Node Reconfigurement

Node Reconfigurement
Date of Scene:	19 July 2014
Location:	The Homeworld
Synopsis:	The Homeworld's Nodes are reconfigured; a short interactive cutscene sequence where the Nodes and their users cause substantial changes, populating the Homeworld with various inhabitants and environments.
Cast of Characters:	Kirito, 2, Tomoe, 21, 38, 40, Staren, Vruasa Telash, 151, Fiora O'Brien, 183, 219, 253, Theo Morrison, 320, 347, 353, 357, 385, 481
Tinyplot:	When They Return

---

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Dr. Burden is here. As per the norm, the man assumes the appearance of a middle-aged but healthy man, with longer graying hair, tanned skin, and a craftsman's uniform, like a cross between a blacksmith and an electrician, frequently colored with blues and grays. He looks like something out of some kind of western fantasy.

Oddly, though, today's showing Burden in peak activity. Where normally he at least pretends to be a human being in action, right now he's sitting right at the edge of the crater. His legs are crossed, his eyes are closed, and his hands are clasped together. The space around him hums, whirring and warping abruptly every so often as he interacts with things beyond sight.

He is inhumanly still, and does not immediately respond to those who exit the Hub.

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
Homura does not walk in so much and just appear by Burden.
She is chewing on some sushi.
More on that in Psyber's pose.

Dressed in black pants and a formal white dress shirt, she's got her red ribbon in her hair, her glasses, and otherwise seems fairly relaxed, despite the display Burden is putting on.

"Hello doctor. Do you want us standing a safe distance from you? Are you going to explode again and make a second crater if this fails?" It would be awful if he did.

Theo Morrison has posed:
Theo always arrives from somewhere inside. He has to pass through what he believes to be the space between spaces to get places without the Warpgates, but it's usually quick and efficient. Today is no different.

He finds himself going out the exit. He's only done this once before: he saw a door, saw it was unlocked, and he took a look to see what was what. Given there's nothing else out here, that's all he needed to know not to linger. Now is apparently very different.

Theo steps up next to and behind Dr. Burden, hands in his pockets. Kickotron, the silent Myr, is next to him; Aetherwright, his only marginally less quiet Abstractum, is affixed to the exterior of his jacket. He has questions, but he's pretty sure now isn't the time.

Flint Hawke (320) has posed:
There's a Pure here. And not even someone who's secretly a Pure. One of the well-known and public Pures.

That's the downside to broadcasting your 'Hey something is going down. It involves the Abstractum and the Homeworld.' message on the Multiversal broadband. And that drawback is that anyone can just wander in as they see fit, especially with such an unsecure Homeworld Hub. Case in point:

Flint Hawke is standing near the edge of the crater in his long coat, fancy hat, and popped-up collar. The Pirate Captain, Pure, and all around dashing rogue is very calmly smoking a pipe while he does so, "Well isn't this a curious set of events, I think." He muses to himself.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
Ainsley is here. She's taken to looking over at Burden occasionally, concerned about the man but not bothering to interrupt him. There's nothing she can do to stop him or deter him because she is not nearly experienced enough to begin to approach that problem.
Instead, she has set up a foldable aluminium table, and put a large kettle on it. A good two dozen tea cups are set up in a perfectly organized arrangement around it, and there's a couple boxes with various teabags for people to steep their own tea. There's even a large jar with sugar cubes in it.
How she found these on such short notice is best left up to the imagination.
"Theo," she calls over to the Deckmaster, "Come here and get some tea." A bit more assertive with him than with the others, she actually wants one of her friends nearby when things happen in case it's something very scary. She needs the proximity of a friend.

Hana Umikazeno (357) has posed:
It is rare for Hana to let much of her emotional state show through her veneer of professionalism. Which may be why those who know here any semblance of 'well' will be mildly surprised to see her walking in with such a stiff, visibly irritated stride. For once she does not even have a wary glance to spare Homura.

Her gaze is entirely on Burdens.

In the time it takes her to approach the man, she's more than capable of spotting how silent and still he is. But under the assumption he's still aware of what's around him, she comes to a stop behind and to the man's side, folds her arms across her chest, and declares simply, "Burdens, you and I are going to have words some time soon."

Staren has posed:
"We can go /outside/?!" Staren replies to Eureka or the Operators when he learns where Burden is. Since the LABSCORCHER'S WHITECOAT has been rather thoroughly damaged, he goes without it, or any coat, for now, simply wearing normal clothes, and Eureka on his left arm of course. In addition to his usual messenger bag, he's carrying a backpack in one hand.

Staren's attention is directed to the door. "Huh. How did I not notice that before...?" He starts to retrieve his vacsuit, but stops when assured there is, indeed, air out there.

Staren runs out over to Dr. Burden. He's not sure what to say to others here. Flint Hawke gets a glare. Why is a Pure user here? But, it doesn't seem like a good time to fight. Theo is handed the backpack. "Here you go."
Staren continues to look at Burden, and out at the Homeworld surface, warily.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
It's the first time Yuna has ventured onto the Homeworld outside of the Hub proper ... and while she's a little wary about it, she emerges from the Hub in civilian clothes, with Elner hovering along next to her. If she needs more protection than her dress, Elner can activate her Light Suit at roughly an instant's notice; she's also (of course) wearing Shining Prism, and both the robo-faerie and Yuna's Abstractum have already been instructed to maintain scans of everything while we're 'outside,' recording all data whether relevant or not - the distinctions can be made later, and irrelevant data discarded if necessary at that time.

Apart from that, and glancing to the sky every so often to see if she can pick out what Mr. Speaks was talking about, Yuna is her usual friendly self, waving and/or nodding to the others she spots on her way over to the crater.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
"Staren," Ainsley speaks up over at the labcat, "Get over here and make some tea for yourself." Again, stern! For some reason. Whatever is happening is about to go down. Also, she does in fact have Nom de Plume on her face, because she wants both of them to witness this event, whatever it is.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki isn't invisible, but she's certainly not as conspicuous as she normally tries to be. Instead, she's silently sipping tea at Ainsley's table, parasol up and open, reading from something not unlike a tablet that she seems quite engrossed in. She glances up from the device long enough to give Staren a wave - and Burden an incredulous look - but otherwise she stays surprisingly quiet.

Nope, no smartassery today. Well... no promises. But at least not before she actually has some vague idea of what's going on.

Psyber (253) has posed:
To expand on Homura's pose, Psyber drove Homura (and maybe Laine) to the event from his office in a small sports car. Along the way, he had stopped for takeout at a place or two to let the girl(s) get their meals since this was taking place in the evening and right at dinnertime.

Which is why Psyber isn't saying much or doing much of anything beyond hanging out along the very outer edge of the crater, keeping an eye on Homura. He's also eating: In one hand carrying a large piece of spam musubi and in the other having a large fountain drink from wherever he stopped to get dinner from on the way here.

