Collab with @EstylwenThe Jolly Jalopy:
Ezra stood from the bar, stepping a little into the lobby of the Jolly Jalopy as he pressed a phone to his ear. It rang twice before connecting.
The Doctor looked at his phone as it was called, he hesitated on the mere idea of answering it as he pulled a strand of red thread and a needle closer to him, away from his project. He narrowed his eyes before placing the thread down and moving to answer it.
”Hello, Doctor. I believe we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. You and I… Perhaps, we have more in common that I'd like to admit. And perhaps we both want to use little Webb for our own ends.
“My Underboss informed me how your meeting went. As long as Webb is not harmed, I would allow supervised contact with him. If you can agree to that, I have a proposition for you that would make you and your organization stronger. Perhaps, going as far as, joining forces. A storm is coming, good Doctor, and I feel we may fair it better together than opposed.”He knew he’d be calling him, the Doctor stayed silent as he listened to Ezras’ words. He narrowed his eyes under his mask as he closed them for a moment. He chuckled at the ‘Good Doctor’ comment; which gave Ezra some note that he had answered and was listening.
”The Midnight man coming to ask the Black Web for help?” He almost laughed to himself, he moved his hand under his mask to rub his cheek and then his chin, mulling the idea.
”I do not expect a man like you to understand why the Cult needs ‘little Webb’, nor can I fully give my word that what I need him for will not hurt him.”The Doctor pulled away from his desk, moving to cover it with a large cloth before pulling off his gloves, a shadow tendril holding his phone to his ear so he could continue to use his hands freely.
”But I’ll bite. Figuratively, of course. What have you got in mind? The Black Web cannot offer much other than numbers; and even then, most of them aren’t Gyfted; unlike you and I.” He spoke calmly, a small grin in his voice as he mentioned that his members weren’t gyfted,
”But they’re loyal, and will do whatever I ask them to do.”Ezra shrugged.
”Like I said, as long as I can supervise and ensure Webb’s health, and as long as whatever you’re doing is for his betterment, I can agree to it. Some gyft’s are born through pain.”He glanced back at Antonio briefly, seeing the man make his own calls, before he drew his attention back to the Doctor.
”And you needn’t worry about a lack of gifts. My good friend has unlocked the ability to bestow gifts temporarily, so they will be effective soldiers.
“As for my proposal, I would be interested in conquesting with you. We would split the spoils, of course. If you’ve heard of Antonio Litwin, I intend to march with him onto Lougham, and then onto the rest of the Order and Kairo districts after that. I would extend that same invitation to you, with the spoils being split. That means more funding for your organization. I could also throw in my friend’s gyft-giving drugs to empower you.
“What do you say, Doctor?”There was silence from the other end of the phone, before the Doctor cleared his throat before speaking.
”My apologies, I was taken aback by your plans.” He said, he was definitely interested in the entire idea, if it meant more funding for him - and possibly getting Webb in his hands, which meant he could try the ritual faster than he needed - He needed to call off Mia.
”I would love to help you.” He said after a moment.
”It sounds like you are out right now, I assume you’re talking with comrades? May I come and join to meet my new conquesters?””Of course, we're all gathering at the Jolly Jalopy, incidentally enough. You'll also be able to meet the man we intend to conquer. If you could make it over here in about fifteen minutes, you'll be right on time.” Ezra said easily, eye creasing.
”See you soon, Elliot.”As the phone hung up, the Doctor furrowed his brow.
How did he- He hissed to himself before he headed off to get ready.
Phone Calls:
Finally, Ayla was home, tucked away in one of the offices under the Ig Notus name. She was still, curiously, wearing the dress she had been given while she was a prisoner. She poured over information scrawled on a notepad in front of her, and she made a call, pressing a new cellphone to her face.
Eventually, the call connected, and one of the receptionists manning the orphanage's phone greeted her. Ayla responded in kind,
”Hello, this is Ayla Sephone of the Dark Aces. I was wondering if Miss Talon was in? It's very important I speak with her.””Good morning! I’ll send your call up to Ms Talons’ office, she may be busy but she should take the call!” The receptionist said with a smile in their voice before they put her through to harriets’ office phone.
It called for a moment, almost as if Harriet wasn’t going to pick up; before it clicked.
