Less than an hour after the barrier dropped, Aethril was following Isra with the elven equivalent of puppy-eyes, asking for a specific episode of Nest Patrol to be put on. It was her favourite; but also, it was one that featured the new Master in it.

Master Vargas vexed her a little. She couldn't decipher what his goals were; she knew of him as a rebel-hunter and a brutal one at that-- she'd even admired him through the stories she'd heard when he was an Overseer. He seemed different now, or at the very least, not quite what Aethril expected.

He was working. Wasn't that good enough? No, not really, she decided. He seemed like he was doing an awful lot of ass-covering in her presence, which said to her that he likely had something to hide. It wouldn't be the first time that Totum had been paired up with someone with ulterior motives, either.

Regardless, once Isra caved in, Aethril collected her resident guard-cat and made for the theatre, where she paused just before going in. "Do you know Pollen-Rose?" She asked Obieth. "She's an Amber. Can you find her and bring her here?"

It should be noted: Aethril did not tell Obieth what they were going to see today. Some things were better left a surprise, if you were to ask her.

Mission imparted to Obieth, she turned and ordered a multi-coloured slushie from the concession stand.

@Obieth

She had been collected--awoken atop her new and plush-topped bed, with little explanation--and beckoned to follow. Reluctantly she'd left the soft, body-warmed cloth, pausing to lean back and rub one cheek along it, velveteen across silk. Just in case someone else arrived: they would smell that this was hers, touched by her Oil and her odor both.

This fabric would not keep particularly well.

Aethril led her down the pale halls, along a passage Obieth had not yet seen. The scents ahead excited her, tickling along every nerve: warm things, spicy things and sweet things, the tangs of salt and other odors, things she did not recognize. She went from languidly half-asleep to brightly alert in an instant: from slinking to stalking, head thrust forward and eyes struggling to find the source of these delightful smells. And alongside it all, the delightful rhythmic click of Aethril's heels--an echoing clack that satisfied Obieth's sense of the aesthetic wonderfully.

The question lifted her head at last, her eyes blinking up toward the Valkhand. "Pollen-Rose. The Gardener," she confirmed, her voice a husky rumble. She then paused, listening for a moment to Aethril ordering... something she did not recognize. Hopeful, yet her emotions teetering on the edges of despair--in case her answer was a resounding no,in case she was given a cold glance and an edge of razor in Aethril's voice--Obieth spoke again.

"May I... have food?" she asked, and then--hastening to assure her mistress that she was not ignoring her duties--she turned away. But she didn't leave, just yet, looking hopefully over her shoulder, as if to say: here, yes, I'm leaving; I am doing my duty, Aethril. "When I come back?"

_______

After awaiting her answer, Obieth was off: to retrieve Pollen from the garden. Her call rang out, loud and unintentionally sultry, as it naturally came. "Pollen-Rose. ...Pollen? Pollen," as she paced through the dew-glittered flowers, the now-familiar succulents and past the little bonsai tree. And whenever, at last, the little gardener was found: "Miss Aethril wishes to see you. We are doing... something," she added, uncertain--and then moved to lead Pollen along the winding route back through the palace, to the enticing scents of the cinema.

@Pollen

Pollen had found been pleasantly staring up to the ceiling of the cave, imagining shapes int he dark divots between bulbs, using the light as a massive creature's eye of some sort. Or, something like that.

She'd looked up with a small noise, rolling off the bench and standing before Obieth with interest. "Oh, okay!" She had no apprehension for whatever something was- it was something to do, together, and Pollen liked the idea of that.

She stuck close to Obieth, though always a pace behind, looking around the halls of the Palace with interest. Her fur twitched with excitement- where were they going? What were they going--

What was that smell? Pollen hastened her steps, trotting forward with piqued interest. "What's that?" she asked, pushing through the doorway and hopping up to her back feet. Yellow eyes looked up to Aethril for a moment, then to the stand, and her head tilted just slightly. They looked like the weird imp, back at the carnival...

Pollen grinned anyways, offering a "hello!" to them and then a "hello, Miss Aethril!" to the Valkhand above her. "What're we doing today?" It smelled so good in here, and she could feel her mouth watering at the scent. "Did Nedies cook today?"