He helpfully shouts down to Burden around a mouthful of food, "Fmy momt mo mie moo mld mhit!"

Noble Six (38) has posed:
The SPARTAN-III is here. Back to business as usual. Fully armored, faceless helmet, the whole nine yards. She has found a position not far from Burden that allows her to keep tabs on most everyone, as well as the doctor himself. They always say to hope for the best and expect the worst, and Six has taken that quote to heart in her life. Her arms fold over her chest as she watches, waiting for now. This is supposed to be a somewhat serious revelation, or so she thinks.

Kirika (481) has posed:
Whatever is going on here, Kirika knows one thing; This is not normal even for the whole Abstractum deal. She does know these things reproduce by genesis drives and all that jazz, and the abilities Abstractum can provide.

When she does arrive, the half-kitsune glances over to the tea set up in place before shrugging. THis is going to go by way smoother with something to drink, she figures, so she grabs a seat if allowed. Peering at a cup, she grabs a teabag and some sugar before pouring a cup of steaming hot water.

"So...I imagine this isn't normal even for him, then." She muses, motioning over to Burden as she lowers her hood and takes a sip of her drink.

Aside from the large gathering of people, her gaze is directed towards the oni mercenary for a brief moment. Huh.

Staren has posed:
Staren nods to Mizuki. Ainsley gets a 'Is this /really/ the time?' look, and then he sighs. "Do you have sweet iced tea?"

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
"Don't think it much matters where you stand, that's not gonna be where the damage happens. And it's not gonna be for a long time. It's lookin' like I sure won't be able to get this done any other way. The Homeworld won't take no for an answer, seems like, denyin' my input. Gotta be what it's gotta be, I suppose." Dr. Burden shakes his head and stands with a heavy sigh.

"The Homeworld has to reconfigure the Nodes. Seems like They're pushing harder now, all around. But in a new way this time. Didn't used to do it this way." He shakes his head. "Did what I could. Looks like it wasn't enough." The Homeworld itself appears to be rumbling now, a low hum of power under the surface, roiling and churning under the exterior. "I don't know what this Homeworld is doin'. But whatever it is, it's lookin' like it's planning on putting something of value to you folks in the line of fire."

He closes his eyes and takes a discomforted posture, briefly nodding to and acknowledging Hana Umikazeno before he re-attains his stock-stillness. He can't understand whatever it is Psyber said, so he holds and... Waits. He waits for the slow rumbling to approach its credcendo.

It's reaching its peak soon.

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
Miss Lamb sighs as she shuffles up from behind her boss, and shakes her head at his bad manners. Well, no one ever said Psyber was constantly dignified. She preens a bit at her hair over the noise of the... whatever it is that the Doctor is about to fail at. "Honestly, I have to approveof the choice of food, sir, but..." She is pulling out a Capri Sun out of her purse/bag/courier pack to sip on while waiting.
A look at Psyber. "I don't like this. Not one bit, sir."

Kirito has posed:
With the strange events surrounding this still bothering him, Kirito was delayed because he had to log on and hurry to the Union's warpgate within Alfheim Online. fresh from an adventure on Aincrad's first floor (now SO much harder than last time) he's on the alert for trouble, with an inventory full of mostly useless-to-him loot that doesn't weigh him down at all. The Spriggan zooms down towards the group, his approach heralded by the telltale noise his wings make - like wind instruments, almost. Still, he lands near Burden and turns a very concerned gaze tabout at the group. "Anything happen while I was heading here?"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
"Calm down," Homura says, putting a hand on Burden's shoulder-- well, the concept of his shoulder? Assuming his body isn't incredibly unfriendly to touch, anyway.

"The power to end Them won't be achieved by taking it slow, and They won't risk eliminating us from the game too early, either. Whatever this is, is probably going to benefit us in the long term... even if we might be about to hate it for a while. You told us this was probably the final Cycle; we all agree. But you're going to have to put a bit more faith in us that we'll be the ones making that happen for sure, not Them."

She idly gives a wave towards Flint, too.
Gotta stay polite.

Theo Morrison has posed:
"Sure, just gotta open the door." Theo takes the proferred pack. He looks it over, clearly impressed. "Sweet. Thanks." He offers it to Kickotron, but the mechanical bird-thing doesn't take it. Instead, the Myr walks up, perching on the edge of the crater next to Dr. Burden. It spares him a glance, but then it's focused on looking ahead, apparently waiting for something.

Theo gives the Myr a brief look. With a slight shrug, he goes over to Ainsley's tea-table and does as he's requested. "Sure." He gives her a quick look, brow raised slightly, and then glances towards the crater. "So, what d'you think?" A pretty general question. She's got Nom, though, and literary senses which may in fact be tingling.

Staren has posed:
Staren looks at Burden, hands balling into fists. "So the homeworld feels the need to endanger things, just to encourage us to do what we were gonna do anyway? Rrrgh." he sighs. "What have you made, Burden..." he asks rhetorically.

Vruasa Telash has posed:
VRUASA TELASH is present, and upon reflection, has been present for some time. Before anything of import had occurred, as a matter of fact. He has done nothing, instead simply waiting for events to take place around him, in stark contrast to his usual tendency to fast forward to the 'good parts'. They have done so as anticipated, flowing towards the ambiguous 'something' that is coming. It is inevitable, and as a participant in this great Game (if it could be called that), the Knight of Time could not help but be drawn in towards it.

He floats in the air above George Burden, laying back in mid-air as if lounging in a chair. As events proceed roll forward, he produces an item from his SYLLADEX with the hiss of a lock coming undone. It is a bottle of some kind of incredibly potent Alternian alcohol. It's alchemized, but is in effect extremely old since that is how it was brought into existence. He sets it down on the ground next to Burden, before resuming a position higher up in the air.

"Can you even get drunk?" He asks, unconcerned with what is happening. It'll happen whether he's concerned or not, after all. And raised stakes are his kind of game.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Reconfiguring the Nodes, huh?" asks Yuna. "So this is mostly to make sure none of us are inside them during the reconfiguration?"

She remains alert on her way over to Ainsley's table, smiling and bowing in greeting to the robed lizard lady before she starts preparing some tea. "Ah ... what exactly does 'endangering something important to us' mean, though? Or are we going to find that out when it happens?"

Yuuma Nakano (21) has posed:
What's all this going on now? Yuuma's managed to make it to the Homeworld, too, since he's wondering what's going on. This Abstractum stuff is all new to him, and he hasn't had an opportunity to get acquainted with Cheiroktio all that much yet. He's keeping out of the way, since that's a lot of people here and he doesn't want to bother anybody at a time like this. It'll happen and he'll either understand or he won't, he figures.

