HALO 184: Red and Grey All The Way

[Gullara]

[HALO sans Angels]

Vax smiles, amused. "Oh I wouldn't worry about that. Many things are more complex in this realm. We've gotten quite used to it." She looks contemplatively at her notes again. "I think a demonstration might be appropriate, though not now. Let me compile my notes, do some research, and then I think we can do further observation to narrow this down. Once the prep work is complete, I'll be in touch."

[Felandria]

[Felandria's Office]

Vlad has a little bit of a problem. When Rein hired him a few months ago, he was given the task of refurbishing and retrofitting the aircraft in their hangar. That's kept him reasonably busy; the job of putting technology that wouldn't be invented for another six hundred years (local time) into aircraft that were already decommissioned for being horribly obsolete meant overcoming a lot of design shortcomings. It was challenging work, but rewarding.

Was being the operative term.

Vlad doesn't much like the idea of sitting around and waiting for one of the new planes to break down, mostly because that's on the order of a few decades before his services will be needed again. He has a few items on his board still, but most of them are for his friend in VIGIL and it looks bad if he's only working on them.

So he's going to one of the bosses to see if they need anything else fixed up.

When Vlad approaches the office door, he can't help but hesitate a little before knocking. He's heard a few things about this lady, and he's not sure how many of them are true. It certainly didn't help that most of the people he's mentioned this to have responded with a sardonic "yeah, good luck". He's not sure what he's in for, but he still technically works for this woman and even if he didn't need anything from her in particular, a meeting is long overdue.

With a sigh, he knocks briskly on the office door and waits anxiously for a response.

Soon after, the door opens and Felandria is standing there, casually dressed in jeans and a tee shirt.

Well, hey, there.

Vlad, I believe?

What can I do for you?

[Ironsmith]

[Felandria's Office]

"Yes, I-"

Oh.

That is a big woman.

Like, wow. Holy crap. He thought he'd seen big before, but those ladies have got nothing on his boss.

Seriously, these things are huge.

Vlad snaps himself out of his reverie. Eyes are up there, dumbass.

"...I'm here to, um... ooh, this is hard on my neck, one second..." Vlad takes a few paces back, so he's not having to look almost straight up to make eye contact. "There we go. Hi, yes. I'm Vlad. Vladimir Lustig. The, uh, mechanic. Mechanical engineer, I mean. I'm here to see, um..." He trails off, his gaze steadily falling.

Focus, Vlad.

"See if you've got any, ah, work that needs done." He quickly adds, snapping his neck back up toward her again.

Crap, that sounded a lot like an innuendo. Was it an innuendo? Would she take it as one? He should elaborate.

"You know, machines around the base that need fixing, or a wiring job, or maybe laying pipe if you don't have anyone else for that..."

Okay, that definitely came out wrong.

"Just... trying to keep my hands busy, ma'am."

...Oh god, she's going to kill him.

[5a Violista]

[HALO sans Angels]

Venus nods: she can absolutely do a demonstration, later. She feels like it's rather hard to accurately describe how it works, anyway, other than just 'it's magic and is weird and...' maybe a few other things along those lines. Having it demonstrated is how she learned, after all.

"Okay, so I should just go back to HALO, right? I can go back the way I came?" the redhead asks. She's understandably s bit disappointed at the prospect of returning under the sea from this place with great weather, but. Oh well.

Assuming she can get back to HALO proper the same way she came here, that's what she does.


[Cool Kitchen]

"I'm sure we could just ask Magtok if he was involved in some sort of blackmail scheme. Asking if he met with her wouldn't help, I think, since she probably used a different name." Harley sees no reason why Magtok would lie about that.

Maybe even could ask during the member interview meeting with him that was supposed to happen before this shapeshifter hijacked it. "Well, I suppose it is possible he just hired her to take his place during the interview meeting thing because he was too busy to come himself."
But that would be a weird thing to do.

Harley contemplates.
Then shakes her head.
Okay. Enough thinking about it. She has more important things to think about today.

Such as.
She doesn't normally take alcohol because she doesn't like the loss of control it gives, but she reaches out to get some from Rein anyway.

