2019-02-02: Everything is (Not) Under Control

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  • Log: Everything Is (Not) Under Control
  • Cast: Ambrosius, Ratatoskr, Elvis, Cres LaRoux, Catenna, Ree, Avril Vent Fleur
  • Where: Great Aveh Desert
  • Date: February 02, 2019
  • Summary: Ambrosius makes good on his threats to stop the excavation in the Stoneborne Ruins, only to encounter opposition. But does he have good reasons for what he does?


<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

The Stoneborne Ruins were, on the whole, nothing special. Some ruins possess cunning puzzles, that tested the Wits of the invaders to their very limits. Some are home to vicious creatures, forcing prospective challengers to utilize every inch of their Combat skills. Some spring devious traps, requiring deft Agility to make it through unscathed, and still others bring to bear obstacles requiring sheer Brute force to overcome.

The Stoneborne Ruins has none of those things. Named for its distinct exterior forming unusual rock patterns, the only difficulty it possessed came in the form of a door that could not be opened by any obvious means. Perhaps in its day it would be impenetrable...but time had not been kind to it, this recent year especially so.

The door stands wide open now for those who have heeded the call for assistance, its depths free for any to enter. And finding one's way to its very core will be simple -

You just need to follow the trail of unconscious bodies and fallen equipment.

There are mercifully no lasting injuries, though they'll undoubtedly wake up with quite the headache. This must be the security detail originally hired by the excavation company who had claimed the ruin's contents.

The trail leads to the core of the ruins, where one will come upon an amazing sight - an ancient Gear. It seems to have a place of honor in these ruins, and in fact much of them seems to have been built up around it. Extracting it was the company's goal...but it was not without its detractors.

In the center of the room is the beginning of an altercation. On one side stands a tall man, wrapped up in a bright red poncho. He is not alone. The reports spoke of others, though one appears to be missing - an armored woman dressed in blue. Some of the descriptions may be familiar to those arriving here, but this one is new.

On the other side of the room is a frazzled, wiry man. This is Archibald Rowe, the owner of the excavation company Rowe and Co., and he is not in the greatest situation right now.

"Archibald Rowe," The man in red starts. "You did not heed my warning. I told you that I would take action if you did not revise your plans, and as promised, I have come. You have one final opportunity to take your crew and your equipment and leave this place unharmed.

Archibald tenses...and then looks at him with a defiant expression.

"I will...I will not allow myself to be bullied out of my rightful findings by some...some gang of ruffians!" He declares. "This Gear could be the finding of the century! It is imperative that we excavate it!"

It doesn't look like either side will back down.

Someone should probably intervene here soon.

<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

        'Hobbies' really weren't a thing for the Metal Demons of Mother. You had a role on the battlefield, and that was basically it. Ratatoskr was not born with the express purpose of watching human movements and then reporting back to command - a thing of frustration, when one was (and still is) so enamored with their warriors and their everything. To fulfill his interests, it required some creativity in eavesdropping on spoken reports.
        Now, though, today... with almost nothing other than the basic necessities of life and the mortal danger of Filgaia's wastes holding his leash, he gets to indulge in a 'hobby' as much as he wants! In this case, let's call it...
        Warspotting.
        Aveh and Kislev and their Forever War tickles Ratatoskr's fancies. He's excited watching troop movements and occasional border skirmishes. (Sometimes he joins in because he can't help himself. They both shoot at him when he does! It's great fun, and they even let him keep the bullets. It's wonderful how willing they are to share even in times of great strife.)
        News and rumors come in all the time about some new weapon that will turn the tide, some new discovery that will shake things up. That's even more exciting!! Ratatoskr is even hoping it's operable and just takes to the field the moment the humans can even get it out of there.
        Then he stops 'hoping' because that involves waiting for it to come out. He wants to see it right now. So he somehow manages to slip deep enough into Aveh territory to even reach the Stoneborne Ruins. He can feel something uneasy when the door's already open, like something already happened.
        Did he miss it?! Noooo! He bounds into the depths in desperation, happening upon at least one conscious but injured crew worker. They are terrified out of their wits - understandably so - of a Hyadean earnestly troubling them about the Gear's whereabouts.
        Before long, a squirrel-like shape of crimson metal comes just shy of bouncing merrily into the depths of the stand-off between Archibald Rowe and some conscientious objector(s).
        "Hyahaha--! Oh, it's here? It's here! It's safe..." Ratatoskr grins a feral, sharp-toothed grin, because he always does. He stands with arms crossed, flicking his tail upwards. "Can it fight? I want to see it fight." His enthusiasm is tone-deaf to the present stand-off. "Come onnnnn!"
        ...This individual is probably the furthest thing imaginable from the ideal of 'help,' but it sounds like this Hyadean is - technically - on Archibald Rowe's excavation crew's side?! This same troublemaker who has probably already made the vocal rounds about Aveh's forces.
        Ratatoskr's solid yellow eyes light up with glee. "Can you even imagine? This thing's size and shape... when was it even made... oooh," and then he begins fantasizing over theoreticals about its capabilities. (The narration will spare one details.)

<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.

Seems some Humans are intent to just let history remain just that, by removing it for their own gains. Yes, that Gear was impressive, but excavating in this manner...

Not too far off, dealing with the set up equipment, Elvis hunches over the tools, beginning to disable them. Ambrosius does the talking this evening, as this is his affair, he is just here to provide support if needed. The man grumbles every so often to himself, not saying anything coherent in particular unless one were right beside him. The ramblings are mostly reminders to himself about electrical currents.

as long as they stayed here, that Gear would remain buried. Though the standoff was duly noted, as a fight could erupt at any time. "Hmph," goes Elvis, still working, until--

"Huh? H-Hey!" the man shouts, seeing what looks like a little red rodent-- no, more than that. He's different. He has seen him before! "Stay away from that! It isn't yours! It isn't anyones!"

The man makes a batting motion toward Ratatoskr, attempting to shoo him away like soem small animal, or Human.

He would tell him to go home, but uh. Yeah, about that. "Go somewhere else! I'll send you a copy of research or something!" Might as well try to bribe him away with some excellently written papers.*

  • They are in Veruni script, so reading them might be hard. It looks like consonant gibberish to everyone else.
<Pose Tracker> Cres LaRoux has posed.

        The desert served as room and board for those creatures that could survive it. Cacti, carrion birds, and reptiles. Beneath the surface deserts were places full of life, though not all what one might think.
        Noise woke Cres from slumber, having taken refuge in an opening through a cavernous door. What was in it, what it meant. These things meant little compared to a relatively safe night's sleep. His head swayed back and forth with the tiniest of motions to let protective sand fall away from atop his face.
        The membrane pulls away from one of his startling blue eyes, and rotates slowly in a circle to take things in. Humans arguing. Some red metal thing with a tail. Creeping shut again the eye disappears and he shifts in the sand, sliding towards some darker corner to observe.
        In shadow Cres pulls himself up from the sand with patient slowness until he can sit properly with his back to a wall. His jaw unhinges and spreads wide as a yawn escapes his mouth, long hollow fangs revealed in a rare display. A hand lifts to block his mouth politely, even if he wasn't being observed. The faintest click comes from his closing mouth, and he scratches absently under his chin as he wakes fully.

