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Rita Ma      Maybe it's the feeling of weighty responsibility that makes Rita dress more upper-class today: hair loosely tied back with a little thin ribbon, smooth knee-length sundress, plain bolero jacket.

     As she waits for arrivals by the Trideag ground story's elevator, her posture's austere too: hands neatly folded, back patiently upright. Nonon showing up warms her, but even that can't melt her composure completely.

     "Thank you all for coming on short notice. I think you all know me. It's been a bit over a week since we secured a dozen 'mermaids' for treatment," she says. "If you weren't informed, these are really human victims of a monster called the Pallid Whale. We've just gotten some equipment from the Union Busan set up, so if you'll follow me..."

     The elevator's big enough for everyone comfortably. She punches in the numbers after holding the door. While it rises ten floors:

     "We'll be looking at four mermaids especially today. I chose them because they best represent stages of the 'disease'. Bisu, Nonon's friend, has the most... remaining humanity. The others have been given names: Mint, Ariel, and Saturn, in order of... um, how far gone they are." Poor girl. Despite her demeanor, she's visibly a little uncomfortable.

     Rita shifts from one leg to the other and clears her throat uncomfortably. "Our main goal is mental rehabilitation. I don't have high hopes for them becoming physically human again, especially Saturn. But I'd like to halt the advancement of physical symptoms. Controlling the sense of loneliness seems especially..."

     Ding. She's interrupted by the elevator door opening.
Lilian Rook     Lilian had warned everyone at the orientation not to visit the tenth floor casually. Her words were in fact, 'Don't let me catch you screwing around here.' and 'It's keycarded for your own good'. Now several people who aren't already cryptographers, computer technicians, virologists, or hazardous disposal specialists, get to learn why.

    Accessible only by main lift, almost the entirety of the tenth floor is dimmed or darker; better to read instrumentation and reduce wear of photoreactive components. Only the corridor that runs around the perimeter of the level, and the four way intersection that asymmetrically quarters it, is walkable without decontamination, a clear suit, or a removal of all portable storage media. Even the more ordinary areas feel as if you're moving around under blacklight.

    Easily a third of the floor-- as much as several restaurants from the first storey-- is dedicated to COMPUTING; server rooms, digital storage, and computer analytics, studying god knows what day and night, with only a small portion of it given over to security (apparently, Lilian pays enough to actually watch the cameras). Another fifth is labelled COLD STORAGE and keyed with locks your cards as Fixers don't even respond to. The portion that matters to you today is in BIOHAZARD QUARANTINE, which is, alone amongst the rest of the sights at HQ, eerily similar to a slice out of Lobotomy Corporation.

    There's only so many ways to design a standalone cell with locking redundancies and its own power circuit, after all; especially one designed to contain practically anything one can think of without becoming a danger to everyone outside by its presence. The design and parts are cheap to get from L Corp; dispatching with the brutalist beige industrial hardware doesn't even so much as represent an upgrade as much as Lilian's familiarity with how the Immunes corps secures their samples, given the aesthetic of tessellated gunmetals, interactive panels, and structural curvature. Only the kitchenette-sized airlocks and equipment rooms before each cell are her genuine addition.

    The short rows of cells form a dead-end U on purpose; no prize for guessing why. It's a disastrous OSHA fire safety violation, though a fire breaking out would be the least of your worries here. For now, you have the corner (metaphorical; it's near the center) to yourself. The only team on duty was scheduled to start work and leave early a week in advance; if you're prompt, you can catch them shucking off their blood-soaked hazmats behind one of the windows across from your destination, and talking about dinner plans on their way to the security checkpoint.

    Thankfully, that room has nothing to do with you. The handful of 'mermaids' are being kept along an adjacent bank. Your keycards don't get in, but Rita either has temporary access, or, as a Star of the City, doesn't need one to go anywhere, and can wave you into any cell of her choice.

    Regardless, a voice that quickly clears their throat on the other end of the intercom very smoothly and professionally urges you to wear the provided gloves, vests, masks, and security goggles, listing off the potential side effects of whale oil like a heart medication commercial.
Rita Ma      ... more pressingly, revealed as the elevator doors open is a scraggly-looking blonde man wearing Science Attire in handcuffs, being held at pneumatic-rifle-gunpoint by an ominous figure in an old-fashioned diving suit.

     "Oh. Hey, Rita." "Hi, Sea Monkey. What did Dr. Foid do?" "Uh, precautionary." "Oh. I understand."

     Rita walks down the hall past the pair of them unbothered. The middle-aged man (he looks like he might be her distant relative) clucks his tongue after her, then smiles at the rest of the group, offering his rubber-gloved hand to shake.

     "Ah, how rude. It's a pleasure to meet you all. Doctor Foid. I believe some of us have met? After working with little Rita, I'm delighted to be back to--" "Doctor Foid." Half-head-turn, from behind him. "If you speak to me on personal affairs without being spoken to, I will kill you. Is that clear?" "Erk. Ahhh, perfectly."

     He shakes his head at the Elites still, as if to say 'you see what I deal with?'.

     Past him and around the bend, some space-age scanning tech like a glass coffin has been hastily set up, and four of the cells are open, their occupants trusted to be docile.
White White shows up her typical fifteen minutes in advance, letting herself in through the front and taking the opportunity to awkwardly ask for any application materials there might be for Trideag members, as if she were asking for a WcRonalds application. When the time comes for Rita to address everyone and get the show on the road, White is the very picture of disaffected calm; she'd come in with a winter coat but since dismissed it to an alternate space, and seems to be wearing her usual outfit again (plus some long knitted white legwarmers) with her lengthy braid loosely scarf-wrapped around her neck. She nods when invited to follow and does so, and although scrunching into an elevator with a group of others is *mildly* uncomfortable it only really shows in how she nestles into a corner to create a bit of space.

     Along the way she has a momentary break from the almost absentminded nodding along to Rita's explanation when she hears 'Ariel', but the barely expressed pout on her face vanishes before long. 'Mean to her! Mean to the Demon Lord! She's totally not far gone, just ignore the Maou-Shoujo bit.' she gripes internally as she recalls a striking memory of her own Ariel. The talk of loneliness being a particular concern helps bring her back into focus though, as she recalls something else instead. 'I just keep finding new reasons why she's so invested in this, huh? Well, it's not like I can solve that. I'm mostly here to observe, but...'

     *Ding* goes the elevator, or at least something in her mind provides the matching noise if the elevator doesn't. She hadn't quite expected this much of a movie-like quarantine zone, and it takes her somewhat more out of her comfort zone for sheer unfamiliarity! Fortunately at least for right now she doesn't have any pressing impulses to touch funny chemicals or mess with things she can't recognize without magic. If she can't have her phone in some of the areas, she'll just have to send it away for her little clones to play with for a while. She's unable to help but peep into some of the unrelated cells through the containment doors and walls, but it's not especially likely that she'll find anything objectionable enough to comment on beyond pithy remarks in her head. She genuinely isn't interested in much here besides the mermaids' treatment and how Rita handles it.

     Her fashion sense goes to waste when protective equipment is recommended, but White only facetiously grumps about it to herself as she's putting it on. She got exposed to the stuff once already and would rather not have to cut another hand off abruptly around Rita if she can help it. Foid introduces himself, but she's already kind of written him off as Potimas-shaped from what little secondhand she's heard, so she doesn't bother to respond to him. Instead, she gives the stranger 'Sea Monkey' a little thumbs up. 'Good job.' it says. Obsessive scientists are a menace!
Madeleine Cadrasteia     Truth be told, Madeleine has been wanting to get into the tenth floor labs since she was first told not to try. Even so it's hard for her to show full enthusiasm in her present state - she's clearly been losing sleep lately, and her hair could've used more time with a brush. The protective goggles, once she has them on, don't quite hide the bags under her eyes. But, blessedly, she's here mostly to observe and, if necessary, keep Dr Spring safe.

    The doctor, on the other hand, is bright-eyed and happy to be here. Her long brown hair is up in a high bun today, and she looks very much at home with the high-end PPE over her neat burgundy-red dress. Her comfortable smile only fades when Dr Foid makes his introduction. She shakes his offered hand, but only as a formality. "We'll be working with you today," says Dr Spring, unwilling to even pretend to be happy about that. "Have you had a look at the subjects yet?" There's a note in her voice that suggests she's hoping Foid didn't get 'first dibs'.
Angela That Nonon is able to visit is a bit of a miracle. While Gebura was the one who Nonon had to ask directly, Angela also had to give permission and there was the chance that the Manager would be in an Ayin-state and just deny the request outright. Framing it as a scientific venture to learn more about Abnormalities and the line between person and creature--well, that's really a cover. Angela apparently elected not to spitefully deny Rita's request despite their recent fight but maybe it is because of that recent fight Angela is more inclined to lend a hand after all. Pushing against the expectations of her is something she is, at present, interested in doing.

This is both Sal and Nonon's first time at the Trideag Association. Nonon in particular seems to make a number of the more knowledgeable of Fixer lore uneasy. Rita can say she's changed, but it's still a little weird letting an infamous pirate into your home especially since her mannerisms don't seem all that different from what was reported about her.

Sal hasn't been outside on missions as of late but they have kept their hair in a green ponytail. They've never been seen without EGO Gear on and are just wearing a suit, all identifiers linking them to Lobotomy Corp are missing--as they are with Nonon. Lenny is escorting the two of them. Lenny has been visiting the Tenth Floor more than most of the other Trideag members, using it as an opportunity to expand her knowledge. She's still got more to learn and she's not exactly a mad genius--everything she learns is a product of hard work rather than innate intelligence or wisdom--but she's working hard and knows the Tenth Floor like the back of her hand now. Lenny also isn't particularly put off by Nonon because she has no idea who she is.

But once they get in the elevator, the chipper and GA HA HAing Nonon goes uncharacteristically quiet. She's anxious. She's wondering if there was something she could have done, if maybe if she acted more quickly she could've gotten her to Rita in a a better state. It's been like a year at least she could have...

Sal feels more readily at home now that they've seen a biohazard containment cell but their expression has been cool the whole time.

