Voidus

5 points over is fine, will add Sarian to the list.

Hi, welcome to the AV. So big problem here is that we very rarely take this many points off for weaknesses and some of these are things we wouldn't take any off for. Doesn't care about killing for instance is arguably a benefit in an RP and also describes half the AV, as does holding a grudge. We typically only give weaknesses points if they are obvious and/or exploitable or otherwise likely to regularly hinder a character. So I would probably put at the following: Multiple fears: 30 Lack of social skills: 5 Superiority complex: 5 But that still leaves you 65 points over so may need to revise some of the skills before we can get this one approved.

Professor Esserethel had not been sleeping well. Every time his eyes had closed he had seen that dark cavern, the silently falling water and the tiny, quiet figure who stood beneath it staring directly into him as she pulled his hand into the waters. He remembered a flash of... something. Something dark that he was deeply thankful he could only recall the dimmest impression of. If even this flash sent the hairs on the back of his neck up and drenched him in sweat then he didn't want to know what the actual vision had done. A steadily increasing beeping sound next to him continued, uninterrupted as he struggled to muster the energy or desire to switch the alarm fabrial off. Nobody expected him at work with any kind of regular hours, benefit of pulling so many hours of consistent overtime. But while once he had needed to be dragged away from his desk and his research he now struggled each day to walk to the campus and put thoughts to paper. When he did drag himself to his desk his mind wandered back to the cavern, to the smile that had seemed so sweet right up until the flash of forgotten memory. "Not going to solve anything laying here." He muttered to himself, though it was still nearly an hour longer before he actually silenced the alarm and dressed himself for the day. Perhaps a different distraction would help, he'd never been in a position where work had not immediately distracted him from anything else that came up in life so he had little experience in this. However there was perhaps one place he could go and set his mind at ease, someone whose life was in even worse tatters than his. Other people thought that his visiting the Cognitive ward at the Einladung hospital was simply another eccentricity, some quirk of genius. But honestly he'd simply always enjoyed the company there, they felt somehow more familiar than other people did. He dressed quickly, looked at the week of stubble that had grown in the mirror and contemplated a razor for a few minutes before sighing and putting it away. When he started hesitating over a simple decision like that he'd learned he was about to shut down completely into lethargy again, and who knew how long it would be before he roused himself again? As he walked down the street towards the familiar old building, hestopped to order a coffee with a triple shot and a shocking amount of sugar. But even that taste seemed somehow distant, though the grit between his teeth felt very real and frustrating as he struggled to remove that while also rubbing at sunken red eyes. "Morning Professor." Someone at reception greeted him on his arrival. "Visiting or studying?" "Visiting." He replied, struggling to muster a smile. "Assuming she can have visitors today." Vivica was not the most stable patient in the ward, sometimes she acted out enough that she had visiting rights suspended though the staff often looked the other way for the Professor. He hoped today was not one of the days they were going to be sticklers, he already felt a little better just with the thought of seeing her. Excited to see what outlandish tales she would tell today, to ask how Bennington was feeling. "I'll check." The receptionist said, pulling some files out and flicking through them before switching to a stern voice. "But are you sure you should be here? You look worse than I did cramming before an exam. Push yourself too far and we'll have to admit you too." He was about to politely smile at the warning that was only half a joke when he was assaulted by a sudden and violent dizzying sensation. Almost he thought it was another earthquake shaking the hospital and had to steady himself on the desk. But it was not a physical feeling, just an overwhelming sense of deja vu followed by an equally overwhelming sense of dread. Like a nightmare he already knew the end of. "Are you alright?" They said, voice becoming less stern and more worried. "I was mostly joking but you really do look ready to collapse at any second now." "No." He said, an ashen taste in his mouth. "I... I'm okay, just please check? It's very important." She gave him a worried look before slowly nodding, triggering another wave of familiarity and horror. She was flipping through the folders, slowly reading the name on each before frowning at one. He could see Vivica's name on it as she was about to open it but he slammed his hand across the desk onto the file before its contents could become visible. She gave a shocked shout and stood up, taking a hasty step back and shooting him a scared look. He looked down at his hand, pressing the file to the desk in horror, body shaking. He shouldn't read that. Nobody should read that. If he destroyed it then nobody would be able to read it, nobody would be able to tell him the terrible words contained within. "Professor?" A shaky voice said, repeating itself when he didn't look up. "Professor Esserethel? Are you alright? Please, please sit down I'll get one of the doctors." No, the doctors would know. They'd tell him if they came. He couldn't see any of them, couldn't talk to any of them. He needed to go, needed to go to her room and speak with Vivica, that was how he could end this nightmare. "Sorry." He muttered before stumbling towards one of the doors, pushing his way through. He staggered each step at first, trying to work through the ever increasing knot of tension and dread forming in his stomach. But step by step he picked up speed to a jog, then rounding the corner to the cognitive ward he broke into a sprint. He did his best to avoid people before colliding, leaving a hurried apology to those he couldn't avoid until he finally reached a familiar corridor. He stood at the end, staring towards the handful of doors to patient rooms and one that held records. But his eyes were glued to one door. He just needed to take a step forward. He had just taken so many, why was this one so difficult? Why was it suddenly so hard to move his arm, to raise a hand to the door? The door opened, and he felt a sudden sense of hope, Vivica was about to step out. She would be restrained, probably having misunderstood something again and hurt someone. He would talk to her, calm her down and make her laugh and they could have a quiet chat while eating something with plastic utensils. She would- A squeaking sound proceeded the bed, wheels that had not been oiled rolled across the smooth hospital floor and a patient gurney exited the room as one of the orderlies quietly closed the door behind it. A sheet stretched over the bed hid something beneath it, a small form shrouded beneath the white cotton. He wanted to rip the sheet from the bed, wanted to scream at the orderly for scaring him like this. How could they mislead him by taking something like this from her room? But as the bed squeaked past, he found himself paralyzed, unable to move anything but his eyes as he watched her be wheeled away. "Excuse me?" A quiet voice asked, one of the doctors approached. Touching his shoulder gently, she pulled him to face her. "Professor Lucien Esserethel?" He gave a stiff nod of confirmation, knot of horror tightening even further and the wave of deja vu felt like a physical thing. Like a wave that he would gratefully let crush or drown him right now. "You should come with me." The doctor said. "She left you something."

