We Are All Made of Clouds

[Sierra]

<Yomi> "I'd like to pick up Rena's new hat, while we're at it," Yomi agrees with her words. "I don't think we'll get farther than that without us both establishing if we can work together, however. You mentioned getting along with the Germans?"
<Brunilda> "I'm a scientist, not a tourist!" Brunilda asserts defensively.
<Erin> "Although touring is part of our job, at the moment."
<Yomi> "Yes, quite."
<El-Cideon> "'Getting along' is not how I would characterize our interactions," Janan says. "They came here some months ago seeking to descend into the tomb below, and when I wouldn't permit this they let their guns do the talking. They subsequently hired a gang of local miscreants to watch for your arrival after the Germans' own departure, and kill you if possible once you arrived. (more)
<El-Cideon> "Of course, these hirelings have been dealt with. You needn't worry for your safety when walking my streets."
<Yomi> "We would like to visit the tomb as well, though we're not going to shoot our way in if you decide to oppose us," Yomi tells her. "We've been to many others before, trying to estimate the amount of damage the Germans have caused and what we can do to undo it. Every bit of information helps, here."
<El-Cideon> "They stole a variety of grave goods from the tomb's depths. From their conversations amongst themselves, I gathered that they desired them for use in some manner of powerful, perverted incantation, though I don't believe that was their sole motivation. Why this tomb out of so many, after all? Something about the location itself beckoned to them."
* Brunilda keeps quiet since she's sadly ignorant about most of this, but listening in should reveal a lot...
<Erin> "It's a dimensional waypoint," replies Erin. "They're using such waypoints as staging grounds to conduct raids on another point in space."
<Erin> "Were using such waypoints, I should say," she corrects.
<Yomi> "For our part, we have no need to rob the graves, merely to observe and study the location."
<El-Cideon> Janan glances at Khaled, who clears his throat and speaks. "I examined the site of their desecration and it was my impression that some manner of teleportation spell was employed while they were below. Quite beyond my experience though, and I couldn't speculate on where they went."
* Yomi shrugs. "We would have a clearer idea, if we were allowed to take our own look."
<El-Cideon> A nod from the woman. "I presumed you would desire such as it was apparent you were following these criminals. Yet defiled as it is, the tomb remains sacred ground to those interred within. It's not an easy thing to let someone in, and the residents have become somewhat restless since the disturbance. I could quiet them and guide you down, in exchange for some favors."
<Brunilda> "Please tell me this isn't some claptrap about mummies walking around cursing people, is it?" Brunilda asks in disbelief.
<El-Cideon> She just looks at Brunilda.
<Erin> "Given that mummies are embalmed, preserved corpses... mmm, there probably aren't better vessels to use for necromantic animation," muses Erin. "What kind of favours do you want done?"
* Yomi looks excited. "Please don't take it the wrong way, but does it mean you are a mummy in disguise?"
<Brunilda> "Oh!" Brunilda throws her hands up in despair. "I give up! We'll see soon enough."
<El-Cideon> Janan is expressionless, though the man and woman next to her cast concerned looks in her direction. "You sound inordinately eager for the answer to be 'Yes,'" she says to Yomi. "What I desire is simply for what was stolen to be returned. As you are on the trail of these Germans, perhaps this will be within your capabilities. They took with them a variety of clay jars meant to aid the interred in their awakening in the afterlife."
<Erin> Erin's eyes slide towards Yomi!
<Yomi> "I've never actually met one and I've been to many tombs before," Yomi admits. "But I heard too much about them for mummies to simply be a myth. Wouldn't you be excited to finally find out, once and for all?"
<El-Cideon> "Very little excites one at my age. Justice would be satisfactory."
<Yomi> "Do you know why the Germans were collecting various items with religious significance?"
<El-Cideon> "I was able to overhear some conversation amongst them as they loitered here. It was obvious that they desired them for some dread ritual, but the details and desired ends were not apparent to me at that time."
<Yomi> "The detail you are missing is that they desired them for the ritual as ingredients." Yomi bows. "I'm sorry."
<El-Cideon> "Are you. And for what, precisely, do you make apology?"
<Erin> "It is the customary thing to do when one learns another has suffered a loss," points out Erin.
* Yomi frowns, and glances at Erin. "I used the right word, didn't I? Ingredients? Perishables?"
<Erin> "Material component would be the technical term."
* Yomi nods in understanding.
<El-Cideon> Janan eyes one of you, then the other. "Elaborate. Now."
<Yomi> "We can't share the specifics of the ritual, since we don't want anyone to ever attempt it on their own, but at the end these... material components... are well and gone. Entirely."
