023.6 Afina

[Corwin]

[20:24] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Work, work, work. It lets Afina channel her anger and disgust. Its something, as the hours pass and more weapons are crafted. Afina isn't really sure when it happened, but a casual look to her side shows that the forges have a guest. Tannin is there, arms crossed and watching. His hood hides his face, the ruddy red light of the forgefires casting it in a momentarily hellfire-red glow.
[20:24] <Tiny_Ko_Army> His eyes flash icy blue at the same time, as he raises two fingers and nods in acknowledgement.
[20:25] <Afina> "Hello, Tannin," Afina looks up from where she works on Jaela's 'Gae Dearg' as the angel had named it. "Looking for a new weapon or anything yourself?"
[20:33] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Not particularly," Tannin replies casually, "Just got back in. The report will be done within a day, but I have a couple of merchants coming for Aurora. I had a question for you. You're a Seelie Fey. If you see an Unseelie Fey, are you going to immediately try and kill it?"
[20:37] <Afina> "Not really," Afina shakes her head. "I haven't seen an Unseelie since the end of Lifasa, and I'd only kill ones there when I was told to. It would really depend on the circumstances now. Why? Have you found out about some Unseelie that survived the fall?"
[20:38] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "No." Shaking his head, "It's for something else I'm working on. Thanks." Tannin nods, "Say, are you going to be at this much longer?"
[20:41] <Afina> "No, I'm just making a few weapons for Jaela and Ithea, and they won't take long. There isn't much demand otherwise at the moment," Afina shakes her head. "What are you working on that involves Unseelie, anyway? Just because I wouldn't kill one out of hand, doesn't mean they're easy to get along with."
[20:43] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "It's...personal," Tannin finally says, "It's a case I've been working on since before Aurora, and probably after it. Anyway." Straightening up, "There's a poker game starting soon. Play at all? I'll vouch for you at the table to get you in."
[20:48] <Afina> "I've never played, no," Afina shakes her head. "If you explain the rules I can try, though. Has to be better than throwing a giant rock around."
[20:50] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Far better. Damned if I understand the appeal of Galuh," Tannin says, "We'll teach you. Adrian plays, I play, Annalise plays though I think she said she was busy tonight, Arrel plays sometimes, and we have rotating players."
[20:51] <Afina> "Who usually wins?" Afina asks, setting down the almost completed spear and flying over towards Tannin.
[20:53] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Annalise or myself. Adrian can't bluff to save his life, and Arrel's just poorly suited to the game." So replying as he walks, "Poker's a game of skill and chance, and bluffing plays a considerable role in it."
[20:56] <Afina> "Hmm. I'll have to see how I do," Afina shrugs, having no idea how it's played specifically or how good she might be herself.
[21:00] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Thus you head to the strategy room. Here one of the tables has been requisitioned, several people sitting. Adrian is there, drinking from a tankard and leaning back. Next to him is Filbrez then Lief. Tannin nods, "I'm in, made it back with enough time to spare. Afina's interested in learning the ropes," he takes a chair, "Fill her in, Adrian?"
[21:00] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Lief smiles at Afina, "I didn't know you played cards," he says.
[21:02] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Sure." Putting his tankard aside, "The game is poker, five card draw. Jacks or better to open, buy in is 20 gold minimum with a 40 gold maximum. There's two jokers in the deck, they're wild for anything. Five of a kind loses to a straight flush or royal flush.  No cheating, no magic and have fun. You don't have to drink, but it's encouraged and part of the fun. Questions?"
[21:03] <Afina> "I don't," Afina admits, sitting next to her fellow pixie. "I thought I'd give it a try to get out of the lab, though." Then she hears that big screed of jargon and looks utterly blank. "I think I made a mistake..."
[21:05] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Oh." Adrian grins as Filbrez chuckles. The blue-skinned Mercane clears his throat, "Allow me.  You see, poker is based around..." Thus Filbrez begins, quickly explaining poker. In the meantime Tannin rises briefly, coming back with a crystal decanter full of bright orange liquid and shot glasses. He fills one a quarter full and one an eighth full, putting that one before Afina.
[21:07] * Afina delicately sips at the glass, very sure that she doesn't want to get drunk again after what happened in the Court of Stars. "I think I understand, now."
[21:09] <Tiny_Ko_Army> It's soft and sweet, with only a slight bite to it. It doesn't taste or feel all that strong. As coins are produced and coinstacks are made, Adrian shuffles the deck. "Good luck all," he says, and then, "So I have to ask - have any of you been to the Abyss before? If you have, any ideas on how to unwind?"
[21:10] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Ah, the Abyss. I've been once or twice to Graz'zt's realm, as he welcomes traders." Filbrez says as cards are dealt to him, "Miserable place, no matter how good the money is. I usually scheduled a trip to Celestia or Elysium straight after."
[21:11] <Afina> "I just got back from there. It's not very relaxing," Afina says, shaking her head.
[21:11] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Usually works," Tannin agrees, "For every day you spend in the Abyss, a few days in one of the Heavens is a good way to recover. Go swim on Lunia, live a few peaceful days in Elysium, or go celebrate in Brightwater. Whatever you prefer."
