Character Mansion

-Entry Hall-

"Or course!" Yuki said with a smile, completing her original mission for going into the bathroom in the first place; painting her face.

Smoking Room

Markus thought for a second before responding, "There's four small towns on the island where the current zombie situation is located," He held up four fingers, pointing to them as he listed the towns, "Innsmouth, Grimsby, Henrytown, and New Harrogate. The best safe zone is the immediate area around the police station in Grimsby. There are other areas that are considered safe at least by their occupants, but they are few and far between. Personally, I'm at least glad that I'm crashing at the police station for now."

[Smoking Room]

"Police station?" Thomas repeated, quirking an eyebrow. "Are you working for the police right now? Or did you...?"

[Entry Hall]

Mary shook her head.

"No. It's just that you remind me of..." She stopped, remembering the horrible summer she had not even a year ago. To avoid going too deep into the topic, she said, "...someone I used to know."

With a small grunt, she finally said, "What other powers do you have? Besides that illusion trick?"

[Entry Hall]

"Well, I guess I could..." Friedrich reaches for something on his belt and pulls up a mirror. He glances at his eyes, practically black, for a moment and blinks quickly, jerking back. "Well, uh, you're getting a front row seat to something a bit... interesting. I'll just have to get it started." He pulls something off his belt, a completely smooth pebble and puts it on the ground in front of him. He clears his throat and begins to sing, his voice as quiet as possible.

Of elven halls I sing

My deep and only home

The air shifts as Friedrich begins to glow green.

I want now oh for me

To end now how I roam

His voice splits, he seems to sing two notes, one an octave higher than his current one.

But I have betrayed what am I

To those I hoped to hide.

Beside him a phantom of an elf, tall and slender appears seeming to sing with him.

I hope to join back with you.

To become one inside

The pebble floats from the ground glowing and begins to disintegrate into dust. As it does so the elf seems to be drawn into Friedrich. He disappears momentarily before reappearing. He looks the same for the most part, but his eyes have turned a bright green and his hair has gone from black to brown.

"Just had to get that out of my system, I was a bit... out there today." His voice has gone up a small amount from where he had been speaking before.

edited 4th Feb '13 7:22:45 PM by Aqueos

Agustin swapped a quick glance with Xavier as the newcomer in the ball gown moved to the table and took a seat, setting the tray down with a quiet clatter. He interlaced his fingers, elbows propped up on the table and stayed silent, suppressing his irritation while she and Xavier spoke and seeming to observe her with a keen eye. A look of deep skepticism was etched into his features, and it only grew more pronounced as their new guest continued to speak.

Linza gave him a smile, asking him to speak. Agustin smiled back, but the expression was terse. Forced. He looked about to say something, but Xavier got there first and so he decided against it. He looked to be subtly enjoying this back-and-forth. This mere girl presumed herself an expert in not only the politics of war, but also how it influenced statecraft? Agustin almost shook his head, but didn’t. After all, that would have been rude.

Under the table, Agustin’s hand began to reach for his blade.

"The trouble with assassins”, he began, “is finding the competent ones. A lot of assassins get themselves killed by revealing that they know more than they should, for instance." His smile turned downright wintry. “And, if I may say so, that’s an awfully cynical view of national politics, isn’t it?”

[Master Bedroom]

Leo looked at Kokabiel, respect in his eyes.
"Understood." He had a slight urge to smile, particularly because of the way Kokabiel spoke to others.
He glanced back at Tora.
"Alright, to the Library. Uhm... lead the way."

[Dining room]

Mai was about to ask about "designed" when she put a few pieces together. Oh. Oh. She did some more mental gymnastics, and... "What, with pheromones?" she asked, giving a small snort. "I really doubt that sort of thing works that effectively. Otherwise, perfumes like that'd be all over the market."

