Evangeline Lindall

Floofel smiled at Nikola as he entered the room, "Black with two sugars, understood~." She mentioned as she turned to station to continue. She prepared both Nikola's and Evangeline's team at the same time as Livia came in and demanded Puer Tea. She finished up the two Black Teas and delivered them before informing Livia. "Ahahah. Miss Livia, how funny. You know full well I have difficulties getting my hands on such a tea. We have Darjulin tea, all manner of others. I do have a fancy type of Earless Grae, if you are so inclined." She informed the girl.

Meanwhile, Evangeline was excited at the offerings presented. "Oooh! I just love chocolates! How daring, to come into my room with such a thing!" The small girl added as she lightly jumped forward, reaching for the brown bag. "How wonderful a gift for me! Thank you~" Chocolate was one of the ways to get right to Eva's stomach. She looked inside to see a small assortment of chocolate related things. A donut, chocolate covered cream horn and a number of others. These looked delicious enough that she licked her lips. "Hehehe, wonderful... Hmmm, how exactly are you suppose to eat a cream horn..."

Then Floofel brought their teas, Eva was thankful and gratefully took it. Looking over at her sister now who had taken a seat while she was busy fawning over the chocolate sacrifice to her. "Ah! Livia! The agenda for today!? Hehehe.... Well, obviously today... We're having.... A... Tea party?" Just like every other time. "I mean, it depends on what other people bring really. I'm sure that Odhra... Ahh... Speaking of..." Speak of the devil and he will appear. Odhra came through the door with his usual food... And one Eva was pretty sure she told him not to bring that worthless lasagna.

"Hmph, I'm pretty sure I've told you not to bring that lasagna Odhra. At least you brought actual meat and that adorable familiar and octopus!" Eva mentioned, taking a sip of her tea afterward trying to seem a might bit older. Then Baily said something that she wasn't amazing sure of. "Huh? In...ter...course? What's that mean, Livia? What'd you do with that man that doesn't know a good lasagna if it bit him on the butt seven times and then toss him in a lake." Oddly specific.

Floofel meanwhile smiled at Odhra's dessert, the food she can really eat. The lasagna was a bitch sketchy and so was the chicken, but the sugar content of the cobbler was probably good. "Good morning, Odhra. The cobbler looks wonderful, is there a tea you wanted?"

---

Livia pursed her lips. Maybe she'd ask Mizushi if she could make some? She was hesitant to ask the Jiangshi for anything. It was a popular tea in some eastern cultures, so it might be possible...she would probably add alcohol or, other things to it though. Hm. Not that it mattered. Getting drunk with that undead may prove to be enlightening if she could keep her wits. A thought for later.

"Haa, very well. Oolong tea it is then." Livia grumbled. "You should really consider getting a wider variety, especially if you consider it one of the main attractions of this-Bweh?!" Livia just caught the end of Baily's sentence, her cool facade breaking within seconds as she stumbled over her words and whipped her head towards Odhra's summons. "Baily, darling, I think you need to work on your phrasing." Eva of course, asked what it meant. Nope. Too young. Damn it Baily.

"Ha," Livia sighed. She could hear Siobahn laughing already. Thankfully Eva was easily distracted and wouldn't likely press further. "A communal interaction between groups of people." Livia replied shortly, in a mildly evasive manner. Not wrong - that was indeed, a definition of it. "Odhra and I went to the forest last night. I was finally able to perform a second summons with his help...I'd show her off, but unfortunately she's rather...difficult, so I'd rather not give her the chance to cause trouble."

As she had expected, it was indeed a dead body under that sheet.

Corona flinched a little when he saw the body. Dead bodies were still unfamiliar to her, even though she dabbled in medicines and healing the ailed and sick.

Nettle then explained that she was using the body to grow the strange flower (even she who had seen and memorized many flowers had never seen before) that was definitely growing out of the man's spine, which certainly displeased Corona greatly, as her questioning expression turned into a full-blown frown. Using a human corpse like this, it was simply abhorrent to her.

"So, where did you get this corpse from?" she asked her coldly.

@A Lowly Wretch

Nettle

"Hhh... From the graveyard h-of course." She answered back plainly, her distant analytical gaze unfazed by the woman's disdain.