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Catenna doesn't really take mercenary jobs anymore; her role at the CaraKin fulfills her. But this is a rare occasion: She caught wind of the attack at the Stoneborne Ruins while she was coming back from a dance lesson. With no real alternative, she reached out to the nearest Drifter.

It happened to be Ree. This suits Catenna just fine.

Bow in hand, the Moon Shaman bites her lower lip as she makes her way through the ruin, pausing to check on the injured along the way. Nobody's hurt, but nobody's all that conscious, either. And soon enough, she's circling down that trail -

"Stop that, Ambrosius," a voice suddenly cuts through the conversation between the Man in the Red Poncho and the frazzled excavator.

Catenna's made it to the entryway of the cavern. She's drawn an arrow and stands with it resting against her bowstring. Though she picked out one of her long dresses today, it's short-sleeved and slit up one side, and she's packed her armguards and put them on to enable her to actually shoot arrows without slicing the inside of her arm like a salami slicer.

The Moon Shaman presses her lips together, all too aware that there might be more Veruni lurking around. But at least this time she has backup. "You do not have a right to just take things," she says tartly. "Return to your Control Zone and do not trouble this part of the--"

She pauses and blinks with sudden surprise as a chattering Hyadean suddenly bounds into the middle of the encounter. Catenna's lips curl downward slightly.

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Ree follows the Moon Shaman into the ruin, ARMS drawn. Once hired for a job, she took it seriously.

Besides, Catenna was a just and fair, even generous employer -- and she included room and board, not something to be ignored.

Looking around, Ree spots Archibald Rowe, clearly the one in charge here (of the humans, anyway!). He clearly wanted to make a profit off of the Gear. Well, that was a motive she could certainly understand! She gives him a self-seeking grin. "We can help you out...but not for free!" she calls. He was facing, she could see, several other people, at least one of whom was clearly too huge and massive to be human -- but then again, the nearby squirrel-unicorn creature(?) was even less human, so it was going to be an interesting assembly. Over all of them towers the massive Gear. No telling whether it was still in operational condition, but it would be worth something even if sold for spare parts.

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

        "Ambrosius."

        Footsteps tap quietly across the stone below.

        "Cease this, immediately."

        It had been chance, perhaps. She had crossed paths with Catenna, who had spoken to her of what been underway. And without further ado, the young lady had insisted on coming along, stopping only long enough to transmit through the Memory Cube an apology to her two closest friends.
        Later. She will make time later.

        This, right now... is important. Acutely so.

        She is to all outward appearance unarmed, unarmored. Save for the device in her right hand -- the 'hilt' of Absolute Zero, which those who know her would recognize and know that she is in no way unarmed.

        Will he report back to Volsung, Avril wonders, gazing steadily at Ambrosius. Then her attention shifts to Elvis.

        Her eyes narrow a fraction, but her face otherwise is as impassive as a marble statue's. "Elvis. You should not be doing this. ...Explain yourselves."

<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

The argument is broken by the arrival of several others. Archibald's attention is taken away by the arrival of a certain Hyadean. The resulting look on his face could probably be summed up as 'oh, not another one'.

...At least until he speaks. Archibald Rowe recognizes an opportunity when he sees it.

"Absolutely! But it can't while these ruffians are preventing me from excavating it! If you wish to see it fight, then they will need to be dealt with!" Archibald says.

Ambrosius, meanwhile, frowns and turns away from him, looking straight toward Catenna. This was far from their first encounter. He is unsurprised to see her here. And what's more - Avril was here as well. That was perhaps a stroke of misfortune, but one he would adjust to.

"Miss Catenna. Miss Avril." He greets, turning slightly. "My interest is in the ruins themselves, not the Gear. But this man's incompetence would see them destroyed. And I will not allow that."

Archibald stomps.

"I-Incompetence!? I object to this! Our operation was flawless until you arrived!" He challenges, then looks toward Ree. "Absolutely! You will be fairly compensated for your assistance, provided you can remove these thugs for me!"

Ambrosius frowns, and turns to face the three of them fully.

"I would prefer to avoid fighting you, but I will if I must. The ruins of Filgaia may hold the key to our future." He states. At this, Archibald's mustache bristles.

"And this Gear may hold the key to our future!" He declares.

<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

        "Huh? Of course it's not mine? Of course it's not mine!!" Ratatoskr recoils. "It's the newest weapon rediscovered by the humans!" He tries to draw nearer, but Elvis and his big, meaty, powerful Veruni Professor hand makes shooing motions. Even the simple act of going 'shoo' exudes his very power through the air - a power befitting of a Sentinel. Even the lick of this power has Ratatoskr dramatically leap back like he were avoiding a deadly blow. He grins a bit wider.
        "How is it not anyone's?! Come oonnnnnn! Someone made it to fight!" The red squirrel-unicorn-rattlesnake thing argues, his posture hunching over to something more feral, more aggressive, raising his hands up in a familiar fighting stance. "You heard the human over there! I want to see it f--"
        Something in the patterns about the ruin's walls catches his eyes, but now he can't see it with the way Elvis' bulk is in the way. Ratatoskr keeps swaying back and forth to try and get a good viewing angle, but that's tough. His grin seems impervious to the mounting seriousness of the situation in the eyes of several here (there's something about the glare of the white-haired one that's... icy).
        "Oooh... on the wall. On the wall! Hey, on the wall-- I want to see it! You're in the way...!"
        Tonally, this has all the hallmarks of one of the Professor's peers. The insistence, the overbearing air of eagerness to fight. And yet, the way Ratatoskr tries to lay hands upon the giant Veruni and hoist himself up on their shoulders as if he were that eager to get a look, it becomes more akin to a misbehaving, impatient child.
        ...Which is not unlike that unnamed individual, but...
        "What are those? What are those! Let me see, let me see--"
        Even if he's getting in the way of the massive Veruni, it's kind of a reach to say Ratatoskr's presence is all that fortuitous for the proceedings.

GS: Ratatoskr has attacked Elvis with Let Me See Let Me See Let Me See!!!!
GS: Ratatoskr has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Ratatoskr has completed his action.
GS: CRITICAL! Elvis guards a hit from Ratatoskr's Let Me See Let Me See Let Me See!!! for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper, Quick, and Shield! Statuses applied to Ratatoskr!
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

It helps Catenna to have a few people at her back. Ree's reliable and Avril - while not someone Catenna runs into a lot - is someone she at least respects and who has her heart in a good place.

