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Dissonant Hearts (Degusaurusrex x AndrewS)

Isen was caught up in doing his part, opening and presenting as many drones as Takami could slice through, trying desperately to expediate the process as much as he can before the EMP spell lost it's effect. There was a slight fear, at the back of his head, that they might reactive at any moment, leaving them trapped and helpless to escape an entire fleet of drones designed to kill them, but he had to push that fleeting thought out of his head. He needed to focus.

It wasn't until he heard the sound of something exploding that he realized what Adelaide was doing. Small pieces of metal and magic showered them from above as the drone shattered. Turning his head, he watched as she weaved tendrils of magic through the room, connecting to other drones which seemed to vibrate for a moment before shooting apart. Takami paused too, feeling the tug of magic on the blade of his weapon.

She was a genius.

She was using the energy inside, dark magic that was capable of destroying the machines, in a more concentrated form to spread it like wild fire amongst the other machines. The first thing Isen noticed, however, more so even than the destruction she was causing, was the strain it was causing on her body trying to maintain two powerful spells at once.

"Don't just stand and watch. Your girlfriend's going to tear herself apart if she keeps this up." Ignas warned and Isen nodded.

"Takami, with me." He told his ally, leaving the lower floor for Adelaide to wipe while the two of them began working on as many as they could from some of the upper levels. He had to trust that she knew her limits, that she wouldn't lose control or let it get the better of him, but that was a lot of dark energy she was channeling, presumably from two different forces...he was incredibly concerned but did not have time to show it.

"Ignas, I need you to keep an eye on her for me." He told the demon, speaking to him within his head.

"What?"

"Ignas, please. Just make sure she doesn't push herself too hard. If you feel her starting to lose control, you need to tell me so I can stop her."

"Stopping her in the middle of channeling that much dark magic would be incredible dangerous. Did you miss the part where I told you she's going to tear herself apart? That's the kind of power we're talking about here."

"Ignas!"

"Fine. I will babysit."
 
"Go! Move!" It finally seemed like they were catching onto what she was doing, and Adelaide sighed in relief as she watched them wander over to the upper levels and leave her only the lower. Even dealing with the lower level was causing her body tremendous stress, the weight of it all pressing down on her shoulders and causing her to struggle to hold both spells intact. How many minutes had she been holding the EMP active? With how rapidly the weight on her seemed to increase, they were running out of time quickly, and she glanced around to see what kind of progress they had made.

"You guys got another minute, two tops before this starts to go. I can't keep the power off forever." There was no way they were going to get through all of them no matter what she did, and she hadn't come into the plan with a death wish. They hadn't come this far for her to try to play the hero and kill herself in the process. They still had the summit to infiltrate, after all, and they were only going to have one chance to make their move.

"Isen, get the... One over there." She rubbed at her face and cursed as she missed one of the drones by just an inch, the brightly lit webbing seeming to short out before it lit up brilliantly and exploded two drones that had gotten close to each other. Maybe if she sat down, she would be able to hold it a little easier without the effort of keeping herself upright. Her legs were feeling very heavy now, and her head felt like someone was jamming a nail through her temple over and over in an endless quest to break her.

"One more minute!" She was beginning to lose track of time. Had it been the preset two minutes she'd given them before, or had she held up a bit longer before she found herself sinking down to sit on the ground? The device was still wrapped tightly in her hand as she felt the magic inside of it struggle and slam against the metal, trying to escape and scatter at random in its quest for freedom. It was no longer easily tamed as it had been when they'd first entered the building, and even the ring seemed to recognize that as it burned and dug into her finger, rejecting her call on it as she hissed in pain.

"Shit," The drone that hit the floor was only a foot away from where she sat and she jolted back, dropping the EMP and cursing loudly. "Time's up, guys."
 
They were actually managing to put a dent into the number of drones. Things had taken quite the turn once Adelaide had figured out how she could help them but Isen couldn't shake his concern over her well-being, even as he aided her when she requested his help to move the drones around. As time began to run out on them, he hoped they had managed to do enough to actually change the future that Samara had seen.

Isen came to Adelaide's side as time expired, pulling her away from the EMP device and into the safety of his arms to help support her tired body from all of the effort she had just put in to managing both spells. Takami continued to hack away at the drones, fulfilling his mission, until the power began to return and the pods containing the drones began to close in on themselves again, protecting their precious cargo. He continued to smash at one of the pods, trying to force through it's defenses.

"We need to go. That's enough, Takami."

"The mission has not been completed."

"But this is as good as we're going to get. She's tired, we need to get her back to Samara's."

Takami gave one final strike against the pod, glancing back at Isen and Adelaide as he held her. He sheathed his blade and jumped over the railing, down from the second level, to rejoin them on the ground floor.

