HALO 184: Red and Grey All The Way

[Ironsmith]

[Airbase]

"Damn right, I'm joining." Vlad replies with a grin. "You're giving me quite the project here. It's been a while since I've had a job I could really sink my teeth into. Obvious exception aside, of course." He says, tapping one of the suit's fingers against his chest.

[5a Violista]

Sadly, Marin's not looking for Arlem on the list, so she just assumes Arlem's somewhere else on the poster that she hasn't looked yet.

She debates going to check the place where it says Honeysuckle might be, because...well, what if she came in while Arlem wasn't looking? or something. "So what do you normally do?" she asks Arlem. The 'here' is implicit.

---

Unfortunately, Marin isn't there. Nobody could have foreseen this, but...she's just not there.
Seems she took work off and left, presumably to take a vacation or something.

[Recaiden]

"Religious services, some library science, occasionally information-gathering." Arlem lists off.
Of course, none of that is here, per-se.
"And you, when you're not reading manuals?"

In a just a moment, Marin's phone should get a message from Honeysuckle that says 'enjoy the vacation'.

[5a Violista]

"Wow, those sound really useful," Marin says. Seriously, library science is a lot more important than it seems at first! If nobody else can find the information, then it might as well not exist.

"When I'm not reading-" The catgirl hears her phone and pulls it out without stopping "- them I mostly just do my job which is-" she pulls out messages to read "- basically just repair and maintenance. Like, plumbing, walls, robots, machines, thi-"

Now, she actually stops talking, as she tries to process the message. Vacation? What vaca...? "Oh! Um. Sorry," she says. She realizes what this is about, fortunately.

Marin click 'reply'. Not on vacation, just got the day off she types.
"Um, so yeah. Just repair and maintenance and things like that."

[Reinholdt]

[Airbase]

"Alright. Welcome aboard!" Reinholdt smiles. "I'd, uh, shake your hand but I'm afraid you might crush mine." Power suits are really good for a lot of things.

This basic social interaction is probably not one of them.

"I'll throw the little details at you later and set you up in a room that you're free to personalize as you see fit. Otherwise, I'll just let you get to work then. Do you have any questions for me before I go?"

[Ironsmith]

[Airbase]

Vlad shakes his head. "Not really, no." He looked something like Rein had just put a beautifully trimmed turkey in front of him and then stood directly in the way while offering him salt. He was eager to get started; any questions he did have were going to wait until later, assuming he didn't just figure things out on his own.

Still, he didn't feel quite right not ending this interaction with a handshake. He leans back and rolls his shoulders, starting up the sequence to open up the suit. The chestpiwce unfolds to expose the tiny cockpit used to operate this device, with Vlad crammed inside it. With a grunt of effort, Vlad pulls himself free from the suit and hops down to Rein, extending his hand for that all-important handshake.

[Recaiden]

"Wow, those sound really useful," Marin says. Seriously, library science is a lot more important than it seems at first! If nobody else can find the information, then it might as well not exist.

"When I'm not reading-" The catgirl hears her phone and pulls it out without stopping "- them I mostly just do my job which is-" she pulls out messages to read "- basically just repair and maintenance. Like, plumbing, walls, robots, machines, thi-"

Now, she actually stops talking, as she tries to process the message. Vacation? What vaca...? "Oh! Um. Sorry," she says. She realizes what this is about, fortunately.

Marin click 'reply'. Not on vacation, just got the day off she types.
"Um, so yeah. Just repair and maintenance and things like that."

Arlem gives a shrug. "It is, but a lot of it is just, well, someone has to do it."

"Your job sounds quite important as well. So much depends on machinery. Just look around here."
"Anyway, that poster is all they have for finding people." And it doesn't sound like the other catgirl is going to help find anyone, the way things are going.

[Reinholdt]

[Airbase]

Oh. They were going to do this anyways. Reinholdt was kinda hoping to skate by without it, but whatever. Human interactions were weird. "Very well." Rein will shake Vlad's hand, to seal the deal as it were.

"I'll leave you to it then. Try not to have too much fun." Rein half waves before turning to head out and leave Vlad to his engineering process.

[5a Violista]

Marin does have to admit that there's a lot of machinery around here, and that if someone didn't do the repairs here then people's lives would be at risk.
But in other places, it's not as important and is one of the jobs people want the least. "And whoever does the repairs here is probably really good at what they do," she says.

Too bad about the poster thing. "Well, I guess there's no-"
Marin interrupts herself: "Oh!"
Should've thought of this earlier.
She messages back to Honeysuckle: Hey! What are you doing?

