Khai Thorne
Parliament
Head Sorceress[M:0]
Played by { o p a l }
Posts: 33
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Post by Khai Thorne on Jan 27, 2013 19:26:10 GMT -6
Several hours after her spontaneous interview, Khai trundled around her lab in the Parliament Headquarters, carefully adjusting the microcapacitors on the arcane core. The lab was uncommonly loud as several assistants shouted temperature readings from several very different experiments. There was still a relaxed atmosphere- these were foxes bound together by a mutual love of arcanological science.
"Take the electromatronic screwdriver and- no, like this!"
"Quick, hand me that deionized water!"
"Hey, Khai, call for you on com channel eleven!"
"Tell them to leave a message!"
"He says it's urgent!"
"Negative seventy-three degrees Celsius!"
"Zero point five degrees Celsius!"
"Well, then he'll have to leave a message urgently!"
Pause.
"Fifty-seven ticks per second!"
The intern abruptly powered down the com.
"What now?"
"He was asking if you'd like insurance, Khai."
She growled. "They never give up." She poked a screwdriver into a hole on the recovered device. "Ah, I recognize this model. It's an Arcano-5037D. Where's my arcane core catalogue? Oh, I left it at my rooms in House Thorne, didn't I."
"I believe you did, ma'am."
Khai sighed. "I'll go get it. I need a bit of fresh air anyway. Count this as my break for the next three hours!" She got down from the table she was standing on, snagging a bundle of test reports with a tentacle as she passed by an assistant.
"What should we do with the transmatter generator?"
The Head Sorceress paused on her way out. "How about you don't break it until I get back."
~*~
The fennec strode along the streets, once again burying her nose in the diagrams that seemed nigh incomprehensible to most sorcerers. Very few could match the understanding of magic, both theoretically and in practice, that Khai's crew had.
"Ah, that would account for the Farthen effect... That seems to have the form of a Boronic Anomaly, must've been a slight calculation error." Her paws carried her instinctively towards her House, ignoring most of what went on around her. Some passerby stared at the Head Sorceress making her way down the streets, muttering to herself complex terms and equations.
"Substitute... then we'll have to use the Mendellus Constant..." Khai paused in the middle of the road, looking up from her papers with one eyebrow raised as she calculated in her head.
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Amelie
Youngling
Image found via the internet
Posts: 19
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Post by Amelie on Jan 28, 2013 18:35:34 GMT -6
Amelie was not in one of her better moods. She'd managed to steal a filthy trench-coat from some old drunkard and pull it on over her robe but, even so, she was feeling cold. Was she getting softer as she approached adulthood, or was this winter actually colder than most? In any case, the cold made her joints ache and her hands tingle, and she didn't like it one bit.
What was more; she'd managed to lose track of Khai Thorne as she left her airship. These damn foxes sure knew how to make life difficult, what with their crowding around and their murmurs of "oh, are you alright?". It almost made her miss the wolven cities. Almost.
Absorbed in her thoughts, and on the verge of wanting to yell at something or someone, Amelie failed to notice the fennec stop dead in the middle of the road. The maned wolf walked right into her from behind, hitting her head and seeing stars.
Amelie reeled back, teeth bared, her hand moving towards Stabbity's position within her robe. But she hesitated when, with a flash of shock, she recognised the bioferrous tentacles of Khai Thorne.
"Um...I'm sorry," Amelie said, quickly rallying her persona about her. "As luck would have it, though, I've been meaning to talk to you. I was going to stop by your offices, but...could I please have a moment? It will only be a moment."
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Khai Thorne
Parliament
Head Sorceress[M:0]
Played by { o p a l }
Posts: 33
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Post by Khai Thorne on Jan 28, 2013 20:48:32 GMT -6
"The idiots really put it in a pentagonal shape with that configuration? I would've used a heptagon..."
