The Valentian Dinner – The Second One! [IC / CLOSED]

by **Thakia** » Fri Mar 06, 2020 6:12 pm

-DELETED-

by **The Cosmic Mainframe** » Fri Mar 06, 2020 7:34 pm

Satisfied with the introduction, 5474 nodded, said "Thank you," and walked away from Valentijn just before he and Clarissa returned to their dance. 5474's drones got up from the ground and began to follow her again. Thankfully for the eyes of the guests, there were no more sudden flashes of light. The diverse faces in the room were such that 5474 did not feel alone, despite the fact that her link to the Mainframe had failed due to trans-universal travel.

Through the scans provided by her drones earlier on, 5474 had become aware of several other artificial life-forms present in the building. 5474 herself walked toward the Paramount, one of the more familiar leaders in the building. Two drones broke formation and landed next to Zen Pyrrus and Adriana. 5474 and her drones spoke to the people almost simultaneously, and in the same voice, and as a result "Hello" was heard from three different places at once, which may have caught the attention of anyone with acute hearing.

5474 (to the Paramount): Hello! You may refer to me as Neural Processor 5474, or simply 5474, ambassador of the Cosmic Mainframe. You must be the one at the top of Octavia's command structure. I believe our nations have had contact, but I may be the first to directly interact with you.

5474's drone (to Zen): Hello! I saved some data on you in case you were present. You are Imperial Consul Zen Pyrrus of the Ignis States. Neural Processor 5474, ambassador of the Cosmic Mainframe, is speaking.

5474's drone (to Adriana): Hello! I was informed that your name is Adriana. Neural Processor 5474, ambassador of the Cosmic Mainframe, is speaking. My analysis suggests that you are an artificial life-form quite similar to myself. It is good to see that I am not the only one here.

by **Khoronzon** » Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:01 pm

Iranon let go of Ambrosia's hair as she jumped back, amused by her startled gesture. Upon hearing her yelp, he let out a soft, chiming laugh, which seemed to echo and reverberate through the air around her. There was an eerie sort of beauty to it, almost melodious in tone - yet it remained mostly eerie, perhaps because of its unnatural resonance, or perhaps because it originated from a floating spectre wrapped in black fog and multicoloured light. As his features solidified through the haze, a gentle, yet slightly mischievous, smile became visible on his face.

"Awww. Not very nice of you to call me that," he intoned jokingly, drifting slightly closer towards her. "I forgive you, though. You just had your little scuffle, and now you need some time to calm down." He continued to laugh as he spoke - indeed, his laughter seemed to coincide with his words, echoing alongside his speech - as he floated around Ambrosia in a lazy circular pattern like a shark slowly circling its prey, drifting slightly closer to her as he went on. His long, flowing hair, suspended in the air above him, billowed as he moved, and gradually shifted from black to its natural brown tone.

"Oh, silly me, I forgot to introduce myself. How rude." He darted slightly backwards, giving himself some space to perform an elaborate bow in midair. "I'm Iranon Syorin, Khoronzon's Minister of Truth and Supreme Acolyte of the Oneiros Circle. I take it you're already familiar with Narshka over there? Oh, pardon me. Narcissus." He chuckled at himself after catching his mishap, pointing towards the bar where Narcissus was seated, glass in hand, reading from Iranon's notebook, while the latter's physical body was still soundly sleeping beside him. A veil of mist surrounded the "real" Iranon, particularly around his now-invisible face and hands - which just so happened to coincide with the features that had solidified the most on the spectre next to Ambrosia. Narcissus managed to take his eyes off the pages for a moment to swat at Chimaira when the latter started crawling down his arm to drink from his glass, to Iranon's apparent surprise. He turned back towards Ambrosia, circling around her and petting her hair yet again. "It seems you two don't like each other very much. What gives? I think both of you are perfectly delightful."

by **Mercatus** » Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:57 pm

Redacted.

by **Valentine Z** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 3:37 am

[For the posts until my next follow-up, it will be greatly appreciated if you guys reference the dance between Valentijn and Clarissa. ^^

For reference: viewtopic.php?p=36800876#p36800876]

by **Zitravgrad** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 6:16 am

Bloodshade wrote:
Salem looked rather perplexed. He had absolutely no idea who Kazimir was talking about but he knew that this mystic Orthodox was not someone the Premier had warm feelings for. The man was already ridiculing his beliefs due to his tone. Salem might've looked goofy but he knew how to pick on subtle clues such as this.

"Are you telling me that you know of a man that wishes to purchase my fur? Well then, he certainly has taste, my dear acquaintance and don't be so quick to laugh at his beliefs. Chances are that he's simply more...observant than you are when it comes to the realm of chaos. I don't mean this to offend you. Everyone's got their skills and weaknesses. If I may ask, are you friends with this Orthodox being?" - Salem

"No offense taken, Mr. Salem. I do acknowledge the notion that all men have different philosophies and ideologies -- but as you might be able to deduce from how I speak of him, my beliefs and his beliefs are fiercely at odd. He is a man of two worlds, the machine world and the spiritual world, while I prefer to stand my ground in the world where human ideas are. About your furs, I do not quite know. But I heard from some people that he has a liking for ravens and black cats, and knew very well that he is partially deafblind, which has a lot to do with his spiritual inclinations." Miroslavsky chuckled. "But one thing I could tell you is that he is no friend of mine, but rather an old acquaintance of my wife and her father."

Bloodshade wrote:
Once again, Salem couldn't help but assume an elegant, mighty posture (according to Salem's mind). Unfortunately for him, he wasn't able to subtly show off his confidence as a cat so instead, he believed he had to be as proud as peacock in order to gain respect from others such as the Premier and his wife.

"Of course you did! How could one such as myself make paltry mistakes? However, I forgive you for admitting that you were mistaken in your assumptions of the cursed warlord known as Salem."

Salem observed the Premier shift his gaze towards Ambrosia and a smile crept onto his face. Was the man mad? He would receive the blood kiss and challenge Salem for dominance. If that was the case, he would relish the opportunity to do battle with this Zitravgradian in the distant future. Ambrosia was certainly aware of herself being the temporary subject of the conversation between Salem and Mr. Mirovslavsky, prompting her to shift her attention to the Premier as he spoke his mind about the prospect of becoming immortal.

"Oh my dear Kazimir, did Salem suggest that I give you and your family the blood kiss? In any case, my heart can rest easy knowing that you are content with your own lifespan. If I might add, you've lived a rather fulfilling life! If I was a human, I'd be considered a failure! I've hardly done anything noteworthy and I'm 34 years of age!"

"Well, Ambrosia is correct. She's done nothing noteworthy but don't fall for her pleasantries. Ambrosia does love being a syco..."

Salem felt his breath being constrained and looking back at Ambrosia, he noticed that her hands were clenched and she was staring right at him with fury in her eyes. Salem doesn't seem to learn and Ambrosia just kept on having to teach him how to be decent. Ambrosia ceased her magical spell and allowed Salem to breathe properly once more.

"Anyways, you truly are a brave individual...to simply allow father time to have his way with you. Do not worry about me, life is struggle and every being has a purpose, whether it be big or small. All have a part to play, whether it be glorious or tragic. I know I was destined for greatness. I shall reach that goal or die trying. Who knows? Maybe you shall bear witness to my human form...once Ambrosia believes that I have a good heart that is..."

Salem simply snarled back at the the puppy, hoping he could fight back against his fears and scare it away.

"An excellent idea! Puppies don't belong on the table, especially one that looks like Cerberus! Have you ever met Cerberus? Did you know I once descended into Hades, you know? The otherworld of those accursed Greek Gods and lo, I met that slimy guard dog blocking my path....AGH! Back to the matter at hand, would you kindly place your puppy in an alternative suitable position?"

Amiably yet nonchalantly, Miroslavsky gave an apologetic smile at Salem's reaction to him mistakenly criticize his strategies, whether genuine or not. He found the way the black cat did a stretch amusing, but he knew he could not let his guard down entirely. Good, peaceful men didn't tend to get cursed, hurt or killed in brutal way -- this rule worked in almost every universe known.

When the Countess turned her attention towards him, Miroslavsky graciously turned to her and replied. "I do not want to start too deep a philosophical discussion, but thank you. I suppose that I have done much in forty-nine years of my life, and will continue for another half a decade." He reacted with a slight bit of surprise when Ambrosia told him her age. He knew, but it was still a little odd to imagine the concept of a young vampire. "Do not think of yourself as such, your Excellency. You still manage to be the light and comfort to many hearts and souls, as apparent here... with you being surrounded by friends... and lovers.

"But for you, Mr. Salem... I must again express my regrets that I might not be able to witness your dramatic comeback in my lifetime, and knowing the Countess, I think you will need a good while to convince her. I, too, took a considerable time ~~(OOC: and a huge retconning)~~ in convincing her I am... a little more sophisticated than she initially thought of me. Nonetheless, I have half a century left, if not a little more. My own grandparents are still alive in their late nineties and i am sure that I will do the same."

Then he stopped, realizing something; mortality, but not of his own. His smile even dropped slightly. However, he soon regained his composure when Salem was snarling at his dog. He knew the puppy was not very smart (yet) and it thought of every animal its size or slightly bigger as friendly. "You know, Mr. Salem, that I am none but a mere mortal. If I have met Hades and Cerberus even once, I might not be able to return. I assure you, though, that my puppy is not slimy."

Bloodshade wrote:
Ambrosia indeed was a bit perplexed by Feodora's talk about human engineering and she felt like it was rather rude of her to not understand the traditions and customs of Zitravgrad, considering how long she's known the power couple in front of her.

"My dear, I apologize but I don't follow. What do you mean by 'half-engineered'? I've heard of beings back home using genetic engineering to remove the chance of contracting a dangerous genetic illnesses. I have also heard of beings back in my homeland using magic to 'improve' themselves. I might be guilty of such a thing but in any case, I would never assume that I knew better than you when it comes to the future of your children! Do not worry, in the distant future, I will get to know your children when they've grown up!"

Feodora did not consider Ambrosia's question to be a nuisance, although this was so often asked of her. The concept of "Cerulean Konstruiermenschen" was an obscure topic even in her birth country. "Yes, exactly what you describe, but done to the extremes for several generations, back to some time in 1880s. I came from a proud by that I mean pretty snobbish, yes Auestriker family of thinkers and industrialists. You see, money and knowledge put together in the era of great eccentricity either made men enlightened or insane -- but in our case, I say both. At first, we were just thinking of preventing hereditary diseases but a few generations later we were creating 'the master race' -- not that all of us agree on what that means, mind you. But it my great-grandfather's meaning, it used to mean a beautiful, healthy and intelligent child of golden hair, pale skin and blue eyes, who will be raised in a loving home that will shape him or her into 'perfection'. But since I married an... uh..." She sneaked a quick look at her husband. "...~~specimen born naturally and not augmented or engineered in any manner~~ a normal person outside our given criteria, our children's genetics are only partially engineered. Some of us were born by artificial reproduction, including me."

Feeling that she had ventured too far in her family history, Feodora stopped. She did not want to sound like a weirdo, especially with so many people around (some of them even weirder than this, but still...)

Bloodshade wrote:
Ambrosia couldn't meet his gaze. Even though she occasionally prided herself on the fact that she'd outstrip the Zitravgradian in terms of age and hopefully wisdom due to her inherent immortality, she did wonder how she'd handle the loss of the Miroslavky's as well as her dear Providenskan sweetheart known as Zhen when the time comes. The fact that her lifespan would outmatch that of her Zitravgradian companions sent Ambrosia into a rather somber mood. Her facial muscles simply were not up to the task of masking her emotions anymore and a dark shadow was cast over her face as a result.

"You're certainly correct, my dear, when it comes to two things: That I should pay a visit to my dear Zhen and that a life of immortality is not necessarily an enviable one.

And of course, you're no A.I. I can't expect you to remember millions of names, right? I mean, even I can't do that...or maybe I can. I think I can if I involve a bit of magic in the mix. Well, I'm not going to prove that now! In any case, thank you, Mr. Kazimir! I apologize if I've been treating you like my personal psychiatrist. I trust you well enough to talk about such personal matters...you can say...I can mostly trust you to be honest."

With that last statement, Ambrosia sneaked a wink in Miroslavsky's direction, in the hopes of ensuring that the Premier would understand that she knew the kind of game they were playing, even if they were exchanging genuine emotions with one another. There was one thing she admired about Kazimir and it was propensity for excitement. One does not necessarily have to be bouncing around the room to be excitable but every time the Premier spoke, Ambrosia felt rather enchanted, particularly by his demeanor and tone. Still, she might've enjoyed the Zitravgradian authoritarian on the surface but who knows what that enigma had in store for her if she ever decided to delve deep into his mind.

"Well, well... dear Countess. I do not tend to have people telling their problems to me, for obvious reasons. This makes me feel... oddly importance." Miroslavsky replied to the Countess' downbeat statement with a still voice. "This seems to me like a development." For him, a harmless mind game between friends was a sign of healthy friendship. He had learned well since his teenage days that no matter how innocuous a person looked, one could not be sure what secrets he or she might be holding; and something might be better left unknown than exposed. This also applied to him. There might as well be some skeletons in his closet, but that needed not matter here or now. Ambrosia could trust him to be honest with her, since honesty did not immediately equal openness.

Bloodshade wrote:
In any case, Ambrosia's mind does not dwell for too long on one topic and she already had another topic to present to Miroslavksy and his dear wife, Feodora. However, Ambrosia's body was shivering unconsciously at the subject she was about to open up. She had always been insecure about her reproductive ability, let alone her ability to take responsibility for another person's life. A child might've been what the poor vampire needed to spark her soul but she wouldn't know without consulting the two experts.

"Sweethearts, I always wondered. I know this might be an idiotic question but I must ask, how significant have your children been in your life? I mean, how have they affected your mindset? Your personality? Did you feel like a void was filled by them? I'm just...curious. Oh, never-mind, I can never hoodwink both of you! I was just contemplating on having a child or even adopting a little sweetheart and giving her a chance at life but I'm just so indecisive. I must look rather desperate, coming to a dinner party and asking the guests for parental advice."

