PL IC Thread IX++ //Oddsbodikins & Atomic Kittens//

by **Swith Witherward** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 11:40 am

Marcus' eyes were drawn toward the tents and the two figures emerging from the gloom. He recognized Hans in spite of his different attire but the other man was some unknown cultist in a familiar grey, woolen uniform. The latter stopped short of the tents to stare at a gaggle of rowdy men. The cultist leader's grim expression didn't waver as he drew closer, nor did it change once he was standing in front of the teens.

"Brother Marcus, I'm certain Brother Adrastus will question why you and these neophytes have not returned before sunset. I suggest you all head back to the Observatory. Now." The tone of Hans' voice left no room for argument.

Hans pressed onward and his companion rejoined him, leaving Marcus to struggle with the odd instructions. The teen, suddenly very uncomfortable in light of the newest development, cleared his throat. "Observatory it is. Giovenith, where is Pippa-Michelle? We don't have much time to look for her."

by **The BranRiech** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 12:32 pm

"Wait, all of us?" Drova asked upon the exit of the two officers. "And Neophytes?" He rolled his eyes. He knew the word, only missing the idea of it's usage in the situation. Suffice to say, the Prince wasn't the least bit afraid of the officers, though they did have a creepy vibe about them, but he couldn't quite place it as his eyes turned to Marcus, for whom the warning was obviously directed at.

"Well, I'm ready to go." He nodded, looking around and spotting his sister waiting at the exit. She'd gone off on her own and was currently in the process of undoing some of her wishes that she was experimenting with. "Hey, Drova, and you guys!" She called, spotting the telltale skin-tone of her brother through the crowd as they left.

by **Torsiedelle** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 12:50 pm

Torii blushed as well. Drova was really grateful, wasn't he? She laughed, nervously, at the bit about his family disowning him. "It's cool.", She said. "My parents wouldn't like it either, but oh well. I'm glad we spent the day together, too."

She followed Drova to their friends. Marcus had a truck? He was so cool. While not entirely knowing what was happening, she understood that something was up if one of the Germans told them to get moving. Wait, the Germans? She remembered Klaus and the adults being worried over some trouble with some others.

"Is something going on tonight?", She asked Marcus specifically, since Hans only talked to him. "Why would people be upset about us being out at night? Talk about a dick."

by **Giovenith** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 1:52 pm

Meanwhile, the animals had risen against Anna and Al, defeated them in a glorious battle of untold proportions, crowned William their king, who then proceeded to wave away to his new friends as they carried him away into the sunset.

The paper bird tugged at Pippa-Michelle's hair and, sensing the command, she tugged on Jasmine encouragingly and ran towards the group.

--

"There she is," Giovenith nodded to the golem, who ran up and hugged the stuffing out of her.

by **Swith Witherward** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 3:05 pm

He felt safe? Of all the things Septimus could have said, those were the words that meant the most to Neste. She mutely nodded as relief spread through her. The muscles in her shoulders, which were tensed firmly enough to cause tendons to protest, relaxed as she felt the weight and warmth of his hand. His eyes lacked scorn or fear. He wasn't judging her nor did he see her as the person she once was. Neste bit her bottom lip and pulled her ears back in expression of her gratitude.

"I paid for my crimes," she breathed an assuring sigh, "I forgave myself and chose to embrace life."

Scel's snort drew Neste's attention. Sharp pins became hidden once more as the exo sealed her pilot's chamber and allowed the chest cavity to close. Satisfied that the emotional lizard would come to no harm, and pleased by the man's compliment, the creature lowered herself until she rested on tucked legs in the mucus pool, cushed in mirror image to her actual body back in the lab, in order to absorb the material into her skin.

"Thank you, Septimus." Scel's thoughts - the logical side that normally hissed in Neste's mind - were perfectly audible to the cyborg. Quills folded as she laid her head on the floor. The light in five blue eyes died out but a small, greenish dot appeared in one of her topmost set. It regarded the human and lizard momentarily and then Scel's top lip raised like a wrinkly curtain to display a small portion of her teeth. "Neste, researchers research; lizards prattle. Good. You be pestered for a change, you old thing."

Neste became acutely aware of Septimus' warm breath on the back of her neck. Her cheeks tinged pink as a genuine smile curled the corners of her mouth. Researchers research.

"Scel's showing her teeth - she's laughing at my histronic behavior," Neste stood straighter to better align her spine and to indicate her permission. "Please avoid the third and fourth pair down, Septimus, the ones between my shoulder blades. I can't reach them to service them, and they're always tender. The collars need replacing."

Neste's construction was an oddity of design. Delicate, overlapping plates graced the back of her neck, emerging near the base of her skull to travel down the length of her spine. These pliable scales flanked the ports' outer edges to protect her pebbly skin from abrasion when docked, and were present regardless of whatever form she assumed. The capped ports, no wider than a man's thumbnail, seemed paired with each thoracic vertebrae, vanishing under her waistband to continue their path along her lumbar region.

Neste raised an arm and grasped one of her long ears, pulling it completely forward to reveal yet another port, although this one wasn't capped and seemed to constrict on its own.

"Comms," she chuckled, "They stuck things in the weirdest places. I suppose they ran out of normal nerve bundles at one point, because I've got a secondary system with only a few things attached to it. Room for expansion, maybe? I'm outdated by five hundred years now. A fading relic replaced by the O-series."

Neste's short snout was thrown into profile again as she turned her head to glance at Septimus. "The caps lift off easily enough."

Marcus shrugged his shoulders in answer to Torii's question. "Dunno, but he's not being a dick. Tora, you really need to stop assuming adults are here to be mean to us. If he were a dick, he wouldn't have warned us at all. He's trying to pass all of you off as initiates in my order. Neophytes."

