[#] There's a strange looking creature sitting at Hell's bar, singing to the bartender over a rather old looking bottle of rum. The bar is like a ghost town tonight So, it might be worth some entertainment to see what's going on in that specific corner! `join Laela
Emitted by Maddi. Joined by Eric Caulson & Cervantes
Emitted by Maddi. Joined by Eric Caulson & Cervantes
RP LOG
Laela was for some reason or another, lucky enough to spend time drumming up business for the brothel from within one of Hell's bars. Laela wasn't one of the employees who often was able to leave. But, it just so happened that the solicitation of one business from within another was easily acceptable so long as the Inmergo drove a decent bargain. A small price to pay for her chance at a night out rather than a night of work from within a dimly lit room. A shock of Cyan blue tresses was swept over one tattooed shoulder, scales peeking and glimmering from the highest points of her shoulders and cheeks in a dark opalescent shade of navy. The Inmergo was dressed in what was probably once a black t-shirt and shorts before she 'made it better' with her own twists and spins. Her short legs could barely reach the ground, so feet covered by buckly boots kicked idly as the vividly colorful woman sang to the bartender, who seemed in so much of a word occupied with listening to the soft of her. singing voice. It was actually quite good, the way she crooned out an old song she recalled from before the world became what it was now. There was no musical accompaniment, but the woman didn't seem to mind. She actually seemed quite happy to be given such an opportunity. Sweet voice put a feminine touch upon words once sang by Jimi Hendrix. "Butterflies and zebras...and fairy tales, that's what she thinks about." She sang, smiling to him as he sipped her shared rum. "What is a zebra?" he asked, Laela only smiled and shook her head before she broke into a laughter almost akin to a bird's song. In fact, she stopped her song early. Plucking up the rum she'd found in a shipwreck, she took a long drink and grimaced. "That doesn't matter."
( Eric Caulson took a deep breath as he stepped into the bar. It had been a while since he'd come back to Hell. Part of him had hoped he'd never see the place again. But he figured that as long as no demons recognized him, he'd be fine- at least, that was the plan. And the new armor he and Cervantes were wearing would probably help with that, as the helmets completely concealed their faces. He heard a singing voice coming from someone sitting next to the counter, and he slowly started approaching Laela. "You have a beautiful voice," he said to her. "I haven't heard anyone singing like that in a long, long time."
Cervantes came in wearing a black variant of Eric's armor. "Remember the plan, Eric. We're getting in and out. We just need some resources for some potions, and we can split. This is just a pit stop." Cervantes was fiddling with his pistol, Metatron, and as he analyzed the room, put it away. "Demons are a tough bunch, but with the prototype armor and our weapons, we should hopefully be okay." He looked at Laela. "Well, shit, what have we here?" Cervantes' voice sounded muffled and electronic through his armor, as if his voice was coming out the end of a walkie talkie. "Please, allow me, miss, the honor. You've a lovely voice indeed. Such rhythm!" He smiled. "Alas, being of your calibre have had aeons to practice perfection in the sorts." Cervantes immediately recognized what Laela was; an Inmergo. He had studied all sorts of demons in his time. Perhaps she'd be willing to provide him with ingredients for the regeneration salves.
Laela felt the shift of air pressure when the bar's door opened, but she did not turn to look. Black sclera eyes remained upon the amber fluid within the rocks glass that the creature held in her dainty hands. It was rude to stare, but in a realm of sinners and demons one could never be so sure whether manners made any semblance of a difference. It didn't take long for her to notice the barkeep's gaze move from her to Eric, who approached. She herself would turn her body in the stool she sat on, and offer a kind smile of bright white teeth. For now, their bottoms were flat. Her eyes were on his armor, and she was thinking that it reminded her of something she knew once before. He spoke to her and attention was given to him exclusively for the moment. "Thank you." Laela Sincerity laced the words from her painted lips and she actually seemed very grateful for the compliment. Scaley shoulders rose and fell in a small shrug as she breathed out a sigh of hot air. "I cannot say it is common, for those in Hell to find reasons to sing." Laela offered, a gentle half chuckle passing her lips only to be stowed away by the rise and cover of a scale backed hand, eyes widening when Cervantes joined them. He spoke, and she held her tongue while he did so. Her lips closed and her hand fell away, but her smile remained as did her attention upon the one within the ebon armor. "It is noth-.." A blink, and for a moment, the creature felt blindsided. But, she quickly recovered with a breath taken in. Maybe he assumed she was a siren, everyone seemed to do so. "Thank you for your kindness, the both of you. Practice only works if you continue to practice. There is always room for improvement, and in eternity, time in which to practice is in abundance." Laela allowed another little laugh before she regained composure. "Are you divers?" She said, her eerie gaze flickering between the two newcomers as she vaguely began to remember the diving equipment of the nineteen and thirties. "Strange, there is no treasure, or marine life to be found here. And the place is lousy with oxygen..." Head tilted, and she was so very interested in the armor that she'd forgotten the topic of discussion. Analytical, this one. "Where did you even find..." Focus, Laela...
