Realistic or Modern Mission 3

[Fable]

( r e i Tarmagon DergTheDergon Epiphany StoneWolf18 Noble Scion Birdsie baddervibes Thatguynameded VioletShadow DapperCat Xemanorth Myriad )
(Please excuse errors in post, I'll probably go back and fix any I find later, lol. Also, timeskip between SLICE and this post is 1-2 weeks mostly just for a "recovery" reason for previously injured agents.)

Spoiler: NPC IDs

Talora Reed - the Overseer - stood speaking with an older woman with grey hair as Taionia and Maeralya discussed with each other the details over a thick, worn, leather tome. There is a nod from Talora to the older woman who veteran agents may recognize as Advisor Dicon, but the Advisor says nothing to anyone else in the large conference room as she leaves.

Talora joins Taionia and Maeralya, whispering something to them before moving to take a seat off to the side, crossing her legs at her ankles and looking fairly serious.

“We don’t have time to waste, so if you’re not seated grab a spot and listen up,” Maeralya began as Taionia dimmed the lights and turned on the projector which lit up the room slightly as it displayed an old looking decorative box in a black and white photograph. It was small, looking more like something probably used as a jewelry box.

​

“This is Pandora’s Box. The artifact that one myth says is responsible for releasing evil upon the world. While it is true that when Pandora opened it evil was released, that is not the entire story. Parts of the story are true, but much is not included in the mundane’s version.”

A new image appeared of old text in some handwritten language, but the focus was on the imagery of the box having black entities swallowed into it.

“An unknown deity created the box to trap evil creatures within it. The box became full over time and so the deity hide it away for the safety of the mortal world. However, a trickster learned of the box and stole it, intending to release the trapped evil within. Fortunately the deity had magically locked the box that those who wished to use it for harm would be unable to open it. The trickster tried everything to open it and failed, but there was a loophole he could take advantage of. He approached the mundane woman Pandora and offered her to box which she took without suspicion.”

As Maeralya spoke, the images changed which went along with the story she was relaying to them all. “As she did not know what the box was, nor did she have evil intent when she went to open it, the moment she cracked the lid the captured evils began to leak back out. The mundane version states she closed it leaving only hope left, but the truth is that she sacrificed herself to close the box once again.”

The images ended then, settling back on the image of the box for a moment before the lights were fully illuminated and the projector was turned off. “That isn’t the end of the tale. Pandora didn’t die. She was taken into the box and over time she was what you could call corrupted by it and now rules the box as its Queen. The box is a pocket dimension with an expansive labyrinth within it. Every thousand years or so the box begins to shudder and threatens to open and spill more entities and maybe even Pandora herself back into the world.”

“The Founder of our agency along with the efforts of the leaders of many other races came together to broker a deal with Pandora. Every thousand years we send people in to participate in Pandora’s game; to navigate through the labyrinth, fighting off the evils within it, and reaching her throne room before the box fully unseals and present an offering to Pandora herself. If this is acheived the box will go dormant again and surviving participants are ejected back into this realm. If we fail, the box opens completely and releases all it contains. You have been selected as participants along with volunteers from other races to increase our chances of success.”

“Once you enter we will be unable to assist you. There will be no base of operations or resupply points. Your contact to the outside will be entirely cut off and you will face terrible things. In a worst case scenario, should you lose the offering for Pandora, someone may offer themselves as a sacrifice in place of an offering. This should only be done if no other offering makes it to her and we have nearly run out of time, because anyone who remains within that dimension will become corrupted themselves just as Pandora was.”

“If you have any questions, ask them now because you’ll need to prepare to enter the box.”

 

[DapperCat]

location: briefing room
addresses: Thatguynameded
music: x

Qerres stared up at the projector's image, one leg tapping. She had a slouched, casual posture with her hands in her pockets. She looked more like a delinquent than a fighter. Only when she had to scratch her nose or rub her eye she lifted a hand from the depth of a pocket.

Ugh.

She'd been drinking too much again last night. She had a bit of a pick-me-upper in the morning, but it hadn't gotten rid of the full hangover just yet. Normally she would keep drinking to make sure this dreaded moment didn't arrive. But now... well, she was running out. And thus she lifted an arm into the air at the mention of questions. If and once she was picked, she would ask aloud;

"I got two questions boss. Firs' one, can I do a grocery store run before we go? An' second... what -is- the offerin' we're takin' to Pandora?"

The woman sniffed a little, before dropping her hand. Her eyes were bloodshot and her expression screamed agony. Her question was phrased in her usual act, but the truth was present in the so casual question. She -needed- alcohol. To forget, to live, to work. It was a sad truth.

 

[Birdsie]

Agent Quinn Johnson's mental structure differed vastly from a human's. Quinn wasn't human, in terms of thinking, but an alien that has been genetically crafted for the purpose of imitating humanity. A pretender to the idea of human psychology, Quinn was more like a complex system of bio-electric kicks through the nervous system that had simple responses to complex problems, then meticulously dressed those responses to look human.

Even her body. Beautiful in the way that nothing that was entirely, good-old-fashioned, vanilla human could ever be. Her face was perfectly symmetrical, her hair was perfectly combed, her skin perfectly clear. Perfect, as if painted by a middling artist. Good enough to look just like a human, but not good enough to look like a person. She looked... unfinished. There wasn't a freckle, pimple, pore, or any sort of blemish on her.

What it added up to, in practice, was a very creepy child doing very normal things very creepily.

And that includes sticking her tongue out in concentration as she drew some of the slides that they have shown on the screen using unmarked crayons from an old box, but instead of holding them normally, between her fingers; she held them with her entire fist and made very rough sketches.

When she heard they were allowed to ask questions, Quinn put down her crayon and raised an eager hand. Taking the word 'any' in 'any questions,' as permission to non-sequitur the eldritch horror said, "What do the thingies inside the box look like? Also, if a police officer caught me with a bag of ears and I didn't confess or say anything, what would I be charged for? For clarification, let's say a garbage bag with forty ears in it."

Fable DapperCat

 

[Myriad]

Deepscale watches the projector's image with a curious expression, a leg raised to rest his ankle across his other leg's knee, tapping his foot slowly and quietly. He's already geared up, wearing what looks like an aquatically modified set of SMITED gear with what looks like a water belt around his hips, a big round blue button in the centre that has, again, water within it. He listens to the presentation without comment, only considering the various points they make, until it comes time for questions. First Qerres, then Quinn, now himself.