”Harriet Talon, Hamlet Orphanages; where adoptions are what we do best. Who am I speaking with?” Harriet spoke, she sounded fine on the surface, but if one was to listen closely, she was
stressed.
”Miss Talon, a pleasure to speak with you, my name is Ayla Sephone. I have a, let’s say, proposal for you from the Dark Aces.
“I understand you have a bit of a detective problem. What if I told you I could get rid of your problem if you help my boss in his conquest of Nocturnia? We would pay you handsomely, of course.”Harriet raised an eyebrow as Ayla spoke through the phone to her,
The Dark Acres? This must be big business. Harriet thought to herself.
”A bit of a detective problem, yes.” She repeated as she listened, narrowing her eyes.
Harriet was never one to work alongside anyone, but if it meant she’d not be hunted down by a detective aggressively trying to put her in jail for doing
good where his men did wrong, she’d take whatever help she’d get.
”If it means the safety of my flock and family, I’ll help how I can.” She said in a stern voice,
”I cannot offer many arms, but who I have to fight are strong.””Wonderful,” Ayla purred on the other end of the line.
”Consider your problem with the law over. Meanwhile, we are planning an attack on the Order. I'll coordinate with you when I have more details on where and when. Does that sound fair, Miss Talon?”There was a moment of silence from Harriet before she sighed.
”That sounds fair, I await your calls. I’ll send you my personal number to this cellphone, so you can contact me easier.”
After the call with Harriet concluded, Ayla went right on to dial Glade’s number. When it connected, she smiled.
”Hello, Mr. Brey. How was your night in the safe house?”“Ayla, You’re alive!” Glade replied, relief in his voice before he cleared his throat to speak again,
“Admittedly as comfortable as it can be with armed guards breathing down your neck.” He chuckled at the answer he gave.
She smiled at that before giving her notepad a tap, nearly reading off the scribbles.
”Have you seen the news? I have a solution for that, if you're interested.”Glade raised an eyebrow at the mention of a solution, before he gave a small grumble.
”I saw the news.” He said with a sigh,
”I even have a ‘friend’ up my ass trying to convince me why he shouldn’t give me up to the Nickel district.” He gave a hollow laugh and closed his eyes, leaning back on the couch of the safe house.
”If you have a solution, I’m all ears. Anything to potentially get back into doing gig work.”Ayla made a sympathetic face on the other end of the line, which coloured her voice.
”Well, it’s not an ideal solution, but I believe the best course of action would be to remove Asterion Kairo from power.”Even as she spoke, she felt a twinge of guilt. But she had a job to do. And this was just how the game was played.
”We would use your ability to get the drop on the movement of the enemy before and during the strike. And we would cut a path through the Order to get to Kairo. Of course, you would be paid well for your work. And, after the Kairo Empire has been dismantled, you would be able to resume your gigs city-wide freely.”There was mild hesitation from Glade,
”Will we have to kill him?” He asked after a moment,
”I’ll help however I can, Being able to do my gigs will be good.” He hesitated,
”I’m not trying to be pushy at all, but will my help be compensated; not monetarily, but… Ezra knows my problem, will he help me in return?” He asked after a moment.
Ayla's voice was soothing on the other end.
”He hasn't forgotten. And we've found an edge on that. Give Ezra some time, and we may have a lead. You will get your sister back, one way or another.”Glade gave a soft sigh and nodded to the phone; knowing that Ayla wouldn’t have seen it of course.
”Just… making sure; it’s honestly one of my biggest priorities - As I said to Ezra last night. Thank you, Ayla.” He said with another sigh, this one less shaky than the first,
”I hope you’re doing okay. I was worried about you.”Ayla pursed her lips on the other end, before she spoke.
”Mr. Kairo is strangely magnanimous, treated me ‘like a guest’ while in his custody. So yes, I am doing fine, thank you. The priority was to get you out, and in that endeavor, I was successful.”Glade hesitated before he nodded and breathed out slowly,
”I’m glad. I know your focus was on me, but I’m glad you’re unharmed. It's nice to know that Mr. Kairo isn’t as horrible as I expected him to be.” He chuckled before closing his eyes.
”Have a good day Ayla.” He said before the phone call ended.