"We should be able to get out the way we came, but I wouldn't be surprised if guards from the DSTF were called in the second they realized that the electricity had gone out. We should go now." He instructed, feeling he needed to take the lead now while she was incapacitated, Takami certainly wasn't going to leave unless he had been forced to. "Can you walk on your own?" He asked Adelaide, not planning on leaving her side but gauging the scope of how much of herself she had given to complete their raid on the facility.
 
"Idiot's probably going to keep going until we force him to leave." Adelaide was surprised when Isen managed to talk Takami down to where they were, and even more at the absence of Ignas' voice. Had he gotten spooked by the orbs again, or did he simply not have anything to say as Isen held her steady? "Can't leave that here, though." She managed to swipe the device off the floor and shove it into her pocket with a weary sigh before looking at Isen uncertainly. Could she walk on her own?

"I'm tempted to say no and make you carry me just to listen to Ignas whine, but I should at least try. I wasn't expecting to do two things at once, but I hadn't expected there to be that many of them. I hope we took out a good amount." It was hard to tell now that they were being protected by their pods again but judging by the number of pieces on the floor and the upper level's walkway, they'd managed to wipe out at least a good amount of them.

"We can go out the back door or something, right?" She pushed herself to her feet with Isen's help and leaned against him, a hand on his arm as she looked around at the damage they'd caused. "Just need to make it fast. Not a chance in hell I'm teleporting all three of us back after that."
 
Isen supported her weight entirely, or at least as much as she'd allow, helping to get her back towards the elevator. They'd need to head up a floor or two first before they could sneak outside, he just hoped they wouldn't have unwanted company waiting for them once they returned to the floor above. Takami followed behind them, seeming content with the work they had put in despite not being able to take down all of the drones. He would, no doubt, remind Isen of what he was to earn for his aid in their exploits as soon as they got back to the shop but Isen had no intentions of changing his mind about the deal they had made regardless.

"I've been busy." Ignas added, hearing himself referenced by name. "While you were busy throwing a tantrum, I realized something that you missed, witch." Ignas shot back, sounding annoyed as he did. "They've changed their magic signature. It's different now."

"Different how?"

"We speculated that the drones we fought before were designed to negate our powers, did we not?" Ignas continued. Isen stopped, having led Adelaide towards the door, turning back towards the wreckage they had caused to look towards the pods as Ignas continued to muse out loud to them both. "I got up close and personal with one of them last time and the magic I feel coming from these drones isn't the same. I suspect it has been altered to nullify against multiple threats, not just us."

"But Takami was able to cut through them without any problem, meaning..."

"They have something else to be concerned with and if I had to take a guess, they're a lot like me."

Was he just being conceited or did he mean a demon?

"Another demon?"

"It would appear so."

If the DSTF had reason to be fearful of somebody else, outside of Isen and Adelaide, then they had bigger problems of their own as well. Were they expecting this supposed demon to show up at the summit or were they just trying to take precautions to wipe away another threat?

It was concerning but they couldn't let it dull their victory. Isen turned back to over look the wreckage they had caused while he led Adelaide to the elevator and the trio ascended it's shaft, back to the main floor, to escape and return to Samara.
 
"I wasn't throwing a tantrum, demon. I was calling my limits." She was too exhausted to properly argue with Ignas, leaning on Isen as they approached the elevator only to pause at the demon's words. Was she supposed to be able to do everything for the demon to be satisfied with her? Things were going to be so, so much better once she separated him from Isen.

"What are you talking about? They'd changed them again? That didn't make sense that they would have altered them and not put a ward against the power from Takami's catalyst, unless they simply assumed Isen wouldn't be able to wield it. Unless they were so frantic to program them to ward off something worse than both Takami and Isen, which was concerning at best.

"A demon?" The thought came to her the same time it did to Isen and she sighed. The absolute last thing that they needed was another catalyst, and if the person wielding it was anywhere near as powerful as Takami or Isen, then they could only hope the person wasn't their enemy. Except Ignas hadn't said catalyst, he had specifically said demon, which left her confused and concerned but too tired to question it more.

"Let's get out of here." She sighed wearily and gripped Isen's arm tighter, supporting herself on him as they entered the elevator and ascended up to the main floor. Miraculously, no one seemed to be walking around when they exited it and headed towards the doors, which was a huge relief since she wasn't sure she had the strength to manifest another concealment spell.

"We did pretty good, you know." Once they were finally outside the building she managed a small smile despite her exhaustion. "You guys kicked ass in there."
 
