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

[Highfort]

Septimus spared brief glances at the window as the car whizzed through the city's usually-busy market thoroughfare. Arthur's mention of Septimus having seen him before and the extra bulk left him sifting through memories before he realized that, when he had first arrived at Bielefield, he'd been greeted with a similar-looking car crashing into the Building's front lobby.

"Hopefully you're not planning on replicating that stunt you pulled on the Building's facade," the representative offered a chuckle as he pulled the datapad from his pocket and booted it up. Upon first glance he'd seen a sub-folder labeled "Raptors" with files indicating that the Von Eldritch were part of this group. He wondered if Arthur was a well-disguised raptor himself; the extra bulk did seem to lend itself to that conclusion.

If the Von Eldritchs were raptors, then he had serious considerations to make about accepting any proposals by them. According to the notes, the raptors had been accused of stealing corpses from the local morgue and, if his experiences at the Dystan Banquet were anything to go on, they were serious loose cannons who had the potential to wreck the precarious balance that had been struck between mundanes, abhumans, and the local gods and supers. Anything they did, if he willingly worked with them, would reflect on him and on abhuman perception in the media.

Mentions of the raptors being bitter enemies of the Drones struck him as interesting. It was that which resulted in them taking the side of the Building's residents during the Drone Invasion; Septimus noted that if he could find a worthy enemy, he could possibly keep the raptors under control while their tentative partnership was still necessary. After that, well, he had no qualms with burning bridges if it meant that abhuman perception would remain untainted by raptor shenanigans.

Septimus' gaze briefly flicked up to note that Arthur was still on the main streets and hadn't detoured anywhere shady. Neste's mention that these raptors were different from the ones she'd met on Dyste as well as a cautionary indication not to trust them made the cyborg think that perhaps accepting the ride was a mistake. It was a nice day out, he didn't need to be dragged into any world-conquering schemes the day after Zalgofest.

Well, seeing as resisting Arthur would probably elicit the raptor's nasty side, Septimus simply pocketed the device once more before leaning forward in his seat, "How much farther, Arthur? Remember, have to be done before lunch. Have things to do and people to meet."

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

"Though the car is sturdier than most tanks, don't worry I'm the best driver. I'll get you there on time without incident, last thing you want is to be involved in a traffic stop on your first day in office." Arthur said genuinely, with friendly concern. After driving along the coastal road, Arthur turned and followed the river near the industrial district but still on the Market side. Though he was very perceptive, driving distracted him from picking up Septimus' concerns.

"Not much further." He replied to Septimus. He looked across the river to a white skyscraper and sighed with a hint of sadness before looking back to the road ahead and regaining his composure. Before hitting downtown, he pulled up to a small parking lot in front of the gates to The Institute. He got out and opened the door for Septimus, with a smile and a nod. "Ignore the minions, they can't talk. NVE will guide you to the Directors. I'll wait here for you to come back when you're done." He explained.

The only other car in the parking lot was a black ambulance, and beyond the gates minions seemed to be restoring the place. NVE walked down a staircase next to the administration elevator and waited in the lobby for Itum to come in.

[Highfort]

Septimus let out a held breath as he observed the Pilkington Institute, desolate and foreboding as it stuck out from the other buildings in the Market District and Industrial District. This definitely was not giving him a good first impression and he made a mental note to ask what the place would look like after restoration. It would need significant aesthetic revisions if he was to be seen working with them. He could already read the morning headline if he was ever caught here by the press:

Itum Investigates Institute: Is he one of them?

The last thing he needed was doubts on his record about who he was and his interests in the city.

Septimus strode through the front gates and the cracked, aging facade of the Institute greeted him. Paying the silent minions no heed as they worked - he needed to get this over with as quickly as possible, and something told him that the Raptors wouldn't appreciate him poking around without permission - he pulled open the imposing front door and walked into the lobby. NVE was there to meet him, the raptor looking slightly imposing as the lobby appeared to be deserted apart from the raptor and several minions manning stations and doing work nearby.

He really hoped that the Raptors had something pleasant in mind for him.

"I assume you're Neil Von Eldritch?" Septimus offered him a bow as he wanted to avoid the raptor's claws, "I was told by your associate, Arthur, that you'd be taking me to meet the Directors. Let's make this quick, I have work to do and I'm sure you don't want me imposing on your time, either."