Something slammed into the back of Khai. She whipped around, thanking the elements for her tentacles' supremely good grip while coiling her power around her, ready for-
Ah, just some poor fox who had the misfortune to not notice the fact that she was zoned out. The thing had probably hit its head on her tentacles. A smirk flickered over Khai's face.
As the other fox stuttered apologies, the Head Sorceress checked that the papers weren't damaged. Good.
"...could I please have a moment? It will only be a moment."
Wait, what?
Thoughts of the shapes of nodes around a portal flew from her mind. Social interaction. Not something she often got.
"Sure, might as well. I need to get to the Thorne complex, though- you can talk and walk. Research doesn't wait for me that long, and I'm only on a break."
She started on her way again. "Oh, and if this is about some insurance or another, don't even bother."
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Amelie
Youngling
Image found via the internet
Posts: 19
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Post by Amelie on Jan 29, 2013 16:33:08 GMT -6
"Insurance? Ah, no," Amelie put on a breathless laugh. "No. Nothing like that. It's just...well, you see; I've been an admirer of you and your scientists for some time now. I was wondering-see, I'm not really much of an intellectual myself- but I was wondering if you might have need of a personal assistant or something like that? Just something which would let me see this stuff first hand- I mean, it's the closest I'd get to actually being a scientist. And your Erudite is really a marvel- see, I was watching it today, and..."
She broke off suddenly and looked at Khai, wondering briefly if she might have gone overboard with the whole "nervous breathlessness" thing. It was certainly making it harder to walk and talk as, not entirely unexpectedly, Amelie was struck with a burst of dizziness which very nearly made her walk into a wall.
Note to self: in future, take the surroundings into account before you do anything that could damage your chances. Really, Amelie!
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Khai Thorne
Parliament
Head Sorceress[M:0]
Played by { o p a l }
Posts: 33
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Post by Khai Thorne on Jan 29, 2013 20:04:44 GMT -6
"Personal assistant?" Khai pondered. Then she stopped suddenly, turned to Amelie, and scrutinized her. From the areas that weren't covered, she could see that the other was skinny. "A little malnourished, aren't you?" Something seemed... off. But Khai really didn't care right now.
She shrugged, causing the tentacles to ripple. "Well, I suppose you can give it a try. If you really want to. You might want to reconsider, though- being on my crew means coming along on our trips and taking all the messages from all the villages we fly overhead on our way. And warding off salesmen. And keeping stock of all of our supplies, as well as calling ahead to any place we'll be stopping in to buy the goods in advance, while keeping things like weight in mind. Fortunately, my crew can help with the calculations for that, you've just got to keep tabs. And deal with the salesmen. Did I mention that?"
The fennec grinned. "Most quit after a week. I usually give them a trial period of a week, and if you do well, you stay longer. Of course, it's all a manner of keeping me and my ship happy. Which can be quite hard- Tiberus is quite picky about what oil he wants. And you're not allowed to request any magic shows, either. Just because I can control Dark Air, Dark Earth, and Dark Aether doesn't mean I'm an darned magician who feels like pulling rabbits out of hats every other tuesday."
She frowned as she remembered all her past briefings for secretaries. "And I won't do shows for the kids, either. Oh! Did I mention that my last secretary was eaten alive? I think I did."
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Amelie
Youngling
Image found via the internet
Posts: 19
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Post by Amelie on Jan 29, 2013 20:44:24 GMT -6
Dark Earth. Amelie could barely supress her excitement.
But then, as she heard the bit about being eaten alive, her heart dropped. Surely Khai was joking? Or...hmm. Well, it was entirely likely that Amelie would prove unfit for the task anyway, and have to remove herself before the week was through. In any case, foxes were soft creatures; and surely Amelie would find it easier to avoid being eaten than some snivelling corsac.
"Oh, thank you!" she cried. "You won't regret this. I'll do my best. And um-yes, I am probably somewhat undernourished, I'm sorry. I'm not exactly the most, aha, wealthy fox around."
She paused as though to consider her options, put a slight spring in her step, and looked around at their surroundings with feigned curiousity. Then she glanced back at Khai.