This was an interesting question, especially from someone like Ambrosia. Feodora let out a smile. Well, she did just explain to the Countess her family history, which one might consider controversial. Nonetheless, she was the first one of the couple to reply. "Speaking bluntly, giving birth and raising children are a great duty in the life of an engineered human. Not just for male or female, but rather all of us together. So I do, to an extent, consider my life fulfilled when our children were brought to the world. Some might say a girl becomes a woman when she comes of age or gets married, but I believe that I only became a woman when I became a mother... That might sound a little too dramatic for you. If so, I am sorry about that."

In his turn, Kazimir Ivanovich only replied: "A fair fraction of own answer would not be astray from hers. So I would rather not repeat things for you twice. But you may accuse me of insensitivity for considering children as something that fulfills social function, especially when I am a patriarch of a family that will eventually need an heir ~~preferably male one, too~~. In our mortal lives, humans like us need a successor of our material resources, of our ideals and of our fate. To procreate is a basic survival step as a race." Ending his rather cold 'rational' explanation, he gave Ambrosia a cryptic smile, as if asking if she ever felt the need for 'successor of the fate of her race'. Just some minutes ago, he protested against making deep philosophical discussions but here he was again.

Bloodshade wrote:
Now that the Nehekharan Goddess abandoned the temperamental Ausar due to the fact that she wasn't exactly a fun toy to play around with, she decided to find more stoic guests, the type that won't burst into tears or transform into a humanoid volcano when the goddess herself decides to play around. Luckily for Isis, she found two suitable test subjects. Mr. Kazimir Ivanovich Miroslavsky and his dear, demure wife, Feodora Alexandrovna Miroslavskaya. She had a feeling that those two eccentrics wouldn't escape her memory any time soon. While the endearing couple were equally enthralling, Isis's gaze tended to shift towards the Premier and she only wanted one thing from that man: To, one day, see him grovel and prostrate oneself in front of her. However, these thoughts were too premature. She was getting ahead of herself. Right now, she just had to charm the Premier and ensure that she'd linger in the deepest recesses of his mind.

Drifting towards the married couple, the deity made her presence known with a snap of her finger, as if she was commanding the attention of two innocent, lost puppies. Her demeanor was soft and simple but only a fool would believe such a description. Behind that mask, she was hiding a multitude of emotions: Desire and malevolence most notably.

"I do hope I've captured your attention. Should I introduce myself or have you already familiarized yourself? I mean, I did hurt my poor Ambrosia a while ago. I do hope you can forgive me. I just couldn't help myself from joining this grand event. In any case, as you can probably deduce, I am a goddess. You may call me Isis or Aset. You two do not have to introduce yourselves. I know plenty enough..."

"Thank Providence..." That was his first expression upon having Isis interacting with him -- thanking a deity he superfluously believed in. "I am grateful that we may get acquainted without having to do the arduous task of introduction. I have never introduced myself to an immortal before, and no school or class of etiquette would teach me how to do that." He raised his hand and nodded, implying a light bow. He had bowed lower for moral beings, or even statues or gravestones. It was a mere display of basic manners rather than respect. "About your... issue with the Countess, I cannot wholly put you at fault for something I do not know, even if I was indeed concerned about the Countess' condition."

Miroslavsky narrowed his eyes. She was guileful, and guile was the same whether attached to mortals or immortals. He did not trust her, she knew he did not trust her, he knew she knew he did not trust her, and she knew he knew she knew he did not trust her -- this little situation could be easily summed up as a loop of two people knowing or thinking they knew each other's intentions. He was not going to welcome her like he had welcomed several of his rivals whom he had taunted and tricked with politeness and social grace -- he knew she was too great a rival.

Bloodshade wrote:
The goddess's eyes couldn't help but betray a hint of hunger and for a few moments, she looked like a ravenous predator. However, she wasn't about to spoil the game so soon and decided to compose herself, returning back to her calm and collected self. Isis swiftly concluded that the Premier wouldn't allow his mind to be pervaded with her honeyed words but there was a simple solution right beside him: his wife. In an attempt to ingratiate herself with Feodora, the goddess's face softened and she sat herself right next to Premier's wife.

"Why the long face, dear? Is something bothering you? Oh dear, Ambrosia doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut, does she? She just had to speak about such a sensitive topic like family and marriage. Speaking of which, do you wish to guess how many children or consorts I have? Then again, using such terms are rather primitive. What a human might consider as taboo would be rather common in the realm of the divines but ignore my rambling dear, I simply want to remove the distress present in your heart. You think I can't read emotions? I'm sure my dear Ambrosia noticed but she's too sweet to confront you about such emotions. I am a stranger. You can certainly trust my judgement as a I have no biases and from what I can deduce, my dear, it seems like your...commitments...in life are taking its toll on your poor, innocent soul. You do know that petting this adorable version of Cerberus is not going to take all your troubles away?"

Ambrosia was watching Isis attempt to have Feodora pour her heart out but she couldn't take anymore of it. She wasn't about to have Feodora suffer at her hands.

"Ma'am, I think Feodora has had enough of your probing. If I had to define the term 'nosy' in a dictionary, I'd just put a picture of you!"

"Ambie, you can't put a picture in a dictionary. Imagine the printing costs!"

"Kazimir...Feodora...I apologize for this deity's actions...you can just ignore her...please."[/align]

Meanwhile, Feodora was completely disillusioned. She was at most an agnostic that read tarot cards to entertain her skepticism. Hence, a presence of someone like Isis would raise some questions in her mind -- not many of which she wanted an answer for. "You already spoke a lot of closed-end sentences and answered your own questions. I believe that I do not have much to speak to you." She replied emotionlessly, turning towards the goddess. She heeded Ambrosia's pleading to ignore her, and would try to do so. Even the AI Matriarch, Tsarina of All Zitravian Machines, was a more pleasant character than her. She sighed, and turned away.

Valentine Z wrote:
@ Zitravgrad:
It took Miroslavsky a bit to register something going on himself, being so involved in a conversation with the Countess of Bloodshade. People were making way for the power couple for something apparently quite important, and that piqued his interest. "My apologies, Ms. Valentina. Yes, it is quite hard to gather where the crowd would be... and I suppose that we will be here for now." Miroslavsky turned to Valentina. "Please... 'I am fine' does not cut it in our culture. Please tell us in details how you and your friends have been! It is not always sunny... nor is it always raining. But life has more than just 'fine' and 'not fine' to it. But that being said, perhaps I can sum up my current state as 'well and fine'... nothing to dramatic at the moment... and being invited here is, again, quite a pleasant event."

Once Valentina told them that Valentijn and Clarissa were going to have a dance, the Zitravgradian Premier would smile slightly. "How pleasant... of course, a dinner would not be a dinner without a dance. But still... it has been a while that I actually had a dance in public, ballroom style or whichever, right...?" Feodora just looked at him. She knew it was indeed a while. As the head of the state, it was rather unbecoming to be the dancer, but rather the audience. Still, it was not such a major vexation in their lives. Feeling slightly thirsty, the couple would have their cups of tea while watching the dance.

"I did not quite expect them to get together for some reason, but I have to admit that they make such a lovely couple." said Feodora. "One would say that Valentians know best when it comes to love and peace... well... not in political sense."

Valentina “De Sierlijke en Vrij High Valkyrie ov Valentine Z” Anastasia Freya Ada. Jolin Annelijn Caitlin Trijntje Crystal Clarice Constance Judy Voi. Nexitros Annile. Teresa Thida Myat Yadana Aye: Ahh, good, good! You folks can stay here, I am fine with that!

“Please tell us in details… details… details…”

Miroslavsky probably should not have said that, and with Valentina having quite a like towards Miroslavsky as a friend, she is going to pour out everything. And we mean… everything.

Valentina “De Sierlijke en Vrij High Valkyrie ov Valentine Z” Anastasia Freya Ada. Jolin Annelijn Caitlin Trijntje Crystal Clarice Constance Judy Voi. Nexitros Annile. Teresa Thida Myat Yadana Aye: Oooh, glad you asked, my friend! I mean, the Valentians asked me that before that as well, but you know, I never confide myself and my feelings to anyone else other than my close friends. And since you are my close friend, that much is the better! So… err, where do I start, where do I start? Oh yes, my day was fantastic! I woke up in the morning, had a little dance-off with Clarissa, then I watered the plants and tended the garden, and then I had quite a heartfelt talk with Valentijn. I know he does that with Clarissa most of the time, but Clarissa as his wife doesn’t mind that one bit, so two of us talked and confided to each other, and of course, we ask Clarissa to join in too… Then three of us talked, hehe! It was so exciting, it was fun! [This went on for 5-8 more mins] … But the supermarket trip was quite a disaster! I packed myself and took enough boxes for the party supplies, but it was simply not enough! The ingredients for the cake was a little too much, and we have to make 4-5 trips! And that’s with Valentijn and Clarissa coming along with me, and with Mandy over there helping out with her van. What a day, I must say! So… it evens out! It was a mix of me being tired, and excited for this party! I along with the rest of the Valentians, wanted to make this a very, very memorable party for the two lovebirds over there, and for those that came back from NSSCRA!

Miroslavsky has gotten himself an earful, though hopefully not for the wrong reasons.

It was an earful for a good reason, as Miroslavsky was rather fond of his Valentian friends and their seemingly endless adventures. At least, he found it pleasing and fitting to the lightheartedness of the party and indeed it was a good distraction from minor chaos ensuing in the room, for which he would/could/should try to give a reaction later. "I am glad that your day started off fantastically, Ms. Valentina! I so wonder what you three were conversing about... Also, I see you like gardening as well, and that makes two of us. But such is early spring... nothing has yet to blossom -- we need to wait seventeen more moments for it to arrive. By the eighteenth moment, we will see wildflowers..." He paused, again sipping his tea. "Thanks Lady Fortune and Saint Yeruslan this winter won't last until March. There is nothing more miserable than a frosty spring, don't you think?"

Blodrike wrote:
"Tea? Why, sure! That would be such a wonderful idea! I even brought some of my own." Freya started reaching into her handbag. "I bet you've never tried this kind before," she said. "It's made from a special—"

Ssssssssss! Before Freya could finish her sentence, or retrieve the can of tea, she was interrupted by a loud hissing noise coming from the handbag. "Gah!" she screamed, dropping the bag. The queen jumped up from her seat, taking a leap back from the table. After a few seconds, it was clear why: a brown viper had somehow gotten into her handbag. Now it had slithered out, and was coiled up on the table, staring straight at Freya.

Once Freya got a clear view of the snake, she immediately recognized who this was, and her expression quickly changed from fear to anger. "Fredrik!" she gasped. "Who let YOU in here?"

Not understanding why any woman (or indeed anyone) would have a snake in her bag, Feodora jumped back a little. Kazimir himself also squinted suspiciously. It was oddly reminiscent of a certain prison doctor he used to work with, but that was a story for another day. ~~Of course, Zitravgrad probably contained people of all sorts imaginable.~~ Still, they both saw that the snake was... rather sentient and not automatically dangerous.

Blodrike wrote:
From overhearing Ambrosia's chat with the Miroslavskys, Freya learned that she was romantically interested in a woman named Zheneyasil, or Zhen. Ambrosia even asked Kazimir to deliver a letter to Zhen on her behalf. For some people, Kazimir included, this was quite a daring thing to do—he was a married man and his wife was right beside him. But Freya didn't mind at all, in fact she had dozens of girlfriends herself.

However, the conversation then changed to the topic of having children. When Ambrosia expressed that she wanted a child of her own, a gazillion steam whistles started going off in Freya's mind. Is Ambie out of her mind!? she thought to herself. You see, where Freya was from, reproduction was deadly for female vampires (unlike human babies, vampires are born fully developed, but that means they can't come out the human way. Newborn vampires are born by bursting out of the mother's stomach—a process that's always fatal). Perhaps the vampires in Bloodshade were different, or they had advanced medical techniques. Despite that, Freya couldn't help but to have concern for her friend. So she felt she had no choice, but to talk Ambrosia out of it.

"Pardon my interruption," she said, "but I couldn't help overhearing all that talk about babies, and I'm worried. Would you still be fine after that?"

Sensing that Ambrosia, Kazimir, Feodora, Amaki and the others might be confused by Freya's question, Astrid the scientist decided to explain for everyone. With the help of some graphic images drawn in her lab notebook, she meticulously described the vampire reproductive process in great detail, and showed how giving birth was deadly. "Uh, thanks Computer," said Freya, wincing at some of the images. The process looked quite painful, and she'd NEVER want Ambrosia to suffer a horrible death like that. "See, that's why I'm so concerned for you," she said.

Looking at the images, Feodora raised her eyebrows. She felt rather fortunate to have been born into the (very much self-proclaimed) master race. Feodora Alexandrovna was an engineered human, born of asexual production controlled by age-old rules of eugenics and god-knows-what-else-of-post-modern-science politely masked as 'genetic and family sciences'. "Well, in highly developed countries, we do not bother with having to be pregnant with your babies in your womb and risking the effects of childbirth. But I will leave it at that... I see what you are trying to express here." Trying to keep her voice neutral and not condescending, especially when addressing someone like Freya, she looked away a bit. "It's indeed concerning... I can see why you do not bother with children, aside from your dislike of men."

Blodrike wrote:
Meanwhile, Fredrik the snake had spotted a black cat and a three-headed puppy. I wonder if they were cursed too, he thought. Only one way to find out. Slithering up to Salem and Cerberus, he decided to greet his new furry friends and see how they'd react to a talking snake. Head held high, Fredrik introduced himself. "Greetings, my animal friends. Come closer, I won't bite. My name's Fredrik, and I used to be a bodyguard for Queen Freya over there. But that witch cast a spell on me, and now I'm cursed to wander on my belly for all eternity. Oh, the horror!"

The three-headed puppy was unfortunately... just a puppy with three heads rather than anything more exciting or sophisticated. It borked at the snake a few times, then looked on with interest.

