Graded [Clockhaven City] Blood and Steam

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia smiled at Kalina. "You've been my friend forever. You have supported me whenever I've needed it, and even when I make a fool of myself, you don't close yourself off, and I can trust I can talk things out. Even with..." She paused, before saying, "Well, nevermind that. To be honest, you're one of, if not the only person I can truly say I'm close to in this world. So I'll always be faithful to you, no matter what~" She smiled before focusing once more on the task at hand.

She couldn't help but let a frown cross her face as she noted the criminal titles. Forgiven... that could be better. It might mean that even if she didn't go through the work to apologize for her actions, the baron had pardoned them for her, possibly in return for something. To be honest, after seeing those, she couldn't help but not wish to sell to her, and was grateful she wouldn't have to go back on her word to upgrade them. When complimented, she replied with a simple, "Thank you," before deciding it might be a good idea to at least go a bit more in depth on both of the two in front of her, as well as what equipment they had on them. Her eyes, while previously only having the irises dully shining to show her using her appraisal skill, now had her pupils turning white as she used [Expert Craftswoman - B Rank] to appraise their crafted items at a higher skill level than her basic appraisal could hope to do.​

 

[TheTimePiece]

Iberis Odhir
​

Silent Angel Elvario The Last Curse RavenSong Sharena

Hearing the woman and the Baron click back and forth did put Iberis slightly on edge only in that they could quite literally be saying any number of things which were less than ideal. All she could really do was assume that "Chandra' had gotten them involved in something which was going to go through properly. When the clicking back and forth concluded, Iberis had a bit of a bashful smile on her face in response to the construct proverb which even though he was speaking presumably in common truthfully she didn't even really know what that had meant. Either way that prolonged conversation made it feel like they were keeping something from the rest of the group of potential interest.

She almost felt like replying to him that it was fine but decided against it, the construct seemed like a pretty serious and business orientated guy, perhaps better keep dialogue to more on task things until she got to know this pair better, she thought to herself. So Cayde's assumption hadn't been completely off, it was as good a guess as Iberis had which was why she had agreed, this WAS the Baron. To think there were places in the realm where constructs could take positions like that, must have meant that he knew what he was doing.

The witchy youth was a bit surprised when she heard when he responded to Scylla, perhaps he thought that she wanted to hire their them for their services. She supposed she could understand why he might get that impression, even if the assumption wasn't accurate as far as Iberis knew.

It was a bit refreshing for Iberis to hear the woman say something that could have perhaps been interpreted as being semi friendly, but she wasn't entirely sure what the intention behind the words were if it was meant to be passive aggressive, genuine or what.

That slight optimistic feeling didn't last all too long however when she heard Fromm mention that all the assassins had been killed, and that there was more information to come. Iberis wasn't about to speak on the who was their leader, her first instinct was to say Chandra, but she refrained since it hadn't been clear to her on the onset if that's what 'Chandra' wanted, she was undercover after all. So she stayed quiet on that. But when she heard questions she figured she should ask now.

"..Yes actually Baron, I do have two questions actually. First Iberis turned toward the woman, "If you don't mind me asking what is your name?" She inquired, still not having used any form of appraisal like many of the others had, perhaps she hadn't done it because she was unsure if they'd be able to tell and not be the most pleased, or she was so caught up in the moment it hadn't crossed the youth's mind, either way.

She then turned back to the Baron. "I'd also like to ask, do we have any information on what the cause of death for these assassins were as in the method used? or I guess more accurately, is there any sign of what this vampire is using against who they deem as hostile?" More so Iberis thought it would be useful to know if they were primarily using phyiscal attacks, magic or some combination there of so they'd know better what they were going to potentially run into.

 

[Sharena]

​

Shion's attention was drawn to Cayde as he made a rather peculiar statement regarding a miraculous chance to find a good monster. Her brow raised slightly, had he found such a case? Was said case amongst her right now? There was no use speculating for the moment and she smiled with a nod to affirm she heard him as her eyes drifted back to the two newcomers. She kept her distance, not wanting to engage unless she had to. They both gave her a bad feeling, and that was more because of the mechanicals parts on them than anything else.

Then the young Iberis came to her rescue for a moment with her comment about areas in this world that possessed more nature. She smiled wider than she had with Cayde, her tail even wagging at the prospect. "I'd love to see these places when we're done. I...don't do so well in places like this. And you don't have to worry, I'm very familiar with the nature of hu...of others. I'll be more careful with revealing that in the future now that I won't be literally falling into the world in front of anyone again...I hope."

Her head snapped back to the two as they began speaking back and forth in this same binary speech that construct had. Her arms slowly unfolded, one hand held open as if she'd try using magic should something happen. While no hostilities were delivered, instead the Baron introduced himself to everyone. Shion's eyes twitched slightly as she stopped and gathered herself. These things can learn to talk like people too? Just what are they? I...I've never been so unsettled by pieces of metal in my life...

She tried to relax, she really did, but she was finding it difficult. She looked at one of her hands for a moment and found herself shaking. She closed a fist and decided letting this fear of the unknown control her wasn't the right thing to do. She took a few steps forward to get closer to the group before she just folded her arms and listened to all the questions and statements being thrown around. She had no knowledge of this job other than hunting a vampire, and she decided to take Iberis' advice immediately. Opening her mouth to ask questions here might give her unwanted questions, something she decided she wasn't equipped to deal with either given her lack of magical prowess. Actually, something did come to mind while she waited.

She looked over to Scylla. Despite calling them "not friendly looking," she was still boldly going to greet them herself, and couldn't help but respect her courage. She wanted to make sure she was alright just the same. She approached her while the others tried getting some information and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Scylla, you're not hurt are you? I hope I caught you in time. You fainted rather suddenly back there."

 

[RavenSong]

“Mhm, my book!” She replied happily with a nod putting her hands in her pack holding the codex but then stopped in her tracks when the vampire declined and requested. “Oh! Of course! As you wish! As I said, we have some catching up to do.”

—

Scylla would gasp as she feigned her dramatic fall. Little did she know that before hitting the ground she would be caught. She opened her eyes as a familiar sight would stare back at her. “Oh dear..” she’d exclaim, she couldn’t blush any deeper but looked away. “..mhm, yes of course, thanks to you i didn't get my dress dirty.." She smiled briefly before continuing, "Look at you. I suppose you’re no longer a stranger.” She said hesitantly before replying, feeling the sudden squeeze she'd change the topic, “Nngh! Oh yes, pastries and tea for everyone as soon as we’re done here.” She smiled brightly. Her blush fading before getting up from Shions hold. The witch would pat her on the shoulder. “Thanks for the catch!” She chuckled before skipping off towards the newcomers shortly after.

Scylla would observe the mechanical woman a bit. Sort of curiously eyeing her up and down. She certainly didn’t seem like the friendly type, in fact she was a bit menacing to the bubbly witch. She wouldn’t comment on anything regarding her titles, whoever she was it seemed she’d been through a lot, and certainly made some very difficult decisions (or easy) when it came to certain ‘relations’.

She’d double back and approach the party, “alright! Let’s get one thing straight, I’m hereby volunteering to lead this investigation!” She closed her eyes proudly pointing at herself with her thumbs. “If there are any objections, then..” she made a fist as her pupils turned to flames. “..fight me to the death coward!” She was obviously kidding about the last part. “No but really, who is going to speak for us as a whole? There’s.. kind of alot of us.”

There was something a bit disturbing about the woman marking clicky sounds, they were both communicating on a whole different ‘chat window’ and she couldn’t help but wonder that was about, her eyes squinted at the woman then the droid mayor. It was totally suspicious! But Scylla expression would reset upon hearing the droids words in ‘common’.

The witch would pull out a monocle out of her robes as he spoke fogging it up with her breath before rubbing the glass with her signature pink and purple silky cloth. The glass device would miraculously stick to her eye as she looked at the ‘mayor’ over. She wanted to be as absolutely detailed as possible on this detective mission. However she wondered how patient the others would be, “I suppose we should examine the bodies first. Seems like the most obvious place to start. Perhaps they left some unintentional clues.” She crossed her arms as she brought her index finger around her chin. “Mhm, also, when and where was Sverre last seen?” Further more she would keep the droids attention on her, moving her face to keep his gaze on her, perhaps it was a little annoying but she wanted to test the mayors temper or even the woman’s. “And, and, and..” she stuttered, “..this Chima, where can I find this person?”

She chuckled, before a curiosity peaked her interest, “One last thing! Is there a fleshy face behind that mask?” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Whoops! Did that slip out?” She pulled her hat over her eyes embarrassingly, “I’ve just never seen anything like you! I’m curious!”

 

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: Elvario Sharena RavenSong TheTimePiece Silent Angel ​

Cayde listened carefully as the two figures spoke between each other. More of that clicky "binary" speech. He wondered what they were saying. Probably judging them, he thought. Maybe the first impression hadn't gone so well. He'd have to apologize. But before he could find the words, he heard Fromme finally address them all in Common. He felt his hair stand on end at the mention of leader. "Oh, um, we haven't exactly chosen our leader yet," He glanced back at his party, "I guess we should be getting to that..."

Cayde felt his mouth go dry. He hoped his voice didn't sound too flippant. Or too willing. After all, it would've been far better if someone else had taken the role. He wasn't cut out for it. His "leadership" only led to people getting hurt. It only led to confusion, just like it had in those marshes. His eyes flicked to Scylla and Kalina. They'd remembered it, he was sure. They probably remembered him losing Kesh because of his incompetence, too. How could they see him as a leader anymore? "Erm, we-we'll have a little vote between us, yeah?" Cayde said, nodding quickly, "Shouldn't be much of an issue. We'll have one in no time."

A small sigh of relief escaped him as the topic was brought back to the vampire. He heard Scylla and Iberis pose their questions first, a look of surprise forming under his mask, "Look at you two, asking all the important questions," Cayde said with a slight chuckle, "Never knew the academy taught detectives, too." He gave both an approving nod. It felt good to know Scylla was still quick on her feet, and Iberis was just as critical. Would make good candidates, he thought. More attention to draw away from himself. "I'd also like to see where you found the bodies," Cayde added, "Could help us find out if they'd marched onto our vampire's stomping grounds. Or, if they found something of interest,"

Then, Cayde heard Scylla's question to the woman. His eyes widened. Did she hear how that lady spoke? Didn't seem like one to enjoy small talk. "UH! She means that respectfully, of course," He cleared his throat, "It's just we've never seen someone with so many augments before. Never knew that type of technology existed,"

 

[Elvario]

The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Widersia – Captial – Clockhaven – The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Time: 9:45 Weather Bright skies, warm breeze.

