Outside of Tasha's chosen grotto, her 'date' for the night, the mostly silver dragoness Gwyndrael Stormborn (who is at least twenty times as large as Tasha by volume, dependant on clockwork prosthetics for her arm and wing, and many thousands of years old) pauses, and tells Tasha, "I haven't done this in awhile, and I don't know how well my prosthetics will do, but I need a bit of room to prepare so you should stand back a bit."
"Well it's my first time with a dragon, too, so I'll just admit I'm a little nervous." Tasha does indeed stand back, and while she initiated this foray, she isn't exactly sure how it will go, how to go about it, or even if it's possible at all. She has ideas, and isn't the adventure half the fun? Sometimes it's even all the fun if things go badly, but she's feeling confident enough not to want to dwell on that. At least if she gets injured she'll have a great story to tell.
Gwyndrael starts to do a sort of dance. She stays mostly in place and just turns in a circle while saying things under her breath. But soon enough a sort of glow begins to outline her.
Tasha usually expects her partners to glow after sex, not before, and definitely not so literally. This is new, so she just stands there and tilts her head, ears perked.
The dragon begins to shrink.. or at least that's how it looks, initially. At one point she stands on her hind legs, and the process stops when she's about eight feet tall. Her arm and wing look more mechanical, and she has to flex them several times. "Haven't spent enough time like this," she claims. "So my clockwork hasn't been as affected apparently. But nothing is squeaky."
"Huh," goes Tasha, who tilts her head the other way; her ears flick, " ... pretty neat." She thinks she learned the phrase form Hakeber at some point, or maybe Mariel. "So this is sort of your humanoid-mode form?" She begins walking around in a circle to get a better look, and to strategize.
Well, it's a bipedal form at least. Gwyndrael still looks like a dragon, just more compact. She takes a few steps, flexes her toes and shoulders and twists at the hip to make sure she can move like she expects. She's not a svelte as in her normal form, being a bit chunkier when compressed. "You're familiar with cloaca I assume?" she asks Tasha.
Tasha reflects on her anatomy. "Somethings birds and some reptiles have, a kind of two-for-one opening for laying eggs and other things. I've never been with anyone who has one though; I think Aquilians might have but, well, never been with. I was a big too rough back then, you know?" Her shrug is happy-go-lucky.
"Hmm, so some experimenting may be necessary, as I'm not familiar with whatever plumbing you have either," the dragon admits, then reaches down and one of Tasha's forearms. "You aren't hollow-boned, are you?"
Tasha is too lightweight to really resist even if she wanted to, so her arm goes up. "No, I'm lighter than I was but not that much. And, well, I'm the only one of my kind, but I have the two, you know, the vagina and the anus combination. I also have my amazing tail." And so she flips it forward and lets it wave. "It's prehensile, you know. I got the idea from Phins on how to use it, and I actually have a male.. I suppose remote or avatar. We're still working on the name."
After watching Tasha's tail, Gwyndrael checks her own. Since it's thicker, she can't twist it quick at tightly, and the tip is pretty stiff as well in comparison. It also makes her wobble a bit when she tries, as her wings make her top-heavy. "I probably won't need to use mine," she decides. "I smell humans in the grotto, and.. something feathery," the dragon notes. "Are they dangerous?"
"Yes, but one's friendly, one hates everything but will leave you alone if you don't annoy her, and the last one's Kai." Tasha shrugs. "They're my traveling companions. Kai's a soulless, what did they call her, something like a golem. The human's a human, he's just big. The goose is a goose, we don't eat her because she watches our stuff and gets very bitey." She waggles a hand towards the entrance. "Anyway, they're fine."
"A goose?" Gwyndrael asks, pausing for a moment. "How man heads does it have?" she then asks.
"Just the one, and a spikey hat. Just stay out of her turf and she won't ankle-bite you," Tasha assures, walks over to pat the big dragoness's thigh, then she tries patting her butt just to see if she can get away with it. "They're all ostensibly my bodyguards. Kai's supposed to teach me things."
Given the girth of her tail, Gwyndrael has more haunch than butt, and it's pretty hard.. but at least the scales don't hurt Tasha's palm. The dragon seems to take it as a prompt to get moving, and she actually drops back to all fours before trotting into the grotto.
Tasha thinks this may be her most exotic encounter yet, but she doesn't feel as intimidated as she might have. For all their age, she's found ancient mortal-like beings to be a lot closer to her than she suspected, a trait she thinks must be a combination of being unable to remember everything, continuing to be mortal, and some other nebulous element she can't quite describe yet. She follows along, saying, "The grotto's nice, even if I may not be the best reviewer of grottos. This is my first real 'grotto' experience."
"Real grottos are extremely rare, Gwyndrael says as she bounds towards the back wall, following the opposite side of the pull from the goose (and Wulfgaar and Kai). Kai is pretending to be asleep. The dragon moves like a cat, and seems to prefer higher spaces as she searches for a suitable shelf and get her mechanical arm under control. It's caused her to nearly slip a few times already.
Tasha observes this from the ground; when it's her turn she'll just hover or climb up, having gotten enough body practice with her own new body parts to not need to scramble everywhere, or at least not as much. When Gwyndrael almost slips she doesn't comment, as it would be rude, and she further resists the urge to pet her, because she isn't actually a cat.
The dragon finally settles on a prominent ledge near a waterfall, which.. looks easily defensible. She sort of flops onto her side and waits for Tasha.
Tasha can appreciate wanting to mate in a defensive location, it seems like something canids also developed, what with being able to face both ways after sex -- something Gabriel explained to her at one point while she was decidedly not going anywhere after mating. After kicking off the ground, Tasha hovers in to the air, then bats her wings to propel herself forward until she cuts the field and lands with a clip-clop of cloven hooves. She holds her hands out in a 'ta-da' manner, and follows this up by dropping on top of Gwyndrael playfully to hug her. "Hi."
"You are very exotic," the dragon says, and pats Tasha's rear with her fleshier hand. "How wide can you open your jaw, out of curiousity?"
"This wide," Tasha answers, opening her jaw right after to demonstrate. Usually this is followed by something getting put in it, but she likes to play along and seem easy to take advantage of.
"Hmmm," the dragon goes, and suggests, "Can you bite the base of one of my horns?" She then offers up her head, which has several to choose from. "I don't think you can bite my neck."
Tasha considers this, then shifts around and scrambles up until she's in range. Not thinking she can actually injure Gwyndrael with her relatively tiny mouth, she tries biting down as hard as she can.
The dragon rumbles a bit, then suggests, "Try getting your arm around my neck.. with the elbow at my spine? Pretend it's your jaw."
Tasha remembers a similar sort of move that's used to choke people unconscious, but the intent is very different here. She wonders if this is how two female dragons go at it or if she's taking the male role -- or if for dragons there isn't a difference. She wonders with how she's growing if there will be a difference for her in time, either. "Like this?" She gets her arm back there, but it does require most of her body also be pretty high up on the dragoness.
"Rrr, yes," Gwyndrael responds. "Try.. chewing.."
It reminds her of one of those snacks she was given to clean her teeth, especially the ones back on Sinai, which were very tough indeed. "Rrrthris irrt?"
"Dragons vary in how sensitive their hides are," Kai notes, unbidden, in Tasha's mind. "She seems one of the thick-skinned sort. Try focusing on transitional areas such as where her horns emerge or wing-vane edges."
"Mmmove up and down the neck," the dragon growls a bit.
Tasha follows both advice, and she scoots up so she can get more bite force using her center and rear teeth rather than just the thin front ones, using the large muscles. This makes it impossible to talk, but at least her wagging tail gives away her emotions.
"Low-frequency sounds penetrate well," Kai continues to advise. "If you can get your snout into a spot and produce some, she'll melt. Dragons never invented vibrators."
Right now the only spot Tasha's getting in to with her mouth is where she's biting, but she does have taloned hands and her grip strength is at least decent. She she wraps her talons around horns, and digs in, massaging. And since she wants to try things too, she flips her tail towards the dragon's mouth to see what happens, then starts growling, because it's probably low frequency. She's not an Eeee.
It takes some time for Gwyndrael to notice Tasha's tail, but once she does she tries catching it with her tongue. "I suggest beating your wings to a slow rhythm," Kai offers. "That will help create some vibration, but also build up some telekinetic energy."
Dragon sex, as Tasha is figuring out, is a fully body affair. She half expects she might need to start chanting, invoke magic, and maybe throw a few Yellow swords in to the wall for mood lighting. But she's game, that's what the adventure is about, and she's tired of moping anyway, she's in it. Her wings flap, though she isnb't sure how much telekinetic energy that generates and hopes she doesn't end up smoking again.
"Save the energy for when you're ready to lick her wings," Kai suggests. "They never expect that. Dragons aren't exactly sensualists, given the variety of natural armor. Except for the telepathic ones. Telepaths can get freaky."
"I can only imagine." After all imagination is what the mind's all about, and those dragons can project it. Maybe she shouldn't learn to be telepathic, it could get her in trouble. Or maybe she should, and it could get her in trouble. And so Tasha carries on, letting her tail get sucked, and chewing and biting away. It's not exactly what she's used to, but since she stripped before coming up here there's a certain sensuality to being able to chew all over a woman four times as large as she is, and a dragon at that. Dragons seemed impeccable, distant, and there's something enticing to her about being able to make such a being melt. Maybe she should try it with Katie, be aggressive.
"Be sure to check between her legs every so often," Kai notes. "You're looking for rise in temperature compared to the surrounding scales. Warmer means you won't have to punch as much."
Dragon sex is also more violent than she expected, she's surprised she hasn't gotten in a brawl by this point. She hopes Kai isn't teasing her, or making things up, because while she's resilient a lot of her is in biting and fire range. And since she can't climb down easily she has to flick her tail away long enough to explore for heat, using her feet as well. It's by far the biggest size difference she's ever had to handle!
At least Gwyndrael hasn't moved much. She's lying on her left side, which means all of her prosthetics are out of the way. And Kai keeps advising Tasha on where to be gentle, which is always a surprise to Gwyndrael, but Kai explains, "The more you use your tongue on sensitive transitional areas, the more it will get across how you want to be stimulated in a safe way."
And things do begin to heat up every time Tasha checks the dragon's temperature.
Tasha hopes she's conveying things well and isn't about to be snapped like a twig. She does like it when Gabriel takes charge and bites her, throwing her over this and that, but she suspects he feels a little bad about it after, as if he might be degrading her. Which he's not, she believes, but she decides she should tell him this directly. For whatever reason this newfound drive has encouraged her to be more direct and positive, perhaps she's learning a great deal about how to be through dragons, a better way to conduct herself and see the world, and expanding in to the others she's become, rather than fearing that expansion. And as she considers this she keeps at things, which is heating her up too, especially thinking about Gabriel, and that she's making a dragon very horny. A dragon.
"From here, it's probably familiar territory," Kai mentally whispers. "Probe with fingers, feel around to figure out where everything is, then make a fist and go in up to your elbow. Wiggle your fingers around, rub and scratch.. the usual. But be careful, as egg-layers can have very muscular birth canals. Like dolphins too, for that matter."
Tasha came prepared for this. She could use her hands, but she has a better idea. She gently but firmly nudges the dragon to roll on to her back while keeping at things.
There are metallic clicks as overlapping plates shift along Gwyndrael's ribcage and arm. "This is new," she comments on the position.
"Consider it a taste of how we do things," Tasha explains, taking a moment to speak as she shifts her position. She sits on the dragoness's chest, straddling her, then shifts down as much as she can and pulls the dragoness's head a bit down with her. She then reaches around to dig her talons in to sensitive places around the horns, using her teeth to get the closer oens. And, most importantly, it means she doesn't have to stop doing this to use her tail. It's longer than her arm and more flexible, and it lets her rub her body against the dragoness, so she doesn't need to tend to herself. "Ready? here we go." She only vaguely remembers being Sasha, but she amply remembers being a woman, and so she carefully, but firmly, shifts her tail down and in to the dragoness.
It feels odd at first, since while the dragon is very warm there, she's also very dry. This means the fur of Tasha's tail tickles, causing a chuffing growl that might be dragon giggling, and some squirming as well. Gwyndrael also has a dry tongue, which she's using on Tasha's chest and belly in a haphazard way, since her snout is in the vicinity anyway.
