Questionable Public Service!

[rumormonger_nya]

A booth has been erected in the plaza with a sign hanging on its front that simply reads

Information Bought and Sold

Curious. It wasn't there yesterday.

Now, definitions are a tricky thing. Because Nekomata would definitely call what she has set up a booth, a kiosk, or any number of other professional words. It does not change the fact that what she indeed has is a cardboard box she is sitting in with her sign written into one of the longer sides in...well let's just hope that's some kind of condiment, shall we?

The cat demon herself seems entirely too pleased with herself as she leans her elbows on the edge of her 'desk' and subsequently partially crumples the cardboard with her weight. Trivial. Her ears perk up with every passer by. She only has one question to ask them, no matter who passes.

"What do you want to know?"

Be careful, it might cost you, if that tip jar on the ground next to her 'desk' is anything to go by.

Comments

[hellburger]

"Got any ideas for how to efficiently kick the ass of a certain winter spirit?" Nekomata's partner in crime is still in his pathetically wizened state, leaning shakily against the cane he managed to procure for himself. He has no illusions about maintaining safe anonymity around the demon, which either says something about his desperation or his trust in her.

[rumormonger_nya]

Indeed it would be difficult for Kaz to fool Neko's nose as she gives only a few sniffs before her eyes go wide.

"Wowwwwww you pissed off some hella mage nyaaaa. You're drenched in curse magics."

She seems really sympathetic, for the first thing she does is run off before coming back with a foldout lawn chair (it's best not to ask who she stole it from, really).

"How fast do you think I could piss off Officer Made of Fire and point him in the spirit's general direction?" Neko's tails curl slightly while she thinks. "Or we could just skip the middleman and get a flame thrower."

[hellburger]

"Reynard North doesn't think very highly of my musical taste, no." Miller doesn't waste any time sinking into the provided chair with a long sigh. Bless you, child.

"Fire is becoming our go-to solution around here, isn't it? But it's not like we can just torch the bastard with the AVF in place." Throwing out those acronyms in true military fashion. He thumps his cane against the ground. "In lieu of revenge, you got any magical friends who can lift this bullshit curse for me?"

[rumormonger_nya]

"Kazkaz, if you use enough of it, fire solves all problems."

Wise words from Nekomata, ladies and gentleman. Is it any wonder why that tip jar is empty?

"Nyot especially no. The only healer I know went and got tricked into contracting with a lizard guy and drug off to go save the world or something. It was a while ago myaaa." Her ears droop as she thinks over it. "I could do some hunting around. Everything's in the Nexus if you look hard enough."

[hellburger]

"Seriously? I swear to god, I can't swing a dead cat without hitting some kind of magical adept around here. You'd think someone could reverse this." Kaz growls and sinks deeper into his chair.

"Not to mention that goddamned field is slacking. How is this not violence? Or getting our bodies swapped, for that matter?" He swats his cane at the air, as if he could smack the AV field itself.

[auspex_caelo]

This new addition to the plaza is certainly a curious sight. Stratos lets a few inquisitive customers come and go before the tribune strolls along for a closer look. He's no stranger to feline nomads setting up shop unexpectedly, but this one is rather different.

"What can you tell me?" is his automatic response, inspecting the makeshift stall with a raised eyebrow. If he's tempted to chuckle, there's no sign in his expression.

[rumormonger_nya]

"Lots of things nya."

Golden eyes set upon her newest prey customer with a cheeky grin. She should have expected a smartass question or two to be thrown back her way. This one's got magic in him--she can smell it. Not the sort of person to mess around with too much.

"Primarily about the Nexus, though. I don't have many contacts in other worlds aside from my own, and you're not from that one."

[auspex_caelo]

"Indeed not." He doesn't question how she knows that: either he accepts that it's obvious or the ability seems quite natural to him. "How much information can you offer about people within the Nexus? Residents? Visitors? I imagine you have quite an excellent view of new arrivals even from here."

[rumormonger_nya]

"Natives are harder because they don't frequent many of the more well travelled areas of the Nexus. Stranded permanent residents are easy, as well as visitors. They're often loud and easy to spot by the confusion and fear that pours off of them."

Her tails flit form side to side.

"Who do you want to know about?"

[bestdadinamestris]

"Everything, obviously." Hughes doesn't mind toying (ugh) with the cat demon a little bit, given the size of his grin as he approaches her... 'desk.'

"But I'll only pay if it's useful to me."

[rumormonger_nya]

"This ain't nyo charity work, Humie." Nekomata doesn't appreciate your tone, mister. She is a professional and demands to be treated as such. Also, she tends to solve all of her problems with copious amounts of fire, and that shouldn't even be possible considering she doesn't even have fire magic at her disposal.

"Yer gonna have to be more specific with your requests, otherwise yer on your own mya."

[bestdadinamestris]

Good thing there's still snow on the ground to aid in the 'stop, drop, and roll' method of putting out said fire. Also good that he's quick on his feet. Fire can't be that bad, right?

"Specifics it is, then." Hughes can be professional when he needs wants to be, so Nekomata can see that side right meow. "If I gave you the name of a world, would that be specific enough for you? Or do you need more than that?" Beat. "The name of a country? A group? A person?" Finding out what she needs to get what he wants is good business sense and also helps him gauge how useful she might be in the future for intel gathering.