Professor Esserethel studied the water for some time, along with the figure inside of it. The young girl barely moved, numerous times he was concerned that she'd stopped breathing entirely and her corpse was simply being puppeted but her colour did not pale and she continued shallowly breathing. He tried on multiple occasions to retrieve her or push her away but she reacted instantly to each attempt and seemed much faster than he was. "Well what are we going to do with you now?" He wondered. He pulled out his pocket watch, a recent Fabrial design that he was quite fond of. Startlingly it had been several hours already, and given that he was in an unknown dimension right now that could cause additional time dilation. Jumping several years into the future was certainly an intriguing scientific prospect but he did have people he cared about to consider. The pocket watch slowed and stopped as a stream of tiny light drifted from it towards the figure in the water. He watched the thin lips part to breath the Light in as it reached her and with the faintest of smiles she finally met his gaze. Thinking that this might be a single opportunity to try to retrieve her and find out what exactly was happening, the Professor approach and reached a slow cautious hand towards her. This time the figure did not instantly pull away, it allowed him to get close until his hand was almost touching her before in a sudden burst of movement the figure reached out and pulled his hand into the rain. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whisper was floating in glorious, infinite knowledge. She had the comfort of knowing her gods were real, knowing that one stood in the room with her, slumbering though he may be. She wasn't sure what to think of that, that one of her gods had effectively caged another. Simpler was the realization that her entire life had been manufactured by one of these gods, that her very worship of them was itself an artificial construct. Beautiful. She thought as she looked at the broken spiderweb of Investiture that flooded the planet, subtly tweaking its history in a million different ways. Beautiful purpose created by their design. Even sped up as her thoughts were, it took her time to process the vast flood of information that she was receiving. She quickly realized she had spent far too long selfishly digging into visions of the past where she could see her gods in their full glory. She needed to understand the now, understand what they needed her to do next. Beginning with finding a way to awaken the one who slumbered. In slow motion she saw him, chained to a mortal body. He was concerned for her, trying to save her from the waters. The thought made her happy beyond anything she had experienced but she also knew that it was a desire born from ignorance and this false body. This was not who he really was. The true Lonely God was dark and terrifying as the Void. As he pulled a watch from a pocket Whisper smiled, she had been waiting for this eventual moment since the waters first whispered to her of the watch. She had burned through all of her own light when she entered the rain, but now she had a new source. Smiling, she took a long, steady intake of breath and willed the Stormlight from the gemstone in the watch to flow towards her body. She felt the familiar rush of energy at the Light, now feeling so dim and distant compared to the bounty that the water offered her. The Light already flickered within her, unable to sustain itself for long. Perhaps only for a single weaving. Then we'll have to let the waters show him what he needs to see. She thought. In an instant the waters showed her the outcome of that plan as clearly as if it were happening already. The Professor reached forwards as she knew he would, and just as he hesitated at the boundaries of the rain, unsure how tou grab her without exposing himself, she moved in a sudden flash and pulled his hand forwards. Not enough to trap him here or fight her for the waters, just enough to give him a glimpse of what was and what will be. ------------------------------------------------------ Voidus froze as the water touched him, unlocking memories that had been sealed away and burning bright pathways of knowledge into his mind. He saw the Stranger at work in his forge, resolute expression as he set to change the world itself for a friend. He saw the changes in those around him, the daughter who he could not openly acknowledge, the acquaintance who became a friend even while she was trapped in a mental hospital. He saw a burst of crimson from a wrist, saw a sad, painful smile form on her face as she looked for a friend she could no longer see. Saw her body lying on the ground, letter beside her. He felt a burning sensation grow within his chest, felt himself reach out for something, for nothing. He tried to feed his anger into the Void to draw on it but the rain washed the feeling away as quickly as he could summon it, trapping him in an endless loop of eerie calm followed by mounting rage. He felt stifled, he wanted to pull away but couldn't move. He wanted to stop seeing but the waters showed him whether he wanted to or not. Showed him that sad smile, the hope of what she wanted. Showed him what she sacrificed and just how painful that decision was for her. Again and again he saw the splash of crimson and felt his chest tighten a little more ----------------------------------------------------- The Professor wrenched himself back from the water, gasping for air like a drowning man and clutching at his chest. Tiny flashes of memories still struck him with the weight of a truck but even those dim flashes were fading now until he could not even remember what it was that had startled him so. Something about a friend? Some kind of danger? 'Bring more Light.' A hoarse voice whispered from the walls around him. 'Tell no one else.' He stared at the young girl within the rain, her tiny smile seemed distinctly more sinister now as she slowly retracted the arm that she had used to pull him into the waters to show him... something. "What did you do to me?" He asked, his own voice cracking as he found his throat suddenly parched. "What are these waters." 'Bring more Light.' The voice repeated, growing fainter already. He stared a moment longer as he caught his breath, and then ran from the terrifying cavern and its new, malevolent resident.

