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Ashen Lilies
2020-09-08, 04:13 AM
The Skybase has NPC lookouts who will offer transportation to any not obviously hostile people attempting to get to the surface. This process can be completely handwaved, unless there's a very important plot reason not to.


https://drive.google.com/uc?id=0BxdIVQZ2SgvMczBqRUxWenhHU2c

Whereas GLoG concerns itself with redeeming evil-doers (and healing the sick and sheltering refugees etc.) and AMEN is evildoers, VIGIL takes a more neutral approach. VIGIL doesn’t concern itself with good or evil, but with kicking people who need to be kicked. It is dedicated to preventing threats to the Nexus, both massive-scale and small-scale, from muggers and exploding taverns to apocalypsoi and demonic invasions. Of course, given that evil-doers tend to be the ones who cause those things, VIGIL tends to be pitted against the forces of evil more often than not, but it doesn’t care that they’re evil, just that they’re causing trouble. Calling it a 'Good' organization is likely to draw the ire of some of the more morally relative members around. Maybe. Some members do call it a Good organization. This is because it is formed from the merging of the two organizations, WATCHTOWER and HALO. Both were similar in that they fought off those who need to be fought. But then certain elements of HALO turned around and walked away because... reasons? It's awfully confusing, but there's no real reason to care about it, so I'm not gonna!

VIGIL is an organization that exists to stop some bad things from happening. No one is entirely sure which ones, or why.

Oh, and also their first base done got blowed up by demons. It was terribly inconvenient.



Current VIGIL Locations: (PLEASE USE LOCATION TAGS IN THIS THREAD OR I WILL SHOW UP IN YOUR BASEMENT IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT AND SHANK YOU).


[Vigil Skybase] (Official Vigil HQ)

Vigil's new base, built atop a flying island hijacked from the Hunting Grounds. The island is propelled by large engines created by the Mia, priestess of Deus Mechanicus, and is currently on patrol.

The portion of the base on the surface of the island consists of several complexes red stone buildings ringing a basin towards the upper end of the island. Flanked by several peaks, the basin serves as a natural shelter to the surface structures of the Vigil base, and is bisected by a narrow lake that flows into a river towards the lower end of the island. Plentiful footpaths crisscross the various complexes that make up the Vigil base, along with a one-way monorail that runs the length of the valley, allowing for rapid transit from one end of the base to another.

The Academy
Placed strategically at the head of the valley, the Academy serves as a main hub for the base, splitting the two halves of the basin with a complex of several large stone structures. The largest of these structures is the Library, which contains numerous books on magic as well as the theory of warfare and martial arts; some saved from the wreckage of the former Vigil base, others new additions donated by Vigil members or the organization’s various benefactors. The Library also contains several Labs well suited to conducting magical and scientific research, map rooms for strategic planning, and a telescope observatory at the top of a tower for star-gazing. Flanking the Library are the main Armory and Clinic, as well as buildings containing indoor Training Facilities, and elevators and tunnels to the interior and underside of the island. The Library foyer and Academy courtyard also serves as a useful Reception for new visitors to the base.

The Training Grounds
Taking up an entire half of the basin on one side of the lake, the Training Grounds serve as the main point-of-call for any open-air practice Vigil members should wish to conduct. Separate facilities include a running track; arenas for dueling and swordplay; a shooting and archery range; areas for jousting; and other such facilities for martial pursuits.

The Upper Village
On the opposite side of the lake to the training grounds is the Upper Village, where the majority of Vigil members will make their residence. The Upper Village is primarily populated by large stone halls. Living space prioritizes economy over luxury, with large barrack halls splitting their space equally between intimately sized single rooms and larger bunkrooms for members that value their privacy a little less. Centered in between these barrack halls are a central plaza and some community buildings, including a mess hall, gym and recreational building, tennis courts and basketball hoops, laundry buildings, and a large bathhouse with group and individual baths. Close to the lake are several fenced-off gardens and open grassy areas ideal for outdoor sports, and the lakeside has a rather nice sandy beach. Magical landscaping is convenient like that.

The Battered Shield
A large tavern that has opened up in the Upper Village, meant for off-duty Vigil members and their guests to congregate, relax, and get a few drinks. The tavern gets its name from the broken shield above the entrance, which changes weekly. The back wall of the tavern is covered in more damaged and broken shields, each one smashed in the defense of the Nexus. Live music most nights, including from Rain, Vigil's resident bard.

Commanders’ Village
A little ways uphill from the Upper Village, a set of overlooking terraces set into the mountainside are home to some modest two-story houses. These houses are space provided to the current commanders of Vigil, and each have their own amenities including kitchen, several bedrooms, and plenty of space for studies, workrooms, armories, or shrines to one’s own magnificence.

The Lower Village
Further down the valley, near its foot where the lake narrows into a river that flows out of the basin, is the Lower Village, partially secluded from the rest of the base amidst the valley walls and the start of the woods that cover the rest of the island. The Lower Village has small, separate houses with their own gardens and more privacy compared to the communal living spaces of the Upper Village.

Emergency Monorail
This stone railway along runs from the Lower Village, through the Upper Village, up towards the Academy. Runes placed at intervals along the railway allow for the summoning of a magic platform that moves rapidly in one direction up towards the Academy, making it useful for emergencies or other times when expedience is required.


Command/Combat Information Center
Located deep within the heart of the island, this easily defensible underground complex could serve as a future command center for Vigil operations. As of right now, it’s sparsely furnished with a few offices including some larger offices for Vigil’s command staff, a mainframe room, and a pair of video conferencing rooms.

Battle Clinic
Less luxuriously equipped than the main surface clinic, this clinic’s central underground location makes it an ideal spot for emergency treatment in the heat of battle.

Vaults
Underground vaults for the storage of possible artifacts and items of apocalyptic or near-apocalyptic importance. Currently very empty.


Airship Gantry
Carved into the underside of the island is a cavernous open-air hanger, crisscrossed by bridges and hanging platforms. As of yet, a pair of large skyships built for hauling cargo currently occupies the interior, in addition to a small flotilla of yacht-sized skyskiffs for transport. Given Vigil’s past history with flying devices of all sorts, it’s likely to become the home for many more in the future. An upside-down tower near the entrance to the hanger serves as an air-traffic control of sorts, as well as a command tower with communications linked to the other exterior observation towers.

Skyship Reference (http://img14.deviantart.net/a9cf/i/2015/123/9/6/skyship_by_bryansyme-d299rd7.jpg) (bulkier, with less weaponry)

Skyferry Reference (http://img11.deviantart.net/f75a/i/2013/077/0/e/fantasy_airship_by_yuchenghong-d5yj5xy.jpg) (less fancy, no propellers)

Observation Towers
Upside-down towers dot the underside of the island at various point, providing lookout points for sentries to observe the land below, as well as a possible platform for defensive or siege weapons to be mounted in the future.

[Vigil Safehouses - Inside/Skyside]

A pair of safehouses, located in Inside and Skyside. The Vigil safehouses from the outside look like ordinary, unattractive worn-down apartment blocks, though they are equipped with a heavy door and security systems to prevent entry to non-Vigil members. Inside there are beds, toilet and bathing facilities, and enough supplies and equipment to last about a dozen members each for several months. Intended to be used as temporary staging bases so that Vigil can still operate semi-normally while in hiding, but light on electronic equipment, in order to avoid detection.

[Vigil Ruins]

The old base, located on a cliff-side above the lake. Done got blowed up by demons. They're still there, probably.



CURRENT LEADERS (talk to these guys if you need help - of the regular kind, not psychiatric help. They're not qualified for that.)
- Wenomir
- Cessie Mithar

Previous Threads



WATCHTOWER 1: I can see my house from here! (http://tinyurl.com/2729fxq) 07/09/2009 - 13/12/2009
WATCHTOWER 2: Who Watches the WATCHTOWER? (http://tinyurl.com/28pakhb) 13/12/2009 - 09/05/2010
WATCHTOWER 3: Big Brother is WATCHing You. (http://tinyurl.com/2esov6k) 09/05/2010 - 30/07/2010
WATCHTOWER 4: Doing Nothing, With Style (since 2009) (http://tinyurl.com/2dh9rdc) 30/07/2010 - 12/09/2010
WATCHTOWER 5: 100 Rooms of DOOOM! (http://tinyurl.com/29je9eq) 12/09/2010 - 14/11/2010
WATCHTOWER 6: Like Justice League, but ON LAAAND! (http://tinyurl.com/6xbjxee) 14/11/2010 - 17/01/2011
WATCHTOWER 7: In the Face of Overwhelming Adversity, we Break Things. (http://tinyurl.com/4d7yhmc) 17/01/2011 - 13/03/2011
WATCHTOWER 8: It's Curtains for You! (http://tinyurl.com/3jbsal6) 13/03/2011 - 09/04/2011
WATCHTOWER 9: The Impenetrable Thread. (http://tinyurl.com/3e2jb32) 09/04/2011 - 28/05/2011
WATCHTOWER 10: All Out of Bubblegum (http://tinyurl.com/3oqe54l) 28/05/2011 - 28/06/2011
WATCHTOWER's 11: Fighting Apocalypses Through Childbearing (http://tinyurl.com/3lumemd) 28/06/2011 - 19/08/2011
WATCHTOWER 12: Maturity Optional (http://tinyurl.com/82f48ha) 19/08/2011 - 4/10/2011
WATCHTOWER the 13th (http://tinyurl.com/8455exs) 4/10/2011 - 18/11/2011
WATCHTOWER 14: Now a Family Business. (http://tinyurl.com/7nb5rve) 18/11/2011 - 14/05/2012
WATCHTOWER 15: New and Improved! (http://tinyurl.com/9jr82nt) 14/05/2012 - 10/10/2012
WATCHTOWER 16: Quick and Dirty (http://tinyurl.com/lpqajmd) 11/10/2012 - 13/08/2013
WATCHTOWER 17: Through Cloud, Shadow, Earth, and Flesh. (http://tinyurl.com/nk4vzh5) 13/08/2013 - 04/07/2014

WATCHTOWER and HALO Unification Tournament (http://tinyurl.com/ocwl8lx)

VIGIL I: We don't have a cool title yet... (http://tinyurl.com/nfujbkx)
VIGIL II: All Our Base Are Belong to... Who? (http://tinyurl.com/p8d3c22)
VIGIL 3: Uh... can we get a mulligan? (https://tinyurl.com/guqam69)
VIGIL 4: Swordfights!!! on Air (https://tinyurl.com/ycwkdbdm)
VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin (https://tinyurl.com/wjxstfj)




Conflict is great! It's the heart of any story, and there isn't much to roleplay without it. However, no randomly destroying the place, or doing something to it that'll produce a similar effect (for example, no placing a massive time freeze on the entire area forever). You're allowed to damage it, but destroying it just takes the fun out of it for all the other players. If you do want to run a plot in which a base or the whole organization gets destroyed, though, feel free to run your idea through OoC to see if other people like it and are willing to roleplay it out!
No godmoding/godmodding. It's not permitted in other ACRONYMs, and it isn't in VIGIL. The occasional mishap's OK, repeated offense isn't.
Please try and keep posts longer than one or two lines of speech. Description is appreciated. One-or-two-liners that don't do much are OK once in a while - but not regularly.
If you want random smashy hahaN00BlulzFun, here's not the place. Anything spammy, random, or just plain annoying, can go! Of course, if your silliness is in moderation and well-roleplayed, and considerate of other players, then welcome in.




Thinking about roleplaying in the Nexus? Come say hi in our Discord (https://discord.gg/ypGmhv3Ufx)!

Shadowcaller
2020-09-08, 05:45 AM
[Dharmic Emissary]

The enormous man nods, deep in thought.

It is quite clear that he is very much invested in what Cessie has to say.

"You speak in half measures, my lady." That was it, the issue he had been struggling to put his finger on. "It is not enough to strive to do good." He attempts to more clearly paint his point of view. "You will, or you will not. The answer is written in the stars, penned in your own hand." Guru Mandhati was speaking of karma, the dharmic cycle of rebirth. Virtuous actions driven by virtuous intentions always resulted in positive karmaphala. One's success is predetermined, yet not at the hands of a creator, but your very own.

At this, he bows his head low. "I will see the five blades broken before me, and when I am done, I will drink freely of a world unpoisoned."

"I believe we are one in this regard, which is as a great relief."

[Dharmic Emissary]

Cessie wasn't completely sure what he meant by 'half-measurements' so she would have to try to make an educated guess. "Perhaps, but this isn't a place of spiritual enlightenment I'm afraid. As I said earlier, ideally we shouldn't be needed at all but with the world such as it is, it's an unfortunate necessity and we must focus on being practical before anything else. It's just a job however and everyone here can focus on the other parts of enlightenment on their free time if they wish." She makes a dismissive gesture, feeling that this discussion wouldn't go much further now as she was starting having trouble understanding what he was saying.

"But you asked about Wenomir earlier. You wish to, ah, attempt to enlighten him as well?" She wasn't sure he would have much patience with this man however. She had certainly given him a lot already.

Rebonack
2020-09-08, 10:45 AM
[A Bird in the Hand]

"THE BIRD!" Lapis agrees as she bounces up and down with Anika. She's either oblivious to or unconcerned with Anika's state of undress. "I caught it I caught it I really caught it! I had this idea that maybe if I was a tree then the bird would get close since birds sit in trees and it didn't sit on me but it landed nearby and I put roots underground and then jumped out when it tried to fly away and I CAUGHT IT!"

This is so exciting!

The most exciting thing!

Now everyone at VIGIL will know she's the BEST at scaring at catching birds!

She smiles up at Anika with that huge doofy toothy grin of hers, looking between Anika and the bird (but making to sure keep at least one pair of eyes fixed on the bird at all times 'cuz otherwise it'll disappear that's why catching the bird is so hard!).

"So, so! What do we do with the bird now that we caught it?" Lapis asks.

She's assuming here Anika will know what to do with it since Anika was the one who told her that it's her job to scare birds.

Earl of Purple
2020-09-08, 12:30 PM
Bird in the Hand

The hoopoe doesn't seem happy, but remains in Lapis' grasp. It reaches out with its mind, however, and tries to give Anika the impression she should tell Lapis to release it. It's not important, and nothing to be worried about. This might not work, if Anika's mind is defended from mental intrusion, or just too focused to let it distract her. It doesn't know Anika very well, and doesn't know how best to approach manipulating her like this.

Gnrlshrimp
2020-09-08, 01:54 PM
[Wenomir's Villa]

Wenomir waves his hand in an "it's nothing" gesture.

"There are some formalities, like a background check and paperwork to properly add you to our roster, but if everything checks out with that, you're one of us. I'm a man of action and what I've seen here is enough."


[Wenomir's Villa]

"Hey, I just take any excuse to drink." Anika remarks with a wink as it's not really true.
She honestly just drank occasionally as she seemed to be able to get drunk on life itself most of the time.
"But I'll be waiting outside then if you need to sign stuff." She wasn't sure if Wenomir had actually meant he could skip the signing for now but he might as well do it right now if it all was just a signature, right?

[Wenomir's Villa]

"Ain't sure there's much background to check on, but if there's anything else y'need from me, it's not like I'm going anywhere. A pleasure to be a part of the team, ah, sir." He remwarks with a wry smile. Been a while since he's had to call anyone sir. He'll sign anything required of him, then turn to take his leave, "My thanks. Now if y'don't mind, it ain't right to keep a lady waiting too long on her drink."

Once outside, Atreyu gives a nod to Anika. "Lead the way, missy. I reckon you've earned yerself the first round on me."

Shadowcaller
2020-09-09, 05:31 AM
[Wenomir's Villa==>The Battered Shield]

Anika grins as she takes the lead. "Have I? Bet you could have joined without my help, dude. You did pretty well in there. Wen is just kind of a grump sometimes. He was honestly pretty impressed by what you did, he just isn't that good at showing it. Or he's good at not showing it, rather. I'm pretty sure he's convinced that we'd think less of him if he looked impressed by magic of all things." She chuckles and then gestures at the Battered Shield which wasn't too far from the commander's village.
"But anyway, there it is. The battered shield. Home to some of the unique heroes in the nexus." She explains with a nod. "But there's some civilians in there too. Rain for instance, she makes epic music about everyone else instead. She's like our hall of fame."

[Dharmic Emissary]

Cessie would have protested as she was sure he didn't understand what she was trying to say but then... was that a threat?
The sorceress expression turns blank. "I'm afraid I'm not knowledgeable enough about your philosophy to understand what you mean, sir. But while you might have good intentions you should probably explain what you mean better before resorting to threats. I would have suggested that perhaps you could attempt to teach our members about your philosophies, providing they're willing, but if you don't have the patience for that I don't think we're going to see eye to eye here." She was ready to call on security at this point.

[A Bird in the Hand]

Which is why Anika liked to hang out with children, they didn't care about silly stuff like that.
Anika will attempt to take Lapis free hand as they bounce together in excitement. "You're a genius, Lapis! You sure showed that dumb bird!" She laughs excitedly.

However, Lapis next question seems to catch her off guard. "Um, well, that's-" She glances at the hoopoe and then sits down so she can take a better look at it. "Huh." She observes, making sure to not get too close to it since- oh right.

"Never seen it up this close before. Looks different from other birds." The druid scratches her head. "We were supposed to just get rid of it since they could be, uh, shapeshifters. Kinda like me and you but way more gross. But maybe we should... hand this one to the science people so they can take a look at it?" She didn't really have it in her to just kill the poor thing in this state. Maybe they could even release it if it turned out to just be a bird?

Rebonack
2020-09-09, 11:45 AM
[A Bird in the Hand]

Well Lapis is using her front legs as hands right now which is a thing she can do. She's using them both for holding the bird just to make sure it doesn't get away. But she does have those funny hand things on her wings so she holds onto Anika with those while they bounce together. "Yeah it was a super great idea you would have loved it I looked just like a normal tree!"

Or at least Lapis thinks she got all the normal tree things right.

In truth, she really didn't look like a normal tree at all. But Lapis' idea of what constitutes a normal tree diverges pretty sharply from common opinion.

Once the bouncing is done it's time to get down to business!

"It does look different!" Lapis agrees. "And it's REALLY heavy, too! I think there's more bird than it looks like."

What the heck does that even mean, Lapis?

"You mean the pod people Mother wanted me to keep out of VIGIL?" Lapis asks, tilting her head to the side a bit. "It isn't one of those it doesn't smell gross like they do."

Oh.

Well.

Mystery solved!

"Do science people know about birds I thought they did science?" Lapis asks. Her grasp of what 'science' involves is pretty narrow. It basically consists of teleporting, sound cannons, and lizard repellent.

Just to test, Lapis looks down at the weird bird and gives it a shake. "HEY! Are you a real bird? We don't think you are! If you're something else and you won't tell us then we're going to give you to the SCIENCE PEOPLE and they're going to do SCIENCE to you until they know what you are!"

Yeah!

You better spill the beans, bird!

bc56
2020-09-09, 12:04 PM
Someone comes winging her way up to the Vigil skybase again. Sekhmet, fiendling and bride-to-be is once again very nervous. This is not somewhere she visits often. She's afraid of the possibility of encountering a demon hunter here. Assuming she's not stopped, she lands and finds her way towards Geneva's lab. She has a very important question to ask her friend.

Hattish Thing
2020-09-09, 01:12 PM
[Wait, We Have a Science Division?]

"Oh, I didn't mean simply power settings. I meant the resonant frequencies for different creatures are going to be different," Geneva clarifies. "I suppose with most organic life it'll be mostly similar but there can be some weird things in the Nexus."

Super weird things.

Like floating pink psychic cats.

SUPER weird.

Geneva's smile falters a bit at the talk of chopping people. Oh. Yeah. That's... that's g-great.

"What exactly are you planning to use it for?" Geneva inquires. She can think of a few applications for controlling someone's autonomic system. She'll then offer a sheepish smile. "I'll admit I'm not that great at coming up with names for things. But it's a music based mind-control device so... Maybe the name of a song that's thematically relevant?"

She doesn't know of any thematically relevant songs.

Dr. Valiance makes a weird sound as he parses her words.

It's something in between a moan and a grunt, but its clearly meant to represent understanding.

In truth, the man was still very much out of it. He hated getting up early, and was only capable of doing so due to the various caffeinated beverages currently flowing through his veins. He leans up against a nearby wall, crossing his legs as he considers a response. "Ha ha, they sure are!" blurts the man in the awful tracksuit. He flashes a finger gun in the other researcher's general direction, continuing his train of thought. "A friend of mine, uhh - a colleague, I guess, actually worked with me a bit on it."

He nods, eager to explain more. "See, it's all up to the user at that point. So, you know, all about discretion and stuff." This was explained poorly, but the concept was fine.

"Not our problem once it's in their hands, you know?" Val then ponders over her last question. What was he planning?

"Uhh," stammers the doctor, "I dunno. Atrocities, probably." It wasn't really his decision.

"Something to do with demons? It's not up to me."

Earl of Purple
2020-09-09, 01:18 PM
Bird in the Hand

The hoopoe tries to give Anika the impression that Lapis is holding it too tight, and that's why it doesn't answer. Clearly it wants to answer, but it needs Anika to hold it more gently before it can.

It doesn't actually answer, however, just making the usual meaningless "hoo-poo" sound. It doesn't enjoy being shaken, and rattles in a disconcerting manner. Birds aren't supposed to rattle, are they?

Morty
2020-09-09, 01:42 PM
[Cessie's Office]

Where to begin? Wenomir found out a great deal by talking to Svetlana.

"I've learned a lot, including getting this." He puts the drive on Cessie's desk. "It has Obsidian's medical records and a recording of the events. Svetlana also gave me her version. She confirms that she and Dr. Valiance had been at each other's throats for a while. She doesn't think Obsidian needed to be sedated, but she admits she pulled a weapon on him and doesn't deny responsibility for it. She knows we'll likely have to discharge her and accepts it." He shifts uncomfortably. "She had some kind of experience after her breakdown. I'm not sure about it, really, but she does seem to have changed her outlook considerably. I still do not think she's fit for active service, but fortunately enough it seems she no longer wants it, either." Wenomir shrugs. "But back to the incident itself, she accepts responsibility, whereas Dr. Valiance seems determined to avoid it. Svetlana said she doesn't think he intentionally goaded her into lashing out. I'm not certain of that either, but he seems to be very quick to try to bend others' perceptions in his favor."

[Dharmic Emissary]

Wenomir opens the door after a while, looking surprised. He wasn't expecting anyone. He's dressed somewhat officially, in that he has a Vigil tabard on and the Answer in longsword form at his hip, but no armor.

"What- who are you?"

He's received no word someone like that might be coming. Mandhati might be distracted by the sheer spiritual presence of the weapon at his side, though. It's an idea of an endless pursuit of perfection through strife and self-sacrifice, bound by Wenomir's will into the shape of a plain steel longsword.

Rebonack
2020-09-10, 12:48 PM
[Geneva's Lab]

Thankfully it looks like no scary demon slayers waylay Sekhmet on her trip to Geneva's lab. Though if she asks about it no doubt some of the VIGIL staff will point her in the right direction.

By the time Sekhmet arrives she'll find the door locked! A little sign on the door is lit up which reads.

DANGER! High energy experiment underway. Do not enter.

There are definitely some scary sounding experiment noises coming from in there. No doubt Geneva is doing something important.

Hmm...

There IS a little button next to the door that's helpfully labeled 'push to call'.

Thankfully Geneva is very responsible with all of her experimental procedures! Wouldn't want someone walking into the lab without proper protective gear after all.

So Sekhmet could push the button. Or maybe she should just wait for a little bit? Hmmm...


[Wait, We Have a Science Division?]

Atrocities.

Great.

That's... that's wonderful.

This conversation is making Geneva feel increasingly uneasy. There are way more 'I don't know's and 'that's not my responsibility's than Geneva is comfortable with. Powerful tools like these need to be deployed in a careful, ethical fashion. It is paramount that the people who create such tools take responsibility for them and consider possible outcomes of misuse.

Geneva has seen first hand the consequences of progress unmoored from compassion.

"That's, uh, that's fascinating! Really fascinating. You'll have to keep me up to date on the progress."

Super awkward.


[The Battered Shield]

Lapis Lazuli is snooping.

She's been nosing around various VIGIL buildings that she hasn't visited before. After all! It's her job to make sure no gross pod people have sneaked in. Even though she's pretty sure that all the pod people got blown up. It's still good to be safe! So she heard some of the adventurers talking about something called the Battered Shield and how it was a good place to unwind and she thought maybe that meant breaded like those shrimp they have at the mess hall sometimes but she's pretty sure shields are food so that's confusing. Maybe there's a kind of food called a shield and it isn't just the thing you use to block swords?

Either way she was pretty curious so she decided to check it out.

Hmm.

There's a broken shield above the door. What's that for?

Oh well! Time to see what kind of battered food they have!

Lapis shoves the door open and slips inside, as usual in the shape of a cute little half-drow girl right around six years old in human terms. Her hair is white like her father's, her skin a dusky blue with little yellow freckles on her cheeks and across the bride of her nose. She's dressed, as usual, in her tiny little VIGIL support staff uniform.

"Oh wow this place is neat!" Lapis comments as she skips across the floor, weaving her way around a few buzzed adventurers and heading up to the bar. She grips it with her finger tips, her nose just barly over the edge of the counter once she's standing on her tip-toes. Then she'll ask whoever is manning the bar a very important question. "Hi I'm Lapis Lazuli! All your shields look neat I love them! Is 'battered shield' a food like the battered shrimp at the mess hall? I heard some adventurers talking about it and it sounded good."

As usual, Lapis with the real questions.

bc56
2020-09-10, 01:01 PM
Push the button? Go in anyway (using magic to melt through pick the lock)? Wait? No, Sekhmet takes a different option. Uh, Geneva? Are you there? She thinks, broadcasting her thoughts into the room. Geneva's psychic too, so this shouldn't be too much of a concern. Of course, with a nonspecific transmission like this one (Sekhmet didn't bother to sense whether Geneva was there before asking, that would be rude) it could be heard by anyone else in the room with her.

Rebonack
2020-09-10, 09:06 PM
[Geneva's Lab]

Oh HO!

So Sekhmet is using a non-approved method of contacting Geneva!

That's okay, Geneva doesn't mind TOO much. But that is what the button is for.

Sekhmet will receive a quick reply.

~I'm working on some delicate calibrations right now. Give me just a moment, okay?~

Her mental voice doesn't seem angry at all. Just a little preoccupied. Like she's concentrating on something.

Like maybe making sure whatever she's working on doesn't blow up.

It'll probably be a minute or two before Geneva will exist the lab. Is Sekhmet just going to stand around in the hallway where any random passing demon hunter might notice her?

Regardless, Geneva will emerge about five minutes later in her pink-haired human form.

Her hair looks...

Slightly singed.

Everything is probably fine.

"Hello Sekhmet, what brings you here to day?" she asks as she pullers her safety goggles off her eyes.

bc56
2020-09-10, 09:14 PM
Sekhmet does nervously wait outside the door. She's visibly relieved to see her friend. "I, uh, have a, uh, question to ask you." She seems really nervous at this snext part. "Will you, uh, be, uh, the maid," Sekhmet remembers that Geneva's married, "Uh, matron of honor? Uh, at my wedding?"

Rebonack
2020-09-11, 11:07 AM
[Geneva's Lab]

Oh.

Oh no.

Sekhmet is getting a hug.

Whatever shall she do?

Get hugged, probably.

"I'd love to, Sekhmet."

Well there we go!

That was easy, right?

bc56
2020-09-11, 11:24 AM
That's it? Sekhmet hugs Geneva back. "Oh, uh, thank you. I'm glad to have you as a, uh, close friend." She pauses and looks at Geneva's singed hair. "What are you, uh, working on?"