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Iberis TheTimePiece | Cayde The Last Curse | Scylla RavenSong | Shion Sharena

'Chandra' was glad to be shy, as Kalina needed a moment to fall back and let Sophia's words sink in. She still didn't know what in the world she'd done to get Sophia to openly say such things, but she was exceptionally grateful for them. However, it also made her panic. Just how much of that confession would be shattered when Sophia learned that Kalina had given in to her monstrous nature and bitten someone that didn't consent to it? That she'd attacked Hope, who was only trying to help her? Even though Hope had forgiven her, that didn't mean Sophia would do the same, as there had been an implicit promise between the two of them that Kalina would forever manage to fight her instincts (or so she believed there to be). She wondered how she could even work up the courage to confess that sin, after Sophia saying all that.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Scylla proclaim she'd lead the investigation. Now, there were many things that Kalina loved about Scylla. Her cheerful, bubbly personality, the fact she hadn't lost any of that through-out all the trauma they'd been through, the fact that she felt like Scylla was someone that was reliable when and where it mattered, her ability to lighten the mood for everyone, heck even her colour of choice in attire was lovely, however... Scylla's leadership qualities were definitely not on that list. In anything, her eyes went over to Cayde's direction at the mention of a leader. Oddly enough, he didn't just take the position, even though she believed he'd be the best suited at it. Then again, he had been acting a little different? She wasn't sure.

Either way, she'd just throw in her two cents. “I... I think C-cayde, should do... it. After getting us through those marshes...” That was probably as much as 'Chandra' would add, even though Kalina would've preferred pointing out a bit more qualities that made Cayde the right option. Then again, ”although... if he.. doesn't want to, then... S-scylla would be good t-too.” She didn't want to throw the bubblegum witch out altogether, as by process of elimination with Shion and Sophia being relatively unknown to others, her wanting to stay on the background and Iberis being young, all that remained was Scylla.

With that said, she decided to try falling back to the background once more. The only other thing that caught her eyes was Shion's wagging tail. Seeing such a thing on a person was odd, but also surprisingly cute. It made her wonder if the girl would be able to keep her emotions hidden if one of her limbs was that honest about them. Then again, she tried not to make her mind wonder about it for too long, lest she be caught staring and would have some explaining to do.

???

​

Spoiler: Full Image

Sophia trying to focus even more on the equipment warranted a few things from the woman. The [Mechanical Knee] in each leg seemed to come equipped with springs for [Jumping]. The [Combat Arm] and included [Venom Container] seemed to be linked in a way that'd allow for venomous attacks with it. The latter had likely been used a fair few times already, as there was some wear and tear on it. The [Mechanical Forearm and Hand] however, were fairly new and didn't seem to do much beyond what a normal hand would, at least not something one could guess from looking at it (even with skills). Finally, the [Respiratory Mask] seemed to make the woman breath in something that wasn't just air or oxygen, but whatever it was was beyond Sophia's knowledge. The baron, meanwhile, still gave nothing more than a name and status. She'd need to get up close and personal with him, possibly try to deconstruct him, in case to learn more about him through her craftsmanship alone.

When Iberis asked her for a name, she was silent for a bit. She looked at Iberis, then clicked something.

01001001 01110011 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01110011 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101111 01101111 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01101110 01100111 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00111111

Baron Fromm

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Spoiler: Full Image

The baron, now also looking at Iberis, ended up replying.

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The woman's glassy eyes were now fully upon Iberis, as if trying to pry into her very soul. After a solid stare-down, however, she clicked a longer response back to the baron.

01001110 01101111 00101110 00100000 01010011 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101110 00100000 01100001 01101001 01110010 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01100100 01100101 01100001 01110100 01101000 00100000 01100001 01110010 01101111 01110101 01101110 01100100 00100000 01101000 01100101 01110010 00101100 00100000 01101010 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100000 01101100 01101001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101111 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010 00100000 01110100 01110111 01101111 00101110

The baron's eyes, or rather the odd beady lens things that served as eyes, zoomed in on Iberis as well, before zooming out again. He replied in clicking once more.

01010000 01100101 01110010 01101000 01100001 01110000 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01101101 01100001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 01101101 00100000 01110011 01110101 01100011 01100011 01100101 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110111 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101111 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010 01110011 00100000 01100110 01100001 01101001 01101100 01100101 01100100 00101110 00100000 01010111 01100101 00100111 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 01101111 01110111 00100000 01101001 01110100 00101110

The woman finally turned toward Iberis to speak in a language they could all comprehend. “Sorry about that, just some business talk. I'm Morana.” She replied, the voice from behind the mask once more revealing little to no emotion or intonation.

The baron himself decided to answer the second question. “They were found mutilated beyond recognition. We needed a specialist to ensure that all of them were accounted for in their entirety. Our specialist was not able to find a cause of death, but could exclude poisoning or burning. The informant might've found out more by now through other avenues.”

Now, Scylla managed to quickly achieve the impossible. You'd think that the woman's glazed over eyes and the baron's bead-like camera-eyes wouldn't be able to display any emotions whatsoever... yet when she volunteered for becoming the leader and issued a challenge, the more attentive folk could almost swear they saw a moment of scepticism on both their features. Perhaps that was just a figment of their imagination though, as clearly these two didn't have the ability to display them, right? Unless Scylla's sudden declaration had managed to bent the laws of physics.

Either way, the baron (who was most definitely not a mayor), answered her question. “I would allow you to examine them in the morgue, but my own specialist was already unable to discern much from them.” He replied, with regards to the bodies. “The informant knows better where he might be.” He stated regarding Sverre. “As for her location, I already stated. A meeting with her can be arranged at Railworker's Crossing.” Even though his mechanised voice didn't leave much room for emotion, it was safe to assume he didn't like repeating himself. “Once you decide on a leader, I will put Morana under their command. She'll be able to guide you through the city to the specific locations.”

He'd barely stated those words, before being given a reason to regret them. (Considering it's unclear if she turned towards Morana again or is still talking to be baron, I'll assume she's still addressing the baron as she did previously.) “I am fully inorganic.” He replied, although folk could almost swear that the short and abrupt way in which he did so was a sign of annoyance.

He turned to Cayde, who tried to smooth-talk the statement. “Your actions imply that you are, indeed, the leader. Very well.” He clearly wasn't going to put his servant under Scylla's command after the previous comment. “She'll be fully at your disposal. For as long as your commands don't go against the interest of this mission or the interests of Clockhaven and Widersia, she is to obey them.” The latter was also addressed to the woman herself, it seemed, although she didn't react much to it. This likely wasn't the first time something like this occurred.

She did, however, click something to the baron.

01001001 00100000 01110011 01110100 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110110 01100101 00100000 01110000 01100101 01110010 01101101 01101001 01110011 01110011 01101001 01101111 01101110 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01101011 01101001 01101100 01101100 00101100 00100000 01110011 01101000 01101111 01110101 01101100 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 01111001 00100000 01100111 01101111 00100000 01100001 01100111 01100001 01101001 01101110 01110011 01110100 00100000 01110101 01110011 00101100 00100000 01100011 01101111 01110010 01110010 01100101 01100011 01110100 00111111

Once more, the baron clicked back.

01001111 01101110 01101100 01111001 00100000 01101001 01100110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100111 01110010 01100101 00100000 01100101 01101110 01110100 01101001 01110010 01100101 01101100 01111001 00100000 01110011 01110101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01101001 01110100 00101110

As for Cayde's actual questions, he replied in common. “Their remains were left in bags at Droid's Row, likely as an attempt to warn or intimidate. It was cleaned up quickly to avoid public unrest.”

As he finished, he looked at the clock on the wall. “I am afraid my time has ran out here. As difficult as this matter is, there are other matters I must attend to. I must leave, please utilise Morana's services for lingering questions or requests.” As he said it, another display of 'putting the Clock in Clockhaven' was put on sight. At exactly 9:45, the robots had finished repairing the car and drove it onto a platform to load it onto the airship. The baron himself would enter it as well, leaving the rest behind. At exactly 9:50, the airship was starting to rise up, flying off and being out of sight by the time the clock would hit 10:00.

Morana

​

Spoiler: Full Image

With the baron leaving, the woman turned towards Cayde, then made a curtsy bow. “I'll be at your service, sir.” She stated, although even with her mask making her voice sound relatively emotionless, it was as if there was an edge of something eager and nefarious in there for some reason.

Chandra Jarmil
​

Kalina, a little confused, looked from Cayde to Scylla and back again. This question was in character enough to ask, at the very least. “So.. ehm.. which one of you is our.. leader?”

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia's eyes flashed with no little bit of annoyance as she felt like they were being left out of the conversation on purpose. Whatever it was, it was something that the two of them didn't want the group to hear. And whatever it was, she didn't like it. They could have waited until after, but when they tried to make the excuse that it was just business talk, that made her even more suspicious.

Then there was what she learned from the appraisal. The poison was really disconcerting, and that with the jump might mean she was more of an assassin than a forward fighter, but that also didn't mean that she wasn't able to take people head on. Her mind was brought back to the "Forgiven Murderer", with that in addition to the fact that the Venom Container was well used made her really dislike the idea of this lady being with them. But just as unsettling was the mask. The fact that she couldn't place exactly what was entering with the air made an idea slowly form in her mind, a theory that made her decide to keep an eye on this woman.

Once the Baron had left, she walked over to Kalina, reaching out and gripping her by the hand, her voice barely audible even for the vampire as she said, "I need to talk to you. Privately." And then with a louder voice, "Chandra, could we catch up a bit before we move on? It's been so long, and I've missed you so much~" She gave the vampire a wink, but in those eyes there was also quite the sense of urgency.​

 

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: Elvario RavenSong TheTimePiece Silent Angel Sharena ​

A deep sense of dread filled Cayde as he watched the baron make his departure. So that was it. He was technically the leader now. A mistake, he thought. History would only repeat itself. There would only be more things to worry about. More things he couldn't see coming. What'd happen if he didn't know what to do? What would happen then? The thought hung in his mind as he faced the party, his eyes drawing over to Morana. Another responsibility to bear. Another person just waiting to be disappointed. He shuddered. "T-T-Thank-" Caye paused, cleared his throat, and tried again, "Thank you, Morana. Glad to have you on the team," He said, trying to infuse any shred of optimism into his voice, "I'm sure we'll all get along just fine."

