Scene #7388: Into Purgatory

Owner	Pose
Hesinca	Welcome to the moon. No, not that moon. Or that other one. This one's red, full of souls, glowing whether or not the sun is shining directly on it, and in a sort of shared orbit between two other planets. The warpgate here is in the center of an ornate plaza full of glowy people going about their business. 'Glowy people' is possibly the only way to describe them - anyone looking at one has their gaze just sort of slip off before they can take in any individual details that are not 'glowing with yellowish-white light' and 'person shaped'. Are they men or women? Are they tall? Do they wear stylish lace-up basketball sneakers? Who knows! (The answer is: not you. You don't know.) There's a sign posted not far from the warpgate: <This way to the Transact Purgatorio auction house.> There's a number of demons and angels - the only other beings here aside from the glowy people and yourselves - headed that way. Transact Purgatorio is large - the size of an opera house or large multi-stage theater (or, if you're a philistine, a baseball stadium). Inside, once you have your ticket checked by a glowy person (you did remember to print your tickets, right) you're brought into a lobby that's full of all shapes and sizes - well, about half 'all shapes and sizes' of demons and the other half being angels, which are less diverse than humans are. The atmosphere is one part theatrical lobby - people waiting, socializing, and anticipating the main event of the auction due to start soon - and one part trade expo. There's things being shown off in booths around the lobby by demonic or angelic vendors, available for purchase, or due to be auctioned off later on. The horrifying mixes with the mundane - in one booth, some mundane implements of torture are being hawked (ornate knives, racks, bone extractors), while in the next booth there's some computer software that can be used to track your employees' bathroom breaks and automatically send nagging emails to those that, actual vendor quote, "keep you from being number one with their number two business." Hesinca can be seen, if you want a familiar face to approach. She's examining some of the displays near the Infidelity Mutual booth, and making notes on her phone.
Cantio	Cantio remembered to print her ticket! She even used the fancy stock paper to make sure it even feels super official. The auction is something she'll have to keep an eye on, but the real attraction to her for tonight is the trade expo. Who knows what sorts of wondrous inventions she could find here to help solve her multiple crises back home? Perhaps not quite as many as she had hoped. The knives do get more than one curious look from the girl in the anime-purple color palette, although the computer software just has her staring in disapproval. She's still keeping her eyes peeled, though, as she explores the trade show floor, and she eventually jumps a bit upon nearly bumping into Hesinca. "Oh! Miss Hesinca, hi. Is the things they sell here usually so..." She struggles briefly to find the words. "... Horrible, but mundane? I was expecting something a bit more exotic and... Ah. I-I wasn't looking for anything horrible, though!" She attempts a deflection, but the admission is pretty obvious. She's looking for the really crazy shit.
Captain Flint	Some of the Walrus crew are here, and they did indeed bring their tickets. Captain Flint, the amber-haired, goateed leader, with hard amber eyes. John Silver, his hair black and wavy, an 18th century prosthetic leg his most currently distinguishing feature aside from his charming smile. Billy Bones, the dirty blonde musclebound boatswain, and Joji, a member of the vanguard, a taciturn Japanese man with long black hair tied back to keep it from his eyes. Joji is looking at the torture implements. The other three, with Flint at the lead, make a beeline for Hesinca. "Insurance?" Flint asks, in that gravelly English baritone of his.
Utsuho Reiuji	Utsuho Reiuji doesn't really have any need to be here. She doesn't really have a whole lot worth trading (she brought some, but by local standards, not a whole lot), she's not in the market for souls because that's not her job or her hobby. So why is she here? Curiosity mostly. She's been curious about how other Hells work. Maybe it will teach her something if she... well, that's a secret. For now. But it might be useful for her to know a bit about how they work. Which is why she's here. She did indeed remember to print out her ticket, but then she forgot where she put it, which is how she got shunted over to the side for ten minutes while she checked everywhere before someone pointed out it was rolled up and tucked behind her ear (as Utsuho does not have pockets). But now she's inside, in the lobby. Utsuho recognizes perhaps five percent of what is on display and is trying to look at all of it. A lot of it she doesn't really get, or doesn't want (torture implements are unpleasant even for her) but that isn't stopping her from walking up, nodding as if she understood, and then wandering off a couple minutes later. Utsuho spotted Hesinca on one of her trips, but she didn't say anything to her immediately, preferring to walk around a little more first. But she accidentally stopped at a business opportunity that she understood zero percent of, and nearly fell asleep standing up. She looks dazed. Don't worry, she'll catch up when she frees herself from somnolence.
