”Just admit it, you like people lookimg up to you to a certain degree, and then saving them as if no one else would,” her voice is a tad judgemental.”But at least try that. Its awfully calming to be able to walk freely without responsibilites thrown at you in every turn.”

She chuckles as well:”Well we had Arkady to open the doors so you wouldnt have needed to hit your head. I’m not sure about the better choice still, Battles or Kumiho could’ve delivered as well. At least it was a good lesson on how to cope with restricted capabilites. Not that it suited me either one bit in this case. At least I got to vent that out on Exhumes the Bodies when he arrived on the set.”

A small grimace spreads upon her face Upon seeing the condition of Manifest Destiny.

”Rather that than you, I have to say though,” she nods to Daniel before turning to her Arkady."Vodka, you said? I'm most certain Jolie has almost anything you'd need," she refers to the lady on the other side of the bar.

She flips out a case and takes a cigarette, offering one to Arkady as well, before lighting her own and giving the counter  a small, perhaps slightly anxious, but thoughful drum.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:26, Mon 04 June 2018.

Arkady takes one cigarette and nods thankfully, he goes through his pouches and finally pulls out a gasoline lighter that looks self made, and light his cig. He seems to be very focused on Lucifer summoning his trusted armament.

His eyes light up like a small child that just found out something new, glowing with endless curiosity. "OI, TVOYA MAT'! Is that what I think it is?!?"

He takes a inspects the gun as tediously as he can without actually touching it.

"Woooow... this nailgun took a beating huh? I umm... I think I can fix it, Though I gotta do some research on it first."

He keeps on staring at the weapon but his gaze doesn't look aimless. His eyes scan the weapon affixing on certain parts in a certain order, as he in his mind figures out it's inner workings. "-This some essence tech stuff huh? Well I've got something on the works that could breathe some new life into it. Might as well give it a shot, Tho I'm probably gonna do some tests on my own hardware first. Ohh this is way more exciting than fixing Al Sayeigh's rust buckets."

While they go over Manifest Destiny, hopefully ending up in a solution that'd fix that vital part of Daniel, Lyla seems to be lost in thought for a moment while gazing at her cigarette and the smoke wafting in the air. The shadows of smoke create different shapes on the counter, most likely mimicing whatever is going through her head. Mostly it would seem to be something appearing to be caste marks and different celestial objects. She toys with the smoke by blowing it away, though the shadows still linger on the counter. Soon enough they retreat under her palm that was resting next to them.

"Sounds like all hope is not lost on Manifest Destiny."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:44, Mon 04 June 2018.

"Spiderweb? She's a good sort. Helped me out with a... condition after the raid on the Buchenwald", Daniel says while scratching the back of his head.

He spends a moment looking at the shadows playing on the counter next to Lyla, then just hands over the Manifest Destiny to Arkady.

"I entrust it to your care, then. Not much good to me till it's fixed anyway. It'd be embarrassing if Manifest Destiny didn't make it to the brave new world."

"Yeah Spiderweb is sorta my boss. She's tough but fair. Shit, you HAVE to be tough to keep that crew in check." Arkady says with a respectful tone.

He hesitates a moment before he gently takes the huge cannon in his hand, He finds it a bit on the hefty side.

"Wow! I mean, Awesome! I.. I am a bit of a fan actually. I saw you on the TV when I was a kid. This is a huge honor! Shit, your cannon is gonna be better than it ever was!"

He leaves the gun on counter and hollers to the bartender
"I'm feeling thirsty! Vodka! leave the bottle! A toast for inspiration and ingenuity that is, Blyat!"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:58, Wed 06 June 2018.

Upon hearing a certain notion Lyla took a deep drag and exhaled the smoke into the air. The smoke cloud took its sweet while wafting away up towards the ceiling. She tapped the cigarette against the edge of an ashtray, and turned to lay her cheek on her open palm, her elbow relaxedly resting on the counter.

Suprisingly it was not difficult to see through her veil of relaxedness, that her presence was all but relaxed. Maybe it was the current company that made her lower her guard that much.

"Condition?" She arched a brow to Daniel. "I thought something like that was going on judging from your behaviour. I even noted this upon debriefing about the mission with Five after the incident."

Was there a sudden shade of pink on her cheeks momentarily? In the darkly lit bar its hard to say. She downs her drink.

"I think that round will go to Daniel's tap as a thanks to you, Arkady."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:47, Wed 06 June 2018.

Daniel seems unsure how to take Arkady's confession, frowning and turning to face the counter again. "Didn't mean to become a TV personality, but I suppose it's not all bad. Don't get all starry-eyed though; in no time you'll be as strong as I was then. You're a hero of your own now, responsible for the continued survival of the Living with the rest of us."