His head bobbed in greeting once they met up with Yuna and Pippa-Michelle. Without another word, the boy led his friends from the carnival and to the parking lot where the old truck sat. He dropped the tailgate for everyone to pile in and then nudged Giovenith towards the passenger door. She got to ride shotgun, of course. The tailgate closed, Marcus lowered the canvas flap and then climbed into the cab to fire up the old engine.

"I honestly don't know what ol' Brother Adrastus is going to think about all this," he ruefully shook his head, "But I'm sure to catch some hell. I sorta snuck out to see you, Giovenith." The boy chuckled mischievously as he nosed the truck out of the parking lot and towards the road that would take them to the Observatory.

It was a short drive, and soon the Observatory came into view. The pale moon cast the massive building in pools of moonlight and shadow. This was his second home and he was proud of it, but it always looked foreboding after sunset. The dome's shutter doors were open, indicating to Marcus that some of the Brotherhood had started their research early. He pulled into the open bay garage and dropped the tailgate as quietly as possible, a finger pressed to his lips as the last strain of vespers rose in the evening air.

"We've got several different orders here," he whispered to his companions as they disembarked, "and they all seem to get along, but none of them appreciate noise during their prayer or meditation hours. They aren't a bad bunch but most of them are cyborgs, and a few of them are more machine than human. Be respectful. The ones that are more machine wouldn't have a problem swiping your limbs off just to teach you manners. Those are the ones with skulls surrounded by a cog, and their order-"

"Isn't to be spoken of," interjected a cold voice.

Marcus turned to find the baleful form of his order's highest ranking member - Brother Adrastus himself - filling the doorway that lead inside the Observatory. His was a deadly presence with a palpable vibe that left no room for quarrel. The breeze kicked the bottom of his red robes, flicking the material like dragon tongues as he surveyed the teens. His cowl completely obscured his face but for the grouping of three red dots that rested where an eye should have been. Crossed arms revealed a heavy, cybernetic limb terminating in a hand that looked capable of crushing a man's skull.

Marcus' face paled and he bowed respectfully. "Brother Adrastus, Mr. Fleischer-Schaefer instruct-"

"Mr. Fleischer-Schaefer did us a favor," the tech priest's voice hissed, but then the tone softened as his attention turned to the teens once more. "Welcome, youth. I'm sorry to meet you under such clandestine circumstances. Please, follow me. We've set up comfortable rooms for each of you, and we've prepared a good meal. I'm afraid you'll need to partake of it in your chambers, however. It's after hours. I'll ask that none of you go roaming. We don't normally shelter outsiders."

The old priest brought the group up a flight of stairs and down a long hallway, pausing on occasion to point out a room for each of them. The interiors were austere but the bed in each room was exceptionally comfortable, and each desk surface had a lit candle and a covered plate brimming with roasted meat and potatoes and a salad. A cup of wine and a glass of water were also thoughtfully set aside for them. He bid each youth goodnight as he shut their doors.

by **Monfrox** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 3:57 pm

Brit calmly walked into the restroom and took her blouse off. She set the journal satchel and the BDU top of the sink before she went into the stall. However, she was not prepared for the fact that the stall was empty. Empty, except for a giant hole where the floor should've been. Not entirely ready for quite the trip she was about to be on, Brit tried putting her arms out but gravity's constant force was stronger. Kwa'a would her a faint "Oh SHIIII-" before the voice seemed to echo out. The only trace left of Brit in the bathroom would be the BDU top and satchel opposite the stall with the hole in it.

by **Giovenith** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:00 pm

Giovenith looked up from her twiddling thumbs to peer again at Pippa-Michelle. While the godling had taken seat on the bed provided by the tech-priests, her golem had taken up residence in a corner of the room, staring blankly down between her propped legs. It was unexpected. Pippa generally didn't like to be set up in new places, and usually liked to ease herself by cuddling with her Creator, but this time Giovenith didn't even have to shoo her away. The paper lady also seemed less alert than usual. Whereas normally her head would be bobbing about in the feather-headed little wonder she normally took with the world, the golem was inhumanly still, like a fashion mannequin.

"Pippa-Michelle?"

"Baah?" Her head perked up, suddenly lighting into her usual dumb attentiveness.

"Nothing," Giovenith dismissed, reassured that nothing was broken. "Go back to whatever it was you were doing."

And so the creation did. That problem out of the way, Giovenith rubbed her eyes and laid down, pulling the side of the blanket over her like a taco instead of wiggling under it. She finally had the opportunity to slow down all day, and the steady considerations of all the things that happened were catching up to her.

So that's why the Olympians kept telling heroes to go get the pegasus, she thought to herself, remembering the powerful efficiency Sandy had in clearing up those rampaging monsters some passerby had dreamed up of. Makes sense now, I guess, though I don't know if he's ever fought a Craken-like-thing before. I kissed a boy today. I kissed Marcus today. She pressed her face further into the mattress, as if it could extinguish the itching fire she felt crawling all over it. How completely and totally bizarre it all was looking back, remembering when she had first met the boy as a young child calling her to action when they rescued Miss Swith's splinter, and then for a second time in his current form back on Gliese. They'd just had a passing exchange then. Though, thinking back to last Valentine's Day... 'Don't you still have the dress from Gliese? It was pretty.' Did he... it mattered little now. What matter now was--

"Oh my god!" Giovenith suddenly pushed herself up in panic. "What am I going to tell Mom?!"

