Furrae Chronicles: Webs of Destiny (IC) [M] {2}

[Stygian]

Ignatz grinned at Keaton's choice of drink and nodded to the bartender, standing at the ready. The drinks were coming up in short order.
   'Well, ain't that sweet?' the bat punned as he took his glass of dark blue-hued liquid, matted a bit by the ice in it. He raised his glass and prepared to time his swig with Keaton's, giving just a slight sideways glance to Jakob and Cogidubnus. Jakob's excuses seemed pretty lame to him. And if they didn't think he could overhear them with his ears, they were pretty daft to begin with.

[Cogidubnus]

"Is that so?" Cog said, raising his eyebrows as the three of them really started to drink. The Jackal ordered up something, to which the bat sitting beside her seemed to chuckel at. "She seems to be aiming to win." Cog said.
  They weren't kidding around - it was hard liquor, all the way. As the bat and the Jackal downed some blue-looking beverage, the wolf shook his head, and showed a toothy smile.
"This could be rather amusing, I think." he said, his eyes still on the bat.

He wasn't quite done speaking with the incubus beside him, however. "It's not sheilding." he said at first, giving Jakob a glace before looking over at the Panthress. The red-clad feline was sitting next to another cat, that one dressed in grey, and seemed to be watching the drinking contest with great intrest.

"But, let me understand you completely." Cog said, his voice genuine and reasonable. "Delving without permission into the minds of others, in order to save your life, is alright with you, but killing is not?" Cog let an eye wander over to the incubus, gauging his reaction. "Eavesdropping is something that Cubi cannot help, I understand that. But the excesses of the 'Cubi race do not lie in murder so much as violation. The mind of any person is precious, sir. No one has a right to invade that."

He turned and made a small bow. "Don't let that come across the wrong way, please. Speaking in such generalities is often a good way to offend and mislabel, and I could certainly go on about creatures of other races. And I'm certainly not saying that Cubi walk around and rape minds on a whim." he Cog said.

"But, well. To say it hasn't been abused would also be untrue." Cog paused, looking at the others, and suddenly wishing he had another drink. Two was generally his limit, unless it had been a particularly nasty day. "To me, that's worse than killing someone. My foes are their own, even unto their death." he said, shrugging.

"But then, I suppose you have your reasons." Cog said as he continued to watch the game.
Lots of wolves tonight, Cog noted, and watched the white wolf, the bat, and the jackal continue in their contest of intoxication.

[Tapewolf]

"Creatures, and especially 'Cubi are hated and feared for their ability to slay souls," Jakob said with distaste, as though the words themselves were poisonous.  "Next to the True Death, what is overhearing someone's inner voice for a few moments?"  He sighed.

"Now it may be that my ethics are different to yours.  One may go into the Academy thinking you are a Being, but believe me, you come out of it with some rather different ideas.  But for all my... faults... I refuse to treat Beings - or other Creatures - as playthings."

"In any case, I feel you misunderstand.  'Cubi read surface thoughts.  We can hear your internal monologue if we care to listen, although usually it's too boring to bother with.  We can also see mental images, but all of these can be jammed with some fairly simple mental exercises.  Mind-reading is different.  Breaking open the mind itself is dangerous and invasive... a gruesome violation that can not be performed over a drink.  Even one far more skilled that I would only consider it as a last resort.  No, it was your mood I was watching, and since you object I have ceased to do that too."

"My money is on the bat," Jakob muttered, watching the drinking game himself.  "You saw what I did with the juice... I bet he's doing that to the alcohol.  I know I would," he smiled.

"You know, I'm not sure I caught your name," he added.

[Gareeku]

Gareeku continued to listen to the stranger's and Jakob's conversation as he waited for the next round of drinks to arrive, his ear facing their direction. Hearing what Jakob said, the wolf raised an eyebrow.
"You know Jakob, you're pretty willing to talk with disgust about the soul-stealing abilities of cubi when you have a chain of soul pendants yourself." Gareeku commented, looking at the wolf incubus with a disapproving expression on his face.

Noting that the next round of drinks, black samubuca to be exact, had arrived, Gareeku took his drink and downed it, leaving nothing but the clear ice cubes in the glass as the sweet aniseed taste of the sambuca filled his mouth. Licking his lips slightly, the wolf then turned back to Jakob and the stranger.
"And for someone who respects beings so much, I've noticed that you've been quite patronising before. That's not respect to me."

[Sunblink]

At first Keaton was uncertain about whether or not Ignatz was being condescending in regards to her selection in beverages, but she disregarded it when the drinks were delivered without question. "Bottom's up," Keaton muttered. Synchronized with the bat sitting across from her, she gulped down the drink's contents and roughly set the glass on its coaster. Again, she wiped her mouth dry with the back of her hand, sighing. Not a bad drink. She hadn't had sambuca in a while.

