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In the Courtyard:
'Aiah looks back at nothing in particular, except the direction of where the guards are running.
That has to be Malgrim... She uses the chaos to leave the courtyard, still in invisible form. While she is sure no one is paying attention, she activates the message spell. "That you 'grim? All the guards are rushing to... somewhere... You need help?" GM:
The Smoking Room: 'Aiah watches with interest as Gwen sweet talks her way back into connection with Arimar, or the good captain as he is currently disguised, and carefully moves in closer. As the guards discuss, she uses the opportunity to slide through the opening that Burt leaves.
GM:
The message spell activates in everyone's ear, and 'Aiah cannot manage to suppress a grunt of pain before whispering. "Explosion was me. Sorry Malgrim, nothing I am doing seems to be helping. I guess you are on your own for now. Let us know if you get caught. I would prefer not to wreck this place rescuing you, but I'll do what I've got to do..." GM:
'Aiah cuts the message off for the moment and pulls her only healing extract from her clutch. She looks down at it, wondering if revealing herself as a burned victim might help create more chaos, but decides against it. Even still, she decides to wait just a bit longer. She suspects that she has a few more minutes left with her magical enhancements, and so decides that patience is the best course of action for now. "Don't want to come out of invisibility now. Burned myself bad when I made that bomb go off, and with my luck they would accuse me of blowing it up outright and we would be in even worse shape. I'll try to slip out before my spell wears off, but want to stay in place for now in case Malgrim still needs us."
GM:
'Aiah listens to Malgrim's most recent message. She slaps the side of her skull, frantically trying to think of what she can do, feeling helpless in the room with nothing to create a distraction.
Wait... Fire. FIRE! Fire in a crowded room! The invisible form of the disguised alchemist carefully moves over to one of the the areas where a Hooka lies un-used. Pillows are scattered haphazardly around the intricate device. The thought that 'Aiah needed to make sure no innocents would get hurt while pulling off her stunt is not lost on the alchemist, who only a few months ago killed a man in a cell in order for Arimar to create a zombie to provide means to escape. This is probably going to go horribly wrong, and this is REALLY going to hurt... Malgrim, here goes nothing... Standing over top of the hooka in order to make sure that her bomb never becomes visible, 'Aiah grits her teeth, closes her eyes, and slams a bomb down on top of the device.
GM, Gwen, and Anyone close to the smoking room:
A violent explosion rocks the room and a small black mushroom cloud sprouts from the spot where a hooka once lay ready for smoking. Pillows scattered all around the location catch fire from the embers and conflagration that sprays the immediate surroundings. GM:
GM:
'Aiah grinds her teeth in frustration at the stupid people in the room. Seriously? What the hell? Three guards start attacking thin air and NOBODY reacts? One of them is flinging blood all over the place right now as they attack, and nothing? 'Aiah retreats as far away from the bloodthirsty murder-hobo guards as she can and whispers back through the message spell. The time between Arimar's question and 'Aiah's response is uncomfortably long. Finally, her voice floats over the ether into each of their ears. "I used one of my invisibility extracts. Three of these f&$%#er guards apparently think that is a capital offense, because they all tried to &#^%ing kill me. One of them got lucky and cut me. I'm back in the corner of the smoking room, still invisible. I screamed while the three dumb brutes were swinging their swords in thin air, hoping to start a panic which might be the distraction that Malgrim needs, but the idiots in this room are too #&$%ing high to care that the guards in this house just tried to murder a guest. This whole thing is a cluster, hopefully Malgrim is still doing ok. I'm going to have to find another way to create a distraction." GM: 'Aiah calms her racing heart for a moment with a couple of deep breaths. She holds still in the back part of the room, not moving unless necessary. She closes her eyes for a second, focusing on the rush from the chemicals flowing through her veins. She rubs her invisible fingers on her nose, sniffing all the while and catches a few traces of the powder. The bump in the buzz has her releasing a soft, cleansing breath. Within seconds, most of the wound has healed. A few seconds later, the cut from the guard's blade is all but disappeared.
