MERC XIX: Toss a Coin to your Goblin

[Ironsmith]

[Training Area]

Rose snickers. "At our size, it'd be more surprising if you'd been with anyone smaller than you." She sits up and adds a little more weight. "Putting aside that proportions can get absolutely ridiculous out here in the Nexus- I'll cite Krayger again- even among humans you'd be pretty small. I'm pretty small for a human and I've still got a couple of inches on you." She wonders if it would be at all rude to mention Olvisin seems big for a goblin, but decides against that; she's only seen the goblins here, who may be below-average size, and in any case it might be a sensitive subject, particularly if Olvisin was of a mind to conflate "big" and "fat".

She grins and lifts her barbell, which is now in the lower 40s. "Y-yet another good reason to do this." She adds with a suggestive smirk. "Could be the difference between a good night and having to go to the hospital."

[Morty]

[Training Area]

Not to be outdone, Olvisin adds some more weight to her barbell to keep pace with Rose.

"It's all relative, but I'm what you'd call a 'big girl' among goblins," she says, as if reading Rose's mind. "But, well, still a goblin, so you're right."

[Ironsmith]

[Training Area]

Rose sets the weights down and gives a contented sigh, rolling her shoulders. "Of course I'm right." She smiles, bringing the weights up to 50; her limit, so far. "It's my job to be right about these kinds of things. Speaking of..." She lays back down and strains under the weight, lifting it slowly but surely. "You give any more thought to what I told you back in Trog's? About branching out and junk?"

[Meowmai]

Spoiler

Show

[Thrusting Tenuous Theories]

"Right..." Well Reina wasn't going to deny Pania her pride. Not yet anyways.

"It's probably pretty simple. We do the same thing again and again until you can resist on command without the same amount of effort shown. And understand how you did it. Because if you can't and that was just a fluke special to you, it's not going to be good enough. Honestly... we should montage the whole process because it'll cut down the budget." And saving money is making money! That's just the MERC way.

"Honestly, it seemed pretty emotional based. So if you, a psychic, can hone your emotions to use them to resist this command, than we, the plebs, can do something similar, if less effective. All we have to do is get the heroes to get really, really mad or annoyed every time Magtok speaks and Prime will have no power over them." She smirks at the cyborg.

"Should be easy."

I Hope You Meant Trusting

Magtok isn't sure how to respond to that. His usual answer is to scowl and say something even more snarky back, but we're trying to make up for a lack of professionalism earlier, keep Pania in the dark regarding the duo's muddled past, and figure out a way into this catgirl's pants.

"Wenomir has never felt so powerful," he finally answers weakly, after a moment or two of just looking back at Reina, struggling to find an appropriate response.

"Reina's got it, though. It should be like working out, right? Just using the same muscles over and over in a controlled environment until they adapt and grow stronger, except this time the muscle is your brain." That is how the plebs work out, right? Magtok's never been inside a gym in any of his lives, not even once.

[I'm Too Tired To Think of a Terrific Title]

"This wasn't a fluke. I can and I will do it again." But yes, it would be nice to learn how to do this without the whole splitting headache and being flung across the room thing. And actually... figure out how she did it. She wasn't exactly sure, it just kind of happened. Nothing would stop her from figuring that out though. "It's always been emotions based for me." Particularly anger. Which does make her powers very useful for fighting her foes, but it's probably not healthy in the long run.

"Montage? And what budget?" She asked. Oh no, Pania's new here! She doesn't understand how to properly address fourth wall breaks! Hopefully that doesn't make things awkward.

"And like working out, you can't get any stronger without pushing yourself a little." Pania affirmed the cyborgs gym analogy.

[Reinholdt]

[Moving Mental Montage]

Magtok's response manages to draw a small smile from her face, which honestly lights up her features quite well. It seems sometimes mediocrity passes better than any counter.

"You know what, don't worry about it. Just keep beating your head against the thing and it'll be over before you know it..." Reina suggests to Pania.

