A Cold Glare (Open)

Finding herself in the city, Rhapsody was enjoying the autumn breeze that graced the streets; at least, she intended to, yet found herself stopped around nearly every corner by officers of the law intent on gauging her position within the Accords. Not wanting to cause trouble, Rhapsody followed instructions given each time, but after being stopped the third, forth, and fifth time, it was getting rather annoying. Whether it had been due to her appearance or ability of flight, she'd be stopped to first be asked if she was registered, which of course the clueless girl wasn't; after a quick scan with their machines, only to find her severely lacking in battle power, she'd be free to go... yet would find herself stopped yet again only a short distance from where she'd previously been!

Finally, Rhapsody had happened upon a building rather lacking in any form of law enforcement; it seemed only lightly frequented, but was stationed with individuals that looked less like humans and more like monsters of all things! That would have been rude to say, and she certainly didn't think that they were monsters, but being unaware of the different species in the universe, Rhapsody couldn't help but to equate those she saw here to something out of a storybook.

Walking through the build felt somewhat intimidating with the varying species and rather large individuals who seemed to go about their business. None stopped to bat an eye at the diminutive Rhapsody, no doubt far more accustomed to the stranger things of the universe than she herself was. Panning her gaze across the area would afford the girl a sight that would catch her attention; while still on the rather monstrous looking side, she'd find an individual of middling height, similar to her own, all by his lonesome. Unaware of his true identity, and focused solely on his equally diminutive stature, Rhapsody found the individual rather approachable and wouldn't hesitate in quickly greeting the man.

"Hi there!" Rhapsody would chime in a singsongy manner with a chipper, bright smile, "My name's Rhapsody! A pleasure to meet you!" She'd introduce politely, her ears twitching curiously while her tail swayed playfully beneath her dress.

Mint’s scouter failed to pick up the person approaching him as he observed the diplomatic station. When she called out, he was a bit surprised turning his head sharply to glance at her. She introduced herself as Rhapsody and she seemed to have no idea who he was. That was a bit annoying but he quickly turned and tipped his head. “Rhapsody? I am Mint. I am one of the Leaders of the Arcosian Triumvirate. A pleasure to meet you.” He’d offer his hand to shake her own. She did seem familiar. Not that they had met but she had a tail just like that one fox lady he had met nearly a year ago in this same place. Though he hoped she was not here to tell a story of an Arcosian of the empire causing a massive amount of trouble.

But as she was meeting her someone else arrived, and his scouter didn’t pick up. He had to wonder if the thing was broken. It may be considering that it was rare for two powers to become undetected. He had heard of those who could hide their power, but two of those people? That seemed to be unlikely. Either way, the woman was more focused on Rhapsody. And she really was flirting it up with her. At least that's how he saw it. Mint frowned. “I see the good you found who you're looking for. I don’t need to get in your way if you two have a place to be.” Mint joked before glancing at Qarinah. “Mint, One of the Leaders of the Arcosian Triumvirate. I just came to get a rundown on what going on on Earth. Maybe take the chance to meet the president if I have the time. Can you two be so kind as to tell me anything of importance that occurred in perhaps the last year or so?”



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The silver haired demon blinked as apparently they were in the presence of one of the Triumvirate of the Arcosian Empire! Now this was an opportunity to not be missed! Whilst Rhapsody was babbling about the being sounding tasty, Qarinah gave a bow towards the Arcosian. "An unexpected honour and pleasure to be meeting with one of the three leaders of the distant interstellar empire, on Earth no less." she said, surmising for the blonde kitty bird the gravitas of the situation they were presented with.

When Rhapsody explained that they can't recall much after having spent some time in hospital, the vampiric succubus couldn't help but try to take a peek inside her mind before hitting a proverbial brick wall in the process. Thankfully she wasn't going for a full on dive so the resulting headache Qarinah wound up with was more mild than anything else.

The demon looked at the feline woman's white angelic wings before looking at her own bat-like ones before giving a mild chuckle. "I don't think so... I'm a demon after all, and I can't recall ever seeing anyone back in my realm with such pristine wings before..." Qarinah mused, looking over towards the Triumvirate leader in the room. "I don't suppose the Arcosian Empire has any records of encountering a species like Miss Rhapsody's here before have they? If it's not too great a boon to ask..." she inquired.

Rhapsody's ears would fold back as a rather disappointed expression came to her face from Qarinah's response. She didn't quite understand what Qarinah meant as she spoke of being a demon, but she had clearly denied being kin from her home world. Despite the bat-like wings the woman sported on her back, she was of a different culture than her own; to make matters worse, neither she nor Mint had any clue as to where Rhapsody had come from, which was a fact that simply compounded the unfortunate feeling as Mint then asked Rhapsody for information to help narrow the search.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember much... everything I can recall is fuzzy in my head." She'd explain with a melancholy sigh, "I can kinda remember faces, but I can't seem to recall any names. I... think I remember something about pirates?" She'd continue, struggling with her words as she attempted to recall anything she could before her head would begin to throb with pain, "No... no, I'm sorry... I really can't remember anything else..." She'd finish, more disappointed in her inability to help rather than the fact that she couldn't recall her place of origin.

