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Post by Bee on Nov 7, 2007 4:08:39 GMT -5
Mnem kept her expression as open and innocent as was possible as she started padding after the stallion again; it was a bit difficult, considering how very devious she was feeling at the moment. She had him hooked, at the very least. Now she just had to reel him in. This was going even better than she had expected. The day wasn't going to be a total wash, after all.
"Someone who owes me quite a bit has refused to pay up when I came calling," she said, voice tight and irate. "I would like to demonstrate to him precisely why this is an unintelligent thing to do. And as for what I kind of information I would offer in return..." She grinned at him. "I'm sure you're quite curious about what sorts of things happen when one gets completely and utterly smashed at a pub while one happens to be in the company of two immensely charming women."
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Post by seraaches on Nov 7, 2007 4:32:39 GMT -5
Blast. Double blast. Triple blast. Quadruple blast. Could he just walk away from that? Even knowing that the dog was likely just stringing him along and she would almost certainly find a way to either tell him something entirely useless or even something untrue? The stallion wasn’t certain if he could take that chance, though. The longer he spent in either of the women’s presence, the more he needed to know wot they’d done to him.
He took a deep breath that came out in a low, annoyed snort. Beating down default payments wasn’t his idea of a good time, though he was a pretty good fighter now. He’d spent years training, after all. He never wanted to be in another situation like when he and Shin were colts. Shin. His heart panged fiercely and the stallion’s entire demeanour reflected his deep, internal grief for a single moment before he quickly rebuilt his daily face. He hadn’t thought about Shin in days! He couldn’t forget his twin; he refused to!
He also refused to let Mnem know wot was so deep in his heart. ”Fine, it’s a deal then. Where is he?” He so shouldn’t actually be helping her, but… he needed the information.
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Post by Bee on Nov 7, 2007 14:42:12 GMT -5
"He's just down the road, actually," said Mnemosyne cheerfully. She always felt a certain sense of elation after getting her way, and the fact that her debtor was about to receive a thorough beatdown bolstered her spirits even more. It was nothing more than the little cretin deserved, really. Mnem had personally rescued the sniveling weasel from a pack of feral felines and had made him one of her--ambassadors, as such. He had been good with negotiation.
He had also been good at getting himself into more trouble than he could handle, and Mnem had kept bailing him out until he finally became so bothersome that even his conniving, cheating deal-making had not been enough to prompt her to keep him around. He had lost her money, and she had considered just offing him, but had ended up letting him live so as to collect later.
"I'll show you the way," she added. He weasel was staying in a small, dingy apartment that actually wasn't terribly far from where Mnem and Minh were living. "Follow me."
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Post by seraaches on Nov 7, 2007 21:56:20 GMT -5
Shinrai sighed under his breath, the words an undertone. ”As if I really had a choice.” It was supposed to stroke his pride or something that he had officially ‘agreed’ to coming; they’d made a deal, and all of that. Deep down, however, the stallion knew it was all pretense. Maybe he mused thoughtfully, hightailing it anytime they came into sight would take care of the problem; but that lacked a certain dignity required of a Jack of Hearts.
He followed the multi-coloured female’s form with further trepidation. It wasn’t that he didn’t think he could handle whoever it was she wanted him to deal with; really this was below him. Ah, well. He knew that when he agreed. They moved from the nicer part of the Capital to the slummier area and Rai’s ears tilted backwards before continuing their paranoid dance one way then another. Unconsciously, his carriage changed, taller, prouder; a dare to any miscreant to try him; oddly, no one was willing to take him up on the unspoken challenge. ”How much farther?” he asked quietly as he eyed a squirrel passed out by a trashcan.
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Post by Bee on Nov 7, 2007 22:26:27 GMT -5
She let them walk along a little further without answering. There wasn't really a point, not when they were so close.
"We're here," she announced. They had arrived at the complex, a shabby little affair that really was perfectly suited to the weasel that resided within. Not that the abode she and Minh stayed in could necessarily be regarded as high-class or even remotely respectable, but that was hardly the point. They were living there for a reason. The weasel was living here because he was a cretin.
Mnem opened the door and peered into the entryway, making sure no one was roaming about to spot them. Then she turned back to Shinrai.
"All I need you to do, darling, is hurt him in the appropriate manner when I give you the go-ahead."
She lead them to the correct door, and then turned to Shinrai with a wide grin. "Why don't you introduce us?"
