Elta Kesstel wrote:
As she took notice of just how packed the establishment was, the chitinous woman seemed to chew at nothingness in her mouth in unconcealed nervousness before looking back over at how shy the long eared fellow seemed next to her, which calmed her some. "Flattery a bit, sir. But kind of you. My shell has seen better days, though. The luster has been scuffed off a bit lately." She lets her eyes wander to the Imperials, taking particular interest in their drawn restraint in this environment. It was a sort of regal civility she recognized... the kind worn in the presence of your enemies in diplomatic settings. But they did seem well disciplined, so her curiosity drew her out. "Your composure is impeccable. You must serve a profound cause. It blazes in your eyes nearly as much as it grinds at your teeth. What are these heretics you refer to?"
Guards instinctively raised their lasguns as the xenos approached only to be dismissed by a single raised hand, the subtle clatter of knife and fork as Aleksandr enjoyed a sumptuous meal complete with a glass of chilled ruby red amasec had come to pause before this interruption. His steel gaze locked upon the being before him, a cold calculating and tactical glance as if peering into her motives and assessing her with a scrutiny and thoroughness only a battle-hardened military man would wield.
" Gentlemen, we have in our presence a particularly rare specimen of Xeno, you bring forth fond memories of the Damocles crusade... in the... Imperial dialect, we refer to your kind as Vespids. Though I have never happened upon a morph of your variety, please excuse the dour mannerisms of my guardsmen, their orders are to shoot first and ask questions later on account of the xenos species in our universe being spectacularly more violent than those found within this reach... please feel free to join us, you have my sanction "
Aleksandr added, lighting his smoking pipe and setting his boots upon the table, continuing to survey the being before him.
" I am Lord General Aleksandr Von Drakenfell, commander of the Emperor's Battlegroup Arpat, I am responsible for strategic initiatives to ensure the pacification of this sector and in establishing imperial control on worlds that have not yet been inhabited. We belong to the Imperium of Man in our universe if you will, I understand this place is sort of a rift where different kin mingle, a curious oddity, one that I not only tolerate but enjoy at times on account of good food and good drink... ahem... some point earlier you inquired what a heretic is... allow me to demonstrate. "
The lord general would slowly brandish a menacing looking weapon, tarnished from countless years of service across a myriad campaigns across countless worlds, the lord general traced the razor sharp teeth, moving them as they sounded a subtle click.
" A heretic is whatever finds itself at the other end of this, and it is one of my favorites, I call it Ryland after an honored paragon of the schola progenium. I hope this knowledge serves you well and I hope this will be the last of your inquiries into heretics, I forgive your curiosity on account of unfamiliarity but typically the matter of heretics does not beg questions, it demands extermination.
Aleksandr put the chainsword away,
" Ours is not a cause really, it is an inexorable march whose first step was cast the moment the Emperor laid eyes upon the skies above Terra. It is born of necessity in a universe where the grim darkness of war is the only reality and the law is to kill or be killed. "
Pausing, her meal gripped tightly between her lips, she watches the unrestrained display of authority and confidence keenly. After considering her position there, she slowly pulls back the slab of meat from her mouth and sets it down on her plate. The area around where her fangs had latched barely resembles meat anymore, blackened and liquefied for the most part, her venom having reduced it to what she'd been drinking down, and she lifts her plate, taking the offer to join, though she's still not sure if it had been meant as a platitude or a sincere offer, with as much threat loomed around it. But that threat enticed her. She seated herself opposite him, the clarity of the danger far preferable to the ambient anxiety the broader expanse of the bar. "So... If I glean what you seem to imply, You know it when you see it... and it's best not to know any more than that. Is that a fair read, Lord General? Vespid... is not a name I've known. Xenos... I also outside my experience. With your blessing, I don't suppose you'd find me ill company if I asked for greater insight into those two words, with heresy being a topic more demanding of action than conversation?" Something about the transparency of the man drew her into this. He was clearly the most likely genuine threat in the room, but his discipline made even his threat calm her anxieties, and her hand ceased its drumming by the time she'd gotten situated across from him.
