The Black Dragon's Den

[quillpleasant]

Atya turns around with a confident grin, only for her eyes to widen in surprise as she takes in the small, furry creature. This is not what she was expecting, and she hides a giggle behind one be-ringed hand. Of course, criminals can come in all shapes and sizes, and Atya is no stranger to being underestimated for her appearance, so she can't completely dismiss the moogle. Still, she can't resist poking a little fun.

"Well aren't you adorable! What's your name, big man?" she says, leaning against the bar as she offers her other hand to shake. "I'm Atya, in case you didn't know already."

[Reinholdt]

A man wearing a black leather jacket and all too tight leather pants to match looks up from his rum. The third so far? Reinholdt doesn't generally keep track and sticks to ordering more when he's empty. Now they're all paid for too! What a day. With fingerless gloves, he runs his hand through his blue hair, adjusting it slightly before he stands up and heads over to Atya's position.

"Oh not much, how about you?" Reinholdt interjects, looking straight at Mogzoku with a wink of one of his distinctive pink, pupil-less eyes. With a grin at his own joke, he looks towards Atya and makes himself comfortable, taking the opportunity to steal the moogle's handshake. "Reinholdt, Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire." Releasing Atya's hand, he performs an elaborate flourish to match the namesake.

"So Atya, what brings you to the classiest, seediest bar around, asking everyone for skills you know they already have?" Few people enter Black Dragon's Den without having broken numerous laws first.

[[brackets lover]]

Mogzoku wings dejectedly flutter more slowly as Atya pokes fun at his expense, causing him to gently land atop a bar stool on which he stood. Waiting out the storm that is Reinholdt, the moogle finally manages to get a word in, "My name is Goemog, kupo! Its nice to meet you." Mogzoku shrivels back in an attempt to play into a role of a harmless and frail woodland creature. To compound this, he did seem genuinely skittish at the moment in response to Reinholdt's brazen demeanor.

[quillpleasant]

Atya raises an eyebrow as the dashing Reinholdt cuts in, looking him up and down approvingly as they shake hands. "My my, aren't you the smooth one? If you're as good at stealing treasure as you are introductions, then we'll get along splendidly."

Turning back to the moogle, she gives an almost genuine smile. "It's nice to meet you too, Goemog. And we might also get along, if you're interested in hearing me out." She waves at the bartender. "Some drinks for my new friends! And a poisonbite cocktail with hanger's drop for me."

Brushing her hair from her eyes, Atya grins slyly at Reinholdt. "So, the reason I'm here. I'm planning on breaking into a very secure, very shady facility to retrieve an object more valuable than a dragon's horde, and although I'd love to do it alone, I need a more diverse set of skills to get in. Plus, the building isn't flammable, which makes me sad." And she gives a theatrical pout in demonstration.

[Reinholdt]

Reinholdt frowns slightly as Goemog appears to shrivel up. He hadn't meant to cause the moogle's self-confidence to evaporate. "Nice to meet you too Goemog," Rein offers. "I can't say I've seen one of you before. What are you?" Rein asks, curious about the strange fuzzy floating creature.

A smile returns to Rein's lips as Atya plays up her disappointment. Another drink doesn't hurt and Rein accepts it graciously from the barkeep, taking a quick sip. "Well, flame proofing your secure, shady facility does seem like a prudent decision on their part. Probably the first thing most facilities should do really." A surprising number don't. Probably cost reasons. "Since you've determined you can't do it alone, I presume you've already checked the place out?"

[[brackets lover]]

As Atya seems to respond positively to Reinholdt's greeting, Mogzoku mumbles something very quietly. He listens intently to the briefing, looking around afterwards with an occupied expression on his face. When Reinholdt inquires as to Goemog's species, he curtly replies, "Moogle, kupo."

With the subject of the heist finally disclosed, Mogzoku curls his fists with indignation, closing his eyes for second before opening them and standing up straight. "Ok, I'm in," he replies determinedly, "And if you need extra hands, I've got my connections."

[quillpleasant]

Atya holds her cocktail of poison up to the light and nods approvingly before draining it in a single gulp. Completely unphased, she sets the empty glass delicately back on the bar.

"Prudent, sure. But it's not very fun." And surely the first rule in making a top secret facility is to have fun and be yourself. "But yes, I've scoped it out. Even managed to get some blueprints. So I know how to get in, it's just that doing it alone would increase the risk to a level that even I don't like."

At Mogzoku's declaration, Atya blinks in surprise. "Just like that? My, you're a brave one. And I'll certainly take you up on it, but you should probably know a little more about the job first, hm?" She makes an impatient hand gesture for the bartender to refill her drink.

