MERC XVIII: Affordable Misdeeds and Friendly Canines

[Morty]

[Job Board]

"I am. It's a bit of a walk, so it's best if we leave promptly..."

With that, Fayyaad will lead Alaine out of the base and towards their goal.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[A New Recruit]

Electra and Cantata arrive in a blue beam of light, just outside of MERC's gate. The former leads the latter quickly inside, and gestures to one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, before signing to her.

Take a seat, and get warmed back up. I'll be right back with the forms. She bustles off for a moment, and comes back with a form and a pen. It's pretty standard, just asking for name, address, and contact info. Go ahead and fill that out, and we'll get you started.

[Arkhosia]

[A New Recruit]

Cantata nods in understanding, slipping into the offered spot and crossing a leg as she waits for the woman to return. Thanks, she signs appreciatively, grasping the clipboard and propping it up before jotting down the needed information with prompt and fluid motions. There's a degree of refinement and poise to her writing, almost as if the empath had spent a long time perfecting her penmanship - or simply had a strict tutor, both may seem quite possible.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[A New Recruit]

Electra notes Cantata's neat handwriting, but then puts on a faraway look while Cantata finishes filling out the form. She seems to be looking past Cantata at something on the wall, but she doesn't blink for a few moments, which is probably a little odd. Once the new recruit is finished, she'll blink, before seeming to focus on Cantata again, and signing to her.

Nothing too difficult, I trust?

[Ashen Lilies]

[Occult Consultations]

Cass returns to the base, looking a bit tired and haunted. Glancing around furtively, she quickly hurries over to Astrana's office, knocking on the door as she gets there.

[Shadowcaller]

[Occult Consultations]

The tiefling opens up the door a couple of moments after Cass knocks. She's as usual dressed in her black skirt suit and greets the elf with a smile. "Rough day, Cassandra? What can I do to make it better?"

[Mountain Ritual]

Natharia will after following her mother for a couple of hours finally reach the well that Shanti had been reminding her they were getting closer to every so often whenever she complained it was cold. The temperature has getting increasingly higher as they've come closer to the well however. Now it almost feels like early fall. Not warm by any means but far more bareable than the chilling wings they've been dealing with as they've ascended the mountain.

"I told you, sweetie. Then once we're done we can seek shelter in MERC and they can take us down the mountain in one of their vehicles. All you need to do now is climb up those steps and stand in the middle of the well. I'll take care of the rest. Just be careful, the steps might be slippery."

[Gullara]

[Mountain Ritual]

"This toque sucks." Natharia complains, pulling it more firmly onto her head for the millionth time! It turns out that the small movements of her snakes tend to work it up her head where it doesn't do too much.

She huffs and does as her mom says. She walks up the steps and looks at the water. Or 'water' seeing as it's not frozen up here. Weird. Without hesitating any more, she steps in and wades over to the middle. "Now what?"

[Ashen Lilies]

[Occult Consultations]

Cass' mouth hangs open for a moment, caught off guard by the directness of Astrana's observation.

Oh, there's *so* many directions you could take a question like that, says a deep, sultry voice in her head.

That's *not* what we're here for.

Is it not? My my, your thoughts are running in all sorts of directions, it's so hard to keep track. Ooooh, *there's* an interesting one.

Can we... not right now.

It's *your* idea, not mine.

I don't even know if she-

Maybe best to keep your mind on the matter at hand, Magpie.

Cass snaps her mouth shut, refocusing on Astrana as a slight flush creeps up her cheeks as she tries not to dwell on any certain... idle musings.

"More than a few," she says, sounding tense. "I just wanted to talk about some things. Magic things. If you have the time."

[Shadowcaller]

[Occult Consultations]

Astrana keeps smiling back in return, acting as if she doesn't even notice Cass's awkwardness. "Of course, come on in. It's been a pretty slow day for me." The tiefling turns, gesturing for Cass to follow and will close the door behind her with her tail once the sorceress is inside.
The office would look fairly standard, as far as anything can be 'standard' for a MERC office, if not for all the peculiar items such as animal skulls that are hanging on the walls. Some encased in a rather thick layer of glass.
"Either I spend all the day performing rituals and search for means to do so, or I essentially do nothing at all." She sits down behind her desk and leans back. "So I'm eager to help right now, honestly. Ask me anything, I'm at your disposal." She makes a gesture at a chair standing in front of her desk for Cass to sit down in.

[Mountain Ritual]

"You picked it out yourself, sweetie." Shanti reminds her. "I guess you'll have to get a new one once we're done here. This won't be the only place that's cold."

