The Vigil (E6T2)

[Voidus]

~Voidus; Alley K-9-1077~

Moments kept flashing into memory as they both extended the gaze. Moments from the Forgery, a few even from before, and culminating in those few moments when they had both together been in her mind. The moment she had extended an offer to see everything that she was and offer it. A flicker in her eyes now mirrored what he had seen then, an unwavering belief, and one truly held. She did not wish to, but if he asked she would wait forever. For him.

"Can I tell you a secret Vivica?" He asked, eyes darkening a little further as the light around them dimmed as if to hold the rest of the world at bay.

She gave a slight nod, still trembling a little as he leaned in, his cheek grazing hers as his hand held her other. His lips just a quarter inch from her ears as he whispered to her with a building intensity.

"I never much liked waiting." He said, with a grin.

His hand slid from chin to cheek, the handkerchief vanishing somehow in the motion, and he tilted her head just a little as he pulled back just enough for her to see the smile as he approached again. Finally pressing his lips to hers, a kiss that he had waited an entire lifetime for.

~Laurelai; Lita's Apartment, the Alleys~

Just focus on the lines. Laurelai told herself, using the moment of Lita's absence to recollect herself once more. She was very practiced at this, needing only a moment to instill an almost unnatural calmness about her well before Lita returned in a silk dressing gown.

"Right, well. Where should I lie down? I'm afraid I converted the lab in this place into another lounge room. Much more useful most of the time." Lita asked.

Laurelai spared the office a satisfied nod. Much more useful than a lab, especially for this department in particular, but it did make things slightly more difficult. Or at least it would, ordinarily. 

"Just a moment." Laurelai said with a slightly teasing smile.

She left for the same hallway, and on opening a door to the newly refurbished lounge room gave a second satisfied nod before sweeping over it with a coldly analytical gaze. She had been in the office enough times, under both of its owners, that she already knew most of what she needed, only one sweep to make sure. And then refocusing on the lines in her mind, she twisted them into a different alignment, a different history.

The room warped into the old laboratory that had once occupied the space, its identity well known by the very stones themselves and not difficult at all to reintroduce. Fortunately, the lab also included a gurney. Pulling it back and then pushing it in front of her she re-entered Lita's sitting room, manifesting a lab coat for herself at the same moment.

"It may have been somewhat fake but I do remember med school." Laurelai said, still wearing the same grin. "So don't worry, you're in very good hands."

@ZincAboutIt

[Lord Meeker]

Lord Everette Meeks; Alleycity

 

The first guild Everette came upon while soaring above the city was the Church of the Stick. This stop ultimately proved unfruitful to say the least. No information was yeilded, other than a new found annoyance for sticks. Though it did make him feel better to break a stick in front of one of the priests. As he left he didn't know if he'd mad new enemies in breaking the stick or become some sort of religeous figure because he'd provided them two sticks by breaking one. Either way Everette did not care as he would never set foot in that place again or so he'd vowed.

The Canton of Combat proved equally a waste of time. Though he'd bested their best pewter arm, without using much of his power. Jeb was a much more competent and terrifying sparring partner as he was a rare pewter savant. He walked out of the arena cradling a shattered arm that healed painfully slow. The pewterarm lay unconcious on the floor, an anchored steel pushed punch to the temple had instantly finished the fight. Everette had to be careful not to have cracked the man's skull, luckily for them both the man was a pewterarm. Everette pushed himself into the air from a coin he'd flipped into the air. 

He continued onto the next destination, according to the map he'd snagged back at the Canton, the Keepers. Which sounded like it wouldn't be entirely unproductive which wasn't entirely wrong. No information he needed but had walked out with a discrete gold metalmind purchase. It cost him a full coin pouch leaving him with the pouch he'd filled with coin approxamate sized steel and other metals. He shot into the air once again in search of anything that could help him bring his family to justice. 

Everette landed before the doors of the Liebrary, and once again hit a dead end. No information inside a place that should have hoards of it. He shook his head. He was thinking of a library, this building was the Liebrary. He looked at the map, determining his next course of action, all while sipping on a vial of steel. He determined that the Sentinels, and the Craftsmen guilds were the next likely to not have any kind of information he'd need. He shot himself west, past the Dark Alley, towards the Sentinels. He wasn't disappointed on either fronts for both guilds. He sighed pulling out a now crumpled paper detailing the location of the vault Jeb was moving the relics to. It seemed to be a joint metalurgy factory and store.

Several minutes later Everette landed in front of the factory store. He let himself in and showed himself to the fourth floor and entered in the eight digit passcode into an unassuming wall. The door slid open revealing a white room, which lit itself with each step he took. At the far end of the room was a one way window, providing a view to city center, and desk and chair which Jeb sat in feet on the desk. Jeb was an odd butler, he did his job exceptionally well and could be trusted, but he always had a quirky personality that Everette found humorous.

"Ah Master Everette, shall I fetch you some tea?"

"Where in the storming blazes are you going to get tea Jeb?" Everette incredulously inquired.

"Was your search fruitful?" Jeb replied with a question

"Hardly. I have a few more guilds to inquire but many don't have the manpower or information to be relevant."

Everette stepped up to one of the blank walls which slid apart, then pushed forward a display. On the wall's display was a cloak and hood colored black dark blue and maroon, vambraces, paldrons and gauntlets and red and white decorated mask. Lining the wall were two sheathed shortswords, a broadsword with a back sheath, a dozen kunai, and a spear. It was at this point that a pedistal rose out of the ground containing a vial of blood and inside were three spikes. These were armor and weapons of the great and first founder of the Ghostbloods, Rhazien Montegue. Everette stepped away and the display faded back into a white wall.

Walking opposite, Everette inspected the other display that emerged from the wall. This one contained a hybrid mistcloak with a hood over a black and red armor, a belt with empty allomantic vial slots, a black and red mask with the left eye socket missing. The weapons that lined this display were two IV awakened sabers, an Aonic imbued sword, dozen Kunai, Allomantic metal vials, and honorblade containing the surges of Transportation and Division. Again like the last a pedistal revealing a unsealed metalmind containing all the knowledge and experiences of Solace, whom was another important figure in the Ghostbloods and Everette's family. Everette picked up the metalmind, contemplating using it to see what hidden treasures lay beneath and inside the metal. But that could wait until another time. 

He walked down the wall, closer to the desk, Solace's belongings disappearing into the wall revealing a second set of cloth and weapons. A brown trench coat and sniper rifle, two hand cannons, which once belonged to Solace. Two pedistals rose from the floor, something about the object on them struck them as odd a shardblade and a manikin wearing shardplate. The book entry only said that Aurell Faine, the owner, was MIA, not dead and Everette didn't know much about it either. Everette made a mental note to investigate later when he had seen justice for what had happened to his family.

He walked to the opposing wall, this just revealed a blank manikin. This was the spot where Everette would now store the armor he wore now. He removed his helm and placed it on the manikins expressionless face. He shed the rest of his armor and Jeb helped him get into a gentlemans suit. Everette chuckled to himself.

"If I may sir, what is funny?"

"Nothing, just that Solace, Aurell nor Rhazien wouldn't have let their family die. They had the information, the means, and the power to stop it before any of it would have happened." Everette sighed.

"Perhaps not, but a lot more people certianly would have died. Those people you mention are not of moral constitution that you have my lord." Jeb consoled. "It would be wise not to dwell on this any longer than you need to sir."

"Perhaps I need a drink." Everette replied. "I think I will."

Jeb handed Everette's cane to him and he stored health gradually. Jeb helped Everette stay upright as they walked to the vault door. They slowly and painstakingly exited the building and into a local brewery. 

"You know sir, Shardslayer, could attack at anytime, its not wise to drink excessively." Jeb cautioned.

"maybe, but he'll either use an aluminium bullet next time or most likely want to see if I'm bloodmaker before he kills me. He'll probaby try to spike both my powers and sell them to the black market or the DA. I'm not going to die until I bring justice to my family."

