Riverside

[Morty]

[Charity Dinner]

"Truly? I have heard of such unions, but my people live too far from any humans for them to occur. Perhaps here it may be different." The Queen gives a pleasant smile, that once again shows a glimpse of her teeth. "I am called queen, but I do not rule my people directly. I am their patron. It is the way of elves like them. They make pacts with powerful fey, like myself. I create a rich environment for them under the mountain, but they govern the society that flourishes there."

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

Atya hesitates slightly at the Queen's question. It still feels strange for her to mention her heritage openly, but it seems like a good angle to work here. "Yes, indeed. My father was an elven lord, my mother a human barmaid. Where I grew up, such unions were at best ridiculed, at worst tormented. But Riverside is a more enlightened place, and I have yet to see any sign of similar biases here. Your people will continue to be welcomed."

Her eyes linger on the teeth as she digests this new information. Atya's never met a real fey before, but she's always heard to be wary of them. Still, it's best to be wary of everyone. "I didn't expect my gathering to be blessed by any kind of royalty, much less a faerie queen. You do me great honor, your majesty."

She taps a finger against her lips thoughtfully. "Perhaps I can arrange a visit to your mountain. I'd love to see such a place, and we could take more time to discuss the ways in which we could benefit each other."

[Reinholdt]

[Sunrise Diner]

Reinholdt takes a little note of the looks around, but has to imagine it has a lot to do with how much May has been staying inside lately from what he's heard.

He'll wave down a waitress real quick and order a coffee and a croissant before his full attention focuses upon May. "Sure, absolutely. You know I love to talk. For instance, what's your exit plan?"

[Charity Dinner]

Great. Rein's stuck talking to Braon for the foreseeable future then. Well this is certainly a disaster he put upon himself. "Your restraint is admirable." Reinholdt says so dryly, a desert might have rolled in while no one was looking.

He lays the sarcasm aside for a moment and his expression softens slightly to one of curious confusion. His head tilts slightly to one side in ponderance. "Why exactly are you so eager to wipe away that night like it never happened anyways? I get the whole 'don't call me' thing, but you're next level. If you can't look back fondly on whatever brief good times you manage to have... what's the point of living?"

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

"It's not that it didn't happen." Braon replies, resting her chin against her fingers. "It's that it didn't happen with you. Or with him. Or with her. Or with anybody else in particular." She frowns a little. "I don't want those good times stuck to my memories of anybody else, because that's how you catch feelings and Adea knows I don't need more of those. So that's the way it goes; I set out looking for a good time, have it, and try not to remember too much about whom I had it with."

"...It's not anything personal." She adds, looking back up at Rein. "I'm sure you're at least a passable boyfriend. I'm not... not doing that out of spite. So please don't take it personally, is what I'm trying to get at." Her expression turns a little softer and she lets out a quiet sigh. "...I get the impression that's not quite how you work, though, is it?" She runs her thumb under her chin thoughtfully. "...You remembered my name, after all. For someone who 'knows' thousands of people, that's... significant, isn't it?"

[Reinholdt]

[Charity Dinner]

"Yeah, if feelings were that easy to avoid, I've had committed to it ages ago." Reinholdt admits. He doesn't seem to take it personally at all. Quite the opposite. He sounds sympathetic to the idea. "But avoiding running into all those people just doesn't seem practical." Is he talking about him or her?

Reinholdt smirks a little as he gets called out for remembering her name. "Well that thing you did with that roller pin and paper clip was... incredibly unique. Let's just say you made an impression on me." He shrugs sheepishly. "It was one of my better nights. You're good."

[Shadowcaller]

[Outten Inn]

Ava's search will naturally take her to the stolen documents, sooner or later. Getting the bag open to examine them is a bit tougher than would be ideal, but the drawstrings yield to the spider's efforts all the same.

The contents have been shuffled around a bit by the journey, but it seems as though yes, they are indeed exchange records. For the most part, they're sorted by client, in large manilla folders with type-printed tabs. There's a few names there that might look familiar if she's been paying attention to the news, most of them businesses in Riverside of varying degrees of notoriety, including DAMN, Wild Mike's, Madame Fidelity's, and a few others. There are also a few financial firms among them that sound like they're more likely Skyside-based, with a quick look at the folders' contents confirming the same.

Meanwhile, within earshot...

"...Ooh, that's the spot. Ooooh, that's... ooh."

"Tension really does build in dhose shoulders, don't it?"

"You know me too well, Haze. Nnn-ouch!"

"...Sorhy. I'm still figuhing this out. You okay?"

"It's fine, just a pinch."

"...So... we gonna talk 'bout da elephant in da room?"

"What do you mean?"

"Han, how long we been marhied again? I know youh tells. You don't get dis elaborately flihty unless you'he worhied about somethin'."

"...Well, yeah, I... guess so, yeah."

"...'S Abbi, isn't it?"

