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4 yrs ago
Current Boy, you're like a pizza cutter: all edge and no point.
3 likes
4 yrs ago
I think I should write a pithy roleplay about how an expenditure of effort does not entitle you to your perception of an equivalent reward. Anyone know someone who'd be interested?
7 likes
6 yrs ago
Okay, let's be honest for a second here, if we stop the status bar from being edgy angst land it really doesn't have anything going for it except sheer autism.
2 likes
6 yrs ago
Does anyone know where you can get a white trilby embroidered with threatening messages? Asking for a friend.
3 likes
6 yrs ago
My genius truly knows no bounds. Only an intellect as glorious as mine can possibly G3T K1D.
3 likes

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Behold the Terrorists of Valhalla:



Behold the Cavemen of Valhalla:

Most Recent Posts



TIME: Yesterday - Morning | LOCATION: Amegakure - Hotel | INTERACTION: None


The journey on the VTOL craft had been quite smooth - not as luxurious as Yuhi had hoped, but smooth nonetheless. He'd largely turned his attention inward, reclining lazily and reading a thick book bound in rich and supple leather, as the sights below and the noise within escaped his attention entirely. Even entering the atmosphere of Amegakure he had only noticed a slight cough and a wheeze every now and again due to the quality of the air with how intense his focus had been. When they landed, his focus was unshaken. When the door was opened and the smog got in, he retched violently for a second and was brought back to the world, his lungs filling with shaky and hesitant inhalations of the noxious air and his eyes watering from the acrid sting that had assaulted his senses. He'd never really experienced this sort of thing before--and though a part of him delighted in any new experience, it was made quite small by how positively awful it was to breathe in the pollution in Amegakure.

Still, he took in stride as he gingerly walked his way off of the aircraft and into the city proper. Unlike many of the other individuals getting themselves together and departing the vehicle, he had not visibly brought any actual luggage with him--the only thing he had was a small backpack, stuffed to the brim with various scrolls and books. Everything he needed for a comfortable stay was secured within, and the lack of weight made his life far easier--a sentiment shared by the young man walking up to him with the name "Jikangai, Yuhi" spilling from his lips. He confirmed that the name did indeed belong to him with a simple nod.

"Mistress Kyoko sends her regards, Yuhi. Follow me, please."

Before he started to walk, Yuhi moulded and kneaded his chakra internally for a brief moment. Once he had finished, he was adorned with a simple (but relatively effective, considering its material) paper umbrella that kept him and his precious cargo from the downpour. As he followed his guide, he considered Amegakure. He'd read that it never stopped raining in Amegakure, but had never really given thought to what that would mean in the context of him specifically: he'd never planned to visit Amegakure. From everything he'd read about the place (which was, unsurprisingly, not an inconsiderable amount) he'd thought it positively dreadful. Necessary, and good for the health of the world, but utterly dreadful. Luxury had been all he had known for a very long time, and though he had not expected the trip to be anything short of harrowing he hadn't been quite prepared for how inhospitable it seemed in this rainy, smoggy city. Living in a palatial complex on a private island in the Isles of Mist had rather changed his opinion of what acceptable living conditions meant - though he supposed he'd thrown that out of the window as soon as he'd accepted Kyoko's offer to send him on this expedition.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at a hotel and his paper umbrella was quite a bit worse for wear (though the worst had been abated by his chakra). He discarded it in a nearby garbage can and entered the lobby of the hotel before being checked in and ascending to his room. He took the time he had to relax as much as he could in the room he'd been given. He didn't want to call it plain, but that was exactly what it was. Still, there were facilities to brew tea and facilities to give himself the last peaceful hot shower he'd likely experience in quite a while - he made liberal use of them, and in the evening he recorded his thoughts and observations about the city in a diary. All things considered, he was quite excited to find out precisely what he'd learn on this very hush-hush trip. He'd been given cryptic instructions about what to expect from Kyoko (even by her standards), and rather than waste his time attempting to decipher her words he would happily wait to simply be told what was going on in the morning.


TIME: Present Day - 8:55AM | LOCATION: Amegakure - The Great Hall | INTERACTION: Squad One


The trip to the Grand Hall was, as expected of Amegakure, unpleasant. Between the rancid air and the constant rain, it would be easy to believe that one was beginning their first steps into an eternal punishment--but Yuhi knew better than that, and figured that acclimatising to being uncomfortable was useful for whatever it was that was coming. He entered the room relatively leisurely (and surprisingly dry, all things considered) and confirmed his identity and such with the assistant at the door. He was given a number, presumably for a seat, and walked down the aisle until he found where he was supposed to be and sidled along until he found his seat.

He wasn't... surprised, exactly, to find Tsubaki had been placed next to him but his initial reaction was one of confusion. He could largely tell from the man's bearing that he was exceptionally nervous about something--he was positively filled with consternation. He wondered what there was to be so nervous about when the moment of revelation was close at hand, other than the knowledge that they were about to obtain. That would certainly be a nervous excitement, though, surely? It certainly wouldn't be whatever he was feeling. Yuhi made it a point to introduce himself as formally and briefly as possible, giving his name and a curt nod to the fellow he was now sitting next to, before he reached into his backpack and pulled out a book and a pen. He opened the cover carefully and meticulously, removed the cap of the pen, and prepared himself to write down any pertinent information that was about to be discussed. He was sure they'd receive some official notation from the briefing, but he always wanted to record information himself. He found no small amount of comfort in having his own notes to review, for one thing, and he had promised his benefactor that he would provide her with every piece of relevant information that he came across. He was quite convinced that she would, somehow, already know anything that he was about to write down - but he was always thorough when it came to information. He presumed that selfsame thoroughness was what had earned him his position on the squad he was one - but seeing Tsubaki fretting, he wasn't quite sure.

He elected to not give much more thought to it, instead waiting patiently for the head jonin to begin the presentation. There would be plenty of time for camaraderie and bonding with his fellows later. Now, there was information to be had and work to be done.


This is currently a WIP as I need to add history to integrate things into the new setting, but everything else is essentially finished.


RESERVED FOR WHEN I EVENTUALLY GIVE IN AND MAKE ANOTHER CHARACTER
Katya - NJC




~”Da, eto ya - Katya.”~



Ohohoho, I get to be the first to accept Nao!