"If this isn't the first time we're doing this, do we have maps for the inside of this box? Are there any rules to this creature's 'game'? Is there any sort of trickery we need watch for? And," He jerks a thumb towards Qerres and Quinn, "what're the odds that there's anything specific Pandora has against demons, whatever abomination the child is, and whatever other species we go in with?" ( DapperCat Birdsie Fable )

 

[Xemanorth]

He listened to the briefing with an unamused frown on his tusked lips, his jaw rolling back and forth in pensive thought. The fact that Pandora had been confined to the box didn't seem entirely fair to him, then again, she did now rule over her own pocket dimension... whatever that was. Kirill did not much like the concept of navigating a labyrinthine maze, fighting the enemies that might be contained within the box however, that was a thought he could wrap his head around.

The half-demon raised one of his large palms to his head, brushing it back and forth over his messy, jet black head of hair. A thousand years sounded like one hell of a long time. Just how old was SMITED as an organization anyway? Kirill went onto roll his burly shoulders in a shrug, dismissing the thought for now and instead allowing his mind to focus on how to prepare for any of the possible challenges ahead, frankly he didn't have much in the way of ideas.

Something kept nagging at Kirill however, an annoyance he went onto voice moments later in the form of an annoyed grumble: "So, from playing delivery boy between demons to playing delivery boy between SMITED and this Pandora chick. Great.". The man raised his large palms into the air, shaking his head with a dry chuckle. "Sounds like a piece of cake!" he stated before planting his hands onto the back of the chair in front of him.

"I'm assuming she's been waiting for her package for a thousand years or so by now, so best not keep her waiting. When are we leaving?" Kirill went onto ask, seeming surprisingly eager, given his relative inexperience as well as the task at hand. He was either very confident in his abilities, or completely ignorant to the challenge he faced. The truth most likely lay somewhere in between those two options. Whatever the case may be, he felt ready, even anxious to get to it. Another fucking package delivery job, oh, he'd get it done alright!

His lips turned to a rare, toothy grin while his eyes glared straight ahead, making for a rather maniacal display overall. The mission had not even started and Kirill already felt tempted to snap due to the sheer amount of irony involved in his current situation, one of his heavy boots impatiently tapping against the floor beneath.
( Fable )

 

[baddervibes]

Location: Briefing Room | Interactions: Fable |Mentions: Birdsie
​

The tale of Pandora's box was nothing new to Caddigan. What was news was the fact that it was actually true. Caddy had always the chocked the whole story up to be an easy explanation for why bad people do bad things. Now knowing that the box was actually real, he wondered if there was a nice little room with his name on it waiting inside: something cozy with a leather recliner and one of those "home sweet home" embroideries. Caddy had to hand it to the organization: this was some dark fucking shit. Sacrificing agents as cannon fodder for the Evil Olympics? Well, Caddy fully intended on coming back with the gold

As the slideshow ended and the lights flickered on, Caddy turned his head to the eldritch being sitting next to him. She had a full box of crayons strewn out over the table and few pieces of paper with drawings of the presentation features. They looked pretty nice honestly: at least better than anything Caddy could have done. Perhaps he shouldn't have blown off those drawing lessons his mother wanted him to attend as a boy. He picks up a crayon labeled "Macaroni and Cheese" and starts to mindlessly doodle on one of the meeting room notepads until he could have a moment to chime in.

"I second Calamari's question...the first one." He says in between agents, wiggling his crayon up in the air.
"The term 'evils' is kind of broad, isn't it? Any intel on what we might be dealing with? Imps? Ghouls? Politicians?" He snorts, adding some angry eyebrows to a crude portrait of agent Si-woo.
"Might be good to know who or what we'll be shooting, stabbing, and blasting."

 

[Thatguynameded]

Brass stands in the back hunched over snacking on some meat that's more than likely not too old or tampered with by magic. Over the past couple of weeks hes learned the names of all the members and has worked on his stamina to better himself for the team. His days consisted of light burps of blue which has now stopped being blue. Spending long hours of running, eating, and sleeping. On this strict routine he didn't converse much with the team unless they joined him during.

Brass loves stories, once every full moon his pack and other packs get together to share stories and go on a grand hunt and have a feast together. The adult males and their able body sons go on a hunting game where the group with the largest meal gets bragging rights. The young play, the mothers and their daughters share tips and tricks to each other. The sages and wise wolf gathered under a tree to discus thing far more intelligent than the rest of the pack would understand. This will be his first time he wont be able to attend.

He understood that the team is going into a box with alot of people to play Pandora's games. His tail wags on the idea of playing games for his next mission. His mind was filled with the thought of playing and began to half pay attention. They would have to reach the end and give her something, we will win the game if that happens. Raising his hand after the others get their answers, "room is team? or different team?

( Fable )

 

[VioletShadow]

Aquielle Pearla

Mood: Focused/Excited/Concerned
Location: SMITED HQ - Briefing Room
Mentions: Fable DapperCat ​

Aquielle was seated beside Qerres, her more recently formed acquaintance, with her legs crossed respectfully. As still as a statue, the only movement that could be seen from her was the flickering of the projected slides in her retinas. It was personally her first time hearing of Pandoras tale, hence she was grateful for the recap. To think that her first mission would be so dangerous: she chuckled within her inner thoughts. More than fear though, she was excited, expectant even. It was finally her opportunity to prove her kins worth, she would not let them down. Her aquamarine irises flared suddenly in determination, before becoming dormant once again.

"Do we have any more info on Pandora herself? And was there any information recorded from the surviving participants a thousand years ago?" She inquired alongside everyone elses questions. Aquielle was ready to leap off her seat and head to her room to prepare, but she needed to be patient. They needed as much information as they could gather. Considering how the mission seemed to be so full of battle and action, she was tempted to ask if she could bring her equipment from her knighthood, even though she knew full well that her new modernized weaponry excelled in every way possible.

Looking to her side, she noticed Q appeared terribly haggard, which she hadn't noticed in the dark. She seemed well enough to be able to pay attention and ask questions in her usual state of manner, but that didn't deter how awful she looked. "Hey Q, will you be okay during this mission?" She asked in a whisper, hidden by the louder speakers in the room. "If you're insistent in coming in such a state, do you want me to look out for you?" She inquired further, oblivious to the true reason for her current appearance.

​

 

[Noble Scion]

"How long do we have from entering?" Sang asked somewhat bluntly after everyone else had given their own questions, sitting rigidly in her chair which would be considered rather uncomfortable by most, giving the overseer the time to respond before moving onto her next though. ".. And you mentioned that there was to be members of other races.. I have some.. History, with blue demons, for lack of a better word, and am curious if there are any to be joining us on this mission, and if it's possible for me to avoid them." she grumbled, the simple idea of the seemingly making Sang twitch with annoyance as her tail flicked back and forth behind her.

The other queries seemed primarily pointless aside from idle thoughts, the exceptions being the fish-man's question and the demon she'd spoken briefly to, but it wasn't her place to point that out.

