PCs Illuminant, Nine Mues Mourning, Viridian Rage

 

Summary:  The title says it all.  A discussion over drinks with a mad man and the first meeting of three of different celestial exalted, all of them the chosen of different opposing powers.

 

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock- Go the clockwork watches strapped to the outside of the Infernal Doctor's labcoat. He sits idle at a stool somewhere near Chronopolis. His travelling goggles and wanderin' hat have seen better days- but this is why he's not wearing them, and also why he -does- wear them. Better the goggles and hat than the face. He sips at... A glass of milk. Shut up. Milk is good for the bones, even AFTER you've exalted.

We'll have you know that the milk comes from the very most DEMONIC of DIABOLICAL COWS. Really. No, not the ones outside. Shut up.

 

Illuminant tromps into the bar. There are no trumpets or gods praising his glory, just dusty shoes thumping on the floor. He goes over to a seat and settles into it, getting himself a nice glass of something-or-other.

 

Nine Mues Mourning pushes open the doors to the bar and steps gingerly inside. She brushes some of the rain off her coat and trys to get some of it out of with her fingers. The patrons who bother looking up see a young women wearing common travelers clothes. She is about as non descript as you can get to those without essence sight. The place is packed tonight, probably on account of the rain, no one wants to drink out on the patio. Spotting the only free seat she goes and sits at the bar between the...oddly dressed doctor, and the classily dressed gentlemen. "Whew, this is some weather we're having. Storm gods must be pi-issed" she says with a smile as she orders herself some watered down ale. "Heavy on the water," she says to the confused barkeep.

 

-= OOC =- Viridian Rage says, ">_>"

Viridian Rage has disconnected.

Viridian Rage has connected.

-= OOC =- Nine Mues Mourning says, "my stamina is terrible, 9mm is a cheap date >.<"

-= OOC =- Viridian Rage says, "Damn DC!"

 

Rage mumbles something about Accidentally Pushing The Weather Over The Edge and Goddamnit, Can't I Drink Faster. There's not so much he can really do but... Ignore all of these people. Screw people! They're just around to make his machines work less efficiently. Machiens are much nicer, you know how they think- though machines also cannot think creatively, which means they cannot make more, NEW machines as well as people can. It is through this train of thought that Rage finally decides to respond, "...'S not so bad. Could be raining acid. Or alchemical fire."

 

Illuminant looks over at the new entrants, guzzling his drink. He jokes, "Maybe the storm gods are pissing, not pissed."

 

Nine Mues Mourning pauses confused for a moment. "Yyyeees...thats technically true I suppose." She casts a weary look at the obviously deranged man next to her and scoots her stool subtly in the opposite direction. Not that she's actually concerned about what appears to be a mortal and statistically speaking undoubtably is, but appearances and all that. When the man on her left cracks a joke she smiles, a genuine one that reaches her eyes. "Heh, yes wouldn't that be just like it for us mortals? If rain WAS actually just the storm gods pissing on us." She shakes her head, "Bloody gods, play their silly games and it us who suffer for it. Well I guess in the long run we're all dead anyways so it doesn't really matter." She shrugs and takes a sip of her flavored, lightly alcoholed water

Mumble-mumble STORM GODS. Vile, filthy cloud-robes and THUNDERBEARDS. And sick, gross, vitriolic temperment. Rage scoffs, chugging down the glass of milk like it was a shot of whiskey. Except in a tall glass. It is shortly refilled, "Mortal? Hah. Yeah. Okay."

"Right. No mortal would specify his mortality." Hic. MILK-CHUG. "I mean, that's silly. You'd say people or something if you were mortal. I know, I've written books."

 

-= OOC =- Nine Mues Mourning says, "I thought mortal was the generally accepted IC term as well as OOC term. Sort of like how motes are an actual IC measurement as well as OOC one"

-= OOC =- Viridian Rage says, "Yeah, but no Mortal would say 'HI FELLOW MORTALS.'"

-= OOC =- Nine Mues Mourning says, "right... but when differentiating between the gods and humanity they would refer to themselves and other mortals as well...mortals"

-= OOC =- Viridian Rage says, "Right, but are there gods around?"

-= OOC =- Nine Mues Mourning says, "not physically, but they were part of the conversation, we were discussing storm gods so topically they were present :)"

 

Illuminant says, "Er, well, actually, as far as I know, the Gods do not urinate, not even to make rain. They just sort of tell the clouds to do it for them."

