Mickey Flash

Hello Syxanthie! 😄 Thank you for the muse wishes. I hope you enjoy it here. Welcome to Val.

Unlike me, Pearl has a pretty good memory. 😄

I still planned at least one more post with Pearl and Ilyana. But I can start another round soon after that, or do a clone if need be. I’m flexible.

Hello Supernoob. It’s good to see someone else with characters that seem to come alive no matter how much you try to squash them. Welcome to Val. 😄

Just our of curiosity, how cold is it? Pearl might be thinking of going inside if it’s too chilly. @The Alexandrian

Pearl/Ilyana It was unclear to Pearl if Ilyana was understanding her fishing game, or if Pearl was perhaps being too subtle. Then Ilyana spoke and Pearl could feel the tug of a fish on her line. “Let’s see. Most of my contacts are within the business sector here in Hell’s Gate. Distribution, shelter, and enrichment are things I excel at providing but they are only a sliver of the talents I choose to monetize. The acquaintances and friends that I know have all been earned as we all work together to make the lives of our customers much more fulfilling. They live in a land ripe with potential where ambition and commitment can lead to benefits beyond what the media and the government advertise. I am sure you have already witnessed the superior technology present within my beautiful city of Hell’s Gate and the infectious prosperity displayed in places such as these that serves to entice….tourists such as yourself. You would be free to indulge in all of its wonder. The opera houses, variety of eating and drinking places, along with the nature my city prides itself on can all be beneficial to you should you simply wish to sightsee….” Pearl could feel a small sliver of disappointment as she realized from what Ilyana was saying that she didn't have a high political position. She was influential in business, and from the sound of it business that catered to the darker needs of society. Or this is what Pearl surmised with the reference to land that was ripe beyond benefits given by media and government. The next part of her speech talked of normal tourist attractions, which was something she could have learned from any local or servant. “or get yourself into trouble. If all you need are recommendations, I am sure the servants here are prepared to provide you a proper list of places to visit tailored to your specific interests.” Ilyana confirmed her suspicions with these last words. She almost sighed in disinterest, knowing that there was a strong possibility that she wasn't going to be helping get connections for Seinaru Forven like Skacharm asked if she just stayed here and chatted. The feel of Ilyana's arm slithering around her shoulder shook Pearl out of her thoughts. She was about to quickly turn her head toward the girl, to read on her face the intentions she might have, when she felt the whisper of a breath on her earlobe. The insinuation was that Ilyana might be willing to find Pearl some type of sexual hook up, or maybe it was a drug or magic high. The words were left purposefully vague, and the close contact without permission told Pearl that Ilyana wasn't worried about making Pearl feel uncomfortable. If Pearl wanted to know what kind of person Ilyana was with her fishing, she had just been given a big clue. There might as well be a sign pointing over Ilyana's head that said, 'I play no games.' Knowing this about a person would leave some afraid of the person. It didn't Pearl. She'd been faced with many scary things in her life, and Ilyana was far from the worst. She took a drink of her whiskey, purposely ignoring the hand on her shoulder. Then she looked toward Ilyana with a fake smile, not hiding the fact that it was fake. At this point she didn't worry so much about being offensive. In her eyes, she hadn't started this strange uncomfortable moment. But she knew what Skacharm would have wanted her to do, and she promised him that she'd try to be good. "I'm flattered, really I am," she wasn't actually flattered, but it didn't hurt to say so. "For someone to be so concerned with my wants and needs, that's.... very considerate." She took another gulp of her whiskey until the liquid was gone. Then she turned back to Ilyana with the same fake smile. "It's just that my purpose here is mainly business. I really don't have time for ... tourist activities." Knowing that the conversation could die quickly from here, and feeling like Skacharm would have wanted her to make more of an effort (he'd better give her a medal for all she was doing for Seinaru Forven). she decided to make things a little less about what she could get and a little more about who she was with at the moment. "So... before you said you were the owner of The Redeemer. What is The Redeemer, might I ask? It sounds like a powerful weapon." She could be flattering too, when she wanted to be. @Dolor Aeternum

@Dolor Aeternum Speaking of details, at the end of your post you mentioned our charries being at a table. I was wondering if you were seeing them sitting at a table, or standing out in the open?

I’ll be looking forward to your post. 😄

@Rin I was just wondering if you were posting this round, or having internet troubles still?