"Have you heard of iii? The Institute for Interworld Illumination. They're a 'research' company that's a front for a cult, with bases in too many worlds to count. Their Nexus branch contains a chemical compound with some very... intriguing effects. It's the basis of some of their more dubious experiments, so taking it off their hands is a good deed, and we all love those, right?" She giggles, a little too loudly. "Plus they have lots of money and whatever, so you can help yourself to that too once we're in."

[Reinholdt]

Reinholdt finds Mogzoku hard to read, but that may just be because of how cute he is. Atya on the other hand, was clearly showing off that poison meant nothing to her. With a raised eyebrow, Rein has to wonder if she can get drunk at all and if not, what's the point? Perhaps she's a social drinker, but the idea of being sober for any extended length of time terrifies Reinholdt on an existential level.

"We should at least learn our intended payment plan before signing up, right? A cut of a sale, a payment for sole custody of the chemical, a self-payment based entirely on what we find extra?" So many options.

Rein nurses his drink, swirling it slowly as he considers the iii. He's heard of them. How could he not? They... well, doesn't matter here. "I presume stealing the chemical isn't enough. What's to stop them from synthesizing more?" Hence probably why Atya's already considered fire as an option.

[[brackets lover]]

Mogzoku crosses his arms and listens intently to Atya. At the end of her explanation, he loosens up and replies solemnly, "I see... If the compound remains with them, it'll be only used to hurt and exploit people." He beats one fist against the palm of his other hand, the sound being little more than a gentle tap. "Its not right. I can't allow them to get away with that, kupo." His facial expression is quite determined, the subject of payment not even drawing any of his attention.

[quillpleasant]

If Atya can get drunk, she's clearly not showing it, although she does slow down, sipping her second drink more thoughtfully as she considers Reinholdt's questions.

"Normally I'd be haggling a lot more, but in this case I'm not interested in personally profiting." The statement makes her wrinkle her nose, as if the idea is both foreign and distasteful. "The vault they store the compound in also has like, a stupidly large amount of money, so you can take as much of that as you can carry. Hell, you can even take some of the chemical, I just need enough to... well, I don't need all of it," she trails off rather evasively.

She nods slowly at Mogzoku's righteousness, looking like a deer in the headlights. "Yeaaah. Yes. We certainly can't let them keep exploiting people." Atya suddenly breaks into a wide grin. "Which brings me to the last part of the plan. In answer to your question, Reinholdt, we're also going to place an EMP bomb to scramble their data, so they'll have to start from scratch with further experiments."

[Reinholdt]

Reinholdt eyes Atya with a little more scrutiny than before, seeming to hang on her every word. He gives her a smile as she explains the end of the plan. "That would definitely clean things up nicely. And if this chemical is as wonderful as you say it is, it wouldn't hurt to have a bit for myself. So that I can..." Reinholdt trails off and stares off for a second, trying to recall something.

"What did you say this chemical does again?" The rum must be getting to him. Not that it stops him from taking another sip... drink... guzzle I guess. Going straight for a guzzle.

[[brackets lover]]

"I don't think we should steal anything extra," Mogzoku muses, "On the off-chance there are any competent employees working there, that money's getting tracked down immediately. Not to mention there's no guarantee it'd even be in a currency I'm familiar with. It's... not a huge deal whether I get paid or not. We can always figure something out later." His squealy, high-pitched voice in addition to his lack of interest in personal benefit really cemented an air of innocence around him.

[quillpleasant]

Atya favors Reinholdt with a curious glance. Is he really as drunk as he seems, or is he working an angle? Well either way, he's asking all the right questions. Not a stranger to this kind of work, then.

"I didn't say," she grins cheekily, "But yes, I'm getting to that."

The moogle, on the other hand, is definitely working an angle.

"Well, you certainly don't have to steal anything extra. Can't say I'm used to people working without pay though. Maybe you'll also want some of the chemical." It's a little hard to swallow that Mogzoku is as pure of heart and naive as he appears.

"And speaking of, it's called B32- or in less scientific terms, phoenix blood. Not in a literal sense mind you, no mythological birds are involved here." Atya take a sip of her drink, swishing it around in her mouth as she considers how much to divulge. "It accelerates cell production and tissue regrowth, effectively granting immortality when ingested. But there are side effects unique to the individual, some worse than others." Her lip curls slightly, in distaste or anger it's hard to say.

[Reinholdt]

"That's money they won't have though. And isn't taking money from an evil cultist corporation reward in and of itself?" Reinholdt asks Mogzoku. Hypothetically speaking of course.

