[Changeling] A Gathering of Mists IC

[Anarion]

"Okay, okay wait a second. Jeez. Look, she might have muttered something about how I violated the ancient laws of hospitality or something like that."

[Thanqol]

"Okay, okay wait a second. Jeez. Look, she might have muttered something about how I violated the ancient laws of hospitality or something like that."

"Oh!" Stephanie said. "What were those again? Let people into your house, don't poison or fight them, three day time limit, right? Was there an 'until' in there anywhere?"

[Anarion]

"I'm, uh, I'm not sure, honestly. I wasn't listening that closely when I was throwing her out."

[I'm seriously amused by the fact that a mage with postcognition could solve this whole thing in a dice roll.]

[Thanqol]

"I'm, uh, I'm not sure, honestly. I wasn't listening that closely when I was throwing her out."

[I'm seriously amused by the fact that a mage with postcognition could solve this whole thing in a dice roll.]

Stephanie snapped her fingers and grinned. "Sure, of course you don't remember - while you're awake."

[Anarion]

Spoiler

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6, 10, 5, 1, 2. 10-Again Die was 3. Well, that was pretty bad, wasn't it?

This was the worst instinct that anyone has ever had. Marchande raises her hands, backing away nervously, and says the first thing that comes to mind: "Isn't it only cannibalism if you're eating your own species?" There's... certainly something there, when she focuses, but it tastes like crazy and smells like whatever this man smells like, and there has to be a better way to harvest this Glamour.

The man smelled wrong. Like a part of him was broken. The glamour was sweet, still, but it smelled the same as the man.
[Roll unmodified resolve+composure]

The man, for his part, just keeps going right on, seeming intent on Marchande now that he's found a willing audience. "Nah see, theys all kinds of connections. Theys flipping connecitons and shifting connections and donking connections, baby. And when e'rybody is full of ****, well you got **** connections too, thosethebeskind. Sos, weall cannibals and weall lovin it. Don't you love bein a cannibal, singing with the roses, smiling with the monkeys, fishing with the hot chicks?"

[Raz_Fox]

Spoiler

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Resolve and Composure? Oh, sure, hit me right in the flaw.

10, 10, 2. Holy Celestia. Ten-Agains are a 6 and a 8.

And it's only after those miracle rolls that I realize I could have spent Glamour to boost my Composure, as a Beast. Well, Fate smiled on my foolishness.

...darnit I get two extra dice on emotion-harvesting and I keep forgetting that. Can I roll those extra two anyway, since the encounter isn't done?

Something wasn't right. Was it just the taste of madness, or had something driven him to such a state? Fear, flickering in the back of the head. It was like drinking bitter water, but after a moment of shuddering, she had swallowed it down.

Aware she was probably being watched by the people of the street, the people whose roofs were cardboard and whose shoes were rotten all the way through, she half-reached out to the man. "I'm sorry," she said, both to him and the homeless. "Fortune go with you, cannibal, and may the roses sing."

Then she turned, starting away, hoping that his madness was at least the simple raving kind, and not the suddenly violent.

[Anarion]

Spoiler

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Resolve and Composure? Oh, sure, hit me right in the flaw.

10, 10, 2. Holy Celestia. Ten-Agains are a 6 and a 8.

And it's only after those miracle rolls that I realize I could have spent Glamour to boost my Composure, as a Beast. Well, Fate smiled on my foolishness.

...darnit I get two extra dice on emotion-harvesting and I keep forgetting that. Can I roll those extra two anyway, since the encounter isn't done?

Then she turned, starting away, hoping that his madness was at least the simple raving kind, and not the suddenly violent.

[Yep, you can roll the extra dice.]

Marchande feels fine once the momentary feeling of wrongness passes. A lucky break, the essence of the mad often comes tainted with their derangements.

The man simply lets her go. A forlorn look on his face, rather like a puppy that has just been kicked.

[Raz_Fox]

Spoiler

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All right! 10 and 4. Glamour harvesting doesn't get a 10-again, right? If it does, I... rolled another 10. If that prompts another roll, I rolled a 3.

