[Nexus] The Black Dragon's Den XIV

[FireFox]

"I dunno about dragonblooded monks, but a long time ago Inside got flooded with the undead. Some sort of war between two superpowered madmen who came here from Creation. One of those sunshine lunatics and his evil twin or dark mirror nemesis. Abyssal? Infernal? I don't know the difference, honestly. I'm an amateur scholar of many different planes and magical systems, so my knowledge is wide but shallow." Tovia takes another drink and frowns. "Yeah, GLoG. Quiet little camp in the woods for reforming villains and mad scientists. And Riverside is more stable than Inside. Well. The buildings don't appear and disappear to and from other worlds, they just get blown up by monsters and armies. Predictability is a form of stability, isn't it?"

[Morty]

Calm Reed frowns.

"A sunshine lunatic sounds like one of the Solar Anathema, but this is the first I've heard of an 'Abyssal' or 'Infernal'. Some Anathema devilry I'm not familiar with, maybe. I've heard there was a massive battle for Riverside shortly before I'd arrived. I would have loved to take part, had I been there. As it was, my service in Vigil so far has brought me to Inside. Including a pack of zombies and a cultist on my way there."

[FireFox]

"Yeah... that was... a bad time for the city. Really made me rethink where to raise the kids. But I'm glad to meet a zombie-fighting, people-rescuing hero." She raises her mug to the VIGILant monk.

[Morty]

Calm Reed's lips quirk slightly in a smile.

"That's what a monk is meant to do. Now that I'm stuck away from the Order, Vigil is the next best thing. I can't say I blame you for being concerned about your children with all that. The League seems like a good place for them, though, from what I've heard. Not that I'd know much about it."

[FireFox]

Tovia's brow furrows as she tries to think how to give a polite explanation without going into the finer details of that huge awkward personal mess. She'd probably be better off completely making something up; the truth about clones and apocalypses is some heavy stuff. But she goes with some vague opinions for now. "GLoG is definitely a great place for children, or at least it was when I was last there. In general. Not for mine specifically, maybe? We'd end up causing trouble for the nice people there. Say, do you have any siblings?"

[Morty]

Calm Reed doesn't give any sign as to whether she noticed Tovia's hesitation.

"I have two," she says. "No too many, but after my older brother and I both Exalted, it was largely considered enough for my fathers. Then they decided to have another child when I took the vows."

[FireFox]

"Have you ever looked at your older brother being all smug and disgustingly immoral and thought about holding his head under water until the last gasp of arrogance bubbles to the surface? That's the kind of trouble I'd hate to cause." Satisfied that she's made her point in a totally normal and proper way, the wizard finishes off her mead with a smile. "What vows were those?"

[Morty]

"The vows of a monk," Calm Reed explains, pointing to her bare scalp. "Which includes celibacy and becoming part of the Order, rather than my House of birth. As for my brother... well, I can't say I have. Us Water Aspects can't drown, you see. But I have contemplated many things." Appropriately enough, she segues from talking about being a monk to contemplating the murder of her brother like freely flowing water.

[FireFox]

Sounds like regular monk stuff, Tovia thinks to herself, just with elemental powers instead of epistemology and pea breeding. "Are you still in the Order or does it conflict with Vigil? And did things with your brother get worse before or after you took the vows?"

[Morty]

A faint grimace flashes on Calm Reed's face.

"As far as the Order is aware, I'm on a mission. They might be aware that my ship sank by now... but not that I found myself here afterwards." She takes a sip of tea. "My brother was happy enough to see me join the Order and get out of his way, as he saw it. He must have seen it as a victory on his part."

[Halae]

There's an unusual woman that ambles into the bar; standing over nine feet tall, she's covered in thick, plate-like scales from head to toe, with a crocodilian tail trailing behind her. She's wearing a skirt that almost appears to be a red saarong over a pair of athletic shorts, and her top is dominated by a sleeveless black shirt. What can be seen of her body (which is most of her, as she's not really wearing much that's super covering) is athletic, curvy, and heavily muscled, with her abs in particular showing off.