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

"I am NVE, Neil is waiting for you upstairs. The same but not the same, you see. Clones are tricky like that, trying to name us all. Arthur kept that pseudonym to define himself, I kept the codename, Neil uses his full name." NVE distinguished while he left out Fortu and Nevvie out of spite and relevance respectively. He spoke more raspily than Arthur, with anger in his voice. But he showed restraint in emotion, adjusting the tie on his dark blue suit. Rambling on seemed compulsive for him, to make such a small correction.

"This way Mr. Itum, rest assured that time is on our side." NVE said as he called the elevator in the Administration wing just to the left of reception. NVE moved a lot twitchier with less grace but more fluid and seemed to be irritable. He lead Septimus to the third-floor offices and right up to Neil's office where he gave a brief knock on the door to let Neil know the guest of honor had arrived. NVE stayed outside as he motioned Septimus in.

Inside the fireplace lit office, a black leather chair sat facing away with a raptor tail hanging over the right side. "How lovely for you to join us Dr. Itum, please have a seat. My associate and I would like to have a few words with you." Neil spoke in a soothing dignified voice from his seat. A claw unfurled and pointed to Primordial indicating for him to make his presence known. No mention was given to the raptoroid wrapped up in Christmas paper sitting in one of the guest seats.

[Primordial Luxa]

Primordial nodded to cyborg and extended a hand towards him in a friendly manner that would be hard for the raptors with their flesh slicing appendages. “Mr. Itum it is a real pleasure to meet you I have read quite a bit about you recently.” Primordial had a wizened look and tone about him that made him seem like fountain of knowledge, not all of it wholesome however. He had a sort of unseen aura around him as well one which would make dogs and cats shudder in his presence.

“I’m Baron Primordial with the Luxan Empire, I run an embassy here in the city that monitors activity between this universe and the one I hail from. I also happen to be a bit of a transdimensional physicist and quite the accomplished wizard so I help add a different sort of perspective here at The Institution.” He continued to stand leaning against the fire place mantle and balancing slightly on a cane of his. “I think you’ll be very pleased with what we are trying to build here and hope that you can help us advance the great scientific and social work we have been doing behind the scenes but now wish to bring into the public light and benefit.”

[The BranRiech]

"Yeah. I prefer other things besides pancakes, but they're good."

Torii diverted her attention to the TV again, but it didn't do much to entertain her. "Might as well get ready for the day.", She mumbled to herself, though. She took a few bites of her breakfast, set the plate aside, and got up to check the drawer in front of them, under the TV. She had her various little possessions in there, but she pulled only one item out; a switchblade knife. It went into her back pocket, before she turned to gather her other belongings. Her handgun went on her hip, her wallet into another pocket, and she grabbed her camouflage coat and slipped it on over her tanktop. She thought the "long sleeves with short shorts" thing looked cute enough, and the jacket itself made her feel a little safer, like the reds and tans and greens on it would actually help her disappear into the background for once. She picked up the ushanka she had bought, and, chuckling, thought about how nice it looked, and how pretty it'd look when winter came around. She'd wear it then. For the time being, she set it safely next to the TV and stepped to the bedside to grab her boots.

Had he done something wrong?

Drova was perplexed as to why Torii didn't even seem to give him the time of day. He knew that they weren't actually a couple just from kissing under rather hazy circumstances, but weren't they at least friends enough to not be this strange? "H-hey." He stammered, finishing up his breakfast as she stepped in front of him, bending over to grab her boots. Looking away from her, he blushed. "Katya suggested that we all do something today." He finally spat out. The formerly proud boy seemed to be reduced to a stuttering mess in her presence, or at least in the presence of her seemingly apathetic mood.

"And . . . You're not mad, right?" He added onto the end, looking back up at the back of her head, her soft, blonde hair, oh so close to white.

[Torsiedelle]

The girl sat down and started to put her boots on as normal. She considered the idea her sister had, though, and looked over at her, then Drova. "Going together does sounds cool. Sure, I guess, I'll go with her. We can make something out of it.", She said. She diverted her attention for a moment again to fix one boot, and let her right foot rest. "I'm not mad. I just don't really know what else to say. I'd rather think about the day ahead and try and make sense of last night."

[Highfort]

"Clones, tricky indeed," Septimus nodded understandingly at NVE. Cloning technology was always tricky and doubly-so when the clone was not the only individual of his manner and had to meet and interact with his original and other clones. Not wishing to anger the raptor, the cyborg remained silent on NVE's clear irritability and merely followed him to the elevator and out of it into the offices. Offering another quick bow before entering through the door, Septimus left NVE in the hallway to meet the Directors.