With that said, Cayde quickly turned his attention to Kalina. Her words felt like a punch to the stomach. Did she not know what she was signing up for, nominating him as the leader? She needed to be convinced otherwise. "Well, Chandra, I wouldn't give all the credit to me. You and Scylla did loads in those marshes. Way more than I ever could," He said, "If it wasn't for Scylla's skills, we'd probably be crawling around the city. So I'd say she's just as qualified for leader, if not more." He took a few steps back, putting Scylla in the forefront. "Besides, leader or not, what matters most is that we all stay objective - - together. As long as we set our priorities straight, we'll get this done in no time. Just like in the marshes." Cayde tried shrugging his shoulders playfully, "Plus, it's Scylla! How could we tell her no?"

Cayde felt a bead of sweat run down his face. It felt torturous - this evasiveness. He sounded too much like old him. Wasn't he supposed to be the [Patient] one? None of this should've been happening. Leader or not, someone needed to start things off. "But let's get back to the topic at hand, yeah?" He said, clasping his hands together, "We've got two potential informants, one missing, and the Vampire hunters waiting for us at the tavern. I don't know how long the hunters have been in the city, but Sverre and Chima sound relatively established. I suggest we speak to Chima first. They might have some important evidence on that vampire and Sverre's whereabouts,"

He remembered the mayor's statement about the past monster hunters brutally stuffed into bags. It didn't spell well for Sverre. But there was always a chance. "And for now, we should prioritize gathering information and finding Sverre. Or at least find out what happened to them. It might lead us to some crucial evidence, too." Cayde explained, "Then, we can focus on finding the vampire. The hunters will help with that." He shifted his gaze to Morana, "Now, Morana, could you please lead us to Railwor-"

Cayde realized what he was doing. Leading. That wasn't his job. "U-um, one second," He told Morana, facing the party, "So... what do you guys think?"

 

[RavenSong]

At a snap of a finger, Scylla summoned her handy notepad and fountain pen. A poof would suddenly happen as the writing utencils became animated. Writing her thoughts down as she thought them through was immesnely handy, and quite franky were her signature ''detective'' tools. Suddenly it became clear why she was such an ace student at the academy! "Ew!" She exclaimed at the mention of mutilated bodies. "I suppose that's out of the question." She chuckled nervously. Then at the repeated mention, "Of course you mentioned that! Just.. checking your fuses there sir!" She gave the baron an adorable wink before sticking out her tongue at him. By her estimations, this baron had quite the short fuse.

"Well! heh, you're in luck! Because the leader is-!" She replied excitedly, but not before the droid like clockwork baron suddenly turned towards Cayde and stated that 'he' was in fact the leader. "W-wait what? I thought.." She threw her hands up, accidentally smacking the foundain pen making ink fly everywhere, "..WE were picking the leader! That's not for you to decide!" She crossed her arms suddenly with a pout, grumbling and mumbling as her hat came right above her brow line. "Why, i'd make the bestest best leader in all of Ryke history.." She squinted, a thought suddenly making its way into her psyche, "..that makes SO much sense!" A light bulb lighting above her head, "You want me to not be the leader because you KNOW i'll be the best leader!"

She calmed down after that realization, what made her hurt however was that this baron appointed Morana to Cayde! Scylla wimpered, "But why?!"

Her arms still crossed she inched closer and closer to Cayde and Morana who were speaking with one another, "Yeah!" She exclaimed perhaps a bit too loudly, "Great to have you on our team!" She'd hold the womans clawed pinky finger and shake it a bit. "So.. do you like boys? I mean, what do you do for fun?"

Then Cayde seemed to give her the spotlight, much to her delight she placed her hands on her hips like a super hero, not hesitating to embrace all the attention, fluttering her eyelashes before taking off her hat with a very exaggeratedly proud curtsy bow. "I promise i will not let you down! I assume full responsibility of this mission, and anyone who would embark upon solving this strange mystery!" She giggled then looked at the others, "Yeah! How can you say no to me. Well said sir Cayde. Perhaps you can be my 'second in command' you know? Just in case the unthinkable happens to me!" Muttering under her breath she continued, "Like the underworld dragging me back into its fiery belly all of a sudden."

She'd suddenly get close to Chandra, covering the side of her mouth to keep her words low, "It's me.. im the real leader. Cayde is the fake leader." She nodded excitedly and gave her a thumbs up. It was then that she also heard Sophia request some 'private' time. her love detector would go crazy. However, more pressing matters were at hand as much as she wanted to coo about it. She'd just turn around and wink as she bit her bottom lip. Oh how she wished for them to be together, it would likely make her entire year!

Perhaps it all appeared innocent, maybe even annoying on the surface, but this was Scyllas way of keeping this woman a bit confused, well, if it even worked at all!

Looking towarsd Cayde, she nodded, "Excellent plan, second in command!"

"Now now, lets get going!" She said, pushing Cayde forward, then looking towards Morana, "Come on, o' fairest lady!"

 

[TheTimePiece]

Iberis Odhir
​

Elvario RavenSong The Last Curse Silent Angel Sharena

Iberis felt content enough hearing Shion's response that she seemed to understand that not everyone was going to be as friendly as they had been, so Iberis gave her a bit of a smile and a nod, perking up a bit at hearing the start of the hu word, not entirely sure what she was going to say in that moment. Hopefully Shion would get to do just that once this business was all taken care of.

"Yeah that'd be nice, maybe we could check some out together." Iberis posed, feeling like she'd appreciate it if someone from the new world she just entered into offered to join up and help some.


Scylla's interaction choice was interesting to say the least, while Iberis wasn't sure if that would be the most well received by these constructs, she hoped they'd at least be able to tell that Scylla only meant well in questions like that. Iberis might have wanted to ask the same thing under different conditions.

---
Hearing Chandra's response was reasonable enough. Iberis would have been fine with either Cayde or Scylla leading, but what she didn't know was that the constructs seemed to be applying their own criteria for what they deemed a suitable or at the very least what struck them as the perimeters for what a leader was. For now she stayed relatively quiet, as she listened to what the others had to say on the topic.

Of course Iberis was still feeling a sense of uneasiness from the fact that these constructs were once again clicking back and forth, except this time it was slightly exacerbated because it was hard for her not to notice how the woman looked at her while she clicked. While this occurred Iberis just tried her best to look natural, and only make occasional eye contact. When Morana spoke to her, she gave her as an friendly look as she could muster despite the discomfort she felt. "Oh that's fine, it's nice to meet you Morana." she replied, perhaps looking a tad bashful. Indeed Iberis was definitely starting to feel similar to how Sophia was about the whole situation in the back of her mind.

She then listened to the Baron respond giving the response, as she gave her focus on him trying to remain respectful of him. She almost grimaced when he said what happened but restrained herself, keeping a serious look. "I see, thank you for your clarification." That meant that this vampire probably was more than likely using some kind of enhanced phyiscal skills, perhaps with a weapon or with strength, of course it was possible to mutilate people with magic, but she felt like the more likely scenario was that they were dealing with someone physically powerful., perhaps with some magic involved to enhance their moves, but she doubted it was a mostly caster like she and Scylla were.Of course Iberis had no way to confirm this.

It sounded like Cayde was going to be their leader when the Baron put Morana under his command Then there was more clicking back and forth that Iberis couldn't understand that was mildly concerning, and before long the Baron was on his depature. "Oh, Farewell then Baron." Iberis said matter of fact, wanting to be respectful still.

She then turned to Cayde, and heard out what his plan was apparently, as hesitant as it seemed him to take the role, he definitely was speaking like a leader in Iberis's mind. During his speech he gradually sounded more confident in her mind, of course until the end where he toned the leadery sounding stuff down, why she wasn't sure, she thought he had been doing great!

Then there was Scylla's contribution, while the appropriateness was debatable, she was quite adorable, Iberis thought to herself while that had transpired, yes it was clear that Scylla was going to assume an important role irrespective. It sounded like Cayde was going to be second in command after all, whether the constructs recognized that or not, iberis found herself giggling a bit at the display.

"Alrighty then I liked the sound of your thinking Cayde, I also think we should go see Chima for some possible intrigue." Ready for the group to get going as Scylla and Cayde had suggested to Morana for her to lead them the way there. She would have found Sophia's request interesting if she could have heard it but she was all close and quiet when she said it and Iberis's attention had been elsewhere so she was unaware.

 

[Sharena]

​

"I can't wait, Iberis." Shion said with full enthusiasm and a bit more tail wagging before being reminded where she was the next instant.

It was ironic that Shion had tried checking on Scylla's wellbeing a moment ago, because Shion wasn't doing so hot herself. Every second Fromm or Morana spoke in binary, every time the Baron said...anything, Shion could feel her body tense up more and more all the way to the Baron's departure. Oh thank the gods of nature he's gone. Shion's entire body felt like it just dropped 100lbs of weight onto the floor once the Baron left. She still wasn't a fan of this Morana's presence, but at the very least she didn't have to listen to that unnatural speech pattern that felt like it was full of secrets and omens to her. Now that she was less stressed, she could finally start paying closer attention to the things being said around her. Informants, vampire hunters, mutilated corpses, that much she had picked up on. Now that her mind was more cognizant though she listened to the civil-even if a tad one sided-debate on whether the leadership should go to Cayde or Scylla.

Cayde seemed hesitant, and Scylla was fully ready to accept the role. She couldn't help but notice Cayde had a moment of confidence before deferring to everyone else for opinions. He seemed rather confident when offering his protection to her earlier as well, Shion couldn't help but speculate what was hindering him at this point. He feels at odds with himself...I wonder what ails his mind.

Scylla's bold and eccentric attempt to instill everyone in confidence definitely helped Shion's mind relax from the position she was in, and she couldn't help but smile watching her. Delegating Cayde to second in command, but then taking his suggestion immediately anyways couldn't help but get a strong enough chuckle out of her for her shoulders to shudder with temporary loss of control as she could sense just some of the history this group had together. She placed a hand on her hip while the other playfully gestured to Scylla and then Cayde. "My life is in both your hands, Scylla, Cayde. Don't let me down." Shion's tone was playful, but respectful as she chuckled again at the end of her statement.

