(Nexus II) Twist's Group

[Hector]

Hector's forehead furrowed into a curious frown. He yawned and scratched at his chin.

"I am a shapeshifter, yes."

A truth. Probably poorly wrapped in a little half truth, but maybe just enough to sow annoying doubt. In his word, second guessing yourself could get you killed. He expected it was the same in their little worlds too.

Grinning mischievously, he turned away from James Turner and asked Myah Twist the same thing. It was obvious what she was: delicate, seductive, with a commanding presence...

"I bet you're one of them witches, ain't ya?"

Sorry for jumping in; the question was directed to Hector.

[Twist]

"So it is decided," Twist said with a grin, settling back to await the first question.

Eyebrows, both, lifted as it came, her dark eyes sparkling with the early audacity. Even so she could appreciate the simplicity, the directness of it. He may not end up the decorative statue of the foursome after all.

And what about the question itself? Turning to Hector, she thought it over. A werewolf? She could see it? Werewolves were dangerous. Potent. Powerful. But so far her experience with the ... species? was that it involved petting. Cain was more threatening than the scenes caught from the corner of her eye.

Unless maybe the blue haired chick doing the repeat performance at the end of the bar wasn't a werewolf? She hadn't actually asked. That must be it.

Now ... was Hector?

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Mhairi has to laugh, full of a sort of giddiness, James goes right in for the proverbial kill, and Hector offers a riposte, and she slips through, a sly smirk upon her lips, "Ah, but what shape do you shift, hm?"

The laughter says, in her eyes, mirror bright, and fell-flames alike. She could imagine Myah to be a sorceress, easily enough. The women certainly had an undeniable magical....talent. The Wisp feels herself flush. Warming as moonglow skin dyes pink, wisping galaxies blooming across her cheeks.

[James Turner]

At Hector's answer his chest exploded with excitement. Shapeshifter? Is werewolf considered derogatory? Oh, Mhairi is right do they have multiple shapes? Can they mimic us? A simple answer to a question lead to a thousand more in his head. He wondered what else was out there, how it got there and what the implications were.


Inside his mind he was furiously updating Hector's data in his mind. In his excitement he had to remind himself to be careful, that these people and this information came with a certain level of danger, that he had to stay close to the surface for now. Deeper information likely came with a cost, what didn't? He offered Mhairi a smile at her question awaiting the answer eagerly.


The mask he wore wasn't perfect but he did a good job of suppressing the display of his emotions. His body remaining still, breathing stable, face a blank mask as he took on all this information. The outward clues a lot more subtle thanks to the changes in the Wyrd and Winters own blessing of calm stillness.

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-02-06 07:25:17	James Turner rolls 7 to Poker Face (Manip + Subtrefuge) (9 Again)	2, 8, 10, 6, 8, 3, 7, 6	3 successes

[Hector]

"Oh I have many shapes."

Hector gave a blissful smile.

Then serious.

"Thats another of my twenty. So what are you. Given those mesmerising eyes I'd say your one of those vampyr revenant... thi - people! And I guess you must be some sort of spirit dude."

He rounded out the group, pointing first to Mhairi Ankaa and then to James Turner

"Am I right."

He was turning his attention back to Twist who had remained quiet on the sidelines at the heart of the little group.

[Twist]

Oh she liked that answer. For all his lack of fashion sense, Twist thought she might actually come to like this Hector. Direct, no fancy wordplay that she would get lost in. And yet... Mhairi caught it. A werewolf turned into a wolf and something with the moon maybe. But he only agreed to shapeshifting. He only agreed to the same thing that Mable and others of the domain could do.

Twist let a laugh escape, the answer deserved one after all, the sound mingling with Mhairi's. A counterpoint to the sound was John's silence. Ah well, perhaps he wanted a full reveal. Shame if so. There was little fun in stripping without teasing.

She heard Hector's question to her, but waited a beat for him to address the follow up that Mhairi had pointed out. Address and present two more. One for Mhairi and John apiece.

Mhairi- Kindred? Twist schooled her face at the idea. Oh, he was right - her eyes were something else true enough. No need to pull on the blood to entrance someone with them. But she had seen them dripping fire and that was no feature of her kind.

But she still hadn't answered herself, as he well knew as he rounded on her. A witch was the guess and she felt no offense at the asking. Her sire was Crone and she knew the word held value for those who believed.

