Anisha is radiant, if not Radiant, in her steelsilk and star iron, floral and crimson and midnight. Alaricite rapier drawn, and resting over her knees as she's taken a seat in one of the nicer chairs, legs crossed at the ankle as she waits. Perfect Whisper, Softest Whisper, Radiant Emeritus, and a Whisper of Truth - and so much more. She casts a casual glance to Ferrando and his friend, giving a small upnod of greeting. Leant back, and waiting with casual ease.


Azazel really wants to devour the Compact metaphorically. Literally too, and he'll try for both, but he'll settle for one. Such is the case here. It's a shock to everyone when the dozens of floating mouths begin to appear, try to devour all who are present, but also the building itself.

In the Whisper House, time and again Azazel's deepest protected secrets were shared, and much of the conflict he hoped to stake among hated mortals were ruined by Whisper intervention. He's hated the Whisper House since its creation, and has longed to devour it and everyone present. On the other hand, judging by the rage filled eyes of a white rabbit watching the maws come in, the hatred is more than mutual.

OOC: OOC: Azazel is trying to eat his way through the room partly on his way to devouring a path down to the thinnest point. There will just be two offensive rounds, and no defensive rounds, checked at hard. However, he is incredibly aggravated by anyone playing up to the nature of the Whisper House. Anyone making a social check does so at easy, and successes there particularly infuriate him and help drive him off. Failed rolls still get dangerous bites.

Calandra arrives from upstairs as she the Whisper songbird lives here. She is on full armor, but to be honest her armor leaves much to be desired. She might not be used to battles! Still she is here and ready to try and help.

Lys is here. She leaps up onto a couch, balancing with catlike reflexes on the back of it. Her sword glimmering beautifully as she holds it upward. Her voice high and full of almost insane excitement as she calls out to rally both Whisper /and/ the members of the Valorous Few who have come to join her, "Rise up, my beautiful Whispery Friends! Rise up my cutthroats! Azazel thinks he can destroy us? But here! Here we have stolen his secrets time and time again! Azazel is /nothing/ before the beautiful might of WHISPER HOUSE! LET THE WORLD KNOW WHISPER IS STRONGER THAN AZAZEL SHALL EVER BE!"

Lys checks willpower and propaganda at easy. Lys is successful.

Anisha checks charm and manipulation at easy. Anisha is successful.

Dressed in dark colours, Denica Thrax arrives in the company of a man wearing a gold mask over his face. The pair are dressed in Thraxian style great coats and have matching black hair and blue eyes. "If not for the...well everything, I could have shown you the fresco I painted. I took inspiration from all of the Compact..." The man cannot help but smirk when the younger woman says 'all of the Compact', surely. The pair look read to fight whatever comes their way. Looking for Anisha, Denica makes her way to wards the woman drawing her blade in unison with her masked companion. "Let's make a better world," she tells the man and then she's ready to get to it.

Jhond steps into the receiving room a little scrapped up, a little bruised, and with his arm in a sling but he cleaned of any other remnants of the battle at the city center from him and is dressed as impeccably as ever with his socks and sandals. He starts to say a greeting and then spots the mouths. "Those are new. Not sure even I'd decorate with those, given the circumstances. Bold choice."

Ferrando checks dexterity and medium wpn at hard. Ferrando fails.

Denica checks mana and artwork at hard. Denica is successful.

Jhond checks charm and manipulation at easy. Jhond is successful.

Pasquale checks wits and teaching at easy. Pasquale marginally fails.

A bunch of maws all dive bomb Ferrando's dragon, tackling her while she's in human form biting her viciously. Meanwhile a white rabbit floats in a nimbus of power, it's eyes glowing and beginning to shoot beams of light at the different mouths.

Calandra checks charm and performance at easy. Calandra is successful.


[Magic - Your Own Truth] Anisha rises, and quirks her lips, sweeping her rapier; smoke and rose petals drift outwards; taking form of beautifully garbed men, women, and those both or neither, giggling, laughing, whispering secrets among themselves as they charge towards the mouths, becoming more defined - more real - by the moment.


[Magic 1 - Art is War] Taking her palette knife, the princess uses it to blend the colours around her. In a place like this, there's plenty to work with, she tosses back this perspective towards their foe. The masked man with Denica remains protectively at her side, combining their magic in a unique fusion of dark and light. It's art.

