For the formation of The Organization

Archimedes the rat sniffed up and down the tunnel's alcoves as his Golden Charger slithered along beneath him.

So far, he thought this place fairly suiting. It was cold, yes; but it had very little foot traffic, and alcoves in which to hide. It was also--quite usefully--situated just beside Cepheus. And Cepheus seemed a good place to be, or at least to be near: libraries and a kitchen, a theater and gardens. And plenty of space to plant our own.

Of course, the rest might not see it that way--and that was all right. He'd listen to what the others had to say--take their wishes into account. This was, after all, only their first meeting.

He planned to wait for everyone to arrive, then introduce them, perhaps cover everything he'd discussed with each of them. Then-... Well.

They could go from there.

Archimedes took up a position in a broad alcove, clearly visible, farther toward the upstream, Ursa end of the tunnel. Hopefully, with the golden gilding of his Charger's scales, he'd be harder to miss here--and there'd be room for everyone.

He prepared to settle everyone in, to greet each as they hopefully arrived, and then... to begin.

@Deli @Bacchus @Mossie @Agate Two-Three-Six @The Piano

It was wet here, and the air had been chilled by the water. He did not need to delve deeper into the tunnel to imagine any being desiring to stay here was a rare event. Which, of course, made it all the better for their purposes, the leopard concluded. That, as well as the crevices, could only be a benefit.

Bacchus had not yet been to Cepheus. He had come to this tunnel by way of the Ursa entrance preceded by being in Polaris. He nodded his head politely to the rat in the alcove. "Archimedes, it is a pleasure."

"I have not yet visited the cave you mentioned, unfortunately." He tilted his head, looking towards the opposite end of the tunnel. "I believe it is beyond this tunnel, yes?"

"Of course, I will take time to investigate it after this meeting," Bacchus added.

Anything else to cover before others arrived, he considered. Ah, yes. There was one more matter, perhaps.

"I have met one of your recruits, Mossie, when I tried to recruit her as well. Her experiments will work well in tandem with my own, I believe," There is an amused note to the first sentence, though his second is more serious.

The Agate, Agate Two-Three-Six, wouldn't miss this for anything in the world. (Except, perhaps, a bigger challenge: but luckily for their new friends, there wasn't currently a Trial or Deathmatch or other circumstance drawing their attention away from this Very Important Event.)

They entered the tunnel strutting haphazardly down the ice, beak raised and mandibles clutching the handle of a bucket of stale popcorn, large enough to feed the likes of the cave's largest offerings. They had half a mind to summon some wind to ruffle their feathers, to puff up their dramatic entrance further, but then they nearly slipped on the slick ground. This served as a good enough distraction to put a stop to that before they sent their housewarming gift flying.

Clearing their throat, they came to a stop before the two that had already gathered, spreading their wings in a dramatic bow. They set the bucket upon the cavern floor with as delicate a touch as they could muster, their eyes gleaming.

"Greetings!" They chirped, nodding to Archimedes the Keen before their attention drifted toward the feline they had not met. "I am Gatto, Champion of Hydra," they announced, keeping it short for once-- in part, they assumed that Archimedes had already told the others all about them. (Foolishly, perhaps.)

"I'm sure the others are on their way," they said aloud, tail swishing with the self-assured tone of their words. "How have you been, my friend?" They addressed Archimedes.

Cepheus had been quite the pretty place to walk through. It was a shame she couldn't stay, though this tunnel was quite the funky one as well--the gently burbling creek reminded her of home, of the towering glowing crystals and power humming through her bones.

But it's not time for reminiscing. She has one mission, and one mission only--make up for her disastrous first impression with Archimedes.

Her gaze flits quickly over the two others present--her friend Bacchus, a...mutant chicken thing who was a 'Champion of Hydra' (she made a mental note to ask about that later. She dips her head and chirps a "Salutations!" before hurrying towards the alcove and stops a respectable distance away.

"Greetings, Archimedes," she said, only barely keeping a wobble from her voice. "It's...good to see you again."

@Archimedes

Deli

Deli arrived a little after some of the others, grin plastered to their face, hands in the pockets of their cloak, looking confidently casual, although their eyes scanned carefully around the gathered creatures. Nobody they recognized...yet. They all seemed rather...fine, for now. But Deli doubted anyone Archimedes recruited for whatever this was would be wholly innocent. Who else here was packing some stupid crazy acid trips or other less then-healthy experiences?

