With the lunch crowd gone the game floor is relatively open. There are the devout (or addicted) regulars manning their slot machines with glazed eyes and dreams of big payoffs, a few men playing in a particularly smoky corner - and a younger crowd huddled around the newest machine. The gift desk is manned by a very bored looking teenaged Khatta girl, with too-dark eye-makeup, purple hair in a wave the obscures half her face and several piercings in her eyebrows, nose and lip. She sucks on an unlit, hand-rolled cigarette and watches the crowd sleepily.
"Wow. Smoking on occasion is fine but this ... wow, this is a bit much," Nicora remarks as she waves her hand in a futile attempt to clear the smoke away. "And the gift desk girl looks bored ... and a costumer of Hayfa." While she wanders towards the gift desk, she asks Tulani, "How exactly does this place work?"
"Well, you pay to play the games," Tulani notes, and gestures to the small crowd around one of them. "Chronotopian-made, usually, but there are the ones where you get a ball into a hole, and knock things down, and.. pick things up.." The Sphynx gestures a lot, for whatever reason. "And some give you tokens if you win, and you can exchange those for.. cheap crappy junk over where bored-kitty is.."
"Do you need those token things to play?" Nicora asks as she eyes the bored teenager. "And how much do you think she is? Ten? No, eight. Smiling would be ten..."
"I'm seventeen," the girl says laconically, resting her chin in her upturned palm. "Yeah, you gotta buy tokens here. How many you want?"
"That depends. What do they cost? Aand ... just because I'm a nosy Eeee, where did you get the jewelry?" Nicora asks as she leans on the counter and rests her chin in her hands as she looks at the younger girl.
"One token costs one shekel," the girl says, looking at Nicora with her one visible eye. Up close, there's something on her cheek - a decorative scar in the shape of a heart. "I got my art from Mordecai, of course. Everyone knows he's the best body artist."
"Huh, you willingly scarred you cheek?" Nicora asks, brow arched up a bit, "What is that supposed to represent?" Her right hand feels inside her bodice for her tucked away coin purse.
"It's a heart," the girl says, and rubs the outline with a fingertip. "Can't tat fur, but scar-art is soaring, right?"
"Cant get rid of it, either," Nicora points out, "If you change your mind. Not that there's anything wrong with it, I find it interesting anyway." She digs out ten shekels and offers them for exchange to tokens. "All my scars are earned from adventure and danger. So are my friend's."
"My scars are cuter though," Tulani claims.
"Than mine?" Nicora asks.
The girl hands over ten tokens, ignoring the byplay between the two women.
"Dragons look cuter than stars," the Sphynx claims.
"It really wouldn't hurt you to smile a little," Nicora notes to the young Khatta. "You have plenty of years yet before you should look so gloomy. Look at me, took me a long time to look as miserable as I do. And by the way, this Mordecai, where is he located? I might want to visit him."
"Gloomy is chic," the girl claims, and takes a drag on her unlit cigarette.. purely for effect, apparently. "Mordecai is in Little Babel, south end at the border of Darkside. Back of the Morgue."
"What species?" Nicora asks for clarification. She also leans in and whispers darkly, "And I could show you gloomy, but you would run in terror."
"Life is terror," the girl shoots back. "Mordecai is.. special. But he's an Eeee, like you. He'd like you. You're his favorite colors, and you've got eyes like those of a boiled fish."
"No, child, no, life isn't even close to true terror," Nicora says, drawing her lisp back to bare her fangs briefly. "You read far too many books. The real monsters are often right in front of you. Only you don't know until it is too late." She draws back, amused. Her hand slides across the surface of the counter and collects her ten tokens.
The girl keeps up her mask of boredom, but it's forced now.
Tulani puts a hand on Nicora's shoulder, and whispers, "Do you always have to try to terrify everyone? Let's play a game!"
Nicora draws her claws across the counter, letting her claws make a scraping sound as she steps away with Tulani. "Of course I do! Can't you tell she's never been actually scared before?" she remarks to her feline friend as they head towards the games. "Plus, she was almost cute, if she would manage a smile."
"She's a goth.. it's a popular trend among teenagers that want to upset mommy and daddy," Tulani notes. "She probably just thinks you're one too, playing the same game. Let's see what's drawing a crowd of young men over there!"
"Except I am what children fear under the bed, mwahaha," Nicora notes, grinning like mad. "And if the game has any sort of sleight of hand aspect, why, I may have found a way to replenish my purse..."
