October's Clan

💛💜 valain drags her feet back to her quarters. she sees that someone has dumped her bedding onto the ground. of course. as she rights her lumpy mattress, she spots a paper sticking out of a busted seam. it could be nothing, but... she pulls a note out. in the dim light, she can barely make out the words.

"bracelet charms"

hope flutters in valain's chest as she prods the mattress. one lump is harder than the others. she extracts a messenger that could easily be concealed in her palm. it would be risky to send him the answer now. she does so anyways.

ei7s: knife x4
s42n: td loc?
ei7s: 24 ln 3bk

evren's hunch, as always, proves correct. but now's not the time to celebrate - locating valain was one thing, making a quick escape is another. time to call in some help.

nya was bored (and just bored, really) when she gets a call. seriously, spyboy? is this some kind of sick joke, making nya go back to That Place? she doesn't care if valain is in trouble! "reassignment" her ***.

💜💛 the search stretches on for a week. there's false sightings, hourly news segments, press releases. it's maddening. no thanks to daren, everyone knows now. he wears his pink hair proudly. nya got the gift of cleaning the showers. tch. the outpost commander has no sense of justice. punishments aside, everyone has been... oddly nice to nya? weird. the cook even made it a point to add twice as much bacon to her plate. urgh. she doesn't need the sympathy! she can deal with it on her own! whatever. where is valain, anyways?

it bears repeating that this place stinks. evren tries not to cough as he sneaks around in the shadows. oddly, there's some sleeping quarters here. he rifles through personal belongings on some beds and finds nothing. the last crawlspace he looks at is unusual. nothing extra is here. and the way the bed is made, with the ratty blanket folded like a flower - he's seen this before - on valain's bed. he can't stay, but he can leave a note. and a comm.

💛💜 evren sneaks by a guard on the way down. this isn't an op, from the looks of it. but given how easy it was for valain to get nabbed, there has to be some official's hand in this. he slips into the guard's post. logs of people entering and leaving... written orders for the day... a tatty magazine... someone this low won't have anything interesting. he'll need to go further in.

so this is how she'll have to pay off her "dues", eh? menial labor under the mean hands of the don's mistress. valain knows how this goes. they'll pile on the debt until she can't feasibly leave, and then use it as leverage to get her to do more illegal things... until she either tries to run or has a run-in with the law. what valain wouldn't give for a bath right now. she hopes her nyanya is alright.

"hey! what's with the attitude? you got me good with the pink!"
"hm?"
"i don't like the look on your face..." hehe. both of them startle as they get showered in glitter. she'll get written up. worth it.

💜💛 evren doesn't tail his target for long before something catches his attention. are they seriously...? yeah, he's headed underground. there's no way he's going to get in after. evren didn't get close enough to slip a tracker in his clothes, either. normally he'd try a more indirect approach, but he doesn't have time. he spares a moment of pity for valain. and then himself, as he scouts for a safer entrance to the sewers.

valain stinks of sewage. and they're expecting her to help out in a shop later? she'd drive away customers... ah. valain is slow on the uptake today. at least her face looks presentable. the rest of her outfit- a lost cause. she takes a deep breath. crying will only make things worse. but by the stars, she really wants to :sadi:

daren races back to the mess hall. he better not be -
"hey, heard straight from nya that it's not a love triangle! goby, you owe me 20 bucks!" unbelievable. she stomps in.
"pink it is."
"i'm sorry! i'm sorry!"
"no, you're not."

💛💜 to his credit, daren cleans as much as nya does. +1. he also clearly wants to continue pestering nya. -1. he's going to go and spread his little pet theories around regardless. nya is tired of the endless speculation. may as well... get ahead of it. urgh.

