5654/System Tower re:BOOT

System Tower re:BOOT
Date of Scene:	25 January 2018
Location:	The System <TS>
Synopsis:	A new drive connects to the System Hub. Conclusion of the System Tower arc.
Cast of Characters:	Lexicon, Yomi Isayama, Rebecca Chambers, 1103, Deelel, 1137, 707

---

Lexicon has posed:
    For as long as anyone can remember, this part of the System Bus has been empty. Terminal 8 in particular has never been used, and over time has fallen into significant disrepair. It resembles a long-disused bus station, the rails of the System Bus itself terminating just a few meters from the connector, some ceiling panels dangling or even missing. Cracks in the floor glitter with the faint red of damaged code beneath the surface.

    Graphice floats at around shoulder-level, perched on her book. On the particular page she has opened, the letters glow with blue light, running through each sentence. While this goes on, the tanned fairy kicks her legs, leaning back on her hands with her eyes closed.

    From the Britannica terminal, Lexicon arrives, flanked by the pink and blue shapes of her younger sisters. Though she hasn't transformed, yet, her hammer rests over her shoulder. Her face is a stern scowl, offset by the enthusiasm written all over Index and Codex's faces. Index has her wand out, imitating Lexicon, while Codex holds her staff gingerly in both hands.

Yomi Isayama has posed:
Two hands come to rest on the twins' shoulders from behind. "You two look like you're having fun." Yes, she can tell, even from behind. Yomi smiles down and gently squeezes the girls' shoulders before stepping forward. "Hey, Lexi. I'm sure all the damaged code I can see in the floor is not something we like seeing, right?"

One hand comes to rest on her hip, and Yomi peers at the fairy. "I'm glad you made it out. Sounded like there was something important and relevant you needed us all to handle." Even though her posture is fairly relaxed, she's still giving Graphice a suspicious look.

Rebecca Chambers has posed:
Rebecca knows some things about computer terminology, and she knows 'bus' is a compupter term. Although whether it's a coincidence or a bad pun that this spot looks like a real bus terminal is neither something Rebecca knows nor is it something that she cares about at all. Rebecca's on the job and she's got work to do here and now.

The disused appearance is a little bit on the creepy side, but it doesn't really bother Rebecca that much. She's been here enough times to know what to expect and what's going on here, so she's on alert rather than being uncertain about what might pop out at any moment. When the twins appear, Rebecca isn't the least bit surprised at all. She gives a slight nod and says, "I'm glad you're OK, too." She gives a glare to Graphice.

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    From the Locus buss terminal comes Theurgus, followed by Charta in close pursuit, while leaving behind a dark haired girl at the terminal to watch from afar. Theurgus hasn't transformed, and approaches with staff in hand, while Charta sits with a concerned expression on her own book, eyes locked distrustfully on Graphice as the pair from the Diamond Drive approach.

    The pair say nothing after they arrive, passing wordless greetings with the others, before returning their gazes to the Oracle program, expectantly.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel arrived a little but after the others and it didn't take long for Deelel to look around it reminded her of a run down sector back home in some saya but also there were trapping of what shje called Users. Stil she was hjere looking to be in good spirits. she wavest to the others as they arrive.

"Greetings Programs."

Asterios (1137) has posed:
There is a giant bullman here!

Inexplicably he has somehow managed to show up /behind/ the little book fairy. This is something that is immediately obvious to everyone except maybe Graphice who just so happens to be in such a light that Asterios does not actually cast a shadow. He /is/ looking at her though. Peering at her with his eerie, crison eyes...!

Dot.

Dot.

Dot.

Asterios raises a hand.

Asterios... Pats the fairy's head.

"He...llo. Everyone."

Lexicon has posed:
    Graphice blinks her eyes open as people start arriving, glancing from Lexicon to Theurgus, then the retinue of exorcists, elite agents, and programs. She grins-- which lasts about as long as it takes for the shadow of Asterios' hand to cover her. The patting causes the fairy to flinch a bit more from the size difference than any actual damage being taken. Though the shadow cast by his hand does make it easier to see the text around her running trough its glowing sequence.

    "Damaged code is no good," Lexicon confirms for Yomi, "But this is just old age and lack of maintenance." Coming to a stop, she swings her hammer down to rest the head on the floor, then balances both of her hands on the handle. Others speak up, but she adds her own question to it, "Just what the hell are you up to?"

    Both twins simply nod to Yomi, but don't speak up so they don't interrupt the conversations unfolding.

    "Well, there's nothing so much to /handle/..." A magic circle shoots out from beneath Graphice's book, "But somethin' you should probably hear from the source." She shrugs, eyes closing, "I mean, you guys wouldn't believe anything /I/ said, anyway." The energy she channels isn't normal magic, but System Resources, for a very specific purpose.

