[Nexus] MagCave VII: Rest for the Wicked

[Lord Magtok]

Marciano Misery

"Shut up and get to the point, Mars." Magtok doesn't bother addressing anything Marciano said. All just attempts to annoy him. The cyborg's more than aware of how wrong Marciano is, anyways. His weight has been obsessively maintained at an exact number of pounds for each and every clone; he's not gaining weight. He knows he's not chopping up catgirls or a robot or as bad at humor as Marcy, too. Everything is just weak attempts to pester him.

The Magpire Strikes Back!

"There are a lot of bald men in the world, dear." Magtok pats her on the head, dismissing her silly nonsense. He'd know if he had a daughter who hung around with giant naked monster men; his parental disapproval senses would've been screeching for years without end.

[Arkhosia]

Marciano Misery

"Shut up and get to the point, Mars." Magtok doesn't bother addressing anything Marciano said. All just attempts to annoy him. The cyborg's more than aware of how wrong Marciano is, anyways. His weight has been obsessively maintained at an exact number of pounds for each and every clone; he's not gaining weight. He knows he's not chopping up catgirls or a robot or as bad at humor as Marcy, too. Everything is just weak attempts to pester him.

The Magpire Strikes Back!

"There are a lot of bald men in the world, dear." Magtok pats her on the head, dismissing her silly nonsense. He'd know if he had a daughter who hung around with giant naked monster men; his parental disapproval senses would've been screeching for years without end.

Parental Ratings Should always Be Used

No, like literally a splitting image of him, except instead of tattoos on the left it's metal.

She replies, getting up.
Does the last name Godlark ring a bell?

[Hattish Thing]

Marciano Misery

"Shut up and get to the point, Mars." Magtok doesn't bother addressing anything Marciano said. All just attempts to annoy him. The cyborg's more than aware of how wrong Marciano is, anyways. His weight has been obsessively maintained at an exact number of pounds for each and every clone; he's not gaining weight. He knows he's not chopping up catgirls or a robot or as bad at humor as Marcy, too. Everything is just weak attempts to pester him.

Marciano pouts for a few seconds before his ever-bright smile resumes it's position, stretching his obviously plastic surgery augmented face wide again. Funny how his skin seemed to reflect sunlight in the right light. ...Creepy. He places his hands in his pocket now, and leans against his vehicle slowly, obviously completely comfortable. Well, Mags, ya see, what with the HALO WATCH thingy going on, and AMEN heading down the proverbial drain.... I figured I'd come by to say hi to you, an' stuff. Make it known that I mean no harm and all that jazz. I'm a new man, now, after all. He smiles and chuckles a bit again. Normally, here's where I'd offer charity, but I figger you wouldn't accept my cash. I don't even know where my money's been half the time.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Maggy Land]

Thud.

"...ow."

Ithuriel rubs the back of her neck awkwardly with one hand, wincing just a tad. "Yeah, okay, I believe you. I don't think you're quite so foolish as to take a prank this far."

Well, now they're stuck. Whatever are they going to do? It's not like Maggy could probably just whizz them out with fancy technology or Ithuriel could fly or just hop back to her own little bubble-world.

"Well, this little trip of yours doesn't seem to have quite gone according to plan. Where to now? I don't particularly want to sit on a log flume for ages doing nothing."

[Lord Magtok]

Meet the Parents

The cyborg rolls his eyes, standing up to turn and walk away. The Magbots can take it from here, after all. Monster's dead, so no more extraordinary acts of awesomeness are needed on Mag's part. "The saying is spitting image, kid. I don't know why, but that's what it is. Also, there's more than enough weird bald biker guys with facial tattoos in the world; I still can't see why you would think-"

Magtok freezes mid-stride. Oh ****, she said it, didn't she? She said Godlark. The absurd mishap with the experimental multidimensional warp engine, the one that caused CatTok, MagGerbil, and a host of other forgettable names and faces plagiarizing his own to appear in the nexus, it must've done more damage to the fabric of time and space than he thought. Now it's not just alternate Magtoks getting sucked into the Nexus, but alternate Magtok daughters, too? Marley was strange enough, but two Godlarks from outside the Nexus...something is very wrong here.

"Tell me more about your father, Ms. Godlark," he demands, back turned and hands clasped together as he tries to wrap his mind around this. The MagCave family is getting bigger and bigger and there's only so much he can do. HazMag's departure has already been put in motion, but he'll have to actually investigate this rift now, instead of just pretending it doesn't exist and/or wasn't his fault, or else an entire swarm of pretty teenagers might descend upon him, eager to fight each other to the death to prove themselves legitimate MagFamily members. MagChild against MagChild, all of them warring for a place at his side in the Nexus's most powerful corporate dynasty.

...Okay, yeah, as cool as that sounds, he's still supposed to be one of the good guys now, so we can't let that happen. Someone from GLoG or HALO or whatever would find out, and obviously their first instinct would be to tell everyone, then he'd be in huge trouble for trying to recreate the Hunger Games with his own alternate dimension progeny.

Meddlesome Marciano

"So you're here to feign innocence and pester me," Magtok translates with a sigh, very clearly exasperated with Marciano already, despite his best efforts to reign in any displays of emotion. Trying to hide how much Marcy annoys him was probably just making it all the more obvious Marcy was annoying him, anyways.

"You're right about the money, though. I don't take charity, especially not from anyone who does business with slavers." Magtok abruptly shifts in tone and mood, allowing himself a cruel smile, as he reaches out with one bloody hand to pat Marcy on the shoulder, and then once on the cheek, to both ruin that gaudy suit and see how well that fake flesh holds up.

Maggy Land

((At a loss for where to go with this. I'll drop you a message on Steam when I can.))

[Ionbound]

Magtok Will be Unamused, Surely

A young woman, about 16, with black hair and grey eyes is wandering up to the MagCave. Surely this isn't another MagDaughter. Surely. Right?

[Lord Magtok]

Unamused Magtok is Unamused

MECHALOMANIA V3, the giant humanoid mecha that is currently cutting a Titan into smaller, transportable hunks of meat, ceases butchering the fallen cannibal monster as the young woman approaches. There's a hiss of steam, as the cracked and scratched cockpit unseals itself, allowing a Magtok to emerge and descend to the ground. A Magtok garbed in what looks, quite embarrassingly, to be one of the Plugsuits from Evangelion. The new Mechalomania has a rather specialized interface, so simply sitting inside with a robe on wasn't going to work this time around.

"You've chosen a bad time to drop by. What do you want?"

[Ionbound]

The Unamusement is Delicious

The young woman shrugs, as though she, in the true teenaged way, is indifferent to whether or not this is a bad time for Magtok, and says, "You're Magtok, right?" She then scratches her left ear nervously and continues, "I'm Lysandra Saxon...I think you're my father."

[Lord Magtok]

Father Knows Best

"My last name isn't Saxon, and you're far too young to be married. I'm afraid you're mistaken," Magtok answers in one smooth, quick reply, casually striding away towards the hideous chunks of meat that used to be an intact and hostile Titan. What in the world is he planning to do with that stuff, anyways? :smallyuk:

[Ionbound]

Unfortunately, Mom is Quite Strong Willed

Lysandra smirks and says, "My mom insisted I'd take her last name. Her name was Therlynn. She died infiltrating some weird cult just after I was born...Risk of working for HALO, I guess."

[Lord Magtok]

Werewolves of London MagCave

Magtok pulls a cleaver out of the almost-skintight suit, removing a lump of meat about the size of his head from the obese goliath's left leg. He holds it up and stares intently at it, before it vanishes into thin air in his hands. Doesn't spare Lysandra a glance as he does her work. Why would he, though? A story like that...pfft. Ridiculous.

"She's got quite the sense of humor, that lycan. A very weird, unnecessarily dark one, though. Tell her it's too late for April Fools pranks, and to just stick to whoopee cushions and those cans with the toy snakes that pop out. Also, I'll never be that drunk or that desperate, so she really should come up with a more plausible story next time."

[Ionbound]

A HALOite Werewolf in the MagCave

Lysandra shakes her head and says, "It's not a prank. You have DNA testing stuff, right? Use that. You're my dad, for sure."

[Arkhosia]

Are You My Mommy Daddy?

((It should be noted that titan bodies begin to slowly dissolve/evaporate/whatever after death))
My father, Tom Godlark, was a rather... eccentric man. He was always experimenting and testing hypotheses of the most odd things, like there being other universes, or if one could improve yourself by replacing body parts with machines, which he actually tattooed a blueprint of the machine parts he'd add on his body. He was also rather fond of cats.
Sophia explains to Magtok.

[Lord Magtok]

Three Wolf Mag

"I was there when Therlynn had her baby. It definitely wasn't mine, because I hardly even knew her at the time, and in the weeks since, my opinion of her has only soured. I should also point out that it's only been weeks, and last I checked, she hadn't been in the cult anywhere near long enough for even someone as incompetent as her to die. Your story is full of holes, not the least of which being that you're clearly older than one month."

Magtok frowns at the nothingness where most of the Titan used to be, as it quickly breaks down to nothing more than a skeleton. Fudge, there goes his next project. Maybe he can find something useful in the bone marrow, though?

Attack on Reputation

"That sounds...that definitely sounds exactly like what an alternate dimension version of me would be like, more or less. Aside from the cats thing, that is." Catgirls are fine. Cats themselves, especially talking cats, are absolutely awful. If Magtok was forced to choose between a cat or a dog , he'd probably find himself a tiny yappy puppy with laser eyes to sit on his lap as he slouches on his throne. Big dogs are ****ing nightmares, but the small ones are harmless enough, and nowhere near as malicious and sadistic as a cat could be.

"Well...anything else I should know about the pile of bones sitting in my front yard? They're not going to pick themselves up and cause trouble all over again, are they?"

[Ionbound]

[Magtoks And Werewolves (If You Get This Reference, I Will Lose All Respect For You)]

Lysandra shrugs and says, "Well, I'm pretty sure you're my dad. If you're not, then you'll need to explain who gave me this..." She then pulls her shirt up, revealing a mechanical carapace covering her belly and parts of her chest. She then continues, "When I was a little girl, we were attacked by that group of Silver Knights, and they ran me through with one of their silver swords. You decided to try to fix me. And now I'm a cyborg as well as a werewolf."

[Arkhosia]

Zombie Titan

Sophia shakes her head.
Not as far as I'm aware. Well, unless that was a shifter, but I doubt it.
She replies.

[Lord Magtok]

Castle Wolfenstein

"Any sufficiently talented mad scientist could do that. It doesn't change the fact that I've never been intimate with Therlynn, who's probably still alive, and that I don't remember any of the events you're talking about. It also doesn't change the fact that I haven't known your alleged mother for even seven years, when you're clearly at least twice that." Magtok pulls out a bone saw, attempting to cut into a rib to see if there's anything useful within the Titan's skeletal remains.

"I'm sorry, but I'm very busy, so unless you have anything at all which could explain away these glaring problems with your story, please go."


Sophia Stuff

"Alright. And do you think you can walk, alternate dimension daughter or whatever you are?" Magtok holds out an arm to help her along. They probably should've relocated to an infirmary ten minutes ago.

[Hattish Thing]

Meddlesome Marciano

"So you're here to feign innocence and pester me," Magtok translates with a sigh, very clearly exasperated with Marciano already, despite his best efforts to reign in any displays of emotion. Trying to hide how much Marcy annoys him was probably just making it all the more obvious Marcy was annoying him, anyways.

"You're right about the money, though. I don't take charity, especially not from anyone who does business with slavers." Magtok abruptly shifts in tone and mood, allowing himself a cruel smile, as he reaches out with one bloody hand to pat Marcy on the shoulder, and then once on the cheek, to both ruin that gaudy suit and see how well that fake flesh holds up.

Marciano raises a hand to his mouth, feigning insult in the most stereotypical annoying way possible. Ruining Magtok's day was one of the funnest thing Marciano could do nowadays. Not like Maggy would hurt him somehow. Marciano was fairly certain he was safe. Pester you? Oh, why I'd never, Maggy ol' friend, ol' bud. Pfffhhaaha. He chuckles and continues smiling before he exclaims loudly yet again in a shocked sigh. Slavers?! Is that what's going around! Oh, that's just silly. I would never... That thief was supposed to be creamed. Er....Cremulated? What's that word? With the fire and the burny death? Whatever. But, where in the world did you possibly hear abou- Then, Magtok places a bloody hand on his shining white suit and cheek, shutting Marciano up rather quick. His skin is... very cold, and very course feeling. It's not pleasant. Like petting a fish, really. He opens his mouth to speak, before pausing again. He does so for a few seconds before speaking slowly. It's nice to see you've grown so mature, Maggot. Why, wasn't it just a few weeks ago when you were still hurting people and running a certain terrorist lollipop guild? Huh. How in the world would someone let you run HALO. It's like entrusting a shark to take care of the minnows.

You haven't changed. You're still a brick faced asshat. It's a real shame, too. I would have liked to do business.

[Ionbound]

[Bigby Wolf]

Lysandra, now quite angry, growls, actually growls, at Magtok as she replies sharply, "Look. You're my dad. I don't know how to make it clearer to you, other than making you give me one of your DNA tests you seem to give everyone else who comes out of the woodworks claiming you be your kid."

[Arkhosia]

Castle Wolfenstein

"Any sufficiently talented mad scientist could do that. It doesn't change the fact that I've never been intimate with Therlynn, who's probably still alive, and that I don't remember any of the events you're talking about. It also doesn't change the fact that I haven't known your alleged mother for even seven years, when you're clearly at least twice that." Magtok pulls out a bone saw, attempting to cut into a rib to see if there's anything useful within the Titan's skeletal remains.

"I'm sorry, but I'm very busy, so unless you have anything at all which could explain away these glaring problems with your story, please go."


Sophia Stuff

"Alright. And do you think you can walk, alternate dimension daughter or whatever you are?" Magtok holds out an arm to help her along. They probably should've relocated to an infirmary ten minutes ago.

Sophia nods, getting up and standing weakly.

[Lord Magtok]

Daughter Among Us

"All two of the people who've claimed to be my daughter? One of whom only showed up here a couple minutes before you, running away from a giant psycho monster?" Magtok affixes Lysandra with a very suspicious glare. Before, he was simply annoyed by what was either a delusional kid or some fool trying to exploit him for money. Now, she's clearly been spying on him, and that's more than a little disturbing.

Maggot and Marcy

"You're wrong. A brick-faced asshat is the only kind of person who would do business with you, Mars, which is why we've never been friends, no matter what side of the law I was on. You being a robot now doesn't makes us comrades either, so I hope you weren't counting on that to see you through this."

The cyborg reaches into his robe, and produces a shiny orange sphere, which pulses and vibrates in his hand. He looks down at the sphere, and then at Marcy, glaring daggers of contempt at the slimier, undignified mirror of what he himself once was.

"One doesn't need to be nice and affable to be good, and I don't need a copy of the receipt from SLAVE to know that you're still scum personified, Marcy. I told you, I was only going to invite you to leave quietly and safely once, and you had every opportunity and plenty of time to do exactly that. You should've known better than to do this within arm's length of me."

He reaches out with that bloody hand once more, to grab hold of Marciano, pull him close enough to whisper in the android's ear, and then...throw the orange grenade thingy into the sports cars windshield? Why would he do that? And what's that beeping sound? :smallconfused:

[Ionbound]

Daughter Soldiers

Lysandra laughs at this and says, "Two? You've had at least ten. Look, are you feeling alright? You seem a bit...Off."

[Lord Magtok]

Magtok: The Daughtering

"Lysandra, tell me, what year do you believe it is? Who is the current leader of Remnant, and who's in charge of HALO? What is the date and year of your birthday, and who was the last serious threat to the safety of the world?" Magtok's starting so suspect something might be wrong with this Saxon girl, but he's going to have to do a little more investigating before he calls in the security team.

To the Infirmary!

Magtok nods, and does his best to help her along. "Alright, so what are these shifters like, then? And your mother? I'm assuming she was the local beauty queen, if your world's me is anything like this world's me. Also taller than him, three times as strong, and...black hair? I was going to say blonde, but but your hair doesn't match mine, which is more of a dark brown when I haven't shaved it all away, so genetics would say you've got your mother's hair, then, I think."

[Arkhosia]

Who is your Mommy and What Does She Do?

Well, Shifters are humans capable of summoning at will around them a titan form that they pilot. My mother, Hanji Godlark, wasn't the beauty queen, actually, and she had dark red hair. Hanji was rather... eccentric.
Sophia replies, hesitating on "eccentric".

[Ionbound]

[Lunar Daughter]

Lysandra thinks for a moment, and then says, "You're in charge of HALO, My birthday is the twenty-first of March, 2014, the last serious threat was..." She thinks hard here for a sec before continuing, "Some weird thing with an elder god and weird mechanical bugs burrowing into and mutating people..And as far as I know, Remnant dissolved a while ago. Are you okay?"

[Lord Magtok]

Spice and Cyborg

"It's late March, 2014. As in, that's the date right now, Lysandra. I could show you a newspaper for dramatic effect if you don't believe me." Magtok doesn't specify what day, because the Nexus is pretty unreliable when it comes to that. But whatever day it is, he's sure it's close to the 21st.

"Also, Remnant still exists, incidentally, and I don't know anything about these bug things you're talking about."

Shingeki no Magtok

"Eccentric like you trying to be polite and avoid calling your mother a lunatic, or eccentric as in a harmless oddball?" The pessimist in Magtok is leaning towards the former. That would be just like an alternate dimension Mag, to hook up with the crazy girl and get trapped in a relationship from which there is no escape. In fact, he considers himself especially lucky that never happened in this reality. There were a few close calls, though...

[Arkhosia]

Spice and Cyborg

"It's late March, 2014. As in, that's the date right now, Lysandra. I could show you a newspaper for dramatic effect if you don't believe me." Magtok doesn't specify what day, because the Nexus is pretty unreliable when it comes to that. But whatever day it is, he's sure it's close to the 21st.

"Also, Remnant still exists, incidentally, and I don't know anything about these bug things you're talking about."

Shingeki no Magtok

"Eccentric like you trying to be polite and avoid calling your mother a lunatic, or eccentric as in a harmless oddball?" The pessimist in Magtok is leaning towards the former. That would be just like an alternate dimension Mag, to hook up with the crazy girl and get trapped in a relationship from which there is no escape. In fact, he considers himself especially lucky that never happened in this reality. There were a few close calls, though...

Lasgeese Del Freiheit
In the middle, really. She was a member of the survey corps, devoted to studying titans by capturing them and experimenting upon them. Hanji wasn't harmful to humanity, just kind of crazy.
Sophia explains to Magtok.

[Ionbound]

[Daughter's Rain]

Lysandra looks at the newspaper with shock, and says, "No...That's not right...When I left this morning it was 2030..."

Adventures in Time AND Space!

[Lord Magtok]

How I Loathe Your Mother

"April first was a while ago, Lysandra. I'm not pranking you. You're either delusional or not from around here, and we've never met before." Magtok lets her keep that newspaper, having no further need for it himself.

"I can always call up your supposed mom if you want more indisputable evidence. You'll have to avoid mentioning the whole fathered by a Magtok thing, though, seeing as she's supposed to be undercover and not vomiting uncontrollably." It was hard enough for Magtok's stomach not to protest against the things Lysandra was alleging; with Therlynn's lack of common sense or self-restraint, she wouldn't last a minute.

Infirmary

Magtok nods, pulling a surgical mask over his mouth, and abruptly changing the rest of his outfit to that of a medical professional in the blink of an eye. "Interesting. Anyways, your right leg looks like it might be dislocated. I can probably just snap it back into place real fast, but it's not going to be painless, and that doesn't change the fact that it's also fractured, too. You're going to need to stay off of it until we can find you a wizard or I remember where I put those healing potions or something. This is all, of course, assuming you don't already have your own fancy insta-heal technology, which I'd like to hope you do, given your supposed profession and how effortlessly it snapped you into pieces."

[Arkhosia]

Shifting Topics

We're normal humans...
Sophia replies, and Magtok will find her leg is fine!
Well, except for me. Remember how I told you about Shifters? I'm one of them.
Sophia replies.

[Ionbound]

[Magtok Knows Best]

Lysandra shakes her head, noticeably shaken, and says, "No...That's quite alright. I don't want my mom to die...again...Just, tell me. Who am I, then, if you're not my dad?"

[Halae]

[Ring Ring Ring - It's The Telephone!]

Whether this interrupts a scene or not is up to Magtok, but suddenly he'll be getting a phone call! Caller ID, if he has it, says it's from Marley.

[Lord Magtok]

Wolves of Wall Street

"If I could say for sure who you are, do you really think I'd be asking so many questions? Come on, let's go find other-Lysandra and her dad. Maybe he can solve this." Magtok holds out his wrist, and taps some unseen button hovering in the air above it.

"Hi, Therlynn? Magtok. The father of your baby, is he still at HALO? I need to talk to him about a thing. Cough once for yes, twice for no. And don't worry, nobody can hear what you're hearing right now."

Tokyo Shift

Well it was at a funny angle to start with. :smallconfused:

"Oh!"

Anyways, Magtok immediately jumps back in alarm, and turns the infirmary bed Sophia is resting in, rotating it so that she's facing away from him, as well as the Magbots who, just beyond her plane of sight, have set about raising their rifles towards her.

"So that's, err...interesting. Would you mind letting me know if the shift is voluntary or not, how it's activated, what can and can't set it off, so on and so forth?" She'd better not go Hulk on him in here. There is nowhere near enough room in here for anyone to survive if she suddenly starts Hulking out to the size of that thing from earlier.

[Ionbound]

[Typical Daughter]

A rather annoyed sounding single cough comes from the other end of the line.