He takes a big sip - more like a gulp - of his whiskey before glancing at Lyla and then Arkady.

"Too heavy? Sorry. But yeah, tonight's on me."

He puts the glass down on the counter with a clink, clearing his throat.

"Anyway... Turns out Thanatos left some sort of resonance or imbalance in my essence, which made me... lose my filter at a few junctures."

He picks up on something in Lyla's voice and composure, turning to look at her with a faintly amused, even teasing expression.

"Five, is it?"

Almost instantly he's serious once more though, tapping again on the counter.

"Looking back on it... I probably wouldn't have done things exactly the way I did, but saying I regret it would be an overstatement too. Brahe deserves much more than a punch in his smug face, and Five Days Darkness made a mistake not calling the fighters in sooner."

A deep shade of red flushes over Lylas face upon noticing her slip. She gives Daniel a partially annoyed push accompanied by a smirk. He struck a gold vein there with his comment.

"Yes. Five Days Darkness is too tedious a name to be said always in its long form. That aside I'm glad to hear that you found aid for that imbalance. It could've caused you worse troubles as well."

She adjusts her position on the bar stool, falling serious much like Daniel.

"I agree in both of those. No need to lament on it. The situation was just most unfortunate and devastating and perfectly timed for Brahe. Judging by the intel that I got what followed wouldve happened eventually. It just happened earlier than expected."

She sighs and tilts her head even more against her cheek when looking at Daniel.

"I'm just concerned of you. Of Five. Of this whole rust bucket and its people. I know what bad publicity does to a person and their life.Let alone what it does to the people who hold you dear or in high regard.

A trail of smoke passes by her as she taps her cigarette.

"But no need to brood it. Its all because Brahe is an asshole as expected from an Infernal. Hopefully we are not boring you to death, Arkady. We do this, apparently, too rarely and things build up," she turns to look at him with a small grin.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:58, Fri 08 June 2018.

Arkady froze just before he got to pour his first shot. What Lucifer said about him being part responsible for humanity's survival seemed to hit him so hard. He proceeded to turn his glass around neatly on a napkin, and proceeded to chug vodka straight out of the bottle, as if it was a bottle of water after a week on a desert, he easily destroyed a quarter of the bottle on one sip.

"Oi blin. this is some good shit..." he muttered whist exhaling slowly to keep his posture.

He shakes his head and focuses on his company whilst smoking his cigarette, once again like it was a top-tier cigar, enjoying it.

"To be honest, I have no real idea what's going on beyond the scenes. I don't know half the people you guys are talking about, but they gotta be important since... well... you're talking about 'em. Shit. I am... I used to be just a scav ma'am. This is quite a lot to take in, but I'm trying to follow."

"Letting stuff build up is like shit. The more you wait and let it build up, the bigger percentage of your existence is gonna be shit, and eventually you'll just feel like shit. Let it out early. Get together more often."

He leans back a bit as if this was the peak of philosophical debate and raises the bottle.

"na zdorov'ye"

"Well... I did also snap at Jess at her place. She was past due for a reality check, but part of me wonders if my outburst was too much for her to handle and caused her increased recklessness and... Whatever happened to her at Onyx Spire."

He shakes his head. His expression is less affected than one might think, however; much like with Brahe and Five Days Darkness, looking back he would've changed the method of delivery but not the core of his actions.

"Yeah, no doubt you're right. I'm a fish out of water with this public relations and personal brand management shit while Brahe is a cancer that only grows from anything I feed him. Only reason I haven't excised the tumor is because I prefer the devil I know to the one I don't. I'm not yet aware what shit this particular event sparked, though?"

He raises his refilled glass to his lips and takes a sip, raising a brow as Arkady guzzles his vodka down next to him.

"You're not wrong, but you'll find that the more you do, the more is required and expected of you. And that's how it should be, because gods know we need everything we can get. That said, plenty of people have tried to beat it into my head that taking care of yourself is included in taking care of the Living."

Lyla sips her vodka, and momentarily plays with her cigarette, flipping it between fingers, almost burning them in the process. Then she empties her refilled shot glass, flicking a glance to Jolie in order to get something else that'd last longer.

"-He's- resigned from his position," she emphasizes without adding the obvious name, its as if she was concerned that saying it all aloud would somehow make it even more real."And that Brahe is putting together an admiralty board to do the leading, naturally most playing to his pocket. Its absolutely repulsive as a thought that we would end up taking orders from the likes of him. Of course there'll be other in the board representing, such as elementals. But I don't know the details."