She leaned over the table, propping herself up with her elbows. "And let's say that stuff does work — even on a species that, judging from your reaction-" She gave Linna a quick nod. "-doesn't exist in your universe and whose biochemical makeup couldn't have been prepared for. Even then, I'd be going for one of my own species — and, yes, there's one of them here. You might be designed to be attractive, but that's by human standards." Mai sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I mean, what, do you want me to go through a damned checklist as to why I find you unattractive?"

[Smoking room]

Xavier considered himself lucky when Agustin spoke up; he wasn't sure, exactly, what to say. It might've just been him, but Linza's views of assassins and nations seemed remarkably skewed. What kind of nation would bear that kind of grudge over one or two deaths, as opposed to the bazillion deaths, massive collateral damage, and economic crises of open warfare? Granted, he didn't know that much about politics, but still.

He stole a quick glance between Agustin and Linza. Without much experience in this sort of thing, he didn't have anything to add. Yet, anyway. He contented himself with adjusting his wings into a more comfortable position and settling down a bit more to listen.

Smoking Room

Markus shook his head, "No need for worry, I haven't committed any crimes. I'm just staying there because they found me in the woods nearby and I needed to rest up. They told me that when they found me, I was knocked out, laying on a rock and in worse condition then I am in now. Apparently, I was lucky that any zombies didn't find me," He sighed, "I wish I was able to help the people there more, kind of feel like a burden being injured and not able to help. I don't even know if I'm able to use a firearm or any other weapons at hand. I certainly know that I can't use magic or something similar," He sighed again, "Hard to help when you can't remember the past, eh?"

[Parlor]

Linza grabs a fan out of her bag and puts it in her lap, silk with ivory slats. "Well, I suppose I am a bit biased here. The overall political situation I'm from is a bit... hectic. It's a sea of small states, some controlling little more than a countryside, a few small cities, and there's a few small republics, city states really. Only thing they're good at is drafting people and driving out invaders."

She opens the fan up and idly moves it, the silk print depicts newly hatched birds. "When I was a young ambassador I was sent to a small military state. They gave me a small room on the upper floor of the castle. My stay was pleasant albeit a bit rough. One night we were at dinner, and I noticed that one of the other ambassadors, in fact one from a state on one of their borders that had long been their ally slipped something into the king's drink." She puts some more cream into her tea cup. "He drank of course. And then he died and then as usual I went back to a carriage and proceeded to send letters to every state I could as you do when such things arise. Let's just say the only thing that turned hands faster than the kingdom into their neighbor's hands was when the scandal got out and everyone trade embargoed them. They were quickly run over by an army, they didn't possess enough farmland to support their population without imports, iron though useful is not food."

She takes a sip of tea. "It was rather amusing to watch everyone suddenly decide that their new best friend was right next to their only opposition. And then of course you had the bloodbath. I believe the castle ended up in the hands of some minor lord. A somewhat agreeable position for my kingdom." She closes the fan and puts it back in her lap, "So yes that is a rather pessimistic view of national politics. Still though, I'd rather stick with arranged marriages over assassins."

edited 4th Feb '13 8:00:31 PM by Aqueos

[Dining Room]

"Well, you get into the whole mind-altering perception-altering thing possibly against people's will and they get freaked out a bit and then you're banned..." Nara said, amused. "Aside from any other possible reasons. Like Langfording their brains or those of any other Earth-born organism."

Linna glared at Nara. "But you don't do that anymore."

Nara nodded. "But I don't do that anymore." A brief smirk. "That you know."

Linna shook her head and was surprised when one of the robots set food in front of her that at least looked Asian enough to be ordered in Japanese. "I think they might actually understand me after all..."

[Parlor]

"Wait, what?" asked Xavier, pushing himself up with his wings. "What? That's..." At a loss for words, he made some small gestures with his hands and wings, his mouth hanging open. Eventually, he managed to find his voice and say, "That's got to be one of the most piss-poor assassinations I've ever heard!"