Tulani is very good and pushing through crowds, even though it just means her wings block the view. But with some well placed pokes and pinches Nicora is able to see what is drawing so much attention. It's a Skeek, hunched over a table that is clacking and ratcheting and clanging. The table is covered in columns of wooden cubes, all with different carvings on each face. They flip quickly though, giving the illusion of movement. The Skeek boy has two levers at his control; one that moves side to side and another that goes up and down. At first it's just a confusing mess, until Nicora shifts her head and gets the whole picture...
A ballista moves along the bottom edge, behind several barriers, controlled by the side-to-side lever. When the other lever is yanked back, an arrow is launched, flying forwards into the ranks of giant insects that swarm from side to side, moving closer and occasionally spitting out horribs at the ballista and barriers. All of it is done by the rapidly flipping bits of wood to make it seem real. At the far end of the table is the nameplate for the game: PLAGUEBRINGER ATTACK!
Nicora's head tilts as she reads the game name. "I don't know if I should be amused or insulted by that game name," she remarks to Tulani as she watches the skeek play, trying to ferret out how the controls actually work.
The boy jerks the lever to the right, and the ballista follows, popping out from behind a partially destroyed barrier. The other lever is yanked back, launching an arrow into the swarm. One of the Plaguebringers pops a mechanical bell sound. There are still many more.. and they seem to get faster the more their numbers are reduced.
"How does it know when an arrow hits?" Tulani wonders.
"Probably something under the tiles intersecting with come trigger or the like," Nicora offers and shrugs a bit. "It doesn't seem magic-powered, it's just some complicated machine. I bet could beat it. It's all hand coordination."
Things get tense as the Plaguebringers drop closer and speed up.. until they begin to trample the barriers! The Skeek tries his best, but there are too many! They reach the bottom.. and a horn sounds. Numbers spin to mark the number of destroyed invaders.
"I'm certain I can beat you at the game," Nicora remarks to Tulani and even elbows her lightly.
"Good play, Reggie," one of the crowd says, patting the Skeek on the back as he backs away from the game. Someone writes his name and score down on a sheet.
"May I?" Nicora asks the crowd and gestures to the machine with her left hand.
"It's not a head-to-head game," Tulani points out. "But if you want to bet.. what'll you wager?"
The crowd seems to notice that the two new arrivals are girls! "S-sure, miss!" the nearest one says, and dusts off the seat with his hand.
"If I win ... you get something at Mordecai's place?" Nicora teases, "Or .... if you're not brave enough, five shekels?" The Eeee daintly lifts her skirt just enough to make it easy to sit down while maintaining propriety in front of the machine.
The machine takes five tokens just to play! But then it must have cost a fortune to buy.
Nicora eyes the cost, then amends, "Hm ten shekels."
"Well, if I win... hmmm," Tulani ponders, tapping her chin. "We have these boys judge who has the cuter scar! But if I lose.. okay, I'll get something from Mordecai.."
"Something I get to pick," Nicora says, grinning fangily. She counts out the ten tokens, but before she inserts them she pops her fingers then lightly rests her hands on top of the two levers. She manipulates them a bit to see how smooth or easy they move.
The left-right movement lever is pretty smooth, but the arrow-launch one takes a good jerk to get working.
The crowd closes in again. "A two-player game!" someone whispers, followed by oos and ahs.
"A little stiff, but workable. Hopefully those 'card' games work in my favor here," Nicora murmurs to herself. She slots in the tokens one-by-one and prepares for play. Her palms rest on top of the levers and she wiggles her outstretched fingers playfully.
A button pops up between the levers, labeled 'start', once the tokens are inserted. A banner above that flips around to read 'Player 1'.
"That should read The Awesome Player 1," Nicora claims. She doesn't lift her hands from the controls. Instead, she leans down and presses the button with her nose.
This raises a chuckle from the crowd, but also starts the ratcheting of the game. Tiles flip to display the ballista, barriers and the swarm of Plaguebringers. There's a bell, and the invading armada begins its side-to-side march, dropping horribs down towards Nicora's position!
Nicora's eyes narrow. Her right hand on the right-left control rolls from side to side in smooth motion, perhaps vaguely reminiscent of playing one of those street card games. Well, rather, running one of them. Whenever she guides between the barriers she pulls the fire lever back with her left hand to try and nail one of the 'Plaguebringers'!
This is rewarded with random pops, since the layers of invaders are still deep. But for every arrow fired, three horribs fall to eat away at the barricades - or fall between them, where Nicora has to be wary.
Nicora's attention is only on the game. Her upbringing at this point kicks in - and no gypsy loses at games! Her movements grow quicker, trying to time the movement of the ballista to keep ahead of a swam-burst of the horribs! And ... certainly not be bwtween barriers when some of the attacks fall through.
