Riverside

[Shadowcaller]

[Xar'cha Estate - First Floor]

Ilpholin's loud motorcycle sounding hovercycle clears a path through the encamped Phyrexians as she returns, driving slow as the elves come in behind her and Mecha-Squiggles stomps up the rear. Once inside, she directs the elves to the lower levels along with Squiggles, letting them go through the base's various chokepoints before her and making sure neither of the factions starts anything with the other. Only when most of the elves have proceeded ahead does Ilpholin fold her hoverbike up into a sphere, collect it, and slide it down her cleavage for safekeeping.

[Xar'cha Estate - First Floor]

"Ilpholin!" Svartha voice calls out for the nymph.

The winged woman is coming out of one of the 'barracks' her little army have set up for themselves.
Following her is one of her giant body guards but also a gaggle of those metal 'goblins'. "So the funniest thing just happened-" She stops and gestures at the nymph with her index-claw. "But don't tell me, you've already been at hell's bent, haven't you?" The phyrexian seems to have a hard time keeping herself from smiling.

Meanwhile, Nathair is waking up in- well, it would have been a cage but it looks like someone has just bent the entire cage into a ball of metal around him and then just fused it all together. Keeping him from even moving an inch.

[MERC Offices]

Tina would know where Dena's office is. Though she is told that the gorgon is in an important meeting right now so she better wait outside.

The question is, does Tina feel like she has the patience/time to wait outside considering what's going on?

[quillpleasant]

Riftline

"Well, yeah. But I'm also slow and the size of a horse, which are notoriously not great at fitting inside dungeons. And um. I'm not sure I'd be any more useful in a fight than you, really. I just took a few self defense classes in high school." He sighs, putting his hands on his knees.
"It's like doing this sort of thing requires work, exercise, and practice and I can't just slide into it because I want to."

Riftline

Simon tilts his head doubtfully. "You know that adventure doesn't equal dungeon, right? Or even fighting? There's plenty of adventure to be had without risking your life crawling through tunnels and shit. You just need to broaded your definition a little." For instance, running your own bakery could be considered adventurous by some.

"Plus, you might be slow, but I reckon you're pretty strong. If you did need to fight, I bet you could bull rush some fools with the best of em." Not to mention the ice breath.

-

Xar'cha Estate - First Floor

Nathair's eyes blink reluctantly as the sensation of awareness begins to flood back in. How long was he out? He tries to flex his body to assess the damage that's been done, when he realizes he's entirely incapacitated. Oh that is not good. The cyborg struggles vainly, but with no room to maneuver for leverage it's an entirely futile effort.

He settles for looking around, his golden eye allowing him to zoom in to scope out his surroundings.

"Hey," he coughs, swallows, and tries again, "Can someone let me out of this thing?"

[Gullara]

[Youthful Indiscretions]

Eliseo steps backwards and settles down on the opposite bed where Atsede had been seated before. He looks like he could crack up at any second, but he's managing to keep a lid on it. His only response to Atsede's panic is a shrug and a shit eating grin.

[Reinholdt]

[Xar'cha Estate - First Floor]

Ilpholin lets out a little sigh and turns to face Svartha. "Did the ripped clothes and blood tip you off? Most people would just wonder how good a time that roll in the hay was." Ilpholin's lips press into a thin line. So Svartha pays attention to the local media reports. Good to know. The nymph's glower doesn't seem particularly inclined to humor Svartha's barely repressed smile though.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Xar'cha Estate - First Floor]

Svartha laughs. Though its unclear if it was what Ilpholin said or due to some in-joke only she was privy to. "Let me tell you the funny thing first. So me and the the chaps over here-" She gestures at the goblins. "-raided the prison for Ava. It was a real disaster honestly but we got what we came for. Though not as much as I would have wanted." Svartha shrugs and then waves her index claw in the air as to indicate that the best was to come.

"But you know what I figured out after doing all that? That I didn't need that poor gal in the first place." She let's out another laugh. "If I had just helped you with the raid we could have thrown all the bodies in a big furnace. Leaving nothing for the drudges to use much more thoroughly than some explosions. So it was all a big disaster all around."

But before Svartha can laugh again Nathair's voice can be heard through the still open makeshift door to the barracks behind her.
"...but I did manage to secure some interesting debris from our disaster. You wanna have a look?" Her metal eyebrows raise expectingly.

