The grand fountain bubbled and gurgled, making a rather grotesque ambiance in contrast to its polished appearance. Greta walked briskly past it, focusing on matters more pressing than a decorative status symbol sounding less than pretty. The demon nudged open a rear gate and slipped out. Waiting near the garbage disposal of the Residential District was not ideal but the lack of peering eyes in the area gave it a high level of utility for her.
Greta hoped Daelie hadn't forgotten their appointment. The afternoon sun began its descent, expanding Greta's shadow ahead of her. Resting her parasol on her shoulder, she sighed in contemplation. Daelie was a driven, admirable individual--it was easy for her to make an impact on the demon. After all, not everyone was capable of taking wins at craps off of both snake eyes and boxcars. Following this, Greta had pulled her from the table as she made it clear that she was intent on pushing her luck past already having won two of the worst possible bets in craps. Sparing her a lecture, the demon had instead brought her her winnings and advised her to quit while ahead. Greta was not surprised when Daelie appeared at the same table, in the same seat, the following night. After some rather large losses for the halfling, Greta took her out and purchased pastrami-on-rye for the two of them. As they ate, Daelie actually spoke to the demon for the first time. The previous encounter had been one-sided with Daelie giving Greta defiant and suspicious eyes during the whole ordeal. The demon did not know herself why she gave such preferential treatment to Daelie but something had caused her to do so--Greta had certainly not bought a sandwich for any other losing gambler before. They talked for a long while, much longer than Greta expected Daelie to be comfortable with. Topics ranged from worse sandwich experiences to how the house only has a 2 percent edge at standard three-card poker. Certain aspects of their pasts were mentioned briefly, leaving Greta with an idea that she would continue to dismiss, at least for the near future. At the end of the night, Daelie pretended to have dozed off, Greta suspected, to see how the demon traveled through shadows as the demon, not knowing where the halfling lived, carried her into a shadow and emerged in one of her houses in the Tria area. Daelie's shrewdness was another quality the demon found admirable. Since then, she'd seemed to take an interest in how Greta ran her gambling circles, as opposed to merely being a participant.
The demon had repeatedly dissuaded her from doing so but when Daelie had asked the other day, something in her voice had seemed different, causing Greta to finally cave to the halfling's determination. In any case, Daelie was supposed to met her here an hour ago. Rei had slept into the afternoon yet Greta still felt a pang of worry leaving him alone in the house, following their encounter with the visiting angel. In any case, returning to the house would be very easy, but Greta relented, deciding to wait a little longer for her friend. Her brow twitched as she thought that. Being such a private person, the demon's threshold for friend had waned ever since she took to the underground circuit, abandoning the Upper Pavane life very early on. She wondered just how off her threshold for friend may be compared to Daelie's, or Rei's.
The halfling was sprinting down the roads of Pavane, her feet thudding on the invisable floor that prevented Daelie from touching the ground. Rain trickled down, making Daelie's usual hat sticky and uncomfortable. Her usual skintight one-piece leather suit sticking closer than usual. The halfling tried to ignore it as she made a quick turn down an shortcut in an alley.
The council kept her over time with maintenance. Several of the lanterns around the absurdly large council building malfunctioned, leaving Daelie--being the only available--responsible for getting them back on. Which took much longer than it should have as she can only tinker with the lanterns only if she has permission. Which of course, most council members were available and there was absolutely NOOO WAY she was going to Ookami for approval. The man had a nasty nose and he looked like he could see anyone's secrets if he looked long enough.
The halfling stopped in front of the well known fountain, hunched over. She huffed and puffed, taking a while to catch her breath before finally standing up straight. Daelie gave a half smile to Greta, still tired but more manageable.
"I'm sorry for being late. Of course there was some last minute hiccup at the building."
Last Edit: May 12, 2020 18:42:57 GMT -5 by Daelie Harusa
"It's not a problem. Hiccups are difficult business. Are you well?"
Wasting not a second, Greta extended her parasol to Daelie. "We can talk here if you like. Or we can go elsewhere, whatever you're more comfortable with." The demon spoke with a gloved hand obscuring her mouth. Greta had not intentionally shown Daelie her ability to travel via shadows but if she was serious about wanting to talk, Greta would find it necessary to speak in a much more private location. With the parasol opened, the demon, finished speaking, offered her hand to her.
"Am I well?" Daelie scoffed, "You know. I need to vent today. So yeah, I'll go on and on about it. I hope you don't mind."
The Halfling extended a warm smile at Greta, in appreciation for the parasol despite still being all sticky from the rain. She didn't hesitate to grab Greta's extended hand.
"Lead the way! It's not like I get tired from walking anyway," Daelie pointed at her feet which were oh so not touching the ground per usual. "Soooo, where are we going?"
Within a second, the two sank into her shadow and emerged from the floor of a shaded balcony overlooking Upper Pavane. "Would you like something to drink? Discussions, especially of a business nature, go better with refreshments, I've found." said the demon. From where they were standing, the rain pittered and pattered off the arched roof of the house, bothering its inhabitants not. "What kind of arrangement were you hoping to seek?" Greta closed her parasol and tilted her head at Daelie. A concerned frown worked its way onto her face.
It was like her stomach dropped to her feet when Greta dragged her below the surface. She was more preoccupied with the fact that this was the closest Daelie had ever been to the ground. The halfling almost felt as if she touched the ground.