Bleary eyed, Laurelai set a cup out for her morning coffee and started preparing breakfast. She felt unusually irritable that morning but as she mechanically consumed toast and caffeine she gradually awoke and managed to shake some lingering sense of irritation. Habitually she combed a hand through her hair and almost instantly shuddered at the sweaty mess of tangles it had become. She scowled at it before resigning herself to a long morning of preparation and headed to her bathroom to shower. Must have left the heating on last night. She mused, dragging a hand through the tangles again. I should really ask dad to fix that Aon sequence at some point so it turns itself off. Towel in hand she turned the shower on until it hit a perfectly warm temperature, and was about to step in when on impulse she turned it down a fraction to a little cooler. Reasoning that it might help cool her down after what was presumably a night of tossing and turning from the heat. As she stepped under the waters she sighed almost instantly, feeling the anger at the state of her hair, the lingering irritation from the morning, the stresses of the day all washing away. She stood there for some minutes without moving before even reaching for soap and shampoo, and when she finally stepped out from the shower and headed to her wardrobe to select clothes for the day she was shocked to notice that over an hour had passed already. "As if I wasn't already going to be late enough." She cursed, irritation returning. "Need to get this mess sorted with as well." She attacked her hair with a fury, wincing a little as the fine hairs caught almost instantly in the brush. With a little more patience and another 15 minutes she finally managed to return it to its usual state. By the time she'd dressed she was even more tense and irritable than she had been before the shower. She opened the door with a deep preparatory breath, and shot a longing look back towards the shower, wishing that she could just return to those relaxing waters where she didn't have to worry. She hesitated in the doorway, teetering for a moment before finally and reluctantly stepping out onto the streets. "Are you alright miss?" Someone said nearby, ignoring her attempt to sidestep them and reaching out a hand to her shoulder. "Day's just started, you should try to start it with a smile." Laurelai recognised the tall, heavyset man as one of her neighbours, though she couldn't at that moment bring the name to mind. She shot him an icy and withering glare, causing him to flinch back before his hand could quite make contact and she used that moment to step past him without a word. With steady but long steps she swept her way into a nearby Alleyway, giving a half glance behind her to check that he hadn't followed her and breathed a sigh of relief. No need to go off at him like that. She chided herself. You're acting like a child throwing a tantrum, deep breath and get a hold of yourself. Nodding in affirmation she took a second to breathe deeply, trying to relieve some of her tension. The cool darkness of the Alley helped a little, and she felt her shoulders loosen a little bit, her muscles just slightly relax enough that she could recover. Satisfied she checked quickly to see if she had received any messages, gave a frown that nearly turned into another scowl as she saw that her father still hadn't replied to her but decided to ignore it as she stepped into the Alleys proper. Time to get to work. @ZincAboutIt

