Aurelle couldn't read. Not for a lack of trying or anything, but text generally wasn't very accessable to the blind. For that matter, neither could her roommate, so when she found a piece of paper, she took it to the only person she knew could read, Bartholomew in Scorpio.

She was... intrigued.

Finding her way to Canis was a little difficult, but she could smell the particular must the room had. With a crinkled nose, she approached, her ears perked up and listening. She hadn't come knowing what reward she'd want for doing contracts-- but the second the Collector suggested something, she hesitantly stepped forward.

"Ahh, hello," she said politely, staring a few inches off where the Collector actually was. "I'm Aurelle. I would like... something enchanted. Something small that I can wear, or something soft like this," she half-lifted a pink, sheer shawl around her arms before relaxing the limbs again.

"I would like it to help me help others," the elf went on, voice soft. "Healing, or... soothing, or... well, I suppose I'm not quite sure. Is anything like that possible..?"

The Piano was thrilled to hear that the Collector still remembered their deal with the three allotted summons. It had feared itself forgotten, its skills doomed to gather dust without appreciation. Of course, it got plenty of opportunities to engage in enriching activities in other places: Nemean's Broadway show, for example, as the poisonous-hearted love interest. But The Piano deserved attention from all sorts of sources, including the very unique opportunity the Collector's deal would provide it. "As am I," it replied, and made a soft metallic sound akin to what a piano in real life would make if one brushed a hand directly over its undampened strings. It intended for this to sound like a theatrical sigh.

When it was The Piano's turn, it wheeled itself up to the Collector, gold script on its side glittering dramatically in the light. "I propose," it began in a low voice, "a business deal. The Organization offers goods and services to Gembound, for the right price. You offer items in your Collection to Gembound, for the right price. I see a prime opportunity for a partnership here."

It paused to reach for a cup of tea and took a slow, dignified drink. "Offer us useful items or information you acquire, at a discounted price. Purchase items and services from us whenever we can offer the things you need--we will, of course, discount the price just for you as well. Mention our services to Gembound you ask to perform a task, if they might use our assistance for it. If business is good," it added, "we can offer you a commission."

"I think this would be a mutually wonderful partnership opportunity."

OOC note: posted at like, almost the exact same time as the piano so i didnt see its reply beforehand... disregard the inconsistencies in narration pleas :(

The advertisement had drawn quite the crowd. Luna allowed herself a little smugness, given that she'd been the fastest to steal the deal out of all gathered. She noted the absurdly vibrant duo who addressed the Collector as father, lamenting briefly on the contrast between their aesthetics - who on earth had been the second parent? - and stared an inappropriately long time at the Piano and Faceless, for reasons that were immediately evident. Fascinating...

Luna, selfishly, had hoped that someone else would do the legwork regarding what shape their desires would take. But they'd been given some time to consider, watching as Aurelle appeared and took the first seat soon after. Not their flavour design wise, but they liked her delicate pastels. She was beautiful in a way that was immediately obvious to any onlookers, and Luna could appreciate that. (The shawl was nice too. They wanted one.)

They tried not to listen in on the requests of others. Client confidentiality and all that.

Luna was next in the chair, though not quite sure what they were looking for - they'd figure it out, and their company had a supreme tolerance for rambling - though their own inefficiency frustrated them sometimes.

Actually sitting in the chair took some effort, she rarely bothered with them. After some wriggling and adjusting, she settled with her fatty tail curled around her. "I suppose, now I've been challenged to... Define what it is I'm looking for, I've hit the obstacle I frequently do. Whoever creates those beautiful creatures that frolic in the caves depths, knows exactly what to make and how. Knowledge. I have bemoaned the lack of context I was born into, Collector, the smallness of my existence and my awareness of it. But the problem is so vast that I don't know how to boil it down, to a fragment, a sentence, a question..."

Luna stroked their chin, gaze distant. "I suppose you've pointed me in the right direction before. But I can't depend entirely on others, no matter who they may be." They focused again, coming to a conclusion.

"I seek an item that can tell me, or point me towards, important parts of this cave's history. I don't mind a little danger in chasing answers to these mysteries, I should say - It's a risk I am willing to take." Or to pay others to take it for her. "I suppose this deal itself is a gamble, given I am yet to be made aware of the price. I trust it will be fair."

