Miasma (Moore, 86 days left)

[Anastasia]

The five of you leave and promptly step out into empty Air. Just flying in Air, nothing around in any direction.

"We were ejected from the Citadel," Westwind supplies, sagging deeply and holding his head with his hands, facepalming. "Air's mercy, I survived that. A suspended sentence! Unbelievable."

[Corwin]

Jaela opens a gate to Aurora's doorsteps, and gestures at it.

[Ebiris]

"Lets hope we impress enough before Lifasa's fate is resolved to see further mercy," Afina says, flying through the gate back home.

[Nephrite]

Moore will fly through. They still have plenty to talk about even after all of that, but the comforts of Aurora are a better place to do so.

[Anastasia]

The party flies back to Aurora, soon inside and...

All of you wanna talk, so set yourselves up and talk. Whomever wants to start that post that you're doing it, so we know who to wait on.

[Nephrite]

"Um... I'm not really sure where to start with all of this." Moore says, rather awkwardly once they're back and through.

"I can go into the details of why were in Smoke to begin with, but... suffice to say, it seems like whatever is there they're guarding really well. I... uh... hm. I'm..." He takes a breath. "I'm sorry for putting you all through it." He says to Finnegan and to Westwind first of all, with a bow.

"It won't happen again. For a variety of reasons, I'm sure." He says, a little bit sourly. "Either way, I would appreciate hearing your opinions on if we even try and do anything there, knowing how much Hell seems to want to protect it." He says, turning to Jaela and Afina.

"I guess to answer my own question, why we were even there... I received a missive -- a vision, I guess you could say. To go there and stop the devil experiments on the poisons and gasses they were concocting. Either somehow they know how to fake my own visions or there was something else going on there beyond what I could see." He explains.

[Corwin]

"So your first order of business is to confirm whether your visions are being spoofed," Jaela notes. "Sounds about right?"

[Ebiris]

"Hell periodically scries on all of Aurora's officers, Moore," Afina says as they settle in. "Far more likely the devil in charge of that ongoing operation managed to catch one of you outside of the safety of Aurora and dispatched forces to eliminate you, probably without any awareness of why you were even there. So I wouldn't link the hundreds of Nessians and son of Asmodeus appearing to battle us with any minor poison-creating operation. The fact that they were clearly holding back and waiting for reinforcements to appear to relieve you before fighting at full strength further confirms that."

[Anastasia]

Elena pops in, dressed up in clerical vestments and smiles, "Oh hey, you all made it back alive! You gave everyone here a scare."

[Corwin]

Jaela gives Elena a thumbs up sign. "You were scared? A terrifying djinn threatened to punch me to death."

[Nephrite]

"So you think it was just a coincidence?" He asks, letting out a breath as he thinks. "I guess it's as likely as any other possibility. Either way, I'll see what I can do to verify nothing is... interfering, I suppose. If either of you have time with your other operations that you wouldn't mind aiding me with going back there and dismantling whatever their operation is, I would appreciate it." He says. "I'm not so proud as to not understand that it'd probably best if I accompany someone else rather than lead my own charge for the time being."

[Corwin]

"I don't really mind," Jaela tells Moore, "though I'd want to nab another traitor or two first to have tangible progress there. And on that note, I'm heading off to see Balyss again. Westwind, take some time off active duty until all this sets in properly. Look me up once it does, alright?"

[Ebiris]

"I'm concentrating fully on the Lifasan front," Afina shakes her head, not seeing a strike at some outpost on Smoke as being a worthwhile use of her time when Lifasa's on such a tight timer. "I'm going to go rest now, so I can resume that tomorrow."

[Nephrite]

"Sure." He says with a nod to Jaela and then a nod to Afina as well. "I understand. Thank you both."

[Anastasia]

Okay then, now what you three?