Eric Caulson gave Cervantes a quick nod. "Agreed," he whispered. "The sooner we get this done, the better." He glanced back a Laela, and he soon realized that she was indeed a demon, though not of a kind that he'd had many encounters with in the past. "Not in- I mean, no. I imagine not," he said to Laela, his voice distorted by his helmet. When she asked if the two of them were divers, though, Eric chuckled. Where was there to dive around here, anyway? "Eh... of a sort," he said. "We're looking for some special plants down here. Medicinal plants. Maybe you can help us find them?"
Cervantes gestured to himself when the Inmergo brought up his armor. "You could say we're divers, but not necessarily of the aqueous variant. To put a loose term around it, we're harvesters. Where we come from, finding ingredients for our particular field of study is rather difficult, since as the law of economics applies, resources are always scarce. Thus, we've come here to investigate possible findings here in Hell. This armor functions as allowing us safe passage through. Hell is an unkind place, but this armor equips us well to perform our duties." He nodded when Eric brought up their search. "Yes, plants. But seeing as, as you said, eternity fosters a variegation of fascinations, we seek plants, or materials with various properties." He smiled. "But an Inmergo is such a fascinating beauty! Vepar is truly kind to his children, blessing them with such beauty. Perhaps I could talk you into making a trade." He smiled, the red eyes and mouth on his suit flashing to indicate happiness. You help us around hell, searching for what we need to find. In return," He fished in his pockets, pulling out a fine, golden engagement ring, studded with diamonds and opal, presumably pulled off a dead human woman, "I'll let you keep this. Keepsake, perhaps. From what I might be aware, you have a penchant for artifacts such as these? And if you might share with us, oh I don't know, a bottled tear or two, I can gladly venture back to Hell to bring you more." Cervantes was a smooth talker and a diplomat, and enjoyed driving his bargains hard, like a racehorse. "Might be a bit much to ask, but since we're here, I can't exactly neglect this opportunity, can I?" He looked at Eric, as if to say with his glance, "Just let me do the talking, I think we've found more than we bargained for."
Laela continued to listen to Cervantes and Eric as they explained the nature of their armor to her, and she was trying to follow. A sip from her drink taken in silent contemplation, Laela winced when Eric asked for her help. The type of wince that can distort features, a hiss of intaken air through her shiny teeth while Laela turned the concept over in her head. The creature did have a keen knowledge of herbology thanks to her love of books. But, she also had invisible chains binding her to this bar, and to the brothel next door. If only it were so simple, and she were just a woman singing in a bar. The explanation of their business here in Hell given by Cerv made a great deal of sense. A sigh brewed from her chest and passed her sticky red lips. "I'm afraid I am only within this establishment due to work release.." There was a flicker, a minor glimmer of blue in the black void of her stare. She was trying to get a handle on what Eric was under his armor. Laela's Attention turned to Cervantes, and again she parted her lips to speak. The Inmergo were strange, to humans it seemed that their speaking voices might register at two frequencies sometimes, or even hold an echo effect. It was not a constant, just a mere lapsing thing much like a cracking voice on an human. licked her lips and thought. "I would be glad to accompany you. " A hand moved to rake three fingers through her colorful hair as she thought, holding bangs away from her face. Gill slits on her cheeks gave a flex, though they were merely vestigial here. Though she was turning the concept over mentally, she didn't seem to be affected by stress on a detectable level. "But, kind divers...what is it that you can do for me specifically?" Painted lips drew themselves upward at the right corner of her mouth in a smirk that looked like it belonged there. A dark line on her face that the shadows seemed to hit ever so perfectly. "I sense that you are not of this area, not to worry. I don't want your blood, or your soul, or any gobbledy guckity...goop.." Laela's Fingers gave a dismissive wiggle as her eyes wandered over Eric once again, and she smiled a radiant beam of jovial light to him. The quiet one. She didn't want him to feel as if he was being left out. Laela seemed to freeze when Cerv mentioned what she was. What she most actually was, and even let a Duke's name pass his lips that most humans would be oblivious to. "Pardon?" She blinked and shifted in her chair. But, allowed him to finish. The sparkle of gold caught her eye immediately, another flex of the gills on her face and another blue sparkle of her eyes. "Beautiful..." She said softly, always one with a fondness for sparkling things, and most specifically opals. She was seriously considering going with them, and even reached her gentle touch for the ring to appraise it until the word 'tear' left Cervantes' lips. "Oh..." She paused. Laela's hand dropped away and rested in her lap. "Hans once said that the mermaid has no tears, and so she suffers more. As you well know, I myself am not a mermaid, but it isn't very chivalrous to ask someone you've just met to cry for you!" She tried to joke, to slant off her offense, and even her alarm at the situation. "You should know, it is notoriously hard to make an inmergo cry, even if we try to do so. It is no simple feat. I envy humans, for their ability to leak saltwater in response to emotion. If I could offer them to you post haste, I would. But it is not so simple, dearest divers..." A sigh heaved from the critter, her eyes moving back to the ring. "If you can come in two moons from this night, I can give you my tears. But tonight, it isn't a feasible offer. Tell me of the herbs you seek, and I will do my best to recall where to procure them."