Mikazuki just raised an eyebrow, as you do. Seeing as how one man would blatantly ignore the no weapons rule, so too would he—as he reached through his sling and set his handgun on the table he was sitting at, disconnected from Barbatos—and even with his left arm unmoving, he didn't seem to care as he disassembled that gun, and worked on cleaning it.
Elta Kesstel wrote:
Pausing, her meal gripped tightly between her lips, she watches the unrestrained display of authority and confidence keenly. After considering her position there, she slowly pulls back the slab of meat from her mouth and sets it down on her plate. The area around where her fangs had latched barely resembles meat anymore, blackened and liquefied for the most part, her venom having reduced it to what she'd been drinking down, and she lifts her plate, taking the offer to join, though she's still not sure if it had been meant as a platitude or a sincere offer, with as much threat loomed around it. But that threat enticed her. She seated herself opposite him, the clarity of the danger far preferable to the ambient anxiety the broader expanse of the bar. "So... If I glean what you seem to imply, You know it when you see it... and it's best not to know any more than that. Is that a fair read, Lord General? Vespid... is not a name I've known. Xenos... I also outside my experience. With your blessing, I don't suppose you'd find me ill company if I asked for greater insight into those two words, with heresy being a topic more demanding of action than conversation?" Something about the transparency of the man drew her into this. He was clearly the most likely genuine threat in the room, but his discipline made even his threat calm her anxieties, and her hand ceased its drumming by the time she'd gotten situated across from him.
Aleksandr found the company of this quaint xenos amicable, she had a grace in the way she conducted herself, barring the utter annihilation of the steak prior and he found her mannerisms to accommodate the decorum, naturally this orderliness and adherence to etiquette earned her Aleksandr's admirations which begged the question of who read who? nevertheless, affairs in this context were strictly... diplomatic, Aleksandr wasn't one to turn down a request laid so humbly.
" Alas, not always "
He added with a subtle grin, tracing the scar down the side of his face, responding to her comment regarding knowing when he saw it.
" Fortunately, the fool didn't count on my being prepared for such a contingency, ergo, the chainsword and a few other trinkets if you will, necessary precautions you see, for one can never doubt the lengths a scoundrel is willing to go... "
He paused shooting a glance to that one particular reprobate.
" But as always... The Emperor... Protects. "
Aleksandr gesticulated in languid, relaxed motions his posture seemed to portray he was relaxed in the company of his guest, an ornately gilded tin was opened up and offered to her, Rhenish delights, a sort of confection with each piece combining the flavors of ginger, orgeat, elderflower and mint and a soothing after effect, that perhaps would or would not carry over to her alien biology.
" To speak of heresy and heretics is a matter of contention, dare I say verboten amongst the imperial gentry, the subject itself draws the ire of the ministorum and I should not hope to invoke the wrath of the inquisition. So I will embark upon your query in an allegorical manner. In imperial terminology it is a term of supreme condemnation, it represents a departure... no... an act of transgression against the doctrines of the Emperor and mankind itself, while some in the ministorum would use the term liberally, in the context of our universe, a heretic is someone who surrenders to the ruinous powers or influence on account of conveniences or worse yet desires offered by fleeting warp sorceries... a deception unto oneself is damnable enough but a heretic, by virtue of embarking upon the unsanctioned path, inevitably endangers us all... heretics are deluded into notions of freedoms and often find themselves the slaves of the things that once promised them something better... there is no better... there is only the present... and the present is war. Heresy is a flaw and a shame vested into the mortal ilk and we expunge it with prejudice, for one of the greatest travesties in our history was not wrought upon us by something from the great nether, it rose from amongst us. Mankind is possessed of a vicious intellect that urges the battle to survive, the corruption of this, the turning of this against its own... that is heresy.
Aleksandr paused taking a puff of smoke,
" There will always be those who beg to differ, and debate on such things to no productive end... I've merely given you my two thrones on it, the war room is a place where matters are considered and decisions are made, the discourse is left to the halls of the ministorum and administratum. Therefore I presented to you my due unto heretics as is most apt to my role, a heretic invariably lies at the end of mine chainsword, never a matter of if, but when. "
Ami 'Gravedigger' Arpatia wrote:
She thought for a moment before saying, "Care for something to eat and drink over here please, Mathius?" She had been slightly hungry after the adventure she went through and thought for some food and drink to help her take the edge off for the moment.
