Balcerzak

Jade had been expecting perhaps another surprise or two, but from the forgemaster, not from Gabriela. When the siren offered her time and even financial assistance, it took all her merchant training to hold herself in check, merely giving a neutral nod and a "Thanks for your assistance on this." She'd have to table any other discussion for later. Arguing with a third party over specifics, especially in front of the person who would actually be providing the services, would have been such a rookie mistake. Not that the zombie didn't appreciate the feeling of wanting to chip in and help a friend out, and not that Gabriela's magical know-how might actually be relevant and prove extremely useful. But something sat wrong with her about taking her feathered friend's coin. Later, they'd discuss those details later. When Vanessa finished weighing Jade's counteroffer, and all the connected developments, her decision was favorable, and the more concrete timeline and other specifics bore no objections from the merchant. Sooner was better, and short of pushing to start tonight--which was ruled out on other grounds, at least on their side, let alone on Vanessa's--this was sounding to be the best possible setup. Locking the weapon to a single choice might have seemed limiting, but when considering she had exactly zero magical bullets now, even a choice of one was a far step forward than what she was working with now. "I understand and accept these limitations. Let's go with ice then, I feel that would suit me best. They both have their applications to be sure, but I think ice will give me some flexibility I can't cover otherwise. I'll leave the parts here with you for now, and return with the money early tomorrow morning, when we plan to get started, if that's acceptable for you?"

Some people might have gotten defensive at a shopkeeper grabbing their item, giving it a thorough examination. But those people would be fools. This was exactly why Jade had come to a professional in the first place. She was certainly glad to have given it the cleaning it needed, after prying it free from the ground where she'd found it, and hopefully it was enough to let the forgemaster see what was needed, and properly evaluate the piece. The zombie raised her eyes a bit when the pronouncement that it was a magic item came down. She'd never much been attuned to magic, so that would easily have slipped past her radar. And given that an ordinary "gears and grease" gun would be hard enough to assemble from nearly scratch... well this just certainly added to the challenge. ...Or did it? Vanessa, having finished her examination, quoted a figure, suggesting this could all be finished as a one-stop shop. Jade pursed her lips in thought, brushing back a stray lock of hair that had during the course of the outing slipped free from her hair-tie. The forgemaster wasn't lying, the price she was commanding was expensive. And a goodly part of the fun the merchant had been expecting from the project would disappear if somebody else just completed the whole thing, rather than her being able piece it together with help, step by step. Though perhaps that wasn't entirely out of the question after all? Surely she could ask to be present and assist with the construction here, yes? And maybe that would even help to knock a bit of the sum off the price? "What timeframe would we be talking for this project," she began by asking. That too was always an important consideration. There was no telling how long they'd be in Tepel, or if they'd leave as soon as this insurgency was quashed. Sure, Jade could always circle back in the future, but it would be best to know that upfront. "Also, if we come to an agreement, would I be able to watch you work, or perhaps assist? I am something of a dabbler with firearms, and well, you know..." Surely one who worked a forge could understand that appeal, no? "If I see what kind of parts you're using, I could also procure some, sell them back to you in the future so you could replenish your stock?" Yet another possible reason for her to get a foot in the door. "Of course, I don't have that sort of sum on me as we speak, and I do think you may have high-balled it a little--but again, something that doesn't need to be hammered out immediately but..." It was at that point Jade remembered. It certainly wouldn't be possible for her to get both the Ring of Favor, and embark on this little endeavor. She would have to make a choice, and it would have to happen soon. She was skilled enough to keep the inward grimace she felt from showing on her face though. "I will say, you certainly have me intrigued so far."

A small nod and a grunt from the zombie was returned to the smith's curt greeting. "I recently stumbled upon a bit of a curiosity. I was hoping to reconstruct it, as something of a personal project, but I certainly need a little advice." Leaving out mention of the fortune teller, as it wouldn't be relevant to the master of the forge, Jade fished out the broken pistol and laid it on the counter. "I do have a general idea of gun construction and maintenance, but at the moment its current state is a bit beyond my capabilities."