'Aiah studies the motions of the guards and the people in the room from her vantage point in the corner. Sliding most of her extracts from their secured location, she pops a few corks and guzzles them down while she waits to see what else will happen, and tries to come up with another plan.
Everyone in the smoking room: Aiah stumbles back, still invisible, though she can feel the sticky sensation of blood dripping down her chest where the blade cut. I can use this... she thinks with an unseen wicked grin.
'Aiah grins secretly, waiting for the hush of the crowd to acknowledge her voice, if not her presence.
Her screaming is loud and piercing, cutting through any conversation in the room, and likely into the next room. The accusation, combined with 3 guards swinging swords, one of which is now bloodied, cannot be missed by anyone nearby. Still invisible, 'Aiah's adrenaline allows her to ignore the pain of the wound, and her natural inclination to rip the guard's head off of his shoulders. She backs into the room carefully, trying not to bump into anyone, and moving to a position where she hopes the guards won't be able to locate her invisible form.
Well Malgrim, it wasn't what I had in mind originally, but if these damn knuckleheads want to start attacking the guests, I might as well use that to start a riot. Here comes your diversion... The conniving alchemist thinks.
GM: Noise, I can do noise... She thinks, moving now with purpose. Just gotta get past those goons. They can't see me. I am invisible. Gotta trust it, gotta go for it...
GM:
'Aiah's heart continues to pound, further pushing her paranoia into a frenzy for fear that the thumping will give her away. The guard comes over to inspect and the invisible female form lays frozen, curled into a semi-fetal position, unable to move. Why can't I get up? Move Move Move! Suddenly the voice in Benaiah's head chimes in again. Ah ah ah... See, you just can't quite handle it. Now that I've finally had a taste of what you have kept from me for so long, I need a little more. Give me more... No... Not again... I don't want to go back there... she whimpers in her mind. All resistances have already been defeated though. She has already opened the door, and she knows it. 'Aiah's mind screams in protest as she scrapes her invisible form across the floor towards a haphazardly discarded pile of pesh powder. She cannot resist now, and she knows it. Plugging one side of her nose again, she sucks up what is left on the floor, and within seconds feels energized. Malgrim... Her suddenly clear mind screams. "I'm coming Malgrim. I'll give you a distraction so you can get out." The message spell comes to life again. GM:
Hopping to her feet with practiced grace, the female form of the hulking chemist begins moving with urgency towards one of the blocked doors.
Need to get upstairs... "Malgrim, where are you, where are you trying to escape from? Talk to me, what do you need? I am invisible, and I can lead the guards away from you. Only have 5 minutes max..." She whispers, hoping the din of conversation will cover her words. GM:
TheBobJones_GM: 'Aiah lays reclined, in shock from the Gwen's scolding and unable to process a retort. She is further dumbfounded when the halfling gets up and prances towards the guards, the guards who are surely here to find him, or her, as the situation stands.
You know they are here for you... the voice in the magically disguised man's head finally begins to chirp. Her heart continues to pound, making it difficult to hear anything over the repeated, rhythmic thumping. All at once Benaiah hears the laughter and jeers of people mocking him from his youth. All the adults at the parties, his parents included. Suddenly every conversation in the room feels as though it is a hushed one where the conspirators are gossiping about his awful disguise, his fake voice, his laundry list of shortcomings. Laughter echoes from another group circled around a monstrous Hooka. They are laughing at me. They're all laughing at me! They know I am about to get arrested... The paranoia, now firmly rooted in 'Aiah's mind, nearly breaks her. She breaks out in a sweat, and can hardly feel her clammy hands. The halfling maiden says you aren't important enough to betray. Nobody cares about you Benaiah. Nobody thinks you are worth anything. Nobody except me. I am the man they all think you should have been. Give us a little taste again. You are holding it in your hands, go ahead. Everything is going to be juuuust fine. I'll take care of you. Glancing furtively down to the small leather pouch in her left hand, filled with powdered pesh that is now saturated with the invisibility extract, she can no longer resist. 'Aiah nearly knocks over the hooka in front of her laying the pouch out on the floor in front of her. It's been a while, I hope I can handle this. Or maybe... Maybe I hope I can't... Without any further hesitation, she leans over, plugging one nostril, and snorts the pile of clumpy powder. Before she even finishes breathing in, she disappears from all sight.
