Stardust Idols: Another Side

You shift slightly in your seat, and let out a slight yawn as you come to. The sense of warmth, and the smell of warm cream and grilled meat in the air filtered in long before you finally managed to blink your eyes open, and take in the woman seated before you. She was a fair skinned woman, with the lanky frame of someone who spent most of their days at rest. Her black hair reaches down to the back of her neck in a fluffy and unstyled mass. One of her pale blue eyes was buried beneath her fringe, and her lips were as unadorned as the rest of her face. A part of you faintly remembered that all of this was a dream, your dream to be exact, as you realize that she was wearing little more than a pair of red and white polka-dot pajamas.

Well, maybe she didn't look her best at the moment, but she was here, and she wasn't actively trying to kill you, which is what mattered really. The Spider only needs to see how close you are to your former employer/murder victim after all, and well, this was a start. She coughs a little, her lips curled into a wry smile as she flatly says, "Well, I didn't expect this."

You blinked a little, and slowly raised up one of your hands to brush against your face. and offered up a weak smile in response, as a gentle ticking sound finally reached your ears, "I was going to call ahead, but I didn't really have the time," you said, in an attempt to politely segue into discussing the elephant in the room.

"A call would have been nice, yes," Pausa coldly said in response. The demon idly stirred her glass as the stamping of mechanical feet rang throughout the room, and filled the awkward silence. "You know, I honestly thought that you were dead." She said, a slight hint of annoyance and concern? Mingling together in the tone of her voice.

"I've been a little busy," you reply, coughing a little before you continue with, "You know I went legit right? I'm a private detective now, it's not the cleanest line of work, and the pay could be better, but I can go to sleep at nights now without finding a knife sticking out of me when I wake up."

Pausa lets out a little sigh as her eyes glance up and down your body, "Is this really why you called me here tonight Suspirium? To tell me that you've become little more than a penniless muckraker? Because I was really hoping to start this day off with something other than abject misery and disappointment."

You shift around slightly underneath her gaze, of course you have seen better days, and you're a little leaner than she's used to, but you're not doing that badly off. Still though, it might be a good idea to think long and hard about how you're going to approach this.

[] My True Body: Look, your perception of time is going to be iffy at best as long as you are inside of this weird, psychic dreamscape with her. The best way to make sure that you don't wake up at 1 PM with hunger pangs and a splitting headache is to not beat around the bush, and just tell her what you came here to get in the first place. She might be a bit miffed about this being more of a business call than a social one, but you can always make it up to her later.

[] Only You: Alternatively, it has been two to three months since you last spoke with her, considering how much you've changed since then, it might actually be a good idea to make this about her. Look, the Spider might quibble about the details later, but you brought him here to show that Pausa isn't going to strangle you to death on sight, and having a frank conversation where you reconnect with her as if she was an old friend would really help. Of course, you could always bring up the little issue of introducing your new「Familiar」, or the little errand you needed her help with after you satiate each other's curiosity.

[] Stand Up, and Give her a hug: It might be a little awkward, but it has been a while since you've actually seen her. Sure, you had a couple of phone calls after her 'death', and she was around enough to make sure that her money made its way into the very unfortunately US based bank account you were using, but after half a year of casual phone calls mixed in with silence, she's here, and sitting before you again. Of course, this is all a dream so she's not really there, but she might appreciate the gesture either way?.

You take in a deep breath, shifting slightly in place as you try to think of a proper response, something to say or do to signal that you're doing alright, and that you wanted to get reacquainted with her once more. An awkward moment passes in silence, before you let out a slight cough, and slowly stand up to your feet in almost complete silence, save for the slight scraping of your wooden chair's leg against the marble floor.

Pausa raises an eyebrow at the sight, but remains silent, pausing for a moment as she awaits your response, and watches your movements. She lets out a slight cough as soon as you reach her side of the table, your host shifting slightly in her seat to get a better look at you as she very pointedly asks, "What are you doing?" While giving you an odd look.

You slowly come to a stop just a few steps away from her, and find yourself awkwardly shifting in place for a bit as you try to think of something to say, something that could explain your intentions without weirding her out. Unfortunately, your brain instead settles on letting out a quiet sounding, "Giving you a hug?" and you find yourself suddenly wondering how you've managed to get this far as a private detective or assassin in the first place.

She blinks, one eyelid closing after another, and lets out a sigh. Your former employer, and current(?) friend noticeably taking a deep breath, before she finally asks, "Alright. Why?" In an extremely unenthusiastic tone.

Another cough, as you try not to meet her eyes with-okay you don't have any, but you just don't want to deal with actually looking at her face right now. "Because I missed you? And it's been a while since we've seen each other. Sorry."
"You don't have to apologize...," she said, in that same noncommittal tone from before. Although one of her hands seemed to be drifting towards one of the wine glasses.