Thinking of the chances that she might die, the demon-princess leaned back in her chair and took her time to peer at each of the new-comers with her piercing yellow eyes to take in their physique, given that she'd been avoiding everyone the entire time while she'd had her cast on.

The half-demon seemed strong and almost excited to go on the mission, while did her "friend" whom she'd had an extremely brief exchange with, Q, seemed rather queasy, drunk? At the moment and was currently being consoled by a young woman with colourful hair, whom she knew little about.

She'd met Quinn and Russ on the last mission, where'd they'd saved her life, but she didn't think she could bare humbling herself before the creature with the mental age of a child, and the beast-folk that seemed to have become very inclined to his wolf-side.

The dhampir she'd met, at the infirmary with the bright-haired one, but she didn't know much about him either, aside from his rather smooth-talking nature she'd seen a while ago. Nothing was known to her about the merman, yet he seemed responsible

It made her wonder what they thought of her. Unpleasant, she supposed, but that was to be expected. She hadn't come here to make friends anyway, it was just something to help her get back on her feet.

The mission sounded like a death-trap, but she doubted the organisation would throw them in expecting them to die with the stakes being so high. All-in-all, she just wanted another opportunity to prove herself after the fiasco of that under-water death-trap. Never again was she going either to a swimming-pool, beach or even a bath. She preferred showers anyway.

Interaction: Fable Mentioned: everyone else I think

 

[Tarmagon]

Jasper sat silently, listening to the briefing. This was sounding more and more like a suicide mission. He knew that some cursed Artifacts required regular sacrifices to prevent them wreaking havoc on the world, but this seemed to be a bit of a bizarre a ritual to go through. Just when had finally found someone that he was interested in, and was interested back, this bit of crap came up. Two weeks of dinners, albeit in the mess hall, nights spent walking together under the stars with Xaira, then sparring when his shoulder had recovered. Two weeks of getting to know the fiery dragoness, and of her getting to know him. With a shake, Jasper pulled himself back to the briefing, considering what they had been told.

"Well, since no one seems to want to ask," he said. "I will. How long will we have to deliver this tribute? What conditions will we be expecting inside? Is this an enclosed labyrinth? Will we require any protective spells, clothing, or devices? How large is this tribute we will be transporting? How many of these tributes will be sent? Will our external magic work in this pocket dimension? Where will we be ejected when we deliver the tribute? And lastly, will we be inside long enough to require rations?"

Fable

 

[Fable]

( r e i Tarmagon DergTheDergon Epiphany StoneWolf18 Noble Scion Birdsie baddervibes Thatguynameded VioletShadow DapperCat Xemanorth Myriad )
(Please excuse errors in post, tried to get it out since people are hyped for it, but also had to cook dinner, lol.)

Spoiler: NPC IDs

Maeralya's attention turned to the first agent who asked a question. The inquiry about a grocery store run earned a displeased frown from the elven woman. "No, I dare say you shouldn't waste time trying to stock your bags with alcohol. As for what the offering is, you'll each be carrying a single gem on your person which safely protects the item within it from the corruption of the dimension. The item is a special seed encased in a protected magical gem to keep it from being too exposed to the corruption of the dimension. At least that is what SMITED offers to her every year and this year is no different." ( DapperCat )

Her attention turned as she practically glowered at Quinn's nonsense. "By 'thingies' assume you mean what creatures are within? We call them nightmares and there are too many different species to list off. You may even encounter one previously never documented before. Also, Agent Quinn, should you be gathering ears you will find yourself subjected to more cheek pinching." It was clear that Maeralya was aware of the reaction the creature known as Quinn had when the mysterious old man had pinched their cheeks. This was an open thread to behave. ( Birdsie )

"You are right that this is not the first time, nor will be probably be the last. However, this isn't a simple human-made labyrinth. It was designed to confuse those trapped within it and constantly shifts and changes. Imagine a cube room where the walls are entirely covered in a maze structure with points that connect to the center. This isn't just weaving your way left and right, but also up and down.
The rule of the game are simple; survive and get the offering to Pandora. The entities inside will attempt to kill you, to steal your offering, to do whatever they can to prevent you from reaching your goal. So yes, trickery is an element within that space. The ambassador of Pandora will inform you of the rest. You may be shocked to hear this, but Pandora is as likely to like you as dislike based on whatever whim she has at the moment. She could flirt with you or torture you. Pandora herself cannot participate in the game and thus she cannot harm you.. directly." ( Myriad )

"A piece of cake you say?" Maeralya said as her eyes slid over to Kirill. "While thus far we have obviously been successful in preventing the box's contents from being let loose upon the world, there is a very high mortality rate, especially amongst those who have a false bravado. You'll be given a period of time to prepare to leave, but you will be leaving today to meet Pandora's ambassador within the box." ( Xemanorth )

"If you want a full list of what the nightmares are we will be here for a month going over it. There are creatures like deranged minotarus, centaurs, leviathans, dragons, and all manner of creatures. Some may simply be an evil energy taking a form of a creature or it could be that species itself naturally. Any creature that had done something evil, some horrid act was placed into the box and the energy of that contained within the dimension, you could say has taken on a life of its own. You'll have to try all solutions until you find one that works." ( baddervibes )

"There will be two teams, each led by an experienced agent. Once this briefing is over you will join them in the armory. You'll be informed which team you are on at that time." ( Thatguynameded )

"As far as information on Pandora herself. There are only theories as we do not know how exactly a human woman became capable to control the pocket dimension inside the box. We know of her human life, we know of things she has proclaimed, but we are unsure if anything given freely as information should be trusted as it could risk any future games. If you manage to get her to speak to you, be careful and skeptical." ( VioletShadow )

"You'll be entering later today, after meeting with your team leaders and preparing to enter the box as best as you can. As far as the other races. There is a team of Magicians, Nephilim, Demon, Vysterian elves, Navaar elves, Sylven elves, and pockets of other allied races who are in smaller groups. Over all there are around two hundred participants with other SMITED teams as well besides your own. As far as conflicts between the groups, it is doubtful it would be done purposefully, but through deception it is know groups have engaged in fights due to manipulation. As far as avoidance, you'll have to rather push directly forward or risk dragging your team down." ( Noble Scion )

