Twenty-one days, five hits. One, the third, had forced her to feint back and try another night, but...that had turned out to be the right choice. So...five and a half hits. Considering the original and increasingly tight security surrounding these things, Yin is quite proud of herself despite the circumstances. A personal best, these. She feels almost in control of her life, though she knows it's an illusion.

Not a single casualty...only one detection, and she hadn't been physically seen then for a positive ID. No trace left that she's been able to get any intelligence on. Of course, that's limited considering that she's so far elected to continue to play dead with dragons. Alou and Kaz almost certainly know that she's involved...in fact, she's pretty sure that she saw evidence of Alou's having been around in the final building. No slips, just...little things someone who knows him really well would have been able to piece together. Arux probably knows too. Hopefully the latter is keeping his lips buttoned. Well. Keeping it in Eleven, anyway. He could very well be planning an interception...except, she's done with the heists now. She'd already chosen to shun one target she'd been pointed to as a setup. Doesn't know if she'd been right. Doesn't matter.

Yin sips a glass of cognac, a habit she'd picked up from a certain spider, in a perfectly middling but comfortable hotel room. Has a cell phone she'd purchased--true to form, hers had bitten the dust in the hospital--on the bed nearby. She hasn't given anyone the number. But she's expecting a call. Millarca has to know that she'd gotten all five.

For now...a quiet evening. A successful day of covert operations, a warm afterglow dirtied by long line of deceptions. Feeling rather like a bad ass chick.

It feels kind of like old times. Maybe with more alcohol, she can forget that there's a lot more to her life than there used to be.

The phone, dead silent for too long, begins to ring before too long. True to form, indeed.

"You have the five?" Millarca's voice is garbled on the phone, deepened and skewed as a precaution.

"Yes and no." Yin swirls her drink thoughtfully. "Late-breaking intelligence indicated that either the fourth one I procured or the other one in Romania has a small, internal flaw, which was withheld from its records for value's sake." Lays back. Stretches. "I have five of ones listed, anyway. Five functioning ones: maybe."

"We may be able to work with that. In the meantime, it's probably better that you lay low from stealing for a while. Despite your talent for it." A pause on Millarca's end sounds with the rustling of papers, distorted into something like the buzzing of enormous bumblebees.

Yin glares at the unwitting, unplugged television for a moment. God he's a button pusher. Brushes that off, though. "So. Now what?" Crosses her legs. After all, she is sitting around with five massively valuable, massively hard to procure geological artifacts.

"You'll meet a courier soon. He will take the sensitive materials from you. At which point... your service is concluded. You may stay in the city at your leisure. There is more work to be done but you will not be forced or coerced into it."

Yin nods a bit, to herself. It had been a bit much to hope for, but she's glad the offer had been presented as it was. She does need to go back. She needs to make sure Revilier is okay, if nothing else. What else...she doesn't know.

She also doesn't ask about what kinds of other work. She really doesn't need to get herself branded as an enemy spy, however technically true that is.

"Fair enough. Anything else for now?"

"Yes. Test the courier. He is five feet, six inches, one hundred and eighty pounds. Wears a high and tight haircut. Chestnut hair. Wedding band on the wrong hand."

"Race?"

"He'll be disguised as a human."

"Actual race?"

"I'm curious as to why that matters so much to you."

"Because. Breathing pattern, eye quirks, muscle tension quirks, stance, and gait in certain combinations fairly reliably gives away the real race underneath, and it's a profoundly difficult set of traits to accurately hide or fake."

"I'll tell you what. Use the information I provided and do not pretend to be more discerning than I am. We are Mediators and do our jobs better than you ever did yours."

"I'll tell you what. You stop posturing and spending your time trying to impress or intimidate me for some ungodly reason when you could have just provided a two second, one-word answer to a simple, pertinent question. I've gone toe to toe with your brainwashed monkeys on multiple occasions, and for doing their jobs better than me, it's weird how often I win." Phone clicks shut. Reflects. If that doesn't get her killed, it's almost certainly going to get the living crap kicked out of her. But she's about had it with this jackass.

The phone doesn't ring again. At all, in fact. The courier is in route, but about fifteen minutes from Yin's safe house at the moment.

Yin sighs quietly. Picks up her drink again, and retrieves the comics section of the complimentary paper. Heh. That Hagar.

After the fifteen minutes, a knock comes on Yin's door. One the other side a police officer, apparently human, fitting the courier's description to the letter, waits patiently. His squad car is still parked outside.

The vampiress grudingly stands to open the door in a cautious way that keeps it from being forced open once unlatched. Looks the guy up and down. Mental checklist: complete. "Come on in." Turns to head over to her scant luggage.

The courier steps inside, closing and locking the door behind him. "Thank you." His voice scatters over a range of underlying emotions, a vibrant if pleasantly neutral tone. "I brought this," he holds up a hard case, one of the newer Mediator security devices that presents a false image of what's inside when X-rayed. "Once you give me the stones you're free to do what you want to, but if you need a lift back to the Commune you can come with me."

She nods. "I may take you up on that." What she picks up is a simple duffle bag. Inside are a bunch of perfectly mundane rocks with painted labels. She's been a geology buff lately. The diamonds have had their shapes modified with dirty plaster, indiscernible to the untrained eye--hers, more or less--from the other "samples." Picks out the ones with blue, two-dot labels, setting the five of them on the bed. "I maintain," she smirks, "that these are more trouble than they're worth. But here you go."

The courier takes them carefully and arranges them within the case, careful not to disturb Yin's markings. "That's pretty clever," he admits. "No telling who might poke around in the bag, right? Anyway, I'm leaving immediately, so if you want to come, suit up."

"Thanks, and something like that." Yin smiles, sitting down. "I'm about packed. Just let me pull my boots on." And sits to do this. "Also, the number of dashes by the mark for each one relate to which one it is. One dash, first hit. And so on."

"I see. Thank you." He closes the case. "By the way. Whatever you did to piss Millarca off, you did a good job. I don't feel like it would be fair to you to let you go back there without knowing he's probably going to set you up for something bad."

"He's a powerful man. Also, spiteful. He'd do that whether I was there or not, am I right?" She picks up a backback, looks at the courier.

"I guess he might. Dealing with him is pretty easy, though." He shoulders the case, which is heavy to approximate the weight of the false things inside. "Don't challenge him on things more than once is the big one."

"Mm. I think I've broken that rule at least twice. Well...by some stretch of the imagination, anyway. Shall we? Also, didn't catch your name or whatever I'm supposed to be calling you."

"Octavian. Do you believe it? But Eight is fine too."

She grins. "I think it's a fantastic name. Also: easier to pronounce than mine. Besides...a guy in my hometown is named 'Nostradamus.' No joke." She laughs softly as they walk, after a cursory glance to make sure she's forgotten nothing. "You lose that 'unusual' contest."

"Just wait till you see me without the disguise." He chuckles. Face goes somewhat serious. "Millarca asked me to kill you."

She nods a bit. "I'd more or less expected it. So. Are you?"

"I don't want to. But since I told you, I can't imagine you'll take a chance on my word." The courier allows her a small smile. "Just give him some time to cool down."

Yin smiles a close-eyed smile. "Don't want to" isn't the same as "not going to." But oh well. She'll do her best. "Sounds like a plan. No more calling him a posturing jackass for awhile. God it feels good to not be carrying a duffle full of rocks..."

Octavian unlocks the door. "My back agrees. Shall we? We've got a chopper waiting at the hospital, and my squad car's right here."

"We shall." She's not fully sure why, really. Could be agreeing to wander off to her death. But...eh. Starts off that way, leaving the room keys on the nightstand.

Octavian goes down the stairs first, smiling a very "I'm a real cop" smile at passerby... which means a blank stare.

"You'd better ride in the back, unless you want to put on the cop uniform I brought for you." He tilts his head. "On second thought, you should put on the uniform."

"Probably a good idea," she affirms. Makes things much easier and less conspicuous. Smirks after a moment. "So long as you're not like most of my oh-so-hilarious friends and got it out of a Hustler magazine ad."

"Penthouse, actually," Octavian says, serious as a dog about a bone. After a moment of digging around in the cruiser, which looks like it's seen a few productive years of service, he produces another case for her. It's got a uniform in her size, cuffs, tonfa, and appropriate firearm of the local force, all prepared well in advance. "Here you are!"

"Ah! Beautiful." Yin smiles. "Right, give me a second. There's a bathroom in the lobby." Takes the uniform, and heads off that way.

"Hurry back!" Octavian leans against the cruiser, arms folded over his chest.

About the time Yin disappears, a shadow passes across his face. The courier looks up, following its trajectory with his eyes. It doubles back. He unsnaps his gun, but before he can draw and fire the shape crashes into him. Reality splits into twirling sections as he hits the pavement and something cold draws across his neck, silencing him forever.

By the time Yin gets back, the case is gone. Only the fallen Octavian and a clump of oil black scale-feathers lay as evidence of what happened.

Yin's just finished pulling her hair out from under her collar as she steps back outside. Eyes snap open. "Octavian...?!" Runs to his side, though her eyes aren't on him...scan the scene, and for further threats. Gun's drawn and cocked as she drops to a knee. Grabs for a pulse, fingers glowing golden...though she doesn't have much hope with this.

There's nothing, no further threat. Just the feathers. The spell doesn't revive Octavian, unfortunately; it has its limits, as well.

Yin closes her eyes a few moments. Damnit. He'd seemed like a good man. She does get the erie "can't heal; he's dead" feeling of pure...grey she's seen Revilier recoil at in the past. Covers his face lightly with the shirt she'd just taken off, touching his forehead just briefly through it.

Case...where's the case?

A vampire-dragon snarl rumbles in the back of her throat. Of course. Searches the skies...finds nothing. Picks up one of the feathers as her phone flips open, dialing the number of the last call.

No answer. It's ringing, but no one's picking up.

Inward nod. Fucker. Hangs up. Glances at Octavian...sighs quietly. Finds his keys, and gathers up his body carefully to put him in the passenger seat of the squad car. So, terrified civilians are likely staring. And she can't do much more about the body. But she doesn't particularly feel like just leaving him lying on the street. Kisses his forehead, murmuring a prayer, and glances to the sky. Eyes narrow. That's her hard work, damnit.

Looks at the feather. Wyvern, or dragon...? She's moved to say wyvern, but...that's based on size, and could be a small feather from a dragon. Something feels off about it, though...

Scans the balconies around. The rooftops, the skies...any hint.

The hint's pretty obvious after a moment. A moment, only, for that is how long passes before the black gargoyle steps into view. That's what it looks like, anyway... a draconic monster with arachnid qualities, learing down upon her. Its body is covered with tattoos, dozens of flags of many different nations.

Yin's eyes widen. She can't help it. Then, narrow, fangs baring. Her grip tightens on the pistol, left hand cooling rapidly. "Millarca," she growls..."that's you, isn't it? You, with the your own man's blood on your claws."

The beast gazes down at her, eyes full of loathing. "Treachery. The command must be absolute. This is why Dragons and Wyverns and Spiders will fall."

"Ten times human recorded history, idiot...more! Several times more! That's how long dragons have maintained their society. Micromanagement, absolute control...that can only mean rebellion and disintigration." Her voice is positively acidic. She can't recall ever hating someone so utterly. She'd been kissy for Brandt by comparison. "You're playing with human nature. It's going to burn a hell of a lot more than fire...and I personally can't wait to see you char, curl, and die."

"Octavian was a Dragon. And humans will have freedom. Only my army needs to be controlled. And you, I have chosen not to kill. But you will bleed for your petulance." His wings flap. Flap again, hard enough to lift what must be a three hundred pound frame from the ground.

Yin growls. Tenses, crouching into a defensive fight stance. A long shield-sword of ice rapidly crystallizes up and off her forearm. She's in trouble. Not deeply worried, yes. Damned if she's not going to give him some hell of a fight.

People have gathered around to see what the fuss is about. Some were there early enough to see Octavian's demise. For all anyone knows, an attractive female police officer just lost her partner to the monster hovering above the rooftops.

Millarca, much unlike Brandt, cares nothing for being seen right now. A snarl rips the din into chunks. He's part draconic, apparently some mixture of ice and another, more difficult to pinpoint breed. It's the same as Troix's, that much is certain.

When he dives, it is like the hunting plummet of a peregrine falcon intent on his vampiric prey.

Gods he's fast...!

Yin tries to spring to the side with all the startling quickness that's kept her alive against much stronger opponents all these years. Ice sword is swinging to intercept him on the edge, gun raising to fire but unable to get a solid aim.

Millarca's leading arm quite abruptly coats itself in a thick layer of ice, enough to just deflect Yin's sword as he swoops past, spinning in the air as he rises on an arc. Snarls, and plummets again, a hail of ice splinters trailing before and behind him.

Yin stumbles back at the impact. With that much intertia behind it...her sword actally cracks. She's not sure her shoulder hadn't done the same thing. Great start. The damaged sword's edges expand suddenly and she drops to a knee behind it for cover from the splinters. No cover...nowhere to go. He'll go right through civilians if she darts anywhere, she's sure of that. Gun levels. He's moving too fast to be perfect. But damned if she can't try to shoot for the eyes. A narrow slit in the shield forms drops away, and she begins firing.

She doesn't hit his eyes, but as splinters shatter against shield she scores with an glancing strike to his ear and cheek, setting him off course enough that he is forced to correct, reducing the power behind his lunge to grab her.

Yin sees the correction...springs the other way, trying to aikido-roll aside and out of the way in the vulnerability. If she can get behind him--of if he gets past her--she's firing at the base of his skull.

She dodges the roll, but behind simply does not happen. As soon as Millarca senses the roll his wings and head light up white and flare like a flashbang.

The hybrid in his blood is ice and, now, almost certainly an astral dragon.

Yin's so startled she nearly cries out...dazzled, the vampire in her especially vulnerable to it. Sees nothing but flashing lights amidst a sea of vaguely coloured darkness. Shield thickens, covering her head and front again as she tries to get her bearings. And, more importantly...his bearings.

People all around cry out in sudden pain. Some drop to their knees, some vomit. All lose sight of him, the monstrous creature who banks and turns on a heavy foot, spring towards Yin to throw a vicious, if nonlethal, right hook encased in ice.

It shocks her. Truly, deeply shocks her...his fist crashes right through her shield, ice shattering in every direction amidst an explosion of cool powder.

Yin's slammed backwards, stumbling wildly and trying to stay on her feet. After braving her shield, the blow's connection to her face is negligible. The sheer force of the impact, though, sends her reeling. Her own foream, still coated thickly in ice, jams hard into her face.