    The circle tightens, then rapidly expands, scrubbing the floor and walls clean. The cracks begin to seal, becoming lines of blue and then fading completely. The rails, broken off, also begin to glow, and then extend into the distance, disappearing in a shine like looking into the sun.

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    Theurgus' eyes widen briefly, a rapid intake of air. She knows that 'spell'. "Reconnection? You mean..." she looks to Charta, who, much like Theurgus, is watching the Resource Attribution unfold with a knowlagable interest. "It seems so... we succeeded, but in what state is our esteemed peer... I wonder." remarks Charta, cupping her chin with a hand, closing her eyes.

Rebecca Chambers has posed:
What is this? A whole walking pile of bull? Or just a minotaur?

Whatever it is, Rebecca doesn't like it one bit. She glares at the minotaur before looking to Graphice as she starts to create her magic circle beneath her. "What are you--" Rebecca doesn't have a chance to finish her question as the circle begins to shrink then expand as it seems to literally clean everything up. She gasps and goes wide-eyed, disbelieving what's happening. This would seem like a good thing to some, but given that Rebecca isn't entirely sure about Graphice's intents, she's definitely uncertain about this, and a little suspicious as well.

Asterios (1137) has posed:
Asterios continues to pat the little book fairy's head. Pat. Pat. Pat.

The world turns blue. Asterios continues to pat. Pat. Pat.

The rails connect somewhere else. Asterios continues to pat. Pat. Pat.

Pat.

Pat. Pat.

"Should have told us about virus. Small fairy. Pats will continue. Until I am satisfied."

Pat. Pat. Pat.

Yomi Isayama has posed:
"I guess I'll take old and run down over virus-infected any day.." Yomi taps her foot once on a crack, just to reassure herself, then peers back at the fairy. "We might believe you." Pause. "But probably not completely, no."

As the circle activates, she tenses, hand coming to the hilt of her sword, but... something about Charta's demeanor doesn't seem directly threatening. As the exorcist lowers her hand, she glances to Lexicon, then to Theurgus. "Reconnection? Is this place being repaired, then?" She leans over, squinting into the light down the rails. "That's good, isn't it?"

Lexicon has posed:
    "--Hey!" Graphice objects once her spell is cast. The repair effect continues even when she flits out from under the minotaur's hand, "I didn't know about it, dangit!" Reaching up to straighten her hair, she huffs, "I knew about Caerbannog from way back when, but how was I supposed to know it was still kickin' around?"

    Lexicon steps back briefly, lifting her hammer as the floor is cleaned and repaired, "Looks like it..." She casts a glance at Theurgus, "I wasn't present when you reconnected the Diamond drive. Was it like this? Or..." Blue eyes swing back to the shining light traveling down the extended trackway. It comes to a stop, then resolves with a scattering of blue code fragments, taking the shape of a modern bullet train.

    The doors open.

    Out steps a willowy woman with long blue hair, clad in a black suit with some skull decorations, and a distinctive single-horned headpiece. Artifex reaches up, adjusting her glasses briefly, then folds her hands primly in front of her with a sort of neutral expression on her face.

    ...

    ... ...

    "Oi!" Graphice shouts, while contending with Asterios, "Say somethin'!"

    The Sapphire DCC starts, then snaps a wide-eyed look of panic at her Oracle, "B-but what should I say..?!"

Asterios (1137) has posed:
Asterios stops patting Graphice's head.

...Only because he has instead decided to rest it up there. At least while he's staring at the blue-haired goddess.

It might be somewhat intimidating, given his relative size, that he soon decides to go right on up to the blue goddess with about as much piety as your average triple heretic. He stares at her for a long moment.

...And then.

...Pats her head.

Once.

"You are," Asterios says, "Okay, now? Yes?"

Deelel has posed:
Deelel says "Damanged code can be an issue. Though what are we to do with this location? Lexicon?"

she does wonder what's up wioth it she pauses for a moment as a woman shows up and she looks at them for a moment. She stares for a moment.

"Artifex?!" Delel stares for a moment but soon gets herself under control.

"Are you in need of any medical attention after what you have been through?"

Even purged ther emight be code in need of repair after all.

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    "Very similar to this, yes... though for Graphice to do it alone is quite a feat. It took both my own efforts alongside Charta to perform the Reconnection, though we did not have access to the Hub to draw from at the time, so that could have made things more difficult." replies Theurgus to Lexicon. Then the System Bus arrives, and brings with it a familiar, and quite welcome face.

