<span class="bbc_u"><strong>Imara, at the meeting, present time</strong></span><br/><br/>After placing Imara on the bed with great care, Witness pulled her hand away from her abdomen, opening her clothes just enough to expose her belly and pressing his hands against it softly.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Witness rolled: 8d10<br/>First Target Number: 7<br/>Second Target Number: 10<br/>Comment: Diagnosis Perception 3 + Medicine 3 + Specialty 1 + Stunt 1, Difficulty 3<br/>Result: 10, 5, 10, 9, 1, 9, 4, 1,<br/>For: 2, 2, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0,<br/>Total: 6</div></div><br/>"Just squeeze my hand tightly and breathe, Imara. You and your child are going to be fine." Witness tried to speak in a comforting tone, but the graveness in his expression revealed the lie.<br/><br/>A few minutes after Lily hurried down the stairs, the door of the suite flew open with a loud crash, and a man with sable hair and siena skin flew like a whirlwind into the room, a bag slung over his shoulder. "Where is-!" He began to exclaim loudly, but upon seeing the scene beyond the bedroom door his mouth snapped shut and he strode into the bedroom. "It's the baby!" Witness called to the newcomer.  "Out of my way!" He declared, rudely shoving Segiyu and Zain away from Imara as he moved over to the pregnant Solar. "You're damn lucky I was downstairs for a drink when I see a girl telling someone to go to the Vermillion Case and fetch me. Now what in the name of Sextes Jillys happened?" He inquired hastily, running his hands carefully over her belly.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Five Seasons Pin rolled: 9d10<br/>First Target Number: 7<br/>Second Target Number: 10<br/>Comment: Diagnosis Perception 4 + Medicine 4 + Stunt 1, Difficulty 3<br/>Result: 9, 8, 8, 6, 2, 4, 8, 2, 3,<br/>For: 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,<br/>Total: 4</div></div><br/>"Your child's dying. If it were a mere mortal, it'd be dead already." The man spoke gravely. He unslung the bag from his shoulder, placing it carefully on the bed beside Imara. The tinkling of bottles could be heard as he reached into it and pulled a vial of murky purple liquid out. "Drink this now." When Imara drank it, the taste would be bitterly unpleasant: the mark of an effective medicine. The pain would slowly dull to a numb throbbing localized in her abdomen.<br/><br/>Pine placed his hands over Imara's belly once more, closing his eyes and reciting something under his breath. Essence began to flare and coil around him, the bright-green hue indicative of a Wood Aspected Dragon-blood. At the same time, murky grey Essence leaked from Imara's belly, mingling with Pine's. A moment later, he removed his hands with a pained intake of breath, clutching his side. "You should be fine, I think." He said finally, sitting on the bed beside the pregnant woman. "But without knowing what caused the incident I need to stay to monitor you and the child. So you two-" He glared at Witness and Vedaa judgmentally, "can tell me what you got yourselves into while Imara rests. I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter, girl."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Segiyu gets 2 sux on 1 stunt dice, but still fails the diagnosis roll.</div></div><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Whispers, after the meeting</strong></span><br/><br/>As the fair Gentle Beam followed her beloved leader surreptitiously out of worry, a hooded and cloaked figure hopping silently over a crate as she passed an alley. Silently, it snuck behind the eastern redheaded girl, chasing her down the otherwise abandoned street and making no sounds as it crouched and moved closer... and closer...<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Perception + Awareness roll for both Gentle Beam and Whispers, Difficulty 7 for Beam and 8 for Whispers.</div></div><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Widow, in the alley near the Harlot's Crotch, after the meeting</strong></span><br/><br/>Mighty Tiger, the infamous mercenary, was initially alarmed as he heard a voice, but upon seeing the beautiful figure from earlier in the bar he smiled a predatory grin. "Hey there beautiful. Glad you decided to take me up on my offer. You can send your bodyguard away while junior here has a little 'accident', and then me and my friend here-" He jerked his head to indicate the other man with him, an equally tall and muscled caucasian man, who lecherously stared at Widow as he held the boy in place, "will show you a good time."<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Crow, on his way to the graveyard, after the meeting</strong></span><br/><br/>As the Abyssal made his way to his favored solitary graveyard haunt, he had to cross through Nexus' own tiny shadowland: the Little Bone Square. The marketplace that was the square observed and upheld the dogmas and civilities and was therefore claimed as an official part of the city.<br/><br/>Passing by mortal and ghostly shops adorned with grey, white and black trappings, peddling Soulsteel trinkets, rare Underworld ingredients and prayer salves, Crow was finally stopped by a figure stepping in front of him, barring his passage. It was a stunningly pretty young woman with pale skin, black hair dark as night and wearing matching lipstick over her lips. Her body was slender, almost skeletal and she was dressed in a revealing black dress that bared one of her legs, her abdomen and most of her cleavage. There were bags under her pretty black eyes. An iron collar on her neck, with a clasp for a leash to be placed, though none was on her right now, marked her as a slave. "Excuse me sir, you seem weary. Would you like a massage?"<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Curious and Howl, in the future</strong></span><br/><br/>As the couple chatted amicably, walking down the streets of Nexus, they found themselves hailed by a loud voice. " 'ey, you two lovebirds!" Called an older-looking woman with grey hair and sharp features, smiling almost predatorily as she approached them. "You two make a cute couple. Azure's Soothing Bathouse-" She pointed at an establishment behind her, a large house with signs outside depicting hearts and other lovely features, as well as pools of steaming water. "has a discount for couples. Don't the two of you wanna soak in a private tub and enjoy the water together? A nice bath is always good for a couple's relationship you know. Washes all the bad stuff between you out. And a wild romp in the hot water will have you smiling the rest of the day." The woman suggested with a smirk and a wink.