MERC XVI: Morality is Relative; Professional Standards Aren't!

[Hattish Thing]

[By the Fireplace]

Dena smirks. "What do people expect when they meet a drow honestly? I get that people think we're mean, but how much of that can you really show in ten minutes?" She shrugs, giving Caius a questioning look, smiling all the way. She has a very expressive body-language, often using her hands as she talks. "But I suppose I'm slightly different from other drow I met. They tend to be shorter and have differently colored eyes." She wraps some of her hair around her finger. "And a slightly different shade of white hair too."

He shrugs. "Bad things, from what I've heard." He doesn't mean offense to her, but he's still just a little bit distrustful of her. After all, drow are a whole new thing for him, and not a species well-represented in the books he's read. He'll continue to respond to her interesting conversation, feeling a little bit more drawn in. "A lot. My... um, boss, before this happened, he was good at finding things out about people..."

[Lost_Deep]

The Kitchen

Memento quirks his head to the side. Dena can feel a bit of curiosity, so there's that. He doesn't seem to be completely against the idea, at least?

[Shadowcaller]

[By the Fireplace]

"So he was a people person then? Or did he just beat it out of them the old-fashioned way? I knew people back in my world who could tell what you were thinking of just by looking at 'ya. Scary stuff right there. I'm guessing your boss was a pretty scary person too if he could find out so much about someone." Dena replies as she gives Caius a curious look. She didn't seem at all offended at what he said.

The Kitchen

"Don't worry, gonna start easy on 'ya. Something not so dangerous. We're just scouting after all. Not gonna take down the entire dungeon by ourselves." Dena leans back and keeps nibbling away on the waffle.

[Lost_Deep]

The Kitchen

Memento goes back to eating, giving the waffle iron just enough attention to keep the waffles from burning and to fill it up when it's ready.

[Hattish Thing]

[By the Fireplace]

"So he was a people person then? Or did he just beat it out of them the old-fashioned way? I knew people back in my world who could tell what you were thinking of just by looking at 'ya. Scary stuff right there. I'm guessing your boss was a pretty scary person too if he could find out so much about someone." Dena replies as she gives Caius a curious look. She didn't seem at all offended at what he said.

Caius responds with an air of relative unease. This topic was making him uncomfortable, it seemed. "Both." He doesn't offer more information than that, wanting to talk about other things. However, he does give a reason for his sudden change of subject. "When... this happened." He gestures to his surroundings. "I wasn't on good standing with him. Just... a business thing, really. I'd rather not like to talk about him anymore." And that's that.

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office - Marciano]

"People can think whatever they want about me." There's a laugh. "But hey, as long as they can't prove it, it doesn't matter. When you're someone like me, it don't matter what the public things 'boutcha." He'll shuffle a few papers around on his side, looking at something. "Nooooow, actually, I have a list of people it could have been. Not that it matters." With a grin, he'll respond. "Now, of course you'd be taking a risk. That's why you won't be signing a contract with my publicly. All I need is a few of your well-trained whatevers to spend a li'l bit of time with me, sort of help with defenses."

"No one but them would ever need to know."

"Unofficial cooperation has this ugly way of coming to light," Dipsnig says, sceptically. "If I find some competent licensees who don't mind getting their hands really dirty and keeping it all quiet, I'll send them your way. No full-time members, of course."

[Hattish Thing]

[Dipsnig's Office - Marciano]



"Unofficial cooperation has this ugly way of coming to light," Dipsnig says, sceptically. "If I find some competent licensees who don't mind getting their hands really dirty and keeping it all quiet, I'll send them your way. No full-time members, of course."

There's a click of the tongue on the other end of the line. "Ya sure about that? I've been pretty good at keeping my work quiet, of late. Probably why I'm not already bein' attacked by the Union, after all. An', yeah. Competence woul' be nice, considering most who work under me who don't know 'ow to 'andle themselves end up toasted. Who'd ya have in mind?"

