GENESIS: Laine

GENESIS: Laine
Date of Scene:	20 July 2014
Location:	The Homeworld
Synopsis:	Laine acquires her Abstractum from Psyber and Homura!
Thanks to:	Abstractum for the last-minute GMing
Cast of Characters:	2, 253, 347, 383
Tinyplot:	When They Return

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Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
WE WILL SKIP THE HEAVY SCENE SET STUFF.

This is the Red Wing, it is red.
Laine wants an Abstractum! Psyber and Homura have one and can provide. More Resonance to go around, never a bad deal. That is why Homura is here, in undefined casual clothing.

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber is here as well. While waiting to get underway, he currently has Adjudicator in gauntlet form. This is so that he can swing a HUGE haymaker at some holographic sensor nearby. He might be boredly trying to get readings on precisely how hard all six Strike Drivers make him hit.

Laine (383) has posed:
Maybe someone hasn't told Laine how this works, because... she's in wolf form. Or maybe she does know how it works and that's why she's in wolf form? It's hard to say! Either way, she's a wolf right now, as usual, and kind of pacing. It's a rare display of nervousness for her, the wolf skittish about this for some bizarre reason.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The Red Wing gets most of its constructs from the assorted Nodes, so the holosensor is something from Psyber's node. Specifically, it's some kind of cyborg criminal. The Home-Run Strike simulation currently lets Psyber know he's holding the Network record for farthest hits, but unfortunately, sheer absolute force is way too variable and dependent on local physics and individual aura to be able to give a consistent read.

Jude, Psyber's gauntlet, seems to be taking this as a bit of a workout, working up a "sweat" inasmuch as an Abstractum can sweat in the exercise, enjoyable exertion obvious in its eye-gem. Homura's ring remains timid here and averse to the noises from Psyber's sim, remaining as shy as ever, practically trying to hide behind Homura's finger. An wolf! That's not the relevant part. An unknown person! That's cause for the ring to get a bit shy.

Psyber (253) has posed:
After his latest hit, Psyber turns off the sim and shakes out the Gauntlet a bit, arm sore from the exertion of the same motion over and over again. During this respite, he kneels down next to Laine and starts petting the jackal right between the ears, "Hey now, you okay here, Laine?" Psyber asks in a concerned tone, dropping into a seated position.

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
Oh, Laine's here! And Claire is being... shy.
Welp, did she never meet Laine?

"Hi Laine. Ah, Claire, this is Laine. She is a wolf. Also a person. Sometimes, a person-wolf. I believe she turns into an owl in her spare time as well."

She is unsure about that one.

Laine (383) has posed:
The wolf stops, tilting head up at the simulation and the question. She growls, Yes. Thinking too much. Is hard to forget. For someone who is mostly in the Now, having the Scar forces her to remember.

Homura(and scritches) makes it easier to explain with a greeting. Hello! Important to help. Can help. That is all. Doubts aside, committing to helping save worlds is pretty easy for her.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
"Uh.. ahhh, hello, Miss." Claire remains uneasy, but that's probably just their natural state. If they were ever at-ease, something would be horribly wrong. "T-thank you for coming to help. We really appreciate it..."

The hefty gauntlet on Psyber's hand mechanically shifts and changes, unfolding down his arm to his hand, back into its natural greatsword state so he can sheathe it out of the way for better scritching. Meanwhile, the blade itself speaks. "Hello, Laine. I believe we've only had a little time together, though my User knows you well. His high opinion of you means my high opinion of you. It's good to have you here to help." The eye near the crossguard gives a respectful sort of nodding gesture.

Psyber (253) has posed:
"I think Laine will be an amazing boon to all this." Psyber admits to Jude, continuing to scratch and pet the wolf. It's an absent-minded activity for him anyway, considering all the time he spends with Laine during his off hours.

"She probably has more experience in the abstract and conceptual than anyone else I know. Heck, I bet she could take BURDEN to school on the topic," He laughs a bit at the idea of Laine giving a lecture or lesson to someone.

This is as much a pep talk for Laine as an introduction for the Abstractums. Abstraci? Abstracuses?

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
"We do always need more help," Homura says to Laine idly, before glancing towards Psyber. The thought of Laine giving Burden not only a lesson but a nickname... does kind of bring half of a smirk to her lips. Whether or not it's true she knows more about concepts than him, it'd be worth watching the interaction.

