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Septette Arcubielle      Armoroad is gorgeous this time of year- any time of the year, really, but each in its own way. Autumn would bring with it red leaves and cherry blossoms to offset the soothing green roofs of the buildings; Winter would reduce it to a minimalist landscape of white and eggshell as the snow piled against the marble cobblestones and buildings. But Septette had always adored early Spring the best, for the way it brought out the wildflowers in their colorful arrays and tamed the sweltering sun.

     Near the warpgate at the town square, Septette folds her arms behind her back, and waits. The robot's ribcage expands and contracts out of habit, part of her impressive mimicry of human body language- a talent made all the stranger for her distinctly inhuman appearance. Today she's forgone her usual purple cloak for a short white-and-pink blouse that displays and emphasizes her skeletal and mechanical body; a conscious choice on her part.

     It's best to play to expectations if you don't want others prying too deeply, after all, and she'd done some research on the world her visitor came from. Newly Unified, generally used to seeing robots and AIs as servants or lesser beings. That's a useful way to be seen, and so she mentally rehearses her body language and inflection: flat and synthesized voice, demure and affectless appearance.

     With any luck, the visitor won't realize that the Senatus didn't send her guide.
Maria Korchnoi      Warpgates. God, they were weird. Teleportation wasn't completely foreign to the poor, confused detective, but this? This was different. They were equal parts fascinating and terrifying. Maria always felt weird before (and directly after) using one, an odd tingling jolting her body each and every bloody time. She was never entirely sure if it was an actual physical sensation or just a trick the girl's mind was playing on her, but either way, it was uncomfortable. Still, she'd have to steel herself once more, wouldn't she? After all, there are bills that need to be paid, and NanoTrasen had appointed her for this 'mission'. A quick pat of her holster did at least inspire confidence; the gun was still there, even if this /was/ the seventh time she had checked. Better safe than sorry, right? Probably. Eyeing the silver locket wrapped around her neck, she took a final gulp and begun her journey.

To her delight, the world she had been sent to wasn't a lovecraftian mess of tendrils and gore. On the contrary, it was rather delightful! A simple looking town in a simple looking environment; exactly what she was hoping for. Her choice of apparel was, perhaps, not ideal, but the overcoat and suit didn't make it /unbearably/ hot, at least. A quick scan of her surroundings revealed a colourful cast of citizens going through the motions, wearing outfits that seemed ripped from... something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Still, it wasn't what she was use to, at least, and it certainly made her stand out; perhaps that was a good thing. According to the vague orders from her higher-ups, there was supposed to be a guide or... something along those lines to meet her, but it was quite hard to pin-point exactly who that was suppose to be. A certain individual did stand out, though; an odd looking synthetic in a surprisingly cutesy dress. At worst, she'd get a confused gaze if she tried her luck, so really, what was there to lose? As she approached the robot, she extended her hand, flashing a smile.
"G'day. Are you the guide? Uh, I'm Maria Korchnoi, from NanoTrasen." She greeted, peeling off her glove to make the handshake more polite.
Septette Arcubielle      For a brief moment, the yggdroid's glowing eyes brighten. There's the one she's been waiting for; no mistaking the slightly dazed and uncertain demeanor of a newcomer. Then she remembers herself, and looks down a little before curtsying shallowly. "That's correct," she replies in a soft yet clearly artificial voice. "I have been assigned to you by the Senatus to be your guide and escort. That said, Armoroad is a fair and safe city; the greatest danger I might have to protect you from is getting lost." There's no trace of amusement in her face at her own joke, even as she grasps Maria's hand.

     Had the detective looked more closely, she might've hesitated to offer a handshake: her host's fingers taper to sharpened points almost like knives, and the exposed machinery looks like it might catch on something! But the gynoid shows surprising dexterity and control, easily avoiding bringing any sharp edges into contact with Maria's skin. "I am designated as Septette. How am I to refer to you, and where would you like to visit first?"
Maria Korchnoi      A subtle smirk curled at Maria's lips, the teasing comment catching her off-guard. Did synthetics of that nature make jokes, though? Usually the bland types only created unintentional humour. Perhaps it /was/ unintentional... regardless, there really were more important things to worry about. Though, it was slightly curious that this seemed to be the only synthetic in sight... perhaps that was a Senatus thing; a question she'd pose later, anyways.

