Nexus. Den and Dennis' factory. Mabyn

[random_xtras]

small girl: *quiet blue eyes that miss nothing, blonde hair pulled back from her face and then let to hang to her shoulders and cover her ears. Looks about ten years old, the sort of watchful little thing that is easy to overlook* *walks up to the blanket and bunny factory, one of Dennis' 'help wanted' fliers in one slender hand as the other rises up to press the bell*

Den: *opening the door to head out, acks and steps back when she nearly runs into the girl* Sorry! Sorry!

girl: *steps aside, and then looks up* Could you tell me where to find the person who owns this place?

Den: Er.... I'm one of 'em.... *moves to crouch slightly so she's closer to the girl's eye-level* I'm Den... Dennis is in his home reality right now.... How may I help you?

girl: *shows her the flier* I want to apply for the knitting job.

Den: *expression brightens as she moves to stand up fully and hold the door open... and then she's looking inside and yelling at Yuffie to quit tormenting Sephy for a few minutes*

girl: *quizzical look as she steps inside. Is studying you now, Den*

Den: *has a bit of an odd manner of dress... mostly mish-mashed items like the San Francisco T-shirt over the long white skirt, topped by a man's flannel shirt... Is also tapping a sandal on the floor to the beat of some song that nobody else seems to hear. While it's clear she's not terribly old, she's got a bit of a tendency to pop at the knees, elbows or hips depending on how she moves*

Yuffie: *from clear across the factory* He started it!

girl: *takes all this in at a glance, but is more curious about the fact that Den didn't try to negate her right to apply for this job, or her ability to do it*

Den: *to Yuffie* I'll believe that when you can prove it. *why no, that's not a grin starting on her face*

Yuffie: *razzes and goes to get more blankets from a quiet, golden-eyed blonde girl's workstation*

Den: *soft snerk, shakes her head and turns her attention to the girl who's come for the job* Think you can handle working with this lunatic group?

girl: *studies Yuffie the same way she studied Den* *quietly* Yes, I do.

Yuffie: *making small talk with the blonde girl and then leaning down to offer scritchies to a dark-colored purrpony baby that's curled up next to the blonde. Seems to be about 13 or so, and very boisterous*

Den: Good... What knitting stitches do you know?

girl: *looks up from her study of Yuffie and the gold-eyed girl* *slight smile* A lot.

Den: *grins* Alright. Do you need a place to stay, or do you already have a place? 'Cause there's an apartment right above the factory that is already fully furnished and unoccupied right now....

girl: *eyes crease slightly at the corners with amusement* You can tell I'm not human?

Den: *blink blink* No.... I just figured you're an Exile, like the rest of the group here...

girl: *the twinkle in her eyes increases* Most people still try to keep a ten year old girl from working in a knitting factory, or living on her own.

Den: *honestly* Most people don't take in Exiles to work for them, and especially not those who could very well be capable of killing them.... But I've always been a freak, so go figure.

girl: *one brow quirks, and then she inhales* There are other things here. I can smell Guardian Changelings, and something else.

Den: *'hmmm's softly* Depending on what you're smelling, it could be Lumen, who is an X-Positive human who looks like an anthropomorphic lion... It could be Lola, Legacy's and Lu's purrpony... It could even be Sephy or Sephiroth... Those two are the ones I was talking about when I mentioned being capable of killing.... *quieter* They've got a lot of darkness to them, but there's still enough Light in them that they have a chance of redeeming themselves... *or so she believes... Den's very trusting of people*

girl: X-positives are still human. *gaze goes toward one of the tall, single winged beings and her mouth twitches slightly in a suppressed smile as her eyes take on a slightly predatory gleam* Darkness. Heh.

Den: True... Anyways... Most of the people who work here, aside from Dennis and me, are Exiles... They're either dead in their realities, or their realities no longer exist....

girl: Mine exists, and I in it. But there isn't much room for my kind in the mortal world anymore.

