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Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

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Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

And are there any more collabs being written?

@Estylwen

I'm all set now, thanks so much for being patient!

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

ERode: kindly puts all their collabs into one post under hiders

Me: quadruple post

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

Night in Waterfront Vale

_{Mentions: Literally everyone || Interactions: Matthias (in collaboration with @ERode)}

---

He left Silverside.

He wasn't thinking clearly. He knew that. He had to calm down, get himself under control, but even in the bright white lights of Silverside he kept seeing shadows.

He'd spent years building that place up, ivory towers and golden gates and cameras and guns and men and information and money and people too self-important to let anything from lesser districts even dare to think about touching it. He'd spent so much of himself crafting safety there and right now he didn't even feel it.

He didn't know where to go. But his feet had taken him to one of the great gates that kept them all caged in.

The edge of Waterfront Vale was even more heavily guarded than usual. Armed men in masks, goggles, and helmets secured the exit, enforcing an even wider perimeter. That wasn't a shock, considering what had happened yesterday. Adel didn't even chance getting closer than he already was, blocks away from the white line in the shade of some corner store. Night had already fallen and it was likely the soldiers were more antsy in the dark. Normally, looking at the exit gate from the skyscrapers of Silverside was like gazing at a makeshift vision board. Right now it wasn't doing jack shit. Fuck, if only he had the courage to just go for it, even if it meant leaving people behind.

Adel let his head fall back against the side of the building with a heavy thump. He'd forgotten his coat, but the November chill didn't bother him so much as the fact he couldn't smoke. No wallet either. Maybe he'd go inside and steal a pack like the old days. He didn't really feel like bumming one off of some random person.

There weren't many people around anyway. Besides the soldiers in the distance, the only other guy that was out late in this section of the Vale was across the street outside of a humble 24-hour clinic.

Goosebumps formed on Adel's skin as recognition surprisingly came to him. Wasn't that the guy that had attended Matthias yesterday? The man with the pretty eyes in the tailored Loro Piana. It was dark, but enough warm fluorescent light spilled out from the clinic to illuminate him. Adel was fairly sure he was right. Was it a coincidence or was the Lodestar actually here, now, of all places and times?

“Why the surprise, Canary?”

The man’s voice travelled well, a timbre as rich as petroleum. He seemed darker than before, backlit by the bright glow that shone through the clinic’s windows, only his eyes burning still with that strange light. A shadow of a man, with but two sparks of life. As Adel made himself more present, a finger would lift up from his clasped hands, the smallest sign of a wave.

“Waterfront Vale is the Order’s territory, and the Lodestar leads an adventurous life.”

Adel considered walking away without so much as a response, but ultimately he stayed rooted to the spot for the moment. His thoughts had been swirling wildly in his head, but when faced with his client -or his client's man, as it were- ingrained habits and procedures began pushing their way to the forefront of his brain. His business first mantra was surprisingly effective in grounding him, and though it took him a few moments to close off the storm of what if it was all a lie from the start, what if he's part of it, what if- he eventually managed.

By the time he'd crossed the road his countenance was the same old Silver Canary as ever, save for the slightly haunted look in his eyes. He kept a wide space between himself and Elijah, just not quite so wide as an entire street anymore.

"Didn't expect him to get involved in another adventure this quick," he said. The guy had to be a masochist, because if wasn't tucked away in Riverbend then it probably wasn't prior wounds he was being treated for. "Probably should have."

He didn't fidget, just stood, not quite casually but not stiff. Since the golden eyed man was not, technically, some random person after a moment Adel gave in and asked, "don't happen to smoke, do you?"

“I keep a pack to be courteous.” Elijah slipped a gloved hand into the inner pocket of his suit, drawing out a pack of Viceroys. He tapped a finger against the bottom until one cigarette slid out, then offered it to Adel. “Suppose you’ve had your share of surprises as well?”

A flick of the wrist, and there was a lighter in his hand. A silver case, embossed with the impression of a dragon; it snapped open to ignite a warmer flame than the clinic.

There was still some hesitation before Adel closed the rest of the distance, noting the brand, accepting the cigarette and leaning toward the little flame with it in his mouth. As soon as it was lit he shuffled away, inhaled deeply, and held everything in his mouth and lungs until he could neither breathe nor taste, and then let the smoke trail out of his nose. He studied Elijah as he did, part habit and part paranoia.

"Every day's a fresh horror waiting to be found," he finally said by way of agreement.

“The city’s gotta maintain its charm.”

Behind the two, the clinic’s door swivelled open, the creaking of wheels sounding as the Lodestar, as finely dressed as ever, rolled out into the darkness. A slight shift in his shoulders indicated that he had turned his ‘head’ towards Adel, but as always, there were no sudden movements, no show of surprise or alarm.

A new bandage was wrapped around one hand.

“Mr. Dawson.” Elijah stepped back as Matthias spoke, a single movement to remove himself from the conversation entirely. “Your timing is…well, I suppose Waterfront Vale can only be so large.”

Adel's eyes traveled from Matthias' twisting 'face' to the bandage, though he didn't feel any satisfaction at being right.

"I didn't mean to catch you unawares," he said. He hadn't actually intended to run into Matthias at all, he'd just needed to be somewhere else for a while. "I..."

He swallowed whatever he had been about to say quickly, thinking better of it. Or not thinking, as it were, and having to stop himself from saying it. He brought his eyes back up to the vague shape of Matthias' head. If he looked at things objectively, it made no sense for the man to be part of the conspiracy that had taken root in his mind. So, then, where did that leave him?

"...do you want to go somewhere?"

“Not necessarily. But it seems like you do.”

Was it force of will or the divorcing of mind and body? Matthias gripped the wheels, indicating to Adel to lead the way, whether it be a location or a conversation.

Adel wasn't kind enough to offer to spare Matthias' hand and push his chair, but at least they didn't go far. The brunette gave Elijah a departing nod in thanks for the smoke, even though the man would probably tail them anyway.

There were plenty of public parks in Waterfront Vale. It was a fairly nice district; grass and trees, playgrounds, a close knit community. A little darker when night fell on account of being on Nocturnia's southwestern side, away from the more highly developed areas. No less noisy though. Sound carried far. It was one of these parks that the two men ended up in, only a little more private than the pavement outside of the clinic given that a pair of teenage lovebirds was present, but once they spotted the company they scrammed soon enough.

In usual Silver Canary fashion he didn't speak for a few moments, even after he'd stopped walking. He stood turned away from Matthias at an angle, seemingly lost in thought but still not completely willing to show his whole back to the man. He savored his nicotine for a little while longer as that question tumbled around in his skull. Where did that leave the Lodestar?

When he did speak next, his voice was not quite as neutral as he'd wanted it to be.

"Why did you lie to me about sugarcrush."

If he knew, he knew. No point in feigning ignorance now.

“Figured you’d charge more, if you knew that the Order’s own research into Sugarcrush had turned up nothing conclusive yet.” No need to explain why the money was needed. “How did you figure out what it did?”

"Direct experimentation." No matter how it turned out, the results spoke for themselves. "Why did your Order never try and take Pennystakes?"

“Hm?”

Adel hesitated for a moment before he explained. "With all of the expanding you're doing. You picked Del Guarde and the Thorned Roses to go after instead of the far easier target next door."

“The Order isn’t a mafia, Mr. Dawson.” Matthias shrugged. “I won’t say that I wasn’t tempted to, considering how fragmented Eastern Nocturnia is. But Omakase does good work. Unless you’re saying otherwise?”

The Canary's jaw tightened. Stress showed through the tension in his figure. He didn't answer Matthias, instead stepping over to a cold metal bench and dropping himself into it. As he was seated he let the tension go, and disguised what remained by pulling one of his feet up onto the bench. He draped an arm over his knee and let his dwindling cigarette hang loosely in his grasp as he pressed his forehead to his arm.

"Your life is in danger. Not in an abstract Nocturnia way. Like, imminently."

“Like a Vincent, Ezra, Antonio, and two other guys who are equally evil by association kinda way?”’

There was a weak puff of breath from where Adel was curled up. "Yeah."

He already knew that Vincent and Ezra were after Matthias, along with the Commissioner of course, but now he had three other guys on his ass too? He might be an even unluckier bastard than Adel himself.

"Antonio Litwin?" he asked, the well worn cogs in his brain spinning faster. That was the old man in Brewery. He must be the man Khor had told him about, the one bucking her authority. Fuck. "One of them why you ended up with another clinic visit?"

“Considering I walked into a room with all of them, I came out alright.”

There was a brief pause, and then Matthias produced the notebook that Nep had given him. He handed it over to Adel.

“How much supernatural bullshit involving Gyfts can you stomach, Mr. Dawson?”

Realistically, not a lot. He'd puked into the river half an hour ago when his nerves had finally overcome his will. But he opened the journal anyway, attempting to digest it while the thing about all of them being in a room together circulated around his head.

If Ezra was colluding with Antonio then he couldn't keep Khor out of his issues. She had to know as soon as possible. If Ezra was colluding with Vincent then Adel was fucked. He couldn't avoid Vincent, for more than one reason. Tonight was just getting worse and worse, but at least he knew ahead of time now, for what good that did. The haunted look had come back full force, Adel's brown eyes so dark with dread that they might as well have been black pits. He flipped towards the journal's end -all disturbing shit, a man driven to madness with Antonio in the center of it- before going back to the first page with Khor's name on it.

"This is bleak," he said. He assumed Matthias had more to say about this, but the notebook already detailed that the old man had been manipulating people for years before this.

“Yeah. It’s actually worse though.” Matthias folded his hands over his lap. “The Jolly Jalopy is a front for some underground monster, and drinking whatever Antonio brews connects you to it. It also exists separate from him, so it definitely isn’t dependent on his own Gyft. Or, maybe, his own Gyft is just his connection to it. And this monster is what drew all the fucked up folks of Nocturnia there.”

There was an audible click of a tongue, an incomprehensible sound for someone with neither tongue or teeth to make.

“If I had known, it’d have been the perfect party to crash with a couple grenades.”

Adel laughed through his nose, if it could even be called a laugh. More like a few hoarse exhales accompanying the shake of his ribs. He brought a hand up to pinch his temples, obscuring his eyes. "If only. And I thought Ezra Blackheart was the worst thing in Nocturnia. And now we’ve got the eldritch illuminati."

A fucking mind-link monster, really?

