Closing the deal

### AMs Secrets

The session opens with the party going down to the makeshift medical bay to meet with the newly conscious Director Silvers. The very same man who had previously been attempting to hunt down the Stitches is now laid out on a table, barely breathing, only alive due to the mercy of the Stitches herself. Diamant is the first to begin questioning him, but after the first question all Silvers can do is gesture vaguely and focus on breathing. Diamant, noticing that he is practically useless in his current condition, tells Stroke to go find him some Blue Rasberry, the common term for the drug Morphine. Stroke leaves quickly to go find some for him and thinks to first check AMs office for any. Led by a good deal of curiosity, Stoke is met with a curious sight.

Upon entering the office that she has been to many times before in the past, Stroke notices a door that she has never seen the room to which it guards, and opens it. Inside the room she becomes immediately confused, as this room is what appears to be a childs nursery, long abandoned. To Stroke's knowledge, AM hasn’t been in the prolonged presence of a child since her own childhood, and even then she had never seen a room such as this one. Walking into the room Stroke notices two twin sized beds and many toys scattered about. The room is covered in dust making it clear to see that this room hasn’t been touched in many years, and with further investigation Stroke comes across a few drawings of people seemingly done by a very young child. The people in the drawings are no one she recognizes, but it’s clear to see that they aren’t characters from a cartoon or story, and that these people depicted in crayon and colored pencil were, or are, likely real people.

Thoroughly disturbed, Stroke leaves the abandoned nursery to enter another room she hadn’t previously been to. This room was obviously used much more frequently than the nursery, and was filled with scientific instruments and supplies. There were also many objects in the room clearly used for spellcasting, including an altar and runes. The room is also filled with seemingly ancient technology from the fourth or fifth ages and is long since outdated. Stroke, while still confused as to what any of this means, is able to deduce that this room is a laboratory of sorts, and is primarily used for growing living human tissue using STEM Cells. Investigating further she finds sterilized bags filled with human blood and bones, some of which were grown in the lab, and some of which were harvested from people. Deciding it would be best not to touch anything and risk AMs anger for when he returns, Stroke continues with her search for Blue Rasberry and after searching in a nearby closet finds three bottles filled with blue liquid, one of which is likely to contain the pain killing drug.

### Getting Answers

Quickly grabbing all three, Stroke heads back to the other members of her party. Unsure if the three bottles she found contain Blue Rasberry, Stroke hands the bottles to Auntie to smell with her Olfactory Booster. Smelling them, Auntie is able to guess that one of them is indeed Blue Rasberry but one of the potions is just glow stick chemicals mixed with blue food coloring, and the last one has the consistency and smell of honey, and leaves Auntie puzzled. Still unsure, Stroke gives the presumed Blue Raspberry potion to Stitches to identify, and Stitches successfully identifies it as the pain killer they need to use for Silvers. Quickly drawing it into a syringe and injecting it into the arm of Silvers, Stitches is finally able to subdue his pain long enough for him to speak. It is made immediately clear that Silvers doesn’t recognize Stitches as Mina Robertson, and he speaks to the party about her as if she isn’t in the room with him.

Anthony Silvers admits to Diamant that he doesn’t really remember much of what the party wants, but that he remembers meeting with Warden Wright on the yacht. Wright was furious about the loss of a prisoner that wasn’t supposed to be let free, and he mentioned how a few people were able to talk with one of his boss’s and threaten them in exchange for the immediate release of the prisoner. Wright complained to Silvers how a company called the NEC was now upset with him for losing said prisoner. Diamant then asks Silvers to explain why he was hunting Stitches and he admits that he never wanted to, but was made to by other people. Upon further questioning Diamant is unable to get the answer from him, the only thing that she is able to understand from Silvers is that he fears their threat of death more than hers, and he recommends that she stop playing the vigilante before she gets herself too far deep.

