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Distortion Dets.	It's the first day of the Tres Association's Spring Exposition, and the sprawling event grounds it's been placed on, deep in the Old Industrial Quarter of District 14's Nest, are abuzz with vendors and busy-bee Tres Fixers and employees. From the outside, through chain-linked fences at the three adjacent warehouse halls (and outside spillover areas for food and the smallest Workshop stalls), as the crowds aren't yet filled up by suits, the distinctive blue tunic, brown leather apron, and cutesy steampunk goggle cap of the Tres Association is omnipresent. Bright banners, with a gear and spanner-head roughly approximating the silhouette of a '3', dot the lampposts of the area.     The size of the event shouldn't be too much of a surprise, given how omnipresent violence and combat is within the City, but a good part of the event isn't *just* for the sale of arms- the Workshops of the City are nearly never singularly focused on one product, and are perhaps the densest grouping after the Wings of utilizers of esoteric marvels and technologies. Showcases and purchases happen at places like this, but so do contracts, commissions, and collaborations to try and fulfil the wishes of whoever has enough money.     As with any large expo, before one can enter, one has to first navigate a sea of intimidating queue lines. Bag check, expedited to those who hold Fixer licenses, is a necessity not to do anything sane like prevent the open public from carrying in weapons, like it would be at a theme park, but to tag every brought-in weapon with an orange zip-tie, meant to indicate that it's already been purchased. Afterwards, those of the general public and those with Fixer licenses are separated again by attendants, for their actual entry badges- *theoretically*, Tres Association affiliated Fixer Workshops are meant to be selective in what they sell to non-Fixers, but it's far more likely this is just a method to gauge the expo's attendance metrics.     Those who approach the VIP Entry section from the start bypass both steps. Presumably for representatives of Wings, Associations, or other non-attending workshops, the section cordoned off for their processing is filled, sparsely, by indistinguishable groups of men in suits being talked to by uniformed Tres Association members. -----     If Lilian Rook, Director of the entire Trideag Association, were to rightfully approach the entryway's VIP queue, she'll find shellshocked Tres Association workers scrambling to explain to her face why she somehow isn't on their arranged list of pseudo-dignitaries, to be toured around with individualized programs Tres researchers design to result in the highest density of purchases. The same embarrassed 'I'll call my manager, this can't be right' back and forth continues until, behind the counter, by some unspoken decision, one of the Tres clerks is voluntold to provide her as much of that as she can improvise. Ushered forwards like a sacrifice, the short clerk adjusts a brown-and-blue goggled cap in the same way one might fidget with glasses.     "U-um! Director Lilian? I'm so sorry this much of your time has been wasted, but if you'll follow me, I'm sure the desk can work out whatever it needs to for later, whatever paperwork there is. We didn't know the Trideag would be sending anyone, s-so, in lieu of a tour! I'll happily facilitate whatever interests you with the Workshops present! I've got event maps, and contact lines to all of the attending organizations, so please count on me to expedite whatever you need!"     The Tres worker's clearly unpracticed spiel doesn't include her name, but on the front of her uniform apron, in shiny brass, not obscured by the PDA she hugs to her chest, is a nametag reading 'Rhyme'. She gets immediately to ushering Lilian (and whosoever of the Trideag Association she's argued are her entourage) out into the event grounds.
Distortion Dets.	Ezra, Fixer Grade Three, and Absolute Weapons Freak, has previously blabbered all around radio lines about this expo, and how excited she is to see what curious new offerings she can find, and what Workshop Miesters she can hassle for an autograph. She clearly was one of the first into the expo, as she's plunked herself down on a temporary bench to munch on what aappears to be the signature food of this expo- a cartoonish sword-shaped waffle, skewered through for easy holding. There is absolutely no way Ezra isn't going to try and ambush whoever she can recognize to wander with her around the grounds. She's waving. It's already too late for you.     Beside her on the ground, fittingly big for her six-foot-and-a-lot height, is a hard sided carry-case covered in cutesy stickers of all sorts, from stars to hearts to rainbows to workshop crests. Also stuck on its latch, are a good *twenty* of those orange zip-tie tags, implying the size of the arsenal within it. Who knows if that's the final extent of what she owns, or just her every-day carry.     "Yo, everyone! I've been waiting *forever*! What's the matter, were you all not excited?" There isn't actually anything close to an upset look on her face, as she cocks her head to the side and munches a bit of the waffle, chewing- "Ehe, or were you just giving Ezra time to get all familiar here, so you can get the best tour possible? Smart! Oh! And, you've all gotta say what you're looking for, mhm. No negotiations, no way out, I wanna hear it!"     Ezra's red eyes *gleam* in the sunlight. For once, Moses doesn't seem to be present to temper the Fixer.
Petra Soroka	Petra Soroka is not here as part of Trideag. She's not here as part of a Workshop, or a Fixer, even, because she's none of those things. Hypothetically, this would leave her with the singular option of being there as a civilian, and yet, she is not that, either. Instead, Petra has hassled her way into acquiring a booth of her own, consisting of a folding table covered in black, with the pop-up stand behind it functioning more like an ominous privacy curtain than anything advertising her actual product. In fact, she has no product at all, and no logo or branding of any kind-- partly because she just threw this together a couple days ago, and partly because she is being incredibly illicit.     So Petra is wearing her plain black suit without any identifying marker of any kind, heel of her palm squashed into her cheek, eyes narrowed in boredom as she watches the crowds pass by. The only thing that could make her setup seem sketchier is that she's advertising a completely undisclosed job opportunity, who's sole selling point is that she claims it's 'steady', and the pay is 'pretty good'. The unspoken selling point is that Petra didn't bring any chairs accidentally, and so she's sitting with her legs folded on top of a Positive Enkephalin box, which is practically comparable to a throne in this economy.     Roland is also there, because Petra would be really sad if she was there alone. "You know, Roland... it's not even a bad job, right? I mean, despite your... circumstances. It's pretty much fine even if you don't have the investment I do. There's probably a thousand sickos at this expo who are suckering people into whatever stupid little murder blenders they've got because they have better *graphic design*."     Petra, after a couple hours of doing this, is getting the itch to wander the expo herself. Weird gadgets and dangerous gizmos are entrancing to her, and for all her complaints about the City, the massive production and distribution of wildly overengineered tools of death isn't one of them-- she thinks those are pretty cool, actually! And not counting the EGO, she doesn't interact with City tech much at all!     So, abruptly, she gets to her feet and snaps her compact mirror open. "Roland. Would you be able to--" She glances at him, then decides without even finishing her sentence. "No, nevermind. I want to walk around for a while, so you're coming with me."     She prods the surface of the mirror at the P.E. box she was sitting on until Qetra gets the clue to pick it back up and stow it away, and then she slides the compact back into her suit jacket's pocket. "Right, let's..."     Petra takes one step away from her table before noticing Ezra, who she doesn't recognize, but who's beckoning at a clump of people she *does* recognize. She closes her eyes and screws them up in frustration for a moment, furrowing her eyebrows like she's in pain, and mutters under her breath. "Every time. Every time I go to something like this. I swear to god, I could go to my high school reunion and walk in and find a dozen Elites wandering around."
Rena	A WHILE AGO "Pochi, come on. Behave!" Rena, embarrassed by the attention she's getting, is somewhere between demanding and coaxing. Pochi barks. Pochi - a large, well-groomed shiba - got to come to the convention, because Rena doesn't like to go anywhere without him. And he is at least technically armed; he's got a harness with some techno-gear on it and they want to tag it. Pochi, for his part, seems to think this is somewhere between a game and a challenge and is playing hard to get, prancing playfully around and ducking this way and that behind Rena whenever anyone approaches him. He's getting more attention than she is. "Are you sure you need to tag him right now? Look, he'll calm down in a few minutes, he just thinks you're playing..." NOW Having been seriously delayed (and not just because she doesn't qualify for the VIP line) Rena is finally in the weapons convention. It's not really a surprise that she wanted to come, because she has a collection of weapons that probably rivals Ezra's if you count the *whole* collection, and is always in the market. She is feeling very glad that she did not try to bring all of her own weapons to sell. In her experience, a bazaar is a place you buy... but also a place you sell. Most of the things she's currently trying to offload are too big to carry, though, so she brought pictures, specs, and the location where people can find out more, but it doesn't seem to be that kind of a bazaar. She does have a few tags, though. There's the two pistols at her hips (one revolver, and one with a flared barrel that certainly doesn't shoot bullets). There's the knife at the small of her back. There's a bag slung over her shoulder, though it's mostly empty because she wanted to leave space to bring new weapons home; it only has a couple tags on it. Pochi has a brand new tag of his own too, affixed around one of the harness' straps. He trots obediently at Rena's side, no longer misbehaving and looking very proud of himself. Rena does pause to admire Ezra's case as she passes. Damn, she thinks. Someone's dedicated. She approves.
Odette Raskins	For the first time in a whole today, Odette feels a spark of envy. Here she is, clad in her Trideag finest/standard uniform jacket and skirt, wearing her Trideag-insignia'd cap, lugging around her Company-emblazoned duffel bag, ready to make a good impression on anybody that might want to network when she sees... The goggle caps. Not just one or two, but everywhere! The gear is certainly impressive, too, and she's surely going to do a circuit or two around the event grounds to see and sample everything she can, but those caps... They're adorable. They're cool. She wants one so badly, but can she even buy one? She'll have to keep her eyes open for the opportunity to do so once she gets in, and that might take a while with the amount of gear she's brought in if she has to take the regular Fixer line as opposed to tagging along with Lilian. A sword, standard-issue. A pistol, standard-issue. A staff, wooden. Surgical tools, sanitized and well-sharpened. Medicine, enough to overdose a hippo. Odette's actually brought far less than usual in her bag today, as it doesn't look like it's about to explode, but it's still chunky enough that she has to apologize and walk sideways every now and then so she doesn't whack someone with it in passing. Seeing Ezra here sans Moses is quite the surprise, though, that even takes her thoughts off goggle cap acquisition in favor of waving back to her excitedly. "Hello, Miss Ezra! Sorry for the wait. I mean... Having a guided tour of all this stuff doesn't sound like the worst way to look around?" She greets with a light giggle, peering at that sword-waffle curiously before remembering that she hasn't anything since breakfast. "Looks tasty... Where'd you get that one, anyway?" Spotting another familiar face, Petra's exasperation gets an awkward chuckle from ODette, clearly trying not to sound like she's actually amused while unable to suppress it completely. "Hi Petra. Small universe? Or city. Um." A conscious pause, then- "Don't worry, you won't ever see me there. I got home schooled, so there's no chance of me going there." She explains with a proud little puff up of her chest. Pochi's tag and also Pochi gets a wide-eyed stare and awed noise out of the EMT when he trots on by, and the sparkling look Odette lingers as she squats briefly to peer at the shiba. "Aww... Is the harness your weapon, little guy?" She asks, sounding like she's asking Pochi himself while looking up and over at Rena. "Is he yours, ma'am? He's so well-behaved..." She comments, clearly not seeing the antics he got up to earlier.
Father Berislav	Berislav's feelings about events like this--about the envionment which allows them to prosper--must be kept in check, for now. Whatever else the exposition is, however much of its size is owing to the City's culture of violence, it's also a valuable opportunity to see what might be fielded against the Watch, to see what the Watch might secure for itself, and to learn more about an Association. Maybe he might even discover assets--wonder of wonders, perhaps like-minded people willing to be more than just transactionally associated?     He's here not in his cassock, but in a brown nylon utility jacket over a white tank top and a mostly-unbuttoned light, ribbed-knit grey button-up with canary yellow trim, tucked into a pair of pale khakis. He has no bag to bring in for the bag check, thankfully. He also doesn't bother attempting to get in through the VIP entry. What would he say? 'I'm a leadership figure in a fledgling coalition with an interest in dismantling the City's systemic violence?' The thought of it draws a chuckle from him as he waits in line.     He waves enthusiastically at Ezra the moment he sees her. There's already something here to be happy about, at least.     "No, I'm not," he says. "But I don't want to dwell too much on it. Especially not when you seem like you really are excited."     What is he looking for?     "Allies," he says, more quietly than he'd made the conversation with her. "Failing that, business partners, who don't ask questions of us or answer any about us." One day, when the Backstreets understand who their true enemy is, they'll need something to defend themselves with.     Rena is a new face, and therefore, so is Pochi. "Hello there! I'm Father Berislav. I don't believe we've met!" He smiles and indulges a little laugh. "I'd certainly remember this fellow, I'm sure. Does your little friend here mind being pet?"     "Oh," he says conversationally. "I think that's Petra." Raising his voice to be heard and waving at her, "Hello, Petra! How are you? Who's that with you?"
