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Velvet Crowe     One moment, it's flight on a dragon, which isn't super comfortable to be on either. You could say it has darkness radiating off it that's constantly nagging at Charity's mind, even if it has no further effects.

    The next it's getting skewered by spells from the exorcists below, taking cannonballs to the face, and even Samatha's turrets are chiming in. The dragon begins regenerating, but Velvet doesn't have any of it.

    The dragon gets swallowed up by her arm. Interestingly, this one doesn't release a horrible death wail spreading darkness everywhere. The oppressive feelings actually stop the moment it's dead.

    One proper use of its life force later, and Velvet and Charity are tumbling through the warpgate, the velocity taking them through the various tunnels inside and out another warpgate. Worlds away, in fact, to some grassy plains in broad daylight.

    Not much of anything else to see here. It's nice and peaceful.

    Velvet groans, rising up slowly, her huge, glowing black and red arm reverting to human size and shape, bandages covering the whole of it up again. "Ugh, that wasn't the best idea I ever had. Least now you can get your answers and I don't have to deal with exorcists breathing down my neck."
Charity Whiteheart     Unpleasant is a word. Charity probably bears it better than a normal human would, but that doesn't make it a fun ride. It is informative though... and she's eying that arm with more thought than fright, despite the fact that she's fairly sure Velvet could take her on in at least equal terms, or close to it.

    "That'd be nice," she mutters. "Daemonblight huh? I was told Daemons were barely even people any more. I guess my first question is... how are you able to retain your sanity?" She brushes herself off and stands up, then holds up a hand. "Mind, my world has something similar, but it's not completely unknown to have seen them redeem themselves. You don't have to convince me, I just want to know why. Seres was willing to die for you, so there's got to be a story there."
Velvet Crowe     Sanity? She's not sure she'd use that word. Normal people don't spend three years thinking about nothing but revenge, do they? The thought of doing anything else can't even manifest right now. Maybe it's the fact she's finally out of that hole.

    "How do you know I'm still sane and won't just eat you too? I appreciate you getting her to me but if that's the end of your use to me, and I have reason to think you'll turn around and go help the Abbey..."

    She's a barrel of sunshine, isn't she? Right to threats. She sizes Charity up and eventually just turns around to not face her. "There was a story. She was Artorius' malak. She was there when he killed..." She stops herself. "Whatever. I don't have to thank her or give her sympathy for that. She was using me and I used her back. She just happened to want the same thing I do."

    She turns again, to look at her temporary companion. "'Your world' huh? So the latest batch of prisoners wasn't lying when they said those glowing portals connect to other worlds. What dragged you to mine?"
Charity Whiteheart     Eh, Charity is used to random threats. She shakes her head, "I doubt you want to fight me. You might win, but you wouldn't enjoy it." She knows she's not top of the heap, after seeing what Velvet could do... but Velvet knows she has some odd powers too, doesn't she?

    Charity nods, "New worlds. Different... standards. Might want to be careful not to let this daemonblight spread to them, or you'll wind up getting some nasty attention. My bass was the real expert on that sort of thing, though." She frowns and puts her hands on her hips.

    "As for what dragged me in... well, the distress call said that a huge prison break was happening, so the Paladins were pulled in to help. They're... they enforce laws, I guess you could say. I hitched a ride because we overheard their signal, and if it was a dangerous breakout we could help. If it were a bunch of innocents being held, I thought it'd be good to keep an eye on the Paladins. Someone has to keep them honest."
Velvet Crowe     "Figures... so first Artorius makes himself the savior of the world and pulls together an army of exorcists, and now he's calling on some... cross-world organizations that I bet are bigger than you can explain in one sitting, huh?"

    Velvet sits back onto the ground, crossing her arms and staring up at the sky. She's not going to start a fight, at least? "It's not my concern if I spread the daemonblight around. I'll do whatever I have to until I'm strong enough to take Artorius on. He did this. The blood's on his hands, not mine." That is decidedly not how it works but she doesn't seem very reasonable right now. She might be a daemon after all.

    "So what now? Are you going to turn me over?"
Charity Whiteheart     Charity just laughs at the concept. "Maybe you didn't catch what I said. The Paladins and me? We don't get along so well. The only reason they didn't try to arrest me right then is because they had their hands full, and most of the ones there don't even know who I am by sight." She shakes her head.

    Then she points, "Hey, I understand pretty well what it's like to have a drive for revenge. I had my own frameup to take care of, when the boss found me. But I also don't want to hear that you've spread this daemonblight around other worlds. You do that, we'll hunt you down ourselves. Otherwise... well, you've got my ears anyway. Maybe I'll even help you. Probably at least stay out of your way."
Velvet Crowe     "No one knows how daemonblight even works. If you asked the exorcists how to stop spreading it they'd say I need to stay in hole until I die. That's not happening. Besides, the exorcists working in the prison didn't seem to catch it during those years, so I can't be that contagious. You seem fine too. It's got to take more than just me going places to start a mess."

