Inside 71: All I Want For Thanksmas Is You

[Deathkeeper]

[The Golden Kettle]

Edgar nods.
"Well I think a few of them totally would work here. But I still don't have the capital to pay them while actually buying the supplies to actually start the business. I mean, the second floor is a bathhouse. That's going to be a huge water and heating bill on top of all the tea and cake for the tea-house. And I know all about huge." He shakes himself for comedic effect.
"But yeah. It is a complicated affair. I'm still getting used to the whole...big tiger thing. I have no idea how to do this count thing either. Nahira thinks I should really lean into the extravagant prince thing."

[Earl of Purple]

Wandering Into Trouble

"What devil are you talking about?" Prumathe frowns, and doesn't move. He'd cross his hands, but he'd have to put the flowers down to make it look effective. So he's just frowning and trying to look confident whilst holding a bouquet of blue blooms. If the spider mentions one name, he'll be more inclined to follow than if another name is mentioned.

[bc56]

Brimstone Park

"You're welcome! Anytime!"

As June approaches the shop, she'll hear a voice calling out from the front of it. "Love potions! Aphrodisiacs! Perfumes! Beauty treatments! Sleep potions! All made with 100% natural succubus venom!" A succubus with coniferous branches for hair is standing outside advertising the shop's wares.

[Recaiden]

[The Golden Kettle]

"Do you think you can afford to be extravagant when you can't even afford a teahouse?" Chevin muses, shaking hir head.
"What you need is an expert in finance, it sounds like."
"And is there actually any tea here? It seemed like there was, but I don't actually sea any water or a kettle, much less a golden one, right?"

[Wandering Into Trouble]

"Surely you know Nolvilik Kendek? Unless I've arrived too early?" The spider pretends to be concerned about the timing, which is certainly correct-ish. She is actually concerned about names, these fiends have so many names, and all so hard to pronounce.

[Shadowcaller]

[Court of the Deep]

A giant eye wasn't what Dena had expected at all and it was yet another of those times where here sunglasses actually were useful for more than just hiding her eyes. But perhaps this was just an aspect of this fey? Like a scrying eye or whatever they were called?

She musters a quick bow before the eye, telling herself it was for the good of the mission. "Yes, we are common mercenaries working for the silent king." She nods in the direction of Tybalt. "Our mission is to find out why fey are being harassed in Inside. So we are asking around, trying to get a read of the fey in the area and the problems they're facing. Usual city business."

Jim's Apartment

Jaahlyn nods and smiles calmly. "If the subject is awkward then we don't need to linger on it. I was simply going to mention that I do teach practical music, among other things, in case you would ever be interested."

[Fairweather Street]

Most people in Inside wouldn't know this factoid but Fairweather street was actually connected to more parks than any other street in the city (at least of the relatively stable parts of the city). Otherwise it was crowded but unremarkable part of the city.

That was about to change.

In a orange flash of light a huge slab of stone lands covered in eldritch runes in the middle of the street. Was this a part of some rain-of-stone-slabs apocalypse or was there just some poor new nexus newcomer inside?
Whatever it was, it was causing a major stop in ground traffic in the area.

[Cat Chariot]

The imp shrugs. "We sided with the wrong people, the dudes that would become demons, and got whipped alongside them when the fey gods kicked their asses. The punishment would honestly have been worse if they hadn't stuck up for us though. You fey can't touch our essence as long they protect us, see? It's pretty clever."

[Earl of Purple]

Wandering into Trouble

"Um, I might. Do you have another name for her?" Prumathe either recognises his wife's True Name, or he's guessed it's related to her or his mother-in-law. Either way, it's a female devil- and if they are after a male demon, they can go and leave him alone until he does. Because they came through time, right? That should be possible, maybe? Who knows, with time travel?

[Recaiden]

"Yes, um, what was it they called her? T-t-t-t-t, mmm, 'Sekhmet', that's it." The spider offers.

[5a Violista]

[Perfectly Normal Docks]

That brief pushing of the boulder was a little tiring.
So, June watches Vix deal with it as he breathes.

