"I still say the best route is to burn the place down. Thrune can't spin a pile of ash into anything other than what it is. As for the innocents... cremation is as good a burial as any other."
Regardless of the horrors commited here tonight, the Raven thinks it would be fun to figure out how to work the chain box and throw it at Thrune's goons.
Once the books are collected and ready for transport, Vantine goes to take another look at the strange box. Perhaps considering it under less pressure will produce better results.
Despite not really knowing what exactly the box is, the Raven gets a semblance of inspiration when he notes some of its more mechanical aspects. Carefully - so as not to get attacked as Nyxra did - he uses his tools to release the mechanisms that are on the box proper.
The shadowy chains retract, and the corpse collapses to the ground, while the box nearly falls on the Raven, who manages to catch it just in time to avoid a somewhat embarrassing pratfall.
The Raven looks a the box, turning it over in his hands. Despite his knowledge of engineering in general and the inner workings of complex mechanical devices, it seems to be unusable. "Damn it. It's broken." He holds it out to Vantine. "Make it work. Zap it or something."
Vantine takes a couple of steps back from the box, refusing to touch it or be near it.
"We don't know what it is, and it probably killed that man you idiot. I want nothing to do with it."
Jessibel remains silent but extremely interested in the box. She'd sensed the magical power the box once held, and such an item was likely quite valuable. But now the magic had fled the strange artifact; could it be rekindled somehow?
Beats me....
"Mhph. I guess I could still throw it at people's heads." The Raven bags the little box. "So what is the verdict? Are we burning her down or what?"
"Let's hold on to it, carefully." Asiling suggests. "If we don't know what it is, Rexus might be able to help. He knows things."
As she gathers up the things they've found, she does thikn for a moment about burning the place down, sending a message to Thrune. But temptation is to be resisted.
"We'd get blamed if this place burns down. A lot of teh people we need to keep on our side don't want looting and burning. A fire here would be a great excuse for Thrune to start putting even more people in prison."
"No, we're not burning this place down. We can't wait around and make sure it doesn't spread to adjacent buildings. Also it's pointless and wastes a perfectly serviceable building."
Vantine looks around at her compatriots, clearly flustered by their anemic pace in exiting the building.
"We really need to be on our way please? I don't know exactly how long it will take for a new pack of Asmodean goons to arrive, but a good guess is less time than we're taking."
"Yeah--let's fly this joint!" the Magpie chimes in, trying to sound cool and stick with the whole bird motif thing the group has going.
At the mention of finally leaving this place behind, Nyxra is the first one to lead the group out.
"...'fly'? It's fly away. Grammar."
"'Fly away this joint?' That does not make any more sense, lady Falcon."
"It's Nyxra. And fly away from. Thank you."
The Ravens, having settled all their efforts in cleaning the monastery of Asmodeans (and of anything that returning Asmodeans might want), make their way back into the Fantasmagorium, and out into the dark streets of Kintargo.
As they go, the Ravens creep along the streets, trying to avoid any attention... but then they hear the ordered footsteps of another group. Someone else is on the streets - and it's tough to know whether it's officially after curfew yet or not.
The Magpie tries to slip into the shadows (or a nearby alley) before the patrol (or whomever it is) comes upon the Silver Ravens.
Vantine whispers a quick charm and also tries her best to get out of sight.
The Raven also hunkers down in the shadows, making ready to throw his new box at somebody.
Nyxra slinks into the shadows.
Aisling is, unfortunately, not the stealthiest, and almost stumbles into a wall. She manages to catch herself, but the slap of her hand and arm against the building is clearly audible.
The steps pause, before increasing in their frequency. The Ravens see a light cast on one of the nearby buildings, and have just enough time to get out of the way before a patrol of three dottari arrive in their vicinity, one holding a hooded lantern on a long rod, and the other two looking more annoyed than anything.
"Excuse me, citizen." The lantern-bearer calls to Aisling. "It's getting to curfew. Honest folk should be returning to their homes." She looks around. "What's your name?"
Another slaps the leader's shoulder. "You!" He points to Vantine's hiding place. "I see you hiding over there! What's going on here?" One hand falls on his mace's handle.
The third looks in Raven's direction. "And another one. An ambush?" He draws his mace fully. "Step behind us, ma'am." He says, and it takes Aisling a moment to realize he means her.
Vantine stands up and moves out as asked when she's called out by the dottari. She figures the only option short of a fight is bluffing their way out.
She raises her hands as high up into the air as they can possibly go and takes care to wobble just a little as she takes her steps.