Septimus raised an eyebrow at the dapper surroundings. A fireplace framed the office with a soft, homey glow and a raptor tail indicated that one of the ornate leather chairs was occupied by Mr. Eldritch. The presence of a second raptor-like creature wrapped up in paper in one of the other leather seats left Septimus slightly unnerved - was this supposed to be some sort of leverage or threat against him?

Before he had a chance to inquire about the wrapped-up guest, Septimus was greeted by an elderly-looking man with a cane: Baron Primordial. Something about him seemed off, standing up the hairs on the back of Septimus' neck, and he was not reassured at all by the man's pleasant greetings. Reminded him of a lion smiling at a delicious lamb as it circled. He made a mental note to keep an eye on any Luxans; if they were as this man was, then they were going to be a problem.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Primordial, and you as well, Mr. Von Eldritch," Septimus offered a diplomatic smile to both before accepting a seat from Neil, "I am a former diplomat of the Confederation of Agymnum; I, quite unfortunately, lost contact with them upon arrival in this dimension but I do have plans for reacquiring communications and possibly being able to return to my dimension. All in due time, of course."

Adjusting himself so he could be comfortable in his seat, his face half-shrouded by the shadows and illuminated by wisps of light from the fire, Septimus set his hands on the armrests and addressed the men directly, "No sense in beating around the bush, gentlemen. You're intelligent, you know of the political situation in Bielefield. We're walking a tightrope and we need all the help we can get to change the nature of how abhuman and supernatural individuals are viewed in Bielefield. Forgive my crassness, but some of the plebes that control this city seem to be of the opinion that it can only exist with humans within it, which is hardly right. We have to work on convincing them that our presence is not only benign but perhaps even beneficial to them. The Institute would be most helpful to this cause if I can be assured that your work and research here will only benefit the public and not harm anyone. It is only beneficial, correct?"

[The BranRiech]

The girl sat down and started to put her boots on as normal. She considered the idea her sister had, though, and looked over at her, then Drova. "Going together does sounds cool. Sure, I guess, I'll go with her. We can make something out of it.", She said. She diverted her attention for a moment again to fix one boot, and let her right foot rest. "I'm not mad. I just don't really know what else to say. I'd rather think about the day ahead and try and make sense of last night."

"Sounds fair." Drove sighed, hopping up to his feet. The boy let out a sigh of relief, and carried his plate over to the counter, brushing past Torii as she slipped into her boots.

Setting the near-empty plate on the counter, Drova too, tried making sense of the other night. Were their feelings for eachother merely a ruse, created by whatever shenanigans had caused them to wake up in a tender embrace, rings tightly around their fingers? Was Torii really exclusively into girls, considering all he'd learned in his conversations with Katya, and did that mean he had absolutely zero chances with the girl of his dreams?

"I-I need a shower." He sighed again, almost defeated as he looked to the bathroom. "I'll be ready to go when I'm done, and, I'm still sorry about last night." He apologized, out of place considering all that had happened, though absent thoughts usually sifted to the surface, at least for Drova.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

"Yes, we are aware of the current situation and your background Mr. Itum." Neil began with an air of perspicacity in his smooth voice.

Neil then made his dramatic spin accompanied by the musical cue in his mind as he petted the cat. He overshot the spin a bit, but soon corrected himself. Neil looked exactly like NVE but a bit more worn and was dressed in a light blue suit.

"People fear what they don't understand, we have made our livings working to understand a great deal of things. Rest assured that the research here will benefit the people of this fair city, despite the rumors about what we have done in the past. Do you think I'd be sitting here if there was any actual evidence of misdeeds?" Neil defused as he picked up on the familiar tone of distrust, unknowingly emphasizing a few words.

"The Institute is here to unite the brightest minds in Bielefeld and let them work and discover new advances for the benefit of all. Free from politics and social conventions, no harm will come to anyone." he said like a living brochure.

"Tell me, what do you know of USiPo and John Banks?" Neil asked as he prepared to move the conversation towards government contracts.

[Cerillium]

The Nazi's outthrust finger remained resolutely fixed towards Neste's old apartment door. He would take no further excuses nor would he tolerate any Drone or Nifid grousing. In fact, he had squared off with both in the dank utility corridor, and the commanding finger was kept aloft by a right arm held out to the side that remained inhumanly still and straight.

"Ven Klaus order keepen sie out uff der tunnels, you shtay out uff zem," he growled, not for the first nor last time, in English heavily tainted by Bavarian accent and cadence. "Zee tunnels are verboten. Zis means you. Der Roboter und der Unmensch sind hier nicht willkommen. Und taken sie zat ... sing... der abscheulichen Menschen!... vis you."

