Riverside

[Shadowcaller]

[Currency Exchange]

So either Hazel, while possibly possessed, had obtained a vehicle to get here, taken public transport or just walked. Of those three options the first seemed most likely but Ava hadn't seen a escape vehicle outside the bank had she?

Furthermore, where all the previous victims living relatively close to one another or more spread out?

Ava gives Hazel a nod before turning her attention back to the call. "Have you noticed anything out of place that you can think of, especially regarding your wife? Has anything recently been stolen from you perhaps?" A possessing spirit usually needed to move to the person to possess them while controlling a victim through a ritual might need an personal item of the victim.

But she was grasping at straws here, she needed more information.

[MERC Offices]

"Eh, just lay here?" Dena inquires with a light shrug, unsure if she misread Tina or not. "I don't mind either way. But you wanna start the movie then?" She holds up the remote towards the television, hoping to just brush what just happened off.

[Wandering Riverside]

"I'm Raheeda and I owe you my life, miss lady." The young-looking woman remarks as she lets go of Nadia and tags along, following closely behind the lampade as she's making her way back out of the sewers. "So no, I'm glad that you could help. In fact, in couldn't be glader." That at least sounded like a word that should exist to her.

"But I'm not sure I understand, this place was clearly meant for walking. Plus, you got all these little portals leading down here all over the city." Raheeda gestures up at the ceiling where a manhole might have been.

[The Toy Tinker]

Had Jim just said that?!

Jaahlyn is even lightly blushing on his behalf, since that was something his employer didn't need to know about!
"No, n-nothing of the sort." She replies with a shake of her head, though it isn't really clear what question she's answering.
"I mean, they wouldn't keep cold iron or anything else like that on hand." She then clarifies. "But I happen to know a cabal of warlocks that have a supply of it." Warlocks that Sticks had something of a history with.

"I'm sure they would be willing to trade some, since we shouldn't need much. This foul ichor is deadly to anyone if there's too much of it." Hopefully that information had distracted Sticks from his second question which she prayed Jim wouldn't go around answering now.

[Ironsmith]

[Currency Exchange]

In complete fairness, without Hazel using it to escape, an escape vehicle wouldn't really be distinguished from any others; it's not like it'd have a sticker saying "robber on board" or anything of that ilk.

Most of the alleged victims were themselves demons, which naturally put many of them coming from the same general vicinity, but it hasn't been them exclusively.

"It'd be pretty hard for her to steal anything from me, considering we literally share everything." A brief pause, then, "Or do you mean, like, by a third party? I don't think we'd notice in that case, either. I'd just assume Hazel borrowed whatever and she'd probably assume I borrowed it. If you're not counting the stuff Intersection took from us as eviden-" Hana cuts herself off. "...Motherf- is that what happened? The police being reckless got her bodysnatched again?!"

[Keeper]

The Toy Tinker

Jim waves a hand. "I explained it in the dream, Boss. If you don't remember the details that's just as well." No need to go into details again.
"Well, this is becoming a more involved process than I'd hoped. The other half of the plan is a lure, so to speak. Something to make her think that I'm cheating in one way so she doesn't see the trap coming. I was thinking something that would make me faster. Or at least seem like it would.

Hopefully the stupid fey doesn't jump me again while we're going through all this." It has, so far, seemed almost too easy. Sunder took all of five seconds to solve the main problem. They probably didn't even really need to speak to Jaahlyn's creepy other self just for that.

[Murkus]

[MERC Offices]

"Oh, no no no, young lady, you do not get off that easy," Fettina says, pushing up so she can prop herself over Dena, one arm across the gorgon's body and the other holding her aloft. Her long braids drape, almost touching Dena's cheek, and their faces are almost parallel.

Her eyelids droop a little. She assesses Dena and her demeanor softens a bit.

"I know we never speak plainly about anything. And usually that's fine. You and Kirk are the worst at that. I always thought it was part of... respecting your boundaries. And I never wanted to make you uncomfortable on purpose," Tina tilts her head slightly, the chained curtain of her hair brushing Dena's skin. "But that means you control how things go. You know that, right? It means you have to dictate terms. Because otherwise I'll assume, you know... you still don't want me. Like this. Otherwise I'll assume the terms haven't changed."

"So for once, can we just... speak plain, and... can you just tell me?" Tina cocks her head. "If anything's changed? For you?"

Not wanting to sound desperate or needful, Fettina doesn't state the obvious: that she could really use a distraction right now. Because she doesn't want that to factor into Dena's decision-making. Not even a little bit. Even if she desperately, desperately wants a way to forget the rest of her day.