Pearl/Ilyana Pearl did not miss the once over that Ilyana had given her, but she wasn't surprised by it. Women had a tendency to worry more over other women's apparel than men did. Pearl was an exception to the rule. She was used to hanging out with men, so she sometimes looked at women as foreign type creatures that she could never understand. They had a different type of language and different social skills than she had. Sometimes she pretended like she knew what she was doing around them, and sometimes she didn't try to pretend at all. Now was one of the situations where she should try to make nice. “Pearl? As a woman who appreciates simple beauty, pearls are among my favorite things to adorn myself with.” That brought a smile to Pearl's lips. She hadn't expected that her name would be the thing that they could find any kind of common ground on. She couldn't keep the devilment out of her eye with her amusement. She didn't say anything, but her teeth showed in her next smile. “What brings someone from so far away here to Hell’s Gate? Better yet, how can I make your long trip here worthwhile? You will find that a citizen of Hell’s Gate is as beneficial an acquaintance as any in this difficult world.” At this statement she looked down, hiding any thought or emotion that might be in her eyes. She made a pretense of looking around for a place to put out her cigarette. As sure as clockwork, a servant came running over with a crystal bowl for Pearl. Pearl hesitated before using it for an ashtray, because it was so fancy. Then she shrugged and stubbed it out until the smoke disappeared and left the crinkled thing in the bowl. This gave her a moment to collect her thoughts and wonder at what the other woman said. She knew what one of her men friends would have said if Ilyana had spoken those words to him. He would have insisted that she wanted his body, and Pearl would have snorted and said in his dreams. She would have agreed that flirting had occurred though, and she wondered if the other woman was purposely trying to flirt, or if she was just a naturally sensual woman who couldn't help it. Some told Pearl that she was that way. She scoffed and snorted when that happened, and tried to do something inappropriate to deny it. She handled flirting interactions in the most awkward ways. She couldn't laugh it off, or treat it casually in fear of being offensive. This was one of those awkward times, because she didn't know the other woman well enough, or how important she'd be to the future of Seinaru Forven. "Make my trip worthwhile?" she asked as if to ponder the question's meaning. "Why, what could you mean, Ilyana Sevryn?" The sound of the other woman's full name, carefully pronounced, made Pearl wonder again about who it was she was actually talking to. "Are there many beneficial activities that you know about in your native land?" Pearl slid her hand under the elbow of her other arm. She took a sip of her whiskey, and just stopped herself from popping her lips together and saying 'good stuff' in her appreciation of the drink. She meet Ilyana's dark eyes, "I'm just a tourist in this land. Without proper guidance I'd more than likely be getting into all kinds of trouble." She grinned showing her teeth in the smile, unrepentant of the fact that she'd be getting into trouble. It always happened. Never failed. Of course Ilyana Sevryn didn't know that. And Pearl's confidence came back with a rush of amusement. The other woman knew about as much about Pearl, as Pearl knew about her. Pearl liked to fish on occasion, and this felt like both of them were trying to out-fish the other on getting information. She could almost feel the bait being tugged on the end of her line. "Maybe you can tell me a little bit about everyone you know? I'd like to become better acquainted with the land, and its people." Pearl threw out more line, waiting for Ilyana to take a nibble. @Dolor Aeternum

The sudden burst of fire from her person took down quite a few raptors that were huddled around the bar. The ones that hadn't been taken by the burst of flame were running in the other direction, unwilling to be baked in fire. Rev's cloak, which had stayed with her through the whole experience so far, fell to the ground in a heap. The ties that had been secured around her neck had burned away. Rev was just lucky that the clothing that she wore beneath it had been made with dragon skin, otherwise she'd be fighting Raptors naked. She wasn't fond of wearing heaps of clothing, this was true. But she wasn't so comfortable with her own skin that she could fight naked without qualms either. Suddenly Rev feels a pressure on her back, and she's about to turn an decapitate whatever it is with her claws, before she hears the words, “Quite a show,” in her ear. It's the male that had sprouted snake parts. She wasn't alarmed by him. She was a demon. In her society strength and power ruled, and cunning came to a close second. Everything else was just decoration, and basically useless. She knew there was more to life than that, but she wasn't used to anything else. The snake male seemed strong and cunning. She could do worse for a fighting partner. Her chest was heaving as she tried to rein in the massive urge to burn things. Frost covered her bare arms and legs. Her eyes glowed brighter than before, and so did the tattoos on her body. "Hard to control," she bit out. "You might want to stay away." Rev was interrupted before she could say any more, not that she had much more to say. She and the snake man were offered rides onto the disc the rune smith was riding. She didn't need a ride, afraid she'd fry the one trying to help her out. She shook her head, and turned to the one raptor left in the tavern. She walked up to the thing and touched it. Before it could take a bite out of her, it's skin began to turn to ash and it started to fall apart before everyone. "Let's get to the kitchen," she said in a low voice. She shook off the urge to emit more fire, and the tattoos glowed eerily. She could feel a new limberness to her walk, where she was thawing out a bit. She might not have any more fire left in her, and then she'd be stuck against a raptor with only her claws to help her. She hoped the others were up for helping with the task, because she was going to crash soon, like she always did after one of her 'episodes.'

