Orien & Co. Paranormal Counsel and Investigations ~ [GM]

[Shin~The ladle monster!]

Techpriest Enginseer

"Eleven and six, and quite a handful."

She told the gentleman, a small smile playing about her lips as she thought of some of their antics. To have a child of eleven years, Shayla must have been quite young when her eldest was born. Usually she hardly even looked her age of 30, having taken great care to preserve her appearance.

She could go on forever about her kids, but she didn't want to be 'that' person, so she was happy enough to follow along the flow of conversation as he steered it.

"Ah, well, I suppose we wouldn't be targeted for our money."

She blushed a little and even giggled when he took her hand. She always liked to see a bit of class in a man, and she had to admit the gesture made her feel... special, like a lady of privilege. Pulling her hand back, she used it to gesture out the window to the darkened building across the street, chuckling.

"I own that law office for spooks across the street."

[Techpriest Enginseer]

His face had only recovered moments ago from being red as color had start to retreat from his earlier flaw. When the words about the 'spook office' hit his ears the red made a final push, flooding through his face like Hungarians over a trench wall. A small nervous cough left his mouth as he looked down at the floor, shaking his head slowly.

"Oh I am sorry dear, I meant no offense I swear it..."

There are some times in his life he sits back and thinks to himself about how his time at the Club had ruined his own moral compass and his ability to watch his tongue. In the Club people talked ill of commoner joints all the time which made it difficult to keep his thoughts to himself even out in public.

"So, what time do you open... tomorrow?"

His head rose up to look her in the eyes, his red cheeks once again starting to regain their light hue.

Morale:Fearless/Brave/Steady/Nervous/Fleeing
Sell in May, and go away; don't come back until St Leger day.

Shin~The ladle monster!

[Shin~The ladle monster!]

Techpriest Enginseer

Shayla had to laugh at his embarrassment, although she tried not to. She at least had the grace to look apologetic afterward, and she gave him a kindly smile.

"Don't worry about it, if a couple of careless words could bring me down, I'd never have made it as far as I have."

She said the words as if she'd accomplished a lot, although from Marcus' perspective it would probably sound silly - a failing business in an obscure and laughable branch of law. Of course, he'd no way of knowing the hurdles Shayla had had to overcome to get where she was. Thankfully, despite the fact that this new business idea wasn't getting off the ground, she was able to at least provide a comfortable life for her family.

"During the day we keep standard nine to five hours. I also had an associate who stayed in at night for our more... nocturnal customers. But, well... she's found other work, so we're a little short handed at the moment."

[Techpriest Enginseer]

"I will stop in tomorrow morning then before I head into the office for my morning meetings then. Even if you are lacking in what I am needing for my projects, I do wish to have a look at your establishment myself."

One thing that was always true about Marcus was he liked to do lightning investments. Usually these careless, small investments produced zero profit but as far as Marcus was concerned, the community could use the boost. After all, if the Club was going to make Gaia a place of gentleman and ladies they would need to offer a bootstrap for the plebs to yank.

"So I am deathly curious, how does a spectral creature end up in trouble with the law? Every creature of such origin I have met in the past has simply vanished from all issues."

He asked his question as he leaned himself against the bar, looking to her as he gave the waitress a nod of his head, holding up his glass with a smile.

"Another refill please!"

Morale:Fearless/Brave/Steady/Nervous/Fleeing
Sell in May, and go away; don't come back until St Leger day.

Shin~The ladle monster!

[Shin~The ladle monster!]

Techpriest Enginseer

"I'll look forward to seeing you then, and hopefully you won't find the trip to be a complete bust."

She wished that she was better informed on the topic, so that she could help him. But perhaps this would be a good chance to learn at least, and see if there was anything that her business could offer this wealthy businessman.

"Well, you'll find that it's not just spectral creatures that get in trouble with the law. Because you're right - there isn't much that the law can do against, say, a ghost. But there is a while wide supernatural world out there. But even so, I don't just represent 'spooks' as you call them."

She smiled a little and broke off her conversation as Margaret came by and refilled his drink with a soft, "Here you are, dear."

