Riverside

[quillpleasant]

Chateau Xilo

Atya slowly nods as Rowan talks. He's right that the most effective lies are the ones that aren't even really lies, just a simple twist or omission of the truth. This plan is sounding like it could definitely work.

"I can provide the portal technology, courtesy of my ex. As for your Granny, well, I have no idea if iii could actually help- but they'd definitely try to convince you they could. They love to prey on people with problems, so I think a story like that would be almost irresistible."

"I, uh... I don't know if this is a great idea, dudes. It sounds really risky," says Simon, looking nervously between them. Atya arches an eyebrow at him.

"It is! But we care about you. I know I'm willing to take that risk. Of course, I have more skin in the game than either of you, since this is a war I've been fighting for years." She glances at Rowan. Does he care enough about Simon to potentially risk his life for him?

[Shadowcaller]

[Outten Inn]

"Dhat makes sense." Hazel nods, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Someplace like back home, da slave trade would neveh pick up. Not just cuz we hate it, but cuz da mahket just isn't dhehe. Why go to all da trouble of chainin' somebody up and makin' dhem clean when you can just get a roomba?"

"But the Guild and its associated businesses seemed a bit more... crude." Hana agrees, re-organizing her cards in her hand. "Like they were built with actual, literal trash. The weapons and outfits in the gladiator ring, the restraints the Guild used before then, the armaments among Guild members... I don't think they do it just for aesthetic. They seem like they're, you know, scrounging. And the people they're trading with are, too."

"So not really vehy advanced on dheir own." Hazel finishes.

"Right." Hana nods. "I mean, I'm still pretty sure the higher-ranking Guild members are all wealthy enough for our little scheme to work, but that's the higher-ups. I don't think very much of that money gets re-invested in their own business."

[Outten Inn]

"And from what I understand, the guild is just a symptom of the city it's a part of. Or a parasite on a diseased animal. Whatever analogue you want to use for their relationship with Skyside."

She glances at her cards again and exchanges looks with the two. "So do we raise or...?" Admittedly, she was a bit rusty on the rules of poker.

But before they can answer that she has something else to point out. "I do agree we need to go after the leaders though. Which ultimately means going into Skyside and that's far beyond my jurisdiction. Unless of course they're ever stupid enough to leave that nest of theirs."

[Keeper]

Chateau Xilo

"Well, we're going to need some time to set all this up. And so I'll keep my options open." Rowan nods, as if convincing himself.
"But I do care about you, Simon. And this is the least I can do after well, what I accidentally did to you. Never let anyone say that Rowan Elkthorn doesn't take extra good care of his adorable minions." Oh no now Simon is getting another crushing dragon-hug.
Then his attention returns to Atya.
"Think they'd be the type to not let me bring my bag of tricks with me if I joined?" Because if they didn't he could bring quite a few things with him

[Gullara]

As you may be well aware, I took over running HALO some time ago, and myself, along with Reinholdt and all the wonderful and brilliant minds who work with us are dedicated to science, and we strive to learn and experiment to make the Nexus a better place, and I’m certain the same is true of VIGIL, and while I cannot speak for MERC, as that’s the one I’m not a member of, I believe these organizations can be vital pieces of the health and prosperity of Eastside.

Eastside Debates

Atya raises her eyebrow at Felandria's answer, although she's still reeling from the way the incumbent mayor just poured a bagful of gold and jewels onto the stage. It feels like both an ostentatious show of wealth and something like a bribe. Not that she's one to judge, as Atya is far from poor herself. She's not that rich though.

But she swiftly regains her equilibrium as the metaphorical baton is passed to her.

"Excellent question. Obviously Vigil, Halo and the rest are not going anywhere- they're very powerful groups, and they've done some great things. But I would like to make it clear that they are not part of the government, and they do not operate above the law. Members of these organizations will not get any special treatment above the citizens of Riverside, nor can they operate with impunity here. As someone without any ties to these organizations, my first priority will always be the city itself, and the people who live here."

