[Nexus] AMEN XLV: The Zoo

[Slii Arhem]

Cin's Lab

"I can figure it out." He tells Shayan with a small smile before leaning in to give her forehead a gentle kiss. "When would you like me to do it?"

Cin's Lab

"Preferably before your wanton lust has your hands shaking too much to properly perform the surgery, since you'll have to do it while staring at my bare behind. That and I'm not sure where you'll have to cut, and whether or not I'll be able to feel it, so the less superfluous damage done the better." She doesn't bother mentioning that most any attempts to sedate her would be nearly pointless as the regeneration flushes them out of her body, and the procedure will have to be done while she's awake. She trusts he's intelligent enough to infer that from her words.

[UncleWolf]

Cin's Lab

"We can do it tomorrow then, and I believe I can keep my desire in check for a little longer. I'm sure I know a good local that can work through your regeneration and resistances." He tells her with a small smile. "But tonight, lets enjoy the meal and each other for a bit. We can worry in the morning." He tries to reassure her before trying to pull her close for another kiss.

[Slii Arhem]

Cin's Lab

"I hope you don't mind, but I've always preferred to skip straight to dessert when it was an option, and leave the boring parts for afterwards." Shayan says immediately after the kiss is broken, her hand reaching down unexpectedly to unbutton Cin's slacks as two of her vines reach up under his armpits to lift him up above her head. There is a bit more fiddling with his clothes before the curtain is pulled.

[UncleWolf]

Cin's Lab

Cin smiles and doesn't resist in the slightest, already making plans for when she regains sensation below her waist. He doesn't object at all when the curtain is pulled.

[Slii Arhem]

Cin's Lab

After they're both dressed and clean, Shayan is seated at her place at the table with the fur coat draped over the back of her chair. She's smiling coyly, and licks her lips for a moment while staring into Cin's eyes, "I didn't mean to imply that what you've prepared for supper would be boring, but I think what just happened certainly qualified as more exciting. Still, that was rude of me to dictate the course of the night, so I apologize."

[UncleWolf]

Cin's Lab

Cin's face is a bit red, but he seems much more relaxed than he was beforehand. "You never need to apologize for something like that." He tells her with a grin. "You probably never even need to ask." He says before revealing a platter of steamed salmon with lemon and pepper served on rice.

[Slii Arhem]

Cin's Lab

"Ooh, are you sure that you aren't the one who can look into the future? I've been craving fish ever since Isabelle approached me about catching those dolphins and I wondered what one would taste like." Shayan inhales deeply, smiling at the aroma of the fish and spices as she reaches for her fork.

"I couldn't imagine a better meal, or a better man to eat it with."

[Reinholdt]

[Ilpholin's Office]

After Becky leaves, Ilpholin will turn back to Magtok.

"Magtok." She says quietly. "We're friends. You helped me get here even before we decided we wanted to go all in for AMEN."

"But this last week was bad. This time I'm going to chalk the entire period to a hurt person lashing out. In the future, I will be both unable and unwilling to offer such mercy."

"You going to be ok?"

[Lord Magtok]

Ilpholin's Office

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fi-"

Magtok stops himself right there, shakes his head, and stares down at the desk between himself and the leader of AMEN.

"No. Ilpholin, why am I even here anymore? I mean, with the MagMarts and Caves chugging along, I'm well beyond the days when I'd be embezzling Gordon's funds or taking advantage of the room and board. I mean, I'm renting an entire flying island of all things. A flying island.

On top of that, no matter what you say to Becky, I don't think there's not a soul in here who still takes me seriously, nor will they later on, either. Both this past week and that old HATS experiment from a few years back prove I'm just too sloppy for management, and...really, what am I still here for? Tradition? Force of habit? Team mascot? It's certainly not because I helped with Gordon; this place is doing as much for me as I am for it."

[ThirdEmperor]

Main Room

Zefir looks down.

"I will need some time for that. My room here seems to be sealed so can't work in there. I need to find another place and the materials before I can do it. Think it needs a day or so, depending on how long this poison keeps on the ground."

