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Flamel Parsons     Welcome back to the Motherlobe.
    http://files.at.decompressed.space/bRJswBtc

    The interior is vast, wide, clean, and enriching.
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    And not just those. Representatives of the Paladins and the Foundation, as well as direct representatives and affiliates of the Wisemen and top brass for the Psychonauts themselves have all convened for what is being referred to as the Psychogate Conferences, a many-days-long gathering to discuss what is to be done with the Psychogate technologies and the Truth Phenomenon that power them.

    All of Flamel's work has been extensively examined by independent review boards and determined to be safe -- and the psychic pressure inside Flamel himself that caused the outbreak of Gate Storms has been "solved", in the sense that competing influences are keeping it in a state of perpetual psycho-immortality and poisoning; Hiromi's blood and the UPE-000 both keep each other in check, preventing The Director from causing any more issues of this type at least.

    The lower basement is now a massive cave system, which the non-Elite conference attendees have been sectioned away from. You can see it if you visit. Kramer has been working extensively with her colleagues on "lower-brainstem telekinetic training", down there.



    It has already been days of this. There have been something like ten different briefings about the Psychogates, their distinction from Psychoportals, their distinction from Warpgates, their effects on time and space... People have been being appointed to roles of appointing other people to review appointments. Everyone involved keeps getting pulled into long hearings of fifty people where, largely, two people talk to each other. Exhausting. It drives one to drink. Or to bowl.

    Or to go to the bar in the in-facility bowling alley, Astral Lanes!
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     Which is where most of the Psychonauts leadership are at the moment, and as a show of camaraderie, most of the 'veterans' of the incident were all invited to come along, as well as key Elite-typed sorts from all interested parties. The stated purpose? "Blow off some steam and recharge. And get your pants beat by the Senior League, that's the buy-in cost if you start talking business." Or so the small man with the curly, rose-bush-like beard (http://files.at.decompressed.space/3k3h1XcU) had said.
Rufus Shinra     Rufus is bored. Sector Zero is about to bear the cost of that boredom.

    Though in the literal sense, Rufus is the one paying. He's paying a lot, in small teasing increments of a couple tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time, with various appropriately themed 'grants' and 'donations' and 'investments' and the like, to various parties at the conference (and maybe to one or two conspicuously absent parties as well).

    And of course these payments aren't coming from Rufus directly, oh no. He doesn't have his name attached to any of them. He doesn't have his name indirectly attached. He doesn't have his name anywhere near any of these, really, the whole thing being routed through a complex recurring redundant insulated shadowy network of shell corporations, intermediaries, money mules, gacha payments, launderers, lobbyists, stock pumps, cash tumblers, crypto tumblers, tumblr tumblers, a company that sells tumblers, a company that builds and sells The Tumbler (a popular ride seen at many state fairs), and occasionally via a good old briefcase full of cash.

    The whole point of this operation is making inroads. Buying influence, either wholesale or incrementally. Maybe there'll be a bill that comes due. Maybe you won't see that bill coming. Maybe you won't even realize that there's a bill, but you do realize that the nice company that's sponsoring your daughter's soccer league would be sad if you didn't look the other way on occasion, and maybe just this once what's the harm, right?

    All of this is arranged codedly via Rufus's phone. If anyone happens to shoulder-surf, it looks like he's just ordering pizzas sent to various addresses. And importantly, he is nowhere near any of it going on, which just happens to mean he gravitates towards the bowling alley.

    "So what's the haps," he says, as he works on sending a triple-anchovy to an address in Wyoming (Otto Mentalis gets that scanner thingy that got cut from the budget last quarter, from a 'Buy a hologram of your baby's brain' mall kiosk company that's being liquidated, with a nice note from the liquidator about supporting the mission). "Bowling? Cool. Love bowling."

    Oh wait, no, there's Psychonauts leadership here. Shit. They're up on the list of people he's trying to bribe. Well, he's here now. Play it cool.

    "Pin setting machines, right?" he says, peering down the lane, alternating looking at it and looking at his phone (order of breadsticks to Rhode Island (a Paladins civilian contractor gets introduced to a new customer with deep pockets)). "Goddamn right. None of that 'pins on strings' stuff. If I wanted to watch puppets on strings get physically abused I'd just tune into Late Night with Miss Piggy."

    "So anyone have any, like, neat bowling moves? Over the shoulder triple-spin youth-sports-movie-winning stuff? Anything like that?"
Team Timekeeper     Unfortunately, this is exactly what Vertin signed up for when steelmanning the suggestion for the Foundation's involvement in the Psychogate project. As a perfectly justifiable punishment for-- really, just for being Vertin, at this point, she's sentenced to handling being part of the Foundation representation at this conference from nearly the moment she regained consciousness, on top of all of her duties with setting up the team that was assembled around her in her sleep.

    And still, she perseveres. There are only so many hours in the day, and whether they're spent in the Foundation or in the Motherlobe hardly makes any difference. TTT isn't so similarly obliged by duty, and so she only comes when it interests her, and maybe a little bit to fuss over Vertin.

    Vertin hides her need to be fussed-over very well, anyways. At the conference table, it's easy to believe that her soft voice is fully recovered from comatose dessication, and she's dressed perfectly cleanly in her uniform and sits upright and recollects and argues clearly.

    She does have a *cane*, though, courtesy of Druvis and Sotheby's efforts. It suits her outfit so well (dark brown wood, platinum cap, slightly knobbled-imperfect and engraved) that it almost goes without noticing, but she does genuinely need it to walk on her own.

"And get your pants beat by the Senior League, that's the buy-in cost if you start talking business."

    "If you say so." Vertin's smile is an average level of tired and frustrated, that is to say, none visible at all. But she's not participating in bowling!! She's happy to sit on the plush benches and watch the others play, like a weary mother hoping their two weird daughters can entertain themselves.

    One of those weird daughters is Regulus, but the other is TTT, here in as much flesh as she has. Regulus was tasked with dragging four CRT TVs over, and stacking them up, the tower of which now politely waits for her turn to bowl. TTT is displayed on the slightly disjointed screens, eagerly impatient with her bowling assistive ramp for children ready.

    "Ooooh!! I've never gone *bowling* before! Well, besides once on the Atari, but it's just not the same thing!"

    With her bowling ball carefully balanced at the top of the ramp, angled towards the pins, TTT backs up on the screens and then makes a run-up, miming the motion of bowling within the digital realm. There's a little fzzzt of arcane energy on the real bowling ball, and then it languidly rolls down the ramp and immediately gutters.
Sarracenia      Sarracenia has not been to the Motherlobe before. This whole world (both figurative and literal) seems so far outside of anything she could help with or even really understand that she hasn't delved into it. But, she does kind of like Flamel and would -like- to be helpful. So...she decided to give it a shot despite all her misgivings.

     And she is happy to learn that...she was completely right. She doesn't understand most of what is said, isn't familiar with the project being discussed, and already has a disdain for bureaucracy and speeches and things of that nature. She has several times been gently awakened by Gregory, who accompanied her as his first official duty back from medical leave.

     Gregory seems to be doing quite well despite having been resurrected weeks after his death. He stays close to the Sundew princess (or the princess staying protectively close to him), conversing lightly when needed and otherwise staying quiet.

     Sarracenia is neither a veteran of the incident (as far as she knows) or a key Elite, but she still ends up in the bowling alley and bar when the leadership heads that way. She is rarely one to drink, but this conference has wiped her out after already being mentally and emotionally drained from everything that has happened over the last few months. So, she decides to splurge a bit on alcohol! If frozen, fruity, mixed drinks like daquiris count. She is currently sipping one from a large glass between frames of bowling.

     She is not trying to start talking business. Far from it. But she -is- competitive and pretty good a throwing things where she wants them to go. So, the tall princess in the red royal gown has no doubt been giving the leadership a run for their money.

     Gregory is no slouch himself, but true to his nature he has been quietly bowling as well. He does not celebrate beyond a light nod when he does well. In high contrast to Sarracenia, who hops in place and twirls and laughs haughtily every time she knocks most or all of the pins down. Which is fairly often.

     Rufus is here, and Sarra generally likes him despite his evil corporate CEO vibes that he sometimes gives off. "Neat bowling moves?" Sarra repeats, considering. "Well, I could give one a try!" Sarra grips her red with shimmering gold streaks bowling ball, then does a one-handed back hand spring, fully extending her legs while keeping the ball at her side, and as she comes back down she lets it rip. The ball goes streaking down the lane, and...right into the gutter.
Regulus Angela has a professional interest in the Psychogate and has sent a small team of Librarians to this conference in order to learn more about it and to share her thoughts as someone who happens to be relying on her own 'gate' collecting to the 'collective unconciousness' though she doesn't use either of those terms and there isn't exactly a door either and she has no prosocial aims for that Light she's been gathering but she IS also more interested in taking a stronger and firmer hand as a member of the Concord.

She has no interest in psychic bowling though and her Librarians aren't paid to bowl and she's more interested in the methodology than the schmoozing so is largely sending her people from briefing to briefing rather than participating in play--she's already had a quick talk with Flamel already.

Regulus didn't want to return to the Motherlobe honestly. The last time she went to the Motherlobe, she ended up trapped there for so so long!! The only benefit of it all in her mind is that she got mad about radishes which got Ahn made which got Regulus to make a peace treaty with radishes and get into the habit of cleaning which she enjoys doing now which really helped her get through those days during the rebellion and she's pretty sure she and Ahn are, like, good friends now? So it worked out!! But the experience still sucked in the moment and she's hoping there will not be yet another disaster today, at least.