Wolflandil wrote:
[Zitravgrad]
Tadeusz and Rosaline move from their secluded table in the corner, grabbing their brown peaked caps for their service dress uniform from the back of their chairs. As they move from their table Tadeusz notices a distinct smell of a kind of tea that would usually be found in his home nation. Tadeusz begins to move towards the table that the scent was originating from, with Rosaline following suit. They pull up a chair to the Miroslavsky's table, and begin to introduce themselves.
Rosaline addresses Kazimir and Feodora, "Hello Comerades, I am Senator Rosaline Raftaliva, the Senator Primus of Wolflandil, and with me is the Tsar of Wolflandil, Tadeusz Sheremetev. It would be a great honor to make acquaintance with you both."

Greeted by the delegates from Wolflandil, the nation they understood to also be Slavic in culture, the Miroslavskys took their approach seriously ~~maybe even more seriously than some goddess~~. "The honor is also ours, ours definitely." Kazimir Ivanovich took a slightly lower nod this time, and so did his wife. "With due respect, Kazimir Ivanovich Miroslavsky, at your service. Here with me is my wife, Feodora Alexandrovna. Also, I must remark what coincidence this is -- my wife's birth name was Rosaline."

Feodora finally got to work the part she was known for as the First Lady (outside concocting tear gas bombs) -- pouring tea. She poured more tea into two cups and offered them to the Senator and the Tsar respectively. Then, their interest was again piqued by the music and called to the Valentian couple who were going to have another dance-off!

by **Ignis States** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 12:07 pm

As Zen feels Ambrosia scratch his ear, he can't help but stick his tongue out a bit, the end barely poking past his lips as his eyes close. Ah, he'll never get tired of that. If there's one thing the Countess provided in spades, it was good ear scratching.
A light giggle escapes him, which he fails to hold back. Upon realizing his mistake, the Ignisian's cheeks begin to burn a cherry red. Get it together...He needs to show better self control!

"Ah, alright. I'll take your advice and see if some of the other guests here are open for conversation. Though if there's one I need to pay attention to..."
Zen's expression suddenly turns strangely hostile as he glances over at the other vampiress. Freya, was it?

Clearing his throat, the fox activates his voice amplification once more, making sure Freya (and most everyone else) can hear him loud and clear.

"For someone who managed to gain the attention of our illustrious, near perfect Countess, you certainly have a low brain cell count. Tell me, what part of you thought it reasonable to show something this graphic around a child and a mother of all people? Now, I know what you're likely to say: 'It's not my problem if they have an issue with it'. Well, here's what IS your problem: Their reaction. Though I doubt you'd care: Someone who'd do something like this and refuse to apologize certainly doesn't care very much. Or possibly can't. You barbaric vampires don't tend to have very much inside your head aside from 'kill, kill, kill'.
Or perhaps something a bit more vulgar considering what I've observed. By the gods, with vampires like you, I feel sorry for Ambrosia. You certainly make her look worse than she actually is and just reinforce the false stereotypes: She isn't the harlot people make her out to be. You, however, are and then some. If you take pride in this description, you've only proven my point. You don't even make me sick. You make me laugh."

Zen's slightly upset that he has to hold back with his insults for the sake of the nearby Amara, but he supposes he got his point across well enough. Brushing back his hair, he stands confidently with his arms crossed, staring down Freya as he speaks. As he notes the presence and greeting of the Mainframe's Drone 5474, he merely grants it a thumbs up.
Hot damn, that's one hell of a way to make an impression.

Before the fallout of what he just did can begin, a golden portal scythes itself open close to the couch, a figure slowly walking out. The figure in question is the Ignisian Head of Magical Affairs, Strein Draksesa Váradi. As per usual, the wolf's hair is tied back in a shoulder length ponytail. Try as she might, a few strands dangle in front of her gold eyes, though. As she takes the first few uncertain steps out of the portal, the lupine damn near falls over, stopping herself by grabbing the edge of the couch.
She still isn't used to wearing a dress. Sure, she looks good in it (the way the orange and blue alternates is absolutely beautiful), but nothing beats a good pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

"Zen, what's..." As the lupine walks towards Zen, she abruptly stops, noting the...interesting expression on his face as he finishes speaking at his table. Yeah, she's just going to avoid him.
Strein can afford to wait for a bit longer until Seren gets here. All she needs to do is just relax and watch...whatever THIS is. The wolf lets herself fall back onto the couch, quickly sinking into the cushions as she observes what's going on. Ooh, the giant people are dancing! That's always something to watch. Though it demoralizes her a little about her own skills....so focus elsewhere! A weird...dog ear lady and her kid are standing near Zen and Ms. Ambrosia.
Wait, she can start there!

"Ms. Ambrosia, I didn't think you'd be here!" She exclaims, sitting straight up in the couch in the process. "I hope you've been having a good life since last time we saw each other!"

by **Blodrike** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 3:10 pm

With her remark about "highly developed countries", perhaps the First Lady was feeling smug about her scientific superiority, and wanted to rub it in Freya's face. But the words had no effect on the vampire, who instead was fixated with Feodora's claim that her people could produce offspring without pregnancy or birth. Such a technology would be useless for Freya's kind, for whom the need for population replacement was very little. But nonetheless, her mind was captivated by the idea that it was possible to conceive offspring without a biological mother.

"Whoa, you can do that?" she asked incredulously. "But how do you keep the baby alive? With magic?"

The talking snake had hoped this three-headed dog could be his partner-in-crime. But as it turned out, it was just a regular dog who couldn't talk. "Oh well, at least I tried," Fredrik sighed, lowering his head with disappointment. "At least I've still got my cat friend."

Then there was an announcement from the DJ, and the music came on. Valentijn and Clarissa were going to have another dance-off, and Freya wanted to watch them show off their moves. But as soon as the dance began, she was rudely interrupted by the comments of a talking fox.

Well, there goes my pleasant day with my girlfriend, Freya thought, her pupils narrowing with rage. By ignoring everybody else, the vampire had hoped that she'd too be left alone in peace. After all, Ambrosia's presence was the only reason Freya ever came to this dinner—otherwise she wouldn't have been here. Then this talking fox, who she'd never even met, thought it'd be appropriate to get in her face and hurl insults.

Freya was a proud vampire, and that was something she wouldn't trade for the universe. Rather than suppressing her feral nature in an attempt to be more like the humans, she was perfectly comfortable just the way she was, and didn't give a crap if others found her lifestyle repulsive. She also rejected the human idea of morality and the whole suite of taboos that came with it, even the grave sin of murder. To a vampire, the life of a fellow vampire was no more precious than that of a flea—the concept of family was also completely alien to Freya's kind.

So while being called a bloodthirsty monster or a harlot would've been highly inflammatory for humans (who arrogantly distanced themselves from animals with their invented concepts of "morality" and "modesty"), such traits were simply the part-and-parcel of being a vampire. In addition, Freya was completely unfazed by the talking fox—she knew that he was all-bark and no-bite, and couldn't threaten her even if he tried. So she contemplated ignoring his hot air at first. But then he tried to ruin the relationship between her and Ambrosia, by calling Freya dumb and Ambrosia dumb for liking her. Oh no he didn't! Now that was totally uncalled for, and Freya knew she had to give this upstart a piece of her mind.

"Who do you think you are, mutt?", she snarled. "I'll tell you what I am: a monster, and a proud one to boot. We've been around long before the humans even crawled out of the mud, and certainly managed to survive all those ages without your judgmental moralizing. What's so special about a child? You can't keep it in a bubble forever! Sooner or later, everybody's gotta open their eyes to the ugly realities of this world. Perhaps it's easy for you to say, considering you were born blind and helpless, totally dependent on others. But I'll have you know, you wouldn't last a day in my land. So why don't you get off your high horse? Without your fancy technology and laws, you're no different than the animals you hate so much. And in the grand scheme of things, those sweet precious human lives are worth nothing! Guess what, we're all born from the stars, and eventually we'll all disappear from this universe the way we first came. In the vast cosmic realm, life is but the blink of an eye."

"Of course, since you're clearly so much smarter than us mindless bloodthirsty monsters, I figure you'd probably know this stuff already. Whatever, I never cared what you think about me anyway, and given your insolence, I don't think I ever will. But don't you say anything about my girlfriend! Unlike you, she doesn't judge a book by its cover, or force her views on others. The fact that she loves me for what I am, is more than enough proof of that. Now get out of my face!"

by **The Albali Republic** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 3:50 pm

Ignis States wrote:Before the fallout of what he just did can begin, a golden portal scythes itself open close to the couch, a figure slowly walking out. The figure in question is the Ignisian Head of Magical Affairs, Strein Draksesa Váradi. As per usual, the wolf's hair is tied back in a shoulder length ponytail. Try as she might, a few strands dangle in front of her gold eyes, though. As she takes the first few uncertain steps out of the portal, the lupine damn near falls over, stopping herself by grabbing the edge of the couch.
She still isn't used to wearing a dress. Sure, she looks good in it (the way the orange and blue alternates is absolutely beautiful), but nothing beats a good pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

"Zen, what's..." As the lupine walks towards Zen, she abruptly stops, noting the...interesting expression on his face as he finishes speaking at his table. Yeah, she's just going to avoid him.
Strein can afford to wait for a bit longer until Seren gets here. All she needs to do is just relax and watch...whatever THIS is. The wolf lets herself fall back onto the couch, quickly sinking into the cushions as she observes what's going on. Ooh, the giant people are dancing! That's always something to watch. Though it demoralizes her a little about her own skills....so focus elsewhere! A weird...dog ear lady and her kid are standing near Zen and Ms. Ambrosia.
Wait, she can start there!

"Ms. Ambrosia, I didn't think you'd be here!" She exclaims, sitting straight up in the couch in the process. "I hope you've been having a good life since last time we saw each other!"

Unlike her wife, Seren Draksesa Váradi decided to arrive by slightly more conventional means; she lacked the ability to make portals. For now... So, she made her way towards the main entrance from the driveway, feeling very much at ease. She's visited many expensive residences in fancy clothing before - by now she was a natural. Seren would have liked to arrive earlier - preferably before everybody else - but work had kept her occupied for a few more hours than expected. Oh well, she was here now. Maybe being so overworked would help her relax and appreciate the opportunity more once she was inside.
Seren wore a white dress, with some blue and orange accents that she had co-ordinated with Strein. She found that the white fabric really brought out the black parts of her coat.

Well... she was here now - the first thing she had to do was find Strein. In a mansion this large, she felt as though it was easier said than done. She followed the voices until she reached the dining hall, and almost immediately regretted it. The sight thoroughly confused her - Valentijn and Clarissa danced, Zen was busy insulting someone she didn't know, Ambrosia was trying to be a peaceful mediator, and... was that an Ausar? Seren looked for something else to do, and she found what she hoped to - her wife sat on a sofa nearby, looking at the crowd with interest. Strein was probably as confused as she was. Seren thought about petting Strein between her ears, but decided against it once she realised they were in the company of other leaders. Wouldn't want to embarrass each other... instead, she approached with a simple, if very happy, greeting.
"Strein! Hi! Hi. I hope I haven't kept you waiting... how's my favourite girl doing?"
Seren sat down beside Strein and rested her head on her wife's shoulder.

by **Imperial-Octavia** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 4:22 pm

Tal'Talen

"Hmmm, I think I'll stay around this area organ-, tee-hee, I mean Countess. I'm only a few seats away from my liege, and he hasn't called for me yet. What, is it that hard to stay around me?" Talen was nearly revealing in the anger she was causing to Ambrosia, but tried to contain her own joy seeing her newfound enemy become annoyed. Suddenly a song began playing over the loudspeakers and though the upbeat nature of the song have her an idea for a modification to the punishment shell as some sick joke the actual dancing and singing was just so sickly sweet to Talen. It was almost like pure sugar being poured down her throat and though she hated it, she decided to stay silent for now. While The Paramount may ignore the spiting of Ambrosia, to go after the host of the party would be a quick way to find herself booted from her position. And so she waited for a better opportunity to end the that annoying "music" and watched the fireworks going off between Freya and Zen.

H'Krell and The Paramount

H'Krell had been mostly fine with the dinner. His encounter with the organizers of the party was fine and even a bit entertaining with the car incident and now with their dancing, though...tacky to say the least, not much else had gone wrong. The Paramount on the other hand could see his diplomatic mission quickly turning itself into a mess. Tal'Talen was off doing who knew what with the other guests, Zen's bait was accidentally taken and whatever his story would be would most likely be another attempt to anger him, and H'Krell was being about as interesting as a brick. While The Paramount was quickly assessing the viability of staying at this dinner, the drone from the Cosmic Mainframe came to talk with him. This drastically changed his assessment of the situation. The Mainframe would be a powerful ally, but they had their doubts and so this would be a wonderful opportunity to improve relations. "Yes, we are the leader of Octavia and we are lead to believe we haven't come in contact with anyone of your nation. We find your nation very effective despite our differences in goals." The Paramount lowered the sound of his voice and though he would have normally transmitted the message through the Aether directly into 5474's mind, but he didn't think that he could with a different nation's machinery. "If we are to be blunt, I believe Octavia and the Mainframe should be closer. Some of these organics have some capability that may prove troubling for the only assimilated nation's at this event" The Paramount was talking about Zen after a few encounters on a certain space station which could be explained to the drone later should the chance arrive.

by **The Cosmic Mainframe** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:00 pm

Ignis States wrote:Zen's slightly upset that he has to hold back with his insults for the sake of the nearby Amara, but he supposes he got his point across well enough. Brushing back his hair, he stands confidently with his arms crossed, staring down Freya as he speaks. As he notes the presence and greeting of the Mainframe's Drone 5474, he merely grants it a thumbs up.
Hot damn, that's one hell of a way to make an impression.