The general collected herself quickly, and succinctly explained the situation. Coteon was becoming a third party to the rebellion quashing that has been the group's original mission. That was the sort of risk that would raise the hackles of any merchant considering an investment. But for Jade... Suppose a worst case scenario... well, no, worst case is losing to Ithraxl without any outside interference, but I've already considered that not a likely enough occurrence to deter me from my course of action. There's the possibility now though that either we succeed, and then the humans come in and finish us off while we're in a weakened state, or that this force intervenes from the start, and prevents a victory in the first place. Though... from the sounds of things, the focus was entirely on Marina? Could we still complete the mission without her? The zombie ground her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. She was upset with her mind for even wandering that direction. Traveling with, working with your clients really was dangerous. You get to know them, and then, whoosh, there goes any hope of remaining detached and rational. But that was for the best, no? She may be a monster, but she wasn't a monster. The beastwoman from earlier, who'd met though outside of town, returned around the time Jade was internally chastising herself, and took charge of the situation. A part of the fort, doing proper chain of command, and issuing orders. A comforting sense of order and regularity after an outburst of chaos. There was no need to get upset about not being remembered either. Who expects anyone to pay attention to who's driving the coach, especially when a favorite general have come to call? Not this zombie. "Carry on with business, understood." A bit of a huff of a laugh, but the cat was already on the move, unlikely to hear. Gabriela appeared to be of like mind on this, to just go with the flow, rather than to break into a panic. A nod of agreement, and the two of them followed after, presumably, Veronica, stepping inside the forge for a look about, and ultimately, a consultation.

Chapter 46, 1 turn I ended up going space route for two main reasons. First, Eiji and Julia both have Zeal, both have 15 weapons bars, and are an integral part of my ability to get things done. The Nadesico is a fantastic shuttle for getting placing and destroying things on its own, but I worry about my very underlevelled at this point Aesties, and just how much work Calvina can lift on her own. This way, a lot of units will get autolevelled too, so I figured I'd give it a try, and if I couldn't make good times, I'd go back to the other route. But. I made good times. While it's technically possible I could have beat my chapter 48A clear on 48N, without high powered resources, I'm not seeing it as likely. The Space clears are really good clears too, so I'd feel bad not showing them off if I retconned history. Chapter 47A, 1 turn Chapter 48A, 2 turns Total Turns: 181

Mmm, good, the siren was in agreement. It would be an evening to look forward to. But currently... Gabriela was absolutely correct, there was quite a racket. A loud crash and sizzle from one side--ahead and to the left, coming almost exactly from their destination--with the accompanying smell of smoking flesh and ionized electricity. Then there was also a sound of steel on steel, and crashing bodies from vaguely behind them, as well as a fierce clamor and shouting from off on their right, in the direction of the main gates. Jade wasn't prepared for fighting, not in her ideal condition anyway. Her nightmares were stabled, and her guns were in the wagon. Sure, if she let herself go, her entire body could be considered a weapon, but losing control to that extent, or to actively try to channel the full strength she was constantly keeping held back... not unless it was life and death. If there was an invasion at the gates, or someone trying to mount the walls, better to fall back and rearm than to rush there as is. But... was that? "I think that's the General ahead there, near the entrance to the forge," the merchant frowned as she focused forward. "Better to ask her if she knows what's going on than get caught up in something we're not prepared for." The zombie increased the speed of her shambling toward their destination, now with added questions on the agenda, rather than just the one's she'd been planning to ask about the ruined gun. When the pair arrived, Ayane had just finished applying some healing salve to the succubus's wounds. Something had very clearly gone down, and in a big way. "Excuse the asking, General Nessraya, but what exactly just happened? We were on our way over from the fortune-teller's but it seems as if all hell has broken loose? Is the fort under attack?"

