nysalogs | event open

Entry tags:

event open

Who: aranea highwind and you!
What: misc plots re: event
When: during the clusterfuck
Where: various
Warning(s): half-naked aranea

1. good things come to those who wait

[ After helping some people out during the clusterfuck explosion earlier today, Aranea returns back to her newly acquired warehouse where she's been housing some displaced workers from the Market District. She's tired, she's sore, and she's in the process of getting cleaned up before she goes back out.

Which is a horrible idea, really.

She did luck out and get some details. Occurring to some people: The Empress is nowhere to be found and isn't releasing statements. Huh! Aranea isn't involved in politics, so she lets it go in one ear and out the other.

She's been back and forth — you may have seen her favoring her side a bit more the longer the day went on, but she's back in her makeshift "office". It's mostly her shit thrown about but the main focus here is Aranea who is without her shirt. She's leaning against her desk, inspecting the patch of bandages at her hip. Her shirt carelessly tossed on the pile of paperwork she had to sign to lease the place.

Maybe she helped you? Maybe you spotted her and wanted to see if she was okay? Whatever the case may be, here she is. ]

2. on the run

[ It was late. She needed to get a hold of Prompto. The more time passed, the more people started to collectively freak out. Someone needs to address this — to speak out. If anyone could get in contact with The Empress, she figures it's a city guard.

She ventures out to the south wall of the city. There's probably a few people she can wrangle to track the guy down — but it's here where she stops around a corner and sees a small group of people all carrying weapons.

THE FUGITIVES! I swear I saw one leave the tavern! They can't be too far off! Check the shops —

Aranea groans, seeing the mass of people move past her towards the rows of shops. Maybe it's a glint of movement in a shadow that catches her attention, but if you're in the south side of the city, you may be in danger.

She's going to inspect the shadows, seeing if it's a wanted fiend or someone at the wrong place at the wrong time. With a sudden summon of her spear, she aims nicely and thwip! The weapon impales into the side of the building, blocking off anyone who tried to escape. ]

Hey! Shouldn't you be in bed? Long day, what, with bombs going off and all.

[ She says to literally anyone, regardless of if it's a fugitive. It's late and she's tired. :( ]

3. wildcard
[ hmu and i'll work with whatever! ]

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[She'd honestly had a reason to walk into the warehouse. Working on a cure is difficult work, and more difficult still when no one can agree on what symptoms are the right ones and which appear first. Rosalind had tried interviewing a few people, but that had been an exercise in futility; she'd grown impatient by the first conversation.

Better, she figures, to go to someone who might have been talking to people all day. Who'd seemed sensible and rational. Who probably has been in the thick of things since the start, and thus will likely have something important to tell her.

And yet all that flies out the window as Rosalind walks into her office and sees her without a shirt.]

I--

[Good god. In an instant she's glanced away, the tips of her ears gone red. It's not as if she saw much, but on the other hand, she'd seen enough.]

I apologize, I assumed you were, ah, in for business--

[ Overall, she's glad she caught the attention of a few people. She hates politics now — but if she has friends in high places, it may be for the better.

The warehouse was far from presentable, still dingy and barely has any furniture moved into the lounging area and palettes of boxes with old fishing gear that came as part of rent. But her office? It was cleaned — no dust or dirt in sight. Aranea should have thought more mindfully, but she's still nursing a bad wound.

The bandage was pulled from her skin, a bruised and healing wound obvious from how she inspects the stitches. It's not until Rosalind speaks up that she looks up. ]

Oh, depends on what kind of business.

[ But, she'll reach for her shirt, showing little fluster as she carefully slides her shirt back on. ]

[She's . . . only a little sorry that her shirt is going back on. I mean, obviously she's glad for it, clearly she is, because there's showing a bit of skin and then there's this, and no, this world doesn't conform to 1909 standards and she's glad for it, but good god. And Rosalind has things she wants to discuss with Aranea, so it's for the best her shirt goes back on.

But . . .

Well, anyway. There's no point in focusing on but. Her cheeks are still red, but Rosalind turns back towards Aranea the moment she hears her putting her shirt back on. Her eyes flick down once, the movement voluntary-- and then focus downwards once more, a little frown gracing her face. Those stitches aren't on display, she'd only gotten a flash of a glance, but they look fresh.]

Dare I ask which one might involve you in half your clothes?