"Time unfortunately... doesn't work the same way inside the box. For you it could see like hours to complete your objective and return a week later back in our realm. Outside though, you have a single month to get an offering to Pandora. Conditions are not pleasant. There is no sunlight and if you struggle to see in low light condition you will need to prepare for that. Different areas can have different problems. There have been reports of bogs, swamps, quicksand, traps, zero gravity, and so forth. As already answered the labyrinth is complicated. If any of you have ever watched the movies The Labyrinth, Inception, and Doctor Strange... imagine all those elements combined and you'll understand how difficult it can be to navigate. Your questions regarding the tribute size and how many I've already answered. You won't be burdened by the offering in terms of size and weight. As far as protection items, you can try to use them as best to your ability if you wish, but there are times where magic seems to undergo a spell warp, making it unpredictable due to the environment we believe. So your magic will work, but it may be twisted to not work as you intended. If someone succeeds, you will be ejected at a marked location. This is to prevent having all participants clumped into a singular area. As far as needing rations, you may wish to bring for yourself for at least a few days or to use them to bargain with weaker entities for information." ( Tarmagon )

 

[Birdsie]

Quinn's eyes narrowed darkly at the subtle threat, then its voice lowered, not in a hyperbolic way. Its pitch went from childish, to something deep and guttural, betraying inhuman and unknown nature, as it whispered with a drawl, not letting its eyes off Maeralya. What it whispered would be anyone's guess, but probably not pleasant.

Then, in a cheerful, high-pitched, childish voice, Quinn said, "Okaaay~!" For a moment, Maeralya could probably swear she saw a hint of some vengeful, dark and evil intelligence in Quinn's eyes, but that conception was torn away the moment Quinn closed her eyes cheerfully.

Quinn noticed a mortal taking one of her crayons and drawing with it, but she didn't seem to mind or notice him.

"One last question from me, then! Aren't there more experienced people to deal with this? Wouldn't it just be easier to send in our strongest to kill her? This sounds like a global threat, I'm sure every one mortal would wish to participate in stopping it," Quinn said, in an unexpected display of insightfulness.

Fable baddervibes

 

[DapperCat]

location: briefing room
addresses: Thatguynameded
music: x

Qerres glanced to her right, producing a slightly dopey grin as she watched the 'child' draw with her tongue out. It was even more amusing, when another man decided to join her. Q couldn't draw. She wouldn't even try, she'd just make a fool of herself. Not that that was something she particularly cared about, but why put in the effort when it brought nothing of value? Quinn's questions just got an honestly amused chortle, followed by a complaining groan of pain. Damned hangover.

Two more asked questions, but truly, anyone not directly beside her kind of turned into an annoying buzzing sound. If only the sound belonged to an actual insect, she could crunch it up and sit in peace. But no matter the pain in her head, she did try her utmost best to listen to each and every word, even when she could not manage. Something she'd picked up along her years of 'work'. To be honest, she wasn't sure if that job had really ended. It was living in uncertainty. Without realising, her eyes darkened ever so slightly as she stared at the chair in front of her. But the slight smirk stayed in her plump lips.

"Hey Q, will you be okay during this mission?"

The two black eyes flickered a moment. Nothing in her expression really changed as she looked Aqua's way. She yawned lowly. "Yeah nah I'm good- just. Long night at th' bar," she muttered lowly, giving her a seemingly genuine smile, "But yer sweet for worryin' about me. Don't worry, I'm a big girl." She winked. A little slower than usual, but it happened. She slowly shifted back into her former position on her chair as she looked to the front.

More questions were asked now. Even with her pounding headache, she had apparently heard more of the questions from the rest than the human mage had. He repeated a few of them, albeit in different format. She grumbled only to herself; "...Is he deaf..." One of her large crimson hands rubbed over her face, sitting a little more upright as her question was addressed.

"Yes ma'am," she answered to Maeralya's response. She dipped her head respectfully and sat fully upright. Despite her incredibly problematic alcohol issue, she did know to at least put her all into her manners to superiors. But inside her head, cogs began to turn. She began to plan and seek inside her mind for the reserves she had. If they would indeed get some time, she could fill her empty flask in her backpack up with the last eighth of the bottle of Whiskey she had left.

Though not showing it on her expression, on the inside she began to mentally prepare for the withdrawal to come if they were to be in the labyrinth for long. It wouldn't be her first rodeo with the effects, but it never got easier.

 

[baddervibes]

Location: Briefing Room | Interactions: Fable |Mentions: Tarmagon DergTheDergon Xemanorth DapperCat Noble Scion Thatguynameded Birdsie
​

Leviathans? Dragons? "Deranged" minotaurs? Like as if there is a variety of minotaur that is not deranged? Caddy starts to bite at his lower lip, drawing a curly mustache on his portrait of Si-woo, and silently nods to the rest of what the elf had to say. He had dealt with lesser evils before: crooked politicians, cheap businessmen, and hitmen with bad aim. Then there were the more supernatural folk: magicians, elves (ugh, elves), or the occasional demon. This Pandora's box shit was next level though and Caddy was stuck somewhere between incredibly nervous and incredibly excited.

The announcement of teams was pleasant news to Caddy: what better way to get to know his fellow agents then to walk through the most perilous mission possible together? He wouldn't mind third-wheeling with Sparkles and Smaug: the magician more than likely had some sort of warding magic to help keep evils at bay and, well, the dragonkin could probably breathe fire...and that was just really cool. Any of the demons would also be helpful, though Caddy had formed no real relationships with any of them just yet: other than helping a half-conscious and fully-pissed Sang back to HQ. The beefcake one was always 100% ready throw hands at all times while the other was, well, seemingly hungover at the moment.

Seabiscuit was polite, well-mannered, and all around interesting: Caddy didn't know much about kelpies besides old bedtime stories. Shape of Water was the same as Caddy really didn't know much about him, but was eager to see what those fins could do. Brass, who Caddy could hear chewing behind him, was rather beefy and plenty strong: he perhaps couldn't ward off evil with magic, but he could sure as hell probably eat it.

Lastly there was the little eldritch being. Caddy had seen what Quinn was capable of last mission and was eager to see her perform again. It was fully possible that there could be another Old One lying around in that box somewhere, if that's truly where all evils went, and Caddy could feel his fangs tingle at the thought of two eldritch horrors duking it out in front of him. That would really be something.

He leans onto the table and is about to say something along the lines of "I'm ready when you are" to the group, but is stopped with whatever wretched noise comes out of Quinn's mouth. His elevated senses allows him to hear every word the being uttered: whatever the words meant was beyond Caddy, but it was none too pleasant overall. It only lasted seconds before Quinn was back to her cheery self, smiling innocently at the rest of them, and Caddy stares wide-eyed and smiling in disbelief. He looks around the room to see if anyone had reacted, eyes eventually falling on Maeralya and raising his brows as if to say "you gonna', like, answer to that?".

 

[Xemanorth]

Kirill leaned his chest into the back of his seat. His bulky arms slipped off the top of the seat's back and instead lazily dangled above the floor as he breathed a heavy sigh, his frame growing heavier against his seat as it relaxed for a brief moment. Bravado, bravado sounded vaguely like balls and that sort of applied in this context. He chose to apply his newfound interpretation immediately.