"Stabilization. Got it." Sal is clinical, dispassionate. Maybe their heart has been fully buried from when M.O.M remaining in a coma for so long. They don't even say hello to Kukuru. Or anyone.

Nonon and Sal both put on the assorted safety wear. Sal helps Nonon with hers as she is struggling to get hers to fit properly but eventually they work something up and make it work.

The way Doctor Foid says 'Little Rita' in conjunction with Rita's unease around him puts Nonon on edge. She gives him a small nod but keeps her distance.

Sal, however, steps forward and offers their hand as a matter of professional courtesy and doesn't seem perturbed by Dr. Foid at all, even if she's not chipper about it. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. Foid. I am Sal, Captain of the Information Team at L-Corp. While our presence here is unofficial, we are here to answer any local questions regarding Abnormalities and Anomolies and their processes for modifying humans into their servants. I do not expect it is too different from your local Abnormalities."

"Hey..." Lenny murmurs to White. "You were on the mission that captured the mermaids right? Arachne mentioned you."
Angela "She's in one of these cells?" Nonon asks but isn't going to approach the cells without Rita's permission. She's being uncharacteristically cautious. "She's on the other side of one of these doors?" Part of her wishes Shajo was here to make it easier but it was hard enough getting permission to go herself. If these are Lobotomy Corp-style cell doors there are little windows to look through but they are pretty small. "Um, got the idea for Ariel from one of Tennant's movies. If we ever learn their real name we can use that instead but having one at all might be worth it even if it's not the right one."

"Likely," Sal agrees. "How would you like us to proceed, Miss Rita, Dr. Foid?"

Nonon grimaces, clenching and unclenching her fists.
Rita Ma      'Sea Monkey' nods their be-helmeted head at White in silent solidarity. Obsessive scientists are a menace.

     Foid looks between Madeleine and Dr. Spring, makes an inference even though she didn't introduce herself, and smiles. (There's something simian in his smile. He gives the uncomfortable impression of being both an academic and a greedy little monkey.)

     "Ah! The MCRD. Then you're Doctor Spring, aren't you? You have no idea how lucky you are! No, I've looked at them, but I'd hardly say I've had a look at them. I wasn't to do that without Rita present, evidently." Little grumpy edge. "That's right. You weren't," says Sea Monkey, casually poking him with the gun like a bug.

     Foid has his goggles and a mask down around his neck. Sea Monkey can't not be hazmat-safe in that bulky suit. Rita has bothered with no such things. She looks up at the intercom while walking down the hallway:

     "Thank you, Miss Radio, but they're perfectly safe at the moment." Looking back again: "I'm not sure if they can control their oil secretion, but they won't touch you if you don't touch them." "Ahh, Rita, you've come so far..." "Doctor Foid." "Hrk. R-right."
White White is mildly surprised when Lenny speaks to her, and it takes her a few seconds to confirm she isn't talking to someone else like Lilian. Hearing the word 'Arachne' throws her for a slight loop too, but it's a relatively memorable name and easy to assign to the face it matches given the... Obvious connections. So, for once, White actually recognizes a near-stranger's name! And she was memorable to them in a good(?) way! Yay! Still, she just answers with a small nod, adjusting the protective mask a little with both palms to seat it more comfortably. Her eyes are still closed for now too, so the goggles look a little more odd than normal on her.

     The reassurance about present safety doesn't stop White from keeping the PPE on, though. Just because she'd *probably* be okay without it doesn't mean she doesn't want to at least look like she can take instructions. Usually. 'I mean, Lilian is right there, and I think she was annoyed with me before, so... Just gotta keep the act up!'
Rita Ma      "Captain Sal. It's a pleasure," Foid says, and seems to mean it, in his at-least-slightly-greasy way. "Oh, I'm sure there's complexities in the differences. From everything I've heard, your world's 'abnormalities' often have a supernatural aspect. Except for the mental network, which remains elusive, leviathan hives are strictly physicalist, with a retroviral mechanism of..."

     Oh god. He's never gonna shut up.

     Rita slows down a little to match pace with Nonon, holds the big pirate woman's hand, squeezes it in a subdued hug-substitute, and then picks up her pace again to pull them both to the fore.

     "No, um, of course not. I wouldn't keep Ms. Bisu in a closed cell. Like I said, right now even the monstrous ones are harmless, so..."

     Around the U-bend of the containment cell hallway, there's four chambers with their doors left purposefully open. Through the doorways can glimpse driftwood-and-scrapmetal homey furniture imported for just that purpose, little handmade or ocean-scavenged toys, a throw rug or two... it's no proper interior decoration, but it's clearly meant to make them feel more like 'apartments' than 'cells'.

     Whether their occupants can be glimpsed right now is up to chance, and your bravery.

     Foid clasps his hands together avariciously. Rita ignores him. "Bisu? Miss Bisu, are you awake? It's time. Your mom's here to see you," she calls out tenderly.
Kukuru Whenever someone calls for Kukuru to help with something, it'd be more surprising not to see her around than anything else. When it's someone she's particularly fond of, it's not even out of the question to see her showing up within minutes. Today is no different, as it only takes a few mimuntes after Rita makes the request of her on the radio to actually show up, ominous swirling magic noise and all heralding Kukuru's arrival in a cloud of inky blackness.

She's in her usual comfortably frilly outfit consisitng of the white blouse and green-brown skirt, of course, since Rita had indicated that there's a gentle touch needed today. That's enough to tell Kukuru she probably won't need to do too much physical mending, but if their illness happens to need part removal...

She'll worry about it later, and it's better to let them see a friendly face than someone dressed for the complete opposite. Spotting Rita as she steps out of the cloud, Kukuru's smile widens, and she's about to go right up to her for her usual dose of physical affection before realizing Rita's dressed better today! And with the work involved...

She shouldn't interrupt the briefing, even if she really wants to go up to her and swing her around a little. There's already a lot to take in, having never actually seen this building before now. "This place is real impressive... Is this that new association you all started up?" She asks with a touch of pride, audibly and visibly trying to keep it in check even though she really does feel so damn proud seeing how far this place has come already.

It's a serious sounding matter, after all, and Kukuru furrows her brow as she tries to get her brain working enough to figure out how to actually approach things. "With the four of them... Checking on Bisu and Saturn first should help with figuring out what we can do to help them, mhm." She guesses, already preparing herself for seeing the two extremes at play.

Rita's discomfort in the elevator is too much for Kukuru to bear, though, and she slides on over to her to take her hand and grasp it gently between both of hers. "Don't worry, dear. It's.. It'll probably be tricky, but we'll figure things out.  We've got some of the best minds here with us, you knoow?" There's Rita herself, Angela's agents, White, Madeleine, and several people from Rita's home already! She doesn't see Lilian around yet, but knowing she's involved in this gives her more confidence in the eventualy success of all this. Sal's manner of speaking has her looking slightly worried, though, and she desperately wants to check on them as well, but...

No, they probably wouldn't appreciate having attention drawn to them out of the blue like this.

Soon, she sees Rita being particularly blunt with Doctor Foid, and Kukuru takes that as a cue to greet him personally as well. "He-llo there... My name's Kukuru." She greets him in an coldly pleasant tone completely with a wide eyes-open smile, and she doesn't do the pause-and-repeat thing she always does. "Don't worry. If Rita kills you, I'll just make sure you come back. And if she does it again, I can, too~"

With that 'reassurance' issued, she focuses her attention on taking in as much as she can of the building's layout. Multiple floors, lots of carefully controlled areas, plenty of protection against all manner of biohazards. She certainly doesn't want to bring any of that back home, so the warnings to put all that safety gear on is heeded thoroughly by Kukuru and then some. She even pauses to check on everyone else's gear to make sure the check list of gloves, vests, masks, and goggles are all completed for everyone, and then...
Kukuru It's time to see the patients. Armed with the utmost confidence in the protective gear Lilian seleted for today, Kukuru heads right on up to the first cell that she's assuming is Bisu's. Kukuru steps to the side to let Nonon address her daughter first, looking only mildly surprised at finding out Nonon has a child at all before having to fight back some lumps in the back of her throat at suddenly realizing how much this situation must hurt.

Keeping quiet means Kukuru can instead focus her gaze on Bisu directly, intensifying her focus to seek out any physical injuries there might be first. She's already heard that there's a lot of changes going on in the mermaid's bodies, so the first step is visually isolating the 'human' from the 'mermaid' parts first to determine what parts she even can heal with her questionable healing methods.
Sarracenia      Sarracenia is excited and scared to join in on today's mission. Save a mermaid. A mermaid that is apparently linked to Nonon. Sarra can't really say she knows Nonon. It is more like she has met Nonon. Still, Sarra wants to help if she can...mostly because no one was trying to before. And also because this might be one way to break one of the most terrible and disgusting industries she's ever heard of!

     Since it is a proper Trideag activity, Sarra is wearing her black velvet Trideag dress. Gold embroided seams and two rows of buttons down the front make it look even a bit more fancy. She follows after Rita when prompted, listening as much as she is able to what Rita is saying.

     For some reason, Sarra wasn't expecting hazmat protocol. But, even she looks annoyed at herself for -not- thinking of it as she is urged to put on the various protective items. She puts them on, not wanting to be contaminated.

     'If you speak to me on personal affairs without being spoken to, I will kill you. Is that clear?'

     Sarra's eyes widen at that. Sure, she doesn't know Rita that well but still she is surprised to hear a death threat to casually thrown out. Sarra looks Dr. Foid over, then hmphs. "Serves you right for asking a lady's measurements." she says to him seemingly randomly.

     Madeleine is here. Sarra gives her a bit of an awkward smile and a little fingerwaggle of a wave when she sees the monster hunter. "Do not worry. The tribble situation in the Sundew Kingdom is still well under control." she says, hoping it will help relieve some of that tiredness. White also receives a greeting. "Ah, hello Miss White. It is good to see you again."

     Foid starts talking about the whales and mermaids, and Sarra hmphs and crosses her arms. "I think we should just take my navy and eliminate the Pallid Whales. That usually cures the infected in situations such as this."

