8303/Home Sweet Hell

Home Sweet Hell
Date of Scene:	18 October 2021
Location:	The Griffin
Synopsis:	Mairin makes a deal with the devil, or her boyfriend at least.
Cast of Characters:	Thomas Blake, Saeko, Mairin Moran

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Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake has a strong work ethic. Many criminals do. In fact they could make money the honest way, submitting to mindless and thankless labor. Thomas does work hard at theft. But it's like they say, find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.

Now Mairin, she's all business and while he detected a thaw, she was not the life of the workshop. So a request to talk privately was granted. He was curious how she'd act in a relaxed environment and if she was starting to think of him as a friend, then it was on him to accommodate her. It was his idea after all. So he made some snacks, got some beers chilled and turned on the hot tub and the sunlamps in the backyard. this might be the last hot tube weather day. Then he waited, sipping a beer and playing Chemin de Fer with Bloord and an imp. He left a seat open for the kitsune.

Saeko has posed:
Saeko herself had many homes...it was sort of the benefit of being a divine messenger and literal magical being, but neither her place among the Amatsu-Kami nor her hideaway half a world away had quite the same company about it, and the Tenko had plenty of fondess for the pair who dwelled here.

What was staying over a few nights here and there when your existance was measured at over a thousand years anyway?

Herself having perhaps been warned about a mortal stopping by or maybe merely out of whim had changed her garb from that rather revealing yukata to something more modern, a simple black skirt and a white button-up blouse with a plunging neckline.

Truth be told? She had only just returned from a summoning from a particularly devout follower in Inari praying for financial prosperity...a rather overt explaination for the fact she strolls out into the open space, delicate fingers lazily placing an unwrapped chocolate into her mouth.

He'd sprung for the good stuff!

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin did ask to speak with Thomas. An invite to his home was not exactly what she'd expected, and ordinarily she would have refused, but the task at hand means enough to her that it was worth submitting to yet another of the man's power plays to get it done.

    She strolls up to the door, still in her very practical, completely modest, and utterly unasuming work clothes--minus the lab coat--and rings the bell. While she waits, she adjusts the large satchel of books and notebooks she carries slung across her to hang at one hip.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake answers the door. He's wearing cargo shorts, a sleeveless shirt, and tinted glasses are on his forehead. "Hey, morning. Welcome to the Griffin, Mairin. Leave your bag on the bench if you like. Come in the living room. I was just setting out some goodies. He gives her arm a little squeeze and ushers her inside. "Oh this is my lovely Saeko. Saeko, this is Dr. Mairin Moran. She's been helping at the cable show." He sits down in a large armchair near the fireplace.

Saeko has posed:
Saeko actually chuckles at the introduction, a tilt of her head bringing a little raise of her brow at the 'sense' of that little pendant on Mairen's form. Mystic items weren't exactly a new thing for her patron.

"Awfully possessive way to give my name," the inhumanly beautiful kitsune teases lightly, lazily setting aside the box of sweets and raising an eyebrow at the mention of the show.

"You've yet to tell me the details of that one," she muses before approachinf Mairin and bowing her head. "It is a pleasure to meet you doctor," she offers, "Are you a healer or a scholar?"

Mairin Moran has posed:
    "I don't..." Mairin protests for just a second before alowing herself to be brought inside. She's not afraid of Thomas. She never has been, really. At his worst he's only seemed arogant, obnoxious, and callous. It's Satana that she's afraid of, and she looks around the Griffin in a pretty obvious attempt to see if she's about as she's brought to the living room. "I don't mean to stay long, Mr.-- Thomas," she corrects with a small sigh. "I just had a favor to..."

    Her word petter off as she sees Saeko and her eyes get a little wider as the woman comes to her. "I... I'm an engineer," she says softly in a tone so completly different from the one she had just been using, it's like she'd turned to a completely different person.

