Balcerzak

Jade wasn't sure why, but somehow Lavinia's words--when she asked her to slow down so she wouldn't miss the performance--caused the zombie to think of something she had forgotten. Brains can be funny that way, random stimuli firing synapses that connect to other ideas. The vampire was right on one count at least. There was something missing. Suddenly stopping stock still, Lavinia's hastened pace took her right past the zombie she was trying to catch up with. "Do you think they'll let me bring DV," Jade mused aloud, "It's not like I can't fight without one or the other of my 'mares, but I do so much better when they are around. I'll catch right back up, don't worry," she finished, and made a quick detour to where her nightmares were stabled. When the group finally pulled up in front of the arena, it was a bit of a pleasant surprise to see that the person booking the runs was a zombie himself. He seemed a bit skeptical about Marina and Agni, but there was plenty of reason for that, and presumably the pair would figure something out before the issue became a real problem. As Lavinia volunteered her for the first run, which Jade had known was coming and well prepared for, the merchant paused a moment to just confirm with the organizer, "It's okay if I bring a steed with me, right? I'm sure you get mounted knights and such from time to time, this shouldn't be any different than that." She gave Deep Vermilion a couple pats as she spoke, the 'mare currently looking like just an ordinary horse. Well, no, that undercuts things, she was still at the very least a black beauty. "Hah! 'Course! Ain't no rules against that. Put on a good show," came the brisk reply, with hearty laughter. Then he confirmed her name again, and made sure to let her know she could go all out if she needed to, they had healers on standby and presumably strong warriors to hold her back if she lost herself. A brief smile and a half laugh, "Good to hear, but I'm hoping it won't come to that. Guess I don't need to worry that I'm using real bullets either? Didn't have the time to look into finding alternatives." Then with all the formalities taken care of, it was actually out into the arena, down on the show floor. Late in the day, Jade had almost expected there wouldn't be anyone in the stands watching, but there were still some curious observers beyond just the group she'd travelled with. She was a bit nervous, having an audience, but when the first opponent, Galahad, a dwarf, came out and the match began, there was less time for self-doubt and uncertainty. The sturdy warrior seemed to shrug off her shots, and swung back with strong strokes of his axe, scoring two hits on her, despite attempts to shield them. By the time his third attack came, though, Jade had figured out the rhythm, and managed to avoid it, and she finally wore down the man's endurance after that. There'd been a moment's hesitation when asked if she'd continue, but things hadn't been too bad, and she was sure Lavinia would rib her for chickening out if she stopped here. Besides, she needed to run out more clock so the vampire would be stronger anyway. The second contender, on the other hand, felt like a joke to her. The vampire's throwing stars had less impact than some mosquitoes she'd faced and Jade found herself worrying if it was still too early in the evening, if he was fighting at a handicap. But she couldn't let that deter her from taking a free win, and so she advanced to the next challenge. A fellow marksman, if the werewolf's pistol was any judge of the situation, and getting caught up in the thrill of the moment, she swung down from DV, who had yet to have to exert herself, and was still presenting as just a brilliant black mare. Walking up to Frank, she held out her hand for a shake, and asked "Ten paces, then draw?" He responded with a laugh, saying "Sure thing, lass. The crowd'll love the suspense." And love it they did, apparently, when a roar erupted as it was proven that not only was Jade the faster gun, but also much more accurate. The zombie actually gasped a little in surprise upon seeing the man go down without a fight. Was she somehow better than she thought? This was an arena right? Established fighters, fleecing the foolhardy from their challenger's fees? Her inner doubt continued when the elf with the overlarge sword was similarly dispatched with a single bullet. Was she being toyed with here, before the organizers finally pulled the rug out from under her? The dark mage that came next was more of a challenge, bringing back the difficulty she'd faced in the first fight. DV had had to rear up, push back the Incubus through size and intimidation, but the pair won here too without anything drastic or surprising occurring. The dark magic hurt, but not enough to push her past her limits, to feel like a real threat. Leon Tennessee was another gunner, and Jade gave him the same deal as Frank. They started out, on the ground, ten paces apart, but Leon was significantly faster, and as he began firing twice for every one shot of hers, Deep Vermilion let out a whinny, and cantered up in front of her, taking a shot. The site of the bullet's impact broke out into flames, and as DV snorted smoke, with her mane also igniting in flame, a roar swept across the crowd. Based on the noise, the spectacle they were getting now was one the kind of was rarely seen. Jade quickly swung up, mounting her steed; the marksman's duel was only good for the first volley, anyway, as soon as Leon had fired his second shot all bets were off. The gunslinging finally came to an end, and she was the victor. They'd both fired enough shots to need to reload, and she'd come out the quicker on that, though even if she hadn't, his bullets weren't having nearly the effect on her as hers were on him. She probably could have gone another two, maybe three reloads? It was hard to tell, she'd begun missing some of her shots too, while the other zombie was still landing all of his. But further speculation was pointless. A victory was a victory. Does she challenge the final combatant? The referee had arrived asking the now familiar question. The audience in the stands certainly seemed eager for more. While things had definitely begun ramping back up out of the early lull, she'd still not been in significant danger. Were they saving a truly overwhelming foe in reserve as their ace? It was a valid wonder, but to come so far and turn back right at the final cusp just really wasn't an option. Could she really call herself a merchant if the first hint of a little risk scared her off a potential profit? The final fight was truly a culmination. Jade had unleashed a powerful initial round, striking the gorgon deep in the chest. But "Soft Snake" was quick to counter, vaulting up and pushing Jade off her horse, then jumping down and cutting deep into her belly with his wicked hunting knife as he landed. If she hadn't managed to quickly unload a second shot into him, putting a stop to the attempted disemboweling, she wasn't sure how bad things might have got. She probably would have been pushed to feral fairly quickly, a fate she was lucky to have avoided throughout the whole gauntlet. After the officials had pulled the exhausted competitor off of her, declaring her the victor and awarding her the prize purse, DV walked right up next to her and worriedly rubbed a nose in her stomach. "Ahh, yeah, I'm fine," she grunted, and patted the 'mare. "It looks worse than it is."...That said, it was also easily the worst blow she'd been dealt all night by a wide margin. Then it was time to exit the arena, and return to her friends.

