ZincAboutIt

~Raef Lapis; The Eleventh Heightening, New Hallandren~ The lunch rush today was smaller than expected, and for once Raef was glad of it. He sat, tucked away at the corner table his father's employees used for a quick break or to store a cup of tea, putting a few last-minute touches on a new Seal design sketch he was eager to try. He drew with his right hand, adding precise strokes of red ink, and spooned piping-hot fish curry into his mouth with his left, stopping occasionally to dip into a bowl of soft, sticky rice for a bit of respite from the searing spice. "How can you do that?" Raef looked up, his pen halfway out of the inkwell, to meet the eyes of Tetara, one of Father's servers. She had deep brown hair and mischievous amber eyes; it was no wonder his father had hired her. Raef smiled, setting his pen back in the inkwell, and blew on the ink. In the Forgery, Tetara hadn't worked here, which was a pity. She'd been here for the better part of five years, and saved him from a nasty burn three years before. Raef remembered the burn scar that had been on his arm just a week ago and suppressed a shiver. "Do what?" Tetara nodded towards his face. "Eat that much chili paste with all those rings in your mouth." "With great relish," Raef said, shoving another spoonful of curry into his mouth, this one full of prawn and squid. He chewed happily, cheeks bulging, and winked at Tetara. "If nop lie eefs a' ofn 'oon." "Sorry, didn't catch that," Tetara laughed, face caught in an expression between disgust and amusement. Raef swallowed, then took a sip of tea before grinning at her. "I said, 'it's not like it's an open wound.' And anyway, I only have three, and it's been two years since the last." "Four," Tetara said. "You've got four." Raef blinked, running his tongue over the two slender hoops in his lower lip, then feeling his other two tongue piercings click against his teeth. "Oh. Right, of course. Four. Sorry, I only had three in the um..." Tetara looked uncomfortable, shifting her weight from one leg to the next. "Colors, I'm sorry Raef. Damned Forgery put us all on the wrong foot. You going to the Vigil tonight?" He nodded, sipping more of his tea as he gathered his thoughts. "Meeting Lazslo and Avimar. Laz has been taking it... poorly." 'Poorly' was an understatement. His friend's older sister - the one who'd drowned when they were all kids - had been alive during the Forgery. It was like losing her all over again; they'd had to hospitalize his mother. It was all a damned mess, and made even more awkward by the fact that Raef had had much the same life in the Forgery. All the grief around him, all the emotion... he felt like he was intruding. Like he had somehow cheated, and the fact that he wasn't torn apart in some way was a moral failing. It was Tetara's turn to nod, giving a small sigh. "Your father's on a tear about forgetting that recipe again. Don't go back into the kitchen unless you want a pan to the head." Gods. Raef pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh for the love of -" He groaned. "Of all the things to be mad about..." Tetara smiled and gave a chuckle. "It's ridiculous, but it's very Zeke. We could all use a little familiarity." "Well, I can't argue with that." Raef shared the smile, then looked back down at his sketch and his curry. "I'll let you get back to it," Tetara said, tapping the tabletop and looked towards the door, where someone had just entered. "More customers." "See you, Tet," Raef said, already halfway back into his sketch, dipping his pen excitedly as he realized another precise mark that could be the breakthrough he was looking for. He groped blindly for the little bowl of coriander chili sauce they kept on every table here, adding a spoonful and stirring. Maybe he could stop by the morgue on the way to the Vigil, give this Seal a spin...? Now you sound like Mother. The morgue on the way to the Vigil? Really? Raef wrinkled his nose and ate a spoonful of rice, pulling the deep green of his silk tunic a bit and adjusting the silver-blue sash at his waist before stopping himself. He always fidgeted when he was uncomfortable; a childhood habit that he should have broken years back. Along with still living in his parents' house. He was twenty-three now, and gainfully employed. So what was keeping him here? Tetara's words returned to him. 'We could all use a little familiarity.' But Raef was growing tired of familiarity. He made another stroke on his Seal sketch, losing himself in the design. What he wanted - what he needed - was something totally new.