"False bravado is only false if you ain't got the skills to back it up. Which, you don't know if I don't. Not yet anyway." The half-demon replied before straightening his back out, large hands once more settling on top of the back of his seat, idly drumming away at the metal frame with his calloused palms. Whether he actually had possessed said skill or ability, he wasn't entirely sure himself. What he was sure of, however, was that so far there was no proof to the contrary either, and that was reason enough to be confident. Well for him, anyway.

At the mention of teams, his half-lidded golden gaze wandered around the room with varying levels of indifference. Truthfully, he had not really managed to form an image of anyone yet, and while he was always one to trust his gut over concrete data, he also wanted to provide everyone a chance to present themselves before he'd make his judgement. The only exception to this, really, were the two demons present.

While he was willing to allow them the opportunity to prove him wrong, past experiences had rendered his image of their kind muddied to say the least. The half-demon stared at Sanguine and Qerres alike, large hands gripping hard onto the back of his chair while his fingers ominously drummed along the back of it. Kirill's eyes narrowed into slits as his lips turned to a stern, pensive frown, a motion that was only further emphasized by the tusks present at his lips. Suffice to say, the stare appeared far from friendly. Tense, to say the least.
( DapperCat , Fable , Noble Scion )

 

[DergTheDergon]

View attachment 556111The tense air of the room had unknowingly caused Xaira to slip into daydreams regarding the blissful walks, meals and other moments she had spent with Jasper over the last few days as he and the other Agents that had been injured healed. Almost as soon as the nurse had all deemed them ready for action again, all the agents she had been living alongside here were once again filed into the conference room.

Xaira’s eyes widened as a picture of a box began to show on the screen, the image and the box itself both seeming to wither with old age in its way, yet also seemed to carry with it a sense of mysticism, along with dread. As the legend of Pandora’s box unfolded, which Xaira herself had never heard, since lore outside that of Dragon culture itself was frowned upon amongst her clan, the Dragoness then began to slowly understand why she had felt the way she did about the images that began with the box, and afterward, continue to change upon the screen which they were born onto. Feeling some unease from this image that was only strengthened as time went on, the Dragoness, having surely secured a seat next to Jasper, found herself grasping for the man’s hand underneath the table as she listened.

As Maeralya’s topic of conversation shifted from the story behind the mission to the mission itself, Xaira’s disbelief turned into a sense of fear that death could result in this, especially Jasper’s or her own so soon after being able to get closer to him these last few days than she felt she had been close to anyone else beforehand. Something that enhanced, but also in a way counterbalanced this fear, was the knowing that, if all of this is 100% truth, if they did not play this dangerous game, certainly not the sort of mission she’d thought she’d be doing after the much more close-to-her-daydreams sort of mission that the mission in the Mer ruins had been, it would likely cause a cataclysm that would cause large amounts of destruction to the world at large. On the one hand, it made her feel as though she had a very important role for all life on earth to continue thriving more so than joining SMITED on its own did, but on the other it felt as if she was being forced to sacrifice her sanity to a degree, if the nature of this box truly is as Maeralya was making it out to be.

While all of this slowly sunk in for the Dragoness, she found herself worriedly looking over at Jasper, who it seemed was also seeing the danger and sheer insanity in the situation that she was. His questions, all very apt as always, and the tone in which they were delivered confirmed this perception, just as she thought. They’d clicked so well that after only around two weeks of knowing him, she felt as if she had known him for much longer. She knew now that, especially in this case one could say, the mission came before any individual.

Once again, she decided that if it was at all up to her, she wasn’t going to let anyone die here in some pocket dimension and be forgotten here on earth, especially Jasper and even herself. After all, she’d cause him a lot of pain if she had to sacrifice herself. So, she just had to hold onto her offering until the end, right? Sounded easy enough… at least, she found herself trying to convince her mind of that before further chatter by the others snapped her out of it. She felt too overwhelmed to ask any herself, and had a feeling that the others would likely address the most important things. She’d never been a thinker as much as a doer, anyway, and her nerves and worry felt like a barrier to coming up with any pertinent questions to her at the moment..

Turning her head toward Qerres as the Demoness spoke, who from where Xaira was sitting reeked of alcohol, asked to make a grocery run, which was likely impossible. The dragoness found it sort of sad, as it seemed to be an indication that she felt a deep need for yet more alcohol to imbibe in the wake of this situation. Her second question was something the Dragoness was sort of wondering herself, though wasn’t sure if it was all too relevant if it was going to calm Pandora down, if that’s what the offerings truly did. It all seemed very surreal for Xaira to take in.

Quinn’s first question was, surprisingly for Xaira, rather apt to the situation, she felt, but her second was as nonsensical as most words and action Xaira had come to expect from the child-like being. She found herself sighing and rubbing her temples at the question regarding a bag of forty ears, but at least the being seemed keen to ask only one question of this nature for the time being.

The fish-like agent she hadn’t had much interaction with as of yet, the Dragoness noting the name Donald on his badge as she drew her attention to his own query, seemed to have a few very apt questions himself. She had a feeling that he would make a very accomplished agent from the way he carried himself, and it was comforting to know individuals like himself and Jasper, whom she was ever-grateful for himself, would be here with her, not to mention most of the other agents who seemed to have their own talents and things to bring to the table, or if not, they likely would. If any of them, including the winged woman herself, were truly prepared for the seemingly very unpredictable things they had been told they were going to face.

Kirill’s input took the Dragoness aback a bit, her eyebrow raising at his outburst. He was some sort of Messenger between Demons? Huh. You learn something new every day, the scale-speckled woman supposed. Still, the manic nature of the Half-demon’s current state did not escape her, and she found herself squeezing Jasper’s hand underneath the table a little tighter in response to it as she looked over to him concernedly.

Caddigan’s seconding of a very apt question, albeit with a lot of what seemed to be a personal brand of snark strewn throughout, was more than Xaira had been expecting from him as far as meaningful contributions to the briefing. Her first impression of him had been that he was like her in the way that she thought of herself: mostly good for the action required in this sort of organization rather than the forethought such as was being asked of the Agents to provide now, so his wondering earned him a bit more thoughtful respect from the Dragoness, though she doubted he’d care at all if he knew.

Brass, who Xaira had encountered as she trained during the break, often with Jasper once his shoulder had healed, had a very simple contribution to help clear up his own confusion, as his tail wagged innocently. Xaira found herself smiling a tiny bit, amused by his innocence, and how carefree the wolfman seemed to be at times. Another thing she noticed was that he was always eating, though perhaps wolf-folk simply needed to eat as much as he did.