Hearing Jess's voice brought a brief bright smile to Abigail's face, but the good news was quickly shattered by the words actually being spoken. 'Can't remember a dang thing.' A worried noise, sort of a choked gasp escaped her throat and she instinctively swung her arm backward, hoping Calina would grab her hand and give it a comforting squeeze. Then realization hit. This was probably her longtime lover's prayers being answered, wasn't it? Abby was tempted to pull her hand back, bring it once again to the controls. If she did it quickly enough she could pretend the reason she didn't get what she'd been looking for was because she hadn't given enough time. ...But she was also greedy, and badly in need of reassurance. When the news came in over Abigail's speakers... Calina couldn't help the momentary smile she held. That idiot had forgotten everything? She could have Abby all to herself again? It was like a dream come true... And it would stay a dream, as the moment passed, and reality came flying back into her mind. "Abby, you gonna be okay?" No, she couldn't just pretend this was a good thing, Abby... She'd be crushed by this. If she went and rubbed this into the woman's face, then... "We'll go see her when we're done here, but... You have to make it through this first." The words she got in return, in addition to that tight squeeze of the hand she'd been seeking, did quite a bit to stabilize Abigail's mood. A deep breath in, with only one minor shudder, and she was just about ready and settled again. Amnesia was bad, but given the damage the Riese had taken, it could have been so much worse. This was treatable, curable. And it might just be temporary due to shock. Death... was was final, permanent. And Jess had Megumi to look after her, things would be fine. Yeah! "Mmm, just, was a bit of a scare to hear. I'm good, thanks," giving a squeeze back of her own before withdrawing her hand and bringing it back to the controls, Abby nodded and agreed. "You're right, on all counts. We'll finish this up and pay her a visit." Kim's voice coming crackling through the comms just barely missed being an interruption. The whole the Asian was apologizing for bothering her, for worrying about her, all Abigail could think was that while it certainly didn't take a psychic to figure out the news about Jess was gonna be hard on her, it was only the psychic that actually bothered checking in. The only one that cared enough about her as a friend was the one her initial prejudices had almost thrust away. "No... No, you're good, no need for handicaps," Abby answered back, "And you're right, this is a golden opportunity, we have to take it. I'll build off your foundation. You set him up, I'll knock him down." And then the time for words was over, and the time for action was upon them. Maybe it was rude of Abigail, or maybe the TK had planned it, but as the Vergloria charged its way to the enemy she saw that the swarming funnels were almost perfectly spaced, and leaping up, getting airborne, she was able to use them almost like stepping stones across a river on her approach. While her new machine could technically fly, Abby wasn't quite used to it yet, so running along like this gave all the advantages of being on the ground while also being at the same plane as the enemy. With every light touchdown on a funnel--engaging her thruster so the contact was just enough to take aim and balance, but not enough to damage any of them--she fired a round from her beam magnum. Then when the bridge reached its end, when there were no more funnels in front of her, she pushed off; diving, lunging straight for the now-exposed cockpit, she impaled her sword into the enemy mech, just beneath it. "Do it now, light 'em up, melt the hell out of him," she called out to her friend, and as the fury from the funnels rained forth all around the cockpit, melting the metal holding it in place, she wrenched down on her sword, levering it free from the frame. Catching it in the Vergloria's hand, she hesitated ever so briefly before crushing it completely between the metal fingers of her fist. "Because of asshole aliens like you, Hilling..." Abby paused, ...and maybe Jess, she thought darkly before shaking her head, bidding the evil thought gone. "...And so many others... You can't hurt anyone any more, and it's just a matter of time before we put an end to the rest of your army." Calina cast Sense, Abby moves to 11,11 and uses Beam Magnum against Poiesis

Lavinia trusted her? When Jade didn't even trust herself? Not fully at least. That warms my heart, but you really shouldn't. The eye contact, and the shoulder squeeze confirmed that--like her compliments in the bath--the vampire was genuine about this. It was an odd sort of feeling, and left her confused, wondering if she should voice her protestations only to have these also get shot down. The merchant took too long in making up her mind though, as the archer'd locked her arrows onto a new target. 'Kiss her and let us be off', a phrase that brought Jade a chuckle despite herself. "Oh please, I'm bad enough for laughing at it, but seriously? What if the places were swapped and it was Nessraya urging her to kiss you, or if they'd finished first while we still talking and shot something our way?" At least the Hero was a good sport about it, making Jade feel less guilty about continued snickers as Marina gave her advisor a hug, and a parting wave when she came to join them. Agni had popped out of the inn at about the same time, so it looked like their nighttime adventure would feature four. "I'm certainly not going to turn you away, and I feel like Lavinia would welcome some additional buffer too. I'll lead on then," Jade nodded, and turned to head toward the arena. She hadn't even got five paces before a surprised squeal from behind her put a pause to that. Looking over her shoulder revealed a beet red Hero, still caught in the succubus's grasp. It had nothing to do with her. The merchant shouldn't have felt anything one way or another. But she did. A twinge, and dark regret. Emptiness. This afternoon with Lavinia had been the most intimacy she'd had in years, and hadn't ended up in anything--not that she had expected or necessarily even wanted it to. In fact, she chalked that whole episode up solely to the fact that the vampire was also undead and had an overdeveloped sense of pity. But anyone with a pulse? Forget it. She was a zombie, after all. She coughed lightly, then turned back around and continued walking toward the arena.

Her little moment... with Marina? Jade froze a bit, then as realization set in, the zombie brought her arm across her chest, grasping her other arm just above the elbow, and she squeezed down hard. Finally, she cast her eyes to the side, away from Lavinia, and to the ground. "That obvious, huh," she nearly whispered, though it was very much audible to the vampire. How embarrassing. Not just urges for occurring, but even more so that it had been found out she was having them. Then there was the matter of the vampire's back and forth hypothetical. "I haven't given it nearly the thought such a decision would need," the merchant prefaced with, "But if you're of the mind to destroy it..." Jade shrugged, still looking away, then trailed off. It's not like that vial was the only source of vampire blood, if somewhat later on she were to change her mind... Of a sudden, their conversation just now played itself back in her mind to a few moments earlier, to when Lavinia had offered her her flesh if the cravings got too bad. Would she have done that if... And back inside, the lamia had said pure vampire blood, hadn't she? So was Lavinia's diluted... or something? But as the archer was already uncomfortably apologizing for presumed assumptions, the current mood was fragile at best. Better to just ignore that. With each of them sighing, and refusing to meet the other's gaze, it was beginning to look like they might need wait for the Hero to finish her business and come over to break the silence, when Lavinia finally spoke up and changed the subject. The arena, their destination. Not a bad choice. Relaxing the deathgrip she'd put her own arm under, Jade finally turned and addressed her again, a slight smile, very faint. "Ordinarily I would have said 'no'. I certainly didn't bother with the arena when I passed through just recently. But..." Her lips curled up a little further. "Tonight does seem a good night for venting some negative energies, doesn't it?"

