Skyside Prime

Locales found within the main city centers; primarily Inside, Riverside, and Skyside.
User avatar
quillpleasant
Reborn Elder Poster
Posts: 1482
Joined: Feb 27, 2023 7:23 am
Location: Somewhere cold
Pronouns: Any

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by quillpleasant »

Ruins of Trust-Worthy Hotel

Lia doesn't need any more encouragement. Dropping to all fours, she scuttles over to the corpse and breathes spores over it. Rather than waiting for the mushrooms to grow, she's hungry enough that she unhinges her jaw and begins gnawing on the body directly.

When she's consumed about half of it she rises, her mouth readjusting with an audible crack. Her withered arms are shiny and new once more. The rest of the corpse should rapidly decay over the next day or so, becoming a small fungal bloom.

"Much better! I could do this all day. Lead on, Colonel," she says, following Sandels out of the ashen hotel.

On the street, she peers at the ragtag group of goons. Not the most observant, she certainly has no clue as to the true nature of the armor, but just as before she's wary of this group. She readies her spores just in case, and waits just behind Sandels to see how he wants to approach them.
horses can attack and eat me

Tags:
Hraithre
Coffin-Bound Aged Poster
Posts: 585
Joined: Aug 03, 2022 5:37 pm

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Hraithre »

[Ruins of Trust-Worthy Hotel]

Huh. So the spirit is one of the goons, more or less. Sandels missed that the first time around, but then again, he wasn't looking at them all that closely. Well, save the girl in leathers, because he still sort of wants her clothes.

"Hey! You!", he shouts as he approaches the group, hands held up and open so they can see he's not carrying a weapon of any sort. "You in the armor! Can I have a word with you?"
User avatar
Gullara
Forum Mommy
Posts: 1529
Joined: May 15, 2022 11:52 pm
Pronouns: She/Her
Contact:

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Gullara »

Shadowcaller wrote: Apr 24, 2023 7:19 am [Raindrop Apartment]

"Well, Ugi is also not quite what he appears. Since I believe most children would at least be as startled as you were when I appear, Utayo." Ambrosia remarks as she looks down at her child. "Yet you cry more when I leave even for just a few moments, don't you?" Her mouth open and a vaguely serpentine tongue emerges which licks the top of the infants head. A gesture he seems delighted by.

Her head turns up so her red reptilian eyes can meet Utayo's gaze again. At this point she might become aware of the scent of ozone which always seemed to follow Ambrosia around, but it was especially strong while she was a dragon. "Anyway... I believe you wanted to sketch me?" She stretched out her wings in a way which might accidentally knock over something.
[Raindrop Apartment]

"You are his mother, after all. I'm sure he recognizes you no matter what." Utayo says with a small nod. She imagines this is not the first time the baby has encountered Ambrosia's dragon form, even when he's so young.

"Yes of course, but..." She puts her hand on her chin in thou- Oh- A floor lamp at the side of the room gets knocked by Ambrosia's wing and tumbles over. The moonfolk winces, but thankfully the bulb doesn't break. "...but perhaps it's a bit tight in here." She completes her earlier thought.
Image
~Images by Soushiyo
User avatar
Shadowcaller
Poster from Beyond the Veil
Posts: 2766
Joined: Aug 02, 2022 6:29 am
Location: Sweden

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Raindrop Apartment]

"While I don't doubt the bound between a child and a mother I wouldn't write it off as a kind of metaphysical connection without evidence." A beat. "But some of my aspects do bleed over to my human body so perhaps its those he recognizes?"
Then she turns to look at the floor lamp that she knocked over. Whoops.
"...ah, my apologies." She pulls in her wings again. "But isn't there anywhere larger where we could do this? I did pass by a number of warehouses on my way here. Any one of those could do the job." Or she could just shrink down further. But in her mind that wouldn't be accurate.
Image
User avatar
Gullara
Forum Mommy
Posts: 1529
Joined: May 15, 2022 11:52 pm
Pronouns: She/Her
Contact:

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Gullara »

[Raindrop Apartment]

"I imagine those are in use, and likely secured in some fashion." Utayo observes the failings of private property. "But I've been on the roof, and it's an open enough space for this purpose. It's not meant for people to be up there, but-" She shrugs then gestures towards the balcony door.
Image
~Images by Soushiyo
User avatar
Shadowcaller
Poster from Beyond the Veil
Posts: 2766
Joined: Aug 02, 2022 6:29 am
Location: Sweden

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Raindrop Apartment]

The dragon considers this offer for a moment. "I suppose I could make a cloud cover if we go up there. It will likely still draw attention but at least people won't see me."