<Erin> "I don't wish to speak about the details of the ritual. Suffice to say that it involves the destruction of a great many sacrosanct artifacts. We were able to prevent it's completion, but the components have been destroyed."
<El-Cideon> Again Janan's companions cast a wary look in her direction, the girl with hands on the hilts of daggers sheathed at her hip. "Is that so?" the older woman says, in a flat tone. You could swear she's grinding her teeth.
<Yomi> "The Germans responsible would not be trying it again, if that is any consolation," Yomi tells her quietly.
<Erin> "We've a certain degree of occult expertise," remarks Erin. "If you provide us with details, perhaps the jars could be reconstructed?"
<El-Cideon> "That those responsible have been dealt with in a manner which prevents a repetition of their crimes is some small consolation but hardly all that I wished to achieve. And unless you can regenerate the mummified organs of one three thousand years dead, I think there is little you could do. Something would be lost if they were to be touched by foreign magic. They were very personalized objects."
<Erin> "That is a little beyond us," replies Erin, demonstrating a gift for understatement.
<El-Cideon> A long pause. Janan's expression never deviates from stern and demanding. "I may be able to find another task with which to prove yourselves," she says eventually.
<Erin> "We're prepared to hear it."
<El-Cideon> "I have agents throughout Egypt, to preserve myself and my faithful against various foreign entities. Two of my men in Cairo have recently disappeared. I need to know the party responsible but am hesitant to expend more of my own forces in case our hierarchy has been compromised and our arrival is anticipated. Strangers such as yourselves may be of some use in our stead, I believe. (more)
<El-Cideon> "Find the culprit. If possible, bring them to me. This would be more than sufficient to establish some trust between us."
<Yomi> "Who are the missing agents?" Yomi asks her. "How could we recognize them, and when did the disappearance take place? What were they working on, if anything?"
<El-Cideon> "Common surveillance. I have found it does me little good to interfere directly in the daily affairs of modern Egypt. I only monitor for threats, and remove them if necessary. Ali Bousaid was a minor government functionary. He vanished two weeks ago. Iskandar Kader was my informant in the Cairo police force and was looking into Bousaid's disappearance through official means when he too disappeared one week ago. He was able to communicate Bousaid's last known whereabouts to me first, however."
<Erin> "We can see what we can discover, but this isn't really our field, so a promise is impossible," replies Erin. "Do you have any idea who might be targeting your people?"
<El-Cideon> "Not specifically. But many who seek me out with the intent to do harm do so from religious motivations. Zealots find us...unpalatable."
<Erin> "Ah, perhaps they're like the Inquisition. Nasty folk."
* Yomi can see how that would be, if she is in fact an undead abomination. "So what was that last known location for Ali Bousaid?"
<El-Cideon> "A small cafe cafe along the river. Khaled?" The man nods, produces a scrap of paper, writes something on it and hands it over: "Zamay's" and a street address. "He was last seen with a woman, though not one the locals claimed to recognize when Kader questioned them."
<Erin> "Did she have a description?"
<Yomi> "It does seem simple enough. If questioning about this woman got Iskander abducted, the same will probably happen to us if we follow his footsteps?" Yomi muses, awaiting an answer to Erin's question.
* Brunilda snorts. "What better way to find out than to suffer the same calamity?"
* Yomi nods happily.
<El-Cideon> "Short, slender, with a great deal of strikingly red hair. The other patrons all seemed quite taken with her, though none knew her name."
<Yomi> "Do you have any other agents in Cairo, and are you going to be telling them about us? It would be a shame if there was a misunderstanding while we were looking into this for you."
<El-Cideon> "I do. They'll be notified and should not involve themselves in your investigations. And if you wish to avoid attracting undue attention, I'd advise that you leave your ship behind. I can pay for transportation downriver."
<Yomi> "As long as it's safe, docking here, why not?"
<Erin> "But if you're worried about an insider in your group, wouldn't notifying them be a risk? Best not to identify us, I think."
<Yomi> "They can be just instructed to lay low, which is generic enough," Yomi muses.
<El-Cideon> "If you wish. Anyone noticing you would report to me before taking action anyway. I can simply advise them not to do anything direct in response."
<Erin> "Very well."
<El-Cideon> Janan provides you some money for passage on a ferry downriver. There's a cool breeze across the water that makes it a pleasant little trip given the scorching heat around you. The boat drops you off at a dock not far from the cafe in question--seems like it must be a regular stop for people arriving by boat or working out on the water. It's about noon when you arrive.
<Brunilda> "So how does this work?" Brunilda asks, more used to scientific investigation than social ones. "Do we just accost people and ask them about the missing Bousaid?"
