[Chuubo's] Fortitude: The Glass-Maker's Dragon IC

[Crinias]

Once upon a time, a witch and a glass-maker made a dragon out of glass and taught it to hate the world. It raged and it would have destroyed everything; only, it shattered, instead.

Maybe it found some reason to love the world.

Maybe their hearts weren't really in it — not the glass-maker's, not the witch's.

Maybe it was just that the dragon was made of glass.
— Fortitude: the Glass-Maker’s Dragon

Book 1, Chapter 1
The first week of Spring

It's a beautiful day in Fortitude. The Sun is shining high, the wind is blowing softly and everyone seems to be taking things slowly, like is usual around here. It’s the first week of Spring, and it’s starting to show. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing and the last traces of Winter have disappeared.

And if there are any signs of greater things to come, whether in dreams or odd behaviors, they are not particularly obvious. Until they come to light, it’s just another day in Fortitude.

Well now, let's get this started. I don't want to presume that I know where you are, so you'll have to describe that yourselves.

As an aside, it’s not only the first week of Spring but also the year, by the way. School vacations begin in two weeks’ time, for whoever’s interested. Along with the new year, I suppose new ambitions are in order. Any long-term projects that your characters are interested in are probably only just starting, like Miramie’s café.

Finally, don’t feel rushed to meet up immediately, you have plenty of time, particularly given the format of PbP.

OOC thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15860684)

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia Koutolika, the blond-haired daughter of Fortitude's latest immigrant family, is returning back home from school - the black and gold uniform should be an instant giveaway. As usual, the school was boring - all the classes covered either stuff she already knew or some irrational gibberish, and she spent the majority of it reading books covertly. She considers skipping it the next day - what is the point attending classes in a dream anyway?

...But then something distracts her, as soft mewling from above reaches her ears. Natalia looks up and stares at a darker shape among the thick leaves on a tree by the road.

[Geostationary]

Meanwhile, not far behind her, Rinley Yatskaya fell off a roof. She landed more or less gracefully, as far as one can gracefully fall off a roof, but she looked around her once or twice to make sure no one saw her fall before going "totally stuck that" to herself.

She brushes off her unbuttoned blue-and-gold uniform coat, straightens her crown of strawberry leaves and pearl, and walks up to Natalia.
"Hi! Have you seen a cat? It stole a friend of mine's hat and I'm looking to get it back. It should be about this big [motions with hands a medium cat], looks kind of grouchy, poor sense of humor?"
She looks around, and then yells, "I know you're somewhere around here!"
"Actually, wait, have we met? I'm Rinley Yatskaya. Did you move here recently? Where do you live? How're you finding Town? What do you think of class? Am I asking too many questions? I should stop, shouldn't I."
She stops and catches her breath from speaking fast and having just fallen off a house.

[Sanguine]

A dream, that was all it was. A dream. Of course most people underestimate dreams, and few knew that better than Leonardo de Montreal.

Standing on the shores of Big Lake the young scientist suppressed a shiver. He wasn't here because of the dream. He wasn't! He was here because there had been an Outside Storm last night, and a few nights before that. They were getting closer together, and he needed to know why. The sheeple dismissed it as a coincidence, who can predict the outside they say. But Leonardo knew better, everything happens for a reason and Leonardo would find out what it was. For he was a scientist.

After shivering once again he turned away from the lake and exclaimed. "It's too blasted cold, I can't work under these conditions!" And with that he marched off in search of hot chocolate.

[Terraoblivion]

While Natalia and Leonardo were busy being melodramatic, or at least dramatic, in their own ways a rather odd sight played along the harbor. A tanned teenage girl with bright, red hair was running messages and making deliveries for various shopkeepers and shipowners, that wasn't the odd part though it was a job more associated with actual children. No, the odd part was the fact that she was dressed in an elaborate courtly robe that looked like something from an old painting of noblewoman from the Chinese Tang dynasty, yet had her hair hanging loose in a way you would never see on an actual noblewoman from medieval China.

All of this was lost on Jasper, however, as the nuances of age appropriate chores were hardly something you learned in the heavens, nor was the history of east Asian fashion. Instead, she simply stopped to watch a ship unload boxes, trying to guess what were in them. The lower world seemed far too full of stuff being moved around, rather than spirits simply making sure it was in the appropriate place. At least she was pretty sure that was how it had been back home, maybe there was a lot of logistics that nobody had bothered to show her or she'd simply forgotten.

[Tengu_temp]

"Er..." Natalia looks slightly overwhelmed by the constant barrage of questions for a moment. Only for a moment. "Yes, no, yes, Fortitude, strange, uninteresting, yes, and yes before you run out of air, respectively. I'm pretty sure the cat you're looking for is stuck on this tree and can't get down, like cats are known to do. See?" She points her finger at the dark shape for better identification and nods seriously, and then approaches the tree's trunk, getting ready to climb it.
"My name is Natalia Koutolika. Hello.", she says without turning around.

[Geostationary]

"Nice to meet you."
She turns to the presumed cat. "You'd better still have that hat! If you don't, Eduard will be very cross!"
Rinley looks around her. "...Actually, where has Eduard gone off to? I'm sure you'll like him!"
So for NPCs like Prince Eduard so on, who do we want narrating their stuff/giving dialogue? Should we leave that to the HG or should it be a mix of HG/PCs playing them?

[Tengu_temp]

"What makes you think that?", Natalia asks as she starts to climb up the tree. She's pretty damn good at it - and she also has the common sense to wear bike shorts under her uniform's skirt.

Considering Natalia has a connection to the rats, do you think she'd know who Prince Eduard is?

[Crinias]

To either of the girls, it was easy to identify the figure among the branches of the tree as the cat described by Rinley, all brown with some black stripes and a small brown hat atop his head (the kind Indiana Jones wears). It was slightly too small, rat-sized, and it didn't fit him well, but he didn't seem like he cared much, for he looked more smug than grouchy, as he had earlier.

Cats can be incredibly smug when properly motivated, although on the whole this particular cat would probably be more smug if he didn't look nervous - he evidently didn't think this through. 'This' being 'getting stuck in a tree'.

As Natalia climbs the tree with ease (it's around four or five meters tall), she can see the cat look at her with a mix of relief and nervousness. She gets up to the branch on which the cat is on when everyone suddenly hears a sudden exclamation:

"Why, I daresay you've found the villain, Rinley!" cried out a voice that was unfamiliar to Natalia, but not to Rinley. Turning around to see where the voice was coming from, the girls quickly spotted a Fortitude rat elegantly posing atop a nearby roof. Or rather, it would have been elegant, but the rat in question was posed in such a way that the wind blew unto his back and disrupted his balance briefly, making him stumble slightly. Prince Eduard Fujimoto was, alas, not very good at representing rats in general.

After regaining his balance Eduard cleared his throat loudly and very suddenly jumped off the roof. He somersaulted twice before landing gracefully, impressing everybody around him (cat included) with how correctly and effectively he had done it.

He then walks normally towards the girls. "Ah, Rinley, I see you've found someone to help us bring that cat to justice! I can't say I can tell humans very much apart, but she sure looks reliable! That was quite the climb!"

Most of the time you'll only control your own characters, but we'll alternate every now and again. Handle Eduard for the rest of the scene, if you want.

As for Natalia, I'm going to say that she has heard of him. Also, I'm assuming you're using Martial Arts to climb up the tree or something, right? We can probably say your physical training is more than enough for that.

[Geostationary]

"There you are! Natalia, this is Prince Eduard of the Fortitude rats! As for why I think that, how to put it... You both have the same kind of feel, you know? Like catventures are just around the corner!"
She smiles at her joke.
"Oh, and try not to hurt the cat! I mean, it stole Eduard's hat, but I'm still a Yatskaya and cats are kind of our thing, so, you know..."
Rinley and Eduard share a look, and Eduard responds, "Well, I suppose we can let it off this time. But beware, cat, should you cross Prince Eduard Fujimoto a second time!"
He flourishes his tiny sword and wiggles his eybrows at the cat in an impressive manner!
What blue is that? I'm having trouble matching it and would rather not go through all the blueish text options.

[Crinias]

The cat just narrows his eyes at Eduard and hisses. Then he moves closer to Natalia, as though half expecting her to pick him up.

It's Royal Blue, as befitting of a prince.

[Tengu_temp]

"Villain. Justice. I see.", Natalia repeats flatly, looking at all the participants in order. The situation in front of her is just so bizarre and yet cute at the same time. She knows the rats of Fortitude and that they can talk, but such cute stuff simply doesn't happen in her life. She chalks it up to everything being a dream as usual.
"Don't worry, I would never hurt a cat. Come here. koshka, don't be afraid..." She gets closer to the animal on the branch and squats down to pick it up... But she also flicks her finger at the hat it's wearing, trying to send it floating down towards the rat prince. "Let's just return this thing to its owner."

If Natalia's default abilities are not enough, I assume I can use her The Prodigy special power to perfectly balance on the tree and flick the cat's hat off as described above? Hopefully this counts as mid-scene already.

Geostationary: you can see text color in the code if you quote it. Also, keep up the puns and you'll get groan XP.

[Geostationary]

Eduard catches the hat and puts it on with another dramatic flourish. "Thank you, young lass! If you ever need help, just ask!"

"Hey, Natalia! Once you come down, would you like to go to the harbor with us? We were heading there before we were suddenly catbushed by that stray, and it stole Eduard's hat. We chased it all over the roofs, until we found you here! Anyways, we were thinking of maybe fishing and goofing around, maybe seeing if anyone else was there."
It is obvious that Rinley has no fishing gear, and that this fact does not concern her.

Perforce, puns are the punitive price I pay for Rinley's terrible mastery over the wishing power of the heart! That and bouts of alliteration, it seems.

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia jumps down to the ground nimbly, the cat in her hands, and then puts him down next to her and pets the animal gently to calm him down.
"It's alright. I actually heard about you from some of the other rats, and..." She trails off, listening to Rinley's invitation. And as she listens, she slowly grows more conflicted.

Should I come? They are strange but also nice, this sounds like it could be quite fun. Maybe it could even turn into a small adventure...
No, who am I trying to fool? Adventures are something that happens in stories. It will just be messing around on the beach - maybe fun, but certainly a waste of time. And I already wasted enough time today... I have my duty to fulfill. I can't afford this...

"I'm sorry... I can't.", she says quietly, her face low enough that eyes are not visible behind her hair. "Maybe later, but I simply can't right now. Um... Sorry again. Don't mind me, I'll be going now. Bye."
Natalia turns around and starts to leave quickly.

[Geostationary]

Rinley watches Natalia make her excuses and walk away, feeling sad that she can't do stuff with this new friend.
"Are you sure?! We'll be having fish! And the day's been beautiful so far, despite the recent storms!"

So, I'd like to use Heart-Reader because I'm curious and because Rinley naturally needs to see the despair of Natalia's heart.

Invoke Heart-Reader to tell whether something is a labor of love, an ordinary act, or the dreary trudge of somebody just going through the motions. You can invoke this power real-time or after-the-fact, and you can even get a detailed sense of how much love is in something.
Also, if this is the end of the scene, could we take an "A Shared Reaction" XP action? If you're going to reconsider my proposal or something, it can wait.

[Tengu_temp]

"...Yes, I'm sure. See you later.", Natalia says as she's already pretty far away. But she's not actually that sure, even if she doesn't want to admit it to herself - and that just makes her feel worse. She feels like she messed up somehow. And while she's stoic and only a bit sad on the outside, her heart is heavy and filled with pain, devoid of love.

That sounds good to me, unless Crinias has something else/something further planned. Also, I assume you don't need me to tell you Natalia is connected to Rinley's fate.

[Geostationary]

Rinley Emotes Sad!
She picks up Eduard and, placing him on her shoulder, heads to the harbor.
I was going for "Oh, I the player know of Natalia's emotional turmoil, but now Rinley must suffer it as well! The joys of divinations- actually talking to your heart at this point would just be awkward for all involved. It just lends credence that I must now invite her to awkward social events.

/Scene

[Crinias]

As Leonardo walks away from the shore, he can't help shake off a feeling of trepidation, and of something to be done in the future. He can practically hear the waters call to him.

There's few good cafes or diners around here. There's a lot of decent ones, one would suppose, but no really excellent ones. And there's probably none in Fortitude that could match up to the magnificence of De Montreal, but that's to be expected. Still, there are plenty in the general area, good or not.

The coffee shop by Lakeside Avenue is closest, but it's only open on weekends. There's a great all-around shop over on Markovic's Crescent, but that one's at least an hour and a half away on foot. The owner of the diner on Apeldoorn Avenue, a block away, is away on vacation... somewhere, Leonardo's not entirely sure where you'd go to vacation in Town if you already lived in Fortitude.

The only viable choice that this leaves and that he remembers is the Queen's Cafe coffee shop, which is a few streets away near Sunrise Street, and is, as far as Leonardo can tell, the definition of an average coffee shop. It'll probably do.

It is as Leonardo walks by the harbor that he spots a young girl dressed in most unusual clothes.
---------------

The arrangements and order of the lower world was certainly odd and not very intuitive. Jasper watched as the crates were unloaded, but only every now and again would she get a hint of what things truly were - the smell of spices, maybe, or a glint of something shining between the planks of the crates.

The latest request was a message sent to an eastern clothing shop, to inform the owner that the latest shipment of clothing had arrived and that it'd be sent over soon. The directions were simple: it was a few buildings next to the cafe on Sunrise Street. There was no real need to hurry. Observing a few crates wouldn't inconvenience anyone.

So it is as Jasper watches the crates that she notices a young scientist walk in her general direction.

Not sure if you've actually met one another, but if not then this is your chance.


Also, if this is the end of the scene, could we take an "A Shared Reaction" XP action?
You can technically take any of the Pastoral XP Actions at any point so long as you fit with their descriptions. You don't need to ask me about them.

[Terraoblivion]

Smelling the dry smell of spices coming from one of the crates, Jasper wrinkled her nose slightly. What was that? Some kind of thing to keep houses clean by keeping worse smells out? That actually kinda made sense, she'd been down here long enough to know that if a house smelled too much of anything that wasn't food, then it was dirty. So if you had something to drown the smell out, that might solve the problem. It sounded a lot easier than all the sweeping and scrubbing she occasionally saw people do, so it seemed like an obvious solution. Of course, then there was the question of why people still did all that work...

As she was musing on the relationship between smell, cleanliness and spices, she was distracted by the appearance of a figure who seemed almost as out of place as herself. "Hi." Turning away from the crates, she met the scientist with a big, bright smile. Maybe he would know what the stuff in the crates were for and in any case, people here seemed to always say hi when they passed by each other.

I'm going with the assumption that Jasper probably doesn't know Leonardo yet. However, I can easily edit the post to have recognition if you prefer Sanguine. In any case, I imagine that they're both distinctive enough that there might have been rumors about them and that Leonardo at least would have noticed if he saw Jasper.

Also, do you think that's enough to count as a theory about how the lower world works, Crinias?

[Sanguine]

Oh the world was a cruel mistress, forcing the great and glorious De Montreal to debase himself with mediocrity. But such was the cost of magnificence. For when you stand above the world everything is beneath you.

Leonardo is shaken out of his revelry by the bright smiling face of the Child of the Sun. For a moment he stands petrified, fear clear on his face. But no this was not the specter from his dreams. Shaking off his momentary terror Leonardo, for reasons he does not quite understand, smiles and replies. "Hello."

[Terraoblivion]

"Is something wrong?" Jasper looked on him, clearly concerned for what had terrified the scientist so much. Was it her clothes? Or had she been wrong about the smell being for cleaning and it was something much scarier? But then why did others not react the same way? "Can I do anything to help?" She glanced towards the crates. She probably couldn't do anything about it if it was them.

[Sanguine]

"Help me? Help me!? I am the glorious Leonardo de Montreal! Do you truly think that you could help me? I, who have explored the primordial darkness of the world of nightmares. I, who has tamed the darkest recesses of the human psyche harnessing the power of nightmares. I, who rekindled the sun. No, I, Leonardo de Montreal, need help from no one!" As Leonardo makes his pronouncement a bolt of lightning and crash of thunder emerge from the otherwise clear skies, compliments of his Dramatic Gesture Gloves. After a moment though the young scientist looks slightly embarrassed and mumbles. "Besides, it was nothing. You just look like someone I used to know."

[Terraoblivion]

There was a short pause as Leonardo rambled, with Jasper looking quite confused for a second before her expression suddenly brightened into an inquisitive expression. "You rekindled the sun?! You mean literally after mom was shot, right?" Hopefully this strange guy wasn't just bragging. But, really, could a human even do that? They seemed mostly concerned with eating and moving little bits of metal around in exchange for stuff? "Do you know why the new sun doesn't say anything when I try to talk to it?" She paused for a bit, looking slightly embarrassed before continuing. "Sorry...I'm Jasper Irinka. Jade Irinka was...Is my mother."

And have a speechlessness XP for that reply to an offer of help.

[Sanguine]

Leonardo rolled his eyes affecting mock disdain. Though in truth he was ecstatic for the opportunity to talk about his crowning achievement. "Yes literally. The sun went out, plunging the world into darkness and all would have been lost if it were not for me. For I rose up to save a world that had shown me nothing but scorn and loathing. Tearing out my still beating heart I used it to build my Abhorrent Sun-Sustaining Superconductor and a new sun was born." At this point Leonardo took a moment to relish in his own triumph before continuing. "As for why the new sun doesn't talk, that is a good question..." Leonardo considered the question carefully before answering. "The life cycle of a sun is measured in the millions of years. Whereas the new sun is a scant eight years old. So it is entirely plausible that the sun is merely too young to communicate. Of course this is merely an untested hypothesis. I could perform a rigorous scientific examination of the subject. But to do so I would need to build either an Artificially Intelligent deep-space probe or a time machine. And unfortunately my Incomparable Nightmare Engine is currently being petulant."

Does that count as proposing a theory about something in the natural world?

Also yay XP :smallbiggrin:

[Terraoblivion]

"I don't think mom aged like that. She's the angel of the sun. Or was, this is a different one. I'd think that she's eternal. Probably at least." Jasper was a bit uncertain. Not only was it a lot of information to comprehend in a single monologue like that, she wasn't used to scientific terminology like that. And she couldn't really remember life in heaven that well, not to mention that she didn't have any idea how old her mother really was.

"I'm thinking that maybe it hasn't learned to talk to the people in the world below. It's far away and being the sun has to be a lot different than being like us after all. I mean, humans are kinda weird with the whole sneezing thing and fondness for little metal bits, but they're still like me and talk and such." She paused for a bit, looking thoughtful as she did so. "Did you really use your heart to create the new sun?" Had her mother been born in a similar way? And did that mean the world had done without a sun until somebody gave their heart to give life to her or had there been another sun back then?

And it seems like a theory about the natural world to me. If a rather odd, metaphysical part of it.

[Sanguine]

"Yes, I did. And it's a good thing too because there seems to be a disturbing trend of people stabbing me in the chest. A thoroughly uncomfortable experience I must say."

[Terraoblivion]

Jasper winced slightly at the whole chest stabbing thing, remembering that last moment before she fell. "That sounds really uncomfortable. So humans can survive being stabbed in the chest? I'm still trying to learn about this place." She looked around, her gaze once again falling on the crates. Really, there seemed to be a lot about humans she didn't know yet.

[Geostationary]

"I can't think of many people offhand that have survived that. I do know how you can swap out people's hearts, but I learned that from a grumpy old cat in exchange for secret tales. It was fun when I tried it with my big brother. Took me a week to figure out how to undo it though."
"...Oh, I'm Rinley. Don't mind me, I'm just listening."
***
In a depressed mood after her encounter with Natalia, Rinley had gone to the harbor and fished with Eduard for a while. After a few catches (only two of which had small gold coins in their mouths!), she heard loud, dramatic exclamations and unweatherly crashes of thunder and lightning.
That must be Leonardo. Wait, who's he talking to? She headed over, figuring that Leonardo being grandiose around... someone wearing courtly regalia? would at least be interesting, if not lighten her mood. Besides, half the harbor could hear his proclamations, and she'd not heard about his Abhorrent Sun-Sustaining Superconductor before. It's not like they were being private, and that's basically an invitation, right?
I figure I'd probably be at least acquainted with Leonardo, as he's not exactly a subtle person and he's only a year or so older than Rinley.
Also, can I call 'Storytime' for either me talking about hearts or the tales of Leonardo and the New Sun?

[Terraoblivion]

Another person talking about human hearts, someone looking a lot more normal this time. Were they really replaceable like that? It seemed like something people would have told her about before... "Wasn't it messy swapping hearts like that? There should be blood and stuff, right?" Or was that just fish? Maybe human hearts were different for some reason...This lower world was so weird.

Rather than dwell on the weirdness of humans for too long, Jasper gave Rinley a friendly smile, trying to rely on general warmth to get by just in case. "Anyway, hi, Rinley. I'm Jasper Irinka. We were just talking about my mother and how Leonardo created the new sun."

[Geostationary]

"I mean, normally it's pretty messy and should only be performed by a trained doctor. The trick I learned is more... Spiritual? Like you switch the bits of them that make them them, rather than the actual heart, per se."
"I didn't know Leonardo did that. But if you're Jade Irinka's daughter, what are you doing down here?"
Rinley is Delighted! She knows new people, and interesting ones to boot!

[Tengu_temp]

At the same time, Natalia still beats herself up over the encounter, but not as much as directly after it. And important stuff occupies her mind at the moment - she has a monster to hunt. But before you hunt, you need to know where your prey is, and hopefully there is someone who can let her know. She's heading towards some of the town's rooftops, where the rats hang out - and she's not going there empty-handed. On the way she paid a visit to the bakery where her mom works, and got a few freshly baked breadrolls. These will serve the double purpose of a gift to the rats and field rations. Natalia can't help but feel a bit proud in the efficiency of this idea.

(The fact that they smell nice helps.)

