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Event - Dogged

Dogged

The message goes out to everyone on ADI's network. It seems to be something captured live. It's Pam Ruan, head of HR who holds a prosthetic finger up to her lips before whispering, "Everyone's pushing for transparency right now, right? Figuring out where threats are coming from and sharing. I think that should come at all levels. Let's see what Nia's talking about with Mr. Zyrian Steel, hmm?"

The camera flips around as Pam clearly creeps closer to an office door. There are muffled voices, and Pam sets the phone face up before using one hand to shove the thing under the door. The video shows a sliding picture of the office's bland ceiling for a moment before coming to a stop. The voices become much clearer.

"-down in Wolf Trap," a masculine voice is saying. Presumably, Zyrian Steel. "There's just no need for that."

"Zyrian, this ain't a negotiation." Nia Lehrer's voice is familiar to most people working at ADI at this point. They've likely heard her speak in some pre-recorded training videos at the bare minimum. Nia's tone is no nonsense and clearly on the edge of snapping in frustration. "You're not hiring us. I'm sending my people down to Wolf Trap next month. We've got evidence of those signalhead things being on the march, one down that way, your kick off for New Horizons in the park, and evidence out of there about the Lullaby Girl from some of my people."

There is silence.

"You remember her? Ava? Or Amber, it seems like. She's the one you gave us those Lucidio masks to help train our people against. Frankly, I'd be surprised if you don't remember her, Mr. S." Another drawn out pause. "You ain't been straight with me for a long time. You ain't been straight with ADI since Tawnya was Warden. You tell me you need us in Buffalo, payback for helping in Wolf Pen and Cortana and the mobile med units, and not only do half the staff come back with crab claws and whiskers, but I find out you're using us for business politics." There's venom in her tone. "Or were you just going to stay quiet about Etcher's enterprises competing with your own software companies? ADI is not your personal attack dog. You are our client. And I thought my friend. But I'm about 30 seconds away from firing you from both."

Further silence, then a heavy sigh. "And I was going to offer to send you and your staff on such a nice retreat." There's the sound of a chair being pushed back. "Warden, I think you misunderstand the nature of our relationship. You are the dogs. I am the master. I hold your leash. Or have you forgotten just how much technology I've donated to ADI over the years, how many of your systems run on things I built? We've had a mutually beneficial relationship up until now- Well… you and I have. Tawnya got to be a problem before the end, too. But I made sure that was taken care of."

"You self-aggrandizing son of a-"

"You're a much more practical woman than she ever was, even with those shiny ideals you hold so dear. You'll compromise for the greater good, to protect what's yours. Such a good Warden, looking out for her charges."

"What are you talking about? And get your hands the hell off my desk."

"Haven't you ever wondered about the title? Warden. Odd name for a leader of any organization, even one like yours. But maybe not so odd when you consider your more eldritch masters." A scoff. "The Hunt always does pick out the most oblivious avatars, doesn't it? What does a Warden do?" A beat. "She controls the monsters, Nia. Sniffs them out and contains them. And she goes after the poachers coming after her prey. Tell me, have you ever noticed how you're always picking up on threats far afield with uncanny precision. It's been getting stronger, hasn't it? Tawnya was the same way. As was her predecessor, I imagine."

"That's not- I wouldn't ever…"

"Wouldn't you, though? Every time you sent your own dogs after a threat, reveled in it, you were being such a good Warden, instilling terror in the hearts of your enemies, ADI's enemies. So many cults know who and what you are and they fear it. Fear the Warden of ADI, famed avatar of the Hunt. Even now, I know you've compromised yourself. Have you considered what that's done to you? You let that Visionary kid stay alive. I rather think that might have been the start of your slide, hmm? Making exceptions, just this once.

"Now," he continues, voice growing louder and footsteps starting toward the phone, "I realize this is a lot to take in, to think about. Why don't you do that self-reflection while I attend to other matters? You are doing good work, puppy. I need a dependable pet to take care of all those nasty pests who keep trying rituals. But no need to worry about the New Horizons launch, really. I'll just-" Zyrian pauses and everyone will have a view of a middle-aged caucasian man with dark, slightly graying hair and a beard. He's wearing khakis and a Hawaiian shirt, and he's looking down at Pam's phone.

"Well… fuck." He stomps a heeled shoe on it and the transmission ends abruptly.

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The sound is dulled, but not gone. For a creature with very sensitive ears, it's still not pleasant. But it doesn't feel like its ears are about to start bleeding, so that's a start.

The owl beast watches Rue, tilting its head to the side. Eventually it gives a little nod. Given the pause before that response, it probably means kind of.

"Well!"

Now that they are out of harms way, Rue does not know how else to help the beast. They peer around for a clean space to settle, not knowing how long this may take.

"I suppose we shall wait until Eda returns, won't we?"

There's a little huff at that particular comment, or perhaps just at the name. While the owl beast and Eda were getting along these days, and it hadn't really meant to take over, that doesn't mean it's keen on the idea of just retreating immediately.

This is partly because there still seems to be a threat, and partly for a much more selfish reason--it doesn't exactly get to be in charge often. It's nice having a body that exists outside the confines of Eda's mindscape.