He lets out a low whistle as Atya explains B32, not sure entirely how he feels about phoenix blood until she explains it's just the name. "Immortality, huh? That's the kind of thing people kill for. And they're using it as just a base for other experiments? I can't tell if that's short sighted or ingenious." Rein shakes his head, finding no solutions to the quandary. "That it's been invented at all is a miracle. The side effects have to be pretty severe?" He looks at Atya, wondering if she'll fill in the blanks.

[[brackets lover]]

"We could also just burn the money, kupo," Mogzoku admits, "Not that i'm suggesting that. Staying on course is the best way to minimize risk and maximize chances of success, kupo!"

He chuckles and scratches the back of his head, his demeanor suddenly becoming much more jovial. Mogzoku walks up to the edge of the stool and leans back against the counter, straight chilling. "Effective immortality? Sounds like a pain, kupo. Then again, not the worst thing to find its way on the black market."

[quillpleasant]

Atya waves her hand dismissively. "Like I said, do whatever you want with the money. Although I do support burning things regardless of the context." She gives a languid shrug, as if she really can't be bothered with such trivialities.

"Yes, it grants immortality, of a very imperfect sort. It has limits. Regrowth from being destroyed is time consuming and painful, and if all the cells are wiped out, there's no coming back from that. iii is trying to make it better, and modify it to mind control their test subjects, if that makes their plans any clearer." Hm. The talk of burning is making her want a cigarette. She fishes one out of her purse.

"Either of you boys have a light?" Atya asks, holding it out expectantly. "Oh yeah, the side effects. Well like I said, they vary. Some people mutate, or go catatonic, or become cancerous. Or just... become a little detached from the world." Her voice grows slightly hesitant as she talks, not noticeable were it not for her usual easy confidence.

[Reinholdt]

"You're correct. Though I'm not really a minimize the risk kind of guy." Reinholdt shrugs a little, and glances at Atya with a little concern as she pushes for burning things again. Well, the Moogle brought it up first he supposes.

"I don't smoke," Rein says, apologetically not providing Atya a light. Rein finds smoking repugnant really, but knows better than to mention something like that to a potential employer. "And is that what you're hoping for from this compound? The high you can't get anywhere else?" Reinholdt asks, keeping his eyes locked on Atya's as he takes another long drink.

[[brackets lover]]

Mogzoku nods along to the conversation, enthusiastically chiming in after Rein disappoints Atya, "I got it, Kupo!" He stands up straight and pulls out a metal tinderbox from a side pocket of his cloak, setting it down on the counter and pulling out the flint and fire striker. In one stroke, he flings sparks onto the tinder, which was some sort of fungus. He quickly picks up the ignited shroom, holding it up to Atya's cigarette to light it, and then squeezing it with his hand to put out the fire.

On the subject of Atya's motivations, Mogzoku turns to Atya and weighs in, "Ha. If we were living in a story, I'd say you were experimented on, escaped from the facility and now want revenge, kupo." He chuckles at his joke momentarily.

[quillpleasant]

"I'm with you there. Life's nothing without a little risk," says Atya, favoring Reinholdt with a smile. She watches with interest as Mogzoku pulls out his fire starting implements, a far more complex process than the lighter she had expected.

"You're full of surprises, Goemog," she observes, taking a long drag on her cigarette. Seeming to pick up on Reinholdt's distaste for smoking, she shrugs. "Disgusting habit, I know. One of many." However, she does blow the smoke away from her two compatriots.

Meeting Rein's gaze, she holds it for a moment, then giggles. "God no. I'm a chemist, if I wanted to get high I could just cook stuff up in my lab. Which is an invitation if you're ever in the mood." Atya's eyes flicker to the moogle as he chimes in with the 'joke'. How does he know so much? Is he trying to bait her? A sudden feeling of paranoia goes through her, but she waves it off with another shrug.

"Yeah, something like that. It wasn't this facility I escaped from, and it's not revenge I'm looking for, but I was one of the earliest test subjects. The side effects have been getting worse, and if I can decode the chemical structure of B32 and synthesize it, I can cure myself." There, cards on the table. Atya turns away for a moment, taking another pull on her cigarette to avoid looking at either of them.

[Reinholdt]

The Moogle certainly had an impressive fire fungus. And he touched on a possibility Reinholdt admittedly hadn't considered. It makes sense though. Atya certainly knew a lot about the iii and compound.