"Yeah! Great, no problem," he says.
He admires the totally-intentional monolith, wondering if someone is going to start wondering if its sudden appearance is some kind of conspiracy or aliens or . . . rock people thing.

Then, he looks at the propeller that Vix brought up.
"So...what was the propeller for?" he finally asks.


[Brimstone Park]

June walks up to the shop and looks at it.
Oh, interesting. Perfumes, sleep potions, and other stuff sounds interesting. Being made of venom, though. . . well, make-up and medicines frequently have different kinds of poisons in them too, don't they?
He supposes it makes sense. Kind-of.

Also, it's also interesting that lots of the people here seem to have notable hair.

"Oh! Hi," he says to the coniferous succubus. "I'm June, nice to meet you."
He runs his fingers back through his red hair. "Sorry, I didn't really come here to buy anything." He glances back in the direction he came from. "I've been looking for Pyrite since I promised to try to meet with her again, and I heard she's sometimes around here."

[Earl of Purple]

Wandering Into Trouble

"Yes, I know her. She's my wife." Which Moschu should already know, as they used her surname when they greeted him. Prumathe did happen to take it, since as an orphan he didn't have much claim to his own.

[Deathkeeper]

The Golden Kettle

"I think she meant more personality-wise, but point taken. I should probably talk to Aethii's people. Or just ask for a loan. She has plenty to spare, but it's more the principle. Everyone knows not to get loans from dragons. Even dragons you're dating."
He's still not entirely sure how that happened.
He also reaches down and places the tiny teapot he had been heating behind the counter and sets it down in front of Chevin with a little cup.

Jim's Apartment

Jim shakes his head.
"I ain't exactly bashful about the fiddle. I can check out your lessons sometime- but that's assuming there's much for you to teach me. I'm pretty good, you know. Though I guess you've probably been doing it a lot longer." His ears dip as he realizes that Jaahlyn is probably significantly older than she looks. She's probably a century old, bare minimum. Faeries are like that.

[bc56]

Brimstone Park

The succubus stops her hawking. "Oh, hi! Pyrite's in the back. Hey Pyrite! There's a another boy here to see you!" June can either duck into the shop's small room, barely more than a closet in size, or wait for Pyrite to come out.

[5a Violista]

[Brimstone Park]

Well, at least she didn't call him 'another girl'. (Wouldn't be the first time that's happened.)

It's generally frowned upon to go into a shop's back room uninvited, especially one that looks as cramped as that one, so June opts in to sitting out here and waiting. In fact, waiting here's even better because then it means there's someone to talk with.

He leans against the shop, and starts talking to the tree-succubus to pass the time while waiting. "So which one of these is most popular?" June asks, gesturing at the various potions and things.


Edit:
so
turns out!
June has two earrings! One like he said he was going to do, and the other he got for Thanksmas. Both in his left earlobe, with the upper one being a shaved-down nail and the lower is a gold earring with a small flame decoration dangling down.

[Reinholdt]

Spoiler

Show

[Court of the Deep]

The bird-creature shakes its head.

"No, the master of this house is but one of the King's names, long since fallen from him. The Eye of the Bird watches the King's enemies and speeds his allies on their way. It never sleeps." It looks to Reina and seems shocked once more. "It is not for a lowly servant like me to know such things. The King's work will proceed as he deems fit. And then we will see the Fairest of Lands." It raises its head and lets out a low, mournful and pleading sound. After a moment, the sky seems to grow darker and all the colors are suddenly washed out, as if seen through dirty glass. All the birds' eyes change to a yellow, brown and black one and stare directly at the visitors.

"I am the Eye of the Bird.

You are not of the King.

This creature says you wish to speak to me."

The sound is coming from every bird at once, but it sounds nothing like any sound a bird should be able to make. It's like a chorus of creaking doors, old roots and branches shaken by wind.

[Court of the Deep]

A giant eye wasn't what Dena had expected at all and it was yet another of those times where here sunglasses actually were useful for more than just hiding her eyes. But perhaps this was just an aspect of this fey? Like a scrying eye or whatever they were called?

