"Well players do need pieces. I'm here to pick up pawns and knights," Phil replied, offering the returned Twin a slug from the flask, "But you take precedence. Anything you need to pick up or should we just head to the airport? Only two flights a day out on the major airlines but I've got a Piper that'll get us to somewhere less remote in a few hours."

Reality shifted, and what had been was no longer, merely a possibility of what was. Existence reasserted itself, the new path laid out before them.

"We have business."

Order reminded her sister, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a smartphone. She placed a call to the service they used, arranging to have the designer clothes Entropy had brought with her to Wyoming waiting for them in the lobby of the hotel. Entropy packed light, as neither had anything even remotely approximating bodily functions that needed attending to. The only thing she had felt the need to bring with her was a trio of outfits. Order didn't pack at all, as her appearance was purely a matter of her own will and desire.

"We will have to decline your charter, I'm afraid."

Entropy confirmed, gathering herself and taking her sister's arm.

"We will be in New York by tomorrow night."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:49, Tue 05 Oct 2021.

((Just to be sure, you're opting to skip driving out in favor of flight?))

OOC: Correct, they are willing to get in a plane to get straight there. They don't need anything, and if this guy double crosses them a plane isn't the worst place for them to have a fight.

Okay, but it does mean missing the connection they saw coming about from driving out.

Sorry, clumsiness on my part. Even took a note, and then ignored it.  Driving out for sure.

Post edited
This message was last edited by the player at 03:04, Tue 05 Oct 2021.

"Fine, you want to drive across the big empty have fun with it," Phil told her, "I assume you already have my contact information. Preferred meal to have ready upon your arrival?"

He made his way to the airport, seemingly planning to just walk the seven or eight miles.

Did they drive themselves or hire a driver?

Entropy threw him a smile as Order turned away to finish the call.

”Oh Phil, if it were a matter of preference, we’d be joining you on the charter.”

She tapped the side of her nose.

”But sniffing out opportunities is very much what we do, and we can’t let this one slip by.”

She so rarely knew what it was that she was hunting, it was enough to hunt. She shaped herIntention, and provided her will was strong enough, the rest fell into place. She’d might have thought it Fate, had not the truth of her own Mythos not been so engrained upon her psyche. There was no denying her essential nature, and so she hadn’t run from it. Neither of them had, taking instead the names that were the most obvious to them both. Other names might have sufficed, for their Mythos was not limited to a single existence, and yet these two fit them best. Creation and Destruction, Pattern and Choas.

Almost as soon as she had started, Order was hanging up.

”They’ll be dropping off the car in five minutes.”

She said to her sister, turning to face Phil.

”Can’t get any decent Sushi in this town, what good is all this money changing hands if you can’t get good Sushi?”

Order would drive, too easy for Entropy to get distracted. She had the multitude of universes to occupy her, did she not? There was no need for mortal servants, beyond those who packed their clothes or delivered the dark grey BMW X6 that they had leased for this little expedition. Order for the details, and Entropy for the big picture. That had always been the way of it.

Or it hadn’t, they’d never know.

"You wouldn't want the fish by the time they arrived," Phil told them with a wave, "Sushi it is. Traditional I think, none of this cream cheese malarkey."

Mercedes SUVs were slightly low-rent but the Twins made do with what was available. Two thousand, one hundred sixty odd miles. They would cross just shy of ten states. Thirty plus hours if one obeyed the speed limit.

Even if they blithely ignored the weather and rough patches the Twins realized something. Nebraska was terribly dull. Midnight found them refilling at a gas station just off I-80 on a four-way stop.

"Why are we out here again?"

Order asked as she filled the tank, as if she didn't know. It was a little joke between them, to pretend to bicker and argue about their shared purpose. They didn't exactly share each other's thoughts, but it was a near and dear thing. Such questions were utterly unnecessary, except to play the part. The multiverse had chosen itself, and they were just along for the ride.

"What, you missing your beauty sleep?"

Entropy responded. Neither of them needed sleep, and Order could adopt whatever form struck her. She'd picked a broad hipped and even broader shouldered shape for this journey. Caucasian, early or late thirties, well muscled from either a life of professional sport, or physical labor. It wasn't a look that would draw attention, as the attention they sought would find them one way or another. Entropy, for her part, looked exactly the same as she had in Wyoming. She stuck out a fair amount for Nebraska, but they weren't intending on being there long.

"Well it's midnight at a crossroads, not sure what other traditions you two like," a male voice announced, "I could bury a few coins and spill wine for the ambiance."

He rested against a short, heavy truck painted silver with red highlights that has to be at least forty years old. The thing was closer to a tank than most modern vehicles. The man himself is thirty-ish, tall, and broad shouldered with the dense frame of a farm or construction worker. Brown hair, brown eyes, in flannel and denim.

"Sorry, they didn't tell me your names. I'm Quinton."

Entropy looked about at their surroundings, as if noticing the crossroads for the first time. Order, for her part, had eyes only for the man.

"That was awfully kind of you to arrange that."

Entropy said, still pretending as if the man wasn't there, even as she addressed him directly.

"Though also somewhat menacing in a 'we know you, you don't know us,' sort of way."

The ever cautious Order added.

"Oh hush you, with all the emergent Mythos it's only natural that at least one of them would be resonant with the concept of information. Deities of knowledge, destiny controlling crones, there are simply too many possibilities. Besides, we do know who he is, he said as much. This is Quinton."

She laughed as her sister rolled her eyes, withdrawing the pump from the SUV's fuel tank.

"A pleasure, Quinton. They probably didn't tell you our names because they were trying to be polite, which is another good sign. Most in the know just call us 'the Twins.' If you need more specifics than that, we can certainly talk, but..."

"... the Twins is fine."

Order interrupted.

"As you would have it," Quinton replied with a nod, "And I'm not trying to be threatening, the bosses are just kind of bad at linear time. They've got a habit of bad stage theater acting."

He stepped away from the truck with a nod.

"The three of them only have one eye between them. Sharing has apparently gotten old. I'm told you'll name the price for two more."

He smiled.

"And I'd be careful with the 'C' word, they get a bit tetchy about their age."

The Twins had endured a rather unorthodox education when they had moved on to Law School, primarily at the hands of their ethics professor, Donovan Miles. Professor Miles had possessed a unique perspective when it came to ethics and the law, one heavily influenced by his own Demonic possession. He hadn't been an expert on Greek demi-gods, by any stretch of the imagination. Still, one did not skip the fundamentals, and even the most casual dip into Greek Mythology would have covered the Graeae.

"We will be careful not to offend the Daughters of Phorcys."

Entropy said, and Order rolled her eyes at her sister showing off what a studious little demonologist she'd been in grad school. They'd been? Who could say, certainly not the Twins. Entropy held up a finger, closing her eyes and concentrating.

"Do the Grey Sisters want me to conjure up an answer now, or did they want to speak to us in person first?"

She didn't bother mentioning that they were on a tight schedule. If she hadn't been meant to come this way, then she wouldn't have ended on this reality. It wasn't Fate, that was more the domain of the ones Quinton here was representing. It was simply that in the crafting of her Intention, she eroded away any reality that wasn't entwined with it. She didn't destroy it, she wasn't that powerful, but she certainly severed her ability to access it. It didn't mean that everything went perfectly, no one could account for every possibility. It just meant she always knew right where she and her sister needed to be.

"They aren't exactly mobile these days. If you want to meet them I'll arrange it but apparently available divine eyes that still function are rare. For now they've gone reclusive," Quinton told them, "You're something of an oracle as well, right? How easy do you find getting a straight answer? Best I can tell there are two actual things that serve but when I try to dowse them out, well, it's like looking to long at the sun."

Natural 20 means success, you really don't need a supporting Fact for them unless it's something really odd.

"Answers are never straight, questions are."

Entropy said from where she stood out in the night.  She shaped her Intention, focusing on the request as it was made. Should see seek vision for a trio of Oracles starved of such, where would she begin.

"He works for a trio of Oracles, he knows."

Order fired back, leaning alongside the car while her sister did her work.

Dice, cards, spinning wheels, and all the alcohol imported. Nearby tame water in the desert.

Inevitably the SUV's sound system began playing ZZ Top, Viva Las Vegas.

A church and museum flickered on the edge.

"I learned to take payment in concrete things, not foreknowledge," Quinton agreed with Order.

"Ha!"

Order barked out a laugh, directed entirely at her sister. While the pair of them might have the multiverse at their fingertips, they still couldn't be in two places at once. Ever the more diplomatic of the two, Entropy threw Quinton an apologetic smile.

"We're headed in the opposite direction from Las Vegas, but I can't imagine our work there will take too long. When we are done, Telos LLC will be happy to start working on this new contract. Are you authorized to negotiate payment now? Or are you merely here to guarantee that satisfactory payment will be forthcoming upon delivery of the final product? Assuming it meets demand, of course."

It might seem foolish to begin the work before even discussing what the payment might be, but dealing with the Mythos was different than the standard business negotiation. Elder powers rarely enjoyed leaving debts outstanding, and even Trickster entities strove to pay their dues. Sure, they might have an entirely different idea of what sort of payment was fair for services rendered, but no one liked unpaid dues. Obligations left unfulfilled had a way of biting those who left them in the back, and few where brave enough to leave a consortium of Demons feeling short changed.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:17, Mon 18 Oct 2021.

"I have authorization if you want payment in cash or securities, which I've been assured you won't," Quinton replied, "Their bid is three questions a year, or one active action with the same frequency."

Order let out a long descending whistle, as Quinton's words sharpened existence and took focus. Reality held its breath, and the Twins filled that sudden void.

"As the empowered and authorized representative of the Grey Sisters..."

Entropy began, her lush voice gone almost singsong as she luxuriated on the words. They were deep and heavy, the tones resonate on frequencies far beyond mortal ken. There was no counter bid, no haggling for a fourth or fifth. Not that they didn't covet such things, they were at their core covetous creatures. They simply wouldn't debase themselves to engage in such petty negotiations with a representative of one of the Mythos. One did not try and nickel and dime Oracles for favors, it just wasn't done.

"... we hear and acknowledge your bid. Your employers terms are acceptable. We of course make no promise of delivery, save that if we acquire the assets that meet the specifications that they desire, we will ensure that the are passed into your care. Then Telos LLC will accept the subsequent three boons, in perpetuity."

The universe tightened, the moment sealed.

Eternity was an awfully long time.

"Keep in mind that they're a bit fractured. If the eyes are taken then the visions won't be nearly as useful. They've also picked up the 'past, present, and future' habit," Quinton told them, "But we have an accord. Unless you're looking for some blessings or wards I should be getting back to work."

"We're not trying to rack up debts."

Order said bluntly, answering both declaration and question with a single statement. Ever the more eloquent of the two, Empathy moved quickly to smooth things over.

"What's she's trying to say is that we're not interested in delivering faulty product."

She smiled, slowly ambling back towards the SUV.

"Don't get a lot of repeat customers with faulty product."

Order added, throwing a small wave before moving to the driver's seat.

"A pleasure, Quinton, we'll be in touch."

She said by way of parting, slipping him one of the eggshell cards from its silver case and climbing into the passenger seat.

"I accept all major credit cards and cash at reasonable rates," Quinton shot back cheerfully, tucking the card into his front shirt pocket as he climbed into the truck, "Good hunting."

The next two gas stops were without additional meetings and found them finally on the outskirts of NYC as dawn just started tainting the horizon.

Order made a big show of yawning and rubbing her eyes, as if she was tuckered out from the all nighter. Entropy didn't even bother to acknowledge the act, as since their mutual palingenesis, neither had possessed even the slightest need for sleep. Neither had they needed food, or water, or even air if either of them were counting.

"I'll text Phil."

Entropy said, pulling out her phone and comprising a text notifying their host that they had arrived.

"I'll get us a flight to Vegas."

Order added, smiling behind her sunglasses. She liked New York, but she absolutely loved Las Vegas. The idea that they needed to be there for an indeterminate amount of time meant she'd essentially been gloating since they'd left the crossroads.

Phil's First Text: No one should be up this early. Leave me to nurse this dear hangover.

Twenty seconds later: Want a ride sent? He's doing morning inspections, should be in the office in another hour or so.

How long until the flight? Are the Twins suspecting that this will be done one way or another by the end of the day or setting aside a few days?