Planeside 3

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

"Much. I keep forgetting you guys can do that." Miranda half-lies. She knows full well that Sekhmet has that ability, after that incident on the shuttle, but it was up in the air how much other succubi could do it and whether the essence tap would mess it up.

But, that aside... it really does look like Gloom's doing okay down here. Unless there was some horrific element Miranda had just somehow missed, that is.

"...I think that's it, then." Miranda says finally. "Looks like it's time for me to head back to GLoG. I'll drop by when and if I can." She gives Gloom a little smile. I'll hit up some of the concert halls next time I'm in Inside. In the meantime, try for a pass for good behavior down here, all right?

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
If I never steal anything again, it will be too soon. Hopefully the next time I get a call, it will be you.
That reminds me. You'll need a copy of 'The Ruby Tower and Other Stories.' A complete edition, with the one about the grasshopper, the cricket, and the cicada. The original French is best, I don't know how accurate the translations are. Gloom sends.
Sekhmet waves a hand and reopens a portal to the GLoG campground. "There's our, uh, exit. Let's go." She steps through the portal and into the snow.

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

Ruby Tower? What did a hundred and fifty year old building in the Philippines have to do with-

Oh.

That's the book Gloom included her ritual in, isn't it?

Miranda's not entirely sure she's comfortable with the idea of summoning a demon. That seems like pretty shaky ground to her.

Then again, Gloom didn't really act like one, did she? And neither did Sekhmet. Maybe it'd be an easier pill to swallow if she just thought of them as people with an unfortunate resemblance...

Actually, yeah. Much better. Gloom will be hearing from her soon.



(Two weeks later)

"Thanks again for doing this, Vlad."

The husky engineer chuckles and gives a little shrug. "Hands-on work, helps keep the world safe, and I'll be surrounded on all sides by scantily-clad demon girls? Come on. You knew I wouldn't say no."

Miranda gives a little shrug and rolls her eyes, shaking her head and giving him a playful smirk. "True. I did know that.'

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
Sekhmet sighs. She's not very scantily clad at all; it's cold out and she's not the type to dress that way even if it weren't. She's at least a little exasperated that the succubi are a selling point for this job.
"Okay, uh, come right this way." The demon queen opens a portal into the marble halls of her palace.

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

That look is, of course, not lost on Vlad. "Uh... that was too much, wasn't it?"

"Little bit, yeah." Miranda bobs her head to the sides. "But hey, you're seeing it now, which is good. Just behave yourself while you're over there, okay?"

"Yeah, I know. If I get into any trouble, it reflects badly on you, so on and so forth."

"Well, yeah, that. Also it's basically actual hell and I still want to have an engineer when you're done."

Vlad tugs at his collar nervously and follows Sekhmet through the portal, drumming his fingers on the sides of his Hotbox. Here's hoping that last "selling point" was exaggerated...

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
Sekhmet leads the way down the hall. "You'll be working in the vaults, so, uh, I think you'll understand that there'll be guards watching you the whole time."
They pass through a common area and Vlad will see that the stereotype was not exaggerated; a group of succubi and a few incubi are lounging there. He can also probably read Sekhmet's reaction to see that this is normal and she doesn't approve of it. "I don't exactly understand what you're going to be doing, but if you lie to me, I will know," she continues. Clearly she doesn't trust Vlad nearly as much as she does Miranda.

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

"Uh... um, y-yeah..." Vlad manages, his gaze seeming to be magnetically attracted to the succubi in the room. "Y-yeah, you don't have to worry about that, your heinie- highness! Miss... queen lady. Um..."

Oh dear. This close to all of these demonesses, he seems to have forgotten basic forms of address.

"I mean, yes, I understand. Guards at all times, no funny business with the cameras and motion sensors themselves, and you'll be needing a copy of the manual when I'm done." He gives a little two-fingered salute. "There's still going to be a few other details to work out, though. Like, um... well, obviously this is not a one-day job. I'm probably going to be down here for a month, at an absolute minimum. There's going to be the issues of room and board, food, working hours, breaks both short and long, that kind of thing. And since I'm wiring up your vaults, there's the matter of security while I'm off-site, too; the last thing you need is to have your brand new, state-of-the-art security system foiled within minutes of it being completed."

