The Mad God's Masque and Bellicose Ball (IC) (M)

[e_voyager]

Aten nodded and bid the Dragoness farewell. it would be rude to try and follow her and now he had a opening that would allow him to approach her openly when she was lone or perhaps in the company of a single steward or two and ask her for an audience with her matron. his meal was well prepared and he enjoyed it immensely paying for with out of the merger funds he'd brought with him. he would sleep tonight and in the early dawn he would go he the library and refresh his manners around dragons and study up on this goddess that the Wolf Cogi had mentioned.

[Stygian]

Irritation filled her mind somewhat. In addition to their audible voices, there were also their thoughts. And it was nearly discouragement enough for her to walk away that not only could she could hear the jumble in the frog's head, but that those fleeting through the other creature's, obviously an Insectis, head were as grating and barely intelligible as its speech. But she had learned to filter things out long ago, and if she had to choose between noise and unpleasantness and possible death, well...
   'If you two are quite finished', she said, folding her arms beneath her breasts and frowning down at the frog, 'I'd very much like to get at least a brief description of tomorrow's itinerary before I am confined to my room.' It was a poor excuse for searching the frog out once more, but it, and keeping an outwardly cool demeanor, would have to do. She hoped that her sudden appearal would unsettle and make them unsure of her as well. She hadn't come out of nowhere, really, but she knew that she had something of a talent for sneaking up on people, for whatever reason.
   The bat's mind was on edge though, and far from as confident as she put on, already prepared to unleash more than a few nasty surprises on the amphibian, though she didn't know about this other 'guest'. If the frog's voices were to be taken as a sign, he was probably as batty as the mouse, though possibly in a different manner. So while it seemed that she would need the slimy little man to lead her back, she would splatter him regardless if he showed any signs of overt hostility. Actually, thinking about it, she might hurt him a little just for what she perceived of his rude thoughts and poor character.
   'What are you leering at, by the way?' she said suddenly. Didn't he know that good serfs and stewards were supposed to appear reserved and proper? Who had hired him in the first place?

[Boog]

Jeremiah's eyes widened as the Insectis resculpted the room to suit his needs, mouth dropping slightly open. "... Right then. Right. You could just, do that. Sure..." Oooh I'm gonna have to explain that later.
And then he was, insofar as his perception was concerned, assaulted by a maelstrom of hormonal rage and expensive clothing.
Yeesh, outta nowhere! "Simply my face, ma'am." Lets see, she seems just unpleasant enough to jump on that chance to insult me, but I see it coming so all things considered I suppose it doesn't count. The frog hadn't thought he was leering, but then the bad had already struck him as the sort to plant things where she felt need to see them. He was used to people like that, he could cope. "As for what's on the agenda for tomorrow... Really, I'm too new on the staff to know." He bowed apologetically, "I'm extremely sorry for the inconvenience, but they really just have me fetch things and see the guests to their rooms. I could find out on your behalf if that's acceptable, Madam."
Something's up. She's freaked.
What makes you say that?
You think someone who gets off on fear as much as I do can't tell when someone's spooked?
I know you Bal, you have all the perceptive skills of a particularly obstinate potato-
Her pupils are practically pinpricks, she's acting even more hostile than before and that's saying something, her breathing's a touch heavy, there's a few muscles along her neck and shoulders standing out too much, and her ears are pointed straight up. Don't you EVER question me on this sort of shit again.
... Jeremiah chose to simply file Bal's observations away and let his own senses be the judge of things. If she had something to say he had a feeling she'd say it.

[Cogidubnus]

 The ancient dragon blinked slowly at Andrace, and reached for her discarded tea. She took a sip, delicately, and continued staring, although the intensity of the gaze seemed to lessen. She was staring just past the lioness - seemingly, slightly distracted.
"Hm..." she said, trying to remember who'd been writing things down. Her eye flicked sharply back at Andrace. "The, ah, scholarly looking one, in the back? With the glasses?"

A grin spread across the dragon's face, sharp fangs glinting in the light as Luna laughed, a strange, dry hiss that rose and fell. She shook her head, taking another little sip of her tea, a grin plastered on her face.
"Oh, dear." she said simply. Her gaze again fixed on Andrace, and suddenly the lioness wasn't entirely sure if she liked the dragon better angry or amused. Her grin, with long, ivory spears, was unnerving.