Tending to wounds — trust me, if it was that kind of business my pants would be at my ankles.

[ Aranea is glad she's not a prude and storming off. She seems to at least have enough sense that once her shirt slides back on, there's nothing to fear. Aranea's here to be the business chick Rosalind needs her to be. She won't linger on her own wounds — stitches aren't going anywhere unless she rips 'em out. The guy did a good job, after all.]

You came here for a reason, miss?

I did, yes.

[She takes a step forward, drawing near the desk. She's not going to get that sight out of her mind for ages, but that's her own problem to worry about.]

You seem the sort to keep your ear close to the ground. I was hoping you might have heard something interesting about this disease.

[A beat, and then:]

--and would care to pass it along to others.

Heard nothing. That's the problem. Got some pals in city guard and they're having a problem getting a testimonial from the Empress. Darnedest thing — can't seem to find her at all.

That's-- well. I suppose it depends on your outlook of things.

[She tips her head.]

Either she's very good at evacuating, which wouldn't be impossible, but it's odd she hasn't told her guard that, or . . . well. It would be a very stupid sign of guilt to run, and from what I've heard, she's many things, but she isn't stupid.

How do you evacuate from a city this big when your people are undoubtedly suffering? Sounds shady.

[ Especially the short notice... ]

Could be waiting for the details — for official statements that don't piss someone off.

Certainly not a good PR move, and yet she did it anyway. But details . . .

[Rosalind frowns. Then, abruptly:]

Tell me: what would you do if you were her and this situation erupted?

Me? I'd be down here. If you're going to get your ass kissed by a kingdom of people, the last thing you could do is show your face.

As would I. I'd be certain to show my face, make a show of-- oh, I don't know. Visiting hospitals, villainizing those who did it. Fleeing simply makes her look odd at best and guilty at worst.

So. What does that leave us with?

[Rosalind leans her hips against the desk, frowning faintly at Aranea.]

One: that she is guilty, that this was on done on her orders and she's making sure she isn't caught. But that would be stupid: a woman who has so much power fleeing because her plan went off without a hitch?

Two: that she isn't guilty, but that she was somehow forced from her throne anyway. A kidnapping? Another matter of state that called her away? Either way, it seems odd that there was no explanation: the former, you'd think kidnappers would leave a credible reason to stop people from wondering, and the latter, they could have at least offered some vague explanation on protecting her.

But she's simply . . . gone.

[ The woman knows how to paint a picture. She leans back against her desk, thinking to herself. The possibilities are there — for now, they know nothing of the source. The reason behind everything.

As much as she wants to call political shenanigans, it may not be it. They're all fairly blended, why make a fuss to gain suspicion? ]

I don't know if you know military protocol, Red, but —

[ She opens her eyes and finally starts tapping her fingers to her chin. ]

Once they have even the hint of a confirmed threat, guards try and ensure a political party — King, Queen, Empress, whatever — are out of harms way. Real smoke and mirrors shit. Could be that the attack wasn't so spontaneous. That they knew something was up.

[Red, and it takes her a moment to realize that the other woman means her. There's no chance to interrupt to correct her, and their discussion is more important than a silly nickname, but honestly.]

I believe so. But I can't understand the point of fleeing-- surely she knows that only ends up making her look guilty? And further, what's the point? Making her citizens sick . . . there's been no fatalities, no swell of public support for her, nothing like that. I suppose we're all a bit more united against those supposed perpetrators, but not enough.

There's a dozen ways to pan this out. Innocent protection of the empress, involvement herself, tinfoil conspiracy theories — the list goes on. The sad fact is in a kingdom, the royalty will always be the highest protected during times of emergency.

[ But, she shifts gears a little: ]

I guess wondering about her is a bit pointless. No one can give us answers, not even city guard. Just hope the Institute is working on a cure for this shit.

Well, I can give you good news there. I can't imagine it'll be much time before we come up with something-- especially in a place like here.

[ it's the scent of blood that arouses his attention. no, not the perverted arousal. Bigby is familiar with Aranea's from how often she liked to get beat up, so to have it hit his nose as he found himself within walking distance to her warehouse made him equal parts frustrated and curious. at some point he would like to sit her the fuck down and tell her to stop screwing her body up, only to promptly advise himself to shut the hell up because that would make him the world's biggest hypocrite.

stubbornly, slowly, painfully slowly does he allow himself to be concerned enough to locate her. it's not hard. he was either advised of the warehouse's existence by Aranea or through his own nosy, investigative means. even if he hadn't been, he needs to only follow the trail she left behind from absconding to her new home away from home. when he arrives only to find her topless and showing way more skin than he could have expected, he actually stammers for a moment. ]

Do... do you not know how to close the door so you can at least blame me for not knocking? Fuck.

