Set a few days after KotS's Spy vs. Spy Thread!

Pale eyes flickered in the shadows of Polaris as he slunk between them - as far and few as they were. The lighting in here was akin to daylight, and a scant few boulders or crystals were large enough to provide darkness. A number of them were just plain bioluminescent. Not the easiest to hide behind. Nassir was saving his energy, his mental fortitude. He could don the magical mask at any time (he hoped) but it took effort and concentration to maintain. Only severe luck could carry it for an extended period of time.

This would have to be brief.

Once he'd gotten close to the center of Core, near its strange wheel-box, the leopard hunkered down low, mustering, summoning the rolling clouds of shadows. The darkness licked at his pelt, cascading like Pisces's falls. Nassir wound it around himself (metaphorically) and eased a deep huff from his chest. This speech was practiced along the way, through Tunnel I and up to now. He'd memorized every planned word, if he even got the stag's attention.

Glowing, moon-eyes turned to the whole of Polaris as he stepped forth from behind a boulder, into the vulnerable open. His tail flicked, and he swallowed. "Astraea? Stag? I've - I've something to tell you about Neh-Nem-Nemean." And he waited, a quiver starting to develop in his haunches and shoulders.

Passing through, and by chance, another was calling out his name.

Would there never be a moment's respite-? Yet... Nemean?

The stag turned, and after a moment's inner debate, strode toward the voice. Delicate steps brought him to the stutterer's... shadow? Astraea watched it. A cat, he thought; not a small cat, but not large, either. Shadows rolled off its black hide in waves.

"Yes?" he asked, sedately, ruby eyes watching it with expectation.

What was it now?

@Nassir

Nassir hadn't expected a particularly Pride-shaped being to approach, yet shaggier and brown. The musk of fungi and decay made the leopard's snout wrinkle, but he otherwise didn't move from his spot except to peer up at Astraea.

With attention harnessed, the dark, shadow-laden beast rattled off what he had recited: "I've been watching and - and co-come to you with this: Ne-Nemean has demanded that the Seven - in Orion - find and kill 'Rezik.' She said that he would come to you with news about - about rebellion?" The latter bit was tacked on to hopefully show that he was, indeed, not bullshitting.

@Game Master Dark

His first thought--She would dare-?--was followed closely by a dry Of course she would. This would be exactly Nemean's sort of game.

It wasn't that he particularly cared about Rezik anyway, but...

The stag studied the strange, billowing-black creature for a moment, and an obvious thought struck him. "And who are you?" he asked. His tone was mild. If this Gembound were truthful, why was it hiding its identity?

@Nassir

He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting as far as a reaction, but it was not a polite request for his name. Nassir hadn't gone as far as coming up with a script to identify himself and seemed almost - taken aback that Astraea would actually care. His mouth moved, mind halting - second name.

"Nah-Naabinus," he stuttered through, coughing gently, "suh-sorry m'- my stutter. Naabinus, Astraea, sir." Again, tacked on - for politeness this time.

All the while, his magic worked to hopefully keep him shrouded in further blackness.

@Game Master Dark

And yet, he is keeping himself hidden.

Suspicion flared.

Trying to drive a wedge, perhaps, in secret-? The knowledge of Rezik had been given freely already to some. Who was this--a friend of the Bonebound, perhaps? Astraea's eyes flashed bright. "Show yourself, please." It was quite politely-said.

@Nassir

The dark beast hesitated, further tensing up where he stood. Anxiety clawed at him, worsening his stutter, tossing him further off-script. Nassir's ears flickered back once, pale eyes widening slightly. "Oh- uhm, uh... sorry," he stuttered, tail drooping as he carefully dispersed the shadows around himself, "yes, I- sorry."

All the while, he mustered a shield to cover exclusively his front, essentially invisible due to its hastily conjured strength and weakness of magic. "I watch - and hide in the sh-shadows," Nassir cleared his throat again, haunches quivering as he continued to blab.

@Game Master Dark

Astraea still did not recognize the cat. He studied him, for a moment, and his mind drifted.

Nemean. Either it was true, or it wasn't. He briefly debated his options, and settled on one. "Do not kill Rezik. He is a loyal servant." Sycophant. "What has Nemean promised you? Or--threatened you with?"

He waited, otherwise motionless, watching the leopard closely.

@Nassir

Servant was a word that most certainly had a poor connotation, but even anxiety-ridden Nassir knew better than to fall flat on his face asking about it. "I'm not a kuh-killer, not fo-for Neh-Nemean," he mewed, maintaining his invisible shield. Swallowing, he continued, "she pruh-promised seek-secrets a-about Orion and - and threatened with, her, her an-anger."

Whatever that entailed, the dark beast was clearly terrified of it.

@Game Master Dark

Secrets about Orion, hm? Was she angry with him-? Was it all a game?

Was any of this true?

His mind, however, was still wandering, and so he eyed Nassir--"Naabinus"--over briefly. "Very well. Thank you for bringing this to me, Naabinus. Should you see Nemean, do tell her that I--Astraea--have said that to strike out against Rezik would be unwise, as is urging others to do so."

He waited, then, for any response.

@Nassir