Isen escorted Adelaide outside, only dropping his guard once they had finally managed to escape the building through it's back exit. There were no ambushes, no surprises and, shockingly enough, no guards coming to respond to the loss of power in the facility. The good news was that they had survived and they had, as Adelaide put it, "kicked ass" but on the other side, they hadn't been able to take down all of the drones.

"So did you." He responded, however, returning the compliment. "Managing two powerful spells like that, and staying in control of all that dark magic...you were pretty impressive."

"Impressive, yes. But also foolish. Please, get a room, you both disgust me."

"May I say something?"

Isen turned towards Takami, nodding his head as if to okay it. He didn't think Takami needed to ask permission to say what was on his mind at this point, they were allies, after all.

"It felt nice to fight alongside such capable comrades. It has...been a while. I cannot recall the last time I didn't enter into a battle on my own."

"You're part of the team now, you don't need to be alone."

"...if you say so. Remember, I'm only in it for our deal, Isen Hiyori." Takami began to pick up the pace, walking ahead of them a little bit, leaving Isen and Adelaide to trail behind as Isen refused to pick up his speed to match and cause any discomfort to the obviously tired mage he was holding on to. Takami realized, soon after, he didn't know the way back on his own so he awkwardly slowed down and continued to shuffle along side them in quiet.

"Right. Well, we need to regroup with Samara and decide what to do about the rest of the drones. If they still plan on launching them tomorrow, we're far from out of the clear."
 
"We'll get a room as soon as we're back, shut up. I'll shut you out as soon as I have the energy to cast that particular spell, so calm down." Wait, had Ignas complimented her? Even if he had followed it up with an insult, it certainly sounded like the demon had complimented her first. By the time she started to debate if it was worth teasing him, Takami had spoken up and gathered both her and Isen's attention to make an oddly sentimental comment.

"I'm not sure I want to know what stupid deal you made with him." She sighed and watched the other man speed ahead as if he'd suddenly become uncomfortable with what he'd said, biting back a laugh when he had to slow down not long after with a clearly uncomfortable expression. Whatever this deal was the two of them had made she would find out, but not right now when they just had to focus on getting back and planning out their next move.

"I leave that up to you guys. My brain is a bit slow right now." Slow enough that she didn't have much to say for the remainder of the walk back to Samara's, and as they passed through the false wall she gave a visible show of relief before letting Isen go and shrugging off her coat.

"That was exhausting. Let's never do that again."
 
Samara was waiting, leaning over her counter, eyes fixated on the entrance as they walked inside. "Oh, thank goodness, you're all alive." She sighed, releasing a sound of pure relief. "Operation Samara Saves the Day was a success?"

"Not quite." Isen explained, bursting the witch's bubble as Takami walked straight past them all and in to the other room.

"Does whatever happened have something to do with why the Ora seems so angry?"

"No, that's completely unrelated." Isen continued, shaking his head. "We weren't able to destroy all of the drones. They had hundreds of them, it was more than we could take all by ours-"

"I told you that I should have came with you! I could have helped!"

"...I'd estimate we tooppk down at least half of them, at least."

"I could have gotten all of them!"

"Are you sure Takami's the one who's upset?" Seeing what was obvious, Isen called her out on her reaction and behavior.

Samara's expression changed and she shook her head. "I'm not upset, I just...I had a visitor."

"A visitor?"

Samara pulled her mother's pendant out of her shirt, letting it dangle freely where they could see, resting against her collarbone. "Lorelei Van Dyne was here."
 
"I don't think he's angry." Was he? Adelaide watched him disappear from the room before she turned her attention to Samara, giving the witch an exasperated look and rolling her eyes. She was really still upset about being left behind as a safeguard? If they had been caught, or someone had attacked the shop while they were gone, it all would have been moot.

"Samara, what the hell is wrong with you?" She seemed more agitated than she had been before, more than even Adelaide had thought she could be when they'd clearly established the best possible course of action. The question was answered when Samara pulled out and displayed a pendant against her skin and then announced she had visited during their absence.

"What did the bitch want?" Adelaide hissed the words out with a frown, stalking across the room to hang up her coat before finding a seat to sink into. "She really waited until we were gone to come and visit?"
 
Samara unclasped the pendant from her neck and sat it down in front of them, it's shape losing it's shine as it became disconnected from her touch. "She's...afraid. Of her husband." Samara attempted to explain what she had learned. It was still fresh, just difficult for her to process the role she had possibly played in letting a terrible woman who had caused so much harm walk free. Samara had vowed that Lorelei would get her vengeance but then, in the same breath, handed her the escape she needed to avoid it.

"She seemed paranoid that he might try to get rid of her now that she has outlived her usefulness to them by finishing their drone project."

"He certainly seems the type."

