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

[Torsiedelle]

"Oh, you haven't had breakfast?", Katya asked Thriller. "I always make ours nice and early, but I didn't cook much today. I wouldn't be against eating more, if you have a suggestion. Any excuse to eat is a good excuse.", She said.

She turned to Edge. "Probably not what you'd expect for a welcome back, but breakfast? We can discuss the current events in town, plan our own stuff, or just see what we can find out."

..........

Torii nodded. "I think people are getting excited for the election. I don't get it; I'm not familiar with this Western Democracy. I mean, we have votes at home and all that, but electing people isn't something to get worked up over. Still, if there's fun, then I can't complain much."

.......

"Well, I've been traveling a lot in my life, and defending myself is important, so I like to think that I've honed my melee skills quite well, yes? Here, I figure that displaying one's strength for entertainment can be just as good as using that strength to defend themselves. That said, I want to give a demonstration.", She said. "So,", She twisted around, calling around. She kicked off her shoes, setting them aside, and called out. "Is anyone engaged in festivities interested in witnessing an amazing display of human strength and dexterity in the form of martial arts? I can break boards smash bricks, and balance on precarious objects, thanks to my years travelling and learning to fight. I fancy myself an entertainer for money, or at least I do for today! It'll be just like medieval times, when street performers roamed from town to town! Hell, if somebody has a hoop to set aflame or an arrow to shoot at me, that would just be fantastic!"

[Fvaarniimar]

Rmwtyliin tore off a piece of sandwich and tapped Duncan, still on her shoulder, on the shoulder (or perhaps the hip.) Offering the spammy rat the sandwich, she gave him a chance to take a few bites before she began talking.

"It is nice meeting you as well." The girl smiled - but then frowned, recalling the significance of the day... Should she mention it? The girl... Unless she was wearing a very elaborate costume, it was safe to assume that the vote would affect her. A moment later Rmwtyliin felt embarrassed that she had considered doing so. That would likely create an awkward situation, and would not help anything - or would it? She was concerned about the effect of the election on her friends, and on others. Elka likely would be concerned about its effect on herself. Maybe talking would help. But pointing this out directly, to a total stranger, seemed rude.

"Is there anything you want to talk about? I am impressed that you tried to use my name. Most -" a glare shot towards her guardian - "People outside Fvaarnimar find it difficult to pronounce." An almost-forced giggle. "Just be glad you are not speaking with my mother. Regarding that, you may give me a nickname if you like." She attempted the name. "Ellkih."

Sandwich gone, Rmwtyliin grabbed some ingredients for oatmeal and started making it; meanwhile, Kwa'a added some salt and bay leaf to her second egg.

[Northwest Slobovia]

The Building, Going Down

"I apologize. I encouraged her to ask her question. I did say that there might be additional options if she was not comfortable doing so, such as talking later... But she was unsure if she should ask then, and I did not tell her that she should not." Ashamed, the Naaliiasz had slumped; her gaze was directed towards the floor. Abruptly she stood tall, tilting her head to look Sandy in the eye. "I made a mistake in assessing the situation. I am sorry. I know that I can probably help Charlotte less than Kwa'a-" as usual, Rmwtyliin pronounced the name with an ah sound - "Can, but tell me if I can do anything."

Sandy shook his head and smiled sympathetically, waving off her claims of responsibility. "No, you're fine. You couldn't have known that she'd say too much. If you want to help, let her know to be careful. If you'd like to help, try to see that she does so. The matter is largely out of our hands, but helping her show good judgement might help her learn how to help herself."

Maybe the most help she could give would be to get Charlotte in touch with Sandy. But just in case... "Maybe I should give you my number, both cell phone and apartment. I understand that you probably don't need it, but that way, if so, you'll have it."

Sandy took the bit of newsprint, and looked it over. "I'll send you a text message in a few minutes; just a smiley, but then you'll have my number as well."

As they left the elevator, Sandy called "Goodbye!" to them, and added Kwa'a's contact information to his phone. He finished just as the elevator door opened for the lobby, and Sandy took a few steps out of the elevator, shifting to the side a bit to avoid blocking it. He said Kwa'a the promised message, put his phone away, and set off to buy groceries for lunch.

The Building, Confessional Booth 6C

"The Board has banished me from government positions due to an... incident on the planet Dyste," he set down the teacup and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "Long story short, people got hurt..."

He paused, "And died..."

Amanda's eyes widened slightly as Septimus mentioned "an incident". She knew this story all too well: "There was a party... an argument... and a gun...", but she hadn't expected to hear it from the district's candidate.

Time for her to play mother confessor. Amanda changed posture, leaning forward a bit, and reducing her professional reserve in favor of a more open, sympathetic appearance. Amanda didn't just look sympathetic, she was sympathetic; no client ever admitted to wrongdoing unless they wanted to be heard and wanted to be helped, and it was her job to try to help them. This was usually the part of the interview that would make or break her ability to do so. That Septimus was a politican from an alien civilization and not a legal client didn't matter here: without his trust, nobody on the PR team could help him.

