MERC XVIII: Affordable Misdeeds and Friendly Canines

[Morty]

[Common Room]

Thariza takes a look around herself, her tail swishing behind her. The question Ambrosia asked her now is one she had asked herself more than once. So she already knows the answer.

"No, it isn't. It's something I considered after somehow surviving the ruins of Ascalon and winding up here. And after quitting HALO. I've got skills to get ahead in the mercenary business. But hurting others just because someone with money wants me to... it doesn't feel right. If I fight, I want to fight for something or someone, not for a reward."

[Gullara]

[Seeking Shelter]

Shanti smiles at her daughter. "I'd like to think that the majority of you is from me, sweetie."

Dena looks between them. Hadn't she said that the father was a giant snake spirit? Which would mean... that this was getting weird.
Then again, spirits could probably look whatever they liked and they didn't always need to create life the usual way either. With that mind it at least made it all feel less strange.

It was still best to change the subject though. "I just came to think of something, Natharia. I don't know what your interests are but would you be interested in learning to dance? Since I'm running a little class of sort once each week. I'd have to talk to the mother of the only other student first but if she's willing you could join if you want."

Shanti doesn't seem to immediately object at least. More interested in seeing her daugther's reaction to the proposal.

[Seeking Shelter]

Natharia turns back to look at Dena with a perplexed, curious look. "What kinda dancing do you mean?" Natharia definitely knows about dancing in general, but she also knows there's lots of different kinds.

[Gullara]

[Interview]

Early one afternoon Dipsnig gets a knock on his office door. "Hello mister Razortooth. Are you ready for me?" Asks the young, winged woman at the door. Dipsnig of course knows her to be Astrana's longtime girlfriend, and now fiancée, Valerie. She's dressed all prim and proper for the interview, with a white blouse and a black skirt that sweeps past her knees. Simple. There's definitely some nerves in her voice, but she keeps it steady.

[Morty]

[Interview]

"Yes, come in," says the raspy voice of MERC's CEO from behind the door.

Once inside, Valerie might find the office a little odd. It's clearly a space that belongs to a goblin but has to accommodate taller people on a regular basis. The desk is high for him, but low for Valerie. The office is unusually free of any wolves. Dipsnig motions to a chair on the other side of this desk. He's got a notepad and a pen in front of him, ready to take notes. He more or less knows what to expect, but he's still going to run this interview by the book. There's a bottle of water and a glass for Valerie if she needs it.

"Let's start with your qualifications," Dipsnig says, once they've got pleasantries out of the way. "That means prior education, experience and skills you'd be bringing on board to us."

[Gullara]

[Interview]

Valerie enters and sits down. She folds her hands tightly in her lap. She does her best to keep her cool, though the twitchy flicks of her tail betray her nerves.

Of course he asks the hardest question right off the bat. Valerie swallows hard. "I don't have any prior experience, but I'm absolutely ready to learn. I've been taking an online course on being an administrative assistant in my free time, and while I'm not done I'd continue to do that. I'm also familiar with data entry applications, which should help out for the kinds of tasks I expect to be doing." Valerie holds her breath after that reply.

[Morty]

[Interview]

Dipsnig writes something down on the notepad in some kind of weird, crooked angular script. Presumably that's his native language.

"Your duties in this position would involve administrative tasks for a mercenary company. What challenges do you expect in such a role and how would you approach them?"

[Gullara]

[Interview]

"Well, I imagine one of the biggest challenges will be facilitating information. Like, there's a lot of different people that work for Merc, as direct members and licensees. And there are plenty of different jobs that go to different people. I expect I'd be helping navigate those complexities." Valerie pauses for a moment to collect her thoughts. "My goal would be to take some of the burden of navigating those complexities off the shoulders of you and your lieutenants. So while I don't know what the exact challenges are yet, I can focus on a subset of tasks that help the leadership be more efficient."

[Shadowcaller]

[Seeking Shelter]

"Let me show you a picture..." Dena remarks as she takes up her phone and finds her picture folder. "Here's a picture of me teaching my only student." She remarks while showing the screen to Natharia.

Shanti have no comments despite also clearly looking at the screen.