"I also tend to get involved in any and all cases involving the supernatural. Take your Spectre, for instance. If a house was haunted, I might not be able to do anything with the spectre, but I might have to settle the dispute between the homeowners and the real estate agency that sold it to them."

She fell silent for a moment, helping herself to a long sip of her drink, savouring the taste of the hot coffee and Bailey's.

"Or another time, I was involved in one of the strangest custody cases. There was a family, whose child was replaced with a changeling, and they didn't want to legally be responsible for a child that wasn't theirs."

[Techpriest Enginseer]

With a fresh drink in his hand he took a quick swig of it into his mouth as he swallowed hard, the effects of his earlier chug still lingering through his throat.

"Well, that sounds like a massive headache. Did you have to acquire a special license for this sort of work or did you just go to law school and look into it yourself?"

The work she did was impressive and for Marcus made him wonder if she was perhaps out of her element working just simple law. He could easily see her using her reasoning on the stock floor, selling shares and racking in the cash. Alas some people believe the time told tale that if you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your life. Hah, that was a funny saying.

"Outside of work though what else do you do? I know most Gaians have special powers and I would say it is safe to assume for the moment you are no exception."

His eyes scanned her from feet to face as he gave himself another treat from his glass of Gin. He was starting to be relaxed in his seat, as his back arched a bit which resulted in his body leaning forward a bit. Rarely he would relax in the company of commoners since he was always fearing for his wallet and his life. This was a special exception and frankly, she was amazing company.

Morale:Fearless/Brave/Steady/Nervous/Fleeing
Sell in May, and go away; don't come back until St Leger day.

Shin~The ladle monster!

[Shin~The ladle monster!]

Techpriest Enginseer

"Well no, the supernatural stuff wasn't really covered in law school."

She admitted as she took another sip of her drink. She never drank too much at one time, in fact she liked to nurse the drink and enjoy it slowly instead of chugging it all at once. She was a bit of a lightweight so she didn't drink often.

"What I learned of the supernatural world, I learned through a mixture of experience and study. I had an interest in mythology and the occult, and I happen to have a lot of knowledgeable connections."

She shrugged her shoulders modestly, feeling silly talking about her past and her profession like this. It didn't sound very impressive, and she had mostly picked things up as she went due to the lack of any formal schooling in her specific area.

"Special powers?" She laughed, and shook her head. "I wouldn't say that. It really does seem like everyone has them these days though. I can work my way around a few small spells, given the time to prepare. But I don't have any great talent at it, for all that I know all the theory."

She blushed a bit and specifically avoided answering his question about her free time, feeling self conscious to admit that she didn't have much of a life outside of home and work, although her work occasionally took her to interesting places.

"What about you? I'm sure you don't spend your time coming to places like this for fun."

She said jokingly, not realizing that it was close to the truth.

[Techpriest Enginseer]

Experience had always been the best teacher as far as Marcus was concerned, as his thoughts of giving the woman some money to help her business expand started to take with a firm grip on his mind. He had helped finance several businesses in the past of people right out of college, and has every time seen the operation fail due to overzealous goals or a lack of being grounded in reality when it came to spending the investment dollars.

"Well I imagine you are good at your job if you are able to keep a business going on just experience and self taught lessons. Hopefully your children will have the same gusto you have shown in your own work ethic. Does your husband work?"

Despite his best attempts at trying to break his own thoughts on women it still made him quirk an eyebrow when he seen a woman owning a business. Where he was from that was a man's job, the women stayed at home and took care of everything. He knew times had changed when he came over from his old home, but the thought still lingered.

"I assume you at least have some sort of melee prowess then? So far almost every person I have met on Gaia has some sort of combat skill. As for myself, this is what I do for fun most of the time you could say. Being at the Club can get boring and draw on for hours as people sit around and just count money or talk about their recent accounts. To be honest, I am surprised we have yet to see some of my other companions."

Truly, he was amazed since every bar he stepped into was slowly taken over by a crowd of gentleman, each with a unique personality and outlook on the situation at hand.

