Personification Life: EPIC (IC Thread XI) [CLOSED]

[Ganonsyoni]

Kale's eyes look to Sandy's as he started asking her questions. "Yes... the leg still hurts.... it feels numb though... Nick did some magic to ease the pain...," Kale said, "It broke when some debris fell on it... concrete and pipe from the ceiling.... fell down on it and it snapped...." Recalling the event made her cringe in imagined pain. She never broke a bone in her life. Even with her tendency to fall and slip about, she never got too badly injured. She couldn't recall a more painful injury.

"Besides the leg... I passed out from.... exertion.... keeping up the ceiling with my magic..." Kale said, "Sterling and Remilia.... helped a lot.... but I still passed out.... think I wouldn't be awake right now... if they didn't help." Se then looked over to Sterling the pony that helped keep the roof up. "Thank you too... for helping me..." she said gratefully.

[Mincaldenteans]

Under the Moon Pub

It had been a pleasant month or so since Hunter made his permanent home within the Burrows. Honestly, he hadn't kept track, this was the kind of peace and quiet he longed for since everything had gone to shit back home. He had hoped that Bielefeld would be that second place, turning sour only months after, and in this new setting with the Residents continually in the middle of some issue or another, the Burrows was the safest avenue to end the cycle of running. He ran enough, he wanted to settle down and live life peacefully. Having taken the vacate spot left open in the pub, the nevidian lived simply, surrounded by welcoming individuals with a job he was more adept to than picking up a rifle. He detested violence, per his own cultural upbringing and it seemed as though living in the Building would only attract more of it.

Which was a surprise finding Rodney bustling in ordering the strongest ale the Pub had and mumbling something about blowholes. He perched an eyebrow, served the man his drink and left Rodney to his thoughts. Sometimes a guy needed a drink in peace and Rodney radiated that much to Hunter.

It started getting suspicious when a new figure entered the pub. The Burrows wasn't exactly cordoned off in some remote area, but the frequents were regular folk. He was the new guy in town, and permanent one to boot. First Rodney, now a woman he didn't recognize ordering a classic and laid to rest a guitar by the window near the table she had taken. Hunter didn't say anything, only offering a nod from afar with a small smile: as long as she paid, who was he to deny the patron?

Then it really became obvious something was up when Amanda strolled in, taking a seat by the young woman, and what followed mere minutes later to be a rather pale stranger. Four residents in the same place didn't spell trouble, they had a clinic here of which the healers came everyday in the last few months, but that was usually one ore two at best at any given day. The nevidian frowned and turned back to the window cut out where the cook had shoved a wooden board with the sandwich laid to rest on top. A BLT, Hunter was surprised the guy knew what it was given he had four arms and a name he still couldn't pronounce. He took the wooden board by the handle, with the lemonade with his free hand and came by with the first order.

"Amanda," Hunter greeted lightly with a nod, although his face flashed with obvious concern while his eyes wandered briefly at the young woman and the synth. He maintained his welcoming smile however, "Fancy seeing you here. Everything alright?"

---

Guildies

The run was short thanks to the spell and Anais had a rush moving as fast as she did. Erick and Reyna were the first ones there, waiting patiently though their eyes looked forward of them as the Residents trickled in a few at a time. The Klingon was with them, chatting with them and letting a grunt out in approval. Anais wasn't sure what, but he nodded his greeting before leaving them to their business; he was out to find the General.

Anais stopped in front, the other mages of her guild did the same and Erick wasted little time to address Anais' immediate concerns. They were not regular visitors to the village, only she and Alexia and only because they were part of the healer's group - the rest visited only occasionally and preferred to work with the other Residents than spread themselves too thinly. Erick greeted her with his standard half bow, "I think it best we keep vigil out here. The Mayor directed the wounded to the clinic and Mezran went ahead of us; he wanted to know if we should set a perimeter here."

The ritualist nodded, "To the clinic we go. We'll let you know shortly."

Erick nodded again and with Reyna, Cherry and Traxt the foursome took their leave to walk the village. Alexia followed beside her as they made their way to the clinic; it wasn't long before they arrived where the Klingon waited for a word with the general and Sandy was in mid conversation with said man. Her eyes affixed itself immediately to the injured Kale. Whatever was being discussed, clearly the two healers had missed.

"Sandy, General," Anais greeted lightly with a nod to Mezran who stood close by and toward Kale, though Alexia brushed past the ritualist and closer toward the plant girl.

Alexia stopped short however and looked at Sandy and immediately inquired "Are there more injured?"

"Aye," Mezran said in agreement, though his gaze fell upon the general instead, "Are we setting a perimeter? The p'taQ that did this to the building cannot be allowed to do so here."

---

Woods
The civet and the penguin have a joint post to do. Wine for all.

The end.

[Holy Lykos]

Clinic

Sterling nodded in response to what Kale was saying, with a worried look on his face. "Kale, you need to rest for sure. You did a lot to make sure everyone got out of that safe and alive, including myself. My magic did help but working together we lasted a lot longer together than separately." Sterling mentioned, smiling with a nod. "You're very welcome Kale." He really wished she would just rest and relax, to better recover her energy. She'd done so much to ensure everyone survived it was amazing. Without her people likely would have been crushed!

"Anyway, Sandy. As far as I can tell, after the explosion or implosion or whatever happened on the 8th floor, I ran to help. I supported the roof on the outside and helped them dig things out. I believe five individuals were trapped: Nick, Elka, Kale, the one metal looking fellow, and another new arrival. Don't know the names of the last two, but I think I saw the two heading for the pub as I came over here. Or at least in that direction of town. The metal person didn't seem hurt at all though I'm unsure how to tell for such a person, Elka hurt her ankle I believe, maybe more. Someone should go track her down so she can get proper treatment for any wounds she had. Nick I think was entirely unhurt, must have been able to dodge or avoid the rubble. We can see the condition Kale's in. The last girl I'm unsure how badly hurt she was. If we have spare staff we should track her down too to see if she needs any help, I would say. Might have gotten hit on the head, and injuries there would be hard to tell, especially concussions." Sterling recited, his hoof tapping as he thought and tried to remember what he saw.

