Scene #6496: MISC: Exclusive Agreement

Owner	Pose
Lexicon	The current System Core Controller, as evidenced by the pulsing white energy filling the resource lines, is none other than Lexicon. Standing before the distributor tower, she hums her way through today's reports on her projected screen, flipping past nominals, normals, and greens. After a few moments, she nods and flips back a few slides. Parameters are adjusted, until she nods once in satisfaction. Good, that's nice and balanced-- She pauses, then. Eyes zip sidelong, white light surrounding the SCC as she transforms. Halfway through her turn, a golden blur slams directly into her. Two figures bounce several times, kicking up powdery code until they separate. Fully transitioned to Silver Soul, Lexicon slides to a stop on her back, arms shielding her face in a guard position. When they're parted, she squints upward. "--You!" The culprit is none other than Topaz Soul. Despite blindsiding the silver DCC, she wears a broad grin. Arms thrust out to either side, producing her gauntlet claws, "I want to run this now, that's what I'm s'posed to do, right? So, gimme!"
Theurgus	It's just about when Topaz issues her challenge, that another figure appears on the scene, the chromatic blur of Diamond Soul landing some distance away. "Ah, seems I'm a bit late to issue my own challenge." she says, stabbing her staff into the System Core ground texture and folding her arms. "I'll take the winner, should be an interesting matchup." she says, summoning her floating screen and tapping away at it idly.
Lexicon	Lexicon grunts, producing her axe with a flourish of pixellated light. A glance shoots Theurgus' way, "She didn't challenge shit, she just blindsided me." Lifting her weapon, she points the blade at the blonde hovering above her, "And if you obtained SCC status, what would you even do with it! Do you even have a drive to direct anything towards?" The arrival of Theurgus has deflated Topaz somewhat. The hype she'd built herself up to disappears as she beholds the Mad Magician. This returns quickly with Lexicon's questions, and she shoots a response back, "Wouldn't you like to know!" Lexicon hefts her weapon, then.. swings it down and plants the head near her feet. One hand rests on the haft, the other props on her hip just above the processors that have blinked in around her. Topaz Soul blinks. After a moment, she drops her arms limply, "Huh?" "Don't think I forgot. You're all about counterattacks," Lexicon's eyes close, "So what do you do when someone isn't taking the first move?" A crimson eye opens in Theurgus' direction, "Something tells me you're in for a boring fight. If she's even brave enough to attack someone that's paying attention." "I'm brave!" Topaz Soul objects, but she hasn't moved.
Theurgus	Diamond Soul says, "Topaz," like a stern teacher may address a problem student. "We are all Drive Core Controllers here. Equals in the great scheme of our home. Speak to us, we shall listen." She says, watching the pair squaring off. She also seems to have a comm channel open, but whatever she's saying to it, it's impossible to hear.
Lexicon	Lexicon glances towards Theurgus, then returns her attention to Topaz. Her expression is serious, but she says nothing. It seems like the Mad Magician has something in mind, so Lexicon will go along with it for now. Or at least, try not to make things worse. "Uuu..." Topaz Soul floats from side to side for a moment, then descends until she touches down. She doesn't disperse her weapons. Wary of Silver Soul, she addresses Diamond directly, "I've always been a virus. But you kept telling me I wasn't. And I'm always trying to keep my brothers and sister in line now. They used to take care of me but now it's like I'm the mommy and it's super weird 'cuz they're all older." Eyes closing, she forces a laugh, "Keeper's still really mad at me..!" Eyes snapping open, she spreads her arms, "But we still got our clubhouse place, even if it's dark and lonely. I just wanted to try what you guys do."
Theurgus	"Your clubhouse... you mean your Drive?" as the Mad Magician, leaning on her staff slightly. "I also only spoke truth. No tests that my best scientists could perform turned up anything to indicate you are anything but a Program. Whatever it was you may have been, your ascension to what you are now, has purged any viral code from you." she chuckles then. "It is an odd feeling, going from being the subordinate to being the superior. I faced a similar situation when my predecessor deresolved."
Lexicon	"I believe you!" Topaz stamps once, "It's just hard to, like." She rattles her head, eyes closed, "It's hard to think about being one thing forever and then suddenly you're another thing." "I can't really relate," Lexicon chimes in, "I was made for this from the start." She shrugs, eyes closed, "Still good to know about." She might have to prepare her sisters for a similarly difficult transition, when the time eventually comes. "Drive?" Topaz blinks at Theurgus, "No, no, it's a big thing we found in Duty Space. Drives aren't like that, they're full of people!" She raises her hands to gesture, "With big buildings and lights and everything! Like Vector or Cad..." She pauses, "Ca..dennsa? The music place." Hands drop back down, "It's just a place we go 'cuz nobody bothers us there."
Theurgus	"A large place in Duty Space... a space that is, by nature, an unstructured mass of free code... perhaps you found a defunct Drive that was dislodged from the Core." muses Diamond Soul, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "If we could link it back to the System Core, it may reload to its default state and repopulate from it's last good configuration..."