It really is amazing how far those spirits can extend a plan, taking it to even higher levels in the attempt to go ever faster. And things are only going to get more nuts from here on out. Juggling the Devotes can get a bit tricky at times, and proper casting order can be very important. I actually have a spreadsheet where I track expected SP expenditure for the chapter. It looks something like follows: I guess that's a minor sneak peek for content further ahead than I'll be covering in this post, but I'm heavily conflicted on which split to take, so I'm going to probably have to clamp down a pause and research the maps, or just make two branches and test each. As for the levels, IIRC the game scales them to the average of your fielded team. It's why my fight against Fu-Lu in ch37 was so lopsided and worthless, because weighing me down were the FMP units, Akito, I think the G Gundam boys might have also counted, while I only had a fraction of my main team. I'm not sure if your bench also counts or not, so how much worth there is to managing autolevels from route-splits is certainly questionable, but it's definitely worth trying to feed a few relatively valueless kills to your lagging support units to keep up the average, and proper handling of repair/resupply units getting their XP from a different pool also can help squeeze out a little extra. Chapter 44N, 2 turns Chapter 45N, 2 turns Total Turns: 177

Chapter 42, 2 turns Chapter 43, 1 turn Total Turns: 173 I forgot to take a screenshot of me making the route selection, but it's hardly a surprise I'm going with the Nadesico to the peace talks instead of with the Archangel to fight the Radam. I've poked at one of the maps so far, gonna work on the next one, and hope forgetting to gear up the Archangel won't bite me in the ass when we reconvene.

Jade nodded, a small shy smile stretching across her face. "Nmmmh." Gabriela was right, and the zombie did have the money. Maybe she should think about it as an investment. Just, with much higher stakes than usual. And a much higher possible return. It was decided then, and it sounded like the siren was interested in joining her visit to the pub as well. In that case, Jade had an idea. "Tell you what? Bring Ren along, and I'll make sure Lavinia comes too." All the sooner to give her the gift. "We'll make it a double date. That sounds fun, doesn't it?"

Jade nodded and replied, "If I don't make it in time, at Brasken's then." Then she stepped out of the stall and, after a couple handful of strides, turned to Gabriela to ask her opinion. She'd been listening to the love fortune as well, so it's not like she wouldn't have a decent enough grasp of the relevant situation. Maybe the siren would have some insights? Slowing their pace to a crawl, headed absently toward the forge, the zombie stared at the ground between the two of them, just past their feet, as she asked, "What do you think, Gabriela? It is a powerful ring, and rather pretty, but... Do you think she would like it? Is it too much, too soon? Or maybe she has magic on her other gear and it wouldn't even get worn, hmmm..."

Oh. Serious time. The difference in the body language of the lamia was obvious, and its effect on Jade's mood was immediate. Unlike the shield, the ring was clearly not a joke, nor something to play around with. The story that accompanied the explanation was also somehow bittersweet. A gift the fortune-teller still cherished the memories of, still admired its giver... and yet she'd never worn it. It was somehow... sad. Gabriela had returned to good humor, at least, and asked her if she wanted it. The zombie had to admit that part of her did. It was probably obvious just looking at her. There was something exciting about collecting curios, after all. But this one was slightly different than most. Unlike trying it out for a bit, then flipping it to another buyer, this one was for keeps. A commitment. Would she use it if she bought it? Or would it just sit in a box, collecting dust and memories like it had for the lamia? What was her plan? Jade's lips were pressed in a tight line, deep in thought. "I didn't bring that kind of money with me for this little jaunt around the town... And no, I'm not trying to haggle here, I will respect you on that," the merchant managed after a few more moment's contemplation. It was all true of course, anything more than light spending money she kept in a lockbock that was either under her seat on the wagon when on the road, or brought into the room with her when they were at an inn. But also important was that this was no decision to be made on impulse, and that was clearly understood. "We'll settle up now over the fortunes, and whether I decide one way or the other on the ring, I'll drop by again later and let you know. What time do you close up for the night?"

Terry moves to 14,26 repairs Abigail. Abigail casts Alert, moves to 13,31. Thorvald moves to 15,30.