Den: Well, if you want to work here, that's fine by me. I'll let Dennis know, and we'll get you on the payroll.... *attention going to the roof as Lumen enters through one of the skylights* Lu! What did I say about using the doors?

Lumen: *sheepish grin* I was chased by Teletubbies this time!

Den: ... *facepalm*

girl: *busy looking sideways as one of the Sephiroths approaches* *and then growls, very softly and very menacingly. At the same time her human seeming fades slightly, faintly disclosing a sharp-eared being with glowing eyes who is not one jot human*

Sephiroth: *was going to step on Lumen's tail. Stops mid-step. Will go get blankets bundled up for the next delivery person then! And warily look over his shoulder at the new girl.*

Lumen: *low growl, fur poof*

Den: *just went a bit pale*

Yuffie: *tensed up*

Legacy: *pauses in her work to cautiously glance over. Can't feel what's bothering the others, but did feel their fear... And Lumen normally doesn't feel fear that strongly*

girl: *and then she's just a small, human looking girl again* *turns her attention back to Den* *quietly* Do you still want me?

Den: *quietly and honestly* It's not in my nature, or in Dennis' nature, to turn away anyone who is willing to work for what they want... But that was $*@#@&#$-ing scary. *said with a slight grin*

girl: *quietly* I'm half Hunter Fae, the last one on this side of the Sea. It's in my nature to preditize those whose darkness can't be overcome. *eyes flick back toward the Sephiroths* There's no one like that here.

Den: *small nod* Just remember that nobody's allowed to shed anyone else's blood inside the factory.... It's a pain in the butt to clean up.

girl: *brows raise slightly* I need fresh, raw animal meat to live. Will that be a problem? I'm not a messy eater.

Den: That's fine. I just don't want people getting their blood spilled in here... *shrugs and then glances at the door as a tall blond guy who looks like he could be her twin brother enters* Hey, Dennis! New employee...

Dennis: Oh? *will come over* Hi...

girl: *looks up at him and nods, then turns back to Den and finally lets her smile show. It is as quiet in appearance as the rest of her, but though there is something alien and slightly aloof about it there is no question that it is sincere* Alright. But you understand that if you invite me into this place it will be very hard to dislodge me.

Dennis: *soft snerk* That's not gonna be a problem...

Den: *slightly off-center grin* Yeah.... We're not the sort to throw people to the curb very easily....

Legacy: *quietly* What was that, just now?

Yuffie: And who's she? *nods towards the girl, wariness in her dark eyes*

girl: *looks at Yuffie* Call me Mabyn. *then, as the Nexus translators whisper the meaning of that name* And I let a hint of my true nature show. *yes, that was just a hint*

Legacy: *small nod, will return her attention to her work, pausing occasionally to talk to Lola and gently scritch the baby's ears*

Den: *sheepish looking grin now* I knew I was forgetting something.... *yes, she tends to forget to ask people their names* And I'll prolly be asking you your name again and again for a few days till I get it to stick in my mind.... I'm better at remembering faces than names...

Dennis: *to Mabyn* So your name means 'forever young'? *just curious, and seeking to understand*

Mabyn: *shrugs* I'm over a thousand years old. And I'll never age unless I want to. *perks and looks toward a sound from outside the building* But predators are most likely to hunt beings that look like this.

Dennis: Huh.... Okay... I'll talk to Aeris and get you on the payroll. Laters... *scoots around Den and heads into the office to talk to the young woman there*

Den: *attention going to where Mabyn's looking* Something's there?

Mabyn: *bit of a half grin* Teletubbies. *looks at Lumen* Did you drop a stuffed bunny?

Lumen: Yeah... It was either that, or let the goobers corner me... *goes to put money in the big jar labeled "Donations"*

Mabyn: They want to give it back to you. They're worried about it.

