Flying Gossip Demons

The TarRaCe, Noon.

The entire establishment is a frenzy. Orders going in and out of the kitchen, two bartenders on duty, nearly the entire staff working everything. The weather is fairly kind and the tournaments in the Colosseum are underway. It is /packed/.

But one staff member is not working this day. Not in their usual human guise behind the bar, a rainbow clad rust red and white feathered egalrin woman is all but flopped over in a booth. A book covering her face as her beak opens slowly.... closes... opens.... closes.

How she is asleep in all of this is anyone's guess.

A tiny bird is nestled on her chest, the small white thrush half awake.

The Goblin enters the main room cautiously, moving carefully, weaving her way through the crowd of regulars and revelers.

She spends a bit of time eyeing the two bartenders, looking from one to the other, standing still long enough that she's almost bowled over by an Oruch going to the bar to get a celebratory ale. The Oruch is somewhat apologetic, looking down at Murder after she kicks at his ankle, but the Gobbo snorts and waves a hand dismissively. The Oruch shrugs, the Goblin forgotten as he settles onto a stool that complains.

The sleeping Egalrin is eventually spotted, the rust red and white colouring recognized. Murder eyes the little bird curiously as she settles into the bench across the table from Slix. The Goblin spends some time glaring at the sleeping bird, before she huffs, a bare toe nudging at the birb's legs.

The small bird wakes up more as Murder sits down across the table, the tiny thrush's solid gold eyes the sole indicator that this wasn't a normal avian. They glare at the gobber. Double so as their master is nudged.

Slixvah shifts a bit, a hand swatting sleepily at the toe. "... ten mo' minutes..." The title of the book comes into view. 'Speak After Spoken To: Recounting of Extraplanar Diplomacy'.

The familiar tweets softly. A huff? As they get up. Hop up to Slix's beak. And a single wing slaps the side of it several times.

The egalrin shoots up. "Th' square inverse of a hexagonal spell matrix is the derivative of its incantation!" she bluts out. Blinks owlishly. Then looks down at Murder. "... oh. Hey."

The Goblin's head tilts slightly at expression from the thrush, and her eyes narrow slightly. But the nudging of Slixvah doesn't cease until the Egalrin swats at her toe. Which elicits a giggle. The title of the book is squinted at momentarily, but Murder quickly looks away.

The wing smacking at Slix' beak causes the Goblin to giggle more, which turns into a full laugh as the red-and-white feathered woman comes to full wakefulness. Her grin is broad and full of mischief, and she offers a finger-wiggle wave.

"G'mornin', wakey wakey!"

Slixvah blinks a few times to get the sleep out of her eyes before ending up rubbing them. "Mornin'," she yawns, closing her book and stuffing it into her robes. "Sorr', you want thi' table? I fell asleep here last night readin'."

The familiar has opted to flutter up to the back of the booth before sitting down and nestling in back to its half-awake stupor. A sleepy birb.

Murder shakes her head. "Naw. I am here t'yell atcha. Well, maybe not yell but like... we've words t'exchange." She pulls her feet in to sit cross-legged, and she crosses her arms in front of her chest. "Not that I hold any grudge or hate ya or nothing, but gotta say some words."

Slixvah's consciousness takes a firmer hold at that. Feathered brows perk up. "Ah. Yes, we proll' should." She holds up a finger, burying her face in her hands and ruffling her feathers. A few light smacks aid in waking her, as she then runs her grey hands through her plumage to fixed everything.

Inhale. "I'd first off like ta apologize for accidently swearin' an oath ta th' Fey. The Fey where I'm from do things a lil' differently it seems, and, well. Pardon my Khazdul, but that fucked me."

The Goblin's expression turns serious, and she nods. "That is what bugged me. Not that ya made a mistake, we all do. It's correctin' me that bothered me." She leans casually on the table, resting her chin on her hand. "I know it looked like wha' I was offerin' was open ended. But that was th'point. The fae jumped all over the chance t'bind you an' Harkashan, I figured she'd try t'take me fer a fool an' have her way with me. I did that t'protect Rune. T'distract the fae. It was a risk, but it was mine t'take."