"It kinda frustrates me how Manja's so naturally talented at that and how she can do it without any practice or forethought or training or. . ." And she doesn't know how she's supposed to teach Manja or what.
Assuming she got the drink, she take a drink now. "Antimagic gloves would just be a temporary solution, I think. Experience would definitely be the best option."

[Reinholdt]

[Cool Kitchen]

Reinholdt gives Harley a skeptical look. "Really? You'd just... ask my arch-nemesis what schemes he has against me? He can't be trusted Harley. He's a pathological liar and a narcissist on top of that. He has it out for me because I'm more popular than he is."

I'm sure there are other reasons.

"But he's also extremely dangerous. People like Magtok are unpredictably destructive. If he hasn't sabotaged HALO already, he will at some point, just for the attention. Honestly, I don't know what Felandria sees in him." There's more raw bile and bitterness there than even Rein predicted and it's not a pretty sight.

Well, there's one thing that can clear up a bad thought, it's rum- hey! W-well, Rein hands it over to Harley anyways. Girlfriends get special privileges when it comes to drinking his rum. Weird seeing Harley drink, but she has had it pretty stressful up to now. It would be good to loosen up. And Rein should help her out.

So he slides over behind her and wraps his arms around her stomach and kisses her neck. "Manja may have got a few bonuses from my side of the family," Rein says quietly, empathizing with Harley's frustrations, but unable to keep himself from feeling a sense of pride. "But she's going to need you for all the hard stuff she'll encounter in the future." Rein kisses her neck again, a little higher. "Almost as much as I need you."

Rein pauses and rests his chin on her shoulder, tilted to look at her face. "Experience it is then. You ready to be a cat?" He asks, making sure to have her full permission before shifting. But if she gives it and she wants to do it now, Rein will shift into cat form. If she'd rather wait, Rein will wait. He finds her distracting enough to not mind a delay.

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

A small, thin catgirl arrives here, features remarkably similar to Reinholdt's. Though admittedly he doesn't have that chest, which displays rather prominently with the heart shaped window in her red and white dress that comes down to just a few inches past the top of her thighs. It's a light affair that is nothing like the heavy clothes Rein prefers.

Which causes Reina to shiver as she steps inside and rub her arms. "I... I swore I was wearing something warmer. Where'd my jacket go...?" Reina mumbles, primarily to herself, unable to escape her curse despite the colder temperatures. At least she has a stylish pair of arm length gloves to make things a little more reasonable.

[Shadowcaller]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

"Jacket go, jacket go!" Reina will hear a rough voice repeat after her.

On the top of the desk sits a pedestal and on top of that is probably one of the largest parrots Reina have ever seen. It's plumage is bright red with the exception of its tail and the feathers around its eyes which are blue and green respectively.

The parrot stares back at Reina. "Warmer! Warmer!"

It seems to be the only living being in the office right now besides Reina herself.

[Reinholdt]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

Reina turns towards the source of the squawking voice. As her gaze alights upon the parrot, the pupils in her eyes grow large and Reina subtly licks her lips. She grows very still.

.... They probably didn't put out snacks for visitors. Or did they? If Zhareen is a powerful oracle, she'd have seen Reina coming and then left Reina a gift in the lobby. Something to eat while she waits.

Her tail twitches slowly as she struggles to decide between her options. She'll give the bird one chance at least. Maybe it was supposed to deliver directions. "I'm here to see Zhareen."

[Shadowcaller]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

"Zhareen! Squawk!" The bird parrots back at her.

At this point if Reina's doesn't only have eyes for the parrot she might notice a plaque resting on the desk reading "PLEASE RING THE BELL".

Since there is indeed a bell on the desk. It just happens to be situated right underneath the oversized parrot.

[Gullara]

[HALO sans Angels]

"Yes, of course. I'll escort you." Vax says before leading the way. When they're close to lobby Vax remarks, "I expect it'll be a few days until we have what we need. We'll send for you as quickly as possible." She finishes as they enter the lobby.

[Tropical Compound]

Zhareen nods thoughtfully. "We'd have to research it more. Sometimes the line between yokai and fey can be rather diffuse. It's interesting to know that fey might share our categorization system though. Or is that the aether simply translating your experiences into a more easily understood form?"