Den: *moves to go out to talk to the Teletubbies and explain that they can keep it as a gift*

Mabyn: *in the meantime finds unattended yarn and needles and sets to work on something on the round, using the patterned sock yarn that makes a floral design*

Den: *chuckling as she returns with the bunny in hand, will go tuck it in with Lola, who whickermews at the new addition a bit before gently nosing it and purring quietly*

Mabyn: *small face is intent as she works, has already got a recognizable rag bunny foot started*

Den: *moves to sit down at one of the workstations and work on one of the squares she set down earlier. Has completely forgotten that she was going to go somewhere...*

Dennis: *out after a couple minutes, will do like Den, complete with foot tapping to a song only he can hear*

Mabyn: *looks up, and then drops her skein into the bag hanging by her side and goes over to Den without pausing the swift dance of her hands on the needles*

Den: *counting stitches and checking her chart as she works. She's knitting an Autobot square, which is also what is in stacks nearby. There are also stacks of Decepticon squares, though they seem a bit dusty*

Mabyn: *quietly* You've lost your path.

Den: *blink blink* Huh? *looks down at her knitting*

Mabyn: You've lost your path. This isn't where you'd been going.

Den: ... *blink* Oooh, yeah... I forgot... *sheepish grin as Dennis snerks* *will set her knitting down for now* *to Mabyn, as she pulls a little spiral notebook and a pen out of a pocket* Do you have any snack preferences?

Mabyn: *shakes her head* I don't eat snacks. *side glance with slight guilt* Unless someone stirs up a mouse nest.

Den: ... If someone does, and you can beat Lola to 'em, you can have 'em.

Dennis: *coughs to hide his snicker. Yes, he has the same reaction as his alternate to mice, but it's always amusing to listen to her say stuff like what she just said*

Mabyn: *eyes flick from one to the other as she reads their feelings concerning mice. Doesn't smile though. Just knits and waits* Does she eat them too?

Den: No... She just chases 'em and tries to pounce on 'em at this point.... *not really fond of mice, and is liable to jump onto the nearest chair to avoid them if they run across the floor*

Mabyn: *glances at the baby critter with a smile, and that smile is different from the others she's given. It's warm enough to nearly seem human*

Lola: *ears up, whickermew of greeting. Hi, person!*

Mabyn: *soft clucking sounds, her hand still busy with the needles. And then she's looking up at Den again*

Den: *finishes writing something down, and then she's nodding* I'll be back soon... We get food and drinks from the Black Dog usually, since it's safe there.... *tears the notebook page she was just writing in off and holds it out to Mabyn* This is how to get to the Black Dog from here, if you ever wanna go there. *smiles*

Mabyn: *nods and takes it, then tucks it into the bag with the yarn* And the stairs to the apartment?

Den: *points to a door on the other side of the partition that separates the office from the rest of the factory* Just outside that door. Key's under the mat.

Mabyn: *looks toward the door* Do I have to use it?

Den: *a bit unsure about which 'it' Mabyn means* Well, if you've got someplace else to stay, you don't have to use the apartment...

Mabyn: I meant the key.

Den: Oooh... well, if you can get the door unlocked without damaging it, and not use the key, go ahead... *slight grin. She's picked her share of locks over the years, mostly luggage locks, so she's kind of familiar with the idea*

Mabyn: How much metal is inside the door? *hands still flying over the needles as the bunny's leg rapidly takes form*

Den: Aside from the doorknob, the hinges, and the deadbolt, not much... The numbers by the door are ceramic tiles...

Mabyn: *slight head tilt as she looks down at her work... it's time to finish off that leg and start the next one* How far through the door does the deadbolt go?

Den: *holds up her hands to show. It's a standard Earth deadbolt, so it only goes into the door about two inches or so*

Mabyn: *nods, then walks over and seems to dissolve into dark mist before vanishing right through the closed door*

Den: *blink blink* .... Huh... *shrugs and moves to head for the Black Dog to get snacks*

Aoife: *nearly knocks on Den's boobs to be let in as Den opens the door*

Den: *acks and skitters back a few steps*

Aoife: *blink blink, snickerfitdie*

Den: ...People really need to start wearing freaking BELLS or something.... *says the girl who finds amusement in wearing stuff that jingles as she moves*

Aoife: *pauses in mid cackle to give her a slight stink eye* Um... no.

