“Zoltan! Guma! Welcome, so glad you came! It’s nicely cloudy today so we’re up on the rooftop patio.”

Aurica sashayed to the door, pausing halfway for the gaunt and skeletal old human to complain about stairs and his knees.

Aurica put her hands on her hips and leaned forward, “You’ve survived worse, you old lich,” she lightly mocked.

“But I’m not a lich, though,” he protested by reflex with his Romanian accent.

Aurica gave him the smug close-mouthed smile she always gave the younger immortal when he protested in this way, then offered her hands to the lioness, “At last we meet.”

Although not technically an immortal, Guma was a rarity, a rubbermage, and as such benefited from any and all sort of assistance from the most senior of immortals in life extension and any other matter needed to secure her talents and spellcraft.

Guma took Aurica’s hands and replied in English with a strong slavic accent, “It is time. Welcome to the Adriatic. I wish it under less stressful situation.”

Aurica offered a strained smile and indicated the stairs to the roof and the trio ascended.

At the top, Guma's eyes homed in on the potted cat staring off in a stupored bliss across the rooftops and side-eyed Aurica, "I realise that one is with major weapons manufacture? I would have taken for self if not for that."

"Oh dear, I forgot I left it up here, yes, this one's a curious one. I haven't made any firm plans, I just plucked it off the street as it walked past the hotel. I've only just learned its pedigree... and our mutual history. It has some unusual attributes I'm sussing out."

Guma rolled her eyes, radiating skepticism but Aurica remained undaunted. She placed her hands on the railing looking over the canals and rooftops of Venice, feeding from the mind of the rubberslave to enjoy the scents and sounds as interpreted by the living. Yes, she liked the embellishments and zest for life the potted cat put into everything it saw.

She turned around again, "So, we all sensed the disturbance."

Zoltan and Guma looked at one another, then at Aurica, nodding grimly. The gaunt man offered, "Many of my contemporaries, with their ambitions, have gone silent."

Aurica understood what he meant, as did Guma with the steel blade of a mind planning out investigations not seen since the Impurgium. Aurica shuddered at what she knew the woman was capable of. Brutal and thorough endings of an immortal's life, and also, as in the case of Zoltan, blessed acts of mercy. Aurica said, "This rubberslave was in the room alone earlier, and a presence visited. A presence only described in memories I gleaned from the Primal, from Victoria. With your permission I will share it with you."

Zoltan nodded assent first, then gave Guma a light elbowing and she too nodded. Then Aurica projected into their minds the image of this black and white unicorn with a cane in her room, that faded in, then disappeared.

A clatter broke the visionary trance and Zoltan cursed lightly under his breath and Guma beat him to stooping down to pick up his arm. Embarrassed, the gaunt man reattached the elbow into one piece.

"I don't suppose Shuhalla has broken their silence?" he offered, half as a distraction.

Both Guma and Aurica shook their heads, and Aurica stated the obvious, with a hint of reverence for the ancient Celestial, "Their mind is deep in the unknown, and only speaks in riddles."

Guma's face scrunched up in irritation, and Aurica reminded, "Every passing year becomes as a blink and it is gone the older we become, you are still relatively young, both of you, but in this modern time we are all relics of the past. It is the future which concerns me."

"To investigate this disturbance then, it emanates from the Pacific," Zoltan offered, steering back to the topic at hand.

Guma smirked, her head full of plans to pay visits to immortals who refused to make contact, and soon. Aurica locked eyes with her and nodded approvingly.

"We assemble allies," Aurica said. "Especially those contemporary with the disappearance of Chymeria."

"That far back?" Zoltan asked.

"Yes, and in fact, our pet here," Aurica stroked the hair of the potted cat and it started mewing in adoration that Aurica found to be utterly unforced. "This one is due to Tokyo in a few days, I have put a compulsion into it to visit our friend Corwyn to seek out Talia. Strangely enough, this Toy actually has a passing history with Talia, from Victoria's Gathering Place."

Guma's eyebrow twitched, having never been to the Gathering but knew of it.

"Oh dear," Zoltan expressed, "Do you believe it has to do with the Dark Time?"

"I hope not," Aurica replied. She stroked the cat's head again, drawing out cooing noises, "This one has crossed paths with a few places over the years. In fact, I divined it met me once at the Gathering, and fell enamored, but I only just found it by happenstance the other day. It's very strange, this one. It... anticipates me, like it knows what I want, sometimes even before I know what I want." Aurica shivered at the implications again.

Guma's eyes narrowed, "It has strange harmonic, I remember, I helped repair kennel damage on this one and it seems in better condition. Zoltan, may I have two psi crystals if you have?"

"Of course," he replied, and opened his carry case, rummaged around, and drew out two.

Guma offered one to Aurica, then inserted the other into the ring center of the slave bag. "Command it to orgasm."

Aurica laughed lightly, then held the crystal to her brow and concentrated on the rubberslave. Its mouth opened as it worked its way up and erupted in a silent scream, bouncing around in the bag.

As the Toy fell limp, gasping, Guma took the crystal from the bag and asked for the other.

"Ta," Aurica offered the crystal and the rubbermage put them in one hand, and spelled them.

The two crystals hummed in perfect harmony.

Guma looked up at Aurica and grinned, "I lodge no contest in the taking of this rubberslave, it is in perfect harmonic with your psychomancy."

Aurica boggled at this, "It... can read my mind?"

"No, it is like antenna, anything you're thinking in its direction, it hears. This is much involuntary for you I believe, but it is like thin apartment wall, it has its ear pressed up against and hears all but whispers. You say you met before? Was it in suit?"

"Not at the time, no... but it had escaped one." Aurica's eyes widened in realisation as Guma's stray thoughts met hers.

The two said in unison, "And then suit came back."

Guma continued grinning, "I know not for certain but contact then may have imprinted on suit. You by accident claim this one twenty years ago. It yours, no contest. I call rights to dauxter when ready."

Aurica grinned awkwardly, "I may have just interfered there."

Guma put her hands on her hips, "You take both. Really."

Zoltan laughed, then readjusted his jaw.

Aurica pressed her fingertips together, "Not exactly, I am starting a community project."

Both Guma and Zoltan regarded Aurica with raised eyebrows and half sarcastic smiles.

Aurica began, "Guma, you lost control of some bank accounts last month, no?"

Guma threw her hands in the air, "Bank not know anything!"

"And Zoltan, there's someone printing credit cards in your name, and the names of several of your vulcanthropes, isn't there?"

Zoltan's brow furrowed in frustration, and he nodded.

"With your permission again."

Both Guma and Zoltan nodded, and Aurica imparted the horror story of her afternoon's research project, and the hope for salvation.

Both Zoltan and Guma erupted in a cacophony of agreement, yes, absolutely send Giovanna to university. Tutors. Expenses paid. A concierge looking after every administrative detail. Maid service. A cook. Massage and spa access.

Behind it all, Aurica's face was plastered with her smuggest smile yet as she stroked the potted cat's ears. 'You might be the last of the rubberslaves, poppet. What do you think of that?'

The cat could only reply with a sensation. Deep, aching desire.

---

 Dragonlord_Carter as Zoltan Kocsis