He brought her some chicken marsala with white wine. "Here you go, Sister Mimi"
As the man before her spoke in terms she found almost sterile in their caution, her respect for him rose. Even as he reclined, she couldn't help but admire how his body never truly relaxed. Simply held itself like iron in the shapes of a casual man. Extending her hand out, she took the offered confection from the tin, plucking it out with the tips of her claws before holding it up to scrutinize it. Unsure of how it would react to her venom, she took it into her mouth in its entirety, so that if it proved particularly vulnerable to her corrosive bite, it wouldn't make an obscene mess. As she let her venom do its work, it gave her time to listen to his words more closely. By the time his careful explanation finished, the confection was a puddle in her mouth and she swallowed it at once, finding little, if anything of flavor for her pallet to it, but as it had broken down, the smell had been quite a treat, and she let out a slow breath after swallowing, to appreciate what remained of its vapors.
"So heresy... is dis-union, moreso than disloyalty, though I take it in your Imperium, well enough understood that it would almost necessitate disloyalty to be succumbed to? Is this Imperial unity what propogates such men as yourself? You're rather distinct. I can't say I've encountered many... no... I've certainly not encountered any who bear themselves as you do. Your... accompaniment seems to have similar traits, though might be more familiar to my own experiences. They have more the focus of warriors. You strike me more as a hunter. Speaking as one, of course... I at least see a relatable nimbleness of mind that a hunter must posess. Though for whatever reason, you seem more advanced in that path than I would claim myself to be."
"So heresy... is dis-union, moreso than disloyalty, though I take it in your Imperium, well enough understood that it would almost necessitate disloyalty to be succumbed to? Is this Imperial unity what propogates such men as yourself? You're rather distinct. I can't say I've encountered many... no... I've certainly not encountered any who bear themselves as you do. Your... accompaniment seems to have similar traits, though might be more familiar to my own experiences. They have more the focus of warriors. You strike me more as a hunter. Speaking as one, of course... I at least see a relatable nimbleness of mind that a hunter must posess. Though for whatever reason, you seem more advanced in that path than I would claim myself to be."
Elta Kesstel wrote:
As the man before her spoke in terms she found almost sterile in their caution, her respect for him rose. Even as he reclined, she couldn't help but admire how his body never truly relaxed. Simply held itself like iron in the shapes of a casual man. Extending her hand out, she took the offered confection from the tin, plucking it out with the tips of her claws before holding it up to scrutinize it. Unsure of how it would react to her venom, she took it into her mouth in its entirety, so that if it proved particularly vulnerable to her corrosive bite, it wouldn't make an obscene mess. As she let her venom do its work, it gave her time to listen to his words more closely. By the time his careful explanation finished, the confection was a puddle in her mouth and she swallowed it at once, finding little, if anything of flavor for her pallet to it, but as it had broken down, the smell had been quite a treat, and she let out a slow breath after swallowing, to appreciate what remained of its vapors.
"So heresy... is dis-union, moreso than disloyalty, though I take it in your Imperium, well enough understood that it would almost necessitate disloyalty to be succumbed to? Is this Imperial unity what propogates such men as yourself? You're rather distinct. I can't say I've encountered many... no... I've certainly not encountered any who bear themselves as you do. Your... accompaniment seems to have similar traits, though might be more familiar to my own experiences. They have more the focus of warriors. You strike me more as a hunter. Speaking as one, of course... I at least see a relatable nimbleness of mind that a hunter must posess. Though for whatever reason, you seem more advanced in that path than I would claim myself to be."
"So heresy... is dis-union, moreso than disloyalty, though I take it in your Imperium, well enough understood that it would almost necessitate disloyalty to be succumbed to? Is this Imperial unity what propogates such men as yourself? You're rather distinct. I can't say I've encountered many... no... I've certainly not encountered any who bear themselves as you do. Your... accompaniment seems to have similar traits, though might be more familiar to my own experiences. They have more the focus of warriors. You strike me more as a hunter. Speaking as one, of course... I at least see a relatable nimbleness of mind that a hunter must posess. Though for whatever reason, you seem more advanced in that path than I would claim myself to be."