Shadowcaller
2020-09-11, 12:59 PM
[Cessie's Office]

"Well, I agree with her in the sense that I doubt Valiance intentionally provoked her to attack. But that's not to say he didn't try to provoke her, however. I just don't think he expected that kind of response. While it's true that if she hadn't reacted like that he would likely be the one in trouble now considering what he was telling her but ultimately even if he had expected that kind of reaction I don't think he's the kind of man that risk his own life for it." She takes a deep breath. "But more than that, what would you say we can accuse him of now? What would your judgement of him be, regardless of evidence."

Bird in the Hand

Anika stares at the bird as Lapis interrogate it, studying it carefully.
Lapis had confirmed it wasn't one of those gross things but it was also different and really heavy. Birds were usually not heavy since if they were they'd be unable to fly. That much she knew about birds.
It couldn't speak so it wasn't some magical animal spirit (probably) or shapeshifted druid either. Otherwise they would have revealed their true form by now.
But there was another possibility... "Oh! I bet they're someone who have been turned into a bird by magic! All we need to do is find someone who can dispel magic and we can return them to their true form!" She gestures at Lapis. "Which probably means you should be gentler with them. They can't help being a bird, Lapis."

Morty
2020-09-11, 02:01 PM
[Cessie's Office]

"My judgement of him is that he's reckless, self-absorbed and manipulative." Wenomir drops some of his trademark brutal honesty. "He needs someone to keep an eye on him who's less likely to come to blows with him than Svetlana was. But I think that's about it, without reviewing the evidence. Judgement, but no particular accusation." He taps the drive Svetlana gave him. "If it turns out he did sedate Obsidian despite its being unnecessary, he made a dangerous medical mistake and consequences should be appropriate. Not that I know what exactly they should be."

Gnrlshrimp
2020-09-11, 06:51 PM
[Wenomir's Villa -> The Battered Shield]

As they walk off, Atreyu grabs his jacket and flips it over his shoulder, apparently content to stay as a mostly-dressed wolfman for the time being.

He does, rather predictably, take the time to fish out a cigarette and light it, though. Seems he's always most at home with a faint haze of pink-ish smoke around him.

"I reckon Wenomir's a pretty decent guy. Just ain't used to having to explain what elementals do. Nothin' to worry about, though. Seems like a good leader fer the organisation. Been a long time since I wasn't in charge of things myself, mind, so there's some adjusting to do there, but he's a man I can be happy to take orders from, if that makes sense."

Oh hey, the battered shield! Well, this certainly looks promising.

"Well, VIGIL must be doing alright fer itself to have something like this on-site. And a resident bard with quite the reputation to boot, eh? After you, Missy!" Atreyu says with a toothy grin, moving to open the door for her. "Whether or not your help was needed to convince Wenomir, it was a kind gesture to make fer a newcomer, either ways. And I mean to make good on that kindness with the first round, all the same. Reckon you're familiar enough with the menu to pick out a couple of good'uns?"

Rebonack
2020-09-11, 08:44 PM
[Bird in the Hand]

Lapis studies Anika for a few moments before looking down at the bird.

Someone might have been turned into a bird?

Oh no!

That's horrible!

Lapis got turned into a sheep that one time and it was pretty bad, so she knows how bad getting turned into things is.

"I'm sorry I didn't know you got turned into a bird," Lapis informs the hoopoe, loosening her grip a little bit.

BUT!

Not letting the bird go.

The bird must be confused since it kept disappearing all the time. She wouldn't want it to disappear again now that they can help it!

"We should take it to Commander Cessie she knows about magic stuff," Lapis concludes.


[Geneva's Lab]

That's it.

Not everything has to be hard!

"So when's the big day?" Geneva asks, all smiles now.

The rest of her work for the afternoon can wait this is important.

bc56
2020-09-11, 09:16 PM
"It's, uh, two weeks. From the day after tomorrow!" Sekhmet seems so excited. "I've already got my dress and it's amazing and I need to get a cake and maybe some musicians and uh," She needs to pause for breath. "So much to do! It's so exciting!"

Rebonack
2020-09-11, 09:56 PM
[Geneva's Lab]

"Two WEEKS!?" Geneva practically squawks. "That's hardly time for anything! I don't even have a wedding preparation checklist ready! I have to get to work on this right now!"

She reaches out to grab Sekhmet by the shoulders, her eyes wide with borderline manic panic.

"Are there official colors? Flowers? Are we wearing hats or not? Is there a wedding gift list?"

There's so much to do!

So much to get ready for!

Quick Geneva!

Panic faster!

bc56
2020-09-11, 10:09 PM
"What!? I didn't know I needed any of those things!" Now Sekhmet's starting to panic. "Oh no! We're going to have to postpone the wedding!" It's not that bad, Sekhmet. You'll probably be fine.

UncleWolf
2020-09-12, 06:09 PM
[Medical Facility]

Sam breaks eye contact, looking sideways as he rubs the top of his mane.
"Well. Uh. It's the guy who made me this." he gestures at himself.
"He wanted to show me off to someone so I 'ported me there and gave me the coupon for my time. It wasn't...considerate. And I should note since you don't remember our conversation that this was not what I asked him for...but if I gave him a picture of you and told him 'just do this' it might go fine. Especially if I was there the whole time to keep him from doing anything stupid. But I don't know, he also gave me a pretty big chunk of cash back when I told him the body wasn't really the way I liked it...I dunno, I don't think it could be any worse than throwing you headfirst into Drow politics." Sam dated a drow girl once who was basically being held hostage by her dad’s family. He doesn’t want to know what the matriarchs of the Drow get up to.


[Infirmary]

"As long as you stop looking like our friend and regain your memories, I don't really know if it matters so much how it's done." Wenomir feels like he's lost track of things at some point, so he tries to think in straight lines and resolutions like he usually does. "This has all been... complicated."

Medical Facility

"Ilphexis" seems to take it all under consideration as she reaches out for a roll of bandages and starts to wrap her head to disguise her face. Few would be willing to stare at someone implied to be horribly scarred, burned, or disfigured after all. "Even if you do not entirely trust them, would you say that it is the best bet for a cheap way to change what I am?" She asks, even going so far as to put a thin layer over her eyes. It'd obscure her vision to a degree, but more importantly it'd hide the particularly distinctive eyes she had. "Even if it may come with a hiccup, I'm game for it. I already owe Vigil a great deal just for rescuing me, so another hang up or two probably wouldn't amount to much." She points out, finishing the wrap by tucking the end of the bandage under a layer. "And speaking of which...Wenomir, what is it that I can do in return?"




[/COLOR][Training Ground - Potential Student]

Quin nods as he listens to Jezebel explain. When she takes hold of Excalibur, it will resize itself for her; still a longsword, but sized for her. Even so, it's light and wieldly; it feels more like handling a shortsword than a longsword. It's quick and fine, with exceptional balance. When she offers it back to Quin, it will resize itself back to the size it was before.

"I don't really have control over its size, unfortunately. It will shape itself for whomever is holding it and their size, and when I assume Paladin Style, it becomes a greatsword, but....I've never really willed it to do either of those things, nor have I been able to control its ability to do so. I am a bit more flexible than I appear, though, for whatever it's worth."

Training Ground - Potential Student

"I admit, I truly hope you are more flexible than you appear. If I underestimate your mobility, then others will as well." Jezebel points out, heading over to the table once Excalibur is passed back over so she can pick up her Eviscerator and offer it for him to examine as well. It was only fair play after all. "Even though it sized itself down, I'd say your blade is too light for my liking but if you can wield it as well as you say, then that is good enough and I'll rescind my recommendation to try something smaller." Jezebel's Eviscerator is a monster of a "sword", weighing in at nearly eight kilograms and a little over a (human) hand in width so a pair of parallel chainblades can run next to each other. The back edge is armored and covered, providing moderate protection from the blades, and the entire weapon is adorned in silver angels and demons in the midst of scandalous activities. Unlike Quin's blade, it doesn't change weight, though his greater size probably makes it a fairly easy weapon to wield. "Even so, if you haven't tried to...connect to your blade and exert your will over it or in conjunction with its own, perhaps that is actually where you should begin. Even though I understand that my weapon has no true soul or mind of its own, I still cast my senses through it in order to use it as an extent of my own being in combat. I don't subscribe to the Riddle of Steel like Wenomir, but I would never disagree with the necessity to understand what you're using on a more than physical level."

Deathkeeper
2020-09-12, 06:40 PM
[Medical Facility]

Sam reluctantly nods.
"It's free and you'll get changed alright. That much as the most reliable I can get." Whether or not it will be exactly what she wants remains to be seen. But "not this" is at least a given.

Rebonack
2020-09-12, 09:39 PM
[Geneva's Lab]

Geneva is no longer holding Sekhmet's shoulders.

Now she's pacing around instead.

"Weddings a big thing! There are-"

A beat.

"Wait. Wait..."

She's calming down a little.

"Maybe they just don't have all those things in your home world? It's silly of me to assume that weddings where you're from work like they did in Unova. I should, haha, I shouldn't make assumptions like that. No reason to panic right?"

Right?

bc56
2020-09-12, 09:48 PM
"I don't know! I've never been to a wedding before!" Sekhmet's even more panicked now than a second ago. "I, uh, was just working with what I, uh, know from books." She looks at Geneva expectantly. "You're married. What do I, uh, need for my wedding?"

Zefir
2020-09-13, 05:53 AM
[The Battered Shield]

Lapis Lazuli is snooping.

She's been nosing around various VIGIL buildings that she hasn't visited before. After all! It's her job to make sure no gross pod people have sneaked in. Even though she's pretty sure that all the pod people got blown up. It's still good to be safe! So she heard some of the adventurers talking about something called the Battered Shield and how it was a good place to unwind and she thought maybe that meant breaded like those shrimp they have at the mess hall sometimes but she's pretty sure shields are food so that's confusing. Maybe there's a kind of food called a shield and it isn't just the thing you use to block swords?

Either way she was pretty curious so she decided to check it out.

Hmm.

There's a broken shield above the door. What's that for?

Oh well! Time to see what kind of battered food they have!

Lapis shoves the door open and slips inside, as usual in the shape of a cute little half-drow girl right around six years old in human terms. Her hair is white like her father's, her skin a dusky blue with little yellow freckles on her cheeks and across the bride of her nose. She's dressed, as usual, in her tiny little VIGIL support staff uniform.

"Oh wow this place is neat!" Lapis comments as she skips across the floor, weaving her way around a few buzzed adventurers and heading up to the bar. She grips it with her finger tips, her nose just barly over the edge of the counter once she's standing on her tip-toes. Then she'll ask whoever is manning the bar a very important question. "Hi I'm Lapis Lazuli! All your shields look neat I love them! Is 'battered shield' a food like the battered shrimp at the mess hall? I heard some adventurers talking about it and it sounded good."

As usual, Lapis with the real questions.

[The Battered Shield]

It has been a bit of a hard day for Mia. One of the engines for the island had a mayor breakdown. She needed near half the day to check it out. Lucky for her none seems to have noticed the slow down. After that she got a training sessions. Hard work followed by even harder training. Sure the others would just shake this off like it's nothing, but she go a much lower constitution. Now, slightly exhausted she heads back to her room, but as she passes near the battered shield she stops. Maybe it's best to take a bit here? In her room she either has to throw something into the oven or cook, but she's not in the mood to cook or eat some frozen fast food. So she decides to go in, just a few moments after Lapis.

Mia is a young woman. From the look just a teenager for human standards. She wears a training suit which shows of that she is a bit skinny. Her Amber hair is bound to a ponytail behind her head while her sword rests on her back.

She takes a seat at the bar while overhearing Lapis.
"Battered shield and battered shrims aren't the same thing. You can't eat shields. but I guess they got something to fit the theme. Something that looks like a shield and is edible. Like 'battered waffle shield'."

Shadowcaller
2020-09-13, 09:23 AM
[Cessie's Office]

Cessie's own expression is completely neutral, if somewhat hardened. "That's why I was asking actually, Wenomir. I can already tell your opinion of him but we need a practical solution here. I've already reduced the science divisions budget after the Obsidian incident so in a way he's already been punished. However, seeing that you don't have any suggestions of your own do you believe that Dr. Valiance should keep leading the division? We could hand it over to Geneva but she's preoccupied with her own projects right now so it might be best to just have her keep an eye on him for now."

- - - Updated - - -


[Wenomir's Villa -> The Battered Shield]

As they walk off, Atreyu grabs his jacket and flips it over his shoulder, apparently content to stay as a mostly-dressed wolfman for the time being.

He does, rather predictably, take the time to fish out a cigarette and light it, though. Seems he's always most at home with a faint haze of pink-ish smoke around him.

"I reckon Wenomir's a pretty decent guy. Just ain't used to having to explain what elementals do. Nothin' to worry about, though. Seems like a good leader fer the organisation. Been a long time since I wasn't in charge of things myself, mind, so there's some adjusting to do there, but he's a man I can be happy to take orders from, if that makes sense."

Oh hey, the battered shield! Well, this certainly looks promising.

"Well, VIGIL must be doing alright fer itself to have something like this on-site. And a resident bard with quite the reputation to boot, eh? After you, Missy!" Atreyu says with a toothy grin, moving to open the door for her. "Whether or not your help was needed to convince Wenomir, it was a kind gesture to make fer a newcomer, either ways. And I mean to make good on that kindness with the first round, all the same. Reckon you're familiar enough with the menu to pick out a couple of good'uns?"

[The Battered Shield]

"Oh, you were in charge? I've never been in charge of anything, what did you boss over?" Anika asks as she walks through the door he just opened for her. "A store or like a village?" As she enters she walks up to the bar and sits down without even noticing Lapis or Mia.

Rebonack
2020-09-13, 11:22 AM
[The Battered Shield]

"Battered like busted," the bartender clarifies. "Not battered like breaded. We got a meal we call the 'battered shield' but not for you, kiddo. No children allowed in the bar. Commander Cessie's orders."

A difficult proclamation to make. Lapis is, after all, really cute. But orders are orders.

"But-" Lapis begins to object.

"Sorry, kiddo, no can do. You can come back when you're older," the bartender interrupts, making shooing motions at the girl.

Lapis puffs out her cheeks in consternation and it looks like she's going to keep arguing, but then an expression of dawning realization crosses her face. "Okay! When I'm older!" she says before scurrying out of the bar.

Almost without question this is going to be resulting in shinanagins of some kind.

Minutes later the shinanagins manifest.

A striking half-drow adventurer enters the Battered Shield! Her white hair is cropped short, likely so it can neatly fit inside a helmet since wearing a helmet is an important thing for grownups to do when they're fighting demons. After all that's what Saint Lazarus does and she's a real hero. Her complexion is a dusky blue with yellow freckles on her cheeks and across the bridge of her nose which bears no resemblance to anyone who was just here. She's wearing armor, of course. Why wouldn't she be? Lots of the adventurers do that's normal. It's a bit cobbled together, like it came from several different sets that don't quite match. Also a common thing with adventurers! Yes sir, she's definitely a real grownup and not even a little bit suspicious.

"I would like to order one 'battered shield', please," the mysterious newcomer says, making sure her voice sounds as cool and serious as possible.

The bartender raises an eyebrow at her, only to shrug and relay the order to the cook.

Ha!

It's working!

She spins on her stool a bit and oh shoot Anika is here! What if she recognizes her then her cover will be blown! Quick talk to that lady with the sword!

"So, uh, hello!" Lapis begins somewhat lamely to Mia. Quick find a topic anything oh! What about the sword? "That's quite the weapon you've got there."

Yeah.

Smooth.


[PANIC at the Laboratory]

"Well it was a pretty small ceremony," Geneva admits, tapping her index fingers together anxiously. "Just some immediate friends and family. Nothing big. It sounds like you want something much larger so I'm not sure how informative my own experiences would be."

Oh no she got Sekhmet panicking.

Truly this is the darkest timeline.

bc56
2020-09-13, 11:36 AM
"I, uh, I don't know. What should I do? What were those things you said again?" Something about colors and flowers and gifts? It sounds like it's time for Sekhmet to make some panicky snap decisions that she'll definitely regret. "Why is this so complicated? I just want, uh, everything to be perfect for my, uh, special day."

Morty
2020-09-13, 11:46 AM
[Cessie's Office]

Wenomir shakes his head.

"Whatever we find when we review the recordings, I don't think he should be in charge of it. I agree that Geneva would serve well in that role, but it would be a lot more responsibility on her shoulders. We'll need to speak to her about it. And if not then yes, having her supervise him will have to be enough."

Gnrlshrimp
2020-09-13, 12:04 PM
[The Battered Shield]

"A town, aye. I was the mayor. Technically still am, I suppose. Nothin' to worry about though, there's plenty of folk ready and able to keep an eye on the place for me. Practically runs itself these days."

Atreyu walks in. A little half-drow girl walks out. In a mood. Huh.

He doesn't pay any attention to it, not at that point anyways.

Shortly after when he's sat at the bar with Anika, and the same half-drow just aged-up walks back in, he blinks and gives Anika a nudge. "Is that normal?"

Zefir
2020-09-14, 12:25 AM
[The Battered Shield]

Mia will look after the girl when she leaves. What a strange reaction, she thinks. She thought the kid may make a scene. Then Anika comes in with another person. Mia wavees friendly at them in a friendly manner, just to get ignored by Anika as it seems. She then turns back to the menü.

"I take the roasted chicken breast, pls and an apple juice." Mia adds after the drow gave up her order. She didn't really pay attention to her entrance. She turns to her when she speaks directly to her.
"Yes it is." she says. "I got it from a blacksmith here in the nexus. I think he was one of the best in this world, but I can't really say."

Mia will looc a little confused at Lapis. She isn't sure if she should tell her that her 'disguise' is quiet to obviouse.

Shadowcaller
2020-09-14, 12:32 AM
[Cessie's Office]

Cessie returns the nod. "Very well. I will speak to Geneva then. Was there anything else you wished to add, Wenomir?"

[The Battered Shield]

"A mayor, wow. I've never hanged out with a mayor before. Usually they're too busy with other stuff. How'd you get to become that?" Anika inquires before her attention is turned to Lapis.
"Huh? What is?" This woman did feel oddly familiar. She did wear armor like some people back home yet she couldn't recall any elves with skin that black back home. Especially while being that short.
She scratches her head awkwardly, hopefully she hadn't hit on this person while being too drunk in here.

Rebonack
2020-09-14, 10:19 AM
[The Battered Shield]

The 'newcomer's' ears and eyebrows are also WAY too short. More like human length. What's with so many elves having tiny ears around here, anyway?

Lapis is pretty pleased that her clever disguise seems to be working well thus far. No one has commented on it and the bartender didn't object, so it must be good right?

Right.

She'll just have to keep playing it cool until she gets her 'battered shield' and then she can go.

"The best in the world?" Lazuli echos, the faintest hint of incredulity in her tone. "There have got to be four or five sword makers saying that in the Nexus but how are you gunna know which one is really best?"

She had done some Internet searching! while taking breaks from training with Wenomir and doing her duties on the VIGIL grounds. She's been considering getting a real sword from somewhere instead of just using her thing which is like a sword. It's pretty great and all but it isn't really a sword, just like one. So naturally she wanted to know who makes the best swords in the Nexus! Unfortunately LOTS of people say they make the best swords in the Nexus. And the more she thinks about it, how are you going to figure out best? Best at what? Different swords are great for different things.

"I'm looking for a good sword. Think you can sell me on whoever made this one?" she gestures at Mia's sword. "What makes it best?"

Man, pretending to be a grownup is easy. She just has to act cool and talk a little slower and no one suspects anything.


[Geneva's Lab]

"Well... sometimes when a wedding has bride's maids and groomsmen and things like that they have coordinated colors," Geneva explains. "So all the women are wearing similar colors and all the men are wearing similar colors. I, ah, don't think it's strictly required but it IS a tradition that is often adhered to."

Geeze Geneva you're such an idiot.

You could have just said nothing and this all would have been fine. Sekhmet would have been perfectly happy with whatever she was doing.

bc56
2020-09-14, 11:22 AM
That's something to think about. "Uh, Spike's wearing, uh, light blue." Sekhmet finds something about that funny. She holds back a giggle at the thought, whatever it is. "But, uh, I don't think that's very important."

Morty
2020-09-14, 12:18 PM
[Cessie's Office]

Wenomir considers for a moment. There's one thing...

"I think we should let Dr. Valiance and Svetlana leave the lab and clinic to walk freely, as long as they stay in Vigil. It might be some time before we reach our verdict and there's no reason they need to stay cooped up."

Gnrlshrimp
2020-09-14, 01:48 PM
[The Battered Shield]

Atreyu answers Mia's wave with a nod and a smile. A smile that still just about looks pleasant, despite the wolfman having an awful lot of sharp pointy teeth in his mouth.

Anyway, there's shenanigans afoot. "As we came in, a kid stormed out in a huff." Atreyu mutters quietly to Anika, "And now that same kid is stting on the far side of the lady there, but as an adult. Now we got some pretty talented shapeshifters back home, but I ain't ever seen anyone shift quite like that. Smells a little off to me." He taps his snoot, then chuckles, "Reckon I might be overreacting though. Ah, anyways, folks voted me in when the ol' mayor stepped down. Simple as that. If you ask me, I reckon I had a bit of an advantage though. Being the son of an immortal werewolf who controls a whole forest gave me a bit of an edge."

Shadowcaller
2020-09-15, 07:42 AM
[The Battered Shield]

"...yeah, I reckon that too." Sounded like, what was that word? Queen-domism?
Whatever government that had nobles and royals in them. It had never worked out for her people but she wasn't about to judge some other people she didn't know.

Werewolfdomism sounded much cooler anyway.

Her gaze shifts to the drow and her brows narrow. Little child? She had only seen two little children here and- oh.
She raises her index finger. "One moment..." The druid then walks straight up to the drow. "Lapis?" Anika raises an eyebrow as she gives her a skeptical look. "You never told me you could shapeshift like that! Why are you an adult all of sudden?"

[Cessie's Office]

Cessie's eyebrows raise. "Wenomir, she was about to kill one of her own fellow VIGIL members. I'm not sure what she told you but I'm not going to let her walk around freely regardless of the circumstances. She needs to be contained until we're sure she isn't a danger to herself or others. I was going to ask her if it was okay if she was sent to GloG for a while to recover but her membership here will be terminated until further notice."

Morty
2020-09-15, 12:11 PM
[Cessie's Office]

Wenomir holds Cessie's gaze. Was he being too lenient to Svetlana? He's certain she won't hurt anyone, but he can't assure Cessie of that. Very well.

"You're probably right. While you talk to Geneva, I will speak to Svetlana and inform her of our decision. I have already recommended that she seek help at GLoG."

[Medical Facility]

Wenomir shakes his head. He finds this situation confusing and awkward and this question doesn't help. He can't blame Alexis for asking it, of course. And he has a feeling offering her charity wouldn't go over well.

"Come speak with us once you're back on your feet and we'll see how you can repay the favor."

Murkus
2020-09-15, 09:16 PM
[Gym]

"I'm sure you'll reconsider once you meet him." Ilpholin says with unnerving certainty. "Meet me at [Tauron's Temple] in [Outside] this weekend and I'll introduce you."

Ilpholin's not surprised by much, but she's a little surprised to hear how irrational Sakura's been acting and raises an eyebrow. "Really? Even after getting attacked and having your house burned down? Most people generally flock to self defense after something traumatizing like that." As they reasonably should, though the nymph doesn't know why they keep waiting until after they narrowly survive to do it. She would only imagine the safety of the kids would be a top priority as well. All the better they learn young. "Well if you need to sneak one or two at a time out to learn the basics of hand to hand, let me know. I'm sure they're all just as durable and stubborn as you. They should pick up on it easy."

[Gym]

"Ok. Looking forward to it." He says, not nearly so certain. When Ilpholin comments on his home situation, the stag just laughs. "No, that's not how I wanna do things, but thanks, Ilpholin. And... yeah. Maybe more. They're tough little buggers." The stag takes to his feet. "I guess that's all I wanted to say." He prompts Ilphy with a look, if she has any more to add.

Reinholdt
2020-09-15, 11:34 PM
[Gym]

"Well, the offer's open if you change your mind." Ilpholin says with a shrug and pity head shake. If the kids aren't all dead by the time they're 'old' enough to learn.

She pushes off the wall and starts heading towards the door, hips in standard sway. "I'll see you soon either way I guess. Take care of yourself Adir."

Zefir
2020-09-16, 12:33 AM
[The Battered Shield]

"You are right." Mia replies as she looks at her weapon. "I only knew this one myself, but he was able to combine the sword with the power i was given by my god. I think not everyone is able to do that at this Level."

Then Mia turns back to the drow. "You might ask Wen..." which is the point Anika steps in. Mias expression turns into confusion of Anikas sudden outburst. But since she already assumed something she just keeps quiet until the drow will explain herself.

Rebonack
2020-09-16, 01:04 AM
[Geneva's Lab]

An eyebrow is raised at the giggle.

Is there something Geneva missed?

Did she say something funny and didn't realize it?

Hmm. Sounds like a mystery.

"Should I wear a blue dress, too?" Geneva asks.

If she did then they would match!

No doubt that would be fun, right?


[The Battered Shield]

"That does sound pretty cool," Lazuli admits-

-only to suddenly be accosted by Anika!

Oh no!

The jig is up!

Lapis ducks and gives a little eep! She thought her disguise was flawless!

"That guy said I had to come back when I was older," Lapis begins, trying her hardest not to sound lame. "So now I'm back and older. That counts, right? I just wanted to try the battered shield. I didn't know I could do something like this until I saw my sister Eao do it, so I thought I would try it out and it worked! Being a grownup is weird everything looks smaller."

Super weird.

Shadowcaller
2020-09-16, 04:54 AM
[The Battered Shield]

"You're like two minutes older, Lapis. That doesn't count!" Anika insists with a laugh. "But there's seriously an age limit on food now? That's dumb. You should have just asked me to order it for you before you got all big." The druid makes a sweeping gesture at Lapis new length.

She then points a thumb at Atreyu. "But anyway, I'm showing a new member around, wanna meet him? We could all eat together if you're hungry. I could probably take one of those battered shields myself."

[Cessie's Office]

Cessie folds her hands together and nods. "Sounds like a plan." But then her eyebrow raise. "Just keep an eye on her, will you? While she might seem stable now, I don't think a person can completely recover in a few hours after a breakdown like that. This is for her own safety as well as everyone else's. She had a traumatic experience and the fact I had to destroy her property and punch her repeatedly in the face wasn't exactly the ideal solution." Her tone turns somber.

bc56
2020-09-16, 09:13 AM
"Uh, if you want," Sekhmet doesn't sound super certain. "It's, uh, this color." She psychics over an image. But even this contains traces of mental laughter. Sekhmet definitely finds something very funny.

Recaiden
2020-09-16, 09:35 AM
A little ways outside the lab, Sophia suspends her unnoticeability, so that Mia might hear her taking steps, notice her knocking on the lab door, and be able to see her cowled self standing outside.
"Mia? We've got some news."

Morty
2020-09-16, 04:32 PM
[Cessie's Office ==> Battle Clinic]

Wenomir nods, his expression still set and grim. He'd make a joke about how hitting people and destroying property are definitely more his way of problem-solving, but it would be in poor taste.

"I'll make sure she doesn't hurt herself or anyone else. Goodbye for now, Cessie," he simply says, before leaving and heading back to the clinic to deliver the news to Svetlana.

Purple Eagle
2020-09-17, 10:12 AM
[Battle Clinic]

Svetlana's gotten up and is currently practicing some ballet to classical music emanating from her body. She moves gracefully, without a care in the world, and addresses her mentor when he returns to deliver the news. "Sensei! That expression does not bode well." She says, stopping and turning to face him. No doubt, Cessie has something to do with it!

Morty
2020-09-17, 01:27 PM
[Battle Clinic]

Wenomir really doesn't like this. But Svetlana deserves to hear it from him.