"Hthough the rate of hh... Hattrition for this hschool is quite low... Thus the hbodies are far hfrom fresh." Looking down at the flower her eyes peered not to the petals but the flesh directly beneath it. For a moment reality around the flower seemed to stretch, warping as though the onlookers were looking at it's reflection in a doorknob. Like rubber reality snapped back into place faster than the eye could perceive and in that instant the flower vanished. All that remained was the tiny hole left by it's roots. The puncture looked no larger than the wound left by a needle. A somewhat large needle mind you but still small given that a flower was growing from it just a moment ago.

From her pack Nettle produced a long sharp dagger. It looked fairly sturdy yet keenly sharp, clearly selected for it's function over it's form as it was quite plain with little more than a leather wrap fastened to it's handle for ease of grip. With measured and steady form she pierced the flesh of the back, cutting down along the spine. It was a shallow cut, just deep enough to open the flesh. She did not want to damage the results more than decomposition already had after all.

_
Not at all phased by the grizzly nature of the work she had brought with her to the herbology club she peeled open the wound with her bare hands, looking intently inside with her head slightly askew so the light could illuminate what laid within. All the while the knight had procured a bowl from her pack and set it by the body before filling it with water from a flask.

The disturbances of the flesh were minimal. This was good but it also meant very little since what symptoms could of arisen from such an intrusion were hidden by the natural decay of the body. The real results were shown in the state of the spinal column. It was barely disturbed at all, no broken discs or snapped spinal cords. The only thing that could be noted as different was that there were very subtle grooves along the bone where the finer roots wormed their way in. So far the most prominent symptom she could deduce was that one might find some slight stiffness in bending their back due to the plant's roots holding onto them. The whole time she paid little mind to those around her, her focus largely set on her calculations.

Taking in the results of her work she leaned back from the body, leaving it as it was. She pulled the cover back over the corpse and rinsed her hands in the bowl the knight had set for her. She cleaned off the blade of her dagger as well and dried both it and her hands with a bundle of a dry grass from her pack. She preferred this type of grass over a conventional cloth like most would use since on top of performed just as well for this purpose they could be easily disposed of. All she'd need to do is let them decompose into compost and grow some more. Far more sanitary than those things they called handkerchiefs.

"From the graveyard," Corona stated matter-of-factly, now switching full on into her interrogative mode. "You do have permission to use the body, right? From both the gravekeeper and the family this old man belongs to?" She squinted her eyes.

Corona continued examining Nettle as she resumed her work. The flower growing on the corpse's spine had suddenly disappeared, and it seemed to be the cue for Nettle to start using her knife to open up said corpse at where the flower once grew.

She was no stranger to the concept of surgery. She had read quite the number of books pertaining to the subject, though she never actually performed it herself. And if she were to, she would not use such a primitive tool to do it. High precision lasers provided by her familiar would be far safer, cleaner, and easier to use.

Once again, she cringed at Nettle's work, though she had to admit, seeing the inside of a human body certainly piqued her interest, even if that human body was a corpse. It had not decomposed terribly, meaning it hadn't been that long since the man passed on to the next world.

All the more reason to suspect Nettle's method of obtaining him.

"He's still quite fresh," she remarked. "How long has it been since he died?" she asked, crossing her arms under her chest. "Also, such a method of planting would not be feasible for mass production. I suggest you found a better growth medium than a human corpse."

@A Lowly Wretch

With the first rays of sunlight pouring through the window, Eric props himself upright in bed with a slight groan. What's today? He mentally asks the 'raven' perched at the foot of his bed as he blearily wipes sleep from his eyes. Today is Saturday. Skirmisher's club is meeting this morning and you have 275 days remaining to com~ Stop. I don't need any reminders about that. Eric abruptly interrupts, cutting his summon off. The raven pauses for a moment before responding, it's head cocked to one side. Very well. Will there be anything else? No. Thank you.