Lysandra looks up, and asks, "If my mother dies, I will hold you responsible. And you won't like that. Can't you just give me one of your damned DNA tests and we can be done with it, since science probably doesn't lie?"

[Arkhosia]

Wolves of Wall Street

"If I could say for sure who you are, do you really think I'd be asking so many questions? Come on, let's go find other-Lysandra and her dad. Maybe he can solve this." Magtok holds out his wrist, and taps some unseen button hovering in the air above it.

"Hi, Therlynn? Magtok. The father of your baby, is he still at HALO? I need to talk to him about a thing. Cough once for yes, twice for no. And don't worry, nobody can hear what you're hearing right now."

Tokyo Shift

Well it was at a funny angle to start with. :smallconfused:

"Oh!"

Anyways, Magtok immediately jumps back in alarm, and turns the infirmary bed Sophia is resting in, rotating it so that she's facing away from him, as well as the Magbots who, just beyond her plane of sight, have set about raising their rifles towards her.

"So that's, err...interesting. Would you mind letting me know if the shift is voluntary or not, how it's activated, what can and can't set it off, so on and so forth?" She'd better not go Hulk on him in here. There is nowhere near enough room in here for anyone to survive if she suddenly starts Hulking out to the size of that thing from earlier.

Aw Shift

I don't know what causes it, but it's definitely voluntary. All I know is the activation requires self-inflicted wounding, and it's an instinctual action. It's like being able to grab something: you don't know how you do it, you just can.
Sophia calmly explains, though quite wary from her body language.

[Lord Magtok]

Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wolfy

"All that would prove is that you're related to me. Doesn't even come close to answering the important questions, like how your backstory is so ridiculously impossible, and yet blatantly, obviously true at the same time." Yeah, that's ri-Wait, what? Weren't you spending all of this time insisting that she was lying to you, Magtok?

"I've had the MagComputer process a photo of your cyborg bits. Approximately an eighty-five percent chance of it being my handiwork, and the remaining fifteen percent is that it was an intern extraordinarily good at copying me to the point of absurdity, deliberately ripping off my style and methods. I'd tell you what little parts of the design make it clear it's mine, but it's hard to be sure I can trust you with that data right now. That, along with a lack of any facial tics or tells indicating that you might be lying, makes it terribly hard to refute what everything else I've ever known insists is an impossibility. So you're right, but you're also wrong."

Oculus Shift

The Magbots lower their weapons, and Magtok turns the bed back to face him, as he waves a hand and orders the drones to vacate the room. They won't be necessary.

"Next time, please start with 'I have total control and you don't need to worry about spontaneous cannibal monster eruptions', Sophia. If it wasn't already made of steel I might've had a heart attack." He's not kidding. He was this close to ordering an immediate execution order on his own daughter. :smalleek:

[Arkhosia]

A titanic blunder

Apologies. If it helps though, us shifters are actually intelligent when in our titan forms. We don't go around nomming peoples when we're in the form.
Sophia replies.

[Ionbound]

[Divine Wolf (I'll be Impressed if you Get This One)]

Lysandra nods and says, with a little frustration, "See, you...you...ninnyhammer!" Okay, make that a lot of frustration. She continues, "If you just let me prove it, objectively, we can talk like reasonable people!"

[Lord Magtok]

Maggy Land


[Maggy Land]

Thud.

"...ow."

Ithuriel rubs the back of her neck awkwardly with one hand, wincing just a tad. "Yeah, okay, I believe you. I don't think you're quite so foolish as to take a prank this far."

Well, now they're stuck. Whatever are they going to do? It's not like Maggy could probably just whizz them out with fancy technology or Ithuriel could fly or just hop back to her own little bubble-world.

"Well, this little trip of yours doesn't seem to have quite gone according to plan. Where to now? I don't particularly want to sit on a log flume for ages doing nothing."

"Yeah, I guess. The power doesn't usually inexplicably go out like that, though." Magtok frowns, reluctant to admit that everything has gone pear-shaped, but...well, there's really nothing he can do to salvage this particular misadventure, is there?

"So where next, then?"


Do You Even Shift?

"Well your leg seems to have unbroken itself. Is accelerated healing part of the shifter package?" Of course it is, Magtok. Don't ask stupid questions with obvious answers.



[Ring Ring Ring - It's The Telephone!]

Whether this interrupts a scene or not is up to Magtok, but suddenly he'll be getting a phone call! Caller ID, if he has it, says it's from Marley.

Nope! No scene interrupting! Some other Magtok answers the phone, wherever he is.

"Hi Marley, how's...wait, is this mech pilot Marley, or GLoG's Marley, with the weird blood and habit of getting kidnapped?" Honestly Caller ID, you really need to be more specific than that! Plenty of people have the same first names as each other! What if someone named Alex called?!

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

"I don't need proof of your ridiculous claims, I need to figure out how it's possible. A rogue clone with Therlynn's hair sample and a bone to pick with the rest of the Magtoks? No, that much memory inventing and implanting would go noticed. Shed werewolf fur would've been detected. There's nothing suggesting you're here to sabotage anything. The Back to the Future hypothesis doesn't work because your history doesn't mesh with my present, but the alternate universe theory..."

Magtok frowns, his brow furrowing as the newspaper reappears in his hands once more.

"Lysandra, tell me everything you know about stuff that happened before you were born. Something must've gone horribly wrong in your universe, if indeed, you haven't been programmed with those memories somehow." Looks like he's given up on visiting Therlynn's mate for now. Just like our cyborg, to completely change direction and subjects so abruptly and inexplicably.

[Arkhosia]

Shifting Gears

Sophia nods.
A side effect of the Titan Regeneration I possess in my Titan form.

[Ionbound]

[Memories of Wolves]

Lysandra thinks for a while and says, "Well, if I remember the story correctly, you and my mom met when you tried to drug her and Civvy when you visited HALO. Then, when Tobias retired as HALO's head, you took over and named her second in command. One thing lead to another, and you two ended up behind the curtains several times. At some point along the line, I was born, and you raised me after Mom died. Happy? That's all I can remember."

[Halae]

[Marley On The Phone]

"Mech pilot Marley," Comes the amused response, "I was wondering if we could... you know, hang out. Maybe I could get you to look my AC over. you seem like you know what you're doing with tech." She seems hesitant. she's not really sure how to push the father/daughter thing.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Maggy Land]

Ithuriel leans round to give Mags a quick peck on his non-metallic cheek. "Sorry, Magtok. I was having fun. You've made yourself a very nice theme park, I didn't meant to sound quite so dismissive of it. Though you could probably do with keeping that ego of yours a little more in check." She stands up and stretches her wings, causing their boat-thingy to rock a little. Hopefully not so much as to cause Maggy to fall out. That'd be rather embarrassing.

"Well, I was feeling a little cramped in the ride. Ideally I'd go give my legs and wings a stretch somewhere, but somehow I doubt you want to go on a little cross-country run with me. So if there's nothing else you want to show me in your cave, well...there is something I'd like to show you."

[Lord Magtok]

Sniper Wolf

"All of that makes perfect sense and synchronizes flawlessly with the stuff I know, up until the 'I named her second in command' part. I haven't even picked a second in command, let alone slept with one, and it's already past time for you to be conceived. At the same time, though, your hands aren't fading out of reality like Marty McFly, so...hrm."

Magtok paces as he thinks, trying to piece together a plausible narrative from this jumble of chaos and nonsense.

"Okay, so first, I meet her in HALO. I'm there with Ark, having her cured of vampirism by Civvy, assuming your history still syncs up with mine up to that point. Eyros, or whatever his name is, did something different in your reality, or didn't exist, which is part of what caused things to unfold as they did, and Therlynn didn't meet him and get pregnant at that time. In my timeline, she goes into labor the day I become leader of HALO, and I tell Ark to midwife for them or something, to keep any preventable newborn deaths from staining my first day in office. This doesn't happen in your world, for obvious reasons. Just maybe a few days or a week ago in this timeline, Therlynn goes off to challenge the Sith, and in your timeline that's where she dies, but it happens much later, because she has to give birth to you first and stuff.

Also, your Magtok got hit on the head at some point, probably, because personally, I hate wolves, and Therlynn is a better soldier than leader, and fraternizing with someone one rung below on the chain of command is bad news." Magtok, honestly, how many times are you going to say rude things about her mother? You're making a very terrible first impression, y'know. It wouldn't kill you to be a tad more polite.

A Shift at Sea

"Alrighty then, no need to keep you here." Magtok tries to help her out of the infirmary, trying to decide where to go next from here. Did you know? She's the fourth daughter Magtok's had now (Cynthia, Margret, Renee, Sophia, Lysandra), and yet, he's never impregnated a single woman before. Not even one. At least with Renee, he could claim to be in a relationship with her mother, Pat, who a Magtok is presently engaged to, but even then, Renee was a complicated sort of bio-tank affair, as opposed to the standard humanoid reproductive cycle. Curtains happened, but they weren't at all relevant to the process.

"So how long have you been in the Nexus? Do I have to do the whole 'welcome to the wacky, wondrous world of whatever' speech? We get a lot of people who just get dumped in here from other dimensions, y'see, so lots of people have a welcome speech memorized. I've been working on mine, and I think I almost have it to where it could actually be of use to someone without making them want to punch me in the face." I'm not sure I want to know what the rough draft was like, if the current version is only almost useful, and/or upsetting to the point of provoking violence against the cyborg.

Marley On The Phone

"I don't usually do mechs, but I suppose I could give it a look. [Obscure Mech Jargon] or [Even More Obscure Mech Engineering Jargon]? Actually, I suppose I should ask where you have it parked first. Is it the kind that [complicated neural interface question], or does it [nonsense about synchronization, levers, and Tang]?" Magtok asks. Don't even bother trying to get me to tell you what he said, I couldn't make heads or tails of it myself. What in the world is a Howard Phillips screwdriver, anyways?

Maggy Land

"Let's do that, then." Magtok had one last idea, but with his luck, she probably hates live musicals or something. Best to just get this show on the road.

[Ionbound]

[Air Wolf]

Lysandra shakes her head and replies to Magtok, "Well, you're still an *** here, too. That much is the same...And considering how weird the Nexus is, it's possible this is an alternate dimension and time. One where to you're slightly more of an ***."

If this surprises you, Maggy, you're even more thickheaded than I thought.

[Lord Magtok]

Dogs of War

"I'm sorry, it's not exactly every day I'm told I have two brand new teenage daughters in a single day. One of which, I should add, is the daughter of someone I can't stand. I might just be under a little bit of stress, now that I have to keep Sophia from killing herself fighting giant cannibal monsters, keep Therlynn from foisting all her mother responsibilities and such on me just because she already has a Lysandra, lead HALO to glory and honor, solve slavery once and for all, investigate this unknown apocalypse you've mentioned, and save the world from it."

Magtok sounds a bit cranky. Maybe he should go take a nap.

[Ionbound]

[She-Wolf]

Lysandra nods, smiles, and says, "Sounds like business as usual, then. Well, I won't bother you any longer...I'll head to my room. Oh, one more thing...In my timeline, you agreed to let my Mom bite you."

With the mother of all evil grins, she walks past Magtok into the MagCave, which she knows quite well, at least from her timeline....Though it would be pretty awkward if someone else was in her room.

[Arkhosia]

A Shift of Location

...What's the Nexus?
Sophia asks.
That answers it, I guess.

[Lord Magtok]

Watch Dogs

"You really don't get it, do you? You don't have a father here, so you don't have a room, either! Stop where you are, I change the format of this place like every other month, there's no way you're going to-"

Oh jeez, what is that thing?! It looks like a treasure chest, aside from the huge, horrible jaws, the pulsing, writhing robotic tentacles, and the combination of heavy breathing and humming engines emanating from its center. It's...a mimic octopus?

**** you and your wordplay, Magtok. :smallyuk:

Anyways, Lysandra is more than welcome to shut the door and back away, before the tentacled abomination can reach out and latch on, in order to bite her goddamn head right off her ****ing shoulders. :smalleek:

Night Shift

Magtok takes a deep breath, and then lets it out. Okay, we can do this. We've practiced. We should be able to get through this, answer most of Sophia's initial questions, and not get punched in the face along the way.

"The Nexus is a horrible doom pit of doom. People from every universe fall in, get stuck, and are forced to make the best of it. There's also quite a few people who are born here, as opposed to sucked in, because the world's been getting older, but let's forget about them right now, because they're not important. You'll meet orcs, dragons, goblins, elves, demons, Sith, talking ponies, and all sorts of other despicable beings of pure evil, no matter how fictional they were back in your homeworld.

That's okay though, because if you inherited anything at all from me, you should be able to roll with the punches almost effortlessly, shine like a diamond when given the spotlight, and ingeniously craft convoluted solutions to even the simplest of problems. That, and most people aren't very good at not being eaten by giants, so as long as you don't march on a military base or something..." Magtok gives Sophia a look. She'd know better than to try going on a one-woman crusade against Remnant, right? Giant shapeshifty powers or not, nobody is that stupid, right?

[Ionbound]

[Broken Moon]

Lysandra hops back from the door as she slams it shut. She raises a finger on a slightly shaking arm and says, "Okay. New plan. Lead the way, Dad."

[Arkhosia]

She's not Titanically Stupid!

...How are talking ponies evil? And glad to know that this world is somewhat similar to mine.
I'm not that stupid, Dad.

Sophia replies with an amused glare.

[Lord Magtok]

Blue Moon

"You're definitely your mother's daughter," Magtok observes. I'm pretty sure it's not a compliment, given what just happened. He leads the way, glancing at his wrist only once to be sure he's headed in the right direction.

"The whole 'you owe me a room in the MagCave and I have the right to call you father' thing is getting a little annoying, by the way. I mean, I was going to provide you with a room anyway, but the attitude is entirely uncalled for. I'm not your dad, I'm an alternate dimension reality version of your dad. Close, but not exactly the same, and I don't appreciate the implication that I'm obligated to be all fatherly and such. I didn't father you, after all. This isn't the teenage daughter meeting her deadbeat runaway father for the first time, but more akin to meeting her dad's twin, and treating him the same way as the deadbeat."

Titanic Overreaction

Magtok rolls his eyes. "I'm not saying you're stupid, just that the government and plenty others look a lot more fragile than they actually are, especially to someone who can turn a bazillion feet tall. Try to get a good feel for whoever you're up against, before you commit to that first punch, alright? Lots of folks out there who might surprise you, if you just rush into situations blindly. As for ponies, you're better off learning that one firsthand. Come on now, let's see if I've got an empty room you can borrow."

Loathsome little monsters, those ponies. Magtok leads the way to an empty room. Coincidentally and unfortunately, it's the same one Lysandra is being led towards, as there isn't a whole lot of empty, unused space in the MagCave. Lots of space being used frivolously, sure, but nothing left unoccupied.

[Ionbound]

Enough Wolf Puns

Lysandra frowns and shakes her head in annoyance as she follows him and says, "I do have a right to call you Father because you are my father. The only difference between you two is something I have half a mind to fix right now. And I do live here. This is pretty much the same MagCave. And anyways, without here, I'm homeless in this universe. And if you're anything like your other version, you wouldn't dream of turning me away."

[Arkhosia]

Titanic Overreaction

Magtok rolls his eyes. "I'm not saying you're stupid, just that the government and plenty others look a lot more fragile than they actually are, especially to someone who can turn a bazillion feet tall. Try to get a good feel for whoever you're up against, before you commit to that first punch, alright? Lots of folks out there who might surprise you, if you just rush into situations blindly. As for ponies, you're better off learning that one firsthand. Come on now, let's see if I've got an empty room you can borrow."

Loathsome little monsters, those ponies. Magtok leads the way to an empty room. Coincidentally and unfortunately, it's the same one Lysandra is being led towards, as there isn't a whole lot of empty, unused space in the MagCave. Lots of space being used frivolously, sure, but nothing left unoccupied.

Sophia chuckles at the Ponies thing.
Alright. I'll remember that, dad.

[Deathkeeper]

Front Door

There's a centaur here. Or there is assuming no one tried to intercept and kick him out beforehand. He has an odd effect of keeping people from noticing him sometimes, but that probably won't fool the automated cameras.
He looks about seventeen or eighteen, with short brown hair that he's clearly tried to make look neat but is refusing to cooperate. At least the coat on his lower body is more presentable. All of him has a lithe build, although for his human half it's somewhat covered up by the brown Henley shirt (those ones with no formal collar but a button at the top anyway. No idea if that's a real term but it's what they're called 'round here) he's wearing. He has a bag or two hanging from a belt where his halves meet, like cargo shorts but without the pant parts.
He knocks on the front door or rings a doorbell or whatever there is on the door this day. The poor fellow is clearly not very comfortable being here, but he hasn't turn tail yet, which is some credit when you're on the doorstep of a former self-proclaimed supervillain. Unless he still proclaims that after talking about doing nice things and running Halo or whatever, it's never been all that clear.

[Lord Magtok]

Or You'll Huff and You'll Puff?

"Openly flaunting intentions to either rewrite my brain and memory, set me up with an enemy already in a committed relationship, or to bite me and force a premature termination of this particular clone to retain uniformity in the collective, depending on how one chooses to interpret your words. Exploiting my conscience with regards to your homelessness, arrogantly flaunting my supposed inability to send your right out the door. You are not winning me over, Lysandra. If your father is anything at all like me, you should know how I feel about self-righteous parasites. If you don't find a way to earn your keep, your mother's mate should be able to-"

Magtok stops midsentence, staring blankly at-


Shifty Eyes

...Other Magtok!The one who was leading Sophia around! It seems they both had the same room in mind. Sophia's rather confidently crosses his arms against his chest. Judging by the smug look on his face, it seems he's fairly certain he knows how this is going to go down. "Well. This is certainly unfortunate for you two, isn't it?"

Front Door

The door opens, and Magtok frowns. One of Dionysus's own goons, back from the realm of party and booze and rudely having sex right outside of his front door. There's no way this is going to be anything but obnoxious and bothersome.

"Hello, I'm Magtok. What do you want?" he demands to know, cutting straight to the point in the hopes that he can send this repulsive beast-man away before he tries to get one of his daughters to drink some magically drugged fairy wine or something.

[Ionbound]

[Dear Gods]

Lysandra sighs and says, "Look, I don't care if I'm winning you over. I can pull my weight, but if you keep this ridiculous charade of not caring up, I will-" She then notices the other pair, and smirks as she says, "Oh, another one. I have the hilarious feeling that she's even weirder for you than I am."

[Deathkeeper]

Front Door

Arty's face goes very flat after a brief moment of relief as he realizes that his best option is to go straight to the point.
"I'm currently on what might be the world's second-stupidest holy quest, which has sadly required me to also complete the world's first-stupidest holy quest. The latter of which has involved some god named I've never heard of, Arbil I believe, asking me to get, he says with a very deadpan expression. Then he pauses a moment to fetch a piece of paper. " 'a pair of socks owned by cyborg named Magtok.' Really, his grammar was appalling. So yes, I'm here to attempt to buy off you a two-credit item which you need not have ever actually used. Or even match really, it doesn't specify that, either." he says, looking over the sort-of sentence again.

[Arkhosia]

[Dear Gods]

Lysandra sighs and says, "Look, I don't care if I'm winning you over. I can pull my weight, but if you keep this ridiculous charade of not caring up, I will-" She then notices the other pair, and smirks as she says, "Oh, another one. I have the hilarious feeling that she's even weirder for you than I am."

Doggedly Keeping Up The Puns

Oh, um, hello. I'm Sophia. Glad to meet you, sis.
Sophia offers an awkward hand, kind of unsure what to do here.
Like, what is the proper way to greet an estranged sibling you never knew existed? Is there any type of etiquette for that or something?

[Lord Magtok]

Oh Dear, How To Reference Both The Daughters at Once? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_%28dog%29)

"You should care, Lysandra. A little effort into first impressions, and-"

"And maybe she could've been as nifty as my alternate dimension offspring. There's one room, girls. Settle this amongst yourselves."

Lysandra's Magtok glares at the other. When it was just the two of them, he was fine with being cold towards her, but he's not about to just let this other clone think he's better or something, or have the same right to disparage Lysandra, just because he happened to come across some other, slightly more cooperative MagDaughter around the same time.

"I'll have some Magbots move their barracks elsewhere, regardless. Nobody's going to be homeless."

Front Door

Magtok pulls out a package of MagMart brand socks from his sleeve, and holds it out towards the centaur, before pulling it away at the last second to issue a warning.

"You know that if this is part of some voodoo nonsense to use something of mine to harm me, that I'll kill you, right? Being leader of HALO doesn't mean I'm no longer allowed to kill in self-defense. Even if I'm incapable of doing so, I have people who can kill you in my stead. Not even counting family and friends, I can post a bounty on Wall and have people lining up at your door for a chance to kill you. It would be effortless, and I wouldn't feel any qualms about ordering your death, having already warned you about what would happen beforehand."

[Ionbound]

[Beast Titan Detected]

Lysandra extends a hand to Sophia and says, as she very surreptitiously sniffs at her, "Nice to meet you Sophia...I'm Lysandra. So, you're my sister, huh? And you're not exactly human, either. Interesting...Well, I have no place to comment on that. May we both live in interesting times, eh?"

[Deathkeeper]

Front Door

Arty flinches, but doesn't falter.
"I don't have a door; I live in a room at a temple, but point taken. I was told the god just collects random things, not finds them for ammo. Besides, everything after this is just general stuff, not named, so I doubt he's using this for some voodoo hit scheme. Werewolf, vampire, or a pony. Can't be too hard to find." he says, mumbling that last part as he replaces the paper in his pocket, also with the socks if his explanation didn't make Mags reconsider.

[Arkhosia]

[Beast Titan Detected]

Lysandra extends a hand to Sophia and says, as she very surreptitiously sniffs at her, "Nice to meet you Sophia...I'm Lysandra. So, you're my sister, huh? And you're not exactly human, either. Interesting...Well, I have no place to comment on that. May we both live in interesting times, eh?"