Slixvah's visage softens, her shaking her head. "Ta give a sip. A sip ta you us a thimble to me. A sip ta a Giantborn is a stein fo' me. We ain't know if those fey had bottomless stomachs. Literally."

She crosses her arms. "I kno' it was open ended. I acknowledge ya distraction. But if I fussed an open ended thing, who's ta say it wasn't gonna fuss you up. Forgive me, but I wasn' gonna walk away carryin' a big slab of gobber jerky from bein' dried out."

Murder blinks and snorts, and then bursts into giggles. "Gobber jerky!" She falls over sideways on the bench, giggling more. "I.. I can't... gobber jerky!!" Her giggles slowly taper off, and she sits up presently."

Dabbing at her eyes, she grins. "Sorry. That just... really struck me as funny. But I get it, I know why ya did what ya did." She leans forward again, this time restin' her chin on both her hands. "I did also specify that I would be givin', not her takin', but eh, maybe they wouldn't recognize that, but I'd hammer that point home. I suppose it's moot. But!" Her little hand smacks the table. "Why th'hell would you tell somethin' with a mouf of teeth like mine..." The Gobbo opens her maw to show off sharp and pointy teeth. "That ya taste like chicken!?"

Slix can't help but give a closed-beak smile at the gobber cackling. A small chuckle echoes in her throat, the egalrin crossing one leg over the other. At least her joke landed.

Again, she shakes her head. "Fey, especially those like that, will take a league if ya give an inch. They can easily say it wasn't a sip and ta give more. Regardless, it is moot. Jus' gotta be reall' careful how ya word things. Somethin' that even I still gotta work on."

She looks down at the teeth, eyes crinkling in a smile. "'cause it was funny."

Little toes prod at Slixvah's knees as the Goblin giggles more. "Ya didn' stop ta consider that the fae might not know what a chicken is.. an' be curious just what the flavour is like?" She snorts and huffs. "You are very silly..."

Murder sighs. "I have an ace up my sleeve for them fae. I am very good with fire. Verrrry good with fire."

Slix sticks her tongue out, leg knocking against the foot that prods. "And wouldn' tha' be right grand if they accepted that cup of blood, oh so curious of what it tasted like?" she points out. Sharp.

At that, though, her expression shifts to only what can be considered a light frown. "I believe that woulda done far more harm than good. On top of damaging Rune's deal exceptionally, magic fire tends ta not care about th' rules of fire. Which means setting wet trees on fire. Which means wildfire in a jungle. Which means a /lot/ of makari gets very upset," she lists off, counting off on her fingers.

The little feet lift away, the Gobbo chuckling. "I'd be more worried about them gnoshin' on a wing or two."

Murder shakes her head. "Have a li'l faith, birb, have a li'l faith. I ain't talkin' about magical fire, nor just throwin' it around willy nilly. Gimme some credit..."

Slixvah smiles. "That wouldn't be part of the deal. Besides, I think they would be doing a very stupid mistake if they got anywhere near my wings. They are... let's just say, they have a mind of their own, and it would be like swatting a fly."

She affixes Murder with a light, teasing glare. "Uh huh. With all due respect, sugar, I pegged ya as an impulsive type. And th' sudden offerin' only sorta confirmed that."

The Goblin's smile is full of mischief once more. "I see. Well, I figured it might be a bad idea t'suggest one tastes delicious.. tha's all." Her legs move once more, hanging down and swinging back and forth.

"I am impulsive. But I've learned mah lesson ages ago." Murder pats at the bald half of her head. "Hair doesn't grow here any more, got badly burned... though, admittedly, it was a planned fire, it's jus' some o'the people involved are idiots, idiots who are lucky to be alive b'cos we deigned t'pull them out of the fire."

Slixvah shrugs, "Depends on the company," she quips, preening a stray feather off her robe. She eyes the bald spot, a slow nod dipping her head. "Goodness. Glad ya was able ta get outta there wit' ya people. Fire ain't nothin' ta play 'round wit'. I know some fire magic, I rarely use it 'cause of problems like tha'. Imagine if I get burned bad 'nuff, I wouldn't be able ta fly 'cause it wouldn't grow back without some powerful mojo."

She smiles. "That being said, and all things considered, it all went very well. Gettin' out wit' no accidental oaths and no deaths nor maims is a massive win in my book."