(01:50:06) Eric Caulson spotted Laela's wince, and immediately realized he may have misspoken. "You can't leave?" he asked. "Ah... that's a shame." He decided instead to step back as Cervantes took the lead. Clearly, he knew what he was doing, though Eric had to wonder where he'd found that ring. Jewelry was hard to come by in his expeditions. He assumed the demons had stolen most of it already. He caught Laela looking at him, and for a moment, he was unable to look away from her. "Well, I can think of a few plants off the top of my head," he said to her. "Bloodleaf, weeping roses... that sort of thing. Do you know where we might find some of those around here?" They did occasionally show up on earth now that the realms had collided, but Eric knew they would be more common down in Hell. "What's your name, by the way?" he added.
Cervantes smiled. "Oh, it is of no worry. Why do you think I said I'd come back to bring more? I only have a ring on me, and just the necessities to keep myself alive, in case something went south. Please, forgive me for my lack of manners. Keep the ring, I hope you will find it worthy of your note." He folded his arms. "We as divers, I suppose. Well, that depends on where you hail from, but I assume you can't leave Hell for some time. At least, not until your contract is nulled. I met a demon just like you. Lucifuge. I trusted him, and he gave me plenty of information on hell. Then he had a friend of mine killed. An archdemon with conquest in his heart will do anything to preserve himself. But again, I digress." He stepped forward to the Inmergo, as if he worried less about his boundaries he was establishing. "As my companion, has said, yes. He seeks those ingredients. And perhaps another one only you can obtain. There are rivers in Hell that even this armor is not particularly equipped to traverse. I seek a specific strain of algae, which is known for explicit properties of invoking hallucinations when directly consumed, found only in the most ravenous rivers. For us, it would be an impossible task. But for you, perhaps not. In return, I can supply more jewelry. My clan performed a raid on a manor, in which we found an affluent woman deceased, slain by a clan of righteous angels. It was a bloody battle. But no losses on our end. We collected an armada of fine clothes and jewelry fit for a duchess, but not much else." Cervantes was talking up his abilities. Was it a bluff? Who knew. But he was seemingly serious. "Anyway. It shouldn't take long. One earth hour, tops. And don't worry. Even though you can't leave, me and my fellow will be back." He looked at Eric. "Your name would be great, actually, for reference. I am Mr. Soto, and my companion is Mr. Caulson, commissars of the Counter Armageddon Union. Pleasure." Cervantes took care not to use their first names, since he didn't know if any demons were listening in that might take interest in slaughtering them where they stood.