She recrosses her legs the other way and lets out a small chuckle.

"Enough about that lecture though, we are here relaxing now and that is already something note worthy. And please, Arkady, I'm not a Ma'am, I'm Lyla, She smiles that small smile of hers. "... Though I'll gladly be a Ma'am if that means it'll make you tone down that drinking of yours. During missions that is."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:38, Tue 12 June 2018.

Arkady takes a bit smalle, careful sip of the bottle. He starts to look a bit hazy.
"Well... I think I'll manage... somehow. 'tho the responsibility of trying to save everyone feels heavy as fuck... I'm more used to taking care of myself. I still wonder what the actual shit did the gods see in me to trust me with... this."

During Lyla's remark he takes another sip of his bottle in a defiant manner, but he freeses the moment the bottle touches his lips.
"It's under control! It calms my nerves and... wait. Who told you? you weren't..."

His eyes open wide as he gets a flashback of the mission. The later part where Diamond Sky did some crazy shadowy shit on that abyssal and connects the dots with the shadows playing on the counter just a moment ago.

"...YOU WERE THERE!?! YOU WERE THE REINFORCEMENTS, WERENT YOU?!? Iwas wondering who the fuck was 'Diamond Sky..."

Daniel gains a frown as Lyla tells of Five Days Darkness's resignation. Then she gets to Brahe's plans for an admiralty board, followed by the sound of shattering glass as Daniel's grip on his glass tightens a bit too much, turning the glass to shards and some of the shards further into dust.

"Shit. Sorry." He mutters under his breath as he opens his hand and tries to sweep the pieces and glass dust into a pile for easier clean-up.

"Yeah, that's bad. Bad enough that should it come to pass I might actually have to kill him, which would spark a whole other shitstorm. Gotta look into this board and see it doesn't get filled with shitstains from Brahe's pocket."

He throws a longing look at the whiskey now adorning his fingers and the bar. Then he turns to Arkady.

"That's the hardest part; It's not your responsibility to save everyone. It's your responsibility to save the Living, and sometimes that includes letting people die. That's some shit... But I wouldn't waste too much time with the "why me"s. The fact is you now have power that most don't, and you've got to put it to use for whatever you believe in or hold dear."

Lyla doesn't so much as flinch when the glass shatters. Shows that she was partially expecting that. Very much like with the wound that Arkady got on the previous mission, she reaches out over the counter to grab the first cloth she finds to deal with the matter of a broken glass. Luckily Daniel wasn't that fragile to get wounds from a plain glass. She takes his hand on hers and wipes it thoughtfully.

"No need to be sorry. It's not my personal loss. Besides he doesn't mind staying in the background, that's were he was intended to be. He isn't like Sol, " she notes calmly, though a bit somberly. "It'd seem to be about 45/55 currently. And before it's officially announced, I'm not sure any of us should meddle."

Arkady's comment breaks the piling darkness that their subject was circling, and Lyla can't help but to chuckle and lightens the mood.

"Well who else could it have been, really. Battles running around in a skintight suite? I was there, the whole arduous mission. Couldn't come as myself or be myself, so Diamond Sky it was...at least until the very end. I thought my mask was good, but given your face during the bandaging, I'm not so sure about it. How did I even look?" She directs at Arkady.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:11, Sun 17 June 2018.

Jolie knows when not to really engage a bunch of Exalts trying to get drunk, so she spends the time just slinging drinks of greater and greater potency.  In this case, though, she gets a little uppity.

"Hey, Daniel, ease up on the glassware, huh?  Some of these glasses are older than the Last Refuge, I stole a few from my old employer."

That says a lot about the whiskey... which probably started life as engine oil.  She mutters as she walks over to pick up a broom to get started.

Arkady snaps out of his minor existential crisis when Jolie starts cleaning up Lucifer's mess.

"Well shit. You're right about that tho'. Can't save everyone, right? Do I get to even choose? I owe some money you know." He spurts out with a mix of nervous laughter and drunken slavic bravado.
"Improvise, Adapt, Overcome. right?"

He looks at Lyla and his bravado breaks a bit.
"You... You looked like someone I think I knew. Someone I met in Tokyo... when... when shit went down. Someone brave who should be dead... I was just a kid back then."

He looks at his bottle, his eyes like glass, clearly remembering something he tried very hard to forget.

And proceeds to attempting to forget again by taking a long swig.

Lyla nods in response to Arkady.
"Im glad I got help from someone like that in such a case."

