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After an awkward moment, One eased up. [color=8bbdd9]"Apologiesss,"[/color] he offered, and this was followed by a symphony of apology from the others, including Nine. [color=8bbdd9]"We had received a notification that there were othersss in the caves: pirates. It did not come from people whom we trussst."[/color] 

"It did not," someone echoed.

"A notification."

"Piratesss."

[color=ffc8e4]"We don't trussst them."[/color] The last was hissed by Nine with uncharacteristic venom. "Kassseels!" A handful of others repeated after her with equal intensity.

[color=8bbdd9]"In any event,"[/color] said One, [color=8bbdd9]"I must be on a call with Kassseel One now."[/color] He looked distinctly unhappy about it.

"Kassseel One," the others growled.

[color=8bbdd9]"Feel free to enjoy the ressst of your dinner."[/color]

Nine was quick to distract. She eventually coaxed her sister Ten out of the doorframe and the two of leaned easily against each other, tails flicking back and forth, the elder teasing the younger about her hesitancy to emerge. There were plenty of questions to ask and answer and the sirrahi seemed alright with doing so. 

[hider=Questions Questions!]1- "So are you guys from this world?"
- Yesss, yes we are, human!
2- "So I noticed your names have a first, middle, and last structure. First is your name you are referred to be differentiated from your middle and last, your Middle seems to be a number which you each use to call each other and even those you are close to, and the last is probably a family name. What does the Number mean?"
- Aaah, you asssume too much, Violence Stick. The first is our brood name. Each group of hatchlings has one. The sssecond is the position in which we hatch. The final name is our given name, but it is only used by non-siblings who are close to usss. otherwise, we use our Brood names and numbers.
3- "So Nine I noticed you enjoyed the Black Pudding a lot. Do you like the blood taste? I personally don't like it much, but it's what I know some people like it for."
- Yesss. The blood is ssso yummy! Thanks for introducing me to Enthish cuisine. It is so good!
4- "So you talked about the reason why you are down here is because of some All-Knower. Who is this All-Knower?"
- It is not 'sssome' All-Knower, human! Have ressspect. The all-knower is ancient. They have been with us sssince the dawn of our societal memory and gifted us a great many things. They know all, often before it happens. They use the sssacred algorithms.
5- "So do you guys normally wear clothing?"
- Yesss. What sort of sssavage would not?
6- "How good of swimmers are you guys? I know some snakes are good at swimming, but I'm unsure how that translate upwards in scale."
- I am not a snake, sssilly Desmond. But yess, we are... probably as good at ssswimming as we are terrestrially.
7- "So your music seems very different than ours, I also noticed many instruments I've never heard. Are those ones you invented yourselves?"
- YASSS! I even play the electric guitar. Not all are instruments, though. Many sssounds are generated by computers. It is a concept that I could not explain to you. They are, in short electronic brains, I sssuppose one could say. 
8- "How it is so cool in here? I understand if it is technology and you don't wanna talk about it, but I'm curious because of where we are it would be much warmer"
- Caves are cool, Desmond. We are deep underground. That isss the revolutionary technology.
9- "Do you guys have your own language system or is it Avincian?"
- We ssspeak whatever the most common tongue isss among other ssspecies. For some time, it has been Avincian.
10- "So how does your reproductive organs work? Can you mate with others like Humans and Yasoi? Or is it 100% within your species?"
- I know I am beautiful, Desmond, but I will not mate with you. bessides, we are so far apart on the evolutionary tree that it would be imposssible. Wait... you guysss haven't discovered evolution yet.
11- "Do all of your species live underground? Or do you all live in the little mesh in the ceiling? Hehehe I'm joking about that"
- But are you, really? At leassst a tiny part of you thought it. Anywaysss, we mostly live on various islands and in a homeland that you humans and yasssoi have not discovered.
12- "Is there a way for me to maybe, possibly, with permission, somehow, pretty please have a way to listen to music like the way we did down here but in a portable form?"
- We shall sssee. Maybe. I could get in trouble.
Trypano: "What is your people's belief regarding Death, the cessation of organic function in a sentient being?"
- We do not like it. Each thought processs is unique and valuable and offers insssight into the sentient condition. We have conducted resssearch into its cure. Yet, it is sssadly a necessary process within the current paradigm. The carrying capacity of thisss world - how much life it can support - is finite. There are also those whose actions and mindsssets make their lives a threat to other lives.[/hider] 

Then, came Ingrid's questions about... sirrahi culture and romance: 

[color=8882be]"What are your favorite genre of music?"[/color]

[color=8882be]"What do you guys fine attractive?"[/color]

[color=8882be]"Do you kiss?"[/color]

[color=8882be]"Do you also have trashy romance novels?"[/color]

[color=8882be]"What's your favorite food?"[/color]

At Ingrid's first question, Nine pursed her lips quizzically. [color=ffc8e4]"Electronic, mostly,"[/color] she replied.