Taking a deep breath to steady his shaking hands, Eric very slowly manages to will his pounding heart back down to normal. ...275 days... I have less than a year left... Well no sense in worrying about it, I've got better things to do... With a sigh, Eric pushes himself out of bed and begins prepping for the day ahead. Throwing on a plain white tee shirt, black gi pants, boots and a double-breasted jacket, Eric loads up a small duffel bag with a number of other essentials for the day. Estoc on his hip, the young man shoulders the duffel bag and makes his way out into the halls, the raven ghosting through the air behind him.

Briefly stopping in the cafeteria, Eric snags a few fresh pastries, which he wraps in a towel and loads into a ceramic pot. Securing the snack in his bag, Eric makes his way out onto the the Academy grounds. With a deep breath he takes in the crisp morning air, simply enjoying the moment. Picking out a nice spot of grass under a tree, he sets down his duffel bag and stabs his sheathed estoc point first into the dirt before draping his jacket over the cross guards. Belongings taken care of, Eric centers himself, letting his worries and stress drift away. As he begins working through a Tai-Chi routine, the raven alights itself onto the pommel of his estoc, watching.

Nettle

This woman certainly seemed to mind Nettle's work. Towards the end of her questioning one particular question did draw Nettle's attention back over to her. She raised a single quizzical eyebrow upon her mention of mass production.

"Mass production?..." She looked back at the stern woman as though she were greatly confused, hanging on the end of her last word as she slowly canted her head just a bit to the right.

"Hhh-are you not familiar hwith the dream born?" She ponderously stroked her chin. Looking right at her she tried to puzzle out the specifics as to who was talking to her. The previous questions probed by her fell by the wayside, well out of mind as she judged her.

"Hhh... I'm hnot very good with h-explanations." Well now this was just awkward. Nettle was never very wise to the social dance humanity practiced but this predicament had put her a bit on the spot, a rarity for her. She was unsure of just how little this woman understood summoning which meant she'd want to be careful not to dumb her explanation down too far lest she accidentally insult her. It wouldn't be her intention to but she knew people were quite touchy about being talked down to.

"D... Do hyou mind if I ask how long you've studied?... Hhhere, h-at the academy I mean."

For a tall person she sure seemed inexperienced.

"I am indeed not familiar with that term, nor with the flower you are cultivating," Corona answered honestly. "We in Machina never really discusses such topics in our classes."

Answering her question, she replied with a somewhat threatening smile, "Oh, I've been here for a while. I'm actually aiming to enter Master rank sometimes soon."

"And you still haven't answered my previous questions. How and where did you get this corpse?"

With a simple shimmer in the air, all of her bits appeared out of thin air behind her. Half of them were locked towards Nettle herself while the remaining half were locked towards her knight familiar.

She was in no mood for her druidic nonsense.

@A Lowly Wretch

Nettle

"That hwould place you at Virtuoso two then." She muttered, not reacting in the slightest to both her smile nor the mechanical bits behind her. In truth she didn't really pick up that the girl's summoning was an attempt at intimidation. Social cues were not her specialty. Summoning however was.

"Hhh... H-wouldn't you need to understand such method before hmoving up to mastery? Hhh... I hwould look into what makes one hh... Qualified for mastery again but it's of hlittle consequence." For someone claiming to be looking into moving up into the masters rank the woman before her certainly was fairly lacking in general knowledge. Perhaps she was highly specialized in her field. Nettle could only wonder.

"Hhh-anyhow the hcrypt keeper said I could borrow the body hso long as I return it intact before the evening hhours. Hh-It's not an hhh... Huncommon practice." She had to wonder if others in Machina were quite as secluded or if she really was just that much of a shut-in to never run afoul of their more necromantically inclined members.

All the while the head on The Green Knight's axe was subtly growing larger. Nettle might not of saw much threat in someone bringing out their summons in such a manner but the knight was more perceptive to such cues. It's stance was at attention but not hostile as of yet, simply standing tall with base of the handle to it's axe stood upon the floor like one might do with a halberd. The weapon was easily as tall as itself and might of looked unwieldy for the average person to wield.

The Green Knight was no average person. Or even a person.

"Indeed I am," she affirmed Nettle's analysis on her rank with a smile.

"It's not necessary," Corona answered matter-of-factly. "You become a Master by mastering your own house's knowledge, not by understanding others. THat would come after you become a Master, where you could take on a second school."