Angela	As Ceri is holding down the fort today, there's two individuals from Trideag accompanying the Director today. One of them is Finn, the guy who is weird about getting augmentations that he can't quite articulate his reasons for avoiding, and the other is a new member of Trideag. Technically a new member of Trideag. The truth is...She's actually been sent on loan to help Trideag rather than as a long term member because she is already under the employ of Catherine, one of the bigger sponsors of Trideag there is out there. The woman introduced as Chief Butler Nelly of Wuthering Heights. She is dressed as a maid, complete with the pleated fluffy white headdress and a long black dress with a white frilly apron. She has what looks like a moderately sized luggage (weapon) case slung over one shoulder and the first thing she did upon arriving was fix Finn's posture and berated him for relaxing while representing Director Lilian Rook of the Trideag Association. She has brown hair and hazel eyes with the former pulled back in a short ponytail. Her goal today is to get Knifty gear so she can be properly trained as a Butler for the Trideag Association despite struggling with Fixer training. Nelly intends to take charge of her growth herself. "Don't you dare slouch your shoulders in front of me." She berates Finn. "I'll check my weapons first because it'll take longer. Wait patiently but you'll be tagging your sword." "Yes ma'am. This isn't my first Expo." Finn says. Nelly frowns as if trying to find something wrong with Finn's answer but seems to consider it within the realm of 'acceptable'. She then checks her case. The case contains one broom (tagged), at least eighteen knives (each one tagged individually), a feather duster (tagged), and a spool of monofiliment wire (the dispenser is tagged, not the wire itself). After everything is tagged, Nelly hides the knives and wire upon her body while leaving the feather duster and broom inside her case. The luggage case is also tagged. Meanwhile Finn hands over his sword and gets it tagged in fifteen seconds. They catch up at the VIP line afterwards. "Sorry ma'am but as Butlers cannot be official members of an Association I had to get my gear tagged and it seemed prudent to ensure Finn followed the process properly." ''Explain to her face why she somehow isn't on their arranged list of pseudo-dignitaries'' "This is just unacceptable, if expected. The last Naming Ceremony was before I was born. Even so--" She shuts herself up as Rhyme approaches. It isn't on her to degrade the sacrifice or ''the help'' though her eyes slant briefly at the nametag. Finn is startled by a woman nearly a Finn and a half in height, but not too much (his sister is taller than him too) and he manages a big smile and a wave at her even though he has no idea who that is. "You are...offering us a tour? But uh..." His eyes slant back to Rhyme.
Angela	MEANWHILE Roland is also there because Petra being lonely is outlawed by the Library rules. He is a little nervous but he is able to check 'Durandal' and get it tagged without issue, even if he doesn't get to cheese the line much (He's just a Grade 9 after all, even Finn outranks him at this point). Now that Angela has money, Roland has a card that he can charge things to in order to hire, buy, or bribe but he is staying near Petra and following her lead. "It's not a bad job. In fact, it's a job most folks in the Backstreets would kill for. And I'm not being metaphorical, I mean like--really kill for it." Roland tells Petra. "I think a lot of people might get suspicious at such a good deal being in front of them though the work isn't exactly without risk." He has his own investment but he keeps that to himself. He points to the PE Box. "Might want to hold tightly onto ''that''. It's an Association joint but I think a lot of people would kill for that too right now." ''So you're coming with me.'' "Yes Petra." Roland says, barely avoiding ma'am again. His gaze follows to Ezra, whose VOICE he recognizes, and he immediately winces. He looks over to the other Elites who he shouldn't recognize. "Wouldn't surprise me. They seem to get around..." He says.
Hibiki Tachibana	Unfortunately for everybody involved, there will be no appearance of Tachibana Hibiki's social tagalong today, because holy shit she's never even entertaining the idea of bringing Miku to the City for anything. She's not insane.     At the very least, she gets in without the otherwise awkward-feeling event of her Symphogear getting an orange weapon tie because as far as anybody else would ever figure, it's just a necklace. Are all magical girls actually concealed carriers? Huh.     Honestly, this sort of thing isn't really her usual cup of tea - but she had a relatively free bit of time, and any day she's not doing anything potentially dangerous is a good day in a lot of people's books. That and Ezra's excited going on and on about it admittedly did get her a little curious, and cut past her initial thoughts that this might /just/ be a bunch of weapons and other violence-gizmos being peddled.     In other words, there might be cool /non/-violence-gizmos to have as a souvenir.     "Oh-- uh, there you are, Ezra. Actually, I--" Didn't see her there until she was already being flagged down and assaulted. "--...would be totally lost here without someone who knows their way around. Thanks a bunch." After all necessary recoiling from Ezra's sheer amount of enthusiasm, her small smile is genuine but her accompanying chuckle is just a little awkward.     There's a brief, slightly flat-footed aside as she spots the obscene amount of tags that the looming assistant detective's case has, before she clears her throat and crosses her arms. "Well... it might sound a little silly, but do you think there's anything here that'd be handy around a kitchen? I kind of want to bring something home..."     Huh. Hibiki pauses, glancing left then right. "...Is Moses not here with you...?"     She then pauses and glances elsewhere, again, as an entirely different familiar voice hits her. "Oh--" For the second time today. It's like less than a minute after encountering Ezra, come on. "Petra. And..." She pauses at Roland. She has no idea who this guy is offhand. She should, listening in on the radio as she does, but it's hard to place in the moment.     So she extremely smoothly slides things back to Petra without missing a beat, although with a helpless rubbing at the back of her neck. "...I don't got an explanation, seriously. Not even after all these years..."
Petra Soroka	"I think a lot of people might get suspicious at such a good deal being in front of them though the work isn't exactly without risk."     "Honestly. We have *dorms*. We have *amenities*. It's probably less risk to your overall health than, like, being a construction worker is. They should be begging me to hire them." Petra grouses, fiddling with her menacing black tablecloth. Evidently, no one's been reeled in by her marketing tactics yet. "Hello, Petra! How are you? Who's that with you?"     It is, to her dismay, Petra. It's possible to see the exact moment she gives up on 'escaping' and decides to just fall in with the clump of people she knows, and it comes a lot faster than usual. She might get fussy about it, but it's still an outing with people she knows in an environment she's at least relatively comfortable in and enriched by, and she certainly won't turn that *down* these days.     "Hey, Berislav. Oh-- him? That's just a guy. I can't let him go off on his own so I bring him around places." Of course, now that she's walked closer, Ezra is within earshot and Petra just said the most kidnapper-implicating thing possible. "Er-- his name's Roland. He's not being kidnapped." "Wouldn't surprise me. They seem to get around..."     Petra doesn't recognize Ezra by voice immediately, because she's always been bad at that, but when Roland's eyes go towards her, Petra reassesses her and it clicks into place in her mind. She chews on the inside of her lip, gaze flicking down to the stickers, and then says aside to Roland, "You better not be weird."     Petra ambles towards Ezra now, since it'd be weird not to greet her at this point. Abstractly enriched by the environment, she hooks the arch of her boot up onto the legs of a stand supporting some Workshop's banner, and idly balances there while giving Ezra a polite wave.     "Hey. Ezra, right? We've met on the radio before."
Angela	Roland waves a hand to Berislav. "Hey," He says. "It's me, Roland. Also known as Kidnap Guy. ... ... But I'm not kidnapped. It's just a nickname." He squints at Berislav. He's trying to see what Olivier sees in this guy. He sees Hibiki looking at him. "I'm Roland." He says needlessly again before looking to Petra, who tells him to not be weird. "Pfffh, me? Weird? I'm normal. Even the Graders say so, too normal to even be a Grade Eight. Hahh..." He lets out a long weary sigh. "So you a friend of Petra's?" He asks her. "Or do you just know each other from work?" He does kind of give off the vibe of someone who would throw a kick at a football only for it to be pulled away at the last second, but he is amiable and inoffensive, also like Charlie Brown. His face is somewhat between a smile and a grimace which--isn't really helping him across as like a Linus or something.
Lilian Rook	Though she wouldn't call it 'last minute', Lilian has been planning to attend this exhibition for less time than she'd felt the encroaching need for it. Making inroads with major workshops had always been on her list of goals to accomplish in the middle term for, but she'd been content to leave that to future Lilian to figure out; until recently.     Logically, her most capable (in combat, at least) Fixers are all going to insist on using their own equipment, and those that she's training shouldn't be taking on work that'd require top quality gear until she thinks they're ready. In the meantime, she can use the steady flow of action reports from the usual Grade eight and seven work to assess what the actual needs of her Fixers are on a day to day basis and properly design a standard issue kit. Or so her way of thinking had blissfully gone; one she no longer has the luxury of.     It wasn't the steady collapse of District Twelve after the end of Lobotomy Corporation that she was unprepared for; it was what began appearing after. As if punishing her for the unresolved internal contradictions that had lead her to the final days of the company, the unforseen, inexplicable events that have followed are too obviously unprecedented threat to everyone in her employ; and if absolutely nothing else at all, Lilian couldn't let Angelica's death to be less than even a warning. So Tres moved up the list.     Lilian dresses up for an arms expo like a somewhat more dour and edgy equivalent of the tech investor events she's been dragged into in past. She wears the long version of the Association coat, further waist-fitted by the silver link belt she has on to support a scabbard for Night Mist, worn openly just for the sake of tagging it, with Winter Crow counterbalancing the other side rather than on her usual thigh holster. Wearing it half-buttoned with a dark green mock neck, split side a-line, leather knee boots, and tinted tights, she's intentionally leaned on more silvery-grey jewellery to define a winter pallet instead of it being officially spring. For the first time in a while, she's been able to ditch gloves. Her nails are painted back in her Sapient Heuristics style, save the single star is red instead of gold.     'We didn't know the Trideag would be sending anyone, s-so, in lieu of a tour!'     "That's a shame. I'm actually in considerable need of placing several large orders soon, so I thought this would be the place to go. Given the Tres Association's reputation, I thought there'd be the willingness and capacity to absorb a rather large, expedited commission, but . . ."     This absolutely isn't poor Rhyme's problem, but Rhyme is going to have to report back, and so Lilian knows exactly the words to say. Ironically, they're the truth. "If you've already got your hands full, isn't it best to say so? With things being as they are, I'm certain you've got plenty on your plate already, right?" she says, with a fake-sympathetic smile. "Is there really time for a flashy exhibition like this, if it's that bad?"     Okay. Point made.
Father Berislav	<J-IC-Scene> Father Berislav says, "'Just a guy...'" <J-IC-Scene> Petra Soroka says, "Yeah, he's like-- that's what he is."      "I understand," says Berislav, who is from an Earth where Charlie Brown is too far in the past to be a cultural touchstone, but who nevertheless has known lesbians to associate with weird little guys. The phenomenon is even observable within the Watch.      "I knew Petra when she got her start," says Berislav. "So I suppose we do know each other 'from work.' A lot has happened since then! It's a pleasure to put a name to a face," he adds with a smile, shaking Roland's hand. "A Grade Nine, then? Too normal to be a Grade Eight?" he wrinkles his nose playfully. "Some people would say that's quite a rarity in the City."      "To manage to hold onto that, in a place that works so hard to take it from you, is no easy thing."
Lilian Rook	'And, you've all gotta say what you're looking for, mhm. No negotiations, no way out, I wanna hear it!'     "Someone capable of manufacturing match-grade ammunition to the exact specifications I give them, but more importantly . . ." Lilian trails off into thought before even saying hi to Ezra, treating the question as a kind of greeting in its own right. It's way less weird than Aoi Todo's, at least. "Something that will impress me."     She uses the opportunity to turn to her guide. "My biggest priority right now is an overall upgrade to my entire Association's standard main arm template. People who can work with high precision, high complexity, and aren't going to try and sell me fuel and replacement parts. A workshop or craftsman with the equipment to work with high temperature materials and tight tolerances, focused on small, high-quality batches. And I'd like a little inspiration, too. I have ideas of my own, but first I'd like to see what people are already coming up with."     She starts listing off criteria on her fingers. "Fewer moving parts, no more than two unique configurations or matching pieces, no more than three required steps or gestures, low risk to the user when handled properly, and nothing that takes advantage of human biology; poisons, electrical shocks, that sort of thing. I'm fine with something that requires a reasonable degree of technical knowledge to work, and I'll accept an up-front price tag and high-end of reasonable maintenance costs."     Then back to Ezra. And up. It's kind of funny how far Lilian has to crane her neck, given her being a Grade higher than Ezra. "Charmed." A glance down at her case. "Don't you find that tiresome to drag around with you? Where do you find the time to rifle through it in combat?"     Finally, she turns back to her 'entourage'. "Finn. I'm certain you already had an idea, but I'll have you 'modeling' today." she says. "If you can't get a demo item to work on your own, I'm not interested, so do your very best for the good people trying to make a living here. Give me your honest feedback on the feel of them too. You have a very different build than I do." Then to the mai, who is not here because Lilian has any kind of fixation. Ignore the way she obviously talks sweeter to her than anyone else despite barely knowing her.     "I'd like you to cover the rest, if you don't mind. Build quality, reliability, finer ergonomic versatility; how you see it holding up under field conditions, your opinion of its regular maintenance; that sort of thing. I imagine you'll have a keen eye for the reality of carrying something around every day, in your line of work. I'll be considering your opinion 'the professional soldier's word' as to whether something is fit for issue."
Lilian Rook	Lilian's attitude towards Nelly's indignation is, of course, completely and totally sympathetic. It is just outrageous isn't it? But the fact is, Lilian actually needs wares, and storming out won't get her them. Being magnanimous and patient (and rich) is an affected strategy that's worked for her a hundred times before; the middle tier of business is usually so grateful that she's tolerated one fuckup that they'll bend over backwards to avoid pushing her temperament any further. "Thank you for keeping an eye on him." she says.     Something Finn says sticks out at her.     "You have a history of attending these?" she says to him, implication obvious. "Forgive my saying, but I doubt you were making many purchases. Was it just to window shop? Do you keep up on workshops as a personal interest? Were you attending in the company of someone else?"