[ if it seems like his eyes instinctively find themselves looking at her chest, they are. kind of hard not to. they're prominent enough in armor for crying out loud. ]

[ Aw, is someone getting fond of Aranea and her scent? Flattered!

The warehouse was leased to her recently - a few day's time easily. There's much work to be done but Aranea's office was off in the corner away from the nonsense. Her fingers pry at the bandage, pulling it away from her flesh to see the dried blood and incision bundled tightly with stitching.

It didn't make her uncomfortable, it was just a bruise to her ego in the long fun.

Aranea hears a familiar gruff voice that makes her smirk — she's looking up to him before abandoning the inspection and sliding her shirt back on. ]

It's my place, tough guy. Didn't expect people to just barge right in like they own the place.

[ like hell does Aranea know anything about Bigby and his ~~yiffing~~ sniffing skills. if she asks, he'll sooner point it towards being coincidental or following footsteps. he will spill the beans on the purpose of his last name at some point, considering someone like Rosalind pulled it out of him. Ms. Highwind just frustrates him too much with bullshit like sitting around topless to give her that info so quickly. ]

Right. Uh. Sorry. [ she's got a point. business or no, he supposes this is her property. ] Kind of used to kicking doors open for places like this. Bad habits, I know.

[ Bigby looks around idly while she puts her shirt on, trying to resist the animalistic urges that want him to get a better look at bare skin and curves. when she's back to being covered, he steps away from the door and closer to her. ]

I'm assuming you've moved around too much while that's been healing. I can smell your blood. It's not exactly fresh, but it's not old, either.

[ wait. fuck. what was that about being subtle about his knowing her scent? oops. ]

Smell? Aren't you a just a little bloodhound? [ Wolf, actually!! ] It comes with the job, not like I'm trying to flaunt my latest shame scar.

[ COME BUST THEM LEGS OPEN, BIGBY!!!!

Aranea's not exactly going to push the subject, even if she wants to. But instead, she taps the side of her nose teasingly. ]

Seems like you're sticking your nose into my business.

[ uuuugh. why did he speak. ]

I'll take that as a compliment. I guess.

[ he sees that she is trying to be punny, what with the tap of her nose and the way she talks about how he's being nosy. the holy trifecta. real slick, Aranea. she's gifted with a huff of hot air through his nose. ]

Stop playing cute. You have a bad habit of getting your ass beat, so you can call it mild concern. I'm staying out of your hair regarding the mercenary stuff until I have reason not to.

Heh.

[ She laughs under her breath a little, but for the most part, she's a bit taken aback by his concern. Mild, even by his own words. ]

I'm fine — do I look like a bloody pulp to you? You must enjoy my company, but there's nothing to get concerned about. Just trying to set up shop while I can and deal with the clusterfuck outside.

[ Aranea may or may not have figured out the similarities between Qrow and his namesake, the bird. Qrow hasn't asked, but he also hasn't really shown his ability to transform into a bird in front of anybody but that one dragon whose name he's already forgotten. In any case, Qrow had been following his roommate for the day up in the skies. It's not because he's interested in her daily activities. Dear god -- that stuff is not something he wants to know. Getting close to people will just hurt him in the end.

He wants to get the information she's getting herself without going through the same trouble. He's successful, but now he just wants to talk. And it would be obvious if the bird that was following her suddenly appeared in her office, which is why he takes a break a few blocks away before actually visiting her for a chat. Said break includes refilling his flask, as well as the glass that he had asked the bartender for. It's never too early or too late to drink.

Once he actually gets to her office, though, he-- well. He sees something he's never seen before. Not in general, of course, because he actually shared the same room with two girls and another boy before. The four of them got into crazy shenanigans -- nothing sexual, dear god. One of those girls was his twin sister, after all. He's not fazed so much by the sight itself, so he doesn't say anything about it.

Qrow takes a seat in front of her and crosses his legs. ]

You know anything?

[ Aside from what he already knows, he means. ]

[ She's been a firecracker since arriving. The only one who will control her destiny is herself, so she makes mistakes along the way that humble her. Hopefully.