He would break her, manipulate her against her family and then get rid of her the moment she was of no use to him anymore? He was despicable, but Isen already knew that. It was just making him regret their decision not to attack the general when they had the chance.

"She wanted me to give her one of my watches, an illusion so she could get out of Cresthaven if she felt her life was in danger."

"And?"

"...I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. She was threatening the both of you while you were in that hangar, saying she was the only reason the two of you were safe...and she had this." Samara sighed, a sadness in her voice as she faced what she had done while also reflecting on the value of that pendant. "It was my mother's...the general kept it some sort of twisted keepsake. She bartered it to me, along with Adelaide's safety, in exchange for the illusion."

"I know the two of you hate me for what I did but...this is all I have left. The gift she gave me is gone and...I didn't want to lose anybody else." She looked directly towards Adelaide as she spoke that, her normally vibrant eyes expressing the sadness she felt. It reminded Isen of the way she reacted when she first lost her foresight, how deeply it had hurt her. She really did wear her heart on her sleeve, she had just gotten good at hiding it. She was an expert in illusions, after all, she knew how to hide what was in plain sight but it was impossible to conceal now.
 
"He probably would." She agreed with Isen immediately and shrugged, listening carefully to Samara's story with an ever-deepening frown. Lorelei had finally gone so batshit crazy she'd bartered with Samara just to have a backup plan if her husband tried to get rid of her?

"Well, that explains why they've been leaving us alone." Did that mean that Lorelei had known they were at the hangar? It seemed unlikely that she would allow them to go that far in their destruction, but everything was taking an odd turn now that Samara had divulged that news. "This is fucking ridiculous." She was far too tired for this, an annoyed look settling on her face as she shook her head at Samara.

"Stop being stupid. I don't hate you. Fuckin' hell, Samara, why would I be mad at you for giving the crazy bitch a watch to get back your mother's stuff? Who cares if she's got one of those now? You act like we can't recognize that magic to know if she might be near another time, or that she couldn't have gotten one off some poor Dissonant she murdered, even if you hadn't given her one. Of course I'm not angry." She rolled her eyes and rubbed at her face.

"At least this way we know she has it, so that actually gives us the advantage. Stop worrying and get some sleep, we've got a long day tomorrow."
 
Samara's eyes widened a little as Adelaide responded to what she had said. She could tell from the way the mage spoke that she meant what she had said, that she wasn't upset with her. A glance towards Isen gave her the same feeling from him as he had been getting from his other, more vocal half, and she followed it up with a quaint nod of her head. "...right. How silly of me." She replied, correcting herself, a smile moving over her lips as her sorrowful eyes began to dry without releasing any of the tears they had been attempting to disperse. "Enjoy the rest of your night, love birds. Make the most of it, there's no telling what tomorrow might have in store for us."

Samara composed herself, gathering her pendant back into her fingers and shooting a wink in the pair's direction before disappearing to her room, Priscilla fluttering along beside her until they heard a door shut in the distance.

"She's been through a lot. I know that she tends to get on my nerves but I can't help but feel a little bad for her." He sighed, lamenting to Adelaide, who now had the entirety of his attention. He hadn't forgotten how tired and exhausted she must have been and he was at her side, keeping her steady and leading her off towards the back as well, searching for some place she could sit or lay down to take some of her burden away from her tired muscles.

"She has sacrificed a lot for the two of you. Now, it's up to you both to make sure it won't be wasted."

"You're suddenly in the mood to give motivational speeches?"

"Hardly. Whether or not you complete your mission means little to me as long as we are still together." Ignas responded, though Isen didn't get the sense that the demon was being completely genuine with that statement.

"We've come too far now for things not to work out, I will see to it. You're free to admit the truth any time you'd like, demon. You care about this."

"You've lost your mind."

"You may say that, but I've never felt more like myself." He responded, simple and short.

"...I don't care."

"He doesn't care." Isen told Adelaide, his tone mocking and playful, egging Ignas on. Isen was clearly trying to provoke Ignas, wanting Adelaide to silence him so they could have the night alone but not wanting to bring it up himself.

"I don't. Keep talking, Isen. I will make your last night with the witch insufferable. I will..."
 
"You don't need to wink, Samara." Honestly, the witch was persistent with her matchmaking attempts, and even if Adelaide had cared to be doing anything like what Samara seemed to insinuate, she had no energy for that to be a possibility, so there was no way anything was happening other than her crawling into the bed and passing out.

"We've all been through the ringer." She stood and allowed Isen to help her get back to the room they were using, closing the door and rolling her eyes as she listened to Isen and Ignas bicker back and forth.

