Riverside

[quillpleasant]

Butterfly Park

Simon chuckles self consciously. "I wouldn't say big, but I was tall. Had good hair too, that's the only part I miss." Hair would just look silly on a dragon. He looks like he's about to say more, but elects to change the subject instead.

"Yeah, I know trucks. I've never heard of them taking people to other worlds though." A moment of deeply contemplative silence. "So if you really like trucks and you get killed by one, do you think you'd get sent to a world where you're a truck and there's other cute trucks around?" Since that's kind of what happened to Simon. Minus the trucks.

The Road to Hell

Due to the hoverbike's auditory enhancements, Kraujo can sense its coming. Of course, he's expecting a regular bike, so he isn't able to adjust the tripwire in time to cause more damage. But he's far from finished.

"You're not getting away that easily!" yells Alice after the phyrexian, breaking into a sprint. Kraujo snaps back from his position across the road and forms a cluster of blood spikes at the end of the arm, which begin to fire out in a barrage, leading Ilpholin's current position with the intent of skewering the vehicle, rider, or both.

These spikes are about a foot long, hard as steel, and fire with enough force to punch through a brick wall. Although Alice clearly wants to confront Ilpholin, Kraujo is not pulling any punches.

[Keeper]

Butterfly Park

Somewhere, G'nichi feels awkward and doesn't know why.
"I miss a couple of things. Fitting through doors is one. Some dragons have hair. But it's more like fur a lot of the time. It's also fairly common on the end of their tail?" Rowan has fins down his back that end in a pair of fins on his tail.
"Well that or you go to another world as a truck driver and people don't get how that's somehow overpowered but you somehow figure it out."
Isekai shows are weird.

[Gullara]

[Youthful Indiscretions]

"Ah shit, right." She had forgotten the camera's. She supposed she should be thankful her parents didn't have the same wealth as his- she was certain if they had the money and technical knowledge she'd have to contend with cameras at her own place too. "I bet I could Mission Impossible my way past those with a bit of help though," she joked. "Ana could be my gal in the earpiece, you could be my guy on the inside. And I'd look great in the spy getup."

[Youthful Indiscretions]

Speaking of Ana! The conversation might be interrupted as the girl in question stirs in her bed, rolling onto her side with a groan. "Atsede? El?" She looks blearily out at the two of them, but any confusion takes a backseat as she suddenly realizes something. "I- I don't... feel good...."

[Youthful Indiscretions]

Okay that's funny. Eliseo laughs some more, though he has to moderate himself lest they wake Obriane up again. He's just coming up with some witty remark when Ana stirs.

"Hey babe, take it easy. You drank way too much." He puts a hand on her shoulder to discourage her from getting up any further.

[quillpleasant]

Butterfly Park

Simon considers this, nodding. "Oh yeah, I was thinking of like, fur or manes. That can actually be really cool. I just can't picture a dragon with a pompadour." For his part, Simon's tail seems to end in a slim, very sharp looking stinger.

"Still not sure about the truck driver thing, but weirdly enough isekai was never really my thing. I was more into shonen and slice of life. Not that I'm complaining, this is a lot more exciting to actually be living through, ya know?" He bobs his head curiously. "What about you, what shows are you into?" Because of course everyone is into shows. How else do you LIVE?

[Keeper]

Butterfly Park

”Well, it could maybe happen if a dragon liked that kind of culture enough. I’m told that some of the more…science unfriendly dragons like me tend to reflect their interests and personality.
…
Take that how you will.”
It means he looks like a dork who loves pies because he’s a dork who loves pies.
”Well, I’ve never been able to afford DVDs or services really so I just watched what was on. But I always liked…”
Rowan rattles off about ten shows that are thick on the cheery, fluffy adventure tones. But you could probably tell from looking at him, couldn’t you?
And at least three shows about chefs because of course he does.

[quillpleasant]

Butterfly Park

"Huh. So you're saying that dragon's appearances are kind of like, affected by their personality?" Simon glances down at his sinuous, gleaming black body. "Wish I worked like that, this goth shit is killing me. Like it sure beats just being a dude but come on, I could have been like a huge red dragon with fire breath and actual wings!"