Sophia shakes her hand!
What do you mean about yourself by that?
Sophia asks, raising N eyebrow as she's sniffed.
She nods.

[Halae]

Marley On The Phone

"I don't usually do mechs, but I suppose I could give it a look. [Obscure Mech Jargon] or [Even More Obscure Mech Engineering Jargon]? Actually, I suppose I should ask where you have it parked first. Is it the kind that [complicated neural interface question], or does it [nonsense about synchronization, levers, and Tang]?" Magtok asks. Don't even bother trying to get me to tell you what he said, I couldn't make heads or tails of it myself. What in the world is a Howard Phillips screwdriver, anyways?[Marley On The Phone]

"Cybernetic neural connection, actually, not sure what you're going on about with synch ratios and whatever," Marley says, obviously quite happy, "The hydraulic coupling is- oh, whatever, I can just show you. Doesn't matter where it's parked right now, do you have a docking bay at the cave? I can be there in minutes."

[Ionbound]

Sophia shakes her hand!
What do you mean about yourself by that?
Sophia asks, raising N eyebrow as she's sniffed.
She nods.

Lysandra nods and says, "I'm a werewolf. You know, turn into a big hairy monster, howl at the moon, bite people...The whole nine yards. It's actually pretty fun. If you want, you can try it some time."

[Arkhosia]

Lysandra nods and says, "I'm a werewolf. You know, turn into a big hairy monster, howl at the moon, bite people...The whole nine yards. It's actually pretty fun. If you want, you can try it some time."

Sophia smiles and shakes her head.
I'm happy with mine. Titan shifter. I got regeneration and, under certain circumstances, the ability to turn into a Titan. If you're lucky, you might get to see my other form.

[Ionbound]

Sophia smiles and shakes her head.
I'm happy with mine. Titan shifter. I got regeneration and, under certain circumstances, the ability to turn into a Titan. If you're lucky, you might get to see my other form.

Lysandra grins and laughs at this revelation, and then shakes her head mirthfully and says, "Oh dear. A Titan Shifter, eh? I can't really say more about this, because spoilers. But let's hope you don't go insane."

[Lord Magtok]

Marley On The Phone


[Marley On The Phone]

"Cybernetic neural connection, actually, not sure what you're going on about with synch ratios and whatever," Marley says, obviously quite happy, "The hydraulic coupling is- oh, whatever, I can just show you. Doesn't matter where it's parked right now, do you have a docking bay at the cave? I can be there in minutes."

"Oh, that? Biotech nonsense, ignore it. I've been fooling around with some genetics stuff lately. Anyways, the garage-which-isn't-exactly-a-garage should work. South entrance. Usually cloaked and sealed shut, but I'll have it open for you. If its height isn't above [approximately half the height of the MECHALOMANIA V3], it should fit."


Front Door with Arty


Front Door

Arty flinches, but doesn't falter.
"I don't have a door; I live in a room at a temple, but point taken. I was told the god just collects random things, not finds them for ammo. Besides, everything after this is just general stuff, not named, so I doubt he's using this for some voodoo hit scheme. Werewolf, vampire, or a pony. Can't be too hard to find." he says, mumbling that last part as he replaces the paper in his pocket, also with the socks if his explanation didn't make Mags reconsider.

Arty gets to keep the socks. "I know a few werewolves, but they're all obnoxious and I have no idea where they are right now, so I can't help you there. Unless Raril of the Black Dragon Den is still a were-something, that is. No idea, but best of luck anyways."

Shifter Siblings

The Magtoks keep silent for now. Lysandra's Mag makes a point of frowning sternly at her when she mentions going insane, though. That wolf girl is going to be kicked out of the MagCave and living in a van down by the river, if this trend of saying exactly the wrong thing continues.

[Halae]

Marley On The Phone



"Oh, that? Biotech nonsense, ignore it. I've been fooling around with some genetics stuff lately. Anyways, the garage-which-isn't-exactly-a-garage should work. South entrance. Usually cloaked and sealed shut, but I'll have it open for you. If its height isn't above [approximately half the height of the MECHALOMANIA V3], it should fit."[Marley On The Phone]

"It's actually [Slightly taller than Mv3], but I can lay it down on if you've got a way to bring it in after." Assuming there's confirmation (come on, it's the Magcave. Magtok has to have some kind of vehicle carrier or something for this sort of thing), then Marley will say, "Great! I'll be there in five." Before rather excitedly hanging up the phone to get ready to come over.

[Arkhosia]

Lysandra grins and laughs at this revelation, and then shakes her head mirthfully and says, "Oh dear. A Titan Shifter, eh? I can't really say more about this, because spoilers. But let's hope you don't go insane."

Sophia raises an eyebrow, perplexed.
What do you mean by "Spoilers"?
Sophia asks.

[Ionbound]

Sophia raises an eyebrow, perplexed.
What do you mean by "Spoilers"?
Sophia asks.

Lysandra simply smiles and shakes her head as she says, "This world...Is a melting post. It takes in ingredients from across the multiverses and mixes them into something new and utterly strange. And your universe," she points at Sophia and continues, "Exists in other planes as a work of fiction...Not that that makes you any less real."

[Arkhosia]

Lysandra simply smiles and shakes her head as she says, "This world...Is a melting post. It takes in ingredients from across the multiverses and mixes them into something new and utterly strange. And your universe," she points at Sophia and continues, "Exists in other planes as a work of fiction...Not that that makes you any less real."

Ah.
... did they exterminate the titans yet?
Sophia questions eagerly

[Ionbound]

Ah.
... did they exterminate the titans yet?
Sophia questions eagerly

Lysandra shakes her head and says, "I told you. Spoilers. It would mess with the nature of time, should you return to your home universe."

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Maggy Land]

"Well then." Ithuriel smiles and takes Magtok's hand, "I'm sure we'll be back here soon enough. You still have to show me your room after all." With a light chuckle, Ithuriel will go ahead and 'port them both off to her little world.

[Arkhosia]

Lysandra shakes her head and says, "I told you. Spoilers. It would mess with the nature of time, should you return to your home universe."

Sophia sighs.
I don't plan on doing that.
...Could you please tell me how Marco Bott's doing, at least?

[Ionbound]

Sophia sighs.
I don't plan on doing that.
...Could you please tell me how Marco Bott's doing, at least?

Lysandra shakes her head sadly, and says, "Sorry...I can't. Really."

[Arkhosia]

Lysandra shakes her head sadly, and says, "Sorry...I can't. Really."

Aw... can you at least tell me half of the story of what happened?
Sophia asks, oblivious to her player's laughing.

[Lord Magtok]

Shifter Spoilers

Magtok loudly clears his throat, as Other-Magtok teleports away to go do something more important. "As someone who has seen six different versions of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, all of them terrible, I wouldn't necessarily assume anything Lysandra has to say would be canon in your world, Sophia. Especially if your variation of the world has a version of me in it."

MagGarage

The garage it's more akin to a massive room full of equally massive stuff (http://adventurecampradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Thats-a-lot-of-helicarriers....jpg), and it should have more than enough room to fit Marley's mech thingy. Magtok just had to move some MagTanks outside to make room.

[Ionbound]

[Pandora's Box]

Lysandra frowns at Magtok's rationalizations, and pulls him well aside, quite likely well out of Sohpia's hearing range, and whispers to him urgently, "Look! Everyone that poor girl knows is either dead, evil, or no longer human. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be the one to break that news to her!"

[Halae]

[MagGarage]

Once she has her mech safely stored inside, Marley will open the hatch to it, stepping out of the core in what appears to be... a plugsuit. However, she apparently had some extra clothing inside, because even as she's stepping out, she's pulling on some jeans and a tee-shirt over her suit.

"Hey D-" She hesitates around the word she hasn't used in quite a while, "Dad."

[Arkhosia]

[Pandora's Box]

Lysandra frowns at Magtok's rationalizations, and pulls him well aside, quite likely well out of Sohpia's hearing range, and whispers to him urgently, "Look! Everyone that poor girl knows is either dead, evil, or no longer human. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be the one to break that news to her!"

Sophiadoesnt hear them, raising an eyebrow at the action.

[Lord Magtok]

Attack on Truthfulness

"The same might as well go for you, seeing as you're stuck here," Magtok argues, finding it difficult to understand how anyone could care about the people and status of worlds outside of the one they're in right now. There's an unlimited number of potential universes out there, how would you even know which one to mourn?

Either way, though, it's absolutely inconsequential compared to what Lysandra mentioned a moment ago. "What do I have to do to keep her mentally stable?" A psychological breakdown, when Sophia is capable of getting that big...there'd be no survivors. :smalleek:

MagGarage

Magtok's out of his usual robes, and instead clad in a set of work clothes, for reasons that should be plenty obvious, given the task ahead of him. A wifebeater with some ugly stains and some designer jeans (not that Mag cares or can tell the difference), equally stained, but with blood, rather than oil. The goggles on his forehead are just decoration, of course. He already has fancy cyborg vision and doesn't care about the safety of an individual clone.

"Hey Marl. That's...wow, when you called it a 'core', somehow I figured on it being kinda short and fat, about as wide as it is tall. This is...this is clearly not what I thought I would be looking at."

[Ionbound]

[Attack on Werewoof]

Lysandra gesticulates wildly as she says, "I-I don't know! This is way out of my jurisdiction! I've never had to deal with a sister that I vaguely cared about before!"

[Arkhosia]

Sophia is shippable until posted for

[Halae]

[MagGarage]

"It more or less is, really. The thing's pretty wide and the heads only there because it houses my radar array - it does feel really weird whenever that gets blow off by accident though. Still, the pilot's seat, inside, is definitely the safest place on the whole thing. It kinda has to be, since you don't want a generator breach or a fire control system malfunction. Most of the meat's in the core, if you want to take a gander."

She's also got some really impressive weaponry on here. the left arm has a laser blade - not like a lightsaber, but a sword with an edge that suppports heats like that. on the right hand is a machine gun. on the shoulders are a gauss cannon - which looks huge and unwieldly, even on this massive mech - and a large grenade launcher on the other side.

[Lord Magtok]

Shifter Skipping

Magtok sighs in exasperation, getting more than a little fed up with Lysandra. Dammit, why can't she just tell Magtok exactly what he needs to know? "You told me you had like a dozen sisters, all of which I'm sure you knew longer than you've known Sophia. Now is there, or is there not, a greater risk than that of an average human living here in the Nexus, of her going insane? This is important, not just for her, but also for anything that she might stomp whilst ginormous and stuff."

MagGarage

Magtok floats his way over to the core, orbiting around the mech as he does so, like a planet around a star. He stops here and there to poke at and stare closely at a few things, before going right back to looping around some more, until he's upside-down, sticking his head into the cockpit from just above the thing.

"Gauss cannon's pretty big. What's the recoil like on that?"

[Halae]

[MagGarage]

"Gauss weaponry doesn't have much in the way of recoil, but this thing is still huge. I may be able to dampen the recoil itself just fine, but generally it's necessary to stop and aim, because it's very easy to miss with the thing." she shrugs, "Does a lot of damage though. I actually once disabled a starship with it."

Right, because she's from a sci-fi world.

[Arkhosia]

Somewhere

An unlucky magtok may find himself surprised by a beautiful, very attractive woman with fair skin, long hair, and red eyes, clad in polished chainmail armor, fall on top of him with a girlish squeal of surprise.
Is squeal the right word?
I dunno!
Likely at the end leaving the two in an awkward position.

[Ionbound]

[Spoiling Your Shifters]

Lysandra shakes her head quickly and says, "None, if she doesn't see Attack on Titan...If she does, though, it's practically an inevitability."

[Deathkeeper]

Front Door with Arty
Arty gets to keep the socks. "I know a few werewolves, but they're all obnoxious and I have no idea where they are right now, so I can't help you there. Unless Raril of the Black Dragon Den is still a were-something, that is. No idea, but best of luck anyways."

Front Door
Arty nods. "That's fine. Thank you very much, Sir." says the centaur as he turns to go. Unless Mags has any further snark to make that'll be the end of that.

[Lord Magtok]

MagGarage

"Raptor Christ, I would've killed a guy to have something like this around, back when we were fighting Calublufiok. How big of a starship are we talking, anyways? Like, X-Wing, Star Destroyer, Star Trek, a flying apartment building?" Magtok, I'm pretty sure that last one isn't a starship, and never will be.

Shifter Secrets

"So all we have to do is keep her from realizing her homeworld is as fictional and full of disaster as any other, and everything will be fine. Just monitor her at every moment for even the faintest mention of some movie or tv show, and censor out anything that might threaten her psyche, to keep her from going on a mad rampage that will destroy everything. Great! I always wanted to be the thought police!" Magtok sarcastically groans in frustration. Also, it should be noted that when he says 'we', he really means 'I'. No way would he trust this sort of impossible job to anyone other than himself. Certainly not Lysandra, even if she's the only one in the room who's actually seen the show.

Somewhere, or More Accurately, Surveillance Room C

"Aaaaaaaack!"

An office chair is knocked to the floor, along with the Magtok who was sitting in it, as the unexpected additional weight sends it crashing backwards. Figures, the very minute Magtok started to slack off, leaning back in his chair to see how far it could go, disaster strikes. A bustier sort of disaster than one might've expected, but disaster all the same.

[Arkhosia]

Well, this is awkward


The woman, blushing profusely, gets up quickly, lookng very perplexed.
The woman, who magtok will now be able to observe in more detail, is a fair-skinned gal with a slender body, full lips, large breasts, and wide hips. Her red eyes currently filled with confusion. Her long brown hair trails down to her thigh, loose and brushed back. She is clad in chainmail armor.
Where the **** am I!?

[Lord Magtok]

Surveillance Room

"No, that's fine, I wasn't expecting an apology or anything..." Magtok mutters, dusting himself off before looking back up at this inexplicable home invader. The teleblock field was up, and she doesn't sound like she meant to show up here and/or throw herself at him, so she's probably not a threat. Hell, even if she was, she's wearing chainmail. How dangerous could anyone wearing such an outdated antique possibly be?

"This is the Nexus. More specifically, the MagCave. I'm Lord Magtok. This is my cave. I don't suppose you have some sort of explanation for...for this?" Try as he might, Mag can't seem to come up with a polite way of saying 'tackling me to the ground and straddling my torso' that doesn't come off as unduly harsh or dirty.

[Arkhosia]

Surveillance Room

"No, that's fine, I wasn't expecting an apology or anything..." Magtok mutters, dusting himself off before looking back up at this inexplicable home invader. The teleblock field was up, and she doesn't sound like she meant to show up here and/or throw herself at him, so she's probably not a threat. Hell, even if she was, she's wearing chainmail. How dangerous could anyone wearing such an outdated antique possibly be?

"This is the Nexus. More specifically, the MagCave. I'm Lord Magtok. This is my cave. I don't suppose you have some sort of explanation for...for this?" Try as he might, Mag can't seem to come up with a polite way of saying 'tackling me to the ground and straddling my torso' that doesn't come off as unduly harsh or dirty.

The woman shakes her head, still blushing, but not as much as before.

[Halae]

[Magcave]

"Uh... I'm pretty sure I don't know what most of those are. It was about four times the size of an apartment building, though. Don't get too excited - I just blew out its engines so that a boarding crew could get on." Marley says. She's proud of what she did, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Of course, it's entirely possible she's selling herself short.

[Lord Magtok]

MagGarage

"Uh huh. And how many other people can say they pulled off something like that?" Magtok's willing to bet it's not very many. He continues to float about the cockpit like the weirdo he is. The armored core seems fairly well maintained, nothing immediately jumps out at him as horribly wrong and in need of immediate fixing.

"How about the radar array? S'that doing everything it ought to be doing and then some, too?"


Surveillance Room

"Okay, that...fine. Do you know what the Nexus is, at least? Do you have a name?" Magtok awkwardly does everything he can not to ogle the mystery knight lady. It's a lot more difficult than it sounds like. If he makes eye contact too long, it'll seem like he's being weirded out by her creepy red evil eyes, but if he just stares out into space at a wall, that will just make things a million times worse!

[Halae]

[MagGarage]

"Uh..." Marley considers that for a long moment, "I have no idea. I've only ever heard of one other person doing it to the class of ship I did."

the whole this isn't particularly clean, as far as it goes, but Marley makes a dedicated effort to keep it well tuned. It's like her own body, for the most part - she takes care of it more than she does her physical body. Still, she's never really concerned herself with the dirt, mud, grit, and other things that build up.

"The Radar has a bit of a blind spot on the right hand side. Dunno why, I've fixed it like four times but I can't get it to work properly."

[Arkhosia]

MagGarage

"Uh huh. And how many other people can say they pulled off something like that?" Magtok's willing to bet it's not very many. He continues to float about the cockpit like the weirdo he is. The armored core seems fairly well maintained, nothing immediately jumps out at him as horribly wrong and in need of immediate fixing.

"How about the radar array? S'that doing everything it ought to be doing and then some, too?"


Surveillance Room

"Okay, that...fine. Do you know what the Nexus is, at least? Do you have a name?" Magtok awkwardly does everything he can not to ogle the mystery knight lady. It's a lot more difficult than it sounds like. If he makes eye contact too long, it'll seem like he's being weirded out by her creepy red evil eyes, but if he just stares out into space at a wall, that will just make things a million times worse!

The woman shakes her head.
My name's Lilith.
she replies shyly, obviously kinda scared at the change of... well, everything, really.

[Lord Magtok]

MagGarage

Magtok slides a finger across a patch of dirt, and blinks in astonishment when it comes back to him completely coated in icky sludge and grime. "Well it looks like she hasn't bathed since the eighth Nixon administration. Why don't we start with that, and then work our way from there?"

Magbots arrive on the scene with hoses, as the cyborg himself steps down, so as to not get blasted with high-pressure plumes of water and/or whatever else is in those tubes. "Don't worry, I'll leave a few patches here and there, so it keeps that worn, eroded veteran look going."

Surveillance Room

"Well alright, Lilith.

...Lilith? Seriously?" Magtok! Rude! She didn't pick her name; it's not her fault! Besides, not everyone can have a strange and exotic name like Lysandra or Caelynn or Wenomir. Some people are just Joe, Jim, Sam, Bob, and Tom. Lilith is a very common devil lady name, so it shouldn't surprise you if it comes up more than once.

"Well whatever. What you're experiencing right now, Lilith, is what we call 'Helpless Newb Syndrome.' A common reaction in people who've just been sucked out of their world and dropped in this one. The Nexus is, as its name implies, a meld of just about every setting you can imagine, composed of interesting people and places and things plucked from their homes and dropped into a glass jar. Very little is mundane out here, as the Nexus seems rather partial to grabbing only the weirdest and most wondrous things it can find. Which would explain why you're talking to a cyborg in his evil cave lair and such."

It doesn't explain your dynamic entry, though. That was just weird, even for Nexus immigrants.

"Am I going too fast for you? Do you need a drink? You can borrow my chair for a minute or two, but-SCREEN FORTY SIX DASH J OFF NOW TURN IT OFF DEACTIVATE SCREEN FORTY SIX DASH J!" Magtok abruptly screams, remembering that this is a surveillance room, and that it wouldn't do for this guest to see what was on Screen 46-J, especially since she had only just met the cyborg.

[Ionbound]

Shifter Secrets

"So all we have to do is keep her from realizing her homeworld is as fictional and full of disaster as any other, and everything will be fine. Just monitor her at every moment for even the faintest mention of some movie or tv show, and censor out anything that might threaten her psyche, to keep her from going on a mad rampage that will destroy everything. Great! I always wanted to be the thought police!" Magtok sarcastically groans in frustration. Also, it should be noted that when he says 'we', he really means 'I'. No way would he trust this sort of impossible job to anyone other than himself. Certainly not Lysandra, even if she's the only one in the room who's actually seen the show.

Lysandra smirks and says, "More full, actually. By the end of the show, or at least my version of the show, humans are non-existent. But you don't need to be the thought police as much as just keep her from finding out that everyone she ever knew is probably either dead or a monster."

What? That's a perfectly reasonable prediction!

[Arkhosia]

"Well alright, Lilith.

...Lilith? Seriously?" Magtok! Rude! She didn't pick her name; it's not her fault! Besides, not everyone can have a strange and exotic name like Lysandra or Caelynn or Wenomir. Some people are just Joe, Jim, Sam, Bob, and Tom. Lilith is a very common devil lady name, so it shouldn't surprise you if it comes up more than once.

"Well whatever. What you're experiencing right now, Lilith, is what we call 'Helpless Newb Syndrome.' A common reaction in people who've just been sucked out of their world and dropped in this one. The Nexus is, as its name implies, a meld of just about every setting you can imagine, composed of interesting people and places and things plucked from their homes and dropped into a glass jar. Very little is mundane out here, as the Nexus seems rather partial to grabbing only the weirdest and most wondrous things it can find. Which would explain why you're talking to a cyborg in his evil cave lair and such."

It doesn't explain your dynamic entry, though. That was just weird, even for Nexus immigrants.

"Am I going too fast for you? Do you need a drink? You can borrow my chair for a minute or two, but-SCREEN FORTY SIX DASH J OFF NOW TURN IT OFF DEACTIVATE SCREEN FORTY SIX DASH J!" Magtok abruptly screams, remembering that this is a surveillance room, and that it wouldn't do for this guest to see what was on Screen 46-J, especially since she had only just met the cyborg.

I feel like somebody's watching me

"Dad wasn't very original."
Lilith replies.
"What an interesting location. This place sounds awesome! Um, yeah, some water would be nice."
Lilith raises an eyebrow at the sudden shouting.

[Lord Magtok]

Shifter Sisters

"Oh. Well when you put it like that, you make it sound so very easy," Magtok snarks sarcastically, before stepping back and gesturing towards the door to that room that neither of them have claimed yet.