    "I..." She looks back to Thomas in his chair and refocusses. "Thomas, I wanted to ask if you could do something for a friend of mine. If you're the kind of person I suspect... It shouldn't be too hard." She may be focussing on Thomas, but her eyes keep doing that little dance over to Saiko every few seconds. As if she wants to stare, but also desperatly doesn't.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake raises a brow. "Sorry you were sitting there, looking lovely and you clouded my mind. Of course you're your own Saeko. I'm just... blessed to know you. He gives the lovely woman a pat on the shoulder. Lovely. Then he leans back.

"Mairin is being modest. She is a top notch roboticist and researcher. So... if 'I'm the kind of person you suspect'... OK, what kind of person do you suspect I am?" He notes Mairin's eyes in passing and smiles to himself. Pretty sure Saeko did as well. He prepares himself to be entertained.

Saeko has posed:
A light grin and a wink at Thomas, Saeko lazily settling herself nearby, resting back on a chair of her own. Her knees brought together, the kitsune in disguise lazily rests one elbow on the arm of her chair, her chin resting atop of her folded hands.

"Impressive," she smiles, but Saeko trails off for the moment to let the pair talk. Each stare she seemed to notice however? They were matched with a warm, bright smile...almost certainly the complete opposite from Satana...were it not a for a little flirtatious note to the flutter of her eyelashes and quirk of her lips.

Mairin Moran has posed:
r    Mairin's hands grasp the strap of her satchel in front of her. "I believe you are..." glance, blush, swollow, refocus... "You are familiar with people who would..." glance, blush, swollow, refocus..

    Mairin moves around to a chair where it is harder for her to see Saeko and sits down.

    "I know that you were a criminal at one point and I suspect that you still have some kind of contacts in that area. I know you didn't purchase those reactors on... ebay. They're obviously black market." She's determined now. A part of her reaching to find her Will and using it to block out the distraction that is Saeko. "If you can do that, you might be able to help my friend."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake ahs. "There it is. My past. I was wondering if you'd bring that up. It's sometimes good to have hgh friends in low places. Let us say, I know work arounds when the law proves unfairly restrictive or unreasonable. Which friend is this?" He spares Saeko a glance himself.

Saeko has posed:
Apparently finding great joy in the reaction she draws out, Saeko shifts her gaze towards Thomas and tilts her head with that same grin.

"Friends of any kind can be wonderful," she offers, but she'll let Mairin continue to talk of her friend's needs.

Mairin Moran has posed:
    She starts to answer, then stops. "I can't give her name. But she's my assistant, the one you met. She's helping me with my work both at the university, and at the station. She's brilliant... and talented... But she also happens to be..." She glances to Saeko again as if unsure if she should say it in front of her, but presses on. "Dead. Which, as you can imagine makes certain things with the government very difficult."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake ahs yet again. "So circumstances make a criminal of her. You need an identity so that she can pay taxes and not be harassed. Not a problem being dead but the government will crucify you if they think you're scamming on your taxes. And once you try to set up to pay your taxes why they want to know everything about you. Well... I need to think on this. I'm going out to the yard and the tub. I do my best thinking there. You're welcome to join me. The hall closet holds suits for guests, if you want. Or you can wait with Saeko here. Though she may want to come with. Excuse me." He gets up and moves towards the stairs. He even keeps his shorts on till he ascends to the second floor bedroom and shuts it behind him. Behind the door, he rubs his eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh. Then changes.

Saeko has posed:
A little raise of her eyebrows, Saeko gives an excited little 'oh!' of amusement. "A vampiress perhaps? I met lovely one when I first came to... this city."

A little turn of her head coming at Thomas invitation, shrugging her shoulders. "I do like hot water," she muses aloud. Of course, if she was intending to change into a swimsuit? She wasn't in any great hurry.

Instead she speaks up, addressing the woman directly. "There can be little breaks, moments of fortune that help some of us live without much needs...but that is difficult to sustain for most."

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin starts to protest, but just sighs as he walks up the stairs and she's left alone with Saeko. So, she does the only thing she can think to do, and waits, hands folded in her lap, and eyes focussed on them. But that focus doesn't last long.

    "What?" she asks, at Saeko's words. She looks up at the woman, but uses her WIll to block off all the other thoughts that come just from looking at her, leaving nothing but the cold rational part of her brain to focus on the kitsune. "I don't know what you mean."