[Purple Eagle]

[The Doctor Is In]

"Just Reinholdt is fine," Rein assures Svetlana, motioning to the chair across from him so she can have a seat at her leisure. Cybernetics, huh? Well she had to be more useful than the exceptionally reluctant Magtok. "Have a seat. Would you like anything to drink?" He asks, setting a pair of tumblers on the desk once he's slid some paperwork to one side, dangerously close to falling off the desk.

"Can I ask what 'underlying issues' you're referring to?"

[The Doctor Is In]

Svetlana nods and takes her seat, crossing her legs and placing her hands on them. "No thank you, I am all right." She says, looking around the office in an effort to try not to ogle him, that'd be unprofessional.

Then he asks her about her issues, and she turns to look at him, taking a deep breath. "I lost my husband and my baby in a car accident, and would have joined them had I not been given this body to save my life. A very annoying former coworker of mine in VIGIL took certain actions that ensured I snapped and tried to kill him. Upon realizing what I had done, I suffered a devastating nervous breakdown that brought me clarity... so I quit before I could get fired, and have spent the past year at home, getting help."

[Reinholdt]

Outside Sans Inside

"I can make plants grow faster, so I wonder if I can make myself heal faster, too," Venus says, mostly to herself.
Not without access to her church, is the answer. So, no, not without going back into danger.
And since I hadn't decided before, it was her left shoulder that got hit. She sighs. "I recently was given some swordfighting manuals by a skeleton in a tomb. I imagine this Nurse will tell me to not swing around a sword, right?"

Venus waits for the shuttle to open.
"It's, like...well, it should be similar to the other stuff I can do. The 'making things grow fast' is technically...making things that aren't real, real. The illusions are making false sensations feel real. And if my powers are logically consistent, the 'Charm' is probably making someone feel or want things in a way that isn't real, either." She sighs. It's not a very helpful description.
The door opens, she carefully enters because she's not sure if deer-feet will slip on the floor or not.
"Someone who knew what she was talking about described it as 'Making dreams become reality' but...honestly I don't get what that's supposed to mean or how it helps me understand how to do it. Really vague description."

[HALO Sans Angels]

Maybe if she got shot in the hair? It may depend on how much flower Venus is or how restrictive the growing thing is. Which being restricted to a place of power is a pretty powerful restriction.

"With your left arm? Not for a few weeks. With the other arm? Maybe a few days." It's good to have both arms while swordfighting most likely. Rein doesn't know for sure, but suspects there's a balance thing going on since most people don't have tails.

He steps inside the shuttle and it closes with hiss before sinking down to HALO in a torrent of bubbles. "I'm not sure I'd say making things grow is causing something to be real that isn't. Mmm... maybe more of causing something that would be real in the future to be real now? That sounds more accurate. Seems like a logical jump to get from growing to charms though. You sure she wasn't just messing with you?" You could probably connect just about any opposing magical ideas if you describe it in a weird enough way.

The shuttle itself isn't slippery. The floor of HALO might even normally be fine, but someone recently decided to arrive with a power diving suit instead of the shuttle and incidentally got water all over the floor as a result. Something that's normally avoided by the shuttle trip. So Venus may slip on her way out.

[The Doctor Is In]

"Alright," Reinholdt almost pours himself a drink, but changes his mind at the last second and gets water instead. He's still nursing a headache from all the drinking he did before Svetlana arrived that made him fall asleep in the first place. Everything was too bright and too loud. Water would help.

He listens quietly, watching her not watch him. It made sense she couldn't make eye contact. She felt intimidated of authority figures after her ordeals with VIGIL. Even if Rein is just a glorified secretary. Reinholdt is mildly surprised to hear of the abuses she's endured. He was under the impression VIGIL had been getting better than that lately. But it seems some of the old ways still linger.

If Svetlana was telling the truth. Rein's experience with partial robots have only been steeped in steamy, heart-pounding deception and intense friction. Reinholdt had no reason to doubt her at this time though, nor did the issue seem to be especially problematic to any employment. The way she said clarity kept Rein a little alert, but it's no less worrisome than any of the other researchers, scientists, and magicians here looking for clarity of their own.

"I'm sorry to hear about your loss. That's a tragedy no one should have to endure," Rein says with too deep an understanding. He doesn't want to dwell on it for any particular length of time either so he kicks back a swallow of his water and clears his throat. "Well then. Welcome to HALO."

[Recaiden]

Marin does have to admit that there's a lot of machinery around here, and that if someone didn't do the repairs here then people's lives would be at risk.
But in other places, it's not as important and is one of the jobs people want the least. "And whoever does the repairs here is probably really good at what they do," she says.

