Scene #8848: Hub CSTL-3

Owner	Pose
Ivy Carrow	Warpgate Hub CSTL-3 was hardly the only dimensional travel locus, of course. It wasn't even the only Warprunner hub out in the multiverse. But it was shiny, new, and, perhaps more importantly, connected directly to one of the most powerful factions in the sector. Whether from the Vica-Captain's announcement, internal memos through the Concord, or public notices, news of the grand opening was out in the world and publicly available. Colorful brochures bearing pictures of crimson tears in space and five-armed spirals emblems encouraged visitors to come see, to consider funding a new gate of their own, to help fund exploratory ventures, to just SEE...! But there's nothing quite like experiencing it firsthand. And what the elites see is...Contradcitory. A step through an artifical warpgate brought the elites to a...Foyer, would be the simplest way to catagorize it. Elegant wood, leading into a grand spiral staircase, curving upward to a floor above, the ceiling held up by ribbed arches. Like a glimpse into a mansion, with windows, beyond which was a tower, and mist. It looked like something torn out of victorian europe, but it seemed new. On the far wall, a modern elevator had been installed, carved into the wood to carry passengers who couldn't, or didn't WANT to bear the stairs to the floor above. A modern sign with scrolling text had been hung above the portal. GATE TO LINE CHECKPOINT 148 IS: OPEN! And there were more signs, arrows on the staircase promising directions to someplace called 'gateway two.' It was an uneasy union of ideas, like an airport had tried to muscle its way into an old gothic mansion, until the two forged an uneasy truce at knifepoint. There was someone waiting for you. They were tail and willow thin, wearing a black leather vest, with a red, five-armed spiral patch on the left side, professional slacks, boots. Their hair was cut short and colored dark. He cleared his throat. "You must be the elites." A smile, measured and proper. "A pleasure. I hope you enjoy your time at Warprunner hub CSTL-3, our branch's headquarters." "As some of you may already know, I am Vice-Captain Alex Perrodon, second in command. I would like to offer you a tour; show you what we have to offer." Up the stairs, a step at a time, to a set of open double-doors--refitted with a magnetic lock--The Vice-captain led them through, out onto a large courtyard. "This is gateway two." It was littered with buildings--some of them built from scratch. Chain restraunts, general stores for bits and bobs of all sorts. Beyond it was in much the same style as the foyer, centered around a high tower, thrusting through the mist like a needle, until none could see its top. All stone and high arches, it seemed untouched by the creeping commercialization that had infested the place, hanging over it all like a foreboding promise. "All our low-security warpgates are maintained in the outer ring, in gateways one through five. Medium security--" "What's this?~" The Vice-Captain stopped in the middle of his rundown breathed through his teeth. Let go of a sigh that was almost a laugh.
Ivy Carrow	"Guests!" A red line cut through the air, like a scapel had peeled opened outward through the skin of reality. The woman who emerged from the tear wasn't dressed terribly differently than the vice-captain, that same vest, same slacks, same botos, but she wore a too-dark cloak over it all that seemed perhaps a size too big. Her hair was shoulder-length and brown, with grey eyes, with a pale scar just under her left cheek. "I bid you welcome...to Castle Carrow." She made a grand gesture with her left arm--a black metal prosthetic, ending in what was almost a claw. "Captain, we talked about that name." Alex said, like an long-suffering older brtoher. She, for her part, seemed completely undeterred. "It's fine, it's fine! It'll catch on, you'll see." Her attention turned to the elites. "Don't you think so?" A awkward cough into his hands. "Well! Captain, don't you think you should introduce yourself?" "I was getting to that! Her smile stole any reproach from her tone, as she let a hand rest on her hip. "I am Ivy Carrow, Gate-Captain of the Warprunners and master of this manor."
Rufus Shinra	Here comes Rufus Shinra, the Multiverse's worst tourist. Rufus takes pictures of the rack of brochures. Rufus takes pictures of the modern signage juxtaposed with the ancient architecture. Rufus takes a selfie with the Vice-Captain. "Neat." Rufus takes pictures of Gateway Two. Rufus takes pictures of the red line tearing open, and then a selfie with the new arrival. "Also neat." "Hey. Name's Rufus," says Rufus, finally putting his camera away (for now). "Nice place. What's the catch, is it infested with... space youkai, or something?"
Madeleine Cadrasteia	Madeleine steps through the entry warpgate without her usual leather-chainmail-and-vinyl getup, instead wearing only a black tank top and cargo pants. Her hair is damp; she looks like she just got out of a shower. Because she has. After a long day of chasing after Easter Bunny sightings for the Creeper Sweepers the huntress is beat. And so she looks up, up, up at the grand stairs... and promptly walks over to the elevator, punching the 'up' button and leaning against the wall. She rather perks up, however, at the sight of the Gate-Captain with her cloak and her mechanical claw. Now this lady, she's got style! And what a title, 'Gate-Captain'! As Ivy introduces herself Madeleine curses her lack of preparedness for encountering such a sight for sore eyes. "H-hi," Madeleine stammers out, before cussing under her breath and trying again. "Uh, well met, Gate-Captain! I am Madeleine Cadrasteia, Multiverse Cryptozoology Research Division. You know, the Creeper Sweepers? You may have heard of us, we're a pretty big deal." She does her best to look self-important, but given she's about as presentable as a wet dog, it probably comes off as pathetic.
Sarracenia	Among the multiversal tourist group is a tall woman with shining copper hair who is quite obviously a princess of some sort. She is in a poofy, frilly red dress with a golden crown on her head, she has a butler in tow...who is a piranha plant in a butler jacket. And, she is also obviously a tourist judging by how she is looking around with a bit of an awed look. She has been in the Multiverse a while, but seeing a new place is always exciting. When the Vice-Captain introduces himself, she curtseys politely and is about to introduce herself when...the Captain reveals herself! Sarracenia eeps and hops back in surprise, her eyes widened in even more awe now. It isn't often that one is met by someone who can slice reality like that. Sarracenia clears her throat, then curtseys again. "Greetings! I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, Crown Princess of the Sundew Kingdom. It is a pleasure to meet you both!" Madeleine is here, and so she is greeted by a friendly smile and wave from the princess. "Hello again, Madeleine! How are you today?"