"I am actually an incredible bowler!" Regulus brags to Vertin. She's wearing a pair of glasses rather than her usual shades, an auburn jacket, a white blouse, and denim overalls over that with a pair of waist high pockets on the side. She's wearing black boots with broad inch high heels. This isn't exactly bowling wear but she didn't know they would be bowling until this very second and it won't stop her. She is staying close to Vertin in case she needs some help, offering an arm if Vertin ever needs to take a break and lean on her. "So what do you think, Vertin? Shall I REPRESENT and show the strength of Team Timekeeper?"

She also didn't know she would be dragging four CRT TVs until she knew she was coming so she has been grunting periodically as she's been dragging the four CRT TVs over and is a little out of breath. "Though..." She lets out a long exhale as she wipes her forehead as she OOFFHS and hefts one TV up on top of each other one at a time. "If Florin jumps me right now you all have an obligation to make sure Petra doesn't think I'm exercising every day just because I'm helping TTT out here, okay?"

She steps around to the screens and offers TTT a hifive. "Excited to kick their butts?" Regulus assumes TTT is very good at bowling for some reason.

''It languidly rolls down the ramp and immediately gutters.''

"Um...that's okay!" Regulus assures TTT. "You're just getting used to being four TVs. Here, I'll give it a go."

Regulus's first two rolls lead to a spare. "Yahoo! That's what we're talking about!"

She looks back at Vertin and grins at her, throwing her a peacesign. "You can trust in us to knock their socks off, Captain!"
Hiromi     Hiromi did not decide to spend days of her time hanging out in meetings. That's not really a thing anyone should expect to happen. She has, however, sent a representative, and it's one seen by... surprisingly few people likely to be here or previously involved in the Psychogate business. Ahn, at least. Regulus saw her tending to the food on the beach.

    That's right, it's time for Hisako to be back in the field, being someone with more willingness to listen to people talk endlessly than Hiromi has, greater ability to take notes than Chie, and being less likely to start a fight than either (this isn't part of the criteria for which she was chosen, but someone might appreciate it). To those who haven't seen her, the voice might still be slightly familiar, and the vaguely shrine maiden style clothing with the white top, red (we may as well call it) hakama, together with the lupine ears and tail in the same brunette as her long pony tail, mark her affiliation clearly enough. Red ties cinch up her sleeves at the shoulders and hang with fanciful knotwork from her hair, and a large pair of bronze gauntlets are held at her waistband like a samurai's swords, just as unlikely to be drawn. Her unassuming stature makes the highly magical armor (or, weapons) seem all the larger.

    As to what she has been doing, it's been a lot of taking notes, trying to understand the psychogate business and, especially, recent changes since after the Archwolf was here, so she can make an accurate report on all of that. This is rough going, probably mostly because she's never seen anything like a psychonaut before. A few times, she's asked if this or that is similar to 'the Paths Between,' and then had difficulty explaining what that means beyond it being 'a place between gates' that is, evidently, not the same, instantaneous travel as warpgates allow.

    She's also been doing a lot of not-bowing -- it seems to not be much of a thing, where she's from. A fist-to-palm salute, delivered without any sound, takes its place, which she treats as something formal. With the cultural differences, one might have to just go by tone -- or read her mind, which she is vulnerable to to ordinary degrees.

    And so, bowling. "Does the ball need roll, or can it be thrown?" Someone should probably tell her not to use shot put rules.
    "The one who knocks down more pins is the winner... right? If they tie, do you keep trying again?" The point rules for strikes and frames didn't sink in the first time.
    "Is this a team sport?" A team sport where you have to stay in your own lane would be new to her.
Rufus Shinra     "Oh? Oh, huh. That's a neat looking animation," says Rufus, looking at the stack of TV's, uncritically assuming that they're part of the bowling alley, and TTT's appearance is because someone just rolled a spare.

    When she somehow rolls a ball in meatspace, his whole countenance changes. Rufus adjusts his hair when he thinks nobody's watching, leans against the ball-return machine, and waits till TTT is looking over his way.

    "So hey," he says.

    "First time bowling? Perhaps you'd like some private lessons sometime? I've got a lane all to myself, up in my penthouse, but it gets so lonely rolling things alone."
Storm Investigators Greta Hofmann and Marcus (no last name) aren't here to negotiate a single thing. They've done their share of work on the Psychogate project, at least as far as keeping it from blowing up and turning the entirety of the Motherlobe into a crater. The last thing they want to do is even think about the possibility it might happen again, so they're already on alert when the call to come back to the Motherlobe reaches them.

Still, they can't not go, especially with Vertin in attendance after everything else that's happened. Thus, they're tagging along today, and they'll be helping with the buy-in cost on Vertin's behalf. They've even got the right shoes on for bowling this time, and their coats are already neatly piled up on one of the seats.

"It's quite an interesting game, Miss TTT.  There's much more to it than I expected, including lane conditions, the weight of the ball, personal dexterity..."
"Rolling is preferred, Miss Hisako. The lane would not survive your thorws, and even a normal person's strength throwing them would cause damage over time."
"Ehm... Regulus? I thought the buy-in was to get our butts kicked. Psst. That means we don't have to try very hard...

Not that trying hard would help Marcus or Greta to actually win, anyway. Even with Marcus taking her time to read the lanes and figure out where the little dips and divots are that might be invisible to the naked eye, her technique is still too ass to really hit any more than three pins at a time without great luck on her side. Greta's only slightly better while relying entirely on feel, because she's still sore from moving so much cement.

Not that she'll ever audibly complain about it or even show discomfort over that, of course.
Hiromi     'Rolling is preferred, Miss Hisako.'

    "Oh! I see. Thank you. Because of how hard the floor is, I'd thought... but the balls must be even harder." She nods. Hisako's not going to damage the bowling alley on purpose, even if it gave her a definite edge (which it would). That'd be so impolite, and also maybe cheating.

    Taking up the next bowling ball in line, she watches several other people go first, getting really close to TTT's ramp only to still not figure out how she did that, and then does her best to copy Regulus's form. The ball rolls... and rolls...! Right up until it's about to reach the pins, and arcs into the gutter at the last moment. Hisako frowns. "But why...?" and tries to mentally work out the physics at play.
Team Timekeeper "I am actually an incredible bowler!"

    "Are you now?" Vertin's acquired alcohol too, surprisingly a sickeningly sweet and colorful cocktail like Sarra's that she shows so expression one way or the other while sipping. "Feel free to show off. You're my representative in the field of bowling today."

"If Florin jumps me right now you all have an obligation to make sure Petra doesn't think I'm exercising every day just because I'm helping TTT out here, okay?"

    "Oh, it'd be intolerably unfair for you to be kidnapped away again so soon." Vertin lifts her cane up by the neck, lazily jabbing it as if she'd fence the ratcube off herself.

    TTT is not so sympathetic to Regulus's plight, having not been in the Suitcase the most recent time she was abducted. "Hey, hey, what was it like, though? Where'd you go? Do you think I could taxi along on the screen next time?" It doesn't have a screen.

"Excited to kick their butts?"

    Her sympathy levels towards Regulus are pretty high right now in general though! Both on account of her helping drag TVs in, and because of all her efforts in the trial and rebellion. She matches the hi-five from within the screen, with a little static fuzz where their hands meet. "Woo!"

"Perhaps you'd like some private lessons sometime?"

    "E-eh? Um--" TTT and Rufus have met, since they were both present for the week long imprisonment in the Motherlobe, but they never really talked! This makes her uniquely vulnerable, him as an acquaintance from outside the Foundation and therefore unfamiliar with Chatty Cathy's reputation, and her as basically never being hit on.

    "Well it's-- sorry, you know, my condition...? It makes it just, like, a liiittle hard for me to get around places, it's sort of inconvenient, like I'm sure it'd be too much of a hassle for everyone, you know...."

"Does the ball need roll, or can it be thrown?"

    "It's called bowling," Vertin happily explains to Hisako. "The ball is meant to leave your hand and contact the lane-- that's the slippery portion leading to those pins-- nearby the line without crossing it. You get two tries per round, and the number of pins you knock over is your score, added up over the course of ten rounds. There's a few other rules and edge cases involved, but that's the very basics."
Sarracenia      'If Florin jumps me right now you all have an obligation to make sure Petra doesn't think I'm exercising every day just because I'm helping TTT out here, okay?'

     "Are you obligated to throw me to Florin if Florin -does- jump you right now?" Sarra asks Regulus with a slight smirk. "Not that I think Florin and Petra would take me even if you did."

     'Hisako asks question about bowling.'

     'Greta and Marcus answer questions about bowling'

     Sarra offers an energetic wave toward Greta and Marcus, and Gregory waves a leafy arm as well. "Greta! Marcus! It is good to see you! Look! It is Gregory!" Sarra exclaims, pointing at Gregory. "He is fully recovered!" Her beaming smile says thank you as clearly as if she had said it out loud. She nods along with Greta's explanation and Gregory adds some more information. "The one who knocks down more pins is the winner, but only after a total from a set amount of frames. And it can indeed be a team sport. The teams would pick one lane and their members would take turns bowling."

