[Nexus] AMEN XLIV: Beware Falling Flowers

[Mindfreak]

[BioLab]

"Oh, I see what you mean. A hidden surprise for the foe who thinks he knows everything, an ace in the hole..."

A nice idea.

And obviously it's going to have to be something pretty special then, something that couldn't easily be created on a large scale, something above and beyond what anyone might expect.

...

Shame they're limited by the size and layout of the base, otherwise Isabelle would suggesting the largest, most terrifying beast she could think of to use as the template and work up from there.

Or...

Maybe something small is the answer?

"I think I have an idea. Spiders!"

BioLab
"Spiders? Could you maybe elaborate on that?"
She doesn't know where Isabelle is going with this spiders idea...

[The Alexandrian]

[Leaving Clarissa's Room]

Relevant quotation on life in general inbound!

"I see nothing! I was not here! I did not even get up this morning!"
-Sgt. Schultz

Clarissa's door clicks shut to a lullaby of nightmarish children's laughter for the deceased as Zefir exits into the hallway! Trust me when I submit that Zefir probably won't want to investigate what the mystery meat in the barre was carved out of! Because that'd be boring! And he'd discover that, shockingly, Soylent Green is people! the meat is pig flesh and the supplier is a chill dude named Steve.

Doom + F.E.A.R. + Minecraft (Nether) = Clarissa's Room!

-------
[Kitchen]

Y'know, it just dawned on me that Clarissa and Becky have run into each other in AMEN's kitchen more than they have rendezvoused in the Main Room. Hunger works in mysterious ways!

The adorable little ball of death, mayhem, and destruction was previously catnapping on the couch! As Becky shows herself on and within the range of Clarissa's aura-radar, Clarissa poofs into the kitchen, more than likely comfortably curled-up on a solid countertop, tightly hugging a rack of kitchen knives against the side of her face absent-mindedly.

What? They're fun to throw at things and cut organic things with, or so Clarissa would tell you!

[The Bushranger]

But are there Ghasts in Clarissa's room?

[Kitchen]

Becky chuckles as she spots Clarissa, and hurries over to try and relive her of her knives. She needs that! For chopping up MinionMystery Meat.
Clarissa might then find herself getting a pinch from Becky before the shadowdancer turns away to the fridge...

[Gnrlshrimp]

[BioLab]

"I'm thinking we don't go for a big fast scary thing. I'm thinking we take a creature like a spider or something similar and fill it with the deadliest venoms and poisons and all that sort of stuff we can think of. And then if AMEN ever comes under serious threat we can just evacuate and unleash the swarm to kill anyone stupid enough not to leave."

[Zefir]

((She should have zombiepigman, they spawn fast so endless meat.^^))

[Leaving Clarissa's Room]

He can imagine that her room isn't a place he would like to go at the near future.
After a while of rest he will head out of the Base . As he mentioned earlier he seeks a place where he is alone.

[Mindfreak]

[BioLab]

"I'm thinking we don't go for a big fast scary thing. I'm thinking we take a creature like a spider or something similar and fill it with the deadliest venoms and poisons and all that sort of stuff we can think of. And then if AMEN ever comes under serious threat we can just evacuate and unleash the swarm to kill anyone stupid enough not to leave."

BioLab
Megan thinks.
"Yes...that'd work. And with science w could even train them to follow our orders..."
She begins writing down preliminary notes.
"So you're able to make spiders?"

[Gnrlshrimp]

[BioLab]

"You know...I don't know if we want them to follow orders. I'm thinking we ensure they don't damage the base itself and leave it at that. That way, there's less risk of anyone else being able to control them."

When the spiders are unleashed, everything dies.

"Spiders, wasps, assorted small and dangerous things. Not the usual sort of thing I work with, admittedly, but with your help I reckon we can manage it easily enough. We could mix them all in, give them all different sorts of venoms and stuff, maybe give the wasps highly acidic stings to melt through whatever they come in contact with..."

When the, um, assorted creepy crawly nasty things are unleashed, everything dies.

[Mindfreak]

BioLab
Megan shakes her head.
"I love this idea already, and yes I can provide DNA for some of the deadliest spiders and wasps known, but...we need a way to make sure that someone won't just release them on us in a form of sabotage. Because if someone releases them when they're not needed, we all die and it's our fault. What if we make it so that we each have a password. For the passwords to be used to release the bugs, we both need to put them in, use a fingerprint scanner, use a DNA matcher, and then give a voice recognition phrase? And then magic proof the crap out of the holding cage and the area around it."