He listens intently to Rowan's favorite shows, chiming in on a couple he's seen. "Okay it's the saddest thing in the world that you don't have DVDs so we're going to fix that ASAP. Also I have about a half dozen anime recommendations off the top of my head based on what you're into, starting with Shirokuma Cafe and Toutotsu ni Egypt Shin. Does your place have internet? If you don't I can get it installed when I get enough money, which shouldn't take long." He seems very confident on that subject.

[Keeper]

Butterfly Park

"Well, yeah kind of. Like, a dragon who's really flamboyant and like showing off would get more colorful crests and bigger muscles. Maybe. So I'm fat not because I eat too much pie, but because I'm the kind of person who would. And I'm tall because...well, Granny probably. That's the cost of working on fey and cartoon logic." Rowan sighs mightily. He clearly has thoughts about his cartoony look. But Simon knew that. "I have wings but they're nothing impressive." Simon probably thinks that Rowan's undersized wings are adorable.

"We have internet and a TV but it's pretty cheap stuff. Granny hooked me up with a dragon-sized place but she doesn't do electronics as much so all of that sort of thing is the old junk we had before everything got weird...er."

[quillpleasant]

Butterfly Park

Simon considers this thoughtfully. "Well that's pretty cool. Maybe I'll look different over time too. Believe me, if I could trade, I'd do it in an instant. I didn't realize how hard it would be to go from being bipedal to like, the longest wiener dog of all time." His limbs would be very normal on a human sized body, but seem exceedingly stubby on his current snakey form. "And shut up, your wings are cute. Can you fly with them?"

The black dragon snorts dismissively. "Typical old person, doesn't understand how the future works. I had a side hustle building gaming computers so I can totally hook you up with the good stuff." He glances down at his claws. "Although these might make that difficult... oh well, I'll manage. I have ideas to get around that."

[Keeper]

Butterfly Park

Rowan is blushing again.
”…yes I can. But I have to huff and puff and it looks really stupid.” His wings are shockingly functional.
”Oh no I couldn’t afford…oh. Hrm. I don’t have to pay rent anymore. So I guess my finances are a lot better than I keep thinking.”
And it turns out that the Draco Street Bakery pays more than he would have expected, too. Who knew dragons have money?
”How are you going to get computer parts in a city you don’t know at all?”

[Reinholdt]

[The Road to Hell]

So the only person Ilpholin passed nearby when the sparks happened was indeed the cause. At least there didn't seem to be an accomplice nearby or they'd have probably reacted too.

The nymph stands on her bike and pushes off in a backflip, suddenly shifting the hoverbike's trajectory, allowing the second rider to avoid driving right into the spikes. The hoverbike and the elf on it continue on their new trajectory, taking a different route that's slightly longer and less fuel efficient according to the angry gps. At least the vehicle doesn't appear to need its driver as it leaves the Phyrexian behind. Ilpholin lands on the pavement with a crouching skid that turns into a roll to put her on her feet facing her assailant, oblivious to the slightly steaming asphalt her boots left behind.

"I get that your bosses are mad I won't play their stupid game, but if you think you can throw a hissy fit and drag me back there, you're wrong." The nymph crooks a finger to beckon Kraujo's next move. It's been a shitty twenty four hours and she's more than willing to take it out on this demon.

[Meowmai]

[Youthful Indiscretions]

Speaking of Ana! The conversation might be interrupted as the girl in question stirs in her bed, rolling onto her side with a groan. "Atsede? El?" She looks blearily out at the two of them, but any confusion takes a backseat as she suddenly realizes something. "I- I don't... feel good...."

[Youthful Indiscretions]

Okay that's funny. Eliseo laughs some more, though he has to moderate himself lest they wake Obriane up again. He's just coming up with some witty remark when Ana stirs.

"Hey babe, take it easy. You drank way too much." He puts a hand on her shoulder to discourage her from getting up any further.