When the vampire passed her on the way out she gave Jade an invitation to follow. They'd discussed some evening plans previously, so she was half-expecting it, just, not when things had gotten this interesting. Still, she nodded and answered, "Shouldn't be too long on my end." And the words were truer than she'd expected even, with Asami inviting Akane--no it was Ayane, now that she'd heard it a few more times, better make sure to remember it right--to a more private discussion. The oni seemed eager to accept that, at least, if not the greater idea of joining the group. The princess's answer to Jade's own question was reasonable one too, simply seeking out information so she could hunt her prey alone. That would explain things, even if it were on the hot-headed side of the spectrum. "If it's just information, I could try checking with other merchants I know. Maybe someone's seen something, heard something while travelling the country. My turn-around won't be instant, though," Jade quickly tempered any expectations, "So if you don't get any leads on your own, maybe it couldn't hurt tagging along with us until I get the chance to meet up with some acquaintances and ask some questions. Look me up later and get me the details on her appearance, any aliases, etc. if you're still interested after your talk with Asami." Then, that minor business wrapped up, and with how the interruption had disrupted the mood at the table--rendering the social obligations of dinner well and truly finished--the merchant had nothing else to do but meet up with Lavinia. As she stepped out into the cool evening air of early spring, the zombie found the vampire was leaning up against the outer wall of the inn, on the other side of the door, a stone's throw away from where the Hero was having a bit of a one-on-one with the succubus general. A bit curious what they were discussing, but not rude enough to go over and be a bother, Jade simply made her way to Lavinia's side for now. They'd have to wait a bit, given the Hero'd been invited along as well, but that was fine. There was no rush, at least not for two of them. And if the mortal took considerably long, well Jade would be more than willing to let her have her go at the arena first, so she could go and sleep straight away, if needed. The archer had her hood pulled up, as expected. Even though the color had begun to return to the vampire, the sun hadn't fully dipped below the horizon so keeping safe was a no-brainer. What was surprising was seeing that she was clutching the vial of blood tightly in her hand. "You're bringing that along," Jade asked, a bit incredulously. "I would have thought you'd leave it in your room, but... well, this way you know nobody's getting into mischief with it. ...Like that lizard girl and her no-good tail."

'Unless you wish to join me in being a specter of the night...' A phrase undoubtedly meant as deterrent, but Lavinia's two copper on the matter raised by the lamia's findings struck a slightly different chord for Jade. The zombie paused in her assault on her drumstick, and turned a serious glance at the vampire, whose appearance was already beginning to come into its natural value again, with the daily ebb of color flowing back in as the sun was setting. How much of a change would it really be? She was already dead, a 'fellow immortal'. So it would really be a sidegrade, wouldn't it? Trading Hunger for Thirst, eschewing the sun entirely, but far less disdain from others. A matter for some serious thought, to be sure. Nothing to rush into, which, fair enough, was probably exactly the intent behind the archer's cautioning. Jade had been so absorbed in her introspection that she nearly missed Marina's silent offer of thanks. If the Hero hadn't had to leave her chair for whatever reason before returning and sliding it back up to the table, she certainly would have. As it was though, she briefly closed her eyes as she gave an almost imperceptible nod in reply, before opening them again to watch the Hero lift the glass to her lips. It... wasn't quite a gag, the girl remained well composed despite Jade's glass clearly still not quite suiting the girl's palette, even though it was a step up from blood in all likelihood. Unfortunate. But somehow, even the small grimace that crossed her face looked... appealing, with her delicate throat swallowing the wine regardless, begging for sharp teeth to tear it ope-- Jade tore her gaze away, returning it to her drumstick, and her teeth swiftly followed her eye, occupying themselves with a hefty chomp as she tried to divert her thoughts. A swallow from her new chalice of blood followed, and while good for washing down the meal, the zombie couldn't help but think back to the vampire subject from earlier. Was that why she'd been so drawn, her vision narrowing in on the neck, her thoughts taking that turn? Or had it been simply too long since she'd made a kill, raw and visceral? Perhaps she should hunt down a deer later, and maybe by devouring it put this Hunger further behind her for a while longer. Unbeknownst to Jade, Xalrei was making a very similar offer to another ravenous soul. The parallel might have been humorous, if she'd been aware. But when the zombie again raised her eyes from her plate to look around the table, pointedly avoiding looking in the Hero's direction, there was nothing there to clue her in. All she saw at that end of the table was the succubus general being rather affectionate with the dragonnewt... which, for some reason Jade couldn't place, was rather irritating to see. It wasn't embarrassment that she was feeling, neither first nor secondhand, nor was it disgust. Annoyance maybe? But why? It was itchy and unpleasant whatever it was, so... Time to return to the drumstick. Crunch. Oh, she'd already gone that far on this side, huh? Having already finished with most of the meat, Jade had bit deep into the bone. Well, no stopping now. Jaw clenching firmly, putting forth the effort to work the teeth clean through it, the zombie just had to hope it didn't sound as loud to everyone else as it did to her ears. Then she had to set the drumstick down on the plate, and cut at the skin and tendons holding it together on the backside, understanding she needed to head things off before the whole thing might just fall backwards with a crash onto her plate. Her meal had now become silverware food. A bit disappointing but... there was always the bone itself she could continue to gnaw on, if she still wanted to eat with her hands. When the doors (not quite) slammed open, well that was a new distraction. The woman that walked in certainly caught the eye, and--were her horns more deerlike than antelope--would have amusingly enough been perhaps the oddest sort of segue of the night. Instead she was just odd. While certainly out of place, there was something vaguely familiar about her appearance. Jade frowned, trying to remember. It must have been something she'd seen on an item she'd traded, art on a pottery perhaps? The merchant made no move to stop the woman, as she purposely strode over to Asami's spot at the table, that wasn't her place, and no weapons had been drawn. Things would work themselves out, or if they didn't, she would involve herself then. There was a good deal of talking, interesting exposition, and Jade cronched on her bone as she listened along. A foreign princess, apparently, which ordinarily would have been prime business opportunity, but this was a princess without a people. But perhaps more importantly, this was a person who'd gone through a similar fate as herself. When the merchant heard that a witch had turned this Akane--or whatever the fox had said her name was, it had gone by pretty quickly, not exactly a proper introduction--from a human into a monster as well, well, that was when the munching stopped. Asami appeared to have taken the wind of of the foreigner's sails, too. Unexpectedly finding out the person you were about to confront knew a lot more than you expected can do that. But this was almost beyond that. Had Akane even had a plan to begin with, Jade wondered? "So... if you were planning to deal with it all alone," the zombie languidly mused, seeming almost to be talking to herself, but very clearly addressing the princess. "Then, what was it you were hoping to accomplish barging in here again?" It seemed that various of the others were starting to fall into certain camps--healthy caution, offering support, etc. Jade was still just curious.