Distortion Dets.	'Are you sure you need to tag him right now?'     "I'm sorry, but there's no exceptions! Every weapon needs to be marked, or you can't bring it in." It isn't Pochi's harness that's the only thing the check line wants to tag, but dogs technically count as weapons, according to posted up signs! In fact, dogs probably aren't allowed at all unless they're weapons. The fact that he isn't making it easy backs the line up for everyone else, so only some of that ire is ablated away by the fact a cute dog is responsible. ----- 'Hello, Miss Ezra!'     "Medic girl! You're so polite! It's gonna be the *best* way to look around~! They put out the food near some of the bigger stalls, to get people hanging around longer, but pretty much every one of the food vendors sells these!" Crunch, munch. "They're bad. You should try one!" '--...would be totally lost here without someone who knows their way around. Thanks a bunch.'     Hibiki option-selects the riskiest move, validating the mischievous demeanor Ezra takes, knowing that there's a little bit of trust placed in her hands. "Don't worry~! I wouldn't lead little you astray!" Little? Sure, Hibiki is itty bitty, but the tone Ezra is taking towards her is *egregiously* self-aggrandizing. '...Is Moses not here with you...?' "Nope! The Detective's coming later in the day, had some pretty urgent business with her boss, or so she said! Ehe, but today's a day I took off, so *I* get to spend as much time as I want here! Need something passed along to her?" 'but do you think there's anything here that'd be handy around a kitchen?'     "OH Do I??? There's this workshop I've been eyeing that *just* sells knives, but they're the niftiest ones I've seen! If you're nice they'll let you get your hands on 'em and try them out, I can definitely show you! Is that the kind of thing you mean? Oh, or do you mean like, a toaster!?" Why is she so excited at the idea of a toaster? "Come on, I'll point them out~!" 'No, I'm not,' 'Especially not when you seem like you really are excited.'     Curiously, despite his follow-up permission for excitement, Ezra's expressions and posture slump- not *dissapointed*, but no longer so vibratingly eager. "Mmmm, that makes a lot of sense, Father. I'm not so sure how many friends you might find, but... people who don't ask too many questions, you're in a pretty perfect place. What kind of business first?" 'Hey. Ezra, right? We've met on the radio before.'     Scary red eyes glare down at her, passive and analytical. It's a solid few seconds of gaze before Ezra speaks up. "Oh!! It's you!!! Damn, I thought you'd be taller... Er, I mean, I had no idea you'd be around here, ehe! You're pretty buddy-buddy with everyone already, aren't you? C'mon and come with!!"
Distortion Dets.	----- 'I'm actually in considerable need of placing several large orders soon,'     Rhyme is *mortified*. "M-my deepest apologies, Director Lilian! I assure you, this shouldn't have happened, and I'll do the best I can to make sure we can fit you with the best workshops to fulfil your needs." Frantic, walking backwards- then forwards, to whistle and get expo-goers out of the way -then backwards, she tip-taps into the tight clutched PDA. "Miss Director- I will *personally* make sure you don't leave today without those orders placed." Can she really promise that? She sure seems to be just a desk clerk, albeit one with a lot of nervous fight in her. She's invested- so much so that she quite literally walks backwards *into* Ezra.     "Ah!""Ope, watch it! OH!"     Frazzled Rhyme pushed to the side, Ezra waves at Lilian, not interrupting her answer further. 'Someone capable of manufacturing match-grade ammunition to the exact specifications I give them, but more importantly . . .'     Rhyme's big eyes go wider, somehow. With the bullet tax, that's *big* ask- most Workshops don't even keep equipment on hand to manufacture that. Ezra 'Hmm''s at that, but Rhyme speaks up. "Atelier Logic, they have a stall here. They're a luxury-focused team, of course, but they have their own productions for firearms and munitions, and they favor custom jobs. I've sent them a notice. Whenever you're ready, Director, it's right this way!"     "Gueh? This is my tour to guide! C'mon, they're over-""*Ahem* . Miss Director, please follow me!"     'People who can work with high precision, high complexity, and aren't going to try and sell me fuel and replacement parts.'     With furious, competitive glares between the two of them, Rhyme and Ezra both answer simultaneously: "Sounds like you wanna see Stigma Workshop," "Why, that can only mean Stigma, they're right near Atelier Logic, this'll be quite convenient!" The rest of Lilian's specifications get marked down, slated for later, and kept in mind for the first showcases. 'Don't you find that tiresome to drag around with you? Where do you find the time to rifle through it in combat?'     "Ehhh? It's not as heavy as it looks, and I'm real strong~!" She flexes her bicep- it's impossible to see a change, given the heavy coat she wears. "I've got it rigged with a couple sets, I just call out the right term, and bam, they pop on out! How flashy is that, huh, Director?"
Distortion Dets.	Atelier Logic:     Black carpet covers their stall's area, clean, with pristine glass-cased (but openable by their sales reps) displays of long arms, predominantly higher caliber constructions- the sort you'd expect for big game hunting, decorated and adventurous more than militaristic. Silver-casing bullets are displayed alongside the guns, as if they too are an art piece- no price tags are listed, obviously, with the implication that their customers shouldn't have to care, if they were even considering a purchase. Given a few quiet desks further from the walkways, the representatives seem to want to talk out people's orders, more than ever direct them to a catalog. Stigma Workshop:     The first thing prominent about Stigma's stall is the smell of fresh steak. High quality blades are the name of their game, with a few other specialties, such as carry cases bigger on the inside than the outside, with the added touch that all their weaponry focuses on wicked heating coils worked within the cutting edges, simple and horrific. To demonstrate this- they've rigged up a toaster to cook meat. Ask, and they'll show you- ask while implying you've a lot to spend, and they'll let you have the steak. Materials and production have whole billboards put up behind the first stand, implying that their image, at least, depends on caring about simplicity and perfection. Carnelian Workshop:     Ezra has to diverge from Rhyme's route hopes for this one- it's the knife shop she mentioned to Hibiki! So, so many knives, so, so many purposes, staffed by three identical brothers? It's got a high range of quality, price, and purpose- but it's All Fucking Knives.
Rena	As for Rena's own weapons, she has no problems with getting them tagged - it's a little weird to her, but they're not taking her weapons away or interfering with using them so she doesn't really care. (Now, if they wanted her to disarm - then she might have an issue.) Pochi barks again, this time when Odette and Berislav pay attention. "His name is Pochi, and he's friendly," Rena agrees. "I don't really think he's *mine*, though, but I rescued him, so... I guess he is? If he doesn't want to be pet he'll duck away." But he doesn't seem particularly interested in doing that now; he'll accepts pets, though he does return to Rena's side afterwards. When Odette asks about the harness, she considers how much to explain, decides she is probably in the company of weapons nerds, and says, "Something like that. It's an offensive shield system." She doesn't go into much detail beyond that. "I thought I'd come by and see if there was something else I could pick up. For him or me. I don't really know what the City has on offer." She's been to the City before, a couple times, but never out at something like this. And she didn't stick with working with Angela, for her own reasons - mostly that Lobotomy Corporation creeped her out, and Rena is not one to completely disregard her instincts on that front. Rena does see someone she recognizes, and straightens up slightly to be seen: Hibiki she knows from several operations. She recognizes Lilian too, but Lilian is both famous and occupied and they aren't close at all so she isn't going to bother her. "Hey," she says to Hibiki, losing a bit of her 'I'm-lost' look, which she is increasingly getting in a place this big and crowded. "Been a while. Sorry for vanishing on you before." And then she hears about knives... "You mind if I tag along?" she asks, curiously. Because she does always need knives. She's going to end up heading the same way in general whether or not she's invited, having nowhere in particular she needs to be. Rena wants to look at - well, everything; she keeps looking around like a tourist, which she is, but she could always look at knives. Or pistols. Pochi wants to look at anything Stigma Workshop has. (He is not interested in the weapons.) He does stay with Rena, at least, but he does keep looking in the general direction of cooking meat. "Where do you get a case like that?" she asks Ezra, too. Because she could see the uses for it. "And, is this exhibition all personal weapons?" Look, some people here need to equip a tank. Or at least a motorcycle.
Odette Raskins	When Odette sees Berislav, her mind short circuits briefly as she tries to remember who does and doesn't know she's with the Watch, then remembers that everyone here probably already knows by now. Some of the tension in her shoulders leaves once that weight is off her mind, and she greets him with an excited little wave. "Hello, Father Berislav! This does feel like a good place for doing all of that without worrying... Especially with all the security around. It'd be dumb for someone to start something around all this gear that the makers probably know how to use better than anyone." Finn's a familiar face as well, but Nelly is a new one. Odette's caught up watching the Chief Butler 'training' Finn for a while, marveling at both her poise and her impressive luggage case. Nelly's intensity keeps her from speaking up at first, but she does eventually pull it together enough to wave lightly at Finn in greeting when it looks like Nelly is busy staring at Rhyme. "Hey, Finn. Are you holding up okay? You've got this." Roland gets a more casual wave as well, although she needs a moment to recognize him even from the last few times they've met. She does, however, raise an eyebrow at 'Kidnap Guy' and mouths that same name soundlessly if/when Roland looks her way. Spotting Hibiki, she waves excited towards her as well, giggling quietly when she mentions kitchen-relevant gear. "Hello, Hibiki! Maybe they've got some kind of an all-in-one kitchen tool around here? But if it's something that someone thought up here, I wouldn't be surprised if it was part of a whole toolkit." She predicts, and then her eyes shine again as something else comes to mind. "Do you bake, too?" Caught up as she is in the excitement of seeing familiar faces, cute hats, and cuter dogs, Odette almost forgets the reason she's really here: To look at the gear! She still has yet to fill out her own requisition forms with Trideag, but hearing Lilian speak of commissioning the Tres Association to handle orders reminds her of just that. "I wouldn't mind taking a look around to get some ideas, actually. Although I guess in my case, it's less for weapons that are just weapons?" She explains, realizes that might be a little confusing, then adds after a moment. "I need ideas for something that's multipurpose. I'm still a medic before anything else, so something that could pull double or triple duty would be great." Rena giving Pochi's name has Odette pausing to gawk at the shiba again, and she certainly obliges for petting him once permission is given. "So cute... Eh? Offensive shielding? How's that work?" She asks while looking up at Rena, visibly struggling to picture that. "I thought shields were all defense, unless he can use it like a... A battering ram? But he's so tiny..."
Odette Raskins	"They put out the food near some of the bigger stalls . . ." "They're bad. You should try one!" "Good strategy... Sure is easier getting someone like me in with good food. Or interesting food, if they can't make it good." Odette confirms with a satisfied nod, eyes going wide again as Ezra tells her up front that the sword waffles are bad and recommending them anyway. Has she found a kindred spirit? When she finally finds the place with the sword waffles, Odette wastes no time in getting one to try. She suppresses a gag in her mouth even though it's fully visible in her eyes, waiting until she comes back to Ezra with an excited glint in her eyes. "Oh, this really is bad! Neat..." When Lilian starts going into more detail about what she's looking for, Odette finds herself nodding along more often than not. "Something sturdy probably wouldn't have as many moving parts, no... Oh. Yeah, doing too much might just mean it'd be kind of bad at all of them. Something too fancy might be a pain to use in a fight, and... Okay, maybe not a toolkit. Back to weapons, then, but..." "Gueh? This is my tour to guide! C'mon, they're over-""*Ahem* . Miss Director, please follow me!" Hearing Ezra and Rhyme compete over trying to get Lilian to follow them draws Odette out of her indecisive haze, and she giggles quietly when they both name Stigma Workshop as something that fits. "That sounds like a pretty good endorsement if you're both agreeing on that. And if they have stuff that doesn't use expensive ammo, the better..." More importantly (for right now), they have meat. Odette's mouth is already watering on the way to Stigma's stall, enticed by the smell and not discouraged one bit by the sword waffle earlier. Although she's initially drawn in by the meat, Odette's attention is eventually snatched by the actual gear on display. At first, she's staring at the most massive of their heated blades, but she starts asking about smaller and smaller blades. Eventually, she outright asks if they have surgical tools utilizing the same or similar technology, for heating or for convenient storage. She definitely name drops Trideag a few times, and she strategically adjust her cap and bag at times, too, to suggest she's got TWO whole places she could pull money from!