Pearl/Ilyana Pearl's observations of her surroundings drew her attention to a young woman who was staring at her. It soon became apparent to Pearl that the woman was making a bee line straight to her, and she guessed this was the person she was supposed to be meeting. She didn't know because she didn't read the informative tablet given to her. She had ditched that along with the servant who was supposed to be serving her for the day. The lady who was making her way toward her had dark hair and a beautiful dress. Besides the dress, the thing that stood out most on the young woman were her eyes. They were pitch black. Pearl found it a little hard to read a person's eyes when they were this dark. It was a little off putting, but she adjusted quickly to the tiny anomaly. Soon the lady was introducing herself, with wishes of not keeping Pearl waiting. Her tiny hand reached forth, a big black ring hanging from it. Pearl switched her cigarette to her other hand that was holding her glass of whiskey. She gingerly slipped the lit stick between her first two fingers and held the glass with her thumb and pinkie. The other hand free now, Pearl took the offered hand and gave a firm shake. Nothing too strong, but not a weak, wimpy handshake either. It was a quick meeting of hands, and then she went back to holding her cigarette with the hand it was in before. "Nice to meet you. Redeemer? You'll have to forgive me. I don't know the area very well. I'm from a little place called Seinaru Forven. It's located in a place called Renovatio." Pearl let the name roll off her tongue like a flavor she was just first experiencing. In a way, it was. She wasn't used to being a part of Renovatio. It was home now, and she just needed to get used to it. She knew she should have mentioned that she was the second in command. She didn't though. You can find out a lot when someone thought you were unimportant. She could always talk about her title later, when it became useful. "My name is Pearl Song, by the way." She took another sip of her drink, her eyes looking at llyana over the rim of her glass. @Dolor Aeternum

We can skip, but sometimes pushing isn’t necessary. Getting a description of what’s going on can be a wonderful thing. And those people need to come out of the basement and fight or something. Canned goods make great weapons. 😄No pressure though. Just ideas if you’re stuck on what to post next.

Pearl/llyana Pearl never knew what to wear to these types of events. She figured that you can't go wrong with the little black dress. It had a very short skirt, and she made up for the lack of material by covering up her legs with thigh high boots. There were special holsters made to go around the top of her boots, holsters for her glocks. She didn't hide them this time, unsure if she'd get to keep them. Honestly, there weren't many places she could hide them with this dress. Hanging around her waist like a sparkly decorative belt was her chain whip. It wasn't as if she expected trouble here, though one can't be too careful, it's just that she'd feel naked without her weapons. She'd been a soldier for years, and some things just stuck with you. In her hand was a dainty, glittery, black purse. It seemed very small and feminine when looking at the glocks and shitkicker boots, but a lady needed a place to put her lipstick and smokes. She wasn't used to the hovercrafts, or being followed by a personal servant. She'd tried to give hers the slip soon after arriving. She felt spied on, and was used to taking care of her own needs. When she'd wandered out onto the lawn soon after making her entrance to the party, she'd headed straight for the drinks provided. The whiskey was smooth going down, and she wondered if she could get a bottle to take with her when she left. Pearl didn't believe that everyone was here to make Valucre miseries disappear. There were some here as predators, hunting the weak with the power they had accumulated through other's misfortunes. Pearl's kingdom, Seinaru Forven, wasn't one to have profited from that. It'd once been from a much larger kingdom, called Elendaron. They'd gone through their own misfortunes. She now had to get used to living on a floating island, where before it'd been surrounded by water. It hadn't been easy to deal with all the changes, too numerous to think about now. The one good thing they had going for them is that they still had possession of the precious crystals that provided energy for lucky people who wanted to use them. She had a bargaining chip, and was willing to trade for alliances, protection, or much needed supplies for her people. The leader of the land, Skacharm, couldn't make it today. He was doing all he could to hold Seinaru Forven together. It was up to Pearl, his new second in command, to make any alliances needed. She'd rather fight than make peace, but she'd had to adjust along with everyone else when needed. She was a survivor. She opened her little black purse and pulled out one of her slim cigarettes, and a lighter. With the practiced ease of an expert, she lit the end of the tiny stick and placed the lighter back into her purse. She blew out a small plume of smoke and looked around to see where her supposed partner for the hour was. She wasn't going to be too upset if they didn't show. She was having a good time sipping whiskey and smoking smokes, not to mention watching everyone else awkwardly try to get to know one another. A small smile stayed on her face. @Dolor Aeternum