"Are you two purposely doing that just to annoy me? If so, it's definitely working." She had promised to shut Ignas up once they returned and she had the energy, hadn't she? "I don't think that Ignas gives a single fuck about us unless it involves getting him more dark magic or killing people. That's all the greedy bastard wants." She sat on the edge of the bed and worked her boots and then socks off slowly, leaning down for her bag to dig around for clothing she could wear to bed.

"Now hush, demon, and have your peace." Even uttering the short spell that would silence him for the entire night, given he had no intention of trying to break it this time, Adelaide shook her head and pulled out some pajamas, motioning for Isen to turn around long enough for her to change into them before she cleared her throat.

"You can turn back around now and come here. Put on some of those pajamas Samara got you, though. She was right, you're ridiculous for sleeping in things like jeans and rough clothes. I know you can't feel them and it doesn't matter to you, but it's not comfortable for me to cozy up to."
 
Having gotten what he wanted without having to say it out loud, Isen was satisfied when he heard the demon's voice exit his head. He escorted Adelaide to the bed and turned when prompted so that she would be able to get changed in peace. Once she had called him back, he was puzzled by what she had suggested. It didn't really matter to him what he wore or didn't wear but it would make things more comfortable for her? He had no reason to argue against it.

Retrieving what had been left for him, he left the room to change, finding the loose clothing a little strange as he pulled it on to his body. Of course, he couldn't feel it, but he could tell that it looked strange on him, like it was a little too big for his frame, loose but undoubtedly more comfortable for Adelaide to lay against. Isen sighed, returning to the room, standing in front of the bed with his arms spread outwards as if to show her how it dangled from his frame. "I look ridiculous." He grumbled, moving next to join her, taking his usual place at her side.

One thing that hadn't changed for him lately was how it felt to actually feel her pressed against him. The fact that he was capable of feeling every touch when it came from her, directly, was still as confusing for him as it had been the first time but it had become something that he had found great warmth and comfort in. It was something he hadn't been able to experience in over ten years, after all. He leaned in to her, embracing that feeling, something that must have seemed odd to her given that she was yet to find out that her touch could affect him.

"You should get some sleep." He told her, his head turned slightly, enough so that he could speak to her without needing to raise his voice too much. Adjusting himself, he lifted his arm, granting her a space deeper against his side to nestle in to should she wish. "I'm proud of what we've accomplished but the path forward won't be easy. We need you well rested and ready for anything."
 
"You look fine. Pajamas are supposed to be loose. Mine are too." She gestured down toward the pants she was wearing and rolled her eyes. He looked so awkward standing there in the clothing Samara had bought him, but Adelaide was in no way interested in ending up with a bare ankle scratched by jeans sometime during the night. This was their last calm night before they stormed the summit, and she wanted to spend it relaxing and getting a good night's rest.

"I know. I plan to." Had she just imagined it, or did he seem to be leaning into her once they'd gotten initially settled? Adelaide shook off the feeling and wriggled her way over once he lifted his arm, tucking a leg between his and nestling against his side with a quiet yawn. "I'm proud of it too. I spent so many years angry, just wishing I could kill them all. So many years hiding, never really having a proper place in life, and we've accomplished all this in just a matter of days." Not even two weeks, and she'd significantly upped her knowledge of spells thanks to Samara's imprinting ritual, gotten herself a familiar, and they had both killed and destroyed DSTF property.

"Once this is all over.. We can have a normal life." Did either of them even know what normal meant?
 
What even was normal?

After all they had done, and what they had been through, normal felt distant. What would he even do with his time when he was free of Ignas and back to a normal, mundane life? When he was human again? He had no hobbies, no real skills outside of what he was capable of in combat but even then, would he be proficient enough without the advantages provided to him by Onigoshi? And would there even be reason to fight anymore?

Maybe that wasn't so bad. And he would have her.

"Normal." He repeated with a nod of his head, though he wasn't quite sure what it was he had agreed to just yet. "I look forward to normal. With you."

Isen did something unexpected, simply going with the flow of what felt right; he pressed his lips against the side of her forehead, leaving a lingering kiss there that served as a seal to a promise. A promise of a better future they would write together, they just needed to get through the next twenty four hours to get there. For now, however, he steadied himself, not wanting to move too much to disturb her, simply holding on to his companion and cradling her as sleep prepared to claim her tired body. With a whisper, Isen finished their conversation, leaving her free to sleep without him bothering her any longer.

"Goodnight, Adelaide."
 
"Yeah, normal. Nice, peaceful normal." When they would have normal was another thing entirely. It could be in two days, it could be in two years, but the fact remained that there was much work left to do first. She had already begun to doze off when she felt the warmth brushing over her forehead, and for a long moment she laid there in silence before she smiled and tucked herself a little tighter against him. It wasn't normal, but it was a damn good substitute until they'd finished their mission. "Goodnight."