[Shadowcaller]

[By the Fireplace]

Dena nods. "Know when to fight, know when to run. Me myself I prefer not fighting at all if it can be avoided. That's how I kept myself alive all this time. Skill and power can only take you so far, but eventually your luck will run out and you get end up killed by a stray bullet or something else stupid. Might seem strange coming from a mercenary, but you can still do a lot of work and somehow avoid fighting as well. If you do fight, just keep yourself in the background and let the crazy people that rush into melee take all the attention from you." She raises her hand. "No offense if you're one of those persons. You're essential for us that prefer to stay in the back."

The Kitchen

Just how much was that cat going to eat? She suddenly imagined Momento's body swollen up as a little grey-colored balloon. "I don't think you should make more, there is no way we're going to eat all this." She gestures at her own little waffle tower with only one waffle missing from the stack.

[Lost_Deep]

The Kitchen

It was only, like, four waffles. The rest are piling up on the counter.

The Espurr hops over to the fridge, which the pokemon opens and reveals to be mostly empty. It seems that Memento decided to stock the pantry a bit.

[UncleWolf]

Phone Call

The morning after the Raid on MERC, Dipsnig will find his phone ringing. Should he answer, he'll hear a rather familiar and much-hated voice. "Morning, Dipsnig. It seems we have some unfinished business to settle. Apparently one of my soldiers captured one of yours. Don't worry, he's unharmed and well taken care of. Normally I'd ask for his weight in precious metals, but in this case I'm willing to negotiate on the ransom. Despite having the upper paw and the power to control the negotiation, she doesn't sound happy. Instead her tone is strictly business like.

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office - Marciano]

"There's a gang of dwarven street-fighters from some high-tech, magical world," Dipsnig says. "They've got guns, explosives, cybernetics and magic. They should fit the bill."

[Phone Call]

Dipsnig breathes in deeply, but noiselessly. Keep it cool. She'll get her comeuppance soon enough if all goes according to plan.

"Really now. Since you're offering, I suppose I might see what can be done," he says, his tone making it clear he'd leave Krait behind without a second thought if it was inconvenient or too costly to retrieve him. Which isn't really true, but it's pretty much impossible to tell. "If it's gold you want, I can provide that."

[UncleWolf]

Phone Call

"Actually, I have a better deal for you. Thirty pounds of that lovely mithral laced steel that the golem appears to have been made from. That or fifteen pounds of gold. Your choice. Unless you have something else you'd rather pay in. Brokenfang says.

[Morty]

[Phone Call]

Hmm. Rilla might not like her materials being handed over... but then, if certain plans he has work out, those lowlifes might not have an opportunity to use it. It's cheaper than gold, anyway.

"This suits me. Give me the time and place, and we can make an exchange."

[UncleWolf]

Phone Call

"The Temple of The Burning Light. Riverside. At 2 in the afternoon." She says. It's...certainly an odd choice for a ransom turnover, but it would definitely mean MERC couldn't attempt any hostilities against her without threat of severe retribution. "And bring Krait's polearm. He was wondering about it while he was here." She adds, hanging up unless he has something to add.

[Hattish Thing]

[By the Fireplace]

Dena nods. "Know when to fight, know when to run. Me myself I prefer not fighting at all if it can be avoided. That's how I kept myself alive all this time. Skill and power can only take you so far, but eventually your luck will run out and you get end up killed by a stray bullet or something else stupid. Might seem strange coming from a mercenary, but you can still do a lot of work and somehow avoid fighting as well. If you do fight, just keep yourself in the background and let the crazy people that rush into melee take all the attention from you." She raises her hand. "No offense if you're one of those persons. You're essential for us that prefer to stay in the back."

Caius seems to agree with her. "Battle has always been a part of my life, it's second nature to me." This really wasn't strictly true, for the man had only recently begun his career in mercenary work, and it was for Marciano. The fighting was painful, but worth the pay. The killing though... He'll never get used to that. "I prefer to stay behind as well."

"Not fond of pain."

[Dipsnig's Office - Marciano]

"There's a gang of dwarven street-fighters from some high-tech, magical world," Dipsnig says. "They've got guns, explosives, cybernetics and magic. They should fit the bill."

Marciano nods at the other end of the line, pleased with it. "Mkay. That sounds great. So, what you wanted in return was... what exactly? There was talk 'o defense work, but I don't think you 'ave any attention of following through with that..."

"So, what's it ya need, Dipsnig?"

