[Nexus] Inside 40

[Gullara]

[Bast's Animal Shelter]

Arel nods her agreement. She changes her mind, loosening her hair from behind her ear so it can conceal her red face somewhat. "He is, and it was."

[Totally Going Somewhere! =D]

"Well of course you don't look like a wolf, it's day..." Mazitch trails off, partially because he's been distracted by his fantastic anatomy. Simply marvelous. "Well I was wondering. I mean, I've made something like you once. A bit bigger, though, and no snakes."

[Lady Serpentine]

[Blue Zone - Streets - Exploration and Exposition!]

"Cleaners were what I generally was able to procure and safely work with. Hygiene stuff and cooking supplies worked just as well in most cases. Gas bombs didn't work out so well. They took too long to take effect. By the time the poisonous gas had kicked in, the fight would have been over; I would have been dead."

"Ah. I was thinking as traps, but the same problem with timing probably would have cropped out. But if you started off with just cleaners and such, how were you able to get a super-sword? I mean, I doubt you or anyone else improvised that."

[VampireRot]

[Bast's Animal Shelter]

Chione's eyes flit back to Arel, taking note of her embarrassment.

"You don't have to be ashamed. It's perfectly all right to like a guy."

She tries to flick the angel reassuringly with her tail and puts a bit of cheery, confidence boosting magic into her words to make them seem more true.

[Gullara]

[Bast's Animal Shelter]

"I just don't know what to think. I've... never felt like this before." Arel has as much experience as a kid with her first crush. Chione's magic seems to have some effect at least. She speaks with more confidence and is fully showing her face again.

[VampireRot]

[Bast's Animal Shelter]

"Ah. Well, luckily for you, I'm here to help."

Never mind the fact that Chione is barely a month or two old with knowledge magically given to her and her growth sped up greatly. She is not technically experienced in these matters at all. <.<

"It's a natural human feeling, and you shouldn't be bothered by it. My advice is to just be forward about it all: there's no point in beating around the bush with him. You could lose your chance."

She nods sagely.

[Gullara]

[Bast's Animal Shelter]

"I don't know. I wouldn't know what to say or do." Arel fiddles with the chains binding the grimoire on her lap. The thought of being forward with him seriously worries her.

[Rebonack]

[Most Certainly Going Somewhere]

"I really doubt that you made something like me," Dunates replies with a laugh. "Maybe you conjured up something that superficially looked like me. But that's it."

A humanoid with wings and claws?

So... a gargoyle or some such?

"We're unique and special!"
"Like a pretty flower."
"I'm still hungry!"

Dunates rubs her temples, starting to become rather exasperated. "Alright. Fine. We'll get something to eat. You there-" he gestures at some random guy walking past. "Where could we find food and lodging?"

"Well..." the elf thinks aloud whilst holding a sheep on his shoulders. "Guess Trog's Tavern is as good a place as any?"

[The Alexandrian]

[Blue Zone - Streets - Exploration and Exposition!]

"There were no rules against looting the bodies of fallen enemies. That is the means by which I acquired the blade of this sword. I wondered how anyone could have amassed so much of it. It was a forged out of a ludicrously expensive metal that is very rare. Only trace quantities of it can be located within the core of a few, peculiar 'dead' planets. My parents presided over an oligarchy of terraforming companies, so I was able to call in a few favors which ultimately led to the construction of the light-katana you see before you."

"Mind if I ask you how you came to be here?"

Oh great. Spec is one of those runaway heiress style characters. She mustn't have had any desire in the least to emulate her parents and adopt their lifestyle.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Blue Zone - Streets - Exploration and Exposition!]

"A bunch of idiots messed up the lifecycle on their planet badly enough to destroy the memories I had tied to it, all of which were quite important. I tried to get to the Hall of Memories, to get them back, but where that was was one of the memories I'd lost, and as more stuff died off over the years, I lost more of my memories. But I did eventually get them back, after I stumbled onto here from trying to perform an unbinding and messing it up."

[VampireRot]

[Bast's Animal Shelter]

"Oh, just kiss him or make an impassioned speech or something."

Chione doesn't know much about human mating rituals. <.<



[Secret Altar to Bast]

Underneath the animal shelter, in a cellar that was only recently made and is also expertly hidden, the other two sphinxes have been busy. Fukayna and Akila freely walk in their large human-headed lion forms here. They examine the dark and forbidding room with critical eyes. The other occupant of the room, and the only other being who knows of its existence, is a human worshiper of Bast. He stands nervously near the two starspawn as he awaits their judgement. Only the powerful brainwashing has kept him from listening to his instincts and common sense and running.

"It is very well made. Expertly hidden, as well. You did good, slave; you will be justly rewarded for your service to Bast."

"In the afterlife."

Fukayna gestures with her tail towards the spiky altar that takes up most of the hidden cellar. The poor man whimpers but complies, and lies down on the cold stone as the big cat unsheathes her claws. Bringing an Old One back to life takes much more than time and belief, after all.

...

"Our sister better have been keeping the cat-man busy."

"He'll find out eventually. There must be much more blood spilled. Much more."

Talk about mood dissonance. <.<

[Gullara]

[Bast's Animal Shelter]

Arel covers her mouth with her hand. "Oh no, I couldn't possibly do that." She'd be paralyzed with fear just contemplating it in front of him.

[Road to Somewhere]

"Yes, yes. Let's go to this tavern. It's been too long since I've enjoyed the atmosphere." Mostly coming back to people wanting to string him up.

"Hm, well of course it only looked like you. That's what I meant." Most certainly not a gargoyle. Just bits and pieces of various animal and human corpses merged together to make something greater than the individual parts.

[VampireRot]

[Bast's Animal Shelter]

"Why not?"