Hog had lingered further back, watching as others took the seat one at a time. It'd given her time to ponder. To think further about what had brought her here.

She'd wanted knowledge, but a single question from someone she didn't know would barely suffice; not when there were locals she could barrage with endless questions. No, she needed something that would really scratch the knowledge itch. Yet, as he listened in on others' conversations, that spark ignited a flame of inspiration.

Not just any knowledge would do. No, no. She didn't want something she could learn from others, that others already knew. Such as where to find objects, or what flora tasted the best. That was too easy. Too simple and would do very little to protect her. But others were asking for an object that could help them with their goals, now that, that was worth her attention.

So, when the chair was left empty again, she scrabbled up to take her seat. Her jaw set to, in an attempt to appear older, sterner, though it looked like a mere pout on her baby face. "I want something that will help me learn. I want to know things that others don't and--"

Hog huffed, mulling over her words some more. "The others said objects could have something magical put in them. I want something magic, something that I can wear because I don't have grabbers, and I want it to help me know things others don't. Or-- Or, something that can help me learn really quickly. I don't know. I need to know things and I need to catch up with the others, that are older!" The piglet mentally grimaced at how weak and indecisive she sounded.

The request was vague, but she could only hope this 'Collector' could find something. Anything, really.

There's a number of beasts in the Chaos Forge who can read, if only rudimentarily, so it didn't take long for Fourteen to get someone to read the poster for it. It was instantly intrigued. The desire to rise, to fight, to crush it's competition to bloody pulp was really all it had. Although ever-increasingly it felt ashamed and frustrated that it failed to amount to anything at all. It was certainly nothing compared to it's siblings, who burned with chaos and lacked the chains it was born with.

Something HAD to change. IT had to change. And this opportunity was a big step towards that necessary change. Maybe this is all that it'd need to get that ball rolling.

Because it had to seek the approval of Master Vargas before setting out on this journey, it arrives well after the bulk of The Collector's guests. This was preferable- Fourteen wasn't terribly sociable, and it didn't want any distractions when making such an important deal.

"I want an item that will let me harness corrupted magic without putting my mind at risk." It stated, eager to get down to business. "The item itself doesn't matter, as long as it's easy to carry with me and durable enough to survive a fight." It didn't want to go through all of this just to lose or break it's prize. That would be incredibly frustrating.

Faceless had not thought much at all about what it wanted, but an idea struck it right as it was waiting in line to talk to the Collector, straining its ears to eavesdrop on what other people wanted so that it might be able to 'get inspired'. What if... it made that into its wish?

When it was its turn, it hunched over and looked around surreptitiously before whispering: "I want something that will let me keep up with all the goss in the caves." Too often, it was too bored; and it was too hard sometimes to insert itself into social interactions and figure out how to act and keep up with everything that was going on. Not to mention it would randomly fall into a chrysalis-sleep and lose cycles in the blink of an eye. "In detail. Without relying on someone to want to tell me what's going on." It hissed, thinking of how annoying it could be to get information sometimes. Why are you so annoying! Stop asking so many questions! That's personal! You wouldn't understand, you had to be there! Maybe try touching more grass and keeping up next time! *Vague, disjointed answer that doesn't make any sense and a refusal to elaborate!*

"It has to be in detail," it emphasized, "and the goss has to be entertaining! And I want to know about as much of it as possible!"

She wasn't exactly sure how to phrase her question. Her request didn't quite fit into anything the Collector listed. An enchanted item, maybe, or knowledge? Ah, well, she would simply ask, if it were even possible. A sinking part of her wondered if it was at all.

With a sigh she stepped forward, wringing her hands a little nervously. She gave a small bow of greeting - "Hello, I'm Eleanora." She paused, thinking on her words for a moment, and then offering them.

"There is someone very important to me - my wife - and she struggles against corruption. It was forced on her unwillingly and it has changed her, she is nearly beyond recognizable. It pains me to see her suffer in this way, so I've come to ask if there's any way you can help. If it can possible be reversed or removed without killing her, or alleviated in some way if it's not. If that means some kind of item she has or knowledge you can offer on what we need to do, but I just want her feeling right of mind again and free of all of the evil that has plagued her." She was careful not to say that she wanted Lilith back to "normal", or back to the way she was. That was never going to happen, even if it was possible to remove corruption. They had both been through far too much to go back to the life they had once lived.