S6	One of the invited guests is a tall, willowy woman with stark white hair and steel blue eyes. Gone is the FANTOM combat uniform; instead a hip-hugging pencil skirt and matching black blouse with juliette shoulders. She remains silent through the earlier parts of the tour, only making sounds when the steel heels and toes of her shoes strike the ground. > ". . . I am Vice-Captain Alex Perrodon . . ." "S6 will suffice." She puts a face to the voice from the radio yesterday, though her tone has softened just a touch since then. "You have built quite a staging area here for your expeditions, sir." Suddenly: Ivy. When reality cuts open, the android shifts very subtly into a ready stance despite being visibly unarmed. Once it's shown to be the source of the cheerful voice, the tension disappears as quickly as it manifested. "Castle Carrow..." she repeats quietly, "It is not uncommon for outposts to have an official and unofficial designation. I suppose the disagreement is only on which is which." Lifting a hand, she gestures to herself, "I am Striker Six. Model 18A. Representative of Bunker and in alignment to the Paladins. Thank you for the invitation."
Petra Soroka	A new warpgate hub isn't much to get excited about. A new warpgate hub with Concord connections isn't either-- Petra isn't technically Concord-- and it's not particularly uncommon for the organization to have their fingers dipped in transportation industries anyways. One that advertises on the radio, specifically for calls to adventure in the future, though.... And Petra isn't allowed to stay at Lilian's manor forever, anyways. Sometimes she wanders across Tamamo in the hallway and gets forced to leave, like she's bumped into a patrolling security guard in a video game, and then she has to figure out somewhere else to go. Usually that means Lobotomy Corporation, or Quicknest, but sometimes it means a mission! When Petra steps through the warpgate to behold the Gothic architecture of an elaborately magical airport-manor, she knows she made the right choice. She strolls by the windows, letting out a low whistle at the environment even beyond them, immediately enthralled by the energy of the location, even though she doesn't match it at all. Wearing her bomber jacket unzipped, a blouse that isn't hers, and bruised like she lost a fight against a vampire, Petra was more prepared for some kind of fight or adventure than a tour, despite that being exactly what was advertised. "Yo. I'm Petra. I'm..." The Vice-Captain, and every other Elite here, introduced themselves with some sort of job or role tagline. Petra attempts to think of one for herself, and sort of fails. "Occasionally heroic. For some people." Alex is quickly and precisely filed into 'boring' in Petra's mind after two sentences. This doesn't dull her enthusiasm much, with even the shopping district being made somewhat enjoyable by the fog and looming vampiric threat, but she starts considering wandering off from the tour and doing her own thing right when the captain herself appears. After Ivy's introduction, Petra blurts out without thinking, "Oh thank god, someone interesting." She coughs, then snorts, holding the back of her hand up against her mouth to poorly cover a smirk. "Master of the manor, huh? That the official job description?" After a few seconds of considering Ivy, Petra makes a decision on how she'd best introduce herself to this particular kind of personality. "I'm Petra. Apprentice to the greatest supervillain in the multiverse, among other things."
Meika Kirenai	Gloss paper crinkles slightly between fingers, as Meika pours over the hub's distributed brochures. CSTL... what's there to be so fond of in that- Oh "... Castle three..?" That doesn't quite explain the utilization of discordant spirals or-- frankly kind of uncomfortable gash imagery. Standing in the foyer, though, does. "Oh, wow..." The gloss paper doesn't crinkle as it's balled up and shoved into the pocket of the magical girl's hoodie. She doesn't really look like an elite, standing there, wide-eyed and slowly rocking front to back on boot soles. The only thing combatting the vibe of being just some bored kid (which she is,) who happened to wander in (which she did,) is the unsettling panoply of stark white hair, and bright red eyes fixed in a sharp and uncomfortable stare at anything that moves even somewhat close to her. Quiet, still, and not-quite looking at the Vice-Captain even when they make themselves known, "Are the warprunners some sort of bike gang..?" Clearly the now-done-away-with brochure in her pocket only got skimmed over. "... Cool patch, though, and vest and stuff, I guess," She mumbles, defusing a bit of her cold-open questioning. She opens her mouth, to introduce herself- and while lips move, she doesn't say anything. The surrounding crowd aren't mostly made of her favorite people, and she's certain the feeling is mutual, for at least the Sundew Kingdom's crown princess. Still. Being lead up the big, winding stairs brings a little smile to her face, despite everything. She lingers on a few of the steps, twisting on her feet to make some of the boards cr-ee-ea-ak louder and longer, where the wood is old and tired enough to, masking a giggle beneath the sound. "Three castles in a week. That's kind of amazing..." She freezes up for real, though, when the Gate-Captain herself tears a hole through the air. Any comedy from overindulgence into the chosen aesthetic is lost on Meika, and she's silent for as long as it takes for that sharp claw to no longer be up in the air. The magical girl's hands unconsciously find the banister behind her, to hold and brace against. "... Meika Kirenai, magical girl Chevalier Vermillion, and P-" A cough, and a cutoff. "And former Paladins Chevalier, n-not that that... actually matters at all, I guess..." "Are you rich?" Manors and castles are for rich people. So is eccentricity. It's only logical, right? Meika flinches, embarrassed that thought slipped out, and reaches up towards her own face, slowly, pressing a few fingers towards her cheek as if she could check, somehow, for whether those muscles had been used to actually say something. "Um. Nevermind. I didn't mean to- y-yeah." 'Apprentice to the greatest supervillain in the multiverse, among other things.' "... Didn't you just say you were- you know, heroic, to..." Meika fades off her whisper, loosely gesturing towards Perrodon, who is still right over there. "Or- wait, if it's a joke, then... ignore that. Aha."