She musters a quick bow before the eye, telling herself it was for the good of the mission. "Yes, we are common mercenaries working for the silent king." She nods in the direction of Tybalt. "Our mission is to find out why fey are being harassed in Inside. So we are asking around, trying to get a read of the fey in the area and the problems they're facing. Usual city business."

[Court of the Deep]

Oh. Reina legitimately thought the master of the house and the king in rags were two different fey. Whoops! And of course the servant doesn't know anything about the door. A lack of transparency is one of the best tools of tyranny. Kings were the worst. Especially kings with the power to change the sky. Probably an extensive illusion. A fey trick to make it seem like the birds have changed.

M-maybe.

Juuuust in case, Reina will let Dena field point on this as she's already doing. Sometimes it's better to not be the center of attention and she thinks spooky bird flocks might be one of those times. Not that there was much else to say anyways as Dena jumped straight to business, probably wisely.

[Morty]

[Court of the Deep]

The birds continue staring at the mercenaries. The bird-creature avoids their gaze.

"We do not feel a mark of royalty upon this one. Have the standards among mortals fallen this low?

The god-kings of ancient humans were worthy of the title. No more, it would appear.

The efforts of the city's police against the servants are irrelevant.

The creature frets and fusses, but when the King needs us once more, he will come.

Why does your mission concern fey? You are not fey. Not even gol-kin, though we feel the scent of them about you."

[bc56]

Brimstone Park

"Oh, it depends. A lot of ladies like these beauty lotions, but for someone like you?" The conifer succubus leans a little closer and talks a little softer. "Do you have a special someone who's just a bit out of your league? Slip some of this into their food or drink, and they'll fall head over heels for you. It is temporary, unless you manage to make enchanted love grow into true love. But that's pretty difficult. Or maybe you want to try a different way of life? This elixir will temporarily make you like one of us. We have a few different versions, giving a different potency to the effect. The weaker ones tend to be more popular. They have less side effects than the strong ones."

[Recaiden]

[Perfectly Normal Docks]

That brief pushing of the boulder was a little tiring.
So, June watches Vix deal with it as he breathes.

"Yeah! Great, no problem," he says.
He admires the totally-intentional monolith, wondering if someone is going to start wondering if its sudden appearance is some kind of conspiracy or aliens or . . . rock people thing.

Then, he looks at the propeller that Vix brought up.
"So...what was the propeller for?" he finally asks.

"Pro-pell-er" "You" "Do" "Not" "Like" "It" Vix questions, disappointed.
That's a shame. It was such a nice propeller before it got wrecked on the shallow rocks.
The mutant herself likes it for absolutely no reason at all. Not even because of addled thinking on account of expired potions.

It'll ruin the mystery if anyone catches them near the monolith, though. Better for it to just show up one night...

[Wandering Into Trouble]

"Yes, I know her. She's my wife." Which Moschu should already know, as they used her surname when they greeted him. Prumathe did happen to take it, since as an orphan he didn't have much claim to his own.

"Right, exactly. So many prophecies and dooms around that one, like nets."
The spider shifts from claw to claw, jittery.
"Any more questions? Time travel doesn't mean we have all the time in the world, you know, it's difficult."

[The Golden Kettle]

"I think she meant more personality-wise, but point taken. I should probably talk to Aethii's people. Or just ask for a loan. She has plenty to spare, but it's more the principle. Everyone knows not to get loans from dragons. Even dragons you're dating."
He's still not entirely sure how that happened.
He also reaches down and places the tiny teapot he had been heating behind the counter and sets it down in front of Chevin with a little cup.

"Well if you act like that, but can't back it up, lots of people will think you look ridiculous."
"..."
"Figuratively, anyway. The loss of fashion will unfortunately, make it hard to escape that perception totally."
Chevin seizes the teakettle excitedly. Perfect. Well, potentially. Shi has a sense that Edgar doesn't know a lot about making tea yet...

"You know, I might be able to connect you with some resources. What are your estimates for this place like?"