Marchande has unfrazzled herself by the time that she reaches the Faerie Fire office. If she lets herself become jostled by every little thing, she'd never have time to get anything done, after all. Deep breaths, nervous tug on the suit, and she steps inside the protected office, intent on discussing the employment opportunities.

Of course, if Namine hadn't already called in the favor, she'd simply mention that she'd been informed there was a position open as a saleswoman for the Faerie Fire Winery, and that she thought the recommendation had come in already. Always good to have a backup plan, to avoid looking foolish.

[Thanqol]

Spoiler

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All right! 10 and 4. Glamour harvesting doesn't get a 10-again, right? If it does, I... rolled another 10. If that prompts another roll, I rolled a 3.

[You always get 10-agains, even on chance die, barring exceptional circumstances like your Seeming Curse]

[Anarion]

Spoiler

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All right! 10 and 4. Glamour harvesting doesn't get a 10-again, right? If it does, I... rolled another 10. If that prompts another roll, I rolled a 3.

Marchande has unfrazzled herself by the time that she reaches the Faerie Fire office. If she lets herself become jostled by every little thing, she'd never have time to get anything done, after all. Deep breaths, nervous tug on the suit, and she steps inside the protected office, intent on discussing the employment opportunities.

Of course, if Namine hadn't already called in the favor, she'd simply mention that she'd been informed there was a position open as a saleswoman for the Faerie Fire Winery, and that she thought the recommendation had come in already. Always good to have a backup plan, to avoid looking foolish.

[Yep, lots of extra glamour there.]

The office is staffed by a rather striking young man. He looks to be in his mid-20s with fiery red hair and freckles. He's tall and has an athletic build, suggesting that he might be a pretty dedicated athlete when he isn't manning a desk in a back alley wine outlet.

When Marchande walks in, he gives her a broad and ever so slightly lopsided grin and says, politely "good morning, miss. How can I help you today?"

Stephanie snapped her fingers and grinned. "Sure, of course you don't remember - while you're awake."

"Uh, what?" Gorilla Grodd gives Stephanie one of those "what in the world are you talking about?" looks, which is really something coming from a giant burnt furball covered with fire extinguisher goop.

[Thanqol]

"Uh, what?" Gorilla Grodd gives Stephanie one of those "what in the world are you talking about?" looks, which is really something coming from a giant burnt furball covered with fire extinguisher goop.

"When I was in Indonesia I met this tribe, see," said Stephanie seriously, "long story short, they made me their chief and I lead them against the drug dealers who had taken over their island. Got this tattoo for my trouble," Stephanie revealed her left shoulder which had an elaborate tribal tattoo on it, "One of the things the shaman taught me was how to walk in dreams and wield the power of the human mind. If you fall asleep I can walk through your vault of memory to find the details of the curse - and how to break it."

[Anarion]

"When I was in Indonesia I met this tribe, see," said Stephanie seriously, "long story short, they made me their chief and I lead them against the drug dealers who had taken over their island. Got this tattoo for my trouble," Stephanie revealed her left shoulder which had an elaborate tribal tattoo on it, "One of the things the shaman taught me was how to walk in dreams and wield the power of the human mind. If you fall asleep I can walk through your vault of memory to find the details of the curse - and how to break it."

"Woah, woah! We just met!" He gives a low growl. "I'm not going to let you run around in my head without some kind of assurance." He thinks for a moment, a continued low rumble coming from him as he thinks. "Swear then. Swear that you'll go in and will only find what you're looking for and won't poke around. I'll give my word you'll be safe while you're doing it, or I'll owe you big time."

[Stephanie:
forbiddance: don't investigate anything that doesn't relate to the curse Stephanie is helping to break -1
Duration: one day +1

Beastman: Lesser task: take measures to ensure Stephanie is safe while she's in his dreams -1
Medial favor: Stephanie will find the info to help lift the curse +2
curse: poisoning the boon -2 (He'll owe Stephanie another medial favor)
duration 1 day: +1]

[Thanqol]

"Woah, woah! We just met!" He gives a low growl. "I'm not going to let you run around in my head without some kind of assurance." He thinks for a moment, a continued low rumble coming from him as he thinks. "Swear then. Swear that you'll go in and will only find what you're looking for and won't poke around. I'll give my word you'll be safe while you're doing it, or I'll owe you big time."