Her ears twitched as she picked up on Sophia and Chandra's words. She didn't want to draw attention to it, seemed like the best thing would be to keep Morana from worrying about whatever it was they were needing to do. It did make her curious though, but her magical prowess at present wouldn't allow her to spy on them even if she wanted to. She instead she'd have to make small talk with...did she really have to? Just looking at Morana put her on edge. Stop all this cowering, Shion, Olivia would scold you for being so judgmental...even if I feel like I'm not looking at husk of a woman.

So she tried asking a simple, hopefully inoffensive question. "If you do not mind me asking, how long have you lived with those alterations? Do you appreciate them?"

Shion knew what she actually wanted to ask. She wanted to ask "do you regret getting them," but she had a feeling those choice of words might create a negative connotation she wanted to keep out of the conversation for now lest her present anxiety get worse.

 

[Elvario]

The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Widersia – Captial – Clockhaven – The Steamwork Airport & Repair
Time: 10:00 Weather Bright skies, warm breeze.

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Iberis TheTimePiece | Cayde The Last Curse | Scylla RavenSong | Shion Sharena

Chandra Jarmil
​

She nodded at Sophia's question to catch up. However, before she could follow the Fae, she was stopped by Cayde. His words confused her. Even in her shy persona, she shook her head. “N-no.. no.” There was something she had to tell him, even if she might need to break character a bit. “You're the one that was always helping us stick together and managing to get us to cooperate, bringing out the best in us.” That was genuinely how she felt about him. Enough to forget to stutter when stating it. Then again, perhaps even a shy persona would know how to speak on what mattered. Either way, it'd be worth it. However, his final statement did allow her to get back into character. “T-that'd... be d-difficult.. y-yes.” She stammered, although giving Scylla a playful wink the moment she could do so without the others looking.

That statement was backed up by Scylla getting up close to confirm her status. A devious plan formed in her mind when Scylla whispered, as Kalina whispered back. “You can be the leader, but only if you'll let me confirm if someone's blood-sugar levels are taste-able.” After all, the question was raised before, after seeing Scylla's considerable talent at scarfing down cake. Perhaps the girl would remember. Either way, as for her 'Chandra' reaction. “O-of... of course...” She stammered, as if she'd just been threatened by Scylla to agree.

That left Kalina an opportunity to slip away with Sopia. ”Eh... Alright, we can go now... lead the way.” She told Sophia, part of it the 'Chandra' act, part of it genuine wonder as to the sudden call-out, but underneath both a hidden relief at having a moment to catch up with Sophia. “We'll be right back.” She ended up apologising to the others.

Spoiler: Side-Story: Catching Up

Although Kalina had an inkling of what Sophia might be talking about, there were some things that made her nervous. For one, the serious undertone. Secondarily, the fact that a private conversation meant she'd feel obliged to confess her sins. She didn't want to hide such a thing for Sophia, despite really not wanting to confess either.

Sophia nodded, leading Kalina away. Her eyes glanced around for a place where they would be concealed, eventually finding an alley and ducking in, making sure that none of those robots were anywhere near. Once she confirmed the coast was clear, the first thing she did was spin around and hug Kalina as tight as she could. "I missed you." She pressed her face against the vampire, holding onto her for dear life. "I'll make sure to give you as big a meal as you want tonight. I'm sorry I've been away so long... But I'll never leave you while I can help it."

Immediately, Kalina was filled with soul-crushing guilt. How could she not be? “I...“ She wasn't in her Chandra disguise right now, but the words were still difficult to utter. “I've got to come clean. I failed. I bit someone that didn't consent, I failed to hold back my instincts. She... she forgave me, but still, I betrayed someone that trusted and tried to help me and then... Then I... I killed Renee...” There was far too much emotion and pain to explain it all in a calm and sensible manner, even for someone like the normally collected Kalina.

Sophia's eyes stung as she heard what Kalina said. But instead of drawing back, she buried her head back into Kalina's chest, her eyes clenching tight as Kalina felt some wetness seep from them. "Kal, I'm so sorry. If I had been around, if I had been there, I'm... I'm not sure if I could have saved your sister... but I'm sure you would have a good reason. But for the biting, I could have helped if I had been around. I'm sure not having someone to give it to you was so hard. But... But I'll make sure you never have to be that hungry again. Hell, I give you permission, if you're ever really hungry, no matter where we are, to take me aside and drink your fill. I'll make sure you never feel that hungry again." She looked up into Kalina's face, her eyes somewhat puffy as tears welled in them. "No matter what, you're perfect. We were away from each other for so long, and it's obvious you have been a good enough person that even after that, she forgave you, even after she found out you were a monster. Even if you think you failed, doesn't that show that you're still you? A monster who people can trust?"

Honestly, Kalina was baffled. For Sophia to so easily believe that it'd been necessity, rather than desire, without Kalina even having to try to defend herself. Just how much did Sophia trust her? It wasn't fair. Not when she didn't even trust herself as much. “No.” She shook her head. “I don't want to need such permissions. I don't want a monstrous part of me looming over me, waiting for its moment to break through and make me hurt my friends again.” It was probably best to explain Sophia why she was here to begin with. “Those vampire hunters... A hag I met in the marshes on the dark continent said they know more about my past and might help me do something against being a monster. That's why I'm looking for them. Perhaps they can cure me. I'm far from perfect, I need that [monster] part of me to be buried or removed. If I already fell to it once, what's the say it won't happen again? Even I can't trust myself on it.”

Sophia stared at her before looking... conflicted. The reason was simple. She wanted Kalina to feel better, but... Vampire hunters being the key didn't seem to sit right with her. "I hope this turns out alright for you, but... they're vampire hunters. I'm not sure if its the safest people to go to for help, especially if they already know that you're a vampire. I guess... I just want you to be careful. And if they try to harm you, I'm going to put a hole in them." She looked at her feet for a moment before saying, "And if they can't help you, and you think you can't trust yourself, can you trust me? Trust that I'll be there if you do lose control and need blood? Because... I love you. I love you so much that even if you do, I'll get in front of you and make sure nobody gets hurt until you're better."

A wry smile formed on her lips. “I know.” She knew what these were. “Yet... the hag's words carried weight. There must be more to it.” When Sophia made the offer to jump in, Kalina finally allowed herself to relax ever so slightly, just enough to return the hug. “Thank you...” She whispered. Even so, with her next words, she'd regained her voice. “However, I want you to promise me something else as well. With Renee, I kept believing she was alright, up until the very end, where she tried to kill all of us. I had to end her, but nearly felt like I should've ended my own life along with it. I don't ever want to feel that pain again, but more than that, I don't ever want others to feel that pain as well.” She sighed, deeply. “Just like how that book started making Renee go insane for power, if my monstrous nature makes me lose myself, you shouldn't make the same mistake as I did. You shouldn't blindly trust my judgements like how I blindly trusted Renee.” She gritted her teeth, the return hug loosening again. “I won't ask of you to be willing to put me down, should I fall, like I did to Renee, but I will ask of you not to interfere with whomever will do so, should it be needed. I'd rather be killed than lose myself as much as Renee did.”

Sophia held her tongue about how she was certain there was a difference between the two and instead said, "If that's what you want. But you know I will do everything in my power to keep that from happening. And there is a difference between what happened with Renee and you." She pulled back and stared up at Kalina once more. "You understand that the problem is there and you work to avoid it. Renee went in headfirst. That's why I trust you so much, and am willing to do everything I can to help." She giggled. "Well, that and the fact that you're so perfect, I would be a moron not to~"

A ray of hope, like the sun breaking through a clouded sky, managed to make it through into Kalina's thoughts. Perhaps Sophia was right. Perhaps that really was the all-important difference between her and Renee. A genuine smile, one from the real 'Kalina' formed on her lips now. “I'm not perfect you know, I've just got someone absolutely amazing to make up for all my flaws~” She teased the bug a little. Out of instinct, she bend down and pressed her lips against the Fae's forehead. Even though she knew her cold body likely wasn't the most pleasant and even though she didn't know exactly why she'd felt compelled to do so, her body had moved ahead of her thoughts and already committed to it.

Sophia shuddered at the kiss, but instead of looking uncomfortable from the cold lips, instead she had the biggest smile that Kalina had ever seen on her. "I guess we both just bring out the best in each other~ And... I wouldn't mind more of those kisses sometime~" In her mind, even the coldest part of Kalina felt like touching a goddess, so she would never complain.

After one more quick hug, she decided it was time to get down to business. She breathed in and then out before saying, "Though, making sure the brightest part of my world was alright wasn't the true reason I came here. In reality, it has something to do with the lady who joined us." She breathed in and out before saying, "She's a murderer, and that large arm of hers has a venom container that's been used quite a bit, and that container seems to put out venom in tandem with attacks. I wasn't able to get much off her outside of that she was a "Forgiven Murderer" and a "Forgiven Abuser" with basic appraisal. I'm pretty sure once you've atoned for a crime, it goes away, but hers changed to forgiven. I might be wrong about that fact, though." She paused before saying, "And... I'm pretty sure the only type of person who can forgive crimes is a person in power or the person you did the crime against. Possibly a baron. I think... that the Baron is keeping her with us to make sure that if we find out something we shouldn't, we're to be dealt with. That might have been what they were talking in front of us about. Those robots from before might have been a test to see if we understood them, and if we did, then they wouldn't have spoken so openly. Hell, she might be his personal assassin for all we know." She slowly scratched her head. "But... it gets worse. I think she also might be a vampire. How I came to the conclusion is her mask. It would hide fangs, but just as important, it's pumping something outside of just oxygen into her mouth. I think that the other thing might be blood." She sighed. "I can't be sure of either of those, since they're only theories. But I was able to tell the titles with simple appraisal, and I was able to tell that she had a venom container and that her mask was pumping something other than just oxygen with my knowledge of craftsmanship. I wanted to talk about it with you privately to get your input, especially since you're the one the group knows the best and probably should break this type of news to them."

As per usual, having a small amount of fresh blood in her veins saved Kalina from blushing. The rest of her facial features did showed her to be oddly shy by Sophia's reaction, although a smile crept through that all the brighter.