Hana Umikazeno (357) has posed:
'Putting something of value to you folks in the line of fire.'

Hana frowns for a moment, but then her eyes go wide and her body totally stiffens. It's just a moment. A brief moment of true and proper panic.

Then her entire body relaxes, and her expression becomes downright cold. "If it targets the first thing my mind leapt to, I'm going to be a very, very unhappy oni," she declares simply.

Laer (353) has posed:
Laer will turn up, fashionable lateish, sounding mildly concerned about the latest developments. She won't speak to Burden - she's not his biggest fan, after all, and right this moment she doesn't really want to intrude too much upon things.

Instead, she'll be standing there to wait and see what sort of reconfiguration is going to happen. She's going to be annoyed if her bar explodes before she even gets a chance to do much with it.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
"What do I think?"
Ainsley looks at Theo, measuring how she may answer that. She gives it a good go, perhaps to phrase it in a cryptic way that in no way answers his question whatsoever. Instead, she gives him a helpless look and an accompanying shrug. And then she looks over at Staren, frowning. She sets her tea cup down on its associated saucer, and steps over to him. She reaches to grab him gently by the arm, and urgingly, and perhaps more than little insistently, pulls at him to bring him over to the tea table.
He is going to drink tea and not brood like a troubled hero, or she is going to get very fussy at him.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Crossing her legs and setting down her teacup, Mizuki... whips out a notepad from one of the stealth pockets of her dress. Nodes, as she recalls, are things that shift and change based on something you introduce to it. Some prevalent thing on your mind that gets blown up and twisted. Beyond that, though, she has no idea of their nature or functionality. Still, they remind her a faint little bit of home. And she actually recognizes the term! Smirk. That's a start. Staren's comment... gets an arch of her eyebrow, though. 'The Homeworld' is the thing she - and everyone else - is on right now, right? Right. Sooo... it's an AI? Or maybe sentient? Good lord. Something to get the notes started, at least. Scribble scribble.

Annnd... done. She rewards herself with another sip of tea while she watches the man of interest for more exposition. Now yes, she said that she would be asking lots of questions, but she wouldn't want to be rude and interrupt the proceedings and such.

... and she might be just a little shy. But she would never admit to that.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is a bit belated in getting here, but Tomoe is here and she looks over at Dr. Burden warning nd that leaves her looking very conerned with what hte Doctot is saying and the purple haired salamander looks pretty concerned now as she looks over to the others for a moment then to the doctor. "If it keeps making things a threats the homeworld may make it self a /target/ by us."

Kirika (481) has posed:
The ground shakes as Kirika suddenly moves to grip her sword, finishing her tea as she listens. When the shaking settles, she speaks up clearly. "I admit, I haven't the faintest idea what is going on here. To start with, what are 'They' and...these nodes are the things we use to combat them, correct? How does one create more, and what does this have to do with the nodes in the first place?" She asks, looking directly at Burden. Might as well get answers from the source, right?

She has no idea, does she?

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber swallows his food and says to Eleanor, "People like to talk about fighting fate a lot," He muses to Eleanor and then takes a sip of his soda, "But sometimes things are just destined to happen and you can't always defy it. I think this is one of those times," He says to her with a shrug. His gaze is somewhat fixated on Vruasa, mostly because /Vruasa Telash/ was one of the people who most instilled this listen into him.

"Good or bad, what's happening here is what's supposed to. Action, reaction, counteraction. There is wiggle room in the universe to sway the course, but there will be waypoints that are unavoidable," It's a more serious tone than he usually uses.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Dr. Burden looks to Staren. "It does what it likes. Homeworld's something I programmed, but I don't decide everything about it any more than a father keeps control of their kids." He shakes his head, accepting Homura's comfort. "I'll let it happen - don't got any other choice - but it's not something I'm gonna like." He accepts the drink from Vruasa, gives a short, quick, "No, but thanks." And then starts downing some. Whatever's gonna happen seems like it's gonna be bad. He's the first one to glance up, with an aggressive sort of look, to the top of the Homeworld Hub, likely drawing the attention of the others.

The Short Man and the Tall Woman are here as well. The Short Man is a stout sort, with short black hair and a rough, rugged sort of look, wearing what seem to be some rather plain streetclothes. The Tall Woman is a thin, elegant sort, with harsh but feminine features and long red hair, wearing a much more formal sort of black dress. Both of them are not with the main group; the pair are both on top of the Homeworld Hub itself.

There's a pair of conductor's podiums of sorts there.

The pair seem to be readying themselves for something at the same time as the Homeworld. Each of them have a baton; the Short Man on the left with his in his right hand, the Tall Woman on the right with hers in her left hand.

Both tap the podiums - bare of any music stands - at the same time; the Homeworld, as if listening to them, stops humming and rumbling, the roiling power ceasing like musicians waiting to start. They look like they're about to conduct an orchestra together.

There is an agonizingly long pause.

Fiora O'Brien has posed:
Fiora was not here before. In fact, she wasn't here as things started. She's barely here now, a bit disheveled and her hair slightly more frizzy than usual, as she just sort of appears, motes of darkness falling off her as she Exists in a space near the back, by Vruasa and Psyber.

She rides on a floating abstractum-broom (Hecate) using it more like a seat than anything else, and holding a fluffy pillow.

She sleepily looks at the proceedings, and shrugs. "Fate has a habit of being quite nice. Destiny is around to ensure things happen the right way. Being outside of fate and free to act... Isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"Oh, hey, it's those two. Doing something important. This should be cool."

Flint Hawke (320) has posed:
Taking no notice of being glared at, Flint hops up onto the edge of the crater and walks along it, arms spread wide as he follows the rim over to one George Burden, "What's the old Earth rhyme now? When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away~?"

He twirls a bit and leans over to look at Burden, "They're out to plaaaaaaaaay, so are you going to stay or are you leaving now that you've failed?" It seems whatever differences he has with Samael, they do share a trait: Try to get a reaction out of Burden.

Then Flint spins on his heels and watches the speech at the podium.

Hana Umikazeno (357) has posed:
It's probably reflex that Hana's revolvers are both in her hands by the time she looks straight up to see the Man and Woman. At the very least, when none of the others seem to be getting ready to attack, she doesn't either. But she is utterly tense.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
With attention being subtly directed towards the top of the Hub, Yuna turns and looks up - and blinks; how did they get up there? Who are they? A quick question on the Users' comm network derives some useful information, though, and Yuna murmurs to Elner and Prism, "Try to keep track of what they're doing, as best you're able."

Then she stands up straight, watching the pair of figures, and sipping her tea as if she were waiting for something official to begin.