The Whisper House is not unaware of the potential for hinkiness, which of course includes the local head of security. When the maws begin to materialize, he regrips his mace and steps into action. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave the buil--" He blinks as a few maws start attacking the -tea cabinet-. "Wait, what?" For whatever reason, he genuinely didn't expect this. "That's the--!!" Then Beaufortmax is getting divebombed and he's immediately whirling back to try and defend her. "Gah! Hang on, Boo!" It's not exactly the strong tactical opening he was intending here, it's safe to say.

[Magic 1 - Offensive - Whispering Song] Calandra the whisper songbird is here sitting by the harp. She starts to sing, lifting her pretty voice to carry. The song she chooses is gentle and celebrating of Whisper house, a song she often played here to guests. Now it is infused with magic, helping to strength the very being of what Whisper house i and helping to keep it from being eaten, evoking memories of all the gatherings here.

Pasquale steps out of the Radiant's office with a unique scaled bow held comfortably in his hand. His expression shows a distinct lack of surprise "Good to see that old habits die hard I suppose." He looks to Ferrando as he steps down the stairs with his companion and then calandra before nodding. His eyes go back to the mouths "Let me tell you a story." he starts to explain "About a scholar from the Censor Librorum known by the name of Thomas."

One of the maws screams at Pasquale's sword, "WOULD YOU ALL STOP BEING SO FUCKING CHARMING AND PRECI..." And the beams of light coming out from a white rabbit vaporizes it. Maws are flying around, visibly repulsed by the play of nice society, and some appear so annoyed they fly into walls by the examples of good societal manners. A handful of the maws appear to be burrowing into the floor, which can't possibly be good.

((These are preeeeettty fast events. Another round of checks, and based on that will be how much of Azazel is getting to the thinnest point for tomorrow.))

Denica checks mana and artwork at hard. Denica is successful.

Anisha checks charm and manipulation at easy. Anisha is successful.

Lys checks willpower and propaganda at easy. Lys is successful.

Pasquale checks wits and manipulation at easy. Pasquale is successful.

Jhond checks charm and manipulation at easy. Jhond is successful.

Ferrando checks dexterity and medium wpn at hard. Botch! Ferrando fails completely.

Calandra checks charm and performance at easy. Calandra is successful.

[Magic #2 - You're Immortal, So Fight!] Lys hops down from the couch (mostly because a maw is trying to eat it and it is getting slobber on her boot, which she shakes off with a disgusted look). She stabs a maw in the face and calls out, "Rise and fight! Look at how Azazel trembles before us? Look at how he fears our /beautiful/?" She chortles to ourselves, "He's /jealous/! We are beautiful immortals and he is a twisted, disgusting, /shard/, who will be crushed beneath our boots! Fight! Show him how powerful Whisper is!"

[Magic 2 - Art is War] "You know, too much dark or too much light, and all you've got is a blank page. We need both to make art," the princess says as an aside to the Masked Man. It's a weird situation, the whole world is messed up right now, and so Denica shares a moment of comradery with her companion. Working in unison with him, the princess brings the colours and he gives her the protection to make her attacks. "CHOKE ON THIS!!," she says to the mouths of Azazel and sprays all sorts of colourful sparkling paint drops towards them.

Jhond s eyes the rabbit shooting frickin' laser beams and shakes his head. "I guess it's good we didn't try to eat it..." he muses and then looks towards the maws on the floor, "Nah, not even fit to kiss the ground we walk on. Get."

[Magic 2 - Offensive - Whisper song continues] - Calandra continues her song, trying had to focus on such. She keeps the note gentle and inviting. Like the kind of background music that would encourage deep conversation and highlight art and beauty. She makes sure to keep the music from being jarring or frantic despite what is going on. She struggles to keep sounds of the soul and mood of Whisper house present and hard to eat.


[Magic 2 - Your Own Truth] Anisha once more twirls Mirror's Edge, though this time, against herself. The midnight of her steelsilk turns black as night. The star iron sparkles as though stars itself, and the crimson is the colour of fresh blood. The ornamental roses that are such a mainstay of her garb shimmer and shift, like living roses in wind and sun, and even the ones that are embroidered seem to rise up as if living.

"We are charming," She insists. "We are wonderful, and precious, and the very pinnacle of society. We show you what to wear and how to wear it. How to speak, and who to speak to. We /are/ the Compact. And we are loved, with every beat of the heart, from the Lowest of the Commons, to the highest of the palace towers." She exhales, softly, and sweeps the glittering alaricite with the writhing bodies on the basket hilt, gesturing towards the door.

