Gembounds have an additional week from the time of this post, if they agree to the Collector's terms, to sign--if they have not already done so. This applies to those who have read the fine print, are amending terms, asking for clarification, and so on.

It's just good business.

Those who have signed have two weeks from the signing date to complete their initial task, and then report back.

@The Piano

The Collector dipped his head at the flattery and steepled his fingers. "I'm afraid the second task--for you and all those present--is a secret. That is what I get out of all of this," he added, gesturing around. "But... I will concede the following. It will not put you or yours endanger, unless you are deliberately foolish with it." A gentle shrug of cloaked shoulders indicated a mildly regretful 'take it or leave it' scenario.

"Ahhh... but my forfeiture. How exciting!" he went on, leaning forward with genuine interest. And his eyes lit up! He clearly hadn't even considered this, and the glance he fired The Piano was one of actual admiration. "You have my approval. As for your terms..." His claws drummed the table. "I cannot show you my entire collection at once. It is physically impossible. But... I would be happy to describe all of what I offer and own. Usually I would bargain... but no. This is quite the fun demand. The potential for loss-! Yes. Any item in my collection. Assuming," he added, jabbing a clawed finger into the air, "that the forfeiture is some fault of my own, and not trickery. Not that I'd blame you," he added, laughing lightly. Amusement yet danced in his eyes, as though this was the most fun he'd had in years!

The contract was withdrawn, and redrawn, a scribble of his quill (removed now from the inkpot for the first time since anyone's arrival here) making the necessary amendments... should The Piano agree to them.

@Faceless

"Of course," the Collector answered Faceless kindly. He rolled the contract up as he spoke, then leaned lightly onto the desk. "There are a few swamp beasts yet calling themselves Children of Rot in the Cetus marshes. Some creatures here in this very cave--Canis--refer to themselves as 'Bonebound.' Ahh... the Chaos Forge, of Draco, though use caution around them. They are delightfully short-tempered, on the whole. The Organization are businessmen within Cassiopeia... but if you do befriend them, be sure not to mention me. It will sabotage your efforts. And the Task Force, led by Overseer Tectus, if you can find her around... Orion, I think. Any of the so-called Seven may yet dwell there, too, but I have not seen them in some time."

He didn't mention those whose membership was largely dormant; even the ones he'd listed would be iffy, he knew, at best. And he didn't mention the Hive at all.

That would just be cruel.

@Luna

The Collector flashed Luna a grin, rolling the scroll up, then bowed his head. "You have no idea how much I look forward to watching you work," he told her, and his words were those of enthusiastic admiration.

@Aurelle

"Mm--no. Less, not more," the Collector was quick to correct. "Making the effects worse would be a terrible reward, even for the power. No. As for what to do with them--befriend them. Gain their trust. Your second task will be given to you after you've achieved the first. If they would die without mending within a cycle, then they're a poor target for this task. You will need someone sickly, not fatally injured. You needn't bring them anywhere." His hands spread as if to indicate just how open and honest he was! "I appreciate the attempts to ensure your own success. I hope this brings clarity..?" he asked.

@Hog

The Collector stood and swept the piglet a bow. How could one not? She was so confident. And he, for one, had perfect faith in her. "I hope to see you soon."

He set aside her contract, and smiled.

@Audland

"Of course they would. Or if I cannot find a suitable pair, I will find you something to help you, and the sunglasses can be a... call it a bonus."

It occurred to him, belatedly, that the creatures of the caves might not know what sunglasses were. Or glasses. ...Or a sun.

Ahh, well.

He listened to the second question (eyes darting briefly, quizzically, to the untouched tea--had he chosen so poorly..?) and cleared his throat. "Cunning indeed. Yes, they will be. Do you accept?"

His praise might have been genuine, or bone-dry humor. But either way, he also nodded to the tea. "Is it... not to your taste? -The tea?" he asked, and there was more tremulous uncertainty in this question than anything at all related to the business he was attempting to conclude.

@Ruse

Was it relief or disappointment in the brief glance his father offered-? Either way, mercy was granted after a pause and a deep breath. "In summary--and I leave nothing out--it is the cost of forfeiture. One stone, still living, to be provided in the event of failure to deliver. And should that be failed... your gemstone, to be collected. Ahem. I don't intend--well. Do deliver, would you?"

He wouldn't kill his own kid, regardless of what happened.

Right?

@V-Chaos-Fourteen

"Of course, so long as it is one on offer. I will amend the contract," the Collector noted, and did indeed make a note among the list of potential rewards that were already at the bottom, somehow. "Will be chosen upon completion of first task/progress report" was now added, if the Valkhound could read it.

"Please sign here." The scroll, thus amended, was turned and offered out.