FUBAR grunted and adjusted Titus' tank to keep it from rolling off its back (although it took every last bit of resolve to prevent itself from swinging the "sing" and crushing the Nazi against "das vall".) The cultists were relentless in their tasks, and they'd made certain every last nut, bolt, screw, wire, or strange leaf had been removed from the lab and carted back to the Building. In hindsight, perhaps it was for the best. The cultists found the secret location during routine patrol; the USiPo could likewise find it quickly.

Scel and Buttons followed behind the Drone. Neither were in a pleasant mood. The only thing complaining more loudly was the thade as he carried the last box of law books under an arm. He had already gone several rounds with the Nazis and have given up trying to reason. They were technically correct in that he had no claim to the private office he'd fashioned. No law on earth would allow him to remain as a "sckvatter".

The grumbling trio passed over the apartment threshold and Ocho put aside his books to slowly close the door on the Nazi. The latch caught, the sound carrying a somber note of finality to it, and then the thade pulled himself into an upright squat in order to give the Nazi on the other side of the door two sets of middle fingers and a grimace. "Fuck you, Dirt Ape," he growled the slur for good measure, and then lowered himself in order to lope into the kitchen.

"We have returned to whence we first came," Buttons stated the obvious and was promptly ignored.

A soft knock at the door caused the thade's lip to rise, but it was only Amara arriving with Thaddeus. The old cyborg had likewise been rousted from his hidey hole and was none too pleasant for it.

"Let's get to work," Thaddeus stated without preamble, and tossed a box of circuitry down beside the disassembled lab bench. "Silly lizard can sleep in the bathtub. We're out of room everywhere else."

[Giovenith]

"It's only a little trick," Giovenith tried to dismiss but smiled regardless.

Sandy's smile broadened: Giovenith was either very modest or she was teasing him, but he couldn't decide which. "'Only a little trick'? Giovenith, if I ever had any doubts about your divinity, listening to Pippa-Michelle answered them. There are few things the spell-casters of my world agree on, but one of them is that making sentient beings -- giving them souls, so to speak -- is the work of gods, not men. And as Pegasus, I can hear the your signature in Pippa-Michelle's soul-song."

"I could teach a trick right now if you wanted, assuming you didn't already know it. It takes a bit of craft, but it's worth it."

Sandy paused for a second, studying Giovenith's expression. She seems serious enough about that... But a 'trick'? She uses that word liberally; a toy like my fireworks, or something that will shake the Building if I'm careless with it? "A trick? I doubt I know what you're offering; you know about most of my magic already."

Sandy leaned back, but his eyes held the intense focus of somebody searching for a minute detail in a complex painting. His tone was casual, almost detatched, but the tension in his gestures suggested excitement: a scholar with a new, challenging intellectual problem. "I'm intensely curious about what you're thinking of showing me, but I'm much more interested in how you're going to show me. Where I learned magic, there were strong distinctions between sorcerers like myself, who learn magic from texts, and say, magi, who learn magic as a physical skill. Many magi are dancers or martial artists as well, as there are similarities between the disciplines."

"You seem to be describing teaching magic as an art, not a matter of reading. That shouldn't help me, but I think you mean it to. That's very interesting to me... very interesting. Show me what you've got." Sandy's gaze softened as made his request, his eyes twinkled, and his smile crept back onto his face. This he had to see: he had no doubt Giovenith could teach him, and a practical demonstration of yes beat hundreds of pages of carefully reasoned no.

Sandy's agreement was answered with the clunks and clatters of several supplies on the table. There was several small, thick slabs of wood, sheets of plastic, paints, brushes, nails, and a hammer.

"This takes a little handy-work," she advised, gripping the hammer in one hand. "But it's nothing you're average responsible young adult can't handle, and the result is worth it. First you hammer these together into a frame..."

Without much grace, Giovenith took the liberty of hammering the wood pieces carefully into a stable square shape, ignoring the loudness and table shaking. Once it seemed like the square was stable, she took the plastic sheets and stuck them in it, wiggling it around until it stayed in place.

"Now take the paint and spread it on the plastic," she instructed Sandy, pushing the project over. The paint was a thin substance, almost watery, and was a dark blue.

[Northwest Slobovia]

Sandy's agreement was answered with the clunks and clatters of several supplies on the table. There was several small, thick slabs of wood, sheets of plastic, paints, brushes, nails, and a hammer.