Between being so tired from handling multiple spells and enjoying the warmth radiating from her companion, Adelaide slept soundly through the night and well into the morning. It was the sound of footsteps and voices in the other room that began to wake her, but it was the way the door abruptly opened, followed by the smell of coffee that truly woke her as Isabella entered.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead. Here's some coffee, start drinking and come back out, I've got some news for you!" She had barely opened her eyes and sat up before Isabella was shoving a travel cup of coffee into her hands, nearly spilling the drink in her excitement before she bounced back out of the room.

"...What the hell just happened?" Adelaide barely managed to hold onto the cup as she sat there sleepily, running a hand over her messy braid before looking at Isen curiously. "Was that Isabella?"
 
Isen had tried to warn Isabella not to rush in so suddenly, because he knew it would startle Adelaide, but when the morning came and he was still pinned beneath her, there wasn't much he could do other than listen to her foot steps draw near. She practically forced Adelaide to take the cup she had prepared, stirring her from her sleep while Isen cast a death glare towards the chipper vampire who had barged in only to bounce right back out almost as quickly as she had entered.

"...unfortunately." He grumbled, shaking his head. He sat himself up, slightly, only to be bothered by another intrusion.

"Good morning. I also have news." Great, he was back too. And he sounded awfully smug.

"...what do you want?"

"I've figured it out. I know how to counter that pesky spell. You will never be able to silence me again, witch."

That was just what they needed to begin the morning of the most important day of their entire mission. At least if things went smoothly today, there was a very real possibility that separation could become reality and he wouldn't have to deal with Ignas being in his head much longer.

"...great." Isen complained, hoisting himself up into a seated position at the edge of their bed. "Maybe Isabella's news is a little better? We should go see what's gotten her so excited."
 
"Sorry, did I hear an obnoxious demon speaking? No? Must have been my imagination." Adelaide groaned again and forced herself out of the bed, fixing her clothes before shuffling toward the door with her coffee. "I'm not changing just to talk, this is good enough. I'll meet you out there." She wasn't sure if Isen would be too embarrassed to be seen in the pajamas he thought made him look ridiculous, whereas she personally didn't care if Samara or Isabella thought she looked silly in hers.

"Alright, so what's going on?" She wandered into the front room where Isabella was chatting with Samara, rubbing sleepily at her eyes before sipping her coffee and looking for a chair. Samara kindly sent one right over to her and saved her the effort of finding it herself, something that Adelaide appreciated immensely as she settled in and waited for Isen to join them in the room.

"Seems like there was quite a bit of panic at the facility this morning. They called in a bunch of backup and tried to keep it quiet, but my people figured out pretty quickly that the sudden traffic was more DSTF workers, and it apparently got very loud out that way this morning. Clearly they found the mess you guys left. I just wish you'd taken some pictures so I could have at least seen the chaos!"
 
Isen followed her out, not really thinking about the pajamas he was wearing. Had he been more cognizant of it, he would have opted to change to spare himself the embarrassment, but that wasn't the case and he had walked out directly behind Adelaide. He could hear Ignas snickering in his head but couldn't pinpoint why.

"You two look comfy." Samara teased. "It's nice to see you wearing something clean for once, Isen."

Isen glanced down, recognizing that he hadn't changed and immediately feeling awkward. He shuffled himself behind Adelaide to hide as much as he could, hilariously given how much smaller she was in comparison to him.

"..." Isen remained quiet but eventually, spoke up to join the conversation, a mixture of curiosity and desire to move the conversation so far away from his awkward feeling to something more pressing so that they wouldn't dwell on it. "Are they still going to launch the drones?"

Samara decided to answer that for Isabella. "Of course they are, but after what happened last night, it's going to be significantly harder for them to cover the whole city with them."

"So, we just need to find a way to take out the rest?"

"I think that might be the best course of action. When they begin the summit, which is set to be televised, mind you, they're going to release what they have. It also means that Lorelei is probably safe for now, they still need her." Samara wasn't sure whether that news would be a relief to Adelaide or not. "I say we get stationed around Cresthaven and give them hell. As long as we have the Ora and Adelaide, we can take them down, but I can't guarantee there won't be casualties along the way..."

"Do you think your people could spread word through the city, Isabella? Maybe get the Dissonants here to try and flee?"

"The DSTF probably has the whole city on lock at this point, I don't think we'll be able to get any of them out unless we waste all of our energy teleporting them. I think a better idea is to try and get them all some place safe until you can get rid of the drones...I might have just the place." Samara waved her hand around her shop. "Bring as many as you can here. Why not? It's been my responsibility to protect them all this time, I should be able to hold off their attacks for a little while and it will draw all the drones towards us with tunnel vision." And away from any stray Dissonant they couldn't round up. It was a sound, if not foolish, plan.

