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Post by Salandis on Oct 15, 2015 15:18:32 GMT -6
Moana had no problem with Cyren changing – her own form was very different, and it had taken a while for her to really understand human notions of modesty. She did make a mental note to have another chat to Cyren about propriety… and then discarded said note. It wasn’t like she had begun to undress in the lift!
The new clothes looked very good on her, if a tad medieval. The leather pants were a matte brown, not as loose as the ones Moana was wearing, and were thick enough to handle everyday use. The shoes were doeskin, soft and really more for indoor use. They would probably wear out in a couple of weeks, but be comfortable until then. The plush rust tunic was velvet, and cinched with a polished silver chain belt. 'The belt will probably go first' Moana thought with resignation. 'Oh well. She looks very nice right now. Lets hope it pleases the Boss.'
“Yes, Jade took her to the Boss” Moana said soothingly. “You know he always wants to meet your new friends. I’m sure Ari is doing just fine in there.” As the lift arrived she asked a few careful questions of her own while untangling Cyren’s hair and helping her with the braid (When your fingers could become water, this was an easy task).
“So you have met Ari before? He seems like a nice, quiet sort. Does he work anywhere? What does he do in his free time, just the arcade or did he mention anything else?“ Discreetly she reached into a small pouch she carried with her everywhere, often hidden under her clothes (or even inside her form, from time to time) and withdrew a small shell at random. Her finger found and traced the rune on it, before slipping it back.
‘Rangi’ She thought. The Maori would use numbers for their ‘shells of the gods’, but the Taniwha remembered the old ways and runes. ‘Success is possible, but be direct and unflinching. Just the advice I would expect from gods who don’t have to be in the same room as Mal. At least it wasn't Hine-Nui-Te-Po!' Drawing the death goddess would be a particularly bad sign this second.
As they got to the bottom of the lift, Moana keyed her Bluetooth transmitter back on. She gave Cyren a wink to let her know they were live again, and then subvocalized into the receiver. “Cyren and I are back on the ground, headed to the Boss. Jade, would you knock on the door?” Malthiel never had something as archaic as an actual door knocker – a button outside would sound an alert tone inside the office that was apparently a frequency only he could hear.
“Your funeral darlin’” Lani’s voice drifted in, followed by some muffled laughter.
“Sure thing Moana.” Jades voice sounded amused. “I’ll key the door. I’m sure he is expecting Cyren” There was a faint question on the end of that sentence.
“We’ll be there in 30.” Moana responded, declining to answer. She couldn’t afford to wait outside the door for this conversation, but the added gossip on the 'link wasn't something she needed just now.
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Post by nellewarner on Oct 15, 2015 18:23:13 GMT -6
Cyren always appreciated help with her hair. Most of her life she left it down, unless someone from the village decided that she needed assistance and put it in a twist. The rare occasions that she saw her mother were also times that the unruly mop of magenta was dealt with. She had just /really/ starting learning hairstyles when she was introduced to the darker woman, she smiled- this is probably what having an older sister is like.
She listened absently to Moana's questions while within the moving box. "Ah, yes. Met Ari-cat when first find tree to live. We play apodidraskinda as us before I trick with reappear walk and then he trick with cat form, which confuse. Did not know gifted here!" Her enthusiasm for gifted-kin shone through her words. "Then after spirit talk, we fell sleep on forest ground and not see til today."
When Moana started speaking to those that weren't there, she quieted down. She didn't know /how/ they spoke to each other but she new it wasn't a gift of the darker womans.
"I not know if work. He live with Winged friend now- very excite!" Cyren was very happy that her friend had somewhere to stay. When he had come into her forest she felt like she needed to help him help himself so that he'd be alright. "Want to make drum and learn circle song- said introduce to other music..." She trailed off before turning her gaze onto the other woman, "Moana- what Mahl? Ari-cat said near Arcade..."
They exited the box, that's another word that she needed to learn- stupid English-, with the darker woman taking the lead and they wove through people until they reached the door to Malthiels office.
Cyren smiled at the dark-haired woman that stood before the door, "Hi Jade! 'Thiel and Ari not wait long, yes? Go in now?"
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Post by Marshmallow on Oct 15, 2015 22:00:40 GMT -6
Malthiel just leaned against his desk, grinning. Ari's terror was beautiful, and he could probably have made an entire evening out of tormenting him. But he seemed a little too easily panicked; his mind would probably give out before they got to anything truly enjoyable. A shame that, but he'd get his chance to make the young man scream if - and when - he slipped up...
Until then, he could be content with merely instilling a healthy fear of the dark.
Driven by fear, his guest readily and blindly agreed with everything Malthiel said, stuttering all the way. He probably didn't even understand what he was agreeing to. "Shh, now, shh. Calm down," the boss cooed gently, as if comforting a child in the middle of a tantrum. "That's all I wanted to hear." With a snap of his fingers, the shadows binding Ari's legs were gone and the pulsing darkness receded. He leaned over to the corner of his desk and clicked the lamp back on. Compared to the nightmare that had been swallowing the room before, the light now seemed warm and pleasant, and comfortingly bright. He smiled to the shifter, his expression now friendly and kind, as if everything up to this point had been a completely different man.
