Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[Giovenith]

"Well I mean, I wear my sweater and coverings, but I mean, it just looks like something so cliche', like my mom signed up for the Ugly sweater contest or something. I think that's a local tradition from the Human town we live in, not sure though, never cared. Well, she musn't have won, because now I have them." Toscha chuckled. "But yeah something more my style would be appreciated, but you don't have to."

He examined the sweater and shrugged. He didn't really know what else to say about it. It looked to fit quite comfortably though. "Nice, yeah, at least it ain't white, right?"

"A small price to pay for the gift of mothers, in the long run," Willow chuckled. "Even when we are grown, yes? The hoof that rocks the cradle rules the world, as it were. Yes, at least, lest it stain, and then you have worse to face. But I digress..." The pegasus folded his wings and took a few steps forward in the hall, clops muted by the carpet. "I wasn't doing much of anything productive with my time, so if you'd like, we could find someplace more appropriate to lounge in. Perhaps the dining or living room this place has?" It wasn't as if Pippa-Michelle was letting him back inside his own room anytime soon.

Even Willow was rather overturned by how quickly he had befriended Toscha, normally not being so quick to jump at the chance of a new friend. But unlike most initial encounters with other ponies, Toscha had proved fairly quickly that there were core points to the two could connect upon, and the Lamia already carried another friend's seal of approval. Besides, even the most lonesome hermit in the world would whisper occasionally just to have a voice to hear; Willow could do with more companions in a world of the unfamiliar and dangerous.

[Cerillium]

"Ha! Well if I've got extra, I'll certainly bring some back, yes?"

Bran seemed ecstatic, he'd have wiring for a long many projects ahead of him, if he decided to make even more things, but all he wanted to do was simply start a repair business. "Well, I might keep some of it to help out with some things around the shop, if you don't mind." He nodded, patting Rachelle on the back, who was watching to see how they were loading the wire.

Sunlight glinted off the spools as the priests loaded them into the truck. Marcus monitored the proceedings for a few moments before turning his attention back to Bran.

"You needn't return any. Use it as you want. We wouldn't offer it otherwise. We have plenty and many of our devices don't utilize wires of this sort. Pay it forward if you don't want the excess. I'm sure there are schools you could donate the leftovers to."

He pulled his robes tighter to ward off the cold. "Is there anything I can do for you? I'll need to focus on preparations for vespers soon."

[Cerillium]

Datus studied the component for a while. He blinked a lot when studying it as if he was mentally taking snapshot photos of the device. He then, without warning, stopped blinking and stared at the device. His eyes dilated with his mind gone blank of thought or thinking. 30 seconds later he snapped out of it and continue to examine the orb, only this time he found himself with a minor headache. Few minutes later his headache became worse, he looked up a Wren and gently tugged on her to get her attention.

The soft ticking changed pitch and tempo as Wren roused herself back to human consciousness. She seldom dreamed. Parts of her cortex had been replaced by processors; she'd, in part, lost the ability to attempt to find meaning in the random signals that a natural cortex would recieve during REM sleep. Her augmented cortex interpreted and organized information from her environment during her moments of unconsciousness. The technology involved often deprived her natural cortex from trying to interpret these signals, and the end result was that her mind didn't create a "story" out of fragmented brain activity.

That isn't to say that Wren didn't dream. She'd been having an interesting vision involving the monitors springing to life and Datus restructuring them all to make a symphony to calm Barox. It was a lucid moment that coupled reality with her own imagination. She smiled in defiance of logic and lifted her hand to caress the child's head.

"What is it, Datus?" she whispered. "Bored?"

[Germanic Templars]

Datus studied the component for a while. He blinked a lot when studying it as if he was mentally taking snapshot photos of the device. He then, without warning, stopped blinking and stared at the device. His eyes dilated with his mind gone blank of thought or thinking. 30 seconds later he snapped out of it and continue to examine the orb, only this time he found himself with a minor headache. Few minutes later his headache became worse, he looked up a Wren and gently tugged on her to get her attention.

The soft ticking changed pitch and tempo as Wren roused herself back to human consciousness. She seldom dreamed. Parts of her cortex had been replaced by processors; she'd, in part, lost the ability to attempt to find meaning in the random signals that a natural cortex would recieve during REM sleep. Her augmented cortex interpreted and organized information from her environment during her moments of unconsciousness. The technology involved often deprived her natural cortex from trying to interpret these signals, and the end result was that her mind didn't create a "story" out of fragmented brain activity.

That isn't to say that Wren didn't dream. She'd been having an interesting vision involving the monitors springing to life and Datus restructuring them all to make a symphony to calm Barox. It was a lucid moment that coupled reality with her own imagination. She smiled in defiance of logic and lifted her hand to caress the child's head.

"What is it, Datus?" she whispered. "Bored?"

"No," He replied, then to go and add on. "My head hurts really bad around the frontal lobe of my brain. Also, my eyes are hurting me too." He gave a pained look on his face as he looked up at Wren.

[Cerillium]

"No," He replied, then to go and add on. "My head hurts really bad around the frontal lobe of my brain. Also, my eyes are hurting me too." He gave a pained look on his face as he looked up at Wren.

She scanned his body to determine his temperature.