She stays on her feet only just barely. One knee's down, one hand too. Head swims. Gun...she'd dropped it...?

Millarca turns again, ready to dive. His head snaps up, attention stolen by the sound of sirens approaching... apparently, someone had called almost immediately. This place is only a stone's throw from the station.

The vampiress forces her way to her feet. Conflict. The dragon in her is kicking her to finish this. The spy and the lucid, survival-driven person inside her...he's stronger. Faster. More powerful. She takes advantage of the distraction, darting towards the hotel entrance. Cover...

Millarca snarls again. The sirens aren't far, but they have his attention enough that Yin got under cover without any trouble. Still, he hadn't intended to kill or even seriously harm her; petulance doesn't warrant it. His wings flap again, and Millarca spirals into the distance, winging towards the commune. It's a long flight, but he'll board a chopper partway. In a way, he's glad that he tailed the courier in the first place.

Yin narrows her eyes from in the hotel lobby, breathing hard. Hadn't pursued her...interesting. She'll think more on it when her head isn't swimming.

She still can't see well...even so, she resists the urge to sit down, half-groping her way through the hotel towards a back exit, eyes very gradually clearing. Very gradually...stepping back out into the sunlight makes her cringe. Shields her eyes with a hand as best she can, and just does her best to slip off into the city. It won't do to be detained or mixed up in a media circus.

Of course, the police have no way to know where she'd gone. Every last eyewitness is still rubbing hir eyes, wondering if the horror they'd just seen had been a dream or not.

Still, Yin is not alone for long. After a few minutes of nothing - most people are flocking to see the dead cop scene - it quickly becomes apparent that she's being followed. A soft footstep, the warmth of another individual on the roofs above. A man just a bit taller than Yin watches her closely.

A shadow here and there...she's aware of it. And yet glances up just leave her cursing at how bright the sky is. Damned...fucking...hey. A school. In the middle of summer. Nice.

Three seconds with a lock later, she slips into the dimly lit, wide-open gymnasium, shutting the door behind her. Large throwing darts crystallize in her hands as she starts out across it, tense.

Footsteps echo throughout the gym, the sound of someone running across the roof. Inside there is nothing, just the rubbery smell of an empty school gym with the faint hint of sweat and sawdust here and there. A basketball lies uncollected on the floor, but nothing else is unusual about the place.

Yin sighs quietly. Stops, stands undecided. Finally, she hops up on top of the folded bleachers--a maneuver that she nearly botches, which startles her--and sits, ice in hand, just leaning against the wall. If her stalker wants to show himself...fine. If nothing else, she'll grab a few needed minutes of recovery, hopefully get her eyes working again.

Touches an itching face and pulls back her fingers. Blood. From her nose, and from a shattered chunk of ice being shoved against her face. Attractive. Leans her head back. Just waits.

The pounding continues until, finally, a high window pushes in on one of the walls. A Spider male crawls inside, looking around with eyes that faintly gleam in the darkness. As quick as a sticky-footed mouse he scurries along the ceiling in Yin's direction.

"Hey!" Alou's voice calls to her. "Nice outfit!'

Throwing spikes had snapped to the ready when the window had creaked...lose it entirely at the spider's voice, to an unwitting sigh of relief. "Fuck, Alou. You scared me." Smirks a little.

"I probably should have, miss world class diamond thief." The spider drops, turns over in the air, and lands neatly beside her with a soft thump. "You okay? I've been following you for a few days, a few steps behind, and I saw the monster thing."

"I'm okay." Nods. "It wasn't an murder attempt, he just wanted to rough me up. Doesn't do well with being called a posturing jackass, as it turns out." She's fighting the urge to hug Alou. She's so damned happy to see him, on more than one level. Finally just slices a piece off the bottom of her shirt to clean her face with, now that she knows she isn't dealing with an assassin-stalker.

"Oh, who does? Here, gimme that." He holds out a hand for the cloth. "So why the naughty getup?"

She holds out the cloth, smirks at the second part. "Smartass. The courier picking up the diamonds was dressed as a cop. Safe masquerade, and brought a set for me. He was attacked and killed when I was inside changing, dont' know if you saw it or not."

"Yeah." Alou leans towards her, sets to carefully cleaning up her face. "What do you make of the monster?"

She winces once, but smiles a bit at him for the care. "Millarca. High-ranked Mediator. Human, I thought...human last I saw him. I think what we just saw was a transition profoundly similar to Troix's. Spider characteristics and draconic ones...more than one kind of dragon, though. One was ice, but...damned if I can peg the flashy one." Holds out her hand. "My skin still looks green."

"you'll be okay. Just stay in here where it's dark for a while." Alou finishes cleaning the blood, sets the rag aside, and examines her face. "I don't think anything's too badly damaged. And I gotta tell you, people in high places aren't too happy about what you're doing even if they don't know it's you stealing things for him."

Yin nods a bit, slowly. Looks down...for all that she can twist logic into justifying it, that doesn't mean she hasn't been hiding from feeling like the scum of the earth. "It's done now. They needed five, and they've got five."

"Well. I'm not telling them it was you, and I'm glad to hear it's over. So what can you tell me about what's going on...?"

"The vast majority of it. No loyalty or love there, I assure you." Smirks a bit. It fades. Leans back, picking her feet up and gazing at the marks on the gym floor seven feet below. "After Revilier and I were dragged out of the hospital, it was made clear that a sniper was perfectly willing to make sure we went along quietly. Were bundled into a car, bound, and driven a couple of days to a scarily tidy city-in-progress. Real Big Brother vibe...Millarca's brainchild as near as I can tell. He has a huge hand in it if not, and he's an utter control freak. Revilier's daughter Prata--she's very impressionable, as strong as she is, and they've got her wrapped right up in everything--she escorted us to a Cathedral. Millarca and Adelisa questioned us on how I'd brought Revilier back from being a Golden. I figured that, as much as he values order, I'd be executed without much delay if he found out that I can subvert his entire base of laborers and zombie-troops simply by telling them to snap out of it. So I kept my mouth shut."

Yin leans her head back. "So, we were imprisoned in the Cathedral, in the sense that we weren't allowed to leave the building, until we talked. A little while later I talked to Leonide--same one I was working for in Okarthel, yes--and he mentioned that these diamonds needed to be found, and asked me to do it. Sitting around the cathedral wasn't going to get me anywhere but in more trouble, and they're certainly capable of getting the diamonds through other means, so I figured it wouldn't make much difference except to keep a few guards from getting killed, and put me back on the outside. So I agreed on the condition that the hit orders against you and any that might be against Kaz were lifted." Looks over to him.

"The rest was straightforward. Lifted the diamonds. Would have been fun under different circumstances, actually. Got a call telling me a courier would be picking them up. Millarca was posturing and posing and trying to scare me as usual. I called him out on the matter in what amounted to 'back off, you posturing jackass.' Saw the courier maybe twenty minutes later. He was supposed to kill me. Didn't. So Millarca killed him. And you saw the rest."

Down. At Alou again. "The city's a huge nuclear shelter. The diamonds are supposedly to power some kind of shield. Something about sleeper cells and inevitability and lots of claims of altruism."

"Sounds like a hell of a trip." The spider leans back as well. "There are always sleeper cells. All the time, everywhere. It doesn't matter where you are. Usually they're innocuous, though. They live in their area so long they give up the cause, or the call to action never comes. They have nothing else to do, and in Spider circles we call them dick beaters instead of sleepers."

Yin snickers at this. "Apropos. I don't know about you and know better than to ask, but at least as of last time I was able to get solidly in the dragoon intelligence loop, there isn't any more reason than usual to be alarmed. An occasional, hallow threat that never comes to fruition, but those have been going on on and off since the fifties. Paranoia, alarmism, or someone's planning to start something. Millarca did tell me that dragons, wyverns, and spiders will fall." Smiles. "But then, he had a tiny dick for a three ton monster."

"He talks like a zealot, then? If that's the way he is, it's a guarantee that whatever's about to happen is going to be at least partially his doing." Alou sits up straight at this. "Okay. There's a group of people in the U.S., in Oregon. We've been watching them for a while, and lately there's been less obvious activity; which of course means that more of their actions are being hidden. It's a cause for concern, because we think they have a nuclear supplier in Canada."

Yin sits up as well. "Oregon was mentioned, actually, at the Cathedral. Not much about it, but it's corroboration."

"I'll have people start checking into it. Do you think it's an immediate threat? Anything at all that you heard will be useful here, and to hell with secrecy."

"It was being presented as an immediate threat...I got the feeling they're feeling a little rushed, but think they do have a little bit of time, if I'm reading it right. It could also be that nothing will start until Millarca's ready, of course." She smiles a bit. "I feel a bit less loopy now, and my eyes are at least starting to clear...is there somewhere else we can go? My gut says I'm in the clear for the moment, but the bastard still has me on edge."

"Well, here's the thing." He smiles. "Bad news always starts like that. I didn't come alone, of course I didn't, so if I walk out of here with you he'll wonder why you aren't in chains."

"Ahhh...good." Yin cringes a little. "In that much trouble, huh?"

"Suspected of stealing the diamonds, hon. Taking dragon treasure is a huge no-no." He lays a hand on her shoulder, completely without conscious direction. "You'll be okay, lady. We'll take care of you."

Yin smiles a bit. "Thanks Alou." Shakes her head after a moment. "Sorry, been out of sorts lately. I hate double agents. Being one, even in what I'm considering a superficial facility, is messing me up." Breathes out. Looks at the ceiling. Looks back at Alou.

"The commune-city is divided into sectors. It's meant to be completely self-supporting, and the diamonds were supposedly conductors for a heavy-duty 'nuclear shield.' 'Nuclear shield' was his exact phrasology, and I'm not sure if that means it's nuclear, shields against nukes, or both. Some of the Golden aren't going to be turned back even if they figure out a way. They're actively looking for the way and didn't have it as of when I was there. It's Mediator-controlled in that it's Millarca controlled. I'm not sure how high ranked he is because I don't know their power structure, but he's got to be up there. Everyone who's living there is completely sold on the idea that it's a great altruistic endeavor that's going to preserve people for the future.

"There were discrepancies in their versions, though. Prata told me when I asked what kinds of people would be here, that it was everyone...spiders, humans, dragons, wyverns. Revilier and I were noting problems, though...the city's perfectly planned, it is, and yet there were no accomodations for dragons or wyverns. Couldn't tell on spiders, didn't see underground, but I bet there weren't allowances. And human culture was exclusively preserved in the library. Leonide later said that the wyvern and dragon facilities were in Mexico and South Africa respectively." Yin's gaze is thoughtful. "What I want to know is, if this is really the case, how are they going to shield it? Ten more diamonds?" Looks at the spider. "Another five for a Spider one if it exists? No. Even I'm skeptical that many could be gathered in any reasonable amount of time; five was more than pushing it for repetitive hits and I'd have been caught before them. Besides, I don't think fifteen more of this caliber exist. And then there was his little comment about 'dragons, wyverns, and spiders will fall because they aren't psychotic control freaks' later." Pause. "I might be paraphrasing that last part."

"I'll bet you are, just a smidge. Wait." Alou puts a hand to his ear, eyes far away. "Be quiet a second, 'kay officer?" He grins at her, then speaks into his left palm. "It's all clear in the school. Try the hospital, I think I saw one heading that way." Looks back at her. "Revilier's still in this creepy city?"

Yin smiles a bit at him for the palm-talk, but says nothing. "Yes. I was hoping on the slim chance you could let me know he's okay, but apparently not." Breathes out. "There's plenty more. Adelisa and Millarca have been involved for years. Romantically, though she's frustrated he's not sleeping with her. He's trying to reinvent her or something...made her dye her hair black and calls her 'Illisia.' Adelisa's been funnelling money out of the Wyvern treasury for years under her dad's nose to put into the project. The primary purpose of the coup, as far as I was told, actually was to get all of those defending soldiers turned Golden to be used for the labor force for the city, and also to seize control of wyvern assets more totally."

She looks at the spider. "Also, you were already supposed to die three times. You were supposed to die when Tuleau was. Brandt--he's apparently involved too, but he's kind of like the slut that everyone bangs and no one trusts to be loyal--was supposed to kill you but screwed up by torturing you instead. You were also supposed to die in the hospital after serving whatever purpose you were supposed to under sedation." Smiles a bit. "Though I suspect you knew that. Pissy pissy people finding out you'd gotten away, by the way."

Her face grows more serious. "Millarca said you know too much. So whatever you know that might be connected to the situation, and that you've known for awhile...evaluate it, because it's more valuable than you may know. The assassination orders were supposedly recinded in return for my getting the diamonds, but God and Satan only know if that's actually the case or they haven't been reinstated, we've seen how much this guy values life."

Alou listens intently to Yin's requests and explanations. All the while, he's going over in his head the worth of things. What matters now, what needs to be a secret.

"Spiders," he slowly begins an act of treason, "have been aware of the existence of Adelisa's city for a while. We didn't want to act because we were afraid of starting hostilities. Millarca's real name is Saul. He was a bioterrorist before vanishing for years and coming back as a Mediator. He used to act as a member of a sleeper cell, and reports indicated that he got bored with it after beating his dick so much it was assumed he'd declared jihad on it."

Yin's lips twitch at his always-colourful explanations--he knows exactly how to make her laugh--but she's fully aware of how serious his telling her this was. This is stuff she should not know. Nods solemnly. "He said that there are sleeper cells active." Smiles a bit. "I wrote them on my hand that night, to remember. Paris, Minsk, Oregon, Texas, two in Beijing. Iraq, India, Japan, Argentina, Sudan, Greenland, Norway. Also either Ethiopia or Uganda...I couldn't remember which. Backups in Mexico and Siberia."

"You either write really small or wrote on more than your hand. I think it bears investigating, this Oregon cell, and I think you and I should do it. What do you think?" He grins. "Wanna be a spider lady?"

"Fine. I actually wrote it on my upper thigh, no one checks there. I said 'hand' because it's an unimportant detail. Your fault for pushing." Snickers, then smiles a bit, before her face fades to caution. "I'm interested. But...with people looking for me, would it endanger the investigation?" It's far too important for that.

"I know a certain longeared maniac who knows a little bit about disguises. The little bastard knows a little bit about everything." He holds out a cell phone. "And I've got him on speed dial."

Most of the worry eases out of her face at this. She's also glad to hear that Kaz is okay, too. Smiles a little. Nods. "That sounds like a plan." Feels oddly, almost overwhelmingly invigorated when she takes the offered phone. None of the dirtiness of hunting the diamonds. Adrenaline is adrenaline...but it's wonderful when it's on the right side. Hits the call button, and waits for him to pick up.

"Joe's house of donkey punting, we kick your ass! Can I help you?"