"Without us Astartes, the Imperium would fall in a week. Without the Militarium that the Lord General is in, the Imperium would fall in a day." He said before swilling some more Fenrisian Ale.
He flew and he scooped up Tensai and he hugged her.
Looking up at the physically imposing form of the Astartes and the casual way he put such importance on the general made her eyes narrow slightly as they returned to the man, still sitting back with his boots propped up as if his security was absolute. She quietly took the second of the slabs of steak she'd been served, and began to work on it, keeping her mouth preoccupied so she might listen, realizing how much more depth these Imperials held just underneath their confident demeanors and refined uniforms, if she didn't close the door with a poorly placed word. They were both predators outside of their hunting grounds. Neither targetting eachother. But no sane predators sees gleaming eyes in the dark and willfully turns its back to them.
"Ubba.......remember the rule: no fighting"
"Do I need to get Barbatos into action?"
Mathius Kothinto wrote:
"Ubba.......remember the rule: no fighting"
Diverting my gaze to the man that served me my steak earlier, I raised an eyebrow briefly and then returned my gaze up to the Astartes casually sipping his Ale. Parting my lips from around the steak I'd been slowly disolving, I muttered. "Didn't seem inclined to fight. The insight to the General's significance was... greatly appreciated. So your name is.. Ubba? You are human as well, yes? I suppose humans come in far more... variety... than I first understood. Your physical presence is... impressive, Sir."
While all are having a great chat, a teenage girl pushed in and sat at a stool, anxiously checking her phone from time to time. Some people there were familiar with her, but this was probably only the second time they've seen her being this nervous.
Oniyan the Saiyan wrote:
He flew and he scooped up Tensai and he hugged her.
"Oh hi."
Ubba Greystorm wrote:
Elta Kesstel wrote:
As the man before her spoke in terms she found almost sterile in their caution, her respect for him rose. Even as he reclined, she couldn't help but admire how his body never truly relaxed. Simply held itself like iron in the shapes of a casual man. Extending her hand out, she took the offered confection from the tin, plucking it out with the tips of her claws before holding it up to scrutinize it. Unsure of how it would react to her venom, she took it into her mouth in its entirety, so that if it proved particularly vulnerable to her corrosive bite, it wouldn't make an obscene mess. As she let her venom do its work, it gave her time to listen to his words more closely. By the time his careful explanation finished, the confection was a puddle in her mouth and she swallowed it at once, finding little, if anything of flavor for her pallet to it, but as it had broken down, the smell had been quite a treat, and she let out a slow breath after swallowing, to appreciate what remained of its vapors.
"So heresy... is dis-union, moreso than disloyalty, though I take it in your Imperium, well enough understood that it would almost necessitate disloyalty to be succumbed to? Is this Imperial unity what propogates such men as yourself? You're rather distinct. I can't say I've encountered many... no... I've certainly not encountered any who bear themselves as you do. Your... accompaniment seems to have similar traits, though might be more familiar to my own experiences. They have more the focus of warriors. You strike me more as a hunter. Speaking as one, of course... I at least see a relatable nimbleness of mind that a hunter must posess. Though for whatever reason, you seem more advanced in that path than I would claim myself to be."
"So heresy... is dis-union, moreso than disloyalty, though I take it in your Imperium, well enough understood that it would almost necessitate disloyalty to be succumbed to? Is this Imperial unity what propogates such men as yourself? You're rather distinct. I can't say I've encountered many... no... I've certainly not encountered any who bear themselves as you do. Your... accompaniment seems to have similar traits, though might be more familiar to my own experiences. They have more the focus of warriors. You strike me more as a hunter. Speaking as one, of course... I at least see a relatable nimbleness of mind that a hunter must posess. Though for whatever reason, you seem more advanced in that path than I would claim myself to be."
"Without us Astartes, the Imperium would fall in a week. Without the Militarium that the Lord General is in, the Imperium would fall in a day." He said before swilling some more Fenrisian Ale.