Saeko has posed:
"Oh," Saeko offers in suprise, lifting up from her seat and stepping closer to the seated Mairin, bending down to point her fingertip at Mairin's seated form right where the necklace sits. "I thought..."

A pause, a moment of amusement passing her features as she bites her bottom lip.

"Is the magic on you accidental?"

Mairin Moran has posed:
    She leans back slightly as Saeko comes closer. Not in fear... Or at least, not fear for her life at any rate.

    "Oh..." One hand comes up to grasp the pendant through her shirt. "No... I was given this. In case I ever need to call for help, or they need to call me for help." She clears her throat, the mental barriers she'd put up stressed to breaking with Saeko so close and focussed on her. "You... Know something about vampires?" she asks in the best attempt at a conversatinal tone she can manage right now.

Saeko has posed:
Perhaps in a small mercy, Saeko straightens up, that same pointing finger coming to her cheeks and then nodding.

"Fun," she muses lightly, before tilting her head to the side and laughing softly. "Oh...somewhat. But there are many many kinds of vampires..."

She trails off, grinning brighter. "There is much I know about a lot of things...but especially magic. So often, things are much more than they appear."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake remains upstairs. Once he hears the voices downstairs, he pulls out a phone and puts in a call to Iggy, Satana's latest fan.

"Main man, it's Leo. I need a pedigree for a friend of a friend. I... no... none of your business. LISTEN. I need a full background. Possibly medical records. Okay. You look around and give me some prices. My guy? My guy is detained... or I wouldn't be bothering you... Put in a good word for you? Yes I will say you kiss ass like a pro... yeah? No not since high school. Same to you. I'll call you tomorrow. Thanks, man." He shuts the burner phone, then powers it down and stores it under his mattress.

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin takes a deep breath as Saeko straightens. "She's was attacked by a Jiangshi. She fought to get out from under its control." She's not sure why she's trusting Saeko with this. Just... much like that big goof Herculies, she finds it very easy to trust her. "She's very brave," Mairin adds with a small smile.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake descends the stairs clad in Bermuda shorts. "I put in a call. I will let you know something tomorrow or the day after. It's like that. I have to go through other people." He goes to get a six pack out of the fridge and calls to Mairin. "We're done. You can stay or go or whatever." The game is suddenly not fun to play for him. He goes through the kitchen and out back.

Saeko has posed:
A look of suprise crosses the Vixen's features, eyes widening a little in at the mention of the vampire's 'flavour'.

"There are many features that can feed on the energy of life, Qi as they call it. Some more sinister than others...but you friend is impressive."

A shift, Saeko's clothing seems to shift, a flash of skin here and a shudder of fabric changing color, the kitsune was indeed wrapped in a deep red swimsuit.

But eyecatching as that might be, it was hardly the most noticable thing as she dropped her guise, the furred points of her ears revealed atop her head and her tails flaring out to sway behind her as she turns her back, glancing over her shoulder at Mairin with a wink. "I know Thomas will help you, and I'm sure one way or another you will find what you seek here."

With that, the revealed kitsune happily makes her way towards the backyard, lifting her voice to call out after Thomas. "Let me grab a drink, and don't turn on the jets till I get in!"

Mairin Moran has posed:
    There's a good ten seconds of Mairin just starring. Just, unabashed, unfiltered starring. Before she jumps up to follow Saeko to the backyard. Not for the kitsune, though she has a time of it tearing her eyes off of her, but for Thomas.

    "Thomas. You ran off before I could finish," She says, standing about ten feet from the hot tub and gripping her satchel strap like it's a shield. "I don't just need an identitiy for her. I need a whole background. A history. She needs to be able to pass a government investigation. Or... Or just be given one, I suppose. Either way. I need the school to be able to see that she has a Top Secret clearance."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake takes a sip of beer. "Do you want a Justice League membership while I'm at it? Let me find the guy and let you know. It's... doable. It's been done. Anyway making the school think she has clearance and actually..." he pauses as Saeko goes by. "having the clearance are two different things." He sits back in the water and takes another sip, with his eyes closed.