     As Foid calls for Bisu, Sarra looks curiously toward the room and tries to find an angle where she can look inside. Kukuru's words to the creature inside unnerve Sarra a bit. "Hopefully it will not come to that." Sarra says, then hesitates a moment. "It is a bit of an...extreme longshot, but...I am curious if we should try one of my power-ups. Something harmless, of course. It is just a theory but...it could interfere with the powers of the creature? The infection seems somewhat like a power-up itself. And one power-up overwrites the first."
Angela Lenny grins at White, "It's all a lot isn't it? You'll get used to it." That seems to be her interpretation anyway.

"We'll see." Sal says. "But I'm confident with all the experts at our disposal we will make some headway, at least." They seem interested in what Foid has to say more than his personality flaws and are soon taking notes on a datapad and nodding along. "I am surprised you have studied Abnormalities at all." They admit.

Nonon is surprised at the idea of not keeping Bisu in a cell, or any of the others really. Nonon wonders if she's been in LobCorp for so long that she's a little cracked or maybe she's normal and it's the multiverse that's a little off.

When Rita calls for her, Bisu tentatively pokes her head out of the cell. She has long teal hair and a durag around her head. It's largely unkempt and looks like it hasn't been properly tended to for years, "Mom...?" Bisu asks.

"Bisssuuuu...." Nonon reaches steven universe levels of tear production in an instant and rushes into Bisu and hefts her up the floor in a ginormous hug powerful enough you can nearly hear Bisu's bones creak. Bisu is covered in a strange white substance across approximately half her body and one of her eyes. She returns the embrace a bit lamely and makes blubbery noises.

Kukuru can examine her while this is going on but she's not significantly injured. there's some scrapes bruises and cuts but the white mass growing along and within her body is too far integrated with her to be considered an 'injury' anymore. Even with her there is a level of neural integration that would be dangerous to remove.

"What happened to you!! It's been over ten years, but you barely look any different!"

"It's...it's a big blur. There was someone in there that helped, I think... But I don't know how long it was..."

The other mermaids don't leave their 'cells'. Mint, the next most human one, is absolutely covered in that white mass across their body and you can see the beginnings of scales, but outside of that they look mostly human. They have short mint green hair--hench the name--but they crane their head to look at those gathering outside the cells and remains still, saying nothing.

The mesh has fully integrated with Ariel, the second most fishlike of the four. She's still standing on two legs but her hair is gone and fins having fully grown out of her head and she has a second pair of eyes under her first pair. She stares at the visitors, also not talking, and is in a crouch--watching Rita patiently for ... something. Rita knows she's waiting for a delicious meal of fish.

Saturn, on the other hand, is essentially a full mermaid. They look positively monstrous. They have the blue and white fins jutting out of them but their arms have been twisted unnaturally back and their legs have fused into a single tail. They move themselves along the floor with their hands and when Sarracenia threatens the Pallid Whale, they hiss at her. They have three sets of eyes and a large mouth ripped open in the center of them. They are eyeing the humans hungrily, but they remain ... pacified.
Madeleine Cadrasteia     Dr Spring starts by reviewing the data that's already been collected on the patients, looking over charts to familiarize herself with their condition before setting foot into any of the rooms. Even if this means Dr Foid gets in there first, it's proper practice. *Some* of us are taking this seriously, she thinks to herself. Besides, this Nonon lady deserves a moment before the doctors go in with their instruments. If she can, Dr Spring will compare across charts as well, to get a sense for the order of changes imposed by the transformation, the stages at which different organs or systems mutate.

    Without invasive procedures or outright dissection of the various stages there's only so much that can be inferred about the redevelopment of the soft tissues of the nervous system, but Spring isn't even going to *suggest* either of those. What she is hoping to glean is this: if there's a psychic link to the whale, the body or mind is at some point perpetuating that link on its own, without need for further exposure to whale oil. Or the whale's oil functions like a virus, reproducing itself within the subject's body - a preferable case, really, but not one she considers likely.

    "Do not worry. The tribble situation in the Sundew Kingdom is still well under control."

    Madeleine sighs a little and folds her arms. "Thanks. You've been... better about it than I expected."
White White doesn't have to move much to see each of the four, since the walls prove to be no obstacle. Nonon and Bisu have their emotional moment, and White takes her time looking between the decor and the other three mermaids-in-progress. Mint might be most likely to actually see her head turn their way a little in what should appear more like an 'I hear you' gesture than an 'I see you' one. She's sizing them up behaviorally much like Mint probably is to her and the other non-mermaids really, so they're on equal grounds socially as far as White is concerned. The one named Ariel waiting for a meal makes White draw her own hypocritically mean comparisons to the 'real' Ariel's appetite, but it's only in passing. She does have some fish stored away right now, but it's already grilled and she remembers Rita having some kind of issue with cooked food. Besides, it's *her* fish! Ariel will just have to wait for mealtime for now.

     Saturn, meanwhile, is the first to elicit pity from White. That kind of depersonalization was something she was very scared of for a long, long time, so it's among her few emotional tender-spots. Saturn clearly feels wary and uneasy, especially after Sarracenia's comment, so the pity she feels sneaks out in the form of subtle action. Her eyes open, the faint red-pink glint of their backlight faintly sparkling against the goggles' eyecaps. A gentle dose of soothing, courtesy of the Evil Eye of Hypnosis, applied to dull their agitation and relax them. To do so, she steps a little closer to Saturn's cell in particular, only enough to have a clear natural view. It'll be good to see how helpful she can be before someone actually tries to count on her today, too.
Kukuru "Power ups? Oh, that could be... Hmm. I dunno how that really works, but if Rita thinks it'll work out... Maaybe?" Kukuru suggests to Sarracenia, looking between her and Rita a few times to await the latter's assessment of that idea.

Seeing Nonon's reaction to Bisu and likewise helps Kukuru's heart swell several times its usual size. It's hard not to get distracted by their embrace, and it takes a few moments for Kukuru to wipe the tears out of her own eyes before she can finally get a clearer look at the mass within her body.  She sniffles lightly before stepping away from the 'cell', keeping her voice low so that she can speak a little more discreetly to Rita, Lenny, Sal, White, Madeleine, and Sarracenia.

"The mermaid stuff in there... Mm. It's real deep in there, mhm, and all jumbled up. Kinda like... Lasagna?" A pause, and then she nods firmly. "Lasagna. You can't really separate the sauce or the cheese, even if the meat is still chunky enough to touch..." She comments, stroking her chin lightly while starting to move towards Saturn's cell instead.

It only makes sense to tend to the one that's the most 'gone'. With the way she reacts to Sarracenia talking about the Pallid Whale, though, there's clearly a level of intelligence and comprehension there. With any luck, there might be something she can still do! Stopping at the outside of the cell, Kukuru lets out a pleasant humming noise as she raps a knuckle against the nearest solid surface. "He-llo in theeere~ Are you Saturn?" She asks, the pleasant (actual) smile still lingering on her face after seeing that sweet moment between Bisu and Nonon.

"My name's Kukuru." The pause. "That's Ku-ku-ru. How're you feeling, dear? I've gooot..." Still smiling sweetly as she steps inside, Kukuru doesn't look bothered in hte slightest by Saturn's appearance. Why would she? She's lived among plenty of monsters and undead at home, so seeing someone in this state is...

Well, it's still sort of new, but largely because of the ripped mouth. Frowning slightly as she gets a better look at Saturn's face, she holds a hand out towards them first, gesturing lightly at said mouth. "Does that hurt? Do you want me to help you feel better?" She offers, squatting nearby and stumbling a bit to just sit right on the floor instead. After extending her legs to sit normally-ish on the ground, Kukuru pats her lap with one hand while holding up the other to show the light faded glow of nanites swirling around them. "I can fix up any parts that hurt, you know? And I've got pleeenty of snacks and food right in here, if you wanna tell me aaanything you'd like to eat."
Rita Ma      "I am surprised you have studied Abnormalities at all."
     Foid puffs up a little, smiling lopsidedly. "Hm? Oh, I've researched many things. I'm a true Renaissance--" Then a diving helmet leans into frame. "He was pestering someone about it yesterday." "A time-honored method of initial research!"

     Rita has a hard time keeping herself emotionally steady near Nonon and Bisu's display, too. Her heart feels like it's going to crack. Something hot scratches the inside of her throat. Even as composed as she is, she's tempted into stepping forward and adding her arms to their hug- but then she pulls away, shy. It's not really my place.

     She clears her throat after, awkwardly, and leans on the cell's open doorframe.

     "A whale's nature is 'loneliness'," she says slowly. "It doesn't know how to be with people without... um, absorbing them. So it always ends up alone."

     "From what I've learned, people turn into mermaids mostly after being trapped inside a whale for a long time, and succumbing to that same loneliness. If someone has help and company, like Bisu did, progress can be slowed even while inside the whale. How much of the mental changes are because of 'loneliness', and how much is from 'loneliness' letting the body change... I don't know."

     Mint peering makes Rita turn around and wave brightly. "Oh! Um, hi again, Mint. Hi, Ariel. Sorry for all the commotion. These people are friends, I promise. Do you want to say hi?"

     There's a soothing, almost nurturing demeanor about her that doesn't normally come out. So that's the type of queen she is.

     'Try to relax, please. It'll be okay. Don't get oil on them if you can help it,' Rita gently orders the three other mermaids mentally. There is a limitation, though, that White might begin to suss out: Rita can give commands that must be obeyed, but she has a harder time influencing how something feels. She can't simply tell them to not be lonely ever again... and although she can tell Saturn not to attack humans, it'll be hard to make them not want to attack humans.
Rita Ma      "Ms. Kukuru, we have something that could help with the diagnostics, I think." "Oh, is it time for the full-body scanner? How nostalg--" "Sea Monkey, please ready the somatic scanner." "Sure thing, Rita." "Hmph. That was my idea."

     Before that, Rita slips into Mint's room, opens a little fridge she'd smuggled in, and hands out chilled (raw) tuna steaks to each of the four mermaids, leaving it out on a nearby little table for Bisu. Then she goes for Saturn- hesitates, when she sees both White and Kukuru focusing on them- and moves to Ariel, instead.