" The Astartes are our bastion in the great void, our offensives and crusades, our greatest victories have invariably been won by these paragons of the Emperor's might. They are the hammer which deals the final blow, we Imperial officers sometimes have the privilege of facilitating their operations and calling upon them when situations grow dire, I've watched planets wrestled back from the brink. Their chapters are an organization unto themselves with an independent chain of command. Brother Greystorm's presence here is a boon to the sector, his actions in the Defence of Hive Olegarius and the Pacification of Arpat Primaris as a whole were pivotal. "
Settling back in her seat, she surveilled the room anew, making sure she hadn't missed any subtleties from her surroundings as the Imperials had captivated her interests. Turning to the General Aleksandr after a long time considering it, she said softly, "Kind of you to have offered me a delight from your kind, in the form of that tinned treat. However... It doesn't sit right with me to take such a gesture without some form of reciprocity. I'm sure you'd noticed I bring little beyond myself here. The coin that secured my own meal I earned on the way in. I can then only hope my intrusion was not a nuisance. My curiosity was sincere. If I can repay by fulfilling unspoken curiosity, name it. I've certainly had my curiosity sated by your open answers."
Elta Kesstel wrote:
Settling back in her seat, she surveilled the room anew, making sure she hadn't missed any subtleties from her surroundings as the Imperials had captivated her interests. Turning to the General Aleksandr after a long time considering it, she said softly, "Kind of you to have offered me a delight from your kind, in the form of that tinned treat. However... It doesn't sit right with me to take such a gesture without some form of reciprocity. I'm sure you'd noticed I bring little beyond myself here. The coin that secured my own meal I earned on the way in. I can then only hope my intrusion was not a nuisance. My curiosity was sincere. If I can repay by fulfilling unspoken curiosity, name it. I've certainly had my curiosity sated by your open answers."
" Your ehrm... venom, i presume it has no antidotes known or otherwise? Regale me about your kind, perhaps the coordinates of your homeworld would be a bit of a stretch... yes... a vial of your venom will do nicely... i could wager it with the magos biologis for other technology.. or weaponize it. My curiosity pertains to your capacities... do you spin silk as well ? "
Aleksandr put forth a little collection vial with a soft lid.
Bare thine fangs and have at it... please partake of the amasec and lho-sticks as you please. We have accords, dont mind my guardsman taking a measurement of your cranium, its very strictly for cataloging this fortuitous first contact. I concede, you are pleasant company which is more than what can be said of some patrons in this establishment.
Aleksandr continued conversing with Elta
The entomoids in our universe are rarely this sentient, by your semblance alone one could call you abhuman. The closest we have are tyranids... eurgh... I despise tyranids.
Aleksandr leaned towards Elta with wide eyes as if to add dramatic flair, gesticulating with his arms as he spoke.
" They are like deadly gigantic preying mantises what with the claws and chompers and such... very deadly and.... DANGEROUS
He paused, clearly having very vivid flashbacks, taking a moment to wipe the sweat off his forehead as this sort of thing tended to induce a fervor, perhaps it was PTSD but made more productive?
" So there I was, upon the bridge of the Martellan Imperia, Corporal Hieromento and I were tasked with holding the locus so that power could be restored to the navigation arrays, that damnable tech priest could not work any slower, all was quiet, we felt sure in our defense... hreheh... how wrong we were.. how wrong..
Aleksandr erupted from his chair leaning menacingly towards Elta, his eyes frozen in the thousand lightyear stare, breathing tachypneic, appearance intense and diaphoretic.
" THEY SET UPON US LIKE WILD RAVENOUS RABID HYAENAS, GOUGING CHUNKS OUT OF MEN WITH NO REGARD FOR ARMOR, THEY HAVE A BITEFORCE SEVERAL TIMES THAT OF A UNDERHIVE FIGHTING MASTIFF, IT WAS A BLOODBATH, MY CHAINSWORD JAMMED ON VISCERA "
Aleksandrs guards rushed in to grab him by the arms.
UN ... UNHAND ME... I HAVE TO GET BACK IN THE FIGH- what ? Mathius's tabernaculum.. oh yes i suppose thats what this place is... ahem... my apologies... heat of the moment sort of thing. In other words, just another tuesday in the imperium... hreheh... Hieromento, old chap, if it weren't for your ingenuity that day...
