[20:02] <Brad> 6The Sim chambers. Was there a particular reason he'd chosen one of them for this? Not really, other than he needed, unbroken floor space on which to draw the three binding circles-within-circles. Ted had done so, and set the skull in the center, scattered with a bit of the ash from the small pouch he'd brought with him from his apartment. The other three, Fergus, Dillon, Sygny, he'd given them each small items, tokens, really. A silver coin for the nordic woman, a string of wooden rosaries for the burned man, and a pair of dice carved from bone for the half-scot. Small, handheld items, easy to grasp and focus on. Was there a particular reason these three people had been chosen? Again, not really, but without Quentin, he doesn't have the strength of spirit to do this himself. He needs warm, willing bodies that will give some of their energy to the ritual. 1"Alright." 6He says, fussing at the fresh, wet bandage on his arm a bit as he glances down to the small bowl of his own blood he'd collected for this. 1"A few things before we get started. First off, I know what I'm doing, but that doesn't mean this isn't crazy. In the best circumstances, this could get me killed. These... are not the best circumstances. There's a laundry list longer than War and Peace of demons that would really love nothing more than to be the one to lay claim to my soul." 6He sighs. 1"With that in mind, first rule. Do not touch this circle. At all. Understood?" 6He doesn't wait for acknowledgment, and instead continues, trusting in the conviction of his words to get the point across. 1"Second off. Demons don't have rules. Whatever it says, whatever it offers you to break the circle, don't listen. It's lying." 6He glances over his shoulder at the skull in the center of the binding circles, still worrying at the bandage on his arm just a bit. 1"Third, whatever price is required of this, it's mine to make. I'm putting my own blood into this. Nobody else get any heroic ideas. Everybody clear?"
[20:09] <@Ahriman> Fergus nodded his acceptance of Ted's terms. He held the dice loosely, one hand overtop of the other, so that the dice could move if needed, but couldn't escape if they tried. Unless they tried really hard.
[20:10] <Suzthulhu> 6The Nordic woman, though slightly less than herself, still casts a tall, striking figure as she watches Ted set things up. The motions he goes through, the circles, the skull, the ash, the blood.... are not unfamiliar to her. She has seen more than her fair share of rituals, participated in many of those even, some... not so sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes it needs to be done. Sygny is
[20:10] <Suzthulhu> 6oddly calm through all of this, for one who, like Ted, had seen their other self, that which resides in them body and soul, silenced so. In her palm rests the silver coin he'd given her, a nondescript thing really, but easy enough to rub her thumb over, roll over and between her fingers, and contemplate. When Ted breaks the silence of his preparations, the blonde, blue-eyed valkyrie host
[20:10] <Suzthulhu> 6looks up, blinking out of her silent wandering of thoughts. Even with Skuld more or less banished, separated, she feels empty, but perhaps some of the valkyrie's influence still leaks through here and there, giving her a sense of inner peace and strength. "Mm." 6A simple nod, and a brief sound of acceptance.
[20:12] * @Dillon The burned man, just how burned he was, was made quite evident during the time in the book store. The mask and looking over shelves of ancient tomes with all that dust it was irritating. Dillon's face did indeed share the brutal scarring that his arms held. It was amazing the man could still see. Skull like was a way to describe it, the nose was gone, not much in the way of lips,
[20:12] * @Dillon ears.. slightly better but still nublike. No barriers... he'd heard something about to be closer to that other world for there not to much seperating you. So the mask remained off for the time being. He held onto the rosary. 1"You are clear... No interfereance. This is all on you."
[20:17] <Brad> "Alright. I need everyone to focus on your tokens. Close your eyes, block out everything else, just concentrate on what's in your hands." 6Well, no time like the present to do something stupid, Ted thinks to himself. He bites the inside of his cheek just a bit, and then picks up that small bowl of his own blood. Leaning forward, very carefully so as not to come close to touching the lines of the binding circles, he pours it over the ash-laden skull, and then settles back and begins his low, murmured incantations. It's not English, and it's really hard to tell what language it is. He closes his eyes as he speaks the words, and the other three would feel.. a tug, a light pulling within themselves. Their own energy being drawn out and added to his, and focused on the summoning. It's draining, but with three of them there, no more than the exertion after a sprint, or a decent jog. He pours that energy into the summoning, binding it with the words he drones in an eerie monotone and shaping it into the magic necessary to bring something up from the depths. Nothing major, the demon lords are usually too engrossed in their own affairs to be good sources of information. No, he needs someone from the outskirts, one of those scrabbling go-getters that's always got its ear to the ground, looking for any opportunity to advance in the ranks.
[20:21] <Suzthulhu> 6DARE TO BE STUPID!!! God bless Weird Al. Anyway. As told, Sygny focuses on the coin in her palm, holding it up a little and staring at it, letting her eyes roam over every flaw, the curves of its edges, the markings in the center... what it is means nothing, what it's enabling them to do is the important part. Her brows furrow slightly as she begins to feel that tugging. Being winded is
[20:21] <Suzthulhu> 6not something she is used to experiencing, and she knows that under normal circumstances, it would no longer be her standing there. But she remains, in all her diminished glory, breathing deeply.
[20:26] * @Dillon his eyes were closed, one hand held the rosery tightly, the other stroked it a few times before grasping. Dillon focused on the holy object. Concentrated. Seemed perfectly at home with the sensation of something pulling on his energy. His stance did slouch after a few moments, however as that sensation of exertion came to surface... The man looked in good shape despite the wounds
[20:26] * @Dillon and scars, like he could stand up to a jog, but still he was drained. Nothing stupid. Just the rosery in hand. He waited for further instruction from Theodore.