"It is as we both expected, Svetlana. You'll be discharged from Vigil until further notice. And we advise you to seek help at GLoG."

Purple Eagle
2020-09-17, 09:31 PM
[Battle Clinic]

Svetlana doesn't stop smiling. "I know, my handsome sensei, I know." She walks back to her seat and sits her butt down. "I will have to decline the request to seek help specifically at GLoG, however. Raptor Island has good enough therapists, I just have not been visiting them... but that will change."

Tapping the table before her, she smiles silently for a little while. "I suppose I can leave the grounds, now? There is so much I must do. My parents back home in Japan will want to know about my new lease on life. I have no plans to return home permanently, however..." She's already making plans. "... so I can return here if you need me to give a statement, or something along those lines."

Morty
2020-09-18, 01:20 PM
[Battle Clinic]

Wenomir nods. If she wishes to seek help elsewhere, it's really not his place to tell her otherwise. He's hardly an expert.

"If that's what you think is best. You can, and indeed need to, leave the grounds now. We'll contact you if there's anything we need."

Gnrlshrimp
2020-09-18, 01:21 PM
[The Battered Shield]

Atreyu chuckles and waves a furred hand at Lapis. These seem like amusing (and largely harmless) antics. "Sorry kid, being a grownup ain't as seem as just being taller. Not much that can replace experience, and you gotta get that the slow way."

Ah, but that also means the kid is still a kid. Atreyu promptly extinguishes his light and puffs the last breath of pinkish smoke away from Lapis. It's harmless enough, sure, but it ain't right in his mind to get someone used to that sorta thing until they're owner.

"I'm thinking a round of battered shields sounds good. Gotta meet all the folk around here sooner or later if I'm to be a part of it all."

Purple Eagle
2020-09-18, 02:24 PM
Wenomir nods. If she wishes to seek help elsewhere, it's really not his place to tell her otherwise. He's hardly an expert.

"If that's what you think is best. You can, and indeed need to, leave the grounds now. We'll contact you if there's anything we need."

[Battle Clinic => Dr. Tanaka's Room]

"Then it is settled! I shall start packing up my things. Would you come with me, sensei? I would like to spend some more time with you before I leave." Svetlana moves to follow him out of the battle clinic and then lead him into her room, wishing that he stay to supervise as she starts to gather her things.

If she successfully coaxes him into her room, she'll spend the trip humming a hopeful song. Once they get to their destination, however, she shuts the door and turns to him. "Even though we would still be seeing from time to time, I being your student and what not, I would like something to remember you by, sensei." She suddenly says, looking into his eyes and then at his lips, staring enough to make him uncomfortable. However, she resists the urge to take him right there and resumes packing her clothes, but she's said it regardless.

Besides, didn't she promise not to do anything funny in her attempt to coax him into her room?

Morty
2020-09-18, 03:31 PM
[Dr. Tanaka's Room]

Wenomir follows Svetlana willingly enough; she does need supervision until she leaves the island and it might as well be him. This mood quickly evaporates once Svetlana starts... looking at him this way and talking to him.

"...something like what?" he asks, trying to keep the discomfort from his voice. Riddle.

Earl of Purple
2020-09-18, 07:48 PM
Bird in the Hand

Well... This is somewhat hopeful, since they don't know what to do with it now they have it. But also, dispelling it won't actually do what they're hoping, and the hoopoe doesn't want them to do it. So as Lapis loosens her grip, the bird relaxes. It's going to wait a few moments before it tries to break out of the cherub's grip. Hopefully she'll loosen it further since it's not actively struggling and she thinks she's going to sort out the issue.

Purple Eagle
2020-09-19, 12:10 AM
[Dr. Tanaka's Room => Leaving VIGIL]

Svetlana merely giggles and continues packing her things. Yes, she giggles.

Once she's done, she turns to face Wenomir once more, smiling. "You know, when he told me to move on and find someone else, I thought of you, sensei. I wish it were possible, but I know I am not the only student of yours that wishes to know you... as they say, 'curtainly'. Curtainsly?" She pauses to think for a second, then waves her hand dismissively. "Something along those lines, at any rate." At least, she seems to accept that the feeling isn't mutual.

She turns back to look at her old room, and suddenly freezes as it finally hits her: she's leaving VIGIL. Falling deathly silent, she studies the space she'd hoped to spend more time in. Closing her eyes, she turns around to reveal silent tears.

After a while, she takes a deep breath and wipes her eyes. "Well then. Onward." She says curtly, and walks out of the room.

She's silent as they head for the gate. "I hope I have a chance to return, but considering the fact that Dr Valiance will not be losing his job, I likely never will." And that's okay! There's always HALO. Failing that, she'd just stay in Raptor Island working with Mirai. "Forgive my sudden burst of emotion, it just feels like this is the last time you and I will see in a long while."

Morty
2020-09-19, 11:22 AM
[Leaving VIGIL]

Wenomir goes through a range of emotions in a fairly short time. Discomfort, then pity. At least Svetlana recognizes how inappropriate it would be and spared him the awkwardness of refusing. But he seems to have underestimated how troubled she is.

"...it might be," he says. "And there's no need to be ashamed. I also wish it didn't need to happen this way. Maybe once you've found the help you need, it can change." He pauses, then addresses the elephant in the room: "Your husband is right that you need to move on. And I hope you find someone to do it with."

Zefir
2020-09-19, 07:55 PM
[The Battered Shield]

Atreyu chuckles and waves a furred hand at Lapis. These seem like amusing (and largely harmless) antics. "Sorry kid, being a grownup ain't as seem as just being taller. Not much that can replace experience, and you gotta get that the slow way."

Ah, but that also means the kid is still a kid. Atreyu promptly extinguishes his light and puffs the last breath of pinkish smoke away from Lapis. It's harmless enough, sure, but it ain't right in his mind to get someone used to that sorta thing until they're owner.

"I'm thinking a round of battered shields sounds good. Gotta meet all the folk around here sooner or later if I'm to be a part of it all."

[The Battered Shield]

Mia is not really sure what to do now. She got the feeling that they are so focused on Lapis they they just miss him. Well whatever it is she just sits there and waves at Anika as she scolds Lapis. Or at least thats what Mia thinks Anika is doing.

[Mia's Lab]

Sophia might notice that the door might have been upgraded and there is a camera nearby as well. Thought this migth be a result of the last training were a few people showed their dislike. You dont wanna have them in this place as they want. There will be a voice from inside after she knows who it is.
"Come in Sophia. Take a seat and tell me."
Mia is waring some more work fitting clothes then usual and sits at a low table.

Purple Eagle
2020-09-19, 11:22 PM
[Leaving VIGIL]

"I will. Maybe I have already." Svetlana smiles at him, but this time she's just teasing. Then she grows serious. "No matter what happens, I will not forget you." She bows low to him. "Thank you for everything!"

Here's where it gets even more troubling, however: when she stands up, she turns to some invisible person beside her. "He is thanking you too, sensei. I know you cannot see him, but that is to be expected... you do not have the bond I have with him." She moves to hold the hand of this invisible person. She's silent for a bit, then bursts out laughing. "He cannot hear you, baka!"

She sighs contentedly. "Sensei... do you have any parting words for me, any advice?"

Nova_Eclipse
2020-09-20, 01:17 AM
Training Ground - Potential Student

"I admit, I truly hope you are more flexible than you appear. If I underestimate your mobility, then others will as well." Jezebel points out, heading over to the table once Excalibur is passed back over so she can pick up her Eviscerator and offer it for him to examine as well. It was only fair play after all. "Even though it sized itself down, I'd say your blade is too light for my liking but if you can wield it as well as you say, then that is good enough and I'll rescind my recommendation to try something smaller." Jezebel's Eviscerator is a monster of a "sword", weighing in at nearly eight kilograms and a little over a (human) hand in width so a pair of parallel chainblades can run next to each other. The back edge is armored and covered, providing moderate protection from the blades, and the entire weapon is adorned in silver angels and demons in the midst of scandalous activities. Unlike Quin's blade, it doesn't change weight, though his greater size probably makes it a fairly easy weapon to wield. "Even so, if you haven't tried to...connect to your blade and exert your will over it or in conjunction with its own, perhaps that is actually where you should begin. Even though I understand that my weapon has no true soul or mind of its own, I still cast my senses through it in order to use it as an extent of my own being in combat. I don't subscribe to the Riddle of Steel like Wenomir, but I would never disagree with the necessity to understand what you're using on a more than physical level."


Training Ground - Potential Student

Quin hefts Jezebel's Eviscerator one-handed for a moment, and makes a few test swings with it. Despite its weight, he seems to wield it as easily as he does Excalibur, though his test swings seem a bit off, as though he's being exceptionally careful with it. He flexes his wrist for a moment with the blade, obviously trying to get a better handle on the weapon's balance, before shaking his head slightly and offering the blade back to Jezebel. His head shake seems to be more in response to what she's saying than her choice in blades.

"I don't really do that much, so you're right, that's probably a place to start. I'm not entirely sure where to begin, though. I mean, do try to make Excalibur an extension of my body, but...I don't really cast my will into it, not like that, if I understand what you're saying correctly." He leans towards Jezebel slightly and from the shape of his eyes, Jezebel might be able to pick up that if he had a visible mouth, he'd be smiling. "I'd also like to say that I like your choice in blades. Exceptionally well-balanced; I'm not used to seeing something so exotic be so easy to handle."

Shadowcaller
2020-09-20, 02:58 AM
Lapis studies Anika for a few moments before looking down at the bird.

Someone might have been turned into a bird?

Oh no!

That's horrible!

Lapis got turned into a sheep that one time and it was pretty bad, so she knows how bad getting turned into things is.

"I'm sorry I didn't know you got turned into a bird," Lapis informs the hoopoe, loosening her grip a little bit.

BUT!

Not letting the bird go.

The bird must be confused since it kept disappearing all the time. She wouldn't want it to disappear again now that they can help it!

"We should take it to Commander Cessie she knows about magic stuff," Lapis concludes.


[B]Bird in the Hand

Well... This is somewhat hopeful, since they don't know what to do with it now they have it. But also, dispelling it won't actually do what they're hoping, and the hoopoe doesn't want them to do it. So as Lapis loosens her grip, the bird relaxes. It's going to wait a few moments before it tries to break out of the cherub's grip. Hopefully she'll loosen it further since it's not actively struggling and she thinks she's going to sort out the issue.

[Bird in the Hand]

"I know about magic stuff too, just... not that kind of stuff." Anika makes sure to point out before she turns away. "But let's, I guess she would know more about evil transformation magic than us." If the bird manages to get out of Lapis hand, she wouldn't immediately spot it.

Morty
2020-09-20, 07:38 AM
[Leaving VIGIL]

This conversation has surely been a roller-coaster in terms of Svetlana's behavior. Then again, maybe her husband is talking to her. Or if not, she can't be blamed for it either way. Hopefully qualified professionals can help her come to terms with all this.

"Remember what happened here," he says, a few moments after she asks him for parting words. "Do not dwell on it as a failure, but keep in mind that words can be more dangerous than weapons and that sometimes you can lose a battle simply by starting it."

Ashen Lilies
2020-09-20, 10:24 PM
The Battered Shield

Blanche blinks. Why didn't she think of that before? "I haven't done much of that sorta thing myself either, maybe that'll make it even more fun for her," she remarks as their drinks arrive. After all, she's teaching Anika how to shoot, and it's been great fun - if a little frustrating at times. "We er, actually did go out to Seaside a few weeks back together - before, well, y'know. Getting to explore the island and visit the moonwell was fun. And I guess we can, um, spend some time together on our next mission." A pink glow rises in her cheeks.

[The Battered Shield]

"See?" Says Kal, smiling encouragingly. "You are good at this, if you just think about it a little."

Rebonack
2020-09-21, 09:38 PM
[Geneva's Lab]

Okay.

Color noted.

That's one of the upsides to telepathy. If you know what you're doing you can convey non-verbal information, too!

Very handy.

Geneva definitely detects the laughter, though.

Now it's just going to bug her.

"Okay, what?"


[A Bird in the Hand]

"Okay let's go see her!" Lapis agrees before starting off toward the commander's villa!

Lapis will, of course, barge straight into the office.

"COMMANDER CESSIE I CAUGHT THE WEIRD BIRD IT WAS TURNED INTO A BIRD WHAT SHOULD WE DO!?" the little girl hollers, brandishing the bird in question.

Does Cessie even know that Anika had told Lapis to scare birds away?


[The Battered Shield]

"That counts, I'm bigger and older. He didn't say how much bigger and older," Lapis says, puffing her cheeks out a bit in consternation. The pouty face looks pretty hilarious. It looks even more hilarious when she just sort of goes ZOOP! and folds in on herself and now there's a little girl perched on the bar stool. "Would you really get one for me too, Anika? I really wanted to try one it sounded so good but he said children can't be in the bar."

She crosses her arms and huffs.

"That doesn't seem fair. Why can't kids be in here it's dumb!"

Apparently she doesn't know about the whole alcohol thing.

"But that takes too long!" Lapis objects when Atreyu points out the folly of her plan. "I want to try the battered shield now."

These are important experiences that she's being denied!

"Oh, um, I'm Lapis Lazuli! I keep the hedges trimmed and chase away the birds and Commander Wenomir is teaching me swording! That's why I wanted to know about her sword," she says, pointing at Mia.

Then she holds out that same pointing hand and draws forth her thing which is like a sword.

Calling it a flaming sword wouldn't be wholly inaccurate. Sort of like how saying that a star is a candle isn't totally wrong, either. A weapon called forth from the armory of the heavens, intent to cut distilled down into a coherent object.

"I haven't got my own sword just this thing which is okay I guess. But I need to get a real metal sword to practice with."

Lapis releases her weapon and it snuffs out into nothing like a smothered flame. "Hey do is the guy you got your sword from here in the Nexus?" Lapis asks Mia. "I really really need a good sword for swording with."

bc56
2020-09-21, 10:05 PM
"What what?" Sekhmet is confused. What is Geneva asking about? Did she do something wrong? She looks away embarrassedly, uncertain of what the problem is. "I'm, uh, sorry?" Sorry for what? Sekhmet doesn't know. But Geneva seems a little insulted about something.

Gnrlshrimp
2020-09-22, 12:47 PM
[The Battered Shield]

There's something very disconcerting about a child behaving in such a childlike fashion while looking like...well, like Lapis does right now.

Atreyu scratches his chin and glances at Mia and Anika, hoping the more experienced members might have some idea on how best to handle this. And then breathes a sigh of relief as Lapis goes back to child proportions.

Still, there's some lesson learnin' to be done here, and he can safely do that. "Well, I reckon if the four of us retreat to a table and don't bother the bartender any further, maybe that'd be arright. But I also reckon-" He leans in and fixes his gaze on Lapis, "That if you're smart enough to come up with a plan like this, yer also smart enough to know better'n to try'n argue on technicalities. He shouldn't have to specify how much older you gotta be, you know you ain't old enough. Simple as. I reckon an apology wouldn't go amiss, little missy."

As for the sword...

"Yeeeah, I dunno if a metal sword is really needed when y'got...whatever that is." Atreyu's doing an excellent job of maintain a straight face when faced with the knowledge that this impulsive child has some kind of divine manifestation of sword at her disposal. "But I find myself a little lacking in weapons, as it happens. So I reckon I'd be interested in hearing about this smith of yours, Miss." He nods at Mia.

Earl of Purple
2020-09-22, 05:26 PM
Bird in the Hand

The hoopoe tries to struggle as they enter Cessie's office, pecking at Lapis' grasping appendage and struggling to flap its wings. It scrabbles with its feet, too, trying to break out of Lapis' grip however it can. It doesn't want someone to try and dispel magic on it, even if that might make it not a bird any longer.

Purple Eagle
2020-09-23, 01:10 AM
This conversation has surely been a roller-coaster in terms of Svetlana's behavior. Then again, maybe her husband is talking to her. Or if not, she can't be blamed for it either way. Hopefully qualified professionals can help her come to terms with all this.

"Remember what happened here," he says, a few moments after she asks him for parting words. "Do not dwell on it as a failure, but keep in mind that words can be more dangerous than weapons and that sometimes you can lose a battle simply by starting it."

[Leaving VIGIL]

Svetlana nods. "Thank you, sensei. I will never forget you." With one last smile, she turns to walk away, hand-in-hand with her imaginary ghost husband.

Once she gets outside the base entrance, she opens up a portal and walks through it, disappearing out of sight.

Recaiden
2020-09-23, 01:12 AM
Sophia might notice that the door might have been upgraded and there is a camera nearby as well. Thought this migth be a result of the last training were a few people showed their dislike. You dont wanna have them in this place as they want. There will be a voice from inside after she knows who it is.
"Come in Sophia. Take a seat and tell me."
Mia is waring some more work fitting clothes then usual and sits at a low table.

Sophia is visible walking up to the door in her hooded robe.
She doesn't have to be. Cameras tend not to see them either. But she doesn't intend to bother Mia.
Into the room, and she sits at the table, setting just one pair of hands on the table.
"He doesn't want to honor his family's agreement. Not because of you, but because of being in a whole new world."

Shadowcaller
2020-09-23, 04:55 AM
Bird in the Hand

As Lapis rushes into the commander's office, Cessie is sitting on her desk with her communicator in hand and nearly falls over when Lapis suddenly slams the door open. "Onemoment- Lapis!" She hisses as she aims the communicator away from her. "I'm- I'm in the middle of something here. You can't just rush inside unannounced."
Her gaze then falls to Anika who isn't far behind as if she had put Lapis up to this.
The druid gestures at the girl. "Y-yeah, she caught the boss... bird." The realization that Cessie probably didn't know what the 'boss bird' was comes a moment too late unfortunately.

[The Battered Shield]

"It is dumb." Anika agrees, not even raising an eyebrow as Lapis folds into herself before her.
"So an battered shield for everyone, including that... oh, it's medic lady. Hi!" Anika waves back at Mia. "You want a battered shield?!" She yells across the room before turning to the bar. "Three battered shields please, maybe four!"

Rebonack
2020-09-23, 10:01 AM
[Bird in the Hand]

Lapis loses zero momentum in response to Cessie's apparent business, frustration, and withering look for Anika.

Obviously this is super important maybe no one told her about how important catching this bird was. Well Lapis can do that for sure.

"The bird isn't really a bird it's SUPER heavy and it disappears whenever people aren't looking at it and-" she begins rambling, fumbling with the bird a bit as it struggles and pecks.

"-stop that bird we're trying to help-"

Thankfully, perhaps unthankfully for the bird, Lapis is a rather indomitable blend of stubborn and resilient. It'll take something pretty dramatic to get her to release the bird. Though if it can get her to stop looking at it that might be its best bet.

"-and it was spying on Makuro at first but then it started following me instead and Makuro said that it was weird and then we tried catching it but it disappears OH! and it doesn't make bird noises it just makes noises like they don't mean anything like it's just trying to sound like a bird and then Anika told me that I had to chase all the birds out of VIGIL in case they were secretly pod people but I don't think this one is a pod person maybe it's a person that got turned into a bird and you know about magic so maybe you can help!"

Then Lapis gives her best toothy smile and holds the bird out toward Cessie so she can see it better.

Lapis is very excited she did such a great job.


[Geneva's Lab]

That gets a laugh out of Geneva.

"What what what?" she giggles. "You were laughing about something. I could feel it rippling the edges of the perception you sent me. What's so funny about that color?"

She offers a reassuring smile.

"I'm not mad. I'm just curious now."

bc56
2020-09-23, 11:38 AM
"Oh, it's just, uh," Sekhmet starts to explain, then just sends a new psychic image over. It's Spike, inhuman monstrosity that she is, wearing a dress of the color Sekhmet sent earlier. It doesn't look bad, per se, but it does look a bit silly.

Morty
2020-09-23, 12:14 PM
[Leaving VIGIL ==> Wenomir's Office]

After Svetlana leaves, Wenomir sends Cessie a message:


Svetlana has left. Let me know how talks with Geneva go. We should meet with Jezebel and discuss it later.

With that, he goes back to his office, absent-mindedly and distractedly. This entire ordeal took a lot out of him.

Earl of Purple
2020-09-23, 04:44 PM
Bird in the Hand

"Hoo-poo!" Cries the bird as it's waved around in front of Cessie. It struggles some more, trying to get away, but maybe... Maybe if Anika and Cessie look away, it can get away. It also sounds pretty much like a real hoopoe, even if it doesn't mean anything with the cry.

If not, it's probably stuck here and might get magicked at, and it doesn't want that.

Zefir
2020-09-24, 02:06 AM
Sophia is visible walking up to the door in her hooded robe.
She doesn't have to be. Cameras tend not to see them either. But she doesn't intend to bother Mia.
Into the room, and she sits at the table, setting just one pair of hands on the table.
"He doesn't want to honor his family's agreement. Not because of you, but because of being in a whole new world."

[Mia's Lab]

Mia hasn't thought about Sophia in her security measure. After all she wasn't there. On top this is only to regulate people rather then just shut them out. It's not like the door is security shut, but you know if the doors are open people just step in even thought they would never have knocked.
Mia also seems a bit nervouse as they sit next to each other. Mainly because she isn't sure what he said.

"Understandable." she comments this. "He only saw me once at best, but what does it mean because of the whole new world? Would he do it if he returns?"


[The Battered Shield]

"It is dumb." Anika agrees, not even raising an eyebrow as Lapis folds into herself before her.
"So an battered shield for everyone, including that... oh, it's medic lady. Hi!" Anika waves back at Mia. "You want a battered shield?!" She yells across the room before turning to the bar. "Three battered shields please, maybe four!"

[The Battered Shield]

I should say Mia isn't that far away. She is sitting at the bar only one or two seats away from lapis place. Mia turns to the bartender.

"Make it four and cancel my previouse order." Mia says. She should take the chance and maybe get in touch with other members. It might be a better idea then jsut waiting for them to appear at the infirmary of while something is broken. She turns to Anika and the new member.
"My name is Mia, nice to meet you." She just heared of Anika, but only rumors or what she saw in the profile file.
"I should say I agree with his opinion, such a weapon you got is quiet more impressiv then a sword. The one i have was made by a smith named
Christopther. He was introduced to me by Wenomir, but I heared he might take a break right now." [Due to player taking a break] "I don't know if he will be back soon or not, but it might be an idea to talk to Wenomir, unless you need something more mechanical like a gun. In that case I could do that."

[Wenomir's office]

Around a few days after the training scene or maybe earlier Mia will knock on the door of Wenomir's office. She has worked through her papers and came to the point that Awen, her latest patient, might need support, especially if the hand breaks in any way. Mi is dressed in a typical mechanical outfir with a dungarees. She appears a bit dirty, fresh oil stain on her clothes as well as on her skin which she already tried to wash away. She just finished her maintanance of the engines befor coming here.

Rebonack
2020-09-24, 11:50 AM
[Geneva's Lab]

Okay so.

Geneva has seen Spike before.

Just when she was disguised as a humanoid thing, right?

So seeing the very not humanoid thing in a pretty dress?

Okay, yeah, that's funny. That's enough to get a laugh.

"Okay, blue it is then," Geneva concludes. "I'll place an order for the dress right now. Don't want to get distracted and forget."

She'll begin typing on her little wrist computer. Very handy for buying things on short notice!

"Where's the wedding going to be again?" Geneva asks absently while she taps away at the touch screen.


[The Battered Shield]

Lapis looks a bit downcast when she's scolded by Atreyu.

"Yeah, I guess..." she mutters before giving her best doey eyed look to the man behind the counter. "Sorry I tried to trick you mister bartender. That wasn't a very nice thing to do..."

Then she'll hop off the barstool and head toward whatever table is indicated by the grownups. Lapis seems sufficiently mollified by the promise that she'll still get to try the battered shield even if she doesn't get to sit at the bar (which is still dumb!). At sword talk, she makes a distressed child sound.

"But that dumb thing only knows how to cut!" Lapis cries in consternation. "When I'm practicing swords with people I don't want to cut them! Its good in a for-reals fight but not for pretend ones."

Should children really be in for-reals fights?

Anika might want to point out that Lapis is some sort of weird tree dragon angel deer thing. And speaking of Anika, Lapis gives a firm nod of agreement regarding the dumbness of this situation.

"Maybe I should ask Santa for a sword this year..." Lapis ponders aloud. "Does Santa give out swords?"

The Hogfather (when played by Death) sure does.

A thought occurs to Lapis quite suddenly as she ponders how good she might have to be for Santa to reward her with a nice sword. "How come so many people carry weapons around at VIGIL all the time? I keep seeing lots of adventurers doing it too. But the only bad thing I've seen at VIGIL was that mean ghost from last year that turned me into a sheep and made Cora invisible."

She doesn't mention what it did to Wenomir. She could tell he wasn't happy about it.

bc56
2020-09-24, 12:02 PM
"Uh, do you know where Skullfort is?" Sekhmet explains, "There's a temple there to the goddess Message." She fingers her ever-present necklace with its shooting star emblem. A holy symbol? Don't holy objects burn Sekhmet? Can't she not set foot on consecrated ground?

Recaiden
2020-09-24, 01:56 PM
Mia hasn't thought about Sophia in her security measure. After all she wasn't there. On top this is only to regulate people rather then just shut them out. It's not like the door is security shut, but you know if the doors are open people just step in even thought they would never have knocked.
Mia also seems a bit nervouse as they sit next to each other. Mainly because she isn't sure what he said.

"Understandable." she comments this. "He only saw me once at best, but what does it mean because of the whole new world? Would he do it if he returns?"

"It means his father made the contract without consulting him. Understandably so, I think. If he returned, he might grudgingly go through with it, but as long as he is in the Nexus he can be independent from his family and use his mechanical skill for his own purposes."
Sophia nods her head back and forth.
"Perhaps your church could renegotiate?"

Morty
2020-09-24, 02:58 PM
[Wenomir's office - Mia]

Wenomir opens the door after a while. He looks tired, but not more so than usual.

"Hello, Mia. Can I help you with something?"

Shadowcaller
2020-09-25, 06:19 AM
Lapis loses zero momentum in response to Cessie's apparent business, frustration, and withering look for Anika.

Obviously this is super important maybe no one told her about how important catching this bird was. Well Lapis can do that for sure.

"The bird isn't really a bird it's SUPER heavy and it disappears whenever people aren't looking at it and-" she begins rambling, fumbling with the bird a bit as it struggles and pecks.

"-stop that bird we're trying to help-"

Thankfully, perhaps unthankfully for the bird, Lapis is a rather indomitable blend of stubborn and resilient. It'll take something pretty dramatic to get her to release the bird. Though if it can get her to stop looking at it that might be its best bet.

"-and it was spying on Makuro at first but then it started following me instead and Makuro said that it was weird and then we tried catching it but it disappears OH! and it doesn't make bird noises it just makes noises like they don't mean anything like it's just trying to sound like a bird and then Anika told me that I had to chase all the birds out of VIGIL in case they were secretly pod people but I don't think this one is a pod person maybe it's a person that got turned into a bird and you know about magic so maybe you can help!"

Then Lapis gives her best toothy smile and holds the bird out toward Cessie so she can see it better.

Lapis is very excited she did such a great job.


[B][Leaving VIGIL ==> Wenomir's Office]

After Svetlana leaves, Wenomir sends Cessie a message:

With that, he goes back to his office, absent-mindedly and distractedly. This entire ordeal took a lot out of him.

[Wenomir's Office]


We shall. But I need to thank you for doing this. It must have been hard for you.

Cessie first replies, but its shortly followed by another message.


Not not completely change the subject, Jezebel has been here a little while now, so what's your impression of her so far? Keep in mind that you are to evaluate her performance.

[Bird in the Hand]

Cessie stares blankly at Lapis for a moment before she finally gets a chance to reply. "Lapis, please slow down. You're rambling. This bird Anika have told you to catch is magical and you want me to... see what it is?" She glances at the Hoopoe and then at Anika. "Can you confirm what she's saying?"

