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Timekeeper	There's no one big reason to gather in the suitcase today, but rather a confluence of smaller ones. With the warpgate finally completed, travel to and from the Watchtower doesn't require Vertin to clumsily set down the suitcase somewhere outside of the Foundation's grounds while everyone hops in or out, and because of that, it's trivial to invite YuRia over to investigate the extradimensional space. And lastly, much of the Watch hasn't had a chance to see the wilderness beyond the walls of the manor, so it may as well be a social gathering as well.     The new warpgate is in the suitcase's basement, and if it hadn't been for Regulus's surely necessary adjustments, it would have looked like it was ripped right out of Laplace. Numerous chonky computer consoles that control the opening and closing of the Warpgate flank an upraised platform that has been painted up black like a vinyl record. Up above, held up by numerous white pillars, is what looks like an giant spaghetti strainer with numerous wires and cables pushing out from the holes and connecting to the various consoles while leaving the main platform clear. It has been painted red to look like the top half of an apple, no doubt another one of Regulus's funnovations. From there, it's a walk through the unfinished concrete basement hallways, up the flights of stairs to get to the main floor of the manor.     The familiar sunroom is now lit with warm sunshine streaming through the full wall of art deco windows, only filtered by the trees outdoors and the forest of houseplants indoors. Just outside is the manor grounds, with an untamed mix of grasses and wildflowers rather than a lawn, and a lilypad-covered pond that crosses past the treeline. Even with it being winter outside, today in the suitcase it feels like early summertime, and bird calls that you don't recognize are constant background noise. Despite the sunny day, the woods past the treeline are filled with murky fog, but it evaporates quickly before encroaching far into the yard.     The table that Vertin set up for the afternoon tea was moved outdoors from the sunroom, set up to allow a dozen people sitting at it at one time. The center of the table is covered in flowers in vases, with three-tiered cake stands tucked in between, each tier stocked with sandwiches, scones, and little sweets. There's also a tiny, toy-sized table off to the side, like it's for a dog except with the same scones being served at the main table, though there's nothing at that table for now.     Vertin comes out of the side door into the sunroom, wearing their usual outfit and carrying a teacup and saucer. Seeing that you've arrived, they pause to give you a pleasant greeting before placing their saucer down at the table outside. "Hello, welcome in, everyone. The bar's just past me; take whatever you'd like."     There's freshly brewed black tea and all associated additives, Dr. Pepper and water for those who'd rather not, and champagne and orange juice by the fridge for mimosas. Vertin already has one of those back at her place at the table.     Also outside is Sonetto, untying an apron from around her waist after having placed down the last batch of sandwiches at the table. Underneath that, she's wearing a conservatively ankle-length and long-sleeved indigo dress, with several layers of skirts to add ruffles and flowery accents, and a cute off-white top with a high collar and a grey and white patterned ribbon tied in a bow at her throat. She holds the now-empty tray up to her chest, waving at the arrivals with a reserved smile.     "Ah! Please sit wherever you would like, besides those two positions." Those being the two chairs on either side of Vertin at the head of the table, one of which is for Sonetto, and one of which is for YuRia. Regulus has to content herself with sitting besides Sonetto.
Rita Ma	Rita would struggle to put her finger on why, exactly, she dresses less colorfully when entangled with that backwards-flowing world of humans and arcanists.      She's normally defined by cool summer colors, gentle blues and greens with forays into accenting yellow and soft red. Here that pares back; not quite to full monochrome as she did in Laplace, but just to a simple dress shirt, charcoal skirt, and the blue jacket atop.      Swap the blue for tan, and she'd almost look at home as a young Foundation professional. In the mirror, she decides not to wear her thin red hair-ribbon, and then asks herself why.      Is she afraid to be read as an arcanist, she wonders? It wouldn't be her first time being stigmatized. Then is it more like 'guilt', unease at appropriating their struggles? Does she just shallowly want to look 'human', even if 'human', here, means something different and narrower?      . . .      'Not being late to the tea party' demands she put those questions aside, unsolved.      Rita climbs up the stairs from the Suitcase's basement, a little early; stares out the windows at the fog; and then Vertin catches her being enchanted with the little stand, with the sandwiches and the scones.      "Oh! Thank you, Ms. Vertin. Did you make all of these? No, that was Ms. Sonetto, wasn't it?" A wave to the assistant, straightening up from her close inspection of the treats. Even if she knows they'd taste revolting to her, now, there's just as much charm in the scent and the craftsmanship.      A glass of water seems like a good idea, to occupy her hands and mouth with something; she takes it to the foot of the table, some four or five seat-lengths down from Vertin's spot. "Oh, I didn't realize there were reserved seats... what do you do at a tea party, really? I've, um, missed all my chances to be invited to one before."      Her time in Union Busan's high society, all those years ago, came to a rather sharp end before she could partake.
Regulus	Regulus is in her usual outfit but in recognizing the City's natural style, she just doesn't put her arms through her jacket's sleeves and just has it hang off her back that way. Periodically she has to kind of reach back and pull it back up so it doesn't just fall off her shoulders and onto the floor. Regulus is already drinking Dr. Pepper, her teacup is completely empty. She doesn't dislike tea, but she'd rather fill up on Dr. Pepper first. She is also looking incredibly smug. "How'd you like the design of the Warpgate, Rita?" Regulus asks her. "Totally more fun than the other Warpgates you've had to use, and definitely got proper Regulus style right?" She looks Rita over to make sure everything is in the right space, actually, now that she thinks baout it. "Oh good you've got all your fingers. I mean--obviously, I did everything right, but it's good to get confirmation, haha--" Her jacket falls off her back and she quickly lashes out with a hand to catch it before sliding on the jacket normally, arms through sleeves. Jacket Diplomacy has failed, she just wiggles too much to manage this fashion. "I bet Sotheby'd have loved a tea party here..." Regulus murmurs at Rita before adding, "Well usually a tea party also has little pastries but we don't gotta follow any tea party rules...!" Then she turns, grinning like the cheshire cat at Sonetto, "Pretty cool that the Warpgate works, right? Right?" This is her one chance to get Sonetto praise so she has to go all in on the opportunity. She tilts her chair back so it's only balancing on the rear two legs. "Thanks a bunch for coming by over to Ahn's with me, Rita. You were a big help!"
Vantablitz Remnants	This is the first time Ahn has ever been in the suitcase! She'd only really seen the outside twice, and once was her being carpet bombed by Regulus proudly declaring she lives 'out of' another woman's suitcase, so Ahn is actually pretty glad to adjust her expectations and put that lingering discomfort to rest.     She knew that there was some kind of extradimensional space inside, of course, but her first impression of the sun room as she steps into its rays from th window leaves her gasping and holding her cheeks. The great big lawn filled with wildflowers and birdsong provokes her to "Oh my goshhhhh!" and a restless wiggle. She then hustles on outside before anyone calls her on it.     'Hello, welcome in, everyone. The bar's just past me; take whatever you'd like.'     "Hi! Wow! You never told me it was this amazing!" Ahn says, and waves, giddybouncing as she hustles over. "Are you actually some kind of prince?" Her eyes widen. "-ess?" She looks around quickly, instantly spots The Help, and clearly decides Sonetto is some kind of rich girl's assistant. "O-oh. Wow. Um. Thank you, madam? Ma'am?" she says, to someone way younger than her. She quickly picks a seat that puts her as close to directly across from Vertin without quite being face to face, then folds her hands Politely in her lap, looking around nervously at new arrivals.     'How'd you like the design of the Warpgate, Rita?'     "Wait." Ahn scrunches up her face a little for a second as she thinks really hard about why Regulus would ask anyone at all about something as refined as technical aesthetics. "Oh!! Did you make that?!" she gasps, pointing at the mansion in disbelief.     'what do you do at a tea party, really?'     She beams at Rita. Good old familiar Rita! "Mostly gossip and have fun I think?" Ahn says. "Um, also scheme and backstab and plot to overthrow each other, but we're not doing that." She glances around again. A silent 'I hope'.
