Despite the activity of the night before, Pierce still hasn't entirely shaken off the effects of Mave's potion by the time Tulani brings him to the Salon. For a change, the place is rather busy this morning, with every chair taken up by a cheetah, and Helse engaged in conversation with the slave owner - a dowdy looking Eeee woman who seems to be 'dressed down' for her excursion into the area beneath the upper plaza. There's enough to pick up in passing for Pierce to piece together that the woman is throwing some sort of big themed party, and wants the slaves to all have a certain look.
Tulani nods to Helse as she leads Pierce to the back 'nest' room (it seems that there haven't been any actual beds in Pierce's life since Taahira - as the ones for the Yodhgorphat could hardly be called beds). "There's always a party somewhere," she whispers to her supposed slave.
"I haven't been to a party in ages," Pierce signs as he looks around his 'other home'. It has been a while, really. He's feeling pretty good, overall, even with Mave's diagnosis. "But I doubt they would want me at this party; not unless they want exotic."
"Do you want me to find out some more about it?" Tulani asks with a smirk. "I was going to try and find out if the Mages have been noticing anything odd when you fight the monsters."
"Please do. I can go to the party if required. I do not mind this body," Pierce signs in return and smirks as well. He goes to the door edge to peer out and look at the savanites being made up.
It looks as if each of the five Savanites is being made up differently.. but within a 'theme' of elements. Fire, Water, Ice, Stone.. the one for Air has the longest hair, and this is being turned into wispy clouds. The slaves are all girls, about the same age (and a few of them are likely siblings as well) - and surprisingly older than those typically brought in for such things. Alptraum's age or older. The implication is that the Eeee either can't afford 'newer' younger slaves, or needs slaves with experience and certain skills.
"Mage party, perhaps?" Pierce signs back to Tulani, "All girls. They probably don't need or want a male, then."
"Or they need ones who won't panic around magic," Tulani whispers back in Sylvanian. "There are twelve Spheres after all.. although Babel did seem to specialize more in elemental than the other sorts."
"Well, I don't panic around magic," Pierce signs. Maybe he wants to go? He tries to waggle his fingers to one of the women out there and smile.
The Fire one (who is getting her hair dyed red and orange) flicks her eyes towards Pierce, and winks, since moving is a bit difficult as the makeup is applied.
Pierce grins and winks right back at her. He also waggles his split tongue at her. He's a bit mischievous at times, perhaps!
"I'll find out what's really going on," Tulani promises. "I'm sure Helse will have all the details."
"You better or it is no more kitty for you," Pierce threatens in sign, then grins.
The Eeee customer consults a notebook, and says her goodbyes to Helse. "So much to do! I think I have someone in every salon that'll handle Savanites.. and now I have to check with the catering!"
Pierce peeks out again and eyes the Eeee now. She seems kind enough; she doesn't speak poorly of her servants.
"I'm sure it will all go as you plan, Lady Farfesse," Helse notes, smiling. She's painted up like stained glass today, which actually makes her seem less naked than usual. "Everyone comes to you for these events for good reason, after all."
Pierce's ears flick. "I'll have to remember that name," he thinks. Helse's own demeanor also implies this Eeee is probably fine. "Now I really wonder what it is."
"I hope the others will be ready," Lady Farfesse notes, looking at the cheetahs in the chairs. "Of course I brought the most complicated ones to you, Helse," she says and winks. "I know you always manage to provide excellent results on short notice, and this whole even just seemed to inflate overnight. Mages and Yodh.. if I don't pull this off, I may end up being cursed!"
"I'm sure it wouldn't come to that," Helse notes. "They'll all be more upset with one another than with the hosting. Why, I'm amazed the Mages get along with one another on their own."
Pierce's ears perk up. "Yodh too? Who? That is interesting," he thinks. He peeks out again, probably being a little too obvious that he is there and listening. "A unification party, maybe?"
"I hear they all eat like Rhians too," Farfesse notes fretfully. "My poor chefs.. oh, I have to make sure they get their ingredients! I need to be three people I fear! Thank you again, Helse. I'll check back later today."
As the matron leaves, Tulani sidles up to Helse. "Last minute party?" she asks.
Pierce also comes out from behind the curtain to socialize. Or mainly go around and get a closer look at the women being made up. Also to lightly run his hand along Sephia's back as he passes by her.
