Roses are Red and so is Blood [Finished]

[Kari Muffin]

Rosemary grinned. "Well you know, since this is a gathering place of mages. We're going to see what "research" they've performed." Of course that didn't sound threatening at all but then again Rhi didn't know Joe's specialty.

"Josephine specializes in breaking people mentally, so I promise the people in this place are going to be at least a little scary." And maybe they could kick some ass while they were at it. Not like Rosemary was very good at fighting, but she did have her sword when things came down to it. Plus she didn't have to aim for the ankles anymore.

When they went through the door and down the steps it was like a completely different world. There were groups of people discussing various things. Books and such were laying around on open tables, along with drinks and various ornate looking weapons.

And the people... all had something "odd" about them.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Breaking people? Well that certainly sounded rather interesting, in a terrifying sort of way. Terrifying was good, however. Terrifying took her mind somewhere else, distracting her from all of the other things that were busily going bad in her life. It was a wonderful sort of distraction, and would hopefully not have negative effects on her pregnancy. "That sounds just lovely, really.[/b]" the woman said, grinning broadly, her eyebrows raising slightly. "Sounds like your aunt has a number of really good friends.[/b]"

And sure enough, this place was freaking bizzare. The room seemed to be compeltely saturated with a feeling of "weird", and Rhiannon felt somehow right at home in the middle of all of it. She began to wander the room, glancing at the tables, hesitating when she found a particularly interesting book.

"Rose, come check this out,[/b]" Rhiannon said as she looked the strange book over. So far, no one had seemed to notice them, which was almost certainly a good thing. There were people from all realms, but they all seemed to know each other. Surely, a pair of newbies wouldn't take long to be noticed. "It looks like it's made of bones...[/b]"

[Kari Muffin]

Rosemary instantly perked up at the mention of bones. That normally meant Hisstors. Hisstors and mages sometimes meant necromancy or crazy head cases. She slipped up besides Rhi and took a closer look at the book. It was made out of bones, and... the paper was animal hide wasn't it.

She flipped it open. Still no one was really paying attention to them. And...it was written in common. Jackpot. "Well it looks like we can read it since it's in common. But... feel the pages! It's actually made out of animal hide rather than plant matter. Someone put a lot of love and care in this. And... oh." Rosemary raised an eyebrow at what was written in it.

These people may have been friendly but they really did enjoy breaking other people mentally, and from this book it seemed physically.

An older man, a Highlander of course, glanced over at the pair of them. "Fresh blood? Who might you young ladies be?" He asked cheerfully.

That was faster than Rosemary had anticipated. "Rose. My specialty is... memory modification." She glanced at his rank and suit. Oh good, he wasn't a diamond, she needed to check before she said things like that. "This is my associate."

[carcinoGeneticist]

Rhiannon grinned as she peered at the pages, giving them a careful sniff. Wow, they even smelled like dead things! Her snout wrinkled slightly as she glanced at Rosemary again, her eyebrows perking and yellow eyes glinting wickedly. "You know... I bet this isn't animal hide,[/b]" she commented, reaching out and gently scraping a claw across the page. "For some reason, I'm thinking that it's Card hide... Probably not even made from Aces.[/b]" Creepy stuff.

Her ears flicked back as the Highlander approached. Damn it all, why couldn't they have snuck out with the interesting book uninterrupted? As it was, it was looking as if they would get to play a fun game of acting the part. She would do her best to not blow the game wide open like she'd done last time.

"Rayna.[/b]" she offered, not wanting to give her real name. After all, she was a face in the Heart's Court, and she didn't want to be linked back there. As for her specialty? "Schizophrenia. Giving it to others, that is,[/b]" she chuckled. The word had come out without her even thinking about it. After all, it was one of her real-life specialties...

[Kari Muffin]

"Oh my, what an interesting pair you are! I'm Suman, my specialty is subliminal messaging. Are you a couple?" He asked as he glanced at the book. Odd, that wasn't related to their specialty. Were they trying to dabble outside of their areas. They obviously weren't from this area. And where was that faint smell of flowers coming from?

"We're just friends. And we were wondering if you knew a bit about this book here?" Rosemary smiled cordially.

"Ah yes... that is a rather usual book that belongs to the terrifying man over there. If you want to know more about it I suggest you ask him... and if you were thinking of running off with it, he's likely to hunt you down and skin you alive for it. They say he made the book pages from his dead wife." The Highlander shuddered.

Rosemary couldn't help but perk up. Now she really wanted to bolt with the book. She glanced over at the man who was pointed out. He was a rather odd mix, Hisstor-Highlander from the looks of it. A giant bird of pray to boot.