Flicking her hair away from her face, the Moon Shaman - the Owlet on her shoulder - meets the look Ambrosius sends her way. She sets her jaw a little, but forces herself to relax and keep her emotions firmly in check, all too aware of how this is going to go: Ambrosius is going to talk down to her, and they'll argue, and it'll turn into a fight.

"I am sure that your purely altruistic interest required you to wound the Drifters defending this place," Catenna remarks tartly before moving her arm with surprising speed for someone who isn't normally a physical fighter.

The twang of Catenna's bowstring reverberates as she releases her arrow. The projectile whistles towards Ambrosius as the Moon Shaman attempts to just cut off the conversation by shooting him in the thigh. A second after she fires, she darts to the right, clearly ready to make this a battle.

"You could have just asked these people to help if you were that interested in the ruins!" she calls.

GS: Catenna has attacked Ambrosius with Arrow'd!
GS: Catenna has completed her action.
GS: Ambrosius critically Guards a hit from Catenna's Arrow'd for 17 hit points!
GS: Ambrosius has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Catenna has lost 1 Combo!
<Pose Tracker> Cres LaRoux has posed.

        Ah! A familiar face. A glimmer of blue fades and reappears as Cres' eyes nictitate. He stretches his arms forward, and his long fingers uncurl and straighten. More appear, and things seem to be getting that much more complicated.
        The pits on his cheeks expand as he seeks any other heat sources that have as yet to reveal themselves. He reaches into his coat, and pulls forth a small roll of leather tied with string. "So many times have I seen this," he murmurs to himself. Untying the string he reveals long thin needles which he in dips into a vial of cloudy amber liquid. "Same people. Same problems. Different treasure maybe." He tucks the case away, and rises to a crouch in his dark corner. "Too late to stop I guess. But who is wrong?"

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Ree follows Catenna's lead, firing both ARMS into Ambrosius in a way guaranteed to hurt -- if the bullets hit! She keeps a careful eye on the combatants since some of them -- especially the nonhumans -- could have unusual abilities. She also gestures to Rowe in a way that she HOPES communicates that he should retreat to a safe place. He doesn't strike her as a fighter, and if he dies, she won't get paid!

GS: Ree has attacked Ambrosius with Vicious Gut Shot!
GS: Ree has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ree has completed her action.
GS: Ambrosius critically Guards a hit from Ree's Vicious Gut Shot for 21 hit points!
GS: Ambrosius has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ree has lost 1 Combo!
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.

In the middle of shooing, a familiar, feminine voice rings out, Elvis stiffens his stance slightly upon hearing it. A look to the left reveals who he thought it was. "Avril! What are you doing here! It is dangerous!" So, that is a markedly notable shift in a response. The only other person Elvis usually says that to is Carol and Riesenlied.

"We're trying to preserve this location, and-- AH!"

Suddenly, Elvis is being accosted by a rodent. A Metal Demon rodent. Was this one of Malfi's pets like Bogey? "Get it off!" the man shrieks, flailing about with the grace of a brick.

The Professor's giant hands are more than just for shooing! he tries his best to try and latch on to Ratatoskr to keep him from climbing all over, and if he makages to get a hold of him, shake a bit of sense in to him! Shaaaaake. "Do you know how much this blouse costs?!" he asks, little clawprints being all over the ivory white.

"Stop aiding the Human!" the man shouts toward the newcomers, including some he has seen before, like Catenna and Ree. Cres is a new entity, and is noted. "They wouldn't take n ofor an answer!" he calls to Catenna, still thoroughly trying to deal with an infestation problem.

After a good shake, eh would hold Rata up to the ruin walls, at a good studying distance. "There, you can see them! Just stop making a mess of things!" Still within reach, he attempts to disable more equipment. He realizes he needs two hands for the next part.

...Damnit.

GS: Elvis has attacked Ratatoskr with Lariat Grab!
GS: Elvis has completed his action.
GS: Ratatoskr guards a hit from Elvis's Lariat Grab for 60 hit points!
GS: Entangle! Statuses applied to Ratatoskr!
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

        "I came because I heard of a disturbance, Elvis. Are you threatening this man, too?"

        'Explain yourselves', she asks.

        He does.

        Externally, her expression changes not a whit. Internally...

        Could it be? Could it be that this place holds some secret that the Veruni require?
        She knows, after all. What they are fighting so hard to discover. What they are trying to attain. Anyone would, if they were faced with the utter extinction of their people.

        Her people. The pang of guilt rings clear again. If she assumed the throne, then--
        No. She cannot permit such thoughts. She has already made her decision.

        She shakes her head. Her expression softens -- still at a remove, still an icy mountain's peak. But the sun has come out from behind the clouds. "I understand. You are desperate, are you not..." She pauses. "...Nevertheless, I cannot permit you to behave in such a manner. You have harmed these men in your pursuit. Ambrosius, I am sorry. If this is what must be, then it must be. Prepare yourself."

        She brandishes the 'hilt'; in a flash, the blade materializes from it. Absolute Zero held forward in a sort of salute, she breaks off into a sudden dash at Ambrosius; the blade's edge arcs through the air but once.

GS: Avril Vent Fleur has attacked Ambrosius with Misty Soul!
GS: Avril Vent Fleur has entered a Reflect stance!
GS: Avril Vent Fleur has completed her action.
GS: Ambrosius critically Guards a hit from Avril Vent Fleur's Misty Soul for 13 hit points!
GS: Riposte! Statuses applied to Avril Vent Fleur!
GS: Ambrosius has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Avril Vent Fleur has lost 1 Combo!
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

Archibald watches as Ratatoskr starts scrambling up that big, mountain of a man. He decides to take this as an opportunity to retreat, while the others still have Ambrosius's attention. With a nod of agreement toward Ree he takes a couple of steps back...and then books it.

Is he heading straight for the Gear...? Ambrosius's eyes, however, are on Catenna.

He studies her carefully...and then looks toward Avril. He acknowledges her with a nod.

"Very well. I do not hold this against you - any of you." He replies, with a glance toward Catenna and Ree.

At the 'twang' of a bowstring, he reacts quickly. As both Catenna and Ree fire on him at once Ambrosius makes a quick gesture. Water begins to surge around him, forming a barrier. It dampens the momentum of both the arrow and the bullets, causing them to impact with his armor than significantly less force than if he would have been prepared.

"They received ample forewarning of what would happen, and still chose to go through with it." Ambrosius replies. "Had they adjusted their plans as requested, we would not be having this conversation."

With the line of fire open, Avril moves in with a swing of her blade. Ambrosius shifts, raising his forearm to catch. Its bite is sharp, digging into the Veruni battlearmor but not quite cutting into flesh. He retaliates with a solid push to make some distance between the two of them, drawing his revolver as he disengages and firing off twice, once each at Catenna and Ree.