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
Eleanor sighs at the statements from Psyber, but nods. "I understand that sir. Fate is fate, but... We've already seen rough times in the Nodes. And I try to remember that the situations inside are... well. Not 'real'. But more harm is never a good thing. I don't have the background in temporal physics or theoretical cosmolosy or whatever that you and Vruasa and Fiora have. I just like to minimise harm, where I can is all."

And then the Music Doesn't Happen.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
Ainsley pauses in her agitated behavior with Staren to look up toward the Short Man and the Tall Woman. Her hand releases him, and her brows lift.
Then she looks around, her whole body tingling with the kind of eerie anticipation that someone has when the world is about to end and they can't do anything to stop it. She absent-mindedly reaches to pick up her tea cup while looking over at Burden.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki sighs and closes her parasol, leaning it on her chair and turning more fully to face the demographic height defying duo. She also sets her tea aside for now, and folds her hands.

Maybe /they/ will give some exposition.

Noble Six (38) has posed:
The appearance of the two conductors makes Noble Six curious, though cautiously so. Still, she moves a bit closer to the group of Union Abstractum wielders nearby, just in case something strange or dangerous happens as a result of those two and whatever it is they're about to do.

Ariel (219) has posed:
"I think calling them 'not real' isn't a good thing," Ariel says quietly. "They think and feel, or a close enough approximation that they might as well. So I think they should be real." She doesn't really pursue it... not the time or place, yet. Besides, she wants to see what's going on.

Psyber (253) has posed:
"I don't know anything about temporal mechanics, but I do have a Masters Degree in Apocalypses," He rocks on his feet before looking over at Fiora and smiling at her a bit, "You're right. If anything, you and Vruasa are the ones that taught me that. Don't waste your energy fighting the inevitable. Work at what you CAN change and hope that when you hit the mandatory points, you've made enough of a difference." He laughs a bit. He actually rarely speaks so directly with Fiora, but it's a pensive moment for him.

"Ariel is right, though. They're as real as anything, and I think the attachments we form to our Nodes is intentional. We're meant to build up Resonance, and more importantly attach ourselves to our Abstractum and to the Homeworld through that. That's where, I think, the power will come from for the Ultimate Weapon. The Nodes may be a power grid we fight for control of."

Laer (353) has posed:
Laer will strain herself to listen, making shushing motions at the people around her. If there's a form of music that controls the homeworld, then she certainly would like to know about it, and catch a note or two.

They're clearly conducting; she just needs to find out what it is that they're conducting!

Theo Morrison has posed:
Ainsley's answer is, to be fair, about what he expected. Theo bobs his head slightly in a nod by way of acceptance, and then picks up his cup.

Theo has never seen this pair before, tall or short. There's something about them, though, that demands attention. Maybe it's because of where they're standing, or how. He keeps switching his attention between them and Burden, as if expecting one or the other to do something ridiculous -- and, in the meantime, absorbs the conversation as it happens. Power grid, eh...?

Kirito has posed:
"Yui... whatever's about to happen? Please record everything you can." Kirito silently asks of his daughter. The little fairy peeks her head out from his coat pocket and snaps a cute little salute. "Roger that!~" Up Yui flitters to get a slightly better view. Meanwhile, Kirito's wings flare up at the ready, and his hand goes to Double Fault's hil. His breath all but caught in his throat when Tall and Short appeared and seemd redy to begin this... now it's just a mtter of waiting. Tensely. "Th-this better not be too cataclysmic..."

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
"Fair enough," Homura tells Burden. She certainly can't ask him to like things. With the baton taps and the pause, Homura's glance shifts to the Tall Woman and Short Man. She decides to go bug them instead, because Burden is being gloomy.

Homura blurs, and simply reappears somewhere in the vicinity of the Man and Woman, small pink wings idling behind her, allowing her to float in place up and down a little bit, like a helpful fairy companion. But not fairy sized at all. She isn't quite near them-- and definitely not on their stage, so more off to the side. Being atop the Homeworld like that might give a better view of what's about to go down, anyway.

And she can try to nag them once they are done.

But for now, staying off-stage.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The Short Man and Tall Woman gesture softly to the ground below them, the Hub; it whirs and hums with power, like before, seeming to become more vivid in appearance as it does, a deep power under the surface about to be released. It sounds a bit like the smaller strings and horns.

They do a pulsating, softly repeated gesture gradually in all directions, the man on the left directed to the right, the woman on the right directing the left, both in perfect synch with each other. The planet itself seems to awaken, the grayed, blank, smooth surface begins to glow with ever-increasing white light. It's a familiar sort. Specifically familiar to those who have seen Mr. Welcomes do what he does. The noise isn't unlike the smaller percussion instruments starting up.

And then, to one side of the massive crater, both of them cast a gentle, rising gesture. And what rises is strange. A forest grows as the larger horns give a brief bit of melody; tall trees shaped more like skyscrapers than any forest. Psyber will recognize it as very similar to the Court of his Node; the trees themselves are interspersed with sections of ruined castle, the whole thing seeming to suddenly resolve out of the ground, as if it were always there but only just now vivid enough to see.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The pair of conductors now shift to another side, their conducting arms locked around each other for merely a moment. Part of the ground seems to no longer be there, or perhaps was always not there and is only now visible as such. Rising out of the sea is a pristine, clean city formed of glass, brass, and neon, peaked at the center by what looks like a lighthouse and formed with an intensely art-deco aesthetic, linked all around it by bridges and tubes, the whole thing partially submerged, as a few deeper strings receive focus for just a moment.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Lower down, across the way, they induge a few flat, sweeping gestures; across the crater, one can see large meso-american urban structures, tapering and slanted in the side, carved delicately but sturdily stacked with solid stone, set against a flat plain full of wide fields interspersed with strange lines of ash. The soft percussion becomes slightly more prominent for a moment.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The pair now move back to one side, making sweeping, rising gestures, prompting a rise - up, up! - of strange buildings: It's a mixture of crystal and some kind of ashen substance, brilliant spires and small castles, meant more to evoke the aesthetic of a palace than a fortress, set against rolling, idyllic hills like Ariel's own Node features, as the woodwinds play up their smaller members.

Staren has posed:
Staren watches. "So it's making more city? More of our nodes? Yes, of course we care about the lives of the people there..." He looks to Burden. "But we were going to make more nodes anyway. How does this raise the stakes?"

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
While Yuna doesn't know anything about these two 'conductors,' their perfect unison is a little on the eerie side - or maybe 'uncanny' is a better description. It's pretty apparent to Yuna that they're most likely not human.

Far more impressive is the way they're reshaping the Homeworld - or rather, as Homura puts it on the radio, *bringing the Nodes into the real world*. And that makes it clear just how the stakes are being raised ... it's NOT a simulation, if it ever was. The Nodes are as real as any other world in the Multiverse ...