[rumormonger_nya]

"Worlds are tricky things cuz lots of them have different laws from my own and the Nexus. And I don't mean Humie moral bullshit, I mean like actual physical and magical properties of the respective world. I don't leave th'Nexus without good reason, but I can find out a lot of generals about a world by the folks that come from it."

Her tails swish from side to side, golden eyes narrowing as she tries to assess this man's agenda.

"Groups and people, if they're in th'Nexus, I can find 'em."

[icebearforpresident]

[Are cats okay with bears? Because one polar bear has stopped to look at Nekomata's booth with curiosity. The question gets him to think for a long time, before finally answering.]

"Ice Bear wants to know how to travel to other worlds without being seen as a bear." [And now he spots the tip jar and frowns slightly. Of course this whole thing wouldn't be free, so perhaps bartering will work?]

"Ice Bear can pay you in food, if you help Ice Bear with his dilemma."

[rumormonger_nya]

Nekomata seems to tense when Ice Bear approaches, mostly because she isn't sure whether the bear is a friend or a foe. When he decides to talk rather than break her neck, she relaxes slightly, tails curling over her head in interest.

"What kinds of other worlds?" She tilts her head, interested in his line of questioning. "And I never say no to food, though for a fellow Non-Humie I'd have given you a good deal anyway."

[icebearforpresident]

[No need to harm Nekomata, unless she really makes him angry. Instead, Ice Bear just takes a seat in front of the stand (almost reminiscent of a Charlie Brown / Lucy psychologist skit) and blinks at her with his beady eyes.]

"Any world. Ice Bear has tried going through portals. Ice Bear is unable to explore any other worlds, since humans try to chase Ice Bear away." [The bear feels confident knowing food can be a bartering tool.] "What does cat-lady want Ice Bear to make in exchange for this information?"

[rumormonger_nya]

"Yeah humies suck that way."

Nekomata thinks on this, tails swishing to and fro while she takes everything into consideration. She glances back at Ice Bear with a scrutinizing glance.

"Well, you speak humie, that's a start. Seems like you'd just need to be more specific about what worlds you go to. Magical worlds where you could explain yourself to the humies seems like a safer bet. Or a world without humies altogether. You'd just need to be watchful of who came and went from portals. And maybe ask someone from those worlds who could vouch for you."

Work, for certain, but not undoable.

"Do you know any good fish recipes myaa?"

[ixis]

Hey, here's a familiar face that hasn't crossed Nekomata's path in awhile. Said face is kind of grimacing and his one hand is clamped over his shoulder. Wait, is that BLOOD? It sure looks like blood. And smells like it too.

"I suppose I need information on how to get these removed from my hide," he says simply and with a shrug. Which of course makes him wince.

[rumormonger_nya]

"....Nyaaaand I take it healer's out of the question? Or a doctor?"

Nekomata doesn't look grossed out by this prospect. He's not even missing a limb or chunk of flesh. That's hardly something to be crying over. So it's a good thing he's not. She'd be giving him so much shit right now.

"By 'these' what do you mean? Teeth? Poison, mya?"

[ixis]

"Bullets." First things first, he takes a heavy seat on a chunk of summoned earth that rises to meet him. Then he pulls aside his beard to show that, yup, the guy's got two holes on the left side of him; one in the shoulder and one in the collarbone. The one in the clavicle is an obvious bullet wound, but the other is kind of...bigger. Like someone scrounged around in there with an implement not meant for removing bits of metal.

The fact his claw tip and one finger are also red is suspect.

"I don't do holy healing of any kind, thank you."

[rumormonger_nya]

"Bullets. You fought a humie?"

There's a pause before her ears perk, as though she's just thought of something.

"You didn't fight the police officer did you nya? I really don't want him mad at me again. He always talks foreverrrrrr when he's lecturing people it's like ohmyBeldr just shuttup mya."
n
Her tails flit when he shows off his war wounds, head canting to the side as she studies them.

"Wow, nya. That pincer ain't meat for precision work, is it?" She holds up a hand and extends her razor sharp claws. "Nyeed a hand?"

[pawofthenorthstar]

Jibanyan definitely wants to know something from one Neko to another...he's just not sure how to spit out as he looks down with a blush on his face]

[rumormonger_nya]

Nekomata smells the cat before she sees it, her ears perking and her gaze sharpening as she looks for the brethren cat. When she finally does spot Jibanyan she smiles, twils swishing in interest.

"Nyice to see another non-Humie. You doin' alright down there, kid?"

[pawofthenorthstar]

[Her voice causes him to jump and make his fur stand up...not exactly in "fear" though.

Jibanyan laughs nervously rubbing the back of his head]

W-who me? Of course, nya~othing wrong down here...how about you?

[rumormonger_nya]

"I'm doin' great mya~" Neko stretches out languidly, her back arching and her claws flexing as she gives herself a good old fashions cat stretch and yawn.

"Finally got my business up and running. The Nexus better watch out nya! Rumormonger Nekomata is on the cyase!"