[Keeper]

Riftline

Simon tilts his head doubtfully. "You know that adventure doesn't equal dungeon, right? Or even fighting? There's plenty of adventure to be had without risking your life crawling through tunnels and shit. You just need to broaded your definition a little." For instance, running your own bakery could be considered adventurous by some.

"Plus, you might be slow, but I reckon you're pretty strong. If you did need to fight, I bet you could bull rush some fools with the best of em." Not to mention the ice breath.

Riftline

Rowan sighs.
"I know you're right. Just like you've been right about everything else. It's just...you know. Just because I know that this is what I am-" He jabs his middle for effect- "Doesn't mean I was planning on it. And I have to figure out how to process that I was hoping and planning and dreaming on my life going in one direction only to be told 'actually the realest version of you is an obese dragon who bakes.' And I do like being me I just...have to adjust to that being where my life's going, you know?

The best way to process something is to complain about it."
Not to mention that whether or not that was his true self before fey nonsense happened is extremely debatable.

[quillpleasant]

Riftline

"Right about everything? That's sure a change from the usual," remarks Simon as he listens to Rowan's woeful explanation. "Yeah, that would take some getting used to. To say the least."

The black dragon thinks for a second, then grins toothily. "In a way we're opposites, you know? Because you had all those hopes and plans you mentioned, and that got taken away from you. Me, I was a real loser before. The moment I got into a situation where I wasn't in constant danger, I just stagnated. Didn't have any ambitions beyond watching anime and playing video games, didn't have any real friends or goals. Probably wouldn't have ever changed. But now, sky's the limit. I actually want to do stuff, which is pretty new for me."

His tail lashes from side to side as he speaks. "And like, I'm sure that you would have done great things if you hadn't been transformed. But in the here and now, we are dragons. That's so cool. How can that not be at least a little exciting?" He flicks his tail for emphasis, not quite used to his strength yet. The stinger hits the train window with a sharp crack, punching a three inch hole through it. Simon looks aghast.

-

Xar'cha Estate - First Floor

Although Nathair is still unsure of where he is, it's pretty clear that he's a captive, so repeated calls for help probably won't have any effect. Instead, he'd better figure out how to get out of here before anyone shows up. If only he knew how close his captors actually were.

The good news is that despite being unable to move, his inner nanobots give him some options. The downside is that it's going to be very painful to use them. Still, there's not much choice. With a crunching sound, he creates a cavity inside his chest, which begins to generate a nano swarm. It might be able to drill him out with enough time.

[Keeper]

Riftline

Rowan chuckles.
”Well, we’re also opposites because my ass takes up three train seats and you basically don’t have one.” he gives one of Simon’s coils a good poke.

He glances around at the cracked window. They appear to be the only ones in this train car so no one has noticed yet.
”Just be cool. No one’s noticed yet.”
He continues to glance around.
”But uh yeah. I’m uh. Sure a great guy like you will make lots of friends. Frank’s a cool guy you’ll like him. And Ratticus…he’s my familiar so I have to. But he’s hard to like I’m warning you now.”

[quillpleasant]

Riftliine

Simon's scales twitch at the poke. "Dude, that tickles!" Or maybe it's just that he's not quite used to what this new body feels like.

Glancing around a little guiltily, he raises his tail, looping it into the overhead compartment so it blocks off the crack from view. "You're encouraging criminal behavior, you know," he says cheekily. "But yeah, your roommates sound cool. I'm sure Ratticus is fine, he cannot be worse than my siblings. Even the not-murdery ones sucked so hard."

[Reinholdt]

[Xar'cha Estate - First Floor]

Ilpholin raises an eyebrow, not finding the joke. "I thought it was clear that your 'friends' would only go in there with the intent to compleat their targets? What makes you think that you'd have the time to incinerate all the bodies?" Not that Ilpholin had told Svartha about the raid in the first place. But Svartha seems pretty upbeat about the entire day regardless. Probably for the best. The nymph didn't bother to explain the other reasons she found in Hell's Bend why she doubted that adding Svartha's forces would have modified the outcome.

"What happened to the girl?" Ilpholin has noted Ava's absence in this, though she suspects she already knows where the avid bomber was and what was happening to her. "... Sure. Let's see what you found." Unlike Ava, she hasn't a clue about what to expect from this. Debris? What was Svartha talking about? The Phyrexian nymph will follow Svartha to see what she was referring to.

