Making A Comeback

*They be idiots, is what they do.*
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"Eh, it's been worse. But thanks for asking."
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"Oh, don't thank me. And we should probably give Mortal a minute or so."

*Noctis finds that the path from the staircase to here is surprisingly empty. She couldn't even hear people working, until she got close.*
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<So he's the new top Purist, basically.>
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*Thiera & Aroma take a different street from the one that leads to his house.*
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*Since Eve never left home, she eventually hears the radio cut to--*

<We are very sorry, buti t seems this broadcast has been cancelled for the night, due to technical difficulties.>

*Monu waves then starts for home, still smiling*
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*Tirea yawns, and rubs her eyes. She looks very tired*
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*Eve groans and turns off the radio sitting on the couch*

"I could treat you some more if you like, it would be no trouble," Astarte suggested.

Dalia was still waiting around the seats for someone to find her.

"Only more enigmatic, and charismatic it seems," Mortal said, "But as I said before. He is no Purist, he denounced them as criminals. He is an 'Equalist'. Until proven otherwise I think it would be prudent to treat them as their own entity."

--

Gabe pats Tirea on the shoulder, "We'll be out of this mess soon."

Unless I read wrong, Noctis stumbles upon Euryale and co. She gives them a wave, "Glad to see you're all safe-- Where is Mortal?"

"She should be on her way soon," Gabe said.

"Oh," Noct let out a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness."

<Sounds to me like the new boss, same as the old boss, just in shinier clothes. I'll surely be reviewing the case files to see if he has any ties to the Purists. You can go now.>
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"So are Roatha & Astarte also alright?"
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"Hmm...nah, it'd be hard for us to keep walking if we did."
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*Hector's group & Dalia are both going to be waiting for a while.*

*Tirea rubs her eyes*

<I think I'm going to go to sleep and never wake up again.>

"Sleep does sound good, I guess," Gabe said, yawning a bit at the thought.

"Yeeeeee--" Noct broke off into a sympathy yawn, "Sorry. Yes, they left when the police came."

--

Mortal nods, then salutes, if that is a thing she is required to do, and fucks off to reunite with her woman, and her friends.

"I could do it at my place," Astarte said. 

And so they do.

"Uh...I guess that would be alright."
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*Euryale waves to Mortal.*

E"Shall we be going, then?"

*Tirea puts her head on Gabe's shoulder*

<I want to forget this night ever happened.>

Gabe didn't have the heart to remind her that they were champions.

"Yes, wait, where is--"

"They went home already," Noct answered.

"They left without saying goodbye," Mortal asked with a frown.

"Afraid so," Noct said.

"I just want to make sure," She added quietly.

*Euryale pats Mortal on the back.*

"I did sort of tell them to."
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"Well...thank you."

*They come up upon Astarte's house maybe a bit quicker than they should.*

"I suppose that is true," Mortal said, "And in the end, the only important this is that they're safe. So, ready to get out of here?"

Astarte opened the door and stepped inside, then waited for Roatha.

*The next day, someone comes to Noct's door to deliver a trophy filled with tied stacks of Yuans. The trophy is a relatively simple gold cup with handles, but at the base are figurines of a man shooting a stream of fire that a woman with long hair on a wave of water has jumped over, a pair of Earthbenders flinging discs at each other, & 2 figures clashing with their hands clasped next to the neck of the cup, which upon further inspection is swirling fire & water. On the cup itself is the Pro-Bending logo, the team logo, Night's logo, & the information on the Dancing Dragons, the tournament, & a little bit about Night, for that year.*
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*Euryale wakes up, sits up, & holds out her hand, turning on the radio from her bed before the invention of the remote control.*

{For those of you tuning in, we'll have the election results sometime within the hour.}
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*Dalia had spent the night in the hospital after she was found, where she is respected to remain for several days at least.*
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*Monu's bills are starting to pile up, & his savings are running dry.*
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*Hector, Eduj, & Stefan had confirmed that Astarte was okay sometime after Roatha left. After that, I don't know what they did.*

Noctis took the cup and began heading over to Ven's room. She knocked on the door.

--

Mortal stirs a bit, "We can find out later... Come back to bed." Mortal weaseled her way closer, and snaked an arm around Euryale's midsection.

--

Gabe had forgone her usual morning workout and instead was sleeping in for the first time in a while, due in large part to sheer exhaustion.

*Eve turns on the radio, waiting for the election results*
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*Tirea is still asleep*
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*Monu sits down at his desk*

I guess I can wait a little longer to see if the cafe reopens...

*Euryale is pulled down by an ambush predator. She flails around, on account of feeling like she's falling.*

"But I never left bed!"

{First, an update from the tragic events of last night: Keter awakened & returned to her estate earlier this morning. Saxeus remains in critical condition. Finally, the Purist Leader was recently recovered from Yue Bay, her armor having apparently prevented her from swimming to safety. We think it's a safe conclusion that she drowned.}
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*Ven peeks out of the door, wearing borrowed night clothes & untied, disheveled hair. She rubs her left eye.*

"Noct? What is it?"

Astarte had woken up and made herself some tea, then called Monu.

Hector and Eduj were still hanging out at Stefan's place, though Hector now had a considerable hang over, and was pretty bitter about not killing the Purist Leader. They had the radio on.

Dalia called for a nurse.

OOC: She put an arm around her waist, and didn't pull her down at all. Who do you think Mortal is, the Hulk?

"Still moved too far away," Mortal mumbled. When she heard how the Purist leader died she felt a shiver run up her spine, and sat up, "What a way to go... It didn't even occur to me that that is what was going to happen."

--

"Look," Noct said, showing the trophy, "It is your trophy, Ms. Champion."

--

Gabe finally rolls out of bed and pads over to the bathroom to get ready for the day, flipping her radio on as she does.

*Monu answers the phone*

<Good morning!>
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*Tirea is still asleep, all attempts by her father to wake her end up failing*

OOC: MORTAL SMASH!

*Gabe is just in time to hear the pronouncement of Keter's health & the Purist Leader's death.*
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"Yeah, it's unfortunate."
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*Aroma comes in & asks what she needs.*
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*Ven takes the trophy by the handles & inspects it.*

"Wow, I can hardly believe it...'Best in the Bending World....'"

*Tirea finally wakes up and stumbles over to the phone, calling Gabe*
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*Eve makes some tea, waiting for the election results*

At the announcement of the Purist Leader's death, Gabe shot a glance at the direction of Mortal and Euryale's apartment. It was weird knowing one of them had did it, killed someone. She knew it was for their jobs, and that it was life and death, she didn't blame them at all, but it was still a bit weird to remember them so loving and happy and then knowing they ended lives.

--

"I mean, I'm not saying she didn't deserve it... Is that wrong? Well, I still think she did, but, still, being dragged down underwater like that must be horrifying," Mortal shrugged, and moved to cuddle back up to Euryale, "Oh well I guess."

--

"You should be proud of what you accomplished," Noct said with a smile, "Congratulations."