[Youthful Indiscretions]

Their conversation fades as it seems Anastasia wakes. Oops. She hoped she didn't wake her. Atsede gives both her and Eliseo a look. She's heard that tone of voice where drinking is involved. "Uh, like... sick?" She started to do some mental math on where the closest bathroom was. There was always out the window if it came to it, though. "Eli maybe you should uh... let her get up."

[Arkhosia]

[Youthful Indiscretions]

"N-no, I really don't -" Ana protests, clearly looking a little green in the gills. She weakly tries to bat his hand away and swing her legs over in an attempt to stand, then misjudges her momentum and grabs onto Eliseo to right herself. "Ugh- oh gods -" The two of them might have to act fast. Fortunately, there is a bathroom through a closed door near the bed, and a wastebin closer by.

[quillpleasant]

Butterfly Park

Rowan is blushing again.
”…yes I can. But I have to huff and puff and it looks really stupid.” His wings are shockingly functional.
”Oh no I couldn’t afford…oh. Hrm. I don’t have to pay rent anymore. So I guess my finances are a lot better than I keep thinking.”
And it turns out that the Draco Street Bakery pays more than he would have expected, too. Who knew dragons have money?
”How are you going to get computer parts in a city you don’t know at all?”

Butterfly Park

If Simon notices the blushing, he doesn't say anything. "Who cares how it looks? Flying seems like the coolest, most freeing things ever. Man, if I could do that I'd never come down." He looks wistfully up at the sky.

But electronics talk gets him down to earth. "Dude, you're offering me a place to crash. Least I can do it set you up. If anything, it could be part of my rent." He taps his horn knowingly. "As for where I'll get parts- you said you have internet, and I know my stuff. I give it twenty four hours before I'm fully integrated into the local hacker scene. Another world this may be, but computer nerds are the same everywhere."

[The Road to Hell]

So the only person Ilpholin passed nearby when the sparks happened was indeed the cause. At least there didn't seem to be an accomplice nearby or they'd have probably reacted too.

The nymph stands on her bike and pushes off in a backflip, suddenly shifting the hoverbike's trajectory, allowing the second rider to avoid driving right into the spikes. The hoverbike and the elf on it continue on their new trajectory, taking a different route that's slightly longer and less fuel efficient according to the angry gps. At least the vehicle doesn't appear to need its driver as it leaves the Phyrexian behind. Ilpholin lands on the pavement with a crouching skid that turns into a roll to put her on her feet facing her assailant, oblivious to the slightly steaming asphalt her boots left behind.

"I get that your bosses are mad I won't play their stupid game, but if you think you can throw a hissy fit and drag me back there, you're wrong." The nymph crooks a finger to beckon Kraujo's next move. It's been a shitty twenty four hours and she's more than willing to take it out on this demon.

The Road to Hell

Alice whistles at the acrobatic maneuver, and makes no attempt to follow the bike. This is clearly the person she's after. Removing her bowler hat, she steps forward, spinning it idly in her good hand.

"You've got us all wrong, lady. I don't know anything about bosses, or games, or any of that. I'm just a simple traveler who doesn't like murder, and you caused a whole lot of death back there. Normally I wouldn't get involved, but my compatriot here isn't keen on seeing his own kind get slaughtered, plus, well..."

The blood arm flows up, fingers fusing into a mouth of needle teeth. "Plus, I'm hungry," he rasps.

And that's all the warning Ilpholin will get as Alice sprints forward, holding Kraujo out in front of her. The demon arm shifts instantly into a mass of razor sharp whiplike blood tendrils that stretch out to attack from every angle in a lightning fast frenzy.

[Reinholdt]

[The Road to Hell]

Ilpholin eyes the bowler hat suspiciously, finding it especially untrustworthy and disliking its existence.

Whips. The demon dares to come at her with whips. This demon knew more about her past than the pair were letting on or were changing themselves to reflect something of those they attack. Either way, Ilpholin understood just how whips moved, how they twisted, how to maneuver them mid-air in a feint. Her gaze focuses and she lets out a single quiet breath before moving forward into the mass, her steps difficult to follow, leaving behind faint after-images of where she used to be. Bobbing and weaving through the strands, dancing gracefully. Even still, moving in close is dangerous and those tendrils are particularly sharp. If one can keep up with her speed, they can see lines of her clothes starting to disappear, a trace of thin black oil leaking from the cuts she endures.