"Uh, yeah! It's totally a magical bird. It took like... weeks until Lapis managed to catch it. In a really clever way I should add." She gives Lapis a quick pat on the shoulder.

Still holding on to her communicator Cessie takes another look at the hoopoe, seemingly unsure what to make of it. "I'm afraid that's a bit beyond my ability, Lapis. I would go to Mia or Kalya if you want help with that."

[The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr]

Finally, Jaahlyn has come to VIGIL to revisit Saint Lazarus and she's carrying a backpack with her.
She has been directed to whatever part of the base the ghoul knight is currently occupying.
If she manages to find her, she will go through her usual motions of bowing and pleasantries. "Sir Lazarus, I like to apologies for my tardiness but I have finally found what I think will be a sure way to ease your problem if you're willing to put trust in me once more." She takes off her backpack. Whatever 'solution' she was seems to be carried within it.

Rebonack
2020-09-25, 10:36 AM
[Bird in the Hand]

"It's definitely a magic bird Anika was with me one time when it disappeared," Lapis confirms with a vigorous head nod. At Cessie's question Lapis adds, "Yeah! You're good at magic so we wanted to give it to you to magic it so we could find out what it is!"

Then Anika pats Lapis on the shoulder, prompting the little seraph to look up at the elf and just beam with all the childish glee and pride she can muster. She actually shines a bit like a little twinkling star.

That's a problem, though.

For a brief moment there Lapis and Cessie are focused on Anika while Anika is focused on Cessie.

Which means no one is looking at the bird.

For only a fraction of a second, sure.

But that might be enough.

"Oh no, you don't know how to magic the bird?" Lapis asks, her funny like ear-wings drooping with disappointment. "I guess we should ask those other people, then?"


[Geneva's Lab]

Geneva considers that name for a moment, looking kind of skeptical.

"...skullfort? That sounds kind of...."

Depressing? Morbid? HeMan-y?

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter how it sounds. I haven't heard of Message, are they a... pleasant god?"

She's having a hard time imagining what a deity who has a temple in a place called skullfort would be like besides unpleasant.

bc56
2020-09-25, 11:19 AM
"I, uh, don't know the story behind it. But there's a, uh, fort shaped like a skull. But Message is nice! She's about, uh, hope and courage and redemption and things. She lets me into her, uh, holy places." Sekhmet seems pretty enthused about that. It means a lot to her.

Gnrlshrimp
2020-09-25, 04:23 PM
[The Battered Shield]

"Well, I reckon for a lotta folks, keeping their weapon on their person is sorta a comfort thing. Y'get used to having somethin' reliable by yer side. Not somethin' I've ever taken to doing, mind, but I've seen plenty of adventurers keeping their weapons about 'em." Although as Anika knows, Atreyu has a different sort of comfort item he keeps with him.

"Guns ain't something I'm familiar with, I'm afraid, Mia, but if you reckon Wenomir can point us in the right direction for a smith, there's no harm in that." In fact, it might be doing some good in avoiding harm so Lapis doesn't have to use that terrifying thing for practice.

Earl of Purple
2020-09-25, 04:32 PM
Bird in the Hand

Unfortunately, it seems Cessie has proof now that the hoopoe isn't what it looks, as- during the brief moment when noone was looking at it- it disappeared. Lapis is unlikely to have noticed a change in weight, however, as the hoopoe has left a wooden duck of the same size and density behind. The deer-dragon may notice the change in texture, however; the duck, despite a realistic paintjob, does not have feathers and isn't breathing, which I guess the hoopoe was doing. I don't recall saying it wasn't, anyway.

Shadowcaller
2020-09-26, 07:51 AM
[The Battered Shield]

"Yeah, I remember you. You're in charge of the medical place." Anika remarks with a gesture at Mia.
But her attention is quickly drawn back to Lapis when she addresses her. "Uh, I dunno about Santa. We had someone called father Winter but he's a dwarf... I think. But if Santa is anything like father Winter I'm pretty sure he'd give you a sword. Most dwarves love weapons, to make them, to maintain them, to use them... nearly every dwarf I've met have been crazy about them. Even if he can't give you a sword, he can probably give you something just as good... like a double-sword."

Bird in the Hand

"Sorry to disappoint, but enchantments like that are-" Cessie suddenly stops. "Lapis, I think something is, uh, wrong with your bird."

Anika, who was smiling back at Lapis, raises an eyebrow. Confused as to what the sorceress meant. Had the bird used some weird magic perhaps?

Rebonack
2020-09-26, 10:23 AM
[Geneva's Lab]

Sometimes people just live in forts shaped like skulls.

"Well, redemption is a good thing to be concerned with," Geneva concludes after a few moments of thought. "The magic of friendship can change hearts, after all. I'll get ready as much as I can. I'm sure the wedding will be beautiful, Sekhmet."

Just grand.


[No Longer Any Birds In Hand Unless You Count a Wooden Duck]

Lapis looks puzzled at Cessie comment for a bare fraction of a second before looking down at the duck.

The duck.

"Oh no no one was looking at it and it disappeared!"

RAAAGH she's so mad she could just- ragh!

Lapis is so mad she eats the wooden duck on the spot! She isn't sure what else to do about it.

"I finally caught it and it got away again!" she snarls, her frustration manifesting outwardly as she grows increasingly less concrete, her every aspect waxing dangerous and awesome. Awesome in the very literal old sense of the word. Striking equal parts wonder and terror.

She's just so mad she could-!

She COULD-!

There's an audible pop as the building pressure in the room vanishes, leaving Lapis as a half drow child once again. She hugs Anika's leg and begins crying.

"I tried so h-hard and it... and it just got away again!" she wails. "I'm the WORST at catching birds!"

bc56
2020-09-26, 11:11 AM
"Thank you." Sekhmet will try to hug Geneva. "You're a good friend."

Earl of Purple
2020-09-26, 04:32 PM
No More Bird

The duck tastes of wood, and a little of lead-based paint. Hopefully Lapis doesn't have a biology that would be negatively affected by that.

Ashen Lilies
2020-09-26, 05:35 PM
[Wenomir's office]

While Wenomir is texting, there's a gentle knock on the door before it opens, and Cassandra pokes her head through. She's dressed rather casually in a t-shirt and light jacket (it's pretty cold this high up) and exercise pants - it seems it must have been she that Wenomir was training before he got pulled away for business.

"Oh, here you are," she says. "You didn't come back to the training grounds so I asked your assistant where you were. Is everything okay?"

Arkhosia
2020-09-26, 06:26 PM
[The Battered Shield]

"See?" Says Kal, smiling encouragingly. "You are good at this, if you just think about it a little."

The Battered Shield

"Heh, I guess so. Guess I just needed someone to help me, er, sort out and work through those thoughts." There's a tinge of heat in her cheeks as she take another sip, before smiling a little back over at Kal. "Maybe we'll have to make this a regular thing, though I'd hope there's something I can do to make listening to me ramble worthwhile."

Shadowcaller
2020-09-27, 06:32 AM
[No Longer Any Birds In Hand Unless You Count a Wooden Duck]

"Uh... Lapis..." Anika displays her palm as she suddenly seems worried for what she's going to do.
Cessie regards her with caution but her expression is far more firm in contrast to the druid's.

Then Anika finds Lapis crying at her feet and immediately the tension is broken and she kneels down to comfort the girl. "Don't cry." She remarks as she soothingly run her hand through the girls hair.

She glances at the wooden duck... waitaminute!

"It- it's a token! Bosses always drop tokens when they're defeated." It was common knowledge!
She looks down at Lapis again. "Normally the bird just disappears, right? But this time it left something behind." Anika puts her other hand on the wooden duck and gently pulls it up. "That's since it considered itself defeated by you, Lapis. You beat the boss-bird and this is your reward." The druid nods sagely. "There's probably someone who exchanges wooden ducks for magical items somewhere. Or maybe it's a magical item itself. You should have someone check it out."

Can Cessie feel any kind of magic coming from the bird?

Either way, Anika continues. "It will probably appear again and if you catch it like this again, it will probably drop something else, or another duck token. I believe that's called farming."

Cessie raises an eyebrow at this term usage, she was fairly sure farming was something completely different but she wasn't going to point that out now.

Morty
2020-09-27, 07:19 AM
[Wenomir's office]


She seems to be applying herself to working with us dutifully. I will take time for the rank and file members to see her as someone in authority and we can't rush it, but she seems to be on her way there.

When Cassandra enters, he looks up, guilt flashes across his face and he rubs it tiredly.

"Sorry about that. There was a... volatile situation. It's handled now, but not entirely. That's all I can say, unfortunately. It's internal Vigil business."

Rebonack
2020-09-27, 09:44 AM
[Bird in the Hand]

Wait, isn't Anika still in her underwear? Did she ever get dressed before running over to Cessie's office with Lapis?

Either way, she's probably got snot and tears on her leg now. Lapis sniffles pitifully as her hair is stroked, once appear appearing for all the world to be just another normal child. At the mention of the duck she looks up at Anika, briefly confused. She had just swallowed it, but-

A brief convulsion of her stomach and now the girl's holding the duck again. It's slightly singed now, but otherwise no worse for wear. Thankfully not slimy or gross. Had it been left to its fate it would have been pulverized and the carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in it fused for energy.

-she can get it back pretty easily.

"A token?" Lapis asks, wiping her nose and eyes with her forearm. Now her shirt's sleeve is all snotty, too. "Are those like Relics?" she asks, a little bit of hope and excitement creeping back into her voice. "Things you get for doing quests and beating up monsters?"

She frowns at the duck.

"I can't buy any traits or perks with it; it's just matter. How can I find out if there's someone who trades duck tokens for things?" she asks. Maybe this wasn't a total loss after all? Almost as an after-thought she adds, "Sorry I got so mad and scary..." she says, her eyes falling to floor as she shuffles her feet anxiously. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"


[Geneva's Lab]

Oh no, hugs!

Geneva's happy to share one.

"You're a good friend too, Sekhmet. I'll finish up what I'm working on and then dedicate some time to getting ready."

bc56
2020-09-27, 11:13 AM
"Great, thanks! I'll, uh, see you soon?" Sekhmet releases Geneva and starts to leave.

Earl of Purple
2020-09-27, 04:30 PM
Bird Back in the Hand

The wooden duck is, in fact, just matter. And it's not magical, either.

The reason why the hoopoe left something behind this time was because it was being held. It didn't want Lapis to realise it had left, at least not immediately. It could be anywhere, but it has a head start if anyone tries to figure out where it went.

Shadowcaller
2020-09-28, 01:32 AM
Bird Back in the Hand

Anika is in clothes that Cessie assumes are some kind of bathing suit that she's seen her use on occasion. She's technically correct as Anika's underwear often doubles as swim gear.
Not that it actually improves her opinion of the druid.

Anika strokes her chin. "Merchants like that usually hang out in cities. I'll fly around Inside and see if I can find one later, alright? They're usually in very public locations so it shouldn't be too hard to find."

Then she ruffles Lapis hair and smiles. "Of course you're not in trouble. I got mad too! If you hadn't got mad, I would have shaken my fist at the sky and shouted 'BOSS-BIRD'! Since I like to do things like that."

At this point Cessie loudly clears her throat. "You're not in trouble, Lapis." She reaffirms. "But I need to ask you to leave now as I still have a caller on the line." The sorceress gestures at her communicator once more.

Rebonack
2020-09-28, 10:16 AM
[(No) Bird in the Hand]

Lapis looks encouraged when she hears that Anika will help her find a duck-token merchant. She is ALSO encouraged when she finds out that she isn't in trouble.

When Cessie insists that they need to leave she quickly scurries out of the office.

Definitely encouraged!

"We should look outside and see if the boss bird is still around," Lapis says as she begins heading toward the courtyard. "I guess you can still shout at the sky if you want?"

Lapis has zero issues with shouting at the sky.

Not that she does much sky shouting.

But everyone has ways to express themselves.

"Have you ever got a token from a boss before?" Lapis asks curiously.

Ashen Lilies
2020-09-28, 12:16 PM
[Wenomir's office]



When Cassandra enters, he looks up, guilt flashes across his face and he rubs it tiredly.

"Sorry about that. There was a... volatile situation. It's handled now, but not entirely. That's all I can say, unfortunately. It's internal Vigil business."

[Wenomir's Office]

Cass nods sympathetically, leaning back on the door frame. "Can I... help with anything?"

Shadowcaller
2020-09-28, 05:07 PM
[Wenomir's Office]


You should probably talk to her regarding that. You are after all her superior and I wouldn't be right of me to get involved in this process. Cessie replies.

[(No) Bird in the Hand]

"Oh yeah, plenty of tokens. I got a whole collection at my room if you wanna see, spoils after years of beating up undead and demons. They're usually smaller than a wooden duck but that might it's some kind of quest item. It's impossible to know for sure until we've looked around all the main cities. That's where all the quarter masters usually are." Anika explains as they walk outside.

...

Only to suddenly stop and look down.

"****, I forgot to put on clothes! Uh... one moment, Lapis!" And so Anika runs off to get dressed. Lapis could follow if she wants but otherwise she will soon be back, now fully dressed.

Morty
2020-09-28, 06:00 PM
[Wenomir's Office]

"I think I just need a break," Wenomir tells Cassandra as he types away in his communicator. "We can go back to training in a moment if you like."

His message to Cessie is:


Alright. I'll talk to her later about how she's doing in Vigil and if there's anything she needs or is concerned about.

Ashen Lilies
2020-09-28, 06:32 PM
[Wenomir's Office]

Cass shakes her head, smiling.

"Nah, I'm all trained out. You should relax."

She steps up the the door frame, crossing over to the desk and walking around to the back, trailing a hand over Wenomir's shoulder as she comes up close behind him.

"I can help with that, if you want," she says, leaning down to whisper in his ear, and caressing his jaw in both hands in the beginnings of a gentle massage. "Would you like me to?"

Zefir
2020-09-29, 12:24 AM
[The Battered Shield][/B]]
[Geneva's Lab]

Okay so.

Geneva has seen Spike before.

Just when she was disguised as a humanoid thing, right?

So seeing the very not humanoid thing in a pretty dress?

Okay, yeah, that's funny. That's enough to get a laugh.

"Okay, blue it is then," Geneva concludes. "I'll place an order for the dress right now. Don't want to get distracted and forget."

She'll begin typing on her little wrist computer. Very handy for buying things on short notice!

"Where's the wedding going to be again?" Geneva asks absently while she taps away at the touch screen.


[The Battered Shield]

Lapis looks a bit downcast when she's scolded by Atreyu.

"Yeah, I guess..." she mutters before giving her best doey eyed look to the man behind the counter. "Sorry I tried to trick you mister bartender. That wasn't a very nice thing to do..."

Then she'll hop off the barstool and head toward whatever table is indicated by the grownups. Lapis seems sufficiently mollified by the promise that she'll still get to try the battered shield even if she doesn't get to sit at the bar (which is still dumb!). At sword talk, she makes a distressed child sound.

"But that dumb thing only knows how to cut!" Lapis cries in consternation. "When I'm practicing swords with people I don't want to cut them! Its good in a for-reals fight but not for pretend ones."

Should children really be in for-reals fights?

Anika might want to point out that Lapis is some sort of weird tree dragon angel deer thing. And speaking of Anika, Lapis gives a firm nod of agreement regarding the dumbness of this situation.

"Maybe I should ask Santa for a sword this year..." Lapis ponders aloud. "Does Santa give out swords?"

The Hogfather (when played by Death) sure does.

A thought occurs to Lapis quite suddenly as she ponders how good she might have to be for Santa to reward her with a nice sword. "How come so many people carry weapons around at VIGIL all the time? I keep seeing lots of adventurers doing it too. But the only bad thing I've seen at VIGIL was that mean ghost from last year that turned me into a sheep and made Cora invisible."

She doesn't mention what it did to Wenomir. She could tell he wasn't happy about it.


[The Battered Shield]

"Well, I reckon for a lotta folks, keeping their weapon on their person is sorta a comfort thing. Y'get used to having somethin' reliable by yer side. Not somethin' I've ever taken to doing, mind, but I've seen plenty of adventurers keeping their weapons about 'em." Although as Anika knows, Atreyu has a different sort of comfort item he keeps with him.

"Guns ain't something I'm familiar with, I'm afraid, Mia, but if you reckon Wenomir can point us in the right direction for a smith, there's no harm in that." In fact, it might be doing some good in avoiding harm so Lapis doesn't have to use that terrifying thing for practice.


[The Battered Shield]

"Yeah, I remember you. You're in charge of the medical place." Anika remarks with a gesture at Mia.
But her attention is quickly drawn back to Lapis when she addresses her. "Uh, I dunno about Santa. We had someone called father Winter but he's a dwarf... I think. But if Santa is anything like father Winter I'm pretty sure he'd give you a sword. Most dwarves love weapons, to make them, to maintain them, to use them... nearly every dwarf I've met have been crazy about them. Even if he can't give you a sword, he can probably give you something just as good... like a double-sword."

Bird in the Hand

"Sorry to disappoint, but enchantments like that are-" Cessie suddenly stops. "Lapis, I think something is, uh, wrong with your bird."

Anika, who was smiling back at Lapis, raises an eyebrow. Confused as to what the sorceress meant. Had the bird used some weird magic perhaps?
[The Battered Shield]

"If that is your reason." Mia starts to reply to Lapis. "Then maybe you just get a training sword. It should serve you for training.
I think most people here want to be prepared just in case. In the past you got those apocalyütic events. A minute wasted meant that people suffered or died back then. I don't think this is accurate for today, but I think it's the reason most people got a weapon at hand."

Mia nods to Atreyu. Has he introduced himself yet? Well not to bother right now. "Wenomir might know someone. He has more conntact to them." She is not sure if she should add he owns some weapons. If she can recall it right he got some in his office.

"Santa here is someone who can give you anything, but in most cases he won't give you what you think you want, he or she gives you what you really want."


"It means his father made the contract without consulting him. Understandably so, I think. If he returned, he might grudgingly go through with it, but as long as he is in the Nexus he can be independent from his family and use his mechanical skill for his own purposes."
Sophia nods her head back and forth.
"Perhaps your church could renegotiate?"

[Mia's Lab]

"Maybe." Mia replys as she looks away from Sophia, caught in her thoughts. Her voice sounded a little sad, but also relived. "I should report that back to the main church. I am not sure how expensive a portal to my homeworld is. After all I can't do it by myself." She then turns back to her guest. "Was there anything else you noticed? Like was he alone or did he got a facility to experiment."

[Wenomir's office - Mia]

Wenomir opens the door after a while. He looks tired, but not more so than usual.

"Hello, Mia. Can I help you with something?"
[Wenomir's office - Mia]

"Indeed." she says. her voice sounds hard and straight. He may notice that it's important for her, but she still got a little fear in her voice. she takes a deep breath.
"I wanna join the party against the reploid invasion, but since the training event I think it would be best if you can negotiate this with Electra or help me do so. I don't think she will reason with me."

Lord Magtok
2020-09-29, 01:28 AM
The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr


[The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr]

Finally, Jaahlyn has come to VIGIL to revisit Saint Lazarus and she's carrying a backpack with her.
She has been directed to whatever part of the base the ghoul knight is currently occupying.
If she manages to find her, she will go through her usual motions of bowing and pleasantries. "Sir Lazarus, I like to apologies for my tardiness but I have finally found what I think will be a sure way to ease your problem if you're willing to put trust in me once more." She takes off her backpack. Whatever 'solution' she was seems to be carried within it.

"What've you got?" Saint Lazarus asks, arms crossed, leaning against a building on the far end of the training grounds, where there's plenty of open space for whatever the ratty satyr has planned. She's not yet ready to throw the word 'trust' around just yet, not with Jaahlyn. It's still too soon for her to feel comfortable believing anything that Jaahlyn has to say, since there hasn't been any sort of tangible progress yet to judge her by.

Rebonack
2020-09-29, 01:44 AM
[Duck Tokens]

"Do you think the Boss Bird might be a demon or an undead since they drop tokens too?" Lapis inquires.

Maybe the bird was actually a giant burning demons that got turned into a bird to seal its power?

Lapis doesn't contemplate that concept for long, though.

"What does **** mean?" Lapis asks as Anika runs off.

Wow, this is turning out to be a much better day. Lapis is starting to love it!

Not only is she learning about a new kind of loot (tokens!) she's learning about new words, too!

****! That word is fun to say.

She tries again when Anika returns.

"Anika what does **** mean?"

She doesn't know that word!


[The Battered Shield]

"Father Winter? And he's a dwarf? I think Santa can be a dwarf that just means a dwarf would have to sit on the Santa chair and wear the Santa hat," Lapis surmises.

She had furtively observed the festive goings on last year. But she had made sure to be sneaky about since she wasn't sure whether or not she should be leaving VIGIL to snoop around.

"I've tried the training swords but they aren't real swords," Lapis points out. "A real sword to practice with would be best."

When's the food going to arrive? Lapis has been waiting all of fifteen seconds and she's getting antsy.


[What's Up, Buttercup?]

Once Buttercup had realized what was going on she decided to come straight here. Well, not straight away. FIRST she had tried to use her Vigil communicator but those are keyed to biometrics, Geneva had said. Buttercup isn't totally sure what biometrics are but every time she had tried to get HER communicator to work it had warbled 'INVALID USER' and refused to do anything helpful. Wowie, what a pain! If she could have just called one of the commander she could have warned them that a VERY potential apocalypse was brewing!

And not just ANY apocalypse!

A FUNpocalypse! Zowie, that doesn't sound so bad does it? Everyone LOVES being Buttercup! She sure does! Maybe she should just-

No!

Buttercup screws her eyes shut, grabs her great big cervine ears, and gives them a sharp yank before rapping her knuckles against the side of her head!

"Yowie, come on, brain! Work with me, pretty please? With powdered sugar and syrup on top? Come on, Buttercup, you've gotta focus! This is IMPORTANT!" Buttercup chides herself.

The fellow piloting the skiff up to the island gives Buttercup a concerned look. "Are you alright, miss?"

Buttercup flashes him a dopey smile. "I'm alright, Butter- um... Guy with a name that isn't Buttercup. Just fine! My head's just all fuzzy and fizzy, that's it!"

He peers at her a moment longer, to which Buttercup's nervous smile grows even wider, before shaking his head and turning his attention back to piloting the small airship.

Buttercup anxiously pulls the leather straps on her cuirass. Thankfully the enchanted suit of half-plate was able to resize to fit her. She sort-of knew it could do that sort of thing, but nothing so radical. It made for a weird sense of cog... cogni... crackly-poppy thoughts. Like that rice cereal that snaps when you pour milk on it. POP CRACKLE SNAP! Hehehehe! Thoughts that grind and pop when you poke 'em. Buttercup ALWAYS remembers being Buttercup. Like when she thinks about how things were before, she remembers Buttercup. But that has to be wrong. Because her armor wasn't made for a Buttercup-shaped person. It was made for a human shaped person. AND she remembers before-Buttercup and how bad and sad and not-fun it was. How can she remember being Buttercup and NOT Buttercup? No sense! Snap pop crackle!

The armor helps, though. She isn't wearing the steel right against her skin. Yowie zowie no way! That would be gross! And really chaify. No, she's wearing her gambleson with the armor over that. Still, having all that iron so close to her calms down the worst of the fuzzy-fizzy-thinky-thoughts. Like how she should prance and skip and sing and dance and call everyone Buttercup since more friends named Buttercup is better!

But it isn't.

See, that's what Buttercup realized with the iron calming her thinky-thoughts down. She really really really loves being Buttercup. Just... WOWIE! It is THE BEST! So much fun. But what if being Buttercup is only the best because she's Buttercup? That's a real thinker! Some of the people who loved being Buttercup once they were Buttercup were super not happy about being Buttercup when they weren't quite all the way Buttercup. But as soon as they were all the way Buttercup? FUN! Coming to this conclusion had been hard. Especially with all the bad thoughts telling her she was bad for wanting to hog all the fun for herself instead of sharing it with EVERYONE by naming them Buttercup.

So!

That's why she's here. Because the FUNpocalypse maybe isn't so fun. Maybe it's mean. And she has to keep reminding herself of that. She has to keep reminding herself that Vigil's job is to protect.

Even when doing that job isn't much fun (even though Buttercup is pretty sure she can make ANYTHING fun just by virtue of being Buttercup).

Buttercup-Who-Was-Previously-A-Vigil-Adventurer steps off the airship and starts off toward the commander's villa.

******

An apparent newcomer is crossing the Vigil grounds. She looks rather like a centaur, if the horse-parts were replaced with deer-parts. Small and svelte by contrast. Her coat is mostly hidden under a gambleson and half-plate barding with a conspicuous wing motif. Her hair is a short bob of auburn fur with white spots and little yellow flowers sticking out of it. Her eyes a vibrant green. Her face ruddy and alight with life. Deer-like ears stick out from the sides of her head, swiveling this way and that. A spring in her step, she prances across the campus with infectious, vivacious energy.

...she makes it MOST of the way to her destination.

A perfectly nice field of flowers blocks her path and she can't resist frolicking in them for a few minutes.

Hattish Thing
2020-09-29, 01:56 AM
[Wait, We Have a Science Division?]

Dr. Valiance, oblivious to Geneva's discomfort, pats the resonator.

"Oh yeah, for sure!" he blurts out before kneeling down and tampering with the device.

After a few seconds, he removes the top of the resonator and steps back to the farthest end of the laboratory. "See, it's uhh - kind of a big deal." He'll haphazardly toss it into a case on the ground before sniffling. "I got a guy, uhh - we're working on figuring out how to use something like this against, uhh - far out type stuff." He says the last bit as if amused. "You know, ghosts! Uhh, and demons. If we can do that, well - I'm sure Cessie'll be a fan."

"You know, I've never seen a demon myself. They sound like a bummer, though."

Recaiden
2020-09-29, 09:45 AM
[Mia's Lab]


"Maybe." Mia replys as she looks away from Sophia, caught in her thoughts. Her voice sounded a little sad, but also relived. "I should report that back to the main church. I am not sure how expensive a portal to my homeworld is. After all I can't do it by myself." She then turns back to her guest. "Was there anything else you noticed? Like was he alone or did he got a facility to experiment."

Sophia shakes her head.
"It was just him. There was some facilities there, but nothing like this place, or what you have."
Perhaps they can tempt Andy with supplies and support?

Morty
2020-09-29, 06:04 PM
[Wenomir's office - Mia]

So this is what it's about. Wenomir feels he should have expected it.

"I can do that if you think it's necessary. But I don't know if it will be. Electra is helping us with this threat, but she won't join all our efforts against it. And I don't think she'll try to tell me how to command my people."

Shadowcaller
2020-09-30, 04:51 AM
[The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr]

"I've decided to take a different approach to this actually." Jaahlyn nods twice "Rather than taking any... potentially apocalyptic course of actions, I have safer means through which you can gain more control over yourself, Sir Lazarus. But that would require an amount of trust as my means are rather, ah, esoteric in nature. Very, whatdoyoucallit... metaphysical." She gestures at Lazarus head. "It involves a mental journey where your inner demons might become quite literal. It will be difficult, but I swear that it will help."

[Duck Tokens]

"Nah, anything can be a boss. In fact, I've seen plenty of bird bosses." Anika replies before she realizes that she had forgotten her clothes.

Once she returns to Lapis, now fully dressed in her robes, she raises her eyebrow at her peculiar question. "Oh, it means 'sex', you know, that thing adult people have for fun or to make babies?" But does Lapis actually know that? "It's a swear though so don't go around saying it unless you have to. Like when you're pissed off or something."

Morty
2020-09-30, 12:32 PM
[Wenomir's Office - Cass]

Wenomir's eyes half-close as he exhales deeply. He probably could use that right now...

"I think I would like whatever you have in store very much."