Hesinca	"Oh, I mean, if you're looking for something exotic, the soul squeezers are being demo'ed right over there," says Hesinca, thumbing over her shoulder. There's what looks like a screaming ghost being forced into an oversized onion press. It doesn't look pleasant. "And the virtual torturescapes are here and there - just listen for anyone moaning something like 'I didn't mean to kill her' or 'it was an accident' and you'll find one." "... Oh, right, insurance. Yeah, I set it up so if any of you die here I get paid out some fat stacks." "I'm joking, of course," says Hesinca, who's secretly not joking. "I've got the pocket netherworld that all of you can disappear into - or just hide behind me, anyone divine or infernal that takes a swing at someone else whose divine or infernal gets automagically taken care of. They won't dare risking hitting me by mistake." "... I'm not sure if that only applies to the demons and angels from here or not," she adds, looking over at Utsuho - who's still getting an enthusiastic pitch about an angelic business opportunity, whether or not she's awake to hear it.
Captain Flint	"I doubt that very much," says John Silver, when Hesinca asserts that she's joking. "But that's alright. I'm very glad to hide behind you anyway." This draws a grin from Flint and Billy. "Is that what you were doing on your phone, then?" asks Flint, nodding towards her. Yeah, they know what phones are. Why wouldn't they? Billy's firearm of choice usually seems to be an assault rifle, after all, despite the fact that all of them are still very much dressed like 18th century pirates. "You know," says Silver, after a moment's thought... "It would be unfortunate if an 'accident' were to happen to us. You'd be beside yourself with grief, wouldn't you?" Joji is currently stroking his chin thoughtfully, peering at the ghost in the onion press. This is clearly a new field of research he hadn't considered.
Utsuho Reiuji	Utsuho has long ago mastered the art of half-dozing standing up when people were talking to her, which probably says a lot about her. Eventually, something apparently sinks in, and she perks up again. "Oh, I don't think I'm interested. Or have the money," she adds, thoughtfully. "But thanks! I'll remember that if I ever need a... a thing." (She will not remember.) But having more or less politely made her verbal escape, Utsuho makes a physical one too, walking briskly away from the business opportunity and more toward - "Oh! There you are," she says, speeding up on her way toward Hesinca and Flint's crew. "Did I miss anything?" She does not know of any impending payouts Hesinca's way.
Hesinca	"Oh - I was reviewing what was going to be up for sale at the auction tonight," says Hesinca, holding out her phone. "There's some things I need to bid on for actual business, but the main thing I wanted..." <Lot #374 - One Gross of Prinny-Grade Souls, Plus One Gross of Prinny Husks (New And Improved Version)> "It's always a mixed bodybag of what you get at one of these - but they have what I was looking for," says the demon, grinning. Then to Utsuho, "No, didn't miss anything, but we could probably go on and head up to the VIP box and get ready for the auction, if you're all done looking around." The onion press is attached to clear glass fuel tanks, which fill up gradually as the ghost is squeezed. When the press opens again, a cloudy basketball-sized orb falls out onto the floor. It looks very much like the ones Flint's men were handling a few weeks ago - but this one's a lot cloudier than the pure orbs that were released up to the moon.