We solemnly promise to only spike you in the front, then. Quite sporting of you really, so few actually want to watch. And while I personally find the sensation of pain all part of the well-rounded experience of hemalurgy, since you’re so accommodating you can just fill this tinmind and you won’t feel a thing.

~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

So it would work more like a type of poison? Or a toxin? Something that must be administered individually? That would likely be much less off-putting than a pandemic plot. I for one would strongly suggest against that, especially since we’ve all had quite enough of that irl.

Congratulations, you played yourself.

I believe she means a member of the Scholar’s Guild in specific.

This is what I was referring to, just the idea of a crime ring being a side plot. I have no idea beyond that one but I do remember you saying something so I mentioned you

~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

~Vivica; Alley K-9-1077~ "Yes," Vivica said, smile widening with joy at the reassuring tone of his voice. "Yes, like I do. Of course I do, Nox." The closeness of him, how the skin of his hand so very nearly brushed her cheek as he wiped her tears, was intoxicating. Vivica felt herself tremble slightly, both in excitement and something else. Blood rushed to her cheeks, eager to press itself closer to the surface of her skin and closer to his fingers. How fitting, that even her blood wished to be near him. "I regret that there hasn't been more time to discuss this until now." He said. "All that mess afterwards, needed quite some cleaning up. And I didn't wish to rush you, or overburden. You went through quite a trial there." She tilted her head at his words, and as she did so, pressed her cheek into his hand. The contact drew the breath from her in a soft gasp, leaving her train of thought muddled and warm. "It was not... not so terrible," Vivica murmured, wishing she could fall into his eyes; they beckoned with even more dark allure than the skies of the Alleys. Black upon deeper black, on and on forever. "I never worried. I always knew you would fix everything, Nox. I just had to do my part; just had to help." Her hand, traitorous in its presumption, rose to touch the back of his. "Please, don't regret anything. You're so important - of course you had things to do. But you could never rush me. Your timing is the perfect timing. However fast, or however slow." The warmth in her cheeks intensified as a drop of shame worked its way through her. Vivica would wait forever, but she did not wish to. Selfishly, she did not wish to wait another moment. ~Lita; Lita's Apartment, the Alleys~ "I'll just be a moment," Lita said, deciding to take pity on her friend and give her some time to compose herself. Much as she enjoyed riling her up, Lita would rather prefer it if Laurelai was in a calm, even state of mind while she performed impromptu hemalurgy. There was a lot that could go wrong at the best of times. She swept from the room and closed her bedroom door, swiftly unzipping the hidden zipper on the side of the velvet dress and stepping out of it, setting it gently on her bed for easy retrieval later. Her silk dressing gown - that would do fine. She could just part it at the hip, no need for any indignity - real or perceived on Laurelai's part - that could arise from the lifting of a hem or lowering of a waistband. Nevermind that Lita had never felt much in the way of shame over being undressed in front of others. But again, the risks of distracted hemalurgy definitely outweighed the amusement of a flustered Forger. Lita slipped on the dressing gown and re-entered the sitting room. "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." @Voidus

~Lita; Lita’s Apartment, the Alleys~ “Offering yourself up to what will doubtless be my first artless bludgeoning of your emotions, are you?” Lita smiled and shook her head a bit. She was not the only one in the room who knew how to gently tease someone, and the idea of Laurelai watching her fumble about with Allomancy was both mortifying and intriguing. They had both met at the height of their respective talents, and while the blonde had watched her - quite literally watched - receive her pewter abilities this was different. Training with a physical metal was practical and rather boring to be honest. But to have her first attempts at emotional Allomancy be on someone she both knew and who had a very excellent memory for mistakes… Lita wrinkled her nose. Not particularly compelling. But also, there was no one she trusted more to tell her the truth. About most things, anyway. Her smile hooked upwards into a slight smirk as Laurelai requested to place the spike herself. ”You’d clean up the blood? My goodness, what a gent. And as for the placement… yes discreet is obviously preferred. I could hardly go about the city with a spike in my eye.” Lita winced a bit at that, her teeth fretting at her lip for a moment before she recovered her train of thought. ”A spike in the back is always a risk to be seen when one wears the cuts of dresses I occasionally do. Hips seem most appropriate… I don’t suppose you want to do this now? Or later? I’d need to take this off obviously,” she gestured to her velvet dress. “It’s much too nice to go poking holes in.” @Voidus