[Deathkeeper]

The Golden Kettle

"Well, I can get actual outfits! I just need other people to pick them out for me. Besides, I have been told I look like a jolly uncle more than anyone serious. I guess that's what I get for looking like this. But Aethii and Nahira like it." Edgar pokes at his flabby chest. As long as someone likes it, he supposes.
"Estimates? What, like the value of the property? Hard to say. It was made magically a week ago. I'm no realtor. Or did you mean estimates on the cost of running it?"

[Recaiden]

[The Golden Kettle]

"Oh, don't you worry. Honestly, everyone in this whole Nexus looks weird. You're not any weirder." Chevin says, shaking hir head and trying the tea, getting a surprised smile.
"Hey, you know, this is pretty good? Where do you get the leaves?"
"Oh, both. For a loan you need to know how much money is missing, and when you're going to pay it back, and what happens if you can't."
"Money's kinda crazy when you get to big scales like this. Magically making a building, like, wow! But you can't deny that it's powerful, right? Look how much can get done with just money."

[Earl of Purple]

Wandering Into Trouble

"Um, yes. Why're you looking for me? And... And if you're going to nab me through time, will I be home in time for supper?" Also quite an important question to ask. Though he should probably ring Sekhmet and let her know what's going on just in case.

[5a Violista]

[Brimstone Park]

Beauty lotions make sense as being popular, he thinks. Yeah, that's pretty normal.
"Sorry," he apologizes, shaking his head and cutting in, "but I find love potions to be incredibly creepy and would never touch one if I had the choice." He's definitely not going to get that.

So, June looks at the potions of the last suggestion, and considers them.
Being changed again would be pretty weird. But it's only temporary. And. . .well, how would it compare to being literally made of mushroom? He's been trying to find ways that he could at least mimic being human: for example, if he has to go in to a hospital or get an x-ray or something, it would be good to have a way to make everything not seem so off. Or something. He's not entirely sure there would be a problem, but...just in case. There's all sorts of stories about that sort of stuff happening.

He bites his lip.
"So, I'll get three of those," he says, gesturing at the different-life elixirs. "Each different versions and potencies." That way, he could try out what happens with them and if they might be useful or interesting.
Then, he glances at the shack. Pyrite must be in the middle of something. "You think she's busy in there and can't come out? Should I go and look inside?"



[Perfectly Normal Docks]

June shakes his head, and says, "No, propellers are fine."
"It's just...I wanted to know if it was going to be part of the statue, or if it was for something else."

They probably should get out of here for now, shouldn't they?
He walks away from the docks, and waits.
"So...yeah."

[bc56]

Brimstone Park

"Here you go," the succubus hands over three small vials of dark brown liquid. "The lightest color is the weakest, and the darkest is the strongest." The vials each have homemade labels describing them as "Succubus Transformatives" and giving both simple warnings and a short list of ingredients.
"Do not use this product if you are pregnant. Do not combine this product with Faerie or Fiendish magics. If effects persist longer than 24 hours, contact your doctor and/or priest immediately."
"This product contains: Spring water, honey, rose hips, witch hazel extract, butterfly wings, mint extract, succubus venom, sulphur." In the higher potency ones, succubus venom moves higher in the ingredient list.

When June asks about Pyrite again, the sales succubus looks back at the shack. "It's probably fine for you to go in. They're just drawing venom right now. It's a bit of a slow process."

[Shadowcaller]

Jim's Apartment

Jim shakes his head.
"I ain't exactly bashful about the fiddle. I can check out your lessons sometime- but that's assuming there's much for you to teach me. I'm pretty good, you know. Though I guess you've probably been doing it a lot longer." His ears dip as he realizes that Jaahlyn is probably significantly older than she looks. She's probably a century old, bare minimum. Faeries are like that.

[Court of the Deep]

Oh. Reina legitimately thought the master of the house and the king in rags were two different fey. Whoops! And of course the servant doesn't know anything about the door. A lack of transparency is one of the best tools of tyranny. Kings were the worst. Especially kings with the power to change the sky. Probably an extensive illusion. A fey trick to make it seem like the birds have changed.

M-maybe.

Juuuust in case, Reina will let Dena field point on this as she's already doing. Sometimes it's better to not be the center of attention and she thinks spooky bird flocks might be one of those times. Not that there was much else to say anyways as Dena jumped straight to business, probably wisely.

