[Nexus] AMEN XLIV: Beware Falling Flowers

[Slii Arhem]

Atlantis- Lab

"No? Not even vast birds with no need to land? Ones easier to domesticate than the ones already in the Clouded Void, anyway." Pazuzu, as Demon Lord of the Air, has no land in His territory. Or very little of it, and most has been heavily fortified, hollowed out and turned into an airport, factory or palace.

Then, turning to Shayan, Nephrim speaks again. "I have something that may help your experiments. It might not, but I offer it anyway. Spores from a vrock- a winged demon that gives off parasitic spores that grow into small vines when properly anchored. As for flight; sycamore trees and dandelions have managed it. They're the only plants that grow, because there's little to grow on and no gravity for much of it."

Atlantis - Lab

"I actually have quite a variety of parasites that anchor in flesh at the moment, but perhaps these spores might breed better with some of the more finicky plants I've had trouble utilizing recently. As for making flying plants, if there is no gravity then all you really need is something with air roots that can absorb moisture and nutrients from the air. It's much simpler than designing something that can fly on its own when there's no musculature involved. You would still need some sort of propulsion system, but thankfully I have something that can store air and release it in short bursts which might fit the bill. It would be an interesting experiment, but time consuming. I don't think I could put everything aside for it even with a large amount of compensation." To Shayan, the work is the reward, and dropping a large number of smaller projects to make flying plants for a demon god doesn't sit well with her.

Somewhere

"My process replicates how it would happen in nature. Plant the seed, sedate the host, and allow it to grow. The trick is knowing where to plant it to minimize the risk of complications."

[Reinholdt]

Somewhere

"Very well. Keep me apprised of your progress." Ilpholin says, giving a head nod of respect before turning to go looking for more people. Becky, Orrey, or Moff.

Unless Shayan has something to add first.

[Earl of Purple]

Atlantis- Labs

"There's no gravity, unless you think there's gravity. As soon as you think there's gravity, you start falling in the direction you perceive as down until either you change your mind, hit something or die of starvation, thirst, or a cloud bank. Some are solid, others are acidic, poisonous, electrically charged, or worse. And Pazuzu's armies usually fight elsewhere, so a means of flight prevents them from hitting the ground should it drift through a portal." Plus occasionally a portal opens of its own accord and things escape into another plane that way. Or get in- ordinary birds usually die; there's no gravity, but no land either.

[happyturtle]

Somewhere

"Very well. Keep me apprised of your progress." Ilpholin says, giving a head nod of respect before turning to go looking for more people. Becky, Orrey, or Moff.

Unless Shayan has something to add first.

There's a Moff sprawled on the sofa being useless.

[Reinholdt]

Sofa of Lounging

"Hello Moff. If you're actually awake I have questions." Ilpholin would poke to be sure but then she'd have to touch him.

[happyturtle]

Sofa of Lounging

"Sure, Spidergirl, whatcha want?" Moff says.

[Reinholdt]

Sofa of Lounging

"Firstly, how did the raid you and Magtok went on go?" Ilpholin asks. Probably deadtimed into submission, but I personally don't know. Not that it matters all that much.

[happyturtle]

Sofa of Lounging

Yup. Premature Plot Death.

"Dunno. That Moff never showed up again. I guess he got his pretty ass killed." Moff says. "Might have to ask Magtok. We don't have a hive mind like he does."

[Reinholdt]

Sofa of Lounging

"For the best really."

"The, uh, hivemind thing, not the murder." Not that she's shedding any tears or anything.

"Anyways, I've been working on this alliance with some Riverside people, and part of it has been getting some of ours to break into a flying a castle. But the people who volunteered are dragging their feet. Think you could go harass Nephrim and Cat Burglar until they find the idea of going very appealing?" Not Kal though. If Moff is sent to harass Kal things will take longer not shorter.

[Hattish Thing]

Entrance (Wow) I've only ever had one actually AMEN member...he died...)

