Sure enough, the bar is packed with creatures of various denominations chugging down far too much alcohol to function, save for one: a silver-skinned male damaya lashunta sitting at the bar sipping at a quarter-filled glass of whiskey.
Boron scratches his head, as reality warps around him.
Vroni speaks to him: "Yes, we have moved to back to Pre-Gap, or forward to some other time..."
Boron looks around, and, with a flourish, pulls a cigar out, cuts the end, spits it-- somewhere, hopefully not in the lashunta's glass -- and then lights it, taking a puff.
”Whenever I’m at the bar or on set, I never want to be disappointed whenever I reach for a smoke. That’s why I always use Oubliette-brand cigars, because an Oubliette will never disappoint.”
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The lashunta is absolutely gobsmacked at the dwarf's actions, as his eyes dart to the nearby "No Smoking" sign.
Boron smiles at the Lashunta.
"Well, they allowed you in... and you're smoking hot!"
Boron is in full heavy armor with a BIG sword, a beard that has entire tufts dropping out and big bald patches, and his face is streaked with dark veins.
Luckily for him, when he smiles, he does not - yet - have missing teeth all over.
The lashunta looks at Boron with his mouth hanging wide open, completely awe-struck. Without a single word he just picks up his glass and moves to the other bar at the far end of the Lizard Lounge, literally as far away from Boron as possible while still staying in the club.
Boron shrugs.
Then sits at the bar, remaining where he is, too leave the lashunta all the space there is.
He thinks to Vroni: "Remember when me met?! I am decaying, but I am still the same."
And he orders a whisky, letting his comrades take it up from here.
"I buttered him up, he is ripe!"
"Greetings. I am Xagyg.”
The lashunta eyes Xagyg as he moves his hand near his mouth, his index finger lightly touching his own lips—he flutters his eyes. ”A gentleman. You can call me Silvene , my friend.”
" We are looking for some recently-installed tech that is *not* supposed to be in the Club - Zurnala indicated that we should speak to you about finding it."
Silvene’s demeaner shifts instantaneously from playfulness to confusion. He looks over both of his shoulders as if wondering if Xagyg was talking to someone behind him, then points to himself as if to say “You mean me?”
”I-I’m sorry, Mr....Xagyg, was it? I believe you have me confused with someone else. I don’t actually work here and tech isn’t exactly my…profession.”
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Boron mutters to Vroni: "He ain't no techie, he's tacky..."
"R-really? Why? I don't know anything about a transmitter thingy here."
"Want me to go shake the guy up? He's just not spittin' out what he knows. Maybe he needs to spit some teeth first."
"Wanna share a cigar and whisky, then, X'?"
Volcklon sees that Xagyg and Boron are running into a bit of trouble, even negotiating a deal with an escort seems to prove ineffective. Moving in Volcklon places a hand on Boron's shoulder. He leans in and whispers. "What my friends are trying to ask is do you know anything about Eclipse? We have had quite the terrible run in with it if you catch their drift."
“Oooh, didn’t they make Penumbra? It looks great, but I think I’ll wait till the hype dies down to buy it.”
Silvene sighs. “This must be about my former client.”
“Kaeon Rhyse.” Silvene looks away, and it's obvious he’s seeing something other than the club around him. “Mr. Rhyse did hire me awhile back, but I usually don’t discuss clients.”
Silvene looks on, a mixture of worry and contemplate in his eyes. The lashunta sighs.
“I’m telling you this only because I need to get it off my chest. Six months ago, I got a call from my agent. She said she had a special assignment for me. I couldn’t believe someone like Kaeon Rhyse would hire me! He’s smart, beautiful—not to mention rich—and all the feeds say he’s such a lovely person. He spends half his money on charity, which is so refreshing. He took me to a ritzy hotel in the Gloaming. Everything was wonderful till we got back to the room. He took off his shirt, and there were marks all over his skin. Scars, like someone had cut him up bad. I tried to play it cool, but he caught me staring. He said that’s why he hired me. He wanted me to—hurt him.” Silvene’s voice falters. “Everyone has their kinks, but this was beyond. When he brought out the knives, I told him our time was up.”
Silvene covers his mouth, trying to finish the conversation but clearly having more to say.
”He seemed sad. There were actual tears in his eyes. He told me one day I would be enlightened like him. I went to the powder room to compose myself, but I could hear him talking to someone. I thought maybe it was a comm, but when I came out, he was just staring at the mirror. And it wasn’t his reflection looking back. I saw a dark, disfigured woman, scarred like him, with hands like claws. Looking at her made me feel cold all over. He called her Gragant. He said, ‘Soon our worlds will meet, and everyone will know the true joy of pain.’ I ran as fast as I could out of that room. I couldn’t work for a week after that.”
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Xagyg shudders.
"Yes, that definitely sounds like the one we are after..."
He then sighs ruefully.
"Thank-you for sharing that with us. It strengthens my resolve to try and stop whatever he is trying to do - we really *do* need to find the device that he has had planted here."
