Riverside

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

...Well. At least Atya didn't take this in the absolute worst possible way and bring Braon down to a sex dungeon or something. This room seems comparatively normal, apart from its conspicuous emptiness. But, that is what she asked for.

Of course, the trip down here is mostly marked with anxious silence. This isn't an approach Braon's ever taken to a social interaction of this nature before, so everything past that first door is as figuratively uncharted as it is literally. And even if things go to plan, this is probably going to end with Atya yelling and throwing things at her, which she very obviously isn't looking forward to.

And then the elf actually speaks, and Braon can't help but let out a small, relieved laugh.

"We're not going there again, are we?" She chortles, shaking her head. "It's okay. I'm not really in the killing business these days. I mean, I can if I have to, but... nah. No. I really just want to talk." She points up at the ceiling. "All those people up there need a calm, collected mayoral candidate, and yeah, props to you for playing the part, but I think we both know we couldn't have this conversation up there. There's no version of 'what the fuck do you think you're doing, stealing my man like that' those jerks aren't going to at least stop and stare at you for... and Adea forbid any of the local gossips are watching at the time."

Braon sighs and lowers her hand. "We both know you're not okay with this." She says quietly. "And nobody can blame you for that. And I'm not going to make you sit through the rest of what's supposed to be a party with you sitting there, half-drunk and this eating away at you. So..." She flops her arms at her sides awkwardly, shuffling nervously in place. "Yeah. Let it out, is what I'm saying, I guess."

[Shadowcaller]

Charity Dinner

"That's an excellent question!" says Atya to Obriane, beaming, "And one I care a lot about. I've spent a good part of my life living unhoused, and it's very important to me that people have shelter and their basic needs met. I'm going to allocate a sizeable amount of funding into rebuilding, create a volunteer program to expedite the work, and put some of my personal wealth into it as well." She considers for a second. "Well, that last bit will happen regardless of if I'm elected or not, actually. And all of this must be done without evicting people- there's no point in rebuilding if not to help those who need it."

People are a lot more important than buildings, after all.

"As for Hell Bend, I'm trying to figure out who's behind that attack. Obviously I can't step in and fix anything directly, but refugees will always be welcome, and we can try to provide humanitarian aid when needed." Although she doesn't specify, without knowing the motivation for the attack, there is of course a risk of Riverside being targeted as well. More information would definitely help.

Charity Dinner

Obriane nods. That all made sense.
To think that someone as fancy as miss Atya had been, on top of being a soldier and charity worker, homeless. It certainly didn't match her idea of an politician. But as money was usually on her mind she couldn't help but to consider...

"That's so very wholesome of you, miss Atya. I'm unhappy to say that I'm not really a charity person myself, there's so many expenses with... well... the kids and all that. But it sounds like you've had a real rags to riches story, miss. My mom love that sort of thing. They were my bedtime stories when I went to sleep honestly." Thinly disguised as fairy tales. She had always wondered why no one else had heard the story of the poor girl that became a dragon through hard work or the sequel which involved her becoming rich by becoming a banker and promoting economic growth in her community.

If nothing else, her mother had quite the imagination. Though she wasn't sure if she had understood that the dragon wasn't supposed to be a role model.

"So how did you do it? And I know I said I didn't have more questions but I feel like I have to ask."

[Outten Inn]

"Not so extensive that they're not willing to work out basic little-for-big-fish-type deals, I'd hope." Hana frowns.

"Apaht from dat, we'he also gonna want ouh van back. And what's left of ouh sentence dismissed, but I dhink you coulda already guessed dat."

"I think that about covers it, honestly." Hana shrugs. "Give us back our shit and let us get on with our lives. We're retiring after this, so that really should be the end of it."

[Outten Inn]

Ava raises an eyebrow. Retiring, huh? Well, she wasn't going to question it.
"And to be clear, what are you offering us in return? Since what you're asking for sounds more than reasonable to me at least."

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

Atya waves away Obriane's self deprecation, although she's still reeling a little bit from being called wholesome of all things. "You're already making the world a better place by raising your kids, no one would expect anything more. And let me tell you, my own charity is recent- I'm still getting used to having money to give."

She smiles at the memory of Obriane's mother- it's a cute story. But then comes that very difficult question, and she hesitates for a second.

Well, she can't possibly explain the truth. It would do her campaign no favors if it came out that her wealth, and her house, were stolen from an aristocratic sadist who had kept her locked in his basement until Daisy ate him. That just raises a lot of uncomfortable questions, not the least of which is that none of it is technically hers, except by looter's right.

"Honestly, there's only two ways to get rich- be born into it, or get incredibly lucky. The latter is how I did it. A... friend of mine was starting a business, and I invested heavily to support her. It turned out to be wildly successful, and I road her coattails to get where I am now." It's the best kind of lie, the one that's technically true. She's just not specifying how she got that investment capital in the first place.

"So yeah, if there's any takeaway from that, I guess it's to support your friends, because it might make you rich. And even if it doesn't, it's still worth doing, because friendship is important. And stuff." Her eloquence levels are dipping dangerously low as the night draws longer and her blood alcohol level increases.

[Gullara]

[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.