[Common Room]

Ambrosia nods. "That's a thoughtful perspective, Thariza. I've actually been down the same path as you. Not under the same circumstances but there was also a point where I decided to only fight for others." She smiles. "Or at least that's the ideal. Reality and ideals sometimes go together as oil and water so it can be difficult at times. I mean, if you start selling your products chances are they are going to be used by people who don't share your ideals. Like the people around us for instance. Would you refuse them service for that reason? I imagine it would be difficult to make a profit then."

[Meeting with Dena]

"Yeah, was fun talking to you, Chidi. You should join my scouting party sometime if you are feeling brave." Dena remarks with a smile as she watches him walk off for a moment before getting up herself.

There was work to be done...

[Morty]

[Common Room]

"I haven't thought about it this way," Thariza admits after a moment. "Maybe things people do with my creations are sufficiently removed from me that it's not an issue? Or maybe I can focus on creating objects that aren't weapons. But maybe that won't be possible."

[Interview]

Dipsnig makes another note.

"Your job application mentioned that you would also assist Astrana in her duties. What kind of assistance would it entail? I presume you're familiar with her methods."

[Gullara]

[Seeking Shelter]

Natharia leans in and examines the photo. "She's just a little kid." She observes. "I could probably do better than a kid." She decides.

[Interview]

"Ah, yes. This is what actually brought this all about. Astrana was telling me how she could sometimes use an assistant, but not often enough to suggest specifically hiring one." Valerie explains. "She's been teaching me a few things at home I can help her with from time to time. Astrana could probably do a better job than me explaining the exact details of that."

[Shadowcaller]

[Seeking Shelter]

Dena chuckles, the girls weren't that different in age but when you were that old anyone even one year younger was just a baby and Laela was several years behind. "Glad to hear you say that. I need to talk to her mother of course but if everything goes well you could come over here every sunday if you want to."

"How much do you charge?" Shanti finally presses after being quiet for so long.

"However much you think it's worth." Dena remarks with a wave. "I'll let you decide if she decides to try a few times."

[Common Room]

"You can potentially create a lot of things I imagine. See, when I look at you I see a lot of potential, Thariza. You came to the nexus shortly after your gravest defeat and you decided to be different. When all the paths closed behind you by grief and violence you sought out to find a new one and what I want to show you is that there are a lot of paths to take. I get the sense that you've been pushed down a specific path most of your life and while that one might not have been the worst it also made you intentionally limit yourself and your talents. So... here is your chance to find all your other potentials I suppose. Don't think too much of the moral implications. You were a warrior after all. Just focus on what you want to do for now." Ambrosia argues.

[Zefir]

[Main Room - A desk behind]

Fade has taken a desk at the far end of the main rom. One that's not so much used as it is rather far behind. It's not really good for work since and customer will barly see it. Fade had to talk aanother clerk away who just used this place to rest. The table will be filled with files each mentioning a different world and some cluses. Some words are highlight in the Files and everyone taking a look will notice that they are the same "Hidden Lab", "Experiments" and "controll". Fade is using a red string to bind things together .

[Gullara]

[Seeking Shelter]

"Yeah, okay." Natharia decides. She's not sure how interested she is in dancing, really, but she is interested in seeing more of Dena.

[Morty]

[Common Room]

Thariza stops and looks off into the distance.

"You're probably right. I tried to be what I used to be, but it didn't feel right. Not many people get to die and come back, either." She turns back to look at Ambrosia. "I do appreciate your efforts to prod me along to thinking for myself. Are you doing this because you find it familiar?"

[Interview]

Dipsnig will ask Valerie some more questions, about pay, duties and other formalities, before putting down his pen and notepad.

"I think that went pretty well," he says. "I don't perform job interviews as often as one would think. We'll set you up in an administrative assistant position in a week or two and see where it goes from there. We do need more people to handle all the information coming through."

[Gullara]

[Interview]

Valerie smiles broadly. "Thank you so much, Mr. Razortooth. I won't disappoint you." She otherwise engages in the parting niceties and then leaves his office. She then heads directly to Astrana's office!

[Shadowcaller]

[Common Room]

Ambrosia smiles. "I suppose in a way, yes. I had, and still have, a lot of potential but that also means that there are a lot of options and a lot of paths for me to take. I ended up doing a little bit of everything at first but eventually you need to start to stick with your choices and I had a hard time adapting to that. I believed I could simply walk back on everything. Something reality took an issue with, and so did my father for that matter. However, despite that I'd like to end this by saying that I learned from my mistakes I admit that I'm still repeating them. I came here to the nexus to study dragons yet look where I am. Still doing whatever I feel like it seems."