Laurelai had many years of practice trying to recreate a scene from small details, but as she arrived in Lita's office once again she had to stifle her confusion. For one the room did not appear as it had earlier that day, there seemed a moderate amount of chaos to the otherwise orderly room. She noticed the scattered ashen material when Lita bent to examine it but couldn't place why it would have been spread in such a pattern. There was no blood, no bodies, no signs that anyone had been struggling in the room but why then did she get the impression that there had been a fight? “Rusting R&D interns,” Litamuttered, rearranging her seat before settling in again. “Never can keep them out of my things.” Laurelai gave a small smile, though she was unsure exactly what an R&D intern entailed. It seemed to be another department but she was still discovering the exact nature and hierarchy here, so she simply noted the comment mentally and vowed to perhaps steer clear of any R&D interns should she meet one. She was on the verge of replying when a shiver went down her spine and her attention snapped to the ceiling. She scanned the roof carefully, trying to identify the cause, but the sensation faded as quickly as it had arrived and with no further explanation. Perhaps she'd simply become too tired, she felt oddly exhausted still even after apparently sleeping during a discussion with her new boss. ”I don’t know about you but I am knackered.” Lita said, echoing Laurelai's feelings and prompting a somewhat more genuine smile. “You’re welcome to go home, or if you wish to try your Forgery method now you may use the laboratory over there.” Laurelai glanced at the door, curiosity briefly warring with her exhaustion before finally she shook her head. It was late in the day and she had supplies in her apartment, along with somewhere comfortable to sleep once she grew too tired to continue. Better to rest properly tonight to prevent any embarrassing repeats of what had happened earlier. As she crossed to the door back towards the Alleys she was about to wish Lita a goodnight when the other woman spoke. ”And Laurelai,” she looked up, giving a small, yet genuine, smile. “Well done today.” "Thank you." Laurelai said, matching the smile and suppressing a small blush of pride. "I'll get started on the Forgery at home and meet you in the morning then." They were such simple words. Laurelai reflected, closing the door gently behind her as she left the office and began to walk back along the quiet, eerie Alleys. But even those simple words had felt somehow very encouraging coming from Lita. Perhaps that was simply one of the many qualities that made her so suitable for leadership, an innate charisma that made one feel as though they had been friends even after just a brief acquaintance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Professor Esserthel winced as the small figure stepped into the water. Instinctively he started to move the rest of his body back even as he stretched one hand out to grab her but before she sidestepped his clumsy attempt to grab her effortlessly and moved beneath what was clearly some form of dangerous trap before standing still in the water. Her form shivered and melted away again, revealing what he assumed to be her true form of a young woman of short stature and somewhat ratty clothing. Cleaner than she had first appeared but somewhat gaunt and malnourished. Miraculously the water seemed to be neither poisonous nor acidic as the Professor had feared, at least he assumed not by the way she stood underneath it without further complaint. Was it simply some natural effect that it played on curiosity? He supposed not everything with such a luring effect was inherently dangerous, just more likely to be so. But he could not deny the evidence in front of him, that this appeared to simply be water. "Are you alright?" He asked. "Did it hurt you? Is it safe?" He stifled an urge to ask other clarifying questions about the nature of the water to try to identify it, but preserving her life and well-being should be the priority for now he thought, watching her expectantly. But no reply came, either from her own hoarse voice or the strange sourceless one. Instead she stood calmly in the water, staring ahead with unfocussed eyes that seemed to momentarily dart from place to place, never quite resting. "Can you hear me?" He asked again, waving a hand in front to see if she tracked the motion. "Are you alright?" Still no response, she didn't even follow the movement. He reached out to one of her arms that was outside of the downpour to try to see if tactile sensation might work but the instant he started to reach for it she had already retracted the hand. Even without paying any attention she seemed to have remarkably quick reactions. Perhaps this water was some kind of creature which now controlled her? Using senses other than her own to perceive his movement. "Well this is something of a problem." He mused, looking sternly at the woman in the rain. But he could not quite hide the small smile that rose to his lips at the puzzle.

Yes please, actual discussions and loose pitches should be in this thread ideally. Reposting these here for conversation flow.

ITIAH is running it at the moment I believe.