[Gnrlshrimp]

[BioLab]

"I don't agree."

What's this? Isabelle doesn't agree to sensible fail-safes that would ensure this never backfires on them? What is she thi- "We should not be the ones in control of it. As leader of AMEN, Ilpholin is the only one who should make the decision."

Ah. That makes more sense.

[Mindfreak]

BioLab
Megan sighed.
"Be honest, do you really trust a leader of AMEN with the power to wipe out everyone in the organization if she wanted to? I myself don't trust her that much, and I refuse to give her such power."
She leaned back in her chair.
"If you insist upon control being given to her, I'm going to have to say I don't see a possible future where this project happens."

[The Alexandrian]

But are there Ghasts in Clarissa's room?

[Kitchen]

Becky chuckles as she spots Clarissa, and hurries over to try and relive her of her knives. She needs that! For chopping up MinionMystery Meat.
Clarissa might then find herself getting a pinch from Becky before the shadowdancer turns away to the fridge...

[Kitchen]

No Ghasts. Only Blazemen.

Coincidentally, have you setup any infinite item creating gizmos in Tekkit as of yet?

Body Bits! A delicious part of every balanced breakfast!

My, what a plucky gal to dare disturb Clarissa's slumber without her courage faltering! Were Clarissa's disposition nasty this day (and were Becky not her best friend in the whole entire world) Clarissa might've electrocuted her! But Becky has gained Clarissa's adulation and love! As much love as the merciless incarnate of the seven deadly (emphasis on deadly), destroyer of planets and killer of thousands, can muster (which is to say, a whole lot )!

As Becky indulges herself while she prepares her meal, Clarissa stirs! The pinch, being the catalyst of her revivification, catches her off-guard prompting her to squeak in surprise and delight. One of her eyelids rolls open to resemble a thin slit as she groggily yawns and stretches, discerning the figure of the vivacious Becky, made all the more salacious and sweet with their history being all that it is. At first, she dismisses the real Becky as an oneiric hallucination (she doesn't recognize her surroundings and cannot for the life of her recall how she arrived in the kitchen thus this must be a dream and she must be asleep)! This change in venue for her nap wasn't foreseen. She doesn't spend much time in the kitchen, being a bloodthirsty hunter who gulps down her prey live. But this couldn't be a dream! That would make no sense! This space is devoid of the surreal quality of a dream! And she felt herself being pinched! She extrapolates that she must've magicked herself into the kitchen while she rested. That or Becky brought her here. Either way, this is a chance encounter between two illustrious/soon to be illustrious villains and she shall take full advantage of the meeting!

And so, Clarissa quoth,

"Ah! Becky! You're just the gal I wanted to see! You have earned my divine benediction and blessing and favor! Informally, I owe you one for helping me begin coercing Starling into adbicating his throne that the human supremacist faction may splinter and lose unit cohesion. By sharing in that adventure with me, you're probably going to share in the ramifications of it, if there are any pronounced enough to be worth our while. And if those haters follow the paradigms established by the haters that came before them, there will be, as they'll have the instinctual need to stoke their low self-esteem after being slighted and humbled, which I await with baited breath. I think you deserve a reward. But unlike those I've worked with in the past, you have ensorcelled me, shadow-dancer. I can't invite you to a rave or to my quarters and be done with my debt without feeling stingy in retrospect! And I just can't bring myself to condone being stingy with you, love. Even more so since I nicked that cretin's topper and you purloined nothing in that escapade."

Clarissa spits virulently as she makes mention of the Starling. Grr! Hatred! He's her nemesis and she will be his undoing!

"But I tire of this palaver! Flattery is best heaped upon someone in action, not in verse! Words vacate the mind and body soon after they are uttered. Something more...permanent or memorable is in order, methinks. You're immune to senescence so I can't grant you immortality..."

"I don't like to commodify my powers, but today is your unbirthday, Becky. And I'm your selfish genie! Your happiness is my happiness, if only vicariously. Today, Becky, I am your's. My powers are at your beck and call."

"Your wish is my command, Mistress Becky, if you'll have me."

Because Clarissa loves Becky! And Becky deserves a day off!

[The Bushranger]

[Kitchen]

No, but once I get my new base set up there will be a Duncan's Blaze Rods Into Infinite Diamonds Machine in the basement. Mwahahaha...