"...Yeah. I know, I know, you don't like talking about her, and I was really hoping we could stave off any jealousy with-"

"Han, it's okay. She's youh friend. You went through some tough shit with her. And we'he wohking up ta rescuin' her. I don't mind dat she's on youh mind. I haven't even met her and she's on mine."

"...Is that why you went straight for the massage?"

"...Aight, I'm still a little jealous, I guess. Sue me."

Charity Dinner

"Certainly overwhelming, they must work you to the bone," says Atya sympathetically, smiling at Obriane. "But the fact that you're doing your best will mean a lot to them, throughout their whole lives. If me and my siblings grew up with a mother? Well, we'd have turned out a lot better, that's for sure."

It's pretty telling about the state of the rest of them that Atya is one of the most well adjusted and stable in her entire family.

A waiter stops by, who serving Atya a glass of... something that seems to be smoking a bit. Obriane is given a glass of water, since she didn't order anything else. The would-be mayor takes a sip as she considers the question.

"Yeah, I definitely lean towards socialism. Helping out the poor, the lower class, stuff like that. It's important, right? That's why I'll be defunding the police force and reallocating city funds to help level the playing field and stimulate the economy. Small businesses will get tax breaks, and I'll work on an emergency investment program to help out with loans, grants, etcetera." She thinks for a second. "Oh yeah, and there should be easily accessible childcare. That'd be a good thing too."

[Outten Inn]

Something occurs to Ava as she finds out that they're looking for Skyside companies.
Something that had surprised her too.
Very technically, slavery was illegal in Skyside. There was just no one enforcing the rule or indeed, any traditional police that could even do so. Furthermore, slavery was very much illegal in Eastside and even connections to slavery was at best a grey legal area.
Probably something a big cooperation could get away with but these were all relatively small businesses. It seemed that the guild's influence was much more far reaching that she had realized if they even had their hooks all the way here.

Glancing back at the bed with her eight eyes she decides on a different course of action than indirectly learning way too much about these women's personal life.
So she was going to do something potentially stupid. Possibly very stupid.

She will attempt to slip under the door and if she manages to do that she will shapeshift back to her humanoid form and knock on the door.

Charity Dinner

"To the bone and breaking them too." Obriane replies with an awkward smile at the remark. "Though, uh, even if you didn't have someone giving that much for you it looks like you managed to overcome that hardship pretty handily if the predictions I've seen are correct."

After she commented on the more personal stuff of their exchange she quickly tries to write something down in her notebook. But she isn't a journalist or even an academic.

"Erm, hold on, let me just..."

It takes a few seconds for her to finish writing. "Okay, so less money for the police and more money for childcare?" She didn't get that exactly right but is it close enough? "A tax-break would be welcomed though my next question was actually going to be about the police. I'm not read up on their funding but I know that that splitting the entire city into different departments isn't working. Are you going to try to unite them? Since West- and north don't even have police." Not traditional police at least but Obriane refused to call a mercenary company police.

[Arkhosia]

[Sunrise Diner]

Reinholdt takes a little note of the looks around, but has to imagine it has a lot to do with how much May has been staying inside lately from what he's heard.

He'll wave down a waitress real quick and order a coffee and a croissant before his full attention focuses upon May. "Sure, absolutely. You know I love to talk. For instance, what's your exit plan?"

[Sunrise Diner]

"...I don't know," May admits. "I don't know the interior of the location. I - I think I still have my fox form, and I... know how to get out of jams if I need to, but...."

Are you planning on fighting? Internally, Scarlet eyes their shared sword. The sheathed blade has been pulled across their lap now, impossible to wear while seated as it is. Externally, May blinks, seemingly in thought.
If I have to.
You sure you're good to swing that thing around right now? After... well, you know.
....
Alright, look. This whole thing is a stupid idea, and you're gonna get us killed. But if things get like, real bad? Just... I dunno, do whatever you did the last time you got spooked. I'll get us out of there.
And let you hurt someone?
Did I hurt Atsede? I don't hurt anyone unless I have to. Stop looking at me like that.

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

...With the what and the what?!

What did she even-

How did she-

Where did she put th-

Nope. She's going to stop thinking about that right now.

"...I'm, uh... glad you enjoyed it." Braon stammers, her face the approximate color of the salmon fillets being served a table over. "...I don't think I could recreate that even if I wanted to. Drunk me has a very... unique mind, I guess you could say."

And has an embarrassing habit of giving sober Braon reasons to drink.

"...You know, I don't know why I felt the need to say that." She continues after a moment. "Again, that was a one-time thing. We both know that. And even if we didn't establish it then, I can't really... you know. Go gallivanting around like I used to. Got to, um, get home at a decent hour these days."


[Outten Inn]

"...Were you expecting someone?"

"Yeah, told room sehvice to bring up some wine right 'bout now. Oughta help us relax while we figuhe out ouh next move. I'll get it."

There's the sound of footsteps on the carpet from inside the room, stopping right in front of the door. Hazel pulls it open, looking much the same as Ava last saw her, save for missing her red jacket and shirt in favor of a sports bra.

