Episode 88
Gathered around the dining table, Aristespha, Sebastian, Sotalia, Bach, Dretphi, and Cideeda listen to Captain Hackle's voice sounding out from Aristespha's aetherphone. Audibly drawing in a breath from the other side of the call, Captain Hackle releases a long sigh. "So, that's the most up to date information I have. Isaac was in Perimeter. The Perimeter Defense Force is following up on leads and checking what they can for more information. And, Captain Hays is tapping his resources, too."
Sebastian's ghostly form darts his blue eyes around his mind, and he hums with an ethereal reverb. "I'm guessing most bets are on him going into the zone."
Easing out a light chuckle, Captain Hackle contemplates out loud. "That is my best guess, too. Given what Isaac, or Noxian, has been interested in, the Perimeter Weird Zone is about the only thing that makes sense. Truthfully, if he wanted to disappear and lay low, there's a number of other places I would have gone to well before Perimeter."
Sotalia crosses her arms, swaying her weight between her feet, and perks her brow. "So, are we going down there next? Seems like the place to go."
Twisting her mouth, Dretphi ponders the logistics, studying a digital map on her aetherphone. "That will require planning. Not a simple trip. Days to get near. If all goes well..."
Bach grimaces briefly and releases an uneasy sigh, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, I mean... That seems like the best place to at least hang out. I guess..."
Leaning over, he peeks over at Dretphi's aetherphone and mulls over the options. "There's not much else going on in the Sippiala Peninsula. So, if he's not in Perimeter..."
He shrugs his shoulders and states. "I agree that he's probably in the zone. Somewhere in that HUGE thing. Gods. I keep forgetting how big that thing is."
Pointing at Dretphi's phone screen, he squints at the image. "Does the scale say a hundred kilometers?"
Dretphi glances over equally amazed and nods. Cideeda's furry ears flick with her thoughts, and she idly raps her hand of claw tips upon the dining table top. "Yeah. My money is on him being in the zone. Else, why would he have sold the sedan and probably gotten himself a new ride? He's getting something that he can drive in there with."
Hackle's voice rises up from the background noise on the other side of the call. "That's been the consensus from both Hays's group and my own team. Why go to the trouble of a shady auto dealer if you aren't going to stick around? If he wanted to leave for another country, he could have driven up to one of the Train stations and traded in the vehicle for credit with them."
Rolling her emerald green eyes with a smirk, Cideeda chuckles and crosses her arms, wagging her long, fluffy tail. "Exactly. It's not like the Train has problems with equipment having bullet holes and questionable pasts. Hearing stories about them from my dad, those old Train engineers think it's bad luck if your vehicle is too pristine anyway. To them, if it already has holes and dings, then the bad stuff has already happened to it."
Aristespha rests her head upon her hands and wrestles an uneasy, nervous tinge in her voice. "I definitely believe we need to get down there. But... That is quite the trip. And, we will need to book a number of places to stay along the way. We will need to buy a lot of provisions, and..."
Gritting her teeth briefly, her shoulders slump slightly, and she leans onto the back of her chair. Working though the uncertainty, she combs her fingers through her long, silvery blue hair, and sighs out her reservations. "We really do not have that much familiarity with Perimeter and all the surrounding territories. All THAT is going to be significant to contend with."
A reassuring, calm tone resonates from the speaker of the aetherphone, and Hackle provides a bit of comfort. "You won't be on your own completely. With the recent cooperation of the Grand Library upon this matter, and the fact that Aristespha is an official enough representative of the Grand Library, your group will have direct contractor accounts from the GAA, Borderland Rangers, and even the Perimeter government."
Chuckling out his amusement, and he continues slyly. "As it turns out, Isaac's behavior lately has made a lot of people in power VERY NERVOUS about what he's planning on next. So, they would like to make sure the one team that has had luck finding and flushing him out has some funding for this venture. As part of the deal, we'll put you in contact with trusted groups that'll help you navigate Perimeter and its massive weird zone."
Narrowing a suspicious stare upon the phone on the table top, Sebastian grimaces momentarily. He searches his mind and directs an inquisitive tone back to Hackle. "So, what's the requirements for all this funding? We can't exactly guarantee bringing Isaac in, at the moment. So... What's the more immediate goal here?"
Hackle draws in a breath and explains. "Well. It's more or less some kind of assurance that someone is making sure he isn't left alone. Everyone has agreed to fund your efforts to find and flush him out of Perimeter, at the very least. Personally, I would be happy to find out what he's exactly planning on doing next. He's done very specific things lately. And, they indicate he's got some kind of plan. Some kind of goal in mind. If we can get enough information to narrow down what that is, the GAA can see about putting some obstacles in the way. And, hopefully, that might be enough for you to stop him completely."
Crossing his arms, Sebastian nods his head thoughtfully and glances over the rest of the team. Moments later, he cracks a bold grin with the reassuring agreement from the rest of the team. "Well, I think we're willing to give it a go. It'll be a lot easier to manage with the funding, and some local knowledge. I'm not going to promise too much right now, Captain Hackle. But, I think we can definitely keep the heat on Isaac and not let him get too comfortable down there."