A beat.

"...wouldn't that mean I would have to go up your stairs though? Which I suppose I could do." She would just have to shrink down a bit, as undignified as that was.
Image
User avatar
Gullara
Forum Mommy
Posts: 1529
Joined: May 15, 2022 11:52 pm
Pronouns: She/Her
Contact:

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Gullara »

[Raindrop Apartment]

"We could simply fly up there." Utayo quirks and eyebrow. "I don't imagine most would care voer much, so hiding isn't a huge concern. Unless you have another reason to stay out of sight?"
Image
~Images by Soushiyo
User avatar
Morty
Moderately Powerful Moderator
Posts: 2786
Joined: Jul 04, 2022 10:59 pm
Pronouns: He/Him

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Morty »

[Tempest Row Clinic]

Fayyaad will stay with Rose until Olvisin arrives, which is thankfully fairly soon. She may have engaged in some reckless vehicular acrobatics to get here so fast.

"...damn," she says. "If I believed in miracles, your survival will be one. Good thing Fayyaad was there to swoop in to your rescue." Said tiefling is currently discussing payment with the hospital staff. "But I've got a truck that will get you home more safely than a flying carpet."
Ironsmith
Poster from Beyond the Veil
Posts: 2996
Joined: Aug 01, 2022 12:46 pm

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Ironsmith »

[Tempest Row Clinic]

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Rose smiles, wincing as the motion aggravates her burns. "Yeah, that... that was kind of a bad one. If Fayyaad hadn't come so quickly, I probably would have been a charred corpse buried under a pile of rubble." She pauses and shrugs. "...Heh. The universe's practical joke on me, I guess."

Rose pauses a moment, running her tongue over her burnt lips to get some feeling back in them. "...Raven's going to think I'm dead, isn't she?" She asks quietly. She already knows the answer, but she can't think of any other way to broach the subject.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
User avatar
Morty
Moderately Powerful Moderator
Posts: 2786
Joined: Jul 04, 2022 10:59 pm
Pronouns: He/Him

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Morty »

[Tempest Row Clinic]

"She doesn't have a very good reason to suspect otherwise." Olvisin's ears flick up and down in thought. "She saw the building explode with you in it, right?"
Ironsmith
Poster from Beyond the Veil
Posts: 2996
Joined: Aug 01, 2022 12:46 pm

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Ironsmith »

[Tempest Row Clinic]

"I'm pretty sure half the city did. Saw the factory blow up, I mean." Rose agrees. The "with her in it" part would be knowledge limited to those who were present and aware of the situation at the time. "That's... going to put me in an awkward position."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
User avatar
Shadowcaller
Poster from Beyond the Veil
Posts: 2766
Joined: Aug 02, 2022 6:29 am
Location: Sweden

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Raindrop Apartment]

"I don't want to draw unwanted attention to myself, you or Ugi." A beat. "I might also have been involved in shall-we-say covert operations in the city as a part of repaying my debt to VIGIL after the events you saw happening there. Don't worry though, you will be able to see perfectly fine." The dragon assures her before gently scooping up the child in her claws and moves towards the front door where she has to stop. Her wings were simply too big to go through it.

It ends up taking a few minutes of her folding her her wings and shrinking down a bit in size until she's finally outside. "I'd say I love the fresh air but its not particularly fresh is it? Guessing this is a problem where you're from as well."
Image
User avatar
Morty
Moderately Powerful Moderator
Posts: 2786
Joined: Jul 04, 2022 10:59 pm
Pronouns: He/Him

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Morty »

[Tempest Row Clinic]

"Awkward how?" Olvisin isn't sure, perhaps proving that she doesn't have a spy's thinking. "You won't be able to come back here?"
Ironsmith
Poster from Beyond the Veil
Posts: 2996
Joined: Aug 01, 2022 12:46 pm

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Ironsmith »

[Tempest Row Clinic]

"It's a bit worse than that." Rose says with a grimace. "She locked me up in a room in a factory that was going to explode in an unreasonably short time. It's fairly obvious she wants me dead. So if it ever came to light that I'm not, there's every reason to believe she would try again." Rose bobs her head back and forth. "On the other hand, she was very attached to me in the hours leading up to the explosion, and crazy as she is, I can't picture the relationship deteriorating that quickly."

"So, now I'm left with a quandry. What's her emotional state right now? Does she regret it? Does she hate me, love me, both? Is she on the verge of doing something crazy because she thinks she killed me, or is she going to dust off her hands and continue unabated?" She rolls her shoulders. "I have a vague idea, but not enough to walk back in confidently, with a plan."