He began pacing. "Okay, first of all, kings have wine tasters specifically to avoid that sort of thing. And even if the wine taster wasn't there for some reason, undoubtedly there would be bodyguards around the area who would notice that sort of thing. Not to mention all the bystanders, such as yourself, who could easily see him and either stop him or single him out. It's a frigging miracle that attempt worked at all."

Xavier's gestures grew more pronounced and he began talking faster, his voice getting a little louder. "And after that, what, exactly, were they going to gain from backstabbing a close ally from that?" He didn't care that his example would be devoid of context for both Agustin and Linza. "The Germans tried that in World War II, and look what that got them: a five-year slog through the desolate wasteland that is Russia and a war on two fronts. Worst. Decision. Ever." He thumped his tail on the floor at the last word. "If you've got an ally, it's generally a good idea to keep them." He flared his wings for emphasis.

"AND THEN," Xavier continued, his voice growing a little louder yet and his gestures quite emphatic, "why in all hell did they try to assassinate him anyway if that was apparently the extent of their plan? I mean, they made the first move, but it sounds like everyone else went through them like a hot knife through butter." He made a slashing motion with his arm. "Did they honestly make no other preparations other than that? No digging in, no bracing for outside assault? Or was that just some moron acting on his own with no thought to the repercussions? I mean, xhenadrad!" Fuck! "That was completely boneheaded! Even I can see that, and my experience with the military amounts to getting shot at by them!"

Xavier groaned and flopped back into his chair. Looking to Linza, he said, "If that's your best example of an assassin, your assassins suck."

[Dining room]

"Um... 'Langfording' their brains?" asked Mai, cocking her head. "The hell does that mean? Is that psychological manipulation or something? You'll have to clarify your terminology, 'cause I don't know it." She shrugged.

"Although if you tried messing with people's heads where I'm from, you'd get ten years of absolute solitary. Basically a death sentence." She paused. "Assuming they caught you, obviously, but they're pretty good at that." After a moment's thought, she cocked her head at Nara and frowned. "But if you're banned, how come they haven't taken you apart or something?"

Mai glanced at one of the machines and said, "Get me some water." It whirred off immediately.

edited 4th Feb '13 8:42:05 PM by TeraChimera

Second floor Entry Hall

"Yeah. I can actually control luck and probability. It's pretty cool, although I'm not really great at it yet. I just found out I had the ability only a little while ago," Jonathan said.

"I guess it's...kinda useful? It doesn't work with lottery tickets, or at least, I haven't tried yet. I don't even think those lotteries are really legit. Like, what happens to those folks who hit it big and win the $250,000 prize? We hear about them once and then never again. Maybe it's the luck that's protecting me?" Jonathan mused.

Dining Room

The unease that Andrew felt seemed to have dissipated, but it took a while for him to calm down. At least his food didn't go cold in the meantime. Damn, this steak was delicious. Just as he remembered from his childhood.

With one of the smaller forks, he stabbed a slice of the pear. It was sweet, not tart at all, but had a more grainier texture than an apple. The taste made him sadly nostalgic, from another adventures with another set of friends, now all dead.

Library

"It's fairly well, but you are the first people I had the chance to talk to," Gabrielle said.

edited 4th Feb '13 10:20:27 PM by Tehpillowstar

[Dining Room]

"Langford was a science-fiction writer. He proposed that it might be possible to brute-force hack the brain through the visual cortex, causing a number of unpleasant effects. His basic idea was sound, but his method of using fractal images was not." Nara said. "And in answer to your other question, because it's not my fault I ended up like this. And because most governmental organizations have special dispensation to do things not permitted to private citizens." She waved one of the robots over and asked for some kind of snack food, in pretty much those words.

Linna looked up from her food. "Just don't look her in the eyes. Or if you spontaneously have to deal with sensory overload, no matter how pleasant, tell me about it."

[Parlor]

Linza sighs, "I'll admit it was a bad attempt, but he did make the poison slow acting as well as knock out the guards. I simplified things to the point of stupidity, but the point I'm just trying to make is that with so many small powers all battling it out it's somewhat of a scramble to the top. There was risk of annexation the other way around if you're curious as to why their neighbor acted."