Morale:Fearless/Brave/Steady/Nervous/Fleeing
Sell in May, and go away; don't come back until St Leger day.

Shin~The ladle monster!

[Shin~The ladle monster!]

Techpriest Enginseer

"Well, I am good at what I do," Shayla replied, not boastfully but with an honest tone. "I still turn a decent profit, but mostly it seems that the work we do get, is everything but what we advertise."

She shook her head disparagingly, but her lips had a humorous twist to them.

"A couple of weeks I returned from an archeological escapade that an alien hired me on for to make use of my research skills. No joke. And the rest of the time I'm more of a consultant on general supernatural matters."

When he asked about her husband, Shayla's cheeks flushed red. This Marcus seemed like an Old Boy for sure, despite the fact that he was young, and sure not to approve of her situation. Still, despite her blush, her voice was steady when she replied.

"I'm not married. It's just me, and the kids."

And of course, that was the point at which most men suddenly lost interest in her (sadly, the thought that she might be married was not much of a deterrent to some men). Pretty eyes and a pleasing figure could only take one so far, after all, before the knowledge that she was a package deal drove them away.

She had to smile, though, when he spoke of her presumed melee prowess. She shook her head again.

"Must everyone be extraordinary? Aside from a few self defense classes, I know nothing of fighting. In fact, I'm pretty terrible at it. The pen is mightier, and all that. I decided to focus on my intellect instead of my strength. That's why I have- had... my partner."

His reference to his 'club' and companions piqued her interest and she raised an inquiring brow at him. She assumed, with his apparent wealth, he meant some kind of country club.

"I'm sure your companions would be welcome here... although you sound almost wary?"

She hazarded a guess. One high society gentleman was interesting - she assumed that many of them would actually get pretty annoying. But that wasn't any call to be rude, Shayla always made a point of being polite.

[Techpriest Enginseer]

He listened to her as he gave his drink a few more sips before he placed it on the napkin and stretched his arms up over his head, his back giving out a few audible pops... painful pops.

"Aliens? As in from outer space in flying saucers woo wee woo aliens? Were they grey and have big eyes?!"

Leaning forward in his stool he held his arm onto the bar to keep his tipsy self from taking a one way trip to the floor beneath him. The stool under him even creaked a bit in protest at the amount of weight being held on the edge of his seat. The alcohol was starting to kick him in the shins as his face was starting to once again turn red.

"Single you say? That is unfortunate, a pretty woman like yourself deserves a gentleman to court her through life. What became of the ex-husband?"

Rarely did Marcus find himself talking to a single woman in a bar on an evening while he was letting himself get carried away with his drinks. Losing his sense of self-control scared him but he felt oddly comfortable and at home here. The only times he found himself licking the bottom of the bottle was in private parties where armed guards were more than happy to walk you to your mansion for free when you were unable to hold your own junk when taking a piss.

"The pen is mightier than the sword but the dollar can bring them together, you should take some time out of your day and go get some... fighting lessons. Also my companions are nice people and they mean well but they can be grating sometimes. They are deeply rooted in the Dapper Way and their attitude reflects this."

A void rested in the seat next to him as he used his spare hand to give it an out of place tap. It was a sightless check to see if Tam had managed to follow him to this place, an activity she loved to do. Shame, he could of taught the young 'lass' to talk to women if she wanted to keep her ruse up.

Morale:Fearless/Brave/Steady/Nervous/Fleeing
Sell in May, and go away; don't come back until St Leger day.

Shin~The ladle monster!

[Shin~The ladle monster!]

Techpriest Enginseer

Shayla had to be amused by Marcus' representation of aliens and she chuckled.

"No, actually. He looked mostly humanoid, if a little bit exotic. Oh, and he had a cursed demon arm that was out to destroy himself and everyone else around it."

She said it flippantly, as if this was no real news. Which, really, if you knew many of Gaia's denizens, it wasn't so unusual.

"I went along because we were supposed to visit the most wonderful library."

