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Post by Celestial on Oct 28, 2018 15:17:41 GMT -5
It's surrounded by trees, obscuring the building from street view, but there is a large, wide lawn around the manor itself. A long driveway ends in a small car park just in front with most of the spots labelled "Employee Parking Only". A row of sleek black cars with tinted windows ends in a muddy, red Mini. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
Beside the door, there is a small brass plaque upon it that simply reads "DEACON". You have no idea what this means. Does a deacon live here? But then why is it all in caps? And why is there a security camera in the corner with its lens clearly trained on you? This isn't Halloween-y, this is just weird. In the spirit of the holiday though, you press the doorbell. It rings, followed by a buzz. The door is open.
It leads into an elegant lobby with a wide staricase. Following it, you come to what looks like an open plan office. Within it are the first people you have seen thus far. The desk nearest to you stands alone and is covered in papers. In it, busily typing away is a chubby woman with a bun wearing a sweater. She looks busy; it's best not to disturb her. Further along is a dark-skinned teenager with frizzy hair, who despite having headphones on is blasting music so loud you can hear it. The teenager is also busily typing, though the stuff on their screen is incomprehensible. Behind that desk are two ladies chatting away to each one, one slight with a braid and the other a little wider with a long but near bob. Both are wearing suits, though the latter wears a fashionable miniskirt with it. There is the sound of gunshots and you turn to see a man in a long coat, wearing black from head to toe and with black hair that obscures his face. What does not falls down his back in a ponytail. He is busy practising with a target.
"Well well, what do we have here?" a voice in your ear suddenly speaks.
You jump. A blue-skinned humanoid with long horns and equally long hair that looks like it would obscure half their face hangs down from a beam with bat-like feet. A tail swings from side to side. They are holding the latest issue of "Better Homes and Gardens". "Everyone, we have an intruder."
Everyone immediately spins around to face you, except the woman in the sweater at her desk, who is still busy typing. The dark man does not hesitate to point his gun at you. "Who are you? State your business!" he shouts.
You raise your hands up, stammbering. By now the two women have leapt from their seats and are also reaching for hidden weapons. The teenager is looking at you curiously.
"How did you get in?" the slight woman asks. "Isn't this building fortified?. Even I have trouble remembering the code for all the alarms!"
"I can do a scan of their mind," the lady with the bob says in a surprisingly deep voice as she holds out her palm. "Find out the truth."
"Already pulling up security camera footage and security logs. We'll get our answers soon!" the teenager is bashing at the keys.
"Or you all could just ask them? You know, like regular people?" the woman with the sweater suddenly speaks up. She sighs and turns to you. "What brings you here?"
After you explain what happened, especially with the bit about the buzzer, the woman turns to her collegues. "Boss must have let them in. You know what she's like. Stand down."
Everyone immediately relaxes, except for the dark man, who is still eyeing you suspiciously. You get the feeling he is a bundle of sunshine.
"Man, I wish the Boss lady would tell us more about her visitors. Aeneas will end up killing someone like that someday," the teenager says, stretching.
"You know what she's like," the bobbed woman shrugs. "I can't even tell what she's thinking sometimes."
The other woman who was speaking with her giggles. "Seriously, Erika? That joke again."
Meanwhile, the lady in the sweater has approached you. "You look confused. The Boss must not have told you what's going on: she likes to do that. We are DEACON: Demon Emergency Action Contra Operational Network," she waves her hand. "I didn't come up with the name. The point is, we hunt demons. Like that one over there."
The blue-skinned being waves with its tail. "Yo."
"But ones that would cause harm to the public," she adjusts her glasses and gets up. "I'm going to get a cup of tea. You want tea?" she picks up her cup, a big thing with a funny office slogan upon it. "Pretty sure it's alright for you to explore. Just...keep away from Aeneas," she points to the dark man who is still acting too cool for everyone. "He's not the friendly type."
She holds out her hand. "I'm Jaqueline, by the way. Most people call me Jackie. I do the paperwork for this lot. Nice to meet you."
((This is a test drive of my webcomic ideas and characters, so it is still a work in progress. Excuse the mess.))
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Post by Liou on Oct 28, 2018 17:21:47 GMT -5
"Deacon," reads the vampire. "Someone named Deacon lives here. That is a familiar name. So we're going to come in for the tricks or treats! It'll be a nice surprise."