Too bad about the poster thing. "Well, I guess there's no-"
Marin interrupts herself: "Oh!"
Should've thought of this earlier.
She messages back to Honeysuckle: Hey! What are you doing?

"Actually, I think the repairs here are done by other machines, robots, that..." Huh.
"Well, I'm off to the library."

Honeysuckle answers before too long.
"Went to visit you. Bad timing?"

[5a Violista]

Marin wonders who does the repairs on the repair-robots.
...
Actually, she got her job herself because the robots she works for didn't want to do repairs on themselves.

"O-okay. Have fun reading. Was nice meeting you," she says to the other catgirl.

She waits until she's alone to check her messages again, to be less rude.
Haha, horrible timing. Just went to visit you.



HALO Sans Angels

Venus sighs: "I'm left-handed, though."
"Ish. Left-handed-ish." That's a thing.

"She described it all to me that way before teaching me how to do it." Venus tries to think of a good way to explain why it is that way, can't, then decides showing it is probably actually best.
"Usually, making things grow is literally just making things grow, but apparently that's not how I do it. Um..."
Venus reaches at her hair, finds a seed pod thing, and picks it.
"For example. If you have an iron knife, pull it out."

She breaks apart the pod and grabs two of its seeds, holding one in each hand.
The seeds seem to quickly grow into two identical fancy wooden swords.
"Cut one of these. And, in, oh...a minute, cut the other."

The one cut immediately falls apart into the seed surrounded by magicky nothingness and spiderwebby dreamstuffs that dissolves like cotton candy in the rain.
Trying to cut the other one later reveals that it's actually very solid wood, almost as resistant to cutting as a steel sword.
"Like that. Not quite 'growing' but...y'know." And a yellow flower ball like the ones in her hair sprouts from the wooden sword's handle.


Upon stepping out of the shuttle, she slips on the wet floor.
Two of her legs splay out, but luckily she still has two more. And she catches herself with the shuttle's doorframe.
Unfortunately, that sends a shock of pain through her shoulder when she catches herself.

Should've put out a 'wet floor' sign.

[Purple Eagle]

[The Doctor Is In]

Svetlana's eyes finally settle on his, and for a moment she just stares as she takes in those eyes, those ears and... everything! Like a bishonen anime character that just stepped out of the screen and into this office. A sound involuntarily escapes her lips, and it sounds remarkably similar to the sound female foxes make during their heat cycle.

She tries to cover it up by clearing her throat and pretending nothing happened, choosing instead to focus on what he said. His empathy of her loss sounds genuine, like he can relate.

So, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, opening them and looking at Rein directly, eye to eye. Her confident self returns and she holds her head up high. "Arigatou, Reinholdt-san. I will endeavour to be a member this organization can be proud of. I possess formidable combat skills and body augmentations, so I can be useful in a fight. I can provide entertainment if needed as well, I used to be a professional figure skating champion."

No need to sell yourself further, Svetka. You're already in!

"I used to have a particular vendetta against AMEN and its leaders, but Wenomir-san assures me AMEN has become a joke. I am curious as to the whereabouts of its former leaders: Magtok, Harley Zorzo etc. Does the organization have files on them I can peruse? I admit to being curious." She asks, matter-of-factly.

[Zefir]

[Reinholdt's Office - Mr.C]

After a while of none there Reinholdt might here something like a spring set free. A bit like when the toaster is done followed by the sound of a bag hitting the door. It's not very loud so it's hard to hear. For a few moments there is no sound behind the door. Suddendly someone is knocking, assuming the person is called in the door get's opened. In front stands a man 5'6" tall. This man seems to be a half dragon. His body and face look like those of a human, but green scales grow on his cheek, arms and back, which also lead in a set of wings and a tail. His hair is greenas the scales and his eyes also shine green. He only wears jeans and an amulet around his neck.

"You wanna talk to me?" he says. Reinholdt might know that voice, since it is Mr.C's.

[Reinholdt]

[HALO Sans Angels]

"Well I guess you'll just have to rest then. Better than pulling something and making it take longer to recover." Is probably what a nurse would say. He's probably overstating the recovery time really.

Rein wonders if he needs exactly an iron knife to make this work. Steel? Silver? Stainless steel? Mythril? Did it have to be iron? Did he even have an iron specific knife? Probably, but he just pulls out a survival knife and hopes it's iron or something.

Fortunately it doesn't seem to have mattered much. "I... see." It certainly isn't possible to argue with dreamstuffs. And the latter one has certainly become 'real'.

The wet floor sign is unfortunately in a blind spot from the shuttle pod! Someone put it too close to the corner. Why didn't they just clean it up?

