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Staren     Staren walks from the warpgate, lost in thought. She's not sure what to say. Well. She's told some friends she's leaving, so she's not dropping that bombshell as such, but like.

    What do you even say?

    Still, she can't bear to just disappear with only a text message, so. She's started arranging to meet people one last time.

    Ah damn, it's getting to her. She can't help but feel sad, pulling out a kleenex and dabbing her eyes and blowing her nose. Can't let people see...

    ...What? Does it even matter anymore?

    Ah well.

    She speeds up, skating to the castle's front door on her hovershoes.
Tomoe The Guild still got guests but it was from more local things to Tomoe's home earth and some of the other world the guild often took jobs from. She'd not expected anyone to come to visit. Someone was coming in and Tomoe would take flight from one of the castle's parapets to go welcome whomever this was if they were not hostile. If they were? Well, she's handle it if this person was hostile. Yet? The odds of it being an attack were very low.

"Wait is that who I think it is?"
Sarracenia      A few moments later sounds like a helicopter can be heard as Sarracenia makes her way to the castle. A text is certainly not enough for a new but self-declared friend to say goodbye! The wooden VTOL known as the Dyna comes to land a short distance away, and the princess leaps out and makes her way quickly after Staren.

     As they wait for Tomoe to open the door, she huffs at Staren and holds up her phone. "What is this? I am leaving, come to the Gatecrashers Union castle! What does that mean?"
Staren     Staren's ears perk up. A familiar voice! That, come to think of it, she hasn't heard in awhile. She can't help smiling and looking up at the approaching Salamander. "Tomoe! Long time no see!" She waves. "How *have* you been? It's been awhile, huh?" She may as well catch up before things get to the sadder part of the meeting -- or maybe Sarracenia will cut right to the chase.

    Staren slumps, ears and tail drooping slightly, as she turns to face Sarracenia. She takes a slow breath and straightens up. Her eyes water as she speaks. "There is no place for me here. ...No, I guess I should start... Look, you might have... YOU certainly saw recently, my attempt to... not worry what the other factions think anymore. But the problem runs deeper. The Concord... Many of them tried, but it's clear..." she shrugs. "Well... like I said. There's no place for me here anymore. While I'd considered plans for retirement in the past..."

    Staren rubs the back of her head awkwardly as a tear runs down her cheek. "The last one was based around starting a new life with my ex, and, well, after we parted ways and the more recent realization that it couldn't have worked out anyway..." She takes a breath and shrugs. "Honestly? It was my old, paranoid way, always having a plan to pick up and leave if it came to it. I was really trying to give not doing that a shot this time. But if I don't fit in in the Concord... Look. My reputation here is a mess. Most of my friends -- my real friends -- have left active participation in elite matters. I haven't found my place yet, so... it's time for me to go look somewhere new."
Tomoe Tomoe says "Alive dealing with game zones and making sure Sarracenina keeps out of trouble where I can. I am her lady in waiting right?"

The towering wingged woman grins as she joins up with the other two for a moment. "I know that look..."

It's a look she's seen with many elites before.

"There are some people I need to check up on but that can wait you seen worn out Staren, eh at least you and your EX are not trying to ruin eachother's lives right? So it sound like you are going on a very long walkabout to find yourself. Maybe you'll find some faces who have vanished right? So going to go beyond the sector I would presume?"
Sarracenia      Sarracenia moves closer to Tomoe as the taller woman lands and gives a small hug. "Good to see you, Lady Tomoe." she says, then looks back to Staren. "But...but we just barely became friends! And you're a friend who actually said we are friends!" she says, somewhere between insulted and sad.

     She looks at her phone and pulls up the list of friends before showing Staren. "See? There's only four numbers here! And one of them is inactive now!" she says. She takes a few moments, then sighs heavily. "...but, I can see it has been a terrible struggle for you. I certainly won't try to convince you to stay just for my sake."

     There's a pause there, and then anticipating some skeptical looks the princess adds, "Okay I totally would but...I am trying to be a better hero and friend."
Staren     A look Tomoe and Staren have seen on many elites before.

    Staren just never, ever thought it would finally be her turn.