    Allies, then? She could use a few. Artortius built himself an army, why shouldn't she? "I don't exactly know how my powers work to begin with. He called me a 'therion'. I've met and consumed hundreds of daemons in that jail and none of 'em knew what the word even means. Can't afford to stop now anyway. I'll have to keep moving to keep them off my back. Keep eating to get stronger."
Charity Whiteheart     "I probably have too much in me already to worry about it," Charity replies, lifting an arm. A thin bone spire erupts from her wrist, then just as quickly retracts. "But you raise a good point. Tell you what. I'll give you a radio to talk with the rest of the Multiverse, show you how to properly use the warpgates. We'll figure the rest out from there. You could use a quick rundown of how things are right now."

    Charity is being awful... charitable, isn't she? It does come with a cost though. "My old boss never let a useful resource go to waste. You don't give me a reason to fight, and we could probably give one another a hand. Now and then. Er... no... pun intended."
Velvet Crowe     "You don't want this hand, anyway," Velvet says, uncrossing her arms to raise her bandaged one higher to gesture. "It'll be useful to kill Artorius, but it just makes me hungry. That malak? That dragon? All the daemons and exorcists on my way out? I'm still hungry. I'm always hungry."

    She took that a bit too straight.

    She gets back up, finally, nodding. "Fine. Radios. I've seen some exorcists with them. From what I overheard they discovered them not that long ago. The warpgates are new, too. Guess it can't hurt to figure it out myself so I'm not behind. I don't even know how the world's changed in the last three years. I just know Artorius founded the Abbey and spread powers around."

    A pause. "You keep mentioning your boss, who's that anyway?"
Charity Whiteheart     Charity waves a hand, then fishes into her pocket for her spare radio. She only carries one, sadly. Handing it over, she answers, "Yeah... power often comes at a cost. You don't want to know what mine gives me... or what it takes."

    Frown. "The one I usually mention is... well, it's not a secret. I used to serve Elliana Fairchild. You can ask anyone, though, she's dead." Very careful wording there! "She was the kind of girl that would leave plans to keep running after she died though. It's kept me busy. My new bosses are Terra Branford and Hornet. We're with the Watch. We keep governments honest, if you wanna put things simply."
Velvet Crowe     "And she's the one who made gave you those powers?" It's what Charity seemed to imply, she's just curious if she has the story straight. She eyes the device she's handed with curiosity, poking a few buttons experimentally until something happens and music comes on. A few more presses and it falls quiet again.

    "Handy. So communication at any range? This'll play against me way more than it does for me if the Abbey's using them. I don't do complicated plans, either way. I'm just going to eat everything between me and Artorius. Then I'll kill him. I don't care what happens to me or the world after that. Might be a longer road than I thought though."

    Watch sounds useful, she'd admit. A group of people meant to keep governments honest, that'll probably play in her favor later. She's not sure she's ready to make commitments for the time being. "So the warpgates. They just... connect worlds? Any worlds? Any places in them?"
Charity Whiteheart     It wasn't an offer to join... Charity is a little too cautious to offer that right away, though interest in doing so might change that. She's definitely not going to push though. "Yeah. I got mine taken care of, and then... well. Needed something else to do."

    Charity shrugs. "Yeah, she saved my life. Gave me these powers. Normally, people get... turned into things like what we saw in the prison. They get obsessive and unstable. Some manage to retain their mind but... twisted, and will be fighting off some kind of influence for the rest of their lives. Fairchild could give me the power without those drawbacks, though not without /some/ costs. I owe her." She shrugs again. "I pay my debts."

    Finally, she glances toward the gate. "There are limits. It's a network. Like a system of roads, but faster. It may be harder to get to some worlds than others. And certain places. Even then... well, you saw how the other gate was guarded."
Velvet Crowe     "Yeah... don't even know WHERE Artorius is holing up, but odds are he's got his nearby gates well guarded. I could break through, but I'd lose the element of surprise." She seems annoyed, enough to ball up a fist and swing it in empty air. "It was supposed to be SIMPLE, damnit! I get out, I get what I want. Not I get out, find out there's tons of worlds, find out he's built an army and made himself the world's savior, and find out I have to walk on eggshells until I'm ready for him!"

    She calms down. Eventually.

    "Fine, fine! Thanks for the primers. I guess I have a lot to figure out before I make a move. At least the exorcists probably won't chase me into other worlds. I think. They'll have their hands full dealing with the prison for a while."

    A sigh, and she calms down further. "What's your name? You caught mine but I didn't catch yours." Or she didn't pay attention. One or the other.
Charity Whiteheart     That actually gets Charity to smirk. "Hey. Toppling empires founded on lies? That's something I have a little experience with. I know a few you can talk to." She holds out her hand. "Gonna have to check his side of the story I guess, but I think I like you more. Wouldn't be the first time I've helped take down someone who made themselves a savior."

    Introductions then. "Charity Whiteheart. My private frequency is already in there." She pauses. "You gonna keep me here? The rest of my allies are probably wondering where I am. If you need a place to lay low, and promise to behave, I might know a spot or two." She isn't going to share a Watch safehouse, but Rivernest is HER city.
Velvet Crowe     "There's no point talking to him. All you'll get is lies and maxims about reason over emotions. He can't have changed that much," Velvet spits out, confirming what she'd already confirmed ten times, that she can't stand this man.

    She waves a hand dismissively. "I'm not going to keep you here. You wanted answers and I wanted a backup plan. That's all done. Guess I wouldn't mind a place to sleep for a day or two if you're offering. A good bath, too. Turns out I've got a lot of learning to do before I can really set out."