She finally answered her question, and with it, Corona withdrew all of her familiar. "I see. So you're utilizing the Phantasma crypt. Makes sense. I've certainly heard that some of the students there dabbled in necromancy. I dislike what they're doing with corpses but it's not my place to be against something the Academy approves, though I certainly didn't expect one of them to bring their corpse into a Herbology meeting."

She had noticed the knight's growing axe thanks to her shared visions with all her familiars, but she decided not to comment on it.

"I do still have another complain however. The smell. I don't come to Herbology to smell a corpse's rotting scent. Perfume it or something."

And with that, she left Nettle behind, going back to her workstation to resume her work.

@A Lowly Wretch

After his morning jog, there was fairly little on Lorcan's schedule which was...well. Not a NEW experience he supposed, but the first in a long time. Were he at home he was fairly certain that his family would have set up a meeting with some tutor or training session, either for his benefit or to curry favor with another family. Or worse, tea with a noble's son or daughter who was a fan and was less than subtle in their interests in his 'body of work'. It was frankly a wonder his parents kept trying their hand at those, considering the sheer number he'd feigned obliviousness through.

All that said, they were atleast better than the alternative his was discovering now. Lorcan was...bored. Terribly so. And he really had no clue as to how to deal with that fact. Pestering Isobel was an option but...given last night she might still be in a foul mood. Best leave her be for the time. The fact she was probably still asleep also made that a somewhat suicidal prospect.

”The hell do commoners do all day?" He grumbled as he walked the school grounds before his eyes caught a vaguely familiar glint of black hair. Ah yes, the upstart from yesterday who'd managed to calm Isobel's attempted rampage. He'd nearly forgotten about him.

Nearly being the operative word here. And given how much Albus apparently new of his cousin's private matters...

"We've certainly the morning for it." Lorcan called out, his voice calm and sweet as he approached despite the rising urge to grind his teeth together. The other man looked to be practicing some sort of martial art. Not a terribly combat effective one if looks were to be believed. The estoc resting on the tree, however, was a little bit more note worthy.

"Please forgive the intrusion, but...I noticed your weapon from across the way. Thought you might fancy a sparring match." He lied, making sure to for-go giving his name just in case. It'd be better to get the boy relaxed BEFORE he interrogated him, and fudging his own skill to make it look like they were evenly matched wouldn't be too great a challenge.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Odhra looked like he wished to sink twelve feet into the floor and stay there when Baily spoke, face going a little red as he turned to Floofel. "Raspberry tea with no sugar please." He said quickly, hoping if he ignored that mistake nobody would notice.

Upon receiving the high praise of Eva Baily squeezed the octopus plushie hard enough that its teeth chattered and smiled at the smaller girl, tail trashing wildly with joy. Livia's comment, however, brought a small pout to her lips. "But my phrasing was accurate?" She defended halfheartedly. "Master said you engaged in intercourse for about an hour. He even mentioned you wanted him to take out his big boy at the start! He also mentioned he was concerned about your elevated heart rate afterwards and said I should keep an eye out for possible sighs of exhaustion." She elaborated.

"B-Baily!" Odhra yelped, quickly rushing over and gently putting a hand over his summons mouth before she said something even worse. "She uh...she means Bubbles. Livia asked to borrow Bubbles for the ritual..." He corrected quietly, shooting Livia an apologetic look. Turning back to his summon, removing his hand before speaking. "Baily, I know you're not meaning to baby but...most folks would use the word 'discourse' in this context. Intercourse implies more...private subjects." He said, carefully side eying Eva to make sure he wasn't giving to much away.

The spider girl looked curiously between her master and Livia, brows knit furiously together as she attempted to piece together what she did wrong. After a moment, her eyes light up and she let out a keening series of chirps that could only be interpreted as laughter. "Oh! You mean that I was implicating you and Flesh Body Livia as having had engaged in se-" She began, the S bomb only being prevented as Odhra quickly replaced his hand over his summons mouth.

"Successful summoning ritual yes!" Odhra said quickly, feeling he nailed that recovery despite the panic in his voice and shooting Eva a strained smile. There was an awkward silence for a moment before an idea struck. "Oh, Baily, you wanted to introduce Eva and Floofel to Mr. Teethapus right?" he asked softly and allowing the Summon to speak once more.