    Theurgus steps forward, smiling brightly at the other DCC. Those primly readjusted glasses probably get knocked askew once more as Theurgus unceremoniously pulls Artifex into a hug. "It is good to see you again... I am glad you are still functional."

Yomi Isayama has posed:
"Ah, I see." As the doors open, Yomi tilts her head slightly, peering at Artifex. She lets out a brief laugh as Theurgus immediately goes for the hug, and shakes her head. "I was wondering when you might turn up. When the tower disappeared and you weren't there, I figured you had to end up somewhere..."

The exorcist pauses and casts an accusing glance at Graphice. "I bet you just called us here to make a bigger show of this, didn't you?" Yomi doesn't look upset, at least, and is more amused at how shy the both of them seem to be.

Rebecca Chambers has posed:
As soon as the woman appears, Rebecca gets the feeling that something is definitely not right about her. Namely because of those skull decorations. Rebecca isn't sure what to say either, but she does give the woman a nasty glare, almost as if to indicate that she's not happy to see her and won't be taking any crap from her. When Deelel says Artifex, Rebecca glances at her and says, "Artifex? That's her name?"

Without wasting a beat or waiting for an answer, Rebecca turns her glare back on this woman and continues to stare at her with a scowl that indicates that this woman isn't going to be making any friends with Rebecca anytime soon.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu has totally valid and acceptable reasons for being late to this gathering.

(Fried tofu was probably involved. Games may or may not have been.)

"Hey everyone," the sage fox casually greets those who got here ahead of her as she catches up with them at the doors. "Did I miss anything of substantial import? ... Or of substantial export, for that matter?"

Lexicon has posed:
    A gigantic hand descends on her. Artifex squeezes her eyes shut, expecting a strike, but instead it's a pat that makes her flinch more than just Asterios' contact should cause. She lets out a squeak of surprise as well when Theurgus wraps her up in a hug. Hands go out to either side, and after a moment, return the gesture a bit timidly. Leaning, she glances towards Yomi, "It was, um.. It was my idea, actually."

    Glancing down at Theurgus, she nods once and shifts out of the hug, stepping forward. "I recognize all of you. Even if I wasn't..quite myself," She glances down at her hands, closing them and holding them to her chest, "Even though I said terrible things. Did... terrible things." She glances towards Lexicon, then sweeps her gaze across those gathered, from Rebecca to Xiaomu, "You didn't give up on me." Lifting her face, she closes her eyes, "You all...worked so hard to save me."

    Ignoring the tears, she bows deeply at the waist, "Th-thank you..very much..!" Just as Artifex is about to stop bowing, she does it again, "I'm so sorry..for everything I've done..!"

    Lexicon, while not as immediate as Theurgus, does relax her posture and dismiss her hammer. Index and Codex follow suit, and it's Index who tugs on Xiaomu's sleeve and points, "It's the mean lady from before, except she's not so mean now."

Asterios (1137) has posed:
Hug? HUG!? AND ASTERIOS IS NOT INVITED!?

THIS SHALL NOT STAND!!

Asterios... Wraps his arms around Theurgus and Artifex both. It is a big, meaty hug. It would be called a bear hug, except he is not a bear. He is a bull. He is a bull which smells vaguely of fresh grass dew and sunlight.

"Aa, was not. Your fault. Something inside you," Asterios says, patting comfortingly at one of the two bodies wrapped up in his arms. He can't really tell which one is which, so he also pats with his other hand and calls it good. "So cannot blame you. Not properly. Yes? Would be. Wrong."

"Two wrongs. Do not make right. So must do right by you now. Besides! Bunny was rude, so we smashed her."

Yomi Isayama has posed:
Yomi smirks at that admission. "Really now." As shy as Artifex was being, she probably wanted at least some attention. "Ah, well.... to be honest, I wasn't sure if you would have survived us killing that virus in you. I was hoping, but not sure... That's not how I'm used to things working." The exorcist lets out a breath and shakes her head. Regardless, she's willing to hang back and let Asterios handle the hugging. He seems good at it. "I'm sure the others have a lot more questions for you than I do, anyway." And if Lexicon isn't being angry or cursing her out, then it must be okay, right?

Rebecca Chambers has posed:
When Artifex begins to explain herself, Rebecca's expression begins to soften. "Wait, y-you mean..." She steps back a little and starts to blush a little. "I-I don't believe it... I'm so sorry, I misunderstood completely!" The girl looks down at her feet and sighs. "So you were the one we were trying to save." Rebecca wipes her eyes a little, almost like she's tearing up at how awful of a mistake she made. When she looks up, her eyes do look dry, but there is a hint that she was tearing up briefly.

