The one where the crew gets an apartment

The story opens with our gaggle of misfits being spit out into a dark, rainy alley in the city of Sigil. Having just completed their first job, they are now coming to terms with the fact that they are in a new, unknown city with nowhere to stay and no understanding of where they are. The intern Figgus and the mysterious Larli part ways with their temporary adventuring crew, and we are left with the pirate Brant, the fae creatures Clay and Nix, and the Air Genasi Araceli. Clay and Nix decide that they would be interested in celebrating a job well done and ask Araceli if she knows of any places to party in the city. She searches her memory and remembers hearing of a place called The Civic Festhall located in the Clerk's Ward. The crew knows that they will eventually have to find food and a place to stay, but they all end up agreeing that the first order of business will be drinking and dancing the night away.

The crew makes their way out of the alley to find themselves in a roiling ocean of sensory input. Neon lights shine down from signs scattered across the various buildings, casting a pale purple and blue sheen on the wet cobblestones below. Clay and Nix immediately attempt to call a steed to carry them to the club, and are confused when nothing arrives. As they survey the street in front of them, they notice a few other fae creatures with their traditional fae features on display and choose to drop their disguises. Brant puzzles over how they are able to change their appearance at will, and begins ruminating on the theory that it may be connected with water touching the fae creatures. Araceli helps call the crew a cab, and provides the driver with instructions to take them to The Civic Festhall. As the crew rides in the magical cab, they take in the scenery of The Hive, soaring past food vendors and VR shops. They are amazed to watch as the city twists and turns on itself, with buil

dings seemingly defying gravity at times as the city reveals its toroidal shape. As the car darts down street after street, they pass by many of denizens of The Hive, which they are surprised to see include a variety of creatures ranging from celestials to fiends, and even some creatures that would traditionally be considered monsters.

Eventually, the cab pulls up to a grand building shaped like a gilded, blossoming flower rising from the center of the city. The path leading to the entrance of the building is lined with elaborate fountains and pools of water. As the crew approaches the building, they hear the thumping sound of music from within. After paying the cover charge to the Giant bouncer, they enter in and watched as a number tab appears in front of them. The crew enjoys a raucous night of carousing as they dance their cares (and their money) away. Araceli answers a phone call from her mother while incredibly drunk After multiple shots, a group of pirates notice Brant from across the room and attempt to approach the rest of the crew while Brant hides/dances in the crowd. The pirates warn the crew that Brant is "cursed" and that it was dangerous for them to be hanging out with him. Seeing a group of pirates approaching his new friends to talk, Brant decides to flee the scene. Clay clocks that Brant is leaving and misty steps his way in front of him. As the rest of the group realizes what is occuring, they all join in to convince Brant to stay. Brant is convinced and the crew spend the rest of the evening dancing, drinking, and smoking hookah in the middle of the Festhall. As the night comes to a close, Clay notices that Araceli is about to fall asleep on her feet and casts sleep on her to carry her home. As they leave the Festhall, their tab is immediately pulled from the amount of money on their person. They quickly realize that they don't know where Araceli lives, and search her bag for any mail with an address. They find a bill with her address on and call a cab back to The Hive. When they arrive at the apartment complex Elysium Heights, they make their way up to the 3rd floor and find that Araceli's across the hall neighbors just so happen to be moving out in the middle of the night. They express delight that Araceli has made some friends as everyone piles into Araceli's studio apartment for the evening. Nix and Clay lay down on the floor, immediately falling fast asleep after tucking Araceli into her bed. Brant pulls out a cigarette and stares moodily out of the window, contemplating the dramatic turn of events that has led him to be surrounded by new people after having been alone for so long. Eventually, he turns in and rests for the evening as well. While the crew rests, Nix has a dream of the mission that they just completed and begins to process their feelings of watching Ragvala the dragon pass away. They realize in the dream that they understand what the djinn Ragnarok was feeling at the loss of his friend because Nix lost a friend once too. Suddenly in the dream, the landscape changed and Nix was once again on the battlefield as they watched their paladin friend suffer a fatal wound. As they watched their friend suffer that wound, suddenly the paladin's face warped and it was no longer the face of their friend, but the face of Clay. Nix woke up in a cold sweat, instinctually reaching out for Clay. As they looked down at their hand, they realized that they were holding the giant, ruby gem that they had found on the body of the Oni. Recognizing that Clay was safe, they snuggled in for the evening and got some more rest. The next morning, Nix caught everyone up on what they had dreamt about and the crew decided to stop at the jeweler recommended by Miriam, their contact at the temp agency. The crew also decides to go and pick up a present for Araceli's landlord in the hope that he would be more likely to rent the newly available apartment to them. Araceli quickly realizes that she doesn't have enough food or mugs for all of the people she's now housing and requests a stop at a local grocery store owned by a genasi family. On the way to the Market Ward, Clay is nearly drawn in by an incredibly expensive "Get Magickal Quick" scheme. Nix, recognizing that the seller is a hag, pulls Clay away before they're able to be harmed. Clay hexes the hag as he walks away.

The crew stop in to meet with the jeweler and discover that the gem is often found on the bodies of Onis and that it is in fact cursed. They are informed that if Remove Curse is used to extract the gem's hold from its victim, it shatters the gem, making it inherently less valuable. Because of how rare a large and intact gem is, it would be immensely valuable if the crew is able to remove it without destroying it. Clay and Nix quickly realize that it has the potential to solve all of their problems with Bavlorna, freeing them from the Hag's curse. Nix begins to discover that they experience visceral anxiety when they're any true amount of distance away from the gem. The crew get the name of a bookstore owner from whom they can gain more information and continue running their errands. Brant acquires breakfast for the crew for free from a local vendor via flirting. They make their way to the local genasi grocer and stop by at a pit fiend food vendor to acquire a bag of maggots for the landlord. The genasi grocer family is delighted to learn that Araceli has made new friends and work to load up her normal grocery order, plus a few extra mugs.

The crew make their way to the bookstore recommended by the jeweler and find themselves standing outside of a warm, glowing shop inside of the depths of the Lower Ward. The shop called The Parted Veil, owned by a dwarf named Kesto, was filled with books from floor to ceiling. Kesto led them through the shelves to find the books they were looking for. Araceli convinced the dwarf that she was there for a school project, offering her student ID to receive a discount. Kesto explained that Oni gems latch on to the trauma of individuals and feed off of their heartache, eventually turning the individual into an Oni. They learn that the larger gem, the more souls it has consumed. The crew pays for their books and then leaves the shop, meeting out front to discuss their options.

The crew discuss their options outside, eventually deciding to allow Nix to keep the jewel and attempt to figure out how to sell it in tact. Clay and Brant secretly agree that if Nix starts acting strange, they will destroy the gem together.

The crew make their way back to the Elysium Heights Apartments in The Hive ward, meeting up with the pit fiend Rusty. They provide him with the gift of maggots and ask if they can rent the apartment from him. He grumpily agrees and produces a contract for them to sign. Upon inspection, Brant finds nothing suspicious about the contract, so the crew agrees to sign on despite the expensive rent amount of 50GP per month per person. The crew make their way upstairs with their new key, unlocking the door to their new home. Araceli makes coffee for everyone using the new mugs she purchased at the grocer's. Nix offers to check whether or not Brant is actually cursed. As they reach their magic out towards their friend, they find no curse attached to him. Brant pretends to believe them, but harbors doubt due to his superstitious tendencies. The crew soak in the comfort of their new home and new found friendship together as the light from the window fills the living room with warmth.