01 May 2011,1540 Lima (EDT)
Brockton Bay
After waiting five minutes for Missy to show back up, Theo decided to find someplace to sit and wound up at a small outdoor cafe across the street from the department store. He made a quick order of a drink and a snack, and he sat down to watch the Boardwalk and storefront, awaiting Missy's return.
Her story had better be good about why she ran off. I might not be scheming, sneaky and devious, he thought to himself,
but if the story is particularly colorful, it might make good blackmail material. He chuckled for a moment. Like he'd try that with Missy. She'd turn him inside out and upside down before he knew it.
= - = - = - = - = - =
Sigil, Lady's Quarter, Mirikixen Manor, Day 3.
Shortly after breakfast Missy was finding out what keeping a household running entailed in Sigil. Having made her bed before even going to breakfast, Missy was helping clean up in the kitchen. This had somehow crossed Vespa, the head maid, who had called Mela's mother over.
"Go on, shoo!" Ella said good naturedly. " You're a guest, and while I'll accept a little help, it's not necessary. Though the maids do appreciate it." From another room, they could both hear polite, stifled laughter..
"It just doesn't feel right," Missy complained. "All I'm doing is taking and taking, and not giving anything back."
Ella sat down with Missy at the small table in the kitchen. "It speaks well of your upbringing that you want to help without asking. I suspect it ties in with your activities after school, too." She fixed Missy with a gaze that was motherly and somewhat wise looking.
"Yeah, you'd be right," Missy answered quietly. "There are too many people causing harm. I want to do my part to help. Is that so bad?"
"I suspect you run into some trouble, trying to help," Ella allowed. "'Oh, you're a little girl, what can you do?'" she said in a voice that sounded almost like a more patronizing Nils. The dark expression that crossed Missy's face was all the answer she needed. "I thought as much."
"I have some inkling about what you can do, Missy," Ella continued. "Mela's ability is related to yours, but hers is more personal." Mela briefly popped into view with a soft
whumpf noise, grabbed a couple of cookies, and disappeared again. "And often far more annoying," she finished with a sigh. "No dessert for you, young lady!" she called out in a stern voice.
From somewhere else in the house they heard Mela's muffled "Awwww, Mom!"
Missy was unsuccessful in suppressing a snicker of laughter.
= - = - = - = - = - =
The morning proceeded much like the previous one. Missy did some reading – Nils' library was actually pretty good but the books made reading physical exercise – and answered a fair number of Mela's questions regarding math and being a superhero. They moved outside and then found out the hard way that her abilities and Mela's ability do not play well together if Mela tried to blink through an area Missy had altered. Missy suspected the reverse was applicable as well. Given that there had been a rather loud collapse of the altered space as it had thrown Mela out, neither was currently inclined to try again.
"Owwwww," groaned the dragonborn from where she'd come to rest. "Remind me not to do that again."
Missy smirked before wincing. "Don't do that again."
The approximation of a pout appeared on Mela's inhuman face. "Not helping," she grumbled.
"If you want, think of the headache you just gave me."
The sound of a familiar set of footsteps coming out from the house came to both their ears. "Dare I ask what happened?" Ella asked, an eyebrow arched. "And are you both okay?"
"I'm okay. We learned the hard way that our powers, even though related, don't play well with each other," explained Mela.
"I'm fine, too," added Missy. "I've got one heck of a headache, though. Should be fine if I take it easy and don't try to warp the space a teleporter is moving through."
"I should have seen this coming," Ella muttered. "In essence, the Lady's powers not only allow Her to dimensionally shift around with impunity, they also keep others from doing so in the area." She shook her head. "Anyone who has been sentenced to one of Her mazes who can use any number of inter- and extra-dimensional abilities to travel finds that the penalties for doing so get more severe the more they try."
Mela nodded in agreement before turning to Missy. "There was one rather stubborn idiot who kept trying until he collapsed into a teeny-tiny ball, and then exploded."
"All too true," Ella added. "Then again, Boargan was very, very stubborn, and not terribly bright." She then reached over, and closed Missy's jaw, which had been hanging open since Mela's description of the idiot's explosive end. "You're drooling, dear."
It was Mela's turn to snicker with barely suppressed laughter.
= - = - = - = - = - =
In a city such as Sigil, taverns are not an uncommon occurrence. There were thought to be upwards of five hundred such establishments within the city proper, and another hundred around the rest of the ring. They served multiple functions, that of drinking establishment, restaurant, gathering place, and inn / boarding house. One particular tavern,
The Slaughtered Lamb, was reputed to have at least one location on every plane of existence.
Seated at one table was an unremarkable woman of average height, her eyes hidden by bangs of dark red hair. Her traveling clothes were well-made, and showed signs of the rigors of traveling, be it by road, sea, air, ether, or through the astral plane. The only thing that could be viewed as a weapon was a rod of greying, weathered wood.
