[Nexus] AMEN XLV: The Zoo

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Atlantis Labs]

"Food would be good. I am feeling kind of hungry." And Cedric probably is too!

"As for how you can help me...I need a way to catch sea creatures up to the size of dolphins."

[Slii Arhem]

Atlantis Labs -> Towards Food

"I have some kelp anglers in a shallow pool I could part with. I'm not sure how well you could direct them to get what you wanted, but they would be far more efficient than nets if you set them loose. If you wanted something more hands on, I have a spongiform fungus that converts carbon dioxide and water into oxygen at an accelerated rate that you could breath through. I would have to supersaturate it with nitrogen first, but it would make a very efficient respirator until the nitrogen ran out." Shayan was a little too quick with those answers, hinting that if she didn't actually know what Isabelle needed before she was told, her sight informed her of what would be useful nearly simultaneously.

She begins walking towards the doors that connect Atlantis to the main base, feet dragging along on their tiptoes as the vines support her and provide locomotion.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Towards Food]

"So you saw that stuff in the future too then?" Isabelle asks, picking up on the unusually swift reply. "Both of those options sound good, I guess. I mean...I have no experience catching stuff underwater so I don't know how well I'd do at it, and if the kelp anglers aren't going to catch the right stuff, that won't accomplish much but they are at least solutions, which is better than the none I had before."

Some is definitely better than none. And Ilpholin didn't set any deadline for this, so screwing up in catching the damn things a few times won't be too problematic.

"Do you mind if a couple of my animal friends join us for food?"

[Slii Arhem]

Towards Food

"So long as I'm not on the menu. I would hate for one of us to nearly be eaten every time we meet. It would be a most unfortunate habit to get into." Shayan replies, apparently deep in thought.

"If we somehow tagged whatever you're after with chemical markers that would attract the anglers, we could direct them much more easily. However, the only natural substance I know of that attracts them is urine, and they aren't attracted to it strongly enough that simply dropping some in the water where these creatures you're after are would draw them any more than normal quantities of it would. You'd need something that's either naturally very strong or engineered to be." Not... exactly dinner conversation, but Isabelle should be made aware how it works if she's going to use them. Urine changes the PH balance of the water, and kelp anglers can detect that imbalance and know it means there's things to strangle and slowly eat nearby. It's also not strong enough to actually harm them like most acids would, and they know to shy away from such overly strong things.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Towards Food]

"Putting you on the menu wouldn't be a very nice thing to do. Besides, Wallace and Cedric don't like vegetables." Sure, there's some meat there too, but the icky veg would get in the way.

Although Wallace could probably eat Shayan's legs. She doesn't need them after all, right?

As they walk and Shayan talks, Isabelle idly waves a hand, making a brief little flash of cyan light.

"I wonder if I could teach Wallace to swim well underwater, if you gave him two of those fungus things."

[Slii Arhem]

Towards Food

They'd just grow back again anyway, but Shayan would still find it mildly uncomfortable because of the blood loss and accompanying anemia while she recovered.

"What is Wallace anyway? I don't think I've met him yet. Most animals have some knowledge of how to swim, so you might not have to teach him much at all, besides teaching him not to eat the fungi. Eating them would probably be very bad, but I've never tested how they react to stomach acid." And testing that on one of Isabelle's darlings would be most impolite of her.

Oh look, the non-euclidean geometries of the base have paid off! Despite how improbably it is, it seems they've crossed the distance between Atlantis and the kitchen in the span of a short conversation.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[At Food?]

As they enter the kitchen, Shayan will see that Isabelle's friends have beaten them here.

Cedric is Cedric, sitting on a table and shrieking.

Wallace is a massive two-headed bear with a rather dark fur coat.

Wallace's left head has red eyes. Wallace's right head has green eyes. Wallace's left head snorts, Wallace's right head grunts.

"In answer to your question, this is Wallace. I know bears are good swimmers, but there's a difference between being a good swimmer and being able to swim about underwater and catch dolphins. I've not had reason to test how good Wallace is at swimming."

The bear lumbers over to sniff at Shayan with his left head. The right is busy making happy noises because Isabelle is here.

Isabelle fishes out a metal gauntlet and slides it on before patting the bear's right head. "He's got razor sharp fur, you see. If someone tries to pat him without adequate protection, they're in for a nasty shock. If he butted someone's hand with his head, his fur would probably go right through and come out the other side."