"Where we would be waiting, ready to take them down."

"Exactly!"

Takami walked into the room to join their meeting. He looked tired, like he hadn't gotten much sleep. He pulled up a chair near a table and sat himself down, tuning in to the conversation. "You can count on me to do my part." Isen sensed that all was not well with their ally but didn't want to push it, he didn't suspect Takami would say anything anyways.

"But after all the drones are taken care of...you're going after the summit, aren't you?" Samara followed up, clearly not happy about that, her eyes trained on to Adelaide. "Allow me to come with you. We'll storm that place together and kill every last one of those assholes..." Her hand curled around her mother's pendant, which pulsed with energy as it met her touch. She wanted so desperately to finally pay back the Van Dynes for what they had done to her family. Priscilla landed on Samara's shoulder, her beak pecking at the hand around the pendant as if to try and make her stop. Was her familiar not on board with that plan?

"No, Priscilla. I will not stay behind and I won't be sidelined like I was last night. This is my fight too...my mother's." Samara shook her head, finding resolve. "I know this is going to work. I just know it. I don't need my foresight to see it, either...this has to work." As she always said, she knew things, that's what she did. She knew this would work because if it didn't, what would they have left?
 
"There's still a good amount of them left, but as long as Takami can destroy them, it's a start." She glanced at Samara when she mentioned Lorelei but made no effort to say anything about her grandmother. Did she really care whether or not the old bitch was safe because of what they'd done? After everything she had done to her own family, to the rest of the world, why the hell should she care what happened to the old bat?

"We can't run." Isabella shook her head. "Samara is right, they're locking down the--Wait, what?" The shock on her face was clear as she stepped back and stared at Samara with wide eyes. "Bring them here? There's a lot more than you think, lady, and you want to just flood this place with them and hope they don't destroy it? You're nuts, but I like it."

So Isabella brought all the Dissonants she could find to Samara's shop, and when the DSTF sent the drones out and they all flocked to the shop? It was an interesting approach, Adelaide would admit, but also an incredibly dangerous one. Then again, what part of their plans hadn't been foolish or dangerous so far? It wasn't like they were wading into unfamiliar territory by bringing the danger straight to them, and if anything it would help them to be better prepared for it.

"Of course I am. They're all going to be there at once, why wouldn't I go there?" Adelaide drank more of her coffee and gave Samara a somewhat annoyed look, watching the bird land on her shoulder and seem to argue with her. Was it arguing against her going to the summit with them, or her approach on everything? That question was answered quickly enough, and Adelaide glanced at Isen before turning her attention back to Samara.

"I don't know, Samara. Let's see how it goes with the drones first and if we can get them all or not."
 
Her confidence wavered for a moment but she nodded in Adelaide's direction. "Right. We shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. There's still much to do before then."

"When do we begin?" Takami asked, not making eye contact with anybody else in the room.

"The summit is expected to begin broadcasting in an hour, so we don't have much time. Isabella, you and your friends will need to work fast. As for the rest of you, I have, something before we get started." Samara excused Isabella, who needed to get going anyways if they were to make this time line work at all, and disappeared into her bedroom. A few moments later, she arrived carrying several bundles of fabric over her arms.

She began to lay them all down on the table; three outfits, tailored and worked on by her during the night, something she had started when Lorelei first came to see her and stayed up late to finish. A parting gift but also, one of unity. They were in this together, after all, but maybe part of her motivation was so that she could feel included too. It was obvious that she was being left out, she made a point to be included in the plan because of that, she hated not being able to do something directly to the people who had ruined her life. She understood why Adelaide needed her here, but it didn't make it any of an easier pill to swallow. She was supposed to be the one protecting and helping people, not the other way around.

"I stayed up working on them for us. Go on, try them on and tell me what you think." She told them, eager to see if her measurements had been correct. With a twirl of her hand, her own clothing pulled away from her body. Isen looked away, instinctively, but there was no need to do so. She was revealing that she had her version of the suit underneath. It clung to her curves perfectly, the neck line of the costume plunging dramatically in a way that Isen simply couldn't reason would be strategic.

Isen looked to Adelaide for guidance but, at this point, he was just happy to get out of those ridiculous pajamas. He took his and exited into a different room to change. When he stepped out, he was the first one dressed and Samara's eyes were glued to him. He felt awkward as the witch looked him up and down, practically squealing with glee.

"It's perfect! I've outdone myself! Just wait 'til Adelaide sees you...and wait until you see her!"