"Right, well. Laine, you'll have to give consent for the Genesis Drive to start. Obviously, I consent, and I doubt Psyber has any objections."

Laine (383) has posed:
Laine snorts a little, perhaps derisively doubting her ability to school Burden. She doesn't deny having some idea of how the abstract is handled though... even if she rarely spends time in the Deep Umbra now. A Mage might know things, she points out, but otherwise she perks up a little at the encouragement and flattens her ears, probably to think.

The next growl is short, but not unkind. It seems to translate as a 'yes' in so many words.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
"It's good to have another friend on-board, whatever the case might be. I... Think that was consent." Adjudicator seems to pause to wait for any contradiction.

"It was... Um, I think it was, yeah, sword." Homura's ring, Clairvoyant Rush, says, fidgeting around on her finger a little bit.

"Well then. I assume you have been briefed on the full nature of this situation, Laine. We will begin now." There's a long, low humming noise that comes from both, as they begin to glow a soft red. "Now, take a moment to get ready. We will begin in a moment..."

Laine (383) has posed:
Just to make it clear, Laine nods firmly, so yes that was consent! She sits down, the skittishness fleeing as she sets it aside and gets ready to do a 'job' of sorts. Not before giving a small wuff which doesn't translate well, but seems to be a kind of thanks?

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber has placed the sword on the ground and is pretty much just rubbing the jackal's back, "Fair warning, there's gonna be a bit of a ruckus and light show," With someone who has the more wild instincts of Laine, it feels fair to warn her, "Don't panic, that's just the process."

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
"Also it's going to feel like your soul is being smashed against something. Not quite that hard, but it'll be odd," Homura adds to Psyber's warning, before watching quietly to see what Laine gets.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
"Powering Genesis Drive."

THEME: http://tinyurl.com/ABSTRACTUM-PROCUREMENT

A vivid red light shines out of Adjudicator and Clairvoyant Rush's eyes as they shift into a monotone. "User explicit consent confirmed. Candidate User explicit consent confirmed. Drawing resonance." Loud whirring builds to a peak in the Abstractums; a burst of wind blasts out of the pair that sends small shockwaves of wind into the Red Wing.

Notably, and slightly unusually, the large red semi-column that's embedded into the far wall of the Red Wing - within which is a small glassy gem sphere - begins to glow a brilliant red and hum as well. That would be because that's the Homeworld's GENESIS DRIVE, the core one from which the Abstractum draw their own.

"ASSEMBLING CONCEPTS. AMPLIFYING PARADIGMS." They speak in a harder monotone. "DETERMINING IMPRINT." Laine is going to feel a sensation not entirely unlike being grasped, tightly, but instead of in physical space, it's in another spatial axis entirely. It lifts her, and then she's struck against reality, with the sensation of leaving an imprint in it, a mold of sorts.

When she's struck against reality, there's a bright red shockwave of light and another swirling rush of wind, whipping up a whirlwind of dust. "CONCEPT MOLD ESTABLISHED. ENGAGING FULL GENESIS." And, it would seem, this "imprint" gets filled in as the core Genesis Drive begins to rumble with sheer energy. Like certain actions before it, this "filling in" seems to be performed on another spatial dimension, looking the way a mold might look to a flatlander when filled.

Around Laine's neck, a collar is forming. It's not the plain, simple collars you put on dogs, though. Nor, even, is it the cliche spiked one you'd put on a dangerous sort. This is explicitly a more ornate kind, with plates of what look like some sort of engraved rare mineral around it. Comfortable on the inside, but formal-looking on the outside. Who knows what that might mean in the War Form or human form? Attached to it by a ring, there's also a spherical gem near Laine's throat. Within the gem, a defined black pupil forms, surrounded by a pair of shadowy eyelids.

All three Abstractum speak in unison now. "NETWORK MESSAGE: A new Abstractum has been deployed. Thank you for assuming the duty of protection. When They return, together we'll end them." And, abruptly, everything settles down.

"Well, there we go, then." Adjudicator says.

"Oh! It's on your neck now. That's... Huh, I hope that's okay, Miss Laine, ummm..." Claire is already started on the nervousness.

"I am extremely hopeful that the Network was not just accidentally racist in some capacity." Jude says, dryly, looking to Psyber sheepishly.

The collar itself is now waking up...

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
The light show never gets old.

