Heaven's Spire

"What a fucking bitch." Alanis cursed unapologetically as Freyja left the room. She was angry beyond words now that her meal - unglamorous as it was - had been ruined. "I was still eating that!" she yelled even though the woman had long since left the room. Left with nothing else to do, she scanned the room and ended up almost immediately looking in Spica's direction.

The noblewoman approached carefully, stepping around all of the food that now decorated the floor. "Hey brat, are you okay?" she asked. Part of her felt bad for the kid, but she was sure to mix the empathetic statement with an insult so it wouldn't seem like she cared too much. After all, this girl was beneath her. Alanis didn't wait long for a response, and hurried off toward the bar with a look of embarrassment on her face for the little compassion she had shown.

If dinner was to be over so soon, then there was nothing left to do but drink. It didn't seem like they were being charged for anything here, so Alanis wanted to take advantage of everything she could. Besides, she needed something to take the edge off after such a frustrating day.

"Get me your finest red wine." she demanded at the bar, incidentally landing next to Kyanalurin. Her call for a drink was met quickly by a nonspecific glass of deep red liquid. Alanis immediately took a sip only to find that the wine was also well below her usual standards, but in her current situation it was definitely the best she was going to get.

"Oh great, the bitch brigade is back." she muttered to no one in particular despite only being in earshot of one person. It didn't take a detective to figure out who she was talking about. Especially since only one bounty hunter was walking in the room at that particular moment.

Uldrix drew his head back a bit as a strange substance was slapped onto his wound. He twitched a bit and sneezed, flicking bits of saliva onto the ground. "I do not know." Uldrix answered. He raised his hand up and seemed to rub it in a bit better so it wasn't a full lump of salve sticking from the plate. It burned for a moment, but the pain dissipated shortly after and the bleeding had stopped. He looked at sparrow and a slight purr escaped his beak. He was unable to physically smile, but his eyes crinkled a bit in gratitude. "Thank you." His words seemed to carry more weight for such a simple act of kindness. "Thank you for being good."

   A smile tugged at the corner of Robin's lips upon seeing the harpy light up with delight. At first, they were worried about sounding like an annoying fan, yet her feathery pat on their shoulder made them feel a bit more assured. The woman appeared friendly enough, and had seemed much more inclined to welcoming others warmly than some of the other members. Just as their spirits began to lighten up, they could see Pumilus remove their helmet at the table as he opened his mouth to speak...
 
   Repay those who built me.
   I am programmed to be in debt to them.

   Though none could see, Robin's jaw fell at the statement he muttered so casually. Their lips parted as their eyebrows drew together, an expression of conflict striking across their features. No one would bat an eyelid at this statement, they knew this well. It was common for androids to be built for such purposes- to serve their creators, their masters, their gods, for whatever it may be. Yet the hollow words left Robin stiff. They gazed at Pumilus who remained unmoving in their chair, knowing he would not partake in the feast as well. His expression remained dormant, unchanging, and still as his dry stare stretched to his surroundings. 

   The situation had now taken a complete turn for the worst as a half-dead kid collapsed on the floor and now their designated leader had nearly thrown in the towel. Even their meal had been reduced to food for the roaches, not that it bothered Robin too much. At least they wouldn't have to make an excuse for not eating. 

   Not to say it didn't weigh down on their own hopes of obtaining the gold. They lowered their head as they kicked their shoes together while mulling over the recent events. A few members had dismissed themselves from the table, including Uldrix, to which Robin had no extent of knowing where he wandered off to. Little miss brimmed-hat was even shaken by the collar, and while she certainly had been rude; she still was a kid. Rory had draped a wing around her, trying to comfort her. The feathered-woman had been rather courteous out of what they saw of her, and she chose to get along with Spica. Maybe she wasn't too bad then? They had wanted to talk about Rory's father more, though now wasn't the best time most likely...

   Then again, it could have been the perfect time. The phonograph was still sittin' pretty in the other room, and one thing that always cheered them up personally was music. They even liked to dance, when possible. Admittedly however, doing such in front of this group would most likely only serve to embarrass themselves further. "H-hey," they began, motioning to the pair, "there's some records in the other room, I'm sure. Maybe we could let off a little steam, and uh, play something you like Spica." Their fingers intertwined anxiously in their lap, unsure of how appropriate their response had been.
   
 

"Oh my face, huh?" She smiled as she saw Kyana seemingly laughing at what Freyja had said. "I'd say I look pretty damn good. Now shut your mouth. I'm trying to drink away the headache you're giving me. You know, like I'm sure your mother and father do whenever you set foot in the room." She grinned as she heard Robin mention music. That could lighten the tension in this room, or at the very least draw the attention away from herself. "Bring the phonograph in here, Robin! This room could use some music. And let Spica choose whatever, anything is better than listening to Alanis talk," She shouted across the room, her spirits clearly lifted a bit.

   Without another word, Robin nodded and scurried off into the nearby room. Talking wasn't their forte, but music had been. They had asked a couple of workers for a few helping hands, and luckily they obliged as they carried out the phonograph along with an array of records. They set it before the group, and shuffled through the box the records had been assorted it, before pulling out a few selections.

   They laid them out in front of Spica, spreading them apart so that the cover art could be viewed clearly. "Here are a few picks, I could go search for something specific if you have a song in mind," they nodded. It would seem they had forgotten about her usual ill-temper, and were now absorbed in the moment. "For now, I'll play one of Mr. Celaeno's hits if you don't mind," they flashed the cover to Rory, before gently laying the disc and placing the needle upon it. As the rhythm began to sound, Robin snapped their fingers to the tune rather shamelessly, paying no mind to how ridiculous they may have looked.

Freyja had returned, and thankfully was onboard for getting some tunes playing. Rory could feel her chipper demeanor returning slowly as the conflict seemed to be averted, for now.

Rory brought her wings together excitedly as Robin mentioned the phonograph, chirping, "Music would be wonderful Robin!" She smiled and watched the mask figure run off to grab the phonograph, grinning to Spica. "That oughta brighten up the mood a little bit, right?" She gasped softly as Robin flashed her the cover to her, the familiar sound of her papa's voice sending waves of nostalgia through her.


"This was one of his greatest albums!" she mused to herself aloud, not directed to anyone in particular. "It was what put him on the map internationally! Before he was just an entertainer known on the Isles but this one..." She laughed a little bit, caught up silently in her own memories and staring at the phonograph. It took her a few moments of quiet musing to realize her silence, finally snapping out of her own thoughts and wiping her wet cheek with her wing. It had been too long since she'd heard his voice. Through misty eyes, she looked at the assortment of records in front of them and smiled, pointing a couple of her favorites out to Spica.