Laela frowned when Eric asked his question. "No, I..I am ward of a subcontractor for the business next door. Thusly, you can probably piece together why I do not have my freedom. If I could, I would, dear quiet diver." Though she smiled to Eric, her brow knitted slightly. She hated to admit such a thing. Thankfully, and oh so thankfully did the subject take a change of direction. Eric told her of some plants, and she moved a hand to tap a scaley temple with her index in contemplation. "Iresine herbstii." She smiled to him once more, and continued. "The corner of this avenue has an alley, behind a shattered window, you can find your bloodleaf in a small thicket, winding through cracked cement. It isn't very hearty, but it's close!" She chimed, a birdlike chirp of happiness for her joy in being of some use for once. Her focus moved to Cerv now as he apologized, and Laela's gaze softened only slightly. Soft, being relative to a demoness that is. "I shall accept this ring." A smile, and a nod as she held out her palm, scored with a white scar upon flesh shaped in the sigil of Vepar. "My condolences." This statement seemed rather dry. Laela only ever possessed one friend, and that hadn't gone well. She'd listen now to Cervantes tell of the algae, and nod. "Waterways I do have passage to, because of my duty. I will have your algae when you come for your tears. My bindings make an expedition as this one difficult, but I will help you." Another nod of her head, blue hair falling into her deceptively angelic features a bit before she pushed it back. Laela stood for a moment and called to the lesser behind the bar who had been so enamoured with her song when they'd come in. His eyes moved to her, and one could practically feel the weight of his slow breath in once he gazed upon Laela. "Teph! May I have use of your pen?" She purred to the bartender, who obliged her with a pen and a stained piece of parchment from behind the bar. Laela :held up a finger, and she wrote down in her rather feminine scrawl Where to find the bloodleaf. "Weeping roses..." She repeated, tapping the pen against her bottom lip. One eye closed and she thought on it for a moment longer until she remembered. "Weeping roses are more easily attainable within the cemetery. They are my most favorite." And so, she scribbled down some directions to the cemetery, along with some cautionary notes. On a tangent, she tore the paper in two, and scrawled down some information regarding the algae they needed, it wasn't a simple task, but she was due for a channel stretch anyway. The paper reserved for herself was tucked away into her pocket, and she now turned to the men who she was talking to. "My name is Laela..." The Inmergo offered, her voice curling round the protection of their armor like soft, gossamer incense smoke. Delicate and alluring all the same when she spoke the singular word Vepar had given her as a title. Laela slid the paper with the directions and cautionary tips to Eric, gaze lingering upon his armor, and it for a moment was almost as if she could see through it. But, she could not. "Before I go and retrieve you algae, Soto and Caulson.." Laela looked at the both of them, then held up a finger. Hoisting her leg up onto the bar, she'd shred a piece of purple cloth from her shorts, then cleave it in half with the sharp of a gill slit at the bend of her shoulder. "If I may, dearest divers." She'd offer, standing and moving slowly to show she meant them no harm. "Affix these, if you will. Visibly." Lips would be pressed to each cloth, words whispered into them unheard by Eric and Cerv before she handed them over. "Soto understands, I'm sure. Inmergo and lesser creatures of Vepar will not cause you harm so long as these are bound." She'd close her eyes, and nod. But suddenly Laela gripped the bar, took in a hard gasp of air through her lips and winced, gills flexing. Something was causing Laela an immense amount of pain if only for a split second. Enough to cause her legs to weaken, thus the bar gripping. "I..must leave now. Two moons, Divers..meet me next door, tell the woman at the desk that you're there to see me." She'd say, in a hurry all of the sudden. "I'm sorry I...!" The wince returned, the obvious pull of a spell causing her need to leave. Oh, if only Hell's contracts were strictly paper and penalties... Without another word, the inmergo was rushing out the back door and into the brothel.
Eric Caulson nodded silently in agreement with Cervantes. Indeed, they'd only brought enough supplies for a short trip into Hell. He frowned briefly when Lucifuge's name was mentioned- he'd thought, for a brief moment, that he might actually be able to get along with that particular demon. It seemed that might not be the case after all, which disappointed Eric slightly. He did make a note of asking Cervantes about the raid on the manor- that was a tale he hadn't heard yet. "Should we really mention what group we're with?" Eric whispered. "I doubt many demons would be happy with what we stand for." When Laela gave instructions on where some of the plants he was looking for, Eric grinned, even though she wouldn't be able to see it through his helmet. When the immergo tore off a strip of cloth and handed it to him, Eric quickly set to work tying it around his arm, as instructed. Presumably, it would offer him some level of protection, however slightly. "Thanks," Eric said. "We'll head there as soon as we can." His smile faded as the immergo suddenly rose to her feet, made her excuses, and left. Something had compelled her to leave, and he had a feeling he could guess what. "Well, I guess we should be going now," he said to Cervantes. "Now that we know where to look. Shall we?"
Cervantes pulled out his phone, which had been recording a voice memo. "Thank you for your time, ma'am. Two moons it shall be." He looked at Eric. "We have the information we need for the immediate needs. We can return for the more valuable ingredients at the time Laela specified." He nodded. "Such are the contracts of the subservience of Hell." He looked at Eric. "There is a way that these contracts can be broken. When I discovered Merkabah, Lucifuge reaffirmed my research, stating that the power of Abaddon and Merkabah are essentially equal. The powers of Hell stem from the chariot of Abaddon. So essentially, the being that binds Laela can generate a contract of a certain ranking. Whether they be a duke, king, etcetera. Some have contracts that are bound directly to Lucifer, breakable only by a messiah. But remember our discussion of the chariot? Likely, if we were to channel the network of Abaddon, and generate a contract of higher authority, we can break this woman's contract, and she will be of more assistance to us." He walked toward the door, his hand hovering over his pistol, as he used his other free hand to stow away his phone. "Let's go. Time's a-wasting. We may be here sooner than two moons, friend. But for now, we need only be here an hour at most."