"I'm glad to hear you've accepted, then. Anytime before the end of the ball should be fine, any manner you choose." she said, and sipped her tea. "Of course, I'm not stupid. He outclasses you entirely." her grin faded, and she regarded the lioness carefully again. "My granddaughter is with me, currently. I think she wandered off somewhere, probably saw some rich tart with a bauble she wanted to look at. She should have something for you, though, to keep you from being reduced to ashes."

LL drank deeply of her tea, set the cup down with an audible clink and stood, snapping her fingers. Walter emerged from the room to the left, and approached the lioness, making a short bow while LL began to walk away.
"Send Danae my regards. Walter should show you out. Do stop by, if you find yourself in the neighborhood." she said, giving Andrace a cursory wave and disappearing through a doorway.

Walter gave her a nervous grin, and gestured with one arm towards the door. "If m'lady would be so kind..." the frost dragon began, somehow making a dragon's fanged smile apologetic looking.

* * *

Not unexpectedly, Kiet's shout drew nothing but more silence from his surroundings, although he did manage to startle some sort of bird from the surrounding foliage. He might have continued on his merry way, content that Dr. Irisi wasn't anywhere immediately visible, except that beneath him, the deep, deep snowdrift finally collapsed, and very quickly he found himself quite buried.

Standing next to the chimney turned out to have been the safest spot he could have stood. Although he had clearly missed the roof, the snow directly in front of his face seemed to be glowing. Possibly light through a buried window?

[Sunblink]

Although she was still intrigued about the nature of the invitation, and quite desperate for information, Elizabeth forced a sincere-looking smile. Only did the implications of Tobias's words fully register once the thought of the invitation vanished from her mind. Elizabeth smirked, finding herself genuinely pleased for a compliment spoken by an inferior creature. "Aren't you a gentleman. Of course." Elizabeth folded her arms underneath the voluminous sleeves of her iridescent robe.

[SpottedKitty]

Andrace stifled a sudden urge to giggle at the Dragon matriarch's comment, despite the unnerving number and length of fangs exposed by her smile. "Ah, M'lady, that was a little bit b'fore m' time," she murmured, "I wasn't there." She thought it prudent not to mention that three months after that meeting, as recorded in the archives by his successor, her great-great-great-great-granduncle Stephan had been lynched by a rampaging mob of outraged and maddened literary critics. He'd never quite recovered from his hopeless infatuation, as evidenced by the increasingly baroque archive entries he'd written. The poetry was only the last straw that led to his ultimate ignominous demise.

The lioness took a mental note to ask someone, Horatio if she could find him, about this granddaughter who could give her some help. There were ways to fight a 'Cubi, and still be in a condition to lie about it afterwards. She'd been taught how, and some of her weapons should be effective against them. If she were to go up against one of the old, powerful 'Cubi, though, as Kiet Ti'Paollo was reputed to be, she'd take any help she could find, borrow or steal.

She stood quickly when the Dragon signalled that the meeting was over. And then nearly tripped over her tail as she realised the meaning of that last comment. Hooboy, she thought, I'll never get used t' that. Danae was... lemme think... m' sixth cousin, five times removed. At least. She's been dead near enough t' two hundred years, but t' Herself, that might as well be last week. She nodded to the other Dragon, Walter presumably, as he led her out of the room, but she gave a brief but honest smile when she saw Horatio was still outside in the corridor, waiting for her.

Andrace negotiated two turns in the corridor without blinking: in fact, Horatio wasn't even sure if she was still breathing. At the third turn, though, she walked straight on until she smacked muzzle-first into the wall. She didn't react in any way for a few seconds, not even with a grunt or a wallpaper-peeling oath. Then she took a deep breath, turned and wrapped her arms round Horatio in a hug that made the fox's ribs creak. Her eyes were wide and round, and her ears were laid so flat they almost disappeared into her hair. The expression on her face, though, was one of pure, incandescent determination.

"Two things, don't care which first," the lioness said in a hoarse croak, spitting the words out quickly. "A phone. An' a very, very big drink. An' then a few more. A lot more. Wait, three things. Y'r mistress mentioned her granddaughter, said she might be able t' help me. Could y' intr'duce me t' her, she's s'pposed t' be 'round here somewhere."

[Azlan]

Kiet silently thanked the makers that no one had seen his uncoordinated and graceless tumble into a snowy winterland.  He also cursed them that no one had seen it, because he had quite a few snow related jokes he wanted to use about his predicament.

The chilled incubus burrowed his way through snow, being rather experienced with these situations, he maneuvered carefully.  Using a bit of magic, Kiet ensured the hole he made remained solid and did not collapse.

Within a few moments he had reached the source of light, a window of some buried building.  He tapped on the glass as he peered through, "helloooo, anyone home?"   

