View source for 810/A Late Awakening

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/10/15
|Location=Tefuri
|Synopsis=A traipse through a decaying space station leads to an unusual discovery.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=560, 562, 566, 593, 596
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|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The distress signal, it seems, is coming from that mighty mass of white with the word 'Habitation' emblazoned on its side. For convenience sake, there are two warp gates here: one inside the colony itself at an 'entry' area similar to a customs, and the other just outside. Those coming in from the outside would pass through an airlock that goes through a process of pressurization to acclimate them to the environment inside. This route, too, would eventually lead them to the same customs area.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Either way, the desolation of this place is abundantly clear the moment one sets foot inside. The loudest noise one may here while venturing throughout these halls is the flicker of a dying ceiling lamp, or the dull echo of some errant bit of matter falling to the ground. Fortunately, the life support and artificial gravity systems seem to be working quite a bit more effectively, meaning that the air inside is perfectly breathable, if a bit stifling.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With those flickering lights, though, their surroundings may be hard to rationalize at first. So maybe it's a bit too convenient when, after the group has advanced a bit closer to the main entry tunnel - clearly designated by a faded, tattered 'Welcome!' banner undulating loosely above it - that another noise emanates from the belly of the mechanical beast. This time it's a whirl, sending a rush of wind through the area along with grating metal screeches and industrial groans that highlight this place's already evident age. In the wake of it, the flickering of the lights ceases. A more constant, albeit dimmer, set of red lights comes to take its place, and matching arrows blink along the floor in front of them. The arrows lead on down the hall, pointing them to parts unknown as though the building itself had a will. A purpose. And considering the nature of the message on the radio, that may not seem too far-fetched.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh, and even though it might be a bit superfluous given what has already been said, there isn't a soul in sight here. Yet, at least. Any life that this installation used to support is long, long gone.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A young man wanders through the warp gate, but he hasn't come here in answer of the distress signal. As a matter of fact, he hasn't come here deliberately at all. It is often the case that the homunculus known as Sieg finds himself taking a wrong turn through the warp gates, and today is no different. His travels have lead him slightly astray, and his expression on emerging is... perplexed. There's a stagnant feel to this place that he doesn't like, and the desolation of it all is fairly unsettling. It reminds him of the unused portions of the old castle.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Certainly, they exist, but they've gone neglected for so long that it's a wonder they're usable at all.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If he felt any sort of fear at all, Sieg might have turned away and moved on without a second thought. This place is unquestionably eerie. But a lack of fear and a pronounced sense of curiosity drives him to investigate further. He pushes past the customs area in silence, shoving his hands in the pockets of his overcoat as he goes.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It looks like there must have been a gathering here the last time it was used, but...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sieg looks around again. Nothing and nobody. Just... flickering lights, old decorations, and... something trying to beckon anyone coming through forward? He pauses, frowning at this. There's obvious danger to be had in exploring a situation like this. Like venturing into the depths of a mine. He speaks a simple word of power, "Licht!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A glowing sphere of light appears in the palm of Sieg's left hand, withdrawn from his pocket for this purpose. Black command spells are visible there, strange and amorphous, though vaguely taking the shape of a human heart. He presses on into the darkness as beckoned, his improvised light spell offering him a clearer visual range than the emergency lights.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eryl is sensitive when it comes to distress signals. After all, where there are distress signals, there are... people in distress. So, he takes a detour from his wanderings to slip into the nearest warp gate, making his way across several worlds to the origin. Clad in his new suit, a replica of his old ruined one, he exits from the warp gate outside of the satellite.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Looking around, Original Face is immediately becoming unhappy with what it sees. Floating chunks of land? He looks down at the sphere that everything seems to be revolving around. Original Face throws up some numbers that estimate it's density for it to keep everything in steady orbit. Suffice to say, he decides to stop looking quickly. His systems also note the thinness of the oxygen in the air. Taking small breaths and focussing only on the 'Habitation' (and pointedly ignoring the pink sky), Eryl walks inside.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When the airlock seals itself so that Eryl can acclimatise, he stands and waits, lightly tapping his foot until the process is done. When it is, he continues. He is immediately struck with a sense of nostalgia. This place is like every other abandoned place he has found before. Empty, quiet, bearing the scars of previous occupation. His footsteps echo slightly as he walks though, keeping an index finger pointed and ready in case of attack.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Walking under the 'Welcome!' he cannot help but smile a little. Whoever was here before, they at least tried to lighten up this oppressive place. But then it begins to squeal and groan, causing Eryl to drop to one knee, finger pointed ahead of him. But eventually, it stops. The lights stop their flickering, and glowing arrows usher him onwards. Standing slowly, he follows them... this time, keeping two fingers ready.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eerie, yes, and with a pervasive feeling of hollow that makes it feel as though one could be jumped at any second. If Sieg does not intentionally dampen the sound of his voice when he calls his spell, it would echo far, bouncing off of the now somewhat illuminant walls around him and possibly even reaching Eryl's ears. The station, however, gives nothing in response save for more silence, and perhaps another groan at the far end.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The lighting Sieg has given himself does provide a slightly clearer picture of the world, though. He can see the walls now, too, which reflect the atmosphere all too well: where he can tell this was once a pristine, sterile place, it is now a dilapidated husk. If the rusted, peeling metal plates are this place's flesh, then the metal girders and wires that constitute its skeleton are showing, warped by age and neglect. However, elements of greater import and intrigue enter the scene as he proceeds as well. Old business notices, such as a call to fix the plumbing pipes in one instance, and announcements of various festivities come into view. Naturally, some are far more legible than others.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Things get a bit more grim as he continues on, some doors that lack either the mechanical solidarity or the energy to close themselves revealing a look into the living spaces of several people. In one, if he looks, lies the reticent skeleton clad in an aged mint dress, a small cluster of dried roses laid over her chest. Strewn about the rooms are empty suitcases and clothes that indicate a hasty abandonment. There are other paraphernalia of melancholy about, too, such as a fogged and cracked family portrait, a few stuffed animals that might've belonged to a child clustered in a corner, and even a device that resembles a phonograph with a crystal mounted on the back of the funnel's neck.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eryl, too, proceeds on, seeing much the same that Sieg already had. Similar writings on the wall, such as business notices, but further on, there's something... more. Along a single, isolated wall at the end of a hallway, there lies a single properly functioning light. It illuminates a wall filled to the brim with pictures, many of them faded and torn as the banner in the 'foyer' was. His Original Face would receive an abundance of pings, if he were to approach it: too many pictures to count, all of them depicting two or more people with smiles on their faces. Cycling through, he would catch a glimpse of a graduation photo, two men with their arms slung around eachother's shoulders before a rust-colored meadow, and others like those. More disturbing, though, are the two pictures at the heart of the collage -- there are two pictures of a planet as seen from space, one of them depicting a green and blue biosphere like Earth while the other sports a far more... brown, unchanging hue. Scrawled above the pair of pictures on a piece of torn notebook paper is a single word: 'Home'.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eventually, they would come to a fork in their path where lighted signs indicate several modules. The only one that is still legible on the left is 'Maintenance', while two are still in display on the right: 'Residence Block 1' and 'Research'. The red arrows on the walkway veer off to the right.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Was it around here?" Mumbles a young man who wanders through the station's warpgate and checks some sort of PDA he pulls from a pocket. "... Almost exactly here..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Emiya Shirou is not unarmed. He's carrying an unusual weapon, not his typical traced fare. It's an ornate longsword not of metal, but finely carved and etched Onyx. Runes adorn the blade, and they faintly glow in areas with lots of ambient maic. That's probably not the case here, given the circumstances...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But he does pick up on the presence of another. Rounding a bend in the forsaken place, and spotting Sieg... the boy grinds to a halt, gapes, and...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...S-...Sieg?! You picked up the distress call?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Having felt no need to do so, Sieg had not dampened his voice. It is probably easy to hear his voice, and he isn't exactly being quiet about walking around either. It's not really that he's being deliberately loud, but even regular movement is perfectly audible in circumstances like this. He raises the light in his hand as he advances, pausing momentarily to look through open doorways. The sight of a skeleton isn't encouraging at all, but he doesn't take the time to investigate in greater detail. If the place didn't have such an oppressive feel to it he might have lingered and looked around more closely, but as it is he kind of wonders if he should leave.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the fork in the road, the homunculus pauses. The obvious path isn't hard to follow, but he is a bit tempted to check the other one. Maintenance... probably nothing really important that can't be looked at later. It's probably just tunnels behind the ordinary corridors anyway. That sort of place is usually full of a whole lot of nothing.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He presses on, following the lights in relative silence, unaware that anybody else is behind him. That is, until...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sieg pauses, blinking up towards Shirou. He is unarmed, though holding his sphere of light. If THIS unsubtle guy managed to sneak up on him, he's in trouble. Anybody could be out there behind him and he'd never know. "Distress call?" He asks, puzzled. Evidently the fact that he's here is a completey coincidence, rather than anything at all to do with what's going on here.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eryl's ears do pick up the echo of Seig's spell. He tenses up for a moment, Original Face trying to pinpoint how far ahead the voice is. An enemy? The cause of the abandonment of this place? He continues walking through, however. As he passes by the writings on the wall, Original Face analyzes them, transcribing the contents. Perhaps, as he explores, he can link these to the possible cause of the abandonment of this place. As for the remains of people he passes? He pauses before them, making sure that Original Face captures everything about them, and their immediate environment.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the very least, the dead should be remembered.