"Whoa!" Reinholdt reaches out to try and catch Venus, for all the good it could do. She's a bit bigger than he is. Fortunately she caught the shuttle door so his intervention isn't that helpful but it might be a little bit of extra stability. He withdraws his hands once the danger is passed and he's helped pull her back to a standing position that isn't splayed out. "Are you ok?"

[The Doctor Is In]

Reinholdt quirks an eyebrow at the sound. It was... familiar. He think he heard Callie make it a few times? In decidedly different circumstances. And it was a long time ago. He's probably misremembering. It was probably some cybernetic thing. See? Svetlana is clearing her throat.

Was pretty cute though.

"Oh, are you still able to figure skate despite the accident? Though we don't really have any rinks here outside of perhaps the Simulation Room." Hasn't really been any demand for it before. "Though, uh, we don't really expect members to entertain anyone. Just working on the projects they want to research."

Svetlana gets to her request, but Rein shakes his head. "We don't really keep that kind of information. While we have some degree of combat readiness, it's hardly our focus. I must disagree with Wenomir, however. AMEN is not a joke, neither now or prior. It's a cycle." He pours himself a fresh glass of water and takes another sip. "Evil terrorizes Good. Good defeats Evil. Evil festers through vengeance, corruption, or greed. The circle begins anew again. And again. And again, forever and ever. You would find yourself best avoiding getting swept up in that meaningless pattern. Nah, we focus on helping the overall prosperity of civilization itself through technological and magical advancements. That, at least, is actual progress."

Or so Rein claims at any rate.

"Admittedly, the names you mentioned are, by my understanding, the least effective leaders of AMEN?" Magtok on account of not actually getting to lead and Harley on account of getting distracted by an injury or something. "How would you feel if I told you Magtok now worked for HALO?" Better to feel this out before mentioning someone actually important, like Harley.

[Reinholdt's Office - Mr. C]

The door opens for Mr. C after a few knocks and Reinholdt stands there holding it for him. What? Who was this? He swears... how is he supposed to check for shapeshifting infiltrators when 80% of their members are natural shapeshifters, new, and/or power robots?! They sounded kinda familiar at least. That stuffed lizard? Did it get ahold of a magic wish making wand? "Yes, of course. By all means." Rein beckons Mr C inside.

The office itself is cozy. Nice rug, nice chairs, fancy desk, liquor cabinet, bookshelf, and even an antique looking record player, though it's actually one of those faux new ones that just look antique. A glowing purple crystal sitting on the desk stands out as does a red hood hanging on the wall for decoration, which is odd because it looks old and tattered with holes. You usually want something nicer looking than that.

Reinholdt moves to close the door behind Mr C. "Come, take a seat." He tries to put his hand on the half-dragon's back to try to gently lead him to the chair. As he does so, his hair changes color! Well sort of. His hair is still blue, but now it has a streak of red running in a stripe. It's honestly very strange change. But Rein is watching to see if Mister C's hair changes in the exact same way. That would be an even stranger change. But it's the test he's got. Works only on a very particular subset of shapeshifter though and it's unlikely to affect Mr. C in any way.

[Zefir]

[Reinholdt's Office - Mr. C]

If Reinholdt can tell, he might see that it is the amulett that allows Mr.C to go in this form. The half dragon is lead to the seat and appears a bit shaky on his legs. The pushing, even gently, makes it more obviouse that he isn't used to that. As for the hair change, nothing happens to the half-dragon. Not only can't he see it if it is outside his vision, but also this is a set image. No changes allowed. He takes the seat.

"If you didn't knew it's me, Mr.C. I guess you already knew by the voice. I remembered I had that and thought it might be less unpleasant."

Reinholdt does have this hungry look in his eyes most of the times when they are in the same room and Mr.C didn't thought about getting him some sandwitches. It should be obviouse that he is not used to this body as he shofts on his seat.

"How can I help you?"

[Recaiden]

Marin wonders who does the repairs on the repair-robots.
...
Actually, she got her job herself because the robots she works for didn't want to do repairs on themselves.

"O-okay. Have fun reading. Was nice meeting you," she says to the other catgirl.

She waits until she's alone to check her messages again, to be less rude.
Haha, horrible timing. Just went to visit you.

Arlem is also wondering what repairs the repair-robots. Repair-robot-repair-robots? Themselves? One very overworked mechanic everyone has forgotten?
We may never know.

Honeysuckle's next message is simple. That's a cute situation they've ended up in, actually.
"Haha. Meet up somewhere?" What's halfway between their workplaces?

[Purple Eagle]

[The Doctor Is In]

Good, he didn't notice too much!