<Yomi> "We can claim to have had an appointment with the man," Yomi responds quietly. "Once he missed it, we looked into things, and tracked him down to this cafe as the last place he was seen at. How about it?"
<Erin> "I think we should be looking for the woman instead," replies Erin. "She's somewhat more remarkable, so she'd stick in memories longer, perhaps." Her eagle is already on the lookout, circling the streets of Cairo for any remarkable redheads.
<Yomi> "A redhead we don't know much about?" Yomi shrugs. "Why not ask about both?"
<Erin> "We don't. But nobody else will, either," replies Erin. "I suppose there's no sense casting only one stone, though."
<Yomi> roll 1d20+6 GI
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+6 GI and gets 20."12 [1d20=14]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+11
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+11 and gets 26."12 [1d20=15]
<Brunilda> roll 1d20-1 I'll aid yomi I guess
* Hatbot --> "Brunilda rolls 1d20-1 I'll aid yomi I guess and gets 9."12 [1d20=10]
<Erin> roll 1d20 I am also aiding
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20 I am also aiding and gets 19."12 [1d20=19]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20 Sayuri
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20 Sayuri and gets 5."12 [1d20=5]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+3 Suzume will help by being prettier than the ninja maybe?
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+3 Suzume will help by being prettier than the ninja maybe? and gets 11."12 [1d20=8]
<El-Cideon> The cafe owner turns out to be a chatty sort and is more than willing to answer a few questions fielded by a band of exotic foreign women! Bousaid was a fixture here after work, he says--"It's a terrible thing to lose a regular customer,"--and confirms that Bousaid was last seen here in the company of a woman matching the description Janan gave you. He left with her, actually, and everyone was quite envious. (more)
<El-Cideon> He also wonders if this has anything to do with the police officer asking about Bousaid--said officer also having been approached by a woman while eating here, not leaving with her but waiting 'til she left and following her then. Different woman, he thinks--brown hair in a braid. About the same height though and still quite pretty. (more)
<El-Cideon> The other patrons agree on all of this, and really it's not that common for strange women to be hanging around here. Most of the clientele, you can see, are coarse, working-class men.
* Yomi can't help but wonder, and she asks, "Has anyone else come asking about either this woman or Ali Bousaid? Or that police officer, for that matter?"
* Erin nods along to the interrogation, whilst engaging her magical senses and surveying the clientele.
<El-Cideon> "Just some of the other police, wondering what's happened to him," the owner says. "I haven't heard anything else from them since."
<Erin> "Were both the women caucasian in appearance?" asks Erin, eyes drifting towards the cafes door.
* Yomi follows Erin's look, opening her own senses to the otherworldly.
* Brunilda has no special senses so just keeps to herself with a firm grip on her travel case as the others talk.
<El-Cideon> "Nah, just the first one. The second one, she had darker skin. Looked more like she belonged here."
* Erin nods absently. There's surely no shortage of girls with braids in Cairo, so that isn't much use as a descriptor for her familiar...
<Yomi> "We'll probably need a place to stay here," Yomi mentions, glancing at the barkeep. "Can you recommend a good spot for that?"
<El-Cideon> "Oh, sure. Three blocks down, there's a big boarding house, red and white brick. Can't miss it. Tell them Zamay sent you and they'll give you a discount."
<Yomi> "Thanks." Yomi glances at the others. "Let's get settled in for now?"
<Erin> "Certainly." Erin starts to depart the premises.
<El-Cideon> It's a short walk along whitewashed storefronts. The boarding house has a couple rooms free, airy, open apartments looking out on the river. Pretty cheap too. It's not long before you're settled in.
<Yomi> "So far, we've done what the cop did and looked into things. Now it's a matter of letting them come to us," Yomi elaborates once they are in their rooms. "Think that's good enough, or should we give more of an incentive by returning to the cafe? Perhaps someone could go on their own, and we'll track them with Erin's familiar."
<Erin> "We came in significant numbers, and it's clear that they try to get individuals alone before, presumably, absconding with them. If we're to bait them, someone would need to be alone, I think."
<Brunilda> "It seems simple enough so far. But what if once they get someone alone they just slit their throat and dump them in the river?" Brunilda asks edgily.
<Yomi> "In that case, I volunteer to be the one returning to the cafe. I'd love to see the zealot that can slit my throat one on one."
<El-Cideon> "I can surely watch and follow without being noticed," Sayuri volunteers.
<Yomi> "And that's quite reassuring in case I'm actually wrong."
<Erin> "I should've had the foresight to disguise myself as a man," mutters Erin.
<Yomi> "You still could, if you'd like."
