Scene #1115:

Owner	Pose
Quentyn Westwind	When Quentyn arrives out of the warpgate, he can't help but stop and gape up at the artificial moon... one hand on the corner of his glasses, as though to hold them steady. "This thing is huge..." he murmurs to one in particular.
Lloyd Irving	As Quentyn arrives at the roots of Njorun, Lloyd is descending from within toward him. His wings are unfurled, and he's dressed rather professionally, in a crisp black suit, white shirt, and red tie. He has his hands on his sword hilts, which are set into some matte black sheathes to match his attire. As he lands, he notes Quentyn's appearance, smiling slightly as he approaches. "You look like someone I haven't seen before, so I'm going to guess you're who I'm here to meet!" He outstretches a hand, offering a warm smile. "My name's Lloyd Irving. Union Colonel, former General. And you are?"
Quentyn Westwind	Quentyn startles out of his little awe-filled reverie and, head tilted upwards as it was, nearly trips over his own feet. But he recovers quick, flashing the man a tentative smile. "Quentyn Westwind, sir, white mage of Galianda." He takes and shakes the hand, offering another quick smile to go with "Nice to meet you." His curious eyes are on the wings for at least a few seconds. Then he glances at the station, and back to Lloyd. "Um... I guess that's why... 'superfaction?' The confederacy is also this big..?" The second is more wondering aloud than directed at Lloyd personally.
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd nods slightly in affirmation. "Nice to meet you, Quentyn," he says. He notes the curious look, and flaps his wings idly. "I'm a Seraph," he says, "An angel in my world, essentially. Long story, but I'd be happy to share later if you'd like." He lands softly on the ground, letting his wings fade from existence. "Yeah, the Confederate capitol is just as large, perhaps even more so. And their ranks are fairly close to ours as well. The difference comes to ideals. The Union is more about freedom for people, where the Confederacy tends to view power as a means to take what they want. Or at least, that's how I view it. There are many different goals among all of us here, but we're bound by the common goal to do good." He stretches idly. "It's mainly a matter of how you view the world and your role in it. If you have an idea, perhaps this is the place for you."
Quentyn Westwind	Tearing his eyes away from the station once more, Quentyn listens attentively and nods. He opens his mouth to speak, but then hesitates, closing it again and tapping a curled finger against his chin. Looking back up at Lloyd, he then nods, flashing one of those smiles of his again. "Later," he agrees. But the next question comes reluctantly. "...Have you heard of, um, someone with the nickname, 'The Songbird'..?"
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd offers another smile, resting his hands on his hilts again. "Take the time you need. No rush." At Quentyn's question, Lloyd shakes his head slowly. "Not that I can recall, anyway. Though, I haven't been listening to the channels as closely as I normally would. Why do you ask?" The Colonel focuses his gaze on Quentyn, rolling his shoulders back. "Is that a friend of yours, perhaps?"
Quentyn Westwind	Quentyn looks back to the colonel and shakes his head. "Not a friend. Um. Someone... mentioned that person as an example of who they thought I want to avoid. But didn't give a lot of detail... 'The Songbird' is with those confederacy guys, I guess..." Back to station, back to Lloyd. Just doesn't seem to get old, or at least not within the few minutes. It's actually looking up at the station that Quentyn ponders his next question, but when he asks it, he's looking at Llyod. "Um... if someone wants to join..." The white mage reaches into his bookbag and fishes out a notebook with a pencil sheathed in the binding, but he doesn't open it just yet. "Is it like... miltary military? Barracks and you march somewhere to fight the other guys?"
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd shrugs. "I know of a few Confederates who might fit that bill. Laer, perhaps. I'm not sure. Like I said, I'm a little behind." As Quentyn pulls out a notebook and asks his question, Lloyd crosses his arms. "We have a standard military, made up of non-Elite ground forces. This is our most numerous section. Then we have the Elite Corps, which is where our Elite forces reside. The corps is split into two major sections: the official military and the ally corps. Allies are able to pursue their own goals for the most part, though they fall under the command of the military officers if engaged in Union operations or if they get out of line on our official channels. The main military has a more rigid structure and sees to the overall functions of the Union, as well as supporting ally goals when able and pursuing the main war effort with the Confederates. If you don't want to fold into the official military structure, allyship is definitely a way to go. And you can always join in earnest later if you'd like." He smiles softly. "I started as an ally. Then I got promoted into the military structure proper and rose to the General position. So I'm sort of a good example of advancement, if you desire it."