"Feeling dizzy or nauseated?" she asked. It could be something as harmless as eye strain but she wouldn't take any chances in a child so young.

She peered into his eyes to examine his pupils. "Don't get sick on me. We're already a man down," she chided although she remained concern for his sake.

[Germanic Templars]

"Is that a wild Aleki I hear?! Natiya, what did I tell you about bringing them home!" Rylli shouted back, stil somewhat quiet though, Tolya was giggling in his crib, playing with the tiny little helicopter Swith gave him. "Aww, but mom, can I keep him?" Natiya pouted back, walking into the living room, rolling her eyes. "Realistically, though, I'm older." She poinked Rylli on the nose, and sat down.

It was true, Natiya was 26, and Rylli was merely 23. Of course, Rylli never expected to be married and have a kid already, but hey, life happened.

"So! Aleki's back?" She grinned at her Husband's sister.

He then walked to the side of the couch, sitting on the arm of the chair. "That I am, and still in one piece." He replied with a bit of optimism.

---

"No," He replied, then to go and add on. "My head hurts really bad around the frontal lobe of my brain. Also, my eyes are hurting me too." He gave a pained look on his face as he looked up at Wren.

She scanned his body to determine his temperature.

"Feeling dizzy or nauseated?" she asked. It could be something as harmless as eye strain but she wouldn't take any chances in a child so young.

She peered into his eyes to examine his pupils. "Don't get sick on me. We're already a man down," she chided although she remained concern for his sake.

Body temperature was normal. "No, I feel fine except this headache I got." His eyes were slightly dilated when went to look at his eyes.

From the front, Barox mumbled something though he could never fully say it, due to being stuck and just coming out of his haze.

[Cerillium]

Body temperature was normal. "No, I feel fine except this headache I got." His eyes were slightly dilated when went to look at his eyes.

From the front, Barox mumbled something though he could never fully say it, due to being stuck and just coming out of his haze.

"We should have one of our pediatricians look at you," she soothed him. Her hand caressed his cheek. "Just to be sure. What were you doing just before the headache came on?"

There were several good ones affiliated with the hospital. She didn't see a need to bring in a neurologist although there was also one who assisted with trisomy cases.

Barox's mumbling caught her attention and she leaned forward to give his hand a squeeze. "Waking up?" It was possible that Datus had a history of headaches; Barox, were he more awake, might be able to enlighten her.

[New Aksarben]

Drova was starting to glare at his best friend, wondering why he was pressing him with so many questions about how he was acting last night, even though Drova couldn't explain it either, now that he was back to normal."I shouldn't have enjoyed it, I-I don't know what came over me, alright?" The prince shuddered even more, one could even say he was shaking. A few tears streamed down his cheeks from all the stress. "I'm just so confused, alright? Lay off. I can handle myself. What goes on in my own head is my own business. Not yours."

The outburst wasn't meant at Octavian personally, but for his incessant questioning about it, like he was a prisoner being interrogated by his jailer. He now knew what the feeling was like.

"Fine. I was just curious, Drova." Octavian replied with a nod. It wasn't often the prince gave up when curious about something unusual to him. "You probably just weren't thinking the same, or were disoriented by suddenly changing into a girl. But I'm just a bit worried about if you're feeling alright. You seem a bit different from before. I'm not sure why, but you just seem that way to me. But I'll stop talking about this now." Octavian gave a small smile to the other prince, showing he did indeed care for his friend's well-being.

"Now, how about we do something else for a while? Did you not say you wished to go out and find a shooting range? Or am I mistaken? It could have been you said something other than that." Octavian pulled himself off the bed and extended a hand towards his friend to help him up. He was still smiling slightly, which was quite odd for the Prince to do in general. He rarely smiled at anything, yet he couldn't help smiling to Drova.

---

Blossom looked up at Albert and smiled with a nod. He seemed to be in a rather good mood today. "Yes, it seems like we are always both busy. Interesting seeing as how we live in the same apartment." She took a break from cleaning to (literally) float over into the kitchen and have a seat. 'So then, what has been going on in your life these days?" she asked.

"Oh, not too much, amicus. I have mainly been building and programming a virtual reality room on the communal floor. IT should be quite fun once it is operational. Which it should be after a few more days of work. The brilliant thing about my home is that due to its age, we've become quite adept at producing easily constructional things like this. Its a wonder many of my citizens even get outside at times. Most homes have nearly everything a person would need.

"Except for true socialization of course. There's quite a difference between seeing someone in person and seeing them over the 'Internet', as its called in this universe." Albert spoke as he continued cooking the eggs in the pan to his satisfaction. He briefly paused to flip the eggs back over, before resuming. "Many of my home's newest generation believe its just the same. Ugh. Most of them spend their entire day on their electronics. I, for obvious reasons, remember when it was normal for teenagers to be more interested in physical activity than doing things online. But times change."

The personification shrugged and sighed, his small rant ending with that. Despite looking 30-something, it was obvious from that that he was much older. He only rarely ranted about change like this, but it always bothered the personification when things changed too rapidly. He did represent the more conservative and reactionary parts of his nation after all. And that included many of the grumpy old men who hated everything new.

---

The cultists continued to mop up the milk while Klaus gave the boat matter some thought. When he spoke again, it was in Sigtrygg's native tongue.

