The Exception, The Guardian, and The Monster

CONTENT WARNING: Vomit

Astroray 

Cypress: [They look up and see Esredes take off. They melt into his shadow, trailing him as he flies.]

Plat 

Esredes: >Unaware of this, he flies on as normal towards the town Alise lives in. Boy does he have a lot to tell her this time. After being up in the air for a while, he lands in his usual spot in the nearby woods and shifts down again, back to the other outfit with the sword and belt added on. Collecting himself, he puts the files under one arms and holds the sticks in the other, setting off into town and towards the workshop.<

Astroray 

Cypress: [They decide that following esrey in his shadow would be the best course of action until he can find a piece of furniture to hide underneath.]

Momo 

>The workshop seems relatively normal. Since it's late afternoon, it seems to be getting ready to close for the day. Alise stands outside, wiping down the windows of dust and dirt. As she hears footsteps, she starts to recite a store policy.< 

Alise: Sorry, we're close. We open tomorrow at ten, we appreciate your visit and are sorry for the inconven-

>As she turns her head, her eyes meet with Esrey's.< Oh! Heya, long time no see. What's it been, twenty hours?

Plat 

Esredes: Something like that. I have pretty immediate news. Sorry if I didn't give you enough time to want my return. >he says that last part in a slightly playful tone.<

Astroray 

Cypress: [This human knows Esredes? Or is this a knochen in disguise....She smells human...mostly.]

Momo 

Alise: >She smirks a bit at his comment.< I think enough time has passed that I'm fine seeing you again. Now, what's this news that you had to come so soon? Don't tell me you finished the list off.

Plat 

Esredes: No, it's not about the list. Well, it is, but not about finishing it off. I went ahead and immediately looked into where you thought the lady would be.

Astroray 

Cypress: [An informant...I see.]

Momo 

Alise: >Her smirk quickly falls and her eyes widen.< You -already? Are- Are you okay? You're not hurt- right?

Plat 

Esredes: No, she wasn't there. But the evidence of her work certainly was. >He holds the sticks up now to her.< Do these belong to you?

Momo 

Alise: >She stays quiet for a moment before slowly reaching out and grabbing a hold of them.< ... my tonfa... you found these there...?

Plat 

Esredes: >there you go, they're yours again< There was a room full of things I presume she took off of her victims. >He then removes the broken pair of goggles from his arm.< I found these for Levi. Not sure if he really wants them now unless he can repair them, but I figured I'd bring it back.

Astroray 

Cypress: [This seems more than an informant based relationship. He is familiar with her scent and gathered her items....]

Momo 

Alise: .... thank you... >She replies, quickly wiping her eyes.< I'll set these inside. You should come in. You have to tell me everything you found.

Plat 

Esredes: Then let's go inside. I have a lot to show you.

Momo 

Alise: >She holds the door open for him to get inside.< >The two head down the hallway and into a room on the left, where there's a small seated area, usually for meals. Esredes is more familiar with this area while to Cypress, it's completely new to him. The house is mostly made of wood except for dark stepping stones along the floor. It's an odd detail, seeming unnecessary other than for purely aesthetic reasons.< 

Alise: I know you'll say no, but do you want any tea? I'm making some anyway for Levi.

Plat 

Esredes: Just keep it to yourselves, then. You'll enjoy it much more anyhow.

Momo 

Alise: Suit yourself. >She fills up the tea kettle with water before walking over and sitting down at the table. She removes her gloves carefully and simply holds the pot in her hands.< So.... what did you find?

Plat 

Esredes: >He removes the files from under his arm and sets them down.< An abandoned and destroyed town that she turned all the inhabitants of into uncanny. And the building where she had performed her experiments. Chairs with metal straps and leftover knives, some still with blood on them. The entire thing was quite unsettling, to be honest.

Astroray 

Cypress: [When Esredes moves into the house, cypress finds a desk near the wall to duck under. They'd be difficult to spot but it's possible someone could've seen the movement.]

Momo  

Alise: >She's too busy focusing on Esrey to catch anything. Her face tries to remain its usual flat expression, but Esrey can tell she's deeply disturbed.< I see... so the rumors were right...

Plat  

Esredes: I’d say it confirmed just about everything you told me. We also found a couple of her leftover experiments.

Momo  

Alise: How- How were they? Were they all uncanny or...?

Plat  

Esredes: No. One had eyes from a knochen that caused paralysis upon eye contact. The other was a knochen mind transplanted into the body of a human hunter. How she accomplished that I have no idea.

Momo  

Alise: .... eugh >She visibly shudders.< That... that's awful...

Plat  

Esredes: Isn't it? What a terrible fate for a knochen to endure. I at least hope he'll be all right somehow.

Momo  

Alise: Me too... if you find him again, send him over here. We could provide a place to stay even for a little while, and there's a good doctor in town. What else did you find? Where did you find my tonfa?