[Wandering Riverside]

Nadia chuckles and bumps against Irena's shoulder. She teases, but she'll hold off further. "Yes. I swear that boy is quickly getting more and more responsible just in time to fly the coop. We might miss the extra set of hands when he goes to university." Eliseo was already clear to get his pick of sports scholarships, so his destination after graduating seems clear. "It's good experience for him, anyway. I don't think grandchildren are a distant prospect. Better start mentally preparing for that."

[Shadowcaller]

[Wandering Riverside]

Irena groaned internally. Grand children, great.
She didn't know much about child rearing they were still children in her eyes even if they weren't in the eyes of the law.
"Already? Geez. They're still too young. They should at least live together a while first without us around." She pauses as, mercifully, a different topic turned up in her mind.

"You figure they might move to Inside for a while? Since I think the Kid wants some freedom and I'm not sure he can get the feeling of that while staying in the same city as us."

[Reinholdt]

[Charity Dinner]

"Uhh, yeah. Of course." Reinholdt follows, if for no other reason but to find out what Braon's thinking. He may have to deal with Braon a lot in the future, so figuring out what madness drives her to this request may provide insight into who exactly he's dealing with.

Oh and Atya was thinking pretty much the same thing Reinholdt was. This was a sudden and unexpected murder attempt. A very sexy murder attempt. Rein looks at Braon with eyebrow raised, ready for the lingerie and knives to come out.

Instead Braon speaks of discussion and theft. Specifically the theft of him. Huh? Well that's a little disappointing and confusing. No one's stolen him. He hasn't been kidnapped in years! Rein frowns a little though. Braon is probably right that Atya isn't okay with any of this based on the reactions he's seen thus far. If she needs to let it out, then...

Then Rein will stay quiet and let Atya let it out. Now's probably the best time for it. His attention turns towards her, ball in her court.

[Shadowcaller]

Charity Dinner

Atya waves away Obriane's self deprecation, although she's still reeling a little bit from being called wholesome of all things. "You're already making the world a better place by raising your kids, no one would expect anything more. And let me tell you, my own charity is recent- I'm still getting used to having money to give."

She smiles at the memory of Obriane's mother- it's a cute story. But then comes that very difficult question, and she hesitates for a second.

Well, she can't possibly explain the truth. It would do her campaign no favors if it came out that her wealth, and her house, were stolen from an aristocratic sadist who had kept her locked in his basement until Daisy ate him. That just raises a lot of uncomfortable questions, not the least of which is that none of it is technically hers, except by looter's right.

"Honestly, there's only two ways to get rich- be born into it, or get incredibly lucky. The latter is how I did it. A... friend of mine was starting a business, and I invested heavily to support her. It turned out to be wildly successful, and I road her coattails to get where I am now." It's the best kind of lie, the one that's technically true. She's just not specifying how she got that investment capital in the first place.

"So yeah, if there's any takeaway from that, I guess it's to support your friends, because it might make you rich. And even if it doesn't, it's still worth doing, because friendship is important. And stuff." Her eloquence levels are dipping dangerously low as the night draws longer and her blood alcohol level increases.

Charity Dinner

To Obriane that made sense since she had never heard about Atya until she was suddenly running for mayor so her rise from obscurity must have been pretty sudden. "I don't think I have enough money to invest into anything unfortunately, but it's still a good lesson. Maybe I'll tell it to the kids once they get older." And hopefully after Atya was elected, since it would give the story a lot more impact.

Then she hesitated since there was actually one more question. One she had figured would have been answered through the other questions she had asked. Yet Atya hadn't even mentioned it as far as she could recall.
"But there was, uh, we got into it when we discussed the police but would you want to unite the city if you could?" Obriane gives Atya a sheepish smile as it wasn't exactly the simplest question to just throw in at the end. She was probably exhausted now...

[Gullara]

[Wandering Riverside]

Nadia raises her eyebrows. "I don't think you know what soon means in this context. They're still in high school, Irena, and I'm sure we raised Eliseo better than that." Irena's poor frames of reference can still surprise her to this day.

"It's their choice what they do after they graduate, though. I don't follow your logic, though. A city is a big place to gain your own space. I'm sure he'll want to move out, at least."

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

"Well, you invested your time into coming here," says Atya to Obriane with a smile, "You're investing in the future of your kids, and the well being of the community. I'd say that counts for something, wouldn't you?." Which is exactly the kind of fairly meaningless but nice sounding response that rich people tend to be good at. God, what has she become?

"And that is a good question. You're full of those, huh? I know you're not a journalist, but you'd be skilled at it." She thinks for a moment. "Yeah, I think a lot of the problems in the city come from having vastly different governing systems and values, and I think uniting it would be a greatly positive change. Whether it's possible, well, that's another question entirely. But it's certainly something I've thought about, and it's an issue I'll no doubt be exploring in the future."

Which is true enough. It's likely impossible without a mini civil war, considering how some of the other factions are... less than friendly. But it would sure be nice.

---

...Oh. So Braon isn't talking about murder or sex. Instead she's talking about feelings, which are way more dangerous. Atya glances between her and Reinholdt, looking like a deer in the headlights.

"...Okay. You know what? Fuck you for being so nice. This would be a lot easier if I hated you," she says to Braon after a moment, letting out a nervous chuckle. Walking over to the couch, she sits down, staring at the floor for a few moments in silence. How honest should she be? Well, completely. She has to be, otherwise she'd always regret it.