The worried and regretful expression she wore would would out of place on her, yet would not be an expression Rhapsody wore long as she lightly smack her own cheeks with both hands and re-motivate herself. While the sudden situation might have been disappointing, it wasn't her main reason for even being here, so she refused to let the feeling get the better of her. Just as quickly as the previously negative expression had appeared, it would disappear as an enthusiastic smile quickly took it's place once more. Mint and Qarinah might not have been able to help, but her home could be found at any time; now, Rhapsody found herself more interested in the two mysterious before her, and their respective origins instead!

"But that's fine!" Rhapsody would cheer, "Rather than my home, what's Arcose like?" She'd ask to Mint enthusiastically before glancing over towards Qarinah, "Are you from Arcose too Miss Qarinah?" She'd ask curiously, excited to learn more of the wider universe that stretched out beyond Earth.

She didn't seem to know. Only something about Pirates. Mint glanced at her and nodded. "Fair enough. I can only assume some pirates may have attacked your home at some point and caused you harm. A wild guess I must admit from what you have provided but it is possible. I cannot help you from there. However, if you do remember anything else, I am more than happy to assist you in any way I can." Mint hoped she never found it. He actually hoped she died in the vacuum of space. Or he at least never had to see her again. But Mint was a bit too diplomatic to allow those feelings to flow to the surface. At least that easily.

She wanted to know a bit about Arcose too but he didn't say anything as Qarinah was speaking. He also didn't want to say anything else to Rhapsody because well, he really wanted to leave. Qarinah was explaining a bit more about the known universe. That there was a large area, far beyond this realm. The Realms outside the cosmos. The Otherworld's. Mint glanced at the model she created with her magic with great interest. There was so much more to the cosmos. In this way, Arcose was a small empire in the massive ocean of the universe. She seemed to have quite the hatred for the order of this universe. These Kai's ran things and demons like herself were forced to be locked int Makai. Very interesting. Mint didn't know all of this it was quite the lesson. But he mostly kept to himself as he observed this all. It got his brain thinking, that there was a whole other set of threats to consider. He knew of Kai's for a long time, but he didn't exactly know where they came from. Or really the structure of an otherworld. He thought when you died you were gone. So to learn all this was quite intriguing.



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Qarinah listened carefully as Rhapsody described what few details she could remember from her homeworld. Forests and mountains weren't much to go on, since that could qualify for any number of worlds. Hell even Earth could satisfy those criteria, and its got a fair few places of civilisation developed across it.

The factors however that could help narrow it down though were the eccentricities of the planet itself. "A single sun, and two differently coloured moons..." she mused, looking into her model of the cosmos as if trying to see if she could will a magnification like some interactive map... But sadly she had never been there so could not pinpoint it herself.

"Well, it's a start and I can't imagine that there are many worlds out there that have two differently coloured moons like that." the demon pointed out. "Most moons tend to be a singular colour if I recall correctly..." Qarinah blinked as the winged feline woman became practically like a puppy at the thought of ghosts and such in the Otherworld as most mortals termed those planes of existence. It was actually quite adorable seeing her like this.

She couldn't help but give a light chuckle at Rhapsody's little antics before nodding. "Yes, there are indeed ghosts there. In fact, almost about ninety percent of mortals who pass on don't get to keep their bodies when they go to the afterlives." the vampiric demon explained. "Very few do, and usually for some eclectic reason or another." she said with a shrug. It was a subject she wasn't that sure on herself for the reasons behind the decisions actually. The only ones who could probably answer that with any degree of accuracy would be the Oni, Yemma himself or a Shinjin who oversees the process...

The Arcosian Emperor's interest in the greater cosmos and reality hadn't escaped her notice, and so she let the orb float over towards him, the image of the universal model becoming physical in form and touch. "Consider it a gift your Majesty." she offered, a light grin across her face. "I doubt many mortal leaders are aware of the universes' true state after all... It may even come in useful." the vampiric demon mused.

While she wasn't exactly sure as to where the memories came from, she was sure she loved hearing stories of the supernatural. If she could read the language of Earth, she'd have certainly visited libraries to read story after story; sadly, for her time since awakening in the hospital, she'd had to settle for those few moments of story telling given by others. While she certainly didn't understand the complexities or nuances of Qarinah's explanation, she nonetheless took an interest in the explanation revolving around ghosts and the supernatural element of this "Otherworld" the demon spoke of.

Mint had expressed a separate interest of his own, something that Qarinah was quick to pick up on; taking the illusion she held and forming it into a physical gift, Rhapsody was once again taken by awe. Qarinah might have denied being related to the rest of her people in spite of her bat-kin like appearance, but Rhapsody found herself more and more interested in this mysterious, magical individual.

"Ah! Thank you very much again Mister Mint!" Rhapsody would exclaim politely upon realizing the man was taking his leave; giving him a bow to send him off, "If I remember more, I'll be sure to let you know!" She'd say happily before turning her attention toward Qarinah enthusiastically once Mint had fully taken his leave, "Miss-!" She'd say excitedly, hesitating momentarily, "Miiiiiiissss.... hm, hey!! You never told us your name!" She'd remark curiously before shaking her head and returning her focus to her greater interest, "Ah, well more importantly, however do you perform such magic!?! It's absolutely amazing!!" She'd exclaim; her tail swaying back and forth excitedly beneath her dress as her eyes nearly seemed to sparkle with interest.