"Hopefully not too many," Reinholdt says with a sympathetic smile before Atya puts forward her invitation. There's a moment of struggle in his face. Ignoring the rampant alcoholism, he has been relatively clean for the last few years. And it's been both fantastic and a nightmare. And it's not like... whatever Atya's offering would ever stand up to Liquid Pain. Maybe... maybe just once wouldn't hurt. "I, uh, wouldn't say no..." Rein glances away, feeling a disapproving gaze from off in the direction of Phoenix Lake.

Atya's honesty... if it's that... does draw Rein's attention back to her. She could be lying. But, well... Rein can always just accept her offers and keep an eye on her that way right? Yeah. Yeah, he's doing drugs for the greater good, that's it. "Well it's a great step better than all the insidious things I was imagining you would be using it for." Reinholdt says. "Sounds to me like we have a mission. I'm in."

[[brackets lover]]

As he's complimented, Mogzoku giggles a bit. The rest of the conversation he just listens to politely, taking in all the information he can. He didn't pay much mind to the drug talk, the prospect of a cure instead piquing his interest. "Wow... you can really make a cure, just like that? You're amazing, kupo," he remarks in awe, "If its all the same to you, I'd like to get this cure to as many of their victims as we can, kupo." He thinks for a second, continuing, "Maybe I'll even make some powerful allies that way. Who knows, kupo?"

[quillpleasant]

Atya notes Reinholdt's hesitation and pauses. Her own relationship to drugs is very unique due to her physiology, and sometimes she forgets how impactful they can be to others. She gives him a crooked half smile that seems more genuine than most of her other mannerisms. "Ooor you could just come over for drinks and a movie or something, that works too." She may be a bad influence, but Atya doesn't always want to drag people down to her level. Maybe just halfway there.

As the two of them agree to help, the elf closes her eyes for a moment, trying not to make her sigh of relief too obvious. "Hey, I knew you'd come around! Trust me, neither of you will regret this. Also, how could you think I'd be insidious? You wound me." She puts a hand over her heart in mock outrage.

"And don't get too excited yet, I'm going to try to make a cure," she says, although she can't help but preen a little at the compliment. "It's also likely that it would need to be tailored to individuals. If I'm able to do it with myself then adapting it shouldn't be too hard, but it couldn't be mass produced." Not to mention that not all those affected want to be cured, but that's an issue for another day.

[Reinholdt]

"Are you in need of powerful allies Mr. Goemog?" Reinholdt asks, wondering if the moogle was too good to be true. Seems more like the kind of character you would find in a temple more than a bar of lawlessness and shady dealings.

Rein smiles a little. "Dinner and a movie sounds even more fun. How could I resist such an alluring invitation?" He grins at Atya pointedly. There's something to be said about good company over a good high.

With the grin still on his face, he shrugs non-committedly. "I just presume everyone's up to something. Makes me feel less guilty about my own schemes." Not by much though, or he wouldn't drink so heavily. "Where's this lab located?"

[[brackets lover]]

"Not need per se, kupo. It just wouldn't hurt to be friends with a demi-god of rubble and debris in case an earthquake or tornado hits, kupo." Mogzoku momentarily has a disappointed look on his face, however, he nods in understanding. "Right... I got too ahead of myself, kupo. I'll do what I can to help you get this compound, then we'll see what happens from there, kupo." As he solemnly and sympathetically gaze towards Atya, he appeared fully guileless at this moment.

[quillpleasant]

"Excellent, it's a date," says Atya decisively, looking quite pleased with Reinholdt's answer. She had only been planning on making business connections this time, but she had also been picturing a much less exciting brand of criminal when she made that plan.

"And who's to say I'm not up to something?" she continues, tossing her hair playfully, "Maybe I'm planning on betraying you both at the last moment and taking it all for myself. Of course, I wouldn't tip my hand this early if that were the case." Or maybe it's a double bluff to make her seem more trustworthy by revealing her actual plan as a joke! Or maybe it's a triple bluff and-

"There's also the issue of tracking down the other affected people, since the only one I know of personally is my roommate, and she's certainly not a demigod. But as you say, that's an issue for after we succeed on the mission." Her eyes narrow slightly. The more innocent and good hearted Mogzoku appears, the less she trusts him. No one acts like that without an agenda. But of course, she didn't come here for trustworthy people.

"The iii have set up in Skyside, in the Cloudtops. Not a place for the likes of us, but that's not a problem, since we can-" she suddenly hesitates. "You know, I was so caught up in recruiting you to my plan that I forgot to ask, what relevant skills do you have? I'll need to know what you're good and bad at to finalize the plan, so be honest- you don't need to worry about impressing me." Nothing worse than relying on someone to pick a lock only to learn they just said that to seem cool.

