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* Bienca stretches, having finished the cup of tea that Jewel made her. "So. Now all I have to do is gather my courage." * Jewel looks sympathetic. "Well... you have a little time. You did say you wanted to wait until... 'til you're sure, at least." <Bienca> ::nods slowly:: A few weeks, at least. * Jewel leans back in her chair, eyeing Bie's flat stomach critically. "You don't seem the sort to show that soon. You may be lucky. Have you... er... do you see the Boys often?" <Dawn> ::The air in the corner of the room shimmers violently for a very brief moment, and then a gentle breeze wafts through the room as it's displaced by Dawn's rather abrupt appearance. He looks - in a word - furious.:: <Bienca> ::tilts her hand back and forth:: Frequently. But I was thinking about staying at my own... -::she shuts up promptly:: * Dawn looks around very fast, and focuses on Jewel. "You're here." * Jewel is behind her chair with a dagger ready in her hand, poised to throw, before she realizes who it is. "Here I am. Um... tea, Dawn?" <Bienca> ::raises an eyebrow:: You were expecting someone else? * Dawn glances quickly at Bienca, then runs a hand through his hair, making his dirty blonde curls seem - if it were possible - even more rumpled. "Fuck. They *knew*. They *had* to know. It's worse than I-" He breaks off and crosses to Jewel. "You're not going to do something stupid." <Bienca> ::presses her lips together briefly:: Make sense. * Jewel already has her dagger tucked away, and is scowling at what will probably be a beautiful bruise on her elbow later. She looks up at Dawn, and slowly pales. "Angel. They've gotten Angel? But I didn't hear--" Her eyes start to lose focus. <Dawn> ::glares at Bienca as if it's all her fault:: They fucking ambushed him. <Bienca> ::blinks:: At that moonshiner's? <Dawn> Yes. Smudge was off running an errand, and spotted the whole thing. She ran for me so hard she fucking near threw up on my new rug. ::He wraps a hand around Jewel's arm:: Don't do anything stupid. * Jewel bites her lip and closes her eyes in concentration. "Not... stupid..." <Dawn> ::shakes her a little:: They knocked him out, she said. Don't knock yourself out trying to get to him. We won't let him rot, you know that. <Bienca> ::shocked:: But I checked him out. I *checked* him. I swear - ::she stares at Jewel in horror:: * Jewel lets out a breath, almost deflating onto Dawn's arm. "He's alive. But yes, he's unconscious. Who, Dawn? Who got him?" <Jewel> ::looking a touch grey:: It's not... war again, is it? <Dawn> Some fucking lizard. Vander. <Jewel> Lizard... a Dragon? They... they were targeting him? <Bienca> ::murmurs something under her breath in her own language:: The *Dragons* have him? <Dawn> I don't know, yet. I came straight here to make sure you weren't going to do something stupid. ::looks at Bienca:: We've got people out of the Dragons' cells before. Don't panic. All they know - all they'd *better* know - is that he's a bodyguard, maybe a medium-level operative. They don't know what they've got. * Jewel wraps her arms around herself, shivering. "But... but why? One person... it's not a purge, is it? Did they take anyone else in?" * Bienca looks grey. "Excuse me a minute." She gets up and heads to Jewel's privy, closing the door behind her. * Jewel casts a worried look at the closed door before refocusing her attention on Dawn. <Dawn> Just him. Could be someone fingered him. Remember, most of *our* folk don't know who he is, either. Might be someone who thinks they've got a grudge. Dusk's already working it to find out the details. <Jewel> :her expression darkens when Dawn mentions "grudge":: You'll let me know, when you find out? ::bites her lip:: It's not... there'd be no reason for anyone to move on *me*, would there? ::sounding doubtful:: * Bienca comes back out of the privy, blotting her face with a small towel. "Sorry. I.. guess Smudge isn't the only one taking this badly." <Dawn> ::snorts:: You think this is a civilized world, here? It could be someone moving on you, yes... Someone who thinks you've been cheating them, or... ::he shrugs:: There are as many motives as there are fuckhead thieves. <Dawn> ::looks at Bie:: I told you not to panic. If she can touch him ::gestures at Jewel:: then they don't know about her, or her abilities. Bringing him out will be almost trivial, once he wakes the fuck up. <Jewel> ::gives Dawn a Look:: I don't expect it to be civilized, no, but aside from knowing you lot, I know I'm