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
Sekhmet gives Vlad a look but says nothing about his slip of the tongue. "I'll arrange some guest quarters for you and inform my cooking staff that we once again have a mortal guest to feed. For breaks, leisure time, and work hours, you may use your disgresion, but remember, the sooner you're done, the sooner you can leave," Sekhmet thinks over a few things. "Optionally, you may have a magical disguise which would allow you to pass for a native of this domain, but if you take it, you must use it whenever you're not in private. It's an option intended more for, uh, people who come here seeking protection from other supernatural forces and we want to keep its nature mostly a secret." Depending on what Miranda told him about her brief time there, he might know what Sekhmet means, but might not. The device has received some updates since then, but is basically the same idea.

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

"Uh... right, yeah. Actually that sounds like a really good idea." Vlad replies with a nod. "No need to call attention to the mortal here installing a security system. I'd be glad to-"

Then, a realization.

"Wait, you say 'native', but so far I've only seen- oh nevermind, there's a guy over there." He tilts his head quizzically. "...Is that what a male demon down here normally looks like? Huh." He glances down at his own stocky frame and frowns. "...Hm. Yeah, I'd be willing to try out that disguise."

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
It'll be brought to your quarters; I'll show there now." Apparently Sekhmet didn't need much time at all to arrange guest quarters. She leads the way to a hallway of identical doors. A succubus in a maid costume is standing outside one of them. "Y-your Majesty. I... Imadesireeverythingwascleanandputthestuffyouwanted insidehere'sthekey." "Thank you. You don't have to wear that silly costume, you, uh, know. You're dismissed." Sekhmet passes the key to Vlad. "You can stay in here." The room is opulent but old-fashioned, with a second door leading to a small, well-outfitted bathroom. Resting on the vanity is a ruby pendant on a gold chain. "Here it is. You can put this on to activate the, uh, disguise."

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

Vlad approaches the vanity and lifts the pendant off its display, eyeing it warily. "...That's it? I just put this on, and then I look like one of your guys out there?" He asks.

That seems... more or less impossible. He's seen similar technology, but its ability to make someone look more than superficially different was limited. And even then, there's generally an on/off switch and parameters to be tweaked and-

Screw it. He's not questioning this any further.

Vlad puts on the necklace and turns to face the mirror, watching excitedly for the changes to set it. Finally, he gets to drop the dad bod for a while!

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
As soon as the pendant is clasped around Vlad's neck,he changes. As he hoped, his gut begins to shrink away, but it's dwarfed by the other changes that occur: the growth of wings and horns and a tail, widening of hips and swelling of chest and so much more as the engineer becomes the very image of a beautiful succubus. The magic, as it did with Miranda, attempts to make these changes more comfortable and natural feeling, but it has to work much further against Vlad's ordinary body image; it may not be nearly as successful.

For her part in this, Sekhmet looks apologetic, her veneer of royal majesty completely shattered. "I'm sorry! I, uh, didn't know it would do that!" Now that she thinks about it, she realizes that since it's never been tested on a man, maybe she shouldn't have expected it to work the same way as it does on women (it actually does, just not the way she thought).

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

There are, of course, limits to what the pendant can make seem organic, and it looks like Vlad's definitely over them; a sex change, shift in body type, and a jump across an apparent species gap is more than he can swallow.

So naturally, he doesn't.

"...Oh my god." Vlad looks down at himself, straining to see past his newly-expanded chest. "I'm a... I'm sorry, what?!"

At least his new body is actually slightly smaller than his old one; narrower shoulders and waist, a couple of inches taken off his height, and a slightly less-dense build all contribute to that. So his clothes still... kind of fit him. There's still the issue of the sudden appearance of a tail and wings, neither of which have been given any room to stretch. Vlad has to hurriedly eschew his wardrobe to accommodate the new limbs.

A moment later, he's standing in front of Sekhmet in a pair of boxers, trying to figure out what to do with his hands. He can't think of anywhere to put them that doesn't strike him as at least a little suggestive. Across the chest? Or maybe just under it? On the hips? Behind his back? Way off to his sides? Way off to his sides.