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Continuing on, he then spots the memorial. Walking up to it, Original Face does indeed begin analysis of all the pictures it can. It even tries to match people in the pictures with the skeletons he passed. However, the picture in the centre, depicting the two planets with the ominous label draws his eye. Squatting down a little, he takes a high-resolution snapshot of the picture, not wanting to disturb the memorial..<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Carrying on, he arrives at the fork. Looking to the left and right, he rubs his chin, before proceeding to the right. If whomever sent the distress signal is still alive, hopefully the arrows will lead him right to them.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:596|Zwei (596)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Distress beacons sound like the kind of 'adventuring' Arthur was talking about. The station Zwei arrives at however, is suddenly eerily reminescent of home. Having just been woken up after a thousand years of being offline, with no proper explanation as to how every member of its race had vanished without actually leaving anywhere, the sight of a long abandoned space station is all it takes to become personally invested. Asche waits outside the airlock in his exoatmospheric configuration, leaving Weiss as the one to navigate the corridors inside, being just the right size to enter humanoid habitation.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Weiss treats the facility in much the same way that Eryl does. Scanning and recording everything she walks by, partly fascinated by the antique construction, partly out of practicality, and partly out of the implaceable feeling that she simply should. She swiftly identifies that the station was built and owned by Humans at some point, likely as an escape from an uninhabitable earth, but all else she gains of use is simply how badly damaged the mechanical and electrical systems are all around her, going as far as to attempt to date them by the rate of degredation of their materials.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Wandering in on Sieg and Shirou, she drops her optical camoflage screen, leaving her clad entirely in her sleek, black battle armour, highlighted by the glowing green lines engraved into it in places. She allows the faceplate to pull back, just for the reason that humans are put more at ease by seeing someone who looks sort of like them. "Yes. Distress call. There has been an SoS beacon emenating from this place for some time, but I can't tell if it's older than the probable date of abandonment I've placed on the space station. I assume that's why the other lifesigns in this area are here."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's another churning from the deeper fathoms of the metallic maze as they press onward. It sounds almost as though a fan is fighting to turn on, or some ancient piece of technology is attempting to resurrect itself at the appearance of new life. Despite the obvious, one could almost mistake this entire installation for a living being. Certainly, it seems to want to show its visitors the stories of those who had lived here just as it seems to want to draw them to some unspecified corridor deeper inside.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The visuals in the next few winds, though, are a bit more... violent. There isn't much, but there are some blood stains in several corners of the room. Evidence of some small skirmishes lay everywhere, and a skeleton clad in an 'armor' of hardened plastic lays slumped beside another skeleton in a corner of the room. Its visor is cracked, a sharpened knife stuck through to an indentation that once contained an eye. Some boxes and chrome furnishings are stacked throughout the corridor as well, perhaps meant to form barriers between one area and the next. If no one can move them, they may see fit to use one of the rooms on the side as a detour. They could certainly try to smash through as well, though.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Should they choose the former option, they would see more skeletons, though in greater quantities than before. The rooms are quite disorderly in general, but there seems to be a common trend here: any storage components that might have contained food and drink have sustained the most damage. Refrigerators have been torn from the walls and flung into the center of the room. Sacks that might've contained the same lie in the same condition. This is as clear an indication as any as to why these conflicts happened to begin with. Not evil, really -- just a primal desire to live on.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If and when they emerge on the other side of the first barrier, they would notice a blinking azure sphere ahead of them, emitting some tiny metal clicks. It is cylindrical in design, and swivels in its place on the ceiling to face the visitors as they pass through. The more futuristic among you may recognize it as a surveillance camera. And disturbingly? The fact that it's facing them doesn't seem at all coincidential. It continues to follow them as they pass through, its artificial aperture fixed, recording their every move.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And Shirou's not exactly stealthy. Nor is he especially big on acting on common sense. But he does act when faced with skeletons. The boy grimaces and shivers once, breath catching. This place is old. Really old. really ancient... "They didn't come back. Whoever left didn't come return..." Mumble mutter...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He shakes his head, hoping to clear it, and answer Sieg. "One of the gadgets the Union gave me picked one up around here. But from the look of it... there's nothing here to save. ... You didn't pick it up? Getting lost here is a really bad idea."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And yet Shirou seems keen on continuing.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He frowns at the skeleton while passing by them. These people should get some kind of memorial. But he doesn't know who they are, or where they should be interred...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And later on, more skeletons, more signs of conflict. Shirou stands amongst the overturned refrigerators and clenches a fist. "It looks like they were fighting over food, or starving."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But this is making him wonder more and more. Could anyone in here still be alive? Locked up somewhere? he hurries on and comes face to face with some weird swiveling cylinder... something that moves. He freezes in place as if creeped out...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hello? Is it a robot...?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eryl can hear footsteps up ahead. And the sounds that come from up ahead, in conjunction with the gore he passes by and the scouring of the supplies allows him to start piecing together what has happened. The same thing that has happened to other settlements he has found. Running out of supplies, the people turned on each other. Fighting and killing over scraps. At each body, he pays his perceived due to the dead, ensuring that a memory of them will linger in his mind.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally, he catches up with the other three. Looking at them from behind, Original Face points out that they do not seem to be residents. Their clothes are too neat; one of them is wielding what appears to be a classical sword which does not fit with the more scientific setting he finds himself in.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;However, he doesn't recognize any of them, so he clears his throat softly, spreading his palms to show he is no threat. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hello? Did the distress signal summon you all too?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"No... I'm not here because anybody called me." Sieg says, matter-of-factly. He seems vaguely confused as to the notion. Though he is somewhat familiar with certain technologies, and it's easy to figure out purposes once he examines things, he's never actually dealt with a distress call before. Not deliberately or directly. It's easy to imagine how one might signal somebody else in the event of danger, though. It would be rather like using a command spell to summon a servant, he thinks, but perhaps a bit less potent. Then again, the power required to call people from assorted parts of the Multiverse isn't trivial.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So, between Eryl and Shirou, it's easy to figure out that somebody called for help. But... it doesn't really mean much to him, except slightly altering his motivation for being here. As-is, he seems neither put off nor put at ease by Zwei's gesture with the helmet. Her appearance seems a mild surprise, but other than that he seems largely unperturbed.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's no sense in standing still and talking about it, though. Sieg keeps on the move as this unlikely party tries to explain the situation to him a bit better. When they come across the deceased ... solider?... he examines the armor and weapon to get an idea of composition before moving along. Really though, it seems unlikely that there's anybody alive here. If anything, he supposes that this seems more and more like a trap as time goes by.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I don't have any tools for listening for that sort of thing. This is my radio." Sieg draws a small cell phone out of his pocket. It's pretty compact, a flip-style with an extra structure built on so it can be clipped to an ear. Futuristic, but also retro in a way. He puts it away without further explanation, pausing momentarily to examine the barrier before they just go around through adjacent rooms.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The object on the ceiling elicits an odd look from Sieg. He looks towards Shirou and Weiss, "If we encounter further barriers, I can weaken them so we can just break through without too much trouble." It's not much, but it is something he can reliably do. Around then, though...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Somebody shows up.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Those two followed the distress signal." Sieg says to Eryl, jabbing a thumb towards Weiss and Shirou. "I'm just here by accident."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:596|Zwei (596)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Though Weiss manages a perfectly calm, level, and dispassionate expression, inwardly, Zwei is actually perhaps a little bit sad at what it sees. This station was't destroyed in combat or abandoned after becoming unsafe. It died the slow, drawn out, ignoble death of deprivation. Its people had suffered through all the stages of hopelessly trying to stay alive for just a few precious days longer. Had they been awaiting supplies from elsewhere? What were they holding out for? Obviously the place wasn't self sufficient. Or was it originally, and its agricultural facilities had failed? None of it is particularly pleasant to contemplate.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Coming to the barrier, it is a trivial matter for Weiss to push things out of the way with her level of strength, hundreds of times over that of a human, even if she doesn't cope with the signs of death, violence and decay all that much better than one. "Most likely the latter, followed by the former." She replies to Shirou. "Human nature fears inevitable death over possible death. Starving is a guaranteed way to die, which leaves nothing to lose when fighting." She somehow puts on a smile for Eryl, though not too wide. Let's not come across as a psychopath. "That's correct! Well, all but one of us. Care to come along?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The lens of the animated cylinder clicks, the blue circle at its 'head' giving a gentle whirl as its only acknowledgement of Shirou's words. Otherwise, it continues to stare in silence, not giving anything in the form of reply. As others would tell her, it can't -- at the very most, this is a demonstration that some of the AI subroutines of this place are still 'alive', but those things are unlikely to be sapient if they exist at all. In effect, she is conversing with a ghost. Yet, still... there -is- something mournful about that neon hue. Something longing. Even if it is just the rampant speculation of those present, this only further cements the idea that this place has a will. A heart, perhaps, gilded in rust and steel.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Soon, though, more noise comes from further beyond the black veil of the corridor. A... beeping -- musical, rhythmic, and wholly dissonant with the environment. Soon, though, a smaller blue light emerges from the dark. It creeps closer and closer, those noises it is emitting growing in prevalence as it moves. They echo to and fro, becoming the only noise in a chrysalis of silence. That is, until 'it' finally arrives at the now-cohesive group, scanning them dutifully with its gyrating 'eye'.