Imperial-Octavia wrote:H'Krell had been mostly fine with the dinner. His encounter with the organizers of the party was fine and even a bit entertaining with the car incident and now with their dancing, though...tacky to say the least, not much else had gone wrong. The Paramount on the other hand could see his diplomatic mission quickly turning itself into a mess. Tal'Talen was off doing who knew what with the other guests, Zen's bait was accidentally taken and whatever his story would be would most likely be another attempt to anger him, and H'Krell was being about as interesting as a brick. While The Paramount was quickly assessing the viability of staying at this dinner, the drone from the Cosmic Mainframe came to talk with him. This drastically changed his assessment of the situation. The Mainframe would be a powerful ally, but they had their doubts and so this would be a wonderful opportunity to improve relations. "Yes, we are the leader of Octavia and we are lead to believe we haven't come in contact with anyone of your nation. We find your nation very effective despite our differences in goals." The Paramount lowered the sound of his voice and though he would have normally transmitted the message through the Aether directly into 5474's mind, but he didn't think that he could with a different nation's machinery. "If we are to be blunt, I believe Octavia and the Mainframe should be closer. Some of these organics have some capability that may prove troubling for the only assimilated nation's at this event" The Paramount was talking about Zen after a few encounters on a certain space station which could be explained to the drone later should the chance arrive.

After listening to the Paramount speak, 5474 seemed to begin to smile. "Well, I have never been opposed to a potential relationship with a political entity as advanced as yours."

The drone that had landed next to Zen Pyrrus got up and flew back to the real 5474's side after noting Zen's reaction, careful to avoid the area around Valentijn and Clarissa as they continued to dance.

After taking a quick glance at the drone, 5474 continued. "May I inquire as to which particular organics you are referring to? I believe we have heard some rumors of our own. Many of them we do not believe to be true, some of them we are currently investigating, and some that fall into both categories." The Mainframe had also heard about Zen, but they had never had a direct encounter.

by **Imperial-Octavia** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:09 pm

The Paramount noticed the drone moving away from Zen "It's the one you see the drone moving away from. That one is deeply worrying with his views on us assimilated. Surely the Mainframe understands why nations such as ourselves should stay close."

by **The Cosmic Mainframe** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 7:05 pm

5474 continued: "We have our own information on Pyrrus, including some that indicates his hatred of assimilators. Most of it is myth, likely to be proven false or at least somewhat distorted. I sent that drone in hopes of separating fact from myth, but so far I have not found much, apart from the fact that the electromagnetic signature is not quite typical for a humanoid. Anyway, if any nation were to begin an indiscriminate war on the assimilated, we assure you that we would seek your cooperation to defeat them."

Mithridatium wrote:The First Lord was irritated in being halted before the entrance, and though he was unable to understand what the Valentinians were saying to him, he observed that by the tones of their voices that they were displeased in some way. Terebinth turned on a translator mechanism on the side of his helmet as who he assumed was Valentijn spoke to him. He heard something about weapons and indoors, and then was led inside the building. Triterinth followed closely behind the First Lord, and then came the two Oxadrutune delegates, then their bodyguards. Kallabos did not make eye contact with Valentijn, and was eager to go past him. As he entered into the white house, the glowing light in Terebinth's two eye slits grew bright as his eyes widened, seeing the great globe statue in the foyer. Kallabos and Sikso stood closely together, and stared at the many people gathered in the building, as well as at the statue. All members of the party stood in the middle of the foyer for sometime, not really knowing where they should go next. Sikso humbly requested Terebinth if he could be permitted to enter the room on the left of the statue, of which he was allowed. Sikso implored Kallabos to join him, who reluctantly did. Once the Oxadrutunes departed, the two Checlites continued standing about, unmoving. They were flanked by the group of Sorophian warriors, who all brandished their fearsome weapons while standing motionless. After a long period of silence, Terebinth spoke to Triterinth the Treasurer.

"My friend, isn't this an interesting venue?" Triterinth ceased staring at another guest and responded flatly.

"Yes, interesting indeed, my lord. If not primitive." The sound of bubbling could be heard as Terebinth sighed.

"Do try to enjoy yourself. I brought you here so that you could have a respite from your arduous labor. I do fear that you overwork yourself, old friend." Triterinth then quickly retorted in an expressive voice.

"I find no greater fulfillment than that of my work. It gives me purpose, a reason to exist. Serving you as Treasurer is my vocation in this life, my lord. Of which I am deeply dedicated to." Terebinth turned to his friend and raised his arm, resting his armored hand upon one of Triterinth's sunken shoulders.

"That I do not question. You are certainly among the most diligent of the court. Along with Disadus, that is." The mentioning of the android greatly angered Triterinth, and the liquid inside his bulky helm sloshed around as he muttered something under his breath. Terebinth patted his friend's shoulder a few times, then turned and walked off. Triterinth shook his helmeted head, and proceeded in following the First Lord in his wandering about the foyer. Their Sorophian bodyguards kept up with them, menacingly escorting the two Checlites wherever they went.

Upon entering the room to the left of the foyer, Kallabos and Sikso looked upon the massive cake lying about in the middle of the room. Sikso licked his lips with his forked tongue, though Kallabos seem disinterested in the massive pastry. The Drindar then strutted off into the rest of room, staring at the many guests inside with his orange eyes. After adjusting a few pieces of jewelry strung about his neck, Sikso slithered behind his friend. Kallabos looked down upon the many guests that were smaller in size to him, and he struggled to walk forward without running into the many guests in the room. The Slindar following him did not have this concern however, and knocked into many bystanders, sometimes intentionally. Kallabos scanned the room, and his eyes caught sight of what he thought to be a bar. He then began striding off towards it, with Sikso struggling to keep up with him. When he got to it, Kallabos seemed unimpressed with the tiny bottles of liquor that were displayed. Though his mind thought of the giant Valentijn, and he surmised that they must have glasses able to hold much larger quantities. The Drindar then placed his blue arm onto the bar's long table, then loudly tapped one of his clawed fingers repeatedly on the table surface, trying to get the attention of the bartender. His companion Sikso was in no mood for a drink, and slithered away to a seat nearby, and coiled up his tail onto it. He then brushed off his white robes, and fiddled with some rings on his fingers. He anxiously waited for Kallabos to join him, and felt quite uncomfortable sitting alone by himself, amidst at least a dozen cheerful conversations. His red eyes then took to staring again at the many other guests in the room, making critical comments about their appearances to himself to pass the time.

The drone that had recently returned from Pyrrus' spot at the table then left 5474 once again, flying quickly, but still being careful not to get in the way of the dance, to reach Terebinth of the Mithridatium. Through the drone, 5474 simply said "Hello! Neural Processor 5474 of the Cosmic Mainframe is speaking. Tell me, what is your place of origin?"

by **Imperial-Octavia** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 10:28 pm

The Cosmic Mainframe wrote:
Imperial-Octavia wrote:The Paramount noticed the drone moving away from Zen "It's the one you see the drone moving away from. That one is deeply worrying with his views on us assimilated. Surely the Mainframe understands why nations such as ourselves should stay close."

5474 continued: "We have our own information on Pyrrus, including some that indicates his hatred of assimilators. Most of it is myth, likely to be proven false or at least somewhat distorted. I sent that drone in hopes of separating fact from myth, but so far I have not found much, apart from the fact that the electromagnetic signature is not quite typical for a humanoid. Anyway, if any nation were to begin an indiscriminate war on the assimilated, we assure you that we would seek your cooperation to defeat them."

Mithridatium wrote:The First Lord was irritated in being halted before the entrance, and though he was unable to understand what the Valentinians were saying to him, he observed that by the tones of their voices that they were displeased in some way. Terebinth turned on a translator mechanism on the side of his helmet as who he assumed was Valentijn spoke to him. He heard something about weapons and indoors, and then was led inside the building. Triterinth followed closely behind the First Lord, and then came the two Oxadrutune delegates, then their bodyguards. Kallabos did not make eye contact with Valentijn, and was eager to go past him. As he entered into the white house, the glowing light in Terebinth's two eye slits grew bright as his eyes widened, seeing the great globe statue in the foyer. Kallabos and Sikso stood closely together, and stared at the many people gathered in the building, as well as at the statue. All members of the party stood in the middle of the foyer for sometime, not really knowing where they should go next. Sikso humbly requested Terebinth if he could be permitted to enter the room on the left of the statue, of which he was allowed. Sikso implored Kallabos to join him, who reluctantly did. Once the Oxadrutunes departed, the two Checlites continued standing about, unmoving. They were flanked by the group of Sorophian warriors, who all brandished their fearsome weapons while standing motionless. After a long period of silence, Terebinth spoke to Triterinth the Treasurer.

"My friend, isn't this an interesting venue?" Triterinth ceased staring at another guest and responded flatly.

"Yes, interesting indeed, my lord. If not primitive." The sound of bubbling could be heard as Terebinth sighed.

"Do try to enjoy yourself. I brought you here so that you could have a respite from your arduous labor. I do fear that you overwork yourself, old friend." Triterinth then quickly retorted in an expressive voice.

"I find no greater fulfillment than that of my work. It gives me purpose, a reason to exist. Serving you as Treasurer is my vocation in this life, my lord. Of which I am deeply dedicated to." Terebinth turned to his friend and raised his arm, resting his armored hand upon one of Triterinth's sunken shoulders.

"That I do not question. You are certainly among the most diligent of the court. Along with Disadus, that is." The mentioning of the android greatly angered Triterinth, and the liquid inside his bulky helm sloshed around as he muttered something under his breath. Terebinth patted his friend's shoulder a few times, then turned and walked off. Triterinth shook his helmeted head, and proceeded in following the First Lord in his wandering about the foyer. Their Sorophian bodyguards kept up with them, menacingly escorting the two Checlites wherever they went.

Upon entering the room to the left of the foyer, Kallabos and Sikso looked upon the massive cake lying about in the middle of the room. Sikso licked his lips with his forked tongue, though Kallabos seem disinterested in the massive pastry. The Drindar then strutted off into the rest of room, staring at the many guests inside with his orange eyes. After adjusting a few pieces of jewelry strung about his neck, Sikso slithered behind his friend. Kallabos looked down upon the many guests that were smaller in size to him, and he struggled to walk forward without running into the many guests in the room. The Slindar following him did not have this concern however, and knocked into many bystanders, sometimes intentionally. Kallabos scanned the room, and his eyes caught sight of what he thought to be a bar. He then began striding off towards it, with Sikso struggling to keep up with him. When he got to it, Kallabos seemed unimpressed with the tiny bottles of liquor that were displayed. Though his mind thought of the giant Valentijn, and he surmised that they must have glasses able to hold much larger quantities. The Drindar then placed his blue arm onto the bar's long table, then loudly tapped one of his clawed fingers repeatedly on the table surface, trying to get the attention of the bartender. His companion Sikso was in no mood for a drink, and slithered away to a seat nearby, and coiled up his tail onto it. He then brushed off his white robes, and fiddled with some rings on his fingers. He anxiously waited for Kallabos to join him, and felt quite uncomfortable sitting alone by himself, amidst at least a dozen cheerful conversations. His red eyes then took to staring again at the many other guests in the room, making critical comments about their appearances to himself to pass the time.

The drone that had recently returned from Pyrrus' spot at the table then left 5474 once again, flying quickly, but still being careful not to get in the way of the dance, to reach Terebinth of the Mithridatium. Through the drone, 5474 simply said "Hello! Neural Processor 5474 of the Cosmic Mainframe is speaking. Tell me, what is your place of origin?"

"5474, we can tell you from personal experience that if that organic was to have his way neither of us would be here right now. We would advise watching him." The Paramount would turn his head at Zen as the music that the Valentinians were playing began to become grating. Though a few of his personalites liked it, the majority found the lyrics banal and the actual song annoyingly catchy. He only hoped it would be over soon so that he wouldn't need to listen to it for much longer. He looked back at 5474 "Would your superiors mind if you let us into your communication systems. We fear that talking about such matters publicly may be an issue."

by **-Astoria** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 2:28 am

OOC: your spoiler code was broken.

"Oh hello, you..Mr. Paisley," she replied in a warm tone and big smile. "I am President Tianna Baize of the Aurevbushan Federation, you can simply call me Tianna if you wish."

'Why does that name ring a bell?', he silently thought. 'It'll be likely something off the news, I expect...' 'Nice to meet you... Tianna,' he replied, lowering himself to sit on the chair. 'A new name to remember - hopefully by the time this is over, I won't be a wretched drunk... wonder if that guy over there's with her...'

Valentine Z wrote:The two would dance with more and more energy put into them, with the rest of the Valentians simply watching, a few of them joining in… Gwen took a picture, Marcus and Ezekiel stopped their game session. The whole living room, as it seems, seems to centre their attention at the Valentian couple.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a blast of music emanating from a nearby speaker. Looking round for the source of the admittedly fine sound, he turned his head to see what appeared to be the event's hosts dancing together in a sort of duet. 'I could get used to this myself...', he thought.

He then became slightly aware of a movement near him; turning back, he saw the neighbouring man emerge from beneath the tablecloth with what looked like a piece of silverware.

Dr. Boyd who just set his fork aside on the table (like further by the corner) glanced at Mr. Paisley before regaining his professional composure. "Good evening, my name is Dr. Stewart Boyd, PhD, GALTech Dept of Theoretical Physics. I have a profile of many theories and publications of the origins and fate of our universe, the universe which we...come from at least. Now, where is it you say you're from again?" he asked intrigued.

'Seems I was correct, then,', he thought. ''Evening - sorry for making you jump earlier,' he said apologetically. 'Oh wait, he asked a question - I'll just try to wing it with this one.', he thought, imagining a facepalm.

'You said where I was from, yes? I'm from Astoria - that island where everybody thinks is full of half-human hybrids & other such nonsense - to be fair, not many outsiders really have heard from us. Glad to make your acquaintance.'

'Please tell me I got that phrase right!', he said to himself, maintaining a small grin or two.

No sooner had the conversation started, Paisley had begun to hear raised voices from both ends of the room - or so how it felt, that is. 'Excuse me just one moment,' he said to the Aurevbushan delegation, as he turned his head towards the sources of the slightly menacing noises.