Chapter 41, 3 turns Total Turns: 170 Amusingly, I'd been working on this since before eclipse started posting again, since I'd been watching G Gundam and was like. "Oh... ohhhh." I have another couple maps I need to take screens from my captures and write up, but I'm making progress again. Hope to finish before year end. Hope to.

The merchant nodded as the fortune teller described the history of the shield. Could have been anything really, or nothing for that matter. Unlike with Requiem, the seller wasn't trying to play up the nature of a curse to generate a thrill factor, and the dissimilarity continued, as yet further unlike with Requiem, the initial price point was much more reasonable, even before any haggling needed to get involved. The quoted ask was only on the level of your common iron weaponry, after all. Hardly an investment, even if the whole thing were to turn a complete bust in the end, if it ended up just some broken heirloom with no practical uses! In fact, Jade had been turning to Gabriela to remark as much, when, to her surprise, the siren's reaction was entirely different. It was almost like a switch had been flipped, and the woman felt suddenly wary and on her guard. Like a cornered stray, almost. "You don't have to be so defensive for me," Jade interjected, trying to smooth things over. She had to agree with the lamia's own objections, on this front. "If you're worried I'll be taken advantage of, as she says, it's true that as things stood she would have been perfectly content to let us walk out of her shop without so much as mentioning, much less trying to pawn it off on us. And do you forget, this isn't my first rodeo?" She sighed a bit here, and added softer, half to herself, but easily overheard. "Was this the sort of thing that caused the bit of ruckus at the tailor's in Aensbrook? I didn't hear much in the way of details, but..." Jade sighed and turned back to the fortune teller. "I'm sorry about my friend, as I understand it, money's always been tight for her," she was a mercenary at the whim's of Asami's purse strings, was she not? That was what Jade felt she remembered any way. Continuing to express regrets, she went on, "That's why this whole outing was going to be my treat to begin with. I was hoping she wouldn't hold back on that account, but even if she did, your reading for her revealed a lot. So, putting the matter of the shield aside, we're both very grateful for that." Finishing the apology with a bow, another small curiosity on the table caught her eye. Small, circular, and just big enough for a finger. "Is it a similar story with that ring too, then? Someone's lost belonging, and you're not a jeweler but if I wanted to gamble... to test my luck..." the zombie's lips curled to a grin, having fun in the situation, despite the circumstances. "Ah, forgive me if now I too have crossed the line and said something rude I shouldn't have. Hard to help my merchant instincts, sometimes."

Jade hadn't known that her initial attempts at comfort would provoke quite the shedding of Gabriela's defenses and pretenses, couldn't have guessed it would prompt the full-scale tearful embrace that ultimately followed. But she was not unprepared to deal with the development when it came, leaning in to meet her halfway, to provide comforting pats on the back, or strokes of the feathers. In hindsight, that might have been a mistake. This close to the siren, she could feel her warmth. Smell her scent. That, tantalizing, succulent scent. There was no reason for it, yet she Hungered. At least unharmed and in the safety of the city, the zombie recognized it well enough, earlier enough, to take countermeasures. For one, she couldn't smell when she stopped breathing, so a swift cessation of lung function was immediately put into action. Sure, she couldn't talk for as long as she kept that measure in place, but some things were more important than offering Gabriela soothing words. Like... Not biting her. That certainly ranked right up there. Next, Jade sent her thoughts frantically elsewhere, trying to think about anything other than the satisfying crunch of bone beneath teeth, the empowering feel of ripping and tearing flesh. No, those were no good at all. Try to think about Lavinia. Would that work? It couldn't hurt. Go over the fortune in her mind again, plan what to say when she saw her next, fantasize about possible responses, whole continuities of branching pathways... Ah, a pulling away. The cry was over now? Still in a bit of mental fog, Jade blinked her eyes several times, her widened pupils narrowing back to normal levels, hiding again from view the green flames that lurked behind them--thankfully they had never made it all the way to red just now. And once again, the zombie began to breathe. A very awkward smile upon her face, she nodded, trying to feel as supportive as she wanted to be, but her own weakness and betrayal causing lingering doubt beneath the surface. "You won't have to fight alone," she offered, turning slightly aside, finding it hard to look the siren in the face. That gleam from earlier was suddenly super interesting, time to look at that again. "After all, what are friends for?" Ah, that's what it is! Walking a little over to the side of the hut, bending down for a closer look, she turned back to the veiled lamia? "What's the story here? I wouldn't have expected to find tools of war in a place like this?" Jade reached out to the shield, resting up against the wall, and lifted it up a bit, testing its heft.