     Sarra finally met Regulus in person not too long ago, and offers the rebel a wave in greeting as well. "Regulus! Hello! Who are your friends?" she says. Her experience with Angela has her immediately assuming that the TVs are an Eggpack, albeit a much larger one.
Hiromi     Vertin happily explains to Hisako.

    Realizing she'd missed this rule, Hisako brightens up. Her facial expression doesn't change that much, but her ears stand a little taller and more forward-set and her tail wags for a couple seconds which, if anything, is far more clear.

    "Oh, I see -- I can try again in the same turn." A redo! Is how she's thinking of it, grateful to Vertin for telling (reminding) her.

    'The one who knocks down more pins is the winner, but only after a total from a set amount of frames.'

    "'Frames'? That word was used earlier, too. What is being framed?" Clicking that together with what Vertin said, "Oh, it's a round, right?"

    Stepping up to take her second try, hesitating only before the first step taken, Hisako makes her second throw, intentionally aiming away from the gutter she'd hit last.

    Too far. The spin's slightly different. Instead of hitting dead center as intended, she hits the far-right pin alone. "Ah--!"

    She claps her hands together, eyes bright.
Flamel Parsons think
    Rufus' help in propping up the Psychogate project has been critical. The Psychonauts, though they might get some Concord funding through agreements for exchanges with Flamel, are always a bit too disaffiliated for full funding. Having any backer means-- well, it means Rufus could get all sorts of plaques and dedications. That cash buys a lot of dedicated benches, you know, so the anonymization has left a number of brass plates unmarked in a slightly confusing ways.

    Inroads are made, though. And now Rufus has his invite from the highest echelons; technically he would have since he operated in the survival situation, but now it's even firmer. But bribing telepaths anonymously is always a bit of a challenge, so by now they've surely done some background checks. And, well, anyone whose background checks include attempted patricide is landing on the positive side of things, so they stopped there and kept it polite.

    
    The stout, short, anxious man in the funny hat that has joined his boss at the lanes. That would be one of the Senior League, wouldn't it? "I think," he mutters, nervous-happy. "That we have enough, of remotely moving things around, some days." He tips his hat to Rufus. "Though, maybe we have our fill of 'special moves' too. M-my, ah, my--" He stops, he takes a deep breath, and then he puts on a more genuine smile. "My special move is winning. We keep it simple, sometimes."

    Whatever anxiety he's got, he's got that under control.

    Vertin's deployment of the Timekeeper League gets an approving nod from the boss-man. "You're the Foundation representative I'd heard so much about." He says, curling up a smile. "And the one who was there to, ah, *audit* us before. No hard feelings, of course, but..." He peers at TTT's gutter. "I hope you won't mind if I still aim to take my usual three-hundred off your League here. The lady you've got in the tee-vees there might suit the brainball league if we were doing our tournaments."

    Sarra's plant friend will find good company with the recently-returned head of Herbaphony, who strikes up plenty of conversations in various plant-native tongues quite naturally. He's a well-practiced member of the Senior League too, but he's seeming more benignly positive, disinvolved.

    Regulus is the one who gets an approving "Ahhhh!" from the bathrobe'd boss himself. "Thought you might have too eclectic of a circle to put up a good fight. *This* is what I like to see."

    As for this lovely guest, Hisasko, the stout lock-hatted man is the one to speak with her. He's the head of Zoolingualism and so he almost *instantly* works well with her, or at least to the best of his considerable ability. "Oh, it's play! It's dexterity-play. You know how the particular *merit* humanity has is throwing. So, well, um, so, this is 'throwing-play', to imitate slings and spears and, well, and things like that. You see?" He demonstrates as he bowls. "Imagine the pins, um, imagine the pins as the body of a beast. And my, well, my hunting-practice play, in a way, is to act like I am sending a rock at its body, to break it. You see? That's why we add extra challenges, like rolling it on the ground, or hitting it all at once."

    Is Marcus still in the Timekeeper League? Looks like the boss-man signed her on it, and Greta too if she isn't quick to stop him. "You're right. It's all friendly. Senior League knows how to put down a three-hundred, but we can still talk freely, you've more than earned it."

    As for the thing *to* talk about...
Vantablitz Remnants     Anh was there! She's a veteran now! Not only did she do something important, but she gets to go back there and feel cool! It's actually so exciting!

    No it doesn't count when she does it back home. Why do you ask?

    Despite the Psychogate disaster being, well, a disaster, the close-to-two-weeks that Anh spent working her butt off to keep everyone else from freezing or starving or running off and getting smushed by a giant rejection stamp are now fond memories of camaraderie and mutual trust in retrospect; if she squints, which she does. With Regulus having been ear-twisted into being weird about Turnips, Vertin alive and well enough to get in trouble and be put in a coma (she heard something like that a few times, but was scared to ask more than she did), Flamel back to being enough of a person to be kinda annoying, and Hiromi satisfied with not turning something (someone? it wasn't clear) into a mountain(?), it's basically nothing but Ws down the line, and she's so going to brag to Lotus (when that lazy jerk finally comes out).

    Anh scrambles out of an olive green rain jacket and bush pants once she's through the Warpgate, still damp with water from the mountain until all waiting dries it out again, dressed in a cornflower blue knit tank top and wheat-coloured knee length skort underneath; almost exactly like she tried to copy 'blue collar corporate casual' at first, then got sticky and upset trying to layer it long enough to escape a jungle unscathed, then kept sizing it down until it became vaguely economic paint over a casual tennis outfit (she did). Once she realizes she's late, she gets a little upset, but maintains her determination to hold her head high.

    It lasts until she remembers that bathrooms are socially acceptable places to change that exist in 20th century buildings the moment she passes by one; then she really wants to go home.

    'Feel free to show off. You're my representative in the field of bowling today.'

    "Vertin!"

    'So what do you think, Vertin? Shall I REPRESENT and show the strength of Team Timekeeper?'

    "Regulus!"

    'Does the ball need roll, or can it be thrown?'

    "Hisako!"

    'Oh? Oh, huh. That's a neat looking animation'

    Ahn's triumphant cheering and bouncing from the back of the bowling alley dies down to an awkward "Y-you too!" at Rufus. Her arms hover indecisively between staying up where she'd put them and falling down, just before she stuffs her hands into her cellphone-incompatible pockets.

    'If Florin jumps me right now you all have an obligation to--'

    "Is someone stalking you?! Is someone trying to kill you?! Do you have a rival?!" Ahn comes running up to Regulus as if all three of those things are equally worrisome and maybe just slightly exciting possibilities. She whips her head around to hear Vertin's explanation, and--

    'Oh, it'd be intolerably unfair for you to be kidnapped away again so soon.'


    "Kidnapping?! Is it--" She suddenly glances into the back corner, as if expecting the pyschic superspy agency to suddenly reveal that it's actually a slightly different spy agency at any moment. Anh lowers her voice. "Is it the government? Or is it . . . ?"

    "Oh gosh! TTT! I'm so sorry! I couldn't see you from behind! I thought someone just stacked up a bunch of TVs!" She sounds completely sincere, somehow. "What's going on? Is everything already over? And Vertin, are you okay? I heard about the-- but the walking stick? You'll be fine, right?"
Rufus Shinra     Rufus doesn't want recognition! Recognition is for other people. Also, once again, Rufus's record of attempted patricide comes back to haunt him. Why couldn't it be actual patricide? Life is so unfair sometimes.

    > "My special move is winning. We keep it simple, sometimes."

    Rufus Shinra will remember that. -20

    "I see!" he says, brightly. "You must live a very simple life indeed. That's nice."

    "You want to see how well 'keeping it simple' stacks up against someone who's trying, though?" Rufus goes to grab a ball.

    > "Y-you too!"

    "Oh, hey. You doing alright?" Rufus didn't give the best showing last time, what with trying to push for keeping the psychogate around at the risk of everyone else. There's maybe a bit of ground to recover.

    > "Well it's-- sorry, you know, my condition...? It makes it just, like, a liiittle hard for me to get around places, it's sort of inconvenient, like I'm sure it'd be too much of a hassle for everyone, you know...."

    "I have a TV," says Rufus quickly. "Or- do you need four TV's? I can do that."

    He pauses. "Or do they need to be-"

    The word 'CRT' isn't in Rufus's zoomer vocabulary. His context for what those blocky monitors are comes from seeing them in exactly one other place, where their low latency is prized over their lack of image quality.

    "- do they need to be gamer TV's?"
Storm Investigators "Because of how hard the floor is, I'd thought... but the balls must be even harder."

"Oh! It depends, Miss Hisako." Marcus pipes in rather than Greta in response to Hisako, sounding rather eager to bring in some TRIVIA from her reading on the topic to go along with Vertin's actually-helpful reply about the rules of bowling. "An older lane made of wood would indeed be more susceptible to breaking when struck by modern bowling balls, but lanes made with modern materials could survive many balls being slammed into them."

"It is good to see you! Look! It is Gregory!"

"Princess. Gregory. It's good to see you both in good health." Greta gives them both a polite nod in greeting, subdued as she usually is.

"Ah, it's Princess Sarracenia and Mister Gregory. H.. Hello! That is very good to see, yes." Marcus is slightly more animated about greeting the two, but only slightly. "Are you both here to listen in on the matters surrounding the Psychogate as well?"