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Greetings!" Its voice is as mechanical as its form, synthesized in a way that sounds more natural than one might expect, but slurs the emergent words in ways that make it seem as though they are being spoken into a fan. "I am. Am M-Monoceros, serial seven-thousand and forty three. I have been designated the surveillance of this sector!" It bobs itself up and down, the spires that constitute its 'wings' stretching in ways the elicit sounds of mechanical bending. "N-Normally, I would request the presentation of appropriate credentials before allowing you to proceed. However, seeing as there is an emergency protocol in effect, enforcement of sectional boundaries has temporarily --" It cuts out a moment, lowering its 'wings'. "Temporarily. Temporarily. Suspended!" It swivels in the air afterwards, looking almost jubilant.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"H-However. As another component of the. The emergency protocol, I am required to lead all civilians to a designated area of asylum. P-Please, follow me!" With that, followed or not, it takes off down the corridor. It takes a left at another fork in the path, following the arrows. This time, the right passage is entirely blocked off by debris and the sign that should indicate its purpose isn't functioning at all. In a word, the other direction looks fairly ominous by comparison.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh hey people. More and more people. just like with Sieg, Shirou eems to have been snucked up on. The boy looks about at the others... and frowns heavily at what Zwei says. Well, he can't refute that. It makes sense. It's awful, but it makes perfect sense. His teeth grind but what can he do about what's already happened?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oddly, he seems mostly unperturbed by the corpses. He doesn't like what happened here, that much is easy to tell just by his expression. But he's showing none of the usual signs that a teenager would show when around the dead - like being creeped out and squicked.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"More than one responder.. great, I was hoping someone else would come! this place feels dangerous... speaking of, if you just came here by chance, Sieg..." Why keep pushing forward?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Shirou doesn't finish that question.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then the group is accosted by an ACTUAL robot... "H-hey, don't just wander off without another word--" Shirou argues, then takes off after Monoceros.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Because that robot is the only thing around that can TALK, by the look of things!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eryl bows his head to the three other explorers as they answer his question. "It is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Eryl Fairfax, diplomat for the ReGenesis Corporation. I would be happy to assist with the investigation of this signal." Formalities out of the way, he moves up to join the group proper... only now seeing the security camera. Staring at it, he notes that it seems to follow them, rather than being stationary. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Well, something in this place is still alive." He smiles to the camera and gives it a little wave. Hoping to reassure whoever was looking at them that everything would be okay. But then the lights begin to approach from the darkness and he extends his index fingers once more, ready... <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But, it turns out to be a harmless service droid. He has seen the carcasses of machines similar to these in his world. This one sounds like it needs some repairs though... He listens patiently to its little spiel, chuckling as it trundles off. "Well, if anyone is alive in here, this asylum area would be the most likely place." So with that? He follows after the robot, noting the path he follows... and frowning when he glances to the right. That bears investigation later if he gets the chance.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"..." Sieg gazes quietly at the mechanical being that arrives, calling itself Monoceros. He remains attentively silent throughout its entire explanation of what's going on, and very quickly comes to a simple conclusion. He looks towards Shirou, and then back towards Monoceros. One eye falls closed as he circulates mana through his magic circuits, a faint increase in body temperature offering a distant warning to those who can sense such a thing.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Trace, on."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The homunculus imitates the imitator, and conjures a sword in an instant. This time around, the result is fantastic... though as before, unlike Shirou, the weapon he produces is a regular one. Even a powerful magus, even a homunculus, can't do what Shirou does readily. Replicating conventional Gradation Air reliably seems to have taken no time at all for him, though. This time, the replica of the sword is properly sized for Sieg, though it is still very much a greatsword.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sieg rests the weapon against his shoulder. "If we're going to follow it to where other people are, there's a good chance that we're going to encounter whatever is left of the population. Assuming there's anything there, they might be aggressive. The point is to be ready for surprises." He begins to walk, following Monoceros with light echoing footfalls.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once he's caught up to Shirou, he asks simply, "Do I need a reason?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:596|Zwei (596)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"On the contary. The only real danger this place should present would be wandering into a decompressed area, severe electrical shortage, or perhaps something falling on us. Unless we go crawling around in destroyed maintenance areas, we should be fine. All the inhabitants appear to be quite dead." Weiss sounds a lot less cheery saying that then when she had greeted Eryl, though the somber mood doesn't last for long. "Pleased to meet you Eryl Fairfax! I'd love to hear more about your parent company after we're done here!" She gives the security camera a passing scan, ascertaining that it is still operational, but unable to determine whether it is operating autonomously or being guided by manual interface. Annoying.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The sight of something moving, even if it is just a public relations drone, is a refreshing change from the frankly somewhat depressing and forlorn atmosphere. Without missing a beat, she starts talking along with it. "Hi there Monoceros! Would you mind providing me with a status update on the state of emergency? I don't have any data on the situation at the moment, and you seem helpful enough!" She holds off on trying to access the little robot's memory. It seems damaged enough that she might just wind up making it go kaput. "Unlikely, but possible." She replies to Sieg. "I wouldn't worry about it, but you could always just stand behind me if you're afraid of being shot."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's something here that might give credence to theories of an ambush if reflected upon: Monoceros claims to be leading them into an 'asylum', but it might strike some as a bit strange that such a place is found deeper inside the grid of research offices that the group is now starting to notice. Rather than safe havens and homes, they are seeing more examples of dangerous research equipment and hazardous chemicals. Why, in any stretch of the imagination, this would be chosen as an ideal bastion in the event of an emergency would likely confound even the most astute of tactical minds.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Still, this tiny mechanical being does not -seem- to bear the party any ill will. But then, artificial intelligence here is likely not capable of such complex feelings that would allow for spiteful behavior. It could have been repurposed, though, and this could indeed be a trap, so everyone's apprehension is more than warranted.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The situation is unusual, yes, and the air grows heavier and heavier as they proceed. Dilapidated chandeliers of rusted needles rest over the crooked cots upon which experimental subjects might've rested in decades past. Just before the atmosphere can become too constricting, however, Monoceros chimes again to answer Zwei's inquiry.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"The emergency protocol was initiated manually by the science department's chief. Chief of staff. Unfortunately, a log containing extended information was not submitted, and as such you must consult the r-responsible party for more information. My sincere apologies for any inconvenience that this. This poses to you." All of this is said without the unit stopping to make eye contact with Zwei, and as it turns yet another corner.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The corridor that they come in to is a wide open space with three forks that converge in a center to form a 'T'. If faced from the bottom path, the group would be approaching from the left. Monoceros speeds along to the point where all of the roads meet, and stops in its tracks. A green, open circle forms in its eye and flashes several times, eventually transforming into a 'wait' symbol akin to what the cursor of a mouse becomes when a page is loading. Eventually, this symbol disappears, and a check mark appears in its place. No sooner has this happened than has an exceptionally loud noise begun to emanate from a higher floor. For a moment, it sounds like rain falls, but deduction could tell listeners that this is not water. This is rust cascading from on high. Thankfully, none of this can be seen as the door to the elevator shaft is currently closed.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Monoceros chimes again. "Please wait. The elevator will reach our position shortly." The bot falls silent afterwards, remaining completely stationary.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Eryl's eyes sweep the surrounding area, the corners of his mouth starting to tug downwards. What kind of saferoom is next to volatile areas like the research labs? He stares hard at Monoceros, Original Face analyzing for any signs of hidden weapons as he follows after it. He notes that no one has asked the obvious question, so he raises it himself: "Monoceros. How many people are in this asylum area?" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Arriving at the junction, Eryl immediately begins to carefully monitor each direction, including the one they just came from. Standing here, waiting for an elevator? It's a perfect point of ambush, especially if enemies come from all directions at once. And considering the groaning and the shower of rush that comes along with the elevator, this is not likely to be a short wait. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Be ready," he says to his companions.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:596|Zwei (596)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh? Chief of science? That doesn't sound like a simple supply emergency, otherwise it'd be handed down by a government official. I'm not detecting any kind of chemical spill either. Does that mean there's some kind of escaped killer alien roaming around here~?" Weiss sounds suddenly amused by the idea. Now /that/ would be interesting! She begins doubling her scan radius, permeating the walls with Mossbauer radiation to try and keep a bubble of awareness a few hallways wide. Surveillance is this particular unit's specialty after all. "Oh I think we'll be fine mister Fairfax. The saferoom could have been placed here due to the science staff's access to some sort of radiation proof, electromagnetically insulated, or otherwise fortified chamber for experimental purposes. In any case, you're quite heavily augmented. You in particular shouldn't have to worry." No mention of Shirou or Seig. Zwei doesn't know enough about magic to comment.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I would be fine even in an emergency, but it's better if I don't have to use my best tricks. So... um, I guess I don't mind if you take attacks for me, if you're sturdy enough to do it without much cost to yourself." Sieg isn't really certain what it is that Weiss is made out of, and he feels like it's probably rude to inspect her closely enough to find out. He does seem pretty physically normal, though. It would only take an ordinary incident to do him in at a glance, though based on what he has to say, he has some sort of troublesome trump card. This should come as no surprise to Shirou.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Most magic users do have a nasty trick up their sleeve, even if they're not very powerful overall.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The thoughts of a trap have occured to Shirou, but he doesn't have any other options besides following along with this robot. He chases after him relentlessly, and only pauses at hearing the words of his typical spell chant. That, from another's voice, is REALLY jarring.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"E-even if you're leading us somewhere safe, Monoceros, I don't think there's anyone to come find us. There's skeletons everywhere... when was the emergency protocol turned on? How long ago?!" He's a bit alarmed, and for good reason.