thorvald shift to tank form, move to 16,28 abby lands, moves to 15,27

Gabriela's reading got really heavy, really quickly, and it was hard to tell for certain with the veil in the way, but during one of the pauses Jade was getting the impression the fortune-teller was hoping she would leave the room and let the reading continue one-on-one. If she had held out another maybe ten seconds, the zombie would have known for certain, and given the privacy that was apparently needed, but just before she was about to move, the lamia continued, unimpeded. So Jade simply awkwardly shifted her weight, and then, deciding it was needed as the truth came out, she slipped her hand around one of Gabby's and gave it a comforting squeeze. "What sort god..." she softly mumbled, turning to look at the siren's face and see how she was taking the news. As she did so, a twinkling elsewhere in the hut caught her eye. Now was not the time, though. The merchant would raise that issue only after this current one had been fully resolved, even if that meant only the briefest of questions just before they had to leave.

Vera's message back was worth a small frown. Thorvald had all but forgot the woman's previous attempts at flirting that she'd insisted wasn't a joke, but was still somewhat hard to believe. Still, at least she was responsive now, and not just withdrawn. He could figure out how to let her down gently again later. Not now, and risk smothering the fire of her spirit that had just sparked into flame from the embers. Rolling out onto the field--figuratively of course, the Odin's launches were always in MS form--he maneuvered to share a point position with Lieutenant Kim. The squad leader and the ace, a solid front, and ought to inspire the rest, who were forming up in good order, as suited their individual strengths. The hour was at hand for the final battle. Time to make it a good one.

Jade nodded along at the beginning, as the fortune-teller covered some basics, her status, that of the party, things of that nature, just getting up to speed. When mention was made of bringing the ruined pistol to the forge, well that had been the zombie's mind as well, so good to know it was actually a recommended course of action. She was heartened to think that she should expect some good advice to come of that interaction, rather then it just ending in a bust, with the smith shrugging their shoulders at seeing mechanical gun parts and having no useful insight. The mention of white armor, was unexpected. Something of a shock too, considering how the rest of this reading of her present had been unfolding. Who wore white armor? Lavinia's wasn't dyed, just polished metal. Jade thought back, who else wore armor? The dullahan's... was about as far from white as you could get, and nobody else really had anything the merchant thought might qualify, let alone in the warned against color. This must be immediate future, then, but close enough to be classed as present by the magic. Curious. The powerful sword? Certainly that was Requiem, especially with 'not for you'. It still was a bit disappointing, but lending it to Xalrei had been paying dividends so far, so there wasn't much room for complaint. The light from the crystal began to die down by this point, so Jade was preparing to thank the lamia for her time, and the information. Whether it was worth the coin or not might depend on the dangers clad in white, but she certainly couldn't begrudge that this was genuine effort. Before she spoke, however, the fortune-teller continued. Ah, yes. The complimentary love reading. Since it was offered for free--and to be honest, just the general nature of such readings anyway, and listening to what had been given to Gabriela--the zombie was prepared for mostly vague and ambivalent language here. Enough to incite some tingly feelings of warmth, stir the heart to beat, and the mind to wander, but not much of real substance. However she was surprised here as well, with the teller going into more detail than she'd expected. Caera? Jade's head tilted, trying to recall hearing Lavinia referred to by that name. Her curiosity quickly melted into a slightly suffering smile, as the teasing question of whether she wanted to join her love as a vampire, rather than as she was currently. Low-hanging fruit, perfect for a fortune. She had to give her that. Then some slightly conflicting advice. Don't rush in too quickly... but know that a strong offense on her part would open the gates. Just the right amount of ambiguity. They'd surely found the stall of a professional, no doubt about that. Jade's smile became warmer, happier, as the other woman encouraged her to hold on to her hope, to believe that she was worth finding some sort of happiness with this, and she nodded quietly, not quite trusting her voice. The fortune-teller's final words did spook a slight squeak out of her though. "S-She's still here?" Then calming quickly, "Well, I guess not in the way that's usually meant by that but... huh, so Morwen really did leave something behind then, at the end? Good to know it's nothing malevolent, at least." Jade closed her eyes, going back over the list of things that had been covered mentally, committing them to memory, so as not to forget or overlook. Then she opened them again and nodded. "This has been useful. And entertaining! Hopefully you're closer to a decision of your own now, Gabriela?" She turned to look at the siren.

