Welcome to Gaia! ::

She was glad to see how one by one, each charm found its place and purpose. At one point, she saw her reflection in one of the cabinets and tried to sort out the mess that was her hair. She managed to do so with minimal success and finally gave up. Aside from that, the Siren's look fell once more on the silver broach with its three blue stones, and she took a mental note to eventually ask Maximos what this accessory did.

Even more gladness - or satisfaction - showed on Lucind's face when the Shadow reassured her it would be of no problem to charge bullets with her voice, and that she could even do it on her own...although the way he did it made it difficult for her to stay serious. A, "To hear that, my dear, is simply splendid. I am delighted", was what she brought out without breaking into a new grin. But the amusement over his jovial attitude was silenced when he went on with his explanation (aside from the fact she had to keep an eye on Piri who had first nearly jumped off the counter when the rifle appeared suddenly, but then began to observe it with growing interest).

"I'm sure you've already thought of using your voice to add concussive force or blast to a shot, but...if you added something else like that Griegu, or any of your other vocal commands you could effectively fire a silent envoy to a target beyond your vocal range. Or leave a inconspicuous message behind where your believedly discarded shell lie. An individual walks by what they believe to be a misfired gunshot hole, or fallen foe and then...."

"Ah...well, griegu means silence. Or rather shut up. The way I used it is related to one of our attacks. But...I didn't think that was possible, to place the intent of a melody or song inside a shell. There are fixed parts for lyrics which we learn first, but then everybody starts building up on them, creating variations of that melody and the original lyrics to find the song with the highest potency for an individual Siren. If even the moment's mood, the tune of the soul can be captured that simply..." She almost sounded hesitant. Even a little disillusioned. Lu sighed. "Maybe I'm too conservative." She didn't want to destroy the fun this request obviously gave Maximos, therefore she showed a loopsided smile and added: "But let's give it a try."

While she spoke, Lu had reached into her jacket's inside pocket to withdraw three bullets from Isebell she had brought with her. The one Max had taken from the Midnight Runner looked exactly the same, but maybe the inside wasn't. Either way, she placed those bullets on the counter, but the same time she did so, a small, crumbled piece of paper slipped out as well and fell to the floor. She knelt down to fetch it, wanted to put it back, but the moment her face appeared once more above the counter, her eyes took the narrowed shape of not being pleased. The very second the Siren had focused on the paper, the frog-lemure's long, thin fingers had snatched one of the bullets to immediately guide them to the tiny mouth, which would begin to gnaw and drool on the metal shell. Well, more drool and suck than anything else.

"..."

Lucind took the other end of the bullet and slowly pulled it away from Piri, but the pet's tiny muzzle, then only the lips would stay connected, her whole form stretching to not lose contact. With a soft plop, the naked monkey finally let go, but simply wanted to get one of the other bullets. "No." The pedagogical index finger was placed right in front of Piri.

The piece of paper, now lying on the counter, was covered with doodles, the one you create while making phone calls or musing over things. And even though it was crumbled up, Max would be able to make out a word, adorned and surrounded by different random patterns: Moam.

Slowly, very slowly, Piri moved her head towards the authoritarian finger towering before her. Her muzzle opened. Closer. Closer. "Are you..." In the same slow motion mode, the pet's eyes looked up at Lucind, displaying the same innocence they had shown before. Both tiny hands now reached out for the finger, the mouth opened even farther. "Are you stupid or something?" Then, everything happened fast. Piri quickly wanted to close the last bit of distance between her and the beloved finger, but Lucind's other hand was faster and stuffed something looking like a dried date into the amphibo-lemure's mouth she had produced from another pocket. Piri looked quite dumbfounded at first, but then began to slurp on the dried fruit happily.

"Unbelievable." She looked at Max. "I'm sorry. Maybe I should have Kara and her soon to be husband take care of Piri. Bit of training for the first child."

The bullet. Her commission. Right.

"I guess I have to get used to the idea of capturing a song with all its traits in a single metal capsule. Call it Siren pride. But using the bullets for vocal attacks is only three waves away from it, I guess. So please, go ahead." Lu smiled at him, and watched his final preparations. Until he said:

"Now..."

And then with something of a sinister smirk, and a bit more darkness on his tone than he likely intended. "....sing."

She had opened her mouth, drawn breath to say something, but closed it abruptly. Cocked a brow. Leaned in. "Tell me, love, did you really work last night?" The corners of her mouth twitched, fighting a grin. "Or did you get lost on the movie channel again?" She chuckled, then wanted to ask him if it mattered what kind of melody or song she chose, when the door opened.

Lucind closed her mouth once more and turned around to greet Damion.

" Er....Nice to meet you again...I guess."

