Scene #5973: Family [G]athering

Owner	Pose
A2	... 6O: Well, the results are back, you see, and- 1C: And? 6O: Altogether, the match is over 99%, but when you account for all common data and only examine points exclusive to the archetype, then there's a near-40% discrepancy. 1C: Primarily in maso circulation and reaction, I assume. 6O: Th-that's right. How did you . . . ? ... There is no dramatic opsec call for this one. There is in fact no centralized source of information at all. YoRHa knows it from space. The Resistance knows it from the ground. Anyone with eyes can see it from decent height. Whether it comes through a codec call, word of mouth, or simple observation, the fact of the matter is as self-evident as it is baffling. On the very northern edge of the City Ruins, where the Resistance cell makes its base, deep through the barricade of ancient trees that start where the metropolis ends and the parks have disappeared, a cascade of dazzling fireworks have been launching into the air and bursting in fabulous patterns for hours on end. The terrain actually getting there is unreasonably difficult. Considering the Rambling walls of buildings that have long ago collapsed into each other, the makeshift barricades to wall in Machine movements from old strategies, the blasting zones and impromptu cover of former firefights, and the thousand year old trees and vines that tangle together, form nearly impenetrable impasses for miles through the northern city, requiring advanced movement or a detour through the empty sewer tunnels beneath to get where they're going. Even by flight, the intermingled canopy and cityscape is so dense that nobody gets a clear sight of where they're going until they practically stumble onto it, entering into a long, broad, prettily decorated and yet eerily empty road largely left alone by the forest, diverging into a complex series of vast parking arrangements under the open sky, and leading past several booths and ticket barriers, until hitting a grand wall of white bricks far too quaint to be useful, split by a pair of baroque, decorative iron gates that have been pushed wide and welcoming, disturbed by only leaf litter and ancient pedestrian trash, such as dropped coins, mouldy pamphlets, and lost ribbons and pins. Beyond that is not what anyone would expect. The sight of a very small and very tall palace rises up over the walls, painted pastel colours and with tall, whimsical spires, with its construction incorporating a giant, heart-shaped hole through the center. The rails of what appears to be a rollercoaster shoot through it, and the sounds of music can be distantly heard under the constant popping and sizzling of glittering fireworks displays. It's by far one of the least dilapidated and age-ravaged places in the entire old city, and yet that lends something of an eerie, melancholy air to it, as if everyone had only temporarily left, and someone could expect to see cars coming down the road at any moment.
Kyoko Takada	For all its questionably ongoing war, multiple factions, bizarre mysteries, lack of genuine human touch, and surfeit of military weaponry and crazed machines, Alpha-Three-Nine has found this world a pretty good one for restocking on certain materials. A staunch enough survivalist doesn't need to care so much about the lack of convenience stores, and all the vending machines being oddly lacking in vendable items. Certain benefits aside, she's not in the position to move here, so it's more or less coincidental that she's around in time to see fireworks go off. Fortunately lacking in memories of 'nam, the sniper still takes for cover, advancing cautiously and, ultimately, through the empty sewer system, avoiding aerial spotting and making her filthy, disheveled way up toward the amusement park, keeping an ear out for radio traffic picked up through the antennae laced through her mask.
Kotone Yamakawa	This was a ruined world, it wasn't dead but the bones of humanity's civilization was laid bare. The fireworks were unexpected and had caught the attention of a camera drone Kotone had left behind. So here she was now, the wreckage and plant life would slow many people down. Kotone is just going to make use of her body and the upgrades she got a long time ago from the starbounders. She'll bounce and climb her way past along with several very slick double jumps on the way. Shat she finds past it? What looks like some sort of road that's looking like there was a party there, she sees the gate and makes for it cautiously cloaking a second after she starts moving ahead. what she finds there seems to be part a place where it looks like everyone just stepped away for a moment and could be back at any seconds.
August Kohler	After dealing with his personal demons somewhat literally, August Kohler has been taking it easy from going on operations, keeping an ear out but dealing with close-to-home things. However, when he hears about something strange going on in the post-apocalyptic world A2 is from, what with fireworks exploding into the air, he decided to set out and investigate. August isn't capable of flight or crazy movement tricks, though, so he travels through the abandoned sewers. If any allies in the area want to coordinate, such as A-39, he's willing to do so, and puts out a message on Watch comms to that effect. Once he reaches the road, August can feel the eerieness, and walks the path up past the ticket barriers and booths, avoiding the parking structures. Instead, he moves to focus on the gate, though if he can grab one of those pamphlets carefully and find any details on it such as a name for this place, he will. Otherwise, August is going to focus his investigation on travelling through the gates and trying to find the park's equivalent of information services so he can learn where he is, keeping an ear out for any weird noises or other Elites who aren't being stealthy.
Nova Terra	Fireworks? Really? In a city long lost to ruin, populated only by small camps of 'people' consigned to a life of hardship scavenging and roughing it out and large hordes of mindless robots. Something about this doesn't seem right. With that reasoning in place, Nova has snuck her way through the winding path to get here, before finally stumbling upon the sight of the majestic castle. The Ghost appears with the fading light of her cloak as she pulls her visor up, staring up at the pointy spires as fireworks go off in the distance. She looks a little baffled for a moment, but shakes it off. A little noise from her earpiece alerting her, Nova lowers her visor again and looks around. She then begins heading into the park, apparently following something or someone. Catching up to August, Nova announces her presence with, "Hey." She then asks, "I'm not that familiar with this world, but this is unusual, right?"