<Erin> "It would require another round of tedious questioning to establish a proper identity, so I think I'll have to pass. Besides, I'm no knife-fighter."
* Yomi shrugs. "So is there anything for us to check for while in Cairo, aside from this? No reason we have to focus all our efforts into this investigation."
<Erin> "Not especially. I'm interested in this, though, because it reminds me of the case in Poland," replies Erin. "I'm happy enough to proceed to another destination, but we aren't precisely in a hurry."
<Brunilda> "I'd rather not go off alone with things as they are, anyway," Brunilda mutters. "Best we stick together. Sooner we can look into that tomb the better, anyway."
<El-Cideon> "Egyptian vampires, Erin?" Paula says. "I didn't think this was their territory. That's not properly thematic, is it?"
<Yomi> "There might well be some, but I think Erin's talking about the abductions of her acolytes?"
<Erin> "Indeed. Granted, if there are any vampires about, I consider it our civic duty to dispatch them," notes Erin.
<Yomi> "So do you think Janan is a mummy?"
<Brunilda> "She seemed quite cogent for someone who would have had her brain scooped out a few thousand years ago," Brunilda huffs.
<El-Cideon> "I'm certain she's much older than she appears to be, at least," Paula says. "I think I am qualified to make such judgments."
<Erin> "A mummy is just an embalmed corpse. There isn't even any real legend of them rising again," points out Erin. "Nothing remotely authentic, anyhow."
* Yomi nods. "I can vouch for your qualifications. I just don't get how someone can be undead but also talk about eventually going to the afterlife. What's the deal? If you want to go on, shouldn't you die?"
<Erin> "Well, I can't give a precise answer. But it's been theorised- in eastern religions, for that matter- that the soul is composed of two components; a 'higher' and a 'lower' soul, and it is the higher soul that would pass on to a proper afterlife, while the lower could potentially remain, in a rather bestial state."
<Erin> "So it could, in a sense, be possible to pass on whilst remaining behind. Theoretically."
<Yomi> "Let's ask her about it when we get back!"
<El-Cideon> "So...the good part of you moves on and leaves everything you don't like behind?" Suzume asks Erin.
<Erin> "I think it's the only way a 'heavenly' afterlife could work," replies Erin. "If humans went there as they were, well, I don't see how it could be any better than Earth, honestly."
<Brunilda> "Bah, the mind is a part of the brain. There's no such thing as 'souls'," Brunilda crosses her arms. "Destroy the brain and there's no 'other you' floating around without a body to support it. The idea is laughable."
<Erin> "Oh, really. I can debunk that."
<Yomi> "Well yeah. How many sentient ghosts have we destroyed by now?"
<El-Cideon> "Doesn't it seem incredibly inconsiderate to leave the unwholesome elements of yourself behind for everyone else to deal with?" Sayuri points out. "That hardly strikes me as something any virtuous afterlife would involve. It just causes more problems for those still living."
<Erin> "I don't think the universe is an inherently considerate place," replies Erin. "It just is. The more we understand it, the more sense it can make, and the better we can make it. I've come to think enlightenment doesn't necessarily come with virtue- although to some degree, it's still a prerequisite."
<Brunilda> "What?" Brunilda peers at Erin. "Your wormholes I can accept, even if I still need to discover where you're drawing the energy from, but I'd like to see you prove that our consciousness is not a function of our highly evolved brains and is instead some sort of... floating cloud!" she waves her hands above her head in gesticulation.
<Erin> "A floating cloud, you say," replies Erin, snapping her fingers and promptly discorporating into a hazy mist.
<El-Cideon> "Oh yes, I can do that too," Paula says, briefly occupying the form of a dust storm confined to her corner of the room.
<Brunilda> "Another wormhole? Where did she go?" Brunilda asks, not hearing a crash from nearby like the last demonstration. Then she notices the cloud and peers curiously at it, "Condensation? That didn't happen in England... is it a function of atmospheric conditions?"
<Erin> The cloud roils in midair, before promptly swirling towards Brunilda and engulfing her torso.
<Yomi> "What happens if you two mix?" Yomi asks curiously. "Do you make little mist-dust hybrids together?"
<Brunilda> "Now dust?" Brunilda looks at 'Paula' and then at the other three corporeal individuals to see if they're surprised at all by this. "Are they exchanging themselves with matter from... gah! It's moving!"
<El-Cideon> Suzume and Sayuri don't look surprised by any of this--although the latter is, for once, laughing, which is an unnatural occurrence in its own way.
<El-Cideon> "I'm not sure, Yomi," Paula says. "I admit to being afraid to try the experiment. What if we became one person when we reverted?"