[Cogidubnus]

 Horatio held Andrace for awhile, giving her an encouraging pat on the back while she did her best to break as many of his ribs as possible. After a few moments, and when he felt a few of his bones creaking in protest, he gently let go, and gave her a pat on the head.
"Phone and granddaughter first, then. I get the feeling that you don't want to be speaking very well after your drinking session." he said, smiling kindly. He nodded to the left, towards the stairs. "Each room has their own phone, if you want some privacy while you talk. The mistresses granddaughter's room is fairly close, though, if you want to check with her first. Should be enough booze in your room to drown as many sorrows as you care, also." he grinned.

"Hey, it couldn't have been as bad as all that." he said, giving her another smile. "You've got all your appendages, and I don't see any obviously missing fur..."


* * *

Kiet's eyes adjusted to the glow being cast through the windows - the light shining through the window was being cast by a magic-based lantern, one of the supposed 'everburning' fires which lasting only for a few hundred years or so. It explained why the chimney was quiet but the light was burning, however.
As his eyes adjusted, however, the sight he saw through the windows was not what he expected at all.

Dead bodies. At least six of them, ripped to pieces as though some giant had taken their limbs and popped them off, like a malicious child might tear off an insect's wings. Brutal gashes ripped through their torsos, spilling intestines and bathing the floor in a stagnant, now-sticky pool of blood. All of them were in varying states of dress - one dressed nicely in what was once an expensive tweed suit, the others in workwear or simply casual clothing. They seemed to be mostly canids, although some were now unrecognizable. One of them was missing a muzzle.
Beyond the gore, the walls were painted in blood with images - a dog's slavering face, a crude caricature of a man having his brains beaten out with a sledgehammer, dozens of glasgow smiles - over the mantle, barely visible from where he was looking in, there was a strange, almost-heart shaped outline.

What wasn't covered in blood seemed to be related to some kind of mapping process. Sheets of paper stapled to the walls, scrolls of blue paper unrolled onto desks showed winding paths the incubus didn't immediately recognize, along with small boxes and clear cases filled with various smaller objects, some that shone gently in the everburning lamp's fire.

* * *

"You are too kind to me." Tobias said, unable to take her hand and kiss it, and thus relegated to having to bow. "But it seems, too, that the hour has grown late..." he said, looking around. It truly had gone dark outside, the stars shining and the moon beaming down gently. "I tell you what. I have some business I must take care of before I retire for the evening. What say we meet for lunch tomorrow, hm? Around one O'clock?" he grinned at Elizabeth hopefully.

[Stygian]

There was a moment's hesitation, as the bat pondered the wisdom of any sort of sudden or surprising move. But after a couple of seconds of thought she realized that not only did she have the upper hand at the moment, most probably, but that most sense and caution had gone out the window the moment she was openly attacked in this desolate castle and people started piling bodies in backrooms. If suddenly this creep decided to assail her as well, then that was pretty much confirmation that she should make her way out of the madhouse as soon as possible. But there had been no question of that from the start. No, the question right then was whether or not this little thing would aid her or stand in the way.
   'So it seems you have some sense in your head, at least. Even if it's technically not your own', she said, her gaze seemingly wanting to spear the frog's fast. 'You should listen to him.'

[SpottedKitty]

After a minute or so, Andrace's crushing grip on Horatio's ribs eased. She stepped back and let go of the fox, nuzzling his hand for a moment as he stroked her hair. Confidence gradually flowed back into her face, and her ears slowly came back up to their normal posture. She nodded self-assuredly. "Th' granddaughter first, she might have more t' tell me b'fore I make that call. Ah, what's her name, anyway? Don't want t' go 'round callin' her hey you all th' time."

The lioness grinned wryly at Horatio's last comment. "I think I got chunks missin' where y' can't see 'em. Y'r mistress has a leeetle bit o' an overwhelmin' personality — if she don't watch out, she'll turn too sudden an' whap y' on th' muzzle wi' it."

[Azlan]

Kiet dropped all pretense of the kindly and lost traveler.  The ringtail stepped through the wall, and he now wore the appearance of a more sinister figure.  Drawing his dark cloak about him, he freely stepped through the room, the stagnant blood parting like some carnal horror Red Sea.

Waving his hands about in sweeping arcs, the accomplished sorcerer weaved an incantation delved from tireless lucabration in dark musty libraries, wizardly towers and arcane universities long lost to time.  The dweomer swirled about him, drifting to every corner of the room.  The words the cubi spoke were those that any clansman of A' Ghàidhealtachd would have sworn to be his native tongue, but this gramarye was no seiðr, but a form of necromancy lost to history.