Starbound Flotilla	"Military exercises? Weapon misfire? Warning shots?" "You fucking idiot. Absolute moron. It's a party." "George, please. But he is right, the display is more artistic than violent." "Or it could be them working with whatever materials they've got." "Floran thinksss, robotsss have plenty to shoot without scavenge fireworksss." "Hopeful. Do you think this might be a shift in their behavior? Something more positive? I do so hope that this isn't a sign of something awful..." The Flotilla are here, and have beamed down from a ship in low orbit, so low it's visible in softly blinking lights high above. Moonfin, the fishman, is in elaborate full-body durasteel armor that looks like a powered cross between a diving suit and a samurai's armor, glowing cyan at the faceplate. Biteblade, the humanoid plant, is in durasteel plating with elaborately carved wood and bone ornaments over glowing powered components that glow an intense green. Pavo the bird-girl wears a divine-aesthetic set of mesoamerican-style armor, with yellow runes and inscriptions lighting up on stylishly gleaming golden armor and robes. Albert the monkey-man is wearing what looks like lab technician gear with extensive sets of tools and chemical protection, which integrates thin, resilient plates of durasteel, and lines of bright white. George (just plain human) wears a futuristic combat EVA hardsuit that glows a gentle red at the flat faceplate. Seft, the robotic Flotilla member, is wearing full-on medieval knight armor with a soft energized blue glow below the plates on her body, and especially around the eyes. Each has a heavy industrial-yellow two-pronged plasma-cutter-like tool strapped to their side, a Matter Manipulator. Albert and Moonfin have maintained an edge of guardedness, and even Pavo joins them in a strong sense of caution, all of them having their weapons drawn as they move through the streets in a militaristic way. Seft, Biteblade, and George, meanwhile, have an intense, profound curiosity, checking over the state of things as they approach, and eager to see the central palace itself. That's their goal, navigating all around to get right into that big party area. Whatever's going on, it sure is going on in there!
Eryl Fairfax	Mass explosions demand investigation. Eryl has been keeping a loose eye on this world ever since his repeated encounters with A2, as well as the Paladin's initial meeting with YoRHa. However, this would be his first time putting boots to the ground, so to speak. He arrives via warpgate, a fair distance away from the target location, and makes his way on foot via ruined sewers. Deploying via droppod to such a densely vegetated area is ill-advised, after all. It is there that he runs into August. His face betrays no expression, but his mind is ticking over, considering the situation. After an awkward silence, he finally says, "I'm just here to investigate. We won't have a problem," he says with his palms raised. When they come to the ladder, Eryl lets everyone else go before him before ascending. The ladder looks sturdy, but he doesn't trust it with his weight. Along the forest road, he stops to look at all the scattered flyers, storing all the information in his implants before he turns his full attention to the dilapidated park. "Automated systems coming online, perhaps?" he says to himself as he scratches his chin. With a shrug, he walks forward and hops over any turnstiles in his way to enter the park. Technically breaking the rules, but it doesn't look like anyone is here to claim an entrance fee. "Hello?" he calls out, looking around. "I am Eryl Fairfax, Grandmaster of the Paladins. Is anyone here?"
Azure Armature	August calls out on the Watch comms to see if anyone else is in the area of A2's world, and the strange Amusement Park area just past the sewers. August Kohler, cloak of the watch, had to go through an entire stinky (well actually probably just dank and mildly unpleasant) sewer level and find unsatisfying dead-ends with treasure pittances. Near him is a muted pop and a flash of light, and Azure Armature - aka 'Blue' - is just there, adjusting the cuffs of her urban drab outfit and checking a display that appears hovering over her wrist. "As far as anomalies go, this seems strangely mundane and benign. I'm not detecting any active target acquisition, yet. Aren't the machines here normally hostile?"