When things got more serious, however, she listened to what Sophia told her. Kalina followed along with the first part. “She definitely seems dangerous and their talking was rather shady for sure...” However, the thought of her being a vampire. Kalina wasn't sure about that part. “The baron would already have many eyes on him for being a construct. If he'd be found out having a vampire in his employ, he'd risk being dismantled. That seems like an awfully high risk for little reward.” Still, there was one way to find out, perhaps. “We could figure out a way check her temperature. No matter how well I disguise myself or use alternate identities, my body temperature will always be a lot lower than that of others, if not outright cold. The same should apply to her, if what you say is true.”

Sophia nodded. "That makes sense, though if he had something shady going on, it might be something that is worth the risk to keep us from a bigger issue. And besides, I keep you in my employ, and I don't really care about the risks~" She paused before stating, "I think we should still keep an eye on her, even if she isn't a vampire. She's a prior murderer, and might be totally willing to do it again if we find out things we shouldn't."

“Either that, or he is desperate enough to catch this vampire to use other criminals in order to do so.” Kalina deemed that an equally likely option. Either way, she agreed. “Keeping an eye on her, trying to see if she's cold as a corpse if possible and otherwise just being on alert.” She repeated. “We should get back to the others, before they're wondering what we're up too and come looking.” She said, trying to come up with an excuse. “We can openly admit we talked about Renee's death, to cover up for the other topics.”

Sophia nodded, turning to head out before spinning around once more, reaching up to grab Kalina's collar. She pulled the vampire's face down to her level before planting a kiss on her cheek. After doing that she let go of the vampire's collar to let her stand back up straight. "That's repayment for the kiss from before~" With a small wave she turned and started to walk back to the group, doing her best to force down the smile that threatened to break out.

Morana

​

Spoiler: Full Image

With the baron who still wasn't a mayor, even if Cayde also wanted him to be one having left, Morana suddenly found herself at the centre of attention. For one, by Cayde accepting her service. Her face and voice were still incapable of displaying emotions, but her choice of words heavily suggested some type of enjoyment. “I'm sure we will, sir.”

“They have their home-base in Widersia, but travel abroad for their jobs more often than sticking here. The fact that a vampire entered this place must be rather insulting to them.” Morana stated, after hearing Cayde wonder about how established the Vampire Hunters were. She was about to make a bow and state 'of course, sir' upon the request to lead them, when Cayde clawed back on his plan and instead asked the others for their input.

That's also when she heard Scylla's question. Even with no facial features to speak off, it was clear she was caught off guard, as she remained silent for a good few seconds. “I only like folk I can toy with.” Was the answer she eventually gave Scylla, with as little emotion behind it as usual. Oddly enough, she didn't consider replying to the second question. Scylla, brave enough to try shake a clawed finger, would have to be careful not to get her finger cut, as its edges were sharp. Morana seemed to notice as much. “Careful girl, these weren't meant to be shaken or held.” However, when Scylla told her to come along, she stood silent and merely looked at Cayde, waiting for his command. He'd been the one put in charge of her, after all.

Before he could, however, she heard another question headed in her direction. She was silent for a bit, seemingly debating whether or not to answer. Eventually, she did. “This one's new.” She raised the smaller artificial hand. “This one I had for a long time.” She raised the big combat arm. “Rest is also pretty old.” She didn't give exact dates or years, but it was something. “They do what they were made to do.” She replied, on the topic of appreciating them. Getting any concrete information wasn't likely, unless they'd somehow pry or force it out of her or if it'd be for the sake of the mission.

After a while, Sophia and Kalina rejoined them. Not before Kalina had been left behind feeling a bit dazzled, however, wondering if, and if so, how, she should repay the bug for the repayment. Sure, it might escalate into a perpetual loop, but the thought of that wasn't all that bad. As she rejoined however, the group would soon head towards where they could meat up with Chima.

As they were walking, however, Morana spoke up again. “It's probably safe to assume that none of you dealt with an informant before, so let me make this clear. They survive by running at the first sign of danger. In other words, if you want information from Chima, don't get close, don't make sudden movements, don't start to spread out to where she can't see all of us at once and definitely don't look like you're reaching for a weapon. Play by whatever rules she gives you and you'll have a shot at learning what you want, break a rule or do one of the things I just mentioned and there's a fair chance she'll flee to somewhere you'll never find her again.” She looked at Scylla in particular. “Do you understand that?”

Railworker's Crossing
Widersia – Capital – Clockhaven – Railworker's Crossing
Time: 10:30 Weather Getting cloudier.

Eventually, about 30 minutes later, they'd reach Railworker's Crossing. It was a busy place where it was instantly clear how it got its name. Trains and tracks were crossing each-other above, below and alongside each-other and even entered buildings on multiple levels. You'd have to take care not to end up on the wrong track or risk getting squashed by an inbound train, as they were getting by at high speeds. Most of them seemed to be moving goods from factories all through-out these outer districts of Clockhaven.

The group found themselves on the ground level, looking up at all the trains and tracks moving above them (and a few on their own level as well), with Morana eventually stopping next to a set of levers that seemed to be made for the train tracks. However, she pulled one of them, which didn't seem to do anything to the tracks themselves... She soon explained why. “That'll give her a signal someone's waiting on her. She'll scout us out first from the distance, using another way to approach each time, so you'll have to be patient for a while. As for me, I'll stand behind all of you for a bit. She knows my knees allow me to jump further and won't entrust me to be as close as she'll probably allow the rest of you to come. Assuming you don't want to be shouting back and forth, I'll be in the back.” She said, before moving away from the group (although staying true to her own word and remaining in the same line of sight as them).

The latter, however, gave Kalina a chance to quickly mention something to Scylla, pulling her aside to whisper something. “When you have a chance to, please check Morana's temperature. I think she might have a serious cold, if you catch my drift. As our leader, I'm sure you'll figure out how.” She hoped that'd be enough to get Scylla to catch on to Sophia's theory that Morana might be a vampire. Even though Kalina herself didn't deem it likely, it'd be best to check it regardless.

As for the informant... it looked like it might indeed take a while for her to arrive. It'd give them some time to perhaps prepare their questions, or reconfirm the rules they'd just been told about. Not that the trains racing by allowed them to have much of a comfortable talk here, as they were rather loud and dangerous to those not used to them.

 

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: Elvario TheTimePiece Raven Sharena Silent Angel ​

A slight smile crept onto Cayde's face as he surveyed the group's support. Everything was going phenomenally. Hearing the faith in their voices and the camaraderie building between them was absolutely heartwarming. So empowering. This was probably how all leaders felt, he thought. It didn't seem half bad. However, the thought pewtered from Cayde's mind as soon as Scylla fully accepted the role of leader. It didn't seem so bad being delegated to second-in-command, either. It felt a lot easier to breathe. Made some of the worries go away, too. "Sure thing, Scylla, I'd much prefer that," He chuckled, the tension easing from his shoulders, "Or is it Lady Scylla now? Eh, we'll come up with something, won't we?" He turned and gave Shion a thumbs-up, "Heh, I'll try, Shion. Emphasis on try,"

With that out of the way, Cayde followed after Morana, taking heed of her precautions. He pictured Chima: careful, strict, and probably didn't want their time wasted. Nothing that couldn't be worked with. It just meant everyone needed to ask the right questions. "It shouldn't be much of an issue," He told Morana, "We'll behave," That said, Cayde turned and gave each party member an affirmative nod. "Just gotta come up with a few good questions," He turned to Iberis, a smile evident in his voice, "Iberis will help us out with that," An adequate affirmation, he hoped. It'd only been hours since they'd met, but Iberis had already shown potential. It'd be great to see her in action again.

It wasn't long before he was at the rendezvous. Cayde nodded along as Morana explained the signal before retiring behind the group. It still seemed strange. Both Chima and Morana sounded like they knew each other, and yet it sounded as if Chima was afraid of her. Did something happen between the two? Or was Chima just skeptical of everyone? Cayde shrugged the thought out of his head. Maybe he'd find out later. For now, there were more things to talk about, "Alright," He said, turning to face the entire party, "So we've got everything down, yeah? Stick together, listen to what she says, try not to appear threatening, and... oh, one second..." Cayde slipped his fingers under his mask and pulled it off. He didn't acknowledge the puffiness of his eyes. "Much better. Now, let's talk,"

Cayde rubbed his chin with a hand, "So Chima doesn't sound like someone who likes to stick around, much less someone who wants their time wasted. So I think we should stick to only asking about what she found and about Sverre," He explained, "Where they last were, if they told her anything before they disappeared, things along those lines," He nodded to himself self-assuredly. It didn't feel so bad talking as 'second-in-commad'. He could get used to this. "After our chat, then we'll start looking for Sverre. How's that sound?"

 

[TheTimePiece]

Iberis Odhir
​

Mentions: Elvario The Last Curse RavenSong Sharena Silent Angel

The witchy one was was rather pleased to her Shion's positive reaction to what she had to say, as her smile became a bit more prominent. If all went well perhaps she'd get to spend some time relaxing somewhere nice with some new friends.
---
Iberis spent most of her time on standby for now, until it was clear what the group was doing next between Scylla and Cayde. Irrespectively she listened to the responses that Morana gave and she was pleasantly surprised that this construct seemed to be more sociable than she had been expecting. Iberis wondered why someone would bother putting that much effort into having the construct be expressive in their own ways even if the full range of emotion wasn't there, if it wasn't necessary ultimately to their functionality, she supposed there would be plenty of time to figure out the logistics of all of that as she got to know more about constructs.

Iberis didn't particularly feel the need to join in on the question Morana about her intrinsic qualities since it was happening enough from others at the moment, she was learning plenty just by listening in. Of course she couldn't help but wonder some what Kalina and Sophia had been talking about exactly, but if it had to be privately discussed she was sure there were reasons for it, and at least this time around she felt more comfortable with Kalina and Sophia withholding something from the group than she did Renee, even if it didn't always put her at the most ease in these sorts of settings, she could at the very least tolerate it. Smiling some as she heard the interactions.