"Hey Ray.... what do you say we ask him if he has anything else in his collection?"

[carcinoGeneticist]

The hybrid's ears flicked back and she glanced at her companion. Them? A couple? She had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. It wasn't that Rosemary wasn't attractive, she was, very much so... But she wasn't Rhiannon's type. Besides, they'd know each other for years, and Rhiannon knew that sex would only get in the way of more important things. Like completely ruining the gatherings of crazed mages. "A pleasure, Suman.[/b]" she replied politely, slipping into the front that she often put on in the courts.

She glanced at the man, supressing a slight shudder. Well, he certainly was an odd-looking one, wasn't he? Very imposing, and if what Suman had said was true... Well, she could guess that the man was likely to provide them with entertainment for the rest of the night.

She grinned at Rosemary. "Sounds like a plan to me. He does look like an interesting fellow, doesn't he? I bet he'll have a thing or two to tell us.[/b]" she led the way the the man, holding her tail low out of respect. She didn't want to step on any toes around here. "Excuse me, sir?[/b]" she called out when they drew near the man, wiping the smile off of her face. "My associate and I have a few questions for you about your work, if you don't mind.[/b]"

[Kari Muffin]

Rosemary refrained from cackling. Oh yes this was going to be a fun evening. Though she couldn't help but wonder what would happen if her Aunt found out that someone name Rose was running around causing chaos in little Mage gatherings.

She trotted up besides Rhi, bowing her head out of respect for the man. He was indeed intimidating, and stood well above them. Even for a biped bird, he was tall. He also looked like he could pop their heads off like daises if they did anything wrong. His suit was obscured by his sleeveless coat, but there was still a black "J" on his chest.

He looked at the pair of them intently. "What is it you want to know?"

No introductions, no fanfare. He wanted to get down to business. He didn't want to deal with all the trivial stuff that went on with all the other Mages. That was probably why there was only one other person who seemed interested in having a conversation with him.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Rhiannon looked the man over carefully when he turned to face them. He really was an impressive specimine of a bird, with far more muscles than she was used to seeing. She raised an eyebrow appreciatively, her gaze lingering on the marking on his chest. Okay, so if something bad happened, it might be a little more difficult for them to deal with, but nothing outside of her control. At least, she certainly hoped not. She didn't want to be on the wrong side of his anger. She was certain that it wouldn't be a pretty thing, and for whatever reason, she felt a very strong desire to protect herself.

And the life that was just budding inside of her. She shook the thought off almost as quickly as it bubbled up in her mind.

Well. There was certainly no wasting time with the strange man. Rhiannon's ears twitched slightly and she glanced at Rosemary. How, exactly, should she work with this situation? They needed to get some more information, it was true. "We saw your book. Fascinating stuff, truely.[/b]" she nodded to the other canine, then turned back to the bird. "We were curious to see if you had brought any other artifacts that we could possibly take a look at.[/b]"

[Kari Muffin]

"Yes, the contents of the book were simply fascinating. I never thought to use such a method for magic." Rosemary chimed in with a smile.

The man's facial expression didn't change. He gave a small nod before speaking. "You liked the book? It was a rather difficult one to make. If it weren't for my wife I never would have learned about such spells. If you want to look at my other books, I have a stack of them right over there. Take your time browsing through them. If you find anything you like.... I might let you keep it. Not many people appreciate my work."

His voice was like nails on a chalk board when he spoke for long periods of time. Rosemary found her ears pressed back on her skull. "Thank you sir." She said with a small bow. King or not, the man could kick her ass. She was going to be careful. She trotted over to the stack of books he had pointed to.

They were all made of dead things.

[carcinoGeneticist]

It took all of Rhiannon's strength to keep her ears perked and interested rather than flattened back, but she was terrified of offending the man. She gave a small nod and then smiled graciously. "A real pity, that.[/b]" she said, a touch of sadness entering her voice as she shook her head. "But isn't it always when the work of a genious is ignored?[/b]" She glanced at Rosemary, hoping her performance wasn't too over the top.

She followed the other canine to the table, glancing behind her at the avian to make sure he was out of earshot. Feeling secure, she whispered out of the corner of her mouth to Rosemary. "Real piece of work, huh?[/b]" she glanced over the materials, supressing a shudder. These people were amazing, and this man even creepier than most of them. "I wonder if all of them are Cards.. or family members, even.[/b]" Carefully, she opened one. Ugh, that was just lovely.

"What now?[/b]" she said, turning to Rosemary.