All-Seeing Eye	All-Seeing Eye coasts to a stop on the open road. Purple jets of plasma hold his hoverbike aloft. The cycling of the engine is the only sound which comes from his immediate surroundings. Impatience or arrogance has left its mark on the craft--here and there, a vine clings to a metallic outcropping. In places, the paint is scored or scratched by some close call with the gauntlet of overgrowth and detritus. His vision zooms in. First, his attention is on the ornate brick wall. Then, the parking lots. The craft accelerates again, a smile on the Exalt's face. The standard-issue Paladin digit camo fatigues rustle and flap in the wind, officer's beret held fast to his head despite the speed. His long braided hair whips freely behind him, dancing through the air until he reaches the parking lot. The craft is dimounted, dismantled, and displaced--stored through some paradoxical space-folding means in the palm of his hand. He strides confidently through the wrought-iron gate. A combat boot happens to step upon a molded pamphlet, halting its flight across the abandoned complex. He leans down, picks it up, and examines it with a curious smirk. What's this place's purpose? Where is he? Perhaps there yet remains some useful information on the forgotten bit of trash. It's placed in the nearest trash can once he's determined any useful information. As it should've been years ago. He is one such Elite for whom August is likely watching--a man who employs stealth only at his leisure, preferring most of the time to have his presence wholly and utterly known. It is after he places the pamphlet in the trash receptacle that Eye notices August, and his smirk broadens into a decent approximation of warm smile. "Mr. Kohler! It's been too long." Golden eyes flick towards Nova in a deliberate gesture. "I see you've brought a new friend. Good day to you, citizen!" The word is spoken with a saccharine sort of helpful tone, as if devised by a focus group. Wiping his hands off, he approaches the two and extends a hand in greeting. "All-Seeing Eye, Warden of the Paladins, Head of Public Security." Whether she shakes his hand or not, he continues--though Eryl's statement of 'I don't want no trouble' does cause him to shoot Pavo a deliberate side-eye, his smile waning ever so slightly. "Ahem. Yes," he says, nodding to Azure and Nova both. "Assuming it's not simply a fluke, the gesture would almost seem an invitation! /Notably/ more diplomatic than machine behavior thus far.~"
A2	The sewers are indeed difficult to even call that. It's been so incredibly long since they were used for anything but undercover travel for Androids and outlets for rainwater that they're essentially nothing but superconcrete tunnels with trickles of rain runoff down the middle, bone dry and faintly mossy otherwise. For whatever reason, the Machines don't seem to use them. Then again, it's difficult to imagine them navigating the barebones rung-in-wall ladders they come across, or even really fitting down the manholes. Examining the pamphlets, they actually appear to be made out of that heinously environmentally unfriendly kind of plastic that takes centuries to even begin to break down, yet they've practically melted to pieces by now, only barely legible as a list of things such as: "Carnival Plaza: Pass through the gates and step into a world of fantasy before enjoying a fabulous parade put on by our carnival cast! *Parades are held twice daily, at 2PM and 6PM.", "Hollywood Coaster: This dynamic thrill ride takes guests on a wild trip around a spectacular fantasy castle. It's the first roller coaster ever created with NO SEAT BELTS!", and "Fantasy Castle: Treat yourself to a grand ball attended by princesses from across the entire amusement park! (Admission extra)" A-39 picks up radio waves, but no real chatter. A very large network of low-frequency, low-energy radio communication spans much of the park, but is mostly dead air over an undercurrent of constant, seemingly random static. It's quite possibly the park's machinery itself, since this was supposedly some time significantly in the future of the standard 21st century iteration of Earth, but it's being /used/ at least, in an extremely passive, pointless way. That much clears up when anyone is past the gates. The second they're past the walls, the Elites are almost face to face with countless Machines, dense enough to be borderline suicide to suddenly charge, but powered down so low that their temperature profiles don't stand out against the asphalt under the sun, and their network is barely so much as ambient radio turbulence. Every one of them bear those 'wait-yellow' eye lamps, and none of them switch red as any member of the group approaches, remaining stuck in that holding pattern state even if directly prodded. Unlike the anomalous underground chamber, or the broken units that wander around the fields aimlessly, there are quite literally scores of them in just the opening park plaza, and moving in a quite coordinated way, as well as one that is far more unusual than either. The Machines are parading. The Stubby units hop alongside trudgy small humanoid types in close squares and lines, expertly merging and splitting with each other in well-practised circles around the square, holding bundles of balloons, and with chassis ornamented with costumes and merchandise from old visitors centers and the occasional painted 'face'. The larger, more combat-ready humanoid types are present, but wearing ridiculous hats, and their massive, variable energy cannons appear to be repurposed for firing bursts of confetti over the crowd. The scene is quite spectacular, if even weirder than usual, especially since the central statue appears to have been replaced with a bronzed figure of an upsized version of themselves, decorated with rabbit ears and playing a bugle, possibly in resemblance of the original mascot.
A2	They're also talking. Quite a lot. They retain the same warbling, tinny tones as all the others, using sound units not actually meant for linguistic expression that make them sound almost broken, but they chant together with slightly less of a creepy and lifeless tone than usual, and much more vocally. Machines mark past throwing confetti and releasing balloons repeating phrases like "Hooray!" and "Let's be happy." and "Together. Together." Amongst them, a pair of large humanoids, one wearing a top hat and the other a bow and necklace of pearls, hold the simplistic hands of a smaller Machine unit between them, in imitation of a mother and father with child, albeit just blankly staring into space. Eryl in particular approaches with the expectation of finding someone here, and so he is approached in turn as a Machine wearing a jester's cap and scavenged name tag that says "Dory" totters out from behind a booth with clattering wind-up steps. "Welcome. Welcome." it tin-cans at him. It fumbles around for a second, then mechanically extends one gripping clamp with an honest to god stamp card in it, holding it out for Eryl. "Let's have fun. Together. Collect stamps. Win a prize." it monotones. Compared to previous examples of 'autonomous' Machine gatherings (as opposed to the coordinated and militarized horde at the factory), this one is far larger than usual, and the Machines here demonstrate some correspondingly greater degree of . . . it's difficult to say 'intelligence', but certainly finesse in replicating the behaviours they are. The source of the fireworks appears to be the castle itself, shrouded by rolls of coaster tracks miles long, rising high over streets of colour, faux-brick and mortar shops, restaurants, and games houses, standing next to a colossal ferris wheel. The streets beyond are equally populated, with Machines of all shapes and sizes plodding along in groups.
