Talking to Yourself (ended!)

[carcinoGeneticist]

It wasn't an uncommon thing to find the young woman sitting in one of the less-used hallways of the Court, enjoying the quiet that she could find only in those dark places.

She was there now, seeking a moment's rest from the four children she sired and from the two she was mother to. They were all asleep, but she needed some time to gather her thoughts before she could answer the questions they had for her. It would be much easier with Lior home... But she had heard nothing from him since he'd initially set out to deal with... No. She wouldn't think about that.

Her scythe, Apocalypse, sat across her lap, and she absently ran a paw across his gleaming surface. "You think so?[/b]" she murmured to no one in particular, her paw pausing and resting against the cool metal. "No, no, I don't disagree, it's just nice to hear that you agree with me.[/b]" a small smile crossed her face, and she laughed, settling back a little bit. The scythe, as strange and grating as he could be, provided her with a great deal of comfort - and with Xiven as busy as she was in the courts, Rhiannon just didn't feel right unloading on her.

One of the hybrid's ears twiched. Had she heard someone coming, or was it her imagination? She'd come a long way since she was the 6 that snuck around in the courts, but she was still overly cautious about being snuck up on, and she slid her paws onto a more offensive position on the weapon.

Better to be safe than sorry, after all.

[Vyn]

Due to the recent surge in court population -- ugh, baby booms! -- Mephit had found herself traveling through the lesser-known corridors more and more often. The back ways and secret passages -- thank you, Peaches -- really did a wonderful job of getting the doe from one place to another without being assaulted by a hoard of babbling children. It also kept her free of most temptations to use the little monsters as test subjects.

Avoidance really was the best solution sometimes and it kept her out of trouble better than the alternative option of violence.

Slipping around a corner, the serpentine doe was caught off guard by a sudden flash of color occupying the hall. What? Slowly she looked up, orange eyes flickering with a light of their own as she took in the winged canine and her impressive weapon. Hmm.

"Good evening, Your Highness, Rhiannon." Mephit murmured formally, eyeing the bog dweller cautiously as she continued toward her. She hadn't yet gotten the chance to speak with the female, but she'd been interested in her for some time. Hadn't she heard something about Rhi being interested in poisons?

[carcinoGeneticist]

For a moment, Rhiannon's bright yellow eyes looked the elegant Doe over. Recognition flickered briefly over her expression, and her posture relaxed, the scythe in her grip moving to a less defensive positioning, resting against the canine-hybrid's shoulder, the blade trailing backwards between her folded wings.

This was a lucky chance, wasn't it? Rhiannon had been planning to arrange a meeting with the woman. She had many questions, and rumor held that the doe might have the answers to at least some of them.

Perhaps Rhiannon could answer some of the woman's own, in time?

"Your Excellency Mephitista,[/b]" the woman replied, bowing her head ever so slightly to the other woman. "It's an honor to finally meet you. I trust the day finds you well?[/b]" Rhiannon hated the formalities that went along with court life at most times. From what she knew of the woman, Mephit would most likely rather delve into discussions of poisons and the like rather than toe around niceties, but the hybrid didn't want to take any chances.

[Vyn]

It was always satisfying when your interest in something was shared. A shared love of poisons was one thing, and a mutual hatred for batting around the bush with niceties was even better.

Best of all, however, was that Mephit could clearly hear exactly what the canine mix thought of her and Mephitisia liked what she heard. That always put her in a better mood when she was speaking with someone. A slow smirk tugged at the corners of Mephit's muzzle and she inclined her head briefly.

"An honour..." Mephitisia inclined her head in greeting, but never once took her eyes off of Rhi. "The day finds me well enough." Orange orbs regarded Rhi carefully for a moment before the doe pressed on. "Was there, perhaps, something you wished to speak to me about?" Usually it was easiest just to voice other's opinions for them. More often than not they didn't even notice they hadn't said anything.

For most, though, it was easy enough just to slip in a casual comment that didn't entirely breech upon the 'privacy' of their thoughts. Mephit had no intention of revealing her secrets.

[carcinoGeneticist]

It seemed she'd be correct in her guess. The woman's tail twitched, almost a wag, a movement borne of amusement. Mephitista seemed like the sort of person that Rhiannon could grow to like, given the chance to spend more time with her.

"As a matter of fact,[/b]" the coyote said as she rose to her feet elegantly, tail waving a little more obviously now. "There was. I've been told that you have quite a gift when it comes to poisons. I've been thinking about their uses as of late, and I have an interest in seeing about adding a little sting to an ability I learned when I was young.[/b]" A small grin tugged at the corner of her mouth, eyes glittering darkly.

Rhiannon was quickly getting obsessed with power, and the scythe she held had no small role in that. That brought her to another thought, however, and she considered her next words for a moment.

"I've heard rumors that you've been spending time with Marie,[/b]" she commented in an almost off-handed sort of way. The subject of sentient weapons had always been one of great interest to the woman, and now that she had one of her own, she wanted to find out about the others. Marie had never been exactly forthcoming, however. "I must say, I'm quite impressed.[/b]"

[Vyn]

Oh Mephit could appreciate this girl. She might even be able to learn to like her in return, but that was a slim chance... Maybe. At very least she'd give her a chance, which was far more than she gave other people. Especially so when she mentioned poisons.

Mephit slowly arched a brow. "Is that so? What would you like to know then? Or is it just a general interest in poisons?" Either way, Mephit's interest was caught. She hadn't found many people that enjoyed her work with poisons, nor had she been fully aware that people believed her to have 'quite a gift' with them. It was an intriguing notion, though, especially when she considered that it was more of her side research than the main subject.