Jeb said nothing just kept an eye on the door.

Quote

If anyone is worried about Everette using the equipment of my past characters, don't he niether has the skill or the desire. Solace's metalmind and Aurells Shards may be a plot point later but into to be used by Everette as part of his skill set. He has a moral code and want to honor and preserse these relics.

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by Lord Meeker

[+ZincAboutIt]

~Vivica; Alley K-9-1077~

Countless times Vivica had imagined this, but every one of them paled in comparison to now. The heat of his lips against her own drove into her like a spike through a bindpoint, and she felt every piece of herself rearrange to accommodate this new mark on her soul. The warmth in her cheeks flared white hot, and she voiced a sigh, lips parting slightly as her hand moved from the back of his hand to run her fingers through silver-blonde hair.

Nox echoed her sigh with his own, deeper and hungrier, pulling her closer against him. Her blood sang in her veins, pushed through with each thundering beat of her heart. The sound of exuberant yipping faded into the background as the Zeta Class puppies completely broke formation, tumbling over one another and leaping with excitement. She allowed herself to lose time, lose sense, lose track of anything that was not Nox - the circle of his arms, the scent of his skin, the taste of his tongue. He was the world, and if everything else disappeared into darkness, this would be more than enough.

After a brief eternity, he parted from her, voice rougher than usual and slightly breathless as he whispered a question into her ear. Vivica felt herself nod, eyes closed and mouth slightly open in silent, wild euphoria. Nox picked her up with one arm, easily holding her against him, and gathered the gifts from the table with the other. Then he bent the Alleys around them, and Vivica heard the rare, beautiful sound of his satisfied laughter in the dark as she painted kisses down the hollow of his throat.

~Lita; Lita's Apartment, the Alleys~

Lita sat herself on the gurney, eyeing Laurelai in the lab coat and trying not to appear too incredulous.

"You remember your false medical school training? Well, I don't believe I've ever felt more reassured."

Still, she grinned as she lay back, parting the silk of her robe at precisely the front of her left hip and nowhere else. She took a deep breath, then extinguished her tin for the first time in... Lita didn't know. She ignored the vague grey cast to the world as she stopped burning, the way her skin felt slightly numb, her hearing somewhat dampened. These were the signs she had always been warned about, and were something she decidedly did not have time to deal with at the moment. At least the dampened sensation would serve her well in this instance. 

"I'm dry, not flaring tin, and I've been warned beforehand. This experience is already worlds better than my last. All you need to do is aim."

She tried to give Laurelai a reassuring smile, though it was a bit difficult to focus on her face with all the blur to her vision. Damn tin habit. It was just too useful, too helpful to stop. There was never a moment when she didn't need to have an edge, to stay sharp and alert. Especially not now that she was leading the DoCI. When things settled down a bit, maybe she'd go see R&D about some spiritual rehabilitation. Yes, that's precisely what she'd do. When things were easier. A problem for another day.

@Voidus

[Voidus]

~Laurelai; Lita's Apartment, the Alleys~

Laurelai gave a faux frown at Lita's skepticism, a small hint of actual hurt pride. True the memories were false, but then Laurelai was a Forger, she had plenty of memories and experience that were not precisely real as far as the rest of the world was concerned. It didn't mean they were somehow less trustworthy. Forged memories were clean, neat, exactly what they needed to be.

"Would you like a juice afterwards?" She said, smiling slyly. "We used to give them to people at the hospital afterwards. Well, if they were well behaved anyway."

Drawing the spike smoothly from its box, Laurelai looked to Lita's hip, cheeks faintly pink as she lined the spike up. Lita had, blessedly, not revealed anything more than necessary, and the situation was more clinical than anything else, enough that Laurelai could focus only at the point she needed to. She was moments from placing pressure onto the spike when she hesitated, eyes flickering uncertainly for an instant.

Best to be certain.

The lines shifted again, an instants focus to a well remembered pattern. The Researcher had never switched from Records to the DOCI, instead she had eventually moved to R&D. She was well experienced in most matters of scientific inquiry and research but especially Hemalurgy. Other Denizens might jam a spike into a bindpoint, but the Researcher performed art with metal and flesh.

"L-712" She muttered to herself, repositioning the spike very slightly. "Minimal side effects. No interference with existing spikes. Appropriate for concealment and placement should not affect any nerves or sensation."

She looked up to Lita's eyes, giving a reassuring but somewhat cold smile and only in the instant that Lita looked back and drew her focus did Laurelai lean onto the spike, using her body weight to expertly drive it through skin and flesh. A single motion, smooth entry with no deviation. Perfect placement, as always. The work drew a more genuine smile of satisfaction from her as she examined it.

~SeKaan; Mistkeep~

Lord Syril Valiert strode purposefully through the streets, his back straightened and chin raised with the pride of House Valiert. He had no time to listen to the common folks around him, even if the average passer by was significantly more affluent than they were in other parts of the city. He paused with a weighty sigh, leaning more heavily on his cane as he contemplated the state of affairs that had led him here. Walking the streets rather than riding in a carriage.

He lit a cigar for himself, holding it between a set of too-white teeth that widened into a grin as he saw a pair of rather attractive Elendel nobleladies passing close by. He swept a genteel bow in their direction but unfortunately did not have the time to linger and chit chat, only making sure to slip the name of his hotel into the conversation in case either of them should ever wish to visit and socialize further when he had the time.

Realizing he was running late he ducked through a small side street, glancing behind him for a moment and then sheltering in a small alcove between buildings as his flesh bubbled and warped. He pulled a nearby bag over and started pulling a number of items from within it, arranging them neatly even as his limbs contorted. A few moments later a small jewelry boxed seemed to surface from inside his chest and he pulled a number of items from it before pushing it back in.

"By the Survivor." Miss Thyron said, wafting a hand in front of her nose. "Must these nobles always leave a trail of cigar smoke behind them? Horrid stuff."

She was about to step onto Brass street on the opposite end of the sidestreet but paused a moment before coming into full visibility. Tapping a lacquered nail to her painted red lips before looking down at herself and frowning. Her eyelashes fluttered in thought before suddenly snapping wide.

The suit. SeKaan remembered. They get all strange about women wearing suits.

Ducking back into the alcove they pulled a simple grey dress from their chest cavity and switched clothing at lightning speeds. Lord Valiert had let them listen in to a number of people who assumed the Lord was both too distant to overhear and too preoccupied to care. But Miss Thyron would be able to mingle a little more easily. Syril was charming, certainly, but in a particularly standoffish fashion. Miss Thyron would be much more amicable. Approachable.

@ZincAboutIt

[+Sorana]

Temeria - Hall of Legends

Break things so that you can fix them. The words were so simple and yet they offered a whole new perspective. "We can do that?" She asked Ember out of surprise, not even considering that the answer might be a no. When he said so, they could. "Let's try." She said with an excited grin and rushed over to the side of the square where a few small bushes and flowers were growing. She picked up a stone and turned it around in her fingers. It was a stone. Rough surface, covered by dirt, more or less grey. Pressing her fingers together she wasn't able to do more than brush off some of the dirt. Perfect. So it wasn't already broken.

Temeria closed her eyes and concentrated on what she had learned so far. Which, she realized, wasn't a lot. Studying wasn't exactly high on her list of things like to do. When she opened her eyes again she eyed the stone warily. Hesitating for another moment she then focused and inhaled. Her fingers started to glow gently and she grinned when she felt the energy, the wild, raw power inside, suddenly not understanding why she hadn't practiced more. It felt so good to finally do something more than to walk around and watch people. Ember was right. Breaking things was the perfect start. And it couldn't be that complicated. Things broke so easily.

She pictured her light covering the stone, filling it and then break it apart. The stone crumbled in her hand, fine dust falling to the ground between her fingers.  With a disappointed sigh she opened her hand and let go of the remaining dust. "Sorry" she muttered towards Ember and brushed of the dirt. "Nothing left to look at." She grinned apologetically and picked up another one.

