Second investigation

[letsplayamod]

[Friday has come once again, Typhon’s deadline for the carrot of a motive dangled in front of their faces. Temptations abound and, when the godlings stir in the morning, the air feels thick in a way it hasn’t before. Thunder rumbles outside and the sound of sheets of rain pour down but only ends up pounding against Athena’s protective barrier. No one could ask for a finer umbrella.

There's no more monstrous cyclops threatening your morning. The horses were corralled back to their stables to wind down from the frightening excitement of last Wednesday. From then on, Typhon's threats have once more grown quiet. Everything seems to be... fine.

Still, something feels off.]

Comments

later

[latinumsbetter]

[Quark waits until the investigation is over and everyone’s on their way to the Arena before he’s slipping back inside the craft shop. He makes his way gingerly over to Alex, stopping when he’s standing a step or two away from his head, just looking down at him for a moment. Then he carefully kneels down next to him, being careful to avoid any blood, sitting back on his haunches right above the crown of Alex's head. He’s pulling a piece of cloth out of the inside of his jacket and gently reaching down to wipe away the blood from his mouth and chin, pulling it back and folding it again, and wiping off the rest of his face as well, gently and carefully. He can’t do a lot for most of Alex, but he can make at least this little bit presentable.]

...hey, kid. [his voice is quiet, and rough] We don’t really have the equipment or the time to auction off your remains, but I don’t think that’s a human--[yeah, he is saying it normally]--thing anyway. So you’re probably not gonna be seeing the Blessed Exchequer or anything so it probably doesn’t matter if you have enough to bribe him and get into the Divine Treasury with extra to bid for your next life, but just in case... [As he talks, Quark tucks that bit of fabric away, and instead pulls out a piece of parchment folded into an envelope, which he opens. He counts the contents to himself under his breath, before closing it again, and reaching out to tuck it into Alex’s hand.]

I don’t know if they’ll take tokens instead of latinum, but since I’ve used it as a form of currency, it should count. So hopefully one hundred and eight of them can get you in the door, at least. Don't use all of it on the bribe and make sure you drive a hard bargain.

[he sits back, hands on his thighs, quietly looking down at him]

Listen, I’ll do what I can to get that dog and the statue back to your girl. So don’t worry about all that. You’ve been worrying about enough lately. Take a break already.

[his voice cracks a bit on that last sentence, ruining the annoyed, almost scolding tone to his voice. Quark clears his throat a couple times, blinking hard]

See ya, Alex.

[Another moment–and then he pushes to his feet, and turns to walk out.]

[sweetsynergy]

[Vanity's there, watching and silent, in the door. Arms folded tight, scanning the craft room and the hallway as Quark says his goodbyes.]

That's how your people prepare the dead, huh?

[It makes sense for what she's learned about the Ferengi as a people, she supposes. But it's still all so alien to her.]

[latinumsbetter]

Yeah. You gotta have enough profit to get you through the door and to the auction, so getting that last bit is important.

[sweetsynergy]

Makes as much sense as anything they did on Earth, I guess. A little more, actually.

[Why WOULDN'T the grind keep going after death.]

You didn't strike me as particularly religious.

[latinumsbetter]

[that will get him to glance at her, then]

How do you mean?

[sweetsynergy]

Well one, your world sounds a lot like mine. Give or take.

[Closer than anyone else's has been anyway.]

There's not a lot of that kind of belief anymore? Not super widespread, at least.

[Maybe that's just on her.]

Also we were brought here on the promise of becoming gods, it feels like something that would sort of lend itself to religious beliefs getting brought up.

[latinumsbetter]

[well, she's not wrong there] In my universe, everyone's got different beliefs. Ways to explain how the universe works. Some gods you can see and talk to, some you can't. What one person calls a god, another calls an alien that inhabits a wormhole. It's a big jumble.

[tailoredfate]

[As he turns, Quark will see Aglaea in the doorway. Her face is as neutral as ever, but there's a shadow in her eyes as she glances over his shoulder at Alex's body. In one hand, she turns over one of her own tokens, thumb brushing against one flat face before turning it over and doing the same.

She'd made no attempt to hide her final conversation with Beatrice, so this... it's probably obvious what she's doing now.]

... It seems, for however distant our cultures may be, some things overlap.

[latinumsbetter]

[he glances down at the token in her hand, before back up]

Gotta pay the bribe one way or another.

[tailoredfate]

Hm. We don't call it a bribe. Merely payment. Like a toll.

[She rolls the coin over in her fingers again.]

What happens if you don't pay this bribe?

[latinumsbetter]

Once you bribe the Blessed Exchequer, that'll get you into the Divine Treasury. Once you're in there, you can use the profit and wealth you've accumulated over your life to bid on your next one from the Celestial Auctioneers.

[tailoredfate]

[... Hm. So only the rich have a chance at a good start at their next lives. She's... not really surprised, there.]

What happens if you don't have enough for a good bid? Will your next life be terrible? Will you be allowed a next life?

[latinumsbetter]

If the measure of your profits is negligible, then you're sent to the Vault of Eternal Destitution. Needless to say there's no bidding on a next life from there.

[taintedfayth]

[As Quark turns to leave, Seymour comes back in. He's traded out his heavy, now oil-covered ceremonial robes (if he hadn't been wearing those earlier, maybe he could have been faster, maybe he could have been just fast enough--) for something shorter and more practical from his room, a green robe that stops just past his knees, and in his hand once again is a staff from the training grounds.

When he sees Quark, he pauses, his next inhalation almost audible... before he lets his breath out slowly, his gaze flitting to where Alex still lies on the floor.]

... I apologize. I did not realize I was intruding.

[latinumsbetter]

[Quark's got pretty sharp ears, so he'll pick up on that almost inhalation. But he's glancing up at Seymour.]

You're not. I'm done here.

[and he's moving to step past him back out into the hall.]

[taintedfayth]

[He looks slightly chastised by this, though he willingly steps aside to allow Quark to pass if he so chooses.]

Please, do not feel like you must leave. I was coming here to perform a sending for Alex. If you wish to stay and say your farewells, I have no objections.

[But at the same time, he is well aware that he is only performing this sending because he failed earlier.]

[latinumsbetter]

[Quark shakes his head]

I've said what I need to. Just, uh...[he glances back at Alex, briefly]...leave that envalope and what's in it alone.