Arc 2; Day 1 - One Night in Hell - 12:00/17:00


The preparations for the club's grand reopening had been going on for some time, and each step along the way had been laboriously pored over by Nabriales at some point or another. Minor adjustments for taste and style, proper organization, and outsourcing the majority of the contractors had been something he'd been happy to take on and delegate amongst his vast commercial network of contacts. While money was not an object for him, the plans to fund One Night in Hell had only very recently begun and it was not quite as simple as giving away free money - though he'd filed the paperwork for Victorious Inc. earlier in the day and the company would be formally recognised by around 15:00, the work did not end there. He had enlisted a veritable brigade of legal, commercial, and financial staff to create for him the sprawling network of shell corporations that was required to effectively begin the movement of funds (as well as start what could very well become a multinational conglomerate the likes of which had never been seen before) to One Night in Hell, and by virtue of that, to the Resistance.

As such, he'd been extremely busy. By the time he'd finished up with Sarah and Sophia, and closed Victorious Secret for the day at 12 on the dot, he had immediately teleported himself to the entrance of One Night in Hell, creating a far larger poof and explosion of colour than he normally would. Without a grand entrance, he reasoned, there was no occasion - and the occasion of the grand reopening was spectacular indeed! The second he materialised outside the doors, he waved a friendly hello to the doorman and strode into the club. He'd picked his outfit especially for the opening - nothing but a rainbow-coloured jockstrap, covering the bare essentials but leaving almost literally nothing else to the imagination. It was an occasion to impress, after all, and he felt that it would really best represent his own personal stakes in the club.

He gave the room a moment to admire him before teleporting himself directly into Masha's office. He knew that at this time she'd be probably be down someone's throat, chastising them for unnecessary delays and interruptions to the schedule, or perhaps because the services delivered weren't quite up to her particularly exacting standards. It was a quality about her he admired - many people simply weren't... cutthroat enough for business, and if the last few months of work together had taught him anything about her it was that she was certainly capable of that level of ruthlessness and attention to detail. He'd also long since worked out that she was Darius' beau, and had been developing an appreciation for his taste in partners as well as teasing the fox relentlessly about it. In his mind, it was the perfect arrangement.

"How are things going, love?" He started, before realising he was interrupting a phone call and promptly shutting up. In the time it would take for Masha to finish up her call, he summoned a bottle of the good champagne - one of his favourites, the Moët & Chandon Dom Perignon White Gold (he figured she would like the collectability of the bottle) - and two equally opulent flutes. Bringing her the most expensive and decadent of alcoholic beverages had become part of his job description at this point, he thought to himself, and was amazed by how happy he was at the fact. Many people simply didn't have the taste for luxury that he had, and having someone to share the experience with was what made it so valuable.


Masha hung up the phone with a finality to it that said she might never speak to them again. It probably wouldn't be the case, but she felt the threat had been conveyed enough that they'd get their shit together and she wouldn't have to deal with that again with them. She sighed heavily, flopping herself down in her chair again, grabbing at her cigarette case first before murmuring a thank you to Nabri in her native tongue for his offered drink.

She hasn't been certain at first that she would like him. She honestly still wasn't sure that she did like him and not just his money and that he gave her nice expensive booze for free when she needed it. He was...alright. And he did do a good job bartending. And sometimes that made it feel like he was paying her to work. And she liked that.

Taking a long drag of her smoke, she ran her free hand through her black hair, looking down at her dress. Which was fine and lovely, even if not up to her standards for opening night. She'd have to change still, which was something she tacked on to her ever growing list of things she needed to do.

When she looked up at him she blinked golden eyes in confusion. “Please tell me you have shorts on or something,” she murmured in a tone that said she knew if he did that it would be a lie.

"You're right, I think it's a bit much... There'll be plenty of time for a grand reveal later, no?" Nabriales winked back, letting out a slight chuckle as he took Masha's joke in stride and turned around, showing his bare buttocks to her and twisting his head around to look at her, before giving her a wink and teleporting a chair directly beneath him for him to sit on.

"Aren't you doing something similar? I know you're dressed up to the nines, love, but surely you're going to show some skin at some point during the evening? Tonight is about marketing, and we have to show our assets if we're to attract the kind of clientele and attention that you so desire. Besides, you want to show Darius what he's missing every second he's not here, hmm?" Nabriales continued, simultaneously summoning his phone to his hand and scrolling through his contacts. He had a fairly considerable amount of social influence that he could leverage to ensure that the opening night was a success - but there was far less he could do to ensure that they wanted to keep coming back and bring their friends with them. Masha would have to shine tonight - it was a delicate act to balance the influence she had on the operation of the club. She would have to be seen mingling with the guests, but not be seen micromanaging every aspect - though, of course, that is exactly what she would be required to do.

Though their relationship was somewhat tenuous at best, Nabriales had already fairly thoroughly evaluated all of Masha's skills and traits. Reading people had always been something of a gift of his, and though she was markedly more complex than he had originally imagined he at this point knew enough about her to know that there would be no issues. The corners of his lips turned up into a warm smile as he glanced over at her while continuing to weave his subtle social machinations through his phone, and he took her measure entirely. Masha looked stunning - he expected no less, of course - but the combination of her natural beauty and fierce personality shone through superbly; every facet and every detail was worked out exactly, precisely, to the point that Nabriales questioned if there were mistakes woven in purposely to give an illusion of human error that quite simply did not exist.

Noting the state of her neckline, however, Nabriales' eyes shone with a scintillating spark of magic and mischief. With a delicate gesture, he pulled from the aether quite smoothly a simple black velvet box and handed it to Masha. He cracked the lid open slightly, and even in the ambient light of the room the box emitted an array of twinkling colours, shimmering gently as if to invite the eyes to look. He'd leave the rest for her to open herself, though he did make sure to note that the necklace within was hers to keep, if she so desired.

Contained within were vis crystals, pure and flawless, made to look like precious stones. The craftsmanship was, to put it bluntly, peerless beyond measure - and though he wasn't sure exactly how much they were worth in traditionally financial terms, they had taken him the best part of a month to make. Everything was, of course, tailored to Masha - it evoked a primal sensuality, subtle but domineering, and a sense of elegant refinement that simultaneously drew the eye and challenged one to shelter themselves from the brilliance on display. To call it anything less than a masterpiece would have been shameful - and as he handed it over to Masha he kept his gaze locked on hers, ready to vicariously drink in her enjoyment as she beheld his craft.


Masha watched him with at first slight surprise (though really she should have expected him to show off his ass to her, even if he wouldn’t ever be interested in her) and then frustration. “I don’t need to show off my body on opening night just to get people to come back,” she said with growing frustration. It wasn’t that she had any sort of problem with that, but that was just not something she wanted to default to on the first night. Where did you go from there? “And I don’t need to tease Darius like that any. He already knows what he’s missing well enough.”

