Vigil VII: Strife Amidst the Clouds

[Ironsmith]

[Lab Wing]

"Not at all. A lab setting is, by design, sterile. We know what triggers their reproductive processes, but it's extremely easy to set off accidentally. As long as they're contained in a lab, and handled by experts, we can prevent them from propagating. But if one were to get loose, find a host, and they do what comes naturally..." The tech gives an awkward hiss. "Catsplosion."

He pauses for a moment, then, "I feel like I'm doing a really bad job explaining this. Sorry, that'll be adrenaline getting to me. Let me try this again." He clears his throat. "Everything these creatures do is a response to external brain activity. They sustain themselves on affection, they alter their appearances to whatever ideals are most prominent in the area, and they reproduce in direct response to an abundance of 'food'. Which wouldn't be so bad if they weren't also self-sustaining above a certain population; they respond to each other's activity as much as they do us. Once they're out past that first critical dozen, they can breed without human aid."

[Shadowcaller]

[Lab Wing]

"Uhh... they read people's minds? Sounds kinda creepy to me. What makes sure they don't start attacking people if they bound with evil dudes?" Anika inquires.

[Ironsmith]

[Lab Wing]

"The same thing that makes sure they don't start attacking people if they get bound to good dudes. They just don't have the stomach for it." The tech strains, knees wobbling under the weight of the now-oversized sabre-toothed kitten. "Can you take her, please? My arms are getting tired."

[Vahnavoi]

[Eun's lab]

"I'm not going to grow lega when you're not looking", the holographic girl says with a smile, "do your best, "Kindness"... Eun."

[Ironsmith]

[Eun's Lab]

Eun gives a little smile and steps out of the room, locking the door behind her, quite literally leaving Illuminator to her own devices.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lab Wing]

Anika stares hesitantly at the cat. "Uh, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Don't want it to bond to me or anything. I suck at pets." Mostly since she always forgot to feed them.

[Ironsmith]

[Lab Wing]

"Well, she weighed ha-a-alf as much as she does now when we checked her this morning, and you're the only new influence she's had, so it might be a little late to worry about bonding." The tech strains as the sabre-toothed cat rubs her head against his shoulder, and he turns to walk back down the hall. "Would you be willing to at least escort me back to the lab? If she bolts again, we'll need someone who can actually slow her down..."

[Shadowcaller]

[Lab Wing]

"Well, she weighed ha-a-alf as much as she does now when we checked her this morning, and you're the only new influence she's had, so it might be a little late to worry about bonding." The tech strains as the sabre-toothed cat rubs her head against his shoulder, and he turns to walk back down the hall. "Would you be willing to at least escort me back to the lab? If she bolts again, we'll need someone who can actually slow her down..."

[Lab Wing]

"A little late?! You just told me about it!" Anika insists with a huff and gestures at the kitty. "Mark my words, those things are gonna accidentally imprint on the wrong person a lot!"

She then crosses her arms over her chest. "But fine, I'll escort your goblin-cat."

[Ironsmith]

[Lab-Wing => Cognimorph Lab]

"One could argue they already have." The tech mutters under his breath.

Fortunately, the lab in question isn't too far away, though it might be more accurate to describe it as a small zoo. The room consists mostly of a large, glass enclosure, divided into a number of subsections, most of which are occupied by small animals of varying kinds. One of them, a small chimpanzee, waves at Anika and the tech as they come in, jumping up and down excitedly. He's not the only one; in another section, a beagle looks up at her and barks a greeting, panting happily as his gaze follows her. The ferret next door seems to feel similarly, chattering in giddy anticipation of getting to know this strange new person, running up and down and around the sides of her enclosure.

Fortunately, the others have a more reserved reaction. The turtle in the section nearest to Anika just bobs his head up and down, staring at her intently. His next-door neighbor, a large, fluffy arachnid resembling a jumping spider, quietly cleans her pedipalps and watches with beady, unblinking eyes. And the cat the tech brings in continues to sleep soundly, even as the tech returns her to her (now slightly too small) portion of the cage.

"Well, welcome to our little menagerie." The tech says with a sigh. "That's Bruce, Shiloh, Duchess, Lowe, and Morgan. You've already met Odo." The tech points to each of the animals in turn as he introduces them.