She can be confident about this because she pulls out her phone and pulls up some psychic training montage music. Which is obviously just Persona and Psychonauts OSTs, but she won't tell the copywrite lawyers if no one else does. The music begins and, so too, does the montage...

[Morty]

[Training Area]

"About spycraft? Learning how to play people?" Olvisin appears unconvinced. "I don't know about that. I don't think I'm suited for this kind of thing. As my family can tell you, I'm not good at not speaking my mind."

[Ironsmith]

[Training Area]

"Neither was I when I first started." Rose huffs, pushing the weight up off of her chest. "It's a learned skill, like marksmanship or fixing an engine. Besides, like 90% of the job doesn't require you to lie, exactly... more 'set the wrong expectations'."

She sets the barbell on its hooks for a moment and looks toward Olvisin. "And people do plenty of that on their own. For instance, my job revolves around the expectation that the sweet little thing you met in the bar last night isn't at all interested in your more secretive dealings. And for about 99% of people, eh, good assumption. Too bad I'm that 1%."

She shrugs and lifts the barbell again. "That doesn't mean everything I say to get to that position is a lie. That doesn't mean anything I say to get to that position is a lie. I can say 'you have really pretty eyes', mean it, and still be after your finances. I can say 'I don't ever want to leave you', mean it, and still run off the next morning because I have a job to do and bugger what I want. I can say 'I love you', mean it, and... and you get the gist." Rose groans under the weight. "...And I'm pretty sure I just blew the pitch there by telling you how stressful it can be, didn't I?"

[Morty]

[Training Area]

"A little bit," Olvisin admits as she sets down the barbell for a moment. "I just... don't think I could do that. Or who I could pretend to be. The brash, gun-toting goblin gal has always been all there is. More or less."

[Ironsmith]

[Training Area]

"Now, see, that I don't believe." Rose smiles and sits up, watching Olvisin while she massages the sore spots on her own arms. "Nobody's ever that simple. I mean, you already left out the part about being an engineer. I'll bet there's sides to you that haven't surfaced in years, just because you haven't gotten a chance to exercise them." She smirks and looks over at her barbell. "Again, you don't really have to be fake to be a spy. Just... unexpected." She smiles and slaps her thigh, an idea coming to mind. "Non-sequitur, but how are you at baking?"

[Morty]

[Training Area]

"Yeah... you could say there's some things about me that haven't come up much since I left home." Does she know Rose well enough to talk about it? Not yet, she thinks. It's personal. And then another question blind-sides her. "No good at all, but why do you ask?"

[Ironsmith]

[Training Area]

"See? I'd say 'I knew it', but that's pretty obvious at this point." Rose stretches and starts disassembling her barbell, as a courtesy to whoever ends up using it next. "The reason I ask is... well, we're going to need to do something else after this. It's kind of an expensive hobby back home, but I'd like the chance to indulge it here. If you're game, that is."

[Morty]

[Training Area]

"As long as we can find a recipe both humans and goblins can enjoy, I suppose." Olvisin doesn't sound entirely convinced. "There are some, but it's not something I'm an expert on."

[Ironsmith]

[Training Area]

Rose smirks. "Well, heck, I'm in the mood to try something new, so why don't we expand that out to 'something goblins like and humans can digest'." She was sure there would still be a few foods that Olvisin would enjoy which would be lethal to her. In any case, it couldn't hurt to broaden her pallet just a bit.

[Morty]

[Training Area]

"Something digestible by humans? That's easier, I suppose. I've still never baked anything, though. Zaalmin was taught to bake when she was younger but never took to it. And then we left," Olvisin says as she puts her own barbell back. "As far as I can tell there's some goblin food humans can eat. Meat is meat, fish is fish, and so on. It's when you get to mushrooms, lichens, moss, insects and all the other stuff that things her hairy."