Rita Ma	"Ah, I don't know if Warpgates are 'fun'... they just sort of feel like nothing, don't they?" Rita says to Regulus, vaguely baffled, while twiddling her thumbs around her glass of ice water. "I did like the red colander thing, though! It's really... apple-y."      "Mostly gossip and have fun I think?"      Rita smiles up at Ahn, only slightly anxious, and pats the tablecloth in front of the seat by her side. Siiip. "Well, I'm not very good at gossiping," she says, incorrectly. "... I'm not doing scheming or plotting either. So I guess we'll just have to have fun?"      "Thanks a bunch for coming by over to Ahn's with me, Rita."      "Mmm! You're welcome, Ms. Regulus. It was really nice getting to see Ms. Lotus again. I'm glad you liked her," Rita says, slightly happy-wiggly. Did Regulus like her? Maybe Rita's just projecting. Oh well.
Regulus	''Oh!! Did you make that?!'' Regulus looks at the mansion itself. "Oh uh... Nobody knows who made the mansion, I think. It was always in the Suitcase. Unless maybe..." Regulus glances at Vertin before admitting, "I just did the Warpgate itself--" ''Ah, I don't know if Warpgates are 'fun'...'' Regulus's expression gets more gloomy immediately. "Oh come on... I didn't even know Warpgates were a thing a year ago, it's pretty impressive isn't it?" She's mollified somewhat by Rita's appreciation of the apple-theming at least though her energy remains somewhat depleted. "Oh yeah I mean--I thought she ''was'' the flower so I'm not sure I actually ... did see Ms. Lotus?" She just used 'Ms.' instinctively after Rita using it.
Distortion Dets.	"Oh, I really wouldn't have gone with this color! And, where's the frills? The ribbons? Tsk, tsk, of all the round and red things to pick, an apple? Wouldn't it have looked just so much cuter with dainty little bear ears on its rim?" YuRia, a large travel-trunk rolled behind her, full of 'outing necessities', can't not tut over the basement warpgate as she heads through. "Really, it's so much more lively than a still-life portrait!"     Up the stairs, YuRia's fluttering steps make, despite her eager haste, her still seem a bit like she's floating, peering out past corners into the sun-room with fascinated interest. And, at the gorgeous sun-lit interior, YuRia puts a hand up to stabilize her tiny tophat, as she gasps.     "Vertin! I can't believe you held out so long on showing this off! Why, the basement, it certainly wasn't promising at-all, you should really finish it up nice, but this!" Over to a window, ignoring whether Vertin's actually around to hear her (perhaps assuming she can hear everything in her suitcase?), she just lets her opinion and critique spill out- "This landscape outside, oh, tell me it isn't an illusion and that this glass isn't actually the extent of your toybox! Ah-hah, let's see!"     YuRia stops before the door to the exterior, sets her travel trunk down, and opens it up, for a two-meter tall red-felt teddy bear to climb up and out of. With bated breath, and a knuckle to excitedly chew on, YuRia watches the bear lumber on out of the suitcase manor's door, to the outside, and still keep on going. This gets an excited giggle out of her as she packs and latches the (seemingly no lighter) trunk back up, and rushes out to the tea party proper. 'Hello, welcome in, everyone. The bar's just past me; take whatever you'd like.'     "What happens if I take something? Will it refill, do you stock it all yourself?" YuRia keeps her vocal tone at exactly how anyone else would say 'thank you very much, don't mind if I do!' With a little whistle, she examines the bar, first, given that it's introduced, and fixes herself a mimosa- sure, that's a brunch staple, but a brunch is just a less-fun tea party.     The teddy bear she unleashed, it continues, in the background, to trudge onwards through the wilderness. YuRia doesn't look at it, not even as she seats herself with an exhale, kicking her legs ever so slightly under the table. Polite posture, but not exactly polite mannerisms, YuRia takes the teapot on the table to pour only her own cup, just so she can have something to twirl a spoon in for emphasis later on.     Looking between Vertin, Sonetto, Rita- "Oh, gosh, you don't know what a relief it is to be around people with any sort of fashion sensibilities! Hm-hm!" 'Um, also scheme and backstab and plot to overthrow each other, but we're not doing that.'     "Of course there's business to be done at this tea party! It's a tea party."
Timekeeper	"Hi! Wow! You never told me it was this amazing!"     Vertin smiles faintly at Ahn's praise, which is them communicating an enormous amount of pride and fondness for the space. "It's worth seeing in person, I'd like to think. I've put a lot of effort into it over the past years."     She follows Rita and Ahn's attention towards where Sonetto is finishing up setting out the snacks, and shakes her head just a tiny bit at Ahn's question. "That's Sonetto, my assistant. Technically, my duties as Timekeeper don't extend to the suitcase at all, so neither do hers, but she volunteered to help set this up."     Vertin is a little bit helpless in the kitchen, though, so Sonetto is fully aware that if she didn't, then all of these cute handcrafted sandwiches and pastries would've been replaced by whatever Vertin could order on their own. Sonetto bows her head in acknowledgement with a smile, folding up the apron to take it back inside and quickly deposit it in the kitchen. "It's no trouble at all. It is our duty as hosts, isn't it?"     "Oh, Rita--" Before sitting down, Vertin gestures over to one of the cake towers, where the sandwich-tier is replaced by rolls of prosciutto or salami and little dollops of tartare on bread. "Apologies if it's not enough for you, by the way."     Vertin sips at their tea, in a quiet social-ambiance position while the topic is still small talk. "It's just a chance to talk and relax, I suppose. Regulus's achievements deserve to be recognized-- she did build that warpgate, nearly all on her own, and it'll make the suitcase much more accessible and easy to supply. YuRia will also be coming by to share her Atelier and sate her interest in the suitcase."     Sonetto *is* forced to praise Regulus a little bit. It's somewhat dubious that this warpgate will be used for ~~Watch activities~~, but also she's watched Vertin carry armloads of groceries into the suitcase stairwell while fretting over her tripping too many times to actually begrudge having a teleporter built in the manor. She's even able to muster up a polite smile in response to Regulus's smug one.     "I am unaware of the specifics of the technology, but... it is without a doubt remarkable that it is both reliable and harmless. You are a hard worker when you choose to be, Regulus."
Tamiel Luxis	Tamiel steps through the gate, taking a moment to wonder at Regulus' addition. It felt a little strange, to see all the computers purring away inside the suitcase--but whatever arcane energiest that might disrupt their functioning, Regulus must have found a way around it.     She'd seen it once before, but this time, she wasn't being walked along with a group to urge her along. Vertin's suitcase-mansion always hit her strange--lonely, in its way. Ah, but it was Vertin's home, so clear and pure and true. It set a yearning churning in her gut...     Today, Tamiel was dressed in a long gray tunic with geometric shapes sewn into the hem, with a tye-die scarf to match her wings around her neck, which she turned absently in her hands as she looked around her, with a skirt that fell just short of her knees. It wasn't something she'd had a lot of occassion to pick out and wear, but a tea party had felt like the right time to pull it out, smooth out the creases and try. A thick folder was tucked safely under her arm, as she walked through the halls.     'Hello, welcome in, everyone. The bar's just past me; take whatever you'd like.'     "Thank you so much," she smiled, pulling up the folder folder to her chest. The sheets were string through the side with twine, bound together in just this shape, just this order. "Zazel said to make sure I give this to you." Her eyes darted, looking for a place to put it, before setting it down, awkwardly, on a side table. "It's got a list of some of the common books we have in stock--if anyone in the suitcase wants something, they can order it."     Tamiel's shadow turned toward the table of sweets, and began to creep along toward it, of its own volition. A hand peeled off of the ground, once it reached the table, and plucked a scone off it, before chugging back toward the sunroom.     "We thought you might like it more than a data drive, for a computer..." A deep breath. "...Sorry to give you more work." The shadowy hand approached, offering up the pastry, and Tamiel thoughtlessly plucked it up.     It was raised halfway to her mouth, when Tamiel's eyes finally found it, brows wrinkling in bafflement. "...Huh?"
