Tools of Conquest [Goblin]

[Juno]

While the concept was okay, Remina was definitely offended at the thought that he might think women incapable of knowing their own limits when things get heated. A frown set in as she stared at him, a bit in disbelief of what she was hearing him carry on about. "If the user had the ability to conceal it whenever they desired that would be one thing...but such a device seems like it would be complicated and useless if she never wished to share her emotions so openly. Perhaps she isn't a very open person...I'm not sure. I would think that most women would see it as some sort of disadvantage to have her emotions out in the open like that, even if she might want others to know how she was feeling. She could just as simply use words to convey them," she shrugged, a bit disenchanted with the idea of some sort of emotion reader.

"I'm sure she would know when things might begin to be getting out of hand," she tried to assure him, a bit concerned for his opinion of females, though she felt confident that he wasn't even aware of the offense that could come of it. "I would hope most women would be able to discuss their thoughts and feelings if you would just ask them. What I would want for her would be something that might help her mimic how you personally feel when you retreat to your library," she tried again. "Something she might be able to find her own peace and calm within. Does that...make sense?"

[GoblinFae]

"Actually," Benjamin began, puffing up with pride, "such a device that can conceal its nature is not that difficult to make. It would just need to be keyed to her specific person. Is she possibly capable of producing any magical signature? If so, then it would be incredibly simple to add that feature to the piece should you desire it. As for the other matter," Benjamin trailed off and shook his head in frustration.

It was becoming quite annoying that this woman was unable to understand what he was trying to say. At every turn she was misconstruing the meaning behind his statements and then was becoming equally irritated with him for no apparent reason. "I'm not saying she wouldn't be able to control herself however, if you've ever been in an argument with someone then you would realize sometimes things do get out of hand. Once a temper is lost it takes time to reclaim calm. A device that allows her both to see her rising temper and to calm her would help in reminding her she may need to reserve herself. Any man or woman would tell you that things have been cruelly said in the midst of an argument and they wanted nothing more than to recall those statements. Is it wrong to desire to give her the chance to decide whether she wants to calm down or not?"

[Juno]

Listening to him got her thinking that perhaps she didn't have the right idea after all. Perhaps she wasn't thinking of the right person. After all, she didn't really know Tiraris enough to confidently say whether or not she had a problem with her temper. But Caden on the other hand... She knew he could use every bit of help he could get.

"Unfortunately I don't think she has any magic," she told him ignorantly. "She's just human, and I don't believe she's studied anything. But my brother... Well, he's like me," she explained, having no idea she'd said nothing to him about her own abilities. "And I think of the two of them, at least from my limited experience with her, he is unfortunately the one who would be likely to lose his temper.

"Do you think...maybe, that you could make a pair of them? The main one for him instead, to help him see when things are getting 'out of hand', as you say? And one for her to perhaps see when things are escalating? He has quite a temper... And she's making sacrifices to be with him. I would love for their life together to be as smooth as possible," she told him, feeling quite guilty that her brother was such a hothead and thinking about how Tiraris probably dealt with his temper a few times already if she knew her brother well.

[GoblinFae]

The nobleman frowned and pursed his lips. "Well that complicates things. Although it wouldn't be completely impossible. You don't have to give up on the gift being for her just because she is without magic. If you change your mind about one for her temperment just let me know. I do have a few questions regarding your brother and um thereby yourself."

Benjamin eyed her a bit confusedly. It did not make sense to him why she disparagingly referred to her brother's girlfriend as "just human." Was she not also human? What was different about her and her brother that set her apart from the other woman? What kind of magic did she posses? This last question was the most important and the one he decided to voice aloud.

"What exactly are you and your brother capable of, magically speaking? A better understanding would allow for a better fine-tuning of the gift."

[Juno]

"Perhaps if I got to know her a bit better I would know what might be best," she admitted, a bit embarrassed that she knew almost nothing about her brother's partner right now. The questions she heard him sounding in his thoughts were amusing, though she tried not to let it show in her face that she could hear them so that he didn't try to shut her out.

"Well, many smaller things. Heightened hearing and awareness, for one," she began as she slowly set her hands upon the table out in front of herself. Remina slowly turned her palms up in the hopes that it would be disarming about the strange action. In the blink of an eye, with no struggle or pain thanks to her familiarity with it, she'd grown the black claws atop her fingers and the lengthened the fangs within her mouth. Her teal eyes glowed in the dim light of the room and she slowly, cautiously opened her mouth to show him her fangs briefly before closing it and smiling. Looking down at her hands she flexed each pair of fingers in succession to show off her claws in case he hadn't noticed them. "And all this, though I think his claws are prettier," she mused, hoping she would not scare him off with it all.