With the acceptance, Captain Hackle's voice brightens. "Very good. I will get the paperwork and relevant information to you. Meanwhile, we'll be trying to get you a clearer picture about what he has been up to in Perimeter. If we are fortunate, you'll have a clear direction to take once you get down there. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got said paperwork to put my signature to. You all have a good day."
Aristespha grabs hold of her aetherphone off the table top and smiles with hints of relief. "I understand. Thank you for calling and helping us out, Captain Hackle."
Tapping the end call button on the phone screen, Aristespha slowly shakes her head and briefly laughs. "Not a completely unexpected surprise. But... Still a surprise."
Sotalia grins eagerly, resting her hands on her hips. "Wish it was more narrowed down, but I'll take it. At least, he's probably there for a good reason and won't be leaving any time soon."
Blinking a few times, Bach drifts his gaze into his mind and hums in though. "I wonder what's driving him down there... Things keep getting stranger."
Aristespha furrows her brow and gazes over the team. "Speaking of strange things, I was able to find out some intriguing information from Modoran yesterday... When he was retrieving an arrow he accidentally shot into our yard. There was a lot more going on at those ruins than what we even thought."
Leaning against the large washer machine in the utility room, Modoran grits his teeth briefly, hissing out his discomfort, and crosses his arms. "So... THAT is what the other team dealt with when they went to those same ruins months back. Pretty fucked up, in my opinion."
Trakenthin blinks his hazel eyes, frowns, and slowly shakes his head, standing near the door. "That is concerning."
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Tassilda winces her light blue on black eyes closed, twisting her face, and grumbles. She tosses back her raven black hair back over her swirling horns, groaning. "By the gods, GAA and Appaland KNEW about that place with that Terra Priest group..."
She waves her hand, pantomiming her frustration. "And... They just let it sit there? What were they thinking?"
Drooping her furry, tufted ears low over her shoulders, Deedri briefly covers her mouth, slowly processing the information, and cringes. "I just can't believe that all was happening there. All those people following that... Crazy ideology."
Modoran smiles comfortingly at Deedri and shakes his head, shrugging. "Tribalism is a hell of a drug. The whole Terra Priest movement has been around for a LONG time. And... Just keeps showing itself every generation. Shit. It just gets fucking worse with each incarnation. They used to just be isolationist naturalists that did not bother anyone unless you wandered too close to their territory. Now... Yeah..."
Searching through his thoughts, Chad slowly paces in the middle walkway between the team and gradually sways his head in disbelief. "All THIS explains a lot. A lot more than what I've got in my head right now."
He steps over towards the door, cracks open a gap, and listens carefully for a few seconds. Trakenthin leans his tall frame over, aims his ear to the annoyingly familiar sounds of Veevi soaking in the attention of a recording crew. Chad rolls his eyes and groans through swelling disgust. Trakenthin shakes his head dismissively. "We have minutes left."
Shifting his brown eyes over to the wires hanging loose from a small overhead camera, Chad nods in agreement. "Yeah. The crew aren't paying that much attention right now. But, they'll start to get suspicious if this thing remains disconnected for much longer."
A stifling silence holds the conversation still for seconds, recent memory pressing down the mood of the gathering. Chad pulls in a breath and gazes up to the team resolutely. "In the future, we demand as much information as we can get upfront. I mean, admittedly, this was outside everyone's expectations. But, I don't know..."
He fights back a guilt-ridden frown and stiffens his upper lip. "Still, I'm going to try to make an honest effort to prevent this type of stuff from happening to us, if I can. I need to do my job right for once. So, I'm also going to try to deal with Veevi."
Attentions shift towards Chad, the other members waiting intrigued. Chad works through a few uncertain grimaces on his face and addresses the team. "I'm putting Veevi in timeout. She doesn't get to go on the next mission. Period. Give her time to think about whether she wants to be on this team or not."
Trakenthin crosses his arms, blinking in surprise at Chad, and slowly nods. Tassilda cocks her incredulously to the side, sliding her weight on the counter top, and props herself up with her arms behind her. "Do you honestly believe she'll do anything different than what she's done before? I will fully admit I'm glad something is being done. But, please understand if I think it'll do nothing other than piss her off."
An encouraging smile appears on Deedri's face, and she gazes approvingly at Chad. "It's worth a try. Maybe something drastic like that will be just enough to work? I think we can say, from experience, that gentle, subtle measures don't work with her."
Smirking at the commentary, Chad eyes Modoran. Moments later, Modoran glances back to Chad, nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders, and sighs apprehensively. "Hell. I appreciate the effort. I do not know if it will work on HER. But, I would not mind going on a mission without her... Because..."
He wrestles down a surge of awkward embarrassment and snorts. "Between us... I think we got a pretty workable group. Just might need a chance without that agent of chaos fucking it up all the time."
A genuine smile appears on Chad, and the team's mood brightens, exchanging hopeful glances. Chad nods at the idea and chuckles quietly. "Well... Be prepared. I'm going to spring this on the higher ups and her when they announce the next mission. At this point, I think it's fair play after all we've been through to surprise them back. BUT... they probably won't be all that happy."