"I don't know if anyone actually died, I immediately ran over to the village after leaving the building as instructed. Anything else you need to know, Sandy?" Meanwhile Maghrl stepped up to where Kale was laid down, glancing over her to see if there was anything he could help with. The Squib had dropped his cloak over in a neat pile in the corner of the room, leaving him just in his tunic.

"Maghrl help? Anything Sandy need do? Can calm Kale-mind while other being help her, yes yes."

[Fvaarniimar]

Village to Clinic
In the end, Nick didn't follow Romulus out of altruism. While he seriously considered curling up for a nap on the nearest off-road surface, he knew that something cushier would result in more pleasant rest, as would reassuring himself to a few friends' continued health.  The exam table is nice, he thought sleepily, stepping towards the clinic before his fuzzy brain realized that it would of course be in use. Grassy spot.  He'd found it a few days prior, and enjoyed a very relaxing nap; he picked up the pace.  It was feet from the clinic entrance, and seeing Kale, Nick mraaow'ed in frustration.

At least she's okay.  He trudged forward, and Rmwtyliin looked up from splinting, smiling as she recognized the disheveled creature.

Her friend would feel better.  That was good; more likely than not Kale's distress was now evident. "This is a cat, Kale, who helps pain.  He -"

Nick interrupted; his giant yawns didn't in turn interrupt him, thanks to the collar.  "Yeah, I'm okay. Throat hurts. Sandy, is just having her sleep an option?"  (It was in theory worth a try, but in fact Kale's pain was presumably intense enough so that even minor stimulation of that leg's nerves would quickly produce enough sensation to wake her as the anesthetic effect would wear off; if Kale's leg had retained its numbness this long, most likely either the dressing had been extremely protective or it had secreted some sort of analgesic.)

Nick, meanwhile, obligingly numbed her; she might grow grumpier and more tired. "Remember...blink..Don't think I can stay awake long."  The words were a little drawn out...Nick blinked, whiskers perking forward, quickly re-numbing the plant girl despite his desire to just snooze atop her.   His drooping eyelids parted a millimeter.  "Oh.  Er, made Elka sleep, but I don't know limits yet.  Don't think was coincidence." 

Rmwtyliin, simultaneously, turned towards Sterling and spoke; the splint was applied. "I am extra staff." These people are nice. I must face this. "I can look for her. We were together earlier, I think. Hair -" She cringed at the memory. Red, too red - "Changes?" Recalling their meeting brought something else to mind. "I treated her, we treated Elkah. Giovenith's jars - nothing else seemed quick enough. Her legs seem fine now, but I apologize if it was used foolishly."

Woods

Rolling her most recent little clump until it seemed cohesive, the barely-past-adolescent cat swatted it to the sloth.  Hopefully it would serve his purposes - and wouldn't fall apart or be whisked off by another gust of wind.

[CAT XIII]

The Burrows- The Pub

Otonako nodded at Sakarias,

"Good to see that you made your way out ok too. I feel sorry for Kale, if I'd had the power to help hold the ceiling up I would have."

There was a short pause as Oto's food arrived and she took a massive, unladylike, bite.

"Sorry, I just haven't eaten in a while," she apologised.

"I'm afraid my background is a bit of a sob story too, Amanda. I moved to Mexico with my cousin Forako when we were kids although we were both born in England. We had to leave because the government were frightened of our magic, our parents never made it however..." she brushed some hair, that was turning red, out of her eyes, "Sorry, it happens when I feel certain emotions."

"Anyhow, I joined a magic group, formed a band with magic users with similar powers to mine and trained at fighting with Forako. He more or less raised me, he was like my brother," she took a quick look out the window after she mentioned his name, she didn't know why, it wasn't like he was going to be there. With a sigh, she continued-

"Then we got in a fight with a Russian magic group and I did stuff that I still regret to this day- it involved a lot of casualties and burst eardrums.

Not done yet though- there was then a war in which Forako and I both fought. I almost died but someone on the opposite side saved me. Forako wasn't so lucky however..." she paused before continuing, her eyes brimming with tears. She shook her head to get rid of them and rubbed her eyes.

"Anyway, I had set out to find my friends along with the guy who saved my life. We actually found half of them but then someone must've decided they needed me here." Suddenly, she realised that they didn't know how her magic worked. She went a little off-topic so she could explain it:

"Sorry to go a little out of context but, I haven't really told you how my magic works have I?" She pointed at her guitar, "This bad boy has two settings, normal instrument and DESTROY MODE! If I use it as a normal instrument, I just play music like any other guitarist. If I use it as a weapon, it sends out frequencies high enough to deafen people, smash windows and probably damage surrounding animals and insects." She took another largely unattractive caveman-style bite of her sandwich.

"I don't know why they want me really, my magic destroys more than it fixes but... ah well. I If you're needing some people out of the way or any minimal damage done, I'm your go to! I'll also play music for you anytime you want me too," she smiled as she finished her sentence and then took another bite out of her sandwich-

"Hungry!" she justified.

[Northwest Slobovia]

The Burrows, Clinic

Sandy was riveted by Sterling's report, his expression starting blank but becoming visibly relieved as Sterling went on. From the extent of the damage to the Building and the one known fatality, Sandy had expected worse. He did mutter "Right, Elka, not Adri" when Sterling mentioned the Arkadians.