GS: Ambrosius has attacked Avril Vent Fleur with Guarded Strike!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Catenna with Conversator!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ree with Conversator!
GS: Ambrosius has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ambrosius has completed his action.
GS: Catenna has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ambrosius has lost 1 Combo!
DC: MISS! Catenna completely evades Conversator from Ambrosius!
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

        Elvis gets those massive hands around the squirrely Hyadean, and the breath that wheezes out of him is pained but giddy, like there were something kind of nostalgic(?!) about the whole picture as he is shaken (not stirred). His solid yellow eyes dim and brighten, the closest anatomical equivalent he can express of having dizzy rolling eyes, tensing himself as to not be totally crushed underneath the scolding grasp of a busy scholar with a scuffed blouse.
        Juuuuust as he is helpfully pointed towards the walls, and patterns. "Hyahaha--" He chokes out that annoying trademark laugh of his. "Does it say what this was meant to fight?! Did it ever get the chance...?" His grin lessens to a smile, as though a melancholy were being introduced to him while he continues to be dangled from Elvis' great giant grasp, finding himself a rare moment of contemplation as he considers what effort may have gone to waste.
        Elvis is trying to keep disabling the excavation equipment, and is now finding the downside to having to dedicate one hand to holding an annoying would-be student of history at bay - that they don't have two hands to do it.
        So Ratatoskr lends one.
        "Huh? No, no, it goes this way," Ratatoskr swings out with one hand towards the thing, reaching out to turn a dial or feature of whatever to... fix it, "if we're going to see this fight we gotta turn it this way! Come oooonnnn!" Cartoonish hand swatting ensues. His build is much lankier than the Professor's, but he is a creature bred for war by Mother's machinations. It's a swat with some sting to it. "Let me do it! Let me do it!!"
        He is still stuck in Elvis' grasp, though.

GS: Ratatoskr used Mystic on Ratatoskr! Status effect durations increased by 2! Temporary HP duration increased by 2!
GS: Ratatoskr has activated a Force Action!
GS: Ratatoskr has attacked Elvis with This Is Officially A Slapfight!
GS: Ratatoskr has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ratatoskr has completed his action.
GS: Ree has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ambrosius has lost 1 Combo!
DC: MISS! Ree completely evades Conversator from Ambrosius!
GS: Elvis takes a solid hit from Ratatoskr's This Is Officially A Slapfight for 78 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Ambrosius telegraphs his move: Ree can't miss his drawing his revolver. She desperately dodges -- hopefully in a direction he'll find unexpected! Catenna, too is lucky -- or skilled. Ree counterattacks, again firing both ARMS at the Veruni. Maybe she'll hit him harder this time...!

GS: Ree has attacked Ambrosius with Mad Dog Rondo!
GS: Ree has completed her action.
GS: Avril Vent Fleur takes a glancing hit from Ambrosius's Guarded Strike for 64 hit points!
GS: Cover! Statuses applied to Ambrosius!
GS: Ambrosius takes a solid hit from Ree's Mad Dog Rondo for 123 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"Then perhaps you should have taken no for an answer!" Catenna snaps towards Elvis.

Of course the arrow doesn't get through the water, Catenna reflects. He's got tricks up his sleeve. As the Owlet on her shoulder flutters up to a safe perch on a rocky outcropping, Catenna slings her bow over her shoulder, beginning to rove out to the right.

The bark of the revolver rings in her ears, and Catenna reacts instinctively, hurling herself off her feet and into a sidelong roll. Ambrosius's shot rips through the air where she would've been standing had she stayed upright. The Moon Shaman tumbles, coming up on one knee with a huff of effort.

"Ample forwarning," she huffs, scowling a little. "By which I assume you mean you delivered a threat."

The sass conceals Catenna's doubts about the whole situation. Truthfully, she can't recall having ever defeated Ambrosius in a fight - and the last time she wrestled with him, she was badly injured enough that she was left with no option but to try and bite his ankles off.

That won't happen this time, she reflects. Avril and Ree are here.

Holding her right hand out, Catenna exhales and focuses her energies. Gravity shifts subtly, an unseen force attempting to seize ahold of Ambrosius. It won't outright crush him, but as the pressure grows, moving his limbs will grow more difficult as the force of gravity steadily increases his weight.

GS: Catenna has attacked Ambrosius with Encumber!
GS: Catenna has completed her action.
GS: Ambrosius takes a solid hit from Catenna's Encumber for 0 hit points!
GS: Break! Statuses applied to Ambrosius!
<Pose Tracker> Cres LaRoux has posed.

        The serpent beastman rises from his crouch, and his reptilian face hardens. "That decides that," Cres muses to himself, his hand lifting to tap at his temple with a long nail. "A blade to draw blood. First to fire," he says as he leaps to the top of a rock. "Heat still rises from the passage. Life still there." His arm lifts back behind his head, and then snaps forward. The long thin needles he clutches fly free from his hand. They bury themselves in the dirt at Avril's feet, their metallic shafts glittering now that they were in the light. "There seems better ways to deal with this. Please stand down."

GS: Cres LaRoux has attacked Avril Vent Fleur with Warning Shot!
GS: Cres LaRoux has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Cres LaRoux has completed his action.
GS: CRITICAL! Avril Vent Fleur takes a glancing hit from Cres LaRoux's Warning Shot for 0 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

        Avril nods, going so far as to incline her upper body forward a few scant degrees. "I understand, Ambrosius. However, neither can I allow this to pass," she states.

        "Forewarned or not, this does not excuse it," Avril responds, that hint of her softening expression winking out once again, like the sun vanishing behind the clouds.

        If Dean were here, perhaps he would try a different tactic, she thinks, as she rushes in.
        But though she is not unfamiliar with the diplomatic approach, there are times when force must do.
        She is as direct and as terrible as a blade in this.

        The blade impacts his bracer; it does not cut deeply enough. Drawing her sword back, she steps quickly to the side, all-but-evading the strike he delivers to force her away. The trailing end of his blow clips her; she staggers back a pair of steps.

        Which is when the spray of needles flies free and lands in a glittering array at her feet. The silver-haired woman turns to glance from whence they came.
        "You...?" she utters, for the moment looking the part of the ingenue.
        Then she shakes her head.
        "I am sorry. I feel now that it may be late for words. We must settle this amongst ourselves as warriors--"

        And she turns back towards Ambrosius. Cold air billows about her, catching the ends of her gown.
        With barely a blink, she summons it forth, that spear-like forward joust of splintering ice. Her magic. Veruni magic.