"I do hope so, Kaz dear," Yin purrs. "You're up to owing me two and a half hugs."

"Hey I know you! What the fuck, lady?" So Menayen met Mara-kuru once or twice.

She grins. "I filled Alou in on all the gritty details already, I'm sure you two can have some boy-talk to pass them along. Now he and I are interested in looking into the sleeper cell in Oregon, but Yin's not really loved at the moment. Think you can make me look like a spider, darling?"

"Give you more tantalizing legs? Don't twist my arm, or anything." There's a pause. A rustling of papers... it's just blank envelopes. Menayen does this to seem important. "Yeah, I can work something fun out. How've you been?"

"Half voluntarily working for a psychotic bastard." Yin smiles. "But lots of opportunities for catsuits, and I can't tell you how good it feels to be talking to people I actually like again. And you? I was worried, you know."

"You were? Aww. Things have been fun. I've gotten to tazer six assassins this month. I tazed one until he peed his pants, and then I photographed and sent him home with fifty copies of it superglued to him. Fun!"

She snickers. "That's so awful. I adore you."

"I know. I'm cute. So where do you want to do this? Somewhere safe?"

"Wherever. My contacts have been relatively limited in the last three weeks or so, so I'll let you guys make the call on what's best in that department."

"I know a guy, an old veteran human. He's got a bunker outside Julen, completely sealable. Nothing in or out. Sound fun?"

"Sounds lovely." Yin crosses her legs. "Does Alou know who you mean or do I need to bug you for coordinates?"

"Alou knows. Tell him to take you to Handjob's place."

Yin cracks up quietly. "You're responsible for the nickname, I assume?"

"No. He used to be in a sleeper cell."

"Fair enough." "Mirthful" is a good word here. "See you soon, unless there's something else?"

"Yeah. I'm getting a hug when you get here. Bye!"

"Bye bye." Hangs up the phone. Is quite a moment. Smiles a little, and looks back to Alou, holding out the phone. "We need to go to Handjob's place. Or, you need to give me directions, if we shouldn't walk out together."

"We'll be fine now. My guys will be at the hospital by now, and Handjob's just a short cab ride from here." Alou looks up at the window. "By the way. I don't know if it's clear or not, but Troix was taken a while back."

Yin closes her eyes a moment, brow creasing. "I was afraid to ask...Millarca mentioned something about Troix once...I demanded to know where she was, and he said 'safe.' I was hoping it didn't imply what I think it did." She stands, carefully checking her balance as she does. Mostly steady. Slightly not, but...she doesn't think she has a concussion or any such nastiness. Looks back down to the spider. One of her best friends at this point. "We'll get her back. Promise."

"I'm not worried. Here." He holds up one finger. "Follow my finger." Moves it back and forth. Concussions are scary, and he wants to be sure.

She does this as best she can. Doesn't quite manage evenly. Squeezes her eyes shut after a moment, fingers between. "Ow...still dazzled from the flash. Giving me a headache." Smirks. "Or the blow to the head did. Anyway."

"Sit back down." Alou puts his hand on her shoulder. "We can't leave until you're seeing straight."

Tempting. Still... "I'll be fine. Come on...I managed to walk here okay, didn't I?" ...she's a ridiculously stubborn person. Smiles a bit.

"Please, Yin." Alou looks at her, earnestly. "Don't make me stungun you."

She cocks an eyebrow. "You wouldn't."

"I would. Don't test me."

"Hmph. Bitch." She grudingly sits back down...rather clumsily, really. It's harder to prettily sit on a narrow strip of wood than it is to stand up from one. Leans back, lets out her breath. Alou's making the right decision here, yes. "Millarca," she observes after a moment, "hits oddly like a three ton mutant bitch. I'd be in a pretty bad way had that connected. I still can't believe he not only went through that ice wall, but kept momentum after."

"We'll look into it. If they have troix, it's possible they used her to transfer a similar mutation. It would explain the mixed traits, too." Alou sits next to her. "Ice dragon comes from you, remember. And then whatever the original dragon egg was."

Yin sighs quietly. Considers. It's hard to consider for some reason, her thoughts keep muddling. Regardless...today, and maybe never again...they're being honest and trying to fix things. Looks down. "Astral," she admits quietly.

"Pure? No wonder he's so strong, then. Close your eyes and lay back. Do you feel sick...?"

"A little. I'll be fine." She does as told, though. "Yeah, pure blooded Astral dragon. Could trace its lineage dozens of generations...no small feat when each member lives a thousand or more years. It's why every one of our top investigative units, dragon and dragoon both, were on the case. It wasn't only nobility of the highest caliber and potential powerhouse, but a more or less devestating loss to the bloodline, on top of the normal threats of mortals finding out about dragons on a large scale...blah blah..."

"Right. So bad, worse, we've seen the back end of the rainbow. Great." Alou glances at the door. Thought he'd heard someone trying to get in. "We probably need to dismantle this guy, Millarca. He sounds way too dangerous for his own good."

Yin doesn't notice the threat at the door, arm still draped over her eyes. She's not as perceptive as she might be...really, she's really quite lucky that it was Alou following her. "Probably. There's also a chance in hell that he's an asshole who actually is throwing together a bomb shelter city for the right reasons. I don't think so. But just in case, it bears investigation. Sleeper cells first, yes?"

"Yes. Also, we have to go. I smell bacon." Alou glances down to the door. Get yourself together. I'm gonna brace it." And he starts to jump, intent on spiderwebbing the lock.

Yin glances that way, confused a moment. Bacon...? Oh. Right, they're tricksy spies and never use straight phrases. Jumps to her feet. Sways, but stays up, and is much steadier after the initial skip.

Once the lock is gooey and unyielding, Alou scrambles back up the bleachers to give her what help she needs. "Let's head to the offices. They won't have as many giant windows."

"Sounds good." If she does have a concussion...hard impact s that might jar her neck are bad. She knows enough to know this, and drops off the side, holding herself from the top until finally falling just a couple of feet. Hits the ground, knowing that Alou's only delay is waiting for her, and starts off that way at a quick clip.

The spider hops after her. "Don't worry. The police here are inept, and holy sheepshit!" A harsh snap that sounds like krakoom gets his attention as SWAT officers pour through the blown-out doorway, machine guns in hand. "Shit. Must run faster!"

"Ohhh...crap. Right then. On with the sprinting." And this she does. Almost misses a step occasionally, but manages. Darts around a corner. "Get a look? Are they wyvern or human?"

"Human. It's the regular raff, just tipped off. Swat would've been late otherwise." Alou sprays a clump of webbing in the wrong direction when they turn the corner, hoping that will help matters. "Guidance offices... we have to hide. What's your opinion of dumpsters?"

"I've dated several. Also, I bet there's one behind the cafeteria...hrm. I was homeschooled, which way would that likely be?"

Alou sniffs the air. "This way," he chuckles, pointing at a sign.  He darts ahead, peeking around every corner to watch for trigger happy cops until they come to a wide room with heavy tables boasting built-in seats.

Yin hurries past into the kitchen...trying to stay mostly lower than the windows, hoping to not be seen. on the virtues of speed, shadow, and reflections from outside. Has this lock open about a second quicker than she had the gym lock, and cautiously peeks outside.

There are a few officers outside, sweeping the area. Both are SWAT and well armed, boasting tactical armor and MP5 machine guns.

"Swell," Alou whispers. "Dumpster's just past them.  We can't disable them though. Ideas?"

Yin blinks slowly. "Why not? A handful of wyverns, we can take."

"Honey. They're human, and when they don't check in on their radios we'll be discovered." Alou glances at her. "You okay?"

"Oh...right. Damnit, sorry." Face in hand a moment. Trying her best to consider, which isn't easy. "If we have a few minutes, this kind of construction usually has some formidable space between the ceiling tiles and the structural ceiling. You're spider-y enough to get us between them and webby enough to keep us from falling through, and we could wait them out until they declare the building clear. May take a few minutes with this many rooms, but if they're normal law enforcement, it won't occur to them that they're looking for Spider-Man."

"You're probably right. I really wish we'd thought of that in the gym." Alou considers. "There's an auditorum back this way. Wanna risk it?"

"Maybe...auditoriums are unpredictable architecturally because there are so many theories for accoustics." Hey, even temporarily brain-damaged, there's a reason she's the diamond thief. Infiltration is her career's whole specialty. Pauses, shaking her head slowly, a profoundly repetitive motion that restarts now and again. "But probably our best bet. Let's go." Starts off that way, carefully peeking out a side door from the kitchen.

There's an officer there, but he's mostly turned away. Alou sprints with her, checking corridors.

Yin finally gestures, carefully and silently running towards a large room, checking for police at every turn. Slips into the auditorium. Oh, thank god. Tiles. Look perfect, too. Looks back at Alou when he arrives a few moments later. "Going up?" She whispers.

"Up." He reaches around her, grinning a bit. "Scuse me ma'am." His first jump is to the wall, where he sticks for a second before kicking up and into the beams. Another kick takes the two of them to the ceiling, a few feet above a hanging light. They'll be hidden behind the glare, and if the lights are out there's no way they'll be seen.

Yin breathes out. It feels...so good to just hang and stop running. She hadn't noticed it so much while she was still running on the adrenaline of fighting Millarca. "Okay," she concedes, smirking a little... "maybe I do have a concussion."

"Shh..." Alou warns, holding onto her gently. "Save your breath. We may be here a while so don't be afraid to sleep."

"Hanging from a ceiling," she observes, gazing down. "Spiders are weird." She doubts she'll be able to sleep...she's not even tired, not in that way. But she does close her eyes, shutting out the glaring light below and trying to clear her head. Has the presence of mind to encase her neck in ice so that it doesn't bend. Self-administered first aid is good. She doesn't sleep, but is more than content to not open her eyes. Is more than accustomed enough to this kind of situation that officers only get her attention once, and only when they're directly below. Them running around on the other side of the wall doesn't even register.

After a while -- a solid hour, at least -- the officers clear the building. Alou listens intently to his earpiece all the while, and when he gets the all clear from his arachnid brethren he gives Yin's arm a squeeze. "Hey. It's time to go."

She opens her eyes slowly. Squints against the light's glare a moment, then nods. "Took them long enough." Yawns. "My arms are asleep, anyway."

"How's your head?" Alou sprays some webbing and begins to lower them down... no jumping, it's too jarring.

"Hurts worse than before." She snickers a little. "But ...clearer. Can think again, hope I'll say less stupid stuff now...although it occurs to me that I don't remember how I got away from Millarca."

"Running and screaming and declaring your love for me?"

"Ah! How could I have forgotten." She smirks at the spider...checks her balance carefully once her feet touch the ground before letting go of him. "Thanks for the lift. Are we still okay to walk out together?"

"Should be, if you're okay to walk. No pride, okay, just tell me." Alou takes his hands away from her to test her balance.

"I'm fine. We're just catching a cab anyway, right?" She's not as coordinated as usual, no. She can walk steadily enough, though she'll be in trouble if a fight crops up. Smirks. "So keep the stungun to yourself, Trigger."

"baby, all you gotta do is ask." Alou does lead the way though, checking the doors before opening them for her. The street proper's not too far out of the way. "Think you can get us a cab, cutie?"


She winks. "Hey, I may have a boo boo on my face, but that's not exactly where they're looking." Grins at the spider, and heads towards the street...more cautious than she's showing.

Alou is too. he's listening for alerts intently, and looking around, but he's mostly sure that they're in the clear.

On a day like today, traffic is fairly thick. Yin gets her fair share of looks, of course.

She chooses to be oblivious to the fact that half of them probably involve the blood on her shirt and marks on her face. Still, puts on a smile, unbuttons the top button of her shirt, raises a hand, and tries to hail a taxi.

It doesn't take too long. In fact there is some swerving involved when one cabbie cuts off another, and then the enormous Dominican man driving the cut off car gets out, brandishing a lead pipe, and happily shoos the competition away.

"Mine's free," he informs Yin. His expression changes, a meaty, if amused, caveman look. "Lady, you okay? I'll take you to the hospital."

"I'll be fine, I'm a big girl. But thank you." Yin smiles her close-eyed smile at him as she steps into the cab. "My friend and I are just off to meet someone."

"Okay, if you're sure. Your friend there didn't do that to you?" He's still got the pipe in his hand as he starts to step into the vehicle. Alou glances away from it. He's a spider, not a vampire or dragon, and a shot from that would not leave him in a very conscious situation.

Yin's eyes soften a bit at the concern. Ahh...good guy, to ask! She likes him. "Nah. He bailed me out, actually. A guy we both know...well, has a bit of a temper." Grins. "I feel vindicated, though, in that this scrawny fellow happens to be a martial artist." Laughs softly.

"Good, good. Okay." He gets in the car, shuts the door. Alou waits for Yin to get in first, of course. "Name's Marcello. Where to?"

Yin steps in--nearly hits her head, but manages not to. Scoots over, and crosses her legs neatly, face warm. "Nice to meet you, Marcello." Smiles, but looks over to Alou for directions, of course.

"We're going to Joseph Fine's chicken farm on route 113, Marcello. Get us there fast and I'll double the meter, eh?" Alou sits back. Looks at Yin, worried about her still. 

"You got it, buddy." Dominican, but he's sure got the hack lingo down. Pedal to the floor gets them going in a hurry, headed the ten miles to handjob's place.

Yin, for her part, is still Yin. Finds a compact mirror, and finally takes a look at her face. Wrinkles her nose at the irregular but solid cut tracing almost entirely across her face horizontally, right under her nose. There are lesser ones nearby and one on her forehead, but it's the show-stealer. "Ugh. Why didn't you tell me I looked so bad? I look like I tried for an 'sinister American Western villian' look and didn't know where to stop drawing the mustache."

"Because even with that cut you look hot? I dunno, my mind was elsewhere." Alou looks out the window the whole time. Bad memories, here. It's all farmland, covering what was a battlefield about eight years ago during a civil dispute turned armed riot. Humans, of course, cutting each other down for no real reason, torching the land, taking good Spiders with them.

The dragonish glances over to him. Follows his gaze. Takes her a minute...not due to any head injuries, but because, as awful as it was for those involved, it was a tiny blip on the international radar. But...since she does have friends here, she has done her reading now. Eyes soften when she figures it out. Just sets a hand on his leg gently, looking out over the landscape as well. War...sucks. Even tiny ones are awful. As bloody as their lives seem...they keep these things from happening. That's their job. They keep violence away from people who just want to live their lives.

He looks down at the touch. Looks at Yin. "Thank you," mutters the spider, before looking out again. "Tuleau's brother and father passed here. It's part of the reason I ended up with her even though she had Troix. Family would've cared for her."