[21:12] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Cards are dealt - Two aces, a king, a jack and a three to Afina. Nothing close to a flush. Meanwhile Adrian shudders, "Yeah, I know. I'm sleeping like hell since I got back. Nightmares every night. I'm seriously thinking about sneaking away for a few days now. How bad is it for you, Afina?"
[21:16] <Afina> "I've seen things that were as horrible, maybe worse. But they never got into my head the same way," the fairy replies. "It got better when we killed that demon egg, at least."
[21:17] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Yeah," Adrian says, "If it were just a part of the layer, I'd have shrugged it off," He says, as he starts dealing out cards to everyone, "How many, Afina? Anyway, I'm fairly certain the egg was behind it all. They way they got in. Hell, bugs don't bother me. But when I was there, it was all I could do to not scream."
[21:19] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Yeah," Tannin looks over his new hand, folding as betting comes around to him, "The Abyss is good at that, when they do something besides mindless violence and butchery. Don't wanna face the Abyss if you can help it. I've met a few that spent too long on the Abyss and mind-shattered. They live and walk in the nightmare of the Abyss, no matter where they are."
[21:19] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Barbaric," Filbrez murmurs, "But Graz'zt does pay ever so well, and it's enough for some."
[21:19] <Afina> "The eye-plucking chains were horrible even without a phobia, at least," Afina muses, swapping out one of her cards.
[21:23] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Afina gets a four, utterly worthless to her hand.  As it goes 'round Adrian wins the hand with two pair. As he takes in the meager first pot, "I kept thinking how lucky Jaela is. She's never been good on defense, and she didn't have an eye to spare. It's a small miracle she didn't get stricken blind." Adrian mutters.
[21:24] <Afina> "On the other hand if it went for her missing eye she wouldn't have been bothered at all."
[21:24] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Lief speaks up at this, "There's one thing I don't get about it, from where I was to th eAbyss to Hell. Why?" He speaks up with a frown, "It's so horrible, so why do they exist? Why do these things?"
[21:26] <Afina> "They stem from the evil dreams of mortals," Afina says, sticking to the creation story she's familiar with. "That was long, long ago. Now it's grown beyond such beginnings, and seperated itself into a self-sustaining and ever-feeding thing."
[21:29] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Good a reason as any," The second hand is dealt, Afina having complete junk. Adrian goes on, "I've heard that one. I've heard the Abyss spawned everything else, that the Abyss was created by Talos too. There was the one about the Pale Mother giving birth to it all too." Adrian shrugs his shoulders as he draws four cards, "One thing I've found is that creation myths vary and often
[21:29] <Tiny_Ko_Army> completely contradict themselves. Even Baator. There's an official history, if you learn Infernal and really care to dredge through 99 volumes of utter shit. Of course, non official records, and the records of most other realms, contradict it left and right."
[21:33] <Afina> "Only those who were there at the start can tell the truth," Afina nods sagely. "Even if I had perfect recall of all my lives, I doubt it would extend that far."
[21:37] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Finding the truth is damned hard," Tannin says, "I'm good at it, but that sort of truth...well...the few that were there aren't talking." Tannin murmurs, "I've wondered if there's some great secret to it, that knowing it will give you power."
[21:38] <Afina> "More likely you'd need great power to keep from being killed by all the Gods with a vested interest in putting their own stories out," Afina suggests pessimistically.
[21:45] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Mmmm." Tannin takes his next hand and a drink as well, freshening up his, "More?" he asks Afina as he goes on, "See, I think there's a good reason it's not out there. I'll give the guys upstairs more credit than that. They usually get it right, 'least from where I come from. If the Gods of knowledge and truth aren't spilling it, I figure there's a damned good reason.""
[21:45] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "That or the profit of keeping it outweighs telling it." Filbrez points out, "Anyone can be tempted by enough wealth, be it physical or otherwise."
[21:48] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Your world must be luckier than Lifasa," Adrian says, with a hint of a sour grunt.
[21:52] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "I figure there's something to that, too." Tannin says with a diplomatic smile, "Look, last I heard the devils were running on a prophecy, yeah? So assuming that's true and there's something to it, there's probably destiny, fate or some force like that guiding things."
[21:53] * Afina allows her drink to be freshened a little, though she's not partaking of much. "Or the truth is too dangerous to let out," Afina posits, turning Filbrez's theory around. Her expression sours at the mention of prophecy and another damn reminder of her Queen being raped all the livelong day to put out bastard devil spawn to rule as puppets over the smoking embers of her world...
[21:54] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Lief glowers darkly, "You know, if it's destiny? Fuck destiny," he observes, making a rather large bet. "If this destiny is causing it, we'll damn well take them on with the devils, too."
[21:56] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Tannin merely shrugs. "It is what it is," he finally says, folding another hand. "My cards aren't looking good tonight, gentlemen."
[21:58] <Afina> "Nor are mine," Afina admits, starting to think she'll stay another couple out of politeness and then go make something deadly that she can picture eventually gutting scores of devils.
[22:16] <Tiny_Ko_Army> A few more hands pass without anything much happening.
[22:17] <Afina> "I'll stop here before I lose any more money," Afina demurs, setting her cards down. "Have an expensive sword I need to start working on."