Tasha's fine with this, and even takes a chance to lick the tongue when she can. She wasn't expecting the dryness but she can work with things as they are, she's wet enough for herself anyway. "Bring your wings in," she husks, trying to gauge how close the dragoness is without many of the usual signs. She even has another idea and pulls her tail out long enough to rub against it herself, to slick it, and then put it back in.
There's not a lot of pressure on the tail just yet (it's relatively narrow compared to the orifice in question). Gwyndrael pulls her wings in more, until they're pressed against her sides. "Mrrph?" she seems to query as she nuzzles at Tasha's chest and abdomen.
Tasha matches her wings to brushes her feathers against Gwyndrael's, then she decides she's multitasking as much as she can manage, and so begins thrusting her hips along the dragon, which helps her along as well. Her tail gets curled, to add a bit of girth, and shifts from bite to licking on an irregular basis, using her claws for both a biting analogue and for leverage. She hopes the combined stimulation is enough, and that Kai will tell her what to do with her wings when it's time, assuming she can still focus by then!
"Now is probably the time to release that energy," Kai advises. "Through your tail. I can open the channel if you find it difficult."
Tasha tries to do it herself first, having Kai help her with the finish seems like the wrong way to conclude things. She she tries to focus while keeping herself rigth at the edge.
The edge matters, apparently. Things sort of 'pop' all at once, with the rush down her tail feeling very much like what Sasha does, but when it disperses into Gwyndrael flesh Tasha still feels connected through it, so there's quite a bit of feedback going on, which probably explains why the dragon arches her back at the same time and sucks in a deep breath.
Tasha does the same, wings flaring out and eyes rolling back as she has to hold on to Gwyndrael's horns and squeeze her legs to keep from falling off, not that she wouldn't have done these things anyway. And, it all vanishes in a white haze of pleasure and intensity that feeds in to itself, until she can't even think anymore, only get lost in a tide of emotion and carnal pleasure. It's not quite like anything she's done before, which she'll only recognize later.
Her back feels a little sore, but nothing like the last time she released any energy. And she's nearly knocked over by Gwyndrael's nuzzle, which is followed by a light bite that engulfs both of Tasha's breasts. It's the only thing the dragon can really get to while her horns are being held.
Tasha can't quite get herself up for a moment, have to tongue-out pant as she recovers herself. Orgasm is intense enough without feeling two of them, and discharging psychokinetic energy! After a moment, she pushes up, then grabs the dragon's head as she pulls herself up to nuzzle in to the other woman. "Hee ... hee ... not so bad, h-huh?"
"No, not at all," Gwyndrael agrees. "And I didn't draw blood, either."
"I appreciate that," Tasha says as she slumps down to cuddle, "Though I've lost a lot more blood for a lot less worthy things."
"I have to change back now," the dragon warns, as she begins to glow again.
"Okay." Tasha pushes off, then shifts her position so she doesn't get crushed, and rides the size increase on upward. Most of her partners shrink after sex, not grow, and so this is a first for her.
Soon Gwyndrael is sprawled across the ledge, taking up most of it. Her prosthetics look smoother and more natural again as well.
And so Tasha sprawls on Gwyndrael; after all the ground is now very far away, she she's nice and tired now, which makes this as good a sleeping place as any. She can always fly down and grab her blanket if she needs one, but she has wings and fur. As for safety, there's no safer place unless it's with Kai, and Kai doesn't seem the type to let her sleep on top of her.
"Try to get some rest, and be sure to leave Gwyndrael one of your feathers," Kai notes.
"No need to tell me, that was intense. I'll leave her one of my feathers." A pause, then Tasha adds, "Thanks for the help, by the way." She fishes back and tries to wiggle out one of her bigger, but not flight-disrupting, feathers. She still has a long way to go and anything could happen -- and already has given her current situation.
Tasha does manage to sleep pretty soundly, so when she's being nudged to wake up it's a bit of a shock. She was dreaming about something, but can't remember what it was now. "Time to get up, we have a thing to catch," Kai is telling her while nudging her with a foot. "You might want to get dressed."
Tasha mutters something unintelligible and that sounds like it's intended for someone other than Kai. She sits up, rubs her eyes, and yawns cavernously as canines can do. After that she's pawing around for her clothes, and seeing if her dragon companion is still here.
Gwyndrael is indeed still there, sleeping. Dragons probably need a lot of sleep.
Tasha believes this is something she has in common with dragons, or at least she feels like she needs to sleep a lot these days, for reasons other than biology. She didn't forget Kai's advice either; she worries out a feather using hands and teeth, one of her larger ones that she'll notice while flying without the danger it might severely disrupt her mobility. This she puts in front of the dragon like an offering, where it's clearly visible, sticking upright. "Should I wake her and say goodbye, Kai?"
"Probably not," Kai responds. "Goodbyes can be awkward for dragons, when they come from a non-dragon. Sort of like saying you'll be dead relatively soon."
"I suppose that's true. And depressing. Lets get going while I still want to." Tasha finds her clothes and gets dressed. She does pat Gwyndrael -- gently so as not to wake her -- and hurries off with Kai.
With barbarian and goose in hand, they exit the grotto area and head past the food vendors and down into deeper areas. The deeper they go, the less hospitable things become. There are fewer of the magically sunlit alcoves, and fewer people. Although things could be hidden in the shadowed regions. Once they reach the lowest level they find.. a train station? There are tracks, and a raised platform. Also a lot of armed and armored Kobolds. There isn't any helpful signage, and just the single track.
"I feel like I -- or they -- are missing something, here. Train stations on Abbadon are some of the busiest and sign-intensive places on that world." Tasha looks around, frowning. It feels like a military setup, what with the soldiers and the if-you-don't-know-you-aren't-supposed-to vibe. Abaddon had a lot of those places, too.
A few of the Kobolds are looking their way. Kai goes up to the closest one and asks, "Is this the way to the Plane of Carceri?"
The Kobold nods slowly, and looks them all over. "Why are you here?" he then asks.
Tasha's contribution is to shrug with her hands in a 'I don't know where we're going' fashion at the Kobold.
"I was told it was the fastest way to reach the Brass Desert from here," Kai explains.
Tasha thinks 'Brass Dessert' also sounds like something she'd find on Abaddon. "Is this a military train, then?"
"It is a judicial transport, for those going to the Plane of Carceri, which is on the underside of the Plane of Justice," the Kobold replies. "Which is this realm. Bahamut's realm."
"Well I knew that last part," Tasha notes, crossing her arms. "Is Carceri the plane of injustice, then? Or some sort of prison?"
"Prison.. describes it in part, yes," the Kobold says. "You will need to talk to the conductor about.. riding along."
Well that doesn't sound good, Tasha thinks. 'One part is a prison' has never described anywhere fun or encouraging in her experience. "Well, this should be interesting. Is it interesting, in part?"
"Did you bring blindfolds?" the guard asks instead. "If not, then it should be interesting."
"I guess I can cover my eyes." Tasha isn't going to cover her eyes; what, there for, would be the point of being an explorer? "Will the train arrive soon?"
The reply comes in the form of a deep, echoing scream from of the tunnels. "Yes," the guard says, before turning back towards the track with his trident at the ready, along with the other Kobolds.
"Weird steam whistle," Kai notes.
"Sounds more like it's scream-powered. Maybe it's all scream-powered." The red woman has been around long enough that machines can run on power sources other than scientific forces, such as the force of the soul, memetic forces, or, as she learned with the Shadow-beings, suffering. "This is going to be an unhappy train. At least I get to ride a train again." She likes trains.
The locomotive arrives from the right side tunnel. It consist of a creature (or creatures) the size of a steam locomotive, and seemingly held in place by a clear crystal structure that might be a skull or exoskeleton - especially at the beast doesn't appear to have skin. Limbs reach out through gaps to grasp handles attached to the wheels, and the front is an open, toothy maw that seems to bite into itself because some of the teeth are just too long. Eyes are randomly peppered across the thing. The cars behind it are also see-through crystal, and seem to have multiple compartments, which appear empty at the moment.
"Well, that's different." Tasha cocks her head to the side. She doesn't think it's a Shadow, why would a demon be here? Though, there does seem to be more than one kind of demon, so perhaps this is one of the other type people have alluded to since she left her little place in the great Unformed. She opens her third eye to get a better look; whatever it is, she doens't think it'd be a big hit on Abaddon, except maybe to more punitive-minded Silent Ones.
It's riddled with bits of shadow tumors. The guards all head towards a shadowed wall of the chamber. There are mechanical noises, sounding like the lowering of a gate, and then the Kobolds are using their tridents to drive something into the light using chains of lightning that launch from the tines. The body isn't visible, if it even exists. The creature appears to made entirely of arms. Pale humanoid ones.. hundreds of them. They end in five-fingered hands, but the palms each sport a single unblinking eye in the center.
"I've never seen one of those before," Tasha remarks to Kai, tilting her head the other way. "It looks like a demon. The trains got Shadow-bits, that much I know. Lets see what this one has." And so she takes a look at this one too, out of morbid curiosity and a desire to learn. Morbidly.
It is disturbingly clear of shadow elements. "I don't sense a mind," Kai notes. "Not a.. coherent one, anyway. It definitely wants our arms though."
"I guess it's some kind of arm-collector not-demon. Made up of things. And arms. Do arms have minds?" Tasha supposes they could, though she hasn't met any with them. "Well, it can just stay over there. I've lost enough arms lately."
The Kobolds drive into the side of the first crystal car, where it passes right through. Once it's all inside, the walls close in until it can't move.
"Well that's handy. I could use a train that I can stuff demons on. Maybe we should consider one." Tasha nods slowly. She could really see needing something like this.
"Well, we should try to get on," Kai says, and heads for the car.
"Yep, may as well." And so Tasha follows along, wondering if there even is a passenger car, and who -- or what -- the conductor might be.
The Kobolds watch impassively as the trio approach the train. Part of the wall does seem to open up for them, though. Since the goose isn't panicking, it's probably safe to enter. So Kai steps aboard and nothing horrible happens to her.
Tasha frowns a moment, then shrugs and steps aboard as well. At least she'll be able to share this story with the others later, if there is a later.
Wulfgaar follows, and the wall closes up. The front wall of the car then darkens as blood (or something else) flows into it through embedded.. veins? It all coalesces into a vague shape in the center. It vibrates and ripples, and Tasha gets the feeling that it's asking for a destination.
"The Brass Desert," Kai replies. And then there's a lurch as the train starts moving. It's enough cause Tasha to press back against the transparent wall with the hand-monster on the other side.
This makes Tasha death-impulse rise. It's the sudden and razor-intense urge to be ready to destroy something, often in response to sudden danger. With the thing so close, for a moment she's mentally prepared to attempt to kill it.
Things get more disorienting from there as the train enters the tunnel and starts screaming again. And doesn't stop. There's barely time to adjust before the floor seems to tilt, as if the train where following a spiral. Even when it stops, it still feels like everything is upside down, such that when they are clearly going uphill, it feels like they're going downward.. just upside down.
Tasha assumes the train is aligning for an inverted world; after all, this Carceri is supposed to be below the plane, and there's no reason she can think of why it also has to be of the same orientation. She could be wrong, however, and it's just being obnoxious as judicial types really like to twist the screws until you believe what they do. Demons of a different sort, not unlike Tisiphone and the rest.
The train emerges from the tunnel, and the upside-down feeling persists. But outside is a landscape under a bruised sky, the landscape is alive. As far as the eye can see, the ground is made of struggling bodies within a single mass that seems bent on consuming itself. Limbs break free, only to be snatched by others and dragged back down. And everything screams here.
"What is this," Tasha hisses. She had been meaning to ask Samael if there was a literal hell out there somewhere, and a literal heaven, specifically the ones of various religions, and maybe a more generic hell and heaven for who don;'t need the brand recognition. This, then, must be one such hell. It's startling for her o see it in person. It's not the first time she's seen -- or felt -- screaming landscapes of endless pain, soul-prisons, or other such horrors, but there's something especially poignant about having traveled so far she ended up in a literal hell. Not abutting, not figurative, not analogs or of similar nature, an actual hell, as a location. "I wonder if the Archon would believe me if I told him about this."
Apparently asking out loud is enough for the conductor to inject information into her head. It's the hell for monsters, where there is no death, only eternal consumption and being consumed.