Cantio	"Soul squeezers? Is that... Like a juicer or something?" Cantio looks sufficiently horrified, but she can't help but watch the ghost getting shoved in there. Sure, her face might be paler by the time she does look away, but she had to watch! She makes a mental note of the torturescapes as well for research purposes. "M... Maybe later. That sound was just awful." Shuddering lightly, Cantio turns her attention to Hesinca and waves lightly at Flint and crew upon recognizing quite a few of them by now. "Hello, everyone! Don't worry, there's enough of us around to make sure that insurance won't be necessary." She laughs, albeit somewhat awkwardly while listening to what sounds like the centaur's new finds. "Um. Is it really that dangerous here even during an auction?" The fact that torturescapes are even a thing probably answers that question for her. Spotting Utsuho, she waves to her as well, glancing between the unfamiliar raven and Hesinca a few times. "I think I'm ready... Ah. Is this a friend of yours, Miss Hesinca?" Turning to Utsuho, Cantio crutseys lightly with a pleasant smile and generally unfitting demeanor for everything that's around here. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Cantio, one of Hesinca's co-workers."
Captain Flint	Flint's brow furrows. "More Prinnies," he notes with a nod. "I can think of no one better to care for them than you. Each of us came here with our own share. I'd be happy to put mine towards that lot, if there should be any need." "Me too," says Silver with a smile. "And me," says Billy. "There's not much here that I'd want. ...can't say the same for Joji, though." Joji doesn't say a word. But he seems to recognize both the orb, and the cloudiness of this one compared to those that he and his fellows handled earlier. The demonstration has lost his interest, and he waves it off with a hand gesture. This device creates an inferior product. The pirate instead moves towards some of the more 'physical' implements. This, apparently--things like the bone remover, the hooks and such--is more his forte. "I've never seen him that happy," notes Billy. Joji's expression is a stone mask. "Utsuho, if I'm not mistaken," says Flint in response to Cantio. "Utsuho Reiuji." He'd be remiss if he didn't introduce himself. "We met reclaiming that psychic device from the ruins of that post-flood Tokyo, I believe, though there was scarcely time to make acquaintances. I am called Flint," says the pirate captain. "Captain of the Walrus. My quartermaster, John Silver, my boatswain, Billy Bones... and the man off by the bone remover is Joji, a member of our vanguard." Flint extends a hand to her for a handshake.
Utsuho Reiuji	Utsuho paused momentarily on her way over to look at the soul squeezer. She didn't know you could do that, but she doesn't really see any point either. It's... weird? Let's go with weird. Normally she just sends the vengeful spirits off by setting the crows (or Rin) on them. Utsuho cranes around so she can read Hesinca's phone when it's displayed. "What is 'prinny-grade'?" she asks, uncertain. "We just got the condemned kind sometimes... and vengeful spirits, but it's not like we got those on purpose. And we never had to pay for any of it." She pauses. "I don't think we had to pay for any of it," she corrects, a little uncertainly. Utsuho wasn't in charge of that part and honestly doesn't know. When Cantio curtseys to her, Utsuho... does not curtsey back. She sort of nods, a little uncertain as to the proper response. "I'm Utsuho Reiuji!" she says, proudly. "And that's right, I was at that place... it was a real mess, wasn't it? I'm glad not everywhere's like that. I don't actually work for her but she invited me to. Right now we just work together sometimes. Right?" She gives a big smile. "Anyway, we can go in. I had a look around already out here, and... I think they're selling things I don't need." Utsuho raises her actual hand to scratch the back of her head under her hair, slightly embarrassed. Then she accepts Flint's to shake, though there might be a moment of awkwardness if he didn't offer his left hand (Utsuho does not have a right hand, only an eight-sided pole replacing her lower arm).
Hesinca	"I appreciate it," says Hesinca. "Hopefully it won't be needed, but I appreciate it." The demon selling the bone extractor looks eager to make a sale. "Here - if you hold your arm out on the cutting board here I'll give you a free sample..." If Joji's brave/stupid enough to actually do that, the demon drops a smaller version of the extractor into Joji's hand. "Here - go try it out on some woodland animals like a nice mentally stable kid, heh heh..." Assuming there isn't more business to be had, the group heads on up the stairs, following Hesinca's lead to the VIP box, past the VIP buffet and open bar (which both look like they contain actual human safe food). The box has a spectacular view of the auction stage, along with private bidding terminals, the aforementioned buffet and bar, and seats that look to be custom-fit-adjusted for each member of the party. There's also a few people already present - an angel, as well as an elderly demon grandma (with a three-headed cat in her lap, and knitting a hat that has space for horns). "Ah - if it isn't Hesinca the Aggressor, She Who Quakes The Earth With Every Foul Step," says the angel, who stands up and nods politely when he notices her. "The Angel Araqiel," says Hesinca in turn, nodding back to him. "These are my companions - Captain Flint, his crew, Utsuho the Corruptor of Devoured Starlight, and Cantio." On the stage, they're gearing up for the auction. The grandma demon's cat starts hacking up a hairball from one of its heads. The grandma demon doesn't seem to notice or react.