Vantablitz Remnants	'I just did the Warpgate itself--'     "Isn't that like, crazy impressive though?" Ah looks left, then right, and tries to gauge everyone's reactions to Regulus building a stable space-time gate inside of a pocket dimension.     'I thought she ''was'' the flower so I'm not sure I actually ... did see Ms. Lotus?'     "Why would you think that?" Ahn says. "I still don't get it. Obviously she was being too lazy to come downstairs. Lotuses are like, her theme." says the woman with one always in her hair.     'What happens if I take something? Will it refill, do you stock it all yourself?'     Ahn looks . . . more than surprised at YuRia. Baffled, maybe. Her open-mouthed stare has to conclude eventually, and she chooses "That'd be crazy, right? Then Vertin would just have infinite stuff to fund the Watch with. We'd never let her go out, haha." Hmm. "Ha . . ."     'Oh, gosh, you don't know what a relief it is to be around people with any sort of fashion sensibilities!'     "Well sorry then." Ahn grumbles. She picked the things that Rita seemed the most positively disposed towards whilst cleaning her 'house', and doesn't actually own anything . . . remotely like what Vertin and Sonetto have.     'It's worth seeing in person, I'd like to think. I've put a lot of effort into it over the past years.'     Ahn nods enthusiastically, already on the hook. "Mhm mhm mhm! I totally get it! Even if it's only bit by bit, and it takes a long time to come together, it's so satisfying to see all that cumulative work pay off!" she babbles excitedly, then clears her throat. "And um, thanks for helping with the cleaning, even though it was Regulus' punishment. I'll keep it like that from now on." Or at least until Lotus 'wakes up'. Probably.     Oh. Sonetto is a volunteer. Ahn double takes at Sonetto, then smiles a little sheepishly. "Well, still, thank you anyways." she says. "It's better to be thankful for little things than unthankful, right?"     'Regulus's achievements deserve to be recognized--'     Oh good. She was right.
Timekeeper	"Why, the basement, it certainly wasn't promising at-all, you should really finish it up nice, but this!"     Vertin clinks her teacup down, shifting to give YuRia her attention when she arrives. 'EGO' isn't a concept that she's fully familiar with, but 'having a particular fixation that overrides everything else and forces reality to be lensed through it' is, and in her brief time meeting YuRia, that's what she's seen in her. "I plan on it. I've got more projects to do here than time to put them into place, but they're coming true more and more each day."     "This landscape outside, oh, tell me it isn't an illusion and that this glass isn't actually the extent of your toybox!"     "To tell you the truth," And this is why Vertin's been looking forwards to having YuRia by so much. She's pleased to share it, because giving YuRia a mystery related to her fixation is a kindness that's useful to both of them. "It was, back when we first spoke. The world beyond the walls of the manor only came into existence more recently, and I've hardly explored a tenth of it all." "Will it refill, do you stock it all yourself?"     Vertin gives a passive welcoming "Hello," to the teddy bear as it trundles by, perfectly in aesthetic synergy with the rest of the environment. "I refill it manually, I'm afraid. The wilderness does seem to regenerate growth at an unusual rate, but I haven't had the chance to precisely test it before. Ah-- if you go into the woods, do be careful. A pod of mummuses recently moved in, so you may get lost in their fog." "Oh, gosh, you don't know what a relief it is to be around people with any sort of fashion sensibilities!"     "Thank you," Vertin agrees. Despite wearing a suit, YuRia is the only person in the City who dresses at all like Vertin's fashion sense. Even without considering the hat. "Now that there's nothing to distract our attention, would you mind telling me more about your bears, and how they came to be?" "Zazel said to make sure I give this to you."     Sonetto takes the folder from Tamiel while Vertin is still chattering at the table. She can't bring herself to sit down until everyone's sat down, because there are tasks, and tasks must be done before it's possible for her to relax. "I do not believe that Timekeeper would consider this to be extra work. They are an avid collector of books," As you could see in the sunroom, "From philosophy texts, to ancient books on arcanum, to poetry collections. I hope we can return a favor to Ms. Zazel sometime later."
Regulus	''You don't know what a relief it is to be around people with any sort of fashion sensibilities! Hm-hm!'' "Hm-hm!" Regulus mimicks, apparently assuming YuRia is including her in the fashionista category. She soaks up the praise from Vertin and Sonetto like a flower soaking up light and water. Along with Ahn, that's enough to satisfy her need for praise because also like a flower she'll start drooping if she gets more than she can handle all at once. Luckily, the Captain's behavior often ensures that she's not in any danger of being drowned except in the literal sense. r"Eheh...thanks Sonetto, thanks Vertin... You too, Ahn!" She either doesn't notice or doesn't comment on the qualifier of 'when you choose to be' either because she's too pleased with herself to notice or is graciously just letting that slide because 'when she chooses to be' isn't something she can really argue with. ''Why would you think that?'' "Sometimes people are flowers!" Regulus protests. "Or apples. Or... A Hat." She pauses. "I..don't mind coming by again sometime! Now that I know the way. And I'm prepared for the weather and know not to enter skull hallways."
Vantablitz Remnants	'Sometimes people are flowers!'     Ahn suppresses a grimace. "Sure."     'Or apples. Or... A Hat.'     There's no hiding that she just looked at Vertin's hat.     "I mean, sure, okay. But I was yelling at her for being lazy. And she was trying to cold call me about how it was down there. So . . ."     Ahn reconsiders why she is trying to get Regulus' ass about context cues. She fucks up context cues all the time herself. This is stupid actually.     "Well, no worries. It's all forgiven now." she says. "That was the whole point after all."     'I..don't mind coming by again sometime!'     "Oh seriously?!" Ahn suddenly jumps. "As long as you announce it and everything, that'd be great! Then we can do things other than clean! I can show you all the really interesting stuff and we can hang out and maybe even go down to the village!" Yeah. Totally not lonely and weird all winter. Definitely not. "And please really don't go into that one! I've been slowly-- fixing up all the other wings, but, that one is really dangerous, and I haven't figured out what to do with it yet!" Ahn stresses, both hands gesticulating. Actually, she plans to just never open it again.     'A pod of mummuses recently moved in, so you may get lost in their fog.'     Ear perk. "What's that?" Ahn asks, and disguises her interest (badly) by looking around for sandwiches she feels familiar with.     'I do not believe that Timekeeper would consider this to be extra work. They are an avid collector of books,'     "Now I wish I had any to bring." Ahn blinks in shock. "Wait, why aren't there any books in--? No way. You're kidding."