Ivy Carrow	"Are the warprunners some sort of bike gang..?" The Vice-Captain looked Meika up and down, but whatever their conclusions were , they keep them to themselves. Not that that would keep Meika from hearing them. She's kind of young isn't she? ...No. She's no younger than I was, when I started. "We're explorers. When a new warpgate opens, it's our job to go inside, scout it out, figure out whether it's safe for others, and possibly establish a foothold on the other side. To venture to unseen horizons." "We're hardly a biker gang. But I wouldn't be surprised if some of us had bikes." -- "It is not uncommon for outposts to have an official and unofficial designation." "What did I tell you, Alex?" Ivy said, hands on her hips, looking chuffed. "Nice place. What's the catch, is it infested with... space youkai, or something?" The Captain and Vice-Captain turned their eyes briefly to each other. Ivy stepped away, while Alex stepped forward. "We do our best to keep danger to travelers relatively low. We don't maintain connections to high-risk worlds all the time. We clear groups before transit and open the gates just long enough to move through. So, there's miniminal risk of any containment breaches." "We do our best to keep it as safe as we can for anyone using our transit hub." A pause. "Of course, we don't let many tourists to high-danger worlds in the first place. Engaging with us as elites would put you in the same danger that we expose ourselves to." "But that's an unavoidable part of exploring new worlds. We expect elites to understand that."
Ivy Carrow	Ivy's attention turns to Madeleine. "Oh? Creeper Sw--" She coughs into her mechanical hand, clearing her throat. "Creeper Sweepers? I think I remember hearing about you at the Concord orientation." She offered the huntress a sideways slash of a smile. "There's plenty of strange creatures out there in the multiverse, you know. Who knows, maybe we'll end up working together." To Sarracenia, Ivy offered a shallow curtsy. "Princess Sundew, rest your feet a while, there's much to do in my castle." "Master of the manor, huh? That the official job description?" The thinly veiled mockery doesn't seem to take the out of Ivy's sails at all. "Claimed by conquest and rebuilt in my image!" She crossed her arms, voice proud. Alex was writing into a little notepad, not looking up. But he did respond. "That is actually more or less correct, believe it or not." Ivy laughed. "That's right! My Vice-Captain was actually part of my team, when I claimed it. Maybe I'll tell you that story sometime, Petra Soraka." She raised up her metal hand in a showy gesture. "Are you rich?" "Would you believe it if I told you I made all of this?" "You know what...Instead of paling around in the outer rims, looking at a new mall...why don't we skip to some of the JUICY stuff?" She made a cutting gesture. "Where the REAL work gets done?" Another crimson cut opened in the air, but this time it parted, wider and wider, until it was large enough to step through. And through it they saw...Another gate. "Come on then~" But where their last one had been sanitized for convenience, for accessability, clearly signposted, this gate was clearly meant for something...More. There were hazard symbols nailed to the side of the castle walls. And the door was steel, and airtight. There was a small room for deconatinmenation, between the gate interior and where Ivy had taken them. The gate mechanism here looked larger than the one back at the entrance. And more notably, it was completely shut off. "This." Alex's voice was quiet, now, almost reverent, in a way that echoed off the interior of the room. "Is our High Security Gate. Our connection point to any Malignant, or otherwise high-risk worlds." "Vaults, trapped in universes where reality will devour the marrow in your bones for standing in it." Ivy walked up, laying a hand on the barrier between them and the gate. "Forests that devour whole worlds. Places that will try to rewrite you for stepping into them. All that and more that I've seen, far more that I haven't."
S6	S6's eyes skim over the others gathering. A familiar face and several new ones. She makes an appraising noise here or there, listening to both the Captain and the Vice-Captain describe their work and exchange pleasantries with the other guests. "It was my understanding that danger would be involved in future expeditions, yes," she speaks finally in that measured tone, "I am no stranger to combat." Unsaid is that she was purpose-built for it, a stray thought that drifts off of her like a faint sigh. "Malignant..." When the sealed-off gate is presented, she comes to a stop at last to stare up at the sealed entrance, "I see. So, the other gateways are confirmed 'safe' regions. Beyond this point, unexplored and confirmed-hazardous conditions." After a pause, S6's head turns, her eyes seeking out Ivy, "By 'real work', I presume you mean the exploration and catalogue of these locations. Or is pacification of hostile environments also part of this operation?"
Madeleine Cadrasteia	"There's plenty of strange creatures out there in the multiverse, you know." "Y-yeah!" Madeleine exclaims. "Today I was hunting, uh..." She wishes she could say anything other than 'the Easter bunny' but she's too tired to think of a convincing lie. "...the Easter bunny?" She scratches the side of her head nervously, leaving a lick of wet hair sticking out at an angle. "It's a seasonal thing. People don't expect to actually SEE one, so they get scared." "Who knows, maybe we'll end up working together." "I-I-I'd like that. I mean, I don't know you really yet, but you... seem... kind of... cool..." Madeleine's voice fades as she trails off, visibly nervous. "Hello again, Madeleine! How are you today?" Madeleine jumps at the chance for a distraction. "Oh hi Sarra! I mean, ah, Princess Sundew. Yeah I'm uh, I'm great." She swallows, and wipes a bead of what must be either perspiration or shower-water from her forehead. "You know how it is." Madeleine ooohs at the portal as she steps through into the high-security gate chamber, then again at the warning signs plastering the walls. "You must get some really hardcore stuff coming through here, right? I mean, I'm sure it's nothing you can't deal with, you know, but... yeah. Like, monsters maybe? Are there monsters." She forgets to pronounce the question mark.