"Hey, thanks, just set it-" Hazel starts, before cutting herself off the second she sees Ava's face.

Has Ava ever been punched in the solar plexus before? Because if not, this should prove to be a learning experience.

[Shadowcaller]

[Outten Inn]

Ava had found it more likely that the two would attempt to escape but violence was never too far behind.
She just manages to step out of the way of that punch and that might just be cause of spell enhancing her reflexes. Since Hazel was fast.
"Not going to arrest you!" She uses that moment to insist, displaying her palms in a gesture of peace.
It seemed increasingly unlikely she would be able to dodge a second punch so she hoped this would work.
But it had always been a stupid idea.

[Morty]

[Charity Dinner]

"Something could be arranged, perhaps. Centuries can stretch out even in a beautiful fey sanctum. It does me good to go out and meet people." The queen twirls some of her long hair around one of her talons. "I understand that this city faces many challenges. Demon invasions that left demonic infiltrators lurking everywhere. And questionable government practices in the other districts."

[Murkus]

[Crash Site]

Olympia

The man's got several puncture wounds in his head, but they're abnormal - they seem to have... healed, in part, yet remain open. The real source of his immediate trouble seems to be a serious contusion and a possible small fracture in the side of his skull. A minor concussion is possible, but there's only so much that can be done for that. Other than these, he's got a number of scrapes and bruises.

Seveira replies with wordless efficiency. She detaches several straps and buckles from the helm. She peels it from the man's head, revealing caramel skin, deep black hair cut short on the sides with a high, wavy taper on top, and a thin-featured face. This also reveals the multiple puncture wounds in his skull - deliberate, ritualistic, each one ringed with a dollop of brass. It's from these that the prismatic smoke emerges. He breathes softly in his wretched sleep, not even giving out a groan.

Olympia might just be setting to work on the man when the pair hear pounding footsteps approaching...

Olympia and Jade - Control Room

And from the high side of the diagonally slanted chamber emerges Jade, momentarily leaving her pursuer behind.

But facing new trouble. Seveira rears up. She's nearly eight feet tall, with skin of purple chitin, the segmented plates of he face forming the impression of an attractive human woman. Her albumen-slick blue eyes shutter once as she takes in Jade's tails. She's dressed in plain seeming leathers - a vest and trousers.

There are several other things up here in the control room. Another scene of battle. A long black spear stuck in the wall. An organic console set around the creature's brain. Dead pilots. And one magical girl, standing not far from the insectoid woman.

"T'sah, kolset! Whom do you serve? Answer swiftly, before I split your head!"

The Good Doctors

Thankfully for the survivors, Laffia and Garimo seem to have led most of them outside. The cages hold only the dead. Folken clothed in plain, inexpensive materials - linen and cotton mostly - with sashes around the shoulders, hips or thighs that might indicate different roles or statuses in a society. The impact alone seems to have done for most of them.

Khafir's farsight reveals a bit more further on. There's a larger area, with more secure bindings - these cages are made from metal rather than formed directly from the chitinous walls. One of the cages is empty. One holds a corpse. The last metal cage has been burst open... and here's a curious sight.

On one side there is an antlered man in blackened armor lying wounded against the wall. A trail of his own blood leans out of the room. His armor moves and writhes like liquid. He holds a hole in his stomach that looks quite serious. On the other, a bearded man crouches over him, laughing.

The bearded man is shaved bald, with his broad and whispy mane compensating by hanging nearly to the waistband of the cheap burlap trousers he wears. He's an ancient, pale skinned human, and his milky pate is carved with a line of half a dozen holes that run from the center of his forehead to the back of his skull. These holes leak thin vapor that whirls and changes - becoming tiny mounted warriors, thrashing whales, beautiful women, and other curious shapes before fading away. The man has two like notches in his palms, though these produce less of the magic smoke. Many of the shapes at the moment turn sinister - bristling walls of spears, the blades of swords, and others.

"Ehehehe! I suppose it must be true, then," cackles the bald smoking man. "Shimmur is gone. Or else fading. You can't even remember what he looked like, can you, Shahala? Plucked from your head - from the head of the whole world. A dweoming I've not seen in age and aeon. Can you even fathom what's been worked here? I don't think so! Not a slavesmiting dullard like you! Hehehe!"

"Leave me to die in peace, Kalavak. Or else get it over with."

"I think not! I think we'll play a game of questions, first, you and I..."

[Ironsmith]

[Outten Inn]

Hazel's quick to recover, but as soon as Ava makes her disclaimer, she stops again, keeping in a fighting stance on the off chance Ava was trying to get her to lower her guard.

"...Yeah. Okay." She says finally, lowering her hands. "...You comin' in, dhen?" She steps bsck toward the door and shouts back to her wife, "Honey, we got a visitoh!"