    She smiles. "Yeah. We're still friends. I'll stop by to see her and Mort on my way out. Maybe come back and visit again if I find a way to quickly travel between sectors... well, I'm gonna come back and visit my parents too sometimes, of course!" She tries to smile.

    She looks to Sarracenia, sadly, hangs her head, takes another breath, straightens up. "I'm sorry. I..." she opens her mouth a few times, trying to find words, and then steps forward to hug her. "I'm sorry. I hope that you find more friends here. If you don't... well. I guess you can follow. I'll try to send updates back to my parents... one way or another."

    She lets go of the hug and steps back, fiddling with her communicator. "Here's their contact info. And, why not, here's Mort's. You need someone to talk to on your way out with me gone, he'd be happy to make another friend. But, hopefully you won't need to leave."

    She rezzes some folding chairs with the matter manipulator and sits down in one. "We never did get to have that Concord slumber party."
Tomoe Tomoe returns the hug to Sarracenia wwith a grins. Tomoe does see the friend list. She tils her head a little bit about that but sya nothing else.

"Got to keep attempting to go forward right? I think that's what your doing Staren. Your trying to find if there's a place you fit better. She takes the information from Staren for a moment and will make sure it's updated.

"So just chilling out for a bit before you head out now?"
Sarracenia      The hug catches Sarra off guard, but she happily returns it and smiles. "Don't worry. Even if I don't find more friends, I have done fine so far with only a few."

     Sarra takes a seat as well and smiles sadly. "No, we did not have that slumber party. Or go camping." she says while reaching into her satchel to pull out some sparkling lemonade (of an overpriced variety, of course) and offering one to each of her friends before popping one open herself and inserting a straw.

     She sips on it while making sure the contact information is saved on her phone. "Parents...I don't think we met each others' parents, either. So much friend stuff." she says, then sips again. "Do you want to take some Pipeland soveniers with you? I can give you an entire set of Princess Plushies and some mushrooms and even a Bullet Bill."
Staren > Even if I don't find more friends, I have done fine so far with only a few.
    Staren stares into the distance for a moment.

    She takes a seat when Sarra does. "We *did* go camping! Darren organized a thing... maybe he'll do another one? You should ask him about it!" She tries the lemonade. And laughs at the offer of plushies. "You know what, sure! I barely have any plushies, I should start a collection!"

    She looks to Tomoe and nods. "Yeah. I never had *no* friends here, even if it sometimes felt that way. But... well, I've destroyed my reputation multiple times over in the past few years. Sticking it out here out of stubbornness only annoys other people more and frustrates me. I'll find my place, and... like you said, find myself."

    She scratches her head. "You know, there's something Arthur said about that. This life? All the life-and-death adventuring and world-saving? For some people, it kinda puts your emotional development on hold."

    "When I was 12 I started pilot training. Less than a month before my fifteenth birthday, I joined the Union. If Arthur's right about that, I've... well, I've never found out who I *am*. I thought of myself as the heroic mecha pilot. The Union ally. Et cetera. And over this past year I've learned a lot about myself, but... The past... I can't escape it here. In my head or in others'."

    Staren nods to Tomoe. "So yeah. It's a journey to find myself as much as a place in the Multiverse for me, I guess."
Tomoe Tomoe says "You can get cut in Stasis I think it's why most of the GU handles affairs in our world or other members world and keep out of the way of the major things in the multivese these days." She'll move to sit down for the moment thinking a little. "Who knows who or what you might find out there, right?" She also grins at Sarra for a moment as well.

"I need to talk to Alexis about a few things too we have plans for you but that can wait."

"So I take it you are taking a ship or are you going on foot?
Sarracenia      Sarracenia hmms. "Maybe. But..." She pauses as Tomoe grins at her. "...I'm sure Tomoe and Alexis will drag me out to some secluded forest miles away from spas and cell phone towers before then." she says, giggling a bit.

     Sarra seems a bit skeptical about the find yourself bit. "Hmm. It seems rather clear who you are to me. Someone who knows what they want and goes to get it regardless of what others think. Much like me. And perhaps even -more- stubborn than me, as well." She considers a moment. "But...maybe you mean deeper than that. That's a difficult question. The question of who am I plagues everyone, I think. Try not to get too hung up on who you are and focus more on who you want to be."
Staren > Who knows who or what you might find?
    Staren smiles and nods.