     "Ariel, could you come with me please? We'd just like you to lay down in that glass tube over there for a moment. It won't hurt." Rita leads her over to the 'scanner', which looks like a mix between an MRI scanner and a sci-fi cryotube with a thin metal bar that sweeps over glass. On the nearby control panel (manned avariciously by Dr. Foid), a three-dimensional image of Ariel's body starts to build up.

     "Ah, here we are. Now, let's focus on the brain, and how the foreign flesh has invaded it. For Rita, neural infiltration was, ah, formerly minimal--" "Doctor." "Nnn. What I mean is, let's see if there's any inflammation indicating the human immune system fighting back. That could be a source of cognitive decline in itself! And if the conversion into 'mermaid' flesh is caused by any particular enzymes we can isolate, we can find a diet devoid of the enzymes' chemical precursors, 'starving' the new flesh from advancing..."

     He babbles on like that for a little while, engrossed in the joy of his work.
Lilian Rook     White's inquiry at the front desk is met with a kind of gracious smiling readiness that feels as though she were an expected guest, and acted on with such smooth precision that it might just slightly suggest a particular idea about what Lilian thinks the ideal service staff looks like. She's armed with a map of the complex (you'd never guess it's a former apartment tower), a quick advisory about the signage for open and off-limits areas, a visitor pass with her name good for twenty-four hours, an Association brochure and hiring qualification sheet, and a copy of the Thirteen Precepts on the far wall of the lobby, between the lifts.

    The whole thing is a five star experience! Incredible that they have that kind of dazzlingly smooth presentation for everyone! Except they don't. Because some randoms that enter a short while after her are held up and politely questioned as if entering customs. Hm.

    Up above, 'Miss Radio' pauses for a moment when addressed by Rita. There's an audible pause and shuffle, deciding whether to act like a DO NOT REPLY and let it slide, or insist like a human being on behalf of client safety. Something in the middle wins out.

    "While the neutralization of threat elements may currently be confirmed, the biological hazard itself remains present. We continue to strongly suggest that visitors from outside the department utilize the provided PPE, in the event of unforseen circumstances." comes the first response, and then after a short delay,

    "That is to say the Director has also given explicit instructions in the case that a visitor may choose to handle our subjects inappropriately. Orders regarding the handling of biohazardous subjects and patients are currently at-authority of yourself, Rita Ma, but orders regarding the handling visitors who may become contagious or compromised are at-authority of the Director." In other words, Lilian expected this much, and left instructions that Elites still have to wear gloves because she frankly doesn't trust them not to irresponsibly hassle Rita's mermaids.

    'I think we should just take my navy and eliminate the Pallid Whales. That usually cures the infected in situations such as this.'

    "I wonder how many of your loyal soldiers you wouldn't mind seeing turned into one of these?"

    There she is. Given the double work tablets she's still holding and her open jacket, it's logical to assume Lilian came from the top floor, and was originally planning to stay. "Or drowned, or simply eaten alive." Lilian continues, tapping away at a work order email to a certain backer. "Given your 'reaction' to encountering mermaids out in the wild, my personal recommendation is to not try it. Freezing up like that out on the sea will have you lose everything in an instant."

    'For Rita, neural infiltration was, ah, formerly minimal--'

    "Foid." says Lilian, looking up only after lowering her pad. "It's been a while." comes out terribly neutrally. "You've certainly adapted well to prison life." rattles off with a downright courtly level of stacked implication.
Madeleine Cadrasteia     Dr Spring immediately moves to the somatic scanner once Ariel's inside, just barely holding herself back from crowding Dr Foid out of the way to take the controls herself. As he rambles on, Dr Spring can't help but nod at his assertions. "If any part of the body is trying to reject the process, that would be a great and constant strain on all the other systems. And if the changes to the body are chemical in origin, rather than purely psychic phenomena, there should be a way to stop those chemicals from being synthesized. Rita did say we're concerned more about mental well-being than physical, but the two really go hand in hand. To have a semblance of human normalcy in their lives they at least have to be able to communicate." An involuntary flick of the eyes in Saturn's direction, indicating what she considers the failure state to be.

    "Have we been able to examine brain activity in any sort of extended term? This altered state of perpetual loneliness, is it happening on the same 'hardware' or is the brain rewiring itself into new patterns?"
Sarracenia      A hiss from behind her makes Sarra yelp and jump before turning to see Saturn. She tries not to look disgusted and sort of succeeds, but not completely. She huffs at Saturn before taking a look at the other two. "Well, what would you three suggest, then? We cannot simply let the whales stay out there making more mermaids!"

     She turns back to Bisu's room after that, watching with a small smile as Nonon hugs Bisu like that and they both start blubbering. "And to think, Nonon claimed they were not that close when we found her." she says aloud to no one in particular.

     'Thanks. You've been... better about it than I expected.'

     "Hmhmhm~" Sarra giggles a bit haughtily. "Well, of course! I am not simply talking when I say I am trying to improve myself!" she says, probably proving that she also hasn't changed too much.

     Saturn looks hungry, so Sarra (misunderstanding the intent) pulls out a sushi bento box. It is the closest she has to fish. She pops it open, then pulls out a piece and holds it up in Saturn's direction. "Are you hungry? Perhaps you could do with a snack?" she says, speaking like one might to a child.

     'A whale's nature is 'loneliness'...'

     "Loneliness?" Sarra asks in confusion, then contemplates. "...does that mean...they could be like Chevalier Love? ...hmm. She is not really cured though..."

     'I wonder how many of your loyal soldiers you wouldn't mind seeing turned into one of these?'

     Sarra is startled again as Lilian appears. She hmphs softly and turns to offer Ariel a sushi disc. "My navy is built of airships. I would not land them in that ocean for all the ice cream in Pipeland." she says.

     Kukuru offers some support for Sarra's idea, but Rita brings reality back into focus. Sarra sighs softly, then hmms. "I will have to do some investigating. I do not know of a power-up that heals you while it is worn, but...my world is full of odd power-ups. There may very well be one out there somewhere."
Angela Certainly you can put a tanuki-suit on a mermaid but they'll still be a mermaid in a tanuki suit. Still, perhaps there is a power up that could do ''something'' but what sort of power up does Sarracenia have that can do such a thing? Healing mushrooms don't seem like they'd cut it on their own, they aren't exactly ''wounds'' after all.

Sal runs their own scanner over Bisu before the other mermaids then back to Bisu again. Their frown at their scanner as words gradually appear on the screen. "Nonon, out of respect..."

"No, go ahead. Every little bit helps." Nonon says.

Sal swallows and looks back to their scanner and reads.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_LqKDBkx4c

"She never had the courage to say how she felt and so the loneliness in her heart grew day after day after day. Prepare meals, hoist the sails, throw the harpoon. Food and drink were scarce from time to time. The Captain was pickier with her jobs ever since she purchased her. She no longer remembered who sold her for parts nor did she remember why the Captain took her in instead of harvesting her organs.#-1 FUNCTION (ANIS) NOT FOUND

Sal glances at Nonon and Bisu before continuing.

"Captain was a sturdier word than 'mother' she had decided, but when she fell in the great beast's maw, she still regretted never saying it. Why didn't she say it? She longed to say it, however ephemeral that word was."

"...Obession and Loneliness. That is what she found in the beast. The oils permeating the Whale's flesh could not help but gradually seap into her and into the rest of them. Was it the oil that made her forget faces, names? She held onto the word 'Mom'. So long as she focused on that, she thought she'd at least she'd never hurt her if they met once more along the seas. If she were to be felled by her hook--perhaps that was always her destiny."

"...The new Captain helped with a goal. Holding onto singular aspects was easier than on the many. The oils burned away all but you held onto most dearly. Arrows that could serve as the ideals for her compass in the murky black. She followed the pointed path."

Sal lowers their pad after and clears their throat.

''The tribble situation''

Sal scowls visibly as they vow to kill Parker once more. Where DID she get the tribble from? They'll never know.

The mermaids are far from the Pallid Whale and the overarching overmind's grip is weak this far away so as White extends her own evil eye, Saturn seems to calm down from their agitation at Sarracenia--and in general--and instead is staring directly at White. White isn't human, so there is no hunger there. Instead Saturn looks like White like a curious bird, quirking their head as they stare at her. They're docile for now and eventually trot around in a circle before flopping on the floor.

Nonon seems disturbed by the lasagna comparision but eventually lets Bisu down though she's still holding onto her. They have a murmured exchange with one another so as to not disrupt the work but Rita notices Bisu's more animated, friendlier, and more relaxed around Nonon--if a bit bashful. If it wasn't for the white mesh, she'd just seem like any other person right now.

Kukuru approaches Saturn as well who, thanks to White and Rita does not attack her or even back off. But they look uncomprehending at Kukuru. Kukuru sets out some snacks and Saturn pounces on them, tearing apart the bag with their teeth, chomps down on the snacks, waddles over to the corner of the room and promptly vomits it up in the corner of her cell. They don't seem to be capable of communication--or at least, not with lips and words and voice.
Angela ''He was pestering someone about it yesterday.''

"...Well, I suppose he never expected to visit The City but would naturally have interest upon learning about it."

''She's tempted into stepping forward and adding her arms to the hug- but then she pulls away, shy.''

Unfortunately for Rita, Nonon cannot allow this even without the Gold Rush spurning her on. She shifts to holding onto Bisu with one arm and uses her other to drag Rita in.

"Miss Rita's a dear friend. She helped me so much ever since I got to know her." Nonon says. "It's thanks to her we can even get to talk again...!"

"I...I'm really grateful... Miss Rita..."

"She's a little shy so you have to be extra forward with her okay??" Nonon demands. "That's an order from your mom captain!"

Bisu tears up and she nods and fumbles over her words, holding onto the two of them tightly like they might fade away into sea foam if she lets go. Somehow the grip is strong despite being like a third of a Nonon in build herself.

''Do you want to say hi?''

"H..hello..." Mint manages. "I...am Mint? Why...help? Erk...ah....So many..."

