Strangers in the darkness

Naamah

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Aug 16, 2014
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<div align=center>He had proven to be a worthy investigator, and he was proving to be something of an interesting patron whenever he did stop past, while Lelei had never met the Architect, had never even seen him the proof of his work was easily evident in this little out of the way nook for the undesirables of society. Dimensional pockets that had been crafted for storage, twists and turns within the club that shifted the very fabric of space and dimension.

The Architect however had a problem and so he had sent a message for Lelei, a message asking for him to travel up to the third floor, where the offices of the Demons lair could be found, the path was fairly simple, at the check in desk Lelei would be given a key to the third floor, after making his way up to the second he would find a plain door with nothing more than the number three painted on it, a simple, unadorned door with a keyhole that the shark man would now be able to open.

Beyond the door was an elevator with a single button, one press of that button and a ding would sound immediately, the doors parting to reveal a simple corridor, painted white like one would find in any normal office building found the world over, and there, waiting for him was a rather familiar looking young woman, sans wings and tail of course, the red haired demoness had assumed a much more human appearance for Lelei's visit up here.

"Welcome Lelei, I hear Archie called for you so I suspected you'd probably need a guide once you got this far. I'm not sure what he wants, but I'm glad you came. Please follow me and we'll see what he's up to together hrrrm?"

Another ding sounded once Lelei cleared the elevator and joined the succubus and yet another pretty young thing stepped out and into the corridor with them, a young feline, perhaps only as old as sixteen years of age, she was dressed in a simple, but hot pink tube top and tight fitting trousers the same color and of the same shiny material! She was a sight to behold! Her hair was done up into a short ponytail, a pair of feline ears poking through her hair were the same hot pink color as her hair and her clothing, a long, feline tail swishing back and forth making a matching set.

"Well I don't know who you two are, but are ya off to see the Architect? In that case I think I'll join you. Name's Ria, catburglar"

Naamah didn't even blink at the declaration of such criminal activity, instead she offered a bright smile to the feline that joined them, leading Lelei and their new arrival through the halls of the third floor.

"Welcome Ria, if Archie called for someone of your talents and someone of Leleis this must be important, up here Archie has only a few rooms, a small number of offices and a clinic, here he runs his charity businesses and plans new buildings, he helps to assign administrators to his businesses and co ordinate their work."

After only a few short turns the unlikely trio would stand before another rather simple door, lettering stenciled on the door simply stated 'The Architect' Naamah knocked upon the door and grinned, waiting for Archie to respond.

"Come in"

His voice was jovial, was friendly as he spoke to the three he had sent for, and Naamah opened the door, revealing a rather ornate study and a man in his early fifties seated behind a carved wooden desk, it was a surprisingly simple setup, a desk, a chair, a few bookshelves and two more simple, carved wooden chairs with cushions to keep people comfortable.

The only thing that seemed out of place was a small, fuzzy pink stuffed toy that sat on the Architects desk, a number of framed, handwritten notes above his desk also helped to show the pride he had in his work, the notes, clearly written by children helped reveal the softer side of the Architect, but he rose to his feet as Naamah opened the door, smiling broadly at Naamah, Ria and Lelei tugging on his rather old fashioned blazer and smoothing a few wrinkles out of the white shirt beneath.

"Welcome to the third floor"</div>
 

Critical

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Only after becoming a semi-regular patron of the Demon's Lair did Lelei find out about a nice plus that came with not officially being part of the Manta Carlos police department: being able to associate with the "seedier" elements of the City without any real fear of reprisal, either from the public or the top brass. As an independent contractor, anything he did on his own time was strictly his business. Not that anyone questioned the motives or personal needs of a giant shark man anyway. Most of the time, they just assumed he fit into the Demon's Lair anyway, and learned of his connection to law enforcement later on.

His first night with the dolphin boy Varl had been just what Lelei needed. It was like getting his system flushed--er--drained. All of the back up that had been building up since leaving his native world under the sea had been relieved over the course of the night, and Lelei left satisfied. After that, he came back every so often to hang out, watch some dancers, or get a drink. Indulging in the escorts was a thing he only let himself have on a sparing basis. Nothing ruined a good thing like doing it too much.

When a personal missive from The Architect came to Lelei's attention, he was quick to respond in the affirmative. He did not feel like he owed the man anything, per se. Lelei had partaken in the things he had built and provided, but Lelei's money felt like enough, well, payment. Still, answering a request was for help was not something he often did, so he took it up.