> Are you taking a ship, or going on foot?
    Staren chuckles. "That would be a hell of a long walk! Over water. Sector Zero's warpgate network doesn't connect outside. So I've got to take the ship, at least until I get far enough to find another warpgate network, or... man, who knows how things might be organized out there? There could be some entirely different transport paradigm we'd never even dream of." she smiles. "I get to find out! So, that's exciting, I guess."

    The catgirl then looks to Sarracenia. "Thanks! And that's just it, I think: Who do I want to *be*? Do I *want* to do the elite adventurer wandering hero thing, or is that just a childhood dream born of youthful misconceptions of the world? I do know, though, that I don't presently see any... 'normal' life that I want, though, so, I've got to go looking. Whether I find someplace to settle down, or new adventuring companions... well, we'll see."
Tomoe Tomoe says "Yeah who knows what outside secotor zero is like now with all the multiveral barfs, right? All I know is a lot of old friends and enemies are out there somehere. Be crazy if you found intact remants of the old powers though." That would be a thing wouldn't it?
Sarracenia      Sarracenia is mostly a shallow princess, so doesn't seem too excited at the prospect of new discoveries outside the warpgate network. But, she smiles and nods for Staren. "Indeed. What would a non-gate warp system be like? Would it be more like those space shows where a ship can get between planets in a couple seconds?"

     She also nods at Staren's musings about discovering herself and possibly new companions. "What's normal, anyway? Just do what you want to do and as long as you don't hurt anyone or get in their face too much you can live whatever normal you want. Right?" she says, smirking lightly. "Just look at me! Am I 'normal' for a princess?"

     Tomoe mentions the old powers and Sarra seems confused. "I thought the Paladins and Concord...or whatever it's called...Coalition and Commonwealth? I thought they were the remains of the old powers."
Staren     Staren giggles at Sarracenia's analysis of 'normal.' "Poor wording on my part I guess. I meant non-elite. Y'know, settling down, *not* constantly getting involved in the fates of worlds."

> Be crazy if you found intact remants of the old powers though.
    Staren gets That Look on her face again. Remembering her old nightmare of what it would be like if the Union ever turned on her. Of the lives lost in those conflicts. The resources being available to let a member of Union R&D create an orbital asteroid-thrower that almost got taken over by a demon. Living in fear of Dr. Xiang, facing him down after a grueling fight, and seeing him die, only for him to return. Shadows of the past, animated and empowered by the even-before-HER-time thing called Oblivion.

    Entering the ruined remains of the Confederacy's base and being recognized by hostile security systems, and the worrying possibility that something CREATED from the Union's hubris and ability to infight, given form, had gained some form of self-awareness.

    The time that every sun turned blue. The fall of Cirrus-Marine, and her mother saying she was charging INTO that mess to help some old friends escape. Those damned taped messages that sassed her on the Union radio for years.

    Staren blinks, her face transitioning from That Look to faint disgust. "Gods, I hope not."
Tomoe Tomoe says "I can't even commet on normal I was a teen got sucked into a death game I will never be normal even if I quit the sector. Still better than office work. "Well your find out and I more mean some of the sub orgs you know the saner bits in there. Or at least old allies right?" She leands back. "Maybe life is better if you get the hell out of Sector Zero for all we know it's far lower in levels of trouble there..."

Tomoe thinks to her flight from the Union HQ when it was dying, unagurmnted one of the most terrfying moments of her life...

"Well they are some of the remant but the old powers were massive."
Staren ---- December 10, AU22 ----
    In its dying moments, the great tree, Njorun, teleports everyone to safety. Those who can't fly are crowded, standing room only, on a plateau overlooking the base of the distant tree, the airspace above only somewhat less crowded with all the flyers.

    A cheer starts to go up.

    There's a sound like a rubber band snapping.

    The dead, falling tree hits the ground in the distance and *reality* quakes, bubbles of warped space briefly appearing all over, through which can be seen glimpses of other realities.

    The space station portion of Njorun hits a volcano that wasn't there a moment ago, throwing ash and magma into the air with a thunderous bang.

    All is still. All is peaceful. For a moment, people are just relieved to be alive, and haven't yet had time to worry about how they'll connect with their friends and family again.