At which point Hazel is joined at the door by... well, presumably Hana, but this'll be the first time Ava will have seen her. She's built rather thinly compared to her wife, and is slightly shorter. She has wavy black hair, which she's currently securing in a hasty topknot. She's dressed up in a pink lingerie set that seems to be half-missing, and the half that's left is clearly designed for emphasis and exposure. Fortunately, she's also commandeered one of the fluffy white bathrobes that came with the room, leaving it to hang open just a moment longer while she fixes herself up, in what is probably a somewhat baffling show of priorities.

But just before the robe closes, Ava will catch a glimpse of five faded red dots on her skin along her collarbone. If she's been keeping up with the practices of the Slaver's Guild, she'll probably recognize it as part of a their recently-implemented risk-rating system; Hana was merchandise at one point, and she was not the slightest bit cooperative.

"...Oh, hey!" Hana greets cheerfully. "You're probably that lady I talked to on the phone earlier, huh? Nice to meet you." She steps forward and offers the officer a handshake, never once breaking eye contact.


[Crash Site]

Eun stares as they step past caged corpse after caged corpse, trying to steady the sound of her own breathing reverberating in her helmet. She hadn't expected a crashed aircraft to be light on casualties, but it's always sobering to see the bodies anyway... more so to see them in person.

"I have found wounded." Khafir announces, proceeding up the fleshy corridor toward the scene in her farsight. "Expect potential resistance. How is you marksmanship?"

Eun pauses, looking down at her hands. "Uh... not... great?" She stammers. She's done reasonably well in simulations, but right now she's shaking so badly she wouldn't trust her ability to tie her own shoes.

"Understandable." Khafir nods toward the space ahead. "You will go first. Announce yourself and your intent to tend to the wounded. Stay on the left half of the corridor."

"...Okay." Eun rattles, stepping forward as instructed. "...Hello? Is anyone there? My name is Doctor Eun-Jung Bu. I'm here to help!"

Khafir, meanwhile, will keep her farsight on the wizard. If he takes any hostile action, she will immediately open fire on him, aiming directly for his larynx.

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

Atya shrugs modestly at Obriane. "Yeah, I've done alright. Only took me a hundred years or so." Of course, it's only been in the last few that things have actually been good. Most of that hundred years were pretty horrible, but there's no need to go into all that.

She waits politely for the antlered woman to finish writing. "Yeah, you have the right idea. As for the police... that's just a whole mess, isn't it?" Atya purses her lips thoughtfully. "Since I'd only have Eastside jurisdiction, I can't exactly unite the police forces across the other districts- and frankly I wouldn't want to. The current situation isn't good, but creating a mega police isn't the answer."

Drum, drum goes her nails on the table. "Really, my vision is for a police force that is focused only on violent crimes, while also having a community driven organization of social workers, conflict deescalation specialists and medical professionals to handle the majority of calls. Police forces are too often untrained and prone to violence, and that's what I mainly want to change. Hopefully, I'll be able to lead by example and create changes in the other districts as well."

---

"Well, you know where to find me. Or just have your people talk to my people," says Atya to the Queen, nodding. Of course, were she to venture into the lands of a fey ruler, she'd have to take quite a lot of precautions. She's no fool.

Atya grimaces at the mention of challenges. "You've got that right. There's been a lot of unrest, and a lot of very dangerous incidents. Which is exactly why this place needs a leader who's familiar with danger, and who will put the safety and well being of the people first." She clasps her hands behind her back. "And that leader, of course, is me. I've lived in dangerous areas my whole life, and I truly believe I can change this city for the better."

[Reinholdt]

[Sunrise Diner]

May seems at least somewhat preoccupied with the problem. It's good she's thinking about it at least, even if those thoughts seem extended.

Still, Reinholdt sighs a little. "Yeah, I figured it was something like that. Normally I'd suggest luring her out to talk with something she wants. But... I have no idea what she wants from you, or what you want from her." Rein watches May closely for any sort of subtle indication as to what's going on.

"Lucky for you, I'm used to diving headfirst into situations I don't understand and am not prepared for. First rule then: what I say goes. If I tell you to run, you run and you will not look back no matter what." Reinholdt tilts his chin up in thought. "Actually that's the only rule, but still."

Reinholdt reaches into his pocket and pulls out two things, putting them on the table. The first, a medallion orange and red. The second, a small box containing four glass orbs. "These are my two best 'outs' at the moment. You'll be holding on to them. This you wear. With the command phrase: Ignum, you'll turn into living fire. More or less a fire elemental. You'll be immune to physical attacks and can toss fire back at your opponent with twice the strength. Mostly, you won't get shot or stabbed and can escape through small cracks. I can't imagine a complex like that doesn't have a fire suppression system, however, so don't be reckless with it." Reinholdt motions to the orbs. "These are magical smoke bombs, gifted to me several Thanksmas ago by the goddess of the hunt, Kynegetis. The more enclosed the area, the more effective they are so they'll be handy here. You'll become undetectable in the harmless cloud of smoke and if you can stay in it for a few seconds, the people outside will literally forget about you for about a minute. Like seriously, for sixty seconds it'll be like you never existed to everyone, including me. But the thinner the cloud, the thinner the effect so mind yourself if it gets blown away."