"Electronic," echoed some of her siblings enthusiastically.

[color=fff79a]"Mostly,"[/color] deadpanned Ten.

[color=ffc8e4]"Though I'm not sure how much that might mean to you,"[/color] the sirrahi clarified. [color=ffc8e4]"Think of it as music made using machines instead of instruments."[/color]

"Machines."

"Instead of instruments."

The Eskandishwoman asked further questions, and her new... friend answered as best she could. Apparently, nice arms were attractive on a man, sirrahi did kiss, in a sense, and sirrahi romance novels were never trashy but, instead, works of art. There was a pause. [color=ffc8e4]"Ingrid?"[/color] Nine asked, tilting her head to the side with a cheeky smile, but then closing her mouth, wary of making the humans nervous.

"Ingrid," said another sirrahi.

"Ingrid."

"Ingrid."

[color=ffc8e4]"If I did not know any better, I would think that you are 'hitting on' me."[/color] She tried the odd human phrase out and then simply couldn't stop a big snakey grin from spreading across her face. [color=ffc8e4]"But, um... my favourite food isss... right here in this room, actually. You guessss!"[/color] she squealed.

"You guess!"

"Right here!"

Ingrid giggled a bit and looked at Nine. [color=8882be]"Well you see, Eskandish people do [i]love[/i] getting to know each other through more [i]intimate means.[/i][/color]"

Both had initially been joking but, after a moment of consideration, were intrigued. Simply put, the sequence led to... what may have been the world's very first human-sirrahi female-female interspecies kiss. [color=ffc8e4]"Not bad,"[/color] Nine mused as they pulled apart. [color=ffc8e4]"Does not hurt that you are pretty."[/color] 

"Not bad," the other sirrahi echoed, and this drew more of them out. They surrounded the humans inquisitively. "I want to kiss a human!" one of her brothers exclaimed, but she shot him down. "I want the yasoi!" said another, and Ismette looked... less so insulted than fairly open to it, actually.

Long story short, it was a good evening, though Penny never made an appearance. The Diskas promised them an escort close to the surface in the morning, though it was impossible to say what time it was beneath the ground like this. When they were led to their rooms down a hallway similar to the one they'd been in, care was taken to keep their prying eyes away from technological secrets. The issue was that it wasn't so much 'rooms' as 'a room'. There was a single enormous circular bed in the middle, its mattress made not of hay nor down, but of some unknown substance that was at once gloriously soft and perfectly supportive. With a final wave from Nine, the group was left to their own devices. Ismette threw herself back onto the bed, sighing. [color=6ecff6]"You can all sleep on the floor,"[/color] she teased, [color=6ecff6]"I claim it!"[/color] and she began undressing. 

[color=00a99d]"So you just gonna strip?"[/color] Benny interjected. 

[color=6ecff6]"Pretty much,"[/color] Ismette replied. [color=6ecff6]"I sleep in the buff, you know."[/color]

Benedetto's eyes wandered momentarily to her chest, still covered in a light chemise, but he quickly pulled them away. 

[color=6ecff6]"I'm just fucking with you,"[/color] she laughed, [color=6ecff6]"[i]Ipte![/i] Don't get a stiffy."[/color] Dressed in something like a nightgown but too short to be one, she sat up and swept some hair over a shoulder. One way or another, the group found sleep that night, of varying quality.

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It was difficult to tell what time it was, but Ismette did not feel rested when she awoke to find Nine gently shaking her. The sirrahi seemed to have recently-dried tears in her eyes. [color=ffc8e4]"Friend,"[/color] she said, and there was nobody there to echo her. It felt... oddly lacking.

Ismette blinked. [color=6ecff6]"What's up?"[/color]

[color=ffc8e4]"You are naked."[/color]

[color=6ecff6]"Aw shit."[/color] The yasoi covered herself up. 