"Demons don't die. They return to Hell. They're immortal." Ilpholin's arm transforms into a weapon of her own, a purple glowing spear that thrusts forward at Alice's body once the nymph has passed enough tendrils to get within reach, stabbing once, thrice, a dozen quick thrusts in a frenzied pace to match Kraujo's own assault. "Or so they take every opportunity to tell me."

[Keeper]

Butterfly Park

If Simon notices the blushing, he doesn't say anything. "Who cares how it looks? Flying seems like the coolest, most freeing things ever. Man, if I could do that I'd never come down." He looks wistfully up at the sky.

But electronics talk gets him down to earth. "Dude, you're offering me a place to crash. Least I can do it set you up. If anything, it could be part of my rent." He taps his horn knowingly. "As for where I'll get parts- you said you have internet, and I know my stuff. I give it twenty four hours before I'm fully integrated into the local hacker scene. Another world this may be, but computer nerds are the same everywhere."

Butterfly Park

"It doesn't feel that freeing when you're wheezing a hundred feet in the air." Rowan might be a little afraid of heights. He definitely hasn't tried getting that high.

"I don't know. You'd be using my computer at first. And hacking sounds pretty illegal." He casts Simon a withering look...only to shrug and move on.
"Not that I have any room to judge considering Granny's probably going to make me poison one of her rivals at some point." He's made peace with probably having to kill a fairy at some point.

[quillpleasant]

The Road to Hell

Kraujo's whips are very fast, and seem to be fully under his control, even melting and reforming as their positioning becomes disadvantageous. However, there's something very concerning here. Normally, drawing blood would be a huge advantage for the demon arm, as he can siphon it out with just a touch. But at the first taste of the oil, he lets out a harsh bark of disgust, recoiling from it. This could be a problem.

And then Ilpholin is attacking Alice. Kraujo shifts immediately to defense, his whips retracting and forming shielding plates of hardened blood, swinging to intercept the blows. Although Ilpholin's spear can shatter their defenses easily, Kraujo seems to reform them just as fast, slowly backing away.

"Immortal? Huh. Me, not immortal. Gives me more to fight for."

"And that's still a lot of pain and suffering you caused," chimes in Alice. Behind Kraujo's shields, she reaches into her hat, arm disappearing up to the elbow before withdrawing a small metal rod. Placing the hat back on her head, she clicks a button on the rod, and a three foot shield of cracking energy is generated, guarding her left side.

Seeing that Alice isn't defenseless now, Kraujo shifts again, becoming a long, curved sword form the elbow down. Now working together, they counterattack, Alice trying to bat aside the spear with her shield while Kraujo executes a series of viscious, sweeping cuts.

Butterfly Park

"Okay, good point. Another cool activity ruined by exercise." Although aren't you supposed to be able to ride the currents when you get high enough? Probably harder to do that when you're a not very aerodynamic dragon.

Simon's face becomes the absolute picture of innocence, which considering it's still a toothy crocodilian grin isn't the most reassuring thing. "I didn't say I'd actually be hacking, just connecting with hackers. Since they know the best places to get stuff." Of course, once he gets his own computer, all bets are off. "Also let's dial it back a bit- how would she force you to commit murder? And why?"

[Keeper]

Butterfly Park

Rowan scratches at one of the fins on the side of his head.
"I thought we went over that? I'm a warlock bound to a faerie who are Bad News By Default. Ratticus insists that Granny probably has eaten a person or two. She told me the whole thing was to 'make some treats for a party she's throwing.' And that could be anything from 'for whatever reason as a fairy I can't do this' to 'I'm powerful so I want a minion to do this for me' to 'I need you to put iron filings in some other fairy's pie.' So yeah. Don't know. Probably don't want to find out what happens if I tell her to screw off."
She doesn't own his soul. But she could probably still ruin him.

[quillpleasant]

Butterfly Park

"Well, there's a far cry from serving someone, and serving someone who's cool with murder." Simon exhales through his teeth as he mulls this over. "That's really rough dude, I'm sorry." It seems like this Granny is a worse person than he thought.

