Vigil VII: Strife Amidst the Clouds

[Rebonack]

[Clothing Quest]

"Yeah!" Lapis replies brightly. Honestly there probably isn't that much of a family resemblance especially after the whole cyborg thing happened by Lapis doesn't care so much about that. "Raril is her daddy and my daddy, too. Mother loves Ilpholin even though she isn't one of her babies."

She didn't do a great job of showing it, but she's trying to get better about that.

"Yeah that's what Mother told me about my nephew. She wanted to make sure that I knew that not all the fae in the Nexus are bad since they aren't all from the Dreamheart. I guess even some of the Dreamheart ones aren't terrible. That seems kind of weird but Mother knows lots of things."

It's true.

Zee knows all sorts of stuff.

"We should bring Blanche her clothes first since she lives here at VIGIL too, right?"

That seems like the sensible thing to do to Lapis.

[Zefir]

[The Battered Shield]

Fortunately, Angela had a reasonably-sized elephant in the room to call on for situations like this. "You know, I'm honestly surprised nobody really brought up my visor. It's actually pretty cool."

Emet nods and lets out a low whistle.

[The Battered Shield]

For that I assume I as aplayer have focused on something else. I couldn't really recall how it looks. Is it like starTreck or maybe the Dragonball way.

"You are?" Mia says a bit suprised. "Just befor you told me people come from a simular world then we did. I say something like a visor is more common due to the fact that you can build it in this world. The turbines that keep the island moving are the same."

[Ironsmith]

[The Battered Shield]

For that I assume I as aplayer have focused on something else. I couldn't really recall how it looks. Is it like starTreck or maybe the Dragonball way.

"You are?" Mia says a bit suprised. "Just befor you told me people come from a simular world then we did. I say something like a visor is more common due to the fact that you can build it in this world. The turbines that keep the island moving are the same."

[The Battered Shield]

"I knew a couple people who could maybe possibly relate to you, yeah." Angela corrects her gently. "The world Emet and I come from... well, it doesn't sound anything like yours at all, really. Except maybe in an abstract political sense." She taps the side of her visor plaintively. "Even where I come from, something like this is rare. Like, yeah, everyone wants to be able to see like I do, but when you start mentioning the invasive, experimental brain surgery needed to make that possible, you find shockingly few volunteers."

[Shadowcaller]

[Clothing Quest]

"Uh-huh." Anika had frankly no idea what Lapis was going on with this 'dreamheart' but perhaps it was better that she asked Ilpholin instead once they met her. She vagely recalled Zee using that term too in relation to those weird creatures she fought in Inside but that was little to go on.

"Yeah, let's find Blanche's room. If she isn't there I'm pretty sure we can try to slide it under her door." Pretty sure that isn't possible Anika, but regardless, she will gesture for Lapis to come along and then start to head towards Blanche's room.

[Zefir]

[The Battered Shield]

"I knew a couple people who could maybe possibly relate to you, yeah." Angela corrects her gently. "The world Emet and I come from... well, it doesn't sound anything like yours at all, really. Except maybe in an abstract political sense." She taps the side of her visor plaintively. "Even where I come from, something like this is rare. Like, yeah, everyone wants to be able to see like I do, but when you start mentioning the invasive, experimental brain surgery needed to make that possible, you find shockingly few volunteers."

[The Battered Shield]

"I doubt they are related. There world is just simular." Mia says. Due to her position she knows how many people went missing and might end up in another world.
"Maybe you tell me what this Visor of yours can do? In my body replacements also were a critical thing. We sure saw it as blessing, but 150 years ago people went to far. It resulted in a decrease of birthrates due to to many replacements."

[Ironsmith]

[The Battered Shield]

"I doubt they are related. There world is just simular." Mia says. Due to her position she knows how many people went missing and might end up in another world.
"Maybe you tell me what this Visor of yours can do? In my body replacements also were a critical thing. We sure saw it as blessing, but 150 years ago people went to far. It resulted in a decrease of birthrates due to to many replacements."

