BC's Best... Cottages?

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

"What, do you need me to play it back in your own words or something?" Jubilee asks, her annoyed frown slowly returning. "Let's not play games here. You need it, I know you need it, and you know I know you need it. You want your succubi to be able to live without having to screw all the time. And wouldn't you know it, so do I."

Jubilee plucks the tomato off the plant and rolls it between her fingers. "Your subjects aren't free, Your Infernal Highness. They're blocked from freedom by that wretched... thing your mother put inside each and every one of them. They can't be themselves. And frankly? That offends the hell out of me." Jubilee scowls, squeezing the tomato. "Maybe some of them want to pull the bunny act anyway. It doesn't matter, because they can't choose not to. To say nothing of the whole involuntary transformation into succubi in the first place. Just... ugh."

She turns on her heel and looks up at Sekhmet, once again giving her that dour, impossible-to-amuse look. "Calamity is my business, Your Infernal Highness. And while I'm normally more of a mind to cause it than undo it... this time, I'm making an exception."

[Rebonack]

[Hideout]

"I don't think I could live with myself if I sat around and did nothing," Glory admits. "I know there will be an official one but..."

Goodness, how can she even put this into words? She was originally just a puppet of Yezekiel's. A messenger. But descending into the Pit to save Jade had severed that link and filled her with that ineffable soul-stuff. And that means she stills retains bits and pieces of knowledge about how things WORK in the Nexus.

"But if we don't help somehow, directly, they're going to come to the wrong conclusion."

That she speaks with iron-clad confidence.

Chance meetings in the wilderness. Happening upon strange phenomena. Standing next to a cast iron skillet sales stand when a bunch of malevolent fae attack. Being in just the right place at the right time so the story can progress.

Nexus serendipity.

"Looking at the crime scene directly might not work out. But even if we're only able to scope out the surroundings I'm sure we'll find something."

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
Sekhmet's voice is level and measured. "All of that is true, but how can I trust a self-proclaimed bringer of calamity. The cure might be worse than the disease, as they say. That's not even mentioning the payment you demanded before even telling me what's on offer. A mysterious visitor shows up to grant an unspoken need? There are prices I'm not willing to pay." In other words, Sekhmet still doesn't trust Jubilee. She has no reason to.

Hideout
Jason doesn't have the same level of meta-awareness. He was planning to fight this within the system. "It's settled then. Let's go." He considers something for a moment. "Not suited up, I think. It's one thing to have friends and family poking around, another to have capes."

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

squich!

Jubilee frowns and lets the now-crushed tomato fall from her hand. "...Hmph." She huffs.

She doesn't get it
You two speak the same language
But different tongues

"Ugh. I hate it when you're right." Jubilee sighs. "Very well, then. When I say Calamity, it's in reference to a philosophy in my world, surrounding the Five Fates. You don't need to know all of them. What you do need to know is that Calamity describes hardship that is brought upon you by things beyond your control; bad weather, encroaching armies, plain bad luck. There is no way to avoid it; to live is to burn." She punctuates this statement by holding out her hand, a gout of flame shooting from her palm and rising up through the air, carrying the scent of roasted tomatoes with it. "The fires of Calamity show us for who we really are, Your Infernal Highness. Both to ourselves and to each other. If you want the measure of a person, put them in crisis and give them freedom to resolve it however they wish. See what they deem acceptable and just. Where their true priorities and loyalties lie."

She lowers her hand, wisps of smoke rising from her cracked skin. "Right now, your succubi are in Stasis. Nothing will change unless it is changed for them. You and your subjects, both, wallow in ignorance of their character. You throw yourself at these projects in the hopes that one of them is going to stick and undo the damage that Sapphira did, but the truth is you barely even know where to start. You don't have the measure of your people. You don't truly understand what they're like. You hardly even have the measure of yourself."

Jubi, you may want-

"NOBODY ASKED YOU!" Jubilee snaps at her scythe, her hair smoldering for a moment before she calms back down and lets out a little sigh. "...Fortunately for you." She continues, gripping the blade. "The deal I had in mind works for you on two fronts. I provide the service to undo Sapphira's curse- a Calamity itself, as the responsibility will serve to make their lives more difficult- and you provide me, in return, with a single soul, the nature of which ensures you will not miss it." She holds up her finger, emphasizing the point. "I want a traitor. I want someone who has held your trust and broken it. The most vile and grievous you have. Someone you would ordinarily see fit to execute or exile." She lowers her hand. "...And before you ask, no, it's not a metaphysical thing in the slightest. They will not survive my designs for them. I see no purpose in wasting a virtuous soul on the matter."

[Rebonack]

[Hideout]

Glory gives a brief nod.

