Null's Game

[Visavis]

"Stray?" Rasmus looks around briefly, before looking back to Kyrie and shrugging. "I wasn't watchin' 'er. Maybe we oughtta go back?" Even with that suggestion, he doesn't seem particularly concerned.

[Shinigori V2]

Red:

Stray points deeper into the city. "They, um...They were chasing those girls. They weren't very sneaky, either, so they probably broke a bunch of stuff on the way..."

With a trail of destruction to follow, it shouldn't be hard to get the roadkill back to it's proper owners.

Triya/Sana:

The pair enter the building that used to be the Third Wish, and Sana finds it completely redone, as if the entire structure had been taken down and rebuilt. It may not be surprising though; when Renar Broadwing used the wish to own a tavern, granted to him by a Djinn as old as Sana herself, he forgot to include the ever important details of aesthetics, theme, and location. While the Third Wish was popular among travelers, it's Partian theme and decor was less than a hit among the native Dragons, making just enough that Renar made just a tad bit more money than he had been as a soldier of Kokoniel.

But that's neither here nor there.

The original bar itself seems to be all that remains, now being used as a service desk. A young draconic woman suffering from a bad case of scaleface smiles warmly as the pair enters, leaning heavily on the desk and readjusting her emerald green wings and tail. In the far corner, a pair of extremely heavily armed Snow Elves stand stoic, both wielding a pair of massive axes, easily as big as Stray and significantly heavier. In the other corner, a pair of lightly armed and armored elves with green skin and what seems to be foliage growing in their hair sit, talking quietly. And in the corner, the second girl, the one the original thief passed the cargo on to, sits reading an oddly thin book.

"Welcome t' Greenskin's Machinery!" The servicewoman says happily. "What can I build for ya t'day?"

[Kelne]

"Oh, I just wandered in to see what you'd done with the place," Sana said cheerfully, "The renovations look good. But since you mention it, I do have this thing." She plucked out the mysterious noise-from-the-air box and set it on the counter, "The gribbly bits should all be properly connected, but I haven't worked out the controls. You think somebody could take a look and run me through it?"

Triya, having chased the pair across rooftops and through the streets for quite a few blocks, wound up opting for a casual, non-confrontational approach now that she'd caught up. Whatever the girls had stolen had probably been handed off to somebody by now, and anyway, she doubted those guards would take kindly to her causing a scene. Instead, she took a seat next to the girl, as if waiting for Sana to finish her business.

"So," Triya said mildly, "Why the chase? You could've waited until our backs were turned to take whatever it was easily enough."

[AlwaysAPrice]

"Couldn't have got too far. ...well, c'mon I guess." Red unceremoniously scooped up the kid by the armpits as Spitter waddled up behind them and stooped down low. Red set Stray down towards the front of the saddle. "Just hold onto those straps there, see?" Red hooked a foot into a dangling harness strap and clambered up onto Spitter's back next, dropping into the saddle behind Stray. The bird was sturdier than she looked, barely bobbing at the addition of either passenger's weight and apparently used to Red's use of the many seemingly randomly positioned straps of the harness to climb into riding position from whatever angle she needed to improvise her boarding from.

Spitter raised her head once they were both on and fluttered her wings, giving them a little pre-flight stretch and shake. Stray wobbled and let out a squeak, but Red braced her and checked over her shoulder before correcting, "No, those ones right there, they're tighter, see? There you go, hold tight." Red patted the kid's shoulder and pulled down her goggles. "Keep your mouth closed, if there's any bugs in the air this high up they're probably enormous and tough to chew." Spitter trilled, indicating she was alright with that notion herself, then loped towards the edge of the dock - Red didn't need to give her bird any verbal cue that they were ready for take-off thanks to the bond they'd shared since birth.

Rather than burst straight up into the air and potentially draw the attention of the Dragoons Red had spotted a moment ago, Spitter simply jumped off the dock and plummeted a short way before flapping her wings fully open and catching the air. Great whooshing flaps on either side of Stray and Red carried them higher as they got a little distance from the port, then Spitter circled back high overhead while Red peered down for the trail left by Stray's companions and their quarry. Her sight and judgement informed Spitter's flight as much as the razorbeak's own senses did, and brought them circling down outside Greenskin's a moment after the last of them entered the shop. Red hopped up to stand on the saddle then dropped to the ground a foot before Spitter actually landed. Once settled onto the street, Spitter drew her wings in and dipped down low again to make disembarking easier for the little one.