Barriers are eroded, showing gaps now. And the foe drops quickly, so long as there are outliers on each edge of the swarm.
Nicora begins her focus on the outlying edges, trying to target the sides of the swarm before she goes for the center!
This buys more time, as the smaller swarm has to move farther before it can advance. But the remaining ones double their horrib attacks, requiring agile dancing to avoid having the ballista hit while it fires! But shots move at constant speeds, and with a little work, it's possible to have the arrow intercept a leading Plaguebringer without having to be under it.
Nicora's bejeweled and chained ears splay to the sides and her jaw rolls. At one point she's even sticking out her tongue in concentration! She continues to work on the outlier edges and trying the technique of using a leading shot and letting the Plaguebringer run into it!
This is a wonderful strategy.. until it becomes necessary, as with each member lost, the swarm moves faster. The clicking of the tiles is like the beating of a fly's wings now. Only five invaders remain, but they are moving fast!
Now Nicora growls. It's soft, but rather draconic, as her hands move quickly, trying to stay ahead of the swarm while firing with each place moved, leaving a stepped trail of shots in her wake! When she reaches an edge, firing stops and she quickly sweeps back, focusing on avoiding being hit!
There are only scraps of barrier to hide behind now, but pausing under them focuses fire there, sparing the ballista. One left, and it's moving fast! There's only one chance.. Nicora has to fire just before it passes over and shoots her!
"Come to momma," Nicora tells the game. Her movement stops and there she waits, hand at ready on the trigger. "Wait, wait, now! she thinks and fires!
The horn blows, and the ballista tile switches over to show it destroyed, while horribs run wild. "What's your name, miss?" one of the boys asks, as prepares to add it to the high score record.
"My name is Nicora," Nicora answers as she leans forward and rolls her shoulders forward too, showing off her, ah, cleavage to the boy. Why? Who knows?
The Khatta swallows, and writes down the name, and the high score of 99 that she reached. The start button pops back up, and the tile above it rolls to display 'Player Two'.
"My turn, old lady," Tulani says with a grin, and nudges Nicora.
Nicora slides out of the seat, and swats Tulani's backside in the process.
This raises some snickers from the boys, which Tulani ignores. She does stretch though, arms up over her head as if she's just waking up. This brings her dangerously close to popping out of the top of her corset.. but only close to it. One of the boys in the crowd falls over backwards.
"Do your Mistress proud," Nicora actually says and pats the top of Tulani's head!
With a hmmph, Tulani hits the start button and grabs the levers! The tiles recycle, and 100 Plaguebringers begin their attack! The Sphynx fights back aggressively, focusing on the right edge of the swarm. Perhaps too focused however, as she waits just a moment too long to jink under a barrier! Her ballista is hit, after only defeating 73 of the enemy. Her claws dig into the side of the cabinet, as if she plans on shaking it!
"Calm calm, you don't have enough money to pay for the machine," Nicora says and places her hand on the sphynx' shoulder. "Tell you what, we'll still have them judge who has the cutest scar," she offers to calm her down.
The Sphynx plops back down into the game's seat, but is still growly. "You first," she offers.
Nicora reaches the top part of her at her back and slowly loosens the ties there while fluttering her eyes at the gathered crowd. When it's loose enough, she pulls the upper part of her corset firward enough to open it and display most of her breasts and the scar between them. This is accentuated when she leans forward and puts her hands on her knees. "My scar," she tells those gathered in a lower, almost sultry, voice.
Everyone crowds in close. "It's a splash!" "No, a six-pointed star.." "How'd you get it?" "Can I feel it?"
"You would never believe me if I told you," Nicora says. She even waggles her brow and says, "Sure, you can feel it ... just nothing else.
Of course, this results in several hands of various types reaching in at once... and then struggling to be the one that feels the scar! There's no way to avoid having fingers going everywhere as a result.
"You'd think it was a cookie jar!" Tulani says, hiding a giggle behind her paws.
Nicora just laughs. She eventually swats the hands away and draws herself upright. "Now, which one of you would like to tie my corset back?" she asks them.
This time, nobody volunteers! It's as if they're afraid the complexities of women's clothing. "Wimps," says the gift-counter girl, who comes and re-tightens the corset straps.
"Nice and snug, please," Nicora tells the counter-goth and even reaches around to pat her side in gratitude while the khatta works on the straps.
Tulani, meanwhile, has turned her back and is doing something, hidden by her wings.
The counter-girl puts her knee to Nicora's back, and really does her best to pull things as tight as possible!