She pauses as she watches her daughter wade out into the moon well. "Now you just need to wait as I need to put myself in a medative state. It won't take that long." She meets Natharia's gaze. "But I won't be able to focus if you talk to me so just try to relax for a bit will you?" Her mother sits down and crosses her legs together.

[Gullara]

[Mountain Ritual]

"Fine." Natharia huffs and seals her lips closed. She feels bored almost immediately. So she busies herself by trying to take an interest in the local terrain. Mostly she just feels cold, though.

[Arkhosia]

[A New Recruit]

Cantata regards the woman with a curious look as she focuses elsewhere. It’s a look she’s not entirely unfamiliar with; dealing with surveillance and espionage meant plenty of augmented eyes. But she wasn’t taking a picture, was she? Maybe reading something from a personal HUD?

When you live like this, scribing quickly becomes your specialty.

[Artemis97]

[Seeking Sam]

Raril approaches the front door of MERC, and knocks. He's dressed for adventure today, in greys and blacks, loaded to bear with various blades and a large crossbow on his back. His expression is neutral, if a little concerned. He looks up at the sun, checking the time of day. He hoped he could find Sam soon.

[Deathkeeper]

[Seeking Sam]

The door is opened promptly by a brown minotaur in a white buttoned shirt. He holds the door open for Raril.
"Afternoon. How can we help you?" he says professionally, moving off to the side to Raril can enter past his bulky frame.

[Artemis97]

[Seeking Sam]

"Thank you." Raril says when the minotaur opens the door. "I'm Raril Xar'Cha." He might recognize the name because the drow owned the Black Dragon's Den, where Dipsnig had made a deal for MERC members to get discounts ages back.

Raril steps inside and explains his quest. "I'm looking for a fellow named Sam. He's...well he's hard to describe. Big guy, four arms. Really likes cooking. I've been told he works here."

[Deathkeeper]

[Seeking Sam]

Krayger raises an eyebrow.
"You want our cook? Sure, I'll page him." He moves to do so, and minutes later Sam arrives on the scene, dressed in the same style of pants-and-vest that Raril might remember he wore in a much warmer time of the year.
"Hi again, Raril. You look...ready for business." Sam says, frowning.

[Artemis97]

[Seeking Sam]

Raril grins at Sam. "We've got the Nexus to save, remember? I need your help to find the Heart and heal it, before we lose to much of the Nexus to the Empyreans and Fae."

[Deathkeeper]

[Seeking Sam]

Sam gulps.
”Right. Our first try kind of...fizzled. Give me just a minute...” Sam wanders off, only to return some time later wearing a somewhat durable leather jacket dyed in cool colors (still nothing under it) and hardier pants, with his sawed-off shotgun in a holster strapped to his thigh and Steve the Sword stuck in his jacket. And two belts, for some reason.
”Um, so do you have leads this time?” he asks hesitantly.

[Artemis97]

[Seeking Sam]

Raril waits patiently for Sam to return. "Well, Magtok seemed to think it was in Sneak's Milk Bar. You said you know the restaurants Inside, do you think you can find it? I've never been to it myself, it was before my time. I think that's the best lead we've got, unless we try to find the original Arena."

[Deathkeeper]

[Sam, Seeking]

Sam looks unsure. But this is all far too important for him to give up on it just because it’s unlikely.
”I’m not sure if it’s still in business. But I know some places that would know. I’ll see what I can sniff out.”
And then off they go.
Who knows if they’ll make it to the destination any easier than last time.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Occult Consultations]

Astrana keeps smiling back in return, acting as if she doesn't even notice Cass's awkwardness. "Of course, come on in. It's been a pretty slow day for me." The tiefling turns, gesturing for Cass to follow and will close the door behind her with her tail once the sorceress is inside.
The office would look fairly standard, as far as anything can be 'standard' for a MERC office, if not for all the peculiar items such as animal skulls that are hanging on the walls. Some encased in a rather thick layer of glass.
"Either I spend all the day performing rituals and search for means to do so, or I essentially do nothing at all." She sits down behind her desk and leans back. "So I'm eager to help right now, honestly. Ask me anything, I'm at your disposal." She makes a gesture at a chair standing in front of her desk for Cass to sit down in.

[Occult Consultations]

I can think of a few questions I'd like to ask.

Please... don't. Cass thinks, taking a seat with a slightly stricken expression.

What she actually says out loud (after a few calming breaths) is: "I wanted to talk to you, since we banished that demon together... I thought you might be knowledgeable about the subject. Of demons."