GS: Avril Vent Fleur has attacked Ambrosius with Courant Glaciaire!
GS: Avril Vent Fleur has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Avril Vent Fleur has completed her action.
GS: Ambrosius guards a hit from Avril Vent Fleur's Courant Glaciaire for 111 hit points!
GS: Ambrosius enters CONDITION GREEN!!
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.

As Elvis does his best to try and stop the drilling tools from working again, The little metal critter seems to find the ruin encryptions to be rather fascinating, drawing Elvis' attention. "You have a taste for ancient knowledge, huh?" he asks. "Quite interesting! Well you see, they supposely mention it as a name is repeated a few times-- wait no, like this!"

The man interrupts himself as Ratatoskr reaches over to mess with the tools, and accidentally cuts on a jackhammer! It causes quite the noise! "No, no! You doing it! Bah-- hey, ow!" A claw got a fistful of moustache and pulled on it.

An ensuing slapfight does ensue, Elvis gets a good few squirrel shaped pawprints on his face! Elvis returns the fight by trying to poke Ratarepeatedly with a firm finger!

And face it, a finger that size, they might as well be punches. "Cut it out! I have business to to attend to in the manners of science!" A particularly strong slap at the end of his vicious squirrel volley causes Elvis to let go of him, dropping him to the floor harmlessly.

"We're not even trying to hurt them! This place may as well collapse if excavations continue, and more secrets could be hidden farther in! We haven't even found out what this structure was used for yet!"

Whenever Avril and Ambrosius clash blades he visibly tenses. The just have to repel them, no need for excess harm...!

Especially to her.

GS: Elvis has attacked Ratatoskr with Rapid Punch!
GS: Elvis has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Elvis has completed his action.
GS: Ratatoskr takes a glancing hit from Elvis's Rapid Punch for 80 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

Ambrosius doesn't respond to Catenna right away. He frowns slightly, instead turning his attention to Ree as the other woman dodges in a different direction. He moves to evade as she fires both her ARMs...but Ree's dodge has succeeded in doing one thing.

With his attention on her, he is unable to react in time to halt Catenna's spell. The force of gravity takes hold of him, pinning him in place before he can move out of the way. Ree's bullets impact him solidly, forcing a grunt out of him and causing him to take a step back.

In this time, Avril encounters a brief distraction. There is another person here - Ambrosius can hear his words. But his focus for now is on the gravity binding him in place.

In time, Avril turns her attention back toward him. He can feel the flow of power as it is invoked. It's a familiar, unmistakable magic - the magic inherent to the Veruni. And this power...

An icy javelin launched his direction. With a forceful movement he strains against the gravity holding him in place. He manages to brace himself, crossing his arms in front of him to intercept the spell. It crashes against him, breaking his defense and showering him with icy shards. Had he not been able to defend himself, this might have been over quickly.

Conversator is returned to its holster now. Its movements were too slow, too noticeable - it was time to bring out his other ARM.

"It is as Sentinel Elvis says. If Archibald Rowe agrees to readjust his plans, I will cease. But until that happens, I cannot stand down." Ambrosius agrees, with a glance over toward Cres. As a demonstration he takes aim with his ARM, Veritias Varia, firing of a single shot of brightly colored energy.

And then he moves with alarming speed, aiming to close the distance between himself and Catenna and knock her back with sheer momentum. As he moves, water swirls and converges around his hand before being launched toward Ree in the form of a spinning disc, cutting with sheer pressure.

In the distance, a certain someone slowly climbs his way up the Gear...

GS: Ambrosius has attacked Avril Vent Fleur with VV-AESTUO!
GS: Ambrosius has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Catenna with Advancing Charge!
GS: Ambrosius has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Ambrosius has spent 5 Combo on Gatling, including 4 on Gatling!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ree with Aqua Cutter!
GS: Ambrosius has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ambrosius has completed his action.
GS: Catenna takes a solid hit from Ambrosius's Advancing Charge for 161 hit points!
GS: Ree takes a solid hit from Ambrosius's Aqua Cutter for 178 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

The Aqua Cutter impacts Ree solidly, slicing into her mid-torso and leaving her bleeding and gasping. She has presence of mind, at least, to try to move her ARMs out of its way: wet gunpowder wasn't good. Unable to use them to counterattack, she relies on magic instead. The Symbols on her arms and neck glow blue, briefly, and a cone of cold lances out at Ambrosius. He was obviously a water sorceror; at the very least her spell might bind the water he was trying to cast with...

GS: Ree has attacked Ambrosius with Frostbite!
GS: Ree has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ree has completed her action.
GS: Ambrosius takes a solid hit from Ree's Frostbite for 89 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

The last person Catenna was expecting to see was Cres. Her eyes widen - and for a crucial moment, she takes her attention off of Ambrosius. "Sir!" she calls out with alarm. "You're taking the side of people who attacked these ruins and are trying to extort the excavation team!"

By the time she snaps her head back towards Ambrosius, he isn't over there anymore. In fact, there's maybe a foot and a half between him and her.

Catenna gasps, and then Ambrosius plows into her like an oncoming bus. He hits her hard enough that she goes sailing across the cavern and hits the ground on her back, skidding for several metres. Momentum stops her head and shoulders, but her legs swing up under the force of the impact and drag her over into a limp tumble, ultimately flopping awkwardly down on her side with a pained sound.

As Catenna pushes herself to her knees, the Owlet looks down on it all from her perch high up the cavern wall.

"Even justifiable concerns are not reason enough for acting like a criminal gang," Catenna huffs as she pushes back to her feet and reaches for one of the other Mediums she carries, brushing over it with a dance of fingertips. Her eyes narrow slightly, fixed on Ambrosius. "I do not want to judge you with broad brushes, but you make it difficult when you continue to use threats and violence to get what you want."

With a shimmer of blue light and sparkles, Catenna raises her hand, then levels it with a called-out word. The light around her swells and grows, bursting forth to take the form of a wave of ocean water that surges up and crashes towards Ambrosius.

