MERC XIX: Toss a Coin to your Goblin

[Deathkeeper]

Mountaintop

Krayger groans. He groans harder than he has in three whole days.
"Of course. Of course I do. Blasted bird, that's probably where it comes from. But there's not much you can do about a piece, is there?" She can't eat a piece of an identity, can she? Unless she's positive she can he wouldn't risk it.

[Rebonack]

[Mountaintop]

"Oooh, this sounds like a story. Tell me," Reassa requests with a laugh.

She really likes stories.

Probably because she is a nosy fox.

"And to remove a piece of a mask? Hmm... That's a question. Maybe. But this is more a title and less a name, how curious," she muses. "What have you been getting into, Krayger?"

She knew he would be an interesting person.

When you meet a person like this they tend to attract interesting stories like a light attracts moths.

"Do you want me to try removing it? If I only get a handful of heart I'll stop, fox' honor."

Joke is on you, Krayger, foxes don't have honor.

[Deathkeeper]

Mountaintop

"Can't talk about company jobs too much. But we did a job for some prince to kill a monster bird. We did. But there was something up with it, and that thing is no human lord." He shakes his head. It's not too hard to believe that maybe a fragment of the bird's power ended up in everyone else when it effectively blew up.
"I don't think I want to experiment with things like my heart." He kind of needs it to live.

[Rebonack]

[Mountaintop]

"Ah contagious birds, that's a serious problem," Reassa sighs. "And fair enough. No heart surgery today."

She wouldn't be tempted to eat it.

Probably.

She stopped by a haunted hospital on the way here and ate some ghosts.

She'll be just fine for a few hours at the very least.

"It sounds like you got mixed up with some shee. Faeries playing at human nobility, am I right?" she asks.

Sounds like this might be a subject she's familiar with.

Or at least thinks she's familiar with.

[Deathkeeper]

Mountaintop

"I dunno, does a Shee have aspects of himself like a bird flying around? I saw something when he absorbed it. There were...faces. Lots of them. Thorny and dark and eugh." He shudders. It was a lot even for him. And he's seen a lot of spooky things.
"I don't think it was something small."

[Rebonack]

[Mountaintop]

Oh hey.

Look at that.

Reassa looks concerned now!

"It sounds like you met a sidhe, a lord of the faerie," she says, her tone dire. "I would strongly suggest you see to finding someone who can remove that splinter from you as quickly as possible."

Well.

That's definitely a warning.

Does she know something about what it might result in if Krayger doesn't get it removed?

Probably.

[Deathkeeper]

Mountaintop

Krayger groans.
"How is it that I somehow attract not just killer fairies, but noble killer fairies?" sighs the minotaur.
"Know any good magic-surgeons?" he asks.
Is that a thing?
It's a thing in the Nexus, probably.

[Rebonack]

[Mountaintop]

"Nope, sorry," Reassa replies with a shrug. "I haven't ever needed a service like that so I've never looked."

That's fair.

Not...

Not very helpful.

But fair.

"For now, give the plans to your boss. Once I have your agreement I'll pay half the agreed amount up front. The second half will be provided once the job is completed successfully."

You did it, Krayger.

You managed to play nice long enough to make lots of money for your company.

[Deathkeeper]

Mountaintop

"Well, thanks for the tip, at least. I'll have your envelope in the boss' office by noon." Krayger assures her.
That is to say, he'll do it very soon, but not right this very second. He wants at least fifteen minutes of actually doing what he came here to do.
Really, she seems like a nice enough person. Just an inherently creepy kind of person who is far too interested in him.
And gets weirdly indignant when people are uncomfortable about the stalking and eating people.

[Gullara]

In the Hall

Cantata blinks. Me? she seems to ask, pressing the fingers of one hand against her chest and holding the gesture for a single second before shifting to give Kirk an amiable smile and an affirmative thumbs-up. Pretty well, it seems.

The woman lets her answer linger for a moment or two, waiting for Kirk to follow up. If he chooses to do nothing but stare and let in another bout of awkward tension, Cantata will finally let her hand drift down to fold behind her back, raising the other in an open palm. She traces a couple tight circles with her fingertips and leans in a little imploringly: Is there somewhere you’re going with this? she might seem to say, or perhaps it’s more of a may I move on? Regardless, there’s certainly a hint of disrespect in the gesture.

[In the Hall]

"Just thought I'd ask." Kirk amicably steps aside to allow her to pass. When she starts to go past him, however, he speaks up again. "There is one more thing." He's frowning now. "I can't say I know exactly what your intentions are with Fettina, but you should know that I'm going to be watching you. Just something to keep in mind."