[Charity Dinner]

Reinholdt gives a good natured chuckle at Braon's embarassment. "Well who hasn't gotten too drunk and forgotten details? I'd tell you about one time in this warlord's tomb with ancient spirits... but I've forgotten." He shrugs, fully intending to never, ever explain that one. Obriane can do that if it's necessary.

"Oh is that right?" Rein asks with raised eyebrow. "Responsibilities huh? Picked up a professional job and you don't want to blow it? That's fair. But that reminds me, how do you know Atya?" If Braon wasn't gallivanting tonight, did she know Atya from some other place then?

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

"What? No." Braon replies reflexively. Her, with a job? Who could imagine such a thing? Like she could ever submit herself to the daily nine-to-five grind like that.

...Shit. She probably will have to at some point, won't she? She can't stay at GLoG forever and she's going to have to do something for money. Diapers don't buy themselves.

"I... actually just met her tonight. She seems like fun." Braon admits, fidgeting nervously. "...I might still be going some light gallivanting. Just not the kind where I leave the house one day and come home the next."

Whew boy. If she doesn't elaborate now, Rein's just going to keep digging until he finds an actual answer, isn't he? Better to just rip the proverbial bandage off.

"I wouldn't be a very good mother if I left them alone overnight like that."

[Arkhosia]

[Sunrise Diner]

"I just want answers from her, really," May explains, a little hurt. She means it - she really does just want to talk to Ilpholin. Once Rein begins to explain, she listens to every word and nods along readily. This is important, and she's serious about this. The medal sounds straightforward enough, but something about the smoke bombs give her pause."When you say people out of the cloud - what happens if there's someone else in the cloud? If it covers the both of us, do we remember each other but everyone else forgets both of us? And... what if someone enters the smoke bomb after the effect has gone off?" It didn't seem too unusual a reaction even if you don't know who's hiding in there. "Does the effect break if they see us in there? Is there a chance that I leave the smoke and you're still in it, so I forget you existed?"

[Reinholdt]

[Charity Dinner]

Reinholdt smiles a little. "She is fun." No one could say otherwise about Atya.

Ohh, it was children. Reinholdt doesn't seem particularly moved or surprised though. He just nods "Ah. Well that depends on who you're leaving them alone with. But yeah, alone alone not so good. Grats on the children by the way. There's nothing more precious in this world."

[Sunrise Diner]

Answers are reasonable. Rein frowns, and doesn't make May elaborate.

As for her many questions, entirely logical and ones he's considered at some point. To which Reinholdt... shrugs. "No idea. It wasn't explained to me and as I only have a limited number of them, I haven't exactly tested them to be sure. In fact, I've only ever seen fit to use one, once. And that wasn't even me, that was Reina." Reinholdt shakes his head. "Focus on using the time wisely to get out. Don't worry about me at all. If I get hurt, you'll live. But if you get hurt, I think multiple people are going to kill me."

That's probably understating Rein's fate, but he doesn't want to make May nervous.

[Arkhosia]

[Sunrise Diner]

Reina? May looks briefly confused at this, but doesn't inquire. Instead, she nods. "I understand. I promise I'll be good and look after myself." In spite of herself, she offers a nervous laugh. "Besides, I really don't want your murder on my hands."

Which brings them to another thing. After a moment of contemplation, May adds; "I should ask. Since you'll be there when I talk with Ilpholin, there's... probably going to be a lot of personal things and events that might be brought up. I- I need you to understand. No matter what's said in there, no matter how bad... it can't leave that room."

[bc56]

Crash Site: Control Room
Jade vaults into the control room and slides to a stop in front of Seveira.
Dang, she's tall. Jade's jealous, standing at only 5'2".
"Good luck with that, I'm on my own side. Hey Olympia, haven't seen you in a while! Who's your tall, angry friend?" Her eyes never completely leave Seveira, not that the insect lady can tell through Jade's mirrored visor.
"Just fyi some murderous nutjob was chasing me; I think I lost him but he might come barging in any minute now."

[Morty]

[Charity Dinner]

"Oh, certainly. I find that leaders can lose touch so easily. When you sit in a comfortable chamber all day, you forget what people on the fringes have to deal with." The Queen flashes another beautiful but unsettling smile. "But how would you quell this unrest? There are those who call for exerting power against demons... and those who call for the exact opposite."

[Shadowcaller]

Charity Dinner

Atya shrugs modestly at Obriane. "Yeah, I've done alright. Only took me a hundred years or so." Of course, it's only been in the last few that things have actually been good. Most of that hundred years were pretty horrible, but there's no need to go into all that.

She waits politely for the antlered woman to finish writing. "Yeah, you have the right idea. As for the police... that's just a whole mess, isn't it?" Atya purses her lips thoughtfully. "Since I'd only have Eastside jurisdiction, I can't exactly unite the police forces across the other districts- and frankly I wouldn't want to. The current situation isn't good, but creating a mega police isn't the answer."

