Random Plots and Places 11: Still more random than you!

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call

"If we can confirm your identity, sir, I can connect you to our high-priority line?"

Well, after a bit of confirmation is done, Orochi will be connected to... Gilded Caravan.

"Hello? Orochi, was it?"

[Fenric]

[Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call]

Orochi's speech is polished and refined, with only the barest hint of a strange accent. (Not sure how to even imagine what the combination of Draconic and Japanese would sound like...)

Indeed. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call

"Gilded Caravan, of Gilded Caravan. I make it a point to work with gods directly. It's something of a hobby by now. Oh, thank you for using the phone, by the way. A lot of gods decide it's acceptable to send prophets or angels or just make demands in a GREAT BOOMING VOICE and it gets rather tiring. Might I ask who recommended us to you?" Caravan asks, fairly sure she knows but not one to assume.

[Fenric]

[Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call]

Orochi chuckles, choosing to not debate the distinction between "god" and "greater kami". Doubtless there are people who worship him, not that he pays them the slightest attention.

You are most welcome. And I do understand how that goes, believe it or not.

You were recommended by my daughter Tamamo, who works for Inari.

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call

"Ah, networking is beautiful. In any case, how can I help you, Orochi? What do you want?" She asks it honestly; she's eager to hear what it is that he wants.

[Fenric]

[Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call]

Ah, right to the point.

So this: now that a small corner of my domain has attached to the Nexus, I am finding that the overall efficiency of my employees is less than required. The vast majority of my staff are dragonspawn, and can make use of Dragon Pearls, though next to none of them have earned one.

Finding and monitoring quests for everyone is out of the question, and regardless a great many would refuse even if I were to offer. And so, I need a steady source of un-attached pearls that I can gift to them instead. While that does yield a vastly inferior result to one that was properly earned, I am very confident that it should still provide the productivity boost that I require.

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call

"Permit me to clarify: Is this connected to Dragon Amulets, Dragon Pearls as in the gallstones, or... really, the choices go on. Do you know of a work of fiction that features these pearls? It's much faster than having to parse the whole gamut of possibilities."

And those are just the pearls connected to real dragons, there's a lot of things called 'Dragon Pearls' that don't have anything to do with real dragons. Or are just connected to Dragon Clams, which themselves are often improperly named.

[DoomITP]

The Clearing

The Professor gives Evan a once-over, then nods. "I've taken her away for treatment. I am here to try and ascertain how she was killed. You could tell me that, and I could take you to my lab, where she is."

Evan stands up and throws his weapon over his shoulder.

Let's go!

[Fenric]

Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call

"Permit me to clarify: Is this connected to Dragon Amulets, Dragon Pearls as in the gallstones, or... really, the choices go on. Do you know of a work of fiction that features these pearls? It's much faster than having to parse the whole gamut of possibilities."

And those are just the pearls connected to real dragons, there's a lot of things called 'Dragon Pearls' that don't have anything to do with real dragons. Or are just connected to Dragon Clams, which themselves are often improperly named.

Orochi laughs! Caravan wins a point. Or even several.

They mythical Dragon Pearl, frequently seen under the right foreclaw in traditional art and sculpture: a soul-linked item that provides focus and amplification to the dragon's natural magic and for some can grant wishes to those lucky enough to deserve them. The folklore source of the Dragon Ball anime/manga franchise's silly premise and namesake.

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call

"Ahh. Working with that mystical and nebulous of artifact is always aggravating; they tend to be terribly picky about the whos and the whats and how rare they are. Give me some basis; how does one normally earn a dragon pearl?" Caravan asks, "I'm honestly behind on a lot of 'traditional' mythology; it's just not profitable to try and and mass-ship unique mythological artifacts."

[Shadowcaller]

--Elsewhere--

It's not the same as the room they left. The darkness has crept inside, crawling across the cracked leather cushions of the seats in little blots of ink, six-legged, forming long trails as they march across the walls and ceilings. They spill out from beneath the door, so numberous in the thin crack beneath that the shadows seem to writhe with their movement.

A messy crunching beneath John's hoof as he slips through the window.

The movement falls still.

And then, as one, they flare their little wings. The humm echoes from all sides of him. The exhaustion it brings, sudden and desperate. The cozy little light on the cabin roof flickers, dims, and dies as they come marching forward in wriggling battle lines.

3:10 to Nowhere

The crunch under his hoof makes John freeze whimper before he looks down. The glance is short-lived however as when the darkness flutters around and the exhaustion closes in he's forced to look around himself and hold his staff close. "Damn." He mutters. His pills could fend off the exhaustion for now, but the darkness was another matter. He closes his eyes for a moment and the orbs around him and Sutha both will brighten little by little, covering them both with light. It takes only that moment to build it up, but he'll have to sustain the brightness from here on out.

3:10 to Nowhere

Once John is inside the half-orc starts climbing into the window as well, silently cursing as she has to squeeze through the blasted thing again. The fact that the darkness had spread inside the train was worrying but since John had managed to get inside safely then so could she.
What really bothered her was the fact that it didn't seem like she could do anything about this blasted darkness or the drowsiness. If there was only some way to make it go away, or at least to punch it.

Once she managed to get inside she stares at the approaching darkness menacingly as it approaches the edges of John's lights, this just wasn't natural. Darkness wasn't supposed to be this dark. "Maybe we should find the other passengers. Safety in numbers and all." She suggests while looking for a way to get to the other wagons from here.