Not that Yuna had really let herself think of the Nodes as a simulation, but ... still, this could be either helpful, or very troublesome indeed.

"Will the new Nodes we create going forward manifest in the world this way?" she asks, appending her own question to Staren's.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The brass is back as the pair raise what seem like an intensely urban area, but which seems composed almost entirely of modern studio equipment; from this distance it's hard to see, but it's similar to the features of Fiora's nodes, the tall arching boom-mic sticks and cameras and things like that being extremely large and marking a clear silhouette against the horizon.

Kirika (481) has posed:
As the city forms itself, Kirika is unable to keep from staring. It's as if the conductors weren't creepy enough, but seeing all this form out of /nothing/ seemingly is enough to leave Kirika a bit floored by what's going on.

Crimson eyes go wide as she stands and stares, mouth agape a little as her tail sways slightly before going limp. Her ears twitch from all the rumbling, and she continues to stare in awe and confusion...

Mizuki (183) has posed:
You know, there's not very much that can shut Mizuki up. But thankfully for Laer and all others trying to actually hear what's going on, music is one of the few things that can.

As the playing starts, Mizuki's eyes twinkle a bit, and her hands meander respectfully to her lap. This only gets more and more profound as the trees start appearing. A-And... the grounds start reforming. A city of glass, and a lighthouse. And then everything else. Being who she is, you really would think she would be better capable of at least feigning stoicism, but no.

No, no. Immediately, she would begin to wonder what in Creation was responsible for all of this, and how she could come into contact with it. Or them. Or whatever. It couldn't really just be those two people, could it? She hasn't seen anything this beautiful in decades, and she's a bit overcome. Somewhere along the line, she got a bit caught up in it all, and she... stood up. Realizing this with a vague flush of her cheeks, she clears her throat quietly and sits back down. She glances to Ainsley for a brief moment before losing herself in the show again.

Very, very quietly, she mumbles some words of praise... before spires of crystal - or what she perceives to be crystal at a glance, at least - rise up. Her eyes light back up and she nearly topples her chair as she bolts up to get a better look. Rather than folding her arms, she hugs herself slightly. She's probably shivering.

This really is too nostalgic for comfort, but the whimsy of it all is just enough to keep her thoughts from getting overbearingly deep.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
A strange mixture of suburban and magical environments now make themselves apparent, odd static lines and manses interpsersed with japanese-styled suburban environments and structures in an otherwise unremarkable natural space. The brass and percussion oscillate the focus back and forth between each other, but mutually build in volume as the two conductors gesture back and forth, up and up....

Flint Hawke (320) has posed:
Flint is mostly rocking back and forth on his feet on the edge of the crater. Whatever reaction Burden has to him (or non-reaction) is forgotten as he whistles a bit and watches all the worlds being pulled in, "Well, well now. Looks like this place just gained a lot more travel destinations."

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Part of this isn't even rooted to the ground; a small section of city appears between two others, a set of air-based urban areas. Some structures are rooted to the ground, but others aren't, many of them floating freely on airship-esque bases, and similar suchlike, their aesthetic a mix of industrial and modern. But Staren will recognize this isn't a physical place in his Node. The conducting pair are now shifting focus between woodwinds and brass, in the deeper, larger instruments...

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe lostens to the Doctor for a moment longe rbut she looks at the other two beings for a moment she narrows her eyes for a moment. She does not make a hostile action however she does seem very concerned and she's got Fraps on for later look over if it's needed.

"Great, just great and are you sure it's not real? You could have called two years of my life not to be real then again who knows."

Tomoe shrugs as bit as she realy has no idea.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
With all the elements of their orchestra active and the focus dancing between them, the first real crescendo begins to rise out of the melody, intensifying it slowly, with repeated, more forceful motions from the Tall Woman and the Short Man. The woodwinds make their efforts the forefront for a moment as, suddenly, the Crafted of Ariel's Node can be seen. At this distance, not in their proper area, no; they're visible within the Hub itself! Golem-like living creatures, covered in softly glowing glyphs, made of stone, crystal, brass, and paper, rarely some even of cloth! They're inside the Lobby, wandering not between the Users' own doors, but a seperate floor, on the balcony above, their own Gates for this world.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto is the obvious inspiration for what comes next; when the strings take central focus with an elegantly, erratically oscillating intensity that matches the movements of the pair on top of the Hub, amid this artificial population you can suddenly find several groups of mages, and various elementally-inclined magical spirits alongside them! But those aren't from her Node, as anyone who has been there can say. Strange and baffling.

Theo Morrison has posed:
Theo stands by the tea-table, staring out at the growing landscape. He's somewhat awestruck by the sheer amount of it that's being brought up into the desolate, empty space on the surface of the Homeworld. He's done some alterations before, but this is /ridiculous/.

'I wonder what kind of mana this would tap for,' Theo thinks, the thought coming unbidden. You can take the player out of the game...

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The next group to see representation confirms suspicions that people might have; this one is clearly inspired by the Saber of the Confederacy, Mordred, who makes their presence known in this social structure through what seem to be a medieval-styled addition to the population. Knights, soldiers of various sorts, peasantry, and all other sorts - most of whom look unhappy, and some of whom look exceptionally aggressive - are present amid all this as the percussion and brass are prompted by the pair above to do an aggressive back-and-forth with each other for a moment.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Psyber's presence can be seen in what look like a semi-divine race, almost birdlike in their appearance but primarily human, and most of them in an anachronistic mixture of fashion from around a variety of periods. They seem to be a more warriorish sort of group, but every one of them holds up an image of a sort of nobility, which makes the accompanying shift to a more hymn sort of feeling with the sudden addition of a light bit of chorus very appropriate.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Kirito's presence can be seen in more horns taking a solo focus as what look very similar to a medieval sort of race makes its presence apparant; the nine races of Alfheim can be seen! Or at least some vague approximation of them, anyway. They seem like generic fantasy elfish things to the untrained eye, but anyone who's familiar with this will know it well.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Flitting alongside the groups, tiny doll-like creatures can be seen, miniscule individuals fitted with various miniaturized technology like flight packs, seemingly accompanying individuals as they move between the Gates of the Homeworld, the tinier elements of the woodwinds coming out solo with small movements from the pair above drawing out bit of piccolo flourish.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Staren's influence is shown by a lot of humans or humanlikes (some from other races in the group entirely) who have clearly self-augmented, a group bearing an assortment of cybernetic and genetic changes to their bodies that have improved them, presumably. The strings and brass with light percussion that dance between each other give it an artistic but industrial sort of feeling.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe pauses as she sees Kirito for a moment she sees the races and wonders just what's going on here she glances to Kirito for anoither moment wondeirng just about what's going on and she knows she needs to push herself she thinks, but will she able to be /able/ to push herself harder?