She sits down at a table - not in a chair, as her great height means sitting on the floor puts her at about head height for most normal people in a sitting position - and will order some mead for herself, apparently having come here just to relax at the end of the day. Once her mead arrives, she'll lean back against the wall and drink, enjoying the atmosphere and the taste.

[Purple Eagle]

Shortly after the unusual woman's taken her first sip, the sound of a motorcycle outside can be heard, then sputters out as it is turned off. When the door opens, someone steps in, that someone being a dragonoid female with hair plaited in boxer braids, the tails resting on her chest and reaching up to just above her ample breasts. She’s tall, a few inches shorter than the other woman, with a bulked-up and muscular body covered in red dragon scales. She has a powerful prehensile tail, onyx-like horns poking out of her forehead and a muscular body, her hands and feet clawed.

Her facial features make plain her Thai ancestry. Her eyes are a reptilian green, and she has a large grin on her face that appears to be permanent.

Dressed in a tank top, jeans (with tail-hole) and a leather jacket, all clothing items that match her huge size, the brawler thuds over to the bar and orders a Dragon Ale, then chooses to sit next to the slightly taller lady. "Sawadee. You don't look like any other dragon-blood Malee's ever seen."

[Halae]

The other scaled woman has her mouth protruding with teeth here and there, making it difficult to say what shape her mouth would be without them. The broad and flat nose does have an aquiline ridge to it, however, and her head length and eye shape suggest Mediterranean heritage. This close, a number of differences are evident between them on the reptilian side, however - The first woman's scales aren't a uniform shape or color, with the stomach being lighter and the back being much darker, with the scales closer to the back being more like armor plates than the ones on her front. Her thick, unwieldy tail also doesn't appear to be prehensile, instead being being more like a crocodile's tail, used for pushing through water. From this close, Malee might also note that her hair sits unevenly on the top of her head, suggesting her hair's a wig, rather than natural.

She takes a pull of mead, and says, "Might be because I'm not dragonkin," She extends a hand to shake, "I'm Emily. You're Malee?"

[Purple Eagle]

The other scaled woman has her mouth protruding with teeth here and there, making it difficult to say what shape her mouth would be without them. The broad and flat nose does have an aquiline ridge to it, however, and her head length and eye shape suggest Mediterranean heritage. This close, a number of differences are evident between them on the reptilian side, however - The first woman's scales aren't a uniform shape or color, with the stomach being lighter and the back being much darker, with the scales closer to the back being more like armor plates than the ones on her front. Her thick, unwieldy tail also doesn't appear to be prehensile, instead being being more like a crocodile's tail, used for pushing through water. From this close, Malee might also note that her hair sits unevenly on the top of her head, suggesting her hair's a wig, rather than natural.

She takes a pull of mead, and says, "Might be because I'm not dragonkin," She extends a hand to shake, "I'm Emily. You're Malee?"

The second woman's scales are similar to the first's in terms of coloration and structure, though her armoring is more uniform. Malee notes all of these things as she sips her ale, shaking the other woman's hands in a strong and enthusiastic grip. "Yes, Malee is Malee." She says, pointing to herself. "Emily, a pretty name. You look strong, like a fighter. Are you a fighter like Malee? And how come you're not dragonkin?" She's quite the large ham voice-wise, voice sounding loud even when she's not shouting. When she eyes Emily up and down, however, she seems to like what she sees.

[Halae]

"I'm a boxer, specifically," Emily says, her voice rough, like she'd bee gargling gravel, tapping the glass as she looks over the other woman as well. Strong limbs, a few scars here and there... "I'm a mutated human. some kind of alligator or crocodile DNA in the mix, made me big and scary. So, while you could say there's some river dragon in me, I'm afraid I'm not related to any real dragons like you apparently are."

Emily's thick tail curls slightly, and ends up running up against the table a moment before she stops it. Seems she doesn't know what to make of Malee.