After the call with Glade concluded, Ayla took a moment to stare out the window. The only way Glade was getting his name cleared was to take down the Kairo Empire… It fit with her boss’ goals, but still, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty, helping to plot Asterion's downfall.
Shaking away her thoughts, Ayla pressed the phone again to her ear, calling Webb's number.
Webb had just gotten through the door after being with Viv, he placed the small cardboard box he had been babying carefully on the counter before he jumped at his phone ringing.
”Hello Webb~” She cooed.
”How is everything? You might not know me, but I work for Ezra, same as you. My name is Ayla.
“Do you need anything? Can I restock your fridge?”Webb listened to the voice on the phone with a tilt of his head, he was confused for a moment before Ayla introduced herself.
”New friend! Hello!” He replied cheerfully before he moved to open the fridge to check if he needed anything.
”If able, maybe ham?” He asked, he was always partial to some ham, ever since Viv got him onto it.
”Done, I’ll send someone over today.”Ayla took a breath, before speaking again.
”I'm calling today because Ezra would like to make you an honorary member of the Dark Aces. That means you'll get a pay increase, and your job will include more things on top of making friends with the Canary. Does that sound alright to you?”Webb closed the fridge before he blinked all four of his eyes - out of unison - at what was told to him.
”Webb has another job?” He asked hopefully, his abdomen wagging slightly,
”Sounds great! Webb just got bugs for spying too! Will heading soon to place!”Ayla seemed pleased over the phone.
”Wonderful! I would also ask that you plant some of those bugs in the Kairo Tower and in the Order’s main church in Riverbend, as tasks for your new position as honorary member of the Dark Aces. There’s no rush on these, whenever you have time. Your top priority is still the Canaries.”Webb moved to grab a pen and started to scribble the places that Ayla had asked him to place bugs down,
”Yes I can do! Getting more bugs not hard, Viv will help.” He almost rattled off to Ayla as he practically beamed down the phone,
”Anything else needed for Webb to do?” He asked, excited he had more to do.
Ayla's smile could be heard in her voice as she chuckled lightly.
”Not at the moment. Focus on those three things, and you're welcome to text the boss your progress.”Webb nodded at those words,
”Understand!” He spoke before Ayla signed off.
Webb realised he needed to go to the Canaries, he needed to know the best places to put his bugs! He also had to make
another order to Viv, but if Ezra was paying him, he could pay her back properly.
He moved the box to his bedroom before leaping out of the window to head off towards the Canary’s tower.
Front Office, Silverside
Interactions: Griffon, Eagle @Yankee
Webb swung down from the rooftops and walked easily through the door of the Office, pausing and shaking his leg to disconnect the web hanging from him.
The wind will get rid of it at least, it wasn’t too much to expend making an anchor line like that; and it wouldn’t harm anyone if it flew into them - Similar to one walking into a standard spider web.
Webb watched the area quietly as he walked along, giving a smile to the front desk and to Griffon before he disappeared into a room to let some of the bugs go that he had brought with him.
They were mainly trial spies; a couple of Silverfish - which quickly disappeared into the gaps of the wall, where the carpet met the edge. He let a couple of small moths go - the ones whose wings folded back into a streamline, the ones able to hide on the ceiling without standing out.
He’d need to be in a more crowded room, in terms of items, to let any others go; but they were still at home. He had a couple of pill bugs waiting for him, a small centipede and a couple of jumping spiders and a little huntsmen that he was planning to put in a couple places.
The jumpies would be good for bathroom areas, they enjoyed the fresh air from the windows; and their bundled webbing was never extremely noticable unless you were
really looking for them.
Webb walked out as Griffon turned to him, his ears pricked up as she started to speak to the spiderling. Webb nodded at the word ‘help’.
”I can do!” He said excitedly before he looked at the pictures given to him. His head tilted all the way to the left as he studied the photos - similar to a dog trying to take in more information.
I wonder if this what Ezra need too? Webb thought to himself before he looked back to Griffon and nodded.
”Easy! Webb good at hiding in shadows!” He said before he looked towards Eagle and offered up his top left arm for him to shake.
”I’m Webb, nice to meet new friend!” 
flux
Vampiretwilight
AngelBites15
ErosSense
RestlessBlue
Visyn
Estylwen
Fetzen
ScreenAcne
Snowdrops