small potatoes. ::shakes her head:: But that aside... ::bites her lip:: Bie? Would you be willing to stay with me a little while? At least, until this gets resolved? <Bienca> ::nods:: I won't leave. <Jewel> ::looks at Dawn:: Never having been part of a jailbreak before... won't that just... make them come after him again? <Dawn> It could easily be a stab at me, you know. ::he grins at Jewel, then looks at Bienca:: Are you up to it? Dusk and I can handle it in shifts. <Dawn> Not if you do it right, gorgeous. <Bienca> ::shakes her head:: No, I... need something to do anyway. Been having a slow few weeks, really. <Jewel> ::thinks:: Maybe... we could spend some time at Snowman's, after. ::smiles weakly:: Build up his alcohol tolerance again. <Dawn> ::nods to Bie:: All right. Probably best if you keep your head down for a bit, anyway, in case this is a general crackdown. Stay sharp. Call us if you need a spell. <Jewel> ::nods to Bie:: I can't pay you what you'd make on your own, but I can pay you the going rate, at least. And I can feed you. <Dawn> ::to Jewel:: That'll depend on why they grabbed him. Don't make too many plans. If there *is* a war on, he'll have work to do. <Bienca> ::gives Jewel a brief, wavering grin:: Like I said, it's been slow. <Jewel> ::looks at Dawn:: Same to you. ::tugs his collar straight:: Don't forget, you're a much bigger fish than me. I'd best not see you again without your shadow, you hear? <Dawn> *snorts* Seems we're apart more than together these days anyway. Too much work to do. Don't worry about me. I've been arrested before. <Jewel> Oh, don't think I'm worrying about you. I just need you to help me break my husband out of jail. ::gives him a winning smile:: * Dawn fixes his collar so it's crooked again, checking habitually to make sure all his stuff is still in place. <Dawn> ::There is a knock at the door, in Dusk's code.:: * Jewel glances towards door, her eyes losing focus again briefly. "It's Dusk." <Dawn> It's your house. <Jewel> Oh. ::blushes and goes to open the door:: * Dawn flops into a chair and puts his foot up on the nearest piece of available furniture. * Dusk comes in. He looks less flustered than Dawn, but even more serious than usual. He and Dawn exchange a brief look, and then he turns to Jewel. {Is he protected?} * Jewel looks towards the wall as if she could look through it, eyes unfocusing again... longer this time than last time. She comes back to herself with a worried look. "He's... I can't hear him. At all. I'd know if he died." * Dawn reads something in Dusk's face. "Fuck." <Dusk> {There's a mindbender on the staff.} ::He looks at Jewel very seriously:: {Don't do anything stupid.} <Dawn> I told her that already. Do you think she'll listen? <Bienca> ::makes a face:: She's a sensible girl, even when it concerns him. She wants him out, not herself in. <Jewel> ::blinks:: There-- oh. Because of the School... of course. ::shares an irritated look between Dawn and Dusk:: Do you think Mistress Nightstorm taught *complete* idiots? Dammit. ::bites her lip:: Do you know who it is? <Dusk> ::shrugs:: {You're in love with him. I can't assume you'll be rational.} * Bienca gives Dusk a suddenly angry look. {Men.} <Dusk> {I've heard it's a dwarf, but don't have a name or description yet.} <Jewel> ::fiercely:: I want him *back*, Dusk. In one piece, preferably. * Dusk looks at Bienca with something that equates to mild confusion, then shrugs and looks back at Jewel. {It gets harder if you can't contact him. Worse, if they decide to poke through his mind, they'll know all of us. Can you give us any protection?} * Dawn shudders and mutters under his breath. <Jewel> I can protect... ::bites her lip:: Hm. Well, not all of you, unless you stayed close to me, and that's probably not practical. <Jewel> ::tugs on her lip, thinking:: He knows the basics of resisting and intrusion, and... honestly, he's more sensitive than most m-- normal people I've known. But he wouldn't be able to keep out a determined attack. Hells... if I could reach him, I could protect *him*. * Dusk looks disappointed, but not surprised. <Jewel> ::sits absently, luckily finding a chair under her, as she continues to think and tick off things on her fingers:: I knew a few dwarves at school... hmmm... <Dawn> Keep Bie hidden, at least. If she's going to be guarding you, you need to help her do that. ::He looks at Dusk, some sort of communication happening in their faces:: <Jewel> ::nods absently:: Can do. Have you heard anything about what this dwarf can do? Heal people, for instance, or move things with his or her mind? Find lost objects? <Jewel> ::mutters to herself:: Most of 'em were PKs or healers... if it's Teorm, tho'... hells... <Dusk> {I'd have said if I knew. Mindbender. Dwarf. Obviously capable of blocking Angel from you. That's it. As soon as I heard they had a psionic, I came to see if you could protect him from prying.