    But Staren cannot relax. Staren is always planning. She has to be ready. There is always work to do, people to save. She can't see how the stress is wearing away at her.

    She immediately takes flight, a replica of her cait sith wings from ALO buzzing behind her shoulders, and pulls her flying broom from her bag to sit on as she makes arrangements. Staren contacts Kotone and the allied ships in orbit. <<Beam me up. I need to check on some things.>>

    She turns into a beam of light and shoots up into the sky.

---- Now (August 9, AU30) ----
    Staren stands on the edge of that same plateau, looking out at the distant ruin. The ash settled long ago. The dangers haunting Njorun usually don't come this far out; there's actually a pleasant summer breeze making her signature coat and scarf billow. She turns her head to look at that scarf, rubbing it between her finger and thumb, thinking about things that change and things that don't.
Maya Maya had honestly not expected this call from sTaren but with everything, she'd still come to see them. It was a hell of a place, Maya herself was clad in her junking gear with the cloak she was prone to use when out in the field. She knows this won't be long, yet here she is as Runner her hulking biomecha dog paws after her.

"So this is a heck of a place for a meeting isn't it? I still recall when this place was being built the legacy of so many souls."
Staren     Staren's eyes water a bit as she smiles, "Me too." She turns and approaches Maya for a hug. It's not something she did a lot in the past, but she's decided she likes hugs and is making up for lost time now.

    After releasing her and stepping back, or awkwardly transitioning into a handshake, she looks at the dog. "Oh wow, I haven't seen *you* in years. Hey, boy." She holds out her hand to be sniffed at and headpat him if he approaches, then stands up and takes a breath, looking Maya up and down, and then back UP at her face. It strikes her that she hasn't frequently seen Maya from THIS angle before. They were usually about the same height... "...So. You got my message. I--" She blinks at a thought, and cocks her head. "You've been around even longer than me. How'd you do it, all this time? I'm a stressed-out mess who destroyed her reputation multiple times. What... has made you stay, all this time?"
Maya There was a time when doing this ad not being part of Maya's adoptive family might have trigged violent muscle memory. The good thing she's long had that under control, as the look of surprise faded and she hugs back.

"You know that could have been dangerous to do once."
% Runner lays down now to look at the ruins quietly. Runner scans Staren's hand for a moment and then head tilts, Wait is that cat? No smell-like person, they had a cat on them clearly though.

"If you want the honest answer? Because going home full time is a far worse option and my joining the Paladins was part of a political solution back home. Being here keeps Oasis and a lot of the other shells safe. I also serve to gather information for what's left of the governments and sides there's New Njorun to keep into consideration too."
Staren     Staren smiles at Runner then looks back to Maya, tilting her head the other way in slight concern when she talks about 'political solutions.' "Well, I guess I'm hardly in a position to give advice to anyone else. But, are you happy with having to be, like, a political game piece?"

    Wait. Her eyes widen and her ears splay as she processes what Maya said. "Did you say NEW NJORUN? What?!"
Maya Maya says "Relax, it's just what a number of refugees from the union named their new city in the far west of Shell Two, don't worry too much about it." Maya looks to Staren.

"I get to keep sort of people who got my Parents and Lord Gunner killed, in political hell. Yes, some of the personnel who had been from the Union core have set down there it's becoming a city-state in it's own right, also acting as a spaceport. Also, some people from the old Hydroponics section are working on farms. Farms on shell two it's a heck of a thing."
Staren     Staren lets out a breath and relaxes, reaching back to smooth her tail fur that's gone all bushy. "Geeze. Lead with that before the name, next time." Well... there probably won't *be* a next time, huh. She smirks at the talk of political hell. "Ah, spite. There's a classic."

    She takes a breath.

    "Well. It's finally time. I don't know what... most peoples' impression actually *is* of me no longer trying to convince the Paladins I'm a hero too, but... Things aren't great. I'm right back where I used to be."

    She turns back around to look over the ruins below. "Alienating the influential elites. Projecting some weird reputation based on failing to communicate my ideals, to most people in the Multiverse. And an ever-shrinking number of quiet friends, who slowly one-by-one retire or seek out greener pastures..."

