2988/Of Killbots and Nanotech.

Of Killbots and Nanotech.
Date of Scene:	08 September 2015
Location:	Njorun Station - Ring of Philosophy
Synopsis:	Eve Zephyr and Septette walk into the Ring of Philosophy...
Cast of Characters:	162, 632, 857

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Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr strides along happily enough. She's guiding Eve through the inner workings of Njorun, showing her the route through to the Infinity Library and further along, to the Ring of Philosophy. A curious name, for a battle arena and training ground.

    In the grounds, various Regular troops are doing drills, several instances are taken up by various TSAB teams going through their own training, and whoever else happens to be using the instancing feature for their own personal reasons.

    The Windmage taps on the control panel near the entrance, requesting a new 'Instance' for her use. A plain, infinite white void appears, then with a couple more tippy taps, it reconfigures into an open green field, tall grass blowing in simulated breeze. Anyone who's seen it, would likely recognize the Gizard Wastes from the Dragonball Earth, complete with the dopey pink birds that sometimes get into the combat arena.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve, for someone who has been declared officially illiterate a few short days ago, shows an inordinate interest in a place named the Infinity Library. There will be time to check that out later however. Reading is something she likes. Fighting is something she NEEDS. Well, if she truly intends to stand up for herself and her convictions she'll have to learn that is.

    She follows Zephyr in relative silence, tiptapping along behind her and trying to take everything in with rather wide eyes. She pays special attention to how Zephyr activates the ring's controls. It seems like useful information after all, if she wants to continue her training at another time.

Septette Arcubielle (632) has posed:
     For this outing, Septette forgoes her usual obscuring cloak- she's been feeling more and more comfortable around Njorun of late, so when she arrives a few moments after the others, she's dressed in a simple white-and-pink blouse with a matching hairband. Noisy, clanking footsteps that betray her atypical density precede the robot girl's arrival, and she lights up in a warm smile upon spotting the others, waving eagerly and skipping on over to the control panel.

     "My apologies. I've been here a couple of times before, but nearly got lost," Ms. Arcubielle explains somewhat sheepishly. "Hope I'm not too late? The tea's not cold or anything, fortunately," she adds, holding up what looks like a small picnic basket. Then she blinks, and extends a clawed metal hand to Eve: "Ah, where are my manners? Zephyr and I have met, but I haven't made your acquaintance formally, have I?"

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr looks over at Eve, then ahs. "Oh you can use your voice to set it up too, just prefix what you want by saying 'Computer', to let it know you're talking to it." she then clears her throat. "Computer." a confirmation bleep sounds. "Set up Arena Alpha niner one three, please."

    The landscape stays the same, but a large, white tiled arena appears in the center, with tall sculpted pillars at each corner.

    Then Septette walks on up, and the Windmage grins and offers a wave. "Yo, Septette! Nah, y'ain't late, we were just settin' up!"

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve goes a little wide-eyed when she sees Septette. She's no hardened Union veteran to see a bare-metal robot and not think twice about it. To her credit though, she doesn't look scared so much as startled. "That looks painful." she says softly, apparently intending the words only for herself. And no, she's not talking about Septette's weaponry. Fortunately the robot warrior's actually clothed, or she'd probably be just a little freaked out.

    The technology of Njorun, however, Eve takes in stride. She has no idea she should be amazed by it, so she isn't. She nods to Zephyr, only slightly uncertain, then raises her hands.

    The way Eve manifests weapons is pretty unique. Her skin stretches into silvery liquid metal, extending and then solidifying into a blade. The blade is straight, fairly short and thick. A hand-axe, as it were. After a moment Eve looks down, frowning. The edge of the blade shimmers and thickens, becoming visibly blunt. This process seems considerably less smooth than extracting the weapon in the first place, since the girl has plenty of practice making lethal weapons and considerably less practice making them less than lethal.