Seeing the camera following them, the vampire diligently remembers to hold their hands up as claws, hiss and stalk, paying attention to their profile.
"So that's a lot of people to hypnotise," they whisper calmly once inside. They stand straighter, raise their palms like a conductor preparing to lead an orchestra. "You will see nothing out of the ordinary. Just a human in a very, very good raptor costume, coming for Halloween, like other humans."
Once this is done, they creep towards Jackie in their raptor-walk. "Nice to meet you too, Jaqueline. Ksss! I am a raptor hunting for treats!"
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Post by Thorn on Oct 28, 2018 18:32:32 GMT -5
"Yez ve are! Trickz and treatz!" the second vampire enthusiastically proclaims.
They trot after the first. "My back eez not zo good theze dayz. I vill ztalk like ze vampire, not like ze raptor. But raptor they vill zee, for my powerz of persuazion are indeed formidable!"
They shriek and cower at the show of aggression by the humans, peer very curiously at the demon, and relax entirely when the whole thing seems to blow over.
"I am alzo a raptor, here for ze trickz-and-treatz! Hizzzz! I am an ezpecially good raptor and dezerve more of ze trickz-and-treatz."
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Post by June Scarlet on Oct 28, 2018 21:33:49 GMT -5
A girl dressed as a witch enters DEACON, and is alarmed by all the hubbub their caused, as everyone treats her as an intruder. Luckily the women introduced as Jaqueline smooths things over. "Thank you Jackie," she says. "It's nice to meet you all." She goes to the slight woman with the braid. "I'm June, comic artist extraordinaire. And who are you?"
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Post by Gelquie on Oct 29, 2018 3:03:58 GMT -5
A hooded-cloaked mage remains frozen to the spot, alarmed for quite some time after the altercation. In particular, they keep giving glances to the man with the gun, in case he decides to draw it on them again, especially given how quickly he decided to do so given the situation. The comments on him not being friendly doesn't help.
"...Don't worry, I won't," they mutter to themselves. Then they clear their throats and turn their attention to Jackie. "Um, thank you. Tea sounds good right now. Chamomile, if you have it? I think that's what I need right now."
After some time, they look around the room, their attention particularly drawn by the blue-skinned demon. Eventually, they attempt to casually walk over to her. It turns out very awkward. "So, um, you're a... demon, right? How did you manage to come by here? ...If I may ask."
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Post by Shinko on Oct 29, 2018 8:07:10 GMT -5
While others were being buzzed into the manor, they failed to notice a very small disturbance of the air that was hiding in their shadows. It followed through the gate quietly, and watched without comment as the group within the building overreacted to their guest, then calmed.
Once they seem to have settled, it leapt into the air. Red mist congealed together into the shape of a crimson thylacine with a skull for a face, licks of ectoplasmic flame crackling at its cheeks, shoulders, the back of its heels, and the end of its tail. The thylacine did a little front flip, landing hard on the ground and causing a disc of ice spires to shoot up from the ground around it in all directions.
"As I have suffered, all must suffer," she half rasped, half roared in a voice that was like a chunk of ice down the spine, but the sensation in one's ears. She leapt again, landing on a desk with one paw and sending another ice spire up from directly under the limb, then did another flip and sailed through the air to pass through a nearby door.
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Post by Moni on Oct 29, 2018 12:55:13 GMT -5
She looks around and stares at Aeneas. He has the "dark unfriendly" vibe to a T, really. This "DEACON" thing was either 100% real... or these guys were A-class method actors who're taking this way too far, and this trick-or-treater doesn't really want to find out which possibility is true first-hand. But she also doesn't want to look like a gullible moron, so the safe thing to do is just to play along, but aloofly.
"DEACON," says the twenty-something-year-old woman. "I have to say, I'm not one to believe in demons, but you guys are... really getting into the season, aren't you? Especially that guy who's dyed his skin blue... how does he do that?"