Ears pivoted upright at the mention of soul pendants. Souls, huh? That was something Keaton was intimately familiar with. Unconsciously, she grinned slightly as she glowered at Catastrophe, which was strapped to her back, from over her shoulder. Despite that, she allowed that train of thought to fade as she leisurely stirred her drink, the icecubes collected inside of the glass clinking and rolling together. "I'm just gonna avoid this current topic," Keaton said cheerfully, then pointed to Gareeku. "Righto. I believe it's your turn."

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Tapewolf]

"There's a difference between being a bit of a jerk and treating people like cattle to be harvested," Jakob pointed out, only just restraining himself from reminding Gareeku that he was the one who went 'round eating souls.

"Yes, these are soulgems," he said to Cog.  "I brought them to try and rescue the people we slew, and I failed."  He looked thoroughly miserable again, but there was a spark of defiance in his eyes.
"These two," he said, pointing to a pair of dimly glowing jewels, "I keep with me always, to remind me of my crimes.  But I'll make it right again.  I will find a way to bring them back," he said.  "I swore it..."

[Stygian]

'Yeah, sure. And when a 'cubi swears on something, you know he means it,' Ignatz said, still leering, studying his claws in wait for what Gareeku was going to order. 'It's not like things change or one reconsiders or they just decide to act out of emotion all of a sudden.'
   As if to add to the accentuation to his words, the bat shot Jakob a cold look, and then put his palm on the tabletop with a low pat. He was considering Keaton's few and small, almost nonexistent reactions as much as he was thinking of her latest words. But he couldn't overthink things right then. He knew.
   'I believe that you have to have a right to do things, an excuse. A reason. And whatever conflicts that rise afterwards are just obstacles you have to overcome,' the bat said a bit coarsely. 'It all amounts to something in the end. But do you know what never did anyone any good?' He looked over at Jakob once again. 'Being a hypocrite.'

[Cogidubnus]

 "I did tell you." Cog said, leaning back against the bar on his stool and watching the drinking contest. "Cogidubnus Mithlome." he repeated, his voice calm as he spoke to the incubus.
"Although, I don't think I've got your first name." he said, scratching his chin as he watched.

As he was about to respond to the incubus's comments about soul-trapping and slaying, the white wolf snapped at the grey one and made some comments about the latter's apparent collection of souls on a chain. The incubus made an disparaging remark back, and started explaining his reasoning for having such items to Cog.
And then he showed Cog the two he did have filled.

Cog looked at the gems, and back up at the incubus, and for a few moments said nothing. Tilting his head for second, he looked at Jakob incredulously, and then slowly and softly began to laugh, a grin spreading across his face as he giggled.
"What's this? A necromancer who respects the sanctity of life?" Cog shook his head, still watching the contest. "They say if you love someone, you should set them free, incubus. Still, I understand that there are certain things that one must do. Good luck with cheating death." he said, wondering what beverage the white wolf would choose.

He was about to speak further when the bat spoke up - Ignatz, the incubus had called him. He seemed to have a bone to pick with the wolf - Cog stayed silent. Conflicts within a party were simply a reality, but it wasn't his place to interfere.

[Tapewolf]

"I damaged them," said Jakob in a low voice, and his eyes took on a haunted look as he recalled the time of his madness and the morning after, when he snapped out of it.  Ever since that day he had had a phobia about blood, recalling the night when he had decapitated the two demons and eaten half their souls.

"They murdered my closest friend, my mentor.  I was insane with grief and a thirst for revenge.  I didn't know what I was doing, but I damaged them that night.  I daren't risk freeing them until I can be sure they will survive outside the jewels.  I want freedom for them, not oblivion."

Jakob's brooding was interrupted by a comment from Ignatz.  Hypocrisy?  What on Furrae is he babbling about now...?   Then his heart skipped a beat.  Oh gods... he's talking about Gareeku! he thought guiltily, because he'd almost said the same thing himself.They'll trash the place... we'll be hunted down like the Creatures we are...

He closed his eyes and tensed himself, waiting for the storm.

[Stygian]

Not one to meet Jakob's expectations, Ignatz returned his gaze forward and downward, and slumped a little lower in his chair to match his apparently slight-drunken state. He reached into his shirt and took out something, revealing itself to be a silvered bullet and cartridge on a silver chain, and thumbed it.
   'Incubi and succubi are born with power. Power they haven't earned or gotten the right to. Power that can't just be taken away either,' the bat muttered. 'And by their very nature they intrude upon others' minds. You know, to some, information is more valuable than life.' He narrowed his eyes and passed a glance in Keaton's direction too, voice growing even more bitter. 'And without privacy, without security and hope, life may not be worth living.'