Angela	Nelly dips her head politely to Lilian. "Catherine sent me to assist you, my lady. You can rest assured I am a professional--and I've dealt with slobs and ingrates in my time. Sometimes dealing with the Mistress's family involves some hands-on discipline. The Heights are that sort of place. The Mistress has high hopes for what your organization can do for the City--even at a time like this." She idly pushes down Finn's shoulders after they shot back up (after seeing Ezra). "If you are going to model, I'll clearly have to pose you--it's like your shoulders have a mind of their own." She frets, before looking back to Lilian. "I've noticed she's not the only one. And less has to do with the 'video' these days and more to do with you going to the trouble of forging connections." ''Some people would say that's quite a rarity in The City'' "...Really? Well, I was above a Grade Nine before but people do get busted back down for pissing off the wrong people all the time. Or by taking too few missions, missing a test... But I got around so don't be too surprised if someone knows me. You've known Petra that long? You've gotta have stories, right?" He can't help but be a LITTLE curious about the woman he directly works for. ''To manage to hold onto that, in a place that works so hard to take it from you, is no easy thing.'' Roland frowns. That didn't seem to sit well with him. "You flatter easy huh..." But he doesn't think Olivier would fall for a silver tongue THAT easily, even if they're silver haired too. "The City tries to take more away than what's normal about you. I'd be--" He remembers Petra's warning to be normal. "--Just be careful of being the nail that sticks up too much, yeah? They'll crush your dreams here with a pen on a line faster than with a club with spikes on it, you know?" ''Sounds like you want to see Stigma Workshop'' Roland's eyes widen slightly and he rushes over to Lilian and asides, "Hey--hey--hey--... Just to give you a little headsup since this seems like your first Expo--but Stigma works closely with Liu--and I heard Liu was keen on helping you out. If you leverage that you'll get a good deal." He murmurs to her quickly before rushing back to Petra. "Sorry had to give her some warning on that." He pauses for a moment and adds, "Near Atelier Logic... I gotta go there myself, Petra. They specialize in firearms and I'm gonna need a new rifle and a couple pistols." Roland adds. And indeed, when they make it to Atelier Logic, he seems to be recognized by the vendor--but Roland quickly waves his hands off and quickly gets into the nitty gritty of gun talk which occupies him for a bit. ''But I'll have you modeling today. If you can't get a demo item to work on your own, I'm not interested, so do your very best for the good people trying to make a living here. Give me your honest feedback on the feel of them too.'' "Yes Director...!" Finn says. He smiles at Odette, "Hey thanks Odette--you know, you might want to get a nice bag for all your medical equipment--they're not just all weapons here, they also have some of those bags bigger on the inside than on the outside--really useful, from what I heard."
Angela	Finn isn't very good at gun talk, he's barely even seen them before in his life let alone used them, but he does talk with the man and test the weight and feel--he's not allowed to actually fire them on site because these are guns. At Stigma, Finn lightly burns his left hand trying to use the sword. He grimaces and says, "Uffh... Guess I'm not ready for something like that... But it wasn't too heavy, easy to swing..." He bandages up his hand (he brought some with him). He makes his way back to Lilian and explains his experiences. "Stigma Workshop weapons--I was told this before but never had a chance to test it for myself, they require pretty strong discipline to use or you can hurt yourself--that's why Liu's so big on it..." He exhales out a sigh... "I feel like the guy in charge there was judging me... ... And I don't know much about guns, but the Atelier Logic guns look and feel well made and if that Roland guy wanted them, they must be pretty decent at least. Certainly costs an arm and a leg." ''You have a history of attending these?'' "Ah... this isn't my first office. As a newbie I was sent out to a place like this to pick out augments--but I couldn't get myself to buy any.--I picked up my first sword at something like this. My old boss would give me grief constantly about it, it was his way of looking out for me." He grins. "I hope he's holding up okay without me. It was a Grade 8 Office so ... it can be a struggle sometimes. He couldn't believe it when I managed to get into an Association like yours, but now I can show him just how capable I can be...!" He sounds excited. ''I'd like you to cover the rest, if you don't mind. Build quality, reliability, finer ergonomic versatility...'' Nelly doesn't even need to visit workshops here to know the deal here. "Ah, well, if you are asking for my expertise... Atelier Logic makes some of the best firearms in The City but they are difficult to maintain properly--they're very precisely tuned. They're useable if they wear out a bit but if you want to make the most of them, I'd definitely stay on top of the maintenance. They're expensive too, but--well you know about the ammo tax right now. They're an expensive option but if you don't mind the extra legwork they can seriously get you out of a jam--but you're an Association, you'd only want firearms for a proper specialist--" She glances to Berislav for a moment before back to Lilian. "Because you're not exactly going to want to mass order those." She bobs her head. "Stigma Workshop's big, but you'd be competing with Liu for orders and they'll go for Liu first every time. But putting in an order will help you work with them--IF you have people who can use them, like Finn said. They can be unwieldy if you can't keep a cool head, but there may be a political benefit--if you want to further develop your alliance with the Liu, My Lady." She glances over to Ezra for a moment, expression still cool and neutral. "Carnelian's where I'm going to pick up more knives. I don't tend to go for the most expensive kind since I throw them and the cost adds up quick, but all of their knives are appropriately costed for their quality. They're reliable. But ... it's all knives. I'm going to be making a purchase here for Knifty, at least, but as a master swordswoman I'm sure you know all the benefits and limitations of knifework." She does in fact, end up with Ezra for a bit to make those purchases, though she's focused on work right now.
Father Berislav	What kind of business first?     Berislav politely clears his throat and glances sideways at Lilian, then makes eye contact with Ezra again. Then he sighs.     It's not as if she's under the illusion I'm here to run a Bible study.     Berislav answers Ezra's question, in a hushed tone, leaned forward. And up, since she's taller. If Lilian hears, she hears; but it's with the intent that as few people hear as possible. "...I need a steady supply of weapons, of whatever kind the City takes for granted as an established part of its cultural background noise. They should be easy to use and difficult to break, and must continue to work long after something more sophisticated would give up in its place. As well, they should be something that won't complain over being unused." He pauses. "For years, potentially."     He blinks in owlish confusion at the standoff between Rhyme and Ezra. "Is everything alright?"
Distortion Dets.	Atelier Logic, wordlessly, sends a representative to greet Lilian the moment she's near the stall. Pleasantries breezed through, with a hollow smile, "I've already been informed you're interested in manufacturing more than our custom artistry," Seriously? 'Artistry?' "But I assure you, our shop's expertise is in only the finest of munitions, so whatever the specifications you have, I'll look them over, and forward a copy to our Meister. You have them on hand, no? Or should I ask your assistant?"     Rhyme wilts- that's the kind of prep work the Tres Association *should* have prearranged, and Yet. "A-ah, no, I'm afraid you should ask her. Miss Director?"     Roland, as surprising as that is for others, who think him to be Just A Guy, is greeted with a smile. "Ah, I'm afraid I'm busy, but after I finish, I'll be happy to help a repeat... oh, forgive me." ----- 'And I'd like a little inspiration, too.'     Still dwelling on Lilian's words, Rhyme, a decent bit later, pipes up. "A-ah, excuse me, Miss Director? I had a thought. There's a Workshop present that might be within your interests, its efforts are a bit ... gimmicky? But it's a growing group, and a custom order based on the tech they use..." "Ehh? Which one?" Ezra intrudes, curious. "Oh-! Nester Workshop, a late addition to our exposition, here. Their patent-pending 'impact reprojection' gear? Glassbreakers, hammers, it's proprietary how they get it to work, but they manage to make their gear impact wider or smaller than it should." "I've got one of their hammers! For construction, but it bonks heads good as anything!" "A-ah, really? You know, their Meister, he's actually present today-" "WHAT?? NO WAY!!!"     Oh no. They're both nerds.
Hibiki Tachibana	I wouldn't lead little you astray!     "Why do I get the feeling you're having a little too much fun with this..." Hibiki murmurs with an extension to her earlier neck rub, the slight smile on her face in very 'what can you do' fashion. "Nothing for the Detective. I guess I was just getting used to you two always seeming joined at the hip."     If you're nice they'll let you get your hands on 'em and try them out, I can definitely show you! Is that the kind of thing you mean? Oh, or do you mean like, a toaster!?     "Ooh--" That gets her eyes widening a bit. Is she also excited at the idea of a toaster? "Well, if you know a good booths for either of 'em, I'm sure not gonna complain. A set of really good knives would be great to have around, actually..." So decrees Tachibana Hibiki, who probably has a cartoonishly large steak in mind right now.     I'm Roland.     "Oh...! I think I remember from some stuff I over heard now." Right, now it's clicking. She thinks. "You work for... Petra and Angela." As if Petra isn't standing right next to him. "...Um, Hibiki. Nice to meet you. Me and Petra--" Man, it's always hard summing up their relationship. "...Go a long way back. You're not getting worked too hard, I hope."     Hello, Hibiki! Maybe they've got some kind of an all-in-one kitchen tool around here?     Do you bake, too?     "That'd be handy," Hibiki has a chuckle back Odette's way. "Although it's kinda hard to imagine something doing the job of /everything/ you need in the kitchen." At the second question, she's silent for a moment, maybe thinking it over.     "...I try, at least. I'm not as good as Miku, but I'm always trying to pick up what I can to do the cooking for her once in a while, too... what about you? You seem like..." She stops momentarily, again. "Actually, you seem like the kind of person who'd be pretty good at it?"
Hibiki Tachibana	Been a while. Sorry for vanishing on you before.     "Rena...! ...And Pochi, too. Wouldn't forget him anywhere." The greeting is surprised and then pleasantly surprised, unable to stop herself from briefly taking a knee to scratch Pochi behind the ears. When she stands back up, she shakes her head to the other girl. "Don't worry about it. Not like I haven't dropped off the radar busy before, too."     Of course, she doesn't mind her tagging along one bit, and doubts anyone else would either. "How've you been...? It hasn't been anything bad going on, has it?" Hibiki starts, then pauses to finally notice Ezra and Rhyme going at it, along with...     ...Lilian. For the third time today, Hibiki rubs at the back of her neck, glancing aside as Petra's mention of inexplicable Elite run-ins rings in her head again. Except it actually makes sense for her to be here.     Well, today is going to be pretty eventful after all.     ...     "Woah--"     "That smells delicious..."     "...I wonder if those special carrying cases can keep food fresh too?"     ...is how she is walking away from Stigma Workshop's corner of the expo and arriving at Carnelian Workshop's. Her somewhat hungry rambling is interrupted by the sheer amount of blades on display, enough so that she looks a bit overwhelmed when she glances to the three brothers. She doesn't really do Knives. As like, a thing.     "Um-- hey. You guys... really /do/ do knives. Don't suppose you've got particular recommendations for ones meant for the kitchen...? Cutting, dicing, chopping, all that stuff?"
Petra Soroka	"Even the Graders say so, too normal to even be a Grade Eight."     Petra narrows her eyes at Roland. "You're either really annoyed at being a Grade Nine, or really proud of it. You don't seem like the type to be emasculated by being around people who are stronger than you, but...." "I knew Petra when she got her start,"     ... Which is *such* a different answer from whether Berislav is her friend or not. Actually, that makes Petra think about how *no one* that she knew at the start of things would consider her a friend, despite the fact that plenty of them have come around on relying on her or otherwise keeping her close. That offhand line catches Petra's mind on the old concept of the matters of arcs and relationships, and the cost of earning closeness to people, and how all of the people she'd call 'friends' in so direct of terms come from after that arc. But then again-- she fucked up miserably trying to make a friend in this current arc, too, so who can say.     Petra belatedly realizes that she can actually respond to the conversation between Roland and Berislav. "Oh, yeah, he's... decently trustworthy. Especially compared to Elites." They're still opposed by faction, though. "You're pretty buddy-buddy with everyone already, aren't you?"     Petra starts to raise her eyebrows at Ezra, at first assuming the buddy-buddy comment is directed towards the Tres Association and about to question the 'already'. Then she realizes who it's really about, and tilts her head in the direction of the Elites. "Oh, these guys? I know them, at least. Most of them. I guess I was just about to start touring around myself, but it'd be a lot more fun as a group."     That adds an extra layer of complication to Petra's involvement here, but she figures it's actually a good thing to tag along with Ezra. Maybe whatever she's interested in will be reported back to Moses, but it's better that she be seen as attending a weapons expo for the sake of the weapons, than be spotted mysteriously dragging people away for unexplained job offers. Speaking of which... "Nope! The Detective's coming later in the day,"     "Think she'll be around soon enough to join in the tour? Or later than that?" Petra will probably want to clear out before Moses comes to look around.     Then, Petra's gesture towards 'the Elites, generally' leads her to Lilian, and she stiffens up slightly. She can't just *leave* conspicuously at her arrival, and it'd be really sad if she did, *and* her work here is hopefully to an end that Lilian would... approve of? But none of that helps with the fact that Petra immediately becomes nervous and awkward when Lilian enters her field of vision.
Petra Soroka	"I've got it rigged with a couple sets, I just call out the right term, and bam, they pop on out!"     At least temporarily, though, Petra can override that by matching Ezra's freak a little bit. She perks up on her tiptoes and leans over to look over the case again, entranced a little by the stickers. "Oh-- like, gear set names? Wait, that's really cool; how do you configure something like that? What kinda terms?" She sticks her hand in the pocket of her suit and traces a nail over the mother-of-pearl inlay on the casing of her compact mirror idly. "I should... get stickers to put on my mirror. That's where I store all my weapons."     Petra is, predictably, at least a *little* bit interested in Atelier logic. She's not great at discussing specs, and guns that look *wealthy* are the wrong aesthetic for her naturally, compared to more rugged ones. She *has* the money now, but this is probably the worst place to spend it, and it's kind of a coin flip whether Petra's featureless scruffy intensity comes across as City-important or utterly unrecognizable.     If she can rope one of the representatives into a conversation, she starts chattering about questions about their older models, the antique market, and stuff like that, but she ends up being uninterested in buying anything. It's not 'her' money, even if she can use some of it. She's not going to buy *luxuries* just because she robbed a *bank*, it'd be *crass*.     "Ohhh... is this where your case came from?" Petra says aside to Ezra, and veers towards a guitar case that's for sale in the Stigma Workshop. She fusses around with it for a while, uninterested in the entire rest of the shop, and it's only right at the end of whatever Lilian's doing there that Petra ends up deciding to buy it. From then on, she has a guitar case slung over her back, and she keeps fiddling with the shoulder strap, less because it's resting on her uncomfortably, and more because it's a New Object that she owns and is briefly obsessed with.     Knife shop: who cares. Maybe some are pretty? Does Petra need knives?     She's about to open her mouth to ask about another Workshop she heard of and was interested in going to, but... that'd steal time away from Lilian's tour. So... with a guilty look like she's preemptively scolding herself for something she didn't say, she shuts her mouth again.