@Eleanora

The Collector waited patiently, sipping at his tea. The fine print included such things as the cost of forfeiture, and the cost of failing paying that cost: a lost stone, and then the gemstone of the signing party. That was, Eleanora. Of course, a lost stone was easy enough to find; certainly Algol seemed unconcerned.

The Piano considered the offer carefully. The second task remaining a mystery was less than ideal--it may not be dangerous, but it could still be simply impossible or not worth the prize. And if that happened, that made the second part of its proposed changes--the Collector's price for forfeiture--moot, if it were not able to deliver on its part in the first place.

However.

What was life without a few risks? All in all, The Piano was confident enough in its own abilities. If the task were reasonable, it could certainly complete it. If the task was so clearly unreasonable that anyone who heard it would disagree, well...

A living gemstone was not so difficult a price to obtain. A businessman's reputation, though, was priceless, and The Piano was equally confident it could simply ruin the Collector's reputation if worst came to worst. Not that it expected things to come to that.

"Very well," The Piano said, a laugh hidden in the jumbled chords that made up its words. "Keep your secrets... until two weeks later. If nothing else, I am sure it will be entertaining."

Without warning, its keyboard-mouth snapped open. Strings shot out from its chassis and snatched the contract, feeding the bottom into the keyboard. Eighty-eight keys chomped down firmly on the bottom, leaving its signature.

"Until then, Collector!" The Piano laughed, wheeling off to get down to business.

Faceless listened to the Collector rattle off a list of groups, jittering. Cassiopeia and Draco were far... it sketched out a rough plan it could follow. First here, in Canis, then Orion where there were two possible groups. Those two were close. Then if not, it could venture to... Cetus, maybe? The Organization and Chaos Forge seemed risky, based on those descriptions, and were also the hardest to get to. It stowed them as last resort options at the back of its mind for now.

"Got it," it hissed, and skittered away. Better get started. Making friends wasn't easy.

Aurelle considered with a tilted head, her ears flicking. She did feel quite happy with these terms, however. And, really, Aurelle did not have too much to lose. It'd be a shame to leave someone suffering, but... he did say 'yet.' Maybe the second task will be to have him watch...? She considered.

But really, it didn't matter. "Ahh, thank you," she said, blindly reaching for the pen. Her signature was... well, unless the Collector guided her properly, it was a squiggle somewhere generally within the vicinity of the line. Hopefully it would be good enough for him, though.

She stood up, brushing her dress down politely. "Thank you for the tea, and, ahh, for your time," she said. "I'll see you soon."

Well. She wouldn't.

Aurelle has signed her contract.
;; exit

Eleanora sighed, finding nothing, well, bad about the contract in front of her, besides the fact that she had to kill someone if she failed, or she'd be killed. That put a terrible taste in her mouth. But...well, then she would ensure she didn't fail.

She glanced back up at the Collector, still unsure of herself. She was going to sign, she was sure, but there was a last question that she had, despite knowing that there wasn't any way she was going to get a satisfying answer. "Are you planning anything harmful to this 'friend' that I'm bringing back? You don't intend to kill them, do you?" That felt like a waste. So surely there was a darker reason. She could not imagine the cloaked and hooded, mysterious red-eyed horned stranger offering her a contract would be nothing but sunshine and rainbows.

Skyward took a sip of the tea and immediately passed the cup to Earthbound. One of Earthbound's claws rhythmically tapped the side of the cup as they periodically took sips. Both were listening attentively and anxiously as The Collector laid out the terms of the deal. Skyward frowns a little, and Earthbound's jaw tightens.

"His name is Cyneweard. He walk upright like us, but he looks more like a weasel. His fur is mostly dark grey, and reddish-orange on his neck and stomach." Hopefully that was a good enough description to identify him. "Its been over ten cycles since we've last scene him. He's always been strong but... we don't know if he's still alive." Sky give them a glare. Earth takes a long sip of their tea. "You already said that earlier." "Its true." "So?"

"This isn't guaranteed to work. In all honestly, it's more likely to fail. Whatever he makes us do." A nod towards The Collector, "It'd all be for nothing." 'Making a new friend' was far too simple and benign, especially compared to the rumors they've heard about the collector. Whatever the second task was... they weren't sure if they could stomach it.

"If it doesn't work, we could always retrieve his stone, and have The Collector remake him." A glance towards The Collector, as though asking for confirmation. "We've discussed something similar, before."

"It still wouldn't be him. Just someone who looks like him. It wouldn't be much different than what we have now." Earthbound sighs deeply, a hand dragging down the bridge of their snout. "Look, it's been so long. Do you really want to reopen old wounds? Do you really think Coilean w-"

Skyward slams a hand down on the contract before Earthbound can stop them. Smoke curls up defiantly around the edges of their hand, finalizing the deal. Earthbound sets down the teacup and stands up abruptly, looking The Collector in the eye. "...Thank you for the tea. We'll be going now."

They walked back to Orion in silence.