When she inhaled again she lifted the stone and tried to picture more clearly what she was trying to achieve. Two halves, so that there was something for Ember to look at. So maybe - she didn't cover the whole stone but instead drew only a thin line across its surface. "Break." She told the stone without realizing that she had spoken aloud. "Come on." Nothing happened and she cursed under her breath. How could she break something and not break it. In the end it would be easier if she used a saw to cut off a thin branch to use, instead of this stupid stone. Cut off a branch.

Her face brightened at the thought. Not breaking, but cutting. She tapped the stone with her finger, picturing the line of light on its surface. And then she sliced through it, the stone falling open, two halves lying on her palm.

Proudly she lifted them for Ember to take a close look. "Now, how do I put them together again?" She asked excitedly. 

@Voidus

[Lord Meeker]

Lord Everette Meeks; Non-descript Tavern

 

About the time Everette's first drinks arrived, a group three of men walked through the door. The first sat a the bar, ordered a drink and struck up a conversation with the person next to them. The other two stood out a lot more. Each wore half a skull mask on each of their faces, one on the left and the other on the right. Both, coincidentally or not, were identical twins. They were talking to the bartender, who was frantically trying to avoid trouble by gestering to the table Everette and Jeb were at.

"Man I have been dealt the worst kind of hand." Everette sighed. "Who ever has been tracking me probably knows I'm a twinborn Coinshot Bloodmaker. Storms. No point in hiding it."

He stopped storing his healing, spitting out the rest of the blood from his mouth on the floor. He pulled a vial from his belt and a few coins from his pocket. He felt his buttons and other metals on his cloths start to be tugged, his second to last vial flew out of his hand and smashed against the wall behind the skull faced murder wannabees. A second later he was being pulled toward the masked skull duo. He was stopped by Jeb who was holding him around the waist, heels dug into the floor as he burned pewter. Other metal object flew at Everette as he was turned into a livng pin cushion.

"Storms." Everette cursed, as utinsels embedded themselves into this limbs and chest. "Jeb, the gent on the right is a Coinshot and the one left is a Lurcher. There's a Nicroburst somewhere here too, though I've lost track of the storming cremling. Its what makes the most sense."

"Sir, nobility does not swear."

"Not now, Jeb." Everette said grinning. 

Gripping his last vial tightly to prevent it being pulled from his hand he downed the contents.

"Ok, you can let me go now." Everette told his bulter.

Once Jeb relinquished his grip, Everette flew towards the left skull masked allomancer, he steel pushed his coins towards the Lurcher, who was pulling on anything near Everette, so the coins impacted the man harder than they would have normally. Everette crashed into chairs and tables, breaking and splintering them, as a result of his gamble. He stumbled to his feet, his eyes landing on the third individual that had entered the establishment with the skull faced duo. He seemed to planting devices on the walls, and it took Everette a moment before he realized what the third man was doing. Most of the bar's patrons had managed to flee but some remained cowering in fear.

"Run! This place is about to blow!" He screamed.

The Lurcher was getting back to his feet, all while Jeb tried to get to Everette. Everette tapped healing and all the untinsels and splinters popped out of him. He picked up a broken splinter of table leg to use as a sword. He was terrible at sword fighting but it was one of the many things his late mother had forced to take while growing up as a proper noble. He swung at the Coinshot and managed to connect with the back of his skull, not hard enough to kill or even hard enough incapacitate, but it caused the Coinshot to stumble. Jeb hit the Lurcher in the ribs, breaking several with a lound crack, as he made his way to Everette. As he grabbed Everette, there was shimmering before Lefty and Righty disappeared. 

"RUN!" Everette yelled at Jeb as he was slung over the bulters sholders like a sack of potatoes. "This is very humiliating by the way. Normally I wouldn't forgive you for this kind of treatment but you are trying to save my life."

"You are awefully chatty for someone who is about to die!" Jeb yelled.

"Exactly we are about to die."

They got to the door before the tavern exploded. It threw the pair into the air and across the street. Smoke filled the air, and Everette's ears rang. He tapped the remaining healing out of his metalminds. He staggered to his feet and pulled a metal shard from his shoulder. Jeb lay next to him, with the smoke in the street, Everette couldn't tell if the man was breathing. Amid the crackling of fire from the explosion and the ringing in his ears, there was a faint scraping of metal. A shadowed figure made their way threw the smoke towards them, they ran two blades against themselves creating sparks in the dark miasma. The figure advanced slowly, as a dazed Everette readied himself to fight with a metal shard he'd pulled from his flesh. Blood ran down his sholder and his fingers as he gripped the metal fragment.

Quote

Now would be a good time to have some character interactions with Everette if you are interested  At me when you are done

 

A little detail on the figure, they are a leecher, in the near proximity of the explosion is a smoker. The figure has expectional all around combat skills, but prefers, knives, hand to hand, and firearms(pistols and rifles mainly). I haven't chosen the gender of said character so dont use gender pronouns if you would, please.

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by Lord Meeker

[Voidus]

Ember- Hall of Legends

Flittering through the air Ember alighted on the pile of dust that had once been a stone. Not it could be all sorts of things, even if it was currently deciding to be a remarkably uninteresting pile of dust. His face was split by a wide grin as a small puff of air picked some of the dust up to be carried elsewhere. Mixed with other things. Become something new and different.

The second stone was even better, Temeria has split it precisely into two pieces, the cut so clean and fine that Ember could perfectly examine each striation and grove to its surface. Being broken in this way was very interesting, it almost looked the same but a little bit different. Humans did that didn't they? Split into two humans? One of them a little different than the other.

"Now, how do I put them together again?" Temeria asked excitedly.

Ember matched the excitement in an instant, so very happy to be doing things. And especially this sort of thing, it was so much more exciting than eating and sleeping and all the other things humans did.

"Mmm... with your hands?" He suggested exuberantly. "Some things go back together easy and some don't. And some you need to change more. Rocks? Rocks rocks rocks..."

He frowned with a depth of thought rarely experienced. Ember could remember rocks, he'd seen plenty. But a long time ago, there had been rocks that were different perhaps? Or so he had heard. He remembered seeing some of them, broken. How had they been put back together? How did rocks work?

"Heat." He said, flaring with joy at the recollection. "Lots and lots of heat. Heat changes things."

~~Derit - Alleycity University~~

Derit Sylvette was only able to lay a few sprigs of lavender, tied together with ribbon, at the University's central square. She placed it delicately amongst the other arrangements of flowers, pictures, letters and candles that had been left for those who had been lost as a result of the Forgery. Either dead from the chaos when it was broken, or vanished from the world entirely with their lives tied to the magic the Dark Alley had laid over the city.

Derit tried to think of all those who had been lost, to focus on each tragedy. All of these people had been important to someone. Were important themselves. All of them had deserved to live. But her mind drifted back to a Professor she had not seen in a week now. He was known for long absences and not leaving his office for days at a time, but only that morning Derit had seen a new Professor moving into the space, placing their own name card at the door.

She wiped away the tears that she had begun to shed, not ashamed to be seen crying, but she knew what he would have wanted. Rather than sit here mourning what had happened, she should help make sure the city never again had to go through such a travesty. She stood, brushing some dust from her dark navy-blue trousers, and with one final look at the gathered sorrow, she left to gather her friends. This university, it was said, had been where the magic of the Forgery had been shattered. A number of people had begun to use it as a memorial site in the early days and today a vigil had been arranged, huge numbers of people from all districts of the city had arrived to pay respects. Derit hoped that while they were here she might be able to use this tragedy to finally incite some genuine good in this city.

[+Sorana]

Temeria - Hall of Legends

Temeria found herself grinning when Ember studied the insides of the rock carefully. It felt good to see him that way, all excited and aflame. He loved to do things, to really do something that was more than their usual daily life. At her question he seemed to brighten even more, matching her excitement instantly.

