Deli

Deli was one of those Gembound that liked to live life their own way. They liked to set their own path, make their own rules and decision. Screw everyone else - they needed only themselves. It was this ideology that kept them so far from approaching the Collector for anything. Of course they knew about him - their ears were always lifted and itching for gossip. They were always catching rumors floating aroundthe caves and the one about the strange hooded figure handing out prizes and rewards for jobs wasnt exactly a lesser known fact. Deli had been interested, but they'd held themselves back.

Until now.

There was too much they wanted at this point and they'd figured out by now that they wouldnt be able to get it all on their own. So...time to pay a visit to the one and only. They stepped carefully through Canis, one hand clutching the strap of their bag as they swiveled their head around for where to find the guy. "Collector?" they barked out with a small smile. "Where are you?"

@Game Master Dark

Ahhh, this one.

He knew this one. Little monster of chaos. Little provoker of sins. There at the crossing of the threads of entropy.

There when the bones had walked. There to provoke the spawn of the newest Master. When Raheerah himself had stormed through the caves, this one had been trailing along close behind. Whenever visitors had come--the gift-bringer, the watcher--this one was there. When the fool children had ingested seething shards of the Spire, this one was there. When the first of them had at last sought out the ancient altar and traipsed down into the dark, Deli had been close behind. When magicka had gone sour in Eridanus, it had been there, destroying the Gembounds' goal, killing the helpless victim, provoking pointless combat. It was always there: a swirling maelstrom of color and madness, grinning lies and savage retorts, a force the Lord herself could have made--if it weren't so terribly uncouth. If there had been any elegance to it. Still... this one's origins were clear...

This one, he had watched closely.

The Collector's voice came smooth, purring. He was pleased to see Deli here at last, calling for him, and it showed audibly in every swipe of his tongue against his teeth, in each crooned syllable. Not fawning, no: but content.

He could have fun with this one.

"Hello, there. You call; and of course, I answer." His eight-foot black-cloaked height unfolded gracefully from atop a nearby stack of bones, as if he had always been there: one leg, then another, slowly extending down a hoof to stand quietly upright. Clawed hands clasped before him, and he offered a half-bow, the nobility of the movement upset only by the unbalanced breadth of horns atop his head. "I am the Collector. Tell me, have we met?" There was a grin in this question, the hooded head tilting back up from the bow at the slightest of angles, so that the crimson pinprick eyes settled on the dog--unblinking.

@Deli

Deli

Ears snapped up and head turned at the sound of the Collector's voice, watching with a wide grin as he just seemed to...appear there. He had definitely not been there two seconds ago, but they supposed it was all just part of his charm.

They watched his little bow with a quiet snicker, amused by such a sign of respect when, in fact, Deli was pretty sure that they should be the one showing respect to him. Not that they would. "I'm called Delirious, but call me Deli." They turned their body so that they were fully facing him, leaning back casually just a bit, still grinning widely, as they tended to do at all times.

Eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the question, looking closely at the hodded figure. Their tail twitched behind them. Was this some kind of test? "Uh........no, don't think we met! But I know you - you give out rewards for jobs and missions and stuff. Thought I'd come and say hello. You could probably find use for someone like me. I've got hands!" They chuckled to themselves, as if this was some sort of silly joke and raised their hands, wiggling their furred fingers. Of course, they weren't just going to be offering their services for free. Might as well ask a rock to sing the alphabet.

"Delirious," the Collector intoned, drawing it out into a near-drawl. "What a fine name." A fitting name. "May I ask why you chose it?"

And then he was sweeping forward, slow clicks of his hooves carrying him to the upright dog; one clawed hand extended forth. The talons were wickedly long, the fur of his hands grizzled gray and coarse. He offered it for a handshake: "Ahhh, hands. The sign of the civilized among us. You developed those later on, yes-? Well, there is a greeting among those of us capable of it: a clasping of hands, and a gentle shake." The Collector waited, expectantly, for Deli to take it; if they did, he would shake it, and in the meantime, scarlet eyes ranged over their body. He wished that he knew more of it. He had not been there, naturally, for every step in the dog's life. He did not know Deli's personality. What it might want... what its limits were. Its morality. He knew only where the junction of its existence had torn across the threads of fate, crossing, an accident each time and yet wasn't every step it took?

He wondered if the candy-colored splashes of pigment would change the taste of the meat beneath.