She'd already since gotten the okay from the Creation goddess about inviting Marcus to their upcoming get-together (the Dragon Lady had assured her daughter that she merely wanted to spend some quality time with her after such a long time apart), but that was long before the young tech-priest had become her... her... what even was it? Super special somebody? Boyfriend? Possible future husband? GAH! It wasn't as if Pearlelei had ever prohibited or shown disapproval toward such things, but still, Giovenith had absolutely no clue how to go about introducing this to her. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear....

Well, that was all in the future, she had time to fret about it later. What really matter now now, was the ominous nature of Hans' suggestion that they congregate here at the Observatory in the first place. Why here and not the Building? For protection against the bad people rumored to be growing in the city? But then, wasn't the Building just as safe? ... Wasn't it? The fact that she had to question that was chilling to Giovenith. She suddenly felt exhausted just from the dread that they were going to have a lot in front of them to overcome. Sighing in relent, she decided it was best to escape from it all--while she still could--into dreamland, switching off the light and cuddling up under the covers, wiping her mind clean of the worries of the world.

by **The Carlisle** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:25 pm

The group moved on, following the same path the little Kale took. Kale halfway through the journey realized that she was taking the exact same steps as her past self. She continued on, retracing her steps, leading the group to the Grand Oak. As Kale said before, her past self was sitting down at the base of the tree, her arms wrapped around her legs, crying and fearful. But the scene was different than the last time they say it. Unstable was the best descriptor for it, for both the little Kale and the scene. Tree roots wriggled freely in the air, rising out of the ground. The grass was almost dancing in place. The Grand Oak felt different, not just full of life but actually alive. Its branches swayed and its leaves danced. On the trunk of it was a warped face, its mouth forming a crooked smile. Flowers not there before were bursting form the ground, blooming, and withering away, repeating this cycle over and over again at varied speeds. Kale herself still glowed like before, but the flashes of the older persona increased in frequency and stayed visible for longer periods of time, all in the exact demeanor and position as the little Kale. Her voice was also warped, as if two people were speaking and crying at the same time, one of an older Kale and one of the young one.

Kale stood there, looking at herself from this perspective for the first time. It was sad and... scary. It looked like a nuclear reactor destabilizing. But deep down, she knew that this would not last for long.

"Just a minute, I promise," she said to her friends.

A minute passed, and her promise came true. Everything seemed to slow. The leaves, the grass, even the warped Kale slowed. A sense of tranquility overflooded the scene again. But unlike before, nothing stopped, as if the wild power of Kale was fighting the power of the headmaster.

From around the corner, the headmaster walked on the scene along with the younger man tailing behind him. The young man stopped, stunned and surprised by the scene. The headmaster kept walking to Kale, kneeling in front of her and setting down his cane. Then, he started speaking. His words were sweet, as if they were notes in a beautiful song.

"What is wrong little Kale," he said in a concerned but relaxed tone. The little Kale weakly looked up to him. "I-I can't control myself... I hurt so many people...." she said in the double voice, "I-I.... I'm a monster...." The headmaster smiled and put a hand on the little Kale's shoulder. "Nobody is hurt Kale. Everyone is fine. You are no monster, you just had a little accident," he said in a calming tone. "Little? I could have hurt them... Killed them. I'm out of control..." Kale said, flashing to the older persona.

The headmaster just smiled. "But you didn't. Even in your most unstable state, your powers did not leave to any loss or harm. I don't think that is by mere chance. I think you had more control than you think," the headmaster reassured. He used his other hand and grasped the necklace with the black stones on it, showing it to Kale. From their view, the group could see that they were pieces of obsidian shaped into various forms and carved with many patterns. each one different from the other.

"Wear this little Kale," he said, "This will help you control your powers," her said. He used both hands and put the necklace around the older Kale's neck. Instantly the scene changed. Kale reverted back to her younger self, her eyes normal and the greenish white glow gone. The grass and leaves stopped dancing, the branches stopped moving, the flowers stopped appearing, the roots disappeared, and the face on the Grand Oak disappeared.

The little Kale looked surprised, then a overwhelming feeling of relief swept over her. She cried with joy,, the nightmare over. She looked to the headmaster with thankful eyes. "Th-thank you mister," she said," Y-you're incredible. Who are you?" The headmaster smiled. "I'm Garrus little one, your headmaster," he said with a smile. The little Kale looked surprised but, also expectation. She never met her headmaster. Ever since she joined, he was on a vision quest. But, she had a suspicion that the man that approached her was him.

"Headmaster...." she said, "You made it back... just in time..." Garrus nodded. "That I did," he said, "Y'know, I saw a sad, lonely girl during my quest, a girl who did not know who her parents were, a girl that was cast away, disowned by her adopted family for who she was. A girl with vivid green hair, and a prankster at that," he chuckled a bit at that," I saw you. And I knew what I had to do."

Garrus put her hand in front of the little Kale. Kale grasped it, letting Garrus lift her up back onto her feet. "Come with me little Kale. Let's head back to the others," he said. Kale nodded, holding his hand.

The real Kale looked at the scene, tears in her eyes. Tears of joy, tears of sorrow, tears of nostalgia. She watched as they walked off, trotting slowly to them before stopping, realizing it was a memory. She tore her eyes away from them, glancing at the lanky man. Instantly, a feeling of anger filled her. He knew that man, what he did. But, his expression confused her. His look showed surprise and joy, like a person who just met a long lost friend. He smiled.... and looked happy, truly happy. It was, strange. But she took his eyes away from him, looking to her friends.

"That's... it," she said. Suddenly, the scene was cast in white light. The scents and sounds and feelings disappeared, replaced with others. Their vision returned, revealing themselves back in front of the carnival, in front of a now taken down rainbow tent.