Laela was for some reason or another, lucky enough to spend time drumming up business for the brothel from within one of Hell's bars. Laela wasn't one of the employees who often was able to leave. But, it just so happened that the solicitation of one business from within another was easily acceptable so long as the Inmergo drove a decent bargain. A small price to pay for her chance at a night out rather than a night of work from within a dimly lit room. A shock of Cyan blue tresses was swept over one tattooed shoulder, scales peeking and glimmering from the highest points of her shoulders and cheeks in a dark opalescent shade of navy. The Inmergo was dressed in what was probably once a black t-shirt and shorts before she 'made it better' with her own twists and spins. Her short legs could barely reach the ground, so feet covered by buckly boots kicked idly as the vividly colorful woman sang to the bartender, who seemed in so much of a word occupied with listening to the soft of her. singing voice. It was actually quite good, the way she crooned out an old song she recalled from before the world became what it was now. There was no musical accompaniment, but the woman didn't seem to mind. She actually seemed quite happy to be given such an opportunity. Sweet voice put a feminine touch upon words once sang by Jimi Hendrix. "Butterflies and zebras...and fairy tales, that's what she thinks about." She sang, smiling to him as he sipped her shared rum. "What is a zebra?" he asked, Laela only smiled and shook her head before she broke into a laughter almost akin to a bird's song. In fact, she stopped her song early. Plucking up the rum she'd found in a shipwreck, she took a long drink and grimaced. "That doesn't matter."
( Eric Caulson took a deep breath as he stepped into the bar. It had been a while since he'd come back to Hell. Part of him had hoped he'd never see the place again. But he figured that as long as no demons recognized him, he'd be fine- at least, that was the plan. And the new armor he and Cervantes were wearing would probably help with that, as the helmets completely concealed their faces. He heard a singing voice coming from someone sitting next to the counter, and he slowly started approaching Laela. "You have a beautiful voice," he said to her. "I haven't heard anyone singing like that in a long, long time."
Cervantes came in wearing a black variant of Eric's armor. "Remember the plan, Eric. We're getting in and out. We just need some resources for some potions, and we can split. This is just a pit stop." Cervantes was fiddling with his pistol, Metatron, and as he analyzed the room, put it away. "Demons are a tough bunch, but with the prototype armor and our weapons, we should hopefully be okay." He looked at Laela. "Well, shit, what have we here?" Cervantes' voice sounded muffled and electronic through his armor, as if his voice was coming out the end of a walkie talkie. "Please, allow me, miss, the honor. You've a lovely voice indeed. Such rhythm!" He smiled. "Alas, being of your calibre have had aeons to practice perfection in the sorts." Cervantes immediately recognized what Laela was; an Inmergo. He had studied all sorts of demons in his time. Perhaps she'd be willing to provide him with ingredients for the regeneration salves.
Laela felt the shift of air pressure when the bar's door opened, but she did not turn to look. Black sclera eyes remained upon the amber fluid within the rocks glass that the creature held in her dainty hands. It was rude to stare, but in a realm of sinners and demons one could never be so sure whether manners made any semblance of a difference. It didn't take long for her to notice the barkeep's gaze move from her to Eric, who approached. She herself would turn her body in the stool she sat on, and offer a kind smile of bright white teeth. For now, their bottoms were flat. Her eyes were on his armor, and she was thinking that it reminded her of something she knew once before. He spoke to her and attention was given to him exclusively for the moment. "Thank you." Laela Sincerity laced the words from her painted lips and she actually seemed very grateful for the compliment. Scaley shoulders rose and fell in a small shrug as she breathed out a sigh of hot air. "I cannot say it is common, for those in Hell to find reasons to sing." Laela offered, a gentle half chuckle passing her lips only to be stowed away by the rise and cover of a scale backed hand, eyes widening when Cervantes joined them. He spoke, and she held her tongue while he did so. Her lips closed and her hand fell away, but her smile remained as did her attention upon the one within the ebon armor. "It is noth-.." A blink, and for a moment, the creature felt blindsided. But, she quickly recovered with a breath taken in. Maybe he assumed she was a siren, everyone seemed to do so. "Thank you for your kindness, the both of you. Practice only works if you continue to practice. There is always room for improvement, and in eternity, time in which to practice is in abundance." Laela allowed another little laugh before she regained composure. "Are you divers?" She said, her eerie gaze flickering between the two newcomers as she vaguely began to remember the diving equipment of the nineteen and thirties. "Strange, there is no treasure, or marine life to be found here. And the place is lousy with oxygen..." Head tilted, and she was so very interested in the armor that she'd forgotten the topic of discussion. Analytical, this one. "Where did you even find..." Focus, Laela...