Glancing to Mhairi she caught the blush and her smile deepened in knowing, before turning back to Hector. "Alas, I have a few titles but none of them is Witch," she said letting regret fill her voice at having to deny him.

She wanted to have a coy follow on but nothing came to mind, but perhaps it was for the best. Mhairi and John still had their questions after all. A spirit dude. If so, that would be for Mhairi too. She had caught that Mhairi had seen more than she upon John's joining them earlier. But she wouldn't give up secrets that were not hers and so she kept that small bit of knowledge to herself. Well ... mostly. She was still curious about that one statement ... "And what is it that you wear?"

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Everyone around them seems to be lost is the sudden shine and grasping freedom to be. But Mhairi knew Fear, lived Fear, and trusted Fear know that nothing was Twilight sparkles and monstrous hookups (no matter how...delightful the latter was), and found herself smiling a little more, settling into the caution, enjoying the wit and word play.

How many Clauses had Hector bargained for? No, wait. He wouldn't have Clauses would he? What does he have then, if not those? How did magic work without Contract and Clause?

"My thanks for the compliment, but I'm not a revenant, vampiric or otherwise." All that she had been through, what she does remember is that she hadn't felt herself die. No, The Ruination made sure she was awake and aware. Her smile is frozen as she looks into the middle distance, feeling her marrow boil, and her bones blacken and crack.

Myah asks her questions and Mhairi blinks, forcing herself away from her memories. With perhaps a touch to forcefully, she manages an impish smile, and replies, "A tittle."

[James Turner]

"Spirit no, but I spent time as a Shadow." He added coyly not wanting Hector to feel left out but giving no real information of value. Their time in arcadia was not their own. A small smile actually crept to James' lips as Hector's impatience and excitement bled into James. He honestly can't remember the last time he had this much fun. He did miss the subtle nature of the game.


Body language was important in conversation, not just when you were directly being addressed. James had caught the look on Myah's face when Hector insinuated she was a vampire. James wondered if that was a distaste because of the subject, perhaps a vampire had hurt her? He lacked the context but there was something there, more digging would be required.


When Myah asked her question his face grew somber and he shook his head. "The Sorrow of my people, the burden of leadership." Technically true, there was an art to twisting the truth to suit your needs. He had been worried he was out of practice. "What title should you be addressed by?" The question hung there as he looked over at Mhairi checking to see if she was ok.

[Hector]

Hector frowned for a moment, saddened that he had pegged the delicate Twist wrong. He let out a breath, flexed his shoulders and turned his face - quick fire - to bounce between James Turner and Mhairi Ankaa . As he did, his smile grew back with incremental speed.

"I feel you."

He blurted, suddenly sombre, as John revealed a little about himself and his... role... with his kind. A from forms on his face as he recognises the ... long ... stare from Mhairi as well.

[Twist]

Twist tsk'd at Hector's frown, leaning in to peer up at Hector through her lashes, "Oh- no need to frown. I am only making sure that there is something there for a second date." Grinning, she straightened to hear first Mhairi and then John's answer.

A title. The burden of leadership. And then... Hector too!

Oh, now wasn't she flattered? A former and two current Princes, or whatever they called themselves, gathered around her. She couldn't wait to tell him, for once he may actually be jealous of her. Though likely not. That word, that concept, didn't exactly exist between them.

"I find myself in a gathering of my betters," Twist said, not at all sounding like she believed it, her cat-with-the-cream smile confirming.

"Let us see, so far we have a leader of Shapeshifters" she smiled toward Hector, "One of Shadows and one of," turning to Mhairi Ankaa , her smile turning almost mischievious, "Starfire." Hopefully it wasn't breaking the rules too much to reveal the original name she had been provided with for the quietly confident woman, but she wanted to pull her away from whatever somber and dark corners she kept slipping into.

"Well, since it would be rude of me to break the pattern, I will claim the same for the Succubus," and spreading her arms she presented herself again to the group with a grin. "Though I will say that mine carries no sorrow but only ...well, I am sure you know."

Tapping her lips, her dark eyes flickered between them as though trying to decide who to ask a question of next. Finally with a quick shrug she address the group at large ... well, almost. "As it is rude to ask a lady's age I shall ask instead the two men - how long?"

It was an open ended question she knew, but she would leave the direct ones to the men, they seemed to prefer them anyways.