"Finding a boat is easy. Minerva could assist us by finding one in time that's been damaged or abandoned. There are so many things to consider when doing that. They study the boat's impact on the future, for example. Does the wrecked boat inspire a young woman who would one day give birth to a future king? It's dangerous to pluck things out of time without thought. We might steal one from a museum but the wood would all need to be replaced and it would be theft. I'm not fond of theft."

His finger tapped his jaw as he submerged into his thoughts once more. There was a right way to go about things. There was a wrong way. And then there was the best way.

"We'll buy one."

A smile creased the lines of his face. "Yes. Best way to do it. There's a place of keeping in what is now Roskilde, Denmark. They have five boats on display that were found at Skuldelev. Those ships were sunk to protect the harbor. But, my dear companion, this museum also has a boatyard and they build these beautiful boats by hand in the traditional ways. One of these would do well for you. It would be basic and rough. Your hands could complete the work to your satisfaction right here in Bielefeld."

His excitement grew. His eyes turned to the ocean outside the window and the small park near the building. (He chose to ignore Hans and Chrys huddled together near the concrete wall.)

"We could build a boatyard there, just beyond the park. It would be covered and heated. We'll buy the tools. We'll send men to harvest the wood. We'll acquire building permits! Building permits are the blessings of the lords of this city. They grant us permission to do our work. Very important, Sigtrygg."

Buying things and using proper channels seemed a stretch from Chaos' usual tactics but Klaus was a methodical being and, having dealt with the city's asinine government prior, he was aware of how touchy they were whenever anyone did something in the way of construction or alterations.

"What do you think? Also, how big? How many men do you want it to carry? There are many types and I'll confess that I'm not knowledgeable in this area. Don't worry about cost. I've been drawing salary for thousands of years and never use it. It's my gift to you, out of respect for your pantheon and the hospitality they've shown me over the ages."

Sigtrygg listened carefully as Klaus spoke, and his smile grew as he mentioned buying a boat. The viking instantly agreed that would be the best thing to do. While his kin tended to steal riches as they raided villages and various other places throughout Europe, it was definitely not highly looked upon to steal from others when not at war. Raiding was war, and thus anything captured was spoils of war, and not stolen. The Vikings weren't alone in this idea by far. Many people throughout history had practiced similar systems, from the Mongols to the Romans. So It was a bit obvious which plan Sigtyrgg would agree to.

"Yes, It would be best to buy a boat. How should we get to Denmark, though? It is across the ocean, and we lack a boat to carry us across it." Sigtrygg responded in Old Norse. He was definitely not aware of the fact that airplanes could carry people long distances without a boat, so he could think of no other way to leave the city. "But if we could get there it would be quite nice to get a boat that would require very little effort to finish building.Then I could personalize it before it is finished, and get a good feel for it before even sailing. A captain must know his ship well after all."

The viking then stepped back onto the floor after seeing the milk seemed to be cleaned up for the most part, and listened intently as the War God spoke to him and told him about the 'building permits' and the possibility of having a boatyard to house whatever ship they would buy in the near future. He nodded in agreement to that idea, "Yes, it would be a perfect spot over there for a boatyard, I agree. I would be able to head over there often to check on the vessel to make sure it stays seaworthy during the winter, and to work on it over time. That is a great idea, Klaus.

"And these Lords are the same ones who I met for that gathering a while ago? When they offered to employ some of us to protect the city. I've been meaning to get back to them on that too. I do not do much besides watch for any fighting at Chaos. I would be quite happy to help serve the rulers of this city as I did the Roman Emperor in Miklagard. I would be very happy to help in some way or another. I just have not had the chance to go visit them as of late."

The Viking sighed happily at all of this planning, glad that he would soon have a ship to sail the water again. The viking always felt at peace when sailing, even if it was to war. It was calming to hear the nigh soundless ship slip through the water when it was calm and peaceful, and to powerfully stand strong against waves and storms when it was not calm. The boats created by the Norse were nearly as hardy as they were. It took a special kind of man to adjust to a new world as rapidly as Sigtrygg had. But even then, he felt like a stranger, and not a true resident of this new realm he lived in.

His revelry over sailing was broken when Klaus began asking him questions again. "Oh, A karve would be just fine. It is small and carries plenty of people for anything I would need it for. But I would love to own another longship. A Dragon Boat as it is called by the Frankish people of Europe. They are absolutely beautiful, but I would need several men to help me if I would ever want to go sailing. With a longship I might as well start a trade of ferrying people back and forth across the water! I could still do that with a Karve, but at least I can handle that ship alone."

[Germanic Templars]

Body temperature was normal. "No, I feel fine except this headache I got." His eyes were slightly dilated when went to look at his eyes.

From the front, Barox mumbled something though he could never fully say it, due to being stuck and just coming out of his haze.

"We should have one of our pediatricians look at you," she soothed him. Her hand caressed his cheek. "Just to be sure. What were you doing just before the headache came on?"

There were several good ones affiliated with the hospital. She didn't see a need to bring in a neurologist although there was also one who assisted with trisomy cases.

Barox's mumbling caught her attention and she leaned forward to give his hand a squeeze. "Waking up?" It was possible that Datus had a history of headaches; Barox, were he more awake, might be able to enlighten her.