Distortion Dets.	'YuRia will also be coming by to share her Atelier and sate her interest in the suitcase.'     "Oh, no no no, I'm only more interested now. Put aside a time for me to be visit again in the future? Pretty-please?" 'That'd be crazy, right? Then Vertin would just have infinite stuff to fund the Watch with. We'd never let her go out, haha.'     "Hm? Is it that much crazier than the sun and a whole stretch of wilderness inside a suitcase? It could be the case! It would say something if it was, not that it doesn't also say something if it isn't. With it all... 'I need a world apart, with every need met', without, 'I need somewhere that's a shelter,' I'd say! So, Vertin?" 'I refill it manually, I'm afraid.'     "That answers that!" She seems horrendously pleased at Vertin's response. "I'll watch out for fog, mmmm-hm. Say, do you want that tested?" 'Well sorry then.'     Picking up a little sandwich (diagonal-cut into quadrants, crustless, it's a tea party, right?) YuRia cocks her head at Ahn. "What for?" 'Now that there's nothing to distract our attention, would you mind telling me more about your bears, and how they came to be?'     "YuRia Atelier is a premier fabrication workshop, the bears, they're nothing else but the extra hands and bodies I need for all of its undertakings! And aren't they just adorable? They've been with my Atelier for as long as it's existed- really, there's no reason to consider them different from the Atelier itself, or from me! Now, my Atelier, that has a bit of a story to it!"     As prepared for earlier, YuRia swirls her tea, clinking a tiny spoon against porcelain, "Around a year ago, a lot of things got stranger in the City! Detective Moses has her theories, of course, but I have mine, too. 'Psychoment', that's the term for things like my Atelier, and the Detective's fancy smoking-pipe, and a fair few other items of particular interest, they began to emerge around an about for specific people! Each and every one of them fascinating! They're all the sort of things you can look at and know the person without ever having to bother talking with them, pure and simple, tools and facets and factories~! They're magical, they're mysterious, and you have something similar, in all of this!"     With a sigh, YuRia leans back in her chair, feet still kicking under the table, and she raises her teacup (pinky-out) to sip. Wrinkling her nose, she puts the cup back down on the saucer, and a teeny-tiny teddy bear hops up from one of her pockets, hauling a sugar cube up and into it, hauling a spoonful of creamer, as YuRia stares right at Vertin.     "So? All this wilderness, it's new? What are you going to do with it, Vertin?"
Tamiel Luxis	"I do not believe that Timekeeper would consider this to be extra work."     "I'll try to think about it like that." She offers Sonetto a wane smile. "I'll pass that back along to her." Tamiel looks, awkwardly, at the scone in her hand, before finally heeding her shadow's urging and making her way to the table, settling feebly down at the table. She sends her shadow to retrieve a cup of tea for her.     "Wait, why aren't there any books in--? No way. You're kidding."     "Mm...?" A soft noise, like a small animal nudged by a toe. Tamiel responds, half-comprehending, "I could try to get a copy to you? I don't know how close you are to our flight path, but we could try to make something work."     'Or apples. Or... A Hat.'     The cup returns to Tamiel's hand in time for her to catch Regulus' comment. "You really like apples," Tamiel noted, eyes focusing on Regulus. "You must respect your first mate a lot, if you're willing to make everything in his image like that." Or maybe he just made a good mascot? But that would be rude to say...and felt meaner than Regulus' nature suggested.
Rita Ma	"It is pretty impressive," Rita's in the middle of soothing Regulus. "The Union Busan had to set one up of their own, and I know there was a lot of trouble with--"      "Oh, Rita--"      "Mm?" Rita's gaze follows Vertin's gesturing to the salami, prosciutto, and tartare-on-bread; her eyes widen, and she almost jumps up with excitement. "Oh! And those aren't... the sausage thing," has she never had salami?, "isn't cooked? Um, thank you, Ms. Sonetto!! Thank you, Ms. Vertin!"      She leans over the table to gather herself up a modest plate-ful- "I'm sure it'll be plenty! Thank you!" After all, she wasn't planning on getting a substantial meal here regardless.      She starts delightedly with the tartare, hoping nobody will notice if she only has half the bread; then moves to cautiously nibbling on the edges of the prosciutto crudo and the salami, like they're a New Berry she has to snuffle at and Investigate first.      "... people with any sort of fashion sensibilities!"      "Oh, um, thank you," Rita says, over the top of a rolled-up nibbled-down piece of prosciutto, after gawking at the Bear. "I do my best! Um, you must be Ms. YuRia, right? Are you from the City? It's good to finally meet you."      'Psychoment' has to be something she turns over in her mouth, under her breath.      "Well sorry then."      "Huh?" Rita hadn't noticed, for a second, that Ahn was excluded. She's surprised! "... Mmm, you have a really 'natural' beauty, Ms. Ahn. Like with your muscles and your silky hair and everything! There's something about 'gilding the lily', right? You could make just a white dress look really good."      Rita had nudged Ahn about as far as her wardrobe and her preferences will go, towards 'subtly revealing girl-next-door in perky summer colors'.      . . .      While she's cleaning her plate, though, Rita returns to an earlier topic. "Ms. Yuria, is a 'psychoment' the same thing I've heard other people call a 'distortion'? Just a day or two ago, we were dealing with a man who chopped people up to work in his circus, and... well, not to imply you have anything to do with clowns of course, but..."
Vantablitz Remnants	'Hm? Is it that much crazier than the sun and a whole stretch of wilderness inside a suitcase?'     Ahn blurts out "Yeah." and then has to think about why. "A sun and a sky is just going 'somewhere else'. And somewhere else being inside a suitcase is amazing. But you're talking about, like, generating infinite specific goods out of nowhere? I don't know what the difference would be technically, but it seems way more complicated and harder to do. Or more people would do it? And it'd be crazy that we're risking her on missions too."     'things like my Atelier, and the Detective's fancy smoking-pipe, and a fair few other items of particular interest, they began to emerge around an about for specific people!'     Ahn starts looking at YuRia more like an 'envoy of Moses' now; which puts her somewhat north of tolerable. "So the City has a problem with people suddenly gaining special powers?" she says. She assumes 'problem' because they're being assigned to investigate 'cases'. There isn't a 'case' unless it's a problem. "That's so . . ." Don't say anime. "Weirdly anime." Fuck.     'I could try to get a copy to you?'     "Huh?" Now Ahn is distracted again. "I don't even know what that book is. I'm just wondering about who built that place with a bunch of games and movies and stuff but no books that aren't technical manuals or encyclopedias or whatever."     '... Mmm, you have a really 'natural' beauty, Ms. Ahn.'     Ahn jumps in place, sitting bolt upright against the seat she was previously slouching in. "Th-that's really nice of you to say Rita?" She said it like it was a question. "I don't really do anything in particular though. It's just physically demanding to keep Camelia running and stuff. And I don't like having sweaty hair, so I wash it?"     'Just a day or two ago, we were dealing with a man who chopped people up to work in his circus, and... well, not to imply you have anything to do with clowns of course, but...'     Ahn leans forward and squints at Rita. "How can someone work in a circus if they're chopped up?" she says, suspicious. "Not in that order right?" Maybe Rita's just gone crazy! That'd explain everything!
Timekeeper	"And um, thanks for helping with the cleaning, even though it was Regulus' punishment."     "I don't mind at all," Vertin says, finishing off her cup of tea. Without having had any of the sandwiches at all, or possibly any other food today, she reaches for a macaron and downs it in two bites. "My time is always 'best' used in offices or conference rooms, so I take any excuse I can to hang out with friends."     "And the same goes for me," Vertin agrees after Regulus says she wouldn't mind going by again. "With the warpgate now, we're practically--" Still a couple hours transit away, "Neighbours, so it's no trouble to come back and forth. Now that you've seen the place, I hope you understand that there's truly no reason you can't drop by any time you want as well." "Well, still, thank you anyways."     Ahn is so polite and kind that it immediately makes Sonetto's opinion of her soar, when her outfit had maybe dropped her starting rep a bit. "Mm! It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Ahn. And Ms. YuRia as well. Please enjoy yourselves."     While settling down into her own chair, Sonetto politely and wordlessly moves a couple sandwich slices to Vertin's plate, reaching underneath their hand which was aimed towards another pastry. "The wilderness truly is a wonderful thing. How it came to be is... a mystery, but so is the suitcase itself. It is beautiful and lively, and Timekeeper is improving it further, as they always do."     The tiny table a short distance away finally gets its first guests too. When YuRia's teddy bear rustles a bush, a bunch of black fuzzy carbuncles, which were seemingly stacked on top of each other and hidden in the foliage, tumble out indignantly. They scramble around for a bit, before noticing the tiny teacups on the tiny table and suspiciously sniffing them, eyeing what Vertin is doing with theirs. Vertin looks down sideways at them, and deliberately lifts their cup and saucer, sipping from the cup even though it's empty, and the carbuncles start clumsily following suit with their own. "With it all... 'I need a world apart, with every need met', without, 'I need somewhere that's a shelter,' I'd say!"     "It's not something I intentionally voiced a desire for. Whether it was made for or delivered to me on purpose... it's hard to say for sure either way, but...." Vertin shakes their head. Laplace and the Foundation's theory is that if it isn't a coincidence, then it's a trap. "I found it in the Storm, where no one could walk besides me. I have a suspicion that it was my mother's doing."