Dismissive eye rolls and groans from the rest of the team fill the room. Chad rests his hands at his waist, perking an inquisitive brow at Modoran. "Anyway, did Aristespha mention anything else?"
Modoran blanks a moment and eases in a careful breath, twisting his mouth. "Somewhat. Since we have been to the place, she told me everything they knew directly related to the ruins. But... There are a few things she has been informed of that she was not sure she could give out. But, she stressed two things."
The focus from the group turns upon Modoran's next words. Mulling over the phrasing in his head, Modoran relays the key points from memory. "She told me to pay attention to the timing of when we crossed paths... And..."
Maintaining a calm, neutral expression, his eyes await the reactions from the rest of the team. "They were trying to force that one girl to work on golems."
Puzzling silence floods the room, and Chad, Trakenthin, Tassilda, and Deedri ponder the two major hints. Thought processes turn towards uncomfortable possibilities in others. Tassilda's posture stiffens, and she reflexively gasps, covering her mouth with both hands. Her light blue on black eyes widen in past horror, and her hands unconsciously drift away from her face, trembling. The stark reaction cements the answer for everyone else. Trakenthin cranes over, checking on Tassilda, and gazes at her with concern. Deedri grasps onto one of Tassilda's hands and rubs her back comfortingly, Tassilda concentrating on calming herself back down. Arriving at the realization with a long, stressed exhale, Chad turns his grimace into a sharp frown. "Oh, holy fucking shit. Gods damn it. That all makes sense now. Fits too perfectly."
Wincing, Modoran fights through a flurry of emotions with a shake of his head of grayish white hair. "Yeah. It is the same fucking conclusion I arrived at, too. Was really hoping it would just turn out to be my wild theory, rather than the one everyone arrived at."
Stepping through the hallway leading from the front entry, Bach lugs a heavy, metal container over towards the coffee table and lowers the handled box next to Dretphi. "One box of caseless ammo. It was tucked all the way in the back corner of that pile of supplies."
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Dretphi twists around, slides the crate over in front of her, and opens it up. She inspects the contents, glances up to Bach with a warm smile, and nods appreciatively. "Thank you. You want to help me load magazines?"
Bach shrugs his shoulders, stepping over to the other side of the box across from Dretphi, and plops down into a seat on the floor. "Sure. Kind of want to sit down anyway. There were a lot of other heavy things in the way of this box."
Dretphi sorts through a pile of empty submachine gun magazines, stacking a few up in her hands, and gives them to Bach. Motioning for his attention, she holds a magazine in one hand and a round in the other and demonstrates putting the round in the magazine. Bach nods understandingly, sets aside the submachine gun magazines in his hands and retrieves a smaller cardboard box from the large ammo crate. Carefully, he inserts rounds into a magazine, occasionally peeking over to Dretphi and watching her. Minutes later, he notices a collection of survival rations neatly ordered near Dretphi, lifting a curious eyebrow. "We have enough meal packs?"
Dretphi blinks back to awareness from her work trance, glances over at the roughly sorted pile of packaged food, and shakes her head. "Not enough to feel comfortable. This is a significant trip. We may fall short of our planned stops. Need to be ready."
Nodding thoughtfully, Bach drifts his gaze over to the large map bordered by paperwork and tablets upon the coffee table and studies the various pencil and highlighter marks. "Yeah... That does seem like it could happen."
Aristespha leans forward from her seat on the couch, resting a pencil over a section of highway, and marks out a shorthand note. She slowly shakes her head, staring at her tablet screen, and briefly grits her teeth with an unconvinced curl of her upper lip. "Gods. I swear these establishments get more questionable the further away from civilization you get."
Hovering upon the couch next to her, Sebastian's ghostly form blinks hard and rests his chin upon the palm of his hand, sighing ethereally in disbelief. "Dear, I'm just amazed these places have working phone numbers. Even if they don't ever answer them."
Rolling her violet eyes, Aristespha guides a few stray locks of her hair over her very long, ivory pointed ears, and grumbles out her distaste. "To be blatantly honest, there are places that might prove worse than staying in the humvee, Sebastian."
Nodding agreement, Sebastian shifts his attention over towards the large portion of the map with territory and political area indicators and narrows his stare at the scattered mix of roads and regions. "Gods... I always forget how big and spread out Perimeter is."
Bach twists his mouth and shakes his head. "And, it's still tiny in comparison to the Perimeter Weird Zone. I mean, I can't believe enough people live in there for roads, much less towns, to exist."
Sebastian smirks with a sarcastic tone. "I don't know, bro. You were living in a town that has less of a reason to exist, to be fair."
Pausing a moment in though, Bach gauges his brother's statement and cocks his head to the side in a tentative agreement. "Yeah... Actually, yeah... Honestly, you could take Tullachester off the maps, and I don't think people inside or outside of that town would notice."
Sotalia steps out of the kitchen, casually strutting over to Bach, and holds a vial down next to his face. "Taste this."
Bach pivots his head over towards the small container and gradually narrows his blue eyes upwards at Sotalia. "What is it?"