Septette Arcubielle (632) has posed:
     Those thin, silvery ear-fins of hers twitch a bit as Eve mutters something, but if Septette has any questions to ask about the girl's strange remark, they're quickly forgotten when Eve demonstrates her abilities. Sept can't widen her eyes, but her glowing irises do brighten with interest as she takes a step back respectfully, watching as the blades seem to flow out of the little girl's skin. Squishy with special powers? Or something that looks like a squishy, but isn't? It'd probably be rude to pepper Eve with questions, so Septette restrains her curiosity... for now.

     "Looks like you've already got an arena picked out, Zephyr... I assume that you two were just about to start, then? I can brew the tea while you spar, if so. It's no trouble either way." If Eve's particularly perceptive, she might wonder how Sept plans to boil the water without anything resembling a burner.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr continues to Eve. "The computer can run from abstracts too, like 'I want a cityscape' or 'I want a Dojo'. It'll pattern match to precached stuff it has in memory and slap something together for ya." she grins at the girl, then nods as she summons her weaponry.

    Septette gets a shrug. "Like I said, we were jus' settin' up. You can have first crack if y'like! I'll probably be a difficult opponent, since I can fly."

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve is quite perceptive, but has lived an incredibly sheltered life. She has no idea how tea is prepared, just how it's brought in by servants. And while she doesn't make the assumption Septette's a servant... well, she gives little thought as to the source of heat. Just whatever you do, don't ask Eve to remove the lid from the teapot.

    Eve gestures with her handblades, careful not to make any movements that would threaten. "I've been told blade fighters aren't rare." she says. "So, I hope this might be enough...?" she says, gesturing with her hands. "If not, I could probably try to make something else. Grandfather only had me practice making blades, but I should be able to make... just about anything, really." she says with a shrug.

Septette Arcubielle (632) has posed:
     "Of course it's enough, little one," Septette answers in what she imagines to be a comforting tone. "Besides, one's choice of weapons doesn't determine one's worth as a fighter. That would be like saying that all watercolor paintings are unoriginal, merely because many painters use watercolors. Just use whatever weapons you are the most comfortable with, and let your talent shine through."

     By way of demonstration, the robot holds her left arm out by her side. Carefully, so as not to tear her sleeve, she unfolds the blades concealed in her forearm; with a quiet whirring and grinding noise, the limb twists from a humanoid configuration into a shape like a mantis's foreleg, with the largest scythelike blade curving outwards and hinged at her wrist. "Edged weapons are a terribly broad category, Ms. Eve. They can be designed and used in so many ways that the descriptor is almost too vague to be useful."

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr shrugs. "Melee's a combat category that a lot of Elites can make difficult. Either they're super fast, can fly, or both." she suggests, then walks out into the center of the arena. "If Septette doesn't wanna take first swing, I will."

    Zephyr then summons her Device, a handax-sized weapon with two floating, lazily spinning 'Bits' orbitting close by. <STUN MODE LOCKED. MISTRAL SQUALL, DISPERSAL MODE!> intones the Device, confirming it's in non-lethal mode, and announcing the disposition of the Bits.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve studies Septette's blade with interest, one professional to another, before shifting her own blade to match. Scythelike blades are among those she's practiced, for the obvious symbolic value, and so the transformation is straightforward. "I was told I was an oni. That my blades are oni blades." Eve says. "People here say otherwise, that I'm human and that my power is mechanical." she says, sounding a little dubious on that point. She doesn't fully understand, but neither does she have a reason to doubt the diagnosis.

    She casts an eye down the blade's edge, once again thickening and blunting it with some clear mental effort. Then she looks up at Zephyr, a little uncertainly. Zephyr is a bit intimidating. The way she blew through a wall and took care of so many gunmen... well, it's pretty much the most awesome display of raw power Eve's ever seen. But Zephyr's a friend, and not about to hurt her. So... she nods, firming her jaw.

    Eve begins to advance on Zephyr, a simple walk with her scytheblade held high. Likely Zephyr will recognize this as 'playing tag' and, while it isn't exactly a combat thing, it's got at least a little intimidation value.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr watches that slow advance, shaking her head. "Most Elites you're gonna face aren't gonna be intimidated by that." she says, standing her ground and drawing her Device back. "You're not playin' games anymore."