She scratches her head. "Well, either way keep in mind that all experiences within the aether are filtered by your own mind. What you saw and heard is subjective, Artie, and since you're fairly new at all this it would have been simplified to some degree.
Not just by this fey that explained all this to you but by your own mind. I mean, when I experienced the aether I recall it being underwater which I'm guessing wasn't the case for you." She gives Vax a little nudge. "You should tell her about your aether experience, dear."

Tropical Compound

"Well, I can't say for sure if I've actually had an aether experience. Other than a few calls via dream." Which probably is what's going on. Dreams have to be powered by something, and the aether is probably where Vez is, since he does not have a physical form.
Would the dreamscape be explained by herself? She remembers it as an office, but with several outdoor elements to it. Perhaps the latter came from who she was, and the former from what she is now?

[Tropical Compound]

Vax glances at Zhareen, a subtle motion given her eyes. "I'd prefer not, actually. It's nothing to concern yourself with, Artesia; it's just that some things are private."

[Reinholdt]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

Reina narrows her eyes at the bird. It was mocking her. They always mocked her. Well they didn't squawk so loud when their corpse was on the bed, did they? Yeah, that's right. Your time is limited parrot. Make peace with your avian god before you reach that big nest in the sky.

The catgirl slowly reaches for the bell before snapping forward to ring it suddenly and withdrawing her hand just as quickly.

[Shadowcaller]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

Reina avian-issues withstanding, the parrot doesn't attack her as she dashes over to ring the bell. It does stare at her though, its half-open beak betraying no hints of emotions or intentions. Insidious or otherwise.

Then a door to Reina's right it pushed open and a curious woman walks, or more accurately slithers, inside.

"Oh, hi Rein. Did your sex get changed again or are you just trying out a new look?"

[Tropical Compound]

"...um, yes. Exactly. Private." Zhareen nods, not questioning this.
"But that would be your aether experience I think, Artiesa." She remarks with a gesture at Artie. "Though it was likely, ah, filtered by whatever was sending the dream. The raw aether is only your own experiences. So... kind of like an actual dream honestly." A beat. "Except a lot more dangerous. At least for us mortals." She gestures at herself and her wife.

[Reinholdt]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

Reina jumps a little as Zhareen arrives, so focused was she on the insidious Doctor Parroit that she just gets startled by the sudden door opening.

The catgirl turns and looks Zhareen over. Wait a minute... wasn't this that whole cursed staff business woman that one Rein got involved with and then he built a mausoleum just to house it safely but also negotiations were- you know what, nevermind. Other Reins were stupid. Reina needed to worry about herself.

"I-I'm sorry. Again? Mine changed once a long time ago, but I haven't heard of any other Reins becoming Reinas since then. Are you Zhareen?" Reina asks, pretty sure that she is.

[Felandria]

[Felandria's Office]

"Yes, I-"

Oh.

That is a big woman.

Like, wow. Holy crap. He thought he'd seen big before, but those ladies have got nothing on his boss.

Seriously, these things are huge.

Vlad snaps himself out of his reverie. Eyes are up there, dumbass.

"...I'm here to, um... ooh, this is hard on my neck, one second..." Vlad takes a few paces back, so he's not having to look almost straight up to make eye contact. "There we go. Hi, yes. I'm Vlad. Vladimir Lustig. The, uh, mechanic. Mechanical engineer, I mean. I'm here to see, um..." He trails off, his gaze steadily falling.

Focus, Vlad.

"See if you've got any, ah, work that needs done." He quickly adds, snapping his neck back up toward her again.

Crap, that sounded a lot like an innuendo. Was it an innuendo? Would she take it as one? He should elaborate.

"You know, machines around the base that need fixing, or a wiring job, or maybe laying pipe if you don't have anyone else for that..."

Okay, that definitely came out wrong.

"Just... trying to keep my hands busy, ma'am."

...Oh god, she's going to kill him.

Felandria is amused by Vlad’s obvious flusteredness.

Vlad, relax.

Breathe.

I’m sure we have things around here that need fixing, and if we don’t, then perhaps you could build some new machines for us.

I’m sure there’s things that need done that a new machine could help with.

[Shadowcaller]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

Reina jumps a little as Zhareen arrives, so focused was she on the insidious Doctor Parroit that she just gets startled by the sudden door opening.