~Lita; Lita's Apartment, the Alleys~ The moment Laurelai lifted the silk lining under the spike and removed a vial of metal, Lita understood. She would recognize that color anywhere, even shaved into little flakes and suspended in solution. It had been with her all her life, banded on her arms and her ears. "You already have a zinctongue" Laurelai said, her tone easy and warm, though a dischordant flicker of unease went through her eyes for a moment. "I thought perhaps some brass to go with it?" Lita decided to ignore that momentary unease and continue smiling, not wishing to lose the feeling before she had to. She picked up both the vial and the spike, lifting them so they caught the light. Compounding... that was a serious art. She'd never met a brass compounder, though she'd theorized what she might be capable of doing with something like that. Not to mention brass Allomancy... Now that was an advantage Lita knew of first-hand, having watched her father use it all through her life. She'd never really needed it herself, making do with her wit and her charm and a few other things besides. But think of what you could do with all of that and a little Soothing... Lita's eyes went immediately to Laurelai, tracing the curve of her neck where it met her shoulder, remembering how soft her skin had felt when Lita burned tin. A bad idea, that. It was all well and good to banter and tease, to win a game of wit or seduction on one's own merit. But there was something that felt inherently wrong about Soothing Laurelai - much as the woman could damn well use a Soothing. As a last resort, then. And Lita would need to practice before she was anywhere near subtle enough to Soothe Laurelai in any case. "Well, I shall have to toddle myself down to R&D and get this set in place somewhere special," Lita said. "Did you have any particular bindpoint in mind? I'm rather unaccustomed to getting to choose my own spike placement. Generally the giver has overridden any sort of opinion of mine. Though I do trust your aesthetic a bit more than that of... others previous." ~Vivica; Alley K-9-1077~ "...But if you insist on giving me something in return, this first one is actually something of a present for myself as well. If you would care to, I would love to have your company tonight. There is a... meeting of some kind in the city. I would love some more pleasant company during it." Vivica's heart beat faster at his invitation. He enjoyed her company enough to request more of it? At a meeting? Out in the... out in the city... She did not often go out of the Alleys. The world out there was wide and unfamiliar, so many people, so many vast open spaces, possibly even fire. But, Nox was requesting her presence. He was asking her to accompany him. She couldn't deny him this, not after everything he had done for her. His long, clever fingers opened the lid on the first box, and Vivica stopped thinking for a moment. She just gazed at the lovely cloud of white fabric in the box, reaching out a tentative hand to touch it; it was so soft. With tender care, Vivica lifted the dress from the box and held it before her, not bothering to conceal the slight gasp that escaped her throat. It looked like it would fit her perfectly, and in a moment of girlish abandon she held it to herself and spun, laughing as the single layer of chiffon spun with her. "Of course, of course," she heard herself say, her mouth much wiser than her silly mind. "Of course I shall go with you, Nox! Anywhere you want. And this dress... it needs no changes. It's perfect." She draped it carefully over one arm and folded it softly, setting it back into its box. Half of her wanted to put it on right now, to shuck her lab coat and little shift and trade it for silk the color of cool starlight. But she still had her second gift, and Nox was looking towards it with an even greater anticipation. Vivica undid the simple ribbon with fingers that trembled only slightly. Lifting the lid felt like every Midwinter's Day she'd missed as a child rolled into one moment. The sound that left her mouth may have actually been a cry as she set the lid down and raked her eyes over the contents of this second box. It was partitioned into four sections, two large on the top and two small on the bottom. In the top left was the most exquisite set of paintbrushes and fine paints that Vivica had ever seen, a full suite of palettes and two dozen shades of red. Two dozen... Vivica lifted one hand to her cheek absently, wiping away tears as she looked to the second compartment on the right. This one was separated into three rows, with the top holding sixteen small metal spikes - one for each metal. Spikes to take a power. The second and third rows also held spikes, but each one lay within a small vial of blood, each vial etched with the annotation for one allomantic or feruchemical metal. These ones granted a power. The bottom left compartment held a cloth napkin. Vivica tilted her head, pulling it out to reveal that the napkin was wrapped around a set of metal cutlery, silvery and fine. She laughed softly; they had not usually allowed her metal cutlery in the Cognitive Ward, and certainly never a fork or knife. And in the last compartment lay a third box, small, covered in velvet. Vivica picked it up and looked into Nox's black, endless eyes, then opened it. A flash of deepest red caught her eye, and Vivica was staring open-mouthed at a pair of silver earrings with small inlaid garnets. One of the earrings seemed a little different to the other, as though the piercing itself was larger but hollowed in the middle to allow for something else to pass through it as well. She reached a hand up to her right ear - her only ear - to touch the copper ring that had given her back her insanity. Perhaps an odd thing to want back, but Vivica would not have been herself without it. And of course, she would miss Bennington. This beautiful garnet wonder would fit over her copper earring. She would not have to choose. "Nox, I..." She looked up at him again, met his eyes at a total loss for words. Tears blurred her vision; she scrubbed them away, not wishing to spend a moment viewing him with anything less than perfect sight. "This is all so wonderful. I don't know how I could ever thank you, I - I... I couldn't possibly deserve such beautiful things. Please, please let me give you something too. Anything you want. You know there is nothing I wouldn't give you, Nox, if I could make it so. I'd give you a whole world of people who love you like -" Vivica stumbled on this last bit; was she being too forward? Too insistent? Was she being rude? She had already shown him every hidden corner of her mind, told him everything he could need to know, and he had not mentioned it. It would be better for her not to mention it either, then. Of course he knew she loved him - who could not? It was as easy as breathing, as right as the placement of each star. Someone as wondrous as he couldn't help but know that he was worthy of every drop of devotion in the universe, right? Right? She looked at him, blue eyes drawn into those wells of beautiful darkness which seemed, just for a moment, to reflect a deep green. Vivica smiled at him. Surely, he must know that he was worth everything. @Voidus