[Stephanie:
forbiddance: don't investigate anything that doesn't relate to the curse Stephanie is helping to break -1
Duration: one day +1

Beastman: Lesser task: take measures to ensure Stephanie is safe while she's in his dreams -1
Medial favor: Stephanie will find the info to help lift the curse +2
curse: poisoning the boon -2 (He'll owe Stephanie another medial favor)
duration 1 day: +1]

"Deal," said Stephanie. How many more favours before she outright owned this guy? "Ready when you are. Knock yourself out,"

[Raz_Fox]

[Yep, lots of extra glamour there.]

The office is staffed by a rather striking young man. He looks to be in his mid-20s with fiery red hair and freckles. He's tall and has an athletic build, suggesting that he might be a pretty dedicated athlete when he isn't manning a desk in a back alley wine outlet.

When Marchande walks in, he gives her a broad and ever so slightly lopsided grin and says, politely "good morning, miss. How can I help you today?"

Humina humina humina.

Marchande can't quite hide the smile. Thank goodness he can't see the wagging tail. "Good morning," she says brightly. "I was told that you have an opening in sales, and I thought I'd come down to see if I could pick up an application form. Unless my reference has called already? Oh, do excuse me, I forgot," she says, not having forgotten at all, "My name's March. March Anders. Quite looking forward to working with a new family."

She offers a hand, either to shake or accept a form, and wonders - since only now has it occurred to her - what shaking hands with her feels like. Long nails? Will he feel the fur around her wrists?

[Anarion]

"March Anders. Oh! We just got that one in." He gestures to a computer on the side of his desk where he's got Microsoft Outlook open. "Your letter said you wouldn't be coming by for another day or two, but I guess you were really eager to get started, huh?"

He takes her offered hand and gives it a quick kiss in a rather old-fashioned formal greeting. "Well, Ms. Anders, I'm really looking forward to working with you. We're a bit quirky here at Faerie Fire, as you may have noticed, but it's a real friendly team once you get to know everyone, and our wine is top notch. If you stopped by for more than a quick hello, I could start off your orientation.

My name's Jason, by the way. Jason Crevan."

[Raz_Fox]

Marchande, for all her cleverness, was not expecting this handsome young man to kiss her hand. Employers - or their representatives - did not kiss the hands of their new workers; a young woman, hairy and dogged by the shadows of three crazy women, did not have handsome young men kissing her hand. Except, apparently, that was what had just happened. She fell back on the behavior that felt natural, that she'd seen before: the aristocratic little 'oh', and a smile that had to be wry and faint, not wide and toothy.

"I am feeling rather flexible today, Mr. Crevan, so I certainly have time for orientation - if you have the time, of course." The lack of breakfast will eventually catch up with her, but for now, she feels fine, buoyed up by that manic energy she caught from the raving 'cannibal'. "And don't worry about the quirks. Life, these days, is nothing but quirk stacked on top of quirk. At least, it seems like that to me."

[Anarion]

"Deal," said Stephanie. How many more favours before she outright owned this guy? "Ready when you are. Knock yourself out,"

"Uh, maybe not here. I don't want the curse to, er, mind blast you or anything." Maybe we could check into a motel or something? This night is pretty screwed anyway." *He grunts while looking at his own state of affairs*

"I am feeling rather flexible today, Mr. Crevan, so I certainly have time for orientation - if you have the time, of course." The lack of breakfast will eventually catch up with her, but for now, she feels fine, buoyed up by that manic energy she caught from the raving 'cannibal'. "And don't worry about the quirks. Life, these days, is nothing but quirk stacked on top of quirk. At least, it seems like that to me."

He blushes at her coy smile, a rather naive-looking expression in combination with the freckles. He then recovers himself and responds. "Okay, great. It was going to be a quiet day anyway, visitors here usually schedule in advance, so between showing you around and filling out inventory reports, I know which one I'm choosing!"

He guides her over to the back room, which is a small storage area. The building doesn't go very deep at all, it's doubtful the whole office is more than a couple hundred square feet.