<Erin> The cloud promptly shimmers, and reverts back to Erin's natural form. "I think it might result in molecular fusion, followed by death," she adds, frowning.
<Yomi> "I was thinking in terms of kids, actually," Yomi admits.
<El-Cideon> "I don't think Erin and I are compatible in that way, Yomi. I've lived a very long time and not seen it happen yet."
<Brunilda> "Are you saying you actually *became* the dust?" Brunilda gapes, before looking at the cloud. "And Erin is... Gracious! How? How can a sapient mind be supported by such a construct? You should be irrecoverably damaged by such a transition!" she huffs and puffs for a few moments, thinking wildly. "This is beyond anything I've ever seen! The molecules in the clouds must be forming some
<Brunilda> sort of modified nervous system within that medium... this must be studied more closely! Just think, if it could be replicated imagine how it could benefit people suffering from brain damage!"
<Erin> "You could try using a spectrometre? I haven't really studied exactly what the secondary form consists of," replies Erin, raising a hand to her chin. "I would be against any kind of invasive experiment, though- I mean, the mist can be damaged, and it transfers to wounds in my human form- not by just anything, though, it takes a magical weapon of some kind."
<Brunilda> "I need to study just what would make a weapon 'magic' in any case... something to pursue when I have the proper tools," the greying scientist resolves.
<El-Cideon> "I am perfectly capable of thinking normally as a cloud, yes," Paula says. "I couldn't tell you how it works. I've never really wondered. It would be like one of you wondering about breathing."
<Yomi> "We could make stops in London now and then. The proper tools are being gathered near the hanger as we speak."
<Erin> "Hmm? I know how breathing works."
<El-Cideon> "Yes, but how often does a normal person stop and contemplate why they can do it?"
<Brunilda> "A better comparison would be with the normal brain. I daresay you're as ignorant of the neurochemical reactions in your head right now as you are of how they occur in your decentralised form," Brunilda wagers. "But I at least am educated on one half, and that could lead the way to discovering how it functions in the other."
<Erin> "Ah, well, yes, that would be true," admits Erin. "There were spells that totally transform the caster into another creature, too, such as a bird, or a snake- I wonder how it would work in that case? I'd be interested to hear your theories on other spells, some time."
* Brunilda twitches. "A neuro-electric construct spread over a cloud is actually easier to reconcile than a brain the size of a sparrow's being able to retain the full sapience of a human mind."
<Erin> "I find them both roughly equally inexplicable via conventional science. There are certain principles of belief and observation that could help to explain it, but they're difficult to put into practical use."
<El-Cideon> Later, after the conversation has wound down, Yomi makes her way back to the cafe alone. Sayuri finds a shadowed alleyway from which to watch. There's not much in the way of empty tables at the cafe, but Yomi does manage to find a spare one by the street. The crowd is noisy and spills all over the outdoor area of the establishment.
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+16 Sayuri hide check
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+16 Sayuri hide check and gets 17."12 [1d20=1]
* Yomi has a habit of not drinking alcoholic beverages most times, but she decides to make an exception here, not looking particularly alert.
<El-Cideon> Yomi gets plenty of attention from the overwhelmingly male patrons, though no one approaches her. After some time, Yomi notices another female patron making the rounds, though. Probably a tad shy of five feet, the young woman wears a white dress and has an easy smile for anyone looking her way. Wavy blond hair trails in the breeze as she looks for a seat. OOC: spot, Yomi?
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+2 Sayuri
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+2 Sayuri and gets 19."12 [1d20=17]
<Yomi> roll 1d20
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20 and gets 1."12 [1d20=1]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+2
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+2 and gets 16."12 [1d20=14]
<El-Cideon> OOC: carry on.
* Yomi gestures for the seat across of her when the blonde looks her way, just in case the poor shy thing is having trouble finding one on her own.
<El-Cideon> She looks less enthusiastic about sitting with another woman, but there aren't many other seats, are there? She nods politely, sits down and orders a nonalcoholic fruit drink, and scans the crowd.
<Yomi> "Looking for anyone in particular?" Yomi asks in her attempt to make casual conversation, sweeping the cafe's inhabitants with her senses. "So am I, actually."
<El-Cideon> "Oh, just someone special," she says without paying much attention. "You?"
<Yomi> "A redhead," Yomi responds, sipping her drink. "A shame that I don't know her name, but she was last seen here. How many of those can be in Cairo, right?"
<El-Cideon> "Not many around here, no." Plenty of eyes are still one her; every now and then she flashes someone a grin in return.
* Yomi sighs, leaning back in her chair. "Wish I had a clue of some sort to go on, but I bet going to the local cops won't help, considering what happened to the last one looking into her. Still, not like I'd just give up after initial failure, I suppose."
