Erik Soong's Call of the Netherdeep

" Noted ", said Randa to Ylis.

" Everyone else in more or less one piece?  Did we win? I'm kinda hazy on what just happened."

"Yeah, I can carry the Taskhand," Sky responds to Nivi as he stows his weapon on his back and hoists the unconscious man easily over his shoulder.  "And I'm with Ylis on avoiding further demonic temples undergoing kooky rituals."

Now that the threat of combat has passed, Sky tries to have more success with a Cure Wounds spell on Frekor: 11 healing.

Quote from TeethAgatha >>

Although exhausted, Morgan is over the moon just to still be alive. He goes around patting everyone on the back, offering breathless congratulations and loudly reminding each of them how amazing they were.

Eventually, he drifts closer to Nivi.
"Hey, Stabbystabby," he says with a tired smile, trying to counter her nickname game. "Hope you’re alright. That whole thing felt… personal."

He glances at her for a moment before looking ahead again.
"Just hoping you’re doing okay."

Nivi smiles faintly, yet responds to the sorcerer in the hat as readily as if he had used her real name, though clearly distracted as she slips up and uses his.

"Personal?  Yeah, could say that.  Never met her til now, but..." she sighs.  "Truth is, Morgan, nothing's been okay for a long time.  Feels like my whole life's been about getting away from my bloody noble and virtuous and holier-than-shyte family.  But I'm thinking, you know?  if they hadn't rubbed off on me, at least a little, then, well... I might have made some bad choices, yeah?  Choices like maybe the ones SHE made..."

Voice trailing away, Nivi turns and faces the wall and undoes the back of her studded leather, just enough to show the Clasp insignia branded starkly on her back, large and prominent.  Exactly the same symbol the party had seen marked on the wall when they first entered the sewers yesterday.

Redoing her leathers and turning to face him once more, she meets Morgan's eyes, then shockingly, hugs him, very quickly.  Nivi has always been quick.

"Appreciate the help back there.  That was solid work.  All of us."

"Yeah, I can carry the Taskhand," Sky responds to Nivi as he stows his weapon on his back and hoists the unconscious man easily over his shoulder.

"Thanks, Sky," Nivi murmurs sincerely, not full of sarcastic quips for once.  "I'll do my best to make it so we don't need your halberd on the way out."

[Ylis] "Maybe we should avoid demon temples in the future."

"Right, uhm, Killer Bunny.  About that..."

Quote from Damian_May >>

[Randa] ... " Everyone else in more or less one piece?  Did we win? I'm kinda hazy on what just happened."

"Still got the Clasp bastards who bailed out of here.  Least one demon got away too, earlier.  And speaking of demon temples, haven't told you about where Aloysia was headed last night, (and with who) like I said I would.  Never felt like the right time.  Not sure you care, but I doubt you'll like it."

"So, Straight Arrow... don't know if we won?  Best I can say is... we didn't lose yet.  So that's something.  Think we all saw who LOST back there."

Nivi turns her gaze back to the dead end where the door once was.  And where Desu had finally Descended to some place not worth thinking about.

Morgan looks a little surprised by the sudden hug, but he returns it with a broad smile.

He grew up in a large, noisy, strange family where hugs and thumps on the head were as common as shouting, arguments, drama, dreams, and hard work. The one thing that was always rare?

Judgment.

Whatever choices Nivi had made in her past, they had led her here. And from here… who knew?

"Aloysia..." he mumbles. "Let me guess… She was headed somewhere that rhymes more with rise than with rest… unlike the kind of rest I'm currently dreaming about." Morgan sighs dramatically. "And a bath. In pretty much any order."

Then, Morgan quietly picks up from the ground the healing potion the Taskhand no longer needs, then resumes the walk in silence, lost in thoughts of past and present… of fate, luck, and the power needed to bend either one.

Quote from TeethAgatha >>

 

"Aloysia..." he mumbles. "Let me guess… She was headed somewhere that rhymes more with rise than with rest… "

Nivi takes a deep breath, returning to her old ways.  "Right.  Knew you'd figure that part out, Pretty Boy.  Feel bad now for not telling you all before.  Bargaining chip to get you down in the sewers with me fighting Clasp and their demon allies.  Only you were coming down here anyway, so..."

She glances at Frekor.  "Last night, Aloysia shook both you and me who were both tailing her from the Ready Room, but not Shiv."  She glances at her shoulder as if surprised not to find the soot-grey owl familiar (dead from demon stench some time back), still perched there.

"Sent Shiv to keep following you, Tracker, where you got mixed up with those Clasp thugs on the streets, but I went after the slippery elven b!itch."  There is no irony in Nivi's voice, even though the descriptor could be used to describe herself as well as Aloysia.

"So I watch Aloysia meet up with a half dozen I saw you all with before.  Not you, Sky, but the rest of you, earlier.  Odd crew.  Led by this strange watery genasi lady with orc hair.  Seemed to fancy a drow next to her.  Other four were, uh... some twitchy goblin, this big ogre broad looming all protective, a super serious tiefling, reminded me of my preachy mum, and... oh right, human outlander who looked like he could use a drink."

"Anyway, they meet up and Aloysia starts flapping her gums, waving her skinny arms.  Couldn't get close enough to hear, but genasi-woman looks caught off guard, then interested.  Eager, even.  Like this is some shot she's been waiting for.  She's nodding, Aloysia's nodding, some of the others are nodding.  Lots of nodding.  Twitchy goblin looks nervous, maybe.  Then they all take off together.  Bound for Betrayer's Rise, like you guessed, Pretty Boy."

Nivi snaps her jaws shut, realizing she's talked a while, glancing at her new companions to discern whether they even seem interested in this information.