The journey to the third floor was as mysterious and esoteric as the rest of the club, which had gradually become commonplace to Lelei. The elevator ride was a nice touch, and he lit up a little when he spotted Lily there. She looked as soft and touchable as ever.

"Good to see you again, Lily. Thank you for being guide once again."

The dinging elevator brought a new, unfamiliar face to Lelei's attention: a color-coordinated catgirl. Even Lelei had to admit that the girl's choice in color and clothing was a bit much, and the material looked hard to move in. So young too! Lelei did not have any children of his own, nor had any opinion on parenting whatsoever, but he wondered who would sell a young girl such a revealing top.

"Good to meet you too(?) Ria. I'm Lelei."

Meeting The Architect turned out to be a subdued affair, which he could appreciate. It was somewhat expected that the man in charge looked as harmless and ordinary as his name implied. Usually people with such power never looked the part unless they were being totally flamboyant with it.

"Greetings, Mr... The Architect. If I may, I'd like to get down to business quickly. What is it you requested my, our presence for?"
 

Naamah

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Aug 16, 2014
93
<div align=center>The Architect clasped his hands behind his back as the girls let Lelei take the lead, after all he had asked the question before they had posed it and they were just as curious about his answer.

"Right to business then I can appreciate that Lelei, I may call you Lelei? You three have talents that I suspect I will need, it's my understanding that Lelei, you and Lily met in rather... Distressing circumstances, the death of a man under likely supernatural means, this man was a friend of mine, an associate who helped to secure information about recent disasters for aid relief purposes.

With his death I lost a close friend and colleague, but dangers do exist on Manta Carlos, death does happen, to the innocent and the guilty alike, while I am sad to lose him I know that he would want the work he helped start to continue, this however is where you three came in.

Recently I assigned a young woman to take over the tasks left behind, however she was recently discovered, deceased and drained of all fluids, I'm sure you recognize the method of death"


Ria yawned at that, fidgeting as she listened to the Architect, so far so dull! This wasn't going to make her any money, it was just some boring humanitarian mission, but she turned her gaze on the massive shark man and the other hot babe who'd been called up to the Architects office, that said though, even though this wasn't going to make her a profit she didn't want to end up dead on a job!

Naamah on the other hand was listening rather intently to the Architect, whatever that thing within the man who had died had been it had been dangerous, more dangerous even than many of the more predatory creatures who lived within the city and the Forbidden forest, simply because it was so good at concealing itself, hiding itself within humans and sucking them dry from the inside out, draining them and using them like puppets, sure, even for her humans were little more than food and playthings, but if these parasites continued to spread there would be less humans, more deaths, and even some of her favorite humans could wind up wasting away, drained by these seemingly mindless beings.

But the Architect began to pace back and forth as he addressed the three he had called, a look of deep concern on his face as he watched their reactions.

"These beings seem to be acting with a growing intelligence, they seem to be either being controlled or acting of their own volition, growing more and more intelligent. Why they've chosen to target the men and women I put in charge of gathering information I don't know, but I finally managed to catch their tail, and again, that's where you three come in.

Lelei, if you are willing to accept this request I'd like you to investigate a location, Lily would be an excellent asset to have with you, her abilities will doubtless come in handy if there are any guards at the site, I will admit I don't know much about the site other than its location, but I can't get a better look without help.

Ria, I can most definitely promise you something of a thrill, if this location is as important as I think it is there will be danger, and a good chance for reward! I'll also throw in something you've been looking for for quite some time, the Athaesian Manuscript, I have the last page, it's yours if you complete this job for me."


Blackmail... Perhaps! But how else was one to deal with a thief? Ria's ears perked up and her slitted eyes gleamed in the light as she looked to the Architect, whatever this Manuscript was it was clearly something she wanted, and something she wanted badly! She fidgeted and twitched, but she was paying attention now!

"This location is on the waterfront, an abandoned shipping warehouse. I'll provide you with a map, I suspect that this location is essentially a breeding ground, so my request is this, if you three will scout this location for me I will also provide you with dimensional inversion relays, if it does turn out to be dangerous place the relays around the warehouse and I will simply remove it from this universe, you don't need to put yourselves in danger, simply find out if my suspicions are correct, if they are mark the place and I will take care of it from there."</div>
 

Critical

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Jan 30, 2014
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Lelei was concerned to hear the exact nature of The Architect's request. He had no idea that the very thing he would requested to investigate would also be the very same thing that had been the initial incident that brought him to the Demon's Lair, and into the company of Lily. If he were a suspicious, paranoid shark man, he would have suspected some kind of conspiracy at work. But if what the older man was saying was true, then it could not have been, or a very costly and poorly thought out one that cost him the lives of valuable personnel.