"Mmm... with your hands?" He suggested, "Some things go back together easy and some don't. And some you need to change more. Rocks? Rocks rocks rocks..."  He frowned and she smiled at him. He was cute when he frowned and concentrated like that. She loved how he concentrated fully on a single thing, how he was able to shut everything else out and just be.

Pensively she placed the two halves together with her hands. They nearly fitted together, the small section in the middle she had turned to dust missing. "Heat." Ember said and flared with joy. "Lots and lots of heat. Heat changes things."

He was right. Just like a sword had to be changed by heat, she had heard theories that stone was able to melt, too. Temeria pocketed the two halves and extended a hand for Ember to sit upon. "I have to admit, that I doubt that we can change this city by heat alone." But maybe, a thought came to her mind and she brightened, glad to finally have an idea that might actually work.

"You're a genius." She grinned at Ember happily, "we can't burn the whole city down, but maybe we can, no maybe we should, find out whether there are structures we need to get rid off. Remnants of the past that don't work well anymore. Things like that." Spoken aloud it sounded nearly as daring as the original idea. But it was more, it was way more to the point.

"We need help." She decided and pressed her lips slightly together. "This will be awkward and uncomfortable and I wish,  I wish-" She trailed off. She wished Mac had never left so that she could have helped him. Not that she could change it. "We need help." she repeated. "And so we'll try to find someone with the right knowledge." Even if it meant facing her sister again. They hadn't parted on bad terms, but she wasn't entirely sure what to make of her.

"Let's go." She decided, forcing herself to stop thinking about it. "Let's start to do something." And they would start by asking questions in the one place she knew where she would get an answer. The Scholar's guild.

Temeria gritt her teeth and then forced herself to relax to try and share Ember's joy at doing something. Then she started down the street, passed people who spent the Vigil in a thousand different ways, towards the headquarters.

"Give me a sign when I start acting like an idiot." she asked Ember, "she's got that effect on me." After a pause she added. "Or when I'm mean. Or too shy, or -" Temeria drew her face in a grimace. "Just stop me from doing something completely stupid." she finished vaguely. It had been one thing to ask her sister to show her around, but to need her help, it grated her, more than she was willing to admit.

Temeria took another deep breath and then another last turn. There it was, down the street. The Scholar's Guild. She tapped her fingers against the handle of the sword and then forced herself to let her hand fall. She was here to ask for help, not to accidently threaten someone.

"You're with me." She asked Ember, knowing the answer. "Thank you." Gently she touched his form. "Let's try to make good on a promise." Temeria lifted her hand and knocked on the door.

@Voidus

@mathiau

@NerdyAarakocra

[mathiau]

Folorian/Kerr - Scholar Guild

Kerr was standing at the entrance of the scholar guild, watching for anyone who would open the door. Logically only the latter should happen but for some reason most people ignore the note saying not to knock. Like his Radiant he couldn't perceive or feel anything other than said hypothetical persons, luckily this included the feeling of boredom someone someone would normally feel after standing guard for... well he had no idea how long, could be hours, could be seconds. Probably wasn't days, someone would have entered the door by that time.

Eventually someone knocked on the door. It was a woman, a young but grown one if Kerr understood anything about them. She had a few odd marking on her skins which didn't look like the tattoos he had knew some people had.

Folorian, someone's at the door. He thought to his Radiant.

Folorian immediately went to the door and greeted the newcomer

"Er... Hello-welcome... How can the scholar guild help you?"

@Sorana@NerdyAarakocra

[Lord Meeker]

Lord Everette Meeks; Demolished Tavern

 

Everette readied himself, dazed, wounded and exhausted, he prepared himself to fight for his life and the life of his friend. At this moment it wasn't about avenging his family it was about protecting innocents lives and the life of his friend and butler. He steadied his breathing waiting for his opponent's first strike, focusing on his center of balance. The figure didn't change their pace, striding towards him, scraping his knives. 

"The more you do that the less indimidating it is." Everette breathed nervously.

The figure in response thrust one of the blades towards his neck. Everette dropped the shard from his hand and redirected the past his head over his shoulder. He applied pressure to the elbow, hoping to force his opponent to drop the blade. He didn't anticipate being stabbed in the stomach and in the back simultaneously. He gasped in pain, and in desperation kicked at the elbow joint of the arm that stabbed him stomach, while with his arms redoubled the pressure on the other elbow joint. The blade slide from his stomach as the blow landed, the other blade stayed in his back as the assassin let go as to not let him break their elbow. Jeb emerged from the shadows delivering a pewter filled punch into the assassin's side. The blow knocked the assassin to the darkness of the smoke.

"Sir, we have a problem," Jeb stated, staggering. "Whomever that was just wiped my pewter reserves."

The bulter teetered, beofre falling like freshly cut timber, Everette lunged to steady the man, but Jeb nearly took them both down. Jeb was again unconscious He fished in the butler's suit, fantically searching for allomantic vials. His hands grasped a thin fragile cylindrical object and he pulled it out to reveal a pewter vial. He opened Jebs mouth and poured the contents inside. He closed of Jebs air ways to force the man to swallow. Everette looped Jeb's arm around his neck and lifted the man, then began to drag the man through the fast dissapating smoke. 

"Stay away." He'd mutter at people who'd near. "Not safe."

Everette pulled his friend through the streets, desperately and frantically trying to get them both back to the factory.

Quote

I don't want to intrude on anyone stories or plot lines, but some help would be nice. Please and thanks.

 

[AonEne]

Marie - the Bindpoint 

Marie had never been to another world before, so maybe lots of them were like this, but - the Alleyverse was weird. 

Some of it was familiar. There were clothing styles and architecture similar to, sometimes even perfectly matching, that of Scadrial today, over 300 years past the Catacendre. And even, to her surprise, some from before, designs and fashions she thought she remembered from the Final Empire. Harmony had mentioned, when suggesting this place, that it was something unique; containing many different cultures from many different worlds and time periods. But she'd been more focused on the idea of it being not here, of it being described as apparently chaotic enough on its own that she, while out of place, might actually be able to live a normal life for a while - whatever that looked like. 

That had been true; it was chaotic. Marie wasn't sure what the benefit was to building structures that looked smashed together or half in the ground - she even spotted one building up a few stories high on a pillar of stone with no apparent means of ascending outside of a Steelpush. Some businesses combined two or more different practices or wares that she really wouldn't have normally put together: was that one over there selling both pastries ("Cookies so good you'll think about them for days!") and weaponry ("Get an aluminum knife, save yourself the strife!")? A man and a woman stood outside it, arguing with each other. She caught a snippet as she went past.

"I owned this establishment before any of this Forgery nonsense."

"Well I'm the one whose name is on the lease now!" 

"The city needs a way to defend itself more than it does another bakery! I don't know if you remember the real wars that really happened, considerably worse than they did in the -" 

She continued out of hearing. Could have burned tin, but she was trying to save her metals; she didn't know where to get more yet. Nor did she have any money to buy them with, but she'd Push over that river when she got to it. 

Something big had happened here recently, sounded like. It was in the people, too; many were visibly still shaken, fearful, paranoid. Some looked like they didn't quite trust the ground not to fall out from underneath them - or like they didn't trust themselves not to fall on their own. Marie understood that; she was happy to have become an Inquisitor, of course, but it had taken her time to get used to how different it felt, the new weight, the pain. And that wasn't even bringing in the Allomancy she'd had to learn.

And the Catacendre...burning all around as the ground cracked and Scadrial was remade...she wondered if something similar had happened here at some point, to cause the craters and buildings in odd places. 

Marie had been getting some attention as she walked through the crowds. A little less than she'd expected, actually, coming from Scadrial where she was definitely one of the strangest things around. Here, a lot of people saw her and were spooked to varying degrees, but they didn't all scream and run, and some hardly reacted at all. Yet others seemed more awed than anything. Did they not recognize an Inquisitor, hailing from worlds without them? Or...were some of these people used to Hemalurgy? 