@Aethril

Aethril didn't respond other than a hum to Obieth when she left, but when she returned with Pollen in tow, she had a hot dog-- bunless --at the ready for her arrival, offered down to the Valkhound as she padded up to the Hand.

"Nedies is always cooking," she told Pollen meanwhile, turning after the hot dog was taken. To Pollen, she handed a paper bucket full of various types of candies; little tough, shiny ones like gems, and gummies-- some coated in sugar, and some plain, and small, chocolate balls. The whole bag stank of sugar. To Obieth, post-hot dog, she gave a gourd full of salted popcorn-- with more hot dogs shoved in for good measure.

For herself, along with her slushie, she had a tray of soft pretzels. "I have to do some research," she finally explained-- "on Master Vargas. Something about him seems off to me." She slurped through her straw which off-set any vaguely mysterious aura about the situation.

Aethril turned, heels clicking-- "come inside," she told them both, padding down a few steps before making a sharp left. The seats she picked out were, perhaps, a little too big, even for Obieth, but the Hand made a point of getting herself comfortable. She hiked her legs right up and curled up to herself, setting her slush on the armrest and the pretzels down on the fabric in front of her.

"I used to love watching this," she murmured wistfully. "Sit down."

@Obieth

Her second approach to the cinema was as mouthwatering as the first--almost moreso, now that she knew what to expect. "I do not know," was her quiet, simple answer to Pollen; "it smells of food. I think food is cooked. I want some," she added, her stalking stride taking on added urgency as she thought of it. Teal eyes locked ahead, on the corridor's end, and as she arrived and meat was presented her, she took it swiftly (albeit delicately) between saberfanged jaws.

Salt. Flesh. The tang of meat. The heat, the juicy pop as she bit down. The rumble of pleasure was audible, the Valk-cat pulling back to swallow the meat down with a few rushed bites. For someone so fixated on every tantalizing brush of the aesthetic, she certainly did not slow to savor this meal.

All to the better, then, as she was offered the strange gourd, with its meaty, buttery odors; and this, too, she carefully took between her jaws. And then, ears pinned back as she concentrated on not dropping the broad gourd to the floor, the pantherine beast padded alongside her mistress, up-curved tail flicking at the edge as teal eyes lanced out to study the shadows for any hidden shapes.

Finding none, she turned into the aisle.

Obieth--unfamiliar with chairs, and how they worked--hesitated for a moment as Aethril took a seat, before hopping up half on a new seat, half on Aethril's own. A little awkwardly, perhaps, she turned and circled, intruding obliviously on personal space as she curled around her strange food. Eyes flicked upward, toward the lighter screen. Curiosity almost prompted her to ask how watching the screen was 'research,' but she was intelligent enough to realize that something was yet to come; and rather than ask, she resolved to wait and see.

She sat silent, then, bar the rasp of her tongue flicking popcorn from her gourd, her eyes periodically searching the darkness of the cinema for predators (or prey).

@Pollen

Pollen took the bucket gently, cradling it and stuffing her entire face down in it. Wow- what was this? It smelled like nectar, and when she pulled back and plucked up a gummy, she decided that it certainly didn't feel like it. Sour powder coated the outside that she bit into, and she pulled a face at it- it was so damningly sweet, and she instantly loved it.

But, act casual Pollen. Shoving down her excitement, she gave a small little "thank you, Miss Aethril!" before biting into a chocolate ball. This was so different, but also good, and she grinned up at the Hand with excitement.

Pollen didn't know who this Master was. But, he was a Master... Were they going to see him? What was... Research? Pollen's ears flicked back as she watched the other two go on ahead, trailing behind as she politely chewed on her candy. Did Nedies make this? It was so good...

The seats were... Odd. She paused once she realized this, looking down and blinking. Huh. It took her a moment, but soon she swept herself into one next to Obieth, crossing her legs and placing the bucket between her thighs. Another chocolate ball down (this one had something sticky and buttery inside, and she quietly smacked her tongue against the roof of her mouth), and she settled in, looking between Aethril and the screen.

"What's supposed to happen?" She squeaked out a moment later, not quite as patient as Obieth. She couldn't see how this was research, whatever research was, unless that was a Hand only thing...

(i guess? gm tagge?)

As the three settled in, the lights--eventually--dimmed. The smaller specks of light guiding viewers to their seats faded to black, and abruptly, the screen lit up.

