[Nexus] The Black Dragon's Den XIII

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

"That's certainly one way of putting it, blissfully naive and aroused by anything pretty coming within sight of her is the one I prefer however. Impressionable just doesn't quite cut it, that little gal is turned on by danger, yet have little to no combat experience. She is a living, breathing, contradiction, and apparently she is also immortal. If she is killed a machine somewhere just clones her." Dena replies. "But, now I'm making it sound like I hate her, but I think you know how hard they are to dislike, no? In whatever form she is, that boundless energy is just infectious. You can't resist smiling as you roll your eyes around her."

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting]

Fayyaad grins, and nods. He understands what Dena is saying quite well.

"Believe me, I know. She has a way of pulling people in. As for the danger... well, we me when I saved her from getting beaten up, like I said. Then I gave her a lift home using the magic carpet you saw me get. So I also see what you're saying."

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

"Right, well, keep an eye on her or she will get herself in danger. Simply telling people that she is male might get some people upset once they find out the truth. Not everyone around here is that accepting."

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting]

Fayyaad rubs the back of his head awkwardly.

"Yes, I can see that. Speaking of which... would you mind telling her that I found out next time you see her? I have no idea how to bring it up otherwise."

[Ashen Lilies]

[An Excellent Night... FOR A CURSE]

A lizard walks into a bar...

At least, it would appear to be mostly lizard. The being that enters was certainly originally reptilian in nature, with its charcoal scales, long tail, and clawed, digitigrade hind legs. The creature's face is long, narrow, and therapod-like, with clearly visible sharp teeth and a brace of horns that grow backwards out of its skull, the two longest adorned with numerous gold rings wrapped around and dangling from piercings carved through the ivory-white bone. Lizard is not all that it is, however - many aspects of its appearance suggest some form of chimerism at play - the solid black eyes of a shark set within those ridged sockets, and the gills of one too, flat slits pressed closed at the sides of the creature's throat against exposure to the open air. Its hunched upper-body posture, with the long, bulky arms is suggestive of simian body shapes, the heat-sensitive pits on either side of its upper jaw clearly pulled from a specific variety of viper, and all in all, appears to be a phenological trainwreck. But it mostly looks like a lizard, so we'll call it a lizard.

The lizard is wearing an ensemble that's as eclectic as its own body - a suit of armor made out of a mishmash of mismatched plates of varying materials, both organic and not, decorated with a number of jagged metal edges, spines, horns, feathers, pelts, and other pieces of assorted collected detritus suggesting a propensity for scavenging, but a considerable lack of taste. At its hip hangs a pair of weapons - the first a jagged metal axe with a fearsomely serrated edge, the second a kind of sword made from lots of sharpened horns and claws lashed to a wooden stick.

The lizard stalks its way to the bar, accosting the first being it comes across, whether they be a patron or a server.
"Curse seeks the Black Dragon of this Den. This one will tell Curse of where the dragon is to be found," says the lizard, its voice deep and raspy as one would expect a lizard's voice to be.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting/A night for a curse]

"Of course, if I get across her first, I'll be sure to tell her that you know." Dena replies as the 'lizard' comes wandering towards them. What a unique... person?

He or she was probably an adventurer with all that gear, that or some kind of mercenary or soldier. They were alone though, had they just arrived to the nexus perhaps? Probably not, it didn't seemed shocked or surprised. A lone traveler that was making their way towards their table. "The black dragon? Hate to disappoint, but I don't think there are any black dragons around here. The bar is owned by a drow, Raril, and I have never heard that he's keeping a black dragon. It's probably just a name."

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting/A night for a curse]

"If there was a dragon here, you wouldn't need to ask around for it," Fayyaad says. "They tend to stand out."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Lunch Meeting]

The lizard's eyes narrow at Fayyaad.

"That one makes joke?" It asks. "Yes... that one mocks Curse. When Curse eats it, where is mockery then?" It threatens, baring its teeth in a lizardy grin. Which is to say, a very pointy one.

"No dragon," it confirms. "Name is lie?"

It sounds a little disappointed.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

Curse made a very good point for not making jokes around him.
"Its like naming a weapon, or a pet, you want to make it sound impressive, even if it is anything but. That's why you name a place after a dragon." Dena attempts to explain. "So, yeah, the name is only to make the bar sound impressive."

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting]

Fayyaad looks quite unnerved by the lizard-person's sudden threat of eating him.

"I... meant no offence," he says. "I was just jesting."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

A blue beam descends into the bar next to Fayyaad and materializes into a blonde woman. Electra looks to Fayyaad and then back at Dena, then shrugs.

"Well, that's taken care of, at least."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Lunch Meeting]

The lizard looks like it's about to respond to Fayyaad and Dena's various comments, when suddenly another creature appears next to them in a beam of light. Normally, the implications of this technology for free food delivery would excite the lizard, given a couple moments to think about it, but this creature... is not food. It looks like food - the lizard could see no difference between it and any other of the mewling two-legged food creatures. But the smell is completely wrong - oil and metal, not food smell at all.

The lizard snarls and takes several steps back, hunching over into an aggressive posture as it reaches for its weapons.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

Great, another pointless conflict Dena needed to put an end to.
"Not worth it, relax, she is with us." Dena is quick to insist as she gets up from her chair.