They raised a paw at Archimedes and called a quick, "Yo," to signify they'd arrived, and then proceeded to lean against the wall, pulling out their paintbrush and fiddling with it between their fingers, twisting and twirling it with a skilled, practice hand. Their eyes continued to scan the small group, ears perked and listening carefully to conversation.

Experiments? That was tasty. Maybe there was something to this group that could be some amusement for the next few cycles.

The Piano, being a creature with a penchant for the dramatic, decided to announce its entrance with a series of tense chords crescendoing from quiet bell-tones to ominous, crashing octaves. It stopped playing after the final octave rather than proceed with the rolling notes afterward, as it did not want to hold up the meeting for too long, and wheeled to a halt so that it stopped perfectly in time with the last booming chord.

"I am The Piano," it spoke as the sound dissipated. "It is good to meet you all!" The wood of its frame creaked slightly as it inhaled, basking in the gloomy, mysterious atmosphere of this tunnel. "I do like the choice of location, Archimedes," even if it could feel the humidity slowing down the action of its keys. It did not matter too much, anyway, compared to the immaculate vibes of this place. "The general atmosphere is very... fitting for a group such as ours, I feel."

@Archimedes

Archimedes greeted the first of them--Bacchus--with a comfortable nod. The news that Bacchus hadn't, in fact, visited Cepheus yet was met with little more than a whisker twitch, betraying nothing of the rat's internal thoughts. However, the ghost of paint very faintly visible in a ring around one eye might have been a distraction against that, regardless--he'd spent nearly an hour washing in the river, but Deli's masterpiece still lingered to the very scrutinizing eye.

"Ahh, you met Mossie-? Very good. I'm glad to hear that you get along--I look forward to seeing what you create together."

Gatto was met with a dip of Archimedes' head too, and a warm welcome in turn: "Hello, Gatto. I'm quite glad to see that you've made it."

And so it went, one by one: a nod and a "Excellent to see you here, Mossie. I hope you found Bacchus good company," and a "Ahh, hello, Deli. I trust your travel was uneventful." And lastly, to The Piano, after its final echoes had faded: "And The Piano. A fitting entrance. That, gentlemen, is music." (Admittedly there were more than 'gentlemen' here, but Archimedes seemed to include them all in this.)

Then he cleared his throat, sitting high atop the head of the still-unnamed Golden Charger.

"It is good to have you all here. Allow me to introduce you all first--I promise I will be brief. This is Mossie," and of course, he gestured to each in turn. "Mossie is experimenting with hallucinations induced via magic and substances one might find lying around the caves. And this--is Bacchus. Bacchus intends to leave a lasting legacy, and holds skills with growing plants, with the possibility of aligning his work to Mossie's. And Deli--is an artist, with paint as well as--was it fungus, Deli..? The Piano here is a musician, and formidable and intelligent both--and Gatto is a Champion of the old era. Both will make powerful allies for our work--and, I trust, good friends."

He cleared his throat again, passing paws through whiskers in that habitual cleaning-face-while-thinking motion, then continued.

"We are all here because our interests hopefully align. I will repeat my goals briefly: to make us indispensable to the rest of the caves. Others will seek us out, fear and respect us, and wish us to survive if only for their own benefit. We will provide services none others do, and discretion, so that when anyone needs something--they come to us. Our numbers must grow a little. It must be clear that we are not to be crossed--and that others cannot do without us. Toxins, hallucinogens intended for recreational and other purposes... Dangerous items retrieved, Lessers collected or enemies destroyed--all for a cost. The cost of living gemstones, food, rare goods, services in turn."

Summary finished, he looked around at each of them in turn. They seemed a likely lot, he thought--and it was good that they worked so well together in terms of abilities. One with plant, one with fungus, one with Lessers and the like, but otherwise with the same skills and goals--that was good. "If all of you are willing I would deem us The Organization, and move on to the next topics. That is, where to meet--and my suggestion is here;" and he gestured around at the alcoves. It was good, he thought, that The Piano at least was behind him on this. "It is close to Cepheus, so we will have access to the Palace and fertile land--but quiet and secretive enough that we can hide our work and ourselves as needed. But that is on the table for discussion, as are rules--if any of you have lines you do not wish to cross. In addition, where and how we might begin... or anything else you would like to bring up..?"

Introductions and introduction were complete: now it was up to the rest of them to help mould this new group as they saw fit.

@Bacchus @Agate Two-Three-Six @Mossie @Deli @The Piano

(I don't think we need to follow posting order atm really?)