"Stay right there," he chimed. He could tell Ari was ready to bolt at a moment's notice. "Just sit there, relax. We're all friends here, no need to be nervous. More scotch?" Malthiel returned to his chair and sat, hands folded, one leg over the other, like it was just a casual, everyday conversation. His smile may have been charming, but his gaze was still piercing and cold.
A quiet tone sounded, the chime of his office door. It was just above the typical range of human hearing, made to tell him and him alone when someone had arrived, without interrupting or alerting his guests. He sighed. All fun had to end sometime. "Well Ari, seems we're about out of time. I shouldn't have to tell you that everything which just happened... never happened, mm? And I also shouldn't have to tell you, what will happen if you ever break confidence," he hummed, idly inspecting his fingernails as he spoke. "So take a breath, compose yourself, maybe even smile a little. We don't want Cyren to be upset, do we?"
Once he was sure Ari wasn't about to break down in tears or flee the room, he sat up and called out to the closed door, "Come on in!" The security woman offered Cyren a gentle smile, and opened the door for her and Moana to enter.
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 15, 2015 23:34:59 GMT -6
Ari shuddered flinching back from Malthiel and the soft words. However comforting the man's tone, he knew it was only a facade - sweet honey to mask the poison beneath. His breaths came too quickly, and he could feel himself growing light-headed. He needed to calm, but his heart was beating so fast and he felt more prey than predator.
When the binds about his legs slipped free, his first instinct was to surge up to his feet, but Malthiel's words stopped him. He forced himself to sit still, his body tense, and opened his eyes to watch the man. He shook his head no to the silver-eyed man's words, not trusting his voice. When he finally had to answer, after the other's not-so-subtle threats and suggestions, he gasped: "Y-Yes sir."
He tried to force a smile, as he had been bade to, but the expression wouldn't sit comfortably on his face. It was a while yet before he stopped trembling, the silence while he tried to compose himself feeling near as threat-laden as Malthiel's words had been. It took him a while to gather up the shattered pieces of his mask, to craft them into a new facade to hide behind. He couldn't manage smiling, so a neutral expression would have to do.
A part of him merely wanted to bolt as soon as the door opened, but he feared what Malthiel might do if he ran. Would he continue his threats with Cyren in the room? Truly, now, the arcade was the furthest thing from Ari's mind - he only needed to last long enough to leave, then he would run back into the mountains, would hide again. Social comforts weren't worth this, were they? He swallowed, closing his eyes a long moment, only to open them again when Malthiel called the others in. He held himself still, trying not to flinch when the door opened to admit them into the room.
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Post by Salandis on Oct 18, 2015 4:40:28 GMT -6
Jade was saved from having to answer by the almost cheerful “Come in!” Called from the other side of the door. Instead, she gave Cyren a genuine smile (Who didn’t like Cyren?) And Moana a slightly sardonic one. Moana lead the way into the office, walking in over the thick carpet. Her eyes flicked to the bookcase in the corner almost against her will: There was an ornate dagger, apparently there on a stand as a book-stop. It was whalebone, carved in flowing patterns and set in a wooden hilt that was similarly designed. It was inlaid with paua, and had dry flax woven around it. It looked for all the world like a harmless ornament, something a moneyed tourist might bring back from her home country. It was also water-shaped, as she well knew, and would kill her faster than almost anything in the city.
Almost anything. The equally ornate book-stop on the other side of the same row held a flowingly carved Mere made of pounamu, and as with the bone it was water-shaped in the traditional Maori fashion. It, too, would leave serious injuries on a hide that would shrug off anything that wasn’t armour piercing. To this day, Moana had no idea how Malthiel had learned of her weakness. Or even where he had sourced those items. But their presence in his office was a fairly clear message. Particularly since, having witnessed his true form, she knew he really needed neither of those weapons to… deal with her.
She forced her eyes away from the shelf, almost making it look natural. She looked first at the Boss. Malthiel looked as smug as normal, leaning casually against his desk with a glass of scotch in one hand. The look in his eyes told her he had caught her first glance, and was amused by it. His office was currently lit reasonably well by the lamps on his desk, but he was in arms reach of one of them.
She looked down at Ari. The kid was trying to put on a smile, but was clearly not an A-list actor. The faint trembling in his limbs, the dilated pupils, and even a faint scent of fear in the air all pointed to him just having the crap scared out of him. Not literally, thankfully, it took ages to clean that out of leather (Not to mention carpet as deep as this). He was sitting in the ‘marks chair, also holding a glass of scotch. Moana wondered if he was even able to stand at this point, without immediately making a dash for the exit. He looked suitably helpless, at any rate.
She swept a bow to Malthiel, and took an ‘at ease’ stance. “Reporting in with Cyren, Boss.” She said, keeping her tone respectful. Time to pick words carefully. “She’s been telling me quite a bit about Ari here.” She gave the kid a smile. “He sounds like a friend from earlier. Currently living with another of her friends, in the mountains, funnily enough.”
‘Best leave it at that.’ She decided. ‘See which way he leans, and throw my lot in as needed.’ Rangi be damned, that last sentence was forward enough in this room.
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