[Reinholdt]

"Well if you are up to something, then I suppose I'm thoroughly interested in seeing if I can handle you," Reinholdt responds with a bemused smirk. He swirls his drink pondering whether he's looking more forward to the heist or the date. They're both titillating in their own way and equally fraught with danger.

"I suppose openly advertising a stolen cure for immortality is just all kinds of problematic." ... Or fun. Depends on just how harried they feel like being. But Rein likes to temper his fun with sleep on occasion and that sounds like the kind of fun that leaves both eyes open at all times.

Skyside, huh? Reinholdt hasn't actually been up there all that much. And then the question as to what he can do. Just how much should he share here? Reinholdt tilts his head as he considers the ramifications. "Well I can certainly talk my way into and out of all kinds of trouble. Pick a lock when it's called for. Carry a lot. Not exactly going to have the strength to punch anyone out, but... guns are an option. Good at improv when it becomes inevitably necessary. If arson isn't completely out of the picture, I have an medallion that'll let me turn into a fire elemental." Felt worth mentioning since fire has come up a few times. Other than that it is fairly strange that someone who admits to not having a lot of upper body strength can so readily and confidently claim that he can carry a lot.

[[brackets lover]]

Mogzoku frowned as Reinholdt successfully makes plans with Atya, the moogle having been too distracted by his own righteousness to make a move. On the topic of relevant skills, he waits for Rein to finish up his explanation of his own before piping up, "I take it it won't be necessary to bring any fire bombs, kupo... Alright, so I can move through vents pretty easily without making a sound. I also have a preternatural affinity for... appropriating personal effects. As for combat, I carry around a few throwing knives, and my aim is exceptional. I do have a handgun, but its not my favorite weapon to use, kupo." He pauses and sighs for a moment. "And now for my weaknesses. Don't know a thing about modern technology, not so great at flying, especially at high altitudes, and I'm deathly afraid of magic, kupo."

[quillpleasant]

"Handle me? Well, I'll be interested to see if you have what it takes," says Atya with a flirty grin. She gives the moogle a sidelong glance, noting his disappointment. Of course, this only seems to add to her amusement. But there are more important things to focus on right now, like-

"No no, fire bombs are always helpful, we can definitely find a use for those," she says hurriedly. Any explosives are good explosives as far as Atya is concerned. "Although, if all goes well, we'll be keeping combat to a minimum. Sadly, we'll have a much better chance of success if we get in and out without raising an alarm, so stealth, mobility and fast thinking are more useful than fighting skill. Rein, your fast talking could come in handy if we need to bluff our way through, and I can think of a few things that would be easier with some heavy lifting."

Mogzoku's lists of weaknesses contains a curious thing, however. "You said you're not great at flying... but you can fly. I'd count that as very useful actually, regardless of how skilled you are at it." It's certainly not something Atya is capable of.

However, there's one ability that's clearly caught her attention more than the others. "Rein, you can turn into a fire elemental?" She pauses for a second, biting her lip. What's that emotion? Envy, maybe? "That's very interesting. And arson is always a good fallback." It's never failed her. Well, there was that one time...

[Reinholdt]

"Afraid of magic?" Reinholdt frowns a little at the Moogle. Goemog may be in for a rude awakening hanging around... anywhere really. "What kind of opposition are we looking at? Should we expect magic?" Reinholdt asks Atya. If there's going to be a screaming, fleeing moogle in the vents, Rein wants to know ahead of time.

Rein does wince a little. "Ahh... ummm... carrying a lot and heavy lifting are two different things actually. Here, let me show you." He reaches over for the tinderbox Goemog put on the counter earlier. With a flick and a flourish it clearly disappears into thin air. "Think of me as a much more personable bag of holding." After a minute or two Reinholdt flicks his hand again and the tinderbox reappears in it. He sets it down near the moogle.

"And yeah. Can turn into a fire elemental pretty much on demand. Surprisingly handy for slipping through cracks in a wall or door. Not so handy if they have effective sprinklers." Though he doesn't generate much smoke on his own at least. Whatever catches on fire in his vicinity however... well, arson tends to be rather inevitable, even as a magical fire beast.

[[brackets lover]]

Mogzoku strokes his chin, appearing deep in thought. "Well... Alarms are quite easy for me to get around. I don't think there's a single motion sensor out there that can even pick up on me, kupo."

He gazes solemnly for a moment before Reinholdt disappears the tinderbox, leading Mogzoku to step back on the edge of his seat in shock. And then as the tinderbox is returned and placed back, the moogle once more shrinks back all the way off the stool, his wings kicking in and flying him up a few feet. "Y-you mean t-that," he stutters.