Perhaps it was the power of words, of having said aloud that she would be pulled back together before the next fight began, but Jess found herself pleasantly surprised to see that the closing of the locker-room conversation had come true. Here she was, once again collected, and ready to pilot. Well--Tarquin speaking up broke through her momentary reverie--Co-pilot, but who was keeping track? He said that he was glad they were friends, and hoped they would continue to stay in touch after the war. Friends. That might not have been the first word she reached for to describe their relationship, but she certainly couldn't say it was false. They were war friends, comrades in arms, brothers and sisters in battle. The fault of the brief disconnect was squarely on the English language, for forcing too many roles onto a single word. Friend suffered this way much the same as love did. She had a hard time seeing herself as someone he'd invite to fill the table for a cutthroat game of Acquire Everything, or to fill a role in his campaign of Mazes and Monsters. And she was certainly past the age of cops and robbers, or whatever game was popular on the schoolyard these days. School. It almost certainly would have been a better place for Tarquin, but somehow he wasn't given that chance, and well, here they were. But. Despite that, she certainly was a rock to rely on, if he were in time of need. At least she hoped she could manage the task, if it ever came up. And that certainly qualifies as friend in its own way, no? "Of course," Jess had to consciously stop herself from adding 'kid' to the end of that. It would have flowed so naturally, but it was such undeserved talking down, she'd be remiss if she said it. Maybe if she were his drill sergeant, whipping him into shape. But that too, was not their relationship. "Friends don't end when the war does." Fighting back another urge to ruffle his hair, she settled for giving a comforting squeeze on the shoulder instead. It was the right thing to do, the right sort of contact after listening to all that talk about isolation. Then she made sure she was buckled in, beginning to take stock of the systems on her console before stopping, listening to Thorvald's speech. Tarquin was right here also. It was a good one. She couldn't help a small chuckle at the mention of waffles. "I'm sure he'd love that, and you strike me as you'd be a fine student too." Then it was go time. They launched, and fortune willing, they would return unharmed. Thorvald deploys to 16,21 Abigail deploys to 14,20

Jade's eyebrow raised as the fortune-teller gave them their names. Right out of the gates, the woman was working on establishing her legitimacy. The dangle of another test, for the trifling fee of a single gold, was half-tempting, but there were many expressions that rather fittingly applied to these circumstances. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. You get what you pay for. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. 'Twould be better to treat the seer with the respect she deserved. Any further request for a demonstration of prowess before exchanging coin, real coin, not just a penny, would be bordering on insulting. At least, that was the merchant's opinion. So instead of taking the bait, the zombie pulled the parchment with prices on it closer to her, and began to browse. It seemed though, that Gabriela still had some questions, but thankfully she didn't phrase them offensively, her curiosity having the air of honest innocence and ignorance. Having settled on something she was comfortable with paying, Jade looked up, catching the siren's look of concern and confusion. Hopefully this would help clear up any lost feeling she was having. Sometimes there was nothing to make things more obvious than a full demonstration. Fishing out the appropriate coinage from her purse, the merchant placed them, and the paper she'd been looking at, back upon the table, sliding them toward the lamia. Showing Gabriela a reassuring smile before she spoke, Jade made her order. "I'm sure a good deal of my friend's questions will be answered in the course of watching the reading you do for me." She had turned to look back at the fortune teller now, but thanks to the veil the woman was as inscrutable as ever. That was fine though. "I wager the service I'm requesting is one of your least frequently ordered ones, but I do have my reasons for inquiring," not only had there been the worrying slips here and there when she'd had trouble properly regulating her strength, but she'd bit Bladen and was concerned she might be degrading. There was also that whole... whatever it was Morwen had done, and just... a lot on her plate. "It's also certainly the most time-appropriate for you to throw in your insights on my romantic developments, gratis," Jade added with a bit of a smirk. "Give me guidance on my present."