You do the same, deftly snatching up a full wine glass of coffee? And slowly downing its contents. The flow of warm and bitter liquid soothes your parched throat, and provides a momentary distraction from the palpable silence between the two of you. But the moment soon passes, and you find yourself still standing before her, with a mind more alert and anxious than before.

"Could we; talk about how I went bankrupt instead; please?" You finally say, deciding to get it all over with, and sacrifice what little dignity you had left to simply get the two of you talking again.

Pausa raised up her hand as she downed the sparkling red contents of her wine glass, and extended a finger up to indicate that she still needed a moment. After a while, she slowly pulls the glass away, and simply asks, "Okay. How did you lose four hundred thousand dollars in three months?"

You let out a slight sigh; the truth unfortunately, was a little more mundane than you'd like, "I apparently owed the US government quite a lot of money in unpaid taxes? And I only found out after I leased out an office, and got a license and car and all that."

She blinks at you again, slowly, as if she couldn't quite believe what you were saying, "You are a headless「Aspirant」with no 'real' identity to speak of, and you're telling me that the IRS still got to you?"

"Yes," you flatly say in response, already not looking forward to where this was going. "And no, it was on the identity I wished up to get a PI license with, I don't think my 'real' self is even on the system anymore, whoever I was."

"Ah, so you got mugged, typical," Pausa immediately replies, before she took another small sip from her glass, and set it down. The pajama-clad woman lets out a slight sigh as she stretches her arms out, and asks, "So what do you need my help with?"

You tilt your head slightly, and cough awkwardly, "Well, I didn't come here to-," she raises a hand, bringing a pointed finger up to her lips, and causing your own to lock themselves in place.

Eventually, you stop trying to explain yourself, and instead settle on giving her an annoyed look as she states, "Now, now, I know you didn't come here to fondle and reminisce B. It's 8:30 in the morning, and we were never that close were we?"

Her lips curl up to form a slight smile, as you realize that you can't quite feel your own arms or legs either. "So here is what is going to happen: you are going to sit down, drink some more of that brackish mud you used to call coffee, and stop telling me about how bad your life has been to try and appeal to what little shred of humanity you think I have."

She twitches in place a little, her smile widening as she states, "I'm a demon B. You really should have known better. Now, if you would simply state what services you need me to perform, and what you are offering as payment, we can all wake up knowing that this dream was more than an opportunity for you to debase yourself for my enjoyment."

Pausa claps her hand together, the sound shaking you out of whatever spell she had on you, and allowing you to use your newfound freedom to wisely take a seat. You shift around in your seat a little, trying to cling onto some shred of comfort, before you let out a sigh, and state, "I've got a job lined up in the Real. It's nothing too fancy really; just another tall poppy for me to cut down. But she's done her best to disappear, and finding her's going to take a while."

You let out a couple of hacking coughs, and decide to take a little break, and drink down another glass of warm coffee first. Strange, you're not quite sure why you're feeling this thirsty all of a sudden. "Which of course means that I will be spending several months attempting to hide the body of the one I'm impersonating."

She raises an eyebrow at you, and offers up a simple, if amoral solution to your problem, "So what? Do you need me to find a deep pit to throw her into? Or someone willing to pay you to take her off your hands B?"

You slowly shake your head, "Unfortunately no, I still need to have her around to keep me well informed and," you cast your gaze down at the floor, and glance around to try and find the Spider's hiding place. "Because I met her Well Wisher earlier this morning, and I think it would kill me if I tried."

"Ah, so that's what it is. I thought you just wanted to show off your new pet to me B. I really didn't think that it would be a problem to you of all people," She shifts around in her seat as she spoke. Her lanky frame seems to loom before you as she leans forward, despite the distance. "But if it's really that much of a problem, I could simply...take care of it for you, I wouldn't even ask for too much in return. Just a favor, from a friend."

Somehow, you were feeling less sure about your friendship now than when she rejected your hug not too long ago, but she had a point, if admittedly not a great one. "Tempting, but she's worked with the mark's group for too long to suddenly change her powers. I still need the two of them alive, and well taken care of. At least, for now."

Pausa seemed a bit, disappointed at your response, but she doesn't let that smile of hers waver for even a moment, "You need me to take care of a young woman?"

You gently nod, and simply state, "Yes," it was an awkward request to be sure, but; it would certainly not be an unfamiliar one for her.

"In the Real?" she asks, already starting to sound a little less enthusiastic at the prospect, long before she hears you reply with another flat, "Yes."

She lets out a sigh, and stares into her wine glass. The pajama clad demon taking an awfully long amount of time to simply watch the glass's contents shift in shade and consistency. After a while, she settles on something wine colored once more, and finally asks, "Do you have a body prepared yet?"

You stare into her eyes for a moment, and shake your head, "Not yet, I came here to try and work out something you would find acceptable, but you have to remember. I'm just a private detective now, and last time I checked, you don't have any cults operating in Oregon anymore."