Tin: 30 Intelligence: 35 Scholarship: 40 Weaknesses: -15 That'd put him on a 90 which is comfortably in limits even assuming that a former assassin retains at least a little skill with assassination techniques and melee fighting. Approved. We're discussing, OP characters tend to take a little longer for us to get to because it's not just an approval of point totals. But we've seen it and are discussing

Fi's smile widened at the mention of excitement, she drew on her her Stormlight a little more to feast on her glee, though it was a careful balancing act to avoid drawing too much. There was a fine line between anticipation and action and Stormlight tended to blur that line for her. She did not want to hear another lecture about scorching glassware just because somebody said something exciting. "My dear I absolutely adore excitement." She said, flashing her teeth to the other woman. "I am very pleased to find that I was recommended so suitable an accommodation." She looked over the collected guests with one brow arched in unconcealed amusement. They certainly seemed an interesting sort, enough to keep her entertained during her stay here if the current state was anything to go by. Perhaps a little dour at the moment, but filled with mystery and intrigue and a spark of something unusual that she couldn't quite place. "As for a room, the higher the better." She said with another smile. "I'd take one amongst the clouds if you had one, but failing that the second floor should do nicely."

Professor Esserethel was not what one would call a cautious man, certainly working in a laboratory meant he was aware of and adhered to numerous safety standards, but he had always had a habit of getting a little carried away with research. Sometimes that meant forgetting that the beaker next to him had been filled with a pewter solution for testing Allomancy and not, as he had thought, his coffee. Other times that had meant leaning in too close to an Aonic rune as it activated. It was with this same sense of wildly driven curiosity and lack of attention to safety that he had inadvertently seized control of the method of transportation that the young person accompanying him had been using. But even he felt a twinge of caution as he looked around his surroundings and noticed a pool of water that seemed to be beckoning him with a silent siren's song. He wasn't entirely sure what it was about the pool that looked so alluring, only that it seemed somehow to promise calm contemplation of all the world around it. Here was a place that answers could be found. Not Allomancy. He noted curiously as he began to circle the pool at a distance. More specific than a Soother can manage, and even with the intensity of the emotions it feels oddly natural. Emotional Allomancy tended to be less effective the more obvious it was, but even being fully aware that there was an unnatural influence on his mind, the Professor found his gaze drifting back to the pool time and again. "What do you make of it?" He asked, quiet voice echoing in the stone cavern. With some effort he pulled his attention away from the pool and towards his companion who stood staring at it with just as much rapt attention as he had. As he watched their figure distorted slightly, from a young boy to a girl, then a woman before finally settling again. An illusionist then? One of the Lightweavers unless he was much mistaken. And one who was now struggling to keep their attention on what they had already woven. "Perhaps we should leave?" He suggested in a slightly worried tone. "Ordinarily I'm all for exploring curiosity, but this seems..." "Yes." The hoarse voice spoke again, seeming to emanate from the stonework around them. "Perhaps we should." But rather than retreat the figure stepped forwards, towards the pool. Like iron to a lodestone they moved steadily and inexorably towards it until they were almost close enough to catch the falling droplets. The Professor felt a momentary terror at that, he was not sure what would happen to someone standing underneath that water but he doubted it was pleasant, usually pleasant things did not need to mentally manipulate people into interacting with them. "I think that's close enough." The Professor said, moving suspiciously in her wake and placing an arm on her shoulder to prevent her taking that final step. ------------------------------------------------- Whisper could feel something from that pool, a voice not dissimilar from the whispers but thousands of times clearer. A voice that promised her answers, the solution to all her problems and the revelation of all that she wished to know. She would finally be able to not just hear but to understand. She could hear the words of her gods and know their will at last. "I think that's close enough." A voice said, it felt distant even as her mind recognised the speaker as standing only a foot behind her. No. Another voice whispered to her. Not close enough. So close, so very close. But not close enough. One more step and she could bathe in those calming waters and hear what they had to tell her. Could hear everything they had to tell her. "Not close enough." She muttered in agreement. She tried to step forwards only to be stopped by a steady pressure on her shoulder. She spared it the briefest of glances to identify the hand before looking back to the pool and the waters. "Let go." She said calmly, using her own voice this time. The hoarse whisper still audible in this place of silence. "I'm not sure that that's the best idea." The man said, hand tightening on her shoulder. "I think that we should-" In a smooth motion she ducked under his grip, grabbed his hand with hers and bent the wrist back on itself, forcing the man back a step as he yelled in surprise. And that moment was all she needed to take that final step into the waters and feel the rain washing over her.