Father Berislav	Berislav pets Pochi gently. "Hello, Pochi!" He smiles sunnily. "He's sweet," the priest glowingly reports to Rena.      This does feel like a good place for doing all of that without worrying...      "Maybe," says Berislav. He doesn't know that he'll ever do what he does 'without worrying,' only 'without remorse.' He's decently trustworthy.      That damnation by faint praise delights Berislav, and his face lights up as he looses an earnest, full chested laugh. "I'm pleased to have such a glowing recommendation," he says. And he means it! You've gotta have stories, right?     Berislav clears his throat after his answer to Ezra, smiling at Roland. "Stories... I suppose so," he admits. "But most of them will stay between us, I think," he says. "What I can tell you is that Petra is one of the most loyal people I've ever met." --Just be careful of being the nail that sticks up too much, yeah? They'll crush your dreams here with a pen on a line faster than with a club with spikes on it, you know?     "I know," says Berislav with a smile that's distinctly sadder. "I see it all around me. And the City is only special in how nakedly the hammer is raised. I said in a sermon recently that my ideal City would be one where the fall of a Wing sees people rushing to make sure others are okay, and not to pick the bones clean."
Petra Soroka	"Me and Petra-- ...Go a long way back."     Example number two of people knowing Petra since the beginning, and being 'intertwined' with her in an inarguable way, and yet not being a friend. Example number *one*, really. Petra suddenly remembers that the singular counterexample in all the multiverse would've been Rita, but... that's just how it goes for Petra. She droops a little bit for no outwardsly visible reason.     "Hey, Hibiki. You don't need to worry about that. I mean... I'm doing less work than I have for a long time, even." "I need ideas for something that's multipurpose. I'm still a medic before anything else, so something that could pull double or triple duty would be great."     "Oh, there's Fanar Workshop, actually. Trideag might want to... well, it might not be what Lilian's looking for today, but they've got some medical tech. Like, bandages that auto-disinfect so that you don't need to change them as often."     Petra hefts her fancy new guitar case up, both hands on the strap of it. "I know they're around, but I don't know how out of the way they'd be for Lilian." Obviously, regardless of what Odette wants, the *tour* is for Lilian, and so Lilian decides where the group goes. "Sometimes dealing with the Mistress's family involves some hands-on discipline."     Good lord. "If you are going to model, I'll clearly have to pose you--it's like your shoulders have a mind of their own."     Hmmm. Petra should stay out of Nelly's way. Though, she'll have no trouble doing that, since Nelly is sticking by Lilian, and Petra has to stay out of Lilian's way, and she's effectively unaffiliated with Lilian right now so there's no reason for her to pay attention to Petra. And that makes Petra sad again. "Sorry had to give her some warning on that."     Roland rushing off to give info to Lilian isn't something that irritates Petra at all; it just makes her look like a sad wet dog. "Yeah, no, that's fine. Anything you do that benefits Lilian is allowed." "Near Atelier Logic... I gotta go there myself, Petra. They specialize in firearms and I'm gonna need a new rifle and a couple pistols."     Petra furrows her brow and bats at Roland like he's misbehaving. "That's so expensive! Do you really need that from *here*? We can buy a million different guns offworld, it's hardly even illegal anymore."
Rena	"It's like a wedge," Rena explains to Odette. "It's sharp. And it keeps him from getting shot sometimes, so it's worth it. He's a tough dog, but I don't want him to get hurt if I can avoid it." Pochi is wagging his tail after Hibiki gets down too, though that may just be partially because he's hopeful for some of that leftover meat. Rena really does like Pochi, and she ruffles his fur too, which gets him to shake his upper body out a little to settle it down. She returns Berislav's smile, though slightly forced. (It's the crowd thing.) She didn't hear his weapon requests, probably. "Depends on what you consider 'bad', but it worked out in the end. Nothing to do with the multiverse," Rena adds. "Just an at-home problem. And it's dealt with. So, here I am. There's still things I need to do there, but I can help out here, too. Or go shopping." That with a bit of a grin. "I thought I'd be able to sell things too, like at Bazaarka. Excavation's been going well lately, so I actually have some... Beyond what I use myself, I mean." Pochi regretfully passes by Stigma Workshop with a bit of a sad huff. Hibiki talking about eating doesn't help! He's a smart dog, he knows what those words mean. Rena says, "Cooking knives aren't like fighting knives," but she is curious if they have things other than weapons, too. "Does anyone here have pistols? Or vehicular gear?" Rena asks, while looking thoughtfully at a kukri-shaped knife. She is vaguely aware that guns aren't very common in the City but isn't entirely sure why, having not spent much time here before. Petra of all people clues her in, if accidentally, though that does make her ask: "Why are those so expensive when the so many other weapons aren't?" Well, they're not cheap.
Distortion Dets.	'Or later than that?'     "Ehhhhh, we've got a shopping list she's hoping to fill. I guess that depends how long this all takes~!" Inconclusive! Petra's probably safe for a couple hours. 'As well, they should be something that won't complain over being unused.'     "Hmmmm.... Chamomile!" It takes a second before Ezra clarifies, "Chamomile Industries Workshop. They're not real famous, but I bet they have a stall here. Got their start back 'fore the Smoke War, when scale and reliability mattered a lot. I don't really use their stuff, but they do a lot of tools, now. I think they can handle a lot if you like simple! Far as gimmicks go... ehe, their weapons probably look like tools. Wrenches, hammers...."     "Oh! But... you probably don't just want gear that hurts? Allas, they do armor, and a lot of it is armor to make you just, better! Faster, stronger, you know how it is~! You gotta tune it up, but it *does* tune up well! I've had my Allas gear for so long..." 'How do you configure something like that? What kinda terms?'     "I gotta hold down a button on the outside as I re-pack a couple things, and then I'll give it something like, 'Close-Quarters Beat 'Em Up Mode~!', or 'Medicine Kit, Please!', and bam! They pop out, the same way I put 'em in~!" She has to be hushed, as she says the line- cautiously, she secures the case at her side, ensuring it doesn't actually try and make good on the command. "I think it's pretty cool, myself..." 'I should... get stickers to put on my mirror. That's where I store all my weapons.'     "Ehn? Woah, you keep them all in *there*? That's so compact... Hey! I've actually got some sticker sheets with me! You like raindrops, and little smiling stormclouds?" From one of the utility pockets of her coat, she pulls out a folded-over sheet, and hands it Petra's way. It's about half-used, some of the silhouettes matching the teenier stickers on her case.
Lilian Rook	'Miss Director- I will *personally* make sure you don't leave today without those orders placed.'     Lilian raises an eyebrow. She doesn't hide double taking in Nelly's direction. "Well then I certainly hope that you can file them expediently. It isn't exactly easy to keep me from going anywhere, you see." she says. She means it as a one-quarter threat to walk out; it comes off more like a one third threat to find her house.     'they have their own productions for firearms and munitions, and they favor custom jobs. I've sent them a notice.'     Well. That's a good sign. Rhyme knows her stuff. "I suppose they're the household name, then? Or rather, the last word." At some point, she must have opened her bag, because she's already looking over a handgun (untagged, literally only procurable through her personal offworld channels) with her hand on the slide, as if to confirm it somehow hasn't changed into something completely different while she wasn't looking. "I'll have them take measurements, at least."     'Sounds like you wanna see Stigma Workshop'     'Why, that can only mean Stigma'     "Please let the poor girl earn her wage, Ezra." Lilian grouses. "I understand that you're a fan, but I am here on official business."     'I've got it rigged with a couple sets, I just call out the right term, and bam, they pop on out! How flashy is that, huh, Director?'     "Voice activation?" says Lilian, sounding more incredulous than strictly 'impressed'. "I suppose that could theoretically be useful for altering your combat style on the fly, but it seems . . ." Gratuitous? Insecure? Overcomplicated? A backwards justification to use as many weapons as possible? "Exotic. Isn't the typical modus operandi for freelance Fixers to master the use of one or two?"     'You can rest assured I am a professional--and I've dealt with slobs and ingrates in my time. Sometimes dealing with the Mistress's family involves some hands-on discipline. The Heights are that sort of place. The Mistress has high hopes for what your organization can do for the City--even at a time like this.'     Lilian raises a hand halfway. "Now now. I'm actually quite a fan of Lady Catherine, so you needn't worry about zealously advocating on her behalf while you're here." she says. She takes just a moment to mentally grouse about how 'the video' always makes it sound a little bit like she's famous for an illicit sex tape, but it doesn't show on her face. "I didn't exactly foresee Trídéag turning into a militarized arcology, but I suppose these are unprecedented times for everyone. Right now, I'm fully focused on providing save harbour for as many people affected by the collapse of Lobotomy Corporation as possible, which absolutely requires an expansion in the armed personnel at my disposal, but I do wonder what I'll do with all of them once matters settle . . ." She says it like she's not wondering at all.     'Hey--hey--hey--'     Oh god it's this guy.     'Stigma works closely with Liu--and I heard Liu was keen on helping you out. If you leverage that you'll get a good deal.'     "Oh that's actually sort of helpful." Lilian says out loud, only 'accidentally' in that she hadn't quite cared enough to only think it. "My my. I think I know what Angela sees in you." she adds, as if Roland were at all an intentional hire. "Liu and Zwei have indeed been helping with maintaining public order. If your advice pays out, I'll have to get someone something nice."     She isn't about to just silently watch him trundle off to deal with Atelier on his own, though. With her curiosity piqued in several ways, she sticks to, at first, conversationally asking "I didn't realize you were a gunfighter. You seemed rather more the 'down on your luck' sort; and this is clearly luxury equipment. I'm surprised you parted with it, actually. Selling off pieces to make ends meet?"
Lilian Rook	Stigma Workshop weapons...'     'Atelier Logic guns...'     Lilian has a very odd way of actually quite emphatically making it clear that she is actually listening. Because she is the type who is always busy with something, and simply rolls her eyes and leaves conversations she doesn't want to be in, getting out her tablet and typing away on it as Finn goes on clearly indicates that she's paying attention.     'Ah, well, if you are asking for my expertise...'     "If someone wants a proper firearm from Atelier Logic, they can earn it with their promotion commission." says Lilian. "I'll be testing the waters with ammunition only for the time being. I've commissioned a standard model for deployment soon, but I'd like to actually arm my Fixers locally, so that a change in import allowances doesn't disrupt our work." She pauses for a moment, considering how much she wants to divulge, and then seems to decide 'the more the better'.     "I'm not looking to turn Trídéag into a gunfighting Association. My vision is that each and every Trídéag Fixer should carry a sidearm for three reasons. One is that I consider the cost worth it, given how much I'm investing in each new hire, to equip each of them with an 'exigent circumstaces' magazine; a very small quantity of ammunition suited for escaping or abruptly ending an over-escalated situation. Even if it's exorbitantly expensive, I can easily absorb the cost as long as it's seldom used, and each Fixer having the option allows for clearer judgement and more reasoned thinking when the possibility of being backed into a corner exists."     "The second reason is that it opens up more opportunities for coordinated tactics in the three-man cells I envision becoming the standard. The third is that once it's publicly known that all members of Trídéag have a gun, the amount that street criminals will want to pick fights with them should plummet. It doesn't take a skilled Fixer to put a lucky shot in even an experienced member of a mid-level gang, and even a small group simply filling an alleyway with gunfire is something a Syndicate goon shouldn't want any part of."     'Stigma Workshop's big, but you'd be competing with Liu for orders and they'll go for Liu first every time.'     Lilian waves her hand. "I'll live. My focus is on talent cultivation and retention; more than any other office by far, it seems. We shouldn't need to replace armaments all that often, with our Multiversal members bringing their own equipment." Her smirk is just a bit saucy. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm being more frugal with this affair than it looks."     'but as a master swordswoman I'm sure you know all the benefits and limitations of knifework.'     Skipping several logical steps, Lilian murmurs, "I wonder what your reaction time looks like now."
Distortion Dets.	'Don't suppose you've got particular recommendations for ones meant for the kitchen...? Cutting, dicing, chopping, all that stuff?'     Hibiki is barraged, threefold by the three identical stallkeepers, about the edge geometry she prefers in a knife, whether she needs a chef's knife, one made for butchering, just plain paring knives, the fashion she prefers to hold the handle (by just the handle, or pinching the heel?) the preferred weight, length-- until she likely relents, and the keepers hesitantly just suggest what seems to be a Standard Really Nice Cooking Knife Set- she has her choice of colors, to what she'd like the grip material to look like, and whatever sheen the metal takes. For the price she can get them for, they certainly *feel*... knice!     'Or vehicular gear?'     "Vehicular gear? What do you mean by that?" Rhyme asks- in a spare moment she doesn't need to spend tagging along at Lilian's side. There aren't many of those! Karat Workshop, they're affiliated with an automobile manufacturer, but they re-badge a lot of constructions, and set them up for Association use, mostly! Armored vehicles, communications modifications, policing... Do you have that kind of a budget, Miss?" Rhyme adjusts her hat, and looks down at her PDA. It's pretty accurate for Rena to read into that statement as, 'you look poor'.