He nodded at Maghrl's and Rmwtyliin's offers, paused for a second to think, then nodded once to himself, having made a decision. "Kale seems the worst injured, so let's start with her. First things first: pain relief. Nick, either putting Kale to sleep or numbing her will work; just ask her which she'd prefer." He turned his head to speak to the plant mage. "We also have a powerful injected painkiller, if you prefer." Sandy hoped she didn't. While he'd practiced some first aid since returning from the Wold, his technique wasn't the smoothest, nor was he the most confident in practicing it.

Sandy pushed a chair next to the examining table so Nick could get up on the table, then faced the healers again. His tone seemed more like the history professor he was than a sergeant barking out orders, explaining rather than demanding. "Next is Kale's broken leg. I'd normally rather... conserve, um, magical resources, which would mean setting her leg and putting it in a cast to heal by itself. However, since Gretta doesn't seem to be here, and there don't seem to be too many injuries, I think we can use faster methods. I think Maghrl and Alexia have have the most suitable abilities for healing a broken leg. We should..."

Sandy paused, thinking about his wording. "We should verify that there's no problem using both the Force and magic on the same patient, if we can. While Kale's hurt, she'll live without supernatural treatment. One day, we may need to help somebody much worse injured, and I think we should be sure our treatments are compatible."

Sandy glanced down, rubbing his jawline for a second as he collected his thoughts, then looked back at the group. "That leaves the others. Yes, Rmwtyliin, look for Elka and, um-- drat! She told me her name, but I was too concerned about Kale to catch it. See if they want care. Oh! And yes, it was fine to use the treatments Giovenith prepared."

"That leaves... the android, Sakarias. I think we'll have to leave him to the techpriests; I don't think we can help him. So... does anybody have questions or other ideas?"

Sandy thought he was done, but remembered something, snapping his fingers as it came to him. He turned to Romulus. "So, General: three injured, none critically. One known dead; we found her on the front lawn, apparently blown out of an 8th floor apartment by the explosion. I think we have sufficient supplies to treat the known injuries. I'll see ask around and see what the Burrows-dwellers have on hand, otherwise, we'll have to go to Ascalon for more."

[Chedastan]

The Burrows, Clinic

The General nodded at the Healer after having listened to his and others' exchanges, he now felt a more welcomed sense of relief from what he heard, as at least it meant that some things were going right. "Good, I thought we'll be in more dire straits with that explosion, but it looks like you and the other healers got this current situation mostly handled, Sandy. I'll also let you know that I've taken the liberties of ordering a relief center to be set up just close by, it should be big enough to house a lot of us and our supplies when it's done, so we won't sleeping on the ground tonight." He grin a bit then shifted to face Mezran, realizing he had use for him.

"Looks like I got what I needed to know from here for now, come, we'll talk for a bit outside where it's less cramped and the injured won't be as disturbed." He started walking out the door, gesturing for the Klingon to follow him out. While Romulus was glad they hadn't suffered anymore causalities than they did, he knew it was all too lucky that they even manged that. Though he still knew that there were still people at the building, so there was still a chance it could get worse, only it'll be at a minimum if it did.

Once they got out, Romulus turned to the Klingon again. "As you just heard, under my authority a perimeter for a relief center is being set up in the Burrow as we speak, Deuce and the tech-priests are the ones working on it right now. Now I need you to do something as I go fetch the Mayor: Get as many available fighters as you can find and station them at points of defense, like along the wall or at high points like towers. If you have to commandeer a building, say that it's under my orders on the behalf of the Building. Now also check with Deuce and tech-priest's progress, when they're done with those tents get them working on the walls right away. Got all that?" He said to him and paused. "Okay I'll go find Mercer now." He simply said before running off to find the Mayor.

[Northwest Slobovia]

Speaking of food.... What kinds do they offer here? I don' really need to eat, but it'd help relax us after the disaster that just happened. Me and Oto got trapped in the room under the floor that exploded, after all. I'm just glad no one died, but Kale isn't in the best condition after she pretty much singlehandedly held up the ceiling while we were rescued."

Amanda paled as Sakarias described what happened. "My God! You were right under it?? I'm very glad you're all right. Damaging the Building is difficult, so I can only imagine the power of whatever exploded."

"And this?" Amanda gestured at the walls of the room. "This is a pub, a proper English pub. Their menu has the sort of things one would serve in a pub, which probably doesn't help you much. They are a bit flexible, so you can see if they'll cook you something else."

She recalled something he said: "You're a violinist? What music do you play?"

"Amanda," Hunter greeted lightly with a nod, although his face flashed with obvious concern while his eyes wandered briefly at the young woman and the synth. He maintained his welcoming smile however, "Fancy seeing you here. Everything alright?"

Amanda looked up at Hunter with an expression suggesting both puzzlement and doubts about his sanity. "You mean besides the explosion at the Building and everybody fleeing here?" She chuckled uncertainly. "Yes, I couldn't be better, in all sincerity. I have a couple of new clients. For the first time in three years, I get to practice law." Her face brightened -- she was delighted by the prospect of a few days in court -- but her eyes still held a quizzical cast: what was he getting at?

She pointed at her guitar, "This bad boy has two settings, normal instrument and DESTROY MODE! If I use it as a normal instrument, I just play music like any other guitarist. If I use it as a weapon, it sends out frequencies high enough to deafen people, smash windows and probably damage surrounding animals and insects."

"I don't know why they want me really, my magic destroys more than it fixes but... ah well. I If you're needing some people out of the way or any minimal damage done, I'm your go to! I'll also play music for you anytime you want me too," she smiled as she finished her sentence and then took another bite out of her sandwich.

Amanda eyed Otonako's guitar as the young woman described its abilities. What did Sandy call that sort of thing? A thaumaturgical focus? Amanda brought her gaze back to Otonako, wondering about the nature of her Gift.