The antagonists? Do you intend to RP them as well? Sorry, I'm a little confused.

Character approved!

~Lita; Rooftop Garden, the Dominion~ "No, as much as I love that old place, I think having one closer to my department might be a bit more useful. Besides," He coughed gently, "from what I've heard you've made yourself quite at home there." Lita tried to avoid giving him an incredulous look. 'From what he'd heard.' Within twenty-four hours of returning after a world-changing event? This was the gossip floating around the Alleys? Well, perhaps Lita shouldn't be surprised. People often didn't want to talk about the important things after a devastating trauma; office gossip was far safer. She nodded to Mac as he stood, giving him a small, but genuine, smile. "Well then, do not let me detain you further. And for what it's worth, Mac, it is good to see you again." She didn't think about the warm regard between them in the Forgery, or the last drink they had shared together before he left the Department in her hands - her glass filled with sparkling wine, and his sparkling cider. Lita did not think about the singular fond embrace he had given her before he walked out the office door and into, as he had said, "his golden years." She didn't think about that, because it wasn't real. It had never happened. It was all a false memory. So there was no point in grieving it. Instead she finally put the piece of croissant into her mouth and let it dissolve on her tongue. Perfect. At least some things in this life were constant. Mac left, and Lita looked out over the slender spires of the Dominion, feeling a brisk wind in her hair. It felt like the world itself was sighing, though whether in sorrow or relief, even a tineye could not tell. @MacThorstenson

Of course! Thanks for letting us know. And yes, the Vigil thread is the place to put your character if you wish to introduce them at a more "fresh start" place and not address the events of the Forgery with them,

Just to clarify, a character can definitely act "evil" in the RP, work against other PCs (especially if the conflict is planned out OOC), have a corruption arc, or any number of other things. Many of the DA characters are doing/will do this, for example. It is more just the idea of an established "villain trope" character that is more to be avoided. But please if anyone wants to lead their poor character down a dark and twisty path, do it!