For now, it simply prowls in a small circle around the area Rue found, sniffing at things.

Look, Rue is doing the absolute best that they can for the situation.

And for a few minutes, nothing much happens. Rue scrolls on their phone, gives the owlbeast a few moments to themself to simply sniff around and explore the surroundings, but when Eda does not reappear, Rue realizes they need to come up with a new plan.

"Well, my friend, I do not wish to leave you here on your own. Would you like to come home with me, back to my apartment?"

The owl beast pauses at that, sitting back on its haunches again and looking at them uncertainly.

It doesn't like the idea of being inside, really. It doesn't like feeling trapped. But it also doesn't like being outside, with the painful noise in the distance, and any number of people it doesn't know.

...And it's pretty sure it would win a fight with Rue if it came down to it. After a moment, there's another nod.

At least inside, there won't be so many eyes on the pair of them, that should bring some relief. And you know, the beast can take a nap on Rue's couch, it's fine.

The little nod is all they need. "Very well, follow me."

And what an odd sight they must be, the owlbear with the owlbeast trailing behind them as they make their way to the apartment complex, carefully avoiding any crowds, until Rue can open their front door and shoo it inside.

The owl beast bristles a little at the attempt to shoo it anywhere, pausing to give Rue a wary look. It doesn't appear to be any more inclined than Eda is to do things it's told.

Still, inside seems better than out, as much as that isn't normal. It makes a low huffing sound, but it steps inside to glance around the lobby. Once it's sure nothing seems like it's loud or dangerous, it will go back to following Rue.

Rue only huffs at the owl beast's own huffing in return. Truly, it is too much like their dearest Eda.

"Oh, stop it. You are a guest within my home, I may shoo you whenever I please."

And it gives her a long look that implies that regardless of whose house it is, pushing that could very well end badly. In concept it should behave in someone else’s den, but… still, being told when to do.

For now, though, it will sniff around Rue’s apartment a bit before hopping onto the couch and curling up like it owns it.

Try them!!!

But, as long as it is comfortable and contented for the moment, Rue puts out a quick text to Raine, just informing them of the situation with Eda.

Raine had woken up from a much-needed, but earplug necessary nap. They stood in the kitchen, glass of water in hand, when they received the text.

As they scrolled through and read words like owlbeast and in my apartment a little lump rose in their throat, and they couldn't help but worry about Rue and Eda. They replied, don't even bother getting into better clothes that aren't the shorts and a t-shirt before they grabbed their violin, ran off through the ADI, and to Rue's apartment.

They don't bother knocking, and instead let themself in.

"Oh Titan." Raine's attention was squarely on the Owlbeast. Their body was tense, and their eyes were wide.

"I've never actually seen her like this before. I've seen the Owlbeast before on a scroll but not..in person."

Raine glanced apologetically at Rue.

"I don't know exactly what to do, but, there's a few things I can try."

Edited 2023-08-06 06:57 (UTC)

The owlbeast does, in fact, seem content for the moment, somewhere comfortable and far away from the noise. It doesn't fully let its guard down or close its eyes, but it stays curled up on the couch and only idly watches Rue.

The moment Raine opens the door, however, its ears prick up and its head turns instantly.

Raine is... to be perfectly frank, it's not sure how it feels about about Raine. They're Eda's mate, which means a certain amount of positivity has bled over by this point. On the other hand, they're a person who has long been associated with not only a lot of stress, but also with Eda making a point of keeping any sign of the owlbeast away from them.

Which has changed, recently, of course. And they've certainly gotten used to the harpy version of Eda.

All that to say: while there's a level of nuance to the situation that really isn't the owlbeast's department, things with Raine feel complicated.

The feathers on its back bristle up slightly as it gets up from the couch to approach and circle the bard, sniffing at them. After a bit of that it sits up on its haunches--something that makes it menacingly tall, whether or not that's the intended effect--and leans in to sniff more.

Thank goodness for Raine's quickness, not that Rue and the owlbeast are having a difficult time. It's actually quite nice, simply sitting with them in the living room and enjoying one another's company. It isn't exactly riveting conversation, but it's easy.

And Rue could use easy right about now.

But Raine busts in and the owlbeast bristles up, moving to circle the newcomer. Rue follows to rest a paw at it's back.

"Please, I'm certain anything you try would be more successful than my idea of simply sitting around until she returned back to normal."

Raine tensed as they were approached, though they stayed still and simply watched as they’re very intensely sniffed.

“Well, I’m going to let.. it finish first. But I thought maybe if I played my violin, Eda would..come back?”

They’re still honestly not positive how everything works. But a certain amount of confidence is surely needed in this situation.

“I just. Need to let the Owlbeast know I’m not a threat first. I think.”

They frowned, a little less scared of the being smelled and a little more lost in the logistics of Eda’s curse.

“Or would it—” They address the Owlbeast. “ —Do you already know who I am?”

Edited 2023-08-11 04:38 (UTC)

The Owlbeast sits down again, finally, when Rue puts a hand on it. If Raine had run, or gotten aggressive, things would have gone a lot worse. As it is, staying calm seems to have helped.

