[IC] - Fantasia

[Kilelicus]

Scrapyard District | Some Outer Junction | 9:05 am

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Dahlia was rather offput by the abundance of gunfire echoing in the distance. She kept on Deus's heels and her head on a swivel, fearing for her life in this apparent warzone. The occasional bullet would impact with a pile of junk or sheet metal nearby, but Deus seemed to absentmindedly navigate them safely through the wreckage and to their destination. After 5 more minutes of walking, they arrived at a small home that clearly had seen a considerable amount of traffic.

"Is... this the place, Deus?"

"Yep. This is her home. Looks like she's been busy today!"

(Posting paused from me until Alayo and Wriggle get to 9:10 am)

[WriggleRid3r]

Pio's Apothecary and Clinic | Scrapyard District | 9:10 AM

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Pio brought out some warm water in a plastic basin and a relatively clean rag to begin the process of cleaning the wound on Yosho's body and reapplying the bandages. It wasn't a wordy process: with occasional silent glances going about as Pio first took off the old bandages, then dabbled on the wound with the water-soaked rag, and finally applied the newly bought, clean gauze around the wound to not allow any infectious germs to reside on it. A simple procedure that took about 20 minutes to do, but it was better than leaving the old bandages on.

"There you go. That bandage will hold for a long time." Pio announced the end of procedure as she stood back up, now-smaller roll of gauze on hand. "Would you like some soup as well?"

[Miniking1]

Library | Scrapyard District | 8:59 AM

Valerie closed their door and sat on the bed. Anthony sat next to her.

"There's nothing to worry about Val, I won't get hurt.' Anthony told his sister with a reassuring face. "As long you're here, nothing bad can happen. I was also fine by myself before you got here."

"You were lucky back then. We were both lucky. The men that chased us didn't have any guns, but if they did, they didn't use them. We might not be as fortunate against the person we're after, and I can't protect us with just these powers, especially against other deis. That's why, you're staying here."

Anthony's smile faded and he nodded silently.

Valerie got up and headed for the door. "I'll try to come back when we have Deus or when I know enough for us to live without worrying about getting in trouble. If you need anything, ask the owner. Just don't go outside the library, okay?"

"Okay... Come back soon Valerie, it's lonely without you."

"I know." Valerie said before leaving.

[Lunasa Prismriver]

Library | Scrapyard District | 9:10AM

It took Avi quite some time to find the correct book. It was an old book with the cover so faded that it was almost impossible to make out the title. Avi didn't intend to read it, of course, but it was the key to opening the secret passage that led to an elaborate underground network in which the Valkyrie Magpie resided.

"Joel, I found the book. I'll open the door soon."

Joel stood with an exhausted sigh, memories still lingering in his mind. He wordlessly shuffled to a spot next to a bookshelf and a wall but still in view of the library owner.

Standing at the bottom of the staircase leading to the second floor, Avi shouted to the siblings. "Valerie, Anthony! We're ready now! Meet us down here when you're ready!"

[Alayosho]

Pio's Apothecary and Clinic | Scrapyard District | 9:10 AM

Yosho let his mind wander about the "clinic" while Pio prepared and gathered the supplies. First taking in and undertsanding the surroundings, and then simply analyzing Pio and her movements. She was skilled in her craft, or rather dedicated. She seemed to lack formal training from a skilled physician, but her heart was in the right place. Enough time in the field had shown Yosho it was more valuable to have a caring medic than a good one. A injured man needed to be calm and loving person more than a skilled doll.

Pio had gathered a basin and a somewhat clean rag. Yosho removed his tunic without a word, seeming used to the field-work pio was preforming. Indeed, Yosho had been assigned a bodyguard from some religious cult of protector-women who had provided similar care to Yosho before. Although Arrows and bullets were fairly different. Yosho remained still through the procedure, able to shrug off the pain and retain an alien coolness about himself. Somewhere in the procedure, Yosho's mind left Fantasia....

Spoiler: Retreat To Another Dream

Grey's Mark Royal Terrace | Yosho's Room | Time Unknown

Yosho's eyes snapped open. He looked around, but everything was pitch black. He was several hundred meters underground, or something along those lines, it was always dark. The fact that there was absolutely no light at all meant that it must have been time to sleep. He woke up? Yosho's eyes searched the void for some sort of answer, but they found no reply.