[Court of the Deep]

The birds continue staring at the mercenaries. The bird-creature avoids their gaze.

"We do not feel a mark of royalty upon this one. Have the standards among mortals fallen this low?

The god-kings of ancient humans were worthy of the title. No more, it would appear.

The efforts of the city's police against the servants are irrelevant.

The creature frets and fusses, but when the King needs us once more, he will come.

Why does your mission concern fey? You are not fey. Not even gol-kin, though we feel the scent of them about you."

Jim's Apartment

"I don't mistake you for an mere amateur, Jim-sir. That's actually why I believe you might benefit from my lessons. As I said, I practice practical music in the sense that I can use it in my mercenary work, as well in other jobs I perform at times." Jaahlyn explains, her gaze meeting his as he considers her age. For a moment she closes her eyes for a little longer than just a blink and it's enough for Jim to get a different impression of her.

She does look young unusually young even considering that she's apparently is working as a mercenary. It might just be her inhuman-looking eyes that make her appear far older than she really is. Or its the other way around considering she's fey, her body makes her eyes appear much younger than they really are. Either way, he can also tell that she's looking tired which was perhaps why she was closing her eyes in the first place.

But as she opens her eyes again, the satyr just continues as if nothing had happened. "I can't tell if you will actually be able to use it but I believe you will think it was worth a try at least."

[Court of the Deep]

Tybalt freezes as soon as the being's attention fall directly on him. This had not been in the contract. Why in names of the seven seas hadn't boss picked one of the goblins for this? Weren't they part fey or something?

Now Dena interjects and steps in front of Tybalt, once more performing a bow before the ravens. "We come in contact with a lot of people in our job so that doesn't surprise me your lordship. As for our king, he hasn't been crowned yet. Technically still just a prince, hence the title. See, these days the mark of royalty is only bestowed upon the top of the crop." Dena makes a circular motion with her hand. "Due to population increase, etcetera. Very exclusive. Which is why he needs us so his rivals can't claim that price." She pauses and looks up at the ravens but can't quite meet their gaze due to her sunglasses.
"As for our concern, other fey have recently made claims upon the city and for this reason fey have grown increasingly unpopular. We've been hired to investigate if this has led to unfair treatment of fey in Inside. Something I believe you should be concerned about as well. The citizens of Inside can be a quite dangerous bunch if they set their minds to it."

[Deathkeeper]

The Golden Kettle

"Oh, the leaves are from a farmer's market down the road. I probably wouldn't be able to get them in bulk.
As for costs, well, the supplies would likely be [moderate double-business level sum] but that wouldn't even be getting into the staff and their wages. I used to work in retail; I don't really have experience crunching numbers quite so much. Maybe I should get an accountant as well as a tailor..." Edgar drums his fingers against the counter. He's still rather overwhelmed by all of it. At least Alphonse is keeping Arletane's coffers in order for him.

Jim's Apartment

Jim blinks and then nods.
"Ah. Alright. Well, I'll come around your office and ask for you, then? Sometime later. You look like you ought to get some sleep." Jim is rather happy that Sticks rarely needs him to work extra late. Thanksmas is the only time of year their work gets very busy.

[5a Violista]

Brimstone Park

June smiles and gets the three vials, putting them in a pocket. He pays for them too, obviously.

He's not pregnant and he doesn't have magic, so he should be fine. He chuckled at the "contact your priest" bit.

June nods.
Then walks over to the shack.
Once at it, he claps twice to let them know that he's coming in, then opens it up.

[bc56]

Brimstone Park

"Come in!" a strained voice says when June knocks.
Inside the shack, Pyrite and another succubus are busy. Pyrite's tail is stuck into a mason jar, and both succubi are squeezing it to drizzle black venom into the container. "Oh, hi June! What do you think of our shop?"

[Reinholdt]

Spoiler

Show

[Court of the Deep]

The birds continue staring at the mercenaries. The bird-creature avoids their gaze.

"We do not feel a mark of royalty upon this one. Have the standards among mortals fallen this low?