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He's surrounded by ruin.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then loud noises. Shirou grits his teeth. Can they trust this elevator?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He's REALLY unnerved by the awful noises the machinery's making, but his eyes are drawn to Sieg's choice of weapon. "Hoh? You've really gotten better at that. ... is my chant really that helpful?" he's not sure why it would be. There wasn't much meaning to it when first picked it... or so he thought. It's gaining far more meaings now!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"There are currently &lt;&lt; 1 &gt;&gt; persons in the designated safe haven. Sensors detect that all occupants are unconscious and in a state of suspended animation." Immediately afterwards, Monoceros chimes again. "A blockage within the elevator shaft has been detected. Attempting remote resolution of the problem." There's another sudden, painful screech, and it sounds like the elevator breaks through some debris on its way down. Nevertheless, the little robot soon adds, "Obstruction resolved. The elevator should arrive in &lt;&lt; 27 &gt;&gt; seconds."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When the screech of the elevator finally quiets, it's a decidedly pensive and interminable twenty seven seconds indeed. Still, though, no life presents itself during the entirety of their wait, save for one thing: some form of insect, remotely reminiscent of an incandescent roach, audibly skitters across the floor and past the group. And by the time it has distanced itself from them -- or alternatively, it has been somehow crushed -- the elevator arrives. The cylindrical doors pry themselves open and expel yet more metal shavings, but the elevator itself looks rather welcoming; there is more than enough space to accommodate the lot of them, and its condition is significantly better than that of any other area that they have encountered thus far. The lighting seems to be functioning, even! With some luck, this might allay some of Shirou's concerns.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Assuming the group begins to file into the elevator, they would have the visual of a cylindrical window that runs along the back of the shaft. And for the first time, they see something here that might be considered beautiful: beyond the glass is a meadow of wildly overgrown plants of all shapes and sizes, some even resembling oak trees. Many of these plants have been allowed to grow for such a time that they have begun to push upon the dome-shaped ceiling, and some of them have even breached it, reaching their branches into corridors above them. Still, this area, too, is coated in the same eerie, red emergency lighting that the rest of the station is, which may make one wonder how these plants have survived and flourished as they have.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once they've all piled in, the doors shut, and the apparatus begins to rise. The whole way up the party is graced with ever changing visuals of that garden below them. The conditions of the shaft gradually become more and more pristine as well, to a point where the walls begin to display some of their original, pearly white hue. When they arrive at the top, the doors effortlessly open, presenting them with the visual of yet another door.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A mighty door, this one, comprised of several overlapping sheets of metal placed around a circular lock. It is flanked on both sides by such comfortable amenities as houseplants, albeit artificial ones, and rugs that cover the otherwise austere floors. Not long after, Monoceros dashes out in front of them to speak again. "W-We have arrived at the designated area of asylum. Please pardon me a moment while I. While I activate the door's unlocking mechanism." Bobbing down in another of its 'bows', Monoceros proceeds to the door and begins to interface with it as he had interacted with the elevator before. Presumably this won't take very long either.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I extrapolated the method of using Gradation Air by imitating you to begin with, so it's natural that I would use the words you do. I know the theory of that kind of magecraft, but I hadn't seen it in action until I witnessed you. I had to bridge the gaps though... based on what I saw of your spellcasting, you draw materials from a source that I can't comprehend or use myself. But forging them entirely out of mana is fine for normal weapons." Sieg explains to Shirou, mechanically and matter-of-factly. It's easy to forget that he was made to be a battery, and is only just becoming his own person still. It's a bit of a bizarre response, though. What does Shirou have that this homunculus just can't grok?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The elevator arrives, and Sieg steps on. He swings his sword down to rest the tip against the ground and continues, "Once I've witnessed a spell, it's a bit difficult to replicate for the first time, but once I've done it successfully a few times it's really easy. It'll never be as difficult for me as it will for you, because I'm not trying to make anything terribly difficult."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Mordred's sword is completely beyond me, even if I spent my whole life pursuing it." He adds.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A question occurs to him, and Sieg looks around at Weiss, Eryl, and Shirou. "My reason for being here was questioned. What about you? Why are you following this distress signal you noticed?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:596|Zwei (596)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"My personal shielding is rated at two point four gigawatts at a 100% counter energy efficiency rating. I came here fully armed and armoured, so I'm probably the safest thing to hide behind in this whole station! Don't let me stop you from using your tricks however! I'd love to see them! I'm interested to know how you're affecting matter manipulation without altering existing matter! Are you carrying enough energy reserves to simply convert it between states? Even I can't generate matter from raw energy that fast!" The faceplate snaps down again, completely impenetrable to the eye, indicating Weiss must be using camera units of some kind to see.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Only one?" Zwei experiences a sharp pang of nostalgic familiarity. The uncomfortable kind. The sight of the biodome is only drawing more parallels, though the vegetation here appears to be real instead of simulated. "Curious. I would have thought they could use this area to grow crops. Something must have locked them out of hydroponics if they really were starving to death." Weiss passes the time by listening to Seig explaining his tricks, even if the explanation isn't directed at her. "Oh, so it is energy conversion, but magic? What exactly is the rate of conversion for 'mana'? That sword has over thirty megatons of potential energy in it if it's real." She doesn't ask Shirou since she saw him holding his sword when he arrived.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Only one? Hm." Eryl frowns a little as he considers this. Either this last person put themselves in suspended animation in the hopes of staving off starvation... or perhaps that happened after this sole survivor was put away. Either way, better to save one life over no lives, so he waits out those 27 seconds. One of the tensest 27 seconds of his life, although his implants prevent his body from locking up or acting on reflex. A fact that may have saved that cockroach-like bug's life. Instead of firing at the sudden, unexpected stimulus, Eryl simply watches it as it skitters away. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When the elevator arrives, he lets out a near-inaudible sigh and steps on board... looking out the window at the overgrown plants, a soft smile spreading across his face. Even as it rips up the station from the inside, it is still far more beautiful than his world has been in a long time. So distracted is he, that he almost doesn't hear Sieg's question. "Hm? Oh. Because I am strong, and helping the weak is as good an option as any when you are strong." He smiles politely and goes back to watching the plants. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When the elevator stops, Eryl looks around at the cleaner surroundings, as well as the curious door. He crosses his arms and waits for it to open. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Suspended animation?" What the heck does that mean? Shirou tries to remember... and comes up with, "Like cold sleep?" Which is only a theoretical thing popular in sci-fi where he's from, of course.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Short of some magic doing it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The ride has him a little unnerved regardless. He doesn't like this place, and their only guide has stutering issues and seems oblivious to the severe state of disrepair and awful events that transpired here.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Encountering a glowing roach is not helping matters at all. Why is it glowing? Insects of that type shouldn't glow, it's all wrong!R<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He's grateful to end up by another door, but the fact that it looks so unusual has him peering uncertainly at it. What kind of safe area are they heading into anyways? And who is this one person?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He's distracted from these thoughts by Sieg's explanation. Though, the explanation is so strange that Shirou almost wishes he wasn't listening. "Draw materials from a source?" The redhead mumbles bewilderedly. He does not compute this weird thing Sieg is mentioning.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Heh. We make a weird team, then. The magus who can only copy swords and the magus who copies spells he sees." Yeah, he smiles a bit at this crack. It's better than letting the suspense get him.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So he answers. "...Why? Because I came to help whoever might be in trouble... " Shirou answers simply, as if this should be pretty obvious. As if this is just something he naturally should be doing.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In time, the circular lock in the center of the door opens, releasing some compressed gasses as it rises away from its socket, rotating. This causes a chain reaction which beckons the other components of the door to spiral out of the way in stages, one sheet of metal after the next, hiding themselves in the walls beside them. Once the last one has cleared away, this so-called safe heaven finally shows itself in full.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And it is easily the most massive room they have encountered thus far, certainly more massive than the gardens beneath them. The roof here is dome-shaped as well, with the key difference being that this one is made of particularly powerful layers of immensely thick glass that provide a gorgeous view of space. The rest of the room is organized rather strangely and counter-intuitively, however: one side of the region appears to be a science lab, complete with petri dishes, beakers, and 'computers' the likes of which no one here has likely seen before. On the other side, this room looks like the equivalent of a space-age mansion; on a space station where populations were likely skyrocketing and food was scarce, the floor here is made of fine wood, and if one were to look, there are several pantries filled to the brim with food. All of this lies beneath a loft that is reachable via a semi-circular staircase nearer to the entrance.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;All of these things pale in comparison to the primary component that dominates the room, however. Straight ahead, there is an egg shaped pod, gently tilted upward and filled with a light teal liquid that pervades its pale cocoon. This 'egg' is linked to more wires, life support monitors, and other equipment of unknown use and origin than were likely present in all of the rooms that the group had passed to get here. So grandiose is this network of machinery that it easily occupies one eighth of the area of this entire room.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So immediately, the question becomes: what is all of this for? Well, for once, the answer is simple: a quick gaze into the egg would tell them all that they could ever need to know. The station's sole survivor is a small girl with black hair and fair skin, her mouth covered by a metallic mask connected to the rest of the apparatus through a wirey umbilical cord. The look of serenity on her countenance is almost a mirror for this entire, condensed world. Somber and melancholy and isolated, a microcosm for the likely state of this world at large.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Just how to go about waking her, if the group elects to do so, is not exactly obvious at a glance, though.