[Ironsmith]

[Training Area]

"Eh, I dunno." Rose shrugs. "We're okay at digesting bugs, too. It's just that a lot of people think they're kind of gross. They had these really good spiced crickets back in Delmah Phor... I think I could go for another bag of those." She grins. "But if you know of any good fish dishes, that'd be good. I'm curious to see how goblins prepare them."

[Morty]

[Training Area ==> Kitchen]

Olvisin grins.

"Do I? I've seen more fish dishes than I care to remember. I grew up near the sea. Fish were our staple. Along with seaweed and other stuff you can pull out of the sea."

[Ironsmith]

[Kitchen]

Rose grins. "Seafood it is, then!" She chortles, following Olvisin to the kitchen.

Man, she was having a lot of that lately. Raven loved herself some fish, and Rose kind of got sucked into that. But that was all the more reason to set a different group of circumstances into the meal; Olvisin was just a friend she could dine with, not someone she'd have to brace herself for stabbing in the back.

When they arrive at the kitchen, MERC's new kitchen assistant will greet them, still sweeping the floors. "Hey, miss Olvisin. And, um... whoever you are." Siana gives a little smile. "What are you doing here? Dinner's not for another couple of hours."

"We were kind of hoping to borrow your oven and stove for a little bit."

The strigoi's eyes go wide. "Oh. Um... I don't know about that. I don't want to get in any trouble with the boss..."

"Well, you're not using them now, right?"

"Well, no..."

"And we're not going to break either of them."

"I'd certainly hope not."

"And if we make a mess, we'll clean it up. This'll be, what, thirty minutes, tops?"

"Well, I, um... I guess. I can't think of any solid reason why not, but..."

"Great." Rose gives her a slightly condescending pat on the head. "Don't worry, shortstack. We'll be done before you know it."

"(Shortstack? I'm taller than both of you...)" Siana mumbles to herself, scooting away from that part of the kitchen and busying herself with some other cleaning task.

[Shadowcaller]

[Demands of Snakes]

Kirk's expression is quite flat at the shadow theater demonstration. "Very well. I don't see any issue." He concedes.

[Demands of Snakes]

"...alright then." Dena concedes as well.

"Then I can leave the final decision to you while I leave leave this link open. You will of course still be observed but it will of course be clinical in nature. Simply a part of the contract and we, above all things, are to make sure that the Laws are followed to the letter." Vez pauses a moment before adding. "I apologize for this."

[Morty]

[Kitchen]

Olvisin is a little awkward in Siana's presence. The circumstances in which they met were... something of a roller-coaster. Rose shoos her away pretty quickly, though, so there's no time to ruminate on it. She starts rummaging through a fridge in search of some fish.

"Let's see what we've got here. Hmm. This looks familiar." She produces what looks like a large filleted grouper. "We could do something with this. Roast it, maybe."

[Ironsmith]

[Kitchen]

"Hm." Rose looks over the grouper fillet. She's... never worked with grouper before. And the fish she's used to are notoriously delicate; cooking them for a minute more than intended is a good way to make them gross. Not very forgiving at all. And this grouper's kind of thick... she could end up overcooking the outside and not cooking the inside enough.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"We're good, thanks!" Rose calls back. "Okay. I'll go ahead and get a pan ready, you show me how you'd spice something like this."

[Morty]

[Kitchen]

"Okay, let's see what we've got." Rose might get the distinct impression that Olvisin has a tenuous idea what she's doing but she's also not the kind person that lets it slow her down. She rummages through some shelves. "Good thing about this place being full of goblins is that there's plenty of our spices around. Of course, most of us are from down south, closer to where the boss comes from. And the boss's wife is... not a goblin but like a goblin, not sure about the details." She starts to liberally salt the fish, as well as applying what looks like dried seaweed.

[Gullara]

[Demands of Snakes]

"...alright then." Dena concedes as well.

"Then I can leave the final decision to you while I leave leave this link open. You will of course still be observed but it will of course be clinical in nature. Simply a part of the contract and we, above all things, are to make sure that the Laws are followed to the letter." Vez pauses a moment before adding. "I apologize for this."

