Spooktober 2021!

[Ashen Lilies]

It was a dark and stormy night. It hadn’t meant to be. The morning and afternoon had been clear, cool, and crisp, and in fact the sky had been stubbornly clear and cloudless for days, and had been predicted to remain clear for days to come. But that wouldn’t have done. That wouldn’t have done at all. So it was early in the evening when the clouds began to form, and then gather above the hill, swirling and twisting into dark and heavy stormcloud that brooded gloomily in position as the sun’s last light faded over the horizon, before bursting into a tantrum of rain and thunder.

And so, in spite of everything, it was a dark and stormy night. A dark, imposing figure stood looking upon a lonely hill. She was dressed in an elaborate gown of black and purple, with an elaborate horned headdress and holding a tall staff topped with a magnificent chunk of amethyst, held in place by a spiked iron ring. At her side was a demon of the abyss, darkly handsome and finely dressed in black and silver and white lace.

The sorceress thrust her staff skyward, holding it aloft to the turbulent heavens, and lightning fell down upon it, bolts of power impaling themselves upon the elaborate headpiece and feeding into the stone cradled within, which began to hum and glow with a fell light. The dull whine of arcane power was accompanied by a low pounding of drums, and an ominous thrumming of electric guitars, which increased slowly in speed and volume as the sorceress’ energies gathered.

Then, boldly, the sorceress swung her staff forward, crying out an incantation as a beam of pure energy erupted from the gem, lancing through the night into the crest of the hill. The ground let out a sound like a struck gong, and began to shake, up and down in broad ripples expanding outwards, while percussion and guitars exploded with frantic energy, blistering arpeggios hammered out in time with the rumblings of thunder and the shuddering hillside. The sorceress, standing poised and unbothered by the violently moving earth beneath her, turned slowly towards her companion.

“Cassandra. What is that infernal racket?”

“It’s mood music. For dramatic effect.” The demon shuffled awkwardly.

“My child, I am wresting an evil castle from the very bosom of the earth. It is already dramatic.”

“Do you not like this track? It’s a good track. Should I pick a different one?”

“No, it’s... it’s quite alright dear.”

The top of the hill began to rupture and split, revealing a yawning chasm, from which towers began to emerge, and turrets, and walls and ramparts, and then indeed an entire castle, built of blocks hewn from black stone, which arose from the hill like a blooming lily, and then loomed imposingly, flashes of thunderlight casting long shadows over the quieting earth.

Geneviève gave the butt of her staff a final knock on the ground, and all the windows of the castle lit up with warm candlelight, and an answering knock came from the castle drawbridge and gate, which swung wide, opening into a large and luxuriously decorated banquet hall. Within, fires crackled in dozens of hearths, and hundreds of candles and jack-o-lanterns bobbed jauntily in the air, high above long tables laden to near buckling with platters of pastry, bowls of candy, jugs of mulled wine and cider and steaming hot chocolate, and tapped kegs of pumpkin shandy. Headless suits of armor wandered between, carrying silver trays to and from a lavishly stocked bar, and on a raised platform a chamber orchestra (without musicians) began to play...

At long last, it was time for this year’s Spooktober festivities to begin.

[Ironsmith]

[Now Arriving]

Despite her distinct lack of walking speed, a certain vampiress seems to he among the first arrivals at the castle. She half-walks, half-glides into the room, giving the other partygoers (the ones who were here, anyway) a friendly little wave in greeting. Her costume seems to be one of a diabolic noble of some kind; she's wearing a crimson, ballgown-like dress, with a volumious skirt and puffed shoulders, decorated with black lace across the chest and back, and accompanied by elbow-length black gloves. She has her hair done up in a crown, with small wavy locks around her ears, complimenting the tiny pair of horns that had grown in on her forehead, which she was hoping other partygoers would assume to just be part of the costume. And for tonight only, she's swapped out her sword-cane for a bident, using the shaft of the two-pronged fork to push herself around.

Siana glances at the other partygoers nervously, letting out a grateful sigh that none of the rest of her family had shown up. Arthfael would probably think it's dumb and not want anything to do with it, and her uncle would probably agree for the exact opposite reasons. Owena would've been an even bet, but thankfully, she seems to be busy tonight. Which meant she'd have the party to herself, relatively speaking.

---

Also dressed as a hellish noble, but needing absolutely no costume to do it, Braeg walks into the room, his attendants shuffling in nervously behind him. No way he was going to miss what promised to be an interesting party, mixing spooks festivities. Such an occasion was practically begging for his attendance.

His niece was also in attendance, though naturally, Braon had seen fit to arrive separately and was trying to avoid making contact with her uncle if at all possible. She was here to have fun, not start a fight. Her costume was made mostly of vines wrapped around her over skin-colored tights, along with what appeared to be a crystalized apple, made into a pendant by a thin gold chain running around her neck. She watches the other partygoers with keen interest, looking to see who might be entertaining company... particularly singling out anyone who appeared to be especially nervous.

[bc56]

Arrivals
Someone arrives at the entrance to the castle and sweeps her way into the grand hall. She's wearing a black cape and wide-brimmed black hat, pulled low over her face, which is covered by a black domino mask. A rapier is buckled at her waist.
However, the masked swordsman look is altered somewhat by the woman's own appearance. A pair of fox ears poke out from slits in her hat, and nine fluffy tails are only slightly covered by her cape.
Jade Fisher brushes a few strands of red hair out of her face and surveys the scene. She's normally fond of Spooktober parties, and this one is no different...
Except last year she accidentally wound up in debt to a spirit of Autumn. But she's almost completely forgotten that by now. She's had a lot of other things on her mind.
She saunters over to the refreshments for a bite to eat while she waits to see if anyone she knows shows up.

[Morty]

As is the case every year, the castle is swarmed by goblins, woblins and one gnome. This time, the horde of little folk seem to be all dressed as dragons. Brinika is wearing the costume of a dark grey dragon, thick and spiky, with a long tail but no wings. There was some argument as to whether a wingless dragon counts as one, but Brinika managed to make her case. Tuskfang, her half-Wolfen cousin, is wearing the costume of a smooth-scaled black dragon (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/How_to_Train_Your_Dragon_Poster.jpg).

Also visiting the place is Thariza. The Charr has donned a black costume covered in purple-painted foam, to give the impression of a creature covered in crystal growths. She hasn't visited the Spooktober celebration before, but she's well familiar with the Mad King festival in Tyria. Seems to be a similar mood, except without a... crazy pumpkin-headed dead human king. So a real improvement.

[Deathkeeper]

Two large guests arrive, sneaking in among the crowd.

The first is a very portly wolf-man, dressed in a long coat, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses. He shows an immediate lack of control by going directly to the snack table at the prompting of his rumbly belly. Though to be fair to him, it was a long ride here.

The other is a large minotauress in a brown jacket, slacks, and an old-fashioned hat. A toy whip and revolver are tied to her hips.
Mina really wanted to bring Gwas to his first holiday party but she couldn't find him anywhere! No matter where she looked.

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table]

Is that...?

Siana approaches the snack table quietly, pulling herself along with her costume's bident, taking a closer look at rhe snacks on the table and pleasantly surprised to find a series of shot glasses filled with ichor.

She smiles and facepalms jokingly. Of course they had vampire food here. If there was one night a year when they absolutely would not be able to avoid it, this was the one.

Seeing as to how this snack table is open to the whole party, Siana scoops up one such glass and drains it in a second. Mm... that's the good stuff.

Too good. No way she can stop with just one.

Or two.

Okay, three's the hard limit for sure.

No more than four.

At glass number five, Siana notices she's been pigging out right next to another guest, that she somehow didn't see until right this second. Horribly embarrassed, she sets the glass back down on the table and giggles nervously, hoping Jade didn't notice her little faux pas. "Um... hi!" She manages, giving her a stained-toothed smile.

[Earl of Purple]

Accompanying the swarm of goblins is a lone gnome girl, wearing a pink furry outfit with a wide tail and head fins and horns. She's also wearing a pair of pink glasses. She's dressed as a Mizutsune, a rather specific one as it happens.

Elsewhere, Jack arrives. The shapeshifter is currently wearing a white robe embroidered with many eye-shapes. She's shifted feathers into her hair, and dyed all the feathers white- the ones in her hair, the ones growing down her arms, and the feathers of her extra wings, with the eye in the central joint. She's also painted a third eye onto her forehead, above her own grey eyes, and there's other eyes painted onto her skin visible through the white feathers of her arms and again on the palms of her hands.

In a third place, an obese gnome wearing a green suit is carried into the party. He's got a metal open-faced helmet on, with wires connecting to the armchair he's sat in. It strides along on four articulated legs, but the legs have been enchanted to be invisible whilst the rest of the armchair is covered in yellow plastic panels and flashing lights, with multiple large X shapes in the panels.

[Deathkeeper]

The wolfman can't help but look over at the large, seemingly floating chair and examine it a little closer.
"Wow, nice ride. How's it move?" he asks the gnome.

[Earl of Purple]

"It has four invisible legs. It could fly properly, but I would need to build wings for that. And those would by necessity be large and very unsubtle, plus the person whose chair this is based on could hover in it. I can't do that with actual wings, it would have to settle down when not in flight. The legs are easier to hide." Although as it's walking rather than actually hovering, it sways and bobs rather than remaining steady. And Pontius does have a flying chair; the wings are large enough it's hard to fit through most doors. Making those invisible and taking off would be chaos, as Pontius wouldn't be able to see them either.

[bc56]

Snack Table
Jade wipes a couple crumbs of chocolate off her own mouth and smiles at Siana. "Hi!" She's pretty sure that's just fruit punch (she's wrong). "That's a great costume, who is it? And how did you do those horns, they look so real!" This girl looks nervous, Jade thinks the best thing to do is be friendly.

[Deathkeeper]

"That makes sense. A hovering chair sounds pretty neat. I think my brother has one of those. Kind of annoying since he's the one who can walk long distances." Djinni minion empowerment does that.
"So you made it yourself, then?" asks Codebreaker, looking at Pontius from over his glasses. "My name's Codebreaker."

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table]

Siana cringes internally, but gives Jade a small smile. As much as she didn't like drawing attention to her new marks of shame, she's at least gratified to know her ruse was working.

Ugh. Ruse. And gluttony, she thinks, looking down at the shot glass in her hand. She's even starting to think like a fiendling.

"Oh. Um... well, it's, ah... not meant to be anyone in particular, really." Siana manages to say, leaning on her bident. "Just an amalgam of various underworld figures from here and there. Typical devil plus little elements of Hades." She smiles and gestures to Jade's own costume. "But never mind me, look at you! That's got to be the best... thing ever!" She says, having no idea who Jade's costume is supposed to resemble and no context for guessing. A swashbuckler of some kind? It looked amazing either way.

[Earl of Purple]

"Pontius Mortifex Dathrii, of Pontius' Custom Constructs. I made this one, and several others. One actually does have wings. Would you like one? It'd be expensive, materials and labour, but if you provided an armchair and brought it to my workshop I might be able to reduce the price a little." Technically with how gnomes work in Earl-land now, Pontius should have a fourth name, but it's up to him to pick one and he apparently hasn't.

He also offers a hand to shake, as the chair raises up a little. The legs are extendable, and this movement is quite smooth- it actually does look like it's hovering upwards.

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker nods.
"Well, a huge set of wings might be a little ostentatious even for me, but it does sound rather enticing. You surely look quite comfortable. I could certainly use something plush and comfortable. Though I admit it would have to be rather large." he says, pondering the image.
"Money isn't an issue for me at the moment." he adds.

[bc56]

Snack Table
"What? No, it's just a cape and a mask." And a hat. Jade shakes her head. "Zorro's not supposed to be a fox. Or a woman." But whatever. "You probably don't know who Zorro is. I feel old now." Although the whole alternate dimensions thing also makes it mostly a moot point. Some people don't know who Zorro is, others know him as a historical figure, and others like Jade understand him to be fictional.

[Earl of Purple]

"I am glad you think I look comfortable; it is a very smooth ride. Not especially fast, however, and bulky. I live in a human-scale house, which is the only reason I can fit through the doors." Pontius is short; under a metre tall. His armchair is wide, and it's easy to imagine that one scaled up to human-size might struggle with most human-sized doors. "I'll give you my card; I have a shop in Mallside and another in Inside. That one is also my warehouse and workshop, where I and my apprentices build the constructs I sell." Pontius doesn't actually like selling them. But if he didn't he'd have to probably build a bigger house or something.

[Ironsmith]

Snack Table
"What? No, it's just a cape and a mask." And a hat. Jade shakes her head. "Zorro's not supposed to be a fox. Or a woman." But whatever. "You probably don't know who Zorro is. I feel old now." Although the whole alternate dimensions thing also makes it mostly a moot point. Some people don't know who Zorro is, others know him as a historical figure, and others like Jade understand him to be fictional.

[Snack Table]

"Ah, don't worry about it. I spent the last ten years living under a proverbial rock, in another world. It's taking me a while to catch up with the local culture." Siana giggles. "Still, it's a really neat costume! I wish I'd known about it sooner." She smiles and leans just a little too much on her bident, slowly pushing herself away from the table. "Might've been a better option than- whoop!"

And down she goes, in a mess of wooden hoops and ruffled skirts. Oof.

[Meeting Mina]

"Doctor Jones, I presume." Braon says as she approaches Mina. "Though last I checked, he was a little shorter, more human, and... well, a he." The fiendling chuckles as she circles around, examining what to her looked like a very mediocre costume.

Not that hers was much better; the ivy around her tights suggested she was cosplaying as some kind of nature spirit, though by far the bigger feature was the fact that she, at first glance, didn't look to be wearing anything at all. This had already gotten her a number of funny looks (including an obviously-offended glare from one of the dryads in attendance), but Braon seemed to enjoy that.

"Did you make this yourself?" Braon asks, halfway between impressed and contemptuous.

[bc56]

Snack Table
"Woah!" Jade immediately bends down and offers a hand to Siana to help her up. "Are you all right? What happened?" With all the fancy skirts, Jade can't actually see that Siana's leg is paralyzed, although she can tell that Siana has a limp and relies on her bident to walk.

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table]

A closer look will reveal that to only be half true.

The bottom-most hoop in Siana's skirt has a set of spherical wheels mounted to it, as Jade will now be able to tell with the whole contraption on its side. Between that and the hoops themselves, it quickly becomes readily apparent that the skirt is meant to be self-supporting, so Siana would only have to keep a foot on the ground in order to keep from rolling away. Unfortunately, whoever put it together did a bit of a rubbish job; the hoops are far too narrow to properly accommodate shifts in weight distribution, so if Siana leans too far in one direction...

Well, this happens.

Siana flashes a thumbs-up. "I'm okay!" She grins, setting her bident to the side as she tries to roll her skirts so she can get back up. "Sorry. I'm not used to this rig yet. Normally I just use a cane."