Nicora's eyes nearly bug out and she has to brace herself as the girl tightens! Still, she can't complain in front of a seventeen year old girl, even if it is really uncomfortable!
It's about then that Tulani turns and pulls her wings back. She didn't loosen her corset.. she just pulled it all the way down, exposing everything.. except that her hands are covering up the important parts, as well as pushing things to the side so the silver, spiral-looking scar is prominent. The boys immediately jockey for the best view. "Who did your star?" the goth-cat asks after she's done with Nicora's corset. There's some slack in it now, from when she had to actually tie things off, so the bat can at least breath.
"A woman named Melusine," Nicora answers once she's able to get a few breaths in her. "My jewelry was done by another woman named Hayfa. I have some I can't show you, but I can tell you she does a remarkable job."
"And I have to say I'm proud of Tulani, she rose to the challenge," the dark Eeee quips when she spots what the sphynx is doing!
"Her's seems a bit more detailed," the girl notes, as the boys reach out to pet the Sphynx's scar. "It's some sort of Kiriga." "No, it's a Naga with horns." "It's a dragon head!" "Why is it silver?" "Do you think she's ticklish?"
"Well, Melusine did stab me," Nicora remarks, though she isn't upset that she's losing this competition. She is well aware Eeee aer lacking in the breast department.
Before anyone decides to try and make her move her hands, Tulani wraps her wings around herself once more. "I think that's enough for a judgment," she points out.
"Feeling ... perky?" Nicora teases the Sphynx.
"Can we see them both again, only.. smoothed up against one another?" one bold Gallah boy asks, clearly egged on by his friends.
Before Tulani can ask, Nicora pressed herself up against Tulani, then kisses her. On the lips.
"Ahhhh!" "They did it!" "I got to feel the bat's booby.." "They both win!" "Yeah!"
Tulani's eyes go wide, and then she dips Nicora back. She also whispers, through locked lips, "I bet they'd like your tail."
"The tail is private," Nicora whispers right back as she goes backward. "And we had better flee before we cause a riot..."
The Sphynx hides them both in her wings while she pulls Nicora upright once more and then adjusts her own bustier so it's doing its job again. "I feel sorry for the girl who has stay now," she whispers.
"Why? Should I kiss her too so she doesn't feel left out?" Nicora asks quietly, grinning.
"We're leaving her with a bunch of worked up boys," Tulani points out, and starts backing towards the door.
"Want a kiss too?" Nicora offers the goth-girl before following Tulani...
"Nah," the girl says, and makes a shooing motion at Nicora and Tulani. "Now scoot so these idiots will start spending money again."
Nicora wiggles her fingers in a 'bye' sort of what, then heads after Tulani! "Well, that was odd," she remarks when they're outside.
"We'll be the talk of the town now," Tulani says, shaking her head. "I guess we're going to Little Babel then?"
"Sure, and you don't have to get anything at this Mordecai's place. I'm surprised you even agreed," Nicora says. "It'll also give this area time to quiet down before we hit the bar later."
"Let's go then.." Tulani says, heading back towards the Bazaar end of the city. "And I may get something. It all depends."
"I might too, depending on what he has and does," Nicora agrees as she follows along. "And he's another Eeee, so this should be .... interesting!"
The Morgue is a goth-club, unsurprisingly. It's got a nice view of the Old Cemetery - or would if it had windows. It's dark, smoky, and has quite a collection of glowing eyes. If the sarcophagus tables are genuine, and not plaster, then it's also owned by graverobbers. The bounce isn't very imposing, being skinny, shirtless Eeee that looks half-starved. "So.. you want in?" he asks.
"Of course," Nicora remarks, her left brow arching slightly. "Do you intend to make it difficult for me, boy?"
"I think I could beat up this entire room," Tulani remarks. "Do you guys all just starve yourselves on purpose?"
The bouncer looks from Nicora to Tulani and back again. "Welcome to The Morgue. Try not to be too noisy," he says.
"We will be fine. We are here to see someone named Mordecai," Nicora remarks and holds her head up high. She also gestures for Tulani to head in first.
"Oh.. back room, through the white door," the doorbat says.
"Want me to go in first and make sure he is .. safe?" Nicora asks Tulani as she heads into the club.
"Try not to take any deep breaths," Tulani advises as she wades into the room. There's a dancefloor full of.. people standing around and sort of wobbling. Which is fine since there's no actual music. "Just stick close.. you can go through the door first though."