Is... there a question in there?

"...are you... knowledgeable about demons?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Occult Consultations]

Astrana leans forward. "Demons? Yes, naturally." She nods. "Though I should add a disclaimer to that answer. My speciality is animal-level yokai and while most people seem to be unable to tell the difference..."

The warlock gestures at one of the especially gruesome masks hanging on her wall.
It appears to have been made from a goat's skull, though is larger than any skull from an ordinary breed of goat and is ebony brown in coloration. Furthermore, the mask is covered in these small insertions from which gnarly black thorns have been inserted. While the hollow eyes of the skull are completely empty it's almost as if it's staring back at her.

"...there is quite a few." The warlock pauses, letting Cass take a good look at the bone mask, before she clears her voice to get the elf's attention back. "However, I've dealt with more than my fair share of demons. In fact, some people would even insist that I am one so one could say I have personal experience in the matter." She smiles and her tail has, perhaps to empatize her words, made itself known. Holding itself in the air to the tieflings left side.

"Why do you ask?" Astrana tilts her head slightly, looking curiously at Cass.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Occult Consultations]

Cass shifts uneasily for a moment, her face making it very clear that this is a question that she most certainly does not want to answer right now. Or possibly ever.

"It's..." She tries to start, before trailing off. "... uhm..."

She fidgets a bit, avoiding Astrana's gaze.

It'll probably be better if you're quick and direct about it, Magpie.

Yes, tell her all about what you've done.

Cass sighs.
"I tried to summon a demon, and failed, and now the demon is bound to me, irreversibly probably, but I wanted you to... take a look?"

She wants you to take a look at the demon inside her, Astrana.

[Shadowcaller]

[Occult Consultations]

Astrana blinks. Oh boy. But there was no time to act judgemental, she was a ritual consultant. Not a teacher.

She seems to take a moment to gather herself after Cass admission and simply nods slowly.
"Okay... let me grab something." She reaches for one of the drawers under her desk and pulls out a worn notebook.
Though before she even opens it, she quirks an eyebrow at Cassandra. "But before we start, let me ask you something. Can the demon hear all this? And if so, what name and noun do they prefer? Since it sounds like they will need to get involved in whatever I'm going to do."

[Mountain Ritual]

As Shanti have simply sat there meditating for a while, the water of the well are suddenly brought to life and starts to swirl around Natharia who seems to in the center of whatever is happening.
It's like a storm over a miniature sea with tiny waves starting to trash against the edges of the well as the wind is picking up. Eventually, the swirling water takes the shape of a serpent which raises from the water like some primodial sea monster.

It eventually comes to tower over Natharia as the water of the well suddenly becomes still once more. The great serpent staring at her. No words are said but within the watery body of this being the young gorgon can see strange images as if she had been looking at them through the waters reflection.

It shows her mother and a serpent that looks just like it seemingly conversing with one another. Then the image shifts and her mother is suddenly heavily pregnant. Finally, she can see her own reflection in the water with the serpent itself seemingly looming protectively behind her.

[Gullara]

[Mountain Ritual]

Natharia cranes her head up and looks with awe at the being before her. "You're my dad." She says. She could guess, even without the imagery. She takes off her sunglasses to look at him more directly. She wonder if his eyes are like hers when he's not a water image. "Mom said you'd protect me."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Occult Consultations]

Astrana blinks. Oh boy. But there was no time to act judgemental, she was a ritual consultant. Not a teacher.

She seems to take a moment to gather herself after Cass admission and simply nods slowly.
"Okay... let me grab something." She reaches for one of the drawers under her desk and pulls out a worn notebook.
Though before she even opens it, she quirks an eyebrow at Cassandra. "But before we start, let me ask you something. Can the demon hear all this? And if so, what name and noun do they prefer? Since it sounds like they will need to get involved in whatever I'm going to do."

[Occult Consultations]

Cass shifts in her seat, rubbing her hands along the side of her chair as she gets a somewhat far-away look, as if trying to listen to a far-off sound. After a few moments, her attention pulls back on to Astrana, and she runs her tongue across her lips, anxiously, holding the chair tight with one hand.
"Yes, he can hear. Maybe it'd be better if I..." she cuts off, shaking her head. "That's to say... he wants to... introduce himself."

"Yes, that would be best," says a voice unbidden - deep, masculine, and seductive.

Cass' eyes widen, and she gasps, thumping her hand against the side of chair in a sudden spasm of pain as suddenly, Astrana and Cass are not alone in the room anymore.

