"I want to have somewhere to stay. It would be good if there weren't people there."

"Do you care where it is, how it looks...?"

She shakes her head.

"Then I have a room very nearby. Would you care to follow me?"

She nods.

"I can't fly, so I'll have to teleport. I hope you don't mind."

"How do I follow you teleporting?"

"I'll take it in a series of small steps - I teleport to the next roof and call out, you follow me, then I teleport again, and we repeat that process until we get there."

"Okay."

Ishmerai dies down in one place and springs up in another.

"Here!"

Riya goes over there.

They repeat this process a half-dozen times, until-

Ishmerai is standing on a balcony. She hands Riya a small, silvery key and gestures towards the balcony door.

"Your room. It's one of my various safe houses. This is the only door, so you don't need to be worried about anyone else disturbing you."

"That is good," she says. "Thank you."

"Would you like me to leave you alone now? It's undoubtably been rather a shock for you, so if you'd rather not talk more right now..."

"I want to see magic things that might be useful more than I want to sit by myself and be unhappy."

"That's the spirit! Should I bring the magic things here, or bring you to the magic things? The first one would probably be faster, because, you know, teleporting."

"First one."

"It might take me a few moments to gather everything, but don't worry, I'll right back!"

Ishmerai smiles, and disappears.

She goes inside and waits.

A few minutes later, there is a 'clank' from the balcony. Ishmerai has appeared again, carrying a backpack full of things that are very complicated beneath selfsight.

She goes and opens the door, blinking at the backpack.

Ishmerai steps in with a nod to Riya, and drops the backpack down next to the bed with another loud clank. Unzipping it, she efficiently lays out various instruments of destruction on the sheets.

"Sorry, I would use a table if we had one big enough... I'll have to bring one over here when we're done with the weaponry."

"What are all of these things?"

"Powerful magical weapons, found or retrieved from the shadows."

She taps an impressively ornamented longsword.
"The Bastard of Dalheim. Powerfully holy. Causes pain in those who lie while it is unsheathed, and cuts through the Shadows' defenses like butter."

She brushes the notched handle of a rusted revolver.
"Spite. A vicious gun, which seems to guide its envenomed bullets to its opponents' weakest points. Only six shots, though."

A double-edged knife.
"The Lady. A fated blade that draws its bearer towards great dangers - with even greater rewards."

A scimitar, curved like a treble clef.
"Dirge. Sings when unsheathed with intent to kill. The more that enemies fear its bearer, the weaker and more helpless they become."

A battleaxe, heavy as a stone, sharp as a razor.
"Gloryseeker. Grants immense strength and fortitude, deflects incoming missiles, and a canny awareness of one's environment. Unfortunately, none of these enchantments will function for anyone who has ever lied."

She studies the items, and their reflections. How are they put together? How can she take them apart?