The lord general paused pouring some recaf out into cups
" He's dead if youre wondering... anywho, care for some recaf ? Hows that venom vial coming along ? "
The frantic pacing Drakenfell took to as soon as he permitted himself closer scrutiny of her inhuman traits left her glowing eyes wide and still as she seemed set like stone in the aftermath for a few precious heartbeats before she sensed her own self-preservation instincts were sufficiently back under her control. She'd had to physically lock down almost every hydraulic muscle in her body to avoid lashing out in panic, but the cause for panic seemed passed, and she gently lifted the phial to her mouth, inspecting the material and lightly allowed a fang to rest over it, as she contained the other behind a lip to avoid drooling. A few drops pooled at the base of the phial, to her own chagrin, the bottom of the phial gave out, and the venom spattered to the wooden table beneath. Interestingly enough, even what spilled seemed entirely harmless to the wood below, save a slight burn mark that seemed far lessened, when compared to what it had done to the phial. Muttering in frustration, she eyed the glass like it had betrayed her.
"Alas, I might have predicted this... I've been trying to figure out the cursed design of my creator, and this seems to be part of his sick intent. My venom is not a true venom. More of a corrosive, with necrotizing properties. It does its job, and promptly neutralizes itself. Few things can resist it, but even eating requires I produce quite a fair amount of this. It flash necrotizes my meal, little bits at a time, each drop only achieving so much before it goes inert, and simply becomes part of what the meal eventually is. It's.. actually somewhat sweet in its inert form, for what it counts. But while I could use it to bite my way out of a metal cage, attempting to stockpile it and preserve it for use on-demand... seems almost, if not explicitly impossible by design..."
She extended the phial back to him. "You can study it's effect. Perhaps, could even keep a ample of the inert venom that remains after. But without me present, my venom is invariably useless, as even I can only achieve anything with it almost immediately after production. I am no product of evolution or divinity. Certainly my root is, but I'm a product of madness... Woven into shapes not meant for my nature. But I am, what I am. You could call me, the first and... at least for now... last of my kind. I'm convinced the fleshweaver responsible for me is the definition of evil, and I hate him for the chaos he represents. Though whether I favor my origin or not, I must live, as all must seek to. The best I can do is to spite the vile fleshweaver for what he did by standing in virtue instead of the chaotic subterfuge he clearly intended my form to achieve."
"Alas, I might have predicted this... I've been trying to figure out the cursed design of my creator, and this seems to be part of his sick intent. My venom is not a true venom. More of a corrosive, with necrotizing properties. It does its job, and promptly neutralizes itself. Few things can resist it, but even eating requires I produce quite a fair amount of this. It flash necrotizes my meal, little bits at a time, each drop only achieving so much before it goes inert, and simply becomes part of what the meal eventually is. It's.. actually somewhat sweet in its inert form, for what it counts. But while I could use it to bite my way out of a metal cage, attempting to stockpile it and preserve it for use on-demand... seems almost, if not explicitly impossible by design..."
She extended the phial back to him. "You can study it's effect. Perhaps, could even keep a ample of the inert venom that remains after. But without me present, my venom is invariably useless, as even I can only achieve anything with it almost immediately after production. I am no product of evolution or divinity. Certainly my root is, but I'm a product of madness... Woven into shapes not meant for my nature. But I am, what I am. You could call me, the first and... at least for now... last of my kind. I'm convinced the fleshweaver responsible for me is the definition of evil, and I hate him for the chaos he represents. Though whether I favor my origin or not, I must live, as all must seek to. The best I can do is to spite the vile fleshweaver for what he did by standing in virtue instead of the chaotic subterfuge he clearly intended my form to achieve."
Mathius Kothinto wrote:
Ami 'Gravedigger' Arpatia wrote:
She thought for a moment before saying, "Care for something to eat and drink over here please, Mathius?" She had been slightly hungry after the adventure she went through and thought for some food and drink to help her take the edge off for the moment.
He brought her some chicken marsala with white wine. "Here you go, Sister Mimi"
Mikazuki Augus wrote:
"Do I need to get Barbatos into action?"
"No need. So far, there haven't been any conflicts here."
He served Mikazuki a plate of pan-fried six cheese ravioli with a cup of house recipe marinara sauce
"If possible, remind me to put in an order of tomatoes with Olivia when I need more pears. I can't seem to keep Fumizuki's pear and cream cheese tarts in stock lately. I'm glad she and Drael will be coming back from vacation soon."
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