Kiet's spell altered the flow of time and reality, bending it to that echo in dimensionality where spiritual essence escaped due to the violent profanation of the sanctity of life that had occurred.  The effect was expected to be one that played the events immediately before, during and after the violent cessation of life.  It would paint an eerie, ghostly overlay onto the reality that was present.

Kiet was also wary of anything that lingered still, be it living or ghost.  The cat also made note to investigate the mappings and the mantle.

OOC: the spell shows truth that only the dead and the murderer could see.
 

[Cogidubnus]

 Horatio simply smiled at Andrace. "She's really quite pleasant when things are going smoothly." he said, and blinked. He mouth pursed itself strangely, and he reached up to adjust his shades.
"Of course, ah...I'll have to ask you forget I said that." he managed to say without croaking. He gave her a lopsided grin. "Ahem."

He coughed. "We'll go see the Mistress's Granddaughter, then. She asks to be called Melodie, or Mel." he said, pointing to the hall behind Andrace and maneuvering around her. It wasn't very far at all - a brisk walk down the hall and to the left, the first room on the right.

Horatio straightened his collar and knocked cordially, and in a slightly rhythmic succession.

* * *

The dark room fluttered, ghostly fire flickering around Kiet's feet and spreading along the floor as he completed his spell. The room itself was overlaid with the eldritch fire, the effect much like seeing double, the ghostly image just barely displaced with the very real one.

Seven stood around the table to Kiet's left, dotted then with maps and artifacts, and now sticky with blood and flecks of gore. All of them looked lean, and the lack of sleep was ringed around their eyes. A few had blood stains on their clothing, or had it ripped in strange places. Kiet remembered the peasant uprising that occurred no more than a few months ago in the province - perhaps scars from an occupation of some sort?

There were two huskies, big strapping creatures with gray at their temples and the demeanor of weathered rocks - of all the seven, only those two occasionally glanced at the map. Their hands were dusty and caked with mud, and their clothing rough - the mud and grime on their shoes, the light coating of dust on their pants, suggested a recent trip underground.
The other five stood silently staring at an object on the table. A basset hound in a tweed suit and spectacles, two coyotes, one dignified looking jackal in a dress suit with the collar undone and without a tie - Kiet recognized him as the owner of the missing muzzle - and a feline with a scar running down one eye.

The one from before, in the hotel. He wore an eyepatch here, and looked rather better groomed, but there was no mistaking. It was the same being, looking intently with the others at the object set on the table. A mirror, set in ornately carved grey stone.

They all appeared to be discussing something. As they spoke, the tomcat reached forward and grabbed the mirror, looking into the mirror quizzically. His expression grew concerned.

As he looked, the others very suddenly stopped talking, and began looking around the room sharply. One of the huskies ran towards the window, flipping a curtain open, and screamed at the others, slamming wooden shutters closed just a moment later, latching them. They must have been unlocked at some point before Kiet found himself outside the window.

The jackal ran towards the door - Kiet noticed a wooden plank set beside it, and iron holders bolted into the door and the wall beside it. He slipped the bar into them quickly, and seemingly not a moment too soon - the door rattled just moments later, shaking violently on its hinges. The basset hound grabbed a poker from the fireplace. The other husky grabbed a chair, and the coyotes produced knives from somewhere. The jackal drew a revolver from inside his coat.
The feline hadn't moved, still staring at the mirror. The cat's ghostly image shimmered, somehow, and the expression on it's face was twisted - its eyes widened in horror, but its mouth twisted in a feral, elated grin.
It dropped the mirror. As Kiet saw it roll away, he was surprised to see the real one still on the floor, sticky with blood inside its ghostly counterpart.

The feline produced a machete from inside his coat, and walked calmly towards the shuddering door while the others watched him. No-one made a move to stop him until the last moment, when he grabbed the wooden bar outright - but it was too late. He flipped it out of the iron holders easily, before anyone could grab him.
The door burst open, knocking the feline prone with the force of it. Kiet noticed he rolled away just fast enough to keep from being trampled, and that those storming the building paid him no mind. Beings poured into the room, indistinguishable in number. They were a veritable mob - most of them poorly dressed, and armed with sticks and rocks and farming implements -  and there were at least thirty trying to force their way into the cabin.
The jackal fired one shot, then two, and was taken down by a pitchfork to the gut. The others were simply swallowed by the mass, unable to keep the tide of bodies at bay.