Kendal appears at the entrance, letting out a small sigh while fixing his tie.
As he sees Lyla, the well trained customer service smile switches to a genuine it's good to see you smile as he walks through the bar and sits next to her saying:
"Hey sis."

Then looking at Jolie with with just slightly different smile, narrowing his eyes as if challenging her "can I get a... REAL gin&tonic?" asking for the almost impossible as to see if Jolie remembers him after all these years.

He of course notices the other Exalts sitting right there, but seeing the broken glass and the tense looks on their faces, he waits for a response from Lyla before continuing.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:39, Thu 28 June 2018.

"Whoa.Wait. Am I seeing things," she appears as if she'd seen a ghost, then she checks her messages to see if she actually had missed something before turning to her brothers side and getting up to give him a hug. "Well hello my long lost brother who has graced our presence here below the Upper decks."

Its a rare case seeing Lyla with her brother. Given that most people didn't even know she had a brother, a twin brother for that matter. They do though look awfully alike. Especially now that she is dressed fancier than usual. She flicks a glance between Kendal and Jolie, ever so slightly narrowing her eyes.

After returning the hug he looks at Lyla "Hey, it's that rare for me to leave the upper decks, I have stuff to do all over the place, then again, you were in the first place I thought you could be."

Raising his head he looks at the other two Solars.

"Busy as usual Daniel? Taking good care of my sister I hope. Ah, Mr. Arkady my pleasure to meet you, I'm Kendal Raines and I must say like your choice of company." Offering his hand to both of them for proper greetings.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:09, Mon 02 July 2018.

Daniel glances to Jolie apologetically as he finishes piling up the shards on the table, then reaches for a napkin to dry his hand off.

"Yeah, sorry. Add it to my tab."

He gives Kendal a nod in greeting as he sits, then chuckles as he shakes his hand - unusually with his left, to avoid getting glass dust or shards in Kendal's hand.

"I wish. Chances for us to meet in circumstances other than immediate crisis are few and far between, and even then I'm usually the one that needs looking after. Good to see you anyway. I'd ask how things are in the political theatre but I'm not sure the bar's glassware could take it."

Arkady puts his bottle on the counter and turns to face Kendal. His tipsy eyes scan the man from head to toe, and not just generally. He seems to focus on very specific details. Both of his hands, his suit, his shoes. He isn't accustomed to formal greetings, even less from a man wearing a sharp suit. After a short evaluation he extends his left hand, as it is the only one he has with him and shakes his hand a bit awkwardly, as you'd expect when shaking right hand with left hand.

"I like my company too. These comrades aren't trying to steal my shit the second I let my eyes off them." he takes another short pause and speaks with a suspicious expression: "You have the demeanor of a law man. I haven't done anything. All my acquisitions are completely legal."

"Buchenwald, Pyongyang, Enterprise, Onyx Spire, Callsign. You, my dear brother, have a fantastic hunch given how much I've been off the Last refuge," she ponders out loud while waiting for Kendal to finish with the greetings.

"But do tell as Daniel already almost asked, how are you?"

When he shakes hands, he gives a firm grip, perfect for making good first impressions and always looking straight at your eyes when greeting.

Arkady sees a man over 6 feet tall, he has glasses and the suit looks custom tailored. Brown leather shoes and a metallic wristwatch, no rings or other accessories. He has the subtlest scent of cologne.
Kendal chuckles at Arkadys comment "Rest assured i'm not here on legal business, i'm here to greet my sister and I would like to think her companions as my companions as well, if there is any way i can help just give me a call" And gives Arkady his business card.

When he speaks, its just like any brother meeting his sister and friends, he doesn't ask them for anything or demand anything from them. Acting very casually and friendly.

"How about you Daniel, need help in sorting out paperwork?"

Turning his attention to Lyla "Well my dear sister, you aren't as elusive as you think you are, it was simple enough to keep tabs on Benisuzumes arrival and deduce where you might be."

Pausing for a moment just to mess her hair up. "Stressed, tired and very satisfied to make a difference, you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:34, Tue 03 July 2018.

Lyla genuinely chuckles when her dark brown hair is ruffled about. The lightlt curly locks settle back at their usual places after a moment, staying to cover her facial scar.

"You thought that I'd let just anyone see those flight tabs? Thats cute, little brother, but you are seeing what I let you see. If the flight info about Benisuzume was open to all public and all the suits in the Upperdeck, I'd be living in a nightmare," she takes a sip from her drink, the shadows momentarily masking her expression upon answering Kendal. "Sounds accurate, just add frustrated to the combination. And take off the part about drinking vodka and flirting with the secretary," she teases.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:13, Wed 04 July 2018.