[20:28] <@Ahriman> 6There was an almost irresistable urge to open an eye and watch what Ted was doing. He'd watched Raiders of the Lost Arc recently, though, and even if there was currently no danger of his face melting off, he wasn't about to take that chance. So instead of opening, his eyes closed tighter. His breaths were even and slow, recalling the meditating Miles had made him do a few times, and
[20:28] <@Ahriman> 6trying to copy it as closely has he could remember.
[20:31] <@rawr> 6There's a strange silence after Ted speaks those pseudo-English, magical words. It's almost like the room is suddenly plunged into a vacuum, everyone's breath coming short for a moment, an otherworldly, airless silence looming like a void around them. The moment is a moment, but it seems to last a lifetime before the skull in the center of the binding circles begins clattering around on
[20:31] <@rawr> 6the floor, breaking the silence like a gunshot. The temperature in the Simulation room begins to rise sharply around the binding circle - which lasts mere moments, as the chamber's internal temperature controls kick into overdrive, air conditioning units pulsing refreshing air in to balance things out. The skull continues to rattle and quiver on the floor, until it comes to a stop. The
[20:31] <@rawr> 6main part of the skull snap back, and black smoke begins to cough from within the nothing between upper and lower jaws, a darkness belching itself into existence. A faint aroma of sulfur lingers past their noses, but the smoke itself never makes it past the binding circles. It rises in a column, until it reaches the ceiling of the simulation room, as though an invisible glass wall was
[20:31] <@rawr> 6keeping it at bay. Something stirs in the smoke - there is something in there besides the skull. 7"What mortal is foolish enough to lift me from the Cage?" 6bellows a mid-range tone, seething with hate, something similar to the clickclickclicking of the Predator sharply trilling from the column of inky smoke. A three taloned, green claw slams against the 'glass' through the smoke, unable
[20:31] <@rawr> 6to break the circle. 7"Speak, so that I may taste your name on my three tongues before they lap at your soul!"
[20:35] <Brad> 6Oh, that voice. Ted groans inwardly. It would have to be this guy. Of all the fish he could have reeled in... welp, no matter. Ted stands up from his seated position, and straightens back up. 1"Can the Shakespeare, Zack, or I flush you right back down the toilet." 6Ted takes a step back and watches the inky smoke fill up the prison created by the binding circles, and that green claw slamming against the wall holding the demon's corporeal form between this world and the world it came from. He sighs. 1"Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to Za'karn'akatoth. We're... acquainted." 6He should have known this would happen. Summon a demon once, it's likely you'll get the same one the next time, even if you aren't trying. 1"You wouldn't like how my soul tastes, Zack. It'll give you heartburn, and you know it."
[20:38] <Suzthulhu> 6Zack? Sounds... like Ted's on a first name basis with whatever it is that just billowed up from the middle of the circle. She'd been concetrating so hard that when the skull had first rattled, she'd actually jumpd a little, gasping in air that seemed suddenly too thin, too hot. The banter between Ted and the demon makes her just simply stare. Finally, as introductions are made, she
[20:38] <Suzthulhu> 6speaks. "Hello." 6She's not going to give her name, though it's likely the damned thing already knows it.
[20:41] * @Dillon still clutched the rosery in hand as his eyes opened. The demon... that was certainly not what the burned man was expecting. And the casual way Theodore conversed with it. Like Sygny, Dillon kept his name to himself, but rather nodded to... Zack. 1"Greetings." 6He was civil, even smiling though with those scars it was more of a horrific grimace.
[20:42] <@Ahriman> Fergus wasn't even going to speak. He tensed up when all the noise started, doing his best to keep his concentration on what he had been told to do. An ear wiggled as people began to speak, but he kept his lips pressed firmly together. No demon was gonna snatch his tongue right out of his face.
[20:49] <@rawr> 6The hand resting on the barrier is green, with speckled brown spots along the flesh, the talons a deep obsidian. One of those talons taps on the 'wall' irritably, and then the smoke begins to retract a bit. Something... tall, and spindly, lurks amidst the smoke, chitinous spikes rising at random places along its frame. The head looks like something insectoid, giant multi-faceted purple
[20:49] <@rawr> 6eyes seen when the smoke drifts away at the right place. 7"Theodore! Oh, what a delight!" 6The angry, seething voice is replaced by something much more... vapid. There's even a hint of a southern twang. 7"I'm so happy to see a familiar face. Who are your friends?" 6The demon's head slams against the wall of the circle, giant eyes blinking hundreds of lids as they inspect Dillon, Sygny
[20:49] <@rawr> 6and Fergus each in turn.
[20:51] <Angel`Pearson> lol effeminate southerntwang demon, sogreat ))
[20:53] <Brad> "Moe, Larry and Curly." 6Ted sighs, and rolls his eyes, then adjusts his glasses. 1"Don't talk to me like an idiot, Zack. They're not on the menu either, so don't get any funny ideas. I just needed some warm bodies tonight. We're experiencing technical difficulties." 6He snaps his fingers at the seemingly easily distracted demon to get his attention. 1"Hey! Eyes here, buddy. I didn't haul you up here to gawk like a tourist." 6They may seem familiar, and 'Zack' may seem... less threatening now, but Ted knows an act when he sees it. Demons are dangerous, even a minor one like this. They'll turn on you the second they think they have a chance, no matter how friendly they may try to appear. Otherwise, they... wouldn't really be demons, would they? 1"I need information."