    The catgirl's eyes tear up, and she has to take a few breaths to steady her feelings, eventually blinking a few times, wiping her eyes, and blowing her nose before continuing:

    "It's my turn. I used to have plans for retirement. I... always knew I needed a plan, ever since we thought Julian died, and so-called heroes reacted the way they did to the idea of bringing him back -- and his eventual return."

    "...Morg said he was working on a device that could de-unify a world. At first, I figured we'd set up a couple of those, and disconnect our respective homes. After I got tired of the endless fighting between the Union and the Confederacy, I thought it'd be pretty great to try and set 'em up in New Washington and New Pyongyang. There'd... a lot of people would be hurt, but not as many as would die if the war kept going, you know?"

    She takes a breath and shakes her head. "Of course, when I actually *did* take some time off, I just went hunting for magic crystals in distant parts of the sector, and working as a civilian operator in Lazlo. I guess for a time I actually *was* able to stand civilian life alone. And we always dream we're-- hell, I was still a teenager back then!" She turns to Maya. "When you're a teenager it's normal to plan these big dramatic moments when you'll finally show all those adults how great you are and how they shoulda respected you, and then chicken out, right?"

    Staren sighs and shakes her head. "Of course, that wouldn't have shown a thing about why *I* should be respected. It'd just have been riding on the coattails of Morg's genius." She cocks her head slightly to the side. "I guess I've always... I've had a tendency to do that. Find one of my few friends who's way cooler than me, and feel like I'm special just for being friends with them." She turns back to stare out over the ruin again. "Persephone's 'pet girls' indeed." another sigh. "Well, I guess that's a lesson I can take into my new life, at least." She looks up at the darkening sky as the sun sinks further and further below the horizon. "Oh right, retirement plans."

    "When I was dating Twilight, I thought I might want to spend my life with her. I figured, if I retired, I'd go to Equestria -- and take one of Morg's devices, if he ever completed them, to de-unify it -- maybe propose to her. Hah. Things didn't work out, she's a great friend, but..." Staren shakes her head. "We weren't compatible, and it's for the best we stopped seeing eachother that way. Things woulda just become even more stress dumped on her... I always felt bad about that."

    Another breath. "But since then... I haven't really HAD a plan. Like, I guess I vaguely thought I'd go home again? But, after the whole time shenanigans and the Mountain, I... believed I'd found my place. I didn't *make* a plan. And now here I finally am. So I'm... So that's why I'm going."

    Staren turns around to face Maya. "You know? I gotta find... a life that works for me. Whether it's someone to settle down with, or people to adventure with. ...Sorry, I guess I rambled on there for a bit."
Maya Maya looks at Staren. "That's how Doskais saw the junkers and the republic of Ankara." She looks out at the ruins of the once great station for a long moment.

"You had things to say and it could be a very long time before we ever see each other again. So It's understandable. I think a lot about the people who have headed off or in some cases just headed home like my Brother and Lobo. Did I mention all the children I raised are grown and getting married now? I think Tomo and Mouse are expecting their first."

She grins at this.

"If I'm being honest getting out of the Sector may save your soul by freeing you from things here. You seem ground down and you are making the right call for yourself."
Staren     Staren looks a bit surprised. "You have a brother? And kids??" She looks over Maya again. "Right. Guess we're both older than we look. It's the way of some people... My parents always look like they're in their 20s too, unless we're visiting someone who would find that weird and they don't feel like having that conversation. Gosh. We're getting old... but also young at the same time. You can't really imagine *me* old and grizzled, right?" She grins. "My personality would have to be completely different."

    Staren looks away into the distance. "'Ground down,' huh? That's one way to put it."

    After a moment, she steps forward to hug Maya again, teary-eyed. "I'm glad you have faith in me. I miss everyone. Morg. Xander. Duo. Julian. Even Delilah, you know she used to babysit me before she got all cybered up? She was a familiar presence at least. Dunno how the hell her dating Julian was supposed to work, but to hell with faction conflicts. Rewire before he went rampant. Iianor and his kids. Damien. Rad. Belldandy. Winry, even if she did keep getting all the work I should've gotten to do. Breeze. Yuna. Dr. Wakeman. Rose. Sakura. Kirito and the gang. Arthur's friends. Toph. Charr. Twilight and her friends. Stadler and Fleece and Yunomi and Rhapsody. Rory. Septette. A-and everyone else, I could list names forever, there are so many more, I've even forgotten some of their names..."