"And it was political suicide to leave me there," he concluded, quietly, "I now represent the Confederation, as you mentioned, as a private citizen. [...] Hopefully, this will smooth any legal issues with me acting as the Market District's Representative."

Amanda softened her voice, and spoke with the tiniest of chuckles. "Yes, I think that does resolve any potential conflicts of interest." Slightly more seriously: "If you would tell me, what happened on Dyste?"

[Charlia]

"Well, I've been traveling a lot in my life, and defending myself is important, so I like to think that I've honed my melee skills quite well, yes? Here, I figure that displaying one's strength for entertainment can be just as good as using that strength to defend themselves. That said, I want to give a demonstration.", She said. "So,", She twisted around, calling around. She kicked off her shoes, setting them aside, and called out. "Is anyone engaged in festivities interested in witnessing an amazing display of human strength and dexterity in the form of martial arts? I can break boards smash bricks, and balance on precarious objects, thanks to my years travelling and learning to fight. I fancy myself an entertainer for money, or at least I do for today! It'll be just like medieval times, when street performers roamed from town to town! Hell, if somebody has a hoop to set aflame or an arrow to shoot at me, that would just be fantastic!"

"...o-kay..." Martial arts is pretty cool. But really? Offering to jump through hoops and get shot at? That's a bit... odd. Bit reminiscent of William Tell and a lion, but odd. Don't try it... At last we agree on something. ...you'll just make a fool of yourself. You had to put that in there, didn't you? Realism, my dear Noble. Cynicism. You're a cynic. And you're an idealist. Better than what you are, isn't it? No. That was a rhetorical question. Of course it was.

[Highfort]

The alteration in Amanda's appearance was not lost on the cyborg. Septimus sighed and poured himself a final cup of tea. He hadn't come here seeking redemption for what he did - that had been found in the arms of a loving construct - but he did need to set the record straight if he wanted her - and anyone else working with or underneath him, for that matter - to trust him.

At least the incident had smoothed out all conflicts of interest.

"Dyste..." he began, pausing and grimacing as he tried to phrase the event properly to suggest negligence rather than malevolence, "It was a routine diplomatic mission: go to a banquet hosted by the aforementioned nation, present gifts, establish diplomatic relations with the visiting nations, entertain their dignitaries - I presume I don't need to go on. It's the usual stuff, a walk in the park given that I was a diplomat with a few centuries experience by then."

His voice went low and quiet, "Something went wrong, not sure what. I was supposed to take back Neste - the Swithwardian diplomat at the time - to the Confederation via ship... Things became complicated due to the fact we weren't sure if she could survive warp travel."

"The ship, glorious old thing she was, slammed into the planet's crust," Septimus rubbed his face as he remembered the ugly wreck and the panicked voices. They all seemed so distant, now, with all the things going on, "Roebuck and Phillip and..."

The cyborg mouthed the name silently, "Ophelia..."

Realizing this probably made no sense to the lawyer seated in front of him, he shook his head back and forth to clear his mind and his voice returned to normal tone and pitch, "Right... The ship barely made it back into orbit but from what I gather - I was indisposed at the time - she barely made it back to the Confederation before breaking apart as she attempted to land on the capital planet, Kashtilag. Few survivors. Relations between the Confederation and Dyste irreparably damaged and relations with Swith Witherward were dead before they got off the ground."

"Not my proudest moment," he added with a forced chuckle, "Mrs. Bela, what happened on Dyste is behind me and I would like for it to stay behind me. Let's focus on today and tomorrow, on the people that can be saved."

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

Elka wasn't certain she'd even be able to vote in it, being a refugee and slightly underage. Though it did concern her severely. If she wasn't safe here, where the hell could she go? It raced through her mind before she suppressed the thought.

"I don't have a lot to talk about. I'm from this little backwater place where the only television show involves beating people with sticks, so I'm not up to date on Doctor Who or whatever's in-style here. Would you mind if I called you Lin?" Elka rolled the phrase around in her mind. It sounded good, at least to her. "Well, uh... the vote, I guess. That's gonna suck if that anti-'abnormal' thing passes. I might just go back home. At least there I'd be shot by my own species." In went another spoonful of cereal.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

"O-Oh," Willow rubbed the back of his head, genuinely taken aback by the offer. "Yeah, I can do that, if you'd like. I'm sure the families would really appreciate that, and I've definitely got enough time to put a piece together."

About the Silent Hill trip? My, my, what a grim subject matter, though. He'd painted cynical pieces before, but nothing of quite this level of darkness. He could do it though, especially for the cause.

"Shall we, Mister Scarface?" he peered around Neil, giving a polite smile to the brutish butler. What even was he? Oh well, oddities were welcome and even begged for in the art world. "Your pieces?"