"Say, and you can totally just tell me not to pry if this is asking too much, but why did you agree to serve her in the first place? Was it just a case of you being tricked into doing it, or were you looking for magical power or something?" Baking magic is great, but you can also just learn how to bake. Is the shortcut worth trading your freedom?

[Reinholdt]

[The Road to Hell]

"You would lecture me on pain and suffering?! While you demons of Hell's Bend prey on the weak and desperate? While you tear away a mortal's last vestiges of hope on a gamble or a fleeting moment of pleasure? While you gleefully deconstruct souls into red goop to snort?! Lolth off."

Ilpholin's spear arm shifts into a sword arm of her own, a straight sword to fight off Kraujo's curved one, making no effort to stab into Alice's shield. The nymph pivots into backwards motions of her own to keep Alice from closing in properly, focusing on defense this time, her foe worthy enough to study properly. Some sort of demonic graft job. What did Alice sell to get Kraujo Ilpholin wonders? What did she lose?

Not curious enough to be concerned for Alice's well being at the moment, Ilpholin noting the shield's size. She hesitates for a moment, perhaps noticeable, perhaps not as Kraujo manages to land another shallow cut into her shoulder. With a hiss of pain, her second hand shifts into a whip of her own, flicking forward in an effort to catch Alice's feet under the shield and literally trip her up.

[Keeper]

Butterfly Park

"Well, there's a far cry from serving someone, and serving someone who's cool with murder." Simon exhales through his teeth as he mulls this over. "That's really rough dude, I'm sorry." It seems like this Granny is a worse person than he thought.

"Say, and you can totally just tell me not to pry if this is asking too much, but why did you agree to serve her in the first place? Was it just a case of you being tricked into doing it, or were you looking for magical power or something?" Baking magic is great, but you can also just learn how to bake. Is the shortcut worth trading your freedom?

Butterfly Park

Rowan did mention that she probably eats people before but Simon was probably distracted looking at Rowan's tail and/or wings.
"Well, who knows. Ratticus is the only reason I know she does bad stuff and that could be reputation at work. We won't know what she actually wants me to do until it happens.

Oh, how'd I get recruited? She distracted me with waffles that were enchanted and then pushed me into accepting the ritual of magic-pie-eating while I was all charmed and suggestible. Technically my own free will, absolutely not in practice. It was all pretty messed up. But I'm not going to lie and say I'm not doing a lot better since. I have a place to live, no rent, a career, and I'm a dragon, which some people tell me is an improvement."

[quillpleasant]

The Road to Hell

"Not from Hell Bend," growls Kraujo, his voice rising in volume as the swords clash against each other, sending spatters of blood flying through the air only to be reabsorbed into the demon arm. His attacks are inhumanly fast and strong, but a trained adversary should be able to tell that he lacks training, relying on ferocity rather than strategy. He's also getting angry, both at Ilpholin's strange insults and how slippery she is.

"Preying on people's souls is bad," snaps Alice from behind the shield, "But a bloody crusade isn't the answe- whoops!" She had been so focused on avoiding Ilpholin's sword that she's caught totally off guard by the whip. Usually foes can't match the two of them in mutability. Alice's legs are pulled out from under her, and she falls backward, stunned for the moment.

Kraujo makes no move to help, instead simply lengthening to remain at the same level and slashing at Ilpholin, egged on by the minor wounds he's inflicted. Whatever happened to teamwork?

Butterfly Park

Murder is somehow a lot different when your employer might ask you do to it, rather than doing it themself. "Well, hopefully she never asks you to do anything too horrible. I can't imagine how hard that would be," says Simon sympathetically. Despite his rough upbringing, he's certainly never killed anyone himself.

Simon thoughtfully considers Rowan's explanation. "Well, it's good that things are better now. And being a dragon is definitely an improvement," he says, grinning, "But still, that's super manipulative. I don't like this Granny one bit." His teeth click together for emphasis.