@Lord Meeker Your new character seems balanced and thought out. The only thing I'm curious about is if/how he would interact with others in a group plot. There are plenty of ways to get a loner/vigilante character engaged in a plot, of course. We are just focusing more on encouraging a lot of group or at least pair/small group interaction this era to increase collaboration. There is the idea of starting a "crime ring" side plot if enough people are interested in doing so, and I think this character could work very well in that kind of setting as an oppositional element, along with some of the other characters who have goals to improve city life for the general population. I also think it will be interesting to see how this character acts with the current iteration of the Ghostbloods, who have been renamed and are going through a bit of a purpose Renaissance. Maybe your character could get in touch with Tena to try and find out who might have murdered their family, root out members still looking to randomly assassinate, etc. We also have a new gunslinger/lawman type character who recently joined, maybe the two (or more!) of you could find common ground. Just a few suggestions, and you're welcome to post in the Collaboration Thread or Chat Thread if you have ideas. I just know we've had some players have trouble in the past with lone wolf type characters finding ways to get fully invested in a plot or a group of people. And we don't want anyone to get left out!

~Lita; Rooftop Garden, the Dominion~ A wry smile twisted Lita's lips when Mac mentioned getting into spying "for the lifestyle." Most of her life spent spying was hardly as glamorous as it was these days - and even these days there was a fair bit of grit in the glitter, so to speak. She let the smile turn more genuine as Mac mentioned his yachts. Mac was generally known for his self-control and restraint these days, but yachts and fine suits seemed to be glaring weak points. Lita could empathize. Both were quite lovely. "I'm glad you have new ambitions already," Lita said, watching Mac's expression change at the mention of the 'previous department.' She'd have to go back through records on the old Alleymatics division, then. Definitely something worth knowing. "Any department would be lucky to have you at the helm. And I'm glad you managed to take advantage of dramatic overbudgeting for your own gain. If one can get away with such things, one rather ought to, I should think." That wasn't entirely true in Lita's opinion, but it was close enough. Not everyone was able to acquire things in the way she could, after all. You used the gifts you were given. "Would you prefer your old office returned to you, then? I'm certain I can get another made to specifications." @MacThorstenson

~Lita; Rooftop Garden, the Dominion~ "I'm stepping down from my position as head of the department," He added hurriedly, "if you want the position." Mac leaned back, intent to watch her. Lita, for her part, allowed herself to show some of the surprise she felt. It seemed foolish to completely conceal her emotion in front of him - what did she have to gain from it, after all? Yet old habits died hard, so true shock retreated in favor of a tilted head and two lifted brows. More of a reaction than most could get out of her. "Well, yes, I do want it." The admission felt... strange to say. In the Forgery, the Stranger had simply set her up in the position, given it to her. But she remembered that version of her life, even if it was false. She remembered earning her place, all of the careful lessons and attention that Mac had given her. Lessons she never actually received. But ones that she recalled nonetheless. And she had been good at the job - quite good. The DoCI had run smoothly for as long as she'd held it, end of the world notwithstanding. And now that she'd had a chance to try it out, Lita did not want to give it up. She'd expected much more of a fight over it, to be honest. The idea of Mac simply ceding control to her was disorienting to say the least. "Are you seeking to go in another direction? R&D does need a new Head, I suppose..." @MacThorstenson