He should be more frightened at the prospect, but he was already kind of full up on the feeling of impending doom so there wasn't any more space for it. He tried fitting this huge piece into the city's puzzle as the night air finally started to seep into his skin.

Speaking of Ezra, he had to wonder if the Midnight Man was really willing to work with all of them. Was he hooked up to that monster too, under its control or in control of it? Adel still vividly remembered the first time he'd met the man after hearing the stories, and seeing the kinds of things the Dark Aces did. How insistently he'd tried to recruit Adel, absorb him, possess him - it was scary, and why Adel had gone so far out of his way to try and never meet the man again. It hadn't worked, of course. The thought that Ezra's scheme had been brewing since way back then made Adel's stomach flip again. He leaned back against the metal, hand still covering part of his face.

"Ezra. ’Hired’ me to get close to you."

The funny part was he could probably get Matthias to trust him a lot easier this way, since while Ezra was busy threatening his well being he hadn't forbidden Adel from just telling the guy what was going on. He normally wouldn't have though, if not for finding that fucking door.

"I think you noticed something was strange when you swapped to calling me Dawson instead of Adel. Feel free to stroke my ego and tell me I'm wrong."

“The Silver Canary, charging half what Cyrus does?” Matthias shrugged. “I actually swapped to Mr. Dawson because of a movie I watched though.”

Because Lord knew one needed some form of leisure in this blasted City.

“Only question that remains then, is whether or not you’re still with him or not.” If it was just a matter of safety, after all, it was obvious that the better bet would be with a clusterfuck of shadowy maniacs. But when it came to stability? “Can’t im-“

The Lodestar paused. Tapped a finger against his armest. Envisioned Nocturnia as a map, that ever-shifting tapestry of boundaries and domains.

“Did Antonio take Omakase as well?”

"Ezra did. Or both of them if they're all one monster mind." It hurt to say. "Their districts. The people are alright. But-"

He sucked in a breath, indignation flickering through him now that he was slowly getting back to normal after his earlier revelation. It didn't outweigh the apprehension.

"I'm not with him. I'm never gonna be with that bastard. He needs me for something–"

Adel stopped talking abruptly when the thought made his breath catch in his throat. Somehow he felt if he said it aloud then it would set everything he thought in stone. And despite the impromptu info-dumping with Matthias, he didn't know if he should tell the man. Just because Matthias wasn't involved with Ezra -or the Nocturnian Illuminati- didn't mean he wouldn't do the same thing Ezra was if he found out.

"...I figure they're going to use Pennystakes as a staging ground to come after you. Vincent too. I'm sure he's going to head off any attack you plan to make on White Pine."

It was about what he expected. A war on two fronts, just like the Del Guarde. It’d be comedic, if it wasn’t so fucking dire. And there was something too, about how spooked Adel was. An uncharacteristic burst of emotion. An uncharacteristic everything, really. Alone at night, in territory that wasn’t one’s own?

Nocturnia came to mind once more. His designs with Leo. The disposal of Omakase. Vincent’s Sugarcrush. The attack on Kairo Tower. Emily’s strange acquaintanceship with him. The ticking timer that was the ceasefire with the Commissioner.

His finger tapped a regular beat. Smoke swirled and coalesced, then scattered at the pull of the riverside wind.

“Tell me what you learned of Vincent and White Pine.” Matthias spoke.”Then, let the head of Akula’s Crew know that I have a cure for Antonio’s influence, so long as they’re willing to fight to reclaim their district. Let Poppy know as well, to send me any pertinent information about Penny Stakes and Grey Heights she’s got.”

He had no need for food or drink, sleep or rest. His mind was always clear, too clear to be swayed by emotion. Even machines recognized him as cold. His sermons had never inspired emotion, only calculating self-reflection. And though he lied more naturally than he breathed, the Lodestar shone a way through the night as luminous as the northmost star.

“Help me, Mr. Dawson, and I will dash these serpents against the rocks before the week ends.”

Now wasn't that a nice thought.

Adel didn't raise his head from where it rested against the bench. He had unveiled his eyes at some point, staring up at the leaves of one of the park's trees while he brought the cigarette back to his mouth. It had already burned down to the filter, but he pulled on it anyway.

Tomorrow he'd be in a better place; he'd be fine, calm, rational, put together, and like he hadn't learned several things that could turn the entire city on its head. Tonight he'd work on getting to that place.

"I will," he said. Technically Matthias had promised to pay for the info on Vincent anyway. Adel had planned to accept Accardo's request and keep some of the things he'd learned from Matthias, but now? Fuck that. He could tell the Lodestar all about Poppy's ex-districts himself right now, but he had to wait. For his own sake. He was sure that rumors of Omakase's assimilation by the canaries, embellished with force or otherwise, would crop up before daybreak. He had to wait at least that long. And Khor... he hoped she wasn't already too deep in for him to pull out.

Adel sat up, finally looking back at Matthias. His gaze was a little clearer.

"I need your next moves. Something substantial, but that you'd be alright with them knowing." He'd already divulged that he was spying on Matthias for Ezra. It wasn't a stretch to come to the conclusion that Vincent had made a similar deal with the Canary. So how much trust was Matthias willing to put into Adel? "I can find out for myself. I'd rather save us both the time."

“Nothing changed. I’m advancing upon White Pine, with the primary goal of taking down the creator of Sugarcrush.” If they tried to move it through the blockade that he had asked Leo to set up, all the better. If they moved their facilities up to Heavy Crossguard, it was a bit misfortunate, but he could deal with the Lion afterwards. “I’ll also be organizing a proper alliance with Asterion’s people, now that Ezra has gone out of his way to take…direct action against them.”

Adel could find out most things if he tried hard enough. And Matthias wasn’t a strategic genius when it came down to it. He just had a propensity for acting swifter than most, running a budget that was about as paycheck-to-paycheck as one could expect from someone who generated it mostly off of tithes and donations.

“The rest, I suppose, I’ll leave to you to figure out if it’s worth sharing or not. I’m coordinating the attack on White Pine with Burberry’s Lion, who’ll be striking Heavy Crossguard. I’m in talks with Clash, to organize a…pilgrimage to the eastern districts. My deal with the Commissioner will last maybe a few more days at this rate, but I intend on getting her to remove Ezra off the ‘board’ for a bit, now that he has rooted himself in Omakase’s former territories. And, I suppose, considering the rest...Asterion has been in touch with the Iron Rose.”

She hadn’t been at the Jolly Jalopy, but perhaps she was subservient to them. It would explain her silence, her inactivity…but if her silence came from another reason, perhaps he could use that too. If tomorrow’s attack went well, the territories of the Order would become a bulwark against the combined forces of Ezra and Vincent.

Maybe it’d be worth running a protection racket, on a city-wide level.

“I may connect with her as well, if she hasn’t already decided to be bedfellows with the other Rose.”

The Silver Canary absorbed the information quietly, some things he knew, some he expected, and some pieces were new entirely. He drummed his fingers on the top of his knee, already carefully choosing what he would report back.

Detective Newport was a handful, but she was surprisingly easier to deal with than most. On a business level, at the very least. And Adel already knew that Vincent was after her for some reason, due to the job he'd forced onto Poppy the other day. Her Blue Bloods were swift and brutal, and would certainly be an asset if they chose to fight. She was already crooked for sure, but they could keep her from being taken in by this evil conglomerate with plenty of cash and flattery. With how tight-lipped the Kairo Empire was being after that morning's attack, he wasn't sure how reliable the man would be - but then again, the group's power and influence had already been on public display.

Now only Isabella Dellacroix was an unknown element.

"I can speak to Commissioner Franchesca for you, if I'm still alive after meeting with Vincent tomorrow."

It would probably damage his reputation with her, acting as a liaison for the Order of Enlightenment, but she liked him enough to have once offered him an official position as her consultant. He was sure he could spin it in a way Antonia could understand without being too upset with him.

“If you think it will help, you don’t need to mention me. While things may change soon enough, right now…” Matthias made a gesture, the index finger on his left hand extending out, before being wrapped by the fingers of his right hand. “Jeweled Bank is surrounded almost exclusively by this new alliance.”

Adel was well aware of that, but he nodded anyway. Hell, if Matthias had decided to join up with them then he would be in the same position. If the Order fell he would be in the same position. It still didn't feel great to be completely surrounded either way. Unease crawled over him from time to time about it.

When he replied it was only to let out a juvenile, "This sucks."

What else could be said, really, except…

“Yeah.”

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

The Palazzo, Silverside

_{Mentions: Adel, Khor, 'The Sinners' || Interactions: Swift & Misty (in collaboration with @flux)}

---

The vehicle slid around another corner. Hollering was met with a wave of loose paper flying within the interior of the car. A shriek from the driver soon drowned out by screeching tires. Both occupants' heads bounced forward and back into the headrests as the car finally stood still in the middle of one of Silverside's many intersections. The passenger looked to the driver with a groan collecting the papers without taking her eyes off the focus of her displeasure. Rada threw her hands off the wheel. “Hey don’t blame me because your shit blinded my line. I totally had that!”

Misty rubbed her eyes now her papers were in a tidy stack once again. “If you drove with any sense of preservation I’d be able to catalogue all my data without it flying everywhere. Where the hell did you learn to drive like this anyway?”

Rada started the vehicle while waving off drivers slamming horns and screaming obscenities to get out of the way. Slowly rolling away and proceeding at a legal speed she pouted. “Taught myself. Blood, sweat and a ton of burnt rubber. All courtesy of Khor, bless her soul.”

Misty slapped Rada’s shoulder with the back of her hand. “Names damn you. Don’t use anyone’s goddamn name. Not just for the culture, out of respect. We bled to earn those. Keep that up and you’re just a liability.”

Rada began imitating Misty, mouthing silently in exaggeration. Catching a deadly glare from Misty Rada quickly stopped her parody. Tapping the wheel with her fingers she eventually shot her head to the side to continue the conversation. “Don’t call me a liability dude, shit hurts. Besides, how can I be a liability when I have your back in every way?” She pulled a pistol from the center console. “Pretty neat huh? I’m a real Akula now.”

Misty’s eyes settled on the firearm. “Yeah your right, now you have your own firestick you're a big fish now-” Misty snatched the gun and promptly threw it out the window into the waterway they drove along. “Stick to driving, girl. You don’t want that.”

Rada slammed the breaks again. “Are you serious!? What-. Why?” She seemed to be shouting at no one in particular. “Why can’t I do cool shit with you guys!?”