[The Battered Shield]

"Yeah, we aren't quite at that point yet." Angela taps the side of her visor. "This thing is still in the experimental stages. It works across the spectrum, giving me visual input outside the normal frequencies, including infrared and ultraviolet. More importantly, it has some active penetration potential, which lets me look through bone and isolate bioelectric discharges. Such as, say, the ones occurring in your brain."

[Zefir]

[The Battered Shield]

Mia looks at her.

"That is somthing." she says. "But it appears to me that the surgery is a bit over the top, unless the intent is to minimize delay. Most functions apear common to me, thought the penetration is something that causes trouble in many ways.Mostly due to the fact what material will be used or something like magic. We didn't use that for any permanent devices, since the damage to the user is to high."

Just imagine something radioactiv next to your brain. Doesn't sound save at all.

[Ironsmith]

[The Battered Shield]

Mia looks at her.

"That is somthing." she says. "But it appears to me that the surgery is a bit over the top, unless the intent is to minimize delay. Most functions apear common to me, thought the penetration is something that causes trouble in many ways.Mostly due to the fact what material will be used or something like magic. We didn't use that for any permanent devices, since the damage to the user is to high."

Just imagine something radioactiv next to your brain. Doesn't sound save at all.

[The Battered Shield]

"It was entirely necessary." Angela replies. "I needed to be able to control the frequency shifts myself, and aside from that, longevity was an issue. If this thing had a display that was then fed into my eyes, that's another potential point of failure when my vision starts degrading for any reason." She smiles. "No worries about radioactivity, though. I've been assured this thing isn't radioactive... though I'm not entirely sure how it works otherwise."

[Rebonack]

[Geneva's Lab]

Geneva backs up the recording and plays it again.

There's another animal. Maybe something like a beetle-dog? About the size of a large dog, at least. It spots the bird playing at the broken wing and gives chase, the bird once again landing on top of the mound.

And when the beetle-dog approaches the mound?

The front of said mound opens up into a HUGE MOUTH and just swallows the beetle whole.

Geneva looks a bit pale.

"We're very fortunate you didn't follow that bird further than you did."

What a fascinating symbiotic relationship that bird and mound-mouth have!

Less fascinating if you are getting eaten, though.

[Zefir]

[The Battered Shield]

"It was entirely necessary." Angela replies. "I needed to be able to control the frequency shifts myself, and aside from that, longevity was an issue. If this thing had a display that was then fed into my eyes, that's another potential point of failure when my vision starts degrading for any reason." She smiles. "No worries about radioactivity, though. I've been assured this thing isn't radioactive... though I'm not entirely sure how it works otherwise."

[The Battered Shield]

Mia doesn't appear to pleased by that answer. It may be because she thinks of a human live who live 100 years and loose sight in their 60ties. The expense seems a bit to much. She just doesn't call it since Angela isn't a human with a lifespan of 100, not anymore if she understood correct.

"An intersersting approche," she says. "I didn't take into account the decay of sight. I guess I would have just replaced the eye in that case, which would require a surgery. It does sound like this is more meant for field action then common use at home. What exactly was the purpose? Interogation sounds like something."

[Ironsmith]

[The Battered Shield]

Mia doesn't appear to pleased by that answer. It may be because she thinks of a human live who live 100 years and loose sight in their 60ties. The expense seems a bit to much. She just doesn't call it since Angela isn't a human with a lifespan of 100, not anymore if she understood correct.

"An intersersting approche," she says. "I didn't take into account the decay of sight. I guess I would have just replaced the eye in that case, which would require a surgery. It does sound like this is more meant for field action then common use at home. What exactly was the purpose? Interogation sounds like something."

[The Battered Shield]

"Context leads me to believe that's the case, yeah." Angela replies. "That, and internal security. It's sort of difficult to pull a fast one on someone who can tell what you're thinking, see any and all items and implants you have on you, and so on. If the GIN put it into a field agent, I imagine he or she would be quite formidable." She shrugs. "And it has its mundane uses. I've never lost my keys since I had the visor installed. Taken in aggregate, that alone will probably give me back the years it'll supposedly take off my life."