"Awful," Yin concedes. Pause. "But, whatever consolation it is, at least she was still able to center her life around someone who loved her."

"Yeah." Grins at her. "Handjob's place is right there. Hey, Marcello..." So he knows he changed the subject abruptly. She'll understand.

"Yeah, pal?"

"Do you have any weed I can buy off you, by any chance?"

Yin smirks as she shifts back to her side of the seat. "I also have some five foot eight guy's favorite liquor in my purse."

"God bless you, woman," Alou snickers.

"You a cop?" Marcello asks this almost as if he knows it's obligatory.

"Yup."

"Fair enough. I got a little baby dimebag." 

"Great, just add it to the meter, whatever you think's fair." Alou looks at Yin. "No one cheats you when you tell them to name what they think is fair. At least, they don't when you can say 'no, I know better.'

Yin grins. "Eh, Marcello's okay. Anyone who threatens to beat you with a stainless steel pipe if you turn out to be a woman beater gets a gold star in my book."

"I got a gold star, baby!" Marcello chuckles, and ticks the meter. He can't change it manually, but he knows about how much the little bag is worth. 

The cab pulls up to a long dirt road surrounded by corn fields. A very quiet, very out of teh way place with a red wooden house and barn along with an extended coop and nursery for the chicks.

"Normally," the driver grins as he pulls onto the road and drives them up to the house, "I don't do driveways. But you need to get stitched and walking in the dirt ain't good for a pretty face."

"Thanks, Marcello. You're a sweetie." Yin leans forward past the back of the seat and kisses the side of his head. It's mostly for the threatening Alou thing still, and she happens to know that it's a better tip than a couple of bucks. Steps out of the car...squints pretty severely, head down at first. A vampire is not the right person to be out in the daylight after both dazzled and knocked in the head. Signet rings only do so much.

Alou hops out, too. Pays Marcello a hefty sum, and waves the kiss-drunk cabbie off as he heads back to town.

"C'mon. Let's get you inside." He heads to the porch.

"Good plan! Glad I thought of it." She grins a bit, and follows, keeping her eyes mostly on the ground though she manages to look up towards the end as her eyes slowly adjust. Still, the porch shade makes everything better.

Knock knock knock...

The door opens after a few minutes, with a screen door behind it. A thin man with thinner hair and a military look about him steps through, a pipe between his lips. Alou smiles at him.

"Hey, Handjob."

"Hey, Alou."

Alou's still smiling when Handjob's fist cracks into his jaw. He isn't smiling when he hits the ground.

An ice sword is almost immediately at his disposal, grown nearly instantly around a startled vampiress's arm as she tries to force her way between them in the spider's defense. Fangs are bared into a snarl. "What the hell?"

"No, Yin!" Alou shakes his head, wipes a bit of blood off his lip. "I deserved that, I did."

"Goddamned right you did. I'm not talking to you, so take your ass out of here." Handjob, dressed in resplendent plaid, looks to Yin. "What can I do for you, little lady?"

She stands conflicted, of course. Glances down to Alou. Finally back up to Handjob. "Kaz directed us here."

"Fuzzynuts? Great, c'mon in, and drag that sack of crap with you." Handjob pulls his door open for the lady. "It's not much in there. Coffee's hot, though."

Yin smiles a bit. "Thanks." Offers a hand to Alou, of course. The ice cracks away from her other arm so it doesn't make a mess in the house.

He takes it, rising with a hand over his mouth. Gives her a slightly bloody smile. 

Inside, the house is just what one might expect from the outside. A wood burning stove, comfortable chairs, the scent of cedar and hickory floating around. An old woman of about eighty two years sits in a rocker, eyes closed, mostly asleep.

"So," handjob inquires as he leads them inside, "coffee, young lady? Or something else to make you comfortable?"

"I wouldn't mind sitting down, if you wouldn't consider it too rude right after intruding," she notes. Making sure that Alou is stable, too, of course.

He is, of course, though he does seem a bit awkward here.

"That's okay, sit wherever you want. We like hospitality out here." Handjob grabs a cup of coffee for himself and takes a seat in a rocker, one of three. "And tell me what's going on?"

Yin sits daintily enough on the edge of a couch. She can be a lady when she tries. "I asked Kaz about disguising me to look like a spider. He directed us here for it, though in retrospect, I'm sketchy about who's doing what. I figured it would be self-explanatory once here."

"Well, I owe Fuzzynuts a good deal. He got me my farm, after all. If he wants a favor for someone who's not that sack of crap by the door there, I'll oblige him." Handjob sips the coffee. It's blacker than the stove. "What kind of concerns have you got, anyway?"

"Want to do some investigation work with Alou." Yin crosses her legs. "However, I'm suspected of some crimes and also still likely part of a disappearance investigation, so looking like me might not be the most conducive to secrecy."

"So you want to vanish. I can do that for you, but you've got such a pretty face I'd hate to put a knife to it." Handjob sips again.

"Someone beat you to it," Yin smirks. "It doesn't have to be so permanent, anyway. The important thing is the race change."

"A face like yours will be impossible to forget. Trust me. Let's talk in my workshop, though, and we can go over some choices for you." Handjob's eyes quite suddenly roll back, an electronic hiss quietly filling the room. Just then, the old woman rises from the chair, turns, and scoots it to the side to reveal a stairway. 

"This way," she says in the same voice as Handjob. Alou blinks, and stares.

"The fuck?"

After a moment, Yin's lips twitch into a wry smile. "Kaz isn't Fuzzynuts' only robot, I'm thinking."

"Go on down the stairs, already." The old woman politiely gives them the finger.

Alou glances into the stairwell. It's well maintained, with metallic walls and electric lights. It spirals downward into a chamber that looks, more or less, like an ultra high-tech operating room.

Inside that operating room a woman sits at a control panel, mint-green hair antennae twitching excitedly. She's a full blooded spider female, and statuesque for her species. The only oddity about her, aside from ultra-clinical lab coat, is the second set of eyes painted onto eyelids that never open.

This Yin doesn't fail to note, of course...still, glances around. Techy. "Hi there."

"Hello," the spider woman greets them. Or Yin, anyway. She doesn't seem to acknowledge Alou. "I'm the real Handjob. My name's Merciful, but you can call me Mercy if you want. Or Handjob. Whichever." She holds a hand out to Yin, a hand gleaming with cybernetics. A faux skin kit is lying on a table nearby.

The dragonish takes the hand. "Yin. A pleasure to meet you."

"It is. So, what sort of race would you like to be?" Merciful slips her faux skin over the cybernetic hand, covering the glimmering metal bits. The skin seals instantly, and looks pretty convincing afterward. "Skin color, eye color?" A smile curls at the edge of her puffy lips, the kind that Alou used to refer to as 'perfect cocksucking lips' when he wanted to rile her.

"Mm..." The dragon considers this. Hadn't given it much thought. But of course, it's not the first time the matter's come up. "Indian, probably. I have the cheekbones and overall structure for it, and the nose and eyes can just pass for hybridized." Also, it's stark enough contrast to her demi-albinism to throw most anyone.

"Oh, that's a non issue. You can look like anyone you want to because the bones in your face break and reset pretty easily." Merciful walks over to another table, set with surgical instruments. "So. Skin color, hair, proportions. Anything you want changed while I'm at it? Breast size, lip size, labia trimming, anything cosmetic like that?"

Yin wrinkles her nose a touch. "Temporary change here, however much possible. No desire to break my face, I'm rather attached to it. Stage make-up I can do to the extent of prosthetic and structural alteration. I don't want to change how I look, I want to temporarily disguise it."

"Any change I make can be undone," Merciful points out.  "If you want makeup and disguises, you're just in the wrong place. I don't know anything about them. But I *can* turn an Asian boy with a cleft palette into a Norwegian girl with a rockin' hot body and a functioning reproductive system and back again. Trust me, you're in good hands."

Alou just stays quiet throughout all of this. Yeah, this is what he thought they meant.

Yin considers this dutifully. Finally sighs quietly. Folds her arms. "Facial restructing and such I can do myself. But if you were to make me a spider male, you could undo it?"

"Sure. You gotta understand that there would be a lot of transitioning required for a sex change, though. I'd have to pump you full of things and you'd have to learn to live with it. Did you know that hormone therapy makes both sexes really violent sometimes?"

Yin frowns a little. She was afraid of that. "A superficial version is a 'no,' then, I take it. How long would that take to convincingly transition there and back?"

"Six months there, and back. Physically, I can have you looking male in a week, two without serious meds. But..." Merciful steps away from the table, eyes still not opening. "Your actions will give you away. Manner of walking, of dealing with male hormones and monthly cycle. Plus there's be the feeling of missing some things, and curiosity about having others. You'll be awkward."

And that is what flaming homosexuality is for. "I'll be even more so even I'm pretending I'm used to having four legs," Yin points out. Sighs. Fingers between her eyes. God her head hurts. It's hard to even think. "What are some options with low recovery time?"

"You're a vampiress, right?"

"Yeah."

"I can rearrange your face and alter some of your defining characteristics enough that no facial recognition software will be able to identify you. With your nature, you won't need antiobiotics so recovery will be quicker and we have more freedom to mix and match things. For example, if you wanted to be taller we could graft bone and rods into your leg and spine."

Yin finally smiles a tight smile. "To be perfectly blunt, Mercy...I'm way too fucking conceited to let anyone break my face. And much more than that, I know better to think that it could be put back perfectly identical to the way it is now, and I've had quite enough life-shaking identity crises in the last year," hell, she's in one now, being forced to work against people she's truly, deeply loyal to and flaunt what she believes, "that I'm not willing to undertake any of this. I asked for a disguise, and was directed here. But I think I'm in the wrong place after all."

Merciful's smile doesn't leave her face. She's always reminded Alou of a little cherub, always smiling peacefully no matter what's going on in her heart. 

"The things you think you know define your limitations, Yin," she purrs, like a cat pretending not to hiss. "If you need a place to hide out for a while, then, you're welcome to use my farm while you think about it." She leaves the surgical table, heading back towards her control panel. "Unless there's something else I can do for you."

"The things we think we know define ourselves," Yin observes. Smiles a bit. "Thanks, Merciful. And no, I think I'm good." Glances at Alou for his take on any of this.

"We should at least wait for Kaz," the male Spider puts in. "And you ought to reconsider, Yin. You're hot - you don't need me to tell you that - but you'll be a lot hotter breathing than not."

"I know." Yin sighs a little, folding her arms. "But there aren't even any notable hits on me out that I know of. Goodness knows I've had enough on me through the years; I know you must have seen at the very least 'takedown if the opportunity arises' paperwork on me at least once at some point. And I didn't change my appearance then. It's not that I'm worried about looking bad it's just...damnit, I just need one constant when the world refuses to cooperate." Squeezes her eyes shut. "Does anyone have an aspirin or something?"

"I have some pain medicine," Merciful chirps. "Unless you were being bitchy and rhetorical." Still, sweet as honey.

"I'm always bitchy," much like the present company, really, but less passive-aggressive, "but rarely rhetorical." Yin smiles wanly. "If you have some without side effects, Miss, would you mind...?"

"Not at all." Mercy crosses the room to some staiinless steel cabinets, fishes around inside, and tosses an unmarked bottle of white geltabs to Yin. "That should do it."

Yin starts to catch them...bobbles them, actually. Manages after a few false starts to catch them before they hit the floor. Almost sighs with relief, despite herself, as she opens the bottle. "Just one?" No instructions.

"Yeah, one. Sorry. I'm used to dealing with the bottles myself." Mercy goes right back to her panel, where a silhouette of a spider female is lit up on an HUD. "So... what are you going to do?"

Swallows one of the pills. Breathes out, hopes it works fast. "Hope my head clears. I can't think straight; being punched in the head by a three-ton donkey is making it hard for my logical mind to override desire and emotion." Closes her eyes, leans against the wall. "I couldn't make a call right now I wouldn't regret tomorrow." This careful, measured statement is entirely against her will. As of right now, she's sure she'd rather someone shot her in the face than permanently altered it.

"So wait till tomorrow," Mercy offers. "Either way's fine for me. I don't know what brought you here, anyway, so maybe we can all make more informed decisions later."

Yin smiles a bit. "Sounds like a plan. Hey...do you have somewhere I can lie down for awhile?"

"Of course. There's a surgical bed back there." Merciful points to an antechamber at the side of the room. "Just don't disturb my sister, okay? She's in the other one."

Alou cringes a little bit, visibly.

Yin blinks. Glances at Alou at that. Huh...slapped, acting entirely too contrite...and the sister on a surgical bed instead of running around? Right. Doesn't know what had happened, but...poor everyone. "I'll be careful. Thanks, Mercy." Smiles a bit, and heads that way. "Maybe you should head up and wait for Kaz, Alou?" she suggests as she goes. Doesn't dwell on it...but if she's right, he won't want to follow her, and it gives him half of half an excuse to not hang out awkwardly with Mercy down here.

"Sure. Yeah. I'll do that." Alou heads for the stairwell, not even looking at Mercy or the chamber.

Mm. Right, then. Yin heads quietly into the next chamber...glances in first, to see how not to disturb this sister.

The chamber's got no corners except where the floor meets the walls. It's pale and sterile, but almost comfy with the flowers painted on the walls. Barracks style beds are set up, none bunked, all around the room. One of them is occupied by a Spider woman identical to Merciful except for her pale red hair, not quite pink. And of course, the dozens of tubes and wires stuck into her skin. Monitors of every sort are keeping an eye on her vitals and such, and a quiet breathing machine pumps air into and out of her lungs.

Yin's eyes only change the slightest bit. Still...yuck. Poor Alou. She finds a bunk on the opposite side of the room with a near-silent step--infiltration specialist--and almost sighs for relief when she lies down, closing her eyes. Still doesn't need sleep. But horizontal equals nirvana.

The only sounds for a long while are muffled beeps and the hush-haw of the breathing machine. If Yin's listening she might hear key's tapping from the lab. It's utterly peaceful.

Until a crash and a mad cackling comes from the lab, and Kaz's voice sounds out.

"That was fun! Do you have any more TV's?"

A grin snakes across the vampiress's face despite herself beneath her arm-draped eyes and well sliced upper lip. It's a few moments of debate before she convinces herself to get up--she wouldn't have, had the sister not been in here--and takes a few more before she actually does it. Finally, only slightly off-balance by now, much steadier than earlier, she wanders into the main part of the lab. Folds her arms, leaning against a doorframe. "Can't a girl get any sleep around here?"