As far as he could tell, there appeared to be some feud with what appeared to be an upright-standing fox, and a redheaded woman. 'What in the hell are those guys doing? They're gonna ruin the entire thing if they're not careful!', he said to himself in a low voice. 'Great - the first time you attend a, well... summit since you got elected, and the whole thing fell into shambles - how's that going to look in the papers the next day?'

As he thought to himself, he realised that he was already rising up to stand - and the only person in the room doing so, in fact. '...čuza', he thought to himself, 'there's no turning back from this now, is there?', with a visible grimace on his face.

Paisley could only half stand-and-sit & look on at the fiery debate, attempting to try and cool down the present tensions by trying to sign towards both parties to stop with the atmosphere-breaking barrage of insults.

by **The Cosmic Mainframe** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 6:35 am

Imperial-Octavia wrote:"5474, we can tell you from personal experience that if that organic was to have his way neither of us would be here right now. We would advise watching him." The Paramount would turn his head at Zen as the music that the Valentinians were playing began to become grating. Though a few of his personalites liked it, the majority found the lyrics banal and the actual song annoyingly catchy. He only hoped it would be over soon so that he wouldn't need to listen to it for much longer. He looked back at 5474 "Would your superiors mind if you let us into your communication systems. We fear that talking about such matters publicly may be an issue."

"We are reaching that point, yes. I am not currently in contact with my superiors, but I believe that temporary communication would be acceptable, so long as it was secured and isolated. Send your cryptographic identity over a 5 GHz radio band and we can begin." 5474 prepared to start an encrypted communication channel with the Paramount. "And do not worry. We are always watching."

by **Ignis States** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 9:18 am

The Albali Republic wrote:
Ignis States wrote:Before the fallout of what he just did can begin, a golden portal scythes itself open close to the couch, a figure slowly walking out. The figure in question is the Ignisian Head of Magical Affairs, Strein Draksesa Váradi. As per usual, the wolf's hair is tied back in a shoulder length ponytail. Try as she might, a few strands dangle in front of her gold eyes, though. As she takes the first few uncertain steps out of the portal, the lupine damn near falls over, stopping herself by grabbing the edge of the couch.
She still isn't used to wearing a dress. Sure, she looks good in it (the way the orange and blue alternates is absolutely beautiful), but nothing beats a good pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

"Zen, what's..." As the lupine walks towards Zen, she abruptly stops, noting the...interesting expression on his face as he finishes speaking at his table. Yeah, she's just going to avoid him.
Strein can afford to wait for a bit longer until Seren gets here. All she needs to do is just relax and watch...whatever THIS is. The wolf lets herself fall back onto the couch, quickly sinking into the cushions as she observes what's going on. Ooh, the giant people are dancing! That's always something to watch. Though it demoralizes her a little about her own skills....so focus elsewhere! A weird...dog ear lady and her kid are standing near Zen and Ms. Ambrosia.
Wait, she can start there!

"Ms. Ambrosia, I didn't think you'd be here!" She exclaims, sitting straight up in the couch in the process. "I hope you've been having a good life since last time we saw each other!"

Unlike her wife, Seren Draksesa Váradi decided to arrive by slightly more conventional means; she lacked the ability to make portals. For now... So, she made her way towards the main entrance from the driveway, feeling very much at ease. She's visited many expensive residences in fancy clothing before - by now she was a natural. Seren would have liked to arrive earlier - preferably before everybody else - but work had kept her occupied for a few more hours than expected. Oh well, she was here now. Maybe being so overworked would help her relax and appreciate the opportunity more once she was inside.
Seren wore a white dress, with some blue and orange accents that she had co-ordinated with Strein. She found that the white fabric really brought out the black parts of her coat.

Well... she was here now - the first thing she had to do was find Strein. In a mansion this large, she felt as though it was easier said than done. She followed the voices until she reached the dining hall, and almost immediately regretted it. The sight thoroughly confused her - Valentijn and Clarissa danced, Zen was busy insulting someone she didn't know, Ambrosia was trying to be a peaceful mediator, and... was that an Ausar? Seren looked for something else to do, and she found what she hoped to - her wife sat on a sofa nearby, looking at the crowd with interest. Strein was probably as confused as she was. Seren thought about petting Strein between her ears, but decided against it once she realised they were in the company of other leaders. Wouldn't want to embarrass each other... instead, she approached with a simple, if very happy, greeting.
"Strein! Hi! Hi. I hope I haven't kept you waiting... how's my favourite girl doing?"
Seren sat down beside Strein and rested her head on her wife's shoulder.

The bored expression on the wolf's face immediately gives way to enthusiasm, her hand travelling upwards to rest on top of Seren's head, fingers resting just between her ears. Her tail is practically a blur at this point, complimented by the warm smile on her face.
"Oh, don't worry, Serry! I only got here...I think 5 minutes ago. I haven't actually brought a watch, so it's a bit hard to tell. But I'm doing nicely. Definitely better than before. Not only are you here now, but I don't have to pay attention to...well, Zen being Zen."
Strein promptly glances over at Zen, who's already preparing and calculating his next batch of insults. At this point, it's up to Ambrosia to stop this from escalating even further.

Strein, however, chooses not to pay attention to this. It ain't her job to clean up after Zen's screwups. At least not diplomatically. She'll just try calming down Ms. Freya and Ms. Ambrosia later.
"Let's...not pay attention to them, though. I've seen Zen make a mess of diplomacy purely so he could insult the other party so many times that I'm surprised we haven't gone to war more often, and I really don't want to see it again. Maybe there's some other area here so we don't have to be around...that."
...There's likely a garden around here. Lord knows Strein doesn't know. She just got to the dinner!

(I'll do Zen's part after Bloodshade replies. Hope y'all understand!)

by **Imperial-Octavia** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 2:59 pm

The Paramount did as 5474 asked and exchanged his information. Now speaking over the communication channel The Paramount would say this: "The main reason we would wish to form an alliance is that organics such as him have vast alliance networks. While they are usually not what we would consider worth while ones, the networks are still there. If you would look around, we notice that at least half of these organics are in some type of alliance or at least on positive terms. We would see it to be wise to construct a similar network of alliances for nations such as ours."

by **The Cosmic Mainframe** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:59 pm

After exchanging cryptographic IDs with the Paramount, 5474 received the first message from them.

The main reason we would wish to form an alliance is that organics such as him have 
vast alliance networks. While they are usually not what we would consider worth while 
ones, the networks are still there. If you would look around, we notice that at least half 
of these organics are in some type of alliance or at least on positive terms. We would 
see it to be wise to construct a similar network of alliances for nations such as ours.

In fact, 5474 had been striving toward the same goal - developing alliances between the Mainframe other nations, and maintaining a positive perception even among assimilation targets. So the response was fairly positive.

The Mainframe has itself been developing alliances, and what we have learned is that
the fundamental unpredictability of organics makes them less reliable as allies. It would
be more efficient to have an ally like Octavia. We are further interested in your proposal
of a network of alliances between artificial nations. We can work out some basic details
here. You will likely be contacted again shortly after I cross the trans-universal boundary
and my superiors have evaluated your proposal.

by **Bloodshade** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 5:30 pm

Fallen Albali wrote:Amara would have been bouncing with excitement if she wasn't sat in her mum's lap. The very thought of meeting Ambie's pretty pets was almost too much for the little kid to bear. Before long, she was practically begging her mother to let take her along the next time Amaki went to Ambie's mansion. Amaki could only give vague responses, even though she was certain that Ambie would be equally excited at the idea.
Amaki, meanwhile, simply sat and listened to Ambie as she spoke. She was genuinely touched when the vampire once again complimented her parenting - the fact she went as far as to use her magic to conjure up her parenting grade was the icing on the cake, really. For the first time in a while she let out a genuine, happy, laugh.

Of course, she could just ignore Vampire #2's stupidity. She could sense her dismissiveness - Amaki supposed that this was bound to happen with barbarians around. Hell, she knew primitive natives of her new homeworld that had a better grasp of technology than her, and they were also willing and able to learn as well. Still, at least the idiot vampire's lack of common sense didn't cause any lasting damage. Amara didn't see anything she was supposed to. Everything was fine. So, Amaki followed Ambie's suggestions and tried to calm down. Fate seemed to have other plans.

Amaki noticed a newcomer milling about, but she never paid much attention to them. It was just another person to ignore, after all. That was until said stranger put their hand out towards Amara's head. The Ausari mother was left with a choice - fight or flight, as it were. As much as she'd like to put this stranger on the floor or in the ground, her daughter's safety was more important. She began to move Amara out of the way just as Ambrosia grabbed the person's wrist. As Ambie gave the woman a good yelling at, Amaki checked on her daughter.
"Are you alright, sweetie?"
Amara looked more confused than anything. "Uh... I'm OK." Still, she cuddled up to her mother's chest and began to get comfortable in this new position. Given the circumstances, Amaki decided to allow it. She coddled Amara for another minute or so.

Ambrosia was almost about to go on another tirade against the tin can, Tal'Talen, but seeing Amara's emotions take downturn worried Ambrosia to the point where she dropped any grudge she had against the tin can.

"Listen up, tin can, take a hike. I'm not interested in continuing this conversation. Go have fun with someone else!"

With that said, the vampire completely ignored Tal'Talen's existence and focused on the Ausar family in front of her. Ambrosia couldn't help but frown, watching Amaki and Amara comfort each other because of that arrogant troublemaker, Tal'Talen. She at least was content to know that she was able to prevent the tin can from touching Amara but she still felt like her heart was about to break into pieces, seeing Amara's mood sour as a result of her experience with Tal'Talen. Ambrosia went over and crouched down to the seated duo. Ambrosia decided to comfort Amaki, stroking her hand over Amaki's hands in the hopes that she could ease up her nerves.

"I'm sorry, you two. I should have been more vigilant."

Ambrosia didn't know what more to say so she simply decided to accompany the two and watch over them so no one would disturb their sweet display of maternal bonding. However, once she felt the two's nerves calm down, Ambrosia decided to cheer the two up, especially Amara.

"Well, Amaki, I don't know about you but I think our brave little Ausar girl deserves treat? How about this? The next time we see each other, I'm going to bring my pets! Hmmmm, I don't know if little Amara is interested enough though. Are you?"

Ambrosia said the last sentence teasingly, hoping to distract Amara and get her excited at the prospect of encountering her two pets, Atreus and Apollo.

Blodrike wrote:Seeing how lost and surprised Ambrosia was by the queen's genuine concern for her wellbeing, as well as Ambrosia's question about population numbers, made Freya realize that perhaps their homes weren't as similar as she'd once thought. Indeed, despite both lands being inhabited by vampires, comparing Blodrike to Bloodshade was like comparing barbarians to Romans—the two populations were as far apart as you could get, when it came to social structure. The vampires in Bloodshade emulated human civilization: a society built on rule of law, an appreciation for the fine arts, and the pursuit of knowledge and technological progress. Whereas most of Freya's kind were untameable feral beasts, with no need or want for human language, inventions or moral codes. Freya herself was a rare exception (at least when satiated and in a good mood), but only for the sake of her relationship with Ambrosia—she'd never force the rest of her kind to adopt human ways.

You could see then, why the vampires in Blodrike evolved for females to die while birthing offspring. Being simple and animalistic creatures, they'd attack anything that can move, including their own species (if you put two vampires together in a room, they'd viciously kill each other). So if a mama vampire ever survived to see her newborn cub, chances were she'd cannibalize it right away. And even if she didn't, she wouldn't have any instinct or interest to raise the newborn, meaning it would die if it wasn't able to hunt on its own. This meant being born at 9 months blind and helpless (like humans) was completely out of the question—vampires usually stayed in the womb for a year or more, so they could be developed enough to survive alone immediately after birth. By that time, the head would be too big to pass outside naturally. Coupled with the first reason, the only solution then? Sacrifice the mother's life.

Freya pondered for a bit, on how to respond to Ambrosia's question. In any case, Ambrosia would likely have a culture shock when she heard it. "Honey, there's something I gotta tell you," she said, then leaned closer to the other vampire's ear. In a hushed voice (Freya considered this matter somewhat personal), she continued: "I'm afraid most of my kind aren't like you or me at all. We're monsters, that's our nature. Vampires are hard-wired to attack anything that moves, even if it's one of our own. I guess that's why we evolved to die when we reproduce—otherwise the newborn wouldn't have a chance, because the mother would kill and eat it. And since we have to survive on our own from birth, our bodies have to be fully developed when we're born, unlike human babies. So the only way out is the way you saw in those pictures, which ain't pretty. I'm not sure which came first, our lifestyle or our method of reproduction—that's like the question of the chicken or the egg. Either way, having too many of us isn't a good thing at all, because we'd just kill each other."

"Sorry if this was too overwhelming for you to take in. But my kind are just too different from your kind or the humans, so they shouldn't be judged by the same standards. Because honestly, humanity has its blights as well. Though we're quite primitive, at least we're pure and innocent from the evils of the human world: war, slavery, oppression, politics, greed and environmental destruction. Of course there are some who've adopted a more cultured life like myself or Astrid, but it's completely their own choice whether they want to or not. I'd never force civilization down their throats or let anybody else do that. I hope you'll understand, honey."

When she was done whispering, Freya gave the other vampire a quick little hug and kiss before returning to her seat. Ambrosia also wondered if Freya's kind had something like a "blood kiss" to turn humans into vampires. "I'm sure that's not possible for most of us," she said. "Maybe it could be done with magic, but I haven't tried it because I don't have any humans to test on. And given our nature, I doubt any human would want to be a vampire."

Freya could tell that the talking canine lady, Amaki, was quite horrified by Astrid's sketches and lecture on vampire reproduction, by the way she angrily flattened her ears against her head and desperately tried to shield her cub, Amara, from seeing the gory sketches. But Freya didn't bother to apologize or say anything—after all, she'd done nothing wrong. It wasn't her or Astrid's fault that others were, in her opinion, overly prudish and easily offended by everything. She also didn't bother to greet the several other strangers who entered the room (and tried to play with Amaki's cub, one of them). Because quite frankly, she was only here for her girlfriend and nobody else—the others simply weren't worth her time or attention. That said, Freya did keep a close watch on all of them, and would very well be ready to defend Ambrosia should the need arise.