She paid no mind to him looking her over, she was sure he was up to something, but she couldn’t spare the brain power at the moment to worry about what he was thinking. So instead she took the few moments of respite and just enjoyed her drink and her smoke as he did whatever it was that he was doing. There was so many things she had to worry about, big and small. And she knew that there was going to be someone working against them from the inside as well. Because Cortes was still being a thorn in her side, even if it had seemed to take a back seat in his priorities.

Since her mind had wandered towards the less pleasant things, it took her a moment to notice that Nabri was talking to her again and offering her a box. A jewelry box. She took it from him, confused, and put her cigarette down in her little ashtray (that could really use to be emptied because she’d been mostly chain smoking a good portion of the day). She looked at him, then to the box, and back at him with a raised eyebrow before looking back down and slowly opening it up to see what was inside. The gasp that came out of her was totally reflexive and outside her control.

Masha didn’t need to know him to know that this thing was more than just a pretty trinket. She could feel the power in it, and knowing him, she knew that he hadn’t just acquired the gems, but made them. The sapphire and emerald stones glittered in the light, drawing your eye into every perfectly cut facet. She murmured in Russian about its beauty, trailing thin fingers with sharp, dark nails along the chain and then the gems, her lips tweaking into a wicked little smile.

“You spoil me almost more than Darius does,” she said with a little laugh at last, looking up at him as she pulled the necklace free from the box and put it round her neck. “Though his spoiling is a little more physically satisfying.”

"I do have potions for that..." Nabri quickly retorted in response to Masha's last comment, also giving her a wry laugh to indicate that while he was definitely serious about the quality of his potion, the context was largely made in jest. As much as he'd have liked to have watched her fawn and swoon over the work of art he'd given her, he appreciated very intimately that they were pressed for time and elected to decide to move on to the actual business at hand. He'd noticed that Masha was very hands on with her work, and while he appreciated that she could only reasonably have confidence in her own abilities it was about time that she let someone else take over and actually get herself ready. Stress was as much of a killer as the metaphorical and literal knives in the back associated with the life Masha had chosen, and though he always worked to provide her a little succour wherever possible it was absolutely not enough.

"Look, love... You're going to kill yourself with all of this stress. You can be the perfect host or you can try to micromanage every aspect of the evening - but you can't be seen to be doing both! Let me make sure that everything is running smoothly while you take a few hours to get yourself ready, hmm? You deserve to relax with how hard you've been working and you know that I can take care of all of the rank and file business. I have looked over all of the plans at least as many times as you have!" Nabri smiled, walking over to her as he began talking and placing his hands on her shoulders to give her a quick massage. He kneaded her muscles as he spoke, working out where the most tension was kept and gradually releasing it with kneading of varying pressure and depth. As a man who worked with his hands practically all day as well as a self-confessed hedonist, Nabriales' massage skills were nothing short of excellent - though he normally put his talents to more carnal uses, Masha would still receive nothing but the very best he could offer her.

"If you're so inclined, I can teleport you over to Darius' place and back once you've had plenty of time to... Enjoy yourself? You just let me know what you want and I'll make it happen - and I'll worry about all of the details. We've tended this little garden very carefully, and I'm more than capable of making sure that any thorns don't rear their ugly heads..." He spoke, adding a soothing lilt to his voice. It wasn't quite singsong, but gentle and melodic like the wind passing through chimes. He wasn't sure that he'd be able to persuade her to let go of even a shred of control with how she was, but he knew that he had to try for the success of the evening. Much hinged on tonight, and part of his own success relied on the evening going well. As an afterthought, he produced a small bottle containing just a mouthful of a lightly pink-red liquid - something Masha would recognise as his own substitute for morphine. All of the high, but none of the downsides - and something he only offered sparingly. He offered it to her knowingly, making an exception for the severity of the night.


She had started to shift when he’d put his hands on her shoulders, but it only took her moment to decide that she didn’t want to make him stop. Her eyes closed and she did little beside taking a drag from her cigarette. She didn’t want to let go of things, she wanted to make sure that everything was perfect. But he was, as much as she hated to admit it, right. And if she could trust anyone to do it, it was him. Because the success of this night was important to him for slightly different reasons. But it was important nonetheless. Whatever political thing that they had going on, she was still trying to work it out because her brain had been too busy with the club itself, was going to need this place to thrive as well.

Masha looked up at him with a slightly saddened smirk. “As much as I would like that, I don’t think he’ll be as inclined at the moment to have me popped into his office in the middle of the day.” He made plenty of allowances for her as it was. But there was only so much he could do and still make it appear that he wasn’t favoring her any or that they were in fact together like they were. And she understood that, she didn’t like it, but she understood it and wasn’t going to make a fuss about it.

She had already considered taking his offer up, for at least giving her a little bit to go get herself ready, but then, oh then, he offered her something even better than good wine or vodka, better than any shoulder massage he could give her, and sometimes, even better than the offer to go see her favorite lover for the afternoon. She didn’t even give him a chance to detract his offer, to teleport himself out of her reach and stop her from getting it. She reached out with her free hand and snatched the little bottle out of his hands. “I do need to change…” she said with a smile that was wickedly delighted by the idea of what he’d give her. As much as she didn’t mind things like the occasional hallucinations that came with too much morphine, it would be nice to be able to continue to work while also enjoying the high of something better than just alcohol and nicotine. She stood up, looking around her for a moment before shaking her head to clear it. Not succeeding, but trying anyways.

“I'm sure you can...you can…” she trailed off, her brain skipping ahead now that she had be given the choice, though was it really a choice when they both knew how she’d be when given that? She was normally much better at that sort of thing, keeping her priorities straight. But she was so very stressed, and she knew very well how unstressed that would make her feel.

Nabriales laughed to himself under his breath softly as Masha chomped at the bit to get at the vial he had offered her. The immediacy--the primal urgency--that was expressed as she stole away the vial as if it were under threat spoke volumes about the habit that he was enabling - and truthfully, he couldn't bring himself to feel negatively about it even a little. There was a purity in the moment that one surrendered themselves to the singularity of sensation; there was a satisfaction unrivaled by the fulfillment of desire on that intimate chemical level. It was something that nothing else could provide, and if it were ordinarily not so horribly dangerous and slippery he'd have been an advocate for everyone in the world experiencing the peaks that narcotics could provide. Fortunately, his particular skill set removed all element of risk - even addiction was a plaything for him to tinker with, and no risk to himself or any under his wing.