Misty turned her head to Rada. “It’s not cool shit. It’s work. Hard work.” She pointed ahead. “Drive.”

Rada went back to mouthing off. “ ‘it’s not cool shit, its haaaard work.’ ‘don’t use names, its insensitive.’ ‘eat crayon, tacti-cool doucher speaky’.“

Misty let her go off. The Eel had been kind enough to provide her with Rada as a contact. As a driver? She couldn’t ask for a better pilot and Rada had more than proved herself as an asset. That ambition though. She felt a moment of dread as the thought of Rada getting herself into a gunfight because she looked up to what she did, what they all did. She needed time though, to mature and cool with age. Then maybe they’d take her in. Until then though.

The car jolted to a stop again. Rada left the engine running. “Your chariot arriveth. Have I proved worthy in your eyes, dear madam?”

Misty snorted, then took a breath. “Look. You do good work kid, you're just under done. Give it time.”

Rada laughed once and briefly. “Yeah-hum. If it’s all the same to you get out and go do your gooder work.”

Misty got out of the vehicle with a briefcase and stack of papers. Closing the door and turning to thank Rada she found the wheels already spinning. Taking off in a huff of smoke Misty’s eyes tracked the car until it screeched through another intersection. A sigh escaped her. “That girl is going to get herself killed.”

She blinked away whatever worry she had for Rada and looked back to The Palazzo. There was a mission to complete, although diplomatic, as important as any other. The only part of her that stood out aside from her business suit were the heavy duty boots clomping toward the building. Apart from undercover work she could never lose the boots. They were the most important part of her gear she felt, a good pair able to carry her over any distance whatever the muck or the risk. A last reliable comfort in both the best and worst of times. Gently shouldering through the doors cradling the papers in one arm with the other hand carrying the briefcase she approached the concierge.

Out of respect Misty entered with the cover of being a researcher. A cover reliable enough that it was a half truth backed up by credentials provided by Otto Bondar. Not many would take the time to doubt one of the few established academic entities of Nocturnia, the tricky part here would be to provide enough tells for the Canary’s to clock her.

She stood before the first potential Canary in the building. “Hello. My name is Misty. I’m here in regard to aquatic studies in relation to the birds of Nocturnia. I have some very intriguing data that the proprietor of this building may find useful. Would they be in at this moment? If not, is there someone I could discuss and pass my reports onto?” Placing the briefcase down Misty placed her hands on the bench. Her hand flashed a red and white card from her sleeve, colours split down the diagonal. Long enough to notice if someone was looking for it but short enough to seem like idle fiddling at worst.

The concierge, a woman more than a foot shorter than Misty and who pushed her long blonde hair behind one ear as she looked up at her, regarded Misty coolly.

"The... proprietor, ma'am?"

The woman leaned over slightly, looking around Misty onto the floor of the lobby as though to make sure she hadn't tracked anything in.

"Interested in... aquatic birds?"

Either she wasn't one of the people Misty was looking for, or she was playing dumb. Either way, the concierge drew in a breath before putting on a charmingly fake customer service smile and voice. "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you mean. If you're looking to purchase a suite I would be happy to assist you. If you are looking for someone I can call to see if they're in."

Off to one side, a man sat at a smaller security desk. He looked at the card Misty was flicking for several long moments before his attention shifted to her face, and he reached over to press a gray button on his own system spread out in front of him. A small light blinked as though a phone line had connected.

Misty’s eyes scrunched. Not who she was looking for. Play the cover, move on. “Yes, birds. We’ve been commissioned to test the waterways contamination and we measure that through the excrement of the birds through the fish they eat. Highlights the biological impact of the water on the fish, the birds, and ultimately the occupants of this tower. I take it you weren’t briefed on this?” She waved her hand. “No matter. Sorry to disturb you.” She looked to the man across the floor, not shouting but raising her voice enough to be clearly heard. “Would you know where to find someone I could speak to responsible for the infrastructure of the building? A strata or building council member perhaps? The results are rather important.”

The blonde scoffed under her breath when Misty turned, but the security guard only raised an eyebrow at her.

"Maybe," he said, giving the huge woman a proper once over. For all intents and purposes she looked like a regular business woman, and he didn't see any holster on her concealed or otherwise. That didn't mean she wasn't strapped, but it was a good start. The strange way she was talking implied to him that this researcher was probably looking for a very particular business that she had never actually been to before. He liked to try and guess why these newbies came for information. Did she want some dirt on a rival academic or something? He was definitely gonna ask later.

The man picked up the receiver of his desk phone and spoke three quick words into it. "One for you."

In front of Misty, the concierge drummed her manicured nails against the counter. "Do you need a room or not," she said rather impatiently, and the guard called back to her, "unlock a conference room on the ground level, Cindy."

She turned to the monitors below the counter and the guard got up. He nodded at Misty and gestured for her to head down one of the halls connected to the lobby so he could escort her from behind.

Misty nodded a thank you to Cindy then complied with the guard. With the lights overhead she could regularly track his shadow without looking back. Good. She’d be able to react to any sudden movements if this turned forceful. The guard however seemed to be nothing but helpful, a good start for certain. Right now the hardest part was not to get distracted by the art within, maybe that was the purpose? Maybe the Canary’s were just a cultured bunch. A question for later.

It wasn't a long walk. And at the end was a richly colored wood door with a small mounted plate that only stated Meeting Room 1. It was very plain despite the obvious quality. Everything in The Palazzo, from the mud rugs in the entrance before the lobby to the very real decorative plants to the smallest screws holding the elaborate scones was clearly high quality and expensive as all hell. Most of Silverside was upscale, especially compared to the rest of Nocturnia, but walking into The Palazzo had really been like stepping into a king's personal space.

The meeting room was much the same. Not outwardly extravagant, but its finery in the details. There were small cabinets lining the walls, a large dark oaken table in the center of the room with matching chairs lined with plush leather with no wheels to speak of and an intricate oriental carpet beneath it all. There were no windows, but on one wall three flat-screens were mounted side by side that projected a view of the river as though they were on the top floor rather than the bottom.

Misty stood at the door taking it all in. It felt fit for royalty yet there was a baseline of reserved modesty. Built in such a way that wrapped her in the sense of absolute luxury but remained somehow spartan at the same time. Perfect without becoming indulgent. Her eyes wandered a moment more before letting out a little chuckle. “Sorry. It’s hard not to take it all in, there's a real sense of charm in this place. Usually we only conduct business over the phone and fax documents when required but, I have to say, I’m very glad I decided to push for a real meeting for once.” She let her eyes wander a little more for any sense the room was a cell or that this might be a trap.

Satisfied with her contingencies she looked back to the guard. “You don’t mind if I wait at the door do you? This being our first face to face I’d like to get things off on the right foot. It’d be rather rude of me to get comfortable before greeting my client first.” She hoped the guard wouldn’t leave her alone. If she was lucky she’d be able to strike up some small talk while they waited, potentially revealing something that could help her moving forward.

The man blinked slowly, having apparently not heard that kind of request before. He was unconcerned however, and idly scratched his chin before answering. "I guess so, Miss...?"

Misty offered her hand for a shake. “Misty, Ms Misty.” She lowered her hand slightly with a smirk. “Bit of a mouthful ‘Ms Misty’, try not to laugh.” She raised her hand properly again. “Have to admit, I can’t help but wonder how great it would be to work here, the lab we have is a stuffy dirty place, home enough I guess but still. How do you find it here?”

"Ms. Misty," the man repeated, his mouth curling in amusement. That amusement didn't fade as she continued. Where the hell was she from that she was so taken with the place, Pennystakes?

"Hm, it's fine, I guess. I'm a security guard, it's nothing groundbreaking," he said. Then with a wide, lax smile he added, "Il Palazzo is the swankiest place in town, so I guess I could do a lot worse though."

He leaned back so that he was against the opposite wall in the hallway. "Where's your lab? They got you in a basement level or something while the bigwigs get college offices?"

Misty gave a friendly smile. “Don’t put yourself down, it's honest work, that’s an achievement in this city hun, and you got it in one. That glass cathedral in the Brewery, HocJoc HQ? You’d think we’d get the high rise office perks, you know, a view, air conditioning, security. Nope, thrown into the basement, can’t have the ecologists fouling the elevators with samples, god forbid. So instead we get a little leaky lab, down in the dirt.” She shook her head. “I honestly wonder why I haven’t looked for other work, but now that I’m here, seeing how good things could be…” She trailed off. “Say, you wouldn’t know of any positions here or nearby for an educated woman, would you?”

The guard, who had yet to introduce himself but whose name -assumed or otherwise- Misty already knew by virtue of the name tag on his shirt, chuckled. This professor, or whatever she was, was fun. Not bad looking for her age either, though the extra four inches she had on him in height meant she wasn't his type. Still though.

He was about to answer her when another voice cut them off from the end of the hall.

"That's enough, please."

The slight woman that walked toward them was a full foot shorter than Misty, with brown hair cut to her shoulders and deep blue eyes that stuck out against her light skin. She was dressed professionally in a women's suit with a jacket pulled tight over her. She didn't look happy... but neither did she look upset.

She looked like she felt nothing at all.

The guard turned back to Misty. He gave her a shrug and a smile. "Your appointment, Ms. Misty," he informed her, pushing off the wall and heading back the way he came. He nodded at the new arrival but she didn't nod back.

Swift stood in front of Misty and motioned toward the door. "Go ahead."

Misty’s eyes tracked the woman. Official in appearance to blend in, straight to the point and no questions as to why she was here delivering a report no one asked for. Excellent. Chances were favourable this was exactly the person she needed to make contact with. She offered her hand first to the shorter woman. “Ms Misty ma'am. Apologies but they only title communications with ever so useful mentions of ‘the committee’ or ‘management’, I am speaking to?..”

Swift glanced at the offered hand, then back up at Misty. She didn't quite smile, but her face tightened like she had.

"You can drop your pretense," she said quietly. She gestured again to the door. "Please. We'll speak in private."

Misty let her guard down to offer a genuine smile. Success, at least thus far. She complied, entering to place her briefcase on the table before sitting down, offering a moment of vulnerability to test the woman's trust in her. Now to see the game she wanted to play, or if she was decided on business straight away.

Swift shut the door as she followed Misty in. There was no audible click of a lock, though that by no means meant one wasn't present. She then made her way around the table's opposite side, watching Misty as she did.

The timing of this stranger's arrival was very, very poor. The location she'd chosen to visit was suspect. And the number of possible reasons she was here were... two.