She stretches her hand out for him to have a look, then withdraws it. "Yes, thanks to this elegant body of mine. The simulation room will do nicely, it is what I used to practice even after retiring from the sport. It still is an activity I enjoy." Svetlana says, making it clear that it's more for her own enjoyment than for others. If anyone wants to be entertained, she'd use cybernetics to do so. That, and anime.

She listens attentively, then turns her head to the side with her thumb and index finger holding her chin as she thinks on his words. "I must disagree: when good men do nothing, then evil triumphs. No one is above good and evil, even if they imagine themselves to be. Especially as the greater the technology and magical level, the greater the possible damage to be done if unchecked." She shoots him a sidelong glance, smirking slightly. "I do agree in that things are neither good nor evil, for instance science and magic... it is who wields them that makes the difference, Reinholdt-san. My scientific pursuits serve the greater good." She finishes, looking straight at him once more with a smile.

When Rein asks his final question, her eyes widen as she's momentarily taken aback, making a sudden 'oh!' sound. In the next moment, a smile appears on her face. "Well, as long as he truly has repented of his sins, then I will have nothing but good feelings." The question does remind her of what a shapeshifted Yoru said about Harley in an attempt to get her off her back. "An acquaintance of mine tried to assure me that Harley Zorzo also has turned over a new leaf. As long as that is true, I would not mind befriending her... if I could find her, that is." She has no reason to think Harley's in HALO too, after all.

[Felandria]

[Airbase]

Rein leads Vlad out of the portal area into one of the hangars. There's an unsettling amount of dust and rust. But there's also a decent number of aircraft. Mostly older and modern pieces fortunately for Vlad. "A lot of the newer, higher tech stuff was kept by the RCA for their national security. Which is fair really since they were pretty much sole donor of all this equipment to begin with. What's left is... serviceable, but don't expect any stealth planes." Well Rein presumes they're serviceable. He'll let Vlad tell him that. "Mostly just recon and transport gear left. Which, you know, is fine for our aims."

[Reinholdt's Office - Felandria]

Reinholdt shakes his head. "No, I'm not here to ask for help, thank you though. I'm trying to figure out what your goals are. Your personal objectives, you know?" Rein smiles at Felandria, hoping rephrasing the concept will suffice.

Felandria considers this question for more than a few seconds.

I......

Long term, I still want to ascend and enter the pantheon.

Short term, I don’t really know.

I mean, I’m sure I’ll eventually run for re-election as mayor of Eastside.

Well, election.

I think I’ve done alright, got things rebuilt and everything.

Everything here is running smooth as silk, got a new girlfriend, Reginald is getting along with my new ducky, Doug.

........

Gotta admit though, I’ve got this itch in the back of my brain, I need something to fight, a big mission to undertake, something heroic to accomplish, ya know?

- - - Updated - - -

[Couple Tour]

"Okay, hun. Now, whaaat next... I hear you have a Pool? It'd be ever sooo delightful if I could have a little peek on our way to the Shooting Range?" Rosie suggests.

Oh yeah, the pool is great, I’m looking to install a little lazy river around the perimeter, too.

Let’s go.

Fel takes Rosie in a poolish direction.

[Reinholdt]

[Reinholdt's Office - Mr. C]

"Yes, the... lizard plushie correct?" Reinholdt has no inherent magical senses to what causes plushies to become people. He may only make educated guesses. "Can I get you something to drink?" He motions to his extensive liquor cabinet. Plenty of alcohol to choose from.

"Oh I didn't ask you here for anything formal or particular. I wanted to check in and see how things are going for you. And see what you're working on. I can't say I'm very familiar with your expertise." Probably because he gets distracted each time they meet. Distracted and hungry.

[The Doctor Is In]

Reinholdt nods slightly at the outstretched hand. It was a work of art, undeniably.

It takes effort for him not to roll his eyes though. Fortunately he succeeds. "Yes, that adage about doing nothing is such the popular reply, you'd think people swear on it as they do religion. And while I'll agree that it is true on a moment by moment case, it doesn't change that good people do do things. And yet evil persists. I will not downplay the heroics of those who actively protect people, but I speak purely on a macro level where the cycle is continuous and unfaltering. In which the dog chases his tail."

He waves his hand. "All that's pretty irrelevant here. Utilizing scientific pursuits for the greater good is precisely HALO's goal and mission. You'll fit in well. Is there any particular project that has your interest at the moment? We could arrange for materials and tools be gathered for you."

