[ORP] Nothing to Sneeze At (MINIBOSS PG 18!!)

[stella cinere]

After some prodding from Wan, Jinan made his way to the catacombs, he wasn’t particularly interested in some sort of spores that other horseman had found but to be fair unless they had something to do with insects he was never interested in what any other horseman did. Nevertheless she had insisted that attendance would be good for him and a break from his room was needed and with an easy whirl he found himself slowly dragging his feet to the catacombs for the meeting.

He took his place furthest away, watching cautiously.  

[Baneful]

Enoh Love

Liang glanced at Salbei with a surprisingly bright smile as he was addressed. "Oh! I used to get quite a bit of comment about that sort of thing. What can I say really other than I find many of the distinctly Famine arts most engaging and fascinating?" As if to justify this statement he held up a small ornate cage he had tucked in the recesses of a robe and held it up in his claws. It was filled with fluttering and iridescent scarabs.

"Insects might well be my most favoured thing but I'd never pass up a chance to help a little, there is always room for a little humility and learning." And he'd been forced to learn most things on his own these days with the absence of his sister who had chosen to linger with the students in Amityville. Social interactions had taken effort at first but were becoming slowly more straightforward in nature.

He extended his other hand in a gesture of greeting he had learned from yet another clan. "Liang Wu"
he said by way of introduction.  

[kuropeco]

The horseman that stepped up to him - vaguely familiar, though Mengyao couldn't quite place him - was given a long, cool, assessing look, a flicker of gold and blue eyes that held little emotion in them.

"have any idea why we're here?" he asked lightly, disregarding the normal niceties of offering and receiving names - which was probably impolite, but when had Mengyao Miao ever been polite, was the real question.

seussi

 

[Yayoi]

Salbei's entrance had not gone unnoticed by the young mare either. Waving an arm over her head to him in greeting. "Salbei! I'm glad to see you haven't turned into dust and are still flopping about!" Perhaps her voice was just a little too loud. But it had been a long time since she had seen the old stallion and it was exciting to see that he hadn't kicked the bucket with his increasing old age.

Of course, when her sister's grip on her arm tightened Falair's attention quickly turned to its source. And then quickly turned away.

"I hope this gets under way soon." Brown eyes swept over their ever increasing gathering. Noting a few other Famine who had arrived that she did no know.

Eight

Enoh Love

Seussi

 

[prolixity]

"Oh, oh, those are nice beetles, whose beetles are those?" Qarah seemed to materialize out of nowhere at the Conquest horseman's elbow, its eyes avidly fixed on the cage of scarabs. Beautiful insects, just beautiful, more colorful than most of its own; the result, no doubt, of patient study and breeding. It wanted to know where it might get some to add to its own stock, perhaps.

"Sage," it added, with a belated and humble duck of its head as it noticed Salbei standing there as well. "Pardon." It hadn't been interrupting, had it? It had probably been interrupting, and might be smacked for it.

Baneful

Enoh Love

 

[Baneful]

Qarah got beamed at for their enthusiasm. "I specialise in the very green spectrum!" Liang declared triumphantly. "I have a very nice supplier and breed my own, my family's crest is green you see." He gestured to the ornate sash about his waist decorated foremost with three jade coloured orbs and the rest of it embellished with stylised Shi lions. "It is my way of paying tribute to them." He nodded sagely his expression serious until he couldn't help but smile. "I also just like the scarabs a great deal."

He raised a brow at Salbei slightly before bowing slightly. "A sage, my apologies if I did not greet you appropriately."

Prolixity

Enoh Love

 

[baby_gwing]

Pfftt... what did Jin mean by that? How could there be an individual who was not interested in anything at all other than the insects that he fussed over, tended to and held monologue conversations with himself all day long for? Did he lose his family and ended up being raised by a hive cluster of those invertebrates or what?

Wan Ru almost couldn't believe it when the Famine horseman flat out told her that he was going to give this meeting a miss because there wasn't any insects involved. Oh jack. Was he going to tell her one of these days that he was actually a dragonfly stuck in a horseman's body and not a horseman like the rest of them?