Timekeeper	"What's that?"     Sonetto has her eyes closed, enjoying the sun's warmth and the sound of birds and chattering conversation while cradling her tea, and doesn't open them again until midway through her sentence. "A mummus is a critter that produces a fog-like gas from its respiratory trumpet as a defense mechanism. When clustered together, they can shroud an area in a perpetual mist, causing travelers to get lost... they are not aggressive themselves, however." "They're all the sort of things you can look at and know the person without ever having to bother talking with them, pure and simple, tools and facets and factories~!"     "I see why it's caught your interest, then." Vertin thinks about her answer for a bit, eyes turned towards the facade of the huge manor and considering the arcanists inside of it. "Regardless of how I got it, what purpose I'd like to turn it towards is clear. Ahn was right, even though the suitcase doesn't appear to 'restock' itself-- right now, this is a home for a few. In time, I'd like to make it a haven for arcanists and a resource for the Watch, to turn it to the ends of sustaining as many lives with as much comfort as possible. The wilderness is beautiful, but it's also an incalculably useful resource, for space and for supply."
Distortion Dets.	'I do my best! Um, you must be Ms. YuRia, right? Are you from the City? It's good to finally meet you.'     Through a (now more sweetened) tea-sip, "Mm, yep!" Clink, "Workshop Meister YuRia, if you're the title-saying sort. So? What District are you from?" . . . 'Ms. Yuria, is a 'psychoment' the same thing I've heard other people call a 'distortion'?'     "No, no, not really! 'Distortions' are just people." YuRia pouts at this a bit, and munches into a corner of her sandwich. "'Psychoment', it's equipment! Items, thins, tools, places, to tell you what I think, whenever I see Moses working at her cases, it's like anything that could've been a psychoment got stuck on the way out, and made their heads explode into something else! It's heads a bunch of the time. I like my head, it's a good one, and I need it firmly attached for all the projects I've got up in here!" She taps the side of her head, smiling Rita's way, and forgetting to blink. 'So the City has a problem with people suddenly gaining special powers?'     "It's the Distortions that are more of the problem I think! No-one hires out Moses for psychoment, you know. It's a lot rarer, which could be why, but I don't think so! I wish they did, or that they hired me, but it's hard to spot new ones! I try!" 'That's so . . .'     "Hm! You're right!" YuRia sips her tea, and doesn't press Ahn more on why that of all things is what she said.
Regulus	Regulus blinks blankly, she definitely missed the context cues. Or at least didn't seem to connect the context to a cue but fortunately Ahn seems to move on so she doesn't have to get into a lengthy discussion about laziness particulars because that probably won't go anywhere helpful. But she smiles. Being forgiven is great! "Don't worry, I won't go into the skull hallway! Pirate symbology aside, it's usually a sign to ... not go there, right?" Regulus has no idea what the skull hallway represents and is maybe okay with never finding out. A pirate may hate rules and love adventure but she's not so dumb about it that she's going to push the button that says 'This button kills you' THAT easily. "Yeah it's a bit of a hike but it's not a big deal for a friend." She assures Ahn, though she does vow to get one of those automatic fans and water spritzers along with her for it. It's not the most Regulus friendly weather but she IS curious about this village she keeps hearing about. Quietly, she's hoping this will throw off the ratbot that captured her recently too. If it's just based on what it thinks she'll be doing without any sort of actual tracking system, if she goes to places that necessitate hiking she will probnably never get caught by it again! She's so brilliant! Regulus does remember hearing about how 'The City got weird', sort of. Or rather about an event that was sort of related but she's pretty sure she's going to get a lot of stuff wrong if she guesses with the little bit of information she vaguely remembers and honestly it doesn't super matter to her so she's kind of happy to leave it to the people who were actually present then to say something about whatever rather than try to get into it herself. She does remember Distortions though, mostly because she saw one squish a guy into paste. Her expression gets a little pale at remembering it and she swallows anxiously. "Without ever talking to them...?" Regulus wonders, trying to ascertain Yuria's personality from plush bears. ''You really like apples.'' "I think it's more that I like APPLe." Regulus says. "Uh not that I dislike apples either, but I'm thinking of my friend first before the fruit, you know?" Whew, she didn't want to escape the turnip war just to enter the apple war. "But yeah, I hella respect APPLe. He's one of my best mates." She drinks some Dr. Pepper for a moment, looking a little befuddled, though only a little. She's also doing this to shut herself up for a moment. ''So I take any excuse I can to hang with friends.'' "Awww! Vertin! You're one of my best mates too!" She beams, but she's one seat too off to just hug Vertin right then and there, but she does extend her arms and bonk them lightly together to give the suggestion that she would be otherwise. "Oh I bet Vertin would love to visit the village too." She agrees.
Vantablitz Remnants	'My time is always 'best' used in offices or conference rooms, so I take any excuse I can to hang out with friends.'     Ahn zones out for a time, struggling to even imagine that. "Then I'll try to give you excuses?" she says, not sure she's figured that one out right.     'Neighbours'     "Oh gosh." Ahn blurts out with the tone of a soft swear. Everything else filters through her brain in shock.     "Oh wow we totally could." Still shock.     'It is beautiful and lively, and Timekeeper is improving it further, as they always do.'     Ahn watches Sonetto go on, paying close attention to the sandwich motion and the careful dance of hand under and over and around one another. She listens to the words, absorbs them, scrunches her eyes again, and then shakes her head. No. But she's totally like a rich girl's assistant. But--     "Oh #-1 FUNCTION (ANS) NOT FOUND at them! That's so cute!" Ahn gasps, downright starry-eyed at the carbuncle teddbear tea party. "Like out of a picture book . . ."     'I have a suspicion that it was my mother's doing.'     Ahn goes strangely quiet for a while. 'Where no one could walk but me' puts her in a strange and sober mood, verging on grim. She focuses on just her food, and just her drink, for longer than she has this entire time. "So I guess you don't see her anymore, if it's 'suspicion'." she says, trying to break up her own glum silence.     'When clustered together, they can shroud an area in a perpetual mist, causing travelers to get lost... they are not aggressive themselves, however.'     Ahn turns her focus to Sonetto more intently at 'not aggressive' more than the perpetual mist part; in reverse order of what should be interesting. "Are there a lot of critters like that? The kind that can do things from stories like that, but don't want to harm anyone?"     'They're all the sort of things you can look at and know the person without ever having to bother talking with them'     'I see why it's caught your interest, then.'     "I don't know. I like talking to people." Ahn says, half-confident this is somehow the wrong opinion.     'Hm! You're right!'     Ahn breathes a sigh of relief.     'Don't worry, I won't go into the skull hallway! Pirate symbology aside, it's usually a sign to ... not go there, right?'     She nods. "You'd definitely die."     'Yeah it's a bit of a hike but it's not a big deal for a friend.'     Ahn stares worriedly at Regulus. "Really? Where did it drop you? The last time I checked it was like, ten minutes away? Did it move?" Yeah maybe for you. Fifteen minutes up a mountain still isn't a stroll, girl.