[color=ffc8e4]"Ismette."[/color]

[color=6ecff6]"Yeah, what's going on?"[/color]

[color=ffc8e4]"We have not been totally honessst with you."[/color]

[color=6ecff6]"No shit."[/color]

Nine hung her head for a moment, but then she continued. She seemed to have some fire in her eyes. [color=ffc8e4]"There is a war among my people right now: it is not a 'hot war' but a 'cold one'. The other group here: the Kassseels, they are from the other ssside. They view your peoples as 'lesssser races' and -"[/color]

[color=6ecff6]"What are you trying to justify, Nine?"[/color] There was no annoyance or accusation in Ismette's voice. She simply wanted to know. 

Nine's face became serious. She expelled air from her nose. [color=ffc8e4]"Trypano mentioned a woman with one leg. The Kasseels have her. They have blocked off her magic and they are going to kill her."[/color]

There was more. Nine was an empathetic being. Ismette could sense it. She could also sense that something further was wrong, even without the Gift. [color=6ecff6]"What else, Nine?"[/color]

The Sirrahi worked her jaw back and forth and looked away for a moment. [color=ffc8e4]"It wasn't humans,"[/color] she said, in a quiet, angry voice.
[color=6ecff6]
"What wasn't humans?"[/color] the yasoi prodded, sitting up, careful not to disturb the others. Desmond was rolling over, though, Trypano was already sitting up, and Ingrid had opened her eyes. Benedetto was sprawled across half the bed, still asleep.

[color=ffc8e4]"Who killed my sissster."[/color] Nine clenched and unclenched her fists. [color=ffc8e4]"It was the Kasssseels."[/color] Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. [color=ffc8e4]"They murdered her for going up to the surface and made it look like the humansss to cover up their crime. We have jussst learned this."[/color] The sirrahi took a handful of deep breaths, addressing everyone now that they were awake. [color=ffc8e4]"I am sssory."[/color] she bowed low. [color=ffc8e4]"I do not want to drag you into my fight. Thisss is why I talked to Ismette."[/color] She turned to the yasoi. [color=ffc8e4]"I know how you feel about violence. I am angry. Thisss is more anger than I have ever felt and I do not know what to do about it."[/color] She was still wearing her 'hair', and she tossed it over a shoulder. [color=ffc8e4]"I hate them!"[/color] she hissed. [color=ffc8e4]"For a sirrahi to kill in cold blood isss.... unthinkable. We have... weapons for our protection, but we are not much in the habit of using them, not the civilized people on my ssside anyways."[/color]

[color=00a99d]"So what are you saying?"[/color] Benny croaked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. A dark sort of light came into them. [color=00a99d]"You want us to kill those fuckers for you?"[/color] He grinned.

[color=ffc8e4]"Why are you happy about [i]death[/i]!?"[/color] Nine squeaked.

[color=00a99d]"Won't you be happy when the Kasseels are dead?"[/color] he replied, tilting his head to one side.

[color=ffc8e4]"I do not know,"[/color] replied the the sirrahi anxiously. [color=ffc8e4]"I do not know what I will feel, only that I cannot jussst let them.... get away with this!"[/color]

Benedetto stood, his face serious for once, and placed a hand on her shoulder. [color=00a99d]"That's called revenge, Nine, and it's something I'm very familiar with."[/color]

[color=6ecff6]"It's a dark emotion,"[/color] warned Ismette. [color=6ecff6]"Acting upon it rarely leaves one better off."[/color]

[color=00a99d]"You don't care about Penny, then?"[/color]

[color=6ecff6]"[i]You[/i] don't,"[/color] Ismette shot back, and a mix of the others' and Nine's intervention was required to cool things off.

[color=ffc8e4]"For what it is worth, Ismette,"[/color] the sirrahi remarked, [color=ffc8e4]"One agreed with you. He wanted to negotiate with the Kasseels, but his blood runs too cold and he does not see that you cannot negotiate with people who murder your sister."[/color] She regarded the others. [color=ffc8e4]"I believe that this 'revenge' is something I need, and I cannot let anything happen to the friend of my friends. The Kasseels have killed enough."[/color]

[color=00a99d]"So uh... one small problem,"[/color] observed Benedetto. [color=00a99d]"We don't have the Gift here."[/color]