The train doesn't slow down, but there are splashed of gore hitting the sides of the car now. The engine has stopped screaming, so may be eating as it goes. Then the wall behind Tasha begins to move, as the hands-monster is being pushed out.
Tasha thinks this is a highly convenient way to learn things, until she realize the demon train just shoved knowledge in to her. She calms herself by noting it probably works for a god of Justice, so it's unlikely to be malicious -- at least not to the just -- but it's still a bit alarming. She decides, weird or no, she may as well keep asking questions. It helps give the vista context. "But what kind of monsters?"
Those that murder. Those that instill dread. Those that commit atrocity. Those that cannot be left free.
Tasha knows a lot of people like that, possibly even herself by some interpretations. Kai, too. Others. "There must be a limit. What's the difference between a warrior, a soldier, and a murderer? Is this just for mindless monsters?" Mindless monsters she can handle; souls without any thoughts to speak of, fine. Masses of danger and destruction without a mind or a soul to suffer, that she can support. But even the worst of mortals -- and many immortals -- hardly deserve to suffer forever. In her mind, she could never get on board with the idea of eternal suffering. It's a foreign idea to Vartans, something she learned from the Temple and Star worshipers, that a brief misdeed, or a lifetime of them, deserve a forever of cruelty. It has made her wonder, now and again, who is the bigger monster -- murderers, or people so twisted as to invent for themselves the the greatest of suffering they can fathom?
Bahamut decides, Tasha realizes. Whomever or whatever the Dragon God of Justice condemns, by whatever unknown criteria he decides. Divine punishment. She just has to watch out for the walls trying to push her out.
The hand monster clings to the side of the train after being pushed out.. until it launches itself into the flesh-scape and starts fighting it. The train leaves it quickly behind though.
Tasha frowns at this. But she supposes it's the same with her, she decides who gets destroyed. She just may be more merciful than this Bahamut, or not, there's no way for her to know. Some would say she has no right to judge a god, Gabriel has questioned her on it, but she does because she does. Because anything else is just abandoning decision making, something like being irresponsible, or limited. So she'll judge Bahamut just the same, giving the benefit of the doubt without knowing more. The display of power makes her itch, still. She feels better knowing she has the decency to at least destroy, to annihilate. To end. At least when she can. Her reach is not so great as this.
As she watches the awful hand thing fight, part of her wishes it luck. Part of her wishes all this place luck, if to wants it. Nothing should have to suffer forever, not unless it wants to. She wonders if she's just being weak, or embarrassingly mortal, but even so, she decides to stick to her beliefs barring some great proof to convince her otherwise.
"You look lost in thought," Kai notes to Tasha, just before the train starts screaming again.. and then they aren't on it anymore. They're on a sand dune. Tasha can smell the ocean in the distance, where she also spots something shining in the sunlight.
"I was thinking about the justice of eternal torment." Tasha blinks, then looks around. "Maybe Bahamut got tired of listening to my mortal musings on the subject." A pause, then, "Is this Brass Desert? I smell the sea, I wasn't expecting the sea. or a sea. Maybe a sea of brass." That would be something.
"Deserts can be next to the sea," Kai notes. "Almaerifuhlon's city should be the shining spot."
"Oh, then I see it. Also, Charon would say that name sounds made up." Tasha ins't going to try and say the name, she suspects her poor canine mouth would look like she's trying to chew gum, and then hurt. "Well, lets get walking. Sand dunes are unpleasant when the wind picks up. It is nice to see a desert again, at least. And a sea, whatever kind." And so she begins walking.
"Dragons can have long names, and dragon gods can get away with that sort of thing," Kai notes. "Plus they're a Sun Dragon to boot, so probably actually worshipped."
"Pretty shiny too, I bet. And bright. I'm glad I brought some sunglasses." And to prove the point Tasha slides out a pair from a reinforced case at her belt, then slides them on, smiling. "I'm not usually big on deserts, but this one seems nice. There's something about it. I bet the city has showers with those onion shaped tops. Minarets. I think they're called minarets."
"Watch for guardian monsters as we get closer. Probably sphynxes or djinn or something similar," Kai notes. The sliding sand doesn't work well with hooves. Or feet.
"I have found a terrain my all-terrian feet can't handle." it makes Tasha step gingerly, which makes her look more fae than usual, almost prancing. "The desert is losing some appeal. Too bad one of us can't fly, there's probably a lot of thermals here."
"Flying in a god's domain is hardly humble," Wulfgaar claims. "Pilgrims walk."
"I'm not exactly a pilgrim, also, I'm part dragon and dragons aren't humble at all. Plus, it's efficient, and it's closer to the sun, so, really, who is being disrespectful now? You can't appreciate it as much down here." Tasha nods to her flawless logic, but she does keep walking.
They eventually come to a road of sorts.. at least it's got stone instead of sand to walk on, and seems to be going in the right direction. Another benefit of walking is seeing all the mirages.
Tasha pauses on the mirages to kick sand out of her hooves. Once that's done, then she starts walking and appreciating the mirages. It also puts her in mind of wondering how one becomes a sun dragon. Are dragons just born sun dragons? And if so, just how incredibly precocious -- not to mention pretentious -- would a dragonling be if it were? And if not, is it by association with the sun, a fiery personality, becoming adept at brightness related things, or maybe learning thermonuclear magic? She wonders.
The heat is getting oppressive, despite the nearness to the sea. It should be providing a cool breeze at least, but the air is still. Tasha begins noticing bits of fused glass amidst the sands, as if something had melted the desert in ages past. Or it just gets hit by lightning a lot.
"We should probably hurry before we end up with heatstroke or hit by sun-lightning. Better break out the canteens, too. I haven't tested it yet, but if this body is like the last one, we don't handle heat as well as Humans do." And so Tasha takes a swig of water and quickens her pace. "And somehow I doubt the sun sets here."
"Use your wings as sun-shades," Kai suggests, but they do pick up the pace a bit. "Usually I would advise traveling at night for a desert, but I don't know if night exists here."
"It would sort of suggest the dragon has left, or gone to sleep. I think the sun might be the dragon, in the actual or at least metaphorically-literally tied together sense." Tasha does mantle her wings, but it also makes her wings hotter.
"I believe is it more elemental than literal," Kai says. "The light of knowledge is like the Sun, probably. Sun dragons, moon dragons, shadow dragons, and so on, at least when it comes to dragon gods."
"So it's elemental-symbolic," Tasha summarizes. She looks around for a long moment, then out of the blue, sighs. "I really should aim to be more cerebral, shouldn't I. I joke a lot, and I know it seems like I don't take anything seriously, but mostly I do. Somewhat. It's just that it's all too much sometimes, and it gets overwhelming. But I can't very well go about accomplishing my goals with frivolous irreverence and by stabbing everything. Besides, it's probably more interesting. I feel like I've been too light about everything, and it's doing harm."
"Being cerebral can lead to over-thinking things as well," Kai notes. "The reason most attempts at artificial intelligence fail is the inability to incorporate emotional intelligence. Otherwise they try to predict all possible outcomes and shut down."
"I have that problem sometimes. I try and think about everything that can happen and how to fix everything, and, well, then I want to start acting frivolously irreverent again." Tasha keeps walking; at least the road isn't putting sand in the cleft of her hooves, which occasionally gives her a start when she forgets she has cloven hooves. After all, she's only had them a few months, even if sometimes it feels like a lot longer.
Something emerges from the heat shimmer of the road ahead after they've been walking for a few hours. It's a feline creature with wings and the head and forelimbs of a bird of prey. It clacks it beak at them. "Do you seek-k-k knowledge?" it asks. It's as big as Gwyndrael was, and there are teeth inside of its beak.
Tasha goes to answer, pauses, then turns to Kai and asks, "Is this one of those trick questions where it seems straightforward, but then I answer the obvious answer and it's going to go, "Then have knowledge of your death," or, "knowledge isn't sought, it's experienced," or, "to seek knowledge is to realize how little you know," and then attack us?"
Kai.. just shrugs. "It's a gryphon, not a sphinx."
"Yes," Wulfgaar answers the gryphon.
"Oh." Tasha then turns back to the gryphon. "Yep," she confirms.
"Then you must prove you know how to wield it," the creature claims, then clacks it's beak in a way that seems like chuckling. "Sapience it mars, speech it hinders, yet speech it will inspire," the lion-bird recites. "What is it?"
"See I knew there was a catch." Tasha cocks her head to the side, putting the knuckles of one hand under her chin and frowns. "Sapience it mars, speech it hinders, yet speech it will inspire.. hmm." She ponders a moment, then, "Impatience?"
"No! Incorrect!" the creature squawks! "One guess each, before I feast, if-" it starts to recite, until Wulfgaar interrupts it by shouting, "Ale!"
The monster glares, but steps aside to let them pass.
"Ale is the answer to many of life's riddles," the barbarian confides.
"Well I was close. It doesn't help I don't really drink anymore. Good job, Wulfgar." Tasha shrugs with her hands to the monster, then notes to Wulfgar, "I used to think so until I started leading, in which case it mostly leads to disasters and people getting killed, usually me. It seems like invincibility until it's not. The difference is you don't know that while drunk, and sober, you do."
"Easy to fix," Wulgaar claims. "Keep drinking, then you won't be asked to lead."
"I don't think we were in danger," Kai says once they've gone a bit farther. "I didn't sense a mind there, so it may have only been an illusion."
"Then I'd disappoint people. I note you mostly travel alone," Tasha points out. She then turns to Kai and nods, "If that's the case it may have just been a more general test, to see how we approached the question. The real riddle wasn't the question, but our interaction, which is probably very important to a place like this. Also, it was probably reviewing us in other ways, maybe to see what knowledge we bring."
"The special offering we bring comes from Galatea," Kai says. "Knowledge none of us actually know, but that the Sun Dragon will find interesting."
"Ooo, secret dragon knowledge," Tasha says in a conspiratorial whisper. Louder, she adds, "Also, I'm pretty new, so there's that."
"You are certainly novel," Kai admits. The sun beats down and bakes them for some time, until they see what might be an oasis.. with another monster blocking the path. This one, at least, looks like a sphinx. A calico one, with a Khatta head and large breasts, but also dragon-sized. It has a bored expression though.
"Are we in for more riddles? Boring riddles?" Tasha's ears shoot up, and eager to try again, she takes the lead and hurries over to the sphinx. She's never seen one before, at least not in reality -- or what she thinks of as reality these days -- only having ever seen them in old ruins, art, and assorted goods. "Hi. I'm Tasha. You seem bored, is this a test about engaging you? Was your last traveler just so dull? Enlighten me."
"They tasted bland," the sphinx claims. "Are you at least sweet or savory?"
"I don't know, the last thing that ate me died, so maybe I'm poisonous." Tasha straightens, pauses, then asks, "Sharp but no blade, with words you'll be bit, the arrow of the mind, misuse and you'll get hit. What am I?"
"Wit," the sphinx guesses.
Tasha nods, then straightens some more. "You may pass," she intones, and then she walks past the sphinx and continues along the trail.
"Not so fast, I'm the one to give the riddle," the sphinx says, blocking the way with a wing. "You seem fond of rhyme, so let us see you escape my griddle: As I was going to the City of Knives, I met a man with seven wives. Each wife had seven sacks; each sack had seven cats. Each cat had seven kits: Kits, cats, sacks, and wives; how many were going to the City of Knives?"
"Don't over-think," Kai cautions Tasha.
"Aww," goes Tasha as she's called back. She was at least fifty-fifty if that would work. She spins around and huffs, which gives her a moment to think. "Just the traveler, assuming we're not dealing with unstated information the other details are just that: extra details of no relevance to the question."
"Hmph," the sphinx huffs, and refolds her wing. "You may refresh yourself at the oasis," she begrudgingly offers.
"You may also," Tasha adds, bowing respectfully to hide her flippancy behind politeness. She does, however, scoot away as she is doing it.
There's shade, and water and.. that's about it. No fruit or easy prey, however.
Wulfgaar sets free the goose, and refills the waterskins.
Tasha takes some time to splash water of her face, then start picking sand out of her hooves. "It's been a while since I was in a desert. I suppose Abaddon counts more or less everywhere, but mostly I think of the deserts around Abu Dabi. The city in the distance gives me weird nostalgia because of it. And to think, way back when, people used to compare me to a djinn or other desert spirit. Now here I am, ten feet from a sphinx."
"So you aren't going to claim to be a demon at all?" Kai asks.