"No kidding. Talk about a bunch of grim people. The dead in Worms was more lively," Nicora remarks at the absurdity that is going on around her. She wraps her wings in tight to herself and makes her way through the throngs of skinny people, heading towards the white door.
The door is made up like a giant tombstone, with a gargoyle door-knocker.
Nicora reaches up, hooks her claws under the knocker bar, then lifts it and lets it rap soundly on the door. "Customers," she says dryly.
"Enter," comes an oddly hollow-sounding voice, if it belongs to an Eeee.
"Into the spooky lair," Nicora tells Tulani, then waggles her brow and has to suppress a giggle. It's then that she opens the door and enters!
The lair is done up like a tomb, with tall pillars holding up the ceiling. Between them are cushions where people lounge listlessly, or share pipes from a hookah. In the center is a black, throne-like chair, with an unusual Eeee draped across it. He's bone white, furless and naked, with glowing pink eyes - an albino vampire! He's also covered in a full-body tattoo depicting the Sea of Souls - it even extends onto his wings. Decorative scars add definition and relief to the tattoos, and serve as anchor points for rings and studs and barbells. His face is free of tormented souls, but under his eyes are two long tattooed slits, oozing tears of blood that cover his cheeks. His forehead has implanted ridges - or scars under the skin - that form the shape of Sunala's symbol. His eyebrows are pierced, along with his lower lip and ears, and every finger and toe has a ring of some sort on it.
This actually gives Nicora pause. she's never quite seen anything like him before. He's spooky almost on a level Sunala was. Almost. Still, given she knows who she is, it gives her a certain confidence in dealing with this odd creature. "Now what I expected. He's ... spooky," she admits softly to Tulani, then approaches the throne. Her head turns slightly to the side, then dips in a short nod of greeting. "Good day to you," she says to the furless bat.
Mordecai moves languidly, as if every motion were an effort. His irises can just be made out within the pink glow as he looks at Nicora. "Is it day out? I can't bear the sun," he says, in that odd voice. "What brings you to me, Little Sunala?"
"Curiosity, to some extent. We met a khatta girl with some of your work on her face. I was curious who did it, as I recently had some work done in Abu Dhabi," Nicora explains, standing tall to enforce that she sint afraid of this Eeee, "And have been considering perhaps adding more, depending on what was available to me."
The albino bat looks over Nicora, lingering on the rings in her wings, and also glances over at Tulani. "A matched set. Did you have something in mind, or am I free to express my art upon your dark canvas?"
"I may be willing to allow you to express your art if you tell me what it is you would wish to do," Nicora says firmly, not allowing herself to appear weak. She even takes a few steps closer to him.
"Show me everything," Mordecai says, lifting a few fingers to gesture. "Disrobe. You've had some things done already, so show me."
This makes Nicora pause. "Tulani, unlace my corset, please," she tells her Sphynx friend. This allows her to focus on undoing the hooks of her skirt so she can remove it and fold it carefully.
Tulani raises her eyebrows, but does as requested and helps Nicora out of her corset. Nobody else in the darkened corners of the room seems to react though.
"They're all likely drugged and not aware we're here," Nicora whispers in Tulani's ear as she hands over her folded skirt to her feline friend, placing it atop her removed corset. She takes a breath, then turns to face the albino again. Her wings spread some as do her arms and legs, to show off her body, complete with her wing-rings and the jewelry in her more delicate areas.
Something stirs in Mordecai's lap. A serpent! But.. no, it's just a tattoo of scales, making it seem that a serpent is coming out of the screaming mouth of a lost soul. In any case, Nicora's serpent is longer! "Hayfa's work?" the albino asks, looking back up to Nicora's face, and reaching out to flick the padlock.
The flick causes Nicora to twitch. "Yes, her work. I had started with one, but ... found that I wanted more and had her do this," she admits, looking back into the albino's eyes.
"And the scar?" he asks next, placing two fingers in the center of Nicora's chest and tracing the ridges. "Not art.. not quite. Not quite natural either."
"An injury that has healed. I am a monster hunter from Sylvania," Nicora claims. "That one nearly cost me my life."
Mordecai's head tilts slightly. "You're a vampire," he says.
Nicora's head tilts and her answer to that question is to pull her lips back to reveal her fangs.
"You hide it well," Mordecai says. "I would be.. subtle.. with your body. You seem to prefer hidden things. But your scar.. something must be done. It cries out."
"I was considering matching rings for my chest," Nicora suggests as she looks down at the scar nestled in her cleavage. "But ... what were you thinking for the scar?"
"It needs a face," the man says, then reaches up to fondle Nicora's breasts, circling his naked thumbs over the areolas. "Not rings.. barbells. Ivory."