Kale looked happy, but also sad. A realization took hold, and she struggled to look at her friends. Toscha... and Remilia... "So...." she said, wariness heavy in her voice and a sense of fear about her, "Do you think... I'm a monster?"

by **Northwest Slobovia** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:34 pm

Fvaarniimar wrote:At the couple's apartment, Nick pawed Amanda's hand, wishing that he could still communicate without doing so. She'd feel a little of his frustration at the necessity. <Ugh. Well, it'll help my back, right? Thanks for applying the balm! Could you see if there's something to regrow hair? The scarf I'm wearing keeps me warm, but having the air on my back feels really weird.>

Amanda sprayed Nick's back with the sunburn stuff. "It'll numb you up for a few hours. Once I'm done spraying your back, I'll bandage you up, and that should help." Then to Sandy, "Nick wants something to grow his hair back faster. Do we have a recipe for anything like that?"

Sandy laughed, "We've got alchemetical recipes from five different cultures, spanning close to three thousand years! Men have been vain all that time, so there's doubtless a few baldness cures. Probably even a dozen potions that make viagra look like candy, and a half-dozen aphrodesiacs to go with them! Let me see..." He started to get up, then stopped abruptly, his eyes shut and his face twisted with pain. "It stiffened up while I sat. I think I'll just stay here until the muscle relaxant starts to work."

Amanda bandaged Nick by wrapping his midsection in gauze and then taping the ends of the gauze down. Nick looked like a mummy, but it was probably the most practical way to do it: the gauze would stay put, and Nick wouldn't end up with bandages taped down to his remaining fur.

She then got a box of disposable heating pads out from the first aid kit. When Sandy saw that, he started to pull off his sweatshirt, then stopped, realizing that wasn't going to be a good idea. He held his arms straight up, asking Amanda to give him a hand. She pulled the shirt off over his head, unwrapped two heating pads, and started to put them on Sandy's back. "I know where they go: right where you don't have wings."

Sandy was in pretty good shape for an American guy: some muscle definition to his arms and torso, and little visible flab. But he seemed to have a bunch of large, funny-colored birthmarks on his arms and front, and an inch-wide pucker scar just below his lowest right rib. He sat for a minute, then said, "OK, now the laptop." He walked over to the living room coffee table, and picked up a large laptop; his back had a matching scar on the right, but several inches across and very ragged-looking. He brought the laptop back to the kitchen table, and sat in another chair, turning the laptop so Nick and Amanda could see the screen as well.

Sandy brought up three large windows, and started typing rapidly. "Nothing in my English notes... Nothing in Arabic, either. Ah, here it is! Yeah, a Greek recipe, attributed to Circe. That probably just means that it's Minoan, but..." He trailed off, bringing up words and images in the windows.
"Here's the original scanned scroll, and this one is the OCR'd Greek text... in which I'm going for fix a couple of typos. And now to add some English notes for the next time." He started typing and mumbling to himself, adding a list of arcane English words to the "notes" window. Amanda looked at the screen more closely, and said, "We don't have half that stuff in the lab, and some of it isn't at all familiar." Sandy nodded, still typing. He scrolled the windows up and down, searching for something. He made a few more notes, ending them all with question marks. "Well, this will be an experiment! We don't have half the materials, we don't know where to get them, and some of these techniques are things we've never done before. Piece of cake! Well, I meant to find about about the local alchemy market, so I guess I have a reason now."

"Oh, and look at this: the next recipe is 'Satyr's'... something. Not Greek... hm, Egyptian badly transliterated into Greek? Well, whatever it is, guys would kill for this stuff. Hm... it's also attributed to Circe... probably didn't work on some warlord with gummed-up plumbing, and he took it out on the woman who made the... hm, oil? First-millenium BCE lubricant? Anyway, where was I? Oh.. so Circe probably was a real person, and guys with serious problems below the waist blamed her rather than admit they had a problem the magic and technology of the day couldn't fix. Too bad I can't support that hypothesis with evidence any journals would publish." Sandy made a few more notes, then turned to Nick and Amanda. "OK, in a few more minutes my meds should be working, and we'll take stock of the workroom, then start working on some Ox Blood. I think we have all the ingredients handy, and even a few purified intermediates."

by **Torsiedelle** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:54 pm

Torii stared at the ceiling.

The Germans had to get them to leave to avoid some bad people. They had to go to the observatory instead of the building. Something was up. Katya may not have known it, reading on her phone in one corner of the room, but Torii caught it. It wasn't outright like Cthulu attacks or bullies, and it was bad enough for the Krauts to be wary. It was something that would probably affect them all. Marcus wouldn't tell her.

She closed her eyes to think better. She didn't care what Marcus said; she could come to like them, but she didn't place a lot of trust in the adults. They had a habit of keeping secrets until the last minute. She also didn't like what that could mean. Several scenarios played in her head, and she was mentally preparing herself for each one. She'd have to start working out again, get in shape. She'd have to clean her guns, and maybe talk with her sister about it. She'd be ready if something went down.

......

Meanwhile, in her room, Jasmine had found a comfy position and crashed. It was a tiring, as well as disappointing, day. She didn't even get to keep the five-thousand bucks. That carnival was crap....fun, but crap. She could've lived on that!

She clasped her pendant. Those gestapo guys were probably out. She remembered the teahouse folks. She wanted to know more.

by **Cerillium** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 5:51 pm

"Marcus..."

The boy settled on the edge of his bed, his hands folded in his lap, and prepared for whatever punishment was due to him. There was no need to apologize.