She lets that hang in the air for a moment. "That being said, if needed, I am certainly not opposed to working with these organizations to help deal with threats to Riverside, or to help in the rebuilding process. Boundaries are important, but that doesn't mean we can't work together for a better future for all."

[Eastside Debates]

"I have a supplementary question that applies to Felandria alone. Among some citizens there's concern that your responsibilities to Halo and Vigil split your focus and pull your attention from Riverside. How do you respond to this sentiment?" Nadia adds, flipping a page over in the process of asking the question.

[quillpleasant]

Chateau Xilo

Simon, as usual, is more than happy to receive a hug for any reason, stretching up to nuzzle Rowan's chin. "Accidentally did to... come on, even if I had known this would be the result I still would have done it, you know that," he scoffs. But it's clear that he's grateful that Rowan is willing to risk this much for him.

Atya watches them with the slightly amused smirk of someone who will make fun of their sibling's feelings later. It's probably the minion comment. Then her gaze snaps back to Rowan as she becomes serious again.

"Great question. I'd imagine that at least at first they'd let you bring it, since they want to put people at ease. But I doubt they'd let you go into the lab itself without at least a metal and magic detector." Of course, there are ways to fool those- there had better be, if he's going to sneak a portable portal in.

"But yes, we'll definitely need to plan things more. And if you do infiltrate, it won't be a single mission- you'll need to earn their trust. So think about it, and in the meantime I'll continue to run experiments on what I got on my last break in."

[Keeper]

Chateau Xilo

”Hmmm. So I’d have to figure out how to be useful to them without explaining everything I can do. Tricky but I can figure something out.”
He seems oblivious to Atya’s look. Atya is just going to have to get used to her brother being an adorable minion. Doing minion things like helping Rowan with errands, shouting encouragement when he does stuff, and maybe even calling him Boss sometimes. Rowan likes when Ratticus calls him Boss, but probably because it’s extremely rare.
”What you got? Did you snag anything good?” Rowan is imagining fancy super formula. Or magic drugs. Or maybe dragon essence, if they’ve got Simon.

[Ironsmith]

[Outten Inn]

"And from what I understand, the guild is just a symptom of the city it's a part of. Or a parasite on a diseased animal. Whatever analogue you want to use for their relationship with Skyside."

She glances at her cards again and exchanges looks with the two. "So do we raise or...?" Admittedly, she was a bit rusty on the rules of poker.

But before they can answer that she has something else to point out. "I do agree we need to go after the leaders though. Which ultimately means going into Skyside and that's far beyond my jurisdiction. Unless of course they're ever stupid enough to leave that nest of theirs."

[Outten Inn]

"Dhat's up to you." Hazel gestures to Ava's pile of coins. "Whedher you raise oh not, I mean."

"As for jurisdiction... well, part of the beauty of the plan we just gave you is that it's totally above-board." Hana points out. "Attacking Guild assets in Riverside that aren't obviously Guild assets gives you a way of hitting them hard without going outside the boundaries of your job." She shrugs. "I mean, technically there's probably jurisprudence issues with that, since the actual human trafficking and stuff happens outside of Riverside and they couldn't get a trial here and yada yada yada, but it's still something. At the very least you'll have the option of getting them out of Riverside in that form, proescutors willing."

She pauses, thumbing her cards as she thinks. "...Getting Abbi out, on the other hand... well, yeah, that's going to involve me and Haze taking advantage of the fact that lawlessness cuts both ways."

[quillpleasant]

Chateau Xilo

Simon has no problem with any minion activities, since they're mostly stuff he'd already be doing in a relationship. Boss is a pretty cute pet name after all.

Rowan's question earns a sigh from Atya. She's debated explaining this, since it's... a lot, especially when she's only just started reconnecting to Simon. So maybe not the whole story. Just the cliff notes edition.

"I stole a chemical compound called B32. It grants immortality, but there are some very bad side effects. iii dosed me with it during my captivity with them, and I'm trying to reverse engineer it in the hopes of finding a cure. Unfortunately, I've had no luck so far." The frustration of this is evident in her voice.