Sandy watched with interest as Giovenith pulled materials from her... pockets? The shimmer he Saw around them as she did so told him that her pockets held magic or were enchanted themselves. Probably the hammerspace pockets Marcus mentioned.

But the wood, plastic, and paint was magic too. That makes no sense: I'll need to know the enchantments on those as well. Is she teasing me?

"Now take the paint and spread it on the plastic," she instructed Sandy, pushing the project over. The paint was a thin substance, almost watery, and was a dark blue.

Sandy gave Giovenith a confused look, but picked up the can of paint anyway. "Ooookay... I don't quite see--" He tipped the can, and noticed how the paint sloshed. Enchanted watercolors? Onto a plastic sheet?

Oh.

She means to dump it into my lap.

Sandy backed away from the table hastily, holding the can up and away from his body as he did so. Giovenith was a bit shorter than Amanda, so he could play keep-away from her with ease. That is, unless she got nasty: she did outmatch him magically, and she could throw the hammer at him, too. Doesn't seem the type, though.

Sandy chuckled at Giovenith, his surprised replaced by mirth. "A good trick indeed, definitely worth the result. But why? A moment ago, I wondered why I deserved unexpected generousity. Now I wonder why I deserve your wrath."

[Giovenith]

Giovenith merely stared at Sandy from her seat, raising an eyebrow in genuine confusion.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, surprise evident in her tone. "My wrath? Just look..."

From her pockets she pulled another paint can and a frame that was already finished up, wood, plastic and all. Setting it down, Giovenith took a brush and spread the wet paint over the plastic, leaving break up's in some areas but largely seeming to seep into the plastic itself. She quickly covered the entirety of the plastic until it was clear blue like the side of a pair of 3D glasses, then held it up right again to show it off. Slowly, she laid it back down flat against the table:

Like old film burning away, the bluish transparency erased itself slowly and was replace by another image entirely. It was outside, not the actual outside of the Observatory, but a look out at a grassy yard on a glimmering early morning, lush trees in the background and soft bird chirps emanating from the square itself. The image was so realistic, it invited you to run and jump in the beautiful day it created. It looked exactly as if the frame had become a window stuck to a wall, ignoring how illogical it was to have a window to the outside world built right into their regular flat table.

Giovenith picked up the frame again, and the image and sounds faded away back into the blue plastic.

"They're easy to make," she explained to the older magician. "Since we can't have real windows in the hospital, I'm going to fill it with these. The images also change with the real time of the day, so they'll be able to know if it's day, night, or twilight too. You can adjust the portrayed weather just by desiring it."

[Highfort]

Septimus shrank back into his seat in surprise as Neil spun the chair around and, out of nowhere, a dramatic musical cue filled the air. The surround sound was simply stunning in the Institute, whatever purpose that might serve, and the cat in the raptor's lap did soften the cyborg's view of him somewhat. He always had been a cat person, even before adopting Sentia.

The emphasized words and defensive tone put the representative back on-edge, however, and he found himself disturbed by the raptor's need to preemptively sweep away any negative claims, "I did not accuse you of any misdeeds, sir. I merely asked if the work being done here was beneficial, that was all. One would forgive me for being so forward - I have almost no political clout here yet and it would be amiss of me and in violation of the trust placed in me by my constituents if I were to muck up my administration with work that was not beneficial toward our cause, you understand?"

Still, Neil had at least given him a verbal promise that the work being done here was not harmful and completely beneficial. Whether the blue-suited raptor kept to that promise was another matter entirely but the day was short and there were other things to discuss before he could head over to the Rathaus and pick up his papers.

"I haven't brought myself up-to-date with either USiPo or Mr. Banks, thought both names sound familiar to me," Septimus replied, "The former is a policing organization set up by Bielefield for the express purpose of monitoring abhuman activity and curbing it in the interests of the mundane population. Whether or not that is true is up for you to decide, although their purpose to monitor abhumans rather than all residents strikes me as mildly racist and smelling of the German Gestapo. As for Mr. Banks, all I know is that he is safe - safe from the political machinations that are threatening to tear this city apart."

He paused for a moment to let his answer sit in the air, "Why me, Mr. Von Eldritch? What is this all about? Why do you need me when you've got a brilliant scientist, Mr. Primordial, sitting right there? Clearly there's a political spin behind it so let's hear it. What can I do for you?"

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

"Oh we know how word spreads around, and the last thing we want is to taint your image. Though you will find we have common interests in the city, to keep it from burning down figuratively and literally." Neil countered, his answer felt genuine.