[Shadowcaller]

[By the Fireplace]

Dena smiles at that. "Who is besides pain-stealers? I heard a lot of Kirk's people were into that. Don't tell him I told you that though, he's the other lieutenant here in MERC. Kinda short, wears a funny hat and sun-gasses." And yet Dena is obsessing over said "funny hat". "If you'd been a girl, he'd attempt to seduce ya."

[Hattish Thing]

[By the Fireplace]

Dena smiles at that. "Who is besides pain-stealers? I heard a lot of Kirk's people were into that. Don't tell him I told you that though, he's the other lieutenant here in MERC. Kinda short, wears a funny hat and sun-gasses." And yet Dena is obsessing over said "funny hat". "If you'd been a girl, he'd attempt to seduce ya."

Caius ponders over the one person in his life who truly enjoyed pain, more giving than receiving, however. He'll shudder a little bit before casting all unpleasant memories of his former employer into the back of his mind again. He'll respond to her, raising his arms up and slowly wiggling a finger at the direction of the fireplace, gently removing one of the tools about it to tend and stoke at the fire. He was getting cold. "I'm sure there are those who like pain." He'll adjust his seating before continuing. "Oh? Haven't met him."

"Seducing me? I'm marri-" He stops before he finishes the word.

"Nevermind."

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office - Marciano]

"Right now, hard cold cash will do," Dipsnig says. "We're going to have some pretty big expenses soon."

[Phone Call ==> Rilla's Lab]

After hanging up, Dipsnig will head up to Rilla's laboratory, sighing and shaking his head.

[Shadowcaller]

[By the Fireplace]

"Don't worry about it, you're a guy after all." Dena replies. "There's also a crazy robot, the boss technobabble girlfriend, a beastmaster pixie, a shadow guy, an arrogant kobolt, a shirtless minotaur, a shape shifting dragon, some hunter chick and some other people you don't see very often."

[Hattish Thing]

[Dipsnig's Office - Marciano]

"Right now, hard cold cash will do," Dipsnig says. "We're going to have some pretty big expenses soon."

Marciano chuckles a bit. "Mmm, that so, hun? Mmf. Well 'en, I suppose I can arrange that. I suspect there's gonna be a sudden drop in profit on my side in the next week o' two. I don't imagine the casino will be allowed to continue it's existence, aheh. Maggy can be so destructive when he's pissed off, after all." There's a final pause as he looks over something, before speaking again. "No matter though. I'm movin' most of the valuables out of the place, and transferring it elsewhere. I ain't got the time to talk much longer."

"'Ow much ya need."

[By the Fireplace]

"Don't worry about it, you're a guy after all." Dena replies. "There's also a crazy robot, the boss technobabble girlfriend, a beastmaster pixie, a shadow guy, an arrogant kobolt, a shirtless minotaur, a shape shifting dragon, some hunter chick and some other people you don't see very often."

Caius looks around for a pencil and pad to write all this information on, but finds nothing but a pen in his pocket. "I suppose you'll need to point them out when I see them." He'll cross his arms again, seemingly trying to pull more warmth to him. "I've never been particularly great with names... Hope you'll understand."

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office - Marciano]

Dipsnig names a rather large sum of money, as befits arranging for a competent group of mercenaries with no questions asked, and given Marciano's pressing situation.

"Oh, yes. If you throw in a bit extra I can have a warlock in my employ summon some extraplanar monsters to help you, as well."

[Shadowcaller]

[By the Fireplace]

"There is actually a list with all the members and I even happen to have it with me." Dena could have most things with her thanks to her pockets of holding. She simply reaches into one of them and hands over a list to Caius to look over. "Keep it, I got plenty of those. It's not like it's a secret or anything. Anything else I can help you with?"

[Hattish Thing]

[Dipsnig's Office - Marciano]

Dipsnig names a rather large sum of money, as befits arranging for a competent group of mercenaries with no questions asked, and given Marciano's pressing situation.

"Oh, yes. If you throw in a bit extra I can have a warlock in my employ summon some extraplanar monsters to help you, as well."

Marciano will haggle with Dipsnig on price for a while, but I can't imagine it'd be very fun to play through, so perhaps we could skip that part?