~Vivica; Alley K-9-1077~ "Vivica?" Nox's voice carried easily through the door. "It is Nox. May I..." Vivica thrilled at the sound of that voice. So polite, always so polite. Even when the world itself was shaped by his hand, he always asked if he could enter whatever room she was in. Back in the Forgery he had been much the same. He had asked in the Cognitive Ward, too, always getting permission before stepping over the threshold of her room, as if to extend her the brief imagining of a life with real choices. Vivica smiled, about to call out that yes, of course he may come in, when he opened the door slowly, deliberately. Giving her a last moment to refuse. As if she could ever refuse him anything. He stepped in and immediately the Zeta Class pulled to the sharpest attention, little noses high in the air and tails twitching with excitement. Nox gave them all a look-over like a general inspecting his troops, face stern and cool but with the tiniest curve to the edges of his mouth. It was very difficult not to smile at the pups, especially when they were doing their best to be serious. As soon as his dark gaze passed over them, the pups resumed their wagging, shaking with excitement as they kept formation. Vivica understood this feeling; she, too, shook with excitement whenever he looked at her, though usually just on the inside. As if called by her thoughts, he did turn to look at her, lips forming a small, but true, smile. Vivica felt her own stretch wider. "Hello Viv." He said. "I hope you're well. I brought some presents." Vivica's initial delight at the idea of presents was immediately tempered with horror at the realization that she had gotten him nothing at all. Silently she cursed herself - so foolish. So rude of her not to think of something. She looked back to him with wide eyes, giving a shaky smile. "Hello, Nox, it's so wonderful to see you today. I'm afraid I've gotten nothing for you - please forgive me. I should have been more prepared." She caught sight of two boxes under his arm. Two! Both her excitement and her guilt grew. "It's... alright if you don't want to give them to me anymore. I'd understand." ~Lita; Lita's Apartment, the Alleys~ "However speaking of which, the weather not the wine, I got you something. Something of a 'welcome back' present. Or a 'congratulations on the promotion' I suppose." Whatever Lita had expected of Laurelai, this was not it. Her irritation, her small machinations and plans to spend the afternoon teasing Laurelai, were abruptly shattered at the appearance of the green velvet box. She looked up at her friend, meeting what felt like the first genuine smile of the day, and reflected it back before tilting her head and sliding it further towards herself. She picked it up, weighing it in her hand, and her smile deepened as well as gained a hint of confusion. It was heavier than she'd have expected a piece of jewelry to be, and felt rather singular. Almost like a paperweight, though lighter than that. "A present? Laurelai, you shouldn't have." Lita cracked the lid even as she spoke; the words were a formality. Lita loved presents, and would always open one as soon as look at it. She felt her mouth open a bit as she saw what lay inside, and then she heard herself let out a clear, true laugh. "Why whatever is this?" Inside the box, nestled in cream silk, was a slender bronze spike about half as long as her hand. She flicked green eyes up to meet Laurelai's, and for a moment it was as if the Forgery had never happened and everything was easy as breathing again between them. Lita wanted to hold onto that ease, but she could already feel it dissipate. Still, things felt better, simpler, for a moment. "Power or subtlety, is it?" Lita joked, her voice only slightly cracking on the end. Silly girl, he's dead, and those are just words. "Or is this the mysterious third option I was not told about? The ability to never lose at cards? Being able to taste memories? Pulling mille feuille out of my pockets like Mac does?" @Voidus

