Session 23

← Session 22 | Session 24 →

The party visits the revolutionaries, Sam defends himself, and Nyx suffers the consequences of confronting Devereaux.

## Characters

* The Party
* Neera Guinn
* Na'arisiel
* Naberius MacLaughagan
* 0-771534
* Kitty and Silas Vance
* Clovis Alcott
* Legacy Byrnes
* Rain Caudell
* Lyric Uaithne
* Zaida Loch
* Giles Winsett
* Nestor Shields
* Pax Furyk
* Cliff Devereaux

## Summary

#### **Making Progress!!!**

Nyx has been attending services with the Children. They offer prayers and good wishes for her hip and the loss of her apartment. Neera and Nyx go out for coffee on a fairly regular basis, and Neera is grateful for the opportunity to be a person instead of the Vessel.

##### **Wednesday, February 17th, 543:**

Kuno wakes up one morning to find the man he took in has made a pot of coffee. He is still not particularly responsive, but Kuno is overjoyed at this development.

Sam is reading in the still-empty apartment when MacLaughagan appears to ask about recent developments. The demon is surprised to learn Sam killed Walz; he was expecting something less extreme. He pushes Sam, inquiring after the fairness of Walz's murder, but Sam asserts that Walz presented a bigger threat than her defensive actions against the party and that his vengeance was justice for all the harm she had caused. MacLaughagan is impressed. He muses that Sam may have grown a spine, and since Sam owns that Walz's death was suitable revenge, the demon leaves satisfied.

Sam doesn't have time to process MacLaughagan's analysis of his life choices. Nyx calls to ask Sam to buy her a laptop, in exchange for everything she's been doing for him, as well as his role in her apartment's arson. He is confused, but orders what she asks for.

With Kuno's previous efforts to arrange a meeting with Giles to obtain parts unsuccessful, Sam emails Ollie to see if there's been any developments. He learns the revolutionaries are having a potluck in a few days. Ollie invites Sam and Kuno, and Sam sends over the list of parts for Giles to collect.

#### **Sorry I Forgot to Mention my Apartment Burned Down**

##### **Friday, February 19th, 543:**

Kuno visits Silas Vance in search of interesting mechanical trinkets to pay Giles with. While he's there, Kitty and Silas ask about Nyx; they haven't heard anything from her since the apartment building burned down. Kuno, disappointed in Nyx, tells the Vances she's alive and staying with him. When Kuno gets back to his apartment, he makes Nyx call Kitty and Silas. Kitty berates Nyx over the phone for making her worry—which was why Nyx had been avoiding the call.

#### **Wait No You Can't Just Murder a Multi-Billionaire 🤝 Please Murder this Multi-Billionaire**

Asa invites Colby to the revolutionaries' potluck, an idea that is seconded by Sam in light of the conflict at the Gala. Colby reluctantly agrees.

##### **Saturday, February 20th, 543:**

On the day of the gathering, Asa and Colby arrive early in a facetious attempt to beat the ever-punctual Kuno Fernweh to the event. Ollie answers the door, and Legacy immediately recognizes Colby. Legacy applauds Colby's show at the Gala, and is a bit stunned at his sudden appearance a the apartment. Almost all of the revolutionaries are there: Alcott is probably-asleep in a chair off to the side, Lyric sits in a corner with a potted succulent, and Rain hovers close at hand. Asa pulls Legacy aside to discuss the events at the Gala, and Legacy asks if Asa knows everyone who caused problems at the Gala. Asa admits that the party went to the Gala to stop a shooting before realizing it was "a cool shooting." Asa also explains that they're bringing one more friend, whom Legacy correctly pegs as the idiot who stole his gun.

Kuno arrives with Nyx and Sam soon after. Legacy recognizes Sam and refuses to hear any apologies for his actions at the Gala. The revolutionary mentions his guns are keyed to him, and that he had been silently hoping Sam would try to pull the trigger. He lets everyone in, and Kuno drops off the food he brought.