Gnrlshrimp
2020-09-30, 01:56 PM
[The Battered Shield]

"Huh. Must be a pretty common thing to have some kinda gift-giving figure around. Back home we had the wolf-father, which...hah...my dad mighta started that one." Interesting to hear that other places have something similar.

"So...yer the, ah, gardener I guess, yer a healer by the sounds of it, and...well I already know what you are, Missy." Atreyu remarks after a pause, addressing Lapis, Mia and Anika in turn. "Anika's already showed me around plenty, but fer the two of you, m' name's Atreyu. I'm sort of a druid like Anika, though I reckon we were taught very different ways."

Shadowcaller
2020-09-30, 05:40 PM
[The Battered Shield]

"Wolf-father sounds pretty awesome." Anika observers thoughtfully. "I mean, father winter is more of a dwarf thing. My people never really had any gift giving entities until we were introduced to father winter. I've seen the nexus version though and it seems more like a magical item than a special person, like Lapis said. One of us should try it on when that time comes to see what's it all about." She gives Atreyu a pat on the shoulder. "You could be the wolf-father." She remarks with a chuckle.

Zefir
2020-10-02, 05:20 AM
[Mia's Lab]



Sophia shakes her head.
"It was just him. There was some facilities there, but nothing like this place, or what you have."
Perhaps they can tempt Andy with supplies and support?

[Mia's Lab]

Mia just nods. she then turns around grabing a Pad and writes all things down. This will need a moment. After she is done she looks at Sophia.
"Thanks for your help." she says. "It is a bit strange that he hasn't set up a workplace, but maybe he got other things to do. We will see what will happen about this in the future. I will contact my church and see what it is we do next. Anything else? Maybe something I can help you with?"


[Wenomir's office - Mia]

So this is what it's about. Wenomir feels he should have expected it.

"I can do that if you think it's necessary. But I don't know if it will be. Electra is helping us with this threat, but she won't join all our efforts against it. And I don't think she'll try to tell me how to command my people."

[Wenomir's office - Mia]

Mia nods.

"I understand what you mean. In fact I have a few purpose, whcih might help you arguing. First of I am capable of combat healing, both machines and humans. The next thing would be Awen. I recently operated her hand. She seems to have lost it and I replaced it. It should work fine, but with that enemy I would like to decrease any risk of her and the others. Also I noticed that there has been something during the exercise. I should be able to assist her in that case as well."


[The Battered Shield]

"Father Winter? And he's a dwarf? I think Santa can be a dwarf that just means a dwarf would have to sit on the Santa chair and wear the Santa hat," Lapis surmises.

She had furtively observed the festive goings on last year. But she had made sure to be sneaky about since she wasn't sure whether or not she should be leaving VIGIL to snoop around.

"I've tried the training swords but they aren't real swords," Lapis points out. "A real sword to practice with would be best."

When's the food going to arrive? Lapis has been waiting all of fifteen seconds and she's getting antsy.




[The Battered Shield]

"Huh. Must be a pretty common thing to have some kinda gift-giving figure around. Back home we had the wolf-father, which...hah...my dad mighta started that one." Interesting to hear that other places have something similar.

"So...yer the, ah, gardener I guess, yer a healer by the sounds of it, and...well I already know what you are, Missy." Atreyu remarks after a pause, addressing Lapis, Mia and Anika in turn. "Anika's already showed me around plenty, but fer the two of you, m' name's Atreyu. I'm sort of a druid like Anika, though I reckon we were taught very different ways."


[The Battered Shield]

"Wolf-father sounds pretty awesome." Anika observers thoughtfully. "I mean, father winter is more of a dwarf thing. My people never really had any gift giving entities until we were introduced to father winter. I've seen the nexus version though and it seems more like a magical item than a special person, like Lapis said. One of us should try it on when that time comes to see what's it all about." She gives Atreyu a pat on the shoulder. "You could be the wolf-father." She remarks with a chuckle.

[The Battered Shield]

"A pleasure to meet you Atreyu. I'm Mia Mechanicus. As you said I'm in charge of the informary and also I'm the one who build the engines that move the island." she says with a slight bow. "I don't think we got something like that in my Homeworld. We have our own festival which seems to be two months earlier." She then turns to Lapis.
"I'm not sure I get your need for that, but maybe you should talk to some experiences sword fighter. I myself allways use a training sword while sparing, while I have the real one for fights against dummys."

Recaiden
2020-10-02, 10:15 AM
Mia just nods. she then turns around grabing a Pad and writes all things down. This will need a moment. After she is done she looks at Sophia.
"Thanks for your help." she says. "It is a bit strange that he hasn't set up a workplace, but maybe he got other things to do. We will see what will happen about this in the future. I will contact my church and see what it is we do next. Anything else? Maybe something I can help you with?"

Sophia bows her head to Mia in receipt of her 'thank you'.
"I hope your church's decision goes well for you."

She lifts a hand to the edge of her hood, a bit taken aback.
"Are there any magical creatures you could get us? Or, there's this ancient crashed spaceship, maybe a mechanical expert could do something with?"

Arkhosia
2020-10-02, 02:07 PM
[The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr]

Finally, Jaahlyn has come to VIGIL to revisit Saint Lazarus and she's carrying a backpack with her.
She has been directed to whatever part of the base the ghoul knight is currently occupying.
If she manages to find her, she will go through her usual motions of bowing and pleasantries. "Sir Lazarus, I like to apologies for my tardiness but I have finally found what I think will be a sure way to ease your problem if you're willing to put trust in me once more." She takes off her backpack. Whatever 'solution' she was seems to be carried within it.


The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr

"What've you got?" Saint Lazarus asks, arms crossed, leaning against a building on the far end of the training grounds, where there's plenty of open space for whatever the ratty satyr has planned. She's not yet ready to throw the word 'trust' around just yet, not with Jaahlyn. It's still too soon for her to feel comfortable believing anything that Jaahlyn has to say, since there hasn't been any sort of tangible progress yet to judge her by.


[The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr]

"I've decided to take a different approach to this actually." Jaahlyn nods twice "Rather than taking any... potentially apocalyptic course of actions, I have safer means through which you can gain more control over yourself, Sir Lazarus. But that would require an amount of trust as my means are rather, ah, esoteric in nature. Very, whatdoyoucallit... metaphysical." She gestures at Lazarus head. "It involves a mental journey where your inner demons might become quite literal. It will be difficult, but I swear that it will help."
The Urchin, The Saint and the Satyr

Fidelia peers over from the space behind Saint Lazarus where she's leaning against, an older model of smartphone in her hands. It's clearly secondhand in some manner or other, possibly refurbished and wrapped in a simple pink case. She blinks at what Jaahlyn says, processing the concept.

"Er, mental? How, uh... how does that work?" It's definitely an area of study that Fidelia lacks any knowledge of, and she's a bit curious as far as some way that she could assist her partner along it's path.

Lord Magtok
2020-10-03, 02:16 PM
The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr

"Sure. My inner demons can't be much worse than the outer ones I've already beaten up," Saint Lazarus shrugs, since this scene presumably takes place after Seaside. Even so, it's a pretty hollow boast, a veil of braggadocio over what could easily be the most terrifyingly dangerous adventure so far. One of her worst fears is brutally murdering everyone she knows; is Jaahlyn really thinking about bringing that to life?

"Just so we're clear though, how dangerous would these literal inner demons actually be?" she asks, hand brushing against the grip of her zweihander. This would definitely not be worth it if her own subconscious ends up killing Fidelia. Sometimes she wonders if she should just take that nibble and let them both be zombies together. It wouldn't be easier, or pleasant, but it'd be a lot simpler than this godsforsaken horse**** game we've been forced to play instead.

Ashen Lilies
2020-10-03, 06:08 PM
The Battered Shield

"Heh, I guess so. Guess I just needed someone to help me, er, sort out and work through those thoughts." There's a tinge of heat in her cheeks as she take another sip, before smiling a little back over at Kal. "Maybe we'll have to make this a regular thing, though I'd hope there's something I can do to make listening to me ramble worthwhile."

[The Battered Shield]

"No problem," says Kal, giving Blanche an easy smile. "I'm generally pretty happy to share a drink and talk for a while, no need to feel self conscious about it. Though, maybe I'm not quite sure what you have in mind."

[Wenomir's Office - Cass]

Cass starts with a massage as promised, deft, skilled fingers gently but firmly teasing out the knots and tension in the muscles in Wenomir's neck and shoulders.

"So tense..." She murmurs, as she finishes loosening a knot on Wenomir's back. As she finishes up, she leans forward, her arms beginning to slide down and caress his chest as she begins to plant soft kisses down his jaw and neck.

Morty
2020-10-03, 06:47 PM
[Wenomir's Office - Cass]

Wenomir practically melts into Cass' massage with a contented sigh. He shivers slightly when she starts kissing him.

"It's a stressful job, commanding Vigil. Good thing you're here to get all this tension melted away..."

[Wenomir's office - Mia]

Wenomir tilts his head. He's quite aware of Mia's capabilities, but there's something that confuses him here.

"What do you mean by something during the exercise?"

Ashen Lilies
2020-10-04, 01:20 AM
[Wenomir's Office - Cass]

"That's right," says Cass, her voice taking on a harder, slightly forceful edge. Her fingers tighten, digging into his chest, and she gives him an aggressive nip on the base of his neck near his shoulder, before coming back up to whisper in his ear. "Sit back. Relax. Let me give you what you need."


And with that, she pulls the curtain down around them.

Shadowcaller
2020-10-04, 06:14 AM
The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr

Presumably this takes place after the seaside plot, yeah.

The satyr looks between the two, pausing for a moment as her gaze lingers on the knight. She accepted this far more quickly than she had thought.
Good. This was good.

Now she just needed to explain this in a simple way. Thus she looks to Fid first. "Let me answer your question first, miss. See, the spirit world exists as a mirror to everything we can see and touch. Our minds organize everything by concepts like say, eyes, blue, sky..." Jaahlyn gestures at Fid and then the sky above them.
"But we also invent concepts of things we can't see yet still influences our lives. Like anger, hunger, happiness... so all these concepts exist mirrored within this realm as a form of tiny spirit. Thus, our 'soul', as in our spiritual mirror image, is like our actual body made up of smaller parts all working together as a greater whole. So the idea here is to bring out the spirit or spirits representing the problems miss Lazarus is facing and deal with them." She raises her hand as to stop questions while turning to Lazarus.
"Now, I say 'mirror image' as it doesn't exist the same way as our bodies does. While these spirits can influence the things we see they're ultimately an emanation of the concepts, physical or not, that they're based on. So destroying the spiritual representation of your rage wouldn't get rid of your rage the same way destroying the representation of your heart wouldn't destroy the heart or how you can't destroy your own mirror image. It would still be there the next time we look in another mirror. So the goal here wouldn't be to 'beat' you demons, it would be to bargain with them. Convince them to act in a different manner."
The satyr pauses for a moment and scratches her head. "I've never seen it done, but I suppose this could partly be done through violence but I'm not sure how effective that would be long-term."

Rebonack
2020-10-04, 11:28 AM
[Wait, We Have a Science Division?]

Geneva nods along with Val. He seems... competent. In the general sense. As in he can accomplish things.

But Geneva doubts that his work would meet the rigor of proper laboratory safety AND his notes would probably be insufficient to replicate his work.

Maybe not irresponsible, as such.

"If it works against demons that would be a major breakthrough. The more tools we have at our disposal to thwart them the better," Geneva concludes. "Thank you for showing me some of your work, Val. I think it'll be and... adventure? helping each other with our respective projects."

Yeah.

An adventure.

"Well, I'm going to get back to my testing. I really want to hammer out the kinks in my personal short range teleporter UI. Making sure it's intuitive is VERY important. We wouldn't want someone teleporting inside a wall."

Definitely not.

That would be bad.


[Duck Tokens]

Anika provides some irresponsible advice to children!

"Okay Anika!" Lapis replies with a smile before holding out the duck token for the druid to take. "I spent a lot of time trying to catch that dumb boss bird today so I need to finish my chores. I was going to do the roses on the east side of the base today. If you find any duck merchants maybe you can tell me at dinner time?"

Lapis thinks that's a solid plan.


[The Battered Shield]

"I'm Lapis Lazuli!" Lapis cheerfully announces. "Gardening is really fun, I love it. But if any bad guys try coming to VIGIL I'll prune THEM too!"

Wow a joke!

...sort of?

Lapis is trying at least.

"YEAH! You guys should come to the Thanksmas party this year! My mom is having it at Trog's Tavern and some of my siblings are going to help with the decorations! You'll love it!"

She is one hundred percent convinced that the party will be the best Thanksmas party ever, since her mom is doing it.

"You can both try being Santa you just have to sit on the Santa throne and hold the Santa bag and give people gifts from it if they've been good."

And then more sword talk!

Lapis frowns.

"I... guess... training swords just don't feel like swords, though," Lapis replies. "They can't cut. Something isn't a sword if it can't EVER cut. It's just a thing that LOOKS like a sword."

Gnrlshrimp
2020-10-04, 03:36 PM
[Battered Shield]

"Me, be the wolf-father? Hah!" Atreyu lets out a single, harsh, barking laugh, thoroughly amused by the notion.

It's quite loud.

Someone probably glares at him from the next table over.

"I reckon that could be fun. I'll have to keep an eye out fer that." He leans over and gives Anika a little nudge with his elbow. "Reckon it'd be much funnier seeing you with a beard on, though."

Oh dear, Lapis is still on about swords. "If it looks like a sword and handles like a sword, I reckon it's a sword." Atreyu remarks with a shrug of his shoulders. Swords aren't things he's ever really been into. "What defines a sword ain't its ability to cut. Some swords are made fer stabbin', after all." He's...not wrong, there.

Lord Magtok
2020-10-06, 10:16 PM
The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr

"So you want me to reason with my animalistic desire to crack all your ribs apart, suck out the marrow, and then rip out your heart and distend my jaw to swallow it whole," Jenette remarks skeptically, using those big fancy college words to drive her point home, with her arms still crossed against her chest. She shoots a worried glance towards Fidelia, wondering if she should ask her to leave for this. It all sounds terribly dangerous. I mean, we're talking about Jenette's personal demons. They're almost all centered around losing control and hurting everyone. Surely the spiritual equivalent will be just as terrifying and all-consuming.

Shadowcaller
2020-10-07, 07:00 AM
[Duck Tokens

Irresponsible? Lapis is going to learn bad words at some points and she's going to use them in swears. That's just how it was. Trying to delay that as long as possible just seemed silly to Anika. In her opinion people had some pretty weird hangups about swears that she would never get.
They were really just angry words, what was so bad about that?

"Of course, Lapis. In fact, we should probably get some means to contact one another. You have one of those... VIGIL gizmos? Since then I'd be able to tell you as soon as I find someone to give tokens to. Keep in mind though, usually you need more than one token to get anything."

[Battered Shield]

Anika giggles loudly at that notion as Atreyu nudges her. "Maybe. Fake beards aren't nearly as good as the real stuff though."
Then she turns to Lapis as a big made about swords. "Guys, you should relax. Lapis is already awesome at her job. She doesn't even need a sword to deal with evil. The other day she caught a boss-bird all by herself despite being so young and even I couldn't do that." She taps the table thoughtfully. "But if you really want to go with a sword, Lapis. Maybe you should ask your parents or your sliblings? Since I recall you having a lot of those. One of them gotta be into swords if they're anything like you and they'd know how to best adapt them for you, Lapis."

Arkhosia
2020-10-07, 10:39 PM
The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr

"So you want me to reason with my animalistic desire to crack all your ribs apart, suck out the marrow, and then rip out your heart and distend my jaw to swallow it whole," Jenette remarks skeptically, using those big fancy college words to drive her point home, with her arms still crossed against her chest. She shoots a worried glance towards Fidelia, wondering if she should ask her to leave for this. It all sounds terribly dangerous. I mean, we're talking about Jenette's personal demons. They're almost all centered around losing control and hurting everyone. Surely the spiritual equivalent will be just as terrifying and all-consuming.


[The Battered Shield]

"No problem," says Kal, giving Blanche an easy smile. "I'm generally pretty happy to share a drink and talk for a while, no need to feel self conscious about it. Though, maybe I'm not quite sure what you have in mind."

The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr - SUS Crew?

"...well, maybe we can convince it that, uh, not running rampant means the hunger gets maintained? I-instead of uh, getting stabbed and dying I guess?" Fidelia seems to be pretty dead-set on assisting somehow. Even if words are definitely not her strong suit. After all, if Jenette's gonna resort to stabbing Hunger to death, an extra blade doesn't hurt. And it sounds like it's more of an issue of not getting consumed by these personal demons than them taking Jenette over and turning her on her partner... right?

The Battered Shield

"Well, er, I dunno, I guess hanging out? Although, sharing a drink is sorta that, now that I think about it." The catgirl takes an awkward sip of her drink. She's had a fair bit of it by now. "I could give you advice at the shooting range sometime if you want, maybe. Be pretty interested in learning a few tricks about how to handle a knife from you sometime too, actually."

Shadowcaller
2020-10-08, 02:35 AM
The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr

Jaahlyn raises her index finger. "It might be easier than you think, sir Lazarus. The spirits I mentioned, they are so miniscule that they don't really have a mind at all until they're interacted with.

Once that happens they start to build up their personality, their whole being, based on the people that are communicating with it. But as this one is 'owned' by you, that's the only person it will be interested in. The way you act, the tone of your voice, every subtle gesture..."

The satyr taps her chin, seemingly considering something. "It will be like your child in a way. Trying to learn everything from its parent. Of course, it will also be consumed by the concept it's supposed to represent so it won't just be a copy of you.

Also taking influence from your conception of it. So, what you imagine it'd be like mixed in with your own your character traits, depending on how you act towards it. So what I'm saying is that you have a way to control what it will be like."

Zefir
2020-10-08, 10:40 AM
Sophia bows her head to Mia in receipt of her 'thank you'.
"I hope your church's decision goes well for you."

She lifts a hand to the edge of her hood, a bit taken aback.
"Are there any magical creatures you could get us? Or, there's this ancient crashed spaceship, maybe a mechanical expert could do something with?"

[Mia's Lab]

Mia nods in agreement. Then Sophia requests two very differetn things for her that makes Mia look a bit puzzeled.

"I'm not aware what creatures you would want, but I think i can't help you there anyway. The ship on the other hand is a differetn thing. As long as it's has an engine I can do something."

Mia tries to make things sound less promissing. After all it might be that this is demon tech which she never examined.


[Wenomir's office - Mia]

Wenomir tilts his head. He's quite aware of Mia's capabilities, but there's something that confuses him here.

"What do you mean by something during the exercise?"

[Wenomir's office - Mia]

"You didn't notice?" Mia says and changes into a thinking pose, staring at nothing for a moment. "Well, the last spells she casted right when Electra was walking straight at her, it seemed to have no purpose. I'm not sure what it was, but it seems to have changed her. She immediatly went of, as if something bad might happen when she stays. I don't know what it is and I wouldn't want to find it out. Especially since I'm certain I caould do something against it."


[The Battered Shield]

"I'm Lapis Lazuli!" Lapis cheerfully announces. "Gardening is really fun, I love it. But if any bad guys try coming to VIGIL I'll prune THEM too!"

Wow a joke!

...sort of?

Lapis is trying at least.

"YEAH! You guys should come to the Thanksmas party this year! My mom is having it at Trog's Tavern and some of my siblings are going to help with the decorations! You'll love it!"

She is one hundred percent convinced that the party will be the best Thanksmas party ever, since her mom is doing it.

"You can both try being Santa you just have to sit on the Santa throne and hold the Santa bag and give people gifts from it if they've been good."

And then more sword talk!

Lapis frowns.

"I... guess... training swords just don't feel like swords, though," Lapis replies. "They can't cut. Something isn't a sword if it can't EVER cut. It's just a thing that LOOKS like a sword."


[Battered Shield]

"Me, be the wolf-father? Hah!" Atreyu lets out a single, harsh, barking laugh, thoroughly amused by the notion.

It's quite loud.

Someone probably glares at him from the next table over.

"I reckon that could be fun. I'll have to keep an eye out fer that." He leans over and gives Anika a little nudge with his elbow. "Reckon it'd be much funnier seeing you with a beard on, though."

Oh dear, Lapis is still on about swords. "If it looks like a sword and handles like a sword, I reckon it's a sword." Atreyu remarks with a shrug of his shoulders. Swords aren't things he's ever really been into. "What defines a sword ain't its ability to cut. Some swords are made fer stabbin', after all." He's...not wrong, there.


[Battered Shield]

Anika giggles loudly at that notion as Atreyu nudges her. "Maybe. Fake beards aren't nearly as good as the real stuff though."
Then she turns to Lapis as a big made about swords. "Guys, you should relax. Lapis is already awesome at her job. She doesn't even need a sword to deal with evil. The other day she caught a boss-bird all by herself despite being so young and even I couldn't do that." She taps the table thoughtfully. "But if you really want to go with a sword, Lapis. Maybe you should ask your parents or your sliblings? Since I recall you having a lot of those. One of them gotta be into swords if they're anything like you and they'd know how to best adapt them for you, Lapis."

[Battered Shield]

Mia just appears to be rather confused about the whole sword thing. Lapis got something really rare, which is much better then a normal sword.

"I already considered visiting this years Thanksmas." she says and then she adds a bit quieter. "Even if it's only for the sweets." She could die for all the baked apple things.

Recaiden
2020-10-08, 12:52 PM
Mia isn't making any promises.
On the plus side, it isn't demon technology that Sophia is talking about.
"It definitely had an engine. Hopefully there's still enough for you to work with."

"When you're ready to look into it, you can go to <location in the war-torn red zone by a certain brick wall> and one of my flight will escort you to the ship." There's no hurry, Sophia is saying. Also saying she won't be going to the ship herself. She has her own job to do!

Rebonack
2020-10-09, 11:21 AM
[The Battered Shield]

Lapis is a child.

Don't expect child-reasoning to always make sense.

"My mom doesn't really do swords but I think my dad has some?" Lapis ponders aloud. "Maybe he has an old one I can have?"

She wouldn't mind a hand-me-down sword.

That would make it special.

She also puffs up with pride at the mention of the Boss Bird. She's really GOOD at bird catching.

"You should all DEFINITELY come to Thanksmas at Trog's this year! It'll be the best one ever," Lapis insists.

Technically Lapis hasn't ever been to one of the big Thanksmas parties before so this will be her first one and, by definition, the best.

"What kind of things do YOU want for Thanksmas, mister Atreyu?" Lapis asks. She is not so sneakily trying to come up with gift ideas.


[Duck Tokens]

"Yeah I've got one!" Lapis says, rolling up her sleeve and pointing out the little smartwatch looking device.

How come Lapis doesn't have any problems with that thing when she transforms? She turned into a tree earlier and didn't lose it.

Then disappointment!

"You mean I have to catch that dumb bird AGAIN?" she moans, a look of utter dread on her face. "But it was SO HARD to catch the first time!"

That's why the rewards you get for handing in a bunch of duck tokens are so cool, Lapis.

Shadowcaller
2020-10-09, 11:56 AM
[Duck Tokens]

"Sweet, then your name is probably somewhere on that tiny list. Hecn't checked it in a while honestly as I had to turn it in for repair." Anika remarks as she peers down at the communicator.

Then she laugh as Lapis expresses her annoyance. "That's the point, they don't give out treasures for nothing. Never figured out what they use the tokens for but I think it's just like a proof you've done a great deed or something." She gestures at the duck. "So maybe you should put it up in your room? Like a trophy of sort. I have a lot of trophies like that."

Morty
2020-10-10, 03:57 PM
[Wenomir's office - Mia]

Wenomir rubs the back of his neck. Once again, his lack of knowledge of magic comes to haunt him.

"Awen's magic does seem to be as dangerous to her as it is to others, sometimes. If you think you can help her deal with the consequences, don't hesitate to do it."

Deathkeeper
2020-10-11, 01:19 AM
[What’s Up, Buttercup?]

No, really. What’s up with Buttercup? You don’t normally see weird young ladies just rolling around on Vigil’s lawn. Who let her in?
There’s a very shiny kobold in red shorts and a gleaming emerald medallion around his neck looking VERY perplexed at Buttercup. He’s got an awfully sharp looking blade on him too.
”Hello, Miss. I’m Spako. Who are you? Are you lost? This isn’t really the place for recreation.” He’s bemused but also more than a little confused.

Rebonack
2020-10-11, 08:25 PM
[Duck Tokens]

"Okaaaay..." Lapis huffs. "I guess I'll put it in my room. But you tell me right away if you see any duck token merchants!"

This is important stuff Anika.

Failure is not an option.

Maybe she can try catching the boss bird again, too?

"Bye Anika! Thanks for helping!"

Off she goes!


[What’s Up, Buttercup?]

She's isn't rolling!

She's just...

Buttercup is flopping around on her back giggling and waving her legs in the air.

Okay yeah she's rolling.

Though when Spako speaks up her eyes WIDEN with excitement!

"SPAKO!" she sequels with glee as she...

Umm.

Okay she tried to kick herself upright but that didn't really work. It was a nice try, though? A little more leg flailing later she manages to get those hooves under herself and stand upright. She's leaning forward, gently biting her lip and bouncing with her fists balled. She's so excited! She's got grass and flowers all over her. Like... extra grass and flowers. From the rolling. Some of the foliage is hers.

"Wowie ZOWIE I'm sooooo glad it's you, Spako! I tried using the communicator but it kept going INVALID USER," she says, making a frowny grumpy not-helpful technology face. "It was really frustrating so I just came here instead but I had to go all the way through Inside and I think Intersection was setting up a quarantine and I had to sneak through and the sewers were really gross and there was a scary clown but I got out and started coming to VIGIL but then I saw a bunny on the way and it was just the cutest bunny I wanted to play with it so-WAIT NO!"

She screws her eyes shut and pulls on her ears.

"Focus Buttercup! Important! Super important! There's an apocalypse happening! Maybe two, I don't know?" she says, slowly opening her eyes and releasing her ears. "It's the Buttercups! They're Naming everyone Buttercup until it's nothing but Buttercups! They did it to me, too, but I had some of my armor with me and I think it made my brain not-so-fuzzy as the other Buttercups! And there's a devil queen too turning Buttercups into devils which I guess maybe isn't as immediately pressing but still pretty bad!"

Then?

Buttercup strikes a pose as NOBLE and HEROIC as she can possibly muster with her svelte cervine form!

"The Nexus needs HEROES Spako! For these people DEPRIVED of who they are there must be JUSTICE!" she declares as LOUDLY and as INSPIRATIONALLY as she can manage. She pounds one mailed fist into the palm of the other as her armor begins... sort of coming apart? Hundreds of tiny hexagonal disks, spreading and rearranging. Her padded under-armor spreads with it, protecting her skin from the touch of iron until she's shod from head to hoof in a suit of familiar cobalt-blue full plate with a prominent wing motif.

"Vigil MUST know! This FOUL EVIL can NOT be left unanswered!"

Oh.

Oh no...

It was a couple years ago that Sir Rebonack found a cure to that horrible curse that had befallen him. Maybe not a prominent Vigil member, but around. The one who had encouraged Spako to join in the first place. He must have been Inside when the Buttercupolocypse started.

Deathkeeper
2020-10-11, 08:51 PM
[What's up, Buttercup?]

Spako is worried. Then terrified. And then horrified.
"S-Sir Rebo?" did he get cursed again? Apsu's Gix, Spako was going to have him meet the hatchlings, too! But this is no time for personal problems.
"Okay, Sir Rebo. Whatever you do keep your armor on. If it's helping you don't take it off. Secondly...well, I'm going to have to ask you to quarantine in your room. That's not to say that you can't help us with advising. But if the Buttercups are making more Buttercups and you're a Buttercup I can't risk you infecting anyone else. Please understand."

Rebonack
2020-10-11, 09:32 PM
[What's up, Buttercup?]