[Cogidubnus]

 "Damaged, huh?" Cog said, keeping a wary eye on the incubus and the bounty hunter. "That can make things difficult, yes. I've...well." he said, looking away. He paused for a moment, quiet. "But I can empathize with revenge." he said softly.

He pauesed for a moment, waiting for the incubus to speak again. When Jakob stayed silent, Cog glanced over, and raised his eyebrows a bit. The incubus seemed to be almost rocking back and forth, his eyes closed. Cog didn't need to be able to read minds to see that the wolf was panicking about something. The scent of fear was almost overpowering.
"Hey, now. I don't really think you're a necromancer. That would require some pacts with some really unsavory..."

Cog paused, the bat interrupting him. He looked Ignatz, raising another eyebrow, and waited for the incubus to respond.

[Tapewolf]

Jakob opened one eye and stared at Cog.  "No violence?  No fighting?  Perhaps we're safe."  He opened the other eye and after a furtive glance at Gareeku, began to relax again, ignoring the loud-mouthed bat.  He was used to being hated after all.  In any case, it was possible that Ignatz thought that his words had hit Jakob hard enough to make him cower, and if that was what the bat needed to make him feel satisfied, more power to him.

The spectre of a fight between Gareeku and Ignatz had shocked him out of his misery, but he still had a dour expression.

"I don't exactly go around sacrificing people, but being able to raise the newly-dead can be handy," he said.  "I did that to an Angel once after someone else tore out their soul.  He was not ungrateful.  Mind you, that seems to be illegal nowadays," he added.

[Stygian]

The bat barked a laugh. He seemed quite mercurial in his temper. Or perhaps it was the alcohol? One never could tell with certain people. Yet he seemed to find Jakob's comment amusing once again, in a condescending kind of way.
   'Yes, of course,' Ignatz said, grinning fiendishly. 'An Angel would be worth saving. Just.' If Jakob had thought that he would get any relief from the bat because he backed up or went silent, it didn't seem he was right so far.
   Leering at the wolf once again, the bat regarded Jakob with his thoroughly black eyes. 'That's commendable, of course, if not admirable. But how about trying to make sure that "poor" Angel didn't get his soul torn out in the first place, hm?' he said, and tilted his head.

[Tapewolf]

"Well duh," said Jakob.  "He was already like that when Malnemar tried to pin the murder on me.  And if Mal hadn't tried to remove his heart, I wouldn't have had to make him into a zombie.  You think he just left the soul lying around?  We had to fight for it..." he smiled at the memory, although it hadn't seemed fun at the time.  But the smile faltered slightly as he thought of the others.

"Pity Paladin had to leave the party.  He could have given you his side of the story.  The only other person who knows it all, apart from Mal himself, is my dad.  And he isn't going to be telling any stories because he's one of the kidnapped."

[Gabi]

"Wow," said Gabi after listening to James's story. "I would have liked to know him. I can imagine it must be a hard name to live up to. But still, you should try to live your own life in the best way you can. We all should, I think. Whether any of us turns into a legend or not, what matters is what we do whenever we have a choice. And... I think I'll stop before I begin to sound stupid. They liked my speeches back in school, but they don't sound so good in an adult's mouth."

Her cheeks became slightly warmer as she said this.

[Cogidubnus]

 "....well." Cog said, shrugging. "Maybe you are a necromancer, then." His voice seemed calm, and largely unconcerned.

He watched the bat and the wolf begin exchanging words, the bat either belligerent or drunk or simply both. Cog raised an eyebrow. If the wolf wasn't reading him incorrectly, Ignatz seemed to have a bone to pick with Cubi.
Wasn't too uncommon. Some of the more destructive ones could do things that really hurt. He shrugged, and waited for the white wolf to call his drink.

[Tapewolf]

"Well it really depends on your point of view," Jakob pointed out amicably.  "Such things are rarely cut and dried.  I've always associated necromancy with raising undead armies and weird, creepy shit like that.  When I dabble in resurrection, it's usually to try and undo a murder."

Jakob looked back at the table.  The bat looked like he was about to open his mouth again, so he decided to call it a day.

"Well, thanks for the drink, and I'm sorry to have poured all my life story and troubles on you like that, but now - if you'll excuse me - I think I'd better see how the others are doing."  He turned, and then sat back down again.