Tulani clears her throat, just to remind Nicora that she's there, if needed.
Nicora blinks at that suggestion, as well at the odd feeling of being handled so suddenly. "Why barbells?" she has to ask. "And as for a face, I don't know about that. I'm not even sure how that would be done."
"And my friend here may also want something," Nicora adds, since Tulani just reminded her that she was here.
"Because your teats are not large enough to support rings without risk," the 'artist' notes, and pinches them lightly with his claws for emphasis. "I don't know what sort of face your star needs.. hmmm." He looks at Tulani now, and seems to stare at her chest. "She also has a scar, but I cannot see it clearly at this distance. My eyes are weak, I fear." Speaking of eyes - a pair watches from the throne now that Mordecai is standing. It takes a moment to realize it, but Nicora can make out a naked black Lapi doe sitting on the throne now. She must have been acting as the bat's cushion.
"Then I will trust to your judgement on barbells instead of rings," Nicora agrees for now. She can't help herself and has to lean to the side a bit to see the doe and make sure she is okay. Or if she's one of his 'canvases' too.
Nicora also waves for Tulani to approach.
Being all black probably makes for a poor canvas, since if there's anything done to the doe it doesn't show. The Lapi even yawns, showing an impressive set of teeth.
Tulani comes over, and asks, "Just what will this cost?"
Since Nicora leaned to one side, Mordecai leaned the other way, and noticed the tail, which he now holds in his hands. "Fascinating.." he says, then looks to Tulani and replies, "Blood or flesh - sometimes both - and occasionally coin."
"I will pay for Tulani as well as myself," Nicora offers before going a little stiff when her tail is picked up. "She may choose anything she likes."
"Hmmm, how generous," Mordecai says, then reaches down and scoops Nicora up into his arms. "My studio is this way," he notes, and heads for the back of the 'tomb'.
Nicora almost squeaks in protest and ends up having to drape her arms around his neck for balance. "You're surprisingly strong," she admits, trying to keep worry out of her voice.
"A side effect of my condition," the bat claims. As the go through the door, he asks Tulani to close it behind them. The studio is more like a regular room than a tomb.. except for the articulated chair in the center. Nicora is set down into it, and her wings and tail actually fit through openings in the seat and back so that they aren't crushed. "Please raise your arms over your head," Mordecai requests.
This request makes Nicora's brow go up. Since tulani is here, though, and can make sure that this strange Eeee can't really hurt her, she lifts her arms upward. "Your chair is rather comfortable," she remarks, "You must work on a lot of Eeee." She also looks towards Tulani, hoping her friend will step in if she ends up needing to ask her.
The Sphynx has an amused and curious look on her face. Even as Mordecai moves a sliding bar along a mast connected to the back of the chair to where Nicora can grab onto it. "Hold tight, unless you'd prefer I use the leather restraints," he rumbles. "They are quite comfortable."
Nicora takes a hold of the bar. "I think I'll just hold onto the bar for now," she decides, since that will leave her free should she need to stop him. "Have you decided your price yet for me? I would like to know what I am paying before any work is done," she says, trying to sound calm, which she is not.
"Blood, for now," Mordecai says as he wheels over a table next to the chair, and begins to set out his tools; long bone needles and the familiar alcohol and oft-bitten leather strap. When he turns to select the barbells, Nicora sees herself gazing out from his back.. or rather, Sunala, looking entirely too welcoming.
"What about my scar? Have you decided what could be done there?" Nicora asks as she can't help but stare at the picture of Sunala, then thinking about how she's positioned and wondering how much of a dream she might be for this strange Eeee. "Oookay, this is spooky," she thinks.
"Inspiration will come to me," Mordecai promises, as he sets the bits of ivory on the table. He then comes closer and throws a lever under the chair, which legs the leg rest split into two, so that he can spread Nicora's legs while she's still, technically, sitting in the chair at the same time.
Tulani, for her part, seems more fascinated in the details of Mordecai's back tattoo than what he's actually doing.
Nicora's eyes go wide when this happens! She also discovers past a certain point, her lower jewelry gets a bit uncomfortable when her legs are spread apart and things ... tug. "You could have warned me before you did that," she says softly after catching her breath. Her fingers roll on the bar above her head as she adjusts her grip.
"Ah, did you need your chain loosened?" Mordecai asks, as he pushes right up against Nicora, and reaches over for the cotton and alcohol.