[Seeking Shelter]

"Very well, that's acceptable." Shanti adds once Natharia have made her decision. "You're going to need new clothes for that too thought, sweetie." Just as they had bought a whole bunch.

"Great, I'll make the arrangements then." Dena remarks with a smile.

((And we can probably end the scene here unless anyone had more ideas where to take it.))

[Morty]

[Common Room]

Thariza's tail flicks behind her. Studying dragons... a risky undertaking if there ever was one.

"I mean, you can't always focus on your goal, right? It's not wrong to get sidetracked by something else that's interesting. Especially since studying dragons isn't exactly easy. They eat people. And magic. But if you wanted to get back to it and know where to start... you can count on my help. I feel like I owe you that."

[Shadowcaller]

[Common Room]

This offer seems to cause pause in the scholar. "Not all dragons are like that, but yes... I'll give you my response to that offer once we're done here. For now we should probably eat and get clean though. It has been a long journey to get here after all and we could probably use some rest."

[Morty]

[Common Room]

"Eating something and washing up does sound pretty good right about now," Thariza admits. They'll presumably go do that, then go to meet Dena again.

[Hattish Thing]

[Main Room - In Need of a Caterer]

It's about seven in the morning, right when MERC opens its doors to the public.

A very tired looking man stumbles into the main room, glancing about deliriously before blinking once or twice and exhaling. "Okay, uhh - okay." He hadn't slept yet, hadn't slept in days. But there was work to be done, events to be planned!

Dr. Valiance will approach the closest member of the organization before blurting out. "Uhh, listen. I need to talk with someone, something important. It's a job, you know. Work, um. Need to hire someone for something."

"It's... it's nothing weird, so."

[Morty]

[Main Room - Waiting]

Fayyaad the tiefling pyromancer can be spotted in the main area of the MERC base, seemingly waiting for someone. He's wearing a high-collared vest with a long shirt underneath and gloves. Looks like he's prepared for trouble, since he also has his collapsible staff on his belt.

[Gullara]

[Main Room - In Need of a Caterer]

There's someone here with meeting visitors in her job description. It's Val...erie. The young woman is seated behind a desk near the entrance, typing away on a computer. She turns to look at him as he approaches her, somewhat startled by his energy. "Um..." Right, focus Valerie. It's time to do your job. "Welcome to Merc, sir. I can help you. What do you need?"She turns entirely toward him and folder her hands on her lap.

[Hattish Thing]

[Main Room - In Need of a Caterer]

Once Valerie responds, Dr. Valiance places his hands down upon the desk. "Ha ha, yeah! Welcome. Ha ha." The man offers her a sideways grin, his head cocked slightly to the side. "I'm so glad you're here, so fricken glad. I tell you, I did NOT check if you were open." Wouldn't it have been awful if they weren't? Just the absolute worst, after the night he'd had? "But yeah, it's no problem. No problem at all - how are you?" This was how people interacted, this was going very well. "Um, but yes. I'm here because I need, well. It's kind of important that I, uhh - oh god." At that, Dr. Valiance grimaces. Oh, he was feeling terribly ill all of the sudden.

Something definitely wasn't sitting right, all the running only made it worse. "Hey, um. One - one s-second."

"Oh god, I..."

--

The strange man stumbles away before placing a hand against a nearby wall and promptly vomiting on it.

It's awful, it just keeps going on. No one is happy here.

[Arkhosia]

Main Room - Waiting

Fayyaad won't have to wait long for the first of his companions to arrive. The door opens and Cantata slips through it - and for once the woman isn't wearing any of her usual dresses, eschewing them for dark pants and a blue blouse. She seems to be wearing a matching glove to the usual one on which her text displayer is mounted, and a silenced pistol rests on her hip.

She scans the room, eyes lighting up a little with interest when they catch sight of Valerie before finding her focus; Fayyaad. She gives him a friendly smile and waves as she approaches.

[Gullara]

[Main Room - In Need of a Caterer]

Valerie stands abruptly. Her chair bangs into the desk behind her. "Oh gods! D-do you need a medic?" Do they even have one of those on staff. She has no idea. She's barely been here a couple days; she's not prepared for this. All she can do is stare at Valiance with shock and horror as he paints the wall with vomit.