Enshadu arrives! He's wearing bandages, all over his body and a red trenchcoat with orange cuffs and buttons. The trenchcoat has a hood which covers his head. He wears a pure white mask which moves with his face and portrays his emotions for him. He walks with a staff. His magical left eye glows with mechanical light, and his left leg is obviously fake judging by the limp. He'll knock with his right fist, which transforms into metal due to Elexxon's special nanobot technology.

[happyturtle]

Main Room >> Anywhere

Sofa of Lounging

"For the best really."

"The, uh, hivemind thing, not the murder." Not that she's shedding any tears or anything.

"Anyways, I've been working on this alliance with some Riverside people, and part of it has been getting some of ours to break into a flying a castle. But the people who volunteered are dragging their feet. Think you could go harass Nephrim and Cat Burglar until they find the idea of going very appealing?" Not Kal though. If Moff is sent to harass Kal things will take longer not shorter.

"Sure, no prob boss," Moff says. He rolls off the sofa and staggers off to look for Nephrim and Cat Burglar.

[Reinholdt]

Main Room -> Entrance

Well if anything can get people moving it's the threat of Continual Moff Exposure.

Ilpholin goes to open the door and look over the newcomer. Hmm... she's not sure she trusts someone that dresses up in that much clothing.
Not that she really trusts much of anyone anyways.
"Yes?"

[Hattish Thing]

Entrance

Enshadu smiles, with is somewhat grosteque. Greetings, I am Enshadu, I wish to join Amen! You must be...Ilpholin Xar'cha? The man bows stiffly. His white gloves his robotic hands.

[ThirdEmperor]

On the Hunt

The Cat Burglar can be found in his room, sprawled out on a mattress playing Call of Warfare Elite. Playing against him are the two draco-kitties, cats as large as lions with the teeth to match, covered in scales instead of fur.

[happyturtle]

On the Hunt

Moff walks right in without knocking. "Yo. Boss lady says get moving on the mission."

[Reinholdt]

Ah yes. The fatal flaw in Ilpholin's plan. Expecting Moff to be subtle. She has no one to blame but herself for that one.

Entrance -> Ilpholin's Office

"Ilpholin. Just Ilpholin. This way." Ilpholin says, leading the way to her office.

"Are you familiar with the enrollment process?"

[Slii Arhem]

Atlantis- Labs

"There's no gravity, unless you think there's gravity. As soon as you think there's gravity, you start falling in the direction you perceive as down until either you change your mind, hit something or die of starvation, thirst, or a cloud bank. Some are solid, others are acidic, poisonous, electrically charged, or worse. And Pazuzu's armies usually fight elsewhere, so a means of flight prevents them from hitting the ground should it drift through a portal." Plus occasionally a portal opens of its own accord and things escape into another plane that way. Or get in- ordinary birds usually die; there's no gravity, but no land either.

Atlantis - Labs

((Shrimp has indicated that we should continue on for a bit without him.))

"That does not address my concerns, although it's good to know that the plants won't be affected, as they are mindless and have no concept of gravity. My concerns, put plainly, are that there is no reason for me to put aside all of my other priorities for this because of some thin promise of compensation. It would take so long to carry out, and at the moment seems so impossible to accomplish, that unless you are promising some truly stellar reward I see no reason to even entertain the idea. For that matter, constructing flying machines from living plants is the quite possibly worst way to go about things. I would advise you to instead simply buy planes for Pazuzu and come to me if you need some form of plant-based weaponry, or means of regenerating the pilots after a crash. Those I may be able to provide." Shayan's speech brings with it a piercing clarity to her eyes that lasts only barely long enough for her to finish speaking, after which she seems somewhat dazed by her own vehemence.