The first: she was a genuine client who had not managed to make it to the office. It wasn't unusual. The office was hidden, naturally, but there were ways to locate it. Clues to follow. Or, people to ask - people that had been there before. So Misty did not have any she could ask. She had not been there before. She spoke with a cover because she thought it was expected, or she genuinely didn't want to involve anyone else. This was the best option.

The second: she was here for a much more sinister reason.

Why else would someone show up now, as the moon rose, here, at The Palazzo where the Silver Canary purportedly lived, unless she meant to do him harm? Unless she knew that he had all but fled his headquarters and thought she might find him here?

Swift took a seat that was not directly across from Misty. She placed her hands on the table and clasped them together tightly. She was not as good at concealing her emotions as her boss was, but it helped that those emotions were dulled in the first place. A lifetime of living in Nocturnia affected everyone differently.

"My name is Swift," she said. She squeezed her hands even tighter. How furious Adel would be to know she would be speaking on his behalf right now.

...but that was all the speaking she did at the moment. Otherwise she quietly held Misty's gaze.

Swift made no effort to conceal her hands, another green flag. Misty rested her elbows on the table, fingers interlocked, relaxed, calm, calculating. She lowered her hands so that her whole face could be seen. Swift had been kind enough to introduce herself, but there was a tension in her shoulders, a slight whitening in her knuckles. She had every right to be concerned of a stranger waltzing in under a false pretense, but that concern could lead to conflict. Swift had decided on a diplomatic game then, Misty would follow suit, hoping to defuse the tension. It would be a game of catch, picking the bomb apart piece by piece between each other.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Swift. I’ve come here with an offer of raw data, something that a certain organisation would benefit largely from.” Misty let her hands fall gently to the table, turning one arm to show an open hand. “I was hoping to speak to someone officially in charge, or at least of large influence within said organisation. If I could hazard a guess you yourself would be the latter?” Misty did her best to look as placid and friendly as possible, but her body was built for fighting, all she could do was try her best to appear meek, however futile that might be.

It fell especially flat for the fact that despite not carrying a weapon on her, Misty was wearing at least one piece of armor. Swift 'saw' it before she'd even laid eyes on the huge woman. Did she expect trouble? And looking for the boss, coming with an offer of information instead of a request for one... it was unusual but not unheard of, people coming to the canaries to try and sell what they knew. But it was just strange enough that instead of lowering Swift's guard, her shoulders tensed minutely.

After considering Misty's words, Swift took her time with a reply. And what she answered with was, "No."

The Silver Canary had no underboss, no capo, no captains or lieutenants or second or thirds in command. The only one with large influence in his organization was himself; he didn't trust anyone else enough. If the meeting with this stranger went poorly, she didn't want the woman to think that she'd be able to threaten the Canary by taking out just one of his flock.

"But I am the person from this certain organization who will be hearing you out. Please," she loosened her clasped hands so that she could gesture with one. "go on. And what... organization, are you representing?"

Misty nodded. That’d do. She slipped the card in her sleeve out slowly before flicking it most the way across the table, the red and white rectangle spinning to a stop. “Friends from across the pond, if those colours mean anything to you.” She leant back, somewhat more relaxed. “We’d like to offer you detailed maps of the underground. An avenue for your operatives to appear wherever they might need or to exfiltrate reliably anywhere, anytime. This is a gift in good faith.”

Misty’s expression turned slightly more serious. “However this is only a fraction of what we have to offer you. To provide further asset’s and assistance however I require not only potentially sensitive information about your organisation, but also your trust to share and discuss that with me so we can integrate said assets for our combined maximal gain.”

Misty’s eyes looked away for a moment, taking a breath, this was the hard part. “Unfortunately, this offer is something that requires resolution tonight, any later and our circumstances might have changed so much that by tomorrow our full attention will be focussed on other matters, leaving us unable to revisit this deal.”

Misty’s eyes scrunched slightly. “For that I genuinely apologize for placing you in this position. I can imagine the loyalty to your organisation demands that you give me nothing and requests I await to talk to your…” She stopped, trying to find the right word but failing. “...leader, though that’s not quite right I suppose. The Canary seems much the same as our’s, a figurehead for those who share the same purpose. On that note, perhaps you're aware of The Eel’s and The Canary’s recent dinner together? For which I apologise for The Eel’s crudeness, they’re nothing if not to the point. Blunt as a brick, even.”

Misty’s expression softened, another opening of vulnerability. “I’m not sure if this makes you feel better, but I’m potentially in a similar position to you. I hold considerable sway with The Eel, but our organisation being as it is doesn’t recognise official rankings, neither am I here on orders. I am here however to capitalize and act on a critical moment in terms of the geo-politics of Nocturnia. I do know The Eel favours The Canary, and I know that the Canary’s overall would treat our people with dignity and respect.”

She let her eyes focus on Swift now so she’d comprehend the weight of the situation. “Dark times are fast approaching Nocturnia. We have no grand plans for it, just to survive the madness that will follow. I believe your organisation looks to achieve the same. I know you don’t have the authority to commit or guarantee anything we plan or propose tonight, but if the framework isn’t established now to be agreed and settled by The Eel and Canary later, it might never be.”

Misty’s steely eyes remained settled on Swift. “War’s are often won in rooms like this, because the right people had the right discussions at the right time, and in this case, winning is surviving. If you’d like I’ll open the briefcase and we can discuss the gift within. After that though, I’ll require your trust to navigate other benefits further.” Misty relaxed finally. “If you have any questions, please, even if it’s just to put yourself at ease. I have all night, but very little time beyond that.”

Swift let the woman speak, absorbing all of the information while she stared at the card on the table between the two of them. Her lips were barely parted as she processed Misty's words and the feedback from her Bio-Sonar. Without interrupting she closed her hands together again, this time folding one over the other.

Yes, she knew about what had happened at Peccatore the night before. And yes, she'd also been briefed that the canaries may be working with the Akula in the near future. As for the Akula themselves, it was interesting to learn more about the mysterious smugglers... and Swift didn't hear anything that sounded like deception. So far Swift had no reason to doubt what Misty was saying - and her story explained away some of the concerns Swift had. She spoke eloquently too, a true businesswoman. Just... Why did she have to arrive now of all times? Just a couple of hours too late to speak with Adel himself. It would have put everyone in a better place, if she was telling the truth.

Swift let out a breath. Finally her eyes flickered back to Misty's face, and they locked eyes. She breathed in. Her focus on Misty became laser precise.

"What is your favorite color?"

Misty blinked, her exterior betraying her inner character for a moment. “Oh, uh, you know I’ve never really thought about that.” Her eyes darted away for a moment, staring upward before her lips rose into a warm smile. “I think, I think I’d have to say yellow.” Her eyes went down to the table. “About a few years after the wall finished construction I was just a tiny kid, but I still remember how bad things were outside the house. A lot of panic, desperation.”

Her expression dropped a little before picking up again. “This might sound dumb, but every time I’d get scared, dad would chase me round and wrap me up in a yellow blanket. So tight I couldn’t even move my arms, and we’d both just laugh and laugh.” She laughed gently before going on. “Strangely despite the chaos those were simpler times, glad things aren’t as bad now as they were then. That being said, the way things are going these days though…” She gestured to the table to suggest the reason she was here sitting in front of Swift.

The shorter woman nodded slightly. She understood how things were going quite well. And, as far as she could tell... Misty was trustworthy.

Swift had paid close attention to every aspect of her answer, from her body language to the words she'd chosen to use; Her reaction to the unexpected question, whether or not she had stalled, whether or not she had lied about something small like this, the color she'd chosen, why she had felt the need to explain said choice, the story she'd supplied, the emotion she'd elicited in herself and whether or not it was genuine.

It was an odd test. One that her employer had taught her very early on. It served her well now, as she determined that Misty was -if not who she said she was- at least not looking to deceive Swift on the purpose of her visit.

The change wasn't instant, but Misty could see her counterpart begin to relax a little. "Thank you. For answering. It was a nice story," she said. A kind father was like a rare commodity in Nocturnia, and she quickly pushed away the unwanted thoughts of her own.

"Let me tell you before you decide to throw your lot in with us canaries. We will likely need your assistance far more than you may need ours. But in return we will help you, and yours, with whatever we can. I am prepared to answer whatever you may ask for, if it will help protect both Silverside and Brewery."

If Adel had been right, then they needed allies right now. Swift was going to make that happen with or without his approval. Prove that she had only the best in mind for every canary, silver or otherwise.

Misty let out a deep sigh of relief. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear that, and to be completely open with you, it might be us that needs you more in the short run.” Now she laid her cards out on the table. “I’m in charge of our, frankly modest, intelligence arm and my team has reported a… distressing event. Antonio Litwin, supporter of the Akula’s before the wall went up, has just hosted a meeting between Vincenzo Accardo, Ezra Blackheart, Flint Weathersteel, and a strange Doctor we’re still trying to ID, we’ve had better luck with their associate they brought though, we’ll share details as they’re confirmed.”

Distressing was an understatement. Swift's eyes narrowed, particularly at the mention of Ezra Blackheart. So he had made his way into Brewery as well. The canaries and Akula had a common enemy already.

Misty tapped her fingers. “Point being, this is a clear betrayal of the Akula’s, one we highly doubt The Eel has anything to do with, that unfortunately too is a case of trust but verify. Again, once we confirm The Eel’s intentions in regard to this sudden coalition, we will share those too. My primary concern is should a worst case scenario arise, we’ll have a rally point to regroup to assault this problem as Akula cells become aware of the betrayal and we can cleanse it ourselves.”

Misty’s fingers pointed politely at Swift. “That’s where the Canary’s come in. If we can get the intel advantage we might have this contained before it goes off. If you help us find those cells we can make the handshake and inform them of the situation. Preferably before they head to the Jolly Jalopy to get invalid orders and do some really stupid shit. They’d wisen up after the first mission or two, but I think we’d both prefer it didn’t reach that point.”

Misty leant back. “In return we’ll guarantee that your headquarters immediately has a kill team on standby at all times. If the Canary approves it, they’ll begin clearance training under the cover of being a PMC your shell company or organisation has hired. I’ll leave those details to the Canary’s if you prefer.”

Misty smiled. “You’ll get the best we have to offer. They’re bloodied veterans, zero hesitation and motivated to get the job done. They might not seem professional, but.” Misty gave a playful smirk. “You’ll see for yourself, if The Canary approves the team and exercises. Beyond that we can begin covertly entrenching the district, the waterway for example will make an excellent choke hold on anyone foolish enough to invade.”