She takes a sip of tea. "I may or may not have been aware of this plot and allowed it to go through. I may also have accidentally suggested that the kings chamber had bad ventilation to a random diplomat last month and how hazardous to his health it may have been and the king may have died a couple weeks later of inhaling smoke. Still though, I remain the bright worthy diplomat from the great peaceful nation as opposed to the ugly whore from that backstabbing duchy."

She grabs a small sandwich, "As my three cousins can tell you, it's good to be queen after all. Especially when for some odd reason the people next door suddenly find out there's a chandelier directly over the throne that decides not to stay up and your husband tragically dies."

She laughs, "Of course there were several wars over this, but that was none of my concern."

Agustin frowned. The situation Linza described was not unfamiliar to him. A morass of minor powers locked in a constant struggle for supremacy. It bothered him to hear that there were places that still existed in such a state of boundless anarchy, but perhaps what disgusted him more was that Linza was a willing part of it.

“I have to concur with Xavier. Incompetent assassins seems to be a recent theme here, so I’ve noticed. And I’m sad to say I’ve come across your perspective before. This sort of short-sighted, mutually destructive state of affairs that seems best suited to lock the powers involved in a self-perpetuating cycle of conflict- which, contrary to your claims, would very much not be in your nation’s best interests, yes?” Agustin sipped his tea thoughtfully.

“Disappointing. As a member of the political process of your nation, you are obligated to find a better way- if not for the cause of peace as a good in itself then for the benefit of your own citizens, who doubtless suffer most out of anyone in your society under the conditions of war. Instead, you succumb to this paralyzing cynicism that masquerades as simple practicality. A dreadfully common intellectual pitfall.”

As he took another quiet sip, Agustin looked quite smug.

"Indeed, if what you're implying is true, you actively contribute to this sordid state of affairs-" Agustin turned suddenly to address Xavier, "Say, is it just me or are assassins letting on the fact that they're assassins something of an unusually frequent occurrence here?"

edited 4th Feb '13 9:18:01 PM by Gault

[Parlor]

Linza fans herself again, in an irritated manner. "I think you misunderstand. Our nation has had no part in any of this. Sure, we've married away princesses and annexed kingdoms, but it's been peaceful. The coup in the neighboring republic we high-jacked was in no way our responsibility. As far as I am concerned our civilians are very happy we have been so far able to peaceably expand our borders."

She tosses her hair. "I assure you, our citizens both human and elvish are very happy with our rule. They are exempt from the constant monotony of war."

For some reason a hint of a smile seems to attach to her face.

edited 4th Feb '13 9:22:38 PM by Aqueos

[Dining room]

Mai glanced at Linna. "Wait," she asked, confused, "if she can still do that, then why hasn't that sort of thing been replaced? I mean, if it's banned, take it out, don't leave it in. Or does that have military applications somehow?"

She turned back to Nara. "And how is hacking like that possible? They're just images. How, exactly, is that supposed to get into the brain? And," she added, realizing, "don't even think about saying, 'let me show you'."

[Parlor]

"I know, right?" said Xavier to Agustin. He grinned a little. "Either they flat-out tell you they're assassins or they tell you all the jobs they did and how they contribute to the conflicted state of affairs that they claim to hate. I mean, it's not like that sort of job requires anything like stealth or subtlety or caution, right? That's just silly."

He decided to take everything Linza said about her kingdom with a large pile of salt, assuming she wasn't flat-out lying. If annexations were peaceful, why was that other nation so desperate to get away from it? And if everywhere else was so war-torn, how could they do so much so peacefully? And be so peaceful in general?

And why did all of the assassins here seem so incompetent?

[Parlor]

Linza frowns, "Wait are you talking about that guy in the entry hall? Weapons galore? Dressed like a male prostitute? Elvish but has used so much human magic you can barely tell?"