[Purple Eagle]

Malee brightens as Emily mentions being a boxer, noting how Emily's voice sounds like the harpies of her world, especially the males who have the scratchier voices). Her own voice sounds smooth, deep and slightly guttural. Her limbs are strong and she doesn't appear to be that scarred. Her teeth are mostly even, save for slightly-longer teeth serving as fangs and tusks. "A fellow boxer, hahahaha! Malee practices Muay Thai, learned from childhood! Malee's not related to any dragons, we were made this way! In Malee's world, all races exist in all countries." She declares, her laughter uprarious, though it dies a bit when she talks about this next part. "Malee thinks it made you less puny and more attractive... but then Malee gets the feeling this was done against your will."

She looks like she's ready to fight someone if that's the case.

[Halae]

Emily shakes her head, "Not something I had a choice in, no. But not something my dad or his dad had a choice in either. Grandpa was born this way, and everyone descended from him was too. We don't know what caused it, but we live the best we can regardless," Emily leans back looking at Malee's face for a long moment, clearly contemplating. What would it be like, to have other people you've never met look like you? Even as large as these two women are?

"In my old world, the only sapient species are humans and robots, and I'm not sure the robots really count as a species. Everything that isn't a normal human is either an animal, or human in some way. Mutations aren't exactly common either, so I've mostly lived my life isolated from people that look like me."

[Purple Eagle]

Emily shakes her head, "Not something I had a choice in, no. But not something my dad or his dad had a choice in either. Grandpa was born this way, and everyone descended from him was too. We don't know what caused it, but we live the best we can regardless," Emily leans back looking at Malee's face for a long moment, clearly contemplating. What would it be like, to have other people you've never met look like you? Even as large as these two women are?

"In my old world, the only sapient species are humans and robots, and I'm not sure the robots really count as a species. Everything that isn't a normal human is either an animal, or human in some way. Mutations aren't exactly common either, so I've mostly lived my life isolated from people that look like me."

Malee's budding anger fades as Emily relates her story, the female dragoniod listening closely, only remembering to sip her ale when she realizes she's looking back at the other woman's face to the point of staring. "Ah... Malee sees..." Not like she was captured or anything, so no one needs clobbering.

"Well, let Malee be the first to tell you that you're beautiful in her eyes. Among people of other worlds, Malee's bigger and scarier than among people of Malee's world. There are the puny ones from dwarves, to humans, elves, harpies - male and female - and dragonoids like me. Most robots don't count, hahahaha!" She sips out of her ale. "Malee does understand, though, what it's like to feel othered for what you are, something you cannot change... or will not change. Malee accepts all that she is, but beings can be insensitive, Emily." She says, trying to comfort the other woman in any way she can.

[Halae]

"I appreciate it," Emily says with a small smile tugging at the edges of her mouth, "I don't really think I'm that attractive, though. Maybe I just have a different standard of beauty, but it's also never been a huge problem for me - I decided from an early point in life that I wouldn't let my appearance stop me from doing what I want. It's how I became a chef, actually. Still working on finding a place to work around the Nexus as a chef, though; surprisingly few open positions for it."

[Purple Eagle]

"A chef that can fight... Malee wonders if you've considered working for a place like this. It is an inn, you can cook and take out the riff-raff at the same time. Malee can help with the riff-raff part. Where Malee's from, she served in the army like her dad. Malee's average height for a dragonoid, but not tall, the tallest can reach 20 feet. Yet, she can take down those if they're not expecting Malee's Muay Thai expertise. Emily cooks and Malee guards, we could make a good team, aHAHAHAHA!" She laughs uproariously, raising her drink to the air in cheers then drinking a gulp. "Malee also likes to use her skills to take down criminals for the authorities. Have you considered doing vigilante work?"

[Halae]

"As a matter of fact, I'm a certified superhero where I'm from," Emily says, and reaches into a pocket to retrieve a standard sized card, which looks incredibly tiny in her massive hands. On it is a picture of Emily from a few years ago, without a wig, as well as a general overview of her physical characteristics and powers. Apparently, ' crocodilian adaptive regeneration' is the name the scientists gave her abilities.