Helse lights her pipe, and notices Pierce checking things out. "Merchant's Guild. Started as an informal get-together and then.. well, someone thought it would be good to test the waters some more.."
Sephia is working on the Earth element, and while there's a certain amount of brown powder being applied to the Savanite's face, there's a bowl of precious-looking stones and crystals waiting to be applied as well. "Behave, Pierce," she hisses playfully. "Unless you wish to weave flowers in this one's hair for me.."
"The Merchants are inviting the Mages Guild it sounds like," Tulani says to Helse. "What's this about the Yodh as well?"
Pierce licks Sephia's spine! Sometimes having a bisected tongue can be a little fun. He then comes around to help Sephia work on weaving flowers in the girl's hair ... before the naga whacks him with her tail.
"It's all about alliances," Helse notes. "The merchants want stability and progress, and want to convince the other two non-government powers to support that goal."
Pierce gives a 'thumbs up' to that idea!
The girl in the chair looks at Pierce.. and he notices that one of her eyes is green, the other brown. It isn't immediately clear if this is natural or some sort of lens. She is purring though.
"So.. instead of approaching each group separately..?" Tulani prompts.
"Exactly, they want to see if they can work together at all first," Helse notes, and puffs on her pipe. "That smacks a bit of desperation to me. But there's been some worry about the Coalition breaking. No details on why though. Some Councilors have been very tense lately."
Pierce leans in, his ringed nose touching hers as he looks at those eyes, trying to figure them out. He doesn't spend long on it, though, as he does actually have to help weave in flowers. This he does actually know how to do, he did it back with the gypsies, naturally. It's a matter of tying strands of hair around the stems.
The flowers are real.. but preserved somehow. Maybe with the same starchy substance they use to keep hair in place. They don't have any other odor.
"Which Councilors have been twitchy?" the Sphynx asks, although something in her tone suggests she already knows.
Away Pierce works. Savanites do have rather dextrous hands, and it works out well for him right now.
"The expected ones," Helse notes. "Herod is still missing, Khanti is.. disabled.. and the others in their group are suspicious of one another without those two to hold things together."
"Can't someone step in and regain control?" Pierce thinks as he works. "Pity Soldano isn't able to."
"I don't suppose any of them have their slaves tended to here?" Tulani asks coyly. Helse just blows a smoke-ring and notes, "Those sort keep everything they have close to them. They've become even more closed in now. Nothing is heard from the Abbas tower.. nothing public anyway. But something has those sorts spooked."
"Yeah, me. I'm good at spooking people," Pierce thinks smugly. Away his hands continue to work. Hsi tail, though, pokes Sephia now and then.
Sephia has far more tail to poke back with, and is a bit more dexterous and unashamed in its use - so Pierce gets goosed in return. Which in his current still potion-buzzed state seems a bit amplified.
"The Merchants are worried about a schism then, or a panic in the Council?" Tulani asks. "I'd think having the troublemakers in disarray would be a positive turn."
Pierce almost barks, but settles for sticking his tongue out at Sephia. Its condition is her fault, after all. He resumes his work.
"It'd be more positive if they knew why," Helse notes. "Rumors of pirates, cultists and Thath being behind things don't help."
"None of the above," Pierce thinks.
The girl in the chair's eyes go wide at the sight of Pierce's forked tongue. Enough that a slight rim of brown can be seen around the green iris - making it a lens, most likely.
Pierce waggles his brow at the girl, then both ends of his tongue.
"So part of this may be trying to see if the Mages or Yodh are behind it?" Tulani asks suggestively. "The Yodhrephath are a bit more proactive lately, and the Yodhsunala seem take the brunt of the fallout of skirmishes between the big boys."
The cheetah sticks her own tongue out at Pierce - and shows a polished stone set of double studs. They're paired, centered in the left and right half of the tongue instead of in the center.
"Nice work," Pierce signs to the girl, then resumes his work on the last few feathers. "Okay, so maybe she does engage in the same things I do." he thinks.
"The signs do seem to suggest the remaining Yodh would like some stability," Helse agrees.
There's a squeak as something spills on the Water element girl, but the Naga is quick with an alcohol-soaked rag to wipe it up.
Pierce looks over quickly to see what was spilled on the girl. "It's kind of cruel. All these pretty girls and I can't do anything!" he laments in thought.
"What's it take to get invited to this soiree?" Tulani asks.
"Well, do you know anyone on the Merchant's Guild council?" Helse asks, one eyebrow arched.