GS: Catenna has attacked Ambrosius with Tidal Wave!
GS: Catenna has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Catenna has completed her action.
GS: CRITICAL! Ambrosius takes a solid hit from Catenna's Tidal Wave for 149 hit points!
GS: Cripple, Jam, Mute, and Poison! Statuses applied to Ambrosius!
GS: Avril Vent Fleur has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ambrosius has lost 1 Combo!
DC: MISS! Avril Vent Fleur completely evades VV-AESTUO from Ambrosius!
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

        It is not exactly an epic slapfight. In terms of raw strength, in terms of the number of actual blows being given, Ratatoskr is dealing far less. The finger pokes land far more firmly, the lanky metal red squirrel-like Hyadean flinching every time he is gently scolded (read: clobbered) by the mighty disciplinary finger! What is more telling about this exchange is less as to who is stronger. That is an easier question to answer (it's Elvis).
        "Science?! Science!" Ratatoskr scowls, in so much that his grinning can be a proper scowl. "History...!" He wheezes, because a finger poke nails him in the chest, and all the air escapes from his lungs as he is dropped onto the ground in a feral three-point crouch. His back is turned to the Gear, missing a most curious sight indeed.
        "What secrets...?" Ratatoskr sucks in breath. "Is there anything greater than this?" He gestures broadly to it. "Think of it... think of it! Who was it meant to fight? Who for? They might no longer be here... they might no longer be here!" His voice grows more excited, but it may even be a tinge of sorrow. "Their wielder... their enemy... all that's left, a warrior's legacy of idle nothing...! I won't let that be...!"
        In a fraction of a second, Elvis might recognize the hiss of compressed air. Any span of time after in which to consider this is better spent figuring out how to deal with what comes next - a blast of compressed air protruding from the ends of Ratatoskr's limbs as he throws them back, leaping forward into Elvis in a tackle of surprising force - horn-first.
        "Fight! Fight! Fight! It yearns to fight!!" He speaks on behalf of a Gear that likely has no feelings and there is the non-zero possibility that Ratatoskr himself is the kind of thing it was meant to fight, but like that sort of thing would ever stop him from acting rashly. (Or having an itch to just act at all, for that matter.)

GS: Ratatoskr has spent 5 Combo on Gatling, including 4 on Gatling!
GS: Ratatoskr has attacked Elvis with Lost Count Wind!
GS: Ratatoskr has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Cres LaRoux has posed.

        The hope of a threat making peace lost, Cres lets out a huffy sigh. He lowers down to a crouch atop his rock, his lanky knees rising near his head. Eyes flick between the combatants. "Pfft. Warriors," He mumbles. "How is what you are doing different?" but then Ambrosius gives a telling statement. Everyone else didn't matter. Only one person mattered.
        The beastman shrugs and then launches off his rock towards the gear. "Mr. Rowe!" He hisses. "Come out and play-ay." His long fingers and hands clasp the gear's sides as he starts racing Archibold Rowe to the top. Claws scramble against the side of the behemoth as he moves.

GS: Elvis guards a hit from Ratatoskr's Lost Count Wind for 51 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

        He sees it too. If he does not recognize her face, does not know who she is already...
        Perhaps he might be on the path to understanding as much, at least in part.

        If Archibald Rowe stands down--
        If they can have enough time to deliberate, without the need for force--

        Perhaps. It's a long shot. Every pragmatic bone in her body screams in protest against it.
        But nothing is impossible, as long as you don't give up, as Dean is wont to say.

        "Archibald--"

        She starts to call out the man's name.
        Ambrosius raises his ARM overhead and fires. Avril's blue eyes trace the line of the shot for one fleeting second.
        Have I... seen this before?

        She runs, obeying nothing else but the urging of what might be intuition. Impulse. Something nakedly primeval in her veins. The beam slams into the spot where she had stood; rock flies free in a spray of shrapnel-stone.

        She glances back but once. If I had been there, is the sole thought that is permitted.

        And in that interval, two things happen. Archibald begins to climb the Gear.
        And so does that snakeman who had wished for a more peacible settlement.

        Something--
        Her eyes go wide, as if in realization of some factor previously invisible to her. "You must not--!"

        Frost swirls around herself, a minor invocation of that magic that unites them; blade vanishes, returned to hilt alone and slipped back under her wrap.

        And out comes the Medium.

        "Lucadia--"

        Just a burst. Just enough to allow her passage upwards, born aloft with the Guardian's power.

        "Wait! Archibald!"

GS: Avril Vent Fleur has attacked Avril Vent Fleur with Frost Hollow!
GS: Avril Vent Fleur has completed her action.
GS: Avril Vent Fleur takes a solid hit from Avril Vent Fleur's Frost Hollow for 0 hit points!
GS: Quick! Statuses applied to Avril Vent Fleur!
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.

A look toward Ambrosius with an affirming nod. If they can readjust their tactics to be more carful-- though surely to be more costly-- method, he is fine with stopping. "When those who have desires refused to budge, it falls to those willing to take action to impart wisdom!" he calls over. Be it through force or passive means! We gave them plenty of chances!"

"THere is science in history! And visa versa!" Elvis comments, rubbing his tender face. "There is no telling wh ocould have possibly put such a device to use! Ancient Veruni, Elw, or other denizens could have been here."

Ratty seems to be incredibly enthused for re-activating the Gear. Elvis ponders if it is even in functioning condition anymore.

A sound of sudden pressure is heard. "Hm?" It sounds like it came from-- "OOF!" grunts Elvis, buckling over, and backing up. "Why, you...! You want to debate over the purposes of this gear, do you?! WELL THEN," states the man, holding a fist up with the hand that is not clenching his side.

Earth erupts from the ground in the vague shape of a hand to grasp at Ratatoskr, to (quite firmly) hold him in place! After which point, Elvis begins to talk about the significance of non-combative Gears, which he thinks it could be. Excavations, testing, research, exploration...

"Wait, where did that foreman go?" he asks suddenly, looking around. "Not that he is a prisoner of any kind, it is just good to keep tabs on people in swirling melees like this. DOn't want him getting hurt."

GS: Elvis has attacked Ratatoskr with Hi-Crush!
GS: Elvis has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Elvis has completed his action.
GS: Ratatoskr takes a solid hit from Elvis's Hi-Crush for 125 hit points!
GS: Ratatoskr enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Ratatoskr has activated a Force Action!
GS: Ratatoskr used Mystic on Ratatoskr! Status effect durations increased by 2! Temporary HP duration increased by 2!
GS: Ratatoskr has activated a Force Action!
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

Ambrosius's shot goes wide as Avril breaks into a run. He looks in the direction she runs. The Gear? Ambrosius frowns at what he sees.

Archibald Rowe.

But before he can chase after him, he hears Catenna speak as she pushes herself back up to her feet.

"You have my apologies. However, I-" Whatever Ambrosius was about to say next is cut off. He feels a sudden surge of water as Catenna calls upon Lucadia's power. Quickly he makes a gesture, bringing up water of his own to try and defend himself...

...but before he can complete it fully, Ree takes him by surprise. With the emphasis on ARMs she had shown so far, he had not expected Symbology. He had underestimated her.

The spray of ice catches his barrier before it can fully form, leaving him vulnerable as Catenna's tidal wave takes form, crashing down on him and sweeping him up into a nearby wall.

With a grunt Ambrosius starts to force himself back up to his feet, but before he can resume a combat stance, someone drops in front of him. The report had mentioned a third intruder - a woman dressed in blue, clad in blueish-silver armor. A horned helmet conceals her eyes, but not her expressionless face. She stands in front of Ambrosius, a shield of blue crystal held outward toward Catenna and Ree.