Aquielle’s questions seemed very pertinent to Xaira since the Dragonkin herself had also not heard the legend before or of this Pandora woman, and learning more about her could help, Xaira figured. After her questions had been asked, she witnessed the Kelpiekin leaning toward Qerres, whispering something to her she couldn’t quite make out. Was she concerned for the Demoness? Xaira sort of was herself, so she found it heartwarming to see what she assumed was Aqueille voicing a similar concern.

Sang asked a couple of good questions herself, one that seemed to concern her past as well as a general question regarding how much time they had. The way her gaze then began to pass over the others, Xaira briefly noted, seemed to be similar to the observant gaze she’d been busy passing over the room herself.

At last, she found her eyes looking over Jasper as he asked many very pertinent questions the Dragoness wasn’t sure she herself would’ve ever thought of, just one of the many things she was very grateful for in him. Her gaze fondly lingered upon him for a while before she realized she was going off into her head once more and refocused on paying attention as these matters were truely of life and death.

The answers that Maeralya gave to each of them were mostly unsettling to Xaira, but a few of the things were very good to know in preparation. If so many different races were joining them, that was good, she supposed, though the possibility that the box could turn others against each other was… very alarming. It was all so overwhelming to her; there were evils of all sorts, complete unpredictability, nothing truly grounded in reality, all part of a sick game that, oddly enough, needed to be played for the sake of all the earth.

The Dragoness was overwhelmed at this point; she certainly didn’t have a question now even if she had had one before. The tension in the room after hearing the guttural and shiver-inducing initial response Quinn gave to Maeralya’s threat of the Eldritch being's curiously hated act of cheek-pinching certainly added to this. Xaira sighed and her grip tightened likely a little more than was comfortable on Jasper’s hand, before she realized what she was doing and shot him an apologetic glance, loosening her grip but refusing to let go. She felt like she needed his touch as long as she could get it before the ensuing mission to remind her of what was waiting for her back in reality after surviving the box with her mind intact, and she hoped that Jasper was taking her touch in a similar way.

The dragoness looked over everyone as she tried to come to terms with this and decide what to do personally to prepare for all of this once the briefing was adjourned. Foremost, she’d likely need a talk with Jasper and reckoned he’d need it on some level himself. Definitely let it be known that she loved him, something she thought of at this time as a “duh” thing, not over analyzing it like most, though she felt she hadn’t had the “right” time to make it formally be known to him yet. And a really, really long hug, and a kiss if she could get away with it. Then, on her own part, pack some rations, and mentally prepare herself.

Thankfully, instinct was her strong suit, so she hoped that would help her in this place where, more than likely, her mind could not be trusted to consciously come up with true solutions, if she was interpreting this correctly. Her plan for now was to try and feel through the illusions, follow her instincts, use her body, trust her senses and her comrades, see how far that got her. Not feeling like she had much to contribute while all that was to be contributed was words, she simply observed the goings on in the room while waiting for the preparation time that had been promised them, her tail nervously twitching from side-to-side. She hoped that her team may include Jasper, and felt their ease of working together in the first mission was likely to have been taken into account, but when it came time to choose teams she began considering who else to bring, assuming she was able to team up with Jasper. She had strength covered, Jasper had his magic, and thus Xaira found herself unsure who else might be a good fit. She knew, of course, that likely, the final say was not hers but the team leader’s.
Interactions: Tarmagon Mentions: Xemanorth baddervibes Thatguynameded VioletShadow Fable DapperCat Birdsie Noble Scion Myriad

 

[Myriad]

Donald listens closely to each answer with a quiet, focused expression. He brings a hand up to stroke his chin, looking lost in thought as Maeralya rattles off to each individual, eyes closing as his thoughts start droning on. A maze that is ever changing, a Goddess who has as many whims the ocean has salt, and an unknowable and infinitely numbered army of unknown strength, numbers, or even races within it... the man has a basic sense of sarcasm, but even he can't help but roll his eyes at the scenario, muttering, "Wonderful," under his breath with a quiet sigh and a rub of his eyes. The details about the offerings, and that they are not the only team going in, does a fair job in reassuring the man of the sheer scale of the dangers to be found within the hellmaze that they seem happy to leap into. Land-dwellers are weird.

Lips twitching in mild amusement at the confidence that Kirill displays, he perks a brow to the warrior at his blunt, direct, and honest words. It isn't just confidence, or even ego; he's serious about it. He watches the half-breed for a few moments, fingers scratching at his chin slowly in thought, before making a mental note to keep an eye on him on missions. Who knows which side he takes after better, after all?

Qerres... her smell is, once again, unusual. Alcohol, is it? Donald winces, a hand pressing against the side of his neck, at his lightly tanned human skin, at the sealed gills that await seawater to open and breathe in. Contrary to popular belief, fish don't get drunk if some moron tops booze into the water; it kills them, and Don is little different in that regard. It's like a human trying to breathe while too high up in the sky. Though, he reluctantly admits to himself that the effects are quite pleasant when consumed in his near-human form. His eyes watch the demon from his little perch off to the side, looking curious, but distant as he continues looking around the room.

Donald has barely met the creature, but the female, Xeria, certainly doesn't look calm. At the very least, she looks tense. At the most? Donald would wager a ship full of pirate gold that she was afraid. His gaze lingers on her the longest thus far, but offers a subtle nod in her direction, and the faintest hint of a smile that translates fairly well. You are not alone. Relax.

Eyes still travelling the room, they land on Sang, and linger still. He inclines his head to her, talking out to her briefly, but politely, with respect. "We will handle it, together. The important thing to remember is that we are not going to be on our territory in this..." He pauses, seeking a word without a description akin to 'hell'. "... dark cove. This is the territory of a creature beyond our ability. This game, Her game, is all that matters to deal with and win before her whims have us at each other's throats... or worse, joining her as dark shades of our former selves." He nods once more, firmly at her, not lecturing her, but instead, simply seeking to agree to work together. Hell, he's actually quite hesitant to go into battle with demons, born of a realm of literal fire... who knows, might be able to get past that.

The stranger, Caddigan, confused Donald. He... doesn't /seem/ like a typical human, and he has absolutely no idea what the hell he is, be it an aquatic shapeshifter like himself and Aquielle or something else entirely... oh! He's the one that got teleported away from the clinic for courting the nurse. Heh. What a foolish man. And yet, he doesn't seem the type to act as foolish during a mission as he did in the clinic. They'll have to wait and see. However, the pair share a similar reaction to Quinn's seemingly lost sanity and common sense, if the child-like abomination ever had any to begin with. The grey-haired man narrows his eyes onto Quinn, straightening up, fingers clenching a tad tighter onto his arms, tense. He has half a mind to reprimand the little... thing... when he looks to Maeralya. He has a serious expression on his face, with a perked brow, as if to ask, "We handling this now, before we have to trust it with our lives?"