Jess's communication was... troubling, to say the least. Whether she got her circuits fried, a screw loose, or a nasty concussion, something was definitely wrong. 'First day in the field' his foot. Roxanna thankfully just contacted him with some useful info, and a good idea, so Thorvald was about to head up an operation that--if it went well--would cut off the head of the snake. But before that, he couldn't help but pass a few words back, for just the XO to hear. "Roxanna, this thing with Jess is worrying. While her message was upbeat, it was also off-kilter, and I just hope nobody got spooked. If things take a turn for the worse up there, I'm counting on you to pick up the slack. I know you can do it!" Then it was a quick response to Tarquin before spinning up the cylinders on the Odin's biggest guns. "Heard and understood, Puppet. You've done excellent work as always. Sorry things are too busy for me to give you a hand with that myself, but just get whatever patch-up you need, and hopefully when you get back out here there won't be much left for you to do... If you don't want us finishing up everything while you're gone, try to get the mechanics to hurry it up." It was optimistic, and hopefully encouraging. "Now we get down to business," he murmured softly to himself, before sending out another communique, to all the forces. "All right, we're gonna show these animals they're underestimating us. Apotheosis's pincer has failed, and both their and the cat's leaders are way overextended. I know it's tempting to dogpile the Luna there, but my gut says it'll send a bigger message when we down the alien, so that's what we're gonna do. Shark, you and me are gonna soften 'em up for everyone with a big gun or blade to take advantage of. This marks the turning point, they'll be running scaredy cats soon enough." Thorvald casts Shield, uses 250mm HEAT rounds against Poesis

Of course. No sooner than she tries to take the advice, and the compliments, then she begins to get teased for it. There had never been any way for Jade to make it through unscathed, had there? Lavinia had an answer for ev-- oh. The zombie was caught by surprise when the vampire took her face in her hands, holding it gently, firmly, and slowly moving its position... for reasons Jade could only guess at. It was a similar feeling, yet different, to when Marcus had touched her, near the start of their date on the night of the autumn festival--gosh was it almost ten years ago now--before the comically unfortunate event that had cut things short. This was bad. If she'd had the slightest inkling the vampire saw her in such light she would never have been so casually intimate. Would never have invited her along for this, even by accident. But hindsight aside, what should she do now? The zombie was frozen, paralyzed. She couldn't bring herself to push Lavinia away, but she certainly wasn't going pull her in and initiate anything herself. Confused by everything as Jade was, that was at least one thing she was sure of. Should she just... close her eyes and wait for the coming kiss then? And the spell broke. With the archer pulling her hands back, returning their attention to her armor, the merchant found herself free to move once again. Muscles relaxing, weight settling back comfortably on her heels as she no longer found herself leaning up, looking up at the taller woman. Fingers uncurling and-- The crash of the cuisse she'd been holding falling to the floor caused a small squeak of surprise, and several stammered apologies. And that ended that. Thankfully things hadn't gotten weird... weirder between her and Lavinia. Their shopping trip had gone smooth enough, and though it had taken most of Jade's remaining liquid reserves, in addition to the vampire's funds, the merchant felt much more secure about their holdings. They'd acquired a bevy of basic weaponry, a heftier spear, and a sturdy shield. Most of it just went straight to the back of her wagon, but she was holding onto the lance and shield personally, at least for now. "A toast," Jade agreed, lifting her glass to her lips. "To a productive day, and more productive night." Unlike Lavinia's, the zombie's turned out to actually be wine, a delightful red frontloaded with hints of fruits and a spicy aftertaste that lingered. Sure, it was tasty, but that fact almost soured her on it more. Her inability to get the true effect of the poison, that is, just its surface flavors. A glance to her right, and she saw Marina was toasting with her... water glass. Oh boy, well. With that disguise, wherever she'd picked it up, that kind of served to figure. Luckily the two were seated together, with Agni on Marina's other side, so just a little swaperoo, and nobody need be the wiser. Blood didn't do anything special for Jade. Nor did food exactly, if she was being perfectly honest. For a time she'd thought that eating helped to keep the urges, the Hunger, at bay, but well... then there'd been that one standout counterexample, and now it was only really something she did when she didn't want to stand out, it was simply to blend in. And accordingly she'd asked for and received a smaller portion. Just one large drumstick, and none of the leaves. If it wasn't animal based, it was a rare exception that didn't taste as ash in her mouth.

Jade sighed a little, but also laughed a little herself as Lavinia guffawed. It was somehow contagious, she couldn't help it. While the zombie found herself wishing she still had her fancy clothes to change into--as the situation was, she'd been forced to settle for simply shaking the worst of the dust from the road off of her breeches before she slipped them back on over a fresh pair of underthings--the inconvenience wasn't enough to make her regret lending the outfit to the hero. The vampire seemed to be in a similar situation as well, so it's not like it was a unique plight or anything to really get worked up over. Towel draped over her shoulders for the moment, ends hanging down her sides until she would get around to getting back into her top, Jade followed back to the other room to keep the conversation going. And embarrassing as it was to admit, she managed to work up the following response when the vampire expressed concern about crossing the line into bullying. "It's... I doubt it will come to that. You're honestly... probably right. What reason could you have to push a trivial lie this far? While I probably wouldn't turn as many heads as you might, it's unlikely I'm so bad off as I fear, and I really ought to take a little more pride in my appearance. Maybe this kind of pushing from a person like you is just what I need." Perhaps seeking distraction, but part honest curiosity, Jade picked up one of the pieces of plate armor thigh coverings that had become available as Lavinia diminished the size of her stack. It was lighter than she was expecting. Jade frowned. Or was she not regulating her strength properly again? Worrisome.