[GoblinFae]

Benjamin blinked, not really understanding how the qualities she listed were magical. However, he was immediately startled by her transformation that literally occurred in the blink of an eye. Caydence who had been sitting up in the nobleman's lap puffed up but otherwise remained still as if recognizing that this was still Remina but still shocked by her more feline appearance.

He on the other hand was morbidly intrigued by her new physique. "What parlor trick is this that you can do? This is a whole new experience for me. Being able to do that though would definitely get someone out of a scrap or two if needed." His voice was filled with the curiosity and wonder of a child and his eyes shone with the same light. Caydence sat forgotten in his lap as questions raced through his mind in a blur.

[Juno]

She raised an eyebrow in amusement at his words and gave Caydence an apologetic glance with her visibly startled appearance. The demon had been expecting fear, but she was surprised that he hardly seemed fazed by her. He actually seemed interested, which was certainly not something she saw often, especially from humans.

"It isn't a parlor trick," she began, chuckling at the very suggestion. "And it certainly has gotten me out of many "scraps" as you say. It's just...me, I suppose." She fiddled with her claws a bit and shrugged, continuing coolly, "I have two forms that I can move between freely, this and the one without all the sharp stuff. Does it...make you uncomfortable?" she guessed, unable to get anything from his whirring thoughts, though she assumed she was correct as it was the "normal" reaction.

[GoblinFae]

"No," he answered distractedly, his brows furrowing once more in thought. 'Touch of the lighting perhaps combined with already somewhat elongated features? Mm but they weren't that pointy before, were they? Magic could allow for some physical alteration but this? I wonder if it's a full body thing. A shifter maybe?'

Benjamin eyed her up and down and then shook his head. 'Not likely. Too eccentric. Still doesn't explain all those human comments. Could be an elitist though. Definitely seen enough of those for one lifetime.'

"What's the uh," he waved his hand at her while searching for words, "point of all the sharp stuff anyway?"

[Juno]

Confused, she stared at him with a raised brow. His thoughts more focused now, she was certainly able to hear, but she certainly didn’t like everything she was hearing. “Not an elitist,” she mumbled grumpily while holding up her hands to study her claws as he asked his question.

“For hunting,” she shrugged, her tone as if that should be obvious. “Quick, strong… They get the job done well.

“I’m not sure what else claws should be used for,” she teased. “Maybe cutting hair or making wood carvings? Would probably be a waste of a demon’s skills,” she shrugged, unsure why he seemed so calm. Was he frozen? Panicking? He didn’t seem distressed at all, and his eyes seemed curious and at ease. It was very peculiar and had her quite interested in him.

[GoblinFae]

"Hunting?" Benjamin asked, his face scrunched up in disbelief. "Why would a woman need to hunt?" The word "demon" though set him sitting up a bit straighter in surprise. For several moments his eyes unfocused as he mentally "read" through every book on demons he knew. He could almost see the pages turning as he thumbed his way through in search of a possible match for the woman before him.

Yet, search as he may he found nothing. He knew of no creature that matched even close to the description of what sat before him. Sitting back he mused, 'could be an entirely new species. Would bear more observation though. Could be an evolution though. A former human ancestor? They say our half-Fae ancestors settled in Tirial first. It seems quite likely they would spread out amongst the world especially after all these centuries.'

He cocked his head to the side and looked at her. Then, unfazed if he was interrupting her or not blurted out, "If there are three apples and you take away two, how many do you have?"

[Juno]

Rolling her eyes slightly for his first question, Remina shrugged. "I don't know, to provide for herself? To have food?" she answered sarcastically. Watching his face as she listened in on him as he tried to identify her, she wondered what he stood to gain from figuring it out himself and why he didn't just ask her a frank question.

She was startled by the question he ended up voicing, though. Blinking at him a few times, she wondered if he'd really just asked it as she began to speak slowly, "If there are three apples and they weren't mine to begin with and I take away two, then I have two. If they were mine to begin with, then I have one. ...Why do you ask?"

[GoblinFae]

'Mm intelligent and able to see multiple possibilities. But is it luck or actual recognition of the answer?'

"Call it curiosity," Benjamin responded distractedly, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. "I have two more questions for you if you don't mind." Not even bothering to wait for her affirmation that he could continue he asked them both immediately.

"Firstly, if a farmer has twenty-four pigs and all but seven die, how many are left? Secondly, if Mary's father has five daughters known as Jana, Jene, Jini, and Jono, what is the name of the fifth daughter?"