[The Toy Tinker]

Sticks strokes his pointy chin. He makes no further mention of cow clothes. He says, "Let me worry about making you faster, Jim, my boy. Let me give it a little bit of thought." He goes to the back room's door and reaches in, retrieving a patchwork cloak in many dozens of colors. Then a forked stave, as well. And finally, a leather satchel with a clasp. "Warlocks. Hmm. Lots of meanings for that word, too, and few of them very good. I can't say I've ever met a warlock whose company I relished." He sniffs. "Let's go see them, shall we? It's best if I can dictate the quantity of material I need. And I presume neither of you have something a warlock might want?" He eyes them. "Well, I do."

[Shadowcaller]

[MERC Offices]

Young lady?

But Dena doesn't even have the time to properly react to that as Tina's suddenly on top of her demanding answers.
Aw, geez.

"...look." Dena starts, trying to gather her thoughts for a moment. "My 'terms' are that I'm open to whatever you want, Tina. If I'm uncomfortable I'll let you know, okay?" But there was little she was uncomfortable with.

[Currency Exchange]

Any vehicle that had been parked unusually close or still had its engine running, things of that nature which stood out.
But if there was no such thing and there were no cars nearby or the perp had parked like everyone else then there's nothing to see.

"Again? Afraid I'm not familiar with Intersections routines, would you mind explaining it in more details to me?" Ava inquires, really wishing she could be taking notes right now but it was hard only using one hand. She should really get one of those headsets.

[The Toy Tinker]

Jaahlyn lets out a mental sigh of relief. They had dodged the cow-clothes conversation.
Now onto the next thing which should be easy in comparison, right?
"These are reasonable ones, they've summoned me a couple of times to do odd-jobs for them. Mostly deliveries and obtaining rare goods for their rituals. Not sure what they would trade for cold iron but I'm sure you can come to an agreement."

She hadn't expected Sticks to leave his shop for this but he was willing to go along right away she wasn't going to object. The sooner they got this done the better.

[Ironsmith]

[Currency Exchange]

"...Yeah, I guess you wouldn't know." Hana sighs over the phone. "When Hazel and I were arrested- for what isn't important right now- we were put up in a place called Glass Lake Penitentiary. It was supposed to be a prison for, you know, us normal people; that way we weren't at risk of sharing cells with, say, a vampire. But Intersection made a mistake and let some kind of body-snatcher in, and she got to Hazel. After we got the initial fallout all sorted out, we sued for endangerment, won, and got the terms of our imprisonment changed. Which is why we're both under house arrest now."

[Gullara]

[Wandering Riverside]

"I'm Raheeda and I owe you my life, miss lady." The young-looking woman remarks as she lets go of Nadia and tags along, following closely behind the lampade as she's making her way back out of the sewers. "So no, I'm glad that you could help. In fact, in couldn't be glader." That at least sounded like a word that should exist to her.

"But I'm not sure I understand, this place was clearly meant for walking. Plus, you got all these little portals leading down here all over the city." Raheeda gestures up at the ceiling where a manhole might have been.

[Wandering Riverside]

"You don't owe me anything. I was glad to help." Nadia reassures. It's not as though she could have just left her. "But this space is just used for transporting waste. You can only move around down here because it needs room for maintenance workers. Believe me, there's nothing worth exploring here for." She tries to explain.

[Shadowcaller]

[Currency Exchange]

"A body snatcher? While I understand this might be hard to talk about could you provide some more details on this being and how it operated? Just need to make sure it doesn't have anything to do with your current situation. Since my speculation was that someone could have used a personal item of yours to gain control of your body. Based on nothing but what little I know about this kind of magic. We will need an expert to be sure." Ava attempts to explain.

[Wandering Riverside]

"Oh." A longer pause as Raheeda stares dead-ahead, looking crosseyed. "Um... so that was pretty stupid then, huh?" She inquires as her gaze returns to Nadia.
"But I did see this magic pouch-" Holding it up she suddenly offers it up just as they reach the ladder. She pauses the sentence though, letting Nadia climb up first, just to continue once she too emerges from the manhole.

"-down in that barred hole you saw me through earlier. It was so vibrant that I knew it had to be magical. So I figured it had to be a dungeon if there were magical items down there." A beat. "Do you want it? I figure it could be a good reward even if I'm not sure what it does yet."

The colors of bag does look usually vibrant, especially considering where it have been for gods knows how long.

[Keeper]

The Toy Tinker

Jim puts some things together.
"Oh, is this one of those groups like the magic people who used to have a castle here? They invited me and Sticks once."
And Syela as Jim's date but he doesn't mention that part.