---
After this discussion it wasn't long before the group was on the move after the duo who were speaking privately returned and now the whole group was following Morana, during this Iberis stayed near the group and kept vigilant, trying her best not to look like some out of place tourist who didn't know what they were doing ,even if she might as well have been that, it was certain that her garb did not help any with looking like a native of this, In Iberis's mind Fascinating land. While they were walking with the gradually changing scenery, Iberis listened to Morana intently once again

A more serious look fell upon Iberis's face when she heard Morana lay down the ground rules for this interaction. There was no way that Iberis planned on screwing this all up for them, so she was going to those words seriously. It sounded like they would need to be particularly careful. Even though Morana was looking at Scylla while she asked if they understood it had been a question for all of them, so Iberis replied
"Mhm, I Understand clearly."

When Cayde chimed in about them asking good questions , and name dropped her, she gave Cayde a smile of acknowledgment, "You know it." she reaffirmed. It was nice to hear that it sounded like he thought well enough of her for that already, as truthfully Iberis did enjoy positive attention even now, since it was something she was very much largely deprived of not growing up in a traditional setting to say the least.

Once they reached the train area Iberis couldn't help but look around a bit awed by the whole scene before them, all kinds of things she really hadn't even seen much of before.
"Woah, Morana, this place is..really impressive..You don't really see a lot of this sort of stuff where I'm from." she couldn't help but comment.

Iberis heard out Morana once again about all the precautions she recommended they took, listening in carefully since this was more information that sounded vital to their success. Iberis cared less about the reasons why the information was like this and more so that they just needed to do it to be successful in their overall goal and come out unharmed, taking notice that Morana moved back after.

It sounded like the group had some time to talk amongst themselves then.
Iberis listened once more by the time that Cayde was speaking too, before he exposed what he looked like, and truthfully she wasn't sure what she had expected but Cayde looked rather nice.

Cayde's reasoning once again sounded solid to Iberis so she nodded as she looked to him, keeping a decently close proximity to Scylla where they stood if possible, out of habit."Okay yeah, based on what I could gather about what she sounds like, that definitely sounds like a smart move, we don't want to make any sudden movements or do anything weird or threatening, just ask her to the point questions about what we want to know regarding our business here, like you're saying, asking anything unnecessary could lead to her leaving before we got everything we really wanted." Iberis replied in agreement.

"Out of what you've mentioned we should definitely ask about what she found as a first topic of discussion if it seems doable, then follow up about Sverre and that line of questioning with a streamlined interaction in mind."

She then turned to the group, some also curious what they may have had to say on the matter, before looking back to Cayde.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia returned with the group a slight bit ahead of Kalina, giving the group a small smile before doing her best to integrate back into the party. She stayed silent until they moved on to Railworker's Crossing. Overall, she thought that this was rather... convoluted, but in the end, she seemed more focused on the fact that their escort would be stationed behind them. She wasn't sure if she felt completely comfortable with that, so in the end, she positioned herself leaning on one of the walls, making sure to keep Morana in her peripheral vision. "Y'all can do most of the talking. I am fine with listening, for the most part."​

 

[Elvario]

Railworker's Crossing
Widersia – Capital – Clockhaven – Railworker's Crossing
Time: 10:40 Weather Getting cloudier.

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Iberis TheTimePiece | Cayde The Last Curse | Scylla RavenSong | Shion Sharena

With most of the group having formed their plans and gone through their briefing on informant 'etiquette', all they had to do was await the arrival of the person in question. The latter happened rather suddenly, as after a good few minutes of waiting a woman arrived, cruising along the train's rails using some sort of odd single-wheel like device. Considering the distance she kept (just enough to talk to others at a louder voice, but not an inch closer), this was likely the person they'd been waiting for. She made sure to stay on the rails above them, near a place where she could easily ride off again along the train's tracks, using that device of hers.

Chima

​

Spoiler: Full Image

“That's a lot of new faces.” She said, glossing over at each of them. “It seems you know how to behave though, that should make this quick.” Having noticed Morana, she knew what this was about. “Assuming you're here for information on the vampire, I'll strike you the following deal. The first bit of information is free. That's that she's not working alone. She's got someone in her direct employ that's just as dangerous. I've lost three people trying to learn more about who she's working with, so I'm going to need something worthwhile in return for it. The baron's already offered me all the money I could wish for, but money isn't everything. I want someone to avenge the people I lost and some new information to work with. So, let's play a bit of a game. Give me some information to work with or an inkling that you might be able to get me the vengeance I want and I'll reward it by answering your questions with some of the information my people died for. Does that sound fair enough?”

 

[Sharena]

​

Shion was happy to leave the hangar, or at least, she thought she would be at first. Stepping out into the city didn't do much to improve her mood though. Her mood dampened some seeing the city reflect the hangar she had been in. I don't know why I expected to be free from such metallic contraptions...

Shion mentally sighed as they proceeded through the city. Every block Shion's mood seemed to get more melancholic as they went along. She also made certain she was never the closest one to Morana during the entire trek. She didn't say much either, merely observed the structures and people as they passed. There were all walks of life in this city too, just like all other civilizations she'd walked through back home. It relieved her slightly, but at the same time it all felt so unnecessary. What did robbing the world of a place for life to grow offer as a benefit? She couldn't see it, nothing that a relationship with the spirits and proper use of magic couldn't also provide, and with more harmony.

It made her second guess her desire to help these adventurers. Not because she didn't like them, far from it, they seemed like good people, but nothing in Widersia made her happy, and it started becoming very obvious towards the end of their journey with her ears down and her tail lacking any energy to move.

Once they all arrived at the Railworker's Crossing, Shion listened to Morana's instructions intently. She still didn't trust the woman, she had noticed on the way over that Shion's attempts to stay away from her didn't disturb her in the slightest. She had hunted in her kitsune form enough to know when a hunter's confidence was on display, there was never a need to rush a proper kill to feed your stomach, or in the case of humans, fill your coffers. Was she sure this was the same? No, but the woman's eerie calm in not even talking to her until the given instructions definitely didn't help.

She listened to Cayde and Iberis exchange ideas on what to do, hoping it would distract her from her discomfort. "If it's sudden movements we should avoid...maybe it's best I don't look at our informant." Shion said in a low voice, her tone reflecting her mood. She glanced Morana's direction.

"If they're anything like our escort...I don't know if I'll be able to help myself if she shows up suddenly." Shion stated to those near her. She tried to forget where she was, but then the trains would remind her ears readily. "...I hope we can leave this place soon." She finally let it slip verbally, but she didn't feel the need to cover up what she meant. She closed her eyes momentarily and smirked a little. "I envy your ability to walk these streets and not feel like you've been severed from your purpose..."

She snapped back to reality the next second, realizing how dampening her comments must've been. She shook her head with a pathetic laugh following. "I'm so sorry, how droll of me. Please ignore me. I'll follow your lead." She said to Cayde and Iberis once they came up with a plan.

--

Once Chima arrived, Shion managed to glance her way and see she was way more normal than Morana was. It relived her a great deal. Sadly, Shion had no information or assurances to give. Her power diminished and knowing very little of this world she merely glanced to the ones that could actually say anything and hope she could help sway the conversation if they began to falter. She wanted to give her confidence that she'd do everything to help her, but if asked for a demonstration of what she could do Shion couldn't deliver. She couldn't help but mentally sigh again, annoyed at her inability to attune to this world faster. She wondered if Widersia had anything to do with that, but it's not like the answer would help her much right now.

 

[RavenSong]

When Morana mentioned ‘folk to toy with’ her head tilted, “wha?” This construct/human woman with solemn demeanor was a little unsettling when stating such comments. The witch decided to save her follow up replies for a later time. It was becoming more and more apparent that this woman had a bit of an uncomfortable history. She wondered if there was anything that would give her reason to believe she was in some way shape or form, warm hearted. Even under all the contraptions she was plugged into.

“Woops!” The witch giggled before accidentally cutting her finger. It was but a thin cut at the top of her finger, so razor sharp that she barely even felt it. “My word, you were definitely not kidding!” She responded to Morana as the witch put the tip of her finger in her mouth.

“Well? Come along then..” she called out again at Morana, who seemed unresponsive to her command. “..oh I see what’s going on here! It’s because your friend said 'I’m not the leader isn’t it?'” She frowned, crossing her arms with a shrug and a sigh. She'd bow her head with sadness. The witch would then tug on Caydes sleeve. “Hey tell her to follow yeah? Morana already hates me.”

The witch had pushed Cayde forward only briefly before letting go. “Lady Scylla eh?” She repeated with a pondering finger at her chin. “Has a bit of a ring to it doesn’t it? Very well! I approve!”

“Hm!?” She retorted playfully, a giggle escaping her lips as Kalina whispered in her ear. “A bribe for your vote eh?” She whispered back with a grin, a hint of evil on her face. “Very well, here’s a sample!” She offered, sticking her bleeding finger in the vampires mouth. Then pulling it out with a funny popping sound. “I’ll have you know, I haven’t had any sugar in quite the while. The underworld doesn’t exactly appreciate pastries and yummy treats! Buuuut.. at this point I’m probably on a permanent sugar spike. As you can likely tell.”

As they began to head towards their destination, Kalina mentioned something that made Scylla wonder, she understood the request, however she pondered on how to be discreet about it. She wanted to prove her leadership abilities, surely being a leader meant you had to make sacrifices, even if they were at times inconvenient or downright shameful. It was all for the greater good of the group, and she was determined to prove her worth, in spite of the disapproval and odds stacked against her! Being the daring devil, she had an idea.

“Morana, I.. “ she was looking down, sadly, “..I’m so sorry you don’t like me.” She’d then come up to her and sink her face in her chest. Likely that was one of the only ways to tell for certain what her temperature would be?

Her words were muffled. “I can only hope I can convince you of my worthiness to your service! If there’s anything I can do. Pretty please do tell! This means so much more to me than you could imagine!”

Granted it was likely not 'leader like' to plea for a way to become anyones leader. Much less so in a situation where one was voted into leadership. So really it was about making relationships, or at least that's what Scylla thought it to be, maybe a little too well.

She’d let go gently, not making any sudden movements to provoke this menacing woman’s wrath. What was most surprising though was Scylla's resistance to blush. Perhaps she shed a bit of her bashfulness in the underworld? Who knows. But she was rather comfortable with all of it, maybe due to the sense of duty earlier.


--

Once with Chima, she introduced herself, "Why greetings! I'm the leader here! The names Scylla! Pleased to meet you!" She curtsied, before figuring that Morana and this Chima had a bit of history, or perhaps Chima was suspicious of something regarding their companion. "I see, well, you can place your trust in us! We're here to get to the bottom of this, if theres anything our dear Morana could give I'm sure she'd be more than willing to oblige! Isn't that right Morana?" She turned to look at her expectantly, hopefully she was wiling to listen this time? Or maybe give some clues as to her affiliations with China.