[Demands of Snakes]

Kirk nods the the spirit, his expression quite neutral. He'll turn to Dena after, searching her face. "Well? I'm ready when you are." He prompts simply.

[Ironsmith]

[Kitchen]

"Okay, let's see what we've got." Rose might get the distinct impression that Olvisin has a tenuous idea what she's doing but she's also not the kind person that lets it slow her down. She rummages through some shelves. "Good thing about this place being full of goblins is that there's plenty of our spices around. Of course, most of us are from down south, closer to where the boss comes from. And the boss's wife is... not a goblin but like a goblin, not sure about the details." She starts to liberally salt the fish, as well as applying what looks like dried seaweed.

[Kitchen]

"That's a real shame, because a declaration like that really demands detailing." Rose smiles, retrieving a pan from a draw under the oven. "I suppose I could settle for a geography lesson. (Hey kid, where do you keep the butter?)"

"Umm... I want to say top shelf, second fridge?"

"(Thanks!)" Rose calls back. "So... tell me more about where you're from, is what I'm getting at."

[Morty]

[Kitchen]

"She's an Asura. They're small, have big ears and sharp teeth and build machines, so they're like goblins. But they don't call themselves goblins." Olvisin opens a cupboard and takes out a sack full of roots. "Those usually go with this fish but I don't know if they're good for humans. But anyway... the colony I come from is one of several that burrow under a mountain range surrounding a bay." She pokes at one of the roots in thought. "Colony is a funny word. It's the closest that one describes a network of goblin warrens. It's much warmer there than here. Humans call it a tropical climate, I think. The boss comes from a colony way to the south, under a snow-covered mountain like this one."

[Ironsmith]

[Kitchen]

Rose breaks off a bit of the root and chews it plaintively. "...A bit tangier than I'd expect, but it should be fine." She confirms with a smile. "So, these colonies... how big do they get? You give me a bit of a city girl vibe. We talking subterranean metropolis or what?" The question is scarcely out of her mouth before another one comes up. "Also, why burrows? Not that I'm judging, it just seems like a lot of trouble to go to, and nobody will ever see most of it..."

[Morty]

[Kitchen]

"It varies. Some are small. Ours is big. Miles and miles of tunnels, crawling with goblins." Olvisin starts chopping the roots. "As for why... I don't know. Just the way it is. Goblins live underground."

[Ironsmith]

[Kitchen]

"Ah, come on." Rose teases, melting some butter for the sauce. "There's gotta be some reason. Us humans, we started out hanging out in caves, too. Good for shelter; protection from the elements, safe place to hide from predators, you know. But as we got smarter, we started learning how to make shelters by stacking rocks and it just kind of took off from there." She shrugs. "Of course, that was 11,000 years ago. It's been going on long enough that nobody really thinks about it anymore, but it's still fun to look and speculate. So... come on, then. Have a guess. Why do goblins live underground?"

[Morty]

[Kitchen]

Olvisins ears flick up and down. She's never thought about it. She's not much of a deep thinker in general.

"Maybe it's because we're small. We can fit better down there. Or there was something bad topside that we were trying to hide from. The world can be a harsh place when you're goblin-sized."

[Ironsmith]

[Kitchen]

Rose shrugs. "Both of those make sense to me. But eh, I'm not an anthropologist... does that term still apply when we're talking about nonhumans? Hm." She waves the digression away. "Are there a lot of dangerous fauna where you come from, then? I mean, it's not like any super big predators would go extinct just because goblins got the bright idea to hide underground."

[Morty]

[Kitchen]

"Not bigger than anywhere else, as far as I know." The pokes at the fish with a fork. "But there's humans, orcs, various beastfolk, dwarves... lots of people for whom goblins are pests or cheap labor. Or at least that's how it used to be. Where I come from we were mostly left alone, but things got bad down south. The boss' people still have a chip on their shoulder about it. You know how we're forbidden form having anything to do with slavers?"