissa is all for clean energy, environmentally friendly practices, and sustainable development! Her fascination was not with the spoon but with the fallacious human logic behind the concepts behind the creation of the spoon!

"You think you understand your Clarissa, but you really don't. I fear that the Clarissa you know is my other half. Therefore, by not understanding me, you cannot understand her."

"Master is probably in a lower part of hell, the place where the daemons live. She's probably in her office in the city, but I can't say that with any degree of certainty."

Angel-Clarissa shrugs as she enters the hot tub and submerges her body (up to her neck) in the warm water.

"If you're planning on travelling to the city, you're going to need to be prepared for the journey. It will be long and arduous."

((And here I deadtime for a few hours (probably). I have to attend to a few orders of business. Then, I shall return to respond to more posts.))

Clarissa's Sanctuary
"It won't be a journey I haven't made before..."
It's true, KillCon 2011 was held in Hell.
"Will you come with me to find her?"
He then began to get a funny feeling...like he was forgetting something...
Something like a jet black, gleaming katana that's now stuck in his yard's remains.

[Murkus]

[Honeymoon]

Cedric needs to prod his player to drag him out of deadtime. *shakes fist at self*

Sakura giggles again, enjoying the treatment he's giving her. "Pixies are the worst, aren't they?" She turns her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "Almost as bad as this one guy I know..." He'll barely catch the grin spread across her face before she looks up again.

"This one guy? Who is it? I'll clean his clock." Despite turning away, Sakura can practically hear the grin on Adir's face. He sounds endlessly amused, and his hands drift feverishly. "Can't blame him though, if he's been bugging you. It's hard to resist such a beautiful girl."

[Gullara]

[Honeymoon]

"Oh, he bugs me all the time. I don't mind though." Sakura laughs and tries to catch one of his hands in hers. She brings it up to her face to kiss it, then she settles it on her belly.

[Shadowcaller]

[Cessie's Head]

Where am I? I can't remember this. Such a strange dream. Why haven't I woken up yet? Random thoughts flow through the mages head as she goes through the dream. But whatever she thinks right now might be gone the next moment. It's a dream after all.

[Mithar Keep-library]

Planning to leave the transportation spell research alone a while in favor of setting up a few defensive enchantments around the keep, the mage walk into the library in the hunt of a book to aid her efforts.

And considering what she see in her library, the first spell she needs to research is a dimension anchor.

Cessie blinks once she see the humanoid feline sleeping on the the table, her table. If there was something she hated was when people entered without her introduction or permission and now this girl had the nerve to to come in uninvited and sleep in their house?

An earth elemental is summoned besides her as she gently strolls up the catgirl and announces a loud, "Ahem." Followed by the traditional stamping of feet.

[Lost_Deep]

Mithar Keep-library

It's a sleeping cat. It may take a lot more than that to- nope, she's stirring.

"Guh... I fell asleep. I fell asleep!" She hisses under her breath. It's not as much a word as it is just an upset hiss. "What time is it? I need to get back to-"

She suddenly stops and looks around.

"...I don't recognize this library. I don't recognize this library at all."

She looks at Cessie. "This is not the library I was in before I fell asleep!"

She stands up, and closes the book. Bizarre Relics of the Great Fallout... this is probably not a book that existed in Cessie's library. The girl seems to be confused and a little embarrassed.

Cessie may notice a weird purple thing poking out of a pouch on the backpack.

[Murkus]

[Honeymoon]

"Oh, he bugs me all the time. I don't mind though." Sakura laughs and tries to catch one of his hands in hers. She brings it up to her face to kiss it, then she settles it on her belly.

Adir's ring-hand stops, then, when it's taken to her swollen stomach. He breathes through his nose and shuts his eyes. The stag has always liked the smell of her. "And he loves you for that." He rubs her stomach a little, tone still playful, but turning a little dreamy. "How long is it now?"

[Reinholdt]

[Cessie's Head]

Just like the thoughts in her head are gone, the scene is too, shifting to the inside of a lavish wagon. It is moving.

You have woken up. You were excited to meet your dad, but it didn't happen. Instead you and your brother are in a strange carriage with a strange woman. She looks important. She tells you that you'll be staying with her now in your fathers place. There is no sign of your caretaker. You have never felt so disappointed and alone before. You cling to your brother even if he is a wimp. You feel particularly hungry now that you think about it.

[Gullara]

[Honeymoon]

"I bit over a month now. Not too much longer." The dryad closes her eyes as well. She runs her hand up and down his arm as he touches her stomach. Her breathing slows as she relaxes.

[Murkus]

Honeymoon

"Mm. Can't wait." Adir says sincerely, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. "Y'know, with all the stuff we've been doing, I hope there's not another one growing in there." He pats the dryad's belly gently.

[Shadowcaller]

Mithar Keep-library

The mage frowns, but she will at least give the girl some doubt. Strange things did happen here after all.