[Deathkeeper]

Pontius/CB

"Ah, I hear you. My brother is over half again as tall as me and just as much wider and he has trouble with doors. Something fit for me would probably have the same problem. But maybe I could find something? You certainly look like someone who appreciates the finer things." Namely that he seems to have very nice, expensive things. And that he's the first person he's spoken to in a while who isn't judging Codebreaker for his weight. Probably.

Braon/Mina

Mina smiles simply, completely unfazed. "Costumes are costumes. I'd have gone as a cowgirl but someone told me it might be offensive. And yes, I did. It took me a week. You try sewing with these things." She gestures with her large, thick fingers.

[Earl of Purple]

Pontius & Codebreaker

"I might be able to, yes. Do you need one? I designed this because when I was a lot younger, I fell from a tree and hurt myself badly. I haven't been able to walk for long since." Which would put a hamper on his ability to exercise. Pontius doesn't judge Codebreaker for his weight, but if all he wants one for is to make his life easier and walking doesn't cause him pain, Pontius will charge more for it. Not that Codebreaker should know that, unless it connects to numbers somehow.

[bc56]

Snack Table
"Wood seems too flexible for a structure like that. Have you considered using aluminum? Or plastic?
Or better, a mechanical brace? Cybernetics are too expensive to be a practical option, but something based on a lifting exoskeleton might work." Once Jade gets onto an engineering sidetrack, it's hard to stop her. "I'm not super familiar with antigravity tech, but maybe something like that could help?"

[Arkhosia]

Arrivals - Spiraling Sighs

It's the eve of Spooktober once more, and as more vehicles park and carriages arrive, there appears a familiar sight for at least one member of the family hosting this year. Cantata appears beneath the cozy candlelight almost as if she'd been among the very stones conjured from the earth, leaning back against the wall and mulling a glass of warm cider in a single perched hand. For tonight she's dyed her dark brown hair a deep black, and her amber eyes seem to shine a brighter gold than usual.

Her actual costume (https://www.deviantart.com/inhos0/art/Chane-Laforet-709064123) is rather simple next to many other guests - it's a simple black dress held up by ruffled straps with an ebon rose over the heart, paired opera gloves and ankle-length boots, a pair of oversized knives with gold crossguards sheathed on the waist. Spatters and streaks of fake blood have been painted across her face and used to stain the hands of her gloves. She seems to be searching for someone among the crowd of cheery revelers.

Arrivals - Immutable Exuberance

Meanwhile out at the castle's grand entrance, the doors to one of the carriages burst open as a white-haired catgirl steps out with a great deal of cheer, purple eyes glittering with excitement. She's an older woman, clad in a pale green dress (https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mrfz/images/6/68/Kal%27tsit.png/revision/latest?cb=20190831014830) whose skirt only extends halfway down the thigh while the top connects to a black choker and leaves the shoulders bare. A doctor's coat hangs loosely off the shoulders as she looks around and back behind her, waiting for her partner to follow along.

"I can't explain why, but it really feels like ages since I've been out to one of these! Seems you folks haven't lost an ounce of spirit for em." Caelynn smiles back at Magtok. There's a mischievous little glint in her eye. "I think whoever's hosting this year could probably rival your flair for the dramatic."

[Ironsmith]

Braon/Mina

Mina smiles simply, completely unfazed. "Costumes are costumes. I'd have gone as a cowgirl but someone told me it might be offensive. And yes, I did. It took me a week. You try sewing with these things." She gestures with her large, thick fingers.



"And who cares if it is? Screw 'em." Braon shrugs. "You let some total strangers tell you how to live your life, and you're gonna end up miserable. Besides, that would have been hilarious." The fiendling smirks as she leans against a nearby table. "...More saliently, though, if making a costume was that difficult, why bother? Couldn't you have bought one?"


[B]Snack Table
"Wood seems too flexible for a structure like that. Have you considered using aluminum? Or plastic?
Or better, a mechanical brace? Cybernetics are too expensive to be a practical option, but something based on a lifting exoskeleton might work." Once Jade gets onto an engineering sidetrack, it's hard to stop her. "I'm not super familiar with antigravity tech, but maybe something like that could help?"

[Snack Table]

Siana shrugs. "It's all Ellinikan to me." She says nonchalantly. "I just saw this dress at the tailor's and thought it was pretty neat. Owner said she got the idea from a new fashion trend in Skyside. One that was surprisingly disability-friendly, given it was apparently designed for mermaids." She grabs her bident and pushes herself upright, arms waving precariously as she tries to make sure her balance is okay. "I was considering finding an excuse to wear it the rest of the year, albeit a little trimmed-down, but... well, yeah, like you said, the design's a little lacking."

[Deathkeeper]

Pontius and CB

"Not strictly need. My heart isn't very strong and walking long distances is hard for me. I'll stop by your store. Maybe I don't need something that large but I'm sure your store has things I would like." Codebreaker admits it would be mostly out of a desire to not walk places and to keep up with his brother who already has something like that.

Braon and Mina

"Yeah, well. I live with the guy it'd probably offend." Mina shrugs herself.
"I'm not made of money. I'm not blowing that kind of cash on a cheap costume that'll rip the second I move my arms." Sai has cursed Mina with arms that don't get along with sleeves very well.

[Ironsmith]

Braon and Mina

"Yeah, well. I live with the guy it'd probably offend." Mina shrugs herself.
"I'm not made of money. I'm not blowing that kind of cash on a cheap costume that'll rip the second I move my arms." Sai has cursed Mina with arms that don't get along with sleeves very well.

[Braon and Mina]

"Hmph. Sounds like he needs to grow some thicker skin." Braon chuffs. "...Still, I get the money thing. I'm not exactly swimming in gold, either." She gives a little smile and extends her hand. "The name's Braon. Braon Hexenb-"

"Lesserwood~"

"Oh, [SCREW] OFF!" Braon shouts irritably at her uncle. "...Hexenborne."

[bc56]

Snack Table
"It's nothing that can't be fixed without a little ingenuity and elbow grease." But skyside? Disability friendly? Unless there was a sudden influx of mermaids, it seems unlikely. "I'm sure I could make an improved version with my tools and some time."

[Earl of Purple]

PMD & CB

"I don't have any walking-chairs on offer, at the moment. I have created several, but I use them for myself. Mostly I work with golems and things like that, which are mostly made of one material and most of the brute work done by my apprentices. Stone, metal, clay, glass, even plastic or ice sometimes. If you can find an armchair, I can see what I can do. Go to my workshop, I'll get some measurements, see what exactly you want, show you some of mine, and work out a price for you." A walking-chair like the ones that Pontius has ridden in since his first appearance hasn't had anyone interested in buying one yet.

[Deathkeeper]

PMD and CB

"oooh, golems? That sounds very interesting. Magic has always been fascinating, though I am limited to very specific applications myself. So you use them for labor?" CB isn't sure if he entirely wants a walking chair as it's something his predecessor would definitely get but he thinks makes him look quite arrogant. Still, he's kind of annoyed his brother has a floating chair when he can walk just fine.

Braon and Mina

Mina shakes Braon's hand, ignoring the outburst.
"Well, he can't really get any kind of skin as he's a talking object. He'll open up some time. He just needs more time to think of himself more instead of defining himself by his owners." Mina admits. She needs some way to get through to him. She just hasn't found it yet. Maybe she should tell him he's okay to make cow jokes around her if he stops actually insulting her, but maybe he would just abuse that.

[Earl of Purple]

PMD & CB

"They can be used for labour, yes. Or they can be bodyguards, they can salvage from shipwrecks, and do whatever else you tell them to. Personally, I just build them and sell them." And still ensure they've got a command so they obey him, so if somebody tries to use one of his golems to rob his house or shop, Pontius can stop them. "My magic is also very focused, on building and maintaining animated objects to a mimicry of life." Pontius might be able to make a full-on Warforged, or something similar, but he doesn't because he doesn't like robots and the idea of a golem that can think for itself strikes him as too close to robotics. "What's your speciality? Do you mind telling me?" Codebreaker may want to keep it secret for whatever reason, after all.

[Ironsmith]

Snack Table
"It's nothing that can't be fixed without a little ingenuity and elbow grease." But skyside? Disability friendly? Unless there was a sudden influx of mermaids, it seems unlikely. "I'm sure I could make an improved version with my tools and some time."

[Snack Table]

Naturally, there was such an influx. Sort of. There was a sudden increase in the number of freed merfolk, at least. Not that Siana would know that.

"You could?" Siana asks, intrigued. "I... don't suppose you'd be interested in actually doing that, would you? I mean, I can fight with my cane just fine, but contract holders tend to take a dim view of a teenage girl with a limp offering her services as a sellsword. It'd be nice to be able to sidestep that."



Braon and Mina

Mina shakes Braon's hand, ignoring the outburst.
"Well, he can't really get any kind of skin as he's a talking object. He'll open up some time. He just needs more time to think of himself more instead of defining himself by his owners." Mina admits. She needs some way to get through to him. She just hasn't found it yet. Maybe she should tell him he's okay to make cow jokes around her if he stops actually insulting her, but maybe he would just abuse that.

[Braon and Mina]

"...That..." Braon facepalms. "...Please tell me you just aren't used to dealing with enchantments. Because believe me, that is the literal opposite of what you want." She sighs and runs her hand down her face.

[Deathkeeper]

Braon and Mina

Mina shakes her hand from side to side.
"Eh, it's not really an enchantment per se...He's got that 'forged by the gods' thing going on."
Actually Sai might have literally been forged by a god. She should ask him about that.

[bc56]

Snack Table
"You're a mercenary?" A rhetorical question. "Then a mechanical brace is what you want. The dress is a bit much for fighting in, don't you think?" Jade considers. "I could definitely make something like that. I'm not sure about a control mechanism though. If you don't mind me asking, how was your leg paralyzed?"

[Ironsmith]

Braon and Mina

Mina shakes her hand from side to side.
"Eh, it's not really an enchantment per se...He's got that 'forged by the gods' thing going on."
Actually Sai might have literally been forged by a god. She should ask him about that.



Braon shrugs. "Six of one." She says nonchalantly. "The point is, if you want it to work for you, you have to get it to sync up with your wants and needs. Letting it get too much of an ego is how you get magic daggers that stab you in the back. It's why so many enchanters back where I come from don't usually sell their stuff; too much conflict of personality." She sighs. "I mean, I get the sentiment. 'Ooh, it talks, that must make it a person!' But they aren't people. Nobody is stupid enough to put the whole of their being in a hunk of metal, so whatever comes out is less than human by definition."


[B]Snack Table
"You're a mercenary?" A rhetorical question. "Then a mechanical brace is what you want. The dress is a bit much for fighting in, don't you think?" Jade considers. "I could definitely make something like that. I'm not sure about a control mechanism though. If you don't mind me asking, how was your leg paralyzed?"

[Snack Table]

Siana smiles. "I know. I don't exactly look the part, do I? Hence the dress." She giggles.

"My leg? Well, I... I was born, really. It's been like this my whole life." She lifts the hem of her skirt enough that Jade will be able to see it properly; her leg isn't "just" paralyzed, it's twisted grotesquely, like someone took a freeze frame of a bad car accident and decided that's what her leg should look like. "Don't worry, I've long since learned to live with it."

[Deathkeeper]

PMD & CB

"They can be used for labour, yes. Or they can be bodyguards, they can salvage from shipwrecks, and do whatever else you tell them to. Personally, I just build them and sell them." And still ensure they've got a command so they obey him, so if somebody tries to use one of his golems to rob his house or shop, Pontius can stop them. "My magic is also very focused, on building and maintaining animated objects to a mimicry of life." Pontius might be able to make a full-on Warforged, or something similar, but he doesn't because he doesn't like robots and the idea of a golem that can think for itself strikes him as too close to robotics. "What's your speciality? Do you mind telling me?" Codebreaker may want to keep it secret for whatever reason, after all.
PMD & CB

"Ah, it's in the name, really. I run a shrine to a spirit named α who has bestowed upon me his mathematical prowess. Codes, accounting, science advanced enough to be magic, it's all very simple for me. Which ah, has already gotten me into a little bit of trouble. I might need one of those bodyguards some time." CB taps his middle nervously. So far no one has come to follow up on Hana's potential threat but he does know that it might happen. His mysterious benefactor also hasn't contacted him again.

[Braon and Mina]

Braon shrugs. "Six of one." She says nonchalantly. "The point is, if you want it to work for you, you have to get it to sync up with your wants and needs. Letting it get too much of an ego is how you get magic daggers that stab you in the back. It's why so many enchanters back where I come from don't usually sell their stuff; too much conflict of personality." She sighs. "I mean, I get the sentiment. 'Ooh, it talks, that must make it a person!' But they aren't people. Nobody is stupid enough to put the whole of their being in a hunk of metal, so whatever comes out is less than human by definition."


Braon and Mina

Mina smirks.
"But if he was made by a god doesn't that assumption go out the window? A god is more than a person; they can pour just about anything into what they make if they want to." she mentions.

[Earl of Purple]

PMD & CB

"That... does sound quite useful, and I can also see how it would garner enemies." Pontius nods, and thinks a moment. "I might be able to give you a discount, if you'd look over some of my books, make sure there's no money going missing. Do you offer services as a forensic accountant?" If not, that could be something he could do to make some legitimate money. Still make some enemies, though, from employees scooping from the top and such.

[bc56]

Snack Bar
Jade winces. That's particularly bad. "I'm not sure I can help with that. That's pretty bad. Those joints don't even all face the right directions." Her tails droop a little. "Sorry if I got your hopes up. I'm not a miracle worker. I can give it a shot sometime, but I can't promise anything."

[Ironsmith]

Braon and Mina

Mina smirks.
"But if he was made by a god doesn't that assumption go out the window? A god is more than a person; they can pour just about anything into what they make if they want to." she mentions.



Braon scowls. "...Listen, kid. Nobody likes a smartass." She grumbles. "And I would know. I'm a smartass and nobody likes me."

She takes a moment to seethe before continuing.

"You might not want to get too invested in that theory. A god is several orders of magnitude 'bigger' than us mere mortals, metaphysically speaking. That would leave open the disturbing possibility that your friend is more real than you are. And if you're already having ego problems with him, try pointing that out."


[B]Snack Bar
Jade winces. That's particularly bad. "I'm not sure I can help with that. That's pretty bad. Those joints don't even all face the right directions." Her tails droop a little. "Sorry if I got your hopes up. I'm not a miracle worker. I can give it a shot sometime, but I can't promise anything."

[Snack Bar]

"Eh, they wouldn't be miracles if everyone could do them." Siana shrugs and smiles. "It's still sweet of you to offer. So... thank you, miss." She stops and giggles. "Oh, wow. I just realized I almost contracted you for a leg without even telling you my name first! Wouldn't that have been embarrassing!" She extends her hand. "Siana Redmont." She greets, using her MERC alias. She seemed to be leaning on it more the longer she was away from home.