[Ironsmith]

[Currency Exchange]

"A body snatcher? While I understand this might be hard to talk about could you provide some more details on this being and how it operated? Just need to make sure it doesn't have anything to do with your current situation. Since my speculation was that someone could have used a personal item of yours to gain control of your body. Based on nothing but what little I know about this kind of magic. We will need an expert to be sure." Ava attempts to explain.

[Currency Exchange]

"Well, if she doesn't have a candy in her mouth now, it's definitely not the exact same thing." Hana explains.

As if on cue, Hazel opens her mouth and sticks out her tongue, giving a clear view to the back of her throat. No candy.

"Beyond that, I'm a little hazy on the details. I learned a lot of this after the fact. At the time I was a little busy dealing with the forced gangfights the Slaver's Guild were putting me through. Twelve on one. I won." She says it with an air of casualness that suggests she's arrogantly examining her nails on the other end of the phone, as though she doesn't consider this particular feat especially impressive but suspects it to be beyond Ava's ability to replicate. "Can I talk with my wife now?"

[Meowmai]

[Bird Watching]

The scene of a monster attack on a village begins to play out. A great and terrible beast rampages through houses, and the young hero struggles to keep his grip on the creature's furry hide and reach for his knife. He clambers to its head and the camera follows the knife as he raises it high in front of the sun, blade glinting - only to cut to the beast's eye widening with its reflection. With a squeals it shakes its bulky form and the boy is thrown violently through a wall. In a tense moment he struggles to recover as the creature rushes him.

Skyla quietly gasps as the action plays out. She leans into Atsede and wraps and arm around hers. She breathes a sigh of relief as the boy barely manages to roll out of a crushing blow.

[Bird Watching]

A smug smile grows on Atsede's face as Skyla takes her arm, the changeling now momentarily distracted from the movie. She turns to look at her date, whispering, "Intense, huh? We can cuddle it out later if you want."

[Gullara]

[Wandering Riverside]

Nadia looks down at herself as they exist the sewer. It's not that she looks dirty, but she's sure the smell is on her... Maybe she'll go home and do that errand tomorrow. "You didn't know. I assume you come from very different parts." Nadia says lightly, not wanting to sound like she's judging. "It's possible that belongs to someone. Sometimes people can loose something down the drains. Maybe open it up to see if there's some sign." She suggests.

[Shadowcaller]

[Currency Exchange]

To Ava Hazel's display proves nothing as she knew seasoned criminals (and indeed, non-criminals) could hide things in their mouth even if they had it open. And for some reason she got the impression that this particular criminal, the 'former' part being very much in question right now, was uniquely skilled with it.

But she wouldn't have demanded her to open her mouth in the first place so it was all good.

Her expression turns flat when she hears Hana getting into her slave-fighting exploit.
"Uh-huh." She comments dryly at the end.
"But yes, of course. But before you go, will you be able to get to the Eastside police station today? Since we will need some statements from you."

[Shadowcaller]

[Wandering Riverside]

Nadia looks down at herself as they exist the sewer. It's not that she looks dirty, but she's sure the smell is on her... Maybe she'll go home and do that errand tomorrow. "You didn't know. I assume you come from very different parts." Nadia says lightly, not wanting to sound like she's judging. "It's possible that belongs to someone. Sometimes people can loose something down the drains. Maybe open it up to see if there's some sign." She suggests.

[Wandering Riverside]

"Oh yeah. Good idea." Raheeda nods and starts opening it. "Hopefully it's not cursed."

Inside the pouch is darkness so thick that not even the midday sun seems to be able to penetrate it. There's no sign of any tags or names written into the fabric.

Raheeda takes all this in for a moment before she sticks a finger and then her entire hand into the strange darkness. "Oh! I feel something!" And she fishes out what seems to be a bar of white soap, something which makes her gasp. "Just what I needed!" It looks brand new. Like it has never been used or even as much as touched before.

She looks to Nadia. "Do you think I can wash off in your river?"

[Murkus]

[MERC Offices]

Fettina rolls her eyes and flops down so her face lands in the center of Dena's chest. Muffled, she sighs. "You and Kirk are so... so..." Ugh. She shouldn't say anything. It's not like it's somebody's 'fault' if these two don't really understand affection, proper relationships...

She lifts her head to look Dena in the eyes again. Rooting the gorgon to the spot with those big glowing orbs of hers. Softly, she goes on, "I don't want you to let me do whatever I want. Especially not if it's just to make me feel better. I want you to want me. On some level. I want you to look at me the way I look at you and see the most beautiful woman-- uh--" She stammers. These admissions were being shaken loose a little more fast and heavy than she wanted them to be. Her face turns the color of a red hot poker. "The most beautiful woman I've ever met."

