MERC XVIII: Affordable Misdeeds and Friendly Canines

[Shadowcaller]

[Kirk's Office - Weekend]

Dena crosses her arms over her chest. "It's not something I want, that's for sure. It's the last thing I need right now honestly. As if these haven't ruined me enough." She gestures at her snakes. "It has elf-deal written all over it and even if it doesn't, carrying around a dragon-baby is not going to make me feel more normal." A grunt of displeasure. "This is going to make me sound shallow, but I never really realized how important my looks were to me until I got the snakes. Feels like I'm trying way too hard to compensate over it."

[Gullara]

[Kirk's Office - Weekend]

Kirk frowns and leans forward, planting his elbows on his desk. "The last thing you are is 'ruined'." He insists. "The change might have been... awkward, but you're as attractive to me as you ever have been. Nothing's gonna change that." Even if he struggled at first to adjust.

[Shadowcaller]

[Kirk's Office - Weekend]

Dena nods and smiles. "I get it. I even choose to believe you, charmer as you are." She holds up a finger and one of her snakes starts to wrap around it. "But it's not just you, Kirk. These new 'friends' of mine are going to be my most prominent feature that everyone is going to remember about me. I recall that you a lot of difficulty at first, and the same things are going through the head of every onlooker who will never get enough time to 'adjust' to me." She gestures down at her cleavage. "I mean, what do you think this is for?" The gorgon shrugs again. "But yeah, that's how I feel about it. I don't want all these insecure thoughts in my head. I'm over a hundred, I shouldn't care what random onlookers think anymore, but here we are."

[Gullara]

[Kirk's Office - Weekend]

"I get that." Kirk lets his breath out through his nose. "We should dig into this, though. Forget his deal right now; there's bound to be something to learn. He's probably not being entirely honest with you, so maybe there's an angle we can exploit. Get that information he's offering. I don't trust it, but we can use it as a starting point. Past that we can dig into both him and his claims and see what we turn up." He meets her eyes, through her sunglasses. "Admittedly the possibility that I could look into your eyes again, without worrying about this," he taps his stone hand on the desk, "excites me despite everything."

[Shadowcaller]

[Kirk's Office - Weekend]

Dena can't help but to stare down at his jade hand as he taps it against the table. Not that she wasn't always reminded by that moment when he was in the room. "Too nice..." She closes her eyes for a moment. "You're a real softie behind that hard exterior you know that? Investing so much into these eyes. Let's not make that investment a waste though, shall we? You're right that if there is any information leading us to which doesn't involve reptile-babies we'd have to find it ourselves. I do know a number of people with likely links to him. He keeps information tight but can't always control that big mouth of his. Jaahlyn, that goat-gal license holder and someone at VIGIL, likely one of their commanders, are connected to him somehow. If I could do some research, others are likely to turn up too."

[Gullara]

[Kirk's Office - Weekend]

Kirk smiles charmingly. "Good, I'll dig into those leads and you can do your research. Between us we'll turn up something. Reach back as far as you can. You said he claims that you're somehow connected to gorgons from his home world. We'll need to figure out where that is." He gets up and moves in front of his desk, so he's just standing in front of Dena. He leans down, catching her chin in his fingers, and gives her a kiss. "It's been a while since we've worked together like this." His smile spreads into a grin.

[Shadowcaller]

[Kirk's Office - Weekend]

Dena nods in agreement as Kirk talks and as he leans in to kiss her, she places her hand on his shoulder and returns it. Holding on even once he ends the kiss.
She grins back. "Yeah, been all too long since we did. Can't even recall the last time we worked together." But then there is a twinkle in her eye (which of course Kirk can't see.) "I think you need to be more careful in my company though or you might develop some unhealthy ideas about snakes..."

[Gullara]

[Kirk's Office - Weekend]

"I don't think I'm capable of being careful in your company. I'll have to take the risk." He kisses the side of her mouth, then her jaw, then creeps down to her neck. He runs his good hand slowly along her thigh. "In fact, you're quite impossible to resist."

[Shadowcaller]

[Kirk's Office - Weekend]

"I hear it's far too late already..." She puts her hand over his and pulls him closer. Her serpents starting to move over his shoulders as they embrace. "You got snakes on your brain, sir." She grins widely and angles her neck to give him more access as she gives his butt a tight squeeze...

The rest can probably be left behind a curtain.

[Morty]

[Job Board]

A new job appears on the MERC board:

Job Description: Explore an ancient dwarven stronghold, lost to time, returned through means unknown.
Contract Type: MERC Member Contract or MERC Licensed Contract.
Hired by: The Archaeological Society of Krazik-Braziken
Target: A ruined stronghold, possibly temporal anomaly.
Payment: Cash.

((The plot will take place in Outside under the [City out of Time] tag.))

[Ashen Lilies]

[Main Office - Someplace Official]

Someplace official? Well Kirk's office is technically that. Generally personal offices are pretty official. He's also in at the moment, which can't be said for Dena and Dipsnig. His door's open and he was going over some paperwork, but sometime in the last several minutes he's kicked his feet up on the desk and started reading a newspaper.

[Main Office - Someplace Official]

Jazirian knocks on the door of the office, somewhat timidly. Or... well... somewhat more timidly than he usually knocks. Which, objectively speaking, means it's very timid. But surely Kirk's superior hearing is up to the task.

[Gullara]

[Main Office - Someplace Official]

It takes a moment for Kirk to look up, it taking a moment to realize he had heard something in his immediate vicinity. He puts his feet down and sits up, setting the newspaper down on his desk. "Jazirian? Come in. What can I do for you?" He gestures for Jazirian to come in and sit.

[5a Violista]

[MERC Base]

After longer than expected, Marin finally comes back so she can finish repairing that shield belt thing.