"...I can't be the only one who thinks this is extremely weird." The t-posing, mostly-nude succubus comments dryly. "Hang on... is that my voice? Why is it so sultry?" He runs a hand along his chin and frowns. "...Hm. No beard. That's... I haven't had a clear chin since I was a teenager. That's a weird feeling..."

Vlad sighs and drops his hands, letting them thap uselessly against his thighs. "Ah, well... don't beat yourself up over it, highness." He says finally. "I don't blame you for not seeing this coming. And hey, the goal was to make me look like a native, right? Not your fault the average demon down here is..." He fumbles awkwardly for a moment, trying to find a descriptor that wouldn't get him slapped, before giving up and just making a vague gesture down at his body.

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
"I could have anticipated this could have happened. I could have warned you." Sekhmet isn't convinced this transformation is not her fault, but Vlad's right that the fact that the majority of locals look like that isn't. "You, uh, have the option to, uh, eschew the disguise still. It will only matter, uh, once we meet with your bodyguard detail." They need to know who they're guarding, after all.

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

"...That's... I think I probably should, yeah. This is a bit much." Vlad agrees. "Then again... I'm just going to have to put it on again when we meet those guards, right? Maybe it'd be better if I was actually used to wearing it. You all seem pretty comfortable in your own skin... it'd give up the game if I wasn't."

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
"You're, uh, probably right. The disguise is supposed to help with that, but, uh, it can be difficult to let go of how you think you're supposed to look." Sekhmet replies. She knows that from experience, but the context is different: for her, it was learning to shapeshift that required her to let go of her body image. "There are, uh, still two things you need to complete the disguise." Sekhmet indicates the wardrobe in the room. "The wardrobe creates clothes for whoever opens it. All the wardrobes in the palace are, uh, enchanted the same way. If you get something out of there, you, uh, won't have to look so awkward." Presumably if Vlad's hotbox can produce fitting clothes, that would be fine too. Sekhmet pauses, then continues. "And, uh, you need a fake name. Something to go by that, uh, won't draw attention to you."

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

Vlad nods slowly. His Hotbox could theoretically produce the needed clothes, yes. But in practice, he doesn't have the files; he's never needed to make ladies' clothes before. Given that, the wardrobe seems the better option.

When Vlad actually opens the wardrobe, though, he frowns and pulls out a lavish dress, keeping it at arm's length and looking at it with a mix of confusion and annoyance. "...I... don't think I can wear this." He mumbles to himself. "I don't know why, it just sort of feels wrong, you know?" He already feels pretty uncomfortable in his altered body, maybe asking him to dress that way would be too much.

Then again, maybe there's another option in there? Something that doesn't seem quite as... off? Vlad searches the interior of the wardrobe for something that might be described as unisex, in an attempt at compromise.

"...How's Vlatka for a name?" He asks. "My grandmother used to call me something similar, god rest her soul, so there's not going to be any delay in getting used to it. Would that work?"

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
"Close it and open it again. Uh, try thinking about what you're looking for." The wardrobe does produce a selection, roughly a dozen outfits at a time. "Vlatka sounds good. No stranger than, uh, most of the names down here." The demon queen lets Vlatka spend some time getting clothes together. Hopefully there's something acceptable after an attempt or two from the wardrobe.

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

Vlad shrugs and does as Sekhmet says, closing the wardrobe, waiting a few seconds, and popping it open again, almost immediately finding what he's looking for. "Ah-ha." He grins, pulling out an A-shirt, a leather jacket with studs on the collar and slats in the back, and a set of faded jeans with worn-out knees and an extra hole cut for the tail. "Now that's more like it!" He chuckles, measuring the jacket against himself. "Check it out; Hell's Angels. I might keep this when we're done, if that's all right."

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
"If you want, uh, sure. Uh, just don't put it back in the wardrobe if you want to keep it. It, uh, unmakes any clothes left inside." Sekhmet pauses, seemingly thinking over how to broach the next subject. "Uh, it might be a bit uncomfortable now, but you might want to take the underclothes too. It will, uh, make those more comfortable in the, uh, long run." She gestures at Vlad's chest. "Lastly, uh, just be ready for some different forms of address, uh, miss Vlatka. We can, uh, at least say you're a guest from another Hell, that can excuse some, uh, slipups, but do be careful not to accidentally give the game away."