Isen's 'outfit' was sleek and black with small, blue veins pulsing through the fabric of the suit, the same as Samara's had. They were hard to see upon first glance but when he focused his vision, he could see them, shimmering underneath. It fit his form well, tight, but enough to still move and breathe, heavy but still light enough not to slow him down. The fabric used appeared to be some sort of microfiber, but Isen didn't know enough about fashion or clothing to know anything more. His had been given a matching jacket to punctuate the look, though it didn't seem to have the same magical properties as what he was wearing beneath it. Still, he from the glimpse he had stolen from the mirror on his way out, he actually liked the way it looked on him. It was better than the pajamas or the ragged clothes he had worn before, at least.

"There appears to be some sort of magic in these clothes, Isen." Ignas recited, sensing it the moment Isen had begun getting dressed.

"Magic?" He asked, out loud, which Samara could hear.

"Mhm, of course. I'll explain once everybody is together."
 
What was wrong with Takami? He had been acting weird when he came in the room, but now he was acting even stranger by refusing to look at anyone. She made a mental note to inquire about it once she got a chance, or rather to send Isen to talk to him, but quickly found herself distracted by Isabella leaving and Samara coming out with a bundle of what looked like clothing.

"Oh no. Oh no, no, Samara what did you do?" Adelaide looked at the outfits uneasily as they were laid out, looking between the witch and the two men as she tried to see what was going on. "Of course yours is low cut." That was a very familiar sight, not too far off from when they had first met her upon stumbling into Cresthaven to snoop around. At least this time Isen wasn't staring at her like a lovestruck puppy, since he was too distracted taking his outfit and going to try it on.

"I don't like what I'm hearing out there! It sounds like you're plotting!" Adelaide yelled from the room she'd gone into to change, staring down at the... What did she even call it? A jumpsuit? Whatever it was, it clearly had magic worked into it and that was clear in the way it shimmered a beautiful blue in places. "SAMARA WHAT THE FUCK?!" She'd finally managed to get the outfit situated in a way that wasn't entirely uncomfortable, only to see that the neckline was definitely lower than something she would have chosen.

"Samara, what the hell did you do to it?" She went back into the room tugging up at the front, her cheeks red before she caught sight of Isen and stopped midway through her rant. "Okay, his is fine, I can handle that." It looked rather good on him, if she was being honest. "But why does mine show so much of my tits?! It's winter for christ's sake!"
 
Isen's eyes fell on to Adelaide as she entered the room and, upon meeting her, they didn't pull away. Her outfit fit her perfectly, it's daring neckline tantalizingly drawing his vision to places where it shouldn't have gone. He had a sneaking suspicion Samara had done this on purpose but it appeared to be having the desired effect the witch wanted. She simply giggled along as Adelaide yelled at her, noting the reaction from Isen as well.

"You're my protégé. I thought you'd like to have the same costume as I did." She smirked. "I altered it slightly, it isn't quite as daring as I wanted it to be but, I think it'll do the trick. He seems to like it just fine, isn't that right, Isen?"

Isen averted his eyes only once he had been called out on it, grumbling something underneath his breath.

"I hate Samara for the thoughts she just put into this idiot's head." Ignas made a comment of his own, in disgust.

Takami joined them last, his outfit similar to theirs and much more like Isen's but it had a bit of a traditional flare to it. Samara had paid homage to his heritage, despite not really seeming to care much for Takami before, tailoring his outfit to better suit his style with an eastern edge and a helmet that doubled as a hat, not unlike what his samurai family would have worn into battle.

"Sooo, do you love them?" Samara asked, smiling widely, her hands clasped at her chest, expecting adoration for her work. Isen was still too stunned to say anything and Adelaide was clearly angry with the stylistic choices she had made so it was only Takami that seemed to show any appreciation for what she had made. She took that, for now. Baby steps, she supposed.

"I put a little bit of magic into them. Nothing crazy, just a mid level protection spell. It should ward off a couple of shots here and there while being resistant to fire and breathable enough that you shouldn't get too warm or sticky while wearing it if things get hot and steamy." She giggled, her eyes dancing between the pair of them as she made that last distinction. "And in a pinch, Adelaide could probably draw some magic from them if needed. As for the designs themselves, if we're going out with a bang, we may as well look good doing it. We're about to be superheroes, you know. To so many Dissonants and everybody caught in the balance of what the DSTF has done...so, why not look the part?"

Isen continued to glance towards Adelaide from the corner of his eye, earning another groan of disgust in their heads from Ignas. "Now, we're all set to get started. The three of you should find some place outside where you can hide until we're ready. Isabella should be back soon with whomever she can gather, I'm going to work on a barrier spell." Samara flipped the television on to the news channel that would be broadcasting the Summit to give her a better time line of what was happening without actually having to show her face there.
 
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