Chione tilts her head to the side.

"It'd get the message across easily enough."

[Gullara]

[Bast's Animal Shelter]

"I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'd... be scared." She admits. Arel doesn't want to drive Rein off. She has no clue how he'd react, and that scares her.

[VampireRot]

[Bast's Animal Shelter]

"Oh, you shouldn't be scared."

Once again, Chione puts a lot more manipulative magic into her words.

"There's no reason to be frightened. I'm sure Reinholdt likes you enough that it'd work."

The cat nods her head. Her poor patience is already wearing a little thin. Get to lusting and sinning already, silly angel.

[Gullara]

[Bast's Animal Shelter]

"Well... perhaps. I'll have to think about it." Chione's magic seems to be having some effect again, if not as much as she'd hope. At least Arel is thinking about doing something now.

[Halae]

Temple of Dalachrech

"<Excellent. That will definitely help you advance quickly to the rank of Novice.>" Terrowin's smiling, and his Abyssal is extremely good; there's demons who can't speak the tongue as well as he can.

[Temple of Dalachrech]

Terrowin may notice that a lot of what he says there goes over her head, despite her catching some of it. Oh well, she'll learn.

Shall we move onto the teaching?

[Reinholdt]

[Bast's Animal Shelter]

It's about this time that Neme Hat Reinholdt returns from Mallside, no doubt ringing the little bell above the door if that hasn't been taken down yet for the cats to play with.

[billtodamax]

Reelshka sips her drink thoughtfully. I was told that battle had been fought in a narrow mountain pass in the ruins of a human village that had the misfortune of getting in the way. I guess my grandfather might have died as a result of a miscalculation by goblin engineers blowing up stuff to bring avalanches down on dwarves' heads. Gunpowder was still a novelty back then. And I can't say I've ever heard of magma being used as a weapon before.

Then you were probably fighting small humans. You need to come down to our fortress sometime, I'll show you what magma can do to an enemy. Well - if we actually had any enemies. The dwarf says, mulling over his drink. There's not even any particularly dangerous animals out there. I think my wife might be going a bit stir crazy. He confides in Reelshka, finishing his drink and ordering another.

[Gullara]

[Grey Zone - Streets]

Presumably Admer is walking down this street with Tinseltwig riding on his head. The little pixie look around with open curiosity. "So where are we going, honey-pie?" She asks Admer.

[Halae]

[Gray Zone - Streets]

"That's a good question, Tin," Admer says, smiling as he walks along, "We're wandering right now. See, if you wander around long enough, something happens, that I can guarantee you. But you have to be wandering when it happens, otherwise something might never happen. I've been all over the city doing this, and there's always a way to earn cash by dealing with random encounters."

[Gullara]

[Gray Zone - Streets]

Tinseltwig glances around as if she expects something to happen right now. She launches herself from Admir's head and flies a quick circle around him. "Do you think we'll see something then?"

[Halae]

[Gray Zone - Streets]

"That I do," he says, "And if by some chance we don't, We can head to Trog's Tavern. I'm sure there's lots of stuff happening there if there isn't anything happening out on the street."

[Gullara]

[Gray Zone - Streets]

"Good idea." The pixie lands on his shoulder and tries to kiss his cheek. She just sits on hi shoulder, enjoying his company for a moment. Then a thought occurs to her. "Addy? Could you tell me more about your magic?"

[Halae]

[Gray Zone - Streets]

Admer smiles, and says, "Of course. What do you want to know, Tin?"

[Gullara]

[Gray Zone - Streets]

"I dunno. What can you do. You said you're a mage, and your kitty's made of fire. I'm curious." Tinseltwig says after a moment of thought.

[Halae]

[Gray Zone - Streets]

Admer raises his hand up and a tiny ball of light appears over it, which then floats toward Tinseltwig. It's about half her height, and it just sort of lazily floats around her, "There's lots of things I can do, and a lot to magic. You kind of have to narrow it down for me to tell you anything, really."

[TechnoScrabble]

Demon Queen groans a little as she comes around.

Ivaz rolls her eyes. If that gave me the spirits, you think I'd be trying to find one? She shakes her head, then makes a shadow on the wall near the empty table and reaches in.

Since Jack is sitting on her, he'll probably feel Demon Queen trying to move. He should also notice that Ivaz restrained even her fingers.

Ivaz leans back out of the shadow, placing a large plastic container on the table. Killing him just released them again.

"Hmm...and what if you bind them to an item? What's to keep someone else from stealing them?" Jack continues sitting on the demon queen, unless of course something else happens. I can't godmod.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Underbed

Ivaz starts pulling out sharp objects from the container and laying them out on the table.

Good security measures. I mean, right now, the Fire spirit is bound to a ring. Kinda hard to lose that.

Demon Queen would turn her head to watch Ivaz, but because of the restraints, she can't.

So, guy, what's she said to get you to help? Huh?

[Gullara]

[Gray Zone - Streets]

Tinseltwig watches the ball of light with keen interest. Almost mesmerized by it. She reaches out to touch it. She isn't replying to him. Perhaps she's a bit more distracted by that light than one might have expected.

[Earl of Purple]

Temple of Dalachrech

Yes! Learning Abyssal! Also, because Terrowin realised he used words she didn't know, he'll repeat what he said in Common, too. Terrowin's quite a good teacher; he's focussed, and he does what he can to keep Kail motivated in the lesson.

Grey Zone- Streets

This area has modernist architecture, with rather small buildings. And yet, perched regularly throughout the area in which Admer and Tinseltwig wander, are stone statues of winged creatures with horns, claws and fanged snouts. If either pays a lot of attention, quite a few of these gargoyles actually watch the pixie and the mage walk along, turning in a way that stone can't.