With a humored smirk, Sotalia snorts, shaking her head of fiery orange, wavy hair. "Oh. Just water, food coloring, and flavoring. Making sure I got the potion flavoring right before I mix it with the batch. I've been trying to come up with some different mixes to mask some of the more potent potions' aftertastes."
Smacking her mouth, Sotalia grimaces and scrunches up her face, licking her tongue hard against her teeth. "Last thing I attempted still hasn't gotten out of my mouth yet. SO..."
She frowns slightly with an embarrassed grumble. "I really need you to check this one for me."
Bach grasps hold of the vial and sniffs the air above it. He pauses a moment in through and drinks the clear, orange liquid. Searching his mind for the right word, Bach blinks calmly, experiencing the sensation, and hands the empty vial back to Sotalia. "Mango?"
Lifting an intrigued brow, Sotalia narrows her golden eyes at the vial, lifts it up closer to her curiosity, and hums thoughtfully. "I was going for peach. But... Mango works, too. Thank you."
With a quick pivot, she walks back into the kitchen galley and returns to a variety of beakers, flasks, and pots. Pulling a fresh ball-point pen from an open pack, she jots down new notes into a book and raps her long, thick, black nails on the counter top. In the kitchen prep area, the door leading to the garage opens up. Cideeda carefully presses her elbows against the door, slipping through the gap, and walks through with her grease covered hands in front of her. Passing through the living area, she calls out to the group. "Could someone with free and clean hands add pumice soap to the list of things to get from the store? We just ran out."
Leaning out from the kitchen galley, Sotalia holds up a bottle of dish soap, smirking slyly. "Kitchen sink is all yours, girl."
With a sigh of relief, Cideeda follows Sotalia into the space and holds her arms over the sink for clean up. "Thank you. Paper towels alone are completely worthless for this level of this grease."
Stacking up round filled magazines, Bach diverts his attention back to the map and closely examines the details. "Man. Still amazing how Perimeter exists so close to that massive weird zone."
Aristespha nods in agreement and smirks knowingly. "The Perimeter Weird Zone draws in a lot of people for one reason or another. Despite how big it is now, Perimeter started out as a simple campsite just outside the safest entry point into the zone. Once a few new artifact types were found and extracted routinely, everything built up from there."
Sotalia calls out with an excited and eager tone from the kitchen. "HEY... If we go into the zone, I'm allowed to keep the things I find, RIGHT?"
Aristespha glances around to the rest of the gathered team, drawing in a reserved breath, and eyes Sebastian. Shrugging his shoulders impartially, Sebastian states carefully. "Well... So long as it doesn't have the ability to kill all of us at any given moment, I don't think there's any problem."
A humored, facetious giggle sounds out, and Sotalia sighs. "Fine. But those are the FUN ones. But, fine. I'll agree with that."
Aristespha rolls her violet eyes, smiling with amusement. Studying the map closer, Bach analyzes the size and scope of Perimeter and the sparsely populated surrounding region. He compares the visual differences with Amaranth Valley. "Wow. I mean... We really are going out into the WILDERNESS this time."
Sebastian dons an intrigued smirk and eyes his brother curiously. "So... Bro... You excited... Or scared?"
Furrowing his brow, Bach straightens his posture contemplatively, blatantly deliberating between the two emotions on his face, and shrugs apprehensively towards Sebastian. "Um... Both?"
Nodding his head understandingly, Sebastian smiles comfortingly at his brother. "Yeah... That's about what you should be feeling."
Leaning all his weight into a pry bar, Chad torques the heavy steel of the black sport utility vehicle's bumper closer to its original shape. The solid suspension flexes, the chassis rocking with each hard heave Chad pulls upon the tool. He stands back up straight and studies the fractured metal edges, contemplatively staring. Scratching his head of light brown coiffed hair, he kneels down, inspects the narrowed hole in the bumper, and nods, reaching for a heavy hammer.
Aiming her aetherphone at Chad and the vehicle, Tassilda taps an onscreen button and waits for the confirmation prompt from the camera app. She pivots around, a loud metal slams ringing out, and pushes through the front door. She strolls through the living room and quickly taps up a message into an ongoing conversation with the image attached. She climbs up the stairs to the second floor and walks towards her room. Noticing Trakenthin's room door open, her curiosity leads her quiet approach.
Tassilda turns her head, aiming her pointed ears towards a woman's voice coming from inside. Peeking around the corner, she observes Trakenthin laying on his bed. With an open book upon his lap, a video playing on his aetherphone captivates Trakenthin fully. Fighting a balance between curiosity and stealth, Tassilda observes the happy smile gracing Trakenthin's dark bronze face. Trakenthin watches a young woman delve into the details of the latest book's glaring plot holes with a drawn mock-up. A genuine chuckle emerges from Trakenthin, and he nods sympathetically at the elaborately described drab middle chapters slog. Blinking in surprise, Tassilda pulls a sly smirk across her gray face. With a soft hum of her aetherphone vibrating, she swiftly retreats away from Trakenthin's doorway and slinks down towards her room. Checking her phone, she sees the latest picture message of Daedrican standing in front of a strange, tattered bipedal robot hanging from a crane. Fascinated by the image, Tassilda finally comprehends the text below and springs her eyes wide open. She giddily rushes through the phone menus and taps the call icon under Daedrican's contact entry. Slipping into her room with her aetherphone against her ear, she greets the other side of the conversation with an elegant dialect of emin.