She also passed a few other beings who weren't human. Some who were koloss-blooded, but many more who she couldn't identify: gray-skinned people following behind groups, marbled creatures with carapace like scorpions, a couple beings encased in bulky metal armor that surely couldn't be safe with Coinshots and Lurchers around. 

There were people from all over here, even other nonhumans. If she was going to relearn normalcy and bond or whatever anywhere, here was probably a good start. 

[Lord Meeker]

Quote

@AonEne which character of yours will be coming in for the rescue? I'll make it easy for either of yours by writing my character towards the TUBA guild/embassy. Either or both are good for me

Lord Everette Meeks; Streets of Alleycity

 

Everette grew weaker. One arm was keeping Jeb's arm around his neck and the other was applying pressure to his stomach wound. The knife was still sticking out of his back. He worried that the blade was laced with poison or that it could be and probably was aluminum. Everette's vision was becoming increasingly blurry with each step. The adrenaline in his system was running out and soon he'd be on the pavement bleeding out. 

What a predicament he thought to himself I'm going to bleed out on the street and die.

It didn't seem so terrible. He just wished he could've saved his friend. Everette's vision focused on one thing ahead. The Underground Baker's Association, so close but yet so far. 

"Sorry friend, I tried," he whispered to Jeb. "This is as far as I could get us."

Several figures emerged from the surrounding alleys. Everette's beary vision was bad enough he couldn't make out of they were friend or foe. He sank to his knees.

"Seems like the end of the line," he said to Jeb under his breath.

With the last of his strength he lay Jeb facing the sky.

Desperately clinging to consciousness, Everette whispered, "If anyone can hear this. Please save my friend." Hoping beyond all hope that a tineye might be lurking about, or perhaps that destiny might intervene. 

[+Sorana]

Temeria - The Scholar's Guild

Temeria shifted her weight from one foot to the other while she waited for someone to answer the door, silently hoping that this wasn't a huge mistake. The last thing she needed right now was another fight with her sister. But they had parted on good terms, so it - she pushed the thought aside when the door was opened and she was greeted by a man.

"Er... Hello-welcome... How can the scholar guild help you?"

Temeria barely covered her relief at the sight of him, glad that she didn't have to face her sister just now. Later, later when she had the time to prepare and to try to make things even better between them. That would work so much better. In the end they had never met, or it had gone differently, or they hated each other now. Her memories were fuzzy in places, as if she was able to recall different versions of the same thing. And with Aln, too much had gone wrong between them already. Things needed to go right for once. If only she knew how to deal with year long anger and despite. Temeria pushed it all aside focused on the situation at hand. Aln wasn't here. One thing after the other.

"Hello." She replied and smiled at him. "I hoped that you might be able to answer a couple of questions about the city. About things that could be better to be more precise. Broken things." She moved her hand obviously farther away from her weapon, to put him at ease. "That's Ember and I'm Temeria." She introduced the two of them, carefully watching his face to see if he would recognize the name.

@mathiau

[+ZincAboutIt]

~Lita; Lita's Apartment, the Alleys~

Laurelai's expression changed as she lined up the spike, something shifting in her bearing. Her face became cold, clinical, detached. Yet, a familiar, frigid delight animated her fine features as she looked up at Lita and smiled. She leaned into the spike, pressing it neatly through skin and muscle until it slid home. Pain, expected at a time like this, lanced through her hip and Lita grit her teeth, trying not to make more noise than a low groan.

Laurelai was still smiling; Lita suppressed a shudder at that smile. It looked wrong on Laurelai's face, and it called to mind an entirely unwelcome memory. A memory of cold rain, biting wind, a whispered offer, and metal thrust between her ribs. Memories of the same smile filed into wicked points, a rictus grin amidst another storm, much more recent and far more terrible. The molten hot satisfaction that mingled with ripping grief at his end...

Don't think about that, Lita told herself viciously, stamping down on the cascade of emotion that threatened to pour into her. 

Laurelai smiled again as she inspected her work, this time a bit more humanity coloring the expression. Lita sat up, pulling her robe closed, and burned a little extra Pewter as she tested her weight on her left leg. It was fine - everything was fine.

"Some juice would be lovely," Lita said, erasing any discomfort from her face and flashing Laurelai an easy smile. "I just need to get dressed again, and we can be off. Perfect placement, by the way. I never actually doubted you."

She swiped the vial of brass flakes off the table in her sitting room and hurried down the hall into her bedroom, closing the door before leaning against it. Pull yourself together, Lita. A few deep breaths, that's all she needed. Then, she'd be fine. Her feet took her to the bedside table, fingers pulling open the drawer and withdrawing a little pouch. She poured a thin line of metallic dust onto the surface of the bedside table, fingers moving with practiced automation now as she used a tiny razor blade to neaten the line. It glittered in the low light, long, thin and silvery-slender. Like a spike. Or a bayonet.

Lita took the line in one long inhale, immediately feeling both her tin and pewter reserves refill as the metal hit her blood. Her nostril burned; it felt like someone had used her sinus as a matchstrike. Lita leaned her head back and breathed into the pain, burning tin again and forcing herself to smile through clenched teeth as the stinging sensation doubled, tripled. It felt good.

Why am I like this?

She checked her reflection for any signs of blood on her nose or lip. Nothing, good. The return of her tin gave her a sharp, beautiful sense of control. The addition of pewter anchored her to the present, ready to spring into action if needed. Everything was fine. It was fine. Lita put on her beautiful velvet dress and emerged to greet Laurelai with all the easy comportment her friend expected. She knocked back the vial of Brass, wishing she could turn it inward, Soothe herself. Make herself forget that hollow, rending ache.

"I believe it's time for us to pay our respects to this fine City in her time of strife," she said with a grin, even forcing the smile to reach her eyes. "Like the fine, upstanding citizens we are."

It was easy to forget the glittering residue on her bedside, the blood on her sheets from one too many times, the fact that she hadn't stopped burning metal all week - even in her sleep. Everything was fine. It would get easier - that's what everyone said, right? Time healed all wounds. And if time didn't work fast enough Lita knew other ways to distract herself. Plenty of them. She was resourceful, she was clever, she was sharp. She was perfectly fine.

@Voidus

[NerdyAarakocra]

~~~ Sei - The Scholar's Guild ~~~

Sei walked up to the door of the Scholar's Guild. It seemed like someone was already in line, so she waited. When it was her turn, she stepped up.

"Hello. My name is Sei, and I would like to join the Scholar's Guild."

@Rushu42 @Sorana @mathiau

 

---

~~~KanDraa - The Bindpoint~~~

KanDraa emerged from the Alleys, feeling slightly more confident. There had been no sign of pursuit for the last hour, and now it was time to find a safe place. Kan knew that the DA wouldn't stop after one chase. Well, Kan would show them. The chaos that Alleycity was in seemed like a good thing, though - it would give Kan an edge over their pursuers. 

Kan had reached the Bindpoint, hoping to find shelter. And then Kan saw the Inquistor.

 

At first, Kan wanted to run. But... no DA creation would have spikes sticking out of their eyes. And this... thing seemed lost. But it would be best to err on the side of caution for now.

Kan looked at the strange hemalurgic creation from the shadows, hoping to discern whether it was a friend or foe.

@AonEne

Quote

There are too many summons in this post...

 

 

 

[Grey Knight]

On 11/4/2022 at 8:59 PM, Sherlock Holmes said:

"Hello, Sorcerer," Tena said, giving him a smile. She wasn't good at putting those on her face yet, even with all the time she'd spent trying to appease people throughout her life. "You say you want to join the Ghostbloods. We are a most particular organisation about who we recruit, I should have you know. I'll talk with you here to see if you meet my standards." She thought for a moment, then continued. "Answer a few questions for me. What's your name? How did you know to find me here? What are your skills?"