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Post by Celestial on Oct 29, 2018 13:43:41 GMT -5
"Deacon," reads the vampire. "Someone named Deacon lives here. That is a familiar name. So we're going to come in for the tricks or treats! It'll be a nice surprise." Seeing the camera following them, the vampire diligently remembers to hold their hands up as claws, hiss and stalk, paying attention to their profile. "So that's a lot of people to hypnotise," they whisper calmly once inside. They stand straighter, raise their palms like a conductor preparing to lead an orchestra. "You will see nothing out of the ordinary. Just a human in a very, very good raptor costume, coming for Halloween, like other humans." Once this is done, they creep towards Jackie in their raptor-walk. "Nice to meet you too, Jaqueline. Ksss! I am a raptor hunting for treats!" The teenager at their computer blinks and raises an eyebrow at these shenanigans. "Weirdo. Great raptor costume though. I should ask to borrow it to film one of those viral dinosaur videos to promote the organisation." "No. No. No," Jackie gives them a tired glare. "We could get Naomi to wear it?" the teenager points at the slight woman, who gives a surprised cry. "Are you not forgetting that we are top secret?" Aeneas grumbles in the corner. "Our lives depend on us not promoting anything." "Also it would be a pain for me to organise this and still have you all comply with Official Secrets Act," Jackie replies before turning back to the vampire, though she is oblivious to the fact. "We have tea, and I have a stash of biscuits in my drawer. Hang on, let me just-" she opens her drawer and for a moment a look of horror crosses her face. "WHO STOLE MY COCONUT AND CHOCOLATE COOKIES?" There is a chorus of denial from the office, save for Aeneas who remarks that "He does not eat sweets: he must be in top shape to always be ready to hunt," something which earns an eyeroll from Jackie. She sighs and digs around in her drawer, finally pulling out a packet of digestive biscuits. They look like they have been there for a long time. "This is the best I can do for treats. You can have the whole pack. I hate these things and they've been here since time immemorial, given by how many papers they're buried under." "Yez ve are! Trickz and treatz!" the second vampire enthusiastically proclaims. They trot after the first. "My back eez not zo good theze dayz. I vill ztalk like ze vampire, not like ze raptor. But raptor they vill zee, for my powerz of persuazion are indeed formidable!" They shriek and cower at the show of aggression by the humans, peer very curiously at the demon, and relax entirely when the whole thing seems to blow over. "I am alzo a raptor, here for ze trickz-and-treatz! Hizzzz! I am an ezpecially good raptor and dezerve more of ze trickz-and-treatz." "Did...did you just say vampire?" the demon hangs down from the rafter in front of the vampire. "Neat. Don't say that to Aeneas over there-" they gesture with their tail to the dark man. "He doesn't like our sort due to some dark and troubled past thing. We have a betting pool in the office on what it is if you want to contribute." Jackie sighs. "Well, since someone-" she glares at the rest of the office, "ate my cookies, and your friend got the digestives, I guess I will have to improvise. Tea will have to be offered. What kind do you take?" She gestures at her seat. "Do sit down if your back is sore. My chair is orthopedic. I certainly need it." A girl dressed as a witch enters DEACON, and is alarmed by all the hubbub their caused, as everyone treats her as an intruder. Luckily the women introduced as Jaqueline smooths things over. "Thank you Jackie," she says. "It's nice to meet you all." She goes to the slight woman with the braid. "I'm June, comic artist extraordinaire. And who are you?" The woman smiles broadly at being addressed. She strolls over and speaks in a pleasant lilting accent. "My name is Erika Owens. I'm DEACON's resident psychic," she smiles knowingly at June. "I know everyone says psychics don't exist and I must be some kind of phony but I am actually psychic." "Gives us heck with the privacy concerns, I'll tell you that," Jackie calls over. Erika laughs. "Oh Jackie, you're almost as much of a buzzkill as Aeneas there. No offence," she flutters her eyelashes at Aeneas, who scoffs. Slightly dejected, Erika turns back to June. "Go ahead. Ask me anything. Or give me an object and I can get a reading off it. That's what I do here: I help with tracking or interrogations using my powers." A hooded-cloaked mage remains frozen to the spot, alarmed for quite some time after the altercation. In particular, they keep giving glances to the man with the gun, in case he decides to draw it on them again, especially given how quickly he decided to do so given the situation. The comments on him not being friendly doesn't help. "...Don't worry, I won't," they mutter to themselves. Then they clear their throats and turn their attention to Jackie. "Um, thank you. Tea sounds good right now. Chamomile, if you have it? I think that's what I need right now." After some time, they look around the room, their attention particularly drawn by the blue-skinned demon. Eventually, they attempt to casually walk over to her. It turns out very awkward. "So, um, you're a... demon, right? How did you manage to