"Nah. It's a lab!" Menayen nods to this from his perch atop a fallen monitor that had obviously been broken before he attacked it, speaking as though saying that answered the question succinctly. "Hiya Yin. You look like..." pauses. Tilts his head, and seems to reconsider. "Hi Mercy! C'mere and give daddy some sugar."

And then, to Alou's absolute surprise and a bit of revulsion, she does. Not just a little, either; a deep, endless kiss that ends with her holding the little bastard off the ground.

Yin raises an eyebrow. Wow. Good day in Kaz-land?

Mercy only lets him down after a bit of whispering goes on. Nothings, almost certainly. A somewhat red-faced Kaz looks at Yin after he breaks his gaze from the Spider.

"So," he chirps, "what's the hold up, Yin? I heard you changed your mind."

"I was thinking more along the lines of 'disguise' than 'permanent physical reconstruction," the dragoon admits.

Mercy's lips twitch. She stifles whatever it was she had been about to say, though, and turns back to her console.

Kaz, of course, notes this. "Hey. What's with you two? If there's to be any catfighting here, I want a referee shirt."

Yin shrugs. "I honestly have no idea." This is actually true.

The vast ears press back somewhat. "Mercy, what's up?"

"I told her already. Nothing is permanent. The entire time we talked she hung onto the notion that whatever I did would change her forever. And here it is again." She spider bows her head to her short little boyfriend. "I don't get out much, so I don't know how people interact anymore. I always assumed that listening was part of it, though."

"I said that you wouldn't be able to put my face back exactly the way it was," Yin just barely avoids snapping, "with how nuanced the way we read the structures are. You never contradicted that."

"I never said I couldn't do it, either. You just assumed as much." Mercy's antennae stand up a little bit, agitated.

Menayen glances at Alou, who is wisely staying out of it. "I didn't know women had pissing contests."

"They call them 'battles of will'," Alou answers back.

"I am not going to hand out the benefit of the doubt when scalpels and anesthesia are involved," Yin growls in return.

"Well, you're welcome to get out of here and put on some makeup any time you want. I don't have to listen to some ignorant bimbo running down the quality of my work when she has no idea what she's talking about!"

Menayen leans against the wall next to Alou. "Twenty-five on Handjob?"

Alou nods, not looking at him. "Twenty-five on Yin."

"I don't have any idea what I'm talking about," the dragoon snaps. "Because I haven't seen a single bloody thing that would confirm your claim that you can make 'before' and 'after' identical! I want to know what makes you assume that a chick with a career in bloody intelligence is going to just assume soley on your word that you can make something happen. Those two numbskulls cowering over there I trust and seem to think highly of you. Fine, that's in your favor. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to expect you to prove it before saying 'sure, go right ahead and break my face since I haven't had enough of that today!'"

Mercy draws up a little bit. Glances at Alou and Kaz, then glares back at Yin.

"Get out," she hisses. "Get out get out get out get out! If you ever show your nasty face here again--"

The diatribe breaks off abruptly. A rapid beeping from the antechamber steals Mercy's attention completely from Yin.

"Juni!" she cries, and sprints that way. Yin is forgotten.

"Draw?" Alou asks.

"Draw. Though I'm not too thrilled with the cowering numbskulls comment," Menayen admits.

Yin smirks a little at him sidelong. "It's obviously false anyway. Numbskulls wouldn't have cowered and just try to break up a girl fight." Shrugs. So even running into Kaz sucked. Aside from her stalker turning out to be Alou, this day just sucks.

Hopes 'Juni' is okay. Starts to do as told. Pauses, sighs. Right. Heads quietly after Mercy at a walk.

The spider is already juggling tubes and needles, babbling to herself about EKG's and thrombolytics.

Menayen starts to raise his hand to stop her, but Alou pushes it down. Waits for Yin to get out of earshot.

"She's wonderful. I'm really fond of Yin. But she's got to learn that she's not right all the time, especially about people." 

Menayen nods a bit. "Right. This is gonna be bad, though."

As soon as Yin comes into Merciful's line of sight, the Spider's antennae stand perfectly on end.

"If you don't leave in two seconds you'll be bleeding in three," she snaps.

"Gives me that long, then," Yin sighs. Doesn't stop walking. Is leary of getting a hand cut off. But a certain rune burns to life on the back of her hand, and she tries to reach out and touch the side of the other spider's face gently.

"Oh, shit. She's actully gonna try...!"

For a moment, the beeping stops. Just a moment, though; the gold fades from Juniper's body almost as quickly as it had come, and again the beeping starts.

"Please step away," Mercy pleads, voice racked with frustrated, almost hateful sobs. "Please..."

"Yin," Alou calls, "Yin. Come here, we gotta talk."

Yin blinks. What in the...? Sighs inwardly. Great. Just...great. Closes her eyes a moment. Just turns, and leaves. Walks past Alou. If he wants to talk, he can follow.

"Yin, wait." He doesn't. It's important, but not so much that he wants to suffer through a pissy mood on top of a very bad day. Menayen, meanwhile, trots into the antechamber to help Merciful however he can.

She pauses. Decides whether to react. Finally, with a quiet sigh, stops, and glances back to the spider. Says nothing.

Alou looks at her, hard into her eyes. "We'll find another way. But you've got to get your head together. That girl lying comatose in there is there because of me, okay?" His face falls, of course it does. "Part of the conflict that happened here was the result of a couple of spiders who wanted to marry on the surface. Wanted to fight the species barrier, and went through every legal channel. I had a friend in every court, and an enemy to blackmail in every city hall. Word got out, and the humans, of course, factioned on the matter. I got my ass kicked before it was over, but Mercy and Juni were both seriously hurt. Juniper worst of all."  He pauses. Does Yin care at all? If he thinks she does, he'll continue to explain. If she doesn't, he'll just go to the antechamber and leave Yin to her own diversions.

She does, though she's upset to say the least. Not about Juni, persay. It's a serious affect on a good friend, but she does care. "Why wouldn't that spell have worked, though...?"

He breathes a soft sigh. It's relief, really; he'd been genuinely worried that she wouldn't.

"The girls had an old artifact. It used to belong to their grandfather, I think; anyway. This scary cat mask. It was full of mystical energy, all sorts of revitalizing charms. So we put it on Juni." Alou leans against the wall again. "Whatever was inside of it corrupted her. We got it off, but its effect is still there, weakening her, keeping her asleep. Like it wouldn't allow her to live without it."

"Weird...great, so one spell repells the other." Nods a bit. "And she's ready to shoot me for bringing up 'healing magic' at all."

"She's ready to shoot you because you ran her down in front of her boyfriend and mortal enemy over a point that she, technically, was right about to begin with. But you've had a tough day, so don't worry about it." Alou wonders if there's something to be said for too much candor.

She glares at him a little. "I wouldn't have run her down if she'd just told me that she could do the reconstruction I'd questioned. People skills go a long way." Shakes her head after a moment, sighs. "Forget it. Just forget it, I'm sick of this argument. Listen, just track me down if you still want to investigate Oregon. I'm going for a walk."

Alou nods a little. Smiles, just out of one side of his mouth. "Yin, here." He reaches into his pocket, hands her the dimebag he'd bought from the cab driver. "Take it. It was a present for Mercy, but you need it more."

She smiles just a little. "Thanks. She could probably still use it, though. I'll see you later, Alou. Apologize to Kaz for me if he's still mad about the 'numbskull' joke and things in general." Turns, and heads upstairs, intent on just heading straight outside and...wherever. Down a side road, maybe, for however long it takes. The middle of nowhere has its perks.

Alou lets her go, then. "She should know better," he sighs to himself when she's gone.  "Spies," he continues when Menayen ambles up, "are supposed to be able to work people. She's got too much pride, always has to get the better of everyone else." The Serinian looks at him, ears still back. "It's gonna get her killed, Kaz."

"Yeah, I know. But you try telling her that. Juniper's okay, and... hey." He looks at Alou's hand. "Marijuana, Alou?"

"Yeah."

Silence.

"You know there's a pipe in the back."

"You smoke, Kaz?"

"Sometimes."

"How? You're so high strung I wouldn't think you'd ever been near this stuff."

"Through a pipe, I told you. C'mon."

---

Yin walks a long time. Is dizzy for half of it. At one point, she has to stop by the side of the road and relinquish her non-existant lunch. Ugh. starts walking again.

Why is she out here? In the middle of nowhere. No cover, backup, or witnesses. Just...stupid. Still. She doesn't turn back. Not just yet. After a long time, she stops beside a river. Leans on a fallen tree--probably levelled in some flash flood or another--a few feet from the swiftly-flowing current. Gazes at it thoughtfully. It would be so easy to just suddenly not have to deal with this anymore. One jump, and a slightly gruesome but efficient end to everything. Catches herself. Heh. To think, just one year ago, she loved her life.

Sighs quietly, and just hops over the tree to sit against it in the shade, still gazing out over the water. Now what? She doesn't really have any friends except Alou, and he likely thinks she's an idiot. Arux is unreachable. He'd probably arrest her if he saw her. Goes double for any other member of her once beloved unit, her adopted family. Kaz doesn't particularly like her. If he had, he doesn't now. So much for the promised hugs. It had looked like she could make friends at MacDrat. Not only were they torn out from under her feet when she'd gotten close, but they likely think she'd stood them up. Or had betrayed oath and country, planned the bombing, and disappeared, having never had interest in them or intention to hit the bar at all. Of all the many, many acquaintences she has...there are none of them she can really trust or confide in. Or even see. Wonders what Dragonic intelligence thinks of her right now. Traitor, of course. Traitor, to a cause that still has her whole heart. Leans closer into her knees.

Traitor.

Closes her eyes. Listens to the water. She wishes Revilier were here. Maybe he could shed some light on a way to help Juni. Not that anyone would let her near the spider even if she could. Maybe he could give her a hug.

Maybe he's dead.

Yin breathes a shaky sigh. Finally backs up a bit, into a small, cavesque crevass in the side of the tree. As she dozes a bit, lost in the sun's warmth without its glare, she wonders absently whether someone will shoot her before she wakes up.

Wonders when it became normal to worry about that.

Sighs shakily, and just finally dozes off.

After a while a couple passes by Yin, returning from a fishing trip. The woman is apparently older than the man, her curls only just holding a dash of black in their grey, and certainly favors Mercy and Juni in the face despite being apparently human. She's bedecked in fishing clothes, and carrying a bucket full of trout. Her companion is pale, and though his hair is allover silver, his complexion is that of a man in the prime of life.

Also, he's walking on the river.

"Hey," the woman calls to Yin, setting her bucket down. "Are you okay, miss?" She can see the mark on the vampiress's face.

Their approach had started the spy on the way to waking...the voice finishes it suddenly, and she looks up in about the same manner. Glances at them. Doesn't fail to note the similarity. Or...the guy walking on water. These two aren't natural, she's sure of that.

Still...she lies, putting on an skin-deep, pretty smile she's worn much of her life. "I'm fine. Thank you. Just grabbing a nap. I didn't mean to alarm."

"Well, as long as you're okay. Hi, I'm Lochria." She smiles, and happily reaches into the bucket. "Would you like a fish?" She holds it out, eyes gleaming mirthfully. Her companion shakes his head, allover black Mako eyes sparkling.

Yin has to grin a little. Of all the random...heh. But intentionally so. "Nah, but thank you. I'm sure it will make for a lovely dinner for you two. And...hi. Ellen."

"Oh, they're for my daughter Mercy. Gabriel doesn't care for fish." Lochria, a pleasant old mumsy in every facet of her fashion, casts a sly glance at the gray-coat-clad river walker.

"I'm sure she'll be appreciative," Yin assures, smiling. "Dinner means that much more when someone you care about procures it for you." Great. She's already ready for this meeting to be over. And why she gets such a weird vibe from the silver-haired guy...aside from the eyes and the obvious oddball power. Mind darts over her old checklist...scales covered? The stuff she used is no ordinary concealer, should be okay in that department, she hopes. Hat? Check, no horns sticking out.

Lochria's smile remains' thought it's got a chink in it already. "People don't often come out here. When they do it's usually a telling event. So I would be remiss if I didn't offer to let you join us?"

The silver haired fellow looks more fully at Yin. No, she won't want to eat fish.

Notes the shade of a difference in Lochria's features. Isn't sure how she'd caused it. Is painfully aware of Silver's gaze. She's getting leary. Her smile doesn't fail, though. "That's very kind of you, ma'am, thank you. It means a lot. But I haven't been feeling particularly well this last little bit--why I was napping, really--so I hope you won't be offended if I decline."

"Not in the least," Silver answers for her, stepping onto the ground. "We wish you a swift recovery. But you should get out of the sun."

Yin looks up to him. Is quiet a moment. Somehow, he knows she's a vampire. She's sure of that. The question isn't so much how, as why. Julen isn't a remotely safe place for vampires, with two unique slayers' guilds. And she's really not in the mood or physical peak to have to put the smackdown on any hunters down right now.

For some reason...she wouldn't feel safe challenging him, anyway. But still can't peg why. "Probably...I'm meeting a friend in a just little while," not that she has any idea when. Smiles. "So hopefully he'll bring air conditioning."

"Out here? A red letter day, then." Silver gives Lochria a gentle, if insistent, pat on the shoulder. "Come along. We need to see to Juniper's health."

Lochria nods to him. "Of course. Well, it was nice to meet you Ellen. I live at the big farm down the road, if you change your mind."

Yin smiles. "Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you both. Have a nice walk back."

"You, too." Silver takes the lead, striding along comfortably and easily. He's definitely not as old as his hair suggests, unless it's not naturally that white. Lochria starts to ask him what he means by that, but doesn't. He's such a cryptic fellow, always with more than one reason to do something or say something.

Ugh... Yin groans inwardly. That went well. Damnit. Whoever that was either has contacts, or is way, way too damned smart for his own good. Stands carefully...sure enough, her legs are quite asleep, and between that, her head, and the awkward space she's crawling out of, she stumbles pretty soundly, catching herself against the tree and leaning there. Get it together, idiot. Her cheeks warm at the thought of having to go back there now. Awkward. She'd asked Alou to find her when he needs her, of course. She doesn't have to. Of course, it would be stupid to just walk back to Julen. Could always call a cab. Why?

Pride. Always pride. I'm an idiot.

It's just a short while or two later that a certain somewhat-high Serinian does come looking for her, having met a walking couple on the road and gathered directions.

"Yin," he calls, when he's in the area, ears way down. "Yin, are you here?"

Blinks. Well. That's the last person she expected. She's sitting on a grassy slope under a bridge, where's it's darker and cooler. "Yeah...down here," she calls in return.

"Good," the kitty ears sighs, utterly relieved. He picks his way down there, stumbling and tumbling head over heels once and landing right next to her on his bottom.