Although it bristles again, a little, at the comment about Eda coming back. She will, sooner or later, that's how it works. But it so rarely gets to be in charge, even if her harpy form is... less unpleasant than being suppressed entirely.

But its ears prick up when it's spoken to instead of about. It looks at Raine for a moment before giving a nod. For better or worse, it's a fairly clear yes. They may not have met directly, but it knows who Raine is.

"I do think so. I feel as if it had recognized me almost immediately."

Though Rue may be delicately dancing around the fact that the owlbeast may less recognize Rue and more recognize what Rue is.

"Friend -" Rue inclines their head towards the beast, running their paw along it's back. "Would you enjoy a brief song? Raine would like to play for you."

Something in Raine ran cold when it nodded. They'd never had the chance to be this close, to talk to the Owlbeast. Even though Eda had made it clear that the Owlbeast was intelligent and that they had some sort of arraignment. But Raine hadn't quite connected the dots that what she saw, it saw.

"Ohhh."

Raine was quiet, perhaps slightly lost in the implications of what that meant- the ups and downs of their relationship with Eda had certainly been given an even newer perspective than before. Literally.

Luckily, Rue pulled them out of it. They looked between Rue and The Owlbeast, and tried to muster up a more convincing smile.

"Music! Right," they fumbled with their violin. "Why don't.."

Raine peered past the Owlbeast, back to Rue's living room.

"Why don't we go sit down, and I can play for you there?"

The owlbeast's feathers smooth down again, for the most part, as Rue pets it, but it watches Raine's reaction. Whatever it makes of it, of course, it has no way to voice even had it wanted to.

There's a long moment where it glances between the two of them before, finally, giving another curt nod.

It does like music. Sometimes, at least. It liked when the purple-eyed woman sang to it; perhaps that was partly because it had been something that was, in fact, meant for it and not just Eda. And perhaps partly because Katrina made sense, in general. But the song was nice. It likes when Eda plays, too.

It makes a soft noise between a grunt and a chirp before going back to settle on—and take up most of—the couch again.

Rue follows after the owlbeast, perching on the couch's arm, but letting it take up the full space. (And not complaining about feet being up on the cushions either, someone give them an award.) Though their paw lingers at the beast's back, feather to feather, familiar in a way that doesn't quite make sense.

"Please, Raine, make yourself comfortable however you can. My home is your home. However you need to sit or stand to play, you must do what feels right."

Raine looked between The Owlbeast and Rue, and as they both sat down, Raine felt a little more flustered than before. They'd not played in front of anybody since the parade, besides Eda.

"Uhh, well I guess I could just.. Play there." Raine adjusted their violin, and tucked it under their chin.

They tried to think of a song that wouldn't upset the Owlbeast, but also wouldn't bore it, either. They'd thought about playing the song Eda wrote them, but it seemed like anything Eda-related was a potential for trouble. Raine could do parade music, but they both might find it boring.

They settled on a song from RATS- the same song they'd played for Eda a few weeks prior. The Bard awkwardly shuffled in front of their audience, and with a wry smile, asked:

"Ready?"

The owlbeast looks at Rue for a moment, and sniffs their arm, but doesn't object. It still feels a painful degree of nostalgia, even if something about the owlbear isn't right.

After that its eyes flicked back to Raine, watching their movements with a stil-wary curiosity. It gives another little nod, tilting its head to the side as it waits.

How rude!

But Rue is happy to simply sit back and let Raine take centerstage for this, there is little else the owlbear themself has to contribute to performance except to hope that it works in restoring their friend.

Raine didn't want to take centre stage. In fact, they had been enjoying the break from being Head Bard, and doing bard things like parades. And concerts. And performing in front of people that weren't Eda in general.

Still, they pressed on, a soft shimmer of light overtook the room as they played the song from RATS (it's basically just Moments of Happiness), eyes closed as they made playing look quite effortless- other than the mildly nervous look on their face.

When it comes to a close Raine opened their eyes halfway, vision primarily focused on the Owlbeast's reaction.

The music does, in fact, prove fairly effective on two separate fronts. While it isn't a song it has any specific associations of its own with yet, the owlbeast does find it calming, and more of the tension appears to drain out of the way it holds itself.

Eda, meanwhile, is familiar with the song, both recently and from a good many years ago. The memories attached to it are mixed, given how Rats went, but they're certainly strong. Something which helps at the moment, making her stir and try to focus.

The owlbeast lets its eyes half close during the song, but it appears alert again as Raine looks at it.

It also appears... conflicted. Whether this is internal conflict or simply the fact it's rather tired of being delegated to the back of Eda's mind isn't clear from the outside. Still, after a long moment it huffs out a sigh and and closes its eyes.

When they open again, they look like Eda's, and she blinks disorientedly a couple of times.

The song is familiar enough after Eda showed Rue a similar musical back after the other Raine's departure, so it is easy enough for the owlbear to gently hum along to themself while they rest a feathery paw at the owlbeast's back. At it's side, they do not see the change of it's eyes back to Eda, but Rue can feel that deep, huffing sigh, the tension that shudders through their form.

"I think it must be working. Perhaps just a bit more."

Event - Dogged

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