Fi strode across the wooden floors towards the front desk, inhaling a trickle of Stormlight as she moved and causing her already bright eyes to glow with luminescent fire. She relished the sensation of energy filling her, even when she didn't put it to use. Even a quiet and relatively plain room like this seemed to burst alight with colours and what felt almost like a counterpoint of music, something to dance to or scream in joy with. "Hello." She said with a smile, gliding forward to the proprietor. "I was told that you would have rooms available?" She wondered idly if she could hire an orchestra while she stayed here, some louder music would really liven the place up a little more than a phonograph would. And thrilling as the storm inside her was it was best enjoyed when the atmosphere around her matched, the raucous laughter of a festival or the frenzied screams of a battlefield. Both pleasant enough in their own ways, but she'd learned through experience that festivals were generally objected to less by those around her and lasted longer.

85 (M) +75(S) -10 (W) = 150 on the dot Approved

Apologies for my lack of generosity Yeah they're a bit over.

Couple of things I would add are points for the power synergy from Duralumin, the only reason Duralumin is usually so low is that it's meaningless by itself. So I would add an extra 40 for the intangibility (Usually one of the highest rated Prime Invincibilities but since it's a one and done it's getting a significant downgrade). I'd also put the blade at a 25 because non-rounded numbers hurt my brain. Then lastly 25 points for the stonemasonry. That being said this would put us at 190 which is over the cap. Big one I would say is to potentially just remove the pseudo shardbladed, if you play them over multiple eras they might be able to advance oaths and eye weirdness can be picked up any number of ways for example from Radiancy. @mathiau

At Lita's suggestion Laurelai perused her closet for something to wear. She had a vague recollection that her dress had been too stained to wear again, which explained why she'd showered, but she couldn't for the life of her find it again. She hoped that nobody had come to collect laundry while she'd been passed out on the chair, bad enough that Lita had seen that embarrassment. Not a bad selection though, at least I'll have some choices available. She thought with a smile as she flicked from one to the other. Nothing Arelish unfortunately but some well made Scadrian evening wear. She chose a deep blue satin dress with a v neck, somewhat bolder than usual but they were in a somewhat luxurious penthouse suite after all. Thankfully while their height may have been different they shared a similar enough build and the dress was only mildly ill-fitting. If she had a few minutes spare and something to carve with she should be able to adjust it without issue. "Little trick I picked up from the hospital." Laurelai called back to Lita as she began slipping out of her robe. "Useful if we weren't sure how a patient would react to certain therapies or stimuli, mostly when there was a concern they'd harm themselves or others." As she pulled the dress on and examined herself in one of the available mirrors Laurelai twisted to a few angles to check the fit, made some mental notes that she needed it a little tighter around her hips before finally nodding with satisfaction and unleashing her hair from the towel it had been kept in. "Not foolproof of course." She continued. "And since they were being deliberately deceptive there's a limit to how much I can gain but if you try enough approaches one of them bears fruit. Mostly its dependent upon how consistent their sense of self is, harder to get much out of a career spy than it is someone making a one off lie of convenience." She ran her fingers through her hair to begin straightening it before noticing that she had thankfully brought her bag at least, and fished a cheap brush from its interior to properly neaten up. It was a little rushed but luckily it was manageable today, she had at least not been so exuberant from fine ports that she'd created any massive tangles. Though she wasn't quite sure that she wanted to wear it down today. If they were going investigating then perhaps something a little more practical was in order. "At the least I should be able to find out what they were trying to look for though, anything they pulled out as a distraction would be more ephemeral in a forged history while their actual intentions are firmer. That's been useful when we needed to find out if someone's hallucinations were based on any particular trauma or if they were random and caused by stimuli." She finished, hoping that she had not gone too far into realmatic theory and the consequences of Forgeries. She pulled her hair into a neat bun, keeping it in place with a rather fine silver pen that she couldn't quite recall picking up. And then finished by pulling a strand loose on the left which she tucked behind her ear before examining the finished result. It looked well enough for now, though as she examined her hair the mirror seemed to mist up somehow, though nobody was now using the shower, and even as Laurelai tried to wipe at one of the beads of condensation on the glass it did not pull away. A little perturbed, she turned to see Lita emerging, who seemed to have similarly prepared her hair in a practical bun. After retrieving a vial, likely her tin, from a drawer Lita quickly drank it in its entirety which prompted a brief envious desire in Laurelai to fetch another glass of something for herself but she quashed the thought as soon as she arrived. Looking back to the mirror she looked herself over one final time before giving a nod of approval that quickly turned to curiosity as she noticed that there was no more moisture on its surface. "Strange." She muttered to herself. But then, there were many strange events in the city and phantom rain or condensation was not high on the list of priorities. @ZincAboutIt