"Hmm, he had dropped off our radar presumed dead, but that hardly matters. You see a few years ago there was an offer made by him to the residents of the building to put their skills to use for the city. We agreed to it somewhat, but it never amounted to anything. Not enough people joined and USiPo was formed by the ever loyal cultists in place of the proposed defence force. You know the rest, yadda, yadda, yadda." Neil briefed as he waved his claw about as if it was trivial.

"What you can do for us is bring up that old plan. The Institute is willing to lend its expertise in a number of areas to the Government for no monetary compensation whatsoever. Being privately funded, we can acquire and produce a great number of resources for the City's benefit." Neil offered and then nodded to Primordial to propose his plans.

[Primordial Luxa]

“Firstly we would like to work out some sort of government contract between the city and West Labs to supply medicine and health devices to the cities hospitals and other public facilities. West Labs has approached me several times with offers, they want to introduce ReAnima to the cities AED kits and emergency response units. By their estimates you could cut back permanent deaths by 23% in the first 30 days and then 58% over the course of the next year.” Primordial said curtly pulling out a small vial of greenish glowing liquid which looked more like something which should belong in a cheesy horror movie.

“After that we wanted to open a specialized school downtown to cater to needs of meta-humans. One which can provide education, a nurturing environment, and a place for Meta-humans to safely learn to control their powers in order to prevent events like those recently which lead to tension between the mundane and metas. Such and institutions would not only help boost public faith in metas but would also allow us to better understand and treat people with aberrant lifestyles or biology’s.” He continued setting the vial down on Neil’s desk and walking back towards the mantle.”

“Finally we have several dozen interesting devices and procedures in testing which we want to release to the public. Meta materials which reduce resource dependency and lead to a revolution in matter knowledge. High end fashion surgery with lead to healthier and pretty people everywhere, while rift technology will allow our city to produce enough energy to power Europe in a single day. Miniaturized atomic bionics, blue crucibles field, lurking sentient archangels, synaptic nanites spirits, amorphous necro hearts, dissonance covenant resurrection etcetera etcetera.”

"We dont have any real political angle but we would like you help getting the right permits and licensing to sell and produce these sorts of things."

[Monfrox]

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnn............." Brit incoherently groaned in response to Willow.

She used what little energy she had to focus on getting the pop. Her hand lazily grasped the aluminum can and brought it to her lips. She got that little rush of caffeine, and went to chug the can down to half before putting it down and looking to Willow. She smiled, very weakly in her groggy state that almost looked like a shit-eating grin.

"I----....I ain't.....a mornin' person......" She said, obviously still half asleep from only a few hours worth of sleep.

Brit looked over to Nick and started to laugh to herself, really not remembering anything that happened last night. Not even the knife wound.

[Highfort]

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, please, let's go over these proposals one at a time," Septimus raised his arms as Primordial rapidly fired-off several concepts which the representative knew would not make it past planning, especially not in this precarious stage of political juggling, "I'm merely a representative and, to be frank, I believe it would be in our best interests to institute slow changes which will not disrupt the status quo. We already have enemies among the people and we do not need to agitate them by giving them bait to latch onto in the form of wide-sweeping reforms to the hospital supply chain and to the educational system."

"To begin with, Mr. Primordial, your ReAnima is not going to work," he gestured at the glowing, sickly-green liquid which sat innocently within the vial on Neil's desk, "I don't mean that scientifically, but politically the ramifications of this make it unacceptable to mass-market, especially in emergency supply kits. The anti-abhuman coalition is going to latch onto that the moment it rolls out as bad news; it's not a healing agent, but, going by the name, a reanimation one. That already conjures up images of zombies and ghouls - images we want to dissociate from our movement because they do not encourage citizens to like us. They make them afraid."

Standing up from the leather seat, Septimus paced around the room, near the edge of where the firelight licked the darkness, before continuing.

"Your suggestion of a specialized school is not going to work either," Septimus rubbed his face before licking his lips as he composed his response with a careful eye for cordiality, "While I do admire your desire to assist meta-humans beyond the obviously-insufficient education they receive in schools, having an institution opened solely for them would remind people just how different they are. We want to encourage unity and integration, not emphasize our difference. Especially given that such a school would, no doubt, be a private institution, I can't say I see the prospects for it being very bright."

"As for the rest of your devices," Septimus strode up to the gift-wrapped individual sitting in one of the guest chairs, suspicious of why it had been placed there, "I must say that I cannot have the government endorsing wide-sweeping patents and pushing out devices that we haven't adequately studied in the public eye or put out campaigns for yet. To ensure that the public and the media are on our side we need transparency and we need to give a government committee access to the devices before they go public, preferably with a media team covering the testing. The world is not ready to have the full capability of the Institute simply dumped out at once, we need to be careful about these things."