Cantio	"Oh! You've worked with us before, then. That's..." There's a brief pause as recognition starts to show in Cantio's eyes following Flint's confirmation, and then she lets out a flustered noise before trying to laugh it off in that incredibly awkward way. "I didn't recognize you until.. Um. Until just now. Sorry. It's good to meet you in person finally. If you ever need a hand with more mechanical stuff, let me know!" She replies to Utsuho with that ever friendly, yet still somewhat embarassed smile before turning to watch if Joji ends up taking that sample. It seems she might be just as interested in it as he is. Whichever way that goes, she eventually follows Hesinca further upwards, avoiding the buffet for the time being in favor of heading into the VIP box. Spotting more unfamiliar figures, Cantio curtseys to the pair as well. "It's good to meet you all. Cantio, Drive Core Candidate of Cadenza." She smiles sweetly, then looks over at the auction stage for all of four seconds before hearing the telltale hairball noise. A hand reaches into a shimmering space in front of her, a napkin is withdrawn, and the napkin is offered to the grandma demon in one smooth motion. She might be a bit too used to cleaning up these kinds of messes, from the looks of it.
Captain Flint	Joji is indeed brave or stupid enough. The closest that anyone has ever seen to a smile--a grateful nod of the head. Free samples are the best way to attract loyal customers. He quietly rejoins the rest of the crew, but the vendor can tell he will be back later. Flint nods at the angel, as well, though his fellows seem more interested in other things. Billy is curious about the food. Looking over his shoulder, he calls over to Hesinca from the VIP buffet, "Is this food humans can eat?" Joji and Silver take seats. Joji, in particular, shows off the sample--wordlessly, of course--to Cantio. Flint heads towards the auction terminal, scrolling through the lots out of idle curiosity. He's still going to give his assistance to Hesinca, but window shopping beats just waiting for everything to begin.
Utsuho Reiuji	"Aw, it's fine! It's hard if you can't see them," Utsuho says, pointing at her eye when Cantio finally recognizes her by name. "I'm not used to talking to people I can't see anyway, unless I'm yelling or something, and that doesn't really count." Utsuho files in with the others. She is once again looking around curiously, and she focuses on the demon grandma - she may be trying to figure out what kind of youkai or spirit that cat is. She's seen cats with two tails, but never a cat with three heads... She realizes she's being introduced. The Corruptor of Devoured Starlight? That seems close, but... "I also use the Scorching Divine Flame!" Utusho says, brightly, which is at least close to what she was called. "But, hello, Mr Araqiel." How do you address a celestial? It's never come up before. Her gaze slides over to the older demon with the cat. "Who's that?" she asks Hesnica, followed by: "And what kind of cat is that? I've seen kasha and nekomata but..." Well, that's one way to find out if you can't figure it out on your own.
Hesinca	The grandma takes the handkerchief and uses it to catch the acidic hairball of death. "Thank you, dearie," she says. "Nyaberus here doesn't quite understand that what goes down one throat comes up another - oh, there he goes..." One of the other cat heads starts liberally grooming the body. "Ah - an outsider demon," says Araquiel to Utsuho, who speaks in a calm tone and looks like a high powered corporate executive angel. "Welcome. It's etiquette here to not use actual titles - when addressing or introducing an angel, it's simply 'The Angel' and then their name. For our demonic colleagues, you make up a title on the spot, based on what you know of them, their deeds, and their attributes. This is due to the fact that-" "Are you really going to get into an etiquette lesson?" interrupts Hesinca. "Mmm? Forgive me, I see so few outsiders. Unlike you, apparently." There's a bunch of things up for auction - the prinnies Hesinca's hoping to grab, equipment of various kinds - physical implements of every kind, high tech solutions of demonic or angelic varieties (the angel stuff being less 'torture' and more 'yoga and introspection'), some real estate and other assets with the implication that they're forfeitures from failed soul-redemption businesses, and, of course, the souls. The asking prices for some of these are such that Flint and/or his crew could probably bid on them with a reasonable chance of coming away with something - especially some of the mid-to-low grade souls, which seem to be priced to move.