Choosing a different method of extracting information out of him Diamant decides to persuade him, telling him that whatever trouble he is in, Diamant can get him out of it if he cooperates. This seems to work as he very suddenly becomes more genuine and distraught, admitting that he was forced to hunt, attempt to murder, and blame every bombing on Stitches against his will under threat of his family. He explains that he has a wife named Meria and two children named Janice and Helen, and that one day when he came home they were missing, having been kidnapped. From there, he was mercilessly threatened, and made to plant the bombs that blew up the Autodock buildings, and do everything he did with brutal force he didn’t wish to use. He voices how he regrets doing everything to Mina, and how he hopes that she got somewhere safe and out of harm's way.

### Pieces to the Puzzle

Diamant asks Silvers if he knows anything else about New Evolution, and he tells her of a sopratonian woman named Makina Yuri who was found dead. At this point Silvers has pushed himself to exhaustion and falls back asleep to continue healing. Diamant calls for everyone to meet in AMs office to talk over what they have just learned and everyone quickly gathers there. Diamant notices at this point that the Matrix is back up and has a few messages from Panda telling her they’re safe at their parents mansion, and not to worry about them. Diamant then messages another person asking them to do some research on Makina Yuri. The contact is able to tell her that she was a woman on the richer side of Empyria, but that she didn't have a remarkable amount of money, and that she had no enemies that would give her a reason to kill her. She was killed by many gunshots to the torso and limbs, but the E-SEC operatives that found her aren’t sure if her death was due to homicide or suicide, but the evidence is pretty clear that she was killed by another person.

After some debate as to what the next step should be for the group, the party weighs the decision to stay at the Tartarus Arena and rest for the day recovering from injuries, or going after Silvers wife and children immediately. The majority of the party decides that it would be best to rest for the day, as their spellcasters are currently suffering from Burnout, and would be pretty useless in a fight without a rest. With that, the party decides to check on the last few things that need their attention before going to do other relaxing activities that allow them to rest.

### Rest and Relaxation

Stroke decides it would be best to begin to start using her newfound responsibility over the Tartarus Arena and sends a few people to guard the doors and asks a few others about their weaponry and what they have available to them in a worst case scenario. She is told that their current position is plenty of weapons, but no traps are available for her use. Somewhat disappointed, Stroke continues with her day. Ringer chooses to relax for a good portion of her day writing in her journal and playing some simple games on the Matrix that help her to unwind.

Stitches, in relatively good health and energy, decides it would be best to attempt to make a grenade filled with hallucinogenic drugs to throw at enemies. This was in the hopes of making the opposing side of the combat begin to see enemies that weren’t there giving the party an advantage in the combat. She asks Stroke where she can find some Divinity, the drug she plans on using for her grenade. Stroke finds her a small dosage and gives it to her to experiment with. Stitches then makes her way into a room secluded from others to begin her experiments which immediately begin to fail her. Not twenty minutes into her experimentations her grenade slips in her hand and the drug, which is transmitted via inhaling, begins to leak into the room she’s in overdosing Stitches. She leaves her room having major hallucinations and running around the entire arena in search of safety from her demons that no one else can see. Seeing her walk around aimlessly, Stroke attempts to calm her down, but Stitches is frightened by Stroke and runs from her in utter terror.

For half an hour Stitches remains unable to remember where or who she is before eventually waking up curled up in a small ball underneath a stadium nearby the arena pit. She realizes very suddenly that she now has a permanent and severe case of Thalasaphobia. Considering briefly how terrible her visions were while under the drug, Stitches decides to continue her experiments, this time bringing with her a gas mask, and on her third attempt to subdue the drug into the grenade, Stitches emerges from the room triumphant, holding a single Divinity Grenade in her hand.