Drum, drum goes her nails on the table. "Really, my vision is for a police force that is focused only on violent crimes, while also having a community driven organization of social workers, conflict deescalation specialists and medical professionals to handle the majority of calls. Police forces are too often untrained and prone to violence, and that's what I mainly want to change. Hopefully, I'll be able to lead by example and create changes in the other districts as well."

[Outten Inn]

Hazel's quick to recover, but as soon as Ava makes her disclaimer, she stops again, keeping in a fighting stance on the off chance Ava was trying to get her to lower her guard.

"...Yeah. Okay." She says finally, lowering her hands. "...You comin' in, dhen?" She steps bsck toward the door and shouts back to her wife, "Honey, we got a visitoh!"

At which point Hazel is joined at the door by... well, presumably Hana, but this'll be the first time Ava will have seen her. She's built rather thinly compared to her wife, and is slightly shorter. She has wavy black hair, which she's currently securing in a hasty topknot. She's dressed up in a pink lingerie set that seems to be half-missing, and the half that's left is clearly designed for emphasis and exposure. Fortunately, she's also commandeered one of the fluffy white bathrobes that came with the room, leaving it to hang open just a moment longer while she fixes herself up, in what is probably a somewhat baffling show of priorities.

But just before the robe closes, Ava will catch a glimpse of five faded red dots on her skin along her collarbone. If she's been keeping up with the practices of the Slaver's Guild, she'll probably recognize it as part of a their recently-implemented risk-rating system; Hana was merchandise at one point, and she was not the slightest bit cooperative.

"...Oh, hey!" Hana greets cheerfully. "You're probably that lady I talked to on the phone earlier, huh? Nice to meet you." She steps forward and offers the officer a handshake, never once breaking eye contact.

Charity Dinner

A hundred years? Was she being figurative or had she really lived that long?
It seemed rude to ask though.

Besides, she had more important questions to ask. "Erm, I mean, most cities have at least a unified police force. It's hardly a 'mega-police force' is it? In fact, as I said, West- and North side are policed by a mercenary company aren't they? They're literary paid to use violence. Why would they adjust to Eastside? They don't even practice democracy. I've heard stories of people who work in those sides being subjected to unfair laws because since the police are not the same neither are the laws."

Getting into some more complex problems here. Problems that probably not even the best mayor could solve.

[Outten Inn]

Ava braces herself for another attack when Hazel suddenly stops.
Had her stupid plan actually worked as intended? Remained to be seen but Hazel not beating the shit out of her yet was a big plus.

Cautiously Ava enters but doesn't stray too far from the door frame as if afraid that it was going to shut close at any moment now. Then she takes a moment to clear her voice and puts her hands behind her back before she turns to address the two.

Any of her fellow officers would consider her mannerisms antiquated but she had hold on to them. It was how she had been taught after all.

She had in fact caught a glimpse of that tattoo and its meaning didn't escape her. After all, she had one of her own. Not from the slavers guild but its meaning was still the same.
"Yes, Detective Ava Farstride. Nice to finally see you in person, m'am."

A beat.

"I'll be brief since I can see that you're quite preoccupied here." She was going to keep her commentary on that to a minimum. "I've come to suspect that you're investigating 'the guild', is this true? Since that's something I also have a keen interest in." Her eyebrows raises as she studies their reaction to her question.

She then glances out into the hall. Perhaps it would be best if they closed the door after all...

[Rebonack]

[Crash Site: Control Room]

Olympia's eyes are flicking back and forth between the wound and the readout on the little medical scanner when all of a sudden Athena comes vaulting into the chamber and the SUPER TALL lady begins throwing threats.

Seriously?

Is that how it's gunna be?

"Hey, chill, that's Athena. She another one of the local heroes I was talking about, I've worked with her before," Olympia tells the towering woman, hopefully placating her before a misunderstanding breaks out into violence. "Okay this wound isn't THAT bad I think just some of the trauma foam'll be good."

That said?

She plugs the scanner into the bottom of one of the foam bottles, downloading the readout. Then she sprays a light layer of the foam over the head wound and will begin binding it with some regular old medical gauze. The foam should get to work shuffling bones back into place and serving as a scaffolding to speed healing and seal the wound.

"I don't have much medical stuff on me, have you got any first aid stuff in your kit?" she asks, looking up at Athena.

[Gullara]

[Wandering Riverside]

Irena holds up the bottle. "This? Well, uh, funny story. I ran into an old friend. Igor?" Irena knows approximately three Igor's. "And you know how it is with this crowd. It would be impolite not to drink." She gives the bottle a light shake. "Just had this one though so it's fine. I'm even allowed to drive home."

She was right though. It seemed like within the riverside homeless community drinking was just simply a part of hanging out together. Though the same thing could be said about a lot of other communities within the city.