"...The smart thing to do would be to take advantage of the fact that she 'killed' me, walk out and move on to another assignment."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
User avatar
Earl of Purple
Transcendent Soul Poster
Posts: 2022
Joined: Aug 01, 2022 3:59 pm
Location: Amongst the Folk from the North
Pronouns: He/Him

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Earl of Purple »

Tempest Row Clinic

The price is the upper side of reasonable, for the mundane treatment and the nanites, but unfortunately the priest has no understanding of 'reasonable' and is probably gouging. Given Lorex is a god of wealth and time, and time is money, this may not be a surprise.

Ruins of Trust-Worthy Hotel

The dead woman's eaten! She's mostly skin and bone; not a lot of muscle or fat on her, unfortunately. She would have been dying of malnutrition if she wasn't dying faster from the attentions of a vampire.

The armour creaks and rustles as it turns towards Sandals as the man approaches. The other goons look him over oddly, the ones that are still there at least. The armour does stride forward, somewhat awkwardly and with a noted creak and scrape. It doesn't say anything, at least not yet- it doesn't know what to expect, as Sandals is kind-of the first psychopomp it has met.
Avatar provided by Happyturtle. Still using it, after all these years.

Don't run now, my eggs are hatching.
User avatar
Morty
Moderately Powerful Moderator
Posts: 2786
Joined: Jul 04, 2022 10:59 pm
Pronouns: He/Him

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Morty »

[Tempest Row Clinic]

"It would be, and that's what I advise you to do." Olvisin seems to be in agreement. "You know what they say, one near-death experience per person. Or maybe they don't say it, but they should."
Ironsmith
Poster from Beyond the Veil
Posts: 2996
Joined: Aug 01, 2022 12:46 pm

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Ironsmith »

[Tempest Row Clinic]

"Heh. One per persona, maybe." Rose wheezes. "That does seem to be the average."

The agent rolls her head over to give Olvisin a small, tired smile. "...So we're agreed on that. The smart thing to do. Leave and never come back." She purses her lips with a little crackle of dried skin.

"...I, um..." Rose sucks her teeth, producing a wet tsk. "...I don't have any intention of doing the smart thing, then. Which is... a bit of a liberating realization."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
User avatar
quillpleasant
Reborn Elder Poster
Posts: 1482
Joined: Feb 27, 2023 7:23 am
Location: Somewhere cold
Pronouns: Any

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by quillpleasant »

Ruins of Trust-Worthy Hotel

As Sandels approaches the suit of armor, Lia waves awkwardly at the rest of the group. "Hi! Sorry we didn't stop by before," she says with a smile. "But uh, we come in peace!" She actually has no idea if Sandel's intentions are peaceful or not, but she at least wants to give a chance at resolving things without another deadly combat.
horses can attack and eat me
Hraithre
Coffin-Bound Aged Poster
Posts: 585
Joined: Aug 03, 2022 5:37 pm

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Hraithre »

[Ruins of Trust-Worthy Hotel]

Sandels put his hands on his hips, peering through the visor of the walking armor. For him, the armor is not so empty - he can see ghosts, and might see a glimpse of who the wearer was in life. It depends on how much they still remember of their own looks.

"Look at you. You're long due for some polishing", he says, pointing to a rusty spot on the armor's chest, then looking through the visor again. "and you. How long have you been at this gig? Don't you think it would be the time to move on already?" He is speaking as if there are two persons in there. He's not sure if the ghost and tsukumogami are of one mind.
User avatar
Morty
Moderately Powerful Moderator
Posts: 2786
Joined: Jul 04, 2022 10:59 pm
Pronouns: He/Him

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Morty »

[Tempest Row Clinic]

"I meant in terms of avoiding someone after they almost killed you once." Olvisin sighs. "But you don't want to do that. Why?"

At this point, Fayyaad comes back, looking relieved to see Rose talking about dismayed about how much he had to pay.
Ironsmith
Poster from Beyond the Veil
Posts: 2996
Joined: Aug 01, 2022 12:46 pm

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Ironsmith »

[Tempest Row Clinic]

Rose makes a mental note to reimburse Fayyaad as soon as she has the chance. It's not like she can't afford to, and it'd be awful to both put him through this incident and financially ruin him.

"I didn't say I didn't want to." Rose replies evenly. "Because instinctively, I do. This girl's already stabbed me once and now she's gone and blown me up. My self-preservation instinct is telling me to get the hell away from her."

"...But no. I'm not backing out of this mission." She rolls her head over to make eye contact with Fayyaad. "...You remember what I told you before? About the kind of person I used to be?" Rose asks, scritching her hands against the sheets. "I... I've been close to Raven for a while now. Seen what makes her tick. She's a bad person, I know, but... from where I sit, it's clear that she doesn't have to be. With the right push, the right support, applied the right way..."