"Really, I'm sorry for this misunderstanding. I don't get how I could have done it." The medic forces a smile as she continues with, "I'm glad you seem to be all right, though. I'm glad we could help you." Rebecca then steps back, looking towards the others in hopes that they have more to say than she does, her cheeks still a very noticable shade of pink as she realizes how much she messed up there.

"It's a good thing I didn't go for my weapon," Rebecca whispers to herself. "That would've been a real faux pas!"

Deelel has posed:
Deelel atches ss the hug happens to, she smiles a little bit as she looks to Artifax for a moment.

"On my part I accept, you were not in your right mind. You were infected by a Virus. You were worth saving." Then goes the big guy hugging too. "Stranges saved me from an etnery of pit fighting and later another restored my damaged memory and my home system. How can I not act to do the same to someone else."

She looks to Chambers for a moment nodding to the old Union Medic.

"It seems we were had for a bit buy the virus, yes."

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    Theurgus chuckles when Asterios grabs her up in a hug. She's lost in the fluff for a couple of moments, she shifts out of the hug after a moment or two, then looks at Artifex. "So... the rebooting succeeded then? Gallery is back?"

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu nods to Index as she catches the sage fox up, and looks Artifex over. "Glad to meet you on good terms this time, then," she says casually, offering a hand once Artifex takes a noticeable break from bowing so much. "Looking forward to visiting so I can browse your Drive's offerings, too, when the chance presents itself."

Lexicon has posed:
    Artifex straightens, rubbing her eyes with one hand even while dangling in Asterios' grip, "I still really appreciate it. You didn't have to. It probably would've been easier to.." She stops herself, shaking her head with her eyes closed. Hands raise, and she slaps her cheeks lightly, "--Mm!"

    Lexicon, meanwhile, rests her hands lightly against the backs of her sisters, suddenly very appreciative that she let them come. This wound up being a lot sappier than she was expecting, and the reminder of her own loved ones is enough to keep her grounded. "Well," she directs towards Yomi, "It's not easy, but a program can recover from a viral infection. It just takes time, or an anti-virus." Glancing back up, she adds, "I guess Caerbannog being as nasty as it was, meant she had to take longer to repair than usual." Not that Lexicon would know anything about recovering from catastrophic damage to her base code, or anything.

    The sapphire DCC works herself free of Asterios, giving one of his biceps an appreciative pat before she turns to address the other questions and comments directed her way. First, the easy ones. A quicker, less deep bow for Deelel, "Thank you for your understanding. I only hope I can repay you somehow." The same half-bow for Rebecca, "Please let me know if there's anything I can do for you."

    A hand thrust her way. Artifex pauses, then reaches out and takes Xiaomu's hand in a fairly weak handshake, "Ah.. Yes, of course. By all means, miss fox." Less of a bow, more of a nod, "You'll be pleased to know that you no longer need to worry about your 'friends'. Patty, Rodney, and the rest have been fully repaired." Eyes closing, she adds, "S-so..they won't chase you through haunted restaurants anymore..!"

    To Theurgus, Artifex nods, "Mm. That's right. Gallery is online-- Creating the system bus with Graphice's help was the final step." Closing her eyes, she reaches up to scratch at her cheek, "I..put it off for a bit because I was afraid of how this would go.. and focused on repairing the damage a bit longer than was really necessary.." Eyes opening, she nods again, "There's still a lot of corruption on the fringes, and the viruses there are very strong. But the core areas, city, and Cathoderal are all fully functional now."

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    Theurgus nods. "Well, I am certain we can assist you in clearing up those fringe areas." she remarks. "You may find all the DCCs these days are much more... agreeable than you may remember." she steps back around to Charta, giving the Oracle a little smile.

    Charta floats up, giving a little bow to Artifex. "I am Charta, Oracle of the Diamond Drive of Magic, Locus. It is a pleasure to meet you properly after our original... altercation. Anything I can assist you with, do not hesitate to contact me."

Asterios (1137) has posed:
There are still infected areas?

Asterios chuffs mightily and releases both DCCs from his adorable one-bull cuddlepile. "If there are. More powerful foes to fight. Then Asterios will help! And. Do need to make up for..."

Beat.

Hmn.

"...Does catty. Remember what I did?"

Oh no, is that... guilt?

Rebecca Chambers has posed:
"So, even though there's still a lot more work to do," Rebecca says, "We've taken care of some of the more critical areas." She smiles a little. "I'm glad we were able to make a difference. Even if there is more work to be done, at least we're seeing progress!" When Theurgus volunteers to help clear up the areas, Rebecca nods a little as well. "I've learned quite a bit from my time here, and I'd like to continue to assist in hopes of learning more while continuing to make a difference in any way I can."