"I'll be all right, it's supposed to be snug and a reminder," Nicora claims as she finds herself looking right into the strange Eeee's furless face. Before she really realizes she's doing it, though, she leans forward and whispers something in one of his ears, "Blue, yellow, red." Soon she's back leaning back in the chair and gripping the bar tightly now.
Mordecai nods, and then starts swabbing the exposed skin about to be pierced. Behind, Nicora can see Tulani checking out his butt.
Nicora makes a little noise when the cool of the alcohol hits. "That's cold," she says as some sort of small talk to cover up the nervousness she's feeling right now. She knows this is going to hurt; she remembers how Snow reacted the first time she was bitten there.
"Cold is good," Mordecai notes. "It makes them stiffen." Then he starts blowing on them to escalate the effect.
It's an effect Nicora has had on and off for a while now and it always feels odd when that area tenses up and stiffens; the sensation goes deeper than just what shows. "Yeah ... cold," she remarks, sounding distracted.
"Here," the tattooed bat offers, and holds the leather mouth guard out. "Say 'ahhhhh' and then bite down on this."
Nicora sticks out her long tongue and draws the strap of leather into her mouth. She shifts it around a bit, then bites down firmly, making sure her teeth are well padded now. Again her hands wiggle on the bar above as she shifts her grip.
The first needle goes in - a very narrow one. It hurts, of course, and while the first one is left in, the second is inserted on the other nipple.
Nicora bites down hard on that leather strap as she winces. She almost sees stars and boy does it hurt. It's not the worst thing she has ever felt, but it is far from comfortable. The fact he leaves the needle in while he does the second somehow makes it feel like it hurts worse, even if having a bar inserted wouldn't feel any better. Her long toes even clench up into fists. "Ow!" is all she thinks.
Relief comes in the form of vampire saliva, as Mordecai licks away the blood - and numbs the area slightly. Then the needles are withdrawn, and the second, thicker set inserted along the same path. More pain, then soothing licking.
"He's ... ow .... stretching" Nicora realizes as another set follows the first. She's thankful for the saliva and it does get her jaw to relax a little from the leather strap she was biting on. It by no means feels good, but it's more sore than excruciating now.
When the shafts for the barbells go in, it's.. odd. Not the sort of penetration Nicora is used to! There's more licking, then swabbing with alcohol (which stings) and the attachment of the pearl 'balls' to the ivory shafts.
A thought comes to Nicora when the pearls are attached ... is he gluing them on, or are they removable? She nearly panics, but she can't risk moving for fear of damaging something. So, she has to just remain still and quiet, her only sounds are bursts of breath each time twinges of pain hit, then grips even tighter on the mar for a few seconds. It's also a bit disturbing to the Eeee that while he's doing this, she's finding the strange Eeee more and more attractive. It's probably the gentle licking.
It probably doesn't help that Mordecai's own one-eyed serpent (literally, since it's tattooed that way) is resting on Nicora's lower belly and staring at her. From the sensation though, it appears the balls are being screwed on, meaning the pieces must have teeny-tiny threading.
Nicora, now and then, rolls her stomach and this his serpent, in spite of her better judgment. She continues to hold the bar and now just focus n breathing slowly. Breathing slow helps the ache in her chest ease into a sore throb instead of a painful burn.
The pearls are finally screwed on, and the soothing tongue is applied, the final lick trailing all the way up to Nicora's throat.
The shiver that rolls through Nicora is, well ... it's obvious the lick is a bit arousing to her. Her head tilts to le left and lowers, resting her chin on her shoulder and exposing the right side of her neck to the albino vampire.
The bite doesn't come immediately.. in fact, Mordecai draws back. But only for as long as it takes to undo Nicora's lock and slip loose her chain. When the bite comes, it's not just fangs that penetrate! And the Eeee has implants down there as well, because there are ridges and bumps that shouldn't belong to an Eeee, but are very well placed.
Nicora bites down on the leather strap again when she feels her body penetrated at her neck as well as other places. The sounds she makes are ... well, it's apparent she wasn't upset that this strange furless Eeee just took her without any real warming. Her fingers release from the bar and her arms come down, wrapping about his neck and shoulders. One hand cradles his head, supporting it against her neck. The other strokes down his back. She also soon finds out the structure of the chair is such that she can roll her body, and discovering just how good his implants feel as things move.
Tulani watches in silence, and wonders if Mordecai is ticklish, and whether applying her feathers to find out would get her killed at this point.
The feeding doesn't last as long as the rest, and eventually Mordecai stands fully again, his wings half-spread. He's still working his hips though, as he reaches over to the tray and selects a brush dips it into a jar of black dye. Then he uses light strokes, hilighting certain features of Nicora's scar by adding shadow with the dye.