[20:54] <Suzthulhu> 6Eww. Eww. Eww. Why are these things always so god damn ugly and disgusting? There can't ever be like, a nice looking gentleman demon in an Armani suit. NOPE.avi ALWAYS disgusting. And why so many eyes? Two just doesn't suffice? Nope. Gotta be eleventy fucking billion. "I'm Larry." 6She couldn't help herself. Closing her fingers around the coin in her palm, she lowers her hand, head
[20:54] <Suzthulhu> 6tilting to one side, sizing up the demon while Ted talks to it.
[21:02] * @Dillon held back a nervous and frightened chortle and gripped that rosery tighter. Was Dillon religious? Who knew! But he was not about to drop the holy object. Those many eyes of the demon were glanced to dubiously but he kept his mouth shut. This was an actual demon. A beast from beyond. Similar minded as Sygny. Ug. That thing was hideous, and look who was talking. Mr. Burny. He stood
[21:02] * @Dillon in place, moving neither closer nor farther, attention was on Theodore and this creature.
[21:06] <@rawr> 6Those hundreds of eyes focus on Sygny, and the second claw is pressed up against the barrier. True to its word, a trio of tongues drift forth from somewhere on the demon's mantis-like head, each moving independently of each other, lapping at the 'glass' hungrily. It is REMARKABLY SKEEVY. 7"MmmMmmmm. Aren't you a treat. You smell like... like valkyrha7. And you're built like one, too.
[21:06] <@rawr> 7Delectable... we don't see many of them in the Cage..." 6'Zak' pauses, those eyes blinking around at the others before focusing on Ted. 7"She's wrong. And you're wrong. Your ancestor... her succulent wing-ed companion, they are... severed, from you. Suppressed." 6Hundreds of eyes drift between Dillon and Fergus. 7"Illborn. You, too, are... diminished." 6The triple tongues lash against
[21:06] <@rawr> 6the barrier, and Zak recoils ever so slightly. 7"I taste glamour. Fair arcana." 6All of the eyes whip to Ted, and you could get the impression they were narrowed. 7"What did you do, mortal? He-Who-Never-Dances no longer is. What OTHER Fair did you lot royally piss off?"
[21:10] <Brad> "Mab." 6Ted says, rather succinctly. 1"The Summer Queen and her Summer Court. Like I said, technical difficulties." 6He tucks his hands in his pockets, and shifts on his feet a bit, never taking his eyes off the demon held in its prison. They're such flimsy things, the circles. But they do the trick. 1"So you can probably tell none of us are in the mood for games tonight. Heard anything on your end? I know you don't travel in the same circles, but I know you like to keep tabs on what you can."
[21:11] <Suzthulhu> 6Sygny stares back, unmoving, her expression passively stoney. She's seen a fair bit of... the unusual in her life, mostly due to her bond with Skuld. What she sees, the valkyrie sees, and vice versa. Under normal circumstances, she'd be disturbed that she'd been sussed out so easily. These were not normal circumstances, and the fact that he could smell... taste... her, as unsettling as
[21:11] <Suzthulhu> 6it may be, is not anything really surprising.
[21:13] <@Ahriman> Fergus rolls Ted's dice around between his hands. It's all he can do from keeping his eyes shut and his mouth closed. He's still concentrating as much as he had been before the demon arrived, and would continue to do so until he was told the unnatural thing was gone. Hell, even then, he might keep clenched for a while, just in case.
[21:14] * @Dillon the glass that was not glass showed everything. Nothing was hidden from view. Every sick and perverse motion and action of Zack was on display. It was disturbing. Particularly the demon's actions towards Sygny. It was, not right. If he had to go with a slang term? Yes, SKEEVY would be his choice of phrase. There was a twitch in his eye at the words Diminished. illborn though, no
[21:14] * @Dillon reaction. This was clearly Theodore's territory not his own. Do not listen to its words. Do not break the circle. Stroke the rosary.. Stay in place, offer Theodore the energy he needed.
[21:18] <@rawr> 7"Is THAT where I am? It is so hard to tell, from within your circles." 6Zack throws a bit of hateful bite into the way he says circles, his strange, twangy voice practically spitting the word out. With more Predator kekekekekekeke clicking, he turns his head from side to side, the smoke obscuring most of his form swishing as he does, inspecting the chamber. 7"Mmmmm, the Summer Queen
[21:18] <@rawr> 7stole the power of the illborn and the other... strange, mortals, like yourselves, yes. The Naumkeag Nexus is a very well-watched in the Cage. One of the places we may burst through to signal the End Times." 6Claws and tongues continue dancing against the barrier unchastely - smoke parts, and there's a whip of some sort of chitinous tail very briefly behind him. 7"'Mab' is such a silly
[21:18] <@rawr> 7name, we never knew why she kept the name mortals gave her..."
[21:23] <Brad> "Well what other name would we use? It's not like we have a phone book for you guys." 6Ted says, throwing it out as an offhand, casual comment. There's a chance, a slim chance, that Zak might slip up and blurt out Mab's true name. Might as well go for it. A man can always dream, can't he?
