VIgil: Return of the Geneva

[Zefir]

[Tho lend Awen a hand]

time passes and so does work. Mia will call Awen to her since she got the work done. Should Awen arrive she will see a hand placed on a table. it looks very identical to her own hand and in some way even the skin it is covered is the same as hers. Only the cables and metal parts that come out where it should conect to an arm reveals that it is a mechanical one. The hand will move and wave at awen when she enters and Mia turns around with a smile.

"What do you think? I just ran a few tests but this is it unless you have any changes I should make."

[Reinholdt]

[Training Grounds]

"I would be happy to demonstrate them," Calm Reed says. Teaching would be more complicated if he were to ask for it, but they'll deal with it in due time. "And I admit I have never seen a martial artist extend their reach with intangible power like this."

[Training Grounds]

Jedrek shakes his head, hair tussling and muscles in his neck made far more apparent. "Not intangible power. Inner strength. It's an outward flow of one's inner chi coalesced into will," He attempts to explain. Explanations was not his strong suit.

[Shadowcaller]

[Important Briefing]

Cessie shakes her head. "No, as far as I'm concerned we'll adjourn here. Perhaps we'll have future meetings like this once we know more but right now I don't think either of us have more information to share."

Next to Cessie’s Office

If Anika caught that is hard to determine, she gives Cessie a wave before she along with the goblins are pushed into the meeting room.
Actually, if she had caught that she might have just asked the goblins if they could wait or something similar. Maybe.
Either way, Krakorow takes the only seat among the five tables in the room. "Right, to business then pals. So there's a whole campaign I got planned out for you guys and we're going to start filming it in a month from now. The whole thing will be filmed on Kurake, a small outer ithiki island." He takes out two plane tickets from his suit hand holds them out for them. "Note the date, it's almost exactly a month from now. The plane will land in Iromoto and from there we will take you by boat the rest of the way to Kurake. You're going to be staying in Kurake for about two weeks while we film so if you don't want to stay there with the rest of the crew you need to make your own arrangements. Furthermore, I imagine you gals might have access to high-tech teleporters? If so, bring something like that along in case VIGIL needs you during those two weeks. Kurake don't have any technology like that." He looks between the two. "Any questions?"

Anika is of course first to give feedback. "Two weeks?! Aw, man! I thought this was gonna take like... two days tops." The druid let's out a loud sigh as she sits down on one of the tables.

[Wenomir's House]

Anika's presence is heralded by a loud beeping noise as she pushes the door to Wenomir's house open. "Hey, my main dude! Quick, you got any idea how to turn this thing off? I think I accidentally did something to it and now it won't shut up." She presents her communicator, a device that ideally should be around the wrist like a watch but that Anika is awkwardly holding in her hand.

If Wenomir takes a look at it, it appears that its battery is running low. Something that shouldn't be possible as it's made to last for years and Anika have only had it for a few months.

[UncleWolf]

Ilphirmary

Hearing the real Ilpholin speak and finally out from hiding behind the partition actually seems to stir the otherwise quite copy. She cracks a pink eye open, taking a look before swinging her lower half off the edge of the bed to look her over. There's a sense that something clicks inside her head and the cogs start turning as pieces start to put themselves together. She seems calmer and more stable now that she's making sense of things. "I might be confused about certain things, but I know a threat when I hear one and it isn't going to get you anywhere." She says, narrowing her eyes slightly before relaxing and squirming back on the medical cot so she has a better seat with her feet further off the ground in order to kick them back and forth a bit. "I guess this explains the aggression." She adds, looking around the room before shrugging. "If you don't recall dying fighting in the fight to defend Riverside, then you're either the original or another copy." "Ilphy" reasons. "And I recommend thinking long and hard over that. I was damned certain I was the real one until a few moments ago."

"All that means I'm a copy, though I can't say what number. I don't know which airship you're talking about or where it went, but since I'm a duplicate, there's really only one reason I could have been made and you should be thanking me." She adds with a frown. "AMEN seemed damned intent on torturing, killing, or breaking me. A fate someone decided that you should avoid, Ilpholin. Or does my disarmament confuse people too much to put that together?" She smiles a bit at the pun, waving the stumps of her arms a bit for emphasis. After the joke though, her smile fades a bit as she turns serious. "So the question is who protected you? And who else do I remember being? The memories are as different as can be, but I'm still alike enough to probably guess what you're thinking Ilpholin. And they're not murderers. You'll have to do it yourself."