"Maybe," Tulani notes.
"How about with the Mages or Yodh?" Helse asks next, smiling. Maybe she's digging for information too.
"Of course we do," Pierce thinks smugly again. "All of the above."
"Maybe twice," the Sphynx admits.
"Then maybe you should be asking them," Helse notes. "I can keep an eye on Pierce.."
"/Because I am quite nice to look at with all the decorations you have done!/" Pierce now signs to his Eee friend/part time 'owner'.
"I haven't done anything to his rear yet," Helse notes.
"Not much you can do to that," Pierce signs.
"Ah, I sense a challenge," Helse cackles.
"You haven't done anything to my face, either," Pierce thinks. "Well, other than my nose humiliation."
"I'm going to.. see about getting some invitations," Tulani claims, smirking a bit at Pierce before heading out.
Some of the seated Savanites watch this exchange with interest.
"I'm her project," Pierce signs to the other savanites. "She experiments on me."
"Well, maybe it's time for me to personally take a hand in things," the Eeee proprietress notes.
Sephia gives a little hiss at that, since she's busy.
"You are my Mistress when the sphynx is away," Pierce does have to admit to Helse, "I have to obey." He finishes off the last couple of flowers, finishing the crown of petals on the earth-girl he was helping with.
Helse comes over, and removes Pierce's loin-and-butt cloth, and makes him stand in the center of the room while she turns him around - giving the clients a good eyeful.
Pierce actually chirps at that, but does as directed, he ends up pirouetting for those present. "She keeps adding," he claims in sign.
Of course, with Helse fondling things here and there.. and the potion still in his system.. Pierce isn't able to keep his cool for long. This prompts some appreciative purrs and chirps from the audience.
That is quite a sight, admittedly. Both bumpy and spikey down there. Nicely ringed, too. He eyes Helse a bit, even tries to glace. But in the end he ends up grinning a little at her. "I like being experimented on," he signs to her.
"Hmmm, I have a notion," the woman says, all painted in bright glowing colors. She goes to the supply shelves and picks out a bowl and a dark bottle.
Pierce's brow arches. "This could be good, or bad," he thinks. He also wiggles his butt at the other savanites present, then winks to them.
"Follow me, Pierce," Helse notes, leading him to the back area of the salon.
Pierce casts a plaintive, but playful, look to the others. Then there's a quick swat of Sephia's sort-of backside, and he follows after Helse!
In the nest, there's a very strong smell of Naga of course, but this doesn't seem to bother Helse. She sets her bowl and bottle aside, and says, "I see they you are ready, but I could use a bit of.. warming up." She grins at Pierce, and says, "I hope you've been practicing with your new Naga-tongue.."
Pierce's ears wiggle. "What was in the bottle?" he signs before he heads over to Helse and kneels down beside her. Things start slowly, he ... grooms the bat's legs. A split tongue, though, makes this a bit more tactile.
"Temporary fur paint," Helse explains, and smiles as Pierce starts to work. "Much warmer than a Naga's tongue.. I like that."
Pierce's ears wiggle. "Temporary is a word i don't know," he thinks, amused. The grooming is slow and gentle ... and exploring. When he gets to more sensitive areas, the tongue acts like extra fingers with the way it pulls and parts and explores things!
Helse is loving it all. Usually, she's already in the proper mood when she calls on Pierce, but at least he knows what she likes. She certainly warms up to what he's used to from her.. and he can tell when because she pours the bottle into the bowl: black paint.
Pierce's bisected tongue gets creative and very exploratory. The naga did split it fairly deeply, after all! Minutes pass, then he moves upward. Now he's lapping at her chest. "At least it isn't fur removal goo like Nicora had to deal with," he thinks.
As he licks.. Pierce remembers what happened last night. Inala's blessing (which Gorphat twisted a bit for Nicora) means that he can get some Eeee milk if he really wanted. And Helse is certainly encouraging him to be 'on top' this time (odd, since she usually likes to be in control).
And Pierce, being a little evil, actually does start nursing on her. It's also when a bumpy and spikey part of himself becomes part of her too!
Helse gives Pierce his lead here, and seems actually surprised when the nursing becomes real. At some point she does dip her hands into the paint though.. and grabs Pierce's rear end with a bit of force!