She shakes her head. That sounded insane even to her, when she said it out loud. "...I knew this job was going to be dangerous." She says, switching tack. "I'm not giving it up just because I was proven right. Besides, if I go back after this, any doubts Raven might have about my loyalty..." She snaps her fingers and winces. "Gone. She's terminally afraid of being abandoned, ignored, or being left on her own. How do you think she's going to respond to someone who will not leave her, even if she emphatically and violently pushes them away?"

Rose shakes her head. "You can't sex your way into that kind of position, I'll tell you that much."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
User avatar
Morty
Moderately Powerful Moderator
Posts: 2786
Joined: Jul 04, 2022 10:59 pm
Pronouns: He/Him

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Morty »

[Tempest Row Clinic]

Olvisin folds her arms across her chest. Her ears point downwards. Rose might be familiar enough with goblin ear expressions by now, but in any case it's obvious she's unconvinced and unimpressed.

"Unless she assumes you're an imposter. Or that you want payback. Or some other explanation that occurs to the paranoid supervillainess."

"You have to recover first, regardless. And this isn't a place for this discussion. However, if you do decide to do this, I will help keep you safe. In any way I can find."

Fayyaad's gaze is fixed on Rose as he says it. He seems staunchly determined to do it.
User avatar
Earl of Purple
Transcendent Soul Poster
Posts: 2022
Joined: Aug 01, 2022 3:59 pm
Location: Amongst the Folk from the North
Pronouns: He/Him

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Earl of Purple »

Ruins of Trust-Worthy Hotel

The armoured figure self-conscious rubs at the rust when Sandals points it out. Looking through the visor, there's darkness and not a lot of light, though Sandals may catch a flash of blue eyes occasionally. "I fought, I killed, I died. I died slow. Some peasant with a poignard got me here after after I fell off my horse." The armoured figure touches the inside of their thigh, a masculine voice echoing within the helmet. Both Lia and Sandals can hear him, though Lia can't see him inside the armour. (More accurately, Lia can hear the echo, not the original voice.) "I died slow, and saw your lot come for everyone else. They were busy, all of them. So many dead... needless slaughter, every angel that came down had five or six to collect. None came for me. You're no angel, and you missed your chance. I work for me now, and the man who buried my corpse." Well, his great-grandson. It's been over a century; the person who buried him is dead themselves, and their son and grandson. In all cases, they were collected and the knight was left.
Avatar provided by Happyturtle. Still using it, after all these years.

Don't run now, my eggs are hatching.
Ironsmith
Poster from Beyond the Veil
Posts: 2996
Joined: Aug 01, 2022 12:46 pm

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Ironsmith »

Morty wrote: Apr 30, 2023 3:59 pm [Tempest Row Clinic]

Olvisin folds her arms across her chest. Her ears point downwards. Rose might be familiar enough with goblin ear expressions by now, but in any case it's obvious she's unconvinced and unimpressed.

"Unless she assumes you're an imposter. Or that you want payback. Or some other explanation that occurs to the paranoid supervillainess."

"You have to recover first, regardless. And this isn't a place for this discussion. However, if you do decide to do this, I will help keep you safe. In any way I can find."

Fayyaad's gaze is fixed on Rose as he says it. He seems staunchly determined to do it.
[Tempest Row]

Rose smiles and brings her intact hand up to Fayyaad's face, stroking his cheek and chin affectionately; somehow, despite her skin being horrifically burnt and likely still in a ridiculous amount of pain, she manages to make the motion smooth and soft. "...Thank you." She says simply. "...You've been a real treasure tonight."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
User avatar
quillpleasant
Reborn Elder Poster
Posts: 1482
Joined: Feb 27, 2023 7:23 am
Location: Somewhere cold
Pronouns: Any

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by quillpleasant »

Ruins of Trust-Worthy Hotel

Lia listens to the armored spirit's echo, although she keeps an eye on his companions in case they try anything.

"After all those years, and all that slaughter, and now you're hanging out hustling time drugs on a street corner? Surely you could find some grander purpose than that?" She's hoping that whatever Sandel's proposition is, it is in fact grander than that.
horses can attack and eat me
Hraithre
Coffin-Bound Aged Poster
Posts: 585
Joined: Aug 03, 2022 5:37 pm

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Hraithre »

[Ruins of Trust-Worthy Hotel]

"I may be late, but you know what comes after a missed chance? A second one", Sandels replies. "You know, a short while back, I was in dire straits. Had no real reason to expect anyone would show up for help. But someone did anyway. I owe them for that - a weapon, capable of warding off evil spirits." He raises his left palm towards the armor.