Kyoko Takada	While it would be generally convenient to meet up with anyone, Alpha-39 wouldn't be herself if she let people spot her without a good reason. She might still get spotted on the way, given the narrow approach, and depending on the random results of entrance timing, but she keeps out of the way as much as possible and moves quickly away from the sewer exit the moment she's through. Getting out in the open means being a target. A few people in the area, as she starts overhearing, have also turned to violence on off-worlders on at least one occasion, while within these general environs, though not with her as a target. Arguably, the antisocial young(?) girl just likes to make things difficult. August gets a response, though it's on a Watch-encrypted channel. As she tells him, she's looking first for a vantage point, clearing out an immediate space of relative safety and using that to provide cover. That this will give her a field of fire on all the more openly investigating persons, assuming she can secure a spot, is incidental. Three-dimensional maneuvering gear comes in handy at times like this. Firing wires, A-39 climbs at speed, getting up to a spot near the edge of the park, sighting through and past the gate, up the parade street, and now able to make out the coordinated crowds of low-powered 'bots. Her mask feeds her data, but nothing particularly useful, in that nothing she can see looks particularly dangerous. Obviously, then, there must be something especially dangerous that she can't see. "Just static. Low-level chatter. Nothing's yet triggered that sounds important on the EM bands." She sends this over the same mission channel as previously. "I'm covering you now." Just as she says, she brings out her anti-material rifle, an oversized weapon for wildlife but well-suited for armor, and finds a resting point, getting reasonably comfortable as she braces for immediate firing. She doesn't fire just yet, of course--that has to wait for a disaster she has no qualms expecting. "Stay alert." Really, she's just no fun at all.
August Kohler	As August finds out, he isn't alone. Nova groups up with him, getting a solid nod. "As far as I know, yeah. Places should be much more ruined than this, and also not shooting fireworks." As he reads the pamphlet, he frowns. "A roller-coaster with no seatbelts? How the hell does that work?" But then, others come, including Paladins. August doesn't trust the Paladins due to hang-ups with the police...but he knows they're trying to do the right thing in their own way, even if he's fought with them. So Eryl gets an awkward smile, and a nod. "Sure. Neutral for the time being." Key on neutral, because if something happens that htey disagree on, he's going to stand his ground. Azure Armature suddenly appears next to August, who almost trips over himself from the surprise, but catches himself and nods to her. "Yeah, keep on your guard. Have no clue what's ahead." And then, All-Seeing Eye, who August still doesn't know what side he is on in this whole YoRHa thing, gets a nod. "Honestly, this place gives me the creeps." Though as they're moving inside, they finally see all the Machines. August is absolutely surprised at what he's seeing, and double surprised at the fact that they're not hostile, and instead giving Eryl a stamp card. "What the hell." He speaks plainly and loudly, as he stares at the 'familial' Machines. His immediate goal isn't to cause problems with these machines, especially because they're outnumbered, but to find their leader or source, if they have one, and try and get information. And so, August steps up to look for an important looking building or specific cluster of machines, possibly even the castle itself if it looks like it'd be where something important is. And if he can't absolutely find anything, August will actually go up to a Machine and ask, but that's definitely not his first option.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone takes note of the pamphlets and given what they are made of? Along with the state of the material? It just drives home how old this place is. She keeps moving while cloaked not wanting to run face first, into something hostile uncloaked. IT might give her a chance to respond and react to something like that. Then comes the hordes of machines, and there's a spike of fear in her heart. She does not have the firepower to deal with this many yet they seem to be in low power mode. She slows her movement and takes in their behaviour wait are these machines going to the carnival and it sure looks like they are trying to mimic it. <<The machines are going to the carnival?!>> She will drop her cloak now and move to follow after Eryl worried that he might just need some help and she doesn't want to see the Grand Master alone in a situation like this at all. She keeps a sane pace and does not sprint nor run as she sees the machines welcoming the Grandmaster. "Stamps and win a price you say?" She'll give Eryl a look which seems a bit confused but the machines are not attacking at least not yet.
Eryl Fairfax	The plaza overflows with machines in garish clothing. Some are even wearing face paint. Weapons of war repurposed into tools of celebration. Eryl is actually smiling now. This is incredible. They're discovering festivities. Gleeful displays. They're learning how to have fun. As the stubby robot comes over, he bends down to meet its green eyes and accepts the offered card. A stamp card, collect them all to win a prize. "I'll be sure to do just that. Sounds fun!" he replies enthusiastically, smiling and nodding to the little robot. He turns the stamp card over in his hand, getting a feel for the material, looking at the ink on it. Essentially, trying to get a read on how recently it was printed. Are these machines co-opting old ones, or have they begun printing new ones? The latter would be very exciting. He looks around at the cautious faces of his fellow investigators and folds his arms. "I understand that this is... unexpected, but honestly. At least put your weapons away and try to enjoy it. They're doing their best." With that, he goes off into the park proper. He intends to discover exactly how far these machines have come. What do they think 'fun' is? Right now, they have the looks down, they know of things like confetti. Can they comprehend the thrill of the search, the gratification of completing a trial? Yes, Eryl will find all of the stamps. He examines the card for any clues as to their locations, but also analyzes his surroundings. Are there any machines holding stamps? Any signs pointing the way? He's gonna go over every nook and cranny on this one.