"She's a demon?" Wulfgaar asks, looking at Tasha with a bit of suspicion.
"Well, should I? I mean, most people frown on that sort of thing. Demons, I mean. It doesn't tend to inspire confidence, and I don't really have a lot of demonic powers or abilities, other than the great power of flippancy and being charming. Though, I suppose if we're being technical. I am some small part demon. Like a smidgen." Tasha sits up and throws her hands up, menacingly. "Can you imagine if some warrior came across me and expected a great demonic battle and all I could come up with was a sword and moving really fast? Wouldn't that be disappointing? The last demon I fought bled tornadoes of color, was the size of a planet, could spawn a nigh-infinity of smaller demons and was the mother to a great many greater demons as well."
"Well, you're only a succubus, after all," Kai notes.
"Wait, am I?" Tasha looks down at herself. "Don't those drain life out of people and what-not?"
"Well, you don't dress the part, and you'd need a whip to pull it off," Kai says, tapping a finger against her cheek. "Some horns wouldn't hurt."
"Horns again, I feel like the universe keeps trying to give them to me, but keeps near missing on it." Tasha puts her hands atop her head, frowning. "Wouldn't they get stuck in things? And don't your kind use them to focus power or gather universe-waves? I'm sure Gabriel and Katie would be fine with the output, however."
"I did used to own a whip, it was purely for work I might add," Tasha adds, hands falling.
"As a succubus?" Wulfgaar asks.
"Nooo. Is succubus even a job?" Tasha's ears go askew. "I mean, is it somewhere? But no. I was a drover. I made animals go places by directing them, and sometimes that took a really big whip and lots of yelling, because wind, rain, and thunder can make you hard to reckon."
"Yes, I could see you in that role, more than as a succubus," Wulfgaar says. "I have encountered succubi, and they did not resemble you."
"I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not. Am I not pretty enough? or am I too.. not seducing everyone enough? Or haughty. Do I need to be more haughty?" Tasha perks her ears.
"I would allow to sleep at my feet, and even pat your head when you wag your tail," the barbarian claims.
"I'm not a dog either," Tasha insists, folding her arms. "And I see you smirking over there sphinx!"
Wulfgaar comes over and tries rubbing behind Tasha's ears.
Tasha leans over until she has to spread her wings, then she floats away while leaning away. "No petting. You haven't earned it!"
Wulgaar grins. "I'm not going to share my food," he notes.
"Contrary to popular belief I am not buy-able by food alone, as a certain kitsune found out! I am much more complex." Tasha lands some ways away, looking rather like certain deceptions of floating gurus in meditative poses as she drops from hover. "I just like food. It's part of the fun of being part canine. Everything is more, especially food. And smells."
"You like to roll in stinky stuff?" the beefy human asks.
"Liking smells doesn't mean doing filthy things you know, it's like saying you like reading, so all you read is smut. Hakeber reads all kinds of things including smut." Tasha has dug through Hakebers book piles before, she knows. There are a lot of 'educational' Silent Ones works. "At any rate, I think I'm on the fence about horns, and as you see Kai, even Wulfgar doesn't see me as a demon."
"I guess you aren't shouty enough then," Kai says. "So, camp here or press on and try to reach the city before nightfall. The sun has dipped a bit."
"Lets just keep going, I want a bath. Given the apparent architecture, it'll probably be a bath in a big stone bath house or spring, like the last cities. Justm well, with more desert and dragon motifs. Probably books." Tasha hops up and starts for the road. She does try pat the sphinx as she walks by.
The sphinx hisses of course, but doesn't otherwise complain. The water and shade helped, as they're able to keep going for a few more hours. The closer they get, the more detail can be seen of the city. It sits atop an angled plateau that actually extends out over the still ocean, but the architecture of the city itself is such that from the vantage of the road, it blends together to look like a giant dragon made of brass and gold and copper, lounging atop the plateau and gazing out across the ocean.
Tasha marvels at this. "I wonder if that's the actual dragon god, or just a high-concept application of architecture and city planning. I asume gods can build cities without the extra annoyance of having to actually move things the hard way, that or the population is very dedicated, and well, why shouldn't they be, it's probably a city to be proud of. It also makes me wonder if, when I settle down, I should have a lot of statues of myself."
"I'm not that familiar with city planning," Kai admits.
"Mostly destruction, right? I think I'm vaguely related to someone who destroys cities, on my spirit-mom's side." Tasha stretches, yawns, then lets her arms flop and wave at her side. "So you've been here before, right?"
The road is definitely heading towards the 'tail' of the city, which coils around the base of the plateau from where it meets the desert. The closer they get, the more it becomes a collection of buildings with a wall. "Me? No," Kai says. "Kainudy visited on business ages ago though, before she became part of the Seelie Court, when she was just a troubleshooter."
"Huh, I guess we have more in common than I thought. I also shoot troubles." With her keen vision Tasha can make our details. She wonders if there's a city planner that demands construction abide by a dragon-centric outline theme, or if the god somehow influences the overall course of designwork. "Well, almost there. Do you remember if there's a price to get in or some-such?"
"Probably another riddle or test," Kai guesses. "Like that thing," she then points out. Ahead is something that might have been lost against the backdrop of the city: a mechanical dragon, also made of brass, gold and copper. It waits patiently for them.
"Maybe he punches tickets? You know, with his mouth." Tasha watches the metallic dragon watch them, until they're close enough where she feels she can wave without assuming keen vision. "Hello dragon! So what's it to be for entry," she asks some time later.
There's a grate in the dragon's chest, behind which a very hot fire burns. Hot enough to make parts of the dragon glow, especially behind the gears and lenses of its eyes. It lowers its head to be even with Tasha's and looks directly into her eyes. It doesn't seem to have eyelids, so nothing interrupts its stare. The only noise it makes is the pinging of hot metal.
"I have been scanned enough in my life to know I am being scanned now." Tasha can practically feel the waves -- whatever waves they may be -- passing through her. She suspects they're magic waves. "I swear I'm not smuggling in smutty novels and badly written instruction manuals."
The heat of a furnace rolls off of the dragon, and it finally speaks in a hollow, echoing voice, "Thou standeth still as a stone in the sea without lees. What ist thine name, and what doest thou do?"
"In the sea without lees standeth the Bird of Hermes. Eating her wings variable, She maketh herself yet full stable. Here is now both white and red, and also the stone to quicken the dead. All and some without fable, both hard and soft and mallable," Tasha recites, although it's less recitation as interpretation of a passage she knows well by now. And it comes up a lot in her life, especially earlier. Be it prophecy or not, be she chosen or chose herself, she has become intertwined with the alchemic poem.
The dragon continues to wait expectantly, then asks with new emphasis, "What ist thine name, and what doest thou do?"
"I'm Tasha, and I am presently in the endeavor of attempting to free my universe from the scourge of a pantheon of deities known as the Ogdoad, preferably by destroying them." Tasha has been to so many of these check in locations, and to so many places, she suspects she's starting to become rather foreign to everywhere, in the sense she's never quite sure what any one place wants from her, even if that thing is direct.
The dragon keeps staring, and smoke begins to curl from its brass nostrils.
"I think it expects something related to the question, but not the rest of the poem," Kai whispers to Tasha. "Something that ties it to you."
"This is the city of knowledge, remember," she prompts.
"You'd think there'd be a sign or something. Or a manual. Manuals are full of knowledge," Tasha complains. She huffs a moment more, then tries, "Fine, here: The bird of Hermes is my name eating my wings to make me tame."
The head rises and the dragon moves aside, revealing the city gate behind it.
"I was thinking more about the other god of knowledge," Kai says. "The one that got you into this whole mess in the first place."
"Logos? Or do you mean Melchior? He's not really a god apparently, but an old king from Terra. There's also Thoth, do you mean him? He did sort of arrange the situation to some extent, but a lot of it was the work of Khattan cults and other special interests, if I remember right." It can be hard to remember post death and with so much to think about besides.
"Yes, Thoth, because he's been here before," Kai notes. "Probably. He was supposed to be coming here when the war broke out."
"Now we don't know where he; where any of them are." Tasha sighs, rubbing her head. "I was trying not to think about that too much. Part of me wants to find them, but they told me to leave and they meant it, and I could just end up getting in their way, or making it worse. I've pushed people out of situations before, so I know what they're thinking. Besides, it was the only think Mel ever asked -- ever told me -- to do. I wasn't going to deny him his first act of freedom." Now she feels morose, so she gives herself a light slap and turns to the dragon. "I guess the least we can do is ask if they've been here. Oh great metal dragon, has a being named Thoth, a being named Melchior or Mel, or-" Tasha dares not mention Kainudy, just to be safe, ".. or a metal titan shaped like a gryphon visited?"
"The library contains all knowledge," the guardian intones. This seems like a stock answer though. "I bet it's at the head part of the city," Kai says.
"Or the brain. Maybe it's a big squishy floating dragon brain -- of knowledge." Grotequery and frivolity cheer Tasha up some, so she turns and starts in to the city. "Well, lets see what in the other parts along the way. We'll need a place to stay of course."
The city is.. busy. At least the tail end. There are a lot of creatures that would find the desert environment pleasant, like Nagas (although Kai claims they are Ophidians and not Naga that Tasha is familiar with), and a wide variety of lizard and dragon people, which are more person sized, walk on two legs and wear some clothing. There are also the ubiquitous kobolds, and actual dragons of differing sizes and shapes. The larger ones keep off the streets, but do tend to perch on buildings, bridges and ledges. There's even one that seems to act as a billboard by changing the colors of its scales to produce (unreadable) text and strange pictures. There's also lots of sounds, from arguments, discussions and music. One group of toga-wearing draconians at an outdoor cafe are having a cerebral discussion with a 'normal' dragon that has an elaborate headdress woven between its horns - which suddenly and without warning erupts into a fight.
Tasha looks at all of this, bit by bit. The city is a lot more active than she was expecting from a city of possibly infinite knowledge, though she suspects having infinite knowledge is an easy claim in a probably infinite universe, as is the much easier finite claim of knowledge, which she has. After considering this she resumes he gawkery, and continues to find it rather lively for what she expected to be a sedate and scholarly city. Hakeber, she's sure, would find a way to fit right in. As for herself she's not sure where she fits in these days, but she's here, so here is as good as any place. "I guess they made a point the dragon didn't care for," she remarks of the suddenly departing debater.
"College students, scholars and priests," Kai claims. "Book forgers, confidence men, poets - some of which are prostitutes - and that's just what I'm picking up in our immediate surroundings. This is the furthest area away from the library itself, so probably the most.. city like, I suppose? Wherever people come to blow off steam or earn money by catering to tourists. I suspect getting into the library may be difficult."
"Oh, probably. Institutions like that are always difficult, no matter where they are. Hake had to do quite a lot --and do quite a lot -- to get some things for us." Tasha looks around again, then cranes her neck up to peer at the tail and beyond. "Should we go see what they want to get in, in case we have to wait and need to make long-term stay plans?"
"Yes, let's get as far as we can," Kai says. "Wulfgaar is making some of these folks twitchy, and I've picked up at least six others that want to dissect you, Tasha."
"That's probably not innuendo, is it. Well, I've had enough medical inquiry for one life time, so lets go." And so Tasha hurries along, where she expects more of the same, but classier and more stuffy about it.
The city seems to be divided into sections, with gates for each. Leaving the tail isn't difficult, other than the ascent itself, as the streets turn into stairs with varying heights and depths, or switchback roads that likewise don't maintain a constant slope. It's almost as if the city is so old that the stone has been worn down by foot traffic or just sagged over time, only to have another layer thrown on top. When they reach the hips, things seem less rowdy, but the streets are crowded with coffee (or whatever hot beverage is popular) shops and bookstores, or bizarre combinations of one inside the other. It's also less boisterous in general, and does have inns. Most of the metallic rooftops are facing outwards toward the desert, somehow cooling things.
"This must be the 'hip' part of town," Tasha asides to Kai, complete with ear wiggling and brow raising in the classic do you get it way. She even wags her tail. Of course it is a very Terra-centric joke, drawn from the moldy recesses of Nora's memories, which in themselves reference even older Terran culture, much of it Tasha finds to be weird.
"So long as it doesn't bump us," Kai replies. "It looks cleaner at least, and more.. studious. We should check the inns here before climbing to the more expensive areas. Maybe they'll even have information about the library."