[Wandering Riverside]

"Ah, impolite is it. And my wife is widely known for how polite she is." Nadia smiles a little. She's just teasing now, but there's no one more fun to tease than Irena.

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

...Huh. That was less of a reaction than she expected.

"...Yeah. Yeah, they are." Braon agrees, with a small smile. "Don't misunderstand me, they're a gigantic pain in the backside sometimes. Having five screaming infants in the same house as you, while you're trying to eat, sleep, or really do anything is... very draining. Like nothing I've ever had to deal with before." She gives fond little smirk. "But... sometimes, when I see them all asleep in their beds, it... feels right, you know? Stressful as all hell, yeah, but..." She pauses, seeming to need a second to parse her thoughts. "...They're old enough now that they start smiling when they see their mum. I've... never actually had anyone react that way to seeing me before. It's sweet. In a way I can't really describe."


[Outten Inn]

"Pleasure's all mine." Hana chirps with a little wave as Hazel casually closes the door behind Ava. "...And before we answer that, would you mind going like this real quick?" She holds out her arms to either side, forming a t-pose. If Ava complies, she'll soon find herself being frisked by Hazel, who does the job quickly but thoroughly, flashing her wife a thumbs-up afterwards if she doesn't find any indication of a listening device.

"...So, yeah, you guessed right. We're going after the Slaver's Guild." Hana confirms.

"Not exactly big fans of what dhey did to my Hana." Hazel chips in. "Or what they've been doin' wit' her friend. Plus dhey stole some valuables we gotta get back."

"You remember what I told you on the phone? About what I was doing when Hazel was arrested?" Hana frowns. "I ended up hiding out in Skyside, at a place called the Trust-Worthy hotel."

"Big misnomeh, by the way."

"Very much so." Hana nods. "I was kind of a wreck at the time and ended up hitting it off with one of the maids working there. A rat-girl by the name of Abbi." She frowns. "Too well, apparently. My room got raided in the middle of the night, and I was sold into slavery. Apparently they decided Abbi was too close to me for them to count on her keeping quiet or something, because they sold her right alongside me. We ended up working in a blood sport arena run by some mutilated amazon."

"...Ya didn't mention da amazon when ya told me dhis story."

"She's not really that important to it." Hana waves her hand dismissively. "We stayed there a while, until Hazel and this mummy guy showed up to rescue me. I made it out; Abbi didn't."

"So now we'he lookin' for a way back in to get Abbi out." Hazel gives a firm little nod. "Dhat bring you up ta speed enough heae?"

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

Obriane is certainly asking the difficult questions. But at least they're ones that Atya expected. She nods understandingly.

"I'd agree, but Riverside isn't most cities. As Eastside mayor, I'd have relatively little influence on the other districts, unfortunately. The best I can do is try to improve things here, while doing what I can to encourage progressive political change in the other districts."

Atya sighs. "Believe me, I'm just as horrified as you are by the mercenaries. The fact that it's gotten that bad is, frankly, quite disheartening. But things can get better, and that starts today, and it starts close to home. Local reform can have a ripple effect."

---

"If there's anything I won't forget, it's what it's like to live on the fringes," says Atya to the Queen. She's done her fair share of dumpster diving and begging to stay alive. Probably a lot more than any fey lord.

The Queen's question makes her eyes narrow suspiciously for just a moment. Does this strange yet entrancing woman have some ulterior motives for coming here? Well, who doesn't?

"Well, demons are people too. They have free will, and there's good ones. Like the lady Braon, who you met briefly earlier." Sure she's not technically a demon. The details of classification matter to Atya not one whit.

"But anyone who threatens the stability and safety of this city or the people in it must be stopped. I suppose my first action would be to start an ongoing deescalation campaign to help bridge the gap people mortals and demons, as well as launch an investigation to find out the why's and wherefores of the attacks. This is a more complicated issue than the black and white that people take it for."

[Felandria]

[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-

Well, we’ve been focusing on science and magic, we aim to use those tools to keep the Nexus safe and discover new and exciting things!

Mental acuity and creative thinking are vital to ensuring a brighter future.

[Reinholdt]

[Sunrise Diner]

"Hey, if something happens, that's not on your hands, ok?" Reinholdt replies sternly. "Remember that."

May then explains the need for discretion. Rein nods solemnly at her after a moment. "I kind of figured as much based on the phone call alone. I promise not to tell anything about what happens there if you promise the same."

[Charity Dinner]

"Five? Phew... that's higher than I usually have. Three or four's already a lot. Worth it, but I feel that pain." Reinholdt smiles a little, glad he's not like those other Reins who are weighed down with diaper duty. "I expect to see some baby pictures though. Their cuteness must be analyzed."

His smile fades into a slightly concerned frown. "You've never been smiled at before? I mean, well, you'd probably get more people happy to see you if you stop grabbing their ears, threatening to punch people, and insisting you forget their existence at any and all cost." It seems like common sense to Reinholdt. "But what about the father? Did he never smile at you? Or is he just not in the picture then?"