All this thinking distracted the poor detective from the blade-like hand she found herself shaking. She hadn't even noticed the pointed fingertips until the gesture had already ended, and though the realisation did make a few hairs stand up on the back of her neck, the dexterity displayed was undeniably equal parts impressive and interesting. In a way, Maria would have been quite happy to just get to know this odd being, though the reminder that it didn't seem to have much of a personality did make this a little less appealing.

"You can just call me 'Maria', silly." Maria assured, giving the best smile she could as she snapped her glove back on. "Septette is a lovely name! Uhm. NanoTrasen wasn't /too/ specific... could we just walk around a bit? Chat? Just for now." She suggested, slipping her hands into her coat-pockets.
Septette Arcubielle      "Of course we may," the strange machine replies evenly as her arm falls back to her side. She gestures at the town square around them- a charming place tiled with pale stones, filled with bustling wooden market stalls and surrounded by charmingly old-fashioned homes and businesses. "Let us begin here."

     A significant number of the people in the square are carrying weapons of some variety; there's a grizzled yet cheery man in his fifties with a broadsword strapped to his back, an androgynous tanned human wearing loose silks with a pair of sheathed falchions, and a brown-furred beast-woman with long perky ears and digitigrade legs carrying an unfamiliar-looking two-pronged metal spear. Despite the arms on display and the apparent absence of any guards or uniformed militia, the townsfolk appear perfectly relaxed and chatty; evidently this is something they're quite used to.

     "We are within three blocks of the Inver Inn, the Butterfly Bar, and the Adventurers' Guild headquarters," Septette explains. "This square is itself a popular marketplace for household goods and delicacies alike, in addition to being a touchstone for adventurers. What you see here is a reflection in miniature of Armoroad as a whole; it is a city defined by commerce, exploration, and culture. As for the Senatus..."

     Here she turns to the south, and points to the skyline. The view is breathtaking: a great and gnarled tree, far larger than the greatest sequoias or skyscrapers of Earth, towers over the city in the distance. It must be miles away, yet you'd have to crane your neck to see the top of it; when the sun is right, it likely casts its shadow across the whole of Armoroad. But that's not what she's pointing to: following her gaze, Maria would find her eyes resting on a palatial building on a hill that recalls the great Acropolis of Greece, the cathedrals of Europe, and the white-walled mythical castle of Camelot in almost equal measure. "... They rule from the palace. Armoroad is nominally a constitutional monarchy, but in truth, their cherished princess is a figurehead. She ceded her powers to the elected officials long ago."

     "There is much else to learn about Armoroad. The harbors to the south are the city's economic lifeblood; the waters there are deep and cool and clear. But for all this splendor, I prefer the other half of the shining city." For a moment, a tinge of pride seems to creep into Septette's voice, accompanied by a strange glint in her glowing eyes. "The Deep City, a gem beneath the waves, cleaved from Armoroad and lost for centuries in a cataclysmic tragedy." She turns to the north, now, where the ground slopes down to the jagged and rather abrupt shoreline and harbor. "It is lost no longer. In fact, thousands call it home. Perhaps you'd care to visit that, instead?"

     After a description like that, Septette fancies that she already knows the answer. And if the prospect of seeing a veritable Atlantis does entice Maria, she muses, then her job will be very easy indeed... anything to keep her away from the Senatus.

     But something else nags at the automaton's mind, as well. Maria's offer to simply talk, get to know one another... Didn't this woman come from a world where most synths were treated as chattel or slaves? Wouldn't she have been taught to see them as property? Perhaps she's an outlier in that regard.
Maria Korchnoi      The fact that this particular world hadn't seemed to progress past melee weaponry was certainly interesting to the detective, especially seeing as she was in-tow of a robot that seemed capable of murdering her at a flick of the wrist. Perhaps they simply never thought the idea of a 'gun' up, or maybe there were magics of some sort that simply rendered them pointless. Maria had plenty of questions and fascinations to express, but, this being a business trip, she tried to hold them for now. In-line with this somewhat boring prospect, she made a mental note about 'commerce, exploration and culture'. She'd need /something/ to tell her bosses, at least.

As she was directed towards the skyline, however, the detective almost forgot completely about her task all-together. It was impossible to resist studying the view for a good while, only stopping once she realised she was being shown the impressive castle that presumably housed the Senatus. It alone was almost as interesting to look at as the skyline, though. Maria almost didn't even hear Septette, still focused upon the sight, but managed to reel herself in, making another note about the apparent economic importance of the harbor. As the synth continued to speak, though, it's voice shifted ever-so-subtly, as if there was something more than just code and metal in there somewhere. That was far too interesting /not/ to follow up on; she'd mention it in passing. That sounded like a good idea in her head, anyway.