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:596|Zwei (596)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well this is certainly at odds with everything else we've seen. I guess maybe this station was overseen by a singular family rather than a collective government. Possibly some sort of monarchy? Or perhaps a feudal lord system with each other station governed by its own house." A brief pause. "It reminds me of a dollhouse." Ignoring the science equipment and considering it of no value, Weiss moves to the life support pod dominating the center of the room, leaning almost against its surface to peer at the girl inside. This time, she focuses all her attention on data gathering, monitoring pulse, respiration, body heat, brainwaves, doing tissue scans, skeletal x-rays, implant searches, and carbon age dating. More than she expects the monitoring equipment will tell her. Regardless, she decides to wirelessly interface with the controls, sorting through their data structure at lightning speed to familiarize herself with their contents, and to see if resuscitation is possible. "So? What do you say? Want me to crack this open and pop her out?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Once the strange door has unsealed itself, Eryl steps inside. That serene smile he wore when he saw the plants vanishes almost immediately as he takes the place in. The sheer contrast of what was below and what was here... People were fighting over resources, but there seems to be food here. Does that mean this place was inaccessible? If so, why was it unlocked for them? Was Monoceros special somehow, sent to lead anyone who comes here to this room? Was there some kind of time lock? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; All those questions vanish from his mind when he looks into the egg and sees someone inside. Looking to Zwei after they analyze the egg, he nods. "Yes, please do." Hopefully this girl can explain what happened. If not, well... better to be free than sealed away. He stands back a little and watches though... just in case she was sealed because she was dangerous. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Um..." Sieg looks at Weiss, uncertain of how to address her questions. The fact is that he's simply predisposed towards understanding magecraft, but it doesn't mean he's great at converting it to numbers like that. Instead, he just decides to explain what he's done, shifting the sword so that it's prominently visible. "I can do simple things like make dirt go muddy or something pretty easily. Or, I can weaken and object so it's easy to break. Neither of those things are very costly. Creating an object like this requires an understanding of the object's structure and composition... or at least, a good enough imagination to be able to fake it. Technically it's real, but it's also not. I'm having to feed it energy to keep it from ceasing to exist. If I leave it alone for a little while, it'll fade out of existence."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's also not that practical relative to shoring up a weapon I already have, but I came here unarmed." Exactly why that's the case, Sieg doesn't explain. He's a strange kid like that. Either way he doesn't address the energy conversion matter because he doesn't understand it that well.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"In terms of being a marvel though, I'm not much. That guy is better at making something out of nothing than I am. He makes real magic swords." Sieg nods towards Shirou, deflecting attention from himself. D-did he do that deliberately? With regards to Shirou's confusion though, he says, "There is no way for me to imagine the structure of a Noble Phantasm. Maybe a simple magic object like an azoth dagger. You have something unique to you that I can't decipher."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In other words, he's part of an equation with holes in it. Sieg was able to fill those holes with conventional understanding of magecraft, but Shirou's part of that equation is much more potent.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The elevator doors open, and Sieg stops talking abruptly. His expression, normally stoic and rather over-serious, becomes rather angry. His first impulse is to go over to that pod in the center of the room and smash it open, but... common sense prevails, for the time being at least.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Open it." Sieg calls in answer to Weiss. It's one step shy from an imperious command, and surprisingly he has the presence for it when the time calls for it. He looks sidelong at Eryl and Shirou, and says, "My reasons are a little similar to your own."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ergh." And yes, now attention's on him. This isn't something Shirou wants to deal with either, Sieg! The boy quickly points out, "Supposedly my elemental affinity is 'swords.' How it turned out like that I can't guess, but what you're talking about's probably that. Oh..." he looks at the others now, as if he's finally gotten his nerves back from this crazy place and can remember proper manners.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm Emiya Shirou. Union Ally. This is Sieg." The boy introduces the homonculus with a gesture - then notices his expression. Well, that's unexpected. But as he follows the other's gaze... his teeth clench. Well, they do after a moment of gaping and hissy, gaspy, stammering. "Wh-wh-wh-why is there a girl in a tank here?!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Zwei break into the system, easily obtaining only of the knowledge that she sought. Her pulse, respiration, and body heat fit typical human norms. Her tissues produce some aberrant readings about their composition, but those seems to be healthy as well. The skeletal X-rays, too, produce a completely standard structural image, but her bones appear... reinforced. Different in ways that she can't exactly place. Implant searches are likely to be inconclusive as telling her bones and other body parts apart from separate augmentations is likely to be difficult. So Zwei, with their advanced analytical techniques, can quickly deduce that this is no normal little girl.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her brain waves would indicate that she is experiencing the rapid eye movement stages of sleep right now, though her brain waves seem to have a slightly greater amplitude than the human average as well, if her results are that holistic. Carbon age dating gives confirms the success of the unit she is sleeping in, however: her age registers at about fourteen.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fruther, Zwei has no trouble connecting with the controls, but what happens when she does might give her a bit of a jolt: the lights in the room immediately dim, and a truly immense video screen lowers from the ceiling. There is a brief delay in which the image flickers, but soon, a man appears there. A man with short, messy black hair, rectangular spectacles, and no small amount of scruff considering his apparently fairly young age. He taps an unseen microphone a few times, drawing a breath before he begins.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One might note that his eyes are bloodshot and red at their rims, as though he had been crying until a few moments before the recording.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hello, people of the future. I am Marc Albom. As I am saying these words, I have just put my daughter to rest in the Chrysalis of Eternity, one quarter of a project meant to salvage our dying world. I trust that you don't need me to explain what the Chrysalis is and does, so instead I'll explain the things that you want to know. The what, the how, and the why. Please listen carefully." He clears his throat.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"This world's name is - or at least, was - Tefuri. Through a marriage of science and technology, we have prospered as a civilization for the past three-thousand some years, building massive colonies in space such as the one you're standing in right now. Our skill with medicine lead to cures for most common forms of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. We nearly fathomed a system for the wilful creation of new planets. I do not know how this measures up to the technology you have available, but if any of this sounds compelling in the least, then please continue listening. This is where my wishes -- no, needs -- and yours can align."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"All of this information lies dormant in Evette's - in my daughter's - mind. She is the ark that carries all that my world was, is, and likely ever will be. In light of the circumstances, I have no choice but to entrust her to you. However, know this: this information is guarded by the most complex magical and scientific algorithms my people ever produced. If you try to take it from her, you -will- fail. The only way to awaken this information is to treat her with kindness, and to foster her growth. Therefore, this is my proposition: take Evette, and give her a proper home. A proper life. In return, you will receive all of the knowledge we have to offer while also helping us live on through your actions."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I shall trust that you see this arrangement to your benefit, and pray that you accept. From where I am standing, I can do little else. I am not a speaker, and I don't believe that I could ever encapsulate what this project means to us as a race, and me as..." Finally, he pauses. "... as a parent, but. If you do this, then if there is any reality in which I may be allowed to watch over your actions, then know that you will have my gratitude for all time. The gratitude of all of us. You can do us no greater kindness than to take Evette, shelter her, and share your worlds with her. She is my life's work. She is my -- and our -- entire world. Whatever empty, rotting husk you might have seen on your way in isn't our world any more."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He bows at the camera, taking in a final, quivering breath. "... thank you. May your futures... and her future... be bright. And may your worlds never fall victim to the plagues that destroyed ours. Farewell." A hand reaches toward the camera, and the feed cuts out.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:596|Zwei (596)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hmmmm? Is that so?" Weiss hums in response fo Sieg. "So you're creating a projection of a sword rather than a real one, expending as much energy as is required for it to interact with its surroundings as a realistic fascimile. That's interesting. A little bit like my sword, but totally different all the same. So what exactly is mana and where does it come from? I don't see any batteries inside of you." She then turns her attention to Shirou. "Oh really~? Then perhaps I should be asking you! What's a Noble Phantasm, what do you mean by 'elemental affinity', and what are you doing that's so different from this person here, mister Shirou? . . . you aren't here to start looting like those other superfaction members I had to deal with, are you?" She's making smalltalk while she fiddles with the electronics at Eryl's polite request.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She stops abruptly at the video feed. Now this is interesting. The unblinking stare she gives it is the only sign of how much of her processors the sight is tying up. "Marc Albom huh. Probably of the ruling class here." Her expression would brighten up a little at the mention of terraforming technology, if she were actually capable of suconscious or accidental expression. "Now that's interesting! If I can-" The mention of /magical/ encryption puts her off. She could crack standard computer encryption with trivial ease, but having consistently run into things that defy physical laws, the use of that word drops Zwei's confidence. "Well, she's clearly not of a standard human phenotype, but I'm still putting her at 14 biological years old. I don't have subroutines for raising children, so this is on your heads!" She announces cheerily, waiting until the video feed is completely finished before cycling through the resuscitation routines, eventually popping the lid on the capsule.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Eryl flinches when the lights dim, looking around, expecting some kind of trap. But no, a screen lowers and begins to play a message. Eryl scans the head of the man on it, checking it against the skulls he passed on his way here. He listens carefully, standing silently as the man speaks. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However, someone else is also listening. Ever since he got hurt defending The Factory, every time Eryl goes off-world, his activities are monitored actively by ReGenesis. Diana LeFoe sits at a desk, watching the screen that shows what Eryl sees, listening as Marc's speech is broadcast from Eryl's brain to her speakers. And what she is hearing has piqued her interest. If the knowledge in this girl is as great as they say... She pulls up a microphone and speaks into it, her words being broadcast into Eryl's mind. "Eryl. This girl may be the key to reviving our world. Stick with her." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Eryl hears this, and understands, giving no outward sign that any such message has been transmitted to him. Though, it is possible that Zwei noticed the signal, assuming it can detect such things. Though, Eryl didn't really need to be told this. He was a product of the Saviour Programme, an attempt to make the future better. Here was a girl who was much the same. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Besides, he is strong. And from what Marc said, this girl needed guidance and protection. He is as good an option to offer that as any. As of yet, he could not really give her a proper home though... oh well. He can sort that out later. Perhaps a place in Eden? <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"A Noble Phantasm is a legendary magical weapon or special power that Heroic Spirits have... technically. So a magic sword like Excalibur or Caladbolg. Is this really the time to talk about--" And everything goes dark. "... Any would I be here to loot?" The boy makes a frustrated, exasperated noise, but then....<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"........." There are no words. Shirou's stammering ends the instant everything goes dark, but he can only watch,.... watch, and listen with thoroughly dedicated attention to this sorrowful final message of a man he's never met, and probably never will...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He finally clamps his mouth shut after plenty of gaping time... What's he supposed to do to give a home to someone just a few years youner than he? He doesn't... have his home, right now.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And for the first time in a while, he wishes he WAS home... he could maybe answer this request in a reasonable fashion. But since he isn't...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I guess she could stay at Dun Realtai. Bedivere probably wouldn't mind..." Or so he ponders aloud.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The lid pops, and the 'egg' moves into a vertical position. Slowly, the fluid begins to drain from the bottom of the tank and filter into a larger tank attached to the system behind her for the last time. Then the glass door peels itself away from Evette's cell, soon grabbed by a metal arm that sets it aside. Still unconscious, Evette begins to fall as soon as the chamber is open. So somebody should probably catch her.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;... oh, and take off that ugly oxygen mask thing.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The entire explanation just infuriates Sieg more. If his command seals weren't an extremely finite resource, he would use one here and now to destroy this place as thoroughly as possible after securing the safety of that being there. The rapid circulation of his mana is becoming visible in the form of lines running underneath his skin in an orderly but strange-looking fashion. The lines are focused around his heart, gleaming a not-quite-bright green that is nonetheless dimly visible through the fabric of his clothing. His fingers twist painfully around the hilt of the projected greatsword, and after a time his anger reaches its apex and requires an outlet.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If the egg had not begun to open in a way that was hazardous to its occupant, Sieg would have hurled the greatsword through the viewscreen in anger. But his anger is required to disperse out of necessity. The projected sword clatters to the ground as it is discarded, and the homunculus steps forward to catch Evette. He remembers leaving his own pod for the first time. There was not even an ability to walk into him. Each step tore his flesh, and he could hardly think.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The oxygen mask was the first thing he'd had to get rid of. But it hurt, and he's sure he only managed it out of desperation at the time. Sieg steadies the girl first, and looks over towards Weiss and the others, "Could one of you remove the breathing tube? I'm not the best at things like this."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The tension is still evident in him. It's uncharacteristic of him to appear so openly infuriated, but it was definitely there just a moment ago. In the meantime, though Sieg offers no further explanation to Weiss due to his distraction... the projected sword begins to visibly fade away, chipped into nothing by the pressure of its own nonexistence and the discontinuation of Sieg's support.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Eryl goes in to help immediately, Original Face scanning the structure of the mask so he can remove it quickly and gently. He immediately follows that up by taking off his coat and draping it over the girl-Evette-to keep her warm. Last thing she needs is to catch cold the moment she's awoken. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; His eyes look over Seig, taking in the obvious distress on his face, the curious glowing across his body. The latter, he cannot explain. Probably something to do with what he was discussing earlier. But the former is clear to him. This whole scenario has distressed him greatly. "Will you be okay sir?" he asks, looking the homunculus in the eyes.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:596|Zwei (596)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh Sieg. How chivalrous! Weiss obliges him by moving over to the girl, carefully removing any IVs or feeds that may be plugged into her, and then applying a subtle cardiac shock if she isn't breathing right away. Her biology seems similar enough to a human that this should all be simple enough; such that she can chatter the whole time she's doing it. "Something on your mind Eryl~?" A coy hint that she might have noticed him recieving a transmission. "I'm asking about looting because a couple of members of the Confederacy came to my home installation under the pretense of investigation but tried to steal a ship instead. So far I'm not terribly impressed." Plus Armsmaster was in the Union and he was a total douche when last Zwei met him. "So what exactly is Dun Realtai anyways? And a Heroic Spirit? I'm not familiar with anything to do with magic so you'll have to excuse me. I'm interested in your abilities."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just angry, and there isn't much I can do about it." Sieg says to Eryl, meeting his gaze momentarily before looking around at the room around them. "If I went with my first impulse, I'd probably do my best to break this entire place as best as I can. It's not right to make a person just so you can force all the burdens of the world on them. There is no story of that type that ends favorably, and most of the time the result is a world that was worse than it was when the story began. Individuals can be strong, but they're not made to hold up the world all by themselves, and they should have the right to choose whether or not that's what they want to do. To give a person no choice is to treat them like a tool."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's even worse to treat a person you care about that way, even if it's your last resort." The homunculus looks towards Evette, his expression softening. "Maybe that's what this person will want to do, in the end. I've chosen to be a meddler, myself. But in terms of beginnings, she and I are very similar. We both began like that."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sieg nods towards the "egg" container, looming above them.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's some time still until Evette finally wakes. And when she does, she's clearly not in the right state of mind; rather than questioning why two complete strangers have her held, she simply smiles a groggy sort of smile, studying each of their faces with a distinct haze in her gaze. The first substantial move she makes is to open her mouth in a yawn. Then she proceeds to rub an eye gently.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hey, um...." Her voice is soft and tiny. Almost as doll-like as the rest of her, in fact. "... uh..." She glances between the two men again, eyes widening slightly. Then she goes to rub the other eye. Then both at once. She begins to say something, but stops before she's able. Then Monoceros comes flitting from behind the group, spinning around with a pink heart on its display.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It looks happy! And that gets a wider smile out of Evette. She silently reaches out to give Monoceros a few pats on the head, as though he were some sort of dog. "... good morning, Mono. I feel like I've been sleeping forever." She rubs the top of her skull. "Head hurts a lil'." So perhaps this is why most of what Sieg says flies straight over her head. It does get her attention back on the strangers, though. The strangers, uh, holding her. Suddenly, a little blush forms on her face.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"U-Uhm... uh..." She squirms a bit. "Would you mind putting me down? I'm a little woozy, but I think I can stand at least." Her eyes light up again. "Oh! And... who are you people? I don't think I've ever seen you before. And you don't look like the sorts of people that Father would bring in here..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Eryl stares at Zwei a moment. Given that they have shown a capacity for environmental analysis beyond his own, he realizes: they knew he had received a message. Well. Honesty is the best policy. "My sponsors are very interested in this girl. But, I have no plans to kidnap her. That would be cruel. And counterproductive." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He listens to Sieg's words carefully, nodding along. He works to keep his face neutral and attentive, but inside, he is carefully mulling over those words. Eryl is... well, the fate of the WHOLE world is not on him really. He is a prototype, and if he performs well and doesn't go insane, other Saviours will be dispatched across the world to handle other continents. So, in that sense... is the fate of the world not indirectly on him? But he seems to be coping just fine... perhaps this fellow has had a harder life than he. After all, he speaks with the air of someone who knows this from experience. "Perhaps you are right... but now, she does have a choice. What she does after this is entirely up to her, no?" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And then, Evette awakes and speaks. This is an interpersonal situation that is totally alien to Eryl. What do you say to someone like her? Like him? Well... best to start with the pleasantries. Never hurts to be polite. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Good morning Miss Evette. You are correct, it was Monoceros that let us in, not your father." <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Shirou's so surprised by Sieg's spiking rage that he's stuck in place, choking down a gasp, for the brief second that it would have taken for him to otherwise choose to rush and catch evette. It's Sieg's own dash that shakes him out of it and gets him hurrying to assist the Homonculus and support Evette's tumbling body. He's probably physically stronger than Sieg, without magic as a factor anyways!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Dun Realtai's a small castle town--- oi, how can you talk about stuff like this at a time like this?" Evette's waking up, after all. He'll definitely help set her down, since this whole matter's pretty awkward.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But unlike her, Shirou does understand much of what Sieg's saying. He takes a few moments to ponder on it... during which his expression goes kind of foggy, but...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"No, not quite, Sieg. It's different... ugh, I can't talk about it now!" Evette's right here, after all.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He faces her, and tries to do away with the sour look. "Good morning! I'm Emiya Shirou." And he's speaking Japanese, obviously. Hello, translation effect.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:596|Zwei (596)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Weiss goes quiet at Seig's words. A noteable achievement. Though there's no way Zwei would let anyone know, the tenets of purpose, expectations, and being born into a world without anyone to support or judge them, hits extremely close to home. A niggling worry that had been eating away at it gradually more and more over the last few days. It does its best not to think about it any longer, instead focusing on the now-conscious girl.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hello there Evette! My name is Zwei!" She figures the girl would like to hear something short and catchy rather than her full title and designation. It's probably a good thing Asche is still waiting outside. Weiss is so much more personable. "You really have been sleeping for a long time. You're the only person still here. Everyone else left." Yes. 'left'. "We came here to pick you up since there was nobody else around!" Ignore Eryl and the heavy subject matter. Ignore ignore ignoooooore.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I can talk about lots of things at once. It's not hard to split my attention you know. You don't have to stop." Keep prompting Shirou instead. 'Castle town' isn't very descriptive. Why's he being so stingy with the info?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hm?