He allowed the fingers of his hand to curl up around his chin and cover his lips as he awaited her answers. The last thing Benjamin wanted to do was give away the answer as he tested the demon. The alchemist was highly interested in thre results and dared not skew them with his own presence.

[Juno]

"All right...," she laughed softly, amused by the sudden change of topic and willing to entertain more of his bizarre questions if only for her own entertainment. Staring at him as he spoke, though, she found her lips slowly curving into a smile once she knew what she would say for her answers. The way he held his chin and mouth told her he thought himself quite clever. She figured he was certainly clever enough to even think of them in the first place.

"Well, the farmer has seven, of course," she told him confidently, quite proud of herself. "But I would hate to think of what happened to wipe out seventeen pigs at once. And...Mary. What a fortunate girl to not have to have a name similar to the rest of her sisters. Or maybe she feels left out," she frowned slightly in thought before shrugging. "Did you have any other questions?"

[GoblinFae]

Benjamin genuinely laughed aloud. "They must have been slaughtered for a king's banquet. Although you never know, perhaps there was a flood and they drowned. Or there was a disease. Interesting that you focus on them though," he commented even as his mind added, "compassion" to his tally concerning her.

He was however disappointed that she so easily figured out his second question when he himself had answered incorrectly the first time he had heard it. Grudgingly, he had "very intelligent" to his checklist.

Pouting at being outwitted, the nobleman shook his head. "No," he sighed like a child. "Not at this time."

[Juno]

She straightened up with pride for the mental notes he was making about her. Most people certainly wouldn't pin her as compassionate, but she would take it. She was pleased with herself that she had "outsmarted" his riddles at least.

"Perhaps so," she mused, smiling slightly for his pouting. "But yes... I assure you I am not of an unintelligent breed. Perhaps you have heard of the Neqa'el?" she wondered as she shifted back to her human, less sharp and pointy form.

[GoblinFae]

"I never said I thought you to be one, Ma'am," he responded defensively, not realizing that she could hear his thoughts as clear as if he had spoken them aloud. "The Neqwa-Neq-Neq-what? I'm afraid I have no idea what that is. Is that what your people call yourselves?"

Caydence's fur flattened and her ears once more faced forward as she settled upon seeing her "human" looking right once more. She immediately hopped onto the table and moved to brush her head against the bottom of Remina's chin in a gesture of forgiveness.

[Juno]

Amused by his fumblings, Remina repeated it for him slowly. "Neqa'el. We are cat demons, but not cats. It's more....an affinity?" she shrugged, though her attention was quickly captured by Caydence and her eyes lit up with joy for the voluntary affection from her.

"Thank you, sweetheart," she cooed at her, gently sweeping a hand along her back and nuzzling her cheek against her fur. "We are few now, though," she continued as though her exchange with the cat hadn't happened at all. "It's unfortunate, but it is how things are now, so I'm not entirely surprised you haven't heard of us. Though, I'm sure there isn't much you don't know," she guessed, purposefully stroking his ego with her "cheated" knowledge of his complicated thoughts.

[GoblinFae]

Benjamin pursed his lips and shook his head. "I've heard of cat demons but they're nothing like what you showed me. They're more feline-like you know with the ears and the uh," he looked down and to the side of the table as if to see a twitching appendage, "tail."

He continued his sulking, uncaring of her brief moment with Caydence who upon being loved on immediately hopped back off the table to go do cat things. The nobleman simply could not believe that there was something he did not know.

Even when she attempted to praise his knowledge he could do nothing but shrug. He was too sullen over not knowing this bit of information. "You wouldn't have any books on your affliction would you?"

[Juno]

"Ah, I have seen them before, but yes, they are very different," she chuckled, snorting softly at the mere idea of ever having a tail. "It isn't an affliction, you know. I am one of a unique species, nothing more," Remina assured him, furrowing her brow as she watched Caydence as she left her sight.

"But I do. Have a couple of books, that is. I don't think they could tell you any more than I could, though. One is of my family's personal history and another just has details about what my kind is, what makes us unique... Did you want to look at them?" she wondered, returning her attention to him as she turned her head to face him once more.

[GoblinFae]

"Yes actually, I would if you don't mind. They sound like they could be a very interesting read indeed," he declared, once more relaxing back into his chair. "They would do well to pass the time while you prepare dinner."

Benjamin smiled warmly. He truly expected to be fed as in his mind it was part of the whole her protecting him matter. The nobleman, quite to his astonishment, was finding that he was enjoying the trip after all. He was about to possibly learn more knowledge about a species he had never heard of and he had already gotten a new commission in the face of the closing of his last. It really seemed to be fortuitous that he had been having so much trouble earlier in the day now that the evening was proving to be far more rewarding.