Emet frown and shakes his head, letting out an electric buzz.

Angela smiles sadly. "Sorry. I know you hate it when I talk like that. But refusing to acknowledge my mortality isn't going to make me any less mortal, is it? And hey, we're looking at another fifty years together still." She gives Emet a little peck on the cheek, which seems to mollify him.

[Earl of Purple]

Geneva's Lab

"Oh, wow. Yeah, that's something I'll need to keep an eye out for if I go back. Avoid the birds and anything that might be a nest mound." Felicity can't actually go pale, or blush, but she'd be doing that now if she could. "I hope nothing eats your sensor equipment. Is it parrot-proof?" Parrots can be smart and destructive, so Felicity isn't just making it up. If it's parrot-proof, it should at least resist most of the attempts by anything living in the fire-plane.

[Rebonack]

[Geneva's Lab]

Geneva gives Felicity a... look.

"I honestly can't say that I've used parrots as a stress test for my equipment, so I don't know. That sensor suite IS meant to be resilient."

But resilient enough to resist some curious parrots who like destroying things?

"Well, we'll find out one way or the other. Hopefully it can withstand whatever the fire universe throws at it. If not... I can always build another. Equipment can be replaced. Lab assistants can't."

Technically they can.

She could put out adds for a new lab assistant if Felicity got eaten by a magma mound.

But Geneva feels like that wouldn't be a very nice thing to say.

"I won't need any further help for the time being. However, next time I have an expedition planned would you mind if I called you?"

[Zefir]

[The Battered Shield]

"Context leads me to believe that's the case, yeah." Angela replies. "That, and internal security. It's sort of difficult to pull a fast one on someone who can tell what you're thinking, see any and all items and implants you have on you, and so on. If the GIN put it into a field agent, I imagine he or she would be quite formidable." She shrugs. "And it has its mundane uses. I've never lost my keys since I had the visor installed. Taken in aggregate, that alone will probably give me back the years it'll supposedly take off my life."

Emet frown and shakes his head, letting out an electric buzz.

Angela smiles sadly. "Sorry. I know you hate it when I talk like that. But refusing to acknowledge my mortality isn't going to make me any less mortal, is it? And hey, we're looking at another fifty years together still." She gives Emet a little peck on the cheek, which seems to mollify him.

[The Battered Shield]

Mia does seem disturbed.

"It sounds like your world is a awful place with many problems and a lot more danger underneath the surface. I can see why you don't mind a surgery if it prevents you from life threatening danger. I can only say we never had to go that far since our enemies worked on a whole different level of technologie. It was rather simple to identify spies."

Mia isn't really reacting to Emets worries. For once she hasn't had a relationship and can't follow that and 50 years sound for ehr like a normal human life. Kinda normal if you don't get into accidents or such.

[Arkhosia]

[Clothing Quest]

"Uh-huh." Anika had frankly no idea what Lapis was going on with this 'dreamheart' but perhaps it was better that she asked Ilpholin instead once they met her. She vagely recalled Zee using that term too in relation to those weird creatures she fought in Inside but that was little to go on.

"Yeah, let's find Blanche's room. If she isn't there I'm pretty sure we can try to slide it under her door." Pretty sure that isn't possible Anika, but regardless, she will gesture for Lapis to come along and then start to head towards Blanche's room.

A knock on the door will be enough for it to crack open as Blanche leans out into the hallway, casually dressed and looking slightly annoyed. Her mood seems to brighten instantly once she looks up and sees the night elf standing there.
"What- Oh! Er, hey Anika."

[Rebonack]

[Clothing Quest]

Lapis immediately begins BEING LOUD.

"Hello Miss Blanche I was in Anika's room and some of your clothes were under the bed and so we're bringing them back to you!" Lapis announces with significantly more volume than is strictly required. "I made them clean for you!"