[Reinholdt]

[The Road to Hell]

Ilpholin's sword suddenly gives to Kraujo, parting as if he had snapped it two by his next ferocious strike. "No, you're from Hell." Yet instead of separating completely, the sword slams back together around the Kraujo blade, attempting to hold fast. Much like a pair of pliers trying to keep a thrashing beast still. Ilpholin's stronger than her fair frame looks, but doubts she could truly hold him for long given his nature. Just long enough she hopes, aiming to pull him taut.

"So go home!" Her whip arm snaps up and flicks back down, tip hurtling towards Alice. A tip that shifts mid-strike into an axe-blade, carrying the momentum of the whip as it attempts to crash into Alice's shoulder and sever Kraujo at the source before she can recover from the fall.

[Gullara]

[Youthful Indiscretions]

Their conversation fades as it seems Anastasia wakes. Oops. She hoped she didn't wake her. Atsede gives both her and Eliseo a look. She's heard that tone of voice where drinking is involved. "Uh, like... sick?" She started to do some mental math on where the closest bathroom was. There was always out the window if it came to it, though. "Eli maybe you should uh... let her get up."

[Youthful Indiscretions]

"N-no, I really don't -" Ana protests, clearly looking a little green in the gills. She weakly tries to bat his hand away and swing her legs over in an attempt to stand, then misjudges her momentum and grabs onto Eliseo to right herself. "Ugh- oh gods -" The two of them might have to act fast. Fortunately, there is a bathroom through a closed door near the bed, and a wastebin closer by.

[Youthful Indiscretions]

"Uh, oh shit!" Eliseo was a little slow on the uptake, but now that he knows she's actually throwing up, he acts fast. The boy's well familiar with the layout of the place, and it's not even worth it trying to get to the bathroom. He pops off the bed, snatches up the wastebin, and puts it in her lap.

[Keeper]

Butterfly Park

"Well, yeah. Fairies. Still, without her help I wouldn't have you swooning." Rowan winks. He can do this. He can go twenty minutes without being down on himself. There's a handsome dragon calling him cute and he can direct this conversation somewhere positive.
"So, you ever been on the Riftline? It sounds like no."

[quillpleasant]

The Road to Hell

Kraujo snarls in triumph as his sword breaks Ilpholin's- only to discover that it is a craven trap. He struggles furiously, temporarily angry enough to try to win out with sheer force instead of merely liquefying and flowing out of the pincer.

It's this hubris that leaves his compatriot totally open. As Ilpholin swings her axeblade down, Alice gasps in horror, trying to bring the shield up in time to stop the blow. However, she's only human, and her reflexes can't compare to the other two combatants. The blade slams into her shoulder, slicing through it like butter and separating her from Kraujo in an instant.

Uttering a wordless cry of pain as blood begins to spurt from the wound, Alice uses her other hand to grab the brim of her hat. She pulls it low over her eyes- and then further down, over her head and shoulders as she begins to disappear inside of it. Clearly this hat contains some sort of portal or pocket dimension. She's not able to totally escape right away, and Ilpholin might be able to finish her off before she disappears-

However, the nymph still has Kraujo to deal with. After realizing what's happened, the effect on Kraujo is immediate. He shifts, changing and growing in size, and an instant later it's not a demonic arm that Ilpholin faces, but a person made entirely of blood, with long wicked claws and eyes that glitter with cruelty.

"Go home. Bring you with." He grins, then crouches, lunging into a flurry of vicious swipes. His movements are fluid and hard to predict, as without being tied to Alice he's able to flow and reform in an instant to attack from wildly different angles, knifelike claws attempting to hamstring Ilpholin.

Butterfly Park

Simon winks cheekily. "Came for the cute dragon, stayed for the winning personality," he quips, more than happy to shift the conversation to lighter topics.

He shakes his head. "Never even heard of it! Since I showed up I haven't gone many places, I've kind of just been laying around. Not that I'm lazy," he hurriedly adds, "Just that I thought this was heaven and that was what I was supposed to do." Since there wouldn't be any responsibilities in heaven. Would probably get old pretty fast.

"But it's a train, right? I like trains," he says in a deadpan voice.