@Grey Knight

Rik could feel his face twitch as he fought down his sudden surge of emotions.

"Tenareo of Roshar," he said, "I do not think you understand. There is a 5 centimeter wide lead-lined cube of nuclear reaction embedded into the back of my head. If I do not join the Ghostbloods right here and now, it will detonate and kill me!" A pause. "As well as you and everyone else nearby, I suppose."

He sighed. "Don't bother calling one of your healers, it won't work. I've tried. The bones simply grow around the bomb, and any attempt to surgically remove it will result in immediate detonation. Forget about it, it won't be relevant to our professional relationship. I am Rik Poot, of the aforementioned titles. I didn't find you, my master did, and I am to act as a liason between you and them.

"As for skills, I will have you know my magical powers are nearly without limit. Set me a task, and the Witch-Lord shall accomplish it before your very eyes!"

[Sherlock Holmes]

38 minutes ago, Grey Knight said:

Rik could feel his face twitch as he fought down his sudden surge of emotions.

"Tenareo of Roshar," he said, "I do not think you understand. There is a 5 centimeter wide lead-lined cube of nuclear reaction embedded into the back of my head. If I do not join the Ghostbloods right here and now, it will detonate and kill me!" A pause. "As well as you and everyone else nearby, I suppose."

He sighed. "Don't bother calling one of your healers, it won't work. I've tried. The bones simply grow around the bomb, and any attempt to surgically remove it will result in immediate detonation. Forget about it, it won't be relevant to our professional relationship. I am Rik Poot, of the aforementioned titles. I didn't find you, my master did, and I am to act as a liason between you and them.

"As for skills, I will have you know my magical powers are nearly without limit. Set me a task, and the Witch-Lord shall accomplish it before your very eyes!"

Tena raised her eyebrows and couldn't prevent a smile from twitching onto her face. "I think you don't understand something, sorcerer. If your master wants you to join a guild, and wants what I have, then they have to avoid blowing me and everyone else here up. If they want to waste everyone's time and set a guild of unstable soldiers and assassins against them, they can blow me up. Good to know your name, though."

She didn't particularly relish the idea of having someone who appeared to be under the thrall of some kind of mass murderer in her guild, but the Ghostbloods were famously home to murderers and unstable people of all kinds. "As for a task, I don't have anything for you right now." She cocked her head. "Can you fly up to the doors of the Canton of Combat? Do your nearly limitless magic powers allow you to do that?"

Without any more ado, she Steelpushed herself up to the doors of the Canton, finding herself relieved to be distanced from the new man and his hypothetical bomb.

[Grey Knight]

1 hour ago, Sherlock Holmes said:

Tena raised her eyebrows and couldn't prevent a smile from twitching onto her face. "I think you don't understand something, sorcerer. If your master wants you to join a guild, and wants what I have, then they have to avoid blowing me and everyone else here up. If they want to waste everyone's time and set a guild of unstable soldiers and assassins against them, they can blow me up. Good to know your name, though."

She didn't particularly relish the idea of having someone who appeared to be under the thrall of some kind of mass murderer in her guild, but the Ghostbloods were famously home to murderers and unstable people of all kinds. "As for a task, I don't have anything for you right now." She cocked her head. "Can you fly up to the doors of the Canton of Combat? Do your nearly limitless magic powers allow you to do that?"

Without any more ado, she Steelpushed herself up to the doors of the Canton, finding herself relieved to be distanced from the new man and his hypothetical bomb.

Quote

How far up are the doors to the Canton?

 

[Voidus]

~Laurelai; Lita's Apartment, the Alleys~

"Some juice would be lovely," Lita said with a smile. "I just need to get dressed again, and we can be off. Perfect placement, by the way. I never actually doubted you."

Laurelai gave a proud smile in return, nodding in understanding as Lita left. She gave a tiny, subtle shake of the head in the silence afterwards, restoring her more sociable self and relaxing back into her seat as she waited. It took a little longer than it had for her to change in the robe, but then changing clothes took most people longer than it did for Laurelai. Well, unless she needed choose clothes, then it usually took her substantially longer.

"I believe it's time for us to pay our respects to this fine City in her time of strife," Lita said, grinning as she returned, a vision in teal. "Like the fine, upstanding citizens we are."

"Well I believe I owe you some juice." Laurelai said, smiling and letting her eyes linger a little long on Lita's outfit before being abruptly averted. "Perhaps some from grapes?"

Gliding to the door she pulled it back with her, leaving the way for Lita to exit first. As her friend crossed the room Laurelai looked her over with a tiny frown, watching her gait. People were very careful with their face, and often with their arms, but very few people controlled the way they stepped. Lita did. It was perfectly neutral, but a practiced neutrality and one that Laurelai recognized.

I'm sure it's just because we're going to the city. She thought to herself, trying to push down a growing knot of tension. It's for everyone else, not for me.

Or.. called another, altogether more skeptical voice. Is it because she's keeping secrets. Just like everybody else?

Lita is not everybody else. Laurelai practically hissed in reply. Lita Attar is my friend.

"After you." She said, with a graceful smile to the door.

@ZincAboutIt

~SeKaan, the Bindpoint~

They had been moving slowly out from Mistkeep, becoming more familiar with the rest of the city, shifting between a small handful of carefully prepared alternatives along the way. It was unlikely that anybody would be trying to follow SeKaan, but this was a city of secrets and it was best to be careful after all. And the different shapes let SeKaan hear different thing as they walked the streets, blending in with one group and then arguing with the next. They kept their sensitive hearing tuned for each voice they heard, storing little chunks of accents into a Coppermind for later review and practice.

So many new cultures. They thought excitedly. New accents to learn, new languages, new history. Ahh, it's like being one of the new generations again.

They walked out of an abandoned shop, that is to say Lord Valiert strode purposefully from the abandoned shop, huffing that he had not been able to find the merchant he had been told owned the place. Lord Valiert prowled along the streets in poor humour, barely even taking the time to smile charmingly at the noble ladies he passed, as he often did. A very lovely blonde and redhead emerging together from a nearby alleyway did however draw his attention and a smile, though he couldn't let that keep him from his business of course. 

It was ten minutes later that he stumbled across a sight that drew even more of his interest however. A woman he noticed not because of her attire, nor her hair colour, but her eyes. Or more specifically, the metallic spikes that had been driven through them.

Ironeyes? SeKaan thought for an incredulous moment. No, of course not, no resemblance at all but for being an Inquisitor. But what in Harmony's name is she doing here? Is this why he asked me to look into those disappearances?

SeKaan had been sent to investigate a number of strange incidents in Elendel. People who had wondered into alleyways and never wandered out again, their bodies never found. Now sometimes this was a simple enough case of a mugging victim and one of their Bretheren stealing the bones. But often it was not. And SeKaan had tried to discover what did happen to them. Well, now they knew.

"Ooof- what do you think you're doing?" Lord Valiert huffed as he bumped into a figure. He was so distracted brushing himself off that it was not until he looked up again that he noticed who it was. "You've made a mess of my... of my... oh. Forgive me. Lady Inquisitor?"

Lord Valiert had no idea what the correct ettiquette for an inquisitor was, as they had all died centuries ago, but he settled for something halfway between a nod and a bow.

"Whatever has brought you to this strange corner of the cosmere?"

@AonEne

~Ember, the Scholar's Guild~

Ember crackled happily, their tiny flaming body popping slightly as they were introduced. He gave an enthusiastic nod, slightly amorphous form snapping back to that of a flaming man, clothed identically to Temeria. His head tilted a moment as he wondered whether he should speak or not, but Temeria had used his name, and ordinary flamespren didn't have names. Only Ember did.

"Yes. Temeria is fixing things." He agreed, eyes brightening with excitement. "And learning things. And I love learning about things too but humans usually don't do it the same way."