Buttercup nods enthusiastically!

"Yeah! It's me, Spako, Buttercup!"

A beat.

"No, not Buttercup. BUTTERCUP!"

It is pretty clear that she's frustrated here. Really, anyone would be. Assuming they weren't utterly terrified. But getting Buttercuped seems to prevent that from happening.

And then?

There's probably a pouty look from inside that armor.

"Aaww... but I wanted to help! Are you sure I can't-"

She shakes her head again.

"No. No, you're right. In this WRETCHED STATE I am potentially a DANGER TO OTHERS. I believe the iron armor prevents me from employing VILE FAERIE MAGICS but I am not wholly certain. You should escort me to my quarters to ensure my safe arrival. I have found myself... distractable."

She would really like to do some more frolicking right now.

Deathkeeper
2020-10-11, 10:24 PM
[[What's up, Buttercup?]

"Don't be upset, Sir Rebo. Fairies are tricksy business. You'll be okay in your room until we have something for you. I'm sure you can distract yourself."

Spako gently takes Buttercup's gauntleted hand to lead her to the barracks.
"Alright Sir Rebo. Tell me one thing. Can you remember exactly what happened when they Named you Buttercup?" Before he calls it in Spako needs to know how these horrible creatures cursed his friend!
...on the plus side, if wearing metal keeps Sir Rebo from infecting anyone, he's no worse off physically than he was as a slime in a suit of armor. He can still talk and help, they just need to get this horrible magic out of his mind. Surely that's something they can do. Wait-
"Uh, do you want me to call you by your old Name or your new Name? Would you rather me refer to you by 'she?'" This might be a terrible situation but...he doesn't want to upset his friend with identification issues.

Rebonack
2020-10-11, 11:39 PM
[What's up, Buttercup?]

"Damnation. Being unable to help directly VEXES me so. One as NOBLE and DARING as myself isn't meant for the sidelines. I- Wowie! Those butterflies are pretty! Hehehe!"

Buttercup tries wandering off as two large yellow and black striped butterflies flutter past, but thankfully Spako is able to keep her on task.

"Aaww... bye butterfly friends!"

Sir Rebonack is probably going to be really embarrassed about this later once he's Sir Rebonack again.

"Well... things had been pretty peaceful lately... so I decided to help at one of Inside's community gardens to get ready for the Spooktober festival," Buttercup recounts. She DOES like doing community service when not on otherwise dangerous missions to RIGHT INJUSTICE and RESCUE THE INNOCENT. "And then a friend named Buttercup came over and she called me Buttercup and we got to talking and she called me Buttercup again and we kept talking and then she called me Buttercup AGAIN and I was Buttercup-shaped! There was a girl who could turn into a dragon with her. Then we did some frolicking together and she left to go make more friends named Buttercup. And... well... I thought that sounded like maybe a mean idea so I stayed behind and finished the garden work."

Buttercup frowns as they approach her quarters.

"Then I went home. I had my armor there, all put together. And it wasn't Buttercup-shaped AT ALL. And thinking about that made my thoughts all fuzzy and I realized something bad was happening so I tried calling VIGIL but that didn't work so I came here instead and frolicked some more! Frolicking is a lot more fun if you do it with someone else."

Very true. Frolicking alone is okay but frolicking with friends is the BEST!

"Oh! I like it when you call my Buttercup, it makes my thinky-thoughts less fizzy."

A beat.

"No, I mean when you call me Buttercup."

A hoof-stomp of frustration.

"Yowie zowie, you know what I mean!"

Deathkeeper
2020-10-11, 11:53 PM
[What's up, Buttercup?]

Spako's heart very nearly stops for a moment. But then he remembers that Lucy would never make it clear to anyone that she's connected to Sylvess. Until cornered she's just an elf. Sylvess is still safe with the eggs.
"Okay, Sir Rebo. I know it hurts. But you really have to stay here for a while. Play a game or something while you're in there. I'll come speak to you through the door once I warn everyone to keep you company."
Spako will do his best to shove his hapless friend into the room and shut the door behind him. And stick a rune-lock on the door, too. Luckily with Sir Rebo's new cervine hindquarters, escaping through the window will be significantly harder.
Emergency channel

Hello, Spako Highclaws here. Inside is experiencing another contagion. Cervine-humanoid hybrids going by the name Buttercup are in the city. Being called by that name spreads the curse to others, converting them. Sir Rebonack has been compromised to bring us that information. He is currently quarantined in his room. He claims that wearing his armor kept him from wanting to spread the curse. I would recommend coordinating with Intersection and otherwise keeping clear of the city until we know exactly how this curse works. Are any of the Commanders on this channel?

Zefir
2020-10-13, 02:22 AM
Mia isn't making any promises.
On the plus side, it isn't demon technology that Sophia is talking about.
"It definitely had an engine. Hopefully there's still enough for you to work with."

"When you're ready to look into it, you can go to <location in the war-torn red zone by a certain brick wall> and one of my flight will escort you to the ship." There's no hurry, Sophia is saying. Also saying she won't be going to the ship herself. She has her own job to do!

[Mia's Lab]

"I just need to gab a bunch of stuff, just to be prepared. Just tell him to be visible when he sees the shuttle." Mia doesn't question that Sophia won't come. After all she is leading a group of her kind? I don't think Mia knows all the details, but there are more Demons who are like Sophia.

After half an hour she will be ready to go and depart, assuming Sophia left a while ago she heads for said location.


[Wenomir's office - Mia]

Wenomir rubs the back of his neck. Once again, his lack of knowledge of magic comes to haunt him.

"Awen's magic does seem to be as dangerous to her as it is to others, sometimes. If you think you can help her deal with the consequences, don't hesitate to do it."

[Wenomir's office - Mia]

"I think this kind of magic is called 'blood magic'.At least that's what it was called were i am from. You take your blood or other peoples blood to feed your spells. I think in that way it does use life energy instead of mana, but I wouldn't guarantee this unless I asked wen about it." Mia replies. She does sound like a teacher while telling Wenomir this. He might notice the difference from when they train and she is the student to now were she seems to teach him. "As mentioned, you might help me convince Electra in that matter. The others also seemed to dislike me, but I hope they won't push this futher when she agrees to take me along.

Lord Magtok
2020-10-14, 12:33 AM
Steel and Satyrs, Mastering Mind Monsters


The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr - SUS Crew?

"...well, maybe we can convince it that, uh, not running rampant means the hunger gets maintained? I-instead of uh, getting stabbed and dying I guess?" Fidelia seems to be pretty dead-set on assisting somehow. Even if words are definitely not her strong suit. After all, if Jenette's gonna resort to stabbing Hunger to death, an extra blade doesn't hurt. And it sounds like it's more of an issue of not getting consumed by these personal demons than them taking Jenette over and turning her on her partner... right?


The Saint, the Urchin and the Satyr

Jaahlyn raises her index finger. "It might be easier than you think, sir Lazarus. The spirits I mentioned, they are so miniscule that they don't really have a mind at all until they're interacted with.

Once that happens they start to build up their personality, their whole being, based on the people that are communicating with it. But as this one is 'owned' by you, that's the only person it will be interested in. The way you act, the tone of your voice, every subtle gesture..."

The satyr taps her chin, seemingly considering something. "It will be like your child in a way. Trying to learn everything from its parent. Of course, it will also be consumed by the concept it's supposed to represent so it won't just be a copy of you.

Also taking influence from your conception of it. So, what you imagine it'd be like mixed in with your own your character traits, depending on how you act towards it. So what I'm saying is that you have a way to control what it will be like."

Jenette frowns again. Dealing with tiny psychotic children isn’t quite as deadly as what she envisioned, but it’s not really her area of expertise, either. She supposed Fidelia would actually be really helpful there, if her time spent at the Mithar Keep around Cessie’s kids have taught her anything.

”So the worst thing I can do is treat it like a serious threat, because then it’ll become one. I should be handling this like we’re just disciplining a weird, magical baby. Okay,” Saint Lazarus nods, trying to project confidence and completely unwarranted optimism. Gotta fake it until you make it, or die trying.

Gnrlshrimp
2020-10-14, 12:43 PM
[The Battered Shield]

What does Atreyu want for Thanksmas?

Well...

"I reckon Mia's got the right of it. Sweets sound good. An' I'm sure there's plenty of fine new things fer me to taste here that I ain't familiar with."

New place, new food, new treats.

He looks slyly back and forth.

He leans in real close to Lapis.

He is not being subtle whatsoever.

And then in his best stage-whisper he says, "And I reckon a bottle of beard-tonic wouldn't go amiss fer me to use on Anika, since she's so keen on a real beard!"

Recaiden
2020-10-15, 01:50 PM
[Mia's Lab]

"I just need to gab a bunch of stuff, just to be prepared. Just tell him to be visible when he sees the shuttle." Mia doesn't question that Sophia won't come. After all she is leading a group of her kind? I don't think Mia knows all the details, but there are more Demons who are like Sophia.

After half an hour she will be ready to go and depart, assuming Sophia left a while ago she heads for said location.

That's more or less right. Sophia doesn't exactly lead them, most of the time, but is very busy giving advice to these odd demons. She is their expert on human affairs and coordinating with individuals.

Well, in half an hour Sophia seems to be gone. Whether she actually left or is just invisible is not super-clear.
Said location can be found here. (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?617022-Silly-Plots-4-It-s-not-particularly-silly-is-it&p=24755319#post24755319)

Morty
2020-10-15, 02:52 PM
[Wenomir's office - Mia]

Right. Fuelling your magic with blood... there's absolutely no way for it to go wrong, is there? He probably shouldn't be telling Awen how to use her magic, though...

"As I said, the decision of who we send to fight is mine or Cessie's. But I doubt Electra will question our judgment in any event. This thread is too severe to let personal conflict get in the way."

Arkhosia
2020-10-16, 03:37 PM
Satyr and Steele, Attorneys at Law

"I guess it's all about willpower, huh?" There's a beat before Fidelia thinks to elaborate. "I mean, um, you're safe as long as you can believe you can overcome it. Maintain that the hunger is... beneath you, or uh, that you're stronger. Long as you believe it, it's true." Doesn't sound like too much of a difficult solution. At least on paper, so to speak.

And then, another thought occurs. …hey, uh- if we're in the dream world, does that mean- can Jenette still infect me even if she's overcome and tries to bite me or something?" She sounds... weirdly hopeful when she asks this.

Shadowcaller
2020-10-16, 05:10 PM
Satyr and Steele, Attorneys at Law

"Yeah, that's the gist of it." The satyr nods, glad that they got it this quickly. Usually it was a lot harder to explain. "But you're not actually in a different world. It's more like... well, there's two ways to do this." She raises two fingers. "Either you do it in a dream or while awake. Either method has its complications. The dream method involve me visiting both your dreams and bringing you together, which would have me getting sneak peeks into your minds. Not to mention that your own dreams could complicate things."
Jaahlyn scratches her head and then suddenly smiles.

"The second method, well... it involves drugs. You would be hallucinating the spirits essentially. With the right drug it would be a lot cleaner and direct of a method. See, warlocks have grown these drugs that allows them to do this while causing them little harm in the process. It's rare to come by outside their circles but I have some with me if you're willing to take my word for it. I know that's asking a lot though so I will leave it up to you." Jaahlyn then turns to Fidelia. "As for the potential of infection, it depends on if its a dream or a hallucination of course." She makes another bow as she finishes her explanation.

[The Battered Shield]

"I wouldn't miss that for the world, Lapis." Anika remarks with a nod. "And we'll get Rain onboard too and I bet she could make a thankmas song for you guys." A beat.

"Oh! Idea! You got a lot of friends your age don't you, Lapis? What if you recruit them and you can sing thankmas songs together, like a choir. That'd be so awesome. Don't you agree, guys?" She looks to the others.

Ashen Lilies
2020-10-17, 09:35 PM
The Battered Shield

"Well, er, I dunno, I guess hanging out? Although, sharing a drink is sorta that, now that I think about it." The catgirl takes an awkward sip of her drink. She's had a fair bit of it by now. "I could give you advice at the shooting range sometime if you want, maybe. Be pretty interested in learning a few tricks about how to handle a knife from you sometime too, actually."

[The Battered Shield]

"It's a trade," says Kal, smiling slightly. "I believe I've fired a gun once or twice, but I wouldn't say that I'm an especially great shot."

Zefir
2020-10-18, 08:44 AM
[The Battered Shield]

Mia nods. "That sounds nice. I don't know much chrismas songs other those who play in the radio up and down here.
But I wonder why in the nexus you got the throne and not a single person."


[Wenomir's office - Mia]

Right. Fuelling your magic with blood... there's absolutely no way for it to go wrong, is there? He probably shouldn't be telling Awen how to use her magic, though...

"As I said, the decision of who we send to fight is mine or Cessie's. But I doubt Electra will question our judgment in any event. This thread is too severe to let personal conflict get in the way."

[Wenomir's office - Mia]

Mia just nods. "If this is the case things should be fine. Just tell me when things are done." she akes a short pause befor speaking up again.
"If there is anything I can help you with just tell me."

Lord Magtok
2020-10-24, 12:45 AM
Satyr and Steele, Attorneys at Law

"As for the potential of infection, it depends on if its a dream or a hallucination of course." She makes another bow as she finishes her explanation.

"The one with less risk of that, then," Jenette answers immediately, without so much as a second thought. If the drugs have a chance of making her go permanently braindead, fine. If the dream route will reveal embarrassing childhood memories, who cares. This isn't worth doing if it gets Fidelia killed (and possibly brought back as a walking corpse). Nothing is.

Rebonack
2020-10-25, 10:23 AM
[Battered Shield]

Lapis giggles at the prospect of beard-tonic.

That sounds awfully silly.

And she brightens considerably (and slightly literally) at the idea of a choir!

"Oooooh! I do! I have some sisters and brothers. And maybe the Frescot kids are good at singing, too?"

She isn't sure.

But maybe they are?

Part of the whole fun of child choirs isn't that they're actually skilled.

"I'll tell them about your idea next time I go over there to play!"

Plans are coming together!

But what about food?

Are those battered shields coming together?

Gnrlshrimp
2020-10-28, 02:37 PM
[Battered Shield]

Food, you say? Well if no one else is going to magically make it appear...ta da! Here it is!

The party has clearly been waiting long enough for the shields to be well-battered and delivered piping-hot to the table.

They sure do look like some tasty food.

"Well, I look forward to learning some new winter songs then."

Shadowcaller
2020-10-29, 06:46 AM
[Battered Shield]

"Never heard them sing but kids got pretty great voices from the start so I'm sure you will all do fine." Anika replies before turning her attention to the food.
"Oh boy." Then without interruption she starts to wolf it all down. It's not like she's eating too fast but she's very effective when it comes to emptying her plate. Never taking even as much as a moment to exchange words with someone.

Arkhosia
2020-10-29, 05:36 PM
[The Battered Shield]

"It's a trade," says Kal, smiling slightly. "I believe I've fired a gun once or twice, but I wouldn't say that I'm an especially great shot."


Satyr and Steele, Attorneys at Law

"Yeah, that's the gist of it." The satyr nods, glad that they got it this quickly. Usually it was a lot harder to explain. "But you're not actually in a different world. It's more like... well, there's two ways to do this." She raises two fingers. "Either you do it in a dream or while awake. Either method has its complications. The dream method involve me visiting both your dreams and bringing you together, which would have me getting sneak peeks into your minds. Not to mention that your own dreams could complicate things."
Jaahlyn scratches her head and then suddenly smiles.

"The second method, well... it involves drugs. You would be hallucinating the spirits essentially. With the right drug it would be a lot cleaner and direct of a method. See, warlocks have grown these drugs that allows them to do this while causing them little harm in the process. It's rare to come by outside their circles but I have some with me if you're willing to take my word for it. I know that's asking a lot though so I will leave it up to you." Jaahlyn then turns to Fidelia. "As for the potential of infection, it depends on if its a dream or a hallucination of course." She makes another bow as she finishes her explanation.


"The one with less risk of that, then," Jenette answers immediately, without so much as a second thought. If the drugs have a chance of making her go permanently braindead, fine. If the dream route will reveal embarrassing childhood memories, who cares. This isn't worth doing if it gets Fidelia killed (and possibly brought back as a walking corpse). Nothing is.
The Battered Shield

"If you ain't even that certain you've shot one, I'm not very confident you've actually managed to hit anything," Blanche smiles. "But I'm sure I can help out with your aim a little. I'm not a trained instructor or anything, but I know my way around a firearm."

Take Drugs, Kill a Bear?

"Well uh, I think I'd prefer not to go with the drugs?" Fidelia answers. She hadn't grown up seeing the better side of how such things could be used or applied. "But yeah, going through dreams sounds smarter? Less risk, and I- I don't think I really have anything to hide in there?" Maybe a couple things from St Lazarus herself, but it doesn't sound like she'd get a glimpse into her mind during the process - just Jaahlyn, who doesn't seem like the gossiping sort.

Shadowcaller
2020-10-30, 09:28 AM
Satyr and Steele, Attorneys at Law

Jaahlyn bows her head. "Dreams is the choice then. Do you prefer a date where I will visit your dreams or do you want me to do it as soon as tonight?" Her gaze wanders over to Saint Laz. "You do sleep, do you?"

Zefir
2020-11-01, 07:02 PM
The Battered Shield

Mia just nods at the whole chisld sing thing. She ad heared such in her homeworld, but there they sang different songs.
Different to Anika, Mia will be very civelized. She carefuly cuts one bite sized pieces off and eats them. That way she might need a lot more time, but thats how she learned it. She does look at the druid with some concern if it is even healthy to eat that fast, but she won't speak it out.

UncleWolf
2020-11-01, 08:15 PM
[Medical Facility]

Sam reluctantly nods.
"It's free and you'll get changed alright. That much as the most reliable I can get." Whether or not it will be exactly what she wants remains to be seen. But "not this" is at least a given.



[Medical Facility]

Wenomir shakes his head. He finds this situation confusing and awkward and this question doesn't help. He can't blame Alexis for asking it, of course. And he has a feeling offering her charity wouldn't go over well.

"Come speak with us once you're back on your feet and we'll see how you can repay the favor."

Medical Facility

The elf pauses for a moment, uncertain of how to really give her thanks before deciding on kneeling and bowing her head. "Very well. I'll return when I'm able to." She declares before standing up straight and cracking her neck. "So...you have a ride, Sam?" She asks. following him wherever necessary to get out of this place. This place felt...irritable and put her on edge. While the events of AMEN felt heavy on her mind and shoulders, as well as the events of her death, she had to admit that not many people seemed to have second chances like this. She planned to make the most of it. Once she got a different body of course.


Training Ground - Potential Student

Quin hefts Jezebel's Eviscerator one-handed for a moment, and makes a few test swings with it. Despite its weight, he seems to wield it as easily as he does Excalibur, though his test swings seem a bit off, as though he's being exceptionally careful with it. He flexes his wrist for a moment with the blade, obviously trying to get a better handle on the weapon's balance, before shaking his head slightly and offering the blade back to Jezebel. His head shake seems to be more in response to what she's saying than her choice in blades.

"I don't really do that much, so you're right, that's probably a place to start. I'm not entirely sure where to begin, though. I mean, do try to make Excalibur an extension of my body, but...I don't really cast my will into it, not like that, if I understand what you're saying correctly." He leans towards Jezebel slightly and from the shape of his eyes, Jezebel might be able to pick up that if he had a visible mouth, he'd be smiling. "I'd also like to say that I like your choice in blades. Exceptionally well-balanced; I'm not used to seeing something so exotic be so easy to handle."

Training Ground - Potential Student

"Thank you, but usually the Eviscerators aren't. This one has been my personal one and heavily worked upon for years. Much of the time they are so unwieldy and unamored that they are as prone to hurting their wielder as they are whatever the person is swinging at." Jezebel explains, taking her blade back and setting it down. "Mind if I ask why you have chosen to pick up the blade? Were you required to by your land, the blade's custodian, or simply felt a calling? Or any other reason. And it would help to know if you follow any particular philosophies of combat. Or if your blade might follow one. It almost felt like it could have some sense of sentience given time here."

Lord Magtok
2020-11-08, 05:14 AM
Take Drugs, Kill a Bear?

"Well uh, I think I'd prefer not to go with the drugs?" Fidelia answers. She hadn't grown up seeing the better side of how such things could be used or applied. "But yeah, going through dreams sounds smarter? Less risk, and I- I don't think I really have anything to hide in there?" Maybe a couple things from St Lazarus herself, but it doesn't sound like she'd get a glimpse into her mind during the process - just Jaahlyn, who doesn't seem like the gossiping sort.


Satyr and Steele, Attorneys at Law

Jaahlyn bows her head. "Dreams is the choice then. Do you prefer a date where I will visit your dreams or do you want me to do it as soon as tonight?" Her gaze wanders over to Saint Laz. "You do sleep, do you?"

"Soon as possible, and it's...close enough to sleep," Saint Lazarus explains, not sounding entirely sure. Whatever, it's probably fine. She lies down, closes her eyes, and stops doing stuff for a few hours. Elves supposedly meditate instead of sleeping, so maybe it's essentially the same thing as that? Plus, while what she does might not line up exactly with the human definition of sleep, trying to drug her corpsely shell could fail completely. It'd be an awful waste for Jaahlyn to go to all the trouble of collecting the necessary reagents for her vision quest pharmaceutical, only for Jenette's zombie body to be completely immune to it.

Arkhosia
2020-11-09, 07:19 PM
Satyr, Stahl and Daubigny - The Dream Team?

Fidelia nods in agreement. "Y-yeah, tonight works." There's a bit of eagerness, but mostly she's just happy to follow Jenette's lead on this one. Whatever works for her, surely will work for the squire.

Rebonack
2020-11-09, 10:19 PM
[Battered Shield Battered Shield Eating]

Oh.

Oh wow.

That is a whole bunch of food.

And Lapis is so very small.

How could she possibly make a dent in something that-

...

Huh.

She's actually managing to keep up with Anika who is literally several times her size. How? What kind of monster IS this child?

Shadowcaller
2020-11-11, 05:20 AM
[Constantly Changing Location Tag]

Jaahlyn nods. "Tonight it is then. Just make sure to go to bed early and do whatever you can to fall asleep." No pressure though, right?
She pauses and holds her tail high, displaying the bauble that's tied to it. "No matter what form I might take in your dream you will always recognize me by this. It's my guide light, souls both alive and dead can follow it to safety." With a sudden shake of her tail the bauble bobs around and starts to glow brightly. "See? In your own dreams the light will be different but you will still recognize it. It's a bit difficult to explain, but if it looks exactly like this it might just be your own dreams deceiving you though. But that's of no concern unless your own mind is out to get you." Which they aren't... right?

Murkus
2020-11-15, 09:04 PM
[On the Ground]

There's a man following the skybase around. He's not particularly noteworthy, and he's not particularly obvious about it. With something that big and with everything that VIGIL has going on, it's probably pretty easy to disguise the fact that you're observing them. Especially when you're all by your lonesome. He doesn't seem to have transportation, or any speedy means with which to come and go, but he keeps popping up regardless. Sometimes disappearing before reappearing beneath the skybase dozens of miles from where it was originally positioned.

This man has a couple distinct advantages in this process. He can see very far, and he is very careful to keep his distance. This doesn't seem to pose any issue with his ability to observe. Unless someone has an extraordinary means of keeping watch or detecting possible intruders, he'll probably be very hard to pick out. Mostly he watches one thing specifically: the ways people come and go after they're shuttled down to the surface.

He is looking for someone specific. He has never met them. He knows what they look like... and he knows they're called Blanche. He's trying to see what means Blanche uses to get around. And if he can determine that without being spotted from one of his far-off perches... well, he might just finally move a little closer.

Lord Magtok
2020-11-16, 03:53 AM
For In That Sleep Of Death, What Dreams May Come

"Glowing tail, guiding light, has to look like anything except that or else my head is out to get me," Saint Lazarus repeats with a nod, ignoring the implied, unspoken question at the end there. After all, if her mind wasn't out to get her, would they even be here?

"Is there anything else important I should know about before trying to bully my subconscious into being less hungry all the time?" she asks, trying to not sound anxious even though the wait is absolutely killing her with worry and she wants to just get this done with and fall asleep on the floor right here and now.

bc56
2020-11-16, 10:01 PM
Hangar Bay

One of the smaller airships in the hangar is currently in a state of disrepair. Or rather a state of repair? It's surrounded by a pile of spare parts, assorted tools, and segments of hull plating. A rattling metallic din is constantly sounding from within, a sound of power tools, hand tools, welding, and soldering. Occasionally, a greasy hand emerges to grab something from nearby and then disappears back into the ship. Something's certainly going on. Someone is working hard. With a grunt, a man utterly splattered in grease heaves an entire engine block out of the airship and sets it outside. Then he begins gathering up a pile of assorted engine parts and carrying them back into the vehicle.

Rebonack
2020-11-16, 10:57 PM
[Training Grounds]

Footwork is hard when you have twice as many feet as you used to have.

But that isn't going to stop Pepper, no sir! She thought she was going to go crazy being locked in her room with all the Buttercup going on. But thankfully VIGIL caught wind of Intersection's Buttercup Name Integrator. Sure it wouldn't cure her (why would she want to stop being herself? Being her is the best!) but it DID make it so she wasn't a wandering seed any more! Which means she doesn't have to worry about Naming anyone (yay!) and she got to choose a nice place to root (also yay!) AND she got to drop the name Buttercup and got her own botanical signature (triple yay!)

She's certainly something of a sight. Honestly, all the gaiads are. A fantastically beautiful woman with reddish brown hair full of little white pepper flowers from the waste up, a reddish brown furred deer from the waste down with little greenish flowers dotting her fur. Big cervine ears. Hooves made of stone. And an almost infectious aura of bubbly cheer. Thankfully not LITERALLY infectious anymore. She saw to that! Most of that isn't visible at the moment, though. Mostly because she's wearing a two part gambeson that covers BOTH her human torso and her deer body. And on top of THAT she's wearing a suit of adamantine half-plate.

Rebonack's signature armor. Which makes sense. Pepper was Rebonack before she ran afoul of a friendly Buttercup.

The gaiad is currently wielding a ranseur, practicing her footwork (hoofwork?) as she circles a training dummy, occasionally making jabs at it with her polearm. Her form is quite good, but it is just as clear that she isn't wholly comfortable with her new body shape. The weight distribution is all different, and that means she needs more practice.

All this iron is just...

Blegh. Wearing the iron alloy armor, though. Feels gross. As does holding her weapon in spite of the heavy leather gloves.

But she doesn't want to give up her armor. No WAY would she do that. The suit of artifact armor has more than just sentimental value to her. It's one of the few links she has left to her old life before... everything else.

That and it's a pretty rockin' suit of armor.

Going through the spear drills is... relaxing. It helps clear her naturally bouncy, bubbly, fizzy mind. She needs her thoughts honed and focused if she's going to start going on missions for VIGIL again. Helping people is important to her. Righting wrongs. Dispensing righteous justice! Are people still going to respect her as an arbiter of goodness if she's distractable and air-headed? Definitely not! Practice those drills. Trot through those steps. Dance the dance of martial excellence rather than frivolous frolicking. She can do it. She knows she can. It'll just take persistence, discipline-

"-and STRENGTH!" Pepper shouts as she digs her hooves into the earth and slams her spear into the training dummy with all her might! The wooden stake it's mounted on snaps under the force of the blow, causing Pepper to stumble forward a few paces at the sudden shift in weight. The dummy thumps to the ground with the spear stuck in it up to the cross-guard. Ser Pepper giggles sheepishly. "Whoopsie dhoopsie! Maybe a little TOO much strength."

