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[NWoD] (IC) Rhapsody: When the Night falls

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Posts

  • CheeselikerCheeseliker Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Dan breathes in and out slowly, trying to catch his breath. The gun is still in his hand. He looks at Mephisto, then at the others. He thinks about pointing it at the strange man and demanding answers, but...well that just seems like a bad idea at the moment.

    "So you're a demon...and we're in hell. Great." Dan stashes his revolver in his shoulder holster. "I'll take a cup of joe or something harder if you got it."

    Cheeseliker on
  • KayKay What we need... Is a little bit of PANIC.Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Drew skids to a halt, then bends over with his hands on his knees, trying not to dry-heave.

    "If those goddamned..." Gasp. "Quarterbacks." Retch. "Could have seen me just now, they'd have..." Cough. "Totally passed me the ball."

    After a few more moments of catching his breath, the young man straightens up, and then adusts his clothing, pulling it back into place. He glances towards Mephisto, then looks down again as Dan speaks. He takes out his smartphone, and tries to get a signal, or wireless connectivity, anything.

    Kay on
    ew9y0DD.png
    3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991
  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "You're kidding me with that shit, right? This ain't Starbucks."

    Hank found a chair that gave him a good view of the place, and one where he could easily look over his shoulder. For now he'd wait.

    Horseshoe on
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  • CheeselikerCheeseliker Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Dan looks at Hank. "Does this or does this not look like a coffee shop? Do we or do we not have free coupons for coffee?" He turns back to Mephisto. "I take mine black."

    Cheeseliker on
  • El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Celia gasped for breath, managing to utter to the figure:

    "To what....do...we owe the pri...viledge of...being directed here?"

    El Skid on
  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Hank was also out of breath, he'd sort of been holding it since he got through the door.

    To play it off he started hacking like he had a bad cough and fumbled through his jacket until he could find his pack of cigarettes and light one.

    They gave him a chance to take a few deep breaths without looking like he'd just winded the crap out of himself. And... well he kinda needed one.

    Horseshoe on
    dmsigsmallek3.jpg
  • DJP3710DJP3710 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Mephisto chuckles and takes both Dan's and Aedan's coupons, turning around and working behind the counter, though exactly what he is doing is unknown. "Sorry to disappoint you, but this isn't Hell. Well, at least I think it's not. Maybe there's a force at work here beyond my understanding, but still..."

    He slides a cup across to both men; within the reflection of Dan's cup, there's almost the slightest flicker of purple light, while within Aedan's cup comes an almost rainbow reflection, like the light in unsure what color to be.

    "I brought you here because the alternative was to be harvested," he says, running a cloth along the top of the counter. "Perhaps I don't understand humans too well, but I figure a cup of coffee and a little break is better than being turned into an Emotion Factory for the always delightful Lords and Ladies. If I'm wrong, then by all means..." He motions towards the door.

    "As for my day," he says. "It's going rather well, considering I have six new arrivals standing in my shop. Most of those in my 'profession' would be happy with just one over the course of a week, so yes, I hit the proverbial lottery. I'm just glad my coupons found you first."

    DJP3710 on
  • El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Celia looks up at the...demon?... and raises her eyebrows. "And exactly what Profession might that be, Mr. Mephisto?" Coughing a bit, she continues. "Sorry, some of us are rather new to this place, so we're not quite sure how things work yet."

    El Skid on
  • Void SlayerVoid Slayer Very Suspicious Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Jeremy walks across the shop, breathing heavily and shaking from fear or adrenaline, and takes a seat far from the door. He rubs his temple a few times then looks up at "Dee" checking his cell phone. Names might hold power here?

    "shit shit shit" he mumbles as he pulls off his name badge.

    Void Slayer on
    He's a shy overambitious dog-catcher on the wrong side of the law. She's an orphaned psychic mercenary with the power to bend men's minds. They fight crime!
  • DJP3710DJP3710 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "We call ourselves Patrons, Ms. Mark," he says. "Well, at least that's what the humans we have deals with call us. And no, we're not demons, at least not in the 'screw you over' sense. We're just entities who don't like the direction our little world has been going, and have decided to try to stop it whatever way we can; we make deals and offer services...for a price; a concrete, logical price."