The cocks her head by the smallest fraction, her small body lying atop Dena's. "...Do you want me?" She tries to lift her hands to frame Dena's face. Her eyelids droop. "It's okay to say no."

[The Toy Tinker]

This causes Sticks to pause.

"...The Fourth Tower?" Sticks asks. "I am not certain we'll be on negotiating terms..." He did sort of fight a couple of them once... Regardless, he steps toward the door even as he's tying his cloak around his neck and body.

[Ironsmith]

[Currency Exchange]

To Ava Hazel's display proves nothing as she knew seasoned criminals (and indeed, non-criminals) could hide things in their mouth even if they had it open. And for some reason she got the impression that this particular criminal, the 'former' part being very much in question right now, was uniquely skilled with it.

But she wouldn't have demanded her to open her mouth in the first place so it was all good.

Her expression turns flat when she hears Hana getting into her slave-fighting exploit.
"Uh-huh." She comments dryly at the end.
"But yes, of course. But before you go, will you be able to get to the Eastside police station today? Since we will need some statements from you."

[Currency Exchange]

"Oh, I'd love to. But there is the small matter of my not being able to legally leave this house." Hana replies airily. "So either there's going to be a mess of paperwork involved first, or you'll have to come and see me. And if you don't do either, you can be certain I'm not going to take that lightly." There's a definite edge to her voice, the type that suggests what she has in mind would be very unpleasant, and very personal to Ava.

[Gullara]

[Wandering Riverside]

Nadia gives the bag a perplexed look. Something magic? What was it doing in the sewers of all places? Raheeda's question distracts, however. "In the River? You'll freeze this time of year, and there's not exactly any privacy. Do you not have a home to get cleaned up at?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Wandering Riverside]

"'Home'?" The word sounds almost alien on Raheeda's tongue. "Oh, they do let me stay at G-L-O-G right now if that's what you mean. But that's so far away though. There has to be somewhere in this place where you can cleaned off, right?" She gives Nadia a hopeful look before adding. "Oh, and I do have gold and stuff." A beat as her attention is drawn to what she's still holding in her hand. "And this soap now so I don't have to take someone else's."

[Currency Exchange]

Ava would have taken the threat more seriously had she not been threatened on a daily basis by people. Now, she considered Hana much more capable (and indeed, justified) to make true to these threats but it could get rather tiresome after a while.
But she strongly suspected it had something to do with how they had been treated in turn by police so she wasn't going to take it personally.

"Of course, my apologies. That's of course what I meant. I can be there in... let's say two hours from now?" Ava fished up her pocket-watch and glanced at it. "That's my most negative estimation at least depending on paperwork and traffic."

Not to mention the jurisdiction issue they might have with Intersection. These cases were always such a mess.

[MERC Offices]

But surely Cantie had to be on the top of that list, right?
Well, not time to consider that now since if it looked like she hesitated Tina might just blush to death in the meantime.
"I meant what I said, Tina. Whatever you want to do, I'm comfortable with it. So yes, this isn't something I'm just offering to all my galpals. This is for you and you only, okay?" Dena smiles softly and strokes Tina's hair.

[The Toy Tinker]

"Oh, you know one another? Well, I can vouch for you in case there are any problems. They're working with HALO now and they're were, ah, launching a campaign against fey just recently actually." Of course, she never went to the book event she she isn't sure about the details.

But off they go to HALO then. Hopefully things would work out smoothly. Would be nice for a change.

[Ironsmith]

[Currency Exchange]

"Oh good!" Hana chirps, the edge disappearing from her voice entirely. "I'll put the kettle on, then. You a jasmine girl? You strike me as a jasmine girl. Or maybe earl grey? ...Ah, we'll figure it out when you get here."

...

"Wife now, please?"

If Ava complies, Hazel will be quite eager to take the phone, quickly tucking it under her chin. "...Hey, hon. Yeah. Yeah, that's right. I know, it's complete bullshit."

A long pause, then, "Probably, yeah. I can't see them handing me back over to Intersection without doing their due diligence first. Which is- Han. It's a good thing." Hazel grimaces. "We'll get this all sorted out, and I'll be back home with you before you know it."

Another pause.

"...The black one? H... Han, come on, that's... that's a bit excessive..." Hazel's face has turned close to the same shade as her jacket. "The pink one will be fine. Yeah. No collar this time, okay?" She grins. "...See you real soon, honey."

bup

Hazel holds the phone back out to Ava. "...Okay. I'm ready to go now. Do what you've gotta do."