"Oh yes, I wouldn't have missed that for Aeon," Linus agreed as Hitomi explained that the sight of Carmen in full maid regalia would have certainly drawn at least the two of them to the docks sooner or later, if not the whole team. Motherloader's arrival had him on edge for a few moments, but thankfully the fellow seemed to have no indication of throwing around any imagined clout today. ...At least, not yet. That's not to say Linus was pleased with his over familiar manner either, but if Irvine was content to stick with just being minorly annoying, he could deal with it. Hopefully he wouldn't get too flirty with Sheridan, and the awkward smile on the serf's face led him to believe she shared that worry. But for now the G-frames seemed to command a greater interest than anything else, thankfully. A couple of the comments--Melanie's and Karina's if one wanted to be precise about it--actually gave Linus an idea. Half of it was born of good-natured generosity, but he'd be lying if the other half wasn't maybe helped along by healthy hormones. "Maybe some of us should volunteer to help out, do you have any extra costumes?" Even engrossed as Carmen was with the cat, it couldn't hurt to ask her questions. "Either male or female spares, not sure who might be interested." Then he turned to address the team. "This is not required, of course, if it's even possible. By all means feel free to mingle, enjoy the G-frames, or anything else. But volunteering would certainly be looked at fondly." Linus had been panning his gaze around the recruits, happening by chance to finish as he reached Karina. It was honestly just subconscious, he hadn't planned on trying to threaten or coerce anybody; they were all official team members now anyway, there was nothing hanging over their heads anymore. But maybe the ones with weaker showings yesterday might step up to the plate today of their own accord? The bzzt of an incoming message, from Flambre it seemed, kept him from adding anything further. A quick couple presses and a response was fired off. He doubted Makala had any fitting butlery clothes, and he wasn't even sure he'd want that one in a service role capacity: Nothing fancy. Just casual clothes is fine. Then there was the masked man's query to deal with. "A good point. If there's some splitting off, we do want to be properly regrouped before fifteen hundred. Hmmm, suggestions, Hitomi?"

Jade blushed again at Lavinia's further teasing, picking on her sloppy choice of wording. Sitting up, hunching forward a little, she turned her head over her shoulder and looked back at the vampire. "I... when I said. I meant... Haaa," exhausted sigh. "I just meant the feeding thing, not the bathing thing. And you were the one worried about the humans getting the wrong ideas in the first place! So, night seemed... natural." Why was she so weak to the archer's cruel jokes any way, she wondered briefly. But Lavinia was right about one thing at least. "Mmm, you have at least one good point, though," Jade stopped craning her neck for a backward view, faced front, and slowly stood, exitting the bath. "We probably were getting close to the limit there." She walked over to the towels, grabbed one, and began drying her hair, listening to anything the vampire might say back. As for her evening plans... "I'll definitely accompany you. Now that playtime is over, it's only right to get back to business. I'll help out with the restocking, show you what skills I do have, and then... that will be the right time for us to negotiate what it's worth to you to keep me along. I'm sure we'll settle upon an agreement that works for all parties," a slight smirk finally found its way across the zombie's face, as she looked forward to situations she felt she'd have the upper hand in, for a change.

Thankfully the public transit was uneventful, nothing worse than some edge case making a spectacle of themselves and giving everyone nearby secondhand embarrassment. But the destination was soon enough arrived at. Linus was pretty sure the red hair he'd seen when exiting the metro belonged to someone he knew--though they deep in the crowd, and several cars closer to C-142. No point pushing or elbowing to get through, though, he'd get to the destination soon enough just going with the flow, and if it was who he thought she was, well, maybe she'd be a little skittish without Hitomi and her friends around? Thankfully the small stream of people that peeled off left the bulk of the crush behind, and things became much more manageable. It was hard to say how many were headed this direction with the estate's special attraction in mind. Linus hadn't seen any advertisements, but there had to have been something put out there somewhere, because this did seem slightly heavier than normal traffic for people going about just random other business elsewhere in the docks. Ah, there was a sign now, so close that it had little practical effect of drawing customers, but at least let those who already knew be reassured they were in the right place. And there were Hitomi, Carmen, and the cat, with the redhead he was following having just joined them. Waving as he approached, though most eyes--and hands--seemed to be on the catears, Linus also nodded briefly in the direction of Sheridan, trying not to stare. That would give the wrong impression... though she certainly would have earned it. Maybe it was her field, or maybe it was just a silly dumb thought to begin with, but he found an easy smile spreading across his face. "Hey, save some for me," Linus joked and laughed, though he actually wasn't intending on vying for a place in line with the ears. The tail happily wagging back and forth was almost another story, catching it almost by accident as he raised a hand to place on Carmen's shoulder, letting it twine briefly through his fingers before freeing it on its merry way again. "Good call on this, Hitomi," he turned his head and agreed with his partner's judgement, then returned his attention to his other friend. "And you, make sure you go easy on her, can't have you breaking one of our new stars."

Feeling Lavinia shift beneath her clued Jade in to what she had actually done. A brief moment of distress, as she remembered something about morals half heard from earlier, and she wondered if things were going to get weird, if this had been the wrong idea from the start. But that was soon enough put to rest when the vampire remained as calm and collected as she'd been this whole time. The merchant had worried over nothing, just a simple repositioning. Settling back into the calm feeling from before Jade listened to Lavinia talk. She had to giggle as the vampire proclaimed her lucky. Something this small and insignificant, yes, clearly that was why she'd been brought back from the dead. That's not what the woman had meant, clearly, but the zombie couldn't help but find it funny nonetheless. The joke was followed by a rather sensible suggestion, though. So sensible Jade couldn't even pretend to get upset about it if she'd wanted to. Which of course she didn't. Even if the vampire had suggested it from selfish motives--though she claimed not to have--that was no black mark against it. A proper dose of selfishness was the ingredient to success in all trades. What did trouble Jade somewhat, was yet another reference to her being good-looking. She'd have been happy to hear such a thing when she were alive. The merchant knew she were no pampered princess, not about to have a shot at winning a pageant against a real beauty, but she'd have been willing to play along, to want to believe. But now? Jade had finally become more or less comfortably numb to the pervasive casual racism about her condition. If she let herself come back around to have any sort of pride in that aspect of herself again, well that would only make it hurt more the next time someone cringed back, or she were denied a service she really shouldn't have been. ...Not to mention she objectively was a far cry worse in that regard than when she'd been alive to begin with. Gently shaking her head, Jade replied, "You don't need to butter me up so much to get what you're after. It makes sense, we can do it when everyone's asleep, even, to keep anyone from being disturbed." Protestations aside, though, she allowed herself to be hugged, settled into it. And hearing how Lavinia's comment was phrased, she couldn't help but answer back. "That would be nice, wouldn't it? If a warmth of the heart like this could somehow become a warmth of the body for you? And if it doesn't work this time, then next time instead of you hugging me, we should try it with me hugging you? Ah, but I'm getting ahead of things, assuming failure already, how gauche of me." She reached out and gently pulled the arms around her even closer, an apology for her lack of faith, and an attempt to help make it happen.