Angela	''You're either really annoyed at being a Grade Nine, or really proud of it.'' Roland frowns. "Huh...is that how I'm coming across? Maybe I should stop blabbing about it. He seems pleased when the Atelier Logic guy seems to know that he'd rather not his past be blabbed about but he doesn't put any significant pressure on the matter. ''Their patent-pending 'impact reprojection' gear?'' Nelly asides to Lilian. "Haven't heard of them before. We'd have to test them out, My Lady." ''You work for... Petra and Angela.'' "Mhm that's right." Roland tells Hibiki. "Though we shouldn't blab too much about the big boss without her say so." A soft warning. "Easiest job I've ever had." He quips then he cracks a grin. "Nah, it's got its breezy moments, but there's time where it feels like the hardest job I've ever had. But it's not hard in a way that feels uh... bad, really." He frowns as if that's as much a surprise to him. "The worst day was the first one. Toughest too. But it's been uphill since then." ''Oh yeah he's... decently trustworthy.'' "Huh...that so..." Roland has no reason to disbelieve Petra and gives Berislav another look. If he's reliable--even if he's a maniac--Olivier could handle that, he reasons. ''The City is only special in how nakedly the hammer is raised.'' "Personally, I wish the illusion was a little more complete." Roland quips lightly, but only thinly obscures that he genuinely doesn't believe The City can be changed. "If even the Outside's all fucked up." Maybe it's that ideal of his is what Olivier likes. Olivier is always trying to make things better, he thinks. He signed up with the Hana Association figuring he could at least bring some kind of order... But Roland is a little bitter of him going that route, especially now. Maybe he'll be lucky and Berislav will lure him into crime or something. He doubts it though. Olivier is the most cautious guy he knows. ''That's so expensive!'' Roland winks at Petra. "Well I'm the first line of defense aren't I? Gotta at least have the gear to hold on until you make it, right?" He pauses. "I can get us down to the best deal possible. If you need to, take a percent out of my wages--I don't intend to hand them back after all, so fair's fair. But this is the weight and style I'm used to. It'll help, I promise." ''Anything you do that benefits Lilian is allowed.'' "She's lucky to have someone as loyal as you on her side." Roland mulls aloud. "Angela too come to think of it. Loyalty is expensive here." He smiles. "I like that." Even if he's a dirty traitor. And he's wondering to who exactly right now. He pushes the thought out of his head.
Angela	''She doesn't hide doubletaking in her direction.'' Nelly is trained to react properly to this. She mimicks the doubletake right back at Lilian before looking back to Rhyme with perfect timing. ''I'm actually quite a fan of Lady Catherine.'' There is a brief bittersweet flicker behind Nelly's eyes but she smiles. "Many people are, myself included. If I hadn't agreed with her support, I wouldn't be here. ... She's the only one of her siblings that has braincells, unfortunately, but--ahh--I shouldn't gossip." Roland beams at Lilian. "Happy to help." He says, as if he was an intentional hire. "Sometimes you gotta know how to twist the machine in your direction--and I know you've got plenty of capital, but why let it take more than it needs to?" He says...despite going for those guns. Nelly nods along with Lilian's reasoning for not going for Atelier Logic--at least not as a major provider. They're best for a specialist in her mind. She mimes zipping her lips shut at Lilian's mention of frugality. ''I wonder what your reaction time looks like now.'' A young man nearly tripes into a puddle, threatening to splatter Lilian with the water. Nelly is there in a flash of movement, spinning the man aaway from the puddle, dusts him off and says, "Be wary of where you fall." coolly before returning to Lilian's side. "I am pretty quick." Nelly says, understating it as much as possible. Lilian will get to see it showcased later.
Odette Raskins	"they also have some of those bags bigger on the inside than on the outside" Odette oohs lightly as Finn brings those up, reshouldering her bag almost on reflex as she's reminded that her bag exists. "Those are real? Oh, I definitely need a couple of those... Then I wouldn't have to juggle this all the time." She pats the duffel bag, then puts a hand on her chin as more thoughts come to mind. "If they had something that was a little satchel or even a holster that could fit all this stuff? Oh, that'd make it so much easier to move and-oh. Wait, I'd have to figure out how to reorganize it all, too. Maybe a second holster...? "I try, at least. I'm not as good as Miku, but" "Aww.. That's so-" Odette actually manages to suppress the desire to say 'cute' for once, although the little gleam in her eyes makes it all too obvious she wants to. "-great! It's a real useful skill to have, and doing it for someone you really care about's even better. I used to bake way, WAY more back home, but I haven't had as much time to do it since I started working for the Company." That's the moment when she should probably get a distantly sad look, but Odette instead brightens up a little more. "And then I started working with Trideag and ya-" She clears her throat briefly. "-you all, and I've found a little more time to do it again. Maybe we could even put something together sometime." "Maybe," Although it's a one word answer, Odette can catch the hints of something else in Berislav's answer. She opens her mouth to start to say something, stops herself before she accidentally puts him on the spot, then nods slowly. When she gets close to him, though, she does reach over to pat his shoulder gently. "Oh, there's Fanar Workshop, actually." Petra's description of the aforementioned workshop grabs Odette's attention immediately, and she takes out her PDA to scribble some notes into it before she can even risk forgetting. "Fanar Workshop... Definitely got to check that out once we're done with everything else, yeah. Something that'll cut out some of that post-treatment work would do wonders for... I don't even know where it would STOP being useful, really." Odette chuckles lightly as she finishes getting those notes in, not even looking slightly bothered at that being put on the backburner. "That could be a huge kit upgrade going forward... Thanks, Petra!" "He's a tough dog, but I don't want him to get hurt if I can avoid it." "I get it... That's good! Oh gosh, if this little guy got hurt..." Odette pouts slightly as she gives Pochi another round of petting, pushing that image out of her head by the time she stands up. "Don't worry. If we ever work together, we'll make sure nothing hurts a hair on his head! I do kind of want to see that wedge shield you're talking about, but... No rush." It takes a little while longer for her to finally remember to introduce herself. "Oh! I-I'm Odette, an EMT with the Company and the Trideag Association. Nice to meet you."
Lilian Rook	'You have them on hand, no? Or should I ask your assistant?"'     "Naturally." says Lilian, leaving the kind of dead air that implies a long-suffering sigh at her well-meaning yet clearly underequipped assistant's lack of usefulness. She turns over the production prototype handgun, grip first, along with an SD card. Though it looks like little more than an especially sleek, slightly narrow and topheavy autoloader, it's clearly a little weird from the moment an ~artiste~ performs a chamber check.     "Show me something with a high velocity and flat trajectory, then show me your fragmenting selection. I'll be asking for a modification of both, independently, for this calibre. I'll furthermore need all elemental iron removed or replaced, if there is any; this is an inert plasma cartridge system; that part is quite easy to manufacture, and all the details are on the card. I'd like to discuss a bulk order of five thousand test rounds in five parts. If I like what I see, then I'd finally like to discuss something . . ."     Lilian allows her attention to idly drift to Winter Crow at her hip. Nell Goldstein's work is, as always, a piece of art, and sure to make her look like a fine customer. ". . . designed for a very specific purpose." After just a second, she decides to sweeten the pot. "My second order will be run through my facility's in-house testing with our collected dataset on the 'Post-Pianist' era."     'A-ah, excuse me, Miss Director? I had a thought. There's a Workshop present that might be within your interests, its efforts are a bit ... gimmicky?'     Admittedly, Lilian isn't exactly an expert on hammers, but 'area of effect modification' is something actually at the top of her list right now. Given what Finn had tried from Stigma, she's already cooking something up. "Show me, if you would." she says, narrowing her eyes like a wince at Ezra's excited yelling. "I'm going to see if I can convince the Meister to collaborate with Stigma." Lilian looks to Nelly. "Would you mind implying that Lady Catherine might be interested in seeing this 'novel approach' for a moment?" Then she . . . hands her card over. She's a maid! Maids are trustworthy! "And could you put down something on Stigma? As a sign of goodwill. Give then a half-hour to get out a sword that'll impress me. I'm not looking for a replacement to Night Mist, but I have something in mind."     'She's the only one of her siblings that has braincells, unfortunately, but--ahh--I shouldn't gossip.'     "It isn't easy." Lilian says, vaguely, her smile vaguely strained and commiserative. "I won't say a thing."     'I am pretty quick.'     By the time Nelly looks back, Lilian is quietly biting her thumbnail. She might be in a bit of fawning Petra service deprivation.
Lilian Rook	At some point, Lilian eventually gets to Odette, who is technically the third member of her entourage, but who is by far the least suited for gauging weaponry. "I'm right here. If you're going to try and write off something as a 'business expense', here's your once in a lifetime opportunity to just show it to me instead of filing paperwork." she says. "If it's going to directly contribute to the efficiency of your field work in Trídéag, I'll consider it part of your Grade Seven commission. Otherwise, buy it with your own funds."     Petra's existence is something she can only tactfully ignore for so long. The one thing Lilian refuses to do, though, is to stare piningly at her from across the exhibition grounds. When Roland hovers near her again, she asks "So. Is it Angela keeping you busy, or Petra?" and "What has she even been up to? Besides stacking books, of course." in a fishing sort of way. "I get the sense she's been keeping busy, and it doesn't look like you're someone who has to be gruellingly whipped into shape."
Rena	"I could use a bag like that too," Rena agrees. Her own battered bag is feeling a little underequipped by comparison. "And I probably shouldn't turn it on here after they went to all the trouble of tagging it, but you might see it sometime. I'm Rena. A bounty hunter - an independent, right now." She leaves out 'I work with the Watch' because, well, either Odette knows or will find out and that's not the kind of thing you just blurt out. "Pochi's been with me a couple years now." Judging Rena as looking poor is, being honest, a fair enough estimation. Rena *does* look poor. She wears a tattered duster that looks like it got scorched at one point and the sleeves ripped off (mostly; there's still part of the right sleeve left). If she has wealth she isn't flaunting it, aside from the amount of flaunt required to carry two guns. And it's half right, anyway. She doesn't have a lot of cash, just what her bounty hunting brings in. Cash from her own world isn't likely to be taken many other places given it's not backed by a whole lot, so it's mostly what she picks up elsewhere... but she *does* have quite a lot of salvage, and if she ever managed to sell half of it she'd have enough to retire on, if she wanted to retire. (Which she doesn't.) So while she is slightly embarrassed by being pegged as broke, she can't really object all that much... "I've already got a motorcycle," Rena says, which probably isn't particlarly outlandish. "And a tank," she adds, which is. "Both pre-Great Destruction. Plus a couple bare frames that are wanting for engines or other parts. I do my own restoration, maintenance, and modification, but I'm always looking for equipment I could make use of. The motorcycle gets more use here," she adds, before clarifying: "The multiverse. People object when I drive the Red Wolf downtown." Well, they haven't objected *here* because Rena's never even tried in the City. Somehow she thinks it wouldn't go over well, even by the standards of 'driving a tank through a city'. "Anyway, I've got the specs with me," she finishes, hefting the bag. "As for 'budget', I might not have that with me. But I can get it."
Father Berislav	"Chamomile and Allas... Thank you, Ezra," says Berislav with a nod. "You understood what I was looking for perfectly. When you have a moment, I'd appreciate being pointed that way--in that order. No rush! And no need to escort me there personally unless you'd like to." You like raindrops, and little smiling stormclouds?     "Isn't she just delightful?" Berislav beamingly asks Petra, regarding Ezra. If even the Outside's all fucked up.     "I'm part of a religion that's over two thousand years old. Even in our scripture, there's mention of life under princes and thief-kings and elders and merchant barons. But," he says, with a little smile, "Almost every one of those passages is in the context of escaping that, finding refuge in the people around you, and ultimately building something that outlasts impermanent things like money and the scaffolding that holds them up."     "After everything, I still believe that's possible. If enough people who feel the same are made aware of each other and brought to one place, who knows what could happen?"     Berislav squeezes Odette's hand when she pats his shoulder, offering her a smile for her gesture of reassurance.
Hibiki Tachibana	Hey, Hibiki. You don't need to worry about that. I mean... I'm doing less work than I have for a long time, even.     "...Hey, Petra. That's good. I mean, that doesn't mean it's /easy/, but..." She trails off, in her usual fashion, own shoulders drooping only slightly. If someone asked her outright Are You Friends With Petra, Yes or No, she'd probably be more willing to saying yes than otherwise, after everything. It's not like they're enemies...     ...it's just awkward. And weird. Especially after the war. She sighs. "Still gonna find a good day for that lunch, by the way," she gets out, attempting to leave the interaction off on a decent note.     The worst day was the first one. Toughest too. But it's been uphill since then.     "Oh, right..." Hibiki whispers on the topic of the Big Boss(tm) before nodding, albeit with a tilt on her head at his apparent surprise at his own words. "I'm... actually really glad to hear that. I dunno how it's been there, but--"     She takes a moment to regard her thoughts on Petra, all the bad she's done, but also what she does for the people she's dedicated to.     She also takes a moment to regard everything Angela has done for the sake of her own freedom, but also her relationship to the Sephirah. From being their enemy, to their brief talk about Hod's Meltdown way back when, to her working on giving them bodies now.     "...They're not bad bosses to have, I think," is what she quietly settles on.     Aww.. That's so-     Hibiki blinks.     -great!     "You think...?" Hibiki says in a reservedly surprised murmur, giving the impression she somehow has zero idea of what Odette was actually going to say despite all the signs. And then, she smiles. "Then... I don't think I'd have anything to complain about, working together sometime. Giving you an excuse to do it more sounds good to me."     "...Plus, I could always use more pointers myself, honestly." Cough, cough.