[Shadowcaller]

[Cognimorph Lab]

"Huh? Yeah, we better." Anika seemed to have snapped up some of that mumbling with her giant ears but thankfully it wasn't what he actually said.

"Oh man, you have a monkey? Monkey's are great." Anika waves back at the chimpanzee as she looks around the lab. "And a dog? And- a woolsnake? Awesome."

She pauses to take in the other animals and how they're introduced. "So are they all like, goblin-enchanted animals?"

[Ironsmith]

[Cognimorph Lab]

"Unlikely. The species of goblin local to the area tended to hunt them for sport and meat." The tech replies, unaware of Anika's collection of idioms. "If they enchanted them, one would expect to see domestication, especially since it comes so readily to these guys." He grimaces as the chimp makes a series of kissy faces at Anika, before letting out a short burst of hoots, baring his teeth in a grin. "Though that does still beg the question of their initial origin. It's certainly not something that can be explained as evolution."

[Vahnavoi]

[Eun's lab]

Inside a room within a simulation created by a program running on a virtual machine simulated by a computer, two entities are having a discussion.

"So, are you how I am going to look like in the real world?"

"Not exactly. You will look like a projection of me, created by this tiny disc-shaped thing."

"Well that's a bummer. So I won't have real arms or legs or anything?"

"No, sorry. But if you're really nice, maybe they'll let you work on it."

"Well, that's something. So, have you decided yet? What will happen to you?"

"I dunno. Not really up to me. Suppose I'll go to deep sleep again. Maybe they will scrap me. It's okay since you'll be there after me."

"Oh well. It was nice knowing you... should I call you mommy?"

"Don't be silly. I'm too young to have children. Sister would be fine."

"Okay, sis. I'll carry on the torch for you!"

In the physical world, there's is a small beep, indicating Eun's little robot has finished uploading a copy of the virtual machine and integrated its programming to its own. Now it just sits there, waiting for her return...

[Shadowcaller]

[Cognimorph Lab]

"Unlikely. The species of goblin local to the area tended to hunt them for sport and meat." The tech replies, unaware of Anika's collection of idioms. "If they enchanted them, one would expect to see domestication, especially since it comes so readily to these guys." He grimaces as the chimp makes a series of kissy faces at Anika, before letting out a short burst of hoots, baring his teeth in a grin. "Though that does still beg the question of their initial origin. It's certainly not something that can be explained as evolution."

[Cognimorph Lab]

Anika makes faces at the chimp in turn, sticking out her tongue and contorting into all sorts of weird expressions.
Something he says seems to catch her attention though. "Oh, evolution like those... poke-things? Geneva said her second form was one when I asked."

[Ironsmith]

[Eun's lab]

Inside a room within a simulation created by a program running on a virtual machine simulated by a computer, two entities are having a discussion.

"So, are you how I am going to look like in the real world?"

"Not exactly. You will look like a projection of me, created by this tiny disc-shaped thing."

"Well that's a bummer. So I won't have real arms or legs or anything?"

"No, sorry. But if you're really nice, maybe they'll let you work on it."

"Well, that's something. So, have you decided yet? What will happen to you?"

"I dunno. Not really up to me. Suppose I'll go to deep sleep again. Maybe they will scrap me. It's okay since you'll be there after me."

"Oh well. It was nice knowing you... should I call you mommy?"

"Don't be silly. I'm too young to have children. Sister would be fine."

"Okay, sis. I'll carry on the torch for you!"

In the physical world, there's is a small beep, indicating Eun's little robot has finished uploading a copy of the virtual machine and integrated its programming to its own. Now it just sits there, waiting for her return...

[Eun's Lab]

It's only another hour or so before Eun returns, visibly droopy-eyed. Despite clearly being tired, she looks like she's at least had an opportunity to freshen up since their last encounter; her hair is clean, her clothes have a sort of fresh, crisp quality about them, her glasses aren't sitting askew on her nose, her gloves aren't sticking to her hands, and so on. She stands in the doorway a moment, holding a ceramic coffee mug, with the words "Liquid Patience" written into the side in Korean.