"A brochure or something. Should we split up, what do they use for moeny anyway? Books? Dragon scales? Student tears?" Tasha peers around. "I can take the lighter shots, like the coffee places and eateries, you're probably better off with the more culturally or scholarly ones. Wulfgar can, um, ask random people maybe?"
"Hmph," the barbarian replies, but does look around for someone big to accost, at least.
"I can hit the inns then," Kai agrees. "I'm good with languages, so long as someone is nearby who understands them. Try to find out about currency at the shops, if you can."
Tasha salutes. "Right-o. I'll see if I can find somewhere to eat as well." She looks around, spots the nearest coffee slash book shop, and heads over there. "Call me if you need me!"
The nearest shop to Tasha seems busy, with people lined up outside and huddles of others whispering about something but looking pleased (assuming that wagging tails mean the same thing when done by reptilian folk). There's a sign outside made of dark slate, with something written in colorful chalk in script Tasha doesn't recognize.
The sign makes Tasha immediately consider if she'll even be able to understand anyone; she's understood everyone so far but that's been Kai, and as Kai has stated, she doesn't understand every language everywhere. And so she does what she often does to catch people's attention -- she exists near them to try and catch a reaction. She involves walking over to seem to read the sign, then she starts looking around the store. Perhaps someone will tell her what it's all about, or mention something useful. She eavesdrops.
Looking into the store shows the line ending at a table with a stack of book-like-objects and someone seated behind it, but things get a bit crowded there so it's hard to get a good look at the person. Some of the nearby huddles also seem to having someone clutching one of the objects.
"We can all read it together," the book(?) clutcher tells the others in the huddle. "Wouldn't that be weird?" another in the huddle asks.
Weird books. Tasha knows about books, mainly through Nora's knowledge and Hakeber's enthusiasm. She has even read a few books, and many more magazines, as well as a few comics. Despite the favor of recent cultures and their high brow attitude about reading, books and access to them is not common on her home world. Books were, and presumably are, rare, expensive, and hand-made, hand-copied affairs for businesses, tradesmen, merchants, students, nobles and mages, and certainly not for the likes of a grubby drover. Like anything she was denied and she felt rejected her, Tasha did not like them, though she's warming to them. Slowly, she's warming to them. They do strike her as being a bit dull.
But these books are weird. She assumes they're not business related, though they could be science or magic -- she's seen a lot of people get very excited about both -- and then there are stories, such as the comics she likes, and the one she is in, and as Hakeber pointed out, lewd stories. They could be lewd stories. That would be awkward for some. She tries to sneak a peak using her most excellent vision.
The book being discussed is disk-shaped, and not very thick. The draconian clutching it holds to show off a differently-colored (silver) squiggle on the cover different from the gold colored print. The surface of the book is otherwise a matte black.
Tasha finds this supremely unhelpful. As she needs to either find answers or move on, she decides just to walk up and ask. Directness has rarely failed her, and she isn't sure when she started being so subtle. She blames Humans and Human contact. And being Human, including right now. Sharron would glare at her. "Hello," she asks the group of huddlers, "May I ask what this is all about?" And so she gestures vaguely to the crowds.
The one holding the book has a lot of face paint or make-up on. Possible female or more likely adolescent female. "You don't know? It's signing day! Sage Tinsel is signing her latest book, Life Among The Carrion Angels."
"I'm not from around.. here," Tasha does another vague gesture, this time circling a finger pointing upward. "So I wouldn't know. I was passing by and I'm curious. I'm not even sure what currency you use in this city." Somehow that there are teenagers here being excited about something strikes Tasha as both wrong and universal. Stuffy places of learning, to her mind, are dry and boring, despite the existence of Hakeber and evidence to the contrary. It's an old assumption partially born out of rejection and returned spite. "I've just arrived from Carceri." Carceri is a dangerous place, and as she well knowns from having recently been a teenager, danger equals exciting.
"Are you a demon?" one of the huddlers asks, actually leaning towards Tasha.
"And you don't have an talens? Or do you just need the currency exchange?" the book-wielder asks.
"If I was, would I really mention it?" Tasha says this airily, and then inspects her nails because she's seen other women do that and it made them seem aloof, and therefore to younger Tasha, intriguing. "But don't worry either way." Telling teenagers not to worry about danger makes them interested in danger, something that also applies to her.
"Well.. you'll need talens to buy anything, unless you have credit," the book girl notes. "A signed copy of Among The Carrion Angels is 5000 talens. That's.. actually a lot, because she's doing just a limited number of signings. We pooled our money to be able to get one! And I slept in line overnight."
That seems like a very Hakeber thing to do, to Tasha. If their communication wasn't so bizarre, she'd dial one of her other selves and ask. "That's useful to know, thank you. So, what's this book about?" She taps a finger toward the circular object indicatingly. "And why can't you read it together?"
The girls all giggle at the suggestion, and one fans herself with her hand (which has conveniently webbed fingers). "Sage Tinsel's bookcraft is meant to be read solo," the book-holder says. "Doing at the same time could be.. well.. odd."
Tasha has seen this reaction before, in Hakeber, and probably in herself. "Oh, I think I see now." She points a finger to her lips, leans in a little, and raises her brows. "Or exciting, don't you know?" She gives the collected girls a meaningful look, then winks, steps away, and gives a delicate finger wave.
Amused and excited about possible results, but unlikely to know them, she starts to walk away. She at least learned about the currency and got to amuse herself, which is a good result in her book.
Knowing what the currency is does help.. but there's still the matter of acquiring some. The last city didn't seem to use any, and most of their stuff is with Wulfgaar.
Tasha looks around to see if there are any other likely groups she might intrude upon. She also tries to get a look at this mysterious sage, which probably has money. If the girls found her intriguing maybe the sage will, too, so she tries to make herself visible in turn. The uniformity of this group makes her suspect outsiders of any stripe are probably more exciting than normal.
It means venturing further into the store, but there's also a coffee (or whatever the local version is) kiosk where she can get a better look at the author - who is apparently an actual dragon of some sort. All the dragony bits are there: wings, tail, some antler-like horns, scales and fur, but not so large as other dragons she's seen in the town. This one is more slender, with a more Cervani-like head with big eyes and scales on her ventral side, but fur elsewhere and wings covered in feather-like scales. She's also vivid green, with a blue head and black finders and toes sporting silver claws. She has a soft voice as she asks the next person in line their name.
Tasha thinks of Kainudy first and foremost when trying to compare this dragon to others, they both share a certain mammalian quality that sets them apart from the more 'traditional' all-scales variety she's met, but she doens't know if this is uncommon or not. For all she knows, this type may be the majority, though she knows Kainudy was a faux-dragon, and so too may this one be.
Tasha briefly considers standing in line but that will take a while and she doesn't even have a book. And without one, she suspects she'd make a scene, especially if she asks for work, which would be gauche besides. And so she stands there looking to other local shops; perhaps there's somewhere she might work briefly, though she finds she's not entirely sure what she'd be good at around here, other than the obvious, and she's spent her life trying to avoid that.
Working at a bookstore probably requires being able to read, at a minimum, and proficiency with the local currency. And while she knows the name of the currency, and the amount for the signing, she doesn't know the denominations, as one person hands over several differently shaped coins. It's possible the others have had more luck.. assuming they didn't mug anyone.
Tasha considers mugging someone, but only vaguely. She just got her, and she's not so hard up as to go that far. She'd rather work as a prostitute than risk her mission, of grave importance no matter how indifferent she may act, than go as far as violence and murder here. And while violence and murder may be needed in the end, she can at least try everything before that, time permitting. She pushes off the counter she'd been leaning at and heads for other stores, trying to find the possibility of work, or else, some hint as to what currency is valued at. Businesses seem the most likely, so she sticks to those.
Of course, this section of town seems to be all bookstores or beverages, although their are alleys that may lead to other areas off the main road. There are some taller building that may be inns or other public houses. A city filled with all manner of dragons and dragon-adjacent beings must have something more than books.
Tasha knows better than to walk through dark alleys alone. Then again, she used to walk through dark alleys alone, and she could take the occasional mugger, and muggers often know the city. Still anyone stupid enough to take on a potential demon might be desperate or dangerous, but she's also more and less than an actual demon. It's a risk; she knows she doens't have a lot to offer legitimate business, which is why she was a cadet and not the leader of the JEF, by choice and necessity. So she decides to do it anyway while keeping a sharp eye out, looking for businesses beyond books. Surely dragons must need more than books.
The alley is a departure from the main road in more ways than one. There are lots of doorways, some with signs that she can't read yet, and it's long, meaning the buildings are a lot deeper than they seem from the road. But it's not exactly dirty. There are some obvious trash receptacles, and some 'vermin' in the form of very small lizards and dragons that all hide once Tasha gets too close (with some actually camouflaging to blend in with the stone). There are more conversational sounds to be heard near the end, which looks to open onto another road.
Tasha begins to wonder if this place does not follow conventional physics, which she immediately finds to be a naive and possibly bumpkin view on the multiverse to think her physics are the height of reality-shaping. Maybe, she considers, they're considered rather quaint, or possibly eccentric. Maybe theyre a very common rule set, as seems to be the case, but then she may just be seeing those rules everywhere because her existence is limited to them. This she considers as she steps out towards the noise of people ahead.
Just next to the alley is a chalk circle on the ground, filled with little glass and stone balls. Three children squat next to it, two of them the frilled sort of local and the third one of the horned type with larger scales. That one kneeling, a bauble positioned in hand to be launched by a thumb-flick. They all pause when Tasha's shadow falls over the circle, and look up at her.
It strikes Tasha this would be a very ominous event for a child. As faux-demons go, she's not exactly on the scary side of the demon intimidation scale, but she does fall on the demon scale, as evident by the questions of others. What's more she was deep in thought, which probably makes her seem aloof and judgmental. Scaring the kids, while fun, won't get her anywhere. She smiles and lays her ears back, which at least makes her less intimidating to canines. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your game. I'm new around here, and I seem to be lost. Do you know what this area is?"
"Femur Town," one of the frilled ones says. "You gonna bust us? Are you a teacher?"
Tasha wonders where 'cop' and 'teacher' came from, if half the people she's met think she's a demon. She never went to school, but Hakeber did, and from her and Katie's stories maybe demons are employed in education. "I'm neither, just a traveler from beyond. Do beings like me often teach around here?" She gestures to herself. "Are they security? Police?"
This gets some blank looks. "Never seen your type before," the frilled one says. "Are you from the sea? We aren't really gambling, it's just marbles. They always bring in teachers from different places."
"One of the big ones ate my little brother just because he wouldn't stop making fart sounds," the horned one claims.
Tasha has to try very hard to suppress a giggle. It's tragic, but the way it's presented strikes her funny bone very solidly. Luckily she's had to behave herself a lot lately, so she manages it with just her smile getting lighter. "Oh? Where is this school? If you tell me, I promise not to tell anyone what you're doing. Besides, learning how to avoid authority and have fun is an important lesson, too. Just don't cheat yourself by avoiding learning valuable things. You might end up regretting it. Believe me, I know."
"Can you make fart noises?" the horned shooter asks, marble still poised to launch. "School is wherever the proctors put us after catching us," the frilled one claims.
"Hmm, so if I catch you I'll find the school?" Tasha tilts her head. "How unfortunate for you. I am a being of uncertain powers, that's a real gamble you just presented. How will you get out of this? And you might say 'you promised' but I asked where, not how." Maybe she should consider working as a teacher, perhaps with older kids.
"You don't sound like a teacher, and you don't have horns or anything, just wings and funny feet," the chatty one notes. "We aren't teachers pets," the horned one notes. And finally launches his marble, which fails to knock any of the others out of the circle.
Difficult types, Tasha grew up with a lot of them. If coercion and danger won't work, maybe she'll try what works on her. "Yet if I become a teacher, then I can conveniently ignore when you run off to not-gamble. That would be useful for both of us. It's not being a 'pet' so much as coming to an agreement."
"What sort of agreement?" Frills asks, looking Tasha up and down (and sometimes looking confused about it). "You got talens to spread 'round? Need local spies? Gonna rob the bank?"
"I could use a job with access to education, and being a teacher fits that nicely. In return while I am teaching I can conveniently not find you when you are gone. I may need spies later, I may need to rob a bank later, but that can come in time." Tasha hunkers down so she's not towering over the kids like an authority figure certainly would. "I just need you to tell me where to go to sign up to become a teacher. Then when you're in my class, you may not be. We can work out any further arrangements later."