Hibiki Tachibana	Pochi regretfully passes by Stigma Workshop with a bit of a sad huff. Hibiki talking about eating doesn't help!     Depends on what you consider 'bad', but it worked out in the end.     "...Sorry, boy," Hibiki frowns back down at Pochi as they go, with what sounds like a fearsome level of empathy. "Um, my treat if we pick up any food here?" And then to Rena, folding her arms in a thinking pose. "I get it. As long as it all worked out. If you ever need a hand, just say so. Least I can do."     Pause. "How much difference even is there between the types of knives, anyway?" Obviously, she knows there are 'combat knives' and 'cooking knives', but, like. How?     ...     "Edge geometry...?" She didn't know she'd have to do math.     "Weight--" She's pretty strong, but Miku is a lower body kind of girl...     "Len...gth..." She never thought she'd get this far...     Hibiki does indeed soon relent to the Really Nice Cooking Knives. They actually are quite... knice. And she can get some in orange and some in violet. All shiny... with a firm grip so they don't slip...     Despite not knowing anything about the fine details of blades, she seems more than a little content with the whole lot of them, and has never been more glad that while not rich, she still has more money to use on things like this than she'll probably run out of. "...Thanks a bunch," and she means it. To Ezra, too. "I wanted to get something nice for somebody back home. These should be perfect."
Petra Soroka	"Still gonna find a good day for that lunch, by the way,"     Petra sighs. "Oh, yeah, right, I've been..." Existing in a haze, simultaneously alienated by human interaction and craving it so severely that it feels like a disease to indulge it, self-isolating out of guilt, losing friends at a higher rate than she's making them. "... Busy. Sorry." "I gotta hold down a button on the outside as I re-pack a couple things, and then I'll give it something like, 'Close-Quarters Beat 'Em Up Mode~!', or 'Medicine Kit, Please!', and bam!"     Petra nods along enthusiastically, unfazed by the goofiness of the naming schemes. "That's pretty intuitive; that's how I would've designed it. It's sort of like attack callouts-- hey, have you met any Kamen Riders yet? There's these, uh, tools, or belts sometimes, that store a certain kind of armor, and they shout out the 'name' of it when you--- I'll probably get a chance to show you, at some point. Not right here, though. So I guess I've got a gearset named 'Sting Silver'." "Ehn? Woah, you keep them all in *there*?"     "Yeah! I-- well, I mean, it's *Qetra* that keeps them, but she usually doesn't argue. See, here,"     Petra slings her new guitar case off her back, commandeering the nearest bench for her nefarious purposes. She flips open her compact, and presses her hand to it, and then she wraps her fingers around the reflection of the neck of a guitar and pulls it out. She has to put the compact down on the bench to use both hands to haul the guitar the rest of the way out, and then she flips open the case, and places it inside. She might be the only person in the City storing a normal guitar inside one of these things. "I've actually got some sticker sheets with me! You like raindrops, and little smiling stormclouds?"     "Oh-- oh my god, cute." Petra snaps the guitar case shut, and takes the sticker sheet from Ezra. She looks between it and her compact mirror for a few seconds, and quickly comes to a conclusion. "Okay, wait, I've decided on a theme. I'll taaaaake, this one," She says, peeling off a stormcloud, "And I'll make it a little mission to pick up others from other places." "Isn't she just delightful?"     "She's pretty cool," Petra agrees readily, smoothing the sticker in place with her thumb. Petra is easily charmed, in this way!
Petra Soroka	"Well I'm the first line of defense aren't I? Gotta at least have the gear to hold on until you make it, right?"     Petra pouts a little bit at Roland. Petra is the poor, aggrieved breadwinner of the Library, and Angela the delicate mother deserving of more luxury than she can afford, making Roland the brat insisting on a shiny new toy after Petra just brought home a paycheck. "Well, fine. You can have them, but just this once. You're only buying one thing from this expo, though, so make it count." "She's lucky to have someone as loyal as you on her side."     Petra is not at all above staring piningly at Lilian from across the exhibition grounds. In fact, she's doing it basically every opportunity she gets, even when doing so obviously makes her unhappy, like when that fucking BITCH NELLY starts acting like a SUCKUP WHORE like she's so much FUCKING better than Petra and more skilled at serving Lilian! Back off! Slut!!! You don't even fucking *work* for Lilian, so there's no WAY you're ever measuring up to Petra!     Petra gets jolted out of trying to psychically manifest death in Nelly's direction by Roland's comment. "Oh-- oh, right. Ah... well...." Now instead of angry, she gets to be a little more despondent. It's really a lot of downwards momentum for Petra, emotionally, fended off mostly by Ezra. "I'm... doing my best." "That could be a huge kit upgrade going forward... Thanks, Petra!"     Petra waves her hand at Odette, dismissing the praise. The leaky quip of 'Put in a good word for me' bubbles to the surface of her mind, but it's way too pathetic to say that, so she doesn't. Or, rather, she resists saying it, but it's lodged in her brain and she *is* feeling pretty leaky and pathetic right now. So she says, slightly belatedly, "Put in a good word for me," immediately followed by "Forget I said that."
Angela	''Lilian is quietly biting her thumbnail.'' Nelly, predictably at this rate, reaches into her dress and snaps out a nailfile, intent on taking Lilian's hand and working on that thumbnail. She must've been told to treat Lilian as she'd treat Catherine. ''Petra is not above staring pininglyt at Lilian from across the exhibition grounds.'' ''That fucking BITCH NELLY'' Nelly is not empathic at all but she does turn her head for a moment to give Petra a little smirk. Her expression is professionally neutral a moment later. ''After everything I still believe it's possible.'' Roland is unenthused. "...Yeah. Glad to hear it. Hope ''you'' hold onto that. How about we check in--in a few years--so you can tell me how it works out." It's gonna be a tough road for most in The City, and Roland is going to be the toughest amongst the tough right now. He seems almost miserable to hear about the idea of something better as he is about the current state of affairs. ''They're not bad bosses to have.'' "They're not." Roland's mood doesn't quite get back to normal but he flashes Hibiki a smile. "It's not too hard. I've had worse. And can't think of much better." He bobs his head at Petra indicating he's only getting 'one thing'. "Deal." He says. "I'll make it count." ''I'm... doing my best.'' "All you can do." He says with a small shrug.
Distortion Dets.	'Please let the poor girl earn her wage, Ezra.'     Ezra's face looks like she's been shot. "Eh? Sorry, sorry, Director!" "Hmph~." 'Isn't the typical modus operandi for freelance Fixers to master the use of one or two?'     "Mmm-hm! Definitely the usual! But if I just stuck with the same weapon I first got taught- Eugh, nahhhh, definitely not. And I can always punch and kick, all 'hwa-cha', you know?" It's hard to tell how serious she's being with that- she may be huge, but with the goofy attitude, claiming skill always sounds a bit suspect. 'Or rather, the last word.'     "Most definitely! Many Workshops don't touch firearms, and most that do err much further away from the limitations placed on munition performance thresholds, Atelier Logic toes the line, and there's really no alternative if you need quality! A-ah, um, that is, unless you wanted to get in touch with..." Hushed, "The Thumb's manufacturers? I- I'm not on record, bringing this up, but they're maybe the only real competitor in this regard." 'Show me something with a high velocity and flat trajectory, then show me your fragmenting selection.'     "Ah, certainly, Here, these booklets outline some of the details, and if you'll let me fetch some of our demonstration models," The salesman goes on and on, showcasing a few examples. Strict regulation on how much what type and size of bullet is allowed to penetrate exist, so many, including even Atelier Logic, specialize far more in how to make fragmenting bullets preform as well as possible- those *aren't* regulated the same way. Considerations noted down, typed into PDAs, mailed off to who knows where- a few slips of paper get handed to Rhyme, the boring paperwork kind. '. . . designed for a very specific purpose.'     The salesman raises an eyebrow. "I see. In that case, I'll make sure you have a direct line to our Meister, for when the time comes you are inevitably satisfied with our work. Here," It's not even a business card that Lilian gets, but a number written on the back of one. It seems that it's very rare that that needs to be handed out. ----- Fanar Workshop:     Fanar's display isn't too hard to find, to cut away from the group and stop by- their prices, too, are frankly quite reasonable, given their market niche as 'healing tools other than K-corp's esoteric monopoly on Magic Goo'. Self-applying bandages, primed for quick administration, disinfecting, cleaning, and lots of bits and baubles for carry-cases of them. Tourniquet kits, fancy injection guns, you name it, if it's in the techier part of first aid, and Odette can easily find it! Still- their bandages steal the show, for absolute sure, the same way something can have one product and a few branded side lines, that really don't stand up to the same caliber. Chamomile and Allas Workshops:     Both decently Normal, decently Attended, the biggest hassle Berislav might have in his arrangements with either is if he tries to swerve business into anything under the table- they don't have bad reputations, and they don't have fancy reputations- nobody asks either of them to do sketchy stuff! They're not used to it! It's their first times! Chamomile is pretty equipped to handle *volume* of orders, as Ezra said, but Allas balks, until assured that there's really, really no rush in order completion. At the very least, Berislav ought to be able to get methods of (less observed) contact with the two workshops.
Distortion Dets.	Nester Workshop:     Nester himself, of Nester Workshop, takes point on the stall. Old, with a lumberjack sort of vibe to him, it's a bit of a surprise there isn't something like a campfire nearby, but the bits of patched plaid on his outfit still feel woodsy. He's even taken to doing the demonstrations of his products himself- as Rhyme shepherds Lilian the right way (into another of the warehouse halls, the next building over, without any of the luxury shops) over, he's swinging a light-looking hammer at a plank, cratering dinner-plate diameter indentations into it with blows that should only drive nails.     "Ah, well, if it isn't that new Director! What was it, name's on the tip of my tongue- Lilac?" "Director Lilian, actually." "Mm? Wasn't that just what I said? Well, what can I do you for?" Nester stops the demonstration, gently turning a switch at the hammer's side, and plunking it down on foam.     He scowls at the prospect of having to work with another organization, given the fact that, as all the signs around his workshop advertise, whatever technique they are using to break physical laws (of the many in use in the City), it's only patent-*pending*, sharing info out could backfire later. He makes that quite known- but custom work for a more military reason than the construction tone the group has doesn't seem to faze any of the workers present, especially not the Meister.     Frankly, a promise that, even if his patent gets infringed, he might still get business, if he can manage what Lilian wants, would do enough to assuage him- not his workers, evidently there's a lot of high hopes for their Gimmick. >>>'Give then a half-hour to get out a sword that'll impress me.'     Stigma provides Nelly a bit of a showpiece- signature to the flame coils in the blades is the *pattern* it's meant to sear into whatever it glides through, floral and ornate. While assuredly as effective at cutting through flesh, bone, and solid metal as other Stigma blades, the one she returns with has a faint meshing effect to parts of its blade, the delicate orange glow of the coils visible through it like an antiquated lightbulb. Evidently a bit of a more experimental model than standard production, tuned even more directly to 'burn' element vibes by putting out hot air out the sides of the blade when it's swung *through* something, in hopes of creating the evilest air hockey effect imaginable to ignore flesh resistance entirely. Workshops are kind of fucked up.     The sword's nice enough, too, in the 'it'd be servicable without the gimmick' way, though likely a decent bit off Lilian's preferences, without her there to convey them. >>>Ezra really really really wants Nester's autograph.     Wait, why's that in response-format? In the interim time that Rhyme's dealings, Nelly's return, and the new Stigma toy might take up, Ezra jumps to hassling Nester about getting him to sign her notebook. Yes, she's using proximity to Real Serious Business to be listened to. Yes, she's beaming like absolute crazy. Yes, Rhyme is actually a little bit jealous of Ezra's collection of autographs, when she sees it get pulled out- though she doesn't stare long, there's a bit of a pouting energy that she takes for the rest of the proceedings.
