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WHO: Cassian and Sanzo in one, Cassian and Amberdrake in another
WHAT: DINNER TIME and A brief material run
WHEN: Shortly after Christmas, before the shops in Fayren close.
WHERE: Everglade and Fayren
WARNINGS: Gore, violence, mentions of cannibalism

4 SANZO
He'd gone too long. He knew he'd over extended himself, the gift he got from Tannusen could only last so long. Wheezing, stiff, the faint sound of flutes beginning to sound in the back of his mind, tonight had to be the night. He wasn't going to risk it all again, he couldn't. He couldn't keep relying on someone else here to patch him up every time he fell into shit.

He was a grown man. He could take care of this.

As it had been for two thousand years, the hunt was on. As it had been for two thousand years, the iron dagger found its mark, the husk soulless yes, but oh how they screamed like any real living thing would. Once, perhaps, he would have shrunk away from the sound. A long time ago, he'd be frantic to silence them, clumsily slashing at vocal cords and sobbing in fear and horror-

He knew how to work now, and the screaming was quickly silenced to pathetic, wet gurgling as the cloaked man snapped ribs with ease, feeling the rippling sensation of that thing pulsing in the back of his head, feeding his meager strength. Peeling the membrane off the heart. Sinking his teeth in and silencing the husk forever.

Blood everywhere. It stank of it, but the pain in his body and his lungs faded with every bite, even if it couldn't fully sate the beast. Just another bandaid.

But for now, it would do.
4 Amberdrake

Of course, Everglade wouldn't have the materials he needed. No one would stock in the type of silver he required, and he didn't even ask any shops there. Seemed like a good way to get a lot of unwanted attention. So, wrapped up in fleece and wool, cranky and miserable and cold, headed for Fayren.

They'd have what he needed, or at least part of it. He could always return home and finish blessing it all later. He had some energy in his step now, so the little man was going to be quite the obnoxious terror in Fayren, picky and fussy with everything he picked up, viciously haggling every single object down.

"I'll only be takin' pure silver, and not anything else. I don't want any steel or nickle in any of this- What else is in this mirror? Oi! Tis a real question, does it look like I'm foolin' with ye?"

Yeah. Not a good day for Fayren.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Fuck is a good word for this.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it'd do anything like- It didn't react when someone else helped, I didn't-"

Man if he accidentally mind fucked this guy he was just going to go jump in the ocean and hope a shark ate him.

"I gathered that you didn't expect it," Drake allowed himself some mild amusement, which made its way into his tone. "Calm down. Relax. It's fine."

It sooo wasn't 'fine' but that would be for later.

Edited 2017-01-01 06:19 (UTC)

"It is not fine!" He was trying to get up, which was an impressive feat, considering he actually did it and almost totally made it away from the couch before having to grab something to stay up.

"I don't know what that thing is, or what it could do to ye, or why it's here or-" Or anything other than-

"It's dangerous!"

Drake let him go, settling back into his half of the couch with a sigh.

"Avoid that feather," he murmured, "it wasn't here before."

Its size didn't even make him blink; his brother was a gryphon whose primaries were longer than Drake was tall. But he didn't want it trampled... there might be information to be gleaned from it, once he could stand to study it. Drake did know a thing or two about feathers, at least.

"Come on," he unfolded himself from the couch and got up, "I'm making tea."

Tea, yes. Good plan. Somehow he managed to stay steady on his feet as he walked around the feather and into the kitchen.

Feather? He looked slightly grayer to see it, and made it a point to avoid it entirely when it was mentioned. The sight of it alone just seemed to shake something else in the smaller man, and he was quick to stumble after Drake.

There was something already visually wrong with it. On some basic, simple level, something didn't seem right with it. Too sharp maybe? Too bright? Like that color didn't quite belong here?

In any case, for once he'd take tea.

"Aye... yes, somethin'.... to settle down a bit."

Amberdrake pointedly pulled one of the worn, cloth-covered chairs away from the table inside the kitchen for Cassian, and then went to make the tea. The feather wasn't visible from the kitchen, at least.