Tamiel Luxis	"I'm just wondering about who built that place with a bunch of games and movies and stuff but no books that aren't technical manuals or encyclopedias or whatever."     "...Oh, sorry." A grimace. "I misunderstood." She paused, thinking about things. "Well...Even private libraries are biased based on the preferences of their owners. Maybe they were the kind of person who didn't think it was worth having?" A frown, "...Or they just...Didn't come to mind, thinking of what goes there?" She shook her head--Tamiel didn't know enough to make that call.     'Just a day or two ago, we were dealing with a man who chopped people up to work in his circus, and... well, not to imply you have anything to do with clowns of course, but...'     "The city's so awful." Tamiel set her tea down, before easing her worries with the scones. "You wouldn't believe how much suffering is radiating through it. How much pain. City's can be bad just out of density, but--" She fights for words, before settling on, "The distortions...And maybe the psychoments? Let it out of the zeitegeist."     "It gives them ways to fight it. But..." She stirred at her tea, watching the liquid swirl. "...It can also make it real in a new way. One that's that much harder to hide, doesn't it...?"     The carbunkles startle Tamiel, but she grows enraptured when they crowd around the table. "...Cute." She breathes, clasping her hand together. When they look to Vertin, she follows their gaze, biting down on her lip to keep back the grin fighting its way over her face.     "They're mimicking us..." She said, delighted, before taking a sip of her own cup. "How much do you think they understand? Did you have to train them much...?" She didn't know enough about the critters to make judgments on their intelligence, but they clearly looked up to Vertin.
Rita Ma	"Th-that's really nice of you to say Rita? I don't really do anything in particular though."      "Wow, so it doesn't even take any effort... you really are amazing, Ms. Ahn," Rita says, awestruck and slightly perverted. "Besides Ms. Lotus, do you ever wear bodysuits and things like that?"      "Not in that order right?"      Rita leaaans away from Ahn as she's squinted-at, putting up her hands in defense of her own marbles. "Um," she says. "No. I mean, like, chopped up into an elephant, or a lion, or a mermaid. Like..."      She makes a sort of elephant-trunk-trumpeting gesture with her arm, but wiggles her fingers, emphasizing that the trunk did in fact still end in a hand.      Only a second later does she realize that this probably isn't appropriate tea-time topics, and wiggles back down in her seat to sit on her hands awkwardly. "You know?"      "So? What District are you from?"      "Workshop Meister YuRia..." Rita definitely won't be saying that every time, but she makes sure to absorb it anyway. "... Oh! Um. I'm."      She speaks mostly-Korean despite having colorful hair, she dresses somewhat formally, and she has a whiff of Class about her (high? low? don't worry about it!). Really it's a miracle this hasn't come up before.      "... I've just been working in the City under Trideag. I don't live there. I'm very sorry," she says with a little head-bow. "I guess I've been spending most of my time in District 12. What about you?"      "'Psychoment', it's equipment! Items, thins, tools, places..."      "It's a lot rarer, which could be why..."      "Hmm. Are you familiar with the Red Mist, Ms. YuRia? It sort of reminds me of that," Rita murmurs, a finger to her lips. "Just not for fighting, it seems like...?" That is, it reminds her of what the LobCorp folks call 'EGO', but she isn't sure how widespread a term that is!
Distortion Dets.	'It's not something I intentionally voiced a desire for'     YuRia sits and thinks for a moment, before, with a little head-shake, "I don't think that changes anything I said. That's what it tells me. Though, that's a funny way to get it! Was it caught in a storm drain?" If YuRia was told much about the Storm, she's forgotten it.     The gigantic teddy-bear stares beady-eyed down at the carbuncles, head moving ever so slightly to track the scrambling critters. It leans down, teddy bear arms on its teddy bear knees, and then sits down, right near the tiny table, with a thud that rattles anything on its surface. After a little more staring, the bear pulls a tiny, teeny, toy-sized teddy bear out of some unseen pocket, and sits it down to join the carbuncles in their tea party.     "How's she improving it? Elbow grease? Contractors? If it's the former, that's some impressive handicrafts, Vertin. If it's the latter, that's boring, but it's a nice result!" 'I don't know. I like talking to people.'     "They lie about things, that slows down anything, they complain and disagree, people are interesting, but isn't it better to just pick the answers apart without having to bother with everything else?" YuRia then says, a moment after, "You were along for one of Moses' jobs, weren't you? With the tomatoes?" 'I guess I've been spending most of my time in District 12. What about you?'     YuRia gets visibly more curious- "Oh, I've been in and out of a few districts, especially since that all happened in 12. It's convenient, I can pack up everything that matters, hop anywhere with a door, and I'm back in business! So, it's been District 14 for a while now! That's where Moses' little office is. Are you one of her contacts?" 'Hmm. Are you familiar with the Red Mist, Ms. YuRia?'     YuRia's eyes light up- "Duh. Of course I am- despite all the legends about her, everything that's sure to have been blown out of proportion... I'm sure she was some sort of psychoment-user! It doesn't make sense otherwise!" 'The distortions...And maybe the psychoments? Let it out of the zeitegeist.'     "Mm, yeah, I can't say most of the cases of either just pop up with nothing to do with that suffering! Really, with how much better it is now, with the Atelier and all, it's a surprise that it isn't more common!" 'I see why it's caught your interest, then.'     "Mmmmmmmhm, yep. Honestly, everyone ought to be this interested- you just walk around with it, talk about it, who wouldn't want to know more? Oh, I bet you get asked for a peek inside all the time! The Atelier is no place for guests, of course, and I can be selective with my customers, but you seem to be quite at home as a little host? Are you? There's a gorgeous sitting-room after all..." 'The wilderness is beautiful, but it's also an incalculably useful resource, for space and for supply.'     "Franchising," YuRia says, before picking up and biting another sandwich. She doesn't elaborate until the sandwich is gone, three bites later. "Think about it, Vertin- how do you use all of these resources? How do you streamline it all? You need production, labor, the know-how to get things moving and get things done. Why, you need Workshop Meister YuRia, and my Atelier. I need material, and I'd love to get my fingers on every inch of this suitcase. So. Let me open up shop here, Vertin. Please? Pretty please?"     YuRia, at that, actually gets up, and plants her hands on the surface of the table, to lean across it towards Vertin. The little teddy bear by her teacup crosses its arms, likewise staring at Vertin, and nods, as if instructing her to do the same.
Vantablitz Remnants	'Wow, so it doesn't even take any effort... you really are amazing, Ms. Ahn'     "Huh?!" Wait, that's the opposite of how that's supposed to go! "Are you sure you aren't just--" Don't say 'a fan of'. "--valuing those two things way too high?"     'Besides Ms. Lotus, do you ever wear bodysuits and things like that?'     "I don't understand the question!!" Ahn says, shrill and also lying.     'No. I mean, like, chopped up into an elephant, or a lion, or a mermaid. Like...'     Ahn, wearing a concerned expression, distantly imagines a cookie template.     'You know?'     "Oh gross . . ."     'They lie about things, that slows down anything, they complain and disagree, people are interesting, but isn't it better to just pick the answers apart without having to bother with everything else?' For the first time, Ahn considers YuRia's point of view seriously, instead of just calling her a fucking weirdo. Her conclusion, after two and a half sips, appears to be, "I don't talk to people just to get answers. If it's even answers that I want from them, I think it's important to know all the other things. If someone lies or complaints or disagrees, that tells you more about the answer too. If all you need is a yes or no then you can just get it from a book or the internet, right? Or I guess just pay them I guess."     She holds her former silence as soon as the topic turns back to suffering and chosen ones, though. Once again, Ahn is glad that she's here for a tea party, and not a tactical talk. It's easier to breathe out here than in Moses' office.     'Franchising'     "Oh." Ahn winces. Now she understands why she didn't like YuRia's vibes at first.