Murder's eyes narrow ever so slightly, with one eyebrow raising. "Oh, I seeeee." She laughs and leans back.

"That's the thing, wasn't magical fire either. While I do have fire magics, I am also quite experienced with normal fire. Setting them, knowing how it'll burn, how t'make it burn how you want. I was burnin' the sewers, tryin' to rid them of the plague. But somethin' attacked and things went down hill from there. Would have been fine, but some people are unaware to the point of accidental suicide..." She huffs and waves a hand.

"Ya're right though. We all survived, and got out mostly unscathed. I'm glad ta meet ya. Aelwyn talks about ya, ya match his description."

Slixvah winks and leans against the table, listening to Murder's story with a tilt of her head. "Huh. Interestin'. Perhaps next time preparations to put out the fire are necessary?" she teases, but sagely nods. "Regardless, ain't no plan gonna survive contact wit' th' enemy."

Now that gets her to perk up. "Oh? Learnin' 'bout me from Flutter? I certainly hope whatever he's been sayin' has been nothin' but good things," she coos.

Murder's ears colour ever so slightly, and she nods. "True, however, it was supposed t'be clear. We did go through the trouble of checking." She shrugs. "Ah well.. despite it going horribly wrong, no one died. A few were badly hurt, an' I got burned. But everyone made it out. Lessons learned."

The Goblin rubs at her cheeks and nods. "Oh yes, good things. He is impressed by you, certainly. And... you call him Flutter? Why? I mean, how did ol' Gnaw Horns earn that name?"

Slixvah giggles. "No one died!" she echoes. "Tha's a good mission if I do say so m'self!" She reaches up behind her to pick up the now sleeping bird, the egalrin carefully putting the tiny avian into a pocket on her robe.

She chuckles. "Thanks, I do like ta think I'm impressive," she cheekily smiles. "Yeah. Flutter. 'cause he's got ribbons on his horns that flutter. Jus' like he calls me Ribbon because. Well. I shouldn't have ta state it."

Her rainbow beribboned wings shake a bit.

Murder chuckles. "I would choose a diff'rent word. But I suppose that suits his nature." She snorts... "Better than what he calls me. Shortie. I've no idea why..."

She looks curiously at the bird pocket. "Did... you just stuff a bird into your pocket?", she wonders with a laugh. "Is there a nest in there also?"

Slixvah laughs. "Oh? And what word would you use? Horny?" she cackles, reaching up with both hands to crook her fingers to mimic two long horns sprouting out of her head.

She waves off the silly play on words, chuckles dying down as she looks at where she deposited her bird. "Hmm? Oh! Yeah, lil Fiadh has sleepin' spots all 'round my robes." She points to the tiny one where the thrush rests. "Ain't no nests, but theys lined with silk a teeny bit of padding. Fiadh does a LOT of good work fo' me so theys deserve all the lil' sleepies they can get."

She leans down towards the pocket, patting it gently and makes little kissy sounds at their bird.

The Goblin's cheeks now fully flush, and she laughs. "He certainly is!" She rubs at her neck a moment. "But I meant a different word for you." She laughs again. "I think he is irritated by the spray bottle."

"Well, I find it adorable. Heh. Have you met Kaj before? He's a Jotunblood, huge... has really long hair. Lets birds nest in it, and squirrels and things. The animals do love him. Hah, he once joked that if I ever needed a place, he could string up a hammock. He... might not have been joking, now that I think about it."

Slixvah giggles. "Good! That means th' spray bottle is working!" she says before curiously tilting her head to the side. "And what word would that be fo' me?"

She nods, leaving her familiar along before shaking her head. "I ain't met a Kaj, can't say. Tha' is pretty cool tho'. I ain' much one fo' th' wilds like that, but that'd be right neat if I could have a little flock of birdies all 'round me!"

The pocket jostles slightly. "Oh hush you," she looks down at the pocket. "Don't get jealous."

"Pretty.", the Gobbo says with a smile. "And unlike Flutter, there's no ulterior motive." Her grin broadens at the pocket moving, and she giggles lightly. "Aww, well, your familiar is adorable, they shouldn't feel jealous. I mean, they're the only bird with a warm little pocket to sleep in, right?"