A smile crossed the Collector's face, audible in his words. "In any case, it is good to meet you at last. May I ask; for certainly, you mention tasks and so forth... but was there something that you sought? Something I could help you with, perhaps..?"

@Deli

Deli

They snickered briefly, a very distant memory coming to their head, of another creature that had barked out what they thought was an insult. "Someone called me delirious once when I messed with them. I thought it was funny so I stuck with it!" And they had to agree with the Collector's own thoughts - Delirious was quite fitting for their chaotic ways.

They eyed the Collector's claws suspiciously for a moment. Did he want something from them? What was the purpose of this? Eyes flicked up at the speech, an ear twitching curiously at one of his comments. He knows me. Smile widened just a little bit as they complied without much hesitation, reaching out their own hand to grasp the Collector's, careful not to get scratched by those talons. Deli didn't quite understand the purpose of it and perhaps shook with a little bit too much enthusiasm, but the thought was there. If the Collector allowed, they would let go after a few seconds and cross their arms across their body.

"At last?" they repeated. "You know about me?" They snickered again, amused and pleased with this knowledge. So their antics were known to someone like him, huh? But now they were getting down to the heart of it and Deli was more then happy to answer the Collector's question. "Of course, I don't exactly offer my time for nothing! There's three things I had in mind, if you can provide any of them." They held up a hand and flicked up their index finger. "If you know me, then you know that I like to make things...more interesting! If you have anything that will help me have some more fun, then I'd like to get my hands on something like that. Second," they flicked up their middle finger, now holding up two, "I want some information. About that big ass dragon that blew up half the caves then disappeared. Or perhaps the Masked Merchant, who sent a buncha kids to their shadowy deaths. Or, better yet, about that strange hole, with the creepy altar. I wanna know what that is." They flicked up their fourth finger now and their smile widened. "And last...I want some clothes."

Hands withdrew, the Collector lightly mirroring Deli's pose with his own hands loosely crossed across his cloaked chest. He hmm'd and nodded along, and when Deli asked their first question, one clawed hand unfurled in idle gesture. "Why," he crooned, "of course I know of you. It's hard not to have; you've certainly made a name for youruself." There was a grin, or a smile in it; for whatever reason, the Collector sounded pleased. The purr in his chest rumbled through each word.

'Of course, I don't exactly offer my time for nothing!'

"Ahhh, a wise fellow with your time and effort, and one after my own heart. There is no point in wasting oneself without return, no? But I am of the opinion that the best business serves both parties well. That both wind up... improved. As for your requests, I find them... fortuitous; by fantastic coincidence, I have something I think you would very much enjoy."

The Collector turned, gesturing outward: a shimmering image of Deli perhaps a foot tall appeared, hovering, at his flicked fingers at about chest-height. Then, a cloak--not too unlike his own, but to close it around the front might make it a tad tight; this wrapped the image, black, a little ragged and faded at the bottom. "It looks like but a simple cloak, yes-? But it serves not one, but two of your wishes: it is quite spectacular for those with... let us call it, as you have, interesting intentions." A flick of the hand, and the cloaked figure became Orthoclase-Alpha: large, hulking, sneering, with no sign of the cloak. "Once you own the cloak, anyone that you touch while wearing it, the cloak remembers: and, at a whim, you can assume their guise. Their voice, even; its magic is strong, though of course there are giveaways for those who know what to look for. Right now, there are very few alive to remember; and so long as you are cautious, well..." Another gesture, and the image became Astraea. "Someone with your cleverness can imagine the potential."

The hands flicked away, the image disappearing. "Now, of course it is merely illusion. Your body itself, beneath the image, the voice--it remains unchanged. Still: a powerful tool and... as you say: clothes."

A shrug, a light spreading of claws, and then they slipped back across his chest, the red eyes settling on and studying Deli closely. "Does this interest you, then..? Of course, such a treasure is priceless; and information is additionally valuable. And so, if this item is something you desire, I would ask: what have you to offer in turn?"

@Deli

Deli

Deli couldn't help the hungry gleam in their eye as the Collector showed them the cloak. The image of Orthoclase-Alpha before them had them flinching for a moment, stepping back, but then...they realized what they were looking at. Oh, yes, the Collector was right, the many potentials that Deli could imagine with this particular cloak were almost limitless. They felt an excited laugh bubbling up in their chest and barked with small giggles when the image disappeared. "You must know me perfectly or something. That's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for."