"This way." Scarface said in his low yet booming voice as he led Willow through a maze of stairs that seemed to go lower into the house. Once past a room full of odd artifacts of ancient and future origins, they reached the attic, where nearly everything was covered with a dusty sheet or in a cardboard box or an old chest.

Scarface led Willow to a window that revealed nothing beyond but pitch dark, and beside it under a sheet were his works. A couple Realistic portraits of Neil and the rest of the Eldritch Family in front of a fireplace, one of the Zombified User, one of NVE with a bloodied axe, one of an unknown woman, one of a polo shirt, jeans, and sneakers with no discernable wearer as any potential feature was cast in shadow. Besides those were paintings of landscapes of the Bielefeld area, from the state park to the market, one was of the Raptor Manor in flight, another was of a massive strange unknown device in an industrial looking factory, and the final one was of a massive space fleet of Raptor ships.

Her body subtly shifted to a different shade of black and green while it maintained its scaled complexion as she channeled a different type of snake. Her grip relaxed and she let go of his hand her hunger suddenly peaked. "Well I am languidly famished from my long travels and I simply must find something unique to incorporate into my biomorphic field. I can guarantee whoever you want in there isn't going to meet with your for at least a week." She said pointing to the Luxans apartment. "However, if you take my someplace where I can dine on something new perhaps I can help you?."

"Sounds like a deal, my private deli has recently stopped receiving shipments due to current events, but I know of one place that is always open." Arthur agreed and flicked open a pocket watch. The two suddenly found themselves in front of Chaos. He frowned a bit at the readings. "A day out of synch, but no harm has been done. Could be worse," he commented and stowed away the portable time machine. "After you," he said as he opened the door courteously.

[Primordial Luxa]

"O-Oh," Willow rubbed the back of his head, genuinely taken aback by the offer. "Yeah, I can do that, if you'd like. I'm sure the families would really appreciate that, and I've definitely got enough time to put a piece together."

About the Silent Hill trip? My, my, what a grim subject matter, though. He'd painted cynical pieces before, but nothing of quite this level of darkness. He could do it though, especially for the cause.

"Shall we, Mister Scarface?" he peered around Neil, giving a polite smile to the brutish butler. What even was he? Oh well, oddities were welcome and even begged for in the art world. "Your pieces?"

"This way." Scarface said in his low yet booming voice as he led Willow through a maze of stairs that seemed to go lower into the house. Once past a room full of odd artifacts of ancient and future origins, they reached the attic, where nearly everything was covered with a dusty sheet or in a cardboard box or an old chest.

Scarface led Willow to a window that revealed nothing beyond but pitch dark, and beside it under a sheet were his works. A couple Realistic portraits of Neil and the rest of the Eldritch Family in front of a fireplace, one of the Zombified User, one of NVE with a bloodied axe, one of an unknown woman, one of a polo shirt, jeans, and sneakers with no discernable wearer as any potential feature was cast in shadow. Besides those were paintings of landscapes of the Bielefeld area, from the state park to the market, one was of the Raptor Manor in flight, another was of a massive strange unknown device in an industrial looking factory, and the final one was of a massive space fleet of Raptor ships.

Her body subtly shifted to a different shade of black and green while it maintained its scaled complexion as she channeled a different type of snake. Her grip relaxed and she let go of his hand her hunger suddenly peaked. "Well I am languidly famished from my long travels and I simply must find something unique to incorporate into my biomorphic field. I can guarantee whoever you want in there isn't going to meet with your for at least a week." She said pointing to the Luxans apartment. "However, if you take my someplace where I can dine on something new perhaps I can help you?."

"Sounds like a deal, my private deli has recently stopped receiving shipments due to current events, but I know of one place that is always open." Arthur agreed and flicked open a pocket watch. The two suddenly found themselves in front of Chaos. He frowned a bit at the readings. "A day out of synch, but no harm has been done. Could be worse," he commented and stowed away the portable time machine. "After you," he said as he opened the door courteously.

Hollow felt a mild amount of discomfort at the sudden travel, like entering and suddenly exiting a car which had been lying in the sun for too long. However an even stronger sense or emotional pain stung her at the use of such a device. Like the way one feels when they use a hybrid or a hummer. As a Luxan she instinctual shunned time travel due to the various temporal paradoxes it always threatened to produce as well as the fact that it was filled with mythos dangerous from alien entities and the like. However Hollow was reassured by the casualness with which Arthur used his device, he must have the proper protections in place to avoid those pitfalls else he wouldn't be alive to use a device like that on a whim.

Hollow enter Chaos with a slight suspicious smelling something was off about it but not quite being able to place it. The Luxan and the Raptor quickly were seated in on the booths which hollow immediately recline in like bed before ordering. She chose only the most exotic things on the menu which she requested the way a normal person would request a firearm.

[Giovenith]

"I wish I could vote," Giovenith sighed from up ahead, taking a more lamenting approach to the conversation between her two friends. "I guess I just always assumed living here for so long just sort of grandfathered me in, it never occurred to me before that I wasn't a real citizen..."