Cantio	"That's quite a few titles... Hm. Maybe I should get something more impressive sounding..." Cantio murmurs to herself after hearing Utsuho's and Hesinca's titles, and the angel's clarification that it's more of a made up etiquette thing only has her looking even more determined to come up with something cool! She doesn't, sadly. She's busy with the granny and her demonic cat. "So his heads share a single throat, then... Interesting. I wonder how linked they are to each other. Or if they can still function without..." She catches herself before she goes too far with that line of thinking. Getting her hands on that bone remover sample from Joji probably isn't helping much, although it does give her an opportunity to distract and not make too much of an ass of herself while trying to figure out how it works. Eventually, though, Cantio turns her attention back to the auction, and she checks out one of the terminals herself. She focuses in on the forfeitures and the high tech solutions, of course. She's paying particular attention to things that seem like they'd be good for producing or converting stuff into other stuff, souls especially. In either direction, even.
Captain Flint	Flint has a fairly good idea of what's on offer, after perusing the listings. His brow furrows. That's interesting. The souls are very cheap. He's ride or die for fellow Concord members at this point, and he isn't likely to go back on his word. He'll want to wait out the lot of Prinnies and see if his help is necessary there, before moving on the souls. Unless... Unless the souls might be more of an advantage to her. "What, precisely," asks Flint, looking over his shoulder at Hesinca, "Is the value of souls? What use may be derived from them? And why would the ones listed here be priced so affordably?"
Utsuho Reiuji	"...oh." Utsuho feels like she was taken to task. And she'd only just come up with a title she liked, too. She'll have to save it for later. Or get stuck with a worse one. One of the two. "So does Hesinca always get that one, then, or do different people make up different ones, or what?" Utsuho seems actually kind of interested in this; she's certainly listening to it more than the auction, which is mostly stuff she can't afford. Though she does seem mildly interested in some of the angelic items of all things. But no, there's nothing even vaguely Buddhist that Utsuho can bring back for Satori. Certainly not in her price range, which consists of 'a bunch of coins, some of which are actually gold'. "I don't actually know," Utsuho says to Flint. "We just took the ones that were condemned to the fires, and then I put them in it. We didn't do anything with them. Though we do use the bodies, I guess; that's how the furnace keeps going..." At one point, she gets up to investigate the buffet. Because of course she does.
Hesinca	The buffet has some sinful and heavenly fare. Lots of stuff that's chocolate and probably terrible for anyone's diet. As far as tech items that immediately jump out - there's a SOUL FORGE on sale, actually - one that takes SOUL JUICE and either burns it for power or turns it into some other useful substances. There's also the 'virtual hellscape' - which looks like some sort of twin set of VR gear attached to a central computer, and things called an 'Item World Entrance' and a 'Pocket Netherworld' with no explanations attached. "They're priced cheap because it's harder to get stuff out of them - you really got to work at it, or they're more likely to form ghosts and attack whoever's working on them," says Hesinca. "A disruptive spectral incarnation - DSI," says Araquiel, who doesn't look up from his bidding. He's bidding on a lot of things. "Yeah, so you have to drop everything and kill a DSI ghost. And that's inconvenient and eats away work time, and also maybe you'll die," continues Hesinca. The lot of prinnies comes up next. Hesinca immediately throws in a bid. And then Araquiel reaches for his terminal and puts in a bid. "Hey - could you not?" says Hesinca, bidding again. "Mmm - sorry, no can do," says Araquiel neutrally, upping his bid.