"Hi! Whatcha hiding for?"

"Sunlight and heat, mostly. Also, ran into some people I suppose you've already seen, which reminded me that 'outside' isn't 'alone.'" Tilts her head at the butt-planted serinian. "You okay?"

"Sure, I'm a kitty. So tell me why you pouted and walked off alone in a place you've never been and doubtlessly don't know the way out of?" Menayen scooches closer. "You can trust these ears."

She bristles. Of course she does...no one ever does well with being told they're pouting. Brushes it off after a few moments, though. Pride is what had gotten her into this in the first place. Leans on her knees again. "Well, I obviously wasn't welcome back there. And I needed a chance to think."

"Are you okay now? 'Cause I want my hugs and I don't want 'em weepy." FuzzynutsKazMenayen beams at her. "You're under a lot of pressure. Alou and I both gave Mercy's work a really good review, so I didn't think there would be a problem. But it's okay if you don't want to go that route."

"I don't," Yin admits. "When we talked on the phone, I had no idea that you were talking about straight-up plastic surgery. I know it's frivolous and even dangerous, but I just...can't stand the thought of that right now. I know it's being assumed it's because I'm so damned vain--and that's probably part of it, somewhere. But not most of it." She looks over to him. "After the diamond thing, after this whole long chain of events, I've pretty much fully lost my contacts with dragons. Probably permanently. And damned if I'm not still fully loyal there. They probably think I'm a traitor, and that hurts a lot." Leans on her knees. "I've spent the last half year cringing and sure my horns were going to be cut off. For symbolic reasons, sure, but it's a pretty psychologically charged thing by now. I'm not prepared to just let someone strip away my draconic traits. Merciful--and Alou, for that matter--are just totally sold on the logic of it. But there's more than logic working here. If my appearance were suddenly altered to the bone instead of superficially...I'm sorry, but I promise that will herald some kind of break. But you try explaining that to a room of military sorts."

"I think you just need to get away from all this. But I think we've discussed that before so I won't risk smacks. But you know, I really think things will be okay no matter what you choose." He picks up a rock. Bites it. "Eww. Mercy's really very very good. I don't think there's anything she can't do with a scalpal. It's those antennae, you know, very sensitive. Anyway, I just want you to be okay.

"I'll be fine. Always manage." She arcs an eyebrow. "Kaz dear, that wasn't marked 'edible.'" Waves off a potential next statement. "No, nevermind...wasn't marked otherwise, gotcha." Smirks a little.

"Cut that shit out. That loner crap pisses me off more than any other personality trait I've ever seen in anyone." Menayen fluffs, ears way back. "I knew a woman once, a kitty like me only taller. Brilliant in the magical arts. Gifted at technology, too, and a great fighter. She had that loner complex, too. Suffered for it, but was too damned stubborn to let it loose, let herself get really close to people. And I wanted to get to know her, because I respected her. Or something like that. But she had that. I could never ever never be anything more than a 'contact' or 'this guy she knows who can do this this and this.'" He huffs again. "Always a friend, but never a good friend or a close friend. If you really start to manifest those traits like you have been, I don't think I'll be able to stand you no matter how great you are otherwise."

Yin blinks at this. Truly startled. Nah...self-imposed? It couldn't be. It's not like she's had much choice lately. "Kaz..." Looks down. Isn't sure what to say at first. "I don't want to be alone. I'm not trying to. I can't recall ever being quite so happy and relieved as I was when it turned out to be Alou following me earlier. I just...well, Arux would arrest me. Anyone else from the unit would, too. Revilier's locked up in some creepy-ass city. The people I was trying to make friends with with no ulterior motive probably think I'm a traitor or dead, one of the two. Your girlfriend and I didn't exactly get on well, and I managed to piss you off with something intended as a joke. I just...if I'm not wanted somewhere, I try to oblige."

"Jokes when mad do not come across as jokes, sweet cakes. But you know me, I'm bouncy and bounce back. Alou, on the other hand, is a numbskull." He chuckles. "You should've backed down with Mercy. She's very proud, like someone I know. Even if you don't mean it, sometimes you have to bend. But that's hindsight. Gimme my hugs."

Yin smiles a little. She feels stupid. Isn't sure she's totally comfortable, really, with how melodramatic she's been acting. But obliges, turning to hug the serinian tightly.
"Thanks, Menayen," she murmurs. Shaking a little. Really is...something between upset and warm and fuzzy.

"Ease into it, okay?" He hugs her back, warmly, with pressure in just the right spots. He's an expert hugger - and a kisser, really, he's quite good - and does his best to make her feel needed and safe. "You're not a loner yet, Yin. You just can't let yourself be weak. Sometimes you gotta."

She smirks a little. "I'll kick someone in the nuts every now and again to keep myself balanced, promise."

Menayen hugs her tighter at that. "No time for jokes, honey. This is very very serious."

Yin's eyes are...almost confused at this, though far from hard. She finally nods a little, from where she's leaning on his shoulder. "I'll try, Kaz. I will." She doesn't notice it. But there are actually a couple of tears trailing down her face.

"I know you will. You're cool that way." His little claws unclasp. "Now. Let's go talk to Mercy, okay? Get this settled, and make you a new friend."

She sighs a little. Isn't looking forward to either that...or seeing mummy Lochria and Silver, which she's going to consider a bit humiliating. Nods slowly, and stands carefully. "You're her boyfriend...how do you think this is going to go?"

"Me? Oh, swimmingly. I think if you come in and admit you went too far, she'll probably admit she didn't give you enough credit. She's like that, hon." He sits back again. "Let me tell you a little about Merciful Dupree. She's spent a lot of her adult life taking care of her sister, even before what happened with Alou. Juni never had Mercy's strength. She's never had the option of yielding or flinching, much like you. When you earn her trust, she'll be the best friend you've ever had and you two can do some HLA together."

Right. The "putting her foot in her mouth when she doesn't mean it" thing. Still, she has to smirk. "Ever hopeful, dear?"

"Baby, without dreams, we're just cats and apes and lizards." Menayen winks.

"Ape-lizards, thank you very much," she mock-sniffs. Touches one of her horns thoughtfully under her hat. Yup. Hers.

Menayen reaches out, up to Yin's face. Wipes a stray tear away with his thumb. Doesn't say anything, though.

It's a little much to continue to keep things contained. She starts to smile, albeit tightly. A single, sob suprises her. Squeezes her eyes shut, mortified but mostly against others. Edges of her lips are forced up. "A year ago, I loved my life. And it was easier to do the good spy thing then, and not be sentient."

"Things have changed for a lot of people, Yin. Everything Millarca's orchestrated has thrown all of us into a tailspin. For some reason you're the focus of it and it's more than you can bear alone." Menayen doesn't offer to hug her again. Not that he'd fight one. "Don't fight the pain, Yin. It's okay to let it out in front of me. No one would believe it if I told."

"I know...it's selfish." Yin sniffles, just trying not to sob. Leans back against a support pillar. "No one I've been really close to has even died. Alou's lost way more than I have. I don't know how he does it."

"Alou's an odd duck. I've known him quite a while, and I can't even begin to tell you what goes on in his head. Sometimes I think he's a robot, but I think I would know if I built him or had Mercy do it." He scratches his poofy black hair. "But then, Alou's a Spider. It's really hard to get the males depressed. Probably they're so happy that the females evolved past biting off their heads after sex that they can't be sad at all."

She has to laugh a little at this. It ends mostly in a hiccuping sob, but it was supposed to be a laugh. Eyes trail down. She's quiet. "I just miss everyone so much. Arux, and everyone else I used to work with. They've been my family for...thirty years, almost. And everything I used to fight for and believe in." Closes her eyes. Shakes her head. "Now this is getting sappy." Sniffles, straightens up, and wipes her eyes. Shall we head back, then?"

"Not until you're done crying." Menayen sits up a bit straighter. "I cry sometimes. I cried when I realized I'd never see my warrior woman friend again and knew that it was that stubbornness of hers that kept us from being closer while we could. Also, we can get word to Arux. I know he'll understand coercion."

She smiles a little. "Maybe." Looks down a moment. Then up. "What happened to your friend...?"

"I don't know. I probably never will." He sits against her side, not asking permission. "I'm not from here. Not this planet. Not this galaxy." He looks at her.

She looks down to him a few moments. Well...heh. He has to understand exactly how she's feeling. Being totally separated from everything you've ever known and loved. "...what? I'm a human mutant crossed with a dragon who's involved with a wyvern. I'm not going to be judgemental." Grins just a little, and sets an arm around his shoulders before she realizes what she's doing. They both need the hug.

Menayen's not bummed, not really. But she's soft and warm and cold and hot, so he returns the half-hug.

"You're the first person on this rock I've told that, though I think other people suspect. That shark-eyed guy living with Mercy actually asked me about it straight up once." Pauses. "Anyway. We can be islands together."

"My lips are sealed. Also...that guy kind of creeps me out. And seriously, creeping out vampires isn't a normal hobby. On that note, I'm positive he knew at a glance I was a vampire. From the look on his face when Lochria offered me fish, and he told me I should get out of the sun. Even hunters don't pick up on it that fast."

"I don't know anything about him. Best I know, he just showed up one day asking about the grandfather. Offered his services as a bodyguard to the family, checked out clean, but quiet. You know? He's too scary to say no to anyway, and I think he waxes his chest."

"The grandpa with the creepy mask. Right." Shakes her head. "This planet keeps getting weirder. You could have picked a quieter one."

"I didn't pick it." Menayen smiles up at her. "Says the vampiric ape lizard. We'll find out about him when we get back. Meantime, how are you doing?"

She sniffles a little...but manages a smile. "Better, I think."

"Need more time?"

"Nah. I'll be fine." Cuts another small piece off the other side of her abused cop shirt, and wipes her face with it. "You ready to go?"

"Sure. Unless you wanna keep tearing up the shirt.' Menayen gets up, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Ooh. Contact buzzes are fun."

Yin chuckles despite herself as she gets to her feet. "The marijuana has nothing to do with it, right?"

"not a thing! And hey." Menayen's ears perk. "I hear a chopper."

The sound rises from the southwest. It's an attack chopper, but flying so fast that its destination is probably past the farm.

Yin's brow creases. She hurries upward, though keeping under cover, trying to get a glimpse and see if she can determine whose chopper.

There's a symbol on it, painted entirely in gold. The same one on Yin's hand.

Yin blinks slowly. "Um...hey, Kaz. Mark in gold. The same one associated with my spell and Revilier's...I don't know if Adelisa's does it, too. Thinking that's a Mediator chopper?"

"Could be. They're still active around here. I dont' like seeing it out here, though." His ears flick. "Let's double time it back, hey?"

"Right." And starts back that way with him at a quick step. Back to business. "Weird for them to mark it at all, though. That seems like a pretty clear sign that the Mediators are changing their methods of operation. Heh. Like the whole 'gross interference with everything' detail wasn't, I mean."

"That's the perk of having a vague mission statement like 'keep order in the world' I guess. Whose to say what they've done is outside of that, right?" Menayen has to jog to keep up with Yin's much longer legs, which is sort of comical as it looks like she has an abnormally large house pet. "But we'll check into it. Mercy's lab has all sorts of surveillance gear too."

Yin nods. In stark contrast to thirty seconds ago, she's very much looking like a spy again, face rapidly taking to the cool, focussed evaluation this job demands. "Right. This is rapidly getting to the point where I'm taking it personally, anyway."

Menayen trots forward at his usual 'walk a bit, run a bit' pace to keep up, and in that fashion they reach the farm pretty quickly. The scent of grilling fish wafts from inside the home, and the approaching evening breeze blows the scent of hay and leaves all around. It's very rustic for such a high-tech facility.

The Silver haired man stands on the second floor balcony of the house, looking into the sky in the general direction of that helicopter's path.

Yin glances up to him. Well. Hopefully he is on their side. Although he doesn't strike her as the sort to get involved on a large scale just for the helluvit. Takes a deep breath as she approaches the house with Kaz. Rehearses things in her mind.

"It'll be okay, Yin. Just remember, she's proud too. And stressed. And on edge. And hot. And likes me. So crazy with low standards."

Yin grins at him sidelong as they step up the stairs. "Literally low, dear."

"Hey now. I'm legally permitted to counter short jokes with big ass jokes." Menayen snickers his kitty snicker.

Inside, everyone has gathered to partake of the grilled fish, which smells divine. Menayen adores fish, but pretends not to more often than not. Even Alou's there, helping cook. Mercy gives him a dirty look anytime he glances in her direction, though.

Yin sighs quietly, eyes more or less down. Everything draconic in her pride is kicking her, and the vampiric parts are nipping. Still, she doesn't particularly falter, just approaching the elder sister quietly. "Mercy, listen..."

The spider looks up at her. Eyes harden a little bit, but she doesn't immediately throw anything. Lochria looks back from the grill, and her eyes light up at the sight of Yin.

Doesn't have to physically defend. Well, going better than it might have. Gazes steadily at the spider. "I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I wasn't trying to run down your work. I saw the hand, that was impressive, and Alou and Kaz's opinions do carry a lot of weight with me, and they have nothing but glowing things to say. I can believe you're the best at what you do. But I wasn't really informed that I was heading somewhere for plastic surgery, that's a bit of a shocker. Also, the part I didn't mention...physical alteration is used as a literal mark of disgrace of the highest order on dragoons, and I've had the sentence hanging over my head on and off for the last half year or so. I'm not the right person to consider any kind of looks-changing cutting with an open mind. I'm still not, but it has nothing to do with you and yours, and was never meant to come through that way." Pause. "Also, Kaz wants to watch us be lesbians together."

Mercy listens to all this, wilting a bit with every word. She knows she shouldn't have been so rough on Yin, anyway. She rather wishes this had happened in private, as Alou and her mother's eyes are not making her comfortable. 

"I shouldn't have snapped. I'm sorry, I didn't know all that." Her eyes lose that hard quality. "I'm sorry, though. Make-up sex isn't happening today."

Alou snaps his fingers in unison with Kaz.

Yin smirks at the males. "And 49.4% of the world's population died a little inside." Looks back to Mercy. "So. Not buddy-buddy, I understand. But are we good?" She needs to know whether she needs to leave.

Mercy doesn't smile at either of them. "Kaz and I can get you a hologram projector. If you're willing to let me run some tests on you, that is. It should do."

Yin smiles a bit. "Thanks, Mercy. That should be perfect."

The spider doesn't return it, yet, even though her eyes carry a gaze of contrition.

About this time 'Gabriel' comes down the stairs, a thoughtful expression set on an inquestionably girlish face. "What do you make of that helicopter that passed over?" He's clearly asking Yin, even though he doesn't name her. His eyes are set on the spot just over her shoulder.