<El-Cideon> She looks at you, with a befuddled expression, but is soon distracted by a server walking over with a drink for her. The server points out another patron several tables over. The girl beams and gets up. "Oh, there he is. Excuse me!" She hustles away.
* Yomi just needs to be there and strike conversations from time to time. If this cafe of the people she's after are being watched, word of this should eventually get back to whoever abducted them. And if it fails after all, maybe Erin could try her disguise the next day.
<El-Cideon> Evening rolls on. After perhaps a half hour of drinking and chatting, the woman and her benefactor get up to leave. The man looks like your average roustabout, beefy and not bright. Once away from the packed cafe area, they walk away arm in arm, the man's steps staggered some from apparent inebriation.
* Yomi decides it's her time to go as well. Leaving a tip behind, she seeks a spot where she could use the orb to contact Erin without any interruptions.
<El-Cideon> Sayuri's alleyway is secluded enough. She beckons you over as you walk from the cafe.
<Yomi> "Only one woman caught my eye this evening," Yomi tells both Erin and Sayuri, keeping herself reasonably quiet. "It might be that a man would've noticed things better, but there was this blonde that walked in looking for someone to leave with, and did so half an hour later. Can we follow her, just in case? She didn't feel demonic, for what it's worth, but better safe than sorry."
<Erin> "I'll have my familiar tail them. They'll probably go inside at some point, something at which I'm sure Sayuri is better suited."
<El-Cideon> "I saw a smudge of makeup," Sayuri says. "Did you notice that? I think she was disguised."
<Yomi> "Not really my field of expertise," Yomi admits. "That just heightens the chances of her being related to our quarry. Let's focus on her for the rest of the evening, then? Erin, we'll try to stay back so she doesn't spot us, so we'll contact you from time to time so you could give us directions, alright?"
<Erin> "I know how this one goes. Are eagles native, here?"
* Yomi shrugs. "They fit better than young Japanese women, I bet?"
<Erin> "Hopefully, neither will be seen."
<Erin> "Alright, they went into an alleyway maze..."
<Erin> "...and they went into this hovel. Very classy. My bird's sitting on it."
<Yomi> "Let's pay the hovel a visit?" Yomi suggests to Sayuri. "Erin, want to keep watch or join us there?"
<El-Cideon> Sayuri nods and leads the way according to Erin's directions. You find yourself at the end of a narrow street, barely fit for two to walk side by side. Rubbish is strewn about your feet; paint flakes from walls, revealing chipped clay or masonry. The building in question is two stories tall; a dim light glows behind curtains on the second floor. The first floor has one rickety wood door.
<Erin> "You should check it out right away, and I won't have time to get down before you do as it is. I'll start heading down with the others, and if there's trouble, we can teleport in."
* Yomi nods, and places the orb away. Erin might be able to hear what's going on with luck. Ready to proceed, she gestures for Sayuri to take the lead, prepared to assist her!
<El-Cideon> "I must make an unfortunate admission here," Sayuri says. "I've never been skilled with mechanical devices. We must simply hope they are too occupied to hear this." Sayuri draws her sword and swiftly cuts through the door's lock. Badly corroded by rust, it offers little resistance.
<Yomi> "We'll all learn new tricks as we go," Yomi concedes, drawing her own sword and focusing on imbuing it.
<El-Cideon> Sayuri nods and pushes into the building. The first floor looks barely more habitable than the street outside: broken furniture in one open room, a small kitchen alcove. Stairs lead upwards. A rickety door is also built into the side of the ascending staircase.
* Yomi trusts that Sayuri is far more capable in sneaking up the stairs without anyone being the wiser. "I'll stay here if it's a trap," she whispers to Sayuri. "Care to take a cautious look above?"
<El-Cideon> Sayuri nods and steps carefully up the stairs, mindful for creaky wooden joints!
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+16 less ninjafail?
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+16 less ninjafail? and gets 32."12 [1d20=16]
<El-Cideon> Sayuri disappears. Gone for a moment, then she creeps back down to Yomi. "Two rooms upstairs. The expected exertions are in progress behind one. Or it sounded like such. The second door is locked, more securely. I didn't want to break it and risk alerting them."
<Yomi> "Looks like there's only one exit?"
<El-Cideon> "I didn't see any others. They could jump out a window if pressed?"
* Yomi rolls her eyes. "Let's get out and find a place to watch the house?"
* Yomi sheathes her sword quietly. It doesn't seem like it'd be needed here.
<El-Cideon> Sayuri nods, heads back outside. There's plenty of debris at the end of the alleyway. Given the late hour, one could easily perch behind such in darkness.