"Settle this already, I have stuff to be doing elsewhere."

Surveillance Room

"Sorry about that, one of the surveillance cameras was..." Magtok doesn't quite finish that sentence, for the same reason he shut off that camera's visual feed in such a hurry. I don't know what Magtok saw either, but my best guess is Arkhosia or Pat or another clone was probably doing something wacky and/or naked.

"Anyways yes, here's your water. It is a pretty amazing world, but one of the downsides is, unless you were carrying a whole lot of gold or dollars or whatever with you when you got dropped in, you're basically homeless and destitute now." Magtok takes a step back, to avoid any spit-take that might follow him saying that.

[Arkhosia]

Shifter Sisters

"Oh. Well when you put it like that, you make it sound so very easy," Magtok snarks sarcastically, before stepping back and gesturing towards the door to that room that neither of them have claimed yet.

"Settle this already, I have stuff to be doing elsewhere."

Surveillance Room

"Sorry about that, one of the surveillance cameras was..." Magtok doesn't quite finish that sentence, for the same reason he shut off that camera's visual feed in such a hurry. I don't know what Magtok saw either, but my best guess is Arkhosia or Pat or another clone was probably doing something wacky and/or naked.

"Anyways yes, here's your water. It is a pretty amazing world, but one of the downsides is, unless you were carrying a whole lot of gold or dollars or whatever with you when you got dropped in, you're basically homeless and destitute now." Magtok takes a step back, to avoid any spit-take that might follow him saying that.

Thank you.
...you wouldn't happen to have any money I could borrow, would you?
Lilith asks, not doing a spit-take, and finishing her water in a thirsty gulp.

[Halae]

MagGarage

Magtok slides a finger across a patch of dirt, and blinks in astonishment when it comes back to him completely coated in icky sludge and grime. "Well it looks like she hasn't bathed since the eighth Nixon administration. Why don't we start with that, and then work our way from there?"

Magbots arrive on the scene with hoses, as the cyborg himself steps down, so as to not get blasted with high-pressure plumes of water and/or whatever else is in those tubes. "Don't worry, I'll leave a few patches here and there, so it keeps that worn, eroded veteran look going."[MagGarage]

"Nah, I'm fine with it looking sparkly and new; tricks enemies into thinking I haven't got all the bugs out yet." Marley says, smiling, "I've been getting a bit tired of the overall green color of it, though. Any recommendations on where to take the paint job?"

Once Magtok is close enough, Marley hesitates, and then comes over for a hug. It's an awkward thing, as she hasn't really had anybody to give her hugs for years, but at the same time it's a heartfelt, honest thing. the fact that Magtok is throwing himself into this really means a lot to her. And then she lets go rather quickly, as she realizes he might not appreciate it.

[Ionbound]

Shifter Sisters

"Oh. Well when you put it like that, you make it sound so very easy," Magtok snarks sarcastically, before stepping back and gesturing towards the door to that room that neither of them have claimed yet.

"Settle this already, I have stuff to be doing elsewhere."

Lysandra steps back into the room where Sophia was waiting, and then nods to her as she opens the door to the room. Magtok, a description, if you would?

[Lord Magtok]

Bedroom

It's a very modest room. Four gray walls, pale blue floor tiles, a bed, and a white porcelain bathroom adjoining it. All very bland, but spectacularly shiny and clean. Clearly meant for an individual dramatically and drastically customize to suit their personal taste over time.

MagGarage

Honestly, with all the shenanigans going on with the other dimension-shifting daughters, this complete and utter lack of drama with Marley has catapulted her to being his favorite of the three. The hug is welcomed, though Maggy is quick to get back to business to avoid acknowledging any awkwardness on Marley's part.

"Purple? Maybe not the same shade of it that I use on everything, but maybe a red-violet? You are a Godlark, but the color would be different enough to say that you don't let that define you and you're not just sitting around in my shadow and such. Also, the red, because you're a bloody murdering kill machine that your enemy should be running from like vermin." Magtok suggests, clearly putting a whole lot more weight into this whole color symbolism nonsense than it deserves.

[Halae]

[MagGarage]

Marley doesn't look entirely happy about being called a killer, but she shrug it off without a comment. She scratches her chin, looking at the mech, "Sounds pretty good to me. Can't really cloak it anyways because of the bulk of it, so a nice flashy paint job would be pretty good." She frowns, "You know what would be really good for this whole father/daughter thing? Hot chocolate. I could totally go for some kind of hot drink right now, and chocolate is always good. Might as well mix the two," She nods sagely, "And maybe while the droids are working I can take a look at some of the stuff you've made."

[Arkhosia]

And so, moving in begins, I guess!
Sophia suggests splitting the room in half, one for each of them, and hangs up a dark green hammock... Somehow, placing her 3dmg on the ground next to it and setting spare clothing on the ground beside it.
It's a very utilitarian setup.

[Ionbound]

Lysandra agrees to split the room, and, over the course of a few days, moves in a bed, some comics, a holo-computer, and paints her half a dark shade of brown.

[Arkhosia]

Over a week or so, Sophia paints the walls of her side green and hangs up a poster. (http://www.otakia.com/wp-content/uploads/V_1/article_3476/6419.jpg)
She also asks if the MagCave has a place she can keep a horse in.
Cuz Sophia likes horses and is considering getting one.

Some random time in the future

Magtok gets a call from Sophia!

[Lord Magtok]

MagGarage

"I don't know, my stuff is..." Oh come on, Mag. It's your own daughter, you don't have to hide your technology from her. I can understand keeping things locked away and hidden from a crude barbarian like that Lysandra girl, but Marley clearly knows her stuff. She's civilized; she doesn't go running through the woods at night on all fours, chewing on live deer and howling at the moon.

"Fine. Pick one of the bosses from the first Megaman game. Cutman, Gutsman, Elecman, Fireman, Iceman, or Bombman. I have some new-ish projects, each loosely based off the Robot Masters. Nothing on the scale of your mech here, of course, but pretty fancy anyways. It'll fetch the hot chocolate and kill two birds with one stone."

Surveillance Room

"Does the random stranger who just admitted to owning and living in an evil lair have money you can borrow?" Magtok asks rhetorically, finding the very question to be more than a little unnerving.

"Lilith. Lilith, please. Let's just get this out of the way right now. Yes, you're an evil succubus or some other sort of demon lady. I can see that plain as day. As powerful as that might've made you back home, you're as helpless and exploitable as every immigrant until you have some measure of understanding of the Nexus and such. If you asked for anything other than water I could've sneaked something terrible in your drink, probably. I might be a cruel and heartless loan shark or something. Please try to be a little bit more cautious, okay? There are worse things than silly half robot men who dress up like supervillains." Magtok pleads, shoving a bag full of gold towards her arms as he does so.

"What actually are you though, if you don't mind my asking? I didn't think succubi knew how to feel any of the emotions associated with blushing. Sorry in advance if that sounds racist; the rules are weird sometimes." Magtok leads the way towards the door, trying to figure out a way to the front door that won't involve her bumping into any of his important secrets along the way. They are fairly deep within the MagCave, and he's not sure he wants to risk a telewarp on someone who still has that new Nexus citizen smell. Besides, he'd have to poof instead of using a portal, and that would require her body fairly close against his, and...no. Just no. Not happening, not even if she wasn't a succubus, which she probably is.

Some Random Time in the Future

Magtok answers the phone! "Hi Sophia. I see you figured out how to work a phone. That is, unless this is Lysandra. Lysandra, if this is you, please give the phone back to your sister. Stealing from family is wrong, and while I can't say I expected more from you, part of me did hope you'd do better. I would've gotten you a phone too, but y'know, Sophia's been a lot less difficult than you have. She doesn't steal phones, for instance. You'll have to act like family if you want to be treated like family, Lysandra. As things are now, I'm maybe a week of this nonsense away from charging you rent, and then having Magbots drag you out by force after you refuse to pay."

[Arkhosia]

Surveillance Room

"Does the random stranger who just admitted to owning and living in an evil lair have money you can borrow?" Magtok asks rhetorically, finding the very question to be more than a little unnerving.

"Lilith. Lilith, please. Let's just get this out of the way right now. Yes, you're an evil succubus or some other sort of demon lady. I can see that plain as day. As powerful as that might've made you back home, you're as helpless and exploitable as every immigrant until you have some measure of understanding of the Nexus and such. If you asked for anything other than water I could've sneaked something terrible in your drink, probably. I might be a cruel and heartless loan shark or something. Please try to be a little bit more cautious, okay? There are worse things than silly half robot men who dress up like supervillains." Magtok pleads, shoving a bag full of gold towards her arms as he does so.

"What actually are you though, if you don't mind my asking? I didn't think succubi knew how to feel any of the emotions associated with blushing. Sorry in advance if that sounds racist; the rules are weird sometimes." Magtok leads the way towards the door, trying to figure out a way to the front door that won't involve her bumping into any of his important secrets along the way. They are fairly deep within the MagCave, and he's not sure he wants to risk a telewarp on someone who still has that new Nexus citizen smell. Besides, he'd have to poof instead of using a portal, and that would require her body fairly close against his, and...no. Just no. Not happening, not even if she wasn't a succubus, which she probably is.


Yes, I am a succubus. However, that doesn't mean I'm evil, y'know. I use my power to stop those who are evil. Yes, I know, you probably think I'm lying and you're going to try to kill me or get rid of me. Go ahead, I'm used to it.
[COLOR]
Lilith replies, the latter part rather dejectedly.


Some Random Time in the Future

Magtok answers the phone! [COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]"Hi Sophia. I see you figured out how to work a phone. That is, unless this is Lysandra. Lysandra, if this is you, please give the phone back to your sister. Stealing from family is wrong, and while I can't say I expected more from you, part of me did hope you'd do better. I would've gotten you a phone too, but y'know, Sophia's been a lot less difficult than you have. She doesn't steal phones, for instance. You'll have to act like family if you want to be treated like family, Lysandra. As things are now, I'm maybe a week of this nonsense away from charging you rent, and then having Magbots drag you out by force after you refuse to pay."

Sophia laughs.
No, it's the actual owner who finally got around to reading the owner's manual. I was wondering if you'd like to go exploring or something together.
Sophia replies.

[happyturtle]

Front Door

Happy parks her beat-up red pick-up truck nearby. She pauses at the door. Should she just walk in? Is their relationship at the point where she can just walk in? Hmm... probably too soon for that.

*knock knock knock*

((OOC: Time for Happy to meet the MagDaughters! :smallbiggrin:))

[Ionbound]

[Front Door]

Lysandra answers the door, smiling when she sees Happy, and says with a wink, "You're...Happy, right? I'm surprised you still bother to knock."

[Halae]

[MagGarage]

Marley considers that for a moment, "You've got me curious about Gutsman there," she says, smiling. At least she doesn't know about the other MagDaughters. She'd have a field day teasing him about that.

[happyturtle]

Front Door

Happy's eyes narrow. "And you know me how?"

[Ionbound]

[Front Door]

Lysandra grins and says, "I'm Magtok's daughter from an alternate future...You're still around, though. I think it's a pretty open relationship between you, him, and my mom."

[happyturtle]

Front Door

"I'm straight," Happy says. :smallannoyed: "Whoever you know from another dimension isn't me. She may look like me or have my name, but she isn't me. Got it?"

[Ionbound]

[Front Door]

Lysandra shakes her head and says, "No, nothing like that. More, in my universe, Magtok sleeps around a bit, but holds a candle for you and my mom...Anyways. You're here now and you're you, which means you're probably looking for my dad. Shall I show you in?"

[happyturtle]

Entrance

"And Magtok of the here and now isn't the same person as your father!" Happy says, though that's really for Magtok to assert, not her. "Is there a reason why you are in this timeline instead of your own?"

[Ionbound]

[Enterance]

Lysandra nods and says, "Mmhmm...My Magtok is a lot calmer. Still, you want to come in or not?"

[happyturtle]

Entrance

"But how can you call him your dad? I couldn't let someone else replace my father, no matter how much alike they looked." Happy says. Suspicious Happy is suspicious.

[20:38] <Firedaemon33> Why is Happy so...unhappy
[20:39] <Happy> she wasn't expecting to meet an adult daughter of her boyfriend who claims to know her. That makes her suspicious and grumpy.
[20:39] <Firedaemon33> Mmhmm
[20:39] <Firedaemon33> Alright
[20:41] <Happy> Also, there was an alt-Happy who came to the Nexus, and I had it that they were instinctively afraid of/repulsed by one another. They never had a single scene together =3

[Ionbound]

[Entrance]

Lysandra shrugs and replies "Eh...He looks like my father, he acts like my father, for the most part, and, frankly, his...inner Magtokness permeates across universes. I don't think there's a multiverse out there he wouldn't be more-or-less the same in."

[happyturtle]

Entrance >> Walking inside

"But this Magtok has no memory of raising you. That's something you and your original father share that you don't have with this Magtok. And you still haven't answered what you're doing in this timeline." Happy says as they walk inside.

[Lord Magtok]

Surveillance Room => Hallway of Happenstance


Yes, I am a succubus. However, that doesn't mean I'm evil, y'know. I use my power to stop those who are evil. Yes, I know, you probably think I'm lying and you're going to try to kill me or get rid of me. Go ahead, I'm used to it.
Lilith replies, the latter part rather dejectedly.

"Lilith, remember five minutes ago, where I didn't murder you on sight for having spooky red eyes? Or lock you in a steel cage full of hungry death-parrots for having knightly, heroic-looking armor? If I was going to kill you, I would've done it back then, not loan you money. The Nexus is full of all sorts, so most of us try to avoid judging anyone at first. You get on the wrong preschooler's nerves, you end up a smoking crater."

Magtok continues striding his way through the MagCave. On your left, you can see Magbots marching, hauling something huge and menacing and gorilla-shaped, draped under a large tarp. On your right, flying robot fish, with banners reading 'BE THE BEST', for some reason or another.

"Speaking of judging, I should probably explain all this, then. Lord Magtok, that's me, is a ex-villain. Reforming, gradually, as of maybe a few months ago. Also leader of the Heroic Anti-Evil & Lawbreaking Organization, but that was shenanigans and ridiculous nonsense. It's kinda hard to break out of the aesthetic, though, seeing as I've been nefarious for years. Hence the death parrots and all the shiny chrome and the evil-looking scar over my eye and the purple robe. So yeah, trying to kill you in pretty much anything other than self-defense would make me sort of a huge hypocritical lying jerkface. Heck, even as a villain, I tended to avoid hurting the pretty ones." Magtok remarks, seemingly oblivious to the compliment in his own words. He calls Lilith pretty more or less the same way someone might describe the sky as blue, or water as wet, or elves as terrible. It's not anything to get all excited or passionate about, it's just a blatantly obvious fact of life.

Sophia Phone


Sophia laughs.
No, it's the actual owner who finally got around to reading the owner's manual. I was wondering if you'd like to go exploring or something together.
Sophia replies.

"Sounds...new, I guess. What kind of exploring are we talking about?" Magtok holds his breath on any yes's or no's just yet. There are quite a few untamed frontiers out there that he's just not comfortable with, after all. The ocean is one. Outer space is another. A dark and spooky forest full of pixies with a taste for human flesh is yet a third example.


[MagGarage]

Marley considers that for a moment, "You've got me curious about Gutsman there," she says, smiling. At least she doesn't know about the other MagDaughters. She'd have a field day teasing him about that.

"Gutsman, right. That was...oh yes, the big construction worker looking guy who threw rocks at the player. I think they called him Gutsman because he's huge, and therefore, would have huge guts."

Goddammit Magtok, she doesn't even know your stupid internet memes, why are you doing this? Hell, I'd be surprised if she's even heard of the game that the absurdly bad comic was based off of.

"Gutsman was a bit of a challenge, because I wanted to do something interesting with each Robot Master redesign, but his original concept just amounted to little more than 'big brute who throws rocks'. Not terribly original stuff there, y'know? I take pride in my work, so unless I'm making something for the assembly line, like the Magbots, it really ought to have more character than-"

At that point, whatever Magtok was going to say is lost, because while he might've gone on speaking, the tremendous rumbling from down the hall has made it completely impossible to hear anything else. An iron giant lumbers into the room, looking more like a metal facsimile of a gorilla than a man. A King Kong automaton, as opposed to the more humanoid structure of the Magbots.

Though it might not be as big as Marley's mecha, it still has quite a presence, dominating the chamber as its simian scowl looms ever closer. Its glowing red knuckles drag against the floor as it approaches, sending sparks flying as metal scratches against metal. It's almost too much to bear, up until the metal beast lifts its arms up over its head, and activates an absurdly powerful magnetic field across the MagGarage. Anything and everything standing too close, whether it be Magbots, Magmobiles, floor tiles, ceiling fixtures...it all gets pulled in. The assorted odds and ends are bent, broken, and pulverized into a massive globe for this tin Atlas to bear atop its shoulders. Then, with a tremendous shove, the ramshackle sphere is sent right out the open door, rolling out into the wilderness outside, where it'll likely uproot a few trees before coming to a halt and breaking down.

"Marley, this is GutsMag. GutsMag, Marley. Did you remember the hot chocolate, GutsMag?"

The mechanical beast merely grunts in response, steam shooting out from its ears, before it bows low towards its master, unhinges its jaw, and delicately sticks out its tongue, atop which sits a platter with a pair of steaming coffee mugs perfectly balanced atop tiny saucers.

"Thank you, GutsMag. Now, I could've stopped with the look and the throwing things, and called it a day, but turning a robot master into a robot monkey just seemed too easy. Not enough. So I can't demonstrate it here, for obvious reasons, but he can cause localized earthquakes with his feet. Tremors, to keep his foes rattling and helpless. No good against anyone who flies, obviously."

Entrance

No Magtok here yet. I wouldn't be surprised if he's watching through a security camera and enjoying this scuffle, though.

[Ionbound]

[Walking Inside]

Lysandra shrugs and says, "Maybe...But I've seen a lot of alternate MagDaughters come through, so it's not that different to me. And as for why I'm here? Nexus shenanigans. Seriously. That's the best explanation I've come up with, at least."

[Arkhosia]

Phone

Well, I was thinking we could go and explore a forest nearby, actually.
Are you any good with horses?

And an ugly succubus is pretty much a contradictory creature

Ah. I think you can understand why i'd be a bit paranoid though. And thank you, though I guess if I didn't deserve that compliment, it'd be pretty worrisome.
Lilith replies, chuckling.

[happyturtle]

Somewhere Inside

Happy puts her hands on her hips. "You don't even know? Your actual father and mother are on another plane of existence, and you aren't concerned at all? How much did you bribe the Magbot to fake the DNA test anyway?" :smallmad:

[Ionbound]

Lysandra pushes Happy in the chest, trying to knock her over as she says, "My mother is [I]dead. And if I possibly can find her here, then I will be far happier than I ever was." If Happy is knocked over, Lysandra will be standing over as she says this.

[happyturtle]

Inside

Happy, being an uncultured barbarian, isn't knocked over easily. She takes a step back to keep her balance, but at the same time tries to grab Lysandra's arm and pull her in the direction she was already going. If the manoeuvre works, Lysandra might fall face-first towards the floor.

"If you want your mother, then go have her raised! She isn't here! Don't you get it? If the woman even exists in this timeline, she isn't your mother! She's her own person!"

[Arkhosia]

Doorway

LEAVE MY ADOPTED SISTER ALONE!
Happy may find herself knocked down by a sweeping leg kick from Sophia (see avatar), who sprinted over quite speedily

[Ionbound]

[MagCave Inside]

Lysandra is pulled, but as she falls, she pounces at Happy, trying to take the barbarian down with her. If she's successful, she throws a punch at Happy and practically howls, "You don't think I didn't try!" She throws another punch, "You think! I didn't! DO EVERY THING I COULD!" And another punch. Happy might also notice Lysandra's eyes have begun to glow yellow...Uh-oh...

[Lord Magtok]

MagCave Kung Fu Fighting

Magtok loudly and dramatically pumps a shotgun, arriving upon the scene with a scowl. He was willing to sit and watch when it was just arguing, but Lysandra's getting dangerously close to feral.

"Hi girls. The next person to throw a punch is going to be shot. The next person unless they're Happy, but only because she's short one and didn't start the fist-swinging. Anyways, I don't know if this gun is loaded with the stun rounds or the murder bullets, but I'm more than willing to find out of you guys don't knock it off. So ****ing knock it off."

Phone

"I umm...errm no. I don't really do horses, sorry. I tried once, and I don't think I padded it right, because I was walking funny the rest of the day." It was absolutely hilarious, and all of the other MagClones laughed at him. Even some of the Magbots, too.

Succubus Small Talk

"So you said you fight for good and such. Was there a deity or something you followed for that? The Nexus is sorta hit-or-miss on the transfer of divine magic, for some reason. Lots of wizard types who inexplicably bring their astral planes and gods and stuff with them, somehow." Needs had to reach out past the Nexus to get some of the contacts necessary to drum up his current powerset, for example. For whatever reason, Marvel's Loki didn't want to have anything to do with this world.

[Arkhosia]

Phone

damn. Maybe I can make sure the padding's correct?
Sophia suggests.

[Halae]

[MagGarage]

"Video game characters, huh?" Marley says, taking the mug of hot chocolate, Seems like something people would go for. What kind of AI do they have?" She tries to get a look at the joints, to get a sense for their operational movement system. To her, this is quite cool. Particularly the bit with the magnetics.

She, of course, is entirely unaware of the events going on in the entrance way.