[ DapperCat Xemanorth baddervibes DergTheDergon Birdsie Noble Scion ]

 

[Birdsie]

Quinn discerned some changes in the room's atmosphere.

Xaira seemed to grow anxious about something, Kirill felt more confident than a steroid-doped Olympics champion, and that repugnant crayon-thief wasn't cracking wise like no tomorrow for once and decided to go quiet and draw a grotesque portrait of one of their bosses.

Quinn didn't pay these environmental events any mind, and continued to scribble, in various colors, nonsensical straight lines, curvy lines, wavy lines, angular lines, parallel lines, perpendicular lines; and very rarely, more exciting geometric shapes such as the exalted eternity-representing circle and the equally but less mathematically rhapsodic triangle, and other things that it thought children did when provided with crayons. That was what children did, right? Draw squiggly thingies?... Eh, who knows? Quinn shrugged and, mimicking Caddigan, drew a mustard-colored mustache on one of the pink triangles, naming it 'Maria' with the same mustard crayon and drawing an arrow pointing at it, as to indicate what the name belongs to.

It either didn't notice or didn't mind the incredulous, 'what-in-the-tapdancing-devil-have-you-let-into-the-meeting-room-you-madwoman' expressions that Donald and Caddigan were obtrusively sending in Maeralya's direction.

Mentioned & Interacted: Myriad Fable Noble Scion DergTheDergon Tarmagon Xemanorth baddervibes

 

[Tarmagon]

"Wonderful," Jasper muttered. "Going into a completely hostile situation of potentially unknown duration subjective time without support, a base of operations, or any idea how long we will be in the pocket objectively compared to the rest of the world. And just a few hours to prepare."

Jasper sat back, schooling his features so as not to display his irritation. This was a far cry from the usual pattern of careful preparation, in-depth briefing, and mission execution. He supposed that given the nature of the threat, some of this could be forgiven, but still. The Agency had dealt with this at least once before, so you'd think that they'd have made appropriate preparations and made every Agent who might have to take part in this, event, aware of the possibility of having to move on a moments notice. Given more time, there were a lot of things Jasper could have done to get ready for this, but now he was reduced to whatever he had ready in his bag. Not an optimal situation.

Despite his misgivings, Jasper gave Xaira's hand a brief squeeze under the table, trying to project reassurance to the dragoness. He hoped that they would be teamed up, and not just because he was comfortable when she was around. During their sparring matches, they had learned each others strengths and weaknesses, then had worked together to overcome them. Xaira's longer reach and much heavier staff made her slower, despite her strength, and that made her vulnerable to swift counterattacks if she missed, but what Jasper lacked in strength, he made up for in speed and agility. Their skill sets complimented, and they had only just begun to work out how best to employ their skills together against opponents, but the results looked good so far. Oh well, it wasn't their choice, so they'd just have to wait and see. One thing Jasper knew, to the very core of his being. Xaira would sacrifice herself if there was no other choice, just as he would. If it came to that, they would stay, together. And heaven and hell help the one who tried to separate them.

"How long do we have to prepare?" he asked.

DergTheDergon , Fable

 

[Noble Scion]

"I see." Sang responded curtly to the spokes-person's answer, finding the information bothersome, but doubting that any of the blue demons would try to force a fight with her considering she was already disgraced and at her lowest, leaning back in her chair to think about if she would be able to handle seeing a "familiar" face again with wanting to sprint over and deck one of the magic-reliant weaklings with her finely-honed fists. Non-lethal, would get her fired, but she could only dream of the satisfaction of such an act after how they'd ruined her status amongst demons. The very thought brought a malicious smile to her face.

Once the thought faded from her head and she returned down to earth, she noticed that the half-demon seemed to be glaring at her. Unsure of why, she could only make assumptions to the reason.

She leaned forward and returned the look, crossing her arms on the table and glaring him down.

Sang's golden eyes locked with his, showing a mixture of annoyance and a genuine apathy for his thoughts of her. "Ex-daughter Sanguine of the Red, yes." she growled, her smile from before gone as she clarified that yes, she was indeed the disowned one, not that she particularly needed a reminder herself, assuming that her was staring at her for the very same reason, before returning to her stiff upright position and moving her eyes away from his, clearly bothered by his insulting, watching eyes.

It briefly crossed her mind if she would ever stop being spiteful because of her past, and she considered that earning vengeance was still an impossible feat, even for her, which heavily implied that she wasn't going to get over it any time soon for the rest of her life-span. Vengeance nor forgiveness were unattainable, and being forced to speak even her name hurt her down to the core.

"I understand the rules, I know the stakes. I will not make any rash decisions. Do not lecture me" she hissed sourly at Donald, finding the thought that she was going to do something to make everyone's lives more difficult infuriating.

It seemed all anyone wanted to do these days was piss her off. Everything anyone did was just some way to bother her, and to think she used to be part of one of the greatest demon families the world had seen. All she could do was make things worse, it seemed.

Angrily, the demoness bit her lower lip and folded both her legs and arms, returning her eyes that had been reinvigorated with the fury created by her own thoughts back to the half-demon glaring at her, not saying a word, but her eyes seemingly burning in her skull as she looked.
Interaction: Xemanorth Myriad

 

[Birdsie]

Note to self: a mix of alcohol, alchemical ingredients, and magical hallucinogens leaves one hell of a hangover, do not repeat. Also ow.

Barney breathed out, then reached for his nightstand, grabbing the clock and frowning. He moved his hand to the right, then left, trying to get a feel, and finally grabbing a bottle of water. He practically tore off the cap and forced the contents down his throat until the whole thing was empty. He huffed out in relief then hyperventilated to force some oxygen into his body and realized the window was closed.

After opening the window, he grabbed his phone and checked his messages, finding his grandfather had sent him quite a few death threats involving a meeting at... oh, shit. That's today? Barney's eyes widened in realization as he took everything that's necessary and ran out as quickly as he could.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The meeting room door opened hesitantly, and through peered the head of a young man with auburn hair, who looked very much like someone hiding a hangover. After seeing the people in the meeting room, he muttered something, took a deep breath, then walked in, closed the door, and very confidently (or feigning such) strolled in and took one of the available seats.

He steepled his hands on the table and looked at the people, nodding slowly and pretending this was supposed to happen.

When, and if, anyone questioned why he was late, Barney would explain with a casual voice, feigning honesty like a skilled liar, "There was a nasty traffic jam near Silvaplana. Road accident down south, apparently, so I took a route around the lake. Took me a while to get here."