 

Nine Mues Mourning looks a little abashed, "Oh... well I don't know much about that sort of stuff really, so you're probably right! Are you priest?" She looks the man over looking for holy symbols or other trappings of the clergy. She sticks out her hand, "People call me Nine by the way, nice to meet you," she says with a smile.

 

"Hahahaha. Clergy. No. Screw the clergy. Stupid God Worshipping sods," Rage turns his nose up, "I am a scientist, damnit! I sold my soul to science and it is science that I am priest to. I am also Abel."

 

Illuminant hasn't got any of those. Holy symbols, naught. He returns the smile, "I am Five-Steps Illuminant." He glances over at the fellow, "Sold your soul to science? How does that work? Do you mean Vanileth, Shogun of Artificial Flight?"

 

"Bah! Shogun of Artificial 'yeah right,' more like!" Rage snickers at his own joke, throwing back more of the milk into his gullet, "No! Hells, no. I am a man of science. I am a scientist. I make things. Things that often go boom." He makes a motion like something exploding, "Boom, you see?"

 

Illuminant finds this to be somewhat baffling, "But, there's no such thing."

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "Wait you mean like firedust? I saw someone with one of those fire spitters once. He was in a travelling circus. Real neat display"

 

"Yes there is!" Rage points at Illuminant accusingly, "You've never heard of Alchemical fire before!? Or Firedust!?  Right! Like those! Except... Bigger!"

Viridian Rage says, "BANG! POW! That kind of thing.""

 

Illuminant says, "Firedust blows in from the Elemental Pole of fire. It works because each grain is infused with a least god of firedust. When heated, the least god recieves enough Fire-aspected Essence to come out of the grain, and, well, boom. Alchemical fire works similarly, except that the thaumaturgy ritual used to create it summons and binds a swarm of least fire gods into the materials to provide a similar effect."

 

Nine Mues Mourning looks at Illuminant in awe. "Wow...you sure are smart mister Illuminant... are you sure you're not a priest." She takes on a whispered conspiritorial tone "you know, maybe in disguise? No wait, don't tell me! Don't worry though I won't tell anyone!"

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "so Abel, you make things that explode without gods? Do you work for the army or something?"

 

Illuminant says, "Similarly, if you don't scribe prayers to Vanileth - or possibly one of his subordinates - onto the right places of a flying machine, it won't get off the ground, or, worse, Vanileth will just make it fall out of the sky after you've gotten complacent. Me? A priest? No, that's just the way these things work. Placating and propiating the gods is part of the natural process of building something."

 

"Bah! Of course I make things explode without Gods!" Rage looks as if he was stunned by what they were insinuating, "Why, I can make things explode without things to explode if I want to make things explode!"

 

Illuminant says, "How is that? Are /you/ a God?"

 

"Maybe!" Rage laughs, almost cackles, "Wouldn't that be something?"

 

Nine Mues Mourning says "Oh sort of like how we make sacrifices to Sothmet to make the fields around town grow?." After "Abel’s" last comment she looks at him somewhat worriedly. When Illuminant asks if the other man is a god, she scoots even further away. This probably isn't a god that she wants to be around, or at least that’s what she projects. She mentally files away the mans appearance and determines to worm some more information out him. He could be VERY useful for her plans...

 

Illuminant says, "No, not really, Gods are everywhere. There's no doubt, a God of this bar, as well as the milk you're drinking and the cow it came from. And, of course, Ahlat, God of Cattle, overseeing the whole thing."

 

"Not if you use Vitriol, you ignorant sow," He cackles, "Yes, yes. The ultimate solvent, this is the best material for this creation, it is." Of course, WHAT exactly vitriol is, and where it's from is probably unknown to most...

 

Illuminant says, "And, hm, what precisely is vitriol then?"

 

Viridian Rage says, "The best thing ever. Duh."

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "Is it like Ambrosia? The priests told us that our prayers make that for the gods and that’s why they help us when we pray"

 

Viridian Rage says, "Hahaha. No. I said it was the best thing ever. But I never said you could drink it. Would be an interesting experiment though."

 

Illuminant says, "Well, I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific."

 

Viridian Rage says, "It's green and burns like hell.""

 

Viridian Rage says, "And also very, very bad for you."

 

Illuminant says, "Aha. An acid or base?"

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "so this is the best thing ever...how exactly? It sounds really dangerous! Do you work for the army or something, whose? Where do you get this stuff?"

 

Viridian Rage says, "Acid! Of course.""

 

Viridian Rage says, "Hahaha. No. I'm not telling you. That would spoil the surprise."

 

Illuminant says, "What kind of surprise?"

 

Viridian Rage says, "The best kind from the best thing."