"I see... That is more than generous. I'll ensure that our security specialist agrees to this as well. If you have need of her, I'm sure she would be willing. Should you and The Eel allow it, we can begin collecting information as soon as I leave this room. We'll find your cells, and everything else we find will go back to you as well. Anything I know. I..." Swift trailed off, taking in a breath. She clasped her hands together again. She couldn't ask Misty for more than what she was already offering. She changed gears.

"I thought your timing was bad, earlier. It still could have been better, but... now I'm grateful that you almost found us." She tried to offer Misty a smile, but it didn't quite meet her eyes. "Before any misunderstandings continue, The Palazzo is not where we operate, though we have staff here for obvious reasons. It was fortunate you came unarmed. With your armor, I thought that you... well. I apologize for being standoffish before."

She was still standoffish now, of course, but maybe a little less so. "Regardless. I will see these plans through."

Misty sat up. “Oh, this?” She rapped her knuckles on the ceramic front plate so it could sound out its presence. “Good eye being able to spot that. This is just precautionary. Wasn’t at all intending for a fight and the cover story was out of respect to avoid attracting attention to your front, very well done might I say. I like to think I’m pretty good at my job, but you Canary’s are definitely a cut above in that regard.”

She parted her hands. “But yes, going in, unannounced, with no contact and under a cover clearly standing out to the owners.” She tapped the chest plate again. “Well, accidents happen, and I would’ve liked to survive that accident to explain myself if that came to pass.” She allowed herself a little huff of a laugh. “We Akula’s are still around because of that. Put crudely, accept shit happens, just survive it and learn from it. My favourite interpretation was ‘less bitchin more fixin’. That one came from dad though so I’m probably biased there.”

Swift let out her own amused huff. Griffon would like that saying, she'd have to let her know. She would probably like Misty too.

"A fine adage," she said. After a beat she spoke again. "Was there anything else you needed from me, Ms. Misty? If I seem in a haste to cement a partnership between our two groups, it's because I am."

Misty shook her head. “Anything else I’d have to say would just be me sharing pleasantries. I agree, we should begin drafting agreements so The Eel and Canary can begin ratifying the moment they’re available.” Misty clicked open the briefcase to retrieve a laptop and diagrams of the underground. “I’ll begin the security agreement if you’d like to begin writing up the intelligence agreement, sound good?”

"Yes." At that point Swift stood, finally reaching out to take the card Misty had put on the table. "Please don't hesitate to let us know anything else you need. Anything."

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

Front Office, Silverside

_{Mentions: Many (in passing), Ezra, Ezra, Ezra, EZRA— || Interactions: -}

---

When Swift finally arrived back at the office, it was already late. She found that she'd missed a lot of things. She'd missed Eagle's on-boarding (probably for the best, she wouldn't have wanted to ruin Griffon's fun), the delivery of the equipment her coworkers had picked up from Merryland, the absorption of Omakase, and apparently a dinner spread. Someone had set aside some of the food for her though.

The office was all familiar faces at the moment, so the men from Omakase -and their leader Poppy- must have come by and gone already.

She picked at some shredded pork and let people catch her up on the day's events. Then she departed down a separate hall, rapping her knuckles lightly on the Silver Canary's door. She waited until she heard a vague noise that was probably Adel acknowledging her before she went in, quietly closing the door behind her.

He was not sitting at his desk, instead he stood leaning against the side of it with his arms crossed and his brows furrowed. He glanced at Swift when she entered, offered her a quick half-smile in greeting. She looked like she'd had a long day. If he had to guess, it probably hadn't gone well. Hopefully she didn't get hassled too much while on the job. He tactfully didn't bring up how tired she looked, but she was not so polite.

"You seem stressed," she said bluntly. Adel scoffed.

"Thinking about how to negotiate a hostage situation."

That was... interesting. Swift smiled briefly, recalling how she and Adel had met. "I don't suppose it would be as easy as undoing their bindings and unlocking the door this time."

"Unfortunately not."

Even if he knew where said hostage was, there would most likely be way too many moving parts for him to try and just break them out directly. He'd prefer brokering a deal for their freedom instead, as he usually did.

He looked at Swift again. "Did you run into the Blue Bloods?"

"Oh yes," she said. Her face pulled into an expression of disdain that amused Adel, though he didn't let that show for long. "An interesting couple. I mean, a couple of interesting... people."

She hoped she wouldn't run into the duo again, truthfully. They seemed a little unhinged.

Though she was clearly less than enthused as she slid Emily's business card onto his desk, Adel didn't want to pull her out of the area for now. "My condolences. If you don't find anything after a couple of days we won't keep looking–"

"I did find it."

"–I'll probably move you to..." he stopped. She found it? Had he heard her right? "Already?"

Swift nodded. "I happened to just be in the right place. The officers I spoke to mentioned something about some radiation in the area too. It's a plain looking warehouse from the outside. And on the inside, really. But the way the air moved around it, and how it felt with my gyft... like extra space, more than logic would allow. Shifting and folding."

It was a bit hard to explain to someone who couldn't see or hear the same way she could, so she didn't continue trying. "I didn't see it with my eyes, but I can confirm what you're looking for is there. Locked in an unassuming room in an unassuming warehouse."

"That took a lot less time than I expected." While it might seem like a stroke of luck at first, Adel didn't trust anything that came too easy. He unfolded his arms, gripping the edges of the desk on either side of him as he considered what Swift had said so far.

"What did the lock look like?"

"The folding space's lock was set in the center of a standard wooden door. A hidden panel covered a deep circular indent with ten evenly placed notches along the inside of it. The notches were approximately the size of a standard Nocturnian gold bar."

That sounded exactly like what was described in the note Webb had. 'The door to power, wealth, and whatever your heart dreams,' huh...

"So yesterday we get a stranger who says they're running from Ezra, who found a note about this 'folding space' on a dying man, and just thought to bring it along instead of getting rid of it. Today, we find the same folding space just like that." Adel tapped his fingers against the wood. It all seemed a little convenient. "What else was in the warehouse."

"Debris and offices. One of the rooms on the upper level seemed to have recently been in use. There were computers, however I opted to see if they had any physical files." She sighed, and as not to leave Adel in suspense she finished with, "a copy of the property title said the building is owned by one Ig Notus."

Honestly Adel wasn't surprised. If Ezra apparently not only knew about this mysterious door but also had some kind of password to get around the gold lock, there would be no reason for him not to buy the property. Of course, there was the question about why something like that was even there in the first place. Did Ezra build the warehouse around it or had he just stumbled upon the whole set up?

...and if he had wanted to keep its existence a secret so much that he would allegedly kill a man and come after whoever knew that he knew, why would it be so easy to access? Hiding in plain sight wasn't a bad idea in general, but the city was full of people with gyfts like Swift's.

Something about this whole thing felt bad. Adel felt a prickling sensation begin to climb up his back.

"...were you seen there, Swift? How did you even get that close?"

Swift shook her head. "That was the oddest thing, I think. There is clearly something important there, but there was no security to speak of. I got into the building with just a lock pick... there were no guards, no alarms, no cameras. And yet people had come and gone."

What the hell? That didn't make any sense.

"It's almost like they wanted it to be found."

"...maybe, but I don't think so. Or I can't see why they would," Swift replied. What benefit could there possibly be in letting something like that just... able to be stumbled upon by any overly curious passerby?

She looked back at Adel, about to inquire into his theories, but she paused when she saw the expression on his face. One hand had come up to cover his mouth in thought, but though the lower half of his face was concealed his eyes were wide and dark, his brows pulled tightly together as if he'd just considered a horrible new possibility.

Which he had.

Ezra had wanted it to be found. He'd wanted Adel to find it.

There was no kind of coincidence that could explain the events of the last few days besides this. Ezra had threatened Adel directly under the guise of a job to make sure that he would be in the forefront of the Canary's mind. He had nosed around Pennystakes and forced Poppy, Adel's closest ally, out of power and stripped her of any ability to come to Adel's aid. Knowing that Adel would look into him, he sent snide little notes reminding the Canary that nothing he would find would help, making him feel cornered. He must have sent that kid, Webb, to Adel - the one who had pleaded to stick around and so happened to have 'found' that envelope. The one that Ezra had most assuredly given him. And with that envelope in hand Ezra had to know that Adel would investigate.

Ezra had led the canaries to Smoke Risers on purpose.

Blackheart didn't have some secret password to the door to wealth and power - Adel himself was his fucking password!

Adel broke out into a cold sweat. He felt like he was about to be sick.

Why was this happening right now? He was getting so close to his goals. He had amassed a lot of money, he'd managed to make connections outside of the wall, he'd even gotten those military contacts. With just a little more time he could buy his way out of Nocturnia, but now? Now he saw darkness coalescing around him. He was standing in the palm of Ezra's hand, and the man was about to close his fist. He'd been so stupid, gotten overconfident and fell for every single one of Ezra's manipulations. If he'd realized any later then- what would have happened to him? Just why- and what was he supposed to do now? Could he fight the Dark Aces? Of course not- but then- why had they chosen now- He couldn't go to ground, but- He had to look after Pops and her people- Antonia- Would they kill him after opening the door? Keep him as a living key? Could Antonia even help- He didn't have proof, just that feeling like his stomach was about to drop out of his body, and she'd be tied up in bureaucracy, and Ezra would target her, and- Khor- they hardly- was she lying to him? getting close to him on purpose, just another- no- but could he really rely on her or would it just put her in danger or- god damn it, how did he end up in this situation? was he going to be trapped here the rest of his life? an ornament on someone's key ring- why, why did it have to be him--

"-on? -awson? Adel–!"

He didn't seem to hear the voice, but he felt the touch. A hand closed around his forearm, and though the grasp was gentle it sent electric alarm shooting through his entire body. Adel twisted violently, slapping the hand away and stepping back with a sharp inhale. He stared at Swift with wide eyes as the world filtered back in, and she stared back with even wider ones. He fought to breathe normally, grounding himself. He'd been spiraling as his brain came up with the worst case scenarios, conjuring visions of the past and premonitions of the future. But he wasn't huddled together with his father in a tent as they waited for the proverbial storm to pass, wasn't hastily ushered into a closet while the mafia sampled their new merchandise in the form of his mother, wasn't alone and trapped inside of a suitcase among a dozen other kids en route for God knew where, wasn't bound in shadows in front of some ominous passage, wasn't...