"So...what do I do now, miss? I honestly wasn't expecting to get this far. I thought you'd, ah, take one look at me and laugh."
Amelie herself gave a bark of a laugh for emphasis, but inside she felt much less jovial than she was trying to appear. From what she knew of Khai (here, she thought immediately of the tentacles); she was not someone who was going to be easy to get along with. In addition, this was going to be a lot of work for what might only be a week's refuge.
But if I work hard, it could be longer. It'll be warm, and there'll be predictable meals, and there will be people around to protect me from vagabonds. Besides, I won't get eaten. I'm better than that.
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Khai Thorne
Parliament
Head Sorceress[M:0]
Played by { o p a l }
Posts: 33
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Post by Khai Thorne on Jan 29, 2013 21:04:19 GMT -6
"Well, I did take one look at you and laugh, I was just too busy ensuring the condition of my documents was pristine to actually bother enacting it. Laughing at most is something I don't have time for anymore."
A newspaper reporter came over and tried to take up Khai's other side. She growled. "I've had enough interviews for today, thank you very little." To emphasize her point, she flexed a tentacle, closing and opening the pincer repeatedly. He scrammed pretty quickly. "Idiots. Usually I have to release fear hormones to get them to bug off."
"What do you need to do know? Accompany me to get what I need to get, and then go and meet Tiberus. He's the true interviewer- chump's got a sense for people. And a sense for direction, although that may be due to the aetherically connected compass he installed."
She shot a sideways glance at her companion. "No, I wasn't joking about being eaten alive. Risking one's life is something you get used to in my crew. Or, well, you die."
"You won't have to worry about starvation or somewhere to sleep anymore. I can provide all that, as well as a good wage. You'll be kept as long as I like you and you fulfill your purpose, and so long as things don't start disappearing."
She smirked. "Last time one of my crew members tried to steal something... ah... pleasant memories. Stealing or altering a Parliament member's possessions is capital offence, you know. And I do take a couple lessons from the felines when it comes to justice on the road."
Khai stopped in front of a magnificent building, guarded by ornate iron gates. "Stay out here. I'll be back in approximately two minutes and sixteen seconds- though my record is one minute and fifty-five." The gates seemed to recognize her presence and opened before her, closing after she was fully through. Then the fennec was off, racing into the House complex.
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Amelie
Youngling
Image found via the internet
Posts: 19
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Post by Amelie on Jan 29, 2013 21:29:44 GMT -6
Amelie was left alone outside the gates to consider her options. It was strange- this was what she'd wanted, and yet...a chill ran down her spine at the memory of Khai's words:
"No, I wasn't joking about being eaten alive. Risking one's life is something you get used to in my crew. Or, well, you die."
Was it really worth it? Khai herself had confirmed that, as long as she lived aboard the vessel, Amelie would not be cold or hungry. But the dangers they would face...what would they be? Felines and wolves? She absently tapped the small vials strapped to her hip. Yes...she could take them on, certainly; but it would be so much easier if Khai wasn't opposed to showing her Dark Earth magic. The ability to use hormones to influence minds would certainly save her from having to use the hallucinogen- maybe even the poison.
Perhaps Khai would be more willing if she knew where Amelie's own magical talents lay.
But was that all? Through soft, the foxes' technology should have allowed them to easily avoid death at the paws- or jaws- of a wolf or feline. And eaten alive? That didn't sound like something they would do. So something else...
Again, that chill. Amelie shuddered involuntarily and shoved her hands roughly into the pockets of her coat. Her chest was beginning to ache again- perhaps a cough was coming on. She had no wish to spend another winter dodging undesireables in the back streets of some city. She desired even less for such a street to become her place of death, where one morning she would be swept away with the rest of the garbage.
No.
She would go with Khai. If things got too dark, she would leave. Simple as that. Nothing more to it.