[Shadowcaller]

[Xar'cha Estate - First Floor]

"I guess we wouldn't have time to put them all in a furnace but the lads and I could probably have done a decent enough job on-site to keep them from using em'. Plus, with more numbers it would have gone smoother." A beat. "But that didn't end up being the issue, did it?"

It's a genuine question. Though Svartha doesn't linger on it as she's has already started to lead Ilpholin into the barracks. "But Ava is sleeping right now. Or at least she was last time I checked in on her. She's unharmed, physically. If that's what you're asking." Mentally she was pretty sure they were all screwed up so she wasn't going to make any judgments there.

"But one of the lads decided to drag this one guy all the way from the prison here. He's one of the guards and I was pretty sure he was dead until I looked closer."

The barracks isn't particularly big. Nor does it have any features one imagine a barracks would have. Such as beds or any other kind of furniture. There aren't even chairs. Instead the space is littered with what seems to be spare parts for the various creatures in Svartha's gang. From these spare parts a crude table in the middle of the room has been constructed where an equally crude map of Riverside has been drawn. Ilpholin could probably find a much better one searching the internet.

Then there's the 'one guy' who Svartha must be referring to.
Nathair wouldn't have seen much of this room until Svartha entered as the red glow emanating from within her and the gaggle of creatures at her heels is the only source of light in here. He's laying on the table encased in the metal husk of what once a cage.
"He was a bother during the escape and I reckon that hasn't changed. But he's not one of your demons either so I dunno what to do with him. Can't exactly return him to the prison. But perhaps I could give him a chance to prove himself? Seemed competent enough at least. Hence the, eh, restraints." Svartha gestures at Nathair.

[Keeper]

Riftliine

Simon's scales twitch at the poke. "Dude, that tickles!" Or maybe it's just that he's not quite used to what this new body feels like.

Glancing around a little guiltily, he raises his tail, looping it into the overhead compartment so it blocks off the crack from view. "You're encouraging criminal behavior, you know," he says cheekily. "But yeah, your roommates sound cool. I'm sure Ratticus is fine, he cannot be worse than my siblings. Even the not-murdery ones sucked so hard."

Riftline

"I hope it does. Neither of us know how dragons flirt but you agreed to be my date so I need to find something." Rowan looks like he may be threatening tickling.

"But it's important to remember that Ratticus is a fairy spirit. Names have power for fairies so he never calls anyone by their real name. He'll find something about you to make a rude nickname for you and use that. And I told him that his job was to tell me the truth and protect me, especially from myself. So he has a very...brutally honest way of putting everything. But I dunno. He's my adorable little assistant so it doesn't feel rude when he makes fun of me. It's just how he talks."
And he hates being called cute so naturally Rowan does it at every possible opportunity.

[quillpleasant]

Riftline

"That's a dangerous path dude," warns Simon with a grin, "If you keep tickling me I'll have to go all boa constrictor on you!" And with how long he is, he's definitely capable of doing so.

"Well, I don't have much fey experience. Unless elves count? Some of my siblings were half elf." Simon considers this for a moment, then shrugs. "Regardless, I don't mind blunt. My skin is pretty thick- literally and figuratively." Those scales are indeed very durable.

"So- since you kind of hang with a lot of magical dudes, any chance you know anyone who could do some research on curses? Or like, maybe can scry? Because obviously I'm happy with my situation but I do think it'd be wise to figure it out a little more and maybe check in on my, ya know, murderer. Wouldn't be good if she was planning something nefarious."

-

Xar'cha Estate - First Floor

Nathair is looking quite worse for wear. His guard's uniform is ripped, and he's been torn up quite badly. Although most of his body looks human enough, the many cuts in his skin reveal a shining metallic interior, which is itself crushed and dented here and there. His organic eye is badly bruised, but the golden cybernetic one focuses as his captors enter the room, looking them up and down with a faint whir.

"Ladies. I'd offer to shake your hand, but I'm a little tied up at the moment," he quips. His golden hand is quite immobile, which renders its telekinetic abilities useless for the time being. "I like the 'proving myself' thing though. Let me out, and we can have a fair fight this time." Being ambushed by an owlbear put quite the damper on their last encounter.

[Keeper]

Riftline

"Don't threaten me with a good time." Rowan mutters. He's a very huggy person, does Simon really think he'd mind getting squeezed back?

"Um. I could ask Ratticus but he doesn't have a lot of magic on his own. He just knows lots of stuff. I don't really know any seers. I know Intersection employs one; I bumped into him once. But I don't know if you want to ask a cop about that sort of thing."