Quentyn Westwind	"Elites... that's--" Quentyn's eyes slide off to one side, momentarily lost in recollection, "--what you call people with, um, special skills, right?" But all the talk of allies seems to strike a chord with Quentyn; he perks a little, and his eyes follow with interest, nodding at key points in the conversation. Quentyn nibbles on the end of the pencil he pulls from his notebook. "Then, um, I could still study and work... but help when, um, someone needs help?"
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd nods. "Yeah. That's what we call those that show an extreme degree of skill in a certain field, or have powers that set them above a normal person," he confirms, "And yes, you can continue your studies and aid when you see fit. There are likely too many things happening at one time to be everywhere, but if there's something you feel you can help with, then you can concentrate your efforts there. It's a pretty good deal, really. Just remember that you still have to obey the guidelines of the Union military, and officers have the final say in any sort of debate or argument. Other than that, anything else you need to know will just come with time."
Quentyn Westwind	Quentyn gives a grin and nods, though he hesitates on one particular point. Fiddling with his glasses and then tugging at his hoodie, "Um... what are those guidelines exactly?" For this the boy actually does open his notebook, flipping through till he has a blank page. Waiting for Lloyd to speak... but he does note down a few things already covered, like an afterthought.
Staren	When Staren heard Quentin asking about the Union and got curious himself, he sent a camera drone to observe while he went about running post-sortie system checks on his mecha and preparing it for self-repair. And also changing out of his piloting suit. Now, at last, he's free to arrive, and teleports in, a glowing silhouette appearing and quickly fading into Staren. "Hi!" Staren smiles. "Oh! I remember you now! We went to help Simon together." Staren holds a hand to his chest. "I'm an Ally myself. I've always... mm, never been comfortable with military authority, so an ally I stay. It's worked out alright. I've met many friends through the Union, and it's helped put me where I needed to be to help people countless times in the past several years -- although I suppose that function can be served to some degree by the Syndicate now. Um..." He looks between Lloyd and Quentin. He'd offer to answer questions, but Lloyd's already doing that. So he's not sure what to do now.
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd shrugs. "They're pretty basic. Don't take unnecessary lives, don't destroy property for no reason, don't do generally villainous things is the major gist," he replies. As Staren chimes in with his information, Lloyd gestures toward him. "Staren's a great example of an ally who chooses to stay as such. We're a pretty diverse bunch here."
Quentyn Westwind	Quentyn actually perks up when the shapeshifter he knows appears. "Hi Staren," The student nods as he listens, then adds with a tentative grin, though his look shifts a bit towards embarrassment as he speaks, "You also, um, found me when I first tried the warpgates..." And I got hopelessly lost, the boy leaves out, just tentatively reaching back through his hood to scratch the back of his head. Quentyn just listens to Lloyd, and jots down the notes, but nothing there seems to bother the white mage. In fact, it's pretty inline with the usual white mage ethos. Once down writing he looks back up and gives Lloyd a thumbs up coupled with a grin. "That's pretty easy. Um. How do I apply..?"
Staren	Staren snaps his fingers. "Oh, right! Wow, I am scatterbrained today." Staren blinks. "I'm sure people can get you set up, but I have to ask: Why do you want to join?"
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd places a hand to his ear, then nods slightly and reaches into his suit coat. He rummages about in it for a moment, then pulls out a radio. "I know you have one of your own already," he says, "but this one has Union signals on it. Staren, would you like to get him set up? I'm going to register his information into the system. As for your application... you've passed it, if you're truly ready to join."