[bc56]

Snack Bar
"Jade Fisher," Jade replies, using her real name. She shakes the offered hand. "Don't worry about it, I almost made a leg for you without knowing your name!" She laughs along with Siana.

[Deathkeeper]

Braon and Mina

Mina shrugs.
”Real is relative. He’s already called the celestial bureaucracy to ‘help’ once. At least I mostly got an apology for that. Either way I’m stuck with him so I’m not going to start treating him like a slave. That’s just not right.”


Pontius and Codebreaker

Codebreaker blinks but considers the possibility.
”I don’t, but I certainly could. If you don’t have that many workers and you mostly sell a limited number of expensive items it likely wouldn’t even be that much to go through.”
CB has more money than he could ever need but he has found himself being bored with that. A task couldn’t hurt him.

[Morty]

[Pontius and Codebreaker]

Codebreaker is approached by a very small, fuzzy child in a black dragon's costume. Tuskfang doesn't often see Wolfen who aren't his dad, so he's curious. But for now he doesn't intrude on the conversation yet.

[Ironsmith]

Snack Bar
"Jade Fisher," Jade replies, using her real name. She shakes the offered hand. "Don't worry about it, I almost made a leg for you without knowing your name!" She laughs along with Siana.

[Snack Bar]

"Ha! I guess you did!" Siana giggles. "...Ah. That would be nice, though. Just being able to walk like anyone else does." She taps the shaft of her bident to the skirt of her dress, producing a hollow clacking sound as the wooden weapon hits up against the hoops in her skirt. "...You mentioned an option that was too elaborate for a costume, but what about day-to-day stuff? What did you call it, 'cybernetics'?" She frowns, being unfamiliar with the term for the most part.


Braon and Mina

Mina shrugs.
”Real is relative. He’s already called the celestial bureaucracy to ‘help’ once. At least I mostly got an apology for that. Either way I’m stuck with him so I’m not going to start treating him like a slave. That’s just not right.”


[Braon and Mina]

Braon scoffs. "Well, of course you don't treat him like a slave." The fiendling waves her hand dismissively. "Slaves rebel. Slaves are kept in line only through the threat of violence. Are you going to threaten to break him every time he disobeys you? How stupid would that be?" She shakes her head slowly. "No, no, and no. You have to treat him like an extension of yourself, not a slave. If you go somewhere, take him with you. If you love something, show him how to love it. If you hate someone, let him see why. Your end goal is to sync up enough that he does what you want as you want it, because in a sense, he's you."

[Earl of Purple]

PMD, CB, TF

"Seventeen workers, and I don't sell much. Isn't much demand, which is a pity. I love the act of creation, shaping the raw materials to see what lurks within, and then animating it to walk around, do whatever it's told... artwork, moving and self-articulating artwork." Pontius really does enjoy what he does. To demonstrate, he produces a piece of paper- standard sized printer paper- and starts to fold it. He's quite a good paper-folder, and a lion is quite quickly taking form. His chair is lowering as he folds it, and when complete he'll blow into its mouth. Its tail starts to lash, and it wiggles its legs around.

[bc56]

Snack Table
"It's beyond what I can do, but cybernetics would be to replace your leg with a mechanical one, hooked up to your nervous system so it functions just like a normal leg." It sounds to Jade like Siana might be interested in that. "But it's very expensive, and, as I said, I can't do that."

[Lord Magtok]

Arrivals - Knights of the Ark


Arrivals - Immutable Exuberance

Meanwhile out at the castle's grand entrance, the doors to one of the carriages burst open as a white-haired catgirl steps out with a great deal of cheer, purple eyes glittering with excitement. She's an older woman, clad in a pale green dress (https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mrfz/images/6/68/Kal%27tsit.png/revision/latest?cb=20190831014830) whose skirt only extends halfway down the thigh while the top connects to a black choker and leaves the shoulders bare. A doctor's coat hangs loosely off the shoulders as she looks around and back behind her, waiting for her partner to follow along.

"I can't explain why, but it really feels like ages since I've been out to one of these! Seems you folks haven't lost an ounce of spirit for em." Caelynn smiles back at Magtok. There's a mischievous little glint in her eye. "I think whoever's hosting this year could probably rival your flair for the dramatic."

"Eh, if you've seen one spooky magical castle you've seen them all," a familiar voice hidden deep within a strange helmet answers dismissively. We might not be able to see his face in there, or really anything at all but the faint glow of his left eye, but even so, his bruised ego couldn't be more transparent. The very idea of somebody equaling his showmanship, how dare she! Heresy, blasphemy, madness! Maybe he'll call dibs on Spooktober next year, just to prove her wrong!

A hand reaches out for the catgirl's own, as a cyborg dressed as a certain faceless mobile game protagonist (https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mrfz/images/6/6c/Doctor.png/revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20190823210844) steps forward, and the hooded helmet turns to survey the landscape around them. Okay fine, the animated orchestra is a nice touch. The headless suits of armor, too. Floating candles and jack o'lanterns are fine as well, I guess. Okay, maybe it'd take a little bit more effort than we expected to match this level of spectacle. There's plenty of people who've never hosted even one Spooktober though, so it wouldn't be that fair to snatch it away from them. Bette to not call dibs after all, especially for such a petty reason. We could obviously do better, it'd just be a chore to go out of our way to prove it. Yeah, that's why we're not doing it, out of magnanimity and laziness, not because this spooky castle is actually good.

"Still not sure how to feel about this costume idea, by the way. On the one hand, from afar, nobody will be able to tell it's me, but on the other hand, nobody will be able to tell it's me," he remarks. It should be so much easier to avoid weirdos like Ithuriel and the other MagClones, sure, but how are the commonfolk supposed to look at him and immediately feel an overwhelming sense of inferiority and humility like they usually do? Then again, how many other spooky hooded people always seen in the company of catgirls are there in the Nexus? Even the dumbest plebeians should know enough about the world's greatest supervillain to have a good guess at to who's hidden within that helm.

[Deathkeeper]

Pontius and CB

CB doesn't notice the child nearing them. "Well, that's a shame. It's a beautiful talent." he says with a nod, grinning at Pontius' little trick.

Braon and Mina

Mina tilts her head.
"Now that sounds like slow brainwashing. Still, I'll think about it. I need to go look for snacks." Mina tries to go looking for anything from the snack bar she's capable of eating.

[Ironsmith]

Snack Table
"It's beyond what I can do, but cybernetics would be to replace your leg with a mechanical one, hooked up to your nervous system so it functions just like a normal leg." It sounds to Jade like Siana might be interested in that. "But it's very expensive, and, as I said, I can't do that."

[Snack Table]

"...Ah." Siana sighs, a little put out by this response. Jade just gave her what sounded like the ideal solution to her leg problem, then promptly explained why that wouldn't actually work. Hopes up and crushed in ten seconds flat. "...It's just as well. Even if you could afford it, I kind of... can't." She shrugs. "Money's tight and getting tighter." It didn't help that she was spending most of it paying off a percieved debt, even though someone else had agreed to take it on for her and the person she was indebted to cleared it. She might be a fiendling now, but she was still going to do the honorable thing, dammit!

"...So, um..." She shuffles nervously, before hastily re-balancing on her bident, as the gesture was nearly enough to knock her over. "What do you do for a living, Miss Fisher?" She asks suddenly, changing the subject. "Is it more of this, or is making legs for crippled girls more of a hobby?" She jokes.



Braon and Mina

Mina tilts her head.
"Now that sounds like slow brainwashing. Still, I'll think about it. I need to go look for snacks." Mina tries to go looking for anything from the snack bar she's capable of eating.

[Braon and Mina]

"Slow enchanting." Braon insistently corrects. She sighs and watches Mina wander off, internally berating herself for her terrible conversation skills. She's not used to talking to people just... normally. She was usually insulting or flirting with them. Sometimes both. Whenever she tried something else, something like this usually happened, and...

You know what? No.

Braon frowns and picks up a nearly-bare grape cluster from a little bowl on the table. This is a party, she's here to meet people and have fun. She can put a little more effort in, just this once.

The tiny vine seems to agree. By the time she reaches Mina, it's miraculously started to bear fruit again, each of which is covered in a tantalizing dew to emphasize how large and sweet they must be. "Need something like this?" Braon asks, holding it out to her.

[Earl of Purple]

PMD, CB, TF

"Indeed, it can really bring a smile to people's faces." Pontius smiles himself, before turning to Tuskfang. His chair takes a few steps towards the woblin and Pontius holds out his hands with the paper lion on them. "Here you are, lad. A kitty, made of paper." The paper lion hops off Pontius' hands and takes a few steps towards Tuskfang, a little wobbly, and opens its mouth to roar. It is unfortunately plain white paper, though maybe Tuskfang or somebody could colour it in. "Try to keep it dry, cats don't like water." And also it's made of paper.

[Felandria]

Felandria has arrived at the party, this year she decided to see What If she came dressed as Captain Carter.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51571191096_84b7c04606_z_d.jpg

And walking next to her is Reginald, wearing a little false beak make out of felt, along with little felt wings and felt webbed feet slippers, because he is dressed as the Goose.

She brings Reginald over to the snacks to find him a little something to nibble on.

[Zefir]

[Arriving of the mice]

Mr. C has decided to dress up, even if he choose a slightly strange costume. He decided to go as a mice, using grey paper and a pink ball for the nose and some mice ear from a questionable store. (Who sells XXXXXS mice ears?). That took most of his budget away so he shoos to take a tail from a stuff animal mice and put it on. The skin was the easiest part. He is a cameleon after <all so he just changes to a grey color.

Instead of taking the front door, Mr C finds himself entering through a rathole, which defnitly was there a moment ago. For some unknown reason he has to say "squek" all 5 seconds which sure draws attention. A few NPC woman shriek up as they hear it, might not be the best choice.

[Morty]

[Pontius and CB]

Tuskfang gasps when he sees the paper toy move. He picks it up, carefully, afraid he'll crumple it if he's too quick.

"Wow. Thanks mister," he says, grinning. His tail wags under the costume. Then he looks at the person he came here to see. "Are you a Wolfen, mister?"

[bc56]

Snack Table
"I guess you could call helping people a hobby. But I don't actually have a job anymore. My brother and I patented some tech which will give us a pretty steady income for the next 15-ish years, and we spend a lot of time working on more stuff to extend that." That probably makes even less sense to Siana than anything else which has been described.

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table]

Siana blinks as she tries to process that. They didn't have a patent system where she came from; it wasn't needed, with new technology being relatively rare and most people generally honest enough to not steal each other's work. More importantly, royalties were something of a one-definition term there, so she might have trouble grasping how they could have a steady source of income from-

"Oh! You guys are inventors! Cool!" Siana grins.

Okay, maybe not that hard a time. She has been in the Nexus a while, she knows what "tech" means and she can kind of guess at the rest from there, at least enough to keep up the conversation.

"So... what did you make that's got you set up for fifteen years?"

[Deathkeeper]

Pontius, CB and Tuskfang

CB blinks at the question. Right, wolfen. That's what it says on his paperwork.
"Yeah, that's right. Any reason in particular you wanna know?" he asks. Something tells him that there's definitely going to be a follow-up question.

Snack Table

Mina seems unsure of the grapes being held in her face, particular due to the costume of the person offering them.
"Uh, maybe? I was thinking of looking at the sugary stuff first. I can still have that as long as it's not too crazy."
Being herbivorous stuff. Chocolate doesn't seem to be on the table. Complex carbs are fine, sugars are fine. Sai barely paid attention to cuisine since Tarr was mostly eating travel food so he's barely any help and a lot of Nexus minotaurs are omnivorous so finding information on the subject is surprisingly difficult without trial and error.

[Earl of Purple]

Pontius, Codebreaker and Tuskfang

The paper is quite stiff, a bit like thin card than printer-paper, and also magically reinforced to make it tougher.

"You are most welcome, young man." Pontius smiles as the paper lion (tiger would have been punnier; Earl did not think of that sooner) is scooped up, and it roars in Tuskfang's arms.

[bc56]

Snack Table
In response to Siana's question, Jade begins fiddling with her watch. It projects out a holographic display with the time, a login page, and the other things you might see on the lock screen of a smartphone. "More the hardware than the software. Reactive light projection. It's solid enough to touch and detects stimuli well enough to use as an interface."

[Morty]

[Pontius, CB and Tuskfang]

"My dad is a Wolfen," Tuskfang says with all the innocent earnestness of a young child. "But his family live far away and I don't meet other Wolfen often. Um, I'm Tusfkang." He reaches out his hand towards Codebreaker hesitantly, as if repeating something he's been taught.

[Ironsmith]

Snack Table

Mina seems unsure of the grapes being held in her face, particular due to the costume of the person offering them.
"Uh, maybe? I was thinking of looking at the sugary stuff first. I can still have that as long as it's not too crazy."
Being herbivorous stuff. Chocolate doesn't seem to be on the table. Complex carbs are fine, sugars are fine. Sai barely paid attention to cuisine since Tarr was mostly eating travel food so he's barely any help and a lot of Nexus minotaurs are omnivorous so finding information on the subject is surprisingly difficult without trial and error.

[Snack Table]

Braon shrugs. "All right, more for me then." She says, trying not to sound too insulted. She reaches out and plucks a grape off the vine, then pops it into her mouth.

And immediately makes a face.

"Adea above, that's awful." Braon spits, sending the half-chewed grape to the floor. "Eugh. It tastes like mold and desperation." Unsurprising, given who the grapes take after, really. Braon tosses the remaining vine into the trash can, thoroughly disappointed in how they'd turned out.

"...So. Sugary stuff, you say." Braon begins again, her hand gravitating toward a plate of pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies.


Snack Table
In response to Siana's question, Jade begins fiddling with her watch. It projects out a holographic display with the time, a login page, and the other things you might see on the lock screen of a smartphone. "More the hardware than the software. Reactive light projection. It's solid enough to touch and detects stimuli well enough to use as an interface."

[Snack Table]

In her time in the Nexus, Siana had ample opportunity to see magic at work. She'd also gotten to see a lot of advanced technology, and owned a phone herself. This was the first item she'd seen that did not fit neatly into one category or the other. "...Whoa." She gawks, reaching out to run her fingers along the clock in the display. "...That... is pretty cool. How does that even work? It's not magic, is it?"

[Deathkeeper]

Pontius, CB and Tuskfang

”My family is far away, too. There’s some other wolfen where I live but they’re not very nice people so I don’t talk to them much.” Except Surfrider. He’s not a bad person. Just kind of annoying.
Still, CB doesn’t have too much problems bending over to shake the boy’s hand.
”You’re not here all alone, are you?”

Braon and Mina

Mina winces at being proven right like that.
”Yeah, so far butter seeeems to be fine for me? I really wish I’d gotten instincts and facts with this body but I didn’t so I’m winging it.” she says, shrugging her big shoulders as she goes for some ghost shaped cookies.