[Fenric]

Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call

As I am familiar with them, there are two ways to get them.

The first, and lesser, occur naturally in certain aquatic environments, and can be collected. The tales as to the actual source of these is without number: personally I believe they are condensation from small elemental fissures as happen from time to time. There is an irreversible ritual to attune the pearl to a user, after which it is theirs. The focus is less intense and the amplification lesser, but as they are more of a resource it was these I hoped you could obtain.

The second, and far superior, source is as the reward for a quest. The energies of such an adventure work to create a new pearl, especially for the bearer. The pearl is unique and non-transferable, so that method is not truly worth mentioning in terms of mercantile endeavors.

[Cyber Punk]

The Clearing

The Professor pauses for a moment, then waves Evan over, leading him into the portal. "This way."

On the other side of the portal is a very high-tech lab with an operating table in the centre. Luna is lying down on the table, her vacant eyes staring at something past the ceiling. Her head has been clamped in place and a machine attached to the top of her head. Above and around her are various instruments, instruments that Evan might not know the uses of.

If it never occurred to Evan that her world was futuristic, it should occur to him now.

"There she is. I really should upgrade her nanites and give her something to help regenerate wounds. She's been dead for mere minutes, so she can still be saved."

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call

"Ah, attunement pearls. I do have a source of those. What kind of quantity are we talking about? 20? 40? 800?" Caravan asks.

[Fenric]

[Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call]

Some of that depends on the cost. Eventually, I will require one thousand six hundred seventy three to cover current staff, with recurring orders most likely in the range of 20 needed quarterly to handle expansions and staff turnover.

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call

"Sounds reasonable. You know, for the situation. Well, in my industry, you need to offer goods to get goods. What kind of payment can you provide? The rate that I can afford to send them to you will be proportionate to the rate that you send goods to me, of course." Sure, she technically has infinite money, but that doesn't mean that she'll bend over backward for a god.

[DoomITP]

Evan n Prof

Evan looks down at Luna's dead body, not really hearing the doctor until he starts saying that Luna can be saved.

"Then what are you waiting for?!"

[Fenric]

Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call

"Sounds reasonable. You know, for the situation. Well, in my industry, you need to offer goods to get goods. What kind of payment can you provide? The rate that I can afford to send them to you will be proportionate to the rate that you send goods to me, of course." Sure, she technically has infinite money, but that doesn't mean that she'll bend over backward for a god.

The main thing I have to offer is our shadowsilk: light, incredibly tough and durable, and gently magical. It's dangerous to harvest, challenging to weave, and the substances and methods used to dye it are a closely guarded secret.

And naturally, it's not the quickest thing in the world to make.

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call

"Well, those pearls aren't going to exactly flow like water, either, so it all works out. Let's talk details."

Well, the details can likely be handwaved, but Caravan is a fair trader... with an uncanny ability to correctly place how much something is worth. If Orochi tries to pull something, she'll be able to tell.

[Fenric]

[Gilded Caravan, Tnr - Phone Call]

Ah! It is an offense even to suggest! Orochi is a very noble eight-headed demon dragon.

Behold the power of handwavium!

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan Building

A few days after Hugh get promoted to phonework, he needs to turn something into Grissin. When he gets to her office, the door is closed, and there's someone else already inside. They're talking in hushed tones.

[Deathkeeper]

Gilded Caravan Building

Hugh is curious but is not about to break decorum. He waits outside, assuming the glass parts of the door's window make it obvious he's there. If he isn't let in after a few minutes he'll knock once so he can just skip the papers onto her desk and leave.

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan Building

After a few minutes, the other person walks out. She's wearing a dress that is black and swirled with silver... no, a bit brighter than silver. Also, her hair seems to be some kind of liquid metal. She leaves quickly.

Grissin, inside, seems a little scared.

[Deathkeeper]

Gilded Caravan building

Hugh blinks and steps inside.
"I have those Mark-ups you asked for, Ma'am. Is...is everything okay?" he asks, worried.

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan

"No, no, there's been a large problem with an important shipment, and the higher-ups are not happy," She says, "And a number of employees are going to be investigated, and-" she stops.

"But you're not one of them."

[Deathkeeper]

Gilded Caravan Building

Hugh smiles.
"Well, it's only been two weeks since I got here, and I haven't really left the office while on duty so yeah, it would be pretty hard for me to have interfered with an order. What went wrong? Someone lose some inventory?" he asks.

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan Building

"There... might be someone who's skimming. Now, I know that the workplace honesty presentation seemed normal enough, but... in this company, if you cross the line, the thunder drops on you from above. And skimming inventory is like a unforgivable sin in this industry." She shakes her head. "Someone is going to go down, and until then things are going to be tense around here."

[Deathkeeper]

Gilded Caravan Building

Hugh gulps. The image of the boss-pony dropping into the office and kicking someone out in every sense of the phrase is both terrible and hilarious.
"Right, then. That all you need from me?" he asks, a little nervous now.

[Lost_Deep]

Gilded Caravan Building

"Actually, since you aren't under investigation, I would like you to take care of this," She pulls out a file. "Look through the contact information here, and tell them that due to unavoidable circumstances the shipment will be delayed. If they ask you why, say you are not at liberty to reveal details. The shipment should only be late by one or two weeks. Okay?"

[Deathkeeper]

Gilded Caravan Building

Hugh nods and takes the file. He offers Grissin a polite good-day before heading back to his office and calling the number.