After that, she turns to Adir with a grateful smile. "Ale. Dwarven. Strong. I feel like I haven't had something good to drink in ages that wasn't through an IV." She points out.

[Shadowcaller]

[Ilphirmary]

"Yeah, demon clone theory is probably true." Anika admits with a touch of disappointment in her voice. Her being an alternate Ilpholin was so much more awesome than some stupid demon.
As 'Ilphy' speculates on her origins, Anika points right at her. "Exactly! Something ain't right with this. Even if she's a demon clone she probably wouldn't even know all that much. I mean as she just said, AMEN did tortured her and I'm pretty sure they would figure they would since they hate Ilpholin." Anika wasn't even sure why they hated her, but they were a bunch of jerks so who cared? "So if they gave her any true information, AMEN would have figured out they pulled a quick one on them. Isn't it more likely that they would like, give her a whole bunch of false information that she would think is true? That's what I would have done." Anika looks to the others for feedback on this idea. "I mean, even if they counted on us freeing her from AMEN to infiltrate VIGIL they probably wouldn't have given her any valuable information in case we figured it out, y'know?"

[Devixer]

Training

Iamar closes her eyes. "Then I hope that your luck continues in the future, and you are always able to find something," she says. "But then, your swords seem to have brought you more than far enough."

Her hand moved to the hilt of the shamshir at her side. Compared to Zophiel's gigantic swords, hers was positively tiny - a simple one-handed sword, a curve in the blade to enhance its cutting ability. "I do what I can to live to see the next fight. Usually, my own sword will be enough for me to see it through. But if I have to employ other tactics, it is no bother. A handful of sand in an opponent's eyes can win the day as often as a strong swing." Was it honorable? No. Not in the least. But Iamar stopped caring about honor a long time ago.

[Morty]

[Wenomir's House]

Anika might notice that Wenomir is sombre, as if he had something weighty on his mind. But right now it's replaced by confusion.

"I've... never seen one of those lose power before," he says slowly, before reaching out and pressing a button to turn the communicator off. "It must have been damaged it when you were on a mission, or something like that."

[Ilphirmary]

"Yes, if she's an agent, she's not only very convincing but devoted enough to the role to be put through all AMEN did to her," Wenomir says. "This is all a part of some kind of plan, but I'm damned if I know what it is. Or who's responsible. I don't see what AMEN would get out of all this." At the mention of alcohol, he looks to Mia. "Mia? I'm not a doctor, but I don't think alcohol is safe for her to drink just now."

[Zefir]

[Ilphirmary]

"I am a bit worried." Mia says . "She is right when assuming there are even more clones, but this all seems to lead to the demons. AMEN just got her from them. Whatever they wanted from the real one they needed more time."

Then as the alcohole is mentioned. "For sure. Even with this regeneration alcohole is a nogo. Even if the arms are fully grown back I suggest to wait."

[Morty]

[Important Briefing]

Wenomir nods.

"Very well, then." He looks down at Cass. "I seem to remember we have a fencing lesson to attend."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Important Briefing]

Cass nods, and stands to go, if Cessie has nothing else to say. Fencing lesson time!

[5a Violista]

[Lending Awen a Hand]

Awen is a little surprised when it waves at her.
She stops, pauses, blinks at it, and then waves back.

"It looks nice," she says to Mia. She looks at it again, analyzing it: "It looks pretty real. Like, very real."

"I do have a question though: it won't move around on its own, will it?" Since she just saw it wave at her, she's a little concerned that it won't listen to her. "Do I have to, like, tell it what to do and train it?"



[Training]

Zophiel's eyes follow Iamar's hand to the shamshir. Looks like a nice sword, to be honest.