"So where exactly did you fall asleep exactly? And what's your name?" She tells the girl in a slightly gentler tone.

The earth elemental regards her stoically, standing perfectly still, just starring at her.

[Cessie's Head]

Hungry? That wasn't good, could try summoning... no, where is my link? This is wrong. I won't be miserable again, I'll make them obey me, I have the right to be happy. Stop this! I deserve more! Thoughts flow through her head more freely then when she would be awake. She knew she had the right to be happy however and nothing could take that away from her. Not when everything was going so well.

[Reinholdt]

[Cessie's Head]

You're right. You do deserve more. So much more. You ask for some human blood to drink. The Matron looks surprised. You don't know why. You and Nadas were fed quite a bit of it. You like the sweet taste. Your brother always says he doesn't. He's weird. The Matron gets some for you, killing a human slave there and filling a cup. You've never seen anyone die before. It's exhilarating to watch and you drink up hungrily. You can already tell the Matron has a lot of power. Power to make things come true. She was nice to take you in.

The carriage scene begins to fade, but there's still time for Cessie to ask a question or do something unexpected.

[Lost_Deep]

Mithar Keep-library

"Uhh... the far left corner of Eventime library? I think it was the table over in the corner." Wherever the Eventime library is, it's not in inside. It's not in Riverside either, but Cessie may or may not know that.

"Oh, I'm Kirin. Lots of people call me Kay."

She regards the elemental with curiosity. She's never seen anything like it.

"Umm... where am I, by the way?" Kay looks around, not sure what to make of this. Lots of books, but they don't seem to quite follow... "Is this... a private library? Oh, that would be embarrassing."

[Gullara]

[Honeymoon]

Sakura laughs and shakes her head, dislodging a few petals to land on Adir. "I'm pretty sure that's not how it works." She says giggling. Not that she'd mind another kid if it did.

[OrchestraHc]

Julie's Place

"Just... please try." She won't stop Patty from doing whatever she can to resurrect Ericka, but due to his unique nature, it is almost guaranteed to fail. I'm not sure even Angela herself to bring back a starspawn of Yogsothoth after their soul has been shattered.

Julie leans her head back, running her fingers through her hair as she contemplates Justin's offer of help.

"You've got me wrong little Justin. Don't think because I'm distraught you'd win against me even now. What I mean is you'd be on my side. With all the benefits that entails."

Julie's - Stoop

"Little?" he says just the tiniest bit offended. "Anyway, if I'm on your side, who's the other side? The cyborg? Because, I think you won that one. You won the hell out of that one. Twice, somehow." It wasn't the prettiest sight to see two cyborgs get killed by evil black mist, not something he was likely forget any time soon.

[Slii Arhem]

Julie's Place - Stoop

Julie shakes her head, smile getting a bit less fake as she tries to take her mind off what's happening in front of her.

"Did I? I can't remember anything after... Well. But Maggie is crafty, and I doubt whatever I did will keep him down long. He's like a horde of cockroaches Justin. He'll just keep making more until someone calls in an expert." Did she really kill him? If she could only remember what had happened, it would make her life so much easier.

Then again... she casts another look at Ericka, her eyes getting damp for a second before she wipes at them with a frown. Perhaps it's for the best she doesn't.

"The thing is, Maggie is too big for anyone to take on on their own, and he's always getting worse. Remnant could do something, but he's got his fingers in all the pies they're serving. No one else is really inclined. After what Patty said... neither am I, but that doesn't mean I'm dumb enough to trust he'll sit on his heels. What would it take for me to persuade you to keep an eye on him for me?" Her tone is hopeful, almost pleading. She isn't exactly playing a good game at the moment, baring all her emotions like this. Despite her bluff earlier she probably wouldn't win in a straight contest, were he to play for keeps.

At the same time, she isn't playing a straight game herself. She somewhat regrets using Justin for this since it amounts to throwing him to the wolves if he's caught. Regret doesn't bring Eric back though, or keep them safe in the aftermath. To her, Eric was worth a thousand people like Justin, and if she has to manipulate a thousand more to keep him safe then there will be legions of them cowtowing and calling her queen before the month is out.

[Shadowcaller]

[Cessie's Head]

No! This was disgusting! Only savages drank blood! And you didn't kill innocents! All of this... it isn't me. Cessie shouts at the dreamself. I'm in control and I don't do this, I'm not sick. She didn't need to depend on anyone else for power either, it was all hers.

[Mithar Keep-library]

Cessie don't know much of Riverside's libraries and Inside is enormous, there could be hundreds of libraries in there for all she knows.

"I'm Cessie Mithar and this is my home you have ended up in... somehow." Cessie replies, giving the cat girl a suspicions look. "Do you have any idea how you got here? Where exactly is Evertime library?"

[Reinholdt]

[Cessie's Head]

I'm in control. I'm in control. I'm in control.