[happyturtle]

Inside

Happy gets knocked down by Sophia, and punched. The first punch connects with a crack, and Happy's nose starts bleeding freely. The second punch is different - more give, like punching a bag of rice. The third punch feels like punching a water bed. Holy crap, what are you doing to her, Lysandra? :smalleek:

[Arkhosia]

Inside

Happy gets knocked down by Sophia, and punched. The first punch connects with a crack, and Happy's nose starts bleeding freely. The second punch is different - more give, like punching a bag of rice. The third punch feels like punching a water bed. Holy crap, what are you doing to her, Lysandra? :smalleek:

Sophia stopped at the knocking down kick, and tries to grab Lysandra's arms before she can deliver the third punch.
Goddamnit sis, calm down! You've already beaten the woman, there's no need to try to kill her!
Then Magtok!
Who the hell is Happy?
Sophia asks, focusing on trying to stop the two from beating each other up.

[Ionbound]

[Super Smash MagGirls: Brawl]

Lysandra brings her fist back for another punch, ignoring what she assumes to just be shapeshifter shenanigans, and then *click*, Magtok appears. So, with exaggerated care, she gets off of Happy and says, "I'm sorry...She was talking about my mom...I kinda lost control." And then, at Sophia's question, she nods and says as she gestures at Happy, "This is Happy: Dad's shapeshifting barbarian girlfriend."

[Lord Magtok]

Phone

damn. Maybe I can make sure the padding's correct?
Sophia suggests.

"I guess," Magtok still sounds sorta reluctant to go along with this, but it's his second-favorite alternate universe daughter (the one who isn't a smelly wolf or Marley), he has to at least give this a chance.


[MagGarage]

"Video game characters, huh?" Marley says, taking the mug of hot chocolate, Seems like something people would go for. What kind of AI do they have?" She tries to get a look at the joints, to get a sense for their operational movement system. To her, this is quite cool. Particularly the bit with the magnetics.

She, of course, is entirely unaware of the events going on in the entrance way.

"Standard MagBot psuedo-sentience package, modified slightly to suit each robot's chassis and weaponset. I'm not really too big on programming these days; I just slap the template on more or less everything." Magtok shrugs. AI doesn't really matter a whole lot to him. As long as they're dumb enough to be loyal, but smart enough not to kill themselves, he's fine. You don't want one of the robots becoming a PC, because that comes with a huge suite of problems and ethical dilemmas Magtok really doesn't have the patience for.

Inside

Magtok doesn't answer Lysandra or Sophia. He just glares, continues pointing the shotgun, and waits.

[happyturtle]

Inside

Happy gets to her feet - her face all bloody and sunken in. Ewww! Then, like a cartoon character after a fight, her face sort of pops back into place. Ewww!

[Arkhosia]

Inside

Happy gets to her feet - her face all bloody and sunken in. Ewww! Then, like a cartoon character after a fight, her face sort of pops back into place. Ewww!

Sophia, putting two and two together, turns to Happy.
I'm sorry, please accept my apology. All I saw was someone fighting my sister, if I had known who it was, I would not have acted so rashly.

- - - Updated - - -

Phone

Great! I'll meet you at the entrance!
As in, separate scene at the entrance.
She hangs up

[Ionbound]

[Entrance]

Lysandra shrugs and says, "Eh, don't worry about it, Sis. You did the right thing. And anyways, Happy can take a beating." She then turns to Magtok and says, a little bashfully, "Um...Thank you for stopping me before I did something I'd regret."

[Lord Magtok]

Entrance - Sophia

Magtok's here, and almost totally certain he's going to regret this. The woods are a terrible, awful, miserable place, and horses even more so.

MeetBeat the Family

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to," Magtok responds tersely, cranking open the shotgun to reveal it was never even loaded this whole time. Shoot, looks like he'd grabbed the wrong one; he didn't actually intend on that little threat to be a bluff. It gets handed off to a Magbot to be put back in storage, who scurries away from the scene as fast as its tin legs can take it. Magtok's not the nicest boss when there's drama, and Magbots definitely know drama when they see it.

[Arkhosia]

Horses and Forests!

Sophia, clad in her usual outfit with a short green cloak bearing the same emblem on her jacket and her 3d maneuvers gear, stands out here with two horses, one a brown Clydesdale, the other a tan horse.
Hey dad! Do I need to teach you how to ride a horse? The tan one's yours, by the way. He's named Shallot, for some reason.

[happyturtle]

Drama

Happy wipes the blood from her nosebleed off onto a sleeve. "Apologies? For a broken nose? That seems a bit extreme, Magtok." Happy's a barbarian! A bloody brawl is just another way to say hello!

She looks between the two sisters. "Any time you two want a rematch without Dad watching, just say the word. I'll take you both on." :smallwink: Having delivered that offer, she makes her way over to Magtok, where she doesn't hug or kiss him because, well, bloody brawl.

[Arkhosia]

Drama

Happy wipes the blood from her nosebleed off onto a sleeve. "Apologies? For a broken nose? That seems a bit extreme, Magtok." Happy's a barbarian! A bloody brawl is just another way to say hello!

She looks between the two sisters. "Any time you two want a rematch without Dad watching, just say the word. I'll take you both on." :smallwink: Having delivered that offer, she makes her way over to Magtok, where she doesn't hug or kiss him because, well, bloody brawl.

Sophia chuckles, grinning.
Sounds fun! Well, if you ever want to test how powerful your shapeshifting abilities are at repairing wounds, I'm up for a little brawl!

[Ionbound]

Sophia chuckles, grinning.
Sounds fun! Well, if you ever want to test how powerful your shapeshifting abilities are at repairing wounds, I'm up for a little brawl!

Lysandra smirks and says, "Sis, you think we should tell her, or let her find out for herself next time?"

[Lord Magtok]

My Little Cloney

"No, but maybe a quick tutorial to refresh my memory wouldn't hurt. It's been a while," the cyborg admits, staring worriedly at the stupid horse and its stupid long face. The truth is, he doesn't know anything about riding horses. He just sorta figured you hop on, jiggle the reins a little, and shout 'Ya!' every now and then when you need it to pick up the pace. He didn't count on it being any more difficult or complicated than what movies and television had shown him.


Family and Friends

Magtok holds his arms out and takes a step back, nervously trying to avoid getting any Happy-blood on him. The last time he had access to that stuff, all sorts of bio-horror nonsense followed. Best just to avoid temptation and ignore the instinct to collect samples that usually accompanies him when someone with interesting powers gets roughed up.

"Well...while I'm busy pretending I didn't just hear that, and since I have an audience to embarrass you in front of, Lys, there's something I've been meaning to say. Between this and our miserable first encounter...well, I could already see a clear pattern emerging, so I thought I might do something to try to avert it. You see, I have standards, Lysandra. For myself, and the people around me. I don't endure people who get on my nerves and have nothing at all worthwhile to make up for it, because unlike so many other people, I don't have to. So anyways, I was going to save this for maybe your third or fourth mishap, but the opportunity's just too good to pass up. Sophia, this goes for you too, but to a lesser extent. Lights, please."

The room is briefly encased in darkness as all the lights go out and the front door slams shut. A moment later, a spotlight clicks on, shining on our beloved (*cough cough*) cyborg, who is now garbed in a silly gilded suit, top hat, and cane. '#1' figures prominently all over his attire, emblazoned on the back of his suit jacket, printed on the front of his hat, and even etched onto the bottoms of his shiny golden shoes, which lead him on an exaggerated walk to the top of an equally shiny golden staircase that wasn't there a moment ago. Music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afzmwAKUppU) begins to play, and moments later, Magtok starts to sing.

"Be the best, be the best.
I won't settle for this mess.
Better get your act together, Lys,
Or you're out the MagCave nest.

Room and board,
Hot hors d'oeuvres!
More than you presently deserve
You're a doctor of frustrations
Cause you're trying all my patience

Don't you say, you have no chance
I've got kids made out of ants!
All I ask is to be mildly impressed
Go on, just find your venue
A worthwhile skill, and then you'll

Be the best!
Be the best!
Be the best!

Lost in time,
Trapped in space,
And a dad who hates your face
But it all could be undone
if you just ran my stupid race

You're alone and you're scared
Until you shape up, I don't care!
I won't hear any complaining
While you're actively ashaming

'Need advice?' Asks the teach
Exceed the expectations of a beast
You've got to earn your place upon the family crest!
Come on, get off your ass
No one gets a free pass, to be our guest, be the best, not a pest!"

The song, as you well know if you're familiar with the material Magtok is shamelessly ripping off of, goes on quite a bit past this point. Naturally, so does Magtok, but I think you get the general idea by now (Lysandra needs to hurry up and be amazing enough to keep up with Maggy's lofty expectations for his progeny, or else get kicked out and disowned for being annoying, an embarrassment, and a drain on resources), and there's only so many creative things Magtok's player can do at one in the morning with a song that relies so heavily on words that end in '-est', so let's just jump straight to the end. After a long and convoluted series of carefully choreographed stunts and spectacular tricks, Magtok slides down the staircase bannister, scales a pyramid made of singing golden Magbots stacked atop each other's backs, and triumphantly plants a flag through the head of one unlucky robot at the top.

"-Strings to pull, games to run,
And this song is almost done!
So if there's just one thing you've learned I must request
That it's if you want to sleep here
You must surpass the sheep here
Be the best!
Be the best!
Be the best!
Please be the best!"

[Arkhosia]

Horseplay

Sophia teaches Magtok how to ride a horse!

Walt Magtok

Sophia, at he end, is on the floor laughing.

[happyturtle]

Be the Best

Happy takes advantage of the musical number to somehow be clean and presentable at the end when she applauds.

[Ionbound]

[Dances With Wolves]

Lysandra is shaking her head with amusement by the end of it, and, when it's finally over nods and says, "Alright. And, for the record, Happy was talking about Mom...That just set me off. I really am sorry about that. So...Anything that needs to be done? If you still have that eldritch abomination I'm game for cleaning out it's pen."

[Lord Magtok]

Three Shifters, Two Sisters, and a Solitary Mister

"Needs uses a litter box like a good cat, thank you very much." No elaboration on whether or not Needs used a litter box before he was a cat, thankfully. Whatever the situation was prior to NFB's untimely demise, I'm sure we don't want to know about it.

"Nothing needs doing right now, but when it does, I'll be sure to do it myself. Find your own path, Lys." Magtok answers with reproach, as he gracefully, daintily descends from the pyramid of gilded Magbots, as if this was all still part of the song and dance.

"So Happy, besides existential interdimensional daughter drama, what brings you to the MagCave today?"

Horsing Around

Magtok doesn't do well with the lessons, and regards the horse with growing mistrust. Eventually, though, he manages to get the horse to move without falling out of the saddle, facing the wrong way, or something equally stupid.

[Arkhosia]

Three Shifters, Two Sisters, and a Solitary Mister

"Needs uses a litter box like a good cat, thank you very much." No elaboration on whether or not Needs used a litter box before he was a cat, thankfully. Whatever the situation was prior to NFB's untimely demise, I'm sure we don't want to know about it.

"Nothing needs doing right now, but when it does, I'll be sure to do it myself. Find your own path, Lys." Magtok answers with reproach, as he gracefully, daintily descends from the pyramid of gilded Magbots, as if this was all still part of the song and dance.

"So Happy, besides existential interdimensional daughter drama, what brings you to the MagCave today?"

Horsing Around

Magtok doesn't do well with the lessons, and regards the horse with growing mistrust. Eventually, though, he manages to get the horse to move without falling out of the saddle, facing the wrong way, or something equally stupid.

Sophia is a patient teacher.
The horse is quite amicable, very patient, and completely playable by you if you want!
Alright, ready?
Sophia inquires, grinning.

[happyturtle]

Be the Best

"Me? I guess I came here to find out why you are babysitting someone else's children," Happy says. :smallconfused:

[Arkhosia]

Happy

Sophia glares.
I'm pretty sure we're adopted, actually.

[Ionbound]

Happy

Sophia glares.
I'm pretty sure we're adopted, actually.

Lysandra twins the glare and continues, "I'm pretty sure it was talk that this that got us in a fight in the first place. We're Magtok's daughters, end of story. That's all."

[Lord Magtok]

Daughter Dilemmas

"Provisionary daughters, and I'll ask that you not speak on anyone's behalf but your own, Lysandra. If they cannot find a place in this world, if they do not find a purpose and meaning to their lives beyond sucking away at the family fortune, like the fleas on Lysandra's mother, then I will have them removed from the premises, and they'll either make it out in the world on their own, or deadtime and leave us all no worse for having parted ways with them." Magtok sighs. It's like nobody even bothered to listen to his song lyrics or something.

"But you didn't know about the daughter thing until you got to the door. What about before that?" Surely there's a wonderful change of subject to explore and/or adventure outside the MagCave there!

[Arkhosia]

Actually, Sophia Did!

I know dad. You just did a musical number on it, remember? Anyways, I'm pretty sure "adopted" is the most fitting word, honestly. After all, we're not your children but rather children of alternate versions of you. And we just have to prove that we deserve to be adopted, or otherwise we get the boot.
That's correct, right?

Sophia explains and then questions, leaning on a wall with a thoughtful expression, crossed with an ambitious one ever so slightly, on her face.
Magtok might correctly guess that she's considering how she's going to go about proving herself.

[Halae]

[MagGarage]

"Standard MagBot psuedo-sentience package, modified slightly to suit each robot's chassis and weaponset. I'm not really too big on programming these days; I just slap the template on more or less everything." Magtok shrugs. AI doesn't really matter a whole lot to him. As long as they're dumb enough to be loyal, but smart enough not to kill themselves, he's fine. You don't want one of the robots becoming a PC, because that comes with a huge suite of problems and ethical dilemmas Magtok really doesn't have the patience for.
[MagGarage]

"Hey, if it works, no reason to change it. It must complicate things when you make complex orders, though." Marley scratches her chin, thinking, "I actually used to have an AI in my AC, but I had that removed. It was installed with the fire control system, but it kept screwing up my shots."

[happyturtle]

Daughters of Other Fathers


Daughter Dilemmas

"Provisionary daughters, and I'll ask that you not speak on anyone's behalf but your own, Lysandra. If they cannot find a place in this world, if they do not find a purpose and meaning to their lives beyond sucking away at the family fortune, like the fleas on Lysandra's mother, then I will have them removed from the premises, and they'll either make it out in the world on their own, or deadtime and leave us all no worse for having parted ways with them." Magtok sighs. It's like nobody even bothered to listen to his song lyrics or something.

"But you didn't know about the daughter thing until you got to the door. What about before that?" Surely there's a wonderful change of subject to explore and/or adventure outside the MagCave there!

"Um...." Don't say booty call. Don't say booty call. Don't say... "Picnic!" Happy blurts out. "We should have a picnic." But you didn't pack any lunches! "... I would have packed lunches, but I didn't know if you'd be free. So maybe we can go through a drivethru?"

[Ionbound]

[Insight]

Lysandra laughs and says, "A picnic sounds pretty good, actually. I hear the Hunting Grounds are pretty nice, if you guys wanna risk it."

[Hattish Thing]

Maggot and Marcy

"You're wrong. A brick-faced asshat is the only kind of person who would do business with you, Mars, which is why we've never been friends, no matter what side of the law I was on. You being a robot now doesn't makes us comrades either, so I hope you weren't counting on that to see you through this."

The cyborg reaches into his robe, and produces a shiny orange sphere, which pulses and vibrates in his hand. He looks down at the sphere, and then at Marcy, glaring daggers of contempt at the slimier, undignified mirror of what he himself once was.

"One doesn't need to be nice and affable to be good, and I don't need a copy of the receipt from SLAVE to know that you're still scum personified, Marcy. I told you, I was only going to invite you to leave quietly and safely once, and you had every opportunity and plenty of time to do exactly that. You should've known better than to do this within arm's length of me."

He reaches out with that bloody hand once more, to grab hold of Marciano, pull him close enough to whisper in the android's ear, and then...throw the orange grenade thingy into the sports cars windshield? Why would he do that? And what's that beeping sound? :smallconfused:

Marciano begins to feign his body language, his body looking as fearful and as submissive as possible. After all, he'd need to look as non-threatening as humanly possible. Not really difficult, seeing as he was so thin. However, his words are a stark contrast to his actions. His tone is bitter and harsh, his friendly if condescending tone gone as soon as Magtok soiled his brilliant white suit. See, Maggot. I don't need to have many friends to come out on to. Unlike you. You need your friends to boost your self-esteem, cause you know inside you're just... as bad... as me. He doesn't grin, for that would betray the illusion, but his eyes absolutely glare with malevolence. See, Mags, you're just like me. Just as aggressive, and volatile, and cruel. You, however, have always chosen to hide your nasty little self underneath a veil of neutrality. Unlike me, you seem to have forgotten where you begun. You're a bad man, Magtok. You always have been. You always will be, even if your HALO friends say so. You won't change. You can't.

It's in your nature.

That's when Magtok throws the grenade, to the annoyance of Marciano. He's then grabbed by Magtok's bloody hands, and pulled close. At that moment, his supposed bodyguard screams, also feigning the role of a shocked individual. Her scream ought to cover the faint utterance that slithers out of Marciano's lips, so that only Magtok would be able to hear, and only just barely.

...She screamed like a pig. Aheh.

[Lord Magtok]

Mag and Marcy

"And you think you won't?" Magtok retorts, all too aware that Marciano is still trying to get under his skin, but beyond caring by this point. The grenade explodes, dispersing fire all around the car it was thrown into. Though the two of them are far enough from the explosion to avoid any nasty burns from the conflagration that ensues, they're still near enough for a harsh, biting wind to buffet them both, the hot air prompting Magtok's robes to billow and wave about in the air.

"Steel melts just like flesh does, Marciano. It takes a higher temperature, but it can still be done. Let's find out exactly what your new melting point is, eh?" Magtok intends to lead Marcy towards the inferno, whether the robo-sleaze wants to go there or not.

MagGarage

"Yeah, I've never been too fond of AI. Too often, they can't do things as well as a biological person, and the ones that can do better, they usually get an ego about it." Magtok would know all about egos, wouldn't he? :smalltongue:

"Not you, though, Mainframe. You're alright, so please drop whatever passive aggressive revenge you were planning just now. And tell Archy he's fine, too."

Parents and Picnics

"Hunting Grounds? As in, the 'Adventurers go here, fight a Challenge Rating appropriate random encounter and win a sword made out of the beast's minivan-sized tusks' Hunting Grounds?" Magtok opens his mouth to continue his rebuttal, to explain exactly why Lysandra's idea is a hideously stupid one and that she wasn't supposed to be a part of this, when unexpectedly, his mind starts connecting some dots (http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff246/Magtok/Skull.jpg?t=1400114936).

"...Sounds like an excellent idea, actually. Happy, what do you think?"

[Arkhosia]

Picnic!
((BAHHAHAHAHAHAHA))

... what's a picnic? We kinda didn't have those back home.
Sophia asks, slightly embarrassedly, as she leans against the wall.

[Halae]

[MagGarage]

"I've found them to be pretty good at what they're built for, but the vast majority of them lack the flexibility of mind needed for battlefield commands," Marley says, "Automatic aiming can mean the difference between having your gun veer off to the side or hitting the target dead on."

Frankly, she could talk about this stuff all day, but whether Magtok wants to or she's interrupted going forward is another question.

[happyturtle]

Picniiiiiiick

"Sure. I'm up for a bit of entertainment with lunch," Happy says, rolling up her sleeves in an ominous manner. :smallamused: "Shall we?"

[Ionbound]

[Would You Like a Picinic Basket?]

Lysandra grins and says, "Oh man, this is going to be fun." Then, at Sophia's question, she turns and tells her sister, "It's when people go eat out in the wilderness...I guess that wouldn't have happened in your universe, would it."

[Arkhosia]

[Would You Like a Picinic Basket?]

Lysandra grins and csays, "Oh man, this is going to be fun." Then, at Sophia's question, she turns and tells her sister, "It's when people go eat out in the wilderness...I guess that wouldn't have happened in your universe, would it."

Ooh, sounds fun! I'll be ready to depart in a few minutes guys!
And with that, Sophia darts off, equips her 3D Maneuver Gear, and returns!
When shall we leave?

[Arkhosia]

Engineering!

Sophia walks through the magcave in search of a place she can work on her maneuver gear!

[Terumitsu]

[Engineering?!]

Well, there were certainly many places about the cave to work on nearly everything mechanical and, assuming that one was willing to brave whatever it was Needs Food Badly called a room, potentially several things magical as well. Of course, because of the nature of the cave, it might also be hard to tell the difference between certain manufacturing rooms and areas dedicated to experimental engineering and prototyping among other things.

Of course, it wasn't every day that one would come across such a room that smelled like limes for whatever arcane reason. It seemed to be extremely well stocked in terms of instruments although one who wasn't particularly savvy with cutting edge technology might still at least be able to appreciate all the pretty blinking lights and screens while wondering why there wasn't even one plain vanilla wrench in the room.

In any case, there seemed to be an abundance of spare materials as well as odds and ends here which might make modifications although the numerous strange little devices that didn't appear to be anything other than proofs of concepts looked ripe for cannibalizing for parts as well.

[Arkhosia]

[Engineering?!]

Well, there were certainly many places about the cave to work on nearly everything mechanical and, assuming that one was willing to brave whatever it was Needs Food Badly called a room, potentially several things magical as well. Of course, because of the nature of the cave, it might also be hard to tell the difference between certain manufacturing rooms and areas dedicated to experimental engineering and prototyping among other things.

Of course, it wasn't every day that one would come across such a room that smelled like limes for whatever arcane reason. It seemed to be extremely well stocked in terms of instruments although one who wasn't particularly savvy with cutting edge technology might still at least be able to appreciate all the pretty blinking lights and screens while wondering why there wasn't even one plain vanilla wrench in the room.

In any case, there seemed to be an abundance of spare materials as well as odds and ends here which might make modifications although the numerous strange little devices that didn't appear to be anything other than proofs of concepts looked ripe for cannibalizing for parts as well.