Down at the other end of the hallway, Deedri's bedroom door opens, and Modoran casually walks out. With a happy smile, he stretches his back out, pivoting around, and bows towards Deedri in the doorway. "Well, thank you for thoroughly inspecting those pains in my lower back."
He sneaks glances out the corner of his dark blue eyes at opportune angles, surveying the camera coverage. Putting forth a professional facade, Deedri nods appreciatively and smiles. "Of course. It's understandable. We all got a little roughed up from that last mission, and it just took a while for those strains to finally ache enough to be noticed."
Her auburn eyes meet Modoran's dark blue eyes. Deedri aims a sly smirk, biting her lower lip, and drags a claw tip lightly down the door frame wood. "If you notice any other issues, please let me know. It's best I treat them as early as possible."
Modoran's nonchalant exterior fails at obscuring his growing goofy grin, and he nods appreciatively towards Deedri. "I will do that. I will be very observant tonight and see if I feel anything else."
Glancing towards his room, he points his thumb over and departs with a chuckle. "Well... I need to catch up on the latest Evuukian political dramas..."
He pauses a moment in thought and averts his gaze with a tinge of embarrassment. "And, do laundry."
Deedri eases back into her room, flashing an eager smile at Modoran out of view of the hallway, and winks to him, her door closing. Stepping across the hallway to his bedroom door, Modoran pushes into the room,and turns his attention to the tall, overflowing pile of dirty clothes in the hamper. He mutters a few evuukian curses, prunes off the overflowing clothes onto the floor, grabbing hold of the basket, and hoists it up. Passing through his doorway, he navigates down the stairs, carefully finding the steps. Slowing down, he reaches the bottom landing and spots Veevi exiting the dining room.
Pivoting towards the stairwell, Veevi spots Modoran's descent and cracks an evil grin. She struts up with an energetic skip to her step, tosses back her long pink hair, perking up her fuzzy ears, and whips her tail up at the ready. Modoran deftly guides his body with the downwards momentum, orbits tightly around the wooden banister post, and pardons himself, the hamper brushing close to Veevi. "Oh. Sorry, Veevi. Was not paying attention."
The start of a response leaving Veevi, she licks her lips. "Don't worry about it-"
Drawing in a breath through her nose for the next part, she abruptly halts. Modoran swiftly puts distance between her and him. Veevi's pink pupil eyes flutter in surprise, and she sniffs the air repeatedly. Sifting through the smells, she rests a hand upon the square banister cap and stares at Modoran absolutely bewildered. The seconds pass. The shock fades into comprehension and recognition. Sniffing the air, Veevi's upper lip snarls slightly, her confusion gives way to a volatile mix of frustration and fury, and she clenches her jaw. Flecks of wood curl away from the surface of the banister under the tightening grip of Veevi's sharp nails.
Gazing out the humvee window, Bach views the town attractions along the side of the main city road. He settles back into his seat, his attention drifting forward. Furrowing his brow, he puzzles at Sotalia in the front passenger
’ s seat methodically checking a handwritten list. He leaning his head out into the aisle, peeking around, and narrows his curious gaze. Sotalia pauses, tapping a pencil at the end of the list, and scribbles out another item. Bach cranes his head around Sotalia's seat and carefully pries. "So, uh, what's that list for?"
Blinking her golden eyes, Sotalia turns her head towards Bach and smirks with a giggle, spinning the list away from him. "Well, just the ingredients for tomorrow's dinner."
Bach lifts his head back, debating between reservation and intrigue, and inquires further. "Okay... What are you... Cooking?"
Focusing her accusatory stare upon Bach, Sotalia lowers her eyelids halfway with a playfully insulted twist at the corner of her mouth. "If you keep THAT tone up, you can try your luck with one of those old rations. I can cook a meal just fine."
She tosses back her wavy, fiery orange hair back, straightening her posture defiantly in her seat, and averts her glance away with a roll of her eyes. "It's just that what I like to cook takes a lot of effort and planning."
Bach retreats back into his seat, grimacing awkwardly, and stumbles into an apologetic recovery. "Oh, um, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything like that. It's just I've never seen you cook food. Potions, yes. So..."
Glancing to either side of him, he approaches the question. "What do you like to cook?"
He wanders his attention behind him and questioningly eyes Dretphi. Sneaking a point towards Sotalia, he silently inquires for a opinion from Dretphi. Dretphi reads the body language and smiles reassuringly at Bach, nodding. "It should be good. Involved preparation. Filling results. Nice for occasions."
A hopeful spark lights up Dretphi's steely gray eyes, and she leans forward in the aisle and directs her voice towards Sotalia. "Malva pudding?"
Peeking around the corner of her front seat, Sotalia winks with a playful grin at Dretphi. "Of course. That one is a given. The rest are going to be surprises."
With a satisfied smile, Dretphi sits back down on the back bench seat, smiling contentedly.