[Earl of Purple]

Atlantis Labs

"I am only asking, although Pazuzu is a deity and therefore can reward quite handsomely. Well, Demon Lord of sufficient power to have attracted mortal worshippers, so there's little difference really. I shall keep your advice in mind, certainly. Thank you, though, for at least listening to me. In the end, Demons are individualistic; if you think there's better things to do with your time, it's entirely your choice. Anyway, Dam'bul here would like to volunteer to be a plant-person, if you're looking for volunteers. He's not human, he's an extradimensional parasite inhabiting this human's mind. That won't be a problem, will it?" Dam'bul, the human, smiles.

[ThirdEmperor]

On the Hunt

Moff walks right in without knocking. "Yo. Boss lady says get moving on the mission."

"Oh, uhm, what? The sudden distraction is enough to throw the Cat off his game, and he winces as his character is torn apart by twin volleys of gunfire. "Is Kal back? Cause, uhm, yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm done with what I need to do until he finishes his scouting mission."

[happyturtle]

Harrassing Cat

"Oh, uhm, what? The sudden distraction is enough to throw the Cat off his game, and he winces as his character is torn apart by twin volleys of gunfire. "Is Kal back? Cause, uhm, yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm done with what I need to do until he finishes his scouting mission."

"How should I know? It's not like we're lovers or anything." Moff says. "Well, I guess we kind of are. I mean, it's been hinted pretty strongly, but we've never actually had someone type 'and then Moff and Kal pull the curtain' onscreen. So okay, yeah, we're partners in debauchery and hedonism, but I don't know where he is. Anyway, it's your mission, you find him!"

[Slii Arhem]

Atlantis Labs

"I am only asking, although Pazuzu is a deity and therefore can reward quite handsomely. Well, Demon Lord of sufficient power to have attracted mortal worshippers, so there's little difference really. I shall keep your advice in mind, certainly. Thank you, though, for at least listening to me. In the end, Demons are individualistic; if you think there's better things to do with your time, it's entirely your choice. Anyway, Dam'bul here would like to volunteer to be a plant-person, if you're looking for volunteers. He's not human, he's an extradimensional parasite inhabiting this human's mind. That won't be a problem, will it?" Dam'bul, the human, smiles.

Atlantis - Labs

"So long as he can be sedated and restrained for the process, there should be no difficulty. I prefer subjects to be completely still to avoid the plant growing in unexpected ways, and don't trust them to be able to hold themselves still enough. There may also be a slight possibility of the roots interfering with his nerves, so I want him to know that I take no responsibility for what happens while he's on my table." Sensible precautions for any medical practitioner. Shayan gestures for Dam'bul to hop up on the operating table if he's still sure about going through with it.

[Earl of Purple]

Atlantis Labs

"Up you go, Dam'bul. If it doesn't work, I'll go find you a new host in no time, OK? And hold still." Those nearby with magic-senses may feel the heavy mind-control in the sentence; Dam'bul has no choice in the matter- Nephrim does.

Dam'bul does as he's instructed.

[Hattish Thing]

Ah yes. The fatal flaw in Ilpholin's plan. Expecting Moff to be subtle. She has no one to blame but herself for that one.

Entrance -> Ilpholin's Office

"Ilpholin. Just Ilpholin. This way." Ilpholin says, leading the way to her office.

"Are you familiar with the enrollment process?"

He nods. Ah, thank you Ms. Ilpholin. Enrollment? No Madame, enlighten me? He follows her.

[Slii Arhem]

Atlantis - Lab

Shayan moves over to the hanging plant she warned Isabelle of and breaks off a few leaves, then goes back to the operating table and holds them over Dam'bul's mouth.

"Chew these until your jaw no longer works, and then swallow them. They should keep you unmoving until they pass through your liver at least. If you have any kind of resistance to such things that you can suppress, I recommend you do so." Shayan will wait for him to follow her instructions, not proceeding until she can be sure he's paralyzed and numbed.

[Reinholdt]

Ilpholin's Office

"Basically, you fill out this form, there's an interview process, then a background check, then we decide if you're in or not, usually without ever telling you for sure."