It had always been instilled in him, even from a young age, that mastery was important - vital, even - to the human experience. Without mastery, what did we truly have? Without mastery, what did we aspire to - what was the point of existence without wanting to better it and experience that betterness? When he had been old enough to understand that calling that sung to him from within his marrow, it was the first time he had truly known fulfilment. It was an experience he had sought to relive through the use of powders and potions and physicks, and only through sheer mastery had he accomplished it. There was nothing he could not distil and decant - decadence and denial; dreams and domination. All elements of the human experience were there for the taking, and watching that unfold in another being was deeply satisfying heedless of any potential consequence. Still, he was careful to have a downer for her just in case anything went wrong.

"Tell you what - I'll pop you over to my place and you can check the wardrobe out there! If there's anything else you want, take my card and order it - delivery is so fast these days! I'd give you a spending limit, but short of you spending over a billion pounds I don't really care..." He chuckled, handing her a sleek black card and noting down the PIN for her. His own wardrobe was plentiful, but likely not in the style that Masha went for - so he figured throwing money and the equivalent of drugs at her was the best way to ensure her own peak performance for the evening.


She grabbed her bag from under the desk and started to slide her various things that had been strewn about the desk back into place. Picking up her glasses, her phone, her tablet, and all the other little things like chapstick and cigarettes as well as his little gift. She was too distracted to notice the way he’d reacted to her eagerness, and in that moment, she wouldn’t have cared anyways. She was not afraid to admit that she had a problem, she just had no desire to fix the problem. It wasn’t currently affecting her life, she was still being prosperous, she was working just fine, and her social life was doing just grand. So there was no reason to change what she was doing.
Masha considered his offer for a moment before she shook her head slightly.

“No thanks, I’ve already had something picked out for weeks now, and I don’t want to change my mind now,” she said with a little laugh. She considered for one more moment before taking the card from him anyways. “Accessories though,” she said with a little smirk. Not that she’d probably get much of anything but a new pair of earrings perhaps to go with this lovely necklace he’d given her. Not because she didn’t want to take advantage of his offer, but because she had already picked out her outfit for the most part and didn’t have much plan to deviate from that.

“So if you’d like to pop me home, that’d be great,” she shrugged, an expectant little smile playing on her lips.

"Have fun, love! If that hit isn't enough for you or you need a top up, let me know!" Nabriales laughed and waved before poofing her home as she'd asked. She had his number and vice-versa - it wasn't like getting into contact with one another would be an issue. With Masha off getting ready, Nabriales could turn his focus to ensuring that her preparations were completed and strictly adhered to. He knew that a lot of people would think of her specifications as simply guidelines - but he certainly knew better than that, and her instructions were to be taken as gospel. The One Night in Hell stuff would mostly know to stick to her plans exactly - but the external contractors were not typically so informed (minus the unfortunate souls that had been on the receiving end of her earlier verbal thrashing) and Nabriales' job was essentially to make sure that everything went exactly how she wanted it. There were bits and pieces that he'd do differently - aesthetic differences, mostly - but the club was hers and it was her vision, so he wanted to remain completely true to that.

They had their differences, but Masha let him be himself and do things his way and he absolutely had an appreciation for that. As two people who were both used to having a domineering presence, it would be very easy for them to clash and never get anything done... But he thought they'd found a nice harmony in which he could get exactly what he wanted out of the deal, and Masha got showered with lavish displays of wealth for the privilege. Ordinarily, one would think it was a deal that favoured Masha quite heavily - but Nabriales was not easy to get along with when it came to work and he was very well aware of that; it was why he had opened his own store and conducted things his own way.

He spent the next few hours directing things towards their proper place, helping out with magic and money where necessary, and as the time neared opening everything looked pristine. He was pleased with himself for ensuring that events had unfolded as per Masha's designs, and he couldn't help but admire her sense of design. Where in pieces he had thought things looked a little disparate, they had come together with her chosen aesthetic wonderfully. For a brief moment he allowed himself to be envious of her good taste before being shaken from his moment of reflection by the buzz of his phone and Masha asking to be brought back to the club. He obliged her immediately, bringing her right next to him behind the bar, and invited her to look upon the fruits of their labour with a theatrical sweeping gesture of his hand.

"I must say it looks better than I thought it would! Aren't you just full of surprises?" Nabriales heartily chuckled, looking her up and down as he did so. In her completed ensemble she looked stunning - radiantly and fiercely resplendent. Everything came together wonderfully, though his eyes were naturally drawn to the necklace that he'd crafted for her - perhaps it was narcissistic, but he couldn't help but admire just how beautifully his handiwork had turned out. On Masha, the jewelry was breathtaking. Combined with everything else about her, it was a beauty the likes of which he'd witnessed only a handful of times in his life, and he was grateful merely to have been a part of it. After noticing he'd looked a little overlong, he laughed and turned to the space before them. He wanted to watch as Masha presided over the night - it was certainly going to be one to remember.


She looked up at him, the languid look in her eyes flicking with annoyance for a second. “I'm much more capable than I seem, yes,” she replied smugly. “I do know what I am doing after all. Even if you might not think the same way.” And with that she flipped a few stray hairs back over her shoulder and headed towards the stage.

It was finally time. After months of working on this. After hours and hours of stressing. After countless all nighters and all that passion she’d poured into it. It was time. The official opening was about to start. They’d been open their normal hours, but the real party hadn’t yet started. The best deals, the best foods, the best booze, the best music. Everything was going to be the best it possibly could be. And if it wasn’t, there would be hell to pay for it.

Everything looked so nice, the floor was already filled with people, the lights were chill for the time being and not the flashing show they’d be later in the night. There had been a steady flow all week leading up to this night, but tonight, she knew they’d be packed. It would better than it had ever been. And certainly better than it could ever hope to be under Cortes.

The band had been on a break just before and was getting back into position when Masha joined them up on stage. Most of her hair was up, pinned with tiny little poppies and braided perfectly, what was down had been put into loose curls held in place with a fair amount of hair spray. The flowers gave the impression of a crown, and as this the start of her kingdom she wore her little crown with pride.

Her dark green peplos style dress clung to just the right places, flowing freely around her feet. She mindlessly fiddled with her new necklace as most of the crowd looked up to her on the stage, mic in her other hand.

“Welcome,” she said, smiling and hardly blinking when the lights focused on her, catching the gems around her throat brilliantly. She chewed at her lip playfully, playing up her sex appeal with a practiced ease, not even smudging her perfectly applied lipstick.

“Welcome to One Night in Hell. Your new home away from home. Starting now, all drinks are half price, as are appetizers. So eat, drink, dance, indulge. Party like you've got nothing to lose.”