[Demands of Snakes]

"You're in my room whenever I want you to be, so why would I?" Dena replies with a grin. "I was asking since I couldn't help but notice you being off somewhere else at lunch more than unusal lately. I knew what you were doing but not who." She taps her nose. "You should do a better job getting rid of the smell. Not to mention the wrinkles on your suit." She moves her hand to flatten one out, or the lack of one in such a case. "The boss knows too, y'know? He's simply getting too good at pretending things aren't happening around him these days." Dena gestures to herself. "Therefore, it falls to me to be the bad guy and ask, you're not letting it influence your job performance are you? I expect it to get less frequent eventually but I know for a fact that both of you like playing the field and this kind of behavior can easily spread. The sexual tension going on in this office can get a bit overbearing, but that doesn't mean you guys can start messing around however you want."

[Demands of Snakes]

"I'm quite aware of what I'm doing, Dena, but your concern is noted." He gives her a sidelong smirk. "If anyone's performance slips I'm sure you'll be the first to notice; given you're apparently snooping as is."

[Arkhosia]

In The Halls

Cantata stops in her tracks to turn and give Kirk a very pointed, very annoyed look. You'll never accept that it's only what's on the surface, will you? She types the words with a degree of exasperation, but there's also a hint of exhaustion about it all as well.

[Shadowcaller]

[Demands of Snakes]

"I'm quite aware of what I'm doing, Dena, but your concern is noted." He gives her a sidelong smirk. "If anyone's performance slips I'm sure you'll be the first to notice; given you're apparently snooping as is."

[Demands of Snakes]

Dena makes a 'tsk' sound. "If I had been snooping, I would have checked her salary too. But I'm sure there's nothing there to see. You're just not being nearly as subtle as you think you are, Kirk." She remarks with a grin as they're now standing outside Astrana's office.

"But here we are." A beat as she simply stares at the door for a moment. "We're not going to find her naked in there, are we?"

[Gullara]

[Demands of Snakes]

Kirk raises his eyebrows, but leaves that without comment. Surely he has no idea what she's talking about. "Oh I don't think we'll be so lucky." He remarks, completely straight faced, and knocks.

[In the Hall]

Kirk's eyes pass over the message briefly. "If it is then you have nothing to work about." he gives her a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

[Arkhosia]

In the Hall

Knowing that doesn't make your winning attitude any easier to endure, Cantata snaps back, giving Kirk a rather pointed look. These games of faux-politeness and envenomed tongues may be her forte, but at the moment she doesn't seem to have the patience to engage in them.

[Morty]

[Arriving from Skyside]

The two goblins will arrive in the mountain base with Pania in tow. The woman might find the cold environment unfriendly and unfamiliar, but the two small folk seem at home in it. They first lead her into a lobby, busy with mercenaries of all stripes as they go about their business.

"And here we are," the female goblin says. She'd have introduced herself as Gulerta Slinkclaw on the way to MERC. "Let's just call the boss and announce you."

The other goblin, the male one whose name is Hazlup Softrock, speaks into a communicator quickly. When he hangs up, he looks up at Pania again.

"The boss says he'll see you now. Come on, we'll lead you there."

The two will head down a flight of stairs into the underground section of the base, until they arrive in front of a door.

"Head on in, he's waiting. But he'd rather speak to you in private."

[Meowmai]

[Arriving from Skyside]

Pania wasn't all too happy about the cold. Sure, she didn't exactly grow up in the warmest of places, but it didn't get too cold there all that often either. Fortunately, the inner lining of her armour- being the one high tech piece of equipment she had- provided at least some insulation against the temperature.

She followed the goblins into the facility without saying very much, until at last they lead her to their bosses door. She looked at the both of them, giving a nod and a simple "thank you," before opening the door and entering into the room beyond.

[Morty]

[Arriving from Skyside]

The room beyond has a peculiar look to it. It belongs to someone who is quite small, but who regularly speaks to larger people. The central feature of the office is a large desk, behind which sits another goblin. The rest of the space is occupied by shelves of books and documents, as well as maps. More notably, a very large grey-furred wolf is lounging lazily next to the desk. The goblins looks up from a computer on the desk when Pania comes in.

"Welcome. I've been expecting you. My name is Dipsnig Razortooth, the CEO of MERC. I expect my people have already introduced you to my offer, but I'm sure you have questions."

[Meowmai]

[Arriving from Skyside]

Upon entering, Pania looked around the room with curiosity. Her eyes in particular were drawn towards the wolf- an animal that she had never seen before, and one with very different traits to the animals she was used to back home. However, her attention snaps to Dipsnig once he starts to speak.

"Good to meet you. My name is Pania. And yes, I have questions. Firstly, payment. I fight for you, and in turn you help me... deal with those after me. I know that much. But what I don't know, is what exactly that help will be. So I must ask, when the time comes, in what form will that help be? Just information? Or will your group directly help me to tear them down?"