Captain Flint	"It seems to me like you just make one up on the spot for demons," says John Silver to Utsuho, regarding titles. "That's got to be convenient, if so." The information on the cheaper souls would make them a poor investment. Moreover... the Angel Araquiel appears to want the lot of Prinny souls and husks. "I see," says Flint. Who is he saying that to? Maybe Utsuho. Or maybe Araquiel. Hesinca's terminal displays a notification that she's received additional funds. Flint made a transfer from his share. Billy and Silver sit quietly, but they each do the same within moments of Flint's neutral remark. There is something... surprising, which happens. Joji seems to have given his over to Utsuho. She will get no explanation but a stoic nod, should she look askance at him following her perusal of the buffet.
Cantio	The SOUL JUICE-using machine certainly catches Cantio's eye. Comined with that soul juicer she had seen on the trade floor earlier, maybe... No. That'd be terrible. But... It's probably better if she doesn't look at that for now. Another time, perhaps, although the temptation is strong to just bid on it now. Alas, Cantio has other priorities for the time being: Making sure Hesinca gets what it is she's looking for. Although she's heard of Prinnies before, their significance is lost on the purple girl. She notices Araquiel's bid, however, and she starts taking matters into her own hands! With civility, of course. While poking around on the terminal, Cantio starts working her TECHNOLOGICAL PROWESS on the thing to try and just add her own chunk of funding to Hesinca's bid to skew things in the centaur's favor.
Utsuho Reiuji	Utsuho clearly does not care about diets. She helps herself. "Our furnace always had vengeful spirits, even before, when we used it more," Utsuho says, nodding along with Hesnica. "Nowadays it has more but I think that's just because we're not using it for souls. Nobody really chases them out of it and it's not hot enough to hurt them unless they fly right into it... Well, it wasn't. Now I can do it myself!" She jams what appears to be some kind of brownie in her mouth, which shuts her up for a few seconds, because even Utsuho will not talk with her mouth full. Eventually, she swallows. She notices Hesinca bidding against Araquiel, and watches Cantio checking her own balance (because Utsuho does not know how to do that). Eventually, she manages to get her own open and there's more there than she thought there was. Utsuho looks around in confusion. She's not sure where it came from! Computers and auctions are two things she doesn't really know anything about. (She does try to sneak in a couple bids on small odds and ends, though, before anyone realizes it's not her money and tries to take it away from her. She seems to be trying to get gifts? The prinnies certainly remain unbid on.)
Hesinca	Hesinca and Araquiel start getting into a brief bidding war, exhausting what she's got on her account... before her terminal chimes with added funds, and then chimes another three times. She looks down at it, and then over at Araquiel. "Hey. This is my bid limit," she says, pointing at the number. "... You're bluffing. You wouldn't go that high," says the angel, who seems to have lost a tiny bit of his composure after seeing that. "You've spent too much time around other angels. Demons don't bluff," says Hesinca, who jabs the 'bid' button again with conviction. Araquiel looks at her for a moment, then at the rest of her allies... and then sits back in his seat, away from his bidding terminal. "Going once, going twice... SOLD! Next item!" calls the auctioneer. Hesinca fist-pumps. "YES! Thank you so much! I owe you all one!" says Hesinca. "Oh, I didn't do anything, dearie," says demon grandma, who hasn't really been paying attention to anything besides her knitting, her cat, and the occasional bid. Hesinca grabs her terminal and transfers back what remains in her account after her final bid - which comes out to about 80% of what people had sent to her. "I owe you all big time." In the seat next to her, Araquiel looks like his ego took a small hit - he's focused again on the bidding, continuing to spend big on other things, but he's clearly silently fuming a little bit.
Hesinca	Utsuho's odds and ends bids, either keyed in carelessly or purposefully or just via a glitch, turns out to include... ... the deed to a parking space in the netherworld, out in the middle of nowhere. She got it for, basically, fifty bucks.