"Yeah, blinding the person you're fighting is a very useful technique." And, unlike Iamar, Zophiel doesn't consider it dishonorable. In fact, not using every means you have available is what she considers dishonorable, because that means you're underestimating your opponent and not treating them with the respect they deserve. "Not long ago, I did that on a beach in a fight." Gesturing at her sword, she adds, "but because I used this to scoop the sand, I accidentally got too much and knocked them over instead." Swung her sword at the sand, and a wave of sand knocked over the skeleton she was fighting.

...
Being overwhelmed by sand is almost the same thing as being blinded, right?

The paladin actually is using this opportunity to rest her muscles and get her breathing back under control. Having conversations is the best way to take a break.

"I'm pretty new to VIGIL, so I don't think I've seen you around yet. I'm Zophiel," she says, introducing herself. "I'm a..." She pauses. Is this still a correct descriptor, after she ended up dismantling her own order? "a paladin." Then she quickly adds, "A ronin paladin, at least for the moment."

[Devixer]

Training

"I am less new, but I feel that I have been absent for some time. Much has happened that I have missed." Iamar nods toward Zophiel.

"My name is Iamar ibnat Hasna al-Shalhoub," she says. "I admit I am... still unsure of what a paladin is, but my friend Naku has explained to me somewhat. A divine soldier, of sorts. I have no such titles. Before I came to Vigil, I led skirmishes with the Ayubbid army."

[5a Violista]

Training

While Zophiel has only been here for a short time, she has been here just barely long enough to miss out on a single mission: she had to do personal stuff and deal with a curse. "I've actually been in the Nexus from a long time ago," she says, finding a point they can relate on: "but I had to leave and so I missed out on tons of things. Like," to give an idea, "people had only just barely started to call it the Nexus when I had left. So...yeah, I can relate, missing things that happened."

Zophiel looks upwards, sighs, and runs her hands through her hair. "Still trying to catch up with everything and everyone. Planning on finally visiting my other daughter soon."

But talking about missing out on stuff is kinda sad.
So, the divine soldier Zophiel turns her gaze back to Iamar. "Leading an army battle sounds it can be pretty difficult. The most I've done is led small hit squads."

[Devixer]

Training

"It can be a trial, when you find that you have missed a chunk of your life," Iamar says. "It makes me near thankful that I do not know many people here in the Nexus. Meeting with people to see how time has befallen them can be a trial. I wish you luck with your daughter."

She shakes her head. "I only led small skirmishes, to sap at the enemy's strength before the main force struck. I was nothing so grand. I still am not," she says. "I merely put my sword where I feel it most needed."

[Reinholdt]

[Ilphirmary]

Ilpholin's eyes narrow at Ilphy, the motion practically mimicked from moments ago. "They did a piss-poor job cloning you. If I ever actually threaten you, you'll know it." The idea that demanding information is a threat is sorely lacking imagination in Ilpholin's mind.

The idea that she herself is a clone, however? Completely feasible. Totally logical. Not something she's discounted readily, having spent much time dwelling on the subject. If anything a large part of her growing frustration has been that no one else has seen fit to question it. They're all too willing to accept things at face value. Too trusting. It's infuriating. "When a guard lets a prisoner escape, they ask the prisoner to whack them real good. Make it look like there was a convincing struggle. The same principle can be applied here. Whatever supposed torture you went through, regardless of what happened to your arms, it's all just as easily an act. Something you went through to make it convincing for when Vigil got there. Hell, anything less would be a laughable attempt at deceit." A good deception takes an unsettling amount of commitment.

"As for me, I was rescued by Ta- a person I trust. And I have a neutral eyewitness to confirm my genuineness. And that's all I'm willing to say in front of her." Ilpholin jerks her head towards the bed-ridden clone.

She turns towards Wenomir. "AMEN and the demons are working together remember? They did so in the invasion and they're doing it now. There's no reason to treat them like separate entities. Zefir has always been a loyal dog to whomever is the biggest and baddest and right now that's the demons. Hell the only one of you speaking sense here is Anika." Anika. The wisest of them all. Though Adir did say it first in less thorough terms. "I concede that she probably doesn't know anything useful either way."