Meanwhile, Auntie, seeing that the Matrix is now functional again, messages a few people asking if they were safe and okay. After getting confirmation from these people that they were safe, Auntie decides to relax by making herself a cup of tea and finding the nearest potted plant and stray alleyway animals to talk to. For about a while Auntie speaks in Orkish to a small potted plant, two rats and a stray cat in an alleyway away from other metahumans, and eventually Peppermint finds her. Inquiring as to how Auntie was able to talk with the animals and plant, Peppermint asks her if she found a mage of some sort that was able to cast the spell “Commune with Nature” on her. Auntie tells her that she hasn’t seen a mage, and instead tells Peppermint that she’s pretty sure every Fir Bolg can speak with plants and animals. Peppermint, seemingly finding the answer she wanted, leaves Auntie to go join Diamant in the search for 4va to ask her for drugs.

### Diamants Trip

Diamant, joined by Peppermint, is able to find 4va at her bar, and asks her if she has any good drugs that would have a good effect on her. 4va, without judgment, hands her a huge bong and tells her that it is filled with both weed and hallucinogenic drugs she made herself. Diamant asks her if she would like to join her in smoking the bong and 4va agrees to do so, taking a hit and immediately beginning to lose a few senses while others become heightened. 4va asks Diamant if she has any good Wastehunting stories, but Diamant is unable to remember anything exciting she can tell her about. Peppermint speaks up telling her that she has the ability to summon a few creatures that are at her command to fight with her.

After briefly talking with 4va, Peppermint decides it would be an excellent idea to invite Candlewax to join them in doing drugs, and rushes to her room to fetch him. Candlewax is skeptical at first of her intentions, but after much convincing, Peppermint manages to get him to try the bong. Candlewax seems confused after doing so and tells her that he feels no different. Peppermint, confused, tries it herself and is immediately disappointed to find that the powerful drugs that were able to knock 4va unconscious have no effect on her. At this point, Diamant has had a few hits on the bong, and has joined 4va in the land of waking dreams, becoming incredibly relaxed, and asking everybody to draw a mustache on her face. It’s not long before Stroke finds them and asks what they’re doing. They talk briefly, Stroke attempting to take advantage of Diamants honesty, and asking her if she likes her or thinks she’s cool. Diamant admits that she thinks Stroke is massively annoying, but that she is smart at times and she admires that.

Stitches, having emerged from her experimenting room successful, and she and Ringer both decide to join Diamant and Peppermint to see what they’re doing. Peppermint begins to demand Stitches and Ringer to find her some drugs that work on her and Candlewax, and she asks Ringer to message a person named “Dory” for her to get her drugs. Ringer agrees to message Dory, but rather than actually finding out who Dory is, she decides to draw the mustache that Diamant wanted. Stroke explains what is happening to Stitches for a while and Diamant tells both Stroke and Stitches that 4va has died, mistaking her asleep form for corpse, and asks if she can use her as a pillow since she looks comfortable. At this point Auntie rejoins the party having left the stray animals and Stroke begins to explain to her what Diamant and Peppermint are doing. Peppermint soon asks Ringer for an update on Dory and Ringer tells her that Dory is waiting for her in her room to get her to go to sleep. Peppermint excitedly goes to find Dory in her room and after finding a suspicious lack of “Dory”, disappointedly goes to sleep instead.

Diamant then falls asleep as well and Auntie volunteers to once again bring Diamants unconscious form to her room. Stitches decides to tag along and while on her way to put Diamant to sleep, Auntie is stopped by Red. He tells her that she’s the only one in the arena in his weight class and asks her if she would like to spar with him in the arena the next morning since no one is allowed to leave the place. Auntie, seemingly made very happy at the thought of sparing with someone her size, agrees to his offer and the two leave each other. Auntie drops Diamant off at her room and then leaves to go herself to sleep.

### Ringers Past

Ringer and Stroke, having been left alone with only 4 va's unconscious body, begin to make conversation. Stroke and Ringer don’t have much in common, but they begin to try to once again piece together what had happened on the night that. With no new further ideas, the conversation begins to migrate to Ringer's past, Stroke asking what it was like to live in a boat before Ringer telling her that she was actually from the wastelands that  surround Empyria. Stroke asks her genuinely why she came to Empyria since it’s not a very great place to go and Ringer tells her that she basically had no choice, as to stay home was to stay in a dying place. Stroke, seems confused for a moment before Ringer explains a little bit more that the Plague had hit her home. Stroke apologizes, seemingly like she didn’t mean to reopen this old wound of hers, and Ringer goes on the mention how she tries today to see the bright side in everyday life, but living where she is now, it can be hard to do so.