"First things first. You have to taste the wine" he says, taking down a bottle from a rack and fetching two glasses from a cabinet in the corner. He pours both glasses, and offers a toast to Marchande before they drink. "To new opportunities."

[Thanqol]

"Uh, maybe not here. I don't want the curse to, er, mind blast you or anything." Maybe we could check into a motel or something? This night is pretty screwed anyway." *He grunts while looking at his own state of affairs*

"Can't leave," said Stephanie, "and I am not going to a motel with you. And it's ghosts, not curses, that mind blast you. Let's do this here."

[Anarion]

"Can't leave," said Stephanie, "and I am not going to a motel with you. And it's ghosts, not curses, that mind blast you. Let's do this here."

"Oh, right. God, I'm going to kill Arthur. Fine, fine. Okay, come this way, I can't sleep here."

He starts towards the back of the club and opens up a door there, beckoning Stephanie to follow him.

[Thanqol]

"Oh, right. God, I'm going to kill Arthur. Fine, fine. Okay, come this way, I can't sleep here."

He starts towards the back of the club and opens up a door there, beckoning Stephanie to follow him.

"Mind if I bring my friend? I don't know what your dreams are gonna be like, but either way it'd be nice to have backup. She'll swear to not poke around too," Stephanie said, trying to catch a glimpse of Charlotte and wave her over.

[While this isn't what naturally would come to Stephanie's mind here, I am motivated entirely by 'don't split the party again'.]

[Anarion]

"Mind if I bring my friend? I don't know what your dreams are gonna be like, but either way it'd be nice to have backup. She'll swear to not poke around too," Stephanie said, trying to catch a glimpse of Charlotte and wave her over.

[While this isn't what naturally would come to Stephanie's mind here, I am motivated entirely by 'don't split the party again'.]

"Fine" he bites out, suppressing an annoyed snarl. "Long as she takes the same oath. And get her to hurry up, you all need to go in together with me."

[Thanqol]

"Fine" he bites out, suppressing an annoyed snarl. "Long as she takes the same oath. And get her to hurry up, you all need to go in together with me."

"Hey, Charlotte!" called Stephanie, hurrying off to find her friend. Upon locating her, she'd rapidly bring her up to speed and drag her in front of Donkey Kong to make the oath.

[Raz_Fox]

Oh, what a quaint little ceremony. It seems only proper that a new employee should be baptized, as it were, through wine. Marchande accepts the glass, holding it with poise, and returns the toast. "To newness and wine." She then sips from the glass, trying to identify the wine, rolling it about in her mouth.

[Anarion]

[Waiting on SiuiS to continue into the fortress of solitude. a.k.a. Gorilla Grodd's bedroom.]

Oh, what a quaint little ceremony. It seems only proper that a new employee should be baptized, as it were, through wine. Marchande accepts the glass, holding it with poise, and returns the toast. "To newness and wine." She then sips from the glass, trying to identify the wine, rolling it about in her mouth.

[roll composure please, no penalty.]

[Raz_Fox]

Spoiler

Show

Burned 2 Glamour to get +2 dice for the Composure roll, as allowed by the Beast's Blessing. Rolled 1, 3, 10, 10. 10-agains were 8 and 7, and man this die is getting a name or something for hitting so many tens lately.

[Anarion]

The taste of the wine is incredible. Marchande has never had anything like this. It's so full of emotion: love and passion for the craft, exhilaration at completing a great task, and spiced with just a hint of sorrow that it will pass from the world and can only be enjoyed once.

It's so rich, Marchande imagines that drinking the full glass might actually restore some glamour, it's like biting from a goblin fruit.

It's also extremely heady, even with one taste, almost overwhelming for a changeling. Marchande is composed enough to keep her wits about her, however, and is fully in control of her reactions.

[Raz_Fox]

There is a moment that threatens bacchanalia, a dangerous moment that splits the world in half and pushes Marchande towards the dark half with the garlands and the leopard-skins and the wolfhounds and the torches raised up against the day, and the simile wine-dark makes sense, because the thrill is pressing up against her head and the work of the gods holds her reflection in the cup, and lightning has struck the tip of her spine and runs down her arm and the glass trembles.