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting]

Fayyaad is looking between Electra and the lizard. This is getting out of hand. Why is this... lizard-person reacting in such a way?

"Well, hello. And yes, everyone settling down sounds like a good idea."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra's head snaps around as the lizard steps back and reaches for its weapons. She takes three quick steps away from him as her right hand drops to her right side and pushes her jacket back slightly, letting her hand fall onto the grip of a concealed pistol of some kind. She doesn't draw it yet, instead choosing to try and de-escalate the situation, holding up her other hand in a "stop" motion.

"Calm down, I'm not here to hurt you." Her voice is calm and even, and just a hair commanding, but she shows no fear, just the practicality of a soldier faced with a possible threat.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Lunch Meeting]

"What manner of creature is it?" Asks the lizard, nostrils dilating as it continues to try to make sense of the two-legs that does not smell like a two-legs. This is bad! Wrong!

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

Dena glances at Electra. "You wanna explain that, Electra?" If Electra actually considered it worth it. it was one of the downsides of going to BDD, you always found a bunch of troublemakers.

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting]

Fayyaad shows uncommon tact in choosing not to say something that might escalate the situation. He remains silent for now.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra lowers her free hand, but keeps her other hand on her weapon, ready to draw in an instant. Her gaze doesn't waver from the lizard, and she won't remove that hand from her own weapon until the lizard sheathes its own. She considers for a moment, thinking how best to explain it to a creature that's obviously not used to seeing her sort of technology.

"I'm an artificial person. I was made, not born, but I think and feel, just like any other person. I was made to look like a human so that I could more easily live among them. Does that answer your question?" Glossing over quite a lot, but the lizard probably won't care. It's the simplest answer and the one the creature is most likely to be able to understand.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Lunch Meeting]

The lizard hisses aggressively, but doesn't draw its weapons or take any other hostile moves. A dragon's den with no dragons, and a meat creature not made of meat - was everything in this strange land made of lies? Clearly the lizard should flee this sinful place.

And it does so.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

Dena breathes out, relived as the lizard leaves. "Was afraid that would turn into another fight. One of the downsides of visiting the Den I suppose, most people here know to not bother me however."

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting]

"That was a... pretty strong reaction, I have to admit," Fayyaad says. "Both to the tavern's name, and Electra's... nature."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra relaxes as the lizard high-tails it out of the bar, rolling her shoulders and straightening her jacket just slightly, then rolls her eyes in annoyance.

"I knew I should have teleported to the door instead of straight back in here. It always seems to cause problems."

She sighs, brushing a stray bit of her hair out of her face, before looking to Fayyaad.

"So, what brought you into the Den today, Fayyaad?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

"Suddenly appearing right in front of people usually does." Dena muses. "I'm just glad nothing happened, who knows who might have decided to join in?"

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting]

"I just came here to have a few drinks in a locale different than Trog's, where I usually go," Fayyaad says, grinning. "And maybe meet some interesting people. I've certainly accomplished the latter goal. Even if I didn't expect to end up in a spiritual seance."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra smiles at Fayyaad as she takes her seat back.

"It wasn't on my agenda today, either. Nor was playing host to another soul for awhile, but my day started weird and has only gotten weirder, so I figured I might as well get it all out in one go."

She grins at Dena.

"Usually the weapons coming out tends to discourage the idiots looking for a friendly barfight. I'm glad I didn't need to draw on him, though." She seems to grow a bit more introspective with that last line, and falls silent for a few moments, reflecting.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

"So am I, the thing with the nexus is that you never really know what your opponent is capable of. That could be a dragon in disguise for all we know, you guys know what a dragon is what? Big, winged, scaled?" Dena asks.

[Morty]

[Lunch Meeting]

"I get the general gist, yes," Fayyaad says. "The 'big' part, especially. I'm glad it didn't come to blows, either way."

He then looks back to Electra.

"Right, you carried Raril's soul back to his body. Seems that went well. You probably still could use a drink, though."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Lunch Meeting]

Electra nods in agreement with Fayyaad about the 'big' part. She hasn't actually met one in the Nexus yet, but she's fought the mechanical versions that are no less big or nasty that have been built in her home dimension. The part about them being disguised as something else entirely is a new one, though. She looks a bit startled when he suggests she could use a drink, though. Now that he's mentioned it, she really could.

"Yeah, I think I could, rules and all." She flags down one of the servers. "I need a shot of cinnamon whiskey, a shot of Jaegermeister, and a pint of Hearthbrew mead, if you please."

She looks back to Fayyaad after the server takes off to fill her order, and smiles gently. "I have a rule, well, a promise, really, that I keep whenever I drink. I hope you don't mind; I know it's a bit odd, but if you're offering, I'll let you buy my first real round after I take care of my promise."

[Shadowcaller]

[Lunch Meeting]

That was a bit odd. "You keep whenever you drink? What does that mean? I mean, how does alcohol even interact with your machine parts? How do they mimic drunkenness somehow, and why would they? It's technically a poison after all. A warlock friend of mine used a "cure poison" pact to cure his own drunkenness before he fell asleep. It was pretty sweet, no hungover the next day no matter how much he drank the night before. The trick was of course to drink just enough so he still was able to remember, and capable, to perform it before falling asleep."