"Oohhkay, yeah, totally, I gotta do some stuff... Uh, how 'bout twelve PM tommorow?" Checking to make double-sure there aren't any ghosties or ghouls hanging about, CB wriggles out from under the couch and dusts himself off, trying to salvage a little dignity by feigning an air of complete non-challance about the whole 'hiding from danger' thing.

[Murkus]

Main Room with Beargons


"Shhh, Koro, settle down. Mr E isn't going to hurt you. He knows Ilpholin would be very angry with him if he hurt you, don't you Mr E?" Darcy says. Koju is fighting to stay awake, the way a little kid tries to keep playing when it's naptime.

Plus, there's still gold to claim!

Are Jack and his entourage in the room with the beargons?

Jack and co. are around there somewhere. The vampires are wandering freely, either feeding or lamenting the fact that they have to feed. It's got the whole place in a funk, as far as NPC's go.

"Bears? Really?" Jack says to no one in particular, crossing his arms and staring at the ursine-draconic family. "This better be part of some nefarious plot."

[Zefir]

Main Room

Zefir just nods to CB and then heads away.

Assuming the scene with the undead should be dealt with he leaves the base for now and will return the next day.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Office

Ilpholin is quiet for a bit, thinking it over.

"I... don't think that's something I can answer for you. I can say that I'd like you to be here to help hash out the next major plan when I present it at the meeting I'm about to call. If anything, I consider you the closest thing we have to public relations."

"Still, you're here of your own volition so only you can decide why."

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Isabelle's Room]

Ferrets fed.

Door disenchanted.

Cedric perched on her shoulder once more.

Isabelle is done, and heads out of her room, drawing that particular scene to a close. Finally.

[Lord Magtok]

Ilpholin's Office

Magtok fights back the urge to scoff and go on a cynical tangent about AMEN's public relations. That'd just be immature and unprofessional. He's made his point already, anything more would just be whining and crying for the sake of whining and crying.

"I'll stick around for the meeting, at the least. If I stay, maybe quietly step down from being second-in-command, and just fill that PR role without any illusion of rank and superiority. Or not. I don't know, I need to go over all of this later, with a clear head and all my psychological baggage back in the luggage compartment where they belong."

Ilpholin's always been fair and intelligent in a pit of squabbling idiot monkeys. He owes it to her to stick around for that meeting, at the very least. Make his final decision when he's had some time to consider whether or not membership in AMEN does anything for him, or whether he wants to try to do something for it.

[happyturtle]

Main Room, with Beargons

Jack and co. are around there somewhere. The vampires are wandering freely, either feeding or lamenting the fact that they have to feed. It's got the whole place in a funk, as far as NPC's go.

"Bears? Really?" Jack says to no one in particular, crossing his arms and staring at the ursine-draconic family. "This better be part of some nefarious plot."

Darcy's player can't remember whether Ghar or Phantom is up, but the vampires in the room are making her a bit uncomfortable. She finds herself compulsively checking her silver dagger to see if any of them are demons.

"They're beargons, not bears, and they belong to me and Ilpholin." Darcy says, in as haughty a tone as she can muster up. She's no longer the fearless infiltrator she was when she first came to AMEN, or the friendly compatriot she became after she was outed. Her time with the demons changed her a lot.

[Murkus]

[Main Room, With Beargons]

"Do they? I pray, for your sake, that they're housetrained," Empty says, grinning that horrible grin at her. "You look... different, Darcy..." He can't quite put his finger on it.

[ThePhantom]

[Main Room, With Beargons]

Mr E backs away, he does have a hard time dealing with animals. And now there's Jack and a bunch of vampires. Great.

"Now Kuro, calm down please. No need to get angry."

[Gullara]

[Main Room, With Beargons]

Koro roars at Mr. E, a deafening sound that no doubt interrupts side conversations handily for a moment. He stops following after him, though, apparently satisfied that Mr. E knows well enough to back up.

That handled, the beargon turns around and goes back to the gold on the floor. He starts pulling the gold on the floor into a pile.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Office

"Yes, give it a little more time and see how things work out." Ilpholin agrees. May be opportunities for him yet.

"And if it doesn't... well, I'll understand."