"And you, Nibbling One, are not welcome. Go, begone. You will find no nourishment here - only the bitter taste of your compounding failures."

Well. Anisha can get pretty wordy.


"I am so very sorry." Pasquale tells the nearest mouth with the best, most pointed, politeness trained into the scions of a Lycene duchy. "But I really take exception with you insulting my weapon. You heard the Whisper's - You really aren't welcome anymore. In fact, if you dont stop slobbering all over that lovely carpet, i'm going to be terribly /dissapointed/."

The good news is that none of the Whispers are getting chomped! The bad news is that some members of the security staff are definitely getting chomped (though that is kind of part of the job). Ferrando is doing whatever he can to get his dragon friendo de-swarmed, including getting chomped himself if necessary.

One dragon has decided that human form honestly kind of sucks as she is getting mauled viciously by the maws, but more and more of them are exploding or withering and turning to dust as they perform what the Whispers are best at, and an unfortunate few demonstrate what Whispers are not really well known for and for what reason. More of the mouths scream in outrage, and one by one the Valorous Few, Flopsy, and the truly mind boggling amount of defenses in the Whisper House repulses the maws as more and more bits of Azazel fall dead. A handful made it down into the Whisper Tunnels below, but the loss of life inside the Whisper House was nearly nil. Aside from one extremely hurt and annoyed dragon.

"Yeah, fuck off!" Lys kicks a maw straight out of a window with her black leather boot. "You're too ugly to be before my sight!"

That's just /mean/ Lys.

Pasquale watches the last of the mouths up here in the house fall into dust. "This seemed.. remarkably effective. I almost feel as if I didn't do enough." he looks to the dragon and then the valorous few and even Flopsy with the careful air of a man used to assessing soldiers who dont want to admit they might be hurt. "Thank you for your assistance." His eyes shift to Ferrando. "Should we be pursuing them?"

"Ok... but.." Jhond says and waves at the rabbit, "Did everyone know about this but me?" he asks with an exasperated sigh before moving to Fernando and the dragon lady to offer his good hand for assistance to help up if needed. "Lord Pasquale raises a good point.. should we?"


Anisha's star iron continues glittering like the stars above, and her dress whispers like an intimate offer after midnight, the blackest black shimmering as she moves. Leaves and vines and roses seem to fluctuate and breathe as she goes, and the Softest Whisper exhales. "We need someone to check on the Radiant," She instructs. "And gather the wounded and fallen. You all did well." A pause, and she studies the poor lady who bore the brunt of the assault, giving a small sketch of a curtsey. "Messere. Please, let us look after you. The Azure Room, I should think, has everything that you would need to rejuvenate and recover after this unfortunate experience. We can only thank you for your aid."

She shoots a little smile to Pasquale.

"We are Whispers. We excel at what we do." She assures. Letting Ferrando make the tactical decision here, with another nod, before she moves to give bows and curtsies of thanks to the other guests - Baroness Lys and Princess Denica (and entourages).

"Thank you for your kindness in coming here, and for your aid in our defense. It means a lot."

A little beat, and she looks to Jhond. "Ah. Flopsy's been mostly a... Radiant thing. So I knew. But whenever one comes to Whisper House, one must be ready to be amazed. Even if one bears the name Whisper, mm?"


Ferrando finally gets the last of the maws away from (a now extremely surly and fairly pained) Beaufortmax and with Jhond's help gets her over to one of the couches that wasn't evaced but just kinda shoved to the back wall and had a sheet tossed over it. "Everybody else all right? Or learned healing magic recently?" he calls out, hustling over to a discreet corner cabinet where the first aid bandagey stuff is held. "Honestly, not sure," he replies to Pasquale over his shoulder. "If they got into the tunnel network, they could be anywhere. Best to wait for them where we know they want to go, probably."

Calandra keeps up the music for a bit longer, maybe worried that if she stops the eater will come back. She sit at the rosewood harp and is adorned in armor.

"Valorous Few! Time go to find the Archduchess and make sure she hasn't been bitten." She sheathes her blade and starts for the doors. A pausing long enough to command a handful of the Few stay in case of a follow up attack. She shakes some slobber out of cloak as she steps outside the doors. From just outside the doors she yells something at the top of her lungs.

Lys shouts loudly from nearby, "AZAZEL LICKS ROTTEN LEMONS FOR FUN!"