Brother Adrastus eased himself into the reinforced chair. Sitting wasn't something that came naturally to him these days. He vaguely wondered if he'd be able to rise again without the boy boosting him in some fashion but now wasn't the time to worry about such trivial things. "Marcus, the time has come for you to return to the Building."

The words were a lead bolt through the boy's heart. Was he banished just for sneaking out? His head snapped up to take in his superior's dismissal but the old cyborg's weathered face held no animosity. In fact, his lopsided mouth was hitched into a quirky grin.

"You misunderstand me, Marcus," Brother Adrastus grunted. "I didn't state that you were stripped of your place here. I said you need to return to the Building. You will always have a place with us. I foresee great things in your future. Great things start long before we set out on the road to discover them. Each action we take becomes integral to our destiny. You, boy, are called to begin that journey."

Marcus wasn't about to argue with the old priest. Brother Adrastus wasn't from this time period. He held the future's mysteries tightly to his breast and refused to reveal anything before its proper time. If he said Marcus was called, it was because he truly was. This was his Now. Everything that happened in the minutes, hours, days and years following would somehow tie into whatever his destiny was. The choices Marcus made would affect that destiny.

The boy thought back to the tent, and to his beloved Giovenith. He wanted that future vision to come true. Brother Adrastus always rambled on about thousands of possibilities but Marcus, in the impetuousness of his youth, had plucked the one that held the most sway in his heart. His jaw worked as he tried to organize his thoughts, to explain to the old priest how much this one thing meant to him, but the old man waved him off.

"Take the truck in the morning, and keep it with you. You'll need it. Keep close to Klaus. Most of all, keep the lessons you learned here close to your heart. You strive to escape from your father's shadow but Marcus, you haven't yet realized that your own stretches far beyond his already. He wanes, you grow. Take heart in that. And... go to bed already."

The old cyborg set his weight to the balls of his feet and heaved himself out of the chair. It was hardly dignified but he managed without requiring too many peripheral parts boosting him. He opened the door, grunting as he arranged his robes once more.

Marcus stared at his mentor's dark, bulky form silhouetted by the corridor's candlelight. What a strange juxtaposition of technology. Beeswax and ozone, carved wood and finely crafted metal. The old priest was just as odd - his penchant for cruelty coupled with gentle guidance and, at times, a patron's tenderness. The door closed and the boy found himself plunged into darkness. Marcus didn't bother to light his candle or to even sample his meal. He rolled onto his bed to stare into nothing, and to reflect upon wisdom imparted throughout his lifetime.

Amara stuffed the old cyborg back into his freezer chest. She had taken the liberty of emptying his pockets to preserve whatever things shouldn't be exposed to cold. Lizards were at times so clueless! The battery and other bits went into a cardboard box set aside for such a purpose but she carried the cyborg's thawed cloak back to the main lab and tucked it into a wicker basket that rested on a counter next to a warm panel. Sentia's curious sniff and lick during her first (and only) visit hadn't been overlooked by her greater self.

The android dissolved into a zeptomite tide and reattached itself to FUBAR.

by **Swith Witherward** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:46 pm

The carnival came to a close the way it always did - with an earth-shattering kaboom that never went beyond the event's walls. The entire thing vanished in an instant... tents, rides, booths, carnival workers, and ticket agents. Every last bit of trash, every last bit of un-snorted cocaine, every last used rubber or discarded popcorn bag... GONE. The silence was deafening.

Kale's unanswered question hung in the air between Toscha and Remilia. More importantly, the trio were among the few supernaturals foolish enough to remain after dark. Heads turned as people realized that this group wasn't wearing carnival enchantments. A ripple went through the drunken crowd as they took in Kale's appearance and Toscha's bottom half. The hypocrite population that had only moments before been enjoying magic now focused on magical beings that were very unwelcome in their midst. Murmurs began. Someone threw a shoe that narrowly missed Remilia's head. The bodies began to press in.

"That's enough!"

The crowd parted as Hans strode across the snowy grounds. He had several NMJM in tow and seemed in no mood for townie bullshit. The reek of wet wool surrounded the trio as the NMJM pressed them towards the edge of the park, although they moved more as a security detail than as rough policemen attempting to harass. Drunken revelers jeered but kept their distance, and soon the residents found themselves out of the park at on Main's cobblestone surface.

"No seeds, no bullshit," Hans hissed in an undertone, recalling Kale's foolish temper last year. "I suggest the three of you haul. These people aren't in their right minds, and there aren't enough police here to keep them all at bay. Don't stop until you hit the lobby, and don't take any action that would force us to arrest any of you. Please, for your own good. You all knew better than to remain out after dark."

DAWN... couldn't come soon enough. The Residents spent the night as was their wont.

The teens at the Observatory were roused at 5 AM and treated to breakfast (in silence, not counting the various machine sounds coming from some of the cloaked figures in the main dining hall) before being loaded up onto the truck. Marcus had hardly slept, and seldom spoke, as he navigated the morning rush hour traffic. They arrived at the Building shortly before 7 AM, and he bid his friends goodbye before vanishing up the stairs to his apartment for some much needed rest.

Kale's group had made it safely home the night before.

The Residents awoke to flyers stuffed under their doors sometime during the night:

Building Meeting - 7 PM Tonight
All Residents are welcome to attend

Old timers knew Building Meetings usually meant briefings regarding invasions.

Xanthe awoke early and put on coffee for Lucius before checking on their guest. She didn't have time to dawdle that morning, however, and was out the door long before either person awoke.

Neste had been lost in her thoughts as she dragged everything back to her apartment. She set out plenty of cat food and a bowl of water before dragging her sleeping basket out of the bathroom and stuffing it between her crowded couches. She fell into a fast sleep that lasted most of the morning, her mind turned inward. (Yes, there was three-ply Charmin for Sentia's backside.)