Eric Caulson gave Cervantes a quick nod. "Agreed," he whispered. "The sooner we get this done, the better." He glanced back a Laela, and he soon realized that she was indeed a demon, though not of a kind that he'd had many encounters with in the past. "Not in- I mean, no. I imagine not," he said to Laela, his voice distorted by his helmet. When she asked if the two of them were divers, though, Eric chuckled. Where was there to dive around here, anyway? "Eh... of a sort," he said. "We're looking for some special plants down here. Medicinal plants. Maybe you can help us find them?"
Cervantes gestured to himself when the Inmergo brought up his armor. "You could say we're divers, but not necessarily of the aqueous variant. To put a loose term around it, we're harvesters. Where we come from, finding ingredients for our particular field of study is rather difficult, since as the law of economics applies, resources are always scarce. Thus, we've come here to investigate possible findings here in Hell. This armor functions as allowing us safe passage through. Hell is an unkind place, but this armor equips us well to perform our duties." He nodded when Eric brought up their search. "Yes, plants. But seeing as, as you said, eternity fosters a variegation of fascinations, we seek plants, or materials with various properties." He smiled. "But an Inmergo is such a fascinating beauty! Vepar is truly kind to his children, blessing them with such beauty. Perhaps I could talk you into making a trade." He smiled, the red eyes and mouth on his suit flashing to indicate happiness. You help us around hell, searching for what we need to find. In return," He fished in his pockets, pulling out a fine, golden engagement ring, studded with diamonds and opal, presumably pulled off a dead human woman, "I'll let you keep this. Keepsake, perhaps. From what I might be aware, you have a penchant for artifacts such as these? And if you might share with us, oh I don't know, a bottled tear or two, I can gladly venture back to Hell to bring you more." Cervantes was a smooth talker and a diplomat, and enjoyed driving his bargains hard, like a racehorse. "Might be a bit much to ask, but since we're here, I can't exactly neglect this opportunity, can I?" He looked at Eric, as if to say with his glance, "Just let me do the talking, I think we've found more than we bargained for."
Laela continued to listen to Cervantes and Eric as they explained the nature of their armor to her, and she was trying to follow. A sip from her drink taken in silent contemplation, Laela winced when Eric asked for her help. The type of wince that can distort features, a hiss of intaken air through her shiny teeth while Laela turned the concept over in her head. The creature did have a keen knowledge of herbology thanks to her love of books. But, she also had invisible chains binding her to this bar, and to the brothel next door. If only it were so simple, and she were just a woman singing in a bar. The explanation of their business here in Hell given by Cerv made a great deal of sense. A sigh brewed from her chest and passed her sticky red lips. "I'm afraid I am only within this establishment due to work release.." There was a flicker, a minor glimmer of blue in the black void of her stare. She was trying to get a handle on what Eric was under his armor. Laela's Attention turned to Cervantes, and again she parted her lips to speak. The Inmergo were strange, to humans it seemed that their speaking voices might register at two frequencies sometimes, or even hold an echo effect. It was not a constant, just a mere lapsing thing much like a cracking voice on an human. licked her lips and thought. "I would be glad to accompany you. " A hand moved to rake three fingers through her colorful hair as she thought, holding bangs away from her face. Gill slits on her cheeks gave a flex, though they were merely vestigial here. Though she was turning the concept over mentally, she didn't seem to be affected by stress on a detectable level. "But, kind divers...what is it that you can do for me specifically?" Painted lips drew themselves upward at the right corner of her mouth in a smirk that looked like it belonged there. A dark line on her face that the shadows seemed to hit ever so perfectly. "I sense that you are not of this area, not to worry. I don't want your blood, or your soul, or any gobbledy guckity...goop.." Laela's Fingers gave a dismissive wiggle as her eyes wandered over Eric once again, and she smiled a radiant beam of jovial light to him. The quiet one. She didn't want him to feel as if he was being left out. Laela seemed to freeze when Cerv mentioned what she was. What she most actually was, and even let a Duke's name pass his lips that most humans would be oblivious to. "Pardon?" She blinked and shifted in her chair. But, allowed him to finish. The sparkle of gold caught her eye immediately, another flex of the gills on her face and another blue sparkle of her eyes. "Beautiful..." She said softly, always one with a fondness for sparkling things, and most specifically opals. She was seriously considering going with them, and even reached her gentle touch for the ring to appraise it until the word 'tear' left Cervantes' lips. "Oh..." She paused. Laela's hand dropped away and rested in her lap. "Hans once said that the mermaid has no tears, and so she suffers more. As you well know, I myself am not a mermaid, but it isn't very chivalrous to ask someone you've just met to cry for you!" She tried to joke, to slant off her offense, and even her alarm at the situation. "You should know, it is notoriously hard to make an inmergo cry, even if we try to do so. It is no simple feat. I envy humans, for their ability to leak saltwater in response to emotion. If I could offer them to you post haste, I would. But it is not so simple, dearest divers..." A sigh heaved from the critter, her eyes moving back to the ring. "If you can come in two moons from this night, I can give you my tears. But tonight, it isn't a feasible offer. Tell me of the herbs you seek, and I will do my best to recall where to procure them."