The Titan Shifter's eyes light up in joy, relief, and wonder, and she enters with a big smile on her face, gathering up various materials (making sure to not cannibalize anything), and going to get to work, putting her gear on the workbench and disassembling it.

[Lord Magtok]

Ooh, sounds fun! I'll be ready to depart in a few minutes guys!
And with that, Sophia darts off, equips her 3D Maneuver Gear, and returns!
When shall we leave?


[Would You Like a Picinic Basket?]

Lysandra grins and says, "Oh man, this is going to be fun." Then, at Sophia's question, she turns and tells her sister, "It's when people go eat out in the wilderness...I guess that wouldn't have happened in your universe, would it."


Picniiiiiiick

"Sure. I'm up for a bit of entertainment with lunch," Happy says, rolling up her sleeves in an ominous manner. :smallamused: "Shall we?"

Magtok uses a nearby Magbot as a hat rack, and drops his sparkly golden suit jacket on its other arm, but is otherwise content to ruin the gilded pants and immaculate white dress shirt with whatever is to follow.

"Alright then, the MagMobile's waiting just outside, and the bots have packed a few lunches in the back. Let's go."

Someone else can post first for the thread jump, unless the ladies want to beat each other up over who gets to call shotgun. :smalltongue:


[MagGarage]

"I've found them to be pretty good at what they're built for, but the vast majority of them lack the flexibility of mind needed for battlefield commands," Marley says, "Automatic aiming can mean the difference between having your gun veer off to the side or hitting the target dead on."

Frankly, she could talk about this stuff all day, but whether Magtok wants to or she's interrupted going forward is another question.

Oh no, Magtok doesn't mind. He's gone on more than a few rants in his time; it's only fair that he give someone else a chance to prattle on and on about something of no consequence to him.

[happyturtle]

Picnic plans

Behold! A plot intro appears! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17491033&postcount=953)

[Ashen Lilies]

Kal walks up the path.

He got a call from Magtok of some sort, and he's interested.

Thankfully he's not genderbent anymore.

[ThirdEmperor]

Front Door

Also coming along around the same time is the Cat Burglar, hauling what looks to be a plastic bag full of glittering dust. He too is non-genderbent, although that's probably no surprise, as he never was in the first place. Lucky him, the thief's managed to avoid those kind of shenanigans.

He's actually none too happy about these kind of shenanigans, but knocks on the door nonetheless.
Someone has to clean up this mess.

[OrchestraHc]

Entrance:

It's awkward going someplace and knowing someone you don't like might be there. It can be even more awkward when the person you don't like has no idea you exist beyond a text color and a sarcastic signature. Even worse is when you're risking your anonymity to someone very dangerous for a free chance to snoop through their stuff and maybe help someone who needs it.

It's a very awkward day for Blondie, someone who has quite a lot of very distinctive features and habits that take quite a bit of work to cover up. The young blond man comes up the path a well-worn brown suit and tie, his hair well combed and his left arm held in cast and sling. In his right hand is a hefty green tool boxed stuffed with as many tools and parts as he could fit. Adjusting the non-prescription horn rimmed glasses on his nose, he walks up the path to the Magcaves front door, hoping this Sophia Godlark person isn't playing the world's worst prank.

[Arkhosia]

Entrance:
Sophia, clad in her usual garb, opens the door, warily observing Blondie.
Are you the guy from the wall?

Other timeline

A very, very irate Sophia, exhausted, panting, walks up to the door, panting, and knocks before collapsing onto her back as her legs give out, breathing heavily as she looks up at the sky.

[Ionbound]

And with her is an equally-irate, though slightly less exhausted Lysandra, who shouts after Sophia knocks, "HAPPY! MAGTOK! GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW AND LET US IN!"

[happyturtle]

No answer from Happy. Maybe she's in surgery for her broken face. Maybe she's cowering in fear, afraid to face the irate shifter sisters.

Or maybe she doesn't live here. :smalltongue:

[Lord Magtok]

Front Door



Kal walks up the path.

He got a call from Magtok of some sort, and he's interested.

Thankfully he's not genderbent anymore.


Front Door

Also coming along around the same time is the Cat Burglar, hauling what looks to be a plastic bag full of glittering dust. He too is non-genderbent, although that's probably no surprise, as he never was in the first place. Lucky him, the thief's managed to avoid those kind of shenanigans.

He's actually none too happy about these kind of shenanigans, but knocks on the door nonetheless.
Someone has to clean up this mess.

Oh look, it's Magtok. Magtok, and the enormous purple gigantosaurus he's standing on top of. Judging by the *cough* unusual coloration, I'd be willing to bet anything there's a giant lizard robot hidden underneath its scales. It also has ruby-red eyes capable of spewing murderous death lasers, so I suppose that's probably a big clue, too.

"Hey guys! Stand back, I'm going to see if I can fit this through the front door!"

Oh Raptor Christ, he's trying to fit it through the front door. What in the world is wrong with Magtok? :smalleek:


Front Door - Shifter Sisters

"Hello, Miss Saxon. Miss Godlark. Did your picnic go well?" asks the world's most oblivious Magbot, answering the door for his master.

[Arkhosia]

Front Door



Oh look, it's Magtok. Magtok, and the enormous purple gigantosaurus he's standing on top of. Judging by the *cough* unusual coloration, I'd be willing to bet anything there's a giant lizard robot hidden underneath its scales. It also has ruby-red eyes capable of spewing murderous death lasers, so I suppose that's probably a big clue, too.

"Hey guys! Stand back, I'm going to see if I can fit this through the front door!"

Oh Raptor Christ, he's trying to fit it through the front door. What in the world is wrong with Magtok? :smalleek:


Front Door - Shifter Sisters

"Hello, Miss Saxon. Miss Godlark. Did your picnic go well?" asks the world's most oblivious Magbot, answering the door for his master.

... horrible.
Sophia replies, muffled by the ground.

[Ionbound]

Lysandra tries to heft her sister and carry her over her shoulder as she says, "Take us to dad. Now."

[Lord Magtok]

Front Door - Shifter Sisters

"I'm afraid this model is not capable of interdimensional travel, Ms. Saxon." Ooooh, robo-burn!

"If you are looking for the clone who left with Happy, you won't find him here, however. Should I ready a bath or two? The both of you look like you've been dragged through the Hunting Grounds and back."

[Arkhosia]

Front Door - Shifter Sisters

"I'm afraid this model is not capable of interdimensional travel, Ms. Saxon." Ooooh, robo-burn!

"If you are looking for the clone who left with Happy, you won't find him here, however. Should I ready a bath or two? The both of you look like you've been dragged through the Hunting Grounds and back."

Is... is Sophia asleep?
Yep, she is!

[Ionbound]

Lysandra sighs at the Magbot and says, "Fine, draw up a couple of baths. If dad left us in the Hunting Grounds, he might as well pay for our recovery."

[OrchestraHc]

Entrance:
Sophia, clad in her usual garb, opens the door, warily observing Blondie.
Are you the guy from the wall?

Entrance

"Yes. I'm Blondie and I'm here to help with you omni directional grappling hook whatsit," he says in a southern drawl. "May I come in? The heat is beastly today." He's exaggerating a bit, but that suit's doing him no favors.

[Arkhosia]

Entrance

"Yes. I'm Blondie and I'm here to help with you omni directional grappling hook whatsit," he says in a southern drawl. "May I come in? The heat is beastly today." He's exaggerating a bit, but that suit's doing him no favors.

Sophia nods, moving bad motioning to let him in.

[OrchestraHc]

Entrance

"Much obliged," Blondie says as he steps inside. "So what sort of problems are you running into with your grappling hook device?" Blondie's eyes wander about as he enters, not everyday you look get a look inside a villain's lair.

[Arkhosia]

Hallway

someone may stumble upon a long blood trail down the hallway.

Blondie
"The handle of one of the sides was damaged in combat, rendering the controls unusable."
she replies, leading him down the hall

[Lord Magtok]

Hallway


Hallway

someone may stumble upon a long blood trail down the hallway.

Blondie
"The handle of one of the sides was damaged in combat, rendering the controls unusable."
she replies, leading him down the hall

Magtok raises an eyebrow at the trail of blood. The reason he came out here was to change the batteries in the security cameras, but it looks like that will have to wait. He has something important to investigate first.

Blondie


Hallway

someone may stumble upon a long blood trail down the hallway.

Blondie
"The handle of one of the sides was damaged in combat, rendering the controls unusable."
she replies, leading him down the hall

A Magbot waves at Blondie and Sophia, before reaching behind its back, and pulling out a huge banner, which an adjacent Magbot helps it hold up in the air. It says 'It wouldn't be sporting to know who you are. Nobody's going to follow you home.' Looks like a message for the vault boy, but whether it can be trusted or not remains to be seen.


Lysandra sighs at the Magbot and says, "Fine, draw up a couple of baths. If dad left us in the Hunting Grounds, he might as well pay for our recovery."

The Magbot nods, and obediently leads the way.

[Arkhosia]

Hallway



Magtok raises an eyebrow at the trail of blood. The reason he came out here was to change the batteries in the security cameras, but it looks like that will have to wait. He has something important to investigate first.

Blondie



A Magbot waves at Blondie and Sophia, before reaching behind its back, and pulling out a huge banner, which an adjacent Magbot helps it hold up in the air. It says 'It wouldn't be sporting to know who you are. Nobody's going to follow you home.' Looks like a message for the vault boy, but whether it can be trusted or not remains to be seen.



The Magbot nods, and obediently leads the way.

Following the blood trail, Magtok comes across a large cloud of steam at the end, a booted foot sticking out if it just barely.

Baths!
Unco suits Sophia is unconsious

[OrchestraHc]

Blondie

"That sounds like an easy fix, lets get star...ted," Blondie trails off as he watches the Mag-bot unfurl the reassuring and totally not paranoia inducing sign. He gives the Magbot a wave before continuing on with Sophia. "What do you need a gas powered grappling hook for, actually? Breaking into the superhero game."

[Arkhosia]

Blondie

"That sounds like an easy fix, lets get star...ted," Blondie trails off as he watches the Mag-bot unfurl the reassuring and totally not paranoia inducing sign. He gives the Magbot a wave before continuing on with Sophia. "What do you need a gas powered grappling hook for, actually? Breaking into the superhero game."

Sophia laughs at the banner.
It's how I was trained to fight. I'm a soldier, currently working for HALO and going on adventures when work is dull.

[OrchestraHc]

Blondie:

"Hmm, mountain or urban based warfare?" Blondie mutters speculatively. "And HALO? The justice guys? I don't know if you've realized this," he says putting a hand to his mouth conspiratorially, but not speaking any more silently at all, "but you're in a supervillain's lair right now." He exaggeratedly looks up and down the hallway like he's checking for listeners.

"But sure, show me to your gear."

[Arkhosia]

Blondie:

"Hmm, mountain or urban based warfare?" Blondie mutters speculatively. "And HALO? The justice guys? I don't know if you've realized this," he says putting a hand to his mouth conspiratorially, but not speaking any more silently at all, "but you're in a supervillain's lair right now." He exaggeratedly looks up and down the hallway like he's checking for listeners.

"But sure, show me to your gear."

Half right. Urban and forest based warfare. Against giants, actually.
And I dunno if you've been on page with the news, but Magtok is the current leader of HALO and no longer the enemy.
She replies, walking down the hallway with him.
In two more turns they'll reach the gear

[OrchestraHc]

Half right. Urban and forest based warfare. Against giants, actually.
And I dunno if you've been on page with the news, but Magtok is the current leader of HALO and no longer the enemy.
She replies, walking down the hallway with him.
In two more turns they'll reach the gear

Blondie:

"My knowledge of HALO begins and ends with 'Justice Guys'," Blondie admits, and he doesn't believe Magtok is a good guy now for a second. "Glad I half guessed the purpose, then. Do you guys have guns yet? Not that grappling hooks would be ineffective tools for fighting giants in Urban environs, but guns seem a little more... to the point?"

[Arkhosia]

Blondie:

"My knowledge of HALO begins and ends with 'Justice Guys'," Blondie admits, and he doesn't believe Magtok is a good guy now for a second. "Glad I half guessed the purpose, then. Do you guys have guns yet? Not that grappling hooks would be ineffective tools for fighting giants in Urban environs, but guns seem a little more... to the point?"

Well, we only had muskets, and these guys, which we referred to as titans, regenerate. The only way to kill them was to damage a spot at the nape of the titan's neck, so speedy maneuverability and blades to cut through it deep enough were necessary.
Sophia replies.

[OrchestraHc]

Blondie:

"That... brings up interesting anatomy questions." Regeneration is an interesting subject itself. That the base of the neck is not only a vital point but is also unable to be regenerated...

"Would it have to be a slice? Would a harpoon out flechette do the trick?" he mutters to himself more than asking Sophia. "I actually dont know if my home had pneumatic devices before cartridge based guns. Normally I get annoyed when other worlds do it out of order."

[Arkhosia]

Blondie:

"That... brings up interesting anatomy questions." Regeneration is an interesting subject itself. That the base of the neck is not only a vital point but is also unable to be regenerated...

"Would it have to be a slice? Would a harpoon out flechette do the trick?" he mutters to himself more than asking Sophia. "I actually dont know if my home had pneumatic devices before cartridge based guns. Normally I get annoyed when other worlds do it out of order."

All we really know is you have to cut through a certain spot there at a certain. depth to kill them, or they don't die and regenerate. We honestly know little about their anatomy, to tell the truth. Their bodies disintegrate after death.
She replies, leading him into a room with a workbench, tools, metal, and various blueprints.
this, but one of the handles is clearly broken (http://www.x-costume.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/650x650/ac7549744ecd450b14364b7db96970e9/9/7/97354B3642283E15997FAFBD3C5E2A73.jpg) is on the bench

[OrchestraHc]

Gear Repair:

Blondie gets in close and examines the omni-gear. Gas canister, sword slots, grappling hook guns, exhaust, sword-grips. Hey these things have crosshatched grips like modern weaponry.

"Well hell, this actually doesn't look too difficult. There a trigger for release and a trigger to retract. If you have the blueprints for the handle I won't need to rip the good handle apart."

[Arkhosia]

Gear Repair:

Blondie gets in close and examines the omni-gear. Gas canister, sword slots, grappling hook guns, exhaust, sword-grips. Hey these things have crosshatched grips like modern weaponry.

"Well hell, this actually doesn't look too difficult. There a trigger for release and a trigger to retract. If you have the blueprints for the handle I won't need to rip the good handle apart."

Sophia hands him some blueprints of the handle.
I'm just having issues rebuilding the trigger mechanisms. I was only trained to maintain the gear, you see.

[OrchestraHc]

Sophia hands him some blueprints of the handle.
I'm just having issues rebuilding the trigger mechanisms. I was only trained to maintain the gear, you see.

Gear Repair:

"Easy," Blondie says confidently as he as he sets the blueprint down. He immediately sets to work, using the tools available to create an almost seamless facsimile of the gear's actual grip. He moves with surprising deftness as he arranges parts and snips wires. "Just the switch. It hardly needs much pneumatic engineering at all." He should be done fairly soon.

[Arkhosia]

Gear Repair:

"Easy," Blondie says confidently as he as he sets the blueprint down. He immediately sets to work, using the tools available to create an almost seamless facsimile of the gear's actual grip. He moves with surprising deftness as he arranges parts and snips wires. "Just the switch. It hardly needs much pneumatic engineering at all." He should be done fairly soon.

Sophia smiles.
Thanks!
She is willing to wait for a while

[OrchestraHc]

Sophia smiles.
Thanks!
She is willing to wait for a while

Gear Repair:

She may not get to, shortly after gathering those pieces as he hunches over his work there's a twing and clink and a muttered curse. Thirty seconds later it happens again. It seems Blondie is having trouble fixing things with a cast on one of his arms. "Hey can I borrow your hands for a minute?"

[Arkhosia]

Gear Repair:

She may not get to, shortly after gathering those pieces as he hunches over his work there's a twing and clink and a muttered curse. Thirty seconds later it happens again. It seems Blondie is having trouble fixing things with a cast on one of his arms. "Hey can I borrow your hands for a minute?"

Sophia nods, walking over and handing him a severed hand and aiding him as instructed

[OrchestraHc]

Gear Repair:

Blondie's having a little trouble with the spring. It doesn't want to stay in place while he screws the plate screw in. "Just hold this down for me, please. Not exactly a one handed job."

[Arkhosia]

Gear Repair:

Blondie's having a little trouble with the spring. It doesn't want to stay in place while he screws the plate screw in. "Just hold this down for me, please. Not exactly a one handed job."

Sophia holds down the plate, nodding in understanding.
Why didn't you mention the hand?
She inquires, curious.

[Ashen Lilies]

Front Door

Also coming along around the same time is the Cat Burglar, hauling what looks to be a plastic bag full of glittering dust. He too is non-genderbent, although that's probably no surprise, as he never was in the first place. Lucky him, the thief's managed to avoid those kind of shenanigans.

He's actually none too happy about these kind of shenanigans, but knocks on the door nonetheless.
Someone has to clean up this mess.


Kal walks up the path.

He got a call from Magtok of some sort, and he's interested.

Thankfully he's not genderbent anymore.


Front Door



Oh look, it's Magtok. Magtok, and the enormous purple gigantosaurus he's standing on top of. Judging by the *cough* unusual coloration, I'd be willing to bet anything there's a giant lizard robot hidden underneath its scales. It also has ruby-red eyes capable of spewing murderous death lasers, so I suppose that's probably a big clue, too.

"Hey guys! Stand back, I'm going to see if I can fit this through the front door!"

Oh Raptor Christ, he's trying to fit it through the front door. What in the world is wrong with Magtok? :smalleek:


Front Door - Shifter Sisters

"Hello, Miss Saxon. Miss Godlark. Did your picnic go well?" asks the world's most oblivious Magbot, answering the door for his master.

[Front Entrance]

Kal watches, slightly amused, but says nothing, instead opting to wait patiently. As far as he knows, this is not the reason he was called here, so he'll refrain from commenting.

[OrchestraHc]

Sophia holds down the plate, nodding in understanding.
Why didn't you mention the hand?
She inquires, curious.

Gear Repair:

"If you're talking about back on the wall, there was no reason to think it was absolutely necessary," Blondie answers. "In most cases I'm actually pretty nimble with my good hand, and most situations where I'd need two hands like lifting, I'd probably be to physically weak anyway. Didn't expect to rebuild a gun trigger by hand though." If she's been talking about up til now, she's seen the cast since he got to the door.

He tightens the plate screw into position and smiles. "Thank you Sophia. Here, tell me if it feels right in your hand," he says handing the grip to her.

[Arkhosia]

Gear Repair:

"If you're talking about back on the wall, there was no reason to think it was absolutely necessary," Blondie answers. "In most cases I'm actually pretty nimble with my good hand, and most situations where I'd need two hands like lifting, I'd probably be to physically weak anyway. Didn't expect to rebuild a gun trigger by hand though." If she's been talking about up til now, she's seen the cast since he got to the door.

He tightens the plate screw into position and smiles. "Thank you Sophia. Here, tell me if it feels right in your hand," he says handing the grip to her.

"welcome"
Sophia lifts it up and pulls on the (disconnected to prevent grappling hook firing) trigger.
"works fine. how much should i pay you, exactly?"
she inquires.

[ThirdEmperor]

[Front]

"I uhm, that doesn't look like it's going to work." The Burglar is taking a few good steps back. Dinosaurs are neat and all, but only now does he considers the benefits of neatness from a distance. "Uh, did you remember the environment suits?"

[OrchestraHc]

"welcome"
Sophia lifts it up and pulls on the (disconnected to prevent grappling hook firing) trigger.
"works fine. how much should i pay you, exactly?"
she inquires.

"Honestly I'm unsure," he answers. "I haven't done freelance engineering before. I was mostly just doing this to be nice. I'd actually love see this thing in action though."

[Arkhosia]

"Honestly I'm unsure," he answers. "I haven't done freelance engineering before. I was mostly just doing this to be nice. I'd actually love see this thing in action though."

Sophia grins.
Follow me.
She replies as she puts on a green cloak (http://www.cosplayhouse.com/images/D/Attack-on-Titan-Cosplay-Survey-Corps-Cloak-Cosplay-Costume-Version-01-image.jpg) and leads him....
To Outside!
You post first?

[OrchestraHc]

Sophia grins.
Follow me.
She replies as she puts on a green cloak (http://www.cosplayhouse.com/images/D/Attack-on-Titan-Cosplay-Survey-Corps-Cloak-Cosplay-Costume-Version-01-image.jpg) and leads him....
To Outside!
You post first?

Gear Repair:

"Sounds excellent, so would take my tools, or just leave them... You know what I'll bring them just in case something needs a repair."

((You're character is leading, so you would be the one setting the scene, so you posting first would make more sense.))

[Arkhosia]

So the the n leave to Outside!
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17683065&postcount=753

[Terumitsu]

[The Lime Room]


The Titan Shifter's eyes light up in joy, relief, and wonder, and she enters with a big smile on her face, gathering up various materials (making sure to not cannibalize anything), and going to get to work, putting her gear on the workbench and disassembling it.

That was probably the smartest thing to do in the situation although she might not get terribly far into her work before the doors swung open to let an identical pair moving what looked to be a rather overly complex vending machine that by all rights should have been far too heavy to be carried into the room if the dull thump of it being set down was any measure. Neither seemed to cast a glance over in the shifter's direction and instead one made her way over to a rather simple cot in the far corner. It wasn't until after the other 'twin' had apparently started staring off into space in the general direction of the machine that there was any acknowledgement of the shifter at all.

"...So what are you doing here?" came the question in surprisingly melodious tones and an equally exotic accent. Rather strange that she seemed to be quite aware of what Sophia was doing despite not even having a clear visual of her, though..


