Sherlock Holmes

Tena rolled her eyes. "You wanted to go to a bar, didn't you? I don't own any bars around here. Stop complaining, if you want to have a more explicit conversation, we can go elsewhere." She started to get to her feet, cocking her head at the strange, small man. "I am not one for implications. I will probably tell you if I, as you say, 'own' where we are. The barman already knows not to ask for my money here, though."

"Hidden?" Tena asked, cocking her head. "You must be new. We manufacture a lot of the palm oil-based products sold here in the Alleycity, since the climate near Oasis City is right for growing palm trees. We don't keep that a secret, though it's not the Ghostbloods specifically that manufacture it. There's a couple companies in Oasis City that do it, they just all run under our regulations and pay taxes to us." She shrugged. "It's nothing special. I'm sure a lot of the other guilds do this sort of thing. I don't know much of what TUBA's up to these days, but in my day, we made a lot of the baked goods sold in the city. Money doesn't come from nowhere, after all." She leaned back in her seat and cocked her head at Rik. "You speak boldly in public. If someone were listening in on us and I was to say: 'Why, of course we'll illegally seize stolen assets', that would not serve us well. Instead, save your suggestions for a more private place. I appreciate that you speak your mind, though."

Tena frowned. "We eliminate them. This is too fragile a time to allow looting of any sort. No doubt some of them are as confused as the rest of us, but others are simply greedy, and they will be dealt with. I have seen too much of rampant crime in my time, I know it is bad for everyone." Of course, she couldn't eliminate crime-- she knew that very well-- but she'd try to limit it. She was well-versed in navigating criminal society, so at least infiltration wouldn't be difficult. She knew enough of the various cosmere magics that she doubted people could use them to hide from her, at least not well. But could she herself do that work? Was she too high-profile and recognizable now? Perhaps. Still, she didn't know if she had any employees as skilled as she.

"Financial ruin isn't a problem, since our manufacturing continues," Tena said, careful to keep her words guarded. She didn't intend on saying anything untrue-- being a poor liar, despite herself-- but she didn't want to "give anything away", as she'd so often heard. "We are poorer than we were, but we were never poor. I'm working on recruitment in particular, since I think that's our best hope for recovering." She finished her drink and set it down on the table, still keeping it close to herself. "We'll be doing some small operations in dealing with crime in the Alleycity, I think. There's a lot of looting and confusion following the shift of everyone's personalities. It's a proper mess."

"I know of such places," Tena said, jumping down from the Canton of Combat and landing on the street below. Once Rik had joined her, she continued to talk. "I do appreciate science, though I know little enough of it. I am poor with math, my strength is in my body." And my bearing, she thought, hoping it was true. She needed to be a leader. "I think there is research I could have you do, but I do need a scribe firstly. I assume you are competent with record-keeping?" It was entirely possible that her people's ledgers were in poor order, given how many Ghostbloods had left in the past few weeks. She walked into a small bar, the place full of soft cushions and much quieter than other bars tended to be. After ordering herself a cider and watching during the entirety of its making, she drank it quickly, keeping it in her hands the entire time. She held it close to her body, as if trying to protect it. She waited for Rik to join her in a far corner of the main room, catching the barkeep's eye. He nodded to her and provided Rik with whatever drink he asked for. @Grey Knight

"I hope I don't, if they're as fearsome as you seem to think they are," Tena said. "I have known powerful beings before, though I can hardly claim to understand them." She started to walk, gesturing for the Epic to join her. "I find your story interesting, and your passion for science commendable. I've not got the mind for it myself, but I'm well aware of how useful it is to employ scientists. Are you adept in fighting as well? We're not the sort to make a lot of mess--" she thought of the Seven Day War and the nonsense Hellbent had caused-- "not usually. I'd prefer if you were a quiet fighter, but I'm no subtle thing myself. Still, I like to think that the only way our victims see us coming is if they're looking in a mirror." She smiled crookedly. "Though I'd have to reprimand the Ghostblood sloppy enough to not wait for a more discreet time." Mirror. She liked the sound of that word, and the sound of what she'd said. The only way they see us coming is if they're looking in a mirror. Why did that appeal to her so much? The part of her that was eager to be dramatic, to speak clever words and philosophize, clung to the phrase. There was romanticism in the original name: imagining that all of the low-lying, clever killers were given their stealth by supernatural connection, but it was insubstantial, implied no action. Her people should be the ghosts seen in mirrors-- or, ideally, not seen at all-- so were they mirror-ghosts? That lacked the elegant sound of "the Ghostbloods", however. She thought for a moment longer on the matter as she walked uphill, further from the centre of the blast that had carved the Alleycity's biggest canyon.

Tena grinned. "That's incredible." Watching something like that... It was fascinating, far beyond anything she could do, and she understood the temptation that had made her predecessors so greedy in conquering the Alleyplanet. With control of something like that, how could she avoid taking what was within her reach? Still, the power wasn't hers yet, and still wouldn't be hers if she agreed to take on Rik as a Ghostblood. No, not a Ghostblood. Not anymore. What were they, then? She thought about it as she continued to talk. "I'll have cider. Can you tell me about yourself? The jobs you've worked, what sort of worker you are, all that." She was eager and didn't bother to keep it from her face. "You can make art with these powers, can't you? How much have you done with them?" She remembered one time when she'd watched a Willshaper make a flat plane of stone into a carving, depicting a woman climbing a staircase up a mountain. She'd not known what the carving had meant, but it had been beautiful all the same. Was Rik such a man, capable of making beautiful things? Tena had never had any skill in art, and she'd not had any time to work on her skills. At this point in her life, she didn't know if there would be any point in trying. Still, she loved seeing art, even though she couldn't make it. @Grey Knight

You can be my page, pft. I'll have Rik stay behind so that he doesn't listen in on our big important gamer conversation. Y'all just let me know when we're having the conversation.

I'm down for this, but I'll have to drag Grey Knight's character with me or accept his application and leave him behind. We work at a much slower pace than you and Voidus, so it might take a few days.