Trailing after him, she stopped when he did, watching the cautious look in his gaze for a moment before gesturing towards the other horsemen who had already gathered. "Well... seen anyone you know?"

hanging gallow

 

[medigel]

The Elder horsemen made their entrance from within the room itself; with a swirl of sand and the sound of muted wingbeats, the pair appeared in the midst of the gathering group from the shadows they had lingered in.

One clung to a nearby pillar whose crumbling extension served as his perch, a muscular mass of pelts, braided jewels, and leather -- trophies War members collected to designate their rank. With long, wild brown hair, the glowing red mark of Terror at his collar where the Lost Clans mark once had been, and a fan of various colored feathers streaming from his scalp (one of which was touched with grey), he lurked over the group like a living, hulking gargoyle--save that this one wore a wide, toothy grin as he surveyed the horsemen with obvious pleasure. Even better that there were a few he recognized among them. But pleasantries had to wait.

As one appeared, so did the other, though she did not perch as her partner did, but instead leaned against the other side of the same pillar, arms crossed, the glowing gold of her eyes alight with sheer anticipation. Her hair was as wild as his, but longer, blonde curls and waves falling down past the wide curve of her hips. On one visible shoulder was the red mark of conviction, its appearance like a contradiction to that of terror, which was nothing but befitting of the relationship between the two of them. Her ensemble was typical, all torn fabric and fur, accessorized by small bones and feathers, leather and jade.

"We welcome you!" he boomed from above. War Clan's Battle Cry shouts were not uncommon in the Tower, though the volume was not so loud as that. "We had hoped we would gain some interest. Too long as has it been since we had something entertaining to do, wouldn't you agree?" More than tasks, more than simple Fear harvesting and the occasional prisoner, more than simply existing day after day awaiting the next summons from their high priestess.

As he spoke, his partner grinned, and lifted one foot behind her to push herself away from the pillar, her arms falling to her sides as her gaze drifted across all those gathered. So many familiar faces, but some she had never met before. All were gladly received, even those who she may have disagreed with in the past.

"I am Shikoba Len," he continued.

"And I am Shaheen," she added without missing a beat. As if they didn't all know her already.

Shik's eyes seemed to glow with excitement as he brandished his hand in a wide, welcoming gesture at the lot. The symbol embedded above his knuckles seemed to leave a red trail in the air. "And you have heard correctly: we seek Famine's aid to make a particular spore, one which not even the white coats will be able to fight back! But we welcome all clans to join this effort, for what benefits one will benefit all. If it is not a bonding experience, it will at least be a learning one. And we who were once Lost still have much to learn indeed."

And, just a little bit, he wanted to preen. What he and Shaheen had set in motion in the past, what they were building towards now--it deserved attention.

Shaheen let her partner do the speaking, for now, seeing no need to interrupt him when he was doing such a good job. Instead, she began to move through the room, lightly touching those she passed, a brush of fingers against a shoulder, a curious look at those she did not know, a slow nod and a knowing smirk to those she did, though the nod dipped lower for one Conquest in particular who held himself so aloof near the back of the room. One might spy that she too bore the same mark on her hand. She soon found herself deep amongst them, and turned, her chin lifting as her eyes met those of Shik's briefly before she finally spoke, turning in a slow circle to address all those around her as she did.

"What my partner speaks of, is opportunity." She was the more diplomatic of the two, trained from birth to gain and keep attention with her gaze and her words. "We will strike against the white coated filth in a way that they will never anticipate. This spore will be undetectable, it will be allowed to incubate in its host and..." She paused, cocking her head to the side as she lifted a finger to her lips. "...Well, we can't give away all of the surprises now, can we?"

(The pair were suspicious by nature. Some had already aligned themselves against Medea. Against them. The gathering was, in its own way, a test.)

Her face was split into another feral grin that matched Shik's as she stopped.

"Now, are there any questions?"

Quote:

Characters can still enter the thread at this point! Please quote us both if your character has a question for Shik/Shaheen! This is a sort of transition period before the first step which will begin in ~24 hours.

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lurks beneath

Yayoi

chirigami

Eight

Smerdle

Baneful

kuropeco

Enoh Love

Carhop Cavalier

hanging gallow

Prolixity

baby_gwing

Beejoux

 

[Grey Dragon]

Cymbeline's entrance was very much overshadowed by the dramatic entrance of the pair of War clan. She entered at the back of the group, meandering forward like an eel through the water of a still pond. By the time she got to the front of the crowd, the Famine Heir couldn't stop a crazed titter.