Sarracenia	When she hops back in surprise from the rip in reality, Sarracenia can't help but notice Petra and Meika. Especially with the declaration of villain apprentice and either naive or denial-like response from Meika. Sarracenia eyes them as they go up the stairs, but doesn't say anything. Meika is having fun, and...well, whether they remember it or not that was one of the things Sarra was advocating for Meika to do before one of their radio spats. That and she still feels kind of bad about the beach party thing. Although she tries not to let Meika or Petra see, Sarra is soon very lightly imitating Meika's squeaky stairs game. Anyone looking her way might think she is just having to step higher because of her heeled shoes. Ivy and Alex explain some about what would be happening here and what is happening here. She scoffs playfully when Ivy suggests resting her feet. "Rest? I much prefer moving when visiting a new place. There seem to be plenty of shops and who knows what adventure awaits within those gates!" S6 is unfamiliar to Sarra, so the princess offers a friendly curtsey when she has a chance. "Greetings. I am not sure we have met before." Madeleine enthusiastically greets Sarra in return, and Sarra giggles a bit. "Are you sure?" she says, then reaches into her purse and pulls out a plush cloth. "You seem to have exited your bath in quite a hurry!" she adds as she motions with the cloth at Madeleine's hair then hands it to her. The display of reality rending prowess once again awes the princess, and she steps through quite eagerly. She doesn't have a craving for powers like these herself. Not at all. "How do you do that?" she asks Ivy, motioning to the rift. Sarra listens to the descriptions of the worlds beyond the High Security Gate. She looks a bit uneasy about some of those ideas. That is more risk than the princess usually deals with. But, with Petra and Meika looking on she can't exactly let weakness show. She laughs...albeit somewhat nervously...then coughs lightly. "And...you visit these worlds in hopes of exploring them? That sounds...interesting."
Petra Soroka	"... Didn't you just say you were- you know, heroic, to..." Petra is, actually, happy for Meika to bring up the contradiction, since it's an integral part of her aesthetic that she just didn't feel like she could bring up directly. Leaning against a dark maple bannister, she lazily waves a cheerful greeting at Meika, wobbling her wrist in casual explanation. "Well, I am. I'm a... Lilian said 'wicked hero'. I'm just also a supervillain. I just don't really, you know, care about... everyone, all the time? I'm a hero for people I care about, and a-- a villain as a... profession, so it's not a joke at all." Petra clears her throat and looks to the side, slightly pink. She rubs her hand on her neck, fingers streaked with thin splotches of fresh blood where the collar doesn't cover it. "I have a kind of, uh, complicated, sort of morality." "Of course, we don't let many tourists to high-danger worlds in the first place." Petra rolls her eyes, continually validated in her snap judgement of Alex, and flips open her cigarette carton to slide one out. "We're not your fucking shareholders, dude. Of course you don't fucking send tourists into the meat grinder. Congrats on that. I'll give you five fucking stars on Yelp. The fucking nuances of your tourism department aren't interesting to anyone." The 'get to the good part' is implicit in how she lights the cigarette and slides her gaze onto Ivy-- anthropomorphization, via performance, of 'the good part'-- before continuing to wander her attention around the Gothic air. "Who knows, maybe we'll end up working together." Petra's radar is not nearly as strong for detecting sapphic tension that isn't directed at herself, compared to detecting or imagining tension between men, but something between these two pathetic women lights up in the switchboard inside her head. She looks between Madeleine's soggy wobbling and Ivy's dramatics with a scheming expression, before snickering. "Well, we're all working together in the future, aren't we? Isn't that the whole point of asking us here? Seems kind of pointless to repeat it just for one person, right?" S6's eyes skim over the others gathering. A familiar face and several new ones. Petra doesn't meet S6's stare, and doesn't even really register when her eyes pass over her, but belatedly the android catches her attention too. After some time of squinting and attempting to place her, Petra shrugs and decides the sense of vague familiarity must be confabulated. She does not remember S6 being at her arrest. "And...you visit these worlds in hopes of exploring them? That sounds...interesting." Less than an hour ago, Petra was commanded to break Sarracenia's jaw and wire it shut, along with breaking her legs, and enthusiastically agreed. This isn't the place for that-- it sets a bad precedent to start attacking people in the middle of unrelated matters, especially in front of strangers-- but that doesn't mean she can't indulge in some killing intent for fun. Swinging an Eggman-emblazoned revolver around a finger, Petra walks up behind Sarracenia to be just threateningly close enough while examining the hazard symbols all around the walls. "It does seem kind of interesting, right? But it's not 'they' exploring them, you know-- you signed up for it by being here. That is why you're here, right, princess? Or did you actually mean to stop by the shopping mall and got lost? You'd better be confident in, uh, exploring those marrow-devouring worlds if you're intruding on somewhere that only real heroes are supposed to be working in."
Meika Kirenai	"Oh. Oh! I- I bumped into an explorer group the other week, they had, like..." Frazzled, trying to think back, she gestures in the air a bit and gives up. "Telesc- microscope- looking glass logos? They were red, too. Maybe you'd..." An awkward cough. "That's- kind of pretty cool. That you do that stuff. An- every day, something new, sort of thing..? Or like the guy with the hat and whip in that American movie series..." She's rambling to disguise how badly it itches and stings and rings to try and pry Alex's thoughts out of their head, this close to Petra. The grimace on her face matches unconscious itching through the sleeves of her opposite arm, wincing where knuckles find still-healing tender spots. I'm not even that young. I'm- I'm basically an adult, and I'm basically- "Yeah. Wouldn't that be neat, in another life, or something..." she mumbles, before fixing her attention elsewhere. . . . . . 'So, there's miniminal risk of any containment breaches.' Meika's eye twitches at the last term, for no real good reason. 'I have a kind of, uh, complicated, sort of morality.' Meika doesn't nod along to Petra's explanation, but the quiet- not silent -stillness she takes up when she talks indicates focus, at least. "... Wicked hero is- I guess that makes sense, doesn't it..?" It's really just a guess. Petra's morality is complicated, and Meika struggles in classes on even the more basic black and white moralities, let alone the higher-level courses. She flinches and looks away, though, when Petra's blood-smeared fingers pass far enough out of periphery vision to show in color. "... I- I have band-aids in my bag, if you need them, or..." 'Oh? Creeper Sw--' 'Creeper Sweepers?' Meika giggles at just how much the tone shifts in the woman's voice. She can't help herself. It's like she can almost hear the color change it'd be written in, especially over words as silly as that. She only looks a little bit guilty, after, for the outburst of sound. 'Would you believe it if I told you I made all of this?' "Huh? What's that supposed to- n-nevermind, I said forget about it." When the new opening is torn middair, Meika is, frankly, quite hesitant to step through it. Ushering only makes her more so. "... Malignant? You- you say that word like it's..." She's already trying to glean context she can by eavesdropping, damn the itch and ear-ringing hell muddying it up and hampering clarity- damn it for only a brief moment, that is, before she gives up and does her best to stop. Finally, she steps through, if just because dizzyness feels better from motion than stillness. "... Are all of those worlds really real? That... do all that? Marrow and forests and-" A shiver. "What's that like?"
