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"It simply isn't an option."
"Not to do so wastes time."
"Time is one thing we have, Ego, and rushing things wont work."
"The two of you have become too soft. You spend too much time with the cattle."
"And you have become completely removed from reality. It's not your duty to evaluate this situation."
"Nor is it yours, Fear. You're hardly a grounded individual."

"Silence."

The bickering of the dark faun, and the sunken eyed man Nines had run afoul of a night earlier was brought to an abrupt end by the quiet voice of the paler faun, who spoke a single word.

"...apologies. How is he?"
"He will come round soon enough. Then we shall see what may be done."
"I brought the item you wanted."
"Leave it on the table, then kindly leave."
"I.."
"It is not open for debate, Ego, this is our domain, and Bailey alone has my permission to watch me work. If you desire progress reports... you will have them the usual way."
"The Council will not approve..."
"How fortunate I am not directly accountable to them then. Good evening, Ego..."

Only with the last sentence did Ice turn and glare at the sunken eyed man, his pink eyes red. That wicked tail whip cracked the ground once, sending cracks spiralling out through the ice, and the other man took a single step back.

"....as you instruct, Deceit."

Placing a small, wrapped bundle on the table, the sunken eyed man left, while Bailey came to stand by Ice, looking through the clear ice wall in front of the pale faun.
Inside the cell beyond, Nine's limp form lay on the ice, naked, with a single metal band around his ankle. It wasn't attached to anything, but did not seem to have any discernible joints where it had been sealed around the man's foot.

"Are we really sure there has been some kind of contact?"
"Yes. Ego is too old and weary for pleasantries, but while his manner leaves much to be desired... his work is excellent. I trust his insight."
"But he said it was fleeting... like a contact trace..."
"Just so, but the trace can only show if the target is susceptible."
"You're not going to suggest an actual bond, are you?"
"Not directly. Merely that acclimation be attempted. And the bloodline for the bearer of the compliant one be shared."
"Neither party is to be pleased. Whatever assistance you need..."
"Thank you. We now merely need to wait for him to wake."

Wampas... I prefer wendigo's. Much better all terrain companions."

Resting his chin on the curve of his tail as he brought it up in front of him, Ice made no move to enter the cell as Nines groggily awoke.
He did however spare a gesture with one hand towards the far wall, causing the ice to shift and provide a slab like bench to sit or lay upon, complete with a series of furs draped over it, for use however Nines saw fit. While the man would find his arms still useless (though incredibly, it would seem they had vastly improved in at least being the right shape again since he'd last seen them), his wounded leg appeared perfectly operational.

"Would you care for sustenance, or will you be as ornery as I'm expecting?"

"I'm afraid I'm as immune to flesh eating bacteria as you are, and decomposing is one hobby I have yet to master.

Prehaps we might spend a little time officially exploring your situation, before you decide to try and play the tough guy?

The ice here regenerates to the pattern requested of it. No amount of thumping or attacking walls, even without considering your current disability, will allow you to simply bust out.

Even if you DID, you are most assuredly not in any place you would recognise from the surface, nor be able to get assistance running from.
This isn't Alaska, or even the Antarctic. ~There is no mundane way ou.

Thirdly, you are still extremely injured, which makes for less than worrisome threats against us to let you go even if you DID achieve freedom.

Fourth, despite being injured, you will by now have noticed you aren't half as injured as you should be. Considering you very rudely chose to burn me last night, I wasn't too fussed with going out of my way to fix you beyond my blood pool when we got you back here. That said, I am more than capable of putting the rest of you back together, in exchange for some minor co-operation.


Your situation is a lot more difficult than it initially appears. If you decide to be difficult, it will be my pleasure to wait until you frenzy, then throw someone to eat at you, and start over again until you are ready to be compliant. We do not require much of you.
If you endeavour to choose torpor or even Final Death over having a conversation and undergoing some minor tests which will not injure you, I will be left with no choice but to allow those of my organisation with the power to do so to look directly into your head, without permission, or any care for ruining the carpet.



I have been up front with you, Nines, and as promised, DESPITE your unwarranted attack last night, you STILL have not been harmed, and I still wish only to establish some basic facts, and a working relationship beneficial to all concerned.


It's really up to you how difficult you wish to make this, and how badly off you will therefore be at its conclusion. I urge you to work with me. Amateur heroics will achieve nothing."

The faun spoke in a calm, measured voice, but he never blinked while he spoke to Nines, never took his eyes off him. For now, he was being reasonable... for now.

The most direct response to Nines latest outburst was Bailey bursting into peals of laughter, actually grabbing at his sides as he laughed.

Ice meanwhile merely raised an eyebrow, shaking his head in what appeared to be abject confusion at Nines point view.

"I'm Kindred, fledgeling. Lawyers only wish they were as wordy as we. And you are one of us, even if you are unfortunately young, idiotic and inexperienced.

I will ask you one last time. Would you care for sustenance and to being talks now, or would you prefer frenzy and blood on your own hands too?"

"Bring two bowls of vitae."