    He raps his fingers on the countertop. "I will admit, some of my fellows are bigger bastards than others. Some make very bizarre requests, like 'firstborn children' and whatnot: I personally think they're taking the whole 'Faustian' thing a little too far and that their sense of humor is childish, but perhaps I'm just missing the joke."

    "For example, just by coming into this store we've completed a transaction. In exchange for your coming here with that coupon in hand, for your hearing me out, I offer you a momentary sanctuary as well as a means of fighting back against those who would turn you into cattle. No, your soul isn't tainted, not anymore than it already is."

    DJP3710 on
  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Hank butts his cigarette out on the table.

    "No goddamned service in this place."

    He walks up to the counter and thumps down the coupon.

    "I take it black, buddy. Pour it."

    Horseshoe on
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  • DJP3710DJP3710 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Mephisto nods, pulling back the coupon. Less than a minute later, there 's a coffee cup sitting in front of Hank, steam rising from it. Light reflects off the liquid, a fierce red glint coming from the liquid. "With the house's compliments, Mr. Hank Walker."

    DJP3710 on
  • CheeselikerCheeseliker Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Dan takes a hesitant sip of the coffee. "Where are we, Mephisto? What is this place? And why us?"

    Cheeseliker on
  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "Yeah, thanks." Hank slammed down the coffee, inhaling sharply at the gout of hot liquid pouring down his throat.

    He went back to his table.

    Lit another smoke.

    And listened.

    Horseshoe on
    dmsigsmallek3.jpg
  • DJP3710DJP3710 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Mephisto seems a little hesitant, like someone weighing the pros and cons of a car they're about to buy, before he answers. "This place has no name, just like your own reality has no name. My other human associates call this place The Depths, if that means anything to you. As for what it is, look around once more: pieces of your world, phantoms created from moments of incredible hatred and mindless dark impulses...think very hard about what that means, Detective. Those are not clues, those are the cause."

    "As for why? Who knows? I, for one, do not know why certain people wind up here, and why that number has been steadily increasing. All I know for sure is that it does not bode well for either of our worlds."

    DJP3710 on
  • CheeselikerCheeseliker Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Dan takes another sip of coffee and sighs. "So you're a...Patron? And you can give us something to...help us fight..." Dan gestures towards the door, "those things? Or things like 'em? But there's a price. A catch. You seem to want to help us, Meph, but why? What do we gotta give you in return?"

    Cheeseliker on
  • DJP3710DJP3710 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "As I said, Detective, I do not like the way this world is turning. Unfortunately, I possess no powers to actually do anything. However, human beings possess a very poetic method of dealing with the Lords and Ladies."

    DJP3710 on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Aedan swirls the oddly colored coffee and gazes into it slightly mystified.
    Perception roll to see if he notices anything

    He looks up and takes in a heavy breath and then steadily begins to drink the drink offered to him. Looking toward Mephisto with weary eyes

    "We'll assume this place is real for the sake of moving this dream along." He smiles coyly and almost congenially, aware of the fact he may be rude and apologizing in some odd form through a smile.

    "...assuming it is real. Where are our bodies right now?"

    Egos on
  • DJP3710DJP3710 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Nothing to notice.

    "Your real bodies are currently wherever you left them, I suppose. I don't know, however."

    DJP3710 on
  • CheeselikerCheeseliker Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "Poetic?" Dan pulls the revolver out. "I'm guessing this isn't what you're talking about."

    Cheeseliker on
  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "Goddamnit, that's enough of that crap!"

    Hank growled as smoke curled out of his nose and mouth. He hadn't moved, his eyes had just crept to a sidelong glance from his current position

    "Don't pull a gun unless you're going to shoot somebody, you fucking amateur."

    Hank's lip snarled involuntarily before he ended on a calmer note.

    "Put it away before you get hurt."

    Horseshoe on
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  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "Considering he saved our ass, pointing a gun in his face doesn't seem very appropriate.."