come by here? ...If I may ask." Aeneas glares back at the magician but otherwise remains aloof, returning slowly to target practice. He resembles a cat that is pretending to ignore someone. Jackie nods. "Chamomile I keep for times when work gets too much but I should still have a stash. It's probably not gone the way of my cookies, since it's not delicious," she walks over to a small stand and flips the switch on an electric kettle which begins to boil. Pulling out a few mugs, she begins to arrange them. "No using mine!" the dark-skinned teenager calls. Jackie glances to a mug she is holding in her hand on which is written "Cup of Java" with the Javacode symbol on it. "Wouldn't dream of it. Poor thing needs to keep gathering dust," she puts it back and pulls out a generic one with a kitten on a branch saying 'Hang In There'. The demon bat-walks across the rafter, crossing their legs as though they are in a cosy armchair and looking at their magazine. "Can you believe this? This is terribly designed. It's not geometrical at all- oh, you asked me a question?" they shrug. "Lots of arcane deals made with the Boss, none of which I am at liberty to discuss. He's kind of shady that way. But hey, I don't mind. This is fun. Plus you should see the looks on the faces of the rogue demons when they see me and they think I'm on their side but NOPE!" they cackle and hold out a hand. "Andie, by the way. I do have a real name but Jackie has classed it as a health and safety hazard due to the fact that it melts your ears and drives mortals mad so I cannot say it." She looks around and stares at Aeneas. He has the "dark unfriendly" vibe to a T, really. This "DEACON" thing was either 100% real... or these guys were A-class method actors who're taking this way too far, and this trick-or-treater doesn't really want to find out which possibility is true first-hand. But she also doesn't want to look like a gullible moron, so the safe thing to do is just to play along, but aloofly. "DEACON," says the twenty-something-year-old woman. "I have to say, I'm not one to believe in demons, but you guys are... really getting into the season, aren't you? Especially that guy who's dyed his skin blue... how does he do that?" Andie looks away from their conversation with the mage and begins to laugh hysterically. "Oh this one...this one is a joker. Almost as good as you, Aeneas!" Aeneas scoffs. "Demons are no laughing matter. They are terrifying beings who can kill a person in the most prolonged, horrible way in a flash if they so chose to. I have seen it myself. You would not treat this all as a halloween joke, girl, if you knew. But you go sleep in your bed, all cosy and safe tonight, without knowing the truth. Many people do not. Until it is too late." The dark-skinned teenager sighs. "Great, you got him started again. Now he won't shut up." "Until Jackie comes along and tells him off for using discriminatory language against demons in the presence of one," Andie laughs. "Yeah, funny that...we hunt and kill demons but oh goodness, we cannot be bigoted about it." While others were being buzzed into the manor, they failed to notice a very small disturbance of the air that was hiding in their shadows. It followed through the gate quietly, and watched without comment as the group within the building overreacted to their guest, then calmed. Once they seem to have settled, it leapt into the air. Red mist congealed together into the shape of a crimson thylacine with a skull for a face, licks of ectoplasmic flame crackling at its cheeks, shoulders, the back of its heels, and the end of its tail. The thylacine did a little front flip, landing hard on the ground and causing a disc of ice spires to shoot up from the ground around it in all directions. " As I have suffered, all must suffer," she half rasped, half roared in a voice that was like a chunk of ice down the spine, but the sensation in one's ears. She leapt again, landing on a desk with one paw and sending another ice spire up from directly under the limb, then did another flip and sailed through the air to pass through a nearby door. The reaction to the thylacine was almost instanteous. Aneas reached into his long jacket and whipped out a gun before jumping over a chair with his long coat flaring out behind him. It looked very cool, nevermind the fact that there was a much easier way of going around. "I'm going in! Naomi, back me up!" The young woman with the bob stares at him, eyes wide. "Did he...ask me to back him up? Does he actually trust me?" "Yes! Now go before you miss your chance!" Erika nudges her in the elbow. Naomi swallows and quickly pulls out her own weapon, running after Aeneas, who was by the door where the ghostly thyalcine had disappeared to. "I need security footage of every entrance that leads from there!" The teenager gives him a thumbs up and begins rapidly typing. "You need a hand?" Andie turns. "'Cause, you know, I'm pretty handy." "You remain where you are until you are called, demon," Aeneas barks back. "Cool. I was having a perfectly lovely conversation anyway," Andie turns back to the mage, grinning. "Don't mind me if I disappear, hun." Jackie, meanwhile, walks out with several mugs in her hands. She looks around at the chaos and shrugs. This is clearly just another workday for her. "I need to speak to the boss about visitor ID cards again."