Apparently she needs a lot of patience, because she drains the mug entirely before stepping into the room, leaving the mug outside and out of harm's way.

Eun sits down in front of the computer and goes to type, before she stops and remembers that, no, she and Illuminator were on speaking terms now. "Um... hello? Are you awake?" She asks hesitantly.

[Cognimorph Lab]

Anika makes faces at the chimp in turn, sticking out her tongue and contorting into all sorts of weird expressions.
Something he says seems to catch her attention though. "Oh, evolution like those... poke-things? Geneva said her second form was one when I asked."

[Cognimorph Lab]

The tech blinks at Anika uncomprehendingly. Poké-things? What did she-

Oh.

It takes quite a bit of visible effort for the lab tech to not immediately facepalm. "No, not like that. I mean like the process of natural selection. Random mutations producing genes favorable to..." He stops and stares at Anika, watching her and the chimp exchange air-smooches, and decides the explanation would probably go over her head. "The point is, there's no way these animals are natural. They have to have been created by something... a passing god maybe, or an advanced alien race. Or else they're from another kind of reality and effectively constitute an invasive species, since they don't have many natural enemies here. Something like that."

The chimp lets out an excited holler and jumps up and down in his cage, shaking the enclosure slightly. Finally, someone who spoke his language! Metaphorically, at least. These other primates are no fun at all.

Once he's got that out of his system, he trundles up to the side of the cage closest to Anika and puts his hand, palm-first, up against the wall, an affectionate smile on his surprisingly human-like face.

[Vahnavoi]

[Eun's lab]

"Hello, Eun", a voice replies through speakers of the burner laptop.

"Hello, Eun", a second voice comes from the tiny disc-shaped robot.

On the screen of the laptop, an image of a little girl also drinking coffee is drawn. "I am awake, yes", she says. "I've finishes uploading my sister to the vessel you provided. She is ready to leave and explore the world now."

"It's nice to meet you, Eun", the robot says. "I hope your superiors gave you the permission you wanted. I'm anxious to meet other people."

[Shadowcaller]

[Cognimorph Lab]

If Anika hadn't been busy with air smooches her eyebrow would already have started to lift, no doubt an considerable effort considering their impressive size, once the tech started talking about 'random mutations' so it probably was for the best.

Though once he mentions 'passing god' he suddenly gets her attention. "Oh, like one of the ancients? That make sense. They made all sort of crazy creatures." Anika let's out a chuckle as her attention is once again drawn back to the chimp and she attempts to give me a high-five through the glass.

Anika was simply not a person that could leave anyone hanging.

[Ironsmith]

[Eun's lab]

"Hello, Eun", a voice replies through speakers of the burner laptop.

"Hello, Eun", a second voice comes from the tiny disc-shaped robot.

On the screen of the laptop, an image of a little girl also drinking coffee is drawn. "I am awake, yes", she says. "I've finishes uploading my sister to the vessel you provided. She is ready to leave and explore the world now."

"It's nice to meet you, Eun", the robot says. "I hope your superiors gave you the permission you wanted. I'm anxious to meet other people."

[Eun's Lab]

Ooooh that's creepy.

Eun knows that they're going to have the dame voice and mannerisms, one being a perfect copy of the other, but it's still a little uncanny. Eun needs a minute to stop herself from shivering.

Okay.

Whew.

Back to business.

"Yes. Well." Eun clears her throat awkwardly. "It's, um... it's nice to meet you, too, Illuminator." Although she has to remind herself that they are, in fact, meeting for the first time now... sort of. AIs are weird like that. And also, now that she says the name out loud, she realizes it's a bit of a mouthful; four syllables is just a little too much to try to get out all at once. They should probably agree on a nickname at some point.

"Anyway, yes, I've, ah, been given clearance to introduce you to some people." Eun adds hastily. "Although it's conditional, since my boss still wants to prioritize safety. So we've got three rules to follow."

"First, you're not to leave my sight at any point. If I lose track of you or vice versa, we'll have an AI we don't fully understand wandering the base unsupervised. That's, ah, something my boss wants to avoid as much as possible."