"Hello? I know you're there." He attempted to address the guard hiding in his room. "Can you talk?"

"So be it." A soft, feminine whisper came from across the room. Despite being across the room, Yosho heard her voice as if she was right next to him.

"Um..." Yosho didn't know how to respond to her reply, "have I been acting weird in my sleep at all?"

"Beyond the initial shock of seeing you sleep as a lifeless body, there have been no anomalies." She voice carried no passion at all. Although that would be hard to discern when you're whispering.

"Lifeless? Is it really that bad? I still breathe, don't I?" Yosho was curious, Lex and his guild were skilled, so in a dark, soundless room she'd hear him breathe, right?

"I had to approach you to hear your breath." It sounded like she wanted to say more regarding the topic, but Yosho dismissed it as him looking too much into things.

"I see. Um...thanks." Yosho frowned and laid back down. "Goodnight...."

"Be at ease, and rest well." She seemed to read the worry in his voice. Maybe she could even see in all this darkness.


Yosho awoke to a flicker of light. He rose immediately to face to potential threat, earning a slight shriek from the startled maidservant. She apologized and bowed her way out, bidding Yosho a good morning. Yosho looked around his room. Its architecture was a far cry from Pio's home. Pio's home had awkward pieces to it that seemed more advanced than even the Royal terrace, though. Yosho pulled himself off the bed and began to change into the clothing the maidservant had left. As he was pulling his tunic on, he paused a moment and called out, "Are you there....?"

"Yes." She replied.

"Do you stay here all night...--Wait do you watch me change, too?" Yosho turned to face the voice, or where he thought the voice was coming from. No one was there.

"That is correct." Again, an unnervingly short answer with little detail. Yosho was able to guess she'd been here in his room the whole time, though.

"Don't you sleep?" Lian still had to sleep like normal people, right? It didn't make sense for her to just stay awake and watch him every moment of her life.

"I sleep while you attend dinner a court with Mother." She replied, this time divulging a bit more information than before.

"Wait, so you're part of the royal family?" Yosho inquired an answer he already knew. "Doesn't the queen get upset when you aren't there? She complains about Corave all the time."

"Our safety is foremost." She gave another robotic answer.

"I see. Thanks...." Yosho would have to work on her more. She was a bit more than unsettling. Even when it was day, she whispered and remained hidden. This was only the second conversation he had had with her, though...if you could call it that. Yosho walked out onto the middle terrace and looked upward to see the violet hued skylight far in the distance, dotted with stars. It was nighttime, but for everyone down this far is was day. Yosho turned toward Lex's room and began in that direction. The halls and corridors were slowly becoming more familiar, and he could navigate his way to some places. He wanted to ask Lex about Pio's home.

Lex found Yosho in the corridors and gave a cheeky grin. "I hear someone's been having weird dreams again."

Pio's Apothecary and Clinic | Scrapyard District | 9:10 AM

"There you go. That bandage will hold for a long time." Pio announced the end of procedure as she stood back up, now-smaller roll of gauze on hand. "Would you like some soup as well?"

Yosho's body recoiled slightly as he was adressed, as if being shocked back into reality. Was it all just a dream? He couldn't make sense of the difference between the areas. That place was made almost completely of stone, and hundred's of feet below the surface. What kind of primitive world was he dreaming of?

He looked to Pio and smiled, "Only if you eat first. I already had dinner before coming here." He frowned in response to his own words. When did he have dinner? Was he thinking of dinner with the Royal family from the dream world? On that note...wasn't this place supposed to be the dream world? He'd need to speak to Cataminei, and quickly, at this rate.

[Kilelicus]

Pio's Apothecary and Clinic | Scrapyard District | 9:10 AM

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"Now Dahlia, I just want to make sure that you understand that whatever you see in there is normal. Pio runs this place like a hospital, but she's only one girl, so she can't do a whole lot on her own. And don't worry about being attacked, the gangs of the Scrap District see this as neutral ground. It's nice."