"Sign up?" Frills asks, as the other frilled kid selects his next marble from a bag for his turn as shooter. "If we knew how that happened, we'd glue the doors shut or something. Teachers just happen, then after awhile they vanish and a new one shows up. Teacher Wallams is the current one.. probably. Last one, anyway."
"Then I'll find them. Do you know where they are?" Tasha waits patiently, trying to give the impression Frills is in charge and she's not here to muscle in on things.
"Probably at the pub," Frills claims, and even points down the road. "Teachers drink a lot."
"I bet they do." Tasha nods to the boy, as a token of respect to show his influence as that seems to be important to him, and then rises. "I'll just be off now -- and I didn't see anything." And just as she says, she's off.
There are clearly residences on this road, even if they're just the backsides of main road buildings. There are more windows, and more splashed areas of road to show where to avoid walking under those windows. The Public House is actually it's own building though, on opposite side of the road. Part of may be a bath (or laundry) area from the steam rising up behind the walls. The doorway is wide and tall enough for a moderately sized dragon, and there may be music. There's also a lot of graffiti on the outside, or possibly art.
The sight of the place is almost like coming home for Tasha, both in the good and bad sense. The building has a heavy sense of nostalgia for somewhere she's never been. And within, presumably, is this teacher, and maybe she can learn something. She heads inside.
The first thing to strike her, metaphorically, is the air. It's heave with smoke of various sorts which her Karnor half momentarily obsesses over trying to identify. At least three of them are some sort of narcotic, others involve cooking, and one has a bit of sulfur to it. It also makes for a dimly lit space, despite the many lamps, because it is a large space. Some patrons are serious drinkers, clustering at the bar, while others appear to be there for the food or company. There are children being children, teenagers being teenagers, and so on, including a few good impressions of statues.
It all feels very homey, even if it isn't. Which means it's familiar, both offering comfort and danger, open conversation, grabby hands, secrets and more. The children are a surprise which separates it from The Fallen Friend, as her mother tended to make children wait outside unless they were Vartan children -- and presumably Karnors, though no Karnors ever visited the tavern that she was aware of -- because her mother is suspicious, biased, and protective of her turf. Tasha was fine with this, as kids usually meant more work.
Tasha's first stop is the bar, where she tries to get someone's attention to ask, "I'm looking for Williams. Teacher Williams. Is he, she, or it here?"
"Wallams?" the bartender asks. She's a stocky draconian that could probably double as a bouncer. She's also tall enough to see over most of the crowd. "They're over by the stage," she says, and points the way.
"Thank you." And so Tasha inclines her head; she knows bartenders everywhere appreciate respect, though many of them find it unusual, which also means memorable. Hopefully the woman will remember she was respectful and polite. She then looks to the stage, and heads that way.
There's only a small group around the stage, though one of them is a medium sized dragon which takes up most of the space near the stage. There are some teenagers setting up instruments, all of them with outrageously painted scales, torn-looking clothes and 'cut' horns, frills or manes. One of them just leans against the wall, wearing a leather skirt and sporting bare breasts (which are a rarity) and in place of a messy head of hair there is a messy mass of chains and strings of beads tied to her horns. Most of them are smoking pungent cigarettes. The instruments are in nearly pristine shape by comparison.
Tasha takes all this in. Surely, she thinks. Katie would find this all highly amusing, and then perhaps be a bit condescending, as Katherine can be. As for Tasha, she also finds it amusing, but mainly by proxy from Katherine's stories and the entertainers she met. She is not much of a musician or a singer, so her reflects always go so far. Still, she knows a young woman trying to seem tough, aloof, and is quite possibly self-conscious on a level she'd never admit, even to herself. Still they have similarities, so she approaches the young woman, who probably isn't much younger than herself, even if she may be much older or younger in actual years. "Hey," she greets her, in that vague and semi-interested way that doesn't show she cares too much, but she's making some kind of effort.
The dragonette looks over and looks over Tasha's head first, checking out her wings, then stares at her chest. She herself, like most of the bipedal sorts, is wingless. "Oh hell no," she says. "Wings and tits? That's going a bit far, Pinky. You can have the drummer, but not the singer, see?"
Tasha's face splits in to a grin and she barks a laugh. It's been so long since she fought over men with someone, even if she got dragged in to a battle she has no stake in, that it makes her heart glad. With the coming of Gabriel that time in her life ended, and while she's had various forays with women those have been isolated events, and at least with Katie, that was less a battle and more of a well-planned assassination in which she was the target. The obvious choice for Tasha is, of course, to turn it around in the way that amuses her the most.
"Maybe I'm here for you, with all those chains maybe you need to be tied up. Out back. Then you can sing for me." The grin never leaves her face. It doesn't matter if she means it or not, just doing it is fun, and a return to old times without the problems of those times.
"Eh, you the new bar wench or somethin'?" the punk girl asks, as a voice from the stage shouts, "Get ready to feel the pull of The Virgin Sacrifices!" Then the 'music' starts, and the 'singing', but Tasha can't make out the garbled vocals. It may as well be the sounds of two Dromodons mating.
"Nah, I'm just here looking for Wallams. And I'm the old bar wench, from somewhere else. And I'm not here to steal your man, I've got a mate," Tasha explains, dropping out of the fun of possibly seductive verbal conflict and in to a more casual tone. She hadn't actually planned seduction, but if it went that way she'd have had to follow through which could have also been interesting. "Though I'd totally wreak you," she adds flippantly, winking and wagging her tail to suggest it's a jest. The wag suggests jest, the wink suggests otherwise. Casual contradicting behavior is fun for her. She's been good for so long she feels a bit rusty at it.
"What's in it for me to point them out, Pinky?" the scaly woman asks, "And you look pretty soft to be talking about wrecking someone else."
"Oh I am soft. You can pet me, if you're good. And oh, I don't know, maybe I'll just lurk around here long enough, The singer's going to be off eventually, right? Tits and wings." And then Tasha walks over to lean against the wall nearby, mirroring the young woman's pose. "Might as well wait here, since I can't find Wallams."
The dragon girl growls, then smirks. "Well, you're no threat if he can't see 'em," she claims. "If you're bold enough, I'll point out the teacher."
"You saw them immediately," Tasha points out. "It was the first thing you said. So at least you think they're visible and stand out. Quite the contradition." She then shifts her arms up, tucking her hands behind her head. "Quite the contradiction."
"Not as visible as mine," the other counters over the din of the performance. "These lunks will assume you just have big flight pecs. That's how it was for me. I keep en out now so they don't forget.. and who makes tops that fit these anyway?"
"Well anyway, while this is a lot of fun, because wow have I missed these arguments, I should probably just ask around. And really, do you want me to flash the stage? I assume it will cause me a problem, because why would you want competition?" Tasha drops her arms, lets them swing by here sides as she straightens.
"So, you aren't gonna try to seduce it out of me then?" the scaled girl snorts, but doesn't seem to expect an answer.
"It'd be fun sure but I need to get things done, so if it's not going anywhere and going to be a pain, there's other ways. And besides I have two mates and a lover, it's not like I'm going without or anything. I mean, look at me." Tasha indicates her breasts and flaps her wings a little, then cackle-giggles as she begins to walk off. "Have fun waiting!"
Those around the stage sit at small tables, covered in bottles. Two are somehow sleeping through the noise, one is staring at the performers but covering their ears, and the dragon is bobbing its head along with the beat. It's face is painted white, with black circles around the eyes, a golden nose-ring and lots of bangles hanging from its ears. The table next to it is covered with more bottles, skins and mugs than the others, but it probably takes a lot of effort to get a buzz when you're that big.
Tasha goes for the dragon, who seems to actually be paying attention and also still conscious. the spat with the girl was more refreshing than a table full of ales for her, leaving her in high spirits. She doesn't get to have petty, catty arguments with women very often anymore, or engage in what is probably childish fights, and until now she never realized how much she missed it. And she never knows, sometimes it does result in a tryst; angry sex is its own kind of fun. "Wallams," she states near the dragon, to see if there's a reaction or check if anyone else looks up.
A golden-green eye rolls towards Tasha, the slit-pupil widening. "My tab is still good, wench. I'll pay when I've had my fill," it replies, it's hollow sounding voice a poor indicator of gender. "So fetch me some wine. Cheap is fine, so long as there's enough."
Tasha wonders what it is about her that marks her as a tavern wench even now. Is it the attitude? Her appearance? It can't be her clothes, these are adventuring clothes specifically bought for long travels and hard wear from Galactic sources. She decides to ask the others some time. "Yeah yeah," she goes, pulling herself a seat and brushing away bottles to give herself room at the table. "I'm not a bar wench and I got enough sass from Chained & Desperate up by the stage. I'm here to ask about teaching."
"What do you want to be taught?" the dragon asks. "Aren't you a bit old to start learning the basics?"
"Not taught, although it would be good to learn what the basics are in this reality. I'm looking to teach. I need coin and I need to know this city, might as well do some good along the way," Tasha explains as she leans forward, ears forward.
The dragon turns his head from the stage to fully look at Tasha. "You want to teach? You aren't under a court order?" he asks.
"Not that I know of," Tasha admits, shrugging with her hands before she plops her head on them. "I grew up in a place like this, far away. I know these kids. Not these kids, but I know them. And if I teach them maybe I can learn myself. And, maybe it'll be a nice change from my real job."
"What about the earning money part?" Wallams asks. "You want to be a guest speaker on a particular topic or something?"
"Whatever pays. I'm sure I have something useful to talk about. It's better than prostitution or waiting tables. UGH." Tasha almost spits the words.
"Prostitution is illegal, unless you work for the Library," the dragon points out. "What topic would you teach?"
"Well I've learned something already then." Tasha taps a finger to the side of her muzzle. "How about I just tell you about myself and you can tell me what sounds useful? I'm a inter-dimensional traveler sponsored by a few different deities. I come from a reality similar but also very different from this one, I traveled through a number of planes to even get here. My actual 'job' is combating a pantheon of deities and their demonic host. I work with a number of different species from across realities. I have fought in a number of conflicts against a wide variety of beings. I've been dead at least once. I'm apparently considered hero enough to across to Avalon." There was a time all of this would have sounded entirely too fantastic to Tasha, so much like insanity or unbelievable bragging as to begger belief. And yet that time has passed, and now it just sounds like stating facts, and old facts at that. It's her resume.
"But what can you teach children?" the dragon asks. "Parents don't want them running off to fight in holy wars, generally. Getting them to stop sticking things in their mouths, for instance."
"Well, I did grow up in a place like this and ended up founding an organization, mated to a very respectable -- and handsome -- older man, having the wisdom to know I couldn't lead that organization and then sniffed out a multi-generational conspiracy involving, gods, demons, and more besides. Now I nominally lead an organization dedicated to saving our reality. So, I went from this place to universe-traveling success. Parents like success stories, right?" Tasha's ears go up. She assumes they do, her's did.
"Hmmm," the dragon ponders. "I suppose you could talk to the headmaster," he admits. "They may find a position for you, if even if it's not teaching children."
"Well, alright then. That sounds good." Tasha continues to stare at the dragon in a quietly but intensely expectant sort of way.
"Did you want me to take you there, now?" the dragon asks with a sigh. "This is my favorite band."
"Really? Why is that?" Tasha leans back and covers her mouth in mock surprise. "Are you in to the singer?"
"I enjoy the growl of it," the dragon claims. "And sometimes the topless girl hangs out."
"I have a thing for the topless girl too," Tasha admits, wagging her tail. "And if you enjoy growls you should meet the rest of my organization, most of us are canid."
"Wouldn't they be more howly then?" the dragon asks.
"We can do both. I can roar-bark." And so Tasha wags her tail more, then she leans back. "I can wait until the band's done, at least."
"Pull up a chair and settle in then," the (involuntary?) teacher offers, and the goes back to bobbing his head up and down in time to the beat, which isn't necessarily in time with the other instruments.
Tasha puts her hands behind her head and leans back, and she likes to think this shows her chest off better, and therefore annoys Chains more. The girl's cuter when she's fiesty, she's decided. Aside from that there's little else to do but what and soak in the ambiance, such as it is. It all reminds her a bit of home, but also a bit of the places Hakeber liked to hang out, something Hakeber called 'college towns'.