Reinholdt smiles back at her, a flash of warmth to cover up his concern. "Well, I certainly can't speak of Magtok's repentance. You'd have to talk to his demi-goddess, Felandria about that. Only that he's rarely in the base anyways." Rein knows the truth. Magtok hasn't changed. He'll never change. Magtok is a menace and Rein can only pray that Svetlana does something rash and puts Magtok down. That would be the greatest good a person could do over doing nothing. "It was rare to seek out specific people once begrudged in order to befriend them. Do you have some history with Magtok and Harley? And who is it exactly that says Harley's turned over a new leaf?"

[Reinholdt's Office - Felandria]

"Oh yes. The Eastside Election is coming up soon, isn't it?" Reinholdt doesn't actually know at all, just presumes so because it was brought up. "That's bound to be exciting."

He takes a sip of rum and nods a little. "I can kind of understand that desire. I still occasionally feel the need to rob houses and destroy everything. Haha, kidding." Given the sheer number of meetings giving him headaches today, he may be kidding less than usual.

"Anyways, let's focus on that goal then. Ascension. I'm sure we could do a fair amount of research about that. I've known a foxgirl who ascended. She is not around anymore sadly. I think Dorotea was studying something about it too? I might be mistaken. But she and the Fourth Tower are both excellent resources. I thoroughly recommend you talk to them. See what you can't discover. Is there any details about your Pantheon that might help?" Having something to do is better than having nothing and this was as good a project as any for a demi-goddess!

[Zefir]

[Reinholdt's Office - Mr. C]

Mr C nods at the first question, thought he would have described it a bit different. Well good thing Rein didn't say little snack thing.
"No thank you." he says to the drink. "I'm still not used to this form and alcohole would make it worst. This form can only last for an hour, maybe two, befor it needs to recharge."

"My expertise would be more in the history part. I have read a lot of books over my lifetime. If you remember we met sometimes in an adventure, but i didn't found anything of intrest so I don't have any research material right now. Felandria might say my expertise is cuddeling due to my... soft nature."

[Reinholdt]

[Reinholdt's Office - Mr. C]

"Sounds like you need to take advantage of alcohol while you still can. But your choice." Reinholdt shrugs, and pours himself a drink instead. He wonders why everyone else never wants to drink. Keeps him relaxed.

"I think I remember. The time tower puzzle thing right?" Reinholdt usually remembers the loot more than the friends he ignored along the way. "That does sound like Felandria."

Reinholdt shakes his head. "Anyways, history huh? But no projects?" Probably just lazing about in Felandria's room getting cuddled! For shame? Reinholdt thinks for a moment. "Well history research is always valuable, so let's find you something to do yes? Unless you already had something in mind." Rein takes a drink and is silent for even longer as he ponders an option. Someone's already looking into that fairy tale thing of Maria's. What else is there? "Oh. How about you... investigate the history of the demons that attacked Riverside? I hear they're an ongoing thorn and it wouldn't hurt to have more information about them. Alternatively there's been a lot of fey movement recently." Either of these topics would probably be worth delving into.

[5a Violista]

Most importantly, if the repair-robots are repaired by robots, do the repair-robot-repair-robots also repair themselves, or do they have other robots repair them? Is it like the 'two barbers in a town where one has a nice haircut and the other doesn't' sort of situation, where the one that's better at repairing is in a worse state of disrepair?


Sure, it's cute, but it's also a slightly frustrating situation. If just one of them had stayed put, then they could've easily run into each other faster and spent more time together.

Marin leans against a wall, and responds to the message. "Yeah, sure," she replies. "If we both leave right now, there's a few small towns between here and there." Almost certainly in a train station, assuming they both take the train.

Speaking of, she thinks she should probably go back to the shuttle. The catgirl pushes away from the wall and goes back to the entrance, to wait for a shuttle to the surface.


[HALO Sans Angels]

Since it's a survival knife, it's probably some type of steel so it probably works as intended.


Fun fact!
Even with deer legs, Venus only weighs about as much as the average human man.
It's because her legs come from one of the smallest species of spotted deer.
She's quite a bit longer than one, though.
Since that's where most of the length of her body is, it's very likely he'd have to grab around her waist or around her deer-body to help her before she falls.

Once helped back up, she says, "Thanks." Getting back upright with your legs splayed out is really hard. Especially because they just slide back down and out as you try to stand back upright. Especially since using one of her arms hurts a lot.

She tries to move a single foot up and down and around, to feel how slippery it is.
"Yes, I'm fine," Venus eventually says. "Just need to...um..." She tries taking a step. "Make sure I don't take too big of steps. And that my legs go straight down. Not sure if human-feet would help or hurt in this situation. Shoes would definitely help, but." Y'know. Not wearing shoes.

[Recaiden]

What they need is two robots with equally general repair capabilities.