"Damn, immortality? Well, maybe curing it wouldn't be the best thing right now, until iii is defeated, right?" chirps Simon. Atya pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Yes I've thought of that. It does give me a lot of security. But there's aspects of my life that it's really starting to negatively impact." She shakes her head dismissively. "Regardless, that's my problem. For now, keep monitoring your transformation, and Rowan, you have a long think about if and how you want to infiltrate iii."

[Felandria]

[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?"

All of the above, honestly, there’s so many different projects going on I have trouble keeping track.

If you have anything specific you’re looking to do, Reinholdt could help you figure it out.

[Felandria]

[Eastside Debates]

"I have a supplementary question that applies to Felandria alone. Among some citizens there's concern that your responsibilities to Halo and Vigil split your focus and pull your attention from Riverside. How do you respond to this sentiment?" Nadia adds, flipping a page over in the process of asking the question.

Well, that’s just not the case.

While I am still a member of VIGIL, I’m only on call for emergencies at the moment, and as for HALO, Reinholdt and I have a fantastic support system of fellow members who keep things running smoothly so I can devote all the time and energy needed to do my job as mayor.

Besides, I’m far from the only one in the Nexus who manages to find the time to juggle several things in their lives, it’s what makes this place so great.

[Keeper]

Chateau Xilo

Rowan looks at Atya with genuine sympathy.
"Oh Atya. I'm sorry. Immortality against your will is rough. All that time, the humanity, wondering if you're going to be the same person in a thousand years..." he blinks, glancing between her and Simon.
"Oh uh, sorry. It's um, something that definitely comes up in my line of work." And he's not talking about baking.
"I'll definitely keep in touch about the whole thing. I like to think that I'm a little better at this sort of thing with prep time." That's how his magic and his day job work, after all.

[quillpleasant]

Chateau Xilo

Atya hesitates, seemingly more taken aback by the sympathy than anything else so far. Usually it's the side effects that garner that reaction, not the immortality itself- but Rowan doesn't even know what they are. Weird.

"Oh, it's, yeah. It's okay. I mean, I'm only a hundred sixteen, so it's not like it's weighed too heavily on my mind yet," she says, trying to play it off. Maybe one happy day that'll be the biggest thing for her to worry about.

"Uh, dude what? No you're not," interjects Simon abruptly, looking at Atya like she's grown another head. She stares back at him, equally confused.

"Not what?"

"Not a hundred and sixteen. Like what? Atya, you're thirty three." Simon folds his tiny arms decisively.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" she says, looking at Rowan as if he might shed some light on this absurd claim.

[Keeper]

Chateau Xilo

Maybe Rowan is just projecting. Who knows! All he knows is that by all accounts he's near-immortal if not literally.
"Uh, are you talking literally or proportionally, Simon? I know you said your siblings were part elf..." That means a hundred and sixteen wouldn't be completely unreasonable.
"Um...what year do you two remember it being back home?" he asks. That's a reasonable question to bring up in this situation, right? Rowan's kind of clueless as to what's going on.

[quillpleasant]

Chateau Xilo

"I mean literally. Half elves don't take too much longer to grow up, they just have long lifespans," says Simon decisively. This is true of the half elves where he's from, at least. "And the year is 1117 AE. Where we came from, of course. I don't actually know how they measure years in the Nexus."

Atya stares at her brother piercingly for several long moments, and the little dragon is just starting to shift uncomfortably when she speaks. "Simon, it's 1200. I'm not thirty three, you're a hundred and nine."

"No way! I'd be dead," Simon says, shaking his head. Then his eyes widen. "Wait, I kind of am. Oh shit, what if... when I died, it was just like blink, bam, I'm in a new body. But what if I actually died a really long time ago, and I just don't remember being dead that long?"

The theory earns a nod from Atya, since it seems like the most likely explanation. "Rowan, you don't happen to know any, like, necromancers do you? I'm wondering if the iii brought Simon's spirit back from the afterlife to put into that dragon body."