"There's no 'they' that wants you, Otonako, just Demens. He says there's a war between him and others of his kind, for the fate of the multiverse. A bit clichéd, perhaps, but that's why we're all here, all of us Residents, and a surprising number of other people here in Galli as well. This --", Amanda gestured more broadly, taking in everything in sight and then some, "-- is Demens' heaven, warts and all." There was a touch of sarcasm to her voice.

Amanda's lemonade arrived, and she drank almost half of it. She'd rather have coffee, but her supply was at home, and Sandy was busy. Amanda leaned back in her chair. "Our first two missions bring back two musicians. I wonder what the old boy has in mind. I wonder if he even knows", she mused.

[Mincaldenteans]

Clinic

Alexia jumped to action, gesturing for the jedi to follow her over by Kale. In their quest together, she had gotten to know more about the force, its various permutations and applications, though from what she understood, Maghrl wasn't adept to healing others. Mainly it was internalized, as healing with the force was a rare ability, or at least one that took years to master. Still, he had quite an impressive array of uses for the Force, one such was telekinesis, or as close to it as could be classified. That alone would help immensely for the next few minutes.

"Kale," Alexia greeted, a warning lilt in her voice as her eyes gazed upon the plant girl's leg briefly, "This... this may hurt more than you're already in, but if you don't move, we'll get this done as fast as possible. Anais," she turned her head back and the ritualist returned her gaze, "Spirit of Recovery?"

"Of course," the woman nodded and moved away from Sandy and Sterling. She looked around for an empty spot and took a corner as she began murmuring a prayer.

Alexia turned back and gave Kale a reassuring smile, "We'll patch you up in no time. Maghrl, I'm going to need you to hold her still, especially her legs... mostly her legs... Meantime..."

Tricky part, she thought to herself. Mending broken bones and deep wounds were never easy. Alexia specialized in it because her healing dealt with one person at a time, focusing on her power as blessed by Dwayna to keep the injured from certain death. She also knew it would (or could) hurt immensely. Some said it was like a fire searing every nerve ending in their body, others like a thousand needles drilling into them, or a surge so painful it wasn't certain it actually happened. Different people, different outcomes, and Alexia wasn't sure what it would be like for Kale.

"You have her?" Alexia asked as she rubbed her hands for a moment. Silence pervaded the room as she concentrated with eyes closed while mumbling an Ascalonian prayer under her breath. She then moved her hands over Kale's legs, mere inches above the girl's skin. For Alexia, there was a gentle heat forming, she couldn't tell what Kale felt.

"Don't... don't move," she urged gently. gliding her hands up painfully slow while the heat intensified. Off to the corner an ethereal sound echoed in the room, the spirit of recovery had emerged, chained within the ethereal circle of power. Like its namesake, it would affect any around its sphere, 'encouraging' a patient's body to accelerate its own healing.

"Hold her still," Alexia urged and shoved the well of power into the girl's legs, feeling the blue energies that coalesced in the small space disappear into the girl's broken leg, mending torn ligaments, tissue, muscle, right down to the bone and marrow. Maghrl's force ability helped keep Kale's legs aligned and still, making Alexia's job easier over all. It was over in less than two minutes, but for Kale, it must have lasted a lifetime. Alexia, for her part, had drowned out all sound. Such a severe injury took a lot of power and it was piercing white noise that filled her head. It was only when she withdrew her hands that sound came back, with Anais by her side asking her if she was alright.

The monk only nodded in response, moving her hands to rest them on her lap. She swallowed a breath and exhale after a pregnant pause, feeling her own power recede as she thanked Dwayna for her blessing. Looking up at Kale, "You'll need to stay here for a bit," she instructed, "the Spirit over there will try to help you recover from your condition quicker, but only if you're willing to let it. Normally, I'd do a much deeper heal that you can stand on your own again, but everyone is different and I'd rather not risk more harm for exuberance. You'll be watched over and tended to your every need while you rest."

Getting up, Alexia lost her balance for a moment, her hand shot up to Anais' arm who had her own hands upon Alexia's elbows to provide stability. "She'll be fine," Alexia said at last.

"And you?" Anais immediately inquired.

"I'll be fine. The trouble wasn't my willing her to heal, it was making sure it didn't over heal." They moved away from Kale as Alexia continued to murmured softly; no need for Kale to hear her next words, "It was making sure I didn't heal the broken leg as is."

The ritualist nodded in understanding, "Sandy, the spirit will last for as long as I will it to, although it will last drastically less if the patients let it do its work. Kale and the others could use a bit of a boost, I'm sure."

"So can I," Alexia said with a silent huff, sinking onto a chair. "Combat healing is much easier compared."

---

Outside the Clinic

Mezran could only let out a grunt in acknowledgement. The toD'Sah spoke like a well trained lapdog, something he let slip more than once toward the General since his return from the dragon slaying journey. Of which Mezran wasn't entirely impressed with. What was the point of spending months to come back empty handed without victory or honor, neither song nor story, only some sort of agreement that the creature wouldn't rampage through the Wold again? Bah, they were better of killing the vile thing. The klingon said nothing of it, although he put the blame squarely upon the General for sparing the dragon's life. Some leader.

Now he spoke to the Captain as though he wasn't aware of the situation himself. Part of him could understand, attention was divided, but there was equally something unsettling being talked to as though he were a bekk. He didn't say anything out loud, preferring to leave the General in the same fashion and took the opposite road as the first people he met were the Guild. There were still banded together save the healers. He approached them with a visible scowl on his already marred and crested features. Times like these Mezran couldn't help but think of Tavana; her voice of reason (with the insults) helped fight his prejudice over humans.