The catgirl turns and looks Zhareen over. Wait a minute... wasn't this that whole cursed staff business woman that one Rein got involved with and then he built a mausoleum just to house it safely but also negotiations were- you know what, nevermind. Other Reins were stupid. Reina needed to worry about herself.

"I-I'm sorry. Again? Mine changed once a long time ago, but I haven't heard of any other Reins becoming Reinas since then. Are you Zhareen?" Reina asks, pretty sure that she is.

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

"Really? I could have sworn you did in my vision... unless it was of the past again?" She shakes her head. "I apologize, sometimes I'm not sure what I'm seeing is the past, present or future." Her eyes then really focus on Reina for the first time. "Reina was it? And yes, Zhareen is the name. Are you substituting for Rein perhaps? Since I have a feeling that man will be quite busy from now on with all those new children. Unless that was another Rein?" She strokes her chin. "Well, it certainly wasn't you at least." She gesture at a nearby chair. "Have a seat won't you?"

[Ironsmith]

Felandria is amused by Vlad’s obvious flusteredness.

Vlad, relax.

Breathe.

I’m sure we have things around here that need fixing, and if we don’t, then perhaps you could build some new machines for us.

I’m sure there’s things that need done that a new machine could help with.

[Felandria's Office]

Vlad nods slowly, still shaking just a bit as the conversation goes on. She doesn't seem offended, at least. That's a good sign. Although now that his head's gotten stuck in the gutter, he's having a hard time pulling it back out; Felandria's talk of "things that need doing" for which she needs a "new machine" probably doesn't play out quite the way she expected it to in his head.

"Yes. Well. Mm." Vlad straightens up and shoves his hands into his pockets, trying not to let on exactly what he's thinking about. "That's... that's sort of what I was thinking, too, ma'am. I was hoping to hear a little more about the specifics."

There we go. That sounds like proper shop-talk. Maybe he's finally gotten ahold of this conversation.

[Deathkeeper]

Tropical Compound

"Dangerous? How strange. For me it seemed...just another day at the office." Artie smiles at her own joke.
"Well, thank you for your time, Miss. It was nice meeting you." Vax seems unwilling to give up information on this subject so perhaps she should withdraw from the conversation. Though some part of her does still wish to ask Zhareen about anything she might need to know about managing her unique shape. At least her scales are very resistant to staining and don't need cleaning.

[Reinholdt]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

Reina raises an eyebrow. "I've had kids. Have kids, I mean." They were all grown up now, but they were still her babies. Reina tentatively takes a seat, moving hesitantly. This was the oracle that was supposed to help her? Zhareen seemed to have less control over her abilities than Reina did! Presuming what Reina had was oracular in nature to begin with. Did Astrana suggest the giant snake as a joke or is there just literally no one better and Reina can only look forward to a miserable life of confusion and helplessness?

"Reina's correct," Reina finally confirms. "I'm not here to substitute for anyone. Astrana from MERC recommended I seek you out for my... condition. She thinks I've been having visions."

[Shadowcaller]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

Zhareen fills the silence as Reina ponders. "You've had? Then please confirm. Did you or did not look like Rein at the time and was it or A, a woman with fox tails or B, with two tiny women, one red and one blue?" Her eyebrows raise as she awaits an answer.
"Since I've had visions of both since coming to HALO. It's quite bothersome really since it feels like I'm watching them." She shudders at the though of invading someone's privacy like that.

"So I hope it wasn't you at least." Zhareen nods and then let's Reina continue. "But visions you say? What sort of visions? Would you be willing to share them?"

[Lady Serpentine]

[Shuttlepod A]

There's an old, old face stepping onto one of the morning shuttlepods. Not in the sense that she looks old, mind you - she has the kind of face that looks like she's barely out of her teens. (She's not sure which of her mothers she gets that from, but she has a suspicion.) But she's been here before, years ago, and those who remember that far back might recall her too.

She's certainly distinctive enough to stick in the memory. Blonde hair cut to just beneath her ears and skin as white as fresh bones frame blood-red eyes, and a pair of fangs lurks behind her pale lips, coming to light every time she opens her mouth. Even more striking, however, is the fact that she has four arms; one pair seems entirely normal, but the other is smaller, and set lower on her torso. They're not vestigial (not exactly, at any rate), but they're clearly secondary, and to anyone familiar with even older members of HALO, reminiscent of a certain Angelican priestess.