Ivy Carrow	""... Malignant? You- you say that word like it's..." The Vice-Captain walks up beside S6 and Meika, eager to provide clarification. "One of Risk grades in our Exoverse Classification Guide. Generally speaking, it's more about the world's contents than severity. But Malignant worlds are special. They're infectious; if not contained, they could spread to other worlds. Dealing with them is always risky. Alex's melancholy bled, even through the smattering of pain and static that was Petra's everything. Abi--can't believ--hat thing--you're gone... Ivy greedily eats up Madeleine's praise, giving the woman a wink as she sputters. "Then, I shall endeavor to live to your expectations~" Like, monsters maybe? Are there monsters. "Oh, so many monsters!" Either she wasn't aware of how this was affecting Madeleine or she was leaning into it, hard, on purpose. "And you, you'll get a chance to see them." On purpose. Definitely on purpose. "Well, we're all working together in the future, aren't we? Seems kind of pointless to repeat it just for one person, right?" Ivy's eyes swing back to Petra, without breaking her swagger, without seeming to register any sort of shame. She just goes harder."Oh, I'm so sorry Petra. I don't mean to make you feel excluded. Of course, you're invited to come along on all my adventures." "How do you do that?" "It's a little something I stole back from the thing that took my arm." She clenched those claw-like black fingers into a fist in demonstration. "It comes from the same place that powers all of our artifical warpgates. And that, princess, is a trade secret!" "If it's terrifying, it's also wonderful. There are always new warpgates connecting to the multiverse. New lands stitching themselves onto the superplanet. Every day, our world gets bigger." Ivy breathed deeply in, imagining the taste of the air past all these unseen horizons. "And we provide a service too, you know. There are people out there, trapped in these awful worlds, hanging on in spite of everything. Some of them are my runners too, now." "And when a world is a threat to every other, someone needs to find out before its too late." They clasped their hands. "And we won't find out by waiting." "... Are all of those worlds really real? That... do all that? Marrow and forests and-" "Those aren't the parts of the job most of us enjoy. But...Yes." Ivy smiles at Meika. "I've been to all of them. Endless fields of sappphire flowers. Underground caverns lit by glowing crystals. It feels like there's endless wonders--and horrors--to be found, as long as you keep walking. It feels like there's always something to see, a new horizon to crest, and a new landscape beyond it." "...I wouldn't trade it away for anything."
S6	It's just as well Petra doesn't remember S6. S6 remembers Petra and has no interest in dragging up old events. As far as she's concerned, that part was already taken care of. Without further Paladins orders to the contrary, she's content to leave the girl alone. There is, however, a flicker of gold near her as her POD materializes from her inventory. Leaning forward slightly, she pats the robot on top of its boxy body before it floats up to hover behind her shoulder like normal. This way-- she can keep an eye on the person who murdered her partner without being obvious about it. > AFFECTION RECEIVED < the machine declares in a mechanized voice when touched, before it takes its holding position. > "One of Risk grades in our Exoverse Classification Guide. Generally speaking . . ." "Understood," she says simply to Alex when the unasked question is answered, "Is there documentation on the risk grades and their criteria? I would like to add this to my archive for future reference." "If I am to assist in the exploration and documentation of such discoveries, information related to standard policies and procedures will be very useful." > "If it's terrifying, it's also wonderful." S6 lets out a thoughtful noise, her eyes drifting downward. Images of the Nullborn flicker through her thoughts. Terrifying, inky-black creatures of animated sludge whose deaths give rise to lush vegitation. > "And we provide a service too, you know. There are people out there, trapped in these awful worlds, hanging on in spite of everything." "I see," The android's gaze lifts towards Ivy, "So this may also sometimes include rescue operations."
Madeleine Cadrasteia	Sarracenia offers a cloth to Madeleine, who accepts and briefly dabs at her brow. Then Ivy's wink stuns Madeleine for a full two seconds. Ivy could almost see the Madeleine's brain rebooting behind her eyes, if they weren't voids of night and falling stars. Madeleine slips the cloth into her pocket, apparently forgetting why it was put in her hand to begin with. "Oh, so many monsters! And you, you'll get a chance to see them." Madeleine does a little excited fist-pump. "Yesss! It'll be so much- I mean, I look forward to working with you." "Well, we're all working together in the future, aren't we? Seems kind of pointless to repeat it just for one person, right?" "Well, monsters are kind of my whole deal, right?" Madeleine says to Petra, while keeping her eyes on Ivy. "Like, my specialty. If something nasty comes through here it only makes sense to call me. Especially if it's a mothman or something." "It's a little something I stole back from the thing that took my arm." Madeleine ooohs again as Ivy curls her claws into a fist. "You stole portal powers? So cool... Was it like, a crazy space anomaly? Or some kind of monster? Or-" Madeleine stops short when she realizes she's inquiring about what might be a painful memory. "I mean, uh. If you don't mind my asking. Sorry." "Every day, our world gets bigger." "Yeah!" Madeleine seems truly enthused by the sentiment. "I love exploring new places, finding new creatures nobody's seen before... And, I mean, helping and rescuing people is good too, I guess. But I'm mostly in it for the cryptids and aliens, really." "Is there documentation on the risk grades and their criteria? "Ooh, yeah, tell us about the risk grades, Ivy! I mean, uh, Captain Carrow. Unless I can call you Ivy? I hope that's okay. You can call me Madeleine, of course. What are the different types? Is there one above 'malignant'? Or is that for the most dangerous worlds?"