Hakeber may not enjoy the entertainment as much, at least not without a lot of alcohol involved. Seeing reptilian teenagers leap around and scream may test even her limits (and the scholar seems to prefer cats to lizards). Even the translation function of Tasha's ansible can't really make out what the singer is yelling about. Although she thinks part of it may be anger at people ogling his girl. Do entertainers get paid well here?
"Do entertainers get paid well here?" Tasha may as well voice the sentiment, she knows very little of this place. It's so foreign even the anisble is having difficulty. "I assume knowledge is valued, but what else?"
"I think poets are subsidized," Wallams says, pausing his head bobbing. "Not sure about the rest, outside of concerts. Boobasaurus might tell you. You two could perform on stage together."
"I hope that's her actual name. Does she perform anything? Other than aggression." Tasha likes the aggression. "Not sure she likes me, though. I'm competition."
"Err, combat dancing, maybe?" Wallams says. "I haven't ever actually spoken to her, so I don't know her name."
"She's abrasive. And I didn't ask. Maybe I'll let her talk to me next time, or ask if I see her around. I have a feeling she'd want em to beg to work with her and, well, no." Tasha shrugs her shoulders, settling in to wait again, having nothing further to add.
"So no chance of you two making out in public, or at least on stage?" the dragon asks.
"Only if she's on board. I like her but I don't beg, unless it's the fun kind." Tasha smiles a little.
"Get her name if you ask her much entertainers earn," Wallams says. "It'd more fun for me than teaching."
"Thinking of making out with her in public, too? You think there's a market for that?" Tasha arches an eyebrow and grins. "I guess I can talk to her again, but if she's nothing but a hassle I'm done. I've had one life time too many of abusive girlfriends."
"The singer will be getting hoarse soon, he needs to work on his stamina," the dragon complains, focused on the performance again. "He should gargle with charcoal to help with that. Or rocks. May not have a crop though. Bipeds are always missing something important."
"I do sometimes feel I could use fire breath or a laser or more biteyness." Tasha is glad that the shows ending. She grew up with wind and large animals screeching i her ear, she can tolerate this, but she doesn't like it. her tastes have become more refined with time, although she's not sure refinement is even required to like anything better than this. She decdies it's probably a gimmick to sell more ale.
The singer's voice cracks, and a few moments later the music stops. And then a bit longer after that, the drummer stops. The girlfriend is there with a bottle of something colorless that the singer guzzles down. That at least gets some applause from the handful of entities around the stage. Wallams even lets out a puff of flame as a form of applause.
Tasha wonders if it's the stooping or the girlfriend that invokes the applause, either way she decides to clap too, just to see how it goes over.
The singer spots Tasha, and points her out to the girlfriend. She just grabs him by the nosering and tries to shake his head for doing so.
Tasha waves back enthusiastically, seemingly oblivious to the trouble she's causing and trying to look genuine. She attributes this ability to Human treachery.
This earns Tasha a scowl from the girlfriend, which means she tugs harder on the nosering.
And in turn Tasha waves them both over in a rolling of the hand, come-and-say-hi friendly sort of way.
Wallams sits up (or the four-legged equivalent) when the singer and girlfriend come over to the table. "Heyyy, new fan?" the man wheezes. "I never miss a performance," the dragon claims.
"Yeah Wallams is a huge fan. I just arrived in town, so, you know, I don't know much of anything." Tasha sets her head on one hand and twirls her hair in a curl with a finger of her free hand. "Your girlfriend was just telling me how much you like tits and wings. You should feel lucky, she's very cute."
The girlfriend's face looks like it's about to crack as she clenches her jaw, then suddenly relaxes. "Well, the wings are probably real. The rest can be faked by clothing," she tells the singer, who goes wide-eyed.
Even Wallams gives Tasha another look. "She's fluffy," he notes.
"I was just thinking how nice it probably is to have someone waiting for you, you know, after you've done your thing. She was helping me out, helping me find Wallace and such. You know, new to town." Tasha sits up and plops her head on ehr once-twirling hand. "Wallace was just telling me some entertainers get paid in this town. Is that true?"
"Yeah, 'course it is," the singer wheezes. "Venue pays us, 100 talens per show," he says proudly.
"That's a lot, right?" Tasha looks between the three for confirmation.
Wallams looks at the various empty bottles on his table. "About this much," he claims. Since there's about 20 bottles, it should give a rough idea, unless it was really cheap booze.
"Well, we also get to store our gear here," the singer notes.
"Gear's pretty important. I have a barbarian strong man and a goose taking care of mine. They're pretty great. An elf woman too, she's, you know, around." Tasha sits up and claps her hands together. "So I was thinking about what to do around here for money, Wallens here thinks I should teach something."
"Oh, what do you teach?" the singer asks, looking interested. "Is it grooming?"
"Oh I mean I can sure, I do a few things, like, you know, wars, and combat. I travel a lot too. I'm not from here. I'm pretty good in the sack, but I'm sure you're girlfriend's better than me." And so Tasha shrugs; what can you do.
"Not from around here?" the singer asks. "So.. you aren't a half-dragon then?"
"I mean I'm probably some fraction dragon. I'm also part Shadow -- that's a kind of demon -- and a few other things. A dragon made me, far, far away from here. I came through Carceri and Bahamut-land, Avalon, the Plateau of Leng. Have you ever seen a hostile Angel? Scary." Tasha wiggles her fingers in what is probably not a terror inducing way.
"Oooo, they'll want to examine you for sure," the singer says, and turns to the girlfriend. "Ain't that right, Sin?"
"If she's really a traveler.. yeah, probably," the girl admits.
Tasha's face falls before she can stop it. "I get that a lot. The examine-part. Hey if you're Sin can I be Virtue? That'd be a great team, people level opposites that conflict. There's friction." Tasha's tail wags.
"That's just my pet name," Sin growls. "It's really Scintelia Fafslaagen. So if you're my opposite, you'd be.. Dullsinella or something."
"Hey, maybe you could wrestle at the pit," the singer suggests. "We could sell seats."
"Sure if I'm not doing anything else, I mean I do have stuff to do. And stop being mean to me Sin, I've been so nice to you. Is this how travelers are treated?" Tasha pouts, ears back, but her tail wags a little anyway. "And I'm Tasha. Aldera Tasha Argentine. It translates to something like Winged Gift and Silver Spear. I don't know what Tasha means, though."
"Well, if you're just passing through, Trasha, I can be nicer," Sin claims. "But I'm not mud-wrestling you."
"Oh even meaner. Maybe we should just fight or something. If you keep provoking me when I helped you out, I might take offense." And then Tasha's airy, vapid facade falls for a moment and she meets Sin's gaze with a focused intensity that caries an oppressive aura, a little glimpse under the mask. "You know I'm just playing around, right? Because some fun is nice now and then, and I'm really tired. I even thought of being a teacher for a while. It sounded nice. Peaceful."
"You don't look armored enough to be a teacher," Sin notes, looking between Tasha and the actual dragon that is a teacher. "Can you breath fire though? That would help."
"You could put in a good word with your mom though, Sin," the singer prods.
"Unfortunately most of my skills are aimed at slaying demons. Immortal memetic beings that attack the soul aren't something you go half way in on," Tasha settles back in to airiness, uncertain if Sin has experienced a lot or just has never encountered real danger. When Blackwings gave ehr that look, she knew to back off, because Blackwings usually murdered people who pushed her too hard. Tasha wouldn't murder anyone, but she's not going to let her name be insulted. Names are important to Vartans, and her mother gave her her's. She also can only take so much ribbing these days; kids are another matter.
Given the locals limited expressiveness, Sin may not realize any of that. "My mom doesn't listen to me anyway, and knows I'd never recommend a teacher. I don't even know how she picks them!"
"Ah, those Fafslaagens," Wallams notes.
"Well maybe I can put in a good word for you, and then work my way from there. You did say I'm of interest, and a travel. Sometimes people I meet are interested in wheer I've been," Tasha suggests. "Whatever the case, I'd eventually like to work my way to the Great Library."
"To work there?" Wallams asks.
Tasha shakes her head. "Nah, I have some reading to do. But maybe I could work there for a little while. Who knows?" She spreads her hands.
"Never been to the Library," Wallams admits. "So you're a traveling scholar then too?"
"It's more something I picked up as time went on. One mystery in to the next, and then again. Mysterious ancient and secret gods that are little more than tales become rumors, then trails, and there they are at the end. And then you walk together.. At least, for a little while." For a moment the canid woman looks sad, frowning off in to the distance.
"Sounds metal," the singer says. "Well.. good luck with mother Fafslaagen."
"Don't tell her you saw me," Sin adds.
"You bet!" And then Tasha's smiles again. She even gives a thumbs up. Then she smacks the dragon on the sdie as she rises. "Come on, lets go visit."
Wallams grumbles. "My name isn't Wallace," he says, then stretches and turns towards the pub entrance.
"Stay noisy!" Tasha bids the two, and then she's hurrying along after the dragon, who has much longer steps than her's.
Once outside, Teacher Wallams sets off uphill, and only pauses to stick his head in a fountain to wash off the face paint. The architecture gradually improves, until the boundary wall separating the Hip from the Abdomen (or whatever they call the next section of the city). Wallams stops at a structure built right into the wall, with a columned façade and shadowed interior. "This is it," the dragon declares. "Still want to try for a job?"
"Might as well, I'll probably be here for a little while and I'll need talens. I'm sure if this fails there are other options, too." Tasha looks at the large structure, which strikes her as distinctly upper class, if dragon person upper class, which is new. Even with the local aesthetic there's a certain vein that runs through all such humanoid structures, seemingly universal. "It's not like I'm going to start a band with Sin."
Wallams heads inside, assuming Tasha will follow. Everything is dragon-scaled except for the furniture, which tends to be more Tasha-sized. There's a desk with a draconid behind it. Apparently reception desks and bipeds just go together. "Wallams," the man behind the desk says. "You still have thirty-three days left on your sentence."
"Not here about that," the dragon says. "This being wants to see about a teaching position."
The receptionist turns his attention to Tasha next. "Voluntarily?" is the first thing he asks her.
Tasha coughs, because otherwise she'd have laughed out loud. Then she's addressed and that gives her the focus she needs. "Yes, I am a being from beyond this plane in search of knowledge. Except, it's hard to conduct research and appoint oneself properly without an income." It's said very formally; she even bows slightly.
"As a formality, please answer the following questions," the man says, looking at what looks like stone data tablet with wood trim. "Have you ever eaten a child in anger?"
"No," Tasha answers, not sure whether to laugh or start asking around so she can dispense some justice. Alas, she's on the wrong plane for justice.
"Are you a deity or deity-adjacent for more then half of the year?" is the next question, after the man taps his pad with a claw.
Tasha has to consider this. She's pretty sure she's not any sort of deity, and no one has called her one, so she probably isn't. Then again, people have assumed she's a demon -- and Kai even implied it -- and so maybe that's true. She has thoughts on that. She is at least a small part, at least. But a demon is not a deity, except when they are, like Hastur. "What do you mean deity adjacent? Like a demi-god?"
"Paladin or other member of a religious order, chosen sacrifice, cleric, animated puppet, golem or avatar, wedding singer, caterer or prophet," the man lists out.
"Uhh, not a Paladin, I may or may not be a member of a religious order. I considered a cult. I might be a chosen sacrifice but I think I'm past that now. I'm not sure what a cleric is, I'm artificial but I have a soul, I am not a wedding singer or caterer, I think I was briefly a prophet in the form of a herald, but I've moved on," Tasha counts off, and on her fingers no less (and tail).
Another tick on the tablet. "Do you serve in a government, royal family, or are in a demonic pact or pact with an otherworldly supernatural entity?" is the next question. Nothing yet about teaching qualifications.
"Yes but I'm on hiatus, I am probably the first of my line but not royal per-se, and yes, multiple entities." It feels very weird to Tasha to lift off her pacts on what is essnetially a resume.
Tick. "Do you have and food allergies?" is next.
"Not that I am aware of. I like food in general." And so Tasha wags her tail.
"We can skip a few things then," the receptionist says, and seems to make scrolling motions on his tablet. "Are you immune or resistant to poison, fire, ice, bribery, seduction or belly-rubs?"
Tasha considers this. "Probably no on all of those," she admits sheepishly, smiling apologetically, ears back.