Deelel has posed:
Deelel says "I will need help someday with some things back home, but not right now." She will need more allies someday to do something about CLU but that is not today she's in a godo mood heck she'll give Artifex a hand shake as she does so. "Welll we need to figure out for what we can do for your drive right? If you need virus busting you have it. Mend and defend, right?"

Yomi Isayama has posed:
Stepping forward, Yomi reaches out to lightly punch Artifex in the shoulder. "The important thing is that you're back and we won't need to deal with that virus again. Let's take our victories and not worry about faults, hm? And you've got your friends back now, too." She smiles, resting her hand back on her hip, and gives Artifex a nod. "Make sure not to be a stranger, okay? All of us are willing to help Lexicon with her virus problems, and I'm sure we can come if you come across something you can't handle."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Just 'Xiaomu,' unless you feel really compelled to be formal," Xiaomu says with a big grin. "And if you DO feel like you really need to be formal, go with 'Ms. Xiaomu' or 'Lady Xiaomu' or something. There are a lot of other foxgirls in the Multiverse, and some of them think more highly of themselves than I do, so you'll want to be specific when you're addressing me."

Lexicon has posed:
    Artifex blinks at Asterios, "What you did?" She considers for a moment, as if trying to recall what the bull man is talking about. After a moment, she holds up a hand and makes a dismissing gesture, "No, I'm sure it'll be fine~! Patty is a good program, I'm sure she'll like you." Hand lowering, she nods, "Most of the corrupted programs don't remember anything since they became corrupted, so this whole time is one big empty space to them."

    To Xiaomu, the DCC nods once, "Okay... Miss Xiaomu, for now. As we get to know each other, if that's..um, if that's okay, then I'll feel better about being less formal."

    To the shared sentiments of Theurgus, Deelel, Yomi, and Rebecca, she nods. Though Artifex does flinch even from that friendly punch. So skittish!

    "Th-thank you all for your support," Artifex stutters out, "Once I have things a little more organized in the Drive and in my head, I'll reach out to you with things that I could use help with." Graphice floats over, hovering above the DCC's shoulder, sprawled on her book in a relaxed posture while the woman talks, "Once again, thank you. For your dedication, your open hearts, and your forgiveness."

Yomi Isayama has posed:
It wasn't even a hard punch! "So... hey. Artifex." Yomi rests a hand on the DCC's shoulder and leans in closely, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I meant what I said. If you're truly back to being you, feel free to call on me any time you have problems with viruses and I will be happy to give you a hand. But..." Violet eyes shift back slightly to glance at the others. The exorcist gives a brief smile before looking straight into Artifex's eyes. "But if I find this is some sort of virus trick and you hurt Lexicon or her sisters or anyone else, I will not hesitate to put an end to you myself. Understood?"

Serious look gone, Yomi smiles once more as she steps back. "I mean it about the first part, though. Here." One hand goes to her pocket, and she pulls out a half-empty box of pocky to hand over to Artifex. "I hope we'll get to be good friends, okay?"

Asterios (1137) has posed:
Asterios frowns and places his hand on Yomi's head. Headpat has begun.

"Do not. Be so mean," Asterios is frowning.

YOU MADE ASTERIOS SAD, YOMI

HOW DO YOU FEEL

Lexicon has posed:
    When Yomi leans close, Artifex fixates on her attentively. At first eager, as the exorcist reaches the crux of what she wanted to say and steps back, what she leaves behind is a pale bluenette with big, watery eyes.

    Self Esteem after successfully begging for forgiveness: [0_________]

    Quickly, the blue DCC bows again, then stiffly boards the Sapphire Drive's system bus, chewing on her lower lip.

    Graphice lets out a sigh, rubbing closed eyes with thumb and forefinger. The other hand raises, flicking a single wave before she turns and floats after.

    Lexicon, to her credit, is somewhat left out of the loop. She glances between Asterios and Yomi with a wordless 'What?' look on her face.

Asterios (1137) has posed:
Asterios' frown only gets more severe as Artifex quickly devolves into a wibbling, wobbling, moeblobbling mess.

And... runs away.

"Mrm. Should visit. Later. Give more hugs."

Yes, this is a good plan.

Yomi Isayama has posed:
As she feels the hand on her head, Yomi glances up. "Don't worry so much." She runs fingers through her hair and turns to face the blue DCC... only to see her fleeing. Well. She'll just have to check in on Artifex again soon to make sure she's okay. After all, Yomi has nothing against her if she's telling the truth!

Turning back to Lexicon, the exorcist shakes her head. "Nothing to worry about, I think. I might have scared her a little."