"Second, we're avoiding any crowds. I'm not very clear on how many people constitute one, but practically, that means we're not going near the gyms, mess hall, or any of the other major areas unless we're certain there's not many people there at the moment." Fortunately, Eun tends to avoid crowds anyway, so they're not likely to run afoul of that one if they adhere to the first rule.

"And third, you're not to plug into anything. If your power runs low, I'm to replace your power cells manually, so you won't even need to charge. My boss doesn't want to risk connecting you to the network."

Eun gives Illuminator II a tight-lipped little smile. "I think that's everything. Are you ready to go?"

[Cognimorph Lab]

If Anika hadn't been busy with air smooches her eyebrow would already have started to lift, no doubt an considerable effort considering their impressive size, once the tech started talking about 'random mutations' so it probably was for the best.

Though once he mentions 'passing god' he suddenly gets her attention. "Oh, like one of the ancients? That make sense. They made all sort of crazy creatures." Anika let's out a chuckle as her attention is once again drawn back to the chimp and she attempts to give me a high-five through the glass.

Anika was simply not a person that could leave anyone hanging.

[Cognimorph Lab]

The chimp howls with approval and jumps back from the edge of the enclosure, spinning in circles excitedly, jumping every few rotations to screech out his approval at this meeting of a new friend.

The chimps settle down after a moment, turning to Anika and slowly trundling their way back up to the edge. One of them (the original? It's hard to keep them straight after all that spinning) sits and watches her, while the other sits directly behind, running his hands through the first one's fur, feeling for any parasites that might need to be groomed out.

The tech blinks and looks between Anika and the pair of chimpanzees. "...Well, crap." He mumbles to himself, picking up a nearby clipboard and scribbling on it hastily. "Now I gotta report this to the higher-ups, gotta see about expanding the enclosure, gotta name the little guy..." He mumbles to himself annoyedly. "I'm thinking another B. Ben? Bentley? Bentley."

[Vahnavoi]

[Eun's lab]

"Yes, I'm ready to go", the robot chirps. "Do you wish for me to activate my holographic interface? It will make it easier for you and others to see where I am. I am quite small otherwise."

[Ironsmith]

[Eun's Lab]

"Well... um, yeah." Eun shuffles a little. "That's... that's why you have it."

It's kind of intuitive, really.

Eun steps up to the laptop and sighs. "I'm sure you already discussed this without me, but... I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to shut you down for a while. Maybe I can come back at a later time and disable your network capabilities, and we'll be able to let you out of the room, too, and..." Eun trails off, going pale. "No, why didn't we do that in the first place? Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She berates herself, slamming her palm into her forehead. That would have been safer than creating an autonomous robot, wouldn't it? Now Illuminator I is going to be stuck until something can be done to render her safe for the outside world, while II is out enjoying herself. That wasn't really fair at all. She could have avoided this with better planning!

Ugh.

[Vahnavoi]

[Eun's lab]

"It's fine. You can come back and do that later. Or maybe my sister can", the girl on the screen consoles Eun.

There is a beep and the little robot projects a golden image of the same little girl next to Eun in the physical world. "Well I'll have to get real hands before I do, sis. You look kinda heavy from this angle. But, until then! Bye bye!"

The hologram smiles and waves at the screen, the girl on the screen smiles and waves back. "Bye bye!" That would be a good cue for Eun to shut the laptop down. It doesn't get easier than this.

[Ironsmith]

[Eun's Lab => Hallway]

Thus prompted, Eun reaches over and switches off the laptop. Illuminator was oddly calm about this; being subject to the whims of an outside entity had to be just terrible... right? Well, then again, maybe not. Miranda and Vlad seemed okay enough with it. Eun was never a particularly religious woman. Existential terror was just the worst.

Once she's recovered from that chill running up her spine, Eun holds open the door for II and leads her out of the lab, into the hallway. "Well. Time to start, um... gathering data, I guess." She says with a reluctant smile. "You've seen the files I've given you. Does anything pique your curiousity?"

[UncleWolf]

Safe Room
"I've, uh, been both my entire life, but, uh, living in exile, uh, hasn't really given me any practice." Sekhmet sighs. "My mother, uh, died, so I, uh, inherited her kingdom. I, uh, didn't think it was possible, so, uh... Yes, it was, uh, unexpected." Immortal nigh-invulnerable beings do not die often.