Linus had noticed a fair number more eyes on him than he was really used to all morning, as he'd been moving about the station on various errands, both personal and Odyssey related. Being entirely truthful, becoming this much of a public figure, in this kind of way was ruffling his feathers a little. The thing with Matsuo would have been fine on its own, but the news reports on what went down at Stratus levied a different kind of attention. While he'd been hoping to find a good place to regroup with the gang in the afternoon, he'd been kind of striking out. Somewhat discouraged, he'd decided to indulge in a bit of a late lunch, and was lounging not too far from a metro entrance, finishing off the last bit of shake when Hitomi's message came in. The flashy DataDyne building across the street, and some of the more annoying animated billboards lining the sidewalks did their best to bid for his attention, but he shut them out with ease and focused on what was really important. It was a cross of surprised and relief, actually. He hadn't thought about gathering by the docks, but it made a certain amount of sense. And well, with the promised company that just meant fewer reasons to refuse, even if he'd already been eying a competing venue--which he wasn't. The bit about food and drink was the only disappointment, given he'd just indulged but, well, you can't win 'em all. "Sounds awesome, on my way now. P.S. I'm not taking sides on this one. I know better than to play kingmaker with you two. All I'll say is I hope you guys kept the stakes sensible." It was a very short message, but it covered all important bits.

The battlefield was still a bit of a chaotic slog, but for their part they hadn't lost anybody and they were making very good progress. That said, enemy elites were starting to pose a very real threat, especially to people who had either taken a hit or two, or who were burning through ammo or energy reserves fast. Thorvald was doing his best to manage the team: a few words of encouragement here or there, pitching in on cooperative suggestions, and stepping into the way of oncoming fire, all as circumstances dictated. And he'd noticed yet another opportunity to keep up this good work. As luck would have it, he should even be able to manage this one while continuing to keep a close eye on a couple of vulnerable--no that's not quite the right word for Lieutenant Kim, given her prowess--on some high profile friendlies. "Puppet, swinging in to assist. Great work on that salvo back there, but you're looking like you're getting pretty dry. Recommend you think about finding time to restock and refuel." Then he braced himself, there were a lot of heavy cannons, a lot of unknowns, and a large portion of his herd had begun moving further west. But Odin could handle this. Thorvald casts Shield, moves to 12,16, attacks Deimos 5 with Rocket Barrels supported by Tarquin's Full Output Railgun.

"Beautiful...?" Jade no more, now dusky rose quartz, the merchant protested. "I think you... ah!" But her words were cut short as sharp canines slipped their way beneath the surface. Despite the exhortation not to move, the zombie found herself unconsciously arching her back further, but squeezing down on the rim of the tub with one hand, and Lavinia's leg with the other, her motion was kept relatively in check, the vampire's hand only sliding slightly along her stomach as it helped maintain her in position. Jade hadn't quite known what to expect, but the feeling was better than she could have imagined. It might have hurt some, were she still living, but instead she just felt small points of pressure. That just meant the strange sense of pleasure coming from the exchange--whether it was as simple as being desired, needed, appreciated after so much time alone, or whether it was some vampire magic, the zombie couldn't say--that the deepening delight came with even less in the way of drawback than it would were she a normal 'victim'. Accompanying, but apart from, Lavinia's humming, Jade felt warm tingly sensations dancing along her nerves, and even underworked as they'd been of late, they remembered enough of their job to carry things along. It was breathtaking, and since she didn't much need air, there was no fearful sense of desperation as the seconds passed one after the other, bleeding into minutes before she remembered to inhale. Then it was over, and the piercing points parted from her neck. Swinging the pendulum the other way, from tension to relaxation, with scarcely a conscious thought behind it, Jade slumped to a resting position, her back falling against Lavinia's waiting body. "I know I said I don't sleep," she started, "But after that, I almost feel like I could." A small, pleased chuckle punctuated the statement. "There's a... strange sort of serenity you've left me with. Is that normal?"

While the zombie had thought she'd prepared everything necessary, she must have forgotten something, or else the vampire was just more comfortable with some of her own tools. The slight wait gave her time to reconsider, but even trying to imagine up possible fallout from the worst case scenario possible didn't manage to come up with anything worth backing out over. So Jade simply stretched a little, limbering up, awaiting Lavinia's return. When she did climb back in, the vampire sounded more amused than annoyed by the suggestion, when she declining to partake from the blood that would obviously spill during the procedure, preferring instead that legendary location of lore, the neck. Maybe it was like the difference between using silverware, or eating with your hands? At least Jade hadn't offended her, though, judging from how it seemed. She easily could have, without meaning to, so she'd have to be more careful in the future. As the vampire began to caution her that it might hurt, before remembering her audience and realizing there was no need, the exchange elicited a slight giggle in response. Jade tried to keep it light, so as not to disturb the procedure with unnecessary motions, and was mostly successful. A few wiggles on Lavinia's part and some tugging later, and foreign object was free. "Toast, huh?" Jade echoed back, a bit in disbelief from the comparison. Rotating her arm a bit, working the shoulder and reveling in its being back to normal, she added an afterthought, "Well, at least that still sounds tasty, even if I can't quite imagine it. I was a bit worried it might come off... spoiled, or something. Somewhat silly concern, I guess?" She waited until Lavinia finished stitching her up, then rested a gentle hand on one of the scars just above the vampire's knee. "If you ever need the favor returned, just ask. But for now," Jade leaned backward, arching her neck, back of her head almost resting on the vampire's shoulder. "Left or right?" She twisted her head slowly side to side, and prepared to relocate to the other shoulder if that were said to be more convenient.

Jade hadn't expected Lavinia to twine their fingers together, but it was gentle, calm, and came with explanation. The merchant was still a little embarrassed, her ignorance was causing laughter after all, but on the whole things could have been so much worse. And her voice was pleasant to listen to like this, so she let her continue without interruption, even though a couple bits there were interesting enough to consider interjecting. When the archer had finished, Jade nodded and slowly spoke, "Fascinating." It was true, of course, she was learning a lot. Maybe it wouldn't have been necessary had circumstances been kinder, but given the hand she'd been dealt Jade appreciated getting this information now. There was a bit of melancholy about the situation, but nothing insurmountable. Though hearing the vampire wonder if there were frozen blood in stock was a different sort of sad feeling, and perhaps one she could rectify. "Umu," Jade murmurred a little at first, then pulled her legs in and turned around in the tub, showing her back to Lavinia. Glancing over, she put a hand on her shoulder and began to explain the idea that had slowly started to form. "I hadn't got around to truly fixing up that hit I took int the fighting yet, the arrowhead's probably still in there but it's such an awkward position, you know? Digging it out would surely get some blood flowing, and--I'm not sure how appetizing it'll be, but... I'm at least room temperature, and if the bath's been helping out any, probably better than that, which has to help the taste, right? If you're willing to help me out, you're more than welcome to it, and if it isn't enough... well," Jade paused, and looked down into the water. "Wouldn't want you to go hungry after you started, so you could finish up somewhere more traditional, if you like."