"Um.... Okay..." Dahlia answered, barely being given a moment to speak

Waiting no longer, Deus flung open the door into Pio's clinic and boisterously announced his presence.

"Pioooooo! I'm here!!" he declared. "How have you been doing?"

[Miniking1]

Library | Scrapyard District | 9:10

Valerie paced up and down the hall for the past few minutes, wondering if she should really leave Anthony. They haven't even been together for much more than a month, let alone live like they used to. She was startled by Avi's sudden voice from below and confirmed her decision. Valerie cracked the door to her room and peered inside to find Anthony asleep on the bed. She relaxed and slowly closed the door again, before treading down the steps.
"Here I am." Valerie greeted Avi near the base of the staircase. "Tony insisted on staying because he believes he'd just get in the way."

[WriggleRid3r]

Pio's Apothecary and Clinic | Scrapyard District | 9:10 AM

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Pio sighed a little and smiled. She was getting rather hungry, and with the new acquisition of bread from the general goods store, Pio can finally relish the sensation of having some solid food in her mouth. Fresh vegetables were a rarity, and red meat even more so. The most she can do on a daily basis is some bread chunks with a mixture of corn flour, salt, and animal fat.

"Then I'll prepare a bowl for you and me." Pio announced as she rose from where she was kneeling. Before she could make her way to where she keeps the cauldron, however, another customer seems to have entered with a loud boisterous entrance. Pio could identify the voice: it was Deus, a Magi that frequented Pio's shop. He was surprisingly humble for someone who had all that power, which Pio was grateful for. Most people with such ability looked down on others who were less fortunate than them.

"Hello!" Pio greeted Deus with hospitality. "I am doing very well, thank you. I just received some herb shipment, which means I can finally concoct some actual healing potions for the injured. Life can't get any better."

Pio, of course, was lying. Her shop was in its' worst shape since she opened it, and with it her own miserable state. Pio didn't want others to see her be in pain or exhausted in front of others, and thus she lies, masking her true feelings for the sake of comforting the others. "Would you like a bowl of soup as well? I was just about to cook."

[Lunasa Prismriver]

Library | Scrapyard District | 9:15AM

"Because he'd get in the - Hmm. He doesn't seem like he would say that, but I'll take your word for it." Such a terrible liar. Avi thought as she readied the book.

The entrance was a small segment of the wall that was supposed to open inward in an area secluded from the rest of the library in such a way that only the librarian would be able to see it from his desk. The system for opening the door was divided into two parts: the book, which had a combination lock hidden in the book's spine that would emit an electrical signal into the nearby bookshelf to open the door, and the librarian's confirmation, a switch under the librarian's desk. When both parts are active, the wall would slide open and stay open until one or both signals are switched off.

Avi turned the numbers on the lock to 1-7-8-0 and slipped the book into a space between the other books on a nearby bookshelf. The librarian quickly checked around the library, trying not to be too obvious, and flipped his switch.

Still sulking, Joel stood from the pillar and walked through the open door, leading the two girls behind him.

As they passed through, the doors closed behind them.

[Alayosho]

Pio's Apothecary and Clinic | Scrapyard District | 9:10 AM

"Then I'll prepare a bowl for you and me." Pio hardly made it a few steps before Yosho felt a presence at the door. Rather, a obnoxious intrusion of peace and serenity that threatened to choke out the natural order of the world. Yosho shifted his weight a bit, ready to spring forward. Whatever was out there was lively and ready for something-

"Pioooooo! I'm here!!" It rang out just as obnoxiously as the colors of the text. Yosho moved to his feet, and prepared himself to draw his sword, ready to remove the man's head and quickly taking in the situation. It was an overly confident individual and behind him was a slightly more timid one--someone unsure of themselves and the person they were with. The man asked Pio, "How have you been doing?". It seemed like he was a friend, or at least an acquaintance showing the girl around. Yosho rolled back into his seat.

As if to prove their familiarity, Pio greeted the man, then very blatantly lied to him. "I am doing very well, thank you. I just received some herb shipment, which means I can finally concoct some actual healing potions for the injured. Life can't get any better."