"Well I was having a dream, I then woke up. then after that I started to examine my object, after that while observing it I blanked out for I do not know how long. I shrugged it off though thinking it was nothing and went back to observing. After a while my head started to hurt a little, a few minutes later it started hurting even more." He explained fully.

Barox made an attempt to squeeze his hand but it came out a bit light. Again he tried to mumble something, though due to it being only one word it sounded close to "yes".

[Erucia]

"Oh yes, a bit last minute but there is plenty of room. Can I get your name and number for our records?" Doris asked as she quickly and quite embarrassedly put away the magazine and assumed a more professional posture at her keyboard.

"Quite a busy day." she mumbled to herself as she sat at the ready. Three guests for the tour was quite the peak, and at the same time too.

The door to the left tuned green and slid open, revealing the circular white tunnel that was as brightly lit as the lobby with plenty of space to walk through.

Oh.....Well, shit. Wonderful job preparing for this. Why on Earth didn't I expect them to have a registry? I can't just waltz on in, say I'm a guest when I'm not on the list, and get the secret facility tour...Ray's thought process ran quickly, wondering how to respond. It was a very simple question, but it was quite the difficult one. He couldn't fake a number: he had no clue if it was as simple as '24' or as complicated as '1024402'. The only thing he could do now was try and run along.

"Oh...Raymond Jansma, for the name. I'm afraid I wasn't informed of my number, it was a little bit unofficial: I had a conversation with Arthur Von Eldritch. He told me about this tour, said I'd sort the investment details out later?", Ray replied as honestly as he could, but internally he felt it was rather half-assed. "S-Sorry, it was rather spur-of-the-moment with him."

[Swith Witherward]

their was a sudden blinking of their surrounding as though the entire world had been turned off like an old TV. Around them was a black seething and chattering that sound completely in humane and menacing. Their was the violent nashing of teeth, violent screams and wails and beastial roars that echoed in their ears. Then it was over and they were standing across the street from the shop. Aegis looked down to make sure she was unharmed, his mask steaming in the cold night air. "You good?"

Naomi's eyes were wide. She blinked and tried to sort the last few moments even as the horrific sounds still echoed in her memory. Her hands found their way to his robes and she grasped the material with delicate fingers. Her eyes grew even wider.

"Do it again!" she squealed. A brilliant smile broke across her face and betrayed her childlike zeal for the strange and extraordinary. "That was fun!"

"That sounds good, we should be all set up by dinner." Jonathan agreed, Just as excited and relaxed as he wasn't being hunted down with a price on his head. With a quick check of the weather in his head, he continued.

"Ah, as winter approaches they do shut themselves in. It's a cold blood thing, on top of the general paranoia. But I'm sure we can engineer a situation. But I doubt they'll even leave in the relatively cold weather." he replied. He was still a bit nervous about running into them since they were quite brilliant and usually figured everything out, then again they could be fooled by a moustache and a fake accent.

Caroline clucked her tongue. "I'd forgotten about the winter. Perhaps we could figure out a reason to visit them? I think we'll be just fine as long as you don't do anything Fortu-ish inside their house. We'd have to remember to play it off as never being there. I doubt Bob would recognize us. My scent is completely changed and you have a new body. So, perhaps we could ring their bell and compliment the garden, or ask who does their landscaping? Something like that."

How on earth do we pull this off?

She hadn't any idea about getting them to come out, of course. They must shop for food, unless they dispatched Scarface for such mundane tasks. Perhaps he could be the element to draw them out?

She threw on clothing and pulled shoes from the closet. "Well, if push comes to shove, we'll just knock on the door and say Hello."

[ApertureScienceInc]

"No, er, no, not at all..." Calvin said, partially sorry he said a word. Talk of lizardmen and and hazards laying in every can made him slightly less comfortable, but he was partially certain that the man must have been going insane. It wasn't too far-fetched an idea, even his own paranoia of the world surrounding him did not extend to such bizarre notions. Calvin stepped just once back from Dr. Koontz, unsure if the man would go into a fit on mad rage or simply carry on with his business to Calvin's modest agitation.

Of course, even though he probably was completely mad, Calvin would look just a bit more than usual for lizard-like traits in other people, after all, he seemed to be of a vaguely similar circumstance.

Koontz squinted and had to settle for the conclusion that Calvin was relatively human.

"Alternate universe roulette is quite tricky to deal with, you see. We never know if things are suitable for life as we know it, but the only way to get results is to jump right in. And now I'm stuck in this place I shouldn't be, unsure of how close the frame of reference to my universe is."

Koontz took the top off of the milk and sniffed. Satisfied with the smell, he poured a glass and sipped it, gradually taking bigger gulps.

"At least milk is milk...I think." he added as he wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jumpsuit.

[Germanic Templars]

"Well when I first found him, near death with conjunctivitis and a fever, I felt like he deserved more. But that isn't the main thing, what he was like... Well he was a well known kid in his schools that he went to, especially high school. Made a lot of friends both in high school and the army. Now all around about him, he was a very respectful and straight forward person who, if saw wrong, would correct it. Though that was him during his teen years and adolescents. Now the few things that didn't change about him was his energetic behavior he had when he was a child. My goodness he was a pain for a while, but he was worth it."