What followed next was a scene out of a charnel house. They were all butchered, and when they had torn them apart, they left. Except for the feline, who seemed to be crying in the corner.
Kiet saw the ghostly form raise it's head, and realized that it was laughing. Tears rolled down the feline's cheeks as it's mouth opened wide, and it stumbled around the room for a few moments before slipping and falling into the gore, where it continued to shudder. Eventually, it got up again - and dipped a hand into the pooling blood. Before the ghostly vision faded, Kiet saw him beginning to write on the walls.

[SpottedKitty]

Andrace's muzzle and whiskers barely twitched, although one eye flickered in a miniscule wink. "Not a word shall pass m' lips," she murmured quietly. Her tail was another matter: it curled and looped bouncily in the feline equivalent of a loud and disreputable snigger.

The lioness followed Horatio back along the corridor, her amusement quickly fading. She'd already faced one Dragon tonight, and she hoped talking to this Melodie wouldn't be as nerve-wracking an experience. As the fox knocked on a door, she braced herself, taking a deep breath, shoulders back, holding her head up, and preparing to dive to one side of the door just in case.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel was just eyeing the pile of pastries that were the dessert to the meal she had snuck out of her grandmother's dining room when a knock on the door saved both the lemon filled and chocolate covered treats she was debating between. The pattern of the knock told her it wasn't just one of her grandmother's retinue, but that they had brought company with them.

As she crossed the room to open the door she swapped back to her snow leopard form. Most people found a dragon's natural form a bit unnerving, even a size challenged one like her. As she opened the door she saw it was Horatio with a very tall lioness. Evidently she shouldn't have worried about being too intimidating.

[Boog]

Jeremiah thought the woman had gone (ha ha!) batty for a split second before he realized what she was talking about. His eyes widened minutely in comprehension, narrowed briefly in suspicion, but otherwise he had quite the poker face. The others, however, didn't really have poker minds.
She knows! Grab the poker in the fireplace, scag the bitch and claim the insectis did it!
Hide! For the love of god man she's probably a creature. You know what? Let me take over, I'll get us-
BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK-
Sir, quiet these ruffians! Our best odds are to work with her. She obviously has power, this could be-
Heheheheheeheheheheheheehaha-ahheeheeahooahaha...
I like what the insectis did with the wall! Can he do that with our place?
SHUT. UP. Jeremiah's own mental shout echoed around his own skull for a second or two before things quieted down. He brushed an imaginary bit of dust off the shoulder of his uniform and smiled at the bat.
"So, how can I help you?"

[Stygian]

To Elyse, the more confidence-inspiring part of the frog's response was, without a doubt, his quick response and the anxiety that streamed from him momentarily, along with his voices. Well, not all of them, but at least... okay, two of them. That was sufficient. In a group of ten, usually about two or three would be somewhat clever. His smile sliding right back on worried her though. Most likely he was just putting up a facade, but she certainly didn't read the level of distress from him that she thought she should have. Did he think he were that slick? A momentary glance at a glistening piece of his skin, and she nearly grunted. Freudian thoughts. She had to keep focus. And keep control.
   'I want some information on the staff, for the moment', the bat said, the glowing yellow gleam in the middle of her polished black eyes holding Jeremiah's gaze for a couple of seconds, oozing subtle meaning, before they flashed to the Insectis briefly and she gave Karazkt a little nod. 'Though it can wait for a few minutes while you do your duties.' She let her look fall onto the frog again. Which will buy me some more thinking time, she added to herself.

[Boog]

"I think things are taken care of here." Jeremiah glanced at Karazkt and grinned, "But if you have any trouble remember, the name's Jeremiah Ac'Gregor. If you have any trouble at all ask the staff to send me along and I'll be right there." After all, I'm good at looking after people like this kid. They tend to stay in one place, so you just gotta steer anything oncoming away from them and keep 'em from getting spooked by the big wide world. "Now then..." Jeremiah searched his memory for a second, then realized what he was doing wrong and pestered Plic for the answer until she gave it back. "Elyse, yes? I'd assume you'd prefer this discussion in private?"
And then we scag the-
Nobody's scagging anyone Bal.
But-!
No.
But-!
Noooo.
Bu-!
Shaddap.

[Azlan]

As the images faded from view Kiet smiled wistfully, Elindaea would have approved, but then again, why would I care about her approval.  He shrugged to himself, perhaps all the carnage and his use of necromancy brought back memory of the former head of magical sciences in his current place of employment.   