Looking to his two compatriots, Lelei had to wonder what their exact use would be on the mission. If the only thing the man wanted was a bit of scouting, he could have easily done the job. He had done stake outs before, they were no big deal. Then he started defining their roles, and it started to become clear that they would be heading into the enemy base camp, so to speak.

"It sounds like a doable job, sir. But I hope you know that I don't work completely for free. I understand the dire need in your request, and I'm happy to help, but I will still need some kind of payment."
 

Naamah

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Aug 16, 2014
93
<div align=center>The architect had fully expected that, Lily already knew what she could expect and Ria was in it for this so called manuscript page but Lelei was still a free agent. The Architect smiled at Lelei and nodded his head. He did understand of course and looked towards the shark man, he was asking this impressive being to risk his life in the Architects place, of course this was a large ask, this could very well prove to be a matter of life and death.

"Of course there will be compensation, Ria, Lily and Lelei, you will all receive a five hundred dollar deposit if you choose to undertake this task, Ria, your bonus upon completion is the manuscript page, Lily, our standard arrangement still stands I take it and Lelei, for the time being I don't know you well enough to know what it is I can offer, but one thousand dollars could be added to the deposit, an additional sum will be paid based on any dangers you face.

If there is anything you would want as compensation I can look into it as an alternative, the choice is yours Lelei."


"Seriously! Enough of the chatting, come on Fish and Tits, we have a job to do don't we? Archie, you can hand over those toys of yours now, if Fish doesn't like the sum and bonuses then he'll have you over a barrel anyway.

As for Tits she's a friend of yours, you know she'll do the job, so hand em over already and lets get our tails out of your office."


The Architect handed over eight small rods that were quickly tucked into the waistband of Ria's pink trousers, the feline reached out for the wrists of both Naamah and Lelei, intending to lead them out of the office, Naamah didn't fight, she found the little feline more than a little amusing, so amusing in fact that she didn't even protest the nickname!

"Don't worry Lelei, I'll look after you, then you come back and Archie makes you a little bit richer, Ria is certainly very confident in her abilities, you have the muscles and the experience, you have the friends on the force so that if there is a human component to this you can arrest them, come on, at the very least this'll be a way to kill some boredom right?"

The Architect slapped his right hand against his forehead, visibly facepalming at the reactions of Ria and Lily, why was it that all the girls in his 'employ' were like that? The Nickname too always seemed to stick! From the Architect to Archie, it was always the case! But they got the job done, even if they did cause him a number of headaches.

From the way they were trying to guide Lelei though something told him that they were going to be a headache for him for the time being! But if Lelei went with the girls Ria would tug on both her new travelling companions guiding the pair of them back to the elevator, and eventually out of the club, she didn't bother stopping past the coat check, neither did Naamah, but if Lelei needed to retrieve anything they would wait before heading out into the night!</div>
 

Critical

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Jan 30, 2014
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Lelei nodded to the terms laid out by The Architect. Money was always a good base line in terms of pay, and what he mostly got. On rare occasions, he would be paid in other things like favors, services, and other things. Though not necessarily as practical as money, getting paid in favors was always interesting. He half-expected The Architect to offer him a discount on future visits or a private room of some sort in the Lair. Maybe Lelei should have asked if he could other dancers or escorts like Varl, in the sense that Lelei felt the club could use a few more femboys to balance out the conventionally handsome Incubi.

Before Ria could so rudely pull him out of the office, Lelei had to give the deal his own seal of approval: a handshake. It may have been a simple gesture, but everyone seemed to agree that it was the gentlemanly way to bind a contract and Lelei fully agreed. A good grip, a single up and then down, and the deal was set.

"I'll have us report back ASAP, sir."

With that last bit of business done, Lelei found himself being dragged out of the Lair by the pink cat girl, whom seemed all-too-eager to get the job underway.

"Well, we're on the job now, Lily. So boredom is a non-factor now."

He allowed him to continue to be lead by Ria because he was not feeling all that up to resisting and ruining whatever team dynamic they might develop. Plus, he had no idea where to go.

"Also... Thanks for suggesting Varl. I liked him. A lot."
 

Naamah

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Aug 16, 2014
93
<div align=center>"I thought you might"

The Succubus grinned a broad grin as she looked to the shark man, her eyes dancing with delight as Lelei mentioned the dolphin boy she had recommended, she was glad he had had his fun, and she had already heard her handsome young friend speaking of Lelei as well, although admittedly she had been a little disappointed at the lack of juicy details! Still, Naamah had a few more interesting things on her mind at the moment.