When the new Abstractum is formed, Homura leans in a bit closer to inspect, and then shrugs vaguely towards Adjudicator. "Does the Network even have a concept of racism? I mean, except against Them and the Pures. I'm sure it just figured a collar is less bothersome for a wolf than, I don't know, a cape, or gloves."

Although the idea of Laine in her wolf form wearing gloves is probably one she'd entertain. "I'm surprised it's not a hat, though."

Laine (383) has posed:
Skittish is one word for how Laine acts when she emerges from the light show! Being pressed against reality is... well, she's done something LIKE it before, but last time it ended up with her fragmented many times, and we all know how that went. She wuffs, shifts, and twists a little to try to get an idea of what her Abstractum looks like... pretty nervous for a moment, but then her intelligence calms her instincts somewhat and she rumbles softly, Can't see. Can smell... And that's the important part, right?

She'll wait until the eye opens fully before she shakes her head and abruptly shifts to human form, with dress on thankfully. This lets her check things out more easily and also speak in a way others are more comfortable. "Hello! My name is Strides-in-Starlight, but we all call me Laine."

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber shakes his head to Jude, "Nah, Laine's never minded collars. I have her one a few years back, so I'm a bit sad her Abstractum took that form. But beyond it minorly hurting my pride, I think it's just a gorgeous Abstractum," Psyber notes to his sword before smiling at Laine, "There, see? That was fast."

Of course, he also stops petting her around the time she turns into a girl. Because that would go from comforting to awkward very fast.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Laine will feel the collar twitch uncertainly, almost slightly fitfully about her neck with an uncertain, cautious mannerism, like someone looking around for threats before they properly wake up. "Hmmmmm...? Oh. Ah!" It's mirroring her skittishness slightly with the usual genderless voice of the Abstractums.

"Well... Hello, Strides-in-Starlight. Or Laine, if you'll allow it then." The collar seems to be gradually relaxing, though. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Soaring Silver." As if on cue, there's a bit of shining reflectivity on the plates of the collar as it shifts around; it would seem the silvery reflections are the means by which it does its expressivity, so Laine can see its light on the ground.

It's a little cautious, maybe slightly timidly agitated, but still pretty genuine in its body... light... language. "I hope I can help you well, and I look forward to working together with you."

Psyber (253) has posed:
"Soaring Silver, huh? That's pretty cool. What do you do?" Psyber asks, wondering. The momentary disappointment over the collar replacing Laine's old one is lost as he tries to get Laine and the Abstractum to communicate a bit.

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
"It's a bit ironic a werewolf is getting an Abstractum with silver in the name, isn't it?" Homura asks, idly, even though she's vaguely aware Laine is not QUITE a werewolf anymore, not since the reshuffle of that world.

Though she never actually asked what she became, so.

"Claire, do we have any spare blue resonance? We should make her a cartridge if we do."

Laine (383) has posed:
Laine shakes out her hair as she adjusts to human form again, then blinks. Oh yes. "Hope so! And Laine is good. Call me Laine. Strides-in-Starlight was old world name. You can call me either." She stops and considers. "Silver still hurts, but Moonsilver not. Thinking... is like Moonsilver."

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber adds as an additional note, "Yeah, Jude, make a Cartridge for Laine and Sil too if we have the resonance. Just a level 1."

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Let's go back a bit. Soaring Silver, when she converted to human form, took on the shape of... A hat! In the same way Laine shifts when she changes, the collar did as well, into a stylish little thing, the same chocolate brown as Laine's fur, poofed up a bit off her head and swept back slightly in a way that resembles wolf ears in silhouette. The little gem is set to the side tastefully.

It answers Psyber cautiously. "I... Well it's hard to describe exactly. I help my User interact with movement and statis."

Claire speaks up. "U-ummm... Well, we have one left after the last spending spree, Miss Akemi... Do you wanna give her one?"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
"Go ahead, Claire. It'll help Laine, anyway."

(TRANSACTION: -1 blue, +1 Homura-1 Cartridge (for Laine!))

When Homura pays attention to Laine again, her Abstractum is a hat. God damnit. "When did... well, that's... classy. And movement, huh... well, that definitely seems to suit you, Laine."

Laine (383) has posed:
Cartridges! A new hat! This is making Laine feel better already. "Will find out soon what does. Hm. Thank you, all. I will try helping! You all helped my world, maybe can return the favor."