Sarracenia	Those commands are the precise reason Sarra is keeping her eyes on Petra as best she can. Meika she isn't worried about, because despite thinking Meika is a brat she also thinks Meika is actually mostly a good hero. Which is why she isn't trying to make Meika uncomfortable. Petra being behind her is intolerable, though. When Petra speaks up from right behind Sarra, the princess tenses up and looks over her shoulder quickly at the shorter girl. She regards that twirling pistol, hmphs, then crosses her arms and looks up at the gate again. "I may avail myself of the shops at some point, but that is not why I came here. I came here to continue my efforts toward being a heroine worthy of a -true- hero." she says, then eyes Petra again. "Why did -you- come here? Looking for new populations to terrorize and stuff in robots?" she says. She is apparently confident that Petra won't attack here. Or at least is determined not to strike the first blow. '... Wicked hero is- I guess that makes sense, doesn't it...?' Sarracenia eyes Meika a moment with...not so much malice or anger or anything as much as just a serious neutral expression, then looks back to the gate again before saying, "Wicked hero only makes sense if applying it in the ancient fashion. The type of hero that should be referred to as legend or something along those lines. Modern heroes are supposed to inspire others to do good, bring people together, and endeavor to make everywhere they go a better, happier, and more peaceful place. Which is precisely what I am working toward now." S6 produces a POD and gives it a pat, and the mechanized declaration of 'AFFECTION RECEIVED' makes Sarracenia blink before giggling slightly. Her own companion, Gregory the butler piranha plant, is also keeping an eye on Petra and that twirling gun. Metaphorically since he does not seem to have eyes. Sarracenia looks toward him, though. "Gregory, if we do end up heading into one of those worlds today you should remain here until I return." He nods. Ivy explains a bit about where she got her powers, and Sarra ponders. "Hmm...a claw hand in exchange for portals...?" The princess ponders if she would be willing to make that trade. "...I would like to meet that creature, I think." Having some actual power and not just tools that can be taken away would be nice. And put her a step closer on her path of definitely not jealousy based competition and retribution.
Petra Soroka	"... I- I have band-aids in my bag, if you need them, or..." Petra looks confused at Meika at first, not even registering what she means and failing to track her sightline to her blood-spotted fingers. Eventually it clicks, and Petra shakes her head, wiping her fingers on her jacket. "Oh, no, I don't. This is normal." Whatever she means by that isn't elaborated on. "I guess I'm sort of, um, conflating different meanings of 'hero' with saying the wicked hero thing? Kind of. I mean, it was, uh... Ru Li, talking about how heroes can be good or evil, as long as they're really resolute about their goals and purpose. And I'm kind of the example of 'wicked', for that. But I do heroic things too." On the topic of explorers in general, Petra is happy to contribute her own meandering thoughts while walking around through Castle Carrow and hopping through dimensional tears. "It really is kind of cool though, right? Explorers, I mean. It's like... there's so much to do and see, and like-- even Elites, barely ever make it a point to just experience new things. People go to their fucking job and then go home over and over, and that barely changes at all when 'their job' is going around punching monsters whenever the radio tells them to." "I try to make it a point to..." Petra thinks about her own non-business trips to strange planets, and gradually realizes that every single one of them has been a date. "... er, see new places, when I get a chance. I could do it every day forever and not even see a fraction of it all. And when it's, like, uncharted danger... it's like you make yourself a little part of all those worlds by being the one to figure them out like puzzles." "Oh, I'm so sorry Petra. I don't mean to make you feel excluded." Petra swung, fumbled, struck by the riposte. She straightens back up, coughing on her cigarette from a sudden inhalation, and scrubs at her mouth with her forearm while looking away. "I'm not-- not fucking 'left out'. I've got tons of adventures myself. I've got so many adventures. I'm doing adventures all the time; I can choose whichever ones I want. It's even a whole thing, like-- like. I'll come if it's interesting. Or whatever." "It's a little something I stole back from the thing that took my arm." A Dark Power that she Stole from the Curse that took her arm? Petra has been around White Dwarf long enough to immediately, intuitively understand the appeal-- not that she wasn't attuned to it from the start. She's got her Silver FullBottle in her utility belt right now, even. "That's right. That's how you do it." Petra, nodding approvingly, divulges a precious echo of Lilian as a demonstration of some small form of trust that no one understands but herself. "If you see a chance to make yourself more beautiful, take it."
Petra Soroka	There is, however, a flicker of gold near her as her POD materializes from her inventory. "What the fuck?" Petra may not recognize S6, but she recognizes POD's design. "Ishirou robot?" "Especially if it's a mothman or something." Petra starts to say something snottily dismissive towards Madeleine, but abruptly loses steam at 'mothman'. Quiet for a few seconds, with a conflictedly pensive expression, Petra veers off on a tangent instead of continuing bullying. "Yeah, huh. Those are your specialty, aren't they. I think... well, I don't know. But I'll actually, maybe... it's kind of cool. That you do that. That that's a thing you can do." "Why did -you- come here?" Right back on her bullshit, Petra holds the revolver out to the side with her elbow cocked upwards, in a lazily smug pose. "Didn't you hear--" Madeleine says the name out loud to spare Petra the embarrassment of having forgotten it ten seconds after it was said. "Captain Carrow? It's a humanitarian operation, you know. I'm more than willing to help save people. I've helped people more than you ever have, right?" Glowing from having dinner plans with Lilian and being claimed by her in the radio earlier, Petra even pushes a little further, more confidently than usual. "And besides. If that's what it takes to get a true hero, then I'm already a million miles ahead of you. I have my true heroine. So I'm obviously just more worthy of one than you are, right? Especially after, you know, rescuing her from being locked in a tower, and all."