[quillpleasant]

Riftline

"Simon will remember that," quips Simon. He tries to waggle his eyebrows, but the scales make that a little more difficult than he's used to.

"Hm yeah, I'm not talking to cops unless I have to. Old habits die hard." A pause. "Habits from being around criminals, not being one myself. Nothing worse than being a rat, and all that." His eyes widen. "Uh, wait, I meant like, in the snitch way. Didn't mean to say anything bad about actual rats." His form wavers slightly, like an old tv screen.

[Keeper]

Riftline

"Well Ratticus isn't even REALLY a rat. He's a fey spirit in a rat-body I made out of a magic cookie."
He blinks and leans over at Simon.
"You okay, dude?

[Gullara]

[Studious Visit]

At the Lots of Hope hospital, two distinctive women make their way down a hall. "I'm not certain this is going to go anywhere." Vax observes as their catch attention. "Surely it's 'friends and family' only." Despite her negative prediction of being turned away, Vax walks along with Zhareen without any real hesitation.

[Reinholdt]

[Xar'cha Estate - First Floor]

Ilpholin scowls a little, but moves on. "I suppose I never asked how long Compleation takes. I was unconscious well before mine." Kind of easy to lose track of time when there's no clock, only the faint hand of death keeping you company, ready to close around your throat at any moment. Had Ava already been Compleated?

The nymph glances around the barracks as she steps in. Looks more like a workshop or a lab than any reasonable place to sleep. As well it probably should. This was temporary until the Phyrexians took Hell Bend for themselves... or whatever their plan was now to get off of Ilpholin's lawn. If there even was still a plan. Her emerald eyes get drawn to the tight cage keeping Nathair bound.

"Prove himself worthy of our gift?" Ilpholin asks Svartha as she steps forward and crouches down to look Nathair over before settling upon his eyes. "... He's Magtokian. Like I was, before Tauron found me." Her gaze lingers over him and for a moment, her face almost appears apologetic before she straightens back up and turns to look back at Svartha. "I suppose being a nuisance wasn't enough. So then you have some test in mind? ... A test that requires my training facilities," Ilpholin says contemplatively, presuming now that's why Svartha was bringing this to Ilpholin's attention.

[Shadowcaller]

[Xar'cha Estate - First Floor]

"I was gonna ask her about it when she wakes up. Figured she needed to sleep on it before taking the leap of faith." Svartha explains as they walk in.
But like Ilpholin she pauses as Nathair speaks up.

'Ladies', huh?

But his joke at least makes the corner of her mouth turn ever so slightly.

Then she turns to Ilpholin and nods eagerly. "Training facilities? I like the sound of that. I didn't have anything terribly specific in mind but I knew you'd probably have something fitting for this purpose." She points a thumb at Nathair. "So what about I carry him over to these facilities of yours and then we'll see what he's made of?"

[Ironsmith]

[Currency Exhange]

"Next!" Calls the bored-looking attendant.

"Hi, yes, I needed to switch these rings out for some-"

"Sorry, sir, we don't do jewelry here. Take that up to the appraiser's."

"Oh, no, these are all uniform, see? Think of them as coins with finger-sized holes in them."

"...Hm. Let me just double-check my chart here... ah, okay. It's still not my department, but the lady three windows down can help you out." The attendant waves the anthropomorphic animal away and shrugs. "Next!"

"Hi. I'm heae to look inside youh vault."

"Our vault?" The attendant frowns. "...I wasn't aware there was maintenance scheduled for today."

"I think ya might have misundehstood me." The woman in the red coat pats at a suspicious-looking lump underneath it.

"...Is that-"

"I won't have to use it if ya coopehate. The vault, please."

"...Right this way, miss." The attendant shuffles awkwardly as they move away from the window, tapping the silent alarm on his way out.

[Shadowcaller]

[Currency Exchange]

It's not long until several police cars start arriving at the scene.

They're not using their sirens so the potential robbers won't be hearing them driving up to the place.

The cops start getting out and takes up positions behind their cars. But one of them, a dusk-skinned woman, carefully approaches the place. Her intent is only to get visual confirmation that a robbery indeed was taking place.
What does the exchange look from the outside? Windows? Big obstacles? View of the people inside?

[quillpleasant]

Riftline

"You can animate cookies into living tissue? And you say your magic isn't cool," scoffs Simon.