[MagCafeteria 2: The Contracting]

As had been suggested by her employer, information had been exchanged and (hopefully) understood by both parties so that they might have a more ready understanding of just where each was coming from. It might explain why the muse seemed a bit less on edge this time around as she waited though perhaps not why there was a corked bottle with a charcoal sketch of a dandelion cluster and a few glasses there as well. There hadn't been a similar request for HazMag to be present this time so it was likely up to the cyborg's whim for him to be included again or not although it might be prudent given that this was less a new meeting and more a continuation of an old one.

In any case, it looked to be a potentially interesting meeting this time around.

[Arkhosia]

Lime Room

Modifying my Maneuver Gear. I apologize for intruding In your lab, Ms. or Mrs. I had assumed that this lab was open for public use.
Sophia apologizes, not looking up from her work.
May I finish my modifications before you kick me out? I'm Sophia Godlark, by the way.

[Terumitsu]

[The Lime Room]

The muse's ears perked up at a few key words Sophia had spoken.

Namely: 'Modifying' and 'Gear.'

It was enough for her to turn around and make a quick step towards the occupied workbench to get a better eye on the contraption that was being worked on. "...Is this some kind of pneumatically powered climbing mechanism?" she inquired after a moment of looking at the pieces laid about. It seemed like a very over-engineered setup for just that. Plus it didn't seem to have the same kinds of safeties in place that she would expect in something of that nature. Even if that hypothesis was correct, it still didn't answer just why it was being tinkered with in the first place. "Why is it that you are making modifications to it?" she asked. As always, the idea of some new or interesting machine to discuss allowed her to at least somewhat ignore the fact that she was speaking with a total stranger. Still it wasn't enough to keep her from hovering perhaps a meter farther away than what would be considered a normal amount of personal space. "And what are those... Quivers for?" she asked, gesturing at the hip mounted cases that looked to store several long, thin items each.

[Arkhosia]

[The Lime Room]

The muse's ears perked up at a few key words Sophia had spoken.

Namely: 'Modifying' and 'Gear.'

It was enough for her to turn around and make a quick step towards the occupied workbench to get a better eye on the contraption that was being worked on. "...Is this some kind of pneumatically powered climbing mechanism?" she inquired after a moment of looking at the pieces laid about. It seemed like a very over-engineered setup for just that. Plus it didn't seem to have the same kinds of safeties in place that she would expect in something of that nature. Even if that hypothesis was correct, it still didn't answer just why it was being tinkered with in the first place. "Why is it that you are making modifications to it?" she asked. As always, the idea of some new or interesting machine to discuss allowed her to at least somewhat ignore the fact that she was speaking with a total stranger. Still it wasn't enough to keep her from hovering perhaps a meter farther away than what would be considered a normal amount of personal space. "And what are those... Quivers for?" she asked, gesturing at the hip mounted cases that looked to store several long, thin items each.

Correct, it is a device known as three dimensional maneuver gear or sometimes omnidirectional maneuver gear. To explain why I'm making modifications, I must explain a couple things: the quivers hold four interchangeable blades for the handles of the device, and the cylinder on the back contains wire. The tanks contain pressurized gas. I'm increasing the gas and blade storage capabilities of the device. If you're wondering, it was designed to slay titans, who stand between 4 to 15 meters tall and can only be killed with a deep cut to the neck. Our best advancement in other weapons were muskets and cannons.
Sophia explains. She seems to like explaining it, in fact.

[Lord Magtok]

[MagCafeteria 2: The Contracting]

As had been suggested by her employer, information had been exchanged and (hopefully) understood by both parties so that they might have a more ready understanding of just where each was coming from. It might explain why the muse seemed a bit less on edge this time around as she waited though perhaps not why there was a corked bottle with a charcoal sketch of a dandelion cluster and a few glasses there as well. There hadn't been a similar request for HazMag to be present this time so it was likely up to the cyborg's whim for him to be included again or not although it might be prudent given that this was less a new meeting and more a continuation of an old one.

In any case, it looked to be a potentially interesting meeting this time around.

Well HazMag's retired and off-site now. Magtok's not about to hire him just to sit in on this little meeting and do nothing; that would be silly.

"Interesting choice of decor," Magtok says with a nod towards the corked bottle, before taking his seat. Looks like he's biding his time, letting Riss start off the discussion. Striking from the advantageous position of knowing her stance on the matter before she knows his.


[Front]

"I uhm, that doesn't look like it's going to work." The Burglar is taking a few good steps back. Dinosaurs are neat and all, but only now does he considers the benefits of neatness from a distance. "Uh, did you remember the environment suits?"


[Front Entrance]

Kal watches, slightly amused, but says nothing, instead opting to wait patiently. As far as he knows, this is not the reason he was called here, so he'll refrain from commenting.

"Of course I remembered the environment suits!"

Magtok completely forgot the environment suits. Luckily, with his resources, he can just snap his fingers and suddenly have environment suits handy, so he does exactly that.

[Terumitsu]

[MagCafeteria]

"Is it? Apparently I managed to impress a certain wine god enough that I was willed his collection." the muse said, nonchalantly running a finger around the lip of a glass. "This one in particular is called 'Dandelion Opine.' It's supposed to let down inhibitions that keep one from speaking their mind while simultaneously sharpening the mind a bit to keep arguments clear and ensure the integrity of one's opinions." she said, picking up a wine key. "If I'm reading the label right, it has hints of honey, lavender, and birch. Probably light on the tannin, all things considered." With a description like that, there was no way she had selected this particular vintage at random although she had no actual skulduggery in mind.

"Care for some, Sir?" she asked, driving the corkscrew into the top of the bottle after peeling away the wax. It was all done in a highly methodical fashion, like each motion had been choreographed and practiced for this presentation though whether that made her seem more or less nervous about the meeting was up to the cyborg's interpretation. "I'm fairly certain that this isn't exactly the most potent of drinks despite the source although I'd suspect that neither of us really has to deal with mundane inebriation anymore. she said, easily popping the cork out of the bottle and waiting on Magtok to indicate his choice on partaking before attending to her own glass.

[The Lime Room]

Of all the things that had been just described to her, the one thing that seemed to catch Riss' mind the most was probably not what others would immediately think. "Why pneumatic, though? Using a compressible fluid is... Well, the return on energy isn't the best." she said, trying to be nice rather than throwing out words like 'inferior' given how some people took offense to that. "Why not an electrical system? It provides instantaneous torque which is what it looks like you'd need and has a much better return of energy investment. Doesn't need nearly as obtrusive storage units either.... And speaking of that, what kind of wire is that, anyway?" she asked. From her observations, it looked to be some kind of metal wire which, while certainly strong, probably could be replaced with an alloy weave to lessen weight. Sure, she knew in her mind that it would be easier to just scrap the idea entirely and go for something a lot less convoluted in what it aimed to do but there was always some enjoyment to be had from optimizing an idea even if it was technically ludicrous.

[Arkhosia]

[MagCafeteria]

"Is it? Apparently I managed to impress a certain wine god enough that I was willed his collection." the muse said, nonchalantly running a finger around the lip of a glass. "This one in particular is called 'Dandelion Opine.' It's supposed to let down inhibitions that keep one from speaking their mind while simultaneously sharpening the mind a bit to keep arguments clear and ensure the integrity of one's opinions." she said, picking up a wine key. "If I'm reading the label right, it has hints of honey, lavender, and birch. Probably light on the tannin, all things considered." With a description like that, there was no way she had selected this particular vintage at random although she had no actual skulduggery in mind.

"Care for some, Sir?" she asked, driving the corkscrew into the top of the bottle after peeling away the wax. It was all done in a highly methodical fashion, like each motion had been choreographed and practiced for this presentation though whether that made her seem more or less nervous about the meeting was up to the cyborg's interpretation. "I'm fairly certain that this isn't exactly the most potent of drinks despite the source although I'd suspect that neither of us really has to deal with mundane inebriation anymore. she said, easily popping the cork out of the bottle and waiting on Magtok to indicate his choice on partaking before attending to her own glass.

[The Lime Room]

Of all the things that had been just described to her, the one thing that seemed to catch Riss' mind the most was probably not what others would immediately think. "Why pneumatic, though? Using a compressible fluid is... Well, the return on energy isn't the best." she said, trying to be nice rather than throwing out words like 'inferior' given how some people took offense to that. "Why not an electrical system? It provides instantaneous torque which is what it looks like you'd need and has a much better return of energy investment. Doesn't need nearly as obtrusive storage units either.... And speaking of that, what kind of wire is that, anyway?" she asked. From her observations, it looked to be some kind of metal wire which, while certainly strong, probably could be replaced with an alloy weave to lessen weight. Sure, she knew in her mind that it would be easier to just scrap the idea entirely and go for something a lot less convoluted in what it aimed to do but there was always some enjoyment to be had from optimizing an idea even if it was technically ludicrous.

Back home we weren't very advanced tech-wise. Our best advancement behind this were cannons and muskets. Electricity did not exist as a power source then. It's made of a light-weight blend of titanium and aluminum, I believe.
Sophia explains.
I am wary of modifying the overall weight or power source of it due to already being adjusted to it's current weight and delays. Just like a rifleman would have difficulty wielding a rocket launcher at first due to the differences in size and weight and recoil.

[Terumitsu]

[The Lime Room]

A mechanism that required the ability to pressurize air while using a complex gear system at the same time seemed a bit... Advanced for only having gunpowder weaponry as the next pinnacle of technology. Of course, the muse didn't exactly have a clear idea of what would be considered 'reasonable progress' at that level of technology so she simply kept quiet on that particular point. At least until she had more information. She did have a counterpoint on using different materials, though. "I wouldn't say it's a rocket launcher so much as a better rifle. Regardless, I'd expect there to be some practice with something new before using it in the field.. Though you said these were made to combat 'titans?' Does that mean you expect to have to fight them again here?" she asked. It was the only answer that made sense other than it being the only combat this 'intruder' was used to.

"...Wait, so only if that part of the neck was cut? You said you had cannons so certainly just destroying the area in general would have the same effect, right? Assuming any kind of reliable accuracy, wouldn't they be a better choice when it comes to defense?" Riss asked, now focusing on the broader topic rather than just the mechanical implementations that could or couldn't be done.

[Arkhosia]

[The Lime Room]

A mechanism that required the ability to pressurize air while using a complex gear system at the same time seemed a bit... Advanced for only having gunpowder weaponry as the next pinnacle of technology. Of course, the muse didn't exactly have a clear idea of what would be considered 'reasonable progress' at that level of technology so she simply kept quiet on that particular point. At least until she had more information. She did have a counterpoint on using different materials, though. "I wouldn't say it's a rocket launcher so much as a better rifle. Regardless, I'd expect there to be some practice with something new before using it in the field.. Though you said these were made to combat 'titans?' Does that mean you expect to have to fight them again here?" she asked. It was the only answer that made sense other than it being the only combat this 'intruder' was used to.

"...Wait, so only if that part of the neck was cut? You said you had cannons so certainly just destroying the area in general would have the same effect, right? Assuming any kind of reliable accuracy, wouldn't they be a better choice when it comes to defense?" Riss asked, now focusing on the broader topic rather than just the mechanical implementations that could or couldn't be done.

Well, it's always a possibility. I've fought them a few times here, actually.
Yes and no. It was the back of the neck, and our cannons weren't accurate. Also, their position caused them to only be able to fire upon titans who were facing towards the cannons, and as such often were used as a way to incapacitate titans so that soldiers equipped with maneuver gear could swiftly slay them while the titans were too busy regenerating to snatch them.
Sadly, there is a high mortality rate in the military, except for the cowards in the military police, who do just fine.
Sophia remarks, her dislike of said Military Police evident by a bitter tone in her voice.

[Lord Magtok]

[MagCafeteria]

"Is it? Apparently I managed to impress a certain wine god enough that I was willed his collection." the muse said, nonchalantly running a finger around the lip of a glass. "This one in particular is called 'Dandelion Opine.' It's supposed to let down inhibitions that keep one from speaking their mind while simultaneously sharpening the mind a bit to keep arguments clear and ensure the integrity of one's opinions." she said, picking up a wine key. "If I'm reading the label right, it has hints of honey, lavender, and birch. Probably light on the tannin, all things considered." With a description like that, there was no way she had selected this particular vintage at random although she had no actual skulduggery in mind.

"Care for some, Sir?" she asked, driving the corkscrew into the top of the bottle after peeling away the wax. It was all done in a highly methodical fashion, like each motion had been choreographed and practiced for this presentation though whether that made her seem more or less nervous about the meeting was up to the cyborg's interpretation. "I'm fairly certain that this isn't exactly the most potent of drinks despite the source although I'd suspect that neither of us really has to deal with mundane inebriation anymore. she said, easily popping the cork out of the bottle and waiting on Magtok to indicate his choice on partaking before attending to her own glass.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass," Magtok was never particularly fond of Dionysus when the deity was alive, and the wine god's downfall at the hands of his own goat-centric scheme did nothing to soften our cyborg's icy contempt for the bastard. You could argue that it wouldn't hurt him to show some respect for the dead, but he's been down that road too many times to feel any empathy for the lucky bastards who only die once. As far as he's concerned, it couldn't have happened to a more deserving deity; good riddance.

"I'm not sure I'd trust a wine that says it's capable of sharpening minds, anyways. I'd trust it with dulling a mind to such a degree that one thinks their every idea will change the face of the world and bring infinite wealth to the innovative genius who came up with it, certainly, but sobriety and hindsight tends to make fools of such imaginings."

[Terumitsu]

[MagCafeteria]

"Where it from any other source, I would be inclined to agree with you." Riss said, pouring half a glass for herself and lightly setting the bottle down. The offer already made and denied, she felt no reason to pursue the subject longer, instead returning to the matter why they were there. "Ah, while we're speaking of such things and beings, I visited Charon recently as well. If he hasn't already come by then I should pass along the message that he might be visiting you at some point." ...Apparently allowing one small interlude before getting to the subject first, though.

"In any case, I expect now you have some grasp on how things generally are.. Were when it came to people handling their property. Given that the final decision rests on you, have you come to a conclusion based on what we spoke of last time?" she asked, taking a small sip of wine. It was a bit sweeter than she had expected but other than giving the pale drink an extra look, she gave it no outward attention while she waited for the cyborg's response.

[The Lime Room]

Riss tilted her head to one side at that last comment. "What do you mean by that?" she asked. "Is it that they're easily threatened or something?" Which would make for some pretty terrible officers in that case but it was the only fitting thing she could think of that would make them 'cowardly.' It only made sense that a force that polices the military would have lower casualties than those out on the field, in her mind.

In any case, there was something else that caught her attention other than the inter-division politics. "...Before you answer that, you mean to say you have fixed cannons? Anything mobile or with rifling at all?" she inquired with some incredulity. The idea of any kind of fixed military device that wasn't already an omnidirectional targeting platform was far more 'old fashioned' than she had been considering. At least that would make sense why they're not used for targeting these things more but... That's just... Backwards at this point. How the hell did they get something based on comparatively advanced fluid mechanics working but not mobile artillery?

[Arkhosia]

Lime Room

Well, there were three different divisions back home: the Garrison that protected the walls and were the main force to fight titans if the wall was breached, the survey corps who went out and slew titans in their own territory, and the military police. They lived in the innermost wall, Wall Sina, and rarely saw combat because of this. Their branch is riddled with corrupt officers, and it is the one branch anyone who wants to get a privileged, peaceful life tries to get into. Ironically, only the top ten graduates of boot camp can join.
Sophia explains.
Yes, we do. Our cannons are mounted on a set of rails on the walls that they can be slid on to change position, and we do have rifled muskets, blunderbuss, that sort of thing. We also developed grape shot and HE cannon rounds.
Sophia replies.
By the way, I'm not sure if it's necessary to explain, but the reason I'm hesitant to make large changes to my gear is because of how it's wielded. You use your hips and legs to change directions, so weight is something you have to be adjusted to, as well as dimensions.

[Terumitsu]

[The Lime Room]

Despite how she tried to look at things, Riss couldn't quite understand why this was 'wrong' so to speak. "..I am unsure that I follow. I mean, it is odd that those who tested the best would only be accepted by a group where their skills wouldn't be most useful but I've heard of stranger things. Regardless, why is it that someone should be punished for doing well if they don't want a strenuous position? I don't claim to have great interest in military chains of command but.. Isn't it somewhat standard to where the better a person tests on entry, the more non-combat options they have available to them?" she remarked. At least that was true from what she had picked up although it might potentially be different elsewhere.

"On the matter of adjusting to a new balance.. It really wouldn't be that difficult, would it? Maybe a few hours tops if that to relearn it?" she said. Of course, it sounded completely rational to her that such a feat would be possible but the muse had overlooked that small issue that Sophia probably didn't have access to the same kind of cerebral engineering and enhancements that, to her, had been so common as to be taken for granted; something she thought of moments after she had spoken. "...Wait, that wouldn't be possible for you, would it?" she half mumbled, nibbling at a fingernail in embarrassment at her misstep. Having monstrous mental processing power was all well and good but that didn't necessarily mean she always thought of everything.

[Arkhosia]

[The Lime Room]

Despite how she tried to look at things, Riss couldn't quite understand why this was 'wrong' so to speak. "..I am unsure that I follow. I mean, it is odd that those who tested the best would only be accepted by a group where their skills wouldn't be most useful but I've heard of stranger things. Regardless, why is it that someone should be punished for doing well if they don't want a strenuous position? I don't claim to have great interest in military chains of command but.. Isn't it somewhat standard to where the better a person tests on entry, the more non-combat options they have available to them?" she remarked. At least that was true from what she had picked up although it might potentially be different elsewhere.

"On the matter of adjusting to a new balance.. It really wouldn't be that difficult, would it? Maybe a few hours tops if that to relearn it?" she said. Of course, it sounded completely rational to her that such a feat would be possible but the muse had overlooked that small issue that Sophia probably didn't have access to the same kind of cerebral engineering and enhancements that, to her, had been so common as to be taken for granted; something she thought of moments after she had spoken. "...Wait, that wouldn't be possible for you, would it?" she half mumbled, nibbling at a fingernail in embarrassment at her misstep. Having monstrous mental processing power was all well and good but that didn't necessarily mean she always thought of everything.

It's wrong because, back home, humanity is on the brink of extinction, and the best of our soldiers are in the interior sipping tea and chatting it up with the nobles while the soldiers in the survey corps are laying down their lives to exterminate the titans and take back the outside world!
Sophia replies angrily, this subject being a very strong, opinionated, and passionate one for her.

[Lord Magtok]

MagCafeteria

There's a long pause before Magtok resumes speaking. "I'm presently leaning towards an arrangement where you'd be granted, whether in a de jure sense or only a de facto one, the licenses that were at issue here, and then move along as though it was never an issue. Keep your pay and responsibilities more or less as is, with a mild increase to both. Brusquely impose my will on the contract in the most expedient manner possible, with minimal damage to the status quo."

I think he deliberately timed various revelations in that statement for when Riss was sipping at her drink. The chrome bastard, was he trying to engineer a spit-take? Did he mean to strike when her composure was at its weakest, to glean as much information as possible from her reaction? He knows she's an employee, and not some sort of business rival, right?

[Terumitsu]

[The Lime Room]

Picking up a mostly clean cloth off of a nearby worktable, Riss pulled the clear plastic caps off the tips of her horns and began a little routine cleaning as she formulated her reply. "...How many of them are there, then?" she asked. There was more that she wanted to say beyond that but this was clearly a touchy subject. Still, though... With all things considered, even if the top ten all decided to go to the interior the so-called 'best' wouldn't necessarily stay the best without live combat as per what Sophia was implying her branch was involved in. Taking into account unaugmented human biometric standards, there could only ever be a maximum of 600 individuals there who could be considered as 'employed' by the inner branch and even then a generous estimate would state that only 350 of them would be properly fit for duty simply due to the effects of age.

Really, to the muse, it seemed like, unless the 10 people counted for a significant percentage of yearly recruits, this was really just a case of miss-aimed anger on a group that was taken to be the figurehead of a more prevalent problem.

[MagCafateria]

Unfortunately for Magtok, Riss was going to have a rather boring reaction. A small sip wasn't quite enough to choke on and that in itself would be somewhat difficult for her given all that extra processing power. "That is.. Highly generous of you, Sir." she said in measured tones, setting the glass down. "..If I might pose two questions to you, though, Sir.." she began, resting her elbows on the table; hands clasped in front of her face. It was odd to her to have the 'right' to speak freely but there had never been any word said nor written in her current situation that prevented it and it had only been on her own reviews of the law that this had occurred to her. Mores aside, that is.

"It isn't that I doubt you having a good reason but.. Why?" she asked. The second question could wait for the time being given how it was... Rather off subject to what they were speaking about.

[Arkhosia]

Lime Room

I honestly do not know, but considering the fact that on average about 9 of the top ten join the MPs, every time a class graduates 9 of our most promising, best soldiers are sent to the interior far away from combat to have their blades rust and their skills forgotten from their absence of use. This has been going on for about 70 years, so in the time of its creation about 630 great soldiers have been taken away from the battlefield. It doesn't help that our mortality rate is so high, so we are prone to losing some of our best in combat. Every person counts in the war back home, you see.
She replies.

[Terumitsu]

[The Lime Room]

Riss gave a non-committal nod as she turned her attention back to the disassembled device. "..May I?" she asked, reaching for the main case. While the power source and weight were off limits, there were still a few other things she had in mind that she could do.