"Set up a defense perimeter," he barked sharply at the guildies, "Get Tor'E or anyone else with a rifle, find a spot in the highest building as well as any others in the defense team to rotate their shifts as needed. The General," he said with thinly veiled irritation, "Has made it clear that what happened at the Building will not happen again here."

"Understood," Traxt spoke up on behalf of his comrades, nodding to the rest of them to find everyone else in the Defense team and alert them to a perimeter and sniper point. Mezran only grunted his acknowledgment of it and moved on to find Deuce.

---

Under the Moon Pub - In more ways than one

Hunter took a seat by them and raised his hands up, offering a peace of sorts, "I may live here now, Amanda, but that doesn't mean I'm aware of everything that's going on with the Building. But it does explain you, Rodney and two unfamiliars in the pub. And also explains why a few of my regulars rushed out the pub, it wasn't the first time they've done so, but that's usually because there's some silly drunken contest going on outside. Is everyone alright, do you know? Or you?" The nevidian's eyes looked at Otonako.

"I'm glad your practice is doing well," Hunter said with a smile, though his eyes gazed upon the two unfamiliars again. Who were they and were they to be trusted. Of course, hearing Otonako ramble on was enough to tell him she wasn't any harm... well, not intentionally anyway. Tame for the most part, and if that guitar was anything to go by, could make a mean tune. He didn't say anything to that, however, it just didn't seem his place.

"Have you heard from Summer?" He decided to change topics, albeit a difficult one to answer. Faeries didn't answer to anyone on a whim, but Dan was there and his friend had been silent since his departure around the same time as Hunter's.

[Relikai]

Konayama Miyuki

Bowing to Romy and those who were with her as they entered the village, Miyuki realised that she was kind of exhausted, thirsty and needing a place to sit. The bar nearby seemed a good place, Miyuki carefully stepping inside and finding a seat. There were plenty of people inside, probably resting from the earlier exertions and efforts, with the Building and all creating an eventful day. Lives were lost, and people were wounded, Miyuki last heard, as she whispered a silent prayer for them.

"Bartender." She called. "May I have a glass of water? I'm afraid I do not have any currency for the flavoured drinks."

[Northwest Slobovia]

The Burrows, Pub

"Have you heard from Summer?" He decided to change topics, albeit a difficult one to answer. Faeries didn't answer to anyone on a whim, but Dan was there and his friend had been silent since his departure around the same time as Hunter's.

Amanda remained baffled by Hunter's lack of interest in what was going on around him, even with his explanation. Perhaps he'd moved out too long ago to have had the techpriests work his phone over, and that's why he was so out of touch. Either way, Amanda accepted him dropping the subject gracefully.

The confusion on her face deepened as she puzzled out his question, but when the answer came, it came in rush: she could hardly forget having Mab briefly as a passenger. "Summer...? I'm not sure what you-- Oh, do you mean the Summer Court? Ask Sandy about that. He's been spending time in the Freywold. He might have heard from them."

"Bartender." She called. "May I have a glass of water? I'm afraid I do not have any currency for the flavoured drinks."

Amanda nodded in Miyuki's direction, then spoke quietly to Hunter. "When you get a chance, see if she wants something more substantial than water. We've started going out to bring more of Demens' Chosen here, and they're arriving without local currency. Please open a 'Building Emergency Fund' tab for them; Sandy and I will cover it if need be. Hopefully, we'll be back in the Building by dinner time, and this will be the last we'll need of the tab."

[Fvaarniimar]

Clinic
Sleep later.  This won't take that long.   Tap - numb - moments later, Kale's distress was apparent.  Meowing, he hurriedly shifted position to hug her arm.  Not working.  Need to increase.  Need to maintain.

A moaning man on his back, Nick thinking of the need to numb, prey he didn't - Now, in the present, he called up that feeling.  Got it.  Stronger, don't feel it -  Kale's pain would cease entirely, as would all other tactile sensation.  Additionally, she'd feel much sleepier, and rather nervous with an undercurrent of terror; hopefully the former would cause her to close her eyes, or at least squeeze them shut regularly.

In time, the connection strengthened.  Half a minute in, Kale's strongest emotions were perceived, if faintly; a minute later they were clear.  Not long afterwards, Nick's leg seemed to start to ache; the ache worsened.  Worse, it was transmitted to Kale.  <I can't continue this.  Shit.  I'm going to have to break the connection - it holds a few - owwww!> The nerves were being stimulated; it kept changing.  The numbness would last mere seconds -

That was plenty of time.  The yelping Nick stretched, focusing on breaking the connection, then quickly got back into position and reestablished it, hoping that, as usual, the interruption would reset things. Kale would notice her pain becoming slight discomfort before steadily worsening, then ceasing again.

Whew,/Yes! it worked...  Sleepiness again, Kale would notice, and a gentle murmur of thought-focusfocusfocusnopainmouseexcepetfriendfocusfocus...

Once Alexia finished, he cuddled up to Kale, hearing the whispered words as he closed his eyes. They snapped open, but shut again in a moment - and finally, the cat got his well-earned nap, although his dreams weren't to be the sweetest.

[Torsiedelle]

Torii didn't know what to do...

Wgere would she take Nash? Minerva and Klaus were elsewhere, and Torii just wanted to make sure the kid was safe. Sbe also was still coughing. Her throat was burning...

Though she didn't get around as much as her neighbors, Torii knew a bar when she saw it...or a tavern...pub...whatever.

She moved towards it, and stepped in behind some other residents. She recognized Mrs. Bela and Otonako. Was Amanda around then the building exploded? Torii wondered what they were up to. First, however, she needed a drink. She approached the counter, baby in arm, grabbed a drink, and found a seat.