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Khai Thorne
Parliament
Head Sorceress[M:0]
Played by { o p a l }
Posts: 33
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Post by Khai Thorne on Jan 29, 2013 21:59:30 GMT -6
"Aaand... back!" Khai burst out of the gates, papers in one tentacle, three relative thin books in another, and one fat tome in a third. "One minute, fifty-eight seconds. Damn."
"Ah, well. You thought about it long enough? Stop shivering. It'll get colder, you know. We're going to have to fatten you up, aren't we." Khai tsked. "You'll have to get used to thin air and the cold, every crew member does. Ah, the wonders of flying." She herself had taken a while to get accustomed to high altitudes. But now that she was adjusted, the winds of the Nexus were nothing compared to what she was subjected to during Tiberus' crazy tricks in the thin air above the Barbed Mountains.
"This way." The fennec began to make her way back towards the airship docks. "I'll drop you off on the way, or else security will probably chase you off. And don't even get me started on the ridiculous security codes that they have. I don't have time for that type of jargon!"
Pulling her personal com unit from the leather belt around her waist, she activated it and spoke, directing it to be sent to her lab. "Dropping off potential secretary with Titu. Will take a few extra minutes. Don't break anything. Over."
"Oh! Another thing. Do you have any combat or magic expertise? It does have a tendency to boost your survival rate. You know what else boosts your survival rate? Not calling Tiberus by his nickname Titu."
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Amelie
Youngling
Image found via the internet
Posts: 19
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Post by Amelie on Jan 30, 2013 15:29:44 GMT -6
Amelie smiled gratefully.
"Thank you, miss Khai. I...well, I like to think I'm used to being cold...not to brag or anything...but I've seen at least a few winters in my time."
As Khai spoke again, Amelie saw her chance. She was actually asking about her magic! Well, seeing as this could potentially be a long term operation, it wouldn't do to play pretend- unless she wanted to claim that she had no magical bent at all, which was potentially foolish.
The truth, then? Or very close to it, anyway.
"I'll keep that in mind," she said, with regards to the final statement. "As for combat expertise...hmm, not really. Not much, anyway. I'm not really a fighter. But, well; I do have some magic."
Here she paused for a moment, and clasped her paws together. She cast a quick glance at the ground as though anxious, or perhaps embarrassed- whichever way Khai chose to interpret it.
"Yes," she continued, "I have some skill with Dark-Earth. Not much, mind you- I mean, nothing like you. I have some resistance to poisons and venom, I guess; but I can't command plants or produce those hormones or anything."
She wanted to go on- she wanted to tell Khai how cool those powers were, and how she would love to learn them. But perhaps that would seem suspicious, seeing as how they had just met? She would try it later, maybe, after they were better accustomed to each other's presence. She fought down the hope that sought to blossom in her chest at the thought of gaining such power.
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Khai Thorne
Parliament
Head Sorceress[M:0]
Played by { o p a l }
Posts: 33
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Post by Khai Thorne on Jan 30, 2013 16:08:48 GMT -6
"Winters don't necessarily equate to the thin air up in the skies." Or this upcoming mother-of-a-blowout winter, she added mentally. "Once you get used to it, though, it's really quite a pretty sight. There's a certain freedom to flying. Even the felines can't best it."
Khai half-listened as they strolled along, mentally calculating the weight gains from another member on the Erudite. They'd be fine, it seemed, they were still way under the maximum weight.
Weight... wait. Dark Earth?
"Dark Earth, you say?"
The fennec paused and looked at Amelie slyly. "I don't believe you've told me your name," she stated. Her voice was different, somehow. She could see the desire to continue sparkling in Amelie's eyes. That was a sorcerer's hunger. The desire for more power.
So she has the magic. It only remains to be seen if she has the spark.
"You'll end up asking me to teach you something whether you continue blethering or not. Always happens with sorcerers- I don't blame them, though. I suppose I can give you a little show."