[21:27] <Suzthulhu> "Mab. The Summer Queen. She who plagues women's lips with blisters. Medb. Mabel. The Queen of the Unseelie Court." 6Sygny rattles off the names in monotone, as though not precisely aware she has said anything. Once she is finished, her mouth snaps closed again audibly. In her hand, her thumb is worrying at the coin, though her hands remain down at her sides.
[21:29] * @Dillon no temptations, good. The Demon - Zack, at least think of his name, give him some respect. A being like that? One does not mess around with. Back to the lack of Temptations, a good sign, he was getting right to and sticking to buisness. There was a glance to Sygny before attention was once agian turned on to Theodore and Zack. He was waiting for something, anything that would give
[21:29] * @Dillon them that needed information. Rosary was still rubbed...
[21:33] <@rawr> 6Hundred-fold eyes narrow at Sygny. 7"You have so little breath that you cannot even speak my full name, fleshtoy. To speak the true name of one of the Eldest would take more breaths than your puny little lungs could dream of." 6The skull used to summon Za'karn'akatoth is lifted up, and one of the tongues laps at it, wriggling through the eyes and nasal socket. He doesn't seem to have
[21:33] <@rawr> 6trouble speaking with it doing that, though. 7"I'm tired of talking, Cursed One. Ask me something proper, make a deal. You remember how this goes, Theodore. Surely you are a better businessman than your father." 6Zak's voice is almost sing-song as he says that last bit. 7"Or perhaps I'll do business with your hired help. Mmmm, tall, dark and fleshy?" 6FERGUS HAS A NEW NICKNAME. 7"Care
[21:33] <@rawr> 7to make a deal? Perhaps you?" 6Focusing intently on Dillon. 7"I may be stuck within this circle, but I can make many wild, wild dreams into a reality for you, illborn."
[21:38] <Brad> 6Ted adjust his glasses and narrows his hazel eyes a bit. 'Your father'. It's a trick, Ted, you know that. The chances of this thing having met your father are... don't even think about it. Push it out of your mind. Work to be done. 1"If you can answer my questions, what would appease you?" 6He needs to know the stakes before he can start making a counterbargain. 1"And don't be pedestrian and say my soul, because you know that one's a package deal. You can't get the side dish without the main course, and you don't want the main course. He'll make your widdle tummy all tumbly."
[21:39] <Suzthulhu> 6And Sygny, for her part, continues to simply stare the demon down, or at least stare -at- him anyway. Her thumb rubs the coin in her hand, and then she rolls it between her fingers.
[21:42] * @Dillon that was quite disturbing.. Dillon knew of someone who if he still possessed his powers might be capable of pronouncing such a name, but alas. Like everyone else who had been around his powers were gone. He remained stoic as always. Proper. He may be scarred and feeling lost without his powers, but he was not going to make a deal with a demon. Again came that name. Illborn. There
[21:42] * @Dillon was almost -almost- a snarl on the poper man's face. Though with Dillon's lack of lip his burned face was in a perpetual snarl. Illborn. Of course the demon knew. They always knew these things. Your desires, your true self. How else could they tempt and pry? He was silent. Watching. Clutching that totem.
[21:45] <@Ahriman> Fergus twitched with the 'tall, dark, and flesh' comment. Not gonna do it. Not gonna look, not gonna speak. Just gonna sit there and concentrate on the dice. Not gonna think of the Stay--and now he was thinking of the Stay Puft marshmallow man. They're all screwed.
[21:46] <Brad> 6"I'm sorry Venkman, I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought."
[21:46] <Suzthulhu> Fergus... the next time someone asks you if you're a god, you say YES.
[21:51] <@rawr> 7"What do I want... what do I want..." 6Zak brings a claw under his 'chin', stroking at the mottled green, chitinous flesh - for reference, the tongues are coming from somewhere behind that. Possibly from his neck. Speaking of which, the tongues actually juggle the skull between them for a moment as he thinks. 7"Mmm. I know. I want something of theirs." 6One of the tongues catches the
[21:51] <@rawr> 6skull by the nostril, and the other two point at Sygny and Dillon. 7"Your Slave bores me." 6He definitely just called Fergus a slave. 7"The illborn can give me a drop of blood, or his name... but I so desperately crave a lock of the valkyrha7-touched's hair..." 6The tongue pointing at Sygny curls up, like a beckoning finger, unfurling and curling once or twice more.
[21:54] <Brad> "No deal, Zak. I summoned you, it's my price to pay." 6Ted keeps those eyes narrowed, and there's just a hint, a flicker of that blue flame behind them. Quentin may be locked away, prevented from taking form or communicating with Ted, but there's just that little bit seeping through the cracks. He tightens his lips. He has to think fast, before any of them do something stupid and try to be heroic. Sygny might have a better idea of just what they're dealing wtih than the other two, but Fergus and Dillon, they're likely to damn themselves with good intentions if he doesn't put himself between them and Za'karn'akatoth. 1"I have a memory." 6He says, it's something... very dear to him. 1"It's yours to take if you'll answer my questions."
[21:58] <Suzthulhu> 6Oh, this time Sygny does visibly stiffen. The coin rolling between her knuckles, outside her conscious influence, stops, clasped between her middle and ring fingers, thumb on the curved outside edge. Her mouth opens to speak, and that hair the demon so craves? There is just the faintest.... so faint as to be imperceptible by anyone without the sight 6... but there it is... a glow.
[21:58] <Suzthulhu> 6Like a nimbus around her, it shifts, like flames, and then vanishes. Her gaze flickers from Ted to the demon. "He may have it. If that is what he wants."