Becky, for her part, looks a bit confused by Clarissa's flowery language. It's early in the morning, and her mind is still somewhat dulled, both from sleepiness and from her having been de-cultified. Then there was the previously-fun (as in FUN fun) demon chair she had to dispose of after it tried to kill her after her de-cultified status was detected.

As it is, though, she grins and sets down her kitchen tools before slipping sensuously over to give Clarissa a trememdous (and somewhat hand-wandering) hug!

"Well, then, my first command, my sweet and sexy servant, is to prepare me a breakfast fit for two," she declares with a grin.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[BioLab]

"Well if we can't trust our leader, why is she our leader? I am still new here, I admit, so perhaps there is something I'm unaware of. In which case, would you please explain why she would ever want to destroy her own organisation? What would that accomplish, aside from severely reducing her power and presence in this place?"

Cedric shrieks grumpily. This conversation has got far too serious for his liking.

Isabelle just folds her arms and waits for an answer.

[Mindfreak]

BioLab
"Ilpholin is only leader of AMEN because she defeated the previous leader in battle. Further more, there are leaders who don't operate on trust, but fear. I'm sure you've heard of your fair share of dictators. Also...Ilpholin is a drow. They're kinda renowned for their paranoia. I wouldn't put it past her to get so paranoid one day that she'll release the bees."
No! Not the bees!
"Plus...I can't help but feel like I've seen her somewhere else..."
Not to mention that Ilpholin tried to seduce her.
...
Megan didn't like that very much

[The Alexandrian]

[Kitchen]

Ah, world anchors and EE are so very fun, are they not? Game breaking! No more tension-packed resource mining expeditions or trading excursions with perfidious players for us!

Becky really needs to take up a hobby that isn't curtaining. Variety is the spice of life and all! But she must be fit as a fiddle with her active lifestyle!

Hugs!

Clarissa finds nothing to cavil at in Becky's wish! Thus, Clarissa attempts to disentangle herself from Becky and slip off of the countertop and onto her feet! She sashays up to the oven and flirtatiously bends at the waist to throw the door open. 'Tis empty. For the moment...

With a whistle from Clarissa, plates, knives, forks, spoons, and bowls spin through the kitchen like miniature UFOs, landing in the oven as the door shuts and opens five or six times in quick succession. With each reveal, platters loaded down with crispy hash browns, crunchy bacon, sizzling strings of sausage and sausage patties, slices of homemade honeyed ham, buttery biscuits, springy flapjacks, warm waffles, poptarts, cereal boxes of every brand, sausage gravy, hollandaise sauce, cheesy scrambled eggs with ham and bell peppers and chives, tasty omelettes of every type, poached eggs, boiled eggs, eggs over-easy and over-medium, hash hot out of the pan, salty seasoned potato wedges, tender fruit salad with whipped cream and colorful marshmallows, toast, three kinds of jam (cherry, grape, and apricot), nutella, peanut butter, butter, all-natural maple syrup, quartered oranges and whole bananas, diced pineapple, riven croissants, baked biscuits, chocolate muffins, banana muffins, poppy seed muffins, pastries (straight out of the oven ) like bear claws, danishes, and donuts (Voodoo style, of course), french toast, breakfast burritos/wraps, English muffins, steamed rice, and spam! Out of the refrigerator, pitches of milk and orange juice and pots of coffee (decaf and etc.), hot chocolate (with peppermint sticks and marshmallows), iced coffee, and tea dance! It's the breakfast of spoiled kings queens! And a literal mountain of food! But with Gluttony's appetite, Clarissa will be even hungrier after partaking of this feast! That's why she took the liberty of cooking hundreds of caramel-filled bite-sized rich chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and storing them in the refrigerator for consumption later on in the day!

Whoops! Now that I've brought up cupcakes, I have to make an obligatory MLP reference!

"All you have to do is seize a cup of power! Add it to the Stix!"

"Then you have enslaved Grecian spirits to do the dirty work for you and the song ends!"

Clarissa sings as leans against the freezer, her arms crossed and her tails wagging with more than enough enthusiasm to lift a small rural town into orbit!