She's wearing an orange turtleneck, a gray skirt, and a blue ribbon in her purple hair. So, basically, a lot of clashing colors are on this catgirl.

She heads right to the lab because she has to replace these electronics and wiring.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Main Office - Someplace Official]

It takes a moment for Kirk to look up, it taking a moment to realize he had heard something in his immediate vicinity. He puts his feet down and sits up, setting the newspaper down on his desk. "Jazirian? Come in. What can I do for you?" He gestures for Jazirian to come in and sit.

[Main Office - Someplace Official]

Jazirian sits down nervously, scuffing his feet as he stares rather intently at a spot on Kirk's desk, rather than at his face.

"It's... been a while since I've gone on any missions."

[Gullara]

[Main Office - Someplace Official]

Kirk arches and eyebrow and folds his hands on the desk. "Yes, we've noticed. Taking on our contracts is voluntary, but it has been quite a while." Sometimes he thinks they should have some dedicated HR, but he'll do what he can. "Do you need some help? More specific direction? Help collaborating with other members?" He throws those out, hoping something will sound right to Jazirian.

[Morty]

[Job Board]

There's a job there that has been available for a while now and needs doing:

Merc will kill the clearing guardian and collect a bouquet of the yellow petalled flowers that grow there. Upon completion they will be paid <$20,000 USD> in gold bullion.

Bledig Baines
__________

[Ashen Lilies]

[Main Office - Someplace Official]

Jazirian opens his mouth, and the shuts it again, staring at the floor nervously.

"I'm... just not sure that mercenary work is for me, sir."

[Gullara]

[Main Office - Someplace Official]

Kirk looks at Jazirian a moment longer and then nods. "Very well then. That's your prerogative. Feel free to take your time gathering your belongings. We're not going to rush you out the door. Just leave behind your membership identification and any Merc owned equipment you may have been using. I'll inform Dipsnig if you don't want to yourself."

[5a Violista]

[Main Base area]

Even though it took longer than anticipated, Marin is finally done with Fade's shield belt.

She leaves the lab, carrying it. She finds the first person she can see. "Hey, do you know if...whassis-name is here?" She snaps a couple of times, hoping that will help her remember his name. "I finished fixing his shield-belt."

[Artemis97]

[Job Board]

A woman walks up to the board to read it. She's dressed in trousers and a loose shirt in shades of grey and wears a strange cloak, made from many strips of grey and white cloth. It whips around her in the breeze obscuring her form. The hood is back and her long dark hair is loose. Deep blue eyes scan the board, settling on the latest posting.

"A clearing guardian? Can't be that hard. I could use the gold." Alaine Galette looks around for someone to talk to about the job.

[Morty]

[Job Board]

Alaine will be directed to a young tiefling who seems to have already taken an interest in the job. He's wearing a leather vest over a white undershirt and loose trousers.

"Greetings. Are you also interested in the contract? I saw it recently, but it seemed too much to handle on my own."

[Artemis97]

[Job Board]

Alaine's eyes keep drifting to the tiefling's horns as he speaks. She tries to marshal herself and look him directly in the eyes. "Yes, I was particularly interested in the reward. I could really use the gold. I suppose we'd split it, fifty fifty? What do you know about the job? What are your skills?"

[Morty]

[Job Board]

"That seems fair, after giving a cut to MERC." The tiefling nods, then waves his hand casually. Wisps of fire trail after his fingers. "I'm a pyromancer, and the client advised to bring fire. She's fey, so the chief executive says we should be careful. Oh, and I'm Fayyaad, by the way."

[Artemis97]

[Job Board]

The woman's eyes go wide at the sight of the flames. She'd never seen that before.

"My name's Alaine Galette." She introduces herself with a short bow. "I'm a mistborn." She says as if that should explain everything.

[Morty]

[Job Board]

Fayyaad blinks and smiles nervously. What's a mistborn...

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the term," he simply says.

[Artemis97]

[Job Board]

"Oh..." Alaine frowns. "Allomancy? Burning and manipulating metals? I can use them all. Iron, Steel, Tin, Pewter, Copper, Bronze, Zinc, Brass, and Atium if I can get my hands on it." Though the last one was a rare commodity indeed. She pulls a vial off her belt and holds it up for Fayaad to see. Inside the liquid were flakes of metal, swirling around. "I drink this and the metals inside give me my powers. For instance, steel and iron, let me push and pull on metals. Very useful effect. Get enough coins flying around, it can be more deadly than arrows."

[Morty]

[Job Board]

Fayyaad nods.

"Well, then. Between this and my pyromancy, it seems we're perfectly suited for this particular mission. As long as iron and fire work as well as our employer claimed they do."

[Artemis97]

[Job Board]

Alaine thinks about what he just said for a moment. "Ah, iron works well against the guardian? I don't have any iron weapons, but if we picked up some nails... I could make it real nasty for that thing. Most people don't use or even wear metal when they're up against mistborns. We can push and pull on it to very lethal effect. Likewise, all I have that's metal is in my vials, and my coin pouch."

[Morty]

[Job Board]

"Finding some iron nails shouldn't prove difficult," Fayyaad says with a nod. "I'm ready to go once we find some. I've got my staff with me." He certainly doesn't look like he's carrying one, though there is a rod of sorts at his belt.

[Artemis97]

[Job Board]

Alaine raises an eyebrow. Maybe the rod was extendable or something? Fayaad seemed to think it was sufficient protection, so she doesn't question in. Besides, if he died, more money for her, right? Not that she wished him ill, she was just pragmatic.

If MERC has a blacksmith, she'll drop by and pay some gold boxings in exchange for a pouch of iron nails and/or caltrops. That done, she returns to Fayaad and asks. "Ready to go?"