Ria in the meantime had released both Naamah and Lelei, she was skipping merrily along the footpath with her two new compatriots as they made their way towards the waterfront, the little feline girl didn't seem to have a care in the world, but as Lelei and the Succubus followed after her she skipped ahead, bending suddenly at the waist before looking up at the pair, they were interesting creatures and she wanted to know more!

You know after all what they say about curiosity and cats.

"Work or not tell me you two, How'd ya meet? Who's a Vari and seriously... You two banging or what? Not that I'm judging of course"

The kitty girl gave a light little laugh and turned on her heel, attempting once again to skip ahead of the pair that were accompanying her on this job that they had been given. But Naamah reached out, grasping the feline girls pink furred tail and tweaking it gently, making her squeak in surprise and turn around with a look on her adorable features! Naamah simply grinned, but kept walking.

"Nope, We're friends, we met in a rather weird way but it looks like the way we met hasn't finished yet, we met when one of the creatures that we're tracking now killed Archies friend. Doesn't mean I didn't try but he's not quite interested in my cute patoot. Ahem"

She grinned as she looked up to Lelei, doubtless he already suspected but the Succubus simply chuckled softly at the felines 'hurt' expression, the way she rubbed at her tush and kept her tail now just out of the demonesses reach!

"Well good gracious, that's the last time I leave my tail close enough for you to grab"

"Don't bet on it pretty kitty"

Again Naamah laughed, that light, easy laugh that seemed to come so naturally to her perhaps they didn't make the most professional team, but Naamah savored the sense of play that came with toying with the kitty girl, she enjoyed the time she was spending with the pair before everything got much more interesting.

"We're not the most disciplined people in the world now are we Lelei hun? But we'll get the job done, Ria is a thief, she'll be good at getting places unseen, I'm a Succubus, if there are any guards I'll probably have an easy time with them, if not we have you, you're strong, your trained and you know what you're doing, Archie has his head on straight even if he does rustle up some... Unconventional teams"</div>
 

Critical

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Jan 30, 2014
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Lelei could have gone on further about Varl, or have let Lily in on the juicy details she so wanted. But he kept them to himself. Like he could have told her that he personally quite enjoyed Varl's silky smooth skin, especially when contrasted with Lelei's own rough shark skin; or perhaps he could have said that he liked the way Varl squeaked while Lelei handled him. If she was not up to hearing the more salacious details (and why would she not? She is a Succubus), he could have just reiterated his gratefulness in finally having a little something-something to relieve his stress in-ON-er-with. But again, he kept to himself, letting Lily only have a wink and a smile as his reply.

Ria, it seemed, would be the one to take up the bulk of their conversing anyway, as the cat girl quickly started bombarding them with questions and words. Lelei immediately sensed that she was not a very tactful little thing after she asked about the two of them having relations. That particular insinuation didn't make Lelei blush, but Lily's admission to trying did.

"Er, yeah. Despite Lily's attempts, we remain only friends. And Varl is another... friend from the club. Lily introduced us. Him and I have been spending some time together. At the club."

The two girls were quite playful, and Lelei found himself a little left out. Perhaps that was the price he had to pay in order to be the serious one in the group. There always had to be at least one, and it seemed Lily understood that as well.

But, just for kicks before they entered the mission are, Lelei wanted to join in the play time too.

"Don't worry, Ria. I'll keep an eye on Lily for you."

Just to show he meant it, he reached out and gave Lily's own bottom a hearty squeeze, akin to what she had done to Ria. Doing so also made him remember that, even though he was personally into boys like Varl, Lily's Succubus nature still acted on him, and he enjoyed putting his hand on her.
 

Naamah

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Aug 16, 2014
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<div align=center>"Friend huh? Sounds like this Vari dude is a lot of fun"

The Feline grinned as she looked back to the Shark and the Demoness, a broad, bright little smile on her adorable features and she bowed again at the waist before looking up at the pair again, her tight little tush wriggling in concert with her tail and she hopped backwards so she could keep an eye on them! But as Lelei offered to keep an eye on Naamah, even going so far as to squeeze the demonesses cute patoot the feline grinned broadly, laughing gently before spinning on her heels to look ahead of them once more, now bounding ahead towards the shipping warehouse.

Naamah gave a small squeak of surprise as she felt the shark mans rough hand on her posterior, a small giggle leaving her own lips and she relaxed into his arm.