Blaring music began, and after a few scratchy seconds of flecks scattering across the screen as the film began to roll, the cartoon itself began. The old dark elf--pale blue eyes bright beneath his black cowboy hat--came bursting through his animated quartz wall, applause sounding. The theme song was a loud one, blaring to periodic crashes of thunder, with flashing imagery of this elf--Rodd Danger--battling enemies of the Nest.

IT'S RODD DANGER HERE TO SAVE THE DAY
WITH FISTS AND TEETH, THERE IS NO OTHER WAY...

The last of the remaining lights dimmed down, until nothing was left but the scents of chocolate and popcorn, and the trailing end of the song's lyrics.

MAKING SURE FAILURES REMAIN AT
ZEERRROOOOO!!...

As the zany intro wound to a close, the strange elf (animated though he was) came striding in front of the 'camera.' "HEY FELLOW HOUNDS! It'd R-O-Double D DANGER here today again to hunt down nasty villains!" came his typical introduction, followed by, "TODAY we've got somethin' mighty special for you!" Blue feet scuffed on the rock below him as he leaned back, jamming elven thumbs into his belt loops. "We're goin' on a SPECIAL trip today, with our guest host, OVERRRSEER VARGAS!" The scene changed; now a big, purple animated blob--not very well-drawn, yet--came pacing across the background of the screen. The scene shifted to Canis: ruddy red and full of decomposing bodies, and little shelters formed of the bones of the dead. The purple shape was dipping in and out of these, as if checking through them. "Now, Mister Vargas here does some of the same sort of dirty work we get up to sometimes. Except he gets to chase down a lot of the Enemies of the Nest who wind up hidin' out from the likes of us!"

Again the scene changed; now it showed a distinctly uncomfortable-looking, hulking violet monster--Vargas--with badly-animated teeth that changed from white, in one scene, to a corrected purple in the next. It seemed to have been drawn from life, given the way it shifted (with unease or annoyance) away from the viewer as Rodd spoke. "Now, Overseer Vargas! I'm told where MY work's adventure in every cave, and investigations of all sorts, yours is training, and catchin' those bad, bad rebels that run away near your work! You want to tell our viewers a little bit about it?"

"No," came the voice, and it was very distinctly Vargas's own, an annoyed growl of an edge to it. His face swam too close to the screen, then jerked out of frame. "I have work to do."

"Well, that's just fine! We'll come along, and show people what you get up to, out here--and what waits for those rebels dumb enough to flee on Vargas's--and Rodd DANGER'S--shared watch, all right folks?!"

There was a low, guttural growl, as the purple thing swept away, tail taking up the entire scene for a moment. "Just stay quiet. And stay out of my way."

Next came a brief explanation of the bounty work and the wretched nature of the rebels by Rodd--with the animated scene panning over several of the fortresses, and hiding places with little pitiful bits of food and clothing left behind, scavenged and then abandoned when their owners were rooted out or chased away. Then the show switched to a commercial break.

This ancient commercial featured a Valkhound swelling up to twice its size, growing spines and extra glowing eyes, along with a suggestion: "Become stronger! Faster! More powerful than you could ever imagine! Win a Trial of Hydra, and earn your improvements today! For only the BEST of the Best, there's HYDRA!"

@Aethril

Aethril spent a moment curling her arms around Obieth's chest and gently yanking her closer, within idle hugging range, largely ignoring the Valkhound horking down her meal faster. "It's called Nest Patrol," she told Pollen meanwhile. "It's about hunting down the rebels."

The rebels which Aethril was fairly certain were still lurking within the caves, incidentally. While Vargas was obviously a very useful asset in that regard, she couldn't shake the feeling that something were wrong about him-- maybe she was just paranoid?

The Hand settled down when the cartoon began, one hand scritching Obieth's velveteen ribs and the other holding a soft pretzel to her mouth to chew on absently. She was quiet during the showing of Nest Nannies-- aside from softly mouthing 'R-O-Double D Danger' in time with the man himself, until Vargas showed up.

He'd definitely lost weight since airing, if the animation was to believed (it wasn't). He was quieter, he seemed a little more focused than he did when she'd met him. With a little hum, she tilted her head towards Obieth and Pollen.