[Reinholdt]

[The Road to Hell]

"And we're back to where we started. Or weren't you paying attention when I told you exactly where I'm not going? No... no, I suspect you aren't much the type to pay attention, are you?" Ilpholin asks nonchalantly, as if she weren't concerned about Kraujo in the least. That could be readily seen as untrue given how Ilpholin doesn't ignore him to try and finish Alice off. If Kraujo notices Ilpholin's behavior not quite lining up with her tone. Granted, even if she could justify fending off Kraujo while going after Alice - and Ilpholin's not sure she can - Alice may be feinting instead of fainting. Ilpholin doesn't know her capabilities well enough to see through the potential deception so plays it safe and Alice is free to make her escape. The phyrexian's movements continue to edge away, letting Kraujo get further and further from Alice and her hat with every vicious swing.

Dealing with Kraujo is the priority here. He just grew into a person without the apparent mass of blood necessary, so chipping away at him is unlikely to result in success, though not necessarily impossible. Another approach then. Surviving seems like the first step though and initially, Ilpholin's arms turn into shields, blocking his moves left and right. But his transformation gave him an unexpected level of agility and Ilpholin cries out as one of his attacks hits their mark, making a deep cut into her leg that transfers her to one knee almost immediately as her mobility becomes severely impaired.

When this seems like Kraujo's opening, Ilpholin's hair springs to life, strands of it stretching and thickening to a deflecting sharpness that intercedes before he can land any finishing blow. In that moment's span, it's not her arms that are blocking him, but her hair, whistling through the air like a purple mirage. Her arms shift immediately from defensive to offensive, each becoming short spears which jab at Kraujo once again. These spears have the habit of stretching suddenly and unexpectedly for much more reach than they appear, but Ilpholin expects Kraujo will be able to block them like he did before. She's counting on it even, those blood shields that are part of his body, for these spears are nearly imperceptibly dripping with venom that Ilpholin pumps into them.

The nymph raised by drows favors toxins that targets blood and the cardiovascular system largely because any poison she successfully inflicts in battle is going to be dependent on such a system to deliver the malady properly anyways. And some of the esoteric biologies of Nexus inhabitants means targeting kidneys or nervous system or whatever else is just another step that may prove fruitless. Might as well just target the one system already required for her venoms to work. This toxin is specifically laced and delivered with silver as well, having found it an effective mixture against many demon targets in the past, particularly those who thought they were immune to poison but were still vulnerable to silver.

[Keeper]

Butterfly Park

Simon winks cheekily. "Came for the cute dragon, stayed for the winning personality," he quips, more than happy to shift the conversation to lighter topics.

He shakes his head. "Never even heard of it! Since I showed up I haven't gone many places, I've kind of just been laying around. Not that I'm lazy," he hurriedly adds, "Just that I thought this was heaven and that was what I was supposed to do." Since there wouldn't be any responsibilities in heaven. Would probably get old pretty fast.

"But it's a train, right? I like trains," he says in a deadpan voice.

Butterfly Park

"Yeah, it's almost free so that people can use them. It'll take us to Inside in under an hour. The seats are even big enough for me, though we might have to look for those. And it could be a little funny for both of us. And then we'll be in my hometown."
His fins flush purple again. A tiny little bit of smoke even starts leaking out of his nose.
"And um. There's a whole bunch of dragons in Inside. And I know that you don't exactly have money on hand. Claw? But if you want we could celebrate meeting a little bit. There's um. Some really nice dragon restaurants. Like Tex's. If you would be ok with that. Is that weird for someone you just met? Because people would probably call it a d-d-d-" He bolsters himself. He is a very adult nine foot tall dragon he can say words. "date?"

[quillpleasant]

The Road to Hell

If Alice has some gambit in mind, it involves retreat. Kicking desperately at the ground, she continues to crawl into the hat. After a few moments she's disappeared entirely, her feet pulling up last. The bowler is left laying forlornly in the road, looking as battered and mundane as ever, with no sign of the secret portal it contains.