It was Scel that made certain the cloning vat was prepared properly, but that, dear friends, will be its own unique post.

by **Giovenith** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:04 pm

Giovenith looked over the flier with a numbness as she sat with back against her bedroom door. She'd allowed Pippa-Michelle to be tucked into her bed among all her stuffed animals and tended to Turtleboss's needs (indeed giving him that algae she promised).

Another? Sometimes Giovenith wondered if this place was just a lightning rod for invading trouble, if they would ever truly stop coming or if it was just Bielefeld's fate, like a superhero's city. If they did have to fight again, she was glad Willow and his friends were out of town, she hoped they stayed out long enough for them to handle it before their return. She had no idea what place could have been found for a pony in something as fiery and tumultuous as an invasion, it was easier to protect him with him out of the country.

"May as well get ready," she groaned to herself, rubbing her tired face. The godling went through her closet to pick out some fresh clothes and bath products, before heading off to find a bathroom to take a quick shower in. Wash up, new clothes, maybe a little something to eat, so her mind would be sharp and focused all on what was to come.

by **The BranRiech** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:15 pm

"Pick up groceries, Bran?"

Rylli's voice echoed from the kitchen as she flipped some eggs on their stove, cooking some breakfast for herself, as well as preparing a small meal for Tolya, who was crawling around a softened play area they'd set up in the corner of the living room where Bran was considering installing some sort of periscope to see the outside world, as the bomb-shelter contained no windows.

"Uh . . ." The conscript sighed, looking around for the notepad to write the list down on. "Yeah, yeah sure. I'll take Rachelle." He nodded, patting his daughter on the shoulder as she was busy sitting at the coffee-table in front of the TV. Bran had scoured through his old gun collection, and taken a good amount of it apart, putting the various parts into one box.

"Go crazy." Were his words to Rachelle, who was rifling around the box, looking at the various pieces, trying to put at least one back together for her father. "Well hey, not too crazy, we need to go and get some more eggs first, davai."

With a simultaneous donning of the Ushankas, Father and Daughter were ready to hit the road, leaving the bomb-shelter, only to find an errant note had gotten in their path. Bran bent down to read it, keeping a hand on his hat, lest it fall off of his long and unkempt hair. "Mmm, hey, Rachelle, want to go and put that on the fridge? We'll both go to that tonight, m'kay?"

"Yeah, sure!" The young girl smiled, bounding back inside for a split second, before the two continued on their journey for sustenance.

--

On Gio's way to the shower, she would end up passing both Drova and Yuna, exiting at around the same time from different doors, having found the showers themselves first. Yuna was already dressed, while Drova had a simple towel wrapped around him. Yuna smiled in greeting, while her brother blushed, and hurried on past, nodding a quick "Good Morning" to his friend, ducking into his room.

"Did you see the note, Gio?" Yuna asked, stopping and holding up the note about the meeting.

by **Fvaarniimar** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:27 pm

Don't panic... A few deep breaths and the feel of the slingshot pressed against her palm served to steady her nerves. There might be someone else - a threat. She might need help. "Hey, Brit! Help need?"

There was no answer. No noise. Cautiously, she entered, flashlight shining, checking for traps. There was a dark patch beneath a stall. She tore a blank page from Brit's journal, folded it into something rather like a paper airplane, and tossed it into the stall, under the divider.

It dwindled out of sight. Hadn't Brit's voice sounded echoey, and grown smaller? A pit, then, most probably deep. Brit and the others had come for her. Shouldn't she do the same?

...She was used to having to solve problems on her own. It would make more sense to get the others' help. Not wanting to worsen Brit's situation, Kwa'a used a few paper towels which she then deposited in the trash can.

After washing her hands thoroughly and retrieving Brit's items, the woman returned to the others. "Hole big. Brit fell? Rope can make I."

--

At 8 A.M. the following morning, Nick was still asleep (although presumably not for long.)

by **Torsiedelle** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:31 pm

Katya had come back to the apartment a few minutes after her sister, having gone to pick up some ingredients for breakfast, and had come back to a different sight than her usual sleeping sister. Instead of immediately crashing back into bed for a few more minutes, Torii was right at work. In one hand was a pulled out wire hanger with an oil-spritzed cloth at one end, hammering down the cold steel barrel of one of their Kalashnikov rifles. A collection of magazines was next to her, although a few still needed to be loaded.

"Check the letter.", She said, nodding towards the flyer. Katya skimmed it over, and became concerned. No wonder Torii was cleaning the guns. "Meetings are never good.", She stated. Torii agreed. "And they never say anything until it's too big of a problem. I'm getting ready now. I knew it had something to do with the damn police. Just like last year, I say."

Torii sounded pretty doubtful of the others. "I think after the last incidents we had, the City and other residents are better than that.", Said Katya. "They protect us."

"Bullshit.", Said Torii. "I don't trust them."

Oh well. Her sister had her opinions, and Katya didn't want to argue. She turned on the TV and got to cooking breakfast. Torii continued to clean the guns. She kept on, thinking the whole time until she couldn't stand to stay still. It was then that she threw the rifle onto the bed and stood up. The teen reached under their bed into their boxes and grabbed, instead of her usual leather jacket, the camouflage jacket from her Army uniform and a pair of jeans. It caught Katya's eye.

"You never wear long pants.", She said. Torii shrugged. "Gotta be ready. Pants will do. I'm going out for a bit."