Pierce barks around the bit he is nursing on! Soon, though, he settles back into a gentle suckle and his movements are strong and regular. "Great, I'm going to have a black handprint on my butt," he thinks amused.
Apparently Helse's choice to be on her back wasn't exactly to give Pierce control.. since she still guides him from her grip! Pinches and squeezes let the cheetah know when to slow down, speed up, or wiggle side to side! Whatever it is that the Eeee smokes seems to give a certain 'flavor' to her milk as well. It's not unpleasant, but also hard to really define.
Pierce is good at obeying. At least those he likes, anyway. His hips work along her guidance and he switches between each nipple now and then to give equal stimulation. He's also purring at this point, and nuzzling a bit too. "If I were a real slave, I wouldn't mind Helse owning me," he thinks, finding actual enjoyment in that idea.
Helse is certainly enjoying things, and sometimes looses control of her control - that is, giving contradictory signals due to just out and out fondling, until it's just up to Pierce to take the lead! She's making some very high pitched squeaks too - the nursing must be adding a new level of twitchiness to the experience!
Or how heavily modified he is in certain ways. His movement is rough, almost feral, when she starts squeaking; his attempt to heighten the moment. He also speeds up, intent of making her see stars! He also bites now and then. Not enough to draw blood, but it is noticeable!
It isn't like Helse to really surrender herself, but maybe some of the potion is coming through to affect her as well. It's certainly easy for Pierce to go all out as he burns through the last of the potion. And Helse is certainly responsive in kind! Maybe he needs to warm her up first all the time.
Pierce doesn't stop until Helse goes completely limp. It's not long after he collapses down on her, panting hard as well. "When am I going to end up in chains in your dungeon?" he signs weakly to her while lying there. He also smirks a bit.
"I don't have a dungeon," the Eeee admits. "Chains, however.." She finally releases her death-grip on Pierce's booty, and wipes her hands off on a nearby towel.
Pierce waggles his brow. "I would look good in your chains," he teases. It's also about then he has to twist around and look at his hand-grabbed butt.
There is a pair of black handprints prominently covering his butt, and clearly Eeee hands at that. The edges are blurry from the groping though.
Pierce snorts, amused and ears wiggling. "At least this one didn't involve more needles being shoved through my body," he signs to Helse. He also leans in and licks her cheek.
"Don't sit down," Helse says. "I need that outline intact for the tattooing.." Of course there are going to be needles..
"Tattooing?" Pierce signs in question. "What is this about tattoing?"
"Just to make sure the fur grows out in the proper color, after the dye is applied," Helse notes. "It's a special formula for Savanites that simulates spots.."
"Wait, you're making those permanent?" Pierce signs. He doesn't sit down, so he's sort of on his hands and knees, lifting one hand to sign when he needs to.
"Don't worry," Helse says, getting up herself. "I'm an artist. You can trust me." She smiles very wide and toothily.
"Oh, that reminds me. How do you think I would look with a brow or lip piercing?" Pierce signs to Helse, then noses her side with his ringed nose while she is still in range.
"Hmmm, color will be key for that," Helse notes. "Your eyes and lips are where Savanites vary in color the most. They would definitely need to define a line, I think.."
"Define a line? More than one?" Pierce signs as he flops his chest down, which leaves his butt hiked into the air. He knows this position well.
"Come to the main salon, the light is better," Helse says when she sees Pierce assume the position.
Pierce chirps, then rises and heads back out into the main salon, completely naked.
The slaves are still seated, but their faces are done. Bright flames seem to flow from one woman's eyes, while ice and chilled face adorn another. Sephia's subject has shading to make her face look more sculpted, and areas or raw looking stone with gemstones and crystals embedded within.
"I learned this technique from a Savanite, all the way from Xenea," Helse notes, as she gestures to where Pierce should get into position.
And the other savanites get quite a show as Pierce stretches, then bends over and slides down into 'position, presenting his bottom to Helse. He grins at the other savanites present, then winks.
There are a lot of smirks, both from the seated cheetahs and from the Nagas. Helse brings several vials and instruments - mostly brushes, but the tattooing needle is there as well - and sets them next to Pierce. She starts with.. alcohol! This is to clean up the edges a bit with things got smudged, and remove the paint in other areas as well. It makes the man's butt tingle, of course.
Pierce tries to figure out exactly the outline Helse is planning by the feel of the tingle! It also causes him to wiggle it around some. In this position, not only is his butt on display, bit so is everything else. It is a bit, well, exposing. Still, Pierce is actually grinning anyway. He does trust Helse. She may be impish, but she is a friend.