Regulus	''Where did it drop you?'' "Oh it wasn't that bad or anything, I don't remember exactly how long it was. Just a little longer than I prepared for." Regulus assures Ahn. "...I mean I'm not complaining, I promise...aha... It's fine!" She flops back a bit in her chair, the fatigue of working on that Warpgate, all the times she was forced to work out or hike, she honestly feels like she can just flop back and take it easy for the rest of her life. This is probably not the lesson she should be learning, Regulus reflects, but god she feels it. Though now that everybody is talking about it, she's feeling a little curious about that Skull Hallway... No no no! Regulus shakes her head. She's definitely die! AHn just said! And worse than dying, Ahn will give her a hard time if she went down that hallway! Nope nope nope, she's staying out. But she has to ask... "What is down that way anyway?" Regulus isn't sure she's experienced enough of The City to say that it's awful or not but she certainly didn't like her one real experience there. There are cool detective ladies though so... Regulus slowly turns to Rita, staring at her just at the right moment for her to do her hand-trunk routine. Regulus isn't sure what to say about this. She works her mouth soundlessly and then presses her lips shut. She turns away and down at her hand as she worries about FRANCHISES, quietly. She glances at Ahn and then adds, "...If your nose is also a hand how do you breathe out of it?" Shit she couldn't think of anything better to say.
Distortion Dets.	'I don't understand the question!!'     "What's 'Ms. Lotus'?" YuRia asks, zeroing in on something that sounds possibly like 'interesting equipment'. 'I don't talk to people just to get answers.'     "Wouldn't it be so convenient if all those yes and no's were somewhere you could read about? All of them? A book isn't perfect, it's still just words, but whoever wrote it doesn't get a say on who's reading. Tools never get in the way when there's something you want from them, and all their secrets are right there within them, if you know what you're looking for. Whether it's about people or something else, why would I want to dilute any of that, and rely on whatever someone chooses to say and allow? I'll figure it out myself."     All this, with an idle-neutral tone, while her little teddy bear minion wanders the table-top fetching condiments and tea-fixings for her, as she's busy talking.
Timekeeper	"Then I'll try to give you excuses?"     "I'll be grateful for them." Yayyyyy positive reinforcement yayy!! Now, inviting people over to spend time with Ahn to alleviate her solitude is a favor that *Ahn* is doing for *Vertin*! "Oh I bet Vertin would love to visit the village too."     "I would, absolutely." The question of why Ahn doesn't live with them being one of her main reasons for that, and the other being feeling the small tug of insistence for seeing how these people live 'after the end of the world'. "So I guess you don't see her anymore, if it's 'suspicion'."     "I've never met her." Vertin shakes her head. "I asked the Foundation once about her, and was told that there were no records of any such person."     "Which is not... unusual." Sonetto clarifies, with her eyes solemnly downturned. "Many of us were taken in by the School for the Primary Defense of Mankind as orphans or unwanteds when we were very young. I was as well." "Are there a lot of critters like that?"     "A lot? Hm...... I could not tell you the precise statistics." Sonetto apologetically shakes her head, as if that was what Ahn was after at all. "But if by 'from stories' you mean arcane skills, then yes. Critters are defined by, if not arcane skills as arcanists have them, then having some sort of trait that science cannot rationally and completely explain. Many of them are reclusive or even fearful of civilization, and others are peaceful unless frightened." "Maybe they were the kind of person who didn't think it was worth having?"     "I can hardly imagine. When I was first renovating the manor--" Which is sort of a bunker the same as Ahn's home, making Ahn's conditions of living with just one other person even more intolerably sad. "Books were some of the first things I brought in." "You wouldn't believe how much suffering is radiating through it. How much pain."     Sonetto frowns deeply, chomping down on a sandwich as if it's a representation of the evils of the City that she can destroy with her powerful teeth. "It is a horrible place. The Dame Commander has put in so much work to make the Trideag Association Headquarters a pleasant place to live among the destruction, but every day there is a new kind of monster that emerges, human or otherwise."     She remembers belatedly, looking to YuRia. "Recently, I believe I encountered someone with a 'psychoment' like you are describing. She was a woman who could create axes and manipulate cold temperatures." Sonetto has such an oddly hopeful look in her eyes about this, like a pleading puppy, for being very excited at having 'a fact about the world that she has observed' be corroborated in someone else. "How much do you think they understand? Did you have to train them much...?"     Vertin shakes her head and briefly gets up to dispose of one of her sandwiches by placing it at the carbuncles' table. Squatting beside them still, she watches them fuss with each other about which side of the plate tiny forks go on, which evolves into a fight where one pours a teacup over another's head. Vertin gently tugs them apart.     "Carbuncles are fascinated by people by nature. In cities, where they tend to be neglected and become pests, you can find them assembling cars or knives and becoming dangerous. being deliberate about what they're shown, I can encourage them to imprint on certain behaviors and cultural traits-- that's one reason why I staged this out here rather than indoors. Though it's a lovely day too, isn't it?"
Timekeeper	"Was it caught in a storm drain?"     Vertin sits back down in their chair, and now that all of their sandwiches are gone, they nab another scone. "The Storm erases eras of the world and rebuilds a new one in its place. Everyone who is caught in it dies." "The Atelier is no place for guests, of course, and I can be selective with my customers, but you seem to be quite at home as a little host? Are you?"     "People do, and I am." Vertin is fully impervious to the phrasing of 'little host', blowing past it with a straight face as if it's a normal thing to call her. "I'm more willing to host than people are to intrude upon me, it seems. Close to a dozen rooms in the manor are occupied, but with proper planning, I believe that the area inside the suitcase could be self-sufficient for thousands." "So. Let me open up shop here, Vertin. Please? Pretty please?"     Vertin is much more in agreement with Ahn on the topic of talking to people to discover their personalities, rather than just reading them off of their belongings. But, YuRia is an arcanist in everyway but name-- and Vertin doesn't just want to indulge her interest, she is genuinely entertaining what she has to offer. So, when YuRia stands up, Vertin puts her hands together on top of the table and leans forwards, matching YuRia's eye contact.     "Would you mind if I took a stab at analysing your own psychoment? You're someone for whom 'craft' is an art form in of itself, not only the end product. You're obsessive over it, and when you say that you treat your Atelier as an extention of yourself, you also mean that its growth, efficiency, and the prestige that comes along with it are extentions of yourself as well. You take pride in being the best, and can never be satisfied with resting on those laurels without pushing your pursuit further and harder."     Leaning back again and folding her hands in her lap, "This wilderness is as much 'mine' as your Atelier is yours. So I need to be able to trust that we can coexist in the same shared space, without that 'pride' coming into conflict with my ultimate plans. I would set limits on where and how much you can harvest from the wilderness, as well as the business you conduct. I will request a certain portion of your manpower-- bearpower-- and the focus of your production lines on a monthly basis as well, for construction, farming, or other suchlike."     She offers a hand out to the little teddybear, willing to shake hands with just one finger. "If that's all acceptable, then I would be happy to provide the land and resources for you to expand your Atelier here."