~Lita; Lita's Apartment, the Alleys~ Lita hardly needed to burn tin to detect Laurelai's near-instantaneous blush; the tips of those ears turned a rather shocking pink as soon as Lita mentioned she liked them. Which, of course, only made Lita like them more. Laurelai had always been rather hard to read, harder than most, even for Lita. So incredibly polished and practiced, so unruffled and cool. There was something terribly satisfying about watching her lose her balance. Something familiar. She had done this in the Forgery, not even what - two weeks ago? Less, probably. Granted, things had been much different. They hadn't known one another for very long, had hardly built up anything resembling friendship. And Laurelai had been tense as a strung bow because of her Chapel memories. And Lita had been fresh off a very vivid dream... "Yes. Well we wouldn't want to commit any terrible crimes would we?" Laurelai's voice shook ever-so-slightly as she spoke. It actually shook. Lita blinked, her attention drawn blessedly away from memories of dark curls and white teeth back to the present, where Laurelai stood, contemplating her ears and staring at Lita with a familiar heated fascination. Lita knew she should feel flattered, or perhaps feel awkward on behalf of her friend, caught in some strange refraction of Forged memories. But instead, Lita felt the acid stab of irritation as Laurelai cast about for her glass of wine, seeking to give her mouth something to do besides just ask for what she wanted. Nobody knew how to simply ask. Before the Forgery, Lita had not particularly considered sleeping with Laurelai. Now, she considered it often. It sounded like a rather wonderful way to pass some time - she knew it for true, in fact, having done so already once. And that had been a version of Laurelai fresh off a life of relative normalcy, working at a hospital and living with family. Lita was more than certain this version had a rather larger cache of skills in that arena. So why deny themselves a new facet to their friendship? Hadn't they gone through enough rusting pain and sorrow and lying? And it was so painfully obvious that she wanted it. So why not just ask? And with such a level of obvious discomfort around the idea, Lita now also couldn't ask. Trapped by someone else's limited view of what to do with her. Did anyone, actually, know? Wouldn't it be so easy to just duck into the bedroom for a blissful half hour, head out, and spend the day easy and calm? Was Lita doomed to an existence of tense laughter, concealed blushes, and practiced neutral smiles? Lita watched Laurelai sip wine, her bright blue eyes filled with a mild panic and confusion, and gave the tiniest sigh. Laurelai would have to figure this out on her own, very likely. She would play this game with herself and with Lita until they both grew tired of it, or tired of one another. So Lita decided to let her play it. But she didn't have to make it easy. "Goodness," Laurelai said. "Warm today, isn't it?" Lita raised an eyebrow, looking down at her long velvet sleeves and then allowing herself a very thorough inspection of Laurelai's, admittedly magnificent, lavender ensemble. It revealed quite a bit, and Lita was entirely certain she'd be freezing before day's end. "Yes, positively sweltering." Lita smiled knowingly. "Whyever did you choose to wear so many layers?" @Voidus

"I know you probably don't have all day, so if you want to get right to business, we can." Mac seemed... oddly cheerful. Too lighthearted for having witnessed and participated in what Lita knew, for a fact, to be something very nearly beyond the scope of description. He had known the Stranger for much longer than Lita, had been his colleague. Possibly looked up to him, judging from some of the glances Lita recalled him stealing. The very slight pain of betrayal and disappointment pinched the corners of his eyes. Well, Lita was hardly in a place to demand honesty in that regard. She was certainly not wearing her heart on her sleeve today. She reached to the tray in the center of the table and pulled a croissant off the platter and onto a small plate, tearing off a bite-sized piece but not placing it into her mouth. "While I don't have any immediate plans for the day, it does seem prudent to get down to business, such as it is. I imagine this is in regards to the Department?" @MacThorstenson