Back when this had been an office building, and his work-rooms had been the actual offices, this kitchen had been a small break-room. So, it had a little space, if not a ton. There was no canvas hanging from the walls, unlike in the lobby, but the loathed drywall had been painted in colorful designs instead. The lighting was more of those floating mage-lights, nothing so harsh and sterile as the original over-heads. Brighter in here than the lobby, but still warm.

He selected a calming tea from a cabinet that was full of too many types to easily count, and started the water. His hands were steady now, at least.

It was less 'sitting down' and more the physical dropping of a bag in the rough shape of a human into a chair.

THUMP. It occurred to him shortly after to arrange his arms and legs thusly to at least get... comfortable.

The feather was like a stone in his head.

Out of anything more to say to the man, he'd fallen deathly silent, staring at his hands and listening to the sounds of the tea being made, as if the ground process still wasn't entirely complete.

"One of my past clients... three or so worlds ago, was a Buddhist God," Amberdrake sat down as well, while the water warmed. Usually he kept warm water on hand at all times, but for some reason it had gone cold on him. "My brother is a gryphon, and his creator was my client as well, back on my world during the war. I've met the Star-Eyed Goddess of my people."

He folded his hands together on the table.

"The point is, power tends to trip over me at some point whether we want it to or not. This... is the first time something that strong has been that malicious, but... as a general principle, I'm used to it. I may not be thousands of years old, but I've had quite the varied existence so far."

Which was a pretty impressive list, don't get Cassian wrong. As far as he was concerned there were no real gods anymore, just very powerful entities that said they were and everyone just sort of believed them. He's personally never talked to a God, he's fairly sure, so really, knowing Amberdrake has at least had conversations with entities of immense power was enough to calm... some sort of worry.

"Don't even know what it is, Drake. Tisn't an angel. Tisn't a demon either. No spirit that stands between, this thing wasn't ever human, nor is it fae in nature." He might need some alcohol in his tea.

"Spent two thousand years tryin' to banish it, and I've never been able to come close. My point is I don't know if this thing can kill ye, Amberdrake. Or worse." Having this parasite move from him to Amberdrake was a nightmare to ponder.

"... I don't want to try this again."

Amberdrake frowned slightly at that, "I don't know why your parasite is too stupid to want its host in better shape, but I don't see why that should stop us."

He shook his head.

"I'm not saying precautions aren't in order, but 'all or nothing' is just foolish."

"Well it beats the bloody feckin' hell out of me! As ye can see, ye can't really ask it any questions, it ain't really the conversational type!" Calm down, man.

"I've made it two thousand years without dyin', I'll probably make it another two thousand the way I am."

"Well," Drake looked at his tattooed palm, opening his hand on the table to do so, just to have something to focus on. Something calming. "It didn't care about clearing the fluid or neutralizing the virus. It got mad when I started rebuilding the scarring... the long-term problem. What does it gain out of keeping you sick?"

He frowned at his tattoo, and started tracing the lines on it with the index finger of his other hand. Brush-strokes, really.

"Why do you eat hearts?"

Why yes, he did know about what Sanzo had found. Not that he'd been treating Cassian any differently for it.

"Well of course not, never cared when someone else cleared that swamp out before either." He massaged his temple lightly, taking a deep breath. "I don't know."

Well... at least that he could answer. Though he fell silent at the question for a moment.

"... So I guess the... man I shot told ye that." Look, he didn't call him donkey this time!

"... It was the only thing that ever made livin' any easier. Feed the beast, relieve the illness. I've at least figured out what it gets from it. The husks here don't have what it needs."

He fumbled for a moment, removing his glasses to try and clean them of any dirt. Something to think about, other than this.

"Needs souls."

"Sanzo tells me everything," Amberdrake confirmed, although the implication was clear -- he didn't tell Sanzo everything. He couldn't. Drake was a therapist, a kestra'chern. A guardian of secrets and -- ironically enough, right now -- hearts.

"If you were healthy, you wouldn't have to do what it wants. Keeping you sick keeps meals coming its way. So... it will lash out when anyone or anything threatens its leverage on you."

He wasn't surprised to hear that Sanzo told him shit. He should have expected that one. But... he figured he could trust Drake with this, at least.

The suggestion seemed to make sense too, and he had to ponder upon that for a moment. After all, it only made a fuss once Drake began to work on the actual damage, not clearing out the actual illness itself.