Furrowing his brow, Bach crosses his arms and curiously pries. "Surprises? Well, uh, how about a few hints? There might be something I might not like?"
From the sword at Aristespha's side, Sebastian's voice calls out Bach. "OH, BULLSHIT, bro. I KNOW what you've eaten before. You ain't picky when you're drunk or hungry enough."
A flash of embarrassment fills Bach's cheeks, and he flashes a scowl at the sword. Sebastian chuckles out ethereally from the blade. "I don't even need to check to see how you are looking at me right now. Anyway... It's good eating. Hate that I'm only going to be able to smell it."
A sympathetic smile graces Sotalia's light tan face, and she sighs encouragingly. "Well, YOU are welcome to hang out in the kitchen the whole time, then. Everyone else has to STAY OUT."
A sly grin grows out towards the dark gray patches below her ears, and she chuckles. "Part of the fun."
Rolling her golden eyes away from the inquisitive gaze of Bach, she shrugs her shoulders, her attention returning to the paper list. "I figured it would be a nice thing to do since we probably won't have a chance to eat nice for a while."
Aristespha cracks a smile and snickers to herself, studying a shopping list on her tablet. "And you want to remind yourself on how to cook it all?"
Sotalia blinks, bites her lower lip guiltily, and twists her mouth honestly against her pride. "Yeah... Not going to lie. My grandmother on my mother's side has some amazing food, but it's REAL easy to end up with a different dish if you don't pay attention to the exact ingredients and preparation."
Quirking his brow, Bach cocks his head to the and stares confused. "Really?"
Snorting, Sotalia shakes her head with a smirk and lightly groans. "Well... There's so many minor variations on the same dish that each have a different name. For example..."
She quickly recites through different names in a variety of emin dialects, mentioning the differing traits, and compares them to each other. Numerous examples later, she sighs. Craning her head around her seat, she whispers towards Bach. "And don't get me started on the other side of my family. I have almost seen blood drawn between my great aunts at whether something is technically a burrito or an enchilada."
Blinking out his surprise, Bach slowly nods and gradually attempts to visibly process the litany of terms heard in the last minute. "Huh. Yeah."
A twitch flicks up Cideeda's tail briefly. The humvee slows down to stop in front of a red light. Cideeda's emerald green eyes shift over and stare towards Sotalia, focusing upon the brief glimpses of the paper list tilting into view. Sotalia pauses a moment, catches Cideeda's spying, and hides the list against her chest, staring playfully at Cideeda. "What are YOU looking for?"
Smirking, Cideeda raps her claw tips upon the steering wheel and glances away innocently. "Just checking to see if all the ingredients for what I want are there."
Sotalia presents a stoic front, nodding slowly, and hums to herself. "We'll see... We'll see..."
Gerald places his hands on his lumbar, leans back, and stretches out his lower back. Walking over to his bed, he plops down and eyes the store-bought, insulated paper cup in Samantha's hands. He maintains his reservations. Seconds later, he grips onto it. Bringing it in close to his nose, he sniffs the air above it. Pondering briefly, he lets out a begrudging sigh and slowly shakes his head. "Gods damn it. Well... Thank you, Samantha, for the spiced chai latte."
Slowly tipping back the beverage, he draws a long swig and drags out an exhale. "Okay. Since I'm being actively bribed with my favorite drink in the morning, let's figure out these next episodes."
Samantha smiles happily, pulls a chair over, and presents a series of notes upon her clipboard. "GOOD. First, I think we have plenty for a domestic episode with some mixed in highlights for tomorrow. But, I'm trying to figure out how to prep for next week's episode."
Continuing to sip his drink, Gerald nods, listening, and motions with his free hand for the pitch. Samantha flips over some papers on her clipboard and taps a pen upon a guild mission brief, smirking. "Something that's honestly simple and local. We've got a series of straight forward survey update jobs on a bunch of really quiet ruins. It requires internal exploration, but the last yearly sweep was clean."
A sly grin parts her mouth, and she perks up her scheming eyebrow. "BUT, there are plenty of dark places and quiet tension over dusty, scary ruins. With a little editing and hopefully a few dramatic shots, we can play up the thrill and danger just enough."
Gerald narrows his gaze upon the page, allowing his eyes to sort through the literature on the document. Seconds later, he begins to nod thoughtfully and hums to himself. "Yeah. That actually could work out. Stage a few cinematic shots for added effect, and let the sound crews have a little fun with the audience..."
Searching his head, he wrestles a grimace. "Probably drum up the spookiness with a few well placed noises. Don't think crews would have any major objections."
A spark of joy lights up on Samantha's face, and she sifts through her notes. "That sounds great. Maybe if we're lucky some rodent will jump out and scare them. Without that laser pistol, Veevi is going to be a lot easier... AND SAFER to spook."
A dry smirk pulls across Gerald's face, and he chuckles with a sinister tinge. "My money is on that she tries to mend up her relationship enough with Chad to use him as a shield to hide behind."
Nodding at the notion, Samantha rolls her hazel eyes and halts her page flipping upon another section of official paperwork copies. "Now, Howie is finishing up the details, but we think we've secured a smaller appearance event..."