Slixvah grins. "I'll take it," she coos. "Aelwyn's cute but a bit heavy handed in that manner. Hence the bottle."

"Thanks! They's a big cutie! Got a bit of a mouth on them when they're awake, but they mean well!" She tilts her head to the side. "Non sequitur, but howd ya get wrapped up wit' Rune's biz?"

"A bit heavy handsy, eh?" The Goblin waggles her eyebrows. "I think he's been around humans for too long." She snorts and fusses with her earrings. "They gave me the eyes when I was pokin' ya in the leg."

Murder's eyes narrow, and she lets out a breath. "I've run into her here and there, and recently, found her in the woods. She was randomly buildin' a fire, so Wilfred an' I went over to see what she was doin'. She liked my markings, an explained what she was doin'. I helped her collect honey from a hive, and move the bees to another spot. I got her to explain why she needed the honey. Tol' her I could get her some blood, cause I didn't like the idea o'her offering hers up to fae. Offered t'help her. I always wanted t'go to Am'shere, and helpin' her was worth it."

Slixvah chuckles, nodding once. "I don't mind it in small doses, but, alas, hence the water bottle."

She listens attentively, nodding every now and again. "I see, I see. Sounds like a good deal ta me. Am'shere was cool, ain't ever been. Shoulda figured it woulda been soooo hot! She's a sweet gal. I helped her a lil' bit' thi' stuff the other day here, and figured I could assist in some manner since I know a lil' bit of esoteric knowledge."

"Ya mean, you like the flattery and wish it'd stay at that, hmm? Cause he is good at words. Usually." Murder chuckles and nods.

"She is a very nice woman, an' it felt right t'help her. I'd like t'think people would help me in th'same way. So I do what I can, yanno?" Her head cants slightly. "Esoteric? Is that like... you know bunches of stuff here and there?"

"I love the flattery. It can get past that," Slix winks. "But, too much spoils it, ya know? But yeah, he is /usually/ good wit' words."

The egalrin bows her head. "Aye. Similar folks like ta help me in several circumstances. Aelwyn included," she snickers before shaking her head. "Nay. I have knowledge of things tha' mos' people find either taboo or too dangerous ta deal wit'. Think of it as... uncharted territory," she smiles.

The Goblin's ears perk up ever so slightly. "Oh? Now that is interesting." Murder blinks, lowering her voice. "Like things concerning the fey. What else? Er, maybe we should find a different spot... or maybe meet elsewhere, later? I have a few questions.. perhaps best not voiced here."

The Goblin's ears perk up ever so slightly. "Oh? Now that is interesting." Murder blinks, lowering her voice. "Like things concerning the fey. What else? Er, maybe we should find a different spot... or maybe meet elsewhere, later? I have a few questions.. perhaps best not voiced here."

Slixvah shakes her head, waving a hand off. "Naw naw, we can chat here," she hums as her tongue shifts to something faster paced and loose. "Th' Fey stuff is more like... I'm usually prett' good at talkin' ta things who's logic ain't logical to us. Think of me like an... extraplanar diplomat. Yeeeeah. Extraplanar diplomat."

She leans forward, keeping with the same tongue to afford some privacy. "What questions ya got, sugar?" <Goblin-Talk>

The Goblin's eyes widen slightly at the switch to her tongue, and she grins brightly. "Oh, you are a refined person, knowing Gobbo-speak.", she says with a giggle and a wink. Murder's ears stand up straight. "I had thought you meant fey, or perhaps demons, and I was hoping you had some information on such. Gonna be a pretty ... rough time coming." She looks up, out the windows above, and the mountains in the distance.

"Extraplanar sounds almost like it could be demons... Maybe hmm... I dunno. What do you do, exactly?" <Goblin-Talk>

Slixvah winks back, her leaning on an arm. "I have approximate knowledge of many things," she jabbers. Following Murder's gaze, she looks out the windows, settling on those mountains beyond. A fond look crosses her before looking back to the gobber.

"Many, many things are considered extraplanar," she elucidates. "Demons, angels, azatas, fey, aeons and proteans, just to name a few."