Wow.

What a thoughtful child.

Anika must be thankful for having such a thoughtful and resourceful friend as Lapis who only breaks her bed sometimes.

Lapis does her best to smile brightly and seem as polite as possible.

After all she hasn't talked to Blanche much and she wants to make sure Anika's friend likes her, too.

[Shadowcaller]

[Clothing Quest]

"Yo' Blanche." Anika smiles as she raises her hand in a greeting.

Then her attention is drawn to the LOUD Lapis. "Yeah, they're super-clean now. Isn't that amazing?" The druid says as she gestures at Blanche's underwear while Lapis is holding it in the air. "She could probably clean all our underwear in like a second."

[Earl of Purple]

Geneva's Lab

"Perhaps you should. Parrots are intelligent and curious, and also quite strong. If they can't figure out how to break something chances are it's animal-proof. Or at least small animal proof." Earl knows that scientists testing the puzzle-solving skills of kea had to redesign the puzzles several times, because the kea found alternate ways to the food using their strong beaks and intelligence to find ways to pull the puzzle apart.

"Of course! It was really interesting out there, and I wouldn't mind another trip. See what's in the middle, and go where no person has gone before. Unless you're right and it is an artificial plane, anyway, then I guess the creator has been there." But why would somebody deliberately create a world and then set it all on fire?

[Ironsmith]

[The Battered Shield]

Mia does seem disturbed.

"It sounds like your world is a awful place with many problems and a lot more danger underneath the surface. I can see why you don't mind a surgery if it prevents you from life threatening danger. I can only say we never had to go that far since our enemies worked on a whole different level of technologie. It was rather simple to identify spies."

Mia isn't really reacting to Emets worries. For once she hasn't had a relationship and can't follow that and 50 years sound for ehr like a normal human life. Kinda normal if you don't get into accidents or such.

[The Battered Shield]

"It has its problems." Angela admits. "But for the most part, not necessarily a bad place to live, so long as you don't go looking for trouble." She smirks a little. "I didn't really need the visor. I didn't have any vision problems before, I lived in a good neighborhood, and my kid brother would regularly send over credits for getting new stuff. But the people I worked for needed this technology developed, and for that they needed a test subject, so here I am."

[Arkhosia]

Clothing Quest

Spoiler

Show

[Clothing Quest]

Lapis immediately begins BEING LOUD.

"Hello Miss Blanche I was in Anika's room and some of your clothes were under the bed and so we're bringing them back to you!" Lapis announces with significantly more volume than is strictly required. "I made them clean for you!"

Wow.

What a thoughtful child.

Anika must be thankful for having such a thoughtful and resourceful friend as Lapis who only breaks her bed sometimes.

Lapis does her best to smile brightly and seem as polite as possible.

After all she hasn't talked to Blanche much and she wants to make sure Anika's friend likes her, too.

[Clothing Quest]

"Yo' Blanche." Anika smiles as she raises her hand in a greeting.

Then her attention is drawn to the LOUD Lapis. "Yeah, they're super-clean now. Isn't that amazing?" The druid says as she gestures at Blanche's underwear while Lapis is holding it in the air. "She could probably clean all our underwear in like a second."

Blanche looks down from Anika to Lapis in mild confusion and momentarily winces at her volume - only for her face to go white when she realizes just what's being presented to her. After a second she snatches it from Lapis's hand and yanks the door shut, retreating back in with a hastily-shouted "awesomethanksthatwontbenecessary!"

Inside she flattens her back to the door, spending a couple of seconds to calm down her startled breathing.

[Rebonack]

[Clothing Quest]

Oh.

Hmm.

Blanche just grabbed the clothing and went running back into her room.

She must be really busy.

But that's okay!

People at VIGIL just get very busy sometimes.

"Okay now we need to get Ilpholin's clothes back to her right? I don't know where she lives."

That's a real problem. Maybe Anika does?