Then the moment is over, and a shiver dashes up her spine right from her tail to her ears, and she blinks away the fire and the loss. It took so much, too - to pull herself away. If she had not fed that morning, would she have been able to pull away? Glamour is important. Glamour is very important. And since the wine is Glamour... no, that's not a good idea, especially not with the ravishingly handsome Jason right next to her. Who knows what she'd do, drunk on Dionysian ecstasy?

This prompts her, poking her in the back of the head. She's not alone. She finally looks up from the cup at Jason, feeling very stiff and in-control because if she takes one step forward she'll fall right into quirky, and sometimes quirky isn't the right choice. She grasps for something to say, and finds, "Well. I don't think it'll be hard to sell this, now, will it?"

[SiuiS]

"Hey, Charlotte!" called Stephanie, hurrying off to find her friend. Upon locating her, she'd rapidly bring her up to speed and drag her in front of Donkey Kong to make the oath.

Charlotte makes a face, a lopsided fish-kiss that almost strains the cord on one side of her mouth, and pulls a ripped, burnt and sopping piece of fabric off of the Minotaur's splinter coated horn. She shakes of a spatter of chemical goo before trying and failing to match it to the hole in her skirt before she sighs and puts it, wrung out, into her pocket. "I swear."

[SiuiS]

*Polite cough*

[Anarion]

, "Well. I don't think it'll be hard to sell this, now, will it?"

He's practically beaming. "Exactly, you have to really feel it. We put our souls into this stuff and it's just so hard to break in when the big vineyards have all these monopoly contracts and have the market cornered. That's why we're counting on you. It says here that the last retailer you dealt with bought over twenty crates of hairbrushes after 1 day of negotiations, so I'm not worried.

Now, let me show you the more mundane stuff. We're going to give you a laptop. You're not expected to come into the office every day if you don't want to, and can feel free to work from home, a Starbucks, or any of the chairs here. You should come in every Friday morning for our weekly meetings and of course keep us in the loop for how sales are going. If you need to travel somewhere to close a deal, let us know, but the budget is a bit tight, so I'll be suspicious if you're closing any deals in Tahiti. ...Unless you take me with you, at any rate." He gives Marchande that ever so slightly off-kilter grin again.

"Now, let me show you the programs we use to keep track of the paperwork."

He then proceeds to guide Marchande through their filing system and how to log on remotely after handing her a new fairly standard Windows 7 laptop. He, of course, stops at any point to answer questions that Marchande might have.

*Polite cough*

Both Stephanie and Charlotte step through the back door, along with Gorilla Grodd. This is no regular door, however. No sooner are they through the portal than the entirety of the terrain shifts. What had seemed like a run of the mill big-building staircase is instead a layered stone spiral staircase ascending a tall tower. Torches line the walls every few feet and a glance back shows that the door they came in was a heavy wooden portcullis with metal bands across it.

Gorilla Grodd beckons them to ascend and makes his own way upwards. Round and round the stairs go, passing another heavy wooden doorway at every turn. At the 5th such doorway, Gorilla Grodd stops and opens it up, revealing a massive hallway with ceilings that must be over 20 feet high. It is lined with old-fashioned suits of armor bearing a mix of blue and argent heraldry, and the floor is covered by a thick red carpet with gold tassel running all the way along it. Grodd makes no particular mention of any of this, simply making his way to the middle of the hallway and opening a door on his right.

This one leads to a luxurious bedroom. There is a four poster bed in the middle of the room with lace curtains and silk sheets, covered by a bright red comforter. The right wall has a dark oak dresser about 4 feet high and above that a rounded mirror with a corded wood surround that gives the impression someone actually braided it. The left wall has another, taller dresser, also of dark oak, with two broad and sturdy drawers. Further along the left wall is a fireplace, and further along the right wall is another door that's peeking open and perhaps leads to a bathroom. The back wall has several small windows within the stone, though they're not letting in any light at the moment. The floor is carpeted in navy blue that blends with the stone.


Gorilla Grodd awkwardly clears his throat and says "welcome, you can sleep on the floor over by the fireplace," then proceeds to lie down on the bed and give no further response.