That had frustrated Ember. Humans learned about things in the least interesting way. No wonder most of them were so boring. They would just stare for endless hours at ink splotches on a page. How did that help? If you wanted to learn about ink you should try setting it on fire, it taught Ember much more than just staring at dry ink on a page. He wondered if they had any spare. Books? That was what they were called. If you broke them right books were very interesting. They turned into hundreds of pages flying over the room. Or a pile of ash.

[MacThorstenson]

Mac, Ivenspark Cemetary
Mac walked along the outside wall of the cemetery, dragging his hands across the weathered and faded runes that kept the hundreds of shades contained inside. This place told the story of the city. It was built after tragedy, locked after tragedy, and when its walls fell it would cause another tragedy. As with all things in this city, however, those who cared couldn't fix it, and those who could didn't care.

He sighed as he approached the wrought iron gate, steel-pushing himself up over it. Inside the cemetery lay a tangled forest of massive trees who branches blanketed the sky and who's roots tore up the old cobblestone paths that crisscrossed the park. The main roads were lines with old gas streetlamps, but for the smaller paths Mac had brought a sphere lamp. 

He made his way along the main road, counting the rusted gas lamps until he turned off onto the remnants of an old footpath, the last remnants of day disappearing behind the canopy. He pushed his way through underbrush, taking care not to disturb the graves lining the path.

People who didn't know him thought him hardened to death, which was fair. Obviously, he was no great respecter of life. His existence was built on the souls and corpses of thousands of people after all, but there were some people who's death stuck with him. Maybe their death was a waste, or maybe it was a calculated risk, a necessary evil. Maybe their death was due to his mistake, his greed, or his rage. Regardless, some deaths stayed with him, while others did not.

And so he dragged himself here, to a mausoleum deep in the forgotten woods of an ancient cemetery. Stepping over the iron gate long rusted shut, he made his way through ferns and ivy to the door, and opened it carefully. He stepped inside and sat on a folding chair, left in the corner. Preparing himself for his own, personal 'vigil' of sorts.

Logically, he knew he shouldn't be here. There were far too many things he had to do, and while vigils and ceremonies were a nice concept, Mac had learned early on that they were an exercise in futility. The dead were gone, their souls irrecoverable in the great beyond. What was anyone remembering anyone going to do? Most of the time all it brought was the painful memory of a loss. At worst, it made you a sniveling reck. At best, Mac thought, remembering them was supposed to make him change for the better. The hope, he supposed, was that if their deaths weren't in vain, if their death made him grow into a better person, then he wouldn't be bothered by it anymore. But Mac knew that it didn't work.

The great deceit of emotions, however, was that they are rarely logical. Despite trying to learn and grow, their deaths never left him. Whether it was the child who's soul merged with his own gave him immortality, or the dead and bloodied face of a 20 something year old aide, killed in a fit of rage, the deaths that stayed with him, never left him. They weighed on his soul. And so he dragged himself to the proverbial whipping post year after year, feeling the pain of the few who's names he knew, knowing it was a futile, pointless, waste of time. Yet feeling, on a deeper level, that he had to be here.

[AonEne]

14 hours ago, Voidus said:

"Whatever has brought you to this strange corner of the cosmere?" 

Marie - the Bindpoint 

Someone bumped into Marie. (Not for the first time.) She overreacted. (Not for the first time.) Pewter and tin lit up inside her, thoughts a sudden rush as she tapped mental speed. Someone at my front - not an attack, not a pickpocket this time, not a hug - ow. Burning tin always made the points where her spikes jabbed throb. It made the currents of air along her skin all the more noticeable. She had been burning iron just lightly to see, but stopped and switched to steel instead, one hand going to a pocket containing clips she could drop to leave this instant if she needed, or Push out if the threat were to follow. In the same second, she flared bronze, then flinched as a wealth of input pulsed from all around. Right. Lot of Investiture users here and she didn't recognize most of the patterns. Something from the man in front of her, she noted, though she couldn't tell what before extinguishing her bronze again. Seeking wouldn't be helpful until she knew more about other magics. Fine.

There were people all around; some were watching them. The man, possibly because of his quality suit. You've made a mess of... He was speaking, but she darted past that for the moment. Others watched her. There, and there, and in the shadows - 

"Forgive me. Lady Inquisitor?" 

Her attention zipped back to him instantly. He hadn't touched her past the initial collision. He had addressed her as a lady, and she thought for an uncertain second of her teenage years, a young noblewoman at court trying to remember all the names and defaulting occasionally to titles, but then he had also called her what she was now. Was he empire nobility? Or one of those new Sliverists who paid deference to Ironeyes - she had never met one, but had heard of them. Herself as a target of worship was hard to imagine; not as a symbol of the Steel Ministry, not as a symbol of Ruin, simply revering an Inquisitor for its own sake? Him being from the old faith seemed more likely. 

He was bowing, or like that, and Marie stood very still. When had she tensed like this? When had she clenched a coin in her fist, hidden by the pocket of her robe? She released her zincmind and the clip both, trying to rub out the stinging imprint it had left with her thumb, and breathed, and listened to his question. 

"What has brought me here?" she repeated, testing her voice. It was low, scratchy - in part because of what she was, in part because she hadn't spoken for a while. It had probably last been to a guide on the way here, but that wasn't important. "I heard it wouldn't be out of place for an Inquisitor to live here, and it was far enough away from Scadrial." 

Too late, Marie wondered if she should have planned a different answer. Honesty was what she got for quitting the zinc, she supposed. What would this man make of it? Was he frightened of her? Not all old nobles had been, some imagining themselves on the level of or even more significant than Steel Inquisitors due to their own rank. She'd always thought those ones stupider than skaa. 

@NerdyAarakocra 

Deteca - Scholar's Court 

There was only a handful of hours until the guild meeting and Deteca was worrying about it. 

Some of the reasons were actually smart. Things might be tense. The city really, really didn't need another war or more chaos right now, and she was pretty sure the other guilds would agree, but she still fretted. What if one of them wanted to use this opportunity to seize more power? And she'd heard the Ghostbloods had a new leader; what if they did something drastic? The rebranding - Mirrorshades, if she remembered correctly - would be something to keep an eye on, see if it took. Deteca would convince who she could to help the city, even if they wouldn't ally with TUBA to do it. 

"Ally". There wasn't a war right now, the guilds had been peaceful for some time, but she still had moments where she defaulted to that not being the case. Only moments, but Deteca doubted she'd ever fully trust the peace. The Alleyverse had proven time and time again that it didn't last. 

Not even in some kind of alternate universe. Deteca had only some of a grasp on what had actually occurred; there was what was in the papers, what people relayed on the street, what Covert Ops offered in reports (though those reports tended to be much more convoluted these days. She still needed to look into what all that was about). Her own memories were tangled. Some very clear ones stood out, conflicting: greeting someone in a TUBA reception area, smiling brightly, and striding along an Alley, confident as though she was on a road to home she'd traveled many times. And...some other things. 

Hopefully, there would be more concrete information at the meeting. The Dark Alley would be there - she didn't know if their leader Voidus intended to show up himself, but someone would. According to the Alleyverse Post, that was the guild that had been behind it all, deceiving even their own members (which shouldn't hurt as much as it apparently did, she wasn't a Denizen) and remaking the world. Whoever was there had better have more knowledge about this to share. 

She worried for another reason, as well. Storm - Deveraux - was out there somewhere. She hadn't seen him since - well, right before the Forgery. When he'd stabbed her. Long since healed by a Truthwatcher by now, but she still rubbed unconsciously at the spot. What if he came back - 

A man stumbled out from the crowd, dropping another man beside him. Deteca hardly took a moment to recognize that they were injured before moving forward. "Are you alright?" she called to them. "What happened to you?" It was a good thing she'd been walking to the university early. 

@Lord Meeker @Voidus 

[+Sorana]

Temeria smiled when Ember flared more brightly at the mention of his name and she lifted a hand to touch him gently. It felt good that he was here, that she wasn't completely alone. She loved his excitement, the way he focused completely on something, all of his attention in one place. His gaze was towards the guild's building and she wondered what had caught his attention. The door maybe, or a window. Whatever it was, he was for sure trying to find out how it looked on the inside.