Starbound Flotilla	"A beautiful thing, I've got to admit." "There is a certain aesthetic pleasure in it, even fi it's no true beauty." "Looksss fun! Floran knew wasss gonna be a time to play!" "Hopeful. They seem so happy! I hope that isn't an imitation..." "Enemy formation, central path. Ready to--" "Fuck /off/." George immediately shoves Albert's heavy grenade launcher down and even clean out of his hands, before moving intwards, through the park. Pavo seems to abandon her cautious stance, sheathing her sword, and Moonfin keeps his out only to keep Albert at ease. Besides those two, the rest have immediately spread out, eager to prod at the various activities and events, to watch this parade, to mingle with other patrons -- however blank their expressions may be -- and to try to find out more. While at least a few of them do authentically do their besst to have a good time (Biteblade, specifically, definitely loves the look of it at least), they're here most to investigate the nature of all this, the source, or the potential dangers or benefits. And that means Pavo has a lot of interest in the root of this. "Ohhhh, this looks like the sort of thing that'd make anyone happy! I'd love to be happy with whoever's gotten this rolling too. Is there a park manager? Parks like this ought to have them, right?" Seft, meanwhile, can't help herself. She -- and George, after a moment -- move to offer a little help with the dilapidated state of the park, employing both their mechanical and architectural expertise. It's justified a little bit by the fact that they're the most qualified to assist and that doing so might provoke a positive response from the machine network(?) responsible for this, perhaps enhancing the search for the source of things. If nothing else turns up a good response, Pavo will probably check out that palace to see if it's going to keep them out in any way, or if there's any signs of it playing an important role, but she's more on the lookout for a manager's office or something like that, or perhaps an information kiosk now manned by a machine, somewhere where the role is more practical and just slightly less fun.
All-Seeing Eye	At first, the approach of the machines is cause for caution. Their yellow eyes are enough to forestall open violence, but as with the false idol, they are not necessarily signs of peaceful intent. The lively paint is a point in their favor, too, but targeting programs are loaded up all the same. It isn't until the talkative parade that pleasant surprise rests upon the Exalt's soft features. He even allows himself a wide grin in response to the proceedings. As the extravagant welcoming ceremony (or ritual) continues, his focus shifts around. His surroundings are scanned for signs of deception. One can never be too cautious! While it all seems fairly innocent, one detail does catch his notice. Ever the type to live up to his name, ever the nosy one, Eye zooms in on the exchange between Eryl and the machine evidently named 'Dory.' The stamp card seems an interesting detail, after a brief radio exchange. "Understandable," says Eye of the place's dearth of patrons. "At least its new residents seem determined to keep it running." There is a brief pause, with the Exalt placing a finger to his temple. He nods, muttering a soft-spoken reply to some radio chatter. After this exchange, he attempts to isolate one (or more) of the machines by using their buzzwords. This he does by marching up to 'Dory," wearing his most personable smile. A magnanimous sweeping of the hands is given as welcome, followed by a half-bow. "Hello, Dory," he says. "I'm All-Seeing Eye." His left hand points, or rather gestures, because pointing is sometimes seen as rude. He indicates the spot in the sky where the fireworks went off, looking briefly over at it. When his attention returns to the stamp-card distributing machine, he nods his head and poses a question. "I liked those fireworks. Were they your idea?" The question is at face value pretty inocuous. But 'Dory's' response could provide valuable intel. Are the machines on the cusp of sentience? Do they have senses of self? Or have they merely refined the art of mimicry to yet-unseen levels?
Nova Terra	"Nova Terra." The Ghost shifts her rifle into one hand as she shakes the offered hand from All-Seeing Eye. She also gives nods to some of the others as they arrive, before they begin moving in further. As the sight of the festival comes into view, Nova is looking even more confused as she glances amongst the machines. She's on alert, not entirely convinced the machines aren't hostile. And she certainly doesn't put her rifle away as Eryl suggests. Nova cautiously moves further into the park, eyes darting from one machine to the next as she asks the others, "Anyone else getting a really creepy feeling from this?" There's just something unnerving about robots enjoying a themepark...
Azure Armature	The 'recon' becomes 'a party' quickly, and Azure's expression goes from determinedly tactical to sour in about three CPU cycles. Her eyes narrow, her stance tenses, and her booted foot does the Anime Shimmy incrementally outward, and incrementally closer to 'a shooting stance'. And then she sees George get GUN DISRESPECTED by Albert. She snorts, shaking her head, and her stance becomes casual once more, the operative just moving up to the family while she checks her display. She may, at some point, acquire a STAMP CARD, but immediately disappears it never to be seen again. She has no need of your prize unless she is absolutely required to do so to gain entry to a place. And that's a problem transmaterialization generally fixes. "Familial unit." She addresses the trio, looking down at them. "Do machines here gestate, or do you claim ownership of the fabrication of this... child?" She crosses her arms, looking down at them critically.