"Oh.  I don't know if you're interested, but a few members of our party have disappeared," he added.  "Probably kidnapped.  The does mean we are a few people short.  I don't know if you're interested?  Either way, it's not my decision, but if you are curious, you might want to ask Gareeku about it after their drinking game is finished, " he gestured to the white wolf, and rose once more.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I almost forgot..." he said, and placed a small piece of card on the bar.  It read:

JAKOB PETTERSOHN
FILM AND VIDEO SERVICES
c/o SAIA, P.O. BOX 666

So saying, he gave a nod to the other wolf and collecting his black trenchcoat, headed towards room 11.

[James StarRunner]

James thought for awhile on what Gabi said and gave a nod in acknowledgment. "That was certainly a profound saying, but I don't think it becomes any less intelligent when said from an older messenger. Kids seem to have a knack to see things simply whereas grownups tend to over complicate things and confuse the issues. I find that children can give us a lot of insight. And perhaps someday I'll find the other James and tell him you said... Huh?"

From down the hallway, James could hear someone approaching and deliberately stop in front of the door. I suppose that must be someone else from our happy party. Before the guest had a chance to knock, James opened the door and peered out at the guest.

"Jakob! Do come in." James grinned, motioning the wolf to step inside.

[Tapewolf]

"Thanks," said Jakob.  He had the Cross coat folded over one arm and he looked a bit put out.
"That creepy bat guy was being a right bastard again.  I figured I'd best leave before he touched a nerve."

He sighed.  "Thanks to him, the folks downstairs know I'm an incubus," he said, "although I made sure they knew he was a demon.  Fortunately no-one seems to care about such things... I guess we're in an unusually open-minded realm.

"Still, enough about that... how are things with you people?"

[Gabi]

Gabi sighed. It seemed luck was still with them after all.

"We're fine," she said. "Just talking, and James was making some hangover medicine. It's much quieter here than back there. With all the noise I was afraid they were about to start a bar brawl."

[Tapewolf]

"They're deep in their drinking game," Jakob said.  "I suspect the bat will cheat.  Probably transmute the alcohol back into sugar or something.  As for brawls, he made a comment which I could only interpret as a stab at Gareeku.  I thought there was going to be a fight then, but it looks like it went over his head, fortunately.

"Shame I had to go, the wolf guy was interesting to talk to.  Still, I suppose it was for the best..."
He glanced to James.  "How about you?" 

[Sunblink]

What with her belligerent attitude, Keaton could only stay ostracized from the fight for a precious few minutes before she snapped, especially upon hearing Ignatz's comment about mind-reading and his not-so-surreptitious glance in her direction. Scowling, Keaton flicked a finger at him, mumbling with an almost drunken air. The alcohol had gotten to her, somewhat. Not a good thing.

"Don't lump me in the same group as those assholes who steal others' memories and rape their heads. I'm not like that," she half-grumbled, half-stated. "Yeah, I'm not. Fancy that."

Then at the comment about Angels being worth saving, Keaton growled again--but such an unpleasant churning noise transformed into a slight laugh as she unsuccessfully tried to hide her mouth behind her hand. "I'm sorry," she said condescendingly, "Did you really say Angels are worth saving? Please. I've never heard anything more hilarious before in my five-hundred-year-long-life."

She watched with a chocolate-hued iris as Jakob scrawled something down on a message for the gray wolf he was conversing with, unable to make out the majority of his writing due to her diminished eyesight, but she noticed something regarding "SAIA" emblazoned on the paper. Shrugging, Keaton glared down at her empty drink glass, then allowed her features to convulse into another, unpleasant scowl which, despite its ugly origins, seemed strangely characteristic on her usually pretty, angular face. When was that wolf going to order a drink? She really needed it at some point, maybe some absinthe or something really strong...

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Gareeku]

Staying quiet as he listened to the others, Gareeku ignored the comments that were being thrown back and forth, choosing instead to try and grab the barman's attention.
"Three Tsikoudias please." the wolf said. Shortly afterwards, the barman came to the table with three small glasses of the liquid in his hands, before placing them on the table.
"Cheers." Gareeku said as he grabbed one of the glasses before downing the tsikoudia is one gulp.

[Stygian]

Ignatz was not so quick to grab the glass of unclear liquid served to him. He recognized neither the name nor the look of the strange drink, but as Gareeku kicked it back without a problem he understood it could not possibly be so bad. A quick smell did reveal a rotgut-like quality to the booze though, why the bat took it more gently than the wolf. As expected, the taste was not at all to his liking, but he downed it without a hitch, and then slapped the glass down quickly, looking at Keaton.
   'Well, if you look at the records - no, not the official ones,' he stated, 'Angels have been much more like benefactors to the world than any 'Cubi, and certainly infinitely more than Demons.' He quenched a silent burp with his palm, and looked in the direction of the rooms. Then he chuckled and turned back to the company, shaking his head slightly.
   'Don't fall for the paranoid jackass' insinuations. I'm not a Demon. You have my word on it,' he said to the both of them.