"I'm not worried about you stealing Reinholdt," she says at last, "He can make his own choices. Although if I'm being honest, I would love some more communication about us," she glances at Reinholdt, "I mean, we haven't officially labeled what we have going on. I don't even know if you want to be exclusive, you've never said. If not, tell me so I can join in, you know?" It's not a joke, but she does manage a cheeky smile before her eyes cloud again.

"The thing is... well there's a couple things. I mean, it's stupid to be jealous, that's not who I am. But it's just a little hard when other people get to have something with you that I never can. I'm not going to throw a fit about it, I just wish... it doesn't matter. I wish a lot of things." She bites her lip and glances at Braon. "No, you've been much nicer than you ever needed to be, you deserve to know. My only child died, and I can't have any more. Which is part of why I'm a little off about this."

She hunches over, staring unseeing at the cigarette between her fingers. "But honestly the main thing on my mind is that, well, I care about you a lot, Reinholdt. I want to be a part of your life, and if these are your kids, then I want to be a part of their life too, if Braon lets me. Maybe it'd even help me, in a weird way. But... I'm dangerous."

Atya holds up a hand; she already knows the argument that's coming. "And look, I know that your own life is full of dangers and risks, and you think mine can't be that much worse. But I'm actively being hunted by iii, and they're never going to stop. I just started a war with the Skyside Slaver's Guild, and I can't back down from that. Not to mention running for mayor- if I win I'll have even more enemies. And I don't think I could ever forgive myself if they hurt you, or even worse, went after your family."

Finally looking up, she blinks rapidly. Is she crying? She's not actually sure. "What I'm saying is, if they are your kids, you need to be in their lives. I know how much an absent father messes with you firsthand. But if you're in their lives, and I'm in yours, then by association I'm putting them at risk, and I don't know how to make that work." Atya buries her face in her hands. "So yeah, there's my cards. I wish I could just be mad at you both, but you're doing the right thing. It's just that the right thing really sucks for me, and it's up to me to make sure it doesn't suck for you too."

Unwilling to look either of them in the eye, she concentrates on thumbing out her cigarette on an ashtray sitting on the coffee table, as if it's the most important thing in the world.

[Shadowcaller]

[Wandering Riverside]

Nadia raises her eyebrows. "I don't think you know what soon means in this context. They're still in high school, Irena, and I'm sure we raised Eliseo better than that." Irena's poor frames of reference can still surprise her to this day.

"It's their choice what they do after they graduate, though. I don't follow your logic, though. A city is a big place to gain your own space. I'm sure he'll want to move out, at least."

[Wandering Riverside]

So what was 'soon' then? Geez, no wonder people thought life was short when 'soon' was more than a couple of years.
"That's my point, I've looked stuff like this up. Once they get out of the nest they'll want to test their wings. See the world. That kind of stuff. I bet you he's gonna take Ana on a long trip to some exotic place like Seaside once they graduate. Maybe even live there a while to 'find himself' or some bulls- something like that." Irena argues while gesturing animatedly.

"Since face it, we've been living here our entire lives and the Kid has seen every part of the city at this point which honestly isn't that big. Not compared to Inside or... well, the other big ones." She didn't even want to mention Skyside. Just the idea that the Kid would go even near that city concerned her. But he was smarter than that. He had to be smarter than that.

[Gullara]

[Wandering Riverside]

"Maybe, but An- May is another matter. I don't imagine she's quite as eager to run off as you think Eliseo is." Nadia observes. She's not sure how accurate Irena's predictions about Eliseo are, but she thinks her own about May aren't irrelevant. "I think we can tell at this point that Eliseo will follow May wherever she wants to go. At least for the foreseeable future."

[Shadowcaller]

[Wandering Riverside]

"That's true-" A beat.

"May? What do you mean, May?" Sounds like Irena hasn't heard.

Charity Dinner

Obriane rubs the back of her head awkwardly at the compliments and let's out a nervous chuckle.
So she's not going to comment and commit to the new subject. "It sure would be nice. My daughters boyfriend lives in Westside and while she's visiting them I'm always concerned that she's going to be subjected to some of the crazy laws they have over there which is crazy considering we all live in the same city."

[Ironsmith]

[Outten Inn]

"...Arright, from da top." Hazel takes a seat on the couch and starts counting out the terms on her fingers. "Any leads we find in dhese recohds? Dhey'he youhs. Da recohds dhemselves? Also youhs. Da infohmation we'he usin' ta find dhose leads? Dhey'he also youhs. And if dhere's anything we can do ta give da Guild even mohe of a black eye? Just gotta ask."

"And in return, our stuff and lives back, as previously stated." Hana finishes. "Pretty basic stuff, really."


[Charity Dinner]

At "fuck you for being nice", Braon just gives a sympathetic smile and a little nod. Yeah, she knows that feeling. "Sorry. I'll try to be more of a bitch next time. Shouldn't be hard to pull off." She quips.

But, as the conversation turns more serious, Braon's smile disappears, and she waits attentively for Atya to finish saying her piece. By the time she has, Braon's sitting next to her awkwardly, hovering her hand on the couch behind her, not certain whether she wants to go in and give this poor woman another hug or not; it seemed to work pretty well last time, but these are much, much heavier subjects than she was expecting.