"So, well, um, so, this is 'throwing-play', to imitate slings and spears and, well, and things like that."

Even though Truman's explaining that to Hisako, Marcus still finds herself listening intently to his explanation. "I had no idea... Games can come from such interesting places. I've heard hide-and-seek had similar hunting origins, but without the danger of a true life and death struggle."

Neither Marcus nor Greta object to being signed on as part of the Timekeeper League, what with being Foundation reps and all. besides, it means they can take it even easier and enjoy some questionable bowling alley food!

Or Greta can just sneak out to get some food and drinks from the cafeteria.

"Is someone stalking you?! Is someone trying to kill you?!"

Marcus just HAS to hear that right when Greta's stepping out to get that food, too, and she lets out an anxious noise while turning to Ahn with a hand already going to her and Greta's coats. "Eh? Who... Miss Ahn? Where did you hear that from? Do we need to secure the area? Oh, shoot, and Madam Hofmann just stepped away...!"
Flamel Parsons     The big (small) boss himself, while retrieving his next bowling ball, chatters about something -- primarily to Vertin, who had led the bureaucratic effort here. "You know how to avoid getting caught up in the nonsense of a conference." He says. "I think you're *very* familiar with it, maybe. So I wanted to invite your side of things to blow off the steam -- and to *focus* on the important question. The kind that our mutual friend Project Mystic was programmed to not even think about."

    Ahn is here. He gestures to her as if she were an example of a key idea. "A *person* doesn't have a peer relationship with *people*. One outlasts the other, but they never, mmmm, they never 'touch', don't they? 'People' would rather die out before holding hands with 'a person'. It's a boundary. And we *respect* those."

    "The Young Minds Protection Act was a set of compromises we struck because of that relationship. When Otto developed the original Psychoportals, everyone was afraid of something. And they didn't know exactly what they were afraid of. So we got this terribly clumsy batch of regulations that bans us from healing the young before their traumas solidify, but allows all kinds of awful people to make psychic weapons, because someone managed to tell everyone that what they were afraid of was corrupting their children." The ball zips down the middle of the lane cleanly. There's almost a sense of a shockwave when it clatters all ten in one decisive impact, not even diverting from its path. "'The spoonbenders are going to turn your kids crazy. Your child is estranged because the telepath next door was teaching him about rock and roll in the night.'"

    When he turns back to her, his voice is both soft and serious. His hands clasp each other. "So. What are humans afraid of?" Not 'you people', but 'humans,' as a whole. "Don't tell me they're afraid of nothing, or you'll do something to make them less afraid. Psychics *are* dangerous. Agent Parsons hurt people, and he did that because he's the most distilled psychic-ness my predecessors could get out of our roster. So they're afraid of something, and it can hurt them. And something will have to happen that makes them less afraid. But you can't let that happen without knowing what the fear is."

    "What is it, you think, Miss Timekeeper?" He cedes the lane to her Suitcase League for now.

    Of course, the question is something for everyone to think on, and he's got more than open ears for their idle or their focused thoughts on it.
Team Timekeeper "Regulus! Hello! Who are your friends?"

    "Ah, my apologies," Vertin props her cane up to assist her to her feet, reaching out with a hand to shake Sarracenia's. "Vertin, Timekeeper of the St. Pavlov Foundation. I believe we've spoken over the radios... your Highness? Or is it Majesty now?"

"Ah--!"

    "See? Now you've done it once." Leaning an elbow on the top of the cane, Vertin claps lightly for Hisako's successful pin. "It's a matter of refining your technique now... which Regulus ought to be able to give you advice on, right?"

"I heard about the-- but the walking stick? You'll be fine, right?"

    "Hello, Ahn. It's good to see you again." The cane isn't so critical that Vertin will topple over without it, just that her legs aren't able to support her weight in movement all on their own. She can lift it up slightly off the ground to demonstrate how healthy and stable she is!

    "I'm quite alright, really. Several weeks more of physical recovery and I'll be back to normal. Muscular atrophy and mild complications, is all. Now how've you been? How's Camelia and the village?"

"No hard feelings, of course, but..."

    "Of course," Vertin says while settling down back on her bench, a tiny bit winded. "And you're First Head Zanotto, if I'm not mistaken? It's a pleasure."

    Picking up her cocktail again and sipping it, "You'll have to forgive the small size of my bowling league here. My 'league' has been undergoing certain restructuring lately, I'm sure you've heard-- but Regulus can still put up a fight."

    TTT is just here having fun though, and to halve the average score of the Timekeeper League by racking up zero points to average with Regulus's. Once someone helps her balance another ball on top of her ramp, she sticks the tip of her tongue out between her lips, manifests a digital copy of the bowling ball in front of her in her hands, holds it up in front of her with intense focus, and then steps back and through, absolutely fumbling releasing her ball late. The effect this has is actually to lift the bowling ball in reality up slightly, which then falls off the side of the ramp onto the ground with a thud.

    "Oh, darn it! Your go, Reggie."

"Or- do you need four TV's? I can do that."

    With the attention *continuing* after the first exchange, without TTT being the one applying pressure, she seemingly has no idea what to do with herself. She shuffles around on the screen awkwardly, shifting between having one hand on her hip, then crossing her arms, then putting her hands in the pockets on her uniform jacket, to digitally manifesting a brick wall to lean casually up against, on the sides of the TV screen.

    "Oh-- well, um-- sixty two inches of vertical screen is really all I need for my real height? Stacking TVs isn't the only way, but, well, it's usually what I've gotta do to have a 'body', so.... Er, so you-- are you a big bowl..er...? Aha."
Regulus ''I thought the buy-in was to get our butts kicked.''

"But I want to try very hard." Regulus says, adjusting one of her overall straps. "What's the point of even playing a gaem if you're not trying your best." Since Marcus isn't part of Team Timekeeper, Regulus feels she is free to lose if she wants, but then she thinks that Marcus is supposed to be gangstalking Team Timekeeper so it's still a little embarrassing if she just does real badly because she's not even trying. "I mean, do you think they'll be happy if they win because we let them? Do your best, Marcus, okay?" She beams at her bookish friend and fellow double jumping apprentice. So long as Marcus LOOKS like she's trying, she's happy to cheer her on getting evne three pins.

''Feel free to show off.''

"Ehehh...!" Regulus smirks pirately. "Your wish is my command." Though this is obviously kind of Regulus's own wish, but it's important to Regulus to proudly treat Vertin like she's the boss sometimes.

''It'd be untolerably unfair for you--''

"Yeah I'm pretty sure it won't happen that quickly, but man I can't be exhausted the next time it gets me," She says 'it gets me' as if it's a foregone conclusion at this point. "Petra would never let it go."

''What was it like, though?''

"Uh, well, it isn't very fast so the ride over there is kind of boring. And a little uncomfortable." She tells TTT, thinking it over. "The obstacle course wasn't so bad. I mean it was the first time, but the second time wasn't so bad. Actually..." She lowers her voice like admitting a dirty secret. "It's actually kind of fun? But it keeps happening at the worst times!"

''Well it's-- sorry, you know, my condition...?''

Regulus's intuition is telling her that TTT doesn't really want to learn bowling from Rufus but she's not entirely sure. Maybe she just doesn't want to cause a huge hassle for everyone just like she says.

Regulus wraps an arm around the third TV from the bottom like she's giving a shoulder-level hug or arm wrap? But it's a little awkward because her TVs are the size of TVs. "How do we even know you're good to teach. You gotta show off first!" She tells Rufus in an attempt to buy TTT time and a bit of space to think about the sudden proposition!

''Are you obligated to throw me to Florin--''

"I might." Regulus says, then is a little confused because Sarracenia said hello AFTER the quip. But it isn't so weird she can't answer her! "Oh, the guy is ... I don't remember exactly. It's been a while. But I did meet him before, I think. And this is TTT! She's a great mate, I've known her almost as long as I've been with Vertin! She's fab as all out and maximally groovy. I'm hella chuffed that we get to knock about with each other again."

''My special move is winning.''

"We'll see about that!" Regulus challenges, though she is sweating a little since she knows bowling and that means she knows that three hundred is a hella high score.

''Thought you might have too eclectic--''

"See?" Regulus tells Marcus. "You gotta do your best! We're up against the final boss of bowling here!"

''Regulus!''

"Ahn!" Regulus shouts happily, turning away from bowling. "I was wondering if you were gonna make it! You remember TTT right?" She stands to the side and jazzhands for her to show her off. "Well here she is!"
Regulus ''Is someone stalking you?!''

"Oh uh, nah, it's just Petra. It's a whole thing she's doing to get me to work out." She pauses. "There's just been the issue that uh I've been apparently doing a lot more workouts lately so she thinks I was lying before because she keeps getting me when I'm hella tired. Florin's the name of the ratbot she sent out to stalk and capture me."

Regulus crosses her arms for a moment, frowning as she thinks about how this sounds. "It keeps me on my toes!" She says.

''Is everything already over?''

"Oh great! You do remember. Yeah, the whole rebellion's over. And we won! A lot of people helped." She beams. "Vertin's still healing up. Sonetto and I have been looking after her, but she's healing up pretty quick. Vertin's a Tough Timekeeper!"

''Do they need gamer TV's?''