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Post by Shinko on Oct 29, 2018 15:11:59 GMT -5
The room where the marsupial vanished is pitch dark, and the switch to turn the lights on is iced over. The cold of a January night in the arctic emanates from within.
For a split second, a pair of slitted red pupils are visible in the inky blackness. Latching to them fills the mind with images and sensations- a massive jaw with huge boarlike tusks, betrayal, confusion, a searing pain- but then the thing breaks the contact and flits into hiding, leaving the floor slick with ice where it has passed.
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Post by Moni on Oct 29, 2018 15:12:40 GMT -5
She looks around and stares at Aeneas. He has the "dark unfriendly" vibe to a T, really. This "DEACON" thing was either 100% real... or these guys were A-class method actors who're taking this way too far, and this trick-or-treater doesn't really want to find out which possibility is true first-hand. But she also doesn't want to look like a gullible moron, so the safe thing to do is just to play along, but aloofly. "DEACON," says the twenty-something-year-old woman. "I have to say, I'm not one to believe in demons, but you guys are... really getting into the season, aren't you? Especially that guy who's dyed his skin blue... how does he do that?" Andie looks away from their conversation with the mage and begins to laugh hysterically. "Oh this one...this one is a joker. Almost as good as you, Aeneas!" Aeneas scoffs. "Demons are no laughing matter. They are terrifying beings who can kill a person in the most prolonged, horrible way in a flash if they so chose to. I have seen it myself. You would not treat this all as a halloween joke, girl, if you knew. But you go sleep in your bed, all cosy and safe tonight, without knowing the truth. Many people do not. Until it is too late." The dark-skinned teenager sighs. "Great, you got him started again. Now he won't shut up." "Until Jackie comes along and tells him off for using discriminatory language against demons in the presence of one," Andie laughs. "Yeah, funny that...we hunt and kill demons but oh goodness, we cannot be bigoted about it." Well, Aeneas is either playing a character really well or he is just naturally very very... unpleasant. This trick-or-treater does not care for him. Besides, how do you kill anybody in a prolonged, horrible way, but in a flash? The phrase brings the image of a nuclear bomb detonating in slow-motion--on a small scale, of course. "Well, uh, 'Andie,'" says the trick-or-treater, "your presence probably means that not *all* 'demons' are bad... I mean, would you appreciate being called a"--she thought of a slur to call him--"smurf, or a fermented human, or something like that?"
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Post by Celestial on Oct 29, 2018 15:33:11 GMT -5
Andie looks away from their conversation with the mage and begins to laugh hysterically. "Oh this one...this one is a joker. Almost as good as you, Aeneas!" Aeneas scoffs. "Demons are no laughing matter. They are terrifying beings who can kill a person in the most prolonged, horrible way in a flash if they so chose to. I have seen it myself. You would not treat this all as a halloween joke, girl, if you knew. But you go sleep in your bed, all cosy and safe tonight, without knowing the truth. Many people do not. Until it is too late." The dark-skinned teenager sighs. "Great, you got him started again. Now he won't shut up." "Until Jackie comes along and tells him off for using discriminatory language against demons in the presence of one," Andie laughs. "Yeah, funny that...we hunt and kill demons but oh goodness, we cannot be bigoted about it." Well, Aeneas is either playing a character really well or he is just naturally very very... unpleasant. This trick-or-treater does not care for him. Besides, how do you kill anybody in a prolonged, horrible way, but in a flash? The phrase brings the image of a nuclear bomb detonating in slow-motion--on a small scale, of course. "Well, uh, 'Andie,'" says the trick-or-treater, "your presence probably means that not *all* 'demons' are bad... I mean, would you appreciate being called a"--she thought of a slur to call him--"smurf, or a fermented human, or something like that?" "Oh, he's normally like that. He is nice once you get to know him though," Erika chimes in. "Oops, sorry. I did that again. Don't tell Jackie please," she winks and goes back to her conversation. Andie cackles. A small white cap grows from their head. "Smurf I'd have questions about, same with fermented human. Though fermented human is quite tasty," they lick their lips. You're not sure if they're joking or serious. "Most demons are...complicated. We don't see things the way humans do. Which is why some of us will happily hunt our own kind: we've got ways of justifying that to ourselves." The room where the marsupial vanished is pitch dark, and the switch to turn the lights on is iced over. The cold of a January night in the arctic emanates from within. For a split second, a pair of slitted red pupils are visible in the inky blackness. Latching to them fills the mind with images and sensations- a massive jaw with huge boarlike tusks, betrayal, confusion, a searing pain- but then the