In reality, Giovenith had already been living a life of dubious registration for as long as she could remember, even back in her own homelands. After all, she had been born in no hospital, attended no schools, and lived among family members whose claimed relations and outward ages did not always match up on closer inspection; people asked less questions when there were less papers. This was the trade off for being allowed to actually grow up in the mortal plain, rather than discreetly tucked away in a glittering sanctuary dimension somewhere until she became old enough to manage worship like the children of some other gods. To live her childhood was to be a ghost constantly flickering between may or may not exist.

That clearly wasn't doing her any good anymore. If Giovenith was going to choose to live on her own, she had to start making decisions like this on her own, especially now. It wouldn't do to register for citizenship and vote in the same day, but the teen realized that a lack of official citizenship might prove problematic for her as an abhuman if the anti undercurrent became more political. What better way to toss as many unwanteds out of the country as possible by pulling the alien card?

But that was an issue for later. "Look at the ribbons!" she cheered suddenly as they arrived at the festival. "So wonderful! It's the season of life!"

--

"Beautiful, all very beautiful..." Willow gently moved through the air, inspecting the paintings one by one and appreciating each of their uniqueness. Some were unusual, yes (the one that looked like a zombie almost seemed envisioned as a kind of muse) but that just made them all the better. There was always some audience out there for something. "Alright, so I'm in a bit of a rush here, so you can just point out which ones you are comfortable with selling, and I'll be out of your mane. If something isn't picked up, I'll also be sure to return it to you."

[Fvaarniimar]

Rmwtyliin sighed. "No one deserves to be treated like that, and I have friends who will be affected if it does pass. I am scared for them. I would vote against -" she switched to English for that one word - "Thirteen if I could, but even if there were no other problems, I am too young... I am really sorry that you are in this position..." Not really knowing what to say, the girl trailed off, ate some of her oatmeal, and changed the subject. "Lllihn is fine, even though it sounds like a boy's name." She smiled. "Lihnn." Another spoonful of oatmeal.

"Well, Elka, I am from another reality, apparently around six 157-year periods before -" again, she switched to English for the word. She would do the same for its subsequent appearances. "Television was created. I have no idea what Doctor Who is. I just learned that television works by manipulating light and not by someone's strange powers. It is nice realizing that I am not the only person who is confused!"

Kwa'a jumped in. "Shot by...your...own species? You're refugee?" Having finished off her eggs, she grabbed a peach and took a rather daring step; she typed [Coffee] into what, in another reality, was an SCP. It wasn't bad, although it was at room temperature and lacked both sweetener and cream.

[The BranRiech]

"I've never voted before, for quite obvious reasons of course." Drova shrugged. He didn't look elated about the fact, but he also seemed to accept his fate as the next ruler over his people. His father was a fair ruler, or at least Drova thought that he was from what he'd experienced firstand. "There's a first time for everything though, considering I'm counted as . . . Abhuman." He cringed at the word somewhat, to see himself devolved into a simple word.

"And I do agree, Summer is quite nice as of yet, not cold at all, perfect for flying, Gio."

[Mincaldenteans]

Neste's eyes danced behind their lids, and an ear stroked the soft material covering her head. It was such a lovely dream. She was home again. True home, and not some witherward. The great market sprawling in front of her beckoned and she floated down the path. She wasn't alone, however. Septimus had tagged along as well as, of all people, Klaus. The trio had already visited a library and had just settled down for a proper meal when the fern outside her apartment door interrupted to say that someone was standing outside.

"Mmrph," the nostrils twitched slightly before clamping shut. Their owner's internal clock indicated that only a few hours had passed since she'd retired for bed. Neste contemplated feigning absence.

The person outside wouldn't hear of such a thing. The knock was proof of Someone's existence, and ignoring them would be extremely impolite. The lizard breathed a sigh and extracted herself from her basket's delicious warmth.

"Yes, alright, be right there!"

Neste tugged on her clothing and opened the door to find a Klingon on the welcome mat. The unhappily restrained targling in Tavana's arms brought laughter to the lizard's lips. "Good morning, Tavana. Please come in. I'll put on some tea."

She gestured to her apartment's almost empty interior. The couches remained pushed against the far wall. Sunlight filtered in from a window encased back garden. "Pardon the state of this place. My roommate decided to move things around while I was gone."




"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Dresner," Minerva politely replied as she stepped through the door and found herself in a new world.

It was a rather lovely arrangement, and it took the cultist leader by surprise. Demens must have had much fun setting this apartment up, not that he ever refused a challenge. She decided on the spot that she liked the place.

"It's good to see you again, Anais," she added. "I'm here on official business, actually, one group to another. I hope it's not too early? I'm not interrupting your meditations or breakfast?"