A2	Eryl will, in fact, find that the stamp cards are on cheap cardstock, which means even if they've been sitting in a dry office, they're a few years old at the very very most, and likely much more recent. The actual name of the amusement park is smudged away on every card, speaking to some significant level of erosion on the ink press, as yet another detail that drives home just how surreal this whole thing is. "Yes." the Machine drones at him and Kotone. "Find ten stamps in the park. Win free prize. Stamps are hidden. Good luck." It produces a second stamp card for Kotone too. That said, it does seem like a bit of a haphazard scavenger hunt. Eryl's sensors immediately locate a stamp lying on the ground, clumsily tucked away inside the dry water feature area of the statue; literally a hidden stamp, rather than a park staff member secretly holding one. Points for effort at least. Tooling around and looking for a boss man is easier said than done. No matter how much August wanders around old arcades, water pistol stands, crane games, and buildings too eroded to guess at, he can't locate anything potentially important-looking, as if the entire theme park crew had just sort of arisen as a whole out of the dirt. The Machine most conveniently available is one he finds standing in a side alley, routinely mashing an unlit cigarette to its spherical, featureless face. When questioned, the machine garbles at him in its soup can vocalizer tone: "I'm on break. Ask again when I'm on shift" and then resumes bapping the cigarette to its head. Fucking baffling. The Flotilla has much the same experience, up until they start questioning architectural and engineering matters. Most of the Machines seem to have no experience in either field whatsoever, but a few eventually begin directing them to the rear eastern end of the park, citing that a section has been closed off, due to 'dangerous' broken machinery. Machines talking about dangerous machinery is also pretty surreal, and it's especially dubious that any park ride here could somehow hurt them, but that's what they say. Supposedly, there are Machines on the job, but these things being able to fix an amusement park ride seems about as likely as a dog composing a piano sonata. If they so care to pursue it, they end up much nearer to the castle, where a fairly typical 'spinning rocket ride' has been shut down at a jaunty, clearly busted angle, and the area beyond it heavily fenced off with a slapdash barricade of scrap metal. A large, heavily armoured Machine wearing an utterly superfluous yellow plastic hard hat stands in front of it, clutching the upper half of an uprooted warning sign. The rollercoaster docking platform is visible just beyond, though not much else. A-39, from her easy selection of unguarded vantage points in a relatively intact amusement park, can spot the Elites meandering well into the deeper districts through her higher scope magnifications. Not much appears to be amiss, save that on her very highest level, she can spot the tiny profiles of flying units buzzing seemingly random circles around the upper towers of the fantasy castle, dangerous close to the roller coaster tracks. They too are clad in silly hats and bolted on attire, but they appear to be engaged in no real festive activity like the others, seemingly roaming the tracks in a repetitive scouting pattern. They're quite far away however, and at an altitude difficult to see even with her long distance rifle.
A2	Eye's cautiousness may be somewhat justified, as real scans of the Machines around him find that their weapons are in fact still entirely functional, even if loaded with confetti. They haven't successfully converted their frames in any significant way, but made due with their cheaply mass-produced combat designs as festively as possible. One playing the part of a park visitor even has an entire tuxedo literally painted onto its body. As in, with mural paint. 'Dory' looks up at him with a little robotic judder, then mechanically hands him a stamp card as well, taking several seconds to process a reply. "They were our idea." it states nonspecifically. "Fireworks are necessary to having lots of fun. Therefore, some of us make fireworks. Potassium nitrate. Sulfur. Copper oxide. Strontium chloride. Calcium nitrate. They are exactly like human fireworks. Let's enjoy them. Together." Finally, Azure Armature accosts the odd 'family' unit loitering around the edge of the main plaza. The thing that will instantly stand out to her is that these ones exhibit a third and as of yet unseen eye colour: go-light green. The two 'parents' look to each other. The 'child' looks up at both of them, overtly acknowledging their presence. They look back to Azure not quite in unison. "This is Bobby." the pearl-wearing Machine claims, its vocalizer equally unsuited to speech, but somehow sounding at least slightly feminine, like a well-practised accent to go with the red and pink paint to look like blush and lipstick marking its blank face. "Say hello Bobby." says the 'father' Machine. "Hello." says Bobby, in vaguely 'young' tones. "Bobby is our child. We decided. Having fun together is easy in a family. Families are wonderful. We've heard all about them." These green ones are even less synchronized and, yet oddly more 'fluent', and even more dedicated to elaborately pointless mimicry than the yellow ones, like a sliding spectrum of the three primary traffic light colours. She also gets a stamp card. 'Dory' has a fat stack of them. It's questionable who exactly it intended to hand them out to, but it seems to have worked out?
All-Seeing Eye	Eye listens to Dory's explanation with all the interest of an enraptured guest at a dinner party, nodding his head. "I see," he injects once or twice. This he does despite noting the functionality of each machine's weaponry. "You did a very good job--" The machine's offer is noticed. "Oh!" Eye graciously accepts the stamp card. "Thank you!" The sound of tearing velcro punctuates his effort to secure it in a pocket. With his attention back on Dory, he leans forward and offers her another question. "Enjoying them together sounds fun," he begins, offering either this machine or the group consciousness affirmation that their efforts are successful. His tone remains politely interested, and arguably more human--but he strings together a sentence much like a machine would, in an effort to probe for further information. "Humans once enjoyed this place together," he says with a gesture towards Azure Armature and the machine family. "What do you think about humans?" The question is again, simple yet deliberate. Can the machine, or the group consciousness form opinions?
August Kohler	As August can't find someone in charge, and gets brushed off by a strange Machine pretending to smoke, he is absolutely confused by this place and honestly kind of hates it for that. When considering where to check again, possibly trying to head back to Dory and ask them where the boss is, A-39 reports something in the air near the rollercoaster. And so, being someone who isn't afraid of risking himself to a seatbelt-less ride, August volunteers to investigate. Heading over to the big rollercoaster, August looks for whoever is in charge of the ride, and tries as friendly as he can to get on the ride. He still has that awkwardness to him though, amplified by the eerieness of this place getting to him a little. "Uh, hello! I'd like to ride the rollercoaster. One, please." If he needs a ticket or something...well, then he's out of luck, but he imagines he doesn't, since they all want to have fun together and such.