Cantio	It worked! Holding in that sigh of relief that she desperately wants to let out, Cantio instead coughs lightly when she sees some of that money returned. "Oh, did you get what you were looking for? Congratulations!" She is not a very good actor. Noticing Araquiel's fuming, she turns right back around to her own terminal. After putting in a big one for the SOUL JUICE STUFF MAKINATOR, it's time to... Sample some of the stuff in the buffet herself. She is not counting calories in the slightest.
Hesinca	There's lots of chocolate. Lots of maple bacon. Lots of cheese of various kinds. It's food that's so sinfully good that one would expect some sort of Twilight Zone twist where you find out that the buffet is made out of literal sins you're layering on top of your soul or something, except that that doesn't happen and those consuming the buffet might not care if it did? Also there's whole roasted quail, for the adventurous. With or without bacon and pepper jelly glaze.
Captain Flint	Flint takes a seat next to Hesinca. "No," he says quietly, but firmly. "You don't. This is what we do, in this Concord. We help each other." Silver and Billy lean forwards in their seats and smile at her. "And if you need any help taking care of your new acquisition, we'd all be glad to help there, too." Joji has wandered over to the quail. He's adventurous. And he's also hungry.
Utsuho Reiuji	Utsuho really isn't any good at bidding. But at least she got something out of it. She has no idea what she's going to do with it (she may not even realize what she's won yet; it just has a lot number) but she seems pleased, and really, isn't that the important part? (no) "Did you get everything you were looking for?" she asks Hesinca, because she certainly seems pleased about her purchases. BUT WAIT. If they're best enemies, is she supposed to ask that? Utsuho's brow furrows slightly. She eventually decides that it's probably okay if she asked.
Cantio	Chocolate? Good. Bacon? Good. Cheese? Definitely good. Really, the only stuff Cantio avoids is the hyper spicy food, but she'll sample everything else including the quail. Why not? It's not every day she gets to try hell food. "Those prinnies things... Are they important to you?"
Hesinca	Cantio wins the SOULFORGE when it comes up next. "Yeah I got - well, the most important thing, anyway," says Hesinca. She gives Flint and crew a thumbs-up. Social link improved. "The prinnies are important to me, yeah. I missed them. These won't be the same prinnies, I know, but... just having some of them around is something I miss." "I'm going to treat this new set right," she declares. "I'm going to see them through, all the way to redemption, I'm going to take care of them - that does mean a little bit of tough love sometimes, but I'm going to treat them right. You can call that a concord if you want." Next to her, Araquiel is busy focusing on the bidding. Editorially, what happens next is not entirely his fault. He's focused on what he's doing - trying to make a budget stretch over a large number of auction purchases, he's a bit stressed, a bit ego-bruised... "I just kinda hope that this set doesn't reincarnate and leave early like the last set," says Hesinca, her attention still focused on her allies. "Oh, they left early?" says Araquiel, without looking up. "Was that because they were so eager to get away from you?" Hesinca freezes in place. The broad grin on her face slowly, and then quickly, changes to shock, then a frown, then to gritted teeth, furrowed brow, clenched fists- She turns and decks the angel so hard that he falls out of his seat.
Utsuho Reiuji	Utsuho Reiuji already helped herself to the buffet. She will steal some more on the way out. (Crows, man. You can't stop them from eating the weird food.) She puts another couple bids in on small things - she seems to have identified a meditation aid as something she would like, or at least something that someone she knows would like. She's not sure what to look at for Orin so she has given that up for the moment. "I don't really know what they are for," Utsuho admits, "but at least you've got the right kind of soul, right? I mean, not that you have it, but that you bought - " Utsuho's jaw drops at the sound of fist impact. Then she hops up, waving her arms and, as usually, nearly bashing someone with her control rod. "Hesinca! You said hitting people was bad here! Am I going to have to protect you?" Utsuho looks around, perhaps expecting guards to jump out of the woodwork.