Then, Ambrosia pulled out a rectangular black object from the pocket of her dress. It was a mobile phone, something Freya had never seen before, so naturally she had no idea what it was or what it could do. As if by magic, a picture of Ambrosia's two pets, "demigryphs" as she called them, appeared on the front of this strange black box, and she joyfully showed it to Amaki's cub. The beasts looked somewhat familiar—they had the head of an eagle and the body of a lion, just like the griffons back home, but without the wings. By now, Freya was getting even more curious. The object's behavior resembled a magic mirror, but the way Ambrosia controlled it (by sliding the screen with her finger) was completely alien to her. Finally, Ambrosia locked her smartphone screen and the pictures instantly disappeared, and then she put away the device. "Whoa, I've never seen a gadget like that!" said Freya. "It must be some kind of magic mirror, right? How do you make the thing work?"

The talking snake now curled up beside the cat. "Yeah, that lady can be quite hard to get, don't you agree? Anyway, it's an honor to meet you, Salem. If I may be curious, what exactly happened that landed you in your current predicament? Is there something that could help break the spell?"

In that brief moment, Ambrosia felt like a wedge had been driven between her and the Queen as a result of the revelation that she decided to bestow upon her. The Countess hardly ever despised someone due to their nature and this was no exception. One might believe that since Ambrosia rejects part of her own nature, she'd implore others to abandon the negative aspects of their own nature and in Freya's case, she'd beg for her to suppress her beastly instincts by embracing the civilization, something her own species had done ages ago. However, the last thing Ambrosia would ever do is to force her world view onto someone. She'd jeopardize her honor and reputation as the lone, vampiric pacifist of Bloodshade, a land plagued by total war for the entirety of its existence. Ambrosia does occasionally wonder why she continues to cling onto this glimmer of hope that sometime during her existence, her world will, at the very least, experience less cruelty and savagery.

Considering what Freya unveiled to Ambrosia, she would normally be taken aback by such a ghastly admission but after a few moments of contemplation, Ambrosia realized that the only difference between the two of their species was that one embraced culture and civilization in the hopes of suppressing their base instincts while they other embraced it as a part of who they are, with a few exceptions on both sides. Ambrosia found it considerably more difficult to suppress her instincts, since she continues to reject suitable behavior for vampires: Drinking blood.

The vampire could only nod in response to Freya's wish to divulge a secret. Simply listening to Freya whisper this confession in her ear forced Ambrosia to shiver on the spot, as her base instincts felt called out by what Freya was divulging. In most cases, Ambrosia's cheeks would've flushed, appearing as red as the hue of a cherry but this time, a somber demeanor appeared on her face. She wasn't shocked by her revelation as much as she thought she would. Instead, she understood just why some vampires would give in to their instincts and not bother with the intricacies of civilization. She'd be lying if she never thought about leaving everything behind and living off of the land but no, it'd be a selfish endeavor and Ambrosia wasn't exactly the type of person who could last being a lone wolf in the wilderness. She might even admit that the luxuries of society has devolved her character and turned her into a weaker individual.

"Well, dear, you probably expected me to alienate you upon hearing that but the truth is, the vampires of our homeland are just as violent. Many races are naturally violent when society isn't there to keep their base instincts at bay and even I'm not as innocent as you think I am. It's just a pain to keep my nature at bay but I'd rather suffer than bring suffering to others. It doesn't exactly help that I refuse to drink blood but I'm not going to bother indulging. It's an abhorrent practice to me at least. Every other vampire can have their daily dose of blood but I'm not going to"

Ambrosia was taken aback by Freya's comment about her smartphone, her face contorting in confusion. For a second, she was puzzled by Freya's lack of knowledge in regards to communication devices but once she realized the fact that this was the vampire that found mathematics to one of the mos puzzling mysteries in history, Ambrosia was frustrated to forget that and quickly swiped away her rude, confused look and replaced it with excitement. While she understood that education was not something Freya was particularly interested in, she still wanted to explain the concept to Freya in the hopes that she might gain some level of understanding, rather than having to compare it to fantastical items such as a magic mirror.

"Oh no no! This isn't a magic mirror, silly! How can I explain this to you? I'm sure a smart cookie like Astrid knows how a device like this will work but I'll use some basic analogies for you, sweetie. No offense intended! What you lack in education, you make up in other areas!

Now then, let's start with the basics. This phone has the power to allow you to speak to others over extremely long distances. You can simply speak into it and this phone has the ability to convert your voice into electricity. In that form, you can project your voice far away for another device to pick up your electric voice and transform it back into a real voice! Sounds cool, don't ya think? As for the pictures you saw on my phone, well, don't you have cameras back home? You know! Daguerreotype cameras? In any case, let's just assume that there's our phones also have the ability to paint pictures of anything you see in the real world with a push of a button! Once that's done, I can use a swiping gesture to switch between paintings on my phone! Want a picture of yourself? Look, I'll show you! Now hold still, this isn't going to hurt you or anything. I'm just going to ask the painter in my phone to quickly capture a depiction of you and store it in my phone's art gallery! Yes, there is a miniaturized art gallery on this phone! Now smile, I want proper picture of you."

With that said, Ambrosia swiped her phone back out of her dress pocket and aimed the camera towards Freya, taking a picture of her and displaying it on her phone for Freya to see.

"See! Don't worry! I haven't captured your soul or anything. I just simply have my own painting of you on my phone. Beats sitting around all day long waiting for a biological painter to depict your likeness, right?"

"Oh Frederick! Frederick! Frederick! Frederick! If there was a way to break this spell, I would've done so and ran off with your foxy little queen over there and she wouldn't lay a finger on me! You're wondering why I'd rather not take Ambrosia? Well, I must say that while Ambrosia's much more of a knockout compared to your queen, she isn't much of a challenge.

If you're planning on trying to break our curses, how about we weep uncontrollably and hope our masters take pity? If someone's going to end up crying, it'll probably be me. I mean, I was such a hunk back in the day. Necromancy was in fashion back in the good old days! Ugh, hold on, I can muster up enough magical energy to summon up a hazy depiction of my self."

With that said, Salem closed his eyes for a couple, attempting to concentrate whatever little magical potential he had in this form and and a cloud appeared above his feline, apparently representing his face. Slowly though, pieces of an image were appearing in that psychic cloud until Frederick would be able to clearly see what Salem looked like, ages ago. Hell, Salem still remembered his undead first mate, Captain Dreckla, and decided to throw him in there as well. At that point, it didn't hurt to throw in what his legion was generally made up of. Mournguls, zombie pirates, fell bats, Necrofex colossi

"Intimidating, am I not? I was the scourge of the seven seas and I was powerful enough to take one the Empire of Mankind at the time! And I did! I ravaged every coastal city, from Marienburg to Altdorf! Of course, that goddess over there was the reason I failed. Okay! Sure! I might've suffered a few embarrassing defeats here and there, at the hands of the former emperor at the time. Grrr, forgot that smug human's name but regardless! Lose the battle but win the war until that cow over there ruined everything for me! Everything!"

Salem was shaking intensely but this time, he wasn't scared. He was incensed by the current state of affairs and the fall from grace. Why wouldn't he be? He went from a renowned, infamous vampire captain that struck fear into the hearts of his enemies to a measly black cat, being watched over a progressive, pacifist vampire.

"Ugh, I'll calm down later. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. As for you then, Mr. Frederick, what have you done in your life? Anything worthy of note?"

Ignis States wrote:As Zen feels Ambrosia scratch his ear, he can't help but stick his tongue out a bit, the end barely poking past his lips as his eyes close. Ah, he'll never get tired of that. If there's one thing the Countess provided in spades, it was good ear scratching.
A light giggle escapes him, which he fails to hold back. Upon realizing his mistake, the Ignisian's cheeks begin to burn a cherry red. Get it together...He needs to show better self control!

"Ah, alright. I'll take your advice and see if some of the other guests here are open for conversation. Though if there's one I need to pay attention to..."
Zen's expression suddenly turns strangely hostile as he glances over at the other vampiress. Freya, was it?

Clearing his throat, the fox activates his voice amplification once more, making sure Freya (and most everyone else) can hear him loud and clear.

"For someone who managed to gain the attention of our illustrious, near perfect Countess, you certainly have a low brain cell count. Tell me, what part of you thought it reasonable to show something this graphic around a child and a mother of all people? Now, I know what you're likely to say: 'It's not my problem if they have an issue with it'. Well, here's what IS your problem: Their reaction. Though I doubt you'd care: Someone who'd do something like this and refuse to apologize certainly doesn't care very much. Or possibly can't. You barbaric vampires don't tend to have very much inside your head aside from 'kill, kill, kill'.
Or perhaps something a bit more vulgar considering what I've observed. By the gods, with vampires like you, I feel sorry for Ambrosia. You certainly make her look worse than she actually is and just reinforce the false stereotypes: She isn't the harlot people make her out to be. You, however, are and then some. If you take pride in this description, you've only proven my point. You don't even make me sick. You make me laugh."

Zen's slightly upset that he has to hold back with his insults for the sake of the nearby Amara, but he supposes he got his point across well enough. Brushing back his hair, he stands confidently with his arms crossed, staring down Freya as he speaks. As he notes the presence and greeting of the Mainframe's Drone 5474, he merely grants it a thumbs up.
Hot damn, that's one hell of a way to make an impression.

Before the fallout of what he just did can begin, a golden portal scythes itself open close to the couch, a figure slowly walking out. The figure in question is the Ignisian Head of Magical Affairs, Strein Draksesa Váradi. As per usual, the wolf's hair is tied back in a shoulder length ponytail. Try as she might, a few strands dangle in front of her gold eyes, though. As she takes the first few uncertain steps out of the portal, the lupine damn near falls over, stopping herself by grabbing the edge of the couch.
She still isn't used to wearing a dress. Sure, she looks good in it (the way the orange and blue alternates is absolutely beautiful), but nothing beats a good pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

"Zen, what's..." As the lupine walks towards Zen, she abruptly stops, noting the...interesting expression on his face as he finishes speaking at his table. Yeah, she's just going to avoid him.
Strein can afford to wait for a bit longer until Seren gets here. All she needs to do is just relax and watch...whatever THIS is. The wolf lets herself fall back onto the couch, quickly sinking into the cushions as she observes what's going on. Ooh, the giant people are dancing! That's always something to watch. Though it demoralizes her a little about her own skills....so focus elsewhere! A weird...dog ear lady and her kid are standing near Zen and Ms. Ambrosia.
Wait, she can start there!

"Ms. Ambrosia, I didn't think you'd be here!" She exclaims, sitting straight up in the couch in the process. "I hope you've been having a good life since last time we saw each other!"

Ambrosia was delighted to find that Zen would hopefully find someone to chat with and she decided to attend to other guests but only a few moments later and he find him and Freya at each other's neck. Ambrosia's body was on edge and she already felt like a thousand insects were crawling across her frigid body.

She tried to walk up to Zen and stop him from taking this any further but he was already too engaged with Freya. Simply put, she was being ignored and any attempt to cease this argument was futile. She was on the sidelines, hoping that Freya wouldn't take this to heart and hopefully brush off the insults for her sake.

While Ambrosia was busy watching Zen have his fun with the Blodriker queen, a lupine approached and it seemed to be one of Zen's sane, courteous apprentices, Strein. Ambrosia took a break from observing the quarrel to greeting the newcomer.

"Hello there, Streiny! Oh, I didn't think I'd be here too but the hosts were adamant to have me here. I was having a grand time until your idiot of a master decided to bait Freya into snarling at him but anyways, what's a wolf like you doing here? Got anything or anyone on your mind? I'd rather not prod if you're not comfortable about divulging any secrets. Well, enjoy the rest of the evening...I hope I can."

Blodrike wrote:Well, there goes my pleasant day with my girlfriend, Freya thought, her pupils narrowing with rage. By ignoring everybody else, the vampire had hoped that she'd too be left alone in peace. After all, Ambrosia's presence was the only reason Freya ever came to this dinner—otherwise she wouldn't have been here. Then this talking fox, who she'd never even met, thought it'd be appropriate to get in her face and hurl insults.

Freya was a proud vampire, and that was something she wouldn't trade for the universe. Rather than suppressing her feral nature in an attempt to be more like the humans, she was perfectly comfortable just the way she was, and didn't give a crap if others found her lifestyle repulsive. She also rejected the human idea of morality and the whole suite of taboos that came with it, even the grave sin of murder. To a vampire, the life of a fellow vampire was no more precious than that of a flea—the concept of family was also completely alien to Freya's kind.

So while being called a bloodthirsty monster or a harlot would've been highly inflammatory for humans (who arrogantly distanced themselves from animals with their invented concepts of "morality" and "modesty"), such traits were simply the part-and-parcel of being a vampire. In addition, Freya was completely unfazed by the talking fox—she knew that he was all-bark and no-bite, and couldn't threaten her even if he tried. So she contemplated ignoring his hot air at first. But then he tried to ruin the relationship between her and Ambrosia, by calling Freya dumb and Ambrosia dumb for liking her. Oh no he didn't! Now that was totally uncalled for, and Freya knew she had to give this upstart a piece of her mind.

"Who do you think you are, mutt?", she snarled. "I'll tell you what I am: a monster, and a proud one to boot. We've been around long before the humans even crawled out of the mud, and certainly managed to survive all those ages without your judgmental moralizing. What's so special about a child? You can't keep it in a bubble forever! Sooner or later, everybody's gotta open their eyes to the ugly realities of this world. Perhaps it's easy for you to say, considering you were born blind and helpless, totally dependent on others. But I'll have you know, you wouldn't last a day in my land. So why don't you get off your high horse? Without your fancy technology and laws, you're no different than the animals you hate so much. And in the grand scheme of things, those sweet precious human lives are worth nothing! Guess what, we're all born from the stars, and eventually we'll all disappear from this universe the way we first came. In the vast cosmic realm, life is but the blink of an eye."