[21:59] <@Ahriman> ...oh no that muthafucka didn't. His eyes finally opened, but only enough to glare at the HOLYSHITWHATTHEHELLISTHAT. And then they shut tightly; not gonna make that mistake again. He did, however, make a note to throw up later.
[22:00] * @Dillon does Theodore take him for an idiot? Name? Blood? Hair? All of them big no-nos to share with or give freely to such a creature. Dillon may not be well versed or aware of the specifics of the situation but witchcraft, demon summoning? Those three offerings Zack suggested were not prices to pay if you wished to remain healthy and your own person. His name was not something he wished
[22:00] * @Dillon to share. Blood was no better. Theodore's offer? Hopefully that was wnough. But then Sygny spoke up. Dillon turned to her in surprise.
[22:07] <@rawr> 6Fergus reacts, and a tongue drifts in his direction, along with Zak's eyes. There is a sickly, wheezing laugh. 7"Careful, boy7, we wouldn't want you to tug at that leash of yours." 6In the vaguely southern voice the demon speaks with, the implication of the word 'boy' is even slimier than it would have been otherwise. His head drifts back to Ted, Predator clicking for a moment.
[22:07] <@rawr> 67"Your warrior woman has made her offer. I will take them both. Your memory, and her lovely blonde locks. I will receive two gifts, for this is the second time you've called upon my services. Two gifts, or you get nothing from me, and will continue to flounder in the wake of the Queen's wrath." 6Any amusement or playfulness in his voice is gone.
[22:10] <Suzthulhu> "Give me a knife." 6Surely Ted would have one handy. She certainly doesn't.
[22:13] <Brad> "NO." 6He practically shouts at Sygny, and then winces. Ted shakes his head. 1"No, no deal. I'll..." 6Shit. He can't let Sygny do this. He absolutely cannot, and Zak knows it. The hair, it's a diversion. He knows what this monster wants. 1"The memory, and..." 6Think, think, think. 1"You get the memory, and... you get twenty four hours." 6He lets out a deep sigh, and stares straight into one of those hundreds of eyes, letting Za'karn'akatoth stare back, into him, so he knows it's not a gamble, or a trick, or that Ted has a way out of that. 1"When I die, no matter what, you get me all to yourself for twenty four hours."
[22:18] <Suzthulhu> 6Sygny moves, a short distance, coming to stand to one side and slightly behind Ted. A hand raises, and then is laid on his shoulder. "You give too much. I know..." 6What I'm doing? Well, technically yes, she knows what her actions are. But the repercussions... still. Her voice is calm, quiet, and low. Something is pushing her to make the offer, to join in the deal; whether it's accepted
[22:18] <Suzthulhu> 6or not is not her decision. "Now give me a knife."
[22:19] * @Dillon Also wanted to yel NO at Sygny, but bit his tongue. Not speaking up. Not giving this thing anything more to grab on to. Anyone else to hold on to. And then Theodore said his line... Offering himself to this beast once he died? Good thing rosarys had beads, or he may have dropped it in shock at the offer. Dillon opened his mouth as though he were about to speak, but no sound came
[22:19] * @Dillon out. Was he going to protest? offer something of his? This was not the time to play hero. No need to geth three of them pulled into this mess. No need to force Theodore to give more of himself than he already was. There was an extra pang of pain in his eyes as he watched Theodore and Syngy. Dillon clamped a hand over his mouth as he found himself about to mouth Sygny's name.
[22:21] <Brad> 6Ted spins on his heels and lowers his voice, turning his back to the caged demon. 14"Listen to me, and listen very carefully. He is using you to make me give up more of myself, and I've given up about all I goddamn can right now. So shut up, sit down, and pick your battles more carefully next time."
[22:24] <@rawr> 6The sound Zak makes is something pleasurable, just... filthy, oozing with something vile. 7"You would give me such a commodity... such an exquisite gift... Mmm, you have a deal, Theodore. We will have to do business at a different time, woman, I will take both of the Cursed's offerings." 6Endless eyes narrow at Sygny, 7"But do not fret. I will remember you, sweetling." 6That insectoid
[22:24] <@rawr> 6head turns to Dillon, and then Fergus. 7"All of you. Now make your payment, Theodore, and let us conclude our business."
[22:26] <Suzthulhu> 6So be it. Sygny will have to throttle Ted later for being a dumbass. Her eyes narrow at the demon, but she says nothing else. Let him come. It won't be just her he has to contend with then. She hopes.
[22:29] <Brad> 6Sygny can throttle him all she likes, but this is Ted's life. He's been borrowing from one Hell to pay another since the day he was born, and one way or another, this is just how things were bound to end up. Thanks again, Dad. With another heavy sigh, Ted closes his eyes, and then steps toward the prison. Keeping clear of the binding circles on the floor, he presses his forehead against the ethereal wall holding the demon in place. 1"It's a deal." 6He says, gritting his teeth. He's never had a memory taken from him before, but knowing demons, he assumes Zak is going to make it painful. 1"Get it over with, and then give me some answers."
[22:34] * @Dillon still held onto that totem and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head, eyes closed. He opened them a few moments afterwards, a frown crossed his face at the price Theodore was paying... Nothing could be done about that.. Now what they did this mess for...