Tavana

The Klingon entered without a word but a nod in returned greeting. She wanted to ask if she had interrupted anything, though found the inquiry to be an excuse to not make good upon her visit. Such things were deceptive in its own right and Tavana was above such cowardice just because she was shy around the alien. The targling squealed at the sight of Nest'E, its focus and perhaps memory of the alien having won its affections rather than its own mother. The Klingon warrior could only smirk as its hind legs kicked at her stomach in attempt to gain traction. As she walked in, she noted its sparsity, but the austere nature of their species approved of the minimal furnishing. Tavana refrained from taking a seat on the couch, it looked too soft and was likely to dull the senses for being too comfortable.

"This little one is fond of you, NesT'E," Tavana commented with an amused tone, with her grip as iron clad as it had been on the targling and met her gaze upon the construct with a jagged tooth grin.

Holding the targling out, though it only motivated the creature more to escaping the clutch of her fingers, "A gift, from Mezran to you for fighting within our halls... and a personal thank you for standing with us. It is not much, but Mezran said you are more than welcome to visit anytime to share a bottle of bloodwine with him."

---

Guild Hall

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Dresner," Minerva politely replied as she stepped through the door and found herself in a new world.

It was a rather lovely arrangement, and it took the cultist leader by surprise. Demens must have had much fun setting this apartment up, not that he ever refused a challenge. She decided on the spot that she liked the place.

"It's good to see you again, Anais," she added. "I'm here on official business, actually, one group to another. I hope it's not too early? I'm not interrupting your meditations or breakfast?"

Anais gave a warm smile and shook her head, she tugged at her blanket a little more, the weariness in her bones protested that she relieve herself and let Alexia or Traxt take over, but she had a role the others lacked, and so dutifully ignored her lingering fatigue. "Of course not, please come in. Erick, could you let Alexia know Minerva is here. We'll be in the wardroom."

Erick bowed his head and moved off silently, the sandals picked up a small wisp of dust in his wake and a knifing sound was but a whisper, his scythe in hand as he moved away. Anais gestured for Minerva to follow the dirt path that led into the main hall. Thick leaves blanketed each side and the smell of the earth, trees and the sound of a stream nearby made this place a home away from home. They past the main fountain and entered the open doors of the hall and Anais pointed to the room they would be in. It was spacious, with a wide table and enough seats to hold at least twenty. It now only held less than half the organization. There was a kettle and three cups already placed in here, likely the works of Reyna.

"Please, have a seat," Anais offered as she stripped of the blanket and draped it over her seat. She reached out and lined the cups quickly, taking the kettle next and poured. The vapors of the tea immediately told her it was a Krytan blend, something out of Traxt's collection, Anais guessed.

"We have other drinks if you prefer something more robust. Cherry can make quite the cup of coffee," the ritualist said just as Alexia walked into the room.

"Hello Minerva," Alexia greeted and nodded to Anais. The monk let her gaze last a moment longer upon her friend. The woman didn't look as weakened as she did the previous day, though her slow and economic movements as she placed the kettle down told the monk everything.

Looking back at Minerva, she took a seat opposite side of Anais. The ritualist spoke up as she took her cup of tea and wrapped cold hands around it, "Minerva has a matter to she'd discuss with us."

"Of course," Alexia nodded and turned her attention back to their guest, "If we can be of any help..."

[Torsiedelle]

"Eh, we have Democratic elections for provinces, and a Civilian council that coordinates with the Military to choose a leader.", Torii said. "I don't really care for voting, and besides, my country doesn't allow dual citizenship. I'd rather not be a citizen of this country.", She shrugged. "Hell, the only reason I don't think Democracy should be removed in my nation is because it's a right-wing country through and through, so you don't have to worry about the wackos and hippies like in the other parts of Europe.", She rolled her eyes.

"But yeah, the colors aside, it's summer! We gotta have fun, like watch fireworks, and maybe swim a bit, or play games and listen to music! Oh, it's pretty warm, we can get a watermelon or some popsicles, too. It'll be cool. I'd love to show you how we do it in my home country! We'd run around the hills and get stung up by wasps and ants, then run home and toss our rifles aside and grab some dinner or a snack and chill out in the air conditioning, and tell scary stories and all that, it's fun. Well, it was when I was with family, which wasn't often, but...yeah."

.....

"Oh, yeah? I thought you'd be more enthused.", Said Jasmine, who was beginning to stretch, leaning far to one side on the ground, her leg outstretched. She shifted sides and sighed. "Well, I would imagine that you'd enjoy singing, too. Performers often like to draw crowds in with music to supplement physical acts, which couldn't hurt in this situation, because we're not even in a position to put up a sign!"

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

"Eh, I'm sure I'll live. I made it past infancy, that's pretty much a guarantee I'll live to thirty if I'm smart." Elka chuckled lightly. "I'll call you Lin, then. 'Sides, what's wrong with a boy's name? I've got a cousin named Rusla, he's a guy with a girl's name. He fights bears and wins."