[Slii Arhem]

Food!

Shayan is naturally very curious about this development, so she reaches up and tries to pat Wallace on the snout of his left head, not even flinching as the fur pierces her hand's palm and she starts gushing blood. The lifts the bloody appendage up to her face and stares at it impassively as the puncture wounds seal shut in less than a second.

"I see. He might not be the best way to catch things if you want them alive and not bleeding from thousands of tiny stab wounds. So, what would you like to eat?"

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Food!]

Wallace's left head licks his snout, clearing away any traces of blood.

No damage to the tongue in the process, notably. Isabelle apparently took the time to make sure Wallace wasn't at risk of hurting himself with his own fur. She's usually pretty thorough with her work.

Isabelle blinks, shrugs, and leaves it at that. There are easier ways of confirming the truth of such things, but...fair enough.

"Oh, I can make sure Wallace's fur won't be a problem." And to demonstrate, with a wave of her hand she creates a green glow around Wallace for a moment. She motions to the bear and the two engage in a friendly hug, Wallace being very careful not to put too much of his rather significant weight on Isabelle. And a moment later she steps back unharmed. "Guess I might as well leave the spell on him for now, just to be safe."

As for food...

"You know, I have no idea. Something with eggs in it, maybe? I'm in the mood for eggs."

"I'll sort things out for my friends. They're rather boring, they always want the same thing. A glass of blood for Cedric-" Cedric shrieks in agreement, "And a whole pig for Wallace."

[Mindfreak]

BioLab
Megans stores the sealed container, which is now being kept at the frosty temperature needed to keep the virus frozen.
That'll be handy for later. After all, Ilpholin will surely want a look at it.

[Slii Arhem]

[Food!]

Wallace's left head licks his snout, clearing away any traces of blood.

No damage to the tongue in the process, notably. Isabelle apparently took the time to make sure Wallace wasn't at risk of hurting himself with his own fur. She's usually pretty thorough with her work.

Isabelle blinks, shrugs, and leaves it at that. There are easier ways of confirming the truth of such things, but...fair enough.

"Oh, I can make sure Wallace's fur won't be a problem." And to demonstrate, with a wave of her hand she creates a green glow around Wallace for a moment. She motions to the bear and the two engage in a friendly hug, Wallace being very careful not to put too much of his rather significant weight on Isabelle. And a moment later she steps back unharmed. "Guess I might as well leave the spell on him for now, just to be safe."

As for food...

"You know, I have no idea. Something with eggs in it, maybe? I'm in the mood for eggs."

"I'll sort things out for my friends. They're rather boring, they always want the same thing. A glass of blood for Cedric-" Cedric shrieks in agreement, "And a whole pig for Wallace."

Food!

"Ah... He must be very cuddly to sleep next to, when that spell is maintained. He would probably be more reliable than the anglers like that then, if you can teach him to hunt underwater. I'll make egg in a hole then, if that's alright with you. I just need some toast. done up and buttered." Shayan moves to the counter and grabs a loaf of bread from the bread box so she can start on the toast.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Food!]

"You know, I've never thought of that, but you're probably right. His fur is incredibly thick, after all." Because when your bear is covered in death-fur, you want them to have a lot of it. "It's very hard to penetrate the fur. I tested it extensively. Wallace was very brave, weren't you boy?" She asks, ticking the bear under his chins.

Wallace growls approvingly.

Cedric shrieks impatiently.

"Yes, alright Cedric." Isabelle smiles and runs off to sort out food for the squirrel and bear.

Shrimp has no idea what egg in a hole is, but will assume it's tasty, so Isabelle approves. By the time it's ready, Isabelle is back, and Wallace and Cedric are tucking into their food.

Wallace is literally just biting chunks out of a dead pig in the corner of the room.

[Slii Arhem]

Food!

Shayan soon finishes toasting and buttering the bread and then cuts out a hole in the center of each slice, popping them into her mouth and chewing idly as she works. She heats up a skillet and tosses two slices at a time into it, cracking eggs into them expertly and waiting for the eggs to fry a bit before flipping them and waiting a bit longer to finish them off.