Even someone who's never met her before, though - like her current companion on this flight - might recognize one of the two holy symbols she's wearing. The more obvious of the pair is a small gold shield dangling from an otherwise-unadorned black collar around her neck. Not that remarkable in itself, but the noose that trails away into ragged threads painted on the front of it is rather more striking. The other dangles from a thin chain, a seven-pointed star with a crack running through it half-hidden by her shirt.

[FireFox]

[Shuttlepod A]

"Hold the door! Please!" Right after the blonde stepped onto the shuttle, another young woman comes running up from the direction of the Riftline. She's a black-haired foxgirl with the white rounded ears and soft tail of the Arctic species. Her attire is professionally secretarial, albeit boringly monochrome: grey blazer, white blouse, grey skirt, and black tights. She holds a white purse in one hand and a pair of black heels in the other as she rushes into the shuttle moments before it seals up and slides beneath the surface. After a panting pause to catch her breath, she straightens up and smiles.

"Thank you. I'm going to interview for a job. I could have taken the next one, but as nervous as I am now I'd feel even worse waiting up there. Better to get it over with, you know?" The vertical pupils in her dark orange eyes adjust to the light in the shuttle as she takes in the four-armed woman's appearance, sizing her up like she expects a fight. "Hey wait, that's the sign of the Savior. Do you worship Soteira?"

[Gullara]

[Tropical Compound]

"...um, yes. Exactly. Private." Zhareen nods, not questioning this.
"But that would be your aether experience I think, Artiesa." She remarks with a gesture at Artie. "Though it was likely, ah, filtered by whatever was sending the dream. The raw aether is only your own experiences. So... kind of like an actual dream honestly." A beat. "Except a lot more dangerous. At least for us mortals." She gestures at herself and her wife.

Tropical Compound

"Dangerous? How strange. For me it seemed...just another day at the office." Artie smiles at her own joke.
"Well, thank you for your time, Miss. It was nice meeting you." Vax seems unwilling to give up information on this subject so perhaps she should withdraw from the conversation. Though some part of her does still wish to ask Zhareen about anything she might need to know about managing her unique shape. At least her scales are very resistant to staining and don't need cleaning.

[Tropical Compound]

"Of course." Vax nods. "I should continue with my work, love." She looks back to Artie. "We'll speak again soon, I'm sure. Enjoy your time here."

[Reinholdt]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

Reina shifts uncomfortably. "Uhh... no. That wasn't me. Are you saying you have no control over your visions then?" It's sounding more and more like coming here was a waste of her time and she just got here! ... Fortunately she has a lot of time. She's not exceptionally busy or anything.

And what the hell were the other Reins getting up to? She knows she tries to avoid their nonsense as much as she can, but still. It seems to be following her at this rate!

"Umm... I dunno. It always just feels like memories to me. Memories that other people insist haven't happened yet. Or that I wasn't even there for. No spooky prophecies of doom or anything like that. It started fresh after a recent concussion, so there hasn't been all that much to be honest." Reina shares what she can about the Siana incident and the bird incident, telling Zhareen what she's told Astrana.

[Shadowcaller]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

"Depends on what you mean by 'control'." Zhareen remarks.
But instead of sitting down in the chair behind the desk she moves over and sits down in the chair right next to Reina. Putting her hands in what could be called her lap.

"What you describe sounds like what I like to call 'wandering visions'. Memories of the future that come to you rather than the other way around. Usually they're of things, people, that you've interacted with but... I'll go into that later. For now you need to know that there's two kinds of visions. Those that you seek out and those that come to you. This of course belonging to the latter category." The warlock explains only to be interrupted by the parrot.

"Memories! Memories! Squawk!"

"Oh, of course. I'm so sorry Agaton!" Zhareen looks to Reina. "If you would excuse me one moment..." She then gets up and gets behind the counter to take out a huge bag of bird food which she uses to refill the feeder next to the enormous parrot.

The bird starting to greedily grab onto talonful of birdfood and stuff it in its beak before Zhareen can even put the bag away.

