Ling enters Temnitsa feeling perfectly at home and walks straight up to the bar, looking around to see what kind of patrons this night has attracted. After briefly chatting to the barkeeper, who still seems interested in her, she hears that Francesc is downstairs again and makes her way there. As they walk, she says to Shivala: "It may be better if you stay back a bit, your rage is kinda showing." Looking over her shoulder, she scans the faces of the others: "Anyone else want to take point with me this time?"

“See Astrid, it’s not always so abyssal in here.” There is a hint of his own relief in Caio’s voice as he says this. Ghoul flies in past Ling and immediately begins guzzling from an unattended cup, which earns him an immediate unsummoning as Caio steps up to the bar with a snap of his fingers. “I volunteer Alaris.”

As they make their way towards Francesc on the lower level, Shiva puts a hand on her hip as her obvious aggression towards the man is pointed out, "Yeah, I don't really do too well with Breannian nobility, even ex-nobility. I second Alaris." she says with a gesture towards the aasimar.

     Astrid is pleasantly surprised upon entering for the formerly raucous establishment. She smiles and nods at Caio. "Yes. Much better this evening. I can actually hear myself think." She listens on as the others debate who to take the lead on the meeting. "So this man owes you a favor, right?" she says to Ling. "Perhaps discussing what you want that favor to would be wise before going in there."

"Money? Jewels? Gold? Honestly, I'm not picky, as long as it sells well." Ling jokes as they descend down the stairs. "Do you have something else in mind? Is he your type or something?"

Alaris Forien saunters into Temnitsa with the rest of the group, having made the usual arrangements with Andrei for the safekeeping of their gear. A solid victory, a new job, the opportunity to punch a swaggering Breannian in the face... all in all the traits of the quality day have added a lightness to the paladin's steps. The music makes them feel even more at ease, and they hum the tune in a soft, sing-song way as they walk.

Alaris laughs at Caio's nomination, then stop and stare in mock annoyance at Shiva as she seconds it!

"Now look, dammit - I didn't come out with you to waste time on that hooy morzhovy." Their mind floats back to their last encounter with Francesc.

"All right, I'll do it... but someone better buy your favorite bogatyr a bottle of wine if you expect me to process his chush without violence." The group had accepted the prospect of the new assignment with relative aplomb, so they would only put up a token struggle against the interaction with the gangster.

Shiva laughs back at Alaris' shocked expression, "I'll pay for every drop you have tonight, darlin'. Your ability to remain cordial with pompous, mouth-breathing pricks is invaluable. Believe me, if I talked to him, we'd be leaving with a bounty on our heads."

As the group descends down the spiral staircase to the lower level, the tone of the music slowly shifts from the warm melody that was playing in the bar to an extravagant ballad of drums and strings with the sonorous tune of a woman singing. As they step into the large hall the singer can be see in centre dressed in a costume of black satin with a spaded tail and horns upon her head. It's unclear if she is a tiefling or if this is part of her costume. Musicians play their instruments on the stage around her, and guests are arrayed on couches up and down the edges of the room. The guests are all well dressed and masked, although here and there they can also be seen fornicating with one another in various states of undress.

At the far end of the room Francesc presides on his dais, just as before. Besides him stands a woman who nobody recognises. She has skin white as snow, marked in many places by black tattoos of what look like runes of some kind. Her hair is a shock of ginger curls that fall past her shoulders and she wears a long flowing black halterneck dress.

Caio is already wearing a scowl before they get to the bottom of the staircase. How could he have made such a fool of himself the last time they were here? But those hazy and embarrassing memories are swept from his mind as soon as he catches sight of Francesc's company. The cascade of auburn curls, the dress, those tattoos...

"Those tattoos..."

The echo in his head raises a lump in his throat. Something is not right, and Caio is on his highest alert. As they approach, his jet black eyes remain locked on to the strange woman.

As the group enter the den of debauchery, Shiva finds the atmosphere almost instantly intoxicating, "Oh gods, you may really need to hold onto me, Caio." 

Getting a visual on Fransesc and his ivory partner, she does her best to focus her attention away from the environment. As she looks over the heavily marked woman, a wave of familiarity surges forth from somewhere in her mind, though she can't imagine why.

Alaris hears the music and immediately looks at Shiva. When the tiefling groans to Caio, Alaris steps forward and lays light hands on their elbows. "Listen... Caio, Shiva. We're in as much danger down here as we were back at the church when the fleder were stalking us. Plus, I need you to watch out for Astrid - this is NOT her scene and HE will find a way to exploit that if he..." The paladin inclines their gaze towards Francesc and their voice fades away as their silvery eyes widen in shock and horror as they see Francesc's tattooed consort.

"Oh yeah... you know what those are, don't you? They darkle... they tinct... don't they? Can't you feel them crawling over your body like arcane millipedes, tickling and prickling and driving you mad???"

"Gang... what the hell is going on... who or what is that with Francesc?"