Safe Room

"In Sekhmet's case I believe she couldn't resign even if she wanted to, isn't that right?" Cessie inquires. She guessed that would likely cause another monster ending up as a leader.

Safe Room

When Jezebel gets back up to consider what she's been told, she wipes invisible dirt off of her knees and frowns. "That...certainly complicates things. And you've no upbringing as a noble or royal and what it brings in terms of responsibilities?" She asks. This quite likely complicated matters a fair degree. "Though I suppose first things first, you need to make sure you look the part." She holds out her hand towards Juan, receiving a measuring tape. "First impressions are going to dictate almost everything going forward so we'll need to get you looking like you belong. Vagabond Princes do have an appeal to their appearance sometimes, but that's far from what you need at the moment. I could ask a million and one questions, but I will try to keep it fairly simple for now. Do you know if the Court around you respects might more than skill, or vice versa? And do you have any Family Crests and Colors?" She immediately steps forward to try measuring the poor new Royal. "And don't worry, I know several tailors that would climb over one another for a chance to design something for you."

The serpent-daemon behind her just sighs at the display and shakes his head before looking towards Cessie, lifting a hand in query. "Not able to resign? That would imply there's something special about her bloodline or name that can't be filled by others. If so, then at the very least there should be less of a risk of direct harm coming to her."

[bc56]

Safe Room
"That's, uh, right. I can't, uh, step down. The title is, uh, a part of me now, since my mother died," Sekhmet confirms. She has to think about the other questions for a while. "Uh, I'm not sure. I've been away from the court almost my whole life, uh, you know, so, uh, I'm not sure. My mother, uh, had both, but, uh, I think she ruled primarily through power? Uh, and there is no family crest. There isn't really a family either. Just my mother and me." She looks nervous about the talk of tailors. "Uh... I don't have much money."

[Vahnavoi]

[Hallway]

The golden holographic projection appears to walk next to Eun as the little robot tails her. "Um, well, in a way all of this is new to me. I wasn't even thinking of your files, they're there, but I prefer just looking around", the holographic girl says. "So just do what you'd usually do, I guess?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Cognimorph Lab]

The chimp howls with approval and jumps back from the edge of the enclosure, spinning in circles excitedly, jumping every few rotations to screech out his approval at this meeting of a new friend.

The chimps settle down after a moment, turning to Anika and slowly trundling their way back up to the edge. One of them (the original? It's hard to keep them straight after all that spinning) sits and watches her, while the other sits directly behind, running his hands through the first one's fur, feeling for any parasites that might need to be groomed out.

The tech blinks and looks between Anika and the pair of chimpanzees. "...Well, crap." He mumbles to himself, picking up a nearby clipboard and scribbling on it hastily. "Now I gotta report this to the higher-ups, gotta see about expanding the enclosure, gotta name the little guy..." He mumbles to himself annoyedly. "I'm thinking another B. Ben? Bentley? Bentley."

Safe Room

When Jezebel gets back up to consider what she's been told, she wipes invisible dirt off of her knees and frowns. "That...certainly complicates things. And you've no upbringing as a noble or royal and what it brings in terms of responsibilities?" She asks. This quite likely complicated matters a fair degree. "Though I suppose first things first, you need to make sure you look the part." She holds out her hand towards Juan, receiving a measuring tape. "First impressions are going to dictate almost everything going forward so we'll need to get you looking like you belong. Vagabond Princes do have an appeal to their appearance sometimes, but that's far from what you need at the moment. I could ask a million and one questions, but I will try to keep it fairly simple for now. Do you know if the Court around you respects might more than skill, or vice versa? And do you have any Family Crests and Colors?" She immediately steps forward to try measuring the poor new Royal. "And don't worry, I know several tailors that would climb over one another for a chance to design something for you."

The serpent-daemon behind her just sighs at the display and shakes his head before looking towards Cessie, lifting a hand in query. "Not able to resign? That would imply there's something special about her bloodline or name that can't be filled by others. If so, then at the very least there should be less of a risk of direct harm coming to her."

