Shammura, in the middle of mounting Toasty, looked up as she felt a powerful aura fill the room. 

[color=darkmagenta]"Oh my, if it isn't Nostromo-sama,"[/color] she said, pronouncing each word with snide vitriol the same way a disgruntled salaryman would speak to their bosses in middle mamagement. [color=darkmagenta]"To what do we owe the pleasure, you [url=http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111201153143/blazblue/images/thumb/7/78/Hazama_(Continuum_Shift,_Cutscene).png/500px-Hazama_(Continuum_Shift,_Cutscene).png]shitty vampire[/url]?"[/color]

[QUOTE=Dead Cruiser]"[color=9e0b0f]Loathe as I am to interrupt your disturbing tryst, I believe our time would be better spent deliberating our next course of action.[/color]"[/QUOTE]

Shammura frowned. 

[color=darkmagenta]"Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I'm in the middle of killing milord right now, and it won't do to have you interrupt such an... [i]intimate[/i] moment,"[/color] she said, licking her lips with a disquieting slurping noise. She laid herself on top of the guildmaster, moaning. [color=darkmagenta]"Ohhh, Toasty-sama! Promise you'll stay with Shammura to the very end! I want to enjoy every last second we have together~"[/color]

The aura went from fierce to overpowering as the vampire lord made it very clear this was as far as she'd go as long as he was around. She stood her ground against the enormous pressure, but then felt Toasty's dampened aura resonating with Nostromo's. Shammura flinched involuntarily, caught between the two crashing waves.

[color=darkmagenta][i]Damn, so this is what the power of [b]two[/b] Supreme Beings feels like? Am I really supposed to be able to beat them? Even if I'm the same level, it still feels like we're worlds apart...[/i][/color]

Reluctantly, she crawled off of Toasty's paralyzed body to show her respect for her creator and the other Supreme Beings. Or that's what she [i]would[/i] have done, had the shitty vampire not picked her up by the collar like a cat. 

[color=darkmagenta]"What do you think you're doing?! Only milord is supposed to be able to touch me like that! Unhand me! Unhand me this instant!"[/color]

As soon as he did, the impish little library zombie ran up and started administering an antidote to her poison. Shammura felt like smacking the little flesh-doll so hard it separated into all its different stitched together parts, but this was a valuable lesson, and she was already in enough trouble as it was. Next time, she'd need to make a more advanced, less derivative poison. 

[QUOTE=Dead Cruiser]"[color=9e0b0f]Leave us. Try to make yourself less of a detriment.[/color]"[/QUOTE]

Shammura stood from where she'd been dropped and dusted off her robes as Toasty's body started to twitch. She laughed haughtily.

[color=darkmagenta]"That goes to show what you know, you shitty vampire. What I'm doing is in accordance with the wishes of the highest authority. What could  possibly be detrimental about a servant fulfilling her master's wishes?"[/color]

Her "master" coughed, reinvigorated by Mary's medical care.

[color=darkkhaki]"Shammura..."[/color] he wheezed, forcing oxygen back into his lungs. Immediately the demoness eagerly whipped to attention, like a loyal puppy.

[color=darkmagenta]"Yes, milord?"[/color]

[color=darkkhaki]"It is as you say. I ordered you to do that. And you failed. As punishment for your failure, you are to dig as big a hole as you possibly can, then fill it back up. I want you to do this until you've fully depleted all of your stamina and MP, understood?"[/color]

Shammura bowed elegantly. [color=darkmagenta]"Of course. I would do anything for my beloved Toasty Enji~nia-sama. Well then, Mary, shitty vampire-sama, I bid you farewell."[/color]

Curtsying in a manner unbecoming of a master of the dark arts, Shammura tiptoed out of the room to begin her "punishment". Toasty leaned forward and sat atop the table, recovering.

[QUOTE=Dead Cruiser]"[color=9e0b0f]Half of your misfortunes are self-inflicted, I swear. We have fresh reconnaissance reports from the Syndicate, and will be meeting in the Copper Hall to discuss them within the hour. I've already sent out the round of messages, but this damned anti magic field around your quarters seems to have kept you out of the loop. You're lucky that I'm considerate enough to keep you informed on these things, otherwise you'd most likely be dead.[/color]"[/QUOTE]

[color=darkkhaki]"Yeah,"[/color] Toasty said sarcastically. [color=darkkhaki]"Thanks, oh wise and humble one."[/color]

He hated Nostromo's "game face". He took his vampire lord persona way too seriously. In his eyes, there was roleplaying and then there was what Nostromo was doing. The former was fun play-acting you did with friends. The latter was just being an ass and making an ass out of yourself while you were at it.

[color=darkkhaki]"I think it's best to just play along with her game, y'know?"[/color] he said to Nostromo, explaining his decision. [color=darkkhaki]"She's confused and unstable as it is. She can't reconcile her feelings. The last thing we want to do is to push her off the edge."[/color]

He got up, testing that his muscles were working again with a few short hops. 

Nostromo seemed smugly pleased with himself, but looking down at the now mostly-restored Toasty, a tone of genuine concern seemed to creep into his expression. 

[QUOTE=Dead Cruiser]"[color=9e0b0f]We should be off. Can you walk?[/color]"[/QUOTE]

Toasty hadn't been expecting that. He smiled softly. 

[color=darkkhaki]"Yeah, I'm okay,"[/color] he said. [color=darkkhaki]"Thanks for caring, man."[/color]

[hr]

After dressing himself in his Dwarven King armor for the sake of appearances and equipping his voice modulator item, Lungs of the Viking, Toasty and Nostromo departed for the meeting in the Copper Hall.

Pulling out his chair at the head of the table (the court of Camelot this was [i]not![/i]), Toasty made a big show of carefully seating himself, his armor clunking and shifting at every slight movement. Awkwardly, he coughed to clear his voice.

[color=darkkhaki]"Nostromo, Donut-san, Lady Pastry, Annwn-san, Revenmar, Silva, Wolfgang, Mary, Furiko,"[/color] he said, nodding at everyone seated at the table. [color=darkkhaki]"Thank you all for coming. And thank you to you as well, Mercuria Alpha. Your dependability is astounding as always. The Ragnavault is lucky to have been blessed with such a capable caretaker. However, in the future, you... [i]do[/i] know that we don't demand you do that every time you come to a meeting, right?"[/color]

Having greeted everyone, Toasty nodded.

[color=darkkhaki]"Excellent. Now before we get down to business, I'd like to say that Shammura won't be joining us this morning. She is currently in the lower levels, far away from the Automatica this time,"[/color] he reassured, remembering an earlier incident. [color=darkkhaki]"She is... performing her duties as the grand vizier."[/color]

There was a large bang and a rumble following what sounded like extremely powerful magic being cast in the lower levels of the mines fifty floors beneath them. Toasty started sweating inside his armor.

[color=darkkhaki]"A-Anyway, she won't be finished for quite some time, and won't be able to attend the meeting this morning. I don't know [i]why[/i] Lines isn't here right now either, although I can hazard a guess. Discounting those two however, it seems like everyone is here. So, who would like to begin?"[/color]

There was a moment of awkward silence. No one knew what to say and they were looking to Toasty for direction. It was too bad he didn't have any either.

[color=darkkhaki]"Ummm..."[/color] he said, sounding very un-kingly. He pointed a finger at the one sitting next to him. [color=darkkhaki]"Nostromo. Have we received news about our expedition teams? Have they made any progress at determing our location or any of the other objectives we gave them?"[/color]