[Earl of Purple]

Pontius, Codebreaker and Tuskfang

"I'm going to leave you fine fellows to it and grab a drink. So long, and have a good evening." Pontius nods his head and his chair dips forward in a sort-of bow, and then he'll go over to the snack table.

[Morty]

[Pontius, Codebreaker and Tuskfang]

Tuskfang seems confused when Codebreaker shakes his hand. It's clear he didn't expect it to happen. Is it some kind of other Wolfen custom, that his dad didn't teach him?

"No, I'm here with my cousins and aunt and uncle." He points to the swarm of goblins (and one gnome) milling about the place and two adult goblins keeping an eye on them. "My name is Tuskfang. I'm too little to earn a new one yet," he supplies helpfully, fully expecting Codebreaker to understand.

[Thariza and Felandria]

Thariza (https://i.imgur.com/bIscMGR.png), a Charr dressed up like some sort of purple crystal monster (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Branded), spots Reginald at the snack table before she spots Felandria. Or rather, the little weasel draws her attention more than the very large person.

"Hey there, little guy."

[Wenomir]

The commander of Vigil is milling around, Cassandra currently occupied elsewhere. He's wearing a surprisingly fancy costume (https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/gensin-impact/images/4/45/Character_Diluc_Card.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20210529160947), complete with a large fake sword.

[Ironsmith]

Braon and Mina

Mina winces at being proven right like that.
”Yeah, so far butter seeeems to be fine for me? I really wish I’d gotten instincts and facts with this body but I didn’t so I’m winging it.” she says, shrugging her big shoulders as she goes for some ghost shaped cookies.

[Braon and Mina]

Braon frowns. "...Why wouldn't butter be fine for you?" She asks. "I mean, aside from the inherent weirdness of... you know." She makes a vague sort of gesture at Mina's chest, tacitly reminding her where butter comes from and that she now bears a striking resemblance to its originators. "...Wait, hold on. 'With this body'? You weren't born like this?"

[Miranda]

Miranda arrives at the party, giving a brief nod to the usher (or equivalent) as she enters. At first glance, she'll appear to have merely dressed nicely, as opposed to being in costume; her outfit consists of a one-piece, loose-fitting suit and polished black boots. The suit itself is also mostly black, aside from the chest, back, and top of the arms, which are bright red and collectively make up a vaguely polygonal pattern. The only giveaways as to the nature of her costume is a little A-shaped badge on the left side of her chest, a quartet of gold pips on her collar, and a pair of boxy implements mounted on her hip (not to be confused with the Hotbox she already carried).

By the standards around here, the origins of the costume might make her look like a bit of a nerd. But to her, this was criminally obscure, and she'll be glad to be recognized all the same.

She briefly considers going up to Wenomir to strike up a conversation, but decides against it for the moment. After their last encounter at Vigil, she wasn't sure they were on proper speaking terms.

[Deathkeeper]

Braon and Mina

Mina has not forgotten about her chest. It's one of several things she hasn't quite gotten used to.
It's a concern for all the same reasons humans make dairy products from livestock and not each other." Though wet nurses used to be a thing.
"And I'm not technically a cow, I just have a lot of similarities. Processing other species' dairy is a whole weird gene thing I don't have all the details of.
And no, I look like this because of a bureaucratic decision that my grand destiny required me having horns. And being the Ultimate Bovine of Ultimate Destiny didn't come with a manual on my digestive track. Or my ankles. At least I skipped to the end of puberty." No one would have wanted to be around for that.

Codebreaker and Tuskfang

"My name's Codebreaker. I'm sure you'll get yourself a very good one some day." He was fairly sure that wolfen names were dictated somehow. He wasn't sure if it was post-event or destiny or something. Sounds like the former, which makes sense. Original CB must have named himself after becoming a priest. Or maybe this was always his skillset.

[Ironsmith]

[Braon and Mina]

Braon cringes sympathetically. "I feel that." She says, one of her hands going up to her own horns. "...Sort of. Not quite the same, but... yeah actually not the same at all aside from the horns. And, well, how people percieve them." She shrugs. "Inside's a better place than most for that, I guess. Lots of tieflings and at least a few other minotaurs here."

[Deathkeeper]

Braon and Mina

Mina appreciates the attempt to be relatable at least.
"Well if you ever want to see how quickly you can learn a new skill that's now required to function at a basic level, try suddenly giving yourself hooves and a significantly different center of mass at the same time." she snorts, grumpily chomping down a cookie.
Unfortunately, Mina did not inherit the role of a graceful, fluid martial artist. Any hint of subtlety has been drained from her being without even a hint of a mental effect on her.

[bc56]

Snack Table
The display is smooth and warm to the touch, and seems to constantly vibrate very slightly.
Jade thinks about the question. It's tricky to answer to someone with little science background. "There's a lot of tiny adjustable lenses on it that direct the photons into each other in such a way that they form a semi-solid object." Hopefully that doesn't require even more explanation.

[Ironsmith]

Braon and Mina

Mina appreciates the attempt to be relatable at least.
"Well if you ever want to see how quickly you can learn a new skill that's now required to function at a basic level, try suddenly giving yourself hooves and a significantly different center of mass at the same time." she snorts, grumpily chomping down a cookie.
Unfortunately, Mina did not inherit the role of a graceful, fluid martial artist. Any hint of subtlety has been drained from her being without even a hint of a mental effect on her.



"No, thank you." Braon replies with a little smile. "I don't hate myself that much." She pauses, then, her face lights up slightly. "...Nor, for that matter, do I hate you that much. So, I have an idea." She rubs her hands together as she explains. "There's this thing we enchanters can do; it's colloquially been called the 'evil eye', but it's really a fairly basic hex. The most common use is hitting someone with a run of bad luck; or at least, that's how it's most commonly understood. It'd be more accurate to say 'hitting them with an imperceptible compulsion toward self-sabotage'. Anyway, in order to do it, we have to sort of work ourselves into this state of absolute loathing, which then gets grafted onto the victim. The thing is... I have proof positive that this trick works in reverse, too." She smiles. "If you ever meet a tiefling by the name of Fayaad, he can back me up on this. Just ask him how much that ring of his has helped him out. Anyway, what would happen is I would take a state of benevolence, wanting to help you out, and graft it onto you. The resulting enchantment would then sort of subtly affect the way you do things, so they go a little more how you intend instead of what physics demands." She smirks. "Care to give it a shot?"


[B] Snack Table
The display is smooth and warm to the touch, and seems to constantly vibrate very slightly.
Jade thinks about the question. It's tricky to answer to someone with little science background. "There's a lot of tiny adjustable lenses on it that direct the photons into each other in such a way that they form a semi-solid object." Hopefully that doesn't require even more explanation.

[Snack Table]

Those wide eyes and enthusiastic smile should tell Jade two things about Siana.

First, she is hanging on to every word Jade says. Not only does this technology appeal to her, she clearly thinks more highly of Jade for learning she'd come up with it. It's one thing to have someone say she's a genius, it's another entirely to imagine her putting in all the hours of hard work and mental conundrums that must have gone into creating this miraculous (and frankly, cool-looking) technology.

Second, she does not understand a syllable of it.

[Felandria]

[Thariza and Felandria]

Thariza (https://i.imgur.com/bIscMGR.png), a Charr dressed up like some sort of purple crystal monster (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Branded), spots Reginald at the snack table before she spots Felandria. Or rather, the little weasel draws her attention more than the very large person.

"Hey there, little guy."

Reginald is nibbling on a tortilla chip when he noticed that he is receiving attention.

He waddles over to Thariza and sniffs around happily, investigating.

He makes an adorable little honk as best he can.

[Deathkeeper]

Braon and Mina

Mina seems kind of uncertain.
"I dunno. Last time I accepted magic from someone I met ten minutes earlier I ended up gaining four hundred pounds. It's not as permanent as 'grafting' makes it sound, is it?" she asks hesitantly.

[Ironsmith]

[Braon and Mina]

"Eeeeh..." Braon weighs her hands in a "more or less" sort of gesture. "No but also sort of yes. Your consciousness will absorb the graft over the course of about a week, so after that, the magic will stop affecting you. But in that time, you'll be getting little adjustments to your movements that your subconscious will pick up on and store, so when the magic does wear off, you'll be doing the right gestures on your own. Think of it as like a set of training wheels that fall off when you don't need them anymore."

[Deathkeeper]

Braon and Mina

Mina still seems unsure.
"Well. If you're sure it's safe? You don't really have any reason to spend magic on me, though." Does this cost her anything? Is she really just giving this helpful magic to Mina for free?

[bc56]

Snack Table
Jade can tell when she's lost someone. "Sorry. Long story short, it's not magic. I'm no good at magic." Actually, she's fairly good at magic, but hates it. Magic is inexplicable, and therefore causes her a headache. But she just had to be turned into a magical fox.

[Morty]

[Codebreaker and Tuskfang]

"Codebreaker! That's a cool name. What did you do to earn it?" Tuskfang asks, wide-eyed.

[Thariza and Felandria]

Thariza reaches out to rub Reginald's head with her claw gently. This little critter has a costume, which means it's here with someone. The Charr takes a look around, wondering who it is.

[Ironsmith]

Braon and Mina

Mina still seems unsure.
"Well. If you're sure it's safe? You don't really have any reason to spend magic on me, though." Does this cost her anything? Is she really just giving this helpful magic to Mina for free?



Sure she did. Braon hadn't told Mina this, but she was still hurting for friends. Having someone who was indebted to her, even only a little, was as close as she had so far managed. "It should be. I like you, Mina. I'd be happy to he-"

"Hello there." Braeg pops up behind Mina, giving her a little shoulder pat. "Good news. Your balance shouldn't be a problem anymore."

"...I hate you."

"I know."


[B]Snack Table
Jade can tell when she's lost someone. "Sorry. Long story short, it's not magic. I'm no good at magic." Actually, she's fairly good at magic, but hates it. Magic is inexplicable, and therefore causes her a headache. But she just had to be turned into a magical fox.

[Snack Table]

"Nothing to be sorry about." Siana smiles. "I don't know very many people who are good at magic. I think there's my sister, Miss Ty-Ramera, and... and that's it, so far." She shrugs. "It's just not that common. So... the fact that you managed to make something like this without it, somehow..." She grins. "You must be proud."

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker and Tuskfang

CB sticks his hands in his pockets and tries to give some feigned modesty.
"I broke an encryption that no living person should have been able to do, in a time no computer would have been able to do it. Details are...long and possibly classified but you get the idea, I'm sure." Yes, something like that. Maybe it contributed to how OCB got all his money.

Mina and Braon

Mina suddenly blinks as the guy who didn't introduce himself...reorients her natural balance? Tinkers with her self-perception? She's not really sure what exactly he did, other than that her ankles don't feel shaky anymore.
"Um. Thanks?" she says, utterly confused.

[bc56]

Snack Table
"I am proud, but I really only half made it. I couldn't have done anything without my brother. He couldn't come to the party." The second statement is true. The first is only partly true because of Nexus weirdness, but is the explanation Jade and Jason have decided to go with.

[Ironsmith]

Mina and Braon

Mina suddenly blinks as the guy who didn't introduce himself...reorients her natural balance? Tinkers with her self-perception? She's not really sure what exactly he did, other than that her ankles don't feel shaky anymore.
"Um. Thanks?" she says, utterly confused.

[Mina, Braon and Braeg]

"Don't mention it." Braeg grins. "Just being a good neighbor, you know."

"...Excuse me, Mina. I have to go commit avunculicide."

Braeg takes off, running through the party with a laugh, while his furious niece chases him. Anyone who knows the man can tell this is just for his own entertainment; she's been trying to kill him, indirectly, for over a decade now and hasn't yet succeeded. Tonight wasn't going to go any better.


Snack Table
"I am proud, but I really only half made it. I couldn't have done anything without my brother. He couldn't come to the party." The second statement is true. The first is only partly true because of Nexus weirdness, but is the explanation Jade and Jason have decided to go with.

[Snack Table]

"Who cares if you had help? You still did it." Siana smiles. "It just means more accolades for more people. Your brother should be proud, too." She leans forward on her bident, correcting her balance again. "It's just too bad he isn't here. I would have liked to meet the both of you."

[Arkhosia]

Knights of the Arkh


Arrivals - Knights of the Ark

"Eh, if you've seen one spooky magical castle you've seen them all," a familiar voice hidden deep within a strange helmet answers dismissively. We might not be able to see his face in there, or really anything at all but the faint glow of his left eye, but even so, his bruised ego couldn't be more transparent. The very idea of somebody equaling his showmanship, how dare she! Heresy, blasphemy, madness! Maybe he'll call dibs on Spooktober next year, just to prove her wrong!

A hand reaches out for the catgirl's own, as a cyborg dressed as a certain faceless mobile game protagonist (https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mrfz/images/6/6c/Doctor.png/revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20190823210844) steps forward, and the hooded helmet turns to survey the landscape around them. Okay fine, the animated orchestra is a nice touch. The headless suits of armor, too. Floating candles and jack o'lanterns are fine as well, I guess. Okay, maybe it'd take a little bit more effort than we expected to match this level of spectacle. There's plenty of people who've never hosted even one Spooktober though, so it wouldn't be that fair to snatch it away from them. Bette to not call dibs after all, especially for such a petty reason. We could obviously do better, it'd just be a chore to go out of our way to prove it. Yeah, that's why we're not doing it, out of magnanimity and laziness, not because this spooky castle is actually good.

"Still not sure how to feel about this costume idea, by the way. On the one hand, from afar, nobody will be able to tell it's me, but on the other hand, nobody will be able to tell it's me," he remarks. It should be so much easier to avoid weirdos like Ithuriel and the other MagClones, sure, but how are the commonfolk supposed to look at him and immediately feel an overwhelming sense of inferiority and humility like they usually do? Then again, how many other spooky hooded people always seen in the company of catgirls are there in the Nexus? Even the dumbest plebeians should know enough about the world's greatest supervillain to have a good guess at to who's hidden within that helm.
"Y'know, it's kind of adorable how much you love notoriety," Caelynn teases with a smile. "Still, it can be pretty fun to go incognito every once in a while, right? Think of it as a fun little con, pulling the wool over everyone else. So! Anything catch your fancy to do here? People to chat with, activities to do?"

Wenomir - Starward Swords


[Wenomir]

The commander of Vigil is milling around, Cassandra currently occupied elsewhere. He's wearing a surprisingly fancy costume (https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/gensin-impact/images/4/45/Character_Diluc_Card.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20210529160947), complete with a large fake sword.
Hopefully Wenomir isn't too off his game or holding an especially full drink, as he might find himself bumped into from behind as a woman backs up and bumps into him. Should he turn around, he'll find a rather familiar blonde catgirl whose attire is just as surprisingly fancy (https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/gensin-impact/images/f/f4/Character_Keqing_Card.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20201024042513) considering the woman wearing it.