--

He took the other wing and handled with care as he healed it form the injuries.

"For a while?" Charumati giggled. She began to recount the story of the mech suit within a mech suit, adding in her own side of it where she clung to the canopy glass and ended up with flatmeat deer.

She was still giggling at the end of her tale. Truly Thriller was Mr. Adventure. It was his vibrant personality that had first drawn her to him. Well, let's be honest. He pretty much caught her attention when he moved into her living room and set up shop. She recounted those stories as well and then moved on to talk about her visit to Gliese and the tea house as well as adventures in Krute territory.

"Tell me, please," she sighed, "what prompted him to travel so far from home? How did he end up on Gliese?"

--

Xanthe flapped both wings. Perfect. They were working just fine. Better than fine!

She leaned over and kissed Lucius' cheek. "Thank you. I hate looking manky. I don't mind being in this form but wings should be white and clean."

The angel sat. "What were you doing that kept you away for so long?"

"Well from the letter he sent me, he did it for the safety of his daughter, to explore new planets, and provide better life for the lucky 10 million in his fleet."

__

"Why so long? Well the fighting took a while since assholes could just re spawn a few times. After the fight I had to help restore hell to an equilibrium state. Then after that, Superbia and I just messed around for a while.

[The Damnatius]

"No, er, no, not at all..." Calvin said, partially sorry he said a word. Talk of lizardmen and and hazards laying in every can made him slightly less comfortable, but he was partially certain that the man must have been going insane. It wasn't too far-fetched an idea, even his own paranoia of the world surrounding him did not extend to such bizarre notions. Calvin stepped just once back from Dr. Koontz, unsure if the man would go into a fit on mad rage or simply carry on with his business to Calvin's modest agitation.

Of course, even though he probably was completely mad, Calvin would look just a bit more than usual for lizard-like traits in other people, after all, he seemed to be of a vaguely similar circumstance.

Koontz squinted and had to settle for the conclusion that Calvin was relatively human.

"Alternate universe roulette is quite tricky to deal with, you see. We never know if things are suitable for life as we know it, but the only way to get results is to jump right in. And now I'm stuck in this place I shouldn't be, unsure of how close the frame of reference to my universe is."

Koontz took the top off of the milk and sniffed. Satisfied with the smell, he poured a glass and sipped it, gradually taking bigger gulps.

"At least milk is milk...I think." he added as he wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jumpsuit.

"Alternate... universe..." Calvin said, trying to consider what it was he was speaking of. By his description, he had a slight idea, and decided to respond, out of pure curiosity, setting down the small collection of odd foods he would retreat to his room with for usage later.

"Wait... you're... you're not from here... like... this universe? That's... what?" He said, stumbling in his words. The man's casual attitude made it seem all so simple to understand, and he of all people should know that there is more than what meets the eye, but had simply assumed he'd stumbled upon some severely retrograded splinter of humanity in one of the few remaining habitable worlds somewhere in the galaxy, that he had made a short journey from one point to the other. Such things were rumored to exist, details were never given, but this seemed to fit what they spoke of quite well... however... something in his mind now began to put the puzzle together all the way, slowly, but certainly none the less. Then of course, the question that had never occurred to him did. Everything here... was ancient, but it wasn't. Maybe it was too simple a fact to realize, but everything was far beyond old, he was inept to just how large a technological gap there was, even if this particular splinter of people decided to slip back a couple hundred years, some of these things were lost in the years gone by. He looked up towards the man, tilting his head slightly, and asking a very simple thing...

"What's the year?"

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

Oh.....Well, shit. Wonderful job preparing for this. Why on Earth didn't I expect them to have a registry? I can't just waltz on in, say I'm a guest when I'm not on the list, and get the secret facility tour...Ray's thought process ran quickly, wondering how to respond. It was a very simple question, but it was quite the difficult one. He couldn't fake a number: he had no clue if it was as simple as '24' or as complicated as '1024402'. The only thing he could do now was try and run along.

"Oh...Raymond Jansma, for the name. I'm afraid I wasn't informed of my number, it was a little bit unofficial: I had a conversation with Arthur Von Eldritch. He told me about this tour, said I'd sort the investment details out later?", Ray replied as honestly as he could, but internally he felt it was rather half-assed. "S-Sorry, it was rather spur-of-the-moment with him."

Although the mention of Arthur didn't provoke a reaction from the receptionist, the camera snapped to attention and focused more closely on Ray. Doris typed Ray's name into the guestbook registry, which unknown to her was forwarded along the security network straight to the top. The automated system was quite aware of several key individuals.

"Okay, the investors tour begins in five minutes, just go to the first open door on your right and there will be a Nurse-bot to guide you along with the others." Ms. Perry informed Ray as a blue line lit up on the floor showing the clear path to the tour group. It pulsated forward indicating direction.

Caroline clucked her tongue. "I'd forgotten about the winter. Perhaps we could figure out a reason to visit them? I think we'll be just fine as long as you don't do anything Fortu-ish inside their house. We'd have to remember to play it off as never being there. I doubt Bob would recognize us. My scent is completely changed and you have a new body. So, perhaps we could ring their bell and compliment the garden, or ask who does their landscaping? Something like that."