Cantio	Cantio will be quite pleased to find out her winnings later! Just not yet, because she's busy socializing and consuming product. She listens closely as Hesinca explains her motives, nodding after several moments and even chuckling softly afterwards. "That's very good of you. It's... I don't quite understand the specifics of how they work, but they're lucky to have you as an employer." She states confidently, turning around briefly to pick a piece of bacon out from between her teeth when nobody's looking. When she turns back around, it's just in time to hear Araquiel's comment followed by that punch right to he face. "Miss Hesinca!" She's shocked, to say the least. Not that shocked, though, as Cantio recovers from her brief jaw-gape quickly afterwards with an understanding shrug. "We should... Um. Probably get going, then. Er. Shall we? Captain Flint? Miss Utsuho? Miss Hesinca?" Cantio can't forget her manners, of course, as she turns to the old lady and gives her another curtsy. "Thank you for having us, ma'am. Sorry about the... Uh. Disturbance."
Hesinca	"- ... Oh." "Oh- crap," says Hesinca, also realizing what she's done. "Oh.... Oh no, I didn't mean to-" She did mean to, for the record. "I can't - I'm not, I..." She looks around frantically, causing the papers taped to her forehead, which weren't there a minute ago, to rustle. "Yeah - um, yeah, let's get going before - before whatever's going to happen happens - I'll send someone to get the prinnies later..."
Captain Flint	There is a low susurrus of amusement from the pirates. Even Joji cracks a smile, if a little one. The pirates of Nassau are always willing to see stuffy assholes catch hands. "I happen to be very good at smoothing things over," says Silver, placing a partly-consoling, partly conspiratory hand on Hesinca. "We'll get out of here. In the mean time..." "My word," says Silver, loud enough for the demon granny to hear. The other pirates are leaving. But he's got a Spin to make. "Have you ever seen an angel so clumsy? Of course, it makes sense. He must've put away nearly half the gin by himself." He tsks tsks. "Problems at home, I'd wager," says Flint on his way out. Silver moves over to the bar, waiting until there are no eyes on him... and then snatches the bottle of gin. It's poured onto a handkerchief in copious amounts, far more than would be necessary to soak it through. The handkerchief is dabbed quite liberally around Araquiel's neck and collar. His tie is loosened, too--and then Silver leaves the gin on the counter, along with a glass, before making his own exit.
Utsuho Reiuji	"I'll get you out of here fast," Utsuho promises. She bounds over to Hesnica - ignoring the papers - picks her up, and jets away. No, scratch that. Utsuho does bound over to Hesinca just fine. She wraps her arms, both the full arm and the control rod, around Hesinca's lower horselike body, sure. And then Utsuho attempts to lift. She lets out a surprised grunt as she completely fails to lift Hesinca off the ground. She shifts her grip slightly and braces; her concrete-encased foot grinds against the floor with an obnoxious rasping sound as Utsuho strains to try to lift Hesinca. It actually looks like she might manage it for a moment - she can get her back legs off the floor at least - but Utsuho's face just turns redder and redder. Her wings beat frantically as she tries to lift off the ground. And then she gives up, recoiling back and landing on her rump. "Whoof," she lets out a breath, flopping onto her back. She sits up a moment later, her cheeks puffing out with annoyance. "You can run on your own!" she wheezes, before pushing herself up to her feet, still red-faced. But if she's going to run, she's going to steal another plate from the buffet first. Utsuho didn't hit anyone, after all. She's not in trouble. (And maybe she'll share it with someone once they're out.)
Hesinca	Hesinca isn't sure how she should feel about not being able to be lifted, and decides to decide on that later. "Yeah - we'll settle bids later, pick up our items, let's book," she says, heading out with the rest of the party, and leaving the alcohol-soaked angel behind. They make it downstairs and then out - through the lobby, the entrance, then to the warpgate plaza and safety, all without incident. "Phew," says the demon, finally relaxing once they've gotten some relative privacy. "I was always told not to break the Pax Redemptio, but I guess they didn't notice or-" She cuts off. She's reached up to wipe the sweat off her forehead, and her hand's bumped against the papers that someone taped there without anyone noticing. "..." She pulls the papers off, and looks at them. "Court summons? - Oh, wait, they did notice. Damn it." --- TO BE CONTINUED IN: COMMUNITY SERVICE I - TRAFFIC CONTROL