She does the same with two more slices before sliding them on to plates and putting them on the table to eat just as Isabelle is getting back with the animal's food, "There we go. Hope you like it, I didn't add any spices since I didn't know what you might like."

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Food!]

Isabelle sits down and tucks in.

Food!

Food is good!

Wallace is periodically creating loud crunching noises as he consumes every last bit of the pig, effortlessly chomping through the bone.

"Oh, you could've put some spices in. I've eaten all sorts of weird things. It's not always easy getting gourmet food when you're hunting for your next project in a jungle or something, so it's forced me to grow to like quite a wide variety of things." Egg is good. Toast is good. Therefore this is good. Isabelle doesn't take long to munch through it.

[Lord Magtok]

Magtok's Office

And our intrepid volunteer now qualifies for fifteen new tax exemptions thanks to his new life status.

He plops the forms down onto Magtok's desk should he wish to look through them.

Magtok peers at the stack of forms, raising an eyebrow at the loathsome pile, before nudging it away back towards Zulfirous.

"I'll just be taking your word for that, Mr. Sol, but thank you for that demonstration nonetheless. So what made you consider joining our band of malefic murderers and blackhearted brigands?"

[Jacklu]

Magtok's office

Zulfirous shrugs and waves his hand. The stack of papers vanishes in a gout of flames, leaving behind a small dusting of ash.

I've been in between jobs for a bit and was looking to settle down and focus on my career. While passing through a dimensional crease the other day, I heard two colors talking about this Nexus and your organization. Apparently there have been quite a few high profile super villains that have sprung from this establishment and it seemed like a good opportunity to get back to my roots. It is always helpful to have a place to work free of adventuring heroes.

He pauses for a moment.

Of course, I am entirely willing to work for the best interests of this establishment as well as my own personal aims. My allies have been well rewarded in the past. Most of them, at least.

[Slii Arhem]

[Food!]

Isabelle sits down and tucks in.

Food!

Food is good!

Wallace is periodically creating loud crunching noises as he consumes every last bit of the pig, effortlessly chomping through the bone.

"Oh, you could've put some spices in. I've eaten all sorts of weird things. It's not always easy getting gourmet food when you're hunting for your next project in a jungle or something, so it's forced me to grow to like quite a wide variety of things." Egg is good. Toast is good. Therefore this is good. Isabelle doesn't take long to munch through it.

Food!

Shayan eats quietly, letting the egg yolk run down her chin a bit before mopping it up with a napkin. She doesn't reply until she's finished eating her own meal, but once she does her eyes are much more focused than they were when she first answered the door to her lab.

"Well, I didn't exactly know that, but I will for next time. Assuming I remember any of this, it's always hard to tell what will and won't be retained, or whether I'm dreaming or I really am talking to a pretty woman over a late breakfast in my underclothes."

[Murkus]

Main Room

Jack Empty, or at least the thing that looks like him, enters the base proper. He glances around, curious about the state of the ACRO. How deliciously... boring.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Food!]

"Perhaps you should keep a notebook or something to hand? Record anything important before you forget it?" Isabelle asks, sliding her plate to one side.

Meanwhile, Wallace and Cedric have finished their food and are busy chatting in the corner. There's a lot of shrieking involved on one side of the conversation.

"Well, I don't think I'm part of a dream. So I'm reasonably sure you are talking to a pretty woman over a late breakfast in your underclothes."

[The Bushranger]

A magical dimension shift is attempted! If it works, Becky's room might be moved into another dimension (but we might as well continue rping here in this thread because it technically is/was a part of AMEN).

"With pleasure."

Speaking of work, it is Clarissa's time to work it as she prances up to Becky and attempts to pull the curtains without delay. Not only is Lust taking command of Clarissa for this curtain, she's oozing pleasure magic and she won't be as careful as Clarissa is about not overstimulating her mortal paramours and thereby accidentally killing them off.

But with Becky being Becky and not being an average mortal, I guessing that Clarissa will have no regrets over it.

The curtains, needless to say, fall with haste, and stay down for what seems like a week.

Becky, needless to say, enjoys all this very, very, very much.

...but eventually, the curtains must rise! With a very, very, very exhausted and grinning Becky being there.

[The Alexandrian]

[Berissa's Brescia?]

Spell checker mix up or a reference I missed?