How on earth do we pull this off?

She hadn't any idea about getting them to come out, of course. They must shop for food, unless they dispatched Scarface for such mundane tasks. Perhaps he could be the element to draw them out?

She threw on clothing and pulled shoes from the closet. "Well, if push comes to shove, we'll just knock on the door and say Hello."

"Yes, the straight-forward route. They are fond of visitors, and I can keep my impulses under control." Jonathan agreed still a small bit nervous, but not showing it.

He doubted that they would ever leave the place again. He knew it was possible for them to become completely self sufficient with access to many raw resources that were often scammed or stolen.

Jonathan put on his vest before cringing at the imaginary vibration in his head. The factory forwarded the info about Ray's visit, flagged because of the mention of Arthur. Data poured into his head as a complete background check was received. He rubbed his temple like he had a bad headache.

"Why did I ever think, that wiring my brain to the internet was a good idea. I gotta make the alerts less jarring." he commented and thought about what to do. Ray claimed to be an investor and did have the funding to be legit. But several details in the extensive check bothered him. He decided to just ignore it unless something suspicious occurred.

[Cerillium]

Notices began to spring up inside the building. They were stapled to bulletin boards, taped to walls, tucked under doors and stuffed into mailboxes.

There was a Tenant meeting on Sunday. There wasn't any reason given but, as many people knew from prior meetings, these things weren't called for silly reasons.

[Tiltjuice]

Dora looked calmly back at Katya, nodding in acceptance. There was still the daredevil in her - the motorcycle stunt rider and orbital skydiver. She stepped firmly on those urges, though. Katya was here, she was real, and she came with a set of responsibilities Dora wasn't about to shirk.

"Count on it. I'm not leaving, not as long as you want me here," the redhead replied, more seriously than her average languid tone. She sat forward, her gaze intent. "Sleep is a long way off. For now, let's just enjoy ourselves."

She signaled a waiter. "Spicy beef noodles in soup and a Pepsi, please," she said for herself, and then gestured casually to Katya.

Something about Dora's change in character both made Katya giddy, and disappointed her a little. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was just....she'd ask soon. For now, it was a time to rest.

"Steak. Just plain steak, and a little more tea, please. Medium rare on the steak?", She asked the waiter, and then shifted her gaze over to Dora again. "As I said, I'll pay for my part. I feel spend today!"

She was starting to tap her fingers together, with a fairly wicked, and happy, grin.

Finished scribbling, the waiter nodded. It seemed that little time had passed between his leaving and coming back with the food and drink - one of the main draws that kept people coming back to Chaos. Quick service.

"Sure, why not? Here's to Dimitrov Security!" Dora raised her heavy, weighted tall glass, the liquid inside fizzing merrily.

She paused, then tipped a grin with a hint of mischief Katya's way while waiting for her to complete the toast.

Elsewhere, Luce had finally talked MB into flash-jumping Dia back to Dora's apartment. The room shook as the big man sat down heavily.

[Primordial Luxa]

their was a sudden blinking of their surrounding as though the entire world had been turned off like an old TV. Around them was a black seething and chattering that sound completely in humane and menacing. Their was the violent nashing of teeth, violent screams and wails and beastial roars that echoed in their ears. Then it was over and they were standing across the street from the shop. Aegis looked down to make sure she was unharmed, his mask steaming in the cold night air. "You good?"

Naomi's eyes were wide. She blinked and tried to sort the last few moments even as the horrific sounds still echoed in her memory. Her hands found their way to his robes and she grasped the material with delicate fingers. Her eyes grew even wider.

"Do it again!" she squealed. A brilliant smile broke across her face and betrayed her childlike zeal for the strange and extraordinary. "That was fun!"

"That sounds good, we should be all set up by dinner." Jonathan agreed, Just as excited and relaxed as he wasn't being hunted down with a price on his head. With a quick check of the weather in his head, he continued.

"Ah, as winter approaches they do shut themselves in. It's a cold blood thing, on top of the general paranoia. But I'm sure we can engineer a situation. But I doubt they'll even leave in the relatively cold weather." he replied. He was still a bit nervous about running into them since they were quite brilliant and usually figured everything out, then again they could be fooled by a moustache and a fake accent.

Caroline clucked her tongue. "I'd forgotten about the winter. Perhaps we could figure out a reason to visit them? I think we'll be just fine as long as you don't do anything Fortu-ish inside their house. We'd have to remember to play it off as never being there. I doubt Bob would recognize us. My scent is completely changed and you have a new body. So, perhaps we could ring their bell and compliment the garden, or ask who does their landscaping? Something like that."

How on earth do we pull this off?

She hadn't any idea about getting them to come out, of course. They must shop for food, unless they dispatched Scarface for such mundane tasks. Perhaps he could be the element to draw them out?

She threw on clothing and pulled shoes from the closet. "Well, if push comes to shove, we'll just knock on the door and say Hello."

He smiled at her glee his mask reflecting it with a gold charm. They suddenly vanished occupying the same rubbery seething black maelstrom that they had before, all motion and idiotic noise that over whelmed the senses. the sensation lasted for about 3 minutes and when they reappeared it was atop the Eiffel Tower overlooking Paris. a group of people surrounding them had looks of shock on their face but Aegis didnt stay long and another quick jump later they were inside the original coffer shop.