"I shurrrder, um I surrender mister guard. We're a goin' home... But, we had drinks, sev'ral drinks."
She sighs SO sadly.
"It's takin' sooo long to go, to get there. We're sorry."
Vantine takes her hands down out of the air and puts them over her face as she starts to sob, then cry.
Jessibel remains hidden, figuring her mask would make it seem less likely she's just a drunken partier caught outside a bit late.
Nyxra watches the proceedings from her hiding spot, already planning her first few moves should the confrontation escalate to violence.
The leader of the patrol looks faintly disgusted at Vantine, before sighing and turning her lantern at the Raven. "And you? Out for a costume party, is it? Or are you just as drunk as she is?"
Vantine laughs as she reigns in her crying.
"It's his birthday so we made him wear the mask. Funny looking huh? He hates it."
"Can we go home now? I reeaaly need to get in bed."
Aisling isn't the best when unexpected things cop up so she hesitaets - and of course thes that hesitate are lost. She tries not to look embrassed as the others tell one unbelievable lie after another.
Oh well. May as wel try to make the bets of it. "Actually, officers, if you aren't too busy dealing with these - birthday party people - maybe you could escort me away from here? I've had some dealings with the Barons assistant Nox and it took longer than I thought it wood. I hadn't realised curfew had strated." She gives them a smile, everyo word is true. She hopes that Nox name will make the guards too afraid to ask questions.
"Lies!" The Raven bellows, voiced muffled by his mask. He quickly interposes himself between Aisling and the thugs, his long-legged strides closing the distance swifty. "I was never given a birthday! I have been kidnapped against my very own will and I would greatly appreciate if you upstanding members of of law enforcement would quickly enact my rescue!"
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Nyxra winces and pinches the bridge of her nose in embarrassment.
...the Silver Ravens, everybody. Can't come up with cover stories if caught, and can't keep them straight even if we try.
Vantine sighs the sigh of all put-upon saints everywhere.
"You also ought to know he's a mean drunk. When he's not drunk he's still not right in the head and a nasty, ungrateful prick without any real friends. I'm here with him because he's my brother."
Tears begin to roll down Vantine's cheeks again. Waves of hurt, disappointment, and shame emanate from her. Vantine's very soul bleeds from the burden she bears having to mind her sicko relative, and admit to strangers they're connected by blood.
The lantern-bearer turns to Aisling, her brow furrowing. "Sorry, ma'am. If these folk were harassing you, we can take them in. If not, well... we'll run them off."
The other two dottari keep a wary eye on the Raven and Vantine, ready to take action if Aisling requests it.
Aisling shakes her head. "No they aren't bothering me. Shall we be on our way?"
The dottari leader pauses, her shadow-cast features slightly uncomfortable, but she nods. "Please hurry home, ma'am. It's dangerous out here, even if these two dolts aren't." She signals her fellows, and the trio begin their patrol once more, turning about and making their way back into the streets of Kintargo.
The Ravens, now free to return to the Wasp's Nest, make their way hastily over Bleakbridge (paying the toll as the dottari warn them to hurry along), and manage to get to their hideout a bare ten minutes before the bells ring out that it is time for curfew.
Inside, Rexus, a couple of the Scarlet Rose, and two of the peddlers are sitting around one of the tables in the storage area and chatting - from the Harrow cards on the table, they seem to be playing some sort of game. What that game is isn't immediately obvious, however. The players take no note of the Ravens just yet, however, distracted as they are by the game.
Jessibel's expression becomes pained as she spots Rexus. She gathers the Victocora signet rings and the family portrait Nyxra found before approaching the young nobleman and requesting to speak with him in private.
Once she's alone with Rexus, Jessi simply says, "I'm so sorry" before handing him his parents' rings. "I think they were killed at your family villa but their bodies were taken to Hocum's where they were animated as zombie guards. We didn't even recognize them until...until we'd cut them down when they attacked us. Between the fire damage, some positive energy from Aisling, and the rest of us defending ourselves from them...well, there wasn't really anything recognizable left of them. I still wanted to bring them back for some sort of proper burial, but...Nox escaped us and we figured she'd be returning soon with a lot of reinforcements."
"We did a find a few things you may appreciate, though," the bard continues, handing him the portrait of a young Rexus with his parents. "Nyxra found that and spotted the significance. And these .... Well, you'll want to read through them." She explains her own encounter with the scrivenite and the memories it temporarily stole to give her fellow noble some idea of what to expect.
"Oh? Lady Jessibel? And everyone else! Good to see you all back!" Rexus gets to his feet, looking almost hungry for news. His companions stop their game, some of them offering dry smiles at the leadership and primary agents of the Silver Ravens.