"They made him look better here than he does in real life," she murmured to them, scandalously, before taking a little sip of her slush.

Aethril, upon commercial break, almost immediately tuned out of the showing with a yawn, cramming the last of her pretzel into her mouth quietly.

@Obieth

Obieth felt fingers twine around her chest, felt her bulk being pulled toward Aethril. It wasn't that she minded; it was that subtle Valkhound instincts at once insisted Aethril might be a swindler, out to steal all Obieth's hard-earned popcorn (that Aethril had, herself, given her five minutes ago). Jaws dug into the popcorn, eyes widening as she gulped down great and salty mouthfuls. The stuff was dry, but flavored by the meat, and she slowed after a moment so she could look around for water. Aethril had provided, a cup within reach, and she lapped at that before continuing on her large meal a little more slowly.

She scented, faintly, the sugar in Pollen's grasp--and for a moment she leaned the other way, trying (and failing) to get a good sniff of the chocolate balls, or possibly to somehow get one into her mouth. But Aethril was holding her too close the other way, and she quickly (with a brief, empty glance at Pollen) went back to her own meal. Now she savored it, the spongy little kernels and their thick butter, the heat of it, the-

-music blared. Obieth flinched, glancing up, and immediately talked over the film. "I know him," she informed Aethril, past the mouthful of popcorn, as if Aethril hadn't been standing right there with Obieth met Vargas. "The purple one." Rather than keep her voice down, she spoke louder, to be heard over the cartoon's volume.

Teal eyes darted to and fro over the screen, even as her dark tongue lapped butter from her own whiskers.

"From Draco," she said, helpfully, and looked to Aethril for confirmation.

Just to make sure the Valkhand acknowledged her helpful information.

@Pollen

When Obieth went for Pollen's own bucket, she considered, just for a moment, before offering a round, watermelon-pink candy for Obieth. The valkhound liked sweet things (she thought), so it didn't hurt! Besides, it's not like there was any sense of her paying for it, or ownership that Pollen knew of.

And then, the screen started. Pollen flinched at the light that began from the surface before them, but nearly immediately her eyes were glued to the screen. It was like a toddler sat in front of the kid's show you most hated, and she grinned when music began. "Woah!" Something moved too close to the screen, and she ducked like it was about to fly over her, giggling at the prospect. R-O- Double D Danger was such a long name, and she laughed at that, too- did he like rods, and danger? Is that why he named himself that? She kept her questions to herself for the time being, watching the man (who looked a little like Aethril?) walk around.

Overseer Vargas? "I thought he was a Master!" she said, also speaking rather loudly. Did he really look like that? "He's really purple!" Another scene- and Pollen pointed to the screen, having just placed another hard candy in her mouth. "Are those bodies?" No sense of unease was there at the sight of them, only blind curiosity, and she'd went back to chewing on the candy after her garbled question.

She pulled back at Vargas's words. "Why's he so mean?" she squeaked out, a little quieter this time, settling down into her chair. She kept on watching, and- "Alright, Mister Danger!" she gave to his rhetorical question, still staring straight at him as if he were talking to her.

She was quiet for some of the explanation, but a few questions propped up. "Why are they bad people?" was her first one, followed by, "what do they do when they find them?" She quieted at Aethril's answer, eyes flicking back to her and then back to the screen, shuffling in place as her nerves just didn't want her to keep still. Sit and watch. She nodded hard to that, waiting, and letting out a small gasp at a discovery. It was good to find where the rebels were, and they were on the trail!

And she cheered. What may have been strange for something of a different time, Pollen was absolutely enraptured by the good guys winning, and she scooted forward to the edge of her seat. Now she understood why Aethril said to wait and watch- there was so much to watch! She cheered when any audience did, wrapped up in the excitement of the whole show.

And then, the commercial. Pollen cocked her head and dismissed it soon after- she didn't want to be big! She liked who she was. And so, she turned to Aethril, big, round eyes expecting answers. "Is there more of Mister Danger? He's very cool- he fights the bad guys- can I help fight the bad guys with Mister Danger? Where is he? Is he with Overseer Vargas?" The questions came rapid-fire, and could have stopped any time Arthril desired, only followed up with a deafening silence and a pleading look on her face.

(should i gm tag? should I @ aeth? mmmm eh)