And it's not like she doesn't have a point. If Braon involves Rein in her kids' lives, there's no way she could get away with not involving Atya. That's just setting them both up for a disaster. And if Atya gets involved, and these people who are after her see that she's close to these very young and very squishy babies...

Braon's expression hardens as she considers the thought. Putting her children at risk is something she can never do. Absent father problems be damned. And that's assuming Rein even is the father in the first place.

But... exactly what is she supposed to do now? Shove them both away and tell them to stay the hell away from her and her children? It's not like that would be especially hard to...

...

Fuck.

"...We're going to figure this out." Braon says finally, setting her hand on Atya's opposite shoulder. "Somehow. It's... it's a whole huge ball of fucked-upness, yeah, and I'm not going to sit here and say I've got a plan, because I absolutely do not, but..."

...Exactly how was she planning on finishing that sentence? She can't promise Atya anything. Especially not with the risks spread out like that.

Braon glances up at Reinholdt and gives a pointed nod back toward Atya. This was definitely much more his department than hers.

[Arkhosia]

► SHOW SPOILER

[Bird Watching]

There's a moment of surprise and confusion on Atsede's face as she's pushed back, looking up to hear the voice of an ex. "Dulcie?"

And then the soda hits, causing the changeling to gasp in shock as the cold drink soaks into her hair and clothes, leaving her drenched. There's a very, very brief pause as she takes it all in. Then, "What the FUCK!!?"

Someone else in the audience gives an annoyed shush, and Atsede briefly returns their glare, before spinning back to face Dulcinea. "You!" She hissed in fury-albiet a bit quieter this time- as she noticed Reilana in the back, and then a more general, "what the fuck was that for!?" It's probably hard for any of the three to take her indignation seriously though, what with her hair being plastered to her face with cola.

[Bird Watching]

"Payback for ruining my plans," Dulcinea answers simply, looking down her nose at the soaked bird with a ghoulish satisfaction. "Oh, and for dumping me. That was the more important part. Thank you for the assist, Skyla. Couldn't have done it without you." The half-elf offers a polite look to Skyla, who slips out of her seat and circles round with a jaunty step to her movements. Dulcinea fishes out a movie ticket and a pair of gold coins, then tosses it over. "As requested, and a little extra. Go buy something nice."
"Gladly. It'd be better than hanging around here," Skyla snarks.

[Reinholdt]

[Charity Dinner]

There's a lot to unpack there. A lot of good points too. Reinholdt stares down at the carpet for a bit longer than he should before he steps over to the couch. He doesn't join the two women and sit upon it, crouching down instead to get to about Atya's eye level. To see those near tears directly. His hand reaches around behind her to hold her hair softly and keep her from looking away. Slowly his lips will press against hers, kissing her meaningfully, despite the icky smoke. When they part, he keeps his eyes focused on her gaze. "You're kind Atya. I know you don't believe it, so I'll say it again. You're kind Atya. You always have been. Already thinking about someone else. Thinking about making a mistake to protect us. I don't plan on letting go that easy. I collect treasure remember? And you're most valuable." Reinholdt's lips curl up in a small smile.

Laying his forehead against Atya's, Rein sighs slowly. "You're right... and you're wrong. iii and the Slaver's Guild are companies both. The bottom line matters most to them. The surest way in the Nexus to tank their image and implode their profits? Attack helpless children at GLoG. It'd be an absolute death sentence for them and they know it. They may come after you, or me, or Braon... but I think the kids are safe. Besides, you haven't met Sophie yet. No one escapes unscathed from her watchful gaze."

Reinholdt pulls back a bit and pats Atya encouragingly. "This is what, our third date? If you count the heist." Rein smiles a bit and pulls at the necklace he's wearing. A pendant on a fine silver chain, made of a multicolored stone, perhaps opal or labradorite, and carved to resemble a rose. "I haven't been seeing anyone else since we've started. Do you want to be exclusive? I'd love to be your one and only."

[Gullara]

[Bird Watching]

There's a moment of surprise and confusion on Atsede's face as she's pushed back, looking up to hear the voice of an ex. "Dulcie?"

And then the soda hits, causing the changeling to gasp in shock as the cold drink soaks into her hair and clothes, leaving her drenched. There's a very, very brief pause as she takes it all in. Then, "What the FUCK!!?"

Someone else in the audience gives an annoyed shush, and Atsede briefly returns their glare, before spinning back to face Dulcinea. "You!" She hissed in fury-albiet a bit quieter this time- as she noticed Reilana in the back, and then a more general, "what the fuck was that for!?" It's probably hard for any of the three to take her indignation seriously though, what with her hair being plastered to her face with cola.

[Bird Watching]

"Payback for ruining my plans," Dulcinea answers simply, looking down her nose at the soaked bird with a ghoulish satisfaction. "Oh, and for dumping me. That was the more important part. Thank you for the assist, Skyla. Couldn't have done it without you." The half-elf offers a polite look to Skyla, who slips out of her seat and circles round with a jaunty step to her movements. Dulcinea fishes out a movie ticket and a pair of gold coins, then tosses it over. "As requested, and a little extra. Go buy something nice."
"Gladly. It'd be better than hanging around here," Skyla snarks.