} <Jewel> Hm. ::chews her lip:: I could... no, that would probably be Stupid. <Dawn> You definitely should not do anything that will reveal your existence to this other 'bender. We don't know for a fact that they know about you... ::he looks irritable:: ...though it's certainly beginning to look that way. <Jewel> ::looks at Dawn curiously, lifted out of her distraction:: Why do you say that? <Dawn> For one thing, they knew enough to knock him out fast enough that he couldn't alert you. Though that might have been them having some fucking sense for one. But you think this dwarf has enough brain-muscle to block contact for every fucking petty criminal they haul in? Even every suspected murderer? <Dawn> They either know, or suspect, he's got a psionic ally - or else they want him really, *really* fucking bad. <Jewel> ::shrugs:: It could just be his job to shield the cellblock. That wouldn't be hard. Mistress Nightstorm *did* train us to be productive and helpful to the city workforce. * Dawn and Dusk exchange a long look. "You're better than me." <Dusk> {Yes, I know.} ::he looks around at Jewel:: {Got a mirror handy?} <Bienca> ::makes a face:: Why in the name of Din did she do *that*? She was... well, sort of. ::sighs:: <Jewel> Of course. ::goes to fetch a small mirror from her nightstand, and hands it to Dusk:: Will this do? <Jewel> ::glances at Bienca:: Yes, she was. But she's been a mindbender longer. And she wanted the city to see that we could be *useful* monsters, at least. ::she tries to make it sound like a joke, but there's a faint trace of bitterness under her laugh:: <Dusk> {I'll see what I can do with it.} ::He takes the mirror to a table and begins waving his hands at it:: <Jewel> ::thoughtfully:: I wonder... if I did something *passive*... ::looks around the room, and gets up to retrieve Angel's practice knife from the scarred board on the wall:: * Dusk grins and shifts in his chair, then begins making almost come-hither gestures at the mirror. It begins to smoke, almost imperceptibly. * Jewel returns to her seat, turning the knife over in her hands a few times, fingers stroking the hilt gently as she closes her eyes with a soft sigh. * Jewel opens her eyes again with a relieved smile. "Well, that works, at least. Dawn, if you need to figure out what cell he's in, I can triangulate for you. His knife will lead me." <Dusk> ::The smoke from Jewel's mirror lingers in the air over the table, and slowly begins to coalesce into an image: A cell door, a barred window. You appear to be looking over the shoulder of a tall woman with a single neat, black braid. Through the door is Angel - head and arm both carefully bandaged - lying on a narrow cot. At his side is a dwarf, tall for the race, who looks confused. The dwarf seems to be talking, but the image provides no sound. * Jewel bites her lip at the sight of the bandages. <Dawn> You got *in*? ::Dawn sounds impressed and amazed:: Quick, Jewel, before he loses it. The dwarf. * Jewel studies the dwarf for a moment. "Ah! That's Tanmim. I know him. I had Advanced Clairsentience with Dupre with him. I never dated him, though." <Jewel> ::snorts a little:: We work cheaper than mages do. <Jewel> He doesn't look very happy... is there any way to hear what they're saying? <Dusk> ::The dwarf scowls at the woman, and shakes his head. The woman gestures irritably, and the dwarf snaps something back, crossing his arms across his chest stubbornly. After a few exchanges, the dwarf reaches into his vest pocket and produces some sort of coin or badge, which he flourishes at her grumpily.:: * Jewel leans closer to try to see what sort of badge he's showing the other woman. "Who's the woman?" <Dawn> ::answering for Dusk, who is extremely busy:: Sound and sight at the same time are very difficult. And he's working through chinks in their protection. It's almost- What the fuck is that? <Dusk> ::The badge is black, showing a silver infinity loop supported by two open hands.:: <Dawn> That's her. The bitch. Vander. <Jewel> Vander's a woman? ::raises her eyebrows, and mutters to herself:: Well, why not? What is that? A holy symbol? Since when did Tan become a priest? <Bienca> ::shakes