[Sunblink]

Tsikoudia? That was a new one. Unfamiliar with this new drink, Keaton made no comment about it once the ambiguous beverage was served, letting her body language do the speaking for her once she snatched up the drink and inspected it, inhaling its scent. Ignatz himself had no qualms about immediately devouring the drink, so she decided there wasn't any purpose to stalling anymore. Tipping her head back, she downed the drink, then scowled, uncertain about her predilection to the taste. Ah well... couldn't like all of them.

Then Ignatz said something which made her force out a bark of a laugh. Keaton was probably more antagonistic than usual now that she was almost drunk, her personality's volatile edge exacerbated. "Right," she said, holding up her glass. Arid light glimmered along the sleek surface, tantalizing to Keaton's drunken eye, which she observed with a strange fixation. "And you've proven to be such a trustworthy individual thus far."

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Stygian]

The bat grinned back at Keaton and chuckled along. He didn't seem fazed by that sort of comments.
   'Well, maybe not. But I was just working. And I make it a habit never to lie unless in extreme situations,' he said, sounding most honest. He leaned over against the jackal a bit, closing his lips and putting his handsome features to the test with a bemused smile. 'And is this an extreme situation? I'd rather call it a silly one.' He chuckled. 'Though, as you can probably see I have no magic on me. And if you'd like, I'd let you strip-search me for any transformation inducers.'
   The bat waited for just a few seconds, holding his warm and slightly drunken gaze on Keaton to see if he could manage to call out a blush. Then, very suddenly, he turned against the barkeep again. 'Next, something tasty!' he started. 'Bring us Jack!'

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog took the card that the incubus had proffered, a raised eyebrow glancing over the text before slipping it in his jacket pocket. He kept quiet, instead watching the three continue their drinking contest.
SAIA. Two hundred odd years of adventuring had led him to the name before, but usually in ominously hushed tones and cryptic references. It was the place where the Cubi race went to learn...almost anything. The great university of the Cubi race, where they taught them the skills to be a good incubus. Whatever that might be.

He'd never seen it. Such would be suicide. Still, he'd apparently met someone who worked there, which was interesting enough.Cog sighed, enjoying cool air flowing in from the open windows. The contest was in full swing, and it appeared that it was the bat's turn to order something. The wolf leaned against the bar and waited.

[Sunblink]

Much to Keaton's infinite surprise, the bat didn't seem at all perturbed by her previous, malicious statement, as virulent as it was. In fact, he appeared to interpret it as humorous, something rather disarming to her. Blinking, Keaton twitched, then attempted to push her body backwards as Ignatz seemed to lean in toward her, only for her side to be thwarted by her chair, preventing any further escape. For a moment, she had the feeling of being slightly cornered, an animalistic sensation which distinctly confused her.

Even more confusing was when she felt her cheeks flare when she had met Ignatz's gaze. Something oddly warm tinted his expression, as devious as his words were, which was strangely accentuating to his overall appearance. Keaton wasn't quite sure what had been the cause of it (she attributed this momentary weakness to the alcohol), but she relented, although this conceding did nothing to quell her skepticism. No magic? Not a liar? She didn't believe it. She had seen him as a monster and had seen him revitalize himself even after being hit with Aisha's boomerang. Even worse was when he mentioned strip-searching--Keaton wasn't a prude, not at all, but for some reason, she found herself surprised. Not appalled, but simply surprised.

Ignatz, one way or another, had gotten what he wanted--a blush. Indignant, a little stunned, but a blush nonetheless. Even though she had a thousand different replies built up in that foul brain of hers, Keaton said nothing. For once, she was forced to turn her eyes away.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Stygian]

Most content at the received response, Ignatz took his glass of whiskey quickly and just held it when the Jack Daniels arrived. Smoky and strong in its scent, it fit the bat's smile perfectly. He gave Gareeku a slight glance, examining him for signs of oncoming drunkenness, then shrugged and took a long, slow drain of the glass, enjoying it thoroughly.
   Again, when the bat was finished, he put the thick-bottomed glass down with an audible clack and put his elbow on the table, leaning his head on his palm. He then gave Cogidubnus a long, unclear, half-smiling look, just waiting for the wolf to spot it.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel winced a bit when the participants drank the rotgut. "No need to resort to drinking the janitor's cleaning solution. I have given the bartender money. You can order proper drinks."