That was history, now he had more pressing matters to which he must attend.  A strange black creature Unfolded from the space next to him.  It crackled with red energy and possessed eyes of the same color.  The creature spoke in a voice reminiscent of flesh sizzling on the fire, how may I be of service?

"Xi, be a doll and examine these late gentlemen and see if they have anything interesting on them."

Ch-Ya!  Like what... guts... spleens?  I didn't think you were into cannibalism 

Kiet narrowed his eyes, "their pockets you burnt marshmallow twit.  One also had a gun... revolver, see if you can find it.  Oh, and it isn't cannibalism if they aren't my same species.  Canines are rather stringy you know."

Xi gave his master the proverbial raspberry and then "sighed" as he turned towards the carnage.  The Warp-Aci drifted off to each body, examining them for anything interesting, whoo! lootin corpses, I hope their treasure table doesn't suck.

Kiet carefully kneeled down and wove an incantation of levitation on the strange mirror.  As it ascended, Kiet rose until he was standing and the mirror was eye level.  The feline began the basic words for an object read.  The spell completed and the first thing he saw was a solid white mask with a crack running through it where the mouth should be. 

He could not place it and prepared to go deeper in his scry, but a strong, bitter cold came over him, chilling the incubus to the spine.  He ended his reading immediately with a shiver, a sense of dread had overcome him as he prepared to look further into the mirror.  Carefully he took the mirror, wrapping it in his cloak for safe keeping.  It would be best not to do this alone.

Shaking the feeling off, he moved to examine the mantle and found a drawing that almost resembled the mask that he had seen with his scry spell. 

As he searched around, the papers signified the area as the archaeological dig that Durano had wanted him to check out.  "this is why I don't do favors for Durano." 

He moved on to the maps, which he could not make much out of.  Kiet did not recognize them and he had no frame of reference as to where they might be.  They were marked Dig One, Dig Two and Dig Three, respectively.  The third map showed the tunnel splits into two passages and becomes quite intricate.

Kiet was not put off by the smell of rotting flesh or the gore of the slain canids.  He had done far worse to his enemies and victims across the ages, times were once very brutal and barbaric, and this was a child's game in comparision.

[Sunblink]

Elizabeth contemplatively assessed her schedule, wondering if there were any events set to occur at that certain time period. Of course, if they were issued by those responsible for distributing the invitations, then Tobias, a recipient, would be present as well. Elizabeth had nothing to worry about. Feeling rather confident with her planning skills, she nodded proudly. "Sounds wonderful," she conceded, and then smirked. "I will see you then, good sir."

With a flourish of her sleeve, Elizabeth swung her arm underneath the trunk and scooped it up again, holding it in both of her arms. This alleviated the weight, slightly, but it was still pretty heavy - not that Tobias could tell, as Elizabeth still carried herself with an almost regal gait.

[techmaster-glitch]

   Karazkt was not taken by surprise when the new surfacer entered the room; indeed, it was nearly impossible for him to not know she was coming. She walked on the stone (of course), and was close enough that Karazkt could easily "feel" her shape from the vibrations before she even walked into view.
   However, when she did, and then proceeded to interact with Jeremiah, most of their brief conversation flew right over Karazkt's carapaced head. He did discern that part of what they were talking about seemed to be for tomorrow's event, then they seemed to talk as if there was someone else around, and then they spoke about the 'staff'. At one point, the newcomer nodded her head to Karazkt, but since his race express themselves mostly with their antennae, the gesture was lost on him.

[Stygian]

'Very much so', the bat agreed. 'Even if I suspect some others will be pitching in their opinions as well...'
   Giving the Insectis another nod, more respectful this time, though refraining from addressing him - she had absolutely no way of telling which gender Karazkt was; the creature didn't even seem to think about such things or put pronouns before its already nearly unintelligible thoughts, and calling something 'gentlething' would be beyond her - Elyse turned a bit and stepped away from the door, taking a few steps down the corridor but not quite turning away from the frog before giving him a glance back over her shoulder, just a hint of impatience in her movements.
   Still, even in her disdain for the amphibian, the bat couldn't help but think about his condition, theories about those voices taking up her attention. People with multiple personalities usually had some sort of trauma or repression to blame for their condition. And their voices thus tended to represent some sort of extreme of personality. But these voices didn't quite 'sound' or 'feel' like that sort of thing. And there were the constant tiny fluxes of emotion in the background that indicated that they all seemed present at once, a strange thing for those who knew how such things really worked...