[Idran1701]

Kyrie glances outside to Rasmus's comment with a small frown, thinking on how safe she might be there. More than out on the street by herself, but still "Maybe. She can't get in much-"

Before she can continue, she spots the arrival outside, a small weight lifted. She quietly motions towards Stray once the bird lands, before glancing about the building, keeping an ear open on Triya's conversation and largely paying little attention to Sana's just yet.

[Shinigori V2]

Twin: Stray bows and says a quick thank you to Red, patting Spitter once again, before heading inside the shop, tucking in close to Kyrie.

The twin turns the book sideways, looking at a complex diagram of an airship engine, before turning it back and flipping the page. She looks up slightly, looking confused. "Chase?" She says in...an odd accent, one nobody (save possibly Sana) have ever heard before. "I assure you I have no idea what you're talking about."

Radio:

The dragon looks over the radio, eyes going wide as she picks it up carefully. "Oh, wow! I ain't seen one of these since I was a hatchling!" She gingerly looks over the box, flipping it upside down. "Ohhhh...This is a Void box!" She places it down gently, lightly tapping a small carving into the wood, something looking almost like an A inside of a wide U. "These are really, really rare now. Hundreds of years old--Ancient dragon tech! You got it mostly back t'gether, but y'missed one silly little thing."

She digs around behind the counter, before pulling up a rather large mallet. She raises it over her head, bringing it down onto the device with an extremely loud BANG, enough to cause Stray to jump from across the room. The dragon picks it up careully, shaking it slightly.It sounds like several things were broken loose in there. "There y'go!" She says happily, handing it back.

[Idran1701]

She ruffles Stray's hair before stepping up to Triya, plucking the book out of the kid's hands and staring her in the eye, tail low.

"Honestly, I'm not even sure she really took anything, Triya. You wanted us here, kid. Or at least you wanted us running after you. Why is that? There'd be so many easier ways to grab our attention."

[Shinigori V2]

"First of all," The kid starts, "I was reading that. Second, who are you? Third, my sister took something, not me. But you'll never find her."

[Kelne]

Sana turned the device over in her hands thoughtfully, "Ah, the wonders of engineering," she said, "I always forget that step. And the controls?"

From across the room, Triya looked a tad worried in the wake of the resounding bang. That seemed very much like a way to break something rather than fix it, and it was a situation which could easily escalate. Still, one way or another, matters were in motion now, well beyond her ability to retrieve.

"That being the case, why not tell us what the something was?" Triya asked, deciding the attendant would just have to fend for herself.

[Shinigori V2]

Radio:

"Oh, it's super simple!" The dragon says. "All you gotta do is click this button."

She does as instructed, and the box begins to emit an odd, crackly noise. It's...Really barely even sound, more annoying than anything. After a moment, she clicks it off. "There, good as new!"

Kid:

"That's need-to-know." The girl says simply. "And you don't need to know. We didn't lead you here, we were mostly just showboating because there was never any threat of you catching us at all."

[AlwaysAPrice]

Red smiled a little to acknowledge Stray's thanks, but hid it when she saw the others, shooting Kyrie a look that suggested she had no idea about Stray's true condition and just thought the Nekana was a terrible, neglectful mother or big sister. Spitter cooed a farewell to Stray then seemed about to express an opinion similar to Red's in her namesake fashion, but instead sent the glob of spit she horked up off towards one of the building's closed windows with a wet splorch, to avoid hitting Stray accidentally.

Red took a few steps back to take a look over Greenskin's Machinery, lifting her goggles back up as she gauged the establishment's likelihood to be relevant to her own reasons for coming to the city, then looked over to Spitter and gave her head a flick up and to the side. Spitter cawed her understanding with a note of dismay at being dismissed so soon after their reunion, but obediently took off and flapped away over the rooftops to start developing their familiarity with the lay of the city, and keep an eye out for out of the way architectural features that could serve as hiding spots or roosts if they needed to go low profile - though that was probably not going to be a very fruitful search in a city of fliers.

Red headed in to see what was what with Greenskin's herself, tossing the twin inside a smirk of appreciation and a "Nice grab." when she spotted the troublemaker. She checked out what the rest of the party who shared her ride into Kokoniel was up to with casual disinterest while she made her way to the counter to wait for the scalefaced dragon to finish with the radio.