Their laughter faded away quickly and they immediately reached into their satchel at the Collector's question, opening the particular pocket where they stored their most valuable little treasures. "I have a few things to offer you, if you are interested." They pulled out, first, a chunk of silver metal. "Pure silver. A little boring, maybe, but maybe you wanna make it into other cool things." They set it back in and pulled out two stones, in in the shape of a quill, the other in the shape of a claw. "A couple of gemstones - they've got life in them, I'm sure. A stranger came around to a tunnel once and laid out a bunch of treasures. Got these from that guy." They set those back in their bag and, finally, pulled out a small crystal vial containing a small pile of obsidian shards. "And this...after that dragons blew up Polaris and ate a couple of kids, I picked these up off the ground. It belonged to that ram kid, I'm sure. The black dog revived part of the stone - I met them at that weird altar place - but here's the rest of it."

They replaced the vial back in they bag and closed the cover. "That's what I got on me right now. But, like I said, if you got a need for someone with hands or a need to stir up some trouble, I'm your dog! Or I could paint you on the wall, if you like!" They chuckled again, imagining spending the time painting the Collector in the most refined and beautiful possible style they could come up with.

The Collector frowned at this offering, though the expression was hidden beneath the hood. Random pieces of metal..? He was no Blacksmith. Gemstones, with no guarantee what was in them--or a sheep? And what use was a sheep to him? Still, the gemstones themselves piqued his curiosity; and the sheep and its stone had, at least, been a part of the caves' history. The upper echelons of it.

Even as nothing more than a short meal... but still.

Claws ticked against one another thoughtfully, the frown shifting from disappointment to pondering. "Of those, the two stones might perhaps be... interesting? But there is no guarantee what is within them. What of a combined offer; the information you seek, and the cloak, for the stones and... something more? You said you stir up a little trouble... Do you have anything in mind, Delirious?" His voice still held that croon, but this was the payment that truly interested him.

@Deli

Deli

Deli wasn't too sure what the Collector was thinking, but based on the questioning tone of his response, they guessed he wasn't too impressed. Ah, well, that was alright. They hadn't expected him to be too over the moon about their gifts. And they were more then willing - happy, even - to take any job the Collector had.

"Anything, really! I see a bad situation, I like making it worse! I see a gembound alone and I wanna play a little prank on them! I have hands and I'm gonna make that everyone else's problem!" They laughed, rubbing the pads of their hands together. "I don't have anything particular in mind - I do whatever's in front of my nose! But if you have a job that includes making the life of that big creep you just showed me a little bit harder, I definitely won't say no!" Their smile somehow grew wide at the thought of getting Orthoclase-Alpha back, even if it just a little bit. It would probably end absolutely horribly for Delirious...but what was life without a little risk, huh?

They jabbed a finger at the Collector. "But what about you? I'm doing a job for you after all! You tell me what you want to get done and if I don't like it...I won't do it!"

The Collector thought about this.

He had asked Deli for suggestions purely to get some idea of the capabilities they perceived themselves with; but their preferences were a currency as good as gold, their malice an open door. The Collector could work with Deli far more freely than with most; there was no need to pretend, to sugar-coat and dip in silver. This one would play with sour and tarnished just as readily, and that suited him fine.

"Very well, then. Let's make a deal; you can prove you are the right one for the cloak, hmm? Let's set your sights a little higher: you know of the multitude of groups within the caves, yes? -Here is what I want you to do. Kidnap one of their members--any of them, it hardly matters which. Hide your identity as you do so. Place them into the territory of another--confined, bound, however you see fit; and come to me. I will provide you the cloak to finish the deal... "

"For clarity, let us say you steal a little member of the Bonebound, yes? And put them in the territory of, the so-called 'Children of Rot;' you would then use the cloak to disguise yourself as one of those Children, and demand a ransom from the Bonebound. It does not matter if they pay or mount a rescue, you see, because the victim has been, indeed, left in Cetus for this task. Do you see-? You are free to kill that one, in the end, or whatever you see fit. I presume this level of... chaos... is not too much for you? Hmm?"

And, as an afterthought: "Oh, and if you wish answers for--let us say--five questions; I will take any of those stones in payment."

@Deli