[F03-PP] underbelly.

[Demian 0]

[to format later. this is a rumor thread and i forgot how to set it up. but for now have this]

here's how it goes.

the third floor is of the home to fae. demian knows of half of entities on this floor are to be of suspect to the cause he was to pursue. suspect, to his nature, because they are very much alike in nature.

deceptive. and they often hated outsiders.

so as a man who often kept to himself, if he had to think like one of them to find out where a couple of missing green cursors had went off to, he'd know. at least, that was the rationale he'd came up with after bistro told him about his new assignment and he decided to make productive use of his time rather than mull over his loss of freedom. over cooking food that wasn't amazing to taste. (whatever, right? like, he could keep trying. one day he'd get it down...)

but back to the third. back to the fae.

quite often the fae would hold gatherings. a tea party, a ball, it didn't matter so much. this night, demian had the perfect outfit to match the dress code for a lovely exclusive banquet: purple fluffy bunny ears.

bistro had said to him that she got her information second-hand this time. which meant meddling, he had considered. there was a third element at play here; someone to liason with. but he didn't have the details on who, because bistro's source had been tight-lipped. so much for helpful.

the brief had been simple: two players missing, last seen in the town of flora. there was no other information about their whereabouts.

(funny if they were to match them. fingers crossed it wouldn't come to that.)

but, demian considered what he knew of the third, spinning the forged gilded envelope in his hand. the town of flora was disconnected from much of the events of the third. he was leaning against a warped tree bark when his eye caught a faune family walk through the streets from the settlement's entrance. their child was happily eating a local delicacy. the group spared him no mind.

demian raised a brow.

the man had been checking the time on his interface. it was soon to be sundown, when the forest came alive with lightning bugs even in the thick mist. which meant their feast and partying would begin in earnest. arriving early was for chumps, he'd learned. for now, demian chose instead to wait for the appointed hour he had been given, watching the roads up the hills to where the fae would live, an eye out for anyone else who seemed to also be attending the same event.

[CHAMELEON 0]

in his notes, a series of numbers indicated a time and date; a location was written as well. flora, it read. the information was provided by a broker whose name he had already forgotten. the name of his contact was a mystery to him as well. he would know them when he saw them, he figured.

he hated to come unprepared. he arrived in flora early to study anatomy. specifically, the physiques of faune (or rabbits, as he preferred to call them). some ears were stiff, others drooped low. they were a tall species, for the most part, with long fingers and oddly-shaped feet. he shook hands with a young shop owner, turning his wrist to take a closer look at their finger nails. talons were more apt. they were sharp, almost to a point. their features were distinct and important to get correct. his disguise would be perfect.

he kept his general facial features and hair, but adjusted his chin and jaw for more accentuation. his height would have to change too; 167 centimeters would not cut it. he hated to change out of his tracksuit, but begrudgingly morphed into padded leather and fur. faune chose not to wear much in terms of clothing. what was with the crop tops? 

time was up. the show was soon to begin.

donning his completed transformation, he circled back to the rendezvous point, eager to put his work to the test. he arrived at a good time. the faune were already beginning to venture out of town. one, however, stood wait. mr. purple-bunny-ears caught his attention. chameleon approached.

"are you supposed to be a rabbit?"

[Demian 0]

for all his time having waited around, he had been expecting the other green cursor to have moved on towards the venue, if they were headed the same way. but being approached had its own benefits... or issues.

"a rabbit? no, i'm not a..."

his head was cocked to the side as he examined the other player. he paused when his words faded away. if that was a jab at his own disguise — well, two could play at that game, demian figured. he wasn't frustrated, just taken aback. so he closed his eyes and dove into the universe. read in between the lines.

then, he woke up.

"ah." his head was hung low. "i see now."

slowly, his body morphed in resemblance to the player's. demian hadn't expected his quarry to be so perceptive -- the bunny ears would've been fitting enough, surely? but likely, if it gave this stranger enough cause to approach him for questioning, it was enough to adapt to fit in better. when he was at general eye-level to his mirror, an inch shorter than the duplicate, demian scratched at his new sideburns, hairstyle shortened and windswept to better fit the culture.

the talons were a nice touch, he mused. he considered keeping them around past his detransformation.

"hope you don't mind if i copy your homework." the man extended a hand to the other. "but yes, if we are of the same mind. charmed to make your acquaintance. i'm maxwell." he held up the envelope in his other. "are we headed the same way?"

[CHAMELEON 0]

a quick learner. chameleon could appreciate that. he sent a party invite maxwell's way. real names, huh? "ikeno," he offered in return. "and i believe we are."

of the many faune that had gathered at the edge of flora, they alone stood to the side. they stuck out like sore thumbs, while the rest trailed out of the gates. "we should get in line. we look out of place."

they slipped in with the others, donning stolen looks and mimicking their every move. some spoke amongst themselves, others were perfectly silent. they funneled out of town like thralls, each one an exile or a descendant of one. excitement rose from a few small groups nearby, and the word "invitation" was passed around a number of times. the faune next to chameleon eyed him up and down. chameleon flicked his eyes at the stranger, who nodded in acknowledgement, hurriedly minding their own business.

"how much do you know?" he nudged maxwell.

the basics, he assumed. players were disappearing. the fae were suspects. holding hostages in the cavern of faeries was an obviously serious accusation to throw around; however, a few brokers seemed convinced that it was the truth. he wasn't sure what to expect when they found the place--wherever it was. who could say if the missing players were even alive? he didn't know the fae to be very peaceful. their treatment of hostages had to be less than pleasant.

anyway, regardless of his findings, he had agreed to check it out. gaps in his information, while suboptimal, were unavoidable. he could only hope that his new partner was more in the loop.