(01:50:06) Eric Caulson spotted Laela's wince, and immediately realized he may have misspoken. "You can't leave?" he asked. "Ah... that's a shame." He decided instead to step back as Cervantes took the lead. Clearly, he knew what he was doing, though Eric had to wonder where he'd found that ring. Jewelry was hard to come by in his expeditions. He assumed the demons had stolen most of it already. He caught Laela looking at him, and for a moment, he was unable to look away from her. "Well, I can think of a few plants off the top of my head," he said to her. "Bloodleaf, weeping roses... that sort of thing. Do you know where we might find some of those around here?" They did occasionally show up on earth now that the realms had collided, but Eric knew they would be more common down in Hell. "What's your name, by the way?" he added.
Cervantes smiled. "Oh, it is of no worry. Why do you think I said I'd come back to bring more? I only have a ring on me, and just the necessities to keep myself alive, in case something went south. Please, forgive me for my lack of manners. Keep the ring, I hope you will find it worthy of your note." He folded his arms. "We as divers, I suppose. Well, that depends on where you hail from, but I assume you can't leave Hell for some time. At least, not until your contract is nulled. I met a demon just like you. Lucifuge. I trusted him, and he gave me plenty of information on hell. Then he had a friend of mine killed. An archdemon with conquest in his heart will do anything to preserve himself. But again, I digress." He stepped forward to the Inmergo, as if he worried less about his boundaries he was establishing. "As my companion, has said, yes. He seeks those ingredients. And perhaps another one only you can obtain. There are rivers in Hell that even this armor is not particularly equipped to traverse. I seek a specific strain of algae, which is known for explicit properties of invoking hallucinations when directly consumed, found only in the most ravenous rivers. For us, it would be an impossible task. But for you, perhaps not. In return, I can supply more jewelry. My clan performed a raid on a manor, in which we found an affluent woman deceased, slain by a clan of righteous angels. It was a bloody battle. But no losses on our end. We collected an armada of fine clothes and jewelry fit for a duchess, but not much else." Cervantes was talking up his abilities. Was it a bluff? Who knew. But he was seemingly serious. "Anyway. It shouldn't take long. One earth hour, tops. And don't worry. Even though you can't leave, me and my fellow will be back." He looked at Eric. "Your name would be great, actually, for reference. I am Mr. Soto, and my companion is Mr. Caulson, commissars of the Counter Armageddon Union. Pleasure." Cervantes took care not to use their first names, since he didn't know if any demons were listening in that might take interest in slaughtering them where they stood.