Ilpholin hands the form over.

[Earl of Purple]

Atlantis Lab

Dam'bul will chew, trying to suppress his poison immunity. Fortunately, it works, and his jaw will stop working, at which point they're swallowed. For good measure, he turns off the part of his host's brain involved in responding to pain signals.

[The Alexandrian]

[Main Room?]

Meanwhile, Becky undeadtimes, baps her player on the head, then sways her way to find Clarissa!

...it's probably a good thing she wasn't here when Stu was...

...and when she finds Clarissa, the very naughtily-clad shadowdancer winks, and sits on the arm of the couch next to her partner in crime!

-------

[Main Room!]

Clarissa has nodded off in Becky's absence! The space beside her is open to sleep cuddles if Becky is in the mood for curling up and watching some tv! If Becky isn't and instead tries waking Clarissa, she'll find Clarissa impossibly easy to rouse.

[Outside - Training]

"What's with the squirrel? Why, Cedric is my dear little friend." Isabelle smiles and Cedric shrieks.

[Outside - Training]

If you don't object, I'd like to polish off this scene in one final post.

And with Ilphy's departure, Roxanne returns to the mission at hand. Taps plays. Roxanne directs the henchmen to slide into the bodybags and delivers to them an inspirational speech on her main goal while she acts in this capacity: preserving the henchmen's lives. After rolling them down into the "mass grave" and shoveling a dozen scoops of dirt onto them, she orders them to rise from the grave and be born anew. She turns her back on the grave as the henchmen scramble out of it and disperse, fire consuming the bodybags as the operation transitions from inspiring the henchmen to filling in the pit.

Isabelle isn't forgotten. She is now the subject of all of Roxanne's attentions. Unless she declines to interact with Roxanne further, which will result in Roxanne's own interest in Isabelle subsiding and being transferred to Ilpholin.

Roxanne suspects that her boss doesn't agree with the initiative she's undertaken of her own volition. But frankly, Ilphy's consent is a tertiary objective at best.

-------
[Ilpholin's Office - In Trouble?]

Might as well tend to this scene while I'm posting here. Knock, knock, knock! Roxanne's here! Well, just outside of here if you want to be exact. Waiting for the entry authorization and all that protocol. Bleh! Protocol! Protocol is booooring!

[Reinholdt]

[Ilpholin's Office - Roxanne]

"Come in." Ilpholin says.
Door doesn't open of its own accord this time though. Huh.
Anyways Ilpholin is sitting at the desk again, though she stands when Roxanne does actually come in.
"Close the door." She says if Roxanne hasn't already anyways.

[Slii Arhem]

Atlantis - Labs

Shayan then goes about flipping Dam'bul onto his stomach and taking up her freshly cleaned scalpel, cutting away at his shirt without marring the flesh beneath, assuming Nephrim has no objections. Once a small hole over the fifth vertebrae down from his neck is made, Shayan dabs the area with disinfectant and proceeds to place her palm against it. There will be a short thunk as the seed is implanted into his spine, and that will be that.

((All of which is attempted, and can be stopped by anyone in the room if they wish.))

"The seed will take ten minutes to sprout, and then perhaps an hour to fully take root. After that, we just have to wait for the paralysis to wear off."

[The Alexandrian]

[Ilpholin's Office - Roxanne]

Motor must've burned out or something. Peculiar...

The door is closed. Roxanne meditates on this. From Roxanne's perspective, there are three possible reasons for this that immediately present themselves.

A) Ilpholin intends to verbally reprimand her.
B) Ilpholin intends to physically harm her.
C) Ilpholin intends to discuss something special with her.

Roxanne doesn't stress over any of this. She remains standing, as Ilpholin is.

"Hatteress reporting as ordered, ma'am."

Roxanne renders a hand salute, scanning the room for anything out of the ordinary with an ever-vigilant sensor bank.