[CosmicHobbit]

A scarecrow walks into the Den, which sounds like the setup to a bad joke. He's wearing a black sweatshirt, jeans, and athletic shoes. What's more interesting, however, is his head, which is a jack-o-lantern with a bright yellowish-orange flame burning in it. He's grinning, revealing spaced apart long, sharp teeth. Well, as close to teeth as a jack-o-lantern can get. He looks left, then right, then heads straight to the bar and sits down.

"I'll have a bottle of mead, a bowl of shrimp bisque, and some mertoran leaf." His voice is a little on the lower end for a male, and is slightly raspy.

[Recaiden]

"Perhaps no one has told you, sir, but Spooktober ended some time ago." Says a woman already at the bar. Her tone is so sincere that you might even believe that she's not being sarcastic, despite the slight accent/drunkenness.
There are three small but empty glasses (and one half-full one) on the counter in front of her, her grey hair is a little bit messy, and she's wearing a relatively fancy outfit.

[CosmicHobbit]

"Perhaps no one has told you, sir, but Spooktober ended some time ago." Says a woman already at the bar. Her tone is so sincere that you might even believe that she's not being sarcastic, despite the slight accent/drunkenness.
There are three small but empty glasses (and one half-full one) on the counter in front of her, her grey hair is a little bit messy, and she's wearing a relatively fancy outfit.

The scarecrow sighs. "Ha ha, yes, very funny. Just as funny as the first million times I've heard it Though, you wouldn't have known that." His mead is set in front of him, and he takes a swig from it. "Sorry for the snappiness. It's just a little frustrating, the constant jokes."

[Recaiden]

"You might be a holiday monster, but you don't have to be so obvious about it." She suggests, considering his pumpkin expression. Can he even eat and drink?

[CosmicHobbit]

Something which I have forgotten to mention is that his mouth moves when he talks, though it never loses its smile. The scarecrow snorts. "Well whaddya know, you came up with something I've never heard. Congrats." He takes another swig of mead. "The name's Jack, Pumpkin Jack. Yes, the person who made me really wanted it to be clear that I am, in fact, a scarecrow."

[Recaiden]

Too bad he has to keep going by that name.
"How unfortunate. I'm Telue."
She doesn't roll her eyes at him at all.
"What brings you here, Jack?"

[Purple Eagle]

"As a matter of fact, I'm a certified superhero where I'm from," Emily says, and reaches into a pocket to retrieve a standard sized card, which looks incredibly tiny in her massive hands. On it is a picture of Emily from a few years ago, without a wig, as well as a general overview of her physical characteristics and powers. Apparently, ' crocodilian adaptive regeneration' is the name the scientists gave her abilities.

Now, that's something that interests Malee greatly. "Jing jing? Wow!" She says, taking a look at the card with interest. Unlike what Emily's probably expecting, the sight of a wigless Emily doesn't deter the dragonoid lady. "Bald women are HOT! aHAHAHA!" She laughs, sipping her ale and then pulling out a card of her own to show Emily, which is an ID for Malee for people not from her world to know she's so proficient in hunting supernatural creatures, listing her skills, and her specialization in vibration magic. "So, tell Malee about your powers, Malee is very interested."

[Halae]

Malee may realize that Emily has an embarassed blush going on. Or she would, if the her blush got through her scales.

When Malee she's her own ID, Emily looks it over, "Cool. Not many 'supernatural hunters' exclusively where I come from. As for my powers though... Well, they're not anything particularly special. Any time I'm hurt, I get a little stronger, a little tougher. It's not much, but as you can see from looking me over, it builds up over the years."

[CosmicHobbit]

Too bad he has to keep going by that name.
"How unfortunate. I'm Telue."
She doesn't roll her eyes at him at all.
"What brings you here, Jack?"

"Nice to meet you Telue." Jack has never considered changing his name. Or maybe he has and just doesn't care. He may not even know! "If I'm honest, mainly drinks. I will never understand how I'm able to become intoxicated, but hey, here we are." He receives his mertoran leaf, and he immediately gulps it down. "I always get this when I come here. It tends to lead to some fun times."