    Aedan smirks and finishes up his coffee "I don't think you would do any damage anyway.."

    Egos on
  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "Go ahead and try. Or... stop being a fucking idiot for two seconds and listen to the guy behind the counter instead of waving your gun around like it's going to make your dick any bigger."

    Horseshoe on
    dmsigsmallek3.jpg
  • DJP3710DJP3710 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Mephisto chuckles at all the drama over the gun. "I see no poetic justice in shooting them. No, the poetic justice is the fact you can destroy them with the very thing they are trying to take from you." He glances at his watch, a simple thing held together by a cheap leather band. "Unfortunately, our time runs short. When a moon is out, I run the risk of being detected, and soon my safeguards will fail. Therefore, I won't be wasting anymore of your time."

    He rests his hands on the table. "My deal is this. Work for me, accept me as your Patron. In return, I will give you the tools to survive here. Not accepting does not mean you will never return here, it means you will simply be coming back defenseless; doing that only promises you suffering when one of the Lords and Ladies catches you and harvests you, and I guarantee you they will."

    "If you accept, then I must have your verbal agreement to the following: I, your name here, ally myself in the business of mutual trade with Mephisto, the Gray Gentleman."

    "Afterward, I suggest getting your free coffee. Without the benefit it gives you, odds are good you won't survive the moment this place disappears. While I would love to give you the full benefits package, time is running short and, despite how fortuitous it is to have six more Anima-Users allied to me, I will not risk my detection. Choose now."

    DJP3710 on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "eh , what the bloody hell.."

    Aedan swirls his chair slightly to face Mephisto in a slightly formal matter , well at least as formal as one can get in a coffee joint.

    "I'll go first.." He smiles widely

    " I, Aedan Sonnen, ally myself in the business of mutual trade with Mephisto, the Gray Gentleman."

    Aedan bows his head slightly as if this were some royal ceremony, a slight grin on his face.

    "That wasn't so hard" he says quietly.

    Egos on
  • Void SlayerVoid Slayer Very Suspicious Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "Well I said I didn't care if it was a trap and wasn't going to die here," Jeremy stated while standing and walking over to the counter. He places the crumpled sheet of paper down and turns to Celia and Drew grinning while saying, "Just in case I don't get the chance sorry about freaking out when you were trying to introduce yourselves." He turns to the strange man and takes the pledge, "I, Jeremy Silver, ally myself in the business of mutual trade with Mephisto, the Gray Gentleman."
    He frowns and comments, "This still doesn't seem right though, none of this is. You guys might as well drink the coffee even if you want to find another patron."

    Void Slayer on
    He's a shy overambitious dog-catcher on the wrong side of the law. She's an orphaned psychic mercenary with the power to bend men's minds. They fight crime!
  • DJP3710DJP3710 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Mephisto takes the paper, working with his usual speediness to slide out a cup of steaming coffee for Jeremy, the faintest blue shimmer playing off the liquid for just a moment.

    DJP3710 on
  • KayKay What we need... Is a little bit of PANIC.Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Drew finally gives up on getting signal, and pockets his phone again.

    "Okay, this is all pretty extreme, but sure. I'll have an iced-skinny-mochaccino, with whipped cream and a cherry," he jokes, sliding his coupon over the counter. "Actually, I'd prefer a basic americano, Mister Mephistopheles. Do I have time to drink my coffee before committing to your offer?"

    He looks around at the others, as they make their decisions, and tries one more trick he's pulled off while lucid dreaming in the past - he attempts to will a biscotti into being on the counter in front of him, concentrating on that space intently.

    Kay on
    ew9y0DD.png
    3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991
  • El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "Very nice. Herd us here like sheep and then make us an offer we can't refuse!" Celia took a deep breath before continuing.

    Calm now- just because you're pissed off doesn't mean you aren't screwed without him.

    "I, Celia Mark, do hereby ally myself in the business of mutual trade with Mephisto, the Grey Gentleman. Furthermore, any trade with me will require my full, informed consent before payment is required of me, though the Grey Gentleman can feel free to pay forth his end before I give my informed consent."