[Murkus]

[Skies over Riverside --> Crash Landing] (Limited Open scene)

It begins with a storm... or what looks like a storm. Clouds congeal over Riverside seemingly heedless of the wind, holding in one place for several minutes. They form a vaporous heap the size of a mountain. Several tendrils or streamers bend against the breeze, reaching out from the main body of the curious cumulonimbus. With a will of their own they touch, threads knit together by forces unseen, beginning to swirl as they solidify still further. A disc forms, transmogrified from fog to fluid, yet still holding a flat, round upright shape in defiance of all sane reckoning. The liquid mirror, easily the size of a ten story building, still turns like a whirlpool on the water, faster and faster, frothing with golden bubbles like radiant pearls, and then--

Like a cyclopean bubble bursting the mirror erupts, spitting forth a solid shape in a shower of falling radiant liquid. The water, when it reaches the ground, will be as harmless as normal rain. The emerging shape seems less so. Even silhouetted against the sun it is quite the sight, this vessel from nowhere. It takes nearly ten seconds to emerge from the erupted portal fully, trailing a tail at least half a mile long. The tail looks light as air, like a kite, and it gleams like polished chrome. As onlookers watch they can see what looks like at least six gigantic wings - four on one side, and oddly only two on the other - buzzing on the flanks of the colossus.

But something is wrong. The thing is trailing a plume of small fragrant particles, and jets of ashes, and fans of smoke! The imbalance of wings, perhaps the result of damage, is causing the great one to go off course. It dips wildly toward the far western side of Riverside, beyond the city limits, perhaps guided by some will within to at least spare the people below.
_

Aboard, it's a small sampling of hell. The vessel is embattled across every deck, nose to tail, the inner corridors of the giant living ship bursting with the struggling survivors and the burning dead. The ship interior is a mixture of glistening meat and fungal growths, organs pumping along the walls of chitinous corridors, blood vessels sketched like murals, tumescent tuber fronds in various chambers - both security measures and control systems - glowing a furious warning red.

"Push through! Push through! Damn you!" Shahala Munsa, Lord of the White River, cleaves through another sack of flesh and pestilence. There seemed to be no end to them, these servants of Rot, and Munsa's retainers had been hard pressed since they'd found their way aboard. A wall in the corridor falls in a burst of flame, illuminating the warriors as they make their final push, festooned one and all in armor of black liquid and bulging ruby nodules. The males among them sport great bleached antlers, as might a kingly stag, and all have large upraised ears, but are otherwise human. Their foes resemble humans, as well - at least until one is cut open and flaking fungal powders erupt into the air.

Lord Munsa wheels, his flail singing queer dirges, and crushes another cultist's skull to powder. Ahead of them, the door to the driver's cluster is already blasted from its bone hinge, but Munsa's vanguard lies dead in the crater around. The gap suddenly seethes with activity as, like swarming cockroaches, more of the cultists issue forth, wild-eyed humans with limbs too long, hands too large, spines distorted by eerie moulting growths along their backs. Screaming battlecries render mute the world. From the servants of Rot, truffles are flung into Munsa's ranks, these detonating in showers of toxic pollen and lethal bone-hard shrapnel. Like a mocking salute the attackers return fire, their own weapons spitting smoking bolts that briefly solidify into dreamy shapes - blade winged birds, biting crystal serpents, and flaming insects. These attack their targets, ripping and shredding as they shed energy, or they simply burst apart with arcane force. The corridor resembles a scene from some delirious dream - or nightmare - and then Munsa and his heavy swordsmen lay in at the front, seemingly impervious to all assault.

Munsa crashes through the collapsing enemy line, for a few seconds alone, his men clearing the dregs. He stumbles into the partly hollowed brain-case of the great beast. The drivers already lie dead in their seats, nerve clusters still glittering under their dead hands, the normally crystal-lensed boreholes to the fore of the beast now burst open. Fire and smoke pour in from unseen wounds on the outer shell. Munsa scans the place for his prize, ancient eyes wary and desperate - and from his blind spot leaps another shape, this one faster than all the others--
_

The giant creature - which has resolved into a colossal, legless, many winged bug with a body the size of several busses clumped together and a tail as big as a three lane highway - goes into a spin. It's a slow ballet at first, working up to a terrifying speed, unable to do anything except move its wings faster and faster, the attempt to right itself only pushing it further into the lethal rotation. The bug's tail twists into a painful corkscrew.