"Of course, since you're clearly so much smarter than us mindless bloodthirsty monsters, I figure you'd probably know this stuff already. Whatever, I never cared what you think about me anyway, and given your insolence, I don't think I ever will. But don't you say anything about my girlfriend! Unlike you, she doesn't judge a book by its cover, or force her views on others. The fact that she loves me for what I am, is more than enough proof of that. Now get out of my face!"

"Dear heavens above! Are you both done? Zen, no one with basic manners would go out of there way to incense someone like that! Freya! You knew very well that he was baiting you and decided to further make yourself look like an embarrassment! What? You think so low of me that you feared a couple of insults from Zen would've made me re-consider my relationship? Frankly, I'm offended by both of you and I have the right to be!"

At that point, Ambrosia's legs were shaking from the anger coursing through her veins and she cursed under her breath as her eyes started to twitch uncontrollably while she wore a mask of pure rage on her face. Even though she was up to her neck with those two, she wasn't about to blow up in front of everyone and directed her frustration to both of them at least, ensuring that only they could hear her. However, anyone else that was observant enough would know that something was wrong with the Countess.

"We're going to stop. Right now or I will tear both of you, limb from limb. I have a short temper. A really short temper and morals be damned, I hear a peep from one of you and I'm going to lose it. If I had my way, I'd rip both your tongues out. I'm not a pretty face. Push me one more time. I dare both of you to try."

After having said that, Ambrosia felt her anger subside and it was replaced with guilt instead. She snapped at two people who were dear to her. She decided to take a seat, burying her face in her hands. It didn't take long until Ambrosia was on the verge of tears. She never truly found a healthy way to deal with her anger and that resulted in her snapping at her loved ones at random times, turning into a completely different person until she was finally able to let go of all her pent up rage.

by **Ignis States** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 7:20 pm

"My, my, what sort of arrogance am I witnessing here? I'll tell you what I witness: A two dimensional libertine with no proper motivation in life aside from hedonism and breaking moral norms. Your species' longevity and ability hardly matters if you can't even back it up with something aside from power and haughtiness. Sweetie, that's all you are. Haughtiness that thinks it's something more. Frankly, feel free to be a monster. I'll laugh when that's all you are, wallowing in your own lack of self awareness and possessing no defining characteristics aside from that. And please, do drop the nihilist act. If you attempt to try philosophy, explore it with more depth and nuance than a stoned teenager who thinks whining about the universe's vastness makes them some sort of Schopenhauer. Like everything else about you: It's been done before. And dearie...I wasn't insulting Ambrosia in the slightest. No, I complimented her. You simply jumped to conclusions. I thought of her as a shining example of what a vampire could be, a beacon of intelligence and charm. You? Well...frankly, you don't have enough of a personality for me to dissect, but I'll try it anyway."

As Zen speaks quickly and without pause, he paces around the table, walking confidently and slowly as he keeps his gaze intensely focused on Freya. Gods, this is his element, this is the time of his..his…
His gaze is now firmly focused on a crying Ambrosia, his entire body stiffening up and ears flattening atop his head as a strangled gasp escapes his lips. Not her...! He didn't want to get her in the crossfire!
"Ambrosia, I'm...forgive me. I'll stop now, I don't want to make you cry like this." His confidently hostile tone has completely dropped, giving way for something...strangely fragile sounding.
He can hardly even muster up the strength to walk over to the chair beside Ambie and sit down, only barely managing to do so. He slowly moves a hand beside the Countess, though doesn't place it on her shoulder.
"I'll behave myself. I promise."

Strein, meanwhile, is just looking at Ambrosia while this goes down, not...really sure of how to respond to the crying.
"....Ms Ambrosia, please don't mind Zen. He...gets like this around people. I've gotten used to it, and you've spent more time with him than me. I wasn't here to deal with him anyway. I just thought a place like this would be really nice to take Serry to! You...try and get better. Please."
With that, she goes back to focusing her attention on Seren, naturally.

by **Imperial-Octavia** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 7:32 pm

The Cosmic Mainframe wrote:
Imperial-Octavia wrote:The Paramount did as 5474 asked and exchanged his information. Now speaking over the communication channel The Paramount would say this: "The main reason we would wish to form an alliance is that organics such as him have vast alliance networks. While they are usually not what we would consider worth while ones, the networks are still there. If you would look around, we notice that at least half of these organics are in some type of alliance or at least on positive terms. We would see it to be wise to construct a similar network of alliances for nations such as ours."

After exchanging cryptographic IDs with the Paramount, 5474 received the first message from them.
The main reason we would wish to form an alliance is that organics such as him have 
vast alliance networks. While they are usually not what we would consider worth while 
ones, the networks are still there. If you would look around, we notice that at least half 
of these organics are in some type of alliance or at least on positive terms. We would 
see it to be wise to construct a similar network of alliances for nations such as ours.
In fact, 5474 had been striving toward the same goal - developing alliances between the Mainframe other nations, and maintaining a positive perception even among assimilation targets. So the response was fairly positive.
The Mainframe has itself been developing alliances, and what we have learned is that
the fundamental unpredictability of organics makes them less reliable as allies. It would
be more efficient to have an ally like Octavia. We are further interested in your proposal
of a network of alliances between artificial nations. We can work out some basic details
here. You will likely be contacted again shortly after I cross the trans-universal boundary
and my superiors have evaluated your proposal.

The Paramount

"Very good. We both have much to benefit from an alliance such as this one." The Paramount would hope that The Mainframe would take what he saw as the reasonable option.

Tal'Talen

Tal'Talen would wave her hand to dismiss Ambrosia, the argument brewing was too interesting to be missed over some insignificant skank. She could get under the skin of Ambrosia later, for now she had entertainment...and then she had to go and stop it. This annoyed Talen so much she let out an audible sigh, one loud enough for the participants to hear. In her opinion, it was only just getting good and to have it stopped like this was such an organic move. Hopefully it would get moving soon enough...

by **Uvoan** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:31 pm

Bloodshade wrote:
"Dear heavens above! Are you both done? Zen, no one with basic manners would go out of there way to incense someone like that! Freya! You knew very well that he was baiting you and decided to further make yourself look like an embarrassment! What? You think so low of me that you feared a couple of insults from Zen would've made me re-consider my relationship? Frankly, I'm offended by both of you and I have the right to be!"

At that point, Ambrosia's legs were shaking from the anger coursing through her veins and she cursed under her breath as her eyes started to twitch uncontrollably while she wore a mask of pure rage on her face. Even though she was up to her neck with those two, she wasn't about to blow up in front of everyone and directed her frustration to both of them at least, ensuring that only they could hear her. However, anyone else that was observant enough would know that something was wrong with the Countess.

"We're going to stop. Right now or I will tear both of you, limb from limb. I have a short temper. A really short temper and morals be damned, I hear a peep from one of you and I'm going to lose it. If I had my way, I'd rip both your tongues out. I'm not a pretty face. Push me one more time. I dare both of you to try."

After having said that, Ambrosia felt her anger subside and it was replaced with guilt instead. She snapped at two people who were dear to her. She decided to take a seat, burying her face in her hands. It didn't take long until Ambrosia was on the verge of tears. She never truly found a healthy way to deal with her anger and that resulted in her snapping at her loved ones at random times, turning into a completely different person until she was finally able to let go of all her pent up rage.

One particular set of eyes had been observing the fight- And one side of it's consequences. Rekko shifting from where he had sprawled in a corner, standing up and trotting over to where Ambrosia, sitting on the verge of tears- And plopping his head in her lap. Two eyes staring up at her, as one ear twitches, a low whine trying to draw her attention away from the fight, and to him.

Zkto' had also been observing the fight- Idly smirking as both side's shots escalated at one another. Idly wishing he had popcorn, before leaning back in the chair slowly. The dinner was certainly starting to get entertaining- If he'd of known it'd be this volatile, he'd of brought far more popcorn...! He continued to the two go at it, with a smirk on his face...

by **Blodrike** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 10:44 pm

Bloodshade wrote:In that brief moment, Ambrosia felt like a wedge had been driven between her and the Queen as a result of the revelation that she decided to bestow upon her. The Countess hardly ever despised someone due to their nature and this was no exception. One might believe that since Ambrosia rejects part of her own nature, she'd implore others to abandon the negative aspects of their own nature and in Freya's case, she'd beg for her to suppress her beastly instincts by embracing the civilization, something her own species had done ages ago. However, the last thing Ambrosia would ever do is to force her world view onto someone. She'd jeopardize her honor and reputation as the lone, vampiric pacifist of Bloodshade, a land plagued by total war for the entirety of its existence. Ambrosia does occasionally wonder why she continues to cling onto this glimmer of hope that sometime during her existence, her world will, at the very least, experience less cruelty and savagery.

Considering what Freya unveiled to Ambrosia, she would normally be taken aback by such a ghastly admission but after a few moments of contemplation, Ambrosia realized that the only difference between the two of their species was that one embraced culture and civilization in the hopes of suppressing their base instincts while they other embraced it as a part of who they are, with a few exceptions on both sides. Ambrosia found it considerably more difficult to suppress her instincts, since she continues to reject suitable behavior for vampires: Drinking blood.

The vampire could only nod in response to Freya's wish to divulge a secret. Simply listening to Freya whisper this confession in her ear forced Ambrosia to shiver on the spot, as her base instincts felt called out by what Freya was divulging. In most cases, Ambrosia's cheeks would've flushed, appearing as red as the hue of a cherry but this time, a somber demeanor appeared on her face. She wasn't shocked by her revelation as much as she thought she would. Instead, she understood just why some vampires would give in to their instincts and not bother with the intricacies of civilization. She'd be lying if she never thought about leaving everything behind and living off of the land but no, it'd be a selfish endeavor and Ambrosia wasn't exactly the type of person who could last being a lone wolf in the wilderness. She might even admit that the luxuries of society has devolved her character and turned her into a weaker individual.

"Well, dear, you probably expected me to alienate you upon hearing that but the truth is, the vampires of our homeland are just as violent. Many races are naturally violent when society isn't there to keep their base instincts at bay and even I'm not as innocent as you think I am. It's just a pain to keep my nature at bay but I'd rather suffer than bring suffering to others. It doesn't exactly help that I refuse to drink blood but I'm not going to bother indulging. It's an abhorrent practice to me at least. Every other vampire can have their daily dose of blood but I'm not going to"

Ambrosia was taken aback by Freya's comment about her smartphone, her face contorting in confusion. For a second, she was puzzled by Freya's lack of knowledge in regards to communication devices but once she realized the fact that this was the vampire that found mathematics to one of the mos puzzling mysteries in history, Ambrosia was frustrated to forget that and quickly swiped away her rude, confused look and replaced it with excitement. While she understood that education was not something Freya was particularly interested in, she still wanted to explain the concept to Freya in the hopes that she might gain some level of understanding, rather than having to compare it to fantastical items such as a magic mirror.

"Oh no no! This isn't a magic mirror, silly! How can I explain this to you? I'm sure a smart cookie like Astrid knows how a device like this will work but I'll use some basic analogies for you, sweetie. No offense intended! What you lack in education, you make up in other areas!

Now then, let's start with the basics. This phone has the power to allow you to speak to others over extremely long distances. You can simply speak into it and this phone has the ability to convert your voice into electricity. In that form, you can project your voice far away for another device to pick up your electric voice and transform it back into a real voice! Sounds cool, don't ya think? As for the pictures you saw on my phone, well, don't you have cameras back home? You know! Daguerreotype cameras? In any case, let's just assume that there's our phones also have the ability to paint pictures of anything you see in the real world with a push of a button! Once that's done, I can use a swiping gesture to switch between paintings on my phone! Want a picture of yourself? Look, I'll show you! Now hold still, this isn't going to hurt you or anything. I'm just going to ask the painter in my phone to quickly capture a depiction of you and store it in my phone's art gallery! Yes, there is a miniaturized art gallery on this phone! Now smile, I want proper picture of you."

With that said, Ambrosia swiped her phone back out of her dress pocket and aimed the camera towards Freya, taking a picture of her and displaying it on her phone for Freya to see.

"See! Don't worry! I haven't captured your soul or anything. I just simply have my own painting of you on my phone. Beats sitting around all day long waiting for a biological painter to depict your likeness, right?"

***

"Dear heavens above! Are you both done? Zen, no one with basic manners would go out of there way to incense someone like that! Freya! You knew very well that he was baiting you and decided to further make yourself look like an embarrassment! What? You think so low of me that you feared a couple of insults from Zen would've made me re-consider my relationship? Frankly, I'm offended by both of you and I have the right to be!"

At that point, Ambrosia's legs were shaking from the anger coursing through her veins and she cursed under her breath as her eyes started to twitch uncontrollably while she wore a mask of pure rage on her face. Even though she was up to her neck with those two, she wasn't about to blow up in front of everyone and directed her frustration to both of them at least, ensuring that only they could hear her. However, anyone else that was observant enough would know that something was wrong with the Countess.

"We're going to stop. Right now or I will tear both of you, limb from limb. I have a short temper. A really short temper and morals be damned, I hear a peep from one of you and I'm going to lose it. If I had my way, I'd rip both your tongues out. I'm not a pretty face. Push me one more time. I dare both of you to try."

After having said that, Ambrosia felt her anger subside and it was replaced with guilt instead. She snapped at two people who were dear to her. She decided to take a seat, burying her face in her hands. It didn't take long until Ambrosia was on the verge of tears. She never truly found a healthy way to deal with her anger and that resulted in her snapping at her loved ones at random times, turning into a completely different person until she was finally able to let go of all her pent up rage.

Sensing that Freya would be completely lost starting at the word "electricity" (and indeed she was), Astrid decided to simplify Ambrosia's description of a phone even further. "You seem like you're quite confused, Freya," she said. "Here, let me try to explain."