[Gnrlshrimp]

[BioLab]

"Some leaders do operate on fear, sure. But does she? I haven't seen any sign of that. No fearful looks, no threats, nothing of the sort. Besides, it seems like there's very little to stop me from walking out of here just as easily as I walked in-" Cedric shrieks proudly. He helped scare the pants off Maggy! (not literally mind you) And that helped Isabelle get in!

"Yes, thank you Cedric, you were very helpful. Now, anyway, my point is that she doesn't seem the sort to keep us all in line by putting the threat of death above our heads. And considering how friendly she is with AMEN's members, I find it hard to believe she's particularly paranoid."

A slight smile creeps onto Isabelle's face. She's seen first-hand just how friendly Ilpholin can be. Perhaps a little too friendly, but she was very understanding about Cedric and didn't try and push Isabelle into anything, which all seemed very reasonable to her!

"You talk about general cases of dictators, and what drow in general behave like...but is there anything specifically related to Ilpholin that suggests she isn't trustworthy? I get the feeling you're not telling me something..."

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Phone

Is ringing. Caller ID says it's Remnant.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Phone

Well that's not a caller ID Ilpholin expected to see.
Ilpholin will pick up. "Hello? Beauty of untold terror and magnificence speaking. Who is this?"

[Mindfreak]

BioLab
"I don't have to tell you everything."
She stood up and looked away.
"There's...my own personal reasons why I don't trust Ilpholin. Just as anyone will have their own personal reasons not to trust someone."
Her hands curled into fists as she leaned onto the table.
"As for why anyone would trust the leader of an organization of evil people is beyond me..."

[Gnrlshrimp]

[BioLab]

"...by that logic, why should I trust anyone within an organization of evil people? The technology side of things is beyond me. You could easily fiddle things behind my back and put the device entirely under your control. And from my perspective, I've got no more reason to trust you than I have to trust Ilpholin." Isabelle sighs and shakes her head, "Maybe we should just give up on this then."

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Phone

Well that's not a caller ID Ilpholin expected to see.
Ilpholin will pick up. "Hello? Beauty of untold terror and magnificence speaking. Who is this?"

"Acting Commander Delisle. There's been an... incident... with a couple of AMEN members. I understand that you and Vasquez had some sort of informal agreement in place, so I thought it best that I call." Delisle says.

[Reinholdt]

@ MF - Honestly, that whole situation occurred because both Ilpholin and I thought Megan was someone else entirely (And honestly with a naming scheme like Megan and Meg how could you NOT expect people to get confused)? Now I had thought Megan had gotten over it, what with going out to get a village for Ilph and all, but apparently that situation is still being held over respective heads and it really irks me that this is the case. I don't mind in the least not trusting Ilpholin. I do mind using that as one of the reasons.

Ilpholin's Phone

"Oh? What sort of incident?" Ilpholin's wondering if she'll have to post bail as well, but doesn't come right out and ask.

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Phone

"Two of your members -" (At this point, Delisle will probably give their names, since I think they used their names to each other during the event, but if not, she can give a good enough description that Ilpholin will easily be able to identify them as Clarissa and Becky) " - went into a human-only restaurant. Not being human, they were asked to leave. They began harassing the owner. That would not be anything I would call you about, especially since the owner is no angel himself. But then it is alleged that they began spreading about lust magic or chemicals or what have you and attempted to kidnap two teenage employees, making it clear they intended to use them sexually."

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Phone

Ilpholin ponders this quietly for a bit.
"Attempted. So then, the situation was resolved prior to any actual kidnapping?" Ilpholin asks, making sure that was the entirety of the situation or if something else occurred after that.

[Mindfreak]

BioLab
@Reinholdt, that isn't the reason why she doesn't trust Ilpholin. Certainly a reason why she likes her less than previously, but not why she doesn't trust her.
Megan sighed.
"Yes, I doubt we'll agree with each other's opinions."

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Phone

"That's correct. No one seems to have been abducted or harmed, though a lot of property damage was done. It is possible that seduction based abductions may have occurred outside the restaurant, but if so, I am not aware of it." Delisle says.

[Reinholdt]

Then I suppose I misread something.

Ilpholin's Phone

Ilpholin drums her fingers for a bit. "Well what I can tell you is that one of them was under the influence of the Masks and it was affecting her decision making. And one of them is very easy to persuade and was probably just following the other's lead." Both of which refer to Becky, but why not go ahead and blame some other group while you've got the chance?

"But thank you for the call." Ilpholin isn't sure what, if indeed anything, she intends to do about it yet. That's a tricky one.