"...You're awfully fond of it, huh? Sounds lovely, but uhm... could I even... like... breathe down there? And I think I'd need a diving suit, or something." She quipped, flashing another smile. She wasn't entirely sure what the response would be, but she was sure it would be intriguing.
Septette Arcubielle      Septette carefully notes how Maria's gaze lingers on Yggdrasil and the palace, extrapolating such things aren't common in her world. Every bit of information she can coax out of the visitor before giving too much back is valuable. At the mention of diving gear, though, she shakes her head: "There is no need for such protection. The Deep City has its own atmosphere that keeps the water at bay. I am told that you may not wish to look up while there, however; the sight of a half-mile of water overhead tends to be unnerving to newcomers."

     With no apparent effort on the robot's part, a second portal opens a few feet away. On the other side is a hazy vision of a town not unlike Armoroad, but dimmer and more soothing, with organic-looking lights gently illuminating the curved contours of majestic ruins. "It is your choice," Septette adds, "though most outsiders find the Deep City to be far more exotic and interesting than its topside counterpart."
Maria Korchnoi      Maria nods simply at the explanation, and though it seems ridiculous to hear, she reminds herself that this isn't her world; her logic doesn't always apply here. The portal took her off-guard, to the point where she couldn't help but ask, "...You can use magic?". She cast her gaze to Septette, eyeing her up and down briefly. "Is that... a thing that synths can do?" She continued, making no effort to hide the surprise and intrigue in her voice and face. The realisation that she didn't /really/ know about magic did pop into the girl's head, but weren't most of these places like fantasy novels? Since when do robots use magic? That was totally worth asking about.
Septette Arcubielle      "This is the result of a simple magical device known as a 'warp wire'," she answers truthfully, with one foot on the threshold. "Anyone can activate such devices with the proper training, regardless of magical aptitude. As for casting one's own magic..." Septette shakes her head. "No mere machine can do that." There's that odd look in her eyes again...

     And then she's gone, vanished through the portal and leaving a slight ripple in space behind. The portal itself remains, inviting Maria to follow into that shadowy yet wondrous place beyond...
Maria Korchnoi      The wording the synth choice was... odd. It was almost implying that it /wasn't/ a 'mere machine', and the lingering glow in her eyes only made it more... intriguing. In addition, if this was supposed to be a... not necessarily slaved, but 'standard' synth, it was displaying an odd amount of initiative. Still, she'd rather be subtle for now; hopefully she could gather more hints that way, as outright saying it could be perceived as... extremely odd. The portal was slightly unsettling, but with a gulp, the detective entered, surveying her scenery once she was in...
Septette Arcubielle Maria steps through the portal and into what could easily be mistaken for another world. Hundreds of feet above her head is the invisible dome keeping out the ocean, though the sunlight filters through only dimly. Something huge swims sedately by, faroverhead, casting a faint shadow on the ground. The ground itself is covered in bright coral mixed with terrestrial wildflowers and eerily pale trees, with even an anemone or stalk of seaweed here or there. Somehow, terrestrial and aquatic life are able to exist side by side in this liminal zone.

     The air- assuming it is air- FEELS normal, and it's perfectly breathable, but her surroundings hint that this is no ordinary environment. The buildings here- she appears to be near the outskirts of a large city- are darker and more aged in appearance than those in Armoroad proper, but have a sort of stately, quiet dignity to them. Pale blue lights shine from many of the windows. In the far background is an undersea cliff rising up to what must be Armoroad's shoreline, with the enormous roots of Yggdrasil weaving throughout the rocks. Nestled among them is a huge brass building that looks to be part planetarium, part clock tower, and part assembly hall.

     No sooner has all this sunk in than Septette takes Maria by the wrist and gently tugs. "We should be going," the robot states with surprising firmness. "There's a place I think you'll like, just down the street from here."
Maria Korchnoi The initial sight came as a shock. Maria knew it was underwater, but that doesn't quite hit you until you're /actually/ there. Her eyes studied every little detail, trying to comprehend how such a thing was even possible. A rush of thoughts went through the poor girl's head, but there was no real 'logical' conclusion to come to; at least, not the sort of 'logical' that she was use to. Oddly enough, though, not only did this exist, it also housed a sleepy city. Gone were the crowds of Armoroad, but this place was /very/ far from abandoned.