[Idran1701]

"Mm hmm." Keeping hold of the book, Kyrie only breaks eye contact with the kid for a moment, glancing over at Spitter's expression of disdain with just the slightest bit of acknowledgement, hardly even looking to Red in the process. Looking back, she sighs, handing the book back over as her ears twitch from the crackle of Sana's newly-"repaired" device. "And why 'showboat' for us, then? She had her eye on us even before she broke for the street."

[Shinigori V2]

"Because Grandpa says we're a couple of big showoffs who will take any audience we can get. I still have absolutely no idea who you are." The kid says, snatching the book back. "And there's nothing more fun than beating a Nekana at their own game."

Suddenly, there's an exclamation from the back of the building-- "And just how do you expect to pull THAT off?" A man shouts. Both sets of Elves stand, looking almost hostile towards one another, before the dragon behind the counter makes motion for them to settle.

[Idran1701]

A slight narrowing of her eyes as she pulls her hand back from the book, tail drooping to the ground. "And do you mean by 'our own game', then, kid?"

[AlwaysAPrice]

The outburst from the direction of the Snow and Forest elves snagged Red's attention before she could make any inquiries. Noting two of each, she glanced over her shoulder at Rasmus and considered that he made for three snowflakes if the conversation got "exceptionally contrary". She fidgeted absently with a bauble that dangled from her armor, the only thing that wasn't red or black on her outfit. It was wafer thin, shaped like a leaf and though opaque it was polished to a gem-like shine that glinted like topaz when it caught the light. Red adjusted her lean against the counter so her marker would be visible should the Forest elves look her way.

She stopped toying with it as she overheard Kyrie's question to the thief and interjected helpfully. "Stealing! I bet she means stealing." She turned her attention back to the dragon at the counter, "Hey, you do any firearm sales or repair here?"

[Shinigori V2]

The dragon at the counter weaves a little as Red addresses her. "Guns! Yeah, we've got some. Got a few flintlocks, a Turret pistol, and some of the newer Spinners. We've even got a couple Dragoon Longbarrels, but we ain't supposed to sell 'em 'cuz of an embargo or somethin', not until we've got the guts out of 'em."

"Well, kind of stealing, but mostly being faster than humans and all that. Aren't Nekana like second fastest things after a Plainsrunner? ...And us, naturally." The girl says. It's like she's asking to be punched in the face.

[Oleai]

Oleai, who had totally been following along this entire time - mostly in awe of the bustling city and making a big deal of each tiny trinket shop and shiney object visible from the outside, finally joined the conversation after the talk of speed.

"Hey! You squirts couldn't outrun me if you wanted! Your sister only got away 'cause she cheated. I caught her fair and square." She stuck her tongue out, easily slipping into a childish mentality when addressing a child. Oleai would make an excellent Kindergarten teacher.

She took a moment to adjust her little skirt\loincloth thing before finally seeming to notice the building, "Wait, so what is this place again? What're we doing here?"

[AlwaysAPrice]

Red looked intrigued as the dragon rattled off the list. "How about rarer pieces? You ever get any old-model elven flints through here, like stuff left over from the Dra...theee, er, last war? I've heard there's a few collectors in Kokoniel that are way into that stuff."

[Visavis]

Rasmus, apparently content doing his own thing while the others handle other business, wanders the shop and inspects the wares with a jaded look well-suited for masking ignorance, before finally placing his attention on the Snow Elves.. then does a double-take at their armor. He gapes briefly, then strides over to the pair and asks in the reverential tones of an awed teenager, "Where'd you get that stuff? That's Trask Icehammer armor, am I right?"

[Kelne]

"So, what can you tell me about these void boxes?" Sana asked, "And why did people stop making them?" She seemed to be resisting the urge to click away at the button in search of a result for the time being.

"Sounds like a bit of a challenge to me," Triya observed.

[Idran1701]

Kyrie throws a glare towards Red, but looks to Oleai at her question, hoping that things don't get out of hand between her and the kid. In fact, after Oleai's reaction, she takes a mental moment herself, intent on not letting the brat get to her.

"It's a machine shop. Probably somewhere she has family. Would any of them be around, by any chance, kid?"

[Shinigori V2]

Girl:

"Grampa's in the back." The girl says simply. "But you can't go back there. And you didn't catch her fair and square, you used magic! That's cheating!"