    With a sweeping motion, a pair of spinning air-blades spall off of Zephyr's axe-blade, seeking to knock the girl backwards with concussive force. It'll sting, but between the blades being non-lethal, and the failsafes of the Ring, that's all it'll do.

    "Speed, precision and aggression are key. Don't walk, run. Use your agility and speed to get in close before your opponent can do what I just did. Don't give them time to counter you."

Septette Arcubielle (632) has posed:
     Sept nods her assent to Zephyr going first, and sits down with her picnic basket off to the side- hopefully far enough away that the refreshments won't be maimed by any stray attacks. Just to be extra-sure, she conjures up a couple of weak ablative energy bubbles around herself and the food, manifesting as a thin field of faint, flickering colored light. "Please, do go ahead. She's likely to learn more from you than from me."

     With a dainty manner that's almost comical in contrast to the sparring match before her, Arcubielle tastefully arranges a plate of cookies and sets up places for Eve and Zephyr, then unpacks the teapot and lays a hand on it. Slowly, the container begins to heat up and glow a dull red. She'll let them decide how many sugars they want for themselves; for now, she just watches the battle intently, trying to pick up on flaws or patterns in the combatants' respective styles.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Under normal circumstances Eve might well be distracted by tea and cookies. Well, mostly by cookies. This is serious though, and she has to stay focussed on Zephyr. Predictably, she's caught off-guard by the wind blades and knocked back. Perhaps unpredictably, this only seems to make her annoyed. "I wasn't going to start running before you were ready!" Eve insists, rubbing at the point of impact. While true, that was hardly her reason for adopting her usual Tag methodology. That's quite simply all she knows how to do so far.

    She's tough at least, and takes little time to reset herself and get ready again. This time she doesn't bother stalking Zephyr. The little girl breaks into a heedless, head-on charge. And yes, she's FAST. Not supernaturally so, but faster than a girl her age has any right to be. She draws her blade back, no thought for defense, and tries to recklessly slash her opponent, to prove she can fight with the big girls.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr grins at that. Reckless, all out aggression? Seems she likes what she sees, but still...

    Zephyr brings her axe around to intercept that slash, blade striking blade and kicking sparks from the impact point. "Good, but in a /real/ fight, there's no grace period. You don't wait for your opponent to be ready. You strike fast, strike hard, and keep striking until they aren't moving anymore." she says, then with a good deal of effort, parries the girl away, lifting a foot to shove Eve backwards.

    She plants that foot, and with a step through, pirouettes her blade into a round-house chop, purple energy trailing from the edge, turning the slice into more of a hammer blow.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve seems surprised when her attack is so easily dealt with. Again, that's simple inexperience. Off-balance from her reckless swing, she's easy to shove away. With that big axe coming down, Eve throws up her blade in defense, ducking down at the same time in a desperate attempt not to be hit.

    It's honestly a bit pathetic really. She might well be able to intercept the axe. She's quick enough for that at least. But by ducking her head and huddling under her block she loses sight of the weapon and can't adjust or return the strike. In her favor her block is pretty strong, her arms apparently a lot stronger than they look, but her technique sucks.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr strikes true, nodding a bit at the solidity of that defense. She sighs though, at the sheer lack of experience... that's fairly easy to remedy though. "Right... I've seen what I've got to work with and... to be honest? Your technique is horrible." she says bluntly. "Reckless aggression can get you pretty far, but against an opponent that can counter you easily, that ain't gonna cut it."

    She hops back, and dismisses her weapon to Standby mode, replacing the coin into her bracer. "Lets try some basic Strike Arts exercises. These are the forms and techniques that are the core of TSAB magical martial arts. You won't be able to use the magic part, but the forms might help with your weapon skills."

Septette Arcubielle (632) has posed:
     As Zephyr and Eve's blades meet, there's a noisy crunching, crackling sound. Septette picked the most apropos moment possible to bite into a tea cookie.