Rita Ma	"What's 'Ms. Lotus'?"      "Oh, she's Ms. Ahn's really pretty friend and partner," Rita says. "She's sort of slime-with-tentacles, and sort of a flower, and sort of teeth, and mostly shiny-black and a little white with bits of green. And when she needs to protect Ms. Ahn, she just--"      Rita makes an 'engulfing' gesture with both her hands, and a sort of 'glorp' noise with her mouth.      "--and they work together, like that! And a tooth-mask sort of chomps to close in front of Ms. Ahn's face and it's really pretty."      Rita's smiling sunnily and her legs are kicking a li'l under the table.      "--valuing those two things way too high?"      "Huh? Having pretty hair and being strong are just really important things, for how beautiful someone is," Rita insists with an innocent gentleness. Please do not inquire about what her girlfriend looks like. She's nromal. "And I don't think someone has to be tall to be beautiful, but you're a 'tall' kind of beautiful, so it's good that you're actually tall too!"      "...If your nose is also a hand how do you breathe out of it?"      "Oh. Um. You know, I didn't ask. Maybe he breathes through his mouth," Rita murmurs, suddenly thoughtful.      "So, it's been District 14 for a while now! That's where Moses' little office is. Are you one of her contacts?"      "Ah... I've talked to Ms. Moses once, but I wouldn't say I'm one of her 'contacts'. I'd like to get to know her better, though. And I like her girlfriend too." Rita? Huh? Hello?      "I'm sure she was some sort of psychoment-user!"      "Oh! If the Red Mist counts... I think a lot of the research Lobotomy Corporation did could be useful to you, too." Rita perks up a little. Maybe sharing this isn't the best idea, but... "They talked a lot about something called 'EGO'. Mostly they wanted to give it to people artificially. But they said the Red Mist was a natural."      "Franchising"      Uh-oh. Rita's eyes widen, and she looks to Vertin, but surely they think this is as bad an idea as she does and she doesn't have to say anything. Right?
Vantablitz Remnants	'What is down that way anyway?'     Ahn's fingers tighten almost imperceptibly around her teacup. She's too careful about ensuring she doesn't break it. It's the tension that turns her knuckles pale more than anything else. She stares blankly down into the last quarter remaining. "It's like I said. The hospital, labs, and quarantine." she says. "It was a lost cause when I found it. You'll definitelybe exposed if you go that way, and then you'll get infected and probably die. Ninety nine percent."     'What's 'Ms. Lotus'?'     "My roommate." Ahn huffs. She's finally decided to just embrace that terminology. It's easier than explaining the rest. "She has weird powers. It's sorta kinda my fault." That's the most she's going to say not under duress.     'Wouldn't it be so convenient if all those yes and no's were somewhere you could read about?'     'whoever wrote it doesn't get a say on who's reading.'     'why would I want to dilute any of that, and rely on whatever someone chooses to say and allow?'     "Miss YuRia, do you . . ." Ahn breathes deep, tries to think of another way to say it, and fails to come up with anything significantly more delicate. "Just kind of dislike 'people'?" she says. "Or do you have some kind of past trauma about people lying to you?"     'I would, absolutely.'     Ahn claps her hands together, brightening up again. "Great! Um, I'm sure you wouldn't, but don't try to go there without checking in with me once, okay? And pick out a type of flower you like! Unless you really want to leave it to me, heh."     'I asked the Foundation once about her, and was told that there were no records of any such person.'     "Sorry." Ahn makes a bit of a face, but it's about what she expected.     'Many of us were taken in by the School for the Primary Defense of Mankind as orphans or unwanteds when we were very young. I was as well.'     "Sorry. Again." Ahn sighs. That's more than she expected. A little extra to be sad for.     'But if by 'from stories' you mean arcane skills, then yes.'     "Well, that's how the things in stories go, right? Magical events caused by special creatures." Ahn says. "It's different from UMAs, cryptids, government coverups, or the subterraneans, andromedans, and anything like that. There's a little guy who does a thing and it's really clear like we tell it but they don't actually exist." she explains, very patiently. "Except they do here! It's nice to know that they aren't all people-eating dragons or whatever though! It'd be such a shame!" Alert: Ahn is now thinking about critter zoology. "Is it really like an 'arcane skill' though? I thought those were supposed to be personal and special. If they all have the same one then isn't it just a natural ability?"     'Everyone who is caught in it dies.'     "Except you." Ahn says. Unnecessarily. Miserably.
Regulus	Regulus got praised by Sonetto today so she bites the inside of her cheek as the SPDM is mentioned. It's fine. It's fine. They're doing good. It's fine. She's not sure what axes and cold temperatures have to do with one another. She shoots little prismatic light bursts out of her finger harmlessly as she mulls over it. "Was she nice?" She asks. "She didn't throw the axe at you did she?" She seems to be feeling positive about it, Regulus thinks, so maybe something good happened! In the City! Wow! She would be more uneasy about Yuria bringing a workshop in here if it wasn't for Vertin setting some ground rules. She has a lot of faith in her 'Captain' so she just assumes she knows what she's doing and stops worrying about it. Vertin is kind of great at navigating complex stuff like this even if Regulus would instinctually recoil at the idea. ''Maybe he breathes through his mouth.'' "I hope so, cause I don't want to think about alternatives." Regulus admits to Rita. ''I like her girlfriend too.'' "Huh? What girlfriend?" Regulus asks. Jeeze, she thinks, 'The Red Mist'?? What's next, the Blue Explosion? She is reminded by what IS in Skull Zone and she says, "Oh! Yeah you did! Sorry." She's a star so she gets to be a bit spacey.
Distortion Dets.	'Oh, she's Ms. Ahn's really pretty friend and partner,' 'My roommate.'     "Oh." YuRia hums, thinks, stares at the bears having a party with the carbuncles, and, "I think I'd like to meet her! Is she interesting?" 'Just kind of dislike 'people'?'     To the tone of having luke-warm opinions on a music genre, "No, I like them fine. I just don't care for relying on them." 'Recently, I believe I encountered someone with a 'psychoment' like you are describing.'     Full attention, "Who. You got a way to contact her, didn't you? If not, can you sketch her appearance, and give me her name? I'll get someone to find her if I have to, but that would speed it all up. Item creation, temperature... I'd have to see it for myself to know what to think. Oh, please have gotten her contact..." 'I've talked to Ms. Moses once, but I wouldn't say I'm one of her 'contacts'. I'd like to get to know her better, though. And I like her girlfriend too.'     YuRia sighs- "You'd agree, at least, that Ezra isn't anywhere close to as interesting, though? I've lived with the two of them for a while and I still don't understand what she sees in her!" YuRia is not going to correct Rita. She doesn't care about that little misread, and frankly, it might be true, she's never bothered to ask. 'The Storm erases eras of the world and rebuilds a new one in its place. Everyone who is caught in it dies.'     YuRia thinks about that for a moment, and purses her lips. "That's a shame. 'Erase' is such a sad word. I can see how that's a remarkable way to find something so special as your suitcase, though. It's even more reflective." 'Would you mind if I took a stab at analysing your own psychoment?'     Grey eyes fixed on Vertin, YuRia doesn't give any sort of affirmative, because she doesn't say anything at all. Of course she's correct, it's written right there in the details and functionality of it all, as YuRia would want it. 'This wilderness is as much 'mine' as your Atelier is yours.'     With a little nod, and hushed-anticipating tone, "Yes, of course it is." 'I would set limits on where and how much you can harvest from the wilderness, as well as the business you conduct.'     "The business I conduct here," YuRia corrects, leaving the rest of that in implicit agreement. "I have an eye for aesthetics, and these woods, they're cute! Even if I'd like to take it all apart, the gestalt is still your suitcase, any damage would be a tragedy. I'm not sure even I could put it back together! Not yet, at least. I'd love to figure out where the seams in it even are, to peek into its workings! But that's a matter for later, not the scheme to focus on, there's not enough tea left for that! Oh, and-"     The little teddy bear on the table grabs Vertin's finger, but instead of shaking, procures a thin red ribbon from somewhere, to quickly tie into a bow around her finger. That seems to serve as sealing the agreement to YuRia, who looks incredibly pleased.
Vantablitz Remnants	'I think I'd like to meet her! Is she interesting?'     "Well she's sure not boring." Ahn huffs. "You probably can't see her until spring though. She does this thing every few years where she sleeps through a bunch of winter and crawls downstairs kinda different." she says. "This is the longest it's ever been, though . . ."