She looks realistically, startlingly Veruni in origin...but to Catenna and Avril, who have been been in the depths of the Temple of Rejection, she is readily identifiable as one of the mechanical Scutum soldiers that guard it.

"Ambrosius. Continued combat would be inadvisable." She states. "The structural stability of this ruin will not withstand a drawn-out conflict."


Meanwhile...

Archibald Rowe climbs the outside of the Gear, the look on his one of stubborn determination.

"Those thugs...they won't get the best of Archibald Rowe, I promise you that." He mutters to himself. He's not exactly in his prime, but he's making good speed...at least until Cres appears, leaping onto Gear after him. Archibald panics.

"A-argh! I will not!" He shouts. Cres's claws give him an advantage, however, and soon enough he's nearly upon him. They're both at the cockpit now...but before he can make his way inside Avril appears draws upon Lucadia's power to jump upwards.

"'Wait'? Don't stop me! This Gear...this Gear is enough to stop those thugs! It has to be!" He declares, looking toward her.

GS: Ambrosius takes 7 damage from Poison!
GS: Ambrosius has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

        Ratatoskr rolls through into a landing at the end of his tackle, rising up with bloodthirsty glee like... someone else kind of familiar, just in time for a kinda-sorta rock-shaped fist to rise around him and put him in time-out. Or a rocky full nelson. It gives him enough lift from the ground that it's hard for him to plant his feet for leverage as the squirrel-esque Hyadean squirms.
        And then... the lectures. The lectures! Within the span of time that does transpire, the Professor's lectures feel numerous and thorough! Ratatoskr should be honored that he is the recipient of such spirited information about all the industrial and social uses of Gears...!
        ...He might be, if he weren't pre-occupied with trying to list instances (unsourced) in which they were put to use to great effect. If he's not just spouting off argumentive nonsense just to bluff his opinion, turns out there was a Kislevi industrial Gear that indeed held out against an Aveh ambush with just a sanitation device. Huh.
        The argument takes a brief halt as Elvis asks about where the foreman is.
        "Oh. The human you were speaking with? Hyahaha--! Maybe he decided to go start the Gear up while we were all fighting." That sounds prescient but also dangerous and why is he grinning, if that Gear goes live while they're all here, that's another extra dose of mortal peril. "That would be cool."
        Ratatoskr squirms a little more as he's held in place by the rocky formation that presently imprisons him. Then he squirms a lot more.
        "...I can't turn around to see it... I can't turn around to see it!!" That's just and proper, honestly.

GS: Ratatoskr has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"Sir!" Catenna calls up at Cres again. "Sir, do you know what a Veruni is?!"

Avril, however, seems to have matters in hand. With a huff, Catenna swings her focus back to Ambrosius. She's not about to let him surprise her again. She reaches for another arrow --

And then she realizes Ambrosius has a friend.

<Interesting,> the Owlet muses, her voice more felt in the mind than physically heard. The little white bird ghosts overhead, fluttering her wings once before taking up a perch on the Gear to watch Ambrosius for a moment.

Catenna frowns deeply, lowering her arrow and bow. "...Where did you get," she begins to ask, before pressing her lips together tightly.

"...If there is something here that is so important to you, then explain what it is and perhaps you can be ofhelp. If not...."

As for Cres and Archibald, the Owlet hops across the Gear, then drops down to perch on the upper edge of the frame of the cockpit hatch. Cocking her head to the right, the bird peers down at Archibald a moment, then Cres.

<One wonders if you honestly understand why you are here, acting as you are,> the avian observes in a mildly chiding tone. It's not clear whom she's talking to. It might be everyone.

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Ree looks a bit dazed as Rowe, Cres, the Owlet and Avril converge on the Gear's cockpit. Maybe it's from the blood loss. But she remembers: her first responsibility is towards her employer. Catenna appeared, if not exactly unscathed, at least on her feet. Ree staggers over towards her, putting pressure on her own wounds to try to staunch the bleeding. "Are you all right? Or at least...better than me?" she gasps, seriously considering dipping into her secret stash of a few precious Heal Berries, kept close at hand in case they were needed. They might have to run if an enemy started up that Gear: it would be incredibly dangerous -- and the strange woman in the blue armor had hinted that the ruin couldn't take much more disturbance. Ree was in no condition to go climbing herself. She'd just have to wait and see what happened.

<Pose Tracker> Cres LaRoux has posed.

        Wrapping long fingers around each edge Cres pulls himself upward like a snake up a tree. "We need to talk Mr. Rowe!" His pits flare as he tracks the man he was racing. "An irrational man brings hell not upon his head, but of his men." A long hiss passing from his shallow nostrils. The pause Rowe takes to plead with Avril gives Cres the time he needs. He clings to the cockpit, and offers a wicked hiss. "Of course I don't know why I am here," Cres replies as if a talking owl was entirely normal. "Never do I know. What I do know. Is that when man fight. Over such things. They are damned things." Cress lifts his head and membranes flick over his eyes. "I ask once. Mr. Rowe. Grasp sanity. If not, whatever sanity remains. I will take."

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

        She recognizes well the figure, in those fleeting moments as she draws out the Medium, draws upon its power.
        It's one of the--
        Then he has been there, as well. Another monument left by their people.

        It's still a strange thought; it leaves a frisson even in spite of her current situation. She acknowledges it but permits it to pass her by.

        Ascent is quick under the influence of the Guardian's power; every leap she makes is double what would normally be permitted to her. Grabbing ahold of an outcropping jutting forth against the Gear's cuirass, she clings for a moment, then swings onto sturdier footing. "Wait," she says again, glancing up but once at the figure of the Owlet.

        "You know not what this machine may do. It-- might..."

        She falters, reaching out for what had a moment ago been so clear to her only for it to flow between her fingers like water.

        Recovering, she shakes her head. "Wait, and let us talk before such extreme measures, Archibald."

<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.

"Oh, there he is-- hey get out of there!" Elvis remarks quickly after spotting Rowe. "You'll damage this ruin site if you activate it, too!"

Interestingly enough, Ratatoskr seems to have quite a few opinions on Gears. "You are quite well-educated!" the Sentinel remarks. The poor critter can't see the Gear being operated. A flick of the wrist, and his little prison turns. He also loosen it some, enough that if he really wanted to get out, he could do so!

"Get out of there before you hurt yourself!" he shouts toward Archibald. "Humans sometimes, I swear," is said, holding his head. "Don't make me pull you out of there and give you a firm lecture on the appropriate ragards toward ancient treasures! THese ruins are jsut as valuable as that piece of tech!"

The man has a very stern father look about him. His arms are crossed.

He looks a little fussy.

<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

The armored woman does not react as Catenna reaches for an arrow. In fact, she doesn't even move, standing there as if frozen in time. Behind her Ambrosius stands, straightening himself out before turning his attention toward Catenna, though not with a brief glance upward toward the Owlet.