    She wipes her eyes on her sleeve. "People keep going, and I'm still here. I miss them... I'm still here..."

    She lets tears flow for a long moment, wipes her eyes again, then lets go of Maya and turns away to blow her nose.

    "A-and now it's my turn. Well. Maybe I'll see some of them again, out there."

    Staren holds out her hand for a fist-bump. "You just... stay cool, alright? An' if I'm a good example for once... if it ever gets to be too much, don't feel you can't leave the elite scene too. Don't you get ground down too, if it comes to it."
Maya Maya says "Yes Grubb basically is my little brother and kids? They are the other orphans I helped to raise I was the oldest after all. I just didn't speak about them much I didn't want the multiverse to butt into their lives." She thinks for a moment but Maya doesn't seem to have aged a day since she met Staren and she's got to be pushing 40 at this point.

"I could but you're a cheating shapeshifter for one and I don't think I will be. Getting old at least physically."

She thinks for a moment.

"Stadler's still in the sector but keeping low profile I think."

She will take a moment to fist-bump Staren back.

"If I don't get myself killed I'll be here, I have places to go and I know who I'd go hunting down to see what they are up to, take care Staren."
Staren     Staren hesitates for a moment, then goes for another hug. What the hell, why not? She pats Maya's back. "If you're ever in whatever neighborhood I end up in, or I visit Sector Zero again, don't be a stranger, OK?" Her communicator beeps, and she steps back. "History repeats. I've got a busy night of goodbyes, it seems..."

    Staren looks out over Njorun one last time, then back to Maya. "I'll... seeya around."

    On her cybercomms, she calls the ship that's arrived overhead. <<"I'm here. Beam me up, Kotone.">>
Maya Maya will just watch Staren as they beam out. She'll turn to Runner hop on him and depart riding the mecha mutt back to the nearest warpgate.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa is on the Bluenose at the teleporter in her ship at the controls. Still as ever in one stripe of a body suit or another.

"Welcome aboard Staren, all done there. I guess it's time to get you to your ship and for you to get moving right?"

Kotone pauses as she clearly got something jacked into the back of her neck as she's running some system checks as she. She looks over Staren and humms.

"So this is it isn't it?"
Staren     Staren appears on the teleport pad and looks Kotone up and down. She's changed her look -- Staren assumes this must be a common style of paramilitary armor on her world. She was only on one mission with a Section Nine operative, she just talked to one of the tachikomas a lot. Tachikomas and Septette, what is it about robots and philosophy...?

    Staren opens her mouth, but Kotone speaks first. She closes her eyes and takes a breath.

    "...Yeah. I guess it is. Thanks again for being there to pick me up eight years ago. I would've been... even more stressed if I'd had to sit there after Njorun's fall, out of contact with everyone."

    Beat. "...I forget if I apologized before, but I'm sorry. About what I said when we met. Bodies... I thought I didn't care, but I did." She stretches, and spins around once. "You've noticed how, despite my craving the power to compete with everyone else, I never put myself in one of those--" she drops her voice in imitation of a man's and imitates a couple of body builder poses that show off nothing on her. "--big, bulky, strong cyborg bodies."

    She stands up straight again. "Ehehehe. Now I know why." She rubs the back of her head. "So, uh. Yeah. How've you been doing? Haven't heard from you in awhile. You, uh... Is Life going alright? Sorry for not keeping in touch. I *did* get sucked into an alternate timeline for 13 months, but it's been another year since..."
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa smirks a little bit at Staren as she's looked over for a moment.

"Like the look I been using it for r while it was a pain to get it but it's been worth the money to do so." Also, the trip to the black market to get it back when she was just a civilian.

"Wait really it helped that much? I didn't know it meant that much to give you the lift that day.

"Where I had a power I never wanted shoved down my throat, it's funny how that goes. Wait! That? I was ... not in a good place back then.