The god-kings of ancient humans were worthy of the title. No more, it would appear.

The efforts of the city's police against the servants are irrelevant.

The creature frets and fusses, but when the King needs us once more, he will come.

Why does your mission concern fey? You are not fey. Not even gol-kin, though we feel the scent of them about you."

[Court of the Deep]

Tybalt freezes as soon as the being's attention fall directly on him. This had not been in the contract. Why in names of the seven seas hadn't boss picked one of the goblins for this? Weren't they part fey or something?

Now Dena interjects and steps in front of Tybalt, once more performing a bow before the ravens. "We come in contact with a lot of people in our job so that doesn't surprise me your lordship. As for our king, he hasn't been crowned yet. Technically still just a prince, hence the title. See, these days the mark of royalty is only bestowed upon the top of the crop." Dena makes a circular motion with her hand. "Due to population increase, etcetera. Very exclusive. Which is why he needs us so his rivals can't claim that price." She pauses and looks up at the ravens but can't quite meet their gaze due to her sunglasses.
"As for our concern, other fey have recently made claims upon the city and for this reason fey have grown increasingly unpopular. We've been hired to investigate if this has led to unfair treatment of fey in Inside. Something I believe you should be concerned about as well. The citizens of Inside can be a quite dangerous bunch if they set their minds to it."

[Court of the Deep]

Reina clears her throat. "A prince," the catgirl adds, "With a lot of brothers and sisters, none of which have been clearly defined as heir. Hence the importance of making diplomatic contact with other noble courts." She nods towards the birds. The silent prince has to prove himself in many ways before he's to be considered for king!

[5a Violista]

Brimstone Park

Milking a tail looks really weird.
June isn't sure whether it would feel appropriate to watch or not, so he decides "not" and doesn't look directly at it.

"It looks pretty nice," he says. "Doesn't seem too busy but still is getting people here. This room here feels a little cramped, though."
He's still sticking at the doorframe for that exact reason. "So is it doing well?"

[Morty]

[Court of the Deep]

The Eye of the Bird seems satisfied with their explanation about "Prince Tybalt". However, the other half of Dena's explanation seems to attract its intense scrutiny.

"What other fey are they?

What have the people of Inside done to them?

Do they follow our King? We do not believe so."

[Rebonack]

[Jade and Jason's Lair]

Morning Glory has acquired one suit of armor!

She's Iron Mare!

Okay, well, not really.

But she's feeling pretty snazzy.

She turns this way and that, admiring the work.

"Wow, this is really amazing, Jade. A bunker full of a thing that was turning people into birds? That sounds pretty strange."

It was, in fact, pretty strange.

"...Did that have anything to do with the nuclear detonating out near Skyside?"


[Hodgepodge Street]

Peering at the disturbance with her unusual wings, Jack will get a good view of the chaotic magic that fuels it. It isn't clear where the magic is coming from, but strands of it branch out from the anomaly like the strings on a spider's web. Here and there the strands are knotted, growing swollen and fat but not yet manifesting into random magical events. Maybe if she followed the strings she could trace it back to whatever ineffable source is causing these disturbances...

"Ugh, that thing smells awful," Jeanette observes, leaning away from the wriggling mass.

Indeed!

It stinks of formic acid and rotten meat.

Not a great combination.


[Visiting the Church of Venus]

"Oof... It sounds like you need to pace yourself a little," Rose replies, offering a sympathetic smile. "Do you want me to go? Give you some time to recover?"

[bc56]

Brimstone Park

"We make a little money," Pyrite says modestly. "The three of us thought of it. We're naturally disposed to make potions and cosmetics, I think." The other succubus, whose hair is made of large, papery leaves and small white flowers, adjusts the glasses on her pretty face and speaks up. "Yes, our venom is an excellent magical reagent. It's quite fascinating."

Jade and Jason's Lair

Jade grins. "Yeah, that was me. Set the place's reactor to blow and kill the thing." Jason rounds on her. "You were playing with a nuclear reactor? Do you realize how dangerous that is?" "You'd have done the same thing. Besides, it had to be done. Otherwise everyone in Skyside would be flapping about and pecking through the trash."