Deathkeeper
2020-11-16, 11:10 PM
Training Ground

Oh hey is that a particularly resplendent bird of paradise sleeping in a nearby tree?
Well, it is and it isn't. This bird in particular startles awake at the sound of combat. Oh no, are they under attack- oh wait he fell asleep next to the training ground. Why did he think that was a good idea? He's lucky no one is practicing with a gun. Or the Commander's mate's very loud sword.
The bird flutters down to land squarely on the gaiad's rump. "Hi Ser uh, Pepper! How have you been? Has your armor been pinching? Did you ever find that faerie deli?" oh right that's Spako. Did Pepper remember Spako is sometimes a very colorful bird? It's okay if she didn't, Spako forgets some time too.
Spako has been very worried for his friend. Cursed, again. With no cure in sight. But she's happy, and that's alright. It's a little alarming that Buttercup seemed to like it when Spako called her Sir Rebo but now she's pretty set on being Pepper. But that's just how people adjust sometimes. After all, he took to being this, didn't he? And a dragon. Sure he sought those out. But changing your name? Well, Spako has more indirect experience with that than most. He can respect it. Hopefully Pepper can respect that her friend is worried about her and just wants to make sure that she's really happy and not just influenced by Buttercupness. And that she's getting along with being a new weird non-human thing.

Rebonack
2020-11-16, 11:39 PM
[Training Grounds]

Pepper trots up to the dummy, braces a hoof against it, and starts yanking on her spear.

"Wowie zowie, that's really stuck in there..." she mutters as she pulls on it. Just. NNNGH! PULL! RRRGH! Oof. That's just not wanting to come out. Pepper glowers at the spear, rolls her shoulders, squares her hooves, and-

Oh no her butt is talking to her!

"What."

She glances back over her shoulder.

Oh wait, not, that's just a colorful talking bird perched on her butt.

"Do I know you, bird?" she asks, momentarily puzzled. It doesn't take long for a look of recognition to dawn. "Oh the deli! Spako? Since when were you a bird?" she asks. "You're an awfully shiny bird."

Possibly the shiniest bird Pepper has ever seen.

"The armor doesn't pinch but it feels gross. It's the iron, it has to be," she replies after a few seconds of thought. "I should probably feed it some new metal that isn't iron. Also find a faerie deli that makes a good hero sandwich. Because what other kind of sandwich would a HERO have for lunch!"

Deathkeeper
2020-11-16, 11:53 PM
Training Grounds

Spako flutters to the ground and takes his true dragony shape.
Why?
So he can drape a big wing over his friend in a big dragony hug.
”It’s good to see you’re well, Sir- Pepper.” That name is still giving him trouble.
”I was really worried about you. But you seem to be adjusting. Um. Keep looking for that place. I know there are brownie bakeries somewhere. And um. I can probably find you a non-iron weapon. Me and Sylvess are kind of um. Dragons. We keep shiny weapons. I got some from when I saved that princess and they gave me Date-Blossom.”
It probably says something that Spako seems to consider the giant pack-lizard the more notable thing of that hoard.
”How much does your armor need?”

Rebonack
2020-11-17, 01:03 AM
[Training Grounds]

Oh no dragon hugs! Pepper gets a nice wing-squeeze as she continues pulling on her spear.

"I would be doing better if this spear would come los-"

Pop!

Out it comes!

Pepper once again appreciates having four legs. She probably would have fallen on her butt just now if she had two.

"Oh no need to worry about me, Spako. I'm a BRAVE and RESOLUTE hero! I LAUGH in the face of adversity! Teeheehee!" Pepper laughs. It isn't a loud laugh. But she seems to think it's hilarious, which gets her giggling even more. "Heehee... Oh wowie would you? I'll need lots of metal, enough to replace ALL my armor and ALL the other little bits. I've been thinking about metals I could use, things that wouldn't hurt if I touch them on accident. And after doing some reading I think I've found the PERFECT alloy! I'm going to need a whole bunch of titanium, a lot of silver, and a little bit of pure mithril."

She dismisses her spear, the weapon vanishing in a cloud of tiny hexagonal cogs that integrate into her armor.

"Not mithril in armor. Or even in a weapon! It needs to be pure mithril. Like the sort dwarves and kobold dig up."

Deathkeeper
2020-11-17, 01:11 AM
Training Grounds

”Well...Sylvess and I did invest a lot of our hoards to help fund our new Kobold friends’ business. But we might have silver to spare. And I know I have a weapon or two lying around that’s made of mithril you could melt down. You will have to get any other mithril and titanium yourself, though. Sylvess is being very frugal lately. And I can’t blame him. We spent a lot to get Fort Aegis going. And um. We uh. We need to save a lot. For the eggs.” Spako is suddenly stammering. That’s not something he does often.
”I have seven eggs, Pepper. Seven. That’s three and a half twos. I’d be honored if you came to see them after they hatch. I was going to ask you before but um. Buttercup happened. But I think you would make as good an aunt as an uncle.”

Rebonack
2020-11-17, 01:39 AM
[Training Grounds]

"That's alright, Spako, If you haven't got it then that just means I need to do some HEROIC QUESTING!" Pepper replies with her typical enthusiastic spunk. The fact that she has a high, feminine voice now instead of the booming, masculine voice Rebonack had previously makes it sound pretty silly. But then again, Pepper really doesn't seem to mind at all. "Oh wowie now I'm getting excited just thinking about it! I haven't done any questing since the Buttercupocolypse. I can thrust WAY harder than I could before! I think it's the extra legs. Twice as many legs means twice as strong thrusting. That's science, probably."

Granted, Pepper doesn't know a ton about science.

Though she does know a decent bit about enchanting magical objects and metallurgy thanks to her armor. Keeping it fed is kind of an ongoing quest in and of itself. But well worth the trouble! Speaking of armor, she's done with it for now so it disassembles itself and clumps into a great big shiny metal cube nearby, leaving Pepper in her heavy cloth gambeson.

Suddenly a gasp rises from Pepper's lips. She steps back a few paces, her eyes wide.

"You have eggs?" she asks, her excitement level somehow managing to rise even higher. "Oh WOWIE ZOWIE why didn't you tell me before! Ooooh that's so wonderful Spako you'll make the bestest daddy!"

And then she hugs the dragon right then and there!

"Wow seven. SEVEN! That's SO MANY babies! How are you going to do it? Oooh you need help, that's it! That's why you're telling me! WELL! If you need any baby-sitting aid from the BRAVEST and MOST RIGHTEOUS PARAGON of CHILD-CARE HEROISM then look no further than Auntie Ser Pepper!"

Wow her excitement and enthusiasm is just getting so totally over the top that she... she could- oooooh!

With a little POP! all her flowers go to fruit on the spot. Now she's got a bunch of jalapeno peppers and avocados hanging off her.

"EEEEP! I fruited oh no this is so embarrassing! AAAAAHeeehehehe!" she half-wails half-laughs as she starts hastily picking them. "Quick I need a basket!"

Deathkeeper
2020-11-17, 09:56 AM
Training Grounds

Spako looks around and manages to locate a slightly wet plastic bucket after he manages to dump out the water that was in it.
”What do you do with all the vegetables anyway? I thought normal people can’t eat too many of them without getting enchanted.” It’s good for the local brownies’ businesses, though. Orchard Court, PMP is practically a farmer’s market for them now.
Spako is NOT sure how to feel about veggies growing out of his friend. But she doesn’t seem to mind. Really, Spako would prefer there not to have been mental effects but he can’t say he doesn’t see the argument that there’s very much worse things to be cursed into than a happy nymph.
”And well. If you’re going to be staying Ser Pepper that would mean, hehe, that you’d be their Faerie Godmother.”

Rebonack
2020-11-17, 10:34 AM
[Training Grounds]

Pepper begins plucking off the fruits and plopping them into the bucket. She doesn't make any vegetables, no sir! It has definitely meant that she's got quite the surplus of materials for making salsa guacamole, though. She laughs as she gathers drops the last avocado into the bucket.

"You would have to be eating nothing but faerie food for a while. Since you are what you eat! If faerie food is only part of your diet then you're okay. There are LOTS of other ingredients that go with avocado and jalapenos," Pepper says as she sets the bucket aside. "Mostly I've been making dips and chipolte for the mess hall in case they feel like spicing things up a little. It's been fun!"

She's got quite the little garden growing near her quarters now. Considering the whole gaiad thing that isn't surprising. Aside from, of course, peppers and avocado she also has a pretty nice supply of tomato growing as well as a few little lime trees. Cilantro, garlic, onions of various kinds, all the things she needs to make the best guacamole ever. Since Rebonack had gotten the curse removed a few years back he had taken quite the interest in making food since he could actually enjoy it again. That hasn't changed at it. Pepper just has to be careful about making her own food rather than taking things from the mess hall.

Prepared mortal food and fae don't get along well.

"Haha, exactly! Pepper the faerie godmother. I just can't grant wishes. Unless they wish for some really tasty food then I could probably grant that," Pepper laughs as she gives Spako another hug before picking up her bucket and trotting off toward her quarters. The cube of armor sprouts a bunch of tiny millipede style legs and begins following her. Rebonack's armor always had a mind of its own, though that mind seemed to be about on part with 'loyal dog' rather than anything more sapient. "I need to put these away. Then start planning on where to find the metal I need. It'll be an adventure! Do you think you've got some time for adventures today, Spako?"

Even if that adventure is just finding out where and when to have another adventure.

Deathkeeper
2020-11-17, 10:59 AM
Training Grounds

"You can grant that wish when they're older. Baby dragons are almost entirely carnivorous. Besides, they'll be really small at first. One of your peppers would be the size of their head." It's easy to eat your body weight in fairy food when you weigh two pounds.
Spako follows after Ser Pepper. Luckily he's not so big a dragon that he can't fit into the buildings. But now Ser Pepper is too weird-shaped for Spako to carry. He had hoped he could play Sir Rebo's knightly steed for the children at least once. Sir Rebo loved showing off his knightliness for the children. And Spako doubts that has changed.
"Oh, I'll be around for a while. I need to be here on-call at least a little. I admit I disappeared for a while when I met Sylvess and had to help him out with things and then the eggs happened..." Spako's turn to watch the eggs will be tomorrow. He has today to himself.

Rebonack
2020-11-17, 11:28 AM
[Adventure Planning]

"Oooh I can cook meat-based dishes, too! I don't use JUST peppers for making things. But I need to make EVERYTHING myself. It's a whole lot of work! But lucky for me faeries are kinda notorious for doing work pretty fast." Pepper says as she begins putting the jalapenos and avocados away.

Her quarters are kind of hilariously eclectic. They at once say 'brave warrior' and 'doting grandma'. But those things aren't TOO contradictory, are they? So weapons and trophies on display right next to overflowing cooking supplies. There's a basket of corn sitting over there along with a little hand-mill for grinding it. The base of the hand-mill appears to have been made out of a giant's stone war hammer. Pepper, of course, needs to do ALL food preparation herself if she wants to enjoy it. And she ALSO needs to do all food preparation herself if she wants to infuse it with sufficient levels of love that she feels in needed for OTHER people to enjoy it.

"Speaking of, are you hungry? I've got a few tamales left over from last night."

Oh no.

Spako.

Don't.

Don't let her start feeding you she'll never stop.

Deathkeeper
2020-11-17, 11:55 AM
[Adventure Planning]

Hmm. Maybe Pepper got a little bit of brownie in her when she got Buttercup'd. Masks work in mysterious ways.
"I'm going to need more than a couple tamales, Ser Pepper. Let's stay on task for now. We can worry about snacks later."
Spako has gotten used to dodging invitations for food when he started helping with Fort Aegis. The kobolds are good people but they still culturally venerate dragons and Spako and Sylvess have been offered a lot of offerings.

Rebonack
2020-11-17, 12:40 PM
[Adventure Planning]

Nah doing work quickly is something to be found in many fae stories. Pepper just happened to have interests and personality quirks before she got Buttercup'd that worked together to feed her motherly caregiver disposition.

"Oh! Well, I can make something else too if you're really extra hungry! I don't want my friends to be hungry," Pepper replies, her ears perking up as she smiles wide.

Oh no Spako you made it worse.

She's already zipping around the kitchen, bouncing here and there, dicing this and chopping that and gathering up the other thing.

"So I was looking into new places for finding useful metals," Pepper says as the scent of cooking meat begins filling the room. "Since I always have to feed my armor. And I found some clues about an old dwarf fortress! Just, wowie! It sounds like a real doozy! They used to dig up mithril there so it'll be the perfect place to search! Buuuuuut-"

A dragon-sized helping of carnitas, beans, and rice, several tortillas, and a few tamales gets slid in front of Spako. She somehow managed to get that ready in a few minutes flat. Probably faerie things going on. It smells pretty great, though! And Pepper is just smiling so much don't make her sad by not eating it Spako she does this because she loves you.

"It was abandoned because of hidden fun stuff! I'm not sure what that means but it has something to do with clowns? I'm not sure why dwarfs would abandon a fortress because of clowns."

Deathkeeper
2020-11-17, 12:54 PM
[Adventure Planning]

Spako awkwardly leans over to free his foreclaws and does his best to neatly eat the food. Luckily dragons have hand-like claws and mouths that can chew better than most reptiles but it's still a little awkward.
He could just change to being a kobold but Spako gets nauseous if he shifts rapidly between his forms.
"Well, clowns that scared off a band of dwarves from their mine sound pretty serious. Could always be some sort of demon. Sometimes they like taking ironic forms. But uh. Yeah. Sounds like an expedition alright."
Spako is in the tenuous position where complimenting Pepper's cooking will only get him served more. But it's polite to do...

Rebonack
2020-11-17, 01:05 PM
[Adventure Planning]

While Spako is eating Pepper is bouncing around the quarters getting things tidied up while at the same time double checking a few maps to make sure she has her locations right. She had a printout of the upper levels of the fort didn't she? Where did she put that thing? Try as she might she can't find any references to what 'Hidden Fun Stuff' might be. Or any suggestion that clowns are anything other than people in funny shoes and face paint who make others laugh.

"I don't know, Spako, it sure doesn't SOUND like demons. But I guess if it were then they probably need a little RIGHTEOUS JUSTICE to encourage them to stop being such meanies," Pepper says as she watches the dragon eat. "Is that enough? Are you still hungry? I have some chilli rellenos, too."

Oh no.

Noooo.

Not more food.

Pepper already gave Spako enough to leave even a dragon feeling stuffed.

"Did you want to come with me on my adventure? Wowie, it would be just like old times! It feels like it's been forever since we've had a proper adventure together."

Deathkeeper
2020-11-17, 01:22 PM
[Adventure Planning]

Spako does his best to get back to his feet and present himself as a noble, if stuffed, dragon.
"No, I'm quite done, Ser Pepper. You know, when they said that vacuum would help you and Buttercup mingle as one person I didn't expect you would turn into Elder Grako."
Kobolds raise their young as a community rather than individual parents. So Spako didn't have a granny to dote on him. But he did have an elder who doted on all the hatchlings who may or may not have actually been his grandmother.
"Well, we kind of met and immediately applied here. I don't know if we ever really went on a full-length job together." ponders the dragon as he tries to think if him and Sir Rebo went on any lengthy adventures.

Rebonack
2020-11-17, 01:42 PM
[Adventure Planning]

Come on, Spako. You two TOTALLY went on some off-screen adventures because Rebo lost track of the Rebonack character and then vanished for like half a year. Just because things don't happen on screen doesn't mean that NEVER HAPPENED.

Right?

Right!?

"Oh wowie, I'm flattered you would compare me to someone who was so special to you!" Pepper bubbles. Just for good measure she gives Spako a hug again.

Just not... TOO hard.

Since he just finished eating.

Pepper looks surprised as she grabs a backpack full of adventuring supplies and begins trotting out the door with her armor cube following her. *skitter skitter skitter*

"We've had plenty of adventures! Like that time with the evil wizard in the tower who wanted to turn everyone into cows?"

You know, Spako. Off-screen adventures that definitely happened.

Deathkeeper
2020-11-17, 08:27 PM
Adventure Planning

Spako chuckles as he follows Ser Pepper out the door.
"Hehe. Your armor looked really silly cow-shaped." But of course, since Sir Rebo was still a slime at the time he simply molded himself humanoid again.
"He was really surprised when it didn't do anything to that mercenary. But that's why you don't use cow magic on minotaurs."
That's just logic.

Rebonack
2020-11-17, 10:38 PM
[Adventure Disembarking]

Ser Pepper will be leaving a note about where she and Spako are going. To investigate an old dwarf fortress said to be over-run with clowns (demons?) to secure resources for VIGIL's use and potentially put a stop to a dangerous infestation that could threaten surrounding villages in Outside.

What?

Ser Pepper wouldn't EVER just go gallivanting off without informing leadership what she was up to!

That would be irresponsible and not even a little bit heroic!

SO!

Now she's prancing across the VIGIL grounds, still clad in her gambeson, her armor cube skittering along behind her. Really, Pepper can't HELP but prance. It's almost as good as frolicking, but there's important business to get done and she can get in a good helping of frolicking later.

"So what do you think, Spako? Should we take one of the airships? Or would you prefer flying us both there?" Ser Pepper asks. She really isn't THAT heavy. Or big. She could probably ride a dragon, right?

Deathkeeper
2020-11-17, 11:23 PM
Adventure Disembarking

Spako ponders the question.
”Well...if you’re about as heavy as a human I could make carry you in my claws. A human is about as heavy as I can carry. I’m not a very big dragon yet.” Spako tries to pick up Ser Pepper and beat his wings. Gaiads are made of plants and bones given life from dreams or something, right? Shouldn’t he be kind of light, then?

Rebonack
2020-11-17, 11:33 PM
[Adventure Disembarking]

She isn't.

Light, that is.

Most of her bones are made out of rocks. Pepper has stone hooves. She's actually surprisingly heavy considering that she is a smallish woman attached to a smallish deer. There's probably some comedic huffing and flapping, though!

"Don't feel bad about it, Spako! We can just take the air ship down the surface and walk! It isn't too far. Walking is all part of the grand adventure!" she says as she pronks her way over to one of the airships and climbs aboard. The armor cube, of course, skitters in after her.

Thankfully Rebonack and his animated armor are both pretty well known around VIGIL. He and Spako have been members for a really long time!

"Like There and Back Again! If they just flew on the eagles to Lonely Mountain it really wouldn't have been as good of a story, right? No, the real treasure is the adventures you have along the way. And the big adventure at the end. And sometimes the adventure coming home. All adventures are pretty great," Pepper concludes, giving her head a firm nod.

It's a hard argument to overturn. All adventures ARE pretty great.

To Outside!

Gnrlshrimp
2020-11-18, 01:30 PM
[Battered Shield - Food Consumption]

While Anika and Lapis get into some kind of spontaneous eating contest, and Mia goes for a much more civilised approach to food eating, you might expect the literal wolfman sitting at the table to be the one most likely to just...wolf his down.

Not so. While hardly as dainty about it as Mia is, Atreyu seems to have considerably more self-control than the other two.

His eyes do narrow slightly as he observes Lapis putting food away at a rate that shouldn't really be possible, but says nothing.

Anika, however, gets a chuckle out of him. "Anyone'd think ya'd been starved fer the whole day, Missy."

Shadowcaller
2020-11-18, 03:02 PM
[Battered Shield - Food Consumption]

"Blach?" Anika remarks through what must be quite a thick layer of food. "yolc 'all!"

She slowly swallows.

"You're small, that's why it seems like I'm eating so much food." The druid finally manages to say as she pats her belly. "In fact, you're not as small as everyone else so shouldn't you need to eat as much as me?"

Zefir
2020-11-19, 02:39 AM
[Battered Shield - Food Consumption]

Mia looks a bit concerned at Lapis and Anika. She can't think of any other term then wild to discribe what is happening here. She couldn't even tell if this has to do with Anika be an elf and Lapis be a shapechanger. No one in her world has ever eaten that way or better said she never saw anyone do it. She does offer a smile at Atreyu who tries to be civilised.

"You should take part in a eating contest." Mia suggest to Anika. "I never saw anyone ... 'eat' so fast. You sure would win." Mia is not sure about Lapis, after alll can she just change to something with a bigger stomach? That would be chating, right? I guess there never have been shapechanger to such a contest.

Rebonack
2020-11-19, 04:38 PM
[Battered Shield]

Lapis is one hundred percent cheating but it has little to do with the shape changer part and more to do with the fact that she's basically got a fusion forge for a stomach. The amount of energy she uses to do what she does is tremendous. This of course means that the lighter elements in whatever she's snacking on are being fused into heavier ones until they get massive enough that fusion no longer generates power.

That happens when things get to iron, as it happens.

But that's all silly sciency stuff Lapis is just enjoying her lunch.

She probably learned her table manners from Anika, which might explain a few things.

For the time being?

She's just going to eat and listen to the conversation.

An eating contest sounds like fun! She would probably want to be bigger so she's got a bigger mouth if she played in one of those.

Nova_Eclipse
2020-11-21, 10:30 PM
Training Ground - Potential Student

"Thank you, but usually the Eviscerators aren't. This one has been my personal one and heavily worked upon for years. Much of the time they are so unwieldy and unamored that they are as prone to hurting their wielder as they are whatever the person is swinging at." Jezebel explains, taking her blade back and setting it down. "Mind if I ask why you have chosen to pick up the blade? Were you required to by your land, the blade's custodian, or simply felt a calling? Or any other reason. And it would help to know if you follow any particular philosophies of combat. Or if your blade might follow one. It almost felt like it could have some sense of sentience given time here."


Training Ground - Potential Student

Quin considers for a moment.

"I was made to be a warrior and companion for my operator. Excalibur.......fell into my possession, you might say. Not from a mentor, but from....what I would consider a worthy foe. After my friends and I vanquished that foe's superiors, I did some research. When what by all accounts seems to be one of the legendary blades of your world falls into your hands by some chance of fate, it's probably best not to question it, you know?" Quin shrugs after a moment. "Excalibur wishes for me to be a hero, that much is certain, but I'm not sure how much of a philosophy it has. I don't really have a codified philosophy of combat; I fight to protect the weak and preserve the peace. And...I try to only use as much force as is necessary to get the job done. I don't like causing a lot of damage if I can help it."

Gnrlshrimp
2020-11-22, 04:16 PM
[Battered Shield]

Atreyu chuckles. "As regular ol' me, maybe I'm small. Ain't any smaller'n you as a wolf though, Missy." He remarks, leaning back for a moment to lock eyes with Anika. "'sides, we all got the same amount on our plates. Don't matter how fast y'eat it, unless ya wanna give yerself bellyache." He continues eating at a more measured pace, confident in his infallible logic.

...unless Anika is the sort to start nabbing stuff of other people's plates. Then there might be problems.

"An excellent idea, Mia. Well, maybe. Though I reckon if Anika and Lapis competed in the same contest, the final round may go on fer quite a while."

Shadowcaller
2020-11-26, 12:06 PM
[Battered Shield]

Atreyu's comment seems to bring Anika pause and for a moment she doesn't eat.
"Well, I am starving." She finally declares. "But there is no way I can beat Lapis at eating. She's the uncontested queen of food you guys." And since Anika had to pause to talk, there was no way she'd catch up with Lapis at this point!

"I just have to settle at second place, besides if anything would cause a tummy ache I'd a food contest, I've seen people just puke up everything they ate afterwards! It was so gross." The druid makes a face.
Perhaps not the best thing to mention at the dinner table though.

Zefir
2020-11-27, 04:03 AM
[Battered Shield]

Mia is still eating at a slow pace. She is rather small so it's not a suprise if she doesn't manage to eat up all.

"I'm sure those two would exhauste the cooks if you make a contest." she says to Atreyu. "That is somethign I also heared. I can't even imagine were they put it. When i go to a restaurant I barly eat one plate. It's allways sad if i have to let a part go to waste."

From all at the table only Lapis is smaller right now, but the 'adult' Lapis was bigger then her. Mia is already fighting with her food.

Rebonack
2020-11-27, 10:57 AM
[Battered Shield]

"I'm WAY bigger than I look!" Lapis claims as she finishes eating not ONLY the food on the bread-plate but the bread-plate too. "I've been getting bigger, too! But it'll be a long time before I'm ever as big as Mother."

Now there's an interesting point.

Lapis' little girl form is exactly the same size that it was when Anika first saw her during the skinwalker nonsense nearly two years ago now. Which is kind of odd.

Maybe Lapis doesn't know that children are supposed to get bigger?

Someone might need to explain that to her.

"That was good! I really liked it. But I don't think I need a second one," Lapis says, quite content with the meal. "So you're all going to come to Thanksmas, right? I'll probably be helping Mother put up decorations and stuff it's going to be so much fun it'll be the first Thanksmas I've gone to!"

She missed the one last year at HALO she was busy protecting VIGIL from birds. But with the Boss Bird defeated it should be okay this year.

Arkhosia
2020-11-30, 09:01 AM
[Constantly Changing Location Tag]

Jaahlyn nods. "Tonight it is then. Just make sure to go to bed early and do whatever you can to fall asleep." No pressure though, right?
She pauses and holds her tail high, displaying the bauble that's tied to it. "No matter what form I might take in your dream you will always recognize me by this. It's my guide light, souls both alive and dead can follow it to safety." With a sudden shake of her tail the bauble bobs around and starts to glow brightly. "See? In your own dreams the light will be different but you will still recognize it. It's a bit difficult to explain, but if it looks exactly like this it might just be your own dreams deceiving you though. But that's of no concern unless your own mind is out to get you." Which they aren't... right?


For In That Sleep Of Death, What Dreams May Come

"Glowing tail, guiding light, has to look like anything except that or else my head is out to get me," Saint Lazarus repeats with a nod, ignoring the implied, unspoken question at the end there. After all, if her mind wasn't out to get her, would they even be here?

"Is there anything else important I should know about before trying to bully my subconscious into being less hungry all the time?" she asks, trying to not sound anxious even though the wait is absolutely killing her with worry and she wants to just get this done with and fall asleep on the floor right here and now.
Our True Mentor... Our Guiding Moonlight

Souls both alive or dead, huh? It's certainly an interesting statement. Does she mean to say that both of them shall be able to follow, or is she just trying to get across how capable she is as a guide? Either way, it sounds like she might be a shepherd of the dead as much as the living. Hopefully not in the Charon kind of way. "So uh, one of those things where we'll know it when we see it?"


[On the Ground]

There's a man following the skybase around. He's not particularly noteworthy, and he's not particularly obvious about it. With something that big and with everything that VIGIL has going on, it's probably pretty easy to disguise the fact that you're observing them. Especially when you're all by your lonesome. He doesn't seem to have transportation, or any speedy means with which to come and go, but he keeps popping up regardless. Sometimes disappearing before reappearing beneath the skybase dozens of miles from where it was originally positioned.

This man has a couple distinct advantages in this process. He can see very far, and he is very careful to keep his distance. This doesn't seem to pose any issue with his ability to observe. Unless someone has an extraordinary means of keeping watch or detecting possible intruders, he'll probably be very hard to pick out. Mostly he watches one thing specifically: the ways people come and go after they're shuttled down to the surface.

He is looking for someone specific. He has never met them. He knows what they look like... and he knows they're called Blanche. He's trying to see what means Blanche uses to get around. And if he can determine that without being spotted from one of his far-off perches... well, he might just finally move a little closer.
On the Ground

The mysterious watcher may find that his opportunities are a bit sparser than he might like, as Blanche not only works at VIGIL, but lives on-site as well. That said, it's not as if she doesn't head out to Inside for shopping or other needs from time to time, making use of public transport for those occasions.

Shadowcaller
2020-11-30, 06:39 PM
[Constantly Changing Location Tag]

Jaahlyn nods to Fidelia. "Your... girlfriend is correct, lady Lazarus. You will simply recognize it once you see it. The the dead do after all despite often never having seen it for their before. It's an instinct you could say. As much a part of your natural instincts as anything else." The satyr then pauses for a moment to consider Laz's last question. "If you see dead close ones you may talk to them but don't follow them if they move away from you. My presence within your dreams might attract them to you but it's rare so I don't expect it to happen. Just be aware that it might, though it might not actually be a bad thing depending on those you've lost."

