[Gallagher]

Tsaerri clearly didn't appreciate the cake.

He cleared his throat, glancing from the woman to her phantasm, then back again. "I think she might be overreacting just a bit. Honestly, I wouldn't call it ruined. It's just a little wet. And believe you me, there isn't an elementalist alive, let alone as skilled as myself, that can't handle a little cleaning. Which I will be doing. Because we're such good friends and all."

[Suzerain of Sheol]

"Wow, you're amazing at understatements. Do another one!" Tsae wraps up the crackers for now, tossing them back on the counter. "Cause from where I'm looking, my rug-that-costs-more-than-your-life is "wet" with disgusting chicken embryos. I mean, don't worry, Gamby, we're cool, but my friend there seems pretty pissed. Maybe pick up the pace a tic."

There's a tiny, underused part of Tsaerri's brain that's actually enjoying this whole... interacting with other humans and not wanting to murder them (okay, she kind of does want to kill Gambooge now, but that started like two minutes ago) thing. But then there's the rest of her mind that keeps reminding her she isn't a teenage girl having a couple of boys over while her parents are out, and this is really just a dangerous waste of time. She shudders involuntarily, recollecting the beating the other mesmer gave her just a few hours ago.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Syrgei sidles between the doorframe and the golem now that there is enough room for to, more or less, fit. The talk between Gambooge and Tsaerri carried quite well, so he was looking down at his feet to avoid stepping on this rug that she was carrying on about, and he would rather avoid the eggs, too.

"Are you sure this is the most important thing we could be doing right now." He rights a chair that he nearly walks through.

"No trail that I can see, as for your assailant, so what does that mean for our next step? Do we wait and see if they come back, or try to search them out?"

[Suzerain of Sheol]

"Hey!" Tsaerri snaps as Syrgei squeezes into the room. "Don't get in his way, he's busy!" She makes a point of not offering him any of her crackers.

She's still a little shaken, remembering how close she came to losing her life earlier, and with the drugs and wine withering in her system, the pain from her injuries is coming back to trouble her as well. It's probably nothing serious, she just isn't used to getting hit like that, and the emotional bruise is pretty sore as well.

"Honestly," she says to him with all the weariness that's weighing her down, "if we were smart and valued our lives, we'd skip town, but... in this instance, I'm not sure how much it'd help. They should never have been able to find me in the first place."

She tugs out her pigtails and takes a second to tie her hair in a looser ponytail low on her neck. "You should probably tell the Seraph you're looking into it at least," she tells Syrgei. And then to Gambooge, "*ahem*, Temporarily-indentured servant, would your long-distance girlfriend there happen to know anything about the White Mantle?"

[Quiet Man Cometh]

"Okay. I'll tell them I think it has something to do with what happened in the manor, and be as vague as I can on the specifics." He straightens his gloves, more a gesture than out of any actual need to, and brushes an errant strand of hair out of his face. "I'm sure it wouldn't be in your favour if Logan knew why you were there."

He edges past the golem again and back outside, and heads for Seraph headquarters.

[Gallagher]

Gambooge waved to the departing thief before turning his attention back to Tsae. "That's a good question." He set the salvaged cake in its wet box down on her table. A brush of his hand over the sides of the box pulled most of the water from it, gathered together in a small orb that he then flicked back at the unmoving golem. "I could probably ask, but I, apparently, have more important things to take care of first."

[Suzerain of Sheol]

"Wow. Guess he didn't like my house. Couldn't wait to get out of here. Good riddance."

Tsaerri paces around to observe Gambooge's progress, letting her threatening clone disperse without acknowledgement. "That's true," she affirms, narrowing her eyes as she sees him still messing around with his stupid, sodden cake. "Just think of how productive we could be if you could have just behaved yourself." She crosses her arms, staring at him. "Are you prone to childish outbursts like that?"

[Gallagher]

"I might be," he conceded, grinning as he wiped his hands off on the front of his shirt. It didn't do much, considering the fog still circling his wrists. "Do you think that adding magic and weapons to the mix makes your tantrums any different from a toddler's?"