The egalrin steeples her fingers. "What do I do? I'm sorta a... mixed bag. Arcanist, scholar, healer, diplomat, researcher of the unresearched. Try and find wisdom where I can and apply it." <Goblin-Talk>

"I see why Aelwyn is interested in you." Murder chuckles, noting her gaze. "Ah right, the Aerie. Were you born there? I had ah uhm... companion who was an Egalrin. Visited the Aerie many a time. But... I'm looking at a different mountain."

She leans forward, putting her chin on her hands. "So... Whatcha researching right now? Anything in particular or whatever catches your attention? Have you noticed a lot of demon activity lately?"

"Heh. Yeah..." Slix sighs with a smile before shaking her head. "Naw. Skycurtain Mountains. Waaaay north, near Rune. The country, not the black and blue haired sweetie," she snickers. There's a brow quirk at the mention of companion, but she doesn't press it, just files it away for later."

She leans back. "I am aware of the demon activity, and there's enough folks on it ta deal wit' that. I perfer ta focus my attention mo' to the Felwood biz. But, right now? Workin' on a paper, tryin' ta map out the rhyme ta witchcraft." <Goblin-Talk>

"Oooh. I know of Rune, and the SKycurtains. That's a bit of a walk, let alone flying 'ere."

The Gobbo grins sadly. "I have not seen Erakirak in years. He may have come into 'is full feathers and flown off, loved it so much he's still flyin' somewhere." She shrugs. "I miss him, first love I had." Her shoulders shrug, "Ah, Felwood. Th'place is gettin' active again. I 'member havin' to go in there, to help recover a crashed airship. It's a creepy place. Also was there recently. Got turned inta a demon, for a short bit, before Dolan punched it outta me. Her ears perk again. "Rhyme an' reason to witchcraft? Interestin' You a witch yourself, then?" <Goblin-Talk>

"Sheeveral months of travel," Slix hums in the goblin's native tongue. "So yes, bit of a walk. Especially if you can't fly yet."

She reaches out, patting Murder on the shoulder. "Sorry honey," she coos soothingly. "Hard ta let things go like that. Trus' me, I kno'." She winces. "Ow. Possession. No fun at all. Good thing Dolly got ya out, he's good at that sorta thing."

She smiles brightly. "Why yes. Yes I am. I don't look it, don't I?"

"I got a lift there, the first time.", the Gobbo says with a smile. "Could probably get there on my own now, since I can fly a bit." She flaps her arms up and down, and giggles. "I'm always tired after and I dunno why." She nods and sighs. "It was hard, yeah. I hope that where ever they are, they're okay and they're loved. They deserve such."

Murder shakes her head. "Nah, the scary thing is... yeah, it was fun. For a few brief moments. I had all the power in the world. I coulda ruled." She huffs and pouts. "S'why people do silly things regardin' demons, right? Possibilities. We need ta purge the Felwood once and for all. An' destroy the spell cannon."

Laughing, she waggles her eyebrows at Slix. "Can't rightly say what ya look like, honestly. You're pretty an' Aelwyn says ya can look like whatever ya want. I would guess illusionist from that."

Slixvah chuckles. "Flyin' is always a chore. And fo' most folks, going up that high makes 'em real winded. Air's thin." She smiles. "I'm glad. May Ceiwen and Cernan keep th' wind under they wings."

A slight sigh escapes the bird. "Yes. It's... very dangerous. Very addicting. Even channelin' some of the good folks can be bad if done wrong. It's hard to pull yourself away from it."

The egalrin snorts, leaning forward. "We'll right now I'm jus' me~. But, he right, I can be many people. Th' bartender? Red haired woman? Sharp dressed ova' there on some days? Tha's me. Most of it is illusion, but I /can be/ anything I wanna be," she grins wide. "Elf, human, gobber, makari, been 'em all."

She grins. "I usually just fly straight up, and then a quick spurt in th'direction I wanna end up, and then I just kinda glide along, yanno? As I get close to th'ground, I feather fall. I use a spell t'fly, just so ya know. Then I just do that a couple of times an' I camp. And do that a buncha days and ya can get pretty fair will not too much effort. Clouds suck though, always wet." Murder makes a face and then laughs.