[happyturtle]

Main Room, with Beargons

"I think he's angry," Darcy says. Where oh where is her nymph? >.<

[UncleWolf]

Cin's Lab

The professor can't help but smile wryly at the last bit. "I don't know. I'm sure your imagination can come up with someone better than me. As to whether or not they exist..." He says with a small wave of his hand. "That's another question."

[Slii Arhem]

Cin's Lab

"I don't know why you'd think so, if I can't imagine a more tasty meal than fish and rice then I'm sure you're stretching the limits of believability as it is." Shayan will eat with contented silence until the meal is done, and then consider her dining partner with an unusually keen glance.

"I don't suppose I could convince you to let me share a bed tonight? The last time I had to make my way anywhere this week I forgot my pants, and I'd rather not chance that happening again."

[UncleWolf]

Cin's Lab

Cin can't help but chuckle. "You certainly won't find me objecting to a lack of pants on your behalf." He tells the plant-woman before standing and taking away the dirty dishes. "I don't mind you spending the night at all, Shayan. You hardly even need to ask."

[Slii Arhem]

Cin's Lab

"If I didn't ask, how would you know I wanted to? Unless you just want me to crawl into your bed in the nude while you're sleeping. I can probably manage that." In any case, she's asked this time so it won't be long before the two of them go to sleep so they can prepare for a difficult surgery in the morning.

[Hattish Thing]

Main Room-Hiding in A Corner


Thenardier had watched the pillow slaughter the beast, and frowns. He was hungry....Now he can't eat it. You can only eat something if you kill it yourself after all. Clegg moves over to the middle of the room with his uneven, feral gait. Clegg drips dark, brackish seawater, and his clothes are covered in barnacles, seaweed, and blood. His face and skin are also covered in the sea creatures, his teeth riddled with holes. He moves over to first person he sees, Darcy. He speaks out, showing his teeth and the sea creatures crawling about inside....
Woul' ye 'appen t' know where I coul' join?

[UncleWolf]

Cin's Lab

"Now there is a delightful thought. I couldn't imagine something more beautiful to wake up to." Cin says with a lopsided smile before he reaches out to try and wrap his arm around her waist and take her towards the bed.

[Jacklu]

(So sorry I missed this...)

Magtok's office - During Incident

Cyrus accepts a cup of tea, and assuming it isn't poisoned or similar, takes a sip.

Ah, splendid! So, I believe we haven't been introduced so far. I'm Cyrus Ahu, Seventh Flame of the Arcane Order of Undrod, and Multiverse-Renowned Planeswalker! How about you?

Meanwhile, the Demons will find their path to Cyrus blocked by Zombies that drag themselves from the floor, regardless of what basic physics has to say on the matter. They just keep coming, too! Seems Zulfirus isn't the only one capable of putting armies together on short notice.

[Magtok's Office - During Incident]

"Ah, thank you," Empty says, tumbling past their host and snatching a cup whilst he rebounds off the nearby wall. He lands amidst the demons, twirling about to take a sip, whilst his free hand wacks some poor bastard in the schnoz. "Might I ask what you've done with our resident cyborg, sir? He'll likely be upset if someone here's killed him again."

The demons are rapidly dispatched but replaced just as fast. This might be frustrating.

My name is Zulfirous Sol. I was here for an interview. I'm afraid I did kill Magtok. Well, not afraid I did. It wasn't very difficult. Anyways, I think I was busy poisoning the base. Was there something you wanted?

He floats over and puts the tea back down on a desk. Then he turns and starts shooting lightning out of the fingertips of his left hand at the two of them.

Excuse me. Sometimes I do this. A bit of a bad habit.

[UncleWolf]

Entrance

A pet salesman carefully steps closer to the door, gulping as he looked up at it. The place had an evil air about it, everyone knew, but he was getting triple hazard pay just to deliver a free sample of their goods, so he was going to do it. The blue-uniformed man sets a small package at the doorstep, about three feet wide by three feet tall by two feet deep, and runs back to his hovertruck to get the hell out of there.

The package, more of a crate, rocks back and forth gently with the label "Niven's Pet Emporium: FREE SAMPLES!" on it.

Anyone listening will hear chittering from within.

[ThePhantom]

Main Room, with Beargons

"Oh really, I hadn't noticed."

Mr E continues to back away from Koro, keeping his distances from the vampires in the room.