She blinks. Isn't sure why he'd ask her, but..."I know the mark on it is associated with the deposed Wyvern commander-in-chief. It may be with his daughter, too, but I'm not sure. Probably, and if it is the latter, that would almost certainly make it a Mediator aircraft, which is strange since marking it is a pretty stark betrayal of their historically intense secrecy. They're either meeting someone or calling someone out."

His eyes fall to her hand. "And who, if I may be so brutally up front about it, might that be?"

She is...absolutley, totally taken aback. He's looking at the proper hand. For how careful she's been to not give that spell away, ever, and what it could mean if someone knew about it...there's just no way. She's at a loss for words for a moment. "How the hell do you know about that?"

"We should talk in private. Don't you think?" Gabriel's eyes only lift from her hand at the end of that, fixed on her hand.

Yin glances briefly to the gathered company. Hell, Alou is the only one she's positive knows about it. Him, and Gabriel. Looks back to the mako-eyed fellow, and nods. "Yes. We should."

"I'm thrilled you could make that decision without help. I'll be on the balcony." He turns, coat tail flipping up a little in a dashing and pompous manner. "Pick up your jaw and come along."

Yin glares at his back. Great. Someone else to restrain herself from hitting lest she get hit harder. Follows regardless, without another glance to her two allies.

The weather seems to be turning for the worse as Yin and Gabriel step out onto the balcony. He's gazing at the clouds, reading them quietly until she arrives.

"Pleasantry, build-up, inane story, et cetera. Where did you get that mark?" He doesn't turn around when she comes through the door.

Her first instinct is to be elusive. Of course it is. But for how clearly he obviously already knows it... "the deposed general I mentioned before gave it to me. He has the original version of the spell, his daughter's and the one causing all levels of trouble is a perverted, makeshift copy."

"I've been following that spell for several days now. As it grows in proliferation it will gain the attention of others like me, which will of course mean that my chance to capture and study its effects first will be ruined. I can't have that, you see." Gabriel's hair blows in a wind that isn't there-- this amuses him to no end. "So I want the perverted copies ended and a chance to study the real thing."

The breeze in his hair is confusing her. She doesn't have one. Wants one, damnit, it's still hot out here and she'd only just gotten reaquainted with the air-conditioning. "Then we have a goal in common, if not motivation. If Adelisa can enable others to transfer the spell, and they enable others, it will be pandemic. I can stop Adelisa's Golden-zombies. Turn them back. But only so many of them, and there's nothing I can do against the spell itself. I'm as vulnerable to it as anyone."

"If you provide me the opportunity to study that spell, I will offer my services in putting down this Golden-zombie pandemic of yours." A genuine breeze picks up. He gazes over the railing. Something just isn't right about this evening.

Yin's quiet at this. She doesn't trust him, exactly. But she thinks she can trust his word...verbatim. Don't expect anything more or less. She doesn't think Revilier would be okay with it. But...under the circumstances...she finally nods. "Alright." Glances in the direction of his gaze.

"Then we have an accord. I wonder if you're looking this way because you're also expecting that chopper to circle back and attack this place or because you wonder why I'm doing it."

"The second one. Spies are like chimps. We follow gazes." Shrugs. "This place has defenses, I assume?"

"Probably. As long as I am here, this place is impregnable." Gabriel turns away from the balcony. "Still. Perhaps we should see about getting everyone downstairs."

In the distance, a dark shape rises above the trees. Then another. And another.

Yin blinks at the sight of them. "Ahhh...hell." Heads inside and downstairs at a quick clip. "Anyone who doesn't have a quaint five-star ICU all picked out," she announces calmly and clearly, "needs to get downstairs as quickly as possible."

Alou and Kaz are up instantly. Mercy a step later. Lochria doesn't move.

"What's going on?" she pleasantly inquires.

Yin smiles. "Several attack helicopters would very much like to know why they weren't invited to dinner."

"Dear..."

"Mom. Get down to the lab. Kaz, would you mind shooting them down? Please?" Mercy smiles at Menayen, who starts to speak, munches and swallows some fish, and then just nods rapidly. "We'll be safe down there."

"But what about my house and farm?" Lochria asks, concerned.

Gabriel, who is leaning against the wall as if this doesn't concern him, speaks up. "What do you say to letting the bloodsucker and I have a crack at them before we engage in a meaningless firefight?"

Yin cocks an eyebrow slightly, before looking back to the others. Has no idea what he's planning. Definitely doesn't trust him, but...at the same time, all of her instincts are saying he's not one of Millarca's. Well, all the ones that aren't situational. "Worth a shot, anyway."

"You're both crazy," Menayen points out, "but daring is good. I'll get the defense grid ready, in case you have trouble." And he dashes down the stairs. Alou looks at Yin. No words, but that he's saying 'come back safe' should be perfectly obvious.

"Mom, let's go. Yin, don't be a hero. If it gets dicey, get your ass back here." She takes Lochria, who seems unconvinced, by the arm. "I can't work myself up to have a torrid lesbian affair with you if you're dead."

Alou gets a small nod. No fake smile, no words. But she'll be back. Smirks at Mercy, though. "If I'm undead, wouldn't it technically be necrophilia anyway?"

"Unnecrophelia, I think. Either way." Mercy leads Lochria down the stairs, leaving Gabriel and Yin alone.

"They'll be on us soon. Any ideas, ice dragon?"

"I can ice propeller mechanisms, but I'd have to within fifty yards or so for that." She looks back to him.

"Fair enough. Come outside with me." He pops the door open, but doesn't wait for her to go first. There's nothing gentlemanly about him, and besides; he's eager to prove that his services are worth the priceless gift of that rune's study. And to show off.

The choppers are about a half-mile out at this point, approaching fast.

Yin lets out her breath. She has no idea how this is going to work. Fifty yards of each? And that's only if her timing's perfect. Plus, they'll likely start using missiles and keeping distance if a couple go down that way. Still, she walks along after him, ice crusting at one of her temples and body temperature dropping rapidly in preparation.

Gabriel steps out in front of her. "I won't apologize for showboating. Just so you know." Quarter mile. That's close enough for him. With a totally unnecessary toss of his hair he sets to drawing runes in trails of phosphorescent light against the air. Brown and circular symbols mixed with conical greens. Nothing happens for a moment. He tilts his head, and adds a red drop to each.

The earth trembles for a split second before a thick spire of rock and soil shoots into the air just in front of the leftmost chopper. The pilot doesn't have time to correct and the metal bird bursts through the rock, the windows smashed and the front end heavily dented, the bird in a tailspin that takes it all the way to the ground.

"Your turn."

Yin might gape any other time. Holy hell. Ja's earth abilities are nothing even approaching that...but there's no time for that in the head of a one-sided looking battle.

Aims her standard-issue handgun at the nearest approaching helicopter's propeller. Narrows her eyes. Waits. Fires as when the moment's right, the bullet icing as it flies. If she connects anywhere remotely near her target, she'll be able to expand the ice shards and stop that thing from turning.

The bullet plinks into the window of the fast attack chopper, nearly high enough to have hit metal. It's only a few inches from the propellor's base.

Meanwhlie, Gabriel begins drawing runes for the third chopper, which is getting dangerously close.

Yin doesn't pay the third any mind. She can only do one at a time. The contact's enough. Ice races thickly up and along the roof of the chopper, crystallizing and rapidly expanding against duress in the prop mechanisms.

The chopper, much to Gabirle's approval, chuffs and screeches as it propellor motor burns out against the strain. It banks and turns, grazing the third chopper as it goes down, forcing the third to wheel about. Metal and earth shoot skyward from the wreckage as, out of control, the third roars towards Yin and Gabriel. 

"Lovely." The sorcerer reaches out for Yin's arm, intent on transporting them back to the balcony and out of harm's way.

Yin starts to spring aside, but an instant after the odd creature's hand touches her. Trips a little over a prettily painted flowerpot that hadn't been there a moment before before catching her balance. Blinks. Finally... "I'm not even going to ask how." Shakes a few traces of cracked ice out of the pistol's muzzle, readying for round two.

"You're better off. Suppose if that chopper was suddenly wet, what could you do with it?" This as Gabriel's writing a very blue-green rune, intending to encase the chopper in a bubble of water.

That works. He doesn't seem to be the sort for meaningless words, so she just raises an ice-crusted arm. As soon as the bubble forms fully, it should freeze solid.

Better yet, there's a chance that the crash could leave the passengers alive if she shatters the ice once they're down.

The bubble is big. Huge, even, enough to fit three helicopters. Easily. Either way, this one flash freezes and drops like a stone to the ground, rolling over and over with the momentum until Gabriel shoves out his hand and lifts more earth in its path. He gazes down at the wreckage and ice stretching across the field.

"You spared this one for a reason, I hope."

Yin is leaning on her knees, power pretty sapped after that last one."They already know what happened to the choppers, Mediators always have remote surveillance, so he's not an information carrier. He'll run if he's smart, and shouldnt' be hard to see out from this vantage. Also, I have no quarrel with that guy, only the idiot who gave the orders."

"My opinion of you just dropped a few points. If he's smart, he'll suicide himself before we get a chance to question him." Gabriel looks over the rail. The ice sparkles in the sunset, and is actually quite pretty.

Yin sighs quietly. Pragmatic, and doesn't completely unwrap the ice around him. "That too. If you want any answers, you should be quick about it. He actually will; it's part of their training. I've personally three of these guys shoot themselves in the head."

"Right then." He holds out his hand again, usually the left, and draws again. Greenish flashes of light snake out and shoot through the window, wrapping around the pilot's neck, arms, and legs to drag him up to their eye level. He's a shaken dragon, but not a zombie.

"Ask away, you know better about this than I do."

Yin's...really taken aback. Note to self: never piss this guy off. She takes a few moments to remove her hat and wipe the sweat from her brow. It also clearly displays her long, backswept horns and makes it clear that she's a dragoon. Even on different sides, he did grow up understanding that these people dedicated their whole lives to defending him and his. Finally sets a hand on her hip, tilting her head a little. "You okay?"

He gasps. Chokes. And then Gabriel loosens the hold.

"Been better," he croaks. "Dragoon? This is supposed to be a Wyvern rebellion HQ."

She blinks. "What? No. There's not a wyvern anywhere on this premesis. Spiders, me...this guy." He's bleeding pretty nicely from his chest, and a leg is crushed. Yin wants to use the spell, but with it on the side of the choppers, she can't be sure it's safe. "Who told you otherwise?"

"Intelligence. Same place we get all of our orders." He coughs. Gets choked for it. "I'll tell you anything, just call him off." Choked again.

Yin looks to Gabriel. "Please let him down." Pause. "On the balcony." Not two stories' worth of down.

He smiles at her. "Opinion rises for reading my mind." One thump later, the pilot drops to the balcony, gasping for breath and favoring that leg.

Yin doesn't take the time to acknowledge Gabriel, though she's amused. Steps quickly though warily to support the dragon on his prone side, helping him to sit down. Whatever else she's become, she's still very much a dragoon. "We'll get you some medical attention in a minute," she assures. "In the meantime, why are you guys attacking us in helicopters with that gold mark on the tail?"

"We were told that a sect of wyverns were left. Revilier's troops. We marked the birds with that symbol under orders." He leans against her, breathing heavily. "The symbol's supposed to draw someone named Yin out."

Thank god she goes by the nickname instead of the full version he'd have already guessed was her. "You're working for Millarca, then, since Draconic forces wouldn't target Wyvern Loyalists. 'Yin' sounds vaguely familiar, anyway. I'll have to look into it...someone in Revilier's defense cabinet, most likely." So much for healing him. "What do you want with him?"

The pilot sucks in a hard breath. "Just a scare tactic, I think. We were only told to flush Yin out."

Yin nods. She's still power-worn, but musters enough for ice to crust solidly around the outside of his pants leg, keeping the limb still. "Fair enough. Let's get you downstairs. Can treat your injuries, knock you the hell out, and you can wake up somewhere far away." Shakes her head a little, and rises carefully with him, heading towards the door. Really, she should be able to carry him in a humanoid form if it becomes absolutely necessary.

He's pretty tough, or unwilling to rest on a woman's shoulder like that, and so the pilot is able to bear a great portion of his weight on the good leg. Gabriel follows along behind, amused at the entire scenario.

After a lengthy trip downstairs, Yin tosses a cheap blanket over the couch to prevent too much staining--she hasn't gotten a good read on Lochria yet, she doesn't think--and helps the dragon lay down, making sure he's secure despite being almost too big and as comfortable as possible. "Here. I'm going to see about getting you some help. Don't move or he's," she gestures over her shoulder to Gabriel, "probably going to have something to say about it, right?" Sets a hand gently on his forehead a few moments, and heads towards the basement.

Gabriel watches her go down the stairs. "Feisty. Heavens, how that annoys me." He looks to the dragon. "If she comes back with even a breath of pluckiness I think I'll be violenty ill."

Yin breathes out as she heads downstairs. Looks up to Alou and Kaz when she sees them. "Okay. So. No more helicopters. Confirmed Mediators, though. The symbols on the tails were, and I quote, 'to draw someone named Yin out.' Worked really damn well, huh? Also, have one of the pilots injured on the couch."

Kaz is sitting next to Mercy, getting petted and - honest to god - purring like a madman. Alou's listening, though.

"He's not a zombie, then?"

Yin shakes her head. "No. Maybe they're keeping people who need to be able to make proactive decisions lucid?"

"Maybe. Or maybe he just doesn't know anything useful to tell us anyway. By the way. We saw the fight. Holy hell, Yin."

"I know, I know...stupid as hell to have been that visible, you can see this field for miles now. Also...I personally do not want to ever tangle with Gabriel."

"Well, I'm sure he's thinking highly of you for shooting down a chopper with a pistol." Alou smirks at her. "So, what do you want to do?"

"I'm not sure. I want to get our dragon-pilot taken care of, probably sedated so he can't recognize any other faces, and dropped off somewhere else when we get a chance. Then...well. I have no idea why anyone's looking for me. But they obviously know where I am. Not only is having me around a danger to everyone here, but this place is already marked, probably with more people already on the way."

"Think Millarca's screwing with you?"

"It's possible, I guess. Three copters and fuel with such a big project as the cities, though, seems like an awfully big resource commitment for something frivolous."

"Well, the copters do have radios. They could've been coming here anyway," Mercy points out. "I wouldn't be surprised if they'd found this place already. Hell, maybe they have surveillance in place in the area. It would explain how they knew you were coming. And... where was this city, Yin?"

"Pakistan."