How embarrassing. Damion's memory had always been poor, names, birthdays, religious holidays and the like all being forgotten almost as soon as they were learned. But it never stopped embarrasing him whenever he was forced into a situation that made it evident. He DID remember her, now, after her name had been repeated to him and he had taken amoment to think.

" And I don't own the swamp Maximos, I just guard it."

The need to correct that kind of statement was strong, his duty in the swamp was clear to him and there was no sense in lying about it. And if he took his work with him, so what? The creatures of the swamp could seek solace with him, and in some cases, on him. His latest charges seemed to think this would be the perfect place to make themselves known, tiny pink bodies scuttling out of his hair in droves.

No sense standing in the doorway and letting them set up webs though, it wouldn't be very polite, so Damion moved into the shop proper. Spiders swayed on their tiny strings from his hair, or clung grimly to his shoulders as their moving home took them to places they had never hunted.

He wanted to say more, but it already appeared he'd interrupted something, and it seemed prudent to bring the two back to...whatever it was they were doing. He could venture it involved the little amphibious thing though, a curiousity in its' own right.

" Maybe dissecting the....whatever that is?"

Couldn't hurt to help, could it?

" Or does it involve the bullets?"

There were still some scattered on the counter, and despite his technological illiteracy, he still knew what a bullet was and what it was for. An almost inherent knowledge as it were. He stood a good few paces from them, almost unsure of wether to approach.

((He is saying it aloud :3))

It was fast! Faster than he expected! Damion's mouth stayed open even as his eyes followed the tiny blur of the lemur-frog around the room, half prepared to answer Maximos and Lucind, all ready to speak, and then it was gone! Like a magic trick!

Oh...no wait...it was just in his employers hand, squirming there. His mouth s**t with a click of teeth on teeth, shut in a thin line that revealed no teeth nor emotion of any sort which was revealing enough. He could guess readily enough seeing as how he was covered in it's food of choice apparently, but that didn't mean he liked it.

His cheek twitched in agitation, the scar tissue there twisting grotesquely and nearly dislodging a tiny spider that rested there, the dime sized creature scrambling suddenly to regain its' balance and scurry into his hair again. He didn't need to be reminded of the new element to his life at all on his vacation of sorts and he'd be damned it it was going to ruin his mood.

" I rule nothing."

He said it softly, more than willing to let the conversation turn away now. Damion watched the bullets now that Maximos had decided not to expirement on the tiny frog thing, putting it out of mind. This would prove far more interesting.

A burst of multicolored sparkles suddenly exploded into existence outside the shop's door in Durem, and when the light died down Raven looked over her shoulders in hopes that no one had seen it.. or at least that no one would comment on the flashy nature of her arrival. The slight rosy tinge to her cheeks hinted that she hadn't meant to be so extremely obvious, it was just excitement that let her powers get away from her for a moment there sweatdrop

Her red and black striped hair hung down her back in a long braid, her bangs tucked up under a dark hat of a strange material that almost appeared to shift it's color and density as a cool breeze fluttered past. She was wearing a long coat of the same material over a simple black blouse and red vest with dark black jeans tucked over flat heeled boots of the same funny material as coat and hat. Simple clothes compared with her normally flamboyant outfits, but she was expecting to get dirty, and didn't feel like being overly girly about that glum fact. xp

There were a heavy dagger and a short sword side-by-side hung from a low dipping diagonal belt on her right hip, and her tessen along with two much lighter looking daggers hung from another belt that crossed over the first to hang at her left hip. She had several more knives stashed about her person, but hoped she wouldn't need them. Her EMT pack was on it's long strap crossed over her chest to hang on her left side, there was a funny looking little clip that attached the strap to her left breast pocket on the jacket, keeping the heavy kit from sliding low enough on her shoulder to tangle the sword if she needed to draw it quickly. On her back was a backpackers knapsack, complete with what was likely a blanket roll wrapped in a heavy-duty brown waterproof tarp. The knapsack had a metal frame, and actually looked at least 40 years old... older than the short woman who wore it at least...It wasn't obviously stuffed, obviously she had left room for souvenirs if he found something interesting and small.

The fair weather fabric had been carefully crafted, over the last few days, into the hat, coat, boots, and a par of gloves and scarf that were tucked in the top of her EMT kit. If they worked the way she figured they would it was a very precious gift that Maxi had given her. heart

she absently laced her fingers together, pushing at the new leather of the finger-less gloves she wore, with their matte black ring of metal plates around her wrists and across the back of her hands as she hovered for a moment, mentally checking to make sure she had everything. It was a serious bonus to only have to pack a minimum of food, if worse came to worse she would shift and hunt herself down some fresh game, but as long as there were a few people who responded to Maxi's flier she would have enough energy around her to borrow a little here and there as needed.