[happyturtle]

Ilpholin's Phone

"I'm sure you're aware that it's difficult to draw a line between legitimate seduction and unfair mental influence, but in this case, the teenage waitress was very clear that she found the two women utterly revolting before the lust aura took over her. That makes this a case of attempted rape of a minor."

A vile, speciest minor who enjoys bullying non-humans, and is already in Remnant's files due to her association with Sitar's Strings, but a minor nonetheless.

"I need to stress that if we find evidence of any such abductions and rapes having occurred, against someone who would be wholly unwilling without lust magic, then that is treated in severity no different than abducting and raping someone by use of force."

[The Bushranger]

[Kitchen]

Ah, world anchors and EE are so very fun, are they not? Game breaking! No more tension-packed resource mining expeditions or trading excursions with perfidious players for us!

Becky really needs to take up a hobby that isn't curtaining. Variety is the spice of life and all! But she must be fit as a fiddle with her active lifestyle!

Hugs!

Clarissa finds nothing to cavil at in Becky's wish! Thus, Clarissa attempts to disentangle herself from Becky and slip off of the countertop and onto her feet! She sashays up to the oven and flirtatiously bends at the waist to throw the door open. 'Tis empty. For the moment...

With a whistle from Clarissa, plates, knives, forks, spoons, and bowls spin through the kitchen like miniature UFOs, landing in the oven as the door shuts and opens five or six times in quick succession. With each reveal, platters loaded down with crispy hash browns, crunchy bacon, sizzling strings of sausage and sausage patties, slices of homemade honeyed ham, buttery biscuits, springy flapjacks, warm waffles, poptarts, cereal boxes of every brand, sausage gravy, hollandaise sauce, cheesy scrambled eggs with ham and bell peppers and chives, tasty omelettes of every type, poached eggs, boiled eggs, eggs over-easy and over-medium, hash hot out of the pan, salty seasoned potato wedges, tender fruit salad with whipped cream and colorful marshmallows, toast, three kinds of jam (cherry, grape, and apricot), nutella, peanut butter, butter, all-natural maple syrup, quartered oranges and whole bananas, diced pineapple, riven croissants, baked biscuits, chocolate muffins, banana muffins, poppy seed muffins, pastries (straight out of the oven ) like bear claws, danishes, and donuts (Voodoo style, of course), french toast, breakfast burritos/wraps, English muffins, steamed rice, and spam! Out of the refrigerator, pitches of milk and orange juice and pots of coffee (decaf and etc.), hot chocolate (with peppermint sticks and marshmallows), iced coffee, and tea dance! It's the breakfast of spoiled kings queens! And a literal mountain of food! But with Gluttony's appetite, Clarissa will be even hungrier after partaking of this feast! That's why she took the liberty of cooking hundreds of caramel-filled bite-sized rich chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and storing them in the refrigerator for consumption later on in the day!

Whoops! Now that I've brought up cupcakes, I have to make an obligatory MLP reference!

"All you have to do is seize a cup of power! Add it to the Stix!"

"Then you have enslaved Grecian spirits to do the dirty work for you and the song ends!"

Clarissa sings as leans against the freezer, her arms crossed and her tails wagging with more than enough enthusiasm to lift a small rural town into orbit!

Flying like UFOs? Time to call in XCOM...

Becky watches the creation of the veritable feast with an increasing appetite, and Clarissa's flirtatious moves, needless to say, stoke her appetite as well. And when her fiendish friend is finished flirtaciously...er...fixing flapjacks, she gets a grin from the shadowcaster, who slips up against the cool metal fridge (of course it's stainless steel, otherwise you'd be constantly cleaning henchie stains off of it) and goes to slide her arm around Clarissa.

"Oh, I can think of a few other things to sing," the sultry, skimpily-suited shadowcaster declares with a grin.

[The Alexandrian]

[Kitchen]

Flying like UFOs and abducting silverware!

Then the cabinetry is probably a hue of red! And the ceiling! And the floor! Y'know, if an innovator invented a solution that could strip blood off of anything in existence in the Nexus, he/she would make a killing!

Arm slide! Yay! Clarissa is pulled close to Becky!

"Are you saying that you would like to sing for your supper, my little siren? Or would you have something of little ol' me?"

Clarissa's tails attempt to wind themselves around Becky's legs as she speaks and her hands try to rest over Becky's own if they are near her.