"Seems like quite a way to send attack choppers. Unless Adelisa's marking them with that symbol on her home ground, now." Kaz snags Mercy's petting hand, so he can concentrate. "But why spread out?"

"They were probably just based in Grace Tower," Yin points out. The greater Julen area isn't exactly the toughest to
reach spot for them."

"Maybe. You know, I was--"

Mercy pauses when the strains of "The Phantom of the Opera" begin playing in MIDI format. "That's my secure phone. Just a sec." Picks up. Blinks. "Yeah. She's right here, how did you know? Okay." She holds the cell phone to Yin. "It's for you. It's my contact inside Adelisa's forces."

Yin blinks as she takes the phone. "Oh, lovely." Holds it to her ear. "Yeah?"

"If I told you you had beautiful eyes," Revilier's voice purrs, "would you smack me a little?"

Yin catches her breath, eyes widening a touch. She can't help the profound relief nudging at the edge of her features. Revilier...? Nah, it can't be. But it is, she's sure of that. A smile finally breaks cautiously across her features. "...is that a request, then?"

"It is. Listen, I don't have long. Whatever's going to happen, it's happening within the next few days. I've been gathering what information I can from here, but I don't know how long I'll be free to move around. Troix's blood cured Adelisa's spell, but they used Millarca as a test subject. It made him into a... a thing, like Troix."

"Yeah, have a concussion that noticed." Frowns a little. "Do you have any idea what this big event is going to be? Or if they're planning on using the blood 'cure' on anyone else?"

"Well, I don't think they're going to try the cure on anyone else. That's why my time is limited. And the thing... it's the nuclear attacks Millarca babbled about. Only, it's almost definitely inside. All the sleepers are gonna hit adjacent nations, none retaliatory."

"Beautiful," she cringes. That's a lot to shut down in three days. "On Millarca's order, presumably?"

"yeah. The top Mediator turned up dead a few days ago, so Millarca's got all the power in the world. Yin, I want you to come back here, if you can. Or to one of the other cities."

"What? Why?"

"Because the whole civilized world is about to get nuked into cinders! The fallout's going to be unholy, Yin, you have to come back before they activate their shields. Everything's self contained, they've got more than enough materials stockpiled here to build ten cities."

Yin's eyes soften, even as her brow creases a touch. Is silent. An arm folds around herself. Finally, quietly..."Revilier, if there's still any way to stop it, it's not behind the shields."

"It can't be stopped, Yin. Not on so many fronts. Please don't be stubborn about this, you'll die out there with everyone else. Maybe the blasts won't get you in Julen, or wherever you go, but the fallout eventually will."

Yin looks down. "Does this have anything to do with why helicopters with your spell marked onto them were just charging us?"

"What? The only reason I knew you were there is because the farm is under surveillance here. It has been for a while. They stepped it up today because of the attack plans, and saw you there."

"Ahh...that gets to be unexplained still, then. Thought I'd try." She smirks a little, wanly. Looks down. Finally closes her eyes. Her voice is quiet, and slow. "Revilier...I have a job to do. And I need to see it through to the end."

"Don't be a damned fool, Yin!" Silence for a second. The sound of a door opening and closing. "Listen, sometimes you have to know when to retreat. This is one of those times."

"To what end?" she almost snaps. "To watch my family and everyone I've ever hoped to defend incinerated and to spend the rest of an enclosed existance knowing I'm under the thumb of the idiot who caused it all? I'm not going to desert my keep. Or the dragons. Or Alou and Kaz. I'd sooner stand with them and die than turn my back to them and spend the rest of my life wondering if something could have been changed." Her throat's tight. It occurs to her that she's probably saying goodbye.

There's silence on the other end, thick and repulsive. He knows it, too, and the quiver in his voice gives it away. "I got a fix on the sleeper cells' locations. I'll send the data to the farm. Good luck, Yin. I hope you succeed. I do. I want to be wrong about this."

She closes her eyes, brow creased. This time against tears. "...Yeah. I hope you are, too." Silence a moment. "Hey...take care of yourself, right? Those of us who love you want you to stay in one piece."

"... you love me?"

Grip on herself tightens a little. She forces a slight smile, eyes still closed. "Well. I'm the one who was just talking about how I didn't want to leave things unsaid and unknown."

Silence again. "I gotta go. The info's been sent, make Kaz wipe it as soon as it's off the computer. I'll see you."

...Ouch.

She nods. "See you." Hangs up. Breathes a shaky breath. She doesn't regret saying it. Even if he doesn't return it, at least he knows. Looks up to the spiders, wiping the tears from hardening eyes. "Revilier says that the sleeper cells are going to fire on Millarca's orders in three days. Nothing retaliatory...roughly unison, hitting adjacent nations. He's transmittined coordinates of each one, it's to be wiped as soon as we have hard copies. If we really have that little time...screw warrants out for me, I'll flag down dragoon and draconic support as soon as I can be sure of secure channels."

Menayen puts aside the look on Yin's face. Twice in one day he's seen her cry, and that's enough for a lifetime. He hops over to a console and checks the mail programs, going through dozens of security protocols

"Can we really stop them in time, though? Travel alone will take days," Mercy puts in. 

"I can handle that," Gabriel pipes up. His hair blows again, and Alou blinks. "Just tell me where, and I will see to the getting there. It might be fun to squash insurgents for once."

Yin smiles at him a little, and nods. Glances at a map on the screen. "We're going to have to be fast. This aren't stagnant targets...if it looks like we're getting somewhere, Millarca may expedite. Kaz, do we have enough information to determine which cells are most likely fully, immediately ready to launch?"

"If they're going in unison it'll be close. But I'll bet the ones in the western hemisphere will go last. Prabably to keep up appearances. The U.S. wouldn't launch first and be public about it."

"Point. 'Truth, justice, and the American way,'" she scoffs dryly. Hey. She's Canadian, it's her prerogative to not be fond of American pomposity. "Still, the human government there, not to mention the draconic arms there, have been pretty good about keeping their stockpiles secure. Not too much of it will have gone to cells. If we can keep them from getting shot at, life will be nicer..."

Shakes her head. Getting ahead of herself. "Right. Cells. These stings will need to be precise...Kaz, what are some likely candidates to delegate to Arux and his?"

"Well. Okarthel's in the mountains, but anywhere in Europe or the Middle East. Iraq or Norway wouldn't be bad to start. Africa will be the toughest. The cells will be in camps in the damned jungle." Kaz taps away at the keyboard as he speaks.

"I like Africa," Gabriel beams. "Leave it to me."

Yin glances his way. Still doesn't know what to think of him. However...she gets the sneaking suspicion that he can do it. Nods. "So. Gabriel gets Africa. Eleven can work with Iraq and Norway. An elite Draconic unit is based in Chile, we can sick them on Argentina. There's a strong one in China, too...not sure there, though. That's going to be volatile, the two in Bejing together." Pause. "I want in on Greenland. They pose the greatest threat to my family."

"Fine. I know some people in the States and Mexico. Not military, exactly. Cartels and La Cosa Nostra, but they don't want nukes happening and don't have much interest in them for profit. They can keep those cells inactive if they get spooked." Menayen taps again.

"How did I know that you and crack had to be intertwined somewhere?" Yin smirks.

"You're smart that way." Menayen grins over his shoulder.

"We can start sending out tips for anti nuclear countermeasures. If we miss some, maybe they won't." Mercy puts in.

"Right." Yin nods. "No one sane wants nukes to happen. We've just got to shut down the nutter who does along with his brainwashed monkeys. Make sure to tip Sweden...I think they can shut down the Norway cell."

"Alright. What about Australia and Japan?"

"I'll do it. Let me take some spiders into Australia," Alou elects. "I lived there for a while."

"The Imperial Japanese family is partially dragon-blooded. I'm actually not sure what units are active there, but let our military take that one. They have vested interest and a solid foothold. What's left?"

"Looks like... Paris, Minsk, and Siberia. Did he say anything about giving away any of them intentionally? Minsk and Siberia are marked with red X's."

"He did say that." Yin nods once. Considers. "I have an ex-boyfriend in Paris, but no contacts who are worthwhile or useful human beings." Smirks. "Sorry."

"That's okay. I'll take Paris myself." Menayen beams. "I've got all sorts of neat tricks up my pant legs."

Yin nods. "'Split up and don't fail your corner or the planet dies.' Check. Is everyone straightened out, then? Anyone need further instruction?"

"I will take you all where you need to go once you have gotten everyone else word and moving. Also, how lethal am I to be with them?" No nonsense as ever from Gabriel.

"Considering what I'm pretty sure you're capable of I hate to say it, but...under the circumstances, maximum efficiency is tantamount." Yin looks over to him. "If that means killing the sleepers, injuring them, crippling the facilities and moving to the next one...whatever balances speed with total effectiveness. It still needs to be kept as quiet as possible, though...a global panic at the state level will be as dangerous if not more so than the cells themselves. To that end, civilian casualties have to be kept absolutely minimal, and hidden if they occur."

"Since they are sleepers they will be civilian casualties. So neutralize the assets first, if you can." Alou's done similar things to this before. "If we fail at one, perhaps up to three or four, we'll be okay. Fallout will be minimal and retaliation can be kept down, too."

Yin nods a bit. "Three cells can do a hell of a lot of damage, but probably not gain the kind of inertia we're worried about. We'll need everyone to stay fully posted on others' mission statuses...who's going to be handling communications? I can get someone if dragoon forces are going to cooperate, if necessary."

"Do we know any com geeks? What we need is something like a company that will let use them as a front." Menayen wriggles his ears. "A place with lots of techies."

Yin smiles a little. "Do you remember a few years ago when you tried to hack a certain front/company's deep records, and someone hacked your hack in real time and turned it around to freeze your systems, starting not a real rivalry so much as a prank war including such gems as all of the keys on your board locked into corresponding with the wrong letters and all of the company's screensavers were replaced with naked pictures and passworded with 'ilikedonkeybutt'?"

"Right, the front company whose credit cards got maxed out on blow up dolls and Life Savers." Kitty smiles back. "Do you still have enough push for that? I was kinda thinking of that research facility you were just at."

Yin blinks. "Actually, that's a damned good idea, Kaz. Anyone have an extra cell phone or at least one I can borrow a minute? I'm pretty sure Millarca can tap this one."

Lochria pulls a flip phone out of her pocket. "Never go fishing without it." Smiles a mom's smile. "Dear. You're slouching."

"I probably have a smudge on my cheek, too," Yin grins a bit, taking the phone. "Thanks, Lochria." The first quick call, to feel things out and give a brief heads-up, is to Arux. Nods a little to herself, hangs up, and then racks her brain for the number. Damn. "Kaz, can you be a sweetie and get me a direct number for Matthias MacInery?"

"I can get you a shower cam if you want, too. He's probably doing somebody of age today." The kitty sets to tapping keys, while Mercy fiddles with his hair. She still isn't acknowledging Alou.

All this as Lochria examines Yin's cheek.

"Area code 2-232, 444-4551."

Yin, for her part, actually does have a dirty face, just wiped with a dry cloth. It's been a long day. "Thank you kindly." Dials. Waits for an answer. "Yeah. Hi. Listen, it's Yin."

"Yin who? Oh. Wait. Seriously? Where have you been? Are you okay?" It's Matthias, alright. Business to comforting like a high school guy hoping for guilt sex.

"Kidnapped at gunpoint, secret cities, long story, no time. I need your help."

"I heard some nasty rumors about you, Yin. I need you to come in and give us a statement."

"Great. I'd be happy to. Let's do it after an impending nuclear Armaggedon gets shoved back."

"Got proof?"

"Precise locations and names associated with all key sleeper cells. Confirming them confirms the situation."

"I need it. You understand, I hope."

"Is this channel secure from your side?"

"Of course."

Yin looks at her printout and starts reading off all the details she has on the four cells nearest to Okarthel, the ones Dragons are going to need to take out. Confirmable visual details are added...what she's hoping is that she comes up with something he already knows that she absolutely shouldn't be able to. Finally folds the list. "There are more. And an informant says they're going to move on adjacent nations in the next few days."

"... okay. Great. What do you want from me? After which you'll report to me for that statement, of course."

Yin sighs quietly. "Of course. If the world isn't nuked, I'd be more than happy to cooperate absolutely with Draconic authority. Meanwhile, we need to get dragons to get Japan to shut the Japan cell down, and to close down Chile and Argentina themselves. But the reason I called you is a communication relay. Spiders and others are also preparing to work on other cells. We all have to be communicating perfectly to prevent the others from reacting and moving."

"All right. Hang on a second." The sound of a phone changing hands.

"Yin? It's me, Anna Kalina. Whatever you need is all yours, just ask."

Yin smiles a bit. "We need secure channels of communication for all teams involved to get ahold of any or all others quickly, which of course also gives you the chance to monitor and record it all. We need draconic support. I could use clearance to work with Dragoon troops in a sting."

"Done and done. You'll have it. Are you okay?"

"With a little luck, I'll be better in four days." Smiles a bit. "Thanks, Dr. MacInery. How do we go about setting this up? What do you need from us?"

"Just give me the information you need distributed. And call me Anna."

Yin smiles a bit. Nods. "I'll be in touch. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Come see me before you see Matthias. He'll request favors to get you off the hook for what they're blaming you for."

Smirks a touch. "I'll make a point of it. Thanks for the heads up. Talk to you later, Anna." Closes the phone. Considers a moment. Looks up. "We've got draconic support of communications. Report anything to Anna Kalina at MacDrat for relay. Kaz can distribute her number instead of her husband's, I'm sure. I'm sure she'll be expanding the support for that as we speak, she's a smart lady." Looks to Gabriel. "So how is this going to work? Are you transporting teams or us to rendevous with teams, and are you handling return transportation?"

"Teleportation is a complex spell set. I can take you to your teams, and return. Larger scale transportations will require more time."

Yin nods. "The former works. Conventional transportation can cover the rest." Breathes out. Looks up. "Okay. Everyone ready?"

"Almost." Lochria reaches a tissue up to Yin's cheek. Wipes. "Okay." 

Everyone else just nods.

Yin smirks a little at Lochria. Nods, looks to Gabriel. "I, for one, need to get to Okarthel."

The sorcerer smiles a milk-curdling smile at her, and holds out his hand. "Whenever you're ready, then."

God but he freaks her out. She looks over to the others. Smiles, particularly at Kaz and Alou of course. "Be careful, right? I expect to see you all for drinks in a few days." Reaches for the black-lipped creature's hand as she speaks.

When she touches it, everything shatters. Bits of reality swirl and scream about on all sides, shifting, twirling, and reconverging like stained glass sealing over until the two of them stand about three feet from Arux, back in Okarthel.