[ApertureScienceInc]

"Alternate... universe..." Calvin said, trying to consider what it was he was speaking of. By his description, he had a slight idea, and decided to respond, out of pure curiosity, setting down the small collection of odd foods he would retreat to his room with for usage later.

"Wait... you're... you're not from here... like... this universe? That's... what?" He said, stumbling in his words. The man's casual attitude made it seem all so simple to understand, and he of all people should know that there is more than what meets the eye, but had simply assumed he'd stumbled upon some severely retrograded splinter of humanity in one of the few remaining habitable worlds somewhere in the galaxy, that he had made a short journey from one point to the other. Such things were rumored to exist, details were never given, but this seemed to fit what they spoke of quite well... however... something in his mind now began to put the puzzle together all the way, slowly, but certainly none the less. Then of course, the question that had never occurred to him did. Everything here... was ancient, but it wasn't. Maybe it was too simple a fact to realize, but everything was far beyond old, he was inept to just how large a technological gap there was, even if this particular splinter of people decided to slip back a couple hundred years, some of these things were lost in the years gone by. He looked up towards the man, tilting his head slightly, and asking a very simple thing...

"What's the year?"

"Well, this is twenty-thirteen but my universe Aperture Prime is still in nineteen eighty-five. Time displacement can occur since time flows at different rates and directions in some universes...or it is just a matter of people starting calendars at different points. I'm Dr. Stephen Koontz by the way." he introduced himself and held out a hand to shake. It was nice for him to meet someone who wasn't a horribly mutated monstrosity here. Of course he'd been to worse places in the multiverse, including one dominated by praying mantises and one ruled by a sentient glowing cloud that ate people's skin and rained dead animals. But he was never stuck in any one of those for more than a day.

His knowledge of the nature of the multiverse came from that he was a scientist that spent ten years helping build a machine to cross over between them. Sure it was more complicated than the Portal Device and more cumbersome and unpredictable to use, but he loved that he worked on something that those snobs at Black Mesa didn't think of.

[Torsiedelle]

Finished scribbling, the waiter nodded. It seemed that little time had passed between his leaving and coming back with the food and drink - one of the main draws that kept people coming back to Chaos. Quick service.

"Sure, why not? Here's to Dimitrov Security!" Dora raised her heavy, weighted tall glass, the liquid inside fizzing merrily.

She paused, then tipped a grin with a hint of mischief Katya's way while waiting for her to complete the toast.

Oh, what was that? Dora always up to something...

It only made Katya grin back, and she toasted with some embarrassment, and everything seemed good. Why, how fancy things seemed right now, even though they were just sitting down to lunch. She loved times like this. They made her feel on top of the world, and she would thrive on every second of it by simply resonating energy and happiness.

"Things are really turning out fine for me, no?", She asked. "It'll only be a matter of time before I'm bigger than the bank! Oh, I promise we'll both benefit greatly from this, and I intend to keep that promise, don't you worry! This'll be great!"

.....

"Yo, Yoshi, wait up!", Tora giggled, running up behind him. Despite the chill, Tora was feeling absolutely great, and who knew? Ice cream made it colder, but not in a bad way. It was putting her in a more excited mood, emphasized by the risen pitch of her already always-cheery voice.

"Goin' to the Market District? Say, while we're at it, when we get the fish, I'm gonna get a steak for my dinner. I got the perfect place for it, too. So, since i don't really know my ways around here, I'll let you lead? Pretty please?"

[Tiltjuice]

Oh, what was that? Dora always up to something...

It only made Katya grin back, and she toasted with some embarrassment, and everything seemed good. Why, how fancy things seemed right now, even though they were just sitting down to lunch. She loved times like this. They made her feel on top of the world, and she would thrive on every second of it by simply resonating energy and happiness.

"Things are really turning out fine for me, no?", She asked. "It'll only be a matter of time before I'm bigger than the bank! Oh, I promise we'll both benefit greatly from this, and I intend to keep that promise, don't you worry! This'll be great!"

Dora felt the sheer excitement coming off of Katya at everything coming together.

"Oh, definitely. I'm not worried - I trust you." She gave Katya a mock-serious look, before chuckling briefly. "I really am looking forward to it, you know. And with that said - let's eat!"

As she followed her own suggestion, she began thinking ahead. What if, what if. Those were some things she'd have to talk about with both Katya and Yoshi - but later. For right now, everything was all about celebrating.

[Torsiedelle]

Oh, what was that? Dora always up to something...

It only made Katya grin back, and she toasted with some embarrassment, and everything seemed good. Why, how fancy things seemed right now, even though they were just sitting down to lunch. She loved times like this. They made her feel on top of the world, and she would thrive on every second of it by simply resonating energy and happiness.

"Things are really turning out fine for me, no?", She asked. "It'll only be a matter of time before I'm bigger than the bank! Oh, I promise we'll both benefit greatly from this, and I intend to keep that promise, don't you worry! This'll be great!"

Dora felt the sheer excitement coming off of Katya at everything coming together.

"Oh, definitely. I'm not worried - I trust you." She gave Katya a mock-serious look, before chuckling briefly. "I really am looking forward to it, you know. And with that said - let's eat!"