Thankfully, he seems to have heeded his friend's words. He returns his ARM to the depths of his poncho and folds his arms behind him. Catenna's unfinished, though implied, question goes unanswered. Instead, he acknowledges her second one.

"This ruin. Its structure is unfamiliar to us. It may hold valuable information that may yet prove beneficial to us. ...Or it may not. But either way, it is a relic of an ancient culture. Irreplaceable. That is where its importance lies." He explains, he looks up, then, toward the Gear.

There, Archibald Rowe finds himself beset. He clambers back, away from Cres...but he is out of room.

"B-back! Get...g-get back!" He demands of Cres...but it is clear that his determination is starting to flee him. He doesn't doubt that Cres can make good on his promise.

The Owlet alights nearby, her chiding tone felt more than heard. Not only her, but Avril touches down, as well.

He looks between the two of them, and down toward Elvis who is giving him that stern, fatherly look...and, finally, relents.

"...Fine. F-fine! I'll relent, but..." He points at Cres. "...Keep that one away from me!"

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

With a blink, Carenna eases over to rest a hand on Ree's arm as if to try and support her a little. "You're hurt... try not to exert yourself."

The Owlet, meanwhile, just cocks her head, watching Cles for a moment. The small bird seems to shrug. It's more of a bob of the head and a brief movement of the wings. <Curious>.

For her part, Catenna finally shoulders her bow and lets out a soft huff. She folds her arms across her midsection and looks up towards Ambrosius with a small, tart frown. But she can't take issue with the basics of his position. Ruins are irreplaceable. Some of the things within them are of value in ways that go beyond the monetary.

"We'll have a talk with the team here about, ah... engineering standards," she says a bit dryly.

<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

        So spirited is the Hyadean that when even an inch is budged in the earthen sorcery, he scurries out of there in a flash! ...More like a gust of wind, but, analogies aside, Ratatoskr turns around and climbs atop the earthen construct and stands erect, arms crossed as he sizes up the Gear and the climax of the strongly-worded arguments. Oh, hey, the human did get up there, and there's... someone else there, and also that Owlet.
        He stands with anticipation that they'll activate the Gear and he'll watch it fight! Aveh and Kislev do nothing but fight, fight, fight, like it's the only thing they ever think of, the only thing they ever live around, the only thing they ever do. Neither nation gives an inch in their endless war. His breathing gets a little more excited with glee as he thinks about what sorts of things this could do! The battles it could fight! The...
        Archibald Rowe relents.
        "...Relent?" Ratatoskr speaks the word somberly, as though he has no idea what that means, or that this would be a word spoken by someone of Aveh. His tail starts to droop. His eyes dim. "Relent... he said 'relent'..."
        ...
        Ratatoskr slinks away, dejected and defeated.

<Pose Tracker> Cres LaRoux has posed.

        Cres pulls his head back and rises from his menacing crouch. He sits on the cockpit, with his gangly appendages crooked at odd angles. His features soften almost instantly when Archibald relented. "Thank you," he says politely when the man ceases his crazed actions. Two immensely long fingers reach up to rub his left temple in small circles. Glancing at the owlet he ponders its ability to question his motives. Finally. "Should have stayed asleep." He looks back down to those on the ground below, and waves with one of his reptilian hands. "Good now. Need medicine?"

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

        Here, and for the first time since this mess unfolded, Avril sighs out a breath and smiles. "Thank you, Archibald. Shall we depart? There is much to discuss."

        She says, as if she weren't currently hanging off the side of a Gear.

        Similarly, there comes her response to the man's reaction to Cres provokes no less than abject confusion from the silver-haired young woman. "Is there something wrong?"
        It's entirely possible than an answer may not be immediately forthcoming. Given the current situation.

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

"If you can spare it," Ree calls up to Cres. Great freaking Guardians, it hurt to take deep breaths! There was no way she could climb up to him. Maybe he could toss it down to her? Or possibly the Owlet could deliver it? As a last resort she still had a few Heal Berries. She doubted she could make it out of the ruin without some help...

<Pose Tracker> Cres LaRoux has posed.

        Cres gives a nod of his head, causing a wave through his bangs. He reaches up with a finger and massages the roof of his mouth. One of his eyes closes as he works, and a single drop of milky liquid appears on the tip of his fang. The silver metal of one of his needles is dragged across the liquid. He rolls the needle in his hand, ensuring the liquid coats its point completely.
        "You might feel a little pinch," he comments before his arm snaps forward suddenly. The thin needle rockets through the air at Ree. Its minuscule length appearing and disappearing in the lights of the room.

DC: Cres LaRoux switches forms to Acupuncturist Cres!
GS: Cres LaRoux has attacked Ree with Phencyclidine Venom!
GS: Cres LaRoux has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Ree laughs in spite of her pain. A little pinch was nothing compared to her injuries. Cres's needle flies true, striking the side of her neck. Yes, that did hurt a bit more than she was expecting. She starts to feel warm and energetic, and can feel her wounds knitting. "Thank you!" she calls peppily. "And you can call me Ree!" She owed him one, and Ree was meticulous about repaying her debts. "You can find me in November City!" There, that should give him all the info he needed if he ever wanted to cash in this favor.

GS: Hyper! Statuses applied to Ree!
GS: Cres LaRoux heals Ree! She gains 100 temporary hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.

The Human Foreman finally gives it up. "Finally! As we said before, you can have the Gear! Just less invasive form of excavation! That is all we request." A look to Ambrosius. A smile and a nod. His conviction got them this victory today.

A look to the others that came to the rescue of the Human Rowe. "See? A little roughhousing can get results! Sometimes anyway," The man clearly begins to think of times of when it didn't work, and how it stacks up compared to shots like this. It isn't an even spread. Not by far.

"Anyway, as I was saying my little rodent friend, we--"

A look back to hus crushing stone hand. Ratatoskr was gone.

"Wuh-Where did he go? We were just getting along?!"

<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

Ambrosius notes Ratatoskr slinking away dejectedly. He sends Elvis a questioning raised eyebrow, but doesn't comment on it directly. Instead, he turns to face Catenna.

"Thank you." He says, inclining his head in a respectful nod. He looks toward the one in front of him. "It's alright, Minerva. You can stand down, now."

In response, the Scutum - Minerva - relaxes...or, rather, begins to stand in a noncombative fashion. Ambrosius looks toward Elvis, then, who seems to be looking for Ratatoskr.

"He seems to have departed." Ambrosius states.

Meanwhile, Archibald sighs, his mustache drooping a bit. The fight's gone out of him completely. He just nods as Cres thanks him, then looks toward Avril.

"...Yes, yes. I suppose we do." He decides, then very carefully starts to climb his way down.

At least this seems to have ended peacefully.

...For everyone except the security detail leading up to this place, that is.

They'll be fine, probably.