Jade nodded in response to hearing Lavinia's views on smoking, and had begun to reach for her pipe to take a puff when something else the vampire said caused her to pause. Relish the feeling while it lasts. So that meant, Lavinia didn't feel anymore. Didn't feel anything? A frown on her face, the concerned zombie rerouted her arm, bringing her hand to rest on the top of her companion's where it rested atop the rim of the tub. "Can you not feel this, even? How long did it take, before..." Jade bit her lip, wondering how many years she might have left. The sober news also had the effect of evaporating most of her unease and uncertainty about the situation, or maybe that was just a byproduct of Lavinia herself being so at home with things--treating everything so matter of fact. Once they'd gotten to talking, it was almost easy to forget they were just casually naked in a tub together. It was unlikely she'd feel awkward again unless someone made it awkward, and that didn't seem to be either of their intents. So settling back into her end of the tub, pipe forgotten for the moment, Jade listened to the rest of the vampire's story. The additional details about the general purpose of Marina's reconstruction travels, and the specific thorn growing out of Mixoco that needed to be removed, helped to fill in several missing pieces for the merchant. Then came the renewed offer for a shared purpose, and Jade nodded and smiled. Leaning forward a little, lips slipping into a bit of grin, she began, "You realize this is the part where I'm bound by merchant's code to try to haggle with you over precise terms, don't you? But," she paused and shrugged her shoulders. 'Strange coincidence' was certainly right, but even without it there was something about this that felt... genuine. "I was hoping to relax and settle into a good mood, and excessive business talk would probably spoil things. Can we leave it as 'Definitely interested,' and worry about the details some other time?"

Jade heard Lavinia enter the main room and close the door behind her, and in instinctive curiosity turned to the bathroom's adjoining doorway. The zombie couldn't see anything, obviously, as was typical for inns with this sort of setup, the bathroom's door was constructed to face the wall, rather than into the main room directly. Privacy concerns, and everything. She waited a few moments, to see if the vampire would come into sight, perhaps dragging a chair to sit in as they spoke about whatever she'd had in mind, but the sound of metal hitting the floor rung in the fact that Lavinia would be taking Jade up on her somewhat foolish invitation. The zombie turned her gaze at this, peering down now at the surface of the water, looking somewhat bashful. Even if she couldn't see anything, it wouldn't be right, staring out the doorway like that. One piece, two pieces... almost a dozen pieces she heard fall--the archer was incredibly well armored, wasn't she? No, she mustn't get so distracted, she'd been asked a question, hadn't she? Pushing her hands against the bottom of the tub, Jade raised herself up and slid backwards, till her hips arrived at the bend in the basin, and she leaned against the rising slope now in a more sitting position than the prone sprawl she'd been in earlier. It would be only necessary, after all, for this arrangement to end up working out. "Uh, hmm. Well. Yes, I suppose I still feel temperatures, though not like I felt them while alive. It's much more, muted, I guess? The hots aren't really hot, so much as, hmmm. I could put my hand in a fire, and it would just feel like the gentle warmth of a sunbeam. Nothing oppressive, just enough to know--" it was there. A sunbeam, really? She was using that as her choice of comparison for innocent warmth when talking to a vampire? Embarrassed at her blunder, Jade hugged her knees to her chest briefly, burying her face up against them, even though Lavinia wasn't yet there to look at her with disapproval. "I'm sorry that was... it'd be like there was a cat sitting on it or something. That's what I should have said. A-Anyway, similarly, pain isn't so severe at it used to be either. No sharp piercing feelings or rough scrapings, they've all been replaced by more of a... dull tugging sensation than anything. A faint notice that something happened, but without any urgency or agony." Jade fell into silence, just in time to hear the final rustlings of folded fabrics, followed by faint footfalls coming her way. She didn't turn and look, not right away, not until they were almost on top of her in fact. But she did eventually, and was surprised to find the vampire's body was not the marble statue of perfection she'd been envisioning. No, her canvas was painted with scars, including some ringed ones that looked unhappily familiar. A slight wisp of a wry twist took the zombie's lips as she turned to look at her own right hand, where every finger sported a similar marking just above the first knuckle. She should probably say something, but what? Uneasy silence on her part, but Jade made sure to give Lavinia ample room as she slipped in on the other end of the tub. She nodded at the expression of thanks, then froze slightly at being passed the buck about which topic to begin things with. The slightest glance to the sidetable she'd brought in provided an easy out though. "You don't smoke, do you? I'm such a fool, I should have prepared an extra pipe in case you did..."

When Jade opened the door, the sight laid bare her earlier mistake. Lavinia's words ought to have been enough, but there had been a slim chance. It might've been the vampire that had gotten her memory confused of which inn it had been that had that nice round soaking space, recessed into the ground and rimmed by heated stones--spacious enough for maybe four at a time to indulge in it--and which had had a more conventional setup. Now, there was certainly nothing wrong with the tub here, it was certainly luxurious by any standard--a full length footed basin large enough that one could stretch out very comfortably in, to such an extent that only maybe the tips of their toes and fraction of their forearms would hang out, exposed, over the edges. But add a second person, and well, while it wouldn't necessarily become terribly cramped or anything, it was certainly not what she'd originally been envisioning while extending the invitation. Not to mention, the merchant was beginning to feel self-conscious about her scars. A vampire, lord of the night, was an existence standing at the top of the hierarchy of undead. Lavinia's body was probably flawless, most certainly in comparison to her own, which she'd had to stitch back together on more than one occasion. Jade found herself wishing she could still get drunk, and manage to lose her concerns the easy way, but her body rejected the influence of any toxins these day, lumbering on unphased. Well, what was done was done, and what would come would come. The zombie brought in a small side table from the main room, putting her self care kit atop it, and also her pipe. She could at least rely on that to calm her some if needed, though the effect was all mental. Making sure the water was heated appropriately, she then begin filling the bath, a task that was soon enough finished. Lavinia would probably be arriving any moment, a brief stop at her own room being all that stood between them. A small pause, eyes closed, and Jade calmed herself enough to disrobe and enter the tub. Out of anyone, she could expect the vampire to be the most accepting. What had she called her again, 'a fellow immortal'? That kind of inclusion was a comfort she had almost forgotten, with reactions like the innkeepers' being more the norm. Things would be fine. As a knock on the door announced her guest, Jade called out. "I've left it unlocked. Took the liberty of getting everything set up and slipping in first," she added, before nervously--in spite of all the convincing she'd just given herself--biting on the mouthpiece of her pipe, then stealing a quick puff or two.