     Her eyes, moving and focusing independently, closely track the two combatants. The petite robot won't forget anything she sees here today: they're doing her just as much of a service as she's doing Eve by being here. Now that nobody's watching her, she allows her usual social mask to drop; her face settles into an emotionless neutral expression. Septette's emotions are real enough, but it takes a conscious effort for her to smile when happy and frown when stressed. It's nice to not have to act human, sometimes.

     Should either of them glance over at her, however, she'll revert to a warm smile within milliseconds. There's no sense in creeping her new friends out, after all...

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve steps back, eyes a bit wild as she looks up, her breath coming hard. And yes, there's annoyance in her expression. Annoyance at her own lack of effect, and at being told she's horrible. Clearly she doesn't like being horrible, but she doesn't refute the claim.

    Instead Eve just frowns, nods, and retracts the blade. The movement isn't particularly dramatic. She simply retracts it, the silvery blade flowing and pulling back until it returns to her hand and presumably vanishes within her body. "Strike Arts." she says with a nod, trying (and failing) not to show frustration.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr looks up toward the 'sky' "Computer, two Bo-staves, One for me, and another for my opponent, height tailored." The computer bleeps, then a rack appears nearby, holding two lengths of what looks like lacqeured wood. One is notably shorter than the other, tailored for Eve's shorter height than Zephyrs, so they're equal in terms of length, compared to their users.

    "Grab a staff, then follow my lead. Don't worry if you mess up, I've been doin' this for years." she says, picking up the longer staff then returning to the center of the arena.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve frowns at the staff, not in displeasure but in concentration. She's thinking hard, assessing the weapon, considering what she might be able to do with it and whether she'd be better off using it or reproducing it with her own power. Her decision is quickly made and she nods, picking the short staff off the rack. "That doesn't seem very fair." she notes, looking at Zephyr's much longer weapon. Not fair, at least, if this is intended for a fight. Then again... Eve's smaller than most fighters. That's not fair either, but it's something she'll have to learn to deal with sooner rather than later.

Septette Arcubielle (632) has posed:
     Septette's persepctive on this changes subtly, from viewing it as a combat situation to an interpersonal one. Some people, like herself, are ready-made killers off the assembly line. Some people never needed or had a childhood. But no matter how much you change her, a human is still a human, and here is a fundamental difference between being assembled and being raised. You can't give a child powers or weapons and expect her to become a warrior overnight, and it's a mistake to treat her as such.

     The robot girl glances up with a kindly, yet firm expression. "Zephyr, Eve. Do you think it might be time for tea yet?" She gives the former a meaningful look. "Sometimes one needs a hard trainer to improve, but I think you might be pushing her a little hard."

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    "Battle isn't fair." points out Zephyr, then sets her stance. "Line up beside me, six feet away, and follow my lead as best as you can." she checks to see if Eve's following... but then Septette pipes up, and Zephyr considers. "Yeah... I guess you're right. Can't push too hard." she turns back to Eve. "C'mon, break time, then we can start out on something a bit easier, get ya into it." she offers a smile, and gestures toward Septette's little picnic area.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve takes up a stance as instructed. She is... honestly not bad, not for a noob. She's observant, perceptive, and has a mastery over her own body that's the sort of thing a gymnast might envy. She really only has to see something once before she can work on getting her own body to repeat the motion... and that self-training is something she can do with remarkable speed.

    Not that she has the time, right now. She seems surprised by the request to pause however, blinking and looking back to Septette. For a moment she protests that she can continue, that she doesn't mind being pushed... but then she reconsiders. She's not used to kindness, and it's not such a bad thing to accept when it's offered. She nods, straightens, then joins Zephyr and Septette in another kind of exercise. One not so likely to help her in battle, but one that's incredibly important nonetheless to her development.