Anyway, when an appropriate price is set upon, Marciano finally replies to the offer. "Mmmkay. Now, what were ya sayin', bout some wizardy fellow? Ahh, yes. Monsters. Hm. What sorta things ya got to send at me?"

"Ooooh. I got a nasty li'l idea."

"Anything canine?"

[By the Fireplace]

"There is actually a list with all the members and I even happen to have it with me." Dena could have most things with her thanks to her pockets of holding. She simply reaches into one of them and hands over a list to Caius to look over. "Keep it, I got plenty of those. It's not like it's a secret or anything. Anything else I can help you with?"

Caius shrugs a bit before moving to grab the list and cordially looking over it for a second or two. After he finishes up, he'll fold it and place it in his jacket pocket again. He looks towards the carpet now, again refraining from glancing towards Dena. He didn't seem to enjoy gazing straight at people for some odd reason. Who knows why, maybe it's just one of his quirks. Caius will speak again, his voice calm but a little sad. There's something on his mind, clearly.

"No."

"When do I start?"

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office - Marciano]

Dipsnig chuckles. He's perfectly aware of Magtok's canine phobia, having used it to torment the cyborg many times.

"I'll see what she can do, but I don't expect those creatures to resemble any real canines too much."

[Shadowcaller]

[By the Fireplace]

"You can always start by trying to make yourself familiar with other people around here, getting contacts you know. But considering you already have me, perhaps you should start with some work." Dena grins. "Malechenar, that flying castle in riverside, has hired us to police Westside. All you need to do is take a quick course in the laws they have there and then you probably can waste away your days eating donuts. Not much going on in Riverside these days."

[Hattish Thing]

[Dipsnig's Office - Marciano]

Dipsnig chuckles. He's perfectly aware of Magtok's canine phobia, having used it to torment the cyborg many times.

"I'll see what she can do, but I don't expect those creatures to resemble any real canines too much."

"Will ya? That'd be great. How fast can ya 'ave 'em sent and ready for use?" It seemed that Marciano was on a rather stressful schedule, and what with all the nonsense going on in his life at the moment, it wasn't surprising.

[By the Fireplace]

"You can always start by trying to make yourself familiar with other people around here, getting contacts you know. But considering you already have me, perhaps you should start with some work." Dena grins. "Malechenar, that flying castle in riverside, has hired us to police Westside. All you need to do is take a quick course in the laws they have there and then you probably can waste away your days eating donuts. Not much going on in Riverside these days."

He smiles, but it's that same sad smile he seems to sport at all times. It doesn't look painful, nor unnatural on his face, but it is somewhat melancholy. Something about the way he didn't show teeth when he smiled, and how dull he looked was just... unnerving. Smiling people shouldn't look so dead inside, should they? He'll nod a bit before placing his hands atop one another in his lap, looking down to them and back up again.

Riverside.

He asks a rather nervous question, but quickly attempts to pass it off as an awkward stretch. Perhaps she'll just think his foot was asleep or something. Caius speaks. "Ah. What... ahem. What part of Riverside?" He shrugs and looks over his shoulder for a second. "And, erm, when can a copy of the course be sent to me? I'd like to learn what I need to as soon as possible. There's not much for me to do right now, what with being new here."

"Besides, work has always taken my mind off things."

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office - Marciano]

"Shouldn't take too long. Our warlock doesn't have any pressing tasks at the moment, so I'll ask her to focus on the summoning for the time being. You should get both the dwarven crew and the starspawn within a few days," Dipsnig says.

[Shadowcaller]

[By the Fireplace]

"It's a lawbook, if you have some kind of email I'll send you a pdf of it to you right away." Dena replies, not showing any reaction to his odd behavior. "As to answer your first question, it's Westside. The one Tenebras controlled before they disappeared. Seems like a pretty easy deal if ya ask me."

[Gullara]

[Front Door]

There comes a knock at the door later one afternoon. I little rapid and insisting sounding, which probably isn't uncommon at the MERC front door. It's bloody cold outside.

[Deathkeeper]

Front Door

The door is opened, revealing one (1) brown-furred minotaur. Shirtless, as if in stark defiance of the cold weather.
"Wasn't locked. How can we help you?" he says warmly, gesturing for the stranger to come inside.