[Holy Lykos]

Pub

Sakarias was confused what this whole Summer Court thing was, but assumed it wasn't his business so ignored the chatter between the newcomer and Amanda about it. He set to work dusting himself off more, taking off one of the plates of his arm with the help of a screwdriver he pulled out of his pocket and a piece of cloth or two. He scrubbed the interior portion of the plate and then started working on some of the inner workings of his arm too, the metallic ligaments and all other sort of analogues his body had. "Sorry about this, I know it tends to be pretty creepy seeing someone take a piece of their arm off, but I am a synthetic human, basically an intelligent robot if I didn't mention it earlier. I also got really clogged with dust while we were extracting myself and the others from the ruined apartment earlier.....

"Oh Amanda, someone mentioned these Tech Priests, I believe the name was, and that they might be able to help me with repairs and replacement parts. Maintaining myself can be hard work, and I got knocked around by a lot of rubble, I think my head is dented in a bit now, even. Do you know what a Tech Priest looks like so I can find them later?

"On the subject of the music I play... I went to school to learn how to play violin professionally but never was able to finish it due to extenuating circumstances. Its been a very long time since I've had proper practice, living in a wasteland is a daily fight for survival. But I do know the expected, classical, Romantic, bit of more modern music. I'm a big fan of the old style of Swing music and... uh" The synth glanced away for a moment, looking for all purposes embarrassed. "Uh, that new rock stuff isn't bad either, but I'm not familiar with any rock bands that use violins. I should be able to play any sort of music if I put my mind to it, especially with how this new biomechanical brain of mine works."

Clinic

Maghrl sighed in relief, glad Kale would be okay. "Oof, Mag need practice with healing, might get near goodwise as Alexia-healer oneday! Though healing Force difficult, and no teacher of Force herewise, least not now. Anyway, Any otheruse Maghrl, Sandy?" The squib asked, wondering how else he could be of use. "If no, Squib could use rest. Retrieval not easy job, you bet. Giant spider things!" He winced at the memory, still peeved they had to burn the jungle to escape. How much damage had their brief visit caused? A tropical area like that definitely wouldn't be used to forest fires, especially not ones that raged like the General had caused.

"Same here, anything else you need of us?" Sterling piped in, trotting from the side of the room where he'd been watching nervously as Kale was being cared for. At lest she seemed better than she had been, but the pony wasn't sure if he'd still be needed either.

[Mincaldenteans]

Hunter took the dismissal of the topic to heart, despite his neutral expression backed with a nod to Amanda's words. If he didn't know the workings of the Building and its Residents, it stood to reason he wouldn't know what went on with the Faerie Courts. Of course, there was one other avenue to go about finding Dan, he just wasn't sure if he worked enough to be in the mayor's good graces, let alone a moment for her ears only. He shot a smile thereafter, hiding his disappointment from Amanda's response and got up from his seat. He may run the place in lieu of its owner, but that didn't afford him to be sloppy.

"Of course," Hunter said nonchalantly and looked toward his guests, "Since you know me, consider your tab on the House, but do sparingly; I make a living off tips," the former resistance fighter said with a bland smirk and went back to work without further ado.

He stopped momentarily to address Sakarias, turning his whole body around as he examined the cyborg... or robot... or whatever it was that didn't register as biological. "We have a blacksmith in town; not the same as what you're used to, but the village has been exposed to some of the techpriest workings over the months. If you're looking for repairs, do so outside, last I need is to clean up after you.

"The village could use a live band or some such," Hunter continued, moving away from them, although he spoke up loud enough for everyone to hear in a conversational tone. Given the spacious interior, it was something of a feat, "While peaceful, they're a tad... dull. Why don't you guys put an informal performance out tonight. From the looks of it," by this time Miyuki had entered in to order a glass of water, "Stands to reason you could liven some spirits up rather than dwell on things you can't control."

By this time, Torii had entered, ordering a drink from an attendant with a baby in her arms. Hunter moved over to stop the attendant, if only so the newbie wouldn't lose her job, part time at that. His scowl said everything, however, and his expression gave no indicator to being argued with, "Torii... this is a pub. I don't know what that means to you, but last I checked it meant a location not suitable for minors. Selene won't be serving your drink: handle your ward before you step back in here."

[Torsiedelle]

"Huh? Oh, well..."

Torii's stomach flopped. Yes, it was a pub, but, she thought...she couldn't think. She had a baby, yes, but what about the others? Wait, she was the only one with a baby.

There was that feeling again. That horrible feeling that she had done something wrong and was going to be in trouble for it. Torii's lip quivered. "I didn't think, but, um, I'm so sorry! I just-"

A cough.

"I just didn't know what to do, and I don't know where Minerva or Klaus are, and I really want to find them, but how can I? I mean, I'll try again, but again I'm really sorry! Please don't tell them, I just needed to think!", Torii said, words flying out as fast as she could say them. She was quick to back away to the door, and step out again, head down. She felt terrible, and incompetent, and ready to cry (though it wasn't hard to make her cry at all), standing there all alone with a child. She really didn't look hard enough, she thought. She needed to look harder.

[Fvaarniimar]

Village
As Rmwtyliin exited, she recalled Sandy's suggestion to Otonako.  Then, there is a liquor establishment here...and she is likely there. Probably surrounded by people...

Not recalling the direction, Rmwtyliin took a few minutes to find the pub. Arriving as Hunter scolded Torii, she paused with the door half-open - Duncan was speaking.

Torii - adult. I am not. If she is not allowed -
I should stay outside -
Is that Amanda? She seemed to be with Otonako. If she has her phone - oh, do I have mine? I could call... Fumbling in her pocket, Rmwtyliin found that the device screen refused to light up. And - she waved absentmindedly. "Helllo, Tohrii!" Duncan's lack of translation might surprise the inadvertent babysitter.