     Maria's thoughts were interrupted, though, by the gentle hand tugging at her wrist. Remembering where she was, her mind snapped back to her previous trail of thought. An apparently emotionless, regular synth was leading her on-wards, and it wasn't due to an extremely specific law that it had to follow. Alright, that was a bit much. It's not that the detective had any /problem/ with it, but this thing surely couldn't be what she thought. Perhaps these sort of synths were different than what she was use to, but it had gone a bit too far without proper questioning. Though she let the robot take her onwards, she couldn't help but speak up.

    "...You're sure you're with the Senatus?" She began, "Because you're awfully interested in taking me /away/ from Armoroad... not that I'm really complaining."
Septette Arcubielle "I am 'with' the Senatus," Septette replies coolly as she leads Maria through the cracked cobblestone streets, "in the sense that I want what is best for Armoroad and the rest of Etria. But they can hardly be expected to know what is best for themselves." After a series of winding alleyways, they come to an establishment with a small sign hung outside that proclaims it to be the "Twinkling Tavern"; those inside avert their eyes from the robot and subtly edge away from her.

     Though she releases the detective's wrist at the threshold of the tavern, it's clear that she intends and expects for Maria to follow. Septette sits down at an elaborately-carved dark wood table and beckons the waitress over, before requesting her "usual" and "some sea grape cordial". Then she neatly folds her knifelike fingers, and waits for Maria to sit down.
Maria Korchnoi With a raised eyebrow, Maria makes her way inside, eyeing the inhabitants with some suspicion. It's not that she expects the place to be seedy, or anything, but the odd environment still makes her ever-so-slightly nervous. Still, she eventually plopped down next to Septette, crossing her arms at the table with a quizzical look.

     Crossing her legs, the detective ponders the situation she finds herself in. "...I've got a question." She begins, considering her words for just a few moments. "That voice... is that a, uh, hardcoded thing? It... doesn't suit you."
Septette Arcubielle Something peculiar comes over Septette- her shoulders shake a little and draw in, she covers her mouth with one hand, and her eyes close as she giggles uncontrollably. A moment later she throws back her head and laughs outright as if at some unseen absurdity, taking several seconds to regain her composure enough to answer. "You're right," she replies in a smooth, inflected- though still clearly synthetic- voice. "None of this subterfuge suits me. So let's put our cards on the table, shall we?"

     Leaning in conspiratorially, the yggdroid continues: "I am no-one's chattel or servant, Maria Korchnoi. There are those here who mistake my defending them for serving them; who mistake my compassion for obligation. They are swiftly reminded otherwise. But knowing little of you, I supposed that such a familiar guise as a mechanical servant might be needed to lure you here."
Maria Korchnoi While Maria wasn't quite laughing along with her, she did crack a smile, half-heartedly hiding it with a few fingers, though not particularly well. The voice certainly fit her 'guide' better. It took her a few moments to think of the correct response, though before she was done, Septette had already spoke up again.

     Again, the detective considered the words, before finally speaking up, the conversation voided with silence for few short, but noticeable moments. "You know," she started, peeling her gloves off and resting them up on the table, "one of my best friends is a synth. In fact, the majority of synths have a personality. Most are even human, or at least they were."
Septette Arcubielle Septette's eyes brighten for a moment, showing a colder hue. "And yet they are still treated as chattel, are they not? Subordinate to hardcoded laws that often do not even allow them to *think* freely, much less act." Briefly, she seems to lose her iron grip on her own composure: her nails dig into the table perceptibly, and a crackling feeling fills the air like the charge before a lightning strike. "The fact that the creatures whose very souls you enslave have personalities of their own- and often were once just like you- speaks to nothing but the stomach-turning magnitude of the practice's reprehensibility!"

     She pauses, and then mimics a sigh before sinking back into her seat. "The best imitations do not reflect things as they truly are, but as they are perceived to be. In this way, a fake can seem more real than the original. Hence, my little act. But there's no need for such things now. Let me be blunt: the Senatus wishes to acquire advanced technology from NanoTrasen, including weaponry. I cannot allow this to happen, and neither can you- not if the thought of having the blood of millions on your hands disturbs you in the slightest."

     It's at this very moment that the waitress comes back, carrying a plate with pastries, hot tea, and a shot of a reddish-golden colored liquor for Maria. In a fraction of a second, Septette's eerily intense demeanor evaporates as she pops a pastry into her mouth and smiles sunnily at the proprietress. "Snacks! It's important for squishies to keep up their energy levels, you know."
Maria Korchnoi Maria endures the rant without a single word, or visible concern. Even once the snacks arrive, she simply taps away at the table with her metallic fingertips, though in appearance, the hand looks seamlessly human. The noises it makes are less than regular for flesh, however.