"... It would only figure that would be how it would operate, wouldn't it?"

Couldn't sound more bitter.

Drake got up to finish making the tea, now that he judged the water had had time to get hot enough. He considered the issue while he poured water into one of his many plain clay teapots, this one with an infusing basket with the chosen tea in it. He retrieved a few clay cups and brought them and the pot over to the table.

Pouring tea elegantly was as natural to him as breathing, so he did just that before sitting down, sliding his cup closer to himself.

"I have resources," he said, finally. "I'd like to study that feather, once my head stops hurting. I'll probably give small samples of the vane to a few people. One of whom is very dangerous in his own right, but he's curious if he's anything. He might slip and say something useful, if he finds anything," Drake chuckled softly at that, "if only to try to prove his intellectual superiority."

Gods, he managed some fucked up people. And this... thing... why not get Ukoku involved, honestly.

Except...

"Although if I do that and he finds out the source, he may be a problem for you."

So maybe not. Ugh, his head hurt. The shields had held, but that didn't mean having them beaten on didn't ring his head like a bell.

He took the tea with a vaguely shaking hand, taking a polite little sip of it and allowing the herbs to do their job on his frayed and rattled nerves. Just relax. Things were going to be fine.

Take a deep breath and just think for a while.

"Aye? Do ye? Popular fellow, ye are. First silver now supernatural scientists." Even if the man in question sounded like a massive prick already.

A brow arched slowly at the warning.

"... Amberdrake. If a monster man shows up at me door, I'm not makin' any promises I won't just try to eat him." Welp.

"Eatin' a real person does keep it quiet for at least a few years. Not gonna be any skin off my back."

Drake chuckled and also took a sip of his tea. "The perks of the profession, I suppose. I've always built up an extensive network of people, just by being what I am."

As for eating Ukoku...

"I doubt you'd find him that easy of a meal," he shook his head, "don't mistake my caution for protectiveness. Not of this person. He's been beyond my help for a very, very long time. I entertain his company only to keep him in check."

Which really, really depressed Amberdrake. If there was anything left to save, he'd try. But Ukoku was long past that point, and probably had been ever since the first time he'd draped the Muten Sutra over his shoulders.

"He might eat you, is more of what I'd worry about."

"You're a very easy man to talk with, I'll give ye that."

He took another sip of his tea, a harsh bark of laughter heard as Drake admitted he was more worried about Cassian himself than this man. He shouldn't be arrogant. It wasn't prideful either, but it was something he'd heard many times before.

Of course, those had all mostly been mortal men.

"He's welcome to try. Maybe if he manages it I won't have to worry about bein' a host anymore now will I?"

Drake frowned slightly at that, and looked at his tea. Gallows humor certainly wasn't beyond Amberdrake -- he was a War-Healer, after all! -- but...

This was a little too possible.

"I don't know if it's worth the risk. If he realized you were that thing's host, he'd want it."

Ugh, how much to say? It wasn't like Ukoku was a real client, whose secrets he had to keep, but some of his secrets overlapped with those of people he cared for. Explaining what his sutra did, for example...

"He's plenty dangerous enough, and mad enough, to figure out a way to unleash that thing on the world fully."

Another sip of tea as he started to get comfortable once more, looking unimpressed as Drake attempted to relay just how dangerous he could be-

"Had it for two thousand years, I don't think some berk with a fetish for chaos is going to figure out how to unleash it in two weeks. Give him the feckin' feather, maybe he can at least give the damn thing a name or a definition.

A species would be nice, I could work with that."

Amberdrake drummed the fingers of one hand on the table, torn. Finally, he took his phone out of his pocket and sent a text to Sanzo.

Trying to warn someone about Ukoku. Would mean explaining about the sutras to do it properly. Thoughts?

Sanzo doesn't respond at once, he has to think about his answer carefully.

That doesn't have to come up to warn about him. Why?

Edited 2017-01-01 10:49 (UTC)

I may be putting this person on his radar, I think they should know the danger.

He didn't explain why he might be putting someone on Ukoku's radar. Sanzo knew him well enough to know there had to be a good reason for Drake to even consider taking that risk.