It's a short fight, but Denica still manages to be covered in a lot of colour. It sparkles. Little flecks of the rainbow alit around the woman. There's a breath that escapes pale pink lips as she watches the pieces fall off. Looking towards the Masked Man, making sure he's okay. When Pasquale asks about pursuing them, brows lift upwards. "I think any attempts of pursuing them should be done in a larger group than this, we don't know who they are joining up with. Perhaps sending word to the others in the city, would be a good idea. To share what's happened here and find out what else is happening...well elsewhere?," the princess suggests. The Masked Man next to her remains silent, stoic, glaring with cruel blue eyes. Then Denica turns to him and says, "let's go the ballroom afterwards, I want to show you something I painted.," Denica whispers to the man, before she looks back at the others and said. "Well fought everyone, it's been an honour," the princess says, managing a little dramatic bow.

Pasquale glances back at the rabbit "I knew it was different but not exactly how different." He clears his throat a little at Anisha's question. "The Radiant is well. We" he falters as he tries to think on ways to explain the Radiant's current location, leaping instead on Ferrando's question. "I can heal to some extent." he nods to the dragon. "If you wish it?"

Leporis, the silent handmaiden, Vel'quul'alim, a mirrormasked manservant, 2 Rivenshari Clansman arrive, following Joslyn.

"Makes sense.." Jhond says of Ferrando's suggestion to meet at the end instead of try and guess a location in the tunnels. "And it's been awhile since I've been down there.. I'd probably get lost and that'd be embarrassing. Like, whiffing a swing with a mace at a chomping mouth embarrassing" He gives Ferrando a little elbow nudge and grin.

Beaufortmax would definitely prefer not to be healed by fairly primitive Arvian medical technology, probably, but maybe Apos should answer that. At any rate, Ferrando exhales at Jhond. "Five days flying around up on a dragon and it's like I forgot how to walk," he grumbles. He does give the improvised defenders a smile of gratitude as he works to get some initial bandages on the human-transformed dragon. "Indeed, we appreciate everyone coming to our defense today."


**********************************************************************
As quickly as it started, the many attacks around the city were defeated, with little bits of Azazel being quite literally bored to death in many cases, or more traditionally dealt with by being cut or crushed into tiny pieces. Unfortunately, a number did burrow down through the floor, as the Archfiend gathers himself up and prepares for one final battle.
**********************************************************************


Jhond grins at Fernando and gives him a clasp on the shoulder. "I was down below when you.. both and the.." a glance to the wounded woman, "other dragons arrived. Was busy getting my arm ripped off.. so thank you for showing up when you did. my arm may not be the only thing I had to really complain about if you hadn't."

Calandra finally stops playing. She smiles to those here and sucks in a soft breath. "Whisper house stands. Thanks for standing with us."

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs gives way to a panting Joslyn coming from downstairs, a bright emerald dagger clutched in her fingers still. She glanced around the room and upon seeming satisfied she gave a soft nod, sheathing her blade and moving downstairs to join the others. Her eyes have acquired a soft emerald glow, and she moves with that familiar grace, as if she hadn't missed a beat in the years she had been gone. "Of course, I couldn't leave you to face it all alone. Not quite how I expected my first steps back in Arx to go but..." A warm smile grows on her lips as she makes it down to the ground level.

"You're not the only one glad those other dragons finally got here. Lord Ian and I did the no-sleep express route because we're, y'know, good at stamina-type things, but everybody else flew normal. Only two things up there that weren't trying to eat us the other day was Lord Mirk and the Highlord's crazy-ass flying ship. It was, uh, rough," Ferrando admits to Jhond a bit wide-eyed. Nothing like flying for your life chased by hundreds of demons! "Somehow we made it all around, though." He glances back to the stairs. "Oh, hey Jos! Thought I heard somebody say you came by while I was showing Boo around. Been a minute, huh?"


Anisha sheathes her blade, and exhales, softly; the magical gleam still in her garb and accessories, gems glinting and silk rustling. Smiling a little as she listens to Jhond and Ferrando catch up, and reaching out to squeeze at Calandra's arm. "Your voice is still incredible. I'm so glad you recovered," She offers to her. Exhaling again, and smiling bright at Joslyn. "Ah, Joslyn. So good to see you. It has been forever, hasn't it." She muses. "I still think I have some things that belong to you around the Haven, you know." Gesturing for her to come closer.

"It's been a hectic... Time of day. Please. We have wine, and candies, and some nice food around, to help restore us."