[Zefir]

[The Battered Shield]

"That doesn't sound to well." Mia says. Such phrases mostly mean if you make some trouble at all you get silenced.

"From that I'm really concerned of your world. But you just offered yourself for something like that?" she says. If does sound to her that Angela is a bit naive. "Well I gues you liked that job then or did you have no choice?"

In the end things came to Angelas backstory, strange.

[Shadowcaller]

[Clothing Quest]

Anika blinks at the sheer speed all of that happened. Blanche could really move fast when she wanted to. "Um... sorry!" She calls out through the door. "I'll see you later, 'kay? Bye!"
Then she turns to Lapis. "You can't take or clean Blanche's underwear again, Lapis. She's, uh, very private about that sort of thing."The druid explains with a nod. "But yeah, and I know exactly where she lives so don't worry about that. We'll just gonna take that sky-traum to Riverside." Whatever a sky-traum was.

[Ironsmith]

[The Battered Shield]

"That doesn't sound to well." Mia says. Such phrases mostly mean if you make some trouble at all you get silenced.

"From that I'm really concerned of your world. But you just offered yourself for something like that?" she says. If does sound to her that Angela is a bit naive. "Well I gues you liked that job then or did you have no choice?"

In the end things came to Angelas backstory, strange.

[The Battered Shield]

"Oh, I had a choice." Angela replies. "But my home needed me. The technology in question would give us a decisive advantage over Old Earth, which would have helped stabilize things in the long run. If the price for doing that is giving one civilian woman superpowers, I'd call it a bargain."

[Rebonack]

[Clothing Quest]

Oh.

Lapis upset Blanche.

It seems like she's been upsetting a lot of people today.

"Okay, I won't," Lapis says, deflating a little. "What if Ilpholin gets upset that we bring her back her clothes, too?"

Lapis doesn't want to upset EVERYONE today!

That would be terrible!

Maybe she could use some encouragement.

Just a little?

[Shadowcaller]

[Clothing Quest]

"Nah, Ilpholin is cool with that sort of things. You can be as loud as you want in fact. In fact, I'm sure she would love to see her cousin show up for a visit." Anika assures Lapis confidently. "But... oh, I know! Let's buy her a cake on our way there! Seems fitting for a family visit, right?" Underwear and cakes, the perfect gifts!

[Zefir]

[The Battered Shield]

"Oh, I had a choice." Angela replies. "But my home needed me. The technology in question would give us a decisive advantage over Old Earth, which would have helped stabilize things in the long run. If the price for doing that is giving one civilian woman superpowers, I'd call it a bargain."

[The Battered Shield]

"It sounds more and more like your world is extremly dangerouse." Mia says. " 'Everything is allowed as long as it works for us'. Does that sound like the Argument they used to justify their actions?"

Mia was never a friend of this. it happens everywhere but she tries to avoid it.

[Rebonack]

[Clothing Quest]

Oh!

Well.

If Anika says that won't upset Ilpholin then she must be right. Anika knows about all sorts of things after all.

"We should get her a carrot cake!" Lapis replies without a moment's hesitation. "I like those ones the best."

She has no idea if her half-sister also likes carrot cake but who could possibly NOT like carrot cake?

It is, after all, the best.

VIGIL doesn't really have a bakery, though.

"I don't know any places that make cakes, though. Mother would just give me some cake sometimes."

[Shadowcaller]

[Clothing Quest]

Anika considers this for a moment. "Where does your mom live exactly, Lapis? Since we could always ask her for a cake. That would it make it more personal." And it'd be free too!

[Rebonack]

[Clothing Quest]

"I think one of the upstairs rooms is Trog's belongs to Mother?" Lapis replies a little uncertainly.

Is that weird?

That Zee basically lives at the tavern?

Though honestly that sort of set up isn't too terribly uncommon.

Business down on the first floor and a residence up on the second.

"But yeah! Mother probably wouldn't mind baking a cake for Ilpholin! I think she would love it!"

As much as Lapis loves carrot cake?

That remains to be seen.