"Um I think the issue is more that we don't have a big broadcast range so she'd need to travel...?" Vertin asked her to work on that but it'll probably be a minute before Regulus finishes that work.
Regulus "Oh, yeah, I think she is, uh, Queen now? Or like Queen-ready?" Regulus tells Vertin. "Actually, she has been working on like a Constitution or something?" Regulus sounds a little unsure despite being the cause for this quip going too far. "You have a lot of experience writing proposals maybe you could help her out." A lot of experience writing proposals seems to be 'wrote one that she knows about'.

''--which Regulus ought to be able to give you advice on, right?''

Regulus has the character flaw of 'if she's offered as an expert on something she will naturally volunteer to help with whatever so she can try to show off, even if she's not especially good at it. She is pretty good at bowling! Though probably not 'consistently score 300' good. "I'd be happy to help, if you want!" She is honestly a little excited to maybe help someone from Wolf Abs Mountain with a physical activity but honestly Hisoko is just kind of super sweet too so.

''You'll have to forgive the small size of my bowling league here.''

"Only small for now! Soon we'll be a force to be reckoned with! I mean, we already are, but more so!"

''Oh, darn it! Your go, Reggie.''

Regulus, though, is starting to think maybe she should throw the game just because TTT seems to be struggling--but no! She can't! She has to set a good example of DOING YOUR BEST.

"Hey you're getting there, practice makes perfect!"

She rolls the ball, this time getting a strike! But she winces and rubs at her arm and shakes out her hand. She's not as sore as she was the day after. She still isn't at a hundred percent even if she's youthful enough to recover quickly.

"I bet you've got all sorts of screens and secrets right?" Reguls asks Rufus.
Flamel Parsons     It's genuinely, truly difficult to take on Boole in bowling. Like, he's seriously powerful. His boss has some good skill, but Boole is just really good??? That's thirty years of bowling this exact lane, apparently. If you look extremely closely, his feet are literally stepping into these very slight grooves and discolorations that have persisted over multiple years of reflooring these two lanes, from him practicing the precisely identical steps of the same bowl each time. Rufus' special maneuvers and Hisako's physical prowess would have a tough time keeping up. No, no telekinesis there. These lanes are just part of his mindscape. He *dreams* about this specific motion, sometimes.

    Still, despite his anxious nervousness, he's quite happy about this. Even with Rufus being a little sour about his lack of a named move, Boole is fast to try to offer advice and encouragement to him, to Hisako, and even to Regulus, who's putting up a firm fight of her own. He's just... anxious in general, once he's in the flow of something he has a much, much better energy.
Storm Investigators "and to *focus* on the important question."

Greta returns just in time to hear that, and she hands off a soda and chips to Marcus while listening to the big small bathrobeman. A slight frown that crosses her face as she hears about the state of the regulations thanks to the Young Minds Protection Act, but it soon fades as she heads up to the lane.

The senior investigator finally manages to pick up a spare! Still no strikes yet, but it does set the stage for Regulus' encouragement of Marcus once the younger sees her mentor managing to hit everything for once.

"I mean, do you think they'll be happy if they win because we let them?"

"I suppose not... It wouldn't be a challenge if nobody tried. no. And without competition, there is no drive to improve, or to get those three hundreds they've spoken about." Marcus nods slowly at Regulus as she considers the nature of games themselves, especially in that earlier context of bowling being a simulacrum of hunting. Sure, there was a lot of that explanation she didn't quite parse fully, but if they had sto take it seriously back then...

"... Understood, Regulus. I will! If not for myself, then... Then for all the hunters that came before us." With a determined little pump of her firsts, goes up next with bowling ball held tightly in both hands. She squints a little as she focuses her reading ability on the lane, to take in what she can about the whole path so that she can figure out the optimal path for rolling it down!

"Thought you might have too eclectic of a circle to put up a good fight."
"We're up against the final boss of bowling here!"

Having learned from her previous mistakes and gutterballs in both this and the previous game from long ago, Marcus really keeps her eyes on the prize. She even opts for a different method of rolling her bowling ball down the lane: Squatting at the line and shoving it forward! It's not elegant, and it's certainly not fast, and there's a lot of precarious wobbles as it inches down that lane.

Somehow, though, it's actually lined right up for a strike! Even Marcus looks surprised that her goal and her physical dexterity lined up for once.
Vantablitz Remnants     'I was wondering if you were gonna make it!'

    "Hi! Great to see you! Never mind that!" Anh says in sequence.

    'Eh? Who... Miss Ahn? Where did you hear that from? Do we need to secure the area?'

    "Didn't you hear her just now?! Some creep called Florin is--"

    'A *person* doesn't have a peer relationship with *people*.'

    Anh detects that she is being singled out by psychic (not psychic) (maybe psychic?) intuition, and elicits a startled "Me?!" and self-point before she figures out what's even going on.

    'So we got this terribly clumsy batch of regulations that bans us from healing the young before their traumas solidify, but allows all kinds of awful people to make psychic weapons, because someone managed to tell everyone that what they were afraid of was corrupting their children.'

    Then she finally catches up to where everyone else is. Her lips twist, then her eyes fall, and she exhales one big breath of bottled-up worry without seeming any happier for it. "Oh. It's that kinda thing." she says, at once disappointed and yet obliquely familiar.

    Her eyes follow the ball instead. She whispers "Jeez . . ." a moment later.

    'So. What are humans afraid of?'

    And still her voice doesn't warm, nor does her expression liven up, nor does the stiffly contemplative cast to her gaze unharden. Everything she says is too quiet and moody to be clearly heard all that far away either way. "I think we're all just afraid of being left out. Like left behind, not knowing what's going on, not being like anyone else. A few people being different and weird is fine; it's when they make other people weird it's a problem. Or other stuff. People can only get excited or really scared of big changes to stuff they're used to, and they get scared because that's something they have to adapt to, and what if they can't?"

    'I'm quite alright, really. Several weeks more of physical recovery and I'll be back to normal. Muscular atrophy and mild complications, is all. Now how've you been? How's Camelia and the village?'

    Anh breathes it all out with a great big pfffffuhfffff, squares herself up, and says "Good! That it's mild! I'm fine! Not a whole lot changed on the mountain, but--" she glances at Regulus knowingly, then leans closer to stage whisper, "I think Lotus is gonna get up any time now. Only took her until summer!" Then she straightens back up. "I was actually wondering about maybe kinda suggesting turning the rest of the shelter into a Watchtower, actually. There's all that empty space and, well, it was really kinda nice having you guys around and all working together on something?"

    'Oh-- well, um-- sixty two inches of vertical screen is really all I need for my real height?'

    "Your real height? You're five feet tall? That's so cute!" says a Vietnamese woman who is somewhat closer to six than five.

    'Oh uh, nah, it's just Petra.'

    "That's--" Anh blinks. "That's someone. Though? But why would she? Isn't she already . . ." Regulus finishes explaining before she can think of a diplomatic way to say that, though. Thank goodness! "Um. Do you want me to talk to her about it? We're kinda friends. I think she'd listen."
Hiromi     'Oh, it's play! It's dexterity-play.'

    Both before and now, Hisako listens attentively. Very, very attentively. Someone would probably need either a very particular sort of mind or a moderately particular sort of training for a long time to be as focused a listener as she is.

    "I see, so it's that kind of play. It's about precision, but also about... the control of your hand, right? When throwing, you want to control the spin, too." Is that the connection? It makes sense to her, as she's nodding. "It will go of course after leaving your hand, if you don't control the release." More nodding.

    "A three-hundred? That's..." She tries to work out the math, which involves looking at her fingers and spreading them twice. "That's three times the number of pins." Ten pins in each of ten rounds shouldn't add up to more than a hundred. What could the answer to this puzzle be? She already knows from the game so far that each pin is worth one point.

    Ahn's triumphant cheering and bouncing.

    "Ms. Ahn!" Hisako hadn't been told she'd be here, so she's both happy and surprised. It was the first time she traveled in the multiverse that Hisako met her and Lotus, and in her memories -- for Ahn, there might have been a room in which every single object was a mimic, but for Hisako, she only remembers good things. As before, her body-type renders happiness as much visually indicated as a matter of tone.

    'I've heard hide-and-seek had similar hunting origins, but without the danger of a true life and death struggle.'

    As if it's her obligation to follow up on this matter as a related scholar, Hisako says to Marcus, "Natural play is part of one's preparation for adulthood, like training among peers. It complements the skills passed down by those of greater experience, but is no less important for gaining and maintaining strength. Children do their own part for assisting their community, this way." She might have something else to say about 'playing alone' or 'videogames,' if asked.

    She's pretty sure she's already heard about Regulus being stalked by something... and decided it doesn't sound that serious, so she won't worry about it. Calling it 'stalking' and 'kidnapping' must just be a language problem.

    Soon enough, Regulus vindicates her.

    'So. What are humans afraid of?'

    "Um." It wasn't directed primarily at Hisako, but she thinks about it anyway, and is soon counting on her fingers. "War. Greedy and powerful men born to high status. Monsters -- anything that can hurt them but won't talk to them, if -- especially if, they can't tell what it's thinking. Famine. Things that blight your crops but can't be seen or fought. Old age. Infertility. Having no one to care for you if you fall. People whose words can't be understood." She's running out of fingers.

    'It's a matter of refining your technique now... which Regulus ought to be able to give you advice on, right?'
    'I'd be happy to help, if you want!'