It's true. If only either of them had communicated something to the other beforehand, instead of trying for a surprise, they wouldn't be in this mess.
"Yeah. Meet at Townside Station, kay?" That should be right near the middle, so it'd be the best spot to meet up. Save time. As long as neither of them get delayed further. But it's not like they couldn't send a message if that happened. Surely.

[Reinholdt]

[HALO Sans Angels]

Huh. Venus did weigh much less than Rein was expecting. That's good. He's no weightlifter and asks Harley to open the pickle jar whenever it comes up.

"Gosh, I'm so sorry about that. This is usually much drier. It was supposed to have gotten cleaned up by now. I wonder if the robots are working..." It would be a bad day if they stopped.

He removes his jacket and lays it on the largest, most offensive section, covering the slick floor with an easier to grip material. Past that is relatively easier going, especially once outside of the shuttle bay.

"Let's quick stop at the infirmary first," Reinholdt recommends, leading the way once she's free of the dangers of slipping. "You need a pair of sandals you can hang on your waist or put in your purse or something." Or learn to shapeshift like Rein and have the clothes meld instead of being left naked. It would be quite terrible if Rein's clothes just fell off every time he catted.

[Zefir]

[Reinholdt's Office - Mr. C]

"Sounds like you need to take advantage of alcohol while you still can. But your choice." Reinholdt shrugs, and pours himself a drink instead. He wonders why everyone else never wants to drink. Keeps him relaxed.

"I think I remember. The time tower puzzle thing right?" Reinholdt usually remembers the loot more than the friends he ignored along the way. "That does sound like Felandria."

Reinholdt shakes his head. "Anyways, history huh? But no projects?" Probably just lazing about in Felandria's room getting cuddled! For shame? Reinholdt thinks for a moment. "Well history research is always valuable, so let's find you something to do yes? Unless you already had something in mind." Rein takes a drink and is silent for even longer as he ponders an option. Someone's already looking into that fairy tale thing of Maria's. What else is there? "Oh. How about you... investigate the history of the demons that attacked Riverside? I hear they're an ongoing thorn and it wouldn't hurt to have more information about them. Alternatively there's been a lot of fey movement recently." Either of these topics would probably be worth delving into.

[Reinholdt's Office - Mr. C]

Mr. C doesn't comment the alcohole futher. It seems like Reinholdt is more used to drink then he is.
Maybe people think of this more like a work talk and drinking while working isn't something you do. Maybe he can use that to identify shapechangers.

"Yes." Mr. C nods. He still has the gem who enlarges/shrinks people depending on the users mood.

"I'm open for any Projekt. Right now I only work on a better way to get myself around the base.
As for the subject, If the Fey are the more recent I would investigate them. The demons didn't appear since riverside as far as I know. Was the fey related to the rats in riverside?"

[Purple Eagle]

[Couple Tour]

Rosie follows Fel to the pool, and they get halfway there before she gets an idea. So, she holds on to Fel and gets small enough to climb her, then gets so small she can sit comfortably on her girlfriend's shoulder. "I like riiiiding your shoulder." She simply states.

"We should have a swim when we're done, if you have time, my dear. It'll be ever sooo delightful!" If Fel has time, that is.

[The Doctor Is In]

"The eradication of evil is a greater task than mortals can hope to achieve, we can merely do our part to aid those above in their efforts." Svetlana states, pointing to the sky. "Besides, moral indifference merely sells in the short term. Say what you will, but the Nexus would be worse off without organizations like GLoG. Nonetheless, I am able to civilly agree to disagree." He's not a criminal that needs to be-

No, Svetka, we're no longer like that! Her fox ears stand up straight and stiff, then flop down as she thinks this. Then Rein starts to reply her and her ears return to 'listening positon'.

She brightens as the conversation shifts to scientific pursuits. "Of course! My main field is cybernetics, I possess a Ph.D which I gained after retiring from figure skating to focus on science. I also have extensive knowledge on artificial intelligence." She states, uncrossing and then crossing her legs as her white-furred tail swishes behind her. "And... I want to see if it is possible for me to be a full white fox. The ears, tail and vulpine abilities - such as heightened hearing and sense of smell - are my Talent, I was not born a foxgirl. (note: remove until deciding whether or not to retcon this)"

On the topic of AMEN, she notes Felandria's name and nods, intending to do just that. She'll need to keep an eye on him, in any case, ensure he doesn't compromise HALO. The question, however, causes her to take a deep breath before responding. "When I was new to the Nexus, I once found myself facing a crime boss who tried to sell out AMEN to buy enough time to distract me and try to kill me. He got as far as mentioning Magtok and Harley Zorzo before pulling a gun on me and getting impaled for his trouble."