He was in his office. Behind the gallery in Silverside. With Swift, someone he could depend on.

Swift, who'd brought that bug with the note here. Here, after he'd told her not to.

A dark, ugly feeling flooded through Adel's chest. His heart reminding him that he couldn't truly trust anybody.

Seeing and sensing the change, Swift went very still. She'd never seen Adel like this. Normally he was calm and collected, maybe some exhaustion and irritation showing through the cracks at times, but this... he looked wild, desperate. And she honestly didn't know what to do. Console him? Go get someone who could? She gathered her courage and opened her mouth to speak–

"Get out."

"...what?"

"Get out," Adel repeated, his voice harsh as he pushed his gyft into it and moved towards Swift, crowding her backward. "Open that door and get the hell out right now!"

She flinched when the door behind her crashed open on its own, slamming against the wall outside. That, at least, seemed to soften the look on Adel's face a little - that, or the further grounding that the confirmation of his gyft brought. But he still didn't look normal, so Swift backtracked through the threshold. When she did Adel turned away, and the door closed, blocking her view.

Swift stared at the office door. Multiple people had peeked around corners to see what was going on, and both Griffon and Eagle had appeared to investigate the commotion. Griffon put a hand on Swift's shoulder, spinning the shorter woman so she could look at her face and parse what the hell had happened from it. She shooed Eagle away as she did.

"... I... messed up, I think," Swift said softly. She could easily trace her employer's logic from here. In his mind, she had invited Blackheart's spy right into their home. She couldn't have known, and in fact she had questioned the bug's motives herself, but she'd wanted Griffon to be present at the meeting just in case. So she'd taken Webb to the office. And she was the one that had found Blackheart's warehouse, a little too easily, no matter if Adel had asked her to do it or not. To the volatile state of mind Adel had found himself in now, it painted a picture of betrayal.

Griffon stepped behind Swift and took her other shoulder in hand, steering her away from the boss' office and toward the break room. "You messed up? I don't believe it. Don't worry about it, alright? Tomorrow the boss will apologize, and if he doesn't I'm gonna make him."

A smile ghosted across Swift's features. It was just as likely that tomorrow Adel thought better of letting her go, and in addition to firing her had her detained somewhere if not outright killed.

...no, he wouldn't have her killed. He wasn't that kind of man. That was why she'd followed him in the first place.

The building briefly rattled. As though possessed by spirits everything within it moved slightly. The interior window shades flickered, door handles turned, cabinets crept open, the locks swapped themselves back and forth. The phenomenon passed quickly, and Griffon reached out to slap the break room's fridge closed. She glanced up at the ceiling with furrowed brows, and Swift turned to leave.

"Wha- where are you going?" Griffon called after her. She answered, but kept walking.

"Just giving Mr. Dawson some space. I'll be close by if you need me."

She walked by Eagle, who despite having almost no idea what was going on had enough sense to determine something serious had happened. He took post by the entrance, expression hard, as though expecting someone or something might try to come charging in at any moment. He wasn't about to let the new place he found himself in go up in flames too.

Griffon clicked her tongue, watching Swift leave the office from the doorway. She exchanged a glance with Eagle, but unfortunately she was nearly as in the dark as he was at the moment.

---

After more than an hour of stewing in his thoughts and trying to force the worry of being trapped as little more than a tool from his head, Adel emerged from his office. The desperate man that Swift had seen was gone, and in his place was a Silver Canary that wasn't quite the usual. He only looked blank, but it was easy to see the roiling of his emotions under the surface if one knew how to look. He hadn't changed since earlier, still in loose sweater, and he walked towards the exit without so much as a glance at anyone or anything else in the office. As he entered the wider area that might be called their lobby, Griffon spotted him from her security desk. She was alone in the room, and without a second thought she shot up and made her way over to him.

"Boss~ are you done brooding?" she asked, and didn't get a response. Her lips twitched. Was he actually pissed at Swift? She was like the best person they had, what the fuck could she have done? Plus she was Griffon's friend, and she felt like she had to defend the other woman a little.

Griffon's face turned more serious and she swooped around, putting herself in Adel's way.

"What happened between you and-"

She stopped, bewildered when he came up so close to her that they would have collided only a second later. Adel didn't look at Griffon, pushed his forehead against the taller woman's shoulder and delivered his orders.

"Do another full bug sweep. Everything. Get Darter and the rest ready in case of a fight. Anyone suspicious shows up, get rid of them."

Griffon scooped her hand under Adel's forehead and lifted him off of her, checking his temperature as she did. He was pale and felt clammy, though once exposed he found her eyes, meeting her pale gold with his own cloudy brown. She frowned when he said, "Did you hear me, Griffon?"

"Uh- yeah, boss. Got it." She stepped back out of Adel's path. "Are you okay?"

He made a noncommittal hum and brushed by. He would be. There wasn't any other choice than to be okay. Right now he was just going to get out for a while, where the walls didn't feel so much like they were pressing in on him.

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

???, Smoke Risers

_{Mentions: - || Interactions: - (written in collaboration with @Estylwen)}

---

As Swift exited through to the other side of the alley, her luck would indeed be capitalized on that day. Ahead of her was what appeared to be a very normal-looking warehouse. However, deep within the warehouse, there was an impossible space that bounced back at her. Almost like infinite space folding back in on itself.

She was immediately intrigued. You don't see that everyday... she thought. Truthfully one wouldn't normally see that at all. She had never encountered anything like it before with her gyft at any rate.

However, when she went to investigate, she found the outside door was locked. If she wanted to figure out the source of this strange enigma, she would have to break in.

Swift brought a hand up to rub her opposite arm through her coat, chirping inaudibly to make sure no one else was in the immediate area. It was still early, but there were no sign of workers nearby. She couldn't rule out that the warehouse wasn't in use though. It was possible it was a storage facility of some kind, for someone that had a... strange gyft. Maybe a magic pocket, 'tear a hole in space' type of ability in which they could deposit any number of things? And they kept that dimensional door hidden for good reason.

Or maybe not. She'd have to investigate further regardless.

The woman fetched a small lock picking kit from the inside of her glove. After some finessing, and without anyone else in the area to be the wiser, the door was picked open. It swung back with ease, revealing an old, dusty warehouse. It wasn't really filled with much, just a few crates, and more closed doors. The windows were smeared with dust, dimming any light that came in. She stepped into the building and quietly closed the door behind her.

There was a master light control panel beside the front door. Then there were metal grate stairs that went upstairs to the offices. And, in the cement square that constituted as the warehouse laid out before her, at the end was a small hallway with a number of doors. One door had that trademark ‘folding space’ behind it, though initially it looked completely normal from a distance.

What on Earth...? Swift thought to herself, pressing her hand gently to the door's surface. It felt like normal wood, cool to the touch.

She had noted the offices but bypassed them for the moment, wanting to confirm what it was that she was 'seeing' first. Then she would check for any records stored in the building. Her heart beat a little faster at the mysterious feeling behind the door. She was fairly sure it wasn't something like a black hole that would suck her in, or else it could hardly be stored inside of a building, but there was a little nervousness all the same. She gently tried the handle in order to peek in.

She would find the handle locked. And, curiously, there was a sliding panel and a small handle in the center of the door. Pulling it up revealed a hollow in the door that was deeper than what a door would normally be. And it was perfectly sized, with notches to accommodate. Anyone who knew the standard size of Nocturnian gold bars knew it was exactly ten (100 Wealth) of them that fit in this hidden compartment. There were more lines etched in the wood of the hollow, making circles to highlight where the gold would go. It was like a tribute.

Besides that, there wasn't an obvious other way to open the door. The handle had resistance, indicating it was locked, but there was no lock to pick.

She stared at the door's offering space, then took a step back and stared at the door itself. She'd never seen anything quite like it.

But it must have been what her boss was looking for.

Swift pursed her lips. She had no idea who would have built such a thing or why it required so much money to open (an uber-wealthy person, perhaps?), but she had an inkling of how she might find out. She slipped out of the hallway, keeping to the edges of the building as she made her way towards the stairs inside. She had left the lights off so as not to arouse suspicion, navigating with her gyft, and once she carefully climbed the metal she poked her head into the rooms on the upper floor. Was this place as abandoned as it looked, or were there desks, filing cabinets, or other things she could look through for anything that might shed some light on what exactly was being housed here?

Indeed, though the offices were sparse, many of them did indeed have desks and filing cabinets. The first office Swift ducked into was neat and tidy, even the garbage bin was empty. There was an off-powered computer, though it was fair to assume it was password protected. Though, there were no locks on the filing cabinet. Filing through it, in the P section, a property certificate came up, where the city authenticated that this warehouse was owned in the name of… an Ig Notus.

Swift stared at the file for a moment, frowning on the inside but perfectly calm on the outside. She flicked through a few more folders before quietly closing the drawer. This was more than enough. She departed as silently as she'd come, locking the warehouse back up as she left.

---

Two Blocks from Home Free, Smoke Risers

_{Mentions: - || Interactions: Swift and Adam & Eve (in collaboration with @LanaStorm)}

---

Although Swift was careful not to rush, or more specifically not to appear as though she was rushing, she did make one mistake in her haste to leave Smoke Risers. It was a long way back to Silverside from Nocturnia’s northernmost area, so when the vague district line separating Smoke Risers from Grey Square was within sight she went for it.

There were people around but they were sparse. She hadn’t known they were police until she was close enough that they could see her. Off duty… or undercover, she thought with a small grimace. Turning around would be suspicious though, so she continued on. Her expression smoothed out into one of calm as she intended to walk right by the officers.

Before she had a chance a meaty lunchbox sized hand grabbed her bicep from behind. “Going somewhere little lady?” Adam said, his pectoral build straining his once beautiful patrol officer uniform. Outflanking her was Eve, the two had secured the sector. Killed everyone but a little boy and defused a bomb, now what was this nosey little mouse up to? Eve had spied her little eye on her for a while.

“Don’t fight too much~” Purred Eve coming up along her other side grabbing her bicep. Decked out in tactical gear itching for a reason.

Swift kept still, not wanting the situation to go downhill. It was already less than ideal. She frowned though, looking between the man and woman as she tried to pull their names from anything she'd read about the Blue Bloods.

"I was planning to go home," she answered honestly. "Is there a problem, officers?"