"Umm, wait wait wait. Before we go on to drinks," Daelie's eyes were wide with interest, "how did you do that? What kind of ability is that even? How far did we travel? I felt like I touched the ground!"
Her enchanting eyes widened to express mild shock and her concerned frown opened to give way to a surprised partial smile. "Oh. I thought you knew. Wha-, uhh," Greta tilted her head in the other direction. "I've done this before, with you in tow. Sorry, I thought you knew." Greta regained whatever little composure she had shed accidentally and sighed with a normal smile. "It's a family secret. We're in the Tria area proper, now."
If it had been almost anyone else, Greta may have scrambled to make sure such information would not be repeated or relayed, permanently. But Daelie was alright, if not just for how she reminded Greta of herself, in some small ways and some large. The demon slipped off her gloves, stowing them in a jacket pocket properly. "I'm glad you weren't made to feel nauseous by it." she said with a dainty laugh.
"Nauseated?? No not at all." The halfling was almost beaming with excitement, "that was fun! I'd love to do that again."
Daelie stopped for a moment, realizing how childish she was sounding before straightening her already straight clothes. She gave a slight cough, "Sorry about that. It was exciting feeling as though I could touch the ground. I sure wish I had an ability like that."
She took a moment to look around before continuing, "I will take you up on that refreshment. Whatever you'll be having I will. And then we can proceed to more formal conversation. I think you'll be quite interested in it"
Greta plopped some ice into each glass and then poured the fruit-infused tea. Taking them upon a bronze tray, the demon walked to Daelie and handed her a glass. "I'm sure you'll have the chance again in the near future. For now, I hope you enjoy this. I've been trying cold teas and found them quite pleasant compared to hot teas. Maybe it's my age showing." she giggled.
"Please, no need to apologise. I'd not considered how uncommon contacting the ground can be for some. It's, as you may understand, something very much taken for granted by many of us. Shall we sit?" Greta sunk into one of the deep-seat patio chairs sitting around. The rain glinted softly in the midst of the setting sun. "I do believe that I will be interested in what you have to say, so I am very much eager to get to it, Daelie." smiled Greta.
Daelie reached for the offered glace, giving a smile as thanks before taking a sip. The halfling shivered, the combination of being soaking wet from the rain and a cold drink led to some undesired side effects. She set the glass down on a nearby table before sitting on a nearby chair. Daelie opted to sit on a normal chair rather than anything more comfy looking to make sure she didn't give it water damage from her clothes.
"I have gotten in contact with some folks underground." Daelie started. Underground were the folks in Pavane that ran things on the more illegal side. Of course, they tend to be successful with most things. "One of the gambling rings are going 'out of business'"
She took another sip from her drink, "Of course everyone knows they aren't truly out of business, they pissed off the wrong person so they can't continue business. However!" Daelie leaned forward, eyes twinkling with the prospect. "That means there is an opening for a new gambling ring to take over. Now, I already spoke to some people who are willing to invest if you say yes and I think this would be very profitable. More money than I can even dream of."
For a halfling, this would be several generations worth of money. Daelie shivered again, not from the cold but at the idea of things changing for her. "Of course I would need a partner and you were the first on my mind. This is a lot of money and possibly connections to higher powers in Pavane. What do you think?"
Her expression took a turn towards grim. "What more do you know about the ring that folded? The last thing you'd want is to do the hard work only for them to return for a hostile takeover. Like the strategy of the cuckoo bird, if you are familiar. It has happened before. To spread rumours as a smokescreen for your true intentions, it'd be clever." Greta raised her glass to her lips. Careful not to sound too patronising, she complimented her friend's careful planning, "I'm very pleased to be trusted enough for you to bring this to me, in any case. I only have some questions, is all."
"There are certain conditions I always hold myself to in such a venture. I am not sure that the other investors would be pleased to accommodate them. These supposed parties I host are all owned by the employees. I earn the same from the party that a server or cleaner would. Things are voted on instead of decided unilaterally by myself." Greta set her glass down and crossed her legs. "If this is about money, Daelie... There are certain risks associated with this line of work. I know this, the dealers know this, even the doorpersons know this." The demon had an idea of what to say next but did not want to sound even more patronising. Nevertheless, her concerns had grown from the moment she had seen how excited Daelie was over the idea. Excited persons had turned into error-prone liabilities more times than she cared to count. With the Council coming off of the Ghoul Genocide, it seemed that their operations against the Underground had slowed down, holding to the perception that non-existence of Ghouls would hamstring most illicit activities and businesses.
"I'm sorry, I'm sure you've considered much of this. I just don't want you to think of this business lightly. I am often an exception, not the rule. I am interested and would like to hear more. I just hoped to outline potential risks, internal and external, before you began." Greta took a sip of her drink and watched her friend closely.
Living in a dystopian society, seven mystic races are trapped due to their own selfishness. Tensions rise between the races and the different social classes, leading up to the constant struggle for power, with no end in sight.
News
4/11 - With the Ghoul Purge complete, Pavane's fear shifts from the goddesses towards the Council. Check out the aftermath here to get an understanding of the current situation in the plot.
MYSTICAL SOULS belongs to YUMEKUI, DYLZOE AND LUNARIS. This is an original plot created by staff members.. The skin "Midnight Madness" was created by Dorothia. This includes Board Mod, Mini-Profile Mod and such. Thread list was made by Kagney. User Profile mod was made by Pharaoh Leap. Graphics belong to their rightful owner. Plagiarism is not appreciated and will not be tolerated.