    "Yes! Um, maybe? I think I'm figuring it out, now. I mean, please take care of me." She's thinking really hard. Especially after seeing that strike. She's gonna do this! Starting by asking Regulus to show her exactly what she's doing with her arm and hand and fingers, and then again but slower.
Rufus Shinra     > "How do we even know you're good to teach. You gotta show off first!"

    Well, there's your answer.

    Rufus isn't bad, he's definitely above the median for this room, but he's too reliant on 'special moves', not so much trying to show off as trying to make the game more exciting for himself. If he actually focused on the fundamentals instead of trying to find the One Weird Trick then he'd be putting up more of a fight.

    > "Oh-- well, um-- sixty two inches of vertical screen is really all I need for my real height? Stacking TVs isn't the only way, but, well, it's usually what I've gotta do to have a 'body', so.... Er, so you-- are you a big bowl..er...? Aha."

    Losing at bowling actually makes Rufus more tolerable. "I try to keep up with it," he says, his body language now out of 'flirting' mode. "It's no shooting gallery, but you get to throw things at other things and it makes a fun noise, right?"

    "So what is your deal, anyway? Stuck inside of those? Something about a broadcast range?"

    He also lets Boole do whatever tutorials he wants, and when it seems to help the otherwise nervous Boole's mindset, he leans into it, paying increasingly more attention, and actually picking up several things.

    "Show me that again?"

    > "I bet you've got all sorts of screens and secrets right?"

    "Oh, lots?" says Rufus. "Like, hundreds. Thousands. Why?"
Sarracenia      'Sarra's plant friend will find good company with the recently-returned head of Herbaphony'

     Gregory does not mind holding a conversation with the head of Herbaphony, but said head might be disappointed to find that Gregory speaks only one language, and it is the common language of Pipeland. Still, Gregory will patiently answer any questions and discuss any matters as long as the conversation is amiable. And of course being a bit of a statesman himself, Gregory makes sure to give the Senior League member a good game.

     'Are you both here to listen in on the matters surrounding the Psychogate as well?'

     Sarra huffs with a bit of a pout at Marcus's question. "I thought I should at least be here since it is something important to Flamel and many other people, but much of this is beyond me." she says before taking a large sip of her drink.

     'Vertin, Timekeeper of the St. Pavlov Foundation. I believe we've spoken over the radios... your Highness? Or is it Majesty now?'

     Sarra blinks in surprise upon hearing the name. "Oh! So you are the famous Vertin!" Sarra says with a smile even while giving Vertin an appraising look. She shakes the offered hand. "Highness is still appropriate for now. Though I am ruler, I am not queen." She looks at the cane, then back at Vertin. "How is your recovery going? I must say I did not think the kind of healing that was being done on you would result in physical difficulties. Though I admit I was never quite clear on just what had happened to you."

     'Muscular atrophy and mild complications, is all.'

     Vertin explains the situation a bit more, and Sarra nods. "I see. I suppose that is natural with a long coma. Well, if there is any way I can help, let me know. Until then, take a few of these." Sarra reaches into her purse and pulls out a few green mushrooms before handing them to Vertin. "Take two of these and see how you feel in the morning." she says with a smile. And then she notices Vertin's drink. She blinks in surprise, then smiles brightly. "I see we have similar tastes in drinks!" she says, then leans in a bit more and says in a hushed tone of seriousness, "Tell me, how do you feel about...ice cream?"

     'Oh, the guy is ... I don't remember exactly. It's been a while. But I did meet him before, I think. And this is TTT! She's a great mate, I've known her almost as long as I've been with Vertin! She's fab as all out and maximally groovy. I'm hella chuffed that we get to knock about with each other again.'
     'Florin's the name of the ratbot she sent out to stalk and capture me. It keeps me on my toes!'

     Sarra is drawn back to Regulus. She curtseys to TTT when introduced, making sure to stand in front of the TVs. "Greetings, TTT. I think I have heard you a few times, but it is nice to meet you in person." Is Rufus the guy mentioned? Sarra assumes he is, and tilts her head slightly. "You mean Rufus? We have met and even adventured a few times." she says, then smiles to him. "Hello Rufus!" Sarra pauses at the comments about Petra, pondering how they sounds. "...well, Petra seems to mostly stalk those she likes. It is probably fine. Now if she were to kidnap me, the obstacle course would most definitely -not- be fun. Or perhaps not even survivable."

     Unlike Gregory, Sarra hasn't been challenged directly by any Senior League members. But, she is more than happy to help Team Regulus in this matter. She takes her turn bowling, and using all the skill and power of her throwing arm she winds up and instead of relying on technique relies on speed and power to send the ball skittering along the floor before it has time to swerve.
Hiromi     'Oh, darn it! Your go, Reggie.'

    TTT fascinates Hisako for other reasons. "How are you lifting it? Is that your magic, or is it a tool?" She is visibly restraining herself from asking what TTT even is. Some sort of spirit, obviously, but she feels like it might be rude to ask if she manifested spontaneously or was created. Foreign customs can be difficult.

    Her turn comes around, and Hisako attempts to synthesize everything she's been shown so far. She adjusts her right sleeve with cord, flexes a few times, takes the ball returned by the alley (murmuring something that sounds like she's thanking the equipment), steps into the throw, and lets go.

    Harder, faster, stronger -- but she still can't throw straight down the lane without the ball spinning to one side. Her third throw of the night takes six, coming in hard on the right side. Her fourth doesn't quite make the spare, netting nine for frame two. She's quieter about this than the first pin.

    It's too late to win against a perfect score, but at this rate...
Vantablitz Remnants     'Ms. Ahn!'

    "Hisakooooo!"

    They could complete a circuit like this, if Anh had a tail to wag or something. "Is everything still going good with the girls? Not that I could ever imagine Hiromi having a hard time with anything though!"

    'War. Greedy and powerful men born to high status. Monsters --'

    Anh waits through the whole list, puffs out from her cheeks, and says "Okay, I guess all that too."

    'Take two of these and see how you feel in the morning.'

    But she really can't help her attention being grabbed by someone just, handing over a bunch of great big cartoon mushrooms, and then talking about taking them? "Like pills?" she says, incredulously, brain overlapping mouth and neither having a filter. "Is that really okay? That's-- That's so much mushroom. Are you a doctor? Or, wait, like, an herbalist? Apothecary? Um. Chirugeon?" Now she's trying way too hard! "Wait wait wait, aren't you already on medication, Vertin?! What if it interacts?!" She looks so pleadingly at her.

    Honestly, Gregory speaking weirdly normal English is kind of a relief. If there started being a psychic plant language conference going on in here, she would be really upset, probably, for the dumbest possible reason.
Regulus Regulus is starting to think maybe calling it 'kidnapping' and 'stalking' is giving the wrong idea but the first other word she thinks of is 'hunting' which sounds even worse? Chasing? It's not like she's going willingly, so kidnapping does feel accurate! But the extra connotation of 'being kidnapped is scary' isn't there, so it feels a little wrong for that reason since she's no longer scared of the bot. And the last thing she wants is to come across as a weirdo who wants to be kidnapped because she doesn't want to get kidnapped. She needs to think about this, and think about it while thinking about the Psychogates while trying to remember that Psychogates and Psychoportals are two different things despite basically sounding like the exact same thing.

So she explains about the points.

"Well, in bowling they want to encourage people to get spares and strikes so when you get a spare--that is getting all the pins down in two bowls--you get bonus points based off your first throw. And if you get a strike, you get bonus points based off your next two throws. So if you get a strike and a strike you get an extra ten points, the maths gets a little complicated as you start adding strikes onto strikes, but eventually you can get up to three hundred that way, in most forms of the game."

"As for tips, well, it looks like you've got a good handle on where to put your fingers, but you want to align your arm movement with your feet movement, it'll help your control of the ball. Each move of your arm should correspond with a movement of one of your feet. You hold it up around chest high first, then let it drop naturally so your arm sort of naturally swings back, and then you release it while sliding your foot forward."

''...Then for all the hunters that came before us.''

Regulus blinks. Hunters? What? "Ah--yeah! Can't shame those hunters!" And yeah, she's pretty surprised when it turns into a strike too! "Woah, Marcus?! Are you a natural, mate??"

She eases into a more relaxed smile as she sees Ahn and Vertin getting on. That's so important.

''Do you want me to talk to her about it?''

Oh no she's doomed. Regulus thinks about how to put this but fortunately all of Marcus's talk of hide and seek gives her the answer she needs. "Oh, nah, you don't gotta do that Ahn but I appreciate the offer! I've come to see it as a bit more like a game of tag but when I'm tagged I have to run an obstacle course. I actually get on with Petra pretty well." She mulls. "It's kind of a game. Just with...some unfortunate timing lately."

''Oh, lots?''

"Oh!" Regulus stammers, surprised to hear this. Was this guy rich or something? Man, it's hard to remember stuff from before the Storm of 1929 and the Rebellion. Feels like lifetimes ago. "Well TTT likes the latest gossip, you know?"

Regulus finds nothing unusual about a talking pirahna plant butler because Regulus has a talking apple plant first mate and the level of similarities between these two occupations is pretty high it's just one is for pirates and one is for the moneyed.

"She is the famous Vertin!" She agrees warmly since charity hasn't come up in a while for her to lose her shit over.

''A few green mushrooms.''

"Uh do you want me to taste test one of those?" Regulus asks since green mushrooms are a little scary. "Make sure they're safe?" Like she's some sort of presidential bodyguard.