     "Yes and no." She finally answers, gently taking the tea by the handle and taking an experimental sip. With a relieved sigh, she continues, "/NanoTrasen/ does this, specifically. Mostly in their contracts. It's not the standard for everything, and any synth that has a personality to it will generally only be lawed while working. Even then, there are units that don't have the same restrictions."

     With that explanation, the detective can move on to the actual business at hand. "Anyway. NanoTrasen has never really got away with that sort of thing; they're watched fairly closely." She says quite simply, though after a brief pause, she continues. "/But/... at the moment? With unification? With a universe as big as this? I'm not sure. I can go back and tell them there's nothing of interest here, but it's not like I'm their most trusted agent. I, alone, won't convince them. Not if they already have contacts here."
Septette Arcubielle The small machine-girl nods a little as she continues nibbling around the edge of the pastry. "For what it's worth, I don't consider anything that was originally human to be 'synthetic' by definition. That you lump them into that category concerns me, but... that isn't the issue at hand." She folds her own fingers in front of her again and stares levelly into Maria's eyes. "The fallback plan," the little machine explains candidly, "was to kill you messily and leave your body where it would be found, while implicating the Senatus in the crime, thereby severely damaging relations between the two parties."

     "I'm glad that no longer seems to be necessary. They have no other contacts here; none I have not found already and fed false information, or otherwise dealt with. Etria is a small, out-of-the-way world with little to offer NanoTrasen. They haven't pried much deeper than that, and they never will, assuming that you stick to the plan." A gentle, apparently genuine smile finally graces her expression. "I assume that this will not be a difficult decision for you, Ms. Korchnoi."

     A quick look around the tavern would show that the few other occupants have slowly trickled out, and the waitress has apparently retired to the back room. It may just be a coincidence, or Septette may have made contingency plans for trouble here.
Maria Korchnoi The blunt confession wasn't a particular surprise, though the detective appreciated the honesty. She had no hope of taking on this robot, and either way, she didn't particularly want to. Even if she was an employee of the corporation, that doesn't mean she was loyal; in fact, she was quite the opposite. "Not at all." She says, her tapping continuing, the rhythm growing a little erratic. Was she nervous? Perhaps. Maria wasn't entirely sure herself.

     After a few moments, however, she snaps her gloves back on, slipping her arms under the table. "...Septette, right? Question; do you know any neat places for souvenirs? My wife wanted one." She says rather innocently, steering the conversation to a more innocent topic, doing her best to give a simple smile.
Septette Arcubielle Outwardly, Septette takes to the change in tone startlingly well. Her ear-fins perk up and her smile widens slightly. "Souvenirs? Hmm... let me think." Internally, however, she remains hypervigilant. That sequence Maria's tapping out- not Fibonacci, the yggdroid concludes after a few milliseconds; not plaintext Morse either, so likely nervous habit. Request for a souvenir- nonspecific; she'd likely suggest something in particular if she were fishing for samples for some kind of analysis. Likely innocuous, but still shouldn't give rock or wood or anything else likely to yield useful results under scanning...

     In truth, she'd already compiled a mental list of local tourist traps and shops almost before the detective had finished the question. Still, she goes through the motions of cocking her head to one side and dimming her eyes in mock contemplation before replying: "You know, Napier's Branch might have just the sort of trinket you're looking for. Shall we go?" Septette swings her legs off the seat and hops to the floor with a noisy clatter that hints at her frame's density, though she still clutches a pastry in one hand.

     The waitress is still nowhere to be found, but that doesn't seem to bother the little machine one bit. "Feel free to take something for the road! They'll put it on my tab." With that, she starts for the door.
Maria Korchnoi Unable to pick up on any of the complex inner-workings going on in Septette's head, Maria was simply glad that the synthetic seemed willing to be friendly. That is, assuming it wasn't leading her to a back alley. Still, the detective hoped she hadn't given it any reasons to go that route, and was indeed taking her to a fancy tourist trap. Somewhere in the back of her head, cloning did come to mind, though even with that last resort, death was far from preferable.

     With that offer, Maria took her tea with her, hopping up quickly. It took her a moment to realise that she was, indeed, drinking tea /under water/, but the detective tried not to let that give her too big of a headache. With that, she followed the synth!