"In short, gentlemen, I can promise you one thing: I can promise you that the government will take an interest in the Institute," Septimus rubbed his chin before peering over the packaged raptor, "I can promise that I will bring up the issues in the legislature and we will consider assigning a committee to look over your ideas for consideration, but that's as far as I can go. I can't risk my position by officially backing you as that would cast my role as a servant of the people - beholden to no private institution - in doubt."

He paused to let the rejection sink in, "Of course, no such meeting would be complete without leverage; the two of you ought to know the political game well enough to know that I'm not going to be pitching for anyone's team without good reason. I'm presuming this packaged raptor-looking individual is it. Who am I looking at and why are they important?"

[Giovenith]

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnn............." Brit incoherently groaned in response to Willow.

She used what little energy she had to focus on getting the pop. Her hand lazily grasped the aluminum can and brought it to her lips. She got that little rush of caffeine, and went to chug the can down to half before putting it down and looking to Willow. She smiled, very weakly in her groggy state that almost looked like a shit-eating grin.

"I----....I ain't.....a mornin' person......" She said, obviously still half asleep from only a few hours worth of sleep.

Brit looked over to Nick and started to laugh to herself, really not remembering anything that happened last night. Not even the knife wound.

"Indeed," Willow replied, pursing his lips and taking in the scene. They were in direct contrast, Willow clean, combed, and straightened for the business of the day--as he usually was. He liked to stay on top of things.

There was a lingering question, though. Brit was also on the healing team, was she not? Should she be with Giovenith and Mister Bela? With some guilt, he wondered if she was at all prepared for the job, given her current state, and given his near total lack of updates on the overall Bielefeld situation. He couldn't outright ask her though, the walls could listen.

"I heard around town that they're thinking of making wonderful improvements in the Observatory," he tried to phrase as casually as he could, sporting a slight but friendly smile. It was double meaning, hopefully one Brit would catch on to if she knew anything about the hiding of the other healers. "Have you ever thought about going down and checking it out, by any chance?"

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

"Of course our facilities here will be open to the public, all we ask is for that consideration. Help us get a foot in the door and we can take care of the rest." Neil summarized before Septimus took an interest in his gift.

"Why should you pitch for us? Well, we can make things happen, plenty of things pleasant and otherwise. Consider helping us help the city, and we'll consider helping you. He is our gesture of goodwill towards you, hell we wouldn't even let him near us if he wasn't your friend so to speak. But Velocidoctor shall be unfrozen once we have finished our business whether you agree or not. I just know he'd be interrupting us if he was caught up now." Neil answered.

At this moment, a minion walked in haphazardly and began hanging up a portrait of Neil, Gretta, and the three chicks over the fireplace and set a photo of Neil with Nikola Tesla on the bookcase. "Out you! We are in the middle of something." Neil snarled at the mannequin-like figure in a jumpsuit. Neil pinched his snout near his nostrils in frustration. "Sorry about the interruption Mr. Itum, they are a bit mindless but they work fast." Neil apologized as the minion shuffled it's way out.

"As I was saying before buckethead walked in, yeah we caught Velocidoctor and we think he'd be more useful in your company, far away from us." Neil said more bluntly, breaking from his smooth thoughtful tone as he tried to reorganize his thoughts.

[Primordial Luxa]

“ReAnima doesn’t work solely on Meta’s and it doesn’t lead to any of the nasty necrosis or otherworldly mutations that you fear. ReAnima is a liquid chemical that heals organs and restarts basic bodily functions, it’s a vial of defibrillator and intensive surgery in one. No one would be against a lifeguard resuscitating people and that’s exactly how ReAnima works, it has no effect on anyone dead longer than 5 minutes because we want to avoid all the symptoms which you are so worried about. But you put a mist version in air bags, you give it ambulances, and insert it into pace makers, why you could help us save millions.” Primordial said trying to explain the finer details of the product. Back home ReAnima was almost everywhere and death was almost not a factor because of it. The constant reanimation combined with age defying surgery made most Luxa’s nigh immortal until the surgery couldn’t work at entropy caused deep atomic decay.

“Meta’s are different sir, they are intrinsically different species with vast differences is mental, physical, and spiritual abilities. People know the guy with four eyes walking down the street isn’t one of their species that an evolutionary trait. Instead of trying to make people think Meta’s and mundane are the same we should be trying to make people see Meta’s as more peaceful and disciplined in their power. We can’t change how they look but if show they can be in control of their powers and intelligent members of society then we can have cooperation.”