"Oh, sir! Um, hi?" Blanche first stiffens as if at attention before looking rather awkward and relaxing, brushing back a lock of her hair in a bit of a subconscious fidget. Wenomir will note that she's gone through the trouble of dyeing her hair and ears light purple to match the character.

[bc56]

Snack Table
Jade laughs. "Maybe he will. I can't say." Her tails are waving in amusement at Siana's interest. She snatches up another cupcake from the table and takes a bite. "They say we're inseparable, but we're not that inseparable."

[Morty]

[Codebreaker and Tuskfang]

It's pretty clear Tuskfang doesn't understand a word of it, but it sounds very impressive.

"Wow. That's cool. My dad's a shaman. He works with spirits, not computers. Does your tribe have computers, not just spirits?"

[Wenomir - Starward Swords]

"Oh, hello Blanche." Wenomir looks slightly surprised to run into her here, though he probably shouldn't be. "No 'sir' today, though, please. Spooktober is one of the occasions where I get to stop being the commander of Vigil."

[Arkhosia]

Starward Swords

"Er, of course, sorry-." She seems to almost say it out of habit before managing to catch herself. "It's, uh, never been easy for me to slip out of being on the job, honestly." A beat. "Well, er, I was just about to grab a drink. Wanna come with?

[Zefir]

[Miranda]

Miranda arrives at the party, giving a brief nod to the usher (or equivalent) as she enters. At first glance, she'll appear to have merely dressed nicely, as opposed to being in costume; her outfit consists of a one-piece, loose-fitting suit and polished black boots. The suit itself is also mostly black, aside from the chest, back, and top of the arms, which are bright red and collectively make up a vaguely polygonal pattern. The only giveaways as to the nature of her costume is a little A-shaped badge on the left side of her chest, a quartet of gold pips on her collar, and a pair of boxy implements mounted on her hip (not to be confused with the Hotbox she already carried).

By the standards around here, the origins of the costume might make her look like a bit of a nerd. But to her, this was criminally obscure, and she'll be glad to be recognized all the same.

She briefly considers going up to Wenomir to strike up a conversation, but decides against it for the moment. After their last encounter at Vigil, she wasn't sure they were on proper speaking terms.


[Squeak Miranda]

When Miranda is deciding against going to Wenomir she will hear "Squak" from below. A grey creature which might be a stuff animal with papercraft wot look like a mice looks up at her.

"Don't worry Squak Red shirt. Normally none dies squeak on these events. Squeak"

[Felandria]

[Thariza and Felandria]

Thariza reaches out to rub Reginald's head with her claw gently. This little critter has a costume, which means it's here with someone. The Charr takes a look around, wondering who it is.

Reginald makes happy Reginald noises upon receiving scritchies.

Felandria has found some cheese cubes and salami slices for Reginald and brings them to him and finds him receiving some love.

Got you some snackos, buddy.

Who’s your new friend?

[Fenric]

Coming in a bit late, a very unlikely pair of characters arrive.

First, a woman: half skeletal (on the left), half young and beautiful (on thr right), dressed in an elegant Kimono... the kami of life and death doesn't really need a costume.

At Izanami's side, though, is a very out of place looking man: devistatingly handsome, tall, muscular, perfect raven-dark hair and jet black eyes with a cruel twist to his lips. He is dressed in a perfectly fitted medium gray business suit of finest silk, with black patent leather shoes. A set of designer sunglasses hang from his coat's breast pocket and glimpses of a watch peek out from his sleeve.

The Lord of frozen Cania in his guise as the terrible Agent Zero surveys the guests with a smirk, but business is on hold for tonight and Mephistopheles has come to relax.

Shall we see what refreshments they have, my lady?

Izanami nods

Certainly.

And so that way they go.

[Deathkeeper]

Braon and Mina/Snack Table

Mina is very confused as the two fiendlings go running off. Left alone to her own devices, the pale minotaur in the brown coat will be found casually munching on festive cookies if Izanami and her guest come that way looking for refreshments.

Codebreaker and Tuskfang

"My tribe has spirits, sure. But I've lived alone for a very long time. I think I was your age when I saw them last." Codebreaker explains. He consider that probably accurate. Considering original Codebreaker was dead for a year and no family stepped up to inherit his estate it's likely they had no connection to him. Or that he was disowned. Either may have been possible.

[Morty]

[Codebreaker and Tuskfang]

Tuskfang gasps.

"You've lived all this time without your family? That's so sad! What happened to them?"

The little boy is credulous like most kids his age, so he doesn't suspect anything. But he also doesn't quite grasp why this is an indelicate question.

[Thariza and Felandria]

"I'm Thariza," the Charr says. "And I assume this little critter here is your pet." She gives Felandria a closer look. She's a big one, alright. "Are you a Norn, by any chance?"

[Starward Swords]

"Gladly. And I know how that goes. At least I'm used to it by now. I was never a soldier before winding up in charge of Vigil, by process of elimination."

Wenomir will follow Blanche to the drink table. Not that he plans to drink anything alcoholic. Or strongly alcoholic, at least.

[Fenric]

[Snack Table]

The Goddess and Devil Lord do indeed come up to the table

Hm... quite an assortment. Does anything strike your fancy? I'd imagine nothing here will be quite as sugary as those odd little creatures you live among prefer to make, but sure something can tempt you.

Izanami laughs

Trust me, even I get quite tied of endless amounts of sweets.

Then she smiles to Mina

Hello there, I don't believe we have met before. I am Izanami, and my companion here is Mephistopheles

[Deathkeeper]

Snack Table

Mina seems a bit surprised as she turns to see people addressing her. She does her best to quickly swallow the food in her mouth. She bows, putting a hand to keep her hat on as she does so. She's remove it but it's actually very hard to put on and remove with her horns.
Given the context she's not entirely sure if she's being given names or costume names but she sure as heck isn't going to be taking any risks on the matter.
"My name is Mina. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." she says, her tone and accent belying her appearance.
Sai sure would be freaking out right now.

[Ironsmith]

Snack Table
Jade laughs. "Maybe he will. I can't say." Her tails are waving in amusement at Siana's interest. She snatches up another cupcake from the table and takes a bite. "They say we're inseparable, but we're not that inseparable."

[Snack Table]

Siana smiles. "That'll be good." She looks over at the cupcakes and mentally debates the merits of grabbing one. They're bad for her; much more so than they would be anyone else. They gave "empty calories" a new meaning.

But they did look tasty.

Siana bites into a cupcake, forgetting about the wrapping and casually munching that up, too.


[Squeak Miranda]

When Miranda is deciding against going to Wenomir she will hear "Squak" from below. A grey creature which might be a stuff animal with papercraft wot look like a mice looks up at her.

"Don't worry Squak Red shirt. Normally none dies squeak on these events. Squeak"

[Squeek Miranda]

It takes Miranda a moment to realize someone's talking to her. She glances around at eye level for the speaker, and when that fails, thinks to look down. Maybe she's being addressed by one of those halflings she's heard so much about. Or a talking animal of some kind?

...Oh.

That is a tiny person.

"Well, I would hope not." She smiles. "Putting aside how bad that would be in general, you'd hate to lose the captain." She makes a gesture toward the pips on her collar, before grinning and extending a pinky to shake. "Miranda Cortez. What's your name?"

[Fenric]

Izanami politely bows in return

Mephisto turns on his charm, sweeping down to kiss Mina's hand

The pleasure is all mine! And how has the party been so far this year?

[Zefir]

[Squeek Miranda]

It takes Miranda a moment to realize someone's talking to her. She glances around at eye level for the speaker, and when that fails, thinks to look down. Maybe she's being addressed by one of those halflings she's heard so much about. Or a talking animal of some kind?

...Oh.

That is a tiny person.

"Well, I would hope not." She smiles. "Putting aside how bad that would be in general, you'd hate to lose the captain." She makes a gesture toward the pips on her collar, before grinning and extending a pinky to shake. "Miranda Cortez. What's your name?"

[Squeek Miranda]

He is only 2 inch in heigth, maybe 3 due to the costume. So tiny might be accurate. The little creature holds a paw at her to shake her pinky, though she needs to go way down so they reach each other.

"Hard to Squeak see Captain Cortez." he replies. "Squeak Please to meet Squek you. I'm Mr Squeak C or Mouster C for today Squeak."
"Are you on shore Squeak leave or do you Squeak investigae for the starfleet? Squeak"

[Ironsmith]

[Squeek Miranda]

Miranda grins. "Shore leave, of course." She says. "My crew could use the time to relax before we resume our course back to the Alpha quadrant." She places her hand, palm-up, on the ground. "Would you like a lift, Mouster C? I worry someone's going to step on you."

[Deathkeeper]

Snack Table

Mina's hand is large, warm, and fuzzy, as you'd expect from a minotaur.
"Ah, it's been going alright. I've had to make sure I found something safe for me to eat. But it isn't that bad. And I had a very long conversation on the subject of intelligent items..." she says conversationally. She doesn't want to give away too much to people who may or may not be demons but he is being nice.

Codebreaker and Tuskfang

"Don't worry, kid. Nothin' happened. We just live apart, that's all." CB tries to explain reassuringly. He can't actually promise that given his lack of information but there's no sense in being dramatic about it.

[Zefir]

[Squeek Miranda]

Mouster C walks his way up on the hand. Allways followed by regular "Squeak".

"Ah I Squeak see. I could give you a Squeak map, but you seem to Squeak know your way Squeak.
And don't worry Squeak about me. In public Squak places there are around four to five Squak who step on me per hour.
My real appereance is Squak more scary to the people Squeak."

[bc56]

Snack Table

"You're not supposed to eat the wrapper," Jade whispers. "Not that you can't. It just looks weird. Like you're not quite human." Which Siana isn't, and Jade has already figured it out. But she can give a tip ok how to blend in.

[Ironsmith]

[Squeek Miranda]

Mouster C walks his way up on the hand. Allways followed by regular "Squeak".

"Ah I Squeak see. I could give you a Squeak map, but you seem to Squeak know your way Squeak.
And don't worry Squeak about me. In public Squak places there are around four to five Squak who step on me per hour.
My real appereance is Squak more scary to the people Squeak."

[Squeek Miranda]

Implying he can regenerate or is immortal or something. Probably the latter, if he has a "true form" that most people would find terrifying.

Miranda smiles and gives a little shrug before depositing him on her shoulder. "Still. It's got to sting." She says with a little smirk. "So, what do you normally do for fun at gatherings like this, my dear little friend? Snack table? Apple bobbing? Costume contest?"


Snack Table

"You're not supposed to eat the wrapper," Jade whispers. "Not that you can't. It just looks weird. Like you're not quite human." Which Siana isn't, and Jade has already figured it out. But she can give a tip ok how to blend in.

[Snack Table]

"...Ah." Siana sets the cupcake down, taking a second to straighten out the collar of her dress. "Right. Sorry."

She didn't really like being reminded she wasn't human anymore. Not that she and Jade were thinking along the same terms. As far as she's concerned, a strigoi like herself is just a person with a medical condition. She wouldn't stop being human if she needed insulin injections or glasses. But her new fiendishness was another matter altogether. Completely different in terms of moral implications, or so she would think.

She absentmindedly strokes one of her horns as she tries again, carefully peeling away the wrapper before taking another bite.

[Fenric]

Well, yes... of course he's being nice: that's his whole M.O. :smallbiggrin:

Mephistopheles nods

So very good to hear that the festivities are going smoothly.

Izanami nudges him

No contracts at the party, you promised.

He chuckles and shakes his head with an exaggerated sigh

Of course, my lady. A promise is a promise, and I am bound by law, after all. The soul of this lovely girl will remain her own.

Izanami smiles at Mina

I am curious: what dietary restrictions does one like you have? I have found such a variety here in the Nexus that it is never fair to guess.

[bc56]

Snack Table
Jade doesn't see not being human as a problem. Well, maybe a minor annoyance. If she wants to hide her nature, she has to dress up and it's very uncomfortable. She definitely doesn't think of nonhumans, even vampires or *gasp* fiendlings, as not people. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault." Jade's still talking about the cupcake, she has no idea about Siana's internal monologue.

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table]

"It kind of is." Siana replies, still staring at the cupcake. "I should have known better. Plenty of people told me everything I needed to know to avoid that kind of mistake. If I'd listened a little better, I..." She sniffs, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

Either she's really invested in proper dining etiquette or she's not talking about the cupcake.

[Deathkeeper]

Snack Table

Wow that would be the biggest yikes you could really get at a party.
"I'm herbivorous." Mina says simply.
"And most of what I can and can't eat has been trial and error, I admit. Most minotaurs are omnivores so it's hard to find information." she explains.

[Zefir]

[Squeek Miranda]

Implying he can regenerate or is immortal or something. Probably the latter, if he has a "true form" that most people would find terrifying.

Miranda smiles and gives a little shrug before depositing him on her shoulder. "Still. It's got to sting." She says with a little smirk. "So, what do you normally do for fun at gatherings like this, my dear little friend? Snack table? Apple bobbing? Costume contest?"


[Squeek Miranda]

Neither of those, more like reistant to bludgoing damage.

"Oh Squeak yeah. Those High Squeak heels can be deadly Squeak if they step on me Squeak." he replies then turns to the snack table.
"Normally the Squeak host makes the contest Squeak event. I'm Squeak a little to small Squeak for apple bobbing so I Squeak say we plunder the snack Squeak bar, ...Squeak for sience purpose.Squeak"

[Ironsmith]

[Squeek Miranda]

Miranda grins. "Snack table it is, then." She says, walking over to said table. Huh. It was getting a little crowded over here, wasn't it? It seemed like everyone who bothered to attend was here for the food. She had to wonder how long that was going to hold out... it's a table full of snacks, not a full dinner spread.

Once she's at the table, she sets Mr. C down on the tablecloth; with no danger of him being stepped on here, it'd probably be better to let him wander around on his own and gather what he wants, as opposed to hand-feed him crackers or cheese cubes or whatever.

"So... tell me a little more about yourself." Miranda begins, taking some celery from the thus-far-untouched vegetable platter. "What do you do when you aren't a mouse?"

[bc56]

Snack Table
"This isn't about the cupcake, is it." Not a question. Jade can tell. "It's okay. Whatever happened, you're stronger than you know. You'll get through it. Okay?" No specifics here. Jade doesn't want to press Siana for personal information she isn't ready to share. But she still manages to sound confident in Siana's capabilities. If she didn't let a bad leg stop her, this won't stop her either, Jade is sure.

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table]

Siana sniffs and gives Jade a little smile, vaguely reassured by her words of encouragement. These two ladies barely knew each other, but something in the confidence with which Jade spoke made her feel a little better about her situation. Besides, the lady's a genius! She probably knows what she's talking about.

"T-thanks." Siana leans on her bident and wipes her eyes dry. "It's good to hear that, even without context, you know?"

And it's not like Jade's words are the only pick-me-up she had. Siana peels off the rest of the wrapper and pops what's left of the cupcake in her mouth, giving a sonething between a smile and a grimace.

"...These are really good."