She sighed and for a moment looked quite wistful. She loved a good read, and the benefactor of their little excursion had promised that one of their stops would be an ancient and magical library located in the desert. Needless to say, the homicidal demon arm had complicated things, and the venture never panned out. But she was paid for her trouble, and in rare uncut gemstones besides. So there was that, at least.

She glanced over, her brow furrowed in worry when it seemed for a moment as if the gentleman was going to topple right onto the ground. He caught himself at least, but it was quite clear that the alcohol was starting to get to him.

"Ah, we were never married." Shayla admitted, this time sounding a little sheepish, and a hint of regret coloured her tone of voice. "I was young and impressionable. I made some bad decisions and fell in with the wrong man. He was gone before my son was even born."

She shook her head over the follies of youth.

"Me? Fighting lessons? I wouldn't even know where to begin."

[Techpriest Enginseer]

Adventures had always taken people to exotic locations, all over the world and through portals to new worlds and so on and so forth. A library? That sounds like that would be fun, being able to find texts so old that the dust has become a relic after the book has.

"Libraries and aliens... that sounds like it was a blast! You never made it to the library then? That is unfortunate! Almost an end game c**k block if you ask me."

Truly the journey to get somewhere is only fun if you have a closing, and after past experience dealing with certain... demons and situations.

"So never married? Well I will say, it is admirable that you are raising two kids and running a business on the side. That is amazing and something you never see these days. Don't let life get you down, look at what you have accomplished and realize that at the end of the day, you are still doing better than most Gaians."

It was the truth and 100% of it. Never married, single, two kids, LAWYER WORK, this was basically the recipe for either worlds most stressed out and borderline homicidal woman or the #1 most determined gal. As of yet Marcus was unsure which one she would fit in but he did plan to find out somehow, some way.

"Fighting lessons, you could come join us down at the Club some day if you have time. We do offer a babysitting service which is free for Club members. I would just file you as a 'date' and you would avoid the steep fee we charge, plus your training would be free as well. Have you ever seen a bear in real life? Have you ever seen a bear in real life with a top hat? Well, if you go, you will see that, it is a thing we have on staff."

And there he went, his drink had finally taken him, all bets are off. The Dapper Way is starting to look a bit like a wet noodle snaking across an open table. This is going to be a hard path to keep walking.

Morale:Fearless (Drunk)/Brave/Steady/Nervous/Fleeing
Sell in May, and go away; don't come back until St Leger day.

Shin~The ladle monster!

[Shin~The ladle monster!]

Techpriest Enginseer

Shayla might have thought to be offended by his descent into a much more course demeanor than the dapper one he had displayed when he first entered the bar. But, luckily, she was accustomed to keeping Cale's company, and the werewolf was worse than this even when sober. So instead Shayla just smiled and humoured the drunken gentleman.

"It is a real shame we never found the library, but I had a lovely vacation of sorts, since the return trip was on a Gambino cruise ship. It was a welcome respite, to be sure. Really the most fun I've had in a long time."

She looked down at the table modestly when he complimented her accomplishments. He was right in thinking that her life involved a lot of stress, but she didn't often let it get her down. One had to be very determined to pick up the pieces of their life and make it work. She had done just that, through a combination of wits and sheer willpower.

"You give me too much credit, I never would have managed without the help of friends and family."

As hard as she tried, she couldn't quite keep her composure when she listened to his proposition to learn fighting at 'The Club'. He sounded, well... he sounded quite insane, although Shayla was hardly one to judge, having been acquainted with some pretty interesting folks over the years. Still, she gave him an incredulous sort of stare and then blinked a few times, trying (and only somewhat succeeding) to keep her expression simply polite and curious.

"And, ah, what exactly is this club of yours, that has fancy bears, fighting lessons and free daycare? I can't say I've ever heard of such an, um... interesting mix."

[Techpriest Enginseer]

"A cruise ship you say? Gambino? I have never been on one of those but I have been told they are quite luxurious, almost borderline better than the Club's own offerings! I would go sometime but going alone on a cruise is really off putting. All these happy couples running around or friends and then it is just yourself, sitting on the chair or in the bar with nobody to associate with."