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Frederica also has her own Legacy here, a group of humans - or maybe just humanlike sorts? - in clothing styled after of a variety of different animals. These seem unremarkable... But she'll be able to detect that every single one of them seems to have a lot of psychic activity going between them, the activity in it accompanied by a more upbeat part of the music heavier on the deeper woodwinds.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Ainsley will recognize metahumans among the individuals who wander around. Psyber's were human, clearly, with just an avian look to them, but these are full-on furry and scaled sorts, the sort common to her world and often the same subtypes that she'd be most familiar with. The chorus and woodwinds give them a softly, erratically oscillating theme that sounds a bit scholarly, with hidden intensity every time the pair above do a sudden jump in their conducting!

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Zephyr has her own representation, clusters of more warrior-seeming types, with a variety of high-tech magical implements strapped to them at all times. It would seem her Legacy is a heavily warlike sort, but they keep peace with the others around here. There's a march-like tone to them, heavy on deeper brass and percussion.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Homura's are a little more troubling. They're Familiars - as in, the kinds from Witches - wandering around. Many are styled after her own themes, but there's all sorts around here, represented in various artistic styles, even when you look directly at them. Troubling, and it comes with an uncertain bit of faltering strings and rising percussion that give it an atmosphere of implied disturbance. They seem... At peace with the rest of the inhabitants, though!

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Hana sees her own Legacy clearly; the oni in more modern sorts of clothing that wander around are given a lot of space by the others, and often bear some kind of more modern weapon, and most of them seem a bit standoffish, deeper strings and brass giving a bit of a distant atmosphere to them.

Fiora O'Brien has posed:
Fiora has since settled her pillow onto her lap and is leaning against it, watching the procession of sights, and the swell of sounds, and just sort of smiling. It had its own sort of order to things, the creatures of all sorts populating the patchwork world. It reminded her of her own struggle but on a far, far larger scale. More grand and less... Contained.

And wonderful all the same.

"Well. This is quite the production. I wonder if they do this every time, or if we are special..." She muses tiredly.

She fully expects to not be able to see her part in this.

It's kind of hard to show /nothing/.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Eleanor Lamb gets her own display here; they're maybe a little more troubling. Splicers!!! No, that was just the string cue that got played, they look much more like the inhabitants of Rapture long before the fall, the sort of early-1900s fashions with high-quality workmanship that you'd expect. There's an instance of casual plasmid use you can see too, as one lights his cigarette with a snap of his fingers when the music rises with some more substantial drums.

Staren has posed:
Staren watches all of this. But he still doesn't see how it really... /changes/ things. Nothing to do but wait and see, he supposes. At Fiora's question, he replies: "I dunno. Why don't we ask?" He looks to Burden. "Has this ever happened before?" And if he doesn't know, Staren asks Eureka to ask the Operators for him.

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber sidenotes to Fiora, "Considering that Speaks said this was his favorite part, I think they've done it at least once before," He points out to the WitchGod of Void. But he's mostly watching with a high amount of attention.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
"Yeah." Burden says. "When I was dead, and couldn't stop it. You don't see their game, kid?" He shakes his head. "Lemme show you what I mean. You know her?" He points to Hana. Then he gestures to one of the standoffish oni in the structure. "You seein' this? They're makin' your actions bigger. Amplified, makin' 'em the paradigm of some whole social class. Whatever you do, here on out, it's the model for the actions of some whole damn caste."

"And when They get here, these folks are gonna be in the middle of the damn storm."

Flint Hawke (320) has posed:
Flint turns on his heels towards Burden and frowns. Apparently the Doctor is ignoring HIM just like he ignores his 'Creator', "Ooooh, fancy. I wonder when I get my crew. Will they be skeletons? Or maybe they're all be as handsome as I am?" He rubs his chin, "Then I'd have to kill them all. So slightly less handsome than me would be better."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe expression remains blank, like she's not even there. She's attemping to control herself as she's getting memories of a certain mad MMORPG designer even with his help after the Asuna affair? She still intends to hunt him down and see he's locked up somehow. Ya she does not like the connotations here at all. There's nothing she can do about it at all, however. She suposed attacking the ones doing it would not end well or be pointless.

Staren has posed:
Staren looks over at the assembling Homeworld inhabitants as he thinks about this. "...Dammit." He sighs. "Well, on the bright side... we get to shape a civilization. Didn't think I was ready yet, but I guess you never are." He takes a deep breath. "Alright, let's do it. I presume we'll learn more about how this works later, though."

Noble Six (38) has posed:
In all honesty, Noble Six is just confused, more than anything else. She frowns under her helmet. Everybody else around her seems to have something they connect to, something that's important to her. She hasn't been doing it long enough, she supposes, to have made those kinds of connections. Not that she's good at making connections in the first place.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
Ainsley is the most fascinated by the volume of varying beings that wander between the gates, in the Hub itself, or at least at a balcony. She can recognize a good portion of them, but definitely a minority. The animal people get a look of recognition from her. Wait what? Some of those species are metahumans she has seen in her own world!
The information from Burden makes her head turn.
You can almost see all the blood drain out of her face, figuratively speaking.
"Oh no." She sets a hand to her face.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Adelaide Flowers of all people has some representation here. A water-based Legacy seems to be around, a group that looks like they live very close to water all the time, maybe even on boats! It's naval outfits of various anachronistic elements that make it obvious. There's a wave-like bit with the string section to accompany their sudden creation.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"So everything we've done, and everything we do from here," Yuna muses, "is going to resonate through the new population of this world ..."

She turns to regard Dr. Burden. "That's part of what we're doing here, isn't it? I mean - what we've been doing in the Nodes is helping pave the way to bring life back to the Homeworld?"

She turns some of her attention back to the continuing evolutions of the new landscape ... largely looking for familiar aspects in the places and the peoples that are taking shape under the conductors' 'direction,' but also just looking. It seems like she didn't need Elner or Shining Prism to pay as much attention as she thought ... but then, she may want to watch this again later, in whatever form they can 'replay' it for her.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Vruasa Telash...

Still hasn't revived the Troll race, and won't be. Instead he has a race of Carapacians representing his Legacy, black and white, all of them seeming to be given a lot of distance as well, and keeping their own. There's not many out here at all, in fact, and most of them don't hang around long, and avoid wasting time, accompanied by a fair bit of brass going at a quick pace enhanced by the percussion...

Hana Umikazeno (357) has posed:
Hana looks to Burden, then up to the oni which seem to have been patterned after her.

Quietly, she reaches up and presses palm to face. "And now I'm responsible for the existence of an entire race. How did this happen? My life used to be so simple. I shot people. I got paid. My trust extended only as far as the words on my contract. Now I'm a living template for an entire people, I'm relying on others and I've allowed a pair of talking sandals into my confidence. I made poor life choices somewhere, but I just can't figure out what they were." Siiiiigh.