When it crashes into the hills a couple miles west of Riverside, it leaves a streak of ruptured dirt and burning destruction long enough to land a plane on. With it, at last, comes thunder.

In the sky above, the gate wobbles like gelatin, sags, and collapses.

[MERC Office]

Fettina makes a soft pouting sound. Was that not quite what she wanted to hear? Either way, it doesn't stop her from shuddering and closing her eyes when Dena touches her back. The little woman will lean forward, the next act blind but aptly aimed, somehow. Her lips probe Dena's, hesitant at first, then growing bolder, like a moonflower quivering open at the onset of night. If Dena doesn't change her mind, Fettina won't hesitate to do everything she's always dreamed about doing with Dena in her natural shape.

[Arkhosia]

[Bird Watching]

While the movie is already playing and the lights are dark, Reilana rolls Dulcinea into the theater. It's not hard to spot their seats, nor the conspicuous teen in front of them. She guides the way over, parking her girlfriend in the wheelchair spot and seating herself next to her.

Reilana leans in towards Dulcie and plucks the bag of sweets she bought off her lap. "Good thing we aren't really here for the movie. Those wings block half the screen." She jokes in a low voice.

[Bird Watching]

A smug smile grows on Atsede's face as Skyla takes her arm, the changeling now momentarily distracted from the movie. She turns to look at her date, whispering, "Intense, huh? We can cuddle it out later if you want."

[Bird Watching]

Dulcinea has to clamp down on a laugh, causing her to prod Reilana and give her a playful, chiding look. Doesn't she know that could've given their position away? She turns to her quarry and quietly inches her chair forward, getting into position. The plastic lid for her soda comes off with a quiet snap.

"What? Oh, yeah. It's like, pretty intense." Skyla suppresses a flare of annoyance at Atsede's interruption. Geez, did this girl ever stop talking? Then she glances back, catching Dulcinea getting into position. Hold on, she can use this. "Whaddaya think so far? The animation's really pretty."

[bc56]

Crash Landing
That's... Something.
A foxgirl watches the vessel agonize its way across the sky.
She's not a local. She's from inside. But she'd be crazy not to check that out. Someone might need help... Or it might be a prelude to alien invasion. Either way...

She ducks into a phone booth, and shuts the door.


A few moments later a nine-tailed foxgirl in turquoise power armor emerges from the phone booth and runs for the crashed ship. She jumps up, rockets in her boots propelling her onto the deck (or into a convenient hole if the battle damage permits). "Hello? Anyone here?" A translucent shield of energy flickers into being on her left wrist. "... Please don't be gross meat monsters," she adds as she sees the organic structure. Her armor will keep gunk out of her fur for the time being but she'll still have to clean it off later and that would be gross.

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

Politics are a slow, often boring process. There's lots of talking, lots of waiting, lots of fundraising and networking and advertisement. It's not something that appeals to the majority of people, so politicians are sometimes hard-pressed to get normal people to care enough to support them.

Well what's something that everyone loves? Free stuff. And food. And parties. Well, what about a free food party? It's a stroke of genius, at least in the estimation of Riverside's newest, hottest, and most radical politician- the stunning elven supermodel and "ex"-criminal Atya Xilo!

This is the part where you clap.

Now that the applause is over, the festivities can begin. A large event hall has been rented, and the doors are open to the public. Inside, a free coat check is available, then a short flight of stairs up to an elegant and sizeable dining hall, lit by crystal chandeliers and wall sconces. Tables are arranged in long rows, with floor length black tablecloths and beautifully arranged dishes. Waiters buzz here and there, taking people's orders; while those who aren't in the mood for a sit down experience can mingle in the adjoining lounge, nibbling on appetizers and cocktails. The smell of delicious food wafts out into the street, drawing people into the warmth.


The menu is prepared by the finest chefs of the fanciest local restaurant, Ampersoil. Three dishes are available- seared scallops with spiced pomegranate glaze, beef wellington with balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts, and orange pumpkin curry with saffron rice. Those with additional dietary restrictions will find that the cooks are more than capable of making adjustments or preparing new dishes entirely. No expense has been scared in making this a delicious meal, and between the food and the location, quite a lot of money must have gone into this event.

But of course, it wouldn't be a good charity event without a raffle. A table in the back of the room displays a number of objects from Atya's personal collection that are potentially available for the low low price of one raffle ticket- all proceeds to be donated to the Riverside Orphanage. Those perusing the items will find them both unique and expensive.