Eryl Fairfax	Eryl finds the stamp in the dry fountain, and the disappointment he feels is deep and intense. 'Find the stamps and win a prize.' Most amusement parks would have them be handled by employees, perhaps locked behind participation in a game. These machines have taken it literally, as in you have to find the hidden stamps. "Not as far along as I had hoped," he complains, picking up the stamp and analysing it from all angles before taking it to his and Kotone's stamps. "But it's a start. Let's keep going." He steps from the plaza and begins exploring the park. Now that he has the 3D render of what the stamps look like in his internal memory, he can passively scan for them as he goes about. His next point of investigation; that great palace at the centre of the park. He passes by all the machines dancing in the street, throwing confetti, talking about having fun 'together.' "A good start," he reminds himself, even as his face begins to fall. This all stinks of imitation. A facsimile. They have the park going, the fireworks, the confetti, the costumes. But there's no games beyond this misunderstood stamp hunt. There are attractions, like the distant roller coaster, but he can tell from a distance that no one is riding it. These things are 'fun' but the machines seem to think that their presence alone makes them 'fun.' No engagement.
Kyoko Takada	"Patrol patterns out near the roller coaster. Aerial." Alpha-39 mutters into her radio automatically, straining through her scope to make out any more relevant details. A legitimate patrol pattern she can spot from miles away, both literally and figuratively, though the possibility of this being some more festive mimicry doesn't escape her. She's not sure how human roller coaster attractions are supposed to function in a pre-apocalyptic world to any great level of detail. Maybe having a rotating drone network is normal, or was normal, when humans built this place, though the proximity to the tracks seems suspect. She continues her survey, having to settle for the various elites coming in and out of focus thanks to their varied efforts on the ground. A-39 retains no desire to join them, considering advancing only in the case that it helps her line up a shot, but there remains no clear and immediate danger, which means there's also no need to move. The architectural efforts of the Flotilla captains remain in her viewfinder long enough for her to mutter, "What the hell are you doing...?" Obsessive-compulsive reconstructive needs, she assumes. She'd blame it on aliens but, she notes after a moment, neither of the two captains technically is. Moving on, she takes a few moments to recognize Eryl from an op she ran as a mercenary, noting his position and the more recently familiar figures of All-Seeing Eye and Kotone. That she might have to move, after all, becomes a possibility as August announces his interest in the roller coaster. That sounds as good a plan as any, better than most, and most likely, out of those on the table, to trigger whatever is (she remains certain) waiting to ambush them. It's just a shame that someone might look up and give her away as she makes her way closer. An actual cloaking field sure would be nice. Maybe if she hits up Batou again he'll let slip where he got his. The rifle slings away easily, wires and hooks stabilize, and the sniper drops from her perch and into controlled (and thus, not quite) free fall. She kicks away well short of the ground, coming up onto a lower rooftop, but keeping as high as she can as she runs, swings, clambers, and powers her way toward a new perch, spotted from above, that'll bring her close enough to have a nearly-full view of the coaster tracks. Those patrollers are at the forefront of her attention, but she's sparing some for her immediate environs as she zooms ahead, trying to avoid attention on the way. If these were humans, they'd rarely look up. Not being human, she might just be hopelessly visible via active sensors.
Azure Armature	Armature's expression softens, more of an 'oh, that makes sense' resting operator face. "Your logic affirmatively checks out." And then. "It is clear that collective experience is positively correlated with enjoyment." Armature looks to All-Seeing Eye, a smirk and a shrug. "These are unlike the others, though. Do you think there is a root cause? A reason, that the Machines here form familial units and attempt to experience peace and fun? They have not been disarmed, but care has been given to the illusion." Her tone drops. "And given enough effort, illusion can be crafted to reality. Perhaps this stamp card is the answer." And then Armature walks off, shrugging, to go find some CARNIVAL GAMES to collect stamps with. Maybe a nice rifle game, so she can cheat viciously. Then again, there's just stealing stamps. She won't resort to that... First.
Nova Terra	Nova overhears the conversation about robotic familes, glancing over in that direction. Numerous questions about the dynamics of robotic families are rolling around in her head, making her all the more confused. However, August is heading off towards the rollercoaster after being dismissed by the smoking (or trying to?) robot. Deciding to stick with someone apparently as equally as confused as her, Nova moves to follow. Her rifle is still in hand, but business end pointed towards the ground as she cautiously makes her way towards the ride in question. Stopping at the entrance to the ride, Nova takes it in. She glances down along he tracks, remarking to no one in particular, "I don't think I've been on one of these before..." Still, she's not the type to back down. So she puts her rifle away on her back to slide into one of the rollercoaster cars. She then looks around for some kind of safety restraints.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa thinks for a moment they machines are mimicking the behaviour of humans at a carnival and yet she wonders? Are these alien war machines evolving past their original parameters? She's heard of it happening and recalls the whole Incident with Saski and Miho. She pushes thoughts of her cousins out of her mind as she smiles at the machine. "Well then, let's see how well they have been hidden. Also, thank you! Hopefully, I'll be back soon with the stamps." She'll accept the stamp and nods to Eryl as the hunt gets underway. It be a bit of fun right? She'll have to see what they have learned and she'll be glancing about. Are the machines learning or are they just mimicking? It looks like Mimicking and not quite getting it right, as she looks for stamps she will question the odd machine asking if they tried any of the rides or games and see what the response is.