"Will they explode~?" She asked in a singsong voice, her eyes alight with mischief and sinister malice.

medigel

Seussi

 

[medigel]

The two shared a devious grin and glance combination. Oh, Cymbeline.

"Perhaps," Shikoba replied.

"If you make it so," Shaheen added.

Both remained tightlipped but enthused by the idea.

Grey Dragon

maybe if she believes hard enough......

 

[prolixity]

Qarah's small pout at having its immediate question asked for it was firmly controlled, because it was the Heir asking the question, and it wouldn't do to be seen pouting at the Heir. However, the answer to the question was enough to make Qarah grin delightedly. Exploding humans! What a lovely thought.  

[Eight]

Nergui was indeed noticed, but the mare stuck close to Wrath and his Conquest friend instead. There was a curious look given to the bundle in her arms but the arrival of their hosts distracted her. Na'ima relaxed again beside her sister, idly patting her hand.

Now that did sound interesting.

There was a smile growing under that veil, her eyes widened with excitement. She wanted in on this.

She opened her mouth to ask a question, however Cymbeline's arrival and following question had her giving pause. "..Having it explode could be fun," she mused. "You mentioned incubating in a host. I assume the host is a hunter, yes? How would you get one of these spores onto or into a host?"

Yayoi

Seussi

Medigel

 

[Enoh Love]

"Well, well. I approve whole-heartedly." Salbei's thin lipped smile of amusement grew into a more real one of clear approval at Liang's enthusiasm. "Insects! Well, you will find plenty of those with that particular affinity here." He had only just finished this sentence when Qarah appeared, and the old Horseman looked amused again, gesturing to his fellow clansman with a distinct Exhibit A air.

"Qarah." He returned the greeting, but otherwise didn't act on the interruption at all. It had been well-timed, and as a general rule he didn't mind being interrupted. Children often did anyway. It was part of their nature, and it was adorable. Surprise flit onto his features as his new acquaintance bowed, even slightly. A blink followed, before he waved his hand in dismissal, his various trinkets clinking almost musically with the motion.

"Nothing to forgive, Liang Wu. I didn't make it known, and I don't require such formalities." Though it did please him greatly, even after all this time. Modesty always won out, in the end. He dipped into a small bow of his own. "Salbei Selie, and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." There was a small pause as Falair's unusual greeting filled the air, and once it was over he heaved a small sigh, not unlike an exhausted parent. "I also apologize on behalf of my young Apprentice and her sibling. Those fillies haven't quite learned their manners yet." The last sentence was said a little loudly, to make sure the two mares heard. Still, he sounded as amused as ever.

Then, with the dramatic flair he had come to expect from Shaheen and her mate, the meeting went underway.

Salbei's gaze went from speaker to speaker, taking careful consideration for the questions asked and answered. Finally, he raised his thin hand, bangles clinging gently with the motion.

"Will you be supplying us with test subjects?" He asked Shikoba and Shaheen, playing off of Na'ima's question regarding Hunters. Surely they couldn't make one without extensive testing to ensure that it worked. "And, as a follow up, is it your intention to use the survivors as carriers of the finished spore, or will you be looking for other modes of transmission?"

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xbaneful

xprolixity

xeight

xyayoi

xmedigel

xseussi

 

[stella cinere]

He scanned the room again and shook his head looking at Wan again. “Some, I don’t know their names or anything but I know if their existences and that they are part of the clan. I don’t have any real reason to put care into it though.”

Jinan continued to watch them until the two stood up and began to speak, the war solider first his booming over before the mare’s added it was rather the natural set up of gaining the crowds attention, introductions that he would never remember unless given a valuable reason to why before getting to the only part he had any slight interest in.

If it was an insect he would have eagerly helped, but a spore was not something in his entire book of expertise, but the premise of creating something to incubate and exist inside its host until wreaking havoc was rather promising. He looked over at Wan waiting to see her expression of the idea presented, not entirely concerned if she agreed or not but somewhat curious.

The exploding suggestion was intriguing idea, but the other two questions ask piqued his curiosity of the war’s clans answer.

baby_gwing