[22:35] <@rawr> 6The triple tongues are writhing in excitement as Ted places his forehead against the invisible wall keeping Zak safely locked away. The demon rears up and lunges foreward. They get to see, with horror, as the area where Zak's neck starts beneath his mantis-like face opens up, some sort of enormous, verticle maw, fleshy and moist, a blood red, bristling with thousands of miniscule razor
[22:35] <@rawr> 6sharp teeth. The 'mouth' presses against the 'wall', and there is a horrible slurping sound... and then he leans back, back into the smoke. There is no fanfare, no agonizing moment of utter pain for Theodore. In a blip - a gross blip, but a blip nonetheless - the memory disappears, fades away. No matter how hard Ted tries to grasp at the image, it will never come. Never again. Zak lets
[22:35] <@rawr> 6out a pleased rumble, and murmurs, 7"Mmmm. Ask your questions. Be specific."
[22:40] <Brad> 14"Fuck you." 6Ted whispers against the glass-like surface of empty air separating him from the demon. He fights back tears. Of course he knew. He knew that he'd always know it was taken. That he wouldn't simply forget, and not have the memory. He'd know it was gone, forever. He takes a deep breath and pulls back, stepping away, leveling an angry gaze on Za'karn'akatoth. 1"By the terms of our deal, every answer is honest and direct, or the deal is broken." 6He straightens up, and clears his throat. 1"First question. Mab gave us an invitation to her realm, a way to get back what's been stolen. It's a game she wants us to play. What isn't the Summer Queen telling us about this game?"
[22:46] <Suzthulhu> 6Sygny also makes a note to vomit when this is over. She has a sinking feeling that something very important was just... taken from Ted. His body posture before and after he pressed his face to the 'glass' enclosing the demon had shifted dramatically. With her eyebrows knitting themselves a sweater across her face, she frowns, shaking her head. And this is only the beginning of Ted's
[22:46] <Suzthulhu> 6long, horrible journey with Zagnut.
[22:47] * @Dillon he had nothing to add. He was not going to speak. To speak now was to draw attention to himself. Attention that would lead to temptation. He would not be tempted by a demon. Sygny looked ill, he was pretty sure Fergus was going to have an episode once this was over. Hard to tell if anything was wrong with Dillon though, seeing as it looked like Zack had already dragged him home
[22:47] * @Dillon with him and then threw him back upstairs.
[22:49] <@rawr> 6There is a pause, as if Zak is thinking about the question very intently, like he's remembering something. The big bug eyes glow a soft green for a moment. 7"The Queen is summoning you to a 'trial', but this is the peak of her power, the middle of your Summer. There will be fewer memembers of the Winter Court at the trial, and it is still too far off for the Winter Queen to be in
[22:49] <@rawr> 7attendance. As such the 'trial' will be in her favor. Pleading may do little for you, if anything." 6A snort. 7"The Fair are anything but."
[22:53] <Brad> 6Damn. A wasted question, but as they hadn't bargained for a set number of questions, that doesn't concern Ted all that much. Ha ha. Gotcha, Zarathustra. Read the fine print next time you try to fuck me over. 1"Next question. If this is a trial, if we have to prove our worth, who among the court is most..." 6He pauses, and then shakes his head. No, phrase this better. 1"Do we..." 6No, phrase it better, Ted. Nothing that would let him give a simple yes or no non-answer. 1"Who is our ally in the Fair?" 6If he says no-one, that's... too bad, so sad. But he can't dodge a question as direct as that if there's another answer to it.
[22:54] <Suzthulhu> 6Zoroaster 1, Ted 0. Luckily they're not really keeping score here. Well... not with numbers anyway.
[22:59] <@rawr> 6Another pause, his eyes glowing. 7"The Winter Court is your very best hope for survival. They will be in attendance, but in a diminished capacity. You picked a very bad time to deny a Queen's request, mortals." 6Zak tsk-tsks, but adds, 7"They are hardly your allies, but in this matter, they will be Summer's foe. You have tread upon a centuries old struggle, and the Courts are very
[22:59] <@rawr> 7bitter with each other regarding Naumkeag."
[23:02] * @Dillon great, just great... An answer they basically already knew. The second question gave them a better answer. Not one that was pleasant to hear, but at least it was a strait answer. They had horrible timing... On their part anyway. Mab likely thought this was perfect and hillarious. A name. Naumkeag? Who was Naumkeag? Dillon looked over at Theodore.
[23:04] <Brad> 6The Winter Court. That's surprising. He would have expected the Winter Queen to be even less... amenable to mortals than the Summer Queen. God, why couldn't this happen in spring, though? The Spring Court was always so nice to deal with. All about renewal, new life, the maintenance of the young. They LIKED mortals, or as near to liking as the Unseelie ever got. 1"Next question, and I want a name. I know there's someone else, I've sensed it, even thought I can't get a fix on it. Quentin, you remember Quentin, right? Big, fiery ghost knight. Big sword. Likes to cut uppity demons in half? Quentin sensed something aside from Mab, just on the edges, where we couldn't see. Who is it?"
[23:08] <Suzthulhu> 6Sygny blinks. Something else... something out of the corner of an eye, that vanished when you looked right at it. So she hadn't been imagining things.
[23:09] <@rawr> 7"Someone affiliated with the Winter Queen. A.... a Puck." 6WHAT UP SHAKESPEARE. 7"You have two more questions, mortals."
[23:11] <Brad> "Wait a minute, we never bargained on a number of questions, Ziggy." 6Ted snaps back, angrily. 1"Do I need to void our agreement? Because I will, and you damn well know it'll stick, even down there in that little sphincter you call home." 6He narrows his eyes, and straightens up as much as he can. 1"How can we contact this Puck?"