Circles. It seems that Helse is moving in circles.. which would suggest she really does mean to add spots. They might, from the feel of it, match the pads of an Eeee hand.
"Can't be that bad," Pierce thinks. "Plus I have a pretty girl fondling my butt. I can't complain at all." The savanite rests his chin on the back of his arms as he looks up at the others gathered.
It's pretty relaxing at first. Paint is wiped away, and dye is brushed in. There are several shades, to best match the color edging of a Savanite's spots. It tickles, and whenever Pierce twitches he gets a poke in a sensitive area. Multiple sensitive areas if he twitches his tail. And brushed too, which just makes it worse.
Pierce ends up making lots of chirpy-complainy sounds while Helse works, pokes, and teases him. "Why do I like this?" he finds himself wondering at some point. Maybe he really does enjoy times where he can relax control of the situation.
The girls in the chairs are definitely giggling, because the Nagas keep hissing for them to keep their ears still while they work on their hair. "I hope I'm not encouraging you to wiggle about," Helse notes to Pierce.
And so Pierce wiggles his butt at that comment, his ears wiggling.
There's a pinch on the Savanite's tail for that, and more painting. Then the brushes are set aside, and pots of dye are replaced with smaller ones. There's a whiff of alcohol again as the needle is prepared. "Now, you really don't want to be wiggling for this part, or I might prick something important.." Helse warns.
Pierce lightly pokes Helse with his tail as one last bit of defiance, then stills down. "At least I am used to this, thanks to those dreams," the cat thinks as he now waits for the all too familiar needle-bite.
There is a difference. Male skin is perhaps a bit more sensitive, or else it's just Savanites. It's a lot more painful at first than on the forms that have been extensively tattooed already.
Pierce barks when the pain starts, yet he does manage to hold pretty still. One eye is now a bit larger than the other as he thinks, "Ow..."
He catches a glimpse of 'very brave' signed by one of the chaired cheetahs. "Try clenching," Helse suggests helpfully.
"Slave" Pierce signs to the others with one semi-free hand. He does also try tightening up his backside to see if it helps.
It helps Helse, certainly, but still hurts. At least it's just spots, and not some huge sprawling design. The other Savanites are finished while Helse is still working, and along with the Nagas gather around (without blocking the light) to watch the process.
Pierce actually reaches over and grab's Sephia's tailtip, then sticks it in his mouth. He chews, very lightly. Not enough to hurt anyway, just maybe make the naga make a strange face.
This causes some amusement, and of course.. well, Naga tails aren't that tasty. But it does give the cheetah something to bite down on when the needle his a particularly sensitive spot. The other Savanites just sort of lounge around, waiting to be picked up by Farfesse.
Pierce ends up suckling on the tail, biting down now and then when he needs relief. "At least I make a good show! I also need a female savanite body, I think. To get into parties..." he thinks, trying to distract himself from the fact his butt hurts. A lot.
Finally, the sting of alcohol marks the end of the tattooing process. Sephia then bites Pierce's tail!
Pierce barks! The savanite then spits out the tail. "Some girlfriend you are," he tease-signs to the large naga. With the way his butt hurts, sitting down won't be much fun for a while.
"Want me to kissSSss the hurt to make it go away?" Sephia offers.
"Sure!" Pierce signs.
There's a sharp pain as the Naga bites Pierce's butt! But then the venom begins to numb the area. Of course, she has to bite both cheeks.
Pierce is sure good at barking! But at least his butt hurts a lot less now. Of course getting upright with a numb fanny isn't so easy, but he somehow manages it. "I take such abuse," he signs to the gathered girls.
Pierce also takes the chance to try and look at his butt!
"Is that an invitation?" one of them (Air, with the really fancy hairdo) signs.
"You can't muss up your decoration," Pierce points out with dismay.
"If you don't move.." Earth signs, waggling her double-pierced tongue at Pierce.
"Ahem, your mistress hasn't paid for that specific service," Helse points out.
"And I would get into trouble," Pierce notes in sign. He now asks the girls, "How would I look to you with some lip or eyebrow decoration?"
"Shinier," one girl suggests.
"Better? Worse?" Pierce signs. He then gives up and looks at his butt.