She pats Agatons head affectionately and even ruffles his feathers a bit before she returns to her seat besides Reina. "Sorry about that, he gets so noisy when he hasn't eaten in a while." Though he isn't exactly quiet while eating either it seems. "But where was I? Oh yes, visions. Now, there is a choice when it comes to wandering visions. You can accept or deny them so in that way you have a sense of control. I've always accepted them though as they're often important to someone nearby."

[Reinholdt]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

Reina narrows her eyes at Agaton behind Zhareen's back as she feeds the parrot. Ughhhh. How's she supposed to eat something with a name? Life's so unfair. Lucky bird.

"Like Reinholdt." Who is... nearby? Near enough, apparently for two separate visions. Reina doesn't dwell on that point. She got the feeling about the nearby thing already. Well... sort of.

"That was true for all the recent visions, but the first one I had didn't seem connected to anyone at all. That's why it didn't even register as a vision at first. Thought it was just a movie I had seen or something." Reina rubs her arm. It seems visions that are... great intrusions of privacy are more common than the other ones. Reina might ask Zhareen why that is. But first, "So I can choose not to have Wandering Visions? But... I've never felt like it was a choice. They just happen."

[Shadowcaller]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

Zhareen nods to that assessment. "It's like that at first when you aren't used to it. But it might also be that you've had particularly strong visions so far. Ones that are particularly rude about it. But even those can be at least negotiated with. See, visions are spirits actually in that there's a hint of sentience within them. Imagine them as a cat that jump into your lap, suddenly demanding all your attention regardless of what you're doing at the moment."

She suddenly seem to become aware of Reina's ears. "I mean, uh, a dog-" Wait, cats hated those. "Actually, its like what Agaton just did, kinda." She gestures at the eating parrot which throws a single-eyed glare at Reina even as it continues consuming the seeds. "Most of the time I'd give him all the attention in the world but sometimes I simply have to stand my ground and say 'no'. Usually I simply ask someone else to feed him, that can happen with the weaker visions. They're satisfied with simply letting someone else have them. But some visions you simply have to promise that you'll have them later. Delaying their appearance so to speak. Kinda like when a cat keep scratching on the door- erm..." Why could she suddenly simply think of cat-analogies? "Well, you get the point. You need to treat the vision like a stubborn pet."

[Tropical Compound]

"Yes, I do need to continue showing you around the compound now, Artie." Zhareen exclaims. She will then give her wife a kiss on the nose before untangling herself from her and slithers up towards Artie.

The guided tour can probably continue off-screen however.

[Reinholdt]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

Reina tilts her head and frowns at Zhareen, uncertain if the sea snake was trying to make fun of her or not. She was difficult to read.

She's never heard of visions as spirits before, certainly not possessing some level of intelligence. The study of visions must have come a long way. "Riiight. A cat-parrot-dog who wants to go on a walk, eat a cracker, and sleep on your lap. Uh, but I didn't even realize they were visions until after the fact. How do I say no to something I don't actually recognize?"

Wait a minute. What if the visions have started long before that moment with the bird? How much of her life was fake?? Is she even here right now?! How can she tell!?! Oh right, the parrot. She'd never envision something with him in it. So this was at least real and happening now.

Probably.

[5a Violista]

[Cool Catchen]

Harley decides right now would probably be one of the worst times to inform Reinholdt that it was Magtok who gave her Rein's phone number. Because then he'll probably think Harley was one of his schemes, or something. Maybe. She's not really in the headspace to think this through right now.
"Just...thinking, there's probably a way to trick him into revealing any schemes he has."

To be honest, it's probably a bad idea for her to drink (which historically has given her less control over her shapeshifting) immediately before going into a form with no idea how to reverse, but. . .she's going to need to think a bit before she can finish this sentence.
As Rein feels pride, Harley knows she should be feeling more jealousy right now, but it's hard to feel jealous while your neck is being kissed.
She magnanimously gives back the drink in gratitude.

'Ready' isn't ready what she would call it -- she hasn't been in a situation where she's let herself be forcibly shifted in a long time -- but it's probably an accurate enough description. "Oh! Um, first! In case it takes me more than a couple days to figure out how to turn back . . ." she starts off, about to list off everything he'll have to do with Manja, including feeding times and bedtimes and everything, but decides, "Nevermind, you already know it. Ready." Besides, she's turning into a cat, not going on vacation. She can (probably) still make sure Manja eats and goes to sleep on time, and such.