Fiona strode purposely down the city streets, heeled shoes clicking rhythmically against the cobblestone. Her lengthy stride went unbroken by side-stepping other pedestrians or pausing to allow any to pass her by, most others seemed to sense that if they were to attempt to walk in front of the tall redheaded woman that she would sooner trample them than stop. This earned her no small number of irritated glances and near-misses as people rapidly stepped back from her path but Fiona paid these incidents no mind whatsoever. As always she moved with intention and purpose, those who interfered in her purpose would be dealt with and those who were irrelevant to that purpose were ignored. I do hope they have some music on. Fiona mused, it was only because she needed to reach her destination that had stopped her from dancing along the streets to the rhythm of life in the city. It would be a terrible shame if it was simply another boring hotel. She had needed to leave the last hotel she had stayed at for exactly this reason, while they had played some music in their atrium it was hardly suitable for dancing and the staff had requested her to stop once she had tried anyway. The previous three hotels had all asked her to leave due to the fire damage but she had entirely forgotten their existence by now. "Ah. The boarding house." She noted as she arrived at the wooden doors of a renovated brownstone building. It was an innocuous seeming location, and not ostentatious enough by half to meet her usual standards but she had heard of it at a cafe and decided it was to be her next place of residence. Fi squared her shoulders, and pushed open the door, allowing the draft to catch in the draping sleeves of her crimson dress before lightly tousling her long, wild hair. Her amber eyes scanned the interior in almost an instant, predatory and searching until they locked onto what appeared to be a front desk.

Yeah this is still point-worthy, I believe even without anything it's still possible to burn allomantically for usual atium effects, also it'd be valuable as heck and could even be used as a spike with a small number of precautions. Failing all else it would be possible for Leechers, Larkins, etc. to potentially remove the existing Investiture. Been a couple contradicting answers on this from Brandon, I believe that currently the most recent was that it is possible but painful.

XD Approved

Whisper felt the immediate pain in her throat as she screamed, even a whisper was painful for her, this kind of hoarse vocalisation could well tear her throat apart. But she felt one of the forbidden Alleys shift in front of them, Alleys so dangerous and unknown that not even the foolhardy members of R&D ventured into them, or at least those who did did not come out alive. She could still remember what they'd found of the last person to try that journey, what remained of them was enough to turn the stomachs of the most hardened of denizens. She closed her eyes as she felt the shift, her mind reached out to try to grab something else, anything else to put in their way but she was too disoriented, too panicked to be able to begin the dangerous and methodical work of Alleytravel. She understood at last why others sometimes expressed difficulties with the task, heightened emotions made it nearly impossible. She clutched onto the sleeve of the man who was bringing them to their doom, wondering if perhaps she could at least twist his neck before she was killed in the Alley, but then, mercifully, she felt a sudden shift as another Alley jittered into place instead of the forbidden Alley. "What an odd sensation." The man commented drily, voice a little shaky but seemingly unaware of how close they had both come to catastrophe. "My apologies, I seem to have disrupted what you were doing. Bit of an unfortunate habit of mine actually, I'm often told to be more careful at the lab." More careful? Whisper thought with incredulity. I can't even conceive of an action less careful than that. The Alley they'd arrived in was thankfully cool and dark, a comfortable, soothing atmosphere. It helped her head cool and her impulse to dispatch of this man immediately subside. Dangerous he might be but he was also clearly skilled, and it would not be worth throwing away a tool that may still have some use to it. "Never do that again." She said, illusory voice echoing around the Alley. "That was dangerous beyond your ability to understand the meaning of the word." Shaking her head she tried to figure out where they had ended up so she could find a safe route back but she was quickly distracted by the Alley itself, the walls were natural stone rather than brick or concrete, not all that unusual as Alleys go but the atmosphere certainly was. It felt peaceful here, beyond the usual comfort Whisper found in the Alleys. It felt like safety, even though none of the Alleys should ever be considered that. Most distracting however, was as she examined the Alley and found a small depression in the stone, a natural pool had formed. And from above a silent, and gently falling rain continued to fill that pool.