It really does look like there two handprints there.. but also not at first glance. The spots being on the white fur are the first clue to draw the eyes, but otherwise they look completely natural.
Pierce's ears wiggle. "Okay, that looks ... different. Kind of silly," he thinks to himself as he shimmies his backside.
Would Tulani notice? Strong arms around around his shoulders then, as Sephia gives him a 'hug'. "Venom not free," she hisses, and licks both of Pierce's cheeks at once by wrapping her tongue almost completely around his head.
"What is the cost?" Pierce signs to his naga 'girlfriend', then kisses her while his entire head is being licked.
There's a moment where Sephia seems like she's going to unhinge her jaw and swallow the Savanite's head, but instead she just scoops him up into her arms. "Heat. Make me warm inssside," she says, and starts to carry him off!
Pierce has a sudden flashback to the naga from Nicora's dream and shivers! "Wow, that was fun," he thinks. Maybe it is the naga smell that triggered it. In any event, the savanite is up for the challenge! It only helps that he actually likes Sephia, too, even if she is the one who often hurts him.
As always, there is a certain amount of wrestling involved. There's just so much of Sephia, and almost all of it muscle. She does tell him how best to use the fork of his tongue though, and even gets him to move the two tines independently with a little practice. Mave's potion has worn off though, so Pierce is more at the mercy of Sephia's muscular manipulation (and her penchant for strangling him at key moments).
"I like the split tongue," Pierce signs to Sephia in a moment of slow-down, just before he disappears into her coils again, a flash of undulating spotty fluff amongst scale.
"Of coursssse you do," Sephia hisses. "It wasss a gift from me!" She squeezes, and waits a few moments before letting Pierce breath again. "And you like me, yesss?"
"You are my girlfriend," Pierce claims in sign to answer that question. Well, once he can breathe and his vision isn't spotty!
"Yessss," Sephia agrees. "You can prove thisss several timess, yess? Not too tired from the Mistresss?"
"Well, she did wear me out in one way, but my nice tongue can still prove it," Pierce claims in sign, then grins. "And it is a good thing your Mistress doesn't fully own me, I might not survive!"
"If she owned you, we would all be more gentle with you," Sephia claims, before getting very squirmy and clenchy on the cheetah (and specific parts of his anatomy).
"You would not and you know it!/" Pierce signs while he can. Soon he's just sort of lost in the feeling anf the squeezing. "/Naga are so alien ... they're great/" he thinks.
By the time Sephia is 'done' with Pierce, the lack of sleep from last night and all of the exertion and after-effects of Mave's brew insist that he take a nap - at least until he can feel all of his limbs again. But something rouses him. The room is unlit, but the light coming into the hallway beyond is consistent with afternoon. The rest of the salon seems quiet - but then, that isn't unusual. The slave girls may or may not still be out there. But what disturbed Pierce's nap is.. something off about the room. A presence?
Pierce slowly sits up and looks about. "I can feel you. Show yourself," he signs to the darkened room. His eyes are narrow, and muscles are tense.
One of he shadows in the corner by the bead-curtained doorway reveals a bright white smile. It steps forward, becoming a young Eeee girl in unassuming robes. "Not often do I see a Savanite make such a demand," Cricket signs.
"You," Pierce signs and relaxes. "I'm used to people sneaking about, so I can feel it when people do," he claims in sign. "What brings you here?"
"I bring news for your mistress," the Eeee signs. "The Mages are disturbed. They wish to investigate some places in the Streets Below, but the Avenger holds them at bay, citing the dangers to those unfamiliar with the area. The Twilight Lords also fear events in the Undercity, and worry about who now commands the House of Abbas. They are beginning to feel trapped."
"/The Twilight Lords?/" Pierce signs, his expression tilted and mildly confused. "/And what would placate the Mages from exploring? The streets are dangerous. Mistress' ally is dealing with dangerous things down there right now. I doubt her ally would want to endanger them too."
"Those stand between Night and Day," Cricket signs. "Nobles who seek power and protection, but who would not fare well under the laws of the Coalition. They hide their activities, but question their allegiances now that Herod, their ambassador, is gone. The strange events that disturb the Mages happen in the Twilight Lords' territories, and disturb them as well. The Mages seek assurances."
"I don't know what would assure them. Maybe Mistress of her ally would know," Pierce sign. He smiles weakly, then adds, "Sorry, as a slave I don't get privy to everything that goes on. She is currently trying to learn about a party that will he held soon."