[Suzerain of Sheol]

The sting of that unexpected insult hitting her full-force, Tsaerri does her best to not to give away how much that comment just hurt her. Endeavoring to keep her voice steady, she asks Gambooge, "So... are you, like, socially handicapped or something? Is that why your only friend is an abusive golem? I graciously invite you to my house, and all you've done so far is make a huge mess and insult me." There's a tiny quaver in her voice. "Kind of not cool, man."

[Gallagher]

Gambooge shrugged, shifting his weight to one side as he looked the woman over. "I probably am a bit, yeah. Lucky for you, I've also got a lot of enthusiasm for fixing things. So, how about I get that abusive golem of mine to guard the door for now, I'll clean up this mess, and you can go do whatever you have to do. Sleep, drink, take a nice bath. Whatever. I don't have any phantasms like some people do, but I can still keep a lookout for any other trespassers until you're feeling a bit less... hm. What's a nice way to say wrecked?"

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Tsae keeps staring at him for a moment longer, asking with a quirked brow, "Is that your way of telling me you want me out of your hair while you clean?"

[Gallagher]

He let out a snort of a laugh and shook his head. "No, nothing like that! If you want to stay and make sure I don't mess up even more of your belongings, feel free. It just so happens that I think you look like you might need a while to do whatever it is that you do to relax."

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Tsaerri eyes the elementalist flatly. "That's not a flattering sound there, Gamby. You probably shouldn't make it again." She winks at him. "Just some friendly advice."

Groaning, stretching, and yawning simultaneously, Tsae reluctantly agrees to his suggestion. "You're probably right. A bath and a short nap would probably go a long way." Sliding off her gloves as she heads toward her bathroom, she calls back to him, "If you even think about stealing anything or trying to peek in on me... well, you know."

[Gallagher]

Gambooge waved her off, waiting until she left the room before he turned to Bag, who, it turned out, had taken to crossing its wide metal arms in a faceless glare. "What?"

"Do—not—'what'—me."

"Excuse me? Do you have a nagging mother mode now?"

"Yes."

"Really? Because, you know, I already have one of those. I don't need another one."

"Don't—you—have—cleaning—to—do?"

"You," he muttered, gathering water around his hands, "are the worst golem I've ever met. Go outside and keep guard, and don't go where I can't see you. I'll clean you up when I'm finished."

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Tsae closes the door quietly behind her, letting out an exhausted breath. It almost feels strange, after everything that's happened today, to finally be alone. She takes a second to light some of her scented candles and starts the water for her bath. Looking at herself in the mirror while it fills, she has to agree that she looks like a wreck. There's a slackness to her cheeks and a glazed look of defeat in her eyes that no amount of makeup can hide. She dips a cloth in the warm water and begins to rub it off.

Wriggling her shirt over her head, she winces looking down at the discolored skin of her stomach and winces again as she probes it with a finger, sending a ripple of pain through her muscles. At least nothing seems to be broken.

Slipping out of the rest of her clothes, she eases herself down into the bath and tries to let it all go. For now at least.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Seraph Headquarters: conveniently located next to the throne room; very inconveniently located if someone wanted to bomb everything running Divinity's Reach all at once.

Like possibly a sect of angry humans versus another sect of angry charr.

The building is loftier inside than the doorway would imply, and yet the desk behind which the captain is currently standing looks like it was added as an afterthought. There is one chair, though Syrgei can't recall if he's ever seen Logan Thackeray actually sitting in it, or sitting down at all.

“Please direct all inquiries to the Lieutenant,” Syrgei hears from a guard he doesn't recognize, standing next to the door. He waves him off, and approaches the desk where Logan, standing, is seeing to some documents on the dwarfed desk.

“Good to see you, Syrgei. I'd like you to tell me how things have been going, but unfortunate we're a bit swamped right now. Maybe we could catch up later.”

“Later would be the time, I'm heading out to investigate a few things, myself.”

“Oh?” Logan looks more intently at Syrgei. “Something to do with the separatists at the Councilor's party?”

“Something like that.” Do I mention White Mantle? I not even sure I know what they are. “I think there may be other threats going on. I'm going to see what I can find.”

“I take it you don't want any of my men tagging along?”

“Low-key is better for now, at least until I have something concrete.”

“Very well. Keep me posted.”

“Will do.”