“Same, why you sniffin’ around radioactive city little girl?” Adam said, as Eve took out some cuffs clicking them in place on her wrists. “Got any weapons on you?” She moved her behind the patrol car that was parked, patting her down away from any cameras for the time being.

"Wha-?" Swift blinked in surprise as the metal closed around her wrists. She didn't struggle so much as dig her heels in slightly when the two of them guided her towards their squad car. "No, I- I don't have anything like that."

And it was true, she didn't carry any weapons on her. There wasn't so much as a box cutter to be found. The only things Eve found were a simple wallet, a phone, and a device that looked a little like the Life Alert from those old commercials.

It figured that since she'd found what she was looking for so easily that her luck would turn now. Swift let out a shallow sigh. Now came the tiring part. Her process was much like how her boss had taught. First was play dumb, play innocent.

"I'm not being charged with anything, am I?" she asked, forcing her voice to quaver as though frightened.

“Restricted area y’know?” Adam said. “You’re trespassing little girl, full of rads too. You steal any plutonium from the plants?” Eve snapped back turning out what she could shaking her down.

“Who are you and what’re doing here, answer our questions ‘n maybe you don’t goto the Jeweled Bank tonight. They’d tear your ass up.” Adam says laughing thumbing through her wallet.

There was nothing interesting in it - an ID with a matching photo of the woman they were bullying which stated her alleged name as 'Madeline Thompson', fifty seven dollars in cash, a giftcard to a frozen yogurt shop chain.

More curious was the flicker of distaste that crossed her features. She knew the Blue Bloods were dirty cops, but she hadn't thought they would be quite so obvious about it. There were few things Swift hated more than a corrupt cop, and it showed in her eyes; only briefly, but it was there. And she decided that she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

Dropping her pretense all too quickly, Swift's voice returned to her calmer tone. "Every time a district changes hands, opportunists swarm in to find and sell information. I am one such opportunist. Unfortunately your squad is very... thorough at cleaning up after yourselves. If there was anything interesting to find, someone else already has."

“So you’re saying we’re so good there is no information to find because it got scrubbed lil girl?” Adam said thumbing through the wallet looking at those small noc noc bills and noc noc yogurt card before putting her things back on her person. “Yeah an opp-ortunist huh? Who you working for, that Vincent fuck? Del Nickel-arde, whatever it’s called?” Eve chirped back. Blue bloods had nothing to fear, literally - they were the police.

"...the Silver Canary."

“Ah bird brain, what’s that cheese ball want with the smoke risers pipsqueak?” Adam said holding onto the woman’s arm now.

"As I said, in the confusion of a takeover there are usually valuable pieces of information to find." Swift tensed at the grip on her arm, but she did nothing but fix Adam with a dark stare. "I'm here for business as usual, as it were."

She shifted, the metal clamped around her wrists uncomfortable. "Would you uncuff me, officers? If you have more questions for me, I won't run. I know I won't get far."

“Alright collaborator, we’ll uncuff you.” Eve said looking to Adam. “Collaborator that like a bird?” Adam said back, slowly uncuffing her but itching for a reason to throw the lady around like a rabid malinois.

“In Noc Noc City? I think so, that’s what they serve at Noc Noc Chow. Now little lady give it to us straight, you work for the Silver Dodo. You sniff around the sectors we take over, so tell us what you found in Battleford and Ragged Gavel!” Eve said with some effort to show she was still a cop, kinda.

Swift looked between the siblings, gently rubbing her skin once it was freed. They were quite the pair. She didn't know if they were trying to get a rise out of her or this was just how they were all the time, but regardless they wouldn't have much fun with a woman like Swift. She was not one to rise to bait, and her reactions were dull if she had any at all.

"I was not assigned those districts," she told them honestly. "But I believe we only found a lot of leftover blood."

One could say what they wanted about Clash's boys, but they did move quick.

Taking the chance to steer the situation to a better place, Swift changed the topic as she asked, "Officers, if it pleases you, you can take down our direct contact. Unfortunately I don't have any business cards on me, but I'm sure our, um, boss bird would be happy to discuss any misunderstandings... or inquiries... or bills... with your captain."

Another thought occurred to her, and she tried putting on a smile like that of a businesswoman. She didn't quite succeed.

"We don't have any issues working with the police. In fact if we had an official invitation to look around Detective Newport's territories, we'd be happy to share anything we found. Gang caches, hold outs plotting insurrection, and the like."

She didn’t mention there was usually a fee. And, of course, that she had found something in Smoke Risers. It wasn't inconceivable that the Blue Bloods had found it too, but just didn't know what they had stumbled upon.

Instead of taking her info, Eve offers a business card to the bird spawn.

DETECTIVE NEWPORT, GOLD RIM BUREAU

“Give her a call and sort this out, next time you sniff around without our permission tho? We’re gonna like cook you like an egg.” She says.

“Crack you like an egg and serve you sunny side up at Noc Noc Chow, got it lil bird?” Adam’s lunch box sized hands patted her on the shoulder to quite literally show he could crack eggs.

Swift accepted the card, holding it tight between her fingers. She began to feel relief but then Adam's hand came down on her, and she couldn't help but let out a small eep.

She had no doubt that they would eat her alive, quite literally, if the encounter had gone poorly. She really was pretty lucky today, if she was able to escape this pair of blood thirsty siblings.

"Of course. Thank you so much for your generous hospitality," she said, shuffling out from under the man's grip and tipping her head slightly to try and be polite. And then she easily lied, "It was nice to meet you both."

As soon as they let her go Swift turned and power walked the last two blocks out of Smoke Risers. Once she broke their line of sight she sped up, just in case. The hard part was over - now it was back to Silverside.

Back from hiatus

Welcome back!

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Word Count: 3378 (+4 exp x2)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 201/80
Location: Inside the Qliphoth, The Dead Zone
_{ft. @Lugubrious as Sandalphon & O}

Pit would much rather face off against an enemy that was easier to understand than O. A big, straight forward monster or a horde of demons was much preferable to someone that could completely change the battlefield on a whim and summon everything from zoo animals to carnival rides. That was so not nice, rides like that should only be used for fun but the Consul was using them for evil! But since everyone else must have felt the same way, he felt that leaving any one of the enemies unchallenged would be bad.

But then, how could they challenge O?

It might have been possible to make the Consul spend all of his money and get him out of the fight that way, but that plan seemed well above what Pit could grasp. His fusions had made him more clever and, he assumed, smarter if he could read now, but he had no idea what O's movements could possibly cost. Did it matter what kind of currency he used? What if he had way more money than they could drain - he'd presumably been alive in the World of Light this whole time amassing it after all. And how much time would it take, how many more contraptions and habitats could he summon before they made him go bankrupt?

Pit didn't want to try and figure any of that out, so instead he stuck with searching for O's real body.

Lady Palutena had told him that the Consul was most likely physically present, and he was inclined to believe her. But as he'd expressed (mostly to himself) just before, trying to find him seemed like an incredible challenge. Still, it wasn't like he was just about to give up.

However, he currently had to deal with the newest terrain that O had conjured up. Pit shivered involuntarily as the ice and cold set instantly set in, though the polar bears popping into existence a moment later quickly gave him the chance to warm up again.

"He's gonna make us fight cute little bears?" Pit said, despite the fact that these were almost twice as tall as him standing and easily three times his weight, with sharp claws and teeth to boot. Unfortunately for the bears though, there was no way they stood a chance.

Freshly healed thanks to Junior, Pit's battle with one of the polar bears didn't last long. As the mammals split up and went after one each of those in the enclosure, the one targeting Pit stood and brought both of its paws down at him, but only after it had made it out of the fiery goop moat. At that point it had already taken a couple of light arrows while it was slowed. Pit sidestepped the double swipe and parried the next swing the bear took with the broad side of his bow. He spun into a two handed slash, cutting deep across the bear's fur. It roared and rushed in to snap its jaws at the angel, but he caught it by letting it by down on the divine metal of his weapon. Pit then brought his foot up sharply, a vertical kick to the polar bear's chin that sent it stumbling backward onto its hind legs.

A strong charged arrow, big and bright, was enough to put it down after that. Pit glanced quickly over at Junior and Rika to see how they were doing - they seemed alright? Sort of? Pretty alright. They definitely had it from here.

"Alright, time to get a move on then!" he said to himself. He couldn't see anything past these concrete walls, so now was the time to abandon the left side of the arena. Pit leapt up, clearing the enclosure with a few flaps of his wings. He landed on the opposite side of the walls and took off running as soon as he hit the ground.

He flitted around the battlefield looking for any hints to where O might be. The hollow was barren of much else besides the people fighting in it though, so there really weren't many places to hide in the first place. It didn't take long at all for Pit to feel frustratingly like he wasn't getting anywhere. Every moment he spent fruitlessly searching it was less time spent helping his friends and fighting the bad guys. If he could just find the guy it would all pay off, but that was the problem - finding him!

Close by, but not close enough that he'd hurt himself with his own stuff. Somewhere the big ugly worm wouldn't strike. Somewhere hidden that we wouldn't think to look, he thought to himself, having repeated those few lines like a mantra in his brain while he searched. If I wouldn't think to look there then how am I gonna think of it now! ...no, wait, just. Where haven't I checked already?

The angel had flitted about the whole area it seemed like, and he hadn't seen so much as a clue - but if it was somewhere he hadn't looked yet, might not even think to look, then... He turned suddenly, slight curls in his hair bouncing as he looked to the only other place that he hadn't checked in the arena: the door they'd come through, standing atop a raised ledge that half surrounded the final hollow.

It was worth a try. Nothing else had panned out so far. Hoping that it didn't look like he was deserting, Pit ran towards the area, eyes wide and searching for anything that could at least point him in the right direction. That direction, however, turned out to be the one he was already heading. The Gravemind becoming a giant torch cast bright flickering light over the whole area, and he could see things in, well, literally a different light. Sections of the raised area looked dissimilar to the rest of the hollow when cast in the white orange glow of fire rather than the ominous deep red natural lighting - and those sections rippled minutely in response to the sweeping movements of the Guardian's arms, or the powerful attacks being thrown out by Pit's companions.

By the time Sectonia's Reaper's Scythe was cast Pit was within range of these suspicious flaps of flesh. When the queen's blade came down and severed the Gravemind's tentacle Pit had the two halves of his bow in each hand, one reversed, as he cut away the camouflage. When the roller coaster was being built he couldn't help but pause and watch though, especially when its entire construction spanned only seconds - its operation too, as the track curled around Sectonia and the coaster itself slammed into her over and over. And, when the whole thing crashed down on top of her and she didn't get back up, didn't even look like she was there anymore at all, Pit bristled all over. There was no way she had- she hadn't just died, right? Sure she was really full of herself and super critical of everything, but she was one of the Seekers; a friend.