Plat  

Esredes: There were a lot of personal belongings lying there. I detected your scent. Never seen a weapon like that before, either. Not what I would've guessed you'd have used. Anyhow, besides that we found a selection of files she left behind... As well as some traps we disabled beforehand. >He reaches for his sheath, pulling out the dart and setting it on the table.< Do you happen to know anybody that might be able to figure out what's in this thing?

Momo  

Alise: >Her face turns pale as she witnesses the dart.< ... You'd have to find a potion maker for something like that. Believe me, I don't want to send you over to one, but they would probably be the best to figure out what this is made of.

Plat  

Esredes: Hm. I suppose it'd be worth enduring their presence to figure it out. All right, I'll keep that in mind. >If you're not going to protest, he's going to put it away<

Momo  

Alise: So that was it? A room full of stuff and some left over experiments? Hmm... it's better than you running into her.

Plat  

Esredes: I heard she left not long before we came. I kind of wish we could have been there to put an end to her.

Momo  

Alise: ... do you know which way she headed?

Plat  

Esredes: We might have an idea. >He pulls the map out of the pile, and unfolds it on the table.< We found this in there.

Momo  

Alise: >She leans over to observe the map. After gazing at it for a minute or so, she lets out a sigh of relief.< She hasn't checked through here yet... thank goodness.

Plat  

Esredes: Not yet, but that was another point. It shows that she’s definitely trying to find you.

Momo  

Alise: >She grows tense and the comment and clutches onto the teapot.< ...Why can't she leave me alone...?

Plat  

Esredes: One of the experiments was saying she talked about you. About how much... opportunity you had or something. I suppose in her madness she doesn’t want to lose that.

Momo  

Alise: >She stays silent a bit longer, seeming to be lost in her thoughts. Her expression seems more worried as time passes before suddenly standing up and setting the pot on the table.< I'll be right back! >She dashes out of the room with an uncomfortable expression on her face.<

Plat  

Esredes: .... >I guess that freaked her out too much, didn’t it. Should I try to follow her or stay here? I’m not sure. Either way, he stands up.<

Astroray  

Cypress: [Seeing her leave, they follow her along the baseboards and under furniture.]

Momo  

Alise: >She races her way into the bathroom. Quickly tossing the toilet seat open, she proceeds to throw up. She isn't very loud, and it's not out of sickness, rather it's out of stress and tension. Her hands rest on the bowl of the toilet, to which she quickly has to remove as it starts to burn.< Ugh... dammit...

Astroray  

Cypress: [The sight is disgusting, but they watch on in case any valuable information is divulged. They notice her quickly retract her hands from the bowl as if she was being burned.] [Strange]

Momo  

Alise: >She stands up and is quick to pull the lever, flushing down her stress.< Dammit... maybe Levi would mind the burns... >She looks the seat over before sighing and getting ready to leave. However, she stops for a moment and scans the room once more.<

Astroray  

Cypress: [They remain absolutely still, making anymore movement might draw attention to themself. She's more perceptive than they initially thought.] [They notice the burn marks and it clicks that she is another experiment. That'd explain the sudden interest in the case. ] [Could.......could this woman be softening Esredes? He took mercy on those humans earlier. Its uncharacteristic of him...or what I'd expect at least.]

Momo  

Alise: >She stays silent, glancing around a bit longer before walking out.<

Alise: >She returns into the room, looking better, but still pale. She quietly sits back down and grabs onto the tea pot.< Sorry about that. >This is bad, I can't let this get to me.<

Astroray  

Cypress: [They go back under a desk at a much slower pace this time around. They realize by moving around, they could attract their attention. Best to take it slow.]

Plat  

Esredes: ...Are you okay?

Momo  

Alise: Yeah, I'm fine... I just needed some... fresh air.

Plat  

Esredes: Fresh air inside. You don’t look very fine to me.

Momo  

Alise: It's stress... it churns my stomach to the point that it makes me sick. >She sighs softly, clutching onto the pot< Its utterly embarrassing.

Plat  

Esredes: Well, just be careful. Better to be aware than to not.

Astroray  

Cypress: [This whole situation is....odd.]

Momo  

Alise: I will. >The pot in her hands begins to let out steam, following a loud whistling noise.< Ah, tea is ready. >She stands up and heads into the kitchen to quickly grab herself a glass. When she gets back, she places her gloves back on and pours the tea into a rather thick metal cup.< So, did you go with some companions? Are you sure they're safe?

Plat  

Esredes: Yes, they went off back to the base with no problems. The most dangerous thing we encountered was a feral uncanny. Someone took care of it quickly.

Astroray  

Cypress: [She held the pot and it boiled...is it some kind of heat magic?]