Uh-oh. I lack their numbers anyway - On second thought, she would have had to call Sandy. Talking to Amanda would be faster, or - pushing the door open again, she yelled. "Helpful woman with changing hair, please join me for a 625th of a day? There is concern for your health."

[CAT XIII]

The Pub

Otonako looked up from her plate, which was now empty, upon hearing Rmwtyliin's voice.

"Wait what?" she stood up and grabbed her guitar, "Why? I feel fine but I guess I'll go with you, my name's Otonako. I'm sure I introduced myself earlier? Anyhow, if it's easier then you can call me Oto."

Otonako paused for a moment, then blushed as she remembered the bill-

"Um, would one of you mind paying for me for now? I'll pay you back as soon as possible, I just don't have the relevant currency with me right now."

Her hair darkened as though it had been dyed with fresh blood due to the amount of embarassment she was feeling. She winced in self-pity as she felt everyone's eyes turn to her. "Sorry, it uh, it does that." She cringed and then pulled herself together, allowing for her hair to calm down.

[Swith Witherward]

~ Ì̘t̘̰̥͖̱ ͉̙́͟Ć̤̪͔͉̦͎̥̦̀o̷̠̩͝m͈̭͙̣̪͔͙̤ͅe̢̮͍̬͜s̩͕͞ ~

Disasters haven't any respect for anything else around them. Such was the case now. The Building was in no mood to pay attention to Residents, or tents or anything going on in the distance. It concerned itself with the horrible pain rippling through its 9th floor.

Everything around them seemed to slow, and Klaus felt as though he had been caught in one of Minerva's well-Timed traps. The godling's hand dipped into her pocket, and emerged as though a frame at a time, and then Time caught up once more as birds exploded into the air. The force captured his officer's cap, and it flew from his head to slap gainst he Building's bricks. Turbulent air rippled his lapels and flicked the hems of the godling's clothing. Volker's carefully groomed hair snapped out of conformity and whipped about his face and then he fell through his own shadow. The birds rose and pivoted in formation, and both German's eyes widened as the individuals gave up their liberty in order to merge into a shield.

"Tha-" was as far as Klaus got before a mighty blow tore him from his squat and slammed him into the godling. The furnaces of hell drowned out his scream with their own hiss. Klaus curled around the girl as they flew forward. Strong arms wrapped around her own to press them against her chest, shielding the Creator's daughter from Chaos' torment. The same could not be said of his own backside; heat tore the tears from his eyes even as magic flayed the flesh from his matrix. The ground streaked beneath them, Giovenith's shield quickly growing clearer as they rocketed towards it. They tumbled as the blast continued to ripple around them. A small object floated into the godling's view; the shiny golden locket containing Sophie's picture slapped Giovenith's cheek as it whipped along its chain. For a moment, Giovenith could see the blossoming heat behind them reflected in its surface. The locket spun, suddenly capturing the girl's own widened eyes.

Pain robbing him of imagination and hellfire consuming his form, Klaus latched upon the first thing that came to mind. "Gioven-... take us...to momma!"

Warmth of a different sort blanketed her as his words died in the surrounding hiss. He hadn't much of his own power left to give, so long had it been since he'd walked the Void to regain his strength, but he freely offered it up to the younger god in an effort to strengthen her own.


Far away, within the village, Sandy's magical senses would hear the Building's scream moments before the godling's shield stifled all sound, and the Luxans would taste chaos turn from peppery wrath to bitter lament. But all other eyes would only see the rippling cloud of birds forming a shield between their former home and their current location.

Mayor Mercer paused outside the church gate to stare in the direction of the shield. The fat parish friar darted from the church's doors to meet her at the churchyard fence. He blinked as his fingers danced in strange, sacramental gesture to ward off whatever was occurring beyond the village proper. "Demens bless us all, what on Galli happened?"


"Klaus!" Minerva's voice revealed her location as location to Torsii as rose above the din. The cultist leader pivoted, Sophie still tightly pressed against her. "Klaus!" She double over as his name tore from her throat. She couldn't see beyond the birds but, like the Luxans, she could taste the familiar pantheon flavors of a chaotic god, even though it was just a fragment of Demens. Beyond her sight, beyond their senses, a god-killing explosion was surely blossoming where she and Torsii had stood not too long ago.

Minerva's vision blurred with tears as she frantically cast her gaze about, and found the girl only a short distance away. She was at her side in a moment, and Sophie's feet touched ground in order for Minerva to wrap the young woman and baby in her embrace.

"Oh gods, oh gods," the cultist leader's husky moans rolled across Torsii's ear. Minerva's fingertips brushed the girl's golden locks and came to rest, cradling her head against the older woman's shoulder. "No. Please... no."

[Torsiedelle]

Of all of the things Torii had seen and heard, from explosions that left corpses all around her, to earthquakes and crashes caused by alien weapons and city-killing disasters, Torii still froze up with terror whenever something came from the building. The safe place that she had come to associate with everything dear to her was still a mysterious, dangerous place, and it wasn't often that she was reminded of that anymore, but there it was at that moment.

She was snapped out of her daze by Minerva. She nearly jumped out of her skin, then melted into the woman's embrace, letting her take the child as she wished.

"Minerva?", She asked, somewhat slowly at first, uncertain. "Minerva?", She repeated, the second time sharper, more aware. "What's happening? Is Gio alright? I haven't seen a lot of people since I got here. What about the injured?", She asked, her voice full of worry. She bit her tongue, but couldn't help another cough. Damn her, what was wrong? She had inhaled something bad in the building.

[Tiltjuice]

Luce of all people had gone boneless where he stood, falling into Dora, who herself staggered under his weight and only stayed upright by catching herself on Katya's shoulders.