"Do you have an irrational fear of crabs, squirrels, or swarms of things in general?" he asks next, his tone and expression unchanging.
"Wait!" Tasha holds up a finger, "I am highly resistant to bribery. And a little resistant to belly rubs. And seductio." Tasha's tail wags at having something she can resist. "As for swarms, not that I know of."
"Any current addictions of a chemical or behavioral nature?" the receptionist asks, after having to scroll back and make updates.
"I don't think so," Tasha offers, as she isn't exactly sure herself. Sex and food maybe, but those are part of who she is and probably not addictions, no, can't be.
"Final question," the man announces. "Do you currently have a place of residence in the city?"
"No, I just got here today," is Tasha's answer. At least it's a straightforward question. She doesn't expect to be ejected or barred for any of her answers, nor arrested -- if that was the case the mechanical dragon would have alerted the authorities she suspects, at least not barred from the city. From this job, well, that's another case entirely.
The man taps away with his claw, then waits for a moment before saying, "Mrs. Fafslaagen can see you," the receptionist notes. "I just need your name."
"Aldera Tasha Argentine," Tasha answers. So, she's in this far, and she's going to meet Sin's mother. She can only hope she gets on better with the mother than the daughter, but she suspects Sin doesn't get along with much of anyone beyond looking attractive.
"Can you take her to the Headmaster's office, Wallams?" the man asks the bored looking dragon, who grumbles something about 'good behavior' before and heading into the corridor without checking if Tasha is following.
Before following, Tasha glances at the receptionist, points at Wallams, then makes a pointing putting something in her mouth gesture before flailing and giving the receptionist a knowing look. Then she follows.
The corridor is dimly lit by gas lamps, and ever door seems to be in a different style, and unlabeled (unless the style itself is the label). The dragon stops in front of a door that's also behind iron bars. "I don't like iron," the dragon complains. "You'll have to open the gate."
"Iron allergy eh, I know the types." Tasha steps forward and tries to open the door, being fairly sure she hasn't become supernatural enough lately to be effected by it.
It makes a terrible screeching noise from hinges in need of oiling, but otherwise doesn't resist. There's a regular wooden door behind it. "Well, this is her office," the dragon says. "I suppose I can wait for you out here."
"Well, it's up to you, I can get around if I need to," Tasha tells Wallams, the second unfriendly person she's met in the city. "I know you're not really enjoying this."
"I'm a teacher," the dragon notes. "I don't enjoy things."
"So sour," Tasha ribs, thumbing her nose as she steps through the door. "Don't die of alcoholism before I return!" And with that she's heading in.
The office is scaled for bipeds, although the ceiling is rather high. There some sort of sun-tube providing light, a wooden desk, cabinets, a small table and a variety of chairs depending on whether or not someone has a tail, and a dark skinned, middle-aged human behind the desk. "Ms. Argentine I presume?"
Tasha was not expecting a Human and is immediately suspicious this being is not what she appears to be, or at least have more than one form. "Yes, that's me."
"Please have a seat," the woman says, gesturing to the selection of chairs before the desk. "I'm Mrs. Fafslaagen, the Headmaster for the Hips."
"Wallace mentioned you," Tasha notes conversationally. She walks over and takes a seat on the chair that looks most comfortable, crosses her legs, and folds her hands in her lap. It's then that she opens her third eye in shadow and tries to get a better look at this supposed Human.
There doesn't seem to be anything unusual about her, other than that she puts on a pair of glasses to look over her own data slate, which looks like's made of different metals that blend into each other. "Now then, do you have a subject that you can teach?" she asks. She smells human too.
Tasha finds this banal information even more suspicious, but she can't do anything about it for now. "Well, I'm from another reality completely. I have traveled, well, I don't know how far would be 'extensively' in a place like this, but I have traveled. I have also interacted with a wide range of beings, from dragons, to gods, to demon gods, Humans like yourself, wolf-people, and more. I am also trained in various forms of combat, both ranged and melee."
"Are you a bard or have storytelling experience then?" the woman asks, eyebrows raised.
"Nooo, I'm more of a traveler. I have briefly been a lot of things. A drover. A tavern wench. A founder of a paramilitary exploratory force, an explorer, then I became a warrior, a warrior who fought in a giant metal machine, and then on to pursuing gods, demons, and prophecies. My actual job these days is opposing a pantheon of demon-gods. I'm here to do research, and we don't have any talens, so, we're pursuing work. I am investigating this line of work." And so Tasha shrugs with her hands. "I met some kids and they mentioned teaching."
"Hmm, guest lecturers are usually in demand higher up the slope," the Headmaster notes, and consults her slate. "Do you do anything that might be considered magical?"
"I have assorted magical abilities. I've been trying to learn more," Tasha answers. She thinks for a moment, then adds, "I can also perceive certain exotic elements, such as chaos-matter, the soul-stuff of certain demons, and the colors of demon-touched mortal souls."
"My, that has interesting implications," Fafslaagen notes, and enters into her slate, only to blink in surprise when it chimes. "Hmmm. You've never been here before, correct?" she asks.
"Not that I'm aware of," is Tasha's honest answer. She has to answer that a lot, considering how often she randomly ends up in a myriad of places, often suddenly and without any explanation.
"What sort of implications does it have, anyway?" Tasha then asks, ears forward.
"There are certain things that require sight such as that.." the human mutters as she reads something on her slate, then looks at Tasha, then back to her slate.
"If it's alright, I'd love to know what those are," Tasha notes while looking to the slate and the woman in turn, just as she does. Her vision may be keen but she can't stare through solid objects, much to her continued disappointment. "I need to get one of those. Mine works on other-world rules."
"It is a device issued to government employees, with many functions," the woman says carefully. She then considers for a moment, and turns the slate around so Tasha can see the front. It looks like parchment, with handwriting in whatever the local language is. There's also a sketch like Tasha's seen on wanted posters, only this time it's of her as one part of a trio that includes Galatea and Persephone.
"That's a very nice likeness," Tasha offers with intense neutrality. That Persephone of all beings is shown, someone she's only met twice despite having been recreated by her from the ragged tatters of both body and soul, is very alarming. But she's used to being alarmed and used to having to hide it, especially in civilized lands. And so she looks up form the picture and asks, "Will this be a problem?" She stands ready to contact Kai immediately should it indeed be a problem.
"That depends," the Headmaster says with measured calmness. "You did want to visit the Library, didn't you? This notice is to let you enter, along with the two others depicted."
"Oh." Tasha reaches up and rubs her nose. "Well, I guess that accelerates things a bit. I didn't want to presume we'd just be allowed in, after all. It's a bit rude to have expectations of a deity you've never met, unless I have." The young woman glances around, then admits, "I was expecting more difficulty. there is a problem however, I'm not actually here with those two. I came with fauxElf and a Human barbarian. Oh, and a goose. The goose probably isn't interested in research. The Human either, I suppose."
"Well, then I imagine the pass only applies to you, and those you're with don't sound like research assistants," the woman says. "We don't see many humans come through, much less.. faux-elves."
"Are you not Human?" Tasha takes the chance to ask, head tilting. "I am Human, at least part of me is. And another part, these days. I was actually mostly Human for three days or so." her expression reveals how she felt about that.
"Of course I'm Human," the woman claims. "Why would you think otherwise?"
"'You don't have many Humans come through here'." The red woman considers mentioning Sin, then decides why not, since Sin made from of her name and she actually likes her mom. "I met Sindrella, too. She's a half-Dragon then?"
Aaron says, "The majority of the population here are half-dragons, including my husband," the woman explains. "Dragons can breed with anything.""
"Huh, so maybe like me then. I didn't actually know any of that." Tasha tsp the side of her chin. "Persephone said I'm a species composed of myself alone, that I could breed with anything and expect certain results. I suppose that must be the dragon part."
"Quite possible, if Persephone is the dragon in the notice?" the woman asks. "A wizard or sorceress?"
"Something like that, I think she's technically a god, or god-adjacent." Tasha drums her fingers on the armrest, then says, "I suppose I should head towards the Library then. Did the notice say anything about lodging?"
"No, only a pass for the Library," Mrs. Fafslaagen says. "Where did you meet my daughter if you just got to the city?" she then asks.
"A dive tavern on the hip. I asked her where to find Wallace, and she decided to insult me quite a lot. But it's alright, I find it, um, charming. Except making fun of my name. That's making fun of my mother." And she gives this mother a knowing look. "She'll probably say I teased her a lot, which is true, if she mentions me at all. But, she should probably be more aware of herself, she acts tough but it seems to me she doens't know what real toughness and danger are."
"Uh, tell me she was at least wearing a top this time," the woman says, rubbing her temples. "Wallace? Who's Wallace? Is that her current boyfriend?"
"No top," Tasha admits with a very neutral expression and hands folding in to her lap. "Wallace is a dragon teacher, the kind with some kind of record. The kids mentioned him so I tracked him down. He's outside."
"Oh, Wallams," the woman says. "He spends what stipend he gets on drinking, I believe. I think he sleeps under a bridge somewhere."
"he sounds like a good life lesson," Tasha notes with a smile. "Anyway, enough about those two. I'll probably need lodging unless I can just sleep, well, anywhere. Unless you have an idea for how to make talens? Lectures in the upper city, you said?"
"They're a possibility, but require some way of contacting you," the woman says. "Which usually requires someplace to contact you. There is a hostel somewhere, if you can put up with traveling students."
"One of my friends is a student, I'm used to her. She's great. It might even remind me of where she comes from." Tasha nods, it's an idea. "I can then have the others stay there, you can contact me through a woman named Kai, or else contact a barbarian man named Wulfgar who can tell Kai."
"Well, they should stand out at least," the Headmaster notes, and works at her slate for a bit. "News of a large human with a dangerous 'murder bird or possible feral dragon hatchling' in the Hips is already being publicized. Nothing yet on an elf-looking woman, so that one my need more details."
"Red headed, pale skin, a bit snarky sometimes. She's probably being aloof, so maybe tell Wulfgar to find her. She's not big on standing out when she doesn't need to." Tasha rubs her hands together. "Well, it's very exciting to have access. That's an interesting publication though. I wasn't expecting to see Galatea or Persephone, I'm not sure which is less likely to me. Did it say more about us?"
"Nothing other than the portraits about who you were, not even names," the woman says. "Just a notice that you are to be let into the Library."
"Hmm, well, if names weren't included, please don't add them to the circulation. I'm sure there maker had their reasons." And so Tasha puts a finger to ehr muzzle. "I may not care much, but there others might and I can't afford to upset either of them."
"Do you think they are likely to come here though?" the woman asks.
"I don't know. They might. Maybe they're already coming here; maybe they're here waiting for me. If the three of us are listed, then it seems probable that we may be expected to arrive together, which is a foresight a god might have. Or perhaps it's still foresight, but we will arrive at different times relative to this universe," Tasha suggests.
"I just handle teachers and students, not mysteries and puzzles," the woman finally admits.
"Aren't they the same sometimes?" Tasha winks, then she begins to stand. "Well, it was very educational meeting you at least. Now I can continue on my journey. I suppose I'll be headed upward. I'd say have a nice day, but I don't even know if this plane has a night."
"Of course it has a night," the woman notes. "That's when the dark sun is out."
"Oh, that should be interesting. I've never seen a.." Tasha has seen a dark sun, in Carcosa. "I suppose I have seen a dark sun, although everything else was blindingly white. White and black. Striking and unsettling."
"I suppose it can come as a surprise to those who haven't seen one before," the Headmaster notes. "I will make a note that you are likely to be found at the hostel, but you should probably see about the Library soon as well. If you're a wanted for something there, it could cause issues with employment."
"That's true, I shall head there at once. Wallace can show me the way, if he hasn't fallen asleep or left out of boredom." Up and out of her chair, Tasha gives a polite bow. "Thank you for your time Headmistress."
"Be safe, and good luck with your research," the human says, but doesn't look up from her desk to watch Tasha leave, only adding, "Please close the bars behind you."
"Yes ma'am." Tasha does indeed close the bars behind her, making her wonder why the bars are present -- to keep out fey sorts, perhaps? She may never know. "William! We're going to the Library."
"Are you ever going to get my name right?" the grumpy dragon replies from the shadows.
"Probably? Well, anyway, we're headed up to the Library. I'm apparently expected," Tasha answers, then she makes a shooing lets-get-going gesture. "I might be needed, best we not delay."