[color=ffc8e4]"No, you don't,"[/color] admitted Nine, furrowing her brow. [color=ffc8e4]"Not in here, and you won't in their base either, not unless you shut down or destroy the emitters. I will seek to do that. In the meantime, I mentioned that we still had weapons."[/color] She nodded matter-of-factly, drawing up taller on her coils. [color=ffc8e4]"I can help you save your friend. You can help me have revenge."[/color]

[hr]
This was done without the approval of One, Two, Three, Six, and Eight. Ten slithered up alongside them, as well as Four and Five. They made their way stealthily through the hall. [color=fff79a]"The Kasseels are many,"[/color] Ten said with concern. [color=fff79a]"They use artificial means to increase their numbers. There are twenty of them in this little outpost."[/color] 

"Twenty of them," echoed Five.

"Artificial means," said Four and Nine.

Then, they were in the armoury, Nine having pressed some strange species of card to the lock mechanism in order to open it. The variety and advancement of the weaponry present was breathtaking. Desmond, in particular, had ascended to fifth heaven. The five humans and yasoi equipped themselves with a form of armour known as bulletproof vests, and the following weapons:

Ingrid: Pistol, Grenades, Chainsaw
Trypano: Machine Gun, Medkit
Desmond: Rifle, Shotgun
Ismette: Gas Gun, Taser
Benedetto: Atomic Blunderbuss, pistol

Nine took a submachine gun, a pistol, and a sword. Her brothers and sister armed themselves too, and all learned that, just because the sirrahi abhorred violence did not mean that they didn't train - [i]extensively [/i]- in the use of weapons. [color=ffc8e4]"Now,"[/color] their host said, screwing a silencer onto her pistol. [color=ffc8e4]"Let usss go: quickly and quietly, like a human ssstriking in the night."[/color]

"Quickly and sssilently," echoed Four and Five. "Like a human."

[color=fff79a]"That does not work so well with actual humans here, sissster,"[/color] observed Ten.

Nine blinked. [color=ffc8e4]"No, I sssupose it does not."[/color] She turned to the group. [color=ffc8e4]"Sssorry, humans."[/color] She blushed.

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They slipped out through a small side door, with another one of those card taps and a blinking light that went from red to green. Then, they were in a long, hollowed out hallway of stone, hewn from the rock and evidently quite old. There were occasional faint lights along its length, and then a great steel door at the end. Nine fished a key from her pocket instead, and it rattled in the lock as the door opened. [color=ffc8e4]"Keep your eyes sharp and your witsss about you,"[/color] she warned. [color=ffc8e4]"We are in the cave now. It is not our friend."[/color]

"In the cave now."

"Wits about you."

"Not our friend."

Nine had given them each a thing called a flashlight and, as the five youths left the underground compound of the Diskas, they could feel the Gift returning to them. They could feel the magnetic currents flowing, as if in controlled lightning inside these devices. The lead sirrahi twisted back at them knowingly and smiled. [color=ffc8e4]"I hope for the day when your peoplesss can use these freely."[/color] Her siblings repeated after her in nervous chorus. 

They crept, then, with guarded silence, through the dark caverns, and the smell of sulfur and a faint heat grew stronger. Nine was reaching in her mouth, now, and so were her siblings. [color=ffc8e4]"Milking our venom,"[/color] she explained in a low whisper. [color=ffc8e4]"We may need it."[/color]

Ten dutifully whispered a repetition. Then, they saw it in the distance: a glow, as if from some sort of artificial light. It was some thirty yards distant, around a shallow bend. Desmond held up a hand for them to stop simultaneously with Nine. "That will be their door," the latter whispered. 

"Their door." Hatred had returned to her face, and determination.

[color=ffc8e4]"They will have a camera: one of those artificial eyes I told you about, that they can all see through if they look on a screen."[/color] The group had witnessed a screen: a wondrous device that was like an arcane illusion, but a perfect reproduction, and using a machine instead of The Gift. [color=ffc8e4]"When you enter, you will lose the Gift. Right now, though, can you kill that camera or use your... illusions to trick it?"[/color]

[color=fff79a]"Then,"[/color] breathed Ten, drawing near to the front, [color=fff79a]"we will enter. We will go in 'hot', claim your friend, and have revenge for Seven."[/color]

"Revenge."

"Your friend."

"For Seven," they all said together, making that same strange gesture they had made hours ago when the students had first arrived. Nine held up a hand, her other cradling a gun. Five fingers stood up, then four. 

Three.

Two.

One.

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