Bailys eyes light up as she practically leaps over to Eva's side. "YES YES!" She blurted too loudly, eagerly holding the be-molared Mollusc out for Eva's approval. "Master got me a toy after I learned how to draw blood on my own! His name is Mr. Teethapus. He is a morphologically inaccurate octopus with a morphologically accurate scale model set of Flesh Body Chewing structures!" She explained rather unnecessarily.

The plush in question stares at Eva, its wide set friendly eyes staring into the abyss of existence as its tentacles flopped limply in the air. "Master says they are used in oral hygiene practices to put children at ease. I find this to be a wonderful idea!" she adds, hugging the large plush toy, its tombstone teeth clacking slightly at the motion.

Alert. Lorcan Brigh is currently approaching from your 8 o'clock.

The raven's cold harsh thought cuts through Eric's mind, breaking his meditative state. A few moments later he hears Lorcan's request for a sparring match. Relaxing into a more natural pose, Eric turns around, one eyebrow arching slightly at the young nobleman's shirtlessness. After a rather long several seconds of sizing Lorcan up, Eric finally replies. "Right now, I'll pass. Though I'd be happy to go a round or two after breakfast. Given that I don't recognize you, I'm going to hazard a guess that you're new to the Academy. I'm Eric." He says, walking over to Lorcan and offering a handshake and a friendly smile. "I'll also take it you're fencer, given your physique." Eric adds after the fact, his free hand gesturing to Lorcan's figure.

...Well this is rather fortuitous. No need to go looking for him, or to generate an excuse to introduce myself. Though this does beg the question, what does the heir to the Brigh family want with me?...

Soon enough, another member entered the scene. An older girl, called Livia if Nikola's memory served correctly. He prepared a greeting in his mind, but before he could open his mouth to speak, the girl spoke out herself, first to the moth-woman and then to the club leader. Nikola frowned slightly. He noted the girl's reaction to his gift to Evangeline, maybe she didn't ask chocolate. Perhaps he should ask her, then. But as he prepared to open his mouth, the door opened behind him again.

The boy turned to look at the arrival and found it to be an older student once again. A name he found he could not remember quite how to pronounce, but it was confirmed to him in a few moments. Odhra, a boy older than him, which he knew little about, save for his somewhat unsettling reputation. Nikola didn't mind it at all, he admired his peer's pragmatism. He hadn't talked to him much before, on account of him being in different houses, but the abundance of food he had brought was a surprise. He wasn't aware that Odhra cooked. But as Nikola thought about complimenting him, the boy's summon spoke words that made him rethink.

Nikola quietly put down his bag, and then backed away from the discussion, sitting down on a chair. He felt like the conversation was taking a turn he didn't want to intrude on. It seemed that Evangeline didn't know what intercourse meant, but he did. A little, at least. He knew what it entailed, more or less, which made him a little curious about the conversation, but also hesitant to hear it. It was likely that Odhra's summon had been mistaken, or at least, he hoped so.

Listening quietly from the sideline, Nikola was somewhat relieved at the result. A mistake on the part of the summon was understandable enough, as beings from another dimension couldn't all reasonably expected to have a high level of expertise in human languages, unless they interacted with humans frequently. The boy sank back in his chair as the conversation broke up a little. All he would need to would be to sit back, and wait for them to finish, and then...

And then what? Nikola frowned a little. He was here to work on his socialising skills, sitting back and doing nothing would not help. There were 3 people in the room he could converse with and he was currently talking to none of them. This was a good opportunity for conversation, but to whom would he talk to, and what would they talk about? After a moment of deliberation, Nikola turned to Livia.
"Um, Miss..." Nikola began.
What was her last name? He was sure he had never known it.
"Miss Livia," The boy said, thinking quickly. "Is it true? Have you summoned another creature?"
He hoped that would do for a start.

@Rune_Alchemist

---

Livia merely pursed her lips at Baily's antics. She was troublesome, but in a far different way than her most recent summon. Her ignorance and lack of social norms was endearing, but she wasn't quite sure she could put up with it for more than a week or two herself. Well, not currently her problem. Livia brought the Oolong tea she had been brought to her lips, taking a small sip of the liquid. Hm, she was really wanting something else. Perhaps she could wake Mizushi...