 

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: TheTimePiece Elvario Silent Angel RavenSong Sharena ​

A surprised look formed on Cayde's face as Chima made her arrival. She'd looked nothing like the jumpy person Morana described. Looked pretty sure of herself, like she knew what she was doing. And everything else was true. Cautious, no-nonsense, and straight to the point. A lump formed in Cayde's throat. She didn't look like someone who liked mistakes, either. He couldn't mess this up. "I'm Cayde. A pleasure to meet you," He said, quickly bowing his head, "You look like a busy woman. I'll save the pleasantries and cut to the point, yeah?"

For a moment, Cayde's eyes wandered to the side. There was nothing he could add. All he knew was what the baron told him, and even that wasn't much. Maybe Chima had already heard of the bodies found in Droid's Row. Maybe she'd take off after deeming their support worthless. Cayde threw the thought into the back of his mind. None of that, he told himself. Just be honest. Wasn't he good at that? "We've just started our investigation, so we only know a little. We are aware of what happened in Droid's Row, however. We suspect the assassins might've found something useful, kinda like the guy we're looking for..." He nodded, "Sverre. Finding him might give crucial evidence on the vampire. The baron said you might know where he is or what he'd found, so here we are..."

Then, Cayde's lips pursed, considering the alternative. It didn't sound too horrible. If a fight happened, everyone could hold their own, no problem. Scylla and Kalina were fantastic in the swamps, and surely they'd gotten even better after all this time. Iberis was a part of the Academy, and everyone knew not to mess around with them. And Sophia, with that monster of a crossbow, they'd probably drop dead before she could shoot. Together they'd be unstoppable. "As for your second offer, I'd say we've got a group of competent fighters going," Cayde explained, pride reflecting in his voice, "We could help you get the vengeance you deserve. Just gotta lead us to em'" He tried to smile, but then a memory of Shion came into view. He'd almost forgotten. She'd just come into this world. Maybe she still wasn't used to fighting yet. It wouldn't be very second-in-command-like to force her into a battle. "But first, I gotta discuss it with the team, make sure they're on board too, y'know?"

Just as Cayde braced for Chima's and the party's response, he heard Scylla mention asking Morana for clues. His eyes went wide. "Wow, I actually didn't think of that..." An appreciative smile formed on his face, "Good thinking Scyll- Lady Scylla," He turned his attention back to Chima, "She's right. Morana might be able to give you something of use. She'd been put under our command, so if you'd let me, could I go over and try to ask her?"

 

[TheTimePiece]

Iberis Odhir
​

Mentions: Elvario The Last Curse Silent Angel RavenSong Sharena

Iberis couldn't help but feel a bit bad when she heard what Shion had to say on the matter of her purpose feeling severed so to speak, hopefully when all was said and done they could show her more of the places that Iberis had mentioned which would be more too her liking since it wasn't terribly hard to tell that Shion had most definitely been on edge for most of this time thanks to this environment which she was not used too, as far as what Iberis could tell from the vibes she was was giving off and what she said.

"Oh, Shion, you're fine..we'll get through this together, okay?" She reaffirmed not wanting her to feel like she was being a bother. How she was feeling was completely reasonable to Iberis and she really did want her to feel better.

Meanwhile some of the theatrics with Scylla had once again been somewhat humorous to see unfold to say the least with the gestures and posturing for being in command, it was all very much on brand, and Iberis couldn't help but smile some, granted it had been a bit less humorous when Scylla had cut her finger as Iberis's face shifted to one of a bit of concern, before relaxing some at realizing that the cut hadn't been that bad. After quite literally almost getting slaughtered by Renee it that type of injury actually felt rather trivial in comparison.
---
Iberis didn't really have an expectation one way or another what she was expecting the informant to look like, other than perhaps a cloaked figure or something of the like who spoke cryptically, that's the sorts that you heard about in stories after all. Yes indeed they were a lot of new faces and Iberis was going to continue to do her very best not to ruin this for them all, so she tried to stay relatively still, using her staff like a walking stick of sorts at that point, as she just looked forward to Chima and listened to what she had to tell them, the more serious business look returning on her face. What was Chima getting at here? A game Iberis was not expecting to play apparently, expecting this informant to be more willing to actually inform since this whole mission was supposed to be for the betterment of this place was it not? It didn't sound like that's what motivated Chima, but instead personal motivation, which Iberis couldn't criticize too much given what she had been doing not all that long ago.

She first heard Scylla introduce herself after Chima ceased her speech, Iberis wasn't sure how effective trying to get Morana to assist would help here, but she supposed it was worth a try, even if she was dubious Morana would listen to Scylla since the Baron had told her to listen to Cayde. She then heard Cayde explain the situation and once again she thought he did a good job being articulate of what the situation was and why they were there.

Despite Iberis's initial thought it sounded like Cayde seemed to think that looking to Morana might be a good idea too. But then there was the issue of what Chima had ased them for. Stead of doing much, Iberis stayed relatively stationary and still, before speaking.

"And I'm Iberis, I can assure you that Cayde is correct in his summary of our situation of why we are here and his assertion that we are very capable. While my appearance might not suggest it, I have experience under my belt which would be beneficial to getting what you are looking for. I've already been in my fair share of combat and dangerous situations and have only learned to become more proficient in in my abilities."


Iberis's tone was more serious and to the point than usual. Asserting that she was willing to help with that goal if that's what the group was ready and wanted to do. Vengeance against the wicked for the fallen was a noble goal as far as Iberis was concerned, since it meant that others would not fall victim potentially to the wicked one. Now she just awaited what everyone else who was there had to say on the matters that were brought to the forefront.

 

[Elvario]

Railworker's Crossing
Widersia – Capital – Clockhaven – Railworker's Crossing
Time: 10:50 Weather Getting cloudier.

From: Nintendo's new IP Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. arrives on 3DS next year
Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Iberis TheTimePiece | Cayde The Last Curse | Scylla RavenSong | Shion Sharena

Chandra Jarmil

Spoiler: Full Image & Source

From:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/4QrLn

Kalina had been genuinely caught off guard when she'd suddenly found a finger in her mouth. She'd been planning to just tease the witch a bit, get her embarrassed or something. Now she was on the receiving end of such a treatment. However, as lost for words and thoughts as she was, her instincts were a lot more clear on what they wanted, sucking down on that finger at the first taste of the witches' blood. Between the taste of those magically talented such as a witch like Scylla or those magical by nature, such as a Fae like Sophia, it was difficult to decide which flavour was better. In this case, however, there was indeed an odd lingering sweetness to it that made her want more and which made her want to figure out just how much sweeter it could get while at it.

She snapped out of it the moment the finger left her mouth with a popping sound. Luckily, 'Chandra's' reaction and her own were similar enough. “W-what the hell?” Was all she replied. Whereas 'Chandra' would likely say so as in 'what the hell are you doing?' Kalina herself was more concerned about keeping up her cover. Either way, the response remained the same and was pretty darn genuine. Except, of course, the fact that she kept the fact that she'd just gotten a taste of something she wanted more off as well-hidden as she possibly could. As for Kalina's suggestion for Scylla to measure Morana's temperature... that was almost equally shocking. She'd honestly expected the witch to just put her hand on Morana's forehead with an excuse of wiping something away, rather than doing... whatever that was. It gave her an odd mixed feeling of second-hand embarrassment and... curiosity? For now, she'd just keep an eye out that Morana wouldn't butcher the witch for those actions.

As they were waiting on the informant, she spotted the new arrival, Shion, to be looking rather down. Considering she could use a distraction from thinking about witch blood, she decided to follow-up on Iberis' words. “She's right, we've been through far worse and always got out alright. You might be new, but I'm sure we'll be able to...” Fuck, she was Chandra right now. “to... help you pull through... as well.” She ended, a least being able to put a more natural ending to it, hopefully not fully blowing her cover. She wasn't doing a great job at keeping it thus far, she feared. Scylla hadn't exactly been helping there, making her mind feel cloudy and confused and bringing up some vampiric instincts. At this rate, she'd have to fear getting thirsty from not just getting close to Sophia, but equally so from Scylla.

Morana

Spoiler: Full Image & Source

From:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/92JWv

Morana instinctively drew back at first, when Scylla suddenly got close. Initially even seemingly getting ready to defend herself against something. When she heard the words and noticed Scylla's actual intend, she just stood still for a bit. There was one minor 'issue' with Scylla's plan. Most of the woman's chest was covered by the [Maid's Battle Dress E], only excluding the part where two of her more humanoid assets were located. If that'd be where Scylla landed her head, she'd surely feel this woman's temperature though, which was far from cold. In fact, it was uncomfortably hot, like this woman was running on some insanely high fever. “I can assure you one thing. This isn't it.” She eventually replied to Scylla's question. “Keep playing with fire and you're bound to get burned.” She added, although as per usual, her tone of voice didn't suggest much between joke, tease or threat.

She was equally unamused when Scylla suddenly mentioned her in front of Chima. To hear the one she'd been put in charge off back that up... For a second, they could swear the glazed-out eyes glared at Cayde. Then a sigh came from the mask. “If that's an official command... tell her what I'm using contains benzoylmethylecgonine and a mixture of other ergogenic aids. She's been trying to figure that out for as long as I've known her.” To pretty much everyone around, that wouldn't mean much. Cayde, however, being the alchemist he was, might figure out what she was talking about. Either way, she clearly hadn't been eager to give such information out, yet knew it'd be the type of thing that'd get Chima to talk, which forced her to obey the command in favour of their overall mission.

Chima

Spoiler: Full Image & Source

From:
Jieyun

At first, she didn't look amused. After all, only one person seemed to competently address her, which was Cayde. The rest remained silent, turned away from her or just rambled. However, two things managed to appease her. For one, she had sharp enough hearing to pick up on what Morana said, even though they were a distance away. “So that's what the baron's got you hooked on...” She uttered in reply, although Morana's hearing wasn't sharp enough to hear the reply. A bit louder, she spoke up again. “I'll take that.”