Ariel scootches out to peer at everyone. She can also talk, but while Mint seems to be strugglingw ith forming words, Ariel seems to have boiled down the words she knows to just a few. "Say hi..." Ariel says. "Fish?" She looks up at Rita hopefully. Like a subject. Or a pet. But at least not fearful ones.

The mermaids seem a cautious about getting oil on everyone, especailly upon receiving the command. It's mostly a concern for Ariel and Saturn as they have begun producing their own. Bisu and Mint are considerably less contagious as far as can be telled but it's hard to say. At least Nonon is wearing the suit but considering she's a Whaler herself--she knows intuitively how much is ''too dangerous''.

Foid gets to work studying enzymes and the like but this is going to take some time to make sense of even for an expert like Dr. Foid. As he himself said, it's not quite the same even if it is similar

''Freezing up like that out on the sea will have you lose everything in an instant.''

Nonon laughs a bit self-effacingly. "Yeah... You can't always look for the best answer on the Great Lake, you sometimes have to make the first call you can make that saves you and everyone else you can reach..." She presses her forehead against Bisu's. "But I shouldn't have abandoned you..."

"It's okay...you didn't know... I would've done the same thing."

But Nonon doubts that's true.

"Chevalier Love? You mean the Queen of Hatred? Loneliness, sure, that's an element of her nature but... I think it's way more ''core'' for Mermaids. Just from what I've heard, it seems to be the path in which they become one like Rita said."
White White can easily enough pay attention to what goes on nearby while she focuses the Evil Eye on Saturn. It's not unlike applying the psychological form of a painkiller; she won't solve any problems in a lasting way like this, but the mind heals better while comfortable, much like the body. Kukuru seems to know what she's doing too, so she's comfortable just playing a supporting role to her for the time being. In the meantime she can listen in on Foid's medical rambling, x-ray-gaze at the scanner in operation and even greet with "Hello Miss Lilian." when the Commander shows up, without turning to look. Though, she might not be heard at her usual volume, since Lilian pretty quickly gets into reprimanding Sarracenia for her suggestion. And hey, White isn't oblivious to what looked like special treatment at the front desk either. Feels pretty good actually! She can delegate the reading materials to a handful of her standby clones without disrupting her present engagements too, no issues. She'd almost sound happy to see Lilian as a result, but it's White, so she sounds the same as ever. Alas.

     As the lighthanded hypnosis seems to have its intended effect over time, White nods at seemingly nothing and murmurs, "Good fishy." The way Kukuru's snacks are taken and promptly puked back up makes her wince slightly though. She realizes again that she was lucky she could eat anything she found almost from the start; poison had its bite before she acclimated to it, but even that was only a temporary issue. To see Saturn's body reject any food at all recontextualizes Rita's own dietary limits a bit, and leaves her feeling faintly bitter. She glances halfway back at the rest of the group, and steps a little closer until she's just a little behind and beside Kukuru, lowering to sit on her heels with her hands on her knees. She doesn't have her phone (she's following the rules!!) but can hear Rita's question through an earbud, so she sends a one-way order to her spiderling spies that have it to answer Rita for her. It doesn't seem like she hears her own TTS like this.
Rita Ma      Mistakenly believing he's got a kindred spirit in Spring, Foid rubs his hands together and nods along, enraptured by the scanner's display console. The glowy lune of metal sweeps up and down the glass above Ariel's body.

     "Of course, of course. Now, the significance of being inside the whale seems to indicate against a purely retroviral nature. On the other hand, if this were purely a parasitic consumption, it shouldn't take many years. If this isn't a purely supernatural etiology, it's likely some hybrid form of assimilation. Fascinating, isn't it?!"

     He adjusts his goggles as if they were glasses, wipes his bangs away with the back of a gloved hand, and grins at her unsteadily. "Why, I'm almost glad the changes are irreversible. This new flesh of theirs is miraculous. Imagine if all human beings could be made of stuff like that! Nearly bulletproof; I'm not even sure it experiences senescence..."

     "This altered state of perpetual loneliness, is it happening on the same 'hardware' or is the brain rewiring itself into new patterns?"

     "Ah, yes! Good thinking, Doctor Spring. Why, in no time at all, you might be up to my caliber~." Foid hums to himself as he pecks at the console, bringing up a model of Ariel's brain. "We haven't had time for longitudinal study, but we should be able to see if the limbic system is overgrown. That'll tell us if the loneliness comes first, or the mutation!"

     "Foid."
     Foid, having had only brief contact with Lilian, isn't quite smart enough to be respectful of her. He turns around with only a vague bafflement; then recoils slightly at 'prison life', then leans in and adjusts his glasses again.

     "My. What was it again, Lily? Isn't that new," he says, pointing at her facial scar. "That subtle bit of gold to the brown... you haven't come down with the Fish Disease, have you? For an offworlder to get it..."

     His eyes dart between Lilian and Rita. Eyebrows lift. He claps his hands together, and he pivots back to the console, vaguely scandalized but impressed. "Well. Good for you, good for you." "Huh? Foid, are you implying something gross?" Sea Monkey, face hidden, conveys a squint. "No, no! You mustn't be closed-minded."

     Rita is too busy being hugged by Nonon and Bisu to object! She makes a little shy-groaning noise, sinks her face into it to hide her cheeks, and then reciprocates again, giving both of their backs a little pat-pat. "Ah... you're... you're so welcome, Miss Bisu. Your mom risked a lot to help me get my home back. So it's... it's only right that I'd get you this, right? You don't have to say thank you... I promise..."

     ... Is this how everybody else felt about me? My heart...

     The story Sal reads out twists at her, too, until she's shutting her eyes just to keep them from watering over. Her head rests on Bisu and Nonon both.
Sarracenia      As Sarra listens to the story of Bisu, her eyes tear up heavily. She has battled loneliness her entire life, so hearing such a story hits her right in the heart.

     'Obsession and Loneliness'

     Sarra's tearful smile turns a bit bitter. Obsession and Loneliness. One quality that Sarra would argue she doesn't have but is accused of having, and one she knows full well she has. "Perhaps I should not go whale hunting after all..." she murmurs, then more loudly adds, "We simply have to help them if at all possible. Going through life lonely and obsessed is perhaps the worst form of survival." she says, wiping at her eyes with an arm.

     The lasagna comparison is a bit disturbing to be sure, but Sarra just huffs stubbornly. "It is difficult certainly, but it is not impossible. With the right technology or magic you could separate them out again." she says, refusing to give up hope on the mermaids. "Even Miss Rita knows I am right. She said at first that you could not unscramble an egg, yet she chose to bring them back here anyway."

     Sarra is only slightly jealous at Rita getting all the credit. Sure, Rita does deserve -nearly- all the credit, but Sarra was the one who insisted they should be saved and starting freezing them to allow them to be saved. "Though I did not do much beyond restrain them, I was glad to assist Miss Rita in saving them." she says as Nonon thanks Rita. No, the princess cannot (or will not) read the room when it comes to her pride.

     'Freezing up like that out on the sea will have you lose everything in an instant.'
     'Yeah... You can't always look for the best answer on the Great Lake, you sometimes have to make the first call you can make that saves you and everyone else you can reach...'

     "I did not 'freeze up'. In fact, I froze THEM up instead. But...I do recognize that we might not have had that option if the situation were more dire." Sarra says, arms crossed.

     Saturn devours...and then regurgitates the snacks. Sarra hesitates to offer them any more sushi, but after Kukuru seems unphased Sarra decides to leave the small box for the mermaid.

     'Chevalier Love? You mean the Queen of Hatred? Loneliness, sure, that's an element of her nature but... I think it's way more ''core'' for Mermaids. Just from what I've heard, it seems to be the path in which they become one like Rita said.'

     "Perhaps." Sarra replies. "But, I more meant that does that mean they could also be returned to - or...formed into - a more human-like state?" She's aware not all Abnormalities start as humans.
Rita Ma      Mint and Ariel get an unlikely-seeming friend. With Foid under ample surveillance, Sea Monkey the diving-suit-clad harpoonist feels free to clomp over to them and lean against a wall casually.

     "Hi. That's right," they say, with a gentle and subtly heartbroken tone. "You're Mint. And you're Ariel. So I hear. We're helping you because... because 'humans' are your 'hive' now. Okay? We want you to be healthy and happy so you can be good friends to us. Just focus on getting better and being happy, and don't worry about anything else."

     Girls(?) talk. Sea Monkey reaches into their utility belt pouch and pulls out a couple little strips of fish for them- dried and salty, but technically raw.

     Are those Rita snacks?

     Offhandedly, Sea Monkey says to Sarra in that androgynously-tinny voice: "Air versus underwater, air loses every time. Think about it. Water's like a wall. If they want to get away from you, they've just got to dive deeper. If you want to get away from them, what can you do? Climb? Air's no cover at all."
Kukuru "A scanner? Oh, that could be good! If we can get more info about..." Kukuru pauses, then nods. "More info overall, that might help figure ouuut... Um. Everything! The oil stuff, the insides that look like they're a new thing entirely, the food situation..."

Foid's enthusiasm about scanning the mermaids isn't lost on Kukuru, of course, and she listens closely even though she's still sitting in Saturn's zone. "If the human parts are fighting back, then... Hmmn. That'd be scarier than if both parts were working together, I think. Then it really would be like aaaa... Takeover, rather than a blending. I've heard a few times about that sort of thing happening, but I've never seen mouths turn like that because of it..."

Indeed, the shape of Saturn's face and the ripped-mouth still get concerned looks from Kukuru, but she does let out a lightly relieved noise at seeing them eat without too much issue. There is some audible concern in the hitched breath she takes on seeing them throw up in the corner, but she doesn't head over right away. Instead, she takes a moment to readjust her gloves after hearing Miss Radio's warnings about proper protection, then stumbles back up onto her feet.

"We're here to help, so there shouldn't be any issues about anyone not being on their best behavior. We haven't even come close to starting to fix anything yet that we can.. That we caaan..." Her brain short circuits for a moment, and then she snaps her fingers. "... That we can afford to screw up this soon, you know? Oh, but we should be trying not to screw up at all..."