Aranea's not even going to make a huge deal over the sudden appearance of Qrow — he's been a pain in her ass since day one, so things happen without a bat of her eye lashes. Aranea moves to put her back to him when he makes himself at home. Snatching her shirt to carefully drape it back on her upper frame. ]

Yeah, no hello or knock. Sure.

[ UGH. He can tell she's taking it easy — how she telegraphs her discomfort on her hip as she slows her motion once the shirt snags against her torso. ]

I know the Empress isn't making a statement yet. No one's talking about it besides a gossipy bunch on the street.

[ Qrow rolls his eyes. If she wanted people to knock, she should have closed the door. It's simple, really. ]

My bad. Didn't see a door to be knocked on. I'll close my eyes just for you.

[ Who knew she had sensibilities? Qrow sure didn't. Either way, it's not like he was trying to be perverse or anything, so he still doesn't see anything wrong with what he's done. And just as he's said, he closes his eyes. No big deal. ]

She can't be found. You believe that?

Get use to it, you may see worse one day, roomie.

[ """worse""". But, she lets him snap back, rolling with the punches as much as she can give them. ]

She either doesn't want to say anything she'll regret or she's out of town. [ Or kidnapped. ] Rumors travel fast here and if she was pissed, we'd know it.

[ Qrow snorts at that retort. ]

Look, if you wanna see my chest to make it equal, I'd be more than happy to oblige.

[ He has no boobs, though. Sorry about that. ]

Doesn't this place have a second in command or whatever? Sounds like a load of bull if you asked me.

If it does, maybe they're waiting to get an official statement. I don't know — this is all one big headache and the people want answers they ain't getting. [ Such is life??? ] Have you heard anything?

My ears are good, but nothing great.

[ Which... is a lie, really. He pauses then uncaps his flask to take a sip from it. Once that's done-- ]

These "associates" don't like to talk.

You're not asking the right questions then.

Yeah? How do you do it?

It's like a dance. You watch what your partner is doing, put your moves out there based on them.

[ She's thinking if the person that has deets is mousey, approach gentler, etc. But: It dawns on her. ]

Actually, it's a lot like sex. If they don't want to spread it, they won't.

[ There's a second or two where Qrow leaves his guard down and looks visibly confused. It's the reference. He just wasn't expecting it, especially right now. It's a good thing he wasn't taking a sip, else he'd be coughing. ]

Never had to woo people to dance with me before.

[ A cool line, but the delivery? Not so much. Thanks, Aranea. ]

But when you put it like that, it makes me think that you know something more.

Wish I could say I did, pretty boy, but people ain't talking.

[ She'll move along quickly, not to drag down with sex talk. ]

It's been a whirlwind since the ground zero fallout, I've only caught this by chance.

I thought you'd have more when you said I wasn't asking the right questions.

[ He snorts. He isn't trying to be insulting, at least??? It's just funny. ]

Guess you got lucky. Or I'm luckier, since you told me what you heard.

I was just stating the obvious. [ She smirks. ] I'd share with the class if I had something huge. I'm good at sharing.

[ Is she, though? ]

Is it a matter of luck or right place, right time?

More or less, yeah.

[ Regarding the luck, he means. And with that, he pushes himself up. ]

Kind of like what happened earlier.

[ He says it with a wink. And yes, he does mean the whole shirtless situation from earlier. PLEASE KICK HIM OUT RIGHT NOW. ]

Touché.

[ Is all she says on the matter. ]

Point is, gossip travels fast. But there is barely anything crossing my path.

Might be too early to say that. Anyway, I'll leave you for now.

[ Who knows! Maybe she'll catch wind of something else sooner or later. Qrow wants to be optimistic right now.

In any case, he's said his piece and got something out of her. He turns and waves a hand as he exits.]

[ be it blind luck or something else, in this case aranea actually has managed to pin down one of the fugitives. who, for better or worse, had been scouring the wall trying to find any exploitable weaknesses for escape.

by himself, getting over it (or simply through it) would probably have been simple enough, but unfortunately in this case it isn't just him who needs to escape this place. ]

Funny you would say that... I was just about to go to bed.

[ if he hadn't been stopped by this spear, anyway.

it's obviously not true, but all the same. ]

[ Like shooting fish in a barrel. If she wanted to wound him, she would have. It was all to get some answers — whether it was a fugitive or just innocent bystander. Either way, it was for ways she could help.