Khai spun to face her companion. The streets around them were empty, all the foxes had been called to their duty, and they were nowhere near a main thoroughfare. "Close your eyes, and focus. Can you feel the energies, latent, around you? You walk through them, all of them, all the time, without knowing it. The key to magic-working is to open your inner eyes- to know that they're there. To feel them permeate your bones. Seeing is the first step. Think of it this way: I can't solve an equation without knowing it. A wolf can't shoot a target without sensing it. A feline doesn't believe the gold's real until they've tasted it. Magic is no different, except we use a different type of sense. You may feel these energies, yes, but that still doesn't mean you know what I'm talking about." Khai's voice had become different again, imbued with a passion that was rarely heard from her.
"Open your eyes."
Once Amelie had opened her eyes, she continued. Feeling around with her mind, she located a fallen seed from a thorned ivy plant.
"Lesson one: there are two main principles of sorcery: control and curiosity. Control is to know your own limits, to bend the magic to your will, to keep it firmly in your grasp." The seed took root, sprouted, and as Khai placed a dainty paw next to the new plant, it began to crawl up her leg, sprouting thorns as it went, envy-green leaves vibrant in the pale winter sunlight. "Curiosity is still being willing to try something new, to bend the energies in a way you've never tried before." The energy swirled around her, and the thorns trickled over her body, forming elegant patterns and climbing up her free tentacle. It slipped into the closed pincer, and Khai brought it down in between the two of them. She opened the pincer, and with it sprouted a brilliant purple flower, a complete anomaly for the breed. The Head Sorceress smirked, and then the ivy retreated from her body, sealing itself once again in the tiny seed. "Think about it. Practice with your magic. Try things, but find your own limits without crossing them- for, if you do exert yourself too much, you will die. Once you have explored and discovered your limits, perhaps I'll give you lesson two."
With that, Khai again strode off once, again on the way to the docks.
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Amelie
Youngling
Image found via the internet
Posts: 19
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Post by Amelie on Jan 30, 2013 16:32:34 GMT -6
Amelie watched as the plant wove its way up Khai's leg and along her tentacle. It was so...pretty. And so much potential! If she could learn to do this, she could trap those who tried to hurt her...trap them with plants, like the sorcerers she'd heard of in stories. The sorcerers who, because of their very power, had risen to become legends.
As the flower blossomed brightly before her, it was all Amelie could do not to react out of surprise. When it all suddenly coiled and melted back into the seed, there wasn't even that- Amelie's eyes widened fractionally for a few moments, before she came to her senses and exerted a calm over her entire body. Her shoulders relaxed, her brow softened; and she looked up at Khai with curious eyes.
"That...I haven't seen anything like that for a long time, miss."
As Khai strode off, Amelie hurried to catch her, suddenly more certain than she had ever been that the Erudite was where she wanted to be. She fell into step a little way behind the Head Sorceress, but significantly to her left- she didn't want to get hit with a tentacle again, after all. That had hurt.
"I will explore my limits, Head Sorceress," she said, the fennec's words running through her head. "If I...will I know when I find my limits? I mean, I don't want to accidentally kill myself. That would be terrible...or just unfortunate, maybe. If I didn't know it was happening, it..."
She cut off her rambling with smooth and practiced eased, shifted her gaze slightly, and then continued in a subtly less frantic tone.
"And my name is Amelie"
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Khai Thorne
Parliament
Head Sorceress[M:0]
Played by { o p a l }
Posts: 33
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Post by Khai Thorne on Jan 30, 2013 16:50:13 GMT -6
Khai chuckled dryly. "Hang around my ship long enough and you'll see better things than that."
She was rather impressed with Amelie's continual calm. Some would have been babbling by pups after the end of her demonstration. "You will know when you find your limits, but you must pay attention. Your body will tell you- it will grow tired, perhaps even throb. You can't get so enraptured in the magic that you forget to watch your body's signs. I've known many a sorcerer that forgot simply to check how they were feeling. The lucky ones were in the hospital only for a few weeks. I almost killed myself once, in fact." But it had been worth it.