The table contains the following items:

► SHOW SPOILER

1. A brushstroke painting of a phoenix flying over a mountain, valued at $5000

• A pair of never worn designer heels sewn with space oyster pearls, valued at $18000

• A bottle of aged moongrape wine, bottled under a waxing gibbous sixty nine years ago, valued at $4600

• A pair of jade candle holders carved to resemble Siamese cats, valued at $1700

• An enchanted diadem of peaceful dreams, valued at $6000

• The BFT 498, a prototype of Atya's chemical thrower, valued at $130002

• A digital image of an ugly fish wearing sunglasses, valued at $280000

• A gem encrusted egg on a golden stand, valued at $53000

• An enchanted corset of shape enhancement, valued at $8000

• A personal tour of Atya's chateau followed by dinner and drinks, valued at $priceless

All in all, it's looking to be a spectacular event, and it's already buzzing with activity! Since it's completely open to the public, there's well over a hundred people already here, and the murmur of laughter and conversation fills the space. Here, a group of businessmen laugh uproariously, already giddy with alcohol. There, an elegant drow nobleman is buying an excessive amount of raffle tickets. Here, a group of kids run laughing between the table rows, pursued by a harried looking mom. There, a masked magician wanders, performing card tricks to the delight of the diners he passes by.

And in the center of it all is Atya. Dressed in a glittering asymmetrical black dress that shows off her shapely legs, her blonde hair perfectly fluffed, she flits here and there, greeting people, laughing at their jokes, and generally being the perfect host as only someone terribly good at lying can be.

Of course, where Atya is, Daisy is never far behind. The hulking gray monster stands by the door, making sure no one especially unsavory gets inside. Her huge amber eye never blinks. Today, however, she's dressed to the nines- which in her case means a pink bowtie tied around her massive neck.

Who will attend? Who will win the raffle? And will the event be sullied by drama and gossip? The night is full of possibility.

[Reinholdt]

[Charity Dinner]

"I still can't believe you put that Phoenix painting up. I thought you loved it." It certainly stood in Reinholdt's mind as one of her better pieces of furniture. Perhaps that's why Reinholdt has purchased a hundred tickets for it, as well as a hundred more for the enchanted corset, and a final hundred for a personal tour of Atya's chateau. It is certainly arguable whether he needs that last prize, but if he wins it no one else does and that's good enough for Reinholdt.

Rein speaks to Atya during one of the few moments he gets with her tonight. He knows he can't hold her attention for long here. She has to network and smile and laugh for that election she's running for. Still, he's dressed up as nice as he could for her, in a slim, extremely well fitted tuxedo that only compliments his figure. "You know, these dinners are usually to raise funds for your own election campaign. That you'd do it for charity..." Well, that'll look amazing in the polls. Rein doesn't scandalize himself by saying it out loud though. People are listening after all. "... Is so generous of you."

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

...Fuck it.

It's been too long since Braon's really treated herself. Granted, the reasons why she hasn't aren't anything but valid; she hasn't had the time, or the funds, or the trusted sitter needed to really give herself a night on the town. Not to mention she still has a bit of a reputation within said town; it turns out angry parents are not especially forgiving of turning into a nightmare creature and attempting to abduct their children.

She at least gets that one. She probably wouldn't be, either.

But, a few nights ago, a little scheme worked its way into her head, completely unbidden but not unwelcome. All she really had to do was go someplace nobody knew her face, get herself a good time, and... well, admittedly, there were only two meaningful steps to this plan, but that should just make it all the easier to execute.

So far, the night's been going well. There's been a few minor notes of mischief here and there, but nothing that's going to ruin this place for her. It's only served to build her confidence, up to the point that she's willing to risk something daring; turning up at one of those fancy-pants events, pay nothing and walk away stuffed with exotic victuals.

It was a great plan. Which is, sadly, already experiencing complications.

"No, I'm not handing over this cloak." Braon growls irritably to the unfortunate coat clerk. "It's a precious family heirloom. Handmade by my great-great-grandmother. In a way that's been lost to history. It's literally irreplaceable; I am not leaving it here where it can get mixed up with someone's dimestore marshmallow jacket."

On the positive side, at least she sounds like the sort of rich stuffed shirt that would naturally be drawn to an event like this.

[Rebonack]

[Food Trucks]

"I mean... I guess I'll think about it?" Khannie muses as her food finishes sizzling and it gets slid out to her. Holding both sandwich and clamshell container in her magic, she bites into the torta and more than a little bit of delicious insides goop out into the box.

That's one of the hazards of really saucy sandwiches.

You just have to be content with the mess.

One of the upsides to using magic to hold things, too! You don't have to worry about getting your fingers messy!