"Hm...ah, yes, I did." Livia replied to Nikola. "I would introduce her, but..." Her eyes shifted away from the other club member, frowning lightly. "As I said, she is quite -" She was interrupted by a certain ghost poking her head through the table, causing the teacup to balance precariously on her head. Siobahn glared up at Livia, as though this also, was the first time she was hearing of it. "Ah, hello Siobahn. You heard me correctly."

The banshee hissed lightly, fulling pulling herself through the table, folding her skeletal arms on her chest and...was she pouting?

" - Anyways, Nikola, she is quite difficult and I'd rather not cause a scene." Siobahn, not happy at being ignored pressed her body against Livia's, her face almost touching the summoners. "Pout all you want, you knew I had to get one eventually. I didn't tell you because you'd probably have meddled in things."

"Sh'ihm...Cu'laihm-!"

"You're only upset I knew exactly what you'd try to do." For the briefest of seconds, Siobhan's face seemed to contort into something horrifying. Jagged teeth, a skeletal visage - but blink and it vanished. The banshee gave a defeated huff, before cozying up next to her summoner and wrapping her arms possessively around Livia's, no longer pouting or seemingly perturbed by the revelation. "Ahem, now - where were we?"

Kitten shivered in the boy's lap. Nikola knew what scared him, of course, since it also scared him somewhat. Siobhan, one of his conversation partner's summons. He was generally fairly wary against summons, but he was especially wary of 2 types, ghosts and machines. And dragons, but that was another matter entirely. Ghosts and machines were similar in only one respect; they often did strange things he didn't understand. Machines were more predictable though, and if he understood their function he was generally alright with them. Ghosts, on the other hand... Nevertheless, it would probably not be in his interest to treat Siobhan like that.

Nicola stroked Kitten reassuringly and took the cup of tea he'd been given from the table, sipping it as he watched the ghost and its master's discourse. The tea wasn't his favourite, but he could tell it was had quality.

Miss Livia was an adept summoner and Siobhan was one of her most trusted, as far as he could tell. Indeed, there should be nothing to be afraid of from the spirit, and he needed to show that to Kitten.

Nikola put the cup of tea down and did his best to smile at the ghost. It had a ghost like appearance but there was no reason to fear it, surely. Yet as he looked on, the apparition's face twisted into something more sinister. Nikola's smile froze. He blinked, and Siobhan was just as she was. He doubted his eyes, but he could feel Kitten's fur bristle under his hands. Still smiling stiffly, the boy rubbed the furry dragon in an attempt to calm it.
"What's wrong, buddy?" Nikola said quietly.
"I'll just pretend I didn't see that." He said in his mind.

"Ahem, now - where were we?"

Nikola coughed lightly to clear his mind. There would be time to think about ghosts later.
"Yes, we... Well, I asked you about your knew summon." Nikola replied.
That was indeed the topic of the conversation, but that was only the beginning. The boy looked around the room and then turned his eyes back to Siobhan. Livia had mentioned that the new one was difficult, and though he had still wanted to see it, he wasn't so sure now. Still, he needed something to talk about.

At the end of a period of silence bordering on uncomfortable, Nikola piped up.
"Could you- Hm."
He paused for a moment. He couldn't just ask directly, could he? That could be rude.
"If you don't mind me asking," He said slowly. "Could you tell me what your new summon is exactly?"

@Rune_Alchemist

It was a new morning, and Max awoke to the startling sound of a Dragon's roar. Max leaped from his bed into a roll expecting Isobel to jump him at any moment before the vestiges of sleep fell away to reveal reality. He slammed the button on the clock cursing the prophetic device for scaring him so thoroughly. He reached for the switch on the side to trigger his music but paused. "I have a lot of important work to do today, but still. I have 'that' club today." He slowly retracts his hand from the clock, "It's just for the morning. Stress-free." The club didn't start for a while. Max got in his shower and for the first time, took his time. When he stepped out his demeanor was completely different. He slouched when he walked his steps weren't measured and strangest of all. His expression wasn't locked in a neutral scowl, but a slight grin. He went into the locker and through on the Achilles set, but wore the coat loosely and unfastened. He went into the vault and grabbed his usual gear. He then grabbed a backpack laden with extra equipment he had prepared last night. He then finally grabbed a large duffel bag filled with the 'special' pillows. He got ready to step out, but before leaving, he grabbed one extra thing out of the vault. A set of Inconspicuous sunglasses tinted orange with round lenses. He donned the glasses, completing his transformation. The Max that walked out of his room that morning was unrecognizable.