[Artemis]

[Southside]

Sensing opportunity, they moved in: The Drow. Some were fresh from the Underdark, but many were moving out of the cramped confines of Delmah Phor in Inside. Things here were further away from the structured hierarchies of the enclave.

Years before, they had been granted some land and tunnels outside Riverside, which they turned into agricultural lands for their strange Underdark foods. Shipping the goods back to Delmah Phor had won them a healthy profit, with which they could use to build.

Buildings of stone, some impossibly delicate, rimmed with faerie fire and painted in colors only seen under darkvision. Spidersilk awnings and giant mushrooms covered boulevards, shading them from the sun. In more affluent areas, spells blocked the sun entirely. Beneath it all tunnels ran, a maze-like warren, its territory jealously guarded by roving gangs of thugs, some in house uniforms ostensibly working for minor families scrabbling for power in the vacuum left here.

The neighbors, mostly their elven kin, complained and threatened. A compromise was struck, as a large nature park was built on the edge of the growing drow neighborhood, filled with beautiful trees, babbling brooks, and thick underbrush where animals of the surface could live in peace. A small shrine to Eilistraee was built here, so that the drow could see her kindness and find their way back to the Surface.

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

"I don't have any, sorry." Braon says with a sheepish shrug. Somehow it had never occurred to her. She's never owned a camera in her life, and even if she did, taking pictures in between rounds of diaper changes and feedings wasn't exactly a priority, especially not compared to getting sleep or food for herself. "...But they are pretty cute, yeah. You'll just have to take my word for it on that one."

Her expression hardens a bit at the question about their father. "...No. No, he's not." She says flatly. "Their father isn't in their life, and I'm not at all certain who he even is. Nor do I really want to know; the one certainty I have about him is that he agreed to a likely-drunken hookup with a woman in a bar he's never met. So, in other words, that he's horribly irresponsible. Hypocrisy fully noted." She sighs. "I'm not taking the gamble that he might try to shape up for our babies. It's already a small miracle that I'm trying as hard as I am."

[Shadowcaller]

[Wandering Riverside]

"Ah, impolite is it. And my wife is widely known for how polite she is." Nadia smiles a little. She's just teasing now, but there's no one more fun to tease than Irena.

[Wandering Riverside]

Irena does something only really Nadia makes her capable of, blushing.

"I'm good at the kind of polite that involves drinking actually." She insists in a subdued tone. Barely audible compared to her usually loud way of expressing herself.
Yet she was quick to recover as something had occurred to her.
"But, uh, I guess the Kid is taking care of the kids then? Since if neither of us are at home right now..." It was a thought that Nadia had drilled into her. The children first, no matter what, even if that's exactly the kind of thing she wanted to forget when she was alone with her wife. Regardless if there was a bunch of strangers around them or not.

Charity Dinner

Obriane is certainly asking the difficult questions. But at least they're ones that Atya expected. She nods understandingly.

"I'd agree, but Riverside isn't most cities. As Eastside mayor, I'd have relatively little influence on the other districts, unfortunately. The best I can do is try to improve things here, while doing what I can to encourage progressive political change in the other districts."

Atya sighs. "Believe me, I'm just as horrified as you are by the mercenaries. The fact that it's gotten that bad is, frankly, quite disheartening. But things can get better, and that starts today, and it starts close to home. Local reform can have a ripple effect."

[Outten Inn]

"I do have my service pistol on me, but you can take that if you want." Ava remarks as she gets into the T-position. "I will need it back though." And sure enough, she didn't have any sort of recording device.
Except potentially for her service phone of course. And depending how closely she searches, the second phone hidden inside her inner pocket. But neither of them is recording anything.

"I gathered you're not exactly in their fan-club, yes." Ava remarks as she looks between the two. "And from what I've heard, nothing in Skyside is trustworthy." The city had a vile reputation to say the least and Hana's story only seemed to confirm it. Which of course begged the question, were they using that fact to spin yet another lie? The possibility couldn't be dismissed outright so Ava kept it in the back of her head for now.

Since the details of this story sounded as bizarre as they were disturbing.

"That should about cover it, yes." Ava replies as Hana finishes. "What I don't understand is what the guild is doing in Riverside. What sort of connections do they have here?" She had heard them raiding villages in outside and seaside but this was something else.

Charity Dinner

Obriane nods, feeling a bit more confident as Atya seemed to take her questions seriously. "Yeah, I guess change has to start somewhere. But do you have a plan in case there's another attack or, ah, invasion?" Even just word had a special meaning to any Riversider. It had been years but the horrors of that day was still felt fresh in everyone's mind even if they hadn't directly experienced it. Since they at least knew someone who had.

"I heard there's a vigil member currently working for the Eastside police, is that like an, eh, way to perhaps have vigil function as our military in the future? Since while I'm not sure we could have our own military there should be a way for us to protect ourselves that isn't purely... um, reactionary. Like, we shouldn't need to wait for vigil to arrive if anything like that happens in the future."