[Hattish Thing]

[Main Room - In Need of a Caterer]

Dr. Valiance can only glance back helplessly towards Valeria, unable to put a stopper to the unspeakable stream which pours forth. "N-no, don't worry it's just thaGHHRGHHUU." He manages to mumble towards her in between convulsions, raising a finger up. "I'm okay, p-please don't call police." What was he doing, trying to speak through this? All he did was make things worse.

"Oh my god. I... oh my god." Is it over? Is it finally over?

Yes. Yes it is.

--

The wall has become a grotesque thing somewhat like a painting, a swirl of murky greens and sickly yellows. In short, it is a travesty.

At that, Val stumbles off to the closest corner and presses his back against the wall, sliding down gently.

"Oh god, I am... s-so sorry."

"Can I get... water?"

[Ashen Lilies]

[Main Room - Waiting]

The last of the trio arrives, dressed in his usually fancy attire of a coffee cream colored shirt, dark purple tailed vest and ascot tie, and thigh-high platformed boots. At his side, appropriately, a side-sword hangs in a scabbard off of his belts, opposite a small leather satchel. A parrying dagger is displayed nakedly, thrust through a belt-loop near the satchel, as well as a stiletto displayed on straps on one of his boots, and a smaller knife in a little sheathe stitched on to the satchel's side.

He gives Fayyaad a polite smile and nod, and Cantata a warmer, lengthier smile, but appears to be somewhat ill at ease, moving with a slightly nervous energy.

[Astrana's Office]

Astrana decides to answer Rahvi's question first, doing so while trying not to look directly at him. "That's the thing about symbolism, it rarely paints us as we would like." She then turns to Cass to start addressing her much more constructive comments. "Such as not currently being killed horribly for instance, yeah. In my experience visions like these are usually visually shocking and distinct so even if the clues are vague we still remember them pretty well. Perhaps even better than if the otherworldly forces would have simply showed me a piece of paper with all the information. I'd still probably take that before this but it's what we have to work with." Astrana strokes her chin thoughtfully as she lays down the book she took out fully spread on her desk. "So tell me something else. Who else do you feel is involved in this bound you two have? There is of course this demon you already told me about, but is there someone else? The first impression I got was that this is about more than just the two of you."

[Astrana's Office]

Cass looks confused, not sure what Astrana could be talking about.
"I mean, there's the demon that bound the two of us together... Oh and, well I guess there's..." She looks uncomfortable, shifting in her seat. "Okay, this is weird. You remember uh... that job that MERC got from Sszinyon and Raril Xar'Cha?"

[Gullara]

[Main Room - In Need of a Caterer]

Valerie stops breathing. The visuals are one thing, but the smell is something else. "Just stay lying there, okay? I'm going to get help." Unfortunately talking requires breath. Provided Valiance doesn't try to interrupt her, Valerie will pick up her phone and call... someone. Definitely a superiour. She requests whatever first aide they have available, as well as cleanup.

[Main Room - Waiting]

Valerie looks up from her work when Cantata walks in. She meets her eye for a moment, gives a little greeting smile, but doesn't speak up or anything. This woman is probably busy. She'll meet her proper another time probably.

Oh, then here comes someone else. Valerie's eyes linger on Wren as he enters and walks over to join the other. He's pretty distracting, actually. She continues watching as he joins the rest of the group. Well her work can wait a couple minutes, right?

[Morty]

[Main Room - In Need of a Caterer]

Valerie's calls finally bring in a cleaning team and MERC's medical robot. While the cleaners will go about fixing the mess, the robot will take Val's vitals to see if he's just drunk or if something more serious is wrong.

[Main Room - Waiting]

Fayyaad smiles brightly when Cantata arrives, then gives Wren a longer look. There's something familiar about this one. Is he a relative of Cassandra's, perhaps? He'll find out soon enough, he imagines. It could be just a coincidence.

"Cantata! Good to see you here. Will you introduce me to your friend?"

[Arkhosia]

Main Room - Waiting

Cantata smiles at her fellow mercenary, signing a response that she'll gladly repeat in her text display if he seems not to understand it. Glad to be on your side and not trying to knock each other out," she remarks, before looking back towards Wren. This is Wren, another acquaintance of mine. I thought we might use a third hand." She lingers to evaluate the plethora of blades he's carrying with interest, seeming to appreciate his preparation.