When Max got to the club room, he was a little late, but he figured his surprise would be all the forgiveness Evangeline would need. He opened the door and stepped into the room. He was greeted by the Floofel first "Welcome, what kind of tea would you like?" Max just gave her a sideways smile and said, "I'll take Black, extra strong. I got a hell of a day ahead." He saw Livia, Odhra, and Nikola were already there and engaged in conversation. He looked to Evangeline and smiled, he had no hostile intent, but on him, it looked like a tiger grinning at its prey. "Hey Evangeline, my 'special' commission is done, and I brought it in today." He throws the duffel bag on the ground and strips it open. Inside was a whole bunch of Dakimakura. If the club members were to look through it, they would find they are all modeled after their summons. Though, with artistic liberties taken by the artist to make them as 'cute' as possible. Max only hoped he didn't misinterpret that meaning. After throwing down the bag, he would sit at the table with his feet up and sip on tea. "Hope you like them."

Evangeline Lindall

Eva looked amazed at Mr. Teethapus. Oh, my! He is adorable! Is he a toy or is he alive?! Either way he's adorable! I want one!" She stated, hopping up out of her seat and looping an arm around Baily's. "Can I touch him?" She asked.

Floofel brought Odhra's Raspberry Tea over to him, "Enjoy." She told the boy with a smile. Because of her predisposition to eatting sugar and sugar-filled foods, she put a single spoonful of sugar in Odhra's tea... But she didn't tell him. "That said, if you are sleeping with Miss Eva's sister, I think no less of you." She added before a strange person walked in. Floofel of course recognized it was Max and asked him what sort of tea he wanted. "Black? Understood." And she went about readying it.

Eva looked up to Max as he entered and gave a bit of squinted look to see what his "special" commission was. The girl let go of Baily's arm gently as she walked over. "What is... Is this... LOOK!! IT'S A PILLOW WITH FLOOFEL ON IT! AND THIS IS BAILEY!! SIOBAHN!" Evangeline exclaimed, grabbing them all up. "They're all mine!" She exclaimed.

---

"Hm, it's what is called a Jiangshi, in eastern cultures." Livia replied coolly. "A type of vampiric creature, though this one is...something a bit more difficult to deal with." She exhaled, pursing her lips. "I would be remiss to try and summon it here for a number of reasons." The former noble glanced around the room. For one, she wasn't entirely sure the sarcophagus would even fit. Secondly, while she did determine Mizu was the one controlling those skeletal specters the other night, it seemed they worked on a sort of auto pilot. Anyone that Mizu hadn't deemed as her master or someone as an 'ally' they simply attacked without regard. The only way to stop them from attacking, would be to wake the undead up.

It seemed as though, for whatever reason, when Mizu was awake she lost the ability to summon them.

"Aside from being particularly dangerous, I am not sure it would fit in this room." She glanced over to Odhra with a smile. "...plus it might try to take a nibble out of Odhra again. Wouldn't want that, now would we?~" It was about this time Max walked in. Livia watched with mild interest as the contents of his bag was revealed.

"...look, its you Siobahn. Look how cute you are." Livia teased the Ghost, who only rolled its eyes in response.
"What do you mean it looks nothing like you?" Livia pointed to the pillow. "Look there's your adorable little nose and your eyes. Maybe a little lacking in the chest department, but you know."

She glanced back over to Nikola.

"I suppose if you want to see it, I could show it to you later, after the club.

.

”In an amateur respect, yes." Lorcan said, shooting Eric a pleasant smile and returning the handshake, the lie coming with such startling grace even HE almost believed it. "He must not follow the competition scene much, if at all. Good. Doubt he would have accepted otherwise..." He thinks, not once dropping the welcoming grin. Lorcan, for as much as he hated it, would have to admit there was an upside to all those tedious balls and galas. They made him exceptionally good at faking pleasantries.