[Boog]

Jeremiah threw one last "Remember, you know who to call if you need anything," over his shoulder at the insectis and followed Elyse. He considered the individual before him. Initial impression was off. She ain't that old, just strict looking. Used to getting what she wants... Or the impatience could just be whatever has her worried. And she knew about his Condition, somehow. Or seemed to. Cubi? Some breed of mythos? Know I've heard of these things up in the mountain, they can tell whatever someone was thinking exactly three seconds prior using their sense of smell. Something about brain chemistry.
Your brain is fine.
Says the parasites in it.
That was mean!
Jeremiah sighed. The problem with insulting the personalities, ultimately, was that Plic was one of them. The personae was at a fundimental level too stupid to be cruel, and thus offending her was like kicking the world's largest puppy. Except the puppy's in your head, so it can stare at you all hurt from the inside. He thought very hard about an art gallery until the memories grew a little hazy, a sure sign that Plic had accepted the peace offering. He'd probably get it back later, she was always leaving her things everywhere.
Not for the first time, Jeremiah considered how messed up being him was sometimes.
FOCUS, Jeremiah!
Right, right. So... Definitely not a being, and scared. It's to be assumed the cause is really BIG or relates more to this ones troubles in particular. Time for some fishing.
"So, find yourself invited to these sorts of things often?" The frog asked mildly.

[SpottedKitty]

Andrace's muscles tensed as the door opened... revealing a rather fluffy and harmless-looking snow leopard who probably didn't even come up to the lioness's shoulder. She seemed innocuous enough, but Andrace forced herself to remember this was the granddaughter of the Icewing matriarch, who'd brought her closer to outright panic than she'd been for years. She glanced at Horatio for a moment, and hoped devoutly that this meeting would end well.

[Cogidubnus]

 The iron merchant nodded his hat at Elizabeth and grabbed his own suitcase, and began walking to his own room - they parted ways quickly, Elizabeth's lodgings on a different floor than his, but even without looking at him, that face...the scars and burns, shapes and contours - she could probably tell that man how he'd gained each and every one from memories of that face.
She'd never met him before, of course, but she had seen that face. It was...eerie.

* * *

The warp-aci's rifling through the pockets of the dead produced a surprising number of items - it was apparent that the bodies, until then, hadn't been looted or otherwise touch. Certainly by the smell in the room, they'd been there for some time.
Five wallets, a few sets of keys, and a pocket flashlight made up most of the loot. The revolver seemed to be missing, although the Warp-Aci placed a handful of the ammunition that was still in the Jackal's pocket on the table. The bullets gleamed with a silver tip and with a subtle light of their own. It was likely they were enchanted in some way.

A quick check of the wallets revealed that Dr. Gerard Irisi was the portly fellow in the tweed. Now very deceased, it seemed. There was also twenty-five dollars and a gift card to a local eatery, as well as a card that Kiet recognized as one of the aliases of his cousin Durano.

It was eerily quiet in the snowed-in house. In the thick insulation of the snow, one couldn't even hear the wind outside, except for the low murmur that came from the chimney.

* * *

"Ma'am." Horatio said, and inclined his head in a bow, "Andrace Kithara to see you. The mistress said you would be expecting her." his tone was formal and polite, but friendly as well. This one seemed to be someone you could be more at ease around.

He nodded at Andrace. "This is Melodie Icewing, the Mistress's granddaughter." he said. He looked back at Mel. "Hopefully not a surprise visit, yes? Your grandmother said you would have something for her."

[Stygian]

Under the circumstances, with the question so quickly addressed and things so tense, Elyse didn't have time for any sort of analysis, or to find some better thing to do than to reply and get right to the point. Against her better knowledge, her answer was straight and to the point.
   'Frequently, you could say, but that depends on the perspective,' she scathed. 'Do I get invited? No. Do I find myself in places and situations like this? Yes.' She moved on, plainly taking the lead even though the frog was supposed to guide her, but she imagined that if they somehow did not manage to find their way back to her room in spite of her having taken a fairly straight route this might prove a point. 'I certainly haven't been to many society gatherings though, where the janitors have turned insane and jumped out to stab me, only to kill themselves the very next moment. That's a new one.' She cast an apprehensive glance over her shoulder back at the frog.