With a nod to herself Raven reached out and rapped her knuckles on the door.

Knock
Knock
Knock

Taking great interest in the flyer, the young adventurer leapt into the air and delicately ripped it down off the wall, for who would believe his ability and will to join such a quest unless he had something to show for it. Gently rolling up the sheet of paper, he placed it in his mouth and began making his way to the shop that the advertisement had mentioned.

As he made his way across the town, he, like always, attracted many looks and stares... for such an adventurer always does due to some unique nature. He thought of letting loose a hiss at a young girl who came over to give him the annoying predictable attention that her kind always seem to be overwhelmed by when gazing upon such a person. What stopped him was the fact that the flyer was still rolled up in his mouth, and to drop it would mean the time consuming effort of rolling it up again.

In no time, he had made his way to the doorway of the shop, though the entrance was somewhat larger than he was used to for, he bore the stature of not some great warrior, not some human ready for battle, but the adventurer was nothing more than a skinny black cat with light red eyes. http://nitrobandicoot.deviantart.com/art/the-demon-with-in-111150480

As he neared the door, he noticed a young female knocking on the door, this was sadly a risk, because young females, like the one he had encountered on the way here, express annoying attention. He cringed at the though of being petted again... he hated... being petted. This did bring a small smile forward, despite the object in his mouth, for evil... is NOT cute and fluffy... or not supposed to be anyway. He then let out a small sigh, for the short end of the stick can be hard to live with.

Walking up beside her, he gently placed the flyer on the ground and flattened it out, for now anyone who opened the door would not see him as just a stray cat, but would hopefully recognize him as an adventurer ready to partake in this quest... he hoped anyway, as his condition had been somewhat crippling in the past when it came to people viewing him in a serious manner, for he was, after all, just a cat.

Bringing a single paw forward he gently scratched at door twice and made his appearance known by uttering a single, powerful word in the most booming, boisterous voice he could muster.

Mow!

STRATA
11:XX AM
XX/XX/20XX
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The wind whipped about the streets of the city twixt sand and sea, blowing about Stephen's hair in an uncontrollable manner. He stood in front of the shop entrance, reading over one of the many fliers located about town. This was the place, the place he had heard so much about, though really it was no different than any other - mystical nature aside, it was a shop like any other. Indeed, the only thing mysterious about it was the owner, and the man had his fair share of experience with tall dark and handsome to expect the unexpected.

Folding up the paper and shoving it into his pocket, he gripped tightly onto his pack and stood there for a moment.

"What am I getting myself into..."

He shook his head with closed eyes and a smile. "No use beating about the bush then." Returning his gaze to the door, he extended an arm.

*Knock*
*Knock*
*Knock*

A gentle rapping at the door followed. He could have hit hard but he didn't think it most appropriate at the time. Being invited to someone's place of business along with many others had a certain etiquette to it that a simple business transaction did not. And Max was indeed what one could call a busy man.

There would be plenty of time to be forward later.

"Raven, I do believe you've lost your mind."

Talking with Cats? Damion may 'talk' to animals at times, perhaps even vocally, but never by name or in any language understood by the normal rabble, and it just seemed absurd to assume that the creature would respond in a similar fashion.

" It's a cat, it probably just wants some milk or something."

The voice was not without an owner, and a familiar one at that. Damion slowed his pace to a halt as he came up next to the fiery haired female, hands on his hips as he looked from cat to raven and then back again. Where the industrious girl had brought half the camping section of the local S-mart, the swamp dweller seemed positively spartan with his lack of any real accoutrements. His open vest hid no special gear, black tattoos stark against dark flesh, broken only by the occasional white spider that then fled into the shelter of cloth.

A quiver of bolts hung from his back, feathered shafts extending up over each shoulder like faux wings, witch only made sense considering the massive crossbow that bounced between his shoulder blades. A long white rope hung off his dark green belt, thousands of tiny threads woven together to make one long rope, cause you never know what your going to end up using it for, you just always end up using it. Not one to be without weapons, his knives hung along with the rope, the mellow bone of their construction sticking out like a sore thumb against his dark clothes.

" And what int he world are you doing out here?"

The matter of the cat seemed settled to Damion, since he jumped subjects so fast, even going so far as to reach out and open the door for cat and female, standing back expectantly.

" Come on, step lively."

Did he think the cat was Maximos's? This was very likely, since it was black and Maximos had a penchant for black things and all. It wouldn't suprise him at all. Now that he was stationary, the cat would get to catch Damion's specific smell, the stench of rotting vegetation clinging to his skin like the finest of colognes, pungent without being overpowering. It didn't look like he was dirty, the smell just seemed to cling without reason.

"We got a mystery to solve gang."