Surprisingly, Horizon can read! Not... incredibly well, mind you. The easiest place to practice was the library in Cepheus, which was so far from home, and Skyward was the only one who really enjoyed it. Still, they were able to parse what the poster said, and it had them intrigued. Knowledge? Skyward hungered for it- that's why they'd learned to read in the first place.

But there was something else.

Nothing the paper had said has indicated it was even a possibility. Everything that they knew indicated that it was impossible. "...Sky. Its been so long since we've even seen him. IF he's even still alive, who knows what kind of state he's in. Maybe we should-"Earthbound could feel the heat of their twin's anger before they even opened their mouth. "And what? Not even try? We haven't even seen The Collector yet. I'm not giving up until I know it's truly impossible." Skyward snapped. "I'm not doing this for us. I'm not even sure I'm really doing it for him. You know how much Coilean misses him. He never really accepted what happened." They walked in silence after that, heavy and awkward, until they finally arrived in Canis.

The tension between the two would be obvious to The Collector, especially as the blue-eyed head gave their twin a little warning glare before beginning to speak. "Hello! You can call us Horizon. We're here because- well-" A lump in their throat. It was surprisingly difficult to talk about it aloud to a stranger, though they'd thought the grief had scabbed over at this point. "Our father was taken by The Hive many, many cycles ago. I know that Infection that has been left to fester this long is nearly impossible to remove, but.. If there's ANY way to give him his mind back... I'll do anything for it."

The Collector might find it ironic, funny even, their request was so similar yet opposite to the one who'd come before. Attempting to rescue a loved one from a force so cosmic and inescapable. And wasn't it exciting, to have so many deep, personal requests? How far could they possibly go, for their love?

Hearing his father whisper the truer nature of this event, then comparing it to his words to the rest of the audience, Ruse knew there was a, well, ruse afoot. He couldn't help but grin... though he did so underneath the cover of a hand, while his eyes feigned uncertainty and thoughtfulness. From the suggested list, he really wasn't sure what he wanted. He didn't really care about any of that stuff. Except, maybe knowledge... but it was not exactly knowledge that the Collector saw fit to hide from hym.

Really, Ruse just wanted to see how this would all shake out. More than that, he would like to actively participate.

Well, that's it then, isn't it? Lo and behold, what Ruse wanted arrives.

"I think what I'd want most from this is to help, if I'm allowed to. I'd like to see how you go about... fulfilling these requests." Read: challenging your players. Ruse would then step forward to exchange whispers. "I could follow them... add to their 'challenge',"—read: torment—"and I could give you individualized information on their responses. I think, in exchange, I'd like to know how you make the curses." The last word there was kept very hushed. "Assuming there are any."

Ruse was not blind to the possibility of the Collector stepping out of ordinary routine. Perhaps they'd get exactly what they all craved, with the only cost being the journey to get there.

But Ruse hoped not.

Audland felt a little embarrassed, being singled out during the explanation of how this all should work while there were so many people around to watch. Wow, this guy had really gathered a crowd and Audland hadn't even noticed. He'd been so grim and dramatic, in front of so many... BAH! Who cared. It didn't matter. It was unlikely that any of them noticed, and he didn't recognize anyone anyway.

Which made him realize that no one he'd met so far could read. Hm...

The issue with needing to be specific was that Audland didn't know what most of the words in the Collector's suggestion list meant.

"I don't know if the things you said can do what I... need." It was weird to admit a need at all, but the bubble of silence and the spark of hope—or was it despair?—in Audland's gut compelled him to be as honest as possible, for best results. Still, Audland felt defensive, like he needed to explain himself. "D' you know how hard it is to live in the snowy cave when I can only see properly in pitch darkness? I'm blind practically all the damn time unless I hang around the freaky tunnels. And that's not even everything! That's not the hallucinations, or- or, god, I—No, I just want... either somethin' that gets rid of the nonsense of my element entirely, or somethin' that gives me access to the options everybody else gets. The kind of magic that doesn't bite back twice as hard."

After a prolonged, pensive stare-at-the-ground session: "Can... an 'enchanted item' do that?"