thing breaks the contact and flits into hiding, leaving the floor slick with ice where it has passed. Naomi sees the eyes first. She instantly screams, clutching her head. Even when the thing breaks contact with her, she still remains shaking. Aeneas, however, is unaffected. Whether this is due to him being too cool or because of the mysterious and vague tragic backstory is unknown. "Get up, Rookie. It's only a mental projection! It's attacking you!" he roughly pulls Naomi up. "It's...it was suffering though. It hurt a lot," she murmurs, still shaking. "Poor thing." "A few months of fighting demonic entities such as this and you won't be saying that anymore," Aeneas scowls. "They get into your mind like that and then eat you from the inside in horrible ways. Do you want that?" "N-no," Naomi shakes her head. "I don't think it was trying to do that though. It just felt...sad." "I'll attribute to you being a rookie," he flicks his hair in a way that he thinks is insanely look but just gets hair in his face. He blows it away. "The light has been cut off. You stick close to me. I assume you have loaded your gun with the phlebotinum." "Uh huh," Naomi nods. "Use this then," Aeneas flicks a pocket mirror in her direction. "Look out for eyes in this. If it's a reflection, it cannot hurt you. Once you see them, shoot." "Sure," she murmurs. Mercifully, the cold and the darkness mask her blushing at the cool bad boy noticing her. "I will treasure this forever." He blinks, frowning. "I got it from the discount shop down the road. It's literally worthless. Now come on, let's go," he cocks his gun, which only really serves to make a noise and look cool. "Show yourself, demon! We will find you and we will purge you from our headquarters." "Uh...yes," Naomi stammers. She keeps thinking about the hurt and pain and betrayal she felt. "Why are you attacking us? Who hurt you?" "It's a demon," Aeneas hisses. "It's what it does." "I'm not sure about that. I'm sorry," Naomi says quietly. "But I think it has more in mind than just causing havoc and making things cold."
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Post by Gelquie on Oct 29, 2018 16:02:22 GMT -5
A hooded-cloaked mage remains frozen to the spot, alarmed for quite some time after the altercation. In particular, they keep giving glances to the man with the gun, in case he decides to draw it on them again, especially given how quickly he decided to do so given the situation. The comments on him not being friendly doesn't help. "...Don't worry, I won't," they mutter to themselves. Then they clear their throats and turn their attention to Jackie. "Um, thank you. Tea sounds good right now. Chamomile, if you have it? I think that's what I need right now." After some time, they look around the room, their attention particularly drawn by the blue-skinned demon. Eventually, they attempt to casually walk over to her. It turns out very awkward. "So, um, you're a... demon, right? How did you manage to come by here? ...If I may ask." Aeneas glares back at the magician but otherwise remains aloof, returning slowly to target practice. He resembles a cat that is pretending to ignore someone. Jackie nods. "Chamomile I keep for times when work gets too much but I should still have a stash. It's probably not gone the way of my cookies, since it's not delicious," she walks over to a small stand and flips the switch on an electric kettle which begins to boil. Pulling out a few mugs, she begins to arrange them. "No using mine!" the dark-skinned teenager calls. Jackie glances to a mug she is holding in her hand on which is written "Cup of Java" with the Javacode symbol on it. "Wouldn't dream of it. Poor thing needs to keep gathering dust," she puts it back and pulls out a generic one with a kitten on a branch saying 'Hang In There'. The demon bat-walks across the rafter, crossing their legs as though they are in a cosy armchair and looking at their magazine. "Can you believe this? This is terribly designed. It's not geometrical at all- oh, you asked me a question?" they shrug. "Lots of arcane deals made with the Boss, none of which I am at liberty to discuss. He's kind of shady that way. But hey, I don't mind. This is fun. Plus you should see the looks on the faces of the rogue demons when they see me and they think I'm on their side but NOPE!" they cackle and hold out a hand. "Andie, by the way. I do have a real name but Jackie has classed it as a health and safety hazard due to the fact that it melts your ears and drives mortals mad so I cannot say it." "Not delicious? Speak for yourself," the mage responds. "Thank you!" They look up to Andie and accept the handshake. "Nice to meet you, Andie. I'd tell you mine, but I'm supposed to be incognito right now. Tradition. Anyway, fair enough on those things; probably best not to be driven any madder than I am. I'll let you know when I want my ears melted, though!" They smile. "That does sound like a lot of fun! You could easily play a good double-agent. I'd ask if you have, but I know, probably not at liberty to discuss. I'm glad you're enjoying your job, at least. ...I wonder, though. Do the rules and regulations here ever get to you? Or do you manage?" While they wait for an answer, they try to get a better look at the magazine to see what Andie was looking at.