Lexicon	Topaz Soul lifts her hands. Her gauntlets disappear so that the blades can't interfere with touching the tips of her index fingers together, "That's...um. That was kinda what I was gonna try to do. I thought maybe they'd be happier if the lights worked." Lexicon blinks slowly at the wayward DCC, then glances towards Theurgus, "Would a resource flow force a reconnection?" Glancing down, she projects a screen from her free hand, skimming the data, "Nnnh... But I don't see any possible connection points outside of the already known Drives." Eyes closing, she shrugs while the screen disappears, "Then again we couldn't see Gallery until Artifex connected it from their side..."
Theurgus	"It's a theory, but it may be possible. We do have Gallery as a precedent, as you say." replies the Diamond DCC. "There is nothing stopping a willing relinquishment of the SCC role... if you were willing to step down and allow Topaz to try." she dismisses her staff, and her transformation, feeling confident enough to allow that level of vulnerability. "You're one of us, Bellum, we will aid you if you let us." She dismisses her own floating panel and walks over to the pair. "You know my stance on the matter." she says, turning blue eyes on Silver Soul, then to Topaz.
Lexicon	Lexicon's already packing away the display when Theurgus mentions her stance. The SCC code dissipates outward from her, converging on the sun-colored controller a moment later, "I'm all about improving quality of life for programs, whether they're in Britannica or not." Eyes closed, Lexicon lifts her axe only to dissipate it. Her transformation flickers and reverts a moment later. Hands drop to her sides, disappearing into her sleeves, "Besides. If she turns out to be tricking me, we'll just kick her butt, right?" Topaz Soul brings her hands up to her chest, bunched together, "Ah, thank you! Though I still wanted to play, I guess this is okay too..!" When the new code installs itself, she pauses, blinking. That first-time install rolls across her eyes behind the power sigil, and she straightens her posture with a sort of 'wait a second' look on her face. Her brow furrows. After a moment, still looking puzzled, Topaz Soul lifts a hand to project a screen. However, it is not adorned with the feeds or graphs like Lexicon's was. Rather, Topaz Soul's screen is covered in tiny unreadable text. The only legible words are at the top: HOW TO SCC Amused by this, Lexicon glances towards Theurgus, "So her name is 'Bellum'?"
Theurgus	"That is what she told me while she was my guest." replies Theurgus, watching Topaz going through the user manual. "It has been a very long time since either of us had to use that particular system... It's a rather proud moment." she says, looking down to Lexicon with a soft lopsided smile. "As for defeating her if she betrays our trust, I am certain we can handle her." she comments.
Lexicon	"Hm," Lexicon considers this revelation, glancing at the new SCC. After a bit, she shrugs, "Well, that's about as much of a proper introduction as I can expect, I guess." Topaz Soul seems to have tuned out the conversation though. She's focusing on what's in front of her, reading with an odd mix of understanding and confusion. While Theurgus and Lexicon converse, Topaz slowly slumps, then drops down to sit while she reads the material she's found. Closing her eyes, Lexicon scratches at her own cheek with a fingertip, "That document's pretty long, this'll probably take her a while. I can keep an eye on her if you had something else to do, but I'm gonna guess you intend to hang out until she does something."
Theurgus	"My original intent was to challenge you for the System Core, as I stated on arrival." remarks Theurgus, smirking at the shorter DCC. "It's been too long since we had a good match against one another." she adds. "I can stay, Grimoire and Arcana are holding the proverbial fort." She summons a can of soda, cracking the seal and taking a sip. "Mayhap we could secure an exhibition opening in this tournament that is currently ongoing. Alea seems to have taken to it rather quickly." she comments, glancing aside as Topaz just kind of bruteforces through the tutorial. "I must admit, I am surprised you did not sign up. It seems like your kind of event."
Lexicon	Lexicon frowns, "'My kind of event'?" Leaning, she elbows the wizard, "What, because it's violent? I'd considered it but things just didn't line up in a way that I could manage that kind of obligation." Eyes closing, she shrugs, "Perhaps next year it'll work out better, if this continues. It reminds me of the old WMAT that ended a few years ago, so it'll might become an annual thing at least for a while." She folds her arms together, glancing at Topaz, then towards the skybox, "I guess an exhibition would be a good way to get involved, do something even if I'm outside the proper brackets. Alea's been putting on a show already but we can show 'em the System's got more than one star player on the field."
Theurgus	"You cannot deny it would suit you to a T." says Theurgus with a soft chuckle. "I only did not throw my own hat into the ring, as I am ill suited to such bouts of martial prowess, I would have made a poor showing in the brackets."
Lexicon	"If you say so," Lexicon shrugs once more. She'll save the motivational stuff for a better time. Glancing back towards Topaz, who still puzzles her way through the instructions, she allows herself a little smile, "Man. We all were new once, but it's still funny seeing it from the other side." Her gaze returns to Theurgus, "Anyway, I'll take you up on that MECC Exhibition. Think of it as making up for the fight we didn't have today. We can work out the details later."
Theurgus	Theurgus nods to Lexicon. "Fair enough my friend. I have already informed my comrade in the Concord about this little development, my hope is that we can all benefit from this." She then starts walking back to her drive bus. "I will contact you again soon, Take care." she says to Lexicon, giving a chuckle at Topaz still puzzling through everything.