S6	> "What the fuck? Ishirou robot?" "No," S6's response is in that same even tone, "Mine is a Type 4X. An offensive design suitable for my combat specialization." "Ishirou fields a support model. Type 6X." > POD 042 HAS NOT EXCHANGED DATA WITH POD 153 IN SOME TIME. < S6 lets out a pensive, thoughtful noise, glancing sidelong at her drone when it speaks up. After a moment, she reaches back and tugs the device by one of its mechanical hands. Moving it to present the machine towards Petra framed with both gloved hands, she speaks again, "Are you curious about it?"
Meika Kirenai	"They're even- oh. Yeah. Don't- don't worry about it, if it's just..." Awkwardly, Meika drops the idea from her mind, as Petra fails to elaborate. There's no inkling she has that could fill in that gap of information, so she doesn't even try. '--Even Elites, barely ever make it a point to just experience new things.' "I- I got to go out to a zoo, the other day, that had actual polar bears." Meika's attempt to tack on an example of a thing that felt new or special falls a little awkwardly given how, frankly, childish it sounds. But she's even wearing the souvenir she got given, from it- maybe it's not the kind of new thing that matters here, in the idea of interdimensional explorers of alien and distant worlds, but another Earth's Alaska, and more, the breathing room to do something like that at all, feels novel enough for her to still smile a bit about. Even if it's lame. "It's- it must be kind of nice, for everything to be new, and not have to go back after, or..." she reiterates, in the way that makes painfully clear how out of reach that feels, regardless if it is or isn't- and how poorly she's ever managed treading in unfamiliar waters in the first place. Silently, she rocks forwards, then backwards, on her boots, lost in scattered thoughts. 'Every day, our world gets bigger.' Idly, "Do you ever think it'll get so big that it falls apart and collapses..?" It's another thought Meika doesn't mean to actually share, but doesn't quite realize she has. "... People you rescue join you? That's-" A small little exhale. "... That's kind of storybook, right..? That must be- must be nice. For you, and them." Perrodon's followup draws out a shuffling motion, as Meika actually turns his way. "... That's really heroic of you. You're-" And away she turns, again. "Aren't... monsters a lot of people's fortes, Miss- Cadrasteia..?" The magical girl fidgets with her messenger bag's strap, tightening it and loosening it, it sitting weird against a sore spot on her shoulder. Her tone sits vaguely defensive, instead of derisive. "I deal with them too. Petra does, so does- I guess the Princess's plant counts as a monster, so maybe she does, too..? It's- that's just part of how it all is." 'Modern heroes are supposed to...' Meika doesn't quite meet Sarracenia's gaze, and when she comes close to doing so, the magical girl flinches, but doesn't speak up. Instead, every further idea of how heroes should act, or strive towards, makes her wilt more and more. "... Oh. You're- that's something you're going for? That's- that's nice, I guess. Good luck." It doesn't sound like she means a single word of it.
Meika Kirenai	> AFFECTION RECEIVED < The POD's mechanical callout makes Meika flinch- like the blatant meaning of what casual little gestures of that sort is something not to be thought about. Shoulders hunch up, and hands retreat to her hoodie's pocket. 'Endless fields of sappphire flowers. Underground caverns lit by glowing crystals. It feels like there's endless wonders--and horrors--' The vibrant imagery and fond-ish tone Ivy takes draw the magical girl a bit out of the shut-down blank expression she'd retreated to, for the past moments. Quietly, Meika chews on the inside of her lip, and her irises flit about the area. "Did the flowers glitter like- like real gems..? Or was the shade just that kind of blue that you can almost imagine it would, or..." "Did you draw a picture?" That's a question brimming with hope for a 'yes', even if the captain hasn't given any indication of necessarily even being an artist. It betrays that Meika would, if she had the chance- it betrays that Meika wants to. It betrays that she's already doing something like it in her head, that's got her excited just to think about. "That must have been- yeah. Not for the whole entire..."
Ivy Carrow	"Is there documentation on the risk grades and their criteria? I would like to add this to my archive for future reference." "Absolutely." Alex speaks up, drawing a back of pamphlets from his jacket to hand out, all with the Warprunner symbol on them. It seems they'd carried enough of them for everyone. "We're adding new classes all the time, but these should give you a general idea of what to expect." Those who take it will find it to be a short explanation of exactly how their system works, and some of their most common classifications. "... That's kind of storybook, right..? "In a way, I suppose it is." He said, giving Meika a sideways, thoughtful glance. "But its real too, you know. The Captain and I, we were just normal people. The people who join us are usually just normal people. All it takes is being willing to start." "If you see a chance to make yourself more beautiful, take it." "That's RIGHT!" Ivy smiled too-wide, a gleam in her eye, as Petra drew close to her truth. "And you can never become something new if you're stuck in the same pattern, around the same people, in the same place!" "So this may also sometimes include rescue operations." "Sure will. And we'd be better at it with a whole suite of elites with us than on our own, won't we?" "Did you draw a picture?" ...A vase, full of sapphire flowers. They indeed glittered and gleamed. Gems shining, in the night. "You could take one if you wanted, you know. I know where to find more." She dismissied it, as though the offering were trivial, whether or not it really was. "You stole portal powers? So cool... Was it like, a crazy space anomaly? Or some kind of monster? Or-" ...I would like to meet that creature, I think. "All of that's a trade secret, I'm afraid!" She says again, wagging a metal finger, addressing Sarrcenia and Madeleine at once. "Could hardly talk about that on a tour with elites I've never worked with before, could I~? Speaking of which...Alex?" "Right." They flipped through their notebook, finally settling on a page. "The first expedition we'll be opening up to elite assistance will be the breaking of the Obsidian Vault. In a hostile world, where the physics don't allow for humans bodies to persist" "No need to worry about that part, long as you're careful; we've set up safeguards." "This will be an archeological expedition. This world, and this vault, seems to have once been habitable. We think the vault has clues. But, we can't get in. And when we do, there might be guardians." "That's where you'll come in!" Ivy clapped her hands together, grinning. "Who's ready to unearth ancient secrets?!" Alex cleared his throat, smiling slightly. "We'll keep you abreast of our plans." The brimming hope in her voice was enough to make Ivy pause. Then, smile. "Would you like to see one?" Without waiting for an answer she pressed two fingers through the substance of space, slicing through it, prying it open to reveal... "Do think on it, won't you?" Another portal forced itself open behind Ivy as she stepped aside, gesturing toward what looked like...The interior of a restraunt? "And while you are, dinner. I insist."