Clerk:

The dragon continues to open display boxes and show off various firearms, occasionally stopping to put a few away again. "We've got some remnants from the war, yeah. Something in particular you looking for?" She pauses, placing a few more recent models back in a case, before hopping to Rana for a second. "Someone commissioned thousands of those to be made a few centuries ago. If they're working properly, you're supposed to be able to get messages from the other side--Y'know, ghosts an' stuff."

Elves:

Red sees one of the elves nod--Maybe? It's hard to tell with how Wood Elves tend to move so subtly sometimes. The Snow Elves look to each other for a moment,then back to Rasmus. "It is indeed, brother!" one exclaims jovially. "Personally made for his hand picked attendants! You mean to tell me you didn't know the Lord of the Blacksmiths was in town?"

[AlwaysAPrice]

Noting the subtle nod and satisfied that the treehuggers are aware of her friendship, Red turns back to the clerk, keeping one ear out for further exchanges at the elf table. She lifts her eyebrows skeptically at the explanation of the void box's properties, but miraculously resists the urge to blurt out her opinion that it sounds like a puddle of birdshit to her. After all, there's more she wants to know.

"Huh, ain't that something. But yeah, interested in something real specific actually, super-rare tho'. Black handled pistols with gold inlays, double-barreled, they were custom made for elite Skyrazors back in the day. Very rare for them to part with their owners but I've been told round here's my best bet to find a pair."

[Shinigori V2]

The dragon clerk snaps her fingers, wagging them at Red knowingly. "Black Rider doubles!" she exclaims excitedly. "We actually had some not long ago, but a collector came by and snatched them about a month or so ago."

[Visavis]

"No, I just got he--..Wait, he's here? Like here here? ..You're his attendants? He was the one yelling, wasn't he?! He's in this shop!" By this point, Rasmus' voice was a squeak, and his eyes were like saucers. "I've gotta see 'em!"

[Idran1701]

"Mm hmm. Then can you go get your grandpa for us?" She'd already lost patience with this kid during the chase itself, and from this conversation, she doesn't expect to be getting it back anytime soon. She looks towards the back room, tempted to just head in herself, but well aware that there's no reason to get them against her right off the bat. "Was that him yelling back there earlier?"

[Shinigori V2]

Girl:

"Uhh, Grampa doesn't really have time for you. You're not really high up on the tier of people we need to be talking to, y'know? You haven't even told me who you are. And no, Grampa doesn't have that kind of volume. That was the Lord of the Blackmiths. Duh."

Snow Elves:

"Indeed it was, and indeed he is, brother!" The pair stand, clapping Rasmus jovially on the shoulder. "I'm sure he'd be glad to share an ale with you once his business is over!"

[Idran1701]

"Oh, of course."

walking away from the kid, Kyrie heads towards the door to the back room, giving the door a solid knock, keeping an eye on the kid mostly just to judge her reactions. Hopefully her grandfather is more reasonable; it'd be hard for him not to be, but her patience with this girl has quickly reached its limit.

[Shinigori V2]

"No, don't!" The girl cries, scrambling up as both sets of elves take notice, and move to intercept Kyrie.

However, they are a bit too late, as her doorknob turning prowess is unmatched by any in the Nine Houses. Kyrie opens the door, finding a small table in the back. Inside is a simple table, with a number of papers splayed out on them. They appear to be plans, designs, drawings of some sort. Blueprints for...Something. Seated around the table are three figures-- A very old man with thick robes, wild white hair and a beard. He's not wearing the same odd mask as the children, and in comparison, seems...Completely normal. Across from him, a mountain of a Snow Elf, light blue skin and long white hair tied back, as well as one of the most Snow Elven looking beards Kyrie has ever seen. Between the two sits what seems to be a humanoid plant in the shape of a young woman, white bark like a Nekonian Ash tree, with pale blue blooms to match.

Behind the old man is the original twin, though her clothing has changed to an even more odd looking, form fitting type outfit.

"There's no way it could handle that sort of weight distribution, and furthermore..." The Snow Elf says, before Kyrie barges in. All three look up at her, with the twin accompanying her grandfather crossing her arms in a huff, sighing loudly. "Yer not s'posed t' be in here." She says bluntly.

"Hush, Lil." The older man says, unsteadily getting out of his chair. The twin makes to help, but he waves her back, leaning on a cane as he takes but a single step towards Kyrie. "Hello, lass." he says gently. "What can we do for you?"