    "Now, where the hell is my coffee?"

    El Skid on
  • CheeselikerCheeseliker Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "I wasn't gonna shoot anyone, christ." Dan shakes his head, holstering the gun. "Especially not the person..errr...thing who's saving our sorry asses. I was just asking a question." Dan downs his coffee, then turns to Hank. "At least I'm asking questions rather then sitting in the corner pissed off like a kid with a temper tantrum in time out."

    Dan stands and turns back to Mephisto. "I, Dan Sandler, ally myself in the business of mutual trade with Mephisto, the Gray Gentleman. Somehow I feel you're getting more out of this deal then we are, but since you seem to want to keep us alive, I guess I can't complain."

    Dan places the empty coffee cup on the counter. "What's in this shit anyways?"

    Cheeseliker on
  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "Fuck you."

    Dan turned around before realizing Hank wasn't talking to him. His finger was pointed at Mephisto.

    "You think you're slick. Sounds to me like there's more of these "Patrons". If you want our alliance or whatever, I'm bettin' so do they. Want me to join your gang or your small-time-crimeboss enterprise here? Make me a better offer; with everything out in the open. You want me to be one of your thugs? Try harder."

    Horseshoe on
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  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "Not getting your head sucked into a ribcage is pretty good incentive.."

    Egos on
  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "Are you a shill for this guy? I already drank the damn coffee. I'm a killing machine for now, and I bet I can get a better deal. So far, the lady there was the only one smart enough to try for something more on her own terms."

    Horseshoe on
    dmsigsmallek3.jpg
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "...there is a difference between being smart and being defiant."

    He shrugs

    "Obviously your will is your own though, so I won't say anything else on the matter."

    Egos on
  • El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Celia ignores the arguing and closes her eyes again briefly, relaxing and turning her eyes inward for a moment...

    El Skid on
  • DJP3710DJP3710 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Mephisto sighs. "You're quite right, Mr. Hank Walker. You are more than within your right to leave. After all, you've already got what you need from me. Unfortunately, I'm not a mind reader. What, exactly, do you want from me? As I said, there are benefits to working with me beyond what you see here, but now's not the time to be discussing the details."

    "If you want to know exactly what I want, now's really not the time. I'm not locking you into slavery, Mr. Walker, merely opening a channel of possible trade at a later date. You're right, I will make a request of you at a later time in exchange for my help at this time and in the future, but I am an advocate of fair trade, if nothing else."

    The black-tinted windows start to crack. "Make your choice now, I have no more time." He says, sliding a cup out to Celia, its liquid glinting orange for a moment.

    DJP3710 on
  • Void SlayerVoid Slayer Very Suspicious Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Jeremy quickly downs the coffee at the sight of the windows cracking. "Alright, I drank the cool-aid and sold my soul, so how does this work?" he asks quickly while moving towards the back of the shop.

    Void Slayer on
    He's a shy overambitious dog-catcher on the wrong side of the law. She's an orphaned psychic mercenary with the power to bend men's minds. They fight crime!
  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    "What do I want from you?

    "You give me a job and I'll do it, so long as it doesn't involve me coming back to wherever the Hell this is. In exchange, you spring me out of here and make sure I never come back. If you can't or won't do it, I can probably find someone who will."

    Horseshoe on
    dmsigsmallek3.jpg
  • DJP3710DJP3710 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Mephisto chuckles at Hank's demand. "That...that's quite a request, considering I don't know why humans show up here. No other Patron would know, either. There are theories, certainly, but still..."

    He sighs and raps his fingers across the countertop. "Very well, Mr. Walker, the deal will be this, then. If you contribute towards killing the Lords and Ladies currently hunting down and harvesting humans, I will dedicate my resources towards discovering what factors bring a person into The Depths, and how best to 'cure' that condition."

    DJP3710 on
  • DJP3710DJP3710 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Mephisto slides another coffee, this one giving off a momentary yellowish sheen, to Drew. "Like I said, time is of the essence, but there's always time for coffee."

    The black-tinted glass cracks a little more.

    DJP3710 on
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