#### **Project, Person, or Toaster?**

Zaida emerges from the back part of the apartment soon after everyone arrives, and the party learns she's been visiting occasionally and has refused to leave Ollie alone. Ollie has been mostly putting up with her, much to Legacy's confusion. Sam hadn't realized that Ollie's pursuer was the young woman he met at the Gala, and tries to stay out of her way. Nyx introduces herself, but her attempt a handshake goes unreciprocated by the germophobic Zadia. Kuno eventually pulls Zaida away from her near-constant vigil at Ollie's side to make disinterested small talk until dinner.

Nyx asks Legacy about the meeting she's been trying to arrange with Dusk Radio, and she gets his phone number to work on scheduling. He's been looking for ways to convey instructions and updates to his supporters, and says he should be available in the next week or so.

#### **Giles Lending a Hand**

At this point, Giles Winsett arrives with fanfare. Introductions are made, and Giles recognizes Sam as the beneficiary of the prosthetic interfacing he brought. Everyone starts migrating towards the dining room, save Zaida, who's been visibly shaken since Giles's appearance. Giles pulls her aside to speak with her privately. When they enter the dining room, Zaida is still obviously terrified, but takes a seat at the table nonetheless.

Giles asks Sam how he lost his hand, and Sam attempts to dodge the question. He explains it was bitten off by a werewolf, who he then killed, and Giles is impressed he managed to go toe-to-toe with the Bratva and survive. The party pushes Sam to tell the whole story, and he owns his stupidity in their dealings with the werewolf mob. Giles hands over a case of delicate parts, and accepts the trinkets Kuno proffers in return. However, the salvager insists he won't accept further payment as a show of goodwill to friends of Legacy and "toaster boy."

#### **The Brave Little Toaster**

Zaida snaps at "toaster boy," and insists Giles not insult her life's work. Giles is confused as to why she would care so much about an android, and Ollie cuts Zaida off before she can say anything else. He escorts her out of the apartment. Legacy argues in favor of just killing her, but Ollie talks him down. Olliver insists she's a coward before all else, and won't go to their former employer about him.

Satisfied, Legacy reaches for the alcohol cabinet as a hard reset on the evening. Most of the group spend the rest of the night getting drunk, and Rain demonstrates an impressive constitution when it comes to cheap booze. Kuno, who didn't drink, and Sam, who is only tipsy, help Ollie get everyone home or settled safely.

#### **Running Some Errands**

##### **Monday, February 22nd, 543:**

A few days later, Asa visits Rain at Ollie's apartment. Everyone else is out, save Lyric, who's having a rough day. Asa asks what Rain knows about fae, particularly when it comes to magic. She has about as much connection to the fae as Asa does, so she can't tell him anything he doesn't already know. She mentions there's lots of theories about fae magic, generally based around the fact that fae can use the energy of living things. She also alludes to Lyric's struggle with withdrawal after controlled doses of krov taken to help the revolutionary cause. They've been staving off the worst symptoms with a rotating supply of succulents, but Lyric is clearly suffering. Rain doesn't think a single dose of the drug would have too many side effects, so Nyx should be alright.

Sam and Kuno return to Nestor Shields with the acquired parts, and Asa tags along. While Shields is replacing Sam's hand, he and Kuno reminisce.

When Kuno gets back to his apartment, he finds Nyx lying on the floor. She explains she tried to read the ex-homeless man's mind again, with no further developments. Kuno provides Nyx with some painkillers, and gets her set up in a bed rather than on the floor.

Having finally begun to accept his position in the city's supernatural ecosystem, and tired of losing clothes to fights, Sam stops by a clothes store. He buys a sturdy jacket, some boots, and two pairs of gloves: one for everyday wear, and one for fights.

#### **Stalking in Slow-Motion**

##### **Tuesday, February 23rd, 543:**

The party meets at Asa's apartment to figure out how to go after Cliff Devereaux. After much discussion, they decide to send Sam and Asa in search of Pax in an attempt to see if he has any insights on a location. However, they don't have a good idea of where to find him since Nyx's apartment burned down, and aren't able to find him.

Kuno has the idea to scout Devereaux's route home over the course of a week or so, and find a place where Nyx can immobilize him and the party can carry out the interrogation and murder. Nyx rustles up sundry equipment for the detainment and murder of a upyr, and Colby blesses the prerequisite bullets and water. Observing the route without following him directly is more difficult than anticipated, but the party figures out Devereaux has two different routes he takes. Kuno starts actively following him to speed things up, and eventually ends up with two locations: an unmarked building and a high-class apartment complex. Some digging around online reveals the unmarked building is one of many owned by a firm that rents out office and lab space.