[Bird Watching]

"Hell, you're dumb, aren't you?" Reilana leans forward in her seat, ignoring the shushes around her. "Fuck around and find out. Ever heard of it?"

[Wandering Riverside]

"That's true-" A beat.

"May? What do you mean, May?" Sounds like Irena hasn't heard.

[Wandering Riverside]

Nadia sighs. "Irena. Eliseo told us about this. 'Ana' is trying out calling herself May. I expect you to remember that." She gives her wife a penetrating look. Nadia's amde it her personal mission to make sure May is as comfortable as possible given the recent events.

[Meowmai]

[Bird Watching]

Okay, so she was maybe a little bit of an asshole with how she went about dumping Duclie, sure, but c'mon! That obviously wasn't gonna work out! And, "what plans!?" she splutters. What was this girl talking about?

She then turns to Skyla, full realization dawning on her about her betrayal. "You were in on this?" A beat. "For how long!???"

Despite Dulcinea being the actual culprit of the current crime, Atsede's gaze grows more venomous as she looks at Reilana. "So what, jumping me in a fucking alleyway wasn't enough for you, you freak!?" The changeling's held a grudge about that for a while.

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

Atya nods sympathetically at Obriane. "Yeah, you're not the only one dealing with similar things. It's one thing to have a city be split up, it's another thing for there to be completely different laws in each part." She makes a face. "And trust me, I will be exploring options as far as trying to unite things more. Even if I'm not able to do anything that drastic, maybe I can at least provide some transparency between local laws or residential immunity, stuff like that." She runs a hand through her hair. It's certainly a complex situation.

"Well, I have to thank you- most people are just here to eat my food, but you've asked a lot of very thought provoking questions. It's good to hear first hand what issues citizens care about, and I think that's a lot more valuable than listening to stuffy, out of touch politicians all day." Atya can be out of touch sometimes, but no one can accuse her of stuffiness.

---

As Braon embraces Atya again, the elf hesitates, then leans into her, the earlier stiffness gone. She's well aware that the easiest and safest thing to do would be to simply walk away and forget about the night's events, and the fact that the fiendling is choosing to stick around says a lot about her character. Not to mention that she's the one who pushed to talk things through in the first place.

Then Reinholdt kneels down and holds her head. She kisses him back, her lips almost clinging to his as if she doesn't want the moment to end. As he talks, she listens quietly, her eyes wide and bright as she holds back tears.

Which doesn't last long. When he says he's not letting her go, her gaze drops and she blinks rapidly, teardrops running down her cheeks. "Fuck." She leans her head into his, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

He does make a very good point. Even though he mentioned earlier that the kids were at GLOG, the implications of that hadn't fully sunk in. Not only would moving against them look terrible, but the organization provided a huge deal of security. iii or the Guild would certainly go after individuals, but attacking a rival group with strong resources and powerful defenders is a much worse proposition for them. It's still a risk... but a much lower risk than she initially thought.

Upon seeing the necklace, she smiles, then her expression fades as Reinholdt asks about being exclusive. Not because she doesn't want that, but because it feels too good to be true. After all, she was just talking about leaving for the sake of the kids.

"I... think I'd like that very much," she says finally, giving him a crooked half grin. She leans forward, rubbing at her eyes.

"Damn. You're both way too sweet, you know that? What did I to deserve friends like you?" She sits back, brushing her hair out of her face. Glancing over at Braon, she takes her hand and squeezes it.

"Rein's right. Your location should help to keep you safe. But I don't want to take any chances. Right now, no one knows what our connection is. When I visit, I can travel an indirect route and wear a disguise. With any luck, they won't have a reason to target you at all." She smiles sadly, her eyes still a little watery. "I can't promise your complete safety. But I can promise that I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing bad happens. Hell, I can even give you a bodyguard if you want." Being rich has its perks.

Turning to Rein, she reaches out with her other hand to take his. "And thank you, for... letting me in. I know I'm not exactly the easiest person to date. But as long as you want me around, I'm yours."

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

Seeing Atya and Reinholdt have a moment like that, Braon starts to see a previously-unanticipated problem, the kind that is extremely obvious in hindsight, but which had gone unaccounted for in the moment.

Namely, that sickly, churning feeling in her stomach that came with witnessing the little bit of intimacy between them.

Not that she's jealous. It's not in her nature to be jealous. It's just... well, she's suddenly rather aware that she doesn't really have a Rein of her own. Or anybody else in that position, for that matter. Nobody kisses her and tells her she's a kind woman. She doesn't even care if it's true, she'd like somebody to say it.

And besides, she had Rein. For the one night. At her own request. She really doesn't have anybody to blame but herself. If she'd played that one a little differently, that could be her locking lips with the cat-man. Instead, she's going to have to settle for him popping in every now and then, for the sake of her kids.

Not her.

...If Atya is a treasure worth holding onto, Braon doesn't want to know what that makes her in this side-by-side comparison.

But, the moment Atya brings her back into the conversation, she forces the feeling down and manages a small, hopefully convincing smile. She'll have to figure out what to do with that feeling later. For now, they've got other things to worry about.