"Oh my Lelei, what would Vari say if he could see you now?"

She too gave a light, small laugh as she offered a small wink to the feline bounding ahead of them but as they neared the waterfront and closed in on the warehouse that was their objective the succubus stood a little straighter, she had enjoyed the little play between the three of them but now it seemed she was going to have to be a little more on the serious side.

The Warehouse, from the outside at least looked a little run down, a little deteriorated and dilapidated, but there were signs of recent repairs, the doors to the warehouse, all of them had been recently patched, restored and oiled, despite the age of the structure before them it had also been outfitted with a keypad and fingerprint scanner for security purposes.

Naamah extended an arm quickly though, trying to guide Lelei back, she tried to sweep him to one side, and if he moved Naamah would quickly tuck the pair of them between two nearby buildings, peering around the corner for a moment as a young man came into view from the rear of the warehouse, performing a slow circuit of the structure and checking on the keypad and scanner, he checked the lock on the door but finding that everything was secure the man continued his circuit.

When he had come into view their feline companion seemed to have simply vanished into thin air, quite some trick for a lovely young lady in hot pink! The feline reappeared however as the man continued his loop of the warehouse and returned to the side of Naamah and Lelei.

"Well seems there's at least one guard doing a loop, I haven't heard any more though so I think it's just the one on the outside. There are some funny smells inside the warehouse though, Saline, something... metallic I can't quite figure out and lots and lots of electricity, it makes my fur stand on end""

Naamah on the other hand was looking at the warehouse with a rather confused look on her face she was studying it closely, almost trying to keep Lelei behind her as she eyed the structure.

"There is definitely something unusual about this place Lelei, Ria, there is a sense here, a sense of need, not lust, not desire like Succubi normally feed upon, but a simple, almost animal like need, I don't recognize it, but I can sense it."

The girls it seemed were unnerved by the warehouse, if Lelei had a similar form of electrosense to that possessed by 'normal' sharks then he too would sense something odd within the shipping warehouse, a humming of energy, electrical energy that seemed to emanate from deep within it, it was not power running through the lines and ending in the warehouse, it was being generated inside the Warehouse itself!

For the time being though the Succubus, the Feline and the Shark man would hopefully have enough sense to remain hidden... But Ria was never one for sense, the felines ears perked up and her eyes glittered and danced as she looked to Naamah and Lelei.

"Okay you two you stay here, and don't get up to any funny business, I'm going to go take a peek and I'll be right back okay?"

Ria vanished before the pair could even blink, let alone respond or argue, and the sound of soft feet padding across cement could be heard by both Naamah and Lelei, it seemed the feline was up to her usual business, time to explore! Time to examine the warehouse, just a little more closely.</div>
 

Critical

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Jan 30, 2014
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Varl would probably feel a little mixed about Lelei playing a bit of Grab-Ass with Lily. For all the talk of being an escort, and therefore simply paid to spend time with Lelei, Varl had taken a bit of a liking to the shark man. Perhaps it was the shared sea-bound origin. So seeing him get some intimately affectionate with Lily might have sparked some jealously. Maybe. On the other hand, Varl might be glad to possibly have someone else take some of Lelei's *ahem* load off of his ass. Pun intended.

Lelei kept the speculation to himself out of politeness and because they had arrived at their destination. Warehouses. The favorite playground of anyone looking to do anything even remotely illicit. Lelei had been to more than his fair share of "abandoned" warehouses of all varieties. Dock-side. Industrial. Scientific. Inner city. If he did not know any better, he would have bet that there was a company out there that simply built empty, broken down warehouses for use by anyone looking to do something shady. Maybe they charged the criminals and vagrants rent for it.

Lily need not have pushed Lelei into hiding. He knew the movement necessary for a sneaking mission and, despite his size, he knew how to at least take cover behind a corner or in the shadows. Sharks did, after all, have a bit of a reputation for sneaking up on prey and people from seemingly nowhere. They also had an acute sense of electro-reception, and Lelei started to pay more attention to his after seeing the patrolling guard. He could at least keep tabs on him even if he wasn't directly looking at him.

"I feel it too. A large source of electricity inside. Not the disparate sparks I usually feel from electronics. This is one big thing or several packed closely together. It's not moving at least..."

Electro-reception was a far cry from x-ray vision or remote vision, but it was more than most people had. A kind of personal radar for anyone or anything that generated electricity, including nerves and muscles. He could tell general size, location, if it was moving, and sometimes shape.

"So I guess our little kitty has... invisibility? Or is she just really fast?"
 
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