[Morty]

Codebreaker and Tuskfang



"Don't worry, kid. Nothin' happened. We just live apart, that's all." CB tries to explain reassuringly. He can't actually promise that given his lack of information but there's no sense in being dramatic about it.

"Aww. Well, I hope you can see them again soon." Tuskfang's tail wags. "I should find my friends. Have a happy Spooktober, mister Codebreaker."

[Arkhosia]

Starward Swords


[Starward Swords]

"Gladly. And I know how that goes. At least I'm used to it by now. I was never a soldier before winding up in charge of Vigil, by process of elimination."

Wenomir will follow Blanche to the drink table. Not that he plans to drink anything alcoholic. Or strongly alcoholic, at least.
The medic's eyebrows raise a little. "Really? I didn't know that." There's a lot that Blanche doesn't know about Wenomir as a person honestly, she realizes in the back of her head. Arriving at the table, she moves to a jug of mulled cider, looking over at the Commander as if asking whether he wants some as well. She'll pour herself a cup of it regardless of the answer, but will serve one for Wenomir first.

"It's er, been most of my life since I was a teen myself. Still feels a bit... odd, adjusting to VIGIL after all of it." A beat. "Sorry, I guess that's still talking work. We can talk about something else if you want." Areas that Blanche doesn't seem quite as sure of herself in, though certainly not enough to suggest she'd be uncomfortable accommodating Wenomir as such.

[Morty]

[Starward Swords]

"It's not talking about work. It's talking about what happened before work." Wenomir seems faintly amused by pointing it out this way. "When I was younger and somewhat stupider, I was a bodyguard, duellist and gladiator at various times." He pauses. "I suppose it does lead to work talk pretty directly, though."

[bc56]

Snack Table
"I know, right? I'm part canine, I'm not sure if I should even be eating chocolate." She tosses her wrapper in a nearby bin. "But that was worth it." She might get sick later, but she'll be fine.

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table]

"Oh, I'm definitely not supposed to." Siana smirks and balls up her wrapper. "But it's worth it, isn't it? I-"

She goes pale as she catches sight of one of the other partygoers, suddenly stepping behind Jade to interpose her between herself and a certain overweight wolfen further down the table. "Crap! I forgot he might be attending... Quick, hide me!" She hisses urgently. This was almost as bad as if her uncle had been in attendance himself; he and Codebreaker were close, so if he saw her here, he'd probably go on to tell Kyrie, either leading him to her or giving away exactly why she hasn't been home in a week. Neither of which would be good.

[Zefir]

[Squeek Miranda]

Miranda grins. "Snack table it is, then." She says, walking over to said table. Huh. It was getting a little crowded over here, wasn't it? It seemed like everyone who bothered to attend was here for the food. She had to wonder how long that was going to hold out... it's a table full of snacks, not a full dinner spread.

Once she's at the table, she sets Mr. C down on the tablecloth; with no danger of him being stepped on here, it'd probably be better to let him wander around on his own and gather what he wants, as opposed to hand-feed him crackers or cheese cubes or whatever.

"So... tell me a little more about yourself." Miranda begins, taking some celery from the thus-far-untouched vegetable platter. "What do you do when you aren't a mouse?"

[Squeek Miranda]

He would squeak 'Told ya' as they notice the lots of people getting there. But he can't read thoughts or Non spoken texts. Thought wasn't Trogs in chargs of the food? I guess someone is and they refill it.

Setting him dow works, but wouldn't people get scared? Some see mice as pest and mice at food is allways a bad sign.

"Currently I Squeak go for research Squeak in HALO. Squeak Feary Stuff and Squeak such. Mostly Squeak to prepare since Squeak there happens to Squeak be a lot of fairy Squeak stuff happening. Guess that pays Squeak well for a librarian. Squeak.

What Squeak about you?"

[Arkhosia]

[Starward Swords]

"It's not talking about work. It's talking about what happened before work." Wenomir seems faintly amused by pointing it out this way. "When I was younger and somewhat stupider, I was a bodyguard, duellist and gladiator at various times." He pauses. "I suppose it does lead to work talk pretty directly, though."

Starward Swords

"Heh, fair enough." Blanche takes a brief sip from her drink. "Not quite the same career arc for me, really. Soldier, then VIGIL - pretty straightforward, I guess." She looks over to him, glancing up at the sword on his back briefly. "Really? I didn't expect you to have bounced around so much. The way Anika describes you, I've always kinda pictured you as being very... hm, stable?" There's a beat as Blanche struggles to think of the right word, not looking quite sure that the one she arrives at does her thoughts justice.

[FireFox]

[Entrance]

A pregnant woman with pale skin and long red hair steps in and looks around. She is wearing a wide-brimmed pointed hat, elbow length gloves, a modest dress, and sensible shoes. All in black save for the part of her dress around her belly, which has been colored in reds and oranges that swirl and shift. Eight tiny spheres circle this sun at different distances and speeds. Not to scale, of course, for she wants to make sure the planets are big enough for their coloration and details to be appreciated while also keeping the orbits tight enough to avoid inconveniencing anyone else.

[Ironsmith]

[Squeek Miranda]

He would squeak 'Told ya' as they notice the lots of people getting there. But he can't read thoughts or Non spoken texts. Thought wasn't Trogs in chargs of the food? I guess someone is and they refill it.

Setting him dow works, but wouldn't people get scared? Some see mice as pest and mice at food is allways a bad sign.

"Currently I Squeak go for research Squeak in HALO. Squeak Feary Stuff and Squeak such. Mostly Squeak to prepare since Squeak there happens to Squeak be a lot of fairy Squeak stuff happening. Guess that pays Squeak well for a librarian. Squeak.

What Squeak about you?"


[Squeek Miranda]

Miranda waves away anyone who looks too much like they're going to try to swat at Mouseter C, not wanting to risk letting anything happen to her new little friend.

"Me? Ah. Well, I... work for GLoG." Miranda shrugs. "I'm a babysitter most days. I still do some collaboration with VIGIL and HALO sometimes. I have a friend in each, and another in MERC, so it's not difficult to arrange something, usually." She smiles. "So... fairy stuff? What kind of fairy stuff?"

[Morty]

[Starward Swords]

Wenomir smiles slightly.

"I was a different person when I was younger. A lot more hot-headed. Or bull-headed, you could say. My master certainly did. And this trait isn't entirely gone. My people have a... rich tradition of duelling and challenges. But I was an outsider to it. So I took on different jobs. Either way, I learned how to duel and guard, not fight in a formation. Even today I tend to lead from the front."

[Zefir]

[Squeek Miranda]

Miranda waves away anyone who looks too much like they're going to try to swat at Mouseter C, not wanting to risk letting anything happen to her new little friend.

"Me? Ah. Well, I... work for GLoG." Miranda shrugs. "I'm a babysitter most days. I still do some collaboration with VIGIL and HALO sometimes. I have a friend in each, and another in MERC, so it's not difficult to arrange something, usually." She smiles. "So... fairy stuff? What kind of fairy stuff?"

[Squeek Miranda]

Mouster C starts to push a plate around, which is bigger then himself and likly much heavier. Still he seems to be fine. Chees will be on the main menu, but also some sweet. One of each kind.

"Glog? Oh Squeak yeah they changed Squeak to a daycare. Squeak Heared about that. Must Squeak be hard due Squeak to the Squeak babycalypse everyone seems Squeak to got a baby Squeak ." Mouser C says. "Seems like Squeak you split your Squeak crew well, Captain. I Squeak reseach recent events Squeak . Like the rat Squeak pluage and a fey that steals Squeak names and changes Squeak you into his kind. Squeak Faery Squeak magic Squeak stuff.
I would say you Squeak missed AMEN if you Squeak want a friend Squeak in every Org, but Squeak they seem to stay Squeak at their place. Squeak Or do Squeak you plan to get Squeak foot in it?"

[Arkhosia]

[Starward Swords]

Wenomir smiles slightly.

"I was a different person when I was younger. A lot more hot-headed. Or bull-headed, you could say. My master certainly did. And this trait isn't entirely gone. My people have a... rich tradition of duelling and challenges. But I was an outsider to it. So I took on different jobs. Either way, I learned how to duel and guard, not fight in a formation. Even today I tend to lead from the front."

Starward Swords

"Hm. I'm not sure how I'd sum up my people, honestly. Back home was kind of a vassal state sort of affair, and I think the culture of the Ascendancy ended up defining my life more than anything else." She shrugs. "Very... meritocratic? You earn your worth and strive to elevate higher. Not a lot of honor to it, but I guess there was something simple and clear-cut about it."

Blanche seems to kind of linger on whatever thoughts those musings dredge up, silent for a beat or two, before brightening up."Well - er, this is a party, and it looks like there's a few things to do around here - anything, uh, catch your eye?" All this work-related talk is starting to feel a little bit like the wrong way to go about things if she wants to get to know the Comman- er, Wenomir better. Only thinking of him in terms of career and command won't help break down the way he's existed as mostly more of an icon or presence in her life thus far - and truth be told, Blanche can't help but be a little bit curious of what it is about him that Anika finds so compelling.

[Ironsmith]

[Squeek Miranda]

Mouster C starts to push a plate around, which is bigger then himself and likly much heavier. Still he seems to be fine. Chees will be on the main menu, but also some sweet. One of each kind.

"Glog? Oh Squeak yeah they changed Squeak to a daycare. Squeak Heared about that. Must Squeak be hard due Squeak to the Squeak babycalypse everyone seems Squeak to got a baby Squeak ." Mouser C says. "Seems like Squeak you split your Squeak crew well, Captain. I Squeak reseach recent events Squeak . Like the rat Squeak pluage and a fey that steals Squeak names and changes Squeak you into his kind. Squeak Faery Squeak magic Squeak stuff.
I would say you Squeak missed AMEN if you Squeak want a friend Squeak in every Org, but Squeak they seem to stay Squeak at their place. Squeak Or do Squeak you plan to get Squeak foot in it?"

[Squeek Miranda]

"Well, I'd love to take credit for it, but that wasn't really my idea." Miranda says with a little shrug. "Two members of my team went off to do their own thing pretty early on, so we formally disbanded shortly afterwards. But, it turns out, most of them still like the idea of doing good in the world, and so joined up with other organizations that will help them do that. So now we've got five people in various orgs who are still somewhat-closely related and can work together when the need arises, which is useful. I wish I could say I planned that." She frowns. "What's AMEN, though? I've heard it mentioned in passing, but no concrete details..."

[bc56]

Snack Table
"How? All I can do is stand in the way?" Jade whispers back. She does position herself between Siana and Codebreaker though. Her nine tails are pretty fluffy, they won't provide total cover, but they might just be adequate.
"Who is he? A disgruntled client?"

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table]

"Worse. He's a family friend." Siana replies a little cryptically, keeping hidden behind Jade's tails. "...I haven't been home in a while. I can't go back yet. But if he sees me, they're going to find me and they're not going to like what they see." Stupid! She shouldn't have come to an event this public. It was a good way to get discovered.

[bc56]

Snack Table
"This is about... That thing, isn't it?" The thing Jade didn't ask about. "Your folks are still going to love you no matter what. It's what they do. So what if you're a mercenary who eats chocolate when she's not supposed to? You've clearly done so much despite the challenges placed in front of you, and I'm sure they'll be proud." Jade's just generalizing here. She has no clue if what she's saying is correct or applicable. But she has to say something.

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table]
Siana shakes her head. "This is worse. Way worse. If I only did mercenary work and he found out, my uncle might ground me. But I did something really, really bad, and I have a library's worth of stories that tell me he might very well kill me, no exaggeration, if he ever finds out. And he'd only need a glance." Siana's hand goes shakily to Jade's shoulder, giving it a frightened little squeeze. "He'd never understand. So I can't go back. And I can't tell anyone who might tell him." Even if she personally liked them.

[bc56]

Snack Table
Jade can tell Siana needs a hug. But that would attract attention. So she looks around, gently grabs Siana's shoulder, and starts walking towards the edge of the room, keeping herself between Siana and the wolf dude. "Follow me, I have an idea." She's going to try to slip the two of them into an unoccupied adjoining room; that seems like a good place to hide.

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table => Side Room]

Siana... would do as Jade asks, but her rig makes it pretty easy to just wheel her out altogether. So really, the most she has to do is just not resist, which of course she doesn't.

Siana lets out a sigh of relief as soon as they're out of the room. She didn't think Codebreaker had seen her, and the odds of hin accidentally stumbling into this particular room were pretty small. That meant she was safe for the moment.

[Zefir]

[Squeek Miranda]

"Well, I'd love to take credit for it, but that wasn't really my idea." Miranda says with a little shrug. "Two members of my team went off to do their own thing pretty early on, so we formally disbanded shortly afterwards. But, it turns out, most of them still like the idea of doing good in the world, and so joined up with other organizations that will help them do that. So now we've got five people in various orgs who are still somewhat-closely related and can work together when the need arises, which is useful. I wish I could say I planned that." She frowns. "What's AMEN, though? I've heard it mentioned in passing, but no concrete details..."

[Squeek Miranda]

"It may Squeak be that your groupe Squeak can make connections Squeak which never hapnned before. Squeak" Mouster C says and starts eating the snacks. Every time he eats something bigger then him (Near every snack) his body takes the snacks shape just like in a cartoon befor he turns back a moment later.

"AMEN, Association of the Malicious, Evil, and Nefarious.
They happened to be the worst of the worst, even thought they were partly a joke. Most of the big people who were part of it disapeared. Some still remain like Magtok, Illophen, Gordon... . Those aren't part of AMEN anymore and mostly abondend all their connections or just disapeared. In the past they caused a ot of apocalypse and mayham. Right now they seem to rest. There was a time were they fought each other for the lead. I think the current leader is Zefir if that is still true. He didn't do much, but on top most people in AMEN disapeared. There is more, but I think this is a good Summary Squeak!"

[Fenric]

Snack Table

Wow that would be the biggest yikes you could really get at a party.
"I'm herbivorous." Mina says simply.
"And most of what I can and can't eat has been trial and error, I admit. Most minotaurs are omnivores so it's hard to find information." she explains.

Izanagi nods

I can see that being quite challenging - so very many common foods are a mixture.

The arch-devil looks quite bored by the thought of a vegan diet, and peers around to see who else of interest might be present.

[bc56]

Side Room

Jade relaxes and finds herself a seat, preferably one that will accommodate her tails. Now that they're out of immediate panic, she's starting to think over what Siana said. "So you think you're in danger from your own family, to the extent that if they see you, they might try to kill you." So her appearance must have changed, but not so radically as to make her unrecognizable. Which means... "Those aren't costume horns. Are you okay? Do you mind talking about it?"

[Ironsmith]

[Squeek Miranda]

"It may Squeak be that your groupe Squeak can make connections Squeak which never hapnned before. Squeak" Mouster C says and starts eating the snacks. Every time he eats something bigger then him (Near every snack) his body takes the snacks shape just like in a cartoon befor he turns back a moment later.