Starbound Flotilla	August and Nova will probably note the Flotilla coming by, seeming to have no immediate terribly intense interest in them. George, at least, does wink his way as he passes, muttering, "How's it been since Maslow?" Nova gets a little fingerguns. "How's that big bossman doing? Good since the big mess-up?" And then stepping up to the robot with the sign. "Hi there! I'm a repairman. As you can see, I've got repair tools." He brandishes various tools out of his matter manipulator. "So you're supposed to let me through, since you're doing a great job with this construction business." He doesn't really understand what's going on, but his Syndicate Intuition gives him something that he thinks is the right way to move forward. How accurate that is is another matter entirely. Indeed, the Flotilla, under A-39's watchful eye, are mostly trying to head to the broken-down section and repair it as a way of slipping, however gently they can, into the routine of the robots. Even Pavo has gotten into it, thinking of the process as a natural extension of her work with them before. Seft herself seems genuinely interested in helping, in fact. "Helpful. Are there any more areas where things are damaged? You've all been doing such a wonderful job, I want to help out, please!" They'll probably wind up moving along the coaster too, to get that repaired, and to use it as an artery to surge through the rest of this place.
A2	Eryl need not be too disappointed too quickly. As he walks around the park, he'll be able to begin to see something of a pattern, in the loosest sense of the word. Going off the Machines' behaviour, there is indeed a great majority of units engaged in roate mimicry of the generally stable, baseline consensus of what constitutes 'fun that people have in an amusement park'. Here and there, there are slightly more divergent and specialized roles settled into, like Machines that have taken on roles like decorating and launching fireworks, as similar aspects of 'what goes into a theme park'. More rarely, there are Machines with much more diverse and experimental ideas. Some are clumsy and experimental, like a couple trying to play a water pistol game but in the process of trying to figure out where the water comes from. Some are matured, but essentially dead ends, like the Machine apparently permanently 'on break'. Some of them are fairly advanced, like the idea of a stamp collecting game, and Eryl actually eventually comes across a pair of Machines awkwardly arguing over whether it's allowable to hide a stamp by carrying it around. A small few can be construed as successful leaps in logic, such as the hard hat Machine who had diverged so far from the baseline to correlate 'fun' with 'safety' and taken it upon itself to build a way to keep other Machines away from the 'dangerous' section of the park. Individually, they all appear to be pretty dumb and oblivious to the significance of what they're doing, but if taken as a whole, it certainly resembles a convergent form of a certain computational paradigm. All-Seeing Eye asks his question to separate Machines. 'Dory' responds all but immediately, reverberating with the words "We do not know much about humans. Androids were built by humans, but Androids and Machines do not get along. There were once billions of humans who got along. Humans had things like 'fun'. They did things together. If we understand fun, we can get along with Androids. That is what we decided." The absolute most subtle 'blink and you'll miss it' megaton bombshell drops when the green-eyed Machines respond shortly after, having paused before answering. Specifically, the very first word the 'father' Machine uses. "I think humans must have had a wonderful time." The 'mother' adds. "I think it's very complicated and mysterious. Humans must have been geniuses, to invent things like family and fun." The 'child' says. "I like fun. Humans invented things other than fighting, so I like humans." All three of them use that same word, in fact. August has to go to the same barricade as the Flotilla, where the Machine in a hard hat holds up its gigantic hands and waves its half a warning sign at them like a fan. "Careful. Dangerous beyond here. Broken machine." It intends to keep them out of there quite firmly, until George brandishes repair tools. Then, the Machine takes a long bout of what is probably intensive, low-power processing, and then says "Repair. Okay. Repair man can go in.", and then puts its tremendous strength into yanking its heavy scrap barricade aside with brute force, not having really built it to be opened normally."No. Broken machine only here. Rest of park is safe. Safe for fun. Have fun and be safe. Being hurt is not fun." Hearing 'hurt' is a bit odd, considering these things normally don't even have a concept of /death/.
A2	It seems that the roller coaster works perfectly fine. It is, in fact, currently in service, with one set of cars going around the tracks in an endless loop, and another parked at the loading platform and primed to go. True to the pamphlet, Nova finds that there are no seatbelts, which seems incredibly dangerous. Whether or not those two wish to ride it depends on what A-39 might want to tell them, because when she approaches a much more tenable vantage, closer to the heart of the park, she can get a better bead on the flying units, and see that their movements are totally unrelated and completely disconnected from the ones on the ground, despite their festive outfits. They move in perfect synchronicity only with each other, scouting the tracks for something on repeat. Their eyes are yellow, but frequently sputter in a vaguely suspicious way. None of them are simply lift units; all of them are armed, and none of them leave the proximity of the castle, which is vacant of all other Machines, even pedestrian ones. Those on the stamp hunt find some odd results. A few are literally hidden like scavenger hunt eggs, but a few have been appropriated by wandering Machines, who seem to believe they've each independently had the clever idea of hiding the stamps somewhere with them, and who stamp their cards themselves. One demands on selling its stamps as if it's running a store, however it seems to accept any kind of random baubles anyone can find on the ground as payment. Anyone who can get to nine stamps (probably Azure Armature, given cheaty teleportation) will encounter the last Machine, on a bridge leading to the roller coaster, tells them that the tenth stamp is unavailable. The tenth stamp, apparently, can only be gotten from going to the theatre, but the theatre is currently off-limits due to broken machinery. She can ascertain the actual gates leading to the castle plaza have been chained shut too, probably by Mr. Hard hat, who has apparently done a fine job communicating this to other Machines in the area. They're quite serious about it. Somehow, the empty ghost of a plaza, at the foot of the pastel pink fantasy palace lit up like a child's dream, feels a little ominous.