Well, that was the pincer done and dusted, time to catch back up to... Abigail took a few seconds and glanced at the radar readings. Jesus, everything was so far away. Two choices really, north or east, and both the closest enemies were a long ways out. In her second of indecision, Jess led the Riese east, essentially making the decision for her. Better to stick nearby, especially with it limping along in poor repair. "Cally, let's floor it and head for that Cressida there, you see the one?" The merc was finding herself falling into a familiar rhythm, and it really did a lot to stave off some of the unease that would otherwise have been eating at her. As long as she could focus on what was immediately in front of her, and who was right next to her helping her do so... things would turn out fine. It was just the way things worked. Abigail to 10,7 beam magnum vs cress 6

Wagon Wheels "Dorian," Jade mouthed quietly to herself, cementing the name in her memory through use and association. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance." When Lavinia offered to accompany her, and fill in a few more missing details, perhaps things that had been jogged by having run into the gentleman standing there before them--would she mind, "Not in the slightest. You're more than welcome to join me, whether you want to get in and soak yourself, or even just sit on the sidelines."

One of the recruits started speaking in broken... what kind of language was that anyway? And was he threatening him? That hand gesture looked kind of like it, but... Glaring back at him, Linus just flatly replied, "If you think I planned for this, you're dead wrong. Look, I get you're upset, and you have every right to be. So, just. I'll let you cool off and pretend you never said that." At least Hitomi actually was on the same page as him, which was a reassurance. If somehow this rogue AI downgraded from 'potentially going to hospitalize anyone who gets in its way', there'd be no reason not to bring everyone on board. It had said it was going to practice patience, but who knew if that could be trusted, or what it would deem as 'interference' or attempting to 'track it down'. Her father started trying to big box things, and go beyond the literal word choice, which might be worthwhile. Or not. Who could tell. 'Alexis' showing up on a monitor unannounced, was unexpected. Linus had been too busy with other things to have been staring at Kirara and notice her odd anticipation, so he just chalked up this new appearance as yet another in an ever expanding set of fallouts caused by the rogue AI. At this point, resignation was starting to settle in pretty heavily. "I'm glad someone has a plan forward," he sighed, ignoring the veiled threat of quarantine. The ward was not someone on a level he could afford to antagonize, even minorly, unlike Makala. Everyone else was scrambling with interest to hear the news, so saying anything more would just slow things down. And he'd made the right choice, quickly enough, the new woman began to explain. The 'safest' way of dealing with the threat wouldn't be likely to get them what they wanted, so Eupraxia was content to just ignore them, and let them go about their business, up and until they bumped into whatever it was the AI was searching for and it began to make its moves again. Live bait, basically. That led Linus to make a slightly uncomfortable swallow, but since he couldn't think of anything better, continuing to go about daily life as normal was... well, a consolation at least? He frowned when Alexis indicated that it was assumed that Scipio was in on this. At best, turning a blind eye to things, at worst actively collaborating with the parties behind the AI. Linus couldn't help but wonder how Felix played into this now. The web was only getting more and more tangled. He didn't want to suspect the man, certainly not solely on the word of some woman he didn't know anything about. But the old Silver Bullet had just been helping them get these tryouts set-up, and then... No, even if he was a consultant for Scipio, he cared about Hitomi too much to have endangered her like this. Linus couldn't believe any other way. It wasn't even worth mentioning. "I guess that's the long and short of it then," he concluded, amidst the murmur of reactions already under way. "'Carry on', huh, well who am I to argue with that." A slight twist of a grin, and he shook his head. "Well, I guess I'll put the matter to each of you individually," he addressed the tryouts. "You've heard the risks, you know just as much as we do. You've made it this far, and if you still want in: we want you. It's been a bit of a traumatic day, so I won't blame anyone who wants to split now. Just, give the word: yes or no, and we'll see about the formalities and everything another time, then get in on practices and all that after." There wasn't anything more he could do to alleviate Hitomi's worries, but as long as nobody was any more in the dark than anyone else. If they wanted to make their own informed decision... he didn't have any problems going ahead and making that happen. The alternative was disbanding Odyssey entirely, and while he might've leaned that way earlier, there was more than enough spark of life in it now to try to keep it going at least a little longer.

Jade smiled naturally and raised a hand to accept the offered key. But her smile faltered, and her shoulders drooped, when the clerk continued into much the same 'concerned suggestion' as had been given on her last visit. In truth, calling it for what it was, the man was informing her of the soft ban on her use of certain facilities, based solely on worry and assumptions. "Really, Geoffrey," Jade let slip with a little disrespect while managing to keep a steady face. "You think so little of my memory, as if I've forgotten the concerned suggestion from before? I'm hurt." She made sure through tone and expression that the falsity of her fake outrage was obvious; the better to conceal the actual indignity she was feeling. "I'll be careful. But, thanks." She wasn't rotten, she wasn't infested. The merchant took great pains to keep things that way. But such was life, wasn't it? Prejudice was everywhere. Everyone got a little taste, for one reason or another. If it wasn't this, it would have been something else from someone else. "Just past six, in the dining room," she echoed, committing those details to memory as she attempted to move on, to not let her spirits get dragged down, especially since the man was already apologizing. Mealtimes were a good way to keep up on information, whether she was partaking or not, being the natural gatherings they were. Jade wouldn't miss this one. The merchant then nodded, as updates on Lavinia's and Bladen's current business were provided. Her curiosity about the vampire's conversation partner wasn't really resolved, though, still burning slightly below the surface. She hadn't remembered any mention of a meeting with anyone in town here. No matter. Leaving the clerk behind, Jade soon passed the pair, still in conversation, though there was a lull in the talking, as if a question had just been asked and awaiting an answer. That was good enough to butt in slightly. Addressing Lavinia, she informed her, "I'll be in my room, if you need me. Or maybe in the baths, I haven't decided." Then she turned to the gentleman, and gave a bit of a curtsy. "Good day, sir." And she smiled and prepared to move off, to let them get back to whatever they were discussing.