The moment of self-sarcasm past, Hana takes a breath and reaches up to switch on her radio, to start asking more practical questions.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Fiora's influence is conspicuously absent, if we assume this goes by Procurement Date. Odd. We'll get to what she's done to this Homeworld later. There's even a silent pause in the orchestra just to mark her, as it goes on to a new movement.

Fiora O'Brien has posed:
When Burden reveals that their actions are creating a macro-scale versions of themselves, and then PEOPLE FREAK OUT ABOUT IT, Fiora just kind of smiles, leaning forward to sort of flop on her pillow-lap.

As the pause in the music comes and goes, she just raises a finger, head still in the pillows, and muffedly...

"I knew it!"

Then she picks her head up and smiles in a sort of tired, warm way.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Yuna Kagurazaka has a stranger contribution here. It's like the Shinki; a wide variety of artificial constructs, like the Matrix of Light! These little futuristic devices whir and rush around all in a hurry, often paired with other Legacy individuals, their atmosphere provided by more small woodwinds and strings.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Laer's representation comes in the form of a rather larger number of elves. It's not clear what distinguishes them in their action; there's a subtle lack of unusual things that makes it look like they might be hiding something. Collectively, as a group? It's strange, but the atmosphere, a wary one of cautious brass and percussion, make it seem like they're likely to have something off about them.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Amalthea has her own Legacy; where Ariel's are golems, Amalthea's are clearly robotic humanoid animals of various sorts. Many of them are traveling on their own, but conspicuously, in the rare cases whenever anyone of the other groups has a bodyguard, it's one of Amalthea's Legacy, never anything else. There's another military-ish brass-and-drums bit, but with a nicer, softer string element that oscillates to the forefront every so often.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Elliana's Legacy is something different entirely. These are all humanoids who are clearly corrupted by some sort of horrible magic, and... Just have peace with the others anyway. Her Legacy is clearly and more apparently twisted by a deeply troubling magical influence, but they're not hostile, or at least these aren't, though they have some disturbing wavering strings to their theming.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe watches for this as she sees the existance of an entire species come into being she's not sure what to think on this. she froewns a little bit for a moment. Wait What just happened here? Seriously what just happened here?! Her jaw's kinda hanging open at the moment.

Eleanor Lamb (40) has posed:
Eleanor just sighs quietly at all of the people being... called up out of whole cloth. A look of wonderment turns to resolvethough as Ariel's words from before slap her in the face a bit. Cheeks turn red, and she murmurs. "This just all got extremely complicated."

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
There's a rising crescendo, an intense, constantly increasing rush of all four sections and the chorus to boot, and the group isn't just here in the lobby. Their creation blasts out like a wave, into the streets and roads and fields and homes of the surrounding cities and towns and other locales. The intensely varied surface of the planet can be heard twisting and shifting under the influence of this sudden crescendo. The gestures of the pair grow to a fever pitch, becoming grand and wide and the two gesticulate in a way that is full of both energy and controlled skill.

It is a rush, to say the least, and a little bit loud. As it reaches its absolute peak, something unusual happes, visible within the Homeworld Hub itself. There has always been a space between the White Wing and the Warpgate that leads offworld. But it was just blank walls before. However, it seems to rumble and glow, suddenly shifting and changing.

This is visible from outside, of course, but best seen from within. As the crescendo concludes with a heavy dose of low brass and big percussion finished off by a quick bit with the strings, whatever's in there finishes forming, and the pair on the roof conclude their symphony with symmetrical horizontal motion.

The pair bow briefly, without much pretentiousness.

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
Homura, still idle somewhere off to the side of the stage so as to not be in the way, feigns a few slow claps for the pair; the music aside, that was some degree of impressive, it's true. She just wonders if that was truly their work, or something else. Well, now that they're done with their show, no better time to ask.

"That's unusually direct of you two. Was that really you doing it?"

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Burden just makes a depressed sort of noise, either at this whole ordeal or at Flint's statement specifically. Burden himself doesn't give any applause, but instead seems to flicker a moment before he goes inside and heads through his own personal gate back to his home. He's still on via radio, but... He seems distressed a bit by this, and wants some space.

There's kind of a crowd in the lobby now. Not packed, but it's MUCH more populated than the emptiness from before. Burden will wind up somewhere in that crowd.

Staren has posed:
Huh. That's the end? But that wasn't all the Users... but something's happening inside, so Staren goes to check it out and see what appeared in front of the warpgate... and finds himself having to weave through quite a crowd, apparently!

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
With the conclusion of the 'symphony' of reconstruction, Yuna finds herself clapping (having put her cup down on the table - it was empty anyway).

Hey, their showmanship warrants applause even if the 'symphony' didn't (which it totally did, in Yuna's opinion). She does not, however, call for an encore.

Then she nods thanks to Ainsley for the tea and heads inside to see what's changed in the Hub itself ...

Flint Hawke (320) has posed:
Flint is very clearly clapping his hands jovially, pivoting in place from his perch on the edge of the crater, "Bravo! Bravo! What a wonderful performance!"

In fact, he hardly seems phased by the fact that Burden is ignoring him he's in such a good mood, "Ah, what a lovely performance. It makes my heart feel so pure." He notes before laughing at his own joke. He waves off Burden with a bored hand and then starts faintly hopping his way away from the crowd of Abstractum users.

"Samael will love to hear about this. She might even forgive me."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki jumps up to give the pair a standing ovation! Her applause are rapt, and rather than her usual, neutral grin, there's... a fairly wide one. Genuine, at least, but she still manages to show some degree of restraint. Enough to make her as illegible and whatnot as ever.

(The performers may not be pretentious, but Mizuki is always there to make sure performances get their fair share of pomp. But that should be a given.)

Soon, she sits back down and crosses her legs, pouring another glass of tea for herself and drinking it with all due haste. Probably not a whole lot of time left to enjoy it and all. "Bravo, brava~! You were both magnificent~! And as a conductor myself," She summons her sword to get the point across, "I have the authority to say such things~! Truly, though, that was eye wateringly beautiful. I do hope I can be around for another one of these eventually." She watches Burden meander off someplace... and she sighs. She didn't get to ask him anything before he got away, did she? Oh well. Maybe she can muster up just a bit more boldness and ask the musical pair. If... they'll actually reply.

She looks up at them and muses to herself. She... hasn't actually heard them talk yet, has she?

Hana Umikazeno (357) has posed:
And then there was silence... of a sort.

Well, alright, not really silence at all. But at the very least, there is no more music.