It was obvious that experience was talking through him as he thought back to the first cruise he had ever taken when he first started to hit money. He was hoping he would walk away with a girl on his arm but the only thing he left that boat with was crushing depression and a sore face from a drunk infused groping of a certain ladies bottom.

He pushed the glass of Gin away from him as his gentleman side started to poke his 'woohoo' sensibilities, as if it was warning him that further consumption might lead to unwanted behavior or even worse, removal from the bar. Marcus never ignored that feeling that would perk up in his mind during drinking.

"Behind every successful man or woman rests a support network. Even myself from my humble roots had friends who helped me out during my beginning days as a simple trader for a small firm."

"As for The Club, we have people and creatures of all shapes and sizes who we allow in our doors if they wish to attempt to become a gentleman. Normally we refuse entry to women into the ranks but we have a special case who I swear thinks we all believe she is a guy. To be frank, she usually follows me and I am surprised she is absent."

Morale:Fearless/Brave/Steady/Nervous/Fleeing
Sell in May, and go away; don't come back until St Leger day.

[ImNoHero]

No matter the time of day it was, a man dressed in casual black slacks, a white button up with the top buttons open, exposing his hairless and defined chest. A blazer draped over his broad shoulders. Standing at 6'2" and a whopping 227lbs, this man was obviously built, and incredibly fit. Better than some underwear model with a hot bod. His shaved brown hair and piercing blue eyes were quite the sigh. Breath taking. To most this would look like some sort of playboy womanizer with some sort of job as a bouncer or security some where. But no, that wasn't the case. And this man wasn't even really a potential client. He was here to seek a job. By face they probably wouldn't see him as anyone important, unless they followed his work. By name, Saul Turner was known in Durem and Gambino widely as a free lance Detective. He did investigating, as well as hunting the paranormal. His specialty was hunting Vampires and Werewolves. Though to either breed they would immediately smell that he himself was indeed a Werewolf.

Five years ago, Saul was attacked by a Werewolf while out on a trip in the mountains with some of the guys. Since then he has devoted his time to trying to figure out just how he could possibly undo what had been done. In the mean time, he fell into the information pools directing him across the supernatural channels, exposing the Vampires and Werewolves that were violent, sadistic, and most of all, sloppy. In fact the only time he doesn't spend working are the days where he is enjoying himself, that one day each month that comes just before the full moon. And then that night, he is somewhere undisclosed. Where he can turn without fear of killing innocents or worse, making more Werewolves. Thus far, he doesn't remember anything from when he turns, though he occasionally has strange nightmares that show him what he did. Whether or not he accepts or believes it is beyond anyone. He sure doesn't talk about them.

Armed well for business, he hosted two semi automatic .357s in leather grips hugging his torso. One was chrome, the other solid black. The chrome one was loaded with wood tip rounds, branded with crosses and the wood had been cured finely in holy water. Unlike normal guns, these pullets hurt vampires, like a bullet to a normal human. The all black gun is suited with silver hollow point rounds. The silver burns longer and stops a werewolves healing factor when injured. Making it easier to bleed them which often left a trail. In any case, either gun could harm just about any other type of creature respectively. To his right hip, he kept a cross, crafted of Red Oak. The top of the cross is normally where it is held, and the long end of the cross was appropriately sharpened into one helluva stake. He might only have heightened senses and physical capabilities the day leading up to that nights full moon. But he was pretty damn good at what he did.

Stepping up to the receptionist desk. He would smack the bell available, demanding attention. Why was her here exactly? Seeing as to how vampires ran the nearby business, the tavern. Regardless, there should be no alarm if even they had heard his name whispered on the streets. He was merely here to sign his skill on with a firm instead of free lancing. He wasn't one of those types that thought there was no good vampires or werewolves. For even though he tried to hide it, he was one of those few good werewolves. His purpose in life since turning has become the responsibility of creating a balance. To keep innocents safe from the likes of these creatures. And what better way to do that than to kill them?