"So, if I might ask.. What numbers are there in the other forces where an extra 600 would have made a difference in during the past years? What kind of losses are we talking about?" the muse inquired, trying a different track. They were moving quite quickly away from her area of expertise where she would definitely require more data before making any 'suggestions.' Still, it was something to do to keep Sophia somewhat distracted so she could work without too much interruption if things went well. At the least, even if she couldn't alter it's weight or the (horribly backwards, in her opinion) pneumatic drive, at least other things like efficiency, accuracy, and perhaps a few measures to ensure smoother action were fair game. Plus those harpoon-like anchors could do with a bit of a touch-up if not a bit of redesigning given that it seemed as if they saw heavy usage. Maybe some tinkering with the firing mechanism as well to better dissipate the recoil if possible.

[Arkhosia]

[The Lime Room]

Riss gave a non-committal nod as she turned her attention back to the disassembled device. "..May I?" she asked, reaching for the main case. While the power source and weight were off limits, there were still a few other things she had in mind that she could do.

"So, if I might ask.. What numbers are there in the other forces where an extra 600 would have made a difference in during the past years? What kind of losses are we talking about?" the muse inquired, trying a different track. They were moving quite quickly away from her area of expertise where she would definitely require more data before making any 'suggestions.' Still, it was something to do to keep Sophia somewhat distracted so she could work without too much interruption if things went well. At the least, even if she couldn't alter it's weight or the (horribly backwards, in her opinion) pneumatic drive, at least other things like efficiency, accuracy, and perhaps a few measures to ensure smoother action were fair game. Plus those harpoon-like anchors could do with a bit of a touch-up if not a bit of redesigning given that it seemed as if they saw heavy usage. Maybe some tinkering with the firing mechanism as well to better dissipate the recoil if possible.
Sophia nods.
Well, first of all, the Survey Corps had, just an estimation, 400 troops. This doesn't seem like much, but for 68 years it had an 80% mortality rate, the last two years with a 40% mortality rate. Add to that the fact we lost 20% of the population due to the outer wall being destroyed, and that shows how much we needed soldiers that were more than capable to slay titans. The garrison had about 700, who focused mainly on using cannons to kill titans that were busy clawing at the wall or guarding the wall in general, as well as being the police force of the outer walls. Due to their relative safety the garrison didn't suffer many casualties, but many of their number were lost during the Fall of Wall Maria and the Battle of Trost, where the wall was breached again but the soldiers managed to seal the hole.
She explains, watching her work interestedly.

[Terumitsu]

[The Lime Room]

The muse's hands moved with such deft skill hat the gear seemed almost to be willed apart at her slightest touch. Her pace, were it anyone else would be frantic but she had such purpous that it seemed to be calmly steady; like a ship sailed so well one couldn't even tell it was in the clutches of a horrendous storm. Here, some things were tightened, others loosened, and some adjusted just so while there components were added or removed and still others were refined or outright replaced.Parts fell into place like the gears and sprockets of a timepiece hand-crafted by a master and each of them were tuned with watch-like precision as if she had made the act of mechanical creation into an art form.

"Eighty percent casualties is obscene." Riss said, her tone distantly unconcerned rather suddenly as she focused on her work. "In all that time, there were no other advancements such as this?" she asked. You'd think they would adopt tactics to mitigate that. Even I know that's an insane amount after what I've lived through. It's certainly not sustainable by any means.

[Arkhosia]

The Lime Room

Only recently, since Commander Erwin was prompted. One of his contributions was a scouting formation that focused on avoiding titans, therefore reducing casualties to 40%. The reason for he many casualties is that titans are very, very dangerous, and if you don't have a horse, 3d maneuver gear, or if you have 3d maneuver gear, anything to use to swing around, then you're almost certainly screwed, and the expeditions often were in plains. Add to that the fact that titans are drawn to large groups of humans, and special ones known as aberrants can sometimes catch up to a person on a horse, and you can see why they suffer so many deaths.
The last expedition had a higher body count than usual, only because of a rather unique case that caused us to lose about 55% of our men.
Sophia says as she watches Riss work with wonder

[Terumitsu]

[The Lime Room]

"Mmm.." was the only response the muse gave for some time, focusing the lion's share of her attention on her work. I think I'm starting to see where her anger might come from. At the very least, for that to be the only innovation in seventy years is.. Something has to be curtailing development as this has every single pressuring factor that drives technological advancement is present and yet she's showing signs of this being status quo. It has to be that as this thing's design, while rough, is at least a sound conceptual implementation.

With a final, almost silent squeak of metal on metal, the muse finished tightening the last screw of the re-assembled gear. At a glance it wouldn't appear to have had any changes done but here and there, to a keen eye, one could discern the presence of parts that were definitely not native to the original design. Even the harness had seen some attention as it looked to be more comfortable to use for long periods of time without horribly chafing or otherwise becoming a bother. "Thrust is unchanged but I've tinkered with some nozzles as well as the seals to provide the same output with less waste. I estimate that you'll see an average increase to longevity of about twenty to twenty-five percent, depending on field conditions and use. I've re-aligned the harpoon barrels and added an internal rail system to reduce recoil and lower the stress on the user, among other things." Riss said, standing up and backing away to let Sophia get back to her maneuver gear. "I did replace the winching mechanism so it should spool and release much more smoothly than before as well. I'd prefer a chance to redesign the harness to better distribute the forces that I imagine are involved in this thing's use and I'd expect spinal complications to arise in a few years as it is now but given the attrition rate you've mentioned, I'm not particularly surprised as why that hasn't come up yet. The alterations I've made should stave that off for a while longer, at least." she said, trying to not let on that she felt quite a bit better having had the chance to scratch that odd little engineering itch. It was her waiting on the shifter's appraisal that kept her from asking any further questions on the current topic, however.

[Lord Magtok]

MagCafeteria

"The MagCave isn't going to be operational forever, Riss. A time is going to come when I'm deadtimed and stuck that way, or all of me's will be killed off in a viral attack, or some other third, equally bad and permanent thing. I don't know when my time will come, but I fully expect you to outlive me, and there ought to be enough funds to sustain you until your next job comes along. I'm going to die before I come even close to running out of money, so I might as well ensure those who were loyal are comfortably situated, since whatever's left will probably be temporally locked along with me."

Even if he doesn't deadtime with his money, his will still stipulates a Scrooge McDuck-esque burial in a massive pit of gold, so that might as well accomplish the same thing.

[Arkhosia]

[The Lime Room]

"Mmm.." was the only response the muse gave for some time, focusing the lion's share of her attention on her work. I think I'm starting to see where her anger might come from. At the very least, for that to be the only innovation in seventy years is.. Something has to be curtailing development as this has every single pressuring factor that drives technological advancement is present and yet she's showing signs of this being status quo. It has to be that as this thing's design, while rough, is at least a sound conceptual implementation.

With a final, almost silent squeak of metal on metal, the muse finished tightening the last screw of the re-assembled gear. At a glance it wouldn't appear to have had any changes done but here and there, to a keen eye, one could discern the presence of parts that were definitely not native to the original design. Even the harness had seen some attention as it looked to be more comfortable to use for long periods of time without horribly chafing or otherwise becoming a bother. "Thrust is unchanged but I've tinkered with some nozzles as well as the seals to provide the same output with less waste. I estimate that you'll see an average increase to longevity of about twenty to twenty-five percent, depending on field conditions and use. I've re-aligned the harpoon barrels and added an internal rail system to reduce recoil and lower the stress on the user, among other things." Riss said, standing up and backing away to let Sophia get back to her maneuver gear. "I did replace the winching mechanism so it should spool and release much more smoothly than before as well. I'd prefer a chance to redesign the harness to better distribute the forces that I imagine are involved in this thing's use and I'd expect spinal complications to arise in a few years as it is now but given the attrition rate you've mentioned, I'm not particularly surprised as why that hasn't come up yet. The alterations I've made should stave that off for a while longer, at least." she said, trying to not let on that she felt quite a bit better having had the chance to scratch that odd little engineering itch. It was her waiting on the shifter's appraisal that kept her from asking any further questions on the current topic, however.
Sophia grins, overjoyed by this!
Thanks so much! Spinal complications haven't come up yet for me, thankfully. then again, it's only been a year that I've been using it. Hey, if you ever want, you're welcome to try out the 3dmg. Least I can do to repay you, right?
Sophia replies.

[Terumitsu]

[MagCafeteria]

A little more wine disappeared from the glass before Magtok had finished his explanation. "That's very..." There was the briefest of falters as Riss tried to compose an acceptable response but whether the vintage was more potent than expected or she was simply finding the ability to be more vocal or some combination thereof, what came out was: "Screwed up...Sir." There was a small pause as the muse realized that she'd need to go farther if her stance were to make any sense. "Not what you said, I mean, but how you said it. It's like you subscribe to that notion where you only have a finite allotment of time that can run out at any instant. Maybe it's just how things are where I lived but, barring a freak accident or gross negligence or idiocy, that sort of thing is in the control of the individual." she said, folding her arms across her chest. "I mean, given your resources and assuming you are even half as intelligent as I believe you to be, I'd estimate that we would have a larger chance to simply all die due to a runaway nuclear inferno before any of those other things came to pass." she said. In all reality, she was convinced that this was just her employer being... Overly prepared although she held onto enough tact to keep from outright calling him paranoid. Or unnecessarily paranoid I should say.

"But assuming that something like that does come to pass.. What time frame would you expect anything to happen in? Fifty to seventy years or so? More?col" she inquired, citing perfectly reasonable spans of time.. At least in her opinion.


[The Lime Room]

"...Payment?" came Riss' mildly confused reply. This hadn't been a formal exchange so... Wait, hold on, she's probably just using terminology to express gratitude. Got to think of that quicker. "Oh, um.. Well, just let me know how it performs. That'll be enough for me." So that I might iterate on a better design. If you do show up again, at least I'll have a better shot at changing your mind about letting me redesign that gear. "Though I'd like to know more about these titans if you have anything else to say about them." she added. The itch of having the potential to perhaps craft something else was tickling her brain again and from what she had heard already, it sounded like it would be an interesting challenge to improve upon the weapons already in use for fighting these things. Sophia's survival, assuming her designs were an improvement, would just be a nice side benefit in her thinking. It would be rather hard for her to find someone else with the same skillset even without the weight of having to deal with an unknown quantity of people to bog her down if she were to find a replacement and she suspected she might just scrap further developments if that came to pass.

"...Should have asked this earlier, though... Just why is it that you're here? Is Lord Magtok experiencing troubles with these kinds of creatures elsewhere or are you maybe part of a... I guess 'Big Game Hunting' expedition that he's funding or something?" she asked. Her employer seemed like he'd be more of the latter but it could be the former if he was making an axillary base somewhere else.

[Arkhosia]

Lime Room

Well, I'm kinda related to Magtok. A version of him existed back home, and I was his adopted daughter. When I came here, he kinda took me in. I have to prove myself worthy of being adopted by him, and until then I have a temporary home here
Sophia explains, looking kinda embarrassed that she hasn't proven herself worthy yet.

Titans, as I said before, regenerate injuries and only can be killed via a deep cut in the nape. They can range from 4 to 15 meters high, but 3 meter and 20 meter titans have been spotted before.
There is a special type known as aberrants, which run and behave very unpredictably, often having a specific quarry and ignoring other humans. A subtype are crawlers, which are what the name implies.
The most unknown of them all are Shifters. Shifters are humans that posess a titan's regeneration and are able to transform into titans. I myself am one.
The 3dmg is easy in theory to operate.it requires balance, and is operated by the triggers on thehandle. ifyou hold down the long outer one on each handle, you boost yourself with gas in theback. the upper inner ones fire their respective grappling hooks, and the lower inner one releases the blades, which is required due to theblades dulling.
To move with it, you have to lean and use your legs to alter where your weight is, similar to a skateboard.
sophia explains.

[Lord Magtok]

MagCafeteria

"I've been in the Nexus for nearly eight years, Riss. Do you know how many people and places are still alive and active from the time I first arrived in this world?" Magtok asks instead of answering the question directly, figuring this would be easier than trying to explain the intricacies of his current theories on deadtime and the way it operates within their world.

[Terumitsu]

[Lime Room]

"I see." was the simple reply to the sudden description of the maneuver gear. Not that I hadn't surmised most of that already else how would I have been able to know what to do to improve it. Still, she knew she was hardly one to talk given how she would jabber at length on anything she was interested in so she held her tongue on saying anything else on that matter. Plus I don't think Magtok would appreciate a report back from his... Pseudo-relative about being snarked at though I'm not certain she's the type who would tell even so.

Still, this talk of 'regeneration' was interesting... "So.. When you say 'Regenerate,' just how quickly are we talking about here? Days? Hours?" If either was the case then the muse had half a mind to see if Sophia had any qualms about having genetic samples taken... At least if she was able to find a way to isolate the mechanism then she felt quite confident that it could be replicated in a controlled fashion. She had mentioned being able to turn into one of these things after all although that request was being saved for the time being. Considering that something like that could reach upwards of fifteen meters implied it likely wouldn't be welcome in a place that was rather crowded with various projects in equally diverse degrees of completion. Plus, if they ate humans then finding out if that extended to this specime- to Sophia would be worth finding out first.

[MagCafeteria]

"I cannot say I do know, Sir." the muse answered simply. "But I would assume that there is a positive net difference in both quantities now when compared to then." Else that meant that there was a dwindling birth and immigration rate which was pretty much death for any community unless something changed. Still, it made sense given what she had seen, at least.

"However, I do not know how many of either number would be those you hold in esteem, either. Given the particular phrasing of your answer, I can only surmise that this particular quantity has generally been on the wane." she said, raising the glass to her lips again. "..Nor the numbers which you've been required to reduce yourself nor those whom have survived to be a constant torment to you despite any inclinations that others more worthy 'should' have been in their place." she added. Given that attack on the cave some time ago, it didn't seem as if that was the first time something like that had happened nor did it appear that Magtok was inexperienced with such matters or the pressures that built up to cause them. Really, it made sense in her mind. Power brought powerful allies and powerful antagonists.. Though she assumed that it was more often that latter option given her understanding. "...I suppose, in an inadvertent way, you've now answered my second question.." she said with a small shrug.

[Arkhosia]

Lime Room

It depends on the severity of the injury and the condition of the shifter. A light cut will heal with no problem, but a severed limb could take all day. And regeneration takes a toll on the body, as does shifting. Due to this, a severe injury often results in the shifter falling unconscious and pretty much sleeping for the duration of most of the regeneration, and shifters need to take a long break between assuming titan form.
Fatigue isn't the only hindrance. To transform into a Titan is not simply an at will thing, as well. To shift one must have a clear goal in mind that they are focused on and an injury that draws blood. It also only works outside.
Sophia explains.

[Darkcomet]

[Mail!]

Magtok is getting more e-mail. It appears to be from a public UDN address, marked as belonging to the office of the Vice Commander.


Greetings, Mr. Magtok. In the wake of the formation of the Union and your own partnership with Mr. DC in VIGIL, matters outside the capital are now a formal concern once more, due to diplomatic concerns and national security. Your involvement in the city of Skyside is no secret, and I wanted to know how you felt about its less savory aspects, such as the city's infamy for being a den of slavers and other unpleasant individuals.

While it has not become a serious issue yet, it is a concern that Skyside will be used as a safe haven to stage raids into Union territory, as part of slaving operations, piracy, or simple anti-establishment efforts. While the relationship between yourself and the Union's predecessors has not always been the best (and I did personally have you at disruptor-point once), it strikes me as somewhat unintuitive to enable such activities. If Skyside-based raiding becomes a major problem for us in the future, tensions between us, and between you, Mr. DC, and other VIGIL members will reach points I would personally prefer to avoid.

The issue is something of an 'elephant in the room' regarding your business within our territory and your role in VIGIL. I do not expect to control what you do about it, but you and Mr. DC already nearly went to war once. I can only hope that this issue does not serve as a spark to reignite that conflict. Given our historically poor relations, I won't be surprised if you do not respond, but you know as well as I do that such a conflict would benefit none of us, and certainly not our people.

-Vice Commander N'alae t'Lhoell of the UDN

[happyturtle]

Way Back on Magtok's Birthday

A MagCopter returns from Melody's Island with Magtok and Happy.

I guess their mission was a success, since they obtained Melody's blessing.

On the other hand, there was cave crawling, extreme shapeshifting, and crying. So any mood that might have remained from before has been killed and trampled into paste.

Happy has a big smile on her face, so she's probably thinking of something romantic. Something like, "I'm so glad Reinholdt is really gone."

[Terumitsu]

[Lime Room]

Well that was a somewhat odd series of requirements to be able to utilize such an ability but it still seemed to be less restrictive than other things she had heard about. "Do you know why it is that it cannot be done inside?" the muse asked. That one in particular seemed to be the odd one out of the bunch as the rest seemed relatively sensible, all things taken into consideration.

"Also, you mentioned needing a goal to initiate the process? Would you be able to describe what sort of goals are acceptable or at least are valid to start the transformation?" she inquired further. Really, this seemed like it was within the realm of ichor based sorcery although she held that observation to herself. Magtok's... 'Disdain' for magic wasn't exactly hidden and she felt that the scholarly research she performed in those areas was probably best left outside this particular workplace. Though I suppose I could see this being given a tentative go-ahead since it seems to be more reliant on the physical ability of an individual than other types of thaumaturgy that come to mind.... Though I should probably find out if she's adverse to having blood samples taken soon if I'm to continue this line of study..

[Arkhosia]

[Lime Room]

Well that was a somewhat odd series of requirements to be able to utilize such an ability but it still seemed to be less restrictive than other things she had heard about. "Do you know why it is that it cannot be done inside?" the muse asked. That one in particular seemed to be the odd one out of the bunch as the rest seemed relatively sensible, all things taken into consideration.

"Also, you mentioned needing a goal to initiate the process? Would you be able to describe what sort of goals are acceptable or at least are valid to start the transformation?" she inquired further. Really, this seemed like it was within the realm of ichor based sorcery although she held that observation to herself. Magtok's... 'Disdain' for magic wasn't exactly hidden and she felt that the scholarly research she performed in those areas was probably best left outside this particular workplace. Though I suppose I could see this being given a tentative go-ahead since it seems to be more reliant on the physical ability of an individual than other types of thaumaturgy that come to mind.... Though I should probably find out if she's adverse to having blood samples taken soon if I'm to continue this line of study..

Well, it appears to be due to the height of titans and the fact a flash of light about as high as the titan form appears before it is created. I would guess that the formation creates enough heat to make visible light. All types of goals are valid as long as the shifter is utterly determined to complete such an action. However, the goal determines the quality of the form as well as the other variables. For example, in an attempt to save his friends from a cannonball, one shifter assumed a titan form that extended it's arm to prevent the cannonball from damaging his friends. The form was incomplete, with only one arm and muscles half-formed on the torso and skull, with no skin on the arm or a lower torso whatsoever, with an empty ribcage accessible from the outside, and fell apart quickly after it was exited. This same shifter often created a 15-meter, heavily muscled, skin-covered titan form in combat. An example of the requirement of determination is when during testing of his abilities one task required shifting while in a deep well. It was simply putting him down there and telling him to shift, but when he attempted he was unable to. Later, during a lunch break, the same shifter dropped a spoon, and quickly reacted by lunging to grab it, cutting himself in the process. This caused him to create a shoulder and lower neck with an arm, skinless, and with the hand holding the spoon. This action also revealed to us that shifting is a spontaneous action, as the shifter did not intend to shift but merely to catch the spoon.
Sophia replies.
Her other parent was in fact in charge of the experiments, and Sophia often would read her parent's notes out of curiosity.
And no, Sophia isn't sure if Hanji is male or female either. :smallamused:

[Lord Magtok]

Way Back on Magtok's Birthday

"I don't know, what about-" Magtok starts, jumping to the cat's defense, it seems. He frowns, giving the matter a bit more thought, and then a little more thought, just to be thorough, before shaking his head and giving up.

"Nope, I've got nothing. The cat's gone, and good riddance."

MagCafeteria

"Everyone is gone except the talking llama and the fox people in Inari's Temple. Vespe, Saurous, Elly...they all were vanished right out of the Nexus, some before it ever started being called the Nexus. Not dead, just ceasing to exist. The same thing happened to Reinholdt not that long, and he hadn't been in this world nearly as long as I had. My seven years is longer than anyone else has continuously resided within this world without being vanished like that, with the sole exception of the llama and the fox priests."

A bunch of Magbots wheel in a chalkboard, covered in equations, formulas, and the sort of mad scribblings one would expect from an insane cyborg trying to grasp a concept as alien as deadtime, without any substantial information on it to base any of his thoughts off of. It's not entirely inaccurate, though. He has a few of Happy's character's sharing the same thread of fate on a graph.

"It happens to most everyone who doesn't die of natural or violent causes, sooner or later. I've devoted years to its study, and haven't come any closer to being certain of what triggers it, or why. My immunity thus far is without explanation, and could end at any point in time, with the odds only getting worse with each passing day. Most people are lucky if they get one year, Riss, and I've had seven. It's going to be eight in December. It will kill me before any war does, and as Reinholdt's leave has shown, it won't matter how many clones I have when it hits me. I might have years, or I might have days, so I don't, I really do not want to leave behind any kind of mess or unresolved business that I don't have to."



[Mail!]

Magtok is getting more e-mail. It appears to be from a public UDN address, marked as belonging to the office of the Vice Commander.


My only concern regarding Skyside is the annihilation of slavers and the freeing of the enslaved, as the record will show. Beyond that, the inhabitants are free to go about their business as they like, without any sort of interference that can be traced back to MagCorp. That is simply Skyside's way, and the others involved in its founding would not accept anything else. So long as the city remains aloft and business continues, the bodies of a few slavers or pirates, or even slaver-pirates are inconsequential.

Interpret as you see fit, and congratulations on the promotion.

-Magtok

[happyturtle]

Way Back on Magtok's Birthday

"Did you ever see the way he used to look at Melody? Gave me the serious creeps." :smallyuk: