((Collab with [@The Irish Tree], [@Lugubrious]))
[hider=The Fox, The Merchant and the Vampire]
Ashara had arrived at the second meeting, just as last time, as one of the later arrivals. Either she had taken the scenic route to the Climax Hour, or she'd maybe sat around and had some food beforehand, just like last time. Regardless, she was present now and ready to hear what her Sable Lord had to say.

The meeting progressed well and claer, and the fox made a notice of the finely crafted figurines Rodias had produced. She was very impressed by them, and also found the little wooden pieces quite adorable. She was sure taht if Lady Deka_Ribbon had seen them, she would have squealed with joy and demanded that the dhampir make her an entire set of every single person in the chateau. That thought in mind, she pondered whetever her lord would be willing to make an entire set of the Shadotwoer Shrine's family? She was sure that all of the other miko would be overhoyed.

Once everyone had their orders and all of the plan had been laid out, Ashara sat quite for a bit. She had been paired with Gromgard, and their task was to hunt down and locate these cultists that Mars had spoken of. They seemed to be the same people that Mamoru and Gromgard had run into the forest some days ago, and then brought back for interrogation. To be honest, the fox was not looking forward to her assignment. Running around looking for a filthy camp or base belonging to hooligans, accopanied by the boorish general and his minions who didn't even know what a bath was? Hardly a pleasant task. Still, getting rid off the vermin was an essential part of the plan, and would help increase the popularity and dependence on this fake relative of the duke's. A brilliant plan indeed, Ashara had to admit that much.

... But then, it seemed history was going to repeat itself. 

Just like with the first meeting, Lord Graft of the factory, who had brought two lesser individuals with him this time - one of whcih Ashara didn't recongize at all - spoke up. And once again, the tycoon was making grand claims and suggestions, all of which would likely seem enticing and brilliant, if it wasn't for a single, small detail - one that even someone as dull as Ashara could notice. Thus, while she had been quiet the previous meeting, since at that time she knew nothing of this new world or how it worked, the fox this time spoke up, as she had first-hand experience being outside and interacting with it.

"Pardon me, Lord Graft." She said, bowing her head respectfully to the Chapter Keeper before proceeding. "How are we going to be able to pay and hire these villagers? The currency of this world is vastly different from the coins we used in our old home." She said, head slightly tilted and looking a bit confused. "I do not think the people would want to accept payment which has no use to them... Oh! Or is that you have found a way to mint the coins that I brought back?" She said, suddenly remembering that the Fodder Baron was a clever man, and with his vile Factory at the disposal, making money surely was a trifle.

With piqued ears and wagging tails, she looked over at Rodias, smiling brightly. Apparently expecting her lord to confirm this realization.

The gentleman treated Ashara to an appreciative look. "You are wise indeed to assume that I've a few tricks up my sleeves. Payment will, in fact, be no issue. Doubtless Rodias has already grasped my plan, but I'd be glad to explain to anyone who hasn't quite...caught up yet." He grinned.

"The lion's share of the wages will come from proper sale of the village's resources. The Chateau cannot siphon off everything without arousing suspicion, after all. The remainder will be paid for...by guild currency."

He waited a moment to see if anyone commented on the apparent blunder. Hadn't Ashara just said that old world currency was useless? "Now, it is not usable as legal tender, but gold is gold. If it cannot be bartered with as-is, it can be melted down and made into ingots, ornaments, or whatever form gives them value. Then they can be sold for this world's money, probably in cities throughout the region. Truly, the Commission will be a far-reaching and profitable organization!" he proclaimed, exulting in the genius and commercial viability of his plan.

"Ohhh~" Ashara stated, obviously impressed, but probably not grasping the majority of what Graft's plan actually entailed. Still, it seemed she was convinced well enough that her expression had turned from confused to impressed. "I should have known better than to question your knowledge for mercantile affairs, Lord Graft. Please forgive my rudeness." The fox stated, bowing her head again, both in respect and in thanks to his enlightening - if perhaps roundabout - plan for the village business-venture.

Rodias would hear Graft's proposal, then Ashara's agreement...or at least acknowledgement of it. It was a sound idea to attempt to melt down gold currency into ingots...but both of them, and anyone else could see the grim countenance on Rodias' face as he flatly said: [color=f7976a][b]"No. I have no intention of allowing our treasury to be melted down. And its not just because of its value,"[/b][/color] Rodias would say, looking over to Graft. [color=f7976a][b]"Back in the world of YGGDRASIL, guild guardians such as yourself, Graft, couldn't be revived with ordinary resurrection magic. It took material wealth to revive them. And, until we can actually test whether that holds true here, melting down our gold for such a thing would put is at risk. I refuse to let a single life go to waste."[/b][/color]

Rodias' argument, at leas to himself, was very sound. To get rid of gold was to throw away the ability to revive fallen members of the Chateau...ensuring that any who perished stayed dead forever. Or at least, until they could test if ordinary resurrection magic still worked.

"Huh...is that so?" Though momentarily bearing a stormy expression, Graft subsided into consideration. His plan hadn't been denied, after all; only a certain detail of it had met rejection. Swiftly his brain worked to turn things around. "Intriguing. I'll catalogue those variables for future plans. In the meantime, I'm sure we could spare some other resource, trivial to us but valuable to outsiders. We can mull it over later." With his overall plan laid down and all-but-approved given the modification of its only untenable detail, he moved to table the discussion so that others could contribute.

With Rodias having rejected the idea for now, Ashara saw no need to press the matter further. She could only imagine that the Director of the Factory wasn't going to give up so easily, especially after his last remark, but she had neither the savvy nor interest to try and figure out what might be going on inside his crafty skull. Instead, she sank back into her seat and would wait, wait for the meeting to be over. After which, she would go to join up with Gromgard and set out for their new assignment at once. She really, really wanted to get it done as soon as possible...[/hider]
[hider=Your orders, should you choose to accept them...]
Isolde stood quietly by the table at the meeting. She did not sit, for her creator was not a Sable Lord, and so, to sit on the seat that belonged to one of her maker's superior was completely unacceptable and out of the question. Still, she listened dutifully and stood close enough to be able to view what was going on upon the table. In fact, she probably had better eyesight than many of the organic-based members of the chateau.

Once Ashara, Graft and Rodias finished up their little back-and-forth regarding the proposal made by the Fodder Baron, Isolde whirred her head to look over the rest, before focusing back upon their dhampir lord and speaking plainly as usual.

"Curious. What're they supposed to be monitoring for?" She asked simply, obviously refering to her cohorts.

[color=f7976a][b]"I'm glad you asked,"[/b][/color] Rodias would say before plopping down another carved doll, this time bearing resemblance to a very generic mysteriously hooded individual, which he placed at Amberden. [color=f7976a][b]"Previously, Kath and Ashara encountered a being of equal power to themselves. If they're still in the area, I'd like for them not to disrupt our operations. Also, I'd like to know the general trade routes going to Amberden and this city, and outwards. Who's buying the amberlyte, and in what quantity, all that.[/b][/color]

Isolde nodded in undertanding, before speaking further.

"Uncertain. If the unknown is disocvered, should termination of the threat be carried out?"

[color=f7976a][b]"No. If they're as strong as Kath or Ashara, then fighting them directly will draw attention to us...and potentially lead to casualties. Any threat like that is best left to me to fight,"[/b][/color] Rodias said, confident that if it came down to it, he could kill a threat on par with a Chapter Keeper. [color=f7976a][b]"For the time being, observation is all that is needed. Have them fly high and avoid being seen as best they can with cloud cover."[/b][/color]

"Understood. ESPER Wings will deploy for covert, high-altitude surveillance operation immediately. Use of [Invisbility] and [Mass Invisibilty]-spells by Wizard-class units will be permitted. Dutiful. Your commands will be carried out, Creator Rodias." Isolde said, giving a very stiff and awkward salute to the Sable Lord.

After which, the little automaton did a full 180 on her heel, and began to leave the Climax Hour, obviously not interested in anything anybody else had to say.. Or perhaps she was just eager to get her first mission in 5 years underway?[/hider]
[hider=On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my Loved One gave to me...]
As Rodias arrived and pushed the wheelbarrow of stuff into the Well, he would find that it had assumed the form of a cabaret bar. A stage off to the side, a bar and counter at one end, and a multitude of round tables with chairs around them sitting infront of aforementioned stage. At the bar, the homunculus alchemist sat, sipping what looked to be wine from a small, slender glass. As she turned her head to look at the Sable Lord, and what he was pushing along into her domain with childish ease, a smile formed on her lips and a slight tinge of red flushed her cheeks briefly.

"My hero~" She said melodically, rising from her seat.

Walking over to meet and greet the man, she moved past the wheelbarrow, casting a sideways glance at it, before stopping very close to Rodias. Standing on her tippy-toes, due to the height-difference between them, she gave him a soft peck on the cheek. Her lips were very soft and she herself smelt really nice, though not overly perfumed or intrusively scented, but rather a gentle and pleasant fragrance. Once the deed was done though, she folded her arms under her bust and took another look at the contents of the little cart.