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Post by Celestial on Oct 29, 2018 16:19:32 GMT -5
Aeneas glares back at the magician but otherwise remains aloof, returning slowly to target practice. He resembles a cat that is pretending to ignore someone. Jackie nods. "Chamomile I keep for times when work gets too much but I should still have a stash. It's probably not gone the way of my cookies, since it's not delicious," she walks over to a small stand and flips the switch on an electric kettle which begins to boil. Pulling out a few mugs, she begins to arrange them. "No using mine!" the dark-skinned teenager calls. Jackie glances to a mug she is holding in her hand on which is written "Cup of Java" with the Javacode symbol on it. "Wouldn't dream of it. Poor thing needs to keep gathering dust," she puts it back and pulls out a generic one with a kitten on a branch saying 'Hang In There'. The demon bat-walks across the rafter, crossing their legs as though they are in a cosy armchair and looking at their magazine. "Can you believe this? This is terribly designed. It's not geometrical at all- oh, you asked me a question?" they shrug. "Lots of arcane deals made with the Boss, none of which I am at liberty to discuss. He's kind of shady that way. But hey, I don't mind. This is fun. Plus you should see the looks on the faces of the rogue demons when they see me and they think I'm on their side but NOPE!" they cackle and hold out a hand. "Andie, by the way. I do have a real name but Jackie has classed it as a health and safety hazard due to the fact that it melts your ears and drives mortals mad so I cannot say it." "Not delicious? Speak for yourself," the mage responds. "Thank you!" They look up to Andie and accept the handshake. "Nice to meet you, Andie. I'd tell you mine, but I'm supposed to be incognito right now. Tradition. Anyway, fair enough on those things; probably best not to be driven any madder than I am. I'll let you know when I want my ears melted, though!" They smile. "That does sound like a lot of fun! You could easily play a good double-agent. I'd ask if you have, but I know, probably not at liberty to discuss. I'm glad you're enjoying your job, at least. ...I wonder, though. Do the rules and regulations here ever get to you? Or do you manage?" While they wait for an answer, they try to get a better look at the magazine to see what Andie was looking at. Jackie blinks and a tiny smile curls on her otherwise normally sour face. "You're a person after my own heart. I'll make you a good chamomile." Andie gives the mage the finger guns. "No problem, totally understand the incognito thing. Do it all the time myself. Part of the job. Well, I'm one of the few that does incognito missions but given that I can shapeshift, I'm the best at it. Even if Aeneas doesn't like to admit it. I do make a mean double agent though, you're right. Seen right through me," they give the mage the finger guns again and go slightly translucent for a second. At the question of rules and regulations, they fold their arms, thinking. "The health and safety stuff can be a pain in the arse. And all the stuff with purchasing and equipment sign out. And the procedures that we must go through in order to obtain permits." "Those are necessary!" Jackie shouts. "They help me do my my job, Andie. If you can tolerate being bound by whatever arcane spells the boss has cast on you, you can bear everything else I do that allows me to run things smoothly." "Chill, Jacks. Don't get your cute bun in a twist," the demon flicks Jackie's bun. They also hold out the magazine to the mage, in particular flipping open the page they were looking at: a zen garden. "I like geometry. And see this right here? this is not geometrical. Not perfect. It's bugging me and I want to go tell them off for it but urgh, can't," they shove the magazine into the mage's hands. "Here, you keep it. Maybe write them an angry letter on my behalf. Quote: Dear Better Homes and Gardens Editor, I am writing to complain- Jackie, you getting this?" Jackie rolls her eyes. "I am an administrator, not a secretary." "Same thing, right?" The woman looks like she is holding back a tirade that she never gets tired of.