Sitting next to them, in a previously unoccupied chair, is a tall, dark-skinned man with handsome, angular features, thick black eyebrows, and a prominent nose. Long, black-and-silver hair falls in waves down to his back, and his bold jaw is covered in elegantly groomed stubble, mostly dark, though shot through with a notable amount of salt. He's (fortunately) dressed in a manner fitting a prince, in a long embroidered silk jacket and an elaborate stole, though an especially vain, sensuous prince, as the front of the jacket is cut through with a deep, gold-bordered V, sharply framing a well-defined chest and abdominal muscles. Also, he has horns and a tail.

"My name is Rahvi." He says, his voice low and smokey.

"Mnnnn..." says Cass, sounding strained from his sudden, and unexpected manifestation.

In addition to the sudden appearance appearance of the demon, the sudden manifestation seems to have had some effects on Cass as well. For one thing, her left eye seems to have become completely black, filled with a roiling darkness that consumes light. The other is Cass is suddenly... hot. Just, ridiculously, bewilderingly alluring. Not that she wasn't pretty darn gorgeous before, but suddenly, Astrana may find herself having difficulty keeping her eyes off her, as she's drawn to Cass by a magnetic presence that goes beyond just looks. Her skin? Radiant. Her eyes*? Entrancing. Her hair? Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline.

Whatever the effect on Astrana, Cass doesn't seem to notice as she chews her lip a little, staring apprehensively at a skull behind Astrana's shoulder, away from the demon sitting right beside her.

*well, maybe just the one that's still its normal silver, not the one that's currently a pit of consuming darkness

[Shadowcaller]

[Mountain Ritual]

A watery forked tongue flicks out of the serpents mouth and it seems to nod a response while emitting a low hiss. But then the reflection changes.
She can now see herself and the snake in the moonwell then her reflected self offers up her arm to the snake and it bites her. In the reflection she seems to feel pain despite the fact the serpents fangs are made of water. But then she opens her eyes and they are glowing with the same glow as the water that makes up the well.

The serpent then tilts its head as it continues simply gazing at her while the reflection within it's body fades.

[Occult Consultations]

Astrana blinks as another voice joins in, and she could almost immidiately tell what kind of being she was dealing with. She didn't even need the bone necklace she wore around her neck to lightly rattle to tell that this was the seductive variant of demon.
She had to take a deep breath through her nose before she even felt ready to look at the source of the voice.
Of course he- it was hot. They all were, it was the first thing you learned about them.
Not that this knowledge, or even the most imaginative of illustrations in the old tomes she learned from, could really prepare her for actually being in the same room as them.

Once she had managed to grasp the fact one of the most alluring entities she had ever seen had just invited itself into her room, her second concern was Cass herself. The manifestation seemed to have caused physical pain in her but what else? If she could take her eyes of Rahvi for just a moment she might be able to get some clues about their bond. The elf's voice sounded strained and...

Cass will find Astrana just staring at her with her yellow eyes wide-open, mouth agape, for a little longer than is socially acceptable. Thankfully she is saved by Cass not looking directly at her, but Rahvi would no doubt notice.

Finally, she comes to her senses. But only as she realizes that two supernaturally sedutive people in her office was a bit much. "I-" She pauses almost as soon as she speaks up as she realizes she didn't actually know what she was planning to say. She had just wanted to break the awkward silence and do something else other than stare like an idiot. "Erm... first of all, greetings Rahvi." She says with a respectful nod to the demon, somehow finding it easier to look at him than at Cass for the time being.

"Could you perhaps explain how you two came to join? I want to try to help your situation work." Oh makers, what had she done to deserve this? Good or bad, she had certainly earned a lot of it.

[Gullara]

[Mountain Ritual]

Natharia looks at the image with... concern. Is that what's supposed to happen? She looks at her mom, but there's no help coming from her. She lets out the breath she was holding through her nose. "Okay..." She holds up her arm, shaking slightly but trusting her mom here.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Occult Consultations]

Astrana blinks as another voice joins in, and she could almost immidiately tell what kind of being she was dealing with. She didn't even need the bone necklace she wore around her neck to lightly rattle to tell that this was the seductive variant of demon.
She had to take a deep breath through her nose before she even felt ready to look at the source of the voice.
Of course he- it was hot. They all were, it was the first thing you learned about them.
Not that this knowledge, or even the most imaginative of illustrations in the old tomes she learned from, could really prepare her for actually being in the same room as them.