She opened the drawer under the TV and looked at her trinkets. The pearl jewelry from Yoshi was tossed in the corner carelessly, as was her locket reminding her of Lidev. She took one of her ribbons from Marcus and slid it into her pocket, then clipped on a belt and holster, grabbed her handgun and some spare clips, and walked out, looking for the other teens.

by **Giovenith** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:55 pm

The BranRiech wrote:On Gio's way to the shower, she would end up passing both Drova and Yuna, exiting at around the same time from different doors, having found the showers themselves first. Yuna was already dressed, while Drova had a simple towel wrapped around him. Yuna smiled in greeting, while her brother blushed, and hurried on past, nodding a quick "Good Morning" to his friend, ducking into his room.

"Did you see the note, Gio?" Yuna asked, stopping and holding up the note about the meeting.

"I did," Giovenith said, rubbing her head tiredly with a scrubber. "I'm sure we don't need to have a big exchange to know that it's bad and we should be prepared. I'm taking care of what needs to be so I'm not slowed down. Have you been around during an invasion before?"

One of the most difficult parts of any invasion was simply finding out who should be placed where, and if they could be. Giovenith was sure there was some protection system in place, but it was always good to be sure.

by **Highfort** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 9:36 pm

Sentia cocked her head curiously at the fern set next to the door of Neste's apartment, the only somewhat-attractive object to dot the miserable concrete hallway that led into the basement. Scratching at the pot with her paws, she was about to let out a hiss when the plant shook slightly and the door unlocked, gently opening inward for her. Eyes narrowed at the suspected fern before she shook her head. Such mysteries were not the point of her visit.

Settling in next to the couch, her eyelids lowered and her head felt heavy as yet another food-induced sleep took hold of her. She continued to nap through the early morning, awakening to find cat food - of dubious quality but passable given Septimus' absence - and a bowl of clean water set in the kitchen for her. Following her morning meal, she proceeded with her ritual of preening herself and utilizing the toilet so thoughtfully provided by the Building's benefactor.

She let out a purr of satisfaction upon finding that Neste had wizened up after her visit to the Itum apartment and had procured not only two but the ever-luxurious three-ply. The brand itself was unfamiliar to her - sporting three bears which appeared to be inappropriately using the tissue to rub their bottoms as well as other parts of their anatomy - but she figured the higher the number the better it must be. Now, how to write this down so Septimus would buy it for her next time... ?

"You're welcome, Scel, Neste," Septimus chuckled as his focus on her back was broken for just a moment, his eyes focusing on her razor-sharp teeth. As she lay her head down, quills folding to accommodate the floor, he turned once more back to Neste and gulped audibly.

He hesitated as his hand hovered over one of the capped ports near the top of her neck. The researcher in him urged him onward, to explore the intricacies of construct construction - pardon the term, his wit was not there to correct and reprimand him - while his more human self ordered him to exercise some restraint. It would do no good to go exploring just to satisfy... carnal lusts.

It was at this point that that voice which acted as his inner Socratic daemon would intervene and remind him that Neste was a valued friend and associate and - as a point of professionalism - he wasn't to get involved with associates. Said voice would berate him, probably bring up painful memories, and force him under the threat of further psychological torture to retract his fingers and change the topic of discussion to something more appropriate, something which would interest Neste and which would be pertinent to him getting a new clone body.

Of course, the voice wasn't here so none of that happened. He focused long enough to listen to Neste telling him not to touch the third and fourth set, which he duly noted, and glanced briefly at the port behind her ear, which brought a grin to his face, before his gaze was dragged back to her bare back.

"Fading relic, you are not. Some things never go out of date..." he gulped once more, fingers beginning to shake slightly as his hand began to inch forward to make contact. He paused as she turned back to regard him and comment on the caps. As soon as her head was forward and the snout's protrusion no longer visible from his angle, his hands resumed their forward movement.

Letting out a held breath that played across her back, nipping over the capped ports and the fragile plates that protected them, he carefully laid down his index and middle fingers on the right port of the second pair, near the top of her back where her neck ended. The ports felt rigid, a far cry from the smoother, textured skin skin of her shoulders and hands. He fiddled with the cap of the port for a moment, gently lifting it up and wishing his processor was still online so he could reverse-engineer the schematics to this. It looked functional and rather plain on Neste's elegant form. Speaking of her form...

Recapping the port, he ran the two fingers over it before laying down his entire hand, taking in a quick breath as he felt her warm, bumpy skin. Despite its foreign, alien sensation when compared to human and anthropomorphic mammalian skin, Neste's back was enchanting. His mind drifted from the ports and from all pretense of scientific interest for a moment as he realized a fantasy that had lived in the fringe of his mind ever since Ophelia had rejected him and Neste had accepted him, a fantasy reaching back nearly half a century. To be intimate with another being, one that would accept him and not play mind games with him.

Lips curling into a smile, he danced his fingers over her back, slowly inching downward, where he gently caressed the small of her back. The feeling was invigorating and he felt his cheeks flush and his hand felt warm, almost clammy as he gently stroked over her lower ports and skin, nearly reaching the...

Realizing, even through his emotional euphoria and without his usual cautionary voice, just what he was doing, he quickly retracted the fingers with a, "Gah," accidentally brushing over the fourth set of ports as he recoiled from her back, his fingers taking in one last intoxicating touch before being quickly pulled back to his own body.

"Sorry," he rubbed his arm sheepishly, taking a step back, "I... That was wrong of me, I was supposed to be looking over the ports. My apologies."

by **Swith Witherward** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 12:51 am

Logic turned a blind eye. In Scel's case, the final blue one ceased to glow. Logically, playing Researcher meant giving away Nifid tech secrets. Logically, it also meant physical contact, something that Scel, after all these centuries, still loathed. The exo had never understood Neste's need to prod people with her nose nor why the lizard found contentment in heartbeats and warm bodies when a blanket and hot pack were less prone to wandering away during the night.