"I'll leave my cart here at the warehouse, if that's alright," she says, giving her head a flick and expertly tossing the harness off her shoulders. "And no costumes, definitely not. We shouldn't need to worry about any super things happening while we're out and about."

Right?

Haha.

Definitely not.

Everything will be just fine.

"Let's get moving, I'm already feeling antsy."

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
One soul for the freedom of your entire people. A traitor's soul, even. You could portal up to where she and Miranda left Lizzie and return, and that would be that. It would be so easy, and this ordeal would finally be over with.

Sekhmet opens her mouth to reply, then closes it again.

Just one. That's how it starts. Sapphira fell because she was convinced to consume just one soul. Is it really worth it to give up your principles here? You don't believe in sacrificing the few for the good of the many, do you?
You know Lizzie is irredeemable. She would rather have oblivion at the hands of this stranger.
You don't know that! What if she just needs to be freed like the other demons you would sacrifice her for? She's not in control of herself, would you condemn her for that?
She was like that before she changed. She'll still be like that when she's set free.

Sekhmet sighs. "... You have no idea how acutely aware I am of what it's like to be a succubus. But that doesn't matter. The answer is no." Her expression wavers, but she's growing more certain as she speaks. "I am not my mother. I do not trade in souls. And I do not sacrifice the few for the good of the many. Even traitors deserve some dignity, enough to not be bartered like sacks of grain." What was it Jubilee just said?
"If you want the measure of a person, put them in crisis and give them freedom to resolve it however they wish."
Sekhmet is showing her measure here.

Hideout
"No problem, just set it over there," Jason points to a slightly out-of-the-way spot for the cart. The other comment has a very specific nervous tone to it, but fortunately he has a solution. "We can bring our gear along just not be seen with it when poking around the crime scene.

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

"...Hmph."

Jubilee steps back, snatching her scythe out of the ground. "Then you're a hypocrite and a fool." She sneers. "You can't tell me with a straight face that you've never executed anyone. Never decided the world was better off without this demon or that one. You've made that call before and you'll do it again." Jubilee slams her scythe back into the dirt. "What do you call that, if not trading the one for the many?" She clutches her hand into a fist. "I'm not asking for a traitor immediately. It will take time to deliver on my end of the deal anyway. What I'm asking of you is that, the next time this happens, instead of burning them yourself, you hand them to me." She scowls. "I have a better use for that soul than oblivion. You wouldn't just be destroying something that needs to be destroyed, you'll be helping me in the process... and I'll be helping your subjects. All of them."

"...But no, if you're going to choose now to take a nonsensical attempt at a principled stand, you and your people can stay in Stasis." She huffs, turning back in the direction she came. "And you have nothing to blame but your pride. Pathetic."

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
Sekhmet, has in fact, only killed one, maybe two people, both times in self-defense. She has never executed a prisoner, traitor or otherwise. And those allegations make her furious. "I have never killed anyone, mortal or demon, except to protect myself. I have never handed one over to an executioner or an assassin to do my dirty work. And I don't intend to start now." She points accusingly. "You are far from the only possible solution to this problem. I didn't ask you here, and I will not tolerate your presence any longer. Get off my lands! Now!" It looks like Jubilee was already doing that.

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

"No... but I'm the only one who's going to present herself to you." Jubilee stops a few paces away, turning to face Sekhmet again, holding up her hand and the fireball sitting within it. "Best of luck with your search, Your Infernal Lowness." She glances at the fire in her hands and frowns. "...You're going to need it."

And with that, she throws the fire into the ground, vanishing in the accompanying column of smoke... though that smoldering pit in the middle of Sekhmet's garden indicates she wasn't courteous enough to put it out when she left.

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
Sekhmet sighs again, partly out of relief and partly out of exasperation, and starts clearing plants away from the burned area, salvaging what she can. What an unpleasant person. But what if she was right? No, Sekhmet's sure there's a better way. She's not even sure what an animakinetic does, so it hardly seems like a huge loss.

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

"...Wow. That was way worse than I was expecting."

It's not exactly entirely clear when Tahara arrived. When she steps out from behind that tree to alert Sekhmet to her presence, she looks as though she's been there for a while... but then, she'd be very difficult to miss. The trash witch, for once, seems to have taken an interest in looking her best; she's dressed in what looks very much like an ordinary black dress, until Sekhmet gets close enough to see the details, at which point it becomes clear she's wearing a set of carefully-arranged garbage bags. She even has one pulls up as a sort of hood over her face; not enough to conceal her face, but running down the back where one would normally expect to see hair.

"...I, um... I feel like this is a bad time." Tahara says, folding her hands in front of her. "Should I come back? I don't want to upset you any more than ou already are."

[Rebonack]

[Hideout]

"I have my suit in my saddlebags, just in case," Morning Glory admits.