"So what's HALO like, anyway? What do you guys actually do?" Khannie inquires. She knows what they do at Glog. It's a place to take care of kids and a place to find peace in the crazy maelstrom of chaos that is the Nexus.

Now...

Speaking of crazy maelstroms of chaos-


[Crash Landing]

Oh heck.

Olympia has been experimenting with expanding the range of her super heroics a little. After all, she can really only do this when she's asleep and there's nothing really stopping her from popping up somewhere far afield, right? So why not take advantage of that and help out in places other than Inside?

Riverside honestly feels pretty tame compared to Inside or Skyside. The latter two have some pretty hard core super villains and mad science stuff going on, which definitely requires a cape in Olympia's punching weight. But Riverside is pretty mellow. It's mostly just little street-level crooks that she can tie up and dangle from the street lamps without too much trouble.

She had just (heroically!) helped fetch someone's cat from a tree when stuff starts happening. At first she's worried it's another one of those storm anchor things, but instead of a giant harpoon flying out of the gyre in the sky it's a...

Airship?

Spaceship?

Something!

Something huge.

Is this an invasion?

A desperate attempt at retreat?

Whatever it is, the ship nosedives into the earth outside the city and Olympia's curiosity has got the better of her. That sure LOOKS like the sort of thing that might require a heavy hand just in case it's full of... weird face eating aliens or something. Exactly the sort of disaster a cape should respond to!

Olympia crouches down, her scarf coiling in a heap around her feet, then she zooms away in an explosive leap trailing a comet tail of sparkles behind her.

The one big downside to being a Magical Girl is that nothing you do can ever be anything other than ostentatious.

EVER.

A few moments later a billowing scarf comes zipping out of the sky and forms a nice landing pad for Olympia to crash into a few hundred feet from the ship, promptly vanishing in a poof of purple glitter once the armored Magical Girl rises to her feet. This sure looks like a thing.

[[brackets lover]]

[Charity Dinner]

As Braon proceeds into the event, they may notice a sizable mound of raffle tickets all for the enchanted corset. Out of the top of the pile pops a bunny-eared, grey-furred Ivalician moogle wearing red-shaded round glasses and a white coatee. The moogle dramatically waves a hand to Braon and greets, "Salutation, m'lady! How fare you on this fine evening, kupo?"

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

Braon stares at the little creature with a quirked eyebrow. New city, new sights, she supposes. At least this rabbit is trying to be somewhat polite.

"...Salutations." She echoes, giving a stiff, awkward wave back. Which she quickly finds herself regretting. Why should she be talking to anyone? That's just going to draw attention to herself, and to her antics, and probably get her thrown out.

...Well, she can't really back out of the conversation now. She'd better come up with something that sounded like a good reason to be here.

"...The host is a friend of mine." She fibs. "I thought I'd drop in and, ah, see what they're up to these days."

Okay that was an even stupider risk. Now if they run into the host she's likely going to be exposed that much faster. Stupid, stupid Braon!


[Crash Landing]

"Doctor Bu. Please retain a sense of professionalism."

Eun covers her mouth, cheeks flushed, as she stares at the burning remains of the ship. "S...sorry." She stammers. "It's just... you didn't say it would pass us that close when it made impact. I wasn't expecting... that loud of a sound, I guess."

Khafir raises an eyebrow. "...That's right. You were in a support role prior to joining VIGIL, were you not? You have never been this close to an event of this magnitude."

"...Y-yeah. It's all just been pictures on screens for me. Mostly."

"Hm." Khafir turns her attention back toward the wreckage. "Then this should prove an illuminating experience. Stay close to me, record everything, and please, refrain from further profanity."

"...Right. Sorry, Doctor Khafir." Eun mutters as the duo approach the downed ship, switching on her body camera.

[[brackets lover]]

[Charity Dinner]

Mogzoku smiles slightly at Braon. "Oh, me too, kupo. I met her just recently, actually. Or possibly a long time ago for her. You know how the Nexus fucks with time and all, kupo?"

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

Crap.

If this guy really does know the host(ess), Braon could already be in trouble. Why'd she have to go and claim they were friends?

...Maybe it's not too late to come clean. It's not like she's really invested too much into this particular lie. She could brush it off as a bad joke if she wanted to.

...Or she could double down. This might he a good time to learn something about the hostess, and in turn help her pass if she runs into someone else. And besides, who's more suspicious; the woman obviously trying to avoid suspicion, or the one who's confident enough in her position to be asking pointed questions?

"Is that so?" Braon's eyebrow shoots up further. "And how do you know her, exactly? Because I've never heard of you."

There we go. Keep him on the defensive, and she can have some time to spin a cover story of her own. Whew.