[Morty]

[Arriving from Skyside]

Dipsnig peers at Pania above his folded hands for a moment. It's a calm but scrutinizing look. She might get the impression she's the latest in a long line of people who stood or sat here, subject to it. His eyes are cat-like, just like the other goblins', but in the dim office the pupils are slightly wider.

"Let me be straight with you, then. I'm offering you membership in our organization. That means you'll be able to take on our contracts, like all of us. This means money and contacts for you. Two things you'll need to accomplish what you've set out to do. As for aid with your enemies... I would need more information about them first. Our position in Skyside is precarious. If making enemies of them suits us, we will. If not, then we will help you in more indirect ways when the time comes. From what I've learned of them, your own situation included, they're not anyone we wish to associate with regardless."

[Gullara]

In the Hall

Knowing that doesn't make your winning attitude any easier to endure, Cantata snaps back, giving Kirk a rather pointed look. These games of faux-politeness and envenomed tongues may be her forte, but at the moment she doesn't seem to have the patience to engage in them.

[In the Hall]

Kirk rolls his shoulders in a lazy shrug. "A shame, really. We're going to have to get use to each other, aren't we."

[Arkhosia]

In the Hall

I look forward to it, Cantata responds through her phone with a saccharine little smirk, before choosing to finally slip away should Kirk permit it.

[Meowmai]

[Arriving from Skyside]

Pania shifted a little uncomfortably under Dipsnig's gaze. She didn't really enjoy being scrutinized all that much, to be honest. Reminded her just a touch too much of the way she had been looked at by her captors, back in that facility.

She mulled over Dipsnig's words, before responding with a nod. "I see... I understand then." Her expression turned dark, and her voice grew intense. "And they're definitely not a group that should be associated with. Not by anyone with a soul. Of that, I can assure you." Realising that she was letting her anger boil up once again, Pania forced herself to take a few deep breaths. Calming down, she continued. "I do not have the best information about them myself. My..." She hesitated, trying to find the words. "My... experience, with them, gave me knowledge of things they'd rather keep hidden, but I cannot speak much on their plans or on their allies."

Another pause, another few deep breaths. Time to change the subject, to matters that perhaps needed more immediate attention. "I do have a second question. Do you offer food and shelter here as part of the deal? Or does that need to be traded for."

[Shadowcaller]

[Demands of Snakes]

Kirk raises his eyebrows, but leaves that without comment. Surely he has no idea what she's talking about. "Oh I don't think we'll be so lucky." He remarks, completely straight faced, and knocks.

[Demands of Snakes]

Surely.

Astrana soon opens up, having been expecting them, and she's very much not naked. "Senior-officers, you're right on time." She opens the door for them and moves out of the way. Two chairs have been set up in front of her desk, one more than what's usually here Kirk will note. "Please have a seat. I will go through how this ritual will work and then you can ask questions later. Does that sound like a good set-up to you?" It might be a tad awkward considering what Kirk recall doing on one of those chairs. Not to mention in many other parts of this office.

Dena doesn't sit down immidiately, instead she takes a little tour around the office as if looking for something. "Mm... don't mind me. Just go ahead."

Astrana exchanges a glance with Kirk. "Erm, alright, let me start with a question in that case. Wasn't that scholar supposed to join us? Or did I missunderstood you?"

Dena looks to Kirk. "Right, right, she should probably at least observe."

[Morty]

[Arriving from Skyside]

A brief look of consternation passes over Dipsnig's face, before being replaced by professionalism again. He's not used to dealing with people who don't know much about money. She'll get a crash course in monetary economy soon enough, he supposes. Maybe he can ask one of the secretaries or accountants to do it.

"You will be assigned a room and have access to our canteen." Best to address that first. The other subject is clearly one he should tread lightly around when possible. "Our cook is quite skilled. We will need to run a background check on you." He pauses. Pania likely has no idea what it means. "That is to say, check what you've been doing and if you've done anything we'd object to. Given your circumstances it's a formality, but one we need to perform all the same."

[Ironsmith]

[Entrance Hall]

Siana hobbles into the MERC office, walking with a rhythmic (if hesitant) clop-tap clop-tap as she alternates between her good leg and her cane. She's wearing her usual swashbuckler-style shirt and britches, along with a cheap(ish) tricorn hat she picked up in Mallside, which she keeps pulled a little over her eyes, not wanting it to be obvious how youthful her face is. Not for the last time, she has to wonder if she's doing the right thing here; her uncle would kill her if he learned she was taking MERC contracts, and then he'd ground her for a year. Even putting that aside, this was dangerous work, and while she was reasonably confident in her abilities, training and actually fighting were two very different things.

...But that only made her hesitate, not turn around and leave.

She walks up to the front desk and gives the bell there a little tap. "Um... hello. I'm here for a license?" She says, fighting the urge to deepen her voice. Nobody was going to believe that and it'd just sound silly.