Her nod is enthusiastic. "I wanted ta kill people and raze stuff to the ground and I was gonna do it." Her expression is a cross between anger and sadness. "It's.. difficult thinkin' one was gonna try to kill friends and stuff."

The Gobbo's expression slowly returns to a resemblance of cheerfulness. "So you're a gal, but uh, have you tried bein' a guy? How did that work out?"

Slixvah ahs. "Magic flying. Pretty useful! But uh, fo' me, I gotta hit wind currents and thermal vents. Once ya punch past the clouds, it can be pretty easy sailing. But... yeah, too much water, hah."

She shakes her head. "Yeeeeah. I try ta avoid stuff like that. Thankfully I ain't very strong so th' most a demon is gonna do wit' me is just hit people wit' my noodle arms."

She tilts her head to the side. "That's always th' first question I get," she comments. "I'ma keep it real. My physiology is so different from you and other folks, th' difference between a guy and gal ta me /really/ ain't too different. Jus' the clothes fit a lil' different is all," she shrugs.

"Well, I wish I could do it like ya do. If I could glide properly, well, ya probably stay up hours an' hours, right? Wish I could. Flying is so much fun, it ought to be illegal!" The Goblin giggles, and sighs. "Sadly, it got me while I had a few spells and was ragin' I'm a blood barbarian, got power in mah blood like a sorcerer an' have anger issues. So uh, if I hit someone with my sword like that... it's gonna hurt. Luckily the words for magic don't come to me while I am enraged so.. can't breath fire on people and stuff... less I think of it beforehand."

The Gobbo nods then. "Ah, right right, you jus' concentrate on the clothin'. That's still pretty neat... I just think it's really interesting for people to change themselves with magic and stuff. Always wondered what being a guy was like. Or like, a jotunblood, to be so big and tall. Or Egalrin, and have my own feathered wings."

Slix holds up a finger. "Contrary! It's actually very exhausting!" she grins. "All those wing muscles take up a ton of energy ta even keep aloft! Yeah, I can glide for a long while, but maaaan my back gets sore!"

She nods slowly. "Ye. I know a few folks like dat. But, yeah. It's really eye opening. I don't have lips, and when I ain't got wings my balance is off. But ya learn a lot of real neat stuff! Elves can wiggle they ears. Makari can hold they breath a really long time! Gobbos can eat a lot of different things wit' no problems! So and so on!"

The Gobbo laughs and smacks the table with a wee hand. "Oh hah, yeah, we shove things into a mouths we shouldn't sometimes and are jus' lucky our guts are up to the task. Goes wrong, sometimes. Like... for example, there are these.." Murder shudders, her expression making a sour face. "Rot grubs... they like to take up residence in corpses but they will try to get into people. Nose, mouth, ears... well one tried ta get into my mouth and was mostly successful, but I bit it." Another face is made. "It was so disgusting and terrible. Never do that... though ya really don't want them ta get into ya, they go for your brains and heart and other juicy organs."

Slixvah grimaces. "Ew. Yeah, I ain't wanna experiment that much wit' it. Though when I'm a gobbo I ain't too picky on stuff if it looks a little expired. I ain't a hearty bird. Ain't strong either. All I gots is wit and brain, and brain tellin' me ta not do that."

She crosses her legs. "But, you see, me bein' all these kinds of folk really lend in ta doin' diplomacy. I get it. I've been in they shoes, get a bit of the social cues. It's why I'm right good at rumormongerin' and stuff."

The Goblin practically quivers. "Rumors?" She leans in as close as she can, standin' on her chair, her face getting close to Slixvah's "Anythin' juicy ya can tell me? Anything neat? I'll keep it ta myself. I love hearing stuff about the things people get up to."

Slixvah blinks before grinning wide. "... oh girl, get some mo' ta drink 'cause I got tea ta spill..!"

She cracks her knuckles. "Aight. So. A little birdie told me tha' this lass named Sonia been settin' up dates fo' other people. But! She's actually been skimmin' the fees fo' setting up the match making service and cancelling them!"

She splays a hand out. "And- get this. One of her clients is /actually/ going out with her! But she's just in a wig and makeup! But compared ta what /Samantha/ did. Phew. Alright. So-"