While waiting for the somatic scan to bring results, Kukuru focuses her efforts on just trying to figure Saturn out.  The way they eat really reminds her of something she's seen before, and it takes watching them in the corner for a little whiel longer before something finally occurs to her.

"Saturn? Saaa-tuuuurn. Do you wanna sit with me?" Stepping forward again to halfway between her original spot and Saturn, Kukuru settles back down on the ground with her legs out and pats her lap again. "Sit? I've got..." Wait. Snacks wouldn't be a good idea, if they were throwing up before. Instead, Kukuru brings out a jingly wind chime with one hand and a colorful picture book in the other, holding them both at her sides so Saturn can hear and see them both clearly.

Would they be interested in either one of those things? Would they be more interested in just lazing about? Would they have no interest in anything Kukuru's got to offer? She needs to find out, and while she's there, she can peer closer at Saturn the whole time, studying them and letting her more advanced visual analysis sus out if there's something actively damaging their gut from eating that food (or just seeing if it was plain indigestion).
Madeleine Cadrasteia     "Now, the significance of being inside the whale seems to indicate against a purely retroviral nature."

    "Yes, I think the real trick to this all might lie with the whale itself. If we could only get a look at the inside of one ourselves... Madeleine, do you think that's within your capabilities?" "I'd have to learn more about them first, and probably get assent from U Corp. Which wouldn't be forthcoming." "That's too bad. Getting a first-hand view of the environment that kickstarts this process... there may be elements there which we simply can't see from observing only a subject."

    "Why, I'm almost glad the changes are irreversible. This new flesh of theirs is miraculous."

    Dr Spring regards Foid with caution as he casually suggests turning all humanity into these mermaids. "That is the opposite of our goal here, Doctor Foid. Keep that in mind."

    "Why, in no time at all, you might be up to my caliber~."

    "Ah, well," says Dr Spring, stalling to think of a comeback, "I suppose it can be valuable for *some* of us to be more concerned with perfecting theory than with providing real care." A pause to gently clear her throat. "Anyway. Let's have a look at the limbic system, yes. See if there's been changes to her neurology from what we'd expect. Can this scanner go any finer?"
Kukuru Sarracenia leaving that box of sushi for Saturn gets light chuckle and approving nod from Kukuru, as that's yet more stuff to observe the mermaid's preferences and physical state with. In doing so, Kukuru also notices White behind her, and her smile widens a little further. "Hey, Whiiite~ Ah, you don't have to be shy, dear. Just be careful in case Saturn gets hungry and..."

Wait, would Saturn throw up on them? Probably No, if that last attempt at eating was any indication. "Do you want to hold onto some stuff for them, too? I've gooot... Wooden dolls, squishy dolls, a pillow..."

Her pockets do not look like they're filled with any of those things. Hell, it doesn't look like Kukuru's got anything in her pockets. Nevertheless, Kukuru is certainly ready and willing to hand over anything White asks for!
White White hears Rita say her name, and twitches slightly in place. She'd just gotten settled in, ugh!! But, she stands back up without complaining where anyone *else* can hear, stepping out of the room backward so she can side-gaze in Rita's direction without fully breaking her stare on Saturn. For anyone watching, her expression shifts slightly as she realizes she didn't think of it herself sooner, and the way her eyebrows scrunch together for a moment looks vaguely upset about it. She pats Kukuru's shoulder as if to say 'I'll be back', mumbles "Maybe blankets." and turns to go join the others on the likely easier cases first. This means no more hypnotic sedation for Saturn, but hopefully Kukuru can make herself a wholesome presence without that kind of help.

     White leisurely walks to Mint's door first, her eyes still alight with that faint reddish-pink glow in a way that would almost definitely reflect annoyingly back into her eyes off the inside of the goggles. She leans around the doorframe for a peep, activates the Evil Eye of Analysis, and starts to read!

     One's status like health, mental energy and stamina are almost always obtainable from their body's information, but things like names and titles, especially names, often derive from the soul's experiences. Sometimes they're lost when they're forgotten, sometimes they aren't, it's hard to guess... But if nothing else, White is optimistic that looking for a title that has to do with their original skillset as a human should work out. That kind of thing pretty much always reflects on the body in some way, even if it's down to subtle reflexes.
Lilian Rook     'My navy is built of airships. I would not land them in that ocean for all the ice cream in Pipeland.'

    "Oh, I see. So you'd simply send an army to defeat the Pallid Whale and not suffer a single casualty." says Lilian. "Goodness gracious. Now that you put it that way, I wonder why nobody else has ever thought of that? It seems so simple in hindsight!" She rolls her eyes.

    'Yeah... You can't always look for the best answer on the Great Lake, you sometimes have to make the first call you can make that saves you and everyone else you can reach...'

    "Those who die for the greater good hath their reward. The many outweigh the few. The righteous outweigh the unjust. Stay thy hand not for unnecessary persons."

    Lilian pauses, then smoothly puts away her tablet, slipping the other under her arm.

    "Something vaguely similar to that is on the wall downstairs. Anyone who thinks at all of protecting others instead of themselves should first understand that much. Thinking you can have everything your way while losing nothing will only let you be weak and desperate."

    '"Hello Miss Lilian.'

    "Oh, a pleasure to see you, Commander White." she says, suddenly ever so conversational.

    'Good fishy.'

    "Wh . . ." Lilian looks back and forth from White with a slightly incredulous squint. "Did something jump out at you?"

    'Why, I'm almost glad the changes are irreversible.'

    "I appreciate the care you're putting into your words, Doctor." Lilian interjects slightly after 'almost'. "But right now you're perhaps at a 'four', and I need you to be at least at 'six'."

    'Imagine if all human beings could be made of stuff like that! Nearly bulletproof'

    "Then we'd set aside our guns and stab each other to death with knives. What's your point?"

    'My. What was it again, Lily?'

    "Only my sister calls me that, Foid." Lilian says, now leaving off 'doctor'. Unfortunately, her relationship with MDs isn't that much better than Rita's. She touches her scar by reflex, and turns her face slightly.

    'Well. Good for you, good for you.'

    "O-kay. Thaaat's enough." Lilain claps her hands together as if getting the attention of an unruly class of schoolchildren and then grips Foid by the top of the head and twists him back towards the console. "I assure you that I have no such thing. And you're certainly not studying what it actually is." A few moments later, she deigns to say, "And I have a fianceé thank you."

    'You're Mint. And you're Ariel. So I hear. We're helping you because... because 'humans' are your 'hive' now. Okay? We want you to be healthy and happy so you can be good friends to us. Just focus on getting better and being happy, and don't worry about anything else.'

    Lilian vaguely hovers behind Sea Monkey wearing a 'Lilian approves +10' expression. "Were you thinking about this before you arrived? I'm certain it must have crossed your mind once or twice."
Angela Saturn tries to nibble a little at the vomit. They really are more animal than person but ultimately loses interest and flops back down placidly.

"Aging does seem slower. That might help explain why the transformative process is also slower" Though that's clearly more hypothesis than theory. Study might tell Dr. Foid that the webbing seems to come first, but personal loneliness being incorporated into the greater loneliness of the Pallid Whale pushes the transformative processes along. It's like the body is being convinced to reshape itself and the mind ultimately follows along. It isn't too strange--mermaids are inherently isolated in The City and there's little more isolating than being stuck in a Whale together. A strong presence could halt the transformation at the very least... but it's progressive. Once you've felt utterly alone, perhaps it becomes that much easier to feel alone again in the future.

Lenny is perturbed by Foid calling Lilian 'Lily'. "Show some respect, she's the Director..." Lenny complains.

Nonon will let go of hug eventually mostly because she knows she can get overly exuberant with them if she isn't careful.

Bisu watches Rita uncertainly as she seems to want to deflect gratitude but at the same time, Bisu is still affected herself by her Presence. Bisu bows her head lightly as she's at a loss for what else to do.

"Maybe soon we can just--live together? I know a nice town where full of really nice people." Nonon says. Bisu looks to the other mermaids the way one might look at extant limbs.

Sarracenia protests at being told she 'froze up' and Nonon shrugs because she doesn't know she wasn't there. She also doesn't care super much. Saturn can eat sushi but it's just the junk food they just couldn't really manage. Hard to tell admittedly!

MEANWHILE, Mint and Ariel are approached by Sea Monkey!

'''Humans'' are your 'hive' now. Okay?''

"YEah...that makes sense..." Mint says. "I was--am human."

"New hive..." Ariel says and looks to Rita as if for confirmation. "Being happy?"

"Didn't think... possible. Real? Is this?" Mint asks.

As Sal surmised, disabling oil production should be possible--it's not neccessary for their survival in the way other elements of the transformation are--but they'll may prefer aquatic environments even more as a result--those oils also help them cool off and keep warm depending on the environment after all.

And then... EVIL EYE

Mint reads as more human than not human. The webbing covering their body seems to act as a constant drain on their sense of self, though there's a marker indicating the process has been weakened by a 'Distance From Pallid Whale' debuff. They retain skills such as harpooning and sailing and right now the Pallidification is labeled as ''Suppressed', an effect that seems to boost their strength and defense though it is unhelpful about whether it's because the effect is suppressed or because there is the effect there at all.

Mint seems to have memory issues.

Most relevantly is their 'Class' which indicates them as a 'Delight Crew Harpoonist'. That might be something to go on in terms of finding out more about them.

Mental energy is low-middle. Health is middle-high. Stamina is middle. Finding something to hold onto would no doubt be as helpful to Mint--if not moreso--than it was with Bisu and though the pallidification is ''supressed''--it seems to only be slowing the progression rather than stopping it right now. Mint is on something of a timer. A longer timer than it might otherwise be, but a timer.
Angela "Sarracenia, no offense, but don't try to pick a fight with the Pallid Whale on your lonesome. Even a Color would have difficulty taking on the Pallid Whale. Armies HAVE tried to defeat it. Just--trust meo n this one. You haven't seen it. You just don't know. Just ... stop." Nonon sounds weirdly tired, though nonhostile, about this line of conversation.