 

Illuminant says, "A.. vitriol explosion?"

 

Viridian Rage says, "Maybe!""

 

Viridian Rage says, "Wait, no."

 

Viridian Rage says, "Probably."

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "Here?! Now?!"

Nine Mues Mourning rises from her stool, genuinely concerned that this madman has an essence bomb of some sort

 

Illuminant says, "That is an apt question, yes."

 

Viridian Rage says, "What? Hell no!" Rage cackles, "I wouldn't destroy MYSELF in the explosion. Idiots.""

 

Nine Mues Mourning hisses out a whisper so as to not panic the bar "But you're still going to kill these people?"

 

Viridian Rage says, "THESE people in particular? No. Not these people in particular.""

 

Illuminant says, "So, whom do you plan to destroy?"

 

Viridian Rage says, "I dunno. I'll decide that later."

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "YOU'LL decide or the people you work for will?""

 

Viridian Rage says, "Meh."

Rage shrugs, "Can't a guy stir up some chaos for shits and giggles anymore?"

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "Well its generally socially frowned upon..."

 

Viridian Rage says, "Well, that's society's problem, isn't it?""

 

Illuminant says, "It does seem more like it's your problem rather than society's per se."

 

Nine Mues Mourning rethinks her initial assessment of "Abel's" usefulness. He's obviously unstable and would be very difficult to consistently utilize as an asset. While his skills may or may not be prodigious, his unaccountability would likely move him into the liability column of the ledger

 

Viridian Rage says, "Not really. Society's gonna be the one fixing itself later, not me!"

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "oh? And what is going to bring that about?"

 

Illuminant says, "It might fix itself by punishing you!"

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "or that..."

 

Viridian Rage says, "I'll just have to run fast enough."

 

Viridian Rage says, "Or just kill everyone. Either way works. Not like people don't multiply like rabbits anyway."

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "well, I mean... I don't think just killing everyone is very nice. And it likely to get a price put on your head pretty fast isn't it?"

 

Viridian Rage says, "Well then I can make a replica me, cut off its head, and make more money from it."

 

Viridian Rage says, "Oh! And then everyone will think I'm dead."

 

Viridian Rage says, "Then I can blow something else up. Seems like a good idea to me. All in the name of knowledge and science, and what what."

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "What?! What are you talking about? A replica of yourself? If you make a statue of yourself and decapitate it thats not going to fool anyone!"

 

Viridian Rage says, "No. Like, a living, breathing replica of myself."

 

Viridian Rage says, "Then I'll kill it."

 

Viridian Rage says, "Cut off its head."

 

Viridian Rage says, "Give it to someone in charge."

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "I mean the gods like prayers, they'd certainly be able to see through it. Let alone the Dragon Blooded, or the Anathema"

 

Viridian Rage says, "Get money. Change my identity, rinse and repeat."

 

Illuminant says, "That strikes me as difficult."

 

Nine Mues Mourning says, "What?! How would you even begin to do that?! I've heard of spirits who can make copies of themselves...oh..."

 

Viridian Rage says, "It's not that hard."

 

Illuminant says, "How do you do it?"

 

Viridian Rage says, "You just gotta know how to make things work for you."

 

Nine Mues Mourning peers at that man wearily, "right..."

 

Viridian Rage says, "I can't tell that! That's a secret!"

 

Illuminant says, "Aha, in other words, you don't know at all."

 

Viridian Rage says, "Nah."

 

Viridian Rage says, "I just don't want to spoil the surprise."

 

-= OOC =- Viridian Rage says, ">_>"

-= OOC =- Viridian Rage says, "<_<"

-= OOC =- Illuminant is all sleepy

-= OOC =- Viridian Rage says, "XD"

 

Nine Mues Mourning drinks the last bit of her drink and returns the mug to the rather concerned looking bartender. Its amazing what people hear when their eavesdropping. "Well this has been most enlightening, gentlemen. I'm afraid I must be going now. Given your predisposition for random death and destruction Mr. Abel, I can't say that I hope our paths cross anytime in the near future." She turns to Illuminant, "Perhaps we'll meet again sir and you can further enlighten me," she says with a smile before turning to leave.

 

Illuminant says, "I think, I too, will return to the road. Worst of luck with your vile experiments."

 

"Random? Pah!" Abel scoffs, turning his nose up at the 'mortal,' "There is no such thing. I do what I do because I love creation! The people must learn to embrace science and live in harmony in a hierarchy of its design."

Nine holds the door for Illuminant and the two step out in the street.  Fortunately the rain has stopped, though clouds still obscure the sky.