[Monfrox]

Brit stared blankly as she ate her cereal before her eyes brightened up. Almost as soon as they did, they returned to a dull dismay as she swallowed the bite she had in her mouth for a few seconds.

"Well...the guy over there talked about me being in a sort of management position, or at least that's how I interpreted it. Still, if they're doing some renovations down there, then this is the first I've heard about it."

She looked down at her food as her general mood worsened. A pang of guilt hit her. Had she done something wrong? Did she forget? Maybe Klaus somehow was trying to teach her not to crush on his wife, but that was a bit unlikely. She sighed heavily, thinking about the coinciding story of her life. She had dealt with communications issues between a chain of command before, so really, anything like this nature was not a new experience for her.

"No one ever tells me anything." She said under her breath before stuffing her toast in her mouth.

[Giovenith]

"Oh, I only knew because my roommate's boyfriend has the inside scoop," Willow tried to reassure upon seeing the disappointed look on her face. He had to remember she was a little more sensitive than she normally let on, which was alright, since he himself was sensitive once upon a time. Hopefully she'd been keeping up with her sessions with Arthur. "If it were't for that, I don't think I'd ever know what's going on around here. I'm only a pony, after all."

The "only" pony took a bold chance to sweep his eyes around the room with a critical look. To the onlooker he could have simply been raking his mind for something, but truthfully he was futilely looking for signs of the often warned-of spies. Of course he wouldn't be able to see the bastards, but still.

"Maybe we could..." Willow stopped short, a clatter grabbing his attention. Nick the cat was trying to open the fridge nearby, which earned a small bashful grin from the painter. It was very cute, but Willow knew damn well how annoying it was to be called cute, so he tried to keep from expressing. "Well maybe all of us could head up to your place after you're done eating, Brit? Nick over there knows how to use a computer, we could all help you check up on that management position and see if it's still available."

[Highfort]

Septimus remained silent as he walked around the guest seat to get a better look at the supposed-Velocidoctor. The cyborg owed the time-traveling raptor a great deal given what he'd done at the Dystan Banquet and the fact that he was indirectly responsible for him and Neste taking an interest in each other. If that truly was him beneath the wrapping paper and tape, Neil had found himself great leverage indeed.

Though he apparently had no intent on using it, if his words were true. The Velocidoctor would walk whether or not Septimus agreed to their terms; hardly a good deal for them but very generous on their part. It made him slightly more weary of their intentions but, nevertheless, it was a generous offer. Now he just had to wrap this up so he could ensure the Doctor's safety and that he wouldn't have to commit to anything rash.

He was snapped from his investigations by Neil's sudden snarl toward one of the Institute's minions as well as Prim's responses to the representative's concerns. The Luxan's second explanation about how Meta individuals were different slightly irked him, and his eyes narrowed in distaste after Prim finished.

"Mr. Von Eldritch, I can promise consideration, as you said," Septimus replied coolly, licking his lip for a moment as he contemplated just how wrong Prim's statement was, "Mr. Primordial, I'm not quite sure we understand each other when it comes to abhumans, metahumans, and the like. Not all of these individuals are radically different from humans in behavior, thought, or even physical appearance. I qualify as an abhuman, yet look at me! If one didn't take time to peer at my eyes they would think nothing of me when I passed them down the street. As I have mentioned before and will mention again: our goal is unity. We will not have unity if we have people running around declaring that we are fundamentally different from mundanes. All we will have is fear and fear breeds contempt. You say metahumans need to be disciplined in their power and with their abilities; I think we need to remind people that being a meta does not define one's existence and we're perfectly capable of behaving just like them and living similarly to them."

He paused, wondering if perhaps he had stated the wrong thing to the men who might be among his future benefactors. Nevertheless, he had little respect for the notion that abhumans were going to get anywhere by emphasizing how different they were from the populace. Unless the populace was going to be enslaved beneath the heel of an abhuman dictatorship - perpetually in fear of the mundanes rising up to reclaim their world - it simply wouldn't do to single themselves out. They needed to integrate, not separate.

"Well, gentlemen, I think we've both laid out our hands and figured out the score," he cleared his throat before gesturing at the Velocidoctor and the door, "I do believe the good Doctor has spent enough time wrapped up like a toy and I've stolen enough of your time discussing plans that have yet to even be considered by the legislature. This meeting is over."