She mumbles something under her breath in response, and while her lips are a bit obscured by her glass. You are pretty sure that she said something along the lines of "None that you can find anyway."

You let out a slight sigh, "I won't have enough time to get in touch with your cults Pausa, most of them still hate me for the last vessel I broke." You lean forward a little, "But what I can offer you is enough Karma to build you a new one, and free reign to use your new vessel however you want. As long as you show up every now and then to pretend to be someone's nurse."

Pausa let out a very slight laugh, and said, "I've tried those before. They were always a little off, missing something that I just can't quite replicate. Nothing was wrong with the innards, or how the vessel was shaped, and it didn't matter if they were made of glittering gold, or crude flesh." You were quite sure where she was going with this already, and you didn't like it.

"It was that they were made, not born. The best bodies on Earth are humanoid, living, and taken," she had a smile on her face once more now. You really wish she didn't.


You stared long and hard at her eyes for a moment, and found yourself feeling a little annoyed by how...serious she seemed. "They're called 'People' Pausa, and I'm surprised that you'd settle on one again. Especially with how...limiting your previous vessel was, despite her apparent 'compatibility'. A 'made' vessel could be shaped any way you want, and you could wield your power without worrying about uh, turning crispy."

"But if I'm only there to pretend to be a nurse I won't need to wield my power would I?" she lets her words linger in the air for a few moments, as the both of you stare each other down. "Let me put this in a way that you can understand. You wear that ratty trenchcoat of yours everywhere even in this dream of yours, despite the fact that it makes you look like a flasher, and despite the fact that you could still afford something better. All of this because you feel more comfortable when you're wearing it right? Because it feels just right."

You slowly shake your head, "No. I wear them because they're easy to take off in a hurry. Don't laugh. And because I only buy ones that are long enough to cover almost everything up, except that little bit above my ankles. Besides, I don't see what my sense of fashion has to do with you wanting me to ruin someone's life as payment."

"That's because you missed the point. I'm not talking about why you wear trench coats, I'm talking about why you're still wearing the same trench coat you were wearing when we first met," Pausa notes.

You take in a deep breath, and calmly state, "In this dream, yes. But only because I'm fairly sure this is what I wore when we had this dinner all those months ago. In reality, I am wearing a much cheaper black trench coat that I bought at the start of the month, and it...it's already just as ratty as the one I'm wearing here."

"Look, can we compromise a little?. If I can find someone who's compatible, and won't be missed too much, I'll mark them down for you, but otherwise. I will be making you a new vessel, it will be powerful, and made out of the finest materials I can afford." You let out a hacking cough, and almost brush your sleeve against your stump for a moment, only stopping to blurt out a rapid fire, "But it will most likely be made out of dead bodies held together by karma."

The two of you simply sit and stare for a moment, as the two of you wait for the other to crack first. Up until a smile begins to form on Pausa's face once more, as she realizes something, "Alright then, a compromise, for a friend. I, Pausa, will solemnly agree to lower my standards, and inhabit a vessel bound by karma if required. In exchange for a favor, one of equivalent value to the humiliation and discomfort I will suffer while performing this task. A favor that will not be owed if a particular Butcher can obtain a human Vessel, willing or not, for I, Pausa to inhabit."

You let out a slight sigh in response, "And this is your final offer?" You are not at all surprised to see her gently nod her head.

"It's my final offer B. You forget; I am not some lowly imp, there are still many who call my name, and seek my presence in their lives, and there were once those who would count themselves as blessed to hear a single word uttered from these lips. But you? You've spoken to me for...four hours already," Her smile widens, as the sound of marching feet, and ticking gears starts to fill the room. "Actually, maybe you should just wake up."

She raises her glass, that same smile still on her face as she smugly declares, "If it helps, I've already got something in mind for that favor B, and trust me. You're going to en-," you think she was going to say something else after that, but at that moment the dream, like all pleasant dreams ended right where it isn't supposed to. Just before you got a satisfying ending.
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You wake up to a loud ringing sound coming from the bedside table, an alarm had gone off earlier apparently, one you don't remember setting. The loud rumbling from your stomach, and the slight headache you were now experiencing, honestly made you wish that it would have let you sleep a little longer.

You can feel something cold and metal pressed up against your right foot, which a closer look reveals to be the currently still inactive form of the spider. It was doubtlessly going to wake up sooner than later but, until it does, what are you going to do?.

[] Check the time:There's no knowing how long you have until it wakes up, might as well figure out how much time you spent in that little dream of Pausa's.
[] Get out of the bed: Obtain coffee and light snacks. You are hungry, and thirsty, neither of these are a great way to get rid of a headache.
[] Shake it awake: There's more than one way to make sure that you'll enter this conversation on equal footing.