"AMEN, Association of the Malicious, Evil, and Nefarious.
They happened to be the worst of the worst, even thought they were partly a joke. Most of the big people who were part of it disapeared. Some still remain like Magtok, Illophen, Gordon... . Those aren't part of AMEN anymore and mostly abondend all their connections or just disapeared. In the past they caused a ot of apocalypse and mayham. Right now they seem to rest. There was a time were they fought each other for the lead. I think the current leader is Zefir if that is still true. He didn't do much, but on top most people in AMEN disapeared. There is more, but I think this is a good Summary Squeak!"

[Squeek Miranda]

"Now there are some names I've heard." Miranda says with a little nod. "Even met a few of them. Like that Magtok guy. He seems..." She pauses a moment, trying to find the right word. "...Less evil than you would expect from an honest-to-God supervillain."


Side Room

Jade relaxes and finds herself a seat, preferably one that will accommodate her tails. Now that they're out of immediate panic, she's starting to think over what Siana said. "So you think you're in danger from your own family, to the extent that if they see you, they might try to kill you." So her appearance must have changed, but not so radically as to make her unrecognizable. Which means... "Those aren't costume horns. Are you okay? Do you mind talking about it?"

[Side Room]

"What? I..." Siana looks a little flabbergasted that Jade figured it all out that quickly. But she quickly recovers, reminding herself that she's talking to someone she regards as a genius; of course she figured it out.

For a moment, Siana just goes quiet. Should she tell Jade? As nice as she was being, Siana barely knew her. It wouldn't exactly be prudent to spill her guts to someone who was, for all intents and purposes, a complete stranger.

But on the other hand, screw prudence. Jade had offered her a rare opportunity to talk about this, she wasn't going to waste it.

"No, I'm not okay." She says finally. "I got these horns, I don't know how, and among my people they're supposed to mark the worst of the worst but I don't know what exactly I did wrong to get them and I feel like I'm getting worse all the time and I want to go home but I can't and I don't know anyone who can help and I'm scared out of my mind and I just don't know what to do!" She blubbers, her composure steadily devolving as she talks. "I mean, I've got a job and a place to sleep but that's basically it. I don't know how I'm supposed to get my life back on track."

[bc56]

Side Room
Jade mutters something possibly unexpected: "You can't be worse than I was." Her expression barely wavers. "You're still you. It doesn't matter if you've got horns or not. You don't know what you did? It could be random. Or recessive genetics. The bit about evil could easily be superstition." Jade looks to Siana to see her reaction so far.

[Ironsmith]

[Side Room]

Siana shakes her head. "It's not. It's really not." She whines. "Magic is real where I come from. Everyone knows you can only get horns from heart-eating there." Not that she'd done anything of the sort herself, at least as far as she knew. "There's never been a good fiendling. Never." She sniffs.

[bc56]

Side Room
"You know that's not true. It can't be. You didn't eat hearts, but you have horns. I did eat hearts, and I don't." Jade attempts to give Siana a hug. "There'd never been a good kumiho either. There's a first time for everything."

[Ironsmith]

[Side Room]

Siana accepts the hug... at first. It takes a moment for Jade's words to sink in. True, Siana hadn't eaten any hearts (that she knew of, her memory of the incident preceding her horn growth was fuzzy), but Jade just confessed that she had, and that her kind were similarly reviled. She hadn't realized it at first, but she'd walked straight into the arms of what might as well be another fiendling and confided in her.

Last time she met someone like that, Siana pulled a weapon on her, immediately. But this time, she hesitates... not just because the only "weapon" she had was purely ornamental and needed reach to be effective anyway, but also because of the parallels Jade had brought up. They weren't different enough for her to have such an immediately hostile response.

All the same, she's shaking in Jade's arms, as much because of Jade herself as her situation.

[bc56]

Side Room
"Shhhh. I won't hurt you." Jade replies. "I didn't choose to become a kumiho, just like you didn't want to be a fiendling." In Jade's case, the transformation was forced on her rather than accidental, but the comparison stands. "I'm done hurting people." Jade's stumbled on someone with similar experiences to her; she just wants to help Siana get through this.

[Ironsmith]

[Side Room]

...She seems sincere.

Siana's grip relaxes a little, before tightening again as she hugs Jade, clinging to her like a child might her favorite blanket. Maybe there would be reasons to doubt Jade in the future. But right now, she'd found a girl who was suffering and went out of her way to comfort her, appropos of nothing else. That had to count for something.

After a few minutes of crying into Jade's shoulder, Siana pulls away and wipes her eyes on her sleeve, clearing her nose with a loud, undignified snort. "T-thank you, Miss Fisher..." She manages to say, shakily.

[bc56]

Side Room
Jade cries into Siana's shoulder too. She doesn't want to see this young woman make the same mistakes she did. She's never met someone with whom she can really commiserate with about the whole "turning into a monster" thing. After all, the other kumiho she'd met had no qualms about what they did.
The hug ends, and Jade also sniffles. "Call me Jade. I'm not that much older than you."

[Ironsmith]

[Side Room]

Wait, really? Siana looks over Jade again, trying to determine the woman's age. She had to still be well above Siana's 15, right?

Not that it mattered. "O... okay." She gives a little smile. "Thank you, Jade." It felt a little weird talking to her that informally, but then, she was in a (haunted?) castle, dressed up as a demon to hide the fact that she was actually a demon, being comforted by a nine-tailed fox lady dressed as a swashbuckler; not-quite-appropriate forms of address would be the least weird thing about this situation.

[bc56]

Side Room
Jade looks nebulously in her 20s. It's hard to say what her exact age could be though.
Also, Jade isn't a very formal person at all. So she's fine with being called Jade. "Feeling better now?" She asks. She's not sure what will happen next.

[Ironsmith]

[Side Room]

Siana pauses a moment, considering the question. She wasn't really much better off than she was at the start of this conversation; Jade hadn't exactly solved all her problems for her. But she at least had something of an outlet now; that had to be worth a nod.

As for what to do now? She had no idea. But they could always meet up again after the party. Which would require that they be able to find each other again. With that in mind, Siana produces her phone from a hidden holster at the waist of her dress (handy, but she wasn't really sure why it was there). "...We should meet up again." She explains.

After they exchange contact information, she heads for the door, but then stops and facepalms. "Stupid! No, I can't just casually rejoin the party, he's still here and could still spot me." Even in costume, she was still recognizable. She'd be lucky to get back out the door unnoticed.

[5a Violista]

A woman enters the spooky castle, showing up fashionably quite late to the party.

Why did she even agree to wear this?
It basically looks like it's a one-piece swimsuit, except with a massive boob window (which would be much less embarrassing if she actually had anything there to show off...) and a high collar that's got an oversized zipper on it. Not only that, she's wearing boots that go up for days, and long opera gloves that are missing the pinkie and thumb.
Well, she seems confident enough. Nothing stopping a redhead from acting confident when she first enters the spooky castle. She can worry about being embarrassed after she makes an entrance.

Anyway.
Well.
Spooktober.
Her first time celebrating this.

[bc56]

Side Room
Jade enters Siana's info into her watch and gives the fiendling her own number. "The easiest thing to do is to just wait. Once the party dies down, you can leave easily." Jade doesn't want to leave Siana alone though. "Or we could try to change your costume to hide those horns."

[Ironsmith]

[Side Room]

Siana nods. "Costume. Definitely costume." She says. She has no idea how much longer this party will go on, or that Codebreaker is the only unexpected guest, or how long it would be before he left. She could be stuck here for hours in any case, and discovered in all that time. A more proactive approach seemed appropriate.

[Morty]

[Starward Swords]



"Hm. I'm not sure how I'd sum up my people, honestly. Back home was kind of a vassal state sort of affair, and I think the culture of the Ascendancy ended up defining my life more than anything else." She shrugs. "Very... meritocratic? You earn your worth and strive to elevate higher. Not a lot of honor to it, but I guess there was something simple and clear-cut about it."

Blanche seems to kind of linger on whatever thoughts those musings dredge up, silent for a beat or two, before brightening up."Well - er, this is a party, and it looks like there's a few things to do around here - anything, uh, catch your eye?" All this work-related talk is starting to feel a little bit like the wrong way to go about things if she wants to get to know the Comman- er, Wenomir better. Only thinking of him in terms of career and command won't help break down the way he's existed as mostly more of an icon or presence in her life thus far - and truth be told, Blanche can't help but be a little bit curious of what it is about him that Anika finds so compelling.

Wenomir chuckles.

"It seems both of us are people who have a hard time knowing what to do with ourselves when we're not working. Or talking about work." Wenomir takes a look around, then seems to notice something that suits him. "Looks like there's a game over there, where you throw bean bags into bigger or smaller carved pumpkins. Care to try?"

[bc56]

Side Room
"I don't have a spare hat on me, but you could borrow this one," Jade sweeps her broad-brimmed black hat off her head. It has slits in it for fox ears, but it would probably cover Siana's horns.

[Ironsmith]

[Side Room]

"Well... should be better than nothing." Siana says, trying the hat on. It does indeed cover her horns, but not for long before it flops down and covers the rest of her face. She giggles a little and pushes it back up, adjusting it so that the horns poke out and hold it in place, but the brim of the hat obscures everything between her forehead and chin. "How's that?" She asks, with a barely-visible smile.

[bc56]

Side Room
Jade laughs, "I can't see your horns. Or any of your face. Can you see all right?" She doesn't seem too concerned though. "I don't think anyone would recognize you like that.

[FireFox]

A woman enters the spooky castle, showing up fashionably quite late to the party.

Why did she even agree to wear this?
It basically looks like it's a one-piece swimsuit, except with a massive boob window (which would be much less embarrassing if she actually had anything there to show off...) and a high collar that's got an oversized zipper on it. Not only that, she's wearing boots that go up for days, and long opera gloves that are missing the pinkie and thumb.
Well, she seems confident enough. Nothing stopping a redhead from acting confident when she first enters the spooky castle. She can worry about being embarrassed after she makes an entrance.

Anyway.
Well.
Spooktober.
Her first time celebrating this.

The arriving redhead may run into the recently arrived redhead. Or one of the latter's planets could run into her. Unless avoided, the outermost metal orb slowly bumps into her, causing the illusion painting the object a deep blue color to flicker. If that will be the case, Neptune hesitates and then reluctantly breaks orbit to try and find a way past the obstacle.
"Oh! I beg your pardon, dear. I stopped to look around too soon and the things... well, eight planets take up rather more space than I thought when I had this idea."

[Ironsmith]

Side Room
Jade laughs, "I can't see your horns. Or any of your face. Can you see all right?" She doesn't seem too concerned though. "I don't think anyone would recognize you like that.

[Side Room]

"Well, yeah, kind of." She holds out her hand to about Jade's shoulder. "Everything from here down, at least." Siana smiles. "It'd probably be best if I just left the party entirely. But, I'll, uh, get the hat back to you as soon as I can."

[bc56]

Side Room
"Easy. I escort you out, you can give me my hat back once we're out of eyeshot of the party. Okay?" That seems reasonable to Jade. Nice and simple.

[Ironsmith]

[Side Room]

Simple. Right. What could go wrong between here and fhe front door?

...A lot, actually. Fortunately, there's a large disparity between what can go wrong and what does go wrong. It's not like the whole party is going to gang up on her. Maybe an unfortunate guest or two, though...

[bc56]

Side Room -> Sneaking Through
Jade is also there, mostly making sure Siana doesn't bump into anyone. But will anyone take notice of the odd pair?

[5a Violista]

The arriving redhead may run into the recently arrived redhead. Or one of the latter's planets could run into her. Unless avoided, the outermost metal orb slowly bumps into her, causing the illusion painting the object a deep blue color to flicker. If that will be the case, Neptune hesitates and then reluctantly breaks orbit to try and find a way past the obstacle.
"Oh! I beg your pardon, dear. I stopped to look around too soon and the things... well, eight planets take up rather more space than I thought when I had this idea."



It's pretty simple to not run into another person.
Avoiding a planet, however, is not such a simple matter.

The second redhead's hip bumps into Neptune. When the planet starts to go off course, she starts to wonder how much she messed up the display, but...

"Oh, um. Sorry," she replies. "It's okay. Um. Your costume looks pretty nice. Must've taken a while to get it set up."

[Zefir]

[Squeek Miranda]

"Now there are some names I've heard." Miranda says with a little nod. "Even met a few of them. Like that Magtok guy. He seems..." She pauses a moment, trying to find the right word. "...Less evil than you would expect from an honest-to-God supervillain."


[Squeek Miranda]

Now he starts to nag on some cheese, like mice do nag nag nag nag. his voice on the other hand seems to remain normal. Maybe some kind of MAGIC?

"Yeah, I guess Squeak he is a special Squeak case. Classic Squeak villian abondands Squeak his way... mostly Squeak. It also includes Squeak a love story. Squeak He did carved Squeak a heart in the moon Squeak for his loved one Squeak. I didn't Squeak met him Squeak latly so I don't Squeak know how he acts Squeak these days. I Squeak just heard he Squeak had a Prime Squeak Clone causing a Squeak mess in Squeak Trogs. I think Squeak VIGIL deals with it."

[FireFox]

[Entrance]

"Yes, I suppose it did take forever. Turns out doing magic is somewhat more difficult than reading about it. I wanted to give each sphere it's own gravity so they could collect dust and other particles from the air and form cute little rings, but... that's rather beyond my abilities, haha!" The solar-dressed witch's blue eyes travel up and down the other woman's outfit, head tilting to the side curiously. "I'm afraid I don't recognize your costume, sorry. But you look good."

[Deathkeeper]

Izanagi nods

I can see that being quite challenging - so very many common foods are a mixture.

The arch-devil looks quite bored by the thought of a vegan diet, and peers around to see who else of interest might be present.

Snack Table

"It's been a challenge, alright. I'm going to go look for more things I can eat." Mina's Inside scene is at dangerous risk at causing a CONTINUITY SNAP and she must make an exit before something like that happens!
But to her it's mostly because Izanami is extremely scary.

[Felandria]

[Thariza and Felandria]

"I'm Thariza," the Charr says. "And I assume this little critter here is your pet." She gives Felandria a closer look. She's a big one, alright. "Are you a Norn, by any chance?"

Felandria shakes her head.

Nah, more of a half-elf, half demigoddess.

I’m Felandria and this is Reginald.

Reginald makes a honk type noise.

You’re with HALO, aren’t you?

[Morty]

[Thariza and Felandria]

Thariza shifts from one leg to another awkwardly. Well, this was bound to happen eventually.

"I was, but I quit. It's a bit of a long story. Not that I didn't like it there, but... I had to do something else with my life. I don't think we ever met there. Or at least I don't remember."

[5a Violista]

[Entrance]

"Doing magic does seem rather hard," the woman comments. "Never really done it myself, actually."
She glances at one of the planets, trying to imagine how strong of gravity they would have if they did each have their own gravity.