Admittedly that was probably just a story he had made up to entertain his family, but he was a great friend regardless. Really needed to cut his hair more, though. "And, eh... time travelling. Man, you're more of a fish out of the river than I am." She jumped briefly, being surprised by Kwa'a speaking. "Yep, I am. In Reiltam, there's no functioning government. Only a bunch of towns who mutually agree to defend themselves from the bands of tribals and raiders. And then there's the Culdranth who show up and shoot just about everybody so our fighting doesn't go into their borders."

[Fvaarniimar]

"Sorry I'm that happened to your country. Mine... Very organized government, but not so much kinder. Although things have gotten better. Centuries before... Well, I've read.... The place was more cruel." Kwa'a's phone buzzed, alerting her to several missed notifications, among them a texted smiley.

That reminded her of the to-do list in her bag. She was almost done with her fruit, and had finished the rest; at most, Rmwtyliin had three bites of oatmeal remaining. "Talking it's been nice." The woman considered leaving the fishes out of water to hang out together, but she really did need Rmwtyliin along to try on and pick out items.

Rmwtyliin, fortunately, figured out where her guardian was going with that. "I guess it is time for us to go?" Kwa'a nodded. "If you want to visit at some point, I live in apartment Five-ones-and-four...uh..." She managed to remember what the letter was called. "A." It really had been nice meeting someone who was not familiar with how things were here either. "Maybe we can figure out this place together? Grab the Doctor Who and watch or something?"

"We're shopping," explained Kwa'a. "Neither us has clothing much of, and food - I want get." A home-cooked, hot meal sounded pleasant, and her apartment held one of the nicest kitchens she'd ever been in. Not to use it would be a shame.

Clearing their dishes and putting away food, both the young woman and the very, very old one listened for Elka's reply.

[Monfrox]

Brit had been sitting at the Chaos bar counter for a while, contemplating the meaning of life. Actually, she was contemplating how her new job working under-the-table for Cinnamon was paying her for was quite a substantial score, and how this imported American whiskey was going to taste. As a prepper, she took a swig of her pop. In the middle she glanced over to the doorway just in time to see Arthur and...good God, who was that?! Or rather, what, in a better sense. Was that a Luxan? Brit's surprise stopped her dead, allowing for her drink to trickle down into the wrong pipe and causing a discomfort in her lungs.

Almost as soon as she had seen them sit down did she start coughing and sputtering with the glass still held up to her mouth. She put it down and her natural body reaction forced the coke out of her airway and mouth, making her do a spit-take. She fell into a hacking fit for a few seconds, making herself quite the spectacle at the bar as she tried to get herself under control. After a half a minute, she was calmed down enough as she beat her chest with her fist for good measure. Sadly, in all that time, it only took her until now to realize that she had spewed her pop all over the bartender in front of her.

The bartender in question seemed very annoyed (who wouldn't be?) at that moment, but slightly softened up when Brit, realizing just how much of an idiot she had made herself look like to the rest of the patrons, looked like she was about to start crying right then and there. She was opening her mouth to try to say something, but nothing came out. The man resided to taking a napkin to his face, which by the time he found one to use, Brit had regained her composure.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I just-!"

"Please refrain from hacking up a lung onto my bar counter in the future when you come here." The bartender replied in a slightly curt tone.

"Yes sir..." Brit looked down and proceeded to mentally beat herself up as she sat there, listening to some of the far off snickers from some of the more brazen bar-goers. She glanced over to Arthur and Hollow to see if they caught any of that.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

The large Butler picked out three portraits, the unknown woman, the Zombified User, and the figure in polo. "This unnerves them for some reason," Scarface commented on the last portrait. He then chose three landscapes, one of the Harbor, one of the Market, and one of the State Park. "They are better used in your hand things. It is a joy to be of service." He thanked Willow, pausing to gather the words from his sparse thoughts.

Holding the six paintings under his tree trunk of an arm he opened the door to the way they came in. "I must escort you back. It is easy to get lost." He said succinctly, the truth was more complicated, as the house made sure people got lost in the ever-shifting layout.

---

"Yes, this is the best place around with a good selection, at least without resorting to the black market. That is a bit risky now, the secret fuzz is good at hiding in the dark. So it is best not to underestimate them, at least until we can force a spotlight on them." Arthur said as his mind ran off in tangents in typical raptor fashion. He ordered foie gras and extra rare steak, asking to be surprised with what particular animals the cuts came from.

He was surprised by the sound he would usually associate with a dying brachiosaur coming from the bar. Turning to look, he was treated to the sight of Brit. "Hey, come join me and my new friend...umm. Damn" I gotta start asking for names more." He called then realized he hadn't exchanged names. "I am Dr. Arthur Von Eldritch. And you are?" he formally introduced himself to Hollow as he waited for Brit to join them.

[Primordial Luxa]

The large Butler picked out three portraits, the unknown woman, the Zombified User, and the figure in polo. "This unnerves them for some reason," Scarface commented on the last portrait. He then chose three landscapes, one of the Harbor, one of the Market, and one of the State Park. "They are better used in your hand things. It is a joy to be of service." He thanked Willow, pausing to gather the words from his sparse thoughts.