"Think of this as a job offer - a bodyguard gig. For that, I'd reforge you, put on a new coat of paint. I'm sorry none of my kind were there for you before. But I'm here now. Give it a thought."
User avatar
Gullara
Forum Mommy
Posts: 1529
Joined: May 15, 2022 11:52 pm
Pronouns: She/Her
Contact:

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Gullara »

Shadowcaller wrote: Apr 28, 2023 9:52 pm [Raindrop Apartment]

"I don't want to draw unwanted attention to myself, you or Ugi." A beat. "I might also have been involved in shall-we-say covert operations in the city as a part of repaying my debt to VIGIL after the events you saw happening there. Don't worry though, you will be able to see perfectly fine." The dragon assures her before gently scooping up the child in her claws and moves towards the front door where she has to stop. Her wings were simply too big to go through it.

It ends up taking a few minutes of her folding her her wings and shrinking down a bit in size until she's finally outside. "I'd say I love the fresh air but its not particularly fresh is it? Guessing this is a problem where you're from as well."
[Raindrop Apartment]

Utayo nods. "Very well." She accepts. Then she leads the way out of the apartment. In the hall the door's locking mechanism latches with an audible whir and click.

"I'm sure there's overlap in challenges, but this sort of pollution is not a major one. The energy we derive from the spirit realm is far more clean. Of course there are still over forms of pollution that can occur. Things are far from perfect."

While she explains this she heads towards the same elevator Ambrosia would have taken up. Thankfully the chance of running into anyone is slim, as they're on a rather high floor. She enters and lets Ambrosia arrange herself to fit inside with her (also thankfully the elevators aren't tiny). Once inside she doesn't press a button, but instead passes her hand over what looks like a card scanner. There's a beep and the elevator starts to ascend.
Image
~Images by Soushiyo
User avatar
Shadowcaller
Poster from Beyond the Veil
Posts: 2766
Joined: Aug 02, 2022 6:29 am
Location: Sweden

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Raindrop Apartment]

"Where I'm from neither the technology of this or your plane exists yet. But despite that there's still pollution in the form of the endless amount of garbage people produce, so I don't doubt that. Things are never perfect, especially on my plane." She would have added more but pauses as they come before the elevator.

"Ah... we're taking this." Despite having already used it once she almost sound offended by its mere existence now. "Never used an elevator in my true form. Suppose there's a first time for everything." A beat. "Since it is fast. And lets me keep a low profile." She remarks, almost sounding like she's talking to herself, as Utayo is dealing with the card scanner. Presumably she had to use the buttons to get here unless she too was forced to use the swipe system.

She will scan the elevator for cameras though. Wouldn't want to be caught on any of those.

"I keep worrying that I will cause some kind of outage in one of these electricity-driven machines though. It has happened before you know? Even while I was wearing- er, was human." She probably shouldn't calling it wearing human skin. Sounded weird. "In theory I should be able to control it better but so far the best I've done is repair lights which I had ruined in the first place."
Image
User avatar
Gullara
Forum Mommy
Posts: 1529
Joined: May 15, 2022 11:52 pm
Pronouns: She/Her
Contact:

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Gullara »

[Raindrop Apartment]

"The stair entrance to the roof is more complicated, I'm afraid, so this will have to do." Utayo explains apologetically. "But it will take us directly there." Thankfully there appears to be no cameras around.

"I hope you won't do that now. It'll be hard to keep a low profile if we need to be rescued." Utayo says with a very slight smile. She neglects to mention that this concern would have been best brought up before they were already sealed inside. She imagines this isn't some grave warning.
Image
~Images by Soushiyo
User avatar
Earl of Purple
Transcendent Soul Poster
Posts: 2022
Joined: Aug 01, 2022 3:59 pm
Location: Amongst the Folk from the North
Pronouns: He/Him

Re: Skyside Prime

Post by Earl of Purple »

Ruins of the Trust-Worthy Hotel

"I won't kill. I've seen too much killing for one lifetime, and one deathtime as well. I use my sword to threaten, and to keep it out of the hands of others. I keep these guys out of trouble. That one's grandfather buried my bones. I thought that might help me rest easier." Obviously, it didn't work. The person they indicate is the twitchy half-elf.

Even if the ghost weren't a pacifist- or at least uninclined towards killing- the armour itself is a protective thing, and might not appreciate being a weapon.
Avatar provided by Happyturtle. Still using it, after all these years.

Don't run now, my eggs are hatching.
Post Reply