"You must know your boundaries. Don't even think about crossing them until you're more experienced. If you're close up to the end of your energy, go and rest. Take a nap. Something. Just let your body recuperate. Eat lots, drink lots. Standard health-increasing procedures."
"Amelie. Amelie, Amelie, Amelie." She nodded. "I think I got it. YOu already know my name, of course. One of the bloody stupid downfalls of fame." I should've never taken this position in Parliament. She knew it was a lie. Parliament was her duty, she had been called to serve. She would've regretted not taking the job, too, more than she did taking it.
"Halt! Who- Oh, good evening, Chancellor. You're here to see the Erudite, I presume?" a security guard greeted her.
"Yes, I am here to see my brother." The word was said with ice. Too often do they forget that he's not just a ship. He is my brother. "This scrap is with me."
"Does she have identification?"
"She doesn't need identification. Come, Amelie." The fennec stalked forward, the guard backing out of the way at her approach.
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Amelie
Youngling
Image found via the internet
Posts: 19
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Post by Amelie on Jan 30, 2013 17:05:07 GMT -6
Amelie cast a nervous glance at the guard- such folly, old man!- and followed Khai towards the Erudite. It was, she had to admit even to her inner self, a bit nerve racking. This close to a hub of science and magic, who knew what might happen? She felt exposed, as though they might see through her cover without even trying, and so she distracted herself by talking to Khai. Or at Khai, at least. She could never be sure.
"So your brother is the one I have to talk to, miss? What's he like? Is he-well; is he...y'know, friendly?"
She'd heard....something about Khai Thorne's brother. But, for the life of her, Amelie couldn't remember what.
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Khai Thorne
Parliament
Head Sorceress[M:0]
Played by { o p a l }
Posts: 33
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Post by Khai Thorne on Jan 30, 2013 21:08:42 GMT -6
Khai continued along the complex winding airship docks, her claws clicking slightly against the hollow iron. Ah, even with safety regulations, how exposed these were! So daringly dangerous.
"Hey! Secretary lady!" she called out to Amelie as biting wind chilled her bones. "First test of a new airskiff crew member: look down!"
The Head Sorceress herself peered downwards, sticking her head over the edge. Vertigo no longer came to her so easily, though. It would take actually jumping to make her stomach flutter. Beneath them, the golden grass rustled in the wind, making wave-like patterns. "Ah, so nice up here."
Then she was off, trotting eagerly across the walkways to the airskiff at the very end.
"Excuse me, lady, but you aren't allowed here while we conduct our research."
"Are you trying to order me around?" Khai's voice was suddenly a roar, and the pompous official, who was a larger fox at at least twice Khai's size, now seemed much smaller than the little fennec. "By the elements, you fools think you can push around the Head Sorceress! Go back to your offices and play with paper, it's all your good at." She flicked her tail, indicating for Amelie to follow.
"A-apologies, ma'am, but-"
The ship seemed to growl menacingly, and Khai whirled on him. "I. Am. His. Sister. And besides that, I am the damn Head Sorceress and the owner of this vessel. I do what I want on my own ship. Now. This way, Amelie."
"Who's this, sister?" Tiberus spoke to both Amelie and Khai.
His sister replied in kind, through telepathy, to Amelie as well. "Possible new secretary. Figured your mind-reading skills might come in handy- she's a little strange, this one. Amelie, it's also a stupid idea to run right now. Just to let you know."
Tiberus chuckled. "You never were that perceptive or tactful. Come on down, Amelie. It's been a while since Khai's had a secretary, no one wants the job after her last one got eaten."
Khai disappeared down a stairwell, looking at Amelie expectantly at the bottom. "Don't be scared, Titu's mostly harmless."
Behind her, in a vat of blue-green fluid, surrounded by glass, tubes winding around inside and connecting in what seemed a random pattern, floated an exact copy of Khai, minus the tentacles.
In front of the containment chamber was a winged, mechanical fox scarcely the size of two paws. It fluttered around, looking at the two of them inquisitively with flecks of malachite for eyes. "Well, well, well. What have we here."
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