Laela frowned when Eric asked his question. "No, I..I am ward of a subcontractor for the business next door. Thusly, you can probably piece together why I do not have my freedom. If I could, I would, dear quiet diver." Though she smiled to Eric, her brow knitted slightly. She hated to admit such a thing. Thankfully, and oh so thankfully did the subject take a change of direction. Eric told her of some plants, and she moved a hand to tap a scaley temple with her index in contemplation. "Iresine herbstii." She smiled to him once more, and continued. "The corner of this avenue has an alley, behind a shattered window, you can find your bloodleaf in a small thicket, winding through cracked cement. It isn't very hearty, but it's close!" She chimed, a birdlike chirp of happiness for her joy in being of some use for once. Her focus moved to Cerv now as he apologized, and Laela's gaze softened only slightly. Soft, being relative to a demoness that is. "I shall accept this ring." A smile, and a nod as she held out her palm, scored with a white scar upon flesh shaped in the sigil of Vepar. "My condolences." This statement seemed rather dry. Laela only ever possessed one friend, and that hadn't gone well. She'd listen now to Cervantes tell of the algae, and nod. "Waterways I do have passage to, because of my duty. I will have your algae when you come for your tears. My bindings make an expedition as this one difficult, but I will help you." Another nod of her head, blue hair falling into her deceptively angelic features a bit before she pushed it back. Laela stood for a moment and called to the lesser behind the bar who had been so enamoured with her song when they'd come in. His eyes moved to her, and one could practically feel the weight of his slow breath in once he gazed upon Laela. "Teph! May I have use of your pen?" She purred to the bartender, who obliged her with a pen and a stained piece of parchment from behind the bar. Laela :held up a finger, and she wrote down in her rather feminine scrawl Where to find the bloodleaf. "Weeping roses..." She repeated, tapping the pen against her bottom lip. One eye closed and she thought on it for a moment longer until she remembered. "Weeping roses are more easily attainable within the cemetery. They are my most favorite." And so, she scribbled down some directions to the cemetery, along with some cautionary notes. On a tangent, she tore the paper in two, and scrawled down some information regarding the algae they needed, it wasn't a simple task, but she was due for a channel stretch anyway. The paper reserved for herself was tucked away into her pocket, and she now turned to the men who she was talking to. "My name is Laela..." The Inmergo offered, her voice curling round the protection of their armor like soft, gossamer incense smoke. Delicate and alluring all the same when she spoke the singular word Vepar had given her as a title. Laela slid the paper with the directions and cautionary tips to Eric, gaze lingering upon his armor, and it for a moment was almost as if she could see through it. But, she could not. "Before I go and retrieve you algae, Soto and Caulson.." Laela looked at the both of them, then held up a finger. Hoisting her leg up onto the bar, she'd shred a piece of purple cloth from her shorts, then cleave it in half with the sharp of a gill slit at the bend of her shoulder. "If I may, dearest divers." She'd offer, standing and moving slowly to show she meant them no harm. "Affix these, if you will. Visibly." Lips would be pressed to each cloth, words whispered into them unheard by Eric and Cerv before she handed them over. "Soto understands, I'm sure. Inmergo and lesser creatures of Vepar will not cause you harm so long as these are bound." She'd close her eyes, and nod. But suddenly Laela gripped the bar, took in a hard gasp of air through her lips and winced, gills flexing. Something was causing Laela an immense amount of pain if only for a split second. Enough to cause her legs to weaken, thus the bar gripping. "I..must leave now. Two moons, Divers..meet me next door, tell the woman at the desk that you're there to see me." She'd say, in a hurry all of the sudden. "I'm sorry I...!" The wince returned, the obvious pull of a spell causing her need to leave. Oh, if only Hell's contracts were strictly paper and penalties... Without another word, the inmergo was rushing out the back door and into the brothel.
Eric Caulson nodded silently in agreement with Cervantes. Indeed, they'd only brought enough supplies for a short trip into Hell. He frowned briefly when Lucifuge's name was mentioned- he'd thought, for a brief moment, that he might actually be able to get along with that particular demon. It seemed that might not be the case after all, which disappointed Eric slightly. He did make a note of asking Cervantes about the raid on the manor- that was a tale he hadn't heard yet. "Should we really mention what group we're with?" Eric whispered. "I doubt many demons would be happy with what we stand for." When Laela gave instructions on where some of the plants he was looking for, Eric grinned, even though she wouldn't be able to see it through his helmet. When the immergo tore off a strip of cloth and handed it to him, Eric quickly set to work tying it around his arm, as instructed. Presumably, it would offer him some level of protection, however slightly. "Thanks," Eric said. "We'll head there as soon as we can." His smile faded as the immergo suddenly rose to her feet, made her excuses, and left. Something had compelled her to leave, and he had a feeling he could guess what. "Well, I guess we should be going now," he said to Cervantes. "Now that we know where to look. Shall we?"
Cervantes pulled out his phone, which had been recording a voice memo. "Thank you for your time, ma'am. Two moons it shall be." He looked at Eric. "We have the information we need for the immediate needs. We can return for the more valuable ingredients at the time Laela specified." He nodded. "Such are the contracts of the subservience of Hell." He looked at Eric. "There is a way that these contracts can be broken. When I discovered Merkabah, Lucifuge reaffirmed my research, stating that the power of Abaddon and Merkabah are essentially equal. The powers of Hell stem from the chariot of Abaddon. So essentially, the being that binds Laela can generate a contract of a certain ranking. Whether they be a duke, king, etcetera. Some have contracts that are bound directly to Lucifer, breakable only by a messiah. But remember our discussion of the chariot? Likely, if we were to channel the network of Abaddon, and generate a contract of higher authority, we can break this woman's contract, and she will be of more assistance to us." He walked toward the door, his hand hovering over his pistol, as he used his other free hand to stow away his phone. "Let's go. Time's a-wasting. We may be here sooner than two moons, friend. But for now, we need only be here an hour at most."