Laid at her side on the floor was a large beast of a wolf, of grayish green coloration, happily chewing on a large haunch of meat and occasionally sipping from a tankard via a straw; unusual behavior for your average wolf. The pair were enjoying the peace and quiet before the normal evening rush of after work drinks and dinners.
The wolf finished before the woman, and waited patiently for her to finish her light meal of soup, bread and cheese.
"Go on, speak," the woman said, having finished her meal. "I know you've got questions."
"Luna, ma'am," the wolf asked, "why are we here?"
"Information, Spot," she replied. "I've managed to arrange a meeting with someone who may know something about who kidnapped my sister."
"Given her… reputation," the wolf nervously said, "wouldn't they already be pleading with you to take her back? Provided, of course, she hasn't reduced them to ash. If that were the case, wouldn't it be simpler to follow the trail of craters and listen for the inevitable explosions?"
"Spot, my sister's many reputations are well deserved," she replied. "If someone were subtle and sneaky, though, she could be overcome quite easily. The party that captured her was exceptionally so, and also powerful. They've proven to be frustratingly difficult to track across the planes, which leads us here, and to a possible lead to her location." She took to watching the slowly building crowd in the inn, a collection of rough-and-ready types, including the bald bouncer in his yellow tunic and red cape. Soon the person she was waiting for walked into the tavern.
He was muscular, but not overly so, showing a balance between strength and speed. His long, greying golden hair was pulled back into a braid. His face was framed by a neatly kept mustache and beard, and his blue eyes were clear and alert. He wore serviceable chain mail, with a broadsword at his right hip, and a hand axe at the left. His clothes and cloak appeared to be high quality wool, and his heavy boots made his footfalls audible over the hubbub of the tavern.
He headed straight for the table the pair was seated at.
"I am Ragnar Arneson," he said, taking a seat. "What do you want?"
"Nice and direct," Luna said with a slight smile. "I like that. My name is Luna Inverse. I am looking for information about my younger sister Lina's whereabouts."
"Doubtful I have any, unless it involves my predecessor."
"She was present on a world towards the end of one of your kind's
cycles," she stated quietly. "I am certain she survived the cataclysm. I seek to find her and free her, or recover what is left."
Ragnar stared at her for a bit before facepalming. "I offer my apologies. I do recall her, she was responsible for my predecessor's end."
"Can I have her back?" Luna asked, sweetly.
"The situation is complicated. My partner ceased functioning shortly after landing, and her abilities had been hijacked by a host species not unlike yours. In spite of being combat-oriented, I am not unintelligent. I looked at the current data we had on the cycle, and determined that an answer was not possible without altering our goals. The universe is finite, and the number of alternates we can reach are also finite. Our goal of infinite resources and infinite living space is impossible." A barmaid placed a tankard of something in front of him. "Ah, I was just thinking about ordering some."
"She does that," Luna admitted. "She delivered my food as I was about to order."
Ragnar took a long pull from the tankard. "I haven't had such as this since Beowulf's funerary feast. Most excellent." He drained the tankard and set it down with a satisfying thunk. "Where was I? Ah, Eden couldn't be convinced otherwise, and the Cycle continued."
"So humans have taken over some of your mate's functions," Luna mused. "Who do I have to talk to about obtaining my sister's release?" She cracked her knuckles in anticipation of that future 'conversation'.
"This person," Ragnar said as the image of a man in a green cowl appeared in his upturned hand. "However, current data suggests that the problem may be self-rectifying. In which case you should approach these people." The image changed to one of a young golden dragon, followed by an unfamiliar pale young woman with long pale hair and storm grey eyes.
"I see. Thank you."
"You are welcome. I would advise caution and patience," Ragnar offered. "I can see a number of possibilities coming to a nexus, but nothing beyond that point. The young dragons make things murky and muddled, but something is coming that blocks all foresight."
The normal hubbub fell silent as a shadow fell across them. Standing there at the table was the Lady, Her masked countenance somehow managing to convey mild disapproval despite the expressionless mask.
Luna sighed. "I believe, Ragnar, that this is our cue to depart."
The Lady nodded, and calmly pointed towards the door with a bladed hand.
"Indeed," Ragnar stated as he stood. "I thank you for letting me visit your fair city," he said with a slight bow. He left a gold mark on the table, and walked through the door, vanishing from sight.
Luna stood up, gesturing for Spot to do the same. "Thank you for the opportunity," she said, leaving a couple of platinum coins on the table. "I'll find my own way home."
- - - - - - - - - -
Luna looked out on the moor she suddenly found herself in, her belongings from the boarding house they were staying in piled around her. The plan had been to get their belongings and seek a way to the next world on the trail to her sister's whereabouts. Their host had other ideas, apparently.
"Uhm, Luna?"
"Yes, Spot?"
"This isn't the boarding house."
"No Spot, it's not. At least She was kind enough to include all our belongings when she evicted us from the city."
"But where in Cepheid's name are we now?"
"I don't know, Spot. I don't know."
To Be Continued...
Enjoy the day / night, and I'll see you later.