She nibbles on her sandwich, "I'm very interested in what transpired here."

[Dining Room]

"It's controllable to a large extent. Tearing it out might well kill her. And it is of value in a number of situations." Linna said. "Besides, the worst she can actually do is make you feel really good causing you to pass out. That's all." A quick shrug and another bite of food. "As less-than-lethal options go, that's really benign compared to trying to immobilize somebody with CS gas or something exotic like microwave induction on their nervous system. As long as it's not abused, she can keep it."

"The same way people can have epileptic seizures, only more subtle than big flashing lights." Nara patted the sunglasses hanging from her pocket. "Like Linna said, don't make eye contact. Or ask me to wear sunglasses, or wear them yourself. Even safety goggles help sometimes."

[Master Bedroom -> bla bla bla-> Library]

"Oh, You kind of talked down to her like she was a 'little AI', so she gave you the kind of answers she thought you expected, or maybe even wanted," She answered Kokabiel, not sure if she had been joking about the 'terrible' part.

"She's taking a nap under the balcony, if you want to talk with her some more."

"I lead the way then."

Tora walked out the bedroom, down the stairs, ignored the people in the hall and got seated in one of the chairs.

[Library]

Tora walked at an exceedingly brisk pace, with full confidence of her destination. Leo was a little flooded because of this. When she sat down, he sat across from her.
"I'll get straight to the point. Are you from ten years ahead of our timeline?"

"I don't know what year you are from but it's unlikely. I found Oracle's hardware ten years ago and then it had been locked away on an Amorian colony for forty years. Does that match you timeline?"

Parlor

Anne had about been ready to doze off when one of the people from the conversation nearby caught her attention. As she turned to look, she saw the dragon speaking loudly about...something, gesturing around like a king addressing a large crowd. Anne didn't manage to catch most of what he was saying, but she did hear him say the word 'assassinate.'

Sounds like more politics, Anne thought. She knew she should probably pay more attention to the subject considering what her eventual occupation would had been had her life gone normally up until this point, but she couldn't help but find the subject awfully boring. On top of that, every time her father or someone else brought the subject up, things got heated to the point where Anne didn't even want to be around. As such, she didn't really see fit to try to join in this conversation, both due to the subject and that she really didn't want to know what sort of reaction she'd invoke. Unless one of them noticed her and decided to invite her over, that was.

Instead, she gave the group a look over since she had mostly ignored them since coming in. There was the dragon, and she recognized the man as the well-dressed person with the sword who had greeted Samira earlier - Agustin, his name was? The woman must have been a newcomer; Anne didn't remember seeing her anywhere else before now. The ears tipped her off that she probably wasn't human, but Anne couldn't quite come up with the right word to describe her at the moment.

She then patted her dress down a little bit, checking to see how the drying process was coming along, before turning around so the back of her dress could get some of the heat from the fire. She then simply watched the other group converse, trying to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation.

[Master Bedroom —> Entry Hall]

Kokabiel nodded as she considered Tora's advice. Then she walked downstairs to stand near Oracle. "According to Tora," she said to it — or her, evidently — "you found my previous manner condescending. I sincerely apologize — excluding certain entities that predate humanity, my own time and place has only taken the very first tenuous steps in AI development. I have gotten into the habit of talking to AIs in the manner one would speak to a small child because, where I come from, they almost universally are such." She took a seat, cross-legged, on the floor. "I am willing to accept that I made a mistake in underestimating you. Shall we begin anew?"

edited 5th Feb '13 3:57:01 PM by KillerClowns

[Library]

"Oh, well... Hi there! Nice to meet you." Said Tamara, happily. "I like your dress; it's very pretty." As she was not terribly familiar with history, much less the particular fashions of various eras, Tammy didn't know Gabrielle's clothes were Victorian. She just thought it was a formal-looking dress.

Claire stood a short distance away, just leaning against a near-by wall, staring in to space...