Taking this as her cue in turn, Hana finally realizes she actually has her revolvers in hand, and retracts them into her sleeves; at the same time, she is already turning to head for one of the people whose existence she is, in some way, directly responsible for.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
Ainsley nods right back at Yuna without really looking /at/ her, doing that spooky 'i can see people behind me' thing. She's too distracted by the sights around her. She's taking in a visual landscape so she can make an illustration. She's going to make a sort of history book, or a series of history books, about what she's seen... and the fresh appearance of changes on the Homeworld.
Flint's remark puts a frown on her face.
She turns to leave immediately after, leaving the tea and the table to sit there for now. The kettle will stay heated until it's empty. The wonders of magic.

Ainsley wants to see what changed in the lobby.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
"I would not say we did it ourselves." The Tall Woman says.
"And I'd say we weren't uninvolved." The Short Man says.
"It is a tradition."
"Gotta be done, one way or another."
"Mr. Welcomes offered to do it for us if we didn not want to."
"Guy likes puttin' on a show."
"But no. We did it, in the sense that someone has to."
"So someone did. Or someones, an'way."

There's a synchronized nod from both to Mizuki as they speak down.
"Thanks."
"Thank you, Miss."

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber isn't doing too terribly much. He has minimal desire to go interact with his legacy IMMEDIATELY, and is instead watching Homura's conversation while finishing his drink.

Ariel (219) has posed:
Ariel is... scowling? Yes, scowling. It's a very rare sight on the unicorn's little face, but it's quite clearly there. She rubs at Diea, then without a word to the conductors she turns around to head for the lobby, not really bothering to interact with either the man and woman or the others talking here... though a few get a funny look from her.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki is a bit surprised when they actually reply, if she's being honest, but she takes it as her cue to start her miniature interrogation. Her Authorial Sense is telling her that they are busy people. Or things. Or concepts~! She wants to squee. If she really was meeting more living concepts out here in the great, wide Multiverse, then that would just be... swell. Yes, just swell. But it would be rude to carry on such a conversation by shouting to them, so instead she sprouts her wings and glides over as swiftly as she can.

She curtsies when she arrives, but doesn't offer any sort of formal introduction. She feels it would be moot, especially when she would be wasting precious moments. They seem like the type of beings to spontaneously disappear on a whim! ... yes, her Authorial Sense tells her many things. Some of them may not be right, but she's learned to trust her intuition. Egocentric banter aside, though, she raises a finger and asks plainly:

"As much as I love investigation, puzzle solving, and mass guessing, I am curious. May I ask - and you may be as vague and mysterious in your answering as you so choose, naturally - what exactly your phenomenal overture was meant to do, specifically? And if I may be allowed a 'bonus', who are you two, and-or what do you represent?" She smirks. "I'm rather uninitiated with all of this, and I do so hate being 'out of the loop'." She blinks. "My, did I say that earlier? I just experienced a feeling of deja vu."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe isnt' sure what to say about this she's just utterly overwhelemed by all the events. She takes a moment to clutch her own partner in he rpendant form wondering just what will happen now with them, does she want to contiune she may have an effect and is she ready for such responsiblity.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
There is one more Node gate in here now. Whereas the others are disassociated from the Red, Blue, Green, and White Wings entirely, this one is clearly marked as a Node gate, but also as a wing. The door is massive, blank, grayed-out, and impossible to move. It is marked by color as the Black Wing. This Node Gate has only one element to its display: A small, long screen behind thick glass. The majority of it is white. About a tenth of it on the left, or precisely 11% is a slowly pulsing black, making it look like a loading bar. The words along it label it in a harsh, bold, black on white:

[ CORE NODE RESONANCE ]

Staren has posed:
Staren looks over the new door. He tries to open it, no good. "Core Node Resonance... What does this mean?"

Flint Hawke (320) has posed:
"Ta~, all." Flint says socially, lifting a hand to the rest of the group and walking through the newly formed crowd to the exit of the Homeworld. That hand, wiggling its fingers, a moment later comes to adjust his hat and pull his flowing coat in around him.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
"We're a couple hobbyists."
"We indulge a certain fascination, and do what we can to help."
"Sometimes that means gettin' Node bleedback all in order."
"Sometimes it means optimizing your Homeworld."
"We were makin' it a little more rugged."
"We attempted to make it more likely to survive Their arrival."
"We're just a couple friends with a funny hobby."
"A pair with your interests at heart and an odd way of having fun."

The two give a brief, respectful nod. Then, they're not exactly gone so much as it almost seems like they weren't ever there in the first place. There's no sudden absence, it's just that they're not here! And it's hard to think of how exactly that happened.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
"Funny, really. That's almost exactly what I would say about mysel --" Naturally, she was talking with her eyes closed. Doesn't take her long to notice that they're gone when she reopens them, though. Her eyes narrow slightly, and she folds her hands behind her back. "Oh."

She totally called that. And man does it suck to be right.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Dr. Burden can be seen in the lobby, shortly before he stamps off to his own home dor. There was someone here in the lobby, someone who left through one of the gates too. But it was easy to see what happened, over on the other side, albeit obstructed by the rest of the crowd so that it was near impossible to get over there.

Dr. Burden noticed something, and grabbed someone's arm rudely, holding it up to examine something. It's one of the white Carapacians, who politely lets him do it before trying to go on his way.

The Carapacian's arm can be seen plainly by any observer for just a moment. There's a gauntlet on his hand, with a shadowy, slightly grayish eye-gem set into the wrist, like an Abstractum, but significantly darker. It gave Burden a curious look and conversed with him briefly before the User left.

It looked a bit like the eye-gem of Hecate, Fiora O'Brien's Abstractum. Though just a little bit lighter.

Staren has posed:
Staren looks over from the Core Node door. Noone's told him what Core Resonance is. He looks around for Dr. Burden, starts to wave... and then gasps. "A grey-type!" Predictably, he rushes over, or tries to, through the crowd... but Burden and the mysterious Carapcian are of course both gone by the time he gets there.

Ariel (219) has posed:
Ariel has mysteriously stormed off, being unnaturally sulky. She may reveal why later, but not tonight.

Yuuma Nakano (21) has posed:
For being not very close to the action, so to speak, Yuuma seems to have been pretty understanding of what's going on. Not 'understanding' as in 'understanding why it must be done', but 'understanding what's going on in the first place'. At least, if he heard it all right. This calls for some more research! Which he will head into the Hub to do.

Staren has posed:
After a moment of marveling at the crowd, Staren walks back out into the Homeworld, and flies to the top of the tallest building he can see that's on one of the airship-bases. He's just going to... Look at their creation for a bit.

Fiora O'Brien has posed:
Fiora, who had mostly been silent and observant, smiled a little bit. And then she went off to explore. She even poked that MYSTERIOUS DOOR some, dusting the bar with the bristle end of Hecate before going to see if this NEW, EXPANDED homeworld had a good place for a sandwich. Or, perhaps, some hot cocoa.