[Crinias]

As Natalia walks down Smirnov Avenue she spots an ideal climbing spot - an ash tree going up all the way to the balcony of a house and its diagonal, tiled rooftops. Judging by the structure of the houses in the street, by going up to the roof of any of its houses, the others in the general vicinity should be easily accessible.

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia stares at the roof's angle for a few seconds, calculating in her head, and then throws the tied bag with the breadrolls up there, aiming at the part next to the tree, where it would lie down waiting for her instead of rolling down. With her hands free, she can now start climbing the tree itself with athletic movements. Seems it's a very tree-climbing day for her.

[Sanguine]

Leonardo groaned at the new arrival. Not because he disliked Rinley, well no more than anyone else anyway. But rather the young scientist had never really been very good with people, and now he had two very unusual people to deal with. "Hello Rinley. I am not surprised you do not know such things. After all do the people celebrate me for illuminating the darkness? No! Nor do the vampires curse my name. True genius is never appreciated."

[Terraoblivion]

"Oh...Hearts are spiritual? I thought they were just a bit of meat that people need to survive." Well, that explained something, though she wasn't entirely sure why that specific meat was more spiritual than a toe or a nose. It was probably some human thing. "What happens when you switch hearts?"

As Leonardo started complaining, Jasper's expression grew a bit darker. "What ungrateful jerks! Don't they care how the world was restored and everything?" It brightened quickly as she bowed ever so slightly. "Thank you. I'd thought that everything was over until I saw the new sun. If you hadn't done it...I don't think there would have been a world."

[Sanguine]

Leonardo perked up visibly visibly at Jasper's reaction, and with a wide grin and wild gesticulations exclaimed. "Thank You! That's all I wanted, just a little bit of appreciation."

Have a "Gratitude Hands" XP

[Crinias]

A very tree-climbing day indeed. It's strange, Natalia manages to climb up the tree with ease, but she can't help but feel a nagging feeling, as though she wasn't suited to ash trees. Most odd.

Still, she manages to get up to the roofs with little difficulty. The bag with the breadrolls is right where she calculated it would land, as well.

Glancing around her, Natalia has a good vantage point of most houses in the nearby vicinity, and she notices that this is a good spot from which to view the great Big Lake blue in the distance. Most roofs in the general area are tiled and not so sharply angled that she'd have difficulty walking around here.

Still, it seems rather difficult to believe that rats have adventures up here. Like, how does that even work? There doesn't seem to be enough space for monsters up here, or more importantly, the atmosphere of Fortitude makes it hard to believe that such things would occur around here.

Speaking of rats, it takes Natalia a minute or two of looking around to sight a trio of them making their way across the roofs, a pair of streets away. Judging by the layout of the area, it wouldn't exactly be easy to cross the roofs separating the two of you, but it's certainly no problem for someone of Natalia's talents.

Sorry for the delay. I'm going to assume that Natalia doesn't know about the Far Roofs yet. Also, I'm going to assign a 1-point Obstacle to working your way around the roofs separated by the streets, because it's hard to find a proper spot from which to jump safely across them.

[Geostationary]

"Hmm. Think of it this way- there's the heart, which is the muscly organ in people's chests that pumps blood, then there's the heart, the bit of you that makes you you that contains your hopes and dreams and wishes and soul. Way back when, people thought the heart (as in the organ) was the seat of all emotion, but with the advent of heart transplants that's been mostly disproved, I think- but we still call all that stuff the heart! When I swap them, all that seems to happen is that you swap bodies, but I've not used it very much. It's kind of rude to use it without asking, for one, and I think some people find it disheartening to suddenly be someone else."
Rinley enjoys talking about this, as it leads to all sorts of stories and discussions, and she's something of an expert on hearts and stories.
"Restarting the sun is pretty cool, and people never seem to believe what I've been up to either. At last, 'tis our curse!" It's hard to tell how serious Rinley is being, what with the dramatic gesturing, but you can see she's sincere. It's hard to get people to listen to your folkloric exploits! They're all "of course you did Rinley, now run along now" and thinking how cute you can be after you tell them about the time you pulled a thorn from the paw of a kaiju while piloting a thimble around Big Lake, or when you prepared stone soup to get out of being eaten by ogres. Being a folk hero is such a burden sometimes.

I figure legends 1 and being the Domain [Wishing Power of the Heart!] person would let me know random beliefs about the nature of the heart. I could fabricate a story about it if I need to as well.
Also, wow, I really like italics.

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia quickly scans the area to figure out where the gap between the roofs is the smallest, takes the position of a runner ready to start, and...
"Look out below!"
The rats can see a shadow quickly approaching from above, as Natalia takes a running jump and lands on the roof pretty close to them (but not dangerously close, she doesn't want to hurt or scare them) in a three-point pose, with both feet and a hand on the floor. Well, someone watches too much anime... The other hand is for holding the breadrolls.
"Hello.", she says calmly as if nothing just happened.

Does this count as mid-scene? If yes, I'll use The Prodigy here to perform a perfect jump. If not, I'll spend Will.

[Terraoblivion]

Jasper just gave Leonardo a happy smile as he thanked her. Really, there was no need to, he'd done a great deed that deserved recognition!

And Rinley was saying something odd and interesting too. "So you didn't just swap hearts but the entire body? I can see why people wouldn't like that. It's odd enough to have a real body that gets red bumps on the face sometimes or pushes lots of air and goop out the nose." She fell quiet, biting her lip slightly. Maybe she'd always had it like that. It was all pretty hazy back when she was still in heaven rather than in the lower world, but it seemed wrong. Why would the home of the angel of the sun have something like sneezing? That just seemed bizarre and illogical. Then again, so was people switching hearts around and apparently that happened all the time down here.

[Crinias]

Natalia executes her jump in a perfect and impressive manner. She is simply the best at it, and the most anything anyone could do upon witnessing it is gasp and praise it simultaneously, like the rats do.

"Oh my!" says one on Natalia's left, clearly distinguishable for wearing what appears to be several belts with lots and lots of small rat-sized knives.
"What perfect posture!" says another, who wears a great blue cape and carries himself gracefully.
"They have a cave troll!" exclaims the third, who has a huge rat-sword strapped to his back, in a tone of dull surprise and shock.

The third's companions turn to him and give him looks that could melt butter like a hot knife.

"Please forgive Solo for his outburst," says the first rat. "He tends to say that a lot."

"Do not!" protests Solo, ineffectively.

The second rat smiles slightly, and Natalia can't help but feel that if this were an anime he'd be sweat-dropping like no one's business. But maybe that's just her. "I'm sorry, we're just startled is all. Solo has a worrying tendency to assume that anything surprising is a cave troll or an agent of a Mystery, or both. Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Introductions are in order. As we said, this is Solo, our friend here with the knives is Pandora and I'm Palpatine the Second. And who would you be?"

I'll assume it's mid-scene already, so it's alright.

[Tengu_temp]

What amusing creatures. Natalia can't help but feel a bit more at ease. She kneels down to their level to introduce herself.
"My name is Natalia Koutolika, and I'm certain that if I were a cave troll, I'd know, so you don't have to worry. I am hunting the great golden serpent that appeared in the area recently. Have you heard anything about it?"

[The_Snark]

The Queen's Cafe is not, in Miramie Mesmer's opinion, a shining example of a cafe. It isn't bad. It produces coffee and serves it to customers in a timely manner, which, she supposes, is the whole point. It has croissants and pastries and little sandwiches available for people who want a little something more. But it all feels a little tired, utilitarian. There's no elegance here. No soul. It's just a place for people to stop by and get coffee when they don't feel like making it for themselves, that's all.

Nonetheless, it's a functioning coffee shop, and Miramie has decided she hasn't got the right to criticize until she can do better with her own cafe. Keeping a small shop open is harder than it looks from the outside. And so this afternoon finds her seated by the door in the Queen's Cafe, a notepad at her side already half-filled with jotted observations and questions for the owner. (Miramie is a great believer in notes and lists, books and treatises, the physical talismans of knowledge.)

If she were lucky, one of the regular workers would be sick or away visiting relatives in Horizon, and she could fill in to see how it's done from the inside (and earn a little money, too). But she isn't normally that lucky, and today is no different. So she sits at her vantage point by the window, pen at the ready, and watches the sleepy streets outside.

[Sanguine]

"Sneezing, eh? Can't stand it myself, an absolutely abominable experience. Almost as bad as being stabbed in the chest. Almost. In fact the last time I caught a cold I built a machine to sneeze for me..." Leonardo goes deathly silent for a moment, lost in memory, before shivering and saying. "It didn't work quite as I had hoped." As realization suddenly dawns on his face the young scientist slams his fist into his open palm and exclaims. "Cold! I had completely forgotten. I was getting hot chocolate!"

[Terraoblivion]

"I don't think it's that bad, just weird...But how does a machine sneezing for you even work?" Really, how could a machine do something your body did on its own for you? That seemed to go against everything she'd seen from the lower world so far. It'd be like getting somebody else to eat for you so you didn't feel hungry and she was quite aware that it just plain didn't work like that. If it did, she didn't have to worry about getting food as much as she had since getting here.

"...I need to deliver this message! Sorry, gotta go. They might not pay me if I'm too late." She smiled a bit sheepishly, before beginning to walk over towards the Queen's Cafe, right where Leonardo was likely to be heading too.

[Geostationary]

"Hot chocolate does sound pretty good right now. I wonder if I can get them to cook this fish?"
Rinley smiles to herself as she examines the... actually, she's not sure what kind of fish it is, but it's certainly a fish that she caught earlier. I'm going out for hot chocolate with some new friends. I never would have done this before; I'm growing out of my shell!
"Growing up" XP for that quest. I'm bonding and getting drinks!

[Sanguine]

Marching up to the Queen's Cafe Leonardo slams open the doors and announces. "Rejoice simple baristas, for I, the illustrious Leonardo de Montreal have seen fit to grace your humble and mediocre establishment with my patronage!" Making his way to the front of the line Leonardo cuts in front of a large burly man in the middle of ordering and proclaims. "I shall have two of your largest hot chocolates." Turning to face Rinley he asks. "And what would you like?"

[Crinias]

The rats gasp collectively and quickly look at each other, then at Natalia, then at each other again, before engaging into a group huddle and begin whispering intensely, occasionally glancing at Natalia over their shoulders. After a few moments they leave the huddle and turn to her.

"Well," says Palpatine, after a moment’s thought, "how exactly do you know of this snake, and what does it concern you?"

[Geostationary]

"I, the to-be-legendary Rinley Yatskaya, shall also take one of your largest hot chocolates. Also, one of your fluffiest pastries, if you would, for what drink is complete without a light snack?" Rinley, caught up in Leonardo's bravado, joins in with the declarations, forgetting about the fish.

[Crinias]

The barista behind the counter, a young man in his twenties, stares in disbelief at both the young scientist and at the younger girl. The large burly man's jaw drops slightly, and is then raised back up. He turns around and walks away, not wanting to deal with these over-the top characters, and for good measure throws his hands up in the air while leaving as if to say "I'm 100% done."

A few other customers look your way and give you odd looks, but they quickly turn back to their own businesses.

The poor barista winces at losing a customer, but takes your orders nevertheless. Still, you can practically feel him glaring at you after he takes the money and gives you your orders.

[Tengu_temp]

"It's..." Natalia hesitates. What is she supposed to tell them? That the serpert is a part of her own self, the bitter, angry emotions that escaped when she couldn't save her own brother? There are limits to suspension of disbelief, even when you're speaking to talking rats in a dream-like environment.
"It's an extremely important matter to me. I released the snake by accident and it came to Fortitude at the same time as me. I have to track it down and neutralize it. Otherwise... If it hurts anyone, it would be my fault." Her expression is determined and serious.

[Terraoblivion]

Or maybe sneezes were special and different from other aspects of life in the lower world. It wasn't a fully satisfactory explanation, there didn't seem to be any reason why they would be. Still, it was as good a bet as any. Perhaps spirits did it and that was why they were so odd.

It was occupied by these thoughts that Jasper delivered the message, got a few bits of spare change to hopefully manage some kind of meal and returned to the café. After all, she'd finally met people willing to explain and who seemed to genuinely believe her when she said who she was rather than just brush it off with an "of course you are, dear" or "suuuure" or similar. So while Leonardo and Rinley were ordering, the sunny girl showed back up next to them. "Ah, I think I'll take a sandwich and some...milk tea, I guess."

[Crinias]

Palpatine considers Natalia's words silently. "I think I understand. Well, no point in keeping secrets from you if you're so firm in your purpose. Let us sit. It'll be more comfortable while explaining, as we might take a while to do so."

Nodding alongside Palpatine, the other rats follow his lead and sit on the roof, facing the lake.

Palpatine speaks while looking at the Lake. "Miss Koutolika, that snake is no ordinary monster. I don't know how much you know of it, but the rats of Fortitude know of it as Typhon, whose name is Outrage. It is one of our Mysteries, they who have plagued and fought us for time untold."

Solo and Pandora look at the lake impassively, as though they were waiting for their moment to speak. It's clear that they all take this subject very seriously. Briefly, Palpatine looks at Natalia's face, as though trying to judge how much information she knows already.

------------

The barista looks at the sunny girl oddly for a moment or two, but his expression returns to normal quickly. In light of the newest arrivals to his store, it probably wouldn't do at all to lose his cool. He fulfills his job adequately and delivers the food with only a bit of delay.

[Tengu_temp]

"I see. It must have brought you a lot of suffering already, then..." Natalia looks down, despirited, but then she returns her gaze to Palpatine again, this time with urgency. "Do you know anything about its current location? Even a hint of a trail will do! And if we need to travel far away, I came prepared." She raises the bag with breadrolls, completely serious.

[Crinias]

Palpatine blinks twice and quickly lifts his paws as though to deny Natalia's words. "Ah, it's not as you imagine, exactly. Typhon has indeed caused us rats trouble as a whole, but it's not as though we personally have suffered due to her. Nor is her appearance your fault."

"Not entirely her fault, you mean," says Pandora suddenly. "It's clear she knows nothing of the Mysteries, Palpatine, why not cut to the chase?"

Palpatine clicks his tongue and turns abruptly towards Pandora: "Oh, your words are most inappropriate."

"They are the truth, however," says Solo, while still looking towards the Lake. "Oh young girl," and here Solo looks at Natalia up and down, as though he wasn't entirely certain whether she was young (and possibly still wondering whether she's a cave troll), "to tackle the Mysteries directly, without knowing their legends, is to put yourself at the mercy of gods, or beings close to those. One must know their abilities, and their weaknesses, if they are to be successful in besting them, to kill them, and even then such methods may not work forever."

Solo's tone of voice grows slightly more jovial as he speaks, and it's clear he likes to speak of Mysteries, even though he still looks serious.

"For instance", he says very directly, "It is known that when Typhon appears, she dwells past Gallows Way in Madcap's Nave, below Dead Man's Manor. It is written thus in the Books of Names."

"It is also known that she cannot be killed unless stabbed in the eye with a blessed spear, or choked on her own weight, or one last way that eludes my memory," says Pandora with some mild uncertainty. "Mmm. This may seem a bit confusing, like how we know how to kill her even though it's clear she's alive right now... But to explain this properly, I would say that appearances are deceptive. Typhon is not just a great golden snake, it's just a form she takes. Bluntly, a thing can be more than a thing. Do you understand?"

[The_Snark]

A rude customer! Miramie sits up and straightens her notepad, watching carefully to see how the barista reacts. Most people in Fortitude are nice, so she hasn't gotten a chance to observe this yet. Handling rudeness is a vital part of customer service!

Apparently, the proper response is... nothing? A bit of a look? That doesn't seem right. You can't just let people get away with cutting in line, it isn't proper. What would the world come to if everyone did that? There'd be a whole lot more shoving, that's for sure. Cafes and shops would be terribly untidy. No, Miramie Mesmer isn't going to tolerate that in her shop. Perhaps a small surcharge for rudeness would be appropriate.

She jots this idea down on her notepad.

[Tengu_temp]

"So it's all like a myth, or perhaps a fantasy story..."
And one where the author didn't think too hard about the plot holes., Natalia adds in her head.
"I understand what you mean. It doesn't seem to be very logical, but I understand. Which means that before I fight Typhon, I need to learn all about her... Is the Book of Names something humans can read?"
She tries to recall where those streets the rat mentioned are, too. They really don't sound like normal Fortitude street names.

[Sanguine]

Finding the eccentric group a table near the door Nighmare's Angel sat down and began to sip his hot chocolate while lost in thought. The Outside storms were increasing in frequency. But why? The way he saw it there were, broadly speaking, three possible reasons: Something inside Town was attracting the Outside, Something outside Town was riling up the Outside, or the Outside was merely following some arcane natural cycle. Slamming his fist down on the table Leonardo exclaimed. "Damnation! I just don't have enough data to draw a conclusion! If I had access to some sort of record of historical storm frequency, now that would be a place to start. But where would I find something like that?"

I shall claim a flavor xp for "working on my theories in a cafe near the Archive."

[Crinias]

"The Books of Names hold all the accumulated information rats have collected on the Mysteries, and some rats have transcribed some of their information so humans may know of them. Oh, what was his name?" says Pandora, turning towards his companions.

Palpatine answers without batting a whisker: "Filimer Augustine, and the book he wrote was, as I recall, 'The Mysteries, for a Human Child'."

"Found on any local bookstore that knows the importance of rat culture and the safety of human children," says Solo appreciatively, all the while nodding.

"If it helps, Mysteries tend to run under their own logic. But us rats, we have worked out most of their logic, ways to avoid them, their weapons, the signs of their approach-"

"For instance, storms tend to be heralds to Typhon," cuts in Pandora suddenly. "Although..." He seems a bit hesitant after using storms as an example.

"One would think that even as heralds of Typhon, there have been a large amount of them as of lately," says Solo thoughtfully.

There's a brief moment of silence as they all consider this. Then, as if to make the atmosphere less tense, all three rats look at Natalia suddenly, then at her bag, then back at her. Their desires are clearly written upon their faces, as if to say: "Food helps move conversations along."

[Tengu_temp]

Is all this such common knowledge here that you can learn it from a children's book?
Natalia suddenly feels even more out of place than before. But she tries to remember all this info to the best of her ability.

Reading very obvious body language is another thing the Prodigy excels at! Natalia opens the bag and puts one breadroll in front of each of the rats, still somewhat warm. She grabs the last one herself and takes a bite.
"Please go on.", she says, trying to look as serious and dignified as you can with a mouth full of bread.

[Geostationary]

Rinley sipped her hot chocolate, watching the passers-by and patrons of the cafe and thinking to herself.
"Doesn't the Archive have that sort of thing? If only we knew someone who knew their way around that place..."

[The_Snark]

Miramie can't help overhearing the rude boy and his friend talking. Really can't help it. Haven't they heard of indoor voices?

Well... maybe not. Maybe nobody's ever taught them to be polite, and they don't even realize that it bothers people. Miramie briefly considers withholding her help as punishment, but after that thought it seems mean-spirited. (Anyway, they'd never know what they missed.) So she rises and approaches the other table.

"Excuse me," she says politely, notepad clutched to her chest like a shield, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you wanted to look at some old records? I could show you around the Archive, if you like."

[Terraoblivion]

Jasper chewed away at her sandwich as Leonardo and Rinley talked. She'd been pretty hungry from all the running around and she hadn't quite gotten enough to eat the day before after money ran out, why were humans so obsessed with the things anyway?

She did, however, looked at Leonardo with a curious expression. "Why do you want to know about storms? Are they causing problems or do they relate to...Whatever you did to make that heart-powered device." Rinley was helpful at least, in explaining where the information might be held and it /did/ sound like something that might make sense, now that she thought about it.

And then another girl showed up, one that to someone who was more familiar with Fortitude than Jasper looked far more normal than either herself and Leonardo. "That sounds great. It'll help with whatever you're doing, right Leonardo?"

[Sanguine]

Gulping down that last of his hot chocolate Leonardo stood up and, his hair blowing in the wind despite there being no wind inside the cafae, spoke. "Why am I interested in storms? Because Jasper, for the last few weeks storms have been blowing into Town from the Outside with an alarming frequency; and they are only getting more frequent as time goes on. Something has riled up the Outside, and if whatever it is isn't stopped then the results could be cataclysmic! And nobody seems to care! But I do! And so I have taken it upon myself to deal with the riled up Outside." Not to mention that there was a not insignificant chance that he was in fact the cause. But they didn't need to know that.

Taking the story xp for "Explicitly taking responsibility for dealing with the riled up Outside".

[Terraoblivion]

"...Does everybody here care that little about great threats?" First they refused to give him any credit for creating a new sun, now they ignored the greater activity in the Outside. Or maybe Leonardo was just bad at explaining himself?

Regardless of the answer, she instead went on to give him a bright, sunny smile. "No matter, if you started a new sun, I'm sure you can deal with this as well."

And, yes, taking an xp for my basic quest there. I might not have dried people's laundry, but giving trust and encouragement is very metaphorically sunny.

[Crinias]

The rats smile gratefully and begin to eat with great energy, although Natalia can’t help but think that they won’t be able to entirely eat the rolls, big as they are.

The rats tell of many tales, all concerning Typhon, of how she killed Praksia the rat by breaking her neck; of how Beniamin and Mihai turned her away from their third brother by throwing away their courage and showing meekness; of how Typhon raged once against a party of heroic adventurers, of how she poisoned them, whipped them, and how only one was left alive, and other such stories.

"I should note that rat-lore concerning the Mysteries is often incomplete," says Palpatine as he nibbles through the bread. "They may have unusual abilities not known to rats, or similarly, unknown weaknesses."

---------

"Say, besides more knowledge about Typhon and maybe a blessed spear, what else would she need?" asks Pandora doubtfully to his companions.

"Searching out Madcap’s Nave would probably help," says Solo, "and so would committing to this struggle formally, you know, like with a declaration or something. I find that it tends to help with adventures."

This suggestion is met with sounds of general agreement.

"I’m afraid we only know rat weaponsmiths," says Palpatine with a straight face, "and you probably will not find any blessed spears lying around, or given to you by a dying friend, or gifted upon you by a powerful and holy being, or any other such ways, but if you find a regular spear, many of the local shrine families may help you with the ‘blessed’ part."