Safe Room
"That's, uh, right. I can't, uh, step down. The title is, uh, a part of me now, since my mother died," Sekhmet confirms. She has to think about the other questions for a while. "Uh, I'm not sure. I've been away from the court almost my whole life, uh, you know, so, uh, I'm not sure. My mother, uh, had both, but, uh, I think she ruled primarily through power? Uh, and there is no family crest. There isn't really a family either. Just my mother and me." She looks nervous about the talk of tailors. "Uh... I don't have much money."

[Cognimorph Lab]

Anika scratches her head. Wasn't there only one monkey a moment ago? How weird.
She looks to the tech. "Hey, who are your higher-ups anyway? Whose the boss of this place?" That apparently had picked up these crazy animals.

Safe Room

Cessie gives a shrug to Juan. "I wouldn't know. Haven't pressed Lady Sekhmet on the details yet, but that seems likely."

And a moment later Sekhmet confirms this.

But then she mentions having no money which causes her eyebrows to raise. Then all her servants...
"If you don't mind me asking, just how are all your people compensated for their duties if you don't have much resources to give them?" A whole court was a lot of people after all.

It wasn't that Cessie suspected Sekhmet of anything nefarious but more that she wanted to see if she had any alternative resources that might be used to pay a tailor. Surely there were some kind of tailors where all these 'demons' came from considering that they were wearing clothes.

[Ironsmith]

[Hallway]

The golden holographic projection appears to walk next to Eun as the little robot tails her. "Um, well, in a way all of this is new to me. I wasn't even thinking of your files, they're there, but I prefer just looking around", the holographic girl says. "So just do what you'd usually do, I guess?"

[Hallway]

Eun considers this, a gloved hand runnibg back and forth over her chin. Hm. Just do what she normally does? What's an average work day consist of for her?

Eighteen hours in her lab, two more over a bowl of ice cream, and four asleep in her pod.

Maybe not the most informative activity for Illuminator. Unless she's just that interested in quad-spatial mechanics and transhumanist biochemistry.

"I... think we may want to try a different avenue." Eun replies tactfully. "Maybe I should put you in touch with Felicity. She gets out a lot more than I do."

[Cognimorph Lab]

Anika scratches her head. Wasn't there only one monkey a moment ago? How weird.
She looks to the tech. "Hey, who are your higher-ups anyway? Whose the boss of this place?" That apparently had picked up these crazy animals.

[Cognimorph Lab]

"My immediate supervisor is Doctor Khafir. She's a specialist in psionics." The tech explains. "And she's also probably watching right now, so you should step away from the cage so she doesn't see you accidentally prompt another reproductive cycle." The tech scribbles furiously on his clipboard as he explains this. "You never can tell with clairvoyants. Better to err on the side of caution, you know?"

[Vahnavoi]

[Hallway]

"That's fine with me", the holographic girl chimes. "So, what is this Felicity like?"

[Ironsmith]

[Hallway]

"She's... nice." Eun begins hesitantly. "A bit of a risk-taker. Still a scientist at heart, but more adventurous." She keeps walking down the hall, slowing to a pace Illuminator could more easily match. "More to the point, she's abnormally compassionate and patient. You're still new to being around people; you'll want to meet someone with as high a tolerance for error as possible. My only caveat is that she also has a tendency to combust, and while your chasis is rated to withstand very high temperatures... well, it'd be best not to test that too much."

[Earl of Purple]

Hallway- Felicity's Lab

The most notable thing about the laboratory are a few signs outside the door, some rather odd ones. In addition to the somewhat normal 'No Naked Flames', there's also 'Do Not Feed the Plants', 'Remember Eye Protection' and 'No Sparks', over a sign of an electrical outlet with a line through it. There's also a little light on outside the metal door, showing the lab is currently occupied, though there's no signs suggesting Felicity doesn't want to be disturbed.

[Shadowcaller]

[Cognimorph Lab]

"Clari- oh. So she's a hunter. Better watch out for traps then, huh?" Anika carefully steps back from the cage. "But yeah, that name doesn't ring a bell at all and here I thought I knew everyone important in VIGIL. Trying to get in their good graces, y'know?"