Seeing the others asking questions about creatures of darkness, Barney raised his hand to ask, "Do the creatures dislike bright light, or sunlight? What other weaknesses do they have, if any, that we know of? Also, how much time do we have to prepare, exactly?"

Fable @anyoneelse

 

[Fable]

( r e i Tarmagon DergTheDergon Epiphany Noble Scion Birdsie baddervibes Thatguynameded VioletShadow DapperCat Xemanorth Myriad )
(Get your sappy shit outta the way now folks and get ready for entering the hostile box!)
(Edit: Additionally, a you can have your PCs assume they are gonna die and write letters to next of kin kinda sappy stuff. Wish each other a good death, etc.)

Spoiler: NPC IDs

Maeralya didn't flinch away from Quinn ( Birdsie ) as the guttural sound carried through the room. "There is a duel team of experience SMITED agents ahead of your team; six total. However, the Founder determined that we should send in two additional groups, which I would have preferred to not have mentioned because it could give you the impression that you don't have to worry since they are also going. Or worse, dependent on their presence and falling into a trap. We are not able to kill Pandora and the reason is above your security level. Your only concern is to survive and complete your mission. As much as our existence has been revealed to the mundane world, there are some things they are not prepared to participate in. Previously mundanes have tried to use the box as a weapon, but thankfully the lock still works and has thus far prevented it and it now is heavily protected from mundane governments."

It was around this time that the Advisor returned and went to get Quinn's attention. "Agent Quinn, you'll not be going on this mission. Please follow after me." The meeting would be halted until Quinn follows this order and the Advisor with Quinn in tow leave the room.

"Pardon the interruption. Due to what Agent Quinn is, sending them into Pandora's Box could provoke it's... nature. We were simply waiting for the final word from the Speaker. Now then."

Maeralya looked at Kirill and sighed, "Whatever you tell yourself to build confidence, but be warned there are many unhappy tales of those who succumb to their pride." The comment earns a snicker from Taionia who quickly clears her throat and schools her features to be as neutral as possible. ( Xemanorth )

She didn't concern herself with the whispers of mutterings from the others in the room. Time was ticking away and they had a schedule to keep. The door opened and a new agent entered and Maeralya cut to the chase, "I don't care for any excuses. You're here to replace Agent Quinn. Most dislike sunlight or things like flashbangs, but the effects vary from creature to creature. Some may be destroyed by it, others might just get more upset and enter into a frenzy. As far as how much time you have-"

Maeralya paused and looked at her watch on her wrist, one of the few who didn't depend on a phone for the time. "It's 5pm now, you will be entering the box at 9pm. You have 3 hours to sort yourselves out and prepare to leave, and you will be expected to meet your team leaders in the armory at 8pm. At 0845 you will be taken to the box, given an offering and enter. Dismissed."

With that Maeralya went over to Taionia, both of them flipping pages through the thick book with Taionia sometimes pointing at something on a page. Talora joins them as well and the three talk lowly about survival statistics of previous games.

 

[DapperCat]

location: briefing room

addresses: Thatguynameded

music: x

Qerres was lost in thoughts from times passed. Other situations where alcohol was not accessible, the vomiting, the headaches and irritability. The lack of keeping her mask on. And though she was let go, she knew it was temporarily. Letting go of her mask and bravado would dissapoint him. And he was all she had left.

It was only when she felt a set of burning eyes fixate on her, that she shook out of the spiral her mind found itself in. The half-demon's yellow orbs drilled into hers. She merely offered a broad grin in return, giving him a slightly groggy wink. She hadn't a clue why she'd made him angry. But it didn't really matter, Q wasn't one for needless conflict or emotions. Unless alcohol was involved.
But it was when the other demon woman spoke, that Qerres' former annoyed and hungover state shifted.

"Ex-daughter Sanguine of the Red, yes."

A long silence fell. Or at least, in Qerres' head it did.

"...Wait. San...Sanguine is-..."

The woman frowned. Sanguine... wasn't that- sanguine... blood.. Oh!

"Pff--"

Qerres' cheeks puffed up as her eyes began to water. Her palm went up to her mouth as choked up laughter began to sound through the room, squeezing her eyes shut as her shoulders convulsed. "Yer parents named y' basi- b-basically- Red Red? I c-... hahaha-." She tried so hard to keep her composure in the meeting room, but it was no use. Her laughter was barely muffled by the palm of her hand as she laughed away, coughing and choking along the way.

 

[Xemanorth]

The half-demon only continued to stare at Sanguine as she introduced herself. It seemed that the woman's assumption was way off. Frankly Kirill had no idea about demonic houses or of the politics involved between them, in fact, they likely couldn't interest him any less. Thankfully, for him, this was a sentiment shared by his previous owners as a half-blood like him had dreadfully little they could hope to accomplish in such a world anyway.

As a result, the only thing Kirill managed to muster in response to Sanguine's statement was a confused quirk of his brow and an equally clueless: "Who?", that followed. He merely identified the pair as demons and little else. As far as titles or former titles went, they did not matter to him, even less so now that he was a part of SMITED. Not having put the clues together himself, Qerres' amusement only furthered his confusion.

"What?" Kirill went onto ask mere seconds after his first question, the odd introduction, Qerres' laughter, as well as the groggy wink that preceded it only serving to further stir and confuse the small pot that was the half-demon's mind. Suffice to say, when it came to the conversation at hand, he was at an utter loss, burly arms raising into the air beside him before going onto drop immediately after in a manner that was well and truly powerless, unable to otherwise express his exhasperation.

Due to the combination of the situation at hand, as well as Maeralya's swift departure that followed her statement, Kirill had completely missed what the woman had had to say about succumbing to pride and as a result, had no chance to muster what would have been a no doubt snappy and witty comeback, given how sharp his mind was otherwise...
( DapperCat , Fable , Noble Scion )

 

[Birdsie]

Barney mouthed 'what in hell did I sign up for?' as he stood up from the chair with hesitation, looking at the other agents with apprehension.

So, to summarize, they would be stuck in a maze with creatures of unspeakable evil, for several days. Barney tried not to frown as his mind parsed through a dozen options for slithering out of this situation, but all of them meant he'd be fired or otherwise put down. He didn't like that - he needed this job. The rune mage nodded to himself with tightened lips, then hit his palms together with a loud 'clap.'

He looked at a nearby group of demon girls and half-demon man.

"Ooookay! I don't know how about all of you, but I'll be in the alchemy lab, brewing preventative measures for, well, uhm, death and darkness. And then, after I'm done, I'll go to the bar to intake as much alcohol as I can. For bravery. Anyone down for it?"

Noble Scion DapperCat Xemanorth