Aiah, Gwen and GM:
'Aiah catches her breath at the sight of the guards entering the room. She leans in, waiting for Gwen's whisper, and crinkles her face when she says nothing.
"You think these boys are here to see us?" she whispers, confusion in her voice for a moment. She does her best to remain casual as the guards fan out. Just then the servant brings over a bag of powdered pesh, acting as if nothing was amiss at all. Aiah's hands twitch at the sight of the drug, her nervous system suddenly creating a craving for it, as if escape from this sudden predicament lay within the mounds of powder. They must be here for us, who else would it be? 'Aiah's paranoia begins to grow, planting itself firmly in her mind. She quickly snatches up the bag of pesh, holding it in her left hand. Eyes darting around fervently, she brings the bag up to her nose and takes an experimental sniff. The effect is small, reflecting the very small amount she has inhaled, but it is instant. Her eyes dialate, her vision becoming sharper. Her hearing is heightened, and the soft din of conversation suddenly feels like a roar of a crowd. Her heart thumps quickly and powerfully, feeling as though it is resting in her feet, loins, chest and head all simultaneously. Suddenly the crackle of Arimar's question floods her hearing. Before she can answer, Arimar follows it up with the warning to Malgrim. Her heart rate kicks up another notch. "Guards blocking all exits in the smoking room, Cat seems to have Gwen's tongue," she finishes, flashing a stern glare at the halfling woman. "I think it is time to go!" she whispers over the message system with a harsh urgency. Aiah, Gwen and GM: The panic in Aiah's chest begins to rise. All around the guards scan the room, and she feels as though her pounding chest will give her away. She looks at her feminine hands, feeling exposed and that every eye must be fixed on her. In her left hand, she looks again at the bag of powdered pesh, suddenly longing for the chemical release inside. Her other hand reaches for her clutch, where her extracts are stored.
"Either you are a coward, or you set us up." Aiah finally regains some composure, sending the accusation to the lounging, silent Gwen. "So find your tongue and explain yourself, or find your own way out of here, if you even need it..." She continues to whisper in harsh tones. In the swirl of confusion, the disguised Benaiah has a sudden epiphany. She pulls an extract from her clutch and pours the entire contents into the small leather pouch that contains the dry, powdered pesh. In seconds, the powder sucks up all of the moisture, leaving a crumbly, grainy paste. She clutches it tightly as she glances around and waits for the halfling's response.
In the Smoking Roooooom (Gwen and GM only): 'Aiah looks at the plates of herbs and powders with a practiced eye, trying to identify what she can. Perhaps this was the entertainment that Gwen was hinting at.
"Let's sit close and see what we can overhear." she whispers to the diminutive musician. Raising her hand and stopping a servant as he walks by, 'Aiah speaks up. "Tell me, what do you have in the hookas? I am catching a wiff of Desna's Despoiled Flower. Can you set us up just over here? These pillows here look plush..." 'Aiah begins to lounge against a set of pillows with her back to Zakon and the handmaiden. She motions for Gwen to sit down, and begins mumbling about the eye-candy in the room, all the while keeping her ears tuned to the conversation behind her. If only we can catch something to clue us in to their intentions...
In the rooooooom:
'Aiah takes note of the earplugs and wonders if she remembered to put anything like that in with her belongings. SHe grits her teeth, hoping that the magical effect only gets one try to overwhelm her resistances. Seeing the handmaiden skip off to the smoking room with the devilishly handsome Zakon, 'Aiah nods to the captain and heads towards the other room.