[Ironsmith]

Scorching Depths
"If you want, uh, sure. Uh, just don't put it back in the wardrobe if you want to keep it. It, uh, unmakes any clothes left inside." Sekhmet pauses, seemingly thinking over how to broach the next subject. "Uh, it might be a bit uncomfortable now, but you might want to take the underclothes too. It will, uh, make those more comfortable in the, uh, long run." She gestures at Vlad's chest. "Lastly, uh, just be ready for some different forms of address, uh, miss Vlatka. We can, uh, at least say you're a guest from another Hell, that can excuse some, uh, slipups, but do be careful not to accidentally give the game away."

[Scorching Depths]

"...Yeah, you're right, that is going to take some getting used to." Vlad agrees, reaching into the wardrobe and producing a brassiere, which he holds like it's made of radioactive materials. "...You know, I've never actually been all that clear on how exactly this is supposed to help." He mutters. "I mean, yeah, I know, something something support something relief from back pain something, but the practicalities of it always kind of eluded me." He keeps staring, like he's trying to summon up the will to put the darn thing on. "Not that I doubt you, or any other woman I've met... well, except Eun, but that's because she doesn't wear one... don't ask me how I know that, it's an embarrassing story for us both." That ended with him getting slapped, naturally. "Point being, fifty frenchmen- er, frenchwomen? -can't be wrong, so..."

Fifteen minutes later...

"How do you people wear these things on a day-to-day basis? My wrists feel like they've snapped in half trying to get this thing on once." Vlad grumbles, shrugging on the shirt and jacket. "...You know, don't answer that. I don't think I want to know."

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
"From what I, uh, understand, it's about redistributing the, uh, weight and holding them in place so they don't bounce all over everywhere." Sekhmet's not the best one to ask though. Where she came from, corsets were the primary women's undergarment, so this is new to her after coming to the Nexus. "So, uh, I should probably give you the rest of the instructions for the disguise necklace. Uh, taking it off won't remove the disguise, that way you don't need to worry about losing it. Instead, uh, if you hold it in your hands and say, 'Return to Form,' you'll revert. It works just like shapeshifting, so you should, uh, snap back to how you were when you put it on as if nothing had happened, uh, except that you keep the memories." With that out of the way, unless Vlad has any further questions, they can get the real work started.

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

That might be helpful information, if Vlad had any idea how shapeshifting actually worked. As it is, all he can really do is smile and nod, and trust that Sekhmet knows what she's talking about. It's not like she's shown any major gaps in her knowledge of this particular artifact, right?

Like, say, the fact that it'd made him switch sexes?

Okay, fine, so he's got doubts. A lot of doubts. He still can't do much other than listen to her, though. If he can't actually change back...

Better not to think about it. They should wait until they reach that bridge to cross it.

"Actually, yeah, I did have a question." Vlad asks suddenly, after looking down at himself again. "On the, um... off chance that I get to talking to someone down here, and we hit it off, and she wants to, uh..." He makes a vague gesture with his hands, before realizing it's not quite accurate and switching to a different one. "What's the, um. appropriate response? Not for nothing, see, I just, um... my understanding was that you ladies were sort of... big on... that, down here. Much more so than anyone up there. So, I, uh, don't want to blow my disguise over something like that."

...Did he really just ask that? He's probably wrong and being culturally insensitive and he should brace himself for a slap in the near future. But... he's still heard things. If it does turn out to be relevant, he can't not ask, right?