A devious glint catches Samantha's eye. "With a twist."
Gerald abruptly halts tipping back his spiced chai latte, gradually levels it off, and furrows his unconvinced brow at Samantha. "Oh. Really? What inane idea has he tried to pitch now?"
Samantha grins wide and turns the clipboard papers towards Gerald. "Invitation only appearance! And..."
She flips over the next page. "Run a contest for the invites!"
Searching his mind, Gerald rocks his head side to side weighing the possibilities and ponders out loud. "Huh. Okay. THAT could prove to be an interesting twist. Get more of the... Dedicated fans out. Plenty of potential for awkward and awesome fan interaction moments. That could drum up the ratings, especially if you make it require watching the episodes closely for some hidden phrase or other piece of information."
Glancing at the top of his mind, he wrestles a tight smirk between the sides of his mouth. "No... That... That actually could work out."
Writing down the suggestions, Samantha deviously giggles and nods. "Oh, especially when Howie rigs a few of the winners to be from Modoran's not so adoring fans."
Rolling his dark brown eyes blatantly, Gerald mutters and tips back the beverage in hand. He levels off the drink and groans. "Gods fucking dammit, Howard. Should expect shit like this at this point."
Bach slumps down on one side of the couch, resting his head back, and yawns. "I think that's everything."
Pausing a moment, he tilts his head to the side and faces Sotalia. "Is that everything?"
Sotalia cracks her eye open, stretching her arms out upon the other side of the couch, and grumbles. "Gods. I hope so. I've brewed fresh batches of most of the potions that I know how to make. And... I've gone through my pouch belt inventory. Twice."
Slowly sitting herself up from the floor in front of the coffee table, Dretphi rolls her shoulders and rubs her back. "Should be sufficient. If not, we have other problems."
Aristespha rests her head upon her crossed arms on the dining table, grumbles out a tired sigh, and groans out. "At this point, if we need anything more along the way, I am perfectly fine with buying it and sticking GAA with the bill as a work expense. I will figure out a way to categorize through their system."
Sebastian surveys the stacks of paperwork and scattered tablets of contract literature upon the tabletop and smiles reassuringly to Aristespha. "I'm sure you can... Somehow..."
The kitchen door to the garage opens up, and Cideeda steps on through. Brushing off her hands, she walks up next to the kitchen table and pulls out a chair. "Well, the humvee is packed and ready to go tomorrow. Nothing is obviously wrong after the third inspection. So... We should at least make it to Perimeter."
In the lull of domestic quiet, the team idles peacefully in the living area, the afternoon sun radiating in through the sliding glass door. Minutes later, Bach rubs his stomach and queries the room. "Anyone else hungry?"
Sotalia nods, slowly pulls herself off the cushioned back of the couch, and rubs her eyes. "I am..."
A sly smile appears on her, and she eyes Bach with a playfully accusatory gaze. "I'd suggest my yam shepherd's pie, but SOMEONE devastated that for breakfast this morning."
Darting his blue eyes to either side of him, Bach averts his gaze away from Sotalia, concealing his guilt. Sotalia shifts her amused stare to Dretphi and rests her chin upon the top of her wrist. "AND... Someone else annihilated the leftover malva pudding all by herself."
She chuckles to herself, her pride beaming out with Dretphi's sigh of admission. Sotalia swings her glance over towards Aristespha and Cideeda. "And, the lean, mean clean up crew made the rest of the mutton and potato enchiladas vanish. I distinctly remember someone drinking the last bits of the sauce."
Exchanging glances with Cideeda, Aristespha rolls her violet eyes and smirks defiantly. "I am NOT apologizing."
Sotalia fluffs back her fiery orange, wavy hair, crosses her legs, and rests her feet on the coffee table satisfied. "Of course not. I take it as a compliment..."
Furrowing her brow, she twists her mouth and sighs. "Still... I'm hungry, and I'm too tired to cook."
Dretphi nods in agreement, laying herself back down on the floor, and exhales out her fatigue. "I concur. Want to rest before tomorrow."
Sebastian's ethereal form studies the team and hums. "So... Delivery it is. But, what?"
A spark of inspiration appears in Cideeda's emerald green eyes, and her furry ears perk up. "Fval Spice. It'll be a while before we can enjoy it again."
Blinking a few times, Bach cranes his head over towards Cideeda, puzzling. "You think they'll deliver? I mean, I think we're pretty far outside their delivery range."
Cideeda pulls a sly grin across her light brown face, pulls her aetherphone out of her shorts pocket with one hand, and rests her other hand confidently on her hip. "Oh, I think I know a trick for that."
Sliding through the menus, she taps a contact entry from the list, and the calling sequence plays out on her phone screen. Pressing the speakerphone button, Cideeda holds the device out in front of her and waits. Noyando's voice sounds out from the other side of the phone conversation. "Fval Spice. Pick-up or Delivery?"