Hi Emery, welcome to the Alleyverse! Happy to approve this one with the changes we discussed

"Delicious, thank you." Laurelai said, pausing in between bites. She was doing her best to pace herself, and eating as politely as she could manage while still feeling oddly distracted. Thankfully table manners did not consume a large degree of ones attention, or she would have missed Lita fidgeting notably. That was certainly an interesting development, the woman hadn't mentioned anything so it should have been unrelated to their current work. If Laurelai was very careful she might even find out something personal about her, she liked Lita but she would feel more comfortable with some degree of leverage over the situation. Some secret that she could learn and make use of. She shook her had to dismiss the still-prevalent sensation of slowly falling rain. "The tailor does seem the best place to start, I had some ideas on something else I could try, but that had best wait until later." She said. At the very least until my head is a little clearer and I can actually remember enough to create a useful Forgery. She thought, wincing at her lack of planning. Finally she set her knife and fork down on the plate together, surprised at how quickly she'd managed to finish an entire plate. She still felt tired, and faintly dizzy as well, but that was probably from the port she'd had earlier. She drank the last of the water in a somewhat less well mannered gulp, trying to rid herself of the last of the cloud left in her mind by the alcohol but to limited success. "So we investigate the tailors now, try to find the lawyer, I can probably pick up the fake doctors trail at the hospital during my next shift. She didn't seem overly apt at deception." Laurelai said. "We can find out what others know first and why they're looking, if we're very fortunate we might even find some who are involved somehow." Briefly Laurelai wondered if she should ask her father about any of this, strange coincidences and oddly manifesting Investiture were like candies for Professor Esserethel, but she wouldn't want to put him in any danger. She wouldn't say so to him but her father was not exactly someone she thought would handle that kind of danger and stress particularly well. @ZincAboutIt

As someone who played a Radian Spren for someone else I can say that it is in fact very enjoyable. I'm of the opinion that it helps to flesh them out more as a true character rather than just fantasy sidekick. Obviously not for everyone but it is a consideration for people. And yeah I very strongly advise people not to create characters just to support your other characters, the joy of the AV is collaborative storytelling. If you feel like your character needs someone to oppose or help them then talking about that here is usually best and someone may be able to volunteer. That is much more conducive to the RP in general than just trying to work around other players and tell a specific story you thought of with characters you control.

Week sounds good to me.

Sudiov grimaced as the Shade vanished, it was almost as irritating as the Stranger himself and twice as slippery. But it had made a request to him, something the Stranger had only ever done once before, and it had seemed genuined. Fine. He thought, settling back and casting his gaze over the world. I can watch this boy along with the others. Those that need to be watched are few enough that one more is no real strain. He was already keeping an eye on many of the central figures in the city and those most dangerous to the Forgery. The Acolyte had met the Daughter again, that had been a dangerous pairing but as soon as he discovered how best to stabilize these echoes of memories then they would pose no more danger. For now he watched over both to ensure that neither was in any serious danger. Voidus of course he watched most carefully of all, he was bound more tightly to this Forgery than any other and so far had not shown any of the signs that others had shown of regaining memories. But Sudiov could never be too careful, there was no telling what Voidus was truly thinking as he sat in his false freedom inside a gilded cage. Sudiov still would have greatly preferred to destroy Voidus entirely but this was perhaps the best compromise that could be made. Actually, where is he now? Sudiov wondered, looking for Voidus. Blasted Shade distracting me, he was heading for the hospital... But Voidus was not in the city. Instead when Sudiov's gaze finally found him he had wandered deep into the Alleys along with one of his former denizens. He had not, it seemed, regained all of his memories, but this proximity to his former life could not possibly be easy on the already strained fabric of reality. We must remove him immediately. Sudiov thought, grabbing for the void and hoping to use this chance to destroy his rival before he realized that he would, of course, be countered by the Stranger before he could do so. Who's to say this isn't simply some part of their plan after all? But then he saw what Voidus was doing in that moment and all caution was thrown to the wind. Because Voidus was Alleytravelling, he grabbed for an Alley at random it seemed but there was one Alley that Voidus was more connected to than any other, more even than the original Alley. The Alley that held his former power, the Alley that had given birth to Sudiov during Voidus' seventeen year absence. The Alley that held the Well of Voids. He cannot be allowed to find it. Sudiov grabbed at the void, trying to pull all of its quiet and terrible power to obliterate Voidus, the denizen, even the Alley they stood in. But he saw, by reflex the Stranger moved to counter him and realised that even if he could win that contest, by the time he did so it would be too late. Something subtler then. He separated a thin strand from the rest and slipped it past the Strangers grip. A fragment of the void so tenuous that it would barely even be worthy of consideration. Far too small to destroy any matter at all, let alone Voidus. But it was enough to disrupt that connection, just for the moment of travel, enough that they would arrive closeby, in one of the other forbidden Alleys where all manner of secrets were kept, but at the very least not at the well.