Thankfully she's the sort of cape who has all of her abilities built in. She doesn't need to carry any gear as such, just keep her costume on her to keep her identity hidden if need be. Of course, the whole idea is to avoid being in costume so no one makes the connection between Jade and Athena.

There are plenty of fox people in the Nexus, sure.

But 'super powered nine tailed fox' is pretty conspicuous.

"Let's get going. We shouldn't dally if we can avoid it."

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
"Uh..." Sekhmet examines the newcomer. She's clearly not a normal human. There's something unusual about her, which Sekhmet expects she'll discover shortly. "How long were you standing there? What is this about?" That's not telling her to leave. Sekhmet doesn't seem all that angry at her.

Hideout
"Good. This way." Jason will lead the way to the car, a very mundane sedan, and they will soon be off to Inside.

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

"I caught the tail end of your conversation with my sister. She's... definitely gone downhill from the last time I saw her." Tahara shakes her head. "...But the more important thing is that I'm here to make you the same offer... sort of." She reaches under the front of her "blouse" as she continues. "My end's the same as hers. I want to help you free your succubi. My reasoning's the same; they're not free the way they are, and that's terrible."

"But my demands are substantially lower." Tahara shakes her head and shrugs. "...It's hard to go much lower than 'nothing', to be fair. I want your succubi to be free. I don't want anything in return. I suppose that about covers it."

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
Sekhmet looks very skeptical. "For nothing?" That just seems unrealistic. "Could you please describe what you're proposing in detail?" Jubilee never really explained what it is she was going to do, just said she could help. "Want to come in for some tea?" Sekhmet expects Jubilee would be furious about this.

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

"Pro bono, as one might say." Tahara confirms. "And yes, please."

As they walk to the house, Tahara explains. "My sister and I are both animakinetics, to use the technical term." She begins. "...But not very many people seem to understand what that means, so we call ourselves soulbenders. It's a bit more intuitive a description. If you're willing, I can reach out to you and... shuffle a few things around. Make you feel things. Alter your personality, your memories, your dreams. And while it's beyond either of us, in theory, Jubilee and I could both even take a soul outright." Tahara rubs her arms together anxiously. "Which is a disquieting thought, but I think you get the concept. Animakinesis is exactly the sort of thing you'd need to take that compulsion out of your subjects."

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
"It sounds a lot like what was done to them in the first place," Sekhmet comments. None of that's really disquieting. Most of it's within Sekhmet's power set, even, she just lacks the expertise to undo what Sapphira did. And taking souls is par for the course when dealing with demons."There's, uh, a bit of a problem. I don't think it's feasible for you to go around to each of them and change their souls individually. There's too many, and they'd resist it." Even if their current existence was forced on them, few people want to change like that.

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

"...Heh. Yeah, who has that kind of time, right?" Tahara lets out a little laugh that was probably intended to sound more cheerful than it does. "...A little bird told me you already had a plan for that, though. You were just missing a certain ingredient and someone to carry out the ritual." She pulls her hand back out from under her blouse, holding up a little bone, cut down into a needle-like shape. "Here's the ingredient. I can perform the ritual. We can start whenever you would like."

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
The "a little bird told me," comment seems to bother Sekhmet as she opens the door for Tahara. "Where do you people learn these things? I thought that was a secret known only to me and..." she counts on her fingers, "...four other people." She leads the way into the kitchen and starts a kettle boiling. "You'd better, uh, explain what that is and walk me through the whole ritual," she indicates the bone needle "ingredient."

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

"I told you. A little bird told me." Tahara explains. "A sparrow, specifically. She has a nest just over your kitchen window. She hears a lot of what goes on in this house."

The trash witch stops at the front door and takes a moment to tighten the grocery bags around her feet before stepping into the house, holding up the bone fragment for Sekhmet. "You need a pure heart to make this all work." She continues. "And in my hand here, I have just that. The last remains of the original Tara Constanze. Before all of... well, everything." She grimaces. "My sister and I were chosen to be taught magic because of our pure hearts. I won't say I still am pure, but back before I died I absolutely was." She gently presses the bone fragment into Sekhmet's palm. "Take it. Please. I want to do something good for the world, before I-'

She cuts herself off and shakes her head. Too much information.

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
"What?" Sekhmet seems taken aback. "No, no, I can't take your pure heart. Wouldn't that kill you? I..." But Tahara is going on. "What are you saying? You..." Sekhmet does the only thing she can think of. She bends down and seizes Tahara in a warm hug. "Shhh. It's going to be okay. I'm here, I can help."

[Ironsmith]

]Brignole Manor]

"...I mean, eventuall-"

Tahara stops as Sekhmet wraps her arms around her, momentarily struck speechless. It's a... very strange sensation. Nobody's really hugged her in the time she's had a composite body; in Sekhmet's arms, she has the approximate consistency of the world's grossest bean bag.