With a confident smile, Cideeda presents a business inquiry in a dialect of fvalian. Noyando states the current policy in kind, wandering towards a curious tone. Cideeda proposes an exception to the guidelines, tinting her voice with a graceful, hopeful plea. Uncertainty and deliberation grips Noyando's apprehensive reply, and he remains unconvinced. A toothy grin forms on Cideeda's face. Directing her voice at her aetherphone, she carefully lays out a generous percentage and significant monetary amount in an entrepreneurial coloring of fvalian. A long pause from Noyando follows. He pardons himself. His voice momentarily sounds distant, conversing with another woman in fvalian. He relays the percentage and amount. The woman calls back in an encouraging, very insistent tone. Noyando's voice rises out of the speakerphone with an agreeable tone.
A proud smile emerges upon Cideeda, and she announces to the team. "What does everyone want? And order extra for tomorrow, I promised a big order."
A modern gray sedan turns into the driveway leading to the ranch style house and parks behind the humvee. The car's running lamps illuminate the surrounding grass and pavement with a slight highlight against the summer's early evening ambient glow. Noyando exits from the driver's side and opens the back door. Standing up from the passenger's side door, Mera quickly accesses the rear door on the opposite side and checks through a list. Both Noyando and Mera read off items from the list, separate marked paper bags from the collection and divide up all between themselves. With a satisfied smile, Mera crosses off the last item on the stack of papers and nods to Noyando. "That is everything for this order and that should be the last of the orders for the run."
Motioning towards the trunk, Noyando perks his black furry ears and glances over. "Nothing in the trunk?"
Mera shakes her head, slipping her arms through the rolled paper handles of the bags, and smiles. "No. I moved everything up here two deliveries ago."
Long sigh of relief later, Noyando hoists up his share of the cargo and grins appreciatively at Mera. "Thank you for helping. It is very hard to keep track of so many orders and deliver quickly, too."
The two navigate around the nice, gray sedan, and walk up swiftly to the front door. Noyando balances the weight of the bags of food and manages to knock on the door. Leveling her arm out, Mera presses a finger against the old doorbell button. Both Noyando's black furry ears and Mera's very long pointed ears twitch at the sounds of movement up to the door and activity behind it. Cideeda opens the door inwards and greets Noyando in pleasant fvalian. Quickly noticing all heavy loads in and on the arms of both Noyando and Mera, Sotalia starts plucking off bags from Mera. "Let me get those."
With a load of food bags, Sotalia rushes back into the house towards the dining table. Mera takes a moment and flexes and stretches the fatigue out of her arms. Her attention drifts around the area, and she studies the ranch style house, idly glancing around the area. Sotalia returns with her arms ready, and Noyando hands over a few heavier bags. Freeing up his arms comfortably, he produces the receipt from his pocket and presents it to Cideeda. Checking the total, Cideeda deftly sorts through a bundle of paper currency, counting out a generous sum. She splits off the collection of bills and hands them over to Noyando with a toothy grin. "As promised, the total with an appropriate tip to compensate you for your time and effort. And thank you so much for making an exception for us."
Noyando passes over the final bag to Cideeda, inspects the money, and nods graciously with a slight bow to Cideeda. "A fair deal. You called at the right time. Any later, I would not be able to leave."
A humored smirk appears on his face, and he signs with a laugh. "Also, my wife insisted I take the order after she heard your offer."
With a wave and smile, Noyando points towards his car and nods respectfully. "If you excuse me, the dinner rush is soon. My wife will not be happy if she has to handle it alone."
Cideeda smiles back understandingly and motions towards the rest of the team sorting through the food. "You two have a good night. I need to claim my food before someone does it for me."
The front door closes. Noyando turns towards Mera and swiftly pulls a calculated sum from the cash in his hands. "Mera? Here is your share of the tip."
Blinking her crimson eyes back to awareness, Mera pivots around at Noyando and notices the sum of funds. She grabs hold of them and springs her eyes wide open in surprise. "OH. Wow. Um, are you sure?"
Walking towards his car, Noyando nods gratefully and chuckles. "Yes. You earned it. By myself, I would not have been able to figure out the best route. And, you made sure all the orders were right."
Mera slowly steps down the front steps. A glint of head lamp light draws her attention away from the money in her hands. Pausing mid-step, she angles her head around and squints her eyes into the contrasting darkness of the open garage. Her face blanks, spotting familiar crystals piled upon the concrete floor around a box of golem parts. Her mind fights back a surge of stark, cold recognition. Shifting between grimaces and cringes, Meredosia mentally wrestles back memories, struggles with past desires, and suppresses old ambitions. Noyando calls out from his sedan. "Mera? Is something wrong?"
Fluttering her crimson eyes back to the present, Mera shakes the thoughts hard out of her mind and pivots around, facing Noyando with a smile. "Um. No. Sorry."
She sprints over to the passengers side of the car, slipping into the front seat, and chuckles off some embarrassment. "I am sorry. I thought I saw something really weird in their garage. I did not mean to pry, but I could not help it."
Noyando puts the sedan in gear, laughing with a humored nod. "Oh. I understand. Adventurers are strange to me. They have a habit to collect the oddest things. They tip nice, though."
Mera partially agrees with the sentiment. Her stare lingers upon the shady darkness of the garage, and Noyando backs the car out onto the road.