"Luce?" The redhead turned to look at her once initiate. A loss of composure on that kind of scale was thoroughly unlike him, and for once she sounded extremely concerned, her voice as soft and gentle as Chrys' at her best. Across the pub, Minerva was just as distraught, and everything had started to go awry at once.

Powers or no, Dora was suddenly stuck.

"Help me," she snapped out briskly at Katya.

[Chedastan]

The Burrows, Churchyard

Just as the General turned around the corner to find the Mayor just outside the Church's gates, he paused himself from approaching her as he stood there and looked up to briefly witnessed the anomaly that was occurring to the Building, he simply stared in unknowing silence as swarms of birds formed a shield around the Building. It was clear to Romulus that it was a bad, perhaps even grim sign for events that were transpiring inside the home he had lived in since he came here months ago. He could only imagine that the birds were being called in to give vain relief from the stress that was building up on the Building's structural support, perhaps to give more time to the inevitable failure of its integrity. If he had to guess, it probably won't stand for much longer.

He then looked away from Building and onto Mercer, he knew all too well the need for focus is right now. He quickly got up to the Mayor and placed his gauntlet-clad hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "Mayor Mercer, as you can tell from the distance I am in real need to speak with you right on the current situation at hand, and to inform you that a relief center is being set up inside the Burrow by the Clinic under my orders, along with posting of personnel along this area's perimeter." He spoke to her in as professionally and calm as he could given the circumstances.

[Northwest Slobovia]

The Burrows, Pub

"Of course," Hunter said nonchalantly and looked toward his guests, "Since you know me, consider your tab on the House, but do sparingly; I make a living off tips," the former resistance fighter said with a bland smirk and went back to work without further ado.

What an odd conversation, Amanda thought as she watched Hunter leave. It was one thing for him to offer to pick up the tab for the new Residents -- not that Margaret really should bear the cost of the Residents' quirks -- but she could pay her own way. She'd have to catch up with him and get the matter straightened out.

A glint of metal caught her eye as she turned back to Sakarias. She glanced at his repair work, but it didn't hold her attention. "Hm? You're fine, there are other machine-people in the Building. The leaders of the techpriests' orders are heavily cyborged, for example. I think they may be almost entirely cybernetic; it's part of their devotion to their god. They all wear robes, though, and few other Residents do, so that should help you find them. Ask for Adrastus, he's their overall leader and voice in the Building. He should be able to direct you to the right person to help you."

Hunter's suggestion of live music brought her back to Sakarias' mention of his abilities, and she smiled at the thought. "You're very well-trained! Most of the violinists I knew at home played just with orchestras. Playing swing might draw a crowd, since it may be pretty new here. I'm not sure any of the Burrows-dwellers have heard it before. I can sing, by the way."

Amanda looked up as the conversation at the bar caught her attention. Why was Hunter giving Tori a hard time? Margaret allowed families here; she'd seen them herself. Further thoughts on the matter were dismissed by Rmwtyliin shouting from the door, and Otonako's reaction to it.

"Um, would one of you mind paying for me for now? I'll pay you back as soon as possible, I just don't have the relevant currency with me right now."

Her hair darkened as though it had been dyed with fresh blood due to the amount of embarassment she was feeling. She winced in self-pity as she felt everyone's eyes turn to her. "Sorry, it uh, it does that." She cringed and then pulled herself together, allowing for her hair to calm down.

Amanda reassured her with a smile. "There's no need to be concerned about your hair. We Residents have seen a great many things, as have the people of the Burrows. You'll fit in just fine. And yes, yes, I'll take of the tab. Don't worry about it. We brought you here, so we'll do our part to get you settled in."

[Holy Lykos]

Pub

Sakarias glanced up at the man as he mentioned he'd prefer if he cleaned out his inner workings somewhere else. Mostly for the cleanliness issue. There had been a bit of dust left on the table and floor which he quickly mopped up with his cloth before stuffing it back into his pocket and working to get the panel re-affixed. It was nice the Institute had focused so much on making sure these parts could come on and off at the drop of a hat, and be so interchangeable. It made it easy to simply remove pieces that were damaged beyond repair when needed, and replace parts. Their efforts were to make an improved humanity after all, and Standardization had been one of those goals in the long run.

"Well, Most was me simply playing the violin in my off time and practicing. The more classical and orchestral playing was a result of my education, and while its great hearing those grand sounds and being parts of a whole, Swing is so energetic and enthusiastic, and amazingly fun to play." Sakarias responded with a nod. "Oh and thanks for telling me what to look for. What color are the robes? I saw this little... alien I think, purple furred fellow, who was wearing brown robes earlier and fussing over my body. Really seemed to love the robotics of it."

Sakarias sighed, and scratched at his face a bit, feeling a phantom itch. That was one of the more annoying parts of his new body. His brain still felt like it should get itches and other things so occasionally he felt the urges, and other such things. It was so odd. "Oh, you can sing? That's lovely! I always wanted to get training on singing professionally too, but the carpentry job kind of took up my life up until the end pretty much. And its rare seeing people who have any real musical talent in the wastes.... I really like this place much better. Its so full of life and hope and everything, even if its strange. Its easy to despair when even the plants struggle just to survive."

[Torsiedelle]

Her feet hit the ground, Katya still quick on her reflexes, even if not as strong. She moved around Dora and helped to keep Luce up, looking just as worried as the others. "What the hell is happening?", She asked, to nobody in particular as she shimmied to get a good position from which to hold the man. "Everything gone to hell in the blink of an eye!"

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't as scared. Her legs were shaking, making it harder to keep balance. She was thinking of her apartment. Her and Torii had countless valuables, memories, all in there, and then there was worry for their neighbors, and the village, too.

What was going on at the building?