The look Nicora fives Tulani is one that implies tickling him right now would be very bad, indeed. Without the blessing overwhelming her senses, she finds more subtle enjoyment of how everything just feels. She almost protests when he pulls back, but when he stays close enough that he remains a part of her, the complaint fades. His disturbing tattoo and implant work, she finds, is a bit more attractive now; in some ways sexy. And once the brushwork starts, she rolls her hips forward and thrusts her chest out, exposing the scar as much as she can. She isn't sure what he is painting, but at the moment she doesn't care, either.
He pauses in the brushwork, and Tulani is leaning over to look as well. The Sphynx's eyes go wide, as if something suddenly appeared, and she smiles. "You're gonna like this," she says. Mordecai places the brush aside, and gently tries to tug the leather lump from Nicora's mouth.
Nicora's jaws part and she lets go of the leather strapping, then rolls her jaws. "I'm liking it right now," she practically coos. Her hands go down to hold Mordecai's hips snugly to hers. She cranes her head a bit to get a look at both her new ivory bars as well as the starburst in her cleavage.
It's hard to see from that angle, especially with things moving around so much. "Not yet," Mordecai says, and dips his head to kiss Nicora.. and proves that his tongue is also studded.
And as odd as it is, Nicora kisses him back willingly. It surprises her how much it is like kissing snow with the smoothness of it all. Except for the studding, though. That's definitely different, but it's not bad.
It certainly adds texture! Mordecai puts on a burst of passion, but then seems to get inspired and rears back again, going slow as he sorts through boxes on the tray. He plucks out two things that Nicora doesn't get a good look at, before she feel pinpricks of pressure on her scar - but no pain, since it's scar tissue and generally numb. More brushwork follows.
Nicora's pace keeps up with his, the feelings growing as his intensity does. When he slows, she lifts her arms up again and grips the bar, using it to arch her back and expose the scar on her chest again. The pinpricks cause her to shiver and for a moment she wonders if he just inserted something into the scar tissue; but the lack of feeling makes it hard to tell outside of the initial stab. As his brushwork resumes, she uses the bar for support, looking towards the ceiling now so that she doesn't ruin the surprise of what he is creating.
This time, the artist seems satisfied with his work as he sets his brush aside, and throws himself fully into taking his payment from Nicora. And while it's not as explosively intense without Inala's blessing kicking in fully, it's still very satisfying!
Not being as explosive means she feels the nuances of it all the more, particularly when she feels it coming to an end. She holds his bare-skinned form against hers for some time as she simply basks in the end result, not quite ready to let him pull back yet. Eventually, though, she does let him go. And there she sits for a moment, waiting to see if any of Gorphat's gift will make itself known ... or if up here makes her safe from her curse.
There's an after-tingle, certainly. But certainly not a full reaction from the Curse. She does feel a little light-headed though, possibly from the blood loss and excitement. And then she's being lifted out of the chair and set onto an overstuffed floor cushion. Something is placed into her right hand as well.. a hand mirror!
It takes Nicora a couple minutes for her mind to settle and focus after the loss of blood. She reaches up to her chest scar first, feeling over it for what he may have left behind ... then she lifts the hand mirror and holds it out so that she can see his work firsthand.
In the dim candlelight, the pearls stand out against the black flesh, and in the center of her scar are two golden-backed crystals.. which form the eyes of the 'face' of her scar, which follows the actual scar tissue fairly closely to reveal a skull. With horns, and a long muzzle. A dragon's skull, essentially.
Nicora reaches up and touches the pearls, only to draw her hand away when the fresh work aches from the touch. Her attention then quickly goes to the scar, which she marvels at ... and it is quite fitting. The wound was caused by a dragon, after all. A quick experimental touch tries to figure out how the crystals are held in place, a bar between the two beneath the skin, perhaps?
It feels like.. well, barbed pins, most likely. She could probably ask, of course.. but Mordecai has Tulani in the chair now, arms up and holding onto the bar while hilights her scar.. and grinds his hips.
Nicora almost complains that she was supposed to pay for Tulani's work! But ... it seems like Tulani is actually attracted to this strange Eeee too! So ... she settles back into the pillow, content to watch the two 'work'. It's also here she locates her lock and chain and idly threads it back into place. She pulls the chain snug, but not uncomfortable, then closes the lock with a soft click. She feels ... well, she misses Snow right now, and yet is oddly pleased with her new work. It's sore, but she really likes the look. "Maybe Rephidim isn't so bad after all," she thinks, "Though I'm going to run out of things to decorate at this rate!"