As she followed her own suggestion, she began thinking ahead. What if, what if. Those were some things she'd have to talk about with both Katya and Yoshi - but later. For right now, everything was all about celebrating.

"Aaah, if you say so.", Katya playfully pouted.

All in all, the meal was good (Katya was something of a carnivore), and she was quick to finish eating, leaving Dora to her own devices, and finishing her drink. The entire time, she felt at ease, which, even on slower days with nothing to do, she hardly every felt at ease. Maybe it was just because she was away from everyone, doing nothing important, not trying to impress or look good for anyone, just following her own whims and thoughts....

It wasn't often she got to sit back and think to herself, either. She had fallen silent, her eyes looking as if she had spaced out for a while, but she was deep in thought. She arms crossed across her belly in a defensive manner, and it was as if she had retreated into her own mind, but she wasn't that far gone, and she occasionally watched Dora, or looked around the room.

[Tiltjuice]

"Aaah, if you say so.", Katya playfully pouted.

All in all, the meal was good (Katya was something of a carnivore), and she was quick to finish eating, leaving Dora to her own devices, and finishing her drink. The entire time, she felt at ease, which, even on slower days with nothing to do, she hardly every felt at ease. Maybe it was just because she was away from everyone, doing nothing important, not trying to impress or look good for anyone, just following her own whims and thoughts....

It wasn't often she got to sit back and think to herself, either. She had fallen silent, her eyes looking as if she had spaced out for a while, but she was deep in thought. She arms crossed across her belly in a defensive manner, and it was as if she had retreated into her own mind, but she wasn't that far gone, and she occasionally watched Dora, or looked around the room.

Dora's smile deepened. Katya's spirit was returning, and she loved seeing that. She took a bit longer to finish, enjoying the spicy flavors mingling with the fizz and sweetness of the soda; her palate was a bit strange, although at least she hadn't poured the soda into the noodles. Polishing off the rich soup, she sat back.

"This is nice, isn't it? Just the two of us, able to hang out like old times? Plus one, of course," Dora added, nodding to Katya's belly.

[Torsiedelle]

"Aaah, if you say so.", Katya playfully pouted.

All in all, the meal was good (Katya was something of a carnivore), and she was quick to finish eating, leaving Dora to her own devices, and finishing her drink. The entire time, she felt at ease, which, even on slower days with nothing to do, she hardly every felt at ease. Maybe it was just because she was away from everyone, doing nothing important, not trying to impress or look good for anyone, just following her own whims and thoughts....

It wasn't often she got to sit back and think to herself, either. She had fallen silent, her eyes looking as if she had spaced out for a while, but she was deep in thought. She arms crossed across her belly in a defensive manner, and it was as if she had retreated into her own mind, but she wasn't that far gone, and she occasionally watched Dora, or looked around the room.

Dora's smile deepened. Katya's spirit was returning, and she loved seeing that. She took a bit longer to finish, enjoying the spicy flavors mingling with the fizz and sweetness of the soda; her palate was a bit strange, although at least she hadn't poured the soda into the noodles. Polishing off the rich soup, she sat back.

"This is nice, isn't it? Just the two of us, able to hang out like old times? Plus one, of course," Dora added, nodding to Katya's belly.

"Yea, it is!!", She exclaimed in possibly the loudest reply she had ever given, pretty much a happy yelling. Her eyes almost popped out with the enthusiasm, too, as she threw herself back into her seat.

"I mean, I love this stuff! This is what I wanted to do, with us two and Kei, just have a nice time together! Well, at least we got to hang out. That counts a lot, though."

Her smile twisted into a smirk, accompanied by a perturbed expression in her eyes. It was quick, but noticeable before her expression went back to its happy state.

"Ya know, we really need to all hang out more! I mean, remember way back when we three would get a drink and gossip? I love doing girl stuff like that, but it seems that between drama BS, and these damned jobs and quests, and everything else, times like that are rare. Also, where's Kei? I think the last time I ever seen her was.....oh, god, a while ago. I need to change that!"

[Tiltjuice]

"Yea, it is!!", She exclaimed in possibly the loudest reply she had ever given, pretty much a happy yelling. Her eyes almost popped out with the enthusiasm, too, as she threw herself back into her seat.

"I mean, I love this stuff! This is what I wanted to do, with us two and Kei, just have a nice time together! Well, at least we got to hang out. That counts a lot, though."

Her smile twisted into a smirk, accompanied by a perturbed expression in her eyes. It was quick, but noticeable before her expression went back to its happy state.

"Ya know, we really need to all hang out more! I mean, remember way back when we three would get a drink and gossip? I love doing girl stuff like that, but it seems that between drama BS, and these damned jobs and quests, and everything else, times like that are rare. Also, where's Kei? I think the last time I ever seen her was.....oh, god, a while ago. I need to change that!"

Dora began to look faintly alarmed at Katya's sheer volume, but shook herself and took it in stride. She hadn't missed the look of concern, though she'd bring it up later.

"Well, we can always go find her now if you want," she drawled, and as if by magic (or Chaos influence) the waiter appeared at the side of the table, depositing the check and clearing away the plate and bowl smoothly.