<Yomi> "Think we can do something about the lock? Pick up the pieces and toss them away?"
<El-Cideon> Another nod. Sayuri collects them and drops them behind a heap of old newspapers. "Problem solved?"
* Yomi gives her a thumbs up! "Let's just find a really good spot that even I wouldn't stand out at and keep watch."
<El-Cideon> OOC: roll hide, +5 or so for conditions?
<Yomi> roll 1d20+6
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+6 and gets 10."12 [1d20=4]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+16+5 ninja
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+16+5 ninja and gets 26."12 [1d20=5]
<El-Cideon> Sayuri vanishes from sight, merging into the shadows next to a shattered wooden crate. Yomi, well, has a tendency to loom even when in hiding. It's just her way. Thus hidden, the two wait, and watch. Every now and then shadows move behind the curtains, but that's it. (more)
<El-Cideon> "This all feels very...prurient," Sayuri says. "I can't help but feel Rena or...Nadia, would be more comfortable keeping watch over such things." Half an hour, forty-five minutes...and suddenly there's a much larger shadow behind the curtain, and a crash.
<Yomi> "Ah, there's our cue!" And then Yomi is off, dashing inside. The lock is gone, so it wouldn't be too hard to get in!
<El-Cideon> Yomi can hear heavy footsteps upstairs.
* Yomi doesn't stop, drawing her sword as she dashes up the stairs!
<El-Cideon> There's a narrow hallway here, just long enough to have two rooms along one side and just wide enough for two people to slip by each other. Emerging from the farther door is a humanoid creature, unclothed and obviously male, with burnished red skin and an imposingly muscular build. It is clearly not human: there's an extra set of arms and the mouth is just a gape of curved fangs. (more)
<El-Cideon> It's carrying the man from the cafe in its clawed hands, but drops him and roars as soon as it sees you. There's a surprised cry from inside the room behind him, the girl's voice: "Belish, what is it? What's wrong?" OOC: init
<Yomi> roll 1d20+1
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+1 and gets 20."12 [1d20=19]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+3 Sayuri
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+3 Sayuri and gets 13."12 [1d20=10]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+7 girl
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+7 girl and gets 14."12 [1d20=7]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20 demon
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20 demon and gets 17."12 [1d20=17]
* Retrieving #HometownHeroes modes...
* El-Cideon changes topic to '6Yomi: 77/77, Brunilda: 56/56, Erin: 65/65, Rena: 75/75, Suzume: 43/43, Sayuri: 65/65 Yomi > demon > girl > Sayuri'
<El-Cideon> OOC: go, Yomi
* Yomi dashes in, seeking to disable the demon rather than slay it outright!
<Yomi> roll 1d20+13 (-4 nonlethal, not actually charging)
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+13 (-4 nonlethal, not actually charging) and gets 20."12 [1d20=7]
<El-Cideon> OOC: hit
<Yomi> roll 1d20+13 heroism
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+13 heroism and gets 24."12 [1d20=11]
<El-Cideon> OOC: ditto
<Yomi> roll 4d6+20 nonlethal
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 4d6+20 nonlethal and gets 36."12 [4d6=4, 3, 4, 5]
<El-Cideon> Yomi's blade cracks against the side of the demon's head twice, knocking him around, loosening teeth. With a snarl, it rears back and a jet of foul green liquid bursts forth at all in front of him! OOC: ref
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+8 Sayuri, evasion applies
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+8 Sayuri, evasion applies and gets 23."12 [1d20=15]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+7
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+7 and gets 10."12 [1d20=3]
<El-Cideon> roll 4d6 acid, just Yomi
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 4d6 acid, just Yomi and gets 11."12 [4d6=3, 6, 1, 1]
* El-Cideon changes topic to '6Yomi: 66/77, Brunilda: 56/56, Erin: 65/65, Rena: 75/75, Suzume: 43/43, Sayuri: 65/65 Yomi > demon > girl > Sayuri'
<Yomi> "This is what I get for second-guessing myself," Yomi mutters darkly through the pain, reversing her grip on the Shishio.
<El-Cideon> Sayuri ducks behind the banister at the edge of the stairs, but the muck coats Yomi and the walls around her, sizzling painfully! OOC: girl
<El-Cideon> The girl emerges from the room behind the demon, still naked from the recent festivities. The blond hair is gone, black hair instead now, cut very short. Her eyes go wide on seeing the fight out in the hall. "No! I won't let you hurt him!" She rushes forward and reaches for Yomi, hand crackling with dark energy.