''Something vaguely similar to that is on the wall downstairs.''

"Ga ha ha! Well!" Some of Nonon's personality returns. "Maybe once my time at L-Corp's done, I should come work for you! I'll ask for the paperwork before I leave! Ga ha!"

"Ga ha ha!" Bisu joins in, albeit at like 50 percent more squeaky than Nonon ever gets. Maybe 75 percent squeakier. It's a clear imitation. This encourages Nonon to GA HA HA even harder and Bisu follows suit once more like a call and answer game.
Sarracenia      Sarra watches in curiosity as some of the others talk to the mermaids as if they are completely normal. Even though Sarra was the one who pushed for them to be saved, treating them as if nothing is really wrong with them feels odd to her. Of course, if she was any sort of medical professional she might feel differently.

     She realizes this is a good chance to test out the effects of green mushrooms, though. She places one beside the sushi for Saturn, moves to give or leave one for Ariel, and smiles to Mint as she hands one right to her. "I do like your hair. Green is a lovely color." she says to Mint.

     'Air versus underwater, air loses every time.'

     Sarra hmphs. "No, it is a stalemate. Air only loses when it tries to engage in water instead of in the air. Air is as much a wall to those water-bound as water is to those air-bound. If we caught the whales at the surface, would could bombard them with impunity...unless mermaids can fly or Whales have cannons. And even if not at the surface, depth charges, torpedoes, and Bullet Bills would easily be able to reach them underwater." she says before blinking and looking toward Saturn. "Er...not that was are planning to do that!" Not -technically- a lie. There are no current plans laid to go hunt the Pallid Whales. Sarra is planning on planning right now.

     Some members of White's army suggest that White use her Evil Eye to obtain information. "...why is it called an Evil Eye? Is that part of you being some sort of designated enemy of the hero? And...how did you get it? It sounds extremely useful." Sarra asks White as she scans Mint.

     'Oh, I see. So you'd simply send an army to defeat the Pallid Whale and not suffer a single casualty. Goodness gracious. Now that you put it that way, I wonder why nobody else has ever thought of that? It seems so simple in hindsight!'

     "They do not even want to stop them!!" Sarracenia suddenly shouts. "It probably IS as simple as that and no one has tried because no one has been paid to!! Or /has/ been paid /not/ to!! Do not speak as if all has been done to stop them when you KNOW it surely has not!! Did you miss the part where entire industries are built on hunting these whales and mermaids?!"

     'Those who die for the greater good hath their reward. The many outweigh the few. The righteous outweigh the unjust. Stay thy hand not for unnecessary persons.'

     It has been a while since Lilian really got Sarra enraged. But, today she has managed it. "And what does that even mean 'stay thy hand not for unnecessary persons'?! Who decides who is necessary?! Those people out there were once important to -someone-! Just like Bisu here!! Was she 'unnecessary' up until Rita brought her back to her senses and brought her here?! I did not think so, and neither did Rita!!"

     'Sarracenia, no offense, but...'

     After her little righteous tantrum, Nonon hits Sarra with a much more effective argument. Nonon is of the City, so if she says armies have tried to defeat it...it tempers Sarra's mood somewhat. And it is tempered even more when Nonon's personality returns...along with some of Bisu's. This /is/ quite encouraging. "Well...fine. If you say so, Nonon." She does not sound like she is going to just let the issue go, but she is at least letting it go for now. She ends up smiling as she watches Nonon and Bisu.
White White makes a soft, thoughtful humming sound as she looks away from Mint and toward the other visitors. She opens her mouth, but seeing as a summary would be quite an endeavor along with explaining to Lilian something that she's not quite sure she wants to go into detail about yet. So, as any good Commander does, she delegates. Her clones go silent for a while on the radio as they work up a vaguely useful list of details, prioritizing the 'Class' bit which actually strikes her as somewhat of a surprise. She's never seen a class in her readout before, and given prior experiences she starts to wonder something rather rude about whether only 'NPCs' have classes, to shorten their statblock. The clone-spiders also underline the point about the transformation still progressing, only slowed rather than halted. That seems like something that could be a nasty surprise later if not tracked.

     From there, she matter of factly moves on to try the same thing with Ariel, then finally Saturn, expecting less with each one. Still, it doesn't cost her anything but time to try, and her familiar text-to-speech starts to summarize what she learned so that she doesn't have to try and do so herself. "So yeah, we can send over the deets to anyone who wants them, but basically she's still changing really slowly, there was a 'Class' called 'Delight Crew Harpoonist' which sounds like a lead, and uhhhh... Oh, this is just a wild hunch, but if any of you've got magic potions where you're from, it might help to bring some for the poor saps. That one's like the second healthiest or whatever right? Her mental mojo is really depleted though."

     Sarracenia's question about the Evil Eye is at least very straightforward in practice. White can easily shake her head at the supposition, and simply answer "They were Skills in the System. It's a little rare though." She wants about the furthest thing from getting involved in another ethics debate though, so she 'sneaks' away as soon as Sarracenia is distracted.
Kukuru White gets a light nod from Kukuru at the pat on the shoulder, and she can hear Kukuru 'ahh'ing lightly when the obvious suggestion reaches her. Her hands are already full with the wind chime and the picture book for now, but once it becomes clear that Saturn's more interested in food and used-to-be food than other kinds of mental stimulation?

The next thing to come out is most certainly a blanket. No, a comforter, thick and fluffy and easily dense enough to use as a cover and a pillow at the same time. Kukuru doesn't make a big thing of putting it on Saturn, either, as she gets up to join Saturn in the corner and...

Wait. First, she needs to get that vomit cleaned up. While holding the comforter up in one hand, she takes out a bigger version of those 'flushable' wipes that aren't actually flushable and drops it over the mess, then pushes it around with her foot to get it cleaned up before kicking it off towards the other corner. "There we go. Don't want you resting in anything icky." She chimes in with another softly amused chuckle, then settles the comforter on top of Saturn. It's another effort to see if a mermaid as far gone is them can be made comfortable in such a basic way, even going as far as sitting right back down next to them.

"I wonder... Can you still understand me in there? I know we've.. Probably never met before, but I know you've listened to Rita before, right? Aaand..." Wait. Better not to remind her of what Sarracenia said earlier. Instead, Kukuru holds a gloved hand out to Saturn again, and a thought finally occurs to her: Why can't she try to put in some of her own comforting thoughts to them, too? You can rest easy around me. We're all here to help you feel better, and Rita really would be happy to hear from you, too. Oh, only if you ever feel okay enough to. No rush, though... Just take it at your own pace, okay?
Rita Ma      "I suppose it can be valuable for *some* of us to be more concerned with perfecting theory than with providing real care."
     "Oh, yes. I could never give up hands-on care, myself," Foid says with a wave of the back of his hand. "Bringing the limbic system into focus, and then we can have a look at the oil glands."

     'Imagine if all human beings could be made of stuff like that! Nearly bulletproof...'
     "Then we'd set aside our guns and stab each other to death with knives. What's your point?"
     "Yes, yes, there's no point in everybody getting tougher, says the woman with an exercise routine. I'm aware of how myopic you soldier types aaaaa-ooop." Foid neatly accepts being twisted around by Lilian, clears his throat, and hunches back over the console muttering to himself.

     "Honestly," he says, to nobody in particular, but most in earshot of Spring. "No-one appreciates what I've done for the advancement of humanity." Focusing on the poor doctor: "I'm certain you don't think Rita was a failure, at least? I think she's a glorious being, and yet somehow..."

     "Were you thinking about this before you arrived? I'm certain it must have crossed your mind once or twice."
     Sea Monkey doesn't look back when Lilian approaches, but does straighten up a little, dusting off their fish-snacks hand.

     "I've been thinking about it for three years," they say. "When the Devil Wormtooka came to Busan, it asked us 'where is your Queen'. It meant Rita. Which is silly, right? Humanity doesn't have a queen."

     "But it's sort of true too. Humans are a social animal. From up high, a village looks a little like a beehive. A crowd's sort of like a school of fish. Anybody can tell you different kinds of fish will school together, right? We let Rita in. She's letting Mint in. 's all."

     "... Anyway. That's what I think." Sea Monkey sniffs, signaling their reserves of deep contemplation are running low, and fidgets with the maintenance of their rifle. The tilt of their diving helmet vaguely indicates a smile at Mint and Ariel.

     "Yeah...that makes sense... was--am human."
     "New hive... Being happy?"
     "Didn't think... possible. Real? Is this?"
     Rita looks over at Mint and Ariel, nearly misty-eyed, and hastily nodnods. "Yeah. I just want you to be comfortable and cared-for, now. You've gone through enough. If you want to help people, you can do that, but... I'm not asking anything of you at all. Okay? There's a nice island I can take you to where you'll get to make lots of friends, and... and..."

     "Ga ha ha!"
     "Ga ha ha!"
     "Mmmm- ahahaha!" Rita squishes back into the big hug, and she can't quite pull off the laugh. She really looks like it might squeeze a few more tears out of her. For some reason, though, her misty-eyed smile lingers on Lilian afterwards.

     "Thanks, Ms. Rook."
Madeleine Cadrasteia     "I'm certain you don't think Rita was a failure, at least?"

    "I think," Dr Spring says with confidence, "That she is doing well, and I say that about her as a patient and a person. Not an *experiment*. Whatever you did to her, whatever she's made of it, I'm sure you didn't do it *right*." There's an edge to her voice; the other doctor (if, she thinks to herself, he *is* a real doctor) is clearly trying her patience.
Lilian Rook     'Maybe once my time at L-Corp's done, I should come work for you! I'll ask for the paperwork before I leave! Ga ha!'

    "I think I'd rather you take a break to enjoy the married life first." Lilian says. "I'd love to have you, of course. I wouldn't mind settling your legal accounts either. But that sort of thing is important." She sighs. "Or at least I seem to think so; enough to be giving marriage counselling to the Black Silence." She fondly reminisces on the little cookie tin she got from Angelica.

    The back and forth 'ga ha ha' makes her stage whisper "Cute." through the corners of a smile.