"Or rather sexless ones like those undead-looking ones that seem popular on your world. Well, I did get mixed up in some of your ops in Secondus didn't I? Mostly low-key paperwork, doing public outreach for the Paladins and some aid missions. Nothing exciting but honestly I like it that way. Even the police unit who caught the guy that mangled me seem to be focusing on matters back home. Not to mention the Alliance's new multiversal port growing by leaps and bounds has a lot of people busy. My grandmother and name sake got herself cyberized it should add another few decades to her life span same for grandpa too. I'm apparently to blame for that. God, she had us all fooled as she was pretending to be the living in nurse when we arrived."
Staren > It really helped that much?
    Staren's eyes widen. "Yeah? Did I really not say anything?"

                           ---- Eight years ago ----                            
    Wordlessly, Staren sends a drone through the teleporter, then steps through herself as soon as it returns.

                                 ---- Now ----                                  
    "...Huh. Sorry, I was so focused on making sure my girlfriend-at-the-time was okay. It was all I could think about." She rubs the back of her head. "I've always been kinda bad at thinking of how my words and actions will be seen by others..."

> Undead-looking ones
    "What, the faceplate on Triax imports armor? I mean, I did wear the faceplate sometimes when I was trying to be intimidating, but underneath was, y'know, an organic-feeling body mostly covered in synthskin, rather than just... machine, with the face and some organs being all the flesh that's left. Also, y'know. This big, rather than" she holds up a hand to indicate guy mode's height, then stands on tiptoe and reaches up as high as she can, "well, y'know."

> Nothing exciting...
    "That's good, yeah. You've definitely taken to adventuring, I mean... you got this ship, and your work with X-COM, but... you always did want to have your old life too." Staren looks out the window at space. "...And there's nothing wrong with that. I think those of us who gave it up may have missed out on something important."

    At the mention of grandmother shenanigans, she laughs lightly and smiles at Kotone. "Ah, yes, well, when you can change bodies, you gotta take the opportunity to use it to mess with people sometimes, right? Sometimes my parents would switch, especially at Halloween parties, just to throw people off." Beat. She slumps slightly. "...In retrospect, I guess that was kind of a sign about Sarahmom years before she figured herself out, huh. At least her alternate in Secundus will be spared 42 years of confusion..."

    Staren straightens up again, and smiles. "You're to blame, though? Good on you!" She runs up to hug Kotone. "Then you saved their lives, and their health! I am so happy to hear of it! People just... Taking that time for once, getting the chance to live more of their lives, spend time together... It's so nice to hear of this technology being used wholesomely, instead of to trap or enslave people or to make everyone serve some undying dictator, or argued over by people yelling it's not natural or traditional. Just... instead of all that, living more and focusing on getting ON with that extra life, you know?"
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa says "Oh she had it look like she did when she was 20 or so." She smirks at this. "Not many of uis caught on to that it was pretty funny. My cousins are doing well and that sounds like a heck of a family problem. Honestly the more you can change what you are the more you should hang on to who you are. Or you become generic, and replaceable you know? Though I admit this face is the mass pro model I started with."

She'll send Staren a info packet. "Look at that later."

She notes in it Staren will find a single image file of what Kotone looked like pre cyborg.

She then gets hugged by Staren she holds on to it for a moment.

"The abuses are why people revolt against it or they see where it could lead."

Additionally there are packs of music for Staren's very long trip and a few pulpy novels and the blueprints to the Knight motorcycle she sells. With a note, for personal use on it.
Staren > Change what you are, hang on to what you are
    Staren steps back, smiles, and does another twirl with her arms out. "Oh, but that's just it! We get to try different things and find out just who we really are, and whether appearance, or a specific appearance, matters or not!" She comes to a stop facing Kotone, and puts one hand on her hip and the other waggles a finger. "Come on, someone else could look like me but they wouldn't be *me* now, would they?"

> Abuses...
    Staren sighs and hangs her head. "Yeah, well... I guess I can kinda see it. It's so easy for things to go wrong... but rejecting progress isn't the answer, either. I don't know how to fix societies, but... maybe there's something to be said for fixing other issues *before* you worry about life extension."

    She stretches. "Well. I'm not actually leaving for a couple more days, but... when I do, we'll find out just how far these teleporters can reach, huh?"

    Later, reading the info packet, she hugs the tablet to herself and thinks about learning to drive a motorcycle. There's something nostalgic about getting personal gifts like this, instead of obsessing over trying to find power to take from other worlds.