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
Sekhmet knows Vlad doesn't know how shapeshifting works. It's unfortunate, because he'd be able to work with the disguise so much better if he did, but Sekhmet can't just give him the experience needed to apply it, and trying to teach him the theory would probably just confuse him. But if he asks, she'll do her best to explain. Same with almost anything down here. Even succubus mating rituals. "Oh. That. Are you trying to turn them down or take them up on it?" Sekhmet asks. "I'm, uh, not part of that, but I know a little. The best way to say no is, uh, probably ''It's not time for it yet.' Succubi and incubi have to, uh, do it regularly or they'll, uh, start to decay. That's, uh, where the reputation comes from. Some of them, uh, mostly the older ones who have more self-control, uh, spread it out more and, uh, just do it enough to avoid that, which, uh, you shouldn't have to worry about. Underneath that disguise, you're, uh, still a mortal. You're just borrowing the identity and power of a succubus. Not a specific one!" she hastily adds, "The power for it was, uh, donated from 20 or so different demons. Mostly succubi, uh, which I suspect is why it had the effect it did. Oh, uh, and you don't need any specific way to say yes." A bit scattered, but the answer is there.

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

Oh, good. So Vlad wasn't wrong, and it's not going to blow his cover if he refuses. That's two major concerns off the table.

"'Say yes'? Are you nuts?!" Vlad makes an emphatic gesture at his body, as if it somehow hadn't been obvious how radical a change he'd just gone through. "I'm not sure what I'd do if I was going into it with my old body, never mind this one! I wouldn't have the murkiest idea what I'm doing!"

A beat.

"...Was that too much information? I get the feeling that was too much information."

It was probably too much information. He really should be more professional about this.

"I, ah... guess that'll be it for now. Show me where you want these cameras."

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
Sekhmet looks a little embarrassed. She didn't mean to offend Vlad, and she didn't expect to hear all that. "Sorry. Uh, yes. Let's go to the vaults." That way they can spare themselves any further awkwardness for a few minutes.
The path they take leads down into the bowels of the palace. The air which was stiflingly hot before should feel comfortable to Vlad now.
Eventually, they arrive at a guard post at the top of a long spiral staircase. Six demons, 3 male and 3 female, all clad in menacing black armor, are waiting there. They stand to attention as Sekhmet enters. "Uh, at ease. Everyone, this is Vlatka. She's here to update the vault security. Vault detail," she gestures at one group of guards, "I want at least two pairs of eyes on her at all times while she's working. I don't anticipate anything underhanded, but we'll be cautious. You two," she indicates the two other guards, both female, "Are her bodyguard detail. I want someone watching her back as long as she's outside quarters, so no one tries to use her to make security holes. Understood?" There's a chorus of "Yes ma'am" from the assembled guards. "The vaults are below. When we get there, I'll, uh, update the existing security to allow you in and give you an overview of what you can and can't modify. And, uh, don't touch anything that's being stored in these. They can be dangerous."

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

"Yes, ma'am." Vlad echoes. He didn't really need to be told. Miranda had already sort of implied that these items were really better left alone, if only in the sense of "alone in a locked strongbox". He's also perfectly aware that even innocuous-looking stuff can have very unexpected effects; after all, he just got genderbent by a relatively unassuming necklace.

Yeah, he's not touching anything.

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
With that, Sekhmet leads Vlad and a pair of guards down the spiral stairs to the vaults far below. Counting flights would be meaningless, there are are no landings, but a hot breeze blows up the stairs, growing hotter as they descend. They reach the vault room, a round chamber with heavy stone doors radiating off it. "Here we are. One moment." Sekhmet goes to the center of the room and extends her hands. Lines of flame form in the air, a complex web of magic that makes the skin tingle. A flaming handprint forms in midair. "Vlatka, uh, come here. Put your hand there. It won't hurt."

[Ironsmith]

[Scorching Depths]

Huh. A handprint scanner. Kind of. At least he won't have to explain the concept to Sekhmet at any point.

Vlad does as he's told and puts his hand up to thr handprint, giving Sekhmet a meaningful look. Is this still going to work right? With the you-know-what going on? It takes a lot of effort to think "you know what" instead of just blurting it out; Vlad quietly thinks he should get points for that. Unless it turns out to be pointless.

[bc56]

Scorching Depths
Vlad will probably be surprised when he gets an answer in his head. It's, uh, tuned to fiendish essence. It'll recognize your borrowed essence as long as you're in disguise. Hopefully.
The flaming handprint feels warm but not hot. The fire envelops Vlad's hand up to the wrist, then, after a moment, retracts. Sekhmet releases the magic. "Now go put your hand on one of the doors, right in the center. It should open for you." And once he does, it will.