Horizon is signing the contract.

One by one, the contracts were signed. The last two to go were Horizon, and the lingering Eleanora.

@Horizon was given the subtlest of nods. "Agreed. If I fail, and you return this stone to me at any time, I will aid you in giving it new life." The Collector drew the quill pen and a new piece of parchment, scribbling the description on the page.

A hand was offered for shaking, but for now, the contract was sealed. The Collector would soon set out to fulfil his end of the bargain.

As for @Eleanora ? He studied her, fingers steepled. "I have no intention of doing anything at all to them," he responded smoothly, and the brief glint of a fanged smile was visible beneath his hood. "You are not to bring them back to me. Simply befriend them, for now."

She had a feeling this all came with something else, perhaps she would be the one doing something with them. But...she reminded herself, this was for Lilith and Lilith alone.

With a glance at the toothy smile she caught, and a feeling of unease, she signed up name on the paper and drained the last of her tea as she handed it back. "Alright, then. I hope this will be worth it."

*signing and exiting

Nervousness crept up from the back of Ruse's brain stem, threatening to overload his prefrontal cortex if the suspense carried further. The anticipation of hys father's reaction, be it approval or otherwise, somehow felt like a straight razor nicking at hairs around the jugular. The sweat on his paw pads wasn't a conscious reactions; Ruse just hoped that his father wouldn't... not wouldn't see it, but wouldn't look for it.

What a strange way to raise a child.

But-! Ruse was granted some form of contractually obligated mercy. Only within the bounds defined by the contract, however. And Ruse understood. Whether or not hys father would treat Ruse specially and spare hym or not was not really of hys concern; just don't plan on it. Ruse had known this rule for long enough that the concept of it didn't really make him nervous. Plus, the alternative price of one living gemstone was no large task to pay. Clearly, there was no ire or vengeance in this (yet). The Collector wanted to emphasize agency. You only failed if you chose to.

And yet somehow, these platitudes did little in the way of making Ruse any less nervous.

"I.. see. I will deliver. I will do my best." It's all Ruse could really say, as he looked for the place on the parchment to sign.

A thought came biting at hym. 'I leave nothing out.' It's something Ruse would say to another, in this same situation. And well, wasn't that fitting? They were kin. Ruse was of the Collector's own magic. Probably not stone, though Ruse had no genuine physical proof that the Collector's stone wasn't a shiny rainbow quartz. That thought aside—Ruse would say that sentence to lie, and to be truthful. A truth to throw off the scent of future lies, or a lie to disguise other truths. Obviously, it could just be an attempt at assuaging a potential concern, but that was exactly it. That's just how they spoke. In curly font and sweetened tea, to guide souls down the primrose path.

Ruse almost dismissed the notion, but hy just... It wouldn't stop biting at hym. "You... say you've read it all, but..." Ruse peered closer at the tiniest of words. Something something read, something something... print? And hys name. And a... question mark...? "These words at the end. You're asking a question. Perhaps I'm mistaken, I'm having such... trouble with my sight, haha. But... I don't think you summarized this part, to me."

Maybe Ruse was playing the fool, dragging this out longer than he needed to, but... what if he wasn't? A sucker is born every minute, you know. This gathering had likely created many of them. "I'll be happy to sign once I know what you intended to ask me. My apologies for the delay." Ruse really didn't want to be among them.

Ruse realized the Collector didn't tell him about the "please do tell me you read the fine print, Ruse..?" part, but Ruse can't read the line perfectly to know what it means.

If the glasses were magical, Audland would be happy to take the deal. Indeed, he had no knowledge of a sun, or a glass, or what happened when you combined the two—but in his mind, it didn't really matter. The spark of unremitting hope alight in the darkest chambers of his heart only needed to hear that some kind of assistance or power was possible. "I'll take the glasses then, since you said they're magical." And only because the Collector had said this, Audland hoped the message was clear. "I don't want the other two options. The dying or weakening ones." Just to make that absolutely clear. Audland didn't want any bullcrap. Didn't have the patience for such games.

Though at this juncture, Audland's patience or preferences for games may not mean much.

The knowledge of friends being used for future ventures didn't particularly phase Audland, he just wanted to be sure of it. He didn't bat an eye or offer a smirk to what might have been humor. "I do accept."

As Audland's claws made for the contract to sign, his eyes followed the Collector's to the untouched tea. The question arose, and Audland was quick and cordial with his answer. Perhaps naively so. "Naw, I just... don't know what it is. Do your other clients just put stuff in their mouth when you put it out in front of 'em?" That was a genuine question. Audland had no social context for mugs and beverages. Never had a bevvie in his life. Tragic.

Audland would sign the contract now, however that was done, without much further investigation. He would wait for a response before leaving, however.

Auddie signs but wants to hear the Collector's answer to his last question before exiting.