Beside the very, very, very exhausted Becky lies the very, very, very happy Clarissa who is wearing a smile that would put the Cheshire Cat to shame!

She whimsically whispers to Becky as she attempts to telekinetically pour two cups of hot chocolate for them!

"Y'know, agreeing to be your slave for a week was the smartest move I've made in a long, long time, Becky. I don't know if I said this to you before, but if I have I'll say it again. You are a wonderful girl, Becky. In fact, you are the most wonderful girl I know."

[The Bushranger]

..I have no idea where that came from.

...in any case, Becky actually blushes at Clarissa's honeyed words, and she goes to snuggle up to her fellow dimensionally-shifted lover with a grin. And possibly a little wriggling.

"Thanks. Don't...hardly ever hear that," she murmurs.

[The Alexandrian]

[Becky's]

An Italian ghost must be haunting your computer!!!

Oh noes! Clarissa is snuggled mercilessly by Becky!

As Becky cuddles up to her, she attempts to wrap an arm around her and tries to kiss her softly on the cheek.

"Well, you've always been there for me. You were the first person in the Nexus other than Dave who was nice to me and treated me like an equal. Ilpholin was mean to me, Gordon tazed me, and Prometheus attacked me, but you hugged me. You're my best friend and I care about you a whole lot."

Clarissa attempts to hand Becky a mug of hot chocolate with a peppermint stick and marshmallows in it!

[The Bushranger]

It's-a him!

Becky...has no idea how to respond to this. She's not the type to make friends and influence people! Well, maybe the latter...

So she just smiles, sipping her hot chocolate, and enjoying how it feels to be snuggled up to the naughty, naughty Clarissa!
"...so, what do we do next? More fun?" she asks, wriggling her eyebrows. "Or maybe head out, meet some people or something..."

[The Alexandrian]

[Becky's]

But Becky is a nice person! She's totally the type to make friends as long as making friends provides her with some special benefits!

"Let's have more fun! *Pulls curtain for all eternity.*"
"I dunno."

Clarissa chirps before she swallows a mouthful of her hot chocolate!

"Mmmmaybe we could check in on that girl you said you know. Maybe we could hit a tavern or two or throw eggs at WATCH. But whatever we do, let's take a break from curtains for a little while so we can see if the Nexus is still standing with us being away for so long and all."

[The Bushranger]

[Becky's]

She's fun for all involved! Well, mostly.

"That sounds like a cunning plan." Becky grins, and - a little wobbly on the legs - goes to roll out of bed and slip on her clothes. Which won't take long.

"She's pretty nifty. Fun to hang around with, too. I'm a little scared of her boss though even though I've never met him," Becky observes, shivering a little, even as she slips on her boots (first)! "She knows how to get things done, too..."

[The Alexandrian]

[Becky's]

Cunning like a fox or, in Becky and Clarissa's case, a vixen.

Clarissa follows Becky's lead and begins dressing herself as well! She'll take a little more time to get dressed than Becky because she's gonna be wearing clothes that are warm and concealing like thigh-high socks, a fur coat, and a shiny, shimmering, splendid cape made out of the pelt of a sentient creature because Inside and snow and a cold Clarissa is a miserable Clarissa, brr!

"How intriguing! Does she have a name? Who is her boss? What does she look like? And how nifty are we talking?"

Important questions! Clarissa wants the scoop on Becky's friend!

[The Bushranger]

[Becky's]

"It's Callie, I have no idea but he scares me, she's a pretty sulry black foxgirl who likes things Her Way, and she's oodles of fun."

Becky slips into her bodysuit, and decides to add a fur overcoat, since cold isn't all that fun (well, it can be, but not that kind of cold!).

[The Alexandrian]

[Becky's]

Clarissa climbs into her black fur leggings, slides 9 snug sock-like tail coverings onto her soft and furry tails, hops into polar bear fur boots, and places a warm black cap atop her head and she's ready to rock and roll! She'll attempt to sidestep over to Becky and helpfully hand her another warm, black cap with ear flaps!

"Is Callie as fun as I am?"

Clarissa playfully questions, a dash of mock jealousy seasoning her tone.

[The Bushranger]

[Becky's]

"Hmmmm..." Becky pretends to think about that as she slips on the cap, then sticks her tongue out at Clarissa.
"...not quite. Among other things, your tails are more...dextrous," she purrs!