Once she had managed to grasp the fact one of the most alluring entities she had ever seen had just invited itself into her room, her second concern was Cass herself. The manifestation seemed to have caused physical pain in her but what else? If she could take her eyes of Rahvi for just a moment she might be able to get some clues about their bond. The elf's voice sounded strained and...

Cass will find Astrana just staring at her with her yellow eyes wide-open, mouth agape, for a little longer than is socially acceptable. Thankfully she is saved by Cass not looking directly at her, but Rahvi would no doubt notice.

Finally, she comes to her senses. But only as she realizes that two supernaturally sedutive people in her office was a bit much. "I-" She pauses almost as soon as she speaks up as she realizes she didn't actually know what she was planning to say. She had just wanted to break the awkward silence and do something else other than stare like an idiot. "Erm... first of all, greetings Rahvi." She says with a respectful nod to the demon, somehow finding it easier to look at him than at Cass for the time being.

"Could you perhaps explain how you two came to join? I want to try to help your situation work." Oh makers, what had she done to deserve this? Good or bad, she had certainly earned a lot of it.

[Occult Consultations]

Rahvi gives Astrana an amused, indulgent smile, as Cass glances back over in her direction, perhaps noticing the awkward pause, or sensing some of Rahvi's amusement. At first she's confused, but then a deep lavender blush creeps up her neck and spreads across her cheeks as she realize what's happened, abruptly quenching her aura.
"S-sorry," she stammers, now looking quite back to normal - except... now that Astrana's been exposed to Cass' glamour at close to full blast, she might be more aware of it, and the fact that it's still there. A lot weaker, like a soft, steady candle flame, in comparison to the raging inferno that it was before, but not gone completely. Has Cass always been like this? She doesn't seem to be in pain anymore, or any physical discomfort (though emotional is another matter), though her one eye is still black, and fiery, though the flames burning behind it seem to be getting less turbulent now.
"Like I said, I... summoned him," says Cass hesitant, still blushing over the earlier flare-up, and now also keenly aware of what Rahvi looks like, and what this situation must look like in general. "Just to ask some questions. That's all." She says, a little more firmly, as Rahvi gives her too an indulgent, almost possessive smile.
"An over-ambitious feat - to call on a spirit as magnificent as me, with as little experience in summoning" says Rahvi, sounding as if narrating the antics of an over-eager child, as Cass winces. "But before I could take her for her foolish error, something else intervened. A more powerful spirit. Watching."
Cass rubs her wrist, where Astrana might note a faint burn scar encircling it, peeking out from under Cass' sleeve. "Then it bound us together. I'm not sure how. I was hoping you could help with that.

[5a Violista]

[Main Room]

The purple-haired catgirl-slash-mechanic-slash-repairwoman is curling up on a couch in front of a space heater. She's got a sweater and a scarf on, but it's fine. She's just cold.

It's her day off from her other current job, so that's why she's here right now. She was planning on doing something in one of the back rooms, building something but she didn't feel like filling just making something for the sole purpose of making it and couldn't find any good contracts that were both interesting and within her skill level.

So, she's curled up and reading a textbook full of equations and charts and graphs, trying desperately to understand what it all means because honestly she doesn't really get them.

[Shadowcaller]

[Occult Consultations]

"Mhmm..." Astrana nods, trying to act as if nothing had happened. It was just water under the bridge and she was a professional.
Once she's finished, Astrana leans back into a more comfortable sitting position. "Help you how exactly? I mean, what would be the ideal outcome be here for each one of you? Have you reached any agreement on that? Since simple separating you again is likely going to be dangerous and difficult."

[Mountain Ritual]

Natharia can feel the serpent sink it's fangs into and feel an intense surge of pain spreading through her body from her arm. It almost feels as if her entire body is on fire and it will force her to sharply inhale. But as she drawns air into her lungs she somehow seem to transcend the pain. While it still felt as if her body was on fire, it no longer hurt. There was just warmth left where only pain had been a moment ago.

Around her the 'water' of the moon well seem to condense into a sparking mist that enshrouds the entire area in a thick silver-colored fog that sparkles like glitter around her. Then like moths drawn to light the motes land on her skin and instantly melts like snowflakes, leaving no trace that they ever existed. The only thing she's left with is a cool feeling that slowly lowers her body temperature to something resembling normal.

Once the fog has faded Natharia will see that the serpent is gone as well. The water levels of the well also seem to have dropped drastically. Yet she can't tell what the ritual did exactly.

But before she has any time to consider what has happend, her mother is there pulling Natharia into a hug.