"we were once together."
"wait what? who?"
"valain."
"yes! i was right! ha, goby owes me-"
"spread this around and i will dye your hair pink."
"aww c'mon, this is massive news and i can't share?"
"..."
"fine, fine. what happened?"
"we drifted apart." a partial truth. he senses it.
"it's never that simple."
"daren." stay calm. stay calm.
"ok, ok, cool it firecracker."
"tch."
"are you two..."
"no. we're done."
"she seems to have other ideas."
"valain always does."
"what's with the guy? spoon?" what drivel did evren feed daren?
"that's not his name."
"i knew it was a code name! he a friend of yours?"
"he's a nuisance. almost like..."
"eep! shutting up!" hah. nya may regret this conversation later. but for now, she does feel better.

💜💛 evren needs some more information. adaro doesn't show up much in his records. he would access the main database, but that'd bring too much attention down on his head. he feels like he's stepping into risky territory - and his gut has never led him astray. he heads to the dive bar.

the bar is dingy. he's clocked as a newcomer and gets some drunk guys in his face right away. he acts the part of the surly runaway. his act is convincing enough for them to go back to their own business. everyone else seems a little afraid. not unhappy, but afraid. he was right to be cautious. his eyes keep straying to one of the drunks. there's something about the way he moves... that's the one he'll tail.

"so what's the deal with you three?"
"..."
"aw cmon, it's just us two out here."
"i don't want to talk about it."
"bad blood? don't leave me hanging."
"tch."
"y'know, you sound like a spurned lover. are they together?"
"daren."
"you gonna spill?"
"shut up."
"alright alright, keep your secrets."

💛💜 wow, this place is a dump. rust as far as the eye can see - which isn't far with the smog. not a plant in sight. no wonder the both of them wanted out. evren makes some quick clothing changes to fit in and cautiously wanders the streets. aside from a few curious kids, nobody looks his way. good. oh valain, where could you be?

in the sewers, valainava contemplates her situation. they've given her the newcomer's rooms. insult on top of injury - and there's been plenty of the latter. hah, if she could just get to a computer... and they know that. she rubs her bruised ribs, tries to come up with a plan, and mopes a bit. she's earned that much.

do they seriously have nothing better to talk about? comparing spyboy to valain in the looks department? that's insulting. love triangle? love affair? really? the sand makes people lose their minds. nya volunteers to clean out the unused barracks just to get away. that doesn't work. loudmouth #1 volunteers too. the nerve!

the lesbian one is calling to me. big fan

ahhh i'd grab one but i'm about to raffle off all my items lol

how did I find out today that flight rising made a beautiful trans forum profile background

💜💛 nya has been distracted lately. a bit listless. it's been bad enough that the gossipy guards have been giving her space and sympathetic looks. she's fine. she doesn't need to hear about john "missing his wife too" for the fifth time.

evren has run out of leads of his own. valain's past doesn't seem to exist at all. she's probably changed her identity a few times. it's not unusual for someone inclined to criminality... but it sure does make it a pain. time for a primary source. he takes his coffee kit and boards the next supply trip to the outpost.

spyboy is here. again. nosy as always. about valain's past? yeah, over her dead body. at least he brings a better gift. fine. she may have actually gone missing. she does that. who cares? nya doesn't. evren doesn't pry too much. she likes that. but she wants him out of her space yesterday. leave her alone! whatever. she can give him a name and a planet. have fun, spyboy.

ava velrai. adaro. it took a day and 4 cups of coffee. worth it!

💛💜 they've landed, and nobody has come to greet her. this does not help her anxiety in the least! she hears footsteps echoing down the hall. ah. her heartrate spikes. how is he still alive? did the empire really let him free? unless... she doesn't get the chance to finish that thought. the door slides open. her old "boss". he's unarmed. his guard is not.

"miss ava. we've been missing you these past few years."
"come to finish the job, old man?" he laughs. it's as hair-raising as ever.
"hmm, not when we went through all the trouble of bringing you back home. we have a lot to catch up on."
damn it all. some of it must show on her face, because he smiles.

evren gets woken up in the middle of the night by an urgent message. someone must have it out for his beauty sleep :c it must be important - oh, she's been kidnapped? the security at valain's apartment is top notch - kind of. against his better judgement, evren has grown attached. he volunteers for the search.