Septette Arcubielle (632) has posed:
     "Furniture, please," Septette says softly, and a trio of leatherbound chairs appear around the small group, along with a charming wooden coffee table and carpet. She doesn't mind sitting on the floor herself, not being able to feel discomfort as others do, but settles down in one of the chairs nonetheless so as not to appear aloof or distant from her allies. The arrangement of cookies and teacups has been transported seamlessly from the floor to the coffee table- quite a charming array of refreshments, with sugar cubes off to the side.

     The tea, a mild brown variety, is steaming hot when she pours it for Eve and Zephyr. "Give it a moment to cool off, please," she warns, though the cups glow a soft blue color as the beverages' temperature magically drops to a more comfortable level. "You seemed to be doing quite well, Miss Eve. I do hope that I haven't taken you out of your 'zone' with the impromptu break?"

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr slumps down into the chair, letting the bo-staff just drop into the grass. "Y'know? Sometimes I come here, load up a sky-scape, and just float around... Flyin's the best feelin'... like, ever." she muses, then sits forwards to snag herself a cup and a cookie. "Smells like L'ithral from the island of Everscon..." she looks up. "Oh, that's a place on my homeworld, famous for their farms and grown produce. They're kinda in the mid-temperate zone, so they get good weather most of the year, meanin' they can grow almost constantly."

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve has to agree with the sentiment of flying, though she's never tried it. It just looks like it's the perfect thing. Her experiences in Ponyville suggest she might be able to try it though, if she wants. That's something to consider for the future though. For now... well, there's tea. And cookies.

    Eve accepts her tea cup daintily, showing nothing of the fierceness of the girl who was just prepared to scythe the heck out of Zephyr. It doesn't seem too hot for her, but she needs little excuse to take a cookie as well and deal with it with all due appropriate attention. She shrugs, a slight motion. "I don't know what you mean by zone, so I doubt you interfered with it." she says. "I remember what we were doing though. Thank you for this." she says graciously. Again, quite the contrast to the charging slasher from before.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr sips her tea, then nibbles a cookie as she leans back to relax. "You've got promise, Eve. I can see it there... we just need to figure out how to tap into your potential." she muses over at her young protege. "I'd suggest talkin' to some of the others too, get a wide assortment of styles to mix and match from, make it your own."

Septette Arcubielle (632) has posed:
     "I'm a little too heavy to fly under my own power, but I have experienced orbit-to-surface freefall before. I'm told that it's somewhat similar," Sept says with a friendly smile before taking another sip. Where does the tea go? It doesn't look like there's any room in her neck for an esophagus analogue, or any kind of fluid tube. In fact, her cable-laden 'spinal cord' is visible through the front of her neck. On closer inspection, many parts of Septette's body look damaged and mechanically unsound; she seems to have no difficulty moving, despite the fact that several of her joints have no obvious motors or hydraulics attached to them, or have even been shorn of what machinery they once carried.

     "One's 'zone' is a state of mind where one is wholly in the moment and focused on the task at hand, Miss Eve. It's also known as a 'flow state', and is characterized by a lack of extraneous thoughts. It's usually beneficial, and occurs when doing something that you enjoy, where there is a significant- but not overwhelming- challenge at hand." She pushes the plate of cookies closer to Eve, and glances at the little girl's expression, trying to judge whether she likes them. "Ah, the chocolate-coated ones are my favorites..."

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve shivers at the description of the 'zone'. It sounds too much like how she is when she was ordered to hunt. No thoughts running through her head, only the need to do what she's been told. Obviously this isn't what Septette's talking about since she mentions it as a good thing, but... well, it's still not the most pleasant association for her. When she gets other experiences and finds the zone for herself, this will no doubt change. Likely, she'll find it when reading.

    She nods to Zephyr, nibbling on a cookie. "I'll need practice." she says. "And to train against different people, yes. I don't want to get surprised like that again. I *will* fight beside you and Yuna as an equal." she vows.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    "Feel free to hit me up for a sparring match any time, Eve. I'll be more'n happy to give you a round or two." replies Zephyr. She reaches over, and tousels up the blonde's hair, smirking at the vow. "I look forward to that." she says, encouragingly.