But Kraujo isn't paying attention to that. The only thing he has eyes for is Ilpholin, and he's not about to back down when he has the upper hand. Growing even larger as his enemy gives ground, he presses the attack eagerly, taking Ilpholin's shields as a sign that she's losing strength. The demon is so focused, he doesn't even notice he's been drawn away from the hat.

As his claws tear into Ilpholin's leg, Kraujo's eyes grow unnaturally large with excitement, and his other arm becomes a scythe blade, drawn back for the killing blow. He swings it down at her neck, intending to decapitate her- only to be blocked by the suddenly animate hair. Growling in frustration, he dodges back, trying to adjust to this new and expected ability. Without Alice to protect, he focuses less on defense than before, instead parrying with his claws and dodging this way and that, seeking a new opening. But despite Kraujo's initial confidence, there's two problems with this plan.

The first is that, strangely enough, he seems to be getting weaker. His blows have less force, his movements slower. Ilpholin might note that while before any blood that was struck from Kraujo or left behind by his touch would swiftly flow back to rejoin him, now as his blood is spattered across the dusty ground it sinks in uselessly. It's as if his form is becoming less stable the longer he's away from Alice, unable to maintain the initial fury of his freedom.

And that's before the poison begins to affect him. As he bats the spear points away, the deadly silver venom makes its way into his hands, spreading swiftly through his churning body. Made entirely of blood, he's extremely vulnerable to an attack like this, and without any indication of such a capability earlier in the battle he makes no effort to avoid the poisoned blades until its too late. His body begins to clot and boil, the blood darkening with no way to recover.

"Not... possible. What... are you?" he hisses, his voice growing weaker as he begins to retreat, legs becoming a single column of blood as he flows backwards away from her, one eye flowing to the back of his head as he looks for the hat.

Butterfly Park

"Awesome! You gotta love public transit dude, I always thought heaven would have trains. Or wherever this place is." Simon doesn't mention that he almost certainly takes up more space than Rowan, even coiled up. If it's a place where dragons frequent, the train is probably built with a variety of sizes in mind.

At the restaurant invitation, Simon pauses, one eyebrow slightly raising as he considers it. Rowan is so nervous he can't not have a little fun here.

"Oh, you're asking me on a date? My, how forward! Well, I can't possibly say no to a big, strong, handsome dragon like yourself." He bats his eyelids flirtatiously, then bursts into laughter. "I'm kidding dude, yeah that sounds great! I've never been to a dragon restaurant, what do they have? I don't really know the culture. If there is one."

[Reinholdt]

[The Road to Hell]

Ilpholin almost laughs as she blocks the decapitation with her hair. It was bitterly amusing. A strange catharsis rolling over her as the choker around her neck seems to tighten for a brief moment. A flicker of fear may reflect in her eyes even. All sorts of conflicting and sudden emotions she's not prepared to deal with.

Properly burying those feelings, Ilpholin uses one of the spears as a crutch slightly to push herself to one side, giving her a clear angle as Kraujo begins to retreat. The first time he's given her breathing room since his intense and aggressive engagement, unrelenting in its fury.

"Me?" Ilpholin asks, finding the question mildly curious as her hands revert to normal and she pulls a silver dagger out of her boot. "I'm the Devils' Last Mistake." She flips the dagger once in her hand and then flings it. The edged weapon whistles, traveling terrifyingly fast. Fortunately it's not aimed at Kraujo himself, though it would be understandable if he defended himself anyways just in case. Rather, the dagger is trying to catch the Bowler Hat itself. Ilpholin doesn't know if a dagger can damage or even puncture the magical headwear. But knocking it as far away from Kraujo as she can seems a worthwhile endeavor and it's with this goal in mind that Ilpholin acted.

[Keeper]

Butterfly Park

Oh no now Simon is getting hugged by the big blue dragon again. Hopefully he's willing to accept the hazard of being frequently squeezed as the price of a date with him.
"eee! I mean ahem, well Tex's is a big grill buffet that makes just about everything. I can't really afford anywhere super fancy. But I feel like someplace to get a lot of food might be good. I think with all that length your stomach might even be bigger than mine."
And right over there is the Riftline station!
It is indeed a train station. Just nexus-y. Pretty normal looking to be honest.