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Post by Thorn on Oct 29, 2018 18:01:51 GMT -5
The vampire raptor hisses and recoils, bristling. They were sure that whisper had been most imperceptible! Ears like a hawk, this demon and this human.
"I am human dezguized az vampire, dezguized az ze raptor. Rawr!" they insist, sidling a little closer to their companion. "But vampirez eez having good zozial event every year. I am zure you could acquire ze invite, they vould be glad to meet you."
Their eyes widen, leaning harder into the thrall. "And zees raptor coztume eez much better zan ze one bezide me! You vill remember thiz."
Tea is offered, a welcome gesture (especially since thralling people is really quite strenuous!), although they wave away the offer of a chair. Vampires like them only wish to loom from gothic thrones! Or sometimes wonky chairs at kitchen tables. But only in the safety of one's own flat, mind.
"I am being partial to licorice tea, eef you have eet," they admit at long last. "Eef you do not, I am not minding. Eet iz all warming and mozt velcome beverage next to bl...err, blackcurrant cordial."
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Post by Gelquie on Oct 29, 2018 22:23:54 GMT -5
Jackie blinks and a tiny smile curls on her otherwise normally sour face. "You're a person after my own heart. I'll make you a good chamomile." Andie gives the mage the finger guns. "No problem, totally understand the incognito thing. Do it all the time myself. Part of the job. Well, I'm one of the few that does incognito missions but given that I can shapeshift, I'm the best at it. Even if Aeneas doesn't like to admit it. I do make a mean double agent though, you're right. Seen right through me," they give the mage the finger guns again and go slightly translucent for a second. At the question of rules and regulations, they fold their arms, thinking. "The health and safety stuff can be a pain in the arse. And all the stuff with purchasing and equipment sign out. And the procedures that we must go through in order to obtain permits." "Those are necessary!" Jackie shouts. "They help me do my my job, Andie. If you can tolerate being bound by whatever arcane spells the boss has cast on you, you can bear everything else I do that allows me to run things smoothly." "Chill, Jacks. Don't get your cute bun in a twist," the demon flicks Jackie's bun. They also hold out the magazine to the mage, in particular flipping open the page they were looking at: a zen garden. "I like geometry. And see this right here? this is not geometrical. Not perfect. It's bugging me and I want to go tell them off for it but urgh, can't," they shove the magazine into the mage's hands. "Here, you keep it. Maybe write them an angry letter on my behalf. Quote: Dear Better Homes and Gardens Editor, I am writing to complain- Jackie, you getting this?" Jackie rolls her eyes. "I am an administrator, not a secretary." "Same thing, right?" The woman looks like she is holding back a tirade that she never gets tired of. "Thank you," the mage says kindly to the offer of making a good chamomile. For the incognito question, the mage responds: "Ooh, shapeshifting is a good power for incognito missions! And also in general! And also I wish I had that sort of power. But I'm not that kind of mage, alas. Also, nice, nice touch with that pun there." They gesture with their own finger-guns. To the commentary on rules, the mage lets out a small chuckle. "Yeah, I hear you. And I hear you too, Jackie. They are important, but they can be difficult to deal with. Seems to be the truth of this world." The mage holds back a sigh at the brewing altercations between them, and tries to find words to speak with as quickly as possible to avoid the inevitable tirade. "Thank you for the magazine!" they say, staring at the zen garden. "You're right, it isn't symmetrical. You say you can't tell them off for it? Um..." They realize that maybe that's too personal a question to ask. "...Uh, that is. I wonder, maybe some people prefer it this way? I can't say I understand exactly how it works, what they're going for. Certainly it doesn't seem to be for everyone."
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