"Looks like our answers may be in the other room..." she says in a low whisper. Keeping her eyes busy and moving around the room, she is careful not to stare for to long at any one thing, lest she raise suspicions. Her stride is measured, but purposeful as she walks through the doorway into the cloud of hazy smoke that hangs from the ceiling. She quickly scans the room, suddenly worried that Ioana's hinting about Zakon's strange appetites might have been the reason for his quick departure with the handmaiden, and not wanting to lose them. As has become their routine, She leans in to whisper to Captain Reginald, activating the message spell once again. In the ears of the other three mercenaries, the soft, feminine version of Benaiah's voice cuts through in a whisper. "We've found the handmaiden. She just whispered something to Zakon Vanderales, and the two ran off like they were going to do something naughty. Keep your eyes peeled Malgrim, they could be heading your way."
Everyone but Malgrim-Impossible and Captain Reginald, who is too busy dancing to hear:
The feminine form turns to the real woman in the group and favors the halfling with a smile. "Isn't this the same Ioana who was paying the handmaiden for information on the Venderale family? It appears she is doing some information gathering on her own. You also mentioned that the Versades are experts in "entertainment". Did you mean that literally?" 'Aiah asks, waving her hands towards the frolicing Arimar, "Or were you talking about a more horizontal form of entertainment?" 'Aiah's sheepish smile gives away her slight embarrassment at not catching whether or not it was an innuendo. Leaning in a little closer, 'Aiah's lips get uncomfortably close to the halfling maiden's ears. She whispers in such a way as to activate the message spell so all can hear. Suddenly, everyone's ears crackle for a moment, and the magically disguised voice of Benaiah fills their heads. "We must try to start with finding out why Ioana Versades wants to know more information on the Venderale family. What is the relationship between the two families?" The words cut off as 'Aiah finishes her thoughts, leaving everyone to ponder the potential answers to that question. Everyone but Malgrim: "And no, I don't recall a single time that Arrrrrr' 'Aiah catches herself nearly saying his real name, and subtly changes the sound of it to the word 'our', 'our captain has been overcome with joy so much that he felt like dancing. So what do you say Gwen, shall we go retrieve him?" Without waiting for an answer, 'Aiah whisks the halfling woman onto the dance floor, leaping, spinning, and twirling her way towards the suddenly footloose and fancy free man.
After a few moments of lively footwork, the two ladies close the distance and sweep Captain Reginald into their circle. Trying her best to guide the group, she moves the dancing trio closer to Ioana and the devilishly handsome Venderale boy to see what they might be able to hear.
The burly man in vixen form smiles a sparkling smile and takes the captain's arm as they walk into the party. Once far enough away from the guards, 'Aiah separates and begins to scan the crowd. "Perhaps we should have done some more recon..." she laments in a low voice, not recognizing anyone at first glance. "So this is the power elite in this city? What kind of secrets can we find in this jungle?" The soft notes of mingling music float through the air from the other room and the din of conversation provides a gentle backdrop as the woman turns to the captain and the performer. "Well, shall we make our way around and look for someone we recognize? The handmaiden is surely here somewhere. I wonder if she would feel the need to be disguised as well?" she muses. "For the little lady's sake, what say we try the music room first?"
"Easy Captain," says the soft, feminine voice of the lithe woman who stands to Arimar's side. "'Aiah is my name, here is my invitation." she says with a charming smile as she hands over the fancy document and bends down to assist the reeling 'captain'. Shortening my name? Genius right? Right. Making myself a woman to tantilize the men in the room? Definitely Genius. Hrmm... I wonder if Lanvi's daughter is into women? Wouldn't this be an interesting turn of events... Benaiah's female eyes twinkle in the light despite the sour attitude of the door man. Don't answer questions that aren't asked, don't ask questions that aren't asked... the large man repeats to himself, now magically disguised as a light-footed, buxom woman wearing the gear and standards of a first mate. In this womanly form, Benaiah's long hair is tied up in a high ponytail. Ribbons, lace, and shiny brass buttons give a distinctly feminine appeal to the soft leather that wraps her body tightly and shows off the type of curves that Benaiah loves in the women he beds. He dips into a polite curtsy as her invitation is inspected. When you've been on the run from the order of the godclaw as long as me, you find ways to not look like biggest man in the room. Or the city for that matter. Disguise self and vocal alteration. I swear, there is a chemical answer for all of life's problems. And if there isn't a chemical answer, its just because I haven't concocted one yet...
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