Pit gripped his swords tightly and dove into the hollow space he'd uncovered. Behind the makeshift tarp of infested hide lay a small, narrow passageway, its walls and roof roughly carved into the Qliphoth’s constituent material, but its floor reasonably flat. As he darted through, the cacophony of flame, magic, gunfire, and dead voices behind him grew fainter, and a new noise reached him from up ahead. After another moment he emerged into a small cave illuminated not by lambent pustules or demonic sorcery, but kerosine lamps. They surrounded a rug arranged in the center, and on that rug sat a man in a wheelchair. It was a sturdy contraption of steel and radial spokes, with an upholstered seat of shiny black leather reminiscent of an office chair, and a sophisticated medical device including heart monitor and oxygen tank. And in that chair sat Consul O, his fingers interlaced with his elbows propped up on the armrests, his eyes closed and his head bent forward as if in meditation. He twitched and muttered as the seconds went by, but did not react to Pit’s arrival.

The angel had arrived with his blades raised ready to swiftly strike down the crafty Consul, but he hesitated when he actually found the villain. He's an old man...? Pit's eyes jumped from the wheelchair to the helmet, his brows furrowed. It wasn't quite the grand reveal he was hoping for, and normally he'd feel bad for attacking a geezer on their last legs like this but...

But he had to go. Just look at what he'd done already - he'd been trying to kill them, and might have even just succeeded at it.

Pit's bright eyes flashed with emotion and he stepped into a X-shaped cross slash with both of his swords, scraping hard against O's armor and toppling the man over in his seat.

“GAH!” Before hitting the ground, O suddenly jerked awake, like someone jolted from a dream. His wheelchair hit the ground with a rattling crash, and the Consul spilled from it over the edge of the rug onto the ground. The table set up next to the wheelchair, decked out with a half-empty bottle and wine glass, fell alongside it as collateral damage. O did not rise, but lay there groaning until he managed to turn onto his side, at which point he greeted the sight of Pit with one arm raised in placation. “W-wait! Stop!” He rolled onto his back, his legs weak but seemingly not dead weight, and held up both hands. “I surrender! I can’t fight. Not in this…useless body. Can barely even stand. So…you’ve won. Congratulations.” Though his voice sounded growly and resentful, the fear in his voice was real. In person, he also sounded more British than he did through his avatar. He coughed, one hand pressed against the armor by his ribcage. “I beg you…don’t kill me.”

"You were fighting pretty well before! What, you don't wanna summon a gorilla or something now that you're cornered?"

Pit's divine weapons were still raised in threat, the gold glinting in the lamplight. He was glaring down at O, but the fact that he hadn't already attacked the man again spoke volumes. But he also couldn't just stand guard over O the whole time either when he was needed elsewhere. He shifted, feathers twitching.

"And what you did...! Even like this there's no way you'd surrender so easily. As soon as I leave you're gonna try and kill us again - so I'm not going to let you."

O scooted away as best he could, backpedaling toward the wall of his little hidey-hole with his hands raised in front of his mask. “I’m more use to you alive!” he insisted, his tone urgent. “The others–I know their weaknesses! They dismiss me as some doddering old fool, but my eyes are as sharp as ever! D, for instance. His weakness is light! Holy miracles! And that’s just the beginning.” His back bumped against the wall, halting his retreat. “Look, I’m just a man. The rest are all vampires and monsters and ancient gods, but not me. Just an old man, terrified of dying. A man of business–we can make a deal! I promise!” He turned his head away, cowering.

Though it was surely a boon that one of the Seekers had found O in the flesh, that it had happened to be Pit and Pit alone meant that there was no one who could speak sense to the angel, or who would cut O down regardless while he was fearfully begging for mercy. Even the goddess in his head was silent, unwilling to pass judgement on the Consul or just curious to see what her favored angel would do.

Pit bit his lip in hesitation. He was angry but he was also tense and unsure - maybe it actually was that easy, and O was choosing to preserve his own life over continuing the fight. If O truly was surrendering then... he couldn't just murder the man, could he?

"I..." Pit lowered his swords. "...argh! Okay! If you give up then - I'll... tie you up or something, and you'll tell us how to beat everyone else."

And afterward O could still face justice without pulling some trick to escape, or so he figured. He glanced down at his sash belt where the goddess whip was tied, which was the closest thing he had to rope.

A vivid red light shone from behind Pit, casting his shadow against the wall in front of him. He looked up sharply, eyes wide for the briefest of moments before they hardened. Hot anger and embarrassment bubbled up as he realized he'd been tricked, but it was too late to do anything about it.

The next moment, a wall of thick, solid acrylic surrounded Pit, enclosing a three-foot space around him from floor to ceiling. The instant the perimeter completed, the tiny tank filled with salt water around him. Finally, half a dozen Southern Sea Otters poofed into existence around him, confused but not hostile, and making the tank that much more cramped. The walls of the little cave shimmered with the crimson light of O’s eyes, refracted through shatter-proof plastic and seawater, until they vanished and the Consul himself stirred. “Damn it all,” he grumbled as he righted his wheelchair, then climbed inside. “I’m in for it now.” Purple energy began to surround him, and the next moment O warped away.

And so Pit was left in the hidden area, alone, and very much in danger of drowning. He hadn't had any time to suck in a breath and hold it, so his air supply was low on top of having already swallowed water. The salt was stinging his eyes but he forced them to stay open, glaring at the area O had last been before he started moving in the small tank. That jerk! That evil old man! That... what was that bad word Geralt and the Koopas said? O was that! When Pit escaped he was not going to be fooled again.

He raised his arm, his sword still held tight in it, and went to smash the makeshift hilt of it into the clear wall but stopped himself when one of the otters swam in front of him. He shook his head and waved the same arm so that it would swim by, and only then did he crack the sword against the acrylic. Unfortunately the water slowed him a little, and aquarium tanks were very, very sturdy - it didn't splinter let alone break, and the reverberation of the hit shook the inside of the tank painfully. He winced, and the otters shuddered. Poor things… but he had to get out!

Alright, next plan. His lungs were already starting to burn when Pit dismissed his current weapon. He raised his arm up high again and summoned the Upperdash Arm around it. The much larger weapon ate up a majority of the tank space above him, and... well, he couldn't bring it down in front of him. At best he could knock it against the acrylic from an upright position. Annoyed, Pit willed the Arm's disc to spin for more power - and it churned the water in the tank so forcefully that it made him dizzy, caused another otter to smack into his face, and pushed water up his nose.

Pit dispelled the Arm amid a coughing fit, which only worsened the situation as the saltwater rushed into his mouth. Now he was beginning to panic. Palutena's voice buzzed in the back of his brain and he tried to focus on it while thinking of how to break himself out of this. If only he'd come here with back up, but everyone else was... no, there was one person!

He activated Sandalphon's glyph even as he choked on water.

One second later, a sigil of radiant blue light manifested on the floor, illuminating the hidden hollow. There was a bright flash, a familiar silhouette visible within, though it quickly gave way to the glow of Sandalphon’s distinctive three-ringed halo. In the brief period since she’d returned to the Avenger she’d evidently found time to change back into her blue-and-black formal attire, freshly washed and dried since her last outing, and in her hand she held her high-tech gunstaff.

Despite the bizarre and inexplicable problem facing Pit, the archangel parsed the situation at a glance and came up with a plan. Though she figured that the strength of her Hammering striker would be enough to pulverize the acrylic, the shockwaves from the impact would cause the angel and otters alike a great deal of harm, and the ability to heal someone afterward did not justify a solution that hurt them. Sandalphon unslung the Eye of Sol, then summoned her Annabella striker, and together the two opened fire. Their superheated slugs melted straight through the acrylic and vaporized water, creating two holes at a time that water could drain through. Guided by her steady hand and impeccable accuracy, the two rifles blazed again and again, no shot ever endangering the tank’s contents. After only a few more seconds Pit could breathe again, and not long after that, the cumulative structural damage to the tank led it to fall apart.

The pieces of acrylic were nowhere near as sharp as glass shards, so as the sea otters scattered around her, Sandalphon immediately dropped her weapons and stepped forward to catch Pit in her arms. “Pit. Can you hear me?” If he required resuscitation, she would not hesitate to provide it.

He trembled, grasping her arms weakly until he started to cough. He leaned away as water came up and vaguely answered her question by nodding afterwards. He was a hardy angel, so every pull of air and dislodge of water from his lungs would see him back to fighting shape in no time - but for the moment he let Sandalphon support him and tried to talk to her in between gasps.

"Thanks– Sandal–phon– stupid– O– found– him–" he stopped to properly breathe, and after a moment he raised his wings to help steady himself as he got his feet under him.

"I–" he coughed one last time, a flicker of frustration passing his face as he inhaled. "I found O's real body...! He was an old guy...! He told me he surrendered and told me D's weakness– but then he...!"

Pit still pulled in great mouthfuls of air as he spoke, and rushed his words, but he was recovering quickly. "C'mon, we gotta get back out there!"

A quick scan confirmed that Pit’s vitals seemed to be stable, so Sandalphon had every confidence that the young angel would spring right back into action. “If you’re alright, I’ll go back to standing by and return when needed. Sectonia reappeared aboard the Avenger, so everyone is accounted for, but the battle is hectic enough that nobody need waste time protecting me.” She stood aside to let Pit run past her and back into the fray. “You mentioned D’s weakness? I can disseminate the information throughout the team.”

Pit paused at the mouth of the hiding spot leading to the tunnel, bouncing on his feet as he turned to answer her.

"Right - it's miracles and light. Figures 'cause he's a vampire and all." It was a great relief to hear Sectonia wasn't actually dead, and though he had expected the archangel to take to the field now that she was here he understood why she'd go back instead. Having up there as back up had saved his life, so he wasn't about to try and convince her to stay anyway. With the information delivered he hastened to get back to the fight, calling over his shoulder to Sandalphon just before she warped back to the Avenger, "Thanks again for the save!"

He was out of O's hiding space only a second or two later, and as soon as he stepped foot into the arena proper again he learned where O had disappeared to. In front of his eyes a reinforced building rapidly taking shape.