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+8 touch attack, plus AP if she needs it
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+8 touch attack, plus AP if she needs it and gets 18."12 [1d20=10]
<El-Cideon> roll 2d6
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 2d6  and gets 7."12 [2d6=1, 6]
<El-Cideon> OOC: 24 make it?
<Yomi> OOC: Yep
<El-Cideon> OOC: will, then
<Yomi> roll 1d20+6 AP as well
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+6 AP as well and gets 12."12 [1d20=6]
<Yomi> roll 2d6
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6 and gets 5."12 [2d6=3, 2]
<El-Cideon> But Yomi overpowers whatever wicked magic the girl seeks to impose on her! Sayuri runs forward and lashes out at the demon, not being so forgiving as Yomi in her attempt to bring it down!
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+12 normal hit
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+12 normal hit and gets 16."12 [1d20=4]
<El-Cideon> roll 2d6+5 actually just hits
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 2d6+5 actually just hits and gets 13."12 [2d6=4, 4]
<El-Cideon> Sayuri skewers the beast through its stomach, drawing forth a foul yellow ichor! OOC: Yomi
* Yomi does not intend to be quite that forgiving this time around, following through on Sayuri's attack!
<Yomi> roll 1d20+17 the demons
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+17 the demons and gets 33."12 [1d20=16]
<Yomi> roll 2d6+10 still up?
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6+10 still up? and gets 16."12 [2d6=4, 2]
<El-Cideon> OOC: yep
<Yomi> roll 1d20+12 more demons
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+12 more demons and gets 23."12 [1d20=11]
<Yomi> roll 2d6+10 and now?
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6+10 and now? and gets 19."12 [2d6=4, 5]
<El-Cideon> Slashed through, blood and viscera pooling at its feet, the demon collapses to the ground. The girl wails in dismay. "Noooo! You monsters!"
<Yomi> Flicking some of the yellow ichor into the naked girl's eyes, Yomi slams the Shishio's hilt into her face.
<Yomi> roll 1d20+13 some nonlethal heroism
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+13 some nonlethal heroism and gets 19."12 [1d20=6]
<El-Cideon> OOC: hit
<Yomi> roll 2d6 ap
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6 ap and gets 10."12 [2d6=6, 4]
<Yomi> roll 2d6+10
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6+10 and gets 16."12 [2d6=3, 3]
<Yomi> "Monsters? Monsters?!" Yomi exclaims. "Who's the one abducting people and spitting acid?"
<El-Cideon> A *crunch* and Yomi smashes the girl's nose. She shrieks, staggers in place. "I'll make you pay, I swear!" Again she reaches out to Yomi.
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+8 AP again if needed
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+8 AP again if needed and gets 14."12 [1d20=6]
<El-Cideon> roll 2d6
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 2d6 and gets 6."12 [2d6=2, 4]
<Yomi> "By bleeding all over my shoes?" Yomi asks in disdain, deflecting her hand. "Give it up and get dressed and we'll see about nursing your Belish back to health."
<El-Cideon> Sayuri seems to have had enough of the girl's whining. Stepping in next to her, she lashes out twice with the flat of the blade.
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+12-4
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+12-4 and gets 21."12 [1d20=13]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+7-4
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+7-4 and gets 6."12 [1d20=3]
<El-Cideon> roll 2d6+5 NL
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 2d6+5 NL and gets 13."12 [2d6=2, 6]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+13
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+13 and gets 14."12 [1d20=1]
<Yomi> "Last chance to surrender with your beauty reasonably intact," Yomi warns.
<El-Cideon> Battered as she is, the girl manages to evade Yomi's attack--just in time to stray into Sayuri's! OOC: go
<Yomi> Some people are just too obstinate. Yomi can understand that. That doesn't mean she has to let a crazy naked girl with a pet demon vent her anger upon her, so the Shishio flashes out several times in an attempt to bring the unruly girl down for the count.
<Yomi> roll 1d20+13
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+13 and gets 30."12 [1d20=17]
<Yomi> roll 2d6+10
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6+10 and gets 15."12 [2d6=4, 1]
<El-Cideon> The girl thumps against the wall and falls to the ground, unconscious.
<Yomi> roll 1d20+8 if she's still up
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+8 if she's still up and gets 10."12 [1d20=2]
* Yomi sighs, shaking her head. "Now we have to dress her," she complains, kneeling down to check on the man that was going to be abducted.
<El-Cideon> He's still breathing, though the bloody bruise on his face suggests it was only a matter of chance that this is so.
<Yomi> "Everyone's alive," she reports to Sayuri. "Good. That's good."
<El-Cideon> Sayuri steps into each of the other rooms, verifying no one else is lurking about the house.
<El-Cideon> ~