Deli

Deli watched each entrance with a careful eye and the walking piano had him raising a brow. He’d seen strange things but this might be the thing to take the cake. He’d seen the piano in the palace during his few brief visits, but this was a living one. What the hell!

He pushed off from the wall and approached this…piano and walked around it with a wide sharp smile on his face. ”Well aren’t you a funny thing! Can I just…” and not waiting for a response, Deli lunged forward to press a bunch of random keys. He had no idea what a chord was or how many he should press, he just went in with full gusto. He wanted to make a sound!

Whether it hit or not, Deli would stop his antics when Archimedes started talking, plopping himself down comfortable on the ground, leaning against the tunnel wall. When his name was called, he lifted a hand and waved to the group. ”Hallucinogenic fungus,” he corrected. He glanced towards Bacchus and Mossie to gauge their reactions - they would most definitely be an interesting pair to work with.

He listened to the rest of the speech, silently nodding along with Archimedes. This was a good place - Cepheus was useful and Pegasus wasn’t far away. A good place to go looking for painting materials and potential additions to his hallucinogens. And lines he wouldn’t cross? That was funny! As if there wasn’t any line Deli hadn’t crossed already! Although, they supposed they hadn’t actually killed anyone before. But that was more a personal principle. If anyone here wanted to commit murder, who was Deli to stop them?

Deli shrugged and looked around, wondering what anyone else was going to say.

@The Piano

The Piano allowed Deli's sudden keysmash. It wouldn't have been able to react even if it had wanted to stop him, so sudden and unexpected was the canine's incursion. Anyway, it thought for a brief moment that perhaps the canine simply loved music, and wanted to play something, and was simply a little overeager. It would have forgiven him for that, had that been the case, but...

As the last of the sound finished echoing around the tunnel, it became clear that Deli had no musical talent whatsoever and was just fooling around.

The Piano was silent and still for a long moment. Slowly, the alien gold writing on its side and above its keyboard began to twist and writhe. The motion was barely noticeable if you did not stare at it for a long time, and even then you might wonder if you were simply hallucinating.

Magic percolated through its ivory keys, and the mouth beneath its keyboard filled with bitter, acrid venom. It would not allow a second abuse of its magnificent design. "I suggest," it spoke slowly, using its bass range with its dampers lifted to create a ringing, ominous tone, "that you do not attempt to play me again without something musically valuable to bring to the world." But, because this was Archimedes's business partner, and The Piano rather liked Archimedes, it would not jump immediately to violence for now.

Like Deli, it would let the subject drop when Archimedes called the meeting to order. It listened intently to the rat's words, hammers moving thoughtfully and silently as it took everything in. "I agree with all that you've said," it replied when Archimedes finished, "and have only one thing to add. I believe it aligns with everything you see for the group, but I only wish to bring it up specifically so that it is clear. Discretion and respect are things this Organization should never be without. We may destroy enemies, provide unsavory substances, and face danger, but we must always have our dignity. We are a cunning and independent group, never a collection of brutes. That is all." And it fell silent.

@Deli

Mossie realizes, with great relief, that Archimedes didn't seem to hold the disastrousness of their first interaction against her. She didn't think she could live with a boss who secretly thought she was a dumbass who huffed dust moth venom.

"I found him fantastic company, thank you," she replied. "We'll do great things together, I'm sure."

Mossie straightens up a bit, a hint of her previous bravado returning as Archimedes introduces her and her work. And that mission statement...

It's so very fascinating.

She knows that she cannot find Purpose--not here, not in hawking illicit substances in strange tunnels and growing funky fungi. But it's a step in the right direction--and it'll make her be Known. People will know of her name and her fungal prowress and her hunting ability across the caves--and she could spread the word of the Shadow and get sacrifices covertly. She could even gain knowledge from the Shadow to aid the Organization's procurements.

It's perfect.

Mossie perks up at Deli's mention of hallucinogenic fungi. "Oh, really? Fascinating indeed! You might want to work with I and Bacchus, then--it might be possible to form stable hallucinogenic strains of plants and fungi that could be grown without needing to rely on unreliable magic, and vice-versa feeding hallucinogenic fungi to Lessers to affect how their venom works. With some finagling, I might be able to produce both utterly disabling strains and those that are guaranteed to produce pleasing sensations!"

[She doesn't realize she's rambling.]

She raises an eyebrow at Deli playing the piano, and the other's quietly outraged response, but says nothing more.