[Reinholdt]

[Entrance Hall]

Morosely sitting at the front desk is a catgirl with blue hair, pink eyes, and a Schrodinger's body. Its proportions and facial features change daily, much to her own chagrin, but for the most part she is definitively female, possessing of blue hair, has cat ears and a cat tail. Today she's a little curvier than she's used to. She's also recently been given the gift of Sight, making her an unwitting seer capable of occasionally seeing events both past and future. Something she has yet to figure out or come to terms with.

None of this is why Reina is sitting at the desk with a gloomy expression. No, she's being sullen because she got the straw for mandatory desk duty. Something every MERC member's done at some point. But it's so basic and not adventurous at all and the pay kinda sucks. It's a necessity, sure, but why'd it have to be her turn?

She looks up from her phone scrolling as Siana makes her entrance and approaches the desk. Reina's eyes roam over the strigoi with unabated curiosity. Who was she? Why was she dressed like that? ... How old was she?

"And... you are?" Reina asks as she sits up and leans forward, drawn to any sort of distraction from just sitting around.

Might as well start with the basics.

[Ironsmith]

[Entrance Hall]

"Siana. Siana T-" She pauses, internally debating whether to give her real name, in case her uncle decided to look her up. That would be the prudent thing to do. At the same time, she didn't feel right about giving an outright false name, either. Fortunately, she was in a position where she could compromise on the matter.

"Redmont. Siana Redmont." She says finally. If her father hadn't been a Lord, that's how she would introduce herself anyway. Besides, the honorific surname wouldn't mean much here; nobody knew who Maldwyn Of The Bridge was, and those who did are unlikely to respect the name.

The sky is on fire
Dawn in every direction
The sun turned on her
She's so hungry it hurts

Siana continues unabated, unaware of any visions Reina might be seeing, giving an enthusiastic smile. "And like I said, I'm here to apply for a license." She says, leaning with both her hands on her cane, in a gesture she hoped made her look relaxed and confident. She takes a moment to focus on her breathing; keep it even, keep it deep, keep it natural. Just like when she was starting a sparring session. It helped soothe her nerves, which is something she badly needed if she wanted to get through this interview without embarrassing herself.

[Reinholdt]

[Entrance Hall]

Reina looks distant for a moment, her eyes vacant as if completely devoid of life. Until she blinks and the light in them return along with a brief intake of air. Did... did she really just space out? The hell? Seeing those skies of fire. Remembering her past? A past. When did that happen again? A few times.

...

There's a person in front of her!

Gah! Reina scrambles a bit. "I-I'm sorry. What was that?" She grabs a license form and a pen, intent on writing the information down this time so that she can't miss it a second time. Ugh. She can't believe she's such a mess right now. She hasn't started drinking for the day and she's pretty sure the little bit she spiked her coffee with wasn't that strong. Reina's just been so unfocused lately.

[Ironsmith]

You're all alone, too?
It's okay, I won't hurt you
It's okay for you to bite
I'm strong enough
My daddy says I'm a strong girl
Drink up, little froggy friend

Heaven is burning
Spatters of red stars
Not quite night, never day
There's no moon anymore
Oh Lords, it hurts
The sacred bond is broken

I like the way it squirms in my teeth
But I'm alone again
And
I'm still hungry

[Entrance Hall]

"Siana Redmont." Siana reiterates patiently. "That's spelled S-I-A-N-A." She's had problems with that before. Her teachers would usually spell it "Seania" or "Shawna" until she corrected them. At least "Redmont" was intuitive enough; yet another reason to take that over "Ty-Maldwyn". What a pain that would be.

"...Miss? Are you all right?" Siana asks, noticing Reina's vacant stare. "...Maybe I should fill this out?"

[Meowmai]

[Arriving from Skyside]

A brief look of consternation passes over Dipsnig's face, before being replaced by professionalism again. He's not used to dealing with people who don't know much about money. She'll get a crash course in monetary economy soon enough, he supposes. Maybe he can ask one of the secretaries or accountants to do it.

"You will be assigned a room and have access to our canteen." Best to address that first. The other subject is clearly one he should tread lightly around when possible. "Our cook is quite skilled. We will need to run a background check on you." He pauses. Pania likely has no idea what it means. "That is to say, check what you've been doing and if you've done anything we'd object to. Given your circumstances it's a formality, but one we need to perform all the same."

[Arriving from Skyside]

"Alright then. That works for me." Pania was not exactly sure if they'd really be able to find anything on her they seemingly didn't know already. She had barely been free in the Nexus for long, and her entire time since then had been spent surviving or fighting back against her previous captors. The reason for the background check did remind her of something else she should ask though. "On that note, I must ask... what kind of things do your organization object to? If I am to work for you, I must know... where do you draw the line in this kind of work?" She didn't exactly have a strong moral compass herself, but she wanted to know she wouldn't end up working for a group as cruel as the one she had just escaped.