And then the coyote's attention wandered down another path... or perhaps a different end of the same one? But the offhanded comment arose nevertheless and Mephit shrugged absently in response. "I have. She's good company, and she enjoys work in the dungeons." And that she wasn't unbearable at the same time was a great pleasure for Mephit. That this also impressed Rhi fascinated Mephit. "O? Is it hard for most to get along with her?"

[carcinoGeneticist]

This was going far better than she'd hoped it would. Rhiannon could feel the starts of excitement racing through her, anticipation fueling it. She gave the Doe an almost apologetic glance, then made an unpleasant sound, spitting a thick and sticky ball of some kind of disgusting substance onto the ground a ways from where they stood. There was no better way to explain a thought than through demonstration, after all.

"I'd advise keeping a reasonable distance, it's quite sticky.[/b]" She commented in an off-handed sort of way, glancing at the mound of ick. It was amazing stuff all on its own, but she wanted it to be something... more. "As it is, I value it immensely. Get it in someone's eyes, they're blind for the rest of the fight. I had just been entertaining the thought of... Adding to it.[/b]"

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Pale laughed. "I do hope someone comes down here in a hurry and steps in that." She smiled at it. That was an amusing thought indeed.

She nods in reply to the doe's final statement. "My Queen's told me stories about the way she can act when she's unhappy, so I'd imagine she'd be a valuble ally to have. When I was younger, I was fascinated by her. I never worked up the nerve to talk to her, though. Now I've got one of my own to deal with.[/b]"

"I resent that.[/i]" Rhiannon snorted.

[Vyn]

Mephit slowly arched a brow as she was offered the apologetic look before... well, before Rhi suddenly hocked up a rather unpleasant looking lump of something. The doe did not want to think that it may be mucus, though it probably was.

Ugh, filthy bodies...

Regardless of the grossness of the ability, Mephit was intrigued by the possibilities. "Adding to it might be quite intriguing, especially if it can blind people already. A toxin would definitely spice things up." Mephit quite liked that idea, it made the sticky mass of ick a lot less appalling and a decent bit more intriguing.

"Marie does have a temper, but it is nothing less than to be expected of an Axe and of Serafino's weapon." Mephit would never think of Marie as 'belonging' to her. She would always be just a visitor and a friend, if even a friend. Mephit didn't exactly 'bond' easily to begin with, though she didn't dislike Marie's company in the least. "She's useful in the dungeons though, and a skilled assistant. I value her company." Huh, a bit hard to say. Was that friendship? Mephit brushed the thought off and continued without much pause. "Your own, hm?" Her eyes roved to the scythe, studying it briefly. "After your prolonged interest you must be quite pleased with having your own?"

[carcinoGeneticist]

The momentary arching of a borw, then the disgusted look... Rhiannon's grin stretched from ear to ear when the Doe finally spoke. From what she'd heard about the other woman, as disgusting as an ability had the potential to be, if it could be turned into something that could potentially inflict pain... Then it would be worthwhile, in some way.

"Perhaps an agent to burn as well as stick.[/b]" the coyote hybrid suggested with a thoughtful flip of her tail. She'd only gotten to use the ability once or twice, but she had already seen the potential destruction that could be involved. "But from what I've heard of your expertise, I'm very sure that you could think up something much more fun than that.[/b]" There was a little bit of a challenge in her meaning, to be sure, but also an invitation for the Doe to think up something really fun, and a heaping load of respect for the other woman.

"Very true.[/b]" Rhiannon mused, running a paw across her own weapon again. "My own... Sometimes, it's easy to forget what he is. They seem to become whatever it is that you need, and Marie... I'm glad that she's found someone to spend time with. I've worried about her in the past, I imagine having a companion is doing wonders for her. Especially if you're bringing her into the dungeons. And yes, I am quite happy. He's very useful to have around when he isn't demanding every little bit of my time.[/b]" she grinned toothily at Mephit.

"I'm worth it."

The man materialized where once the scythe had lain, and Rhiannon quickly took her paws away, a heated blush crossing her cheeks. The man grinned at her, and then turned his attention to the Doe, looking curious. "Your Excellency," he said with a smile, eyes glinting as he bowed. "A pleasure. I'm Apocalypse."

Rhiannon raised an eyebrow. "You love being dramatic, don't you? Just call him Pale.[/b]" Pale stared at her, then shrugged.

[Vyn]

Mephit had to admit she had a bit of an ego, and knowing when people were stroking it was a wonderful thing. In fact, that silly bracelet she'd been given was one of the best gifts she had ever received and took a great deal of the edge out of her day. Paranoia wasn't as necessary when you knew how everyone felt about you.

"A mild form of acid shouldn't be too hard to combine with it, and something more... toxic will be fun to add." Mephit liked the way this girl thought, it was pleasantly intriguing. She loved when her days turned out to be more pleasant than she'd expected. It put her in a far better mood, especially when she got to poison something along the way.

Marie was not entirely what Mephit needed but the company did please her... so, in a way, she supposed Marie had fulfilled that. A strange concept. "Someone so close to your heart undoubtedly will." The doe smirked a little, inwardly pleased that she was disconnected from Marie just enough that it did not become a parasitically needy companionship. That would not suit her. Before she could say more, however, the scythe very abruptly materialized into a tall, pale man.

With a flare for the dramatic.

Mephit's lip twitched back into it's smirk and the serpentine doe extended her hand smoothly. "A pleasure, Apocalypse." Her eyes roved slowly over him, taking in the features of this unusual creature. The streak over his arm perhaps stated that he was from the Bog, like his summoner, which would make sense. "You are definitely the imposing figure I would expect of a scythe." Which was as close as a compliment Mephit was going to offer.