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sieg hadn't expected Evette to wake up so quickly. He eases away from her so she can stand on her own, if she has the strength to. But he doesn't step away entirely, so he's well within arm's reach if he needs to make sure Evette doesn't fall... or if she just needs to steady herself. Either way, he's making himself available while offering her some personal space. Probably not as much as would normally be socially desired between two strangers, but given the circumstances he doesn't feel as if it's particularly bothersome for him to be mildly intrusive.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm Sieg." It's a plain introduction, and Sieg has no surname or titles to offer at all. The fact that he is here at all is a fluke, though it is one that he must wonder about. Given the situation, it seems to him that he is uniquely suited to handle it. But... truthfully, he isn't sure where to go from here.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Everyone here is avoiding telling the girl what really happened, among other things. Oh... and...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Being relatively free of many human social constraints, Sieg asides to Weiss, "A heroic spirit is a powerful figure from history or mythology, made manifest in a spiritual form. Like Heracles, or Achilles. Noble Phantasms are their weapons and special abilities... for instance, Achilles' invincibility, or the Nemean Lion's pelt."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Turns out instead of handling it, he just got flustered and addressed something else.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Evette responds to Eryl first, swiveling her head in his direction. "H-Huh?" She glances to the little bot. "Mono let you in?" A checkmark appears in his eye. "We agreed to come here in. In times of trouble." And by 'we', he likely means himself and Evette's 'father'. "I brought them to the designated point of asylum!" He twirls in a few more circles afterwards, eliciting another smile from her. "Then good Mono. Very good Mono!" She holds out her hand and he swoops under it for another few pats. Though she was almost unaturally pale moments ago, some color is already coming back to her skin. And her cheeks are heartwarmingly rosy.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Zwei gets her attention pretty quickly, though. "L-Left? Huh?" She cocks her head, her mouth forming a small 'o'. "Why would they do that? Did something go wrong? Was there a fire or something and they had to evacuate?" Her eyes get -extremely- wide now, and she stops petting Monoceros. This one is a look of urgency. Quietly, she mutters, "... everyone?" Then she shakes her head, words taking on a bit of loudness, and force. "N-No, that isn't right. -Everyone- can't be gone, 'cause Father -has- to be here. He would never leave without me." She balls her fists. "So if you haven't seen him, then we just have to look for him. We should check the garden! He always said that was his favorite place..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But she's able to calm herself for at least another moment to respond to Shirou's introduction with a nod. "H-Hi, Emiya..." She doesn't go by Japanese name ordering, apparently. "Thanks for coming to get me, I guess. But we do really need to find Father before we go."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then she looks to Sieg, again with those wide, blue eyes of hers. She blinks at him several times. "Hi to you, too. Thanks for catching me." And with that, she does finally make an attempt to stand... and fails, slumping back to the ground. This clearly surprises her, but she tries again several seconds later. Still to no avail, unfortunately, so with some reluctance she reaches up to Sieg. "Could you... help me a little, maybe? I don't think I'm totally awake yet." He was the one who caught her, so he's the logical first choice for a lift. She does give Eryl a glance after, though.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hey. Um." She pauses a moment, trying to find words. "... you know my name, but I don't know yours. That's kinda unfair. Everyone else told me their names, so you should tell me yours, too. But come to think of it, how do you guys know my name anyway? Isn't it sort of creepy to know someone's name if you've never seen them before?" Under her breath, she adds, 'Not that I care or anything, but...'<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ghkh..." No dodging it if Evette's acting like this. Shirou chokes down on the emotion welling up. This is especialyl hard, what with the jubilant cute being thrown at Monoceros! "...Th-the reason is... there was a message here when we arrived. Your father kept you safe in here. But outside this room it's a different story. You-" His voice turns rough as that emotion rushes up. "....You don't wanna see it. Monoceros... what's the current date, and when was the last time you spoke with Evette before today?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Eryl looks around at everyone. It seems that no one else knows what to do here anymore than he does. He listens to Seig try and change the topic, shaking his head slightly. Then, when the girl starts to panic, start demanding that they search for her father... it's the same thing he has seen before. Logically, considering the state of disrepair this place is in, her father is most likely dead. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But, he has not see the body. For all he knows, people here are much longer lived. Perhaps he was able to get into another 'egg' like this one. Ergo, there is no need to give the girl false despair. But then, he is called out on his rudeness! Some diplomat he is. "Oh, my apologies Miss Evette. My name is Eryl Fairfax, diplomat for the ReGenesis Corporation." He stands and does a proper bow. He was about to say more... but then the young man starts to speak. Oh dear. This may not end well...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"As much as you need." Sieg's reply is automatic. It's a terrifying experience, not being able to move around on your own, or barely being able to do so. To have to crawl about, or rely on others to help you, is a profound feeling of helplessness. He offers both hands to Evette, pulling her up... but he's keeping some distance. It's not because he doesn't want to help, but to give Evette an idea of what sort of help she actually needs and what she can do on her own. If she needs full physical support, she'll get it. If she only needs to lean on him a bit, that's fine too.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;All things considered, the homunculus seems to be quite familiar with how to deal with people who aren't in the best physical shape for whatever reason. It was only a few months ago that he was in that kind of shape, after all.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If she needs carrying, that's fine too. But it seems that Sieg isn't willing to accept the responsibility of pointing out the reality of the situation to Evette. It's not that he's unwilling to do it out of a desire to spare her feelings... he just doesn't know how she'll deal with it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Depending on her mental fortitude, she may shut down here and now. Or... or any number of things. Sieg doesn't know, and that's why he hesitates. But in the end, after the others have offered their own explanations -- and the truth -- he says, "I'll help you look if that's what you want to do."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's not the kindest answer that Sieg could offer, but it allows Evette to absorb the situation at a slower pace than telling her outright.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:596|Zwei (596)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Unfortunately, I don't think he's here." Weiss looks to Monoceros pointedly. "I don't think he would have had other people come to pick you up if he was here himself. This station is totally abandoned and it has been for some time. Who knows though! Maybe he's busy with something really important and he'll come to see you afterwards! We don't have any reason to suspect he abandoned you, and we have no proof he was killed or anything." She stops just long enough for Eryl to introduce himself. "We know your name because your father told us. It was a video log rather than a live message however. He's at least made some manner of preparations for you. It'd probably be best if you were to leave soon however. This place wouldn't be habitable for more than a few days at most. You can worry about finding him once you've recovered from stasis."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Evette looks nothing but confused as Shirou broaches the taboo subjects. For the most part, nothing really registers - she just mutters 'What...?' under her breath as the image on Monoceros' display balances to its normal azure dot. "So... so there -was- something like a fire, then? I don't understand." She folds her hands together, fidgeting. "B-But... father is okay, right? He's coming back, right? Nothing could ever hurt him... right?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With all of the blades Shirou has seen and made, it's unlikely that any one of them would stab as deeply as her eyes are right now. It's almost unbelievable how a gesture so innocent could simultaneously be so agonizing. Nevertheless, Monoceros eventually continues as instructed. "It is the year Four-thousand and fifty-one. The last time I spoke. To Evette was approximately one-hundred and fifty five years, three days, and seven hours ago." Completely incongruously, Monoceros adds with a twirl, "It was Evette's birthday three days ago!" And at that, her confusion only grows. She begins shaking her head, slowly at first but with visibly growing fervor, and panic. "N-No... it's my birthday today." 'Father was going to give me a gift...'<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eryl gets a passing look after that, but she's quickly losing the ability to focus on anything. Rather than responding out loud, she's responding with a sort of inward destruction; you can almost see the nausea on her face as the pieces begin to assume a rational image. For now she focuses on standing with the aid of Sieg's hand, looking to Zwei. Her eyes glaze over as she speaks, so it's not clear how much of that, if any, actually got through. Her head simply begins shaking again, only ceasing when she hears what Sieg says. She gives him a hesitant series of nods. "Th-Thank you..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And with that, she begins to walk on her own, holding out her hands as though she were walking a tightrope. She gradually makes her way to the stairs and starts to go up. "If I can't find daddy right now, I at least want to find Himi." Is all that she says in explanation.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Eryl's eyebrows raise a little as Monoceros rattles off how long it has been since he last spoke to Evette. That makes this girl older than him. How disconcerting. However, this is not the time to mull over how funny the Multiverse is. There is a girl sinking in the depths of despair right in front of him. And if there is one thing Eryl knows how to do, it is saving people from those depths. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Miss Evette," he begins, crouching down some to look her right in the eyes. "From the looks of that video we saw, your father was crying. If we assume it was because he had to put you into a state of suspended animation, that means it was recorded around the same time. As such, what he did right after is still an unknown factor." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He walks over to the 'egg to touch it and smiles at Evette. "As such, it is possible that he is in another one of these, out there somewhere, waiting for you. A good father would do anything to ensure that he sees his daughter again, after all." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He then goes back over to Evette, kneeling down and reaching out to gently place his hands on the girl's shoulders. "So please, do not give up hope. We will find him, and Himi too. But until then, I would gamble anything that he would not want you to search with that look on your face. Give us a smile, hm?" <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This isn't something Sieg is qualified to handle, and he can't help panic internally that he has to watch it unfold. It doesn't really show on his face, though. There's just a vague off-kilter expression on his face, but it's hard to actually tell what it means other than that he's off-balance here. Once Evette is up and moving on her own, he draws his cellphone out of his pocket and clips it to his ear, attempting to cast... -something- on it. Whatever it is seems to have fizzled, and he ends up not actually using it at all because of that.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Damn it. Sieg really doesn't want to hold a side-conversation without some privacy.