She took a step back, letting Lily come take her place back at the center of the stage. She lingered there though, even after the music had started up again and Lily’s sweet voice floated through the air, golden eyes watching as all of her work came to fruition right before her. She was surprised that aside from a few small hiccups, nothing much had happened. Which of course only made her more nervous. Cortes had to be up to something, she'd done what she could already to start weeding out his ties in this place, but there were lots she didn't know and she just knew him and knew he would do something to destroy this.

But she wasn’t just watching for hiccups. She was searching for familiar faces. Hoping, but also know knowing that it was unlikely, her slick foxxy would be there. If he was, she knew he wouldn’t stay long, and he wouldn’t be like he was alone with her. They’d spent much more time together alone than in public and she wasn’t sure if right this moment she’d be all that distant with him. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she needed him there just now. Maybe, just maybe, he’d show up but not in his normal form.

For her.




~”It is a duty to serve the God-Queen. It is a privilege to act as her hand.”~

























Day 1 of Arc 2 / Approx. 11am

Collab with @Celaira's Sophia and @Solokolos's Sarah


A single page of notes, front and back, was filled by the time the two hour class had ended. It was a rushed, personal shorthand that was very difficult to decipher without also knowing what the subject matter was. The letters were neat, each repeated symbol indistinguishble from the next time it was used. Certain sections seemed to be printed with a typeset as opposed to written freehand. Sarah folded the paper carefully and slipped into her bag. She stood up gracefully, slipping out of her seat and walking out of the class without meeting anyone's eyes.

Though she would never know it, her movements could easily be marked as not quite human. She was lithe, graceful, and she flowed through crowds seamlessly; not stopping, or having to look up. All muscle memory and instincts, she could do it all with her eyes closed.

A crinkle of paper brought Sarah back to reality, her mind reorganizing what she had learned. Posted to a bulletin board in the hallway was an advertisement for Victorious Secret an alchemy shop, and, Sarah assumed, a boutique of sorts. She glanced at the address, committing it to memory, before beginning to move again. Reasserted amongst the crowd, Sarah exited the building, the crowd thinning as she headed further and further from the campus.

Keeping to main streets, Sarah wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed before she arrived. 'Autopilot,' so to speak, had been engaged, making the time disappear. She pushed on the door carefully, letting herself in. "I can spend some time here, and get something to eat before that night class." Sarah justified to herself, as she looked around. Her feet took her quietly to the next set of shelves, which she looked up and down. With the nature of this being a business, she didn't check the air around her for anything strange. She found herself easily absorbed in the small lettering identifying each potion. Of course she didn't dare touch any of them, thinking it might be rude. Her hands were neatly folded behind her back, her eyes wide and inquisitive.

Most of Nabriales' morning had been taken up by frantic calls to and from suppliers, contractors, and various members of the committees that oversaw the creation and moderation of public and private limited companies. He and Sophia had discussed their options with 'Accountant - 8' and were due to sign the remainder of the papers to formalise the creation of a private limited company to pursue any of their relevant business interests. Nabriales had, truthfully, had plans to expand his operations with Victorious Secret for quite a while - this was simply his first step in ensuring that his expansion was legitimate. He'd had his fair share of work in the less... by the book elements of society, but with his newfound involvement in the Resistance those channels were no longer suitable. He'd have to move enormous sums of money for his and Sophia's plans to work, and his existing arrangements were unsuitable for the task. He'd asked several of his associates to begin the creation of a network of shell corporations - and they had acquiesced quite quickly. All that remained for him now was to sign the final set of papers marking them as the owners of an official company before his team would begin the movement of funds and the expansion of his brand.

As a result, he was looking notably more haggard than usual - several empty cups of coffee sitting discarded on his workbench as a fragrant blend of materials emitted a slight purple smoke in his favourite cauldron. A simple draught to be inhaled in order to sharpen the mind and lessen fatigue - one of his best sellers among the soccer moms - and also a favourite among students. He skimmed over several sheets of documentation, signing as appropriate, and after his third check over he had determined that they were all up to speed. With a wave of his hand they were neatly bundled and would appear on Sophia's bedside table for her to read over and sign - and he'd included a draught of his concentration blend just in case. The final page of the bundle was nothing to do with the aforementioned acquisition of a company - but was instead an invoice to the same orphanage that Sophia had recently invested in giving them £1,000,000 in trust funds split between the current 100-ish orphans currently sheltered there. At the bottom of the page was a sticky note that simply said: 'Your move, sis.'

With the news of Ashariel vei Inaris' death, several of his suppliers had panicked far more than was necessary. Much of the rest of his day would involve assuring them that Ominar's economy would not be affected in the slightest - or it would involve him asking one of his friends to do so for him. After being awake for several hours, he'd quickly seen the wisdom in letting the professionals handle those concerns, and let himself slump down onto his counter in relief. He made a mental note to book an appointment for a massage later (and invite Sophia, of course) before he heard the familiar tinkle of the doorbell ring. He gave his eyes a quick rub, scrunching them shut as he did so, before beaming at the customer who came through his door. He let her browse for a few moments, before getting up and teleporting next to her with a faint 'poof' sound.

"Feel free to touch, hon. It's only if you break them that concern needs to be had." He smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a comforting rub. He let his eyes trace over her, vis glinting within them, as a small smirk rose on the corner of his lips. He'd pegged her for a student the second he'd seen her - they all had either that vaguely absent look as if on autopilot or the frenzied look of someone who needed a get out of jail free card when they entered the store, and by her conformity with the former he assumed she was at least a capable student. Perhaps she was here for the concentration blend he'd offered quite cheaply at ZUMA.

"Anything I can help you with, love? The shelves have an excellent stock, but I can craft anything you need if you only ask." He asked, letting go of her shoulder and taking a step or two back.


For someone so adverse to attention, it was surprising that Sarah didn't find Nabriales' presence overwhelming. His sudden appearance startled her a bit, but she found herself nodding along with his words. At the question of help she shook her head a bit too quickly, smiling sheepishly. "No, no, nothing in particular. It's more than a little beautiful, your shop, and I-I couldn't help myself but to look around. I'm not looking for anything in particular-Oh sorry I already said that." The more she talked the more flustered she got. Sarah broke eye contact, finding the potions suddenly more interesting.

Though not overbearing, it was still a lot. Sarah's face darkened a shade, as she investigated a potion marked to be a love potion. It was the first thing the could find to occupy her hands, the red liquid within sloshing inside not very viscous at all. Light filtered through it, casting dancing red shades onto her hand behind it.