Momo  

Alise: Right right... I don't mean to ask these questions to pry, or because I'm underestimating you. I just don't want anyone getting hurt cause I told you about her. >She quietly sips her tea.<

Plat  

Esredes: We’re fine. Don’t worry about us. Now that I have this map, I’m going to bring it up with others to send out more groups down these trails. One of them should yield something about her location.

Momo  

Alise: ... she just... left this map here? >She seems a bit curious now<

Plat  

Esredes: I suppose. It was there under all the other papers.

Astroray  

Cypress: [He's divulging information to a human about nochmal movements....that's dangerous...]

Momo  

Alise: Hmm... Don't put too much faith in it. That seems like an oddly valuable item for her to leave behind.

Plat  

Esredes: You think so...?

Momo  

Alise: It's just a precaution... I was taught never to overlook anything, and this seems like one of those things to pay attention to.

Plat  

Esredes: Well she left in a hurry and she clearly didn’t want anyone coming in.

Momo  

Alise: I trust your judgement... >She takes another sip of tea.< Mmm... I think we've covered everything. Unless you have any questions that you think I can answer.

Plat  

Esredes: Would you rather not see the other files? They’re kind of disturbing.

Momo  

Alise: .... I'll look at them. If you don't mind showing me. I think I'll be alright.

Plat  

Esredes: All right. >He spreads them out on the table. He ended up bringing along the knochen files and the ones detailing their parts, the drawing of the human skeleton and needle, and the drawing of the hunter the knochen went into.<

Momo  

Alise: >She picks them up slowly and looks over each one with care, her face staying relatively stoic. However, she sets down the image of the human skeleton and the needle, pointing at the image and turning to Esredes.< That. I remember, she used that on me.

Plat  

Esredes: >He raises his eyebrows< That giant thing? I tried to find the page on the substance, but it wasn’t there.

Momo  

Alise: The substance came from a knochen. I can't remember what she called it, but she injected it right into my lower back. I think my hip. That's when I started burning things to a crisp.

Plat  

Esredes: Ugh, that must have hurt.

Astroray  

Cypress: [Is......is she injecting some sort of potion directly into humans? Perhaps its like a blood transplant, but instead of blood its bone....how disgusting.]

Momo  

Alise: Yeah, I passed out while she operated. >She shivers a bit.< From the look of these files, she must have tried it again on a few others.... and her results haven't been good. Most these people are dead or feral.

Plat  

Esredes: But not you. Something made you different. That’s strange. What could possibly make it any different?

Momo  

Alise: Compatibility? Between the original knochen and the human. Or maybe I just got lucky. Or... unlucky.

Plat  

Esredes: Let’s go with lucky. I don’t really want to think about compatibility. We’re entirely different creatures.

Momo  

Alise: You say, as you sit before me looking like any other human. >She smirks.< Although your morals are clearly in a better place if what we get from humanity is Thiessen.

Plat  

Esredes: It’s nothing but a secondary form.

Astroray  

Cypress: [This is all very suspicious....]

Momo  

Alise: Mmhmm.... >She pauses and glances around the room before taking another sip of tea.<> Am I being paranoid? I'm being paranoid. There's no one else here< It's still a form that says a lot about you.

Plat  

Esredes: I only really use it when I have to. I much prefer my real form.

Momo  

Alise: You wouldn't happen to be looking for a chance to show off now, are you? >She chuckles a bit<

Plat  

Esredes: What, in here? I wouldn’t fit very well. Maybe another time.

Momo  

Alise: Oh gosh, not in here. I don't want another hole bashed into the wall.

Plat  

Esredes: I figured. ...When did that happen before?

Momo  

Alise: Care to take a guess?

Plat  

Esredes: Did it have anything to do with Levi?

Momo  

Alise: Congratulations, you're correct. His first attempt at a steam chamber exploded.

Plat  

Esredes: Oh dear.

Momo  

Alise: Yup, and we don't have the money to do another big repair like that. Unless you know how to magically repair a wall.

Plat  

Esredes: Not really. I’m better at destroying them than I am repairing them.

Momo  

Alise: That could be your human cover. A construction worker that only tears down buildings.

Plat  

Esredes: I think I prefer being a clean traveler to that.

Momo  

Alise: If you want to be a traveler, invest in a bag. And look less clean. No one who travels is that clean.

Plat  

Esredes: A bag might be nice. Especially if I have to carry more things from her labs.

Momo  

Alise: A bag filled with items that bring upon the fall of humanity. It's a perfect match.

Plat  

Esredes: >I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not.< I suppose it would be.

Momo  

Alise: It was meant to be a joke, but I guess this isn't your type of humor.

Plat  

Esredes: Well, you’re not wrong either way.

Momo  

Alise: Oh well.... >She takes another sip of tea.< Anything else you wanna talk about then? Don't tell me you enjoy visiting and watching me drink tea.