Pandora says in a wondering tone of voice: "This reminds me of the incident of the three sided die…"

Solo and Palpatine give Pandora a dark look. "I thought we agreed never to speak of that again?", asks Palpatine, somber.

"It wasn’t that bad!"

"Yes it was! Almost as bad as that one time we searched for that thing with the three holes!" says Solo, uncharacteristically upset.

"It was limited edition and I really wanted one!!!" yells Pandora. Everyone can tell that he’s touchy about that subject, and that he’s at his limit. Four exclamation points are the sign of a deceased mind, and Pandora just yelled with three.

After a minute or two of discussion, the rats calm down, and decide to leave the unrelated issue aside.

---------

"You know, it only just occurred to me, because we rats use our cunning and agility to fight the Mysteries, I had not questioned your desire to fight her, but… " says Palpatine, suddenly curious, "how are you going to fight Typhon? You certainly don’t lack the courage…"

"Oh hush," says Solo, "everyone knows that cave trolls are known for their great strength and endurance!"

""Solo!""

Solo laughs jovially, and softly, his huge sword rattling slightly against the roof. He grins straight at Natalia. "Just kidding. I’m sure whatever you face in the future, you can handle it, girl.”

Sorry for the delay. See the OOC for further comments on Typhon.

Sanguine: Quick reminder that along with cutting XP costs for quests, we’ve also cut storyline XP by the same amount, so unfortunately you only get 3 XP for that instead of 5.

[Tengu_temp]

"I am afraid my strength cannot be compared to that of a cave troll." A pause. "That's because trolls don't exist. I could outwrestle a bear since I was little, though." Yeah, back then it was either wrestle a bear and win, or don't eat. Not very good days. Natalia stuffs the rest of her breadroll into her mouth and chews to make the memories go away.

"Thanks for your help." Natalia nods. "I'll make sure to remember all you told me, maybe aside from the parts about dice and holes." She takes a mental note to look for other sources of information too, just in case there's something the rats missed.
"I just have one final question. Where is Madcap's Nave?"

[Crinias]

The rats seem interested in Natalia's fighting prowess. "A bear-wrestler!" "See? She can handle herself." "I've never seen a bear before..."

Upon hearing Natalia's last question, Palpatine begins to speak, but suddenly cuts himself off: "Beyond the regular roofs, of cours-" is as far as he gets before stopping and slapping his head.

Solo's eyes widen considerably "Oh that's right, we didn't get to that part!"

"Oy vey." Pandora appears only mildly concerned, as usual. "Well... you know how if you go beyond the parts of Fortitude that you know and feel comfortable in, and go beyond to strange places, you'll end up Outside?" Pandora clears his throat a bit.

"A similar thing happens up here in the roofs: Sometimes, you'll end up noticing that you haven't seen the ground in a while, or that you took a wrong turn somewhere, but you won't be in the roofs of Fortitude no more. You'll find yourself in the Far Roofs," he says with great gravitas, "and there may you find a twisted reflection of Fortitude's heights, as such that these roofs would no longer be part of the houses of this street, but rather the Grey Crossroads or the Witchway or some other similar place. Madcap's Nave lies somewhere in the Far Roofs, although I'm not entirely certain where. Beware the Far Roofs, for Fortitude they are not, and the Mysteries lie there, and to pieces they shall tear you if you are not careful."

Palpatine looks at Pandora with praise. "You sure are reliable when it comes to this sort of thing. Indeed, it is as he says. Although Mysteries may spill out into Fortitude, their natural place of being is within the Far Roofs."

[Tengu_temp]

"Hmm..." More of this place's reality-bending anti-logic. Understanding the idea is easy enough for Natalia, but the irrationality of how all of this functions annoys her. And apparently some locals consider the real world, the one she came from, a part of Outside too? Ridiculous.
"I understand. Guess I will have to explore it myself one day. You don't have to worry about me - Fortitude is strange and alien already. The Far Roofs won't be different in that regard." She gets up on her feet, ready to leave. "Thanks for all the information. I owe you three one."

[Geostationary]

"It makes me think of a tale about an old sailor. Whenever Outside storms were brewing, he'd get this tinny taste in his mouth and an ache in the leg. While on a voyage, he warned the young captain three times that a storm was brewing, and three times the young captain ignored him, for he saw no storm. When the storm hit, the ship was not ready, and the old sailor was the only man who returned from the voyage."
Rinley sips the last of her hot chocolate after imparting this, then sets the mug down. She directs her attention to the lady who offered to help.
"Don't I know you? I swear I've seen you around in lots of cafes. It's Miramie, isn't it? I'm Rinley!"
She offers her hand.

Can I claim XP for Storytime! and The Straw-Haired Kid, or can I only choose one?

[The_Snark]

Miramie takes the hand, thankful to have at least one normal person to hold on to. (Literally.) "Yes, that's me - I'm hoping to open my own cafe, so I've been going around taking notes on how they work," she explains. "It's nice to meet you, Rinley."

She turns her attention to the other two. Up close, the red-haired girl isn't as old as her clothes made her seem, but the boy Montreal remains imposing. He's taller than her, and loud, and... She decides to speak up before she works herself into a fret. "Um. Would you like my help, Mr. de Montreal? I don't know much about Outside storms, but I can show you where to look for records. The filing system is hard to make sense of if you're not used to it..."

[Terraoblivion]

Jasper immediately responded to introductions with a bright smile. "Hi. I'm Jasper Irinka...I'm new around here and I've been busy so I don't think I've seen you before, but nice to meet you, Miramie. What kind of café do you want to open?"

[Crinias]

In response to Natalia's words, Palpatine bows, Pandora smiles warmly, and Solo simply grins.

"Best of luck!" "Tell us how it went later!" "Try not to get horribly maimed, poisoned, or eaten!"
________________

And so, information was exchanged, and farewells were bid, and Natalia found herself wiser for it.

Unless you have some last thing to say or comment, I declare this scene over.

Also, remind me to never create and introduce so many NPCs simultaneously, it's exhausting to roleplay them all.

[Tengu_temp]

"Don't worry, I will. Tell you, that is, not get eaten. I don't plan on that." Natalia jumps down to the street with the agility of a trained expert martial artist, and waves her hand slightly to the rats before leaving. She feels like her life here has a bit more purpose now.

Aaand... End scene, I believe. Does that count as a shared action? And getting bonus XP (how much? 1?) for the Golden Snake of the Rooftops quest?

Also, I'm at peace.

[Sanguine]

Offering his hand to Miramie Leonardo smiles and says. "Nice to meet you Miramie, I would be glad for the assistance." After a moment the young scientist blushes and adds. "Not that this makes us friends or anything."

[The_Snark]

There, that wasn't so bad. Miramie shakes his hand, her smile going a little crooked when he blushes. "Well... okay. If you don't want to be."

She turns to Jasper. "There's an old manor down the street from the Archive - do you know it? I checked with the city council, and nobody actually owns the place anymore. So me and a few friends are fixing it up, and I'm hoping to turn it into a cafe. Or maybe an art shop - I paint, and do things in glass sometimes, and my friend Sakura makes these beautiful painted fans... Maybe both. The place is big enough, and I feel like those two things could really go together, you know?"

Her smile slips a bit. "If I can make it work at all, anyway."

[Geostationary]

Rinley looks at Miramie, a serious look in her eyes. "Don't doubt yourself Miramie. If it's something you love, something you wish for with your heart, though it may be hard, you can do it. Besides, it's not like you're doing it alone."
Rinley gets a large grin as she says this.
"You have your friends helping you out! And I'm sure that we'd all love to lend a hand with your tea-ventures in business, lest things become a cafestrophe."
She motions to Leonardo and Jasper as a vague, dream-like feeling of 'we can do this, even if we must do the impossible!' fills the room.

I figure heart-reader would let me figure out 'oh hey this is important to her'. Using 'There's a Tree in the Way' to provide aura of plausibility, and I'd like to use 'There's No Turning Back Now!' to draw a helpful person/opportunity to her... eventually!

Tragic! I wish to slide The_Snark a shiny emotion XP, as I am assigning far too much pathos to that final line!

[Sanguine]

Continuing to smile, all traces of embarrassment gone, Leonardo says. "I would of course be willing to lend you my assistance, purely out of self-interest, you understand. There is a distinct lack of truly good cafes in the area."

[Terraoblivion]

"A cafe with art sounds like a great idea. I paint a bit and I'm sure there are other people who care about art while they eat too."

The fading smile was met with a slightly concerned, but also brighter, more comforting expression from the nascent sun goddess. "You can do it. And if you need it, I'll help you. I'm sure I can at least carry some boxes or similar...But why do you think you can't?" Jasper paused for a bit, her expression turned suspicious. "It's that money thing humans care so much about, isn't it?"

[The_Snark]

"... Thank you," says Miramie, a little bemused but mostly gratified at the response. They like her idea that much? Maybe it can work. "I'd like your help, all of you. I do need money, but I won't ask you for that - just time is good. There's a lot of cleaning and fixing up to do before the building is even ready, and maybe you can help me find supplies too. Even if I had all the money I needed, I don't know where to buy things like coffee beans, or paper napkins, or..."

"I'm sorry. You wanted to see the Archive, and here I am rambling on about myself. Would you like to go now, or would some other time be better?"

I believe I'm going to declare this a Shared Reaction. Reaching out! Connecting! XP!

[Crinias]

And so it was with little fanfare that the unlikely group agreed to meet in the Archive the next day.

Though the young sun goddess never got her answer regarding money or any kind of currency, and the master of Nightmare Science later had brief nightmares about denying any connection with these people (and failing miserably), that moment stuck with Miramie whenever her thoughts wondered to the distant dream of making a cafe or maybe an art shop, which now seemed much closer. As for the youngest Yatskaya sibling, she couldn't help but feel that their group was missing something, or someone.

-------
And so it was that the next day, with the sun shining high with a few clouds on the sky, the group met in the Archive. The great brick building was perhaps four stories tall and at the end of a street, and it housed an uncountable amount of records, diaries, recipes and obscure information from all of Fortitude, such that at any time one might be able to see stacks of books through the great glass windows of the place.

Despite the need to clean up the Archive a bit and organize some of its bookshelves, Miramie manages to make the place seem inviting to strangers and prepare a general area for the group to talk and get comfortable. Meanwhile, Leonardo, Rinley and Jasper happened to meet along the way to the Archive, and make some small talk before reaching its door.

As for Natalia, the long walk from School would mean that going to the Archive would take a bit longer.

In case you disagree and you did/are doing something different (i.e. Rinley is only just arriving to the Archive because she was riding a leaf in the wind, and it was difficult to steer), go ahead and say so.

Also, to get a general idea of what the Archive looks like I recommend checking out this neat fan art (http://elyandarin.deviantart.com/art/Hideo-Hayashi-s-Archive-concept-sketch-2-386850515). It's not entirely how I visualize it (and it's not at the end of a street, as I describe it is here), but it's pretty close to how it probably is.

[Terraoblivion]

Jasper was in quite a good mood. She was meeting with people who kinda, sorta seemed to accept who she was, or at least was better at not brushing it off, and was doing something that actually seemed to matter to things and not just find money to keep fed. Not just that, it was a bright, sunny day which just made her even happier. Or perhaps it was a bright, sunny day because she was happy and made it so without realizing it, but she didn't know about that option.

"Hi. Slept well, you two?" She met Rinley and Leonardo with a big, beaming smile as they all headed towards the archives. "So what are we looking for? Just old weather records...Actually, how long has the Outside been there? I know it was created when dad shot mom, but I'm not sure when that actually was." Her expression faded slightly, though she still looked more thoughtful than downcast or depressed. It really was a good question how long she'd been falling.

[Sanguine]

Leonardo had not slept well and it showed. The young scientist had been tossing and turning all night plagued by the most ridiculous dream. He looked like death itself shuffling along beside the cheery Jasper. In fact Leonardo was so exhausted that he had not even had the energy to prepare a breakfast this morning, instead he had stolen one from his future self. And it served Future Leonardo right, after all it was always Past or Present Leonardo who did the hard work, it was high time that layabout started contributing.

When Jasper asked how everyone had slept Leonardo glared at her with all of his great glaring prowess, but then the Child of the Sun said something that caught his attention. Perking right up Nightmare's Angel to explain one of his pet theories.

"Jasper, Jasper, Jasper...Those are two entirely different questions. It is my belief that the Outside has always existed, the death of the sun merely bringing it to the forefront of human consciousness. The thing one must understand about the Outside is that it is more of a psychological phenomena than a physical one. A place that is part of the Outside for one person is not necessarily so for another."

"I theorize that that the Outside has existed for as long as sapient, or perhaps even sentient, thought has. It was there lingering at the edges of the world, in the Far and Sunless Land. And then the sun went out. People were terrified, they lost all hope, they had no idea how to live in a world without a sun. That fear, and hopelessness, and uncertainty, it pulled at the Outside like a magnet pulls on iron, and so the Outside rushed forth, drowning the world."

After taking a moment to catch his breath Leonardo says. "Of course this is merely a theory. They didn't let us out much back at the Evil Orphanage, so I'm not entirely sure what the world was like before the sun died. But the Shrine Families have magical traditions incorporating the use of Outside dust. Which doesn't make much sense if the Outside has only existed for the past eight years."

I am going to claim an XP for natural scientist.

[Geostationary]

Rinley, on the other hand, had slept quite well. Well, slept is a strong word. By the time she wandered out of the local dreamscape of the Yatskaya temple, she had found herself in a local back alley and the savior of a small dream-kingdom of tiny porcelain men. She wasn't sure whose dreams they were from, but it was there.
"Hmm. I was seven when the sun died, but I don't really remember all that much changing once the sun came back. I mean, we've been burning the Outside dust in our incense for as long as anyone in the family can remember; and I can't recall any big changes. It's the same with the Susanovs and Vasili and other shrine families as far as I know. Do you think we... came with it? The Outside?"
Rinley looks mildly uncomfortable with this last idea; to call one's etiology into doubt is never a comforting thing.

XP for theory about underlying situation? I should probably work more on my plot quest.

[Terraoblivion]

This was getting so weird. It didn't help that she couldn't really remember many details before landing. At least she got the answer of how long she'd fallen, which was pretty unsettling all told.

"I see...Maybe Leonardo is right. It does explain why mom dying would make it swallow the Earth...It did swallow the Earth, right?" Or had the stories she'd heard about that been false like how the Outside didn't exist before? "And I'm sure it stopped because of the new sun. Especially if the Outside is despair and confusion, because how can you feel that seeing that there is a sun after all?"

And claiming an XP for talking about what was lost when Jade Irinka died. In this case, Earth.

[Tengu_temp]

"Earth, getting swallowed by the Outside? I doubt something like that happened." A voice comes from above, from the upper layer of the hill! "It sounds like something that's difficult to miss. I'd notice if it happened."

Natalia jumps up from above and lands on the grass close to the group with athletic discipline. She's wearing her school uniform like before, having recently returned from it (that's one more thing she can't get used to - what kind of place still uses school uniforms these days?), but also carries a large, mostly empty bag over her shoulder. She hopes to bring lots of books with her.
"...Hello, Rinley. Your friends, I presume? Are you going to the Archive too?" The Russian girl doesn't sound entirely comfortable for some reason. She also instinctively tries not to look at Jasper, though it might be hard to tell, especially since she doesn't consciously realize it herself.

[Terraoblivion]

"If it's like Leonardo says, then it's perfectly possible for it to be mostly swallowed and you just didn't notice." Jasper sounded surprisingly insistent for her. It just felt wrong to deny the significance of her mother's death like that.

It quickly vanished and she was back to her usual, bright self, giving the Russian girl a beaming smile and a small wave. "Hi, I'm Jasper Irinka. We were talking about the Outside and my parents...Is something wrong?" Really, why did that rather cool looking girl suddenly seem all awkward and uncomfortable?

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia hesitates for a second. What is she supposed to say? That there's something about the girl that doesn't feel right?
"...No, it's nothing. It's just that... The Outside is this big, scary crawling pool of chaos that's just outside the Town's borders, isn't it? I really don't think how anyone would miss if it suddenly engulfed Earth too. Life tends to be big and scary in different ways than that."
She pauses for a moment, maybe to add weight to her words, maybe because she forgot something.
"...Oh. I'm Natalia. Natalia Koutolika."

[Sanguine]

Jasper rolled his eyes at the new arrival. "And with that little gem of ignorance, you have proven that you have no idea what you are talking about, Natalia." There was just so much wrong with her statement. Of course the Earthlings wouldn't notice their world being flooded by the Outside! And her description of the Outside was only very superficially accurate. "I am the one and only Leonardo de Montreal, and we are indeed going to the Archive."

[Terraoblivion]

"Didn't you say that it was a state of mind? Earth could have been drowned in most senses and people who move out of that state could have clear memories of Earth. Or maybe Natalia just didn't despair." Jasper looked sternly at Leonardo for a bit, before giving Natalia a reassuring, comforting smile. "But something did happen when mom...Well, not died, she's still alive out there somewhere but...sorta died, I guess."

[Sanguine]

Leonardo shrugged. "That's more or less right. There a few details and possibilities you neglected. But at the root of the matter the fact is that the very nature of the Outside makes it incredibly unlikely that the people of Earth would be aware of their world drowning."

[Tengu_temp]

"Oh? Then how exactly am I wrong? You can't call someone ignorant and don't explain why are they ignorant. 'That's just how the Outside works' is not enough for an explanation."
Natalia stares at Leonardo. It doesn't look like she's offended, though with people this stoic it's hard to tell, but it seems to be a challenge. An intellectual one.
"I lived all my life on Earth. It was not always sunshine and roses - it rarely was, as a matter of fact - but it was at least there. And then I come here, and everyone keeps telling me that Earth is a part of the Outside. That all this time I wasn't fully alive, not the way people are here. If someone told that to you, how would you feel?"
The tension in the air breaks when she registers what Jasper said, though, and blinks in surprise. "Mom?"

[Sanguine]

Leonardo sighed, he had just explained this exact point before she arrived, and he hated repeating himself. "The Outside is not a physical phenomena, it is a psychological one. A state of mind as Jasper put it. If you are familiar with a place, it is not part of the Outside, at least not for you. But for someone else, it would be. You, and all of the people of Earth, spent your entire lives there before the world drowned, so to you it wouldn't be part of the Outside. And that is why you saying people would notice betrayed your own ignorance of the subject." After taking a breath Leonardo looks at Natalia and with his voice full of empathy says. "I was a student of the Bleak Academy, if only briefly. I made the trip through the Outside to that terrible place. I know what it is like to not exist."

[Tengu_temp]

"That... actually makes sense, as much as anything in this place can make sense. But..."
Natalia looks to the side and stares at the clouds floating lazily in the sky, her long hair fluttering slightly in the light wind.
"The Town is the only place in the world that's not covered by the Outside, right? Are you sure this is all true, and not just some kind of local pride taken to the extreme? 'We're the only place where you are really alive' and all that? Thinking that everyone who lives on Earth never fully existed..."
Her voice gets more melancholic.
"Thinking that Sergey never fully existed... It's just too cruel."

[Geostationary]

"Oh, we didn't mention? The sun...is?...Was? Jasper's mom. She's the child of the sun! And it's not like Earth didn't exist- if it didn't exist, how could it drown?! There needs to be an existent world first if you're going to drown it! Though if you listen to the folks at the Methodology Building, they claim that nothing ever existed in the first place, but you can imagine that theirs is not the most popular interpretation."
Rinley stops for a moment.
"...Who's Sergey? Was he a friend of yours?"

[Terraoblivion]

"Yes. Jade Irinka, the angel of the sun. She's my mother...Or was. I don't know what happened after dad shot her, just that she's alive somewhere...If she's still herself enough to really be her." For once Jasper isn't bright or happy or smiling, but looks rather downcast. She still managed to look up at Natalia and give her a weak smile. At least she could do that much for the Russian girl, even if she wasn't quite sure what the problem was. "And it's was. She's not the sun anymore."

[The_Snark]

The Archive is not a tidy place. Even though it's bigger on the inside than the outside, even though she suspects it has no actual outer limit on its size, there are still too many books and binders and old files to fit neatly on the shelves. They spill outward onto the flat surfaces, collecting on tables and desks and the tops of shelves, arranging themselves in haphazard piles. It should feel like an awful mess, it is an awful mess, but Miramie has always secretly liked that about it. There's a sort of cozy claustrophobia about the place: the gentle sounds of paper rustling in the distance, the smell of old dry ink, the warmth of sunlight on dusty shelves.

But today they have visitors, and in a fit of anxiety she's done her best to neaten up the first floor a little, so that they don't come in and think, "What a mess! How will we ever find what we're looking for? Who let it get into this state, anyway?" The piles have been straightened, the floor swept. Miramie is still working when she hears voices outside. She pauses, waits to see if they're coming in. They aren't. She bites her lip, wavering, and finally decides to venture outside.

"Hi," she starts, and noticing Jasper's expression changes what she was about to say. "Is everything okay?"

[Tengu_temp]

"The sun..." Natalia is not sure how to respond to this, and it shows. It's not that she finds the idea any more weirder than anything else in this place, it's just that she can feel sadness coming from Jasped as well - and while that's more managable than burning optimism, it's hard for her to cheer people up.
"I'm... sure you will find her one day... She couldn't just forget like that, right...?"
She sighs quietly. Well, that was harder than expected.
"And Sergey... was my brother. He was only 2 years old when he died. And it was all my fault." Natalia stares at the building of the archive. "I hope to find something that will help me with my penance here, in this building. This is why I came here."

Miramie's arrival interrupts this melodramatic scene. Natalia looks at her but doesn't say anything.

[Terraoblivion]

"Ah, yeah...I was just reminded of, well, the death of the sun and all..." She gave Miramie a weak smile, however she couldn't really push the feelings aside. What was her place, really? Her mother was gone. Her dad too, but that was probably a good thing but at least he was someone. Heaven was gone too...