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Post by seraaches on Nov 8, 2007 2:59:08 GMT -5
Shinrai sent her a flat glance then sighed and banged a hoof against the door continuously until an angry looking weasel jerked the door open, mouth opening to ream those who dared interrupt him so rudely. The stallion didn’t give the weasel a chance to, however, immediately concentrating on his innate magic to cause pain on the lower Card.
The Six of Spades squealed in pain as Rai began with a low level of pain, one of his Heart abilities. The weasel grabbed at his left hip and Shinrai took that opportunity to lunge at the creature. He knocked the being back indoors and stood dispassionately over the writhing creature, waiting for Mnem to come inside as well. ”Hello, scum. I believe you remember my associate. I wanted to encourage you to play nice when she comes to call.” He increased the pain manifesting on the weasel’s hindquarters and the Six gave a low scream. The stallion flicked an ear towards Mnem, wondering briefly if she had anything to add.
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Post by Bee on Nov 8, 2007 3:21:33 GMT -5
Mnem had never really considered Shinrai's rank and suit; she was generally attentive to social structure; and perhaps it was because they met under circumstances that involved Mnem having the upper hand entirely, but Mnem had never really counted the stallion among a higher class even though he was a Jack of Hearts and she a Seven of Diamonds. She always thought of herself as being on higher ground.
Now, however, she was quite delighted to have that kind of power in her service. She stepped into the apartment to the lovely tune of the weasel's pained howls. If Akhar thought this was painful, he was in for a very cruel surprise.
She smiled down at the weasel, and made no attempt to hide her triumph. "Darling," she told him, "I told you before I left last time that you had made me terribly unhappy. You're not going to keep making me unhappy, are you?"
Akhar choked out something indignant that was almost assuredly defiance. Mnem couldn't have that. She gave a sigh of mock-sadness and nodded to Rai.
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Post by seraaches on Nov 8, 2007 5:41:05 GMT -5
Shinrai gave a bored impression of surprise at the weasel’s response; it should have been immediately evident that not only was the canine not to be crossed, but the stallion had the means to make him very unhappy with minimal effort. However, since he was here, he might as well play with some of the ideas he’d had regarding his ability and other pain. He lessened the use of his ability just so the weasel began to get some relief then turned deliberately around to shoot his own hind leg out and crack the Six’s left femur. The weasel howled in sudden pain, the noise suddenly becoming louder and higher pitched as the Jack dispassionately increased his ability through the weasel’s hindquarters yet again. The two layers of pain interacted nicely and Shinrai was making mental calculations in case he needed to do such a thing again.
Akhar was presented with two likely frightening prospects: a canine who gloried in the weasel’s pain and torment and a horse who really just couldn’t care less.
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Post by Bee on Nov 8, 2007 14:44:25 GMT -5
Mnem watched the stallion demonstrate his abilities with some degree of curiosity. She had never before seen him do so. Mnem herself possessed a bit of magic, but it wasn't anything she had ever head to learn. She was a bit more convincingly manipulative than most people--well, perhaps quite a bit more--and she was adept at languages. Not things that would assist her in fighting, really, or merely in giving someone a sound thrashing, as Shinrai was doing, but immensely useful in everyday situations. Life would be a bit easier if she were able to just administer her own beatings, but it would also be messier and a good deal less fun.
"Hold on just a moment, Shinrai," she said, looking carefully at the pained face of the wretched little beast the stallion was beating on. "I want to see if my dear associate is ready to admit his error and cooperate fully."
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Post by seraaches on Nov 9, 2007 2:29:30 GMT -5
Shinrai seemed to think about it for a very long minute, but eventually he subsided, leaving the pain low-level though constant through the weasel's body. It had felt as though a branding iron was pressed through the fur of Akhar's hindquarters and for now it seemed like a sizzling pressure threatening to blister at any moment. The stallion was thus far unimpressed with the weasel's performance and hoped that the stupid Spade would cave quickly just so the stallion could go about his other business.
Actually, now that he was here, Rai was just a little bit curious about exactly wot the female canine did for a living. She obviously walked the darker side of the Capital City's streets and the stallion almost wanted to know why. If he learned, it might give him a better clue as to wot had occurred to him that night when he unfortunately drank too much. This incident, however, he laid fully upon Mnem's shoulders. He had been drinking a great deal before she showed up, but the better alcohol had soon overwhelmed his system. He watched the Yarrow Gardens canine through narrowed eyes.
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