''Petra seems to mostly stalk those she likes.''

Regulus isn't sure she should rely on Sarracenia to be the Petrauthority of the matter but she says, "Well I think we get along pretty good."

She goes for another pair of rolls but is only able to get nine pins down this time.
Team Timekeeper "It's actually kind of fun?"

    "Ooooh~" Leaned in to the side of her screen to gossip secrets with Regulus, TTT raises her eyebrows salaciously at her. "That's called Stockholm Syndrome, you know? You'll be fit in no time!"

"Yeah, the whole rebellion's over. And we won!"

    "That is, enough power was leveraged towards Regulus, Druvis, Sonetto, and the others, that a legislative proposition guaranteeing their safety under the Foundation's wing, without being directly subject to the Foundation's authority besides through me, was successfully passed."

    'Winning' a rebellion just doesn't sound correct or complete, and so Vertin explains the details as if she'd been there, or planned the entire thing beforehand even though she was unconscious for the months that all of it happened. Which would be weird! "Coincidentally, my treatment was completed at the same time. The future's looking quite stable for now." She looks happy about that!

"I think Lotus is gonna get up any time now."

    "I'll be looking forwards to meeting her." With Team Timekeeper existing now, the urge to cultivate Ahn as one of her growing flock is greater than ever, and though it's gratifying to hear she's doing well, Vertin wants to make her do *more* well.

    "I'd be happy to help with that project, of course. The Suitcase is undergoing its own reconstruction as a result of all the recent things that have happened-- and speaking of which, one of the members of my new team is a druid named Druvis. Would you perhaps want to meet her and share thoughts on productive gardening in the Wilderness someday?"

"What is it, you think, Miss Timekeeper?"

    This is 'golf', of course. Not that the Foundation exactly has the luxury of sublimating politics and commercialism into the explicit sport of golf, like those in a stabler timeline would, but there's similar activities to fill the niche. Vertin adjusts her seating, cane laid out beside her, and drink in her hand to watch her two goons bowl.

    "People are afraid to lose the lives they have. Not 'death', precisely, but to lose the stability they treasure and understand. What people want is to feel safe and comfortable in the lives they have, free to improve upon them at their leisure in a world that accommodates them."

    She takes a sip of her candy-sweet drink. "It's plenty common for arcane incidents to bring harm to humans who don't understand them as well. To not understand, to not feel secure in tomorrow... that's what people are afraid of."
Team Timekeeper "You're five feet tall? That's so cute!"

    "Five-- five foot two!" TTT insistently corrects Ahn, gripping the seam between two of the stacked TVs and pulling up on it like a ledge, such that her head at the top of the highest screen is now slightly over Ahn's. From there, she tries to look like she doesn't even care at all.

    "Well, sure I can broadcast myself on bigger screens, but this is my *actual* size, you know?"

"It's no shooting gallery, but you get to throw things at other things and it makes a fun noise, right?"

    Rufus might be settling down but TTT is not done with him! Now she's sitting on the 'ledge' between two TVs, feet dangling down into the bottom screen and swinging just past the edge of it, watching the ongoing bowling with the heel of her palm to her cheek.

    "Oh, are you a big guns guy? I get the connection! It's like, sort of like Pong, or Breakout! I'm-- no, no, the broadcast range really isn't an issue! I just can't get out of the screens, see... I can go between nearby screens just fine. My arcane skill lets me affect the tangible world a liiiittle bit."

"Like, hundreds. Thousands. Why?"

    ansi(196,"Affect it enough to bowl, if I practice enough!")] TTT lunges to finish her sentences after Regulus gets that comment out of Rufus.

"Take two of these and see how you feel in the morning."

    Vertin accepts the mushrooms with a perfectly straight face as if Sarracenia handed her two advil. "Thank you very much-- I'll have to check with the doctors at Laplace to ensure there won't be any arcane interference with the medication I'm already on, but I'm sure it'll be alright. You're drafting a constitution, Regulus said?"
Storm Investigators "Natural play is part of one's preparation for adulthood, like training among peers.oldquote"

"I suppose... Hm. Yes, this could be applied to many games with enough thought about what their origins could have been."} Marcus comments to Hisako, letting her thoughts wander some more towards other games she remembers playing as a child. "Running is a factor in so many of these games, and building up stamina through those... I'm glad most ciildren do not need to worry about that now, but the physical conditioning from that alone is still important in our positions."

Once she realizes what she's said about needing to run more, Marcus wilts just a little.  She knows Greta heard that, and she's not so optimistic to hope that she doesn't use that to ramp up her cardio training more than she already has.

"I thought I should at least be here since it is something important to Flamel and many other people, but much of this is beyond me."

"It isn't an easy topic to grasp by any means, so I will commend you for making the attempt." Marcus replies to Sarracenia with a light chuckle at the huffing. "And with any luck, we shouldn't have to worry about a repeat now that things have settled."

Despite her words, however, Marcus still seems a little nervous about that last part.

"Woah, Marcus?! Are you a natural, mate?"

"She can be. Well done, Marcus." Greta comments after Regulus, much to Marcus' flustered surprise at both of them and Greta's mild amusement. Most of that comes from seeing the latter's reactions, but...

Maybe she doesn't have too much to worry about. Or at least that's what Greta thinks right up until Marcus stumbles over her words while shuffling back to her seat bashfully-

"Things just lined up right! That is all. I-I was only doing what the Senior League was doing at a fraction of the-ow, ow, too cold...!"

-and giving herself brain freeze by drinking too much soda all at once.
Regulus ''That's called Stockholm Syndrome, you know?''

Regulus gives TTT a bit of an elbow nudge at the teasing and almost accidentally knocks the second TV out of alignment and she has to hurriedly straighten it up and breathe a sigh of relief. She also rubs at her elbow a little bit since she just elbowed a television. "I don't know what that is but I don't have it." She sticks her tongue out a little at TTT.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, there was a whole political thing and I still have some community service to do but..."

''I'd be happy to help with that project.''

"Yeah!" Regulus beams. "it's a blast hanging out with you, Ahn. I'd be happy to help out. I'll have you know I've only ''gotten better'' at cleaning, APPLe's shown me some new tricks and I picked up a few myself, I've been looking after the Suitcase and for a while I was handling most of the chores but now that everybody's moving in, I've freed up so much chores time I can add on one or two, least once my community service is over and done with."

She nods a little at the mention of how dangerous arcane incidents can be. If only there was some sort of department for handling them! "Honestly, that whole mess with the Psychoportals was a bit like that, wasn't it? Nobody meant any harm, but harm sure happened. I can laugh and relax about it now, but at the time I thought I wasn't gonna make it out of there in one piece! Valuable life lessons aside." Also known as turnip lessons.

"But I know what you mean." She says. "there's just something, you know? Chores with friends is barely a chore at all. I think it only bothers me a bit when it's just me, you know? I think that's what I've learned from all the types of housecleaning situations I've been in lately."

''One of the members of my new team is a druid named Druvis.''

r"Lotus isn't a flower though remember?" Regulus points out to Vertin. "But--yeah, you gotta talk garden with her. She'd love it. She could use company who knows their stuff about gardening, actually."

She looks to Marcus. "And don't sell yourself short, love!"
Sarracenia      'Uh do you want me to taste test one of those?'
     'Is that really okay? That's-- That's so much mushroom. Are you a doctor? Or, wait, like, an herbalist? Apothecary? Um. Chirugeon?'
     'Wait wait wait, aren't you already on medication, Vertin?! What if it interacts?!'
     'Thank you very much-- I'll have to check with the doctors at Laplace to ensure there won't be any arcane interference with the medication I'm already on, but I'm sure it'll be alright. You're drafting a constitution, Regulus said?'

     Sarra seems confused at the very idea that the mushrooms could harm Vertin. "Th-...they are...magical healing mushrooms. I use them all the time. Along with many other such items. They are not really medication. I was merely making a bit of a joke. If anything you would not have to wait until morning. The effect is immediate." She pauses a moment. "...though, I suppose it is best to be safe if you think such a thing can happen?" Sarra then realizes she is talking to someone she doesn't remember meeting. "You are called...Ahn? I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew. I assure you..." She looks to Regulus and Vertin. "...and you as well. They are perfectly safe. I have been using them for as long as I have been in the Multiverse. Before, even!"
Flamel Parsons     Ahn's answer gets a lot of pleasant nods from the bossman. Truman nods repeatedly. "If that's the answer, well, we've got organizations like Sapient Heuristics, working to make sure nobody is left behind. Nobody should have to be alone, or lose anyone. But how can you make that a law? I hope one day my daughter does something I just don't have any hope of understanding. Shouldn't she be allowed to move on from me, if that goes bad?"

    Hisako gets a surprised look. "How *thoughtful*. That covers a lot of natural fears. Which one do you think the Psychogate is, to them? A monster? A famine? Or a misunderstanding? What kind of rule would make them feel safe?"

    And there's Vertin's own answer. "Secure in tomorrow... We've examined Flamel's mind. Your psychic core has lodged in there so deep we'd never get it out. 'Moving on to tomorrow' seems like a pretty absolute law. Well, as a father I have to approve, 'tomorrow' is where my little girl gets a little closer to being more and more of herself, but we *do* need a secure tomorrow for her to live in. Still--" He takes a big breath, letting out a long sigh. "That's something people do, not rules. What's the kind of rule that makes people stop being so afraid...?"