Plat  

Esredes: I suppose that’s it. I just wanted to give you the update. I shouldn’t stay long. >He stands up, gathering the files back together.< Unless there’s another update on her, I should be a while until next time. This menace and the list will keep me busy.

Momo  

Alise: Just make sure you're safe then. I'll keep looking out for more names to the list. You better hurry. Levi was working in the back but I think he's almost-

>The two heat a loud stumbling in the hall before a man with a ragged appearance and a bright smile bursts inside.< 

Levi: ALISE!! I just made some cherry bombs- I need you to help me throw- hello Esredes- I NEED you to help me throw them in the yard!!

Plat  

Esredes: ....Cherry bombs???

Momo  

Levi: YES! BEHOLD! >He pulls out from his shirt a small ball, no bigger than a cherry< This tiny ball creates a miniature explosion! I made a few varieties and I wanted to see which one let off the most smoke! 

Alise: Is it going to set the vegetable garden on fire again? 

Levi: Theroetically-NO! >He holds one out for Esrey.< Here! If you'd like to try it. This one makes a loud crack and a decent smokescreen! You just throw it on the ground.

Plat  

Esredes: Okay, no, I’m out. I don’t want any part in you blowing the place up.

Momo  

Levi: Suit yourself! It's quite fun. Come, Alise! >He rushes out of the room and out the back door.< 

Alise: >She lets out a long and tiresome sigh before turning to Esrey.< You lucky duck.

Plat  

Esredes: Well, he’s yours to deal with. I’m leaving.

Momo  

Alise: Take care. I need to make sure he doesn't blow off his other leg.

Plat

Esredes: That wouldn’t be nice. Don’t blow yourself up either.

Momo

Alise: I think I'll manage. >She starts to head into the back, but she stops for a moment to glance around the room again.< >... I'm being paranoid. But still, this nagging feeling...<

Plat 

Esredes: >Meanwhile, he sets off for the entrance. Time to get this all to Aclyone.<

Momo

Alise: >She makes sure he's gone before turning back to the room and crossing her arms.< .... I'm gonna count to three, and whatever or whoever is in here is either gonna show themselves or leave.

Astroray

Cypress: [They project a whisper next to her ear, but do not reveal themself.] You're very perceptive, I'll give you that much.

Momo

Alise: >She flinches slightly, but she keeps a stern expression.< You made it easy, staring like that. I felt a hole burning at the back of my head.

Astroray 

Cypress: I can't help myself when I see my superior mingling with a human, and on such a personal level.

Momo 

Alise: It's more of a business partnership. So, you're a friend of Esredes'... better than Thiessen. I was expecting something worse.

Astroray  

Cypress: I witnessed her atrocities. Only someone sick would side with that scientific horror. [You see a large silhouette pass by on the wall.]

Momo  

Alise: You'd be surprised how many people aren't actually there by choice. Most of them just side with her out of fear.

Astroray  

Cypress: You'll find I'm not surprised in the slightest. [A shadow comes up and holds her forearm, firm, but not aggressive.] I'd recommend not getting so comfortable with my superior. A weak soldier is a dead soldier. I will not see his spirit waver in the face of the humanity he fights.

Momo  

Alise: >She frowns a bit.< Trust me, I'm not trying to get him to side with humanity. I guess he hasn't told you what I do.

Astroray  

Cypress: Your existence is a surprise all together. Your involvement and how much he trusts you is also a surprise.

Momo  

Alise: Well, I give him a list of targets to take out. There's gotta be some sort of trust between us for that to happen.

Astroray  

Cypress: [They let out a low growl and move off of her in an angry huff.]

Momo  

Alise: If my existence upsets you that much, why not kill me?

Astroray  

Cypress: You're more valuable alive. I suppose that's what your scientist must think as well.

Momo  

Alise: >Her eyes widen and she looks away< That woman is just crazy...

Astroray  

Cypress: She may be crazy, but her work is deliberate. While I disapprove of Esredes growing fondness for humans, we appreciate your cooperation.

Momo  

Alise: Anything to stop her from doing to others what she did to me. And trust me, there isn't a fondness for humans. You should have more faith in him.

Astroray  

Cypress: While he is my superior, my loyalties lie to the cause and to her, my goddess. [They manifest briefly behind her before slipping out of the door.] Watch yourself, scorched-palms.

Momo  

Alise: I could say the same to you. Come uninvited again and I might slip to Esredes about this conversation of ours.

Astroray  

Cypress: Try it and you'll find yourself scared of more than just a mad scientist. [aaaaand you can feel the piercing stare disappear]

Momo  

Alise: ... pff. Shadow dick. 

>From the backyard, she can hear Levi call out to her.< 

Levi: ALISE! Are you coming or not?! 

Alise: I'M COMING!! Hold your horses!! >She recollects herself and makes her way to the backyard.<