You're not in control of your skin colour. Your heritage to an outcast. Your nymphness. Your classmates make that clear as they flash by. As they laugh at you. Mock you. You don't lash back. It's the first time you've been so ostracized. Even your brother starts to avoid you when you see him. You're alone in the world. Everyone's better than you. Stronger. Untouchable. You don't see a reason this should change or would ever change and your tutors look on you with disappointment at this. Even they hate you. You never should have been born, you filth. Your existence is a mockery to the drow.

[OrchestraHc]

Julie's Place - Stoop

"Depends on how close an eye you need." He is actually in need of very little at the moment, and it's not in his nature to extort people he likes. Especially when, despite Julie's posturing, he doesn't think they're capable of fighting back. The game is just that to him, a game. It should be harmless fun. If someone your playing with is hurt, you stop. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

[The Bushranger]

[Julie's Place - Stoop]

Meanwhile, Patty's chanting builds...

"Afferte mortuos, revertere anima vas. Spiritus corpus. Precipio quod in nomine Angela Selenite!"

At the final crescendo, she raises her hands above the corpse, and a flash of divine power passes through the priestess!

[UncleWolf]

Julie's Place

Edijar frowns at the news. "Mainframe, you and Michalson should get out of here then. Magtok might need you elsewhere. I'm going to make the place look like a robbery instead of a hit. If Julie survived, then she'll be headed back here. Probably quickly."

[happyturtle]

Julie's Place - Inside 6th floor apt

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Mainframebot closes the ghost trap arm. "There was a confrontation between Magtok, Julie, and Eric at the casino. Magtok shot and killed Eric, and then Julie killed two Magclones using a directed breath weapon that instantly destroyed the organic parts of the two clones. I am not aware of events after that, as the sudden deaths disrupted my connection to MagNet." Mainframe is internally doing the same thing we all do when we're having connection problems - fiddling with settings and hitting refresh or reboot until it connects again.

Julie's Place

Edijar frowns at the news. "Mainframe, you and Michalson should get out of here then. Magtok might need you elsewhere. I'm going to make the place look like a robbery instead of a hit. If Julie survived, then she'll be headed back here. Probably quickly."

I am unable to create a telewarp portal until my connection to the MagNet is restored. I can go out the window and ascend to the roof, if Michalson can hold on to my chassis. However, this may leave us somewhat conspicuous Sure, people wander the rooftops of Inside all the time, but a robot climbing a building like spiderman, with a mage clinging to him, is bound to look odd.

[Slii Arhem]

Julie's Place - Stoop

"All depends on what you think you could pull off. At the very least I'd like you to swing by the casino now and then, ask Libra how she's doing and see about any changes he's made. If you thought you could handle more than that, I'd ask you to try to sign on as security when the heat from this has died down, maybe even as a Magtern. It's a risky thing for me to ask..." Julie tries to lay a now cooled hand on Justin's shoulder gently.

"I know we don't know each other very well, and you've probably heard some very terrible things about me, but I don't have a lot of options here. I think I can trust you to at least abide by the thief's code, for what that's worth."

When the ritual is complete, Ericka's body remains inert. It was certainly a powerful spell, and in any other conditions almost sure to work.

Julie sees the end result from the corner of her eye, and her face hardens despite the fresh onslaught of tears.

"Th-thank you Patty. I know you tried your best. If... if you need anything, just let me know. Maybe one day you can introduce me to Angela. I-I'm sure her and I would have a lot to talk about."

She can't even keep up her false voice and demeanour anymore. Before she could convince herself that Eric would be alright, waking up to her worried face and driving all her guilt away.

Now she knows she'll have to do things the hard way, and make decisions that she'll regret. Decisions Eric wouldn't approve of, especially to save his life. That's alright though. So long as he was alright, and didn't have to suffer because of her actions, she'd go to the ends of the earth and drag hell behind her.

[The Bushranger]

Patty rocks back on her heels, head bowed, and catches her breath. Then turns, nodding to Julie.
"You're welcome. I...I'm sorry."
She'd stand, but that spell takes a lot out of her.
"I'd love to introduce you. And...if you want...I can stay. Help."

[Lost_Deep]

Mithar Keep-library

"Oh! Well, I'm kind of sorry, but I don't think it's my fault. I'm... embarrassed, but... unless I've begun sleepwalking..." She seems to seriously consider that as an option. "Evertime library is in the capitol city of Winderdale." A slight pause. "The kingdom of Cordalinta? I'm still in Cordalinta, aren't I?"

She seems to be worried about this, and after saying that she glances at her backpack.

[OrchestraHc]

"Pfft. Theif's code nothing," Justin scoffs. He's done more for people he likes less and knew less. "I won't screw you over. I can check in with Libra, sure, and I'll consider getting a," *Shudder* "job at the casino. You're going to have to explain what a Magtern is."

When the ritual fails, he tries to put his arms around Julie. "But that can wait."