She looked away from the others, her gaze turning to the new sun to see if it could give her any comfort or answers, but of course it stayed as quiet as always. It suddenly felt very lonely, abandoned even by the sun.

Hearing Natalia, she tried pushing her feelings away, to focus on the girl. "I'm sorry to hear that...But it was just an accident, right? Nobody can blame you for that." Her smile wasn't as beaming as before, but maybe, just maybe there was a sense of understanding in that more subdued smile.

And taking an XP for wrestling with feelings of loss.

[Geostationary]

Rinley, seeing her heart, feels for Jasper.
"Jasper, I want you tell you something. I'm... I'm here for you. I know what it's like to be without a mother, and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. Just, if you ever need help or something... I'm here."
She awkwardly reaches out, putting her hand on Jasper's shoulder and smiles.

"Oh, hi Miramie. We're just... feeling. And Natalia, I'm sure we'd all be glad to help you."

I'll be claiming a 'Growing Up!" xp for being all supportive and whatnot, and I'd like to use my Heart-Speaker power to speak to both Jasper and her heart at the same time.

[The_Snark]

"... oh," Miramie says, at a loss for words. She never had a mother either, but that's different. Piecing yourself back together from dreams and shards of glass isn't the same as growing up… is it?

After a moment she remembers her manners. "I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. And yours too, miss Natalia." She bows formally, hands folded in front of her.

[Tengu_temp]

"Well..." Natalia hesitates. Accident or not, she still feels it was her fault. What use is all her talent if she couldn't even use it to save her own brother? But there's no point in making all those people feel bad needlessly. Thia burden is her own to carry.
"Don't worry about it, it was a long time ago. But if you want to help, I won't say no. It's appreciated."
She smiles slightly in a (rather transparent) attempt to cover her feelings of grief on the matter.

[Crinias]

A slight breeze blows in the air, and a cloud rolls lazily under the sun for a moment, shadowing the Archive. It's a sunny day in Fortitude, but as Jasper speaks, you can't help but feel that for an instant it's less warm.

Sometimes things just happen... Jasper being the incarnation of the sun probably results in an empathic environment, on a subconscious level.

[Geostationary]

Rinley claps her hands together excitedly once, transparently trying to diffuse the emotions building up around her.
"So! The Archive! Why don't you show us around! Is it big? Small? Dusty? Clean? Labyrinthine? Orderly? Full of secrets? Transparent? I don't think any of us have been here before."
Her enthusiasm, while genuine, is not entirely convincing.

[Tengu_temp]

"Yes. Please show us." Natalia nods seriously. "I like books in general, but right now, I'm looking for very specific ones. Books about legends, about monsters and weapons to slay them."
Well, she's surely not telegraphing her intentions or anything.

[The_Snark]

"All of those things." Miramie pauses. "Well, most of those things. Come and see." To Natalia, she adds, "I don't know of any books like that offhand, but you might find something useful in the town records - kaiju and monster attacks are the sort of thing that gets mentioned. I'm sure we've got other books with monsters in them, children's stories and travelogues from the Outside and things like that, but I don't know how true any of those are. We just take what people give us."

She turns to open the door, then stops. "Oh! There are a few rules I should tell you about before we go in." She counts them off on her fingers.

"One: no open flames. Period."

"Two, please don't take food or drinks inside unless you're in the kitchen or dining area. If you're planning a long expedition into the stacks and need to pack provisions, ask permission, and make sure you clean up after yourself: don't spill anything, don't leave scraps or crumbs behind. We don't have any rats or cats living in the Archive, so there's nobody to keep the vermin down, and we really don't want to have ants or roaches in here."

"Three, don't go wandering off by yourself. The Archive is a lot bigger than it looks, and it's easy to get lost. I get lost sometimes, if I'm not careful, and I've lived here for a year. So be careful. Take a friend along - it helps, and if you do lose your way it's better to be lost together than alone. If you need to, you can ask me or one of the others who lives here to go with you."

"Four, and this isn't actually a rule but please don't break it anyway... don't bother Professor Hayashi unless you really need to? He's very busy with his research, and he's got enough else on his plate without us adding to it."

It's not really dishonest to make up her own rules, Miramie tells herself. Rules have to come from somewhere, don't they? They don't just spring out of nowhere. And these are good rules.

"That's it, so..." She opens the door.

Inside are books. And boxes. Filing cabinets. Sheaves of paper in almost-but-not-quite-tidy heaps on top of the boxes. Shelves. Folders. More books, piled on their sides in front of the properly shelved books. Old photo albums. Rolled-up posters. Scrapbooks. Even a couple of quilts. The sound of gently rustling paper wafts through the air every few moments, giving the impression that people are browsing the shelves just out of sight; but maybe that's just the breeze. Miramie leads the way through the first few layers of bookcases into the Archive's center, where the narrow crowded shelves give way to crowded desks and tables. The ceiling here is open, revealing higher stories arranged in concentric circles overhead. In the middle of it all stands a massive wooden crankshaft, slowly revolving, rising up and up until it intersects the ceiling far above.

"So... here we are. The Archive." She clasps her hands, watching the four newcomers to see what they think. "I did a little looking before you arrived, and I think I know where to find old storm records. If I'm wrong, or if you want anything else, we might have to consult... the filing system."

[Terraoblivion]

Natalia's blatant attempt at pushing the issue aside got her another attempt at a small, comforting smile from Jasper and there was a clear sense that if the two had been closer together she'd have gotten a hug forced on her too. However, the conversation soon drifted to the archive itself and what Natalia was looking for. "Why do you need to slay a monster?" She hadn't quite recovered yet, but it seemed clear that the distraction helped her feel better. "And is there anything we can help with?"

Seeing the inside of the Archive, Jasper not only ignored listening to all the rules, her eyes lit up brightly as she looked around the giant, strange room. "This place is incredible...What is the big crankshaft for?...And what's so special about the filling system?"

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia looks around the inside of the fairy tale-like library with a stoic expression. A few years ago, she would be amazed - but in her current state, the most she can muster is a deep, approving sensation.
"Where does Professor Hayashi reside? I'm asking so I won't bother him, of course." She nods slightly to confirm her own words. Jasper's words make her hesitate, though. As if the girl's burning radiant aura wasn't enough!
"...It's a part of my penance. Besides, the monster is dangerous. I'm looking for info about the great serpent Typhon, and holy and magical spears which could kill her. If you really want to help... Help me find the books, please."

[Geostationary]

Rinley is mildly awed at the Archive. I could have a real adventure in this place!
"Oooo, what's the filing system?! Do you have to fight it until it gives in and gives you its secrets? Does it run on Outside dust and catalog items by dreams? Maybe it's a card catalog so big it's grown sentient in its size and age?"
Rinley pauses for a moment, letting what Natalia just said sink in.
"Wait, you're looking for Typhon? I've met her! Well, met is a strong word. More like 'fended her off while saving Prince Eduard from her assaults'. Why do you need to kill her? What are you serving penance for?"

[Sanguine]

Leonardo was deeply uncomfortable with all of the talk of losing loved ones. He had never known his own family. So he didn't really know what it was like to lose a loved one. But still the whole thing reminded him of those terrible days at the orphanage where he had desperately hoped it was all a mistake his parents, whoever they were, would come to get him. They never did.

One look inside the Archive however was all it took to once more bury those painful memories. There were just so many books, and a crankshaft! Crankshafts make everything better. It was perfect. Pumping his fist into the air Leonardo exclaimed. "Onwards brave companions, to the Storm Records! The fate of Town is in our hands!" After a moment something Miramie said sinks in and Leonardo turns to her. "Would the storm records be near the other historical records? Because we will likely need to do some cross-referencing."

[Tengu_temp]

"You two were attacked Typhon? Where?" Natalia stares at Rinley in disbelief. "Please, I have to know! Will you show me later? Typhon is... It's my fault that she's free. Therefore, it's my duty to defeat her." She raises a clenched fist in a determined way.

[Geostationary]

Rinley is momentarily taken aback by this outburst of emotion on the part of Natalia.
"Oh, uh, sure. It was back at Maple Hill, in the gardens. We can drop by later; it's actually where I met Prince Eduard. He was fighting and losing against her, so I had to do something, even if the rats are technically family enemies. So I saved him and nursed him back to health from his wounds and her poison. We can find him and go to the gardens later."

She looked back at the group, and mimicing Leonardo, shouted, "For now though, onwards to the Storm Records! Let no card catalog stand in our way, lest we stir up a tempest! None shall rain on our day!"

Storytime XP for Eduard and I's story. Also, on the one hand I want to pry into your business now, but on the other hand there will be time for that later and there are Archives to explore! The eternal dilemmas of Rinley!

[Terraoblivion]

"You don't need penance!" Jasper met Natalia's melodramatic declaration with a firm expression of her own. "You should focus on moving forward and making the future better, not feel guilty for the past...But I guess slaying a dangerous monster is that too...Just don't feel guilty or bad about it." Her previously firm expression reverted to her usual, beaming smile and supremely optimistic attitude.

"...Are filing systems truly that amazing? I thought the lower world didn't hold wonders like that." She fell quiet for a second, lost in thoughts. "Or is it the system keeping the world organized? Something has to or it would be the chaos of the Outside, so maybe the archives were build around it as it would be a good source of information." Really, if Miramie was talking about it with that kind of reverence and Rinley thought it was sure to be something amazing, it seemed like a decent guess. Besides, if the filing system didn't, what did? Things couldn't just happen on their own, after all.

And taking an XP for theorizing about the nature of the lower world.

[Crinias]

Leaving behind for the moment talk of giant snakes, penance, and the nature of chaos as controlled by order, the group was led through the Archive by Miramie, through twisting corridors and bookshelves that were practically overflowing with their contents. The immensity of the Archive makes itself more pronounced as they walk more and more.

For whatever reason it feels momentous.

Ritual details!

This particular Ritual shall begin when Miramie does or says something related to the Filing System. It must be symbolic or meaningful in some sense - like posing dramatically, hand raised, while exclaiming: "Behold!" (although that wouldn't really be in-character for her, I suppose). It could simply be walking dramatically towards the Filing System, if it feels right to you. Dramatic music for mundane things such as stair-climbing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBMBbf6mLJs) is entirely optional here (and if the Filing System is on a higher floor of the Archive it'd be appropriate).

Then everyone else gets to do one of the following (or something similar):

*Offer a short description of the Archive's Filing System, in all its beauty and terror

*Offer a short description of yourself being overwhelmed by unruly cabinets

*State or emote your reaction to some recent event (e.g. being surprised at the discovery that filing cabinets hunt in packs, and that you're surrounded) (that's probably not a thing, by the way)

*(Posing doesn't work via PbP, but feel free to communicate that you're doing so if you want.)


Rituals are weird, so the reality of these events (how canon they are, really) or their reactions is a little questionable. Don't be afraid to write something weird and then dial it back as "my character didn't really say/do that, but perhaps s/he would have if the circumstances were right"; or be surprised if I ignore a description of something.

When everyone has posted once, or after some reasonable span of time if people are busy or something, I will post a final wrap up Ritual action and the Ritual will end.

Also, don't forget that you qualify for 'The Invocation' and 'Ritual Actions' XP Actions while in a Ritual, should you choose to take one such action.

[The_Snark]

"I don't know what the crankshaft is for, it's always been there," Miramie says, fielding questions amidst the torrent as best she can, "and Professor Hayashi's study is on the third floor, just past the Theoretical Geology shelves. But he's sometimes out and about. As for the filing system... you have to see that for yourself, I think."

And she leads them onwards through the stacks, up a staircase and into a narrow hallway lined with statues depicting the ten muses of the Dewey Decimal System. At the end of the hall is a door; beyond this door, the Filing System.

There is a hush as the doors open, as though the world is holding its breath, and then a high clear voice.

~

Sing, o Muse, of the records held within this Archive
and of the storm records which have been lawfully kept here since the days of Alexandrel Celdinar.
Tell us now of the Outside.
Tell us of its theoretical underpinnings -
of the nature of chaos and time -
of the wilderness that crashes upon the shore of That Which Is.
Sing through us, goddess, grant us data both complete and accurate -
That our statistical models may divine the truth -
These things we beseech you.

Sing, noble Philodoxa, of truth and thought,
of existence and the meaning of things;
Sing, pious Sophia, of wisdom and the realms above,
of the sacred and the mysterious;
Sing, fair Kimonikos, of the nature of man
of his follies and foibles
Sing, clever Semaris, of song and language
of the medium through which we all must speak;
Sing, wise Epithymie, of science
of logic and the discoveries of those who came before us
Sing, steadfast Sideone, of artifice wondrous and terrible
of its proper uses and its flaws
Sing, gentle Omhora, of beauty given shape
of the world as shown through art
Sing, proud Aresteia, of legend and fable
of stories which, while being lies, sprang from the seeds of truth
Sing, faithful Clio, of that-which-was
of wonders and horrors long since past
Sing, lady Vassilissa, Queen of Muses, of your sisters
Guide us to the knowledge we seek.

This is a Ritual Invocation; XP action!

Miramie probably isn't actually singing an invocation to the Muses, but you never know. So this is also a break from reality, I think.

I don't have anything particularly good in mind for the actual description of the Filing System, so I'm passing that off to the next person who feels like posting. Who could also defer it, if they like.

[Geostationary]

Music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ApiVqVNejQ&list=PL926D18349AF1F562)
The room is cavernous, clouds of incense drifting between the columns and statues to the Muses. The room is dark, punctuated by shafts of light from the tall, sparse windows and intermittent bulbs. The room is cool, as you feel a strange breeze pushing outwards. In the center of it all, the filing system hangs suspended over a chasm, full of stars; from this originate the breeze and incense.

The filing system whirs. It clicks. It hums. It breathes deep the exhalations of the chasm, whirring and churning and, every so often, spitting out some new card and filing it away. It is both gold and silver, brass and wood, crystal and glass. It crackles with knowledge, with secrets, with the susurrus of its collective mind. A sharp ring and a single strip of paper slips from its bulk.

Written is a single phrase:

I Listen; Hear Now My Song

I suppose I'll call for a Ritual Action XP then.

[Sanguine]

The filing system was awe-inspiring, even the great and wondrous Leonardo de Montreal was overwhelmed by it's awesome majesty. Leonardo may very well have been a God of Dream and Nightmare but this was a God of Knowledge and deserved even his respect. Standing before the chasm the young man prostrated himself before the filing system and spoke secret words of science, proving his nature as a seeker of knowledge.

I'm totally posing here and so I'm going to say this is a Ritual Action.

[Tengu_temp]

The inner workings of the filing system cause all the nearby cabinets to move. Their drawers pop out and in, the shelves themselves seem to change places when nobody is looking, and papers fly out, spinning in the air, only to return back into other drawers. All of this forms hypnotic patterns, almost like a dance of paper and knowledge that's somehow necessary for the archive to work. And it invites the onlookers to watch, tempts them to join in...

Natalia stares, with a somewhat linefaced expression, but she doesn't join in, despite all the cabinet dance going on around her. A frozen heart can only be fascinated that much.

Guess I'm joining in with a Ritual Action. If this is how it works - can you do that if you already participated in 2 scenes this week?

[Terraoblivion]

The wild dance of the filing cabinets was brought to order as Jasper joined them. Moving with the flowing grace of the ritual dance to the honor of her mother (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBrGrG4fsTU), she pacified the cabinets, bringing them to order and making them serve their purpose.

As the cabinets fell into order, the sparse lights flared up in brightness, the clear light of the truth bathing the seekers below, contrasting the starry depths beneath. Pushing the darkness back, it was like the sun pushing back the Riders and the Outside creating reality in the middle.

[The_Snark]

As the light grows and the frenetic whirl of paper and doors slows to a stately, deliberate procession, Miramie moves out onto the unseen floor. Her footsteps are quick, steady, graceful; like a comet passing through the constellations in their slow waltz through the heavens, she is neither a part of the dance nor an intrusion upon it. She knows the way; she's walked here before. This is her home.

A drawer opens before her, and she gently plucks a filing card from within. Without pausing she glides to another, takes a second card from the gaping mouth of a rosewood cabinet. A third is taken from a glass hook; a fourth from an elegant shelf of silver and bone; a fifth from a spot on the floor, where it fell astray. Then she turns, retreating with swift grace.

Here I'm declaring an Intention to find the stuff that Leonardo and Natalia are looking for. Logically you'd think this would use her Connection to the Archive, but in this instance I think Grace applies just as well (if not better).

Spending 2 miraculous Will (this is Archive-related), for an Intention level of 4.

[Crinias]

The movements of the system flow with ease, and the cacophony of sounds generated from it fades into a softer hum. The numerous cabinets and shelves slow down even more, and even the breeze of the chasm seems to quiet down.

The room flows back into order, and it quiets. It keeps its wisdom still, for future times. The respect offered to the room’s order has been rewarded; knowledge, imparted.

The room, the world is full of light. Within Miramie’s hands is proof of that.

As one, the group turns, back through the door which closes behind them, through the hallway of the muses and down the staircase, away from the System, which is undoubtedly waiting for the next person that needs it.

Aaand Ritual complete. Phew.

Honestly I’m not very familiar with how filing systems work exactly, and I’m not sure what exact records would be on the cards Miramie is holding, but since your Intention level is 4 it’s guaranteed to be not only done correctly but also effectively, so let’s not worry about details. You find the general location of specific records – of relevant statistics of Outside storms, the general history of Town for comparison and information on monsters and their legends.

On the Dewey Decimal System I suppose the classifications would be something along the lines of this:
551.96 – Outside Storm Records
804 – Town literature
991 – General history of Town
991.63 – Kaiju attacks
991.64 – Mysteries and related information

[Tengu_temp]

That was... Probably the second strangest thing I've seen in a library yet.", Natalia comments when everything seems to return to reality again. "And only because no wild animals were involved."

[Terraoblivion]

"So this isn't a normal part of libraries in the lower world? I thought it was just part of visiting one. What do you do normally, just go find a book on a labeled shelf or something like that?" Jasper cocked her head to the side, looking questioning at Natalia as she heard that. "And what happened with the wild animals that other time?"

[The_Snark]

"That went well. You're a really good dancer," Miramie says to Jasper, admiring. "The filing system isn't always so helpful; usually I can only get one or two references out of it before everything gets too confusing. Here, let's see what it gave us..."

She holds the filing cards out to Natalia and Leonardo for inspection. Only then does she notice the pain in her left hand, which is clenched tightly; blood is trickling through the fingers. She opens the hand to inspect it and finds a shard of night-black glass resting on her palm, wet with her own blood.

"... oh."

Employing Sickly to declare that Miramie has suffered, most likely from Jasper's outside-purifying light. Apparently this is normally an XP Action, which I didn't realize - I'm actually just looking to pick up a level of the Sickness issue here.

Edit - for clarity, the filing cards are in her right hand. They have not turned into evil black glass.

[Geostationary]

"Miramie? What's wrong? Why's that glass there?"
Rinley looks concerned, because one of her friends is bleeding for no discernable reason (I mean, beyond the glass, but what's up with that?) and this is not normal behavior for her. If it were the Principal or something, I mean, sure, but as far as Rinley knows Miramie isn't in the habit of doing this sort of thing.

She moves to take the shard out of her hand and pulls out a strip of cloth to bind her hand for the time being.

I'm going to preemptively claim an XP for getting all up in 'yo secrets. I'll also like to use Connection: Miramie 1 and spend 2 Will to take out the glass and bind up her wound, assuming Snark doesn't refuse me or something. I'm going with the Connection skill with the idea that this is 'working well' or 'acting appropriately' with someone. Or possibly 'resisting the influence of something changing them', seeing as a Sickly action was used.

[Tengu_temp]

"Yes. Magic cabinets dancing with sun's children aren't a common sight on Earth.", Natalia answers to Jasper. It was a pretty dance, though, even if she doesn't want to admit it. "And it was a family of wild boars, which made home in the encyclopedia section of one of the local libraries. Nobody noticed because it was the encyclopedia section, everyone just uses google. But then..." Suddenly she stops, having noticed something is going wrong with Miramie's hand. She approaches, looking somewhat concerned for someone with such a stoic face.
"...Was that supposed to happen? Are you okay...?"

[Terraoblivion]

"Oh." Jasper looked a bit disappointed at that answer. Really, the lower world seemed to dull when people put it that way. Most things stayed where they were and people seemed caught up in doing repetitive tasks for that cash thing. Or maybe Natalia just came from a really boring place, she seemed surprised by everything. That had to be it, really. Nobody else had been all that surprised by the filing system either. Clearly this was normal and it was just Natalia who was weird. "And what's the encyclopedia section and google? And boars don't usually visit the library?"

Miramie's compliment on the other hand was met with a bright, beaming smile. "Thank you. It just seemed appropriate to something like that. It's a dance created in honor of my mother. There's a story about one of the names they gave her on Earth where she hid in a cave and it was used to lure her out." She'd heard another version too, but surely that couldn't be it.

The smile faded quite quickly as the older girl revealed the shards of glass in her hand, being replaced by a look of intense concern. "That isn't common to the filing system, right?" She rummaged around her person, trying to find some way of dealing with it before pulling what looked like a very expensive silk ribbon off. "I don't really know much about wounds, but...People seem to tie them up, so you can use this to do so. If anybody knows how, I mean."

And taking an XP for theorizing about the lower world.

[The_Snark]

"No!" Miramie snatches her hand away, closing her fingers carefully over the glass before Rinley can touch it. More quietly, she repeats, "No. Thank you, but... no. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Here." She gives Rinley the file cards. "I'm going to go dispose of the broken glass, and wash the blood off, and find some disinfectant so nothing gets infected, and then I'll bandage it. You can look around in the meantime, as long as... You'll be fine. Just be careful."

Going from 'Innocent' to 'Suspicious' and claiming XP for the Art Shop and Garden quest.