When she gets closer, she sees a familiar face and huffs out air in an amused tone. ]

Hope you got someone to saddle up with — yours is under 24/7 watch.

[ A pause. ]

Unless you feel like explaining what the hell is going on, I might need to play hero and bring down a bad guy. [ IE: you, but she's super wounded from last week soooo, is it a bluff? ] Take your pick.

[ though he isn't entirely sure what aranea is capable of... she's never struck him as particularly unreasonable. for that reason, and that alone, he isn't as guarded as he might be.

or perhaps more significantly, he hasn't tried to make a run for it already. ]

Yes, I did notice that. Unfortunately, I don't think I'd be able to sleep with an audience.

[ though he can't tell the extent of her injuries, there is something slightly... off about her movements. all the same, he isn't too eager to test that. ]

Sadly, there isn't much explanation to give. I warned you before didn't I? There are some dubious players out there looking to hire anyone foolish enough to accept a job without asking enough questions. [ he'll just let the implication speak for itself. ]

[ The lance dematerializes, giving him the chance to escape if he'd like to. She's not in the full health to chase him down, even if her speciality is scaling vantage points on rooftops. She'd lose him — but she takes the chance. ]

So you fell for the very trap you warned me of. Jeez, that's a little cliché, pal. [ She squints a bit. ] Are you turning yourself in or playing fugitive? There is a hefty price for that pretty head of yours.

[ seeing the lance disappear into thin air does catch him by surprise, though it isn't like he's unaccustomed to such things. he takes a cautionary step forward, almost testing to see if this might be a trick, before glancing back in her direction. ]

At least now you know I was speaking from experience. The people here aren't to be trusted. [ he weighs her question in his mind for a moment: he knows his answer, but he has to consider whether it's worth telling her. ]

Would you hand yourself over to these people if you were in my position?

[ #Magitek. God bless. Her hands are out to her side a bit, showing she has no other weaponry. I mean, given dematerialization, did it matter? She could summon it regardless, but — little details. ]

Depends on if I'm ready for a little headache or big headache. [ Her words deflect her answer. She wouldn't know. Point is: she isn't in the situation. ] If you don't start playing it smarter, I won't be the first one to find you. You're sloppy.

[ Maybe it's salt in the wounds, but it's good natured in a sense. ]

You pick the busiest district to mess around in the shadows — get further south.

[ he shifts a bit, if only because he can't deny that. stealth has never really been one of his fortes... his expertise was always sniping from a distance, which hardly required any skill in presence concealment. ]

At this point, I'm not even sure which is the bigger headache... but I've foolishly trusted those in power before. I don't plan on making that mistake again.

[ getting hung for a crime you didn't commit really changes your perspective in life (or death?) ]

...I'll take that into consideration. [ it was good advice: part of him had perhaps thought it was too obvious, and the walls might have an exploitable vulnerability where they're most used. but that really was overthinking things. he already begins to move, before glancing back over his shoulder. ]

Be careful. Whoever did all this is still out there... and I doubt they're finished.

[ She doesn't make a move. Doesn't threaten the distance between them. ]

Oooh, you make it sound all ominous. Just make sure I don't regret letting you go tonight, alright? I don't want to play into politics — this isn't my show. Let the city guard chase you down if you're lying, blahblah.

[ She sounds unimpressed actually. All this mess — all those sick people for some big coverup? She doesn't want to get involved. ]

Let me know if you find out who put you up to slaughter.

At the very least, I can guarantee your name won't come up.

[ whether she'll regret letting him go or not... who knows. he's not really sure what he'll do once he finds out who was responsible, and if it does turn out to be some olympian higher up... he'll still do what needs to be done. ]

I suppose I owe you that much.

[ if only because the more people who know, the better it is for him. ]

Sounds like a plan to me. Try not getting killed.

[ Aranea's not exactly sure how this will hurt her in the future, but she figures allies are more beneficial, even if they're fugitives. She has no tie to him legally, so — there should be no paper trail. ]

But, we're still not even.

[ She starts to walk away with a coy little smirk on her features. ]

I'll cash in when you're not running for your life. Good luck.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

event open

1, holy shit i get to use this icon for once

SCORE

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take a wild guess

>:]

guess who is back

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1 roomie no...

:)

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2.)

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