Odette Raskins	"If you're going to try and write off something as a 'business expense'" "Huh? Oh! Will do, Dame Commander. I mean, I haven't seen them yet, once I find something worthwhile, I'll make sure to bring it right over." Odette affirms to Lilian with a grateful nod, not realizing quite yet that the people running these stalls might not appreciate someone just walking out with their stuff with the promise of 'I'm showing it to my boss'. She'll probably figure it out soon, just not right now. Her mind is busy moving in a different direction instead: "And if there's something real easy to use, I might even be able to get the Company to foot the bill for some of this..." "And I probably shouldn't turn it on here" "Oh. Good point. Well, I'm sure there'll be plenty of other opportunities to show off a little." She replies to Rena with a firm nod, trying not to grimace at the hole she's digging for herself: What can she even show off that would be impressive to someone with a shield wedge dog? Hopefully, she'll find something (or at least some inspiration) here that'll fit the bill by the time that happens. "You think...?" "I could always use more pointers myself, honestly." "Definitely! Cooking's more fun with friends around, and it's good to have an extra set of taste buds to make sure the flavors land right." Odette affirms, her eyes glinting again when she sees the chance to be some kind of mentor for once. "We'll come up with something that'll blow her socks off!" "Put in a good word for me," "Forget I said that." Fortunately for Petra, even Odette can catch on to things sometimes! She might not recognize it as any kind of leakiness, but she does have some vague awareness of that pining and about something happening between Petra and Lilian. Even though she's been told to forget Petra said that, and even though she nods slowly to act like she'll forget... She's definitely not going to forget. She just needs to figure out a good time to bring up Petra's involvement in bringing the Fanar Workshop to her attention to Lilian. Now would be too soon, since she wouldn't have any concrete results to speak of. Too late, though, and it might be too easy to point at one of any other reasons for the results. No... Odette just needs to be patient until that chance comes up. That may prove to come up quite soon, though, as she comes across Fanar Workshop's display more quickly than expected. With the way she flits about looking at everything on display there, it's like watching a kid in a high-tech toy store that's never been in a high-tech toy store. "This could save so much time with clean up...! Oh, and this part could help apply them neatly... Wait. Could this be used to inject from a distance?" She comments aloud while oohing and aahing at technology she never even imagined could exist, even marveling at things that aren't the show-stealers. She's about to bring some of it over to show to Lilian, too, but eventually realizes what she's doing and turns back to the people running the display. "Oh. Um. Is it okay if I show this to the Dame Commander? Miss Rook, I mean."
Father Berislav	How about we check in--in a few years--so you can tell me how it works out.     Berislav pauses. He frowns, searching Roland's eyes, and steps forward. "You lost someone, didn't you? Was it during the Smoke War? To a Syndicate? The fall of a Wing?" He sighs.     "It's unfair, isn't it? That, even if I succeed in what I'm trying to do--and there's no guarantee that I will... there are many people, just like you, that needed me to be here one, two, three years ago... I'm sorry, Roland, truly."     "The only thing I can tell you is that I expect to be here in a few years for that check-in."     With that, he excuses himself, offering a slight nod and a gentle hand on the shoulder as he passes.     --- CHAMOMILE/ALLAS:     "Really?" In business that long, *here*, and no experience with clandestine business? "Well... We'll just... see if we can't handle it in a way that doesn't put your inexperience there at issue. I was in your shoes, once, you know! It's not so hard, once you get used to it."     "But, let's put a pin in that, shall we? It's something better discussed in a less public venue," he says, optimistic as ever, "For now, let's talk about what I need, and whether you can provide it or not." FOR CHAMOMILE SPECIFICALLY: "I need something that someone who was born yesterday could use, that won't rot if it has to sit in a warehouse for years. It should be simple," he says, listing off each point with his fingers, "And it should be something that someone who cares about their own safety, someone who's inexperienced and maybe even frightened, can use effectively. In short, nothing flashy, complex or suicidally dangerous, please. I'm told that's your specialty, but I can't afford not to second-guess, you understand. I'll need a lot of them, but it's safer for both of us if we buy them in lots rather than all at once." FOR ALLAS:     "What I need from you is armor that will keep an inexperienced person alive long enough for another person to cover them, or for them to get away from an experienced opponent. It doesn't need to be cutting-edge, but it needs to survive storage for potentially years if the situation calls for it."     "And I need a lot of it." He pauses, then discovering the concerns about scale, and shakes his head with a smile. "No, time isn't a concern. Not at all. The idea is that we'll be ordering in lots according to what you can provide. Quantities you're already used to producing, delivered as you can to places of our choosing." BOTH:     "If you can do that, then let's discuss the... particulars someplace more private soon. Do you have a way I can contact you to set that up?"
Lilian Rook	Lilian is . . .     Maybe just a tiny bit abnormal, in the way that she holds her face and watches Nelly filing her nail.     'Mmm-hm! Definitely the usual! But if I just stuck with the same weapon I first got taught- Eugh, nahhhh, definitely not.'     "Hmm? Which one would that be?" Lilian asks, half-paying attention.     'The Thumb's manufacturers?'     "Absolutely not."     So she was still listening. It's a miracle she can sound so sharp with a woman fawning over her fingernails. "I won't take a thing from those people. I don't care how convenient it is; if I were subject to conflicting interest from a group that wants to carve the streets up into little feudal kingdoms, no one should take me seriously."     'I see. In that case, I'll make sure you have a direct line to our Meister, for when the time comes you are inevitably satisfied with our work. Here,'     "I appreciate that tremendously." Lilian says, taking back her hand. "I had harboured some mild concerns, but I see your reputation for prompt professionalism is well-founded." Checking the back of the card, Lilian somehow actually makes what should be an innuendo sound completely and entire sinister, rather than flirtatious; "You're just my type."     Her accumulating vibe as a nebulously evil-rich arms-buyer lady increases about ten minutes later.     'Director Lilian, actually.'     'Mm? Wasn't that just what I said? Well, what can I do you for?'     "Memorize my name for one." Lilian says, instantly and without a moment's hesitation. Surely, in a high-profile event like this, the look she gives Nestor will start circulating rumours that nothing pisses her off like getting her name wrong, but that's a sort of high-CR NPC in the middle of the module reputation factoid she actually doesn't mind having. "Second, you could tell me if the principles of your technology will apply to blades as well as hammers. If you're fortunate, I might have an offer for you; that is a contract to produce the standard issue main armament for my Association, starting with an order of fifty pieces."     "If I really like what I see, then consider the patent expedited." she adds. She has no basis whatsoever to actually claim this, except a lot of confidence that a highly-paid legal team and her unique position that the City's various administrations want to handle thoughtfully will work.     It's good timing to get handed an expensive experimental Stigma weapon. She spends just a little while gauging its balance, sighting down the edge with her fingers supporting the tip, putting the point under her foot and flexing the blade with slightly alarming pressure, rehearsing little 'dry runs' of the activation mechanisms, and verifying the convection function is in fact not a conduction function. Smiling faintly, she says "My. They even sized it properly." and then lowers her hand to her side, coincidentally making it quite obvious that it's several inches shorter than Night Mist.     "If both you and Finn give them high marks, then I'll consider this the base slate. Finn; run along and tell them that I'll be there shortly to discuss a promotional deal. Drop Xiao's name. I promise you'll like what I have in mind."     She has ideas now.
Rena	Rena grins just slightly at Odette. "Probably. I seem to end up at them more than I mean to." She's not going to interrupt Odette's look at medical gear, too. Maybe she should get a new kit for the sidecar... How many different kinds of knives are there? "Shape, weight, length, balance, and a bunch of other things," Rena says, not quite counting them out on her fingers. "What it's made of, too. You can be more careful with a cooking knife. Combat knives get put in bad positions because combat's unpredictable, but I don't think you want your kitchen unpredictable." A moment's pause, and then Rena admits, a bit sheepishly, "THough I'm not much of a cook, so maybe don't take my word for all of it." But she can sure talk about knives, though not quite as in-depth as she can about pistols or exotic firearms. (The one on her hip that is unusual turns out to be a sonic weapon, which she mentions in passing while asking if the City has anything like it.) As for the food later, Pochi barks in agreement with Hibiki. He won't say no! "You'll spoil him," Rena says, though with the kind of fond smile that suggests that she both doesn't mind and probably would have done it if Hibiki didn't. "...Thanks. And for letting me tag along."
Petra Soroka	Nelly is not empathic at all but she does turn her head for a moment to give Petra a little smirk.     This tiny instant of a smirk is locked onto with all the hateful fervor of a jilted servant. There is not a single reason in the entire world that Nelly would be smug at Petra for this particular thing-- there is no world in which pining looks towards Lilian can be interpreted as specifically jealousy of Nelly's position, besides if the Wuthering Heights maid was briefed on Petra personally, and was coached to be spiteful about her. It doesn't make sense otherwise; it's utterly incoherent. The servile act of filing Lilian's nails is a *job* to Nelly, and Petra's yearning looks are for many reasons, not just that.     Which means that Wuthering Heights has some sort of grudge against Petra. She can believe it, though she couldn't pinpoint a reason why. Petra notes this in her mind, as something to follow up with later. Nelly's bratty smirk is a singular instant that shifts the political balance of the city, against her own house.     Gosh. It's really embarrassingly unprofessional of her. If she was *really* a maid in Lilian's service, Petra would have to recommend firing her for that.
Angela	''You seemed more the 'down on your luck' sort'' "I wouldn't say I'm an expert," Roland asides to Lilian, if a bit belatedly. "I have this ... flow to the weapons I use but unfortunately I lost hold of some of them when I got demoted. Couldn't afford upkeep--but now I can gradually rebuild my arsenal. My work required me being able to use a variety of tools." ''Is it Angela keeping you busy, or Petra?'' Roland frowns thoughtfully like it's a close call but ultimately he says, "Petra's not always around, so it's usually Angela when she's not here nad Petra when she is. She's been--" He glances at Petra as if he's not sure he should be giving an answer here but he remembers what she had JUST said about Lilian so he ultimately settles that telling her things is probably fine. "--Going out across the muiltiverse, gathering up books and other stuff from those worlds and bringing them back to the Library. She's also helped Audrey--and myself--get settled in though it's been a long work to figure stuff out because there's some stuff they don't like to talk about, but I've picked up a lot just from listening so I think I've got... a general gist, even if I don't know the full details." Roland naturally examines the other Workshops but doesn't exactly push his luck with Petra on those. ''A really horrifying fire sword'' Nelly studies it thoughtfully and wonders if maybe this is a bit much to offer Knifty, someone she's been informed is something of a maniac, if she got it in knife form. But ultimately she reasons that risk can bring about discipline. And unlike Roland, she doesn't exactly have a budget. She brings back the sword for Lilian and collects another knife-version of the weapon as part of her personal goals out here today. ''Roland is partially read by Father Berislav.'' Roland's mood is souring the more Berislav knows him. "Lots of people have lost people in the Smoke War. My story isn't special, Berislav." He almost slugs him when he says he should've been here 'three years ago' because Berislav was, in fact, around at the time-- --but that'd definitely blow his cover, so he doesn't. He has to keep his cool. He has to remember what Red Dwarf warned him about. He breathes in. He breathes out. He calms. "Sorry," He says. "I'm just not feeling hte optimism right now. But it's not like I hope you're wrong or anything but--" He catches the hand on the shoulder with his own hand. "Maybe after we've had a few drinks together." ...Wait, he thinks. ...Is that how he got Olivier?? Olivier likes going out for drinks and-- Fuck. He hopes he didn't give off that kind of impression. Fuck. A grimace on his face, he pulls away. ''If both you and Finn give high marks.'' "Well... we'd have to work hard to figure them out, but--we're not afraid of working hard, ma'am!" Is Finn's take. Nelly is back to being professional and certainly isn't about to say why she smirked at Petra like that despite there being no way she'd know that much about the situation. "Mm... It certainly has impressive killing power." Nelly says. "It's good quality and if that Grade Nine's correct about that deal--a certain show of frugality encourages investment--irrespective of how much cash you actually have to show around." So Finn gives a thumbsup and rushes off to do just that.
Angela	''Nelly's bratty smirk is a singular instant that shifts the political balance of the city, against her own house.'' Nelly examines her work on the nails and deems them 'suitable'. She doesn't look back at Petra again like that, her little flicker of unprofessionalism is over. The truth is, this is the first time Nelly's gotten to leave that dreary manor in some time. And surely, a place like Wuthering Heights is sure to have a wonderful fate in store for it.
Distortion Dets.	'Do you have a way I can contact you to set that up?'     Berislav walks away with numbers from each workshop, and the promise that it'd be possible to discuss plenty of business at a later time. There's interest from both parties! That's good! Companies be out here liking the idea of money! 'Second, you could tell me if the principles of your technology will apply to blades as well as hammers.'     Nester 'hmm's, scratching at his beard. There's a sense he's taken a bit aback by Lilian's chastisement, and also the sense that he's really quite intimidated by this level of clientele. "Course it can. It'd be a bit more finnicky, doubling up all the.." He mumbles, to stop himself actually saying anything somewhat secretive.     "'Internals', that's a way to put it, to get the geometry to be sharp, but assuming you don't mean for a little butter knife, can't see why not? Fifty units? Sure, yep. I'll talk to my guys about how to get on that, Miss. You,-" He points at Rhyme, "Tres is gonna figure out the certification, right?"     "Oh, y-yes! Of course, I've already started on the notices, I'm sure they'll put someone in contact with you to mediate product registration with Stigma as well- um. Yes, though." Nester just nods, sniffs, and sticks out a hand for Lilian to shake should she wish it. 'If I really like what I see, then consider the patent expedited.'     Nester raises an eyebrow at that, it's quite an implication. Patents are a matter solely for A-corp, after all, a matter of the Head. Still- whether or not Nester believes Lilian could manage that, and he doesn't believe she *can't*, it's something confident enough to take in good faith. "Mmmm. I'll have to keep that in mind."