Den: It'd give me some warning at least... 'Scuse me... *gonna try scooting around you now, Aoife* I'm supposed to be on a snack run....

Aoife: *holds up a bag* Somebody called me and wished I'd get them, since you were 'taking all day'.

Den: ... *facepalm* I'm going to have to have words with Yuffie again, aren't I?

Aoife: I put blue chocolate fudge in, too.

Den: *perks*

Aoife: *then frowns and looks around* Something's here... But I don't know what it is.

Den: Mabyn...

Aoife: ... What? *looks up at the taller woman, her frown deepening as the grey clouds cover the green in her eyes*

Den: *will explain as well as she's able, occasionally gesticulating and repeating herself as she tends to do*

Aoife: *eyes slowly widening* Whoa... I've never heard of such a thing. *looks around again* So she's as dangerous as she feels.

Den: *slight shrug* I guess... *slight grin* She scared the spit outta Sephiroth.... And didn't even have to grab my keyblade replica out of the office to do it.

Aoife: *snerk* Den, I've scared the spit out of Sephiroth. Of course, she probably did it without flaming hairspray

Den: *gives Aoife a Look* You scared me with that stuff.

Aoife: *clouds gone from eyes, which are dancing* :D

Den: *razz*

Dennis: *is that yelp from inside as someone chucks a stack of blankets across the way and beans him*

Den: *facepalms and looks over her shoulder to tell Lu to ease up on Dennis for a bit*

Aoife: Anyway. *shakes the bag* Gimme a twenty on top of the price of this stuff, and we're even?

Den: Lemme go get one outta my drawer... *yes, Den's taken to the habit of sticking money in a desk drawer....*

Aoife: Okay. *will follow her inside. Isn't a Fae who needs to be invited*

Den: *heads for the office, and is soon digging through her drawer and musing about things*

Aoife: *listens to the musing with one ear as she watches the shenanigans on the work floor and listens to that feeling from the apartment up above* Is this big blue guy supposed to have shown up here, Den? He looks kind of confused. ...And Lumen's spazzing worse than usual.

Den: *looks up as she finds a twenty and adds it to the money for snacks* Big blue guy?

Aoife: He looks a little like Lumen, but he's got a horn. *watching*

Den: *blink blink blink* ... Is it broken?

Aoife: Well, it was till I took advantage of the wish he was practically screaming in his head. *shifts the snack bag to her other hand*

Den: *offers the money* I know who that is.... Kimahri Ronso...

Aoife: Is he new here? *looks at the bill and takes it. Then hands over the bag*

Den: Must be... 'Cause Dennis or I would've spotted him when he arrived...

Aoife: So you just got a new lackey? *glances at Den as the bag... squeaks*

Den: I guess... *blinks and looks in the bag*

bag: *has ALL the snacks mentioned. Including a small jar with air holes in the lid and five young field voles in it*

Den: *blink blinks at the voles* *snerrrrks as she remembers something Mabyn mentioned*

Aoife: Hmmph. You're no fun sometimes. *laughs, and then looks toward where the younger cat man is spazzing about the older one*

Lumen: *spazz spazz spazz, furpoof!*

Kimahri: *paying the golden-brown guy no mind as he lifts the stack of blankets off of Dennis*

Lola: *hop hop hopping over to sniffsniff Kimahri*

Leon: *watching the blue guy warily, but since he doesn't seem to be interested in starting a fight....*

Aoife: *soft chuckle* He may be new, but he looks like he's already used to the place.

Den: *snerks* Well, we can always use more people to carry things... *will let Dennis talk to Kimahri*

Aoife: Tell him there's room at the Brownstone if he needs somewhere to sleep. *looks up again toward that feeling* I guess I better get going.

Den: *nods* Will do... *chuckles as Kimahri gently scritches Lola's ears and gets purred at*

Aoife: *d'awws softly, and then sparkles and vanishes*

((written with dens_extra_pups))