Ilpholin waves a dismissive hand as Mia vetoes the alcohol. "Let her have her ale. If they made even a cursory effort, she'll have basic filters to protect against poison anyways, beyond what the nanites offer. And since she wants to bring up the elephant in the room..." The cyber nymph looks around at the Vigil members, one at a time. "She's an admitted clone. She can't be allowed to run around with my face. What do you intend to do with her?"

[Morty]

[Important Briefing] ==> [Sword Introduction]

Wenomir will lead Cassandra away from Cessie's office and back to his house. There, he will head towards a well-equipped gym with many practice weapons and other kinds of equipment. He decided it's better to give Cass instructions in his house, rather than the training grounds. He puts his sword aside, then proceeds to take off his surcoat and armor.

"Let me just change into something more comfortable than my official armor. Then we can start. I'd like to give you the basics, but also see just what your new sword can do."

[Training Grounds]

Chi. Not a word Calm Reed has ever heard. Is it what they call Essence, or just another power from another world?

"I see. And how have you learned to harness it?"

[Ashen Lilies]

[Sword Introduction]

Probably a good idea. It means there's less distance for them to need to go if they both get 'distracted' from the lesson. Possibly even as little as a few feet straight down.

Cass will nod, and also take off her belt and her jerkin, stretching a little.
"What it can do? You mean in terms of magic?" Says Cass, uncertain. She puts aside her bag, unwrapping the sword partially, to show off the new hilt.

[Morty]

[Sword Introduction]

Wenomir nods as he takes off his gambeson and picks up a folder sleeveless shirt.

"Yes. I'm curious how it can channel and direct magic now. I really didn't think it would survive. The runes on the edge have a different shape now, too. But physically it seems about the same. I haven't tested to see if it's still as durable as it was, of course."

[The Clinic - After Checkups]

Once everyone in the base has been checked and no skinwalkers turned up, Wenomir will return to the HALO team.

"How is it going? Seems like everyone is clear."

[Felandria]

[Sword Introduction]

Wenomir nods as he takes off his gambeson and picks up a folder sleeveless shirt.

"Yes. I'm curious how it can channel and direct magic now. I really didn't think it would survive. The runes on the edge have a different shape now, too. But physically it seems about the same. I haven't tested to see if it's still as durable as it was, of course."

[The Clinic - After Checkups]

Once everyone in the base has been checked and no skinwalkers turned up, Wenomir will return to the HALO team.

"How is it going? Seems like everyone is clear."

Yes, it would appear so, and thank the heavens for that, the last thing we need is an insidious invasion.

Felandria sets down her clipboard.

That being said, it doesn’t mean these things won’t try something like that in the future, so the question is, do you plan to bring the fight to them?

[5a Violista]

[Training]

Zophiel finally puts her sword down on the ground, next to its companion. Her muscles are a little tired, so now's a good enough place to stop the workout training.

She nods while listening, and begins her post-workout stretching and cool-off period. "Still, it sounds like it was important," sapping at the enemy's strength. "To be honest," the paladin adds, "I think the world would be better if everyone just put their swords where they feel it's most needed."

All the black threads across her arm and her legs retract and then vanish. "Much better than just following orders and trusting that someone else knows what's best for you should do." Her tone of voice suggests she's well-acquainted with doing exactly that.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Sword Introduction]

"I... suppose I could try it out," says Cass, hefting it nervously. "I think... I could channel a lot of magic through this thing. A lot a lot of magic."

She unwraps the sword the rest of the way, running her fingers over the runes. "I was expecting just a regular sword-fighting lesson."

[Reinholdt]

[Training Grounds]

Chi. Not a word Calm Reed has ever heard. Is it what they call Essence, or just another power from another world?

"I see. And how have you learned to harness it?"

[Training Grounds]

"Years of study and training and personal reflection. Learning how to open my chakras and guide myself. Grueling ordeals to enhance my capacity and control." Jedrek cracks a brief smile. "And listening to the Master of course." He suspects she knows exactly what he means. She surely learned her abilities from someone as well.

[Morty]

[Sword Introduction]

Cass seems more uncertain about this than Wenomir expected. Maybe he's letting his curiosity get the better of him. Channelling magic through a blade is no small thing, after all.