Ah, there it was. When Gabriela suddenly apologized for having been rude, on the heels of what was essentially Jade having doing the same thing, in her own fashion, everything clicked. The slight awkwardness behind the muted responses to her attempts at conversation along the way here, what had felt like being the siren avoiding her during their travels since the marsh, everything. A light laugh and the merchant shook her head. "Oh, you're very welcome. And I think it must all have been a misunderstanding, strung nerves from the fight on both our ends. If no offense was intended, swoosh," Jade made a small sweeping motion with her hands as she added a sound effect into the conversation. "Off under the bridge it goes." And how could she not? When the siren's bright smile came in response to hers, there was only one thing to do. Stepping into the stall first, pushing her way past the simple sign at the front, "Fortunes Told", a distinct contrast to other more grandiose claims that might have been made, Gabriela's concerns about the trustworthiness of the whole affair briefly flickered back to the forefront of Jade's mind. But, there ought to be an easy, and amusing way to deal with that. Ought to be. Smiling lightly, Jade strode up to the empty chair across the table from the fortuneteller, whose crystal ball reflected back the starry pattern of the stall's ceiling when gazed upon. The purple-scaled lamia certainly had a knack for setting the tone. Was that veil... silk? It looked nice, either way. Very atmospheric. "Excuse me," the zombie began, before swiftly moving on to business. "We came here to get our fortunes told, me and my friend here, but I guess you already knew that, huh?" A gentle laugh at her own joke. "What sort of services along those lines do you offer?" It was important to confirm they could get what they wanted. If the prognosticator could only see the future, that wouldn't really get them what they came for, after all.

Well, it was go time again. The break had been nice while it lasted, and Thorvald had shored up a few flagging spirits with his cooking, and helped out a bit here and there getting questions answered and trying to get used to his new... follower. But there was only so much time, and several things on his to-do list unfortunately remained undone. Passing by Vera's Velite on the way to the Odin had been a stark reminder of one of them. Briefly, he'd considered inviting her to copilot with him on this final launch, he'd never managed to find anyone else to help him manage the massive machine, with his various half-considered options either finding their own homes helping out elsewhere, or having taken charge of one or another new machine and striking out solo. But, standing at the base of his massive tank, preparing to cable up, he saw the Mark III's light come on, as its engines started up, and that laid the passing whim firmly to rest. It was probably for the best. Even humbled and broken, Vera was surely better to have as an additional independent set of hands out there, fierce warrior that she was, rather than wasting her talents playing second fiddle up there in the cockpit with him. Still, the least he could do would be to send a little encouragement her way. After finishing the ride up and buckling in, Thorvald opened private comms. "When you make it back to the Riese at the end of this battle, when we return victorious--and it will be a victory, and you will survive it--you should know my door is always open to you. I'll make sure Esther won't be around, so you won't have to worry about that either. You're strong, resilient. Like a blade. Folded many times, never breaking. You'll come through this trial too. I can feel it." A brief pause as he considered. No, that about summed things up as well as he could figure. "Well, that's enough of a one-on-one. You don't have to reply. Not now anyway, so long as you swing on by when you feel you can manage. Sooner better than later, but all in your own time, of course. Anyway, I gotta address everyone else here, make sure the rest of the group is focused up too. Get us all organized so we can force the chips to come down in our favor." Closing off the private channel, Thorvald transitioned to open mic, on the broad channel the captain had just been using. Addressing everyone in the hangar, on the bridge, the Avalon, or already in the field, the veteran pilot added on his own little rousing pep talk. "All right everyone. I know someone was a little eager, slipping out immediately, but while I got the rest of your attention here, I just have a few words to say. Our local maiden-by-daylight-warrior-by-moonlight is still on the line even if she's not on the ship, and will hear them too anyway. By now we all have a pretty good idea of how each other fights. We know our strengths, we know how to shore up each other's weaknesses. We've got our bread and butter tactics that get the job done. Let's start with the tried and true, only venturing into anything a little crazy if we absolutely have to. We have the advantage right now, there's only three of them and we just got done mopping up a lot more. Sure the King may be a class above, but we've seen and bested Knights. So we do that again, and move on from there. I don't care if there were naysayers, people who thought this mission was a long shot, or maybe even impossible. We're gonna prove all of that wrong. We're gonna make this happen! In two minutes we'll continue showing the Sacarians just how wrong they were to think they could simply waltz in and take the Earth without a fight."