Someone else walked up to them and she shifted a little, ensured that she could face both of them. It wasn't likely, but in this city you never knew. There were always people around who tended to explode in violence without any real reason. Good thing, that her boarding house didn't count as a tavern.

She relaxed a little when the newcomer introduced herself and claimed, to be here to join the guild. She looked her over, searched for weapons and then offered another smile in greeting. "I'm Temeria. I only have a quick question and then I'm om my way." Wait until I'm done, she added silently. She definitely didn't want to wait until the whole, let me join a guild procedure was over. "You don't happen to know the most broken parts of the city?" She repeated her earlier question, not really caring who replied in the end. She only needed a starting point, something to change that made sense. Silently she wished again that she had taken the time to get to know the city better ever since she had arrived here. But she had stayed mostly in her district and only went to some markets outside of it, when the need arouse. To learn how to lead a boarding house successfully had taken more time than expected. A slight frown shifted her expression when she pushed the thought at a promise she had forgotten aside. She was working on it now. That was all that counted for the moment. It wasn't as if Mac would stroll around the corner and lift a scolding finger at her.

"I'd like to know so that I can see whether I can do something there." She added an explanation, impatienly shifting her weight again. Maybe that would help to get a better, preferably a quicker response. The whole standing around and doing nothing part was exhausting. Now that she had decided to do something, she wanted to act. And if they didn't know - well she could always follow Ember's idea and look for something bad to break. It might not be the most efficient way, but it would work all the same.

@NerdyAarakocra

@mathiau

Edited November 9, 2022 by Sorana
typo

[Voidus]

Derit - Scholar's Court 

Derit had been the first to notice the smoke rising over the university's most popular coffeehouse. At first she had been terrified that it was the building itself on fire, as had other students nearby who cried immediately in shock. But it seemed too small, the smoke was from somewhere further into the city, near the edge of the Scholar's court it looked like. She gave only a quick cry for help to those students she recognize before pushing her way through the growing crowd waiting for the vigil.

Apologizing to each person she bumped into, several of them also pointing at the smoke and letting out shocked gasps, it took some time for Derit to make her way to the university gates and onto the equally crowded city street. The smoke was still some blocks distant, but from its position...

The ninth octant? She thought with shock. Oh poor Elias. It had better not have been another attack. Can the... the... the starring taverns of this city not have a moments respite?

She cursed her broad shoulders as she tried to weave through people, accidentally knocking into far too many to be able to apologize to each now she simply called out apologies in advance. Most of the crowds here didn't see the smoke, or didn't care though she would have liked to think that was not true. She was just about to sprint across the street to get closer when she very nearly tripped over a man as he collapsed.

"I'm so sorry." She called, stopping in her tracks and swiveling to try to help the man.

"Are you alright?" another voice called from nearby "What happened to you?"

It was only then that Derit realized there was a second individual beside the first, strangely armored, and that the man she had thought knocked over was in fact wounded and possibly unconscious.

"Oh goodness." She whispered, dropping next to the man to try to help him up and ensure nobody else accidentally collided with the collapsed body. "We... we have to get you to the hospital."

~SeKaan, the Bindpoint~

"I heard it wouldn't be out of place for an Inquisitor to live here, and it was far enough away from Scadrial." The Inquisitor replied with a raspy voice.

Lord Valiert was far too important to care what her hand had been reaching for, even if the sound of clinking metal reached SeKaans sensitive ears. Lord Valiert instead gave a nod so confidently agreeable it was almost patronizing, but then an Inquisitor was bound to make one nervous. The Ruin-cursed creatures had not been seen since the Catacendre. Survivor protect him what if this one still served Ruin? A highly unnerving thought that, and enough for him to take a small step back.

"Not... no I suppose not so out of place here." He said, flashing a smile hopefully disarming enough not to show his unease. "And a long way from Scadrial indeed. Quite an interesting place, to be sure."

He hesitated at that, not quite sure how to extricate himself from this conversation and return to his busy day, doubly busy now that he was without a carriage and had to get around on his feet like a commoner. But part way through a piece of carefully constructed smalltalk his eyes narrowed in a flash of calculating realization. An Inquisitor was unnerving, but they were influential as well. If... if he could perhaps get in one of their good graces what new doors would it open?

"If you need any assistance becoming better acquainted with the city... my lady." Lord Valiert offered, giving a more genuine, if still shallow, bow. "I should be honored to assist you. There are a number of fine dining establishments in Mistkeep with chefs so skilled their meals almost taste like that of the House Valiert chef back in Elendel."

@AonEne

[NerdyAarakocra]

~~~KanDraa - The Bindpoint~~~

KanDraa continued to watch the Inquistor from the shadows. People seemed to be avoiding her - or acting reverently. That didn't bode well. Kan started to leave. However, as they were slinking out of the shadows, the sunlight reflected off of one of their spikes. Anyone could see that - even without burning tin.

Rusts, thought Kan.

@AonEne

Edited November 10, 2022 by NerdyAarakocra

[Lord Meeker]

On 11/9/2022 at 1:35 AM, AonEne said:

A man stumbled out from the crowd, dropping another man beside him. Deteca hardly took a moment to recognize that they were injured before moving forward. "Are you alright?" she called to them. "What happened to you?" It was a good thing she'd been walking to the university early. 

Lord Everette Meeks; Scholar's Court

 

As Everette was on the verge of unconsciousness, a woman approached and asked something that was unitelligible, due to lack of blood in his system. He to stand on his feet but only succeeded in falling on his face. Which was painful and if he could complain he would, he'd probably broken his nose or it felt like it. His blood loss was severe enough the world was spinning even though he was lying on the pavement. Why was he on the pavement again? Everette couldn't remember. Gentlemen didn't lie on the pavement in public. Everette tried to get up, but his body wouldn't respond to his brains impulses. 

Everette found it difficult to focus, his mental capacity fading as he neared death from Hypovolemic shock. His breathing came in manic shallow bursts. With great effort, he reached out grabbing onto the hems of the woman's pants, but was unable to mantain his grip. His grasp was weak, his vision burry, Everette felt himself fading quickly. He rolled himself into his back. The woman's shadow loomed over him, it was so similar to the assassin that was chasing him. He panicked, but his body wouldn't respond. Everette tried to ask for help but he found out he could only repeat two words in his delirous state.

"Gold. Mind. Gold, gold, mind. Gold." He wheezed between panicked, quickened breaths.

He tried to make himself more coherent, but his language came out jumbled as he tripped over his tounge in anxious confusion.

"Mind gold feru- metal- chemy."

The last thing he remember was a woman floating, flying into the sky getting smaller and the black darkness overtook him. He fell into unconsciousness in a growing pool of his own blood, mixing with the blood of Jeb, though less due to burning petwer, was still significant enough to warrent concern. Nonetheless, two battered, battle weary men lay dying on the pavement.

 

Shardslayer; Near Scholar's Court

 

Shardslayer watched, through a rifle scope, as his target was surrounded a gaggle of Alleyfolk. People annoyed Slayer, especially the butler who'd broken his ribs. They'd healed them with the fortunate help of a Edgedancer mafioso. Luckily for Shardslayer, they'd get to murder to get to their targets. Regettably they couldn't kill Lord Meeks, and present company due to his clientele's request in their plot. They recognized Deteca, as she walked into the iron sights. Shardslayer sighed, removing their finger from the trigger. However itchy it was it would mean more chaos, destruction, mayhem and death later if they were patient. Slayer looked over to Mr. Left and Mr. Right, Lurcher and Coinshot respectively.

"Go tell your bahss, tings gaht," They paused, voice heavily accented. "How you say... complicated. If te bahss wants Nuvtry dead, it'll cahst him double, in addition to te lords... eh... kidnap."

 

@AonEne