"Zouyu... Huh..." She murmured quietly. "Ah, yes. The little kitty-cat who plays in the gardens." It seemed that she had forgotten who he was for a bit. Though that was to be expected, as out of all the Chateau's residents, Charme was likely the one who had the least interactions and contact with her peers, even less so than Light. After all, nobody but Bandersnatchers' players could even enter her Wishing Well to begin with, well, Rodias had activated the elevator so now anyone could technically enter it, if they knew it was accessible.

The alchemist slid her glasses down from atop her head and onto her nose, adjusting them casually. She then began to examine the load of the wheelbarrow more carefully, checking the quality and richness of the soil, the mineral structure of the stones and rocks and the extent and stage of the rotted wood and logs. Although she hadn't specified of what quality she wanted the 'gift' to be, obivously higher grade materials were always to be prefered. Still, she seemed content enough with what she had been given, so she flicked her glasses back up onto her forehead and turned to Rodias again.

"How considerate of you, dear. I wasn't expecting to get all of this so soon." She said, smiling her gentle but practiced smile. "But if I were a betting woman..." She said, her smile changing from gentle to knowing. "... I'd say you didn't come here just to spoil me with presents, no?" She was looking Rodias straihgt in the eyes, one hand now held under her own chin as if in contemplation or curious study of her master.

Rodias would gingerly wipe the lipstick mark off his face with his left thumb while Charme examined the goods, a slight smile present on his lips as the barely present rouge was freed from his skin. [color=f7976a][b]"You'd win that bet. I came here for two reasons, and I imagine you wouldn't have the tolerance to have a skeleton relay information and bring you payment,"[/b][/color] Rodias would say, sitting in the air as the very shadow beneath him rose to supplant a simple seat. He was growing more and more accustomed to the flexibility offered by his Shadow class, to the point that he could actively use it to form shapes over longer periods of time. 

[color=f7976a][b]"I imagined that a meeting would bore you, so I came to deliver my orders to you personally. Put simply...I'd like for you to leave the Chateau for a time. Kath Erine is heading to the city to the east in pursuit of knowledge, and I thought it might interest you as well. She has prepared a Cipher for the written language here, so reading should be a non-issue,"[/b][/color] Rodias stated. [color=f7976a][b]"Oh yes, and there was one other thing. There's a corpse that needs dissecting. Light and Gromgard's captive...somehow spontaneously mutated. And I'd like for you to find out why.[/b][/color]

At the mention of her needing to leave the Chateau, there was a brief, barely noticeable flash of ... Something ... in Charme's eyes. However, as Rodias continued to explain why, her posture and face - which had become slightly stiffer - softened once again. It was quite brazen, or perhaps brave, of the Sable Lord to ask the most reclusive and hermit-like member of his castle to simply waltz out into the great, big unknown. Of course, Charme was smart enough to realize the potential value that this plan held, and it wasn't like she could refuse Rodias anything if he ordered it. 

"Kath..." She repeated, after the dhampir mentioned the librarian. The alchemist gently tapped her chin for a moment, before coming to a realization. "Ah, yes, [i]her[/i]. The little eavesdroppeer who amuses herself by recording the conversations and private discussions of the careless." The woman  stated, rather rudely.  "It's a good thing my old rooster and I took precautions against such ... mischief." She said, slightly grinning triumphantly.

And, it was true. Unlike most other places in the Chateau, the Wishing Well was a completely isolated space, unassailable by both teleportation and even Kath's auto-recording. In fact, most of the other members of the Chateau probably didn't even know, or remember, Charme's face at all, given how little ontact she had with her fellow peers. Still, as Rodias went on and explained his second request, the homunculus genuinely looked surprised, raising an eyebrow in inquiry.

"You want me to investigate such matters? I guess it's not a problem, dear, but I would've imagined you'd bring something like this to [i]that man[/i] rather than me." Charme said in a curious fashion.

Rodias almost felt as if his plan would fall apart as Charme's expression changed, though thankfully it quickly changed back to something more receptive. He admitted, he wasn't a fan of that insult thrown onto Kath as being an "eavesdropper", when it wasn't her fault that she got the job that almost assuredly made it impossible for others to feel free to talk within the Chateau.

At her question of why he'd bring the corpse issue up with her rather than Graft, Rodias chuckled slightly. [color=f7976a][b]"That's because the corpse's state is a problem, rather than an opportunity. I want whatever happened to it prevented, rather than picked apart for useful material. Graft's eagerness to experiment is admirable in a way, but I thought you would be a better choice for picking this apart."[/b][/color]

Charme gave her lord a genuine, pleased smile and appreciative eyes. It seemed she was a fan of being relied upon, or at least being praised.