Xagyg turns to the others.
"I think we should go and have a word with the proprietor, again..."
Gragant?" Volcklon thinks. "Doesn't seem like he is under the effects of the app but something else seems to be pulling the strings." Volcklon lays a hand on Silvene shoulder. "You did the right thing. Do you know where Kaeon Rhyse is now or are you able to set up another meeting with him?"
A sudden hand appears on Silvene’s shoulder as the lashunta looks up to see Zurnala and his despair shifts to relief.
”I don’t think further contact with Mr. Rhyse wouldn’t be healthy for our dear Silvene.”
Silvene fidgets awkwardly.
”In other news, I may have another lead for you: they are waiting for you out on the balcony. She is someone many here would recognize,” Zurnala flips over her comm unit to show a video of a young, green-haired verthani woman in what appears to be a music video.
”Neva Kavetsaka. You’d be smart not to keep her waiting. I'll keep looking for the cause of the music mishap.” The vesk winks before departing.
”I don’t think further contact with Mr. Rhyse wouldn’t be healthy for our dear Silvene.”
"Silvene would not be meeting with him. We would. If Silvene could set up a meeting with Rhyse as he obviously trusts him, then we would meet him there instead."
Volcklon looks at the video. "Neva Kavetsaka is a pretty high profile celebrity." He says a bit confused. "Better not keep her waiting."
”I’m sorry, I don’t know where Kaeon is. I couldn’t set up a meeting even if I tried.”
Boron is still nursing his whisky at the bar, talking to the people around him, and to no one in particular: "--and then it turned out that we'd just put in the wrong-sized bit! Ha ha! No wonder we couldn't dig into the asteroid--"
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Xagyg nods.
"Yes, that's right, Volcklon. Interestingly, she alleged that she was the victim of identity theft about a month ago, but there was never any hard evidence to back that claim up... That said, if it *was* one of the Reptoid infiltrators, you wouldn't expect them to leave any tell-tale clues... they are *far* to meticulous to make errors like that..."
This circular private balcony overlooks the glittering city streets hundreds of feet below. Exotic plants with pointed purple leaves and bloodred flowers grow from planters near the edge of the balcony, wrapping over the rails and trailing down into open air. Two blue leather divans face a glass table set with four crystal glasses and a decanter of ruby-red liquid.
A woman with green hair—Neva Kavetsaka—sits on one of the divans sipping from a fifth glass of liquid.
”Gentlemen! How wonderful to see you all! Come. Sit. 251 AG Pinot Noir, I insist that you have a glass, it is absolutely divine!”
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Jacob stands at attention next to the inspector. He spares a glance at the glass.
I've had to many run in's with mind altering substances recently Ms. I make it a point to only eat sealed substances or things i've prepared myself. I would have called it paranoia a scant few cycles ago, but...
He shrugs.
[b]The universe has gotten very strange lately.
Volcklon grabs a pair of glasses and hands one to Boron. Thanks you. Zurnala mentioned that we should meet up with you. Seems we have a bit of a common interest. Kaeon Rhyse and Eclipse."
"Eclipse, yes. Indeed. What was it that you wanted to know?"
We are at a bit of a loss actually. We barely escaped the resort with our lives." Volkclon looks to the others. "They can help fill in all of the details. Everything you can tell us about it would be helpful."
”Resort? I’m not sure what you’re talking about...”
Volcklon was hoping some of the others would help chime in with their own version of the resort.
"We were each in a place called New Elysium. The staff, including Kaeon Rhyse had us download the app, Eclipse to test it out. At first everything seemed fine, but within days everyone had changed. They turned increasingly violent, sadistic even. Everyone was brutally murdered before we barely escaped."
Volcklon explains their entire tale in detail. "Eclipse caused it all. We have reason to believe the same will happen here unless we are able to track it down and stop it in the next couple of days. Now, you said you knew something of Eclipse and Kaeon Rhyse?"
Neva uncorks the decanter and fills up the now-empty glasses.
”I just need to make absolutely sure that I’m talking to the correct people. Now, what makes you think Eclipse was behind it all?”
"Oh. Why thank you! Now then, as you were saying?"
Neva was actually quite surprised at Xagyg's action, which she tried to hide under a veil of appreciation.
Volcklon taps Boron. "You wanna show her what you found on the app?"
Boron is still at the bar, drinking his whisky.
But will come over if Volcklon summons him.
Neva stands up, crystal glass in hand. ”App? Interesting.”
Just as she lifts the glass up to be within an inch of her mouth, Volcklon’s stomach begins churning!
Neva drops her glass as she lets out a high-pitched shriek!
A slight glint of malice flash across Neva’s eyes as her hand suddenly splits in half, revealing a dagger integrated into her obviously prosthetic arm and moves swiftly against Xagyg!
The glint in Neva’s eyes disappear as a look of fear shoots across her eyes.
”Help! Heeelp!!!”
Round 1
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Neva Kavetsaka
Xagyg
Jacob
Red
Green
Volcklon
Boron
===============