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin actually doesn't know what to say to that, she was expecting it to be nearly impossible. So she can't help the smile that comes to her face as she imagines how happy Demona will be to finally be able to work on the full project.

    Then the smile falls. "How much is it going to cost?"

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake thinks a moment before answering. "About fifty large. That's what I was told. Minimum."

Mairin Moran has posed:
    She shakes her head, taking a few steps forward. "I'm sorry I don't speak cr--" She stops, reconsidering. "I don't know what that means. Fifty what? Fifty-thousand?"

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake opens his eyes. "Five times ten to the fourth power. Yes. Fifty thousand." He sets the empty bottle aside and opens another, despite it not being a twist off by design." Then he gets out of the tub and grabs a robe, holding the bottle by its mouth with his teeth as he slips into it. He plops down in a lawn chair.

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin stands there, looking down at the water and thinking. She doesn't have anywhere near that kind of money saved up. She's been spending so much on Gossamer lately. Maybe she could get a loan... She has good credit...

    She walks over to the chair next to Thomas and plops down on it, still thinking. But after a few seconds, looks up. "Thank you, Thomas." And they might just be the kindest words she's ever spoken to him. "Really. I know... I know I can be.. Hard to get along with. You really had no rason to help me. Even if you're getting a cut of the money. It isn't like you need it."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake's eye snap open with an almost audible click. Mairin has no idea of knowing that those particular eyes are the last thing some people ever saw. They give a quick glance at Saeko, happily sunbathing and... he can't ruin her mood. Also seeing her calms everyone (except Mairin apparently) down. "If I'm getting a <what?>" he is not shouting. He is very calm. Outwardly. He gets up, throws the robe off and slips back into the tub. Evade! Evade! Fight or flight. Anyway the water was soothing. He needed soothing right now. e reaches for his third beer.

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin curses softly, under her breath, as Thomas walks away. Why is she *always* doing this. She takes a deep breath, stands and walks back to the tub, leaning against the side, arms folded on the edge. "I didn't mean it like that," she tries to explain. "I know you're not. I just meant, that even if you *were*, which I don't believe you *are*, you still wouldn't have any real reason to help me." She sighs, takes off her satchel and sets it on the ground next to the tub.

    "Look. You've saved my life twice. You've gotten me a job I desperately needed for rasons you don't even know. You're going out of your way to help someone I care a lot about... And you've never asked for anything in return. I'm not... I'm not used to that. It makes me suspicious, obviously, but more than that I'm just..." She shrugs. "I'm not used to someone being that nice to me for no reason. Not... Men anyway."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Part of him really just wants to hold her head under the water at the moment, but he's suppressing that. Successfully as Mairin is still breathing and talking. Instead he says says, "So... you like hot tubs? Get in if you do."

Mairin Moran has posed:
    She smiles, a sheepish thing that touches her eyes, making them squint a little. "I don't know... I've never been in one." She looks at the water, even dipping a hand into it and letting it rush and bubble around her fingers. She glances at Saeko... looks at Thomas... Then walks back to the house, leaving her satchel behind.

    It takes a while, but eventually she comes back out in a robe that is pulled tight around her, her hair pulled up into a crazy curly kind of bun behind her head. She keeps the robe shut tight until she can quickly slip it off and gets in the water. As far from Thomas as possible, but hey... she's in.

    She watches Thomas with curious eyes even as she slowly relaxes by small degrees.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake knocks back another cold beer. He regards Mairin as far from him in the tub as humanly possible. What'd she know about how much money he had or didn't have? He had expenses. The house, the people working for him. This was the point where she probably expected him to demand some physical expression of gratitude from her for all this. That's what a criminal would do, right? He does nothing but relax, and let her relax...

... sadist that he is.

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin didn't know anything. As is so often the case, she simply assumed. On the flip side, she never assumed he'd ask for anything physical either. Why would he? He has women far more attractive in his orbit. So, by slow degrees, she relaxes in the tub. Saying nothing, and eventually closing her eyes as she focusses on her breathing.