Afterparty

[latinumsbetter]

[After the execution finishes and Wendy is dragged down into the Earth by that absolute horrific monstrosity of a creature and Typhon gives his goodbye, Quark will stand there for a long moment in the silence, before announcing, in a voice that wavers while trying to go for neutral:]

The bar’ll be open. Sitting around alone isn’t going to help anyone. [he turns to look at Ferdinand] Ferdinand, you’re with me. I need someone to move the table.

[and, taking Cerejeira’s elbow, he’s going to head out of the Arena. So...post trial, the Eatery’s been moved into bar configuration by Ferdinand and Quark. There’s been several of the extra togas gathered and folded to be used as blankets. There are snacks from the pantry brought out and placed on plates and in bowls and left out to eat. The bar is open, but so is the kitchen, if anyone wants to make something.

Both Ferdinand and Quark can be found behind the bar, the latter attempting to teach the former how to use the replicator he’s now got back there in addition to the other drink components. At least it’s keeping them busy. They’re both there to serve drinks, however.

The door is open.]

Comments

[necromants]

How fascinating! We don't have anything quite like that - at least, none of the Spoken races do. There are some monsters capable of shifting their shapes, but not even deimori have that sort of ability! I imagine it's proven quite useful to you, yes?

[fillets]

It's quite useful to all of us. The yoma, who disguise themselves as their prey... and the hybrid warriors who live for nothing short of the yoma's eradication.

[ She looks down at the skeleton bird, then back up to Zvei—it's not an act that indicates hesitation on her part, just that the little guy is venturing out of her orbit and she doesn't want it to peck at one of the most pleasant people here! ]

Of course, if you asked the average person, "monsters" is exactly how they'd describe all of them. Am I right to think the Spoken are races that can mutually communicate?

[necromants]

[For his part, he's immediately holding out a hand for the skeleton bird to see if the little guy will tolerate him; he's not exactly the best with animals, but he finds this one in particular super fascinating.]

Correct! It's a bit of a misnomer, as there are monsters capable of communicating in our language as well, but that's the sort of thing most people aren't aware of.

[And trying to change the minds of everyone about a long-held term to differentiate ourselves from the monsters is an exercise in futility that Zvei will not be engaging in, thank you very much!]

You've mentioned yoma before, but what are they, exactly?

[fillets]

[ Up and onto his hand the bird hops! (After a few cursory pecks.) Uninterrupted, it's just going to attempt climbing up Zvei's arm and top out somewhere around his shoulder over the course of the conversation. Truly, it is unliving its best unlife. Riful, meanwhile, knots her fingers together and considers her words. ]

Most people aren't aware of much... that's true anywhere, I suppose. Well! I'll explain a little more.

Yoma are humanity's ancestral predators, or so they say. They're relatively human-shaped, and they speak the human language, but you wouldn't want to speak to them for long—the conversation is terribly dull. Every one of them has an insatiable hunger for human flesh and blood, you see, and that appetite governs them almost entirely. To feed, they often embed themselves in human settlements, using shapeshifting to assume the appearance of their victims and operate without suspicion. By devouring their brains, they can even go so far as to replicate the memories and personalities of those they pretend to be.

It's a bit silly, honestly... their strength and speed outclass any human's to begin with, yet so many of them insist on playing a role. They might as well just slaughter as many as they can and move on. Sooner or later, no matter how good the act is, someone's bound to realize a yoma lurks among them, and the organization is notified.