    'If we caught the whales at the surface, would could bombard them with impunity...unless mermaids can fly or Whales have cannons.'

    Moment gone. Lilian's smile turns to an explosive sigh. "Do you understand what a colossal 'unless' that was?" She pinches the bridge of her nose, tilting back her head as if it must be sinus-induced tinnitus and not actual words a person has said. "We've already seen the mermaids using firearms before. What do you expect to happen when, for instance, you 'valiantly' sally forth at the head of a fleet of flying boats, and then ten thousand mermaids bob up out of the water and light you up with guns and rockets?"

    "What if the Pallid Whale itself should cut you from bow to stern with a high-pressure water jet? What's your plan in case of the psychic whalesong that drives your sailors mad? The freak sea-storm that suddenly accompanies it? What is your plan if you encounter pirates in the area? Along the way? The private military of a Nest intefering with your attacking their moneymaker? How exactly will 'air triumph over water' when more than one thing is true? When all of those things are true? How can you seriously act as though you have it all figured out?"

    Lilian releases her grip on her head and shuffles her second tablet into her messenger bag, flipping back her hair and turning away out of disdain. "Assumptions-- no, insistances like those are an embarrassment to Trídéag coming from one of its Fixers. I don't expect you to perform to the level of a Harpoonist or an Immune, but I'm going to start considering you an operational hazard if you keep skipping your research and defending these loud-mouthed claims of yours instead. Begin approaching these topics with a broader mindset first, rather than having to be argued down by experts, or it'll impact your next evaluation."

    'And what does that even mean 'stay thy hand not for unnecessary persons'?!'

    Looking away, Sarracenia's shrieking causes Lilian's fingers to dig into the strap of her bag. The little telltale squaring of her shoulders, the pause in her breathing pattern, is perfectly telegraphed, even before she starts to lose her grip on her conversational affect.

    "It means that failing the people you could have helped by fretting over people you couldn't, or shouldn't, is a form of immorality."

    'Who decides who is necessary?!'

    "We all do. You're supposed to."

    'Those people out there were once important to -someone-! Just like Bisu here!!'

    "And the families huddled up inside their homes, relying on Zwei, Liu, Trídéag to protect them, are important to us."
Lilian Rook     'Was she 'unnecessary' up until Rita brought her back to her senses and brought her here?!'

    "So if we hadn't been there; if it had been just you, holding the line, panicking when you saw that mermaid crying, any defender of Zwei, any civilian in town, who had died while you were trying to save the enemy, would be just as if you'd killed them yourself."

    'I did not think so, and neither did Rita!!'

    "Hey. Why are you looking to Rita?" Lilian finally tilts her head back just enough to look over her shoulder, out of the corner of her eye. "Do you think she doesn't understand this better than you? What do you think she's been doing all this time? Do you think this is a game to her? To me?"

    'Well...fine. If you say so, Nonon.'

    "Stop fucking smiling."

    Lilian finally turns away fully enough from Sea Monkey and Nonon to actually make eye contact; or, she nearly does, but her gaze just barely misses, as if it were a slightly sloppy shot. "I don't expect you to be able to mantle the same responsibilities as I do, but that code in different words is written on the plaque in the front hall that you have to walk by every day to come up here and use the swimming pool. If you challenge them again in my presence, I'll strip that uniform right where you stand and remove you from the building by whatever exit is closest. Do I make myself clear?"

    'Yes, yes, there's no point in everybody getting tougher, says the woman with an exercise routine. I'm aware of how myopic you soldier types aaaaa-ooop.'

    Foid gets to be a welcome relief by comparison. Lilian closes her eyes, breathes slowly, and lets the relaxed fry bleed out of her voice, replacing it with a merely irritated rasp. "Isn't it obvious that a soldier type would prefer everyone else to be eminently shootable, doctor?" Lilian says, then forces herself to roll her eyes, getting back into character. "Leave it to the doctor type to think that fussing with someone's genome is the sensible place to start with prolonging the human lifespan, and not, perhaps, better food and less hideously unsafe vehicles."

    'I'm certain you don't think Rita was a failure, at least? I think she's a glorious being, and yet somehow...'

    "And please don't go taking responsibility for Rita. If you want me to thank you for all of the people she's saved with her abilities, I'll have to hold you accountable for all of the crimes she's committed as a member of the Watch as well." says Lilian. "If you'd like to be credited for her works, I'm certain your sentence would escalate to an execution right away."

    '... Anyway. That's what I think.'

    "Don't get awkward. I'm actually glad to hear it." Lilian says to Sea Monkey. "That you've been thinking about it, I mean. Too many people let crucial experiences like that simply pass through them and fade away once they're over." She absentmindedly touches her scar again as she brushes her hair behind her ear. "If a thought like that sticks in your mind; if it bothers you the next day, and the day after, you should see it through. Even if the result seems sort of trite or boring to you, it's worth the effort to puzzle through, instead of letting it lazily sit unresolvd." she says. "And I don't dislike what you've come away with.

    §I would have killed her with the others if you hadn't insisted otherwise, Rita. Trídéag is able to do this because you're a part of it. All I've done is made what I've done available to you and trust that you'll use it well.§
Angela ''I think I'd rather you take a break to enjoy the married life first.''

"Well sure! I'm not going to immediately sign up. Need to get a house and break it in first--"

Bisu remembers something!

Somehow her face goes a little more pale before blushing furiously. "Mom make sure the walls are nice and thick okay...? I don't know about this place but..."

"I didn't even it mean it that way that time!" Nonon protests.

Nonon doesn't join in on the dressing down of Sarracenia. Once Sarracenia backed off on the matter, she seems fine. Bisu is quietly uncomfortable at being used as an example but she's trying to act like it's happening in a different world than she is in right now. In a sense, it is!

''There was a 'class' called delight Crew Harpoonist''

Nonon frowns thoughtfully. "Sounds familiar... But if anyone knows more about it it'd be Schmee." Nonon blinks her eyes twice. "Oh uh. We don't have magic potions."

Saturn doesn't seem to understand words, exactly, but Kukuru making mental contact results in...

... ... .... No word response, exactly, but there's the sense that Saturn is recognizing communication is appening, at least. Maybe focusing on emotional pulses will be easier to understand? Hard to say. The mental contact in of itself seems to soothe Saturn as it lies back down and stays there.

Mint is bobbing their head along with Sea Monkey's word. Ariel is enraptured, mouth hanging open as she stares at her. A lot feels like it's being decided quickly for Mint but Mint ... can barely remember anything about their life before the Whale. They don't have anywhere to go. So they might as well go to this island.

"It sounds... nice..."

"Nice..." Ariel mimics.

They both seem cautiously fond of Sea Monkey, Ariel even moves over to crouch at her feet.
5r''I'm not asking anything of you at all...''

"We'll... see where we belong." Mint says. "You are... all so kind... Why..." They shake their head. They don't awnt to dwell on it. "Don't want to question... Don't even know us."

"But they've known people like you," Nonon says. "That's why they want to help. Because maybe they can help you when they couldn't help othersl ike you before. it's...normal. So you don't have to question it." Nonon says.

''Mmmm- ahahahaha!''

Rita can't quite pull off the laugh but Nonon GA HA HAs again, "Nice one, Rita! You're a natural!" Nonon says, because she doesn't judge for a lack of Ga. Rita's doing her best and--well...Nonon ruffles her hair some, too. Lightly, though. She seems like she might just start crying if she stops laughing.

The argument reaches a point that gets Nonon to say, "Hey... let's... not use people who are like right here and listening as examples to win a fight, right? ... Bisu's gotta lot on her mind still and she can hear ya..." A glance to Rita suggests she's not just worried about Bisu though.
Sarracenia      'Do you understand what a colossal 'unless' that was?'

     Sarra mmphs, not admitting it but obviously realizing how big it was. The list of ways that the whales might attack which had not even occurred to Sarra pile up. Even with her stubbornness there are no points she can counter with.

     Sarra's smile is successfully stopped when the meanings behind that part of the code are added on to the reasons why Sarra would be just causing more trouble and letting people down by doing what she wants to do.

     'Hey. Why are you looking to Rita? Do you think she doesn't understand this better than you?'

     "I am looking to Rita because she DOES understand all of this better than me!" Sarra exclaims, though with most of her angry fire gone now.

     'If you challenge them again in my presence, I'll strip that uniform right where you stand and remove you from the building by whatever exit is closest. Do I make myself clear?'

     Sarra's anger rises for just a moment, but lowers back down quickly. "Yes." is all she says to the question.

     'Hey... let's... not use people who are like right here and listening as examples to win a fight, right? ... Bisu's gotta lot on her mind still and she can hear ya...'

     The final pail of water on Sarra's burning rage is thrown by Nonon. Sarra actually finally looks struck by something and takes a step back. Her eyes tear up. She came here to help. Is she doing the exact opposite? And to some people who are very ill? "Oh...oh god. I..." She looks at Bisu, then Rita, then at the other mermaids, then swallows. "I...did not intend for...ah...I am sorry." she stammers toward Nonon...then just turns and leaves the containment area quickly.
Rita Ma      "Ms. Sarracenia... 'sometimes you have to make hard choices'. Isn't that all that Ms. Rook's rule says? Why are you reading it the worst way?" Rita says, clearly unhappily distracted from her ongoing group hug. She rests her cheek against Nonon's arm while Nonon glances at her, and pat-pats Bisu's head reassuringly in 'there, there' fashion.

     A breath escapes her puffed-out cheeks when Sarracenia leaves. There's no catharsis in it for her, or even relief. Just a lingering queasiness.

     But the cure for that is right there. It's Bisu, and Mint, and Ariel, and even Saturn a little. It fades after a moment. Rita rests her cheek atop Bisu's head, and sighs warmly.

     For Mint and Ariel: "I was like you a few years ago. People loved me enough to help me become a Queen. That's why... I want to show you enough love to help you grow, too. Whatever that means for you."

     And for Lilian: "'Do whatever you want with this power, Rita'... ahaha, I like your version of that a lot more than Dr. Foid's. Thank you for trusting me. I want to keep making you happy with it."