[23:12] * @Dillon was basically alone here. Theodore and Sygny had some involvement with magic. Fergus had well... for some reason the term Fergus'd had come into his mind. Where had he got that from? Stay quiet. Let the crusader's host deal with this. Theodore was a smart man, knew what he was doing. Dillon smirked - or tried too. Once again. Lips were needed.
[23:16] <@Ahriman> Fergus was still there. He was just sticking to his thorough NOPEing of the situation. Quiet, still, eyes closed. He was already gonna throw up once, he didn't wanna pile on top of that. 'Cause that's gross.
[23:17] <@rawr> 6Zak lets out a growl along with his clicking, looking to Dillon, his triad of tongues lapping against the wall of his prison 7"You seem very intelligent. Can't you ask a question? Theodore is tiring me." 6Fergus. 7"I'm sure even you might have a question for me." 6Back to Ted. 7"When your delegation accepts Mab's invitation, he will be present at your trial. Otherwise, he is as
[23:17] <@rawr> 7flighty as the North Wind."
[23:20] <Brad> "You're tired? So help me you try to bullshit me and I WILL file a complaint with the Stygian Chasm. You want your ass busted down to a rhyming demon? I'll be your worst goddamn nightmare, Ziplock. I've been in a Ph.D. program. I know how to work a beurueacracy." 6Ted keeps his eyes narrowed as he stares down the demon in the cage he's built for it. 1"Dillon, don't talk to him. He's trying to get you to slip up." 6He collects himself again, and asks another question. 1"We'll be done here soon. Can we trust this Puck?"
[23:25] * @Dillon Stoic. Quiet. Trying to appear as proper as her did back when he had unburned skin and a form that resembled a decent body. He would not slip. The Demon had nothing he wanted. Speaking would give it an edge. A window. No speech, just a subtle nod to Theodore. Not even a wince as Theodore had just announced his name to the beast.
[23:27] <@rawr> 7"Dillon. Mm." 6That tail whips through the smoke behind him, and his tongues are juggling the skull again. 7"Temper temper, Theodore. You don't have your hulking ancestor here to help you if you throw a tantrum. You can't trust the Fair. Any of them. They are not businessmen like those of us who stew in the Cage. But the Puck... The Puck will have the Winter Court's best interests at
[23:27] <@rawr> 7heart."
[23:29] <Brad> 6FUCK. That was a slip. He'll be kicking himself for that later. Giving up a name, rookie mistake. He wheels his eyes back on the demon, but he just gave up something that could be just as important, possibly without realizing it. 1"And what are the Winter Court's best interests?"
[23:34] * @Dillon don't react. Do not react to Zuko saying your name. Don't look at him. Dillon was a spectator and donor here. Sure his powers hung in the balance same as everyone else here, But he was just here for support. Theodore's anctient many greats over grandfather wasn't here. He and the other two guests were lending what they could. He rubbed the rosary again.
[23:37] <@rawr> 7"That the Summer Court does not win the war with the Circle of Crows."
[23:38] <Brad> "And who among the Circle of Crows can we make our ally?" 6Ted snaps back, rapid fire. They need every scrap of information they can get right now, and he's convinced that, while Zak may be losing his patience, he's more afraid of the repercussions of reneging than he is about wasting his time.
[23:41] * @Dillon you can do this, Theodore. Dillon was thinking, not saying. Get that information. They needed to... to what? Fight them? Defeat the fae? Fool them? Outsmart them? Much as he wanted to step in, he knew not too. Theodore's warning from before still ringing.
[23:43] <@rawr> 7"Align yourselves with the Winter Court, and you will align yourselves with the Circle," 6Zak says, playfully. 7"The Crows are a sinking ship, without the man your lot murdered."
[23:48] <Brad> "Good. They're sons of bitches anyway. The world's better off without them." 6Ted rubs his chin. The Winter Court. That's the key to this. Any more questions about this, it's just going to be going around in circles, no pun intended. But now he has one question, one final question that Zak must answer, or renege on the deal. Reneging? The Stygian don't cotton much to that shit. Demons are supposed to have the edge on mortals after all, honor their debts, and collect on the debts they've tricked the unwary into making. But Ted? Ted's smart. And he's angry. He's given up something that he knows he'll never get back. 24 hours in hell with this guy? That's not the half of it. But that memory, that one memory of his father's face, he's going to make this motherfucker pay for taking that from him. See, they say you don't form memories until you're at least a few years old, but they're there. Most people just don't know how to look for them. Ted did. And now, he'll never see that face again, the smile on a father's face that only comes when a son is first born. The hope, the pride, everything. It's gone, forever, and he's going to make him pay for that. 1"Last question, or you welch. What is your true, full name?"
[23:55] * @Dillon And again the discussion went beyond his knownledge. The courts and the crows. The storyline was an easy one to follow though he completely missed out on who some of the characters were. These Crows. But their loss brought a positive vibe to Ted so Dillon was taking that as it was. And then Theodore dropped the bomb. He almost ALMOST allowed a chortle to escape at Theodore's next
[23:55] * @Dillon question. He caught himself and due to the state ofhis throat sounded and was a cough.