When she draws him aside, Rexus remains silent throughout Jessibel's description. His face crumples in sorrow as she goes on, but he holds back. Swallowing, he takes the books and the rings. "Thank you. Thank you so much. He says, voice raw. "Please, tell the others that I must beg their pardons for leaving them so suddenly... but I need some time to myself." He offers her a watery smile. "Maybe... maybe I'll find something that will help us liberate Kintargo in their memories. They might be able to help us from the Boneyard and beyond."
Jessibel nods and rests a hand on Rexus's shoulder before leaving. Back in the main hall with the others, she lets everyone know that Rexus needs some alone time before giving the other gathered agents a brief overview of the bad news the officers uncovered regarding Rexus's parents.
Turning to Aisling, she quietly adds, "He took the news about as well as could be expected. I told him the truth--all of it--so he may some day want to go back into Hocum's to recover what's left of his parents' remains."
The teen--Jessibel again with her Magpie mask removed--shrugs and says, "I'll go with him if that day comes."
Turning to Aisling, she quietly adds, "He took the news about as well as could be expected. I told him the truth--all of it--so he may some day want to go back into Hocum's to recover what's left of his parents' remains."
The teen--Jessibel again with her Magpie mask removed--shrugs and says, "I'll go with him if that day comes."
Aisling gives Jessi a sympathetic hug. "Thanks for doing that. I'm sure you did it beter than I could. If he wants to go back to Hocum's then we will go with him, but we'd need to plan it carefully. I don't think Nox was finished withh her work there and I *don't* wnat to run into her again unelss we're ready for her."
Nyxra stands back from the whole comforting affair, feeling rather awkward.
"...yeah, I need a proper silvered sword. And more importantly, I need to work on my aim." The ranger sighs. "I mean, I was damn near useless when it came to fighting Nox."
Jessibel accepts Aisling's hug and praise willingly; there's a part of her that thought maybe she'd screw things up so badly that Rexus would immediately rush out of the Wasp Nest headed for Hocum's. She also nods vigorously in agreement to the Iomedaean's words about Nox.
"Speaking of Nox, do we still plan to have the Fushis scout out where she ran off to? Hey--where are the Fushis, anyhow?"
Rina speaks up in response to Jessi's question. "They went out a few days ago. Sent word back yesterday, was it? Or the day before. Haven't seen them since they left, though." The elderly merchant scratches her chin before looking at the others, who shrug.
"They might still be searching for information on the Fantasmagorium." One-eyed Moriana, one of the Scarlet Rose, offers.
Or theyn've sold us out for a better deal. Asilnig doess't say anything, but she remembers how they first made contact with the Fushis and it involved killinga at least one of them. She hopes she's wrong.
"Is tehere anyone we can send out to find them? Our visilibyt is a bit high right now expecially after our brush with Nox. I'd like us to lie low for a bit if we can."
"We'll all keep an eye out for them." Moriana says quickly and firmly.
Rina nods. "I'll let my fellows know about them. We're pretty well spread throughout the city, so we can keep an eye out for them, as well."
Vendelfek flutters over to the group, landing on the seat of Rexus' vacated chair. "They're fun. I'll look around for them, too... maybe I might find some news. Unless you want me to go spread rumors about where you are - get some of the 'heat' off of you."
Vantine goes to the Wasp's Nest to offer Rexus her condolences, but does not stay the night. Instead she goes to she mother's place.
Jessibel is rather crestfallen when Aisling tells her the cleric--like herself--is all out of channels and spell slots that could be used for healing. Jessi's not worried about perishing overnight--she's harboring more of a vain concern that whatever healing that might occur overnight might scar her nearly flawless skin. A small part of her realizes how foolish that thought is--she hasn't done any dancing or acting since she became a part of the rebellion--No--Conspiracy! That's a better word for the Silver Ravens!--but isn't getting the city back to the way it was pre-Thrune the whole point of the rebellion? It indeed seemed a noble goal to her.
"I'm gonna crash," she announces, briefly looking to Nyxra to see if the dour elf would again attempt to correct her usage of current slang. With that, she heads upstairs to Laria's bunkroom.
As expected, the teen bard has nightmares featuring the fearsome Nox. This time the dream is even weirder than usual--she's chased through the Wasp Nest by Thrune's brutal enforcer, but Nox's ugly face is attached to the body of the imp the party (barely) defeated earlier. The Nox-Imp, however, still wields a glaive, and she wields it well, whacking Jessi in the temple with the flat of its blade and then using its reach to trip the bard and send her sprawling. Every time Jessi's knocked into a wall or to the floor, the Nox-Imp swoops in to sting her with her tail and taunt her. As it becomes clear that she's becoming slower with every sting she endures and that defeat is imminent, Jessibel forces herself to wake up. Eventually, she manages to fall asleep again, this time with less unpleasant dreams.