Speaking initially to Bailey, Ice then stepped forwards, waving a hand at the cell until a door line appeared and the ice slid away into the floor to allow him to walk through.
A second wave of his hand raised a chair opposite the one still there if Nines chose to use it, as well as a table between the two.
Taking the newly created seat for himself, Ice crossed his complicated legs with minimal difficulty, the spikes across his body retracting to allow him to lean back comfortably as he prepared to answer Nines. Sadly, it would start with a question.

"Before anything else, do you know much of Daemons? Do the names Také Mika-zuchi or O-kuni-nushu mean anything to you?"

As Ice began to speak, Bailey moved out of sight down the corridor outside as the cell door reclosed, assumably off to get the requested vitae.

Ice didn't really give two shits if Nines preferred the floor or a chair, it was his choice. Wasn't like his bits could literally freeze off anyhow. The faun though got comfortable and steepled his fingers as he spoke.

"Much of Kindred/Cainite mythos is just that, but myth isn't always false. Every story has a grain of truth, and some are more true than others.
The sect my organisation represents is not supposed to believe in myth and legends, but we're far from stupid enough not to believe there is truth in some of it.
While the vampiric condition is still up for debate, among other things, Daemon presence seems to be unfortunately true to some degree.

Legends from all over the world often share their origins in some way, and in the case of these... creatures, if they are that... the Orient holds the most useful tales to us.
there is a story of 7 great gods at the dawn of man, who fell to a great war among themselves in the heavens, using their underlings who shared their dominions as their troops.
The war was so vast, it affected the mortal plane below, until both and heaven and earth were a hell borne of chaos and strife.

Seeing the horror they had unleashed, the seven major gods elected to divide their very selves into their pure halfs, who would rule in heaven and make it a paradise for the worthy dead from the mortal world below, and their sinister darker halves who would journey to earth and enjoy eternal war with the less deserving of mankind.

Needless to say, a life full of war and vaguely hoping death would prove to be better wasn't the perfect system mankind wanted, and seven great warriors arose to battle and seal the seven half-gods of destruction, known as Daemon Gods.
Appealing to the pure gods, the mortals took up seven weapons forged by the sun god from a meteor, and used these to bind the seven Daemon gods for eternity.
In the wake of this, the lesser demons, daevils, devils, imps and the like were banished to a form of hell where wicked souls went when they died, and the system similar to the Christian ideal and a plethora of other religions is once again in place.


A fairly standard creation story for the planes. Except that the weapons are real, and are bound to specific bloodlines, based on details of the story I wont bore you with.
Whether the Daemons themselves are real or not, or merely some form of psy-influence based on what the blades are made from I cannot say, but they are indeed potent weapons int he correct hands, and each weilder supposedly hears the voice of the 'daemon' it contains.

The Lady Roan DeSeer bears one of them, the blade Ferago, that I'm told contains weather-daemon, Také Mika-zuchi.
There is also another blade of consequence, known as Okra. It is a scythe said to bear the Daemon O-kuni-nushu, Daemon of intellect and sorcery.

Before I continue, have you got the gist of all that? And please don't insult me, I'm well aware it is merely a story."

As he paused, Bailey entered with two Japanese style bowls, both filled with hot vitae. One was set on the table near Nines, while Ice took the second and sipped from it.
Bailey meanwhile took up station leaning against a wall.

"That would be because 90% of anime is based on old oriental legends, and of THOSE 90% are based on Journey to the West and Buddhism.

Drink. It's not poisoned, if I wanted you dead you would be already. It will make it easier to finish repairing your arms later as well."

Apparently, Ice did not seem to care for how ungainly drinking would currently be for the naked man, but considering his own weird biology, it wasn't surprising.

"There is a reason Roan reacted so badly to you, and it's all caught up in this charmingly farcical story.
The seven Daemons hated each other, and the meanest of the lot was hardly the kind to foster good relations, and if anything the hatreds became worse after each was imprisoned.

The warriors then sealed each blade in its own shrine all around the world to seal them away for eternity.
As with all things, this didn't last. 5 of the 7 blades are known to be present in the world at the moment, and we know where 4 of those are. Two remain hidden.
The blades however can only be borne by direct ancestors of the original warriors, or so legend says. Considering how long ago this was all supposed to have happened, most people have some ability to wield the weapons, but for 80%, its just another weapon. For a rare 20%, of a more concentrated bloodline, the weapons react fully.

It is my personal belief, once again, that this is more due to some kind of psyonic resonance, especially as those not at all related to the original seven warriors will die of indeterminate causes after touching it. Heart attacks, anurisms, that sort of thing.



I already told Roan bears one of the blades. She has had it for long enough - way beyond a mortal life span - that she seems particularly susceptible to the idea it contains the Daemon Také. Who particularly hated O-kuni for some reason I have yet to care too much about.
Both she, and our colleague you met on the ship, believe you to have some connection to O-kuni. This is why you are of interest to us, and the cause of the outbursts of a rather... strained... Lady DeSeer.

Now she has accepted her contract is not yet fulfilled and is once again working with the organisation, she has calmed significantly. I sincerely doubt you need worry for a repeat of the last time you met. Especially once we have determined whether you are indeed of the appropriate bloodline and why."