When he shifts, Harley goes through the same type of transformation.
She's a cat now.




[Angles sans Curves]

Venus goes with Vax to the Fourth Tower's lobby. "Alright. Well, okay, thanks," she says, thinking about how she can never think of a non-awkward way to say 'bye' to someone. "Um."
So.
She heads back to HALO.


And so, Venus returns to the underwater base. (She's a redhead. Got yellow and white flowers in her hair. Notably, has humanlike legs at the time.)
She sighs because she really liked the weather back at there, but. . .oh well.

Time to get used to here, and come up with an attack plan against those cultists.
Also, like, figure out what she's going to actually do here. She would have probably tried to pick a room, but (to be honest) sleeping isn't really something she needs to worry about.

[Shadowcaller]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

Reina tilts her head and frowns at Zhareen, uncertain if the sea snake was trying to make fun of her or not. She was difficult to read.

She's never heard of visions as spirits before, certainly not possessing some level of intelligence. The study of visions must have come a long way. "Riiight. A cat-parrot-dog who wants to go on a walk, eat a cracker, and sleep on your lap. Uh, but I didn't even realize they were visions until after the fact. How do I say no to something I don't actually recognize?"

Wait a minute. What if the visions have started long before that moment with the bird? How much of her life was fake?? Is she even here right now?! How can she tell!?! Oh right, the parrot. She'd never envision something with him in it. So this was at least real and happening now.

Probably.

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

"You can't tell the difference between vision and reality? Hrm... that's a new one." Zhareen rubs her chin thoughtfully. "Did young Astrana say more about your condition? Since it sounds like you just suddenly gained it. The way it usually works is that an oracle, or prophet if you will, leave themselves open to possession by these spirits. They then enter their body and fulfill their purpose, which is the vision, and then they disappear. Perhaps your case is different though."

[Reinholdt]

[Cool Cat and Reinholdt]

"Oh... yeah, that might work. Get him talking about himself and he'll end up spilling something eventually," Rein admits. It's not the worst plan in the world. Aside from the fact that it meant dealing with Magtok and Rein's kissed one too many Magtoks today to want to think about that.

"You know I could always change you back too right? Well... I guess that kind of defeats the point of learning yourself though." The option is always there though, which can be nice in the event of emergencies or something. As far as Manja though, Rein's got this. He's been caring for her as much as he's been able given work and Harley's own sensibilities. He's a little sad Manja always has to sleep with Harley, but Rein's nowhere near as durable in the event Manja suddenly grows spikes during a nightmare.

Harley's a Russian Blue Alikil! If she was expecting raw cat, then she missed on the fact that she'll have opposable thumbs in addition to the retractable claws. And more importantly, the vocal cords necessary to speak Nexusian.

Rein brushes up against Harley and rubs his head against hers. "How's everything? Ok?"

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

"Ah yes, possession. Astrana mentioned it, but not in regards to the visions themselves but where they come from. I was part of a hunt for a thunderbird for the benefit of a client and Astrana thinks they sought to consume the thunderbird's essence. But they botched the job somehow and some of that essence went to me. And now it's guiding me according to a spectrum." Reina frowns. "Apparently guided in this case means double layered possession if the vision spirits are possessing the thunderbird spirit that's possessing me."

It gives her a headache just thinking about it.

"That was her working theory anyways. She wanted me to confer with you to make sure what I'm having even is actually visions to begin with."

[Shadowcaller]

[Fourth Tower Lobby]

"Ohh! You're possessed! Yes, that explains it." Zhareen claps her hands together. "Then its more of a lamprey than a pet- er, don't look that up by the way."

Hopefully Reina didn't know what a 'lamprey' was.

"What I mean is that its a more intimate relationship than one usually have with a pet. It removes the choice out of equation and makes you take in every stray vision you come across. They're almost like predators really, luring in visions and consuming them." She gestures at Reina. "In this case using you as bait. But there is a way to confirm all this. If I'm able to share with you a vision and it doesn't seem different from the other ones you've had so far I can for sure that all of this is true." Zhareen now points at the door that she came from. "It's either that or standing around in circles for a while and that isn't terribly fun is it?"