    He retrieves his bowling ball. "You don't need an answer this evening. But it'd be good to have one. It'll be important for directing your mental function. For our good, and for the Foundation's too."
Hiromi     'Is everything still going good with the girls?'

    "Oh, yes! I've been helping big sister Sumi with a lot of things so I've been busy, but she's very nice." Is Sumi nice? It's possible that no one outside the pack has witnessed this, but Ahn only has Hisako's word to go on, anyway. "Little sister Chie has been very energetic, ever since she started asking to use the crystal -- radio." Crystal-radio? "Now she's talking about playing a 'VR game' where she is very large." That ends with a confused-questioning tone that makes it clear Hisako has not actually seen The World or, indeed, any form of video game character creation process.

    "Everything the Archwolf does succeeds," obviously, "but we must do our part, too. I'd like to do training like before, but I was asked to record everything that happens here, instead of sending a monk." She's said something before about monks and record-keeping.

    "These days do seem to stretch on, even with trips taken outside." That's the closest she'll come to complaining about work. This well-muscled girl needs physical activity, and the meetings haven't been providing. "I haven't gotten taller at all recently." Unclear how that's related.


    'You hold it up around chest high first, then let it drop naturally so your arm sort of naturally swings back, and then you release it while sliding your foot forward.'

    Regulus is now treated to the same sort of intense listening as Boole had been, until Hisako finally does a little fist-on-palm gesture like 'I get it!' "It's so your arm isn't tired from lifting it back, but is carried up to be relaxed until you start applying force in one motion! I see!" Maybe it's that.

    She's a little fidgety-bouncy leading up to getting her ball for the next frame, but goes totally still once she has it. The first step is slower, to allow gravity to swing back her arm, but she speeds up for the next three, completing the arc into what's far more a powered throw than a pendulum swing. It's still not quite straight.

    But it does lead to a strike.

    'Running is a factor in so many of these games, and building up stamina through those... I'm glad most children do not need to worry about that now...'

    "Ah? They don't?" Hisako looks at Marcus like this is somehow... doubtful, more than just a cultural difference, even if she calms that expression toward the end with 'physical conditioning' mentioned.
Hiromi     'Which one do you think the Psychogate is, to them? A monster? A famine? Or a misunderstanding?'

    Yay! Hisako's contribution was approved by someone in charge! She was going to say 'centipedes' next, but she's less sure if that one's universal. Some people never seem to worry about centipedes at all.

    "Um." Hm. "It's something that 'might' hurt, and it's something that's 'difficult to talk to,' and it's something that's, 'you don't know what it's thinking.' It's also an outsider -- something new, and foreign. You can get people to stop being scared of foreigners. Let them build a port, and let them travel, and let people mingle together. But those are people you can talk to, if they learn your words. So..."

    Backing up over her reasoning, she comes to, "You need to make it 'normal,' so people aren't surprised, and know what to expect. Or, you need to prove it's 'safe,' even if it's as unpredictable as the weather. Or, you need a way to 'communicate,' which makes the danger a person. You need at least one of these three, I think."

    She's still not sure which one the Psychogate is, herself.
Regulus ''Hisoko gets a strike!''

"Oh dang!" Regulus startles. "You and Marcus both! You're naturals! Nice job!" She applauds!

With her hands! Both of them! "Man, keep that up and I might be asking one of you for tips." Regulus admits though, of course, some of this is just her trying to encourage..and celebrate!...their victory!! For one acting of bowling.
Vantablitz Remnants     'I've come to see it as a bit more like a game of tag but when I'm tagged I have to run an obstacle course. I actually get on with Petra pretty well.'

    Anh gives Regulus a frowny 'are you sure?' kind of doubting look, but in the end, she can't actually believe that Petra is up to anything all that morally dubious. That's Petra. She's a sickly minun that turned out to be a playful self-aggrandizing softie of a human. "Well okay. If you're sure."

    'I'll be looking forwards to meeting her.'

    "One thousand percent if you come back again she's gonna get out of her--" Anh waves her hand around and then fails to come up with the word. "--She's totally gonna time it to try and embarrass me, so if you're up to it, come around any time!" What her smile says for her is 'Please? I'm got pretty lonely'.

    'I'd be happy to help out. I'll have you know I've only ''gotten better'' at cleaning'

    "That's great!" says Anh. "But our room isn't that bad anymore. You won't really get to show it off." She pauses. "Unless I get you to clean the other parts of the place? That'd be a ton of work though; but if you're serious . . ."

    'one of the members of my new team is a druid named Druvis. Would you perhaps want to meet her and share thoughts on productive gardening in the Wilderness someday?'

    "Oh okay." Anh has very little idea of what a druid is. She has played a bunch of games in which there is a druid class, but she's sure that's not what it's like and would make her sound incredibly stupid to say. "I'm not like an expert, but that's as good a time as any to start working on what I promised." She's pretty sure she promised it at least?

    'Lotus isn't a flower though remember?'

    "Huh? What does that have to do with anything?" Anh immediately starts fidgeting with the lotus in her hair.

    'Th-...they are...magical healing mushrooms.'

    She squints, but . . . cultural sensitivity first. She got in trouble for this before. "Like a shaman?"

    'Five-- five foot two!'

    That correction makes TTT unbearably cute now. Anh tries not to embarrass her, but she still claps her hands over her mouth and bounces a little on her toes. When everyone isn't freezing or starving or under attack, her energy is considerably different. "Sure, that's true," she just accepts the premise immediately. "But if you want to be taller, you could just wear heels you know? Everybody does it. If you're embarrassed, you don't even have to put your feet in-screen right? I don't think you need them though."

    'Now she's talking about playing a 'VR game' where she is very large.'
    'I haven't gotten taller at all recently.'

    ". . . Are tall girls really 'in' right now?" Oh hope springs eternal.


    'Nobody meant any harm, but harm sure happened. I can laugh and relax about it now, but at the time I thought I wasn't gonna make it out of there in one piece!'

    "I saw Kramer and Crensaw on the way in." Anh says, informatively. "Nobody died in the end, so I'm over it." That's apparently her bar. "Actually, it was kind of nice spending time together, in a way? I only wish more people paid attention and helped me out with the chores and building, though. Some of them had way too much free time on their hands to be in a survival situation."

    'But how can you make that a law? I hope one day my daughter does something I just don't have any hope of understanding. Shouldn't she be allowed to move on from me, if that goes bad?'

    "I . . . d
Vantablitz Remnants     'But how can you make that a law? I hope one day my daughter does something I just don't have any hope of understanding. Shouldn't she be allowed to move on from me, if that goes bad?'

    "I . . . don't know either. It's not something I ever think about." Anh says, sounding melancholy about the idea even as she feels sort of relieved that it's not her problem and never will be again. "I think she should, though. I don't think anyone should have total control over anyone's freedom; not even parents over their kids."
Regulus ''Well okay. If you're sure.''

ansi173,"I'm pretty sure!") Regulus promises. "If it changes, I'll let you know? I like Petra. We're gonna do a radio station together." She frowns for a moment, remembering what else Petra herself has said about her likeability. But can she really say to Ahn 'Likeable, but in a Diablo Difficulty sort of way?'. She thinks she'd shrivel up and die if she said it like that. "We both dig music." This doesn't really explain that, but she couldn't figure out a way to express it in like the one second she could break before it'd be weird.

''Please? I'm got pretty lonely.''
''Unless I get you to clean the other parts of the place?''

Regulus sort of conflates the expression with the request. And agghh she can't say no to Anh! She can't do it! "Yeah, I can try! I mean, places that aren't deadly for sure." She isn't ready to form Pirate Cleanup just yet. "It'd have to be after probation which I should be done with in like a week? I guess I can do it earlier though I just would have to make sure it doesn't interfere with Probation..." She can't face Matilda's little lip quiver again. She can't do it. She'd shrivel up and die! "If it's really bad I might take a couple days too, but that seems like an important part of establishing it as a Watchtower. And then it'll be easy peasy to have people over when it's a full fledged Watchtower."

''Huh? What does that have to do with anything?''

"Oh, Druvis is a--" Wait, they already said that. "--an arborist, she's super into the natural world, plants, trees. She's been through some rough times, but she's wonderful. You'll love her. Lotus will probably love her too. She's easy to love."

She wants to hug Druvis so bad right now after all this talk about Druvis so she jogs over to Vertin and gives her a hug instead as if that will transmit to Druvis somehow.

''Actually, it was kind of nice spending time together, in a way?''

Regulus honestly is feeling a little more empathy for the 'aggh at least the crisis got everybody to hang out' idea now than she did earlier this year. She isn't really the kind of person who had difficulty running around with people before. And hopefully, now that Team Timekeeper is a thing, she can get back to making that a reality.

But she feels weird just being over it. Like, she's not NOT over it exactly, but she doesn't want to pretend it wasn't a thing either...

"I'm over it." She agrees, mulling over it . "And I think it was good for me in the long run? I learned stuff. I made friends. I got to see some of my blind spots. I just, I don't know, I just hope they're more careful. I'm not exactly someone who is afraid of taking risks just ... It wasn't just the environment getting scary, it felt like people were really on edge and people were fighting for each other. The ideal Psychonauts to me are the band, or at least--tthat comradery that band had."