Holding the six paintings under his tree trunk of an arm he opened the door to the way they came in. "I must escort you back. It is easy to get lost." He said succinctly, the truth was more complicated, as the house made sure people got lost in the ever-shifting layout.

---

"Yes, this is the best place around with a good selection, at least without resorting to the black market. That is a bit risky now, the secret fuzz is good at hiding in the dark. So it is best not to underestimate them, at least until we can force a spotlight on them." Arthur said as his mind ran off in tangents in typical raptor fashion. He ordered foie gras and extra rare steak, asking to be surprised with what particular animals the cuts came from.

He was surprised by the sound he would usually associate with a dying brachiosaur coming from the bar. Turning to look, he was treated to the sight of Brit. "Hey, come join me and my new friend...umm. Damn" I gotta start asking for names more." He called then realized he hadn't exchanged names. "I am Dr. Arthur Von Eldritch. And you are?" he formally introduced himself to Hollow as he waited for Brit to join them.

Hollow perked up at this bit of information she didn't know much about this place and was very surprised to hear about either a black market, which sounded to be quite extensive, while the government seemed less liberal that the surrounding city would lead one to believe. It also occurred to her that the fact both this raptor and she were able to enter this establishment meant that either none-humans were common in this city or at least certain establishments. "Hollow" she said in a more human than animal voice which she typically used. She then turned to look at the newly arriving Brit and seemed a bit disappointed by the fact she was merely human. The the fact her face was translucent however masked it and she nodded at Brit as she moved closer. She had various questions regarding both of them but her mind whirred as she thought of a good place to start and eventually settled on stating "So how do you two know each other?"

[Monfrox]

Brit felt her face get hot as she sheepishly walked over to the booth, but not before putting a 5 on the counter for payment. She held only the shot of whiskey as she approached the two. Her queasiness of gore and blood started setting in as she tried to not actively look over at Hollow too much.

"Hey, Arthur. Don't mind me much, eheh...I'm just hear for a quick first drink and then I'll be heading out in a bit."

Her face got hotter when Hollow asked how they knew each other. What a tale that was in and of itself. Still, even the most recent adventures couldn't be mentioned in public company. She decided to go with the obvious and most simple explanation.

"He's kinda like my therapist of sorts, I guess you could say that right?" She smiled over at him that seemed to scream "please help, I have no idea what I'm doing".

[Tsuyoi Tekikoku]

"Why yes I use to.. And I still do during convenient times. In fact, while here I have my old mech suit here, you know, the eight foot tall suit? Only problem is that I do not have M.A.I nor D.A.I or N.A.I..... All are A.Is... So yes I have people in my head when in the main mech suit." Thriller admitted, though now he is self admitting he has told a bit too much. Granted, nothing too serious as to pass it off with a mental shrug and a reminder to self.

Thriller felt the gurgling in his stomach, a subtle reminder that he needed to eat, and as much as Katya and Edge were having fun catching up with each other, he felt a bit obligated to ask them."Now then, how about we continue our talks over breakfast, i'm buying.

"Sure, I'm starving!" Edge's stomach growled and prompted a giggle from her. "Really hungry!" Edge's tail showed itself, zipped around the two, sniffing them before licking Thriller. "Aw! She likes you!"

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

"Ech. Having an organized government can be even worse in some cases. At least in the scattered towns, people treat their neighbors nicely for the sake of mutual survival." Elka said, finishing up her bowl of cereal at long last, briefly tipping the bowl to get the last of the milk out of it. She made her way to the sink and began washing it out.

"Yeah, it's good to finally have a conversation in person. I've either been stuck with species from my homeland or sitting alone in my room and moping." Elka repeated the number 54A in her head, guessing that was what Rmwtyliin was getting at. "Sure, I'll see you guys in the afternoon, if you want. I've really got nothing better to do at the moment. Or I could come with you. I've got nothing better to do, might as well help out if I can."

[Northwest Slobovia]

Amanda was puzzled by Septimus' reaction to her question: a moment ago, he seemed to want to talk about it, but now he wanted to move on. Perhaps the memories it brought back are still too painful? Roebuck, Phillip, and another friend, maybe, all killed in the accident? Perhaps the diplomatic crisis was worse than he wanted to talk about?

None of those changed Amanda's overall sympathy until a penny dropped a bit belatedly, then she looked at Septimus in sudden confusion. "The operation of the ship seems like it should be the responsibility of her pilot or captain, but you were punished for the diplomatic failure resulting from the ship's poor handling. Shouldn't the blame rest on somebody else's shoulders?"

The name Neste seemed familiar to Amanda, perhaps from the Residents' list, and she made a note to look it up, along with the name of the Confederation's capital. Septimus' statement that his government had no records of Bielefeld didn't mean the reverse was true: Sandy had mentioned to her that this world's history made no sense except in light of active meddling with it.