"I can't make any promises, sweetie. But I'll do what I can to figure out.. Whatever it is that happened." She pasued. "What exactly [i]did[/i] happen...?" She asked, realizing now that she didn't really know what this corpse she was supposed to investigate was like.. Or why it had become a corpse in the first place. Well, she could guess, given taht both light [i]and[/i] Gromgard were involved, but from Rodias description, it was a bit more complicated than that.

Rodias would rise from his self-made seat and go over to the still-open elevator, slowly wheeling out the gurney that held the corpse. Gingerly lifting up a corner of the cloth that covered it, Rodias revealed the squalid teal and black flesh beneath. [color=f7976a][b]"That much, I have no idea. Gromgard and Light were interrogating them for information, when this one suddenly and violently mutated. We've determined that whatever this is isn't infectious, so no need to worry there,"[/b][/color] he would say before covering the shoulder of the corpse up once more. 

"A mug only a mother could love." Charme jested off-handedly, smirking in a not-very-good way. "I appreciate you taking the time to make sure the sample is sterile before handing it over though, I do so loathe tiresome extra work." She said, though it was hard to tell if it was made in mockery or sincerity.

Moving away from Rodias, the alchemist took a breath and, just as she had done many days ago, spoke with a commading and decisive voice, which caused the Well to again assume the temporary static and swirlign form it took on whenever the interior enviroment was transformed.

"[b]Laboratory.[/b]"

Once the whirlwind of transformation subsided, Rodias found himself no longer standing in the dimly lit cabaret bar, but now in a room that more closely resembled something you'd see in a Dr. Frankenstein movie. There were strange devices and macabre apparatus, cauldrons that bubbled with green... Something... But, most importantly, there was a big, rectangular slab of smooth, polished light grey stone in the very center of the room, over whcih hovered one of the light globes. Though this one was considerably larger and emitted far more luminence than it's samller cousins. Charme walked, with swaying hibs, over to the large piece of stone and, once reaching it, gently patted the top of it a few times.

"Well then, dear. If you don't mind, would you be so kind and put the specimen on the table here?" She asked, batting her eyelashes and giving the Sable Lord a pair of puppy-dog eyes.

Rodias would be swift to lay the corpse out upon the table as directed, surprised that she was starting now, rather than waiting for him to leave. Then again, maybe she was just having him do the heavy lifting. Regardless, he'd set the corpse up for her.

Looking at the foul, wretched and misshapen [i]thing[/i], Charme wrinkled her nose. But she did thank Rodias for his help, not forgetting her manners. Moving over to a wall-mounted shelf, she effortlessly plucked a flask with a strange matted blue liquid inside it. Returning to the table, and setting the potion down next to the corpse, she looked over at Rodias.

"Now then, if you don't mind, darling, would you be so kind and perhaps take a little walk? Maybe to the garden perhaps? I imagine it'd be dreadfully boring watching me poke and prod our friend here for who-knows-how-many hours." She suggested, though obviously it wasn't an actual suggestion at all.

Rodias would nod, offering a light bow as he asked: [color=f7976a][b]"Will you be fine to make the cave for your materials then? Or shall I send a few butlers to assist you?"[/b][/color] Approaching the elevator door, Rodias looked back for Charme's answer.

The woman paused in her motions, obviously thinking about her choice, before looking back over to her lord with a friendly smile.

"No, I won't need any of the tuxedo-bones, however..." She lingered for a bit. "... Would you be a dear and send our little novelist my way? If we're going to travel to the same place, I'm sure there're things we should discuss beforehand." Charme said, surprisingly, though not before adding. "Oh, but have her use the elevator. My door's not meant to be used by everyone." She winked playfully before returning to look at the mangled carcass before her.

Rodias would nod, making sure to tell Kath that Charme wanted to see her after he left. With the closing of the elevator, Charme would be alone once more to examine the distorted corpse. Or, put her cave together if she so desired.

With the Sable Lord now gone, Charme retrieved her slender white pipe, filled it up, lit it and took a shallow drag, letting out a stream of smoke as she gazed at the surprise sample she had been brought. On one hand, she was curious as to what had caused something like this, but on the other hand she didn't really want anything to do with it. If the thing had had any useful parts or bits that she could have harvested for her work, sure, she wouldn't have minded dissecting and cutting it open. But she was tasked with finding out a reason for why someone had turned into this something... Not raelly a part of her job-description, but at least it would prove a distraction for now. Still though.

"Going outside... To a far-off town, in an unknown world." She said to herself in a murmur, letting another jet of smoke escape her lips. "And you're pairing me up with that bookwrom, huh?" She mused, after which she gently tapped the pipe against the side of the stone slab table. "I guess I'll have to bring along some insurance... Guess I better get this out of the way first." Charme said, almost sighing, as she cast a side-long glance at the freakish corpse.[/hider]