Tepel was a fair shake worse off than Jade had remembered leaving it. The trebuchet damage, especially, was impossible to ignore, as she steered the wagon along the main road to the fort at the heart of the city that was its namesake. She had still to receive a reply to her offer by the time she'd parked the wagon, though that was somewhat expected given the almost immediate distraction after she'd put it out there, which had pretty much continued as a stream of new information until the present moment. It was a pleasant surprise then, as she was unhitching the 'mares to lead them toward where stalls had been set up near Braksen's, apparently, when Gabriela did arrive and express an interest. A smile, and a reply, "Of course. We'll need to finish getting the ladies here accommodated, of course," the zombie gestured to DV and BV, "And then, hmmm, actually, there might be a place nearby that could be fun to stop at?" She tilted her head a little, as memory of the city slowly returned to her, and she recalled the curious fortune teller very near the area. While when she'd been alive and human she'd mostly discounted anyone advertising themselves with slogans such as: "Palms read, crystal old, cards spread, fortunes told", she'd started to warm up more and more to the supernatural as the years since her death had continued marching on. The rest of the group was also dispersing, the most important ones headed to a strategy meeting inside the fort proper, with a few other parties breaking off to various other location to shop. Jade could have sworn she heard a familiar name, but it clearly couldn't have been referring to the person she thought it was, for a whole host of reasons, so she merely blinked twice and shook her head, returning her attention to the siren and her nightmares. As they walked to their destination, Jade provided some boring small talk, mostly pointing out features as they passed them by, noting differences from her last visit, things like that. She wasn't sure exactly how to broach the topic of past awkwardness, and maybe if she just kept up with normal there wouldn't be any need to. And her intended destination, she almost wanted it to be a bit of a secret surprise. "... there's the forge, I'll probably stop by there later, actually. Have a couple of questions for a personal project, but not something I actually want someone else to do for me, you know? Sometimes that takes all the fun out of things. Ah, and there's apparently the makeshift stables, by Brasken's. If you'll excuse me a few quick moments..." Having gotten the 'mares situated and taken care of, she returned to face Gabriela, and finally opened up with her idea, hoping it wouldn't be brushed off as silly. "I don't know a lot about it, but I've heard, a little bit, through the grapevine, that there's something from your past you're trying to find answers to, right? Fancy asking the fortune teller? Don't worry about the cost, this one's on me." A bright, honest smile. Probably nothing would come from this, but Jade was happy to spend a little coin on the attempt anyway. Especially if it helped a friendship.

Jess easily found herself leaning into the hug, squeezing back, and squeezing her eye closed. She was trying to keep from crying, but it wasn't successful, and a couple of small sobs escaped, probably only Kim could hear them though. It did leave her a little too embarrassed to try any more talking though. When she finally pulled apart, she quickly wiped her nose, but then it was mostly indistinct hand gestures before she managed, "I should... rest up for the next fight..."