"And yes, I am new. Just arrived yesterday as it happened." He said, leaning over and examining the Estoc. Aside from performing admirably as a perch, there was little to note about it. The construction was sturdy, if a bit spartan compared to the more decorative flair that plagued the sport. "Bottom left side of the grip is more worn than it should be." He noted mentally. "Guess he tightens up too much when he parries. But atleast he's using the blade length to his advantage and knows to use his forward hand as a pivot point. Unrefined but experienced enough not be considered helpless. I'll start him at....30% effort. With a 10% window up or down after I assess his footing." He thinks, brain automatically rattling off the normal battery of assessments he'd do before a match.

Lorcan blinks after a moment, realizing he's probably been caught staring. "I like your summon." He says, shooting Eric a playful look and chuckling slightly. "It's...cute. Suits you." He adds, turning back to the other young man. "You mentioned needing breakfast first yes? You headed that way currently or do you wish to meet up later? I'd hate to presume to join you for a meal uninvited after all..."
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"Thank you Floofel..." Odhra sigh as he took the tea and had a deep sip. The sugar was...noted, but went largely ignored. The blend still had the dark tartness that he enjoyed and honestly, he was not about to fault the moth woman. She was only doing what she tought was best and he'd be damned if he didn't accept that happily. "And we're not!" He objects quietly, thankful that Baily and Eva seemed preoccupied with her toy. "Livi's just a friend..." he mumbles, glacing over at the girl in question just in time to catch a coy look as she spoke to Nicola. He failed to catch what she had said, but the look she gave sent a shiver up his spine and sent a flash of pink over his cheeks. He sat straight up in his seat, sipping his tea deeply and sent her back a pouting look that, for all the world, told the girl that she was not helping!

Thankfully, Max's arrival provided a much needed distraction. Odhra turning to watch as Mr. Teethapus was lost in a sea of pillowy...pillows. Baily, for her part, seemed as excited for the strange analogs as the small girl next to her. "Miss Floofel's is very pretty!" The spider girl trilled, joining Eva in the comforting mass and squashing Mr. Teethapus between herself and the Floofel Pillow. "I desire to compare this comfort device's quantifiable hugging properties to the real life analog! Perhaps a side by side litmus test is in order?" She chirped to Eva, throwing a wildly excited look to the moth girl. "Miss Floofel please approach so that I may embrace you deeply!"

"Baily..." Odhra said thick with warning. "You know better than that..." He adds, the Spidery girl shrinking slightly in embarrassment. "Since there is a pillow of myself it would be a violation of experimental standards and practices to have me participate in the control group..." She grumbles, hugging both Eva and the pillow party slightly in embarrassment.

"Exactly!" Odhra said, looking a little pleased at his summon. "If we want objective results, We'll need a non-represented and unbiased person to hug both the pillows and the three of you in turn. And provide a metric of enjoyability. Given this is mostly for fun, lets say on a scale of 1 to 10...and yes if she agrees you may hug Floofel recreationaly afterwards." He says, looking over the group.

"...though that said. Me, Eva and Livi are out as well. Since we'd have a natural bias towards our own summons...which just leaves Max and Nikola as prospective candidates!"

At Lorcan's proclamation of amateur swordsmanship, Eric almost snorted. Almost. Amateur my ass! Watching Lorcan briefly size up the raven, Eric couldn't help but laugh at the young nobleman's comment and playful look. "My raven? Cute? That's a first." He says, shaking his head in bemusement. ...Did... did he just try and flirt with me?... What on earth are you up to Lorcan Brigh?

"As for breakfast, I packed a snack before coming out here, though I am planning on grabbing a little more before heading to Skirmishers Club..." Eric says, rummaging through his duffel bag and pulling out the ceramic pot. Taking the lid off and unfolding the towel, Eric extends the pot towards Lorcan. "I don't believe I caught you name. Fresh pastry? They should still be warm." He offers, the smell of freshly baked goods wafting out.

Alright, you've avoided dropping your name so far, let's see how you handle a more direct question...