her head:: Not that I've seen - it'd have to be a... well, a very minor demigod. <Dusk> ::The woman does not seem to be intimidated by the badge, but she stops arguing. The dwarf ignores her. He comes out of the cell and stomps off down the hall. Vander turns back to the door to re-lock it, and starts talking - her attitude suggests that she's cursing rather vehemently.:: <Dusk> ::The image shivers, and then dissolves back into smoke. Jewel's mirror is cracked right through the middle, and looks scorched.:: <Jewel> Well, whatever it is, it looks like the reason he's refusing to do something, which can only be good. Not that Tan's much better at Telepathy than I am, last I knew. * Dawn snorts. "Not too hard to make some guesses, is it? Vander wouldn't have any scruple against digging around in his head." <Jewel> ::makes a face:: Neither Mistress Nightstorm nor Bluestar would've been very keen on the idea of using psionics to mindprobe someone, anyway... it's... well, it's dangerous, not to mention horribly offensive. ::bites her lip:: Sorry, Dawn. * Bienca bites her lip, looking deep in thought. <Dawn> ::shrugs:: No argument from me. *I* was quite horribly offended, at any rate. <Dusk> {He's safe enough for now. If they were in a hurry to interrogate him, they wouldn't have bothered to patch him up.} * Dusk speaks with the finger-speech equivalent of a slur - a hint of lassitude and an almost imperceptible trembling. <Jewel> ::looks alarmed:: The Dragons here don't torture prisoners.... ::small voice:: ...do they? * Dawn gives Jewel a hard look. "Officially, they don't." <Jewel> ::sighs:: Too bad it wasn't Yosdver. He had the worst crush on me... <Jewel> ::looks at Dawn:: So... what now? <Bienca> ::looks at Dusk:: You need to sleep it off, wondermage. You're going to crash in about ten minutes. I know she's got some extra bunks here, so Dawn and I can get your things. <Jewel> Oh... ::looks at Dusk a little more closely:: Are you hungry? * Dawn snorts, then stands. "It's getting late. You - " he points at Jewel - "write down everything you know, or can guess, about the dwarf's abilities. Make a note of which are known, and which are guesses. I want it by sunrise. You - " to Bie "- stay here. On your very highest alert. I'll dispatch one of the Children to run errands and messages for you." * Dusk shakes his head quickly, looking vaguely nauseated at the idea of food. <Jewel> ::nods:: Yessir. ::considers:: Bluestar might know what that... medallion meant. Might I ask him? <Dawn> ::scowls, considering:: I don't want to drag him in if we don't have to. See if you can contact Nightstorm, first. <Jewel> ::nods:: I can try... last I heard, she went off somewhere with her husband, or something like that. * Bienca jumps out of her chair quickly, moving to catch Dusk as he staggers to one side. "Come on, wondermage. Enough heroics for one day." <Dawn> Well, try. If you have to talk to Waterdeep, for fucksake don't tell him where you saw it. <Jewel> ::sniffs:: Of *course* not. * Dusk starts to shake his head, then gives up and leans into Bienca. {Just for an hour or two...} <Dawn> Hour or two, my ass. You were up all night fucking around with that damned toy, and now this - stay here tonight. If there's going to be a move, it'll be tonight, anyway. Keep an eye on the ladies, and rest. <Bienca> ::firmly:: At least four. And then something to eat. We're going to need all our wits about us. Including our nits. ::she looks at Dawn and Dusk fondly:: * Dusk flips Dawn an obscene gesture, but nods in assent. <Jewel> ::firmly:: You're staying here tonight, Dusk, and we'll all watch out for each other. Fair? <Jewel> ::looks at Dawn:: Go do what you need to. Just don't forget what I taught you about fending off a psionic assault, okay? <Dawn> I've still got some resources I can bring to bear, orders I can give, and favors to call in. I'll send one of the Children within the hour. If you need me, send them; if you need me *fast*... ::he gives Jewel a dark look:: ... Only for a life-or-death emergency. <Jewel> ::nods, her face stony:: You know I won't if it isn't, Dawn. I promised. <Bienca> ::makes a shoo-gesture:: Go. Quickest begun is quickest done. * Jewel gives Bie an amused glance, and bites her tongue on something. * Dawn nods. He bows ironically to Jewel, exchanges another opaque look with Dusk, and kisses Bienca's cheek before stomping out the door. The air crackles as he refreshes the magical wards on his way down. |
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