Sarracenia	Sarracenia hmphs at Petra and turns to face her fully, taking advantage of her half foot in height difference and turns her head up slightly in proper haughty nobility fashion. "You know so very little about me. You...me...we think we know simply because we have heard things on the radio. But, I am starting to see that the radio is a terrible thing on which to base everything. I may not have gotten out as much as I should have over the last several years, but I have done my part to save people. I have brokered peace between humans and goblins when each thought the other was going to annihilate them. I have helped stop world ending beings like soul-eating magical girls and Lovecraftian monstrocities. I have been in cities saving civilians from gods who were fighting there merely to find out if they were friends. I have been to dark places full of hellish monsters who wished to douse the last bits of light." She leans a bit closer and speaks more quietly. "And I have no doubt that you were somehow the cause of or somehow linked to whatever happened to Lilian. She makes it quite clear that she despises you almost as much as she likes you. It is also clear that Tamamo does not want you around. If you actually cared for Lilian, you would make her life easier by not being around. You seem quite proud of being the champion of a heroine, of the fact that you have your true heroine. Yet, she belongs to another and you tarnish her with each villainous action you take thanks to your close association with her." Sarracenia hmphs before continuing. "It is just as I said after we left that World Computer. You poison the good things around you, and add to those poisons already in place." Meika offers a barely felt good luck, and Sarracenia looks her way. "Thank you." she says, just as lacking in sincerity. As the portal to the restaurant is opened, Sarracenia sighs. "I am afraid I must decline, Captain Carrow. There are..." Her eyes shift toward Petra. "...certain people here that I doubt could share a civil meal with me. I would not want the atmosphere at dinner to be tainted. I will however wait for an update on your plans." She curtseys, probably without even hearing the description of the Obsidian Vault world, then motions to Gregory and they head toward the entrance. She passes somewhat close to Meika on her way and says in passing, "It was good to see you having fun." before continuing on her way.
Petra Soroka	As needlingly obnoxious as Petra's smug mockery is, there's something inherently warm and enthusiastic always latently present in her expressions-- certainly not fondness of any kind for the person she's pouring cruelty onto, but some amount of passion for the act itself, the adrenaline of the sporting and sparring. It's noticed in its absence, when Sarracenia's words make it drain away, flattening Petra's affect to distant, alien contempt. The cruel uplift of her eyes relaxes, her smirk loses all muscular tension, eyes flick half-lidded to sear through Sarracenia's head and focus on some abstract, rotten thing buried a million miles away and inside her skull simultaneously. Indistinct, heat-clouded loathing, as if Sarracenia the person ceased to exist to her as anything but a faceless tumor grown swollen and thrust into Petra's perception. Quirks of performative posture slacken to leave her standing neutrally. She doesn't react to the lean-in, or the harrumphing, and it's not clear she even notices when Sarracenia finishes talking until she responds belatedly. "I know everything about you. I know how fucking pathetically little there is to know. I know that nothing you've ever experienced can help you change or grow, because you're an apathetic husk of a human being who's not even capable of grasping the concepts. You leak out every one of your soulless little thoughts with every word you say, freak." Toneless, numb, Petra's enthusiasm both for the bullying and for the chuunibyou adventurer feels as incompatible with her presentation now as this would've been only a few minutes before. Her eyes fail to track Sarracenia properly, following after her on a delay as she moves and only approximately landing on her physical form, never in the same spot. "You're not a mystery. You're tied for dead fucking last for the least unique person in the multiverse, along with the trillions of maggots just like you. I mean everything I say in the radio, princess, and you do too, whether you mean to or not. Every time you talk, it's so fucking obvious how much contempt you have for everyone but yourself." "If it would help Lilian for me to not be around, I would've killed myself--" Petra hesitates and blinks, dragged out of her stupor for the sole reason of calculating the passage of time, so she doesn't accidentally lie through imprecision. "-- ten months ago. It wouldn't. She's the reason I'm alive, and around. The fact that you can't even fucking imagine that this is something that she and I have already talked about means you don't know shit about us."
Petra Soroka	"Of course Lilian hates me. Of course Tamamo hates me. Of course I don't deserve to be alive. Of course I make the world worse with everything I touch." These being the subjects of Petra's own stress and meltdowns ever since her psychohazard fever, she expects the same old hollow feeling to well up inside her after saying them out loud, but when they come from Sarracenia... it feels practically silly to feel bad. Someone who understands Petra and Lilian so consistently poorly that it's better to assume that she's wrong every time rather than right once could never get anything correct about the intricacies of their relationship, and in that context, the weight Petra felt from those true-but-resolved facts seems to vanish. "Your elementary schooler grade analysis of my relationships isn't going to hurt me, princess. Using us as weapons against each other isn't going to work. Talking about... corrupting, and tarnishing, and fucking poisoning, isn't anything that both of us haven't heard a million times already. Every word out of your mouth is the uncritical average of the generic soulless slop you people live in. I'd tell you to kill yourself again but I'd barely notice when the next one takes your place." As if rebalancing pressure with a vacuum, getting out those last words soothes something in Petra's demeanor, giving her the opportunity to belatedly notice something Sarracenia said with more life in her voice than before. She blinks and then stares, incredulous. "... 'Belongs to another'? What the fuck are you talking about? I-- I have a girlfriend?" Ivy opens the portal to the restaurant, but Petra is already waving over her shoulder and turning to leave. "Maybe later, Carrow. I've already got dinner plans tonight, with both the greatest supervillain in the multiverse, and the greatest heroine."