Stroke tells her that she understands that it can be hard, and Ringer shares with her a family photo of herself and a few other Bendinese people around her. Ringer looks at it for a moment before telling Stroke that she misses them everyday. Stroke does her best to comfort her, saying that it can be hard to lose loved ones, but that she was lucky to have them and that they were lucky to have her too. They talk a bit more, about family and found family, and how it will always be hard to lose someone you love. Stroke does her best to comfort Ringer but openly addresses that Ringer's pain is real and shouldn’t be overlooked. She offers to be there if she ever needs to talk, and Ringer thanks her for all her words of kindness and comfort. Thanking each other, the two riots head off to bed to sleep for the night.

### Next Morning

The next morning the party wakes up bright and early, prepared to face the rest of the day. Auntie meets up with Red in the Tartarus Arena and Stroke and a few other people watch the two of them as they begin to spar, throwing massive punches at each other and both giving it their all. Auntie starts the fight with lots of force, but Red, using his energy more wisely, is able to hold her off until she loses her strength. He then is able to throw her to the ground and ends up besting her. At the end of the sparring match both Red and Auntie are left exhausted, but very happy and excited about getting to use their full strength. The two make short conversation afterwards, Red telling Auntie of a gym that he goes to that would actually have the weights needed for Orks and Goliaths like themselves, and the two of them share contact information before Auntie goes to check on Diamant.

Diamant is coming down hard and doesn’t look like she’s having a great time at the moment, and when Auntie goes over to check on her Diamant asks her if she spoke too much last night. Auntie tells her that she did say something odd about sleeping with other people and being cursed but that she didn’t think much of it. Diamant explains to Auntie that she is actually cursed, and that is why she’s a Dicubus and not a human, telling her that if she doesn’t sleep in physical contact with another person for two days than she actively can’t focus on anything and her mind starts to fall apart on her. Auntie shows concern for Diamant and tells her that if she needs anything to reach out to her, since she’d be willing to help her anytime.

Before Auntie and Diamant can finish their conversation Stitches walks into the room and asks to speak with Auntie. Now Diamant shows concern, asking Auntie if she thinks that Stitches is going to scold her or kill her. Reluctantly, Auntie goes over to talk with Stitches and Stitches reprimands her for fighting while still healing from three major wounds. Auntie insists that she’s fine and compliments Stitches on her stitches saying it’s better than any ripperdoc she’s seen. Stitches scoffs a bit at that and says she has a lot of practice both stitching things and taking them apart, before telling Auntie that if she goes and pops a stitch during a fight that she will stitch her to the bed next time to prevent her from hurting herself. Auntie, seemingly a little shocked at this, promises Stitches not to overdo it in the future, and leaves Stitches to talk with Diamant.

Diamant and Stitches talk briefly about the information they have gathered and go over any ideas that they may have for plans for moving forward in rescuing Silvers’ kids. While talking with one another, Stroke walks over to Stitches and asks her if she can help her to identify a few things in AMs office. Stitches agrees to look at the objects and Stroke takes her to the laboratory she previously found the day before. Stitches finds nothing new in the lab, but is able to confirm with Stroke that this is indeed a laboratory built for growing tissue, blood and bones and she raises no new ideas as to why AM may have been doing this. Stroke, having decided that it was most likely a mistake to show Stitches the lab, tells Stitches that they should leave, saying that even showing Stitches the place was probably a violation of AMs trust. She makes Stitches promise not to tell anyone what she saw in there and after only a moment's hesitation, Stitches agrees to keep the laboratory between Stroke and herself. Stroke, seemingly happy with this decision, tells her that they should gather the rest of the group to start making plans for what they need to do from there.