[Highfort]

Septimus offered a hollow chuckle at Amanda's confused expression and moved to clarify, "I called it. The foolish escapade was my idea for expediting the journey so that the diplomat would be able to have more time to explore Kashtilag and immerse herself in Confederation culture."

"And as for those actually behind the controls, they were merely following foolish orders," his voice took on a more professional, rational edge, "It makes no sense to consider the collapse of a building the fault of the loyal laborer who was given faulty plans. Even if he protests, is his lot not to carry these plans - no matter how flawed - out to fruition? After all, if everyone refused to work simply because they did not think the person giving the orders understood what he or she was doing, government would grind to a halt. A degree of trust is necessary and this degree is what spared Phillip and Roebuck the wrath of the Board."

Of course, it hadn't spared Septimus of their own wrath. A brief memory of both men flickered in his mind, seeing them at the space port one last time as they turned to depart for somewhere else. None present had known of their final destination, only that it would be far from the painful memories and prying eyes of the Confederation. Self-imposed exile, with the blame solely on the former Head Diplomat's shoulders.

"I had given the order to warp to the planet, putting the safety of the diplomat above that of the ship's crew," he finished, nodding as though to reassure himself that that was why the Board had punished him, "I called it wrong. I fucked up."

"But let's not focus on that, if you don't mind, I just wanted to inform you that I have no ties to the Board because of this incident," leaning back in the chair, he rubbed his forehead wearily, "I believe we are here to discuss matters pertinent to the current time, not dawdle on past wrongdoings that I can't fix. I have no interest in going insane over a bad call I can't reverse. At least, not without a time machine."

[Fvaarniimar]

Kwa'a could tell from Rmwtyliin's expression that she would very much like it if Elka were to tag along. Well, why not? They both needed to get to know the people here. This was a step towards that.

"Alright." Rmwtyliin grinned. "Elka, go get money? In case something you want there's." She did not want to end up buying stuff for three people. This was, however, something of an occasion... "I buy lunch. Rmwtyliin, left something home or want to take? Grab it." After Duncan had translated, the girl grabbed a handful of nuts with hard, partially open shells around the color of parchment. They had smelled good, and she thought they would make a nice snack; they went in a napkin.

Other than that, anything she felt was worth taking was already on her person. The same was true of Kwa'a. "Meet lobby in five -" It could take longer. "No, in ten minutes." They lacked watches - another thing this trip would change - but the phones had clocks. She started toward the elevator, then - realizing that Elka would probably need to go up - headed for the stairs and beckoned to Rmwtyliin.

Once in the lobby, Kwa'a set a timer on hers for fifteen. "That rings -" she pointed to the phone - "We go." She pointed out the door. Rmwtyliin saw it ticking down, and nodded. Frankly, Elka's being able to tag along to begin with had been more than she had expected.

[Giovenith]

Little pony watched hulking brute gather the canvases with curiosity, habitually tilting his head at every selection as he felt the subtle compulsive twitch to ask questions here and there. Willow was not only a creator, but a deep appreciator of others' creations, having attended many a convention in the big cities to mingle with kin spirits in cool-lit cafes on cozy, concrete street corners. For though Scarface gave an air of solemn, silent solidity, his works told a story of something deeper, and the fellow painter was drawn in like a moth to light. Unfortunately, like he had already said before, he was in a rush. Maybe another time.

Willow carefully took the paintings and stuffed them into the borrowed hammerspace bag once he had been escorted back to the door, smiling and thanking the butler before at last setting off in the air toward the festival. He savored the sweet summer air and the stretch of his wings, lamenting how little he actually got to appreciate full flight the past few years, and peered down at the funny little dots of people's heads and backs. A glint caught his eye and he thought he might have seen Giovenith, but flew on until he found a wide open spot to set up.

Once descended, Willow got straight to work. Because the selection was small, the easels were set up in a somewhat circular fashion so as to show off the pieces to the passerbys. The easels themselves had their legs pushed as far as Willow could into the ground so as not to be tipped by any wind, and the canvases displayed had been discreetly but tightly tied to the easel backs with disposable wires to prevent any swift thieves attempting a run-by robbery. Finally, the donation container: a small, seemingly seamless metal box with a slit for currency, only able to be opened by a little trick that was only for Willow to know. He opted to keep it close, attaching it to a metal neck-bar similar to what pony-designed cameras were attached to, rather than on a table somewhere where it could be snatched.

Open for business.

"Art for charity!" the pony announced, waving a foreleg to draw attention. "Show Bielefeld community spirit and help the families of the museum tragedy. Even if you can't afford to buy, little donations toward the cause are appreciated!"

--

"Mmm," Giovenith sighed and lightly shook her head at Torii's criticisms, but didn't linger since it wasn't a subject she felt all that strongly about. She just wished her friend would be more choosy with how she worded things. "I assume you're not much for voting either Drova, being a prince and all?"