[Keeper]

Chateau Xilo

"I mean...do you remember him disappearing one day and not coming back for seventy years?" Rowan asks Atya. That seems like something she should definitely remember.
"And besides, Simon clearly has a living, physical body. If they did bring it back it was with a fully alive body. And if it wasn't his original one, it was close enough he didn't even notice."
Ratticus pops up from within the depths of Rowan's bag.
"Hmmm, whazzat? I heard necromancer. You need a skeleton for somethin'?" Ratticus asks sleepily, climbing onto the table and rubbing his eyes with his paws.

[Rebonack]

[Crash Site]

Olympia's eyes flick between the members of the trio. So the pirate guys attacked cuz the people stole some sorta thing that some emperor needs to live? Or something?

"I've read enough history to know 'evil empire's' redundant," Olympia says, standing up with her first aid kit. "But that guy's still hurting and needs some help."

She locks her gaze on the solider.

"We're gunna let you out and I'm gunna patch you up. Don't do anything dumb or you're gunna regret it REALLY quick."

A rather emphatic warning.

"Then we're getting everyone that's still alive clear before this giant bug blows."

Olympia moves toward the solider, waiting for Jade to lower the shield.

[quillpleasant]

Chateau Xilo

"No, I was the one who disappeared. I got out first, and didn't look back. Which incidentally, I'm sorry for," she says, glancing at Simon with a melancholy expression, "I meant to come back, it's just... things got in the way."

Simon hesitates, then shrugs. "I get it. Besides, I got on okay. Ended up narcing on the gang, Cea got life in prison, sooo. All's well that ends well." Atya's eyes widen at this, but Simon holds up a claw to forstall her. "And before we get away from it, Rowan, that's a really good point. My human body was the same as before I died, so it can't be necromancy. Sorry Ratticus."

"Okay... but something had to happen, if you're missing that many years. Maybe you were kept in stasis or something," mutters Atya. She smiles at the rat. "It's Ratticus, right? Are you Rowan's other boyfriend?"

The muffled guffaw from Simon might serve to answer that question.

[Keeper]

Chateau Xilo

”Ratticus is my familiar.” Rowan explains, trying to resist grinning. Ratticus is naturally having none of it.
”Yeah and that makes me Chief Minion so I’m basically your brother’s boss in this scheme.” Ratticus sniffs indignantly.
”Besides, if they got a third boyfriend in here it’d probably be a normal sized dragon-dude to stand between the one who’s barely bigger than me and the one who can barely fit indoors.”
Rowan snickers again, imagining the image. Simon probably isn’t into that sort of thing.
Unless he is…

[quillpleasant]

Chateau Xilo

Simon sniffs haughtily at Ratticus. "Half the time I'm like twenty feet long! And we should probably figure out my whole soul situation before adding another boyfriend into the mix." After all, what if they added a third and he had his own issues they'd have to quest and fix? It would be a logistical nightmare.

"So, weekly basis. How many Ratatouille jokes do your customers make on average?" says Atya with a smirk.

"Oh I know this one. Not enough," Simon immediately chimes in. The siblings grin at each other for a second before both looking away. Their initial suspicion seems mostly gone at this point, but it'll take some time to get over the awkwardness of reconnecting.

"Well, I don't want to keep you all day. I'm sure you have important life stuff to get to beyond all the drama I've dragged into your lives," Atya says after a moment, getting to her feet. It's not that she's trying to kick them out, but she doesn't want them to feel socially obligated to stick around. They probably have a lot to discuss on their own too after all.

[Keeper]

Chateau Xilo

Ratticus scoffs. Scoffs! But since Rowan didn't bring his chef outfit he can't indignantly retreat under the dragon's hat.

"Well, alright. It was nice talking to you. We'll keep in touch." Rowan stands up and stops to drain the glass he was given. Then he looks at Atya with a grin.
"Can't help but ask. If we actually pull this off, think there's enough to swipe from this cult on the way out to fund my own bakery?" he asks. Hey, a guy's allowed to have dreams!