Astrid tried to watch with disinterest as the robotic mutt ran off, instead she felt an inexplicable need to follow the creature, even though her sister had advised her against following strangers to secondary locations. Biting the inside of her cheek, she mulled her options over. It could have easily been a trap, certainly, but at this point she was basically lost, clueless as to where in Northbridge she could find the people she was looking for. The robo-dog, at least, seemed to be headed somewhere, the question was whether or not it intended to try and eviscerate her once they were there.

There was only one way to find out. The engine of her bike hummed along, almost silently as she followed the canine further into town, around a corner, and into a dark alleyway. More hounds came pouring out of the proverbial (and literal) brickwork. They all appeared the same, except for one, which joined her on street level. Despite being veritably surrounded, she felt relatively nonplussed. The most pressing issue was whether or not they'd damage her bike if things got dicey.

The robotic hound that was not like the others emitted a beam of light. The light coalesced into a video feed, cloaked figure staring back at her, a deep void where its face should have been. With a bored expression on her face, she resisted the urge to make a comment about the importance of a firm handshake when meeting someone for the first time. With the adrenaline from earlier starting to leave her, she wondered what time it was. She had ridden here nonstop from the Ripper's, if she was forced to hazard a guess, she'd have assumed afternoon, but the chronic fog made it hard to tell an exact time. Thinking about it for a moment, she realized she'd been awake for almost twenty-four hours now; she fought back the urge to yawn.

The individual in the projected video interrupted her thoughts with a proclamation. "So you're the one who tore through the blockade in Bridge Street, I am Megahertz. I speak for JAHANNAM."

Astrid's eyes lit up, her posture suddenly straightening out as she did her best to appear as if she hadn't just been daydreaming about where the best place to nap would be. 

"And we were watching."

The projection started to circle her. She didn't move, letting the figure move in and out of her sight; watching Megahertz too intently would be interpreted as weakness. Instead, she forced herself to relax, standing with a casual ease while she waited.

"You were crude. Messy. And the collateral damage you've left behind will cost a fortune of time and money to SILENCE…!"

She rolled her eyes, ever so slightly, [color=808080][i]'Starting to sound like Esme.'[/i][/color]

"...But I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't… inspiring. Such spectacle and disaster you have left in your wake, Stranger. Who are you, and why have you come to Northbridge?"

With a smug look, Astrid scratched the back of her head, [color=808080]"Well, shit, if you thought watching was a thrill, you should enjoy a BD featuring some of my more... artisanal work."[/color] It wasn't often that people appreciated her; she'd been pulling her younger siblings out of the holes they'd dug so often, they had grown to expect it. The thought of her family reminded her why she was in Northbridge, and all mirth left her face.

[color=808080]"I'm looking for work, sort of... My,"[/color] her middle and index fingers curled into air quotes, [i][color=808080]“superhero name,”[/color][/i] her hands dropped to her side, one of them resting on her hip, [color=808080]“is really lame. It essentially translates out to fucked up monster, or something like that.”[/color] Her free hand started to nervously fidget with a stray strand of her hair, like it always did when she thought about the name the SPA had branded her with. [color=808080]“Just call me Astrid.”[/color]

She contemplated explaining everything to the enigmatic projection, including the fact that she was technically a representative of a faction on the Plates, but decided to keep it succinct. [color=808080]"Word on the street is, Lockdown takes care of his crew. Not only that, but your turf is also one of few that the Horde respects enough to stay out."[/color] Cocking her head to the side, she continued, [color=808080]"Disregarding all that, I'm interested in the type of person holding JAHANNAM’s reins."[/color]

Crossing her arms, she stared directly at the hologram, where its eyes would have been, were it a human. [color=808080]"Al-Qurtubi once said that wherever Jahannam goes, the uninitiated will hear its fury and roaring. When the eschaton comes, God will ask Jahannam if it is full, and it will answer, 'Are there yet more to consume?'"[/color]

​It was silent for a moment, even the ambient sounds of Northbridge seemed to fade away, then Astrid broke the silence by barking out a laugh, [color=808080]"Sounds like a riot of a good time to me."[/color]