[23:58] <@rawr> 6Those hundreds of eyes blink. Then, the relatively calm, cool collected demon, who had been doing his best to push the group's buttons, explodes into a whirl of madness, hammering himself against the barrier, screaming, 7"NO! YOU INSIPID LITTLE BAG OF FLESH! You tricked me! You tricked me!" 6The others wouldn't necessarily notice, but Ted would most assuredly feel the waves of energy
[23:58] <@rawr> 6pulsing from the barrier as Zak tries to break through.
[00:00] <Brad> "I told you, Zoidberg." 6Ted leans in real close, keeping away from the barrier, but bringing his face inches from the invisible wall separating him from the demon. 1"I'm your worst fucking nightmare." 6He pulls back, smiling now. 1"So what's it gonna be? Answer the question, or forfeit the deal? If I were you, I'd answer the question. I'm a LOT nicer of a master than anybody in the Pit. I promise with sugar on top not to abuse you."
[00:04] * @Dillon outwitting a demon! Ha! It was just like in almost every fable. He would clap and commend Theodore. But not now, later. Dillon did not wish to draw attention. Zero knew he was beaten. Poking him, was tempting, but not worth the possible backlash.
[00:11] <@rawr> 6Pausing, the demon hisses, staring at the barrier holding him in the mortal plane, panting heavily. 7"You... you filthy little meat puppet. You can't do this to me. I am above you."
[00:15] <Brad> "Not from where I'm standing." 6Ted responds, still smiling. 1"Answer the question or forfeit the deal. Just, y'know, bear in mind, you forfeit? That's not going to go down well for you, Zeppo. I know how you demons like to tear eachother apart. A lot. Over and over again. For years." 6He pulls his phone from his pocket, and starts checking his emails on it, looking bored. 1"Soooooooooooooo, if I were you, I'd really ask myself. Who's going to hurt me more? The Chasm? Or lil' ol' Ted?"
[00:18] <@Ahriman> "oooo, is this one gonna get raped?" Fergus finally piped up, grinning broadly. It was almost enough to make him want to take a peek, but he fought off that urge. He'd seen once, and that was 3 times too many. That'll teach the demonic douche for being racis.
[00:18] <Brad> "Oh good, you're still with us, Fergus." 6Ted grins at the younger man. 1"Ever wanted to see a demon get grabbed by the balls? Because that just happened."
[00:19] <@rawr> 6Another pause, and the demon presses itself against the barrier. 7"You may have my name, mongrel, but I still have the last image of your pathetic failure of a daddy anybody on this rock will ever have of him." 6With that, Zak hisses a mumbled line to Ted. His name.
[00:23] <Brad> "Ooooh, I like it when you're nasty." 6Ted makes a dramatic movement of shivering at the demon's hissed words, and then leans in to hear the true name. 1"You took that from me, willingly. Even a demon, even your kind, that's low for you. That's a new low. So I want you to scurry on back to your little hole in the Pit. I want you to tell all your little friends there, all your little compatriots, with their big claws and teeth and lashing whips and all that tough talk they think they've got on us mere mortals." 6He leans forward then, and presses his forehead against the barrier. 1"I want you to tell them, Quentin isn't the one they should be scared of. Do you fucking understand me?" 6He doesn't wait for an answer, and instead pulls back again, then holds his hand out. 1"Dimittere." 6He says, and his voice comes out as an almost deafening boom. Release. Zak is free to go back to the depths he crawled out of, and Ted knows his true name now. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
[00:31] * @Dillon there was that skull like toothy grin... err flexing of his mouth. Theodore called out Zazu's real name. Dillon was clapping and now chosing to talk. Dimiterre was beaten. Snicker. 1"Good show, there." 6Teaching the demon a lesson.
[00:32] <Brad> "Fergus, you can open your eyes now, he's gone." 6Ted says, and then looks at him, Dillon and Sygny. 1"Okay, I'm only gonna say this once." 6He holds his hand up. 1"But can I GET a high five, because that was... COME ON. I mean seriously."
[00:33] <@rawr> 6'Come on. Bring it in. Somebody?'
[00:37] * @Dillon chuckled at Fergus. The man had been petrified. 1"It is over, Fergus." 6And then to Theodore. 1"Normally I am not one for such actions..." 6Especially now given the loss of his handsome and unscarred body. 1"but this is cause for celebration. I shall make an acception." 6High-five from the dandy man? Fearies attacking. That confirmed it they were in crazy land. All of them.
[00:41] <@Ahriman> Fergus waited a minute, just in case it was Zanzibar using Ted's voice, before he cracked an eye. Alright, so Zaftig was gone, and no one had been turned inside-out. There weren't even any Cenobites left behiind. Success! Fergus stood and crossed the short distance to Ted. Since the high five had been satisfied, he went for an overly elaborate ethnic hand slapping, one which was probably
[00:41] <@Ahriman> thoroughly awkward before it was abandoned.
[00:45] <Brad> "Alright. New plan." 6TTed says, that fire behind his eyes plainly evident. 1"I need a pot of black coffee, strong. I need full, twenty four hour library access, and anyone that's willing to help gets that too. We're going to find out everything we can about the Winter Court, and this Puck." 6Ted, with a renewed purpose, starts to stride out of the sims. He looks refreshed, renewed, like a new man, no longer the nebbish, bookish drunk that so many of them were familiar with. This is the real Ted, this is who he is, the man that walks the line between heaven and hell, and somehow makes it work in his favor. He's not conjuring lightning, or bringing fire from the depths, but what he's just done is no less impressive. 1"And somebody feed my god damn cats."
[00:46] <Brad> 6And he TOTALLY haters gonna hate walks on out, too.
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