In the back of her mind she wondered if he could tell she had a ward up and was practicing discretion, of if she was that much better than she thought. "I should seem to be a just barely magical human if anything, but I was also told to watch out for those who could see through the ward. Is he dangerous?" She had that thought a lot. It was best to predict dangers than to react to them. and she couldn't get a read on him. At the same time, Sarah would never imagine him actually hurting her. "I'm just a bit panicky, I guess," She thought, a breath she didn't know she was holding getting released as she relaxed.

As Nabri busied himself with his patron, he would receive a text from his sister.

Nabri, could you teleport me over there, to sign these? I really can't be bothered to walk.
Sophia


As Sarah spoke, Nabriales nodded along with her words. After she'd finished speaking, her gave her a gleaming smile and a hearty, musical laugh. He was very proud of how Victorious Secret had turned out, and it gladdened him to have someone appreciate its beauty. There was an etherealness and a brightness about the store that he'd worked very hard to cultivate, and as he took a few seconds to look around her appreciated it alongside her. The store would always be special to him, and though he wanted to expand he knew he could never leave it behind. There was too much history, too many memories - in a way, the store was his home - not one of the edifices of opulent wealth he owned for the sake of owning them. Nothing made him happier than his work, and it truly did warm his heart to have someone new to the store see even a fraction of what he saw.

"Alright! I'll be behind the counter - feel free to browse for as long as you like! If there's anything that piques your interest," he began, nodding towards the love potion she'd found herself holding, "feel free to inquire! I'll give you a free sample for your excellent taste in shops." he finished, adding in a wink for flair, before poofing himself back over to the counter and resuming going over his paperwork. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and fished it out of the loose robe that he wore. He'd gone for a lilac today, though as he looked at himself he felt like the colour just didn't fit. He waved his hand again and with the trademark 'poof' he replaced his outfit with a scintillating rainbow dressing gown, tied at the waist with a thick, fluffy belt. It hung from him loosely, and he had to resist the urge to twirl just to see the colours refract through the light.

He took another breath of the mixture in his cauldron before checking his phone and noting Sophia's request. He made it happen in an instant, though he transported her to the back room with all of the paperwork so she would actually focus instead of talking to him about it. As much as he loved her, and as much as he loved to do nothing, the work was vital this time. Humming a contented tune under his breath, Nabriales switched his cauldron with one in the back with yet another obnoxious poofing sound, before picking up several ingredients from the workbench and going over them, adding samples here and there to the cauldron. He kept an eye on Sarah, discreetly, waiting for her curiosity to bubble over. It didn't take the inquisitive types long, normally.


Sarah felt drawn to mimicking him as he looked around the shop, taking it in as well. Before she had even looked at him, she could tell what his face would look like. Just at the edge of being present, not quite there. Memories and mementos certainly cluttered the shop, even if some of them were also the product provided. She could never imagine doing something similar in selling riunes, they were an extension of her own will. Separate, with a connection all the same.

She was caught in the act of nodding confirmation after he teleported away. Was he teleporting? Was he turning invisible? Gently, Sarah lifted the vial, trying to study the liquid closer, when she noticed a marking engraved into it. Her fingers gently traced the design, magic leaking through her fingertips and exploring the design. A teleportation beacon? Something of that sort, definitely used for transposing. What (or who) remained a mystery. A soft scuffing sound played quietly out as she set the vial down. Gently she turned the vial, replaced how it had been picked up.

With hesitant steps, Sarah moved herself deeper into the building, leaning out to look into the backroom, trying to be subtle about it. It was hard to look for anything with the light casting such magnificent shades all across the floor and walls. She gracefully turned the lean into quite steps, the curiosity outweighing the danger of a social faux pas as she headed further into the building.

"Mostly reagents in the back, hon... Though I assume you're more drawn to the runic teleportation matrix drawn there?" Nabriales asked without looking up from the flower whose petals he was carefully removing and infusing with his vis. He shot a sidelong glance towards Sarah's location, his eyes glowing softly with the scintillating rainbow energy that surrounded him whenever he manipulated vis, before returning to the delicate task he had at hand. After a second or two he placed the petals into the cauldron next to him and used his fire magic to heat it up gently, rubbing his right horn to stoke the flame just a little more.

He could almost feel the pull of curiosity from Sarah now, though some of that was likely just the nature of the runic marks and her inherent inquisitiveness. He'd sensed a spark of curiosity not unlike his own when Sarah had looked over the rune at the bottom of the vial, and it had reminded him greatly of the same sensation that had fluttered around his breast when he'd first discovered alchemy. Perhaps not quite so intense, he thought, as Sarah was surely not born with that innate potential as he had been. Being imprinted with the knowledge of alchemy at birth had driven him to where he was, and though he knew only his fellow Precursors felt the same permutation of that tugging on one's psyche that he'd felt, he was sure there was something similar about the human that had entered his store.

Though not much of a believer in fate or its ilk, Nabriales knew quite intimately that there were forces beyond sight and feeling at work in the universe. He simply figured that Sarah had been caught up in their vicissitudes, drawn inexplicably to him for a reason not yet clear to him. That, or he'd inhaled too much of the concentration aid and was suffering a mild case of cosmic apotheosis. It happened from time to time, tolerant though he was, and he figured he'd just let her poke around until he had decided exactly what he was feeling.

"Feel free to go and examine it! I dare say you could learn something from it, hon. I can see the runes sparkling in your jacket like little iridescent gems... Solid work, though you've a way to go!" He laughed, sounding supportive rather than condescending. There was a warmth, a sense of being genuine, in how he spoke - and it would hopefully register that way to Sarah. He didn't press the issue, but the invitation lingered in the air like a gentle fragrance mixing along those in the store. As the cauldron bubbled away, the scent of lavender would gently waft throughout the currents of air in the store as the liquid within began to take on the slightest purple tinge, and just as it did Nabriales was already preparing another ingredient.


Nabriales' words elicited a stunned response from Sarah. He had a way of watching her throughout the shop, that was interesting. She nodded suddenly at the mention of the teleportation matrix, reaching out to sense the vis around her. She took a couple steps in the proper direction, but hesitated. At his further urging she began to take another step before he finished the sentence. At the mention of the runes on her jacket she awkwardly glanced at him, catching herself heavy on the leading foot. It was encouraging, sure, but she barely had time to process I know about your jacket before being hit by solid work. Sarah felt like she'd been given a one two punch, and she was anticipating the knockout blow.