[Boog]

What is the sound of seven minds panicking?
Whut?
You know, I might like this shindig after all.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sir, I believe we should investigate!
Shut up, Cab! We're not nearly durable enough to risk it! We hide, right now! Skip town!
Silence Nex!
Sounds like a dreadful waste of a janitor...
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
That last one was Jeremiah. He was visibly shaken, and slipped a piece of "jerky" out of his pocket to calm his nerves.
"Well -ulp-" he finished the mouthful and continued as his voices faded to a pleasant buzz, "Well, that's most certainly, ah, unprecedented. I honestly wouldn't know anything about that. I'm new; the rest of the staff has struck me as kind of funny before, but not suicidal."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked from the tall lioness to Horatio and back for a second, then smiled in understanding. "You must be the one for whom grandmother ordered the charm. Please come in." Mel opened the door wide and crossed the room to where a small bag had been left out on a table. She picked up the bag, about the size of a clutch purse, and began pulling items out. Two hammers, a handful of files, and a smallish anvil landed on the bed before she found what she was looking for, a cloth wrapped bundle the size of her palm. "I apologize for the mess. I was working on this right up until we left."

Returning to where Horatio and Andrace were standing she unfolded the cloth to reveal a bracelet, glittering where the light hit heavily engraved gold with the faintest dusting of tiny diamonds sprinkled judiciously across the surface.

[SpottedKitty]

Andrace nodded politely and murmured "Miss Icewing," as Horatio introduced her, and followed the fox into the room. The lioness stood in a relaxed but attentive pose, although if anyone noticed the way her bare toes dug into the carpet, with her claws partly unsheathed, it might have revealed her readiness to turn and dive back through the door if she had to. Whether or not it was open.

She watched with interest as the snow leopard — obviously a shapeshifted Dragon — brought out a heavy gold bracelet. She mentally tallied up its value, judging by the amount of gold (if it was solid, and pure), the tiny inset diamonds (unless they were glass: doubtful), and the excellent craftsmanship. The total was quite impressive. A pretty little bauble: so it's got a charm on it, then? she thought inquisitively. Wonder if I can get it home, let Despina have a look at it? Andrace's younger sister was the only mage in the current Pride, and she was always looking for new tricks to adapt for their own use. A protective charm designed by a Dragon would definitely attract her interest.

Out loud, the lioness said, "Looks nice, Miss Icewing. Y' say it's enchanted... what's it s'posed t' do?"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

"Do?" echoed Mel. Now that was interesting. Grandmother had been so specific in her request for the design of the charm that Mel had assumed it was a requested item, the purchase price of some piece of information the family matriarch wanted for her hoard. But this meant it was either a gift or a tool. "It is a defensive charm. When worn it masks your emotions and thoughts. Further, it defends against mental intrusions. If someone attempts to read your mind they will hear nothing but the song "The Song that Never Ends..." If they try to force the issue they will find the song stuck in their own head so loud and distracting that they will be hard pressed to think straight."

As she held out the bracelet for the lioness to take she added, "It also gives you minty fresh breath."

[Azlan]

Kiet gathered the items and looked them over.  He made note of names and addresses, but it would seem that all of them were from far off lands.  A few receipts from the jackal, a... Timothy Daniels, were of interesting note.  The gun was apparently purchased there.

"Firearms are such rare things, especially those that mix enchantment and technology.  This rudimentary technique... this technomancy, might be interesting.  It might be worth founding a new school of arcana even if it is based off of beings' work."

He spent enough time with each corpse to read the personality imprints from their dead brains, before gathering what he sought to take. 

With a wave of his hand, Kiet blew the front door (or what remained of it) away and blasted all of the existing snow from in front of the residence.  Like some recently released phantom, the ringtail drew his cloak about him and soundlessly drifted from the cabin.

Kiet never looked back, Xi did as he drifted near him, but even that was only a brief glance.  With a wink and a small high-five, the warp-aci disappeared.  Inside, a small pebble of flame appeared in the center of the room, within seconds it expanded into a massive spinning ball of flame.  All manner of item be it body or dust bunny began to be drawn towards it.  Within a minute the inside of the cabin was a swirling vortex inferno of burning things. 

The cabin itself collapsed inward, drawing much of the snow into the vortex of fire.  It burned blue-hot at the height of its power.   Then as quickly as it had formed and expanded, it shrank to nothingness, disappearing with a puff of smoke.  All that remained of the site was a 2-foot deep circular crater, no trace of anything even hinted at what may have been there.

As the cubi walked towards town, he hummed a small tune to himself, something to do with a banana phone.

Reaching the edge of town, a fox being dressed in dark clothing and sporting a fine dress trenchcoat examined the local signage looking for one in particular.  She found what she had needed and proceeded down a street named "Revelations".  The golden vixen smiled as she approached the shop on the receipt and fingered the bullets she had procured earlier.

Pushing open the door, she entered, "I say, is anyone there?"