The other thing that appeased her was Cayde's mindset. “You seem smarter than Sverre was, so I'll tell you where he went wrong. He went after the vampire with all his men, without a proper plan. He expected brute force to work. From what I've gathered, he didn't even meet her and got caught by her Thrall first. Now he's in hiding somewhere even I couldn't confirm, but I suspect it's somewhere in Third Factory Street.” She paused for a bit, debating something. “Now, here's the really valuable information. Judging by the wounds, the Thrall's the one that cut up those assassins as well, including three of my informants, but she's left a fourth one go entirely unharmed. When I tried to ask why, all I got from my informant was that, unlikely everyone else, they were too scared to speak or act and that she just stared at them until they ran off. That's an interesting twist, isn't it? There should be more to it, so think about why that might be. I've got my theories, but you'd be better off reaching you own.”

She clicked her tongue. “That'd normally sell for a lot of money, She tapped her fingers on the wheel-like device. “So, if you want even more information... I'll want something of more value in return. I still know some things about those Vampire Hunters you might want to know, or perhaps a rumour about what occurred to Sverre's men? I've even got a clue as to where the Thrall might be hiding.”

She looked over the group. “I could tell you about some of those things, but in return, tell me a few things of your own. For one, that fox and the Fae look out of place. What are you two doing here?” She asked, looking over at Shion and Sophia. Then she turned to Iberis and Scylla. “As for you two, you've seen how void this country is of magic, yet the vampire seems to have utilised it. There's one thing that I can't put my finger on, but perhaps you two might. Tell me whatever you know about magic that brings the death back to life in order to serve the living and I'll tell you why I'm after such information in return.”

Finally, she looked at Cayde again. “You've been granted control over Morana it seems... That's good. However, if you want to present me something really valuable, tell her two write down the exact formula of what she's using. Every single ingredient and the exact amounts. If you do that, I'll answer any question you have to the best of my ability.” As Chima said it, the glazed out eyes of Morana glared at Chima even worse than they'd glared at Cayde prior. It was clear that this topic wasn't one she was eager to talk about, yet she'd likely comply if it was Cayde's official command for the sake of their mission.

 

[Sharena]

​

What in this godsforsaken place was happening behind her? Shion looked at the scene unfolding between Scylla and Morana with two primary emotions running through her mind; a desire to protect Scylla should Morana make a move to threaten her, and a temptation to laugh. While the city of Widersia definitely did nothing to bring a smile to Shion's face, these people around her were quite the band of characters, that was for sure, and it helped her tremendously. She'd have to find a way to thank them later. She fought the desire to laugh at Scylla's antics and focus on the situation, lest she cause the biomechanical woman further cause to act up.

She then turned to Iberis, once again offering her words of encouragement that made her smile more than she had been, her ears and tail even got a bit more life back in them even if her tail wasn't quite as active as it was back at the hangar. "Thank you, Iberis, I have no doubt we'll make it through. I did not mean to-"

Then her ears twitched as Chandra confidently reinforced Iberis' statement. Her comment fell off towards the end, but Shion couldn't help but wonder why. Did she experience wild mood shifts? Or was it something more? Either way, Shion turned her attention to Chandra now. "Please, Chandra, I have no lack of faith for our ability to succeed, I just...have a general distaste for urbanized lands. I greatly appreciate your concern for me though, thank you."

Then she was suddenly the target of the scout's curiosity, or rather, everyone caught Chima's eye for questions. She'd heard Cayde's exchange with her while she was observing Scylla and Morana, doing her best to keep up with the situation. She really needed to pull someone aside and get direct details so she could at least pretend she intended to be here from the start. First, she had to deal with this woman's intrigue. Shion thought to herself, what could her excuse be to address the woman? She knew the most valuable information she could offer, it's that she wasn't from this world. That'd easily buy them everything they wanted, surely. Should she really risk that though? No, not until she had regained more control over her font of magic again. Not yet, at least. She needed an answer...was she confident she could play with the human language right now? Might be worth a shot. She took a single cautious step forward to not alarm Chima, but to state her position firmly.

"You're right, I don't belong here, my home is that of the forests. I happened to be approached by some fine friends to accept this job, and if this cities' balance is in jeopardy, I will quell its unrest." Shion responded with confidence. Nothing she said was a lie, even if she was possibly assuming a bit much of these people she just met. But they were friends with each other, so she wasn't lying in that way either just because they might not be her friends yet. Still, they showed her far more kindness than some humans she'd met in the past, and they even believed her story about not being from here and at least of couple of them had their first instinct to be to help. Considering she could've wound up with much worse in this city she detested, she simply counted her blessings.

 

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: Elvario RavenSong TheTimePiece Sharena Silent Angel ​

Cayde's nose wrinkled as he heard Morana's exchange with Chima. So Morana was using those kinds of stimulants? The same he'd hear of Ryken's junkies abusing? A troubling discovery. And by the daggers he could feel being stared into his back, one that felt like it should've been kept private. The realization made him squirm a bit. He hoped that hadn't made things too awkward. Otherwise, there'd be no chance to kindly offer her a list of natural, safe substitutes. It'd be one way to say sorry. And another way to tell her she didn't deserve to punish herself like that.

Nonetheless, that got Chima talking. Cayde listened closely as she spilled all the juicy details on Sverre and the Thrall. He made a mental note of how she fought. She sounded sneaky - probably liked getting up close and personal, too. That'd be good to remember. "I see," He murmured, "Might try to ambush us if we go looking for her. Good to know," Her second statement was a little less easy for him to answer. "Well, there could be many reasons why she'd let one go," He said inquisitively, "Our vampire's goal is to attract followers, right? Maybe she made her thrall let one go to spread the word. Y'know, that guy lives to tell the tale; gossip spreads throughout the country - outside the country. Puts fear into people's hearts and gets the attention of other monsters. Wouldn't be the worst way of growing your brand." The second theory sounded far more far-fetched in his mind. Especially without any knowledge of the thrall herself, "Or there was some moment of resistance? Maybe the thrall didn't want to kill that person for some reason?" Cayde shrugged his shoulders, "Dunno much about the thrall, though. We'll need more details."

However, when Chima listed his 'price' for more details, concern grew on Cayde's face. He wasn't sure how any of this was relevant to the investigation. What did it matter what Morana used? There was no reason for him to pry any further into her life. She deserved her privacy as much as anyone else. Even if it would benefit everyone.

The thought made him pause. It would benefit everyone. Just one little question and everyone would know everything Chima knew. Then Iberis and Scylla could ask their questions, and they'd all have so much to work with. It'd be great! The investigation would go so smoothly. All he had to do was stay objective, just as he promised. Just disregard someone's feelings for one time. Just don't be the old him. He could do that, right?

"I'll do it," Cayde told Chima, "Morana..." He felt a pang of guilt curl into his stomach, stopping his tongue. He couldn't do this. Sure, Morana would know it was for the sake of the investigation, but how would she see him afterward? How would everyone see him afterward? Wouldn't a good second-in-command take that into account?

Cayde took a deep breath. Maybe just a little [Persuasion - F] would help ease the blow, he thought. Morana would understand. Everyone would understand. "Morana, Chima wants you to write the specifics of what you're using... ingredients, measures, everything." He called over his shoulder, "She'll give us all the info we need. Please understand." His eyes fell to the floor, "Look, this is the last time I'll for anything more about you, okay? Nothing but the investigation after this. Promise."

 

[RavenSong]

“Whoa..” The witch exclaimed, her voice still muffled as her face paused in between the mentioned ‘assets’. This woman was running absurdidly hot! She quickly took her face out and looked up at the construct like woman. A nervous and embarassed smile overcoming her features, “..i-i’m terribly sorry my dear, i..” She shook her head quickly, as if greatly disappointed in herself. “..i dont know what came over me. Y-yes, you’re right, i can’t win your fellowship with apologies.” Then Scylla would laugh a bit louder than she wanted, trying to laugh at the constructs potential attempt at making a joke. However, the witch couldn’t tell, as there was no tone in her voice. She'd then notice Shion resisting her laughter before attempting to smile at the fox lady.

“Benzoylmethylecgonine!! Why of course!” The witch jumped up getting a bit in Moranas face, holding up an index finger. Then a blank stare, “Uh.. what is that?”
Her gaze would turn to Chima for potential answers then back at Morana attempting a smile. “S-sorry again.” She brought her hat down over her eyes, embarassed with herself yet again.

The witch then heard Chima’s mutterings, prompting a tilt of her head and a suspicious look. Her eyes narrowed into a slight squint at Morana, then back at Morana but only breifly. Snapping her fingers, her note pad and pen jotted down some quick notes before evaporating again.

She continued to listen in on Chima’s commentaries, it seemed she knew quite a bit, likely due to how well connected she was with this otherwofdly place. But then a question about bringing back the dead. “Oh boy, there’s quite a bit to unpack..” Scylla said as she looked over towards Iberis. Shrugging as if asking ’should we just tell her?’

“..Well, i mostly dabble in experimental and somewhat unconventional magics. However, i’m a curious cat..” she’d entwine her hands behind her as one of her shoes sort of tapped ontop of the other. “..necromancy is one, well, depending on how acute the caster has focused his efforts he can either literally bring someone back from the dead, or bring back the corpse as a sort of servant, if you will. You see, there isn’t a way for magic itself to reanimate an entire person, usually they awaken as something else completely. Some would say, it has to do with the ’soul’ no longer being present.” her lips puckered and she twidled her thumbs now at her front. “I suppose another one could be ‘vampirism’ which is more of what we seem to be dealing with here. I don’t know much about this subject however, other than the results, which obviously births blood drinkers.”

Then looking at Chima and Cayde, noticing Morana's discomfort, "Uhm, why do you want those details anyway? Kinda seems like you're shaking us down for more info than you could give us." The witch smirked, "No but really, give us a lead. Maybe start with where we could find Sverre?"

The witch would then notice the Shirons tail, seemingly spacing out with curiosity, "ooooo.." she'd pat her tail before giving it a squeeze. "..so.. fluff.. my goodness."

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia's eyes moved from the informant to their follower. She knew she could help by offering to make something, but... this lady wasn't someone she wanted to sell to. She didn't even have to use her appraisal skill to tell this lady was a criminal. Even if it was for a good cause, she refused to break her code of selling to criminals. She let out a small sigh before turning to look at Morana once more. "To be honest, any bit of information helps. And even if it doesn't, I'm not sure what the harm is in telling her anyways." She gave a small shrug before leaning back once more.​