"Um. It's okay, I don't really recognize it either." Feeling that the other woman is either lying or exaggerating by saying she 'looks good', she feels a little more self-conscious and faces her body away, a little. "Someone lent it to me and I felt too guilty to not use it. Hardest part was trying to get the make-up to look fine, to cover up a scar."

[Ironsmith]

Side Room -> Sneaking Through
Jade is also there, mostly making sure Siana doesn't bump into anyone. But will anyone take notice of the odd pair?

[Sneaking Out]

Apparently not.

Once they're out of the party, Siana returns the hat to Jade, a relieved smile on her face. "Thanks again." She says, leaning on her bident. "...I kind of want to hug you again. Can I hug you again?"


[Squeek Miranda]

Now he starts to nag on some cheese, like mice do nag nag nag nag. his voice on the other hand seems to remain normal. Maybe some kind of MAGIC?

"Yeah, I guess Squeak he is a special Squeak case. Classic Squeak villian abondands Squeak his way... mostly Squeak. It also includes Squeak a love story. Squeak He did carved Squeak a heart in the moon Squeak for his loved one Squeak. I didn't Squeak met him Squeak latly so I don't Squeak know how he acts Squeak these days. I Squeak just heard he Squeak had a Prime Squeak Clone causing a Squeak mess in Squeak Trogs. I think Squeak VIGIL deals with it."

[Squeek Miranda]

"Oh. Yeah, I got a front-row seat to that part." Miranda shrugs. "It was a whole thing, but it's looking up, I think. Now we're back to the task of tracking down Prime so he doesn't hurt anyone else." She gives Mister C a playful little smile and jokes, "You haven't seen him, have you?"

[Arkhosia]

Starward Swords


[Starward Swords]



Wenomir chuckles.

"It seems both of us are people who have a hard time knowing what to do with ourselves when we're not working. Or talking about work." Wenomir takes a look around, then seems to notice something that suits him. "Looks like there's a game over there, where you throw bean bags into bigger or smaller carved pumpkins. Care to try?"
The observation earns Wenomir a bit of a self-conscious smile, though certainly not an embarrassed one. "Er, yeah, guilty as charged. And sure, why not? Maybe I can teach you a few things." The suggestion is clearly a bit of a jest - Blanche has no doubt that Wenomir is much more skilled at something like that than her. Regardless, she's happy to let him lead the way, quickly downing the rest of her drink behind his back in as subtle a move as she can make it.

[bc56]

Sneaking Out
"Sure, I guess." And so they hug again. As it ends, Jade snatches the hat from Siana's head. "I'll take that back. Good luck out there. You're not a monster, no matter what anyone tells you."

[Ironsmith]

[Sneaking Out]

Siana gives Jade a little smile and turns to go. It's always a good feeling, making a new fr-

trip

...Oh. Right. Stairs.

That's all Siana has time for before again tumbling down, much further and faster this time.

clatter

clunk

ker-snap

crackle

tun-tun-tun-tun-thunk

"I'm okay!" Comes Siana's voice back up the stairs, undaunted. This happens all the time, she'll live. Shame about the dress though.

[FireFox]

[Entrance]

"Doing magic does seem rather hard," the woman comments. "Never really done it myself, actually."
She glances at one of the planets, trying to imagine how strong of gravity they would have if they did each have their own gravity.

"Um. It's okay, I don't really recognize it either." Feeling that the other woman is either lying or exaggerating by saying she 'looks good', she feels a little more self-conscious and faces her body away, a little. "Someone lent it to me and I felt too guilty to not use it. Hardest part was trying to get the make-up to look fine, to cover up a scar."

Absolutely nothing could possibly be go wrong by a self-taught wizard giving small objects their own gravity.

Mentioning a scar just makes the pregnant redhead stare at her even more, looking at her wrists and face to try and find it. She has a very intense focus. But she seems to catch herself after a moment and smiles apologetically. "Your make-up is lovely, dear. I am Tovia Solomon, at your service."

[Morty]

[Starward Swords]

Wenomir arrives at the party game, takes a bean bag and starts weighing it in his hand.

"It's not a dagger, but I should be fine. Want to try first?" he asks Blanche.

[5a Violista]

Absolutely nothing could possibly be go wrong by a self-taught wizard giving small objects their own gravity.

Mentioning a scar just makes the pregnant redhead stare at her even more, looking at her wrists and face to try and find it. She has a very intense focus. But she seems to catch herself after a moment and smiles apologetically. "Your make-up is lovely, dear. I am Tovia Solomon, at your service."

Worst-case scenario, the gravity will just be too weak and completely dominated by regular gravity.
Or something like that.

The woman bites her lip as she tries not to laugh: the other woman is staring at everywhere the makeup isn't, which is probably a testament that she made it look natural enough.

"Seraphina," she replies, introducing herself.

She glances around the castle interior. "This place is pretty nicely set up. Is it usually like this at all these parties? You been to a lot of them? It's my first one."

[Zefir]

[Squeek Miranda]

"Oh. Yeah, I got a front-row seat to that part." Miranda shrugs. "It was a whole thing, but it's looking up, I think. Now we're back to the task of tracking down Prime so he doesn't hurt anyone else." She gives Mister C a playful little smile and jokes, "You haven't seen him, have you?"

[Squeek Miranda]

"SaaaaaaaaaaaaaSqueakaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadly No." he says obviously not so sad about it at all. "Squeak Which makes me wonder. Squeak I am origianal the libraian of Squeak the 'Library of Alexandria'. A Demi plane library who Squeak contains a copy of every book ever writen. Squeak No exception. Squeak You might think a supervillian would try to find out plans for super Squeak weapons or maybe a weakness about their enemies for which you would Squeak really need the librarian to lead you to the right sources. Squeak"

[FireFox]

[Entrance]

"This is my second. No, third. Fourth...?" Tovia is pretty sure it's just her second Spooktober, but she has someone else's memories complicating the recall. She takes another look around the room at the decorations and mentally compares them to previous years'. "They all had a lot of effort put into them, but some had a more specific, mm, aesthetic? I try to avoid meeting the hosts, though. They're all such important, powerful people and..." She leaves the 'you know?' unvoiced, because of course Seraphina knows. Not wanting to be noticed by the movers and shakers in the Nexus is a perfectly normal desire. No paranoid fears here!

"Are you newly come to the Nexus, then, Seraphina?"

[Ironsmith]

[Squeek Miranda]

"SaaaaaaaaaaaaaSqueakaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadly No." he says obviously not so sad about it at all. "Squeak Which makes me wonder. Squeak I am origianal the libraian of Squeak the 'Library of Alexandria'. A Demi plane library who Squeak contains a copy of every book ever writen. Squeak No exception. Squeak You might think a supervillian would try to find out plans for super Squeak weapons or maybe a weakness about their enemies for which you would Squeak really need the librarian to lead you to the right sources. Squeak"

[Squeek Miranda]

Miranda blinks in surprise, trying to get at the implications of such a repository of information. "That's... wow, okay. How does that work, exactly?" She takes a moment to rephrase her question into something more specific. "The diary I keep is a book, yeah? So would there be a copy in the Library? And would it update each time I wrote in mine, or would it just show up when mine is 'finished' and I can't write in it anymore?"

[Zefir]

[Squeek Miranda]

Miranda blinks in surprise, trying to get at the implications of such a repository of information. "That's... wow, okay. How does that work, exactly?" She takes a moment to rephrase her question into something more specific. "The diary I keep is a book, yeah? So would there be a copy in the Library? And would it update each time I wrote in mine, or would it just show up when mine is 'finished' and I can't write in it anymore?"


Mouster C stops eating. This is one of the first time anyone asks an additional question. Much likly the first one who ever got so far to know more about him then he is a animated stuff animal. Thought she might not know that yet and assume otherwise.
"From Squeak my research it's more Squeak like it updates. Since the Squeak libary is out of range from Squeak most planes I can't Squeak check that Squeak directly. I just saw Squeak that such books add Squeak text over time.It is a Squeak strange and powerfull Squeak magic. Which Squeak explains why it is Squeak located in it's own plane. Squeak But don't worry. The number of Squeak books in this building is huge Squeak and none can even read Squeak through a small percentage. Squeak On top such books as Squeak Diarys and most dangerouse books,Squeak like the necronomicon, can only be found bySqueak a librarian. Safty first. Squeak "

[Ironsmith]

[Squeek Miranda]

Miranda nods slowly, stroking her chin. That had potential. That had a lot of potential. Most scientists, madmen and villains kept at least one form of journal in her experience, and Prime was all three. If there was a copy of it in this Library, then with Mister C's help, she'd be able to spy on him without him ever having any way of knowing. She'd been in the game too long to not appreciate the value of that kind of tool.

On the other hand, there were probably rules against that sort of thing. Mister C did imply diaries are dangerous; presumably, he wasn't going to just show one to a random lady he met at a costume party, even if she happened to be nice to him.

Then again, there was always a happy medium between them. Prime had to have been recorded by other authors over the years, and at least a few would have gone on to publish their findings, if he didn't set himself to wiping them out. Just visiting the Library could probably provide more insight on the nature of his powers, what he's planning (based on what he's already done), and the like.

"I don't suppose I could talk you into a visit?" Miranda asks. "We're a little short on information. Your library seems to have a surplus. Maybe we can arrange something?"

[5a Violista]

[Entrance]

"Ha. Makes sense," Seraphina says. "Ran into so many weird things, I can't even imagine how the 'important' people will be like."

She shrugs.

"Came here a..."
Seraphina thinks.
She taps her chin.
"...a year and a half ago? Of course, ninety-nine percent of that time has been basically lost in the wilderness, so I'm not sure whether that really counts or not."

[Zefir]

[Squeek Miranda]

Miranda nods slowly, stroking her chin. That had potential. That had a lot of potential. Most scientists, madmen and villains kept at least one form of journal in her experience, and Prime was all three. If there was a copy of it in this Library, then with Mister C's help, she'd be able to spy on him without him ever having any way of knowing. She'd been in the game too long to not appreciate the value of that kind of tool.

On the other hand, there were probably rules against that sort of thing. Mister C did imply diaries are dangerous; presumably, he wasn't going to just show one to a random lady he met at a costume party, even if she happened to be nice to him.

Then again, there was always a happy medium between them. Prime had to have been recorded by other authors over the years, and at least a few would have gone on to publish their findings, if he didn't set himself to wiping them out. Just visiting the Library could probably provide more insight on the nature of his powers, what he's planning (based on what he's already done), and the like.

"I don't suppose I could talk you into a visit?" Miranda asks. "We're a little short on information. Your library seems to have a surplus. Maybe we can arrange something?"

[Squeek Miranda]

"There are soem problems anyway." he says, missing all the Squeak because he is seriouse and I just can't add them in right now.
"I can't get there by myself. I'm not able to perform such magic to create a path to it. On top I'm here for years and I don't know if they revoked my rights in there. Thats just the problems at hand. There might be more, but nothing to worry befor those are solved."

On top it might be worth asking Primes player if something like that is there befor we stand in front of a book.

"Squak"

[FireFox]

[Entrance]

The solar system doesn't know how Seraphina is so sure she's been in the Nexus this past year if she never saw any of the cities. Unless the wilderness changed? It must be frustrating to spend all night walking through a desert to avoid the heat, only for the land to change into a snow-covered mountain. Or for it to rain orange juice in checkerboard patterns. Or... well it must have been tough to survive that long.

"Oh, then you haven't been to a Thanksmas party either? Those are much more fun. Fewer interesting costumes, more happy children."

[Felandria]

[Thariza and Felandria]

Thariza shifts from one leg to another awkwardly. Well, this was bound to happen eventually.

"I was, but I quit. It's a bit of a long story. Not that I didn't like it there, but... I had to do something else with my life. I don't think we ever met there. Or at least I don't remember."

Oh, we’ll, dear, there’s nothing wrong with chasing your passion or finding your purpose.

And if you ever need anything don’t hesitate to ask.

I certainly hope you didn’t leave because I’m not doing something I should be.

Reginald turns around and starts sniffing around Thariza

[5a Violista]

[Entrance]

Seraphina shakes her head: "Nope, don't even know what it is, either,"

But, she adds, "I take it you've been to a lot of them, though, right?"

[Morty]

[Thariza and Felandria]

"I'm pretty sure I quit before you came to be in charge, actually," Thariza says, then scratches Reginald's head with her claw again. "I just... well, I joined HALO in the first place because I needed someone to give me orders again. After... I left home. And talking to that cat, Reinholdt, made me realize it. So I decided to try doing something else. I met this scholar, Ambrosia. We've been working together since. Sort of."

[Arkhosia]

[Starward Swords]

Wenomir arrives at the party game, takes a bean bag and starts weighing it in his hand.

"It's not a dagger, but I should be fine. Want to try first?" he asks Blanche.

"Sure, I'll give it a go." Blanche reaches down to grab a bean bag before stepping past Wenomir. She throws it lightly up in the air and catches it as if testing its weight before stepping back and sizing up the first target. Stepping forward and pulling back, she throws the bean bag and lands it into the first pumpkin in a perfect arc.

[Felandria]

[Thariza and Felandria]

"I'm pretty sure I quit before you came to be in charge, actually," Thariza says, then scratches Reginald's head with her claw again. "I just... well, I joined HALO in the first place because I needed someone to give me orders again. After... I left home. And talking to that cat, Reinholdt, made me realize it. So I decided to try doing something else. I met this scholar, Ambrosia. We've been working together since. Sort of."

Well, as long as you’ve found something you love that makes you happy, that’s all that matters.

Anything you need, you just let me know, I’ll be happy to help.

Reginald makes happy Reginald noises from the scritchies.

[Morty]

[Starward Swords]

"Very good." Wenomir sounds impressed. He takes a bean bag, weighs it in his hand and suddenly snaps forward, sending it into a pumpkin as well. It flies in a straighter arc than Blanche's did, but is just as accurate. "Our method seems different. I normally throw knives."

[Thariza and Felandria]

Thariza shrugs.

"As long as I'm trying something different. I should get somewhere I like eventually. Are you in charge of HALO now? I heard there was a shake-up there."

[Felandria]

[Starward Swords]

"Very good." Wenomir sounds impressed. He takes a bean bag, weighs it in his hand and suddenly snaps forward, sending it into a pumpkin as well. It flies in a straighter arc than Blanche's did, but is just as accurate. "Our method seems different. I normally throw knives."

[Thariza and Felandria]

Thariza shrugs.

"As long as I'm trying something different. I should get somewhere I like eventually. Are you in charge of HALO now? I heard there was a shake-up there."

Felandria nods.

Yes, indeed, it’s myself and Reinholdt.

He’s been a big help, and I’m just focused on making HALO as good as it can be.

I just want to help as many people as I can, ya know?

Reginald scurries up onto Fel’s shoulder and nuzzles her face.

Plus we’re always recruiting, so if you know anyone else who would be valuable, send them over.