With these locations marked out, particularly the rental space building, Kuno and Nyx go in search of Pax. They find him not far from the burned husk of Nyx's apartment building, and learn he is more than pessimistic with regards to their hunt for Devereaux. He clarifies that he doesn't have any information for them. Able to tell Pax won't be convinced, Kuno and Nyx depart, though not before offering Asa's apartment as a place to crash. Pax declines citing Asa as a known upyr hunter.

The party eventually hashes out a plan to break into Devereaux's part of the unmarked building, which they proceed to enact. Nyx buys a device to hack a keycard lock, adding it to her pool of crime supplies.

#### **It's Time 🕘 to Crime🦹**

##### **Thursday, March 4th, 543:**

One afternoon, Asa watches as he leaves the university to make sure he's headed to the building, instead of home. At this point Kuno and Nyx, dressed as maintenance workers, hack the keycard lock into the building, before placing a magnetic strip on the doorframe so it can't lock when closed. Sam, with his hood up, spray-paints over the lens of the security camera, so the party isn't recorded entering the building. Kuno and Nyx have changed out of their maintenance disguises when Asa arrives, just before Devereaux does.

When Devereaux gets to the building, the party waits a bit before following him inside. On the way up the stairs, Kuno makes conversation about a fictional web development company, and the party doesn't get questioned. Devereaux's lab is at the end of the hall on the seventh floor. The party distributes their crime gear, until now stored in a backpack, while Kuno hacks the keycard lock.

#### **If There's One Thing Villains Love, it's Monologuing**

After entering the lab, the party is surprised to learn Devereaux had been expecting them. He puts his hands up when they open the door, and is generally cordial, if arrogant. The lab is a rectangular space, with several lab benches, a large black case on one of the shorter walls, and water-cooler-style containers of liquid sitting on the tables. Kuno asks a few questions, but mostly leaves the interrogation to Asa, since he's the one after Eldridge. While answering questions, Devereaux is moving around and tidying things up, eventually ending up by his desk with a thermos of coffee. Devereaux has no good leads on Eldridge's location, since they haven't worked together in about twenty years. Devereaux has his own projects, so the two were more like business associates or lab partners, he explains, and he doesn't keep in contact with the rest of Eldridge's brood. The only one he's seen in recent history is Pax, whom he refers to as an "outdated model".

By this point, the party has more or less run out of questions, but Nyx hasn't been able to immobilize Devereaux, so Sam lunges across the room and severs Devereaux's spinal cord. Devereaux teleports to one of the short walls, by the case, and supports himself on a table. He heals almost instantaneously, and has a smugly nonchalant sip of coffee, before uncovering an as-yet unnoticed object also on that wall of the room: a cage containing three ghouls, which he releases in the party's direction.

#### **Spicy Water and Soul Juice**

Sam and Asa each face off against a ghoul, with one on Nyx and Kuno, and Colby providing supporting fire. Nyx's accuracy is off, however, and she manages to puncture two of the containers of liquid around the room, sending something that isn't quite water spilling onto the floor. The not-quite-water wraps around Asa's leg when he steps in it, and he is wracked with agony and flashes of dying. When one of the ghouls steps in the water, its wounds close, and it springs across the room. This ghoul takes a big chunk out of Nyx's shoulder before it goes down, leaving her feeling dizzy. The party makes fairly quick work of the ghouls, before going after Devereaux--who has been taking notes on a clipboard.

Devereaux heals quickly from any wound, continuing to smugly teleport around the room with his thermos of coffee. He sends drops of his blood speeding at the party on several occasions. Eventually, Kuno, pissed off, shoots the thermos out of Devereaux's hand. It falls to the floor, spilling water. This angers Devereaux, who starts sending his blood after the party in earnest, but Asa manages to wrap him in red string. Colby splashes the upyr with holy water, and Asa reduces Devereaux to ash.