Yosho shot Deus a double-pronged flat look. One for how much his inherent desire for a lack of diversion clashed with Deus's diverse personality, and more importantly, because he was sitting next to three dead bodies, and the floor was covered in blood still, despite Yosho's best efforts. One can only get so far with the hem of someone's shirt. He let his eyes drift over to the girl, who was likely shocked at the scene. She appeared to be about his age, but her clothing was....interesting. Yosho approved of the formal look of the blazer, but when his eyes came to her thighs they stopped. Yosho found himself unable to tell if he liked the exposed thigh, or was cross with how purposfully inefficient the clothing was. Whatever the case, Yosho was certainly leering for longer than necessary.

[Kilelicus]

Pio's Apothecary and Clinic | Scrapyard District | 9:11 AM

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"Really now? Oh, I'm so happy for you, my good friend! Come here, give me a hug or something. It's been far too long since we've spoke! I've been so busy tracking down the Daemon and all. You know how things get with those guys..."

Realizing that Pio was lying about her shipment, Deus took the liberty of manifesting a large shipment of medical supplies into existence in one of her back rooms. He also noticed that the heater was broken, as it was rather chilly with the mid-winter temperatures visiting even Fantasia. He decided to create a new one for her and crank it up a good ways to help the building become nice and toasty.

[WriggleRid3r]

Pio's Apothecary and Clinic | Scrapyard District | 9:11 AM

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"Yeah I heard they're very dangerous to track down. Glad you didn't get injured." Pio breathed a sigh of relief as she brought herself back towards the kitchen, oblivious to the fact that Deus used his power to grant Pio some supplies and services that she needed. "Would you and your accomplice like to sit down and have some soup as well?"

[Alayosho]

Pio's Apothecary and Clinic | Scrapyard District | 9:11 AM

As Pio spoke to the figure know as Deus, Yosho noticed a change in the home. The rough grumbling from below the house was replaced with a gentler hum. Neither Pio, Deus and the girl with Deus didn't seem to take note. None of them particularly looked like soldiers whose lives depended on such awareness, however...It also helped that it was really dark underground and Yosho had been using his ears a lot more recently. He gave a quick glance between Deus and pio before raising to his feet and going to the source of the change. He could tell by the echoing of the sound the door across the room had a staircase that would lead down.

He walked past Deus, Pio and Dahlia, stealing another glance at Dahlia's thighs with a frown before looking forward to the door that hid his destination, "Excuse me...." Said the voice of determination. By Yosho's tone of voice, If there was a dragon in that basement, it was about to be royaly f***ed....

However, as fate would have it, there was no dragon. Yosho pushed the door open and went down the stairs, prepared to draw his blade and slay the beast...but before his eyes was a foe he didn't expect. There was a strange box sitting on a dirt floor, growling gently at nothing. It seemed to be made of metal, but Yosho had never seen metal so smooth and "soft" looking. He was certain there was no visible grain in the metal, meaning it was probably made by magic like his armor in Grey's Mark. The being before him had few weaknesses. The metal was held in place by rivets on one side, and likely symmetrically on the side opposite that Yosho couldn't see. Despite very visible points where stress would be greatest, the point the metal joined didn't move or shudder under the interal being's ministrations. It was an effective shell of armor. Yosho continued to observe and needlessly study the alien device as if it were a foe, waiting for it to make a move first.

One thing Yosho did note, that was actually relevant, was that the metal box didn't belong there. The dirt floor hadn't settled and there was an indentation where the old furnace used to be. Of course, not knowing what any of these devices or structures of a home were, that just made Yosho trust the new furnace even less....

[Kilelicus]

Pio's Apothecary and Clinic | Scrapyard District | 9:11 AM

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Deus watched the mysterious patient make his way past the trio and down into Pio's cellar. He pondered what could have possessed him to head down there unless... "Huh... what's up with your friend, Pio? He just kinda... wandered down into the cellar?"

At the same time, Dahlia began tugging at Deus's sleeve, "Uh... Deus? He keeps looking at my thighs... it's making me kinda uncomfortable..."

"Oh, not to worry, Dolly..."

"Dolly?"

"Yeah! Don't worry, he won't try anything if he has half a mind of who I am." Deus said with a reassuring smile on his face.