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You're welcome." The homunculus trails after Evette. It's clear she doesn't need him to move around exactly, but he does remain nearby as an easy body to grab hold of if Evette should need it. After a moment he starts muttering urgently, his apparent reluctance to use his communications device dispelled by the sheer awkwardness of the situation. It's hard to make out what he's saying, but not impossible.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hey... um..." Sieg realizes he hasn't been paying enough attention to know Weiss's name. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask about magic? I'm not the best, but..." It calms him down to rattle off information he happens to know anyway, so it's helpful to him too.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:596|Zwei (596)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A hundred and fifty five years. That's a very long time for a human, but with this level of technological advancement, it's quite possible Marc Albom is still alive out there somewhere. It's unlikely he left the solar system, but not impossible. Searching for him could certainly take a long time, but as far as Zwei is concerned, that should fall to Evette. It doesn't have the first clue of where to start looking for a man that could just as easily be dead by now. Consoling a scared child is also outside of its realm of expertise. Weiss can sense Evette's elevated pulse, increased perspiration, stress pheremones, and even the difference in her brainwaves, but she is more or less powerless to do anything about them. Eryl has it handled a lot better than her.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh?" She suddenly snaps out of contemplation as she realizes Sieg's question is directed at her. "Actually there's a lot. Assume I know nothing about magic. What is mana, where does it come from, how does someone become immortalized as a Heroic Spirit, what process binds them into spiritual form, how would someone obtain a Noble Phantasm. That kind of thing. We can discuss it over the radio broadband if that would help more."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Th-thanks!" Shirou's not sure whether the news is worth thanks when it's delivered like that, but he shudders a little. Now he's siding more with Sieg: this is a horrible thing to do someone. "... Whatever was happening must have been completely out there. He wouldn't have done this unless there was no other choice..." Shirou's shoulders sag. What's he gonna tell Evette? Damn, it feels lame in so many wys, having her on the verge of tears in front of him and he doesn't have any way to rewind time darnit all!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Sorry, Evette. I don't know if he's around here... like... Eryl, was it? Said. We came to get you out of here though, and I'll help however I can. You've been asleep a long time."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But before she can make it to the stairs, she's stopped by Eryl. She listens with wavering, glistening eyes as he succeeds in filling her with a sense of renewed hope. After that, she finally starts bawling. Not wailing, though; she remains silent through the whole thing, but her tears come down like rivers for a while. Luckily, she hugs the mecha messiah just in time to potentially hide her tears from a few of the other guests. But he can still hear her sniffling, no matter how quiet she is. Sieg would probably notice it, too, to his further dismay. The thanks will come later. For now, it's all she can do to just stay standing.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She eventually peeks her head out to look at Zwei and Shirou, the latter adding a bit more to what they said earlier. She gives him a few tiny nods and at least makes eye contact, indicating that, at the least, she isn't upset at them for any reason. It's a while yet before she contributes anymore verbally, but when she does, that, too, is directed at Shirou. "... dad always said he thought space was pretty. He may be out there somewhere, yeah." She frowns. "But you're sure he isn't here? It would be a lot easier to find him if he was."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Just then, Mono swoops in from over the balcony of the loft. A pulsing blue field in front of him - some kind of tractor beam? - is in front of him now, holding something. And as soon as that 'something' passes in front of Evette, she lunges from Eryl to hug at the plush toy instead. Suddenly, she's exuberant again, twirling around with who many would rightly assume to be 'Himi': a cream-colored, plush rabbit with black ellipses for eyes and a thin '3' for a mouth. It's a small thing, but it clearly means a lot to her.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thank you, Mono! Thankyouthankyou!" She hugs the bot, too, now, and a heart appears in its eye again. At this point, one may really have to wonder whether or not this thing actually has feelings. It seems bizarrely cognisant of what's going on.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:566|Sieg (566)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hmm... well, I know a lot just because I was made to, so it's hard for me to imagine somebody not knowing much. In our case, mana is a form of energy that can be acquired from several different sources." Sieg explains to Zwei, "The first is mana from inside our body. Most people don't have much, but because I was made to be magically powerful I have quite a huge personal reserve. The more abundant type is taken from the surroundings and just sort of exists in all things."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"In fact, even people without the ability to use magic have at least a little, in their bodies and souls." He adds, though it appears he hasn't considered the ramifications or exploitation potential of that. Sieg is simply too nice to consider bleeding people of their magic.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"In order to use magic, people need bio-spiritual organs called magic circuits. Number and quality of circuits determine aptitude, along with a few other factors like elemental specialties." Sieg goes on, casting an unbelievably dirty glance sideways at his own ear as nobody picks up on the other end of the line. He cancels the call with a press of a button. "Heroic Spirits are automatically immortalized when humans who are able to accomplish great things do so... but modern humans aren't capable of this. Noble Phantasms mostly don't exist in the current world anymore. Those that do exist are usually held by really old families who can trace their bloodlines back to gods."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sieg pauses to observe Evette and Eryl, as well as the events that unfold with Mono. So far he's been leaving the hard answers to Shirou and the others, so this time he decides to chime in, "I don't think there's anybody else here. It was very quiet and empty when we came in, and Mono said that there was only one life form left around here... I think. I said I'd help you look, and I will, but if you want my opinion I don't think anything we could find here will please you." Notably, he doesn't suggest they can't find what she's looking for.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sieg wouldn't be at all surprised to find that man's skeleton somewhere among the debris in the tunnels, but that definitely wouldn't be good for Evette.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:562|Eryl Fairfax (562)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Eryl blinks as the girl wraps her arms around him, burying her face into his shirt. Not only can he hear her whimpering, but he can feel his shirt getting damp from her tears. But he pays that no mind: even he realizes that this is more important than fine clothes. He gently rubs her back until she calms down. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Well then. If you ever need help in searching for him, please, do not hesitate to ask me. Consider it my way of making up to you how rude I was earlier." He smiles kindly down at the girl... but she's gone, retrieving her recovered plush toy. Goodness, that was easy. He stares hard at the robot: perhaps he just heard her saying that she wanted it, and went ot retrieve it. But the timing... at one point, he believed that robots can't have feelings, but coming out into the Multiverse, who knows? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Wait. The Multiverse. That's a whole other thing that Evette will likely need explained to her... maybe later. The girl has had enough world-shattering revelations for a day. "Is there anything else you wish to retrieve Miss Evette? If not, we should probably go as soon as possible. This room is fine, but the majority of the station is falling apart."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:596|Zwei (596)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Okay the sight of the girl obsessing over the plushie is pretty adorable. 14 years old is still really young for a human, and clearly this one doesn't have much life experience. "It's likely he is." Weiss responds plainly to Evette's claim. Not overwhelmingly likely, but it certainly is possible. "There is basically no chance he's here though. I've already scanned the facility quite thoroughly and there was nobody here but you. Monoceros seems to be of the same opinion, from what I can tell." She gives the servant AI another look. "If you want to take him with you, I could probably poke through him just to make sure he isn't damaged or degraded after so long of a wait. It should be simple enough to replace any parts or correct any errors if need be." Aside from the fact that the girl is obviously attached to the robot, Zwei feels as though it has an obligation to do that much for the dutiful little drone after trying to imagine the loneliness it must have experienced for those 150 years. "If you think you've found a lead, I could possibly help. I'll leave my contact information with Monoceros." Which she does right then and there.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Shirou's feeling just as awkward as Sieg here. he's usually pretty decent, socially! But he's completely out of his element in this scenario. There's nothing he can do.. well, maybe there is something he can do...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Mm. Yeah, let's get ready to go. It's not much, but I'll cook up a nice birthday dinner. ...Or would it be breakfast... hm. What kind of food do you like, Evette?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;NORMAL TOPIC TIME.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:593|Evette (593)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Evette hugs the plush rabbit to her chest, smiling wide. When she glances to Sieg, her expression becomes a -bit- more sober, but thankfully it's nothing that she hasn't already heard. She nods. "... yeah. Father isn't here. That's fine." She nods to herself, looking to him with something that could almost be chalked up to quiet confidence. "We'll find him. I know we will. So we don't need to worry. Right, Himi?" She raises Himi's paw to move it along with her words, hiding her mouth behind the plushie while she engages in an act of amateur ventriloquism. "Yeah, don't worry Evette! These nice people will make everything okay!" Says 'the rabbit'. Evette giggles some afterward.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Evette hmms, taking some time to contemplate Eryl's question. "Uh... there are a few dresses that I want! And my blankets. But, uhm. We can come back here, right? It's not like we're leaving forever." At that, Monoceros chimes in. "The station is currently running on auxillary power sources. The primary power sources were deactivated when the manual emergency protocols were initiated. These protocols can be deactivated via a vocal attunement device found in the garden." Monoceros tilts itself slightly upward, as though it were puffing out its chest in pride. This excites Evette again, and she fervently nods. "O-Oh, yeah! Vocal attunement devices are those things I sing in to to make them do magic, right?" Mono bobs up and down in a nod, eliciting yet another smile from the girl. "Y-Yeah! Then maybe we can even make this place move! Then we never need to leave home behind, right?" Well, not quite, but a massive habitation installation must be useful for -something-. If it has a chance of being functional again, it would be a waste not to look into it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Monoceros makes note of Zwei's proposition, bobbing again. "I am. Am in need of repairs! There are some abnormalities in my: verbal output module, primary engines, CPU..." He continues on, listing all sorts of things. Thankfully, most of them sound like things Weiss would be familiar with. He concludes by saying, "... and it has been 154 years, 275 days, and 9 hours since my last servicing!" You could almost fool yourself into thinking there was some degree of insistence and impatience in his words there, but... naaaah.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Regardless, Evette is easily distracted by the promise of food. "Uhm, uhm! I like strawberries, and cherries, and apples, and pineapples... and waffles, and pancakes, and those 'crescent roll' things, and..." So basically, bread products and fruit. Yep, that works for breakfast alright. Unsurprisingly, she seems to have quite the sweet tooth.<br> <br>


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