Quentyn Westwind	Quentyn nods to Staren, good question. He nibbles on the end of his pencil. "Um, well... Really I want to see more of the multiverse, and try to help people along the way, but umm, it's kind of dangerous for a white mage to be alone. And umm... there was a school club that was supposed to kind of do this but they're really dragging their feet and umm... you guys kind of look like you know a lot about the, um, multiverse and, my..." He hesitates just a moment. Well, no rich kids here to judge him, "um, scholarship sponsor at the school kinda strongly hinted I should look at these things and make a decision if I should, um, 'align' with anyone or not..." And so Quentyn babbles, oblivious that it might be more than Staren really wants to know. Blinkblinkblink at Llyod. It's /that/ easy? But after it sinks in, Quentyn receives the radio with both hands and one of his tentative smiles. But at that last line... 'truly ready?'-- there's a second's hesitation yet again. "U-Um... from all the research I've done it, um, really sounds like the place to be but umm... if somehow things don't work out... Could I, um, leave..?"
Staren	Staren hmms. "Honestly? This is kind of a big commitment, although wanting to help people is good. You don't have to try to win the war for the Union or anything, but... recognize that this will put you at odds with the Confederacy. Are you willing to help people even if it makes you powerful, deadly enemies? You'll get powerful allies too, of course." He looks at Lloyd. "That's a good question. I'd hope that if I left, you guys would be understanding -- if I was gonna defect I'd have done it years ago, and I didn't, so you know I'd never run to the Feds with your secrets -- but what about new folks? How do we make sure noone joins up, grabs our top secret information, and leaves? Heck, more likely scenario because noone's that stupid, how do we make sure noone is /tricked/ into joining us, getting top secret info, and then it being stolen from them without their even knowing?" Staren hmms and rubs his chin. "Never really thought about it before."
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd smirks. "You can keep that radio, but if you're having doubts, it might be best to think it over. Entering into the faction in an official capacity is a huge responsibility, and if you think backing out might be a result, perhaps you should meet some of our members. Try to make up your mind, you know? For what it's worth, some of our new allies seem to know who you are." He smiles. "They've given you additional backing on a personal level," he says, "But yes, I'd advise you take some time to think it over before accepting. It's not impossible to back out, but it's not something to consider on a whim." He crosses his arms. "That radio has my personal line encoded into it. It won't be able to access Union channels until you accept and I activate it."
Quentyn Westwind	Quentyn's very quiet while he listens to everything, looking between the two and a hand fiddling with a crease on the corner of a page. "Um... you don't, um, have to give me very much information. Um... just where someone needs help sometimes... or if someone could cover me sometimes, since I'm not very strong alone..." Quentyn nibbles on the end of his pencil for a bit, looking down at the radio. "Um... I think I have as much external info as I can get to make the decision..." But he brightens slightly, "But some of your members already know me? Um, if they're like Staren..." Quentyn gives a thumbs up, "I think it's OK."
Staren	Staren chuckles. "Wow. That may be one of the biggest compliments I've ever gotten." Then he looks more serious. "You're sure? You want to help people as much as you can, even if the cost is becoming an enemy of the Confederacy? I joined to make friends and help people, before I went out into the Multiverse, but I /stayed/ to help people the best I could despite any risks there might be to myself. If you're thinking along similar lines, then I think you've found the right place, no problem."
Lloyd Irving	"Alright then," Lloyd says, smiling, "It'll take me a little bit to get all of the documents filed, but you'll know when that radio is active. I can have Staren here show you around if you'd like? If that's okay with him, anyway. He's been here longer than me, even, so he's quite knowledgable."
Quentyn Westwind	"Do, um, do I have to... /advertise/ this? Like wear a uniform and tell people?" Quentyn looks to both Staren and Lloyd for a possible answer. "Um... if I can keep it a kinda secret, or um at least not public, I don't think I'll have more enemies than I would, um, relying on other channels. With how it sounds I'll probably end up not being liked by those guys anyways, if they notice me..." The student scrapes a foot against the ground for a moment. He murmurs more quietly, "And um, I really need some friends if I'm going to keep doing this..." Quentyn goes give a grin and nod at the suggestion that Staren show him around, along with another thumbs up. Whatever Staren's concern might be being around new people, well, he seems to have made a good impression on this one. "Thank you, sir." -- To Lloyd, but as formal as the phrasing might be, Quentyn sounds like he really is thankful.
Staren	Staren shakes his head. "You don't have to wear a uniform, or tell everyone you meet HI I'M WITH THE UNION, but... people might mention it. They could forget. Honestly, in general, Confederates won't seek out and hunt you down /just/ for being a Unionite. It's not like that. Some of them will even be your friends anyway, outside of Union and Confederate missions."