The good news is, Atya seems to be taking this incredibly seriously. Coming in disguise was something that had crossed Braon's mind, but was nowhere near solid enough an idea for her to present to an obviously-upset elf. And... a bodyguard? That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all.

Braon gives Atya's hand another squeeze and not-quite-consciously leans against her. Heh. She's all right, really. It says something about her, too, that she's willing to put Braon on the same level as Rein, despite having only met tonight.

"Friends like you."

...Damn. Crying wasn't supposed to be contagious, last time she checked.

"...Maybe we should stay down here for a minute." She offers, turning her head away and wiping at her eyes. "Give us all just a... a little more time to calm down before we have to go up there and pretend we don't know each other again."

Maybe not the best way of phrasing it. Especially since she really didn't know either of them very well, and Rein and Atya don't at all have to pretend they aren't kissing outside the public's view. But hopefully it's still enough to get the point across.

[Rebonack]

[Crash Site]

Suddenly a huge guy bursts into the room!

Olympia tenses, briefly, but it looks like the threat of violence is simmering at worst. Just chatting and moving aside. Great.

It really sucks that the boarding party might still be on board. That's almost definitely gunna result in a fight. Given that these guys are military or pirates or something that means lethal force will be zipping around and it's gonna be hard to judge the force she'll need.

When you can punch hard enough to stop a speeding bus it's stupid hard to know how hard you've gotta hit a villain to stop em without hurting them too bad.

Hopefully this will just be medical care and nothing else.

"Better than nothing. I think this guy just hit his head real hard. The scrapes suck but they aren't gunna kill him. See if you can find anyone else alive," Olympia replies to Jade.

She's gunna have to do another run through the Neon Bunkers again soon. The medical stuff she's found in there has absolutely saved people.

"Do you know anything about the pirate guy she was talking about?" Olympia inquires of Jade.


[Street Food!]

Khannie takes another bite of her sandwich and thinks about Fel's reply a bit. "Okay that's cool but I guess I mean what do you actually do? Is it like... developing new spells? Or technology? Or just like regular science research?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Outten Inn]

"...Arright, from da top." Hazel takes a seat on the couch and starts counting out the terms on her fingers. "Any leads we find in dhese recohds? Dhey'he youhs. Da recohds dhemselves? Also youhs. Da infohmation we'he usin' ta find dhose leads? Dhey'he also youhs. And if dhere's anything we can do ta give da Guild even mohe of a black eye? Just gotta ask."

"And in return, our stuff and lives back, as previously stated." Hana finishes. "Pretty basic stuff, really."

[Outten Inn]

"And how do you like to sign this deal? A handshake, a contract? A spit in the hand?" Ava smiles.

In other words, she agreed to those terms.

Charity Dinner

Atya nods sympathetically at Obriane. "Yeah, you're not the only one dealing with similar things. It's one thing to have a city be split up, it's another thing for there to be completely different laws in each part." She makes a face. "And trust me, I will be exploring options as far as trying to unite things more. Even if I'm not able to do anything that drastic, maybe I can at least provide some transparency between local laws or residential immunity, stuff like that." She runs a hand through her hair. It's certainly a complex situation.

"Well, I have to thank you- most people are just here to eat my food, but you've asked a lot of very thought provoking questions. It's good to hear first hand what issues citizens care about, and I think that's a lot more valuable than listening to stuffy, out of touch politicians all day." Atya can be out of touch sometimes, but no one can accuse her of stuffiness.

Charity Dinner

Obriane let's out another nervous laugh. "Well, I wouldn't know. You're the first politician I've met actually. In person I mean. That big red lady has been in charge here for so long but I've never actually met her or seen her around. I'm not even sure if she lives here or not. I heard she only lives here part time, spending a lot of time in HALO."

[Wandering Riverside]

Nadia sighs. "Irena. Eliseo told us about this. 'Ana' is trying out calling herself May. I expect you to remember that." She gives her wife a penetrating look. Nadia's amde it her personal mission to make sure May is as comfortable as possible given the recent events.

[Wandering Riverside]

"Right, sorry. But it was like a week ago and sometimes I can't keep up y'know? Been a busy one." Irena waves her hand. "So- May, remind me, did the Kid also say why she wanted to change her name? Since I can't recall that either apparently."

[Ironsmith]

[Outten Inn]

"Wit' a contract, obviously." Hazel smirks. "Doin' this right involves talkin' ta a lot of diffehent people, so we'he gonna need dhem all ta litehally be on da same page."

"And, not to disparage your integrity or anything, but with a deal like this, if it isn't written down, it didn't happen. And side note; if it's only written down on one flammable, shreddable, loseable sheet of paper, it might as well not be written at all. So we're going to want a copy and to see it filed redundantly."

"...But you know what? Dat's all a problem for da mohning." Hazel stretches and rolls her shoulders. "You planning on going anywhehe else tonight? Cause it's been a while since Han and I had guests oveh. And afteh dat business at da exchange, I want ta make suhe dhere's no hahd feelings between us."