With morning comes a revelation: She's grown in magical power! During her morning stretching routine, the bard decides upon a couple of new spells to add to her repertoire. She arrives in the Wasp Nest fashionably late, as usual, and hunts down her fellow Ravens. Approaching the beat-up Raven, she tries out one of her new spells, a higher-powered cure spell.
Pleased with the outcome of the casting on her mentor, the bard gives a satisfied nod and casts a lesser healing spell upon herself.
"I know we're supposed to lay low for a while, but...I really want to get a more streamlined buckler that won't throw off my rapier attacks the way my current one does," she says, sounding like her tone might become whiny. "I was thinking maybe Amanda Juliac might visit the War Cage in Yolubilis District to pick out a new one."
"Anyone want to come with?" she asks her fellow Silver Ravens. "It's not too far of a walk, and I think it's far enough from Hocum's that we'd be safe from dottari patrols looking into any 'disturbance' that might have occurred there recently."
"We could also ask around a bit about the Fushi Sisters...."
The night passes quickly, as it is already quite late, and the Ravens rest, recuperate, and recover from their trials of the past two nights. The next morning is notably warmer, even in the Wasp's Nest, and though it remains quite cold outside, the sun promises spring's arrival.
As midmorning arrives, there's still no sign of Rexus - presumably, he's still buried in his books, or otherwise mourning his parents, while the Fushi siblings have yet to show their feathers in the base yet. The Wasp's Nest, then, is unusually quiet.
Nyxra feels too exhausted to do anything but find a place to crash herself.
As Jessibel makes her way across the city toward the War Cage, a figure wrapped in a voluminous cloak with the hood up picks up her trail and follows her at a discrete distance.
Not finding a taker to tag along, Jessibel uses prestidigitation to color her hair blonde and her armor a rich caramel brown. Slipping on her faux Juliac ring and making a few other minor cosmetic changes, the bard exits Laria's place and heads south, sticking to the main streets. Every so often, she takes in her surroundings to avoid dottari and CCG thugs, as well as to make sure she's not being followed.
Eventually, she reaches the far edge of the district after passing by the semi-famous Alabaster Academy. Here she takes a turn straighter south. Yolubilis is not a district she knows particularly well, but she's heard of the War Cage in the past from her deceased father, older brother, and the villa guards. Before making the last part of her journey, the bard feigns tying her boot to take another look around.
No dottari or CCG goons in sight but one figure hidden in a cloak coming in the same direction she'd come sends up a bit of a red flag.
If I hurry, I should reach the War cage safely...even if this person actually is following me! the disguised noblewoman decides.
Moving a bit faster, Jessi/Amanda scampers the final block or so and enters the War Cage, marvelling at the variety of weapons for sale and waiting her turn to speak with the tengu weaponmaster. Eventually, the tengu Chuko Sharpbeak approaches, asking what he can do for the young lady. 'Amanda' explains her difficulty while fighting with a buckler, and Chuko nods and finds her a slightly lighter but definitely more aerodynamic model to try out. The tengu takes the young swordswoman to the War Cage's famous sparring circle to try out a few moves with her new buckler. The girl's form is legit enough that Chuko drops his preconceived notion that this is just another Villegre schoolgirl trying to play at a warrior so she can feel safer when slipping out to parties after curfew. He asks Jessibel about her previous encounters, and the bard relies on her knowledge of the heroes of songs and plays to paint a realistic picture of a few past battles. Chuko seems to buy her tale and offers her a 5% 'Adventurer's Discount' if she'll make the purchase today.
"I think I'll likely take it, but I'd like to practice just a bit longer with it, if you don't mind," the bard replies. She's so caught up in how awesome her swordsmanship must now be that she wholly forgets about the hooded figure who may have been watching her earlier.
The cloaked figure falls back to give Jessi some extra distance toward the end of her walk, just in case she had noticed something. It's not until after Jessi has been inside the War Cage for several minutes that her follower goes in as well.
Lemma drops the hood from her head and gives Chuko a familiar wave. She then gestures toward Jessi as she tries out the buckler.
"Nothing for me today. Just waiting on my friend."
Lemma finds a wall with space for her to lean on and waits, glancing in Jessi's direction occasionally until she is finished testing out her new equipment.