He waves away Rowan's concern. "And yeah I'm fine- weird stuff happens when I'm nervous sometimes." He chuckles. "I talk a big game but I'm not as confident as I seem. Which isn't the most impressive thing I could say, but it's true."

-

Xar'cha Estate - First Floor

Nathair's eye flickers back and forth between his captors, hanging on their every word. "Magtokian? Like that weirdo rich dude? No relation." He's seen something, however. That glimmer of something in Ilpholin's eyes. Sympathy?

"Training facilities, huh? Yeah, I can handle that. And if I succeed in your test, how about you let me go?" He talks in a calm, disarming tone. "Look, back at the prison, I was just doing my job. I have no quarrel with you. No need for this to get any more unpleasant than it is, right?"

[Keeper]

Riftline

"I think that was a special one-time thing while I was binding a familiar. But yes."

He gives Simon a reassuring smile.
"Well, don't be nervous. You have a big strong dragon with you! I won't let any horrible things happen to you while I'm here."
Ignore that Simon is so long it's actually debatable which of them has more mass.

[Reinholdt]

[Xar'cha Estate - First Floor -> Seventh Floor]

Ilpholin gazes at Svartha for a moment, before turning to lead the way with a defeated sigh. "If we must. What aspect of him did you most want to see tested?" She doesn't know what Svartha could learn about Nathair that she hadn't already from seeing him in an actual combat situation. But what exactly happened in the prison is a bit of a mystery aside from the outcome. Svartha probably had a dozen different concerns to worry about.

The nymph leads them inside the compound properly, moving through the well decorated lounge to the back, passing spider motifed furniture in purples and blacks. They get in the elevator and it starts to descend down to the seventh floor, Ilpholin answers Nathair's question without looking at the caged cyborg creature. "That's up to Svartha." Well sort of answers.

At least the elevator music is a little catchier than most.

[quillpleasant]

Riftline

"Still. Very cool. All magic is pretty cool to me, I guess." Simon's world clearly did have magic, but not enough for him to take it for granted.

He chuckles at Rowan's reassurance, putting a claw to his cheek. "Wow, what a gentleman! I feel safer already." He grins, then sighs. "But yeah, I do tend to get anxious for no reason. I guess when things are going well I start expecting bad things to happen to balance it out?" It doesn't really make sense, but this kind of thing seldom does. "Which I suppose is a roundabout way of saying that things are going well, so me having some anxiety is probably a good sign. Weirdly enough."

[Keeper]

Riftline

”Well, don’t jinx it. But yeah, I’d say you’re a lot better off than it sounds like you were before.”
Rowan glances out the window.

”Oh! You’ve never been to Inside before. Expect anything, stay out of parks, and be careful around fairies. Don’t respond if someone calls you Buttercup. Intersection isn’t so bad either. I think you’ll like it. And not just because there’s a few dragons there.”

[quillpleasant]

Riftline

Simon follows Rowan's gaze out the window, taking in the sprawling buildings ahead. "Buttercup? Okay, you've got to explain that one sometime dude. But yeah, it'll be great, especially with a cool tour guide like you." He stretches, a rather involved process, as he prepares to disembark from the train.

[Murkus]

[MERC Offices]

Tina would know where Dena's office is. Though she is told that the gorgon is in an important meeting right now so she better wait outside.

The question is, does Tina feel like she has the patience/time to wait outside considering what's going on?

[MERC Offices]

Tina will wait. She's feeling pretty low, and it shows, but she's not really in a hurry. It's all over but the crying over in Hell Bend anyways - and she's learned a respect for Dena's time. She wouldn't be much of a friend if she just barged in there when she knows Dena's working.

[Shadowcaller]

[MERC Offices]

Just a few minutes later the door opens and a drow woman emerges.

But this is not the drow Tina is looking for.

She's wearing a black uniform that makes her look like some kind of officer or cop and her skin is the wrong shade of dusk.

Also, her hair isn't made of snakes but that one was obvious.
The woman's white eyebrow raise as she spots Tina though quickly gives her a respectful nod. "M'am." Then she marches off with her hands behind her back.

She closed the door to Dena's office behind her.

[Murkus]

[MERC Offices]

Tina arches an eyebrow back, then realizing how silly that feels, wiggles it a little on her face when the woman turns to leave. Take that!

Tina will hop up and knock. It's a feverish little bapbapbap that Dena might recognize.