#### **A Little Harm. As a Treat.**

Nyx is basically delirious on the floor at this point, and healing from both Asa and Colby has little effect. Though concerned, the party takes some time to look around the lab. The case on the wall is a sensory deprivation tank with a shattered hole in the side. Tucked in Devereaux's abandoned briefcase, between sheaves of ungraded math homework, is an invitation to the VIP screening of *Shadestruck*: an upcoming vampire romance film directed by and starring Valencia Gray. The screening is in about a week. Kuno takes some samples of the not-quite-water, for future analysis.

At this point, it's fairly late in the evening. The party returns to Asa's apartment, with Nyx needing support. Colby heals Asa, who had been roughed up by the ghouls, before heading out.

##### **Friday, March 5th, 543:**

The next morning, Nyx is feverish but coherent, and in possession of too many teeth for her mouth. Sam heads up the search for Pax, but after searching for most of a day they don't find anything. Sam and Asa, exhausted, head back to Asa's apartment to crash, but Kuno keeps looking.

##### **Saturday, March 6th, 543:**

Nyx is close to fully ghoul when Sam and Asa wake up, and they have to lock her in the bathroom. Kuno is still out, and they don't see him until the evening.

Kuno finds Pax, who isn't happy to see him, outside a bar. He explains that Devereaux is dead, which Pax is impressed to hear, and that Nyx got bitten by a ghoul, which he really didn't want to hear. Pax is incredibly reluctant to turn Nyx, and argues this point with Kuno the whole walk to Asa's apartment. Eventually, Pax is convinced to turn Nyx, as long as the party understands this is a terrible idea and that it's on their heads. He knocks Nyx out and carries her out of the apartment, saying they'll be back in a few days.

#### **A Cool and Fun Trip Down Memory Lane With Absolutely No Mechanical Consequences**

Nyx relives her memories in reverse order, with each fading after she experiences it. She's left with a gaping sense of loss at the end of it, without any knowledge of what she lost. Memories start again, in chronological order this time: a generally happy childhood, if one spent distant from most peers, which blends into a middle school experience spent getting into fights, with disappointed but supportive parents not knowing quite what to do. The start of high school is better, since being on the outside is better than getting in fights, plus there's another kid who never interacts, but is a friendlier presence nevertheless. A memory of walking home from school when this kid is pulled into an alley stands out, a memory that ends with being grabbed in the same alley for trying to help.

The progression turns darker at this point, starting with a long time spent in a concrete cell. The time in the cell is punctuated by a memory of, without really deciding to, suffocating the other kid with a pillow. The time after this is worse, spent in the same concrete cell, or chained to a workbench, or in a proper cage, always left alone with only memories for company--memories, and the fostering of a seething hatred for Callum Eldridge.

Pax's memories continue with a revolving ensemble of people he killed, at Eldridge's behest, all faces that end up engraved inside his skull. The next memory that stands out is waking up in an alley after a particularly brutal fight, face-to-face with Nyx. He heads back to the Nite Lyfe, and is surprised when, a few days later, the bar is going up in flames--and that the same people, the same person, from the alley are responsible. After his ghost moves on, he starts collecting anything he can find on the people he killed, so he can make Eldridge remember them the way he does.

Nyx comes mostly back to consciousness, supported by Pax, with the searing pain of teeth in her arm. Pax, trying desperately not to sound like he's been crying, provides her with a person to eat, before helping her in the direction of somewhere they can crash.

## Quotes

**MacLaughagan:** “Samuel Fischer, I do fucking declare you might have grown a spine.”

**Kuno:** “Nyx, why didn’t you tell Kitty and Silas you didn’t fucking die in a fire?”

**Parker:** “Imagine being part of the lower class.”

**Legacy:** “Wait, let me guess—the dumb bitch who took my gun. Ten bucks, on the table.”

**Kuno:** “I’m fine with being the nonsense they want to spend money on.”

**Kellen:** “So what’s that relationship [between Nyx and Neera] look like?” | **Kai:** “There’s a right answer, Abigail.” | **Abby:** “Gay???” | **Kellen:** “Well I knew *that* already.”

**Kai:** “When it comes to ghouls there’s not really such thing as a little harm.” | **Abby:** “A little harm, as a treat.”

**Kellen:** “I assumed Kuno was sticking around, what with being a father.”

**Kellen:** “This is why you keep the tutorial characters around.”

← Session 22 | Session 24 →