A beat, there. Considering a little.

"We're not /done/ yet, but... I definitely think it's time to remember what we fight for. And to create more good memories to take with us, mm?"


"Ferrando," Joslyn smiles. "It has been a minute, hasn't it? A few years I'm told... time has rather gotten away from me. I met a rather unfortunate fate but... well it seems as if fate was not quite done with me yet. It's a long story but... suffice to say I am glad that I finally got my head back on right and that I still have the good grace of my benefactor," Joslyn chuckles, giving a wink. She eyed Anisha and dipped her head. "It has been far too long, though I am glad to see you good and proper again. We should make a trip back to the Haven again in that case, but I am in no great hurry. I intend to enjoy fine company again."

She nodded in consideration to Anisha's words. "Bask in the old memories, and make way for the new. Yes. It's truly far too easy to lose sight in the grand scheme of everything." she says as she moves close to Anisha's side, slipping an arm around her waist to give her a tight squeeze.

"Sounds tough. But hey, you made it back, so that's the important thing, eh?" Ferrando notes optimistically. Beaufortmax is fairly adamant about not needing to be sitting around once given a basic bandaging, and thus Ferrando is basically obliged to make sure she's not going to go blaze a trail to the Azure Room by herself. "Ah, sorry! Catch up later. Gotta do soul-bounded whatever. Still getting a handle on all this," he declares a bit hurriedly as he goes to follow.


Anisha returns the squeeze to Joslyn's waist, and gives a gentle shake of her head, as Ferrando and Beaux wander off. Shooting a glance to Jhond again, and then around the room, wrinkling her nose slightly.

"mm," She muses. "We'll need to fix up the barricades and whatnot. But that can wait a little longer, I think. For now, wine and fruit."

A beat.

"And candies."


Joslyn smiles and nods her head. "You always did have a taste for the finer things in life," Joslyn says with a grin. "And the most important part of any battle is celebrating the victory afterwards. I'll stick around a little longer and help you clean up when it's time."

"Joslyn!" Jhond calls out with a grin and lift of the arm not in a sling to give an energetic wave. "You're here! and still as lovely and deadly as ever. It's good to see you."

Flopsy, an innocuous white rabbit, Flores D'loto, a deep golden dappled buckskin Torean stallion, Briar, the fleet and agile shrike, Azure and Azul, a singing pair of icy white and deep blue tits, Alejandro, a gravely sober middle-aged Torean leave, following Aconite.

"Jhond! It's good to see you as well!" Joslyn returns the wave. "I'm glad I haven't lost the touch, and glad to see you're all doing so well here, in spite of everything."


Anisha lets go of Joslyn with a last squeeze. "I'm going to check around a little - then go see how things are outside, I guess." She clicks her tongue, at that. "Be safe, mm? And I'll talk to you more later.

"Be safe.. don't be an idiot.." Jhond says with a sigh "As if we need to be told these things" he says towards Joslyn with a smile, "We are nothing if not careful."

"I had my soul stolen and planted in the wrong body for a few years so I should probably be more careful than I have been," Joslyn states with a strangely cheerful laugh. "But yes, you've been doing far better than me. I could probably use a reminder

"Soul in.." Jhond says and then pauses to shake his head. "Honestly, not the weirdest thing you've be heard in the last day. But I'm glad your.. back to yourself? I'm not sure I've been doing better.. but definitely less confusing."

"It was quite confusion for me as well... her? I'm not quite sure if I'm being honest. I'll say I'm glad to be back to myself and leave it at that! Aside from the... recent events, how have you been?"

"I've been well. Honestly, I've been pretty dull lately. All of this.." Jhond says with a hand wave at the world in general," stuff is mostly a surprise to me.. so recently things are very interesting but otherwise..." he shrugs. "Parting silks from their silver. the usual. "

"Well, if memory serves, you've always been good at that. Do remind me how many times I've paid for your services?" Joslyn winks, leaning casually up against the wall. "I'm not surprised as such, the events that brought me here were... already quite illuminating."

"I'm not sure you've ever had to pay me, Joslyn.. some clients are had just for my own enjoyment of their company" Jhond says with a grin and then a sigh "I should get back to the center though.. we are housing some refugees and Hans and Franz are not what you may call gracious hosts. I was wonderful to see you again"

Leporis, the silent handmaiden have been dismissed.

Vel'quul'alim, a mirrormasked manservant have been dismissed.

2 Rivenshari Clansman have been dismissed.