With more careful footing, Sarah headed towards the back, trying to act nonplussed about the statement. "Thank you. Judging by what I've seen so far, that is something I should take to heart." She said, her voice a bit higher than the last time she had spoken, but not excessively so. Sarah approached the room where the vis she was sensing seemed strongest, though occasionally she turned her head as if to better 'hear' the vis. The door opened easily as she pulled, well oiled hinges making it silent. Sarah crouched down just inside the doorway, making sure to smooth her skirt out as she did so. It was muscle memory, but Sarah herself was surprised she had remembered to do it considering the work of art in front of her. A large network of runes covered a large portion of the room, intricate designs wound together expertly. She touched the closest runes, one of the outer ones, letting magic flow out of her and onto the design. Exploratory, hand and magic alike studied the design. So he had been teleporting throughout the shop using this, and something to do with the vials? There was plenty she could learn from this, very, very interesting.

Sarah leaned back, propelling herself up with her hands, and gracefully turned it into a stand. "That's an amazing piece of work you have there." She said, sounding sincere. "Learning stuff like that always seems just out of reach. . ." A wistful tone filling her voice. She reached vis out to her jacket, and triggered a couple of gates across it. Though it showed no outward sign, various precautionary defences had been activated. The jacket would keep the area around her exactly the same temperature, and more readily resist physical force if applied.

Nabriales largely busied himself with the potion he was brewing, continuing to mix reagents, adjust the temperature, and control the flow of vis within the brewing potion as he observed Sarah's observations. The matrix was a quality piece of work - he was glad someone else could adequately appreciate it. Runic magic wasn't necessarily a specialty of his, but his natural predilection towards magic had rendered it a fairly easy art for him to excel in. He'd only really bothered learning things pertinent to his own interests - which began and ended at teleportation, insofar as runes were concerned - but the skillset was largely transferrable to any form of runic magic provided the basics were learned.

"Don't be silly, hon. Your mind can't make the leaps and bounds it needs to just yet, but as time goes on you'll certainly get there! You've got several hundred years to master it." He winked, letting his lips curl upwards into a sly grin.

"Feel free to copy it and study it! Or you can come back here whenever we're open - just ask my assistants Damian or Vi if I'm not around! You can also find me at One Night in Hell behind the bar if you're looking for a more recreational time!" He smiled, waving it off as if it was no big deal to him. Truth be told, while the matrix would be considered an accolade within the more academic circles, it had very little meaning to Nabriales beyond the practical - and he was more than happy to let someone else learn from it. He looked up from his potion, a somewhat pensive expression across his face, before he teleported himself into the back room a couple of feet away from Sarah, browsing the nearby shelves for a specific ingredient. He picked up a dried root before teleporting himself back behind the counter, and shaving off a couple of thin strips of the root into the awaiting cauldron.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can make for you, hon? Maybe you'd like a tour of the lingerie section instead...?" He proffered, summoning a vial of a dark, inky liquid to his hand and adding a single drop to the cauldron. With that ingredient, and a surge of his vis, the potion settled into an almost silky violet liquid that smelled faintly of freshly mown grass and sweet summer days. Nabriales took a big whiff of the liquid and smiled contentedly, then opened his eyes as if in epiphany and grabbed a small black stone from a small saucer of them on a shelf above his workbench and popped it into the potion, adding a faint smell of licorice to the brew. With a satisfied nod, he summoned a tray of bottles and begun the process of bottling the potion.

"This here is a potion that will alter your appearance and vis signals to match a sample of vis that you drop into it. I'm sure an enterprising thing like you could find a way to harvest some excess vis, hmm? Try it out and tell me what you think - it's a recipe I've been trying to get just right for a week or two now and I think I've cracked it!" he smiled, sliding a bottle of the potion across the counter to Sarah.


As the two went about their conversation, light footsteps could be heard trotting down the stairs. Since being teleported, Sophia had been diligently working through the various contracts the siblings had to sign to found their company. On one of the various pages that she had gone through there had been a field for the name of the company. Nabri hadn't filled it out. Because of that, Sophia had decided the company would be called Victorious Inc.. "Nabri! I finished that paperwork you sent over-" As Sophia rounded the corner, stepping into the shop, her sentence cut off. "Oh! You have a customer. Oops." The little prodigy responded, scratching the back of her head with an embarrassed laugh.

Though it seemed a bit silly considering the now clear power difference between them, readying her rune defences was comforting. He comforted her with his words, and she started walking towards his left side to watch from there. At the mention of the time she had, she tripped slightly, barely catching herself. Looking up at him, his sly grin turning her beet red. She nodded dumbly, rising back up to full height. Her eyes travelled over him curiously, taking note of everything she liked and everything she didn't The former outweighed the latter. Again her hackles lowered, the gentle fair color of her skin returning. At the same time she read body language, noting how at ease he seemed. Teasing her as a newfound friend, or playing with his food? A fine line.

Full of surprises, as always, Nabriales offered a tour of the lingerie section. She paused, considering, and he disappeared again. She headed to the front counter, watching as he finished the potion. He summoned forth bottles, and began the process of filling them. The bottle that he slid across the table to her she picked up, and carefully examined. She heard footsteps just as a small woman rounded the corner. Sarah gave her a quick once over, looking confused as the woman interrupted herself partway through talking to the alchemist. The woman noted Sarah's presence, who had turned to the shopkeeper in confusion. They had definitely been the only ones here before, hadn't they?

"Have you been here the entire time?" Sarah asked, focusing her eyes on the new girl for a beat. She took a step back, moving so that she could see both of them at the same time.

"No, Nabri teleported me here, we had something important to work on. I've been upstairs for the last several minutes." As Sophia spoke, she took in Sarah's appearance. Her sapphire blue eyes glinted slightly with a hint of magic as Sophia's sight took in the various magics that surrounded the girl who was obviously not Human. She figured the girl had a reason for wanting to hide her nature, and internally shrugged.

When her brother didn't interject himself into the conversation, she glanced at him, only to find he was absorbed in his work. "Was there something you needed? Seems like my brother is distracted... Again." Sophia cracked a warm smile as she offered to help what should have been her brother's patron.

The shift in color of Sophia's eyes was very subtle, and if she hadn't been focusing to much on maintaining eye contact she wouldn't have noticed. Sarah followed Sophia's eyes as she glanced at Nabriales, processing the explanation a bit late. "That's-The runic teleportation matrix didn't have a range anywhere near that high. . . Did it?" She wondered internally, Being lost in thought meant she had to latch back onto Sophia's words part way through. -something you needed? Seems my brother is distracted... Again." The smile she offered was genuine, and Sarah tried to match it with one of her own.