"And we'll have one. We'll consider any experiments later," he says as he finishes putting on a shirt. "We need to start with a warm-up. The the muscles moving before we start training properly."

[Training Grounds]

Achieving such power through study alone? Sounds implausible, but that is how things work elsewhere, it seems.

"Naturally. No one has ever learned martial arts without heeding their master." She flexes her fist. "I use two martial styles taught by my order, far from here. They were made to utilize my natural power as a Dragon-Blooded."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Sword Introduction]

Cass nods, seeming a little more sure of herself.

"If you say so, Commander." Cass looks thoughtful. "Instructor? Master? What do your students normally call you?

[Arkhosia]

Next to Cessie's Office

Blanche's worries seem to be of a very different focus as she accepts one of the tickets. "Er, almost exactly a month? We, uh, may have to make our own arrangements...." She bites her tongue, realizing that it's probably not a date she can request to be changed. Still, she gives Anika a worried glance, curious if she'll sense the cause of her fear; they may be dealing with the exact same issue she's dealing with now, only complicated with actual work and obligations.

[Shadowcaller]

Next to Cessie's Office

"Two weeks is like half a month." Krakarow insists. "Going there will just take like eight hours."

Anika glances at Blanche and then raises her hand. She seems to have a 'plan'. "Hey, Krakarow, sir, or whatever you want to be called."

"Ye?" The poor goblin has to crank his head way up to just be able to look her in the eyes.

"So what if, uh, I get, y'know theoretically, really horny during the course of this?"

He blinks.

"Umm... as in, what if I need to, y'know, get it off a lot and it's way too awkward to do it in a confined space like that since people would be hearing me."

"Uhhh... is that gonna be a problem?" His mouth hangs half-open.

"Yeah, for me it is!" Anika insists.

"I- you- I think we could probably make arrangements for that." He rubs the back of his head. "Will have to think about it..."

Anika winks at Blanche and gives her the thumbs up. Could probably have been a bit more discreet.

[Arkhosia]

Next To Cessie’s Office

Anika’s clever deception might be undermined by the way Blanche goes stock-still and pales, fur bristling as she stares ahead with wide eyes. Is- is she really saying all that out loud? Barely hiding that it’s actually a concern and not some off-color joke? Although it becomes a lot less mortifying when she realizes Anika’s acting as if she’s the one who it concerns. Still, she blushes and fidgets awkwardly when the night elf gives her a reassuring glance. “W-we’ll be there to hold up our end of the deal,” she affirms. “Anything you might, er, need us to do to prepare, or will that be all?”

[Shadowcaller]

Next To Cessie’s Office

Krakarow clears his voice before he turns to address the catgirl. "The climate is tropical so make sure you bring appropriate clothing, bug spray, sun-cream... all that sort of stuff. We'll be providing things like that too of course but it'll be more convenient if you bring things yourself. Other than that, we will keep in touch with you over e-mail and keep you updated in case things change. All the details you need should be in the first mail I send you otherwise."

He pauses and looks between the two, his smile a bit strained at this point from all the neck cracking he's having to do. It's a miracle his hat hasn't fallen off yet. "Aaaaany questions?"

"No, not any at all." Anika gives Blanche a sheepish look. "So if you excuse us, we got VIGIL stuff to do." Since Blanche counted as "VIGIL stuff" and she would be doing her.

[Reinholdt]

[Training Grounds]

Achieving such power through study alone? Sounds implausible, but that is how things work elsewhere, it seems.

"Naturally. No one has ever learned martial arts without heeding their master." She flexes her fist. "I use two martial styles taught by my order, far from here. They were made to utilize my natural power as a Dragon-Blooded."

[Training Grounds]

Jedrek quirks one of his large, bushy eyebrows. "You are part dragon?" That was not apparent. An entire martial arts devoted to training part dragons was also a new concept to Jedrek.

[Shadowcaller]

[Wenomir's House]

Anika shrugs, seemingly not too concerned about either her communicator or Wenomir's somber expression. "Or something like that." She agrees as she sits down. "But hey, gotta be the first time for everything, right?" She raises her eyebrows. "But anyway, what's up dude? You wanted something?"