[AlwaysAPrice]

Red's eyes flash with eagerness but she manages to keep her composure, wary of seeming interested in the guns as anything more than an item of historical significance to any collector of her race. "I knew I had a good feeling about this place! You know where I can find that collector? I can't let an opportunity like this pass without at least making an offer, even if he decides not to sell. I'd also really like to know the story of how they wound up here -- do you have a record of who sold them to you?"

The kerfuffle in the back room draws her attention away -- one glimpse of the Dryad in there keeps it there. One hand rests at her waist, idly fingering a pouch of small stones, ammunition for her slingshot, while she waits to see how the Dryad's guardians respond to the interruption of their master's business.

[Idran1701]

Not showing the slightest bit of awkwardness at the sudden intrusion, Kyrie clears her throat, trying to look properly deferent but unsure what's proper for a human. "Excuse me, sir; my apologies for interrupting. But I felt you ought to know about the...mischief your granddaughters had been getting up to today. They've led myself and my companions on quite a chase around the city, after...well, either stealing something off the docks, or going out of their way to make us think they'd stolen something. I don't wish to cause too much trouble, but I didn't wish to let this sort of behavior simply go by."

[Shinigori V2]

Dragon:

"Oh, uh...Yeah, I think we have the records around, but he might'a paid for the, uh...No paperwork bonus fee." She frowns, holding up a finger. "Gimme just a sec, I'll go look in th' records."

Without waiting for a response, she turns, though she clubs the side of the display case with her tail as she leaves, making a large 'wump!' noise. What an unusually clumsy move for a dragon.

Old Man:

"Oh, is that so?" The old man says, turning to the twin by his side, placing his hand atop her head. "Is that true, Lillian?"

The twin says nothing, just making an ugly face at Kyrie.

"Forgive them." The old man continues. "My granddaughters, they're what you'd call showoffs. They wanted you to chase them, though how clumsy of them to bring you straight to me. Ah...I didn't catch your name, miss...?"

"Miss Stupid Nekana." The still behoodied twin says from behind Kyrie.

"Shush, Eli."

[Idran1701]

She doesn't show any reaction to the kid's snark nor any response to the dirty look Lillian gives her, bowing her head slightly with a smile. "Kyrie Watanabe, sir, of the Lucky Paw. If you're certain they meant no harm, then; I apologize again for the trouble. This wouldn't be the first time, then?"

[Shinigori V2]

"Wantanabe..." The old man repeats, rubbing his chin. "Yoshiko's youngest, yes? I've run into your mother before. As pleasant as any Nekana...No offense."

"Mari's sister?" Eli says. "Couldn't be. Mari was at least kinda good." Lil says, completing the thought.

The old man makes his way out, smiling at the assembly. "I suppose that would make you Triya, Oleai, Rasmus, and Red." He says, nodding to all in turn. "And of course, the lovely Sana."

"Uh oh." Eli begins. "Gramps is bein' a flirt again." Lil finishes.

[AlwaysAPrice]

"I ain't with them." Red wants to make that very clear, right up front.

[Shinigori V2]

"WELL YOU SURE AS HELL AIN'T WITH US." A familiar voice cries from even deeper in the building.

What the hell is Calamity doing here?

[AlwaysAPrice]

"BLOW IT OUT YOUR POPPET VALVE!"

[Shinigori V2]

"THERE'S A BIG SHINEY METAL PLATE OVER IT WHICH YOU ARE FREE TO BITE IF YOU SO PLEASE."

[AlwaysAPrice]

Red grumbled under her breath, "I'll be sure to let Spitter know." She then turned her attention back to the old man while she waited on the dragon's record-checking.

[Kelne]

"Guilty as charged," Sana said with a smile and a decided twinkle in her eye. Whether it was indeed flirting or an effort to flatter the djinn, she seemed perfectly okay with it.

"I suppose that answers how you knew who we were," Triya observed in the wake of the exchange with Calamity. She'd thought for a moment there that Sana had been the connection, seeing as she merited an 'of course.' She had, after all, led the others straight to the building.

"You do seem very well-connected and informed, mister...?" They did seem to be at a decided disadvantage in the conversation. There were some interesting coincidences at play here. If indeed they were coincidences at all. It also occurred to her that Calamity's presence by no means precluded a connection between "Gramps" and Sana. The djinn did have a multitude of acquaintances, and Triya would by no means put it past her to quietly steer them into a meeting.