But the sentiment is nice.

Tahara lets out a little sigh and breaks out of the hug. "...The swarm that makes up my body is birthed from several generations of roaches that have consumed my old body and the bits of my soul still clinging to it. If I lose too many at once, I need more to feed on it to replenish their numbers." She runs a finger along the bone fragment again. "...Averaging it out, this represents... two years, maybe, if I'm careful. I'm not going to drop dead if I give it to you. And this ritual is going to accomplish a lot more than I could in two years. It seems like the better use for it."

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
Sekhmet will hug anyone. Even a swarm of roaches or a creature covered in rusty metal spikes. As far as she's concerned, everyone deserves hugs. "I can't ask you to give up your future on my account," Sekhmet considers. "There has to be another way to get a pure heart, without killing or dooming anyone."

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

"...Hokay, I can see I'm gonna have to be a bit more straightforward about this." Tahara sighs. "I have no future. I don't have many real friends. My home is a literal junkyard. The only family I have left still hates me, even if she's not trying to kill me anymore. So when I tell you that I've got two years left, I want you to tell me... two years doing what?"

The trash witch shakes her head. "...Or I could not spend the next seven hundred days wallowing around in trash and actually help people. A lot of people, all at once." She gives Sekhmet a sad little smile. "Nobody's going to miss me. Even if they find out what I did... well, I've saved the world twice and nobody remembers that, either. What's one more sacrifice?" She claps her hand against Sekhmet's arm, a gesture that nearly causes it to break off at the wrist and which needs a moment for the roaches to knit it back together. "You're not asking me for my future. I'm giving it to you. Because I honestly, truthfully believe that's the best use for it. Are you still going to turn me down?"

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
Sekhmet clearly doesn't like it. As a rule, she does not sacrifice others for her gain. But will she allow someone else to sacrifice herself for her?
"I, uh..." She considers, "I could make you a new body, using a bit of this," she indicates the bone fragment, "And some of my essence." That would be a new demonic body. It's a similar treatment to what was used to resurrect Mary.

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

"And accomplish what?" Tahara raises an eyebrow... or a gum wrapper, same difference. "That's not gonna improve my lot in life and won't help your people... and it'll probably use up the bone fragment. It's kind of you to offer, but I don't see it helping."

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
"Well, if you're going to die because the roaches that make up your body will die, if you had a new, uh, non-roach body, that wouldn't be a problem, right?" That's one way to look at it. The more Sekhmet considers this idea the more she thinks it has merit. "I don't need the whole thing. Just a little bit," she pinches her fingers to indicate just how little, "It would work better with marrow." Dead, dry bone isn't the best source for genetic material, but that's not really an option.

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

"I..."

Tahara pauses for a moment, a hand on her chin as she takes a moment to genuinely consider it, before slowly shaking her head. "I still don't see that working." She begins. "A body is only half of the problem. If I just needed a new one I could probably find a seller somewhere. Maybe a golem-maker or something like that." She puts a hand over where her heart would be. "The trouble is that I don't have very much of a soul left. What you're suggesting is sort of like offering me a sports car in an oil shortage... nice, but sort of beside the point."

Tahara stops to take a sip of tea, not trusting her cobbled-together body to process more than that. "That's part of why I can get away with my little volunteers here. They're holding onto tiny bits of my being and sort of distort it like a lens to spread all over the swarm, while themselves providing the fuel needed to sustain me. If you can put me in a fully-functional body, with a completely intact but inert soul, that would revitalize me... but, as anybody with a moral compass could tell you, that would be messed up to the nth degree."

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
Sekhmet considers mentioning that she can provide inert soul-stuff (from her mother's stockpiles), but Tahara's right, that's really messed up. "So any replacement body would need to provide a similar, uh, lensing effect?" she surmises. "My husband is a golem crafter, he might be able to make something." She doesn't sound too sure. That's a complicated bit of arcane engineering.

[Ironsmith]

[Brignole Manor]

"If the body was the only issue, yes." Tahara replies, putting heavy emphasis on tbe first word. "I don't know how it works around here, but where I'm from, souls provide two things; definition and sustainment. Most people never run into the latter problem because their bodies give out long before their souls do, but people who use that untapped reserve of energy tend to run out of it within the course of a mortal lifespan... give or take. Even these roaches have way more... I'm tempted to say 'life force', if that helps clear things up... more life force than they'll ever need. They burn the excess to make up for the amount I would burn normally, so I can focus on keeping myself defined instead. Which is really sweet of them, and I don't get why people are so unkind to these lovely little beauties." She looks down at her body and smiles, briefly addressing her constituent parts. "Lensing takes care of that part. Spreads my image all across the swarm. But it doesn't make up for the fuel. If you were to just stick me into a golem body, I'd wink out of existence faster than you can say 'oops'."