Gnrlshrimp
2020-12-04, 03:48 PM
[Battered Shield]

"You'n'I are of the same mind there, Mia. Ain't any point in ordering more'n you can eat, does no one any good letting it go to waste."

Though of course that's still a problem when the persons ordering include a bizarre not-child with an infinite appetite.

"Reckon I've got to make an appearance at thanksmas now, don't I? Just fer the chance at seeing Anika with a beard!"

Shadowcaller
2020-12-07, 01:20 PM
[Battered Shield]

Anika waves her hand dismissively. "I can't guarantee beards I'm afraid. I mean, I'm not really sure I will sit on the throne this year as I got tons of presents to prepare." She starts counting on her hand. "One for Ilpholin, one for Blanche, one for Natharia... it's gonna be a lot of work!"

Murkus
2020-12-08, 07:34 PM
[On the Ground]

The gleaming Riftline platform awaits Blanche, and perhaps a few others who live near the shuttle platform or who are coming from the VIGIL base. There's a large man, dark of hair, beard, skin and eye, already waiting for the train. He wears a long blue coat. The profile of his face speaks to noble lineage. He's carrying a long steel-grey suitcase. Blanche can tell it's likely not the case for a gun, if she has even bothered to notice this fellow. Maybe he's a musician.

The train whisks into the station like a wraith, settling to a stop with a jostle and a hiss. The doors flick open. The man waits for others to step through, but he just about bumps into Blanche. "Excuse me," he offers in a voice as deep as an ocean trench. "After you."

Rebonack
2020-12-17, 12:09 PM
[Radon Magical Event 245]

A low buzzing fills the air around a perfectly mirrored sphere roughly three feet across. It hovers a few inches off the ground, dripping what looks like quicksilver into the grass. A fissure runs through its surface, out of which are sticking a tangle of brown feathers.

No one brought it here.

It simply appeared.

Scans will indicate that there's nothing there apart from empty air.

Which is, of course, very strange.

Aside from the buzz and the growing pool of liquid mirror below it, the strange object appears to be inert.

Wonder what's up with this thing?

5a Violista
2020-12-17, 12:34 PM
[Radon Magical Event 245]

A small fuzzy creature named Caramel approaches the feathery silvery buzzing object, curious about what it is.

The creature has really sharp teeth, six legs, three tails, and is currently being looked for by Zophiel, suggesting that he is somewhere nearby even though he is not right here.

Caramel stalks the pool of liquid and, after getting close enough, cautiously sniffs it and dips its front paw into the liquid mirror.

Rebonack
2020-12-17, 01:39 PM
[Radon Magical Event 245]

The mirrored pool is touched! It feels warm and wet, like gravy fresh off the stove.

The orb turns inside out as the fuzzy creature prods at the pool.

Somehow an inside out orb equals a donkey with the tail, wings, and neck of a Canada goose.

The buzzing sound grows in volume as the air fills with the scent of buttery mash potatoes.

The creature cranes its long neck to glare down at Caramel imperiously.

There is a very high likelihood that this is not, in fact, Zophiel.

Maybe Caramel ought to look somewhere else?

5a Violista
2020-12-17, 01:59 PM
[Radon Magical Event 245]

Caramel darts back to a safer position, all while keeping an eye on the donkey thing.

She stands on her back and middle legs, raising her forelegs off the ground and baring her sharp teeth to look more intimidating. Still looks kinda cute, though.

And Caramel starts inching closer again.


Zophiel is...probably nearby.
Actually, he is: he's close enough to hear the buzzing and smell the butter, so goes towards the buzzing sound,.noticing something from the distance he's at (but he is not close enough to tell what it is).

Rebonack
2020-12-17, 02:11 PM
[Radon Magical Event 245]

The monster seems content that Caramel is backing away.

But then Caramel does something very foolish!

She begins approaching the monster again!

It takes great umbrage to this, spreading its wings wide and giving a terrifying honking bray!

It sounds very VERY scary!

But that isn't the worst thing about it. Oh no.

No, the worst thing about it is the swarm of bees that come gushing out of the creature's mouth! A mass of bees! A torrent of bees! A great roaring river of bees! There's just no end to the bees! They keep coming! The cloud of angry bees will begin assaulting everyone and everything nearby! Where they land on the ground or other surfaces aluminum drain-pipes begin sprouting, making odd sputtering noises before spurting out streams of mashed potatoes. Who knows what will happen if they sting someone. Probably something weird.

5a Violista
2020-12-17, 02:24 PM
[Radon Magical Event 245]

Realizing that the donkey creature has already spotted her and pointed her out to everyone else, Caramel realizes that she won't be able to subdue it. Especially because of the bees.

She runs off.

Zophiel, meanwhile, is still approaching. He looks like a normal paladin who has massive sentient swords, except he also has wings. Large black feathery wings up top and smaller leathery wings at his waist.
Noticing the bees, he draws his red sword and continues his approach.

bc56
2020-12-17, 02:36 PM
RME 245

A man wearing a suit of battered power armor with black and yellow caution markings on it also approaches the scene of the disturbance. A small white critter with one eye and a pair of yellow horns surrounded by puffy feathers is perched on his shoulder. He pulls a roll of yellow hazard tape from his toolbox and begins running it across objects in the area, creating a makeshift cordon. He looks at the paladin. "I'm supposed to be keeping people out of the anomaly until it can be studied. Don't get yourself hurt, I'd hate to file more paperwork than I need to."

Rebonack
2020-12-17, 02:38 PM
[Radon Magical Event 245]

The donkey goose aims its bee breath up into the sky now. The bees fly up Up UP! and burst in little flashes of fireworks!

Which causes it to begin hailing.

Hail stones consisting of tiny wooden ladders frozen in cubes of ice begin falling from the sky.

This is growing increasingly strange!

Should Zophiel get too close it is possible he will be stung by the bees or pelted with ice cubes. Neither of these would be pleasant experiences.

...probably.

But who knows maybe Zophiel likes getting stung by strange bees?

He got stung by jellifish and worm monsters an awful lot at Marlick Bay.

The power armor, by contrast, may begin sprouting aluminum drainpipes squirting out mashed potatoes. This all continues to be very odd.

5a Violista
2020-12-17, 03:26 PM
Radon Magical Event 245

While a stray bee or two does manage to sting the paladin, and some frozen ladders do manage to bounce near him, luckily the new hazard tape keeps him from getting too close.

He relaxes his sword.
"Oh, okay," he says. He looks at the swarms and the goat, and swats at a bee that got too close to him.
"Do you know what that is and what's going on?"

bc56
2020-12-17, 03:57 PM
RME 245

The mechanic splashes through the growing pool of mashed potatoes. "No idea. So contain and study." He grabs one of the pipes now growing from his helmet and crushes it in his fist. Meanwhile, his little creature is licking up splatters of potato that got on his armor. "Right. You there, creature. I advise you to stop this nonsense before someone gets hurt." He says to the donkey goose.

Rebonack
2020-12-17, 07:41 PM
[Random Magical Event 245]

Having been stung by the bees, a very strange thing happens when Zophiel speaks.

Every three words sounds like a donkey noise, a goose noise, and the voice of the fellow riding in the mech each in turn.

That third one is definitely strange, but the first two will make communicating very difficult. So that last statement probably would have went something like 'Heehaw honk Do heehaw honk what hewhawk honk and hewhaw honk on?' This random magical effect will last, at most, for one hour or until Zophiel eats ten times his body weight in mashed potatoes, whichever happens first.

...there's a strong chance that the hour will pass first.

Probably.

The donkey goose glowers at the suit of armor and, you guessed it, exhales a large number of bees at it.

This should come as a shock to no one.

5a Violista
2020-12-18, 12:03 AM
[Random Magical Event 245]

It seems incredibly unlikely Zophiel will be ever able to eat ten times his body weight in mashed potatoes in a week, let alone in an hour.

"Heehaw, honk stay hewhawk. Honk, wow, heehawn honk, why hewhaw honk..." The paladin sighs. He looks over at the donkey goose.
"Maybe heehaw honk end heehaw honk I...? Heehaw, honk there heehawk honk can heehawn honk all heehaw honk?"

If more stings don't make this worse, then he's already got the worst of it. Hopefully. So long as it doesn't progress on its own.
The paladin looks down at his sword: "Heehaw honk get hewhaw honk closer, hewhawn honk could hewhaw honk," but this mechanic guy wants to study it so that would be a bad idea.

bc56
2020-12-18, 11:00 AM
RME 245

Saramond is obscured in a cloud of bees.

And then a moment later, a fist erupts from the mass of insects to punch the donkey-goose on the jaw. The armored mechanic steps out of the cloud, pipes spraying mashed potatoes everywhere. "That's enough of that."

Rebonack
2020-12-18, 12:47 PM
[Random Magical Event 245]

POW!

Right in the kisser!

The donkey-goose is out like a light and, for whatever reason, knocking it out appears to have knocked out the bees as well.

How does that work, exactly?

Who knows.

The Nexus is full of mysteries.

All the weird stuff it caused remains, but at least no NEW weird stuff is happened. It even stopped hailing tiny frozen ladders!

Thankfully nothing that just transpired was actually truly dangerous.

5a Violista
2020-12-18, 03:25 PM
[Random Magical Event 245]

The paladin watches.

Well, that's good. At least nothing new, then.

"Hewhaw honk really heehawn honk out. Hewhawk honk go heehaw honk infirmary heehaw honk, don't hewhaw honk?" he asks. He runs his fingers back through his hair.
Actually, though, thinking more about it, he probably shouldn't leave. If it does get worse then being here near the source seems like it would be the best chance to stop or reverse whatever's happening.
And this guy seems like he might be able to figure it out, too.

bc56
2020-12-18, 10:01 PM
RME 245

The mechanic takes a roll of duct tape out of his toolbox and carefully tapes the donkey-goose's mouth shut. Then he starts the arduous process of removing mashed potato pipes from his armor, mostly by just tearing them off. "Ugh, this will take forever to fix. You all right? I can only understand every third word, so try saying the same words three times over."

Arkhosia
2020-12-19, 02:28 AM
[On the Ground]

The gleaming Riftline platform awaits Blanche, and perhaps a few others who live near the shuttle platform or who are coming from the VIGIL base. There's a large man, dark of hair, beard, skin and eye, already waiting for the train. He wears a long blue coat. The profile of his face speaks to noble lineage. He's carrying a long steel-grey suitcase. Blanche can tell it's likely not the case for a gun, if she has even bothered to notice this fellow. Maybe he's a musician.

The train whisks into the station like a wraith, settling to a stop with a jostle and a hiss. The doors flick open. The man waits for others to step through, but he just about bumps into Blanche. "Excuse me," he offers in a voice as deep as an ocean trench. "After you."
On The Ground

It would be a lie to say Blanche doesn't even notice the sizeable figure - she raises an eyebrow in fact - but it's really only a fleeting amount of attention. When there's a steady rhythm to when you head out on public transportation like this, you tend to pick up a sense of who the other regulars are. Always the same vampiric mechanic with the lazy eye, that one peculiar Matoran who startles a little when the hiss of the train distracts him from his reading. Living onsite helps breed that familiarity too. But there's not much to the stranger to provoke deeper notice. VIGIL gets plenty of visitors, after all.

"Sorry," the catgirl responds in that unconcerned, informal way you do when you don't really mean it or care one way or another, just repeating that age-old ritual reply out of habit and politeness. She can't help but note that rather distinctive voice as she steps onto the train, however. Not the sort of baritone she hears often,

Lord Magtok
2020-12-19, 03:15 AM
Lazzy: Nightmare in Dream Land


Our True Mentor... Our Guiding Moonlight

Souls both alive or dead, huh? It's certainly an interesting statement. Does she mean to say that both of them shall be able to follow, or is she just trying to get across how capable she is as a guide? Either way, it sounds like she might be a shepherd of the dead as much as the living. Hopefully not in the Charon kind of way. "So uh, one of those things where we'll know it when we see it?"


[Constantly Changing Location Tag]

Jaahlyn nods to Fidelia. "Your... girlfriend is correct, lady Lazarus. You will simply recognize it once you see it. The the dead do after all despite often never having seen it for their before. It's an instinct you could say. As much a part of your natural instincts as anything else." The satyr then pauses for a moment to consider Laz's last question. "If you see dead close ones you may talk to them but don't follow them if they move away from you. My presence within your dreams might attract them to you but it's rare so I don't expect it to happen. Just be aware that it might, though it might not actually be a bad thing depending on those you've lost."

Jenette nods. She can't recall any friends or family whose passing was major enough to cause trouble now. I mean, half her grandparents had passed before she was ten, and the other two went away of natural causes after a few years of quietly falling apart, but really, aside from them, her former life hasn't been touched by a whole lot of death. Maybe Romero's predecessor Saurous might be there, chasing ghost squirrels and chasing dream frisbees. It'd be nice to see him again, maybe. Probably not very dangerous, either.

"Feel free to talk to the dead, but don't follow them into a trap, got it." It's the people she's killed that would be a much more serious problem, if they're allowed into the dreamscape, but Jaahlyn didn't mention the possibility, so Laz is reasonably sure she's safe from that. Besides, even if they do come back, she's already cut them down once. Killing them again in a dream shouldn't be any harder, right?

5a Violista
2020-12-20, 04:49 PM
[RME 245]

The paladin steps closer. All the bees have fallen asleep, so maybe it'll be a good thing to gather them up, he thinks. Especially if they'll wake at the same time as the donkey.

He grabs a bag and starts towards where the larger swarm of bees were, and starts to put them in the bag.

He answers. "Heehaw honk speaking, hewhaw honk fine. Heehaw heehaw heehaw honk honk honk try try try Hewhawk hewhawk hewhawk. Honk honk honk it it it...? Heehaw heehaw heehaw. Honk honk honk. there there there. . ." Noticing that it didn't work, he stops doing it since it was annoying to do anyway. "...heehaw honk all heehaw honk help hewhonk?"

Since it's so hard to understand him, he considers it might actually be better to just not say anything.

bc56
2020-12-20, 09:16 PM
RME 245

The mechanic sighs and removes his helmet. "I don't know if you can tell, but every time you speak, you make animal noises. So I can't understand anything you say." He gently kicks the unconscious donkey-goose. "What do you reckon we do with him?"

5a Violista
2020-12-20, 10:28 PM
RME 245

The paladin nods. "Heehaw honk know," he says. He stops with the bees, since the donkey-goose is probably definitely more important, and he's got enough bees that they can analyze their venom to see if they can counter it.

Of course, knowing that communication is hard doesn't make it any easier. He makes a gesture showing tying it up and then him carrying it. "Hewhaw honk [COLOR="#8B4513"]up, hewhawn honk labs?" he says. "Heehaw honk tested." Thinking of sentences in three-word phrases hopefully helps get the important words in the right place.

...
And hopefully, between the gestures and saying stuff, that was helpful enough to explain what he was thinking.

bc56
2020-12-22, 11:53 AM
RME 245

Saramond wraps the donkey-goose in even more duct tape and slings its unconscious body over his shoulder. "Right, let's get this thing properly contained, then we can clean up its mess."

5a Violista
2020-12-22, 07:27 PM
RME 245

The paladin nods. Yeah.

He follows, in case he needs to help carry it. But, it looks like Saramond is able to carry it on his own.

Murkus
2020-12-26, 02:27 PM
On The Ground

It would be a lie to say Blanche doesn't even notice the sizeable figure - she raises an eyebrow in fact - but it's really only a fleeting amount of attention. When there's a steady rhythm to when you head out on public transportation like this, you tend to pick up a sense of who the other regulars are. Always the same vampiric mechanic with the lazy eye, that one peculiar Matoran who startles a little when the hiss of the train distracts him from his reading. Living onsite helps breed that familiarity too. But there's not much to the stranger to provoke deeper notice. VIGIL gets plenty of visitors, after all.

"Sorry," the catgirl responds in that unconcerned, informal way you do when you don't really mean it or care one way or another, just repeating that age-old ritual reply out of habit and politeness. She can't help but note that rather distinctive voice as she steps onto the train, however. Not the sort of baritone she hears often,

On the Ground

And so they board the train with no further fuss. The peculiar man remains not far from Blanche, hanging on to the train car, gently swaying as the riftline shoots down the track. After a couple of minutes, she may look up to find that he's glancing at her. The man offers a winning, mellow smile tucked into his straight black beard.

"Pardon me for asking, young lady," he points with a finger to indicate the way they came from, "But do you work at that large, floating place?" He sounds like a curious citizen more than anything else. A fan of VIGIL's heroes and public figures, perhaps?

Arkhosia
2021-01-04, 07:02 AM
On The Ground

Taking a seat near the door of the train, Blanche mostly seems a bit preoccupied with fiddling with her phone- though that doesn't stop her from noting a glance from the bearded man or two. It would be a reason to raise an eyebrow over, but an explanation seems to present itself when he speaks up. "Er, VIGIL? Yeah, I do," she responds.

Murkus
2021-01-06, 11:22 PM
[On the Ground]

"Ah. This must be exciting," rumbles the man. "I could not stand being so far from the ground for so long." He looks around, through the windows, eyes narrowed against the sun. "Young lady, I believe I have been sent to collect you. I would ask that you not make this too difficult... for me. For yourself. Or for our fellow passengers."

bc56
2021-01-07, 01:31 AM
RME 245

Saramond can indeed carry the donkey-goose down to the labs without help. His power armor may not be military grade, but it does enhance his strength significantly. But he doesn't mind the paladin coming along. Especially since Zoph probably needs to get his new speech impediment checked out.

Arkhosia
2021-01-09, 06:14 AM
[On the Ground]

"Ah. This must be exciting," rumbles the man. "I could not stand being so far from the ground for so long." He looks around, through the windows, eyes narrowed against the sun. "Young lady, I believe I have been sent to collect you. I would ask that you not make this too difficult... for me. For yourself. Or for our fellow passengers."

On The Ground

Blanche's gaze hardens as the stranger drops the pretense for the moment, her hand almost instantly on the holster by her side. "I'm not too amenable to being collected. Maybe we can reach a compromise, find a nice, deserted stop where we can try and kill each other like civilized men?" She isn't keen on putting anyone else in danger, but it's going to be very hard for her to resist, well, not resisting.

Murkus
2021-01-09, 06:35 AM
[On the Ground]

"Your weapon is much more likely to harm these people than it is me. Though perhaps that is less of a concern for you than I anticipated," says Maiel. The way he looks at her... it's as though his eyes have disappeared into his head, leaving only black pits with a ruby glare twinkling in their depths. "I have no wish for you to die, Blanche. This is not my task."

"We will wait for your empty station. But I would behave in the mean time." He looks around as though bored. "Or... these fine people will never see the end of their journey."

5a Violista
2021-01-11, 10:46 PM
[RME 245]

The paladin goes along and, upon getting there, probably gets looked at.

However,
supposedly that particular effect ends after an hour and he's speaking in his own voice again.

Arkhosia
2021-01-21, 05:31 PM
[On the Ground]

"Oh, I'm sure I'd hate for you to fail it," Blanche answers, narrowing her eyes and showing little discomfort at the change in Maiel's visage as she crosses her arms. She doesn't choose to remark on the accusation that she cares little for the lives around her, perhaps seeing it as not worth dignifying a response.

Reinholdt
2021-01-24, 01:44 AM
[The Battered Shield]

Anika keeps saying Ilpholin should come visit more often, get out of the house, relax and stop protecting the Nexus from the encroaching demonic apocalypse. Well today at least she'd kind of get her wish.

With a loud engine roar, a hovercycle pulls up outside, a slightly luminescent dark red streaking its sides, pulsing with raw energy. The rider atop, dressed in black (https://i.pinimg.com/originals/00/e9/e6/00e9e62fb0a001232853a4c77d135c2a.jpg), climbs off and takes off her helmet, disconnecting her purple hair from the ports within and letting it spill over her shoulders as it seems to lengthen to just above her waist. Placing the helmet atop the vehicle, it seems to fold in on itself, decreasing in size and magnitude until it's no more than a black metallic cube that barely fits in the palm of her hand.

The vehicle quickly gets pocketed as the nymph heads inside, Ilpholin's black sclera highlighting her emerald eyes as they glance around the establishment.

Murkus
2021-01-26, 10:13 PM
[On the Ground]

"Oh, I'm sure I'd hate for you to fail it," Blanche answers, narrowing her eyes and showing little discomfort at the change in Maiel's visage as she crosses her arms. She doesn't choose to remark on the accusation that she cares little for the lives around her, perhaps seeing it as not worth dignifying a response.

[On the Ground]

Maiel waits. He's very still. He seems calm, but there is an air of leashed tension. A station or two rolls by before a more remote one appears somewhere on the outskirts of Inside, a run down village with green plains rolling away from its borders. The car's already emptied a little, but no one disembarks.

Maiel holds out a hand, palm up. "After you."

Morty
2021-02-01, 05:47 PM
[Airship Gantry]

An unusual visitor is in the gantry today. A tall, powerful monk (https://i.imgur.com/l9g1BMr.jpg) in a grey robe. Of course, Vigil members visit this place a lot, but the monk seems more interested in the airship than most. She wanders around, speaking to the pilots and mechanics, clearly intent on learning more about them.

bc56
2021-02-03, 02:16 AM
Airship Gantry

One of the smaller airships is producing quite a racket. The sound of tools rings out from it, and spare parts are scattered across its deck and even some of the gantry nearby it. "Where did I leave that wrench?" says a frustrated voice from within. The wrench is sitting out on the deck, next to a freshly bolted on anchor point for mooring lines.

Morty
2021-02-03, 05:59 PM
[Airship Gantry]

Calm Reed takes a quick look around and, seeing no one else who's closer at hand than she is, goes to pick up the wrench herself.

"I believe it is here," she says.

bc56
2021-02-04, 01:57 AM
Airship Gantry

A hand splattered in black grease pops out of the airship's engine compartment to take the wrench. "Phew. Thought I'd lost it. Thanks, miss..." The engineer waits expectantly for a name.

Morty
2021-02-04, 02:23 PM
[Airship Gantry]

"Calm Reed," the monk says. "Are you one of the airship engineers?"

bc56
2021-02-05, 05:34 PM
Airship Gantry

"I'm Saramond, Saramond Goshen. And yeah, I'm an engineer. Why? Your airship have a problem?" A man's head, greasy enough that it's difficult to tell what his skin and hair colors are, finally pokes out of the engine compartment. He wipes his forehead with an equally filthy rag and continues, "What do you need?"

Morty
2021-02-06, 01:14 PM
[Airship Gantry]

Calm Reed's eyes narrow ever so slightly. Physical labor does come with grease, she's well aware. And whatever she's thinking, it's clear she's as stoic as her name implies.

"I do not have an airship. But I am here to learn how to fly them... hopefully. Some of them at least seem similar enough to seaborne ship for it to be possible."

bc56
2021-02-06, 06:00 PM
Airship Gantry

"I'm not much of a pilot, but if you wait a few minutes, I can get this ship running for a test flight." Saramond pops back into the engine compartment and the noises of work resume again.

Morty
2021-02-07, 06:37 AM
[Airship Gantry]

"Is your ship like the others here?" Calm Reed asks, putting her hand on the hull. "The others I have seen today are a lot like sea-ships, but with magic that lets them sail the sky. I learned how to sail in my youth, but it was not until coming here that I saw an airship."

Recaiden
2021-02-07, 12:12 PM
[Arriving]

A couple people are arriving at the Skybase. They have no need of a shuttle, as they are pulling up in a bird-drawn chariot that has been zooming along a road that extends through midair, but are headed towards where the shuttles arrive anyway.
The first one is Yone, a large fairy cat creature.
The second one is an unnamed imp which may technically be a demon.

"Hello, VIGILants? We're here to deliver a warning about a potential disaster." Yone calls out.

bc56
2021-02-07, 04:05 PM
Airship Gantry

"I may have made some... Aftermarket modifications, but once I get this piston replaced, she'll be fully skyworthy again." Saramond continues working as he talks. "In terms of control, she should be about the same, but her workings are different."

Morty
2021-02-08, 02:53 PM
[Arriving]

The Vigil crew rush to see if the newcomers are a threat, then send for one of the commanders when they hear the message. Wenomir arrives promptly.

"Potential disasters is something we hear about a lot. What news do you have?" he asks when he get there.

[Airship Gantry]

"Define 'aftermarket modifications'," Calm Reed says carefully. "There are airships where I come from, but they are... each priceless. Wonders of a past age. I never saw one before coming here."

Shadowcaller
2021-02-08, 04:35 PM
[Arriving]

The imp peers at the sign.

The VIGIL sign which her player presumes must exist somewhere.

"Hey, what's does it say there? V.I.G...-**** no! This is worse! It's actually worse!" The imp attempts to grapple Yone by the cuff of her shirt and futilty attempt to give her a shake. "I'm a demon, do you know what these guys do to demons?! I'm not ready to die!"

That's the point when Wenomir speaks up and the imp quickly let's go of Yone and attempts to disappear down into her shirt with a "eep!".

bc56
2021-02-08, 08:27 PM
Airship Gantry

"Well, she isn't a wonder of a past age. But I did soup up her engine, install some armor plating, replace the power steering, upgrade the de-icing system, and a few other things." Saramond answers. Whether or not Calm Reed understands anything he just said is another matter.

Recaiden
2021-02-09, 01:04 PM
[Arriving]

The Vigil crew rush to see if the newcomers are a threat, then send for one of the commanders when they hear the message. Wenomir arrives promptly.

"Potential disasters is something we hear about a lot. What news do you have?" he asks when he get there.


The imp peers at the sign.

The VIGIL sign which her player presumes must exist somewhere.

"Hey, what's does it say there? V.I.G...-**** no! This is worse! It's actually worse!" The imp attempts to grapple Yone by the cuff of her shirt and futilty attempt to give her a shake. "I'm a demon, do you know what these guys do to demons?! I'm not ready to die!"

That's the point when Wenomir speaks up and the imp quickly let's go of Yone and attempts to disappear down into her shirt with a "eep!".

(Yone is not wearing a shirt, since she doesn't have arms since she is a cat, but the imp can certainly grab a strap near her neck and then hide in a bag)
"Your boss said you couldn't be killed, and they even have demons working here, so what's the-

"Oh, uh, greetings, commander Wenomir!" Yone bobs and sweeps in a sort of bow. Something about her seems extremely nonthreatening, even a bit pitiful.
"I've been warned that a group of corrupted spirits of secrecy are headed towards Inside and surrounding areas."
"I understand that anyone who looks upon them is driven mad with forbidden knowledge and drawn into a deadly underworld conflict of sorts."
"The danger is greatest for faeries, magical creatures and so on, but normal folks can be affected as well."
Just listen to the warning and pay no attention to the demon hiding about her person. :smallsmile:

Morty
2021-02-09, 05:04 PM
[Cats, Imps and Warriors]

Wenomir folds his arms across his chest and gives the imp an unimpressed look. He's used to people being afraid at the sight of him and he'd be lying if he said it doesn't appeal to him on some level.

"Sprits that drive people mad just by looking at them? That's going to be a problem. Do you know where they came from and where they've been sighted?"

Shadowcaller
2021-02-09, 06:07 PM
[Arriving]

The imp continues hiding as this conversation is going on. Not going to get out and get decapicated, no sir. She was not going to die since some stupid cat dragged her to one of the most dangerous places in the world.

Recaiden
2021-02-09, 06:34 PM
[Cat, Imp and Warrior]

"I understand they came from an underworld, where the souls of the dead go, but I haven't been informed about recent movements."
"Hold on."
Yone goes to open her bag and peer into it.
"Hey, did the boss say how far out they were? Where from?"
Normally she would simply know the answer, but here that risks finding out too much, if it would even be possible at all.