[Terraoblivion]

"Ah, I see...If you need to do something first, that's probably a good idea." Jasper gave Miramie an encouraging smile, trying to cheer her up, as she retied the ribbon. Whatever was up with that glass had somehow hurt her beyond the hand, but she had no idea how or what she could do about it. "Do what you need and we'll be here when you get back."

[Crinias]

The night-black glass feels cold and harsh in Miramie's hand. It brings back some unwanted memories, like how it felt to be lost after she broke. It's going to take more than cleaning the wound and bandaging it to forget that feeling.

A bit after Miramie disappears out of sight, there is a brief moment of silence. Said moment is almost immediately ruined when a voice coming from one of Leonardo's pockets swears in startlement, much to everyone's surprise.

By the way, Snark, don't forget to add a +1 MP to your sheet, along with a point of Sickness.

That voice would be your Outside-Measuring Caliper, Sanguine.

[Geostationary]

Rinley takes the cloth she was going to use to bind Miramie's wound, makes it into a makeshift bandanna, puts it on, and prepares to do something, when she is interrupted by the swearing.
"Leo, your pockets are shouting. I had a cousin once whose pockets shouted. He fed them apple slices every day after school. And then he disappeared! Point is, you should probably check it out and make sure it has nothing against apples."
"Now, where was I?..."
Rinley strikes a pose, taking advantage of a nearby skylight, and flourishes the file cards.
"Let us set sail to knowledge! Leo, you can be the navigator. Natalia, you'll be the first mate, and Jasper, you can be... how about the bosun? So, what do you and your shouty pockets make of these file cards, Navigator Leonardo?"

Would 'Claimed by the Sea' help me with navigating ship-like things and vaguely aquatic analogs? How about more generic nautical things?

[Sanguine]

The outburst came as a surprise to the young scientist, for he had completely forgotten that he had brought such a device with him. Pulling the caliper out of his pocket Leonardo begins to examine the readings. To an outside observer it appears as if he is merely squinting at the dials while mumbling to himself; but I assure you there is some serious science going on.

I've never gotten readings like this! This was not good, not good at all. A massive upswing in Outside corruption at the same time Miramie is mysteriously injured. It can't be a coincidence, Miramie is in danger. Not that I care about her or anything.

Putting the caliper away Leonardo turned to the group and said. "I'm going to go after Miramie, after all we can't find our way around this place without her."

See, my interest in protecting her is purely selfish.

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia watches Miramie go in silence, then tries to answer Jasper's questions. It's hard to deal with that girl, but she tries her best at providing exposition.
"Oh right. I forgot there's no internet in this place." Natalia is too nice to say "backwater", but she's not too nice not to think it. "Explaining what a search engine is might take some time if you never used a computer before. Have you? I am surprised you don't know what an encyclopedia is, considering we're in a library right now. It's a book filled with definitions and descriptions of various objects, places and people. Usually brief and insufficient in the age of information, but better than nothing. And no, the only sapient animals on Earth are humans, and sapience is required to use libraries. Not that most of them come to a library more than once in a blue moon anyway."

This monologue is interrupted by Leonardo's strange, swearing device. This grabs Natalia's attention - what kind of weird science is this?
"This device. What does it detect? And... do you need someone to come with you? I don't think our ship can sail without its navigator, anyway."

[Sanguine]

Leonardo glares daggers at Natalia and exclaims. "Who says it detects anything? Maybe I just built a device that swears at random intervals! And no I don't need someone to go with me. What I need is for people to stop asking stupid questions and just stay out of my way! And I don't do boats!" Turning away from the group Leonardo marches off, intent upon searching for Miramie by himself. Not because he was trying to protect the others, of course not. He was going off on his own because he was an irritable young man, and that is the only reason.

[Geostationary]

Rinley looks at her collective crew grimly.
"Well ladies, it looks like we're short a navigator. I'll have to take it upon myself, unless one of you is fit for the job. Bosun Jasper, does being the Sun's child help with navigating, perchance? Anyways, any questions before we set sail?"

[Terraoblivion]

"Encyclopedias are a lower world thing. I think. Maybe we had them in heaven too and I just forgot." Jasper smiled a bit sheepishly at Natalia's explanation. She could understand why the girl would be irritated by everyone not knowing things that were basic to her, but did she really have to be so rude about it? "Also, Earth sounds so weird. None of the animals talk, really?"

However, she was quickly distracted by Leonardo's outburst. But rather than pry or give him a big beaming smile or a look of incomprehension, she seemed to...just understand. She gave the young scientist a small, encouraging smile, motioning for him to follow Miramie, even if it wasn't quite apparent if he had time to see. Really, even without understanding the device or what had happened to Miramie, it was pretty clear what was going on.

And then Rinley dragged her back to the present. "I don't think I do, I mostly just learned to be a proper daughter for my mother and I don't think being able to eat everything is going to help." And without knowing any navigators, she couldn't really lend the power of someone to learn about it. "But I have one question...What is a bosun?"

[Geostationary]

"Well, they're basically the people in charge of the deck, sailors, maintenance, and whatnot- like a supervisor! I suppose you'd need to know more about ships, but seeing as we don't have one at the moment I don't see how that would impede your job. You'd also be in charge of the sailors, but as we have no crew either, that's also not a problem. Though, should we find some crew members later you'd be in charge of them. Really, at this point I guess you'd be able to act as the grizzled old sailor of the crew and get to blow your bosun's whistle at appropriate times. I'm afraid I don't have one on me though, so you'll have to find one later."

"Also, you can eat anything? Neat."

Boatswains! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boatswain) They're in charge of aspects of ship maintenance and supervise the crew's work on the deck. They also have a whistle used for issuing orders and ceremony. As none of our characters are qualified for any of these jobs, they'll just have to make things up as they go. Except Natalia, because Prodigy. And that was your random nautical trivia of the day!

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia watches Leonardo storm off with a first neutral, then focused expression, as if trying to comprehend his motives.
"Tsundere.", she finally says mysteriously. And then she turns towards the other two.
"A bosun is someone whose job is to make sure ordinary sailors behave, follow the captain's orders and do their job instead of slacking off. With beatings, if necessary. But don't worry, that won't happen here. And... I can take over the navigation, if necessary."
What am I talking about? There's no boat, it's just an extended metaphor! I got caught up in games again. But... Games aren't bad from time to time, I guess...?

[Terraoblivion]

"I think I could manage the crew. If we had one. Or any use for one. I'm not going to act like an old, grizzled sailor though." Jasper nodded, her expression still beaming, though, just maybe there was a hint of sarcasm in there. "And, yes, I can eat anything. Even things like light or concepts if I can find some way to swallow them. It was kinda odd to learn that humans couldn't. Although, given how tasty human food is, there might not be much of a point in being able to eat anything else."

Natalia's mysterious expression and comment on the other hand, got a somewhat stern look for a few seconds before it became clear that she wasn't going to meddle.

[Geostationary]

"Well, at least we have that sorted out. What are your thoughts, First Mate Natalia?"
Rinley motions Natalia over to examine the cards from the filing system.

So, what do the cards look like? I take it they don't settle for Dewey.

[Tengu_temp]

"I'm not sure what brings you here - weather records, was it? - but what interests me should be under 991.63 and 991.64." Natalia pauses for a second, looking at the cards. "And perhaps 804... Either way, we can look for your books first, mine second. Let's go."
She certainly doesn't want to just find some local books to read, no sir.

[The_Snark]

The stairs in the Archive spiral upwards at haphazard points, as if each floor were built by a different architect with no knowledge of the other floors. Miramie crosses the building at least twice as she ascends to the fifth floor. The grinding of the crankshaft and hum of the filing system grow fainter and fainter until the air is hushed and still; the colors, in contrast, grow brighter, as if walking into a children's picture book.

The chill of the glass sinks into Miramie's palm and settles in like an old friend, the ache creeping slowly up her arm. It isn't the glass, really. That's just… a symptom, like the bleeding. It isn't Jasper's fault, either, or the filing system's - nobody else was hurt like this. No, she's pretty sure it's her fault. There's a kind of wrongness in her, or maybe an empty hole she can't fill no matter how hard she tries. And oh, she's tried; how many hours, days, weeks has she spent up here, carefully picking out the bits of self she doesn't want?

Long enough that they line the hallway as she approaches her hidden room: beguiling and sinister, jagged and pristine, black as night and clear as broken glass. This is where she keeps the sharp edges of Melanie Malakh, the things she doesn't want anymore, but which are too dangerous to just leave lying around. An unpleasant reminder she has to pass through whenever she retreats to her hidden room.

Sometimes she thinks she did that on purpose, to keep herself from coming here too often.

Miramie glances longingly towards the far end of the hall. It would be really easy to go in there and stay awhile, fix herself until the emptiness stops gnawing at her bones and she can forget. The others might miss her, but she won't have to explain to them if she doesn't go back. Easiest that way. She isn't really looking forward to going back downstairs and deflecting questions, pretending everything is normal and okay. But... the easy way out probably isn't the right way. She's only just met Jasper and Leonardo and Rinley and Natalia. She likes them, mostly, and thinks they like her okay (maybe?), but if she vanishes now she's not sure she'll ever manage to get any closer. And it would be nice, wouldn't it, to have some friends outside her 'family' here at the Archive? It gets lonely here.

Miramie places the shard of glass on a shelf and tucks it behind a book, careful not to look too closely at anything else, and turns to go.

[Crinias]

It’s easy to appreciate the filing cards as Rinley looks them over. Written on the firm cream-colored cards, in a neat and easily readable handwriting, are various notes on books and entire sections of the Archive. Still, the cards appear to be a bit eccentric, not only delivering the necessary information on the books, the general information of some subjects and where to find them in the Archive, but also some notes and suggestions on related writings.

You suspect that this is because Town’s Archive isn’t like a regular library – it doesn’t hold just common books and records of events, but also obscure and eccentric information. Gossip in the form of journals and diaries, personal notes from distant relatives on how to make a great apple pie, anecdotes made by amateur writers – the Archive has it all. The fact that some of these records are difficult to classify has clearly influenced the way the filing system works. Still, whoever made the filing cards wrote them so in a clear, comprehensive manner, and obviously didn’t mind this dissonance.

On the general subject of Town’s history, the notes suggest looking well into the writings of Vladimir Lebedev, a one-time assistant of Alexandrel Celdinar from before the arrival of Jade Irinka; they also suggest more recent entries. Regarding Kaiju and Mysteries, the cards respectively refer to the recorded exploits and adventures of Rosanna Benedict and Akane Oyama for accurate, if badly-paced, information. As for Town’s literature, there’s a plethora of information, and no particular author is highlighted. Surprisingly, there’s a relatively large amount of records as far as Outside phenomena is concerned – professional and amateur meteorologists alike wrote much on this particular topic.

You can't help but feel that the knowledge of the locations of the books might be more useful if you could find a map of the Archive…

Argh, a few hours turned into a few days, I suck at being responsible. :smallfrown: I’m not even sure why I took so long, and I can’t say I had any particularly good excuse, either.

I’m taking some many a lot of liberties regarding how filing cards actually look like in general.

[Tengu_temp]

As they fruitlessly navigate the chaotic archive, Natalia slowly grows annoyed, even if her face barely shows it. Libraries should be places of order, not whimsy! Are they going to spend the whole day here?
"I don't have time for this."
With a serious expression she approaches the closest cabinet and pulls out a pen and notebook out of her bag. Using the cabinet as a desk, Natalia starts to write - and isn't it something to observe! The pen is dancing over the paper at a ridiculous speed, covering it with complex mathematical equations and sketched layouts of the parts of the archive they've been to already. Probability is a great tool once you know how to use it, and Natalia certainly does - she will use the data already available, the parts of the Archive she knows, the general layout of the building, and the filing cards, to find a pattern in chaos, to estimate where the shelves that interest them are.
"Done." She finishes with a dramatic stroke, that may or may not be accompanied by a flash of light from the closest window. Natalia rips out a page and gives it to the other two - a very rough sketched map, with a path they're supposed to take, is drawn on it.
"I can't guarantee this is 100% accurate. But it should be good enough."

Using my Prodigy power to navigate the Archive perfectly. The map is just a tool to help with that.

[Terraoblivion]

"...That's not a normal human thing, is it?" Jasper curiously looked over Natalia's shoulder as she began the flurry of writing and calculations, work that was far beyond her own ability to understand. "But it's really impressive even if it is." She bit her lip, thinking a bit about it...No, she was pretty sure that even borrowing math or navigation skill from someone would put her far behind that.

[Tengu_temp]

"Depends what you consider normal. It's just math; all people have the potential to use it like this." Natalia closes her notebook loudly. "It's just that few reach it."

[Sanguine]

It wasn't difficult to follow Miramie, the little droplets of blood along the floor made sure of that, it was however tedious. As much as Leonardo loved the Archive, he was fairly certain it was never intended for human habitation. That was the only explanation for it's insane layout.

The young scientist was almost about to give up when his Outside-Measuring Caliper let out another shriek. Reinvigorated, Leonardo ran through the now slightly unreal hallways as fast as his legs could carry him. Under normal circumstances he would have loved to study this strange phenomena of the Archive fading into the Outside. But now was not the time, right now he needed to save Miramie.

Leonardo ran as fast as he could through the halls every ounce his attention focused on the trail of blood, and that is why he did not see Miramie until he had knocked the two of them to the floor.

I'm not completely happy with this post. But it's something at least.

Also I shall claim story XP for stumbling upon the hidden portion of the Archive's upper floors where it fades into the Outside.

[The_Snark]

"Oof!"

Miramie is used to thinking of this place as hers and hers alone: Kiri and Sakura usually avoid the more obviously Outside-tinged parts of the Archive, the Professor keeps to his study and the lower floors most of the time, and Danny's never made it past the fourth floor without getting lost, and most visitors don't come up this high (and couldn't find the stairs even if they wanted to). So she is caught completely off-guard when the young scientist bowls into her.

There's a moment where she isn't even sure what happened - a moment ago she was thinking about glass, then suddenly she's on the floor? - and then she recognizes that the weight atop her is person-shaped. "Excuse me, that was rude," she says, or tries to say. "You should watch where you're going more carefully, and what are you doing up here anyway?" It comes out as a wheeze instead. Oh, right; breathing.

She coughs, gasping for air.

[Crinias]

Led forth by the intrepid Rinley and navigated with ease by Natalia, the group set forth, with a barrage of nautical references and minor clarification of terms all around. Around a wall of cabinets they walked, down a staircase, weaving their way around bookshelves, taking care to follow the map and not get lost, taking a sudden U-turn around a column of books, up a staircase…

A few minutes later Natalia found herself pleased to find the relevant section for Town’s literature on the way to the storm records, and with ease obtained some of the books that she had been indicated about Mysteries and related stories, nonchalantly enough that Rinley and Jasper did not notice her pause.

Soon thereafter they found third floor’s west wing, and under section 551, near meteorology, they found several volumes and records of storm records. Without much fuss they chose some of the more clear and relevant ones, and set off once again.

It’s soon after they begin to navigate the Archive again that the group realizes where they are, more or less. In the same section as Outside storm records, seismic activity of Old Molder, Big Lake’s hydrology and related studies, is Theoretical Geology. There between a pair of bookshelves was clearly open the entrance to a room, and clearly visible in it was a man sitting in front of a desk, reading a heavy tome with keen interest. He doesn't appear to notice the group.

I get the impression that I’ve also caught Writer’s Block, but I’ll try to remedy that as soon as I can.

[Sanguine]

It takes Leonardo a moment to register what just happened. One moment he was hot on the trail of Miramie, the next he was on the floor, albeit a surprisingly soft floor. Except he wasn't on the floor, there was definitely a person underneath him.

"Miramie! You haven't been eaten by a giant glass dragon! That's great! ...Wait? Why are you gasping for air?" Leonardo turns bright red as he realizes exactly what happened. "Umm, I'll get off of you now."

[Tengu_temp]

"Is that Professor Hayashi?", Natalia asks, as if expecting all the locals to know each other.

[Terraoblivion]

Jasper looked at the man with curiosity. "Maybe?" Really, it was a very good question, even if she wasn't quite sure who Professor Hayashi was other than the man running the library.

[The_Snark]

"Glnk!" Miramie says, which most likely means "Yes, please, that would be very kind of you." It's sinking in that not only is there a person on top of her, it is a boy-type person. This is not proper in the least.

[Geostationary]

"I think it's the professor. He doesn't get out much, so you don't really see him around all that often. Do you think we should ask him for help? He may have insights into our problems! He'd also know how to check out these books we've found. Miramie never specified how that worked."

[Tengu_temp]

"She asked us not to bother him, unless it's very important.", Natalia reminds the other two. She's curious herself, but she trusts her own ability to guide them through the archive. Also, looking at a sad and disappointed Miramie would... probably not break her heart, it's frozen too hard for that, but certainly sting a little.

[Sanguine]

After scrambling up onto his feet Leonardo offers his hand to Miramie to help her up and asks. "Is this normal? The Outside thing I mean, not me knocking you over."

[Terraoblivion]

"We can just find them ourselves, right?" Jasper looked completely unaffected by the risk of getting lost or digging through books forever to find the right section. "And surely a place as impressive as this will have helpful spirits to tell us where they are. Like that filing system, but more specific."

[Tengu_temp]

"Library spirits. Do they float around like bedsheets, wearing glasses and eating text from old books for sustenance?", Natalia asks, in a stoic but unamused way.

[The_Snark]

"Um. Yes?" Miramie says, flustered but not so flustered that she's forgotten the comment about glass dragons. "Everything is fine here. I'm fine. This is... normal."

But all around them, she is aware, are the leftover shards of Melanie Malakh: broken masks, daggerlike slivers of glass ranging from needle-size to the length of her forearm, a full-length mirror leaning against one wall, and a dozen other things lurking on the shelves, all cruel and broken and cold. The only bright spot comes from a ray of sunlight at the end of the hall, where the door to her hidden room stands open a crack.

[Geostationary]

"That would be silly. They eat old library cards and people who don't return books. Actually, wait! This gives me an idea!"
Rinley somehow manages to boisterously quiet as a sudden look of realization spreads across her face.
She closes her eyes and concentrates. When she opens them again, a small light pops into being!
"Crewman Wish Spirit! Can you help us find the check-out desk for the archive?"

I think I shall *gasp* spend an MP to summon a wish spirit to aid us in our task, because why not.

[Terraoblivion]

"So you do have them...But it's probably a bit excessive to eat people just for returning books late. I mean, evil-doers is one thing, but people who are slow to return books?" Jasper frowned slightly. What was wrong with the lower world to have malicious spirits like that to serve helpful roles? They should get some proper, helpful ones instead.

[Crinias]

As Rinley speaks Natalia and Jasper they are able to get a good look at the wish spirit. It appears to be a small ball of light, glowing gently, something along the lines of a will-o-wisp, or what a will-o-wisp probably looks like, considering none of the group has ever seen one before.

Its light blinks in understanding and it begins to head in the general direction from whence the group came, radiating a powerful aura of presence that makes them want to be guided by it.

As the group begins to follow the wish spirit they can't help but take one last look at the brown-haired bespectacled man who is presumably Professor Hayashi, and some details of his room - like the shelves that line up his walls, the many post-its that cover parts of his desk, and his windows, which oddly appear to be glass-less.

It might have been nice to talk to him, maybe, though he seems a bit cold. Maybe some other time?

The wish spirit emotes "I'll totally guide you! Yeah!", and for good measure uses its Superior Encourage Wishing 3 skill, with 2 Will, to form the Intention "Encourage these kids to wish to be guided by me".

Despite reaching a level of 5 and ensuring this Intention's productivity, this isn't very useful at all, aside from making you want more stuff. I suppose it could be worse - it could have wished for you all to be happy, and I don't want to see what Natalia could do to it and any future wish spirits in such a case. Oh, the wish-manity...

This should be about it for this scene for this group, the rest (getting all the books, etc) can be concluded after Leonardo and Miramie finish their conversation.

[Tengu_temp]

"I don't know Rinley for long, but it's still enough to know to take most of what she says with a pinch of salt. Including this."
Natalia follows the ball of light with a serious expression, resisting the inner urge to cry catching it.
"How can you command spirits anyway? Is it in-born gift? Learned sorcery?"

Just doing some banter while the other scene concludes.
Also, before I forget again, I'll claim bonus XP for The Golden Snake of the Rooftops from obtaining useful literature on the topic.

[Terraoblivion]

"Most spirits listen when you talk to them. They're there to be helpful after all and ignoring people would be rude and unhelpful. I mean, lower world spirits might be different..." She bit her lip slightly, once again lost in thought. Perhaps they really were, the lower world was quite weird so why not unhelpful spirits too?

And taking a Shared Action for our random conversations as we navigate the archives. It's simple, honest action filtered through the profound weirdness of this bunch, after all.

[Sanguine]

For the first time since he has been up here Leonardo really looks at his surroundings. This was a place for broken things. The shattered remnants masks, dolls, and most disturbingly of all glass were scattered about, almost ritually. This was normal; and of all the places to run, Miramie ran here. That changed things. Not for the better, but now Leonardo knew that this problem, whatever it was, couldn't be solved by just waving some Nightmare Science at it.

After taking in the "normal" Leonardo turns to Miramie and speaks with surprisingly sincere empathy. "Miramie, you are not fine. This is not fine. If there is anything my miserable wretched life has taught me, it is what not fine looks like: and this is it. I won't press the issue, that wouldn't do either of us any good. But if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you. I want you to know that. Anyway, if there’s no immediate danger we should probably go find the others."

Okay two things.

First, I'm going to declare this a Shared Reactions. Finishing up the groups XP actions for this chapter.

Second, is the "you can get a level 1 Connection to any other PC by mutual agreement" rule limited to one such Connection? If not I would like to give Leonardo a Connection with Miramie since he is starting to understand her a little bit better. Assuming it's cool with The_Snark of course.

[Geostationary]

Rinley smiles. "You hurt me, Natalia. As for the wish spirit, they've liked me for as long as I can remember. They're helpful, but not always the brightest. Figuratively speaking. I mean, look at him, he's pretty bright. I also have it on good authority that they beatbox pretty well, but I've not had occasion to do that and it's not helpful to our present situation. Though there are those spirits that go bad, but that's what the exorcists in Arcadia are for! And the Grey Man, I suppose, but he's kind of creepy."

"I think I see the check-out desk!"

I figure that may be a good point to wait and end on?

[The_Snark]

"I'm not - " Miramie stops herself, because there's clearly not much point in continuing to insist that everything is OK. Leonardo isn't pressing for answers, which is... more than she expected from the boy who barged to the front of the line in the coffee shop this morning, honestly. A lot more. "I... thank you. Really."

But she doesn't go back downstairs. She finds she doesn't want him to walk away thinking that this is her refuge. She wants to show him it isn't as bad as all that -

So she takes his hand, and leads him past the mirrors and empty-eyed dolls to look at the sunlit room on the other side of the door.

Aaand that seems like a good point to fade.

[Crinias]

Taking her hand, Leonardo follows Miramie into her Room with some trepidation. It’s probably not what he expects: a quiet, well organized room with sunlight pouring in from a window of the most beautiful glass he’s ever seen.

As Miramie shows Leonardo her Room, Rinley, Natalia and Jasper cannot help but get involved with other shenanigans related to getting lost and obtaining old books. History records, legends, tales and accounts of kaiju and Mysteries, all books thought important and relevant go into Natalia’s bag. It would later turn out that there was no actual check-out desk at the Archive, to Rinley’s great consternation.

All in all it had been an eventful day.

The entire group feels exhausted upon exiting the Archive later that day (or in Miramie’s case, saying goodbye to the rest), as though they’d spent a month and a day in it.

-----------

The rest of the week proceeds slowly.

Between all the books that the group collected there’s enough material for at least a week of research on Outside storms, not to mention the need to cross-reference historical events and the like. Leonardo clearly has got his work cut out for him. The fact that his nightmares intensify a bit more after that day at the Archive didn’t help much. Still, even these fools deserved to be around his great presence, his subconscious be damned.

There are also the books on kaiju and Mysteries to consider for Natalia. Though not numerous, they serve as good reference points for the subject that she wishes to investigate – the great tales told of Typhon, and of heroes and heroines that fought against it or other monsters. She reads through them all in an hour or two, but they’re very entertaining and informative all the same. The literature books as well, not that she’d admit it to the others.

Catching Jasper’s eye, among the literature books Natalia collected is a beautifully illustrated tome about stories told of Jade Irinka. It’s only natural that stories would be written about her, she supposes, the sun is ever-present in most people’s lives. It feels odd to read about her, though – the idea of a stranger talking so highly of someone so close to her is… strange.

Rinley’s wishing spirit sticks around for a while, apparently very excited to meet such an interesting group of people. It tends to wander off every now and again, though, when it gets bored. As for Rinley herself, between hearing so many stories and hanging out with the others she has a pretty good time.

Miramie can’t help but be slightly concerned that on some days the places she frequents for her daily routine and work are filled with more Outside dust than is usual, and that she sometimes hears murmurs. It could be coincidence or bad luck… but really, lying to herself probably won’t help. She knows perfectly well why this sort of thing is happening. It’s her past coming back to bother her.

-----------

After some minor discussion and general agreement the group decides to alternate from meeting on the Archive and other places around Fortitude, including some coffee shops. Natural meeting places that they were, the group spends a good number of hours in them, talking about the world, their books, or trivia, or other things.

On Saturday afternoon, the group met on a café on Lakeside Avenue, which is actually quite nice. As the name implied, the street was close to Big Lake, and it offered a great view to it. It was easy to get distracted in there while talking to others…

So much so that only Rinley noticed how, off in the distance, a pair of boys wearing School uniforms seemed to be talking to a small, rapidly blinking ball of light. One of the boys, who looked perfectly ordinary, looked expectantly at the other, who was red haired, freckled and nervous-looking. The latter looked back and forth between the ball of light and the other boy, and appeared to say something.

By his expression one would have assumed he was attempting to explain how something would be a Bad Idea – but if so the other boy paid no attention, as he proceeded to point his finger at the air dramatically, say something brief and drag his friend off into the distance.


Whew. Feel free to add in anything else that you think your character will do for the rest of the week, like creating something or roaming the roofs of Fortitude or anything of the like, and we can conclude after that.

The Outside dust and murmurs are an effect of your Who You Were Affliction, Snark.

Some Intentions would probably be helpful here regarding research (I’ll just assume Natalia doesn’t even need that though, for obvious reasons).

One other thing: New chapters begin on Sundays. I neglected to mention this earlier, and we began on a Monday; this isn’t a terribly bad thing, but I just wanted you all to know about it.

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia is not the type to just hang out with people on her own - not only is she mostly a loner, but she also is too busy with important things, such as helping out random strangers, planning her next move when it comes to defeating Typhoon, or sitting alone in her room and playing video games in a failed attempt to distract herself from the void inside her. But those people could use help with their research, or so she tells herself, and it looks important. So here she is.

"Oh. Another one of those." The ball of light accompanying the boys grabbed Natalia's attention for a moment. Coincidentally, she's wearing the School's uniform herself, though black and gold rather than blue and white.

[Terraoblivion]

Over the course of the week, Jasper was quite busy. She still needed food and while she supposed she could just eat rocks if she really wanted to, they seemed quite unappetizing, so she was stuck doing various low paying odd jobs much of the time. Much of the rest of the time was spent marveling at the weirdness of how humans described her mother. It was just hard to see her described in such reverent tones, especially when you remembered her lack of naming skill and horrible taste in men and various broken flashes of her just being, well, mom. Yet it was still something to tie her to Jade Irinka and remind her of the love people felt for her.

She also did spend time with the others, except for Rinley they all seemed like they could use someone to be there and be just as weird as they apparently were. Hopefully they'd all become proper friends and help each other deal with their issues if they stuck together!

"Oooh, or maybe it's some other ball of light...Though if I remember correctly, most spirits are more animal-like than that."

[Geostationary]

"Hmm. It does look like a wish spirit, but glowing is not uncommon. Actually, isn't that Chuubo? And, whats-his-face, Seizhi? You know, he beat Chuubo at that soapbox derby last year. I wonder what they're up to. I remember him bragging about some sort of engine he's built. What did he call it... his magnificent? meticulous? moribund?... anyways, something involving wishes, I think."
Rinley stirs her drink absentmindedly, focusing on the departing figures. I wonder what they're doing? Chuubo seems like a cool guy. He feels... important, I suppose? Like everyone else here.

I take it you're prompting us to actually meet Chuubo in this game of Chuubo? What nonsense is this! And I figure my plot senses are tingling regardless.

[Tengu_temp]

"Are they? I couldn't tell, I'm afraid. I don't know the name of anyone else at school. Only faces in the crowd." Natalia returns to the book she was studying. There was a hint of regret in her voice just now. "And I arrived here less than 2 months ago. I don't know what happened last year."

[The_Snark]

"Is that his name?" Miramie asks, her eyes lingering on the pair. "I've seen him before, I think. Do you know if he's from around here?"

[Sanguine]

As the conversation moved to the topic of Chuubo Leonardo briefly pulled his attention away from the book in his hands. It was about the Glass Dragon that attacked Town several years ago, around the same time the storm records indicated there was an abnormally large number of Outside Storms. Unfortunately the book was written for entertainment not academic purposes, so it was proving to be of little use in determining if there was a genuine connection.

Closing the book on his index finger to mark his place the young scientist sighs and says. "Chuubo lives in Horizon."

I am going to use my Perseverance 2 and 2 Will to make a Level 4 Intention for researching the storm records and associated historical records.

[Terraoblivion]

Rinley's comment about an engine dealing with wishes got a very curious look from Jasper. "Really? So he made a machine feeding on wishes...Isn't that going to drain hope and dreams out of the world? Or..." Her expression turned more deadpan. It was probably just Rinley being Rinley, even an outsider like Jasper was starting to catch on to how the girl wasn't exactly the most reliable source of information. It was probably just another silly thing she'd made up.

[Tengu_temp]

"Navy and white, the Living Colors. Only students born in the Town are allowed to wear them. This means Chuubo is a local... But it seems we already have someone who knows him here and can tell you that." Natalia looks at Leonardo calmly, as if asking for confirmation of this relationship.

That look, however, is broken when she hears Jasper's comment. Natalia looks like she's about to sigh, but she stares up to the sky instead. She looks melancholic.
"It's okay. What use is hope anyway? You can't eat it, or build a house out of it, or use it to solve a problem, or pay for anything with it. And if the machine consumes enough dreams, maybe I'll finally wake up from this one..."

[Sanguine]

Leonardo sighed again. The conversation did not appear to be ending anytime soon. Grabbing a napkin from the table to serve as a bookmark in place of his finger Leonardo set the book down. Glaring at Natalia Leonardo reluctantly says. "Yes, me and Chuubo are acquainted, and yes as far as I know he was born in Town. Also if you think hope is useless you are sorely lacking in imagination Natalia." Standing up from his seat Leonardo begins to monologue. "Hope, hope is the energy of tomorrow. Imagine it perfectly clean, infinitely renewable energy. That is what hope can become. If we were to harness the power of hope for the betterment of mankind and the world all of the worlds problems could be solved. Global Warming? A thing of the past. Energy Crisis? What energy crisis? Imagine a world where anyone anywhere can power their lights, their heating, their t.v.s without having to rely upon soulless corporations. We can give the power to the people. I already have a working prototype of a hope-powered light bulb, and I am optimistic about applying the same principles to other technology. The problem however is mass-production, the technology relies upon materials that are incredibly difficult, and dangerous, to harvest, and I only have so much time."

Almost as an afterthought Leonardo adds. "Anyway, the Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine doesn't feed on wishes it grants them."

[Geostationary]

"Ah, yes! That's what it was called! The Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine! Wait, he has an engine that grants wishes! Think of the possibilities!"
Rinley's face lights up amongst this doubt and talk of the utility of hope.

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia just stares at Leonardo in disbelief as his monologue goes on.
"You found a way to turn emotions into an energy source? How? If it was chi, I could understand, but..."
She looks away. "I have to see this. If it will even work in my presence, that is. I have no hopes or dreams, no wishes that can be granted. Just responsibilities."

[Terraoblivion]

"Wouldn't that make the hope go away?" Jasper gave Leonardo a somewhat worried look, but it didn't last for long as there was a far more important matter. The Russian girl had clearly been hurt deeply and forgotten hope. Turning to look at Natalia, Jasper gave the girl a completely serene smile as she looked into her eyes and started vaguely shining. The sun too seemed to brighten. Her clothes started fluttering slightly and she even floated a bit in the air as the power of the sun coursed trough her.

"It's okay. You can complete them and move forward, you don't need this penance or to think that you need to be aloof from everyone. We're your friends and can help you with it so you can move on and dream again!" And then to completely break the mood, she moved to pull Natalia into a tight hug.

And, yes, this is totally Light to Encourage Hope on Natalia.

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia doesn't know what to do. She shields her eyes, too composed to look away or give into her fight or flight instinct - but the radiance hurts her, it burns right into her heart! But the side effect of burning is that it helps you feel a little bit more warm.
"It's not as simple as you make it sound..." Gently but firmly, Natalia pushes Jasper away. She doesn't like close physical contact much. "But... I will manage. Thank you."
She doesn't smile. Seeing Natalia smile is like seeing fish walk on land. But her face softens a tiny bit.

I'm touched.
This will only end in pain.

[The_Snark]

"He built a machine that grants wishes?" Miramie exclaims. "That's…"

Baffling. She recognizes Chuubo from her dreams, knows that a shard of the glass dragon - a part of her old memories and her power - is lodged somewhere within his spirit or his body. It's not surprising that there's something strange going on there there. It'd actually be more surprising if there weren't! The dragon was her greatest - was Melanie Malakh's greatest work, hers and Hideo Hayashi's: a creature born of two worlds, the art and magic of a Hayashi imbued with the cold power and purpose of the Bleak Academy. Of course it has magic left over.

But wishes? That's about as far from the Bleak Academy's philosophy as you can get.

"... pretty amazing," she finishes weakly. "Um. It really works?"

[Sanguine]

Leonardo is visibly distraught over the topic of conversation drifting away from his genius and back to Chuubo. "The Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine Mk. I was a cardboard box that Chuubo would use as a prop when we, he, he!, would play pretend. I've heard rumors that he has created a Mk. II, but I wouldn't get your hopes up, Chuubo will always let you down."

[Terraoblivion]

Jasper let Natalia push her away like that, lowering her arms and returning to a more properly human stance on the ground. "I understand that it doesn't come quickly or easily...Just, don't give up, okay?"

[Tengu_temp]

"Don't worry. I can't afford to give up. Ever." Natalia nods slightly, looking focused and determined. A light dramatic breeze might've appeared, depending on the weather's sense of the moment. But then the atmosphere winds down when Leonardo's words grab her attention again.
"You two are childhood friends, then. Are you sure his machine doesn't work, though? This place is strange; if you can generate electricity from hope, maybe you can make a working wish engine from cardboard, too."

[Sanguine]

That was it, Leonardo could not stand it anymore, calling Chuubo and him friends! Slamming his hands into the table Leonardo yells. "I have no friends! Especially not Chuubo! He is a worm, an insect, a sheep! No! That's insulting to sheep!" After taking a deep breath to calm down Leonardo looked around the table and said sadly. "I don't even know what I'm doing here." And then he walked away.

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia watches Leonardo storm off with a first neutral, then focused expression, as if trying to comprehend his motives.
"Tsundere.", she finally says mysteriously. Again.

[Crinias]

And so Leonardo left, much to everyone’s surprise. He had, after all, little time to spare on others. It certainly wasn’t that he was in denial or anything of the sort, that much was certain. It was odd, to watch him go while at the same time feeling that there was some sort of purpose and light in the world.

All in all, it had been an interesting week, one of many meetings and beginnings.

---------
Later that day, on Horizon, a beam of light shot up into the sky from an empty house down the street where a perfectly ordinary boy lived.

End of Book 1, Chapter 1
---------

Book 1, Chapter 2
The second week of Spring

As the sun rose over Fortitude the next day, a creeping feeling overcame the group of friends (and Leonardo) as they walked around their usual meeting spots, as though something was subtly different. Fortitude is usually very spacious in general due to the easy-going, relaxed nature of people, but today it seemed as though a slightly larger amount of people than usual were out and about, talking to each other in small groups and generally appearing to be amused or confused at something.

There was no clear reason for this behavior that anyone could tell. So when the group passed near Sunrise Street they all came to a strange sight: The Queen’s Café coffee shop, which had before been a proud average coffee shop, seemed to have changed its exterior décor noticeably: its colors had lightened up strangely, and to the right of their sign, next to the coffee logo, there appeared to be logos of both an ice cream cone and a dish of some sort.

In front of the café, if indeed it could be called that, there was a portly, worried man in perhaps his early thirties, pacing back and forth. A notice seemed to be placed on a window, stating the need of help.
"Augh, this is terrible! Where am I going to find at least two, or possibly three, temporal replacement workers for my shop? Woe upon me!"


Sanguine, your Intention regarding research of the weather succeeds effectively, although I feel I should have posted the results earlier. My sense of timing isn’t very good at times, I fear.

Anyway, Sunday is here, and with it a new chapter. All your Will refreshes, and you all recover 1 MP up to your maximum.

I’m going to assume you’re either walking together in a group or are individually heading towards a prearranged spot – although I don’t know where Leonardo may be. As usual, if you think you'd probably be elsewhere, just say so.

It had turned out to be a useful week for Leonardo. It had been cumbersome to go through many journals of storm records, some of which were vague at some points regarding dates (or in one case, hampered by the fact that it was also the writer’s personal journal), and then having to correlate them to historical events, but he had persisted and made some progress.

His findings led to the logical guess that many important historical events in Town were accompanied by a sudden influx unusual weather and storms (Outside or otherwise), usually before the event, but in some cases after them. According to one of Alexandrel Celdinar’s assistants and scribes, Jade Irinka’s arrival to Town at the end of its Fourth Hour was preceded by a great number of storms that were dispelled by her coming; other miscellaneous events that took place after that could be identified to have happened over one hundred and fifty-one years ago, fifty-seven years ago… it’s not a particularly long list, but it’s not very interesting, either.

The final two entries catch Leonardo’s attention: sixteen years ago and eight years ago. Eight years ago would naturally have been Jade Irinka’s death and the subsequent expansion (creation?) of the Outside. But sixteen years ago… Leonardo’s investigation and recollection of old stories lead him to believe that that date would correlate to the brief appearance of the so-called glass dragon.

Clearly it was important, and warranted further investigation. Whatever relation there was between the Outside stirring, himself, and the glass dragon, he would require more information.

[Terraoblivion]

Thankfully for the woman, a young, cheerful and quite unemployed sun goddess was passing by just as she was calling out for help. She was also still wearing her incredibly high class and just as incredibly anachronistic clothes too.

Moving over to the man, Jasper gave her a big, bright smile. "I can help out! I just need some food or some of those...what is it they're called?" She looked uncertain for a bit, before her smile brightened again. "Oh, right, cash."

[Tengu_temp]

Suddenly someone speaks up behind the desperate shop owner.
"Please calm down, everything will be okay. What exactly happened? I should find a way to help."
Natalia emerges from a narrow alley between two buildings. For once she looks like she's in her element; helping those in need is what the Prodigy does.

[Crinias]

Upon hearing Jasper’s words, the man stops pacing, and he turns towards her, his face brightening up.

"You really would help me out? I-" He then turns suddenly towards Natalia, surprised. "Oh! I’m sorry; it’s been a tense morning for me."

The man takes a moment to take a deep breath, and then begins to explain himself. He seems a bit less nervous in the presence of Jasper and Natalia, but he clearly seems concerned.

"My name is Peter Bauers, and I am the manager of this, er, café. My problem is quite simple, really. One of my employees had to suddenly leave the job to, ah, go help a family member in need, and another one spontaneously decided to pursue his dreams and become a sailor and adventurer," he says, not very convincingly. "Due to that, and a very recent change in our shop’s infrastructure, we’re understaffed. I’m… I’m the only one left." A rather odd choice of words, you think.
"I cannot run this business on my own, not in its current state, and I really can’t close the shop–"

He seems to be overcome by something for a moment, turning rigid and glassy-eyed. "I must keep selling our products."

The moment ends just as quickly as it appeared, and he returns to a normal expression. He then clasps his hands together and goes straight to the point, practically imploring: "If you or any of your friends would be willing to work part-time at my store for a few days, I would be immensely grateful – I’ll compensate you for it, of course. What do you say?"

[Tengu_temp]

"Is that everything? No other problems?" Natalia has to make sure. The manager's explanation sounds really weird and, honestly, kind of worrying. She doesn't hesitate at all with her decision, though; she might be busy with her own stuff already, but she will always find time and energy to help those in need. Worst case scenario, she will just cut some of her school time. Or sleep time.
"...I can help. I don't know what this work requires, but I'm sure I can do it."

[Terraoblivion]

That was really worrying. Perhaps it was normal for humans, but in that case humans needed support to function well. "Don't worry, you can." Jasper smiled comfortingly at him, looking over the café. It had changed, hadn't it? Perhaps that was what left him understaffed. "I'll help and Natalia will too and she's awesome at stuff, so I'm sure she can do a better job than anybody else."

[Crinias]

Peter sighs deeply in relief. He clasps his hands together in gratitude and bows his head slightly at both of the girls.

" I’m glad you accept! I was worried for moment there. I wouldn't worry about other problems. Most of the work isn't very demanding, but it requires constant minor assistance – serving customers, cleaning, preparing the food, handling accounts… Most of it involves general maintenance, but it’s not something a single person can do by themselves without working themselves to death. Oh, but I’m getting carried away. Please, come in. "

Peter takes down the notice requesting help from the window and leads Natalia and Jasper into the café.

It is the very image of the interior of an average coffee shop, they both think as they enter; they note the familiar shape of a coffee shop counter, fit with a small window for viewing pastries, and a small cash register; there’s a smaller nearby counter for adding sugars and creams to the offered drink, as well. Everything appears to be in order until they notice that there is, inexplicably, an ice cream parlor not too far from the coffee counter. Next to the parlor is a smaller counter, with a menu of different types of teriyaki hanging nearby.

Jasper is pretty certain that these last two structures weren't there last week, but well, there’s probably a human explanation behind that. Probably.

Peter goes behind the counter and starts putting things in place, cleaning things and doing some general maintenance, his back turned to the girls, perhaps oblivious at the state of his shop. Muttering a brief apology for the delay, he then goes into a room in the back briefly and returns with a pair of black shirts and green aprons.
"We can re-open the shop in a few hours, if you don’t object. It shouldn't take long to show you the basics of this place. "

[Sanguine]

Meanwhile in Horizon a troubled young man stood outside the home of a completely ordinary young boy, paralyzed by indecision.

Why am I even here? I can't stand Chuubo, he's plain, boring, ordinary. We couldn't be more different. We aren't friends, not anymore. I don't have any friends. Not since Chuubo.

"This is a waste of time," Leonardo sighed. Turning around to go home Leonardo found himself face to face with a perfectly ordinary boy. "Of course," Leonardo sighed, "hi Chuubo."

[Crinias]

Standing just a few feet away from Leonardo, wearing School’s uniform (complete with the tie, even though it’s a Sunday) with a great smile upon his face, is Chuubo.

"Leonardo! Hey, it’s been ages since I last saw you!" Chuubo’s excitement is truly wondrous. Leonardo can tell immediately that he hasn’t changed a bit, not in any important sense, anyway. His goofy sense of what to wear on any occasion, his simple nature… his sheer honesty in speaking aloud his mind, it’s all there, unchanged. It's as grating as it is refreshing.

"Whatever happened to you? Oh," he says, his face lighting up with realization, "You've gotten taller!"
It's true, Leonardo realizes. Chuubo seems smaller, and it's probably not just because Leonardo is superior to him (although that probably contributes to his perspective). No, it's easy to tell just by looking at Chuubo, that Leonardo is the one that has changed.

And he has, hasn't he?

Just by looking between him and Chuubo, who is just standing there, right next to that red-haired freckled boy, it's easy to see their inherent differences, making one wonder how they could ever be fri-

It is then that Leonardo notices Seizhi. He can't help but stare a bit. Seizhi stares back, looking slightly worried.

Chuubo seems to be struck with even more realization. "Oh, right! Leonardo, meet Seizhi. Seizhi, Leonardo."
"Hi," says Seizhi shyly.

[Terraoblivion]

Humans sure worked fast, adding two entirely new segments to the café just like that. She did question the wisdom of doing so if you were all alone without spirits or other people to help you, though. It seemed like a lot of work to run between the three of them to take the orders for different customers. Except if he could also make extra arms somehow.

"I can start immediately. Just tell me what to do and where to go to do it!" Peter's concerns about whether she could start quickly enough was brushed aside by an excessively cheery smile.

[Tengu_temp]

"No objections. I have a lot of experience with ice cream." Natalia nods sharply and lifts a clenched fist with a serious expression, as if this was a matter of life and death. But she really is determined to help, and also find out just what exactly happened in this place. There's something the owner is not telling them.
"Or ice, at least. Cream, less so."

[Crinias]

Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yq35IgA0OI)

Peter smiles at the girls’ energy, though a bit confused at Natalia’s words.

He starts off by explaining the general locations of everything in the shop: where supplies for what goods can be found in what shelves, the kitchen area and appropriate utensils, cleaning supplies and the like. Both the girls note that there appear to be some stairs heading towards a basement near the back of the shop, and a ladder that goes up to the roof.

The actual instructions on how to run the shop are brief and to the point; though they lack finesse, Peter clearly conveys how to adequately manage the equipment, including the cash register and the espresso machine. He notes that most of the products don’t require much preparation in their making, and that if anything terribly complicated comes up, he’ll take over without much fuss.

Every now and then he stops and emphasizes the need for efficiency and serving the customer’s every need. Beyond technical skills, Peter says, it is more important to satisfy the customer.

Why, the other week a rather rude customer came by and caused a minor stir; that sort of event is most undesirable, because it could easily turn away potentially regular customers. If a properly comfortable environment cannot be maintained, practically all of the appeal of eating at a coffee shop is lost.

"So remember to greet the customers as warmly and friendly as possible," says Peter, "for it may well decide the future of this establishment." For a moment he looks uncomfortable and looks away. "Particularly considering our new stock of supplies…"
_________
With little fanfare a few hours pass by, and the café is open to the public.


Pardon the delay, the past two days have been hectic.

The music, mostly there to set the mood, is from perhaps the most Pastoral series I've been graced to ever see: A Yokohama Shopping Trip.

I'm also late on this, but Tengu, the, uh, implications of the last line of your post are heavy enough that I'm currently wincing. This is unacceptable, so please take this XP to comfort Natalia a bit.

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia soaks in all the info necessary to do the job pretty much instantly. For the Prodigy, such things are trivial! But something else might turn out to be more difficult...
"Warmly and friendly... I will try." She's not good at being warm and friendly. Cool and distant, or brooding and suffering, or awkward and quiet are completely different matters, and it seems Natalia is the last of those right now.
I can punch bears into submission, I can solve integrals in my head. I can do this, this is nothing in comparison...! It's just a pleasant time-waster on the side... No. It's not a waste of time. If it was, I wouldn't be doing this. Peter really needs the help...
She tries to give herself motivation inside her help, but it's not going very well and just makes her look like something is bothering her. So she tries to change the topic.
"What is the new stock?"

[Terraoblivion]

Oh, god, human food was so complicated to make. She'd always kinda thought that other than fried stuff, you just kinda took the ingredients away and they became food somehow. Initially she'd thought it was spirits, but then she'd learned that the lower world was very deficient in spirits and the ones that were there weren't very helpful and after that she hadn't really thought much about the matter.

As Natalia was looking all awkward, she found Jasper standing next to her with a small supportive smile. "I'm here to help you, okay? Just leave the more difficult customers to me if you're not sure what to do. And, uh, I'm not sure how all the machines work, so perhaps I can deal with the customers while you handle the food."

Taking an XP for the retroactive speculation/learning about human food production works.

[Crinias]

Peter is a bit startled at Natalia’s question. "Oh, right, our new stock of products! Give me a moment."

Peter goes to the back of the shop and pulls out from a corner filled with recyclable trash what appears to be a big and empty white cardboard box. Both the girls can see with ease that nearby there are a large amount of similar boxes. Upon the box’s side is an illustration of an animesque, silly-looking coiled snake, holding an ice cream cone with its tail. It is evidently a supply box for materials to make ice cream.

It all makes perfect sense now, you think. It continues to make sense when Peter takes out a similar box that was clearly used to store chickens, judging by the illustration of the same snake chasing chickens with a napkin around its neck. As Peter pulls out yet another box (this time depicting the snake somehow holding a fishing rod while sitting in a harbor) he explains, somewhat reluctantly, that all these products have only recently been introduced to the shop.

The new stock is… ice cream and teriyaki. Not a new brand of them or something, but the actual existence of ice cream and teriyaki as products sold in this café is new. It makes sense.


...No wait a minute it doesn't.


Part of Natalia wants to instinctively refuse this. She wants to truly, desperately, say that there can’t be such a sudden change in trends in the coffee-shop marketplace, or perhaps make a graph indicating how the economy of Fortitude wouldn't allow that, or ask where even would the products come from, or a thousand other things (Like, how could a snake wear a napkin without it sliding off? Weird!), but another part of her feels oddly calm. It feels natural that a coffee shop in Fortitude would sell ice cream and teriyaki. This contradiction feels deeply suspicious.

Something is wrong with the world, and somewhere out there, someone knows what caused this.
Hmm, with Halloween and all I guess it’s been a slow week. I think we should wrap up this scene shortly if no one else is going to join in. Truthfully, I think I may have shot myself in the foot by not making Chuubo wish for something more exciting. Thoughts?

[Tengu_temp]

"That should be efficient. At least as long as there are not enough customers that we both have to..." Natalia's answer to Jasper floats away, as she's distracted by something that she completely didn't expect. Natalia stares at the boxes of merchandise with a shocked expression.
This cannot be... Is that logo just a coincidence? It has to be, right? But it would all make sense... This could be why they manage to get those goods similarily out of thin air. Could the one who supplies them be...
She crosses her arms, regaining her cool again. She looks determined as she says quietly, to herself:
"I will have to investigate this."

Claiming 1 XP for Snake on the Rooftops for trying to fid a possible connection to the snake. Also, I'll make this scene a Shared Action with Jasper.

Natalia will do some investigating over the next few days. I'll spend 4 Will to help with that.

[Sanguine]

Leonardo studied Seizhi intently as Chuubo introduced him. There was something about him that seemed off. He just seemed to fit with Chuubo in some inexplicable way. Like he was made to be Chuubo's best friend, not at all like Leonardo. Not that he was jealous of course, that would be utterly preposterous.

Still scrutinizing the poor young man Leonardo says. "Hello, Seizhi was it? I suppose I'm supposed to say nice to meet you, or something to that effect anyway."

[Crinias]

Seizhi looks appropriately nervous under Leonardo's scrutiny. "Ah! Yes!" he says in surprise to his question, before catching himself. He then continues, a bit sheepishly. "I mean... if that's alright with you."

Chuubo places his hand on Seizhi's shoulder. "Don't worry. Leo's a really nice guy, he just doesn't look it. But Leo," he says, turning to Leonardo, somewhat curiously, "What are you doing around here anyway? I didn't think you lived in Horizon."

[Sanguine]

"Uhm, well, yes, that..." Leonardo turns a bright shade of crimson as he stammers on, Seizhi completely forgotten in his embarrassment. "I came to see you. Kind of. You know, I'm not really sure what I am doing here."

[Crinias]

Chuubo looks only a bit confused, an idle finger scratching his cheek.

"Oh. Well... in that case, would you like to, uh, hang out a while?"

[Sanguine]

That was the million dollar question. Did he want to hang out with Chuubo? Chuubo was dull, and unspeakably plain. But Leonardo had come here for a reason, even if he wasn't entirely sure what it was. Maybe, just maybe spending time with Chuubo would somehow help him sort through his own inner turmoil. Or it could bore him to death. With a shrug Leonardo sighs. "Well, I suppose I don't have anything better to do."

I'm going to declare a Shared Action for Hanging out with Chuubo. I also think we can end this scene now. A montage post of Leo, Seizhi, and Chuubo hanging out might be good, but I'll leave that up to the HG.

[Crinias]

Horizon
Upon Leonardo’s answer Chuubo grins widely in delight.

The day passes slowly. Chuubo manages to rope him into accompanying them to Fortitude for the next few days, briefly stating some business regarding having to learn the ways of Fortitude. Discussions are had, reluctant agreements made.

They walk through Fortitude together, talking about simplicities, eating in food stands wherever they can. It seems kind of odd to Leonardo that there are some shops around selling ice cream and teriyaki, like he can’t quite put his finger on it. Perhaps he had other things in his mind, and that’s why he didn’t make the obvious connection.

Overall it’s a bit of a bizarre sight, seeing an ordinary kid and his worried-looking friend hanging out with a mad scientist. It’s not too bad, though perhaps a bit dull. No machines of any sort breach their conversations, and no comparisons of any sort are made.

Things go slightly different the next day, and the latter half of the day is spent in Chuubo’s house. Video games are played and comic books discussed. Upon the latter subject Leonardo’s pocket swears softly. The subsequent explanation for it raises some questions.

Perhaps it was a coincidence that Chuubo of all people would be suffering from such a strange phenomenon as Outside dust seeping into his room, despite living in Horizon. Or maybe it was the perfect opportunity to stalk him be with him see if there was any relation between him and the Outside stirring.

Fortitude
The day passes slowly in the coffee shop. Between great cooking and serving of food, the café does pretty well. Most infuriatingly, no-one seemed to find the new selection of goods particularly strange, and nearly all who came in had one of the two.

For the Child of the Sun, it’s a great opportunity to learn more about the lower world, and the nebulous entity called economy. For the Prodigy, it’s a mix of creating food and not showing suspicion upon her face. Peter pays them as well as full time employees, and assures them that he’ll obtain some regular staff by Wednesday.

By night Natalia begins to investigate the shop’s resources discreetly and with great energy. Examining the boxes yields some results. She realizes that there is no company’s name upon the boxes, so it’s virtually impossible to trace via their producers, if any. The illustrated snake on the boxes draws her attention though, and she realizes with some surprise that it’s not a python like Typhon supposedly is – it’s a different type of snake. More mysteries, she thinks. Still, this snake could have connections to hers.

Later, Natalia finds out that it’s not just Peter’s shop which has undergone a change; practically all coffee shops in Fortitude that she can find are suddenly selling ice cream and teriyaki, offering it with kind smiles and few staff members. It’s… disturbing. Upon being questioned, all members in charge of their respective shops state that they recall obtaining it from a recent shipment, but seem confused if pressed further.

Judging by how the boxes seemed to be handled this story seems to make some sense; they were carried around from somewhere. However, upon investigating the docks the next day (both before School and after work), she finds that there are no traces of any unusual transactions involving the new goods to be found. A dead-end.


On Tuesday, an ordinary boy, his best friend and a mad scientist entered the Queen’s Café.

And the scenes end. I think I went a bit too heavy on the description and info-dumping here, but oh well. I'm skipping to Tuesday, if no-one minds. Gotta space out the scenes in the week.

For Leonardo, that was pretty laid-back, so pick up a point of Something to Deal With.
For Natalia, it's just a reassurance that Town won't stop being irrational, so she gets a point of It Never Stops! (I already said it in the OOC thread but I think it's better to re-empathize it here)

Don't forget to write it down on your sheets and take +1 MP.

[Terraoblivion]

The day held a record number of examples of wrong change, no change and employees staring blankly at the money before remembering about what they were and why they got them, all courtesy of Jasper. Nothing critical happened, of course, Fortitude people were quick to point out problems and help sorting things out, but it was ultimately embarrassing and very weird. And while she did learn about how the whole thing worked in practice, the point of the exercise still eluded her. Why didn't people just give others what they needed, instead of mucking around with bits of metal in the process? It just seemed so inefficient.

She didn't miss that Natalia was up to something, but the Russian seemed busy and not terribly inclined to explain what was up with the logos. Probably some mysterious lower world or outside world thing anyway. There was plenty of work to focus on anyway.

And so it was that the Child of the Sun saw the mad scientist enter the store together with some other kids that she didn't quite recognize. Breaking into a beaming smile, she waved to him from behind the counter.

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia feels ambivalent about this whole issue. On one hand, the fact that this is probably not related to Typhon is a relief. On the other hand, it's still a strange, irrational happening, and she ran out of leads to investigate for the time being. This lack of logic is quite annoying, and what if this phenomenon will turn out to be something more nefarious? She doesn't want anyone to suffer because of it! It's her duty!

For the time being, though, it seems like everyone is just enjoying ice cream. While nothing new happens, Natalia decides to focus on the everyday and her preparations instead.
"Weird events happen in this town sometimes...", she remarks absent-mindedly, mostly to herself. "I mean, hello again."

[Geostationary]

"So, let's talk aesthetics. This is a spooky old manor! Clearly not good for a comforting café atmosphere, unless you do gothic manor decour. A gothicafé, if you will! But fix it up, paint it, and go with a period style, it could be a Russian noble's home and dining facility! A russofé! But let's see, you want to put in art. What styles do you work in? You mentioned fans and glass. Some sort of tea-house, perhaps? You'll need to take advantage of the natural lighting..."

Rinley went on. She had managed to both find and rope Miramie into following her to the old manor after school, where she then proceeded to talk in depth about future plans and possibilities for the cafe, and was currently engaged in a discussion of the merits of various aesthetics.

"So, thoughts?"
I write the greatest scene openers. I'll also take an xp for trying to arrange the lives of others.

[Sanguine]

Was hanging out with Chuubo helping him in anyway? Leonardo didn't know. But he didn't hate it. There was just something so peaceful about hanging out with Chuubo, something that made all of his worries seem less urgent. Of course Leonardo did have some legitimately urgent concerns and it would not do to forget about them. Then again, there was that Outside Dust to consider.

Leonardo's brooding is disturbed by the ridiculously cheery smile of the Child of the Sun. Ignoring the many people in the line in front of him Leonardo sauntered up to the counter to speak with Jasper and Natalia. "Since when do you two work here?"

[Tengu_temp]

"Since Sunday." Natalia throws three balls of ice cream in the air and then catches them with a bowl. Are you even supposed to do that? Nevertheless she does so smoothly, quickly adds whipped cream and other condiments (some of them even before the last ball lands), and sets the bowl on the counter for a waiting customer. She's not trying to show off, this is just the most efficient way to do it! But yeah, she's kinda showing off.
"The owner was desperate for help. I couldn't leave him in a situation like that."

[Terraoblivion]

Jasper stopped for a second to admire Natalia's ice cream juggling. She was just so cool, even if she seemed like she could do with some support to feel happier. However, after the ice cream landed, she immediately turned back to Leonardo, still giving him that annoyingly cheerful smile. "Right. And it's an opportunity to learn about why humans care so much about money...And to get some, I don't want to have to eat gravel..." It always hurt the throat when she swallowed it and the various weeds around Fortitude weren't much better.

"But you shouldn't cut in line! Others are busy as well in trying to buy something here." Of course, it didn't help that she was too busy talking to Leonardo to actually serve any customers, but she couldn't keep track of everything at the same time.

[Crinias]

Jasper is right in her concerns, as the line of customers currently seems to be longer than it has ever been at any point in the last two days. It’s probably just because of their new goods. Maybe ice cream and teriyaki was to humans what creamed sloth and fried greed were like for her, toe-curling in the satisfaction of how they tasted?

Leonardo is driven away by Jasper’s scolding back to Chuubo and Seizhi, who are discussing something.

"…You know, I was a bit worried, I expected this all to have terrible consequences. But so far it’s been surprisingly… Ok," says Seizhi.
"I just figured that if I made it more indirectly it wouldn’t be as bad as... last time," says Chuubo. Both boys then stop and shiver involuntarily at whatever ‘the last time’ was, and over at the counter, Jasper suddenly sneezes.

It occurs to Leonardo that the sort of statements that the two boys have said are the kind that precede particularly foolish events done by the lesser men of the world.

[The_Snark]

"Ah. Teahouse?" says Miramie faintly, trying to remember everything Rinley said. Easy to lose track at the speed she talks. "If I had to pick one of those options, I mean. I think Sakura would like that, but I'm... not so sure. I want this place to be, ah, sort of my place? If that makes any sense? I don't want to dress it up to look like Russia or Horizon, I'd feel like a fake. A teahouse look would be better, there's this place in Arcadia that I think would be really nice if they only removed some of the modern shopping-mall parts... but I don't know if it's really me, you know?"

She bites her lip. "Um. Sorry. I know that's not the easiest look to work with; I don't mean to reject all your ideas. I could show you some of my paintings, if that would help? I've got a few in one of the back rooms."

[Geostationary]

"Oh, that's a good idea! I don't think I've seen any of your art before. It's important that your look is authentic and true to yourself! Otherwise it would be, I don't know, hollow? Don't you also do pieces in glass?"
Rinley lights up at the notion of seeing Miramie's art.
"Also, we could go look at that shop in Arcadia later if you want to take some notes. I'm pretty sure I know a shortcut!"

[The_Snark]

"Yes, that's it exactly," Miramie says, relieved Rinley grasps the point so easily. She leads the way through the front door, making her way past a stack of chairs in the front hall. "Here, the back room is this way. And yes, I do glasswork too, but that's heavier, I don't have any pieces here yet. I thought I might try my hand at making glasses and mugs myself, to save the cost of buying them, but of course I can do sculpture too. Um. Do you think plates can be made of glass, too? And silverware...? I've never worked with colored glass before, but I could ask Professor Hayashi. Or I could leave it all clear, I've always thought clear glass has this nice clean look..."

She opens a door into a darkened room, flips a switch to activate an old bare light bulb on the ceiling. "Here. The lighting's not very good, I'm afraid, but I wanted to keep them from getting sun-bleached before they're even out of storage. We could move some of them if you want to get a better look.."

There are several paintings leaning against the rear wall of the otherwise-bare room. Most depict familiar scenes, people and places found around Fortitude: the Archive and its shelves, fishermen at the docks, a young woman wearing a faded formal dress and a glum expression, an older man seated in a chair and smiling, snow-covered rooftops, a few houses and streets. All are technically proficient, but somehow they aren't very striking or memorable; they're almost too real-looking, like slightly stylized photographs of everyday life.

Three stand out.

The first depicts a sunlit room lined with bookshelves, a comfortable chair sitting in one corner. Bright colors and vibrant tones dominate, the richness of the oil paints lending a warmth to the painting... except in the center. The far wall of the room is simply gone. Beyond lies a barren wasteland in watercolor, all washed-out greys and browns. No life is present, and the earth is cracked as if no water has ever touched it. A storm gathers in the distance. The overall effect is peculiar: the cheerful colors on the edge draw the eye at first, but the grey's central location makes it impossible to ignore.

The second is a oil painting done in broad strokes of rich green and brown and blue, almost abstract, depicting an enormous tree growing out a small island. A serpent winds around the tree, sleeping, blending in with the roots so well it could almost be a trick of the eye. The waters around the island's base are dark and smooth. The overall impression is of peace, a stillness that has gone unbroken for years.

The third could almost be called another of the Fortitude shots, except that it depicts one of the Outside storms blowing in over the surface of Big Lake, an abstract painting invading a photorealistic one. The storm is a riot of color and light, evoking thoughts of butterflies and stained-glass windows. A tiny figure stands in a rowboat out on the lake, too small to make out details, defying the storm alone.

"Some of this is old work. I'm getting better, there are things I wouldn't do these days..." Miramie explains as Rinley examines the paintings, feeling acutely self-conscious. It's mostly a fib - the fact is that she wouldn't have taken these paintings over here, where they might be seen (by other people, even!) if she didn't think they were her best work. Somehow, that doesn't help. What if Rinley thinks they're badly done, or overwrought, or boring? What if her best just isn't any good? And what was she thinking, bringing that hidden room-painting here?

Feel free to notice masks or shards of black glass in one or two of the paintings; Miramie won't remember those and probably won't notice unless it's pointed out.

[Tengu_temp]

"I had to eat gravel a few times during training, as punishment. It was horrible. I feel for you." Natalia looks at Jasper with a hint of awkward compassion. She had no idea the strange girl had to go through such things! She thought she's so cheerful and carefree because that's what people whose hearts haven't been burdened do. Natalia is not sure what to think about this... So it's best to return to doing her job for the time being. For now.

For now, because the conversation between Seizhi and Chuubo catches her ears. The Prodigy has good hearing! It sounds like they're related to the mysterious occurence - it's hard not to notice that Natalia's expression becomes more focused and serious. Like a tracking dog that caught a trail.

[Terraoblivion]

Jasper nodded, looking somewhat uncomfortable at the thought of eating gravel. "Right. It tastes horrible and I'd have to swallow it whole. That hurts...Really, why doesn't this lower world just have spirits supplying food when you need it?" At least she was pretty sure that was how it had been back home, she couldn't quite remember, but surely her mother wouldn't force her to cook for herself and heaven had to have ready access to food. "Anyway, we should work. There are so many people waiting to give us their money! And we shouldn't let Leonardo wait either." So with the moment over, the child of the sun turned back to the line with a bright smile to serve the customers delicious food...At least she was pretty sure it was delicious, she hadn't had any. Surely the owner wouldn't mind her eating some of it when there was a break.

[Sanguine]

Leonardo stepped in front of Chuubo and Seizhi with his arms crossed and his lab coat somehow billowing in the wind despite the fact that they were inside. "Chuubo, what incredibly foolish thing have you done now?" The young scientist sighed, the look on his face showing his exasperation at the foolishness of lesser men.

[Tengu_temp]

"Yes. To both of the things you said. Spirits are not a real world thing, though. They only exist in this dream one." Natalia goes back to work with her previous flashy efficiency (in fact it's what she's been doing all the time, hooray for multitasking), but it's pretty obvious for anyone who looks at her that she's paying attention to something else. Namely, what are Chuubo and his friend going to say.

[Geostationary]

"I don't see why you couldn't make plates and silverware. I mean, clay is already glass-like, isn't it?"
Rinley proceeds to rummage through the paintings with enthusiasm. As she goes through, she puts aside a few of the pieces, including the three listed.
"So, a lot of these are scenes around Fortitude. Very realistic, but they lack a certain... charm? They're almost like photos."
She motions towards some she set aside- a scene with fishermen bringing in their haul, the seated older man, boats on the water.
"But these three, they have a sort of life too them. like this one here, with the Outside storm- it's like a maelstrom of light and glass. Which, being an Outside storm, I suppose it could be. Ouch. Or this one, with the tree and ohmygodthere'saserpentinthereIjustnoticedthat."
Rinley is clearly excited about noticing the trick of the eye, and takes a moment to compose herself.
"That is so cool. It makes makes me think of a cousin, actually. He was out at sea (he was a sailor), and sailing through a fogbank. Couldn't see a thing! Then, all of a sudden, the fog cleared a little and he found himself staring into the eyes of a vast, serpentine, thing just hovering above the waters. They just stared at each other until he passed into a thicker patch of fog. What was I talking about? Oh, yes, the paintings. This third one's really cool visually. What inspired you to try that? The storm almost looks like glass."

So, Storytime XP! Also, I'm tempted to try getting Forshadowing XP with these paintings. We'll see how things go. Look to the defiant figure!

[Crinias]

Chuubo freezes as he attempts to keep a straight face, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly as he tries to explain himself.

"O-oh! Why, Leonardo, n-nothing! Back me up here, Seizhi."

"Right!" says Seizhi, unable to take his eyes off Leonardo. "We were just wondering, oh, about the nature of stores and their like, as they seem a lot safer than in Horizon! Oh, there was this one time we went to a strange tea shop, only it turned out it was run by vampires, one thing led to another, and well, haha, we ran a lot that day. Fortitude shops are much nicer."

Seizhi's gaze is somewhere far away as he says that last bit.

"Great tea, though they could have used better service," comments Chuubo, his gaze also far away. "Anyway, we're not involved with anything strange or unusual, like making carefully worded wishes to avoid disaster," he concludes.

Seizhi looks to the heavens for a moment and closes his eyes, a hand over his face. The moment passes. Seizhi suddenly perks up, as though he figures that this is better than being chased by vampires, or as though he has found a silver lining to what has just been said.*

"With so many clients, this shop clearly needs some assistance! Excuse me..."

And with that Seizhi flees towards the counter, to do as he says, as he obviously belongs here.

[Terraoblivion]

Jasper suddenly grew serious hearing Natalia say that. "I don't know what it's like where you come from...You know that. But it's no more real than this place. The new sun keeps the town safe from being consumed by the Outside. If anywhere is real, it's here. It's just, well, different from what you're apparently used to." Her expression turned into a small smile. "So please don't say that this place isn't real...Or my home wasn't, back when I could still go there." After all, who knew if it still was. Shouldn't she be able to go back if it was?

She was quickly distracted by not only her realization that she'd forgotten to address her part of her line, but also that an abnormally normal boy was approaching the counter away from the line. She looked a bit sheepish, as she glanced at him and his attempt to delay her even more. "...Please don't cut in line."

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia stays quiet for a short moment, just working.
"...I'm sorry.", she finally says. "It was uncalled for. I won't call this place the dream world anymore. But... Don't say it's more real than Earth either, okay?"
Dealing with Jasper is hard. Natalia feels awkward on the inside. Fortunately, a distraction shows itself; she turns towards Seizhi.
"You're Chuubo's friend, right? I have some questions for you, if you don't mind. It's important."

[Crinias]

The red-haired boy seems a bit surprised at seeing Jasper. He frowns for an instant, as though he recognized a familiar face, then stops. He smiles with the warm ease that jaded employees working in costumer service tend to develop.

"Oh, you are mistaken, my fellow comrade. I work here too, you see. Sorry for taking so long."

Seizhi then goes under the counter to the other side, quickly finds and puts on an apron and begins to help the girls with the customers with great energy and excitement. His every movement suggests he is used to being here.

Turning towards Natalia, but without disregarding the customers, Seizhi nods.
"Chuubo? Sure, what do you want to know, though? There's nothing very unusual about him..."

Seizhi pauses for another instant, deep in thought. His eyes then light up, and he blushes a little.

"Oh! He's not dating anyone right now, if you're wondering," he says while smiling awkwardly.

Seizhi activates his "Is This My Destiny?" power, generating a level 3 Affliction that basically says "I belong here", alongside other effects. He then spends 2 Will, added to his Do Stuff 1 Skill and a +1 Tool bonus from his power for an effective level 4 Intention: "Satisfy the needs of the clients". He's good enough that you'd think he's been working here for a while.*

Nobody other than you could notice that he actually doesn't belong here; you can resist this deception if you want to. I'd judge that it would be a Serious Wound for Natalia or Leonardo (a level 3 Affliction generates level 4 miracles, which is pretty serious stuff) but Jasper is Immortal, so she can basically ignore it if she wants to.*

[Terraoblivion]

"Right. I'm sorry..." Jasper looked genuinely sad, far more sad than anybody should at something that minor. "Especially since I've lost my home as well. I was just really happy to see that there was a new sun, so I think that I let it get to me." She gave Natalia a small smile through her awkward sadness. She'd been in Town enough to hear people talk about how Earth drowned when her mother died, but if Natalia was comforted by believing that her home still existed, she shouldn't ruin that. Especially without really solid knowledge.

Jasper looked confused for a second. The owner had pretty explicitly said that he was the only one when he hired them, so there couldn't be someone else, right? Also, it was kinda odd that he'd stand in line like that before suddenly deciding that he was going to work after all. She gave Natalia a sideways glance, surely it couldn't just be her who noticed that something that clearly wrong was up, right?...And to see if she was really crushing on that boy. They might have met at school after all and he did look cute in sort of an aimless, innocent way.

And I think those are some nameless feelings of loss, so XP.

[Tengu_temp]

Well, that was unexpected. Natalia wants to clear Jasper's misconceptions, which seem to make her feel so sad. She didn't lose her home herself! Well, she kinda did in a literal way, a few years ago, but last time she checked Earth was still around and normal, and that was only recently. Much closer to the present than the time when the planet was supposedly swallowed by Outside! However, she can't do any of this, because...

"What." Natalia gives Shenzi a flat, unimpressed linefaced look. "How did you reach that conclusion...? No, I'm talking about this store. Look around!" She makes a wide gesture with a free hand. "The menu changed overnight. The owner is acting weird. The supplies come from a strange, unknown place. And I know for a fact that Chuubo has a wish-making machine. I heard what you were talking about right now, and I'm 97.3% certain he's involved somehow."
Natalia stares at the boy, calmly but firmly, demanding some kind of answer. It doesn't seem like she considers his presence behind the counter anything unusual at all; in fact, she's handing him over a cup of ice-cream to give to a customer as she speaks.

Gratitude towards Jasper.

[Crinias]

Comprehension dawns on Seizhi's far, an he continues to smile, embarrassed. "Oh! Oh. Sorry, it's just that suddenly wanting to ask someone's best friend about them just seems the natural thing to do if you're interested in them, but don't want to be too straightforward or direct. As for the shop, uh..."

Seizhi quickly takes a good look around. "Well... yeah, I guess it has to do with Chuubo," he admits reluctantly, shrugging and sweatdropping as though he feels it isn't very necessary to keep it secret.

"It's a wish-granting engine, though. It's an important distinction. Chuubo is the one who makes the Wish, and the machine grants his desire. He has no fine control over the actual results. Really, I'm surprised things have gone so well so far this week. Usually at this point someone begins to freak out over something."

Seizhi pauses as he serves a few costumers more ice cream and teriyaki, and the line moves a bit more under his diligent work.

"I get the impression he was going for a 'boring, but safe' angle. Instead of directly wishing for something, creating an indirect way to obtain more of his favorite foods seems... more acceptable," he continues, frowning a bit while saying this, clearly hoping this is the case.

"Besides, I also like ice cream and teriyaki. Oh, but don't tell Leonardo about this wish, he adds, terrified. "I think he'd be happier if he didn't know anything about this."

[Sanguine]

Leonardo watches as Seizhi flees, going about the job which he obviously possesses. "I think I intimidate him." Seizhi clearly wasn't comfortable around Leonardo, running away from him like that clearly showed it; not to mention his reaction when the two met. Leonardo would have to do something about that, it could hamper his investigation. But that was a matter for later, right now the fact that Chuubo was lying to him was much more important.

Looking Chuubo directly in the eyes Leonardo calmly said. "Chuubo, it's been a long time since we last spent any time together. And in all that time you haven't gotten even a little bit better at lying. So please stop embarrassing yourself and just be honest with me."

[The_Snark]

"Oh... just this dream I had," says Miramie, trying not to look indecorously pleased at the praise. "About, um, two or three months ago now? I started dreaming the same thing every night, and after a week or so I decided to try and paint it. I thought maybe capturing it down on canvas would get it out of my head. And I guess it worked, because I haven't had the dream again since." She gazes at the painting reflectively. "I'd forgotten about that until you reminded me. I think the piece turned out well, but I sometimes wish I'd waited long enough to find out how it ended. I always woke up just before."

[Tengu_temp]

"Freaking out happened already. The poor man looked like he was going to jump off a bridge if he couldn't find any help running the shop. And there are no bridges big enough in the near vicinity."
Mystery solved. Natalia is relieved, but also disappointed; it's not any kind of villain ploy that tries to undermine the peaceful nature of the town, just the side effects of one boy's derpitude. And a show of more local weirdness. Still, it's good enough; she will take that.
"Don't worry, I won't tell him. As long as we keep the shop running, everything should return to normal by the end of the week; is that right?"

Feeling at ease
I don't have time for this

[Crinias]

Chuubo looks back to the counter and Seizhi. "Yeah, he does seem a bit odd around you. Maybe it's the mad scientist outfit?"

But upon Leonardo's firm gaze he closes his eyes and scratches the side of his face in embarrassment.

"I'm still so transparent? Geez... Alright, you got me," he admits, shrugging, "since lately we've been spending lots of time around here, I sort of wished that all coffee shops in Fortitude would sell ice cream and teriyaki. I thought it would be convenient in the long run, see?"

He preemptively tries to appease Leonardo by giving him a great apologetic smile and saying: "But don't worry; what's the worst thing that can happen?"

---

Seizhi's face freezes as Natalia mentions the wish's time duration.

"Oh! Well. I suppose that it could last just a week, yeah..." he starts optimistically, "but the results of a wish are a bit strange in their duration. So I guess this could last until the end of the week, or it could last until the end of Town and Fortitude, in a hopefully distant and faraway future. Or maybe never.

He pauses, as though organizing his thoughts. For some reason he doesn't seem very concerned with that last possibility. He continues with some awkwardness. "...But maybe not! Considering how he worded it, things might go back to normal if all coffee shops in Fortitude stopped labeling themselves as such."

[Terraoblivion]

For a second, Jasper looked a bit disappointed as Natalia denied wanting to ask Chuubo out. Dates were happy events and it might have made the Russian feel better if she did. Seizhi's next comment did earn him a confused look, however. "It is? Couldn't it just be because you were there? I mean, there are many things she might ask about...Like what she did." Her expression brightened into curiosity. "And how does the wish-granting engine work? It seems really exciting and unique."

"Why is coffee shops selling ice cream and teriyaki a bad thing? They're tasty!" At the discussion of turning the wish back, the child of the sun gave a big, beaming smile as she declared her clearly very deep, complex thoughts on the issue.

[Tengu_temp]

"Right now, all the coffee shops are forced to sell ice-cream. It's not their owners' decision. Being forced to do something, even if it's something fun, quickly turns into torment. I know from personal experience."
Natalia looks at her open hand, with a distant, regretful expression. Her memories return to her training again... Practicing martial arts every day, one style after another. Fighting other, less talented students, every day. Hurting them, every day. Bad memories.
"When you're like this, your biggest wish is for someone to come and help you break free. It never happened for me... But for the coffee shop owners, it can. Someone just has to talk to them." She closes her fist and looks up, at the faces of the people around her. Her face is back to her usual calm neutrality... Mostly.

[Sanguine]

With a mighty crash of thunder Leonardo rested his face in his palm, the world fading to naught but a single spotlight in the darkness illuminating Leonardo as he wept for the poor fools that inhabit this world. "Oh, what fools men can be, mucking about with the primal forces of creation. Dooming themselves as surely as the moth that flies into the bug zapper. Oh when will these poor misguided fools learn that I alone am qualified for such hubris." Leonardo's monologue suddenly cuts off, the special effects disappearing with it, as he turns to Chuubo utterly shocked and asks. "Wait, the Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine actually works?"

[Geostationary]

"Really, a dream? A shame you didn't get to the end- it'd be interesting to see where it all leads. I know a few tricks... but yes. Paintings. Hmmmmm... I feel surrealist or Outside themes are a poor choice. Light needs to be involved..."
Rinley suddenly turns to Miramie after being briefly lost in thought.
"What sorts of glasswork do you do? Just sculptural? Plates? Windows, window-like things, and window accessories? How about your friends? What do they do?"

In which I continue to grill Snark over Miramie's art.

[The_Snark]

"Well - Sakura likes traditional art styles. She dabbles in origami, and calligraphy, and a few other things; she makes these beautiful little paper fans and sashes... She says she wants to learn watercolor painting too, and I've tried teaching her a little, but she doesn't practice much - she hates not being good at things. I think she maybe likes the idea of being an artist more than she likes making art."

"And... that's it, really. Danny's not very interested in art, and Kiri spends most of his time reading, and I don't have a lot of other friends... except you, I mean," she adds hastily, worried that she's said something offensive by leaving her off the list. A moment later she starts worrying that calling Rinley a friend is being too presumptuous. She moves on in a hurry. "If you wanted to do something I'd love to see it. Maybe I'll ask Jasper or Natalia, too. Um, glasswork. I used to work with... sculpture, I suppose you'd call it. I haven't done much with glass in a long time, but I think I still could, if..."

She laughs nervously. "Well, if I had ideas. Really good glasswork needs inspiration, an idea or a passion which you can pour into the shaping. That's how the Hayashis do their best work."

No worries! Art talk is fun. Let me know if you're running low on ideas, though, and I can move us on to another thing.

[Terraoblivion]

"Oh, you're right." Jasper looked a bit embarrassed, giving Natalia a shy smile. Just what had that girl gone through in the past? Really, she should figure out something to do for her...Maybe Rinley would know? She seemed to know a lot about the world and be good at that kind of stuff.

"And couldn't the wishes work in some way other than brainwashing?"

[Tengu_temp]

"Seizhi said that Chuubo doesn't control the way the wish works. It's the machine that picks the way in which it will accomplish the result he intends. Somehow.", Natalia explains patiently. "I get the feeling his skills at making wishes carefully still need polishing."

[Crinias]

At Jasper's question regarding the machine, Seizhi seems to think it over. He serves the costumers, hands over their requests, counts their money and stores it carefully; smiles gratefully at them... Soon enough he answers.

"Knowing Chuubo, I suppose he would be ok with showing it to other people..."

---

Chuubo seems mildly surprised at Leonardo's overall statement. "Uhh, yeah? Yeah! I mean, why would you have a wish-granting engine if it didn't actually work?" He seems confused at the idea, before his face regains clarity. "Oh right, the Marvelous Wish Granting Engine Mk. I wasn't very polished back then."

He crosses his arms and closes his eyes. "Hah, that brings back memories," he says in a wistful tone. "We'd hang out wherever and go exploring, you with your Nightmare Science, and me with my box, we'd have adventures of all sorts..."

Very briefly, he looks kinda cool, but after a moment the effect seems to wear off. "Anyway, since then I realized that my design was a bit flawed, so after you left I managed to create the new and improved MWGE Mk. II, which actually works," he confirms, waving a hand side to side stylishly and grinning widely. His mind appears to drifts off somewhere momentarily.

"Hey, you wanna check it out later? I haven't made a wish this week yet. Your friends can come too, if they want," he tells Leonardo, looking straight into his eyes. It's very obvious that he wants to show off and show his friend his invention.

---

Seizhi smiles in satisfaction from the counter, while looking at Chuubo. "Just as I thought. Say, are you free today, or tomorrow?" he asks towards his co-workers.

[Geostationary]

Rinley doesn't appear to have noticed Miramie's friendship conundrums.
"What? Me? Art? I mean, my skills lie in storycrafting and the recounting of entirely true anecdotes. Other than that one time with the sea god, I've not tried my hand at it. But let's see- origami and whatnot with paper. It's starting to come together now."
Rinley stares at the paintings for a bit, thinking.
"If you're lacking in inspiration, we could try to find some! I find adventure's good for that, but I'm not sure what would help you..."

"What do you think of using origami in table centerpieces? Or would that be too formal or fancy? Do you have any visual references or styles or anything that you've picked up in your research on-hand?"

In which we continue to play the Sims! (This is not a bad thing). If you want, we could head towards checking out those shops in Arcadia you mentioned for reference. I feel after a point we'll have to either start planning things proper or throw references at each other . I'm not sure how close the other scene is to finishing up, if we want to try staying synced.

[Tengu_temp]

"I have stuff that needs to be done. Someone has to talk to the coffee shop owners. And I need to find out where I can get a holy spear." Natalia says the last thing as if it was something normal. But then, even normal things sound a bit like heroic quest declarations when they come out of her mouth, so the opposite seems legit.
If I wasn't so busy I wouldn't mind seeing the machine, though... I want to see if it really works, and on what principles. Maybe I could even... No. I cannot ask people I barely know for something like this. It wouldn't be fair towards them.
Some of Natalia's inner hesitation breaks through to the outside. Just a little bit.

[The_Snark]

"A lot of my inspiration comes from dreams, one way or another. At least, the pieces you said looked alive came out of dreams." And thank goodness Rinley hadn't asked about the portrait of her hidden room. Whatever had possessed her to paint that that - not just showing her sanctuary to the world, but showing it marred?

"I'm not sure what you mean by reference styles, I'm afraid... Honestly, I've been spending most of my time fixing the place up and trying to save enough to buy food and supplies; I've hardly thought about what it's going to look like when I'm done. Origami would be... you know, I'm not sure. I don't want people to think it's too fancy; do you think that sounds formal? I'm... " Miramie gestures down at her clothes, which as usual fall solidly on the somber, demure side of fashion. "Not the best judge."

"Come on, I'll show you the courtyard. That's where I want to - aaiee!"

A small shriek escapes Miramie as she leads the way into the next room. The old house's kitchen is mostly bare, containing only an old broken refrigerator, a gas stove and a few appliances sitting atop the counter. Oh, and some kind of... white puddle, dripping out of the fridge to cover most of the floor? That's probably not supposed to be there, judging by the way Miramie is staring and looking distressed. Smells nice, though.

"Where did all this even come from?"

This is a cafe, sort of. Or at least Miramie really wants it to be one. Makes sense that a wish would pick up on that.

[Terraoblivion]

"Yeah, you're probably right. He could most likely phrase his wishes better...Probably. He's not a god so his control might be a bit limited." Jasper nodded at Natalia's explanation. "Still, it would be a shame to simply stop something like that rather than learn how to use it properly. So we should go see it! I'd definitely like to go see his Wish-Granting Engine...You're coming too Natalia, right?" Another big, beaming smile of the kind that rattled the Russian with sheer positivity.

The smile quickly turned into a rather deadpan expression at Natalia's expression of being busy. "You're talking to the daughter of the Sun and the Headmaster of the Bleak Academy and thinking that finding something sacred will be hard. Really?" How could someone that smart not see the obvious? "As long as we can find a spear I should be able to bless it...It can't hurt at least. You can make one yourself, right?"

[Tengu_temp]

Natalia's face moves back a little, with the wide-eyed expression of someone who's deeply surprised by something but doesn't want the emotions to burst out. "I didn't know you can do that, but it does make sense... Metallurgy is easy, it's just shaping metal. Metal is simple." Unlike people. She looks away, trying not to show any emotion. "How hard is it for you to bless something? If it's a lot of work, or dangerous, or something that consumes a part of your power, then I cannot ask this of you. It's my responsibility alone; it wouldn't be fair if I dragged others into this, cause problems for them..."
Natalia's heart pains. Gratefulness is not an emotion that's easy to admit... Agh, it would be so much easier to do everything alone! And yet... She cannot reject Jasper. She just can't. She's asking just to make sure.


I'm moved.
This will end in pain.

[Terraoblivion]

"I haven't tried it before...But, I'm still the daughter of Jade Irinka and hold some of her holiness, if I can't bless a spear, I'm not sure what can make it holy...And, I might not quite remember all that much from back home or know that much life down here, but as her daughter I should help you keep Fortitude safe. If someone like me doesn't, how can there be any hope to push the Outside back and restore the world?" While she did sound determined, there was still a whole lot of humility on Jasper's face as well as a distinct hint of uncertainty. She was her father's daughter as well, after all. It all quickly faded to more ordinary curiosity, however. "What do you need a holy spear for anyway? I don't think people usually need those...But, uh, correct me if I'm wrong about that."

And taking an XP for discussing Jasper's nature and destiny.

[Tengu_temp]

"It's the only weapon that can kill Typhon. Nothing else will succeed in defeating her for good, according to the way the rats' Legends work. It's not very rational, but it makes sense in a certain way."
Natalia nods seriously. "I accept your help, then. And yes, I'll come to see the wishing machine with you. It could be a curious experience."
She turns back to her work, as if ending the conversation. For a few seconds, it might seem like that's really the case. But it isn't.
"...Thank you."