Neste stood quietly, accustomed to being prodded by techs as they pried open ports while their breath whistled through their noses. It was routine. Why then did Septimus' exhale against her skin have the same uplifting note to it as his laughter? It was a buoyant feeling that she never quite understood, unique in its own right, but certainly one that she always welcomed whenever those rare occasions arose. It had only intensified as they roamed the carnival, although she attributed that to the magic surrounding them. She ruminated over the notion as he pried off a cap, but she could make little sense of it. She would have spent her entire existence unaware of the significance of that feeling had Septimus not laid his entire hand directly over the most sensitive telepathic area on a construct's body.

For the fraction of a heartbeat, Neste thought she'd gone blind. The strange, jumbled notions organized themselves more precisely than the rows on her back. His thoughts articulated what she had failed to identify - sexual attraction and a desire for intimacy with someone that would accept her as a person rather than reject her or treat her as a tool. More-so, it was mutual.

The lizard's eyes slowly pinched closed and her chin lifted to better savor his fingertips' touch. It was an incredible sensation that caused her to gently press back as he blazed a searing trail down her spine. The intoxicating rush had nearly reached a crescendo when the hand suddenly pulled away to accidentally brush tender ports. Neste winced in response to reality setting in once more.

"No, it's my fault. Telepathic feedback, maybe," she stumbled through her own nearly breathless apologies as she turned to regard him. Slightly dilated pupils sought out his gaze and the electrifying sensation returned. "It wasn't feedback. I enjoyed it. Immensely."

Mortified by her bold proclamation, Neste flattened her ears against her skull and looked away. Her brow furrowed as a new thought sprang to mind. She cautiously stepped towards him and placed trembling hands on his chest, then burrowed her face against him. "Please, don't let this fade once you're restored."

by **TotallyNotEvilLand** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 11:05 am

Adri slowly raised herself up out of what had served as her bed for the night before abruptly recoiling. Where the hell was she? Her mind raced with the events of the previous night, and... ah, yes. She had simply been carried home after being drunk by what had seemed to be a rather pleasant person. And oddly enough, it didn't feel like there was a jackhammer going off in her skull. It seemed she had been lucky and successfully evaded a hangover.

She sat up on the couch and stretched out, yawning loudly, though hopefully not enough to wake up the inhabitants of this particular apartment. Slowly she stood up and inched to the door, near silently, and, turning into smoke, slipped through the crack underneath the door, making her way to her room to change her clothes... The robe was starting to get a bit smelly.

by **The BranRiech** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 12:23 pm

Giovenith wrote:"I did," Giovenith said, rubbing her head tiredly with a scrubber. "I'm sure we don't need to have a big exchange to know that it's bad and we should be prepared. I'm taking care of what needs to be so I'm not slowed down. Have you been around during an invasion before?"

One of the most difficult parts of any invasion was simply finding out who should be placed where, and if they could be. Giovenith was sure there was some protection system in place, but it was always good to be sure.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, I mean, just a meeting, right?" Yuna shrugged, watching Drova as he ducked into his own room to change. She shrugged at his apparent dislike of being caught out after a shower. "And well . . . Not really, I wasn't under the impression the place had ever been invaded, when did it?" She asked, shrugging once more. "And I guess I should ask, how many times has it been invaded anyways?"

by **The BranRiech** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 12:24 pm

"I'm sure it'll be fine, I mean, just a meeting, right?" Yuna shrugged, watching Drova as he ducked into his own room to change. She shrugged at his apparent dislike of being caught out after a shower. "And well . . . Not really, I wasn't under the impression the place had ever been invaded, when did it?" She asked, shrugging once more. "And I guess I should ask, how many times has it been invaded anyways?"

by **Giovenith** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 12:48 pm

"We've been invaded multiple times, too many times for me to actually remember the number actually," Giovenith answered in friend in what was actually a less than cheerful tone. "It's never fun or easy, and these are never 'just' meetings. People have died in these before, people have gone mad, and this town was once obliterated off the face of the planet. I suggest you prepare yourself, because whatever is coming next is going to demand a lot from you."

There was zero point in beating around the bush and delivering the news in a hesitant, quaking voice, or sparing the princess from the details. Yuna had to know precisely what was going on and soon, because there wasn't going to be any time to adapt once the news was laid on them.

by **Torsiedelle** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 1:10 pm

"Yeah, invasions are, well", Torii chimed in, "taxing. The last one nearly had everyone killed."

She wasn't in a good mood. Her eyes said that. She slipped her hands into her pockets and approached the group. "Mornin', Drova, Gio, Yuna."

by **Tsuyoi Tekikoku** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 2:06 pm

Tsu covered her eyes as the sunlight from the slowly raising life-bringing star and just like that star, she slowly got up. Her wings spreaded and stretched like how a dragon's would, the skeletal like wings folded like a Dragon's to, her still sleepy body waddle itself across the floor and to her dresser, she got dressed as one of the two wings stretched itself. It turned into a snake-like creature,wriggling and expressed majestic,organic,snake like movements as it moved to grab a flier it noticed under the door. After retrieving the piece of paper, it returned to it's skeletal form. Tsu after putting on her clothing that she would wear for the day, she read the flier."A meeting?..We have meetings here?.." Tsu didn't ever remember nor knew why there was meetings..she doesn't even remember being in one at all, other then meetings involving her time in Fenrir and her military unit. Whatever it was, she left her room and preceded down the stairs .

PL IC Thread IX++ //Oddsbodikins & Atomic Kittens//

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