"I was just browsing, actually," She said, moving closer to Sophia with a faux conspiratorial look on her face. With slow movements she raised her hand to block her mouth and whispered, "I think he's trying to poison me" Sarah said, trying and failing to keep a straight face. "He has just about convinced me, too" A giggle bubbled over, the smile more genuine now. Normally she could she was bad at building a rapport with people, but she felt confident here. She should be scared out of her wits but she wasn't.

Following Sarah's words, and giggle with a laugh her of her own, Sophia covered her mouth in an attempt to silence her laughter. Admittedly, for the older woman it was strange for someone new to the shop not to comment on her 4ft 9in stature. Her head just barely rose over the counter, but the way she held herself spoke volumes.

She was a strong, and confident individual, just very... very small.

Though, if she was honest, she was grateful that the girl had yet to mention it. Recently it had become somewhat of a sore spot. When she'd gone to see Mairyell, the woman he was with had asked why he was speaking to a child, just after it had been explained to her that that woman who had previously been playing with two children was his girlfriend.

As her laugh subsided, Sophia's face visibly dropped following her train of thought. It'd been a month, but it still hurt. Like he'd forgotten her, and what they'd had.

Nabriales had been focusing intently with bottling the remainder of the potion, and once he'd filled the twenty four vials in the tray it poofed out of existence into some unseen corner of the shop, save the bottle he'd slid across to Sarah. He rubbed his hands together and dusted them off, then looked up with a smile and returned to the conversation at hand. He'd been thinking on the recipe while he'd been bottling the potions, and quickly turned to a little blackboard next to the various trays of reagents and made a slight alteration to the recipe, rubbing out a '2' and replacing it with a '1' in chalk. After he was finished, he returned once again to the conversation and blurted in immediately:

"Oh, hey Soph! Now that all the paperwork is finished and all of the signatures have been gathered I guess I should send it off to the companies house..." Nabriales started, before waving his hand and poofing it into nonexistence. The paperwork would be processed by the end of the day, and then they could begin the real work. He gave Sarah a knowing look as he did so - mostly to point out that his teleportation abilities were not limited to the matrix within the store, and that it was a largely self-moderated system he'd created so he didn't have to put the effort in himself.

"Oh, right, the potion!" He began, before turning on his heel towards Sarah. He plucked a sheet of paper from thin air with a simple pattern emblazoned on it, and offered it to her.

"This should suffice to extract the extraneous vis from spellcasting in the air, or from a person if applied to them directly! Just make sure you don't try to use it on someone that... Surpasses you." He laughed, before turning to Sophia again.

"You coming to the grand opening, hon? I can find something for you to wear!"


Lost in her own thoughts, Sophia only caught what was said to her by her brother. Dazed, she glanced up at him, "Huh? Oh... yeah, sure. I need to get out of the house anyway." The tone of her voice was distinctly more dull than it had been when she was speaking to Sarah.

The sudden change in attitude surprised Sarah, and she wanted to help, but it just stopped her in her tracks. Her mind went a million miles a minute in a circle. Nabriales joined back in, and Sarah was happy for the distraction, though it didn't much affect Sophia. The paper in the shopkeeper’s hand disappeared, and the look he gave her confirmed her suspicions. They were sharing that small thought together, the moment of "He/I shouldn’t be able to do that, so how does/do he/I?"

With a flourish the beautiful chemist summoned a rune, which Sarah took quickly with her free hand. It took naught but a second for her to understand its use. She smiled gratefully, nodding at the advice he provided. At the mention of the grand opening to Sophia, Sarah leaned a bit closer, her interest piqued. She had heard mention of this, before she had brought him home last night. He was the bartender at "One Night? Oh Well?" Or something like that. Glancing at the potion, she suddenly interjected "Oh! How much is the potion?" She asked, leaning forward a bit.

Nabriales was a little concerned at Sophia's sudden shift in attitude, her normally happy features having sunken into what he would describe as "dour". He had an inkling that he knew precisely why, even though he had not paid any attention to what she had said earlier, and figured it would be best for her to work things out on her own. If she came to him for help he'd offer her everything he could - but he'd learned a long time ago not to try to interfere in her emotional tiffs. He vaguely recalled the last time he'd tried to help unbidden and absentmindedly rubbed one of his horns with a free hand subconsciously.

When Sarah asked about the potion, Nabriales scoffed and waved it off.

"It's still technically experimental, hon. The only price you have to pay is a report of its effects and maybe let me study your vis afterwards for an hour or so! There's a library upstairs to busy yourself with while I take the measurements!" He smiled, before a look of sudden epiphany registered on his face - something she had no doubt by now realised was not an uncommon occurrence with Nabri - and grabbed a nearby pen before summoning a sheet of paper infused with vis. He began to draw a reasonably complex rune on it, taking brief pauses to think, before after a minute or so he had finished and he handed it to Sarah. The rune was very similar to the teleportation matrix he'd let her view, though with her experience in the field she'd be able to determine that it was only superficially linked, sharing the same fundamental teleportation pattern and tapping in to the same network.

"Draw that rune with vis if you're ever nearby and want to visit my little library! It's a damn sight better than the shambles they have over at the university, and you can stay as long as you like whenever you like. Just make sure not to take any books with you, yeah?" He added as an afterthought, as if it were not a particularly big deal. Then, with a shrug, he busied himself with deciding what to pick out for Sophia to wear.


Sarah started a bit at Nabriales' response. It was free, as long as she followed up on it. If it worked as intended, which Sarah didn't doubt, she got a free sample of something very sustainable. She smiled gratefully at the alchemist, seeming very intrigued by the prospect of a library. As he considered a new idea Sarah looked down at the rune he had handed her again. It was simple enough, and she decided to make it more convenient to use. She stared past Nabriales as she pushed her vis towards her hand. Light carved out the rune, slightly modified so as to be activated by different means.

As she finished Nabriales gave her another rune. this one more complex. It immediately reminded her of the teleportation matrix she had seen earlier. She looked up and nodded in response to his explanation, speeding up when he mentioned not taking the books with her when she left. Sarah moved a bit, but paused hesitantly, her eyes on Sophia. She still wanted to help undo that shift in attitude, but she didn't know how she could.

A breath escaped Sarah's lips, and she looked about. "Actually, I think I might head home. I need to meet up with a tutor of mine, and get ready for tonight" She said, smiling at the two of them, her hands tucked behind her back again. Speaking to Sophia particularly, she said "I can't wait to see what you wear," Pausing she turned to Nabriales, "Same goes for you." Speaking to both she finished with, "Both of you better impress me!" with a over-the-top motherly tone.

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