"I know most of the Guest List for that," Cricket signs and grins. "The Avenger will be there, and many Yodh or their chosen agents."
"Which Yodh?" Pierce signs, "And would there be value for Mistress or her ally to attend?"
"The personal advisor to Sunala, Daughter-of-Shadows, and her guardians," Cricket signs. "The captain of the Yodhrephath warship. Rizalka of the Yodhblakat. The Yodhrinala will be sending someone as well. There are rumors of a Yodhgorphat in the city again, so perhaps she may show up. If your mistress attends, which I believe she should, then she may wish to introduce her ally, or not, depending on how things go. He is a secret still, but one known to many of the participants."
"IT may be risky for her ally," Pierce admits in sign, "Many would wish him dead on sight."
"This is an experiment," Cricket signs. "A test by the newest power in Babel to see if the older ones can trust one another, and what their hopes for the city may be."
"I assume you know who Mistress' ally is?" Pierce asks. "Would it really be worth the risk to test that?"
"One would be wise to assess the risk beforehand," Cricket notes. "It is possible to win without revealing one's trump card, if things are favorable. If it is necessary to have a rallying figure though... it will be up to her and her ally to act or not."
"From what Mistress has told me, I am not sure her ally wants to be a rallying figure," Pierce admits in sign. "He has a desire to fix, but not to rule, or even make that attempt. I could be wrong, I guess."
"Even I cannot predict what will be debated among such a diverse group," Cricket signs. "I too will be in attendance, of course. All Yodh are welcome, who have the courage to attend. And I hear the catering will be excellent."
Pierce smirks. "Would an actual Yodhgorphat be even welcome? You mentioned rumors of one," the savanite signs. "I do not know if I will be in attendance, of course. That is up to Mistress."
"It would certainly be interesting if she did show up," Cricket signs. "It was not known that a Yodhblakat still remained. A few surprises always help - they break the preconceptions that the attendees bring with them."
"But would anyone speak with her? They are supposed to be the foulest of the foul," Pierce signs, then shudders. "I have heard stories."
"That will depend on her demeanor, I suppose," Cricket signs and grins. "One could hardly refuse to speak with such a person if they valued their health."
Pierce ears wiggle. "I suppose," he concedes. "So, why did you come to me instead of Mistress with this news?"
"I couldn't approach her at the moment," the girl signs. "And I have to make my own preparations, so could not waste time waiting. You will deliver these messages without distortion?"
"Well ... what is in it for me?"Pierce signs and grins. He's probably teasing.
"Your Mistress serves Barada, and you serve your Mistress," Cricket points out. "Your loyalty should not come at a price. Unless you wish to know a secret in exchange for your service?"
"No, I am merely teasing to amuse myself. I will deliver the message to my Mistress, fear not," Pierce signs. "But I will always take a secret too..."
The girl gestures for Pierce to come closer.
Pierce crawls on all fours over to Cricket. He expects some sort of trick, of course, but it's been that kind of day!
Cricket kneels down, and whispers into Pierce's ear, "Abednego bar Abbas has returned from the dead to rule the Abbas clan." She then reaches over and pinches the cheetah's no-longer-sedated butt.
"I knew that!" Pierce thinks, but cannot say that without letting on too much. The pinch makes him lurch forward, that hurt! And in revenge, the savanite kisses Cricket. With tongue! That ought to weird the bat out.
Instead of surprising her, the bat kisses right back, grabbing onto Pierce's cheek-ruffs.
This makes Pierce feel a bit odd. She's so ... young! And still a good kisser. Egad. When she finally lets go, he pulls back and crosses his arms. "No fair," he signs soon after.
"Yodhbarada are not easily surprised, you know," Cricket signs back, and winks. "And now I must attend to my other business. Fare well, spotted one."
"You could have pretended," Pierce signs and even pouts a but. "Be well and be safe," he does add quickly, though. "If you need protection, seek out my Mistress."
Cricket nods, and then slips out into the hallway. It isn't clear if she heads forward into the salon, or back towards Helse's secret back door.
"/Weird day. Uncomfortable day,/" Pierce thinks as he crawls back and curls up into the nest. "/And I can't even rely on sleep being relaxing. But at least on the bright side, nothing squirms in this body; only Nicora has hat ... honor." And so the spotty-butt lets his eyes droop as he takes some time to relax. A new storm approaches, it seems.