Hana briefly frowns as the offer is made, but then gives her head a quirky little tilt and grins at Ava. "Right! You've been a pretty good sport about all of this. People don't get rewarded for that very often in our line of work. Consider it an advance on the contract, yeah?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Outten Inn]

"...yes. I apologize, I should have make clearer that was in jest." Ava remarks as she gives the two a nod. Her expression now somber. "Though my father did always say that contracts were for people that had something to hide, usually in the fine print." But in this there was little in the way of other options.

Then an offer she wasn't expecting is put forth. "Erm, I got the impression you needed your own time. Would that be incorrect then?" She points a thumb at the door. "Since I could just pay for my own room."

How far were they from Riverside right now? She hadn't really been able to keep track of it as a spider.

[Gullara]

[Wandering Riverside]

"Right, sorry. But it was like a week ago and sometimes I can't keep up y'know? Been a busy one." Irena waves her hand. "So- May, remind me, did the Kid also say why she wanted to change her name? Since I can't recall that either apparently."

[Wandering Riverside]

"No, he just told us what the situation was. If you want to know you can ask her." Nadia points out. Irena could stand to be more sociable after all, especially with May.

[Ironsmith]

[Outten Inn]

The hotel in question is pretty far from Riverside; several hours of driving are needed to make the trip, assuming Hazel didn't attempt any confusing back-and-forth routing. Presumably, it'd be an even longer trip on foot, and it's unlikely either of the Reevermans would be eilling to part with their vehicle or drive Ava back. Calling for a ride would be unlikely to play out well, either.

"Now, what would dat accomplish?" Hazel frowns, quirking her head. "Otheh den puttin' ya someplace we can't keep an eye on ya? Ya can't think we'd want ta do dat, now, can ya?"

"Besides, it'll be fun!" Hana injects, wrapping an arm around Ava's shoulders and giving her a friendly pat on the back. "We'll put on some old movies, have some snacks, maybe swap a few stories... you know, like your average sleepover. Then in the morning we can start putting files together, and you can call up whoever you need to in order to get everything finalized."

"...It's not really any riskieh for ya dan knockin' on ouh dooh was in da fihst place." Hazel points out. "So no sense in gettin' cold feet now."

[Reinholdt]

[Charity Dinner]

"I guess you're just that charming," Reinholdt tells Atya with a small shrug and a large smile. He gives her hand a squeeze. "Now enough of that. I'm not going to let anyone put my girlfriend down, especially my girlfriend." A leopard-print handkerchief will find its way to Atya's cheek as Rein dabs it gently, careful to not mess up any makeup. If she reaches up for it, he'll hand it over so she can do the rest herself. He's probably got more just like it somewhere in his pockets.

... Oh goddesses, now Braon is crying too. Really? Really?? What happened now?! Rein will never understand women. He immediately digs in those pockets and pulls out a pink panther themed handkerchief and offers it to Braon. "I think pretending we don't know each other is long past an option now. We've been seen like three separate ways and someone's bound to have noticed us slipping out. I wouldn't be surprised if we're all on the front page together tomorrow. Next they'll be writing fanfics..." Nothing will tank this election faster than fanfiction. It might be time for an aggressive censorship campaign.

"But taking a minute sounds like a good idea." Reinholdt moves in and sits down beside Atya, his mind already wandering to all the things he's going to have to do now. He grows a little quiet, trying to sort out all his own feelings. There's a lot to untangle and overwhelmed certainly seems like the overriding choice at the moment. Maybe it's not even worth trying until they get the test results back. He's only going to feel anxious until they do though. It's a good thing he hadn't yet hit the hors-d'oeuvres.

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

"Oh yeah, I know of her. Never met though," says Atya to Obriane, leaning back in her chair. "Can't say I'm a fan of leaders who don't spend any time with their people. If you aren't a member of your community, then how would you know how to run it?"

She shrugs dismissively. "Not to throw any shade, of course. No one's perfect, I'm sure my opponents will be more than happy to dust off any skeletons they can find in my closet. But all I can do is give it my best shot." And as long as no one learns about the serial killer thing, it shouldn't be that bad.

"So, what do you think? Can I count on your support? Not that you need to decide right now, of course." Atya smiles winningly. She can never really tell how much people believe her "I'm a normal and good person" act.

---

Atya accepts the handkerchief from Reinholdt, smiling in spite of herself at the design. Of course he has themed kerchiefs. She dabs carefully at her eyes, seemingly quite practiced at not smudging her makeup. Still, it's not going to be perfect- but when is anything?

While she's doing that, Braon gets a sidelong glance. Atya recognizes very well what a fake smile looks like- it's all about the eyes. There's been a lot of standing in the mirror and practicing in her life, and Braon does have some very similar mannerisms to her. She idly wonders if that means that Reinholdt has a type.

Bitchy depressed baddie with hidden depths isn't the worst type to have.

For now she'll file away her doubts about Braon for another time. Maybe she's just not willing to talk about whatever's bothering her with Rein there. Or maybe it's Atya who's the problem.

"I wouldn't count on the cat being out of the bag just yet, if you'll pardon the expression. I've been seen with a lot of individuals tonight. Sure, people will know we're a couple, but I doubt that many will make the connection with Braon unless there's repeated sightings of us together. Gossip magazines might make something of it, but they'll be onto a more thrilling story in just a couple days." The nice thing about the public is that it has the attention span of a mayfly.