~Lita; Lita's Apartment, the Alleys~ It took a moment before Laurelai registered Lita's question, her face the picture of composed attention while her eyes took on a slightly more strained look. Then, the lovely smooth plane of her forehead wrinkled in confusion, and Lita actually had to bite her lip to keep from giggling as Laurelai ran two fingers up the outside edges of both ears, her blue eyes widening in shock. "Oh for.." Laurelai huffed, very nearly swearing. "Of all the days. Cursed bane. Do you have a mirror I can borrow? I can set it right probably, just need a minute." Lita grinned; she much preferred Laurelai this way, at ease enough to risk swearing and allowing negative emotion into her voice. Though perhaps "at ease" wasn't quite correct. Lita's grin deepened. She'd also take "off balance." So much more fun than the polished, perfect china doll Laurelai was to the rest of the world. "Must you?" Lita said easily, moving one step closer to better inspect the newly-reshaped ears. "I rather like them - for an occasion, of course. But," she shrugged, feigning a slightly disappointed, nonchalant tone, "if you must, there's a mirror in the bedroom. And the washroom. And the hallway. I have quite a few mirrors, as you might imagine. Probably not as many as you do, though." Lita flashed Laurelai a bit of teeth and winked. "I'm quite glad you took as long as you did, or I'd be completely sober to witness this as opposed to slightly tipsy. And that would be a terrible crime." ~Vivica; Alley K-9-1077~ "...and one for you, Zeta-15." Vivica set a round biscuit in front of the last fat Labrador puppy. They all sat at attention once again, eyes forward, though a few kept sneaking glances down at their biscuits. Vivica took two more from the glass jar on the counter and walked over to Gamma-10, setting them both down before the older Seekrador. "And two for you, Gamma-10. It would be terribly rude of us to fail to recognize one of our finest, most valorous soldiers. And none of that gruff growling about how you don't deserve it and you're only doing your duty. I know how much you enjoy bone marrow biscuits." Gamma-10 made a very feeble attempt at protest before giving a short "chuff" to the pups, who fell upon their biscuits with the savage euphoria only puppies are capable of. For his part, Gamma-10 ate his biscuits with much more stately grace, though Vivica noticed, happily, that the canine commander licked his chops with relish. Wonderful, I'm so glad I worked through the night on that recipe. It was so very lovely not to have to sleep again, not to worry about anyone coming into her room and forcing her to eat or take medicine or lay quietly and accept her IV drip. That world was gone, gone forever, and Vivica was here now. Here with the Seekradors, and the black Alley skies, and a brand new lab coat that had already acquired a few beautiful smears of red. Here with Nox, when he wasn't terribly busy. Gamma-10 let out another low growl suddenly, and the Zeta Class immediately turned their heads towards the Alley entrance. Vivica whipped her own head around, hand reaching instinctively for a long spike she kept in her coat pocket, when Gamma-10's growl turned into an exuberant bark of recognition. Instantly, the puppies began falling over one another in their attempts to both line up and jump at the same time. Vivica felt all her tense anticipation bloom into delight. There was only one person that could get the Zeta Class so very excited. He was here. Vivica quickly brushed her hands off on her coat, seeking to rid them of biscuit crumbs, and ran her fingers through her hair. She'd remembered to comb it today, hadn't she? Yes, yes she had, right after she'd taken a nice long warm shower. Vivica had always preferred a bath to a shower, but these Alley quarters weren't built for long-term human resident comforts. So, a shower it was. At least she was nice and clean; it wouldn't do to meet Nox if she wasn't. "How do I look?" Vivica whispered to Bennington. Bennington, for his part, said nothing as always, though he did wiggle his tentacles encouragingly. "Flatterer," Vivica sighed fondly, then lifted up on tiptoe in excitement as her ears caught the reassuring cadence of Nox's long stride. He'd come to see her once more. @Voidus

Lita; Lita's Apartment Footsteps outside the door. Lita sighed and set down her wine glass - nearly finished now - before rising and walking to the door just as Laurelai knocked. "About time," Lita muttered, turning the knob and opening the door. "You had better look..." Lita's voice trailed off into nothing as the door swung open to reveal Laurelai standing in her doorway. "Incredible," she finished, quickly rearranging her surprise into a soft smile. "Well do come in, Laurelai, I would hate to keep you waiting." She pushed the door the rest of the way open and moved quickly back to her little table, turning in time to watch Laurelai float through the doorway like a wicked fever dream. Lita was rather glad she'd already sold her soul, because she was half tempted to offer it right now for the privilege of sitting and looking at Laurelai a bit longer. Rather than feel underdressed, Lita was actually rather relieved. If she'd wished to compete with Laurelai on this, she'd have had to order a ballgown weeks ago. She and Laurelai were simply playing two different games. And Laurelai was winning. But then, Lita also rather felt like she was winning, if it meant getting to walk about the city drinking with her all day. "I do hope you paid your tailor in blood sacrifice. Or Atium." Lita slid the second glass of wine towards Laurelai with a smirk, then cocked her head, noticing something incongruous for the first time. "Rather unconventional choice of body modification," Lita said, circling closer to peer at Laurelai's ears. The tips, oddly, had grown longer, tapering into a fine point. It wasn't unpleasant; there was some synchronicity between the way her dress flowed along her tall, willowy frame and her silvery-blonde hair fell over her shoulder that gave an odd sense of rightness to the tapered ears. "Whatever gave you the idea of Forging yourself pointed ears?" @Voidus

Yes, seems more likely, especially First Heightening. Bronze, depending how often used, could be Normal or Minor.