She readjusts her seating and leans in. "I am more interested in Harley, however. I admit mentioning Magtok was a means to hide that fact. The circumstances in which she disappeared bothers me... my theory is that she either is a shapeshifter or has the ability to turn invisible, but I have no way of proving it. As for who it was who told me about her, that would be Annaliese Schmidt, a schoolgirl vampire sheriff." Svetlana thought she was so cute with the juxtaposition of her anime-like appearance and that stern face. "She has an informant who is close to Harley, and who says she has redeemed herself. I decided that if that was true, I would like to try befriending her."

Svetlana looks down at her lap, out of character for one so confident. She closes her eyes, then opens them again and looks up at Reinholdt once more. "I must do this, not just for her to know she is in no danger from me, but for me to know I have moved on from my crusade."

[Reinholdt]

[Reinholdt's Office - Mr. C]

"I dunno about that. I've heard the demons have been active still, just not as big active as the Riverside thing was." Reinholdt shrugs. Mr. C seems more interested in the Fey and that's fine.

"But I have no idea if fey are responsible for rats. That can be part of your research mission." Reinholdt never understood why the rat thing was a problem in the first place. Sounded an awful lot like free food to him. Humans are so picky.

[The Doctor Is In]

Reinholdt has his own thoughts on the roles of good above and evil below, but it seems Svetlana was too firmly entrenched in the cycle. More words could not dislodge her, nor let her see the picture he's seen. His stance was clear enough, best not to press the issue.

Cybernetics and AI is more interesting anyways. He rubs his chin a bit. "Well, someone of your skills could take a look at the Simulation Room server. There was some outdated and undercleaned hardware in there that caused a malfunction recently. But we haven't had anyone with enough expertise look at it to fix it."

He takes another drink as he listens to Svetlana's tale. Right. Don't pull a gun on her is what he got out of that. And also a schoolgirl vampire sheriff? So... like... some sort of extreme goth hall monitor? He didn't think Harley had any relations to schools. She hadn't mentioned teacher as one of her occupations, but maybe she just missed one.

Reinholdt leans forward very serious for a moment. "I don't know how new you still are to the Nexus, but a word of warning about it. Here... people just disappear. No shapeshifting, no invisibility, no explanation. And at first it seems like everything's normal. You were just talking to them. And slowly something fades away and it's just... they're just gone. You can search for them and search for them for days and weeks and years, but there's no trail to follow, no bad guys to shoot, no clues real or fake. There's just... nothing," Rein's voice sounds pretty strained. "It's a thing that happens here and it's just something you should be aware of."

He leans back, wishing his water were wine and wondering why he poured himself such a weak drink to begin with. Stupid. "So honestly I think you're better off looking for friends with people who haven't disappeared. There's actually someone I'd like to introduce you to. His name's Vlad. He's probably working on the airbase, but I think the two of you could really come up with some very unique ideas together with your skills. Still, you've mentioned a vendetta. And a crusade. What exactly is this, uh, crusade you're talking about?"

[5a Violista]

[Headed to Townside]

Marin replies 'Okay' and goes back to the shuttle to take it to the surface, to the station, to...

As it turns out, her train does get delayed.
There's a guy ranting about something-or-other on the train tracks, and the conductor has to call someone over to take care of it.

At first, Marin doesn't think it's necessary to send a message about the delay, because she assumes it's going to be really short. But after it takes slightly longer than anticipated, she quickly wises up and figures that she ought to say something before arriving half-an-hour later than should-be-expected becomes something bigger where one of them walks off to get a drink and they just barely miss each other....or something like that.
Also, the AC's broken on this train car.
So, a short while after they start moving again, she sends a message to complain about the broken AC and the ranting man who wouldn't get off the tracks.


[HALO Sans Angels]

When someone's centaur-like, you'd expect them to weigh about as much as, if not more than, a horse. So he's completely justified in thinking she weighed more than she actually does.
Deer are, as it turns out, actually a lot lighter than horses. Especially female deer.

"It's fine, I should have been more careful," Venus says, not concerned about the state of the cleaning-robots. She doesn't know if they're just cleaning robots or if they're sentient robots who happen to clean or if somebody just forgot to plug them in overnight or something. If she was concerned with something she didn't know anything about, she would never stop being concerned about it.

After carefully going past the wet floor, Venus keeps on walking. "Yeah, just carrying around a pair of Havaianas or something would be really simple." She sighs: "Wish I had been the one to think of that. It's such a simple and ingenious solution, too." Shapeshifting would be a really cool thing to learn, too.

Well,
They get to the infirmary in one piece.
That's good.
She obeys the instructions and everything.