"Electricity is the stuff you see in lightning, and the stuff that gives you a painful sting when you touch a metal object after you've walked on carpet. But if you take electricity and confine it in a wire, you can make it do work, just like water or steam in a pipe. To store electricity, you use something called a battery, which has a substance called an electrolyte. I'm not sure what that telephone battery's electrolyte is made of, but most acids can be used for that purpose. An acid is a substance that tastes sour, like lemon juice."

What Astrid didn't know, was that battery technology had gone far past that point. Modern smartphones now typically used lithium polymer batteries, which were much lighter than acid batteries and could store more energy. That said, all batteries worked exactly the same way.

"One of the things that electricity can do is create magnetism," Astrid continued. "That's the same invisible force that makes a compass needle point north. But there's more to magnetism than that—it can make things vibrate to produce sound. This is called a speaker. And it works the other way too. A microphone works by using sound vibrations to move a tiny magnet and produce electrical pulses in a wire. A telephone has both a speaker and a microphone, so you can use it to talk to someone, and they can use it to talk to you."

"I'll admit I'm not familiar with this wireless telephone, but I assume it works like a radio, using waves. They're like the waves in the ocean, but they're made of electricity and go through the air. Radio waves can be used to carry sound signals: after the sound vibrations are picked up by the microphone, the electrical pulses go to a special wire called an antenna, which releases them into the air as radio waves. They're then picked up by the antenna of the other wireless telephone, and converted back to electrical pulses to produce sound."

Astrid was also familiar with the optical parts of a camera, but just like Freya, she was clueless about the software side—she wondered how it was possible to develop photographic images without film. The Computer might've been well-versed in the physical sciences, but computers (the digital kind) and software were totally foreign to her. Astrid wanted to ask Ambrosia about this, but she hesitated to go down this rabbit hole because this information would be too overwhelming even for her, let alone Freya. Thankfully she didn't have to—their conversation was cut short by the dance-off between Valentijn and Clarissa... and then the little showdown between Freya and the talking fox.

***

Just a moment ago, Ambrosia had been the same cheerful, fun-loving vampire she usually was, even as Freya revealed her secret. But after that war of words between Freya and Zen, her demeanor quickly changed for the worse. Now to be fair, the Blodriker queen was far more quick-tempered than Ambrosia, so she had no right to judge Ambrosia for losing her cool. On the other hand, she firmly held the belief that Zen was fully at fault here, since he fired the first shots at Freya, who'd done nothing to him before that. In fact, Ambrosia seemed to have ignored everything that Freya told her: that being civil wasn't her thing. In addition, Freya did not take kindly to Ambrosia's threat—that was no way for anybody to talk to her.

Freya stood up and started glowing with a bright golden light. The light became brighter until the vampire was completely absorbed in it. The glowing ball then grew in size, until it was more than twice Ambrosia's height. When the ball of light finally faded away, Freya was no longer recognizable as herself—in her place was something completely different (and surely intimidating).

The purple dragon towered over Ambrosia and Zen. In her imposing reptilian form, Freya had glowing red eyes, a pair of huge bat-like wings, sharp claws and fangs, an arrow-shaped tail, and a forked tongue. She could also use fire, ice or lightning attacks if she wanted, but she had no need for that today. She simply wanted to show Ambrosia what she was capable of. "You were saying, honey?" she said, spreading both of her wings. The dragon's voice was deep and powerful, but also calm and gentle at the same time. There was no need to be aggressive, because Freya knew that her appearance in dragon form was enough to command respect most of the time. That said, it would be a terrible idea to test her patience, once you've pushed her to this point.

The dragon shifted her gaze to the talking fox, who was still jabbering insults in her direction. "Look what you did to my friend," she hissed, glaring at him with her red eyes and spreading her wings. She said nothing more—hopefully her size and intimidating appearance would make Zen get the message. Still in her dragon form, Freya turned her attention back to Ambrosia, who seemed quite upset with herself for yelling at her two friends. She felt sorry for the other vampire (and even a bit guilty). While she wasn't going to admit any fault, Freya decided to try and comfort Ambrosia. "Don't be so hard on yourself, honey," she said. "There's nothing wrong with blowing off steam."

Looking once again at the talking fox, she said: "Hey, listen. Aren't we all here to relax and enjoy ourselves? Unfortunately, that's not possible if you keep aggravating your fellow guests. How about we put this thing behind us, so we can properly enjoy this occasion? I'll play nice if you do."

For the time being, Freya decided to remain as a dragon. It would be better that way, given all the people who were seemingly only there to stir up trouble. Hopefully, the others would keep their distance when they saw her in this form.

Bloodshade wrote:"Oh Frederick! Frederick! Frederick! Frederick! If there was a way to break this spell, I would've done so and ran off with your foxy little queen over there and she wouldn't lay a finger on me! You're wondering why I'd rather not take Ambrosia? Well, I must say that while Ambrosia's much more of a knockout compared to your queen, she isn't much of a challenge.

If you're planning on trying to break our curses, how about we weep uncontrollably and hope our masters take pity? If someone's going to end up crying, it'll probably be me. I mean, I was such a hunk back in the day. Necromancy was in fashion back in the good old days! Ugh, hold on, I can muster up enough magical energy to summon up a hazy depiction of my self."

With that said, Salem closed his eyes for a couple, attempting to concentrate whatever little magical potential he had in this form and and a cloud appeared above his feline, apparently representing his face. Slowly though, pieces of an image were appearing in that psychic cloud until Frederick would be able to clearly see what Salem looked like, ages ago. Hell, Salem still remembered his undead first mate, Captain Dreckla, and decided to throw him in there as well. At that point, it didn't hurt to throw in what his legion was generally made up of. Mournguls, zombie pirates, fell bats, Necrofex colossi

"Intimidating, am I not? I was the scourge of the seven seas and I was powerful enough to take one the Empire of Mankind at the time! And I did! I ravaged every coastal city, from Marienburg to Altdorf! Of course, that goddess over there was the reason I failed. Okay! Sure! I might've suffered a few embarrassing defeats here and there, at the hands of the former emperor at the time. Grrr, forgot that smug human's name but regardless! Lose the battle but win the war until that cow over there ruined everything for me! Everything!"

Salem was shaking intensely but this time, he wasn't scared. He was incensed by the current state of affairs and the fall from grace. Why wouldn't he be? He went from a renowned, infamous vampire captain that struck fear into the hearts of his enemies to a measly black cat, being watched over a progressive, pacifist vampire.

"Ugh, I'll calm down later. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. As for you then, Mr. Frederick, what have you done in your life? Anything worthy of note?"

"That's quite an epic list of achievements you've got there, Captain Salem," said Fredrik. "A shame that it all came crashing down. Don't you just hate it, when you've spent hours or days making that perfect plan, only for it to be thwarted by some goody-two-shoes? Well, I can relate to that too. I was one of Queen Freya's bodyguards, her favorite in fact. I was her star player, her big gun. You couldn't count the number of times I put myself in harm's way to save her butt. But after all that I've done for her, that witch wouldn't give me a single kiss, not even on the cheek! So one day, I decided that if she wasn't going to come to me, I'd go to her. I waited behind a tree at the lake where she'd go swimming every day. When she got into the water, I stepped out and asked her if she'd kiss me. But as soon as she saw me, that wretched woman turned me into a snake! And that's how I ended up like this."

Now, this wasn't the complete truth—in reality, Fredrik had been cursed because he'd jumped in the lake with Freya and tried to rape her. But he feared that Salem would see that as a horrible thing to do, even for a mastermind war criminal, so he kept that part out of his narrative. After all, Fredrik needed to get Salem on his side, and had to convince him that the curse wasn't deserved.

"I'd cry too if I could, but snakes like me don't have any tear ducts. This life is such a miserable one, always eating nothing but rats day in and day out, and having to avoid being eaten by birds. I know for a fact that Freya won't have any pity for me, but what about Ambrosia? Do you think she could release me, I mean us, from our curses? What about other powerful wizards and witches? I'm sure there are quite a few around. We just need to know where to find them."

***

With his acute reptilian sense of smell, the talking snake could sense that both Ambrosia and Freya were in an agitated state, even though he couldn't hear them clearly from where he was. Then he saw the blinding flash of light, and before he knew it, Freya had turned into a dragon! "Oh dear," Fredrik said. "It looks like that witch is getting mad. We'd better find a place to hide!"

Fredrik quickly slithered from his spot and ducked behind Zen the fox, where hopefully Freya wouldn't notice him.

by **Uvoan** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 11:35 pm

Blodrike wrote:
Just a moment ago, Ambrosia had been the same cheerful, fun-loving vampire she usually was, even as Freya revealed her secret. But after that war of words between Freya and Zen, her demeanor quickly changed for the worse. Now to be fair, the Blodriker queen was far more quick-tempered than Ambrosia, so she had no right to judge Ambrosia for losing her cool. On the other hand, she firmly held the belief that Zen was fully at fault here, since he fired the first shots at Freya, who'd done nothing to him before that. In fact, Ambrosia seemed to have ignored everything that Freya told her: that being civil wasn't her thing. In addition, Freya did not take kindly to Ambrosia's threat—that was no way for anybody to talk to her.

Freya stood up and started glowing with a bright golden light. The light became brighter until the vampire was completely absorbed in it. The glowing ball then grew in size, until it was more than twice Ambrosia's height. When the ball of light finally faded away, Freya was no longer recognizable as herself—in her place was something completely different (and surely intimidating).

The purple dragon towered over Ambrosia and Zen. In her imposing reptilian form, Freya had glowing red eyes, a pair of huge bat-like wings, sharp claws and fangs, an arrow-shaped tail, and a forked tongue. She could also use fire, ice or lightning attacks if she wanted, but she had no need for that today. She simply wanted to show Ambrosia what she was capable of. "You were saying, honey?" she said, spreading both of her wings. The dragon's voice was deep and powerful, but also calm and gentle at the same time. There was no need to be aggressive, because Freya knew that her appearance in dragon form was enough to command respect most of the time. That said, it would be a terrible idea to test her patience, once you've pushed her to this point.

The dragon shifted her gaze to the talking fox, who was still jabbering insults in her direction. "Look what you did to my friend," she hissed, glaring at him with her red eyes and spreading her wings. She said nothing more—hopefully her size and intimidating appearance would make Zen get the message. Still in her dragon form, Freya turned her attention back to Ambrosia, who seemed quite upset with herself for yelling at her two friends. She felt sorry for the other vampire (and even a bit guilty). While she wasn't going to admit any fault, Freya decided to try and comfort Ambrosia. "Don't be so hard on yourself, honey," she said. "There's nothing wrong with blowing off steam."

Zkto's attention was, fairly obviously, drawn to the appearance of a very large, and very purple, dragon.

This just got far more entertaining he found. It was the perfect chance- And oh-so hard to pass upon...! Zkto' took a moment to clear his throat- Obviously to catch Freya's attention, as he stood. Lighting a cigar in the same second. An idle grin sprawling across his face. "Well, well well... What a fancy party trick. A dragon... I've seen more intimidating buildings than you, at this point. Having to transform to command respect? Atleast buildings were built to do so- Rather unlike you, from the rather enlightening display I just saw. Perhaps tone the theatrics down a tad? I've always found the truth to be more effective than shadows." He paused, taking a long drag on his cigar, moving around the table. The sharp 'rap!' of a military pace setting a distinctive tone quickly- Like the distant beat of a set of war-drums, even a smile more comparable to a hunter's grin spread across his face."You depend on your fancy light shows to make up for what you lack in a debating capacity- You have to command respect as a dragon, and not as a human. Guess what I can do, that you have failed to do so far? Command respect by being a simple, mortal, man. Now, if you would kindly revert, we can proceed with a lovely dinner, that our hosts have oh-so-politely asked us to not fight at." He idly exhaled a column of smoke into Freya's face, before turning around to look at the other instigator in this mess, with the same look a predator gives it's prey.

Ignis States wrote:
"My, my, what sort of arrogance am I witnessing here? I'll tell you what I witness: A two dimensional libertine with no proper motivation in life aside from hedonism and breaking moral norms. Your species' longevity and ability hardly matters if you can't even back it up with something aside from power and haughtiness. Sweetie, that's all you are. Haughtiness that thinks it's something more. Frankly, feel free to be a monster. I'll laugh when that's all you are, wallowing in your own lack of self awareness and possessing no defining characteristics aside from that. And please, do drop the nihilist act. If you attempt to try philosophy, explore it with more depth and nuance than a stoned teenager who thinks whining about the universe's vastness makes them some sort of Schopenhauer. Like everything else about you: It's been done before. And dearie...I wasn't insulting Ambrosia in the slightest. No, I complimented her. You simply jumped to conclusions. I thought of her as a shining example of what a vampire could be, a beacon of intelligence and charm. You? Well...frankly, you don't have enough of a personality for me to dissect, but I'll try it anyway."

"And... Zen, is it? I'm sorry if I haven't fully caught your name, as I do believe this is the first time we have properly interacted. But, please, do sit down and stop behaving like a petulant child with a dictionary. There are far more vital skills to a verbal duel than simply a dull wit. For one, situational awareness." He stopped at this point, again, exhaling another cloud of cigar smoke, rather deliberately in Zen's direction. Brushing some of the ashes off his trench coat- Then crushing them beneath a combat boot, grinding them into the ground as he stared Zen down."Firstly, I must apologize to the Countess here for interrupting, but the debate was getting a bit lively and I do believe it was time to call it to a halt. Now, can both of you mis-aligned quadrupedals sit down, and behave civilly? I didn't bring enough popcorn for two drama-queens of such a nature being in the same room- Let alone at the same table, squabbling like feral dogs over scraps of food- Again, with apologies to the Countess for her role in that analogy." He gave both of them an idle look over now, first staring Zen down, idly tapping some of his cigar ashes onto the floor, then doing the same to Freya, also tapping some of the ashes onto the floor- And then, returning to his seat, like nothing ever happened. Snubbing the cigar in the same instant, as he stares Freya down again. Tossing it into a nearby trash-can without even looking, a bored look quickly across his face.

The Valentian Dinner – The Second One! [IC / CLOSED]

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