As Reinholdt sits down, Atya leans back into his arms, pushing her head into his chest with a sigh. At the same time she shifts, swinging her legs up to lay across Braon's lap. There, that's more comfortable. For her at least.

"We should go tomorrow, yeah? To find out?" No point in delaying things, and she can tell the not knowing is bothering Reinholdt. And probably all of them, for that matter. She glances over at Braon.

"And just so you know, even if they're not his, that doesn't mean I'm withdrawing my support. That would make me a pretty shitty friend." Which she's really trying not to be anymore.

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

Braon, likewise, accepts the handkerchief and dabs away at her eyes.

Dab-dab. Dab-dab. Dab-dab-a-dab-a dab. Dab dab dab dab dab.

Fortunately, she's still in the early stages and has managed to dry it up quickly enough that she never escalates to needing to blow her nose, so the handkerchief is still in a returnable state when she finishes, provided Rein doesn't mind it being a little wet.

She looks somewhat less enthused when Atya decides her lap would make a good footrest, but settles again before she seems to feel the need to voice a complaint.

And then Atya says the thing.

If Braon was torn before, she's in tatters now. On the one hand, taken at face value, that has to be the single nicest offer anybody's made her since she first learned she was pregnant. Apparently unconditional support for Braon's children, from a lady she, again, just met tonight, on the premise that she considers them friends, isn't exactly a small offer.

But, on the other hand, everything Atya was worried about still applied, so if Rein isn't the father there's no sense in taking the unnecessary risk. Plus, there's very clearly a selfish motivation at play here, too; Atya wants kids, and being able to see Braon's every now and then would give her the best of both worlds even with the risk; she can just step out whenever she doesn't feel like being an aunt and then step back in whenever she does. With that context, the bit about being Braon's friend starts to sound a bit more... manipulative.

No. Shut up, stupid brain. You're being paranoid.

...Is she, though?

Seeming to realize she hasn't said anything in a moment, Braon gently lowers Atya's feet back to the floor. "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves." She says quietly, attempting her best impression of a diplomatic tone (and quietly thanking Sophie she had a ready example to reference). "...We do still have a paternity test ahead of us."

But now Braon gets to dread both outcomes.

Lovely.

[Shadowcaller]

[Wandering Riverside]

"When? If I approach her while she's with the Kid he'll probably yell at me and I never really know when she's alone." And it didn't seem like a question she could ask over the phone.
"But if she didn't tell you maybe she doesn't even like to talk about it."

[Outten Inn]

"If you don't trust me enough to have a separate room why would you trust me to fulfill my end of the deal?" Ava points out as her gaze follows Hana as she approaches. She isn't sure what to think of this. It was clearly a strategy of some kind. A final test of trustworthiness perhaps? Or a means to subdue her.
Considering the kind of thing the two had pulled before she wasn't sure she could trust much of what they said. This pair seemed to lie as easily as they breathed.

Of course she still couldn't see a motive for them doing so. Not after all this.
But of course, that didn't meant there wasn't one.

"But... say that I stay, am I just supposed to sleep in the couch? I admit it feels strange just getting this close to you guys."

Charity Dinner

"Well, she apparently fought during the demonic invasion and saved a lot of people back then so that's probably why she's still so popular." Obriane reasons.
"But I can't see myself voting for her, no. She feels a bit... out of touch." She gestures to Atya. "Which is, among other reasons, why I'm going to support you, miss Atya."

[Ironsmith]

[Outten Inn]

"...You serious?"

Hana and Hazel look at Ava with matching raised eyebrows, seeming to have a hard time avoiding breaking out into giggle fits.

Finally, Hazel breaks from the moment with a wistful little sigh. "Ah, I remembeh when we wehe dat naive." She chortles.

"Look, detective. You're new to this, so we'll give you a quick tutorial." Hana offers, plopping onto the couch. "No, we don't trust you. No, you shouldn't trust us. All of us have lying to each other as part of our job descriptions. It's nothing personal, of course. But we'd be pretty terrible at what we do if we couldn't lie to you with a completely straight face."

"And since ya ahn't neahly expehienced enough to spot it, ya should probably fact-check evehything we say." Hazel adds in. "Not disbelieve, cause we'll still tell da truth evehy now and dhen. But neveh, neveh assume we ahn't lying to you."

"That being said." Hana uncrosses her legs and smirks. "It's all still just the job. We've got our own goals, you've got yours, and if we succeed at ours while foiling yours or vice versa, there's no point in taking it all that hard; there's no malice on either side here. It's just a question of being outplayed. Happens to everyone; better to learn from it than be a sore loser."

"It's all vehy zen, afteh a cehtain point." Hazel adds, leaning against the counter next to the fridge. "Ya get used ta it. Or ya wake up in ya undehweah tied ta bedpost one mohning and realize dis ain't da life for ya." She pulls open the drawer next to her and produces a roll of duct tape, tossing it idly back and forth between her hands.

"So, the main point, though." Hana smiles. "We don't trust you. So our strategy for getting our freedom in the end revolves around your honesty being irrelevant. And if you've got any sense- which it looks like you do, you seem like a smart cookie- you'll do the same."

"Now, bein' thr spohts we ahe, we'll let ya pick. Ya want da couch or da bed?"