Lings steps falter when she spots the ginger woman with the strange markings next to Francesc. Instinctively, she holds out a hand to slow Shiva down. A feeling of... excitement? runs through her; the woman reminds her of someone, but she cannot place her. My dream. She looks like the people in my dream. There is no time for her to wonder about it, not now at least. "I have no idea, but I feel like I've seen her before. Ignore her, he's the one we want," she whispers to Alaris before stepping up and crossing her arms, just short of the dais. Planted right in front of Francesc, she addresses him without preamble: "So we took care of those little flying pets. Only they weren't so little, or pet-like." Ling raises an eyebrow and holds his gaze.

As Ling and Alaris draw closer to the dais they catch the tail end of Francesc's conversation with the red-haired woman.

"-shows up here again, then my father expects you to do what he pays you for. Do you understand Señor?"

She steps aside with a congenial smile when Ling approaches, but remains stood besides Francesc's chair.

"Ah, little Ling. Always a pleasure," the man replies, declining to address answer the sorceress's comments. "Yes, I hear that the old temple has been quite cleared of the unpleasant beasts. You have my thanks."

"You wiped out those fleder on your own?" The woman behind him asks with interest.

"Ah, yes, of course," Francesc adds as an afterthought with a bored yawn. "Ling, allow me to introduce Lady Morgenstern. Ling and her little band of friends have been taking care of some business for me."

"We'll need a little more than your eternal gratitude. You sent us on a near suicide mission. Our deal was to take out some fleder, not bear-sized monsters and a demon." Ling looks genuinely cross. "Nothing the trio infernale can't take care of, my lady." She answers the woman with a grin and a slight nod of her head. "So," she continues, taking a step back to stand beside Alaris. "how much extra trouble did we go through in addition to the agreed deal? In coins?"

     Astrid approaches the dais, staying a few steps behind Ling and Alaris. She tilts her head curiously at the tattooed woman and examines her skin art from afar. She wonders to herself: What is that scrpit... elvish? No, definitely celestial. She snaps back to attention at Francesc's introduction. "Morgensternn...," she mumbles. "That sounds familiar... Ling, isn't that the same name as your half-elf friend?" she asks the tiefling, taking a step closer.

   "Actually a daemon, to be more accurate," she corrects Ling.

Following the instruction of Alaris, Shiva steps forward a moment after Astrid does, but remains several paces behind her. Looking to Francesc and his guest, she tries to keep her face as stoic as possible. 

Quote from HanaObrien >>

"We'll need a little more than your eternal gratitude. You sent us on a near suicide mission. Our deal was to take out some fleder, not bear-sized monsters and a demon." Ling looks genuinely cross. "Nothing the trio infernale can't take care of, my lady." She answers the woman with a grin and a slight nod of her head. "So," she continues, taking a step back to stand beside Alaris. "how much extra trouble did we go through in addition to the agreed deal? In coins?"

"We were recruited to eliminate ten fleder. That's it," Alaris barks.

After a long pause, they continue, "We ended up fighting eight of them in the catacombs alone, along with swarms of something we thought impossible before yesterday: juvenile fleder being bred and grown in some sort of grotesque living hatcheries. Not to mention the giant one. YES - a swollen, enormous fleder - twice as big and four times as strong as the regular ones. AND the mezzoloth that burst out of it. We think the mezzoloth was a mercenary, overseeing the whole breeding ground for someone else."

The paladin's gaze flickers over to the tattooed Morgenstern before returning to Francesc. "Up in the sanctuary above? Another eight regular fleder, with dominance of the high ground and supported by another massive protofleder." Alaris ticks one after another off on their fingers, eyes not leaving the gangster's face.

"So yeah - we are here to renegotiate. Your thanks, along with his clothing," Alaris gestures generally towards Caio, "for doing a job at least twice as big as what we were told? Not likely."

After his strange encounter with this entity inside of him, Nikolai decides it best to remain out of the negotiations; however, something about the strange woman speaking with Francesc piqued his interest. '...hunter...' The voice whispered in his head. Part of him saw her as an ally and part of him was fearful... no, not quite fearful... conflicted? Disinterested? It was a strange emotion...

"Yes, yes..." Francesc replies dismissively, flapping his hand at Ling and Alaris. "You're all very brave and powerful heroes, but I didn't hear a price in all that."

"My, my, Francesc," Lady Morgenstern observes with a giggle, "I do believe they have you on the rocks!"

"Oh, and please," she adds to Ling as Francesc rolls his eyes, glancing off to the side while he drums his fingers on the arm of his chair. "Call me Clarissa."

Ling turns towards the lady, leaving Alaris to talk numbers with Francesc. "Clarissa... Morgenstern? What a beautiful name, are you one of the local noble families? Forgive me, we are travellers." Tilting her head, she inspects Clarissa. Rich, clearly his boss. Possibly armed? That could be a blade on her thigh... nice dress too. She's not worried about him at all, but he doesn't trust her. Is that Jonathan's sister? "Brave and powerful travellers, as you've heard. What do you think we are owed, lady Clarissa? Nobody could reject a price named by you, I would think." Ling winks at her